Japan has a dirty little secret. Well, the sleepy coastal town of Taiji does, to be exact. There is a secret cove where over 23,000 dolphins (!) are being killed each year - the world’s largest dolphin slaughter. Banging on metal pipes submerged into the water, the fisherman’s boats (all in a line) terrorise the dolphins with a “wall of sound” which frightens them into the shore where they wait in nets over night before every one of them meets their sad inevitable fate.  While hearing footage taken underwater by the documentary team via ultrasound of the sounds made by the dolphins stuck in this cove, I swear it sounded like they were screaming. It is chilling.

This has now been uncovered in the film/documentary The Cove, an incredible suspense filled piece of work. One of the most powerful images for me from the film is when a single dolphin escapes and starts jumping the nets towards the shore, with a trail of blood leading behind. And then, he falls and never comes back up again. The killing cove turns a bright red with blood during the slaughter and that image is something I will never, ever forget.

To add to the scandal, dolphin trainers from all over the globe come to Taiji and pick out which dolphins they would like to take back to captivity at their dolphinariums to amuse us in dolphin parks and shows. These individuals can see exactly what is going on and apparently sometimes lend a helping hand. And these are supposed to be people who care and cherish these intelligent, communicative, intensely wonderful creatures. Okay, so I can see the merit in dolphins within educational environments as it educates and makes people love them which in turn, makes them want to support them. But the dolphins are dying to amuse us. Those dolphins who aren’t lucky enough (can we say lucky?) to be picked, will be gone forever within a few hours.

So how secretive is this? Very. Even the common folk in Japan don’t know this is going on. They also don’t know that the slayed dolphin meat is being pawned off in supermarkets and labelled as ‘whale meat’ when in fact, this dolphin meat (apart from the horrific practice in which they are captured and killed) contains extremely high mercury content. Anyone thinking the new Minimata?

One thing that made me angry was the excuse from the Japanese for what they are doing. The oceans are collapsing and they are blaming the whales and dolphins. The Japanese fisherman justified their act of killing these dolphins as “pest control” because the dolphins are eating all the fish. Are you freakin serious? Don’t you think maybe it has something more to do with human overconsumption and greed… we are constantly given warnings that fish are running out because us humans are so dependent on this constant influx of fish to feed our protein needs. I am sure the food chain and the cycle of life under the sea was doing just fine before humans started to take, take, take.

Honestly, how do these people sleep at night while they commit such cruel acts daily?

I feel really passionate about this and I felt upset after seeing this movie and will never forget the impact it had on me, which resonated for hours afterwards. I then spent the next few hours sending letters to my own government, the US government and the Japanese government. I give all credit to Richard O’Barry and his brave team who unrelentlessly put their lives at risk to have this story uncovered… by crossing barbed wired fences and keep out signs, diving under the water to document what happens there, and not being intimidated by the Japanese forces who aggressively wanted to keep them away from their secret.

Now the secret is out.

The answer is not to boycott Japan as a country. In fact, over 70 percent of Japan are opposed to whaling. They need to know what is going on in their country so that they can do something about it. We need to target the group of fisherman in Taiji specifically. Getting the word out will help shame the Japanese authorities into curtailing the slaughter, which will start again in September unless we help stop it! Once again, it is within our power to say, “Never again!”. Spread the word and let’s get this movie shown in Japan!!!

See this movie. Spread the word. Sign a petition. Write to the govt. Donate.
See this brave and provocative documentary and I promise you will want to do something about it.

~watch the trailer here, get the facts here, sign the petition here.~
please. help. before it’s too late.

what i am grateful for today…

a photo by moi.

• my family & my friends (and them being safe & healthy)
• music… sweet music
• the taste of feijoas
• the scent of my favourite perfume (kenzo)
• being intrigued by foreign films
• the feeling of sunshine (never underestimate the power of warmth)
• singing loudly on my own (highly enjoyable)
• a good sauvignon blanc (oyster bay being one of them)
• my dogs (unconditional love)
• finding the last bit of leftovers in the fridge, and eating it for breakfast. (bonus)
• my thirst for knowledge, life long learning
• positive people in my life
• the boy i share so much with
• the contrast of bright purple against lime green in our bathroom
• the laughter of a child (can break any bad mood)
• getting enough sleep (a rarity for me)

My list could be endless but here’s how I am feeling today. We can all be terrible creatures when it comes to taking things in our lives for granted. The thing that I find bizarre is that we often hear of inspiring people who are faced with life-threatening illnesses who suddenly begin living life to the full. Why does it sometimes take our life to be shortened for us to finally carry out all of our life’s wishes and desires - whether it be skydiving, travelling the globe, or riding in a helicopter. Shouldn’t we all be living life like this anyway? How can we be so sure that we are going to live longer than the next person?

They say life is precious. But how often do we remind ourselves?

I mean, really.

What have you always wanted to do?

I have a few things on my list.

We all have those ‘moments’ now and again. Where you just want to curl up into a ball and have a good cry. You’re not really sure why but you just do. I have always found it interesting how different people deal with different things in their life. During my studies in psychology, I delved into these different coping mechanisms and started noticing how different people react to situations. My question is, why do some people turn adversity into a positive while others use it as a catalyst for more suffering? Is it about a person’s perceptions? And how do we become more optimistic - can we train ourselves to be?

When it comes to my question, I know people in my life on both ends of the spectrum - one who can turn any negative situation into a positive (which always amazes me), or those where any slight hardship would set them off on a spiral of depression. And sometimes can be on the verge of attention seeking (I’m sure we all know one person like this). I am a private person when it comes to my family and illness (and there has been alot) and I have never been one to gain sympathy out of a situation. In fact, it makes me feel uncomfortable. I don’t mind others sharing that about their family and hardships if they choose to because that’s how they deal with it. But I have anyways wanted mine to be private.

smile, your coffee loves you

I like to think I am generally a pretty positive person. I stop to smell the flowers, so to speak. I take the time to look at life with my own eyes, and also through a lens. Photography makes you appreciate the small things. I have been living in different places for the last year and a half and have made the most of every city I have lived (even if it’s not ideal). I have been more and more intrigued by, as the Dalai Lama puts it, “the art of happiness” and find it fascinating. How do we become a forever optimist? How do we see the positive in every situation?

I believe that everyone has their own way of coping with the bad things in their life and embracing the good things in their life and whatever works for you, is just perfect.

It was a rainy wet Sunday today so me and the French boy decided to go to the local cinema which plays alot of independent films/documentaries. The cinema contains just 11 old scruffy armchairs in a teeny tiny theatre, so needless to say, it’s very cosy. The film we watched was Religulous. It is a comedy/documentary film with comic Bill Maher tackling a very dangerous and provocative topic… Religion (which by the way, both religion and politics are topics which I believe should never be discussed while drinking alcamahol). Anyway, the movie’s name Religulous rhymes with both ridiculous and incredulous so two guesses what angle the movie is taken from.

Basically this guy Maher travels around the world speaking to those with a range of views on Religion or God. He questions people about their faith and questions the void that is sometimes filled in by people with their own corruptions and limitations and agenda. Such as a guy who believes he IS the living Jesus H. Christ in the flesh and refers to himself as “Jesucristo Hombre“ which translates to “The Man Christ Jesus”. Or a guy who justifies his expensive clothes and jewellery (care of money from the church) by saying they want him to look good and that Jesus wore good quality linen so there’s nothing wrong with being rich from profits of the Church (a good businessman?).

It’s a movie that will make you laugh and make you think, whether you are a believer or not. Sometimes he does cross the line with his sarcasm and is incredibly blunt.

But it did bring a very interesting discussion between me and the French boy as we both have different upbringings and ideas. And I guess if it got us talking, then it made us both think.

The topic of Religion is something which is fragile and needs to be handled with care. But it also opens unlimited discussions on our lives and thoughts. And there’s nothing like a good debate to get your mind going.

I really miss studying philosophy.

I studied it at university a few years back as a side subject to my psychology degree and I loved it. Alot of the topics were controversial and emotion-fuelled (euthanasia, genocide, abortion…) and debates would become so intense in class that at times, people would walk out in tears (if you can imagine people expressing very strong opinions without knowing what people in the room have been through or experienced).

One topic that always intrigued me was Philosophy for Children. I remember watching a video ‘Socrates for six year olds’ which basically encourages children to think as philosophers - aka P4C. To not be afraid to ask questions. We often go through school and believe everything that the teacher/media/parents says and we stop asking questions and being inquisitive. I think this type of philosophical inquiry has merit.

Philosophy begins when children start to question the meaning of words, and exploring different ideas in a ‘detective like’ investigation from a young age. In this case, children generate the ideas they find interesting, not what the adults find interesting.

One the cutest videos I remember watching was a video where children were discussing whether you could love without a heart or think without a brain. You could see the self esteem rising as the children bounced ideas back and forth, listening to the others ideas and really thinking. It’s gorgeous. There’s something magical about watching these children freely discussing their thoughts without fear of rejection. Because they learn from a young age to accept other children’s thoughts and unlike adults, are less self-conscious and will answer almost anything you put to them.

• Freedom - What would life be like if everyone were perfectly free to do what they wanted?
• Intelligence - Is it intelligent not to be scared?
• Power - Can you be powerful without being wealthy?

Obviously the types of questions you ask are age dependent. If you are interested in learning more, you can do some google-ising. If you’d to give it a whirl with your youngsters, you could encourage them to think and question ideas such as the above, and tell us how it goes (warning: may contain funny/hilarious results)

When children learn to listen and to contribute, it’s an intoxicating experience.

If I were to suddenly become religious, I think I would go with Buddhism.

I have been intrigued by Buddhist principles over the past 5 years or so since I was given a book for my birthday by the Dalai Lama book called the ‘The Art of Happiness’.

Some may think it is difficult to apply Buddhist principles to everyday modern life but I think you can take bits from it and apply it to your life and take what you like from it.

At a very basic level, here are my top 4 buddhist principles I love:

1. Positivity - “sem” (tibetan word for mind) = not just referring to someone’s cognitive ability or intellectual ability but includes the heart and mind. With the right mental attitude and repeated practise of positivity, negative effects on our mind remain on the surface, like the waves that may ripple on the surface of an ocean but don’t have much effect deep down!
2. Happiness in a Material World - material things have very little impact on our long term happiness. If you have the mental attitude that wants more and more, eventually you’ll reach a limit of what you can get; you’ll come up against it (reality)… lose all hope and sink (so you need another sense of worth).
3. Pleasure and Happiness - we often confuse the two. Frame every decision with “will it bring me happiness?”.
   

   This shifts the focus from what we are denying ourselves (such as indulging in drugs or eating that third piece of cake) to what we are seeking, a state of happiness that remains. Think one night stands - temporary satisfaction or long term happiness? Identify those factors in your life that lead to happiness and those that lead to suffering (self-awareness).

4. Intimacy, Love and Compassion - there is a tremendous emphasis in our society on the endless pursuit of romantic love (finding “the one”). If we extend intimacy to friendship, it opens up unlimited possibilities and opportunities for connection (broaden the definition of intimacy in our lives). The Japanese rely more on friendships for intimacy whereas other cultures may rely only on relationships. Love and cherish everyone.

This is a tiny slice of Buddhism, which I believe has merit.

photo i took of gyoto monks at WOMAD

We spent some time with the Gyoto Monks at the world arts & music festival and attended a workshop with the Monks making traditional peace trees. Being in their presence brought calmness. Without any words, you could tell they were all happy, content, with trained minds, void of negative thoughts.

What I like about Buddhism is there is no culture of trying to recruit punters to the cause (as with some other religions) or preaching, you find it yourself if you choose.

I am sharing my experience of buddhism because it really has changed the way I think.

Take what you like from it, or leave it. It’s completely up to you.

Where do you find your inspiration? Would love to hear your thoughts.

La Fontaine, French poet, was right when he said…

Rien ne pèse tant que un secret

Nothing weighs more than a secret

I am sure most of you have heard of PostSecret, a web gallery of postcard-sized images posted anonymously by people to unveil a secret - an art project started by a guy named Frank (ironic name don’t you think? or is it just me?).

Seems as though everyone is interested in reading other people’s secrets. Maybe people like reading these because then they do not feel alone in some of their thoughts. I was interested to see the visitor count which as at today’s  time of blogging, had reached 235,768,954 visitors and currently has 97,000 followers. Holy crap.

So secrets really do weigh a lot.

One thing I pride myself on is that I can keep a secret. I am keeping some of my good friend’s deepest darkest secrets under lock and key. In my head. I have a few very close friends who I can do the same with. One has just moved to Oz onto new adventures. I really treasure my girls. Nothing like a bottle of wine and good girlie chats (men - you have no idea!)

In turn, this can also be one of my downfalls (being able to keep a secret). I have had a few friends in the past (in my younger days) where their secrets have become too much. Who I have since realised are toxic to have as friends, who suck up all of your energy. I often want to help people but I know that certain people have taken advantage of that. I forgive easily.

I’ll put it down to experience

Do you trust people with your secrets?

Women can be jealous creatures at times - and it gives us girls a bad name.

But one thing I do (and have always done) is I tell a girl she looks beautiful when she does. I don’t mean this in a pervy way. But - if I see a girl in a bathroom at a restaurant/bar/wherever and I like something she is wearing or the way she did her hair, I tell her. I don’t say it all the time for the sake of it. I only say it when I’m genuine but I believe that if she took the time to dress like that, she should know she looks good.

pretty hair. gorgeous smile. french actress marion cotillard.

This has surprised a lot of my male friends in the past who have the idea that females are born with a bitchy gene which turns us all into green eyed monsters. That females are more addicted to drama, attachment, and emotions. Not always true mister.

Some women have been surprised by a compliment from another female (shock horror!). There’s been one or two times that I’ve walked out wondering if I sounded slightly lesbian. But more often than not, the reaction I get is so positive & they walk out with an air of confidence (and a newfound appreciation of themselves). And I feel damn good about it too.

We all crave reassurance. Whether its from a stranger in the bathroom (eg. moi) or from the guy you are sitting across from in the bar.

I truly think everyone has something attractive about them - a stand out feature, whether it’s the colour of your eyes, the shape of your legs or your sparkling smile. You will have something that others notice that you probably most likely don’t see.

Once you recognise it in yourself as well as others, it can be quite a rewarding thing.

“It’s [beauty] a kind of radiance. People who possess a true inner beauty, their eyes are a little brighter, their skin a little more dewy. They vibrate at a different frequency.”

I was having a scalpel cut into my arm this week to take a piece of me for biopsy. I could feel the touch of the scalpel and the pressure of the doctor’s hands but couldn’t feel any pain. I asked my doctor about the sensation of still being able to feel something but not feeling any pain and she tells me that there are different nerves for each.

I was thinking about it afterwards. And I think it’s some kind of metaphor for how the psychology of our brain’s feelings and emotions seem to work when it needs to as well. Sometimes bad things can happen to us that we can become numb to in order to not feel the pain - we block that pain. That’s my random thought for the day.

The local anaesthetic is starting to wear off now… ouch.