Both songs are great, the video for OMG really adds to the song, while the video for Beautiful Monster is so masculine dominant. That drunken fight scene in the beginning drags on and distracts you from the song. Plus, I really expected “the Beautiful Monster” to be a knock-out. She’s actually kind of scary-looking and clumsy in her movement.
The OMG video is clean and crisp. I love the heaven and hell, naughty and nice imagery. The choreography is on the point and the dancers are alluring and fit.
Beautiful Monster really needed a good video to make it available to a mass audience because of it’s European discotheque sound. I was on the edge with my feelings for this song, then it began to grow on me, but the video did not help at all. I like OMG already, and I like it more since I’ve seen the video. The visuals were perfect with the song. Love that!
Antoinette Kristensen is a singer and songwriter from Norway, now living in Los Angeles. If you are familiar with her work as a model or a reality TV star, you already know that she has a style, an image, and a way of expressing herself that is honest and all her own. Her style reflects many beautiful and glamorous women past and present, but it is the way that Antoinette, and only Antoinette, combines these elements to create a woman, an image, and a sound you cannot find anywhere else.
Electronic/Pop/Dance music is abundant and manufactured today. Our best performers, including Beyonce, do not write their own songs. This is one way of doing it and that works: Beyonce is a wonderful performer and singer and her request for original songs is a dream come true for the chosen few.
But Antoinette draws on the spirit of music that precedes our current era of “music as stimulus” and “music as business.” Antoinette Music follows the tradition of “music as art,” and thus a means of communication where wit, storytelling, and personal expression are the most valued set of criteria. In our current era where music screams for attention, Antoinette Music keeps you singing and dancing long after the music is over simply because a personal message by a mature songwriter elicits a response from the soul.
Dancing on a Rainbow expresses the innocence and sensual pleasure of new love completely through metaphor: a “bursting heart” that feels like it’s going to pop from “a 100,000 butterflies that want out” or (my fave) a heart that feels like it’s going to stop “like a rollercoaster when it’s about to drop.” Cynics and hopeless romantics alike would have trouble resisting this song – could be out of your realm of believability if you haven’t experienced this feeling recently, but that’s where Antoinette’s other assets come through, like her voice…
Back and Forth was Antoinette’s first single, released in 2008. This is a sexy song, but Antoinette’s delivery is the icing on the cake. Her velvet alto vocals with feminine high notes, reminiscent of the sounds from Gainsbourg’s women Jane Birkin or his daughter Charlotte, make this track, and the singer, unforgettable.
Crush on the DJ pays homage to the man who runs the show, rocks the party, and asks for very little credit. The video features Antoinette as the most beautiful and stylized (in place of stylish) gal in the club who ignores everyone except for the man who’s really behind it all – the DJ! The musical theatrics, like the piano and her “va va voom” “oh oh o-oh’s” are flirty and humorous. We don’t know if she gets together with the DJ, or if the whole scene was just a dream (or a video shoot), as the music fades and we see her dancing on the sidewalk alone… this is one of those times you really get to see what effect a “fade out” ending was created for.
Antoinette’s music is always fun and danceable, but to make it really shine, her lyrics paint pictures of emotions with a delivery that not only doesn’t quit, but takes you higher than you ever expected to go.
* * * * * * *
She has recently been back in the studio to record her new song and makes plans for the next knock-out video. Turn away for a second and you might have trouble keeping up. From what I’ve heard of the new stuff, all I can say is that she remains unpredictable and absolutely fierce!
We all have “Energy Vampire” tendencies. The more we face it and understand it the better we can recognize it in others (so we can take whatever measures/precautions are needed) or ourselves (so that we don’t drive people away unnecessarily). I must warn you though, it is much more important to notice these characteristics in yourself. One reason why “self-help” doesn’t always work is because we keep using the information to discover what is wrong with “everyone else.” Look within, and realize that the things that really piss us off about others are the things we hate and turn away from within ourselves.
Dr. Judith Orloff discusses four types of “Energy Vampires” in this video: How To Spot Energy Vampires (can’t EMBED, but I recommend you check it out. Such a great video and pretty short)
1. The Sob Sister
Dr. Orloff says this is the one who “complains on and on and on about solutions.” You end up listening to every detail of how “a tragedy occurred” when everything is actually okay. After hours have passed, the sob sister feels better and you feel drained.
I am very compassionate with people and do not mind listening to problems and going over solutions. One thing I do when a friend tells me about “something terrible that happened that made me uncomfortable which shouldn’t have happened or wouldn’t have happened if… blah blah” is remind them to think about how fortunate they are that everything did work out (ie. “well, isn’t it great that you didn’t get hit by that car” or “seems like you actually did get the money you needed in time.”) Get the person focused on a solution or possible solutions. If they try to go back into the story, and those who often play the sob sister will by default, it is then time to get off the phone or go powder your nose. Let that person have some time with themselves and make sure your vibration is high next time you see them. If you allow the Sob Sister to focus on the negative, that will bring more negativity to them and maybe to you, too, if you let it in by consoling them.
2. The Drama Queen/King
This is someone who is caught up in the content of life and is often strongly attached to an identity for themselves and others. “What happens” is not who we are – it is what we do with what happens, and we all have the power to dictate if we are conscious. For the drama Q/K, what happens creates who they are and they are deathly afraid of not having an opinion or knowing the latest news. Without drama and something to react to, their sense of identity weakens and they are left with a void within themselves. That “void” is actually the spaciousness that we are and can be filled with anything we choose to think about. Dr. Orloff states that it is easy to deal with this type… “stay centered and calm and they go on to someone else.”
3. Constant Talker
Dr. Orloff hits the nail on the head with her description: “…someone you meet at a party and they corner you and they begin talking and talking and talking and you can’t get a word in edgewise.”
If “you take one step backward…they take one step forward.”
This type of Energy Vampire lets you test your own ability to stand up for yourself. All you can do with this type is be direct, but you can do so very nicely. For example, just try gently saying “Would you mind standing back a bit?” You may be screaming inside, but try not to let a minor annoyance turn you into an Energy Vampire in retaliation. Many times Constant Talkers are such control freaks that they’ll be put off by your directness immediately. If they don’t get it, stand your ground. Energy Vampires are not looking for a reciprocal relationship or conversation – they want control and domination in response to their feelings of powerlessness. If they see that they can’t dominate you, they’ll go away and find someone else. This type can get angry, so beware and don’t be afraid – show them you aren’t the least bit phased.
4. The Blamer/Criticizer
We all need to be able to take a certain amount of feedback in the form of criticism in order to grow, but there are people who constantly critique and nit-pic just so they can feel superior. They may even say things that would be useful if it wasn’t for their tone or the fact that they never say anything encouraging. Notice how someone reacts when you share something with them. Do they immediately point out something good, or do they tell you what they don’t like or what you should change? With this type, they are always complaining about you or others and how everyone else is the cause of everything. For example, this is the person who will tell everyone “what a bee-atch!” his girlfriend is and not at all mention that he accuses her everyday of cheating of him, or has cheated on her himself.
This type, as Dr. Judith Orloff says, “can squash creativity to such an extent that it can make you afraid to fly.” The B/C’s are usually terrible at taking criticism themselves, and they’ll criticize anyone who criticizes them, spread rumors or gossip about that person, or make up justifications and explanations for every criticism they hear about themselves.
If you accidenallly share something with a B/C, BREATHE. In general though, you don’t want to share new ideas or projects with just anyone. Be careful, and actually, don’t tell anyone your most important ideas until you feel very secure, and then, only share with those you trust the most (even better if they are producers/artists themselves). The world is full of critics who can’t do so they try to teach.
Another teacher who is wonderful for helping us deal with the Energy Vampire within ourselves and others is Eckhart Tolle. We usually become Energy Vampires because we feel like we should fill the present moment with drama rather than stillness or silence which will help us truly see one another. Learn to live here and now without the idea of who you were or who you will be, and this will create bliss in your life.
Here’s what Tolle says about “Not Reacting to Content.” You can also listen to his phenomenal book The Power of Now on YouTube – take a day or a few to leisurely listen to each chapter. There’s no way this book won’t profoundly change the way you live for the better.
And always remember, the only thing you ever don’t want is for people to have no opinion about you or your work at all. Leave something for posterity! Don’t be afraid to make a splash
Just watched the movie Home by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. Such a beautiful film with a vitally important message. You can watch the full film at YouTube until June 14th. Visit the channel:
As a people, we live under a shroud of fear. The shroud was created long ago and it’s based on a myth.
The myth is scarcity.
The myth started as a means of keeping the masses under control. The negativity of a lie is impossible to harness indefinitely, and eventually it came to envelop everyone, even those who created it.
So what do we do now?
Consider our lives lived in quicksand. The more you struggle, the faster you sink. Calm down and look around you. What can you grab onto to pull yourself out?
What organizations are already in place to help slow and reverse the destruction of our home?
Calm down. Look around you. Grab onto that branch or rocky protrusion that you maybe didn’t notice before in your frenzied state and slowly, carefully, pull yourself out of this muck.
It is important to be thankful for all that occurs, whether we deem it good or bad. It is the Universe maintaining balance. Of course there are some deeds which we cannot immediately face having committed, but you will be faced with the karmic repercussion until you recognize how you alone created the situation surrounding those actions. Avoid blame, for it is important not to blame anyone including yourself.
This blog post is for anyone, but especially vegetarians and raw foodists. We seem to get so caught up in all of the different foods available. So many different types of fruit and vegetable, supplements, powders, and herbs. And now we have superfoods. Wow! How much there is to choose!
BUT
I MUST emphasize the importance of the basics. If you don’t provide constant cleansing for your body, you will get all clogged up NO MATTER WHAT YOU’RE EATING. If you are on a raw food diet, or any kind of diet, you must get these two basics every day…
1. CHARGED WATER
2. GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES
You can throw all of your superfoods and herbs down the toilet if you do not incorporate these two massively important elements for any healthy lifestyle.
Human beings are identical to plants, and plants need water. When I say charged water, I mean water with structure or electrolytes. Your body cannot do much with water that does not contain electrolytes, and the water will end up taking from you rather than giving. There are many ways to charge water and I’m certainly no expert, but what I usually do is add a pinch of sea salt and/or a squeeze of lemon.
BEFORE I DO ANYTHING IN THE MORNING (and especially eat anything) I have a nice, big glass of clean water with a pinch of sea salt and about a teaspoon of MSM powder. If you’re new to MSM, you can work your way up by starting with a small pinch. It’s quite bitter so if you’ve passed the taste threshold with it just know that you can use a little less and still get great results. At least every other day I’ll squeeze a lemon into the water. Lemon water is great for providing a burst of vitamins and it’s very alkalizing. Helps keep you alkaline for the rest of the day.
It’s best to drink water on an empty stomach and not within 30 minutes of eating. I believe the general rule about how much water to drink is the number of ounces of your body weight divided by 2. So, someone who weighs 100 lbs should drink about 50 ounces of water a day. The more raw food a person eats, the less water one can drink. David Wolfe says that a raw foodist can divide their body weight by 4 to determine the number of ounces of water to drink each day.
(Daniel Vitalis can tell you much more about water. And trust me, you want to know.)
Now, the GREENS.
Perhaps we’re hearing the word “green” so much that people are beginning to block it out. But I have to say that if you never eat maca, chocolate, or hemp seeds again you’ll be right as rain as long as you get your greens.
Victoria Boutenko breaks it down in this interview for Supreme Master TV. (Watch parts 1 and 2)
The first 4 letters of the word HEALTH is HEAL. Health is the process of continuous healing. CHLOROPHYLL IS ESSENTIAL for healing. We are constantly bombarded with destructive free radicals and toxins, so we need chlorophyll to repair the damage and flush these toxins out.
Greens can be hard to eat, so liquify them. I do have a juicer which I use a few times a week. I’ll use it for a burst of nutrition when I don’t want my body to have to work through the fiber (after a workout or in the morning). Unless I’m fasting, I use the juicer sparingly. It’s also great to blend your greens. A wonderful standard recipe for a green smoothie is…
* 1 cup of seed milk or water * Sweeten with fruit like apple or tropical fruits like durian or mamey. A banana works great if it is an organic, farm fresh banana (I do not recommend giant bananas like Chiquita). You could also add agave nectar or raw honey. * 2 cups of greens (dandelion, kale, chard, collards, broccoli, etc.)
It’s great to add tumeric root, ginger root, and cinnamon to any juice or blended green drink. And always remember to chew everything that goes into your mouth. Chew each sip until you taste the sweetness. The act of chewing stimulates your body systems for proper digestion.
You will notice proper bowel regularity, enhanced mood, and a sweet little figure if you eat/drink your greens. Get at least two servings of greens a day. If you’re on the the run, try a green powder like Pure Synergy Powder for one of your servings.
Once your body is working properly at the basic level, then you can really start having fun with superfoods.
I’ve spent the last month and a half down in Miami, FL and I’m having an experience like no other. You see the worst of Capitalist and Consumerist America, as well as the greatest beauty this country has to offer.
I underwent a major surgery last July and began my healing in Atlanta, Ga. I thought I was doing well, but my healing seems to have accelerated dramatically since I came to Miami. I knew it had something to do with walking on the sand and swimming in the ocean. In the past, there was always a hunch that my shoes were doing me more harm than good, so it really has been wonderful to have direct contact with the earth as I do when I’m on the beach.
Today I discovered this video from David Wolfe, who is undoubtedly one of the most cutting-edge health gurus in the world. He blames the common shoe for much of our health woes. After spotting the title of this video I immediately said “uh huh… that’s what I thought.”
I’ve heard so much about chia seeds ever since I got into raw foods. I often saw chia seed pudding as a dessert or breakfast item at my favorite raw food restaurants.
And the restaurant where I’m currently working in Miami, Lifefood Gourmet, serves up a delicious chia seed pudding as one of their desserts. That’s actually where I got the idea to put dried mulberries in it – brilliant!
Chia seeds are an ancient food. They’ve been with us for so long because they are just that good! (like, hey! this is really not broke and don’t need fixin’!) Check out this article, Chia Seed – The Ancient Food of the Future, for some detailed information on this incredible superfood.
Here’s my version of chia seed pudding:
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Chia Seeds 1 1/2 cups Nut/Seed Milk 1 cup Dried Fruit (I use golden raisins, black/light mulberries, and goji berries) 2 tbsp Agave Nectar 2 1/2 – 3 tbsp of Coconut Oil 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 1/2 tsp Cinnamon (I say 1 tsp in the video, and there’s never anything wrong with a little extra cinnamon, but 1/2 is totally sufficient) Pinch of Salt (Celtic or Himalayan)
Mix all of the ingredients and refrigerate for at an hour or over night. Serve with fresh berries.
Bio: Can you take control of your thoughts, your health, and your actions to create the life you truly want to live in the body that you are proud to let carry you? I say that you can and I'm ready to help you prove it to yourself. Take that step into the unknown and come to know the real YOU - you won't be disappointed. You are the Greatest, the most perfect creation of which you could ever conceive. Harness that Power NOW, the only time that anything is ever possible, and Become Who You Really Are.
My name is Cat Erickson and after accomplishing the impossible a few times over I'd say that you could certainly do it, too. Enjoy!
It’s so cuuuuuuuute !
