I Wish...

I wish I was more patient

I wish that oceans didn’t have to keep people apart

I wish everyone felt free to be who they really are

I wish everyone felt free

I wish summer didn’t have to turn into winter

I wish the world was as innocent as it used to be

I wish the world cared and loved

I wish dreams would come true

I wish I still owned a trampoline

I wish I could save the world

I wish getting old wasn’t a fact of life

I wish everyone believed in something

I wish I could be a kid forever

I wish I didn’t fear failure

I wish all the pain in the world was replaced with comfort

I wish nobody had to worry about a thing

I wish children didn’t have to have their innocence taken away from them

I wish people wouldn’t argue

I wish some good things didn’t have to come to an end

I wish people couldn’t fall out of love

I wish every day was Christmas

I wish we all had more fun

I wish I could laugh every day and only cry tears of happiness

I wish I owned a little white house on the beach with blue shutters

I wish I could watch the sun rise and set every day

I wish I could sing and make music

I wish everybody believed in heaven and lived in heaven on earth

I wish people didn’t have to struggle to make ends meet

I wish friends stayed friends forever

I wish everybody would find their soul mate

I wish I didn’t care what people thought

I wish life wasn’t always so busy, so serious, so ‘grown-up’

I wish I could travel the whole world in my lifetime

I wish I could surf an endless wave

I wish all the oceans were clean and people cared enough not to pollute them

I wish everyone was treated like a special human being like they deserve to be

I wish I didn’t take the little things for granted so often

I wish I remembered all the compliments instead of the insults

I wish some people didn’t have be reduced to a memory in my mind

I wish all girls knew how beautiful they are and didn’t have to ever doubt it

I wish chivalry wasn’t dead

I wish I wasn’t bound by time, and I wish I had more of it

I wish all boys were romantic

I wish food could be enjoyed without the consequences of weight gain

I wish everybody knew the feeling like a surfer does

I wish I had a pet tiger

I wish nobody had to grow old alone

I wish I could wear a flower in my hair everyday

I wish I had fruit trees growing in my back yard

I wish chocolate really could dissolve all life’s problems like it does on movies

I wish fairytales existed outside of stories I heard as a child

I wish I fought harder for the things and the people I believed in

I wish people lived in light instead of darkness

I wish people could know who they really are, not what they’re told they are

I wish it was impossible to hold a grudge

I wish people smiled

I wish to find my other half

I wish I could speak my mind

I wish people didn’t try to conform when they were born to stand out

I wish parents couldn’t get divorced and children didn’t have to experience it

I wish all boys could play guitars

I wish he had a chance to walk in each others shoes for a day or two

I wish we didn’t ever outgrow jumping castles, hide-and-seek and jungle gyms

I wish everybody felt complete

I wish could fly

I wish I owned a retro car

I wish sometimes that I lived in the days when the only way to stay in touch was a letter in the mail

I wish I could take a trip into the minds of some people

I wish people didn’t value money over happiness and I wish it grew on trees

I wish we all turned the world into the place it should be. Heaven.

I wish what I wish. What do you wish? 

A Tribute To Creativity On The WWW (Part 1)

Some people in this world are so talented that sometimes I think they must be from another planet or something because how can somebody of the same human species as me be so incredibly creative making my talents look so, uh, average. 

Anyway, I get a huge thrill out of anything creative, I love to make and draw and paint and D.I.Y as much as possible, although my creations are vastly mediocre compared to the greater scope of creative people in this world. 

But to give credit where credit is absolutely due, I hereby declare this as my first official 'creativity' post of my blog thus far and will without a doubt not be the last. 

As I stumble across the creative talents of different people splashed across the world wide web, I pinky promise that I will post their creations onto my blog with the appropriate links and whatnot so that you can get a shot of inspiration for yourself.

So, to kickstart the display of artistic talent, here are some of my favourite finds so far:

Flapper Doodle

A lady that goes by the name of Kate Gabrielle has come up with the cutest doodles that she has named 'Flapper Doodle', and it is basically a collection of doodle-ish drawings of 1940's flapper girls doing a bunch of different activities. She has her own blog (click here to go there) and her own Etsy shop (click here to go there), and by the looks of things her collection has become so popular that she has even started adding her own Flapper Doodle merchandise which I would just love to own.

Visit Kate's Flickr here for more Flapper Doodle creations

Ps: Don't you just love these pictures? If only I could be so clever as to draw like this. 

Notebook Doodles

Then of course, we have the ever talented, creative mastermind behind The Notebook Doodles Blog, which is one of my favourite blogs just based on the fact that it wins the prize for originality of content plus it is bursting at the seems with inspiration. So if you haven't already visited The Notebook Doodles, then why are you just standing here? Go on, click this link.

This girl basically takes all her own photographs, then either doodles over them or writes quotes/messages on them in her own handwriting (which is stunning by the way. She also makes journals and includes tons of her own creative projects on her blog. Below is some of her work. 

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out at sea

You belong with your love on your arm

You belong somewhere you feel free

- Tom Petty

Festivities

Last weekend felt like it stretched on for days, but I suppose it is because so many events and festivities were crammed tightly into just 3 days. 

Friday kicked off the madness as it marked the start of the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup right here, in my homeland of South Africa, and the excitement that hung thick in the air was almost too much to contain.

The opening ceremony was held in Johannesburg, so all us Durbanites had to watch from the confines of a television, but we could still feel the vibe, even though we were miles away. 

I braved a trip down to the Fan Park on South Beach with a group of friends, wearing a hideous Yellow Bafana Bafana soccer shirt, which proves how much I love my country because I had always sworn I'd never be caught dead in on of those (yellow just isn't my colour)..

We went armed with flags, face paint, whistles and vuvuzelas, and what we saw when we arrived was nowhere near what we expected. There were about thirty thousand soccer fans at the beach, all kitted out in their supporting gear, from all corners of the globe (South Africans and Australians made up the majority). The place was buzzing with the most intensely amazing vibe I've experienced in a long time. 

(South Beach Fan Park - Friday)

We watched the game, almost cried singing the national anthem and acted like hooligans when South Africa scored their first goal. It was quite a night to remember, and I have officially contracted a severe case of World Cup fever.

Last night was the first match that was played in Durban, and I had the privilege of being there, right in the thick of all the action. It was golden.

I worked before the game, painting the faces of eager supporters. Met a lot of interesting folk. Man I love foreigners. 

After my shift, we went into the stadium to watch the remainder of the Australia vs Germany game, and I was rooting for the Aussies all the way. 

The stadium is magnificent, and works best with sixty thousand screaming supporters filling up every seat. 

I had the time of my life, although I felt very defeated when Aussie lost 4-0, but that's just how it goes.

I am such a genius and forgot my camera at home the entire weekend. I honestly rank a solid 10 on the idiot scale after that, but at least I captured one or two moments on my trusty Blackberry.

Here are a few pics that don't really do the weekend any justice, but at least I tried.

(The stadium before the match. Calm before the storm - Sunday)

(The match in action. Spot all the Aussie supporters in the right hand corner)

(Durban Stadium by night. Isn't she beautiful?)

"The piano keys are black and white

But they sound like a million colours in your mind"

- Katie Melua 'Spiderwebs'

Excess Baggage

I am currently facing a very great dilemma. But before I tell you what it is, just bear in mind that I am a girl who loves clothes, lots and lots of clothes… and shoes… and bags… and accessories.

Okay, now that we have established that, lets move on to analysing my current problem.

You see, I am leaving for Australia in a few short days, and I will be spending three whole months there. Where’s the problem with that you may ask? Well, I have the horrible task of packing lingering over my head. I’d be lying if I said I have not thought about what I’m going to take with me, because I think about it all too often. I am one of those people that always like to be prepared. Whenever we go away for weekends and somebody gets a splinter in their foot, I’ll be the one to ask for a pair of tweezers. If somebody forgot to bring socks, don’t worry, just ask me, I’ll have about 5 extra pairs on hand. While this may look like a great strength, it is proving to become my greatest weakness.

I have no issue packing, in fact I have a black-belt in packing and being prepared. But packing light, well let’s just say I haven’t packed light since… since… never.

A girl must always be prepared. That’s my motto in life. But how prepared is too prepared? Can somebody show me the line because I fear I am going to cross it.

I think I’m actually just more annoyed with the fact that airports limit the amount of luggage a single traveller can take. That’s just silly. An extra 10 kilos is not going to crash the plane okay guys.

I’m also tossing and turning about what items of clothing to take and what to leave behind, because it seems that whenever I start packing my possessions start breeding. I also suppose the fact that I change clothes a minimum of three times a day doesn’t help in this area either. Oh dear.

Then there’s the winter jackets that are heavy and take up space, and the boots, and the books, and, and, and. Plus I need to leave space for things I plan to buy over there and bring back with me. My suitcase is going to have to be like the one Mary Poppins used if I have any hope of pulling this off successfully.

My gosh, I actually sound like a such a high-maintenance girl, but I promise I’m not.

So if you know any tricks of the packing trade don’t be shy to leave your comments, I’m kind of in dire straits here, any help will do.

Wish me luck. I’m going to need it. 

(Photos: weheartit.com)

Cocoon

One day, I was cruising through the net as I do, and I stumbled across this band by accident. They are a French band called Cocoon, and I absolutely fell in love with their sound the minute it entered my ears. I would have to say the genre is somewhere in between folk/indie/alternative, and there are just 2 members, a male and a female that go by the names of Mark and Mo'.

They are different, fresh and really unique, so go have a listen on their website www.frompandamountains.com/  or their myspace music page www.myspace.com/listentococoon .Do it. I dare you.

Ps: My favourite track is 'Chupee'

Below is some of their oh-so-cute band merchandise and pictures that, I think fit their music like a hand in a glove. 

   

...Winter Wonderland...

So the first of June marked the start of winter for us in the Southern Hemisphere, and at long last has come the arrival of somewhat chilly days for us on the coast. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the thought of summer, you know; late sunsets, days at the seaside, maintaining a healthy glow and all that jazz, but summers in Durban have grown to become partially hateful. The humidity makes you feel like you’re going to evaporate, you can hardly avoid a sunburn and your sweat glands work overtime making you feel damp all day long. Ugh.

(Click here for source of photo)

So needless to say I’ve been anticipating the ‘cooler months’ like the return of an old friend, but the past three months have been a sad excuse for ‘Autumn,’ with the temperatures still reaching alarming heights of 28 degrees Celsius, not a cloud in the sky and humidity lingering like an unwanted guest. I mean gone are the days where you can actually distinguish one season from another, now all we have is a confused climatic mess. Thanks Global Warming, we owe you one!

Well anyway, winter has dawned, there’s a crisp chill in the air and we can now wear long sleeved clothing and sleep under the duvet. *Happiness is*. I would have to say that without a doubt, winter is Durban’s finest season (I prefer the cold so I am a bit biased). I love waking up and seeing the sea look like glass as the coastline boasts windless days and morning land breezes. I love being able to wear slippers and long PJ’s. I love winter fashion, full stop. But I also love the fact that our mild winters make outdoor life possible, in fact, they make outdoor life just that much better.

(Photos: The Cherry Blossom Girl)

Sometimes I do wish we could experience a good and proper winter though, you know, with snow and blizzards and the need for electric blankets and thermal underwear. I wish I could leave the house in lots of layers without looking like an idiot. And I wish I could spend days indoors by the fireplace sipping on a cup of bottomless hot chocolate.

I also wish I owned a little countryside cottage, at the foot of a mountain that had roses planted in the garden. I would cover the interior with floral fabrics (tasteful, not overdone) and it would boast modest pine furniture, with the odd antique piece thrown in every now and then. I would hibernate in my cottage every winter, making my way through a long list of ‘must-reads’ whilst baking every day and maybe even try writing poems or a book of my own.

But until then, I’m just loving every minute that Durban winter is throwing at me.

(Photos: weheartit.com)