Very jim-morrisonesque

Hi again,

OK, now I'm on a roll: here's another poem written by Pink Lady. I showed this one to a friend (quite a brilliant writer and poet herself) and she said that it was "very jim-morrisonesque". I am not sure if she meant it as an insult or a compliment, but I chose to take it as a compliment. Well, I do adore the Doors and Jim Morrison! (see my previous post).

The face of love
The face of fear

Face your fears
While you're here

Never fear -
The end is near.

By Pink Lady
San Diego, California, August 1st, 2002

The War of the Sexes

Dear all,

Encouraged by TJ 's kind words, (he commented my last two posts), I decided to post a poem I've written myself. This is the first time I've done this! So behold Pink Lady losing her poetic virginity:

In the trenches of love
We wade through mud
The blood of those we've loved
On our hands
And coursing through our veins
Every victory, every defeat
Becomes a super-human feat
We lay our lives on the line
Every single time
To dare to love
Means waging war
Daring to hope
Risking our lives
Putting our hearts on the line
Time after painful time

By Pink Lady
Helsinki, Finland, October 6th, 2002


I guess that was very sex-and-the-city! ;-)

The photo shows Pink Lady's hand - as photographed by her own hand. And not with a tripod, I just was somehow able to take a photo with just one hand. I was inspired to take this photo because I noticed that the colour of my nail polish matched my perfume bottle. The perfume is Calvin Klein's Eternity Purple Orchid. And, by the way, my nails are my own, not artificial. "Oh that's OK - many people have made that mistake!" ;-)

Take Care - of yourself and of those you love,

Pink Poet

The People Look at the Sea

Robert Frost is one of my Mom's fave poets, and I love him too. I occasionally intend to publish some poems written by other people in this blog. Perhaps later on some of my own as well. I'll have to go through the stuff I've written and see if there's anything I'm not ashamed to publish... ;-)

This is a poem by Robert Frost that we studied at University in Canada (I went to the U of T, i.e. University of Toronto). I immediately thought of the poem when I first saw this photo (I took it myself). The photo shows my boyfriend in Naxos, Greece.


Neither Out Far Nor in Deep

The people along the sand
All turn and look one way.
They turn their back on the land.
They look at the sea all day.

As long as it takes to pass
A ship keeps raising its hull;
The wetter ground like glass
Reflects a standing gull

The land may vary more;
But wherever the truth may be--
The water comes ashore,
And the people look at the sea.

They cannot look out far.
They cannot look in deep.
But when was that ever a bar
To any watch they keep?

Fab Cab

Well guys and dolls,

It was inevitable...in my last post I mentioned that my ab fave car is a Jag, so I do now have to give you the details. Here's the model I like: the S model in a colour they call "quartz" (pictured). And yes, I nicked this pic off the Jag website. Some day...

The point I want to make is this: don't ever stop dreaming! About little things, about big things, about superficial, material things, about deep, personal, ethical things.

The first step in personal development is defining your values. I did that in a previous post. The second step is to start setting goals: figuring out what you actually want. What kind of a life do you want? How and where do you want to live? What kind of a marriage/relationship/family do you want to have? How happy do you want to be? And more importantly, who do you want to be? I don't mean a profession, I mean what kind of a person do you want to be?

I recently took the time to write down what kind of a person I want to be/become. Now mind you, I am not like this - yet. This is a goal. Just like I don't have the car in the photo yet. I'll leave it up to those who know me personally to judge which of these characteristics I already possess and which I don't! ;-)

Robert Browning said: "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a Heaven for?" So dream big!! Nobody ever attained a goal bigger than their dreams!

So what kind of a person am I? (NB: Goals should always be stated in the present tense - as if they were already true. Positive thinking you know...)

Spontaneous, fun-loving
Smiles a lot, laughs a lot
Fun to be around
Funny, has a great sense of humour
The life of the party
Can tell a good story
Excellent listener
Gives people lots of attention, supportive of them, always speaks well of people (including behind their back)
Makes everyone around her feel special (even people she doesn’t know)
Caring, kind, loving, empathetic
An inspiration to others (because of who she is)
Radiant, it feels like sunshine when she walks into a room
Unforgettable
Very high ethical and moral standards
A reliable, trustworthy, loyal, dependable, wonderful, loving wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter, grand-daughter, human being, co-worker, manager, employee, leader, mentor, coach…

Athletic (strong, muscular, low fat percentage, flexible, coordinated, aerobically fit)
Takes good care of herself in every way (physically and psychologically)
In radiant health (including hair, skin, teeth, nails)
Tons of energy
Energetic, active approach to life
Beautiful inside and out
Stylish, fashionable, elegant, dresses well, a trend-setter
Hip, with it, very modern, follows trends
Has a beautiful walk
Has a voice that is beautiful and magical to listen to
Beautifully made up (when she wants to be)
Excellent taste (in everything)
A gourmet chef
A wine connoisseur
Cultured and civilized in every sense of the word
Has traveled all around the world
Has impeccable manners at all times, considerate of others
Remembers both faces and names, calls people by their names in speaking and writing

Highly intelligent
Well read (including in the Classics)
Good all-round education, a true renaissance woman
Continuously learning
Speaks many languages fluently
Familiar with many cultures, has friends from many countries
Never prejudiced
A deep thinker, a philosopher
A feminist and humanist
A therapist and counselor
Deeply spiritual
Has found inner peace
Helps others in their spiritual growth and in finding inner peace

Highly creative
Plays a musical instrument
Sings, has a beautiful voice
A good dancer
A brilliant writer
A brilliant artist and photographer

Wealthy
Financially independent
A business owner
A business woman
An inspirational leader
An inspirational speaker
Good with money and with financial planning
A good investor
Good at math
Good with numbers

Highly disciplined, sets goals and achieves them
Persistent, does not give up on her dreams but keeps working hard for them
Hard working, enthusiastic
Accepts criticism without resentment (sees it as a growth opportunity - even if not given constructively)
Patient (with herself and with others)
Has wonderful self-esteem, super-confident
Never feels that she has to put other people down
Never superior
Continuously growing spiritually and psychologically
Happy all the time (has chosen happiness as the way to live)
Very positive outlook on life
Believes that no matter what happens, her life will turn out to be just wonderful
Sees the good in people, things and situations
Surrounds herself with interesting people and also people that are very different from herself (as a way to grow and to challenge her own thinking)
Sees problems, difficulties and challenges as opportunities for further growth (Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker.).
Not attached to material possessions, has a clutter-free home and life

What kind of a person do you want to be? What are you doing today to become that person tomorrow?

Love,
Pink Girl

Super-Duper!!!

Hi all,

My fave car in the whole wide world is a Jag, but it'll be a while before I can afford one. And anyway, I think I'll look better in it as an older Lady.

My current dream car is the one pictured: a Mini in British Racing Green (metallic). Yes, British cars are the best!! I hope to be able to afford to lease one next year. I am currently driving an 8-year-old red VW Polo. It's perfectly OK, but it's not super cool like the Mini. And the paint on the Polo is starting to chip - and you know how us fashionistas hate chipped paint! And it's not as easy to touch up chipped paint on our car as it is on our nails.

I also want my next car to be an automatic. Eventhough the Mini is kind of a sporty car and it does, therefore, seem a bit corny to get an automatic. But considering my driving skills, believe me: it's simply a wise move.

So for once I'm publishing a photo that I nicked off the internet instead of one that I've taken myself (nearly all the photos in this blog were taken by Pink Lady).

Pink Lady is a huge Madonna fan and I love the rapped section of the song American Life. She raps about being very, very with it, i.e. drinking a soy latte (Pink Lady drinks espresso or capuccino - with cow's milk, not soy), about doing yoga and pilates (Pink Lady does both) - and about driving a Mini Cooper. She also raps about "diggin' on the isotopes" - not quite sure what that means. So, for your reading pleasure, here are those lyrics:

I’m drinkin’ a soy latte, I get a double shoté
It goes right through my body and you know I’m satisfied
I drive my Mini Cooper and I’m feeling super-duper
Yo’, they tell I’m a trooper and you know I’m satisfied
I do yoga and Pilates and the room is full of hotties
So I’m checkin’ out the bodies and you know I’m satisfied
I’m diggin’ on the isotopes, this metaphysics s*** is dope
And if all this can give me hope you know I’m satisfied
I got a lawyer and a manager, an agent and a chef
Three nannies, an assistant and a driver and a jet
A trainer and a butler and a bodyguard or five
A gardener and a stylist, do you think I’m satisfied?
I’d like to express my extreme point of view
I’m not a Christian and I’m not a Jew
I’m just livin’ out the American dream
And I just realized that nothin’ is what it seems

The Holy Quartet

Hey, hey!

I went out with a girlfriend last night and we ran into an old friend of hers and got to talking about music, movies, books, etc, i.e. all the important things in life. I realized that I've never written about my fave music in this blog. So here goes!

My fave music of all time culminates into this "holy quartet":

• Jimi Hendrix
• Led Zeppelin
• Nirvana
• The Doors

(in strictly alphabetical order, so as not to imply that they are in any way in an order of preference!)

I have been trying to find a fifth band for years, but have been unable to find a band that deeply touches my soul in the way these bands do. They have remained my favourites over the years. That does not mean that I only listen to them! In fact, I actually listen to them quite infrequently these days. But they are the ones that have touched my soul in the deepest way: I call them my "soul music".

It is interesting that I am a very positive person but the music that has touched my soul the most is very dark and even sometimes angry and depressive. Maybe it's therapeutic? It also reflects the fact that when I was younger, I used to be quite a depressed person. It just got over it and grew into who I am today. And of course I'll never stop growing.

If you look at the 4 bands above, you'll note that those guys (and yes, they are/were all guys, not girls) lived pretty wild lives. Three out of the four lead singers died in some really gruesome way:

• Kurt Cobain of Nirvana shot himself (or was murdered? or was pushed into commiting suicide? the debate continues...). Allegedly he was also a drug addict.
• Jim Morrison of The Doors was a raging alcoholic and died of an overdose of something in a bathtub in Paris.
• Jimi Hendrix was using something, passed out and suffocated on his own vomit (sorry if I made you lose your appetite).

Hmmm.....I wonder what it says about my psychological landscape that the music written by people who lived those kinds of lives touches me the most? ;-)

I've already written previously, that Jimi Hendrix sings something along the lines "My girl left me, but at least I still have my guitar". We all need to have a guitar, i.e. something to live for other than the people we love.

Several years ago, I knew a guy who was an IT Manager and also a guitar player in a rock band. He said to me once: "First and foremost, I consider myself an artist". This was something like 5 years ago and it was then that I first realized that I too consider myself an artist above all else. However, at the time, I did not really have a medium to express myself in! I had been taking voice lessons (classical) for about a year, but to be honest, I'm not that great a singer. I am sure that my voice can develop and improve, and I may go back to singing again (just for fun) sometime, but I realized at some point that music - as much as I truly am passionate about it - is not the area where my true talents lie. I've also dabbled in dance and have developed into a pretty good dancer over the years, but the truth is that I am not all that talented physically either. I am quite clumsy and uncoordinated and it is really difficult for me to learn anything physical. I can do it, but it's just always really, really difficult and takes a long time.

Now I seem to have slowly discovered over the years that my preferred media of expression are writing and photography. I seem to have some natural talent in those areas. Why do something that's really hard for you when you can do something that you both love doing and are good at? That doesn't mean that it comes all by itself, you still have to work hard and keep learning all the time (which is what this blog is all about for me), but it just makes more sense to find out where your natural talents lie. It may take some time and experimentation, but it's really worth it.

I hope everyone can find a way to express him or herself. And it doesn't need to be anything artistic, it can be absolutely anything that you are passionate about and that lifts you above the mundane.

If you ask me why I write, the answer is simply: "I have to". I think that mosts artists would say the same. And not just artists but anyone passionate about something, e.g. athletes often say they do it because it's what they love the most, not because they get payed a lot of money for it. David Bowie has said that you can't become a musician just because you "don't want to pump gas".

Pink

Value this!!

This summer, I've been thinking a lot about deep, philosophical issues. As I explained in a previous post, I had a lump in my breast and that kind of stopped me in my tracks and made me think about what's most important to me in life and what I really want to achieve, who I really want to be, etc. The lump turned out to be a completely harmless cyst. They drained out the liquid with a big needle - scary but actually quite painless (the mammogram was more painful). Then they pumped in some air to avoid it filling up again. Breast cysts are apparently quite common. So if you do find a lump in your breast, run (don't walk) to your doctor, but try not to panic just yet, since not all lumps are malignant.

The photo shows Pink Lady in deep thought - well, actually waiting for a boat in Greece. I forget which island, either Naxos or Mykonos.

In my case, I tried to make the most of having a medical challenge: it makes one think about the possibility of death and thereby about what one wants to do with the rest of one's life (however long it may be). I really wanted to see this as a positive thing, and that's exactly what it turned out to be. I've heard from many friends who have survived cancer or other serious illnesses that it has made them value life much more. But we can all do this: we don't need to wait to get some serious illness to value life.

So, about values. After some thinking-time, I've been able to whittle down my list of values to the following three:

• Love
• Beauty
• Progress

Those three cover everything that is deeply meaningful to me in life. In fact, I could even narrow the list down to just one item: love. Because I could say "I love beauty and progress" or "I do what I love" or "I use love to guide me in my decision-making processes". Now you must understand that I mean these three words in the widest possible sense. As in love of life, loving and valuing myself, love of humanity and my fellow man, love of the environment - but also as in I love to listen to music and I love strawberries, etc. Beauty is not just visual: it can be beautiful music, beautiful ideas, etc. And progress means always looking for ways to improve everything: the world, myself, the way I do my job, my home, questioning my beliefs, etc.

As for work, there's a book called Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow by Marsha Sinetar. I haven't read the book, but I love the idea (have you noticed that I use the world "love" a lot?). This is what I want to do in my life: follow my passions. Do what I absolutely love doing and that will show me what my true calling and purpose is. The idea being, if you love to dance, become a dancer or a dance teacher, if you love to cook, become a chef or a caterer, if you love numbers, become a mathematician, if you love clothes, become a fashion designer, a buyer or work for a fashion magazine, if you love books, become a writer, a librarian or work in a book store or publishing house, etc. You get the picture. Of course it's not always quite that simple, but it's a good starting point. I don't just have one thing I love but many. But the most important things to me are:

• Communication (writing, speaking, teaching, lecturing, negotiating, selling, influencing)
• All things visual (e.g. photography, website design, art, design, fashion)
• Leadership, growing as a human being, helping others grow, supporting others

For a better idea of my values, here is the original, longer list:

• Art, beauty, creativity, cleanliness, purity
• Fun, spontaneity, hedonistic pleasures, joie de vivre
• Love, acceptance, friendship, service, giving, ethical behaviour and thought
• Achieving goals, discipline, excellence, growing as a human being
• Life-long learning, knowledge, understanding, truth
• Progressive thinking, leaving behind the old and going towards the new
• Ethical capitalism

Now you must understand that these are my values - it does not necessarily mean that I currently live this way. For example, in my case "discipline" is very much a development area; I am not yet highly disciplined (in fact, I am very, very far from it!) But believe you me, I am working on it. There's no other way to become the person you want to be (assuming, that is, that you want to change). I want to become more disciplined e.g. in the way I set and reach goals, in the way I spend my money, in the way I take care of myself (e.g. physical exercize, diet, etc).

What are your values?

TTFN,
Tickled Pink