Magic and Madness

Posted by Gabi Elgood on

Just when I think life can’t get any crazier I bump it up another notch! I can really only blame myself though…I’m so focused on ‘The Year of the Career’ that I keep taking on more and more to better my skills, to get more experience and to try to move up! Which is a great thing and I feel like I am moving forward but I am also exhausted! I have been training in panel operating at the radio station and have recently taken on casual shifts doing this, I have also started doing some announcing between midnight and 4am to improve my radio skills and future job prospects all on top of my normal full-time admin job, casual radio news shifts and TV presenting…life is crazy but I am loving it!

On to the fun stuff…I had the amazingEd-Sheeran privilege of seeing Ed Sheeran in Sydney a week ago! That man is amazing! It is just himself on stage with his guitar but he makes it sound like he has an entire band and back-up singers behind him. Super talented! And that voice…I could just melt! The only downer at the concert was that I didn’t realise a huge slice of his fan base is 12-year-old screaming fan girls…they were crazy!!!! They swept us up into this crazy fan girl mosh-pitt and I was scared for my life until we elbowed our way to the back where we could breath! Next time I might buy seated tickets!!!

Les MisI also saw a wonderful community production of Les Miserable in Canberra put on by the Canberra Philharmonic Society. What a show! The cast was brilliant in their acting and their vocals blew me away! They even had me crying in the end…which isn’t actually that hard! haha. My favourite character has always been Marius pretty much because of his solo…the song is so touching and emotional and I adore it. I didn’t set my sites too high for the solo because it’s a toughy but Mat Chardon O’Dea did it justice and it was beautiful! Cue first tear! Dave Smith who played Valjean was also AMAZING! His vocal rang is phenomenal and his acting was just as superb, star of the show! And mention has to also go to Ian Croker as Thenardier. He had my mum in stitches and was the right mix of funny, crazy and dramatic to give a little comedic relief to the morbid undertones of the overall story. The production rocked my socks and I’m always so excited to see that Canberra truly does have some amazing talent in its midst!

AND surprisingly I still had time to see some movies WOOT!

Oz The Great and Powerful…WOW!!!Oz The Great and Powerful I loved it! I am a big fan of the Disney classic Wizard of Oz so I was a little nervous this wasn’t going to live up to my expectations but it far exceeded them. I love love loved how they used the black and white footage in the scenes before The Land of Oz keeping true to the classic, I also loved the scenery and special effects, everything was larger than life and so beautiful especially the little china doll! The only thing slightly negative is that I’m not 100% sure of the casting of Theodora. I think Mila Kunis is amazing, she is stunning and I love her in every movie she has been in but I felt like she over acted in this one. I know Disney movies are surreal and dramatic but it was done in such a way that I could still get lost in this amazing world until she would overact a scene and I would be brought back to reality. But otherwise the acting was great, Michelle Williams was beautiful as Glinda and James Franco was a perfect match for charismatic/sleazy Oz. I left the cinema with a massive smile on my face and will be buying this one on DVD for my niece (and myself) for sure!

Silver LiningsOn the other side of the spectrum I saw Silver Linings Playbook on the weekend. I have been wanting to see this one since it first came out and had heard mixed reviews from friends but I really liked it. I can see why Jennifer Lawrence won her Oscar because her performance was outstanding as crazy Tiffany and Bradley Cooper was perfect as Pat! It was a different almost artsy/indy movie in the way it was filmed and the off-beat storyline and the ending was definitely predictable but I enjoyed the crazy interactions of all the characters and the unpredictable dialogue. It was a little quirky, different and crazy but it was also fun, interesting and thought-provoking.

See I told you I’ve been busy! :) Coming up next we have Skyfire this weekend which I’m very excited about! I am also jumping out of a plane the week after for Diabetes which is super scary and I’m sure allot more unplanned crazyness will occur too ;)

Catcha soon!

Gabi xx

Scared not Lonely on Valentines

Posted by Gabi Elgood on

Being single on Valentines Day can suck…especially rosewhen you are sitting on reception for the day at work and have to hand out the numerous roses, balloons and stuffed animals that are delivered…but I have to say I had a great day despite this! First of all while delivering everyone’s Valentines pressies to their desk, although I was a tad envious, it was pretty awesome to see the excitement on their faces! Second I was given a sexy fake red rose from Sexual Health and Planning ACT with condoms attached…but not any condoms, they were specially created and released for Canberra’s 100th Birthday this year! Woot! AND I attended a scary movie night with a few single friends where we scared ourselves silly and forgot we were single!

Haunting in ConnecticutThe movie we watched that scared the pants off me was The Haunting in Connecticut. A few friends had seen this in the past and were so scared they refused to watch it ever again so of course I had to see it! ‘This movie is based on a true story’ was the first thing we saw so the scare factor was already up a notch before the movie even began! It then followed the life of a family whose son was going through treatment for cancer. They moved to be closer to the hospital, renting a mansion that obviously had cheap rent because it was massively haunted! The movie had a great story line, although a tiny bit confusing, and wasn’t nearly as predictable as the majority of scary movies out there. The jumpy parts were perfected to the point where I screamed in one particle scene which is very unlike me and I was clinging to my friends leg! (If you are trying to get a hot date into your lap this is definitely the movie to put on ;) ) Great movie! But if you are a scardy cat or have nightmares after watching a disturbing movie this one is not for you or at least watch it in the daytime!!

Anyway, Happy Valentines day lovers! I hope you had a great day whether you are single or loved up! :)

Stay tuned because I have some awesome things coming up that I’ll be writing about; The Canberra Show this weekend, Ed Sheeran live in concert (SO EXCITED) next weekend, Oz The Great and Powerful which I will be seeing as soon as it comes out, SKYFIRE isn’t too far away and jumping out of a plane in a couple of weeks!!! :) Busy busy!!!

Gabi xx

Stunt Girl Gabi

Posted by Gabi Elgood on

It’s official…too many movies will influence you to make crazy decisions!

Jump for a Cure

I have signed up for the ‘Jump to Cure Diabetes’ which means I am currently on a mission to raise $1000.000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and if I manage to raise the funds then I will jump (or more likely be pushed) out of a plane on the 23rd of March! JDRF is a cause that I am passionate about ever since my best friend’s little sister was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at a very young age. I have watched her go through life trying to manage the disease, injecting herself numerous times a day, and if I can play a part in helping fund the research to find a cure then I am up for anything…yes that means jumping out of a plane! If you would like to help me raise the $1000.00 then please visit the link below…it will only take a couple of seconds and you will also be helping to push me out of a plane! :/
(I definitely believe that all the action movies I have seen were an influencing factor when it came to agreeing to jump from a plane!!! haha)
DONATE HERE: http://fundraise.teamcurediabetes.org.au/gabrielle_elgood

Ok now on to the obligatory movies section of this blog…

Gangster Squad…Hello Ryan Gosling! I loved Gangster Squadthis movie! I have to say it wasn’t as action packed as I had expected going into the cinema but the story line was great and the acting was amazing. Like the majority of girls in the world I have a major crush on Ryan Gosling and ever since Crazy, Stupid, Love I have loved the Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone pair up! They just work together so well so the lovey dovey side of me was impressed by that interaction. I also loved that everything about the movie was alined to the time period. The cool little cars, the costumes, the hair styles and the hats! It was a great escapism type movie that I would definitely see again!

The most recent movie I have seen was Hansel Hansel and Greteland Gretel Witch Hunters. I learnt a lot from this movie; burning a witch is the best way to make sure it’s dead, they had a much cooler looking injection kit for diabetes back in witch hunting days and you should always check out the trailer before going to see the movie. I went along with work to check this one out without even knowing the full gist and boy was I shocked! The gory killings were intense, the amount of blood and guts was extreme and the witches were horrifying! I’m not complaining, I love a bit of blood and gore, but I was not expecting it so was a little taken back! All in all it was a good movie, not great, but good. The character development could have definitely been improved as I really wasn’t emotionally attached to anyone so if someone died I didn’t really care as much as I should have! It was fun though and a good concept with a strong story line, just a little undeveloped for my liking!

There are so many more movies out at the moment that I want to see so hopefully I will get some time to check them out soon!!!

Gabi xx

And don’t forget to donate ;) xxx

Channelvision Re-Branded

Posted by Gabi Elgood on

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Channelvision has changed their name and re-branded for 2013 – we are now ‘Canberra Centenary Television’!

For those who don’t know, 2013 marks the 100th Birthday of Canberra as the Capital of Australia!

http://centenarytv.com.au/  <- Check out our new shmick website

And while you’re at it, jump on and ‘like’ out facebook page -> http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Canberra-Centenary-Television/196574170381074

xx Gabi

Starting the New Year in the Big Smoke

Posted by Gabi Elgood on

I am back safe and sound from my New Year shenanigans in Melbourne and it was a lot less stressful than my last trip (thankfully) but just as fun!
Here’s a cheeky pic of Beautiful Melbourne Friends on NYE! (Clockwise from top; Sarah, Sam, Kristin, Holly and I. Thanks for making my trip to Melbourne so much fun. see you there again soon!)

Melbourne Friends

One of the highlights for me was definitely sitting in the live studio audience for ‘The Project’ on New Years Day. It was super exciting for me to check out the studio and see how it all goes down on a larger scale production than I’m used to. It was also great to watch the cast, especially Carrie Bickmore, work on a national live to air program. It was really inspirational and has definitely strengthened my resolve to make this year ‘The Year of the Career’, my only regret is that I wasn’t in the audience the day Carrie fell over ;)

The Hobbit an Unexpected JourneyNo trip is complete without seeing a movie and I was stoked to be able to see the movie everyone has been waiting for at the IMAX while in Melbourne. The Hobbit was awesome! The scenery and settings were absolutely stunning and have made my wish to travel New Zealand even stronger. The casting was also great and I love that Peter Jackson was on board because it meshed in as the prequel to LOTR so beautifully in every aspect. I am however in two minds about splitting the book into multiple movies. I agree with the idea because so much of the LOTR books had to be cut because there was no way that much detail could be done justice in a 2.5 hour movie so splitting ‘The Hobbit’ book was a great idea in order to include as much as possible without it feeling rushed. But I’m also annoyed at the split because now I will have to wait a year or so to see the next part! Haha. The Hobbit was also my first experience of seeing a movie at an IMAX and I loved it! I’m not normally a fan of 3D because with the majority of movies I just don’t think it’s necessary but the IMAX was something else! Because the screen is so big and the 3D so well done it really added to the movie and made the already stunning locations look even more beautiful. The down side to seeing it in 3D at the IMAX though was that I found when things really obviously flew out towards me I found it really distracting and it brought me back to reality. But on a side note the 3D glasses are hot :/ hahaha

hobbit

Next up I am desperate to see Gangster Squad! I have the biggest crush on Ryan Gosling and I LOVE Emma Stone so I have high hopes! :)

Gabi xx

TYOTC

Posted by Gabi Elgood on

Happy New Year everybody!!!!!
2013 for me is ‘The Year Of The Career’. I am going to work even harder this year in the hopes that on the first of Jan 2014 I can look back and be proud of my progress. I hope your dreams also come true this year and its also filled with laughter, joy and adventures with friends and family!

Xx Gabi

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No Longer MIA

Posted by Gabi Elgood on

Talk about being MIA!
The past few months have been the craziest of my life! Nearly every weekend saw me traveling somewhere new for a wedding, engagement, work or other event and the weekdays were spent working my butt off so my blog got a little lost in the action :(
But fear not…I have decided that 2013 is my year and I plan to document all of my adventures plus movie reviews right here! :)
Just before the new year begins though let’s have a look at a couple of movies I have seen recently…

skyfall-movie-wall-01Sky Fall – Unfortunately I missed the awesome 104.7 premier of this movie, with martini’s and all, but I managed to get to the movies not long after to get my Bond on (without martini in hand)! I loved this movie! It was full on action from start to finish which was a little exhausting but so very entertaining! The fights and the chases were well done but what I was really impressed with was the story line. In amongst the action they still managed a strong story that showed a more human and emotional side to 007 which made me love him a little more. I have to say this is also a great date movie, all of the jumpy surprises and nail-biting moments prove to be great excuses to snuggle! ;)

Rise of the GuardiansRise of the Guardians – Awesome! I went along with my best friend, her man and her son to this one…I find it’s always best to take a kid along to a kids movie otherwise you can attract odd stares…although that’s never stopped me before ;) I didn’t really have much of an idea what the movie was about when I toddled on in to the cinema but I was pleasantly surprised! Santa, The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny, Sandman and Jack Frost are the main characters and are ‘The Guardians’ fighting off the Bogey Man. The movie left me feeling light and happy but the best part was seeing the smiles on the kids faces at the end proving it’s enjoyable for young and old!

Les MisLes Miserable – WOW! I saw this today and the best way to describe it is an emotional roller coaster! This is one movie I will see again and again in years to come (because you all know of my musical obsession) but it definitely left me feeling drained and exhausted…in a good way! The casting was amazing, the sets unbelievable and the singing was magical! I’m not embarrassed to say I cried like a baby throughout the 2.5 hours so would recommend waterproof mascara if you decide to check it out! My favourite part by far was Eddie Redmayne as Marius’ solo number eddie-redmayne-les-miserable‘Empty Chairs’ which also happened to be the scene I cried the most. Eddie has the most amazing voice and stirred something deeply emotional with his unbelievable performance! As much as I loved this movie I can see that it’s probably not for everyone…the entire movie is sung with very few spoken words (and when spoken are still perfectly on pitch ;) ) so if you’re 100% against musicals/operettas then it’s probably not for you but if you don’t hate them then give it a chance because it really is a spectacular show!!

I am now off to Melbourne for New Years Eve and a holiday where I will plan to see The Hobbit (and have another Melbourne adventure…although hopefully not like last time!) so stay tuned next year where I’ll really try to keep on top of life and make time to blog my adventures!

Gabi xxx