Re -Train Your Brain To Happiness

August 19, 2011

Jon English: "Six Ribbons" - from "Against The Wind" - My Favourite Song - And A Bonus Track - "We'll Be There"

Note: If you cannot watch the videos on this blog – try this.

Jon English - Six Ribbons - lyrics and sheet music:

If I were a minstrel I’d sing you six love songs,
To tell the whole world of the love that we share,
If I were a merchant I’d bring you six diamonds,
With six blood red roses for my love to wear,

But I am a simple man, a poor common farmer,
So take my six ribbons to tie back your hair,
Yellow and brown, blue as the sky,
Red as my blood, green as your eyes,

If I were a nobleman I’d bring you six carriages,
With six snow white horses to take you anywhere,
If I were the emperor I’d build you six palaces,
With six hundred servants for comforting fare,

But I am a simple man, a poor common farmer,
So take my six ribbons to tie back your hair,

If I were a minstrel I’d sing you six love songs,
To tell the whole world of the love that we share,
So be not afraid my love, you’re never alone love,
While you wear my ribbons tying back your hair,

Once I was a simple man, a poor common farmer,
I gave you six ribbons to tie back your hair,
Too-ra-lee, too-ra-lie, all I can share,
Is only six ribbons to tie back your hair,
Too-ra-lee, too-ra-lie, all I can share,
I gave you six ribbons to tie back your hair.

Trouble is I can only count five ribbons!

Apparently Jon said that there were 2 red ones.

In my post above I have mentioned that I like the historical movie genre.

“Against The Wind” – 1978 – was an Australian mini-series which I watched when it first aired. I don’t think any one had any video recorders back then, and as far as I remember it was never repeated.A few weeks ago I decided to buy the series on dvd.
I enjoyed it again immensely.

It is often very difficult to visualize historical events such as transportation to the colonies, early settlers, and the Rum Rebellion, even though I learned about these things in history classes.

I had been a fan of Jon English's ever since I saw him in “Jesus Christ Superstar” in 1972, when he appeared as “Judas”.

It was a no-brainer to watch this mini-series knowing that he would be starring in it.

Since then I have seen Jon perform live many times: not only as a great Aussie rock star, but also in “The Pirates of Penzance”.

Above:#TalkLikeAPirate day - 2016

Picture credit for the 1984 production of “Pirates of Penzance” – EssGee, with many thanks. This is the version I saw on stage.

The other pictures from "Pirates" are from the 1994 Production which is available on DVD and CD. I have the full 2 CD version of this production. I recently found out that there is now only a 1 CD version available.

I have also seen a live performance of his excellent rock opera “Paris”.

He is amazingly energetic on stage and the range of his singing talents is quite extraordinary!

From hard rock, to operetta and lovely, haunting ballads like “Six Ribbons” – he can do it all.

To be fair I had changed my musical tastes somewhat in the 1990’s and began taking an interest in country music, hence my post on Gram Parsons.

This year I decided to revisit my old rock favourites like Jon,The Beatles, The Stones, Cliff Richard and many others. A good decision!

My appreciation of Jon English’s talents and achievements has grown even greater than it ever was all those years ago.

He writes many of the songs he sings. He acts.

Jon has also done quite a lot of television: Blankety Blanks and All Together Now, just two examples.

He is an Aussie legend.

“Six Ribbons” is really my favourite song ever: I never tire of it.

I should also mention that Jon, together with Mario Millo, wrote the entire soundtrack for this mini-series and it is really excellent!

Jon won a TV Week Logie in 1979 for his performance in "Against the Wind", (see pictures below).

It was but one of very many awards he would win in the future.

I also still have the original programs from "Superstar" and "The Pirates of Penzance", as well as the booklet that was published for "Against The Wind ".

This You Tube clip which runs about 1.45 has been enhanced and is better quality than before. However, it may be blocked in some countries.

You Tube and Blogger can be very frustrating with ‘blocked’ songs!

Picture credits: TV Week Logie Awards
and some other covers I had.

If you cannot watch the video – try this. Or the FireFox helper top left.

My friend Chris has done a lovely version of "Six Ribbons". It is the longer version of the song with some very beautiful images, and here is Chris's take on "Carmilla".

My friend Terry has just uploaded "We'll Be There" - live. Thanks, Terry!!

Some pictures from "All Together Now"

"Against The Wind" is now available from Umbrella Entertainment.

“All Together Now” Series 1 & 2 are also available from Umbrella Entertainment
Series 3 & 4 available July 2016, same source.

Above:Jon in "Blankety Blanks" - around 1977

Jon on "Nightmoves" - 1977

Jon on Countdown 1980:

Jon has also appeared in the movie "Touch And Go". He wrote and sang the title song.

Here are some stills from it.

Many, many thanks to Juanita for sending me this movie.

Above: Jon English and Marcia Hines.

Marcia Hines and Russsell Crowe - a Brand New Single.Posted here.

Picture from Women's Weekly 80th Celebration.

These pictures, and the three at the top, are from my collection.

Below: From Rock and Roll Ballroom - 1974

She Was Real

Jon on Countdown "Beating The Boards" - 1982:

Picture below via Twitter:

Update: Use the search function - top left - to find more of Jon's songs or check my
You Tube channel.

Above: Jon's version of the Bob Seger classic - "Turn The Page". I remember watching this back in the 1970's. A shame there isn't a better video clip, no doubt it no longer exists as many old clips were taped over, or destroyed.

Just recently posted: Get Your Love Right.1979.

Hope there are more of these clips to come.

Yes, another one on my Countdown post - "The Shining", and one with Marcia Hines on my "Jesus Christ Superstar" post! Links below.

Danelle Bergstrom's portrait of Jon English - 1995 - which was entered into the Archibald Prize competition. It was awarded the equally prestigious Packing Room Prize.
This picture was put online after Jon had passed away.

A very different version of Hollywood 7 - Dynamicron Edit. Details here

Stills from "Walk The Talk" - 2000

Behind Blue Eyes

If the clips are unavailable in your country you may need a VPN.

Stills from Matlock Police - 1975

A Jon English playlist is here.

Here's a summary of related posts:

Jon English: "Six Ribbons" - from "Against The Wind" - My Favourite Song - And A Bonus Track - "We'll Be There"

Jon English: Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress...And A Bonus Track From "Laid"

Jon English - King of the Blind & Ask No Questions

Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up

Jon English & The Foster Brothers - 30th Anniversary "Beating The Boards" Concert: 2012 - 13. With Peter Cupples "Uncorked" At Sorrento Speigel Zelt 2015

Jon English & the Cast of "Ned Kelly" The Rock Opera- What Else Is New?

Helen of Troy - The Movie, The Music and Jon English

Jon English – Stand By Me

Jon English Sings "A Fortunate Life" from The Mini-Series About A.B.Facey

Jon English - Jesus Christ Superstar - Heaven On Their Minds & Superstar – Updated

Jon English - By Firelight

Jon English : "Dark Horses"
Jon English - Some Hard To Get Songs,,,Now Here
Jon English Sings "Waterloo".
Jon English Sings "Behind Blue Eyes".
Countdown Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary: Prince Charles Recreates The Interview With Molly Meldrum

♥♥Remembering Jon English♥♥

Click on the images to enlarge.
Source.

More about Jon here.

Update: A great collection of Jon's work is now available here.

How ‘Mr Robot’ Won The Prize For Hacker Realism
Tutankhamun: Mini-series About The Most Famous Archaeological Find Of All Time

Happy Otter!

I think it is an otter, but it has to be one of the cutest pictures of one that I have ever seen!

July 20, 2011

Cancer Is Not A Death Sentence...

...It’s a Wake Up Call!

There is currently a strong belief held throughout society that there is no cure for Cancer.

But just like the countless other beliefs throughout human history, we will soon look back on this one, surprised as how misguided we were, believing something as ludicrous as this.

From “The Earth Is Flat”, to “Women Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Vote”, to “Smoking Isn’t Bad For You”; humanity has based their lives on what they – at the time – believe to be real.

But those beliefs and the belief “Cancer Has No Cure”, are just a sample of the many beliefs that are nothing more than simply that... a belief.

The truth is, there is a cure for cancer – to all cancers – and it’s staring us in the face!

But the medical profession, if current trajectories remain, won’t find it anytime soon.

The reason being is that they don’t know where to look. They aren’t looking where the root cause of Cancer actually exists. How is this possible?

Let’s expand our understanding of Human Anatomy and Physiology...

Our bodies are built to last, but there is one simple thing that brings them to their knees every time. It is simple, unfortunately too simple, to have ever been considered as the starting point to healing Cancer, or any other illness. Often the more simple something is, the more quickly it is overlooked.

Cancer is just a symptom in the body and like all symptoms in the body, we are in some way or another responsible. It might sound like a cliché, it may even be confronting, but the answer really does lie within.

Let me explain...

Consider how we feel in our bodies when we feel hurt, resentful, fearful, a heart break, angry, helpless, afraid and so on. Do we feel healthy in these states? No. Not only do we not feel healthy, but the body responds in a very physical way: sweaty palms, dry mouth, stomach tension, increased heart rate, hair falling out, losing weight and so on.

We’ve all experienced these reactions. Well, we need to join the dots!

These are physical reactions to short term “emotions”.

Imagine what would happen to the body if you held onto some of these thoughts and feelings for months, years, or even longer. How would your body react to emotions experienced over your life time? “And What about kids?” I hear you ask. Well, for kids it takes much less to affect their brand new bodies. They have a much smaller threshold for being buffeted emotionally.

It’s who we believe ourselves to be, how we perceive our life situation, how we’ve been treated as both children and adults, that lies at the root cause of Cancer (and many other illnesses).

Many of you may be thinking: “I don’t carry my thoughts and feelings over long periods of time, surely I’d know about it if I did!” And you probably would know about it, if those thoughts and feelings were occurring in your conscious mind. But the ones that do the most damage lay somewhere else... That’s right, they reside in your Subconscious Mind, where we store all our beliefs about ourselves and our life.

Let me expand.

Our body is a feedback mechanism that sends us messages in order to stay healthy and alive. It alerts us with thirst when it requires hydration, it alerts us with hunger when it requires sustenance.

For every need, the body has a method of communicating back to us, to give it what it needs now!

Unfortunately, in primary school we were never taught how the body communicates to us above and beyond the basics of thirst, hunger and fatigue. And so many of us are raised ignorant of exactly how the body really communicates about what it really needs.

Too many of the body’s needs are being ignored, which is why we become unhealthy.

Until now!

Too simple?

Too obvious?

“Surely someone would have discovered this, if it were this simple. If it were really true, I would have heard about it.” I hear you say. Once again, another false belief system makes its appearance.

The truth is, this understanding has existed as long as mankind has existed. The reason this information has not made it into mainstream understanding is exactly because it’s so simple.

There is no sense of accomplishment in simplicity.

There is a part of the human psyche that avoids simplicity, because we like to plant our own flag, take credit for invention, hypotheses and elaborate experiments.

How many times have you heard: “We’re working really hard on this one”.

Working hard being the prerequisite for achievement is just another belief. This way of being generates a lot of income for a lot of people. Well, the human body is simple. When it needs something, it tells us. Babies have been doing it since the moment they are born! Why would this innate survival function suddenly change as we mature?

Yes, it’s your thoughts at the subconscious level, the thoughts you have almost no conscious awareness of – and the beliefs about yourself and your life, the ones’ you’d prefer to bury deep down inside – that cause all manner of symptoms (aka illnesses and ageing) in your body.

Is it really that far fetched that short term fears and anxieties cause short term symptoms like headaches, increased heart rate and so on, while long term emotions and beliefs cause long terms symptoms? How did they miss this in medical school?

Beliefs are everything!

Our beliefs shape our reality – they determine the choices we make and the actions we take. But more importantly, they show up in our body first. It’s our body’s way of bringing up the unconscious to the conscious, as a means of keeping us healthy and moving us forward.

Compare this process to food poisoning, where your body instantly wants to take what’s within and exit it out of your system via throwing it up.

Cancer is simply the body attempting to bring your awareness to thoughts and beliefs that are toxic, in order to exit them from your system also. Furthermore, imagine what effect the subconscious belief: “There is no cure for cancer” has on the body’s healing process.

Belief really is the key!

So, how do we tap into what lies in the Subconscious Mind if that is truly where the answer lies?

We all have a sublime diagnostic machine, it’s called our brain.

It has the capability to perceive the thoughts and beliefs that lay buried deep within.

We call this Whole Brain Intelligence, Accessing Ui (Unlimited Intelligence), as it draws on parts of our brain we’ve never been taught to use... Ironically, the very same parts of the brain that contain all the answers!

Whole Brain Intelligence is the key, opening up vast possibilities... and it’s available for all of us!

It fine tunes your brain into functioning like an antenna, picking up on thought frequencies you didn’t even know existed in yourself and even in others. Now you can pierce the depths of the subconscious mind, within minutes accessing the very root cause of illness. It’s all our birth right to experience this part of ourselves!

So why go outside the medical profession, the ones you turn to when you’re health is in jeopardy, the ones you’ve trusted your entire lives? Because they openly say they don’t have all the answers.

They openly say “We don’t know – disease is a mystery!” Why would you place your life solely in the hands of people who are upfront about not having a cure?

If you are interested in discovering what havoc your Subconscious Beliefs are playing on your health and well-being, it time to talk to us.

I’m putting my money were my mouth is... for anyone with a serious illness who understands what I have said here, I’ll donate 15 minutes of my time using Whole Brain Intelligence to bring to light what’s at the root cause of your illness. From there you will be informed, able to move forward on your own, or with our further support.

Cancer is no death sentence, just the body’s way of saying: “There’s something that doesn’t agree with me, please get it out!”

By: Daniel Rechnitzer – Ui Group, Founder

www.AccessingUi.com

June 27, 2011

How to be THE LUCKIEST GUY ON THE PLANET in 4 Easy Steps

by James Altucher

I told my dad, “I’m a lucky guy.” He said, “But are you lucky in love?” I was six years old. Love was the most disgusting thing in the world to me. What the hell was he talking about? Love was living in another neighborhood at that time. Or another planet. It would be years before Love stuck its ugly little nose into my house and said, “hello, anyone here?

Luck was all about rolling the dice. Or finding a quarter on the ground. Or seeing a double rainbow after a quick storm.
But now I’m different. I’m constantly checking in and out of the Hospital of No Luck. I’m older. I need luck to be constantly transfused into me or I run out of it. Without luck, I’m dead. For me, good luck equals happiness.

On a scale of happiness from 0 to 10, I think I’m about a seven or eight. But that’s a big improvement. When I was lying on the floor here, I was probably about a zero. Or at different points in this story, I was maybe at negative. So I’m trending upwards. I get lucky when I stick to three simple goals:

My ONLY Three Goals in Life

A) I want to be happy.

B) I want to eradicate unhappiness in my life.

C) I want every day to be as smooth as possible. No hassles.

That’s it. I’m not asking for much. I need simple goals else I can’t achieve them.
There’s been at least ten times in my life that everything seemed so low I felt like I would never achieve the above three things and the world would be better off without me. Other times I felt like I was stuck at a crossroads and would never figure out which road to take. Each time I bounced back.

When I look back at these times now I realize there was a common thread.

Each time there were four things, and only four things, that were always in place in order for me to bounce back.

Now I try to incorporate these four things into a daily practice so I never dip low again.

THE DAILY PRACTICE
A) Physical – being in shape. Doing some form of exercise. In 2003 I woke up at 5am every day and from 5-6am I played “Round the World” on a basketball court overlooking the Hudson River. Every day (except when it rained). Trains would pass and people at 5:30am would wave to me out the window. Now, I try to do yoga every day. But its hard. All you need to do, minimally, is exercise enough to break a sweat for 10 minutes. So about 20-30 minutes worth of exercise a day. This is not to get “ripped” or “shredded”. But just to be healthy. You can’t be happy if you aren’t healthy. Also, spending this time helps your mind better deal with its daily anxieties. If you can breathe easy when your body is in pain then its easier to breathe during difficult situations. Here’s other things that are a part of this but a little bit harder:

Wake up by 4-5am every day.
Go to sleep by 8:30-9. (Good to sleep 8 hours a night!)
No eating after 5:30pm. Can’t be happy if indigested at night.

B) Emotional– If someone is a drag on me, I cut them out. If someone lifts me up, I bring them closer. Nobody is sacred here. When the plane is going down, put the oxygen mask on your face first.

Family, friends, people I love – I always try to be there for them and help. But I don’t get close to anyone bringing me down. This rule can’t be broken. Energy leaks out of you if someone is draining you. And I never owe anyone an explanation.

Explaining is draining.

Another important rule: always be honest. Its fun.

Nobody is honest anymore and people are afraid of it. Try being honest for a day (without being hurtful). Its amazing where the boundaries are of how honest one can be. Its much bigger than I thought. A corollary of this is: I never do anything I don’t want to do. Like I NEVER go to weddings.

C) Mental – Every day I write down ideas. I write down so many ideas that it hurts my head to come up with one more. Then I try to write down five more.

The other day I tried to write 100 alternatives kids can do other than go to college. I wrote down eight, which I wrote about here. I couldn’t come up with anymore. Then the next day I came up with another 40. It definitely stretched my head.

No ideas today? Memorize all the legal 2 letter words for Scrabble. Translate the Tao Te Ching into Spanish. Need ideas for lists of ideas?

Come up with 30 separate chapters for an “autobiography”. Try to think of 10 businesses you can start from home (and be realistic how you can execute them)? Give me 10 ideas of directions this blog can go in. Think of 20 ways Obama can improve the country. List every productive thing you did yesterday (this improves memory also and gives you ideas for today).

The “idea muscle” atrophies within days if you don’t use it. Just like walking. If you don’t use your legs for a week, they atrophy. You need to exercise the idea muscle. It takes about 3-6 months to build up once it atrophies. Trust me on this.

D) Spiritual. I feel that most people don’t like the word “spiritual”. They think it means “god”. Or “religion”.

But it doesn’t. I don’t know what it means actually. But I feel like I have a spiritual practice when I do one of the following:

Pray (doesn’t matter if I’m praying to a god or to dead people or to the sun or to a chair in front of me – it just means being thankful. And not taking all the credit, for just a few seconds of the day)
Meditate – Meditation for more than a few minutes is hard. It’s boring. Here I give tips for 60 second meditations. You can also meditate for 15 seconds by really visualizing what it would be like meditate for 60 minutes. Here’s a simple meditation: sit in a chair, keep the back straight, watch yourself breathe. If you get distracted, no problem. Just pull yourself back to your breath. Try it for 5 minutes. Then six.
Being grateful – I try to think of everyone in my life I’m grateful for. Then I try to think of more people. Then more. Its hard.
Forgiving – I picture everyone who has done me wrong. I visualize gratefulness for them (but not pity).
Studying. If I read a spiritual text (doesn’t matter what it is: Bible, Tao Te Ching, anything Zen related, even inspirational self-help stuff, doesn’t matter) I tend to feel good. This is not as powerful as praying or meditating (it doesn’t train your mind to cut out the BS) but it still makes me feel good.

My own experience: I can never achieve the three “simple” goals on a steady basis without doing the above practice on a daily basis.

And EVERY TIME I’ve hit bottom (or close to a bottom, or I’ve been at some sort of crossroads.) and started dong the above 4 items (1991, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2006, 2008) magic would happen:

The Results
A) Within about one month, I’d notice coincidences start to happen. I’d start to feel lucky. People would smile at me more.
B) Within three months the ideas would really start flowing, to the point where I felt overwhelming urges to execute the ideas.
C) Within six months, good ideas would start flowing, I’d begin executing them, and everyone around me would help me put everything together.
D) Within a year my life was always completely different. 100% upside down from the year before.

More money, more luck, more health, etc.

And then I’d get lazy and stop doing the practice.
And everything falls apart again. But now I’m trying to do it every day.
Its hard to do all of this every day.

Nobody is perfect. I don’t know if I’ll do all of these things today. But I know when I do it, it works.

You will rule the planet if you follow me on Twitter.

With many thanks to Altucher Confidential
H/T: J.R.

June 15, 2011

Swiss Zoo shows off rare Snow Leopard cubs - Just Stunning!

RARE snow leopard triplets have made their first public appearance at Basel Zoo in Switzerland.

The zoo is showing off the eight-week-old cubs today alongside their mother, Mayhan and father, Pator.

The pair were matched mid-January through a preservation program run by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.

Snow leopards are an endangered species and only 4000 to 6000 are believed to still live in the wild.

They are mainly found in the mountains of Central Asia and the Himalayas.

With thanks to News.com

Some related posts:

Earliest Big Cat Fossil Found in Tibet

The Serengeti Lion: An Exquisite National Geographic Project

Buddhist Monks and The "Tiger Temple" of Kanchanaburi

Lion Cub Triplets Raise Hope for The Endangered Asiatic Lion

The Siberian Tiger

Bornean Marbled Cat: An Ultra-rare Cat Species Captured On Camera

Iranian Cheetah Sighting Gives Hope To Conservation Efforts

Cincinnati Zoo Cheetah Sets New World Speed Record!

Snow Leopard and Cubs at Magdeburg Zoo

Swimming Tigers at Australia Zoo

Clouded Leopard Cubs At Houston Zoo

Another Chance for Three Orphaned Tiger Cubs

Golden Tabby Tigers

Lion Protector, Shivani Bhalla Helps Big Cats and People Coexist

Surprising Facts About Our Favorite Big Cats

Asher Jay: Art Of The Matter

India’s Wild Tiger Population Has Increased 30% Since 2010

Clouded Leopard Born at Florida Zoo

World Lion Day: Some Stunning Images Of The King Of The Jungle

Two Snow Leopard Cubs Born at Brookfield Zoo

White Lions - A Royal Family

Lions Gain New Endangered Species Protections

Leopard Hunting Banned in South Africa For Remainder of 2016

A Hidden Population Of Up To 200 Lions Has Been Found In Ethiopia

Africa’s Big Five Animals

Tigers Are Coming Back!

Tracking Sumatran Tigers

Russia Builds A Huge Tunnel To Save A Near-Extinct Group of Leopards

30 Tiger Zoos In Thailand Face Nationwide Checks

The Truth Behind The Tiger Temple

The Black Panther

Russia's 'Extinct' Persian Leopards Reintroduced To Black Sea Mountains

Why Big Cat Rescue Doesn’t Have Cheetah or Jaguars

The Best Big Cat Videos Come From The Wild

Pallas's Cats To Get Their Own 'Palace' In Siberian Mountains

Amur Tiger Release

Over 100 Tigers Killed And Trafficked Each Year

Last Wild Ocelots In Texas Get New Paths To Safety

June 05, 2011

Your Ego and How it Can Affect Your Life

So what is your ego you ask? It is that part of your brain, and a rather silly part,that makes you always think you must finish on top!

Whether it is having the last word, winning an argument, or even causing someone emotional pain while trying to prove you are right.

(Of course you may well be right but this isn't a nice way to do it.).

Most of the time when arguing with people who have a different perspective, or are simply a little stupid, you cannot win in any case.

Some people will simply never get it no matter how many provable facts you come up with. It can be very draining and a waste of your time.

As someone once said: “ 5% of people think, 15% think they think, and the rest would rather do anything than have to think”. (Skip Ross).

Essentially ego makes you waste your time and energy and prevents you from moving forward in your life.

It stops you from actually believing in yourself, your instincts, inner voices and what we now call ‘vibes’.

How many times do we dismiss ‘vibes’ only to discover later that we should have taken notice of them?

If you think deeply about some of the decisions you have made in the past you may even acknowledge that these were purely ego-driven and were, in fact, a big mistake!

Your ego often provides you with silly excuses that help you justify the things you do. It prevents you from thinking things through thoroughly and can lead to what I can “unintended consequences”. These are usually bad.

I think we see this a lot from our politicians – just one example that comes to mind.

We may also see many examples from our work colleagues and family members.

Ego keeps you in a state of immaturity.

In other words it is the opposite of your “higher self” or soul.

That is why you have to be very aware of not acting on ego-driven advice.

Your higher self is desperately trying to help you get to who you want to be, who you are capable of being.

You must learn to love yourself and constantly push your ego out of your thought processes as much as you can. Loving yourself is not an “ego thing”. It is necessary for your success.

Your ego restrains you in every possible way.

Try and learn to live without it and communicate with your higher self instead.