Every girl's favourite advertisement

So I know this is old, but I feel like I need to share it - if only to make the world a better place. ha ha. 

On a side note, sorry about the lack of posts recently have been on holiday (sans internet) and now have exams to fill up my time. But once I'm free again expect them to be back in full force;)

Destiny

"With the strength of our love and our will we can change our destiny, as well as the destiny of many others" - Paulo Coelho

Food, glorious food!

The thing I look forward to most about being a mum is having someone to cook for and I stumbled across the most incredible website FULL of various recipes & links to other recipe blogs... it's official I am going to have some obese children. haha.

now don't tell me those don't ALL look scrumdidliumptious! 
Here's the link: foodgawker.com

Beautiful sadness

from one of my favourite blogs

THANK YOU

Today I got accepted into the study abroad program that I applied for in Costa Rica! I am ecstatic and would just like to send out a general thank you to my professors who wrote my recommendation letters, to my parents for encouraging me to pursue the opportunity & to life. 


I leave you with this: 

Take control of your destiny. Believe in yourself. Ignore those who try to discourage you. Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits. Don't give up and don't give in.

- Wanda Carter

Friendship

"When true friends meet in adverse hour;
'Tis like a sunbeam through a shower.
A watery way an instant seen,
The darkly closing clouds between."

- Sir Walter Scott

Background music

This week has been really hectic with work, yet one thing always keeps me to keep cool, calm & collected... music. Here is my favourite, the always classic & beautiful Norah Jones. 

The Science of Love

According to York psychologist, Professor Arthur Arun this is the secret recipe:

How to fall in love:

• Find a complete stranger.
• Reveal to each other intimate details about your lives for half an hour.
• Then, stare deeply into each other’s eyes without talking for four minutes. 
  
  
  Ok, time to give it a go :)

Life philosophy

"Hold up... hold on... don't be scared You'll never change what's been and gone May your smile... Shine on... Don't be scared Your destiny may keep you warm." - Oasis

 

Wise words from a Spanish designer

Came across this quote reading El País (Spanish newspaper):

"Es el momento de ocuparse y no preocuparse" - David Delfín

Translated as: it's the time to deal with it, and not worry... doesn't really flow as nicely. hehe

Sabali (Patience)

Possibly one of the greatest songs I've heard in my life, I've written out the lyrics so you can take a look

[Nas]
Here we are...
Here we are...

[Chorus]
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, yonkontê
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, kiye
Ni kêra môgô
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, yonkontê
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, kagni
Ni kêra môgô

[Verse 1]
Some of the smartest dummies
Can't read the language of Egyptian mummies
An' a fly go a moon
And can't find food for the starving tummies
Pay no mind to the youths
Cause it's not like the future depends on it
But save the animals in the zoo
Cause the chimpanzee dem a make big money
This is how the media pillages
On the TV the picture is
Savages in villages
And the scientist still can't explain the pyramids, huh
Evangelists making a living on the videos of ribs of the little kids
Stereotyping the image of the images
And this is what the image is
You buy a khaki pants
And all of a sudden you say a Indiana Jones
An' a thief out gold and thief out the scrolls and even the buried bones
Some of the worst paparazzis I've ever seen and I ever known
Put the worst on display so the world can see
And that's all they will ever show
So the ones in the west
Will never move east
And feel like they could be at home
Dem get tricked by the beast
But a where dem ago flee when the monster is fully grown?
Solomonic linage whe dem still can't defeat and them coulda never clone
My spiritual DNA that print in my soul and I will forever Own Lord

[Chorus]
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, yonkontê
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, kiye
Ni kêra môgô
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, yonkontê
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, kagni
Ni kêra môgô

[Verse 2]
Huh, we born not knowing, are we born knowing all?
We growing wiser, are we just growing tall?
Can you read thoughts? can you read palms?
Huh, can you predict the future? can you see storms, coming?
The Earth was flat if you went too far you would fall off
Now the Earth is round if the shape change again everybody woulda start laugh
The average man can't prove of most of the things that he chooses to speak of
And still won't research and find out the root of the truth that you seek of
Scholars teach in Universities and claim that they're smart and cunning
Tell them find a cure when we sneeze and that's when their nose start running
And the rich get stitched up, when we get cut
Man a heal dem broken bones in the bush with the wed mud
Can you read signs? can you read stars?
Can you make peace? can you fight war?
Can you milk cows, even though you drive cars? huh
Can you survive, Against All Odds, Now?

[Chorus]
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, yonkontê
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, kiye
Ni kêra môgô
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, yonkontê
Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, kagni
Ni kêra môgô

[Verse 3]
Who wrote the Bible? Who wrote the Qur'an?
And was it a lightning storm
That gave birth to the earth
And then dinosaurs were born? damn
Who made up words? who made up numbers?
And what kind of spell is mankind under?
Everything on the planet we preserve and can it
Microwaved it and try it
No matter what we'll survive it
What's hu? what's man? what's human?
Anything along the land we consuming
Eatin', deletin', ruin
Trying to get paper
Gotta have land, gotta have acres
So I can sit back like Jack Nicholson
Watch niggas play the game like the lakers
In a world full of 52 fakers
Gypsies, seances, mystical prayers
You superstitious? throw salt over your shoulders
Make a wish for the day cuz
Like somebody got a doll of me
Stickin' needles in my arteries
But I can't feel it
Sometimes it's like 'pardon me, but I got a real big spirit'
I'm fearless.... I'm fearless
Don't you try and grab hold of my soul
It's like a military soldier since seven years old
I held real dead bodies in my arms
Felt their body turn cold, oh
Why we born in the first place
If this is how we gotta go?
Damn

Youtube videos

Since moving to Spain I have jumped aboard the youtube train and have to say I love finding those random videos that make you laugh/cry/sing whatever. Although I first saw this one in Malawi it's still one of my favourites & with it I send a shout out to my bro EJ! 

Presenting: End of Zee World!

What surprises you?

The following question was posed to the Dalai Lama: "What thing about humanity suprises you the most?"


His answer was as follows: " Man - because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he doesn´t pay to enjoy the present, as a result he doesn´t live in the present nor in the future, and lives as if he´s never going to die, and then he when does, he dies having never lived."

Proudly left handed!!

I love StumbleUpon for all the weird and wonderful things I find such as this website which is all about being left handed! It has a bunch of fun facts about the left-handed world :D

• Right-handers tend to live about 9 years longer than left-handers
• Only about 4% of the population are women who are left-handed 
• Lefthanders usually draw profiles facing to the right.

"Lefties see the forest rather than the trees. Their right brain orientation means they tend to see the whole picture rather than one piece at a time." - The left-hander's handbook

Living in the moment

The following three cartoons are from the website everydaypeoplecartoons which is one of my favourite websites as each cartoon carries a little message within it.

Have you ever wondered...

Hahaha

Enjoy the anticipation as much as the event

Lie on a cloud

Ever since watching Mary Poppins I have wished that it'd be possible for us to lay/sit/climb on clouds. This picture from Restart My Heart is absolutely beautiful, and fulfills a little bit of my dream... 

All you need is a little paper and some incredible imagination

After reading the article on quilling that I posted, another friend of mine suggested that I take a look at this artist, Peter Callesen. His work is made entirely from paper & glue, it's incredible!!

Running Fire II, 2010

Resurrection, 2008

Cradle, 2006

Eismeer, 2006

P.S - recommend that you explore his site, there are some amazing pieces!

What are you grateful for today?

In this modern world of ours we often forget to say thank you for what we have/experience in our life everyday, that is why I'd like to suggest a website to you called Happy Rambles. Everyday it sends you an email asking you, "What are you grateful for today?" All you have to do is reply to the email and it compiles this little notebook online where you can go and read all the past things you've been grateful for. It really puts things in perspective when you're having a bad day! I've been doing it for almost a month now & I'm really enjoying it. Give it a go, you can always cancel your account;)

Songs that give you goosebumps

"Promise me you'll be 

Happy by my side

I promise to sing to you

When all the music dies"

The nights I live for

In the past year my preferences have really changed regarding my social life, whereas before I was known for my late-night antics, I now much prefer going to get dinner/see a movie/hit up a local bar or just pasear con amigos. Some say I'm boring, I just say it's a phase that everyone will go through at some point in their life:)

gotta keep it classy

a whole lot of yummy goodness

the always beautiful & fun-to-be-around, Abi

Unfortunately didn't take a photo of the chicken & lentil stew I made but trust me when I say it was yummmy, esp with the fresh bread Abi brought with:) These are the nights I live for <3

Childhood memories re-lived!

So apparently there's a new Winnie the Pooh movie coming out in July!! So excited, especially after having seen the trailer and the fact that they've kept the original drawing stlye instead of going all modern! Mark it in your calendars!!

Hoot for Peace

Ninety

Story behind this photo can be found at Lee Jordan's flickr page. I'm going to do this one day!

Quilling

Came across these pictures of quilling - an art form where you cut strips of paper and roll them with a special tool. I think these done by Iron Maiden Art are absolutely beautiful: 

There's another artist who does the same thing, Yulia Brodskaya, and looking through her portfolio it appears many of her works have been used in various advertisements etc. 


Take a look - they're quite amazing!!

Live your dream and wear your passion

Daily routine

“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love…” ~ Marcus Aurelius

True music

Lupe Fiasco has always been one of my favourite rappers, he's not afraid to tell it straight in his lyrics. To date, my favourite songs include Dumb it Down, Superstar, The Show Goes On, Sunshine and now this new one has joined that list. The song tackles current controversial issues in the US such as the failing education system, the 'war on terror', political feuds, Israel vs Palestine and much more. Definitely worth a listen: 

Beautiful words

Someone once told me: 

You could be my little angel

Your heart sure is warm enough

Your soul kind enough

And you beautiful enough

They don't realise how much that moved me. Probably the nicest thing someone has ever said to me.
So I just want to say THANK YOU.

Feel good movies

My best friend told me about it and now after having watched the trailer I've decided I have to watch it tonight. It seems like the perfect movie for this blog!

Rain

My favourite sound in the world, particularly when I'm inside and I can hear it pounding on the roof when I wake up or am trying to fall asleep.

To substitute the real thing

Changes in taste

Yesterday I was craving chocolate (or at least thought I was), so I went down to Supersol and bought myself a bar of Milka. After having a couple of pieces I realised that I don't like chocolate as much as I used to and consequently took the rest of the bar to the library and handed it out to strangers - who were much more appreciative of it than I would have been! A deed well done I'd say.

Farewell chocolate.... at least for now!!

Wise words from a Facebook app!?!

"that joy will come when you pass on the love you have received. If you hoard love, it melts away. If you lock love, it breaks free. If you grab on to love, you end up holding an illusion. When you let love flower in its own way, it stays to support you. When you pass on love, it multiplies beyond measure."

Childhood memories

So, onions in our household have a thing for sprouting into incredible things (see picture below) and it reminded me of my favourite childhood video - the Muppets. 

the inspiration

We are in charge of our attitudes

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” - Charles R. Swindoll

Before I die

The other day I was stumbling and came accross this amazing article: what an inspirational and great idea.

here's the link to check it out: Candy Chang

Spring flowers

"For oft, when on my couch I lie, in vacant or in pensive mood, they flash upon that inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude; and then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils." - William Wordsworth, shared with me by my friend Tanya.

"my past is rich, my future is bright"

“Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi" - Akan proverb. Ghana. 

("It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.")

often represented by this symbol

my favourite if I were to ever get a tattoo

Surprise messages

for me by my roommate Ana:) I love her