30 Days of Me: Day 23 - What I Really, Really Want...

Prompt: something I crave for...


I'm going to be slightly selfish here.  Of course I crave for happiness for the amazing people who I am lucky enough to call my close friends and family, for the wellbeing of mother earth and all creatures residing with her, for peace and prosperity, for safety and sunshine etc etc etc.  But today, right at this moment, what I really really want...

is to be PUBLISHED

someday (preferably in the near future).  And, (since we are being honest) I'd like it to be a bestseller please, thank you very much and the first of many if that's alright.  Not much to ask, is it?

Not long ago I was craving for my life to be extraordinary.  Until I figured out (the hard way) that in order for this to occur, you can't sit on the couch watching Oprah (or Tyra, or Dr Phil, or Jeremy Kyle...) with a hot water bottle and peanut butter toast feeling sorry for yourself.  If you want your life to be extraordinary you have to make it extraordinary.

So I'm working on it.

The task is alot easier when you happen to have some rather extraordinary people around you propping you up and pushing you forward.  You know who you are and how much I love you.  Thank you for listening, laughing and loving.  Nga mihi nui kia koutou.

I'll send you all a copy of my book.

xo

Image sources
1, 2, 3, 4

30 Days of Me Day 22: Unique (just like everyone else)

I have been prompted to inform you what it is about me that makes me so different to everyone else.

Ah....(?!)

I liken the description of a person, to that of a piece of manuscript.  By that I mean, in every composition, the musical notes exist already, right? There aren't any new notes when a another song is written.  The notes have been used before, in countless other musical creations.  What's different in each piece is the way the musician/composer puts the notes together and the instructions he or she leaves on the manuscript.  It is the combination of these, that give the composition its mood, depth, personality, timbre and uniqueness (just using a bit of my School C music jargon there).

I think that the same is true when it comes to the make up of most people (though not all: there are an extraordinary few who don't fit the formula).  What I'm trying to say (albeit slightly awkwardly), is that the qualities that make me ME aren't unique.  They already exist and are present in others residing from Blenheim to Berlin.  But it's the way the qualities fit together and their varying intensities found in yours truly, that make me who I am (and therefore, slightly different to everyone else).

Here is the recipe for one, Kirsty Helen Dunn, born on a warm November evening some twenty six years ago to loving parents Brian and Shona:

1. Two green eyes that cry a little too often (which can't be helped - believe me, I've tried)
2. A laugh "like a machine gun" (Thanks Dad) It's true.  I giggle rather rapidly.
3. A small, chocolate coloured, oval shaped mole the size of a fingernail mid way down the front of a left leg
4. A habit of hair twiddling (please refer to Day 4 for further information)
5. An obsession of literature, a love for words, a passion for music, admiration for art, a lust for travel and deep affection for nature (all of which can often result in no. 1, as described above)
6. Brown "dead straight" hair (currently matted into dreadlocks in order to save money on haircuts and shampoo...) Note: no fringe (and no comment)
7. A sprinkling of sensitivity
8. An uncanny ability to memorize movie quotes
9. Two hands that can crochet, bake, play piano and guitar, twirl poi, write/type (at lightening speed mind you) brew a coffee and make pretend footprints on window condensation etc.
10. Varying amounts of other ingredients that wont be listed here due to time/boredom/privacy constraints.


The main thing that makes me different from every other being in the universe?

The way I SEE the world and the way I EXPRESS myself.

I'm working on both.  

And it feels SO good.

xo

(Image source)

30 Days of Me Day 21: Happy Happy Joy Joy

The prompt? A picture of something that makes me happy..................

Haha: remember this?!

Another difficult one.  Despite my recent episodes of being predominantly UNhappy and feeling slightly sorry for myself, there are, in fact, so many things that make me happy, picking just one is a tough decision.  We just finished our weekly trip to the supermarket and had the van radio turned UP REALLY LOUD and it came to me...

I FREAKING LOVE LIVE MUSIC!

Just some of the pictures...

Pete Doherty, Glastonbury 2009

Kora, Kentish Town, 2009

UB40, Melbourne, 2008

Ben Harper, Kentish Town, 2009

 

Shapeshifter, Kentish Town, 2009

"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music"

Well said, Mr Aldous Huxley, well said.

xo

30 Days of Me Day 20: Monsta Mash

Yeah.  I'm playing catch up.  This bitty blog has taken a back seat in the 30 Days process the past few days.  Sue me! Ma's been up visiting and we've been out enjoying the sunshine!


Day 20's prompt is (was): Someone you see yourself with in the future.  I think I have already made this crystal clear on two previous occasions  (here and here).  But what the heck.  It's an excuse to use my picture perfect polaroids again, ain't it?! Whoop whoop!

To You (Mr Monsta)

Dreadlocked, hippy, cookie lover,
For me there couldn't be another.
(Unless we count a certain Briton
Whose vampish tendencies have me somewhat smitten)
You, however, I love the most,
More than apple juice or vegemite on toast,
More than bike rides, more than books,
More than famous cursing cooks,
More than second hand clothing shopping,
More than bar and cafe hopping,
More than playing my guitar,
My most favourite thing is what you are.
More than crochet on winter nights,
More than seeing foreign sights,
More than dancing to new tunes,
More than apricots and prunes,
More than music, more than art,
You have a hold upon my heart.
More than famous music fests,
More than the Outrageous Wests
More than a good, cold, kiwi Sav,
More than a barbie or christmas pav,
More than singing in the summer sun,
My monsta monkey you are the one.
More than the Steinbecks on my shelf,
More than Will Shakespeare himself,
More than the oceans or forests of home,
I want you beside me, wherever I roam.
Dreadlocked, hippy, cookie lover,
How could there ever be another?

xo

30 Days of Me Day 19: The Nick in the Name

Day 19- My nicknames and why I have them...

Are you ready for this?

Kirst.

Yep.

That's pretty much it.

Why?  Well, my name is Kirsty.  So, one need only conveniently, and without much complication, omit the Y on the end, thus resultng in the aforementioned "Kirst".  Two syllables becomes one.  Faster to say, easier to spell.  Smiles all round.

I quite like this simplified nickname of mine.  Whilst it may sound as though I am under the constant cloud of a witch or sorcerer's spell (or "cursed" as it were), it's the nickname I've held since birth and my preferred term of address (I've always maintained that I only ever get called the full "Kirsty" by people who either a) don't know me or b) are angry with me...(the latter emphasise the Y - as in, "KirstY!"...) Also, I guess I should count myself lucky in that I didn't inherit my elder's nicknames pertaining to our surname (Dunn) - Dunny, Dunno, Dunnit.  I'd take Kirst over those any day.

I've had a couple of other nick names from my ankle biting days (but they wont be reiterated here in order to preserve my street cred), and on school camp in fourth form a good friend of mine started calling me "Kid" and it kind of stuck.  That one's just between us though.

Between me and my monster? It's pretty simple: just "love": what started out as a joke has now become our delegated daily term of endearment (albeit an old-school and slightly unoriginal one...)

That's it.  That's all.

xo

30 Days of Me: Day 18 - "The Plan"

Day 18: plans/goals/dreams...

If only ALL plans looked THIS groovy...

(Just me or is Donnie slightly Bieber-ish...? Or rather, the other way round... Hmmmm)

And if only all plans were THIS simple...

(It's hard to find good humour these days...)

MY plans will, from now on and forevermore, be set forth in pencil.  I've learned (very recently) that permanent marker plans can get messy when you have to keep putting lines through them and writing new ones underneath.  I also think plans shouldnt be called plans, they should be called "flexible, non concrete lists of stuff I'd like to do at some point in my life time" or "FNCLOSILTDASPIMLT" for short (?)  You know, just to avoid any confusion that may arise at a later date when you a) lose them b) change them or c) forget what they even were in the first place.

So.  I will now share with you, my FNCLOSILTDASPIMLT (in no particular order):

Write a book (novel, short story collection or poetry) and have it published
Own a kombi (preferably candy apple green or orange)
Learn to surf
Travel to Mongolia, Alaska, Israel, Peru, Nepal, New York, Tokoroa (ETC - as in, list so long my fingers will seize up)
Perform at an open mic night
Volunteer here and overseas
Take a photography course
Have a collection of lava lamps/owls/bangin' vinyl/cacti
Learn to drive (I've said it before and I'll say it again: don't judge me!)
Sew my own clothes / curtains / cushion covers
Make jam
Own a cafe/bar and showcase emerging musicians/artists
Live in East London again
Have an article published in Frankie
Spend a winter in Canada
Speak / write fluently in Te Reo Maori
Sell my handcrafts at a market stall
Be a movie extra (and I am too tall to be a hobbit, apparently)
Grow strawberries/lavender/numerous herbs
Walk New Zealand's most picturesque tracks
Sell coffee out of a van at music festivals
Read more
Write more
Bike more
Laugh more
Complain less


And all the while, continue to draw inspiration from my crazy/cool/creative/ friends and family...

(You guys are the bestest)
xo


(Image source)

30 Days of Me: Day 17 - The Switch

So.  The prompt suggests I choose the person I would most like to switch places with for a day and elaborate (favourite word alert) on why said person warrants my selection.  I didnt even have to think about this one.

Haaaaaaaaahahahaha.  Oh frikn awesome.  Faceinhole.com you are my hero.  I love you almost as much as I love making every photo I have turn picture perfect polaroid styles with Poladroid.  I love you almost as much as I love apple juice, walking in the forest, singing to Sam Cooke and eating rice crackers with hummous.  I love you almost as much as I love Robert himself.

Note: Almost.

Ok. Now.  In all seriousness, (for the second time.  I was actually being serious about the first time also).  This question is really quite difficult.  I could be the CEO of a publishing company and "ok" all my own stuff, thus ensuring that I get published!  Hmmm (maybe cheating...), maybe an assistant tour guide on Macchu Picchu, (I couldnt switch with the "main" guide, I dont know enough! We'd all get lost!) Or a curator at the Tate Modern, or on set with the Coen Brothers maybe...

Truth is, I'm not sure I would want to switch with anyone just for a day.  I'd much rather have the chance to meet someone I admire and be able to pick their brain for a while.  Can I get you a coffee Mr Mandela?  A belgium biscuit, Ms Deschanel?  Mr Doherty, could I offer you....

You get the picture.

xo

30 Days of Me: Day 16 Just Call Me Jimi

Prompt says another pic of moi.  (I find that slightly boooooring but I'm not going to argue.  The prompt says what it says and therefore I must ad-here...we...go... )

Glastonbury. 2009. 

(Oh by the way, I am not pulling "the pout".  Although there are times I have resorted to "that pose", I am not actually doing so in this case.  What I am attempting to do (albeit, slightly unaffectively) is to channel my inner Jimi Hendrix, who (rest in peace you galant guitar legend) once sang: "Excuse me, while I kiss the sky").

(Obviously)

PS - Look ma! I'm taking your advice and "keeping my fluids up".  See that monster of a drink bottle there?  Well, that's WATER in there.  No other clear substance, pure, unadulterated, H20 with all its hydration qualities and bodily benefits.  You should be proud of me...

GLASTO - I want to live there, at that festival, forever and ever amen, despite the grungy toilets, lack of hygiene and copious amounts of mud.  (Provided, of course, that my family and friends would join me.  Which I'm sure I woudnt have a problem in persuading to do so, if they'd seen the beast for themselves).

I had the most stupendicallyfantasticaicious time I can't really adequately describe it, other than to say OH YES I WILL be back.  Some day.

I heart you, you great big old rockin music festival you.  Mwah! Good times. 

xo

The Apple Shuffle

Today I thought I'd take part in a popular blog meme and put my i-pod on shuffle and share with you, dear reader, the first ten songs that play.  Oh what gems may be unearthed in the next ten minutes....But I shouldn't be apprehensive, right? I should be proud of my sound selection, shouldn't I? I should be most willing to impose my perfect playlist onto you, don't you think? Well.... I'll let you make your own mind up after you've had a looky here...

1. Song: Part One, Artist: Band of Horses, Album: Everything all the Time

(Ah....did anyone else know that the lyrics to the song sometimes scroll up on the i pod screen when you press play? Coz I didn't!  How cool is that?)

Lyric sample:  "The bottom the earth i have to fall, but you really caught me, you really caught me, dear

at the bottom where I'd fallen".

Comment: Just recently got into this charming lil band.  Lovely song.

2. Song: Be Mine, Artist: David Gray, Album: David Gray Greatest Hits

Oh! (At the risk of sounding like Ive had a few too many wines on the dancefloor...) I loooove this song!

Lyric sample: "knock me over stone cold sober, not a thing i could say or do

'cos baby when i'm walking with you now, my eyes are so wide

like you reached right into my head, and turned on the light inside"

Comment: David Gray is the shiz.

3. Song: Lovesong, Artist: The Cure, Album: The Cure Greatest Hits (Disc 1)

Lyric sample: "whenever I'm alone with you you make me feel like i am home again, whenever i'm alone with

you you make me feel like i am whole again"

Comment: Wohoo.  The Cure.  Nuff said.

4. Song: I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, Artist: Arctic Monkeys, Album: Whatever People, Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Lyric sample: "I wish you'd stop ignoring me because you're sending me to despair, 

Without a sound yeh you're calling me and I don't think it's very fair
That your shoulders are frozen (as cold as the night) Oh, but you're an explosion (You're dynamite)"

Comment: Best for dancing like a maniac, playing air drums and singing into your hairbrush.  

When no one else is home.

5. Song: Hand in My Pocket, Artist: Alanis Morissette, Album: Jagged Little Pill

Lyric sample: " I'm high but I'm grounded, I'm sane but I'm overwhelmed, I'm lost but I'm hopeful"

Comment: Haha! Yes, I AM still listening to Alanis and NO I am NOT ashamed by this at all.  Her first album was the best.  I hear she is married these days and her music now sucks coz she isnt angry at the world anymore...Ah well, you live, you learn... (see what I did there?)

6. Song: Green Eyes, Artist: Coldplay, Album: A Rush of Blood To The Head

Lyric sample: "Honey you are the sea , Upon which I float

And I came here to talk , I think you should know , That green eyes, you’re the one that I wanted to find

And anyone who, tried to deny you must be out of their mind"

Comment: Yusss!!!! This is my fave song from Chris et al. I have green eyes.  Eat it, Gwyneth.

7. Song: I'm Yours, Artist: Angus & Julia Stone, Album: Heart Full Of Wine (EP)

Lyric sample: "Hope, oh what a funny word, wasn't like I was expecting all this falling down, I sit by the window, watching the air that you breathe, so far away"

Comment: Wickedly talented Aussie duo.  Wish they'd come over and pay us a visit!

8. Song: Blue, Artist: Regina Spektor, Album: Far

Lyric sample: "And all the gods and all the worlds, began colliding on a backdrop of blue.  Blue lips,Blue veins.Blue,The color of our planet from far, far away."

Comment: I saw Regina at Glastonbury and she well and truly rocked it.  Crazily amazing pianist and quirky lyrics to boot.  Samson is my fave Regina song.

9. Song: Blinding, Artist: Florence and The Machine, Album: Lungs

Lyric sample: "Seems that I have been here, in some dreaming state, I tossed in the waking world, never quite awake, No kiss, no gentle word could wake me from this slumber,

Till I realise that it was you who held me under

Comment: I want to be just like Florence when I grow up. 

10. Song: Diamonds and Gold, Artist: Tom Waits, Album: Rain Dogs

Lyric sample:   "There's a hole in the ladder, A fence we can climb, Mad as a hatter, You're thin as a dime

Go out to the meadow, The hills are agreen, Sing me a rainbow, Steal me a dream"

Comment: A friend of mine introduced me to the musical wonder that is Tom Waits.  Try it.  I'm now never without him on my play list.

So.......

(awkward silence)

30 Days of Me: Day 1 - Allow myself to introduce...myself...

So. Day One.  Here we go....

15 interesting facts about yours truly and a recent photograph.

1. I think apple juice is AWESOME.

2. I have met P!NK (when I was 17.  She too, was awesome.  And short.)

3. I am both a qualified barrister and barista.  (I have recently renounced the former and rekindled the latter).

4. My favourite words are elaborate and alas.

5. I can't drive.  (Don't judge me).

6. I can't handle seeing animals dressed in clothes.  It is freaky and just wrong. 

7. When I was little I wanted to be a florist when I grew up.

8. I love the smell of new books (and petrol.  Don't tell anyone).

9. I have had 5 pet dogs in my lifetime.  Their names were Bridie, Jip, Montgomery James (Monty for short), Bailey and Jem.

10. I like to be on the "left".  For example, when I am walking down the street with someone, I have to walk on the left side of them.  Or, if I sit in the back seat of a car, I like the back left.  I dont know why.  I just do.  (Is that weird?) It's not like I have OCD or anything.  I wont freak out if I can't go left.  I just prefer it that way.  Do we have an understanding? Ok.

11. When I was 13 I thought I was going to move to America to meet and eventually marry Leonardo Dicaprio.  My room was wallpapered with his face.  I still think about him sometimes.  Sigh.

12.  I have been on Vietnamese Television. 

13. No matter where I am in the world I always happen to randomly see people I know.  E.g. In Laos, I saw a friend from uni's girlfriend.  The first day I was in London I saw my friend's old flatmate.  In Amsterdam, I saw a girl from an old netball team.  At a Portugese music festival, I saw a friend from university.  At Hogmanay in Edinburgh, I saw my old next door neighbour.  I could go on (but this is sounding less interesting than I first thought.  Sorry guys).

14. I know The Wedding Singer off by heart.  Go on. You can test me if you want.

15. I've been writing poetry since I was 7.  (Unfortunately, I don't think the quality has improved...)

Wohoo.

Oh. And a recent pic of myself.  Taken by my charming boyfriend about a month ago.  Which I poladroided (because I am slightly obsessed by this funky wee program at the moment).

Until next time (tomorrow).

xo

30 Days of Me

That's it.  I'm jumping in.  My friend over at Through Rose Coloured Glasses has inspired me.  I've been considering joining the 30 Days of Me following (check out the kiwi contingent on Pebblesy's blog) but I have confess I have been a) too scared and b) too lazy to join.  That's it! No more! Count me in! Four exclamation marks!

For the next thirty days I'll be using the following prompts as my blog posts.  Posting every day for a month is a challenge in itself, but making them about me?  Hmmmm - I'll just have to get creative right? I don't want it to be yawn material!

Here is THE LIST:  (dun dun DUUUUUUUUUN - please insert ominous sounding orchestra styles here)

day 1- recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

day 2- the meaning behind your blog name

day 3- a picture of you and your friends

day 4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have

day 5- a picture of somewhere you’ve been to

day 6- favourite super hero and why

day 7- a picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

day 8- short term goals for this month and why

day 9- something you’re proud of in the past few days

day 10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad

day 11- another picture of you and your friends

day 12- how you found out about blogging and why you have one

day 13- a letter to someone who has hurt you recently

day 14- a picture of you and your family

day 15- put you iPod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play

day 16- another picture of yourself

day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have

day 19- nicknames you have and why you have them

day 20- someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future

day 21- a picture of something that makes you happy

day 22- what makes you different from everyone else

day 23- something you crave for a lot

day 24- a letter to your parents

day 25- what I would find in your bag

day 26- what do you think about your friends

day 27- why are you doing this 30 day challenge

day 28- a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then?

day 29- in this past month, what have you learned

day 30- your favourite song

Ooooo exciting....