Mindpopsicles

animal communication

2012-01-10T15:02:00.001+13:00

You know how you get out of bed and at times you think: what activity makes me the happiest to go and do? We all have that. I have been trying several things aside of working in the interior design industry since 2003. What I have always been crazy about, without exception, are animals. Furry preferably but even chooks can be a true delight (and I don't mean to eat). As my father was allergic to animals we could only have fish at home. Fortunately at the end of the street the council had built a mini petting zoo with goats on this grass field. I've had a soft spot for goats ever since I was able to visit them before and after school and see the baby goats grow up.

(photo of some of our fuzz friends in the front field)
Over the years I have been reading books and trying out things in regards to understanding animals. This has been increasingly interesting! Last weekend I had a goat whispering session with an ex feral goat called Paddy. His human mum had had him in a small field because Paddy seemed to always want to be the boss and chase other smaller animals around (and even had bowled people over on occasion). His mum didn't like that very much. But Paddy got lonely and let me know that he would very much like to be close to the other animals and talk to them. He had gotten sad and demure, unlike his usual fun spirit. I told his mum of what I received and suggested Paddy'd be put with 3 donkeys in another field. She agreed and Paddy moved in and started to dance around the donkeys and proceeded to hug one with enthusiasm by scratching her neck. She let him.

(It's baby goat boom time! Cute fuzz balls everywhere!)

I feel people forget that our pets have emotions and wishes of their own. They are not "dumb". In many ways they are like children: they want things, they can even demand things, but it would be good if we chose to respect what they wish to say and listen to it. We can say no and explain why. I have two goat boys hanging out with a horse and a jersey cow at the moment. One is the buck and he can't be with the girls as they are giving birth to baby goats right now plus we don't want them impregnated until May. I have found it helpful to explain to the goat boys that they have to live somewhere else because the girls are busy and that they will be allowed back in a few months. At first they were a bit scared of the horse but it only took a day or so for them to walk close to her and now the tall mare doesn't worry them one little bit. Animals are very capable to socialize with other species, unlike humans. They always amaze me with this.

(miss Rosie she is a zesty friend)
I'm currently reading books by Amelia Kinkade, a lady who can speak with animals. I enjoy her stories and her wisdom. Her excercises are very helfpul to aid in further developing skills. Have you tried to figure out what your pet is saying? Behaviour is always telling as we are generally so inept to understand their language which mainly consists of feelings and images. If they are ignored they start barking, being naughty, soiling or chewing. If they are in pain they find a quiet spot, moan or look listless and stop eating. It's by caring that we can spot what the story is.

In general we can pick up many things as long as we pay attention. I have found that the trick is to not fill in the blanks which can be hard. So in order to shut up the chatter box that is our minds we can find it helpful to take a walk, go to the beach, meditate, sit somewhere quietly. It's astounding what we start to notice once we take our foot of the pre programmed accelarator. Have you tried this lately? Have you stopped talking in order to listen better? What was said?

Delwyn

2012-01-04T10:57:00.000+13:00

There's nothing corny

and nothing callously old story
about breast cancer,

just a funny odd feeling on one side you said.

The cancer is now dying within you

as you are living beautifully with it.

Your vibrancy outshines the dark lump

that it once was.

Your new look is Sinead O'Connor

and people make misguided comments

turning bright red when you

tell them your straightforward truth.

Blessed are you and determined with heart.

Angels surround you,

whispering soft songs in your ear.

Carrying you in their love forever.

partnership

2011-12-19T16:34:00.000+13:00

Last week a new animal joined our menagerie of fuzzie-family on the farm: a horse. I was as surprised as you to hear about it as it all happened very fast. In any case: here Silky arrived and my what a power house she is! A wise and beautifully proud thoroughbred, she got the gist of me quickly and is very kind to me. She absolutely adores my husband.

If you have never been around horses: they are literally a different breed. For starters they are herd animals and very very observant of humans. Uncanningly so. To say that I would be in future teaching the horse anything is a misguided statement: I will do no such thing. The horse teaches the horse, and the horse teaches me. "Soft handling makes for soft horses". (It doesn't mean I can go and act like a pussy, it means I have to lead by example. How I treat her is how she will treat me.)

How can you follow and trust another being if you don't "get" what they're like? There's nothing like getting focused and clearer about yourself then working with animals and in my case, with a horse. They will tell you. They will mirror your gnawing doubts or your silly behaviour and especially your ignorance. They will take charge when you don't simply because they test you and when you doubt yourself they will know and run with their fancies. They can be cheeky buggers when given the opportunity. It really depends on how steadfast you are to what degree the horse trusts you and will follow you.

Rest assured I will not go into girly fluffy Odes to the Horses, that was not my intention. I'm fascinated by the horse, that she after 16 years is still happy and full of energy despite being taken off a meat truck and having been moved from place to place as a rescue horse. Thoroughbreds are race horses and that's generally what they do. Silky has numbers tattooed on her but I haven't delved into her history as yet. I wish to get to know her as she is now, her past is not relevant as such.

Did you know that horses mostly learn by release of pressure? They don't learn from pain, that's when they just shut it out and ignore it. They respond mostly to subtle changes and naturally respond big time to big changes in their environment. I find this fascinating. It means when interacting with them, that it's vital to "think like a horse" which goes through anticipating, sensing and behaving like a herd animal, and to be more precise: a prey animal, as we humans are the incessant predator types. So I have to be aware of how my behaviour affects the horse and how she will feel about it. All the time. It's quite different then say cattle, horses are more articulate in their responding to us.

I'm deliberately taking my time with Silky. She is still getting used to our place, the noises (doesn't seem to fond of tractors) and gets a bit possesive if Rosie the jersey cow gets more attention then she does. Also what's interesting is who is the "top-mare" (me in this case) and how we stand in each others personal space.

Animals are very much like humans. They have desires, they want to have a clean warm bed, good food and assurance there will be love and cuddles in a place of safety. To me it's important we develop our trust rapport and that she gets used to us doing things together like walking, grooming, foot work, putting things on her back, before I even put a saddle near her. I also have bought a saddle measure device to make sure a saddle is right for her and that back problems won't be an issue. Horse problems often get blamed on the horse whereas they can be as simple of using the wrong gear that hurts them, or having been let down the bad habits path by people who didn't realize what they were teaching.

Partnership, not so much leadership, requires patience and understanding. It also I find is a matter of mostly self responsibility. As a Danish horse whisperer puts it: the horse will want to follow you if you not only do things right but "be" right. It's a co-creation dance. Be aware, and appreciative, and many things will naturally develop, and all will flow from there. So I've started from the assumption and resolve that I feel right within myself, and trust myself, so that she can trust me and that way we can rely on each other in this parnership. Mainly we want to have tons of fun! I know she wants to trot and run too, but all in good time. In building friendship with a horse, going slow makes sure things go smoothly and ultimately: better.

flow

2011-12-14T15:00:00.000+13:00

sometimes I do not know what I will write

and I needn't worry

as words flow from me

like water from a stream

turning off my head

is opening up my heart

and right now it's filled with so much

compassion that I cry.

I sob because the ones we love leave us

be it only from the physical plane

as love is eternal and so are all beings

whether they are bugs, beast or humans.

So for the tears and the sorrow

It's mostly because I feel so much love

that I don't know what to do with:

so much energy wells up in me

Blessed are we who dare to love

Who dare to cry with the acceptance of that light

It takes courage to shine, to be who we are

Loving ourselves is something we tend to forget

Being able to receive the love

from others is opening that door for ourselves,

allowing the possibility of pain in as well as the love,

as really it's the endless joy we know it all really to be.

unity

2011-12-06T13:25:00.000+13:00

Unification

is the start of embrace

the sharing of heart

the opening up of us, the seeing of all.

The battle has died

before they thought it begun

Because many made the changing decision

to live differently, as they feel differently now.

Our children

are born with more attributes

talents so bright, both in light as in being.

We will see those big changes as intent moves them.

We are not alone.

We are all indeed the same and also belong with others.

Unify our best intentions and our biggest dreams

and lo and behold! The new earth is showing itself already.

Understanding dawns along with a newfound desire.

Unity.

And through that the expression of love.

Photo by Janice Ward -copyrighted and reprinted here with permission.

ego

2011-12-02T16:13:00.000+13:00

What does ego do? What does ego mean? For a lot of people it's tide in with self absorbing, navel gazing and creepy things like meglomaniaccing or phsycho-weirdo activities. Is that really it? Mais non.

Why do we have one? Do we still need it? What about ditching it? Releasing that fluffy ego in favor of sharing our dear hearts with the world. Sorta hippie but also very joi de vivre who cares let's go sort of sentiment. Bring out the wines and have another round of merriness. It's so interesting that people love mostly their own names, their own interests and stories, whilst at the same time expressing that many things are not working so well for us nationally or globally (economics, environment, politics to name a few).

Eckart Tolle is a big fan of releasing one's ego (no I haven't read any of his books yet but I'm sure I will soon, after I finish my "Kryon" series. I quite like him on Youtube. Interesting soft spoken man.) In any case: can we go without our ego at all? Good question. I mean why do we have that thing anyway? What use does it possibly have?

Apparently, as my friend Gabriel has told me, our ego is: "of much use to humans to anchor themselves in their current reality, and to differentiate themselves from others, in order to learn and expand in their individual (expression of) knowing and learning." Groovy. In essence: our ego is a chip built into the hardware, like a code saying: this is Fred number 9643196. The software is made up of programs we choose to follow and we can always delete some and install new ones. Fascinating. So would it be advisable to ditch that ego?

As Gabe says: "it's not that you have to do anything you don't want to. As humanity is moving in to the realm of expressing themselves differently as a whole, communication changes as the increase of a broader perception comes into play. Ego as the expression of individuality becomes like a mainstream colour or strawberries. Those who loves trawberries become connected and share that feeling they have in common of being drawn to strawberries. From there on, groups will form and thoughts and feelings will be shared, much like an online forum. Ego as such becomes less and less of a neccessity as you increasingly find that it is more interesting to share, rather then to keep stuff to yourself. (That's also why secrets will be a thing of the past in the future he says.)

Hence the ego that once was just one man or woman becomes a field of many, whether these are connected because of their interest in strawberries or because they are more in tune to say making indie-folk music. (Refer to Stephen Hawkins to explain the quantum field in detail.) So that ego which ties you and binds you to your duality of being, as humans are wired to be at present, slowly this ego-state will morph into something else again. It's not so much Ego-less as it is Evolution. It's a natural process and can be a pleasant one, depending on how you look at it and how strongly you feel about your individuality."

Some ego stuff huh. If you're not careful you can trip over your self importance. I don't consider myself to be any more special then anyone else, just different. I'm a unique expression. Everyone else is their unique expression. This to me is a very cool thing! And I sure do like strawberries.

beautiful bovine

2011-11-25T15:04:00.000+13:00

Rosie

Lovely is the bovine

Who's shiny fur reflects the beautiful zesty spirit within.

Large eyes

and a big nose

Perky udder swaying in the breeze

before she climbs on new-bull-friend Arthur.

Rosie

welcome to our family

who are as full of character as you are.

And when you're done with Arthur

(who lives at the neighbours place)

we'll take you home

read you bed time stories

give you the moozley take-away food you seem to love

and tuck you in safely at night.

We love you Rosie

no trip to the meat works for you.

Instead a life of frivolity awaits!

A sweet milking Mooooooooooo is a

Beautiful Bovine.

designing

2011-11-22T16:44:00.002+13:00

Why do we do what we do?
This is the bio I sent to Hemptech: the company who releases beautiful eco textiles in Australasia.

(My Cows and Couches design and the Footprints collection. Below with a Mooodlies cushion.)

"As a designer I work on many different creative projects: interior, furniture, product, and textile design. I work primarily as an interior designer. My passion however is: goats. I'm an absolute animal nut and yes I do talk to them too. On our 64 acre llifestyle block in the south of Otago we run highland cattle, saanen goats, turkeys, chooks and pigs. Inspiration abounds as nature is very much expressing itself on our property. New Zealand scenery is so powerful and beautiful. My heart is always outside running alongside the animals in gumboots, clad in overalls, having my hair in ponytails.

My designs reflect this happy attitude and I do adore the whimsy and playing. My desire to design for eco textiles stems from that inner sense of letting my love of living in New Zealand out. As a Dutch immigrant I am fully aware that this slice of paradise is not (easily) accesible to everyone on our planet. We do live in a wondrous place down under. So what could possibly be lovelier then sharing that magic energy at home with others?"
Why do you do what you do?

Photos: copyright: Mirjam Spronk and Hemptech ltd

state what you want

2011-11-21T12:15:00.000+13:00

I've been hearing over and over, both online and off, that the Occupy peeps "don't know what they are about", that "there is no clear message" that they are "a bunch of hippies".

Here in Dunedin New Zealand there seem to be more Dunedinites in favor of removing the tents of the Octagon because it's "unsightly" and doesn't allow the public to mozy over the grass at lunchtime. One protester was headbashed on national TV by an aggressive IT-entrepreneur and the council had trouble dealing with the Occupying situation in a switched on manner from day 1. Now there are about 15 tents remaining on the public lawn, representing a hardcore group and according to the council: allowed to display a symbolic representation of their right to protest as a larger group. (The police surprisingly decided not to honour the council's warrant to have the protesters removed as they wisely stated removing them by force was not the best course of action considering freedom of speech and so forth. Naturally the council was furious the police didn't back them up.)

So yes what do these mostly young people care about? Why are they up in peaceful arms? "Can't they just go and get a job" as they hear shouted to them from car windows?

According to the now released Declaration of the Occupation of New York City, their sentiments certainly incorporate the following:

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.
They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them.
They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit.
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.
They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.*

To the people of the world,
We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard!
*These grievances are not all-inclusive.
source: Daily Kos

This statement if far from chaotic rambling and a very far cry from stoned out hippie dom. The people know what they want: no more bullshit and an actual democratic system which is fair and true to sustaining people and planet in a cohesive sustainable and long term viable way. It sounds perfectly clear to me. The status quo just has problems hearing it. An existing system must crumble first by losing support before it can be replaced by another which is desired by many. The sheeple may have to let go of watching television in order to comprehend this turn of events.

The way I see it: some may not like it, yet a tidal wave coming can't be sidestepped. It's just physics really. State what you want and try to understand the different elements at play.

self responsibility

2011-11-16T15:56:00.000+13:00

I am SO rejoicing in what is happening in friends and family's lives at the moment. One friend has started a new career and is bound to be absolutely awesome at it, another friend has decided that doing what she loves is more important then her career: she is going on a world trip -cycling accross many continents for a year, another friend is contemplating divorce and following his inner radar, he has been putting this decision off for a few years but is now ready for it and me: well I again made peace with what is, celebrate my wonderful life and have gone on exploration and doing training. I keep hearing that it's a time that is very busy, often times stressful or plain derailing for many people. The good news is that many seem to wake up to the fact that many things have happened because of the choices they have made themselves.

As one friend said to me today: it's about self responsibility.

We can decide to blame governments for the economy being crap, or our spouse being afwul, or our work being sh*t, but at the end of the day we usually find out that hey we did choose to study or not, have a study debt or not, support the government we have or not, have the partner we wanted or not, are alone or not, know what we want or not right now, follow our gut feelings or not, live wisely or not, have money or not, choose to be happy despite anything... or not. Either way it doesn't matter in the big scope of things all these details: it matters to us only what we feel we want to do right? Whether we feel we matter, whether our connection to the larger part of who we are (some call this God) means anything, whether we wil be happy with what we are doing now and on and on. My we get busy thinking about stuff don't we?

Ultimately: this is our life. We do the best we can in deciding how to choose and navigate our way through it. But to blame anyone outside of us for anything that doesn't work the way we want it to, is outdated. It also very conditional. In case you have forgotten as well from time to time: love is unconditional. Yes that applies to yourself too. Stop beating yourself up already. So you are searching. Groovy! Shake it baby.

This is your life remember? Do you want change? Work it dude! You are the only one who can effectively bring about the change you want to see. You ARE the change you want to see. Stop whining to other people how it should be for you instead of how it is, just go work on how it will become already!

Lots of love.

favorite summer day

2011-11-14T10:39:00.001+13:00

After a summer day

with smiles and snoozes

Light rain sets in

barely audible on the roof

Later we're outside once more
and whilst turning a corner

the scent of fresh grass

suddenly hugs me like a soft blanket

The hens run around in the field

Calling to me for their supper

The cattle still lazily lying further away

and the sun is showing itself again

In the good life

where the grass smells better still

I only have to remember days like this

to be forever happy.

lasting fancy

2011-11-01T11:20:00.000+13:00

I have a chair fetish. Not shoes, not handbags, no, chairs. I just love them. So what could be better then a big lush outside chair that is like a treehouse? Exactly!

10 trees growing into a life structure to support people having a snooze, or to read a book in dappled sunlight.

from Design Folio mag: "Stockholm-based studio Visiondivision asked students at Politecnico di Milano to consider the impact of a fast-paced lifestyle and asked them how to create environments in which nature can be used to create a sense of retreat on campus. The result? Ten Japanese cherry trees that are encouraged to grow in certain ways making room for a two-story retreat that students can sit up high in."

The result was drafting plans and planting the young trees plus structures to support the growth over time.

From VisionDivision: "Together with the students we worked out a maintenance plan and instructions to future gardeners that is simple enough to actually work.

On the structure, we instructed that a pattern of wood will be grafted in, leaving two spaces between the trees as entries/exits and the rest is closed in ornamental patterns with branches.

On the upper level which is reached by the two staircases with exquisite handrails, is different fruit trees grafted into the cherry trees so the visitor can have a variety of fruits while relaxing in the canopy. Branches are also grafted in for security reasons between the tree trunks.

In about 80 years from now the Politecnico di Milano campus will have a fully grown building and the students will hopefully have proud grandchildren that can tell the story of the project for their friends and family."

How fabulous is that?

fun

2011-10-25T13:23:00.000+13:00

Having fun is an essential activity. Without it we get lost, sad, need prescription drugs or worse. Just to enjoy another's company, or mosey about with a pet in nature can cure us from worry and other ailments like anger and frustration. Life my friends can be wonderful indeed. (Photo above is taken by me of my husband Nico enjoying a wonderful silly moment at the beach.)

In any case: I have taken to crayons, paint and ink again lately, we are very old friends and are getting re-aquainted. We started off with some goatie drawing to ease into it. These are Molly and her daughter Pompidou who was born less then 4 weeks ago.

Amazing what an old stash of art tools can provide!

And how about what else you can do with them? Artist Diem Chau makes the most intricate fun our of crayons. Literally.

Diem was born in 1979 in Vietnam and moved to the USA. You can read more about her groovy bio on her website here. Aside being well known for her crayon work she also does wonderful other 3dimensional work:

Intricate work isn't it... she loves making stories visual

Have more fun reading her blog! What is life without a bit of whimsy.

goatie nuggets

2011-10-17T15:05:00.001+13:00

the power of money?

2011-10-04T12:36:00.000+13:00

As I read earlier today here: "Money can buy anything except meaning." And as Occupy Wallstreet has gone global (yup there are Occupy's growing wide and far like mushrooms) I'd say many people seek to redefine "meaning" in the broadest sense. What is it all about. Really about.

[Official Statement from Occupy Wall Street - this statement was voted on and approved by the general assembly of protesters at Liberty Square: Declaration of the Occupation of New York City]

"As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.

They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.

They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.

They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.

They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices.

They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.

They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.

They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.

They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.

They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.

They have sold our privacy as a commodity.

They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.

They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.

They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.

They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them.

They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.

They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit.

They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.

They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.

They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.

They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.

They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.

They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.*

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard!

*These grievances are not all-inclusive."

let's chat

2011-09-28T13:39:00.001+13:00

If you discovered you actually had the ability to actively shape your world as you experience it, would you?

Neale Donald Walsch is launching a new book: A storm before the calm. With interest I read his intro. He is literally shaping the book as a conversation, implementing opinions from memory and also from his readers who care to provide their viewpoint on topics from marriage to nature, to economy systems, to health care, to our global future as we see it today in a separate book. And marketing jazz aside: I understand where he is coming from. Increasingly I, and others, find it harder and harder to keep up with the world of duality. It is tiresome because it doesn't correspond with our new desires. Why would you care about customer's demands if your friend has cancer or another friend has been trouble finding work for a year? Have you had enough too of paying mortgages? We know something is seriously off key with the status quo and it's bugging most of us tremendously. So what is it?

Instead of hankering down and building a bunker to weather 2012, Walsch is doing a great job of being the devil's advocate by stating that all of us shape this world as it currently is, and obviously have the ability to 're-shape' it now we have stopped liking what we created. he doesn't mean changing it with our physical force, but by changing the attitudes of our mind, which influences and brings about the physical state also (read up on quantum mechanics and modern physics if you think this is baloney.)

I long enjoyed ideas from this nature, that we as supposedly nimble homo sapiens are uneducated in what we are exactly capable of. I was given information by others (friends, peers, strangers) as well as being taught by the larger part of who I am to aid me in changing my previous more limited viewpoints. It's a continuing expansion. The power we will discover apparently is our innate ability to 'educate ourselves' in the most profound sense, and because of those increasing downloads, the extra knowing and feeling (I call it the best re-boot since the invention of sliced bread) it will bring about great changes in us and for us. It's a no-brainer that more and radical changes are imminent, not because we are hippies, misguided politicians or ignorant doodlers, but because the writing on the wall is getting so incredibly large we can't shut the curtain on it anymore. It is becoming self evident. You can't ignore what is staring you in the face while it's chewing and burping loudly. I find this encouraging. To summarize: staying on the snooze button will get us nowhere, re establishing what all of us wish to develop into is far more sensible even when looked upon from many different and colorful point of views. So kudos to Walsch for sticking his neck out and starting his conversation. By all means make up your own mind. I happily dare you.

I guess what I'm suggesting is to go on a self discovery tour (not the navel staring I mean the going out there and exploring your ideas both old and new). And do it fast. Use whatever bandwagon you need and any transport required, any library or e-book. Find the information you need and somehow gravitate toward and by all means: think for yourself. It is your choice after all. And instead of going for the-sooo-bloody-old rant of "get realistic" and knuckle down in this challenging climate I think it is more helpful to do something bigger then we are individually, and become part of that change we want to see (great blog-post here by Surili about when we get disillusioned or discouraged). What matters is what we do here, what we will be able to do in 20 years time still and to clean up the crap we've been leaving around as it is affecting our own health now too.

Opposed of playing nice and tidying my pigtails I rather express that which rings true to me. If this makes no sense to some, fine. If I am an oddball, fine. If I am unsuccessful, fine. I don't care about those things anymore anyway. I do however to my great astonishment, care deeply about humanity, and where the heck we're going. I prefer it to be awesome, inspiring and beneficial to both rock, plant, animal and humans and all particles in between. And I'm also quite willing, as is my husband, when times "toughen up" further to share our place with those we know to be in need. Increasingly I find this to be more important, to help look after others, to help them, to encourage them, opposed to what happens on a daily basis with me personally or what will "really" happen in 2012 when the Maya calender is due for a new chapter.

I'm thinking bigger picture and multi-dimensional, are you?

design for a change

2011-09-27T16:04:00.000+13:00

Changes on a global level have kept me occupied lately. To showcase New Zealand design today seems a contrast, yet I find Shane's work both crossing the boundaries of Art and his personal heritage interesting: Shane has Danish, Chinese and Maori ancestors. Isn't it wondrous how we human beings travel the globe and embrace other cultures?

I have been a fan of Shane Hansen's work ever since I came across it several years ago visiting the Gallery The Poi Room in Auckland. I have to find the NZ wood pigeon below as it really speaks to me.

Te Karanga Pitoitoi

Korihi ake nga manu
Takiri mai te ata
Ka ao, ka oa, ka awatea!
Tihei mauri ora

The birds call
The day begins
And I am alive

A bit of background on how Shane works: "Shane Hansen likes a strong, clean line. He has drawn constantly for as long as he can remember, but has never indulged in intricate doodles dredged up from the dark recesses of the mind. Instead, his creations spring from a world of bold colours and optimistic clarity, a pop-art invitation to a feel-good New-Zealand celebration." (source Shane's website: here)

"Shane studied art at high school but began his professional life as a fashion designer. He commandeered the sewing machine on which his mother had worked from home churning out nylon jackets and created the label Vampire. (..) He then trained as a graphic designer, eventually combining these two disciplines at Fly, where he was co-founder and creative director, carving out a niche creating innovative marketing and design strategies for corporate clients and retail stores." (source here - Gallery De Novo)

The scrummy bovine series is both hilarious as it is captivating. Shane used to make quite a bit commercial work whereas nowadays he works from home and focuses on his Art.

The bike must be son Nikau's one I imagine!

"The environment Shane grew up in was rich in culture. The walls of the Hansen family home in Manurewa were covered in paintings by Shane's grandfather and great-grandfather, both of Danish origins and both amateur water-colourists. Shane's grandfather took his descendants on painting expeditions that actively encouraged deeper contemplation and appreciation of the landscapes and objects around them.

His mother's side of the family is a mixture of Chinese and Maori influences. His grandfather emigrated to New Zealand from China's Guangdong province and established a market garden in Pukekohe before starting what became a family of 14 children with Shane's grandmother, a woman of Tainui descent. Creativity seems to run deep on both sides of the family" (source: Shane's website)

Shane work is definitely colorful and has a clear identity. It is expressive and focused. Its boldness and presence for me are very much linked to the relative young country that is New Zealand, the ruggedness of the mountains, the clarity of its waters and the brave attitude of its people.

An in depth interview with Shane can be read on a different blog: here.

Occupy Wall street NY

2011-09-26T11:35:00.000+13:00

why we matter

2011-09-20T14:03:00.000+12:00

We can choose to be un-involved

to stay quiet to not say a peep, not let out a whimper

Because we choose to or because we fear to

How about expressing that which is in your hearts?

How about supporting your voice?

It is perfectly fine to make some noise

if you wish to. If this makes you feel better.

The time is now to make that stand

Not in your back garden or on the front lawn

but a-midst others in society

to find those that feel like you do

who beat the same drum of the heart

Raise that flag! Be brave and sober

Think clear and with purpose

Because that's why you are here now

To discover where you stand

what you think

and ultimately: who you are

What is your purpose here?

Are you going to stand idly by?

or are you going to look after your fellow man?

We do not live to be quiet

we do not live to be complacent

We live to discover who we are

we live to discover how big

our hearts truly are.

We can express that which is the other

and tell the story

and increase the field of knowing

and the field of belonging

so we can come home

and be home

at last.

Photo by The Guardian, covering the "Occupy Wall Street" story in New York - 19 September 2011: link here.

the hum of love

2011-09-13T10:46:00.000+12:00

Maybe we can move

both intentional and unintentional

by simply stating who we are

the definition itself radiating

that what we feel and embody

always telling all

Even without words

enough can be shared

to build bridges,

mend bruises

fix problems

to sail the seven seas

When we start to remember

that we are more then

the sum of our parts

more then our body

more then our minds

more then the clubs we belong to

That the center of us is our hearts

and that of others too

then there is no need to explain

no need for science play

no room for debates

just the connection

the holding of hand

the caressing of hearts

the soothing of us

A tone of silence

a hum of love

a pulse of life

love spreading

like ever before

around and in us

a galaxy filled with

the booming vibration of all

Instead of thinking about it

Feel it inside of you

Look within and around

It is all the same

Have you noticed?

Can you hear it pulsing in your ears

drumming in your heart?

cake!

2011-09-07T15:55:00.001+12:00

What is better then singing happy birthday? CAKE! :D :D

The Olinimals - Olivia's 1st Birthday from Oodlies on Vimeo.

This e-book was made by miss Joi Murugavell, notorious oodlier and peen lover who avoids "felt" like the plague....

life

2011-09-02T15:15:00.000+12:00

is worth LIVING:
(love this, there's piggies in it and Mooos and sheepies etc etc, so sold already. Warning it makes some people cry...)

jumping jack

2011-08-25T16:41:00.001+12:00

the difficulty is not

making evasive maneuvers when someone else is upset

by rebuffing their airwaves of agony

but rather

to recognize it and trying to ease them by letting the vibes

move around you like a jumpy dog.

we don't have to immerse ourselves in someone's else's field of misery

to feel all its implications

in order to understand them better and what to do about it.

But it usually happens that way, regardless.

Look the hurt person or dog in the eye. Listen. Talk a little bit.

Why would you not be there to make them feel better if they need it?

And who's to say you have better luck with a frantic giraffe next time?

seriously?

2011-08-22T10:48:00.000+12:00

No. Often things are too serious already. We try too hard. Does that really help? Hm?

Generally we find we have to make light of a situation. Being stuck in the mud only teaches us to get very muddy boots (I literally experienced this yesterday when my husband and I were building enclosures for our two wild piglets). Better to have a laugh and move on.

I like to share this video today which I think teaches us to never complain again. There is no use for such a pass time although all of us have done this from time to time. How do you feel today?

all is well

2011-08-18T13:46:00.000+12:00

Talking is deleted

Words transform

faster then I can think them

I sense images

and feel sounds

whirling around

like a school of fish,

condensing the sea of being.

I can stand there and

hear the loudness of it.

Bearing the weight of them all

Yet I wait

and accept them in.

Capital letters tumble through me

some fart on exit.

Others simply leave quietly.

All is well in the world.

love

2011-08-03T11:38:00.000+12:00

Seeking something is giving that something

First and foremost

If you find it too hard to open up

try appreciating it

and from a speck it'll become a seed in the wind

it will start growing and

Blowing a gale

and coming back to you

Unfolding

Dancing

Being

In you.

cancer

2011-07-27T16:41:00.001+12:00

"If you know your own light, why darken it? That is what cancer does."

What is cancer about. Did you ever wonder that? I do. Not the physical, not the blasting the body with chemicals story. I'm talking about the human experience of it. How can it get in a body in the first place? And if it's there, what can be done about it other then the usual scenario?

And... when someone has fought in their own fashion, trying to deal with their existence the best they can, and it hasn't worked out as they hoped (fortunately many do heal and recover) and they lie in the Hospice room waiting... and.. dying. What is there then? What is there to do?

"Let the guns fall silent. There is no more war.

No one is up in arms, but you.

To find rest, amidst your own Self, without pity,

But with great respect, is a good cause.

What would you say, if there was never any trouble,

Except that which you brought here yourself.

And that there need be no sorrow

As your heart can be free, anytime?

Shed the weight you deem to carry.

The burden is nothing but a stone around your neck.

It’s your choice to redeem your freedom. Now. And ever.

Be brave is not about how you face things,

you have the courage to face yourself.

All things considered, that is all there is.

Look!

It is Love.

Staring you in the face. After all. At the end.

Embrace it.

You are home, brother."

~Gabriel

note: I have written this post also for my mum, who is thinking about this as she knows several people who are experiencing stages of cancer. Anyone we know, seems to know someone with cancer. It's not about the cancer itself, but how we treat the person.

experiencing

2011-07-21T15:15:00.000+12:00

Today I wanted to share not just my words but those of a friend who sent a message to me (letters somehow don't seem to be written as much in this new technological world we live in). Many of us are searching for... something. What do we want to do? I'm not just talking about a job, but in life.

We take out time or rush into it. We talk to others about it... endlessly. Or we don't say anything at all and keep it stirring and rattling away inside of us for many years. Some of us decide to go for it.

(photos taken by me of wild pigs Red and Twinkie at home on the farm.)

This is how my friend Remco put it to me today:

" When talking about ME, I mean I really, REALLY need to find out what makes ME happy. Not find out what I think or have been thinking I 'should' do, or what other people would want me to. But simply what makes me happy. Amsterdam e.g. is huge, and provides you with all possible and thinkable possibilities. So I should go there and prosper. Right? Wrong. Rem (saying to myself), you are no semi-Jesus, you stupid a**ewipe. You are just a guy. You need things. You want things to connect with you, not the other way around all the time. Amsterdam makes you numb. Makes you feel little. Realize that and realize that's just fine. Your home place is not there. You don't want the tram and the bike. You don't want the 179 neighborhoods. You don't wanna give it 5 years starting a completely new life and living. You wanna make your lonely mom see you more often than once every 2 months. You wanna cherish your 100 friends and 1000 acquaintances rather than throw 90% away to start all over.So live that life! Not a life you have sketched out. Just the life that you ARE."

The life that we are. I could't have put it better then he did (and his words are residing on this page with his permission). So many things would go so much better... if they were done from the heart. Wouldn't they?

(Picture below is of my husband Nico holding a very much alive wild piglet called Twinkie short for TwinkleToes.)

More from Rem: "So, what I am doing, is finding ME. I have no idea about ME, when it comes to simple things. NOT helping when trying to put down my desired career on a sheet. What helps is listening to my gut feeling. Or starting to learn to listen to my gut feelings actively. I might just go do any job to find myself pursuing a life more than pursuing the 'right career' (the one I 'should' find and pursue).

I have already realized many things. About the friends and other peeps I don't wanna miss. Not because they are the most perfect, but because they're mine. They are MY friends, and I am theirs. Furthermore, I think I really like grey, blue'ish grey, and some shades of brown. I am willing to pick up litter from any street and should NOT feel being laughed at when I do. I DO have the right to be a pain in the ass once a week. It IS possible for someone to not like me.. I wanna live NOT in a big city and that is nothing to be embarrassed about.

I can dream and have high morals and standards and left-wing utopian dreams... but it is okay to be human and normal in daily life. It is ok that I hate extremes, and love the middle, the reasonable, the social, the average.. And, it is okay to live the life you want to live. Even when others, from their capitalist and materialist views, express they feel sorry for me not getting all out of life. They are NOT talking about the same concept. At all. And that is ... OKAY. It might be me +wine speaking. Speaking, opening-up, not-organized-story-building, and doubtful-sentence-building anyway. But hey, I know you won't mind. Cause we're okay. We don't demand, we experience."

I like it. How do you feel about your life at the moment?

Photos: taken by me and copyrighted: please do not copy for any reason.

moving us

2011-07-19T14:32:00.000+12:00

My truth is not yours

and yet it is part of us all

My life is not lived

Yet it has already been past and in the future.

My choices are my own

yet they are also inseparably yours.

I figure out who I am

By learning what we're not

Do I not say what I mean?

All of us talk vibrationally.

It's energy that speaks.

The key is to actually pay attention.

Can you feel it?

Moving you?

spark of life

2011-07-14T12:08:00.000+12:00

Today I faced the cloud of doom I call mediocrity yet again. Great relief to find I'm perfectly happy to make the stance not to fit in that "comfortable" bracket. I have my pride. Hurray!

So is it worth hanging on to what we believe in? I think so. If we sell out, cop out, lose out, or 'smile out' then what the heck are we doing here anyways? I hadn't planned on becoming a planet drone with a Wallmart sticker across my face. In any case:always a good thing to figure out what we want to define us and if we don't get too excited about what we currently see: to devise an Evil Plan to remedy our situation! We have times when we get discouraged. We look at other people who just pop dazzling electricity like a regular bowel movement. But in all things amazing: we too can share something worthwhile by just finding our own voice. (Read here why we can and why it matters.)

As my friend Ivan Campuzano says: "Doubt is just a word that explains the desire not to participate in life". So: in short: we need to simply do what we need to and want to. This also means doing crazy stuff and stupid stuff which could be embarrassing stuff. It's all part of it. Ivan has written another beautiful post about "sharing your gifts". Read it here and decide to pursue at least 2 of his list today. Sign up for wild water rafting, singing lessons or finally go and knock on the neighbors' door to say hello.

Because changing our perspective and adding onto it with unhampered enthusiasm shapes the world. Literally. What excites you? And then: how can you help other people feel more awesome? Because making other people feel better about themselves always make you feel better too. (I see daily proof of this when tending my goat and cattle herd. Evidence stares you in the face below. I love it when I see them smile. They can you know.)

Yes my friends: we can do it! Hang on to that spark of life before thinking about retirement and settling for something. Today's the day.

future build

2011-07-11T14:52:00.000+12:00

People have been harping on about climate change and how much crap we've been putting in the Earth's atmosphere for a while. That polar caps are melting, polar bears drowning, glaciers dwindling and how of course we should make amends regarding our nasty outputs. What do you think? And will we alter our polluting ways?

I'm one of those people that think the Earth will adapt to us silly humans no matter what, but we may not be able to adapt to her big changes. The good news is that there's always hope. And there's always an Arc to be built.

And man! This is surely one of the coolest Arc's I have ever seen designed. Isn't it amazing?

"Russian architect, Alexander Remizov, is the mastermind behind the project, he believes that his floating “slinky,” which can hold up to 10,000 people can have multiple uses, including a safe house for disaster relief. The prototype’s main materials are timber, steel ,and high-strength ETFE plastic and it is built to handle land and/or water." (from website KNSTRCT)

Perhaps they should consider building this in Christchurch! You can place it anywhere: land or water. Very convenient I'd say.

"The Ark’s central core is a wind power generator which would provide power to the facility. The outer part of the structure is covered with transparent solar panels, and if the ark is built on water, it can also take on thermal water energy. There is even a purpose for the shape of the structure, the form promotes the formation of turbulences of air which in turn strengthens the work of wind generators. The Ark is very well thought out; there is a purpose for every element and each component supports another to enhance performance.

The Ark project makes an attempt to answer these challenges of our Time. The Ark project was designed on the basis of international experience received from the UIA Work Program “Architecture for Disasters Relief” and according to the concept of a bioclimatic house with independent life support sources. In such buildings provision is made for an independent life support system including elements ensuring a closed functioning cycle.

The structural solidity is provided by compression behavior of the timber arches and tension behavior of the steel ropes. The framework is covered by a special foil made of Ethyl TetraFluoroEthylene (ETFE). It is a strong highly transparent foil, self-cleaning, recyclable, more durable, more economical and lighter than glass. The foil itself is fixed to the framework by special metal profiles, which serve at the same time as solar collectors for water heating and as gutters intended for collecting rainwater from the roof surface.

The building makes a single energy system. The form of the cupola assists to create an air-eddy at the outer surface around the central bearing, where the wind power generator and tornado generator are placed. The form of the building is convenient for placing on it the photoelectric cells at a necessary angle to the Sun. (...) The building can produce extra power for supplying adjacent houses and “green” transport means.
Prefabricated frame permits to erect such buildings quickly.

The structure of the building permits it to float in case of water leveling up in the World Ocean, to keep afloat and exist autonomously on the surface of the water. All the wastes are utilized inside the building by methods of explosion boiling up and oxygen-free pyrolysis."

The building could be constructed in different climatic zones and in seismically dangerous regions, because the structure of the basement represents a shell without any ledges or angles. A stressed structure of arches and ropes permits to distribute load along the whole bulk in case of earthquake." designers: RemiStudio

This project reminds me of the Venus Project that has similar ideologies: website here. Some of Fresco's designs below:

These are quite groovy too. It reminds me of the Jetsons.

From the Venus Project website: "Many people believe that there is too much technology in the world today, and that technology is the major cause of our environmental pollution. This is not the case. It is the abuse and misuse of technology that should be our major concern.
Our only shortage is the lack of creative thought and intelligence in ourselves and our elected leaders to solve these problems. The most valuable, untapped resource today is human ingenuity.

A resource-based world economy would also involve all-out efforts to develop new, clean, and renewable sources of energy: geothermal; controlled fusion; solar; photovoltaic; wind, wave, and tidal power; and even fuel from the oceans. We would eventually be able to have energy in unlimited quantity that could propel civilization for thousands of years. A resource-based economy must also be committed to the redesign of our cities, transportation systems, and industrial plants, allowing them to be energy efficient, clean, and conveniently serve the needs of all people.

With the elimination of debt, the fear of losing one's job will no longer be a threat. This assurance, combined with education on how to relate to one another in a much more meaningful way, could considerably reduce both mental and physical stress and leave us free to explore and develop our abilities."

socially yours

2011-07-08T14:44:00.001+12:00

Cordially yours? Nah. Socially yours!

According to maestro Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook: it's not about being connected, but "what you are going to do once being connected" This means even MORE apps. Personally I think the market will increase to be flooded with apps that there will be a point where we will be "apped" out. This moment will come sooner rather then later. But that's a story for another day. For now we are all still playing.

Google+ has swept the geek world by storm. As Robert Scoble says: "How popular is Google+? Well, in less than a week I will have more followers here than I have on Facebook despite being on Facebook for more than three years."
Or: as another Google+ user tells it (Oliver Reichenstein): "User Interface Design standards have reached the level of graphic design, industry design and architecture, a level, where only user interface design professionals can discern outstanding work (Google+) from good work (Twitter) and average work (facebook)."

We are social animals. No matter how we live: exchange of thoughts and feelings is always going to be paramount. So what is going to be next? Does it matter? Well: does it matter to you?

And that is exactly it: instead of looking upon other people to provide answers as we generally tend to do: I think we will come to understand more and more that we are our own authority. As Hugh Macleod so aptly says:

I translate that to: you need to decide for yourself. At all times. CHOICE is what always matters. In everything.

You're never are going to have as much fun as the moment you know and decide that your life is. your. own. Whether you do something brilliant, stupid or whackadoodle: it's yours! How cool is that! So if you don't enjoy your life as much as you think you should: it's solely your responsibility to do something about it. Ha! Now you can't blame anyone for anything anymore. Liberating isn't it?

Cartoons all by Gapingvoid.com

needs doing

2011-06-29T10:43:00.001+12:00

Two things that hit me this morning:

The power of the unexpected
How successful entrepreneurs tend to get their Big Ideas: based on someone else's bright spark.

Now the first happened because I read a post in the Huff by Mark Olmsted here. And I thought Mark you're damn right: things happen all the time we don't plan on and it's hard to foresee the future, even more so because things change so fast. Should we give up trying to assess where out future is going and simply focus on that which is important to us? Focus and doing seem to be the most essential items in the tool kit.

The second thing clicked in my blond brain simply because I thought of a friend who told me how he got his Big Idea and set up for early retirement which was listening to someone else who gave it to him, also I finally watched The Social Network which showcases how Mark Zuckerberg (supposedly of course) got his Big Idea for The Facebook and consequently I thought of other stories that came to mind, all with the same scenario: Big Ideas are seldom unique, they are simply built on that which already was before. It's catching the strands of other ideas and connecting the dots.

I realized another thing: I connect dots but don't always utilize this ability as things usually move too fast for me to do something with it. What I decided is to de-fluff. Some ideas, especially those filled with nostalgia or grandeur might look pretty and be fun, but ultimately now is a time of practicalities. It's simply about finishing things and getting stuff off our to do lists. Boring? Perhaps. Sensible? Absolutely! Great? It's the answer.

For me finishing things on our farm in order to continue the plan of action that involves more then I'm willing to share at this time is paramount. Working simply to generate income to finish said plans is two. I had to reshape my planning idea I had a while back as my time-slots simply didn't allow all the things I wanted to do. This forced me to choose. Back-scaling to the essentials therefor is both simple, pragmatic and ... feasible. So I'm done with the many Big Ideas and am working on that which just needs doing. If I have time left over I will work on that prototype I'm developing. Which is an actual feasible and sensible idea.

As Mark Olmsted so aptly stated in his blog-post for the Huff: "The one thing that we can be sure of is that we can't be sure of anything. But we can expect the unexpected."

So my new motto is: stuff needs doing, just get on with it. How are you dealing with your plans?

Picture source: Spoon-Tamago

performance art

2011-06-22T13:59:00.001+12:00

I am increasingly interested in performance art and art that simply blends multiple categories. Nowadays I think it's safe to say that;

Art is no longer created specifically to be hung on a wall (naturally we have seen different spaces utilized to showcase Art for a while).
The distinction of disciplines is continuing to diminish even further.
What Art will continue to be is Expression, whatever way you look at it.

Via MoochMagazine I found Daniel: http://www.danielarsham.com/

From the Moochers: "Daniel Arsham is new type of artist, his work brings together multiple

mediums which include performance, dance, architecture and art. His forms are pure, linear, elegant and, curiously, three-dimensional. Arsham uses illusions to make his masterpieces feel magically alive. Born in 1980 in Cleveland Ohio, USA. Daniel lives and works in New York and Miami."

Other works Daniel has made or worked on in collaboration:

That Daniel is one clever talented cookie also shows in his commercial work. He set up Snarkitecture with Alex Mustonen:

Snarkitecture is a collaborative practice operating in territories between the disciplines of art and architecture. Working within existing spaces or in collaboration with other artists and designers, the practice focuses on the investigation of structure, material and program and how these elements can be manipulated to serve new and imaginative purposes. Searching for sites within architecture with the possibility for confusion or misuse, Snarkitecture aims to make architecture perform the unexpected.

Snarkitecture was established by Alex Mustonen and Daniel Arsham and is represented by Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin.

the shortest day

2011-06-21T15:38:00.000+12:00

The shortest day is like the shortest breath

It's cold. People look frozen.

Time moves fast as it does slow

On the shortest day.

We have a wine.

We light a smile.

We see only a few.

On the shortest day

Years ago we had it figured out

Now things have changed again

And we could be anywhere at all

On the shortest day

Many dreams gallop overhead

and the sun sets all too soon

So all we have is each other

On the shortest day

Tomorrow the light will increase again

Perhaps make sense to us some more

Hey where are we going?

On the shortest day.

on the streets

2011-06-17T18:50:00.000+12:00

This week I've been in Melbourne where the eating is fabulous, the company even better and the street art impressive. These are a few of the photos I've taken while there.

checking it all out wearing Oodlies.com shoes.......

our Mooodlies goofballs hanging outside the gallery....

Art lives on the street and breathes.... it lurks and speaks. It giggles and farts. It is loud its is partly hidden. If you look again it may be gone. It comes it goes. It's never for ever.

peace

2011-06-09T13:47:00.000+12:00

There is a lot of "oneness" currently going on, on many different levels. There is less thought about "countries" and "boundaries" as there is about the expressions of "people". People online connect in all sorts of ways and discuss all sorts of topics. Also offline we run around like chickens. News items come out in the open faster and more is shared then ever before.

Have you felt any changes in your body recently? Thing are literally humming and it seems we are cramming experiences together like an overstuffed burger that is dripping with cheese. Many people experience a feeling of condensed time. We are either running out of steam or feel we can't keep up anymore. We try to do too many things or want to get too many things done. Then again why do we choose to? We are a funny bunch aren't we.

“Whether a human heart is open or whether that heart closes has global implications” ~Pema Chodron~

I consider this time to be one about the business of the heart. Some people say: where is the logic? Where is your reality? Yeah what about that reality huh. What, don't tell me: you like the way your job is going? This modern slavery we are caught in? What could you be doing instead if you didn't have to earn a living to provide food and pay your mortgage? Hard work can be useful and sensible, if you're working towards something you really believe in. If it means you are doing something worthwhile. If it provides you joy and sustenance and all the things you were hoping to experience. Ultimately what we all want is to experience peace apparently. To do what we like to do and not burden anyone else with it but rather: share it around. I'm thinking goat cheese myself. I would be quite happy to have the time to start milking my goaties and crack out some sublime goat cheeses. For now I'm still an interior designer working 9-5s and Mooodling of course.

So what is it with this heart business?
This is where we reside. Not in our head. A Dr. stated that our brain is a physical vessel that contains many things but our actual thinking is not done there. Did you know that? It's a wonderful thing to wake up to. Where does our consciousness go when we sleep? Where does it go when we are dead? Read more about Dr Pim van Lommel and his work here. Did you also know that what we think can actually change the shape of water on a molecular level? Research came up with that. Yeppers. See the video of that here: (an excerpt of the movie: What the Bleep Do We Know.)

An interview with Dr Masaru Emoto the water doctor below, fascinating!

Back to the heart: we seem to be able to have more effect on our environment through our emotional (guidance) system then we do through conventional thinking. What do you think made the book The Secret such a success? More and more people are finding out how to use their natural abilities. (The book the Secret was based by the way on the works of Esther and Jerry Hicks. More about this insightful and friendly couple here.)

"One simple change - seeking and finding peace within - could, were it undertaken by everyone, end all wars, eliminate conflict, prevent injustice, and bring the world everlasting peace. World peace is a personal thing. What is needed is not a change of circumstance, but a change of consciousness." Neale Donald Walsch (FB post today)

"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures."
- John F. Kennedy

So a long story short: whatever you think, or feel, or decide to do, or not do, has effect. It means you too, can decide to declare World Peace by working on your own peace. I have started with myself as that's the only person I have a say about. So get to it too! Do your thing and have fun with it. Oh and say "I declare World Peace". Just like that. More info on: http://ideclareworldpeace.com/ That will keep you busy for a while...

"In 2010, we hatched an idea to create an art installation unlike anything ever before seen or heard of on this planet, made possible for the first time in history by modern technology and the prevalent existence of social media. Our idea is to create the largest art installation ever, to be installed not in some physical location, or even in cyberspace but rather within the consciousness of every person on the planet, a sort of "Gates of the Mind". Each person will hold a "flag" in his or her mind, which collectively will change the history of the world. The "flag" is I Declare World Peace, expressed in the language of the thinker."

"Come help us create the largest art installation in the history of the world, installed, for the first time ever, on the consciousness of mankind."

perception

2011-06-05T15:57:00.000+12:00

Yesterday I watched the movie "the girl with the dragon tattoo". It was quite a graphic movie in the sense that very unpleasant thing were happening to the main characters. The movie was excellent as the storyline was good and it showed how people can choose to behave in different circumstances. The more you understand the background stories the more things make sense. There are no black and white absolutes which is what I liked about it. I think "truth" and our versions of it are multi dimensional. Having an opinion about anything therefor can be a difficult thing to shape.

We usually do not know what stories people carry around and it's usually not necessary for us to know either. I am a strong believer in that you are able to influence what you attract in your life, no exception. Being responsible for your own life and dealing with any situation that comes along is a daily activity. So what about when people appear not being able to defend themselves?

It's a good question and not an easy one. Are there bastards in the world? Most people would say yes of course: this that and the other! Are there innocents in the world? Yes. Are there tons of grey areas? Millions. Why do some people "have it easy" and why do "some people always experience shit"? I don't know either. But I do know that creating hypes and a lot of noise about bad things will hardly make it any better. It makes more sense to do the best you can do and if you do find yourself in a situation that you can make a lot of a difference, do so.

Nico and I once ran into a troubled girl on a campsite. She had serious thoughts about killing herself and had tried something with a gasoven that didn't work out. She had had a difficult childhood and eventhough she didn't mention all the particulars we did get a fair idea of the horrendousness of it. She spoke about it in such a off hand manner that would turn the average person stone cold. We did what we could for her and suggested things that could help her practically and mentally. She was most grateful as she said that we were strangers there at the right time to listen. And to care. I think it made a difference in her life that she needed at the time to make a decision to move forward.

Ultimately it seems that this is the only thing we can do: to be conscious of what we choose at any given time. And whether we give a damn about others. Even when we don't know them.

Who have you met recently that you could have helped but didn't? Who did you help but only realized later that you did? And would you be willing to step up and do the hard yards or just say you would? Things are never easy and straight forward and yet sometimes. They are.

karma

2011-06-02T15:48:00.001+12:00

Whether you believe in Karma or not

Life has a way of shaping itself

As you see and feel it

in your mind

in your heart

Choosing now

to simply be

and accept all there is

releases the struggle within.

Nothing out there can hurt you

only the inability to understand the bigger picture

that makes you experience pain

and creates all struggle

Karma is a name for pattern in motion

It's just a label

Don't worry about its stories

Just feel what is right for you

and let go of that which no longer fits you

Simply be..

And feel you're way through it

You are your own guidance.

Trust that.

Trust your self.

That's all there is.

source karma idea: Eckhart Tolle

poem: Mirjam Spronk

photo: lookANDsee

trying too hard

2011-06-01T16:25:00.001+12:00

Working hard can be useful. Working hard can be fun. Heck working hard can even be peaceful.

There is such a thing though as trying to hard:
Trying to hard to finish things when clearly time and energy are against you
Trying too hard to make it work with others when clearly it's not
Trying too hard when the marriage is over
Trying too hard to get people to like you when you're fine as you are
Trying too hard to make money when you're not enjoying the job
Trying too hard to juggle too many things
Trying too hard to make a point
Trying too hard to convince someone else. Why do you?
Trying too hard to get slim. Think healthy instead.
Trying too hard to keep all your promises.
Trying too hard to get "it all done".
Trying too hard to keep a clean house.
Trying too hard to ensure the kids grow up okay.
Trying too hard in bed.
Trying too hard to be funny.
Trying too hard to succeed. What is success anyway?
Trying too hard to "get ahead". What will you find once you have reached your goal?
Trying too hard to get time off.
Trying too hard to build your business. Live instead?
Trying too hard to fit in. Just do your own thing.
Trying too hard is... simply too hard!

So what is it with this hard business that we forget about the soft aspect? If you'd be too soft we would be in a very difference place right now. Yes it might look too pink and marshmellowy and society could slow down to a standstill... we could live in Barbapappa ville before we knew it. However it could be more pleasant. And we might notice what was actually already there.

So... are you trying too hard at the moment and need to mellow out or... did you get too soft to notice?

skills

2011-05-30T16:32:00.000+12:00

My weeks have been busy and chaotic. Most people have that so nothing new there! Now and again I come back to a Dutch book about writing. It's excellent and extremely funny. Why is it? Because the writer writes in a way that draws me in; it's extremely compelling. I love to write.

Who qualifies us to be good writers? Does it even matter whether we are "good"? Perhaps not. I have found that writing for so many years on emails and my blog that certain skills have "upgraded". Practice makes perfect so they say. Developing any skill this way would.

So start doing what you want to learn today. Is it singing? Is it making art? Is it car racing? Is it perfecting your game efforts online? Is it taking up crochet? Is it gluing garden gnomes together and building kinky sculptures? Is it grooming poodles? You never know unless you try.

Me, I'm just a potato head :)

source potato info: via Bitrebels

Truth

2011-05-24T10:45:00.000+12:00

Nico

You have to speak your truth

It burns inside you

Alive and Thorough.

Speak.

let your deepest feelings take flight

let flow your intentions

let crumble the walls of deceit

What if all is fluid in motion.

Becoming clouds of focus

that will touch that which is afraid of you.

Remember why you came here

To discover you embody a lot more

then just Words

and just Deeds.

Stand now.

and Speak!

We will listen.

You are ready.

gentleness

2011-05-15T17:02:00.000+12:00

There is much to be said about softness in this oftentimes world of harshness. The way I keep reading in the media about how there are battles to be won, companies to be bought and problems to be overcome. At night I wake up grinding my teeth and wondering why my face has that determined steely set feel to it. Relaxxx I tell myself.
Then the dog died. Glen aka Manny Moo was getting onto 15. His eyesight had long left him seeing fuzzy shapes and his hearing was a lot to be left desired. He could walk but with a wobble and at times he would get caught walking into a bit of sand and would keel over or flop down. Thus it was when I found myself writing a letter to him in the evening, a few hours after I had found him lying so still in his kennel.

Dear Mennie (Dutch for Manny)

On all acounts you appeared to be a normal dog..
You didn't have a dashing appearance, if anything you were pretty scruffy looking.
Yet we loved you straight away and you came with the farm we were buying. How cool!
You rounded up the neighbours sheep when they went on an escapade, because you knew what to do. Naturally we hadn't a clue being farmlet newbies and you understood that perfectly.

Over the years your favorite activity was to find sunlight and then bask in it on the lawn. You loved me brushing your coat. It made you feel like a guy with a tophat being so nicely groomed. And if you could have a rummage in the grass and roll around in it well nothing could beat that. I will always remember you smiling, and it was quite something to behold.

We looked after you and you learned to trust humans again, be it always a bit careful. If anyone put their arm up high you would duck down by instinct. We told you that you didn't have to. We gave you cuddles. I talked to you until even you had enough of it after a while. As time went on you knew the routine by heart of bikkie twice a day instead of once. You never understood what a ball was for though, so we decided to give it to the goats to muck around with. (Not that they did.)

Mennie you were very special to us. You were gentle and you were kind. I will miss you yet I know it was simply time, and I'm glad you died in your own home instead of on the vets table in a clinic. You deserved to live at home for as long as you wanted to. I hope you will like the tree we will pick out for you. Please see us from time to time, but if you don't then that's prefectly fine. An awesome place like heaven can be very distracting I'm sure!

Talk to you later Mennie. Take care and have fun!
Lots of love,
Mirjam (and Nico of course but he's less girly about these sort of things as you know.)

meditation

2011-05-10T12:59:00.000+12:00

Connection

doesn't always mean being online

If anything the unplugged connection

is far more powerful.

Observing trailing thoughts and using

focusing ways like counting down from 10 to 1

That help to just sit

Every morning at 6.30 am

I no longer feel my disconnection

that can be when I go about my day

When I think too much about trivial things.

When I get stressed or upset about work.

Instead my body sits on the floor

and I can no longer feel where I end

and the rest of me starts.

I expand and become centered at the same time.

Exploration on my doorstep.

It doesn't even require me to leap out of my payamas

It's found once I finally decide

to be still.

And listen.

To the vibrant hum that always is.

I am home wherever I am.

I am me wherever I can look myself in the eye.

And I am never alone.

_____________________

More about the human spirograph here

focus

2011-05-09T12:50:00.003+12:00

I'm reading a number of books at the moment, most likely too many. I think this gives a good indication where my mind has been: in too many places. I'm toning myself down again. Not only has it been a time to regroup on the weekend but also a time to re-choose regarding where my priorities lie. All of us experience this. How to go about your life and what to busy yourself with.

Reading (finally) Napoleon Hill's book (I love the 70s crumpled version I have) it has made me realize hey there's simply no way and no point to dilute my energy to such a point of exhaustion, that one wonders what the heck the point was of starting an activity in the first place. (Anyone recognize this? I bet you do.)

So I am asking myself the question I think many of us tend to forget: what. do. I. really. want. to. do? I'm not talking about just an idea or 'yep that will do'. I'm talking about the kind of conviction that wakes you up in a tizzy of excitement. One that you just KNOW is right and that needs your attention. It keeps you fuelled and running around with a smile on your face.

You see we THINK we know what we want to do, but really we usually want to play and do so many things. Ah how about this? Yes usually it is fun for a while but then later we may realize we had enough. This can be fine or dangerous, the latter mainly when you're sharing the activity with others. So I thought about it as I am much more in favor of working on exciting projects or work that will carry on for more then just one year. (I'm not the quick excited social bunny I used to be.)

Desire.
Purpose.
Thoughts.
Ideas.
Manifestation.
Goals.
Results.
Process.
Achievements.
Growth.
Expansion.

In my case I know for a fact that what I do now, I will not be doing in 5 years time. What I want to do in my entire life are various things that I have trouble choosing a small selection from. So I considered choosing 1 predominant activity and one sub activity and going with that, opposed to 4. That feels better. There are overlaps in my smorgasboard of options so I need to clarify those.

The exercise of the Focus Wheel came to mind. Therefore I've taken an A4 and actually have drawn my desires on it and written the statements. Wishes have nothing to do with it. I'm not talking fluffy bunny-ing in the park here, it's about defogging the mirror and uplifting the goal. (Join me and dot yours down.) The Focus Wheel is great for general statements about how you feel about something.

I figured that my problem has been too many desires, more like fleeting desires or wants instead of longer term pursuits. Many artists have this dilemma. It doesn't mean I want to stick with one desire forever as I know I would like to experience new things once I have mastered one aspect. My current work activities all deserve attention, but how much? And does it really? These continue to be big and good questions. It's all beneficial to go through writing it down and clearing the head (Mooodlies of course stays). I've made a lot of progress over the years but I reckon I could do better.

First I decided to do the focus wheel and then to work out the nitty gritty of eliminating problem areas from my to do list. As quite a few are longer term they need to be divided in steps to process everything more easily. I have always found this challenging: how to keep an eye on so many things with different time frames? It's like playing 3d Chess where multiple games are played at the one time with one board. Exactly. It's not just a matter of cramming it in my agenda or keeping a large wall planner.

So I have started narrowing it down. You know zooming in style. Questions, problems, dilemmas and then its options. This helps to basically help decide to go over all options and determine the solution I like best, then it's far easier to carry the work out and done! This doing and finishing is vital. Self discipline is certainly essential in this process. Finishing small jobs and projects brings both satisfaction and progress. Also it is essential to kick butt in order to move quickly through the river of mud.

So what do we need to add to the list above (that Napoleon Hill also mentioned)? Perseverence and dedication. Not in a flog yourself way, but a focused self steering way. It needn't be hard either as it contributes to the main desire. I believe that one can achieve many goals and ideas-brought-to-life when we are happily and energetically dedicated and we finally have a grasp on our organizing capabilities. Did I mention delegating and outsourcing is beneficial? Do it.

Nico and I have decided to watch less tv, we already stopped watching daily tv shows, I'm talking about the occasional dvd or watching a serie. We are cutting this back too. Why? Because we noticed that instead of relaxing-time we'd still feel tired so it would be more sensible to cut it out alltogether or limit it severely and read a book or do some other work we can enjoy that quiets the mind. (Apparently this zenning of activities helps to relax and create more space for yourself!) What energizes you really? Do that most. Ditch the rest I say.
(It is SO well phrased in this great post here by Scott Scheper as a Zen Master tells him how it's done.)

Which brings me to focusing again and the bottomline: Keeping It Simple Stupid.
Narrowing down the most important things for you and how to manage these are of course essential. Then there's the how-close-do-you-stay-to-your-own-truth? Not the gospel kind altough that could certainly have something to do with it but the kind that says: hang on am I still doing what I want to be doing? If you, like me, have times when you seriously wonder why you do what you do at times then yes it's time for a time out and overhaul of existing beliefs and actions. Sweep it baby!

Our lives in this physical format do not last indefintely, which means we would do well to get a focused grap on our time. So back to the focus wheel: how do you feel about what you are doing? And on time management: how effective are you really in finishing things? And as the Zen Master said: our today's world is so full of distractions that we have trouble distracting ourselves from it. So what do we need to do in order to manage our lives well?

Use a weekly planner
A year planner (this has my vote)
Focus list (generally 3 things for every day segment opposed to 40.)

Combining the desire as the focused feeling and the effective carrying out of that focus brings you results AND satisfaction. It however asks of you to: dedicate yourself and put yourself first. A change in habits and in thinking will bring you more fun!

(note: I will give myself one month to stick with this consistent plan like a fly on poop or a garden gnome on his gardenflowers and then see how the results speak for themselves! I think I will see an increase in effective productivity, results and I will feel better about it too.)

web we weave

2011-05-05T14:54:00.001+12:00

We live

in a world of wonder

joined together by threads

and weaves of light

subparticles, atoms and people

we live to knit thingmies

we aim to write stuffies

and if we're lucky

we get to crochet

some miracles in the process
____________________________

Fascinating how artist Joanna has strapped these beasties to the wall. they probably come alive at night and kept knocking old Mingh vases off the shelves naughty critters.

Love the blob. Sofffft blobby. Helloooo you blob.

(I talk to everything it might be an undiscovered condition or a Hag thing I'm still unsure.)

About Joanna: "Vasconcelos, who makes large-scale sculptures, is considered by some to be the Louise Bourgeois of Portugal – she lives in Lisbon – and her pièce de résistance of recent shows, including one in Portugal that became the most highly attended exhibition for years – is a piece called A Noiva (The Bride), which, from a distance looks like a large, pendulous chandelier. Only up close does the viewer observe that it is made of thousands of tampons, strung together by a cotton thread and hung from steel cables. Another cracker is a big, circular crocheted work called "Big Booby". (source here)

what's in a name?

2011-05-02T13:47:00.001+12:00

There is something very endearing about nick names. I was reminded this weekend when the hubbaliscious and myself were visiting the neighbours, discussing farm machinery, puppies (they have quite a few) and the hay paddock that alas this year had been unable to be used for baleage due to much rain. Our neighbour lady has one of the cutest nicknames ever. She is known far and wide as "Blossy" aka Blossem. Kids call her aunty Bloss (true story).

Once I thought about it I know that most people have quite a few names, including myself. So why do we give others nick names? Mostly because of fondness I think. Because someone is special to us, and we love them. (Well we do hope so: let's go with that.)

As Steve Wilson mentions in his post on "Why do we give other people nick names?": "Nicknames signify importance". So it's almost an honourary title! Who knew. Naturally it works the other way around as well, Obama held a speech at the White House dinner the other day and confronted ''The Donald" (as meastro Trump is well known by) and creating laughs about Donald Trump's insisting questions regarding the authenticity of President Obama's birth certificate.

The question is whether to worry about nick names at all. If you like them fine. If you don't like them, maybe learn to appreciate them. As my grandfather used to say: "it doesn't matter what people call you, as long as they talk about you."

I have just joined the Haggus Society. This is a group of Women Artist Bitches. Yep you heard me. I'm a Bitch y'all. I'm not 40 yet but Terri Lloyd its founder is inclined to waver the age restriction for me because "I'm such a hag". (For what defines a hag read all the intruiging info here. Mind you I still have to do the admission test oh Lordy!!) Terri is a professional artist based in Los Angeles and goes by the name of Pink Buddha. I sometimes call her Buddha babe depending on my mood. I love her yamies and her big head. She is crazy and lovely. Look at the garden she has. I wonder how she grows those heads.)

So what's in a name?
Whatever we want it to be I think.

Signed: Mirjam/Mary Moo/M/M's/Mir/Mirke/Jampie/Jampes

What's yours? Are you proud of your nick names?

cheering

2011-04-28T11:31:00.000+12:00

Supporting others

can be helpful or not

Depending on whether they truly need it

Cheering yourself up

and cheering yourself on

is always progress.

Belief inside

carries outward

and shapes your work

where you stand

The place where you are

The people you are with

Cheering inside

can be heard outside

Whether you open

your mouth or not.

Can you hear it?

Where does it start for you?

In writing this I had to think of Ivan Campuzano who is one of the most positive and cheerful people I have ever met (that's his happy face at the top there). His recent post on happiness was a wonderful piece, read it here. But just keep following him, I swear it will make you feel better.

Gaia what?

2011-04-26T12:18:00.000+12:00

Most of us carry on with our regular lives every day with no or little thought to what surrounds us. No wonder Yoda has been telling us there's more going on then meets the eye. “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.”
I have started reading a book called ''Gaia, the human journey from Chaos to Cosmos" by Elisabet Sahtouris PhD and it's both intruiging as it is straightforward.

Usually I'm not overly a greenie in the hippie sense of the word. From being an artist etc to moving into business life and from then into farm life trust me humming Aumm and doing new age courses has not been on my agenda for many a year. My education therefor has come to me in the practical sense, also I suspect because I needed to be grounded more and less fluffy ducked. It worked! Kudos. I guess now it's time for me to absorb some additional knowledge in book form.

Before I started reading Gaia I was reading ''Eat Pray Love" for the sheer fun of it and that too encompassed life (and meditation) and the contemplation of the unseen energy field in which we live. I find it very interesting to read books that are written from various view points.

Life is becoming less and less about stuffing things we can comprehend in boxes with written labels but instead it is now overflowing with out of the boxy stuff, things hanging in mid air, things unseen, things wafting about tantilizing with hints at what more knowledge there may be. I think the whole jazz is best described as a jack in the box. This can be joyous or also topsy turvy, as we have seen with all the earthquakes.

Most of it cannot be grasped with the mind, it's as if we are increasingly being inserted with inner knowing through our other senses. It's a combo mac deal, with added crunchy salad and big fizzy drinks when you think you only had one coupon. And when it's in front of you: you're finding out that you're not so hungry for all that food stuff after all (I think that's why I decided to become vegetarian about 4 weeks ago). It's a funny thing this life. We get notions. We lose notions. We become notion-less and in that space of having lost direction we can pin point ourselves again. What fright and what freedom.

Now back to Gaia, I keep finding new books at the moment, not that they are new but they seem to bring me aspects of topics that increasingly get me excited. Gaia is not just the Earth, it's the sentient being that is Earth also. Many religions have mulled this Gaia stuff over. What is it all about dude? Indeed. Is it all yadda or is it "real". And what is the real deal anyway? How ''actual'' is the daily life?

I think we forget we live on a planet that LIVES. It's not just a chunk of rock in eternal sleep and we can just dig up all the gold, coal and pump all the oil out of it without as some point catching onto the idea that hey! Maybe we are digging into actual flesh here. Maybe this endless gratification for our own selfish needs has stopped making sense. Especially since we know that electrical cars and other propelling methods have been available which were discarded ideas by big oil companies as -get this- they would go out of business and they didn't like that (insert doh here). I mean when does this attitude end huh? Well with us of course. Simple as that. It all boils down to demand. So what if we changed the demand? We can you know. There is such a freebie as free will, I think it's a winner.

So I'm reading Gaia: it's more a statement of saying: you know we have done this crazy sick stuff on the earth for so long. Why are we taking not decades but a century or so to choose something else that is beneficial for all concerned? We use up energies where we can choose something more sensible and at the same time build and maintain the world that we are part of, quite literally I might add.

So if it makes so much sense to amend our ways, why not do it? I don't think most of us are lazy, we have just been sloppy in pointing things out and doing something about it. That tv has been a darn invention for keeping us on the snooz button. So come on, pull your head out and think of a way you can alter how you travel to work. And what work you do. And how you heat your house. And all that greenpeacy stuff while you're at it. Maybe have chickens and grow your own veggies. Put that solar jazz on your roof. Clean your house out. And if you say you can't afford it then join forces with other people and bring out that commune spirit in the name of good ol'd sharing that they still do in tribes in the Amazon and many other places on this planet. It hasn't gone out of style yet.

2012 is not the end of the world, but the way we are mozeying along it might as well be. We shape our world. Everyday. Gaia must be getting sick of us by now. I am too at times. Luckily there are many people and increasingly more so I see who wish to create better more wholesome ways to live. It's encouraging indeed. What are you willing to do?

poetic imagery

2011-04-21T15:01:00.001+12:00

When I was away in Auckland I came across a very special book. It's called ''Beautiful Solitude" and eventhough I cannot make heads or tails of the Chinese phrases, I can of the miraculous illustrations done by Jimmy Liao.

There is something very touching about his work. I absolutely love the book.

I guess the simplicity and black and white just grabbed me! Below are some more pictures of illustrations of other books:

Jimmy Liao is a professional illustrator. From wiki: "Jimmy Liao (Chinese Name: Lao Fu-Bin, born November 15, 1958) is a well-known Taiwanese illustrator as well as a picture book writer. The name Jimmy is his English first name which brought about his (phonetic) Chinese pen name.

After graduating from Chinese Culture University in which he majored in art, Jimmy worked in an advertising company for twelve years, and then he worked as an illustrator for newspapers and magazines. In 1998 his picture books Secrets In The Forest and A Fish With A Smile were published in Taiwan.

Jimmy’s books have been translated into dozens of languages and sold around the world. His books have also been adapted for theater, movie, television, and animation.

His pictures are characterized by their use of striking, bold colours and depict central figures that often appear small in the foreground, suggesting the viewpoint of a child in the wide, sometimes sinister, world, or to hint at loneliness."

I like how he manages to include both large spaces in his work and make the characters so personable in it. His work seems cute but has a lot more to it which makes it very compelling I think.

Now I hope he doesn't mind, but I have started scribbling poetry work of my own in this book choosing his images carefully to accompany it, or is it mine that accompanies his? It somehow seemed the right thing to do.

change?

2011-04-19T12:54:00.001+12:00

Gary

Despite your potential

you insist on being right

So much so that it tears you apart

like a huge rip across an ocean

You flee into a bottle

with nice white labels

and forget everything

including your children.

It's not how low you can go

it's about the dark story

you are keeping to write.

You are only as nice

as the secret stash of your wines.

You drink to forget

Yet you live to remember.

Over and over again.

the attention span

2011-04-08T15:05:00.000+12:00

Today I'm having a day off. Like you I hit days at times when I think: I need to recharge my batteries and find a quiet place. I have noticed that my attention span, and my energy levels have increasinly become more sensitive and prone to the danger of overloading.

Just before, I decided to have a snooz. By the time I was in bed the siesta desire had passed and instead I found myself immersed in reading "The Thank You Economy" by Gary Vaynerchuk. This guy is so on the ball it's almost painful when you realize so many people are obviously not (no offense). So there's delight they might want to learn how to play too which is a positive outlook.

At times I find myself seeing relations in aspects between many dotted areas. It's when the "aha" kicks in, like having a view of a very large terrain where many activities are going on. What Gary talks about in the TYE and also what I keep finding in my personal and profesional life is that all boils down to Attention. In my case I lost attention for myself this week, I seemed to be predominantly focusing it elsewhere if not ''somewhere". This caused me to lose track on "where I was".

The Attention Span is very much a 'now' thing. Not only does everyone have a far shorter supply then ever before, I notice myself that things are changing at a rapid rate. The way we socialize changes, the way how we do things changes, what we value interestingly changes too (the economy and the earthquakes globally contributing to that); the way we communicate has changed and keeps on changing and generally: how and what we give Attention to changes. A lot.

The crux of the story is that all Attention matters and how we provide it. What I also recognized in Gary's wonderful trainride story is that it matters greatly how we act, how we conduct ourselves. It's very important to be transparant about who we are. Just yesterday an Oodlies interview was published with me discussing vaginas at length. All I can say is: the sometimes open ways how Joi (from Oodlies) and I interact involves this way of communicating, it's part of our lingo. It's what we're like together. We don't lie about who we are. I am various sides of a spectrum. To be anything but one way would be too limiting for me. I really like Gary's viewpoint on being genuine, how could there be a future where we're not?

To me Attention is not just the time we take to focus on anything, be it online or off, and to tell others about it, it's also very much the ethical side of it, the human side of it, the why and how side of it, that others relate to and understand. I think we will find faster and faster that we "get" what other people talk about and what they do. Even before they have finished speaking or ''doing''. We will increasingly find ourselves "smelling the rat" or "feeling the vibe" in ways we could not conceive of ever before. These are magical times.

The trick with Attention is that all Attention is really Love. Keep an open mind about this. Give attention freely and it will flow back to you. Draft all sorts of rules and it will bite you in the ass. (I wonder how Gary would feel about this.)

Above all: I think our Attention deserves more credit. We forget that Attention as it is, is our commodity. It falls and stands with our choices and our expressions. We will be known by others how we give our Attention and most of all: whether we actually care about others, as well as ourselves. It's when we forget, that we falter. I think that if many of us continue to forget that we are all part of a very large hive that we have the danger of losing our Attention for each other.

Luckily, from what I can see, most people are very much focused on the value of having genuine relationships and enjoying the freedom of movement that transparency provides. The way we do ''business'' will therefor change a lot too. I'm sure the last chapter about this has not been written. And I like that.

More about Gary's book and where to order it here

Oodlies interview

2011-04-07T16:02:00.001+12:00

Joi has an Art exhibition soon and it's called "My 8 Crushes". As I'm one of said 8 crushes I guess I had it coming! Somehow it ended up quite a raunchy little number. Maybe I'm a dirtier girl then I thought.

I love Joi's Oodlies, they're so much fun.

Read the whole interview here. Of course the story is about how Joi and I met and what silliness we get up to. Twitter is to blame, that is where it started. And then after a while we ended up being "max' and "mary moo".

Joi talks about many many different things (my 'artist' impression):

In any case (by Joi):

Row your Shell

If you have a shell

because you must have a shell

row it from time to time

you'd be surprised

with what you'd find

when a shell is cracked

and bacteria moves in

and out

dislodging fermented thoughts

(call on expert rower @kiwiseabreeze

for dislodgment help, chats and hugs

1800dislodgeyourhabitualshit)

See Joi Oodling 'live' in this video below!

forgiveness

2011-04-06T14:59:00.001+12:00

I phone the Immigration service.
I am number 12 in the cue.
Classical tones enter my ears.
I think of the day I'm having.

How come we often feel as we think
How come we make ourselves tired
I feel like a zombie amidst bubbly flowers.
The classical music halts mid flow.

A voice answers:
Justin speaking.
How may I help you today?

I forgive myself for my droopy ways.
I picture the classical music again.
Justin asks for my address.
And I finally feel my mood lift.

Thank you immigration service
For the 8 minute reprieve I needed from my busy brain.
The vibes of goodness have returned.
On the line.

ideas

2011-04-04T11:01:00.001+12:00

Some times we get ideas. Maybe even crazy ideas. No one gets it. So when do quirky ideas get to matter?

In this day and age: when they are 'marketable'. When they are desired by 'someone else'. When they are so astoundingly hilarious and functional apparently!

That's the difference between design and Art: what value is awarded to your idea and subsequently your creation? So have you guessed what this creature is?

I know it kinda looks like a beastie from Pixar doesn't it. It might charge and nibble your ears! Then again it might sit next to your bed quietly singing a song to make you sleep. And then nibble your ears.

Here's the designer Thomas Schnur presumably keeping it from climbing the walls. Maybe they live in their own house or a rubber zoo. What games would they play when he is not looking? Would they need sleep?

One thing is for sure: it's a table and it is travelling: Hong Kong and New York to name a few.

Source and photos: http://www.agitatto.com/blog/?p=9937

in the world

2011-03-26T13:00:00.004+13:00

Once we discover

the power of freedom

not from others

but from our own expectations

Marvelous things happen

because we are free to shape the world

in to our image, into God's image

Being lost without is being lost within

Find the quiet

Meet yourself finally

so that again:

you can embrace that which you have forgotten

Meet those that are standing around you

And see that new light

and see that new self

Without trepidation

but with courage

smiles and laughter

Life is good then.

inside and out.

A world in a world

a micro in a macro cosmos

A small being breathing in a large

yet it is the same thing

Ultimately:

I'm 'you' and 'you' are 'me'.

we are part of each other.

Whatever shape we hold

at present

in the world.

black sheep

2011-03-25T11:25:00.000+13:00

Bullying is also called "harassment". Someone very close to me* has been targeted at his work. What he does about it is naturally his decision. I have been telling him to leave that workplace as it's infested with negativism. When people ask me about this company that's what I say, as it is my personal opinion. And I'll be happy to tell everyone far and wide. I'll them on twitter I tell them on Facebook I tell them in person.

It used to upset me a lot that a senior manager could mis use his power and along with other cronies start targeting staff just because he can, just because the staff actually give a damn and ask difficult questions. It's such a waste of time and energy this power play song and dance; it's unreal. Yet the good news is that we can choose again. We do not need to abide by rules just because 'we have done this that way for the past 100 years' and 'you just have to listen to me'. Come on this is 2011 already.

The truth is that of course there is probably more to the story and yes I have taken his story with grains of salt as one should do. I think the writing is on the wall though when all of his immediate colleagues are looking for other jobs, and one has left because of bullying already and another because he could no longer stand the depressing atmosphere. Mostly I find it sad, because without realizing it the senior manager has solely achieved this:
- adding more bad vibes to the company and sending the good people out the door first (they are the smartest and most talented and run quickly when they clue in.)
- less productivity and low morale, the least talented crew stays
- bad or worse results in production
- bad PR as news gets out so the company's image deteriorates slowly but steadily.
In effect: I see little benefits to the whole power play episode. Maybe a bully can help me out here to see reason.

And now for the good news:
People have a choice. He has learned a lot while working for this company both good and bad. I have to add that there are actually nice people there too. (One of them is Mary I love Mary.) Once he leaves he will be baffled and surprised he stuck with them for so long. Bullying kills respect and loyalty faster then a mouse can fart. The freedom to experience different working relationships will do this person good. He's already been approached to work for other companies so don't feel bad for him, we don't. It's very educational.

Instead of focusing on the bad let's focus on the good now;
you always have a choice in regards to what work environment you choose to be in. I'm not talking about the kind of job, but the vibe a place has, what is their behavior like? Do you feel happy there or most of the time? Are your colleagues supportive? Why do you come to work everyday? Do you understand your part in the equation?

Ideally we like to work in an environment that nurtures us. Why? Because that is human nature, to be part of a tribe, to belong, to work for something that is bigger then us. to believe in something good, to share a common goal and yes, to generate income. Research tells us that for most people the money is like a sideline, what we really want is to feel useful, to contribute and to be appreciated.

Whatever it is you do, my vote is on doing it happily. The bottom line is: if you agree with it continue, if it makes you unhappy question your motives of being there. Oh and to the bullies: the game is up. We know why you do what you do and we choose another experience. Because we can.

*this person very close to me has asked me to withhold his identity until he resigns, and he has decided on a date to do so. I hope his 'chat' today goes well, in the sense that he will be able to stick by himself and not be tempted to sink to their level or be 'black-sheepie-fied'. Time will tell.

veggies for life

2011-03-24T10:46:00.000+13:00

I have decided:
I am becoming a vegetarian. It was likely to happen.
This nagging awareness that I was doing something silly.
How could I possibly eat those that are my friends?

When words unsaid are spoken
Nose to nose
When my curly hair is torn from my skull as they nibble
the practicing of their social rites of fitting me into
their group (because I smell funny goat Mia says).

How could I possibly eat my friends?

I have started to understand them
that I know what they want
When they have pain and where
and what they want for dinner.
And how they want their beds made.
When they need clean water.
When they want cuddles and hoof holding.

How could I possibly eat my friends?

And even when Lisa the mini goat gets stuck in the fence again
as she's always curious
and always eager for the greener grass
I keep pulling her out and setting her free again.
As she dances off with a guilty face
I know she will do it again anyway but that's ok.
Looking after them is top priority.

How could I possibly eat my friends?

Why would it be hard to give up eating meat
when I can stop eating my friends.
And I can look them in the eye and say:
don't worry I'm one of you now:
I only eat greens.
I am part of your fuzzy tribe.

How could I possibly eat my friends?

(picture of Kuddles our 2 year old highland steer)

to grok

2011-03-23T14:05:00.000+13:00

Yes it's a word. Used by Steve Jobs no less too. (There's an endorsement statement for you: go grok y'all.) "To grok is to share the same reality or line of thinking with another physical or conceptual entity“. (Wikipaedia)

I digg this completely and utterly. I was reading the Huff today regarding the TEFAF international art and object fair and looking at pictures of some of the work exhibited. Fascinating. Naturally artists have been inter-relating for as long as we can remember. Surely the Neanderthals must have had some grokking skills at perhaps a more basic level. So what is it with this communication that bounces to and fro and then voila! An object comes to life. It's puzzling. Where does it all start and does it really mean something? (Of course for Steve it worked out well.) I loved this post about the internal hobnobbing in Maastricht: here.

Now I grok on various levels. I think it's a beneficial activity and is hard to be avoided unless one wishes to be a hermit. Joi and have been working hard to get our Mooodlies on the road. The first collection "The Teaparty" has been finished but not released yet! The excitement builds. We are working like little squirrels on the second collection now that is in its final stages: #SOLD. (Which reminds me I will send Joi a sample of the kinky backing material.)

Mooodlies is all about grokking, actually it all revolves around: the interaction. Nothing else is relevant. Joi made me realize this again the other day when we were emailing to and fro about how we are going to approach the launch exhibition. Also I have started reading the excellent The Thank you Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk. Same deal: listen, love them or go home.

So there you have it: a part of the new age is to be able to communicate so well, that you can crawl in someone's skin, know what they are thinking know what they are feeling and love them in such a way that you are willing to have them in your life and talk to them on a regular basis. In our case: remember to have a laugh and interact wherever there is a Mooodlie near, they function like totem-poles: to be spotted from far distances and who carry the story of its owner to bring peeps together: (wiki) "Poles illustrate stories that commemorate historic persons, represent shamanic powers, or provide objects of public ridicule." Also: the mooodlies are good to cuddle up with.

For me Mooodlies are a vital part of the expression of process.
One thing says it best: "Grok y'all !"

source of the grokking concept: Jeff Bullas's blog