march april 2018 finds is another 2-parter. that’s because of scheduling as well as technical problems. i hope the very long list will make the wait worth while.
1. march is the month when we celebrate the international women’s day. please watch these videos!
2. since i knew nothing about her, i watched joan didion: the center will not hold. it was interesting enough to make me want to read her novels.
3. jeanine is a meta bd by matthias picard. it documents a young bd author interviewing a former prostitute about her life. a nice, subtle way of telling a story. i cried at the end.
4. at first, i couldn’t stand cardi b‘s obnoxious caricature of a public persona. but bodak yellow is fire and i really like this one hour interview. i like it that she allows herself to be open. you really don’t see enough of that. and now she’s pregnant and she has an album that reached gold in the first week. watch out for her!
5. i’m always casually on the lookout for new music. i made a playlist of brazilian music a few months back. rubel is on it with quando bate aquela saudade.
6. when i was a kid i was a michael fan, we all were. in 1992, he had a concert in bucharest. the first big concert romania had after the revolution. i was hanging out outside the stadium with a friend. we lived nearby and had nothing better to do. we were not even dreaming of getting in. we had no money and i think it was sold out anyway. an adult stopped next to us and asked in english: do you have tickets? us: no. him: do you want to get in? us: yes!! he gave us a pair of tickets and went on his way. now imagine two communist kids in front of a michael jackson extravaganza complete with him flying away with a jetpack!
anyway, i watched this video with oprah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlNQ_VLzuR8
7. and then i had to watch oprah with the obamas, too.
8. every year, valencia has the fallas. it’s always crazy!
9. personal favourites iceage have a new album out. also, they have begun touring. i still totally like them.
10. i have recently spent 3 days in barcelona. i love this city!
11. i took a break from a job to go to barcelona. the job was about woodblock prints. and, by chance, we went to see a wonderful temporary ito shinsui exhibition at fundacio joan miro. wonderful!
12. barcelona is a lot about gaudi. but the city is also indebted to other architects as well. this time, i visited hospital de la sant creu i de sant pau and the palau de la musica catalana. both are the work of lluis domenech i montaner. very interesting.
13. last year, when i was walking down the winding road down montjuic, i noticed the etnology museum. i visited it and i was not disappointed. it was amazing!
14. we were three so we ended up booking an apartment in coolrooms paseo de gracia. it was a great apartment we couldn’t usually afford. it was very comfortable and i enjoyed seeing the numerous lengths people can go to make you welcome. great location, level of comfort and space!
15. on the bus back to valencia, i watched a romantic comedy featuring cameron diaz, jude law, kate winslet and more. the holiday was a very standard, expected storyline. but that can be exactly what you want sometime. yes, happy end included.
16. i watched jay-z get interviewed by letterman. it was interesting to hear jay open up. but letterman was annoying and clueless, as usual. wtf?
17. casa amores is a new restaurant in ruzafa. nice decor, good service and great modern mexican cuisine. we’ll definitely be going back!
18. i struggled to get through les jolies filles by virginie despentes. it was not bad as much as soporific. anyhow, i’m trying to read everything she’s written, so…
19. we went to cabanyal to see the semana santa procession. it was nothing short of impressive!
20. we went to bodega casa montanas twice. this 1836 tavern is always full. the first time, we had to wait outside for at least half an hour. but it was not the worst: they serve drinks and people were happily chatting and cheering when one party finally got in. i recommend you make a reservation though.
the food was great. if there is something you don’t really like, try it here. i doubt they have anything bad on the menu. we loved the sardines, the longanizas with a hint of star anis, the eel and i love the dessert. it’s a tiny bit of something that’s a lot like creme brulee. it’s called tociniti de cielo and it can be served with tomato jam.
21. i skipped through the few episodes of the first season of the fall. actually, researching now is how i found that there is a season 2 and 3. anyway, jamie dornan is a serial killer and gillian anderson is the glamorous policewoman trying to catch him. the first season was meh…
22. i read a very good book. it’s called acasa pe drum/home on the read and it’s the work of journalist elena stancu and photographer cosmin bumbut. they decided a few years ago to live in a trailer. it’s not comfortable but it helps them integrate better in the underprivileged communities they visit and write about. the book is an eye-opener. it shows you the invisible communities of domestic violence victims, homeless kids and marginalized communities. it also shows you how leaving behind what society expects of you has its own nice surprises.
here is a podcast where elena speaks about their work. it’s in romanian.
23. i’m a loner. i made a life that accommodates that and i’m pretty happy. click here to read more about the benefits of choosing that.
24. this is a sad story of how older women in japan find prison to be a haven.
25. i’m always impressed when my ghosts meet and like each other. here’s a video of the gig iceage had in tokyo in april on a stage populated by flowers by magician azuma makoto.
26. the key of this video is the whispering. watch it. it’s a 2-minute love declaration for kyoto.
27. the 4th series of chef’s table is all about the dessert. my favourites were jordi roca and corrado assenza. they’re both wonderful magicians who inspire!
28. i translated i, tonya for work. the film is interestingly two-fold. it gives more context to the story already known by the public. margot robbie and allison hanney are their characters. watch the film!
29. i also translated the rider. i learned rodeo slang from this heartbreaking story of a cowboy too poor and passionate to let his injuries stop him from riding. my favourite part of the film was his horse whispering.
30. kantaro the sweet tooth salaryman is my most recent netflix binge. the show gives the info about traditional japanese sweets. with double glaze though. the first layer is the day life of a salesman. and the second is the zany world of ecstasy. crazy but i liked it.
31. idiotizadas is a great modern fairy tale for the woke millennial girl who must unlearn what she should have never been taught. i love raquel corcoles aka la moderna de pueblo. i bought her previous comics. i bought idiotizadas in its 5th edition! her work is very successful and deservedly so.
32. i have just finished corniche kennedy by maylis de kerangal. i bought it 2 years ago in paris and i have been struggling with it ever since. it was difficult to read but not bad. it was interesting to learn about a different way of conveying a story.
the book was published in 2008. the film premiered in 2016. i’ll look for it.
33. i’m currently watching let’s eat 2 and enjoying it. i like learning about korean food. but what i love is how they convey the warm relations between the people who live alone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onX9OiGFgII
now, on to see what may has in store for me. let’s all have a productive and fun month!
photo credits: little aesthete & copyright holders
video credits: copyright holders
