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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

My Private Tour of Donna Karan's Island Estate

By Erin Ferucci
Celebrity Lifestyle Designer

There are some things that just defy description...there are simply no words. Over the holidays I spent a lot of time in Parrot Cay in Turks and Cacaos completing a job for a client.

Turks and Cacaos is an amazing enclave of spectacular island villas owned by a small group of uber celebrities and the wildly successful. The homes on the island are the penultimate of island sophisticated chic. And the high priestess of it all, living in the island castle of any one's dreams is Donna Karan. You can't even imagine. And I can't even describe...but I have to. It was that....ugh....there are no words. I can just tell you it was so beautiful and so elegant that it made me emotional. And the smell...the smell...I will never forget the smell. It smelled like money, fresh, clean, ocean scented money.

Every element of the home is designed to pay homage to simple elegance. It's designed to the perfect haven for bare foot decadence. It is divine. These photos are from Architectural Digest and while they are beautiful, you can't even imagine how much better it is in person. The magnitude of the beauty, the sheer assault on the senses...have I mentioned the smell?
This is the playground for success beyond measure, the reward for talent unrestrained. The day of my private tour coincided with the departure of one of Hollywood's elite actors and his family, who had been enjoying a brief stay. I can't even repeat the amount of money it takes to rent the villa for one night, a number that I guarantee would catch your breath, but I assure you it's worth every penny.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Tiger Woods apologizes

After a short silence, Tiger has given a press conference to apologize to his family, beginning with his mother, who was sitting in the front row. Tiger Woods promises to come back soon to play golf, and not ruled out a reconciliation with his wife. Here we show the full text of his speech:

Good morning, and thank you for joining me. Many of you in this room are my friends. Many of you in this room know me. Many of you have cheered for me or you've worked with me or you've supported me.

Now every one of you has good reason to be critical of me. I want to say to each of you, simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in.

I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could have done these things to my wife, Elin, and to my children. And while I have always tried to be a private person, there are some things I want to say.

Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior. As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will come from my behavior over time. We have a lot to discuss; however, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.

I am also aware of the pain my behavior has caused to those of you in this room. I have let you down, and I have let down my fans. For many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. To those of you who work for me, I have let you down personally and professionally. My behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners.

To everyone involved in my foundation, including my staff, board of directors, sponsors and most importantly, the young students we reach, our work is more important than ever. Thirteen years ago, my dad and I envisioned helping young people achieve their dreams through education. This work remains unchanged and will continue to grow. From the Learning Center students in Southern California to the Earl Woods scholars in Washington, D.C., millions of kids have changed their lives, and I am dedicated to making sure that continues.

But still, I know I have bitterly disappointed all of you. I have made you question who I am and how I could have done the things I did. I am embarrassed that I have put you in this position.

For all that I have done, I am so sorry.

I have a lot to atone for, but there is one issue I really want to discuss. Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame.

The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame.

I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have to go far to find them.

I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation and kids all around the world who admired me.

I've had a lot of time to think about what I've done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It's now up to me to make amends and that starts by never repeating the mistakes I've made. It's up to me to start living a life of integrity.

I once heard, and I believe it's true, it's not what you achieve in life that matters; it's what you overcome. Achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. Character and decency are what really count.

Parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry.

It's hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days from the end of December to early February, I was in inpatient therapy receiving guidance for the issues I'm facing. I have a long way to go. But I've taken my first steps in the right direction.

As I proceed, I understand people have questions. I understand the press wants to ask me for the details and the times I was unfaithful. I understand people want to know whether Elin and I will remain together. Please know that as far as I'm concerned, every one of these questions and answers is a matter between Elin and me. These are issues between a husband and a wife.

Some people have made up things that never happened. They said I used performance-enhancing drugs. This is completely and utterly false. Some have written things about my family. Despite the damage I have done, I still believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotlight. They did not do these things; I did.

I have always tried to maintain a private space for my wife and children. They have been kept separate from my sponsors, my commercial endorsements. When my children were born, we only released photographs so that the paparazzi could not chase them. However, my behavior doesn't make it right for the media to follow my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to school and report the school's location. They staked out my wife and they pursued my mom. Whatever my wrongdoings, for the sake of my family, please leave my wife and kids alone.

I recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know above all I am the one who needs to change. I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it to those closest to me to become a better man. That's where my focus will be.

I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it. Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.

As I move forward, I will continue to receive help because I've learned that's how people really do change. Starting tomorrow, I will leave for more treatment and more therapy. I would like to thank my friends at Accenture and the players in the field this week for understanding why I'm making these remarks today.

In therapy, I've learned the importance of looking at my spiritual life and keeping in balance with my professional life. I need to regain my balance and be centered so I can save the things that are most important to me -- my marriage and my children.

That also means relying on others for help. I've learned to seek support from my peers in therapy, and I hope someday to return that support to others who are seeking help. I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don't know when that day will be.

I don't rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game. In recent weeks, I have received many thousands of e-mails, letters and phone calls from people expressing good wishes. To everyone who has reached out to me and my family, thank you. Your encouragement means the world to Elin and me.

I want to thank the PGA Tour, Commissioner Finchem and the players for their patience and understanding while I work on my private life. I look forward to seeing my fellow players on the course.

Finally, there are many people in this room, and there are many people at home who believed in me. Today, I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again.

Thank you.


We hope that Tiger Woods speedy recovery and return her life to be the best golf player in the world.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

News for fairies and liars


Hi everyone! Today I've decided to star a new stage on my blog. I know it was so deserted, I'm sorry. So I only wish start to write posts soon. It'll be the best way to compensate my lost months without appear for here.

Thank you for your understanding, I'll try to be better this time.

Polly

Thursday, February 18, 2010

mordant music - the tower ep


Mordant Music
The Tower EP
2009
Mordant Music
[electronic, techno, dubstep, experimental]

MF (43 MB)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

sii/mr. maxted & baron mordant/mordant music/vindicatrix - variables ep


Sii/Mr. Maxted & Baron Mordant/Mordant Music/Vindicatrix
Variables EP
2009
Mordant Music
[electronic, dubstep, experimental]

MF (46 MB)

mordant music/vindicatrix - 24 million or sell neverland/private places 7"


Mordant Music/Vindicatrix
24 Million Or Sell Neverland/ Private Places 7"
2008
Mordant Music
[electronic, techno, dubstep, experimental]

MF (31 MB)

Friday, February 12, 2010

vindicatrix - die alten bösen lieder


Vindicatrix
Die alten bösen Lieder
2009
Mordant Music
[electronic, experimental, dub techno]

MF (158 MB)

One of last years' best (and weirdest) records was Vindicatrix' Die alten bösen Lieder (which, opting to trust my ever-corroding German, translates into something like "the old bad songs"), released by Mordant Music and oddly packaged as a 12"+CD-R combo (but to be regarded as one album). Here Londoner David Aird combines the operatic claustrophobia of Scott Walker's The Drift with dark laptop experimentalism and the occasional dub techno, creating an album that, needless to say, requires multiple listenings and an adventurous mind for appreciation. In short, it's fucked up, but it's also fucking good.

gnod - the crystal pagoda


Gnod
The Crystal Pagoda
2009
Sonic Meditations
[drone, experimental, krautrock]

MF (80 MB, rip: UAX)

Pretty good bullshit hippie drone music.

tim hecker - norberg ep


Tim Hecker
Norberg EP
2007
Room40
[ambient, drone]

MF (32 MB)

ascension - broadcast


Ascension
Broadcast
1996
Shock
[free improv, noise rock]

MF (113 MB)

Rocks! Sounds like Takayanagi/New Direction Unit's Call In Question recorded in an expensive studio.

bak de syv fjell - from haavardstun/de siste tanker 7"


Bak De Syv Fjell
From Haavardstun/De siste tanker 7"
1997
Edged Circle
[folk metal, black metal]

MF (12 MB)

The name of this band, translating to "behind the seven mountains", refers to the landscape surrounding Bergen, a beautiful city on the west coast of Norway. You can absolutely tell from the music where these guys were brought up. I don't know much about this band (except that the drummer had a brief spell in Gorgoroth), but I know this was their sole official release. For shame!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

tim hecker - atlas 10"


Tim Hecker
Atlas 10"
2007
Audraglint
[electronic, drone, ambient]

MF (24 MB)