Monday, June 13, 2011

Today's Secret Scroll.

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne, Creator of The Secret and The Power. From The Secret Daily Teachings:


The process of creation is the same for all things, whether you want to bring something to you or remove something negative from your life.


If you have a habit you wish to break, or anything negative you wish to remove from your life, you must focus on what you want. That means you visualize and imagine yourself in that negative-free state right now. Imagine yourself in as many scenes as you possibly can where the negative situation is completely absent. Imagine yourself happy and free. Eliminate any picture from your mind of you with the negative situation. Just imagine yourself in the state you want to be in, and feel that you are that, right now.

May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne,
The Secret... bringing joy to billions.

What a perfect message for me to receive as I am quitting smoking (or starting to only inhale air) and securing new clients for my business and a new employee position.

Powerful stuff, this scroll.

Step 1: See your mind as a blank canvas, ready to absorb your vision.
Step 2: Using as many tools (senses) as you can, mentally paint the picture you want to be in, keep fleshing it out by adding as much detail as possible and remember to draw yourself in.
Everyone can be a Painter Smurf.
Cupcake colours. I had to!
Step 3: Keep looking at it and believing in it and when your creation comes to fruition, be grateful and give thanks.

Right now, I am imagining this warm tasty scroll in my hot little hands!
Yum!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

My new folly - more European than cigarettes. And this one's actually good for me.



Now, as a self-confessed self-helper, avid student of the law of attraction, positive thinking & The Secret & a Nichiren Buddhist, I know that to bring about change you need to redirect thoughts & create new habits.

Telling yourself NOT to do, say or think something usually just makes you feed that thing more energy, time & gives your already overcrowded mind a newfound neurotic-ism to NOT want.

Example: DO NOT think of the colour RED. So what colour are you imagining now? Exactly. I have learnt that this happens because our sub-conscious doesn't know the meaning of NOT. All it responds to is the subject or focus of the sentence or instruction.
You know when you are running late for work & the stream of dialogue in your head is screaming "Fuck! I'm going to be late! Shit!" (pardon my French), & next thing you know you're out of toothpaste, you miss your train, you stub your toe etc. Well, thinking about that logically, of course you are going to run into all kinds of obstacles when you're telling yourself to. So we are supposed to recognise the stress, fear & anxiety (in this case about being late) & redirect the line of thinking to positively influence the outcome & achieve what we DO want (here it would be to be on time).

Put a mental stop sign to the "I'm going to be late/ Fuck I don't want to be late/ <insert yours here>".
Ask yourself what you DO want, not what you DON'T. Remember the brain needs clear instruction to be used effectively & the brain affects all other areas of ourselves (mind, heart, outwardly visible body, aura/ spirit/ chakras, mood, hormones blah blah blah). So...we say "I'm ok, I will be on time, I am on time." Even use the specific moment you need (the mind only ever deals with the present), e.g. "It is now 9am & I am sitting at my desk, I've caught my breath, I'm logging on to my computer & muttering 'g'morning' to Steve (you sit next to him at work).
There. Sigh of relief. The world didn't end. You didn't die. It's all about survival.

Vivid visualisation & persistent faith is the key. This is the common link in all the texts I've read, seen, listened to or heard about on personal growth, success & victory. Be it breaking bad habits, eliminating the rotten fruits of your life, creating good luck, making money, finding love or achieving happiness.
You gotta look the part, walk the walk & talk the talk as if IT IS. NOW. I cannot explain the power & truth I've discovered in the saying, "Fake it 'til you make it".

Now, what I am having trouble figuring out today is what thought could I replace the "I'm not smoking" with, in order to actually stop smoking?

I've thought of "I only inhale clean air" but there is still pollution, "I am a non-smoker" but that is still considered negative (I think) & then "I now see smokes & feel no desire to have one myself" (but again the word no makes this sentence negative)....even the symbol is negative.
If I'm anti-smoking, then I'm pro------- what? Oxygen?
Help me please, reformed smokers 
& fellow self-helpers!

Style Me Frenchy may be on the way to being a little less Frenchy and a lot more healthy. Hopefully.

Maybe I'll just save my smoking for Paris and red wine. Maybe...but man I feel like a cigarette, and dinner at a Parisian restaurant. Like this one that my brother Jamie checked in at on Facey:
La Bonne Franquette

And if all else fails, swallow this:

Thursday, June 2, 2011

The Latest from my Lotus.

What I've been up to recently:

My personal Facebook profile. Befriend me if you haven't already ;)


Project: brand new website, client: Á Table Provençale


Lotus Media International Facebook Page


Like my page people! Then you can stay on top of my news in your Fb feed.

I have a headache from deadlines, but at least I'm having fun & able to enjoy a wonderfully fragrant Chai teapot while I meet them at the greatest cafe to ever grace Richmond's main street, The Mixed Leaf. 

I encourage you to go in to meet Jeannie, TML's owner & Maitre'D. If you're a coffee snob, you will at least be impressed with the beans. But the delight does not stop at your cup, or the window display, or the gorgeous private function room upstairs, in fact with staff, service & quality products like theirs, I don't think it ever does!



Wednesday, May 25, 2011

An appetiser.

I know, I know, I'm starving too but here is something to whet the French appetite while I wait for the arrival of the portal to creation that I am craving so much.

If you are wondering what I am talking about, it's an overdue internet modem! The one that has been interfering with my channels of expression these past few weeks. There's always Mum's place but as I sit here & write, my foot shakes & my mood darkens just listening to her (I know that's mean...but true).
"...for the third time Mum, I'm in the middle of something, can it wait? Grr".
About to go for another inspection on a potential home/ office space as part of my visualisation for my own fortune &  abundance. This one I've been calling Cameron House. It caught my eye when I walked past & saw a 1920's French style white metal bed frame for sale on the front porch. Can't wait to go home, so happy I can now say that from Mum's dining room table.

Let's get you out of those clothes.
A lovely pair of Parisian-looking knickers & a romantic boudoir setting. Aaahh, to be in love.....ok mood lightening again.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Home is where the heart is.

My Tumblr blog love=laughter this week:

http://loveequalslaughter.tumblr.com/

Home Is Where The Heart Is, Part 3: Moving out, again (staying in Richmond this time).
It really is all about perception. I have everything I need & want right here, for right now.
If anyone told me it was all right under my nose six months ago, I would have thought them delusional or deceitful, or both. That old adage “You have to wake up & smell the roses” definitely deserves it’s place in the long list of wise but confusingly & frustratingly simple proverbs, because, let me tell you, they really are divine.
Ok, the beach is still a little too far for my liking. Actually, a lot too far. But keep reading love=laughter & you’ll see that chapter coming later.
I’m saving the best til last ;) 
The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.
- Albert Einstein. 

French Provincial shabby chic inspiration for my new room & job.

Firstly, I have moved house. And I love my new place! The retro 50's floral carpet, vintage wallpaper & curtains, our abnormally long grassy backyard & its fruit trees, the friendly new house-brothers, my new gorgeous four-legged friends, my own proper work space, the freedom to put my stamp on my space with no complaints, enough room to fit all of my shit (for once!) & the excuse to spend a dollar a week on antique silverware. Yes, spoons are a need! Fancy is a luxury but when the item in question is pre-loved, its stat! (new word - thanks baby ;)

I have had the most relaxing & productive week that I have had in a looooong time. Sigh (mostly of relief but mixed with a touch of nostalgia, a sprinkle of sadness & an unmeasurablly large amount of responsibility & self-sufficiency. I guess, we all have to grow up some time, right?

Secondly, after looking through all my stuff, I discovered that I am exactly where I always wanted to be at this stage of my life. In fact, I am here early. I have always been an ambitious little list-writer & goal-maker. I love it. Well, looking over my lists & dream-books & orders with the universe, let me tell you, there are a lot of "check"s being said & ticks being penned.

Romance, health, career, spirit...I am very happy with the way my life has turned out. Like it said on the card my Mum gave me last year, the path you take supposedly unwillingly, unexpectedly & often unhappily is truly meant to be because you probably could not have devised a plan more suitable for yourself had you tried to. It would have seemed preposterous.

That being said, I have never been through worse dramas or more intense changes than in the last 10 months & they are by no means over. But that's ok. All is not well, but it is. I accept & understand now that peace & happiness in your self & harmony & balance in your life can be attained even amongst complete disarray & emotional uproar. That's the nature of the beast. It's up to us to keep it strong but tame at the same time. It is not easy, but it is possible. And very constructive.

"I finally feel woman", I said to my great girlfriend Amanda, "I can now claim that proudly without feeling sheepish & false but with pride & liberation, as you do Manda", I said.

Confidence. We should add it to the water. It is life-changing.

P.S. My business has grown with my self-esteem & so if you have any marketing needs, be they website set-up, segments on the radio for a local event, copywriting for brochures or a total brand revamp, we'd love to hear from you at Lotus Media. Visit us at lm-int.com 

Thanks for reading. I hope I have inspired or can inspire you to do what you need to & more importantly, what you really want to.

Those who risk win.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Cupcakes are awesome.

The concept is awesome. They look awesome. The variety of designs & flavours is awesome. They celebrate awesome. And the good ones taste awesome.
I love cupcakes. And baking.

I totally get my girlfriend Elissa's passion for the little handfuls of creamy, crumby joy they both bring to your life.
Have a look at Elissa's Pride & Joy :D
What a wonderful party! Complete with amazingly scrumptious desserts & sweetly smiling faces.

I also thoroughly enjoy the organised mess & taste-testing process that goes along with the baking of these bite-sized treats. Just as the journey is often better than the destination; sometimes the cake-mix is better than the cake!
I definitely need a new strictly-for-cupcakes-only kitchenware set: cute apron & oven-mits, lovely measuring cups, silicone baking tray & pretty tiered cupcake tower.
No, the gumboots I don't need for the kitchen, I already have a sick pair, but I found these rockin' ones in my image search & couldn't help myself!
I would also love a new baby niece/nephew so I can try my new textiling thimble thumb at this adorable knitted cupcake hat.
Mr Stork, can you please drop in to South Windsor soon?  
You must have come across some turbulence up there & lost your way... 
Contact me if you need the lucky couple's address again ;)

Pure sugary awesomeness:
Back to Basics: A cupcake special (my housewarming kitchen tea).
Sex & the City cupcakes (so-called). 
Edible Pokemon ones! Kawaii.
Mickey & Minnie. Can't wait for Disnelyand, Tokyo!
More cartoon yumminess.
This one takes the...(cup) cake! Very impressive. 
Yes cupcakes are for kids but have you ever heard the thing about inside everyone one of us tainted, serious adults is an innocent, fun-loving three year old? I agree.
Bring him/her out for Cupcake's sake!
Someone's gorgeous wedding cake.
Cheeky pigs.
Took me a while, prob cos I'm an HTC girl now. Clever cooking.
The heart of life.
McDinner & McDessert.
And, of course, I need the bench space to try my hand at creating my own version of a masterful batch of gourmet cupcakes. Enter March Street house with 1950's decor in my good ol' hometown of Richmond :D

Plus some new volunteers to try & testify (if positive) to the outcome of my latest cooking (ad)venture. Enter housemates to me/ brothers to one another: Nik & Siimon Agar ;) thanks for picking me, boys!

I repeat: Make Cupcakes, Not War. (They taste way better than blood & tears; so does love). 

For my girls (who hopefully will be joining me for the aforementioned housewarming kitchen tea):
They are even a fashion statement, ladies!