S is for ...

If you want to have fun, playing is inevitable :)
So here I am, playing together with Bellezza the game of "favorites". She gave me the letter "S" and I have to mention things I like starting with the given letter. Speaking/writing about what one likes should not be very difficult, so here it goes, without a deep, pensive mood about it... 

My favorite book ... definitely SPUTNIK SWEETHEART, probably my favorite Haruki Murakami one, which has still stayed with me three years after reading it.

My favorite author ... Salinger, no doubt about it. You never forget your first literary love :)

My favorite song ... this has to be a Madonna one and I'll choose "Sanctuary", from the album "Bedtime Stories", released in 1994. Although the song does not have an official video, this one is utterly beautiful. If you listen carefully, the first lines open with some poetry from Walt Whitman...
"Surely whoever speaks to me in the right voice
Him or her I shall follow
As the water follows the moon, silently"
Madonna-Sanctuary from themertulus on Vimeo.
My favorite object ... Snow, for its purity and also because playing in the snow is fun :)

Last, but not least, my favorite movie ... I had to go over my imdb account to recap some of the ones I love, since my first three favorites do not start with the letter "S", but I found it: it is called "Somewhere in Palilula" and it is probably one of the best Romanian movies of the last decade, so intriguing, creative and amusing, yet nostalgic about the past... Worth seeing!

Now, who else wants to play?

Almost Transparent Blue

 I think it's decided that Ryu Murakami's style and stories are the types that shock you, or at least they do their best, but this short book seemed even more shocking than I had expected. If I had to summarize it in three words, those words would be: sex, drugs and violence, with a pinch of rock'n roll and poetry, no matter how cliched or unexpected that may be.

"I see Lily wading into the field, spreading her hands like fins, drenching her body. Raindrops are glinting fish scales." 

The story was written back in 1976, when Ryu was still in college, and it presents the monotonous lives of a few teenagers trapped in the vicious acts of violence, overdoses and orgies. The read is surely to make you feel visceral sickness, yet you will still want to finish it, and this is why Ryu is such a phenomenal writer, once it grips you, you cannot escape...the story of lost youth can be disgusting, but you don't want to end the journey because you are trapped among words that still captivate.

“I’m on this ground, and on this same ground are trees and grass and ants carrying sand to their nests, little girls chasing rolling balls, and puppies running. This ground runs under countless houses and mountains and rivers and seas, under everywhere. And I’m on it. Don’t be scared, I’d told myself, the world is still under me.” 

I found the book extremely powerful and personal to the writer and it is the clear proof that beneath the filth, art can still be present.

Read for The Japanese Literature Challenge.

P.S. The writer signed the script for the movie with the same title in 1989... 

Dance Me Till the End of Time ...

Japanese Literature Challenge - 2014

I have been looking forward to this challenge since February, when Tony's reading challenge "January in Japan" ended and it seems I can't stay away from Japanese literature for long, and why would I? It is so different from other types of literature, enchanting and introspective, hesitant and modest, yet strangely powerful.
I am sure I will be reading more than three books for this challenge, but for a start, I decided to spend my summer with the ones mentioned in the collage. I will be expecting Ryu Murakami's book "Almost Transparent Blue" to take me by surprise, just the way the others did; Endo's book "When I Whisle" is listed as his "most unusual" one so, that should be an interesting read and Kawabata' s "Beauty and Sadness" is considered a "beautiful drawing of love and revenge" by Time Magazine. I will definitely write down my thoughts on this one :)

Hello summer! Hello Japanese Literature! Thank you, Bellezza, for hosting this challenge!

Fairy Tales Do Exist!

 I am not a huge Colin Farrell fan, but I had to watch this movie, maybe because the book, written by Mark Helprin, was so incredible I had to check they could not turn it into a great movie. Of course, it was not the case, the book is far more enchanting than the movie but it is still worth watching. "Winter's Tale" is a story about love that goes beyond any notion of time and place. It is about falling in love and staying in love forever. It sounds quite challenging, but then, "we love to save", says the main character, and maybe that is the true purpose of love, to surpass any trace of evil and, just like a white horse, to impress and create miracles. The trailer is here.
UPDATE: Since I was kindly asked to give a little more information on the story, here it is: Peter Lake, an orphan, is trying to rob a mansion in New York but accidentally - or not - falls in love with Beverly Penn, a beautiful young girl who is dying. Or is she? Their love is so strong that Peter is driven to stop time or wishes he could steal her from the almighty death. Read the book/ watch the movie to see if he succeeds. 

This Girl only Sleeps with Butterflies ...

New album "Unrepentant Geraldines" released TODAY :) Show to be seen from the first row ... in a month :)

Jeanette Winterson on Love

Jeanette Winterson was kindly asked to define love. Here are her impressions: 

St. John of the Cross: “In the evening of life, we shall be judged on love alone.” 

W. H. Auden: “Let no one say I Love until aware / What huge resources it will take to nurse / One ruining speck, one tiny hair / That casts a shadow through the universe.” 

Freud: “Men are not gentle creatures who want to be loved.” 

From 19th-century novels, that love and money are fatally bartered as interchangeable currencies. 

From poetry, that love is a language that has to be learned. 

From the Bible, that love is as strong as death. 

From my novel “Written on the Body”: “Why is the measure of love loss?”

But 20 years later I discovered that love could be as reliable as the sun. And that there is one other thing in a world infatuated by wealth. Love never counts the cost.

No Words, Just Music

Teaching Character

With a score of 87 points out of 100, here's to my graduation of a four week course in "teaching character", developed by Relay, a New York school of education with innovative programs designed for effective and successful teachers :)
I decided to take this course out of curiosity and it was quite a surprise to discover new sides of a subject ignored in the Romanian educational system. I learned about the micro-moment triangle involving character behaviour language, constructive responding and a growth mindset; I completed quizzes, gave constructive responses and found out that, at the end of the lesson, besides the knowledge we so eagerly want to transmit, there is always something else to be learned from each of the two sides involved in the teaching - learning process.
And this was not all. There was also a final project that required creating a macro - structure that implicitly (or explicitly) teaches character as well, and literature was once more my "salvation", constructing such a structure with the help of literary characters that also teach students about gratitude and good deeds. I definitely feel I am a better teacher! :)

World Book Day 2014

Literary Quizzes, Book presentations and Reading Trees, all happening now at my school! :) 
More HERE. 

Getting better and better...

Let's make this biblical
And hang from our invisible cords...

I Won't Let Go of My Dreams!

Life is about accomplishing your dreams and desires, no matter how foolish or daring they may seem for those around you...

What a fantastic experience Venice in February was, with so many places discovered for the first time, with others bringing up beautiful memories. Venice is more than words could describe and the moment I left, I wanted to go back and soak into its mist, touristy atmosphere, fun and mystery.

Here are a few glimpses of my time in Venice, wishing for more trips in the near or far away future :)

My Venice in February

 If you read this then know I am in the land of too much beauty, mystery and everything fairy tale-like. This year I have taken my Reading Challenge, Venice in February, a little bit further, actually, 1,000 km away, so I will not only be reading about Venice but I will also experience it through its famous museums and landmarks, wintery strolls,  and hot chocolates :) Bookwise, my first Donna Leon will be enjoyed, mainly while expecting for the flight to take off/land, and when I get back, the mystery surrounding Venice will still be present through  Delalande's "The Dante Trap".

If time allows it, I will be indulging in finishing "When God Was a Rabbit" for the reading club I coordinate at school and some personal thoughts written down by the Romanian actor, musician and creative mind, Tudor Chirila.

Follow your dreams!

Venice All the Way

Haruki Murakami Day

My Reading Challenges - January 2014

Apparently, I always start the New Year in full swing, with lots of reading time, but then, school starts and I am back to struggling to find some reading time... For this month, I am planning to read Murakami's latest novel, "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage" for the January in Japan Challenge, and also to celebrate his birthday, on the 12th of January :); Sarah Dunant's latest book about the Borgias, "Blood and Beauty", mainly because I love her previous historical novels and I am quite interested in the story of this famous family; Yehuda Berg's book "Satan - An Autobiography" on the Opponent and fighting the good fight; Jane Hawking's (yes, Stephen Hawking's former wife) "My Life with Stephen" because I have recently seen two documentaries and one BBC adaptation of the scientist's life and I am quite intrigued about the man behind the famous mind; last but not least, "an international sensation" which seems to be the story from "The Rosie Project", about a professor of genetics who embarks upon The Wife Project, hoping that there is someone out there for everyone...

Let the page turning begin! :)

A New Year, a New Challenge

This seemed like the natural thing to do, tackle a new reading challenge that is really up my alley: books written by women. Since I read 23 books written by female authors last year and most of them were quite revelatory, I decided to go for level 2 of the challenge, GIRLS POWER, and read between 6 and 15 books. It is quite doable, don't you think? Click on the image on the right side to find out more about the challenge. Do you tend to read books by female authors? 

Christmas with Jeanette

It is turning quite into a habit, Jeanette posting a few words on Christmas Eve, and this time, she has written a Christmas ghost story... and it somehow reminds me of Susan Hill's "Woman in Black".

You can read it by visiting The Guardian site here, or you can read about her thoughts on celebrating Christmas here.

Merry Christmas! :)

Finding Company for Your Soul

Love (III) - George Herbert

Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack,
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lack'd anything.

 It is quite uplifting to discover new writers, even if they were born centuries ago, and new music, even if it may not be the ordinary music you listen to, and all this thanks to your favorite writer, in my case, Jeanette Winterson.

On the 11th of November Jeanette spoke on BBC Radio 4 about George Herbert's poetry and Sir John Tavener's elating music. Herbert's poems attract a new audience mainly because his message states that love must come before God, which seems quite controversial for a 17th century poet.

Taverner, who unfortunately died last month at the age of 69, is famous for his mystical music and the liturgical traditions that influenced his major works. How the two can mix is described in the podcast. You can listen to it here, for more insight on how the two creative minds can be related, but simply listening to "The Protecting Veil" can give you the feeling of having been touched by the wings of an angel :)

Morgan Sparkles

Another week, another creative task for "The Future of Storytelling" course. This time, we have been asked to create our own character, attributing as many features to him/her as we can imagine. In my case, I have always admired Villanelle from Jeanette Winterson's "Passion", so Morgan is somehow related to her, a step sister, let's say, whose passion is to murder her lovers with a dagger and throw them into the dark waters of Venice.

She lives in a palazzo, but no one knows where exactly, she remains a mystery for everyone around. She loves playing cards and gambling her assets and her own life, mainly because she knows there is no chance she could lose. Why? Because long time ago she was cursed to live until she would find Sublime Love, which doesn't seem to be found easily... but something tells her that there might be a chance for that in a narrow street in Venice, simply because she dreamed about meeting Sublime Love while sailing on the Venetian canals.
I also have to mention that she was born in the year of the Fire Rabbit, one day in February, a long, long time ago...