Istanbul In 5 Minutes (Video Included)

Because I'm new to Vimeo, I cannot for the life of me embed it to this page.  However, follow the link below!!!

http://vimeo.com/38801880

The Dubliners

During my trip to Dublin many events occurred:

1. Unfortunately Snookie is pregnant

2. My one year anniversary 

3. I got to see many a round sheep up close and personal

I have a few pictures to show of the place I didn't want to leave.  The people are some of the nicest you will ever meet, the food and beer was amazing, and I have never seen a more beautiful and green countryside.  If there's one place that I have absolutely adored in Europe, Dublin has now become number one, beating out Paris.  First of all, I highly recommend the hotel we stayed at.

The Waterloo House Dublin

This was the view from our hotel room.  It was romantic, and cozy, settled in a charming neighborhood. It's about a 15 minute walk from the city center but it's great exercise and a pleasant walk.  It normally took us about thirty minutes due to all the intriguing antique shops.  Although it's a little far from the center you get a full nights sleep with out noisy interruptions from the street.

Also, breakfast is included!  You have the choice between a full Irish breakfast, fresh waffles, fish, and breads.  It is amazing and you get to serve yourself at a yogurt and juice bar.  The staff was incredible and made sure to get to know us.  This four star bed and breakfast will run you about 40 euros a night per person, but it includes the delicious breakfast.

Three Places You Have to Visit in Dublin

1. St. Stephen's Green

Located in the heart of Dublin, St. Stephen's Green is the perfect place to be on those rare sunny Dublin days.  It is absolutely gorgeous, and you can get a taste of the Irish culture.  You can sit by the main fountain, ret near the pond, or lay on the vast, lush, green lawns.  If you are there on a bright, sunny day, GO.

Just a few pictures from the park:

2. The Museum and University Scene

Another good thing about Dublin is that every national museum is free, and still really nice and educational.  We visited the National Museum of Natural History, and loved it.  You do not have to have an appointment and most of the museums are located in the same neighborhood, and conveniently next to Saint Stephen's Green and the major shopping area.

Walking into the building, your eyes immediately set upon the awesome ten foot tall ancient deer bones, and you are surrounded by the history of Ireland's natural history.  On the left, one sees aquatic creatures and molds of deep sea fish.  There's even jars comprised of real fish from the 19th century.  The right and center is filled with mammals and bugs, and it's entertaining for everyone.

Next, the Trinity University campus also is filled with free exhibits.  Their science center has a new exhibit every couple of months and is all real research from the students.  We came during the time of food studies, looking at the future of food and the importance of our sense of taste.

Finally, we came to the wall of answers.  We were asked what our last meal would be, a question I ponder a lot with friends. Some answers were good…

…others were…interesting to say the least.  My choice?  Fried chicken and waffles!

3. Irish Countryside/Newgrange

On word: breathtaking 

I could not believe how beautiful and green the hills and plains were.  Newgrange is the perfect place to go to get a dose of ancient history and a much needed view of happiness.  The burial is out in the middle of nowhere but dates back to the time before the Pyramids or Stonehenge.  A shuttle picks you up at the the Dublin tourist office, and for 15 euros you can have a nice day trip.  It was an incredible experience and my favorite part of Dublin.  I will definitely go back.  Next week I'm off to Istanbul, but I'll leave ya with more pictures of the gorgeous hills.

364 More Days

I feel like the biggest nerd when I tell people my intense research on the Oscars/Awards season begins in early November, and leads up to one important night.  In addition to the actual winners, the fashion is also really important to me.  I watch the entire pre-show and view every dress.  My favorite part is seeing the big flops, however, everyone looked unusually good.  There were only a few, maybe one or two, dresses I actually loathed, and unlike last year, the host(s) wasn't nauseatingly awkward.  Here are my comments for the night:

Best Dressed

Jessica Chastain

Best Improvement

Angelina Jolie

Expected More

Emma Stone

Would have been perfect without that damn bow

Worst Dressed

Shailene Woodley

It looked great on video, but photographed really poorly---too matronly

"Thank God This Won"

Woody Allen-Best Original Screenplay

Biggest Surprise

Meryl Streep-Best Actress-The Iron Lady

Man I thought Viola Davis was locked in.  The Help is such a better movie as a whole, than the Iron Lady and Davis was incredible.

Biggest Snub

The Tree of Life- Cinematography

The film acclaimed to be a visual treat for the eyes lost to Hugo in the Cinematography category.  Not cool, Academy.

Well 364 more days until the next Oscar night.  The Razzies will be the last award show of the season.

Time Flies, OSCAR PREDICTIONS

Whew time has flown since my last post.  I've been traveling a lot and will soon be posting about those trips, but the Academy awards are so much more important.  Tonight's the night.  Unfortunately, it airs at 2 AM my time but hopefully I can stay up.  Here are my predictions. 

Candace’s Oscar Picks

Best Picture The Artist

Best Director Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Best Actor Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Best Actress Viola Davis, The Help

Best Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Supporting Actress Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Original Screenplay Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Best Adapted Screenplay Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, and Nat Faxon, The Descendants

Best Editing The Artist

Best Cinematography The Tree of Life

Best Costume Design The Artist

Best Art Direction Hugo

Best Original Score The Artist

Best Original Song “Man or Muppet,” The Muppets

Best Makeup The Iron Lady

Best Sound Editing Hugo

Best Sound Mixing Hugo

Best Visual Effects Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Best Foreign-Language Film A Separation

Best Documentary Feature Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Best Animated Feature Rango

Best Animated Short The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Best Live-Action Short The Shore

Best Documentary Short Saving Face

 Let's see how many I can get, and let's hope I can post more!

Yummy Puppy Chow and Razzie Awards

Ever since I can remember, puppy chow has been amazingly delicious.  I don't think anyone in the history of humanity has hated the delicious and simple dessert (unless you're allergic to peanut butter).  Tonight, I made this classic dessert with a couple of friends staying in the house.  It's a cheap and easy recipe that many people will absolutely love.  Now, living in Germany, peanut butter can be hard to find, so you can always substitute the ingredient with NUTELLA :) 

Makes enough for numerous handfuls

Ingredients:

5 bars of dark chocolate

1/2 cup of peanut butter/Nutella

1 box of Rice Chex cereal

2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Pour the box of cereal in a large mixing bowl.  Gradually melt the bars of chocolate in a double boiler, block by block.  As you continue to melt each piece, turn the heat down so the chocolate doesn't burn.  As soon as the chocolate is completely smooth, stir in the peanut butter or Nutella until completely mixed.  Now pour the mixture over the Chex and stir until each little piece is coated.  Now, slowly dump the powdered sugar over the warm bowl of goodness.  Stir, and let cool.  Devour. 

So there it is;  One of the best desserts out there, and something that is perfect for anyone at any age.  And for the random film portion of the blog...

Monday the Razzies, or Golden Raspberry nominations will be announced, and I couldn't be more excited.  The Razzies always put a smile on my face, and give me a prime example for what NOT to do in my career.  

I'm expecting Taylor Lautner to pick up a nomination for Worst Actor in Abduction, along with Nick Swardson's performance in Bucky Larson, and Adam Sandler in Jack and Jill.  It's been a bad year for Adam.  

As for Worst Actress, I'm expecting Jennifer Aniston in Just Go with It, Sarah Jessica Parker in I Don't Know How She Does It, and Kristen Stewart (as a dark horse) for Twilight.

I'm so excited to hear who will be honored with such a fabulous nomination.

The Perfect Cold, Rainy Day Chili

As another rainy day arrives in Heidelberg, I figured it would be the perfect time to make a big bowl of chili, better yet, chili by PAULA DEEN.  Though she's been receiving severe criticism for recently revealing she has Diabetes, the cooking star has not let me down in terms of taste or my own weight.  So Anthony Bourdain can just cool his jets.  So here's the recipe with a Candace twist:

Makes 8-10 servings

1 can kidney beans- drained

1 can black beans- drained

1 can pinto beans- drained

1 can corn- drained (Optional, I added)

1 tablespoon cumin

1 large can whole tomatoes- drained

1 package chili seasoning mix

1 1/2 cans diced tomatoes

1 diced green bell pepper

1 diced medium onion

1 lb ground beed

2 sausages sliced and put into quarters )(added)

hot sauce (added-as much as you want)

pinch garlic salt and pepper (added)

Cook the ground beef and sausage on medium-medium high heat.  While the meats are cooking begin to slice the onion and pepper.  Then add them to a large cooking pot with a small amount of oil.  Saute the onions and pepper while watching the meat.  Stir in the diced and whole tomatoes, while adding the Cumin and chili mix.  Cook until veggies are tender.  Now finally add the beans, corn, and meat.  Sprinkle in some garlic salt and pepper.  Partly cover and let simmer 3-4 hours.  

Now believe me, though it may lack Paula Deen's infamous amounts of butter, the flavors are amazing.  This is a perfect meal for a rainy day., and it can last a really long time in the fridge and freezer.  At last, serve it with some warm toasted bread and snuggle up and watch a movie.

Onto today's movie...Braveheart

I'll be honest here; I'm not sure I'll be a fan.  First of all, it seems like the epitome of a movie, men would play gearing up for some kind of fight or frat party.  However, the audience tonight, including many girls are just watching it for sheer THREE HOUR LONG entertainment.  Second of all, Mel Gibson is the star.  Every time I think of him now, an image of a sweaty, drunken man hitting on much younger girls pops into my head.  Hopefully, I can keep it out of my mind during the film.  However, the 1995 film one 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and it is quoted all the time.  I figure as a film major, I should probably stick around to watch it.  We'll see.

New Semester and New Contributions

I recently returned to Heidelberg and many are wondering why my blog completely (dramatically put) failed last semester.  My computer basically (dramatically put) exploded and all photos were deleted.  Nevertheless I am back and ready to start a continuous stream of blogging.  To start, the ground is absent of snow.  A sad surprise, but I am beginning to think it is a blessing.  I don't think I could successfully go a day without falling down our massive hill if even a trace of ice were on the ground.  However, we have all seen a lot more sun and the city is as beautiful as ever with clear cold nights, and bright mornings.

What was expected...

...and what was seen....

Next, awards season is on its way, and, being in Heidelberg, I must either stay up until the early hours of the morning watching them on sling box or find a way to watch them the next day.  Either way I am irritated because the thrill of watching these fabulous shows live on a big screen is out of the question.  Through looking at my daily sites (People, EW, rotten tomatoes, and CNN) I intensely studied all fashions and winners.  As unhappy as I was to hear Ricky Gervais was hosting the Golden Globes yet again, he wasn't too bad.  Now, onto my favorite part; the best look, and most disappointing.  

Let's start with the bad and end on a good note.

I wouldn't say this was the worst dress of the night, but it was the biggest wardrobe disappointment.  Everyone was anxiously awaiting the A-listers appearance, only to be let down with this unflattering Versace gown that washed out her skin.  Known for the deep towns and flowing gowns Jolie wears, she daringly switched it up, and was unsuccessful.  The off-kilter red neck-line threw off the look.  If the neckline was more like a V-neck and true to the major color, the look would seem vastly better with the clutch and a pair of red shoes.

Last year, the fashion "It-girl" was Mila Kunis, but Emma Stone has given the Black Swan star a run for her money.  Stone truly blew everyone away with her belted Lanvin gown.  The deep reds flatter her peachy skin color and the shoulders and belt provide an edgy vibe to the feminine V-neck dress.  With the specific neckline and shoulders, the ideal choice was a simplistic updo.  She also went for something new; a belt instead of jewelry that perfectly completed the look.  Well done!

Best Win and Worst of the Night

Just from watching the Pilot of American Horror Story, anyone can see Jessica Lange presented an eerily fabulous performance as a Southern Belle with evil secrets.  Her characterization and acting was truly incredible, having her lead the series.  I was so happy to see her win, and felt she deserved it most.  After all, she made the series, and helped create such a complex character that kept surprising.

I hate to say it but I was disappointed to see Meryl Streep winning once again for best actress.  Honestly, it should have gone to Viola Davis for The Help.  Yes Meryl Streep portrayed one of the most important female figures, but The Iron Lady keeps receiving mixed reviews and The Help's co-star won as a supporting actress.  I was expecting Viola Davis.  She was inspiring and is in every single movie she is in.  I hope when Oscar-time rolls around, the Academy will catch side of this.

Next up is the London Film Critics circle awards...and some more recipes by me :)