So yet another day in Cannes and I’m starting to feel so French with my “Bonjour’s” and “Merci’s” sounding oh so authentic The sun sets at crazy hours here so dinner usually only starts around 9 and people only really party after 1am here, my body is so confused.. However with a view like this I’ll survive. So last night was the CK/vitaminwater party and we got to feel very “celeb-like” walking a mini red carpet for the paps aka paparazzi… Then as one does, rubbed shoulders with the likes of Rosario Dawson, Uma Thurman & Owen Wilson, who is so super down to earth. We get to see Ashwaria Rai every day and she is as insanely beautiful in person as one would imagine. Apparently Jolie/Pitt are in town, so fingers crossed for a spotting. My favourite celeb so far though is Woody Allen… No bodyguards, he just strolls around quite happily mixing with the “commoners” Other than that on the local celeb front we are having a whale of a time with the crew down here, with alter-egos and nicknames abounding But that’s a whole other blog post… Going to head down to the shopping district, yet again and get the inside scoop on the 2011 summer trends, so watch this space for that… If you do ever happen to find yourself in Cannes, do yourself a favor and head down to Jean Luc Pele… Their macaroons are so good I started a relationship with my nutella and creme brûlée flavored ones… Seriously!!
So day 2 of Cannes and it’s been absolutely surreal!! We arrived a little weary after our transit through Zurich, but were met by a line of paparazzi outside of our hotel and the realization that we had finally arrived at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s been a non-stop sensory overload, the high-street fashion, bodyguards at every corner, paparazzi as common as parking guards are in South Africa, it’s been such an amazing experience so far. Had lunch yesterday at the vitaminwater z-plage and had the welcome surprise of seeing Lady Gaga sound checking 5m away from us, insane- she has crazy hair! Then after a decadent dinner last night I had non other than Woody Allen stroll right past me. Then again at lunch today JessieJ had her soundcheck, literally a few feet away from us, so instead of some generic restaurant music we had a world renowned pop star serenading us. This has been such a whirlwind time so far & I’m literally blogging this moments before I don my frock for a press conference with Uma Thurman and then head off to the Calvin Klein/vitaminwater cocktail party. I seriously feel so blessed… Will do a decent post when I’m not dashing, shopping, lunching and add all the awesome pics…
Was recently introduced to Stacey Kent - and her music is like running through a field of daises on a sunny day…. I won't lie I have always had a love for the French language, and have dabbled in trying to master it, to no avail… however nothing stops me from being able to appreciate it… Perhaps my pending trip to Cannes has something to do with sudden sensory overload of all things French…Trust you will enjoy, if you don't then I would go see a doctor
Called the Hotel Martinez in Cannes, where I will be staying when I attend the film festival in France courtesy of vitaminwater…. just makes you want to slap me doesn't it?
So I watched a Ted talk by John Wooden filmed in 2001, in it he talks about success, his true definition of success and what it means to really win. He makes a profound statement in his talk where he says, “Reputation is what you are perceived to be. Character is what you truly are.” Watching him talk and thinking on what he was saying made me wonder about success, reputation and what I would define true success to be in my own life. It dawned upon me that I would consider my life a success if I were to have the following:
Wisdom - I think of all the things I want in life, this would almost be at the top of the list, I desire to be wise. I take great pleasure in speaking to older people, sharing in their knowledge and wisdom, the untapped resources of life experience, the stories that are written upon the lines in their faces. While society values youth and beauty, and while I myself struggle with the thought of losing both of these I think there is great treasure to be found in age and I hope one day to be the kind of old lady that encourages the youth to sit at her feet and regales them with stories and proverbs of wisdom.
Peace & Contentment - For me this is a particularly tricky one, I am coming to realise that peace, happiness and contentment are all an inside job, that while your circumstances may help, true happiness and contentment can only be found when you look within and it is once you have done so that you can find peace and happiness in almost every situation, easier said than done. There is a scripture verse that sums this up really nicely for me, Phillipians 4:11-13 “11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” In saying this, by no means indicates having reached this place in my life, far from it, but I look forward to the day when I am close to it.
A Legacy - If I were to die today, next week or in 50 years time I would want to know that I had in some way left a positive mark on this world. In his talk Wooden refers to a quote, “The journey is better than the end,” so I guess it would be my desire to through my journey in life positively impact and touch the lives of those around me, of those I come into contact with. I am no Mother Theresa, far from it and I have no desire to live a life based purely on “works” and striving to be something I am not, but I do hope to come to a place where compassion and kindness come naturally and that I leave a piece of myself behind that will be treasured and thought of with fondness. Perhaps it will be in what I accomplish in my career, perhaps it will be through something creative, perhaps just through my relationships, but either way I hope to leave a legacy worth leaving.
Love - To love fully, no holds barred - this is something I hope for. To know that I have loved deeply and been loved, to be willing to open up, bear my soul and share my life fully with another. To have the cliched old people still holding hands walking together scenario, this is what I really desire. I have no idea what the recipe for such a great love is, and how to be the “ideal” partner, but I hope in time that I will have the courage to be vulnerable enough to bare my soul and join it to another.
They say that if you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything, so I hope this talk inspires you to figure out what true success means for you and then to pursue that…
The sun sets at crazy hours here so dinner usually only starts around 9 and people only really party after 1am here, my body is so confused.. However with a view like this I’ll survive. So last night was the CK/vitaminwater party and we got to feel very “celeb-like” walking a mini red carpet for the paps aka paparazzi… Then as one does, rubbed shoulders with the likes of Rosario Dawson, Uma Thurman & Owen Wilson, who is so super down to earth. We get to see Ashwaria Rai every day and she is as insanely beautiful in person as one would imagine. Apparently Jolie/Pitt are in town, so fingers crossed for a spotting. My favourite celeb so far though is Woody Allen… No bodyguards, he just strolls around quite happily mixing with the “commoners” Other than that on the local celeb front we are having a whale of a time with the crew down here, with alter-egos and nicknames abounding 
But that’s a whole other blog post… Going to head down to the shopping district, yet again and get the inside scoop on the 2011 summer trends, so watch this space for that… If you do ever happen to find yourself in Cannes, do yourself a favor and head down to Jean Luc Pele… Their macaroons are so good I started a relationship with my nutella and creme brûlée flavored ones… Seriously!!
