Morning at a tiny market.

Should be one of your favourite flowers.

Where health meets heart.

Made by hands.

Shameless Flickr promo.

Social media is scary.

The only thing cooler than being a social media ninja is BLOGGING about being a social media ninja.

I don’t even know what this post is about, but it’s coming from how overwhelmed I feel when I look at all these accounts I’ve created for myself.

For example.

If Google is going to take over the world, then how come no one likes Buzz?

The only people who like Buzz are usually tweeting and Facebooking at the same time, while simultaneously blogging and updating their Linkedin’s.

I’ve spoken too soon, though. By tomorrow, I’m sure that something will come out about how Buzz is awesome and Twitter sucks, and there will be a giant Internet coup d’etat. And I’ll have to dig through my Google settings and turn the sucker back on.

Linkedin is terrifying. I am afraid to sign into my account because it reminds me that I’m still a student while everyone else in the First World is working and making a decent salary. These reminders come in the form of Linkedin invites to “technology conferences” or “networking events.”

I love Facebook, as many of you know. I get most of my daily amusement and stalking out of the way early on, especially when I see these characters pop up:

Click on those. You won’t regret it. That list, though undeniably true, forgot a few characters. Like:

1. Mother Theresa’s Godchild: This character is usually a girl who had a “service” experience in foreign, poor nation. She has a profile picture of her wearing a colorful sarong and sandals, surrounded by smiling children overwhelmed by her holy presence.

2. I Heart My Significant Other: Boy or girl who consistently updates their couple’s profile photo with new couple’s profile photo. Their other half will then “like” said picture and/or comment “yay, you made it your picture! “who’s that good looking pair?” Wink face, “1 year! <3."

3. Human Newscast: Person who updates status with articles about the state of the economy or latest world disaster. Usually person leads with comment like "OMG, can you believe this?" or "looks like we haven't hit rock bottom yet!" It's like reading cliff notes for the Wall Street Journal or CNN.com. Except these are not well written, and usually involve unprovoked opinions. They also talk about these subjects at parties while playing beer pong.

This leads me to 4. Guy on Political Soapbox: He posts articles supporting his extreme viewpoint on the American government. If highly conservative, he usually makes a lot of hate comments about America becoming socialist. He thinks Sarah Palin is hot.

If liberal…wait, no. Conservatives are the ones with a lot of pent up, elitist anger.

This person can also be Girl on Mission to Save Humans from Themselves. She joins 10+ groups per week that "support" a cause, and reminds everyone that the plastic rings from their six packs of beer are choking Nemo at this exact moment.

5. Girl who posts lyrics or quote about love, life and nostalgia leading others to ponder her emotional state for a fleeting moment.

6. Serial IPhone Status Updater: We can usually follow said person as they progress from sober, to drunk, to drunker. Or from their bed, to breakfast, to work, to commute, to happy hour, to pass out. If we're lucky, he or she may post a blurry picture showing us their antics.

7. Girl/Guy with Hard Knock Life: Very similar to Misery Girl. Usually posts "I hate today," "Why is this so hard?" or "Seriously done with this." What are you done with? Your lunch? Your boyfriend? We're dying to know.

8. Guy Who Wishes He was still in College: And from the look of his pictures, he might still be. In fact, you're not sure if he walked at graduation, and he's drunk messaging you on Facebook right now.

9. Person Who "Likes" Everything. Everything: Their wall is inundated with "________ likes this." This person is so agreeable, you picture them bear hugging, smiling and giving you the thumbs up 98% of the time.

10. The Jokester: Status usually involves making fun of a friend, making a witty statement or playing a prank on someone. I actually love this person, Facebook "like" them and am in no way peeved when I see their status appear on the feed.

This post may anger a few people. It might even cause a de-friend situation. That's okay, though. I've been meaning to get rid of a few of you.

Wink.

More hip.

I wish I was good at surfing.

Also, Switchfoot’s new album “Hello Hurricane” rocks. Especially that song.

I think the internet is hip.

In lieu of a longer post, here are the things and stuff and things that have caught my eye as of late.

1. An image library that i’m sure uber sweet art directors use sometimes.

That’s Salzberg, Austria. My favorite childhood movie, The Sound of Music, took place there. It’s pretty.

2. While we’re on the subject of images (can you stumble on the subject of something when you are essentially writing to the invisible? what?) , a teacher showed us Google Image Swirl in class last week. It takes the images you search and compiles them into groups based on photo type. So, it takes all black and white photos of your image and puts them together, all shots taken from a side angle, etc.

That probably didn’t make sense, but you should test it out. For reals.

3. A high school in Australia that is one of the raddest (word?) learning environments I’ve ever seen.

Maybe if I went there I’d forget that I had braces, the frizz and a uniform.

The Cool Hunter featured aforementioned high school. It’s a site anyone interested in anything, well, cool should bookmark.

This is an excerpt from their About section, interspersed with my unnecessary yet inevitable commentary:

Led by founder Bill Tikos, an Aussie, which makes him about 10x more appealing than the average human, The Cool Hunter celebrates creativity in all of its modern manifestations. Since its inception in 2004 The Cool Hunter has become the world’s most-read culture and design site, a leading authority on all things creative and a truly global hub for what’s cool, thoughtful, innovative and original. How chic! We value global relevance, not trends, because trends are sooo passé, channeling our discoveries to our worldwide audience.

The Cool Hunter is a natural fit for its readers – creative influencers who stay in the know and ahead of the curve. (Naturally, it’s the perfect fit for me). Global in outlook, culturally discerning, The Cool Hunter readers are connected, creatively aware, confident, stylish and sociable. Mmhhmmm. Blushworthy sentence alert. They value architecture, design, style, music, fashion and entertainment. They work, play and travel internationally (I wish) and bring with them distinguished tastes and a demanding appetite for quality information.

If I could live inside a website, it’d be that one.

Have a lovely day.

Oh look! An afternoon free verse.

i believe in most song lyrics
musical tantalization
leads to tug on hope’s strings
as it float
floats
away.

how do they know
to write to
the soul
instead of just from it?

The power of clichés

I found this on Facebook, I think it’s sweet, and it makes fun of every movie worth seeing.

Pura Vida flash fiction.

The moon was what she remembered most about the place.

A white light on eggplant silk, she watched for seven nights as it pulled water and wine away from sandy shore. Evenings spent drinking in salt air and chardonnay filled her memory and clouded her senses.

She was punch drunk off realization and grasping earth in pink palm.

Most powerful about sky’s button was its closeness. The guards that stood steadfast and strong outside ribcage and forehead faded. Scar tissue disappeared and under a white light she stood exposed for the first time.

Happy.

Her skin glowed with a sense of purpose. Not from the light, but from light within.

Salty glass pierced souls and shore. With each exhale, pieces faded as the black silk slid into high tide.

Urban culture hadn’t shaken the sand from her soul. Leather and hard core still came as flip flops under her toes.

She hadn’t grown up on the shore, but her heart had. Salt and sand were the only strangers she had let inside for a long time.

The lighthouse winked at her. She wondered what it would be like to perch atop its tower, calling sailors and lost souls home.

To be a guide amongst the rocky shore, because everyone needed help once in awhile.

Some nights she rested on Spanish tile, chatter amongst confidants filling space around her. Friends’ bare ankles hung over the edge and dangled, dancing, in open air above the moss, teasing the ground of shells and stone.

Her place was home under many different moons.

Strange signs from abroad.

Be careful…if you climb the fence, go past all the warning signs and balance precariously on the edge, you may fall over the Cliffs of Moher.

Abroad is a weird “place.” Which makes it cool. But hilarious.

The New York Times just published a slideshow of warning signs from abroad. The English translations are uber-quirky and deserve a browse.

Some examples:

“Foot wearing prohibited. Strictly prohibited.”

and

“Decent public school.” or “Careful drowning.”

Also, here’s another strange (yet striking) “sign” from abroad. Except it’s an ambient campaign for lingerie, and involves real people wearing said lingerie.

TAPUME – Marisa Lingerie from Lojas Marisa on Vimeo.