Why Would I Go to Paris?

Once you've been to Paris, it becomes quite difficult to describe it because there's nothing that compares to it, even a few previous visits...
So, "La Femme de Trente Ans" will go to Paris because it's the one and only city where love can actually be felt in the air, where one can indulge in the sheer beauty of the Sacre Coeur, stroll in "Jardin de Luxembourg" with no care in the world, be overwhelmed by what true art really means in Le Louvre, touch the dreamy sky while up in La Tour Eiffel, allow oneself to be swept away by the gentle breeze while enjoying a ride in a "bateau mouche", chuckle about some "dubious" artifact while in Le Musee de l'Erotisme et refaire le parcours d'Amelie, comme une petite folle de ce film :)
How much Paris can one squeeze into two weeks? I will let you know when I return, now I almost feel like I am living a life of pure debauchery :))

One of My Gods

A Single Man

"A Single Man" has easily crept among my all time favorite movies, for a simple reason: it is STUNNING! The actors, Julienne Moore and Colin Firth need no introduction, and Tom Ford, the director, writer and producer, is at his first but worthy attempt in the vast field of Hollywood movies.
This perfect film combines 3 unfinished love stories and the sadness and desperation that they bring along. It is love that turns the main character into a suicidal one, and it is also love that rescues him. But not for long, as fatality strikes...



The haunting music reminded me of "In the mood for love" and I wasn't wrong. The music composer, Shigeru Umebayashi, wrote the music for "In the mood ..." but also for its sequel, "2046".

The Hump Effect

The Hump Effect is related to the idea that Wednesdays are considered days of hard work and making it through to the middle of the work week is just as getting "over the hump."



The Hump Effect, mentioned in Edward de Bono's book "The Happiness Purpose", is explained as getting people to do things which seem to go against their best interests at the moment. It may be a matter of preventing someone from doing something which is tempting, or making someone do something which is unpleasant, but eventually, this less attractive 'road" opens out into a wider one, with more, beneficial opportunities. A simple example would be the one about going to the gym. It may seem hard and/or boring, but if you succeed in constantly going, it will better your health and looks, which may prove exactly what you wanted for yourself in the beginning.

Spelling Bee

If you think you're good at spelling, try this preliminary test. I scored 17 and missed 3 because I didn't check the words at the end, so make sure you do that!

The Hole in the Elephant's Bottom

The funniest thing you may have heard :)



Jeremy Irons - The Hole in the Elephant's Bottom

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Proficient in English

If you are able to correctly solve this word - formation exercise, then your English has reached a proficiency level :)

For many people Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is the most (0) influential (INFLUENCE) figure in the history of western classical music. His (1) ..... (ORDINARY) talent was already clearly evident as a young man, (2) ..... (MERCY) surviving a somewhat unconventional(3) ..... (BRING) during which his eccentric father would often force him to take music lessons in the middle of the night.

The young Beethoven's ability won him the admiration of the leading contemporary musical figures. Throughout the 1790s he worked hard to secure the interest of wealthy patrons. Such patronage (4) .....(ABLE) him to concentrate on becoming a successful composer.

Whatever his awe-inspiring musical (5) .....(ACHIEVE), however, his personal life was something of a disaster. His day-to-day (6) ..... (RELATE)with people invariably turned out to be rather turbulent. Although he apparently fell in love with a number of society women, the identity of the girl who lay closest to his heart remains (7) ..... (ELUDE)to this day.

However, just at the point when Beethoven was beginning to reap the rewards of his early endeavours, he had to come to terms with the crushing (8) ..... (REALISE)that his increasing deafness was (9) ..... .(CURE) From that point on, his music displayed a (10) ..... (STRIKE) change in style, becoming both heavier in tone and larger in scale.

Nothing Really Matters

I still can't believe this video wasn't included on CELEBRATION :(

Here's a remix I simply and totally LOVE.

Madonna - Nothing Really Matters Lukesavant New Beginnings Mix

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Le Premier Jour du Reste de Ma Vie

Friendship

"Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings." (via Internet)

To Die For ...

MORE SMOKING HOT PICS HERE.

In a Nutshell...

Click on the pic to see a bigger size...


Sorry, I thought you were an American :))

Liquid Love

Madonna - Liquid Love David Guetta Remix Edit

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Somewhere in Moldova

5 Reasons to see a French Movie

... and not just any French movie. I am talking about "Micmacs a Tire Larigot" ("Excessive Intrigues")



1. Former director of Amelie, a cinematic masterpiece - Jean Pierre Jeunet
2. Incredibly talented actors (3 of them also appeared in Amelie)
3. More realistic action than in "Mission:Impossible"
4. Deliriously funny but not stupid
5. Still serious and with a message at its core

Movie of the Month 2

"I AM A WOMAN!"
"YOU ARE RUDE."
RYNA

I am still amazed that it took me so long to actually see this movie, taking into account the fact that I've seen "Cum mi-am petrecut sfarsitul lumii" and I really think Dorotheea Petre is such a promising actress... But, here I am, years apart from its debut, realizing Romanian directors can make movies that matter.



RYNA is a movie about a 16 year old girl from a rural area around Tulcea. Nothing strange about it, except that she lives with an oppressing, misogynist father and too weak a mother. Ryna Biris longs to wear dresses and go dancing, she longs to be kissed and be taken care of, instead of always taking care of her drunken father.
How the story unfolds next? Well, there's a French guy who seems to like her, there's a mayor quite typical of these days, and a grandpa who sees things as they are.

Whole of the Moon

NO TIME FOR WORDS!


Waterboys - Whole of the moon

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PURE EMOTION

Tell me if you've seen something better than this! :)

(The One and Only) WHITE HORSE

This is how my (favorite) students sound like :)


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Dreams Are Not Negotiable

In a nutshell, 2 days ago I could once again loudly shout that I am extremely lucky when it comes to wishes coming true.

I am @funkymad from Paulo Coelho's blog post :)