Friday, April 15, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Wednesday Wonders - 13.4.2011
Well, that picture pretty much sums up how I feel about the past week. It's been crazy, it's been wild, it's been pretty damn fucked up. But through it all, I've managed to find a whole lotta things to keep smiling about. It might be a crazy smile. It might be the kind of smile that makes you want to back away slowly and bolt into the darkness as soon as you're out of arm's length, listening for the sound of a twig snapping behind you. Or a chainsaw.
Still, I'm smiling. This is why:
* Doors on Friday night. The party was a bit of a dud - hello, 5 Nirvana songs at a Kurt Cobain tribute party? Fail. - but it was so good to see everyone again, and catch up with friends I haven't seen in aaaaaages. And to jam around to part of 'Roadhouse Blues' by The Doors. Until the stupid DJ cut it to play some dumbass wiki-wrr song that everyone hated. Pffft.
* Wardrobe organising! Yay! It was actually quite a lot of fun, given that the seasons are changing and I pulled out stuff I forgot I own. I put together outfits in my mind, tried stuff on, gave away a stack and re-categorised my cupboard. (Yes, I'm that anal about my clothes. Deal with it!)
* Visiting my sister and brother-in-law on Sunday! I haven't seen them since before they went down to Cape Town for the Argus, so we had soooo much to catch up on! It was so great to be with family again.
* I booked my ticket to Aus on Friday!!!!! Fuck yea! Wooohooo! Now to find the dress and shoes.... Hmmmm.... Iron Fist? Any help?
* The Lovely Bones. I've been dying* to get my hands on the book for months now, but in the meantime, I watched the movie on Saturday night. Of course, Maja Boo and Mista Boo think I'm even creepier and weirder than they did before, but hey... I can live with that. It was a spectacular story, and a beautifully shot movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it. *excuse the pun
* Finding a crow's feather in reception a couple of days ago, just when I was feeling low about missing my Daddy. The next day, I saw a family of crows living on the roof of the building opposite my office. Yay!
* Talking about crows, I have finally taken the first step in the half-sleeve process. I've asked a very good friend, whose art is spectacular, to take a few ideas and put them into a sketch for me. I'm so fucking excited about this!
* Moths. Yes, bugs have been the bane of my existence, but I've been trying to figure out why they're following me around so much lately. Especially the moths. Mista Boo would say something now about the Mothman Prophecies, and maybe I'm going to be the subject of a movie that doesn't live up to its hype. Which could still happen. BUT, I did a little research on the symbolism of moths, and here's a rundown of what I found:
~ They represent determination, attraction, subtlety, intuition and faith, among other things.
~ In the absence of moon-light, the moth moves on to man-made light; even at the risk of losing its life, the moth is ever vigilant in following its path of light. This may serve as a moral to us to keep our own vigilance, but not fall victim to blind faith.
~ Because the moth is guided by the moon, and will follow it at any cost, it represents psychic awareness, but reminds us to follow the signs along our path while still keeping our destination in mind.
~ They remind us that we don't have to be overt in our dealings with others. They are masters of camouflage, and we can learn from them that we don't have to reveal everything immediately.
Little things which made me smile this week:
* Last night's workout - FEEL THE BURN * Chai (I refuse to say chai tea, because that's saying tea-tea, which is just rude.) * Gala is giving away a light up fucking tutu. Holy crap. If Steph didn't specifically say "Long black dress" as a bridesmaid's dress, I would SO hit this as an option! * This Iron Fist dress * Packing lists for Aus. LISTS LISTS LISTS. My spontaneous side just threw up on itself. * Knowing that, even though it's been almost two years since he left us, my Daddy is still with me. I feel him with me, and when I'm feeling really bleak, the radio somehow plays songs that make me think of him and smile instead of being as sad. * To appease the spontaneous side of me which is rolling its eyes at every list I make, I went on a little spur-of-the-moment lunch time shopping trip. And I got some pretty cool items, for not very much money. So yay! *
So, shnuggums, what's made you happy this week?
X
* Wardrobe organising! Yay! It was actually quite a lot of fun, given that the seasons are changing and I pulled out stuff I forgot I own. I put together outfits in my mind, tried stuff on, gave away a stack and re-categorised my cupboard. (Yes, I'm that anal about my clothes. Deal with it!)
* Visiting my sister and brother-in-law on Sunday! I haven't seen them since before they went down to Cape Town for the Argus, so we had soooo much to catch up on! It was so great to be with family again.
* On a related note: 1 MORE SLEEP TILL BREN, MEGS AND MARK ARRIVE! Excited much? *pops*
* I booked my ticket to Aus on Friday!!!!! Fuck yea! Wooohooo! Now to find the dress and shoes.... Hmmmm.... Iron Fist? Any help?
* This Iron Fist t-shirt.
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| I die |
* I picked up my guitar last night, after guiltily letting it gather dust for a while. I was floored to find out that I remember what I learnt last year, and played away for about an hour. And then: I played around with another song and kind of taught myself using the notes I have and my iPod. FOR THE FUCKING WIN!!! (Granted, it's an easy song, but I'm so soooooper-amped about that!)
* This morning, I put on a tunic that's always been a little tight around the tummy. And... IT FLOWS RIGHT OVER MY TUMMY!!! I did a little dance of joy and woke Mista Boo up with my squeeing. WIN!
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| yay |
* Talking about crows, I have finally taken the first step in the half-sleeve process. I've asked a very good friend, whose art is spectacular, to take a few ideas and put them into a sketch for me. I'm so fucking excited about this!
* Moths. Yes, bugs have been the bane of my existence, but I've been trying to figure out why they're following me around so much lately. Especially the moths. Mista Boo would say something now about the Mothman Prophecies, and maybe I'm going to be the subject of a movie that doesn't live up to its hype. Which could still happen. BUT, I did a little research on the symbolism of moths, and here's a rundown of what I found:
~ They represent determination, attraction, subtlety, intuition and faith, among other things.
~ In the absence of moon-light, the moth moves on to man-made light; even at the risk of losing its life, the moth is ever vigilant in following its path of light. This may serve as a moral to us to keep our own vigilance, but not fall victim to blind faith.
~ Because the moth is guided by the moon, and will follow it at any cost, it represents psychic awareness, but reminds us to follow the signs along our path while still keeping our destination in mind.
~ They remind us that we don't have to be overt in our dealings with others. They are masters of camouflage, and we can learn from them that we don't have to reveal everything immediately.
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| I see you! |
Little things which made me smile this week:
* Last night's workout - FEEL THE BURN * Chai (I refuse to say chai tea, because that's saying tea-tea, which is just rude.) * Gala is giving away a light up fucking tutu. Holy crap. If Steph didn't specifically say "Long black dress" as a bridesmaid's dress, I would SO hit this as an option! * This Iron Fist dress * Packing lists for Aus. LISTS LISTS LISTS. My spontaneous side just threw up on itself. * Knowing that, even though it's been almost two years since he left us, my Daddy is still with me. I feel him with me, and when I'm feeling really bleak, the radio somehow plays songs that make me think of him and smile instead of being as sad. * To appease the spontaneous side of me which is rolling its eyes at every list I make, I went on a little spur-of-the-moment lunch time shopping trip. And I got some pretty cool items, for not very much money. So yay! *
So, shnuggums, what's made you happy this week?
X
Monday, April 11, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
I Miss the Comfort in Being Sad
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17 years ago the face and future of music was struck a blow from which it has yet to recover. Nirvana co-founder, singer and lead guitarist, Kurt Cobain was found dead in the greenhouse / room above his garage. I'm sure you know the story by now. If you don't, may I recommend venturing out from your bubble for a moment and reading up on the band, the music, the fury and the tragedy?
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Fast forward a few years... I was in my last year of primary school and discovered music that went past the candy floss fluff and straight to my spirit. Things like Nirvana, The Offspring, Greenday... I was a pretty angry pre-teen for various reasons. The thing was, all the popular kids started listening to Nirvana, and even back then, I was the kid that deliberately wrote off anything the popular kids liked. So... I didn't really get to appreciate Nirvana then either.
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Another few years went by, and finally it was my turn. I'd given up on stubbornly avoiding anything popular. I didn't go around trying to be popular, but I paid attention. Sometimes what's popular isn't necessarily bad. Sometimes. Since then, I have these random Nirvana- attacks. I'll go for months, or even years, listening to the music, appreciating everything that was good about it, being sad that Cobain exited stage left as early as he did, but going on with life. But every now and then, a line with catch my attention, a riff will slip into my soul, and BAM, I'm gone for months again. The first song I learnt to play, in my first guitar lesson, was About A Girl (still a work in progress, I'm afraid, but we persevere!)
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| Source |
And so, in my little corner of the universe, the internet and the sphere of weird that is society today, this week has been Kurt Cobain week. It's mainly about the music. Cobain believed in the music more than anything else in the world, including himself. I do too. Music can change the world, if we just stop and listen.
As much as he would hate the attention, there are thousands who've spent some time this week going through Nirvana albums, old articles and reading Cobain's journals and stories; I've no doubt that every single on of those people has caught themselves thinking "If only..."  |
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* 44 Things You Didn’t Know About Kurt Cobain How many did you know?
* Rolling Stone's 1994 Obituary Feature - Kurt Cobain's Downward Spiral
* Kurt Cobain's 5 Most Unforgettable Moments (According to the Hollywood Reporter)
* He had a highly listenable voice that sounded like tearing flesh
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* A statue of a Fender Jag-Stang guitar (the guitar Cobain himself designed) unveiled in Aberdeen, Cobain's hometown
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* Jared Leto's tribute to Kurt Cobain has been slammed by a lot of fans, but for me? It's a really good tribute. He was an icon of one generation and is an inspiration to the next, so why not?. Maybe Leto's timing wasn't great, but the video is ace.
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Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Wednesday Wonders
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| Source Unknown |
Well this week has been better than the last two so far! Yeah! The weather is finally co-operating (i.e.: it's rainy and gloomy and grey - LOVE!), my sleeping pattern is changing again (for the better) and the Universe and I aren't at loggerheads at the moment. For the WIN!
These are some of the things have have made me grin like a guppy in the past 7 days:
* Speaking to my bestie, Stephy, today! It was a very interrupted call, but it was awesome all the same! FIFTY-ONE DAYS!!!!!!!!!
* Writing my 6-month goals out and sticking them on my wall, where I can see them all the time and not lose sight of them.
* Writing my 6-month goals out and sticking them on my wall, where I can see them all the time and not lose sight of them.
* Lists! They make life in general, and travel planning in particular, that much less stressful for a scatterbrain like me. I used to scrunch my nose up at the thought of them, but I just can't live without them anymore.
* Initiating my own Kurt Cobain week. It’s 17 years this week since he died! And the world still sucks balls without him.
* Impromptu movie Sundays which turn out infinitely more awesome and inspiring than I could have hoped for.
* Middle-of-the-night insomnia-induced creative-brick-wall busting. Now in English: When I couldn’t sleep on Sunday night, I was hit by a huge wave of inspiration and it ROCKED my world!
* Following the Surfer Dude thing: Surf photography. So awesome!
* Upcoming fabric projects.
* Planning coffee dates.
* Discovering how many awesome movies I have that I didn’t even know about.
* Plane ticket booking! This week!!
* Bridesmaid dress sashes arriving and looking ah-mah-ZING!
* ‘Homemade’ mani and pedi that looks like a fairy that was drunk on Pinot Noir got squashed on my nails. (IE: Midnight Grape and Magenta Sparkle). Naturally, because it looks so awesome in real life, it photographs like crap. *rolls eyes*
* Writing. Always.
* My husband’s cooking, especially his signature bolognaise.
* Planning for Doors on Friday night! Now with added Simba! It's the Kurt Cobain Tribute Party, and it's gonna be amazing. I cannot fucking wait! Here comes another 4am stop at McDonalds!
* Avon deliveries full of sparkle and goodness.
* Matthew McConaughey in Surfer Dude. For me, it was all about the wonderful costume design. See?
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| What an innovative wardrobe! |
* Finding stuff I’d resigned myself to having lost. And suddenly, when I wasn’t aching over it anymore, there it was! Yay!
* My laptop. It needs a clean, but I still love it; maybe even more now that it’s dirty and scruffy hehe
* Aus Anticipation! (More on this soon)
* Ambition
* The new laptop bag / handbag / carry all bag that I’m saving for my flight. Maja Boo and I went halvies on it last week, and I’m so excited to use it! Gawjus!
* Never failing to surprise people. I’m pretty much an open book most of the time, but every now and then I still manage to leave people speechless at my random revelations. It’s never epic stuff, just stuff that nobody would believe if they didn’t hear it straight from me.
Little things that made me smile this week:
* Snatch * Ampedness * Xavier Rudd * Nick Cave dreams (Get your mind out of the gutter, people, it wasn’t that bad!) * “Dude, you’re harshing my morning mellow, man.” * Mr. Sunshine, Yay * “D’ya like dags?” * Simon Baker. Yes, this is going to be an ongoing thing. Deal with it. * Writing, and then falling asleep, listening to the heavy rain * About A Girl * Random Mix CDs (Llama Collection 2011 in all its glory, baby!) * Edward Scissorhands *
What's made your week worthwhile?
X
What's made your week worthwhile?
X
Monday, April 4, 2011
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