This gorgeous Phoenix background is designed by the amazing artist Nela Dunato . Please check out her fabulous website at InObscuro.com . You can order prints from deviantart.com/print/2161199 .
The fabulous rockin' music (as my player is currently invisible) is Sound of Drums by the Magnificent Kula Shaker who I am delighted to say have reformed. Woohoo! Both represent my current energy, as does the new book "Mind & Motivation", written by my close friend Lisa Tenzin-Dolma. It's amazing!!! I already have my copy and I'm half way through! It's an incredible piece of work not to be missed. Thank you :)
I thrive in positive and creative atmospheres and love stimulating company and conversation, learning, discovery, adventure... that sort of thing...
Photography. I enjoy taking photographs as well as looking at them. My favourites? Man Ray and Angus McBean and I have also just discovered a new favourite - CM Wolett . My humble photographic offerings can be seen below:
All images in the above slideshow are Copyright Jen Govey
Art: Esher, Van Gogh, Man Ray, DaVinci, Dali. I love visiting galleries. I also enjoy painting and clay sculpture and generally getting my hands dirty with creative pursuits.
Design: Anything from enjoying great design from my iMac to the work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. I also enjoy web design, graphic design, photoshop and interior design. I love design as it mixes art AND practicality.
Theatre: Both watching - anything from musicals to drama, mainstream and fringe and enjoy comedy/stand-up. I also have dabbled in am-dram, but sadly get terrible stage fright so decided early on for a career BEHIND the camera. ;)
Travel when I'm able - usually low budget/camera backpack - Europe (especially Italy, France and Greece) and America and visiting historical sites and getting into local life experiences. I couldn't just go on a beach holiday and only eat English food or MacDonalds (urg!). I have to explore and interact with the locals (with my awful language skills - which usually make them laugh or cry) and I like to try the local food... unless it's tripe for breakfast, or horse brains, (yuk). I usually like to go for family run tavernas off the beaten track, serving fresh, organic, home-cooked food.
Science and science fiction, especially involving subjects like cosmology, astronomy, metaphysics, astrology, astropsychology, nature, environmentalism and cutting edge science like training rats to find mines... I'm also interested in the more 'alternate' science like the supernatural, unexplained, myths and legends, the weird and wacky - anything from Aztec or Egyptian technology to spontaneous human combustion to The Nag Hammadi texts to ghosts. I like to play with a lot of metaphysical new-age ideas and have a very open mind about the possibilities and realms of reality, consciousness and energy, but still like to be grounded and practical about it all. I think it is the writer/storyteller instinct in me wishing to find interesting concepts to explore and just because I am curious and inquisitive (a bit nosey, in other words). I just find ideas stimulating, whether I believe or agree with them or not, ideas, life and the universe is a fascinating subject.
I also love the social sciences including history, people, places, conservation, world peace, philosophy, theology, politics, ethical consumerism and generally trying to make a positive contribution to the world around us. I have this crazy idea that I'm on this planet to change it for the better... maybe I'll make a difference, maybe not, the point for me is to try my best and do my bit. My seed of thought for today is "make love, not war" and my adopted slogan for today is "make poverty history" .
howyoucanchangetheworld.com
I also enjoy yoga/pilates, dancing, meeting funny people and laughing, x-box Buffy, apple-mac, gadgets, fancy dress, ping pong, pool, dancing (I have even tried belly dancing) and I have just taken up tai chi kung, which is amazing! As you can see my interests really are wide and varied... life the universe and everything! (That just about covers it!)
My Favourite Quotes & Philosophies:
"Be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix
"An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea." - Buddha
"The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself." - Mark Caine
"Don't let what you can't do stand in the way of what you can." - John Wooden
"I'm not dumb. I just have a command of thoroughly useless information. " - Calvin; Calvin and Hobbes
"When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, 'It's in the script.' If he says, 'But what's my motivation?, ' I say, 'Your salary.'" - Alfred Hitchcock
"Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be" - George Sheehan
"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others." - Pericles
"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures." - John F. Kennedy
"Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." - George Bernard Shaw
"There are 3 kinds of people: The that can count and those that can't."
"Don't dream it. Be it." - Frankenfurter
I'd like to meet:
Fellow industry professionals, anyone creative, intelligent, philosophical lovely and funny. You, perhaps?
I also want to meet the shopkeeper in Mr Benn, dress up in something funky and go on some wacky adventure and learn something new...
Click here to view a bigger version of my map!
You can also make your own, it's free!
MySpace Layouts
Music:
I love music - my tastes are eclectic (my friends often wonder if I have any taste at all then I surprise them with something they love) I'm into most styles and have difficulty sticking to just one. I can't remember or list everything, so I will add from time to time...
Genres: film soundtracks, easy listening, ultra-lounge, dance, latin, pop, rock, disco, funk, electro, r&b, swing, big band, trad jazz, rap/hip-hop, motown, soul, classical, world music.
Favourite Artists & Bands:
Prince, Queen, David Bowie, Sting/The Police, Craig Armstrong, Massive Attack, The Feeling, Kula Shaker, Mika, Peter Gabriel, Lenny Kravitz, Robbie Williams, The Chemical Brothers, Billy Joel, The Divine Comedy, Elvis Presley, Fatboy Slim, ABC, Nat King Cole, Amy Winehouse, Tears 4 Fears, Jean Michel Jarre, INXS, Justin Timberlake, Gnarles Barkley, Vangelis, U2, Peter Ulrich, James Morrison, Louis Armstrong, Jackie Wilson, Spandau Ballet, Michael Jackson, James Blunt, Lionel Richie/The Commodores, Abba, Dean Martin, Sergio Mendes, Liberace, Nick Kershaw, Judy Garland, Harry Connick Jnr, Euthythmics/Annie Lennox, Bing Crosby, Tito Puente, World Party, The Beatles, Bob Marley, The Cardigans, Steps, The Platters, Godeigo, George Michael/Wham, Jean Michel Jarre, Salt n' Pepa, Perry Como, Jackie Wilson, Monty Python, The Carpenters, Van Morrison, Corduroy, Eartha Kitt, The Darkness, Paul Weller, Del Amitri, The Commodores, Destiny's Child, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Mike Oldfield, Earth Wind and Fire, Moby, Gene Kelly, The Pet Shop Boys, Blondie, Staple Singers, Glenn Miller, Bill Withers, Matt Monro, Leftfield, Coldplay, The Drifters, Roberta Flack, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Culture Club, Aretha Franklin, Lily Allen, Elton John, Billy May, Franz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol, McFly, KC and the Sunshine Band, Mel Torme, Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Gorillaz, They Might Be Giants, Stevie Wonder, Blondie, Thomspon Twns, Culture Club, Anastacia, Arrested Development, Corinne bailey Rae, Jamiroquai, Mis-Teeq, Tom Jones, Norah Jones, Jack Jones, The Scissor Sisters, Damien Rice, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, Bizzare Inc., They Might Be Giants, Randy Newman, Razorlight, Shirley Bassey, James Brown, Chico, Jack Costanzo, Daddy Fantastic, Jimmy Cliff, Leftfield, Madonna, ... and even William Shatner...
Film Music:
John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Thomas Newman, Danny Elfman, Bernard Herrmann, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Michael Kamen, Marc Shaiman, James Horner, Randy Edelman, Craig Armstrong, Vangelis, Ennio Morricone, Hans Zimmer, Bruce Broughton, Christophe Beck, Alan Silvestri, John Barry, Lalo Schiffrin, George Fenton, Elmer Bernstein, Brian Easedale, ... I have been collecting soundtracks since Star Wars in 1977 and have approx. 300+
Classical: Beethoven, Mozart, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Carl Orff, Rachmaninoff, Elgar, Poulenc, Vivaldi, Holst, Phillip Glass...
In celebration of Kula Shaker reforming, I enclose their new album! Please check it out - it rocks! :)
MySpace Music Favourites:
I have collected all my music favourites on MySpace here . So please add them and show your support! Thanks! :)
Movies:
Let's face it I could go on forever in this section; but I guess the idea is to give you a feel of what I like. If you haven't already guessed... I LOVE MOVIES!!!!!
Movies:
Singing in the Rain, Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars, The Majestic, Some Like it Hot, A Matter of Life & Death, The Red Shoes, Life of Brian, School of Rock, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Rear Window, The Matrix, The Fisher King, ET, Leon: The Professional, Sleepy Hollow, As Good As It Gets,Face/Off, The Lost Boys, Great Expectations (Lean), Groundhog Day, Die Hard, Trading Places, Edward Scissorhands, The Wedding Singer, The Goonies, Rosemary's Baby, The Muppet Movie, Highlander, Dogma, Alien, American Beauty, The Player, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's A Wonderful Life, Goodnight And Goodluck, Three Kings, The Usual Suspects, Rush Hour 1 & 2, Aliens, Shrek 1 & 2, Spartacus, Citizen Kane, Unbreakable, Bladerunner, Stigmata, Meet The Fockers, Meet The Parents, Bowfinger, The Man Who Would Be King, Independence Day, Being John Malkovich, All the Presidents Men, The Fearless Vampire Killers, Lawrence of Arabia, Fargo, North By Northwest, The Sleeper, Tootsie, Contact, Heat, Gone With the Wind, Dr Strangelove, The Royal Tenebaums, Licence To Kill, Amadeus, Legend, Men in Black 1 & 2, Anger Management, Long Kiss Goodnight, Rocky Horror, Notting Hill, The Blues Brothers, Tenacious D, Carry On Up the Khyber, Lord of the Rings 1, 2 & 3, The Producers (original), Sunset Boulevard, Intolerable Cruelty, The Terminator, Awakenings, La Vita e Bella, Mary Poppins, The Matrix 2&3, Roman Holiday, 28 Days, Good Will Hunting, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Star Trek: First Contact, The Exorcist, Ghostbusters, Dragnet, While you were Sleeping, Ice Cold in Alex, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, The Wicked Lady, The Shining, 2001, Rocky Horror, Galaxy Quest, Planet of the Apes (Shaffner), Moulin Rouge, LA Confidential, A Christmas Carol (all), Dracula (Badham), Dracula (Fisher), Gandhi, Little Big Man, A Life Less Ordinary, Saving Private Ryan, Sixth Sense, Twelve Monkeys, War Games, Back To The Future, The Killer, Speed, Murial's Wedding, Fright Night, Shaun of the Dead (My friend Amanda in my friends list was a zombie in this too), Fright Night, Annie, American Warewolf In London, SnowDogs, Young Frankenstein, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Gaslight, Big, Practical Magic, Devil's Advocate, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, The Sound Of Music, L'Age D'Or, Shallow Hal, Bulletproof Monk, ... not necessarily in that order (depends on my mood and what I've seen recently) and I know I've probably forgotten quite a few.. What can I say... I just can't choose! I love many films at different times for different reasons and I just enjoy the cinematic experience, sometimes even with the bad ones. They have educational value as you can learn from their mistakes. I don't tend to like horrors/slasher, excessively violent or gangster movies although if the movie is good I ignore that rule - I loved Goodfellas for example.
Directors: Steven Spielberg, Powell and Pressburger, Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Darabont, Sam Mendes, Spike Jonze, Baz Lurmann, Woody Allen, David Lean, John Huston, Roman Polanski, Luc Besson, M. Night Shyamalan, Billy Wilder, John Landis, Stanley Kubrik, George Cukor, the Cohen Brothers, John Badham, John Woo, James Cameron, Richard Attenborough...
Early Influences: Bond movies, Hammer films, the Carry On series, Ealing Comedies, George Formby, Norman Wisdom, St Trinnians, Charlie Chan, Abbot and Costello, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) StarWars movies, Monty Python, Disney, Harold Lloyd, Henson/muppet style films, Hitchcock, anything with James Stewart, James Mason, Cary Grant, Gene Wilder, Mel Brookes, Woody Allen... It's a Wonderful Life, One of Dinosaurs is Missing, Prisoner of Zenda, that sort of thing....more when I remember...
Television:
I love documentaries, Quincy, Monkey!, Blackadder, The Young Ones, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Dr Who (esp. Tennant & Baker), Red Dwarf (the early years 1-4), Father Ted, Heroes, The League Of Gentlemen, Diagnosis Murder, Star-Trek (Original, TNG, Voyager and Enterprise), The Simpsons, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Ugly Betty, Malcolm in the Middle, Creature Comforts, Michael Palin 'goes travelling somewhere', Ewan McGregor'goes travelling somewhere' programmes (my ideal would be Michael Palin, Ewan McGregor and Ray Mears all doing a trip together), LOST, Stargate (SG:1 and Atlantis), Invasion, Mork & Mindy, Chocky, Bagpuss, Mr Benn, The Office, Bod, Ally McBeal, Angel, Desperate Housewives, Law and Order, NCIS, Space: 1999, 2DTV, The Goodies, The Storyteller, The Muppets, Monty Python, Neighbours, Goodnight Mr Tom, The Friday Night Project, Rose & Maloney, State of Play, Quantum Leap, M*A*S*H*, Extras, Columbo, The New Adventures of Superman: Lois & Clark, Morse, The A-Team, Big Brother, American Wife Swap (because the tough guys always end up in tears), Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Knight Rider, The Adventure Game, Jerry Springer, X-Files, The Apprentice, Smallville, Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett), Monty Python, The X-Factor, The Krypton Factor, cheesy 70's and 80's stuff, sci-fi, comedies, even dodgy american tv movies & late night kung fu...
Books:
My latest news is that I'm currently being featured in Lisa Tenzin-Dolma's new book: Teach Yourself Astrology
You Should Be a Film Writer
You don't just create compelling stories, you see them as clearly as a movie in your mind.
You have a knack for details and dialogue. You can really make a character come to life.
Chances are, you enjoy creating all types of stories. The joy is in the storytelling.
And nothing would please you more than millions of people seeing your story on the big screen!
What Type of Writer Should You Be?
Wow, do these things actually work?!?!?!?
I like mostly non-fiction: history, unexplained mysteries, mythology, legends, science, supernatural, sci-fi fantasy, fiction, life changing stuff and poetry. I grew up on Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton and Michael Bond. I love Dickens (especially A Christmas Carol), Robert Louis Stevenson, John Wyndham ... anything from Morning Conteplation by Osho to Arthur C. Clarkes Mysterious World. I am currently reading Bryant McGill's book " Existence ", which is a wonderful mixture of philosophy, poetry, mythology, with art and photographic illustrations... it is also rapidly becoming one of my favourite books! :) I also love anything by Paul McKenna (I find NLP fascinating), Deepak Chopra, Stuart Wilde and I love Ask and It is Given by Abraham, Esther and Jerry Hicks (Much better than The Secret, which is a little too commercial and superficial for my tastes. I like my reading matter, deep genuine, fascinating and out-there, but not too airy-fairy. Deepak is perfect as it mixes science and spirituality, Stuart Wilde I love as he is practical and inquisitive and I love the Hicks for their pure love and generosity of spirit and Paul McKenna as he's both intelligent and funny and is able to make such a positive difference with his knowledge. Buy me something nice for Christmas from my Amazon Wish List!!!
Bryant McGill
Lisa Tenzin-Dolma
Miss Lisa Mae
VJ Ancona
Heroes:
I have many heroes - anyone trying to make a positive difference to the world and living positively with Universal Love is in my list. ;)
Be my hero and add yourself to my map:
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