Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard. Always loved that line of hers.
Anyhow, back to what I want to share with you. Below are a few cool links that I've come across. I don't know if you're familiar with them but I knew of them recently and occasionally look at 'em when I have a lot of down time on my hands. Click on the links to get to the sites.
Eternal Moonwalk - A Tribute to Michael Jackson: This website is basically a universal and ongoing moonwalk. People from all around the world record themselves doing their own version of the King of Pop's legendary moonwalk before uploading their video. What's also cool is that you can search for moonwalks based on which countries the uploader(s) is from. And yes, there are a few from Kuwait.
End of the World - A very short, quirky, random and roughly illustrated story about how the world's going to end. If you're going to watch this at work, make sure you have headphones on because the language isn't work or child-friendly for that matter. Nonetheless, it's a funny little thing to watch.
FMyLife - Get the guts to spills the beans: This funny website has short, daily entries from people worldwide about funny mishaps, horrific incidents and other happenings of things gone terribly wrong. Although they should all be true, I think a handful of them are made up because they're just too bizarre. However, it is a fun read that will always make you feel that whatever you might be going through right now isn't all that bad when you compare it to the tales you read on this website.
Texts from Last Night - The slogan says it all, "Remember that text that you shouldn't have sent last night? We do." Again, random people send their own text messages (or others'). Some are funny comments, others are plain gross while quite a few allude to or out rightly speak of certain intimate situations gone awkward.
Finally, here are six more tunes from Jimi Hendrix:
Well, I didn't see this little guy at work but he's (I don't know why I'm referring to it as a "he" but oh well) by my workplace at one of the parking lot areas. Anyhow, the first time I saw him I was both disgusted and sad. He's a rather big rat but he's squished beyond recognition poor thing. I felt sorry for him. Anyhow, he is the weirdest thing I saw at work. I've been to quite a few places around the world and I've never come across a fat rat let alone a chubby one who's been bulldozed. I took a picture of it and tried to prevent my imagination from getting the best of me; I kept thinking, "What if he self-inflates himself, comes to life and bites my foot?" Let's just say it was a speedy picture. After my rat siting, I started to wonder, "Are there any people who have had PG-rated weird or disturbing or peculiar sitings at or near their workplace?"
And last but never least, here's more of Mr. Hendrix's magic.
A while ago, a few friends and I were talking about speeches and which ones are considered timeless, which ones made history or which ones move us to this day. One of my friends mentioned Baz Luhrmann's 1999 hit single "Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)" which was originally written as a column titled "Advice, like Youth, Probably Just Wasted on the Young" in the Chicago Tribune by Mary Schmich in 1997. Now, I remembered the song, a mellowed out remix of Rozalla's "Everybody's Free," and the random advice that was given throughout the track by the Australian voice actor Lee Perry. But it was 1999. I was what, thirteen when it first came out? Anyhow, I decided to look it up and instead of hearing it out again, I wanted toreally listen to it. And so I did. I think all of us should give it a listen and also, read along with the lyrics below so that it sinks in good.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future,
sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists
whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.
Oh never mind,
you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth
until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself
and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you
and how fabulous you really looked.
You’re not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future or worry,
but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation
by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things
that never crossed your worried mind,
the kind that blindside you
at 4 PM on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’shearts.
Don’t put up with people who are reckless withyours.
Floss.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy.
Sometimes you’re ahead.
Sometimes you’re behind
The race is long and in the end,
it’s only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive.
Forget the insults.
If you succeed in doing this,
tell me how.
Keep your old love letters.
Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life.
The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives.
Some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees.
You’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry,
maybe you won’t,
maybe you’ll have children,
maybe you won’t,
maybe you’ll divorce at 40,
maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken
on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much
or berate yourself either –
your choices are half chance,
so are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can.
Don’t be afraid of it or what other people think of it.
It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
Dance.
Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines.
They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents.
You never know when they’ll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings.
They are the best link to your past
and the people most likely to stick with you
in the future.
Understand that friends come and go,
but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle
because the older you get,
the more you need the people you knew
when you were young.
Live in New York City once,
but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in Northern California once,
but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths.
Prices will rise
Politicians will philander
You too will get old
And when you do
You’ll fantasize that when you were young
Prices were reasonable
Politicians were noble
and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you.
Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse.
But you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair,
or by the time you're 40,
it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy,
but be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia,
dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal,
wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts
and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
In closing, below are more songs by Jimi Hendrix which I think is the musical theme for this first week of Ramadan. Enjoy!
I've seen this video a while ago and always wanted to post it up. It's called "Groovy Dancing Girl," and it's of a young girl (Sophie Merry) basically dancing her little rear end off. I'll get to the fame and fortune bit of how uploading a YouTube video could make you the face of a globally renowned fashion brand, but first take a look at the first video she uploaded where she's dancing to Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger":
Etam, a global retail company, were amongst the 2 million viewers who saw Sophie's dancing, and they too were intrigued with her unique and innovative techniques. Not only did she dance to the music, she was the music. Check out her video as she arrives to Paris to film a viral video for Etam:
This is the end result of Etam collaboration with Sophie Merry:
For more information, read the interview that features the young Irish dancer here. I loved the last line of the interview where Sophie give advice to people with an idea, "Do something with feeling, whatever that is, from the heart and without an aim. Enjoy it. You'll have fun." Another article titled "Sophie Merry - The Web Phenomenon of the Year," features her viral videos for Etam. Click here to read and see more.
And finally, to follow up on Jimi Hendrix celebrating the first week of Ramadan, here are more of his tunes as promised:
I cannot believe that a year has passed by. I cannot believe that it's almost September! I know of a few people that have been planning out their New Years vacation starting now. "Dear Time, woulda slow down a bit please?" Regardless of how quick time has been passing us by, it has been an interesting year, full of change and surprises here and there. Some good, some bad but in general, every change is for the better. Well, that's what I believe anyway.
I do hope that life's been treating you well. It will if you treat it well. That's another belief of mine too.
I know that I've been out of it for quite some time. I have been thinking about changing my blog's look though. It seems a bit…dreary? I'm looking for something fresh and spacious. Maybe some beige. But beige is too blah. Too vanilla. But isn't it weird that we always end up opting for vanilla anyway?
Anyhow, I hope everyone has a lovely Ramadan. It is a good time of year and it is a month that I look forward to because I get to see a lot of my relatives on a daily basis. It was easier before, when we were all young and childless. Now, everyone in my older siblings' generation is married with kids, so it makes it much harder to get together. That's one of the main reasons I like this month so much.
Below are a few tunes from one of my favorite artists, Jimi Hendrix. I'll (try to!) keep 'em coming everyday of this week. Thank you and I hope you'll enjoy this month's ultra-musical posts.
