Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.
This applies to so many aspects of life. The fear of the unknown should not hold us back from evolving. A time will come when staying the same becomes unfeasible and then the fear of change becomes insignificant. Yes there is the chance of failure, but why ignore the possibility of success?
What if I fall? Oh but my darling but what if you fly?
What are you most afraid of?
The first time I came across the name Saatchi was on the dailymail, where Lord Saatchi spoke about his unbearable grief at his wife’s death. It was so heart rendering that I never forgot about it.
When I was invited to the Saatchi gallery for a Chanel exhibition, I said oui oui without any hesitation. The exhibition called Mademoiselle Prive (Private miss) details the life and career trajectory of the Matron Saint of tweed and pearls- Gabriella Coco Chanel.
I love Mademoiselle Chanel because she brought about a change. She did not like the clothes of the time, and so she changed it. Simple. No whining. No sitting around saying “Oh somebody needs to invent something that…” I admire that a lot.
All exhibitions at the Saatchi gallery are free, which explained the long lines. The queue to get in was quite long, similar to the queue at an amusement park, although not as frustrating. I finally got in and began the procession through the exhibition. There are about three floors (including the ground floor) and we could only go forward. It was a decent show, great value for my money (haha). There were lots of pearls, shadow animations depicting the dressmaking process, a beautiful indoor garden, display of exquisite dresses and a gallery of different stars from Vanessa Paradis to Lily collins (even Rita Ora). Speaking of Lily Collins, just how beautful is she?
A short movie starring a resurrected Coco Chanel and Karl Lagerfield was played on a loop. In it, Chanel and Lagerfield disagree about the direction in which the brand is going. Chanel is dissapointed in Karl’s vision and the direction in which he has taken Chanel. Lagerfield tells her she did not leave him much to work with and that he is under more pressure than she was. It was interesting.
The absolutely best part of the day for me was the gift shop. I was not even planning on going in because I didn’t think I would like anything and I hadn’t planned on spending money. Boy was I wrong. I wanted everything in there. From paintings to wall art to artsy memo pads and journals to a whole bunch of other things. It was a challenge to control myself, I was contantly picking things and then putting them back. I ended up with a Basquiat, and a bunch of post cards, most of them of Salvador Dali (I adore this man!). I am still surprised at the 180 degree I have done regarding Basquiat’s work. I, who once refered to his work as juvenile and overrated, now squeals in excitement when I walk into a shop and see an affordable piece of his work. Even though the first impression may be that they are childish, I now find his work so beautiful. Basquait’s pieces are just so distinctive, no one else does/did art like he did.
There is a Mademoiselle Privé app which allows people to have a more interactive experience and to see things they would not be able to see without it. For example, there is a door pictured in the gallery which opens when viewed through the app. The app can be downloaded with the free wifi offered at the gallery. I did not download the app though because my battery was close to dying, so I just surreptiously watched through other people’s phones.
The Mademoiselle Privé exhibition runs till November 1st. If you are in London, check it out, and other exhibitions at the Saatchi gallery.
I eat healthy all day long,
Snacking on nuts and fruits
Controlling my portion sizes
Drinking nothing but the purest H2O
And then just before midnight,
As I prepare to rest my weary (but healthy) bones
I am assailed by the strongest craving
for pasta, rice, ribs, steak, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza, Curry, Naan bread, Pancakes, Chocolate banana crepes, ice cream, Shawarma, gummy bears, Ewedu, Fried yam, Plantain, malteasers, and cheese. Oooh lots of drawy, ooey, gooey, delicious cheese.
Merde.
Found in drafts. Over a year old.
Once upon a time, I woke up bright and early to get some work done. The devil said to go on youtube, just one video he said.
Hours later, I looked up from yet another episode of The Ellen Show and saw it was midnight. What did the time go? Oh well, tomorrow is another day.
Youtube is a rich source of infotainment and distraction. Here are some of my favourite youtube videos
This interview of Che Guvera
This interview of Tom Hardy. This was the first time I really got to experience Tom Hardy, I didn’t know much of him before then. This was when I fell in love with him. I must have watched this a gazillion times, okay I’m exaggerating, maybe only a million times.
This interview of Footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Zlatan is one of my favourite footballers. The name Zlatan is just such a powerful (sexy?) name. It is the Tom Hardy Momoa of names. This interview is just funny to me, partly because Zlatan keeps referring to himself in third person.
Oh it is a happy/unproductive day when I get into infant youtube. So many videos of cute children.
The only thing worse(better) than infant youtube is animal youtube. Animals are so precious.
Little baby orangutans get scared
Do you know that otters sleep holding hands? That’s otterly adorable (it had to be done)
Aww Orangutans are my fave!
I have posted this before but it is still my favourite episode of one of my favourite shows
This epic video of Natalie Portman rapping in an SNL skit. Seriously underrated.
I could go on forever but I won’t because why post all my favourite videos at once when I can do a second blogpost at a later date titled favourite youtube videos part 2?
“I have lived on the lip
of insanity, wanting to know reasons,
knocking on a door. It opens.
I’ve been knocking from the inside.”
RUMI
Happy girls are the prettiest girls– Audrey Hepburn
What comes to mind when you see this quote? To me, I interpret it as a kind way of telling people to dwell more on our inner happiness than our outer attractiveness. I read this as saying that happiness radiates from within and brightens our exterior. I do not see it as a slur to mentally ill people. But apparently some people do.
Clothing retailer NEXT recently found itself in lukewarm water because of its line of shirts that have Ms. Hepburn’s quote printed on them. The offended people claim the shirts could put pressure on those dealing with mental health issues. A feminist group and mental health charity were tagged.
This is so ridiculous. Why would a shirt with such a simple message put pressure on those with mental issues? Do we now get rid of anything that we cannot relate to? Should we get rid of cartoons, minions, smiley face emojis and anything that could put pressure on people to be happy? Does the fact that there are unhappy people mean that the message is offensive? Is there a message that perfectly captures everyone?
One of the offended said “It suggests to me that for girls being pretty is worth more than being happy.” And it all makes sense now. This is a simple case of misinterpretation. If the shirts had the quote: “Pretty girls are the happiest”, then the outrage would be somewhat justified. But the quote does the opposite, it suggests that for girls, being happy is worth more than being pretty.
I was disappointed to read that NEXT decided to pull the line of shirts. Has no one got a backbone anymore?
Happy people are the most beautiful. I fully agree. I have never seen a person who smiling or laughing heartily that did not look wonderful.
What do you think? Is the message offensive? Was NEXT right to pull the line of shirts?
“I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles.” Audrey Hepburn
Zumba class today was awesome! We got a new instructor and I hope he stays forever. Our former instructor used only Latin music which was good, but this new one does everything. We did Samba, Cha cha, Salsa, he even played a Nigerian song. There were lots of sexy moves, we Burlesqued to Christina Aguilera’s I am a good girl and stretched sultrily to Michael Buble’s rendition of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good. Let me tell you something, Michael Buble’s voice is sex. I might be pregnant now.
This is definitely one of the more fun workouts I have done in ages. I was about to cross off Zumba from my workout timetable but it is definitely back on.
I had oats again for breakfast, and I took it one notch higher by eating it with no milk (just an egg and strawberries). I was surprised to find out that it was okay. Not as delicious as it would have been drowned in full cream milk and sugar, but not as horrible as I expected. I think this is the crowning moment of my fitness journey. If I can eat oats like that, I can do anything. Off to get some brown rice and brown pasta.
Adios!
“Forget safety.
Live where you fear to live.
Destroy your reputation.
Be notorious.”
RUMI
I have had three yoga sessions so far and oh my goodness Yoga is so intense. I did some yoga when I was at university, but I now know that was the most elementary yoga. So far I like Yoga, even though my body refuses to contort into anything other than child’s pose and the first two warrior poses. When I am in downward dog and I have to step my feet back forward, my feet never get between my hands. I simply cannot stretch that far.
I also cannot support my weight with my hands. Maybe it is just fear, but I feel my wrists will snap.
By far my biggest problem is breathing. I simply do not know how to breathe properly and even worse I always forget to breathe. Breathing is an integral part of Yoga, and I know my poses will suffer unless I am able to master breathing.
I am in awe of my Yoga instructor, of how flexible and calm she is. She says stuff like “Put your right toe into your left ear and touch your left knee with your tongue. Now this is a resting pose. Don’t you feel relaxed?” Hmmm ma’am.
One thing I love is when the Yoga instructor suggests an advanced pose and then says “Only do it if you can. Remove your ego.” I think that is so lovely. There are probably people who want to showoff their bendiness or who would be embarrased if they couldn’t achieve the advanced position. Remove your ego. Words to live by.
I love Yoga though and I cannot wait to master it and be great at it.
This morning after Yoga I had a bowl of oatmeal with hazelnut milk, one egg and some strawberries. I must admit I eyed the bottle of full cream milk for a few seconds, but my self control won. Then for lunch I had French Fries (Chips) and lamb chops. I really need to learn to cook healthy or I am condemned to unhealthy food. I do not crave junk food, which is good. I am also trying to spend t least 30 minutes on my food. I eat really quickly, which is probably the reason for my bloat, so I am trying to chew my food slowly.
Apart from my diet, I also worry if I am doing enough exercise. I attend exercise classes almost every day, but I never actually go into the gym. Are exercise classes enough or do I need to go into the gym and use some machines?
I have not noticed any changes in my body yet, but I am not looking. I have decided to be patient.
Namaste.
Gobbledygook 