Keep your memories of yourself
     In a shoebox on a closet shelf

     Iată a sosit dinou anotimpul rece, ce trist! Parcă mai ieri alergam după fluturi multicolori, gingaşi, pluteam în adierea caldă a vântului înnăbuşit, sugrumat de căldurile toride.. Şi parcă cu câteva clipe înainte începusem şcoala şi voioşi, entuziasmaţi, amuzaţi mergeam prin parcul cu castani şi număram frunzele ce dansau în aer, şi nu simţeam cum trece timpul.
     Dar acum ?
      Îmi doream să fie o iarnă lungă, să mă slăbească de toate puterile, apoi, odată cu ghioceii să înfloresc dinou.. Oricum a fost o iarnă frumoasă, omătul scârţâia ritmic, vântul îmi roşea nasul şi obrajii, uneori fulgii de nea mi se agăţau în păr, alteori îmi vedeam respiraţia, şi asta-mi plăcea.
     Şi acum e frig …
     De cum intru în parc sentimentul de dominatie îmi stăpâneşte mintea – asemenea unei regine ce tocmai s-a întors acasă după o lungă călătorie într-un ţinut încă neînţeles pentru ceilalti, crengile îmbătrânite, dantelate cu dantelă fină de nea dârdâiau, dar eu ştiu că se bucurau că ma vedeau dinou. Nu trebuia să mă gandesc cum să ies din labirintul potecilor, căci pe zăpadă erau însemnaţi paşi cu firicele de rouă îngheţată. Mă las purtată, alintată apoi simt un gol … un foc izbucneşte,mă nelinişteşte, mă macină, mă-nvăluie în căldură, mă răneşte, mă mângâie… era el , îi simt atingerea fină, chipul lui dominat de linii frânte îmi zâmbeşte jucauş, ochii mă cheamă mai aproape … ‘E o nebunie ! ‘ îmi spun încet, un fel de magnet mă atrăgea sălbatic şi nu mă puteam împotrivi nici dacă aş fi vrut. Nu-mi prea dădeam seama ce se întâmplă, ‘când vei avea nevoie de dragoste, să nu eziţi să te-ntorci.. ‘ asta era !
     Nu prea apuc să mă lămuresc, deja roşul obrajiilor era acoperit de lacrimi, lacrimi fericite, şi simt două braţe puternice ce mă-nconjoară … râdem, râdem împreună fără a avea vre-un motiv logic

(Clasa a7-a, ‘The same plot, different actors’)

Ça pourrait être le dernier poème
Tout n’a-t-il pas déjà été dit ?
L’amour, la peur, les rires,
L’espoir, le présent, l’avenir, 
Et le désir extrême.
Il ne resterait plus qu’à attendre que l’on nous délivre ?  
Dans ces moments là, je rêve infini,
Ici, maintenant, demain 
Tout le long du chemin.  
Cette vie jamais subie, toujours choisie, 
Je m’en plaide capable mais pas coupable. 
L’océan est noir et sous l’eau les sirènes bruissent 
Du bastingage de la jonque je ris du supplice,
En pensant à des rimes plus explicites, 
Et des plaisirs provisoirement illicites.
Non, jolie blog je continuerai à te vivre.
Tu es une autre liberté qui m’arrive 
Un miroir où je me regarde sauter en l’air
M’accrocher à des arbres puissants
Plonger dans les fleuves qui dérivent
Et le tendre à Copulati ma complice
Pour partager nos délices.  

Hell yeah, mathematics paper I was disastrous!

And Mon Amour, yes you did. That time, when you told me, I wasn’t quite sure about it anyway. That’s why me still remember.

Sogno o son desto?! Caviale, champagne … ora potrei andare a comprare una veletta per me e un cappello a cilindro per il mio accompagnatore. Un diadema… perchè no?! Tutto pronto a questo punto per dare inizio a questo spettacolo da “upper east side”! “Benson,  vai a prendere la Rolls!

Dalle sedie a tappo di champagne alla bottiglia con champagne dorato, ecco una selezione di “stranezze” provenienti dal mondo del “francese” più famoso al mondo! Una selezione che non vi lascerà i post-sbronza dopo averla “assaporata”! Ah, dimenticavo… CIN CIN!

Oggi c’è un’alternativa più glamour al solito champagne. Si tratta del Gold Cuvée Champagne con fiocchi d’oro da 23 carati! Immaginatevi l’eleganza di una coppa di bollicine scintillanti… niente di più eccezionale! Questa stravagante ”bubbly” così gli americani la chiamano, viene prodotta in una cantina vicino al fiume Reno, in Germania e può essere acquistata per soli 14.50 euro su Design 3000!!! Pochi spicci, per una serata “très chic” assicurata!

Che cosa hanno in comune la Marmellata e lo Champagne?! Nulla, se non fosse per la produzione in edizione limitata della “Lover’s Marmite” che ne ha creata una contenete “gocce di champagne”. Solo 600.000 vasetti super romantici, a partire dall’etichetta che grida “I love you”! Un modo dolce e particolare per dichiararvi all’amato partner! Il successo è assicurato!

Ecco qualcosa che darà un pizzico in più di ironia alle vostre feste! Il “modulo lunare“ (così si chiama) si attacca al tappo della bottiglia e con una shakerata alla bottiglia il tappo viene sparato in aria (come sempre) e, come per magia, il paracadute si aprirà e lo farà cadere in terra, evitando così di colpire rovinosamente l’amico di turno (come spesso accade). Il bello è che questo paracadute potrà essere utilizzato tutte le volte che si vuole! Ancora e ancora!

Vedere il mondo da un’ottica diversa. Non è cosa semplice… a meno che non si tratti dell’ “Inverted Champagne Set“. Nato dalla collaborazione della famosa casa produttrice Piper Heidsieck e dal duo olandese Viktor & Rolf  si può trovare solo in edizione limitata con il Rose Sauvage champagne. Famosi per i loro packaging stravaganti, Viktor & Rolf ridefiniscono il modo di bere capovolgendo la bottiglia, il bicchiere e il porta ghiaccio! Così da far sembrare il porta ghiaccio uno scrigno magico, il tappo della bottiglia estremamente grande e il bicchiere alla “Martini’ Style”!

Lo Champagne va degustato a 8°. Così va servito ai vostri amici per essere al top e, perchè no, ora può essere anche estremamente chic! Drinkstuff.com, oltre a offrire i migliori dispositivi di raffreddamento da tavolo, ha  anche la collezione più bella e creativa esistente per rendere indimenticabile il momento “bollicine”. Dai secchielli luminosi a flute di design! Tutti i prodotti sono in tenuta stagna, portatili e ultra-cool!

James Herman, designer americano, mentre stava armeggiando con una bottiglia di champagne ad una sua festa, ha avuto “l’eureka” di trasformare quel copri tappo metallico in uno sgabello! Grazie a Moët et Chandon, che gli ha concesso la licenza assoluta, è riuscito a creare non solo lo sgabello ma un lussuosissimo bar,  il “Bubbles Tribecca“ di Newy York, che oltre ad offrire un design ad hoc, vi mette a disposizione una selezione di 300 tipi di champagne!

Scappatella romantica?! Nessun posto è più adatto del Caesars Pocono Resorts che offre romanticismo e lusso, mettendo a disposizione letti a forma di cuore, piscine e idromassaggi a tema e la famosa coppa gigante di champagne in ogni camera. Un modo intimo e stravagnate per condividere un po’ di intimità immersi in tante luccicanti bollicine.

Shakira’s new album She Wolf is her first album in four years (since 2005’s Oral Fixation volumes 1 & 2, which represented her best work to date, especially on the Spanish-language vol. 1) and represents a similar transformation to Jewel’s 0304 – Shakira has made an almost-purely danceable, modern album.  Unlike Jewel’s efforts prior to 0304, Shakira has made addictive up-tempo music before: see “Whenever, Wherever”, “Objection (Tango)”, “La Tortura”, “Hips Don’t Lie”.  But never before has she devoted an entire album to the stuff; gone are the tender, thoughtful ballads such as “Underneath Your Clothes” or “Illegal”.  The question nevertheless remains – is Shakira, whose image is now more sexually potent than ever (straight blonde hair, dancing in a half-catsuit in her “She Wolf” video), cashing in, or does she still remain herself?

Mainly, I argue for the latter.  Once the initial shock of the dense production and pounding bass subsides, the melding of cultures and instruments that has always been evident in Shakira’s work is here too.  Listen to “Long Time”, and its reggae beat which gives way to an instrumental bridge that prominently features what sounds like a gypsy saxophone; “Mon Amour” employs a rocky half-time clap that is reminscent of Shakira’s spunkier moments such as Fijación Oral vol. 1’s “Escondite Inglés”; the only semi-slow moment on the album is to be found in “Gypsy”, where Shakira employs an island feel with a plucked guitar, Caribbean-esque drums and Eastern-European string accents on the chorus.  Not to forget “Why Wait”, which is 2009’s update of “Ojos Así / Eyes Like Yours” with its Middle-East-meets-West instrumentation and production over a storming 4/4 bassline (which becomes positively incendiary in the bridge).  Musically, although it’s a little bit of a readjustment to our expectations of what Shakira’s music sounds like, it is still definitely her, and her claims of wanting to make a “bassy, beat-driven record that maintains experimentation with sounds from other parts of the world” ring true.

Shakira’s lyrics have always been put under a microscope – a fact that has irritated me immensely through the years.  Not only is Shakira an incredibly intelligent woman, but her lyrics are far and away of a much higher quality than those of the majority of traditional pop made by native-English-speaking artists.  The criticism she has gained from reviewers and comedy sketches alike (see MADTV’s parodies of “Whenever, Wherever” and “Objection (Tango)” on youtube – they’re funny, but they’re also unwarranted) is totally unfair and disrespectful of an artist who has mastered a complex language (once you get past the basics, English is a complicated language to speak fluently – I should know, since I have taught it) when I wager that the majority of these critics can’t speak more than a few basic sentences of phrase-book Spanish.  Because Shakira dared to say “Lucky that my breasts are small and humble” in her first English hit does not make her nonsensical.  Listen to “Octavo Día” and “Timor”, songs in both Spanish and English that express criticism with the way that the world is run and our own media-obsessed culture, and you’ll understand that Shakira is very well-aware of what she sings and what she has written.  On She Wolf, there is nothing as incisive as “Timor” or “How Do You Do” (both from Oral Fixation vol. 2) but its opening salvo of “A domesticated girl, that’s all you ask of me / Darling it is no joke, this is lycanthropy” is certainly more sophisticated than “I think you wanna come over, yeah I heard it through the grapevine / Are you drunk, are you sober? Think about it, doesn’t matter” from Madonna’s current hit “Celebration”.  ”Mon Amour” delivers a fantastic kiss-off to a boyfriend who has gone to Paris with another woman, while “Men In This Town” ruminates on where are all the good men who can appreciate what Shakira has to offer?  (I feel her on that one.)

I suppose that a certain amount of lyrical straightforwardness is to be expected on an album which is almost purely uptempo and flirts specifically with the electro-pop genre – I can’t get too mad that some of Shakira’s more insightful and wittier metaphors have been sacrificed.  But the three Spanish tracks that round out the album – “Lo Hecho Está Hecho” (“Did It Again”), “Años Luz” (“Why Wait”) and “Loba” (“She Wolf”) – are lyrically superior to any of the album’s English tracks.  For example, “Años Luz”’s “Esperar es un mar que aún no sé navegar / No te quedes años luz, ya estoy decidida y quiero saber si lo estás tú” translates as “Waiting is a sea that I don’t know how to navigate / You haven’t got light years, I’ve already made my mind up and I want to know whether you have too”.  The English version, “Why Wait”, says “One more night with you, I won’t think it through / Time’s money, but you knew / There’s nothing in the world you can think of that I won’t do to you”.  It’s the same thought, but in Spanish it just comes across as much more elegant and sophisticated.  Not to mention that “Loba” in particular seems to flow much more naturally in Spanish than in English, and the lyrics are perhaps more comprehensible.  In any case, the Spanish tracks add to the album, even though they are retakes of English songs from its first half – it serves to reinforce the fact that Shakira is a bilingual artist who refuses to neglect either her Spanish or English audiences, but instead (as on the Oral Fixation era) seeks to satisfy them both.  This is laudable, and I hope that Shakira comes out with a full Spanish album next year (as has been rumoured).

So it all sounds good so far.  Well, the album is a consistent listen, and its brevity means that each song gets you moving but doesn’t outstay its welcome.  The dense production, in the main courtesy of Pharrell and John Hill, flows throughout (except for the break provided by the relatively lightweight “Gypsy”).  Because of this, there are no really weak tracks, although surprisingly, the Wyclef Jean collaboration “Spy” seems the most rote and uninspired song on the set – its straightforward 4/4 beat has nothing extra to catch the listener’s ear, and sounds lazy compared to Pharrell’s musically adventurous soundscapes in “Why Wait” and “Long Time”.  ”Gypsy” sounds like nothing else on the album, but its dip in tempo serves as a break which can sometimes be appreciated by the listener, but at other times seem like an interruption of the party, so depending on your mood, it could be a help or a hindrance.  Other than that, all the tracks are solid, but none of them are immediate standouts save the last track, “Mon Amour”.  With its decidedly rocky, guitar-led music and handclap-driven beat that intensify into a crunchy, heady chorus, it’s the kind of track that you can’t help but get wrapped up in.  Shakira’s vitriolic lyrics, snarling vocals and cutesy airline announcement closing out the song are the icing on the cake, and perfectly embody a girl’s anger with her straying lover’s neglect of her (perhaps similar to 2005’s “Don’t Bother”).  With repeated plays, the appeal of “Did It Again”, “Why Wait” and “Men In This Town” reveals itself, but the songs are certainly not immediate hits like “Hips Don’t Lie”, “La Tortura” or “Objection (Tango)”.

I therefore think that this is a solid Shakira album, and definitely stronger than her breakthrough Laundry Service which contained some fantastic songs but also some uninspired, pedestrian ones (here, the only track I recommend skipping is “Spy”).  However, for me it falls just short of Oral Fixation Vol. 2, because She Wolf is a tiny bit too one-note in its electro-pop approach, and slightly diminishes Shakira’s lyrical mastery in the process.  In terms of her entire catalogue, Dónde Están Los Ladrones? and particularly Fijación Oral Vol. 1 (the Freudian / Eve in the garden of Eden / Madonna and child symbolism were inspired and have yet to be matched in this album’s artwork and photography) are still Shakira’s crowning glories, but the Spanish-language tracks on She Wolf are lyrically more adept than their English counterparts and a worthy addition to both the album itself and to Shakira’s Spanish-music legacy as a whole.  In short, Shakira has far from sold out, and has made a pop album that other artists should be humbled by, such as it melds other cultures and quirky wordplay more than most radio-oriented pop.  And perhaps it is a compliment to Shakira herself that this album still falls somewhat short of her best work, and what I know she is capable of.

Miros de ciocolată amestecat cu acorduri fine – şi un foşnit de pungă

îmi e dor

Akhirnya saat yg aQ takutkan datang juga.. aQ kehiLangan dy.. mgkn memang iniy waktu yang tepat utk aQ dan dy berpisah.. meskipun sangat amat terLaLu sakit tp aQ hrs ikhLas.. ya ikhLas,, iLmu tersuLit yg sedang aQ peLajari.. aQ pasti bisa,, pasti.. dan aQ akan baek2 aja,, pasti..

Skrg aQ di kaLtim,, tepatnya di kutai barat.. jauh darinya.. benar2 suatu kebetuLan yg aQ gk tw pasti hikmah apa yg hrs aQ ambiL.. jika pun nanti aQ hrs pLg ke sby,, aQ hrs bagaimana menghadapinya.. aQ akan menghadapinya dengan senyuman yang indah.. aQ akan baik2 aja, pasti..

Maav mas,, nee sudah sangat2 menyakitimu dengan menerima cinta darimu.. kLu km benar2 ingin meLupakan nee utk menyembuhkan Luka hatimu,, maka LupakanLah nee.. nee tetap akan seperti iniy dan nee akan baik2 aja,, pasti..

”ada yang patah,, dan itu hatiku”

-aLways nee-

a ta naissance

Déjà demain, il y a deux ans que tu es née. Nous t’attendions avec tellement d’impatience. J’avais tellement stressé durant ma grossesse. J’avais des nausées tous les jours. Peur de te perdre, peur de l’avenir du comment tout se passerait le jour J.

Le docteur m’avait dit en début de grossesse que ma date d’accouchement était le 26 septembre. Il avait raison, pas une journée de plus ou de moins.

Le 25 septembre, papa travaillait de soir dans ce temps. Alors, j’écris à ton père comme quoi je commence à avoir des contractions. Il m’a dit va prendre un un bain et si ça passe pas donne-moi des nouvelles. Je suis donc allée dans le bain et me stressait, car je savais que t’allais arrivé. Je suis sortie du bain et écrit a papa comme quoi j’en avais encore alors il a laissé le travail et est venu me chercher.

Je pensais être forte et ne pas faire appel a l’épidural ( j’ai une peur bleue des piqures), mais à minuit je me suis dit qu’il la fallait. Elle n’a pas fonctionné, ils ont dû me donner plusieurs doses avant que je ne sente plus grand-chose.

Dans la nuit ils me disent de dormir un peu, car l’accouchement va prendre beaucoup d’énergie. Comment voulais-tu que je dorme quand ils viennent me voir au 15 minutes si tout est correct?

Le 26 septembre à 6h48 tu étais dans mes bras et ton père a nos côtés. Les larmes aux yeux je te regardais ma perle était enfin arrivée. Belle journée et il faisait chaud.

Nous avons téléphoné tout le monde pour annoncé que tu étais enfin arrivé et que tout s’était bien passé.

8 livres 8 oz de pur bonheur dans mes bras. Moi une maman c’était un rêve je ne croyais pas qu’un jour serait mon tour d’avoir un enfant.

Je venais à peine d’accoucher que je vois mes parents qui arrivent de leur travail pour venir te voir.

Deux ans déjà que je te câline. Tu commences à parler de plus en plus. Beaucoup plus en anglais quand francais mais pas grave on te comprends très bien. On déchiffre ton langage. Se que l’ont aiment le plus c’est quand tu nous dis : ove you ( love you) ça nous fait un petit velours.

Demain c’est ta journée, de l’attention juste a toi. Nous avons invité la famille pour venir célébrer le terrible two.

Je viendrai mettre des photos de ta fête. Grand mère ( ma maman) apporte le gâteau qu’elle va avoir fait. Des barbies. Pas un gâteau plate là. J’ai bien hâte de voir ton regard quand tu vas voir ton gâteau.

Nous allons décorer la maison de ballons et guirlandes puis nous avons fait des sacs à surprise pour tes cousins, Emmy et toi.

Bonne fête mon amour.

Ont t’aimes fort.

Je ne sais vraiment pas pourquoi je mets ça ici…  Je dois être masochiste…

Mon amoureux est allé faire de l’animation dans un party de l’APP la semaine passée.  Voici un vidéo de ses “exploits” faut l’écouter jusqu’à la fin…

Hehum, sans commentaire

Mon chéri dit qu’il est un pro du party.  Je dis que si on c’était rencontré à l’université, je ne serais JAMAIS sorti avec (et l’aurait sûrement considéré d’un oeil méprisant)

xem tiep hinh tai day

    * Tokyo, mon amour

Sleep had escaped me once again. Tried finishing Deception Point in a vain attempt to doze off. I ended up listening to Eraserheads now and well, blogging…

Hrmm, what boring story can I tell today? I never left the house. Woke up at 1PM and found a PM from mon amour while I was still asleep and yeah, he kinda’ figured I was asleep. Watched Freaky Friday and loved it, almost didn’t realize mon amour go on-line. We chatted for an hour and a half, then I finished Freaky Friday, then moved on to The Golden Compass. It rained, so my grocery plan was cancelled, then I decided to clean the Fridge instead which is a good decision because I may never find the inspiration to clean it again. Oh yeah, my cleaning needs to be inspired!

Then I called him and he answered! (for a change) we talked for an hour about whatever. Anything under the sun. oh wait, there was no sun, uhm anything under the lighbulb. Bah! just tryin’ to kid. then the line got cut off, his mobile must have ran low on battery. Then I watched a few snippets of Ghost World ’cause I’ve already seen it a thousand times over. It’s a really good film. Tweet’d, Facebooked, and checked e-mails and did whatever stuff I normally do on-line.

So that’s my Sunday! And oh, the laundry lady didn’t come around so I don’t have a thing to wear tomorrow. If only I can just go to work naked. That won’t be sanitary, though. haha!

I already drank my milk, I don’t know why I still can’t sleep. Maybe I’m excited to chat again with mon amour. Ugh! Why can’t we just be together in one roof so we could get sick of each other? hehehe I know, I try to jump into things all to quickly while he wants to take it slow. Which is what I really need actually, a neutralizer for my kindred and mostly impulsive spirit.

I’m smokin’ like a chimney once again. Listening to Eraserhead’s Sa Tollgate. It’s such a good song, best listened to during long drives. I really wanna’ get my own car. Hmm, a few more months of work I know I’ll get it, I’m Really getting it! Maybe I can’t sleep because I’m already dreaming awake. Haha!

By the way, if you tweet I recommend you follow LLCOOL on twitter: http://twitter.com/llcoolj His tweets are pretty cool. Some food for the soul.

Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real