Carousel -- Week Ending 8th May 2009
[ 8 May 2009 ]
I am feeling a teensy, teeny, leeeetle bit disillusioned & uninspired by the usual magic of the internet lately. I talked about this on Twitter the other day. I love the internet, but I just want to be in real life more. So I am spending less time with my computer. I’ve been taking walks, talking to people face to face, watching the rain, laughing & thinking & decorating International Playgirl HQ. I’m reading books. (Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper by SARK is on my bedside table.) Mostly at the moment I use the internet for talking to my favourite girls & looking at pretty pictures. Just different ways of communicating. So this Carousel is a little unconventional — some links, some quotes, some poetry, some images. You know. I hope you enjoy it regardless.
Diese Wochenende… a full moon in Scorpio. Oh my. Read this, & consider yourself informed!
why is it that we
never do the little things
to keep things going.
Colors and Mood: How the Colors You Wear Affect You by Zephr at College Fashion. I am pretty obsessed with colour theory & this is a nice introduction!
Taylor Mali — Speaking With Conviction
This 12 Key Zen Habits poster by Goddess Leonie Allan is a brilliant idea.
Draw Your Dad! Oh my god I am obsessed with this. I totally drew mine, even though I cannot draw to save my life.
“When I was younger… How do I put this? I had troubles. I don’t think I was actually idealistic then. I think I was absolutely wrapped up in being exactly the person who did this & did not do that. I had rules about everything, & I think my reasoning behind a lot of it was a little bit kooky. I was afraid of somebody stopping to love me, & I was afraid of making a fool of myself in public, & I was afraid of being misunderstood — that was a big one — & I convinced myself that by living a certain way I was somehow protecting myself. But once all those things happen anyway, & they’re terrible, & you’re not fine for a while, but then you’re fine, you actually come to a place where you like your life. & it makes you go, ‘Oh, wow, I’m really kind of proud of myself. I have some good stories, & I look back & I like what I’ve done with my life. I like the furniture that I’ve chosen.’ When that happens, you can play a little bit more & you can be looser & not worry about falling down so much because you know that, whatever happens, you’re going to be OK.” — Fiona Apple
“For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can’t readily accept the God formula, the big answers don’t remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions & discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, & our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds & live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.” — Charles Bukowski
YES. YES. YES.Love letters & feather headdresses,
Comment
i’ve been feeling the same. and i’ve realized that real life always surpasses the internet. always.
Taylor Mali is so great! I discovered him via Sage Francis years ago. I’m glad you’re sharing some of his stuff with your readers!
I LOVE the photo about speaking the truth. That’s really wonderful. I’m also really looking forward to checking out the article about colors and mood. Thanks for posting it!
beautiful.
I actually plan on weaning myself off the internet as well. My recent dependency has been extremely unhealthy!
Oh, and I love “Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper!” I’ve been obsessed with SARK recently and want to buy up all her books.
I actually really like this type of carousel. A page of fun links is nice, but this is much more aesthetically pleasing and, in my opinion, more fulfilling.
Yay for trying new things!
taylor mali is incredible. yes to your yes yes yes!
I applaud you for always taking a chance and mixing things up a bit. The internet will always be here but real life moments are always passing us by…
Taylor Mali is damn cool to watch
I like this “type” of carousel better, Gala :) It looks better; too many links are overwhelming, actually. Plus if your doing better by not being all the time on the internet it shows! :D
That last photo, of the (presumably abandoned) home with the spray-painted words of encouragement really got me. I also thought the piece on color was a nice read, too. Even for a recovering goth like myself. Thanks.
love this unconventional carousel. hope to see more in the future
hi!
1. i’m psyched to hear that you read SARK! i was telling my mom about your style tips and other articles, and she goes, “she must read SARK,” and showed me one of her books. So awesome!
2. taylor mali is amazing! he came to my school a few years ago and did a workshop with us— he’s really interesting to talk to. His poems are great:
Voice of America V/O is hilarious, and Seventh-Grade Viking Warrior is really touching.
—K
I quite like this version of Carousel! The links usually get a little overwhelming, and I never get a chance to get through them all.
Taylor Mali is good stuff. I first heard him on one of Sage Francis’s(who is also good stuff) Sick of…Cds.
Also. YES!
Girl that’s good you are spending more time outside!!! That is something I struggle with being a blogger…I would love to get posts up every day but in between a day job and spending time with people I can only post so often. There is a good balance that I think I have figured out for the most part. But yes, going out, in the sun, feeling the fresh air and of course working on improving the IRL relationships are VERY important. I think it might have to do with the spring fever and the summer coming. We all wanna get out!!!
xxx
The internet is wonderful, but you can’t beat real life on a good day.
Keep on re-inventing yourself. In a way, every new post is a small self-re-invention.
But don’t get rid of TiLT. That’s bigger than you, me or anybody . .
:D
The ‘Draw Your Dad’ site made me literally LOL.
Spending time away from the internet feels so good..I’d recommend it to anyone. It’s not unhealthy to spend time every day checking email & writing blog posts, but sometimes it’s like an all-consuming addiction (for real!).
I like this post and your thoughts about the internet. I think it’s kind of a cyclical love/hate relationship with all or most of us, but rediscovering real life during the “hating” the internet part is always lovely. :)
Wow- Taylor Mali’s ‘What I Make’ pretty much sums up why my application for teachers college went into the post two days ago. Thanks!
That Charles Bukowski quote is great. I saved it on my desktop… !
Totally know what you mean about the internet. It’s so useful, but it can never, ever, ever replace face-to-face relationships ever. Same with texting!
I’ve been feeling like that sometimes too. Same old advice everywhere…but nothing about the beauty of life itself.
I like Dumbo Feather – it’s an Australian magazine that profiles 5 people with fascinating lives each issue. So brilliant, and an example of what I want my life to be like.
This couldn’t have come in a better timing.
-I discovered iciNG about 2 months ago and sometimes I feel as you were writing just for me, eventhough I barely comment or make you notice me. Random fact:We have the exact same hair: Pink, Puffy, Stuffed Hurrrr –
I just looked up and said: I bet is you, old bitch (yes, me and the moon are THAT close)I am a Cancer, mind you. (water pig, ENFP, postmodern, woman!!!)
Yesterday I took my day off and spend the entire time making lists, using GTD, meditating, visualizing my life in the near future, setting goals and dreams and means to achieve them. One of the things I started on today was spending less time online and more time outside. Sometimes the real life is a bit boring and harsh, but hell it is more exciting and adventurous when you get it right! Inside we all wanna take the red pill.
Today I feel shallow and needy. As if I was tiny, more tiny! but I know it is all for good because when I awake from this strange opium ride I`m in I will be the best I`ve ever been.
L♥ve,
L
Sounds like your moving on up miss darling.:) Enjoy life to the fullest.
Wow. Taylor Mali is so awesome.
I liked this new carousel, I enjoyed the pictures and the videos
especially Taylor Mali’s “What I make.” It was absolutely uplifting.
I loved the quotes as well. Charles Bukowski has such a way with words.
enjoy your time away from the computer :)
I love this carousel. Thank you!
Gala, I loved the Charles Bukowski quote. As an atheist, I find it very hard to explain to people that I do not need belief in a god to be a good person, to have answers, or to live a truly awesome and amazing life! I will definetly keep this quote in mind from now on :D
This is my favourite carousel ever. I love the Charles Bukowski and Fiona Apple quotes.
I think the internet needs to be used in tandem with real life. I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities in real life as a result of the internet, but they are a partnership where real life should always trump.
Def poetry is my favourite show!! eek
I like this style of carousel!
The mix of links, pictures and quotes is lovely.
The haiku breakup thing could be useful one day :P Haha.
And the unicorn origama is so impressive!
xx
Thank you for the Taylor Mali clip, I’m about to start my first permanent teaching gig on Monday, feeling nervous but excited!
I loved this edition of Carousel. It was a delight to discover Taylor Mali – thank you for the introduction.
Synchronicity rocks – this week I declared it would be worthwhile to ease back from my internet forays and focus more on the life around me. Yay for watching the rain and decorating your space!
The images, quotes and links worked really well for me. I agree that I couldn’t make it through all the previous links, twas a bit overwhelming. I’d pick and choose the ones that tickled my fancy – which also worked. Part of the appeal of this post was your honesty. Enjoy Sark – she’s fabulous too.
Funny reading through these comments b/c I totally skipped the Taylor Mali clips and went straight to the breakup haiku! Great link and very timely for moi. I’ll be submitting my haiku this weekend. Oh, yes I shall. Mwah hah hahhhhh!! ;)
that’s why i don’t use MSN anymore. i prefer to speak to a person in person or write long heart felt emails or letters or have funny conversations over the phone :)
i really like fiona apple’s quote. thank-you for sharing that!
I think I like this Carousel better, actually.
This is one of my favorite Carousels, babe. Thank you!
xooxxo lovelovelove, A.
i am so over fashion blogs too. they are all the same and its just getting really tiring. im loving photography blogs atm too.
I can completely relate to your feelings of disillusion, Gala. I often lose faith that real life could ever be like the internet. I love coming here because it’s like everyone is brimming with love, enthusiasm and encouragement, most importantly.
There are so many things that I’d love to do and I just don’t feel like I can do it. Be a singer in a band, make my own radio documentary series, run my own indie night, publishing my own book.. I mean, the list is endless. But I feel like I can’t most of the time – I am usually in a ferocious battle with my confidence and self-esteem. What makes me feel better is coming here, because I really engage with what you say and it really make me think: “my god, I could achieve anything, if I got over myself and I really really tried.”
But Gala, I think you have to remember that what you do is incredibly worthwhile. You’re helping repair the self-esteem of so many people. You’re changing the way people think about themselves and the world around them. It’s a shame that real world can’t be as great as we’ve made it here.. but with the ideas you share and the people you meet, the real world can be just that little bit better.
I am reading that book at the moment too! Errr, well it is one of many books that I’m reading right now :] I love SARK’s books ♥
that unicorn is amaaazing!
great photos!
-most unusual shoes of 09
-best MET Costume Institute Gala photos
on
siqlogic.blogspot.com/
Praise for… all the sh*t (delightful sh*t, mind you) in real life that can’t be made up! Maybe this is a calling for you to seek out more creative people whose stories you can write and spread as inspiration :) This kind of Carousel is lovely, too – words and images are the lifeblood of creative sparks, after all. The offline world is calling, it wants to replace all the html glitter with sunlight and strangers and instant gratification, uh, adventures!
Dear Gala, last night I dreamt that I had a brilliant, long telephone conversation with you, almost as though you were some sort of life coach! Last week I left my job and I think this is my subconscious’ way of telling me I’ll be alright, I’m not saying that you should be a life coach, but maybe there’s a message there for you too- that whatever you decide to do will always be valuable and amazing, even if it’s different to what you’ve been used to!!! Good Luck!!! XXX
love this carousel.
and thanks for the scorpio link. your german is cute, haha.
You absolutely need to watch this, it’s amazing.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAx1DM…
I’ve been feeling the same.
I’ve been listening to this song ‘We Talk Like Machines’ by Savoir Adore and i keep thinking, we are just cutting ourselves off more and more from real interaction, missing out on real stuff. I spend so long gazing at other peoples lives on the internet, but i spose i need to get out there and enjoy my own life more!!
I feel the same to right now. It’s nice to blog about beautiful things you find. And then I get this thought, am I actually experiencing these? Mostly, I’m just seeing and coveting. And I’m bored.
this is a good thing
Love all your links in this Carousel! I love the post on the colors and really love the Zen poster from Goddess Leonie. The SARK book is now in my Amazon Shopping Cart. Thanks!
I absolutely love the fiona apple quote that girl is a real gem. For all the windows the internet has opened to me it never completely gives you that same feeling of fulfilment that doing something with your hands does or the energy rush you get from hanging out with your friends. love ya doll!!
i totally love this post. it is awesome.
Finally got around to watching the Taylor Mali videos – so good! Fell around laughing at the first one – he’s describing NZ culture! We all talk like that! LOVED the second one. I’m a teacher. Thanks, my lovely.
Things that are making me squee!
www.fictionpress.com/u/589019/...
This Fictionpress account! The stories on there are amazing, and the writer is so egnimatic. Oooo.
This photo: shinycrunchy.tumblr.com/post/1…
Tumblrs! My favourites:
fuckyeahmichelgondry.tumblr.co…
holycollarbones.tumblr.com/
dailypost
eecummings.tumblr.com/