An open letter to the Doctor Who pop-up shop

Posted on by under Lifestyle

DW pop up shop1Image courtesy of the BBC

Dear Doctor Who pop-up shop,

I’ve never been to Disneyland but I can easily say that until I do, you are the happiest place on Earth.

It’s been weeks since you first materialised at 7 Wilson Street, Newtown, but I’ve finally made it. The moment I set foot in your pleasant shop, nay, the moment I saw your shop, I was overwhelmed with emotions: happiness, excitement, fandom, possessiveness …

Little kids fumbling through the merchandise, adorably getting in my way.

I’m a girl on a mission.

I’m The Girl Who Wants To Buy Everything.

You’re the first of your kind. (I may have shed a tear writing that poetic line because The Doctor’s the last of his kind.) With the upcoming Doctor Who 50th anniversary on November 23rd, it’s understandable why you were so populated, even on a rainy Friday afternoon.

I was torn at what to buy; there were so many things. Aprons, posters, cards, fun things for the bath … even a homeware range that isn’t available anywhere else in Australia. Though if I could pick one thing, it would be the giant TARDIS replica. That would look so great next to my hat rack. Or the giant Dalek.

Somehow I managed to refrain myself from buying everything (or rather Em did because, again, I wanted to buy everything.)

Please don’t leave. Time and space can wait.

Best,

Sophia

P.S. I’m really kicking myself for not taking any pictures with said TARDIS and Dalek. But when in London …

Review: Doctor Who: “The Name of the Doctor”

Posted on by under Entertainment, Television

dw1 dw4 dw6 dw8 dw9 dw10Source

****1/2

Wow. Just wow.

I had stopped reviewing the second half of Series 7, purely because it had gotten so underwhelming and I did not want to continually write reviews on a number of below-average episodes.

But this finale … Moffat almost redeemed this sub-parity of a season with these stunning 45 minutes. Of course, the title itself was just a red herring – no way would he reveal The Doctor’s biggest secret; all 50 years of history in just one episode – but it did answer a number of questions that viewers had been long debating on forums and Twitter. (And it welcomed back the ever delightful Professor River Song.)

Who was Clara? Why is she impossible? What is Trenzalore and what does it mean to The Doctor?

“This was not just the best episode of the season, but possibly the best finale we’ve seen.” - The Guardian

The episode begins with a montage of Clara in different times and identities, constantly looking after The Doctor in his numerous states. Now, it does not make sense until the final few minutes of the episode. It’s so amazingly mind-blowing, but at the same time, so simple and obvious.

Clara, this current, original Clara, had been scattered across time and space via The Doctor’s timeline. “Run. Run you clever boy. And remember me.

“I don’t know where I am. I just know I’m running. Sometimes it’s like I’ve lived a thousand lives, in a thousand places. I’m born, I live, I die. And always there’s The Doctor. Always I’m running to save The Doctor, again, and again, and again. And he hardly ever hears me. But I’ve always been there. Right from the very beginning.”

While I am quite satisfied with this explanation, I felt that it revealed itself too soon. We’ve barely been introduced to the character and to know her relevance and importance oh so soon seems to be a waste of what could have been a grande story arc. Nonetheless, great twist and an impeccable episode, and no doubt Moffat will take this and work some sort of incoherent non-sensical, yet fantastic storyline to it.

I do, however, applaud Moffat’s new choice of villain: the Whisper Men. As stylish as The Silence and almost as creepy as The Weeping Angels, having an “idea” be the antagonist is pure genius. The role that The Great Intelligence plays in the episode however, throwing himself into The Doctor’s timeline, seems random and farfetched.

The highlight of the episode for me? The scene with River and The Doctor, I must admit, shed a river few tears.

River:  How are you even doing that?  I’m not really here.
Doctor:  You are always here to me and I always listen.  And I can always see you.
River:  Then why didn’t you speak to me?
Doctor:  Because I thought it would hurt to much.
River:  I believe I could have coped.
Doctor:  No, I thought it would hurt me … and I was right.

Seriously, stop it, Matt Smith. Displaying his beautiful range of emotions once again, he’s really, really impressed me. From a tearful reunion with his dead-but-digitally-alive wife, to a jolly mock farewell, Doctor Who proves time and time again that it is not merely a family show.

The souffle isn’t the souffle. The souffle is the recipe.

Just when you think things can’t get any better, we meet an incarnation of The Doctor that’s never been seen before – the absolutely brilliant John Hurt. November 23rd can’t come any sooner.

Damn you (once again), Steven Moffat.

An open letter to Richard Curtis

Posted on by under Entertainment, Film

Dear Richard Curtis (aka writer of Four Weddings, Notting Hill and Love Actually),

Thank you for restoring my faith in romantic comedies; I forgot they still existed. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a chick flick that didn’t star Katherine Heigl, Kate Hudson, Amanda Seyfried or Jennifer Aniston. Sure, Rachel McAdams is pretty overused too, but she is just amazing. Do you remember her audition tape for The Notebook? Mind-blowing.

And you revolved it around time travel? Even better! You know how much I adore Doctor Who. Such a simplistic storyline of a boy who can time travel and who chooses so to find a girlfriend. Absolutely beautiful; he’s just a boy, standing in front of a girl (numerous times), asking her to love him. Am I right or am I right?

“About Time is a comedy about love and time travel, which discovers that, in the end, making the most of life may not need time travel at all.”

That is just poetic. How do you come up with stuff like that? Do you too stand inside a wardrobe way too big for a middle-aged man (clench your fists and hope for love), and fly through time and space to create films that make us snort, laugh and weep?

I for one cannot wait to see this baby. It’s about time.

Best,

Sophia

P.S. While I’ve got you here, thank you again for Bridget Jones and Love Actually.

I like Candy

Posted on by under Beauty, Feature, Review

ghd candy styler moulin frockActually, I don’t really like candy; I like cheese. But I adore my new Candy styler, thanks to the lovely folks at ghd. People have this stereotype and association with Asian folks that we all seem to have dead straight black hair. Well, mine is anything but. It’s wavy, it’s got curls and there’s so much volume and hair that every time someone attempts to brush it, I imagine this would happen.

I’ve never bought into the whole hair straightener thing. I really like the whole ‘bed hair’ look. I probably brush my hair about never. (Sorry if my hairdresser ever reads this.) I used to own one before my brother hijacked it. Yeah, my brother straightens his hair more often that I do. Yeah, I’ve heard of ghd and its miraculous capabilities, but I’ve always been poor skeptical.

But my, oh my. A little spritz of heat protectant (I use Wella), a few alligator clips here and there and a little curved flick (that way it frames your face) with their new candy styler and I’m in love. Heralded as the ‘Aston Martin of Haircare’, my hair is so smooth and tame and the balayage comes through so nicely. It doesn’t even take that long (considering how thick/much hair I have). Probably around 10-15 minutes for a full head. I can’t say I’m used to the flatness, so I always spray a little bit of dry shampoo or hair powder through the roots to shazam it a wee bit.

This baby heats up in no time – so quickly that I pounce at it in fear of it lighting the house on fire because I get preoccupied with something else. The good news for you forgetful heads is that it goes to sleep automatically if it’s left on for too long. Phew!

If lemon yellow isn’t your thing, the candy collection also features mint and violet. Totally cute and it just makes hairstyling a little more fun and your straightener a little easier to locate.

P.S. Did you know that ghd stands for “good hair day”? Me neither! Mind. Blown.