Inspire Aspire - Vitamins for the Soul (Part 2)

Then after watching Gabby Bernstein's video and deciding that she was to become another one of my Ladies Who Launch, I noticed that YouTube had cleverly listed to the side of my screen a Marie TV video suggestion featuring – wait for it – Gabby Bernstein. I told you earlier, it's a small world! Soon enough you learn to navigate it with ease and glean the information you need at a particular moment. Which reminds me of what Louise Hay said, that the universe makes sure you come across all the information that you need at a particular time in your life, as a useful coincidence that brings you the facts. This has actually happened to me countless times, hence the fact this succession of online coincidences from last week were not as coincidental as they appeared, and I knew straight away I was meant to act upon them.

Mastin Kipp's The Daily Love

A day or two later, my Marie Forleo newletter featured a video interview with Nick Ortner. Wahey, bingo! And then YouTube landed another Marie Forleo video on my lap (so to speak!), this time featuring Mastin Kipp from The Daily Love. Sorry, the daily what? I had heard of Daily Candy, but not The Daily Love... What planet am I from? So much catching up to do, Nat! This was another epiphany moment as I found out about a young man who in a not-so-curious twist of fate lost his job, house and girlfriend in the space of a few days and identified it as his calling from the universe to carry on an online project called The Daily Love. From then he moved on to being featured on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday and rubbing shoulders with the Louise Hay crew, although this was never in his vision board. The way Mastin's life has panned out shows a fantastic reversal of fortune! Sometimes you need to bite the dust before you can raise like the phoenix towards the life you are truly meant to have.

For me, this succession of happy coincidences were treble/ quadruple whammies from the universe showing me that what I believe to be impossible is actually a limit I have created inside my head, when really I have the competence and gift and eloquence to turn my own dreams and aspirations into a tangible reality which will in turn benefit the common good.

Nicole Moore's Love Works

Besides this, I have also joined relationship lifecoach Nicole Moore's The Lasting Love Series featuring fellow seasoned relationship coaches. I came across Nicole via the B-School Facebook group, as I am fortunate enough to be currently following Marie Forleo's RHH-Business School classes and interacting with a posse of smart, independent inspired ladies looking to turn their passion into a business.

Alongside it, I have enjoyed Kelley Rosano's latest Aries New Moon - Brilliant Breakthroughs insights and Libra Full Moon New Paradigm talk which are further calls to action, while I am still debating as to whether I should join her amazing astrology seminar to be held in Florence (across the water for me!) in the next few days. In my life there's always a Plan B, and this one by The Astro Twins in Tulum, Mexico, is tantalising, to say the least!

All in all, I have never enjoyed online information and communities as much as I have lately, purely because they have brought so much to my life in matters of personal growth. And cherry on the cake, not only was this amazingly free of charge but also by the same token totally priceless! This has motivated me back on track when I felt a bit wobbly about it all, while bringing me up to speed with the people in the know, the key movers and shakers in my field of personal development.

(Pict source)

The point of this article was about paying attention to the signs and clues that the universe sends you. If there is any information which you are meant to be aware of, it will bring you the facts in a chain of events and series of serendipitous moments like no other. Then it's of course up to you what you do with it. Take it from me, randomness is never that random. And maybe that energy-sucking office job is not what you are meant for. Jack it in for the life you are meant to have and those unique qualities of yours which you are meant to develop in order to serve others. The world needs you to make it a better place. Go follow your heart!

Inspire Aspire - Vitamins for the Soul (Part 1)

Sometimes the universe has ways to create serendipitous moments online and if you are not quick off the mark to figure out the clues which are meant to enthuse your calling with the food for thought it deserves in order to stir you onto your right path in life, I wonder what will? Hey, this is a wake-up call because it just so happens that we live in the 21^st century, bathed in technology and surrounded by phones that have gone smart and PCs that have morphed into PDAs and this means that in this day and age clues from the universe are as likely (if not more likely!) to be found via the media than in the nature surrounding us or while out and about minding our own business.

Rana Begum, from her 'Work on Paper - 2012'

Here's my proof to you.

Before I go digging deep into the subject, I will start off with a few pointers. It does help tremendously if you are open-minded and curious by nature, or at least if you willingly cultivate your sense of curiosity should the latter not be innate to you. And to help you cultivate that sense of curiosity, use social media as a facilitator. Turn the media to your advantage, and here's how. If you are a Facebook user, don't just limit your activities to idle chit-chats with friends. Go out of your way to 'like' pages by authors, bloggers, scientists, motivational speakers, personal development masters, etc. whom you are fond of/ interested in - and yes – curious about. Then push your explorative quest further by checking out the pages that they too 'like', and discover new authors, publishers, thinkers, etc. Stay tuned in and capitalise on the fact that the likes of Facebook and YouTube will cleverly list pages/ videos which are likely to be of interest to you, based on your personal preferences and your viewing/ search history, and soon enough you will be able to build up on your knowledge base.

Louise Hay and Nick Ortner

From social media, leap onto your authors websites and if you like the sound of things, join their mailing lists, and increase your inbox with value content. Keep it simple: what can I learn, what can they teach me, what is it they offer which can bring added value to my life, a new way of thinking, a positive approach, a vision?

Nothing beats a good word of mouth either, especially when it originates from a trusted source. Joanne Hall, my psychic friend, introduced me to Louise Hay in September of last year, and as much as I am ashamed to admit I had never heard of the great lady, an established institution of inspiration all to herself and founder of the highly-praised Hay Publishing House, Louise Hay was a great starting point for me, as she opened doors to a brand new world of interconnected authors and respected figures. You soon find out that the big wide world out there is actually quite small and compact at its core.

Now here's what happened to me a few days ago. My cascading lightbulb moments, strokes of inspirational genius and serendipitous moments started off with one of Louise Hay's weekly newsletters which, if I hadn't been curious about, might have ended up in the bin and with it the key to that snowball effect knowledge. The newsletter featured a forthcoming US event with a host of speakers joining in. I scanned the list, out of natural curiosity and a fascination for biographies. And then my eyes stopped on a younger lady from my age group who looked quite approachable in a girl-next-door kinda way, and this was Gabrielle Bernstein. I had never heard of her. I know it's bad but eh we all have to start off somewhere and the chance is I have heard of people in other areas of life that few of you know about, so it's kinda swings and roundabouts.

As always curiosity got the better off me and I went onto Gabrielle Bernstein's website and YouTube channel and stumbled across her latest video which I found really intriguing. It was about Nick Ortner's The Tapping Solution*, a book she had just devoured and was praising to the nines. She explained what the tapping was about (releasing blocked energies off certain acupressure points on the face, chest, underarm and hand, while saying positive affirmations). Now the name of Nick Ortner rang a bell somehow. Surely I had come across it via one of Louise Hay's newsletters, and so I started to investigate further. (to be continued)

Bonus * Get the first 2 chapters of Nick Ortner's The Tapping Solution eBook for free by entering your name and email address here. (Offer now closed).

Unlikely Friendship

I've struck an unlikely friendship with a retired lady neighbour of my parents. Her name is Janine and she is old enough to be my mum. Since living at my parents, I would occasionally bump into her in the street, we would say "Hello" and exchange the odd nicety, nothing less, nothing more. Her and I were poles apart.

Then back in September of last year, we got chatting in the street quite randomly. We poured our hearts out to each other about our lives as islanders and I found out how lonely and bored she feels here... Janine is from the city, independent, well-off, sophisticated, ultra-feminine and more acquainted with designer labels than plant tags. You get the picture: she is no country girl. She also happens to be married to a retired intrepid adventurer who made a living in the oil industry, from Scotland to Cameroon, from Mexico to Gabon, and it was her husband's idea (not hers!) to retire on the island, so he could indulge in boating, fishing, hunting and other earthly "pleasures"...

So far from the London buzz...

Recently Janine and I stumbled across each other again and we struck that unlikely friendship. It started off with a walk down the resort followed by a hot chocolate at the local café. But soon enough we agreed upon the fact that this sedate lifestyle was getting too much for us, and we needed to spice it up! Since then we have jumped in her VW Polo and taken to the roads less travelled of Corsica - at our peril, set that adrenaline rushing to the temples as we found out that quirky narrow mountain road abruptly turned into a piste and we had no other option than do a U turn in a tight portion of dirt track, wedged between a cliff face and a ravine.

We've ditched the sedate café for the trendy bar with deep carpets, lamé surfaces, dark corners, risqué beaux and fashionista waitresses, swaying gently to that pre-party ambient groove à la Ministry of Sound, clinked Champagne glasses, laughed dizzily and indulged in a glimpse of the lifestyle of the Housewives from Bravo! I can still picture Janine raising a perfect eyebrow from above her D&G glasses and pouting: "You have no idea how solo dining in a restaurant is soooo not fun!" And we exchanged that knowing look as high-profile culinary escapades are to be next on our list!

The Mercedes E-Class Coupé

Oh, I'm liking it. And I'm liking it much more than my bank manager as this burgeoning friendship promises to be high maintenance and a potential threat to my overdraft. But it takes my mind off my mundane preoccupations, and makes me indulge in a more shallow part of my personality. Janine and I have already planned to hit the top-end tourist hotspots when the weather hots up.

As she readjusted her designer clutch in the trendy bar, pensively admiring her French manicure, she leant towards me and casually added: "And for the occasion, we'll make sure that we hit the promenade in my other car, the coupé convertible". Talk about getting noticed in style! In preparation, maybe I should start giving Net-à-Porter a bit more of the attention it deserves... and worry about the cash later! Ahh, life is a breeze - a seabreeze even!

Fancy a Brazilian?

Now ladies, I wouldn't blame you for thinking I was on about that type of Brazilian... Anyone of those would surely brighten up a dull day?

Hot under the collar? Brazilian fashion model Isac Fioravante, photographed by Martin Traynor

But before some of you might be tempted to entertain Certificate 18 desires with the aforementioned, please allow me to clarify my thoughts on the subject. The type of Brazilian I am on about, although as likely to raise eyebrows as the hottie above, is more likely to be found in a beauty salon than on Praia de Ipanema... Get it? Oh yes!

And yes it is painful too. Rest assured, no hearts are broken over this one though, not even the bank, as you can expect on average to pay £20.00 for the service. Haha, no innuendoes please! How did I encounter my Brazilian (wax) experience? Well, this is mildly humorous actually and I thought this would be great blog post material! So here we go... (Don't worry, for the small print section, I shall be mindful of sensitivities and treat the subject with all due respect. Yet I shall not be held responsible for any innuendoes or unintentional puns and play on words, blink blink!).

For a few years now, I had been having a bikini wax everytime I went to the salon, as an extension of my leg session, and regardless of whether I was off to a beach holiday or not. I did it for myself, it's just the thing that finishes off your look, that makes you comfortable in your own skin. Thing is, a bikini wax is fairly conservative in its hair zipping method. You might wear that tanga on the day that gives you high leg definition and get the beautician to eradicate those sparse stragglers. Looking back, it was nothing earth-shattering although it did feel like it at the time!

Pict source: South Beach Swimsuits

Things started to change after my move from foggy Manchester to Corsica-on-the-Med, where my definition of bikini wax became slightly offcentre. The beautician would pull that brief up, get me to open my legs in earnest, because the likelihood is, living on an island with some of the hottest Summers in Europe, you are bound to nip down to the beach and expose some flesh, and you want to avoid any possible embarrassment. That's how my hairline from down there started receding, and actually I didn't complain, save for a bit of pain.

One night, bored online, I started clicking on different beauty videos (as you do), and I stumbled across one that explained what a Brazilian wax entails. Of course I had heard of those before but thought they were relegated somehow to those Certificate 18 industries and since pole dancing or a revisit of Debbie Does Dallas were never gonna be on my agenda, Brazilian was one wax strip too far for me. Anyway the description from that girl on the Youtube video made the technique sound terribly painful and – besides – unnecessary for a 'regular girl' like I.

For some reason, I still had the foresight (or insight!) to research the subject further as I was intrigued (or surely more bored than intrigued, right?). I found out that the Brazilian wax had been made popular in the USA, via NYC, by two Brazilian (who else?) beauticians back in the early 1980s. Please note that the Brazilian should not be confused with the Hollywood wax, the latter popularised in later years, leaves the skin completely smooth and bare! The Brazilian spares a teeny-weeny strip of modesty. Interestingly, and technicalities aside, I found out that it was possible to authentify the time period of a porn movie, based on the amount of hair on show down there... Erm, right, I shall leave this to the experts.

No pain, no gain, Nat!

Meanwhile a couple of weeks later down to my beauty salon on the off-chance to get my monthly leg and underarm wax, I was told that Jenny, my beautician, was fully booked up that day. I know I should have made an appointment, but instead I decided to nip down to the next salon and get that wax out of the way. I explained to the girl what I wanted and left it at that. She casually handed me a paper thong and when she saw my puzzled look, shrugged it off with "Oh, it's easier for me to work down there if you're wearing one of those..." Alarm bells should have started flashing in my head. Next I was lying on that couch, feeling exposed and awkward. She didn't blink an eyelid (eh, she had seen it all before!) and proceeded straight away with the bikini wax. When I felt the warm wax covering those neither regions I started to panic... "You wanted a bikini wax, didn't you?" She giggled and pulled that strip at the same time. Ooouch OMG! This had to be Karma sending me a reality check!

Now I have to admit that the result was good, great even, if you blank out the pain, because you can't expect it painless! When I came out of the salon, I noticed I was walking funny, like a cowboy who'd been riding his horse too long. I was chaffed down there for a few days, and thought I would never return to normal as some of the nerve endings were quite sensitive. But eventually everything went back to normal, and the hair even started growing back. And then I became kinda hooked. To that Brazilian wax. I felt clean and polished. No itching (except when the hairs start growing back, at the point where they break the skin). It made me feel strangely confident too. In the bathroom mirror, wearing my undies, I would have fun pretending to be a ballerina or cheerleader, extending a leg up and still look neat, wow!

Cheerleading my way to the bathroom mirror!

On that second time around I had to motivate myself to push that salon's door, but I came in prepared. I had taken a paracetamol beforehand, and arranged to wear comfy yoga pants. I was actually more apprehensive than on that first time when I had been taken unawares. Yet the pain was not as acute. It certainly isn't a pleasant experience, it won't feel like a pampering treatment, and in the heat of the moment you might rather be at the dentist's, trust me! If you are half-awake like I was on that early morning, the effect is that of a treble espresso X10... Never mind awake, you will feel wired for the rest of the day, but eh all for the good cause. You will look and feel great a few hours down the line, and that's a guarantee.

So much so that Brazilian waxing has now become part of my beauty regime. I might be preaching to the converted but if you are just wondering what the fuzz (sorry fuss!) is about, go for it! And you might even like it.

Honey, Please Bee Lovely!

Hi, my name is Nathalie and I am a carer. Now for those of you who are not quite familiar with this blog, I will tell you that many passions of mine are echoed through it, from creative writing, design and fine art, to architecture, travel, fashion, and more! And as if this weren't enough, I also happen to be an animal lover by heart, a wildlife supporter, a plant advocate and a bit of an "armchair ecologist" as I tend to describe myself. I sign petitions from my favourite charities and organisations, spread the good word via my Twitter account and personal Facebook page. Moreover I support the IFAW through donations. I try to lead by example, but I am maybe not as committed as I should be, for a number of reasons, hence the fact I call myself "armchair ecologist".

As actions speak louder than words, I am proud to say that I adopted my little dog, Tickle, over six years ago from Manchester Dogs Home, rather than get him "brand new" from a breeder, and I even adopted a cute little Russian hamster by the name of Billy off an East Manchester-based small animal shelter. I was proud for my garden to be essentially (although not 100%) chemicals-free, as I would rather use manual labour to get rid of so-called weeds, than succumb to chemical aids. I even liberally sprinkled my lawn with wild prairie seeds, to add interest and attract pollinators and other wildlife.

In the home, I was an Ecover fan, and played it easy with detergents. I recycled glass, plastic and paper years before I got provided with recycling bins by the council. I would get on the bus or drive down to the huge recycling banks on supermarket carparks with bulky bags of recycling. What I mean is I didn't wait for recycling bins to conveniently land on my doorstep to start thinking about recycling. I had taken the matter in my own hands years prior, and put my beliefs into practice, no matter how impractical they were gonna be!

The latest petition I signed today was via the Care2 petition site, the self-labelled "No.1 petition site in the world", which you might want to browse if interested, because I am pretty sure you will find at least one petition whose ideal it defends will be your call for action. As for me today, I decided to give our undervalued underrated humble bees the buzz they deserve. The "Bee Lovely and Help Save the Bees" petition is sponsored by NYR Organic (Neal's Yard Organic), a renowned British organic health and beauty company established 1981.

I quote: "Over seventy percent of the global food crops are pollinated by bees. Last year, the United States lost a full third of its total honeybee colonies for the fifth year in a row. This means that since 2006, the American bee population has plummeted from 4.5 million honey-producing hives to a scant 860,000. Worse, that number is still dropping. Rampant pesticide use is a major cause of bee deaths. In 2011, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) found that the use of neonicotinoid pesticides is both widespread and catastrophic.

Neonicotinoids are on average 7,000 times more toxic than DDT, which was banned in 1972.

DDT was banned because it contributed to the near extinction of birds, including the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon, and is particularly toxic to fish and insect life. Despite this, the EPA has not halted the manufacture or use of neonicotinoids, choosing instead to put the products "under review" for the next five years." (end of quote).

If this isn't food for thought to a call for action, I wonder what will be.

Europe has also seen its number of bees plummet, and in a bizarre twist of fate, urban bee populations like the ones in Paris seem to have weathered the decline better than their countryside counterparts which although being exposed to lower levels of exhaust fume pollution, are subjected to higher levels of pesticides found in fields and cross-contaminating nearby land, gardens and forests.

Besides a number of TV documentaries have shed the light on China's loss of bee populations, as a catastrophe by-product of Mao's bird slaughter politics. Today apple trees in China need to be hand-pollinated. This is no George Orwell fiction though, and reality couldn't have prepared us for such a violent wake-up call! 

And yes you can indeed do your bit: Please bee lovely and sign the petition.

Once you have signed the petition, you will get a thank-you note from NYR, as well as their beautifully-written and illustrated Little Book of Bees, plus a couple of useful websites, whose awareness I feel I should help contribute to, so here we go:

• The Great Sunflower Project otherwise known at "The Backyard Bee Count"
• Local Honey for chemical-free, unfiltered honey from a local (USA) beekeeper
• Support NYR's Bee Lovely and help Save the Bees campaign by purchasing a product from their special edition Bee Lovely Collection.

Yes guys, we can indeed make a difference, one step at a time, one click at a time, one petition at a time! Thanks for acting on this one.

Proud to Be a B-School Babe!

Guys and gals, I firmly believe that if you want something, you shouldn't just sit still and play the wallflower, fluttering your lashes at the wallpaper. If you want something, you should fly off that door and go get it! I know, such an action plan is not exactly what we expect to hear off a Geminian (my astro sign!), the dreamer, ponderer, idealist and artist of the mind who intellectualise their thoughts, while the go-getter energy of the zodiac is more akin to a sign like Aries. Yet I'll let you into a secret: according to my astrological chart by Jonathan Cainer, my Moon sign happens to be in Aries, thus this will explain somewhat as to where I get that streak of Mars energy from.

Marie Forleo (pict source)

So here we go... If you want it, go get it! And as it happens, I have been wanting to give my life a new direction. I have contemplated a plethora of options: volunteer in an orangutan sanctuary in Borneo, become a wwoofer in faraway places, involved in land conservation projects, or simply travel and fund my way on the go... I've also been exploring other avenues, more creatively-based and encouraged by a small circle of friends, I am nurturing a great idea (that I am keeping under wraps for now). To further facilitate this idea, I decided to join Marie Forleo's RHH B-School, and I want to shout loud and proud that I am one proud B-Schooler!

I am a fan of Marie's! She is an inspiration to me and embodies what a successful young woman should be: savvy, smart, presentable, pretty, professional, business-like, spiritual, passionate, compassionate and fun! I could add on more adjectives to the list! As soon as I saw her course presentation online and read the testimonials I was sold, I knew I wanted to join the class straight away and be part of a meaningful forward-thinking community headed by Marie. I knew I would be going places with the course, and it presented me with a golden opportunity to move onwards and upwards into the world, giving me the confidence to make my business idea profitable, run an office from my laptop and - most of all - be location-independent, i.e. not stuck in a brick-and-mortar office situation, but take flexibility in my stride and be able to run my business from anywhere in the world. This is priceless!

Via Good Life Project by Jonathan Fields

I have to come clean and admit that I find it difficult to religiously set time aside for the tutorial itself, but what I am really relishing is to be part of an international community of young, vibrant, dynamic entrepreneurs or would-bes! We exchange views, comments and advice in the forum, on our dedicated Facebook page and it is a beehive of creativity and movement that I find stimulating. It is helping me to find my feet while I reconnect with the world!

As a social butterfly I get easily distracted by the different topics of conversation going on, and then I go off a tangent, back in my bubble getting my business idea on paper, putting the course exercises into practice, and then off another tangent writing a few paragraphs on my blog, and then off to my 660+ Pinterest fanclub, and then out to the beach with Tickle (my cheeky Jack Russell Terrier), and then back checking my emails, and off again... It may somewhat appear disjointed but this is my own holistic approach. There's method in my madness, believe me, and eh let's not forget that's how us Geminian gems function: scattered about in organised chaos before regrouping and moving forward against all odds!

This is only the end of Week 2 at B-School but hand on heart I can say that this is my best 'tactical', 'pragmatic' move for 2013 so far! I feel like I am on my way to achieve something positive and make something constructive out of my life, nurture that business idea into a business plan into a career that I will embrace and love. This is gotta be one of the definitions for happiness, don't you think?

Inspire Aspire - Live Life to the Full!

Sometimes it takes unfortunate events to remind us of how precious life is, and how it can be taken away in a snap, without warning, logic, or a single valid explanation. And in a twisted twist of fate, such a terrible event can bring back the edge and lustre to your own life and rekindle that lust for life which you might have lost into the daily nags, challenges and worries, while slamming the latter back into perspective. This is exactly what happened to me four weeks ago...

'Surfer Girl on the Beach with Her Dog', by Ryan Cardone Photography

That's when Olivier, one of my brother's good friends, suddenly died. He was 29. His sudden disappearance sent shockwaves down the local community. Olivier had arrived from mainland France in August 2012 and settled into the local resort fairly quickly. He was a popular character, smart, friendly, pleasant, a picture of health, trendy, good-looking, quick-thinking and a success story in the making. He met Marion, a lovely girl from mainland France who had been working in the resort since the start of the Summer season and it was love at first sight. They moved in together in a studio flat by the beach, a dream-come-true lifestyle. My brother formed a great friendship with Olivier and everything was cool!

Then tragedy struck out of the blue, on that doomed Sunday evening. While he was out and about, Olivier suddenly complained of a violent headache and rang his parents to ask them to take him to hospital. His parents turned up but thought his headache might be stress-related as he was starting a new job the next day... Yet everyone quickly realised all wasn't what it seemed and emergency services were called. By the time they arrived, Olivier had collapsed from a ruptured aortic aneurysm. He was healthy, sporty, and the last person you would have predicted to go so soon, so quick, so young. Olivier's death left us in a state of disbelief and crush.

(Pict source)

A few days later, I came across that bit of text online and it spoke directly to me. It should also speak to those engrossed in the nitty-gritty of life, who complain about their existence, job, folks, home, cash crisis, identity crisis, mental state, country leaders, who knows! Stop all that whingeing right now and start living life to the full! Quit that job that takes your liveliness away, quit that partner who doesn't love you back, quit that place that drains the va-va-voom out of you! Quit the negatives so you may focus on the positives. Life is way too short to allow for moans, complaints, bickering and regrets. Get that lust for life back and move on with it! See you on the other side, dudes!

Inspire Aspire - Ladies Who Launch

Right, let me just get this out of the way first: my two-year contract at the garden preservation society ended sooner due to the sudden lack of state subsidies (my post was subsidised and the society could not afford to keep me on the books as a fully-fledged salaried member of staff). As much as I had clocked all those extra hours for free I had to call it quits and move on.

And move on... Well, the circumstances have thrown a spanner in my works, despite the fact I knew all along I was on a short-term contract, yet still hoping to be able to turn it permanent. However the society's fragile financial situation didn't allow for this to happen as originally hoped by the Board. Now I might sound a tad pretentious but... redundancy has encouraged me once again in a bizarre twist of synchronicity to take a long hard look at my life and reconsider those secret entrepreneurial aspirations as an opportunity to jack in the day job comfort zone for the 'going solo' adventure.

Right now I am trying to identify which area I want to turn into a business. Thing is, I am passionate by so many things that I find it difficult to pinpoint one area and concentrate on it alone. I feel uncomfortably sat on the razor's edge, or some ejector seat even, with a big clock ticking above my head, reminding me that time is supposedly money. Nagging voices (in my head and around me!) are yacking at me to get real and get a proper job instead of working towards that hypothetical next stage in my life. With supportive friends and allies from afar, and those geographically close trying to discourage me, my support committee right now is thin. That's why I had to seek out all the help I could muster and here's what I've found: fabulous, smart, classy ladies who understand where people like me are coming from, with our doubts, fears and challenges.

Kelley Rosano (pict source: YouTube)

I refer to these ladies as 'The Ladies Who Launch', as they help you launch into self-discovery and business, through their lifecoaching advice and mentoring. And if like me, you're a bit short on support right now, just turn to them for that gentle nudge or kick up your backside to get started with that next stage in your life!

Kelley Rosano - Astrology might not be your thing and I respect that, but before you dismiss it with a shrug, bear in mind that Kelley is no ordinary astrologer! No fuddy-duddy witchy looks, psychedelic tie-dye drapes or New Age lingo here! Kelly infuses her monthly astrological outlooks with passion, drive and positive thinking. The lady radiates like a sun and once you start following your monthly podcast, there is no turning back. She encourages you to take advantage of favourable planetary alignments to go do your thing. Kelly is a spiritual coach and motivational speaker and I guarantee you that you will feel uplifted by the end of each podcast, whether you believe in astrology or not!  [Website - iTunes Podcasts - YouTube Channel]

Jody Jelas (pict source: YouTube)

Jody Jelas - You know how Facebook suggests you follow certain personalities, businesses or groups, based on your current preferences, well I have to thank them for putting me in touch with Jody, an online strategist. In no time I had signed up for her newsletter and each week I get a motivational video in my inbox. Jody is dynamic, nails it on the head with her trademark 'Boom! formula', tricks of the trade to become a video pro, hints and tips about getting your message across, defeating self-doubt and believing in yourself. The lady has been there done that and she says it as it is! [Website - YouTube Channel]

Marie Forleo - Call me an astrology freak, but yeah not only am I a Kelley Rosano devotee, I also happen to be a fan of The Astro Twins, two upwardly mobile sisters from NYC who deliver their astrological readings with upbeat street verve. By a happy coincidence, The Astro Twins mentioned in their newsletter a chat with Marie Forleo on MarieTV back in early December 2012, and that's how I came across Marie, a dynamic business lifecoach who talks about personal and business issues that affect the modern woman. Recently The Astro Twins mentioned Marie again, this time linking their newsletter to an advice-packed affiliate podcast preview about her forthcoming B-School classes on how to break it as an online entrepreneur. Marie's style is as far from stuffy and Ivy League as can be. Here learning is delivered in a fun and light-hearted yet structured, clear and meaningful manner and it works! B-School starts in March 2013 and please count me in! There's also a great online community back-up to bounce off ideas from. [Website]

Marie Forleo (pict source)

These 'Ladies who Launch' are a great start to 2013, to infuse those wobbly New Year's Resolutions with inspiration and aspiration. And by the same token, I have decided to devote more posts to my 'Inspire Aspire' series, as a challenge not only to myself but also to you guys, to help you keep those motivational levels up and feel good in your life! Stay tuned for more!

Inspire Aspire - Pinterest

There might haven't been much going on La Baguette lately, however I am delighted to annnounce that its sister site, Mirabelle Design Inspiration has been rather busy all of last month and has even enjoyed the accolade from American graphic designers who proposed an infographic to be included as a follow-up to my popular article, 'Caught in the Pacific Trash Vortex'. Besides Mirabelle was approached by L.A.-based The Arcadian Home Blog who were interested by my 'In the Mood for White Interiors' post, and proposed to guest-post on the same theme. They produced this beautiful article!

Bohemian Like You

Meanwhile there might have not been much going on La Baguette - agreed - however a lot has been going on in my head! As I am still exploring avenues for the next stage in my life, I have also been looking at ways to jazz up the blog, make it more visual and lighten up the word count, as I believe that in this age of information overload the future of blogs and online press in general is gonna be about being slim and clever rather than thick and forceful. Just look at Tumblr, the visual blog facility where a picture says a thousand words, yet you can still add in your point, make a statement and leave an impression. Communication as an experience, a whole package of sound and vision.

Where I have been scoring a fair level of success lately (and where you are most likely to find me!) is over at Pinterest. Over the last few weeks I have been taking a renewed interest in my mood boards (I'd rather call them mood boards than pinboards), added a few more to the mix and garnered a great following (550+ unique followers and counting!). Amongst my fan-club I have high-profile Pinterest hobbyists who also happen to be interior designers or photographers from the Americas mainly, which in itself indicates a vote of confidence in my choice of pictures.

A little Pinterest gem (Pict source)

I intend to dedicate a post to Pinterest in the coming weeks in which I will get into the nitty-gritty of the ins and outs and give you hints and tips. For the time being, I will just admit that I have developed a bit of an addiction to the social network facility and pinned over 11,000 pictures! If it's not an addiction, then not sure what this is.

For my own defence, I will add that years back when involved with the creative industries, I sometimes had to book stock photography off established photo agencies and I was fascinated by their image libraries. I even applied for a job at Getty Images. With Pinterest it is much easier as there is no royalty fee to fork out and in the space of one click you have transferred a picture from a pinboard account to yours or from a website to yours, with an embedded source link, easy-peasy!

The Grey Goose Kiwi Vodka Cocktail discovered via Pinterest!

I use Pinterest as a stress-buster and a source of inspiration, and inspiration is what I need right now to keep me out there. If you don't already have a Pinterest account, maybe you should give it a try. If you already have one and still can't figure out what the fuss is all about, go back to the drawing board (Ha-ha, I was dying to say this!) and create themed boards that mean something to you, be it American muscle cars, cottage gardens of the world, Missoni patterns or Charles Eames designs!

In my next post, I will share other sources of inspiration with you that are working for me!

2013

It might feel like it was only yesterday when you dusted glitter off your shoulders and complained about that dear old Auntie's Violet Creams, yet 'the season to be merry' is now back on hold for another ten months. You might still pick up the odd firtree needle off the living room carpet with secret nostalgia, when only a couple of weeks ago you couldn't wait for Christmas to be gone.

The New Year's resolutions that were merrily tipsily divulged on the cusp of the New Year have nothing but vanished if not been vanquished. And as if last month's spending indulgence were not enough, the January sales have sent some of us into a quick frantic spin, only to be caught up by the dreaded January blues. Drab weather hasn't helped the cause and neither has that momentary lapse in commercial/ emotional/ creative activity until the next celebration... Fear not, because before you can catch your breath and check your teeth, Valentine's Day, Mothers Day, Easter and all the birthdays and anniversaries that this year has to offer will recapture the collective psyche and fill those currently blank diary pages!

Happy 2013 everyone!

Sources: (1) via Cardigans & Cookies. (2) 'With Love' grey paper tape (10m), by Rockett St George.

My Best of 2012

As 2012 is coming to a close and before we race into those New Year's resolutions, we would be none the wiser to take a deep breath, stand back and reflect. Take stock of the last twelve months with an open mind and heart. Be kind to ourselves and see how far we've come since our last New Year's resolutions, the mileage we've clocked both on the map and in our heads, what we expected to happen back then and what actually happened. Just do it and be amazed!

If I remember right, back in late December 2011, my wishes for 2012 were simple. To get more involved at work on the plant cultivation side of the business, enjoy the beach and this island more, meet interesting folks, and be happy. Those who know me are aware of how crucial this elusive notion of happiness actually is for me! I was also planning to travel to Sarawak and although this hasn't yet happened, it has planted the seed of travel firmly in me.

Via Designspiration

To get into the mood for the fabulous potentialities of the New Year ahead, I even treated myself to a detailed and personalised 80+ page astrology report from top UK astrologer Jonathan Cainer. Despite this, my 2012 journey was chaotic to say the least but it brought me closer to my own truth, worth, expectations and delivery, in terms of friendships. A couple of apparently kindred friendships got tested to the limit and shed as a result. Once upon a time, I might have hung onto those girls in that desperate bid to keep cool, but where's the cool in people who seek to play games you are not willing to play, tarnish your halo, suffocate that inner flame or mold you into someone you will never be?

My success story for 2012 is called Kathy and originates from Manchester. Kathy's my best friend and soul mate. Our story is convoluted and I might relate it one day if I decide to pen my memoirs, but for the time being I will just say that back in the day we were firm friends with a rock chick penchant, and when our lives took a turn, we suddenly lost touch, without hard feelings. I guess we had to find ourselves before we could find each other again. The process took years.

Source: Laws of Modern Man

A little while back I traced Kathy down the social network and about four months ago I plucked the courage to contact her that way. The timing felt right. We haven't looked back since! To be truthful it feels like we have never been apart, if anything we have actually grown closer. We are part of each other's lives like never before and she's my absolute confidente. Despite being hundreds of miles apart, we are brought together by the wonders of Skype. We're planning to meet up soon. Kathy is my best of 2012!

So here we go. My best of 2012 has that definite human flavour to it and may it continue in 2013! Now how about you? What 2012 achievements are you most proud of? Drop me a line and let me know!

Plan A

OK folks, so here's the deal! Sarawak - Australia - Hawaii - California. 

I had to call this Plan A because each of those idyllic destinations contains at least two letters 'A'. My rationale was that  Plan A would give this trip project a forward-thinking dynamic vibration! Secondly, as much I would like to be able to explore other avenues and travel opportunities, this is currently about the only tangible Plan there is for me. So to paraphrase that great M&S campaign, we call it Plan A because there's no Plan B!

'A Morning View', photo by Rana Simhan (cknara), via Flickr

All going well, kick-off for Plan A is Spring 2013. Ideally I would love to get one or two of my adventure-enclined friends involved in this combo but so far they either can't or won't commit, for reasons their own. As a result, it looks like I am solo-bound. Not an ideal situation for the gregarious, people's person that I am, but honestly I could still be waiting an hypophetical number of years until a seemingly 'ideal' situation presents itself... And I've learnt the hard way that you have to compose with what life offers you, not rely on others and build your future on dreams, promises, illusions, fantasies and waffs of hot air... If I want something, I'd better roll up my sleeves, architect it and build it myself!

Now don't believe for one second that I'm in control and I know what I'm doing. I am absolutely daunted by the prospect of solo travel to places I have never been (bar California). I am no seasoned traveller either, I have never travelled on my own outside a few carefully-chosen European destinations, am generally more used to glamping than camping, although once again does sleeping in the great oudoors or in one's car count as camping and roughing it?

Escape to... Baja Mexico, by Santa Barbara Chic, photo by Patrick Moyer

If you take out the Sarawak bit and just concentrate on the Australia - Hawaii - California trio, you would be forgiven to believe that this is part of The Beach Boys repertoire, that I am bound for an Xtreme Sports Channel surfing competition, or a long vacation! Besides although it might sound like I've done the fun easy bit by picking up juicy destinations, it wasn't as random and carefree as it appears. Sarawak has been on my radar for the last 12 months via The Great Orangutan Project towards which I have secured a deposit as a (paying) volunteer on an orangutan conservation programme based deep in the Bornean jungle. From there I thought I might stretch it down to Australia, why not?

After a relatively 'hardcore' start with Sarawak, I thought it best to enjoy a breather and play it safer and cooler for the remainder of my Pacific odyssey, on an open return, heading first for the Australian Gold Coast (forget the outbacks and the dirt tracks!), then across to California (a soft spot for the Santa Barbara region), via Hawaii (a late addition to the trip, after admiring paradisiac views on Pinterest!). I intend to work (most of) my way through and line up a few contacts before leaving Europe!

Polynesian Knot Statue

Meanwhile a few practical matters have started nagging me lately, as they do... I have been putting strange video requests on YouTube in the name of research, watching the best creepy-crawlies each of my stopovers has to offer, and both Sarawak and Australia deserve gold stars! Ideally (as we know there is no such thing as 'ideally') I would like to avoid Australia's spider season if I can but it looks like I will be hitting the Gold Coast head on in the Australian Autumn... in time for a good face-to-face with those dreaded Huntsmans. Now we haven't even started on the tarentulas yet, have we?

As I am gonna get ready over the next few weeks, I warmly invite you all to follow my pre-departure adventures and check on those pre-trip nerves, via La Baguette Magique. Hopefully once I'm out there I will be able to provide you with regular travel updates. In the light of this, I'm gonna look into those sleek lightweight nifty Tablet/ Notebook devices that I can slip into my yet-to-be-purchased backpack! And here's another one to jot down the To Do list! Talk soon and meanwhile please don't hesitate to part with your advice, recommendations and suggestions, very much welcome!

P.S: Check out my 'Poolside or Seaside' Pinterest board for some Australian, Hawaiian and Californian coastline inspiration!

Smells Like Free Spirit (Part 4)

"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings first volume, The  Fellowship of the Ring, 1954

I am convinced that no matter their age, free spirits are young at heart. Their outlook, their stance, their attitude, their drive, mean that they remain young and radiate inner beauty. They won't turn into those bitter old prunes that make ageing look like a disadvantage. Rather they will embrace the past, present and future, take experience in their stride and still look on the bright side of life, a glint of mischief in the eye and marvel at the ready, their skin sunkissed and their footstep light and airy!

By Studio Wonder, via Cargo Collective

Believe you me, the world needs more of us free spirits! The vast majority of us are not on this planet to cause trouble and start revolutions, we just see the world differently and want fairness. I'll just take one example. I am a lifelong devotee to the animal cause and became a vegetarian after years of being pressured by my peers (starting off with my parents) into the carnivorous diet. I one day decided I was lying to myself and this had to stop! I will happily discuss my vegetarian reasons to whoever is keen to listen, and maybe suggest that they compromise and give it a try, if only for once a week, but I will not force my views onto anyone! And since you're asking, ironically most - if not all - of my friends aren't veggies, yet they have somehow curbed their meat-loving ways after I gave them some food for thought!

My industry sector (sustainable agriculture and preservation of old cultivated varieties) is prone to attract a good number of free spirits and 'affiliates'. The fact that I live on a holiday island adds to the attraction. Meeting those gals and guys from different walks of life and corners of the world has been enlightening to me and I have utterly relished the experience! It has broadened my own perceptions of life.

'Lemonia philopalus', by CraftyPip (Philip Heinzl), via Flickr

The free spirits I met travel light, head for the roads less travelled inland and will rarely settle down. No, they don't all physically look like hippies, some of the cool dudes I met might feel slightly insulted by the connotation! Meanwhile I am still trying to work out how some of them guys manage to sustain a living, being nomadic 'no-strings-attached' types with no fixed employment or abode for that matter, sleeping in their cars, on friends couches, in disused buildings or on the beaches in Summer... There is a sense of community amongst free spirits as I found out, and those with a roof over their heads will open their doors to the less fortunate. We end up bumping into familiar faces across the island, sharing similar experiences and hanging out together...

Despite not having regular employment, and only surviving on fruit-picking, pastoral activities and the odd building job, some of them can somehow afford to travel on to faraway shores like Thailand, without (seemingly) a money care in the world, while Corsica has either become their homebase of sorts, their stopover, or gateway destination to the rest of the world... Corsica gives them a taste for adventure and trampolines them into the wider world! Some are here today, and who knows where they'll be tomorrow!

'Male Rufous Hummingbird', photo by cdbtx, via Flickr

Some of them, skilled or unskilled trade guys, head for ecovillages as wwoofers to experience a new community spirit, contribute to the common good and hopefully learn a skill and make friends. Some others, after years of wandering about, end up settling down on the island, and they do so in their own terms, while staying true to their own principles: on the cheap, building environmentally-friendly tippees on either rented, lended or purchased land. Some push the boat further, and unite with a common dream of building alternative rural communities based around permaculture and made out of ideas and ideals, makeshift and hard graft, without compromising on the good life (beach parties, music festivals, and yay more parties)!

Some have landed from continental France with a skeleton or two in the closet and I have become good at picking the vibe. No questions asked, no comments passed, if they want to confide, they know where I am and sure I'll lend a sympathetic ear. Their experience will help them grow, sharing it will help them understand it better and the listener will benefit from it too. Meanwhile everyone is entitled to second chances, everyone has the right to want to escape their troubled past and start over, or at least kick-start a process that will take them onto a new life journey.

'Ceremonial Textile (Sarita)', Indonesia, Sulawesi, via The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Herewith I have ambitiously attempted to share reflections on free spirits, and the journey has turned more personal than I thought it would. It has amplified my travel wanderlust, made me yearn for vast unspoilt territories, and when it would have been easy to get critical over the lifestyle choices of some of those free spirits, it actually helped me understand them better.

In the history of La Baguette Magique, this post is the longest I have ever written, and the first to be spread over four parts. Yep this is telling something... I'm on the verge of a personal discovery and it's all good! Thanks for reading this personal odyssey of mine, and I hope it will have transported you to new territories and you will have found it refreshing and inspirational!

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Smells Like Free Spirit is a 4-part series:  Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4

Smells Like Free Spirit (Part 3)

"I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till I drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion." - Jack Kerouac, On the Road, 1957, Part 2, Ch. 4

How do I do it as a free spirit, I hear you ask? For starters, being labelled a free spirit is a revelation because I never thought worthy of such a privilege! I never saw myself that interesting! Now that I am taking this on board, I'd better live up to it and that might take some adjusting, after years of the 'obligated' conformist lifestyle, following lines of conduct, business protocoles and abiding to company mission statements, flirting with the upsides of capitalism and suffering from its downsides too.

Via We Heart It

Pretending to be someone I wasn't and looking for answers in all the wrong places, feeding off the fleeting buzz off a new material purchase or upscale social event, I was lying to myself and in those late-night blurs, in my darkest minute with caked-in make-up around teary eyes checking my reflection in the bathroom mirror, when suddenly hit by the solitude of it all, it would briefly dawn on me that this lifestyle would never satisfy me, my soul, my spirit, my heart.

I felt trapped. I kept thinking: 'Is that it? Is that all there is to life? To make money and to spend it?' Then I would brush my doubts off, get up and go back to where I had come from, the office, the long commutes, the airport lobby, the party, the fakes and the doppelgangers. I had to because questioning my choices at that pressured moment in my life would have been to admit I had been wrong all - or at least most of - the way, and it takes courage and a certain form of abnegation to get to admit that! The timing wasn't right. I had spiritedness as a state of mind but at that moment in time I couldn't liberate it and be myself.

'Sleeping Angel' (Highgate Cemetery), photo by Ben Jeffrey, via Flickr

So then for the sake of research, can we capture the essence of a free spirit? Or is it too rare, unique, evanescent and elusive to be bottled into an eau de parfum? Well, you can say that again! Actually if you described it as 'a little je ne sais quoi', you might get close to a definition. But if you're not happy with that, I will venture a few reflections. A free spirit stands out with their views (and for their views!) and their ways of thinking. They stand up from the masses and sometimes they stand alone. They do not tend to follow the herds, which is why seasoned marketers and advertisers must have a field day trying to 'sell' them the coolness of their brands!

Via Pinterest

Free spirits do not (cannot!) care too much about what everyone else thinks about them. You have to let go of prejudices and be tolerant, respect differences, be more detached or you'll get sucked back in; yet having said that, this apparent carefree attitude doesn't mean you don't care as a free spirit! The ones I know care too much for their own good! And as for one I am incredibly sensitive and passionate, verging on the compulsive dramatist at times, just ask those closest and dearest...

Free spirits are not necessarily creative, however their thinking is creative! On the other hand, being a creative doesn't warrant free-spiritedness. I know some creative types with regimented organised materialistic lifestyles who would never contemplate the more Bohemian aspects of a free spirit lifestyle, and who try to instill 'some sense' into my life. And that, I'm afraid, will get them a buh-bye from me! (to be continued)

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Smells Like Free Spirit is a 4-part series:  Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4

Smells Like Free Spirit (Part 2)

"A prayer for the wild at heart that are kept in cages" - Tennessee Williams, Stairs to the Roof, 1941

Free spirits come in all shapes and forms. I firmly believe that we are all free spirits at heart. We are born that way, although education, social codes and expectations, the class system, the structured work environment, financial pressures, life changes, and other externals will send a reality check down our way, crush those youthful ideals and shackle most of us to our 'lower base needs', i.e. a lifetime of relative servitude, rewarded by a stack of material possessions, and vaguely comforted by mirages and second bests.

'Clinging to the cliffside', Route 1, Big Sur Coastline by Jeff Swanson, via Flickr

Most of us will find some sort of contentment within our shallow lifestyle, while others will be kept awake at night by the intrinsic wonders of life, puzzled by the actual meaning of it all, and tortured in their waking hours by that urge to finally break free from the rat race but without any clear-cut master plan in mind, yet sane enough to not fall prey to any sort of "turn on, tune in and drop out" counterculture psychedelic buzzphrase, or any form of sectarian idolism!

Nonetheless a handful of us will remain true to our core values throughout, stand the test of time and the trappings of the modern world to move to the next level, to seek the meaning of happiness and engage in its pursuit. Pursue the quest for wisdom, a purpose to life, a fit in society, via worthwhile charitable causes, faith and religion, and/ or travel. One will facilitate the other. Some will embark upon a journey of self-discovery for a while, maybe even through a career break or 'adult' gap year, then come back when satisfied enough, hopefully with a role, a purpose, a vision, a mission, a line of conduct. Some will be back with no clear purpose, but will be enriched by experience, a taste of freedom and new-found knowledge in a multitude of areas.

Via All That Glitters Is Not Gold (Tumblr)

Others will be in it for the long haul, devoting a lifetime to the self-discovery cause, yet with no guarantee to find answers and/ or to contribute meaningfully to society's welfare via their alternative thinking and doing. They might get lost in the process and turn into those 'eternal' travellers, those drifters living for the moment, who lost their roots and foundations, and are of no fixed abode.

Philosophers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and sociologists have devoted lifetimes to the fact that man is naturally good and needs to break free from society's coercive and corruptive hold. With this in mind, some of us free spirits will take to the road looking for ourselves, seeking answers, musing about inspiration, searching the truth, our own truth, while enacting our own version of the Jack Kerouac road trip.

Via Le Croissant d'Argent (Tumblr)

Not all journeys are necessarily geographical. Some are inner/ introvert journeys, through spiritual awareness, meditation, contemplation, philosophy etc. At the other end of the spectrum, some journeys start, happen or end down California's Silicon Valley. The valley is full of original free spirits, techie by nature, but also outside-of-the-box thinkers wearing Converse sneakers and that Che Guevara tee, who juggle algorithms and streamline open source so the rest of us can benefit from the latest web 2.0 advancements. Free spirits are not necessarily ascetic nor are they bound to be cash-poor and devoid of needs.

The definition of free spirit is difficult to pinpoint as such. Free spirits are free thinkers, truth seekers, open-minded, open to the world and to change, open to the possibilities of a better world; they see things from a different perspective. They have a fresh approach, with a hint of optimism and idealism; they are passionate lovers of life (despite sometimes contesting it), almost carefree and not as confined by social restrictions as the conformists. (to be continued)

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Smells Like Free Spirit is a 4-part series:  Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4