The Talentless State of the Pop Music Industry

OK, time to throw a bit of controversy into my blog.

Recently, just like the rest of the Australia. I have been watching The Voice (AUS).  I have been overwhelmed by the sheer talent of the artists on it. It seems the whole world has completely forgotten what real talent is. Look at the Itunes chart.  Hear the songs played on pop radio. You hear songs that are made by a computer and are madly auto-tuned. These songs are designed to be played in a club. I don't actually know anyone who lives in a club or spends their whole life there.  So, why the hell do we listen to such crap so MUCH? I would really like to know. 'Artists' like Rihanna, Nicki Minaj (and the list goes on) make thousands (no millions) of dollars out of what? Making sexy music videos. Making 'music' that is easy to dance to? Producing catchy songs. I honestly don't know. 

It's only when you see real talent that realise what a horrible state the industry is actually in.  But I (and many other music gurus - I am not implying I am in any way a music guru) predict a change in this techno inspired face of pop.

We all know Adele. She has broken all kinds of records. Her album has SOLD LIKE CRAZY and is still in the top 20. It's because she opened up the world's eyes to real, raw, honest talent. Which so many singers have. So, I have crossed fingers that this is the direction pop music is heading in. A chord driven ballad state.

I googled 'the horrible state of the pop industry' and came across a Yahoo Answers page full of strong opinions. Some people said music had become like fast food, some people said it was thanks to the youth of the planet (cough, cough....me) but what really stood out of the whole discussion is that no one really liked the whole computer made pop thing.

Of course, this is a very negative side to the argument. Also on the charts is Flo and the Machine, Ed Sheeren and some other really quite talented artists. But songs on the radio (and very often the charts) are predominantly techno, club-driven ones which I personally don't find very pleasent to listen to.

How do you feel about the current pop music industry? Answer in the comments.

Have a think about it,
Isabella

The Grass is Always Greener on The Other Side

The grass is always greener on the other side. For the human race it seems that it always is.  We seem to be under the odd illusion that the best things are the ones that we do not have.  The ones on the other side. Why the hell is this? Why do we long for other things? Why do they seem so much better then what we have? 

I have a theory. An odd one too. I believe that the world around us moves so fast that we get extremely bored easily. We get use to what we have. We start to notice the flaws of what we have and suddenly what someone else has seems so much better. 

Curvy people long to be petite. Petite people long to have curves.  I’m going to be honest, it utterly sucks. 

The thing is the nature of humans is to always want more.  We consume lots, we are on the top of the food chain and we have a lot of power.  There is always more in our lives. It’s easy for us to be able to get better things. We are so use to the idea of new things that we get bored of the old ones.

So in short I think the fact that the grass always seems greener on the other side is related to consumerism and the fast moving pace of the world. 

Xoxoxoxoxoxo

Isabella

The Thing about Negativity

I recently discovered the site: Get Off My Internets  It’s quite funny and is extremely popular but it’s basically about tearing other people down.  It’s addictive which has made me come to the conclusion that negativity is addictive. Negativity seems to have everything on its side. It’s easy to give, it makes you feel powerful and it temporarily defeats jealousy. I have many times contemplated doing a ‘Things I Hate’ post when I’m low on ideas.  It can feel AMAZING to have a little rant but the thing about posting it on the Internet is that the person you’re writing about can easily find it.  

The whole Internet is encouraging us to be negative – from the dislike button on Youtube to blogs like Get Off My Internets. 

Watching the news is negative –they never seem to report any GOOD news. Rain is negative- it stops us from going outside.  Sometimes I feel like the whole world is turning negative on me.

BUT WHAT ABOUT WHEN I’M BEING NEGATIVE – you may ask.  There’s NOTHING wrong with being negative sometimes.  But when you are being negative about someone who’s just doing what they like to do   when they can see/hear what you are saying/writing that’s when it crosses the line. And when your just ALWAYS negative that can make you feel awfully sad about the world - don't you think?

So When you’re thinking about writing nasty comments and such, try for a bit of empathy.

Oh, wait hold on. What about opinions? We should be able to express our opinions on the Internet. Of coarse we should! There’s a thin line between expressing an opinion and being overly negative. As to where that line lies – I’ll let that be up to you.

Xoxoxox

Isabella 

PS. This is just MY OPINION about negativity - Remember I'm overly optimistic. I'd love to hear your opinion about negativity in the comments. 

Blogging - A Realisation

Hello everyone, 


I'm back. Did you miss me? 


Since taken a break from blogging I've realised a lot about what blogging is about. I've had a lot more time to think about my blog and the blogs of others. 

Source

I've thought about why we blog. More specifically, why I blog. I think we all dream of being a role model, of being an immaculate being. A blog is a place where we share the good in our life, we never reveal our flaws. We try to come across as perfect. 


People love Gala Darling because she seems absolutely perfect. She loves herself, she's thin, she's pretty and she has an award winning blog. 


When we blog we almost create a character for ourselves. A perfect character who overuses some words and has some sort of trademark. It's only human to want to be perfect and want to be looked up to. 


In a way, blogs are wildly honest but wildly dishonest at the same time. People share their best outfits but not their worst ones. They share their best dishes but not their worst. Due to this, people and their blogs can come across as immensely vain and quite materialistic. I feel my blog is starting to slip into that category. 


So, of today my blog's image has slightly changed. As well as being a place where I share materialistic things and ideas I also want it to be a place where I can share intellect with my readers. I want it to cover more areas of life. 


Hope you have enjoyed your week 
Xoxoxoxo
Isabella

The Stupidness of Averages, Stereotypes and General Normalness

We all get just a bit scared of standing out. No one wants to be viewed as weird. Stereotypes barricade us. It’s as if they keep us in little boxes. Peer pressure pushes us over the edge. We’re all scared of being a current instead of just going with the rest of the river. I was inspired to write this because of an article I read in the latest Frankie. It was about creatives with disabilities. I was drawn to a story about a blind furniture designer. I loved the fact he was unique. People expect designers to we women with red hair, cat eyeglasses and architectural jewelry. But this guy pushed boundaries. He wasn’t an average.  It made me realize how stupid stereotypes are. How they barricade us and stop us from doing things we love.  

  

This is a message to everyone. It doesn’t matter how normal you are.  There are two words that have been said so much they are a bit of a cliché but they’re true so I’ll share them with you.  Normal’s boring.  As is fitting in with the crowd. If we didn’t have creatives, unique people and weirdoes our world would be so boring we’d all fall asleep. So, do your bit for our world and don’t be afraid to stand out. Jump up and down, wear a banana suit and dance like no one’s watching.  

Have a good week

Xoxoxo

Isabella

Photo from http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/44/36/blue,eyes,bunny,bunny,ears,bunny,rabbit,bunny,whisker,carrot,color,colour,eyes,girl,green,hipster,indie,long,hair,make,up-4436c9fc1721c03d3c6ecab2f90e6610_m.jpg/ 

Chocolate, Pink Baths and That Little Thing Called Love - A Guide To Having The Perfect Valentine's Day

I have never celebrated Valentine's day in my life so for me tomorrow will be a first. It seems no one does in Australia.  Valentines day is corny and retailers see it as a way to sell more stuff so people often forget about it's true meaning which is love. Now I'll stop there or I'll go into motivational speaker mode. What I don't get is why people only view it as a day to celebrate our love for another person. Why can't we celebrate our love for the world or for ourselves!  This guide tell you how to celebrate love in it's many forms. So curl up and read all about celebrating love for...well.....everything. 

5 Fabulous Ways To Celebrate Your Love With Someone

1. Go to a drive in movie

2. Bring out the corny heart chocolate and have a picnic!

3. Go out for a fancy lunch or dinner.

4. Each of you pick a movie and watch both of them back to back!

5.  Make love heart cookies

5 Fabulous Ways To Celebrate Your Love For The Amazing World Around You
Who doesn't love our amazing world.  Sure, it has it's flaws but it's beautiful and full of culture and diversity. 

1. Go away for a day to a new place

2. Take photos of everything you see that is beautiful or interesting.

3. Spend the day gardening

4. Go for a picnic

5. Go for a walk around your city  


6 (I had to throw in an extra one) Fabulous Ways To Celebrate Your Love For Yourself
Self love isn't about being full of yourself, cocky or selfish. It's about having confidence and a high sense of self worth.  Gala darling is the ultimate self lover and has amazing tips about how to be confident and how to love yourself so for more ideas have a look at her.

1. Treat yourself to a mini shopping trip. Come on, you deserve it!

2. Have some exercise.

3. Write down the 100 things you love about yourself

4. Paint your nails a new colour

5. Cook yourself a special meal.

6. Hang out with friends

The Ultimate Valentine's Day Thing
OK, so a couple of weeks ago I discovered a Lush bath bomb in my room. 'Oh, how lovely' I thought and I put it in the bath and hopped in. As the bath bomb spread the bath turned pink (yes, pink) and little confetti hearts went everywhere. I felt intensely happy and put on some calming music thinking about well....everything as one often does in the bath. It was INSANELY relaxing and I plan of doing it every Valentines day for the next couple of years. It's amazing how the little things can make you happy.

This is the bath bomb. I'm pretty sure you can buy on line. 

Have a fabulous Valentine's Day
Stay wonderful
Xoxo
Isabella

Needles, Cookies and Computers- Finding Ways To Release Your Creativity

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things.

Steve Jobs

So, we’ve established that creativity is a pretty damn awesome thing. It fuels jobs, hearts and brains. For those with a day job that they may not particularly like or a thirst for a creative outlet I’ve put together a little list of creative outlets and the pros and cons of each one. 

Blogging

Blogging is a wonderful thing.  It is something that leaves you with a lot of possibilities. You can blog about whatever you like.  If you don’t enjoy it than stop because really, what’s the point of doing it if you don’t? The main pros for me are the happiness it gives me. That is the reason I persist despite the fact I have quite few readers.

Another thing that will be a pro for me, hopefully in the future is money. You can actually make really good amounts of money from a blog but at the same time I would be happy to just keep writing and have no ads.

The things that sort of suck about having a blog is the hate. You can get really awful comments that make you feel like you blog is horrible. Of course, I hate the awful comments but for me the main con of blogging is the fact that sometimes I feel (and I’m sure it’s the same with lots of other bloggers) like I’m just sending articles out into the big wide internet and they’re getting lost and no one can find them or read them. I think ‘who is actually reading this?’ I absolutely love it though and I don’t think I’ll be stopping any time soon.  

Small Business 

Having a small business is a really fun thing to do.  It means making really direct money really quite quickly. The expenses are really quite high though.  You can sell homemade toys, cushions and all sorts of other little things.  You can sell your little things at a market or on Etsy.  

Other things you ay want to do are

-  - Sewing classes

-  - Baking with friends every month

-  - Knitting

Happy releasing creativity.  

Have a lovely weekend

Xoxo

Isabella

10 Things You Should Do This Fabulous February

Hello! So yesterday is the first day of February and I'm feeling on top of the world! February is a month where everyone is still easing into the new year. Christmas feels like ages ago and people have already forgotten about their new years resolutions! You, yes you, should have a fabulous Febuary. To help you do this I've written a long checklist so we can all feel on top of the world!  




1. Send a letter 
That's right, be old fashioned. It's lovely to recieve a letter in the mail. Send a letter to a couple of people you know and see if they send one back. 

Photo from
http://coconutandcream.blogspot.com.au/2010_07_01_archive.html

2. Take Care of Your Skin 
Who wants to have peeling, oily, dirty or generallty icky skin? Exactly...... no one. Here are my tips for perfectish skin. 

Step One: Cleanse and tone your skin in the morning, also, put on a tinted sunscreen. Sunburn sucks and no one can notice a tinted sunscreen. Then in the evening give your face another wash. Simple as pie.  

Photo from http://drsecretstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/1374.jpg

3. Have Flowers In Your House 
It is a fact* that flowers make people happy. Having them in your house adds ambiance to a room. They are beautiful and uplifting. Unless they are dead. 
*not an actual fact 

Photo from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tTmQkCG7xqg/
TLcZoicnuZI/AAAAAAAAAH0
/e1_VTYoGz7s/s1600/flowers1+copy.jpg

4.  Try A New Tea
Tea is a wonderful thing. I DO NOT BELIEVE IN LIMITING YOURSELF TO ENGLISH BREAKFAST. There's so many teas out there we should all experiment.  

Photo from http://www.countryliving.com/cm/countryliving/images
/tea-party-teacups-rep0507-de.jpg

5. Buy a polka dot garnment 
I utterly adore polka dots. And it seems they are making a bit of a come back. They seem to be popping up everywhere. So go out and buy a polka dot garnment. A skirt? A dress? A top? Polka dots= guarenteed cuteness! 

Photo from http://www.thisnext.com/tag/
polka-dot-party-dress/

6. Have a candlelit dinner 
Sometimes its great to make things a bit special. A candlelit dinner is a fab way to do this. Invite some friends or family over a cook a spectacular dinner.   

Photo from http://www.artisansofleisuretraveler.com/photos
/Bali_private_beach_dinner_t.jpg

7. Give yourself a new hobby  
Start a blog or a shop on Etsy. You could make a bit of extra cash and have a ton of fun.  

Photo from http://heartifb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09
/green-blog-image.jpg

8. Read a couple of new blogs 
Go for a bit of surf on the internet (or refer to my Blogroll) and find a few little gems to add to your google reader.   

http://higher-and-higher.com/wp-content/uploads
/2010/10/fashion-blogs.jpg

9. Give a batch of cookies to a friend 
If have a friend who has stayed with you through thick and thin and is always there to lend a helping hand or a sholder to cry on.  It's good to give back. Give her a batch of her favourite cookies. Complete with a little tag saying how great she/he is.   

Photo from http://www.trotski-ash.com/2010/01
/recipes/chocolate-chip-cookies/

10. Do this 
I love gala darling. I especially love her idea of radical self love. This is a fabulous idea to get yourself feeling self confident this Febuary.  

Photo from galadarling.com

Happy New Month!!! 
Stay happy
Xoxoxoxo
Isabella

20 Steps To Calmitity, Organisation and Happiness

It's the beginning of the year and everyone is still settling in to 2012. It's all a bit chaotic really. So, I've put together an instruction manual, for want of a better word. This will help you become calmer, more organised and ultimately happier. Let's get started! 


Step 1 
Sit or lie down and reflect on 2011. Think of all the things you did well and all the things you can improve on.   


Step 2 
Write down the things you did in 2011 you want to continue in 2012 and the things you want to stop/can improve on. 


Step 3 
Clean up your Desktop on your computer 


Step 4  
Clean up your real desktop 


Step 5 
Go around your house and get rid of all the things you don't need or want anymore. 


Step 6 
Dust your house (get rid of any dust on surfaces). 


Step 7 
Go for a big clothes shop. Get a couple of basics and some on trend things  for the season. 


Step 8 
Stock up your kitchen. Go on a huge food shop! Buy baking materials, fruit, veggies, salsas and other things you may need. 


Step 9  
Clean out your handbag and refill it with goodies. 


Step 10 
Have a few hours of really good excercise. 


Step 11 
Calm your soul and body by doing some yoga 


Step 12 
Have a very long soak in the bath. 


Step 13 
Clean out your pantry and organise everything into boxes 


Step 14  
Write all your events for the year in a diary and high-light the most important ones!  


Step 15  
Have a picnic with friends (helps you to be calm)  


Step 16 
Write a Misson Statement (see this Gala Darling article) 


Step 17 
Get a haircut 


Step 18 
Delete old contacts 


Step 19 
Make yourself an apple, pear and ginger juice 

Step 20  
Plan and look forward to a great year  


I'm going away to a small island with absolutely no internet reception for a week. So sadly, I will not be able to post. Sorry!  


I hope you enjoyed this post 
Stay calm, organised and HAPPY 
Lot's of love 
Xoxoxoxox 
Isabella 

8 Days of Christmas, Day 8 - How to 'survive' Christmas

I know it can be stressful on Christmas Day but for most people it usually turns out fine in the end. For some it never turns out fine and they dread Christmas day. I love Christmas Day. Full stop. 


If your family breaks into a feud 
Go into the bathroom take out your phone and play a game of angry birds or two. Then if you can't hear the fight anymore then go back out if not whisper to your grandma or mother that you feel sick and go and have the time of your life somewhere else.  


If no one has anything to say and there is a very awkward silence 
Ask people questions. Comment on the food. Talk about plans for the new year. Start conversations. Check out this site 
http://www.conversationstarters.com/101.htm 

If you are spending Christmas alone  
Make yourself a lovely lunch and watch Christmas movies. Call up some friend for a chat. Go for a long walk whilst listening to calming music such as Christmas carols or maybe even go on a trip.  
For more idea's check out Yesterday's post 


I wish you all a very Merry Christmas 
Remember the meaning of Christmas and that it is about peace and joy and love. Don't worry I'm sure you will get some fabulous presents and eat some fabulous food. Try and make it the best day of the year so far. 


Xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxo 
Isabella 

8 Days of Christmas, Day 7 - 50 Things You Could Do On Christmas Day

I figure most of you already have plans for Christmas Day but these things are only small. Some only take an hour or so, some take 5 minutes some only take a few seconds.They are fun, fab and beneficial.  


1. Eat some chocolate 
2. See people 
3. Think of the other people in the world who are not as happy as you today. 
4. Ride a bike around you suburb 
5. Do something nice to another person 
6. Have a swim (southern hemisphere) 
7. Go ice skating (northern hemisphere) 
8. Watch a festive film 
9. Dance to Christmas carols 
10. Eat a candy cane 
11. Make gingerbread 
12. Have a picnic 
13. Go see some Christmas lights 
14. Go to church  
15. Go look at shop windows whilst the shops are closed and right down all the stuff you will buy when it goes on sale for boxing day 
16. Go caroling 
17. Take your kids to see Santa 
18. Have high tea 
19. Stay at a hotel on Christmas Eve 
20. Go see a Christmas play or ballet (The Nutcracker maybe) 
21. Roast Chestnuts and/or marshmellows  
22. Make some Christmas Craft 
23. Kiss someone under the mistletoe 
24. Write your New Years Resolutions down 
25. Go for a walk around a part of town you don't usually go to 
26. Go to a nativity play 
27. Build a snowman 
28. Watch a back to back of your favourite shows 
29. Send some postcards to people about the new year and your plans for it  
30. Make paper snowflakes  
31. Have a cup of hot cocoa with your favourite person(s) 
32. Create a new tradition 
33. Read a whole book 
34. Subscribe to a new magazine or blog 
35. Decorate festive cookies with your kids 
36. Volunteer at the homeless shelter 
37. Bake a christmas cake 
38. Have a leftover dinner 
39. Buy yourself a present  
40. Send a text to all your contacts saying Merry Christmas 
41. Everytime you see someone say Felice Naveda (it's Spanish for Merry Christmas) 
42. Wear a red and green headband 
43. Make mulled wine 
44. Dress up as an elf 
45. Watch the movie Elf (with kids if you have them) 
46. Cover your self in red and green glitter. 
47. Give old toys to the children's hospital  
48. Have a party 
49. Think about last Christmas and which one was better 
50. Have fun!  


Can't wait until Christmas. 
One more day of 8 Days of Christmas! 
Stay happy 
Xoxoxoxoxoxo
Isabella  
  

8 Days of Christmas, Day 1 - The Incredible Art of Gift Giving

Hi everybody. 
I'm extremly, really, absolutely, utterly sorry for the lack of posting. My internet hasn't been working at all so it's been very hard to post. ANYWAY. Let's talk about Christmas. 


This christmas I am doing a special feature on Dandelion. This feauture goes by the name of 8 Days of Christmas. Each day I will do a Christmas themed post up until Christmas Eve. So for day one I will do a post on gift giving. 


DAY 1- THE INCREDIBLE ART OF GIFT GIVING


The holidays are very close and everyone's starting to think about all the gifts they have to give everyone. This post is the opposite to the last one. It's all about buying stuff.Christmas is meant to be a time of joy not stress so buy your gifts as early as possible. You don't need to buy the exact things I reccomend. This is just a loose guide to get inspiration from.  


Women 

1. Witchery Rope Tie Tunic     

2. Maxwell & Williams Infusions Tea Pot   

3. Kiki.k Goal Book 

4. Lush Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub 

5. Adele 21 (CD)

6. Lomography Diana F+ Camera

7. MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme 

8. The Handmade Store Teatowel 

9. Leather Plait Crossbody Bag 

10. MARION Recipe and stories from a hungry cook 

Men 
For this section I had to do a bit more reaserch. Even still it turned out well.  


1. Jamie's 30 Minute Meals Cookbook   

2. Newsprint Book Mighty Wallet 

3. Wood Printed Iphone Case 

4. ACNE Snake in the Shade (Skinny)Jeans 
 

5. Belle Fluer Chocolate 

6. Steampunk Cufflinks 

7. Sperry Boat Shoes 

8. Boy and Bear Moonfire 

9. Chord Riff T-shirt 

10. A big box of their FAVOURITE chocolate. 












Teen Girl 




1. Lush Sweet Lips Lip Scrub 

2. H & M Clutch  

3. Rayban Original Wayfarer Bloks (Sunglasses) 

4. The Hunger Games Book 

5. Navajo Print T-shirt 

6. Decal8 Forest Wall Art 

7. Kiki.k 101 Dreams Notebook 

8. Threadsence Smoke Screen One Shoulder Dress 

9. 4, Beyonce (CD) 

10. Jellybean Bike 

Teen Boy 


1. Penny Skateboard 

  
























2. Icade Ipad Arcade Pacman Docking Station 

3. The Hunger Games Book 

4. Nikon The Sentry Watch 

5. Urban Outfitters Audiobot Speaker  

6. Zara Checked Flannel Shirt
(They are very fashionable for men right now)   

7. Pixel Clock  

8. Urban Outfitters Bud by Designroom Phone Case