Review - New Moon

The Twilight Saga: New Moon 

Review by Louise Poole

The highly anticipated sequel to Twilight – New Moon was released in cinemas at 12:01 on Thursday 19th November. At our cinema, audiences armed with popcorn and a big can of energy drink made no secret of their love of New Moon and The Twilight Saga. For every button Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) unhooked on his shirt and each of Jacob Black’s (Taylor Lautner) signature shirt rip women throughout the audience recorded their resounding sigh of approval.
And I too, I must admit, also approved and believe other fans of the Twilight Saga won’t be disappointed in the New Moon instalment. 
New Moon continues a few weeks/months after Twilight’s conclusion. It opens on Bella Swan’s (Kristen Stewart) 18th birthday when a seemingly innocent paper cut in a room full of vampires escalates into the catalyst for Edward breaking up with and leaving Bella. When Edward leaves, Bella sinks into a deep depression and it is only through her friendship with Jacob Black that her grey cloud begins to lift. Except Jacob has a pretty big secret….
Yes, it is a film about Vampires. Yes, it is a film about Werewolves. But at its rawest core The Twilight Saga is a love story – Edward Cullen, a modern day Mr. Darcy of sorts. While the first film told the story of Edward and Bella’s love, New Moon at its heart is a story about what happens when the person who once promised to love you forever seems to change their mind. It is the excruciating pain that we have all, at one stage, felt – Numbness, desperation and angst; the loneliness of coming home to an empty house; days that blur into weeks and months; and our withdrawal from friends, family and the rest world when our heart has been broken. 

Empathy and understanding for Bella’s deep depression, the intricacies of her relationship with Jacob, and the choice she has to make when you truly love two men came easier after reading the original Stephanie Meyer New Moon novel, but the film didn’t disappoint and the filmmakers can be forgiven because it will always be impossible for the big screen to compete with words which fuel your deepest imagination.

New Moon combines a cast of exceptionally good looking young actors, with amazing cinematography and a killer soundtrack. And watch out for the cameo of a grown up Dakota Fanning – almost unrecognisable and completely different from the child-like roles she usually plays. 

New Moon – Definitely a film for women of all ages! 


My tip? Make sure you watch the original film Twilight first or you will struggle to follow the plot. And when you fall in love with the first film, give Stephanie Meyer’s books a go, and join the millions of fans who read and re-read their copies daily.

Watch the trailer here:

New Moon Official Trailer

The Perfect Black Forest Cake

It's always been a hit on our family table, but just how do you make the perfect Black Forest Cake? Everyone seems to have their own way of doing it and their own strength of alcohol to include, so we've made it easy to make your own that will turn out perfect every time!

What you'll need

(serves 8)

CAKE: 

180 g butter 

1/2 cup caster sugar 

2 eggs 

100 g PLAISTOWE Couverture Deluxe, melted 

1 1/4 cups self raising flour 

2 tbsp NESTLÉ Baking Cocoa 

1/2 cup milk 

FILLING: 

300 mL cream, whipped 

425 g cherries, drained and chopped 

TOPPING: 

150 g PLAISTOWE Couverture Deluxe, extra 

150 g extra butter, for decorating 

extra PLAISTOWE Couverture Deluxe 

How to make it.

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm deep round cake pan with baking paper.

2. Beat butter and sugar until creamy, add eggs one at a time. Beat in cooled NESTLE PLAISTOWE 63% Cocoa Coverture.

3. Fold in sifted flour and NESTLE Baking Cocoa alternately with milk.

4. Spoon mixture into prepared tin and bake 45-50 minutes until cooked. Remove from pan, cool on wire rack. Cut cake into 3 horizontal layers.

Filling

1. Sandwich layers together with whipped cream and cherries and refrigerate until required.

Topping

1. Melt together remaining extra NESTLE PLAISTOWE 63% Cocoa Coverture and butter, allow to cool then refrigerate until spreading consistency.

2. Spread over top and sides of cake. If desired decorate cake with whipped cream grated chocolate and cherries

NOTE: Allow cooling time.

Preparation Time

20 minutes

Cooking Time

45 minutes

How to speed-read the easy way

Not everyone has the leisure of reading the whole day. Sometimes, you only have a few hours to finish one or two books. If you’re one of those people, then you need to learn speed reading tips to help you get more done in a shorter amount of time.

You might be wondering just what these tips are and how effective they can be when it comes to actually comprehending the text. Well, wonder no more.

The following speed reading tips will not only help you read faster, they will also ensure your full understanding of what the text is all about.

Speed Reading Tip # 1: Skim The Text First.

One very popular and effective tip is skimming the whole page or text. Giving the text a once over gives you more or less an idea of what the writer is talking about.

Sometimes, it helps to understand the main idea first before delving into the details. This way, you won’t have to reread a sentence twice over, just because you didn’t get it the first time.

Try reading the last sentence of the material as well. This helps you get to the writer’s main point without wasting precious time,

Speed Reading Tip # 2: Get Comfortable When Reading.

Sometimes, we waste time by shifting in our seat every so often. Long-time readers already know what their favorite reading position is. It’s different for everybody.

Some like to read with their back straight. Others like to read stomach down on the bed. You’ll have to discover which position is best for you. I would suggest sitting down on a comfortable chair and propping your book on a desk.

Speed Reading Tip # 3: Get Rid of Distractions.

If you want to increase your reading speed, you need to find a place where you won't be easily distracted. Why do you think libraries have "silence" signs all over?

That said, you won't be able to read as fast as you really can when you're in the living room and your little brother is there watching cartoons. Notice how many times you end up reading one line over and over again.

Find a good spot. Perhaps in your private room where you can have all the peace and quiet you need.

Speed reading tips are often overlooked by both students and professionals alike. However, once you realize just how much you can get done in a considerably shorter amount of time, you’ll be applying these tips every chance you get.

Scar Removal with Natural Products

It's a little depressing, how so many people try and fail to remove their scars. What these people generally don't realize is that, while scar removal is very much possible, it really isn't as simple as rubbing some kind of hi-tech magic cream and hoping for overnight results. That's just not how scar removal works, and if you really want to do something about your scars, you should strive for a betteer perspective. This article will provide you with some basic information on what you need to get started on a real solution to get rid of your scars.

Choosing the right product to rub on your scars in only 1 out of three necessary steps to removing scars. Having chosen the right product, you'll also need to apply it in the right manner, as well as making some changes in your diet and lifestyle that will hasten the healing process. Also, there are many natural products that work just as good (if not better) than commercial scar fading creams... you just need to know which products work best for different types of scars. There are dozens of wonderful scar healing products that you can find in your grocery, such as aloe vera and honey.

Once you know the best product for topical use, you also need to learn about some techniques that will effectively help break up the scar tissue. It can be something as simple as specific massage techniques, or something more elaborate, like silicone sheets. Once again, it depends on the type of scars you're dealing with. Finally, you need to drink lots of water and increase your Vitamin E intake. Doing so, your body's regenerative abilities will get boosted up, and consequently so will the scar removal process.

The Hottest Male Celebrity Tattoos

They've always been the sign of a bad boy... but our list of the hottest male celebrity tattoos shows that even the good boys can look just a little bit bad too!

Old Fiddy Cent makes the top of the list for one reason... the body those tattoos are on. Seriously, does this guy have enough time for singing with all the working out he must do? Our only gripe about his tatts is that they are a little... well... self promoting to say the least!

 Alright, we're seeing a theme here. Maybe it's not the tatts. It's the bodies! The only problem here is that Vin Diesel's tatts in the movie XXX weren't real! They were henna tattoos only. In fact, Vin hasn't got a single tattoo on him in real life!

The bravery award definitely goes to ex-boxer Mike Tyson. It takes guts to tattoo your face. But when you're Mike Tyson, who exactly is going to give you grief about your tattoo?

The first of our nice boys to sport ink is Keith Urban. A nice eagle on his forearm and a little bit of writing is very Keith... not too overstated.

Now this is obviously not a recent photo of Mickey... but he did once set hearts a-flutter! And he was one of those 80s stars that did sport tattoos ahead of the trend. Several bad plastic surgery experiences later it's not really the tatts we're gawking at any more...

Jessica Simpson's ex and one-time boybander Nick Lachey is a good looking guy at the best of times. But with his tattoo of his old boy band, you have to wonder whether he might have outgrown this one!

We don't seem to hear too much about Kravitz these days... but he's still looking hot... and still has a love of body modification going on. That shoulder tattoo has been there quite some time and is still looking great.

Peter Andre in his younger days was a picture of health, vitality and tattoo goodness. Fast forward 15 years and his life isn't the squeaky clean slate it once was, but this hunk still makes a tattoo look good!

Who cares if he's gay or not? He's hot! And Ricky Martin loves his tattoos... and seems to get more and more of them every time we see a new pic of him. Looking good Rickster!

Fall Out Boy Pete Wentz has always had quite the female following and although he doesn't have quite the covering of the Good Charlotte boys, he has an impressive set of ink!

Actor. Singer. Ink fan. Yes, Jamie Foxx is one hot man with a hot set of tattoos to boot. But that one on his head must have HURT!

A quick, simple tasty steak idea

Who doesn't love a steak? Well, we have dug out this great little marinade recipe that will spruce up your steaks for even the most jaded beef-eater!

A fresh marinade with summer herbs adds fabulous flavour to this simple grilled steak recipe.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup honey Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 cloves minced garlic

4 boneless sirloin steaks

Preparation:

Prepare and heat grill. In small bowl, combine all ingredients except steak and mix well. Spread this mixture on both sides of steaks and refrigerate for 30-50 minutes.

Grill beef on uncovered grill 4-6 inches or so above medium coals (or on the groove plate of your gas barbie) for 1 minute on each side to sear. Cover grill and cook 8-9 minutes longer for medium steaks, turning once during grilling. Discard any remaining marinade. Serves four and is delicious!

Give your thongs some bling

Plain thongs are so last season! The newest (and most chic) way celebrities are dressing up their feet for the holiday season is with Popits.

And we've been watching these little gems pop up everywhere around town with the trendy and the happening set!

And with so much travelling come up at this time of the year you'll save yourself some baggage space too by stopping the search for shoes and having a look at US brand Popits who have a fabulous range of essential summer thongs that are light enough to avoid excess baggage fees, come in cool colours, and are complete with fabulous cocktail jewels to jazz up chic resort ensembles.

The range of glittery jewels, summer flowers, and boho peace clips can be added and interchanged with any of the thongs, giving you a capsule shoe collection that will take you from day to night throughout your trip.

Popits accessories are already on the fashion radar of Hollywood’s style set including Nicole Richie, Lara Bingle, Miley Cyrus and Laura Dundovic. So you'll be in good company!

Visit www.popits.com.au for more!

Popits yellow thongs w/ white orchid $32 and Popits black thongs w/ Madeleine $92 pictured.