Tuesday, December 27, 2005

a little inspiration

i was chatting with my online pal Sasho Kartchinski (sorry, his blog is mostly in bulgarian) on this grey and cold wednesday morning for me, and what i imagine a dark and cold tuesday night for him, and a wonderful idea was born.
to better introduce it, though, i guess i need to say a few words about him and about me.
Sasho loves music, and i imagine he could be referred to with Tori Amos's words as an "ears with feet" being. (Sasho, correct me if my impression is wrong). Sasho also loves his camera and taking photos with it. he's damn good, too. you can see for yourself on his blog.
so he said to me today he would like to be introduced to new music, which is where i come in the picture. i, most of you know, am a total music glutton and slut. some might argue about whether i have good taste in music or not, due to the many different styles i like. but i'm alright with my musical promiscuity and i ain't changing. i love music. one of my dreams is to have my own radio show, narrowed down to my favorite unpopular pop music. i have no idea if that will ever happen, but me and Sasho made a deal today:

every week i introduce him to a couple of different and obscure artists he doesn't know with 5 songs, and he sends me 5 photos in return. i'm hoping for captions as well, cause he's a damn fine writer, too.

today was the pilot edition of our weird multimedia pseudo show. he still needs to take the photos and send them to me, and i am waiting patiently. if it's ok with him, i'll post chosen photos on my blog.
here's the playlist i concocted for him. the last two songs are a christmas bonus. :)

1. iron & wine and calexico -- burn that broken bed
2. iron & wine -- in my lady's house
3. jose gonzalez -- crosses
4. emiliana torrini -- tuna fish
5. emiliana torrini -- nothing brings me down
6. cat power -- willie
7. cat power -- love & communication

cat power -- willie

Friday, December 23, 2005

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

self-pity and bitching

obviously, my landlady has cleverly thought of a new way to torment me. she still hasn't started liking me, and she's still rather creative, after all these 4.5 years i've paid her rent. so the new trick is showing up at the door with no notice at all. just like that. and today she also brought a real estate agent along. he was walking around the house taking notes in his little clipboard thing. i had no choice but to get up, and scramble to the kitchen to make myself some coffee. it made me snicker, though, that the house was a mess. i rather enjoyed the mildly shocked look on his face. and not that i'm craving for my wench of a landlady's attention, but they acted as if i wasn't there. WHAT THE HELL? i'm still living here damn it. my contract has about a year to go and i will stay until the very end, if i want to! but now i have to fear what she's plotting.
minutes later, forcing myself to enjoy my cup of coffee and a cigarette, i seriously thought about researching voodoo practices. if you can give me any advice, please contact me immediately. i will love you forever.

it's a beautiful autumn day outside and i have to stay at home waiting for the oil delivery guy. ugh. god knows if he'll find my house. it's not even on the map! one more reason to hate my landlady. with a passion.

here's something that made me feel a little less invisible today. it's a text message i got from a student of mine while we were discussing the time of our lesson today. sometimes i love bad english.

"I'm looking foward to you☆ "

rachael yamagata -- be be your love

p.s. sara was right. death cab for cutie's new album is pretty good. in fact, i think i like it better than transatlanticism. but then again, that could be because i listened to it until my ears bled. i have a secret to share, however. no matter how much i like their music, the singer's voice still annoys me sometimes. does that make me a horrible person?

p.p.s. i just came across this blog, and i find it highly entertaining.

Friday, November 25, 2005

"colors...they always get away with attitude..."

this has been my song of today, and i suspect, is going to be my song of december.

feist is incredible.


feist -- when the month changes numbers

Thursday, November 24, 2005

through a fish's eye






*drumroll* tada! these are the only half-decent photos that came out of my first fisheye lomo experiment which was spread over two rolls of very good film. fuji natura 1600, and agfa ultra color 100. what a waste!
3 of these 4 photos are from the fuji film, because i am an idiot and insist on trying to see what'll happen if i use 100 asa film in the absence of light. i think i'll go do some lines now -- "use 100 film only in bright weather! use 100 film only in bright weather!..."

done. maybe i should write some captions if only i could figure out how not to delete the photos when attempting to arrange them here. i'll do it the foolproof way yet again, just in case.

1. a trashcan at a train station decided to pose cutely for me.

2. dorky portrait of self. i wonder where my glasses are.

3. a cute couple in "subway", osaka.they were kind enough to let me photograph them. i could have done better...anyway. "subway", the only decent fast-food available in japan, i heart you.

4. a back street in kyoto. i took the photo in a hurry, to finish the film before getting it developed, and it turned out to be my favorite in the whole roll.

on another note, i think i'm developing a fondness for scandinavian music. did you know jose gonzalez was swedish?

jose gonzalez -- crosses

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

boring blogs, digital cameras, lomos, and funk


so i've been missing again. yeah. i've abandoned my dear diary one more time. the truth is that much to my regret i'm not the writer i'd like to be and inspiration for this kind of thing hits me extremely rarely. like, for example, on a tuesday afternoon when my room is clean, bills are paid, and there's nothing urgent to do. tuesday's sort of my day off, i only have one hour of work.

someone left a comment saying that girl's blogs are boring. now, i suspect he was referring to mine, in which case i would nobly accept his comment. i don't find my blog fascinating either. but i don't think it's safe to conclude all girl blogs are boring. so watch your mouth, mister! mhm.

being the retro geek that i am, i decided i do not want a digital camera. a lot of the feeling gets lost in deleting, it's so much sweeter to have the prints to remind you of how you fucked up. also, i like to tell myself that the fact that i have limited resources (that'd be film and money), will make me actually think of what i'm doing with my camera. hopefully, that will make me improve my skills.
so all my savings for a digital camera will go to buy me a better and bigger lens for my sweet old pentax slr.
and for extra fun, i'll be shooting with my two sweet lomos. i got a supersampler for my birthday this summer, and just the other day i got a fisheye. hurrah! these things are hella fun, i tell you. i 've been playing with the fisheye non-stop since i got it, so expect some photos soon. really. i've sworn to myself i'll get them developed by the end of the week.

by the way, that thing on top is a photo taken with the supersampler in late august, or something, at lake biwa. i'm still struggling with arranging the photos properly in this blog.

p.s. on sunday night i went to see jamiroquai in osaka. it was a shame no cameras were allowed, but that allowed me to dance and jump freely all i want. the man is a beast! he's so tiny, but so full of energy...it's mind blowing. apart from being freakishly talented, he's also damn charming. and the way he moves...mmm...

jamiroquai -- love foolosophy

Friday, October 28, 2005

in an empty state

here i go again, feeling in a state of complete vacuum and emptiness. i hate it when i get like that. there's a bunch of interesting and fun things i could do, but no, the only thing i seem to be able to do right now is to listen to an israeli student radio station which plays nice, well-chosen tracks, and has girl hosts who whisper with sexy voices between every few songs in an incomprehensible to me, but nevertheless pretty language.

and to think that i could listen to the radio while:

-writing a letter to accompany the cinnamon basil seeds i need to send my friend
-completing my scribblings in a certain journal and finally sending it to another friend
-studying kanji (it's nice exercise, and a fun thing to do)
-studying hebrew (which i seem to have neglected the past few years, but it's still something i want to do)
-washing the three mugs and 2 plates in the sink
-finishing the article on cirque du soleil and thinking up questions to ask my acquaintance Esa in december
-doing some more research on iceland (regardless of when i will actually need it)

and on and on. and still, here i am, spinning around slowly in the vacuum i've created around me. on days like this, i try to kick myself into living the colorful life i want to live.

and so, i will. i'm going on a trip to japan sea this weekend. alone, with my discman and my camera. i'll post about it when i get back, and hopefully i'll have a few good photos to show.

now shower, bed, and colorful dreams.


cat power -- fool

Saturday, October 22, 2005

what's on?

sara, you know i like this stuff. thanks.


THE RULES: List five songs that you are currently loving. It doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now.

Post these instructions, the artists, and the songs in your blog. Then tag five other friends to see what they're listening to.

my top 5:

1. emiliana torrini -- sunny road
2. emiliana torrini -- lifesaver
3. emiliana torrini -- fisherman's woman
4. emiliana torrini -- at least it was
5. madeleine peyroux -- i'll look around


p.s. i won't tag anyone, but please do share in a comment.

sunny road


Emiliana Torrini -- Sunny Road

Wrote you this
I hope you got it safe
It's been so long
I don't know what to say
I've travelled 'round
Through deserts on my horse
But jokes aside
I wanna come back home
You know that night
I said i had to go
You said you'd meet me
On the sunny road

It's time, meet me on the sunny road
it's time, meet me on the sunny road

I never married
Never had those kids
I loved too many
Now heaven's closed its gates.
I know I'm bad
To jump on you like this
Some things don't change
My middle name's still 'Risk'
I know that night
So long long time ago
Will you still meet me
On the sunny road

It's time, meet me on the sunny road
It's time, meet me on the sunny road

Well, this is it
I'm running out of space
Here is my address
And number just in case.
This time as one
We'll find which way to go
Now come and meet me
On the sunny road

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

god is a dj

so maybe god is a dj, after all, and faithless were right. his job sure isn't easy.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

"i just found a new aim in life..."


i know this is an inane post, but i am so happy i could scream! i can't wait for this to come out!

release date: 25. 10. 2005

excerpt from the naked music site (where there is some ear candy available): "..."cherry" is probably the most highly anticipated naked music release ever." sure, i for one am enough to count on.

p.s. news kindly provided by cut, на която почвам да строя паметник утре рано сутринта! ура!

Thursday, October 06, 2005

on staying up

do you remember those times when we were little and wanted to stay up desperately, for one reason or another (a movie we thought was fascinating but we were too young to watch, to play, but mostly to just hang out with the grown-ups which seemed such an interesting thing to do at the time) but we weren't allowed to? or were too sleepy to stay up?

i remember an evening, i must have been 5 or 6 and i was reading a book in the kitchen, listening to my parents have an ordinary conversation. nothing special, but i found it riveting at the time. but my body was giving up -- my eyes were closing, i was half asleep. my mom saw me and said "alright, let's get you to bed". then i opened my eyes wide and said i was wide awake. alas, my protests didn't get me anywhere but to my bed where i fell asleep as soon as my mom kissed me goodnight. it was so interesting, though. i really wanted to stay up.

why am i writing all this?

i'm supposed to wake up early tomorrow, and it's already 3.14 am. way past the desirable bedtime if you're getting up at 8am.
tonight there's no interesting conversation going on, nor a book to keep my attention (i finished a book last night and i have nothing on my list to read. any suggestions are welcome, by the way). interestingly, i am in the kitchen again. this time, my own. seems like it's my favorite room.
what's keeping me up this time is a song.

today i dug up a song i hadn't heard before. it's by my favorite band of all times -- Moloko. i thought i'd heard everything but gladly, i was wrong. Moloko's "Take My Hand" turned out to be a hidden gem that i'd overlooked among all the different stuff i listen to in my insatiable thirst for music.
i'm not sure i can find the right words to describe the beauty of this song -- the bass walking along elegantly, the pianos dripping like raindrops down the window, the trumpets and the ghostly backvocals lighting sparkles everywhere, the words making me dream and dream, and most of all roisin's voice...so powerful, and self-confident, yet so fragile, warm and feminine...this is liquid poetry. i don't know how else to describe it.

i've been listening to this song for probably five hours straight. and i don't care one bit about how my back aches, how my eyes are closing, and how nasty waking up in a few hours will be. i can stay up now and i'm not gonna miss the fun.

Friday, September 30, 2005

disaster prevention

my landlady showed up this morning. she had to renew my contract. when we were done, she grabbed a saw and went outside and cut off all the trees in front of our house. she said they'd wreck the (brand new, huge, concrete) house of our neighbor.

now i have to wear sunglasses when i sit in my kitchen. and i'll have to ignore the tree stubs when i walk in and out of the house. one of them still has a martenitsa hanging on it. it looks so sad.

sometimes i can't help but think that the japanese overdo it.


depeche mode -- suffer well

Thursday, September 29, 2005

шоколадови бонбони

вчера имах последен урок с една група. така се налага. просто не мога да водя урока повече. иронично, това са ми едни от любимите ученици. явно и те са ме харесвали като учител (още ми е смешно-странно да се нарека така, въпреки че работя това от четири години), защото бяха много тъжни, когато им казах новината преди месец.
та, вчера всички бяхме малко омърлушени. и като за последен час, решихме да поучим само малко и после да излезнем да пием нещо заедно. отидохме, пийнахме, смяхме се и те ми казваха разни интересни неща като например как да си правя тофу сама като се върна в българия и колко лесно е въпросното начинание, да си занеса поне едно кимоно (!), кое суши най-лесно се прави при полеви условия; обсъждахме кой чужд език е "най-труден", те ми разказваха за младостта си (една от тях е още млада), на колко са се изнесли от вкъщи и какво ли още не. от тях разбрах и как се казва въпросната закачалка за кимоно, която така искам да сложа в бъдещото си жилище в софия. не че знам как ще я замъкна дотам.

в края на вечерта моите ученици ми поднесоха малък подарък -- миниатюрно букетче цветя (като тези дето ги продават бабите на графа и раковска, но много по-малко), както и кутия шоколадови бонбони. съвсем истински! което за япония е рядкост. незнайно защо тук има шоколад навсякъде, но не и бонбони. явно са кът. стана ми много мило и за момент се почувствах като заслужил български лекар или медицинска сестра, на който благодарен пациент е подарил нещо. кретенски аналог, но за това се сетих. може би е защото от малка помня как у съседката, която е медицинска сестра, винаги имаше тонове шоколадови бонбони.
оттам се замислих и за това как тук (или в щатите, според една приятелка)не е прието да благодариш на лекари с цветя, шоколад, или бутилка уиски (по стар български обичай). замислих се и за това колко са изтъркани тези подаръци и как винаги са едни и същи. замислих се и за това колко е хубав обичаят ни, все пак. не защото някой получава нещо(е, радвах се на бонбоните у леля катя), а защото някой показва благодарността си някак. по начин, който не е плащане и е в крайна сметка незначителен. ще се изяде, ще се изпие, ще увехне. харесва ми.


moloko -- the time is now

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

blog spam

blog spamming is not news to any of you, either, i suppose, but here's an interesting piece of it i just got. ironically, i never got such spam by mail:

Anonymous said...

I definitely like your site, bookmarked!

I've got a penis pills related site. It covers penis pills related articles.

Drop by when you can.

9:55 PM

well, thank you!
word veryfication turned on.


google talk

so google came up with an IM service. i have no idea when that happened, but i found out today. i downloaded it reluctantly, considering the 4 other forms of messengers i have. not too surprisingly though, it turned out to be very light, quick, and easy to use. it has no ugly emoticons and the design is simple, as it should be. it even has a talk option, and apparently the quality is skypelike, even better. i love you google, let's get married!

i guess now all i have to do is to subtly make all my friends with gmail get it. to all the rest, i'd generously offer classy gmail invites. haha.




03 - San Francisco Sessions V4 -- Latrice Barnett - Make My Heart.mp3

music

as promised, here's an update on what's been on my precious headphones the past month or two. and what on what i'm expecting to hear soon. styles vary, as do impressions. yes, you may call me an audiowhore and you'd be right.

just music section:

tracy chapman's latest studio release, "where you live".

i think this is her 7th studio album. although her music doesn't do for me what it used to do when i was 15, and i almost never listen to her nowadays, i still think it's a good try. her voice is soothing and velvety as always, but what is striking in this album are the gorgeously detailed yet simplistic instrumentals. flea on the bass, by the way. for me, the outstanding tracks are "3000 miles" and "never yours".
no hints of country, gladly. just pure old tracy, although it doesn't reach "crossroads" or "new beginning". a good album for indulging in melancholy and nostalgia over the lost teens.

fiona apple's "extraordinary machine":

i guess we'll never know what exactly happened behind this record, but sony has decided to release "extraordinary machine" on october 4. some of the new tracks have been released on fiona's revamped official site. it's interesting to hear new versions of the EM tracks most of us know already. i find them a little more glossy, but not in a bad way. also, there's a new track called "parting gift" which i find brilliant. fiona at her best --sexy, quirky, unexpected, chaotic, yet making sense. i can't say i'm not excited.

antony and the johnsons' "i am a bird now":

there's some music which you just cannot describe. when my friend kim told me about them, i asked what music they made. she wondered and then said, "absolutely gay" and had a grin on her face.
having heard the music, i still can't put it in a certain style box. it is gay, in a sense that antony's voice and lyrics obliterate any sense of gender. it goes from masculine to feminine in the frame of one song. and his voice bears a stunning resemblance to nina simone's.
the music is dramatic, exquisite, a bit theatrical, soulful, tragically sad, unusual, and most of all, beyond beautiful.

*shifting gears for a second*

house music:

kaskade's "house of om" vol.2:

lately i've been stuck on kaskade. his two previous records "it's you, it's me", and "in the moment" show his talent as a songwriter. this one shows his talent as a dj. "house of om" vol.2 compiled and mixed by kaskade is a deep, soulful house album that makes me want to dance -- and i do, in my mind, mostly, for lack of clubs around here that would play this kind of music. it makes me daydream and grin even if i'm just listening to it on my headphones on my way to work or sitting on my desk.
sexy, intelligent, well-mixed music.
lovely. i want more.

speaking of which, "house of om" vol.3 has been released yesterday, as well as miguel migs' "get salted". i'm sure these two are albums to be looking out for. can't wait.

current song: (11) [late night alumni] i knew you when (kaskade's mix).mp3

Friday, September 23, 2005

из разговор за вкъщи



"...cuttie: не е розово
cuttie: но има хубави отблясъци
..."

п.с. хубавата снимка няма пряка връзка с текста. тя се появи малко след казаното. с благодарности я взех от тук.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

chaotic update

i try not to do this, but today i'll indulge myself in blabbing about my own little life.

topic# 1 or "why i haven't written and just what the hell is going on with me"

i've had a rough summer. i won't go into details, i'll just say i've had a lot of shit to sort out. with friends, supposed significant others, family, school.
seems like everything needed a serious face-lift or a paintover. is paintover even a word in english?
i guess now you could say i'm standing in the middle of the room that is my life, brush in hand, looking at the work i've done so far. i've painted about one third of the room, and it's already started looking brighter and fresher. better. sometimes my back aches and i need a little break, but then i get back to it. sometimes it gets a little lonely being alone in an empty room that's not quite yet renovated, but it's ok. i know that when it's ready, someone will come visit and we'll have a good time.

topic #2 or "why do i blog in english"

why really? sometimes i feel pretty dumb for posting in a language that's not my own. sometimes there's things i can't say in english, only in bulgarian. sometimes i feel like a moron foreigner-wannabe for writing in english.
but if i post in bulgarian the majority of my blog's audience ( i suppose 3 out of 5 people) wouldn't get what i'm talking about.
the hell with it...i'll write in whatever language i feel like at the moment.

topic #3 or "music"

there's been several things on my playlist lately. and i guess they would fall respectively into two categories -- "just music" (which of course is never just music) and "house music".
the first one i call "just music" but i'd like to say that i am not using the word "just" in a deprecating sense. more like the "pure" sense of the word. i could say "general" music, but that sounds rather sterile to me. i can't call it "pop music" either, for the dirty meaning this word has nowadays.
and i just don't know how to encompass all the styles in it, so there. "just music".

the other category is "house music", which, i have discovered, is the only kind of music that can lift me off the ground and pump me up with life.

i was planning on sharing some musical news and impressions, but i suppose i'll leave it for later on today. it's 5am and i need a bit of sleep.

i have to paint tomorrow.

kaskade -- everything (big room mix)

Friday, September 09, 2005

fun blog trash

my friend sara found a cheap way to make me update my blog. here we go!

Three Names You Go By
1. kristina
2. nikolova (only at school)
3. kris (sometimes krissy -- only at home. and i feel 5 years old whenever people call me that)

Three Parts of Your Heritage
1. bulgarian (whatever that includes)
2. yugoslav
3.

Three Things That Scare You
1. hospitals
2. heights
3. the music that the new producer of fiona apple's Extraordinary Machine has done so far

Three of Your Everyday Essentials
1. a book
2. music
3. cigarettes (i know i'm stupid)

Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now
1. red & black flip flops
2. white karate drawstring pants
3. white levi's t-shirt

Three of Your Favorite Bands or Musical Artists -at the moment
1. built to spill
2. tori amos (a passion resurrecting)
3. u2 (sometimes i can be slow discovering a band)

Three of Your Favorite Songs - at the moment
1. built to spill -- car
2. fiona apple -- parting gift
3. tori amos -- cruel

Three Things You Want in a Relationship
1. freedom to breathe
2. the ability to be me completely (thanks, sara)
3. the ability to share

Two Truths and a Lie (but not in that order)
1. the color of my eyes can change from green to blue
2. i had a crush on todor zhivkov when i was 5
3. i am a trouble sleeper and often i go 24 hours without sleep

Three Physical Things about the Opposite/Same Sex that Appeal to You
1. the eyes and the way they look at people/things
2. hands
3. voice

Three of Your Favorite Hobbies
1. making mix cds
2. taking lame-ass photos
3. people watching

Three Things You want to do really badly right now
1. be decorating my new own place back home
2. get another cup of coffee. but good coffee, not the instant kind that's the only kind left at my place right now
3. swim

Three Places You Want to go on Vacation
1. venice
2. prague
3. new haven

Three Things You Want to Do Before You Die
1. fall in love and see what it feels like
2. photograph sofia through the years
3. have my own radio show

Three People You Want to Fill This Out:
1. my sister
2. shino
3. yana

Monday, August 01, 2005

videos

recently i saw two videos, entirely unconnected with one another, and they both gave me goosebumps and made me want to cry. in a good way.
both of them were mentioned by friends (i knew someone'd take care of me in my tv-lessness).

the first one is the video to "first day of my life", a song by the american indie band bright eyes .
directed by john cameron mitchell, the creator of "hedwig and the angry inch", this video is incredibly (and beautifully) simplistic. it shows couples, most of which looked happy, one or two families, and some single people sitting on a red couch listening to the song and reacting to it.

at times, i found it ridiculously romantic. and that's not a bad thing.

the second one is the video to the new faithless song "why go". again, rather simple and beautiful. i am not yet sure of how to interpret it, but i find something incredibly pretty in the metaphor of "dancing through life".

enjoy. i hope these videos made you smile too.

Sunday, July 31, 2005

inspiration #2

silvio rodriguez -- ojala

i never really thought i'd mean these lyrics when i listened to them. now i do.

Ojalá que las hojas no te toquen el cuerpo cuando caigan
para que no las puedas convertir en cristal.
Ojalá que la lluvia deje de ser milagro que baja por tu cuerpo.
Ojalá que la luna pueda salir sin ti.
Ojalá que la tierra no te bese los pasos.

Ojalá se te acabe la mirada constante,
la palabra precisa, la sonrisa perfecta.
Ojalá pase algo que te borre de pronto:
una luz cegadora, un disparo de nieve.
Ojalá por lo menos que me lleve la muerte,
para no verte tanto, para no verte siempre
en todos los segundos, en todas las visiones:
ojalá que no pueda tocarte ni en canciones

Ojalá que la aurora no de gritos que caigan en mi espalda.
Ojalá que tu nombre se le olvide a esa voz.
Ojalá las paredes no retengan tu ruido de camino cansado.
Ojalá que el deseo se vaya tras de ti,
a tu viejo gobierno de difuntos y flores.

Ojalá se te acabe la mirada constante,
la palabra precisa, la sonrisa perfecta.
Ojalá pase algo que te borre de pronto:
una luz cegadora, un disparo de nieve.
Ojalá por lo menos que me lleve la muerte,
para no verte tanto, para no verte siempre
en todos los segundos, en todas las visiones:
ojalá que no pueda tocarte ni en canciones

Ojalá pase algo que te borre de pronto:
una luz cegadora, un disparo de nieve.
Ojalá por lo menos que me lleve la muerte,
para no verte tanto, para no verte siempre
en todos los segundos, en todas las visiones:
ojalá que no pueda tocarte ni en canciones

Saturday, July 30, 2005

no name #3

house music can be one of the most uplifting things sometimes.

01-roger_sanchez_feat._gto-turn_on_the_music_rogers_12_mix-pulse.mp3

thanks, vanilla. :)

before sunrise

it's 4.25am and it's about to dawn here. it's still dark though, and everyone's sound asleep. i can hear someone in the neighboring building snoring if i take off my headphones.
i couldn't really sleep, though i tried, so here i am, sitting on the floor in a yellow t shirt and pink underpants, listening to music and waiting for the sunlight to start seeping through my bamboo shades.
i am smoking an indonesian cigarette. it is filterless and strong. it tastes like cinammon and clove and it makes crackling sounds from time to time. i like it. it burns really slow and its smoke crawls up the ceiling in thick, heavy curls. this moment seems endless.

can't wait to go swimming tomorrow.

bright eyes -- we are nowhere and it's now

Friday, July 29, 2005

за Е.

БЛУС 3

(Елин Рахнев)


Тя се качва към къщата,
ходила е да пазарува. В мрежата има праскови,
спанак и ядки. Вгледала се е в стълбите и се
качва полека. Сенките под очите й са гъсти
и квадратни. В дъното на очите й има още
някакви работи.

Някъде през октомври стоим двамата,
масата е кипнала от бутилки вино. Танцуваме
в тебеширената стая. Пуснали сме си някаква плоча.
Тя пее, танцува и пие почти едновременно.
Сребристите й движения се катерят по стените.
Аз малко се срамувам.

Сутрин тя отива на работа. Качва се в един прозрачен
тролей. Вътре мирише на бира и лавандула. Аз после
отварям гардероба й. Гардеробът е пълен с импресии.
Роклите й се полюшват. Имат си очи и рамене. Понякога
треперят, все едно е студено. Аз се замислям за
нея. Тя танцува в прозрачния тролей.

У дома има два-три паяка. Тя винаги ги гали по
муцуните. Стъгно й е. След това се поглежда в огледалото,
остава в него няколко минути. Понякога, докато стои така,
си мисля най-различни работи. Цялата се сгъстява. После
си слага друга рокля на квадратчета и зелени портокали.
Тази вечер е щастлива, но малко.

Някакъв дъжд ни валя в Несебър. Аз я целувам по рамото.
Тя влезе отсреща в книжарницата и си купи Езра Паунд.
Докато я гледах как отива към книжарницата, се разцепих.
Когато излезе, от косите й падаха цветни вадички. После,
двамата продължихме нататък - някаква барманка много
ни се зарадва и ни почерпи бира.

Един път я снимах вкаменена до едно дърво. Отстрани по
пейките седяха старци и четяха вестници. Отгоре пъшкаха
облаците. Тя обаче се беше изправила на пръсти. Аз се
притесних и не можах да я снимам добре. Тя се подхлъзна
в себе си и се разплака. Тогава я ревнувах за първи път.
Някакви деца излетяха край нас, качени на скейтбордове.

Тя сега се качва към къщата,
ходила е да пазарува. В мрежата има праскови,
спанак и ядки. Вгледала се е в стълбите и се качва
полека. Сега ще отключи вратата, докато си говори със
съседката. Аз я чакам вече няколко минути и докато я
чакам, си мисля как се качва по стълбите.

музика: Tord Gustavsen Trio - 13 - Song Of Yearning (solo).mp3

some inspiration















09 - Tomoyasu Hotei - Battle Without Honour.mp3

Monday, July 25, 2005

no name #2

this here was written casually as a response to a livejournal entry by my friend sara. it made me wonder if really "a picture is worth a thousand words".
right now, it seems completely the other way around. and i love it. beautiful, unpretentious, elegant.

thanks for the trip to new haven, sara!

Friday, July 22, 2005

what a feeling (make it happen)

so i went out and did it. yesterday i had my first real dj experience.

i had very little idea of what i was actually doing, and i was scared to death, but it went smooth. it's a magical thing to play the music you like and to see people dancing to it and enjoying it.

i feel so alive.

i want to do it again and again.

thanks to all my groupies, hehe, and to the guys at club metro who trusted me.

let's hope there'll be a next time! yay!

richard_grey_pres_gate_54-what_a_feeling_(make_it_happen_antoine_clamaran_rmx).mp3

Monday, July 18, 2005

the phantom mAnace




















това ми попадна току-що. даде ми линк една приятелка. много се смях. представяте ли си как някой го е писал това на машина и е подчертавал злостно?

from sofia with love

this is brilliant.

antoni raijekov's site.

Sunday, July 17, 2005

modern origami









































cochae is a group of three young japanese people who fuse photography and art with origami. they take pictures or collages found in magazines, for example, and fold them up into funky shapes.
i saw their little exhibit the other day and i found it interesting.

rather narcissistic


my good friends give me their digital cameras so i can take photos of the amazing surroundings with them, and what do i do? i take pictures of my own self.
i know i am not the amazing surroundings.
but i like this picture, and i don't care.

Monday, July 04, 2005

i love rain


it's been raining for three days straight and i love it.

me and my friend just went out to buy cigarettes in the pouring rain and we forgot our umbrellas and raincoats on purpose. we didn't even wear shoes. and then we walked, jumped into puddles and got soaking wet. we did not give a damn and it was wonderful.

on another note, here's a rain poem.

i love rain

rain asking to get into fireplace-warm rooms
or begging me to dance in liquid sunshine
ice crystals dancing between raindrops
rain-sheets tied with multi-colored bows

i love rain - cold
shivery-down-my-spine rain
warm-kisses-rain on fluttering eyelashes
wet lightning-charged spring-perfumed

i love wearing patagonia layers
on cold-rain cambridge mornings
i love wearing wet t-shirts
on the warm island-of-a-hundred-rainy-days

i love rain


-zita maria evensen

Saturday, July 02, 2005

my student emi's words

ため息すると幸せが逃げる。




when you exhale, your happiness will run away.

Friday, July 01, 2005

swatch irony


this is what my watch looks like after i was caught in the rain yesterday.

not so waterproof, apparently.















upsurt/quattro/track 02

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

чебурашка в щайга


днес видях, че човек може да си купи чебурашка за 2260 йени. или една щайга чебурашка за 5520 йени.
продават го/я в неомарт, магазин в центъра на киото, предлагащ приятни дреболии и дизайнерски мебели.

миналата година продаваха семейство барба под всякаква форма -- тетрадки, ключодържатели, химикалки, кукли (малки, големи и още по-големи).

тази година звездата е чебурашка. кой ли ще е следващата?

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

conversations

andrea

daisies III

и...твойта майка

два часа през нощта е, а аз седя, будна като роса и слушам "ъпсурт". и се чувствам напомпана с енергия. и съм настръхнала като охладено пиле. и не ми пука от каквото сигурно трябва да ми пука. и ми е добре. ха.


ъпсурт и белосава -- и твойта майка

Monday, June 27, 2005

no name #1

this morning the weather is just like the weather on a late august morning in Varvara. a hot breeze playing with my bamboo curtains gives me the illusion that if i dare to look behind them, i'll see the sea.


dj krush feat. esthero -- final home (vocal version)

Friday, June 24, 2005

моята стая/my room



this one is old, but i like it.

little things

wonderful things about today (in no particular order):

calling a dear friend i hadn't called in almost a year and her not asking "who's this?". i just said hi and she just laughed and said how happy she was i called. може да прозвучи кретенски, но, мишо, обичам те. it was eight in the morning and she was just starting work. it was two in the afternoon here.

paying attention to track three of me'shell ndegeocello's new album and being totally blown away by it. i've said this before, but this song is yet another proof that skin can react to music.
the cd is, roughly said, a jazz album. and so much more. then again, the word jazz is big enough to encompass so much. this leads me to point three of...

discovering the band "brazilian girls" who are mostly boys, actually. i cannot even begin to describe how alive their music makes me feel.

talking to my mom and her being so...i guess affectionate is the word. loving and understanding.

getting a hug from a great friend here. a hug with the whole body, warm and long.

paying my phone bill and being in contact with the world again.

having a beer by the creek on 哲学の道. no fireflies tonight, but still good.


maybe i should stop writing in lists.


me'shell ndegeocello featuring sabina sciubba -- aquarium

Friday, June 10, 2005

"We may not be as happy as you always dreamed we would be, but, for the first time let's just allow ourselves to be whatever the fuck it is we are."

the last couple of days i:

looked all over kyoto for counting crows cds; none were available.
rediscovered two books i love, but hadn't read in awhile.
have been craving junk food, especially, and to my utter horror, mcdonald's.
went to see the light bugs.
bought cool new shoes. bright red leather adidas. as a friend put it, the kind of shoes that'd look really good when they're old.
lost a few pounds.
wanted to cry really badly.
laughed a lot.
played spin the bottle in a dance club; kissed friends and random people.
sat and watched the sunrise at sanjo starbucks with two good friends.
exchanged e-mail addresses with a bum.
watched 'garden state' at 6am.
was 'in it' once.

elliott smith -- say yes

Sunday, May 29, 2005

"i feel infinite."

"There is a feeling that I had Friday night after the homecoming game that I don ‘t know if I will ever be able to describe except to say that it is warm. Sam and Patrick drove me to the party that night, and I sat in the middle of Sam’s pickup truck. Sam loves her pickup truck because I think it reminds her of her dad. The feeling I had happened when Sam told Patrick to find a station on the radio. And he kept getting commercials. And commercials. And a really bad song about love that had the word “baby” in it. And then more commercials. And finally he found this really amazing song about this boy, and we all got quiet.

Sam tapped her hand on the steering wheel. Patrick held his hand outside the car and made air waves. And I just sat between them. After the song finished, I said something.

“I feel infinite.”

And Sam and Patrick looked at me like I said the greatest thing they ever heard. Because the song was that great and because we all really paid attention to it. Five minutes of a lifetime were truly spent, and we felt young in a good way. I have since bought the record, and I would tell you what it was, but truthfully, it’s not the same unless you're driving to your first real party, and you're sitting in the middle of pickup with two nice people when it starts to rain.”

-- Stephen Chbosky, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

alanis (unplugged) -- princes familiar

Friday, May 27, 2005

cigarette break


the books -- none but shining hours Posted by Hello

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

"...i'd like to go home and go to sleep..."

the books are my new favorite band.



the books -- if not now, whenever

procrastination break

god, i'm so lame. here i am stealing an old survey from sara, just because i don't want to work. sigh. it's a small one, at least.

Album that:

you fell in love to: Dreams that Breathe Your Name, Elysian Fields

is for winter: Boys for Pele, Tori Amos

pumps you up: Transient, Gaelle.

your best friend would be surprised you own: Fatherfucker, Peaches

saw you grow up: Extraordinary Machine, Fiona Apple

you'd miss most if it were stolen: The Koeln Concert '75, Keith Jarrett

you fuck to: Mezzanine, Massive Attack

you make love to: Comfort Woman, Meshell Ndegeocello

makes you feel cool because you own: I Am The Fun Blame Monster, Menomena

is best for driving at night: Temperamental, Everything But The Girl

reminds you most of home: Statues, Moloko

sparked major change: Figure 8, Elliott Smith

cushioned a smashed-up heart: Bavarian Fruit Bread, Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions

you'd recommend to the next person you saw on the street: Lost and Safe, The Books

is in your car/discman/hip portable mp3 thing right now: Knuckle Down, Ani Difranco

you listened to on 9/12/01: i have no idea

is for summer: anything Mazzy Star

was playing when you were in your first car accident: never had a car

you'd want playing at your wake: Kind of Blue, Miles Davis

xiu xiu: i love the valley OH

...to be new in an instant

i was early for work today, and as i was going out of the trainstation, it started pouring outside. violent, warm, beautiful summer rain. i stayed under the roof for a few minutes to watch it.

* * *

"Teach myself to be new in an instant
Like the truth is accessible at any time
Teach myself it's never really one or the other
There's a paradox in every paradigm"


ani: paradigm

Monday, May 23, 2005

midnight snack

gherkin with peanut butter*. that's actually tasty. thanks.

* -- rani's original recipe

it's 1.48am and i gotta get back to work. sigh.

elliott smith -- junk bond trader

Sunday, May 22, 2005


some of us got tired... Posted by Hello


and then some.  Posted by Hello


having a good time on the train on our way back Posted by Hello


gaijins taking over the station!  Posted by Hello


which way do we go? Posted by Hello


pretty flowers on the way to the station. Posted by Hello


cool and the gang Posted by Hello


really. we couldn't stay longer. Posted by Hello


:) Posted by Hello


...but even good times have an end. so here's us packing up to go back to kyoto Posted by Hello


ah, good times... Posted by Hello


..but i succeeded. they weren't happy about it. Posted by Hello


...it was hard... Posted by Hello