What If

I have something serious to tell you. Are you sitting down? OK. Here goes nothing... I'm obsessed with this movie.

Felt good to get that off my chest.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan, What If (without a '?' which I'll admit annoys me a little) is the story of a girl-guy friendship challenged by the age old question - can men and women really just be friends?

Three favourite quotes:
"You don't realise how quickly everything can fall apart until it does, makes you never want to give up anything good again."
"I just had sex and I'm about to eat nachos, this is the greatest moment of my life!"
"It's complicated. All this love shit's complicated. Because if it's too simple you've got no reason to try. And if you've got no reason to try, you don't."

As the two main protagonists - Wallace (Radcliffe) and Chantry (Kazan)  - navigate their way through a friendship filled with lust and longing, trying desperately to come to a conclusion that doesn't ruin both their lives, the movie throws up some of the sweetest, some of the funniest, and some of the most heart wrenchingly real scenes since (500) Days of Summer. In short, it makes me do a happy cry, I've watched it three times since Saturday, and you're going to love it.

11/10.

Gingerbread Milk: A Christmas Drink Recipe

I use the word ‘recipe’ very loosely here, as this is probably the most basic of Christmassy drinks. But it’s delicious. And you’ll thank me for it. So…

What you will need: Monin Gingerbread syrup, whole milk, ground cinnamon, a pan, & a cup.
What you will need to do: Heat your milk, pour, add gingerbread syrup to taste, stir, sprinkle cinnamon on top, drink.

Et voilà! Gingerbread milk.

Next to try? Schnocoa. More on that story as it develops…

London

& 3 quotes

“Be careful, you are not in Wonderland. I’ve heard the strange madness long growing in your soul. But you are fortunate in your ignorance, in your isolation. You who have suffered, find where love hides. Give, share, lose—lest we die, unbloomed.” - Kill Your Darlings

"When one makes a gesture, one stops breathing, one cuts the respiratory system off, the lungs and everything connected are blocked. I have often tried with my granddaughter who is twelve years old. I give her an instrument and tell her to draw me a straight line – and she bites her tongue to do it! So, I think that it’s hard-wired with human beings that when one writes one stops breathing entirely. When one goes back to the inkwell – it also gives time to take in some more oxygen for the body." - Hassan Massoudy

"You are a fine piece of china, he treated you like a paper plane." - Some (very insightful yet possibly a bit intoxicated) girl on the tube. I found this hilarious... Obviously.

Reincarnation

A small truth: I'm hopelessly fascinated by everything Karl Lagerfeld, and (almost) everything Cara Delevingne. Whenever something new crops up about either of them, I'm all over it. Karl got a cat? I've stared at pictures of her. Karl's cat got a fashion line and a book deal? Well obviously, what took so long? Cara did a line for Mulberry? WHY DON'T I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO ENCOURAGE THIS ENDEAVOUR? etc. And so, naturally, when I read that Karl's latest fashion film would star Delevingne herself, I was intrigued. So intrigued that I memorised the release date... Stop judging me.

Anyway!

'Reincarnation' aired online today, and I wasn't disappointed. I love everything about this short film - from the outfits, to the singing, to the bad lip syncing and even worse (by which I mean awesome, because who doesn't love to pull out the dad moves every once in a while?) dancing.

I suggest you give up 7 minutes 47 seconds to watch. 'CC The World' might just be your new favourite song.

More to watch online: Missing Something - a very funny web series about 20 something London. And Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud.

My New Housemate Has An Awesome Voice, Let's All Listen To Him Sing

Other Gabrielle Aplin favourites include: Panic Cord. Home. The Power of Love.
Other Thom favourites include: Absolutely everything he ever says and does (#HousemateLove)

Berlin

This past weekend, I went to Berlin. Upon stepping off the S9 at Shönhauser Allee - where I stayed with Chrissie, a university friend who recently took a job at Domino Records (very proud of her for being so f*king awesome) - the first thing I noticed was the overwhelming smell of sweet pastries coming from the shopping centre. The second, that I had forgotten every word of german I ever learned during secondary school language class. Awkward. Luckily, C arrived soon after I'd bumbled my way through ordering a hot chocolate from a cute guy at Balzac Coffee, greeting me with the words, "you have a face like 'Bitch please.'" Some things don't change.

Berlin shaped observations: In Berlin, everyone smokes in bars, and drinks in the street - and not only is that acceptable, it's perfectly legal. English Breakfast tea isn't a thing. Neither is shopping on Sundays (the shops are closed.) Compared to London, the streets are devoid of people - although littered with bikes and puppies. And fashion blogging is kind of a big deal (we saw a girl freezing half to death outside a Cheap Monday sample sale, wearing tiny shorts and accompanied by a clothes rail of equally tiny clothing. In comparison, we were wearing coats and jumpers. And we were still cold.) The graffiti is on a large scale, the people are impatient (an old lady tutted at me when I crossed her path) and the children confused (a tiny blonde child called me Mama.) The most important observation of all? Berlin comes to life at night.

How to make the most of a weekend in Berlin: Stay with a good friend, who wakes you up with scrambled egg, omelette, tea, and muesli with fresh raspberries (though not all at once, obviously.) Visit vintage markets, sample sales, and Urban Outfitters. Go to a rave in an old swimming pool, introduce yourself to absolutely everyone, dance until 8am. Eat cheesecake in an old bus that has been converted into a cafe. Drink hot chocolate. Have meaningful talks about life that put everything into perspective ("If this was an indie movie we'd be making a suicide pact right now" "They don't take you seriously because you look like a 1960's doll" "Animals are better than people.") Swat up on your history by visiting the Berlin Wall and the Holocaust memorial. Watch The Jungle Book in bed. Nap while your friend watches Coraline in bed. Eat everything Kinder. Wear warm clothes.

How you'll know you've had the best time ever: You'll have a little cry when you have to leave.

Berlin, I love you. Let's find a way to stay together forever. ♥

Next stop: Edinburgh.