INVISIBLE STRING

Time, mystical time 

Cuttin' me open, then healin' me fine 

Were there clues I didn't see? 

And isn't it just so pretty to think 

All along there was some 

Invisible string 

Tying you to me?

- Taylor Swift (Invisible String)

*Oops I did it again. Last post was in July. And here we are in November (BIRTHDAY MONTH)... Back for two more posts before the end of the year to tie things up. 

What we should never agree to: external validation and succumbing to its pressure... Here I am, a month from turning 26 (...oh dear lord 30 is imminent). The age where my parents married each other and had their first child (my older brother). A time where my friends and acquaintances are getting engaged, left right and centre. But I don't feel any rush and I don't feel the need or want either. For them, they are ready. For me, I am not.

BECOMING

“If you don't get out there and define yourself, 

you'll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.” 

- Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama's new Netflix documentary 'Becoming' is truly inspirational for 1.5 hours of your time. It lightly touches on many areas which are insightful (like feminism and race) but the highlight of the piece which was relevant to not just women or people of colour was the importance of how you viewed yourself. Not being invisible doesn't start by others acknowledging you. Not being invisible starts by you not feeling invisible from within.    

ACCLIMATE

ˈaklɪmeɪt,əˈklʌɪmət/

verb

"to adjust or adapt to a

new climate, place, or situation."

It's been a while, again, I must admit. But I will always come back here to my writing sanctuary as my source of therapy to remain grounded, to take time to breathe and think about the past and plan my way forward. You (may or may not) hear that reflection and goal setting is important to a person's success and I just happen to take this a little more... publicly.

It has occurred to me recently why routine is deadly. In a time and place of newness we acclimate. We are more alert, more conscious, try harder. In a time and place of routine? We are half present, sometimes even completely absent. We become blind to our surroundings and we stop trying. And when we stop trying, things die. 

WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME

"Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful? 

Will you still love me when I've got nothing but my aching soul?"

- Lana Del Rey

Yes - I am temporily back! Won't be regular fortnight posts and unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to even commit to monthly ones but it's November (birthday month!) and my last post was back in July. The hiatus has been unbearable and I have missed the sanity of writing (not so much the dressing up for photos part - or having photos taken part either).

GLASS CEILINGS

"Teach your daughters to worry less about

fitting into glass slippers and more about

shattering glass ceilings."

Pretty photos draw you in, but the real value is in the words and its message.

If you want to make a difference you have to be bold. Do not suppress your opinions. Sure you might rub some people the wrong way but follow your instincts, if you are a good person at heart your opinion will be respected by the majority (because I would like to believe the majority are good).

DUST & MEMORIES

''I think anybody who falls in love is a freak. It's a crazy thing to do. 
It's kind of like a form of socially acceptable insanity."

- Amy (Her)

Sharing deep thoughts on a platform like this is risky, I have yet to master how much to reveal of my personal life. But my purpose has always been, from the very beginning, to inspire and I am sure there is enough insecure people out there to encourage this fortnight's article. For those who suffer from 'flight risk' when things get too serious with someone, where you become a risk of dropping everything and leaving with no explanation, I feel you. People easily lose themselves in emotionally vulnerable situations. I have never carried any insecurity in myself, but I have had for some time carried a deep insecurity in the whole idea of committing to another person because everything seems to fall apart so easily. To put your heart and soul into something so flaky is insanity but "it's like a socially acceptable form of insanity". Never in my life have I seen anything more fragile.

L&L

"Surround yourself only with people who love, inspire, 
and encourage you as a person." 
- Mama Zara

L for Love, L for Louise, L for Laura... L squared. Double the trouble, double the fun!

Everybody goes through troubles in their lives, things that people wouldn't even begin to guess are happening. Life manages to throw you some pretty unbelievable hurdles sometimes, like you're starring in your very own movie. Sometimes we are forced to face terrible situations that just come crashing down on you for no honest fair reason but I've learned the best way to deal with it all is to remain positive. 'Thinking positive isn't about expecting the best to happen every time, but accepting that what happens is the best for this moment'. And it definitely helps to have a partner in crime to support you when times get rough, someone to remind you to remain positive or simply to take your mind off of it. And when times are great they are there to share the laughter and make the moment that much better. 

THE AUSTRALIAN STORY

"Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns

 in order to look at things in a different way." 

- Edward de Bono

There are some peculiar misconceptions that people have of the isolated land down under. "Do you ride on kangaroos to school?", "I've heard there are Drop Bears by the name of Koalas that eat your brains out!", "Do you celebrate Christmas?", "Are there supermarkets there?". Some are pretty nonsensical but these misconceptions are, or hopefully are, outdated as Globalisation moves Australia out of isolation.

However to be fair, some beliefs do have their grounds. We don't ride Kangaroos to school but we do see them in our suburban streets. My friend has opened her front doors and seen two kangaroos standing on her lawn like perfect statues. And no, she doesn't live in the outback. But sometimes the suburban areas can feel like the Great Outback with a little help of some creative positioning, like these photos for example, a simple two minute walking distance from my home. And no, I don't live in the outback either.