When the Cheshire emerges...

It was a stay-at-home day today, which was needed. I listened to a real mix of stuff as I did my housework and small DIY projects, most of which I hadn't heard for a while. Jay-Z/Kanye West collaboration Watch The Throne (which is still epic), Kimbra's Vows, a bit of Arctic Monkeys, Josh Pyke...

But there are a couple of individual songs that stuck with me today.



This was the biggest. I'd forgotten how GOOD this song still is. Connie Mitchell (whose voice has to be close to the world's most underrated) singing about confusion and alternate universes. From 16 days to 16 weeks the emotion remains one-sided. Gosh, how so many of us have been there.

The lyrics are just spot on.

I'm just like you/Don't know what to do/I'm caught here in the middle of a life/I can't leave but I want to

I just want to get your attention/But I know that you're looking away/16 weeks since you left my life I'm still looking for you

And the way she sings the closing part is haunting... I wonder, wonder, wonder what you're doing, where you are/I wonder, wonder, wonder what we could've been

Sneaky Sound System are so good. And Miss Connie rocks it on stage- seeing her up close when I lived in Dubbo I was amazed. They need to bring out new material pronto.



I haven't really caught onto the whole Iggy Azalea bandwagon yet, only having really heard Black Widow on constant repeat on the radio, and just before a pre-Fancy song called My World, which is awesome. Looking forward to discovering her other stuff - doing Australia proud, clearly, and she be havin' better beats than the horrible Nicki Minaj any day.

As for this song, loving the Kill Bill homage in the film clip. And the lyric I'm gonna love ya/Until you hate me is gold.

That and the chorus of G.R.L's Ugly Heart have been in my head for some time now: Okay you're pretty/Your face is a work of art/Your smile could light up New York City after dark...

There's really catchy, girl power-friendly stuff on the radio right now isn't there? Love it.

On a final note, listening to Snow Patrol's Eyes Open album among all this other music today reminded me of how good Make This Go On Forever is. Not that the whole album isn't good, but this song is arguably the best.

Photo: lukemelia.com

Those who behave in ways that you dislike are sending out their disharmony toward you because that's all they have to give away. Hating them is akin to hating moss for growing on the tree.

You don't need to let anyone in your life unless they come in with love and harmony.

One of the highest places you can get to is to be independent of the good opinions of other people.

You're doomed to make choices. This is life's greatest paradox.

***
Why?

You’re not your form. You’re something much more magnificent, divine and grand.

Anytime you get hate, send out love. Then love will come back and you’ll be free.

When you no longer need to learn how to deal with disharmony in your life, you’ll stop creating it, and you’ll create love and harmony virtually everywhere you turn.

Instead of saying, “Why is this happening to me? Isn’t this awful. Poor me,” begin to say, “What do I have to learn from this?”

That we breathe, that we showed up on this planet, that we communicate, is a miracle.

The purpose of life is to know God.

The difference between being neurotic and being a no-limits person isn’t whether someone has problems. Everyone has problems. It’s attitude. Do you look for solutions or more problems?

The freest people in the world are those who have inner peace.

Give love and unconditional acceptance to those you encounter, and notice what happens.

Both of these are inspiring quotes, and I'm still rather enjoying going through
Staying on the Path and seeing what is there for me to take in every day.

There are some though that I sometimes see and think it's so much easier said than done. Or a case of just shaking my head because it'll never really happen.


I feel ya Cas. Photo: sodahead.com


Take the second quote. I would say I'm nice to just about everyone I know - I certainly do my best to get along with people in all the different areas of my life.

There are some people that just don't want a bar of it though. People that perhaps have their own insecurities (everyone has those) but can't hide them other than by putting up a wall. Those who just have no sense of common courtesy, and those who are just plain rude and/or negative.

What happens? You try and be nice to people, be positive to people, but there will always be instances where it gets thrown back in your face.

That always hurts.

They try and teach you the concept of giving love/politeness/positivity to others to receive it, and I'm very much a believer in karma. Unfortunately, I finally have to face the fact not everyone grasps this. And I'm trying to deal with it.

At this point in time that quote really reads as "Give love and unconditional acceptance but don't waste your energy or expectation on getting the response you (think you) deserve".

It's still important to radiate positivity in life even if not everyone agrees with your view. For sanity of the soul.

My horoscope was bullshit today.

Pushing the argument of the validity of horoscopes aside, any day when they turn to the subject of love/companionship I usually baulk - purely because it's not relevant.

Today's was something along the lines of that I'm about to enter a new phase centred on love and that today in particular I may meet someone uncommonly interesting.

I left for work knowing exactly how my day would pan out and being pretty certain that it wouldn't involve meeting anyone new, let alone interesting.

I ran late for work, again, and didn't really care. The day was as average as any other day.

I was on a normal sub-editing shift, stumbled across two potential stories I couldn't chase because of said sub-editing, had slices of the Finnish apple pie I finally made for lunch (because I like my decadence and money's tight before pay-night tomorrow - and it tasted fabulous), read up on some Adelaide and Sydney news and did more sub-editing. Blah.

I did step outside to sit in the sun for half an hour and read Empire but that's as far from the workplace as I got. Chance of interaction with a stranger: minimal. I also went to a Relay For Life meeting (as I'm on the volunteer committee), and now I'm about to watch the soccer. Day over. Eventfulness: zero (unless the Socceroos win).

***

The point is really to say that giving me any form of excitement in this department through predictions hiding in the stars is unwise. Even if worded as nicely as it was today, I'd rather wake up to read something that's actually going to give me purpose to get through the day. Not crap that points out the everlasting lack of romanticism within my existence.

If you refuse to change your job (if you don't like it), the only sensible thing you can do is practice loving it every day.

***

Send out anger and impatience and that's what you'll get. Send out love, and you'll get back love. (That should really read "you'll get love back", but anyway)

***

You can set yourself up to be sick, or you can choose to be well.

***

The more you extend kindness to yourself, the more it will become your automatic response to others.

***

Your body is perfect. It knows how to do all the things that bodies are capable of doing. It knows how to walk, sweat, sleep, be hungry, cry... it's also a very good learner. You can teach it to swim, drive a car, write a letter, play a guitar, cut a diamond or climb a mountain.

***

Observe yourself and others in this nutty world, and then decide whether to carry around anger or to develop a sense of humour that will give you and others one of the most priceless gifts of all - laughter.

***

No one, regardless of how much he or she wishes it, can put understanding into another human being. Understanding can only come from doing.

What's with the quotes?

Just because a person is young or small does not make him or her incomplete. The truth is that we are complete at all moments of our lives.

Live... be you... enjoy... love.

To change yourself, look at what you fear and what you hate. Start there.

Someone out there somewhere once associated a killer pair of heels with love... not the love of a shoe from its owner, but love relating to the attraction of a female.

In the week containing Valentine's Day my calendar seems to have pulled out all stops, making my job for shoe of the week very difficult. Just not the way I expected.

I shouldn't be surprised though. I was so horrified by the four of these I couldn't decide which one was worse. If anyone wants to assist comments are more than welcome.

Actual use of the 'word' fahgeddaboutit?! TWO leopard print varieties? Too much, too muuuuuch!!!

Although not all was lost.

The quote for the weekend was interesting from Gwen Stefani (who totally kicks arse):

"Sometimes you have to sacrifice your performance for high heels."

My first thought was - respect!- but then realised I'd probably rather see her tearing up the stage going nuts everywhere. It's an interesting thought from her nonetheless.

Then the Valentine's Day shoe. Of course it was red, and a high stiletto. But I think this is my shoe of the week. I actually don't mind the look of it, but the gold sole is distracting me from envisaging if I could pull them off.


Question time: Do heels increase the attraction on a lady, or are a lot of women crazy to be so mad over them?