He loves me! He loves me not!

I saw the movie Boyhood. A pretty good movie, but not one worth winning an Oscar. I wonder if we still know what an Oscar-winning movie is?! Yes, we do. Happy funerals and The Shawshank Redemption are Oscar-winning movies. Movies that make one lose oneself in the story and wish for it never to end. The exact thing happens with great books, Requiem for Fools and Beasts or Shantaram, for example.

The last dialogue, at the end of the movie, got me thinking. If Seize the moment! isn’t actually the other way around. Namely, that the moment seizes us, in fact, and we cannot withstand it. And so I realized how much we are mesmerized with dicta. We believe in them, we make believe that we carry our lives according to them and we love to hear ourselves giving advice to others by using them. Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. Good always prevails. Nothing is above love (or law, depending on the circumstances). A lie has short legs. A leopard can’t change its spots. A handful of trade is a handful of gold. He who steals an egg will steal an ox. Yes, there is a grain of wisdom in all of them, but they are not the answer to our existence. In the end, life is impossible to be enframed within dicta. And neither within games such as He loves me! He loves me not!, even if we can choose to ignore the last remaining petal that would give us a response we would never validate as true. While writing the aforementioned dicta, the following verses rang in my mind (and they couldn’t be more appropriate):

Have no hope and be not afraid,

What is like the wave will perish like a wave;

If they urge you, if they call for you,

Remain still, no matter what.

                                                                        Mihai Eminescu - Glossa

The Pledge by Friedrich Durrenmatt

What I am looking for in detective fiction (even though The Pledge does not entirely belong to this genre) is suspense and the possibility of actually seeing the action unfolding while I am reading.
The novel 'The Pledge' contains both. Moreover, it invites the reader to reflect upon things. Such as, for example, responsibility. Be it for a certain individual or the society. After having finished reading the novel, I kept noticing myself trying to put an end to the abovementioned dilemma. Finally, I realized that I did not properly consider the issue. No one forces us to choose, even though we might feel constrained about certain things. If it is right or wrong? Well, that's a different discussion.
'The Pledge' is something you might call required reading, according to my humble opinion.

Morning's here! The morning's here, sunshine is here.

Joey’s song kept ringing in my head when I saw that the sun was rising. And then, I listened carefully. The nature's song was sounding even more enchanting. 

Why ruin it by trying to describe it to you?! It’s better that I play it for you.

The measured beat of the train wagons is simply magical. In the past, people living in the countryside used to tell the hour by the passing train. I wonder if they still do it.

I, instead, was helped by the wrist watch: five o’clock in the morning.

The Birthday Cake

A few days ago it was my father's birthday. My nephew, who is visiting his grandparents, must have been an even greater gift. 

In the evening, when my nephew was asked about how he had spent the day with his grandparents, he made the following remark: mom, grandpa doesn't have a cake! And then he discretely pulled himself away from the conversation. 

After a short absence from the room, my nephew came back singing Happy Birthday and carrying a slice of watermelon. And thus the birthday cake was created.

And more so, an unforgettable memory. Especially for grandpa.

Happy 1st of June, kids!

Excerpt from “Uncle Andi – “The detective” and his nephews” by Vlad Mușatescu

“Al, boy, you must write a book for the children!”

Considering that I was also impressed with the childish request of my nephews from Valea cu Urși, I pondered on it for a while. Then, I told my aunt:

“Do you think it’s such an easy thing to come up with a volume of stories for the youngster?... I don’t think I can do it. Until now, I have only written adventure novels!”

“So what? Do you imagine they haven’t read them too? You are very wrong, beyond being wrong ... . Get on track, man, and write them a book they can understand!”

“A book of fairy-tales?” I somewhat worried asked my aunt.

“Why not?!... Do you think that Prince Charming wasn’t also a detective himself? Didn’t he fight against the evils in the world? Write them some modern fairy tales, with dragons from our age, ‘cause they still exist, you can be sure of that!”

I grinned and then I told my aunt:

“Fine! Fine, aunt Ralitza! But don’t you regret it … . I’ll put you in the book too!”

“Eh! Why? Do I look like a dragon to you?” my aunt got a little scared.

“More or less!” I answered to my sweet old aunt. “But one that will make the little ones smile … ‘cause you cause so much trouble that I am sure that you will become a character adored by the readers! ...”

How to deal with dilemmas

Ever since I can remember, I've noticed that there are two types of people. The ones that say things cannot be done, and the others that say things can be done. Both sides cannot be convinced otherwise.

Just like the tree in the picture below.

It can be done. It cannot be done. Can it be done? 

Vlad Musatescu - Uncle Andi - "The Detective" and his nephews

My dear Master, it's your birthday again. And we must celebrate it by enjoying your writing.

Excerpt

And, at the same time, someone hit me with a shovel. Luckily, it was made of wood. The shovel, not the head.

“Ay!” I cried in pain, strongly rubbing the crown of my head.

“Why ay?” … “Aren’t you glad to see me?” 
I immediately recognized the voice of my aunt Ralitza.

Confused about her demand, being that she actually expected I could see her while being in total opacity, and after she had hit me in the head, but also due to her unexpected apparition, I kept silence for a moment.

“What’s with you here?” I yelled after a while, as high as I could, in order to let my aunt know about my whereabouts, but also afraid that I might get hit again.

“Well, boy, how could you ask such a question?” the voice of aunt Ralitza reached me, because I couldn’t see her still. 
“Wasn’t I supposed to be worried about your situation, yours and your wife’s, when I saw how much it snowed all night last night? … That’s why I came here, to clear you of snow! …”

“All the way from the Vergului barrier?” I wondered, not believing my ears.

“Exactly and precise!” my aunt informed me. “And I brought two shovels with me…”

“Why two?”

“Because that was what I needed! One, of wood, to remove the snow, and the other one, of iron, to remove the ice… Isn't it technical?...”

Being really glad that she used the first one she mentioned, and not the other one, with which she could have broken my head, I congratulated myself for having such an aunt. More so, because this kind of people aren’t so easy to find. Especially, since the old lady already passed the age of seventy. 
This while the people living in our block of flats had plenty of years to go until their retirement, but slept just fine at the moment.

Way to go, people!