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Hey misfits!

I have a new online home: http://lissaorelse.wordpress.com

♥ ♥ ♥

Being Optimistic

Via Ffffound

My new criteria for choosing non fiction books is that reading it will make me feel good.

Right now I am reading: 'Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Business and Set Yourself Free' by Ian Sanders and 'All Time Essentials for Entrepreneurs' by Jonathan Yates.

Both inspiring and awesome.

Thursday, after being fortified this morning with McDonalds of Doom for breakfast and a surreal detour in to Warhammer HQ with Cam, I finalised the Pennyroyal logo and bought a bunch of beautiful paper sheets from Gordon Harris to play with.

There is so much to do and so many exciting things going on. Having to take it easy because of my health is frustrating sometimes, but I'm trying (and mostly suceeding!) to keep it positive.

♠ I made twelve rings this week

♠ Since leaving Tech, being able to chill when my body needs it, I have needed to put my feet up less often

♠ Pennyroyal has a logo! Yuss!

♠ I am mulling over a bunch of ideas for packaging and labelling, and excitedly sourcing wares for another batch of goodies

♠ I have a bunch of amazing, supportive people in my life ♥

In the past I would have been really bummed out and mopey about having to leave work early due to being sore on Saturday, and not being able to go out to the No Love Lost vs. RockRavenNinja show that night for the same reason. Feeling sad&sorry for myself about not being able to graduate from Tech.

Not anymore though!

Let me tell you, it is so much easier on your sense of self, aiming to be accepting of whatever is going on in the present, and just doing what can with what you have got right now in order to move forward and upwards, onwards. Beyond.

Optimism is woefully underrated. That, and making lists.

♥,

October 15 Book Launch / Musings on Media

Book launch to commemorate State Terror Raids - "All supporters, friends, fellow travellers and freedom fighters are welcome!" according to Valerie Morse, who edited the collection.

The launch will be on the 15th of October at 6pm, at Thistle Hall on Cuba Street.

"On Monday, October 15th 2007, more than 300 police carried out dawn raids on dozens of houses all over Aotearoa / New Zealand. Police claim the raids were in response to 'concrete terrorist threats' from indigenous activists. 20 people are facing charges under the Arms Act, in a trial that could take several years. On this site you can find out how to get involved in local support groups, dates and locations of solidarity events are happening and how to make a donation." - October 15th Solidarity

Reading first-hand accounts of what happened during the raids is important. They will go some way towards debunking the tediously predictable, fearmongering perspectives that get thrown around by big media.

The lies and inaccuracies that powerful people, through the media, would have us believe about ourselves, about our world, about each other, are truly ridiculous. Media literacy is so goddamn essential. Now more than ever. Recognition of the agenda at play is key to living a sweet life, I think.

Being media-aware has helped my happiness so much. It's waaay more difficult for those motherfuckers to dent my self-esteem these days and the key is recognition. Once I began to recognize propaganda it was like an avalanche of awareness: I started noticing the subtle framing of things, the small omissions, the cynical ploys.

The all-encompassing Western media-corporate-political web does not want you to be happy. It does not want you to believe that change is possible. It does not want you realise the knowledge your bones feel, the age-old quantum science that everything is interconnected.

For time immemorial, it has been this way: Powerful people trying to accumulate more power at the expense of everyone and everything else. This is the game being played.

I am refusing to play the game anymore by bolding loving and having immense faith in myself and the universe.

♥,

No More Fashion Tech / Kristen Ferrell

Coco Rocha by Solve Sundsbo, via Ffffound

On Friday afternoon I downloaded Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, TLC, Divinyls, Lady Gaga, The Runaways, Veruca Salt, Roxette, Salt 'n Pepa. It was a ladyfest at work on Saturday!

Cool things that happened last week...

♠ One of the girls at Tech asked if she could do a tarot reading for me; I'd never had one done before, it was a really rewarding experience. I felt super-positive afterwards ♥

♠ Penny-the-kitten being fitted with a suave leopard print collar and becoming hilariously unhappy about it

♠ Assessment day at Tech went so well; Friday was also speech day (!), mine was about goth fashion, muahaha. I walked out of the building after class with a light heart and lucid head. So sweet

♠ A bunch of confirmation emails waiting in my inbox relating to various purchases of ring findings for my range. Exiting times!

Onwards...

For the last five weeks or so, I've been having post-surgery troubles. I've had to take a bunch of days off of class; too many days, as it turns out. Boo! The class schedule is too tight, from now until the end of course, for me to make up what I've missed so far (let alone the odd day that I'd likely have to miss during the next little while).

On one hand it is disappointing and frustrating as all hell. I busted my ass sooo hard to get into Pattern Design and now the same problem that held me back in Garment Tech has ruined my hope of graduating from this course. Yesterday I came home from Tech and had a big cry and moped around a little.

On the other hand, after having thought about things and gained perspective, ever since Cam came back from Sydney, asking if I want to move over there with him next year, my path moved away from Fashion Tech and towards SIT.

Unlike Tech, SIT's Applied Fashion Diploma starts patternmaking from scratch, so everything I have learned and would have learned is bonus knowledge (which I was stoked about, but it isn't essential).

It is tempting to keep going to class despite not being able to graduate. I am not going to.

Three things:

♠ Charm my way into full time work (+ Saturdays at Cosmic, keepin' it real) in order to start save save saving $$$ for relocating to Sydney
♠ Release my range of rings successfully
♠ Obtain patternmaking tools and do what I can with what I've learned so far

By full time work I actually mean '30 hours, 4 days a week'. That'd be IDEAL.

Hah, good luck lady.

After scouring a few websites I've rounded up a whole bunch of jobs to apply for and tomorrow aim to prepare an irresistable CV to wave in front of prospective employers. I'd love to get another job that inspires and delights me as much as working at Cosmic Corner does, but am not holding my breath. Cosmic's right up there when it comes to sweet places to work.



Dentures Cupcake by Kristen Ferrell

I have one of Kristen's t-shirts, a severed-finger print, it is morbidly wonderful. She is one cool cat, and one of the people whose work and kick-ass attitude inspired me to grab hold of my dreams. Buy her cupcakes!

"Every day the choice is presented to us, to live up to the spirit that is in us, or deny it."
Henry Miller

The plan is to take it as easy as I have to until my abdomen is back up and running, hopefully only a week or two, then land a job that will help me fast-track to Sydney.

Everything happens for a reason!

♥,

Exercise!

An amazing photo from Ivan Monge. Look at that hair! And everything!

This rain right now is lovely.

I am looking forward to getting back in to yoga next week. My muscles and bones are yearning for it. After considering all other options, I have decided to take the plunge and go right back to Bikram, taking it super-easy at first while my body readjusts to the heat and the postures, some of which are likely to be beyond me for a while yet! Bikram is really challenging but it makes me feel so fucking amazing that I don't even want to try anything else.

It will be an intense week, for sure! Patternmaking starts Monday, which is so damn exciting. Yoga will definitely help keep my energy levels up. You know what would also help? Halting my current takeaways-and-junk-food obsession. I'm going to try be smart, but goddamn I love candy. And curry. Brooklyn is dangerous. I'm budgeting for a week's worth of healthy low-key bought lunches to take the pressure off of sorting my shit out in the kitchen.

Next nine on the playlist:
♠ Overwhelmed, Beneath Me - Black Tape for a Blue Girl
♠ Blood Section - Swans
♠ Dress - PJ Harvey
♠ Hey Pretty - Poe
♠ Love Theme from Twin Peaks - Angelo Badalamenti
♠ The Turn - M.I.A
♠ For Tammy Rae - Bikini Kill
♠ Dirty Business - Dresden Dolls
♠ Cowboys - Portishead

Via Sarah Wilson: Lily Allen searches for meaning... and the doubters hate on her -

"A lot of my life is very vacuous. It doesn’t have a lot of substance and I guess I feel it’s a bit pointless. And, yes, coming here makes me feel I can put my fame to good use. I’m not pretending to know everything and I don’t understand this as well as I should, but I’m here to get my head around it."

Lily is just awesome. I would love to take her for coffee.

Work today was rad; a new epic playlist which made the world seem fresh, casual happy conversations with Cuba St locals, smooth energy, super-hot vege Roti Chanai from Satay Palace for lunch ($6.80 ♥), laughing with Ish, wearing my old clothes refashioned into cool new things, being grateful.

People have been smiling all over the place today!

Right now I am going to snuggle into bed and fall asleep thinking about Cam cuddling me and missing him and wishing him happy adventures.

It has been a good day. Motivation is a can of worms.

♥,

Accept, Let Go

Kittie spectacles!!!

Mmm:

♠ Sleepy early-early-morning coffee with Cam before he flew off to Sydney yesterday morning; kisses & iloveyous ♥ ♥ ♥

♠ Beginning book six of the Wheel of Time. I don't usually read fiction and almost never read fantasy so wasn't expecting to get sucked in! Robert Jordan is a wonderful writer

♠ Lush all over

♠ Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Eau de Parfum. Delicious. Mmm.

♠ Making giant to-do lists and beginning to cross things off

♠ The new season of Outrageous Fortune beginning next Tuesday night. Everyone has been waiting for sooo long. Mulled wine and uber-cheeses at ours once again :-D

♠ A warm little kitten sleeping on my lap as I type; Penny is so cool

♠ DRESSES. Specifically, Louise Black's 'marionette-inspired' black silk party dress that she has listed on Etsy. Jaw-droppingly gorgeous; eye-wateringly $995

♠ Opening the emotionbody to what the mindheart knows, maaan

♠ Vivienne Westwood: An Unfashionable Life

♠ Last month's copy of Juxtapoz for free. Sweeet.


via Yeryi's flikr

Joyously stumbled upon John Waters' 10 Best Pieces of Advice for Functional Freaks. Excellent!

"I’m a fascist about my work habits and I expect you to be, too. Never have a spontaneous moment in your life again. If you’re going to have a hangover, it should be scheduled on your calendar months in advance. Rigid enjoyment of planning can get you high. Militant time-management will enable you to ignore how maladjusted you would be if you had the time to notice it in the first place. Discipline is not anal compulsion; it’s a lifestyle that breeds power."

There is truth in there amongst all the irreverence!

One of the many good things to come out of my experiences so far in 2010 has been the realisation that organisation is key. In order to get the most out of your time, you need to plan plan plan the fuck out of it! Apparently this can actually be fun if you go about it in the right way and the vaguely obsessive-compulsive nerd in me suspects such to be true. Stay tuned to find out, haha.

At the beginning of the year, if you had shown me the above quote from Mr. Waters, I'd have thought it unhelpful and a bit silly.

So much has changed and grown since January! Many new things I feel deeply, the utmost perhaps being that you've got to just trust life and embrace it in your own way; and stay focused, which can be tricky, but is never impossible given conscious choice.

The last six months of working so incredibly hard to land a place in Pattern Design, and all of the heavy-duty planning, developing, laying of foundations for and changing/rearranging of goals lifewise that accompanied alongside, required a ton of emotional, mental and physical labour. It was exhausting&frustrating&awful at times but I got through it, stronger than ever.

Just like always, right?

Yes! But at times, against all previous evidence, I forgot that I would get through! Learning not to shift into a negative perspective when challenging periods arise is one of the keys to being a healthy and happy person but it is a difficult trick to master.

Andre Breton, c. 1930
Everything, in fact, happens for a reason. No coincidences. Some would say this line of thinking is a cop-out, is wishy-washy, isn't dealing with any real issue - not so! The lessons reveal themselves.

Is it not a fact that out of many of your dark moments have come threads of light weaving themselves in unexpected, necessary ways? Is it not also a fact that those threads have moved your life forward in a wonderful, useful way? Not immediately, of course, sometimes days or weeks or months or years or decades later, but it has happened. "If x thing didn't happen, then all of these amazing yz things big and small wouldn't have." You know it!

"There are no coincidences" is not a crazed new-age statement at all; it is advice requiring action. While we have little control over the actions that affect us, we absolutely always have control over our reactions. Focusing on goals, dreaming big and trusting the cosmos. Conscious, positive practice. Everyday. One step forward and things start falling in to place.

Coming right back around to John Waters again, I also really like this quote on fashion:

“You don’t need fashion designers when you are young. Have faith in your own bad taste. Buy the cheapest thing in your local thrift shop — the clothes that are freshly out of style with even the hippest people a few years older than you. Get on the fashion nerves of your peers, not your parents — that is the key to fashion leadership. Ill-fitting is always stylish. But be more creative — wear your clothes inside out, backward, upside down. Throw bleach in a load of colored laundry. Follow the exact opposite of the dry cleaning instructions inside the clothes that cost the most in your thrift shop. Don’t wear jewelry — stick Band-Aids on your wrists or make a necklace out of them. Wear Scotch tape on the side of your face like a bad face-life attempt. Mismatch your shoes. Best yet, do as Mink Stole used to do: go to the thrift store the day after Halloween, when the children’s trick-or-treat costumes are on sale, buy one, and wear it as your uniform of defiance."

YUSS!

John Waters, people. An eloquent, interesting man.
The only movie of his I've ever seen is Serial Mom, heh!

♥,