Regan Leanne

Ip Man
The blurb: A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the successful martial arts master who taught the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun to the world.
My rating: 4/5
Tagged: action, biography, drama
Date I watched this movie 03/04/2016

What did I think?I really wasn't sure what I was going to think about this. Martial Arts movies, although I do karate, have never really appealed to me, but I agreed to let Faisal pick a movie and this is what he chose!

I will still say that this is definitely a slow starter, you have to wait a bit before you really get into it and you have to overlook the bad acting at the beginning. Once the movie kicks in, literally, then you really begin to appreciate it.

I think it tells a decent story of the life of Ip Man and the occupation of China by the Japanese at that time. Obviously I'm not sure how true to real life the movie is because I'm not familiar with the time period but it does add background to the character of Ip Man, so the movie wasn't just about kicking ass and taking names.

As far as the fighting scenes are concerned, Donnie Yen does do his art justice. I just loved the way the story make him seem invincible and you root for him when he fights the baddie who beats all the other masters.

Surprisingly good and I'm actually looking forward to seeing the rest of the series

Sometimes I really wish I had a time-turner so I could get more stuff done. More hours in the day would be great. Of course, I bet that if I did have more hours I still wouldn't get the chance to do the things I want to do in them.

I miss doing all the extra-curricular stuff I could do before. I miss having the time to ride, to swim, to do gymnastics, to practice karate, to see Chelsea play. Even just the time to play with Caden Bryce or read with him.

I get up. I get on the tube to college (and read). I go to college. I get on the tube home (and read). I do homework. I do extra reading. Sometimes I get time to come online - although often it gets done on a few minutes between classes, or on a free period. And then it feels like it's time for bed before it all starts again.

It's not even a lack of time management. It's just the time of year. I'm only a couple of months away from my A-Level exams. Coursework is all due. All of my teachers want all of my time, all of my effort and I have a couple of really heavy workload courses.

I always make time on a Friday night though to go to the cinema. Sometimes with friends, sometimes with Jade Rachel and Erin and Dad and Jimmy (and sometimes Caden Bryce) It all depends on what's coming out. Tomorrow my BFF Georgia & I are going to see either Deadpool or Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.

Weekends seem to be filled with sleep and coursework. And then I have to be very particular about what I do because there's only so many hours in the day. Usually I go swimming because that's a lot easier to fit into a spare moment than having to schedule around the gymnastics or karate classes. I always try and have Sunday afternoons free so I can just chill, watch a DVD, do some colouring... just properly relax before everything starts again on Monday morning.

I possibly didn't schedule the start of the 101 Things In 1001 Days at the best time, because there's also fitting in the things I want to do there.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful or like a whiney little bitch, I really don't. I love everything that I'm doing, I love being in college, having the opportunity to study etc etc. I guess I might be a little stressed and I know I'm tired. I just miss doing some of the things I love, some of the things that I feel define part of who I am.

Sometimes I feel a lot older than 17.
Sometimes I feel a lot younger than 17.
I get people tell me I should act my age, to stop liking stuff I'm too old for, to stop doing things I'm too young to do
I've never been 17 before so how am I supposed to know how to act and how feel?

imaginerireann tells me I'm an old soul, that I'm much more mature than most of my friends. I've asked her what she means and she says it's because I'm not afraid to be on my own, because I love to learn, because I think before I do things and have everything all planned out.

I guess that's true. I mean, a lot of my friends still don't really know what they want to do when they finish college and I've got this big plan for everything. I like having tangible goals that I can work towards, it all makes sense to me.

And no, a lot of my friends laugh at some of the stuff I love to do. They don't read for fun like I do. They think it's weird that I enjoy baking - they eat what I make though! I get told knitting or doing wordsearches is for old people.

But... I don't feel like I'm old. Sure, I feel like I know who I am and what I like. I do get distracted by new shiny things too though. I feel like my mood swings and 'teenage angst' are more controlled, and I'm calmer than I was, even a year or so ago.

In other ways though, I'm a pretty typical teenager. I worry about getting good grades in school and fashion and make-up and boys (and girls) and if I've got any zits and if I look fat. I love pop music and going to the cinema with my friends. I love sleeping.

Who makes the rules though? Who says that I can't like certain things because I'm too young for them. Or too old for them. Why do 'they' say that I can't have goals for the future and enjoy knitting and love Disney and Miley Cyrus and vampires and dinosaurs and pirates and dolphins and superheroes and baking and supporting my football team and doing wordsearches and like spending time with my friends and being alone?

The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Writing
Write a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days complete January 20 2015
Answer the "50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind"
Leave an inspirational note inside a book for someone to find
Tie a note to a balloon and let it go
Identify 100 things that make me happy
Send a message in a bottle
Write a message in a public bathroom
Send a handwritten letter

Career & Education
Graduate college
Start university
Learn to identify 10 constellations
Expand my vocabulary by 100 words
Take a First Aid course

Health & Fitness
Donate blood in progress. Appointment booked for Tuesday 1st March
Find out my blood type
Get a massage
Stop comparing myself to others
Take a Yoga class
Go rockclimbing

Fashion & Body
Get a tattoo
Improve my posture
Dye my hair
Clean out my closet
Stop biting my nails
Get a facial
Get a manicure

Travel
Go on a roadtrip
See the Northern Lights
Ride in a hot air balloon
Go skydiving
Go to the zoo
Go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Spend a day at the beach
Go to 5 different museums
Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Visit Italy
Ride a gondola in Venice
Visit New York City
Visit every London Underground station
Visit Stonehenge
Go on the London Eye
Visit Buckingham Palace
Visit the Colosseum
See the Eiffel Tower

Movies
Watch 26 movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet
Attend the BFI London Film Festival
See 10 classic movies I've never seen
Spend a rainy day watching films in my PJ's
Ask 20 friends to suggest one movie, and watch them all
Watch every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Books
Read 26 books I've never read starting with each letter of the alphabet
Read 100 books
Attend a book reading at the Oxford Literary Festival
Read 10 classic books
Ask 20 friends to suggest one book, and read them all
Read every Shakespeare play

Friendship
Make a new friend
Reconnect with an old friend
Meet an online friend in person
Adopt a pet that needs rescuing
Buy a house warming gift for a new neighbor
Wear a free hugs sign for a day
Hug 10 people in one day
Give a stranger a hug
Hug someone on National Hug Day

Food & Drink
Go on a picnic
Eat no fast food for a month
Have dinner by candlelight
Host a dinner party
Go vegetarian for a week
Bake cupcakes
Eat pizza in Italy
Eat pasta in Italy
Eat Gelato in Italy
Eat sushi

Volunteer
Help someone carry their bags to their car at the grocery store
Send a card or flowers to someone going through a tough time
Volunteer at a homeless shelter
Plant a tree

Things to make
Build a snowman
Bake birthday cake for someone
Knit a scarf
Bake a chocolate cake
Cook a meal for my family

Money
Buy a lottery ticket
Give money to a street performer
Buy something from Etsy

Art
Find a personally inspirational quote and work it into a piece of art or home decor
See the Mona Lisa

Dance
Dance in the rain
Learn to burlesque dance

Sports
Go ice skating
Watch a tennis match at Wimbledon
Run a half marathon

Hobbies
Complete a colouring book
Fly a kite
Complete a Sudoku puzzle

Personal Development
Say yes to everything for a day
Say "yes" to something I would not normally do
Keep my room tidy for a month