goats man, that's what

In case you were wondering: goats rock the kazba. Oh yeah.



It may seem incredible: much of the story behind the new feature film The Men Who Stare at Goats (featuring Jeff bridges, George Clooney, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey) is based upon secret U.S. government programs to turn paranormal phenomena into operational intelligence.

For more on the story behind the goatstarring: movie trailers and writer Jon Ronson

Complaining is branding too

Complaining is negative personal branding: you help create your own negative image by whining. Yessirree. This also means that positive branding occurs when you are shining the white feathery light of upliftiness.


So what’s groovy today? Well, for me: tons. Life is good people. And to top it all off again: Today is Friday. Woohoo. Always a good thing!

So how about 'uncomplaining'? Good question. I think once you’ve said whatever you did, it’s like turning the tap and water flows. You can hardly put a cork in there can you? Better to be aware and try not to start doing it. The opposite of complaining is 'appreciating that which is'.

I have moments of yippee-ing and groaning. I blamed lack of vitamin c and b but there’s only so much you go on about it, besides: the blaming game doesn’t get me anywhere. The other day someone told me “you always look at the positive of everything don’t you?” Well the truth is, I try to. I’ve noticed people are more inclined to hang around me when I make them laugh and am helpful. Especially the cracking of jokes seems to do wonders. I’m reminded of this by en elderly client who’s an expert at that - which reminds me to see the lightness of things. I think it helps all of us when we explore avenues of laughter as this is how you stay young at heart. Let’s face it: complaining is just SO boring.

So what do we do? We do not try to erase our previous tantrums or woopsiness.
We start “Behaving ‘as if’”

“What if your life is going differently then you intended? What if all falls by the wayside leaving you in tears? Would it be the end of the world? Of course not. But it may feel like that.

Confidence, gratefulness and behaving ‘as if’ can help you greatly in reshaping the experience of your life. Find that place of peace inside you and picture you’re whole being filling with Joy. When you are feeling this sunny side up feeling there will not be room for doubt, worry or fear.
So! On we go, exuding this aura of happiness and give it to others. By lighting our own candle (and not burning it at both ends) we can help people as well. We remind them of that which they may have forgotten.

Hello, how are you? What can I do for you? What do you need today? Listen to them. Make them feel better if you can. The world needs more love and understanding, less judgment and alienation.”

Give it a whirl:

1. Be grateful for your life and what is in it, many people do not share your luxurious surroundings or feel safe, have enough to eat and have friends.
2. Behave ‘as if’ your life is the way you’d like it to be. You’re happy at home, your work is going well and everything is starting to fall into place. Just roll with it. Make changes if you need to but act as if it’s all according to plan.
3. Confidence: feel it and act like it. You have got many talents. Try not to be someone else, being yourself is all there is.
Source: Steve Pavlina

Hello world! Here we are. Feels a lot better doesn’t it? More fun too.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Mahatma Ghandi Indian political and spiritual leader (1869 - 1948)

When you relinquish the desire to control your future, you can have more happiness.
Nicole Kidman in The Scotsman

What is this life?

What is this life? Michael Jackson probably wondered. Your life can be over sooner then you realize. We seem to think that it goes on forever. The fact there's an end to it is what we don't like to think about.

As Michael Leunig has drawn above: life is a holiday. I like his philosophy. Can my holiday have some warmer weather please? I like it over 10 degrees... but hey it's cool.

the 10 commandments

Jonathan Adler is a man and brand. He embodies the wondrous mix of style and whimsicalness and he carries it off with dashing aplomb.

Here follow his 10 commandments (applying to interior design) which I find hilarious.

#1 Thou shalt embrace maximalism.
Thou wilt find minimalism to be something of a bummer in thy abode. Thou wilt grow tired of an endless sea of beige and thou wilt long for a splash of color & a dollop of pattern! Bargello pillows, Furnace bottles, and rustic modern lamps - these shalt be the accessories that add some panache to your pad.

#2 Thou shalt not deny thyself hotelish comfort at home.
Thou shalt furnish thy rooms with paw-pampering, hand-loomed llama wool rugs, luxurious lighting and our fabulous furniture.Thy rooms shalt feel like the most opulent hotel rooms in which thou hast ever stayed.Thou art worth it.

#3 Thou shalt buy an X-Bench.Then, thou shalt buy another.
Thou shalt use them in pairs, perfect under thy console or placed near thy sofa. Thou shalt rest thy feet upon them & so will thy guests. In fact, thy guests might even fight over who gets to rest upon them. Therefore, thou shalt establish house rules about thy X-Benches. Perhaps thou should consider a sign up sheet.

#4 If thy nest needeth zest,consider thy crest!
Thou shalt emblazon with thine initials wherever possible.

#5 Thou shalt mix fancy with frisky.
Thou shalt not be overly formal, for if thou art, thou will be sad. Conversely, thou shalt not be overly whimsical, for if thou art thou will not feel chic. Therefore, thou shalt embrace a mix, pairing the chic classical foundation - excellent proportions, classic furniture - with a layer of playful punctuation. Then thou shalt rest.

#6 Thou shalt honor the funsters of yore.
David Hicks, Alexander Girard, Piero Fornasetti, Bonnie Cashin, Bjorn Wiinblad - if thou dost not knoweth them, thou should. Thou can use Google Images to learn more about them and thou shalt channel their fun, idiosyncratic, playful spirit in thine own interiors. Thy home will be fun, happy, and chic.

#7 Thou shalt not commit murder,unless thou art murdering for a decorative accessory.
If thou should find thyself at one of our stores and seeth the last bird bowl on our shelf, thou shalt feel free to use whatever means necessary to obtain that special something.

#8 Thou shalt not be afraid of orange.
Thou shalt use orange copiously in thy interior, whether it beeth in an orange breakfast room or via the zing of an orange lacquered box. Thou might even consider painting thy front door orange to pique thy neighbor's curiosity. Thou shalt also covet chocolate brown.

#9 Thou shalt play ping pong.
Better still, thou shalt have a ping pong table in thy living room. Then, lo, thou shalt play ping pong with thy spouse rather than sitting around watching thy tv.

#10 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.
In fact, after following these 10 commandments, thy neighbor might covet thy house. So there.

Applaud the man and his crew, theyr'e freakin' genius. Love it.

Love motel for dogs

A love motel in Soa Paulo has opened for amorous dogs. The love motel offers decorated rooms for dogs of pet owners who are concerned for their animal's needs.

Robson Marinho, owner of a pet shop, built the air-conditioned room on the second floor and hung a sign that reads "Pet Love Motel". The rooms in the motel, at Barra Funda, are decorated in the same way as love motels for humans, with satin sheets, ceiling heart-shaped mirrors, special control panel to dim the lights, romantic music and lots of cushions. Even the windows have thick curtains for timid dogs that want discretion.

Marinho said: "I am absolutely certain this is the first love motel for dogs in the world""The owner has to know what kind of DVD will excite his or her dog. We also have a wedding agency that matches up dogs and if the female dog doesn’t get pregnant, we offer artificial insemination services".Marinho has already received some reservations for the room. A love room for your dogs costs $41 for two hours

Source: www.stunning-stuff.com/read-weird-news-stories/132.html

Passion

Come on confess, you thought I was going to write about sex right? Life is not all sex and roses but there is such a thing as dripping passion.

Why do we work? To make money for starters but if you’re clever enough, you figure out that money doesn’t make the world go round, love and passion do. Truly, really, feverishly, stupendously.
I have a great passion for what I do. Trust me I wouldn’t be doing it otherwise. If I don’t feel excitement or inspiration I get restless jangly feet and I’m off. Passion fires us up. It ignites and is Life. I love it. Sometimes we do confuse the work passion with the person passion. It happens to the best of us. That is however, another story.

My passion is to create and to do this in a team environment. Even though our clients depend on us to provide the pearls of wisdom and color, I still view the interior design as collaboration, a joining of forces, a mutual creation. It’s about the clients’ atmosphere, their personal story, their views.

What IS good interior design anyway? For me it’s about translating that which a client wants to see and create that loving house around them bringing out the best it can be. It’s writing down the untold story, capturing the family spirit and surrounding them with familiar and articulate pieces that comfort and give light to their life. A house should foremost not be a castle, but a home.

We use shapes, color, light and texture to create the best suited environment. We extrapolate, interview, work like mad and then get all excited when thoughts, ideas and decisions are brought into existence. I see interior design as an art form. It’s painting 3d using shapes, form, color and texture. You start with the canvas and fill in the story as it further unfolds. The results are satisfying and still surprising. Never think of interior design when it looks like a show home. That’s downright scary.

Many clients say that we do not just do a great job; we exceed an expectation which is the best testimonial. We seem to have great taste and that reflects on our clients. Thanks goodness we have a sense of humor too, whoooeeeeeee. (Ok that’s enough.)

T.F.O-s

You surely have come across people that inspire you the minute they have finished one sentence. They are onto something, about something and know something. Mostly about a topic that interests me. Then again I don’t think about opera singing or nuclear weapons every day but some people have brought up these subjects. What I genuinely like about interesting people is that they tend to be intelligent and also easy to get on with, bless them. Before you know it you’re talking away and half an hour has disappeared faster than the sun blazing in the Dunedin sky.

I like to think I can inspire others but truth be told, I have no idea. I think I need to work on my humor. I have been toooo serious for my own good last year. Seriousness can become like a low lying disease. If you’re not on top of it, it can get the better of you. I know, scary realization indeed. Aaah. Medic!

Right, getting back to Those Fascinating Ones. When does someone qualify to be ‘Interesting’?

When they vary from the Norm a.k.a being original (some people would call them ‘mad’)
They have something to say that actually makes sense (the famous ‘aha’ moments)
They’re not ego maniacs (come across those; make a run for it)
They have a sense of humor. (You smile a lot when being around them)
They’re charismatic (they inspire and lift your spirits)
See what I mean?

Have a sense of humor or you’re as good as dead. Literally, figuratively. The attraction to life is to not to take it too seriously or to think too much about it. Dream sometimes but always aspire setting realistic goals. Listen to the TFO’s who can teach you more then you know.