Terracotta fireplaces

It’s not that this is secret information. It’s just that some of you do not really know me that well in order to be aware of the fact that I absolutely adore terracotta fireplaces.

It all began when I was small, and visited my grandparents’ house. And maybe I fancy terracotta fireplaces that much because they remind me of a time when I had no cares in the world, I ate popcorn and fruits from the trees, and a dog was barking in the background.

I remember a talk I had once with a former colleague about the weird things we would put in our homes. Mine was a terracotta fireplace. His was a bathtub in the living-room.

Throughout the years, I have proudly stated my interest in terracotta fireplaces, and still continue to dream about them. Every time we go to a place that has one, I am absolutely spellbound.

Living in an apartment that has its own heating system it seems absolutely ridiculous to have a terracotta fireplace. But I must add that I would be completely happy if I just had one in (even though that means not being able to use it). It would be a veritable eye-candy.

A couple of weeks ago, another former work-colleague sent me this link. These people from Medias terracotta factory are doing such wonderful work! It is absolutely inspiring!

It saddens me to know that this is the only factory that manufactures terracotta fireplaces in all Romania. And I am really wishing for it to have a long journey.

And if you’re admirers of true handcraft and beautiful things, you should visit this site.

For me, this is the most beautiful of them all. Ah, the wonder!

(property of teracota.ro)

Blondes should wear blue

Surely, you know your thing when it comes to colors. Especially, if you are a woman. You’ve learned it by playing with them ever since you were little, and you’ve seen that game taking different turns watching your mom, her friends, your incredible aunt or any other role model you’ve encounter on your way.

Now, I do not have any prejudice against colors. All is possible and all can be mixed. Though, I have seasons. Yeah, I got that right. Colors take control over my wardrobe, and sometimes are even interchangeable. I’ve been having a long affair with emerald green and yellow, and even red and orange, but the greatest of them all is the one I still encourage, my love affair with the color blue.

Let me put this in perspective. When I was a toddler, I was blonde. I was a cute, curly little girl (modesty is overrated) brimming with smile. After a while, the color of my hair changed notes, and it became brown, but my father always included me on the fair-haired ladies list. And he still does.

I vividly remember him telling me, while we were shopping for clothes and were confronted with the color-dilemma, that blondes should wear blue. It fits them better. Back then, I was in high school and the issue of colors was rather an unimportant one. But still, that saying stuck with me.

Years and years after that, I colored my hair blonde. It was something I had dreamed about ever since I was a sophomore college and Shakira was in style. I just did not have the guts. Somehow, the fear of ruining one’s hair diminished and the fact that hair products continued to develop gave me a nudge.

So, here I am, again, a blonde. I wear my favorite colors, but still surprise myself with buying blue items of clothing. And the latest was a jacket, a royal-blue, as they say.

Well, one has to listen to one’s father, don’t they?!

Blondes should wear blue. Well, definitely!

The Supreme Purpose

Aren’t you tired of constantly hearing people talking about the supreme purpose?! Aren’t you tired of hearing that the supreme purpose is either one or the other, and you feel pushed up against the wall?!

The other day, I was reading a metro station banner that said that the supreme purpose in life is achieving happiness. Sure, it sounds wonderful. Just like it always sounds wonderful to hear the advice of certain, auto declared or not, experts in mindfulness. 

It’s just that it is a little difficult to put them in practice, especially for those of us who wake up every morning at the same hour, have 9 hours work schedule, to which the time that we spend in traffic to/ from office adds.

I reckon is easy when you have enough money that you can buy time (meaning you have people helping you with organizing stuff: do the shopping, cleaning and repairing the home, having a personalized plan for the health and care of your body, cleaning and ironing clothes etc.). 

This is the reason why I cannot buy visuals coming from various influencers/ stars that seem to have the key to how you can better organize your life, how to reduce stress and lead a healthier life. All this, while in the backend everything looks like in the pictures from a magazine.

Life is not, as a matter of fact, like in the pictures from a magazine. I know. We follow various people on social media and their lives seem like it. But it is not! Everything has its back side. 

You constantly see pictures from your friends or contacts showing perfect homes, perfect vacations, perfect clothes… Everything must be perfect. Otherwise, we are not satisfied.

I am far from being in the position to give advice. I am no expert in mindfulness, and my life is surely far from being perfect. And I do not wish for it to become, either. But I do have an issue with the pressure that we keep putting on ourselves or the pressure that others put on us.

No supreme purpose exists. We, instead, exist. Even though only temporarily. And we are not at all perfect and nor our existence is.

Not everything has to have a purposeful finality. The important thing is to have, as much as we can or as much as our resources let us, take good care of us, of our needs and of those of the people we care for. And we have to do that by prioritizing. We cannot do everything.

And, sometimes, we have to make something happen for our souls; something that could bring us inner happiness and joy. 

So that, in the morning, when the alarm clock rings, we could find meaning in who we are and in the efforts that we make every day.

TARAPARA!

(you will understand once you've seen the movie Seventeen)

Seventeen, 2019

It's been quite a long time since I last saw a movie telling such a tender story of family relationships, especially those between brothers.
Seventeen (Diecisiete, original title) is about a 17 years old boy that lives in juvenile detention. A smart teenager, who does not care for the use of irony, Hector befriends a dog from the dog-shelter. But the moment he finds out that the dog was adopted and he can no longer see it, Hector decides to escape and find it.

Aside from the fact that this is such a great comedy, you will also be touched by the story. I dearly recommend this movie. I think it's a must see.

Tarapara!
(you will crack the code once you've seen the movie)

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead - Olga Tokarczuk

I admit. I have been feverishly waiting for this book to be translated and published. I hit refresh so many times on the website of the Polirom publishing house that I thought I would break it, but still the message for this novel continued to be 'To be published' and not 'In stock'.
Yet, the awaited moment came and here was I with the book in my hands.

Usually, after buying a book, I let it rest for a while. But, somehow, I could not be so strong this time. So I went on and started reading it.
Presented as a crime novel, with mystical savour, social analyses, and a tint of humor, reading it did not disappoint me.

We meet Mrs. Duszejko, the main character, in the middle of the night, rushed by her neigbour Oddball, who informs her that their neighbour Big Foot is dead.

Of course, Oddball and Big Foot are nicknames, and so do have the characters in this novel. Mrs. Duszejko considers that names and surnames do not do justice to the personality or appearance of beings (she hates her name).

The chain of dead people (or crimes) continues from this throughout the novel, and gradually the belief that animals have started an act of revenge against hunters is growing in the reader's mind. 

Mrs. Duszejko's monologues (because people do not seem to listen to her, nor show interest in participating to the conversation) convinces the reader of her love for animals, for social justice, for the need of freedom and expression, but also of her sensibility towards the value of life, in general.

Maybe you will not fully resonate with the sayings of this cherisher of Blake's poetry, but you will ponder upon some of them.

When I started reading this novel, the announcement of the Nobel Prize winners for Literature was not yet made, but I was thrilled now to find out that the one related to the year of 2018 was awarded to Olga Tokarczuk. What a joy!
Considering the social analysis within this novel, I wish that this novel could reach people from all around the world. When you read the novel, you will understand why.

The Scream

Yes, you are right. There is a reference here to the famous painting by Munch. I saw it today taking real shape, if you wish.

A big German shepherd is always guarding the entrance to a company, right across the building of my apartment. I know it by sight for more than 2 years, and I knew that besides being fierce, this dog is also agile and frightful. And this is how the impression remained in my head.

Until tonight, when I saw it having trouble, while sitting on its front paws, turning on the other side. It was bouncing, slowly, as his back paws remained rigid.

And thus the scream. We are getting older. Every one of us. I do not know the order of things, but I reckon that each one of us will become less agile, less frightful, and less fierce. With no exception!

People, ignore your worries related to today or yesterday! Let them where they found you and don’t carry them around on your shoulders everywhere you go. Focus on the things important to your souls.

It’s hard. I know it’s hard. Our jobs have a real hold on us because besides helping us to pay the bills, they give us a great feeling of being important, of being able to develop and acquire new abilities, having mutual goals with other people just as motivated, being able to constantly learn something new about us and the domain we are interested in, feeling useful and experiencing the great feeling that the fruit of our work is cherished by others. But regardless of how passionate we are about our work, remember that life is not only made from it. Make sure to responsibly and carefully fulfill your duties, but do not forget to live your lives!

The people you love or the four-footed members of your families, they are the ones performing the job of raising your spirits when you had an awful day at work or you cannot find meaning in anything. Which reminds me of a great saying regarding work-family balance – Do you bring the best of yourself to work and the leftovers home? 

And there is no trace of pessimism – or at least not intended – in my words. It’s just the meaning of things; here’s how it goes in physics – nothing is lost, everything is transformed. Don’t be sad! Look inside yourselves, besides yourselves and do not postpone.

That singing course you keep thinking about, but keep postponing it? Call today and make an appointment. You want to learn how to swim and conquer your fear of water? You want more time for yourself, but you don't take it for fear of being told you are selfish? Today is the day when you can do whatever you have been postponing. Not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow, or in two months when you ‘will have the time’. We do not have the time, time is having us.

A scream only interrupts the silence for a moment, and then its effect disappears. You are right. One needs something in order to make this feeling of awareness last longer. Transform an object into the guardian of your decision. It can be a small plush toy that you can place onto your office, a flower in a pot, a photograph, a postcard, a mug. You decide. Whatever the object, it will be close to you and act as a constant reminder that you wish for something, that you try, and maybe sometimes you succeed, and if not than you keep insisting and that makes it worth your while.

What is my charm? 

A bracelet on my right hand with a pendant that represents the tree of life. I am pretty much aware of my roots (my professional and personal responsibilities) and the fruit of my actions can be seen in the branches that keep developing upwards from the thick trunk. 

But the leaves… well, the leaves that gently move to the wind are my dreams, my wishes and my aspirations. Some become yellow (they reach maturity) and fall at the root of the tree, their existence is short and with no great success. 

Other, still, let themselves be carried away by the blowing of the wind and go further, reaching their meaning sometimes in a more beautiful way than I had ever expected. And, from time to time, the buds of new leaves appear and embellish my dreams.

Poseur deconstructed

It was high time I wrote about poseurs. No, I shan’t write about people taking selfies, but about those pretending to be or feel different than shown. The phenomenon has increased lately, and since I have been gathering proofs and excessive euphoria, here below you’ll find my take on the secrets of putting on such an act.

I truly do not wish this to be perceived as judgmental and I surely will not try to put an end to it. This kind of art has been here since before I was born and will outlive me. I merely am trying to fulfil my duties as a writer, being a faithful raconteur of the times I am living in.

There they are, my observations on the various acts:

How to mimic a wonderful experience

Do open widely your mouth and your eyes, and then jiggle your arms. Thus you will be able to send the message that until this moment no such trivial experience has been lived by you before. If your gestures are also accompanied by pompous statements regarding the event, be sure that everyone will believe you.

How to convey the message that you are impressed with a saying

Stay still and put on a poker face. The shock was so powerful that it absolutely paralyzed your body. Then, open your mouth and let out an interjection. The important thing now is the sound; all the people around you will be so impressed that they will ignore if the interjection you’ve uttered conveys the feeling you want to mimic. Don’t forget to bulge your eyes. You know that the eyes are the mirror to the soul, so don’t risk others seeing nothing in them (and thus nothing in your soul). When bulging your eyes, people will see a movement in them and thus a movement within you. Also, try not to have physical contact (a hug or a hand shake) because you might give yourself away.

Errors in a motivational speech

Yes, you are not very convinced yourself about the message you are trying to convey, but you know that you have to utter it. 
‘Repeat. Repeat. Repeat’, wasn’t that a great wise man’s saying?! Then, how would you say otherwise. 
Grown-ups are just like children; the only difference is that they wear suits to work. You also know that they learn by mimicry, so try to be their inspiration. It does not matter what you say to them, the important thing is that you pretend to be convinced of your utterances and to repeat over and over again the same idea. 
People blessed with only one neuron and those who were not attentive the last time you said that, will believe in you and will let themselves be inspired by you. Count on them!

When your mistake was showing that you actually did not care

You ask somebody a question. You wait for the very moment when the person ends their response. You jump and ask something else.

How to laugh to a joke you did not understand or found funny

Open your mouth. Close your eyes and give off the loudest sound. If it’s a little hoarse, you’ll be even more believable.

How to pretend you’re having a great time

You’re pissed off, for various reasons. The discussion/ meeting you are involved in is suddenly over and you start to think that you may leave a bad impression to the participants (even though they seemed to have a good time and they had even tried to cheer you up). 
What do you do? When you say goodbye to them, tell them: thank you, guys, for making me laugh!

How to show how intelligent you are

Knit your eyebrows. The faith of the entire planet worries you. The rest… those who laugh so hard at odious things called jokes or bright sayings… they are all cretins, obviously! You are far superior than them. That is why you never smile or laugh. The whole world depends on you to remain just as you are so that you can save it.

5 reasons why you should read books

I was not always the hungry-for-books person I am now. I had read Vlad, I fell in love with his writing, but then (once I finished everything he had written) there was a time when I did not read much.

I think the strongest impulse came after reading 'The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair'. At the time, I was casually reading, but this book reminded me of the mirage created by a well-written story. 

After that, I was lucky enough to find a lot of great books and also a lot of crapy books (and here’s how the rule of 100 appeared; if a book does not convince me after reading the first 100 pages, then I go forward to the next one – like the cook in Seinfeld who yelled ‘No more soup for you. Next!’ – for there are so many books to be read and so little time).

When I moved to Germany, my work colleagues (from that time) armed me with the trilogy ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’. I absolutely devoured the books.

Not long afterwards, I found ‘Requiem for crazy people and beasts’ written by Augustin Buzura (a book I cannot cease to recommend), which not only drove me closer to the Romanian literature, but also broke my prejudice regarding the fact that Romanian literature is boring, long and not at all charming. And besides Buzura, you will always hear me recommending Ana Blandiana, ZullyMustafa, Otilia Țeposu, and Ana Barton.

These are just a few of the books that drove me closer to my current love for reading. Who knows, you might find some inspiration as well. One thing is for sure: nothing and no one can make you read more. Firstly, you must want to read, and most of all, the power is within the book. 
Yes, the book. It is powerful enough to charm you, to make you become dependent of the sublime feeling left after finishing a good book.

And because I keep my promises, below are the reasons I was referring to in the title of this post.

1.     Discovery

Whether we talk about new topics or situations similar to what you have experienced, you will be surprised to discover aspects that you have not considered before.

I am truly intrigued by the human mind (I am constantly on the look-out for books that could show me a little more than what I have already understood about the human mind). Maybe this is an explanation to why I love thrillers (where you can check the human mind faced with stress, pressure, frustration, happiness and many more) because a great attention is given to the analysis of deeds and sometimes psyche of the characters.

2.     Conversation

You will engage more freely in conversations. Maybe even talk about different aspects of life, or maybe about books. Moreover, you can make book recommendations – which is not a small thing. Furthermore, your vocabulary will grow and you will surprise yourself with using words that you do not usually use.

3.     Experiencing

I am sure you have heard/ read that many times before. Those who read live just as many lives as the number of books they had read. Besides this, reading a book gives you a taste of a different experience (even though it is not real) that will embellish your hours.

4.     Variety

All literature genres are just as valuable. A wide selection is there for you to check and even the most pretentious can find something interesting to read.

5.     Relaxation

I saved the best for last. Reading makes you feel relaxed. There are a numerous studies certifying the importance of reading if one is depressed. People can thus disconnect from their troubles and take a short break.

For me, the most beautiful moment (besides feeling relaxed) is having the chance to think of other things than what concerns me during that time, and thus being able to find creative solutions. Furthermore, I feel inspired and filled with a sense of well-being due to the fact that I can fly to other lands just by using my mind.

I wish you pages filled with peace and inspiration for your projects!

Ludmila Balabanova - Sunflower Field

The collection of 21 haibun is one of the most beautiful things I have read lately.

What is haibun?!

Haibun is a combination of prose and haiku. (And if you do not know what haiku is - traditional very short Japanese poetry, made of three verses)

I must admit, I had never before read haiku or haibun. But I really enjoyed it.

And mostly, I particularly loved the introduction that the authoress made to the collection, namely that haibun is meant to stimulate the reader's imagination and sensibility.

Going through topics such as family relationships, simple but complex events from life, nature and its impact upon on us, time is seen with more meaning than what we usually credit it with. 

I highly recommend you read this book or any other haibun collection. You will learn new things about your imagination, or how your memory functions.

Why should you visit Albania

We have been thinking for some time now to visit Albania, and this year was the one for us. My husband meticulously planned the visit ahead so we had a list of the places we wanted to visit.

We traveled by car, it’s the choice we made, but one can easily go to Tirana by plane and hire a car from there.

Getting to Albania

There were a couple of options that Waze and Google maps suggested, but we exited Romania at Giurgiu – Ruse (Bulgaria). Bulgaria’s state of roads is very good and we had absolutely no trouble driving there. Then, we entered Greece and passed by Thessaloniki.

When we entered Albania, at the customs, besides having our documents checked we were greeted by a group of young people. They represented ‘Smile, Albania’, a tourism organization that is involved in promoting the country. We received flyers containing a map of Albania with places to visit that the organization recommended.

After leaving the customs, we went down the hill, and the sunset made it all look absolutely beautiful. Which leads me to nature (and I will come back to this topic throughout this post), which is quite impressing. Looking out of the window, my imagination threaded a lot of ideas, especially after seeing an oval-shaped construction that looked either like an UFO or a giant pizza oven. I learned afterwards from my husband that throughout the country there are such constructions, but they are no ovens or UFOs, just bunkers that the former dictator had built for the Albanian people.

Pogradec

Our first stop was Pogradec. After almost 11 hours of driving, we were quite happy to have arrived. We checked in at the hotel and we were very glad to see that we had a room with a view towards the Ohrid Lake. Ohrid Lake is on the border between Albania and North Macedonia.

Pogradec is a lovely small place where you can stay for a couple of days, bathing in the sun and in the waters of the lake, eating Koran (the local fish) and just chilling. It’s easier and cheaper if you buy a sim card from Albania, in case you need to make a phone call or you need it in order to check directions. Be sure to carry cash with you for there are only few places where you can pay by card. We made an exchange in Albanian LEK and we were amazed to find somebody who worked in a bank that also spoke Romanian (Romania is a leit-motif for our trip in Albania). What we especially loved about Pogradec was the Drilon Park. You can go for a boat ride or simply sit and enjoy the sounds of nature.

Korçë

This small town is really a treat. After having parked our car, we went for a stroll. In the city center, there is a museum of the First Albanian School and one very special museum in the honor of the photographer Gjon Mili. The museum is in a former Romanian house. Gjon Mili was an Albanian-American famous photographer known for his work published in Life magazine. Mili and his family fled Albania and moved to Bucharest, and in 1923 he moved to the United States. He is known for his love of light and movement and for photographing celebrities and famous artists, such as Pablo Picasso.

Tirana

Like I mentioned before, nature is really amazing and during our driving from Korçë to Tirana (and not only then) we were accompanied by the lovely sounds coming from flying grasshoppers. They were so loud that we actually heard them while driving, even though the radio was on. They’re everywhere and they sing during night and day. I don’t know if it was because of the heatwave that struck Europe or this is how temperatures are usually here, but Albania, and especially Tirana, was very hot.

The National Museum of History is highly recommended should you want to get to know more about the Albanian people.

Grand Park of Tirana is another place you should definitely visit. You can take a walk, rent a bike, have a run, play sports, go to the Zoo and to the Botanical Garden, enjoy the view of the lake while sitting on a bench, see the Presidential Palace, or just enjoy a coffee at one of the terraces there.

Oh, and one thing about coffee. Albania is famous for having the same number of bars, coffee places and restaurants as inhabitants. Albanians love to drink coffee and you will find a lot of them at the ground floor of blocks of flats. Generally, they are very modern, seriously contrasting with the architecture of the building they are placed in.

Radio Bar was quite a gem to discover. You will absolutely love it. See for yourself below.

Albania has a taste for Italy; you will eat great Italian food here. We absolutely adored the food at the Pasta da Pucci. The place is so beautiful that you cannot stop from staring and the food is extraordinary.

Walking around the city center, we found out about two streets named after two Romanian important people, Victor Eftimiu and Nicolae Iorga. But the truly amazing thing was to find on one side of a block of flats the picture of the face of Nicolae Iorga and a couple of famous sayings written in Romanian. I told you, Albania is really surprising.

Berat

Berat city is quite an impressive one. We drove almost 2 hours from Tirana to get there. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the castle here is still inhabited. Marks of the Ottoman rule can still be seen in the architecture. The city is divided into two parts, one old and one new separated by the Osum River. There is also an old bridge that beautifully unites the two parts.

People are very friendly and you can ask for directions, they will be very glad to make sure that you don’t miss any of the things to be seen there.

Krujë

This small town played quite a role in the history of the Albanian people. The Krujë castle withstood three massive sieges from the Turks and contains a museum of the legendary Albanian leader, Skanderbeg. Erected on a mountainside, a great panoramic view of the sea and Tirana can be enjoyed from this castle.

Apollonia

At almost one hour drive from Tirana is Apollonia, an ancient Greek city, founded in 588 BC. Native Illyrian tribes lived here and this is quite a trip for those who enjoy learning about history. Since the site is on a hill, the view is really nice and you can enjoy special moments of peace while sitting on a stone bench under an olive tree.

Vlora

Our choice for the seaside was Vlora, but there are also other destinations in Albania just as nice. What I particularly loved about Vlora was being able to go to the beach, have a swim in the Adriatic Sea and also enjoy the view of bosky hills. Like everywhere else in Albania, there are a lot of pretty coffee shops, restaurants and bars to go to. It’s nice if you stay for a couple of days and devote your time to reading, sunbathing and swimming in the sea. And the sunsets are breathtaking!

Driving in Albania

Well, like they say, nothing is perfect. And surely the way of Albanians’ driving could be improved. They tend either to go very fast or very slow, some overtake you on the left and then slow down or they don’t signal if they want to change the lane. Anyway, for your safety and comfort, keep yourself alert.

Cleanliness and state of roads

Albania is clean with very few exceptions. Still, there are stray dogs; rather big but not aggressive. The state of the roads is very good. There are of course, some exceptions, but then again, exceptions make the rule! What I particularly loved during our drive from Pogradec to Korçë was the highroad along the lake Ohrid. There is also a dedicated bike lane that I would really recommend for you to take. The scenery is breathtaking.

A think to consider is that in some small towns the manholes are missing so you’d better watch out when you’re driving.

The people

The people are very nice, curious about the tourists coming to see their country. We had some people questioning in Albanian about where do we come from, and what places we have on our list to see. They are also eager to help should you need directions or information.

On holiday

I am on holiday.

The person pressing these keys has a relaxed mind. She got to breathe a different air than the one in an office, she spent more time on her feet than sitting in a chair, she stared for hours at pages from different books, she glanced and then (if necessary) took pictures, knowing that is far more important to let the scenery take hold on one's being than one's camera. Well, as mentioned above, this is a true relaxed person.

A relaxed person, when back from vacation, discovers the rhythm in which one activated before vacation. Everything is urgent or has features that may easily transform it into something urgent. The telephone begins to ring, the inbox gets jammed and everything around tries to attract one into the whirlpool from which one escaped.

On such occasions, one realizes the importance of making changes of perspective, and holiday is one such facilitator.

I do not know how others feel about it, but I do believe that our psyche has a lot to gain from disconnecting. There is not just rest that we so desperately need, but also to get closer to our inner self. Big words, I know. Giving them a simpler meaning, every person should find oneself surrounded by calmness. That is, not to have worries humming around one's ears like a mosquito that does not let one sleep during the night.

One moment beautifully marks this vacation, and it is about an olive tree. Roman ruins of a temple bathed into the most powerful sunrays. Nearby, a stone bench was to be seen under a thick treetop of an olive tree. The wind was blowing nicely, making it easy for the coolness to take hold of one's thoughts. There, everything one needed was in that moment. Nothing more, nothing less. A coolness so strong that it could keep the worries at bay.

I hope such a feeling could get ahold of you the entire duration of the year!