A dance to The Unforgiven

Resurrected my ancient iPod touch this morning and was happily running through old playlists when the opening strings of the The Unforgiven as played by Apocalyptica came on. Aah I still get shivers from it.

I actually first heard this version on the inaugural Eurovision dance contest back in 2007 when the winning couple from Finland danced a Paso Doble to it. Their interpretation of the music and the beautifully balletic flow of their Paso were just magical. I loved the dance and the music.

(sidenote: what did we do before we could find everything on Youtube?!)

*Sigh*...isn't that just gorgeous?

I can't quite remember if it was from this that I looked up Apocalyptica or if it was after seeing the clip of Kseniya Simonova the sand artist's story telling, that moved the audience and judges on Ukraine's Got Talent to tears, which used music from Apocalyptica as well. I don't know what it is but I just love it when classical instruments are used to produce that rock/metal sound, I feel it adds a whole other level of awesome!

Earrings inspired by Chinese period dramas...

Well, I had to do it at some point. Between watching all those Chinese historical dramas, wanting to own their fabulous hairpins and earrings, and pinning beautiful photos of hanfu and qipao, kimbok and kimono, I don't know what took me so long to actually make some jewellery inspired by traditional clothing.

Here's the brainstorming... always the fun bit.

And here are the four earrings! I wanted to make them wearable everyday, not too grandiose.

Getting the listings ready to go in my Etsy shop. Watch out for the update =D

Edit: Live now in store!

Things to give up if you want to be happy...

I love this, words to remember and a state of mind to strive for...

15 Things to Give Up If You Want to Be Happy

1. Give up your need to always be right

When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind. - Wayne Dyer

2. Give up your need for control

By letting it go, it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. When you try and try, the world is beyond winning. - Lau Tzu

3. Give up on blaming others

A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else - John Burroughs

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk

The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive. - Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs

A belief is not an idea held by the mind; it is an idea that holds the mind. - Elly Roselle

6. Give up complaining

You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses. - Alphonse Karr

7. Give up the luxury of criticism

Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticise others. - Christian D Larson

8. Give up your need to impress others

Don't try to impress others. Let them have the fun of impressing you. - James R Fisher Jr

9.Give up your resistance to change

Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be. - Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels

The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don't know anything about. - Wayne Dyer

11. Give up your fears

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. - Franklin Delano Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses

99% of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. - George Washington Carver

13. Give up the past

Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. - Christian D Larsen

14. Give up attachment

The wise individual doesn't get too attached to any of life's pleasures, knowing that wonderful science is hard a t work proving it's bad for him. - Bill Vaughan

15. Give up living your life to other people's expectations

The world is a mirror and reflects back your expectations. What you get is what you see. You create your own reality. - Denis Waitley

Original article by World Observer Online

Original Image via Pinterest

Chess set of tiny planters

Even though I'm not really a chess player, I love ornate chess sets. Especially ones with a special theme where the pieces have original designs.

So I saw this and immediately fell in love. A chess set of tiny planters that you can customise with your own choice of herbs and cute succulents? I want one! A 3D-printed set that XYZWorkshop created for a design competition.

If you are in possession of a 3D printer, the printing pattern is even available for download, for free, on MyMiniFactory.

via MyModernMet

So much to learn, so little time

You know, when I was younger, I used to wonder how I was ever going to be able to read all the books that had ever been written.

We have access now to so much information and knowledge via the internet, never mind 'fear of missing out', I think sometimes I have 'fear of not having enough time to find out and learn about it all'.

Reading about a random topic on Wiki that leads to a marathon onward link trail; finding that one picture or article or video on Facebook or Youtube or Pinterest that leads to discovering a new hobby, travel bucket list destination, singer, artist or just really interesting fact...anything! I love that.

I'd watched the odd video link posted by National Geographic before, but only recently realised that they were from a whole Short Film Showcase of videos from around the web. I'm working my way slowly through them - it's a great Sunday morning contemplation exercise. And I want to share the ones I love the most on the blog. One at a time, short little nuggets of thoughts and ideas. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

How about this beautifully mesmerising clip of the process of traditional hand egg painting in Bukovina, Romania, to kick things off? 

The Art of Egg Painting: Ciocanesti, Romania from Jungles in Paris on Vimeo

Ornamental eggs are a signature craft of Eastern Europe. The jeweled Fabergé versions once coveted by the Russian nobility are really just a high-end take on a humbler, older, and perhaps even more remarkable Easter tradition. See the full story.

Credits: Directed + Shot + Edited by: TITUS ARMAND NAPIRLICA

Cookie Wisdom

As a kid, Cookie Monster was always my favourite one from Sesame Street because he had funny eyes and was such a messy eater XD

[Image from artisticstateofmind]