an artist's thought

i like to fancy myself as a writer, i/we (all who visit this space) enjoy words and ideas, and i think it's safe to add pretty things. the writer is in constant pursuit of trying to capture that which seems ethereal. the stuff which slips through our fingers and escapes our specific memory (what was i thinking again?). we try to bring feather light ideas down to earth, in a word, story or poem... it's fantastical work...

i'm choosing my new painting class, my second one. and i surprised myself when i asked an advisor while choosing between two classes that interest me... i said i am trying to choose between the one that my head says to take and the one my heart wants... funny right, we get this dilemma in life, that which our head says and that which our heart wants...

so far i'm leaning towards the one with my heart... the one full of colours and vibrancy...

...above painting by sophie coryndon, 'where metaphor and allusion reveals the mythic potential in everyday objects...'

um

i still love the smell of paper and the feel of a pencil. ~ anna dello russo, editor at large vogue nippo

cindy lou who

for the past 2 months construction has been going on right across the street from me... those construction guys, bless their hearts, have been waking me up every morning with their drilling and whatever else they do. it drives me nuts, really. i tell myself to breath...

this morning... nothing. the construction is done. i surprised myself by waking up on my own... it was a strange feeling. for some reason i felt like cindy lou who... i guess as i've been awakened by strange noises for so long. funny how the mind works...

paint on canvas

i'll try and explain... this summer i took my very first art class ever. i never went to kindergarden so my art career has been delayed for some time now... i didn't even sign up for the class this summer. a friend dragged me along and it has opened me up in some of the sweetest ways. imagine me there afraid to mix colours and put paint brush to canvas. i might mess it up... fail. part of the plan, i'm told. beginners can't be perfect. genuises aren't even perfect. there in the art studio, at some point i had to but the paint on the canvass. ...learning to try and make mistakes and how those mistakes can be fixed and lead to even more glorious places than had i not tried at all.


no one told me it spills over into life. i could see me learning to but the basics into place over the years... food, warmth and creature comforts. i wanted more, i felt greedy. learning that there are various levels of well being... when basic levels are met we are open to moving on to the stuff that satisfies our heart and our being... not greed, living a well balanced and inspired life.

i find something linear, moving up the ladder is fantastic!! and i have too, glimpses of a kind of blend... a harmonious existence... all the colours/ways of being present in harmony... it takes time...


put the paint on the canvas. mess it up. and see what we get...

the pleasure of missing

the pleasure of missing. i am missing something... and instead of it being a painful longing, it is a kind of silent bliss-filled anticipation. not quite sure what it is. the expectation lends a kind of pleasure, a wonder... and i am open and waiting... excited about what it may be.

where is august going so soon and so quickly? the days are streaming by like the lyrics of a sweet song. i want to slow them down, a gentle pause for the sake of the flowers and green leave-filled fluffy trees, the warmth of the sea... and for me too... to indulge in the warmth of summer.

all things must change... summer begins to give way to autumn. but not just yet. there's still time to enjoy... and simply perhaps autumn can't get here quick enough for those who suffer in the summer heat. your time is coming... for sure and in confidence.

are you well? i sincerely hope so. missed u!!

just a bit of a 'gap spring/summer?'

hello dear You... i'm having a bit of time off from blogging. i find words escape me these days... i'll have a bit of a break, but i'll be back as i do love it; sharing stories and visiting you.

in the meantime, do have a sweet spring... and maybe summer. i won't be too far, as i look forward to continuing to visit you!! and you all have my email, so if need be, or it fancies you please send me a message.

you know what? i appreciate and love, dare i say, every one of your comments that you leave for me. merci beaucoup mon amies!!

until soon loves!!

bisous

where we are

funny how it works sometimes... i had the sensation of being in a country house last night. i hang a line across the kitchen to let the delicate clothes dry instead of putting them in the dryer when i do laundry. yesterday with the heat, which made it seem more like july than may, i went to sleep bracing myself for the nightime heat.

at 4 in the morning i was awakened by thunder showers, lots of rain came tumbling down in the early morning silence... indeed breaking the heat. the clothes on the line in the kitchen were swaying in the breeze, and the smell of rain filled the house. thought i was in the country house for a minute, all the pretty colours from springtime; light fabrics, a gentle breeze, silence and the sound of rain... funny how a moment of holiday and rest finds us where we are...

big bunches of springtime

weekend is here lovelies... enjoy!
thanks a big bunch for your sweet thoughts of me. i'm getting better, going to have lunch near central park and get out and enjoy the springtime sunshine. as the Spanish say... poco a poco... little by little.

on this time it's a real springtime... not too hot and not too cool, lots of sunshine and big blue skies...

sweet dear hugs to you!!

hello

thanks so much for your well wishes. i thought i'd be down just another day or so, but was in bed the entire weekend... with some good films, of course:)

up today... and i've got an agenda...

tea now
visit me blog pals
have a walk outdoors
...fresh air is calling, plus a little leisurely walk to get my strength back...

i feel a sense of excitement, creeping back to the brightness of feeling better, and taking it easy... slow and easy.

then some reading and writing... get back to stuff i love.

coming over to see how you are.
and thank you! again for your sweet thoughts!

one of those days

been knocked down a few days with a flu-like cold. been in bed with my hair all messed up falling in and out of sleep, drinking juice, and sipping soup. the sound of t.v. is disturbing, so i put on some melodic tunes.

i'm getting better. out of bed today, having some tea. and i just had an interesting thought; it's a perfect moment for an audrey hepburn film... gentle and sweet. i retreat back to bed with me cup of tea to relax and not overdo it. seems i'm on my way back to feeling better...

won't send kisses, don't want to share me cold... good thoughts, that's it, hope you're well!

upon return

when i re-enter, alone, the city's crush
and its chaos of noise
and the fury of traffic surrounds me,
may i, above that hammering confusion,
remember sky and mountain slopes
where the herds are still descending homeward.

may my courage be like those rocks
and the shepherd's day long work seem possible to me
the way he drifts and darkens, and with a well aimed stone
hems in his flock where it unravels.
with slow and steady strides, his posture is pensive
and, as he stands there, noble. even now a god might
secretly slip into his form and not be diminished.

in turn, he lingers and moves on like the day itself,
and cloud shadows pass through him, as though all of space
were thinking slow thoughts of him.

spanish trilogy (iii)
rainer maria rilke

lively up yourself

art work of tim burton at the moma (spooky?)

there is a bob marley song where he sings... lively up yourself...

this song came to mind as i was thinking of something this morning that gives me great pleasure. in it's own way i was thinking that it inspires me and livelies me up. it brings me to life and what a sweet gift to have something like this in our lives. many of us are quite privileged as we have a number of sweetnesses that livelies us up. our babies, our sweeties, a pleasureable read, a delicious cup of coco... or coffee or tea...

i thought too, this special thing that gives me life, inspires me, as i feel refreshed, i wish to save, savor and use this energy in a beneficial way.

and too, springtime never ceases to amaze me. as the sky is big and blue, and the trees and flowers are blossoming, i get to thinking how does that happen so quietly and suddenly. winter seems forever, as sweet and cool as it can be. and springtime for me always seems extremely far way. and quite often i feel convinced that spring will not return again. how can it when all is grey and cold and quiet?

and then it happens, the sun gets bigger, the air is clear and warm, and the blossoms seem to dance lightly in the light warm air. it happens quietly and unassuming~ly. and now i remember as well while writing, those days those weeks, when it was a kind of dance, a kind of tug of war, as winter loosens her grip and springtime quitely slips in. and here she is on this side, today. it's still not so certain. but what is certain is that the springtime weather will return, i see it now and it's quite sweet.

good monday to you dear reader. have a sweet week. i hope to catch the tim burton exhibit at the modern museum really soon, as the end of the exhibit is nearing... it'll be spooky in the most fun way...

happy easter

funny how things work. i couldn't sleep so i got out of bed. the sun was coming up and i had a look out the window. i saw some young folks walking the empty streets while the sun's coming up. i thought how cool, their up so early, maybe they're going to sunrise service at church. and then it dawned on me... i think it's more that they were coming in from dancing, hanging out all night from the night before. i remember that... dancing all night and walking home as the sun was coming up. something lovely about that.

still a nice time to not be able to sleep while the sun is rising easter morning. i hope you are well and the way you celebrate... maybe by going to church, time with friends and family, special dinners, relaxing at home in your fluffy slippers, out on the town enjoying the beautiful spring weather, do be yourself and enjoy!!

happy easter kisses loves!!

there's still time

there's still time to be cosy and warm. cool again on this side, as winter holds on while spring is slipping in. it's inevitable, spring blossoms are own their way, but first, winter has juuuust a few more doings to do... in the meantime cosy and warm are on the agenda...

maybe you remember i wrote recently about a walk with friends along the mediterranean in the small town of Sitges, near barcelona. it was there that i witnessed a most beautiful sunset.

Hans is a fine friend of mine.



we were lucky enough to share the same time in barcelona. there meetings for coffee turned into long walks through that beautiful city, which turned into a feeling for sipping wine or beer in an outdoor cafe, 'but first let's check out this book store, or maybe that music store...' hours escaped us and still it seemed we could keep going discovering such a lovely city, unbeknown to us, quietly a friendship was forming. sweet surprises...

when i first met Hans and i asked what he did, he shared that he was a musician. i said 'oh,' and left it at that. then one night i went to hear him perform, to play and sing, and to my surprise he really is a fine artist. i realised then, as a new yorker i find everyone is a musician, a writer, an actor and on and on. i don't always believe them. so i was surprised to see and hear, for me, the melodic sounds of my friend.

the group debonair's desert song (Hans on voice... guitar too?), have a listen here http://debonair.posterous.com/new-track-desert-song let me know how you experience it...

the blog is here... have a little peak into his doings in denmark... http://debonair.posterous.com/

be warm, be sweet you, and get ready to blossom as spring finds her way in!

spring cleaning

a-hem... i realise i can't wait any more, i have to organise my closests for spring. can you imagine a dressing room like this one... i like the spaciousness of it, and i especially like the light that streams in. pretty.

another spring~luv it!

i walked into a shop today, just browsing, and the sales lady greeted me with a cheerful and sincere happy spring! i love it. the wedding yesterday was quite lovely. i enjoyed myself, and while drifting off to sleep last night i played over in my mind the entire day, the church, the reverend, conversations throughout the day, dancing and food... and of course the lovely bride and groom...

i finally talked to my sister, and after she let me have it for not being in touch, we slipped into giggling again. she thinks i'm weird, she always have. and i absolutely love why she thinks i'm weird cause i'm a dreamy, wanna thinking up stories, night owl, listening to music in my room all hours of the night, kind of girl. she's much more grounded and down to earth. i think we admire one another's qualities.

the picture posted here gets me... i love the flowers and the look from another time... perhaps the seventies. i absolutely adore the look and colours of sixties and seventies fashion. i know the two eras are remarkably different, still i love them both.

spring is here darlings... i do hope you are well and feeling quite spring~like, all inspired, hopeful and bright...

sending you spring kisses!!

early morning strolls... you never know who you'll meet

an actor said in an interview how he liked strolling around new york... how there seems to be something to discover around every corner. i so often feel that way. like today, sitting outside down by the river having lunch. there was a lady there dressed in hot pink, jumping around, dancing and spinning a hoola hoop around her waist when the feeling moved her. ahhh, you never know what you might see.

one early sunday morning, before the masses were out, i walked by javier bardem and penelope cruz from vicky, cristina, barcelona (among other stuff). it's quite evident now that they are a couple, but it was still a week or so before the oscars, folks were still speculating. well i knew because i saw them walking up fifth avenue in greenwich village, holding hands and laughing that deep warm laughter of new love. it was sweet to see.

us old folks don't really bother the celebrities. we're used to seeing them. and if it's mid-day and they're shooting a film, or a television show with all their camaras and trailers and catering junk all in the way and blocking the flow of the natural rhythm of the city then it's a pain in the butt.

the Pres Obama even apologised once for coming to town and causing so much traffic hassle with his private cars and security and all. i thought he gets it, comin' in here messing up our rhythm.

well when i saw javier and penelope i was a bit surprised. it was so early and i was kind of sleep-walking, i thought maybe i was in a film or something. it was only me and them on the street at that particular moment. javier remembered the manners his momma taught him as when our eyes met, he smiled and said 'hola.' i was still so surprised, so uncool of me! i forget my english and my spanish and could only smile and nod my head. hope it was polite enough...

after the rain...

we've had rain since friday....

aujourd'hui le ciel est bleu!

just a feeling from a picture

the photo above i saw in a magazine. for some reason it has stayed with me. i think it may have something to do with these two persons, annie leibovitz and mikhail baryshnikov being so good at what they do, to put it mildly. i guess in the face of such talent i am speechless with admiration. the first photo is the adorable nicole kidman, this photo was taken by annie leibovitz. i saw the original at an exhibit, it is stunning.

someone once said that they find the work of annie leibovitz superficial. funny how individually we can have varied reactions. i guess that's how it works right? taste is individual...

though she photographs celebrities, for me i like the way she is able to somehow move beyond the surface and capture the person, or a feeling... can't quite put my finger on it.

i saw baryshnikov in an interview once where he talked about his defect from russia, describing himself literally running to get away... incredible. how time passes and history remains...

lastly, i especially like his feet in the photo. at first i thought what funny looking feet! then it dawned on me, he is a dancer, and an exquisite one at that, and dancers got ugly feet i hear. all those hours doing what they do you get ugly feet, yet they make such hard work and sweat look light, easy, beautiful...

think... of the world you carry within you... be it remembrance of your own childhood or longing for your own future. only be attentive to what is arising in you, and prize it above all that you perceive around you. what happens most deeply inside you is worthy of your whole love. work with that and don't waste too much time and courage explaining it to other people.

rome, december 23, 1903
from letters to a young poet
rainer maria rilke