Germany – Dusseldorf – The Benrath Castle

Melanie brightened my day with a huge beautiful postcard from Dusseldorf.  She wrote the entire card in german so today I exercised a little my reading and comprehension.

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Finland – Turku Abo

Eva sent me this lovely card from her home town, the oldest city in Finland, capital of the country until 1827, Turku.

The cathedral is their oldest church dating from the 1286-1300.

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Netherlands birthday card

Joke from the Netherlands sent me  my first birthday card and wishes for this year.

As you can see it’s a super-cute colorful kitty party. On the back it also has a matching stamp. Never seen anything like it.

I love it.

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My bucket list

I don’t make lists with things to do and I usually do things on the last minute because I can’t stick to the plan. If you want to annoy me, give me headaches or even kill me then you have to organize my universe.

This  “things to do before I die”  is my first list ever just because some friend asked me what I’d like to do with and in my life. So, I start to wonder and came up with this bucket list.

I’ll add more as I’ll discover what I’d like.

Here I go:

  1. get a heartagram tattoo on my lower back or shoulder
  2. go visit Finland (mostly Helsinki and Rovaniemi where Santa is supposed to live)
  3. see the northern lights
  4. have white nights in Saint Petersburg
  5. learn to play an instrument (guitar, piano, violin)
  6. take a bath into the ocean (no matter which one)
  7. meet the Dalai Lama
  8. visit Tibet
  9. go on a meditation retreat
  10. have a book published
  11. get a PhD
  12. be a mentor to someone
  13. land on the moon
  14. go on a cruise on the sea
  15. save a life
  16. start my own business
  17. go to a HIM concert
  18. learn at least other 2 foreign languages
  19. find a way to repay my family for all they have done for me
  20. touch a dolphin
  21. learn to properly swim
  22. name a star
  23. invent an awesome recipe for hot chocolate
  24. make a family tree and find out about my origins

If anyone would like to share, I’d be delighted to read his/her list.

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Kerimaki – Finland

This is Kerimaki in Finland, obviously, and it’s the largest wooden church in the  world.

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Boris Vian – Blues pentru o pisica neagra

Si acum e timpul pentru niste Boris Vian!

“-Ati cazut in apa? Am intrebat cu interes.
– Scuzati-ma ca va deranjez, domnule, zise ea. Dar am o inundatie in casa … am cerut un instalator si trebuia sa vina acum trei zile …
– Am unul aici, am zis eu. Poate e al dvs?
– Cei sapte copii ai mei s-au inecat, mi-a spus ea. Doar cei doi mai mari mai respira inca pentru ca apa nu le ajunge decat pana la barbie. Dar daca instalatorul mai are treaba la dvs … nu vreau sa va deranjez …” (Instalatorul)

Am cumparat-o din anticariatul meu brasovean pentru ca mi-a placut titlul “Blues pentru o pisica neagra” si pentru ca avea formatul de buzunar care-mi permite sa o port dupa mine.

Scriitor boem si cu o imaginatie remarcabila, Vian a fost pe rand traducator, saxofonist intr-o orchestra de jazz, reparator de masini vechi, actor de film, cantaret de cabaret, scriitor de romane, nuvele si piese de teatru. Din nefericire la numai 39 de ani a murit din cauza unui stop cardiac, in timp ce asista la proiectia filmului adaptat dupa cartea sa “Ma voi prabusi pe mormintele voastre”.

Prin imbinarea existentialismului si a suprarealismul intr-un joc continuu de cuvinte, Blues pentru o pisică neagră (1949) reuneste unsprezece nuvele în care sarcasmul si ludicul, cruzimea si inocenta lui Boris Vian te poarta intr-un univers imaginar complex caruia vrei sa-i aflii sensurile.

”Atunci lua un cutit mare si isi taie capul. Il puse in apa fierbinte cu cateva cristale pentru a-l curata si a nu falsifica greutatea. Apoi muri inainte de a fi terminat, fiindca toate acestea se petreceau in 1945, iar medicina nu era asa perfectionata ca acum. Urca la cer intr-un nor mare si rotund. Nu avea niciun motiv sa mearga in alta parte.”(Racul)

“Inca mai sunt in picioare, deasupra minei[…]Nu explodeaza decat atunci cand retragi piciorul[…]Sunt singur[…] Nu am pastrat decat carnetelul si creionul. O sa le arunc inainte de a schimba piciorul si trebuie neaparat sa fac asta, pentru ca m-am saturat de razboi si pentru ca ma napadesc furnicile.” (Furnicile)

Cele 11 sunt: „Furnicile”, „Elevi silitori”, „Calatoria la Khonostrov”, „Racul”, „Instalatorul”, „Soseaua pustie”, „Pestii morti”, „Blues pentru o pisica neagra”, „Ceata”, „Gasca albastra” si „Figurantul”.

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Macii batranetii. Sade la ospiciu

Cu siguranta ati auzit de marchizul de Sade. Ce ati auzit insa despre el este discutabil: ca a scris opere pline de scene lubrice, de anomalii sexuale si depravare descriind o societate fara de moravuri, ca a fost intemnitat ani la rand si a continuat sa scrie pentru ca nu putea altfel desi nu avea mijloacele obisnuite si trebuia sa-si foloseasca propriul sange sau materiile fecale?

Ei bine, citind “Macii batranetii. Sade la ospiciu” de Anne Parlange si Vincent Lestrehan,  o carte de buzunar,  am dat peste un fel de jurnal al lui Sade amestecat cu jurnalul contabilului ospiciului in care a fost inchis ca urmare a faptului ca celelalte masuri nu dadeau nici un rezultat.

O parte din jurnal prezinta seductia, fascinatia pe care acest om a exercitat-o asupra celor ce erau complet diferiti de firea sa (contabilul si directorul ospiciului) iar cealalta scoate la iveala adevarul despre viata sa si despre ceea ce s-a intamplat intre zidurile ospiciului, dincolo de lumea care vedea in el un monstru dar care nu inceta sa-i citeasca operele pe ascuns.

Este o lectura ce te tine cu sufletul la gura din mometul in care treci pragul institutiei si pana in mometul in care marchizul de Sade melancolic, sfidator, orgolios si disperat cum il stim, isi gaseste sfarsitul.

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Starry giveaway winner!

My Starry Giveaway has ended last night.

I had a total of 13 participants which I think it’s pretty good for my little blog and my first giveaway.

I thank everyone who entered for giving me such good recommendations on books; I will have a wonderful time reading this summer.

I wish I could send everyone of you a pretty postcards package but unfortunately there can be only one winner. But don’t worry there will be more giveaways in the future, so stay tuned.

And now it’s time to announce the winner.

I used random.org and the lucky person who is going to receive the 4 black and white postcards, the shooting stars and a little surprise from me is no one other then Dhesh who said ” I love Gone With the Wind..it has all the drama’s and emotions of life wrapped up in one story.”

Congratulations, Dhesh! You will receive an e-mail from me in order to ship you the prize.

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Serbia

Pedja from Serbia requested me to do a direct swap. He wanted a card from Brasov since he has visited the city some years ago and loved it but didn’t get the chance to have a postcard of a panoramic landscape.

In return he sent me a picture of the Saint Nicholas Monastery in Koncul dating from the 13-14th century.

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Dubai

This is from a direct swap with Lila from Dubai. She let me surprise her with a card and  I sent her one of my melancholic vampire cards in exchange of this beautiful view of the Burj Al Arab and Madinat Al Jumeirah.

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Spain – Ercina Lake

First postcard from Spain came from Sonia. You can enjoy the view of the Ercina Lake and the cusp of Europe.

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