On connection and vulnerability

              Last week I touched on something a bit personal and I thought I should share a little bit more about it, or rather about why I wrote it. Because of Wabi-Sabi's recent one year anniversary (Pass GO, collect $200) the past few months I've had the chance to look back at a years worth of my life and progress. I can even look at what I was wanting, feeling, admiring, thinking about exactly one year ago to the day- which sort of creeps me out but is also sort of really amazing! The thing that I noticed, though, was that most of the things I was writing about were pretty things and neat gadgets, which are all very important to me but say nothing about who I am.  

           I recently read a post from Cup of Jo that was about  authenticity and her struggle in deciding whether or not she should share something quite personal. She writes that her mother told her that authenticity is saying 'This is what happened to me or this is how I truly feel, no matter what the popular belief is about what I should feel.'  This must have resonated with me because it gave me the courage to share one of my own struggles that I wouldn't ordinarily share with the entire world wide web. AAAND THEN (this is the really crazy part), I randomly discovered this Tedtalks on vulnerability. Brené Brown is ammmazzingly poignant, witty, hilariously truthful in this talk about human connection and the need for vulnerability. So let me break it down to a few sentences (if that's even possible):

In order for connection (what gives up meaning and purpose in life) we must be vulnerable.

Connection is the result of authenticity- the courage to tell the story of who we are with our whole heart.

 We need to learn to let ourselves be seen, deeply seen, vulnerably seen.

Ok, so, I'm sort of embarrassed to admit that I jotted down two pages of notes from this tedtalk, but believe me when I say that those little tidbits are just a few of Brené Browns amazingly insightful thoughts. They make me feel so relieved that I did decide to share (an albeit very small) personal experience to you all. Thank you for reading!! **gives awkward emotional hugs**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mega(rad for i)phones....

(via honestly wtf)

Megaphone from RACOON_STUDIO on Vimeo.

           These ceramic megaphones for iPhones is genius, awesome, brilliant, crazy cool! Want want want!!!

2012 Oscars

Hugo

Extremely loud and Incredibly Close

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball

The Artist

The Descandants

The Help

The Tree of Life

(via apartment therapy)

          My favorite awards show of the year is on tonight! Yesss, that's right...I'm talking about the Oscars!!!! I need to make something clear straight off the bat, I DO NOT watch the red carpet. Okay, okay... yes, alright I watch the red carpet sometimes (what girl can't pass up living vicariously thought all those beautiful actresses in flowy long gowns!), but if you're looking' to talk fashion you better look somewhere else because we're talking set design, scores, and screenplays over here. 

       Okay, obviously one of my favorite categories is Art Direction. The above images are snapshots of the interiors from the nominees for Best Film (most of which were also nominated for Art Direction also). Some of my favorites are Hugo (obviously), and The Descandants (but, honestly, how hard is it really to make a Hawaii home beautiful). I did like The Help but I couldn't stop thinking about how much better Mad Men does the 60's. I haven't seen Midnight in Paris (gasp), but from the looks of things it probably would have been one of my favorites. 

       This year I won't be on the edge of my seat (ok, couch) hoping for any particular film to win Best Picture (unlike last year, in which I probably would have died if The Kings Speech didn't win), but I am rooting for Hugo! I also loved the Descendants, but Hugo totally had that quirky magical charm that I'm always such a sucker for. Side note: Speaking of The Kings Speech, last year it was one nomination (leading actress) away from winning the Big 5. My sister told me today that the Big 5 is when a Film wins the five major categories (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay-either original or adapted). This year, it will be impossible for anybody to win the Big 5 because no one film is nominated in every category. 

         

Oh Land

            I AM OBSESSED with this new band I discovered called Oh Land. So far, Wolf & I is my favorite song, but White Nights is great too! The White Nights music video is soo bizarre and oulandish I can't help but to love it (and it also reminds me of the TV series Pushing Dasies- another thing I am abnormally obsessed with, but that's a whole different story)! And, helloooo- Nanna Øland Fabricius is the cuuuutest. Biggest girl-crush ever. Enormous. 

bone and flesh

(via knack studios)

“Don't let your mind bully your body into believing it must carry the burden of its worries.” ~Astrid Alauda.

           Extraordinary people find comfort in knowing that they are the master of their own mind. Ordinary people find comfort in knowing that no matter the depths of their emotional despair they will always be commanders of their own body. For me, and for those who also battle anxiety, there is a point in which the horrors of our mind become the horrors of our body. For us, our worries not only consume the mind, but at any time can take over the body- our actual bone and flesh. The worry overflows from our thoughts to our heart (which is a much smaller distance than one might think) and finally to our fingers and our toes. It debilitates our body and paralyzes our movement until we fear even our...breathe.....just.........might............stop. 

Luckily, there are things that can help. 

But still, there is helplessness, despair, weakness, and incompetence in realizing that your own body has betrayed you- and not even a little white pill can make that go away.

merde

(via raindrops)

          The past few days have been a bit soggy here in LA. Isn't this umbrella awesome???

content

(via barnes & noble)

           On Valentine's day, I posted my favorite e.e. cummings poem. He's easily one of my favorite poets (along with the rest of the world, and with good reason) but I just realized that I don't even have one book of his poems. This is the prettiest books I could find and it's available to order from Barnes! Right now all I want is this book, and brand new moleskine, and a cup of tea- I couldn't imagine being more content!

i carry it in my heart

(via tumblr)

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

                                                      i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

         It's my absolute favorite love poem by e.e. cummings. I don't care how over used it is or will ever become, it will never stop being my favorite. Happy Valentines darlings!

Moon of my life

(via tumblr)

            Somebody could say this to me every morning for the rest of my life and it would never get old.

Goodbye, First Love

           I'm dying to find a theatre in LA where I can watch this! Goodbye, First Love played at the New York Film Festival at the end of last year, but I haven't heard about any showings in LA ( -____- sometimes I feel like NY gets all the good stuff). It's a french film about a young girl going through the agony and ecstasy of her first love. How appropriate would it be (obviously if you were single) to watch this cuddled up with your cat and a pint of double-chip rocky road ice-cream on Valentines day evening. All joking aside, that sounds like a pretty rad night.

        When I was a kid, sometimes I would take my fingernails and press them into the part of the gums that  were right below my bottom teeth. I did this because as much as it hurt, it also felt good. I guess even as a kid I recognized that there is a certain kind of pain that also causes pleasure. Some people say there is a sort of addicting exhiliriating pain that comes with getting tattoos, I like brushing my teeth really hard. Anyways, the point I'm trying to get to here is that remembering a great love is like pressing your fingernails into your gums. So go ahead and on Valentines day remember that first love (yup that one that never really leaves you). Remember that time you were young and unjaded- that irrational, passionate, all or nothing, can't live without you, heart swelling, heart wrenching, absolutely debilitating first love. And then, eat a tub of ice cream. 

anyone worth a shit...

(via tumblr)

          Key words: anyone worth a shit. There are plenty of fish who think you're a hot mofo with a nice...whatever you have- problem is there are a million other people out there who look exactly like you. Same hot ass. Identical perfect breast. Hell, she even probably has the same little black dress you do... Point is, nobody has the same beautiful brilliant mind that sits inside your perfectly shaped little noggin. Find a man that loves that too.

It all comes down to the card....

          On Valentines day it doesn't matter where you got for dinner or what day you celebrate, in the end it all comes down to the card..... 

Here are a few cute little cards for:

....your dapper man! : )

(via cup of jo)

....your fierce lady!

(via cup of jo)

....and for your "I don't know what we are, but we're definitely something"

(via cup of jo)

On seduction..

(via pinterest)

          Just a little lesson on seduction... It's not just about those cheeky little undergarment numbers, kids.

The truest kind of love...

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

          I posted this video about a year ago, but it's a beautiful story and perfect for our 14 days of love. This true story is the saddest and happiest thing I have ever seen. Though I can't see their real faces, it only takes their endearing voices to imagine how they looked at each other. It is nothing short of beautiful.

So is it such a problem if he's old...

Lianne La Havas from Black Cab Sessions on Vimeo.

           So, this may not be your typical Valentines day love song, but I adore this quirky little number by Lianne La Havas about a love affair with an older man. I didn't know anybody could make having a sugar daddy sound so darling....

14 days of LOVE

(via  pinterest)

          Happy first day of February! Valentines day is looming and love themed foods, parties, gifts, and films will consume everybody's lives for the next two weeks. I'll be joining the bandwagon, as today will be the first of my 14 days of love. But fear not all you stags(!) I will not be limiting myself to that sappy sugary shit you work so hard to avoid during this month of love. There is enough love (and misery) for everyone! : ) In fear of rushing into things too fast, I'll just leave you with this lovely poster.... I hope it's not too soon, but I just need you to know that I'm obsessed with you all! ; )




          Side note: When I was a lass, I was so sure that Valentines' Day was actually ValentiMe's Day that I would have fought to the death to prove it.