Nothing like a long weekend to find some zen in your life. It is so much easier to live in the moment and purposefully ignore the time when you're off the clock for a decent stretch of time. And that is exactly what I have been doing for the past few days.
Late brunches and long sleep-ins, lounging around, reading and wasting time. But you know what they say, time that you enjoy wasting is never wasted time, and I have really enjoyed the art of doing nothing. And it really is an art, because when you are used to 'doing' all of the time, simply 'not doing' can be quite a challenge.
I have gotten this nifty app called The Now, yeah I know pretty ordinary name, sounds a bit like a touchy-feely cult thing I reckon, but it's actually been really helping me to stay focused on my whole 'living in the moment' mantra that I am trying to adopt. This app just sends you some zen like quote a couple of times a day, something to contemplate and try to put into action. It's often just some words of wisdom from the Dalai Lama or Mahatma Gandhi, but I have found it really useful in my pursuit of more zen.
I have come to realise how programmed I am (and we all are to a certain extent I suppose) to be 'getting things done', even when we could be and should be doing nothing at all. And we are also programmed to feel dreadfully selfish for doing things for ourselves too, which sucks a fat one, because never doing anything for yourself makes you pretty pent up.
So with zen on my mind today I gave myself a home spa. I treated my hair, had a body scrub, plucked my eyebrows, tidied up and buffed my nails, had a long soak in the tub and just forgot about everything but me for a couple of hours. I ate lunch on the couch at 3pm in front of the TV and just pushed away all guilty thoughts about the things that I should be doing and I just went with it......ah yes....just go with it, and on a long weekend, why wouldn't you?
Late brunches and long sleep-ins, lounging around, reading and wasting time. But you know what they say, time that you enjoy wasting is never wasted time, and I have really enjoyed the art of doing nothing. And it really is an art, because when you are used to 'doing' all of the time, simply 'not doing' can be quite a challenge.
I have gotten this nifty app called The Now, yeah I know pretty ordinary name, sounds a bit like a touchy-feely cult thing I reckon, but it's actually been really helping me to stay focused on my whole 'living in the moment' mantra that I am trying to adopt. This app just sends you some zen like quote a couple of times a day, something to contemplate and try to put into action. It's often just some words of wisdom from the Dalai Lama or Mahatma Gandhi, but I have found it really useful in my pursuit of more zen.
I have come to realise how programmed I am (and we all are to a certain extent I suppose) to be 'getting things done', even when we could be and should be doing nothing at all. And we are also programmed to feel dreadfully selfish for doing things for ourselves too, which sucks a fat one, because never doing anything for yourself makes you pretty pent up.
So with zen on my mind today I gave myself a home spa. I treated my hair, had a body scrub, plucked my eyebrows, tidied up and buffed my nails, had a long soak in the tub and just forgot about everything but me for a couple of hours. I ate lunch on the couch at 3pm in front of the TV and just pushed away all guilty thoughts about the things that I should be doing and I just went with it......ah yes....just go with it, and on a long weekend, why wouldn't you?
SOMEWHERE
Release Date: 2010
Rating: M
Running Time: 97 mins
Another thoughtfully written and directed movie from Sofia Coppola, galvanizing her ability and her eye for quality cinema that explores relationships in new and yet more realistic ways. Somewhere won the Golden Lion Award at the 67th Venice Film Awards for Best Picture and explores a father-daughter relationship within the circuit of the rich and famous.
Eleven year old Cleo (Ella Fanning) is staying with her father Johnny (Stephen Dorff)at the Chateau Marmont for a while. But Johnny is suffering from an existential crisis, where in spite of his money, fame and ability to indulge in whatever takes his fancy, he still feels even more unfulfilled and detached.
This is easily the best that I have ever seen from Stephen Dorff, and Ella Fanning just shines as the aware and charming child figure, clearly portraying a more grounded and enigmatic personality than her father. Somewhere is pure character study, there isn't much of a story going on, just a series of events and interludes, but that was one of the things that I enjoyed most about the movie, it had a realistic edge to it.
FINAL SAY: Life isn't always going somewhere, sometimes it goes nowhere at all.
4 Chili Peppers
Release Date: 2010
Rating: M
Running Time: 97 mins
Another thoughtfully written and directed movie from Sofia Coppola, galvanizing her ability and her eye for quality cinema that explores relationships in new and yet more realistic ways. Somewhere won the Golden Lion Award at the 67th Venice Film Awards for Best Picture and explores a father-daughter relationship within the circuit of the rich and famous.
Eleven year old Cleo (Ella Fanning) is staying with her father Johnny (Stephen Dorff)at the Chateau Marmont for a while. But Johnny is suffering from an existential crisis, where in spite of his money, fame and ability to indulge in whatever takes his fancy, he still feels even more unfulfilled and detached.
This is easily the best that I have ever seen from Stephen Dorff, and Ella Fanning just shines as the aware and charming child figure, clearly portraying a more grounded and enigmatic personality than her father. Somewhere is pure character study, there isn't much of a story going on, just a series of events and interludes, but that was one of the things that I enjoyed most about the movie, it had a realistic edge to it.
FINAL SAY: Life isn't always going somewhere, sometimes it goes nowhere at all.
4 Chili Peppers
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