The Secret Language

I invent words. Those close to me are already in the know and make use of them. A couple of years ago, my nephew came to visit while we were living in Cluj. We had some great laughs during his stay and when he left, he had already put to good use some of my invented words. One evening, I received a call from my sister.

‘You have driven my child crazy with your invented words. What does ‘hopsh-hopsh’ mean? Yesterday, he asked me to do it and he was filled with indignation at my lack of understanding since it had been so much used during our stay in Cluj.’

‘It means to take a nap or even to snore, sometimes’, I replied laughing.’

I remembered about this dialogue the other day, when my husband referred to it (taking a nap) by changing it into ‘hapciu-hapciu’ (the equivalent of achoo in Romanian). 

Well, the squirrel is really a part of our world and we cannot help but refer to him.

Beauty

It's evening. I arrive at a restaurant. The kind waitress leads me to our reserved table. Then, she tells me that until my friend gets here I can read the menu online.

At that very moment, my phone was in my hand as I was texting my friend.

I (with the classic mobile phone in my hand): 'I do not own a smartphone, but I am waiting for my friend to arrive in order to check the menu.'

The waitress (slightly shocked, but comes back with solutions): 'Oh, but this too is beautiful.'

Little Apricot

It's snowing, but in my heart spring unfolds.

Stronger and stronger that beautiful sound of the song my father sang while we were little comes back to me.

This is how spring sounds. This is how we laugh. This is how we rejoice.

(the Romanian words 'zărzărică' or 'zărzărea' refer to a type of apricot, a small one)

P.S. A lot of songs include verses about a guy named Ionel who seems to appear and ruin things. 

Film recommendation

When a great actor passes away it's hard to explain why one feels sad. Especially, if it happens that one has never met that actor, but one feels to have shared so much that no explanations are needed.

I am not entitled to rate actors' performances, but Robin Williams' seems hard to be replaced. And actually, I do not seek to have it replaced. I guess, if we tried to replace things we would not gain anything - well, not anything new, that is.

Christopher Plummer recently passed away. But his legacy is so great that it becomes priceless. I took a liking to him from the first time I saw him, performing in The Sound of Music. Over the years, I was glad to discover and rediscover him in various roles.

His entire filmography is worth watching. All his movies are great. One surely will find in them a thing, a look, a saying, a smile - no matter how small - to win one's heart forever.

I dearly recommend the movie Remember. I reckon that talented people and their work should not be surrendered to forgetfulness.

(Photo copyright)

The Ballad of the Colorless Strawberries – Zully Mustafa

This is a sweet story about the pursuit of happiness and the meaning of life. A brother and a sister, Căpșunici și Căpșunica, leave their home to search for ways to become colored and thus to make their parents happy.

Their journey is filled with adventures, but also unhoped friendships. Căpșunica and Căpșunici learn about nature, the importance of playing games and ... of freckles.

‘The Ballad of the Colorless Strawberries’ is different from the classic children’s stories, that mainly focus on the conflict between good and evil. Here, the focus is on discovery, on questions and finding answers, on fulfilling dreams, and trying to make the loved ones happy.

This is the perfect story to read when you're homesick and you feel misunderstood and are in need of finding your own color, as well.

‘....

And he was well aware of the fact that adventures adorn the spirit, whether one is a cricket, a strawberry or even a human being.

...’

And what type of person could disagree with the above?!

Pride

For Music class, my nephew had to sing. He gave his best. Some say that that is the best he can do. But his aunt is so proud of him. And sure of one thing. There is no such thing as people that cannot sing, but songs that do not rise to the standards of some people’s voices.

The Best Piece of Advice

It's that time of the year when people talk about resolutions, goals and advice.

While I've learned that plans can be overturned and goals (or the fact of not reaching them can cause stress), I have nothing against advice. In fact, I do believe that the most important piece of advice is to keep the balance between personal and professional life.

I cannot stress this enough, balancing these two will keep us healthy. If not, we are bound to burn out or getting hurt.