Monday, December 17, 2012

Poem of the Week

"Moments" by Jorge Luis Borges

If I could live again my life,
In the next – I’ll try,
- to make more mistakes,
I won’t try to be so perfect,
I’ll be more relaxed,
I’ll be more full – than I am now,
In fact, I’ll take fewer things seriously,
I’ll be less hygienic,
I’ll take more risks,
I’ll take more trips,
I’ll watch more sunsets,
I’ll climb more mountains,
I’ll swim more rivers,
I’ll go to more places – I’ve never been,
I’ll eat more ice creams and less (lime) beans,
I’ll have more real problems – and less imaginary ones,
I was one of those people who live
prudent and prolific lives -
each minute of his life,
Of course that I had moments of joy – but,
if I could go back I’ll try to have only good moments,

If you don’t know – that’s what life is made of,
Don’t lose the now!

I was one of those who never goes anywhere
without a thermometer,
without a hot-water bottle,
and without an umbrella and without a parachute,

If I could live again – I will travel light,
If I could live again – I’ll try to work bare feet
at the beginning of spring till the end of autumn,
I’ll ride more carts,
I’ll watch more sunrises and play with more children,
If I have the life to live – but now I am 85,
- and I know that I am dying …

Jorge Luis Borges, photo from: www.rugusavay.com

I have chosen "Moments" to be my poem of the week,because apart from it being brilliantly written, the poem tells a lot about life that sometimes we fail to realize. The poem is actually about those moments in life that we fail to live, because we're so preoccupied with little things that actually don't matter. But when we reach certain age and look back, there's not much to see.We try so much to be perfect, that sometimes we forget we're only humans,and humans make mistakes. How would we learn anything about ourselves otherwise?We take life too seriously,we are too careful and live day by day, instead of living NOW!The heartbreaking moment is when you realize the poet is 85 and it took him his whole lifetime to realize what he missed in his life. Jorge Luis Borges wants you to avoid making the same mistakes he did.

Art News

MoMa Exhibition:

Edvard Munch: "The Scream"

Edvard Munch's "The Scream" will be open for the public to see it from October 20, 2012-April 29, 2013. Munch explained his inspiration behind the image in his diary entry titled "Nice 22 January 1892": "One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord—the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became The Scream." He turned this thought into a poem that he hand-painted onto the frame of the pastel version of the work in 1895. "I was walking along the road with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature." (www.wikipedia.org)

I'm personally excited to see "The Scream", which I will...hopefully and eventually. I think there is no better way to present the "scream" of nature than Munch presented it. But also, to me, the painting always seemed like more psychoanalytical than actually representing only the visuals of a day coming to an end. The man in the painting, which is in this case Munch himself, is a lonely man. He is accompanied by his two friends, but still he is very lonely, and no one really knows how tortured he is. No one knows how much he wants to scream,but instead of doing it, he just paints what he feels. That's how I've always seen it. :)

Sunday, December 16, 2012

New Movies To Look Out For!

Two TV And Two Blockbuster Movies Worth Watching

1. "The Girl"

A new movie about Alfred Hitchcock's life is about to premiere in few days. "Hitchcock" by Director Sacha Gervasi told the story that actually shed the light on Hitchcock's (Anthony Hopkins) wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) as a creative mastermind behind his work.Now HBO made a movie titled "The Girl" that concentrates more on Hitchcock's obsession over his favorite actress and muse Tippi Hedren.The main roles of Hitchcock and Hedren are portrayed by Toby Jones and Sienna Miller.The film will premiere on Saturday, October 20,at 9:00 PM,on HBO.I am definitely looking forward to watching this movie since I find Hitchcock, one of the most intriguing geniuses in the film industry.

In an interview for RTE ONE,Tippi Hedren explained her relationship with Hitchcock, by saying that: "He had a tendency to become obsessed a little, about all of his leading ladies." She added how Hitchcock liked to control her. "He had me followed, he did things like have my handwriting analyzed, he just wanted to control, you know...my life." To find out more, here's the interview.:)

2. "Love,Marilyn"

"Love,Marilyn" is a documentary by Liz Garbus and it is based on Marilyn Monroe's personal journals, letters and papers.Garbus' idea was to show Marilyn as a human being,as someone who is more than a sex symbol. Garbus said in an interview that:"She didn't become Marilyn Monroe by accident,she did it...she became that person,because she played that role so well." One of the things that really stood out to Garbus is the difference between the roles that Marilyn was assigned to play under contract with Fox,and the roles she chose to play after she broke the contract.To her, it seemed that Marilyn was really pushing herself. Marisa Tomei, Glenn Close, Viola Davis, Elizabeth Banks and Lindsay Lohan are some of the modern day celebrities that are reading parts from Marilyn's diaries, impersonating her.For more information and an HD trailer,here's the link to indiewire.com. Also according to indiewire.com, the movie/documentary will be released on HBO in 2013. Because of the fact that I'm a huge Marilyn Monroe fan,this movie made it to my "to look out for list.":)

And to find out more about Liz Garbus' idea behind her documentary, here's the interview.

3. "The Lone Ranger"

According to IMDb in "The Lone Ranger" by Gore Verbinski a "Native American spirit warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice." Tonto is played by Johnny Depp and John Reid/The Lone Ranger by Armie Hammer.I must say the trailer looks promising and the movie cast is great.Have I also mentioned Helena Bonham Carter portrays one of the characters in the movie? Putting Depp and Bonham Carter together in one movie is definitely a winning combination.The movie opens in the US theaters,July 3,2013.

4. "Beautiful Creatures"

In "Beautiful Creatures" by Richard LaGravenese:"Ethan longs to escape his small Southern town. He meets a mysterious new girl, Lena. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town."(IMDb)All right, first thing first, "Beautiful Creatures" kinda looks like a version of "Twilight" to me,only no vampires this time.But I reconsidered it simply because of the great cast it has.Also from what I can tell from the trailer, the movie has some great special effects and presents some interesting characters (both visually and story wise).Alice Englert portrays the character of Lena Duchannes and Alden Ehrenreich of Ethan Wate.Some of the actors portraying other characters are Emma Thompson,Emmy Rossum,Jeremy Irons,Viola Davis...Convincing enough,isn't it?:) The movie comes out February 13,2013.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

The YES And NO Videos Of The Week

I just love watching music videos, sometimes even more than watching movies. For me, they make or break the song.So here are my YES and NO videos for this week.:)

YES:

The Killers- "Here With Me"

The Killers really stepped it up a notch with videos lately."Miss Atomic Bomb", "I Feel It In My Bones" and now "Here With Me", all premiered within a few days. "Miss Atomic Bomb" and "I Feel It In My Bones" are great videos, but "Here With Me" is my favorite. The video was directed by Tim Burton and hands down, I'm a huge fan. Two main characters in the video are portrayed by Craig Roberts and Winona Ryder. The guy (Craig Roberts) falls in love with theater performer (Winona Ryder), but his love is unrequited, because she (Winona) is famous, and therefore untouchable. So he steals a wax figure of her that was placed at the entrance of the theater. He takes the figure for a walk and makes a dinner for the two. The ending of the video is rather strange, but very amazing. I won't tell the end of the video in order a person who's reading this hasn't seen it yet. All in all, combining Burton's talent and The Killers' great song, definitely was a winning combination.

NO:

Taylor Swift- "I Knew You Were Trouble"

Alright, I love the song and I think that Taylor and Reeve Carney (her boyfriend in the video) make a great tandem. I like the love story she tried to tell and I think it is very relatable. Every single one of us, at least once in their lifetime had the same experience Taylor did. I love the narrative at the beginning of the video and the conclusion at the end of the video. My only problem is... The video is something we have already seen! It is a reference to Lana Del Rey's "Ride" and Rihanna's "We Found Love." Anthony Mandler, the director of "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "Ride", tried to create a video that would match the song. And he did. The video matches perfectly. But it is an idea he already used for Del Rey's ride, and repetition is usually not a good thing in the music industry.

Comment and tell me what do you think? :)

Friday, December 14, 2012

Fashion & Beauty Favorites:

It's Friday, which means it's time for Fashion & Beauty Favorites!

1. Favorite Fashion Collection- Carolina Herrera autumn/winter 2013-2014. Carolina Herrera never stops surprising and I truly consider her designs a wearable art. I like her fall/winter 2012-2013 collection too, but autumn/winter 2013-2014 impressed me even more. This collection is feminine,dreamy,sophisticated and very retro. Special attention has been dedicated to the detail and pattern on the fabrics. Accent is added to the waist.

Here are my favorites from autumn/winter 2013-2014:

Carolina Herrera, autumn/winter 2013-2014, photo from www.vogue.co.uk

2. Favorite nail design: "Scotch Tape Nail Art" by Free People. Very pretty, easy and so much fun. For instructions click here ! :)

Scotch Tape Nail Art, photo from blog.freepeople.com

3. Favorite hairstyle: DIY "The Big Braided Bun". I found this one on Pinterest. Very easy to make and very beautiful. Who needs a hairstylist, right? :)

latest-hairstyles.com

4. Favorite make up: "Sunset inspired make up". Also found this one on Pinterest. Do I have to say more?:)

"Sunset Make Up", Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/miss_d_g/

5. Favorite Street Fashion (Found this on Pinterest too, of course :) ). I just love the idea of combining tulle with a sweater.

Street fashion, www.pinterest.com/heileyl/every-street-is-a-runway/

Thursday, December 13, 2012

My Book Of The Week:

"The Painted Drum"

by Louise Erdrich

Photo from: www.harpercollins.com

This semester I took a class in Native American Literature, and even though all of the books I've read in that class were really great, I must say that this one is my favorite."The Painted Drum" is beautifully written and its narrative is very lyrical. It is a story based around the main character Faye Travers a part-Ojibwe estate appraiser.Suffocating in the ocean of guilt over her sister's death, Faye lives a half-life. She can never be truly happy. Her life changes when she hears the drum calling her while she was appraising the house of one of her neighbors. Faye steals it. The drum is powerful and sacred, it can reward and it can punish. It crosses Faye's path with the paths of many other people who have their own little histories with this mysterious artifact.The story truly is about self-discovery, relationships between mothers and daughters, family, love, and the overwhelming grief.

About Louise Erdrich:

Photo from: www.nytimes.com, taken by:Bettina Strauss

Karen Louise Erdrich was born in Little Falls, Minnesota on June 7th, 1954. She is the author of eleven novels, volumes of poetry, children's books, and a memoir of early motherhood. She lives in Minnesota with her daughters and is the owner of Birchbark books, a small independent bookstore. ("The Painted Drum", Louise Erdrich, Harper Perennial,2005)

The passages:

So here are my favorite passages from the book, just to get the sense of her beautiful narrative. :)

"Ravens are the birds I'll miss the most when I die. if only the darkness into which we must look were composed of the black light of their limber intelligence.If only we did not have to die at all.Instead, become ravens. I've watched these birds so hard I feel their black feathers split out of my skin. To fly from one tree to another, the raven hangs itself, hawklike,on the air. I hang myself that same way in sleep, between one day and the next. When we're young, we think we are the only species worth knowing. But the more I come to know people, the better I like ravens."

("The Painted Drum", page 15.)

***

"Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love.You have to feel.It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart.You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could."

("The Painted Drum", page 274.)

I recommend this book from my heart.

Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did,

Nina.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Music Artist Of The Week

My music artist of the week is...drum roll...

Marina and the Diamonds!

Her album "Electra Heart" is a pure diamond. She actually wrote and co-wrote all the songs on the album. Songs are honest and relatable, and I can't even count how many times I listened to the album, from the first to the last song. Musicians like this truly are rare birds in the music industry of today. I suggested Marina's album to few of my friends and they loved it. So I thought, I might as well share this diamond with you. :)

Marina and the Diamonds or Marina Diamandis (Diamandis is her last name which in Greek means 'Diamonds') said in an interview with Popjustice that "basically Electra Heart is a story". She explained how Electra is actually not her alter ego, but rather "it's kind of basically a vehicle to portray part of the American dream, with elements of Greek tragedy and that's all going to be coming out through the visuals." Apart from Electra, Marina also created four archetypes: Primadonna, Su-Barbie-A, Teen Idle and Homewrecker.On her You Tube page, she presented her album through 7 videos, or 7 parts which tell the whole story of Electra and the archetypes.

If you're interested in discovering more about this musical gem that this album is, here are the videos in which Marina explains the ideas behind her songs.

ELECTRA HEART' Track by Track [Part I] | MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS

'ELECTRA HEART' Track By Track [Part II] | MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS

And to get you started, here's the Part 1 of the story. Enjoy! :)