Kim Kyung Soo for Vogue Korea

Did you know that Seahorses....

....are used in Chinese medicine to fortify the yang?

"Whazupitu"

Why is Ronald McDonald in the beginning of the video?
Why does Ronald say "The elephant is dying"?
Why is Eddie singing through his nose like that?
Whats with his deep camel toe?
Why are they thrusting their crotches?
Why do they have children dancing around in their school uniforms?
Why does Eddie put his hand over Michael's mouth from behind at the end?

So much wrongness.

Whazupitu?

Chicken = Crack

If food is love, then soul food is a hot, steamy, torrid love affair-bad for the heart, but you just can't stop from going back for more.

I'm trying to keep this blog all eclectic n shit, but at the end of the day, it IS the canvas for my thoughts, and right now I'm seeing through time and feeling feline. What is it about chicken that's so wonderful? There is nothing better than a crispy, juicy chicken thigh in my mouth. I can only describe the experience as poetry in the mouth. I used to be physically addicted to Morleys chicken (which only seems to exist in south London) when I lived in Streatham, where at one point I'd find myself outside my local chicken shop at 11am, which is the time they open. "2 thighs please". The joy. The joy that would fill my soul like a warm blanket as soon as I stuck my teeth in that chicken. Feels so right but so wrong. My mind is telling me no and my body is telling me yes. You know what the fucked up thing is?? I like the chicken grease all up in my grill. Pure filth. I don't take small bites either, I take the biggest bite out of that motherfucker. Believe. It's not a pretty sight and guys either seem to love it or hate it which can be quite amusing. I guess the only way to describe it would be as some kinda carnal ritual where the deeply buried cavewoman DNA in me, which we all posess, comes out. You know how lions rip up zebras with their teeth on animal documentaries? That's how I feel. Carnal.

I'm gonna read this blog tomorrow and be like what the hell was I thinking sharing this?

Oh well. It is what it is. I WANT CHICKEN AND I WANT IT NOW. I think I know how crack heads feel.

God Dammit.

The Path

This is gonna sound nuts, but I was high as hell at a houseparty in one of the rooms with a group of random people talking philosophy & deep shit (as u do) and came across this certain piece of writing by a Russian lady by the name of Yvanla *something*, can't quite read the last name as i scribbled the whole thing in my notebook under the influence, hence some unreadable handwriting.

Here Goes

There are four rungs on the ladder of success:
Plan Purposefully
Prepare Prayerfully
Proceed Positively
Pursue Peristently

In everything you do, have a Purpose.
Make sure the quality of your intention is one of truth, honour and love.
Prepare to pursue your purpose with prayer.
Ask for guidance, pretection & direction.
Ask that closed dooors be opened and that the purpose of those that remain closed be revealed. Give thanks for your answered prayers by proceeding without any doubt.
Keep your purpose in mind, trust the guidance you receive, have faith in your ability to succeed and accept all that comes your way.
If your purpose is clear, your prayers backed by faith, your outlook sure and positive, never, never look back.
You may meet forks and turns in the road, but your obstacles shall all be removed.

Don't talk about it,
Be about it.

Home is where the hatred is

Gil Scott Heron was one of the greatest artists to have been inspired from the Harlem Renaissance. We may not all be hooked on heroin, but the pure soul, pain & passion is something I'm sure all my fellow soldiers and soldierettes of the beautiful struggle can relate to.

"Music is....

....transmissions of recorded heart and spirit essence in sound signals that mix with our own experiences triggering an emotive response"

Native American Hawk wisdom

"The life of an Indian is like the wings of the air. That is why you notice the hawk knows how to get his prey. The Indian is like that. The hawk swoops down on its prey; so does the Indian. In his lament he is like an animal. For instance, the coyote is sly; so is the Indian. The eagle is the same. That is why the Indian is always feathered up: he is a relative to the wings of the air"



- Black Elk, Oglala

So turn off the God Dam TV.

Samurais & Geishas....

I'm obsessed with Japanese woodblock prints & Japanese mythology. You can definately see where the deep roots of the surreal nature of Japanese anime come from. I had a dream last night about being covered in samurai & geisha tattoos, which then started climbing out of my skin & came to life. Might sound like a freaky dream, but I kinda liked it. Probably a combination of watching too much miami ink and checking out Japanese art at the British museum the day before. Here are some of my favourites.

Sweet Dreams

Rose of Jericho

"A resurrection plant is any plant with the habit of reviving after seeming to be dead or, conversely, of seeming to revive when being in fact dead."

Found in arid areas in the Negev and Sahara Desert, as well as regions of Egypt, Israel, Persia, Jordan and Pakistan, this ancient species of everlasting plants is known as the Resurrection flower because it can go without water for years, losing 98% of its water content and then be rejuvenated within 24 hours. It is famed for its hygroscopic properties, which cause it to curl up into a tight ball when water is scarce, then unfold when in contact with water after years of being dead. The Rose of Jericho has been said to have mystical properties and to bring peace, harmony and abundance.

I remember seeing these in the desert when travelling in Persia.... :)

Hope Sufferance

Hope through sufferance.
That was our fortitude of soul.
Tesco value potatoes & onions with rice & lentils. Chillies.
Feeling the burn & being alive.
If we turn our backs to our emotions to be secure, we become slaves.
Or would you rather feel?
Daring to dream of meeting your hearts longing.
Touching the centre of your own sorrow.
Being opened up by lifes betrayals, not shriveled and closed from fear and further pain.
Sitting with pain without moving to hide it, fade it, or fix it.
Dancing with the wilderness, letting ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning to forget the limitations of being human.
Bearing the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
Seeing beauty even when its not pretty every day, sourcing your own life from its presence.
Living with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon "Yes".
Getting up after the night of grief & despair, weary & bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
Standing in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

What sustains you from the inside when all else falls away?

New Day Revolution

In harmony with the rebirth of nature, the Persian New Year Celebration, or NOROOZ, always begins on the first day of spring.



Obama also made a speech today on Norooz and referred to it as "It's Time For A New Beginning"




I've always been a bit funny with new years resolutions as it shouldn't have to take a number to make a change, especially if we genuinely want to do this for good. And I'm not just talking about things like giving up smoking or going to the gym... As my friend Cyrus says, "Why have a new years resolution when you can have a new day revolution?".

Respiration

I was browsing through my tunes and came across this gem from one of my favorite albums of all time; Blackstar.

Timeless, poetic, genius.



What happened to Hip Hop???

Fortitude of the Soul....

....Is the look in their eyes that words can't describe.

Russian Eclecticism

A photoshoot for Russian Elle last year. An owl and a Japanese model with a blonde mohawk & Frida Kahlo eyebrows. Nice.

Survival International

There are over 150 million tribal people worldwide, and almost all suffer relentless persecution.

Government oppression and corporate exploitation tear tribal peoples from their lands and threaten their very existence.

Since 1969, Survival has persuaded governments to recognise tribal land ownership, forced companies to abandon harmful projects on tribal land and helped draw the eyes of the world to the issues tribal people face. But there is much still to do!

Get involved, you can even make a huge difference without donating, just by writing to embassies and governments. They even have online letter writing tools, which makes it easier and quicker. Lets save the last indigenous peoples of the world. They are the Truth and rely on their earth & land for the basis of their existence.

http://www.survival-international.org/

REPRESENT

Dedicated to the soul destroying 9-5 wage slaves

FUCK your 9-5.

Chaos Theory

Once upon a time I dreamed I was a butterfly, fluttering higher and higher, to all intentions and purposes of a butterfly. I was conscious only of following my fancies as a butterfly, and was unconscious of my individuality as a girl. Suddenly I woke, and there I lay, myself again.

Now I don't know whether I was then a girl dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a girl.

All that glitters isn't gold...

Spiritual Awakening

It is not the accumulation of extraneous knowledge, but the realization of the self within, that constitutes true progress.

4 am Philosophy

As much as I like to think of myself as someone who lives in the moment, I still have moments of having to remind myself to live in the present. You know, stopping to smell the roses (quite literally) and all that jazz. I love to take photographs spontaneously, of the most random things that capture a certain moment. Not because I want to show it off or affirm my character, but as something a bit like a frozen moment. At the same time, it's hard not to get too carried away with capturing these moments where you end up just thinking about creating memories, rather than being the moment. I find this especially with facebook and the way we spend hours of our days thinking of status updates and tagging ourselves in photos etc. We all do it. I watched a documentary today about the Mongol empire and thought to myself, "These people had no way of communicating with each other in the way we do now, where we can simply send a text message to someone anywhere in the world. Yet they planned wars and co ordinated armies. These people had messengers, who would travel on horseback for days, even weeks from Persia all the way across to China, just to deliver one message. We spend so much time chatting to people on msn, over the phone, over text etc.. Is technology ruining the Art of communication? As useful as technology is, I do believe that we are taking it too far. I'm not one for small talk and would rather be living than talking about it.

We are nothing but now. Yesterday was once tomorrow, and tomorrow will be yesterday. There is no distance as far away from the Earth as yesterday... so why not pretend that today is yesterday? Stop thinking about becoming and just BE. Feel. Breathe.

Every sunset and sunrise I experience is a fresh feeling of inner peace and truth. It never gets old. "Good Morning" How that makes me smile :-) How lucky we are to be alive. I truly understood that statement in my darkest moments of melancholy. We are what we feel, and take many things for granted. I've had the flu over the last week and haven't been able to breathe through my nose throughout that whole time. It was only this morning that my nose finally cleared (thanks to generous coatings of Tiger Balm) and that feeling of breathing in through my nose was so refreshing and wonderful. Our bodies are beautiful instruments and I thank The Force/God/whatever it/he/she is called for every single part of its functioning and for every breath.

"With the past, I have nothing to do, nor with the future... I live now."
Ralph Waldo Emerson"

Portobello Treasure

I stumbled upon this wonderful treasure on a beautiful day in Portobello Market.

The American Dream

You have to be asleep to believe it.

"Our Greatest Glory...

...is not never failing, but in rising every time we fall"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Rashaida Girl

In Eritrea, Rashaida nomads who migrated from Saudi Arabia 150 years ago continue to observe the Bedouin lifestyle of their ancestors, dressing in embroidered fabrics, travelling by caravan and living in mobile tented camps.

Cherokee

A seemingly carefree everday existance

Ambition, time and money mean nothing. But a dream, cloud in the sky, or a bird flying across the trail from the wrong direction means much.

From the 1870s onwards, three million buffalos were slaughtered systematically in order to deprive the indians of the basis of their existence. This, as the 'hero' of the civil wars general Philip Sheridan cynically remarked, advanced 'progress' and 'civilization'.

The Order

If you buy into the notion that life is a journey, you might also have noticed that apparently, not all travellers are created equal.

There are some who carry a heavy load, dealing with what they are dealt, dreaming of what they are not, all to avoid drowning in the stormy seas of desperation and disappointment that separate the truth from fantasy.

Then there are those whose effortless motion and confident action confront us all, causing our jaws to slacken and eyes to widen, and forcing the sharp intake of breath that we then hold while the spectacle unfolds. These people display bravery beyond question, and their actions reveal the limits that are, for them at least, imaginary.

For these extraordinary individuals, even gravity seems to pause a while and possibility floats as they do - a beguiling vision seemingly within reach of us all, if only for a moment. These masters follow their elegant arcs to a chorus of acclaim through 360, 720, 1080. It's a mastery by degree.

But then there are those of an altogether different order. In a realm beyond even the masters, we find the Artists.

At their most straightforward, the Artists are special, not because they are somehow more gifted than the masters, but because of their passionate disregard for convention, their deep awareness of what it takes to succeed, and an unnatural compulsion to explore whatever lies beyond reach. They are obsessed with the pursuit of their goal, giving everything they have, overcoming all obstacles, and as they chase down their visions of perfection, we ourselves are rewarded with something truly beautiful, something measured not in degrees, points or awestruck gasps, but in soul.

They are individuals and they are often misunderstood. While others may follow them, recording and commenting on their every move, they remain solitary, driven figures, undeterred by the subjective opinions and surface assessments of others, cutting words from those who cannot yet see the beauty, the soul. While the Artists carve new shapes and textures on the face of the world, not everyone respects or understands them: they don't know what it takes, or even what it is. Undeterred, the Artists keep going further in every every respect, cutting through the dark and fearlessly lighting for the rest.

They change the way things are and, as they do, they change us. So what is the essential difference? What name shall we give to sheer defiance? Its Artistry.

Artistry is not the preserve of the supremely gifted or the technical master. There are many talents and technicians who will never be Artists. Artistry demands something more. It belongs to those who make all necessary sacrifices to relentlessly direct every atom of themselves towards their passion, to those who suffer for their Art.

And while all of this may sound grand and inaccessible, everything that is required to transform us into Artists is present inside every one of us. Artistry is born of attitude, not genetics or resources. Yes, in some people it shines brighter than in others, but only because they make it so. So remember this as you read on and consider the Artists of here and now, of then and there:

Artistry is open to all. Provided you are prepared to earn it.