Daily Archives: December 11, 2012

Playing Tag

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As bloggers what is it that we all want?  Having our own little corner of cyberspace in which to write anything we darn well please is reward enough in itself. Nevertheless if we are honest most of us are hoping to be 1) Paid for our blood, sweat and tears through sponsorship and advertising or 2) Picked up by a major publication and paid for our blood, sweat and tears. Failing either of these idealized scenarios a little bit of acknowledgement from our peers goes along way. Hence the popularity of “tagging” memes.

I was recently quite chuffed to be tagged by Kirsty of My Home Truths (http://myhometruths.com/) with the cheerily named Sunshine Award.

The Sunshine Award is an award given by bloggers to other bloggers. The recipients of the Sunshine Award are: “Bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogsphere”. The way the award works is this: Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them. Answer questions about yourself. Select 10 of your favourite bloggers, link their blogs to your post and let them know they have been awarded the Sunshine Award!

I’m not sure I’m worthy of such an accolade. I certainly don’t set out to positively and creatively inspire others. Rather I use this blog as a platform to 1) moan about how my house is trying to work my to death and 2) express my undying lust   admiration for Michael Fassbender.  Anyhow if any of you have been positively and creatively inspired by my ramblings – you seriously need to get out more.

Now to the questions.

1. Favourite Time of the Year?

Autumn. The oppressive humidity of February has left but the weather is still warm. Even better the ocean has been heating up all summer and is still like a tepid bath. Our beach side life here in Chez ‘Abulous is idyllic.

2. Favourite Festive movie?

Arthur Christmas. I took P1 to see this on the big screen last year and came out grinning from ear to ear. I enjoyed it more than she did. The fact that Santa’s magic was explained away by cutting edge technology and an army of elves didn’t make it any less captivating. Also with the vocal talents of James McEvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent what’s not to like?

I think we all know that hapless Arthur will end up wearing the red and white cap.

I think we all know that hapless Arthur will end up wearing the red and white cap.

3. What is your Passion?

Other than giving my little miracles the best childhood ever, my passions are researching and writing. I hope they will be part of my future along with some payola!

4. Favourite Colour?

Its a tie. The blush of a pink arygle diamond and deep, mysterious emerald green.

These very expensive diamonds are the colour of luuurve.

These very expensive diamonds are the colour of luuurve.

5. Favourite time of the Day?

If I can get up before the kids and snatch a 10 minute walk down to the beach at sunrise its magical. It also means I start the day with real coffee.

6. Favourite Flower?

This is a difficult question given that I am botanically illiterate. Its also a bit like choosing a favorite child – they are all good. For my wedding bouquet I went for a bright, bold and exotic look in stark contrast to my personality.

7. Favourite Non-Alcoholic Beverage?

It should be stamped upon my forehead – ” That’ll be a skinny cappuccino with one please”.

8. Favourite Physical Activity?

I can tell you its not vacuuming the house. Probably swimming in the local ocean pools without the kids.

9. Favourite Vacation?

It would have to be Dunbogan. If that was too extravagant, I’d fancy a trip to the Galápagos Islands on a luxury yacht.

This one would be fine.

This one would be fine.

I recently tagged five very fine bloggers in the Christmas Wish List meme. This time around I’m choosing a fresh crew.

1) Slapdash Mama

http://slapdashmama.blogspot.com.au/

2) Oculus Mundi

http://alisontennentdennehy.weebly.com/

3) Falling Face First

http://www.fff.net.au/

4) Bachelormum Style

http://bachelormumstyle.blogspot.com.au/

5) One Mother Hen 

http://onemotherhen.blogspot.com.au/

6) Help I’m Stuck

http://helpstuck.blogspot.com.au

7) Robomum

http://robomum.wordpress.com/

8) Lydia’s Lunch Box Of Thoughts

http://lydiaslunchboxofthoughts.wordpress.com/

9) Five Frogs On A Blog

http://www.fivefrogsblog.com.au

10) Blundermum

http://blundermum.com/

Love

Mumabulous

photo credit: Crouchy69 via photopin cc

The Rise Of The Guardians

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I’m going to get the negatives about Rise Of The Guardians out of the way quickly so that we can all enjoy this delightful holiday film. On paper  its cornier than a jumbo super sized bucket of  pop-corn. The Guardians are an axis of awesome comprised of the mythical beings who give kids cool stuff,  namely Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy and The Sandman (as the bringer of happy dreams). They are appointed by the omnipresent but largely silent Man in the Moon and charged with the solemn duty of protecting the wonder and innocence of childhood.  The leader of the gang Santa Claus or “North”, voiced by Alec Baldwin, is true to his Russian folk roots. Bizarrely The Easter Bunny, voiced by Hugh Jackman, is a boomerang wielding, tough talking Aussie. It’s as if Hugh’s drover character in the movie Australia ate too many carrots and sprouted ears and a cotton tail.

rise-of-the-guardians-movie-quotes

When a new threat emerges in the form of the Bogey Man aka Pitch Black, the fab four must band together to stop fear and nightmares from engulfing the hearts of children world wide. The fight is considered so serious that The Man In The Moon calls upon the help of a new guardian – Jack Frost. Jack’s struggle to uncover his true purpose and identity is the film’s central arc.

If you can get past the idea of a Ruski Santa and Steve Irwinesque Easter Bunny leading the charge against a Bogey Man who resembles Harry Potter’s Voldemort then you are in for a treat. The Rise of The Guardians is a gorgeously animated movie that evokes an enchanting universe. The opening scenes where Jack Frost rises from a frozen lake into the golden moonlight are stunning. The worlds of all the central characters are exquisitely drawn. The tooth fairy is a luminous bird of paradise stationed in Tooth Palace and assisted by an army of splendidly colored humming birds. The Sandman floats on a shimmering cloud weaving lovely dreams for the children from golden dust.  One scene where the gang help the Easter Bunny decorate his eggs in rivers of paint had my inner kindy kid old fist punching the air.

As the Boogey Man and his nightmare minions foil the tooth fairy’s work and ruin Easter, children cease believing in magic en mass. Hope and wonderment are snuffed out like light bulbs all over the world. Except, as you would have surely learned from a lifetime of Christmas stories, for one little boy, Jamie, who never loses faith. Jack is able to rally Jamie and his friends to push back against Pitch and the fear and darkness he represents.

If you see Rise of the Guardians leave your inner cynic at home otherwise he’ll ruin the movie experience like the annoying guy who crunches his chips too loudly. The Rise of the Guardians serves up schmaltz by the tray full but it engulfs you in its wondrous universe. For me it brought back a sense of enchantment reminiscent of being five years old and seeing Charlie and The Chocolate Factory for the first time.

Mumabulous Verdict: 8.5/10

A wonderful holiday for kids who believe or wish they still did. The action is a little too frenetic and some of the scenes are a touch scary for the very little ones. Best suited to everyone over 5 years.