My mind: A Survey

Have you had sex in the last 12 hours? No.
What kind of mood are you in? A step closer to letting him go.
Are all guys/girls the same?
I'd like to think they aren't. And at times I'd like to think they are.
Did you have a good day today?
A lazy one. Yes.

Do you own a camera phone?
Yes, and I have a lot of pictures of my inside pockets.

What did you do this weekend?
Had one turbulent weekend. Celebrated a good friend's birthday on friday, followed by wanting to punch a guy in the face after he took my barstool away while I was still sitting on it. Then decided to relax at my best friend's place yesterday, took a long bath, watched a movie and fell asleep. Gazed at people on the train and on the streets today.

You're high and lost walking down the road, who is with you?
Myself.
Do you have a pet?
A turtle. Not really petable.
You kissed someone last night, didn't you?
I didn't actually.
Name something you dislike about the day you're having?
My mind that keeps wandering off to him.
Do you think that you have made a difference in someone's life?
One can only hope so.
Do you give out second chances easily?
Welcome aboard on the wings of forgiveness.

If you dated someone that someone else liked, would you rub it in their face?
I'd probably not date someone I know someone else is interested in. So no.
Is life ever easy?
"The world ain’t no easier than it’s ever been" - Amos Lee. In my words, it's what you make of it.

What were you doing at midnight last night?
Laughing with Elise.

Where's the last place you went besides your house?
Elise's.
Has anyone told you they missed you lately?
Yes.
Have you ever received a text message that made you cry?
Maybe, I don't remember. But it sounds as if that could've happened to me.
What song reminds you of the person you like?
So many. If I had to choose on it would be "I see you, You see me" by The Magic Numbers.

Have you ever told anyone you loved them and honestly meant it?
Yes.
As of this minute, what is going through your mind?
I miss you.
What are you currently listening to?
Nothing. That's a first.

Where is your phone?
Next to me.
Who was the last person to text you?
Elise.

Has anyone ever said something that brought tears to your eyes?
Yeah.
Has anyone let you down recently?
Yes. But maybe I just let 'em let me down.
Who was the last person you cried in front of?
Jones. But he didn't see it.
Last time you had a sleepover?
I stayed at Elise's yesterday.
Have you ever been drunk?
Oh yes. Not proud of it though.

Do you have a Facebook?
Is this the 21st century?

Can you have more than one best friend?
One should consider himself lucky to even have one. I'm lucky.

Are you one of those people who are always cold?
Yes. But strangely enough not now.
What were you doing at 10:00 am this morning?
Sleeping. Snoozing.
Have you ever cried in front of a friend?
I guess so.

Be honest, who is the easiest person in your life to talk to?
Hatim.

Do you hate being alone?
No, I actually like it.

Is your room clean?
Clean enough.
Are you a loud person?
Sometimes.

Do you use the word ‘epic’ daily?
Uh. Nuh.

Which do you prefer: M&M's, Skittles, or Reese's Pieces?
Skittles! Red ones!
If you could control the seasons-which season would you want it to be now?
Summer.

Who is the biggest drama queen or drama king in your life?
My dad.

Honestly, have you ever thrown garbage out of the window of a car?
Maybe when I was little. But I don't throw things on the streets, that's why my bag is always full of little pieces of paper, flyers and receipts.
If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?
I'd like to have my dog back, he was awesome.
Honestly, have you ever egged somebody's house or car?
Oh man, this is crazy, but yes.

If eating chocolate was against the law, would you break it?
Why would eating chocolate ever be against the law? It would be the best vice ever.
Do you like energry drinks?
No, Red Bull gives me palpitations.

What's going on between you and the last person you talked to?
She is secretly my mom.
What's for dinner?
We ordered pizza. Cheese and anchovies. So good.

The Love Police

Just take a minute to check this website out and this youtube video.

The message is simple:
Think independently, love eachother, be human to eachother. Educate yourself and wake up. Love is the solution.

Everything is OK.

Love

J.

Co² is Square

While watching the news yesterday a fact came up that shocked me.
Global CO2 emissions from oil, (stone) coal and other fossil fuels have increased by 29% this decade. Which is almost 30%. Which is way too much!
From 2000 to 2007, the global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels rose annually by about 3.6%. That is three times more than in the 90's, when the annual increase was still 1%. Most of these emissions are due to man.
We're punching Mother Nature in the face, turning our backs and saying "I'm sorry" doesn't even cross our minds.
We need to act. And fast.

Let me copy/paste something from an article from the New York Times' Green Inc. Blog: "Governments, negotiators and campaigners now say the Barcelona talks – and the Copenhagen summit that follows – will not make, or break, global climate policy. (...)Yvo de Boer, the U.N.’s climate chief, said it would be “physically impossible” to conclude a deal this year."
Let me be bold. If we keep accepting these increases and not conclude a deal and make a change soon, it'll be "physically impossible" to do anything but sit back and watch humanity fade away. I'm talking wipe-out.

Pitch in people. You may think this subject is boring, and you may not be interested in our earth's health. Let me tell you. We're just dots. Little dots in this enormous galaxy. I often hear friends saying the following phrase when they're having a bad day: "Life's a bitch." Yes, your life is insignificant. But I always reply: "It's what you make of it."
Let me be clear. Without this planet, there is no life. Not even a bitchy one.

I don't want to scare, annoy or anger anyone with this. But wake up. And do something.

Here's a little list of things you can do yourself:

- Stop eating red meat (you have no idea how much a cow contributes to CO2 emissions).
- Stop buying plastic bottles and bottles of water. Heat it up, filter it and put it in an eco-friendly, reusable water bottle. Get a Kleen Kanteen one, an Aquasana glass one or a sym.blue.ology blue glass one with a message.
- Now that I think about it, get your things in a shop. Save money on shipping costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions (you have no idea how much transportation contributes to CO2 emissions). And if you can, go to the shop by bike or on foot. That's how I do everything.
- Save up money and get solar panels.
- Use low energy light bulbs.
- Back to the roots, the way they do it in Brazil because water is scarce and expensive: harvest your rainwater.

On Carbon Footprint, you can calculate your own carbon footprint and learn how to reduce emissions and save costs.

Whatever you do... Act.

Have a healthy, conscious and aware day.

Jolene

Life lesson

It's all about one fourletterword:

LOVE

J.

The Ink Issue: What A Beautiful Mess.

I am fascinated by tattoos. Especially on women.
There's just something about them. In a world where Mattel invented the Barbie doll and introduced a stereotypical image of how women should be, I am thrilled to see that more and more women are going back to an artform that has been past on from one culture to another, surrounding themselves with elements of themselve. Being it a quote, a portrait or something abstract, I believe every tattoo has its meaning. It's a way of putting out there what is already in you, without the fear of being judged.

I used to think a tattoo was something you had to be a hundred percent sure of, because it sticks to your skin for good. No turning back. So no regrets. But even the silliest thing is not worth regreting, because it marks who you were. And if you change, it marks your evolution.
Of course, if you're not satisfied with your evolution or just made a wrong move by not thinking it through, there's always laser removal.

Before I got my first tattoo about two months ago, I talked to some people to see what their opinion was about the whole tattooing thing. Most of them tried to talk me out of it. I scheduled my appointment without telling anyone, besides two of my closest friends, and went off and got it anyway. Reactions afterwards were "It actually looks really good." Lesson: Do not let anyone talk you out of something you have set your mind to after careful consideration. You might ask them for their opinion. But they are not you.

I'm not Jesus, and not trying to convert you into something you're just not into. But if you are looking for some inspiration, here are some beautiful, tattooed women.

Inked Magazine - Quotes, stars, portraits, custom-made designs,etc...

Betty Lipstick - Hearts, dragons, roses, etc...

Kat Von D - Tattoo artist specialized in portraits, mostly black and grey.

Known From LA Ink & her shop High Voltage Tattoo

Murielle Scherre

Belgian designer of the lingerie label La Fille d'O - has a bow, pin-ups, the word "Amor", cherries, etc...



A random girl in Barcelona with leopard print and a cupcake

A tattoo is a true poetic creation, and is always more than meets the eye. - V. Vale and Andrea Juno, Modern Primitives

Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past. - Jack London

You may lose your most valuable property through misfortune in various ways. You may lose your house, your wife and other treasures. But of your moko, you cannot be deprived except by death. It will be your ornament and companion until your last day. - Netana Whakaari of Waimana

Ink to paper is thoughtful. Ink to flesh, hardcore. If Shakespeare were a tattooist, we'd appreciate body art more. - Carrie Latet

Tattooing is about personalizing the body, making it a true home and fit temple for the spirit that dwells inside it. Tattooing therefore, is a way of keeping the spiritual and material needs of the body in balance. - Michelle Delio

But! Think before you ink! I'm sure you don't want to look like our famous Belgian tattooed girl aka 56-stars-on-your-face when you're 85.

Jackie

Facebook: Filter!

Alright, so I was going through all sorts of subjects for new blogposts and doing some research, when all of a sudden I bumped into a humungous amount of "fanpages" titled "Artist X sucks", "F*&# off Artist Y", "Artist Z, you're a f***" on Facebook.
Seriously. What the heck is wrong with these people?
Okay, so you might not like a certain artist. Tell me, what do you get from calling him a something something on a worldwide communication page? Is it going to make your day and enlighten yourself? If so, it sounds like you might need to sort yourself out and start looking for some useful occupations.
I go gaga when people start dissing eachother like it's the most common thing to do. Seriously, it's not. That's your imagination. Or maybe you just have some mental disorder you need to deal with. Especially when it comes to music.

Music goes back to the Paleolithic era when humans began to produce the earliest works of art. Who are you to destroy a monkey's work of art? That monkey being your forefather, hanging around with the forefather of the one you just dissed.

Seriously though, music is one of the few things we do not engage in war for. It's a universal language that everybody speaks, no matter what your cultural background is. You get it and you appreciate it, even if it's not your own.

Music expresses feeling and thought, without language. It was below and before speech, and it is above and beyond all words.  - Robert G. Ingersoll

Get the message? Exactly. Shhhhh...


Dear Facebook,
You're a wonderful invention for communication. And I'm all for free speech, otherwise I wouldn't have this blog. But filter your shizzang, will you?
Sincerely
J.

Supermodels Supernatural

German photographer Peter Lindbergh is tired of subjects in fashion magazines looking like overly-Photoshopped "objects from Mars". “My feeling is that for years now it has taken a much too big part in how women are being visually defined today. Heartless retouching should not be the chosen tool to represent women in the beginning of this century.”, he told the New York Times.
For Harper's Bazaar's September 2009 issue he captured supermodels such as Amber Valletta, Helena Christensen, Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford without make-up or excessive retouching.
I love black and white photography, and have always admired 30-40 something women with long hair, minimal make-up and a natural glow. The two combined are devine.
Natural all the way baby, let's start capturing beauty as it is.

Off to an exhibition of Belgian photographer Stephan Vanfleteren now. He specializes in B&W's too and portrays artists, actors, writers, directors, musicians and other people who express themselves through their profession. He also captures events from world conflict zones as well as every day life around the world. Check out his work here