Phenomenal woman, that's me

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.   

                   -Maya Angelou

'every now and then I wanna to throw my hands up in the sky cuz one day I know I'll be flyin high...'

Morning.

Sun rays. 

Light pockets dancing on my wall.

Awake. Stirring. Heavy.

 

Midday.

Tropical forest. Tropical sun. Hot.

Feet planted solid on the ground.

Moving fast. Running. 

Spinning. 

Dreaming. Living.

 

Nightfall.

Heavy eyes. Active mind.

Creative thoughts within silence.

Quiet. Darkness. Peace.

Grateful.

when his movement made my heart flutter

I remember it like it was yesterday. 

And now it's coming up to almost three years.

This time three years ago,  I was getting ready for my life to change. 

And oh my, how it did.

Erin Flannery on my mind.

 

"...I like to think of my style as illustration, street art 

and a hint of hand-stitching all meeting each other 

in a dark but lovely alleyway, getting on really well 

and deciding to throw themselves all over a raw linen canvas!"

                        -Erin Flannery

Monocrome. Textured. Effortless.

      Bold, dark tones with hints of soft muted colours are what Australian Erin Flannery showcases.

      With no use of full detail, she speaks the language of form and movement without 

      the need to say too much.You how they say less is more? Been following her for quite 

      sometime now, and I fall in love with her work more and more 

      every time I peek into her little folder in my 'because' files on my computer. 

For me, its that simplicity of art that becomes that ideal picture, 

that quintessential piece ..... THAT one that you hang up on your wall 

and stare at for hours. I know I would.

If this isn't enough eye candy, hop on over to her blog for more.

the world is a beat, i flow with it.

one moment.

one split second.

one morning.

it's been a tiring week.

and this is only just the beginning.

From fabrics to furniture to budgets to contractors to ......

It's been about eating sandwiches on the road. 

It's been about jumping from one meeting to another, from one end of the city to the other, 

from one motorway to the next. 

It's been about relying on notes to keep my thoughts in tact.

This is exactly what to need to keep me energised, keep me alive and most importantly to 

keep me going. I remember juggling two jobs + school in London. I lived for the exhaustion 

and I treasured that feeling bubbling within, that feeling of aim and accomplishment.
Sometimesjust the simple throb in your feet, the ache behind tired eyes, that pain in the lower
back, that breathlessness.

It's that rush, the adrenalin of pushing yourself to your complete limit.

This what I live for.

Why hello, September.

 

... but August still continues takes my breath away....

1. August brought me three new contracts for my design company, two of which gave
    me handshakes that sealed the deal in just one day.

2. We now have another to begin concepts for.

3. It gave me a memorable last trip to LA for a long time, one that left me with butterflies
    in my tummy remembering the laughter we all shared  in just one night.

4. It let me see family that I hadn't seen in a few years, it allowed me to get to know a
    cousin I never properly knew before. I like that time allows you to do this.

5. It gave me an evening with girlfriends, with good food, good conversation and a
    chance to just be me.

6. I had the August Break, where I gave myself the goal to blog everyday. I don't see that I
    have failed this project, I see that it gave me a chance to aim for something and realise
    that not everything goes as planned and sometimes life just happens.

7. It gave this non-diva a champagne lunch with two wonderful divas in my life. Sometimes
    a girl just needs that end of the week surreal escape.

8. It allowed us a family Sunday afternoon in bed, where three of us did nothing at all with
    no guilt. This is not something that happens often.

9. August gave me hope again, simple hope that if you really believe that things will get
    better, they will. It's been awhile since I've pat myself on the back. Recently, I've had
    invisible bruises from all the beat downs I give myself.

10. .... and best of all, it allowed me to bid it goodbye in this place, where the silence
      was a little deafening for this urban girl but where the sun rays peeked through the palm
     trees in this humid tropical province, where the crickets sang loudly but a place where I
     saw a new beginning for this doubtful mind of mine.

I'm starting to believe that things are really looking up and that perhaps finally, my dreams
are coming true.

So, August, thank you. 

EDIT: 

A little curiosity found me reading back on last years August Break end and look at what I found. Funny how I found myself in the same place, at the same time of year, in a COMPLETELY different mind set.

What one year (and patience) can bring.