We all want to feel wanted. Maybe the so-called romantics are just the ones who have held on to that ideal with extraordinary care and commitment. 

"I rarely regret having not said something."

love this part from New Girl

locales of contentment

Car rides and libraries. Personalised work-spaces and beds laden with crisp white linen.  

"This is not just a magazine; this is a shining beacon of hope!"                       - Nigel (Stanley Tucci) - The Devil Wears Prada

(photo: stylescrapbook.com)

     "Everything's fantastic when you're made of plastic."    

- Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse

http://dreamhouse.barbie.com/en-US

******

Shit happens
- mostly to me, so don't worry. 

...

"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don't know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use."

E.H

Lilo and Stitch gems

Stitch: Aloha!

Gantu: Ah! You're vile; you're foul; you're flawed!

Stitch: Also cute and fluffy!

Lilo: This is your badness level. It's unusually high for someone your size. We have to fix that.

Lilo: Oh good! My dog found the chainsaw!

Stitch: [while using a VW Beetle to defend himself against attackers] Blue punch buggy... no punch-back!

Mr. Cobra Bubbles: And next time I see that dog, I want him to be a model citizen. Capisce?

Lilo: Uh... yes?

Mr. Cobra Bubbles: New job. Model citizen.

[Puts on sunglasses; one of the lenses pops off]

Mr. Cobra Bubbles: Good day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hay_4HG5i1Q

.

I'm not that social on social media. 

whoever said diamonds are a best friend, never owned a dog

One of the best things in the world is a dog coming to sit next to you; it's the sincerest form of companionship. 

calm living

Nights like these show me what I don't want out of life. 

Don't listen to the demands of society - this is not a demand, but a suggestion for calmer living.

I've learned: you can have everything and still be lonely.

You look the most beautiful when you don a plain white vest and a peaceful disposition.

Don't smoke if you can help it.

Look after yourself; 

  - help them achieve their optimum performance. 

Sometimes you need to go somewhere in order for you to realise that that's not where you want to be.

Enjoy fruit for its full and sophisticated flavour. Don't cheapen the experience by dipping it into chocolate. 

life is not a race

Life Is Not A Race

Anonymous

Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.

It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Do not set your goals by what other people deem important.

Only you know what is best for you.

Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart.

Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Do not let your years slip through your fingers by living in the past, nor in the future.

By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Do not give up when you still have something to give.

Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Do not be afraid to encounter risks.

It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find.

The quickest way to receive love is to give love; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.

Do not dismiss your dreams.

To be without dreams is to be without hope; to be without hope is to be without purpose.

Do not run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been,

but also where you are going.

Life is not a race,

but a journey to be savored each step of the way. 

creative people

Creative people will always find an outlet, even if its only through bringing out the colour of their eyes with make up.

"Creativity is a drug I cannot live without" - Cecil B. DeMille

"Rather be a first-rate version of yourself than a second-rate version of anyone else."

Style: know who you are, dress accordingly. 

5 truths

Here are five truths I would like to share with you today:

1. No one ever went hungry from sharing.
2. There is no sexy way to eat popcorn.
3. I'm never going to be edgy. I'm like the opposite of edgy. I'm round.
4. Hearing music you're used to is like coming back to a favourite sweater (wws).
5. I know what it feels like to be so divinely happy, therefore any deviation from this, a deviation toward mediocrity, seems catastrophic. A high that doesn't last into the flowing routine of everyday emotional fluctuations, circumstances, and people. And I realised a while back that this is something I need to work on (wws). 

...

#booksinbed
The moment you share something like that on social media, your own private moment ceases to belong to you; your mind has been refocused to the anticipation of positive recognition. What is sadder still is that you were willing to do so in order see how many likes or retweets you could get. Maybe its not sad, its just different. Maybe I've got it wrong, but its like giving a chunk of yourself to the unknowable public just to maintain popularity. Maybe its not an altogether bad thing, but it definitely displays how dominant the ego is within our society.

dalai lama wisdom

quotes that very much reflect our contemporary moment

"We might die from medication but we sure killed all the pain." - Conor Oberst
I recently came across this post on the Humans of New York facebook page:
(https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork?fref=ts)
"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be?"
"Try your best to deal with life without medicating yourself."
"You mean drugs?"
"I mean drugs, food, shopping, money, whatever. I ain't judging anybody, either. I was hooked on heroin for years. But now I've learned that every feeling will pass if you give it time. And if you learn to deal with your feelings, they'll pass by faster each time. So don't rush to cover them up, or you're never gonna learn."

Y'all smoke cos you like it, I smoke because it will kill me faster. 

"If tomorrow, women woke up and decided they really liked their bodies, just think how many industries would go out of business."

on a bad day there is always lipstick

While sitting opposite a little girl on the train with braids and freshly applied lip gloss, we exchanged looks. I had also donned a bit of lippy not much earlier. For a few seconds, with that understanding glance, we shared exactly the same world. 

"It’s funny, how when women are ugly they are mocked for it, but when women perfect the art of makeup, skin, nails and beauty they are mocked for that too. It’s almost like if you’re a woman you’re mocked no matter what you do. Me? I sell makeup. I sell confidence. I sell gorgeous door to door.

They say Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel with paintbrushes no bigger than his finger, but could he paint a masterpiece on his face, at seven in the morning, with his daughter pulling on his skirt, and his husband hollering about how breakfast is late, and only 20 minutes to get everyone off to school? It’s funny, how when men create beauty it’s a masterpiece and when a woman creates beauty it’s just what she’s supposed to be

Me? I sell new beginnings. I sell a blank canvas, and your own brushes, and your own paint. I sell the chance to be your own greatest creation."

- Letter from Mary Kay, by Clementine von Radics

****

I know its difficult, but try not to let the turbulence around you disrupt your inner peace. 

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

—	Steve Jobs

ice cream love

This is my place of work! Double-click on the picture for a better look :) 

training

"Always behave like a duck- keep calm and unruffled on the surface, but paddle like the devil underneath." - Jacob Braude

As soon as you start reading, everything will speak to each other. 

We were never meant to be this busy. 

Dear people who think you know me and have a right to judge my life,

You don't. I have been through a lot these past few years, stuff that will probably appear juvenile. I don't care. I am still learning, so please accept that and don't use me as a guinea pig to implode all your advice on.

Yours sincerely, 
Me

brave

Don't worry about explaining yourself to anyone. they don't understand and maybe they never will; you just do your thing and be happy. After spending almost three years at university I know one thing for sure: kindness is the only system that works. 

Only love can set you free

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF_9NBDSkDs

2:26

keep moving

"With you it all makes sense."

"Cos when my heart can't stop it, I find a way to block it."

Oscar de la Renta - love

...

liberosis n. the desire to care less about things—to loosen your grip on your life, to stop glancing behind you every few steps, afraid that someone will snatch it from you before you reach the end zone—rather to hold your life loosely and playfully, like a volleyball, keeping it in the air, with only quick fleeting interventions, bouncing freely in the hands of trusted friends, always in play. (The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows)

Follow your dreams, not orders. 

a complicated girl with simple needs

 “A problem well-stated is half-solved.” - Charles Kettering

these lyrics are so unique and heart-wrenchingly honest

"Mandy"

I remember all my life
Raining down as cold as ice.
Shadows of a man,
A face through a window cryin' in the night,
The night goes into
Morning just another day;
Happy people pass my way.
Looking in their eyes,
I see a memory I never realized how happy you made me.

Oh Mandy well,
You came and you gave without taking,
But I sent you away.
Oh, Mandy well,
Kissed me and stopped me from shaking,
And I need you today.
Oh, Mandy!

I'm standing on the edge of time;
I've walked away when love was mine.
Caught up in a world of uphill climbing,
The tears are in my mind and nothin' in rhyming.

Oh Mandy well,
You came and you gave without taking,
But I sent you away.
Oh, Mandy well,
Kissed me and stopped me from shaking,
And I need you today.
Oh, Mandy!

Yesterday's a dream
I face the morning
Crying on a breeze
The pain is calling
Oh Mandy
Well, you came and you gave without taking
But I sent you away oh, Mandy
Well, you kissed me and stopped me from shaking
And I need you today Oh, Mandy
You came and you gave without taking
But I sent you away oh, Mandy
Well, you kissed me and stopped me from shaking
And I need you

"Another Love"

I wanna take you somewhere so you know I care
But it's so cold and I don't know where
I brought you daffodils in a pretty string
But they won't flower like they did last spring

And I wanna kiss you, make you feel alright
I'm just so tired to share my nights
I wanna cry and I wanna love
But all my tears have been used up

On another love, another love
All my tears have been used up
On another love, another love
All my tears have been used up
On another love, another love
All my tears have been used up

And if somebody hurts you, I wanna fight
But my hands been broken, one too many times
So I'll use my voice, I'll be so fucking rude
Words they always win, but I know I'll lose

And I'd sing a song, that'd be just ours
But I sang 'em all to another heart
And I wanna cry I wanna learn to love
But all my tears have been used up

On another love, another love
All my tears have been used up
On another love, another love
All my tears have been used up
On another love, another love
All my tears have been used up

I wanna sing a song, that'd be just ours
But I sang 'em all to another heart
And I wanna cry, I wanna fall in love
But all my tears have been used up

On another love, another love
All my tears have been used up
On another love, another love
All my tears have been used up
On another love, another love
All my tears have been used up

03/10/2013

“The object of an economy was always the reproduction of human life and beyond that the preservation of everything that sustains life. In the modern era it is supposed to serve the common good and in that respect has shifted from a preoccupation with material survival to meeting a wide range of cultural needs. But for some time now the object of the economy has been to make money through producing and selling things, with human life secondary, a means to that end. Economics, which ought to be a science for human emancipation, has become a dehumanised expert ideology remote from people’s practical concerns and from their ability to understand what to do.” (Hart, Laville and Cattani, 2010:4). [emphasis added]. 

The view on my way to varsity this morning :)

happiness looks good on you

23/09/2013

Over the years I've learnt what works for me.

Classic Blair Waldorf Quotes

“People don’t write sonnets about being compatible. Or novels about sharing life goals and stimulating conversation. The great loves are the crazy ones.” 

"Fashion is the most powerful art there is. It's movement, design and architecture all in one. It shows the world who we are and who we'd like to be. Just like your scarf suggests that you'd like to sell used cars."

“But every time I try to move on you’re right there.”

“Stop whatever you’re doing. We need to shop.”

“I mean the most important thing in a relationship is trust. After sex. And hygiene. And earning potential. Wait. What did you think I was going to say?”

“Usually I have a “never say never policy”, but for you I’ll make an exception.”

"Too bad no one told him: you can’t save a damsel if she loves her distress."

“I look forward to never seeing you again.”

“I must have totally blanked on the part where I invited you over.”

ours is a society of the superego

Having too much stuff is an unfreedom. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. 

"The one freedom we lack is the ability to imagine a different world to that of global capitalism"

...

"We feel free because we lack the very language to articulate our unfreedom."

- Zizek

...

                                                  "Waste" - Foster the People

I'll hold your hand when you are feeling mad at me
Yeah when the monsters they won't go and
your windows won't close
I'll pretend to see what you see

"How long?" I say, how long will you relive the things that are gone?
Oh yeah, The devil's on your back but I know you can shake him off

And every day that you want to waste, that you want to waste, you can
And every day that you want to wake up, and you want to wake, you can
And every day that you want to change, that you want to change, yeah
I'll help you see it through 'cause I just really want to be with you

You know it's funny how freedom can make us feel contained
Yeah When the muscles in our legs aren't used to all the walking
I know if you could snap both your fingers that you'd escape with me
But in the meantime, I'll just wait here and listen to you when you speak... or scream

And every day that you want to waste, that you want to waste, you can
And every day that you want to wake up, and you want to wake, you can
And every day that you want to change, that you want to change, yeah
I'll help you see it through 'cause I just really want to be with you

The truth cuts us and pulls us back up
And separates the things that look the same
You can fight it off, you can fight it off, you can

And every day that you want to waste, that you want to waste, you can
And every day that you want to wake up, and you want to wake, you can
And every day that you want to change, that you want to change, yeah
I'll help you see it through 'cause I just really want to be with you

break any of these rules sooner than say anything barbarous

George Orwell’s 6 Rules of Effective Writing (1946)

1.    Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of          speech which you are used to seeing in print.

2.   Never use a long word where a short one will do.

3.   If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it             out.

4.   Never use the passive where you can use the               active.

5.   Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a       jargon word if you can think of an everyday                 English equivalent.

6.  Break any of these rules sooner than say                       anything barbarous.

#

"Unanswered questions are much less dangerous than unquestioned answers."

the city outside is nothing but a flicker now

The only reason I am the way I am is because I'm not the way I used to be. 

The Red Tree by Shaun Tan

18/09/2013

"Human beings are the only species who pay to live on earth."

I wasn't born to make you happy

"Born To Make You Happy", Britney spears (1998)

I don't know how to live without your love
I was born to make you happy
'Cause you're the only one up in my heart
I was born to make you happy
Always and forever, you and me
That's the way our life should be
I don't know how to live without your love
I was born to make you happy

"Give It All Up", The Corrs (2000)

I'd give it all up just for you
Just to have you near me
I'd give it all up just for you
You bring me up, you bring me down
You turn me inside out
And i'd give it all up just for you

"Roar", Katy Perry (2013)

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now

[Chorus]
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Louder, louder than a lion
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar

Now I’m floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero

You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now

[Chorus]
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You're gonna hear me ROAR...

Roar-or, roar-or, roar-or, roar-or, roar-or

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You'll hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You're gonna hear me ROAR.

It's interesting to see how pop music reflects our times. A pop song with the female lyrics “I was born to make you happy” would definitely not fly today.  

Top 10 Purchases of All-Time

10. a toss-up between 3 pairs of high heels

9. Beautiful by Estee Lauder

8. flashdrive

7. signature notebooks

6. calligraphy pen

5. leather jacket

4. a basic set of watercolours

3. reading glasses

2. laptop

1. The Norton Anthology of Poetry (Third Edition) in pristine condition for R50 (!)

art

What I love about art is the freedom it allows; you can just go. If you mess up you can always just paint or stick over it - often making your piece into something even better than you could have imagined. Art lets you do it over. Nothing makes me happier than fixing something up that I thought would never look right again. Perfecting something is the ultimate satisfaction. 

The Top 10 Break-Up Songs

10. Since You’ve Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson

9. Aerodynamic, Daft Punk (actually anything by Daft Punk)

8. Free, Vast

7. The Sign, Ace of Base

6. I’m Not Alone, Calvin Harris

5. I Don’t Love You, My Chemical Romance

4. Dancing with Myself, Billy Idol/Generation X

3. Drop the World, Lil Wayne feat. Eminem

2. I Don’t Need You, Die Antwoord

1. I’m Still Standing, Elton John