the hour of mercy

so. the summer is in full bloom already and i haven't had the chance to embrace it yet. again, i wish the days were longer and i had more time. the funny thing about finals is that they are never really final. still, they seem so important when they arrive, as though there is no worse thing in the world than failing an exam. despite the daily races and everlasting hectic work i'm trying to hold on to my new hakuna matata philosophy. the world is young, the mornings are blushing as brides and it would be a sin to miss it all. also, i'm reading yehuda amichai's selection of poems and enjoying it a lot.

the city of madmen

two days ago, a. and me went for a one-day trip to venice because i had to make a few drawings for my sketching class. it was only my second time there, and i have to say i loved it twice as much as the first time. when you're aimlessly wandering through the narrow streets and squinting at the reflections of sun in the canals, with a cigarette in one hand and a sketchbook in the other, it's easy to slip into a different time. suddenly, you can catch a glimpse of a merchant from the 17th century in his silk and silver through the window of a palazzo, hear the beggars' murmur in a back alley and the subtle sound of oars against the muddy canal water, run into a group of gipsy children playing in the campo, and follow a lonely gondolier into a dark brothel. venice is where history is alive and a part of today. it's the city of madmen, as vilanelle from 'the passion' puts it. it is the city of watery mazes, where you can get lost just to be found again at the shores of the immense, vast green sea.

poppy fields

i really do admire poppies. i love how their bloody red pops out of the green and yellow fields in late spring, and makes the landscape a bit psychadelic. i love that they perish so quickly after you collect them, as if they were trying to say they can only live when they are perfectly free. i love that opium is made out of them, which makes them a little dangerous, a little deadly. and right now i would like to fall asleep in a poppy field, just like dorothy from the wizard of oz.

to record only water for ten days

do you know that awesome feeling when you find an artist that is compatible with your taste and psychology in every possible way, that quotes your thoughts in their lyrics and pictures your world through their art? last week, i discovered john frusciante, who has been around for a while, but i have never paid much attention to him. such a shame! he recorded 11 albums and all of them are perfect. so now i'm just going to sit back, relax and hit 'play'.

fire in the night

there's nothing like sitting around a fire with your friends, laughing, loving and celebrating the night. again, i've escaped for a few days, this time for a weekend of intense improv and theatre workshops. life can be so good sometimes. i'm trying to hold on to the feeling and save it up for later.