Sophie’s Suggestions; First Installment

Hello everyone! Welcome to the first monthly installment of  “Sophie’s Suggestions.” Every month I will write about something worth trying. Because it’s the first publication of this installment, I went all out and discussed five things that I think are great life recommendations. Not all articles from “Sophie’s Suggestions” will be this long, and will be rather short actually. But it would be great to get any advice on what anyone thinks I could write about. I hope you enjoy this installment!

Sometimes it’s great to try something new. In some cases, we try new things because of recommendations from friends, family, and just random people in general. In case you ever want to try something new, let it be a restaurant, book, show or movie, or even a new song, I got you. This article is all based on my personal preferences, but if you are into some of the same things as I am, this article might have some useful new information for you! Some of these recommendations, however, aren’t the newest things in existence but they are the best regardless.

Restaurants and food: 

I have to start by saying if you haven’t gone to Social&Co, you’re missing out. There is a wide variety of food there and when you go, a must-have is on the dessert menu. It’s called the Banoffee Pie. Trust me. It’s the best dessert in the entire world.

Another restaurant that is very close to Social&Co is called The Brew Bar & Bistro, which is also a really good place for quick food and all the portions that I’ve gotten there are huge. If you are a fan of tacos, definitely try the fish tacos. They’re great, but a little spicy. Also, as a beverage, a strawberry milkshake with whipped cream is always a great way to go.

Pizza Marzano is a restaurant that I’m pretty sure everyone knows of. If not, it’s a great place to go to when you’re in need of some good pizza or pasta. I’ve never tried any other type of food other than pizza and pasta there though. They have also introduced a new dessert: the Banoffee Jar. I like banoffee as you’ve probably noticed. But this dessert is just as good, or dare I say, better than the Banoffee Pie at Social&Co, but not as filling.

Element Fresh is a pretty good restaurant as well if you don’t mind paying a lot of money for your food and beverages. It’s not the best restaurant in Guangzhou, but their smoothies are probably some of the best I’ve had. My favorites are the Avocado-Coconut Smoothie and Tropical Storm. Quesadillas there are pretty good as well.

Finally, my last restaurant recommendation is 1920. The portions there are actually ginormous and it’s ideal for people who like eating… a lot. I go there with my family often, and we usually order a platter to share because most of the food is ideal for sharing. However, if you are in the mood for steak, 1920 is a great place to go.

Books:

If you are into an upbeat and thrilling book, I recommend Shackled by Tom Leveen. However, I must say, that this book did start off pretty slow in the beginning. If you think you are interested in this book, a little blurb about the book is here.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman is another incredible book and is definitely one of my favorites. It’s a very quick read and if you like science fiction, this book is the one for you. I have been rereading this book whenever I have the chance. Some brief information about this book is found here.

The final book I’m including is The Hit by Melvin Burgess. It’s another thriller and a very interesting read. It also makes you think about what you would do. Here is some information about it.

Shows:

The Office is the best show in the entire world in life ever. If you haven’t watched this show, I can’t recommend it more. It is hilarious and grows on you after you finish the first season (which isn’t that funny. At all. You don’t need to watch it). But you end up becoming very emotionally attached to all the characters and miss them once you finish the show. It’s one of those shows that everyone loves no matter what.

Black Mirror is the most insane show of all. I mean, I don’t particularly like it. Actually, I don’t know. It’s kind of insane. I mean, I’ve only watched one or two episodes, but if you are into not knowing what is going on, this is the show for you.

One of my extreme favorites is Stranger Things. It has been a favorite since Season 1, Episode 1, and if you haven’t watched it yet, you have to. Out of these three shows, Stranger Things is the best. There is action, humor and everything anyone could want. Great show.

Movies:

If you aren’t into romcoms, you won’t like this movie. But I’m not obsessed with romcoms, and The Proposal is still one of my favorite movies. It stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds who are the funniest pair together. Throw in Betty White and it becomes the cutest and funniest movie ever.

Jumanji is the best movie I’ve watched in a long time. It’s so funny and the actors did such a great job and it’s not insanely long or too short either. This was such a great movie and is definitely one to re-watch all the time. Jack Black and Kevin Hart are perfect for each other.

The Bucket List is the saddest movie in the entire world but what sucks is that sometimes there is humor and you hate that you’re laughing because you want to cry. It’s complicated. But it’s still a great film filled with love, hate, and friendship.

Music:

Let me just start by saying, if you aren’t into Hip Hop or Contemporary R&B that is very explicit, don’t listen to this, but Post Malone’s first album, Stoney (Deluxe), is great and is incredibly successful. There are some songs on there that are better than others, but the ones that are good, are really good.

A song that I have been obsessed with for a while is Hurt Somebody by Noah Kahan and Julia Michaels. It’s not too upbeat and it’s a great calm song to listen to. Both of the artists in this song are really talented as well.

Drake’s album More Life is exactly what you’re getting when listening to this album. It is explicit, but if you don’t mind that type of music, and you haven’t heard his album yet, listen to it as soon as you can. It’s really great.

My final artist recommendation is Billie Eilish. She is 16 years old and is incredibly successful already. All of her songs are really catchy and she is an artist to look out for. In my opinion, she’s the best 16-year-old artist out there.

Anyways, these are some of my recommendations and they are all based on my opinion. It would be great if you try some out if you’re feeling adventurous and I hope you like them too!