midnight in broad daylight

one of the things you can do on a date? yes, see a film. traditional, I know, but then - I like it old school. and my date with KBH had its movie. Midnight in Paris. Woody Allen. need I say more.... *sigh

lovely, exactly lovely it was. Allen's love affair with Paris is not unlike my affair(s) with KBH. and don't we all recognize this search for the perfect place, the golden time and a long forgotten diary that holds all the answers to the questions we haven't asked yet.  we all know this  obnoxious guy who knows everything. and perplex situations, dear me, are we ever in want of those? but despite all that we still see what life is really about - laughter, champagne and la belle époque of now.

one woman's struggle with Dior - or - getting the executive groove on

We go way back - Copenhagen and I, we've been casual about it, infatuated, giving each other the silent treatment, falling desperately into each others arms, you know, the lot. I have always had that "butterflies in the tummy" feeling when getting ready for a date with Copenhagen, I have been obsessing and plotting agendas. this weekend date however  was all fun, no clingy thoughts, no demands "like me, want me, desire me Copenhagen, I did my make up just for you". instead I did my make up for me, for me only, and we had a date, just had some fun, some chai latte and it was good. a date when you just relax and enjoy the feeling of everything just being as it has to be. because you are destined for each other, no agendas, no checklists, just being in the moment. Copenhagen took me by the hand and smiled its wickedly charming smile.

from here

and what do you do after a good date? yes, you go berserk in the duty free shopping area at the airport. or at least I did. now I am a proud owner of Clinique "eye definition" set and a set of Dior miniatures - delightful little buggers, as on the picture. 

I do love miniature perfumes, even though you have to risk it - sometimes some of the little bottles are not meant to be opened. luckily, after some struggling, I managed to open and sniff all 5 of the little Diors, they all smell as they should (isn't that lucky). some of these will now be my executive perfumes, for times when I need all the executive attitude I can get, like tomorrow. back to work, back into the groove. groove on!

in a few hours I will get into a green car and be off to RIX. there is no agenda this time, but I know I will ache. just a little. like people who want children ache when they look at a toddler. but having no agenda makes it a bit easier, it welcomes pleasant surprises. I have just decided to be. just like that.

this, Idun, is the Internet!

two boys, an electric drill and a roll of optical cable at Idun's place? that can only mean one thing - I have entered the land of brand new, swooosh, hold on to your hats, I-cannot-believe-how-fast-this-is Internet. and treated myself to a new browser too, busy busy day. 

a still from IT Crowd, season 3 episode 4

   but wait! that's not all - I (the person who has never really gotten the point of all the tweet madness, and is still somewhat puzzled) have joined the evergrowing tweeting community. I don't know how often I will tweet and I certainly hope I'm not becoming a twit by doing that. there's a pun right there, hah! but without further ado, let me document - I am now on twitter. or rather the garden is on twitter. I have to confess - this happened because I read someplace that tweeting about your blog (or blogging about your tweets? retweeting your blog posts? posting your tweets? confused!) should make your blog better, whatever that entails. it brings your blog to the public, gives you a channel of interaction with your community etc etc. well, for someone who is reluctant to call her garden a blog in the first place this is a huge leap.
   I am not sure of most of the terms used in that blog improvement article. there's the paradox with blogging - although I do enjoy the process of writing, the pressure of definition, stats hunt and all that is just too much. and too little, curiously. why blog if you don't want anyone to read it? obviously, if you want to keep things secret you write in a notebook protected by a heart shaped padlock. some online writers have even called it hypocrisy when people say that they blog for themselves. logically enough, if you publish, you intend for your publications to be read.
I don't think writing for oneself and for others is incompatible, in fact I believe that even writing for others you write first of all for yourself. but where do I stand on this, with tweets and all? a proper blog-blog is like a drawing pinned on the board - see, I made this! I am more of a -this is what I draw, take a look if you want to- sort of person. therefore not a "proper blogger" in my understanding, just exploring my blog as I write. and you can join me if you like. tweet tweet!

a question that will free my mind, vol. 2

a 50 part quest to free my mind. question for this time - #40, absolutely not my favourite one, if I just might add.

so, here goes:

When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?

firstly it would only be fair to admit that I'm not big on marching as such, let alone marching into somewhere, especially the dark. or maybe I have not been lucky enough to have strong beliefs in faint ideas that have soft glow. if I believe in an idea, for me it is more just a soft glow, it is at least a rather strong torchligt. if it is a soft glow, I don't believe enough. and I have to believe enough to walk, or march if you please, into places.

but anyhow, the last time I did it in a big way was a bit more than 3 years ago. unfortunately, belief is not always enough, even if you believe enough...I had to return because my torchlight was not a sufficiently strong companion in the dark. and it was probably all for the best, it has lead me to where I am now, and that is a good place to be. in a smaller way, I have been walking through dull darkness for 1 year, 2 months and 1 day, in a soft light of a belief that this darkness will end. and end it did. however I have to say again - this walk was not in vain, apart from being a path to the place I am now, it brought things and people in my life that I am grateful for.

that's it, no juicy details, just philosophic babble. heh, that's me, deal with it ;)

I don't know why they do it or Sunday lunch. or - sweet and sour candy

today however, I was in for a quite different cinematic experience. after a catch up lunch with a friend, we went to see a "chick flick" to rest our minds and enjoy a wee bit of harmless, cliché fun. or so I thought.



poster from imdb

I Don't Know How She Does It (2011). the cast was, of course, brilliant. a lovely surprise - Christina Hendricks outside MadMen (she is amazingly beautiful and an immensly skillful actress to my mind). so at least the story was well played, and always nice to get a glimpse of Mr. Bond Pierce Brosnan (and in a suit too, mmm). some mildly funny (in an American kind of way) jokes, S.J. Parker as bubbly as ever. but the story, ach, the story. clearly, a woman who is good at her job and doesn't want to leave it is a selfish bitch. while she's spreading herself out thinner than paper to juggle career, tofu and lice, her poor husband is the suffering hero of the piece, along with the spoilt offspring of course. all the while she is beating herself up about various things. at last, when a big work project is successful and she realizes: "oh, I CAN say no to something and try not to please everybody around me while becoming a wreck!" she rushes off to build a snowman. about the same time as the suffering husband realizes: "hey, why don't I take some responsibility for the daily chores and our marriage too?", the husband is of course the knight in shining armour, everybody is happy. the end.

and I am well aware that this text leaks bitter irony, just a teensy little bit. I know. but stories like this just wind me up. on the plus side - the "documentary" comments really voiced some worthy points.

Baltic Pearl, pt II

a mid-September Saturday evening is the right time to see some cinema at the oldest moving picture theater in town, yes? that's why I put my boots on and went in to see Bertie and Elizabeth (2002), another movie brought to us by Baltic Pearl 2011.

poster from imdb

Although presented as "The King's Speech, the beginnings" in some press material (and I loved The King's Speech), it was a different experience, not totally, but still. my intention was not comparative analysis or quest for historical accuracy, I just sat back and enjoyed. and there was plenty to enjoy - the interiors, settings, costumes, the English accent and subtle humour, but that was just the fine wrapping paper around an amazing love story that endures time, war and family conflicts. a touching tenderness and great persistance. even if I don't agree with the main characters on each and every matter, even if theirs is not my own dream relationship (but then again, what is?), even then I reserve the right to shed a tiny tear when Bertie and Elizabeth exchange glances across the room and all is clear. their glances are subtle, yet they reveal everything. this is where I reach for a kleenex and discretely dab it against the corner of my eye.

so, has the flat been cleaned/organised? have the pictures been sorted? has the laundry been done? no!

instead, I have scrolled through the usual blogs that i read, enjoyed a nice improvised mozarella salad and of course the movie one can never have too much of - Julie and Julia.

tonight I will again be at the Baltic Pearl, different screen this time, and different film. excited? yes!

so I compromised - I became a writer and a patient

since I am too lazy to sort out Vienna/Bratislava pictures yet, I will rather write about the moving pictures of tonight - Everyone Says I Love You, a creation of Woody Allen from the far away year 1996. I had never seen it, a shameful fact that was corrected tonight, thank you Baltic Pearl.

aaaand I absolutely loved it. I feel that I should confess - I have a soft spot for Allen generally, but come on - how can you not love all the flimsy, mildly awkward characters, the off key singing, undetectable time setting and the dialogues, oh the dialogues + bonus tracks: a singing Edward Norton, a flying Goldie Hawn and a Tim Roth that seduces a confused Drew Barrymore on a balcony. the whole film brims with Allen'esque sentences, the blondes are blond, the democrats are democrats and Venice is still above the water.

one of my favourite scenes. although I am not through with love just yet. warning - surreal dance moves.

video from the vaults of YouTube - here.

back.....on track?

back in Riga. the 15 degrees after constant +30 in Central Europe felt like a breath of fresh air (also literally) upon my arrival on Wednesday afternoon. a great week of intense laughter, conversations, hard core sightseeing and eating gelato like there's no tomorrow (seriously, is there such a thing as too much gelato, especially at +30?); followed by two days of doing nothing, a Friday evening cinema and high aspirations for the week to come (yeah, right!)

Brighter Planet's 350 Challenge

Brighter Planet's 350 Challenge

a word for Saturday

Your Word is Destiny

You are self confident and sure of yourself. You overlook your flaws... everyone has them. You are able to let go and just enjoy life. You feel like there's only so much you can control. When you set your mind to it, you can accomplish almost anything. You just need to believe in yourself. You are destined for greatness, but you don't let it go to your head. You just let life happen.

What's Your Word Right Now?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

 

the day of Saturn - the most structured and disciplined of the planets, yet, I feel like going with the flow. I have embarked on my project-vacation. at last! letting the time happen.

monsieur butterfly



poster from their page

Another "sensation" of semi-Latvian cinema, so, of course - I had to see it. in fact I cannot even call it semi-Latvian, because the cast and crew is pretty much a mix, real eurostyle. but the main character is Latvian and (logically enough) played by a Latvian actor, and this means only one thing - the still waters of Latvian cinema have been stirred a little. I, however, was far from stirred. Apart from Gundars Abolins' spectacular performance (a bit biased here - I love him, he is without a doubt one of the greatest actors in the little country of ours), there were not many things about this cinematic creation that I found enjoyable. the paradox is that G.Abolins was so believable and masterful in the role of this slimy, pathetic and greedy little man, that I became repulsed and annoyed by the protagonist almost instantly. but a movie still can be saved even if I don't particularly like the main character or relate a whole lot to the story. sadly, there must be more to a film than just one great performance and a couple of mildly amusing jokes. I suspect that the story was intended as a light hearted, ironic and fluttering comedy of adventure (hence the surname of the protagonist - Taurins - Latvian for butterfly). but at least with me this intetion did not fulfill its purpose. oh, well, better luck next time, I'm sure many people liked it anyway. still on in cinemas.



the infamous last week before vacation, the countdown has begun. and it doesn't have anything to do with hating ones work, because I quite love mine. at some point you just feel that everyone (first and foremost yourself) will be better off when you have recharged and gotten away a bit.

the vacation now seems like a bottomless bucket of raspberries. mmm.

say something nautical, dear

two weeks from now I will be somewhere else. also geographically. and although I will not be traveling  by sea, "ship ohoy" is the best phrase I can think of that would sum up my feeling s about it. Indian summer, a far away land and the company of a good friend. I have a lot to look forward to.

keep the rhythm

Today as I was sitting in the t-bus (or troll, as I say), and it accelerated from the stop just to halt again before a red light, I gazed out of the window, aimlessly. The radio was on, quite loudly and I noticed a passer by, a young woman, whose steps coincided exactly with the beat of the rather common song on the radio. and I felt like witnessing something special, like discovering a secret that last only for a moment and then is gone. her steps were made for this song and the song was tailored and timed so perfectly to her steps. yet she didn't hear the radio. and the driver had most probably not seen her on the pavement. and it doesn't matter that all this can be calculated and demistified in a most rational way. for that little moment I felt that there is always a song that matches our footsteps, even if we don't hear it, it is playing somewhere and or feet know it. and the song knows that somewhere we walk, strut, shuffle and prance its rhythm.

watermelons, raindrops and contentment

Today was a half crazy day at work, too little sleep, too much pressure and  slightly more chit chat that I like to take with my daily cup of vitamin B "ready for work". but on the way home a revelation occured to me - I still have about 1/3 of a watermelon in my fridge at home. and believe it or not, watermelon is a great remedy on a day like this, when everything is fine and ok, yet something gnaws from within, a bruised ego voices itself and that little bat of frustration flaps its wings merrily by your ear. yes, I had some watermelon, finished some writing, took a nap et voilá! a whole new person.

too rainy today to take any pictures ouside, so - the choice is obvious.

watermelons found here

watermelon. watermelon stands for contentment, refreshed senses and that little something that makes one bite one's lip. just a tad.





seen here

Information overload today (do I still have to call it "information" if it's just a load of crap?) the picture speaks for itself, and yes, even goddesses sometimes use the BS word. 

I didn't mean to be bitter or cranky or ungrateful today, but some of my frustration has to get out somehow. besides, the kitty is adorable. I wish I could remain so resolutely disdainful when I feel cluttered by all the bullshit one sometimes has to take. maybe I will make this a flashcard for truly bs-overload situations, who knows.

anyhow, the weekend is here, and I have longed for it so. to tell the truth, I don't feel poetic or exciting today, just tired, with  acrylic paint on my fingers and a bunch of practical decisions to be made. rather mundane really. yet surprisingly content and slightly determined.

no deep thoughts today, just chillin'.

fine, but I will not wear that bucket on my head!

last week, before I went to see Larry Crowne (Crowne with an "e"), I somehow knew that it would be an evening well spent. Hanks and Roberts, two of my favourite actors, despite what some critics may say, I think they're great and I completely believe them when they tell me a story. And this story was a good one too. a bit out there, yet so real and believable. cliché? maybe. like the human life itself, and therefore so recognizable and sincere. I will probably not rush out and get myself a Vespa anytime soon or start an economics course, or open a thrift store for that matter, yet I have been Mercy, I have definitely been Larry and even Talia. not so posh, but that is what I look for in films - sincerity. it is never too late to learn. and when it comes down to it, leraning to be tough but fair, watching a guy dance in front of your door and riding a scooter are really the things that count.

I was browsing through various 101 thing for 1001 days blogs recently, and while there is something about lists, charts and deadlines, I know myself better than that. Plus, I am not quite sure yet about how private I want to be here, on this oh-so-many-times revisited blogging project. Therefore - something less voluminous, with less structure, something general and personal, without contradicting itself too much: my take on 50 questions that will free the mind 

This will most probably not be a daily thing, mostly for times when I am inclined to go all existentialist. Random Number Generator will help me to be random about the order. Jah, a pun there!

sooo - today it's 11:

question #11 (a long one too):

You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire.  They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend.  The criticism is distasteful and unjustified.  What do you do?

First of all it is hard to imagine that people I respect and admire would come up with distasteful and unjustified criticism. Ok, climbing into the paradigm.. I would ask these people, in a most sobering way possible, why they have these opinions on the person in question. When they fail to reason the criticism, I would make a remark on how dangerous it can be to judge someone whom you don't know, not necessarily stating that the person in question is my friend. And then I would reconsider how much of my respect these people really deserve.