Chocolates & Cigarettes

The Winds Of Change

As of 17h00 yesterday, 27th November, I became no longer a school girl. I don't think the full magnitude of the end has hit me yet. That the twelve years is actually over, and I can pack away my yellow frocks never to be worn again. It's quite a surreal feeling. Nevertheless I am beyond excited for what's ahead for me. A gap year filled with soul searching and new experiences. Eyes wide open and heart yearning, I'm ready for you world.

I took this photo on Durban Pier last night before a lovely night of celebrations with family at Moyo. It's not very well-lit and I'm still learning so I apologise, but I love this setting that captures a horizontal landscape. The photo doesn't nearly bring justice to the beauty that is Durban's city lights at night. I love my home and I can't wait for the new chapter I get to step into now.

Letting Go

Today has been a day consisting of many thoughts. A lot which surrounded art and expression. With regard to myself, if I'm honest, I can be quite insecure about my own creations and ideas. I've found fear becoming a huge wall I've had to overcome on numerous occasions. The lesson being in all of this: fear is a liar. Don’t ever let fear take hold of you, don’t lose yourself. And doubting never helped anyone either. My most successful artworks have been the ones where I have been true to myself throughout. The difficulty with art, especially in high school is that it may not be interpreted the way you want it to be and when your work is being marked and critiqued by a teacher it can feel very limiting. But I regret not letting go as much as I should of. Most times the absence of control is healthy. 

So what I’m getting at is LET GO. Believe in yourself. Let your thoughts run wild. Create something obscure. Express what it is that makes up the fabric of your soul. Do not let anyone stop you from doing what you love – it sounds cliché but it’s resounds with truth. Commit to living life following your own rhythm no matter what anyone has to say about it.  We all should take more risks, make mistakes and learn quickly. Do what we love and do it well. 
That’s all there really is to it.

Babel

Firstly I'd like to apologise for my lack of occurrence lately. I have been slacking due to the fact that I'm writing matric finals which have caused me to hibernate to my desk. And because my internet ran out last month. (I hate it when that happens.) But let's just blame exams since it’s the most worthy guilty party.


Secondly can I just take a moment to say how glorious Mumford and Sons' new album, Babel is. It makes me emotional. Also it doesn't help that all these lads are so darn goodlooking. If you haven't heard it you must. Right away.

Here's my favourite:

And my other favourite:

Well I actually can't choose, you should just go listen to the whole thing.

Happiness

What can I do with my happiness? How can I keep it, conceal it, bury it where I may never lose it? I want to kneel as it falls over me like rain, gather it up with lace and silk, and press it over myself again. - Anaïs Nin  

Moonrise Kingdom

I am the biggest fan of Wes Anderson and anything 1960s. So when I first discovered this film I could not hold back the excitement and gush over the splendour that is (old) New England. This adorable rom-com looks to be a very worthwhile watch. The awkward cuteness reminds me of 500 Days Of Summer which is one of my favourite films of all time. It is said to be released on the 19 October 2012 in South Africa. Do yourself a favour and go see it! 

Full moon, full heart.

As I sit awake on this late Monday night I cant help but feel gratitude for the little things. I have found myself in heaps of wrong and mess and all sorts of closely related negatives. But as soon as one takes a step out of it all, a moment to breathe and concentrate, that would be the perfect moment to regain fullness. Wholeness. Because despite the many pieces we humans find ourselves in, we also tend to find the utilities to unconsciously, effortlessly fix ourselves in the midst of this. Sometimes the fixing glue comes in the form of a person, or a conversation that somehow lightens the load. A smile from a stranger. A beautiful full moon in the dark sky. All of these things build us up and before we know it, we’re in one full perfect piece again. 

Isn't that glorious? I think so. We all need a bit of a wake up call sometimes to open our eyes and our hearts, to drink in the surrounding beauty that life has so graciously handed to us. 

http://pinterest.com/kathelliott/words/

The Help

What better way to spend a cold, rainy day in Durban? Well of course, to position yourself on the couch with some tea and watch the film ‘The Help’ for the umpteenth time. I found myself with salty, wet checks after bawling my eyes out several times over the heartbreaking beauty that this story is. I do confess to having watched the movie first when it was released, before I actually read the book, but either way it gets me every time. It follows the lives of two sides of the community of Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s – The Civil Rights era in America. Miss Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (played by Emma Stone, one of my very favourite actresses.) is a gutsy, noble, sincere white woman that stands out from the majority of the harsh white society. She decides to write a book telling the sides of the mistreated black maids who spend their lives raising white children. She becomes their voice that so desperately needs to be heard and ultimately a hero.

This film actually got me thinking of South Africa’s history of racism during apartheid and really put my life into perspective. I know we are still facing some issues as a country but I think I speak for every child born into this new democracy when I say how extremely blessed I am to grow up with such a diversity of race. One very special friend of mine comes to mind and I thank God for putting such a shining light into my life.

This film will make you laugh and cry all in one so if you haven’t seen it or read the book, I urge you to! It is such an honest and humbling portrayal of the lives hurt during this era and the magnitude of strength that one person has to stand up for her fellow human.  

I especially love this scene when Constantine says to Skeeter, “Ever morning, until you dead in the ground, you gone have to make this decision. You gone have to ask yourself, "Am I gone believe what them fools say about me today?” 

And of course courageous Aibileen with the memorable line she reminds young Mae Mobley of daily, "You is kind. You is smart. You is important." It certainly touched my heart.

Listen Up

I do apolgise in advance if this is becoming a monotonous occurrence in the blogosphere. But I'm jumping onto the band wagon. (Excuse the pun.)  Since music is such a huge part of my life I decided to generously share it with you all. Or who ever reads this actually. Ha.
I guess you could say I am a Rock n Roll /indie/folk kind of girl. But I am not too particular. A little bit of this and a little bit of that.
So with that I shall leave you with some of my recent favourites.

If you are looking for hauntingly delicate and gloriously beautiful, then this band is your dream come true. The lyrics of this song are also so lovely. It's been on repeat in my ears for quite a while now.

This triple treat speaks for itself. 

Also, if you enjoy little pieces of acoustic brilliance like this, have a look on the  Burberry channel and your kingdom awaits. I know, be still your heart.

 I'll delight you with some more soon. In the mean time I hope you play these bad boys until they cannot be played any longer. (I know I will.)

She's lovely isn't she?

I mentioned in a previous post of my art prac. final for school. Well I decided to go ahead with the musical interpretation of the theme "Play". Music is such a divine creation.

So my dear friend Emily agreed to be my model and she was. And the pictures are breath-taking. So therefore I warn you, inhale deeply and exhale. Repeat. Here are just a few.

Images taken by me, Kathryn Elliott.

Play

The crucial FINAL art exam paper arrived in my hands last week, I am surprised and delighted with the theme. “Play.” is what our practical piece of art must be associated with. 

Play

Verb:

Engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.

A lot comes to mind since this word is so vague, which is always good in Mrs Ferguson’s art class. Many ideas. So these past few days have included copiousness amounts of searching for inspiration and many a mind tangle. I feel myself leaning more towards the aspect of music. 

Time will tell. 

Here are some lovely images I stumbled upon.

images: leahzawadzki.lilyblue.com; pilarbonheur.tumblr.com

If not now, then when?

If someone were to ask me where I'm at right now in my life or how I actually AM, I don’t even know if I could truthfully answer that. Life these days goes from one extreme to the next. It’s a confusing way to be/ live. I suppose it may have something to do with the fact that I finish high school in less than four months which both terrifies me to the core and makes me want to scream with excitement. Scary because I know that the choices I make now will effect the rest of my life… (but don’t all choices do that?) The excitement certainly outweighs the worries though.

I’ve wanted to start a blog for a long, long time. But that brings us to the matter of procrastination. So I simply decided to go with the infamous phrase “If not now, when?” and that’s how I’d like to look at my circumstances in this life of an anxious high school girl. I love words. Reading, which I need to allocate much more time to in my life. And writing. Is the English language not the most beautiful in all it's complexity?  And expressing myself in a little blog that I can call my own, well why not. So I'll let this be a start to my ramblings. Which will hopefully become more cohesive as I go along.