Saturday 26 December 2009

Ane Brun

Oh, what a new musical discovery for me today! I found a female artist whose voice I adore and for some strange reason, seems to be the epitome of what I find truly wonderful in a female artist. She is artistic, very creative with her music, cool, not caring to look sexy, and most importantly has a melodious, soothing and yet rough voice that evokes images of streets of Paris, lounging in bed with a warm body, or early sunrise accompanied by kisses and hugs...
The first song is my favourite ever...

What do you guys think?






Offside

"Long Live Iran" were the constant chants I was hearing in the movie I just finished watching, titled "Offside". I feel light-hearted, happy and somewhat melancholic after watching it. The movie is so beautiful in its simplicity, the camera work is rough yet fluid, almost like a documentary and the plot is simple in appearance but with deep social meanings.



The movie revolves around a group of girls who get caught trying to sneak in to watch the game between Bahrain and Iran, an important game that determines if Iran will make it to the 2006 World Cup. During the story you see all of the stereotypes the world has of Iran and also some shattered ones, such as the kindness of men toward the women and their innocence in the love of the game. You will feel pity and anger towards the obvious discrimination and yet, be sweetly affected by the men's behaviour towards them. In amidst it all, there is humour, brilliant satire, love, respect and profound innocence and human spirit.

You can watch the movie here and enjoy its innocence, humour and raw beauty. It really is a gem....

Friday 25 December 2009

Dorian Gray

I just finished watching the movie Dorian Gray, after watching it and ignoring it three times since last night. I have been a fan of Oscar Wilde since the time I first read one of his works, specifically, Lady Windermere's Fan. I fell in love with his wit, his language, his sarcastic remarks and his obvious cynic tone laced with joie de vivre. I have been wanting to read The Portrait of Dorian Gray for a while now but have not been able to yet, so when I discovered that there was a movie, I was excited.


The movie started interesting enough; it captured me with its dark colours, thriller music and beautiful set of late 19th century England. I got even more interested by the presence of Colin Firth in the movie who portrayed the amazing, flawed, deeply-sinful character of Lord Henry Wotton.

I thought the movie was well-done, but the story surprised me because I had no idea what the book was about. However, I think the choice of actor for Dorian Gray could have been better (his acting was not on the same level as the others), even though it seemed to me they had chosen an actor who had much physical similarities with Oscar Wilde himself. This means that the director was intending to portray Gray as a personification of Wilde in real life which is a pretty safe bet knowing how Wilde lived in real life.

The novel seems to me as if it is Wilde's reflections upon his own life, his own philosophies and world views and the musings of what would happen if he let his imagination run free. Wilde was the founder of Aesthetics and professed lover of beauty and anything related to it. He loved the arts, he loved life and he pursued beauty relentlessly and with such passion that he was well-known for his scandals. He was a bisexual and a scoundrel and you can find all of these in Dorian Gray.

Gray is Oscar Wilde and Lord Henry Wotton (Harry) is Oscar Wilde, but they symbolize two different parts of him or his character. The way Lord Harry talks is the way Wilde would talk which makes me think that this is the cynical side of Wilde, this is who he normally is in real life. Meanwhile, Gray is who he was as a young person and who he becomes later on, or who he thinks would he would be if he were to follow all of his wildest dreams. Lord Harry is the temptation and the devil behind Dorian's choices and his like of hedonism and aesthetic world view intrigue Dorian and lead him to make the mistakes he does. The movie is mostly about graphic beauty than character development and this is where it comes short from the book.

The story is a beautiful analysis of good versus evil inside oneself. The deterioration of the portrait as the human soul deteriorates with each sinful act is a pretty good account of reality, of the scars that each mistake leaves. It certainly brings the message home that be careful at how far you push your limits, for you will always have to pay for them in the end....

P.S. For those who want to see the movie online, you can view it here

Thursday 24 December 2009

Merry Christmas!


I was lying down, drifting off to sleep and feeling utterly exhausted from being upset when the screams of my mother calling me to go down to eat became too unbearable so I decided to get up and just go down to make her stop. I went down the stairs, reached the living room and was utterly mesmerized at the vision in front of me. The house looked beautiful, a warm glow from the candles on the table and the lights from the tree hugged every corner of the house and surrounded the dining table beautifully, where my mother along with my two brothers had already started eating the delicious food she had cooked. Oven-baked fish, fresh salad, butternut squash, fried peppers, vegetables and cake for dessert. I was still in no mood to eat or be surrounded by people but the sight of all this, warmed my heart and their smiles along with my conscience forced me to eat just a bit so I would not offend them and make them unhappy. I was given e glass of red Montepulciano, brought a glass of water as per my instructions and immediately after two bites, felt that I was actually hungry. As I continued eating and talking with my mom and brothers, I realized that the beauty of Christmas is truly family. The warmth and the happiness of the holiday season is not about how beautiful your house is, how expensive your gifts are or how extensive the choice of dishes on christmas dinner time. It is about just how loved and how much you enjoy each other's company. Our financial situation right now has us very limited in food or gift choices, but it has not stopped us from being happy by just being all of us together. I just hope that the rest of you are feeling the same magical feeling of family love....
With this, I give you my warmest wishes on this holiday season!

Monday 21 December 2009

Heartbreak Warfare





Lightning strikes
Inside, my chest to keep me up at night
Dream of ways
To make you understand my pain

Clouds of sulfur in the air
Bombs are falling everywhere
It's heartbreak warfare
Once you want it to begin,
No one really ever wins
In heartbreak warfare

If you want more love,
why don't you say so?
If you want more love,
why don't you say so?

Drop his name
Push it in and twist the knife again
Watch my face
As I pretend to feel no pain

Clouds of sulfur in the air
Bombs are falling everywhere
It's heartbreak warfare
Once you want it to begin,
No one really ever wins
In heartbreak warfare.

If you want more love,
why don't you say so?
If you want more love,
why don't you say so?

Just say so...

How come the only way to know how high you get me
is to see how far I fall
God only knows how much I'd love you if you let me
but I can't break through at all.

It's a heartbreak...

I don't care if we don't sleep at all tonight
Let's just fix this whole thing now
I swear to God we're gonna get it right
If you lay your weapon down
Red wine and ambien
You're talking shit again, it's heartbreak warfare
Good to know it's all a game
Disappointment has a name, it's heartbreak warfare. 

Saturday 19 December 2009

Hello Rachel!



I am in love with Rachel McAdams latest shoot with Vogue. I don't know why but am in love with this D&G dress, I love the colour and the print. The Louboutin heels are also magnificent but the pose is the coupe d'etat of the shoot, it puts it all in such a beautiful way.

And check out this Dior lace top. Luxury and beauty intertwined perfectly. (money, money, money is ringing through my head)



And this "Dior belted organza-and-satin dress with built-in bra" is just extraordinary and for some reason, it invokes the image of Grace Kelly, with that tiny waist and tightly-closed belt.







 It also helps that I love the actress herself and fell even more in love with her from reading the interview (ecstatic that she lives in Toronto, I might just stalk her a bit and put my creepiness to good use lol).

Friday 18 December 2009

Mary Ellen Mark



I found Mary Ellen Mark when I was stalking a girl on facebook whom I greatly admire and who has no knowledge of my existence, because am a creep like that lol. I noticed in her profile pictures a shockingly raw and humanistic picture that portrayed a young girl with heavy make-up and a skimpy bathing suit,smoking while a fat girl of the same age lounging in a tub pool. It was just so raw that I got transfixed. I learned that it was a Mary Ellen Mark photo and immediately began my quest to find more about her and her wonderful work. I discovered that her photographs are pieces of humanity captured in eternity in the form of pixels and that humans will always be the most fascinating subject to humans.

There is no intricate world like that of a human's...

Christmas Blues

The doors opened and the crowd launched and dispersed upon Don Mills station as flies released from a bottled up jar, all making noise and running towards one place, the bus stops. No one stopped to listen to the drunk guy playing Jingle Bells on his guitar beautifully. Am not sure how many even had a thought of giving him money.
As I was passing him by, being just another fly amongst the flies and rushing to get home myself, I was wondering how many people are going through Christmas as to what am going through. How many people do not even have money to buy Christmas gifts for their family members this season? How many of them are in such a dire financial situation that they pass by a homeless person and cannot even give them a quarter because they need to save it for themselves? I was having a conversation with myself as to how giving a person should be when you do not have yourself any to give. They say Christmas is the season of giving, but how many of us do? I wonder how many of us are heartless in our own tragedies...


After my fourth day at work today, as I was emerging from the subway doors and running towards the bus, I saw the nicely dressed young girls of my age and felt envious. I felt envious for their nice clothes, their supposedly good jobs, their good boyfriends, their good families, their good life. All of this passed before my eyes in succession and with each image, the images of my own life were juxtaposed perfectly to showcase my loserness even more and instill bits of sharp pain. I felt detached from the proud, useful, working part of society that is linked to those young, nicely-dressed girls, but felt something else as well as I saw the rest of the people who seemed just as tired, just as badly dressed as I was.

I was thinking to myself that in the midst of that crowd, I found myself again part of the masses, the working masses that run to work every morning and run home every evening. I am part of this useful part of society and it is the only thing that makes me feel good while am commuting one hour each way to reach work.

I am aware of my failures, I feel the pain of their presence every day, but am determined to not let it win over me, even though am afraid they might be winning the battle for now...

Wednesday 9 December 2009

Finally got a job!!!



After 6 months of not working, I finally got a job. Even though it is only as a server at a fine-dining steakhouse in downtown Toronto, the opportunity of making good money has got me very excited. This means that I can finally start working at reducing the astounding debt I have accumulated as a student. Life seems more hopeful and beautiful now that the prospect of having money has finally come alive. Let us hope that within a few months, I will be contributing with photos of my own (instead of stolen ones as I do now :p) and articles on interesting aspects such as life in Toronto.

I am thinking of changing my blog to follow a certain path or subject such as the musings of an Albanian girl in Toronto. It might be interesting since I consider myself a pretty interesting person that likes interesting things. Modesty will not be welcomed here anymore lol.

Happiness and me...



Lately, I have been wondering a lot about happiness and what it means. I have discovered that it is a very elusive concept, thing to achieve and also, very subjective which makes it even harder to define; hence, find.
In order to find happiness you need to find yourself, you need to find what makes you truly happy. To find what makes you happy, you need to analyze yourself in entirety, meaning that you have to look at every minuscule part of your personality, everything that makes YOU, analyze it, and then bring the pieces together to analyze the link between you and happiness. Are you lost already? Well, you must be because delving into the depths of you is like mining without headlights, you get lost in the abyss of yourself.

Saturday 5 December 2009

I want it!

Don't know why but I love this dress even though was not a big fan of Stella McCartney Spring 2010.




Gotta love Giuseppe Zanotti


                                                                  Chloe

                                                Bow-embellished suede pumps

                                                                                       $1,290 (wtf?)


Thakoon

Mirror mosaic strappy sandals

$1,150



Lanvin

Lizard platform ankle boots

$2,030
Ah, Lanvin, Lanvin! I adore you, but why are you so goddamn expensive????







Judith Leiber

Sunburst crystal-embellished clutch

$2,995 (wtf? does it have a tv inside or smth? why is smth so small so goddamn expensive?)



Friday 4 December 2009

Yoga-interestingness

I thought this was pretty cool so I had to share it. This pic and this woman are the epitome of cool. May we all be able to do that at her age (somehow I don't think that will be me lol).


Wednesday 2 December 2009

I'm Bored...

It hasn't been not even two hours since my last post about travel bliss and here I am, feeling utterly bored and for some reason, antsy. My back hurts, my ear hurts from pressing the earphone so hard against my ear to try to hear the sounds coming from the movie Julie and Julia and my bum hurts too and I am getting tired from sitting down. It has only been three hours of driving and am already bored. Can't wait for the stop in Kingston where I can stretch my legs, maybe grab a coffee (would that be a good idea at this time?) and have a cigarette.

The bus tonight seems to have mostly female students traveling who are equipped with their own laptops just like me and who are busy watching, typing away at their screens, just like me. I was thinking about this and technology as I observed the lights coming from the laptop screens here and there scattered along the bus. I was thinking about how convenient life has become, how many ways for us to pass our time and enjoy ourselves and yet, we get bored...Human beings are very whimsical, but it is exactly this that fascinates me...
When bored, philosophize :D

Enroute to Toronto

Hello inexistent readers,


I am on the bus to Toronto, lying down on two seats, enjoying the beauty of my laptop, watching Julie and Julia, plugging my charger right beside my seat, charging my phone, basically enjoying the awesome amenities that the Megabus of the route Toronto-Montreal provides. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the free wifi that is pretty fast and allows me to write to you at this moment. The only thing that is bothering me are the green lights, but I guess they help with the light of my laptop that could cause eye damage.



There is total darkness outside and it appears to be raining. Yet, I feel as comfortable as I would in my own bed, watching from outside the bedroom window, except that this one is moving and the view is that of Quebec provence (presently, shortly it will be Ontario provence :D). I see trucks passing by that remind me of the Coca-Cola commercial and that increase the melancholy, happy mood that am in. I am excited that am going back to Toronto, am excited for the prospect of beginning a normal life and am saddened by the failure of my relationship. I wonder where the future will take me. Will I be able to have a Julie/Julia Child Project of mine?

When I took this picture, I told my Frenchie friend beside me that this is where I would live one day...still wonder whether it will come true.

I contemplate about my own life as I watch and enjoy this movie and wonder about what I want to do in my own life. I love cooking, I enjoy shopping for groceries much more than for clothes and by God, I love eating. I wonder whether I should follow some kind of path related to cooking as well. But this is not what I have imagined for myself. I have imagined a life of adventure as a writer/photographer for National Geographic. However, the problem lies in the fact that I suck as a writer and am not so sure about my photography skills even though I have gotten some compliments based on my pics from my cellphone shitty camera.
As I watch the Paris scenes, I get reminded of my one day in Paris and how I would have loved to visit Europe during the 1950s. It seems that it would have been a much cheaper, interesting, vibrant and welcoming Europe.

I wonder, I wonder, i wonder....when will I experience instead of wondering?

Ta-ta, inexistent readers :)

The Tale of Genji

"You linger among the shallow pools of light while I dwell in the darkness."
"Passions reflect the seasons, and I change as they do."

Thursday 26 November 2009

Sayonara, Montreal!



Well, my last interview as a Research Assistant seems to have not been fruitful as they decided not to hire me so I have decided to leave Montreal for the greener pastures of Toronto where a glamorous job as a clothes-folding girl at RW awaits me. Ah, my career is finally taking off! Well, am excited that am leaving and going back to my family, life, money but at the same time, cannot shake the feeling that am a big time loser. Other people of my age and my position have already found jobs (career ones) while I stay catering to my boyfriend and walking his dogs and cleaning his house and cooking him meals that he does not like and, and, and more ands. I like complaining, as you might have noticed by now, but I also like to believe that they have grounds, you know, I don't like complaining for nothing, I have a reason to do so.

The truth is, I should be complaining more but after years of complaining, I have realized that nothing good comes from it and nothing gets solved so my level of complaining has gone down while my level of trying to do something about it has gone up, but just by a small margin. So, after all this babbling, I am announcing that I don't think there will be a Titleless in Montreal any longer but I might just call it Titleless in Toronto.

What do you  nonexistent readers think about this? And you my loving, loyal, only follower (aka Ela)?

Ahhh, am excited to go back into normal life instead of staying all day home watching movies and hating life...

Saturday 21 November 2009

She Wolf!

For some reason, I just absolutely love this song and I don't care how cheesy it might be, it just makes me feel good. I even love the video....
Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

Friday 20 November 2009

Blah!

Hello inexistent readers and my one follower (thank you very much Ela),

I felt like blabbering today and thought it a good idea because let's face it, I love blabbering and I find that that is where I shine...Anyway, so I will tell you in the form of run-on sentences how I have been sick for the past five days and have been feeling very BLAH. I had really high fever, cold sweats, hot sweats (all kinds of sweats multiplied by two), horrible sore throat, a coughing that felt like knives were being stuck inside my throat (which has now transformed into a disgusting phlegm-filled one) and just body fatigue. I was feeling like shit, but the thing that hurt me most was not the delirious physical pain, it was the normal brush off by my loving boyfriend. He is truly a man's man in the sense that he could chop off his finger and not even feel it, have huge cuts and say "Oh, no worries, it will be alright", etc etc so when I got sick, he did not take it seriously and quite frankly, I think he ignored me.

Well, I'm just the opposite. I am the biggest pansy when it comes to (just about anything) disease and my mind works like a Republican minister, I always think of the worst, apocalypse so a myriad of life-threatening diseases start marching in my head. I complain, I wanna be cuddled, spoiled, you know...I'm a brat, I want to be treated like one from the person I love. So, when the man who supposedly loves me comes to me, feels my 100 degree forehead and says you got nothing, doesn't make me tea, doesn't come to ask me how am doing, then I get upset. Of course, I cried, silently, that's my specialty. However, the disease got worse and it appears on the second day, while I was sleeping, I had such high fever that I was shaking and screaming in my dreams and sweating buckets, so it dawned on him that maybe I truly am sick. He tried to make me feel better by buying me kinder bueno (my favourite chocolate in the whole world, except for Ferrero Rocher..hmmmmm) and Kinder Surprise (i love collecting the little toys because am a little kid) which was nice...I felt good, but only momentarily.

That's when it kind of changed, except for the all-day-in-front-of-computer-playing-games schedule, that one is non-negotiable. At least I got some food out of him (he is a great cook), but then again he fucking bitches at me on the fourth day of my sickness when I am feeling a bit better about how dirty the house is. He is not complaining about the days that I have been sick but for my...how shall we call it, messy habits. I leave food out, I leave clothes all over, I cook too much, blah blah blah. I got upset because first off, who the fuck bitches at you for this kind of stuff while you are sick and secondly, I  try very hard to do everything to please him and do things the way he likes them but it seems pretty hard for me to let go of my messy habits.

Seriously, how the heck do you change man? I do things without realizing them, like that 1/4 full coffee mug on the coffee table, or the half eaten bagel on the counter (actually that's not true, I would never leave a bagel unfinished, I love them too much), or those clothes on the closet bag (I hate throwing clothes on the floor so I always throw them on tables or chairs, even the dining table which drives him crazyyyy).

Anyway, so these are the adventures I have been having these past few days...
Anyone care to share?

Thursday 19 November 2009

Picture



Nice legs, beautiful tights, somewhat flat butt and.....is that an Ikea table?

The Mochila Bag




Out of 13 bags to choose from and I pick without knowing, Roger Vivier Mochila Bag (above). Vivier is participating in something called The Mochila Project where 13 major fashion firms have come up with their own Mochila design and will be selling the bags to use their profits to support the women in Cartagena who make these wonderful bags. There you have it, after all that run-on sentence, you can finally enjoy the designs without my rambling.

Oversaturation

For God's sake, enough about Sarah fucking Palin. I am so tired of hearing about this ignorant, devious, incredibly annoying woman with irritating idioms/facial expressions/voice who just seems to be talking and talking and talking and saying nothing worth listening to. She seems to me to be the Paris Hilton of the political world.
Why, Republican party, why would you do this to us? Why would you wake this monster?
God, I seriously cannot stand her. I would like her as a normal person, but she just seems so manipulative to me, a proper Stepford "wife" in the form of an Alaskan, hockey mom....

Saturday 14 November 2009

Natural Beauty Remedies



I found a fantastic article on natural cures for dry skin or dry scalp. I have problems with my hair because I am really losing a lot of it (especially in the front) and cannot get rid of my dandruff. I also suffer from a dry scalp which is always itchy and painful, so to find an article containing remedies that are affordable, organic and that work, is pretty awesome for me. Actually, lately I have been wondering about natural remedies from various parts of the world and I wanted to post something about it here. However, the research and the writing process is scaring me away since am lazy lately, but I will definitely try to post something on that subject.

I am very interested in Arabic and Indian remedies, they just seem so mysterious to me.
Next time we will have to uncover their secrets :)

Friday 13 November 2009

Oh tights, baby!

You gotta love Stocking Girl, a tights company.


Sexyyyy...and affordable!

Sophie Dahy Designs

Hello inexistent readers,

The lovely Verdigris Vie has introduced me to a fantastic collection of silk flower arrangements done beautifully by Sophie Dahy Designs. For those that love this kind of thing, check her out. But i think you should check out Verdisgris Vie more. What a fantastic, delectable, serene decorating blog.

Wednesday 11 November 2009

I once saw...




I once saw a beautiful sunrise,
the cooling light warming the darkness,
the cigarette burning my fingers,
and the whisky burning my throat,
instilling the memory even deeper in,
haunting me today still.

I once cried the night out,
the pain was loud,
the sobs were quiet,
the heart was running,
trying to escape,
and I saw you,
staring back at me from an old photograph,

I once had a revelation,
a moment of lucidness
amidst the dark clouds of my confusion.
I saw the light of my passions,
the warmth of my hobbies,
the aura of my inspirations,
and for a moment,
my fear of failure was gone.

I once did all those things,
but when will I see them again?.

Tuesday 10 November 2009

Buying U.S home with a credit card

This is insane. I just found this article on msn.com (who took it from Forbes) that shows how you can buy some houses with a credit card, that's how cheap they have gotten. Apparently, there around 1000 homes in Detroit that are less than $20,000. It makes me wish that I had saved some money and go invest. The funny thing is that I was in Detroit almost five months ago when my cousin just bought a house for $150,000 and looks exactly the same. I'm not saying they are the same house, am just saying the quality and price of the house in the picture is the same and look what has happened.


Wow....
In Canada, especially around Toronto and GTA, you cannot find a house for less than $250,000 or $300,000. I wanna live in US. They just have it better altogether.

Sunday 8 November 2009

Per Arberin

Arber, e gjeta ate kengetaren dhe po ta dedikoj ketu. E di qe do biesh ne dashuri si cdo njeri qe ka degjuar zerin e kesaj sirene, nimfe arabe...





Being an Albanian girl is tough



I spoke with my mother on the phone today and had a one hour conversation. She was talking, I was listening and saying constantly "Yes, yes" just to go along, but I must have wandered off for about 70% of the conversation. Every time I talk to her, it is the same sermon, the same goddamn essay on how I should increase my efforts in finding a job, make up my mind whether I am getting married to the man am with right now, start thinking of having kids, start being a good daughter and come back and support her.

I know, I make my mother sound like a conservative nut who is selfish and not at all tolerant, which she is exactly the opposite. My mother is the most tolerant, liberal, kindest, self-sacrificing, cleverest, most well-read and thoughtful Albanian woman/mother I have ever met. However, even though she is a great mother and a great human being, she drives me nuts. I love her, so much, she is my idol, and yet, my worst nightmare. I really do not want to get her nasty flaws and yet, I want her virtues.

When talking with her, I am constantly reminded of my ancestry: Albanian. Even the sound of that sounds ugly, disgusting to me. I have such a love-hate relationship with my country, my people, that it is a complex that comes, goes, grows, disappears and then comes back again and that I really don't know how to deal with. I find it hard to see what is so great about being Albanian. Most Albanians are so obnoxiously patriotic and I look at them as fools, idiots with stupid ideas that we come from a great country with a great history. Where is the goddamn history? What is so great about our history besides Skanderbeg? I think all of these and realize that I am bitter, I am horribly bitter and angry at my own people, my place of birth. I am angry for all the bad things I went through there, the stupid shit I have to go through with Albanians and the idiocy of my own selfish, immature, being of not recognizing the worth in being proud of where I come from.

I have the aforementioned feelings because being an Albanian girl means you have to be very careful in how you portray yourself with other Albanians, they are very quick to judge you and not in a good way (if you are a girl, that is). Being an Albanian girl means that you cannot say you have a boyfriend, regardless of your age. Well, I think that is changing nowadays but the majority still looks down upon it, especially some parts of my extended family, the backwards ones coming from the villages (bah, how i hate them).
Being an Albanian girl means that you cannot do certain things, like travel alone, or go to clubs, or whatever other liberal shit that most girls are allowed to do. The thing is, being an Albanian girl has its ups and downs, you get the support of everyone in your family (even your most remote cousins) but at the same time, you are bound to their judgements of you.

I think ultimately, being a girl or a boy or whatever, it is definitely influenced by the satellites in your life, but they are not the ones that should define you. You should define yourself through the actions of your choosing. This is the ideal, but not the reality.

In reality, a person does not have much choice since the pressure from left, right, above or below is just too great to do anything that has to do with free will.

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Friday 6 November 2009

Fashion-less

Remember how a few posts back, I said that I would start dedicating this blog to fashion so I can garner some much-need readership and fame? Well, that project just seems to have gone out the window because I got no designer shoes or clothes, except for my much-revered Prada and Alexander McQueen dresses which I have never worn and just sit prettily in my closet collecting dust and getting out of style. I wish I could have money to go out there and buy pretty things, afford those gorgeous shoes (I do love shoes), but being jobless and broke does not really help. Plus, I have found that I am just too shy, lazy or creative-less to even come up with interesting outfits from what I already have. But maybe I will get balls one day, take some pics and put them up. However, do not expect to see a face, I like my anonymity.

Thursday 5 November 2009

War and Peace between dogs, lover and I

I have two dogs (Eva and Leo) and one boyfriend. The boyfriend loves the dogs more than me. Why do I say that? Because the dogs get cuddled, get touched, get kisses and hugs and sweet words about 90% more than I do.


Eva, our Caucasian Ovcharka when she was 2 months old (now she is 8 months old)


Leo, our Alaskan Malamute who is 8 months old here (he is 3 now)


A lot of times, I am jealous of the dogs which is pathetic, but it is the truth. I realize that it is not the dogs' fault about the intimacy problems that my bf and I have, but they are one of the biggest contributors to our problems.





The dogs, whom I love very much and are the cutest things in the world, are also the source of many of our fights and emotional gaps. The dogs are also the source of our fun times, they make us laugh and bring peace when we are in the middle of a fight, they make us feel better, they make us feel united and love each other more sometimes.




Isn't she the most adorable thing?

They are our war and peace. I wonder, how many other couples out there are going through the same thing. How many other couples get a dog and start losing their romance because the dog becomes their child, responsibilities kick in and you start not going out because you cannot leave the dog alone, start fighting over how expensive the food is, who takes him out, who cleans after the pee, etc.


If you are a new couple and have just started living with each other, I would suggest to never get a dog, unless you have clear, concise rules and agreements on how things will be. Otherwise, you are in for a War and Peace novel of your own.


Wednesday 4 November 2009

For MY Kill Bill!

This is dedicated to my own "Bill", whom I would like to kill...


Loving Feeling Good

God, how much I love this song!!








Sorry, I couldn't find good versions of the rest. It appears that they started cracking down hardcore on youtube when it comes to official videos of songs. That really sucks.

Great Expectations Soundtrack

It's four in the morning and listening to Elisabeth Fraser's voice gave me nostalgia for my youth, the 90s and most importantly, instilled a longing to listen to all of the songs of the soundtrack of Great Expectations. That movie was seriously the source of many of my all time favourite songs so I thought I would list them here for you, share the beauty.


1. Finn (Intro) - Tori Amos

2. Siren - Tori Amos

3. Life in Mono - Mono

4. Sunshower - Chris Cornell

5. Resignation - Reef

6. Like a Friend - Pulp

7. Wishful Thinking - Duncan Sheik

8. Today - Poe

9. Lady, Your Roof Brings Me Down - Scott Weiland

10. Her Ornament - The Verve Pipe

11. Walk This Earth Alone - Lauren Christy

12. Breakable - Fisher

13. Success - Iggy Pop

14. Slave - David Garcia, Davíd Garza,

15. Uncle John's Band - Grateful Dead

16. Bésame Mucho [*] - Césaria Évora

Teardrop

Lately, I have been reminiscent of my adolescence, where the 90's music ruled my world and where the song below, always gave me chills. Strangely, it still does, every single time I listen to it.
Maybe it is just the mystical voice of Elisabeth Fraser who also sings another favourite song of mine titled This Love. I discovered her song by listening to the soundtrack of the movie Great Expectations which by the way, is a brilliant soundtrack that makes that movie even more haunting.





Areaware Vinyl Decals: New Coolest Discovery

Hello inexistent readers,

I found a new cool website (thanks to Liberty London Girl) containing the coolest decorative stuff for the house. I was happy to find in her post a place where I could browse (but no way purchase, in my present financial status) and lust after these beautiful, innovative decor ways. I first discovered the existence of these wall stencils two years ago when my new roommates who took over my house, had found this beautiful flower sticker at Dollarama and it looked awesome. I could not believe it. However, since then, I have seen some on Ikea but their prices could not compare with the one dollar. Needless to say, Areaware is a website with quirky things and amazing wall decorations in the form of vinyl decals. The most amazing thing about this website is the variety and quirkiness of their products. They have everything, from jewellery to stuffed toys, plastic toys, furniture, clothes, alarm clocks and of most importantly, a vast collection of decals.





I think this company has come up with a very innovative and lucrative product. In a way, the decals are portable, easy-to-use, fast and clean murals. Who needs to pay hundreds of dollars to a painter for a mural when you can just buy one for a more affordable price and even take it with you when you move to your next home? This might just make some painters go out of a job....
However, the big decals come at a steep price, maybe one that is even higher than what you would pay a painter so I don't know what the future holds for decals. But I can say this, I am definitely hooked. This company is just so creative, so unique, thoughtful and original in expression that I think it is more than worth the money. As long as they don't start overcharging, then they are just another big name with inflated prices.

Monday 2 November 2009

Clenched Soul

I give you my favourite poem by Pablo Neruda. I am not a big poems fan, but I do love Neruda.
I don't think there is anyone who cannot feel the love in this poem. So since I am sick because of love, I thought it would be appropriate.



Clenched Soul



 
We have lost even this twilight.
No one saw us this evening hand in hand
while the blue night dropped on the world.

I have seen from my window
the fiesta of sunset in the distant mountain tops.

Sometimes a piece of sun
burned like a coin in my hand.

I remembered you with my soul clenched
in that sadness of mine that you know.

Where were you then?
Who else was there?
Saying what?
Why will the whole of love come on me suddenly
when I am sad and feel you are far away?

The book fell that always closed at twilight
and my blue sweater rolled like a hurt dog at my feet.

Always, always you recede through the evenings
toward the twilight erasing statues.

Sunday 1 November 2009

Ode to Broken Hearts


















In life, there is one universal truth:
Your heart will be broken, one time or another.
You will cry,
you will be sad,
you will think it is the end of the world,
your chest will hurt,
your eyes will burn,
you will feel like vomiting,
but rest assured, it will pass.

It takes time to get over someone,
it takes time to forget them,
it takes time to heal and feel better again,
it takes time to breathe without hurting,
it takes even more time to find love again,
but rest assured, it will happen.

It takes effort, to cry,
it takes chemistry to let those heavy, salty tears dry
it takes hard work for you to become you again,
it takes love for you to love you again,
but rest assured, you will succeed.

And after all these words,
and after all the advice,
and after all the wise sayings.,
there is nothing that can alleviate your pain right now.

You will hurt,
you will cry,
but you will stop,
one day or another.

Rest assured!

Happy Halloween

If your skies are blue and starry where you are tonight, then you are lucky (here there is some kind of windy storm that almost made two really skinny girls fly away) and to commemorate a fantastic Halloween night with beautiful, crisp weather, enjoy the sounds of my new favourite song: Under the Milky Way by Sia.
Sia is an Aussie with a unique voice and outlandish personality and lots of talent, a talent that you can enjoy in her beautiful cover of the song Under the Milky Way by The Church (another Aussie band of the 80's).



Monday 26 October 2009

Honey Honey

Honey honey up in the trees
Fields of flowers deep in his dreams
Lead them out to sea by the east
Honey honey food for the bees

Honey honey out on the sea
In the doldrums thinking of me
Me on dry land thinking of he
Honey honey not next to me

Even if he wanted to
Even if he wanted to
Even if he wanted to
Do you think he'd come back
Would he come back

Oh no..

Honey honey out on the sea
In the doldrums waiting for me
Me in my boat searching for he
Honey honey food for the bees

I have been in love with this song for quite some time now. Not only are the music and lyrics so hauntingly beautiful, but the video even more so. It was the 2008 winner for best video.
You can listen to it here since for some reason embedding is not allowed.

Be enchanted, dear readers!

Sunday 25 October 2009

Tuesday 20 October 2009

Cool Things

This would be a nice thing to have on a corner of the room. It might even work as a clothes sculpture, room design :D


Credit: interesting website called apartmenttherapy.com
I waste most of my time there

Am Loving It!

I think I will make a section on things that am loving at the moment. You lovely, nonexistent-but-future-loving-readers, can even put in your two bits by telling me what YOU are currently loving too.



Balenciaga Fall RTW 2009
Why: It has beautiful lines, flowing, shiny; reminds me of a gorgeous Art Deco piece of art.



Balenciaga again
Why: because I love everything that is silky shiny and drapy and most of all: reminiscent of 40's-50s style.



Bottega Veneta Fall 2009 RTW
Why: just plain beautiful, dreamy



Lanvin Fall RTW 2009
Why: it would be very useful for winter weather in Montreal

Sunday 18 October 2009

"Obama's Secret Service"

You can count on peopleofwalmart.com to entertain you with pictures of the weirdest people out there shopping in Walmart. One was pretty funny; hence, the title :)


Friday 16 October 2009

After seeing the movie

So as I said in my previous post, I got tickets to see the movie United Red Army being shown in the Festival Nouveau Cinema in Montreal and I do not know what to say except that it was too long and too boring. The beginning was interesting enough with facts being shown here and there, names and ages of participants (facts that were too many to remember), real videos taken of the rebellion in the 60s and 70s and then a few shots of the actors portraying the characters of the time. Then after an hour of that, the movie began by showing only the actors portraying members of the RAF and RLF, student activists-turned-extremists who oppose the American foreign policy of Japan and want to stop war and capitalism. They want to be communists. They decide to go to the woods to prepare themselves for battle by getting military training, except they had not calculated one thing: cabin fever. I say cabin fever because quite honestly that is what happens, they all lose it and start killing each other in the name of "self-critique". "You put make up on? Criticize yourself", meaning hit yourself till you die. It was just a screwed up movie that was too long, the drama moments too prolonged and the acting third-rate. However, I have to give credit on the subject, in the sense that it showed exactly what stupid idealism can do to a person and how we can easily lose our minds with ideologies and shit like that.
Anyway, my friend and I were extremely disappointed and were making fun of it the whole time (which was the only good part of the whole experience) and decided to stay and watch the whole thing while most people kept on leaving not even half an hr after the moving started.

So this is it, I am so disappointed about this, I don't even care what am writing, am just ranting.

Regardless, it was interesting to see a part of Japan that I was not aware of, meaning the brutality of the times and the corruption of its state.

See ya later, inexistent readers!

Thursday 15 October 2009

"United Red Army"

I just won two tickets to see the movie "United Red Army" at the Festival Nouveau Cinema in Montreal from here and am so excited. The movie is at 6pm so I must hurry to finish my work and get ready. I will post my review after I come back from the movie. C ya laterrr!

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Let's talk about Roger Vivier

I was reading on 1930s shoes and discovered a familiar name: Roger Vivier
Did you know that he was famous in the '30s? I didn't, but am even happier that he was because now I understand where some of the genius, the elegance and beauty might come from. For those not familiar with him, Vivier is the man who invented the stiletto heel (during the shortage era) and who is known as the Faberge of shoe-making, meaning he is the most exquisite, luxurious shoe-maker. I was not aware of this when I fell in love with his shoes four months ago and only lately did I realize what an icon he is.

I was looking through his Fall 2009 collection and am amazed at the art he produces. How I wish I could afford them. If there is one part of fashion I have always admired, it has always been shoes. I remember when I was nine-years-old, playing with my brothers as a school teacher, I would force them to draw shoes and then I would draw them myself and show them the princess designs seen in anime. I grew up poor during communism, but even then was dreaming about shoes. Now that am 25 and still poor, with love for simplicity and frugality in life, I can sincerely say that I would not mind splurging in a beautiful piece of art like a shoe.


I feel like shoes are walking-pieces-of-art, a constant accompaniment of beauty, elegance; right at your feet. You spilled something on your dress? No worry, just look at your beautiful shoes, they take the pain away.
I find all the above emotions to be encapsulated in the designs of Roger Vivier, which is why he is my absolute favourite (not that I know many, truthfully).

Just look at these. These are like a baroque painting of a serene nature with decadent flowers and delicate bows.


Who needs jewels when you got Roger Vivier crystal shoes?
Accessories? Forget that, just get a pair of Vivier Spring 2009 pumps