Saturday, March 9, 2013

[18!!!] The Upcoming Adult Presents: My Life in 18 Movies


When you read this, I will be celebrating and hopefully having a great time, and I will be 18 years old. 


I could spend my time talking about life, the lessons I learned, the ups and downs I went through, my plans for the future and other stuff that has been said enough in this world. Some may argue that you can't talk about it often enough, and that people need to continue thinking about it. Life. 
Truth is though, I don't want to analyze life too much anymore. Perhaps I will read some philosophic books - always been wanting to check out Nietzsche - and I will certainly watch some philosophic movies, because you never know when you're going to watch one. But I don't want to... I don't want to think about philosophy too much anymore. I want philosophy to just happen and to let it happen instead of trying to control it and put it into every single part of my life. 
Because life's not only philosophy - it's also survival, reasonless happiness and reasonless sadness. Nothing ever happens the way you planned it - and once you realize that, you're happy. At least that's what I think. And that's what I know from my own 18 years of life. I'm not praising passiveness or just-going-with-the-flow-ness here, not even mainstream - so many people don't have the job they want, don't date the people they want to date and don't watch the movies they want to watch. While some of these things can just kind of happen once in a while, we have the power to change them. You've got to fight for the things you care about - but don't try to control the things you can't control, because it will make you unhappy when they don't turn out like you "planned", because in fact, you never planned them.

Did it again - perhaps I can't let go of philosophy. Nevertheless, perhaps I just want to approach philosophy in a different way - a curious, natural, easy way - instead of trying to account for and explain all the things I do and think. 
I may blog on, I may stop blogging. I may become a journalist, a biologist or an actress - but why ruin my youth trying to figure that out, when there's no point in figuring something out that is just going to happen? If I find that I chose the wrong thing, I can just choose  something else, right? It's never too late for anything I think.
And therefore, let's raise our glasses to a year full of laissez-faire, without pressure or bondages as far as that's possible. Cheers!

So, this is my life. My life in 18 movies.




Zero, 1995: The Tree of Life
The baby scenes in this movie always make me think about the time I was this small. It must be so weird and so wonderful for my parents to think that once I was so small, and now I'm so... grown up!


One, 1996: The Lion King
At this time I probably started crawling and eating and talking... and everything else babies do.


Two, 1997: The Little Mermaid
This was my favourite movie for several years of my childhood. It helped me learn Danish and as I spent my first years on a ship, it was quite relatable. I even used to think I was really a mermaid.


Three, 1998: Heidi
The year my little sister was born. She was a lot of trouble, but in the end she is probably the best friend I will ever have, apart from my best friend. - Although I used to watch the German tv series Heidi all of the time when I was little, I never actually went to Austria or Switzerland or even South Germany, something I want to change this summer.


Four, 1999: Pippi Långstromp
I had a very quiet phase between my 6th and 12th or 13th birthday, but back in the 90s, people tell me, I was just talking constantly. My favourite topic was Pippi, and how I wanted to be just as strong and cool as her.


Five, 2000: Tarzan
Whenever I hear the song "You'll Be in My Heart", I get a little nostalgic. Tarzan was one of the first movies in saw in the cinema. 


Six, 2001: Monsters, Inc.
„YOU HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL!“. No, I actually was very fond of school. Until I found that I was still a lot faster at learning than my schoolmates. So I bored my way through the system until high school, which is much better.


Seven, 2002: Harry Potter
I discovered the series later than most people my age did - but I love them to death. Can't wait to read the books to my grandchildren.


Eight, 2003: Die Wilden Kerle ("The Wild Guys")
I wasn't the most sportive or even active child, but I loved these movies about real cool kids playing football.


Nine, 2004: Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
Bollywood entered my life. At first, my cinematic knowledge was bad that I believed this movie to be a Hollywood production set in India. Little did I know...


Ten, 2005: Chalte Chalte
The peak of my Bollywood obsession. Never again did I research and learn as much about a film industry than in this year. And I didn't even know or like the real good movies.


Eleven2006: Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
I discovered the serious (or a more serious) side of Bollywood - I know, the image doesn't really show that.


Twelve, 2007: Titanic
A turning point in my life was definitely when I first saw Titanic. My style was at its worst in 2007, when I entered a new school and had to find new friends and I entered teenage... Titanic changed a lot of my expectations of movies, and had a big influence on my movie taste. It was also a sweet escape from all that finding-yourself trouble.


Thirteen, 2008: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
With 13, I started learning how to fly - how to live. I no longer tried to be like the others all the time, but found people who were like me, and I learned to enjoy life and what I do. From then on I think the years have been the best in my life. I guess I just figured out how to simply "be psychos together", as Sam said in this OMGIWANTTOMARRYIT movie I finally rewatched yesterday.


Fourteen, 2009: Confessions of a Shopaholic
I had a big fashion phase in my earlier teenage years, when I started getting better at, you know, life. So I related to this movie a lot and read all the books. My dream job at that time was to be a fashion editor... and who knows, perhaps some day I will be, if I still (or once again) want to.


Fifteen, 2010: 3 Idiots
As my life changed so much during early teenage, I started loosing interest in old hobbies such as Bollywood. But in 2010 I decided to watch some of the "big" Indian 2009 movies and immediately fell in love with Bollywood again. Both of us had changed, so it was quite perfect.


Sixteen, 2011: The Dreamers
I actually watched The Dreamers for the first time in 2010, but 2011 was the year its impact truly became visible. I started watching many foreign, old and artsy movies and I guess my whole lifestyle - my idea of the good life - was very inspired by The Dreamers. Still is. 


Seventeen, 2012: Fight Club
Fight Club is, first of all, a great movie that works on many levels. But it's also - like The Dreamers - a way of living. It's a way of living that can be discussed, and I'm willing to discuss, but at the moment it's also pretty much my way of living. Filled with the F-word as in F*ck you, What the f*ck and I don't give a f*ck, I agree it's a bit aggressive - but it's also honest and alive. It's not that I'm negative towards things, it's just that I care a lot about myself and about myself being satisfied with the way I live.

Nobody knows what my 18-year old me will be inspired by, what movies, books, songs and other art it will celebrate and praise on this blog or not. But you know, when I look back on my life, I think it's been an amazing journey and I wouldn't have missed any part of it. 

Thank you for being one of those parts.


21 comments:

  1. Lovely end to the series - and what a great series it was! Happy birthday, too. Hope its a messy one! (Or if you're not into messy birthdays, hope it is an awesome one!)

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    1. Thank you - it was kinda messy ;). And awesome.
      Oh my God, I can finally visit your blog again!!!

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  2. You get extra points from me just for including Pippi. She was one of my idols as a kid. I dreamed to be able to walk on ceilings and skate-clean my kitchen. Ugh, the nostalgia!

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    1. Haha, that's so cool! Did you want to have a pony and an ape too?

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  3. Nietzsche is very interesting, I started reading some of his theories when I was your age. He's rather insane in some matters, but that's how I like them, really.

    Great lists Mette, and happy birthday!!

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    1. Yeah, thought it was a good time to start reading his stuff - we learned a little about him in philosophy class (which sucks though because our teacher sucks).
      Thanks, Sofia!

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  4. You teenage Yoda, you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

    Yaay Fight Club for life!!

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    1. Awww, thanks, Nikhat!!!
      Too much Yoda-ness sucks though, kinda makes you sad if you know what I mean.
      But then you can always watch Fight Club and everything is going to be all right.

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  5. Happy Birthday Mette!

    How does it feel to be an adult?

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    1. It feels good, I think.
      A mixture of "My life is finally beginning - I can do everything I want!" and "Oh my God, I can do everything I want - what do I do?".

      Thank you!

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  6. Whoo..That was an Epic Blogathon. Many Many Happy Returns of the Day, Mette !!

    And don't worry, you don't have to be an adult if you don't want to. At least not yet. :)

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    1. Ha, thanks - I'm so glad you people enjoyed it.

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  7. Happy Birthday! All these posts leading up to the big day were inventive and fun to read. Thanks for sharing your joy of movies (and life) with us on your blog.

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    1. Thank you!! I'm so glad that I'm doing something other people appreciate here, just gives me so much joy to read all these comments.

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  8. Happy Birthday! Hope you are celebrating with some great movies!

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    1. Thanks! Indeed, we watched one of my favourite German comedies, and then in ended the day watching Bridesmaids (the "real" celebration was the night before, with alcohol instead of movies).

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  9. This was undoubtedly the most ambitious of your "18"s - a very impressive effort indeed, congratulations on reaching majority with such poise intelligence and acumen. Sadly, though, my obsession with trivia saw me get hopelessly distracted by this: "I spent my first years on a ship" - that is the sort of intensely fascinating tidbit one really ought not throw out there like that without details. Nosy readers need to know! :)

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    1. I'd like to write "lol" to that but I'm not a very fond of that expression.
      Your comment did make me laugh out loud though - I'm so sorry I "threw" that information at you, haha.
      Well, it's a long story. The walls in our house are covered with pictures of ships. Basically, my parents are obsessed with ships.

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  10. Love this. Really enjoyed your explanations for Zero and Thirteen. "...When I learned how to fly." That's a perfect description of that age.

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    1. And I think the movie and the picture of Emma as Sam perfectly fits the description too, if I may say so.
      Thank you!

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Let the discussion begin!