Lennon and Maisy

If you haven't already see this video, you need to. Lennon and Maisy, two American sisters, sing 'Call Your Girlfriend' - originally by Robyn. The duo use a margarine container each for percussion and combine their perfect harmonies to create a beautiful rendition of the tune. You must check it out. You can watch it here.

Enjoy!

Test Your Fitness

I'm a bit into fitness. I say a "bit" because I also like iced coffees and sitting around doing nothing in the sun. However, I do a few sessions at the gym per week and get my heart rate up and my fat-levels down. Body Attack and stretch classes are my personal favourite. So, interestingly, I came across this helpful little chart which endeavours to assess your fitness levels based on a 12 minute run.

Depending on your age and how far you run in the 12 minutes, you can assess where your current fitness level is at. Brilliant. So, get out your iPhone and log into your Nike + GPS app and track your distance in 12 minutes.

I'm going to try mine this weekend. I'll let you all know how I go.

Just Let Go

I saw this picture SOMEWHERE on the wonderful world of the Internet and it reminded me of how important it is to let go of things.

I was reading the other day that emotions like jealousy, hatred and anger actually cause more damage to your own body that the supposed affect it has on the person being hated/envied. Your body releases a chemical called Cortisol which damages your cell structures, speeds up the aging process, and can bring on cancer. Nasty.

So, instead of holding onto past grudges and thinking about what people have done to hurt you, just let go. You'll feel all the better for it.

And if you're struggling to do so try relaxation techniques, deep breathing, green tea, and yoga.

Little Shop Of

So, a friend of mine uploaded a picture of a lovely little pendant she'd made of a French bulldog wearing a bow tie and linked it to a small little shop that stocks local creative people's wares. It has an online store too, as well as a shopfront in Carnegie, Melbourne. Wonderful.

Here's a selection of bits and pieces I'll probably be purchasing in the newer future. Do yourself a little favour and drop in to Little Shop Of - either online here: http://littleshopof.bigcartel.com or in store at Number 2 Woorayl Street, Carnegie. Info on their website.

You know that thing?

So, I was googling "Go do it" and found this guy's website full of amazing hand-drawn quotes. You can use them as a positive desktop background if you centre it and use a white border to fill in the gaps. Give it a go. Make your desktop that little bit more happy. Go do it.

Personal Gallery

Is your house/room like a gallery? Full of large prints and paintings on hooks, and curious figurines? It should be. In fact, I've got just the place for you to get your next large print to add to your collection - pretty cheaply. And, what's more it'll be a positive influence on your life.

So, where do you get it? From workisnotajob. Here: http://society6.com/workisnotajob/Commitment_Print

Well, that one is my favourite anyway. You can click 'home' and visit a hundred more.

Enjoy your wonderful days everyone, and be all you can be.

Go Do

What is it you'd really like to do right now?

Take your bloody tie off?
Kiss that girl in the supermarket?
Tell your father you love him?
Have the courage to wear that top?
Pop a bottle of expensive champagne?
Write a soppy love letter?
Go overseas on your own?
Throw a house party for a few hundred neighbors?
Learn sign language?
Build a permaculture garden?
Have a pet rabbit?

I'm sure there are hundreds of unfulfilled dreams rolling around in that marvelous head of yours. But they are just that. Unfulfilled. Why do we let so much of our life go by without requiting some of these ideals? They'd make us happier. Surely we owe ourselves that.

So, in order to actually get myself motivated enough to go and actually do these things, I've got a new motto that I'm trying on for size: 'go do'.

It's simple, yet it encapsulates the very essence of living up to that spirit that is within us - like my previous post highlighted. It's that which makes us happy.

So, write yourself a list of 5 things you'd like to 'go do' and just go and do them (when you've got the opportunity to of course, but no excuses).

You'll be happier for it.

Print Fantastic

Ryan Berkley is a genius. I was looking for a new image of a white rabbit to put under my side heading "Follow me... like you'd follow a white rabbit." As I was doing so, I came across this wonderful website called made590 (which you can all have a look at in a minute). It's full of curiosities and strangeness - as well as foresty prints and wonderful t-shirts. The whole thing reminded me a lot of the Faraway Tree to be honest. The main reason why it grabbed my attention though were these prints by Ryan Berkley. They are simply amazing. At only $38 dollars a print you'd be crazy not to get yourself one. Or three.

So, here is a sample of some of my favourites.

Now you can go have a look at the website here: http://www.made590.com.au/ryan-horned-owl-print.html

Let's Commit

We all have this amazing human spirit that we're born with that yearns to be free and happy. It drives us to help strangers and connect to our friends. We hold our arms out to children, rub the backs of those that are feeling low, laugh 'til we cry, cry 'til we laugh, and feel better when the sun is out. It's who we are. 

But how often do we really live up to this spirit? It tells us we're born to achieve something big. That life is an adventure, and when life gives us lemons we make lemonade - or put a slice in some gin. This spirit cries out inside us as an inner child, one that wants to run through a field in bright sunlight streaming a jumbled disarray of balloons and feathers behind you. To throw paint at walls and to hug rabbits. 

Let's live up to that person inside us. 

Commit. 

I have. 

Tuesday Afternoon Reading Club

So. It's Tuesday. The weather here in Springtime Melbourne is 22 o Celsius and sunny. Quite a nice day considering the pugnaciously stormy and cold weather of late. I've decided to make the most of the afternoon and have a little reading session out in the sun this afternoon.

Which made me think of this painting and the warm, imaginative scene it portrays.

This is exactly what I'd love to do today. Sit atop a high, grassy hill surrounded by imaginary creatures that only I could see, reading an exciting book. The warm spring breeze in my hair. The sunshine on my face. That's what I plan to do this afternoon.

If the weather permits it, I hope you get to have a quiet read in the sun too.

Good Morning Monday

Turquoise Window World by Suzanne Edminster, 24″ x 24″, acrylic on canvas.

Today it is Monday. Yep, Monday. The dreaded Mondayitis is only being kept at bay due to my injection of hot coffee and good tunes (Heavy Feather by The Holidays if you must know). How's your Monday? Great? Good? Okay? Not so hot? Well, here are a few thoughts to get your week off to a good start. 

1. "Set a goal, write it down, and release the outcome. Small steps make a big difference." - Cheryl Richardson. 

This is unbelievably true. I have it written down on a post-it note on my desk at work. Writing your goals and affirmations down on paper and actually reading them helps you reach them. Your brain feels as if it has begun actioning the goal or idea and the rest happens systematically and smoothly. Of course, you do have to actually do the work. But sometimes a task can feel too big and becomes daunting. Don't let it be that way. Take small steps at a time, slowly chipping away at it, and soon enough you'll have released the outcome. 

2. "Unstress with a friend. It's ever so rewarding." - HiVita vitamin supplement commercial. 

I'm sure you've experienced just how accurate this is. When you're feeling a little worried or stressed, going to friend or sipping a green tea in the sun with your bestie can work wonders. Of course, you might be at work. Or school. Or uni. Or on the moon. But you can always send a text and get one back and that's almost the same thing. So, hang out via text for a while this morning and 'unstress'. It's "ever so rewarding". 

3. "Love is the greatest miracle cure. Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives." - Louise L. Hay

Stop putting yourself down for a minute and just be happy being you. We constantly tell ourselves so many negative things - and Mondays seem to bring out the worst in us. 'You look terrible.' 'I hate my job.' 'Get a better job, you hack.' 'You're always late.' 'You're so disorganised.' 'What the hell is going on with your hair?' We all do it. It's human nature. But instead of keeping us grounded and humble it sometimes runs us into the ground and we feel pretty low. Yep. So today, when you start saying something negative to yourself, stop, and say the opposite. 'You look great.' 'You doing a good job.' 'You're in the right place at the right time.' 'Things are looking up.' 'Your hair will be ok.' Try it today and I promise miracles will happen.  

Alice in Waterland

Elena Kalis is amazing.

As a modern, multimedia photographer, she's managed to adapt the age-loved story of Alice in Wonderland into a waterscape of wonder and childhood innocence. Her models are in a body of water, perhaps a pool, and they enact various scenes from the story - including the follow-up novel Through the Looking Glass.

Kalis' photos capture the essence of what it means to be young and full of wonder. The water is also a great springboard for the dreamlike settings, bubbles, ripples and soft lighting. See what you think.

I'm sure you'll start thinking about your own childhood and the wonder you felt every day.

Kalis also has a collection called Underwater Carousel and you can see her short film based on it, just below.

20,000 Hits! That's Pretty Much a Diamond Jubilee

So because of you, my wonderful blog-readers, we've reached 20,000 hits! Hopefully that means that I've inadvertently made someone smile or become a little more 'curiouser' than usual about life's inquisitiveness. 20,000 times over. Hell yes. 

Thanks to all of you wonderful readers and clickers from around the globe. 

You make my day. 

Van She - Idea of Happiness

What's your idea of happiness?

Love? Sunshine on your face? Strange adventures? Midnight swims? Rambling conversations with your best friends? Listening to MGMT whilst driving down to the beach with your windows down?

Van She is the Electro-Pop love child of Matt Van Schie and Tomek Archer and they're from Sydney, Australia. A wonderfully sunny and happy city to begin with. When they originally came out their label introduced them this way: " A new band from Sydney fresh on ideas, fresher than Falvor Flav, fresh like coriander, fresher than the Fresh Prince, fresher than fresh eggs." Yep. They're pretty fresh.

So, their new album is now out too - and I personally much prefer this one. It's newer and has much more atmosphere than their debut album 'V'. My favourite track is their title track 'Idea of Happiness'.

Check it out. Get happy.

Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon

The wait is over. Two Door Cinema Club, one of the best new bands emerging out of the last few years, has finally released its new album. Yes, a new album. I know you've been shuffling your iPod restlessly, hoping something you haven't actually given a proper listen to will come on to entertain you. It might. But if that doesn't work out for you - this will.

Like their last album, it's full of fun, busy and multi-layered tracks. It has a similar tempo, yet interestingly has a few slower songs that are equally as addictive. The electro drums are perfectly teamed up with the intricate guitar strokes and the overall effect is energizing.

I haven't had enough time to fully grasp the meaning of the lyrics, but my initial feelings are that of love found rather than lost, and a sense of forced growing up. But I'll deal more with that later.

Until next time, do yourselves a wonderful favour and get it soon.

Afternoon Recovery Kit

It's 2:03 PM and you're starting to feel a little tired. What do you do? When I hit my mid afternoon mental brick wall I crack out the afternoon recovery kit:

1. Find a new catalogue or magazine.

This allows me to plan some new purchases (which is the next best thing to actually getting some new stuff) and also shows me ways of putting things together. It is also a great distraction from actual work. Although it's perhaps not as kind on your bank account. My new favourite catalogue is the Country Road and Witchery Man W.Manual - which you can see online here: http://www.countryroad.com.au/  (Country Road) and here: http://www.witchery.com.au/w-manual.html.

And here's the Country Road Spring Collection film. It might distract you just that little bit more.



2. A mug of coffee.

It's literally amazing how good this can make you feel. Caffeine is a drug, I hear from dubious sources, however I'm not convinced. I like to think of it as an elixir. Just the other week I read an article about how scientists are attempting to remove some sort of enzyme from coffee beans that can fight cancer. In fact it mentioned that having one coffee a day can help prevent cancer altogether. How about that? So, get yourself a nice mug (this one is from Freedom) and make yourself a coffee - or as I've been doing more recently bring your mug with you down the street and get a nice barista to fill it up.

3. Get online and discover something amazing.

My afternoon discovery today was the trailer for Moonshine Kingdom. Such an amazing looking film. I'm taking my girlfriend to see it this weekend and I'll write up a review for you all when I return. Here's the trailer for your own perusal and discovery.



Anyway. There's my afternoon recovery kit. I hope yours is just as boringly fun.

I Wonder If You Wonder

I found this on tumlr, somewhere or other. As you do. It's such a nice depiction of how everyone feels about other people - especially when you're not sure if another person feels the same way as you so about them. Very nicely set against the cloudy forest image. Perfect. Have a wonderful day. 

I'm sure they are wondering too. 

The Difficulty of C.S. Lewis

I've just printed this picture and put it up on my desk at work.

It reminds me of several things, including the annoying moment when you look down into your mug and realise you've finished your tea and now have to make another, the horrible realisation that the book you're savoring is coming to an end (so you only read a little at a time and carry it around with you to make it feel as if it goes for a little longer), and C.S. Lewis who famously wrote the Narnia series.

So, do yourself a favour and buy a bigger mug and a longer book next time you're out. Although, you'll be hard-pressed finding one big enough or long enough to suit us.

Afternoon Gin and Tonics

I'm terribly sorry I've been away so long.

You may have been clicking on the blog - hoping to see something new, only to be disappointed. I'd abandoned you in a way, and for that I am deeply regretful. However, it's summer in the northern hemisphere of this delightful planet and it's getting warmer in the southern hemisphere. That means one thing in particular for me: gin and tonics with crushed cucumber, lemon and ice by the pool or ocean. On a deckchair. In the sun. With RayBans on. And Vampire Weekend's first album playing cheerfully in the corner.

So, in celebration of all that is summer and Vampire Weekend-ish please download this amazing desktop screensaver and get 'drunk' on life. And turquoise. Using those funny, lithe bendy straws.

Have a wonderful end to your week everyone.

Legendary Dean

So. I stumbled across this tumblr account the other day and man is this girl talented. She captures everything you remember about being young. School uniform. Excursions. Sitting in the street at sunset. Walking home with a backpack on. All of it. Give her account a look here: http://legendary-photography.tumblr.com/. You'll love it. 

Here are a couple of shots she's taken that someone you may recognize features in. Ha. Have a great week everyone. 

Bob's Chandelier

I don't like B.o.B. really. I guess I liked a few of his early tracks for a week or so, but I've never attached myself to him, like I have to his counterpart artists such as Kid Kudi and Lupe Fiasco. I did however give his new album a listen on iTunes and I ended up downloading a track from it called Chandelier. It's actually really good. Give the video below a listen and see what you think.

More

Yes, I'm still addicted to making these little images. Hope you like!

Swallows and Amazons

There is something about childhood that makes it so nice to revisit. Maybe it's the wonder you have about everything around you, the perspective of being only a couple of feet high, or maybe it's the fact you can wear and do whatever you want every day and feel no stress. Maybe. Well, if you like remembering bits of your childhood and have a vivid imagination, you need to read Swallows and Amazons. The book is actually in its 80th anniversary publication and is well worth a read.

Written by Arthur Ransome, the books is a tale of a group of children that play out on the river near their house on a boat called The Swallow and map out the islands and surrounding areas as if they were mysterious lands of pirates, natives, treasure and danger. They make war and make friends, as all children do in the end. It is such a fantastic read and I'd love you to read it to.

May your adventure begin!

A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

Okay, I couldn't help myself. I made some more. Here they are. I'm going to bed now without making any more. I promise. 

Instagram + Photoshop = Fun

So I'm looking on the internet at a continual flow of images and photos with tumblr-like text scrawled over them and the thought struck me - I could do this myself. I love quotes. I write them in little Moleskin notebooks all the time. I write my own even. And I'm also a photographer of sorts. I have plenty of my own images. 

So I made some of my own. 

Here are my first batch. What do you think? I think some work better than others. I still have to perfect the art. It'll happen eventually I guess. In the meantime I'm going to keep uploading new ones. 

Have a great week everyone.