return to innocence

you’re invited to see the world through the eyes of valentin…

 

directed by alejandro agresti.
cast: rodrigo noya| julieta cardinali| carmen maura| jean pierre noher| mex urtizberea| juan cruz burdeu| carlos roffe|

valentin is an the eight year old who dreams of one day being an astronaut. this is the late sixties just before man landed on the moon. he lives with his grandmother [carmen maura-a favorite in pedro almodovar's films] in an isolated buenos aires apartment. occasionally he gets a visit from his father [alejandro agresti], but he never gets to see his mother. there’s also an uncle, a friendly musician and a soon to be ex-girlfriend of his father’s. meanwhile his grandmother gets sick, and the boy tries to resolve all his family problems using his persuasion and viewpoint of life.

being eight isn’t easy;))
don’t be afraid to be weak| be yourself don’t hide| just believe in destiny| don’t care what people say| just follow your own way…[enigma, return to innocence]

de drag

dragobete is the romanian protector of good will, pure love and fertility, celebrated on the 24th of february. this pagan god, was the son of baba dochia and part of his name, “drag” (dear) is found in the word “dragoste” (love). dragobete is identified with cupid, the roman god of love and with his greek counterpart, eros. he also, announced people the long winter was coming to its end and the sunny weather was approaching. when people turned to christianity, dragobete became a genuine symbol of spring and pure love.  so he was a positive character, a solar good symbol in opposition to his old mom, dochia, embodiment of hateful and cold elements of winter. the old dacian feast was more of a fertility ritual, local human community following the lead of the blooming nature. during the day, considered locally the first day of spring, the boys and girls pick up spring flowers and sing together.

ancient dacian population believed dragobete was the animals’ godfather and that he was the one to officiate the beasts’ weddings up in the sky. people believed that birds got engaged on dragobete’s day (birds were considered messengers of gods, the greek word for “bird” meaning “heaven message.”). this has later on extended to people also, and young people keep the tradition up to this day: boys and girls meet on this special day to make their love last.

 if I speak in the tongues of men and angels,|but have not love,| i have become sounding brass or a tinkling symbol|and if i have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge,|and if i have all faith so as to remove mountains,| but have not love, i am nothing.| and if i dole out all my goods, and| if i deliver my body that i may boast| but have not love, nothing i am profited.|love is long suffering,|love is kind,|it is not jealous,|love does not boast,| it is not inflated.|it is not discourteous,|it is not selfish,|it is not irritable,|it does not enumerate the evil.|it does not rejoice over the wrong, but rejoices in the truth|it covers all things,|it has faith for all things,|it hopes in all things,|it endures in all things.|love never falls in ruins;|but whether prophecies, they will be abolished;|or tongues, they will cease;|or knowledge, it will be superseded|for we know in part and we prophecy in part.|but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will be superseded.|when i was an infant,|i spoke as an infant,|i reckoned as an infant;|when i became [an adult],|i abolished the things of the infant.|for now we see through a mirror in an enigma,| but then face to face.| now I know in part,| but then i shall know as also i was fully known|but now remains|faith, hope, love,|these three;|but the greatest of these is love. (corinthians 13:1-13).MARCEL IURES|CORINTIENI 13:1-13|IUBIREA

random killer

s-a incheiat si sesiunea, cu restante si toate cele aferente bouillon–ului, da’ nu de cultura. s-au explicat algoritmi de notare, de conduita, normative. ’statutul studentului’ sade frumos, pe post de ‘pillow book’. sesiunea de examene ramane un moment halucinat in viata oricarui muritor, care are de-a face cu mediul unversitar. fara indoiala, admitem ca impactul nu este acelasi pentru student si pentru prof.
in timpul sesiunii, randuiala domestica se naruie. timpul pare sa se comprime, noptiile sa se decoloreze. creste tensiunea arteriala, iritabilitatea, ficatu-i tratat cu taurina. se invoca toate divinitatile crestine si precrestine. unii, cuprinsi de remuscari, isi fac mea culpa. apoi, se mobilizeaza si, intr-un final, fraternizeaza cu colegii din esalonu’ fruntas. profu-i cautat, mai ceva, ca papa atunci cand semna ‘indulgente’. zilnic se scot la ‘inaintare’ scenarii surrealiste; se exerseaza ‘discursuri’ accesorizate cu ochisori galesi ca de catelus de pripas. se fac delegatii si se trimit emisarii, sa ‘negocieze’ cu profu’, sa le mai acorde o sansa.
-va rog, ultima data (iti spune o voce stinsa).
se incearca orice, oricum, pana la exasperare. si, cand nimic nu pare sa mai functioneze, solutiile pot sa transpara din sferele cele mai personale, precum visele, premonitiile. ca deh, se stie: hodina este foarte importanta pentru a da randament in perioada examenelor. cu diminetile e mai greu. vorba unui student: la ora asta (11 am), sa scriu despre conceptia filosofica a lui racine? well, in jurul acestei scheme, (variatiile sunt infinite) se desfasoara sesiunea. draga de ea!

*
va invitam sa aflati care era starea pshihica a studentului si cum reuste el, totusi, sa treaca printre furcile caudine ale sesiunii.

asadar, status-ul ’napastuitilor’:
1. rogoshk, random killer!
2. nu mai pot!
3. cea mai ocupata!
4. ce zi!
5. empty again
6. fuckling analiza textului dramatic
7. shut up
8.
9. a little available
10. yesterday…all my troubles seemed so far away…(pentru cunoscatori)
11. cand eram mica visam…
12. sadissimo
13. somnik…….muuuuulllllllt dupa o fucking day like this
14. sedinta de masaj
15. nu-s acasa
16. maxim!
17. mai am un examen si…
18. i don’t wanna go…
19. mi-e lene
20. la scuala!
21. esti beata!
22. ou mai gad!  here we go again
23. m-ai iubi daca m-as colora cu crema de papuci pe fatza? :p
24. holo esti o purcica!
25. 6 days…mama, I’m coming home.
27. traumatizata
28. un cacat mai mare ca asta, nici ca se putea
29. lua-m-ar naiba, sa ma ia!
30. not in the mood, so fuck off!

sound of silence

friends tell me it’s spring| my window show the same| without you here the seasons pass me by| i know you were not new| that loved like me and you| all the same i miss you| today has been ok| the preacher lost his son| he’s known by all in town| he found him with another son of god| feeding on the prayer| nevermind what god said| but love had lost its cause| and i thought today had been ok| wind has burned your skin| the lovely air so thin| the salty water’s underneath your feet| no one’s gone in vain| here is where you’ll stay| ’cause life has been insane but| today has been ok…EMILIANA TORRINI – TODAY HAS BEEN OK|TELEPATHY|SOUND OF SILENCE|FISHERMAN’S WOMAN|EASY|IF YOU GO AWAY

dear someone, anyone, you,

photo by vadim ghirda
about 80 of chinese workers were camped outside their embassy in bucharest on monday, trying to get home because romanian construction companies have failed to pay them for the past two months. many of the workers arrived in november, just as the global economic downturn began to affect romania’s economy.”i was told i was going to get 3 euro an hour for working 10 hours a day,” said gao lin, 23, who arrived ten months ago. “but here we were told to do 12 hours a day for less money. and now i haven’t been paid for two months and i have no more work…” “acestia sunt cativa dintr-un grup intre 200 si 700 de muncitori chinezi care lucrau in constructii in bucuresti si care acum au ramas fara serviciu si fara posibilitatea de a se intoarce acasa. nu au mai fost platiti de doua luni si stau in niste corturi improvizate langa ambasada chinei. dieta lor zilnica se compune din bucati de paine si apa fiarta, majoritatea sunt bolnavi din cauza frigului. deocamdata autoritatile chineze nu le ofera sprijin pentru repatriere. vreau sa va rog ca, in masura posibilitatilor, sa le oferiti ajutor.nu sunt necesare lucruri sofisticate, alimente de baza ( paine, conserve, orez), lucruri in care sa se inveleasca, medicamente de raceala, tigari. daca aveti cum cred ca ar fi util sa popularizati situatia lor – poate ajunge la urechile cuiva care are putere sa ii ajute.

va multumesc mult si imi cer iertare ca va deranjez cu asta dar cred ca ne face bine tuturor sa ne amintim cat de multi oameni sunt mult mai putin norocosi decat noi.

multumesc
vadim” 

vadim ghirda, fotograf al agentiei AP, a castigat in 2007 premiul intai la categoria pictorial la atlanta photojournalism seminar’s annual photo contest. fotografia “strange fruit“, pentru care a primit premiul a fost realizata in iulie 2007, la bucuresti, la festivalul de teatru in aer liber “apa, aer, foc“. scrisoare de mai sus, este probabil, dovada cea mai elocventa si mai cuprinzatoare despre filosofia personala a fotografului.

the only thing

when you reflect on your life, the only thing that really matters is who do you love, and who loves you, unconditionally and without reservation. on valentine’s day, the war against cliche is futile. but, let’s face it, the war against valentine’s day itself become a cliche.
timeless love by marrie bot
here’s my favorite quotes from the notebook movie.
“i am no one special. just a common man with common thoughts. i’ve led a common life. there are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but in one respect i’ve succeeded as gloriously as anyone who ever lived. i’ve loved another with all my heart and soul and for me that has always been enough”

a married couple struggles to keep a healthy relationship.
written and directed by sungjin yun. actors: jamie park, tyler jon, barry mcbrien.

dekatreis

the fear of friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia, a word derived from the concatenation of the greek words paraskevi(meaning friday), and dekatreis(meaning thirteen), attached to phobia  (meaning fear). this is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a simple phobia (fear) of the number thirteen, and is also known as friggatriskaidekaphobia. the term triskaidekaphobia was derived in 1911 and first appeared in a mainstream source in 1953.

13

in numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve hours of the clock,  twelve apostles of jesus, twelve gods of olympus, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. there is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the last supper or a norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners. 

four companies joined together, to produce this eerie gothic tale about love, fear and death. (magna mana production gmbh, solid-ground-entertainment gmbh, weirdoughmationfilms and monozelle) it`s a multi-technique production using traditional stop-motion animation with hand-build puppets mixed with full-cg environments. 

the video has been directed by thomas klieber.

written by asp| line producer & story consultant matthias ambre | film editing, wardrobe & digital matte painting by jack moik | puppet fabrication & stop-motion-animation by jurgen kling| compositing & miniature props by mark dauth | character design & concept art by ingo romling| 3D modelling by viktor klassen & sebastian schminke

“me”performed by asp. me is featured on their album ”aus der tiefe” released on august 2005.

asp is a  german rock band from frankfurt am main formed in 1999. the name is basically identical with the pseudonym of the band’s leader alexander frank spreng (aka “asp”) and to be pronounced as one word.

asp love to explore the abyss of human emotion and imagination. the german quartet has been an extremely popular live band for years and not only in the gothic scene. a veritable magician on stage, charismatic frontman asp captivates old and young alike, irrespective of social background, whether in small clubs or at large festivals.few bands can claim such a succession of hits in a similar period of existence. asp simply have a gift for writing incredibly catchy hook lines you cannot get out of your head – no matter whether the song is a tragic ballad like “und wir tanzten” or a goth punk anthem such as “ich will brennen”. and the lyrics of the latter actually sum up the essence of asp live perfectly: to the last breath!

asp , vocals, mastermind, songwriter |

matthias amber, producer, arranger, guitarist and backing singer |

andreas gross, bass and backing-vocals|

oliver himmighoffen, drums|

 under the stairs and beyond your horizon/ there lives a creature that wants to be free/ under your skin and beneath the dark water/ there ascends a shining light secretly/

ah there is blood on the horizon/ ah and the flood comes in from the sea/ ah and a storm behind your eyes and/ ah there is no one left to see/ me

stay where you are don’t give way to your hunger/ shivering you stand there, it makes you yearn/ for what lies hidden a phantasmagoria/ follow the light and you´ll never return…

making of

 

concept art for main character

(re)cunoasteti personajul

the proust questionnaire. in the late 19 century it was a favorite pastime in the salons of european high society to play a game that is reminiscent of our truth or consequences. the game consists in answering specially designed questionnaires that are supposed to reveal something about the wit and cultivation of the player, but also, and more importantly, about his/her character and personality.

one of the most famous people whose answers to such questionnaires have been recorded and preserved in this way is marcel proust. proust believed that people must know and understand themselves before they could know or understand others. if you would like to know proust’s own answers, you can find them here.

 1. care este cel mai de jos nivel al suferintei, in opinia ta?
umilinta, abuzul fizic si emotional.

2. care sunt caracteristicile pe care le-ai atribui fericirii pamantesti?
impacarea cu sine, iubirea neconditionata…

3. care este virtutea pe care o apreciezi cel mai mult?
asumarea destinului/ curajul…

4. cine sau ce ti-ar fi placut sa fii?
mi-ar placea sa fiu, tot ceea ce acum nu sunt.

5. care este compozitorul tau preferat?
bach, elgar, haydn, grieg, sibelius, piazzolla, mertz…

6. care este trasatura ta de caracter cea mai importanta?
empatia, rabdarea…

7. care este calitatea pe care o apreciezi cel mai mult la un barbat?
bunatatea, loialitatea, vederea clara, curajul. adica, cu vana, creier si coloana.

8. care este calitatea pe care o apreciezi cel mai mult la o femeie?
feminitatea, discretia, naturaletea…

9. care este calitatea pe care o apreciezi cel mai mult la un prieten?
loialitatea, no matter what…

10. care este defectul tau cel mai mare?
naiva, dezordonata, inconsecventa, greu de contrazis si suportat etc. mda, cam prea multe…

11. care este profesia/ocupatia ta favorita?
visatul cu ochii deschisi, desenatu’.

12. care este visul tau despre fericire?
well, sa nu ramana doar un vis. deci, sa o gasesc. o familie all inclusive…

13. care ar fi, dupa tine, cea mai mare nenorocire?
nush, daca se poate face o ierarhie, insa vorba aia: sa nu-ti dea cat poti duce… moarte sperantei, sa-i pierd pe cei dragi.

14.locul unde as vrea sa traiesc:
sub un cer perfect, intr-o casa din barne de lemn, undeva la cucurigu’, pe malu’ unei ape.

15. care este culoarea ta preferata?
#808000, #800020, #E34234, #FFBA00, #007BA7, #003153,

16. care este floarea ta preferata?
narcisa/lacramioara

17. care este personajul tau preferat?
cel cu vana, creier si coloana.hihi.

18. care este pictorul tau preferat?
caravaggio, egon schiele, klimt, chirico, miro…

19. care sunt eroii tai in viata adevarata?
prietenii adevarati.

20. care sunt eroinele din istorie pe care le preferi?
bunicile mele, mama.

21. ce nume/prenume iti plac?
maria, dariana, mara, ana…

22. care e lucrul care iti displace cel mai tare?
rautatea, indiferenta, duplicitatea, infideliatea, meschinaria, marlania, frivolitatea, miopia spiritului…

23. care sunt eroii din istorie pe care ii dispretuiesti cel mai mult?
stalin, hitler, mao, mugabe, extremistii, fanaticii si fatarnicii religiosi.

24. ce eveniment din istorie admiri cel mai mult?
big bang-ul, hihi…

25. cu ce dar al mamei natura ti-ai fi dorit sa fii inzestrat?
echilibrul.

26. cum ti-ar placea sa mori?
everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die, nu? sa mor macar impacata cu mine insami. iar daca nu, bine ar fi, cred, si-n somn…da’ for good!

27. la ce te gandesti in momentul asta?
la cineva;;)

28. ce fel de greseli ierti cel mai usor?
de obiecei iert, si mai ales gresalele, cele comise de sturlubatici.

29. care este deviza ta in viata?
never, ever, ever give up! iar din categoria motivationale: daca vrei, muszaj sa si poti!

30. care este cel mai mare succes pe care l-ai inregistrat pana acum?
depinde, unii se raporteaza diferit fata de succes. niscai poleiala..

31. care este averea la care tii cel mai mult?
my friends, my soul.

32. ce sau cine este cea mai mare iubire a vietii tale?
iubirea neconditionata…

33. care este calatoria ta preferata?
cea facuta in doi…

34. cand si unde ai simtit acut fericirea?
pai, o simt in fiecare dimineata; pentru ca exist, pentru ca exista, pentru ca pot decide ceea ce vreau sa fac…

35. de ce iti este cel mai tare frica?
de ce ti-e frica nu scapi, nu? mi-e frica de clipa in care ai mei nu vor mai fi. ma ingrozeste boala (dementa senila) si indiferenta…

36. care este cea mai mare nesabuinta de care ai dat dovada pana acum?
m-am subestinat.

37. ce regreti cel mai mult?
ca nu pot opri timpul, ca mai dau cu batu-n balta si ranesc…

38. ce talent ti-ar fi placut sa ai?
talent de ventriloc. muzical…

39. in ce ocazii apelezi la minciuni?
in ocazii dintre cele mai rare, si care nu pot fi ocolite… desi, prefer duritatea adevarului, in locul minciunii dospite…

40. ce cuvinte sau expresii folosesti cel mai mult?
mai, auzi si exasperantul ok…

41. daca ai putea sa schimbi ceva la tine, care ar fi acel lucru? 
mai multa minte. si,vreau ochi verzi. da-mi iau lentile;;)

42. daca ai muri si te-ai putea intoarce pe pamant sub forma unui lucru sau al unei persoane, ce crezi ca ai fi?
vreo vertebrata cu constiinta, un calutz salbatec sau ploaie…

43. ce persoana a avut cea mai mare influenta asupra ta?
ai mei parinti si prieteni. un dascal cu har…

44. daca ai putea sa schimbi ceva la familia ta, care ar fi acel lucru?
pe unii i-as aduce inapoi, iar parintilor mei le-as da tineretea inapoi…

45. care e injuratura pe care o folosesti cel mai mult?
kkt, ma-ta!

46. care e ultima carte pe care ai citit-o?
fantoma sau indoiala teatrului de monique borie

47. ce faci de obicei in timpul liber?
ma intalnesc cu putinii mei prieteni. mai fac o surpriza!

click

josie’s story
 if i’ve given courage to others, then my life has been full…
josie had been a leukemia patient for many years. she had two bone marrow transplants and a course of anti-cancer drugs, all of which were unsuccessful in beating josie’s cancer. when josie was told that her condition was terminal she decided not to undertake any further treatment and went home to reunite with her family and enjoy a normal teenage life for her last 3 months…this animation starts with a girl’s voice, as if a young soul is entering a world between earth and heaven. as the film progress, the creatures in the mysterious land start to gather. finally, our little girl sublimates in a cluster of golden flowers.yibi (aka EB) hu is an award-winning visual artist, designer, and filmmaker. he works on his own concepts and has created an exceptional portfolio of short films including, a friend i know,a day at dunjanez. among these films many have won prestigious awards.music by phillip sheppard
voice over by carrie edward
because this version doesn’t really do it justice, i’d recommend you watch the HD version here.

 if i’ve given courage to others, then my life has been full
if i’ve given courage to others, then my life has been full
if i’ve given courage to others, then my life has been full
CLICK