The Greeting Cards Slave

Craig Thompson!

2012-01-22T11:57:00.000Z

Let's face it. I'm not a teenager any more. But tell my brain!!! :)

Yesterday January 21st 2012 one of my very favourite graphic novelists of all times, Craig Thompson signed copies of his latest (awesome) work "Habibi" at Gosh! Comics, London.

An event I couldn't miss. I managed to avoid telling him how much his works affected my life and so on, not only because there was a crazy queue waiting and because I felt embarrassed by a lot of people taking photos of the event, but also because he probably hears this every day by zillions of people.

Anyway, I did sat next to him for maybe a minute or two and the obsessed fan girl in me is very excited :)

Also, he didn't need me to spell my name! I love this man. I really do.

Craig Thompson will be in Angoulême. So will I. And the world and his dog. Still, maybe I'll have a chance to see him one more time :)

Points of view :)

2012-01-20T17:14:00.002Z

Something I found very interesting. Hopefully I am not the only one :)

On May 2011 I had the pleasure to be blog-guest for the Laydeez do Comics monthly meetup. I wrote the blog post and added some sketches I made during the event.

I happened to see the drawings Lucy Bergonzi made on the same day. We weren't sitting far from each other and this is our view of the first row :) (the first sketch is mine, obviously)

Thanks Lucy for sending me her drawing!:)

Anyway. Next week I'll have my 2nd Angoulême experience and I am so looking forward to it! Anyone else is coming?

Happy holidays!

2011-12-30T23:25:00.001Z

I hope you are all spending some quality time with your loved ones.
Or enjoying some special time alone, if this is what makes you happy.

2011 may have been not as good as I expected, but I guess I am the one to blame... However, it hasn't been bad either.
There are many things I am grateful for and many things that could be much worse.

May 2012 be a even better year for us all. Just believe it and work hard to achieve what you want ;)

Best wishes of peace and love :)

Congratulations Mike and Lisa!

2011-12-13T11:54:00.004Z

On 11/11/2011 my friend and fellow cartoonist Mike got married to lovely Lisa.

This is the card I made for them, inspired to one of the beautiful photos of their wedding.

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Medaglia!

Comiket 2011

2011-11-22T17:12:00.001Z

One of my very favourite comics-related event ever, part of Comica Festival, Comiket 2011 has been even more exciting than usual!

I spent the whole Saturday 12th November at the recently refurbished Bishopgate Institute helping my friend Mark Haylock filming the event.
Talented cartoonist Claude TC helped filming as well.

I also took some breaks to browse the stands and buy postcards and pins from great illustrators and cartooninsts like lovely Zarina Liew and Katie green.

The thing I enjoyed the most? During the whole event great graphic novelists were drawing on stage for half an hour each, while their drawing was projected on a big screen!
I admire them a lot, I find it very intimidating to have people staring at my sheet while I am drawing on it!But they have done so well!

I had the pleasure to see all these great artists drawing live:

Posy Simmonds
Woodrow Phoenix
Luke Pearson
Jake
Warren Pleece
Sarah McIntyre
Frederick Peeters
Sally Kindberg
James Jarvis
Karrie Fransman
Hannah Berry
Brecht Evens
Battle of the Eyes: Savage Pencil & Chris Long
Roger Langridge

Also had a chance to talk to Andy Bleck, Rian Hughes, Philippa Rice, Sally-Anne Hickman, Corinne Pearlman, David O'Connell, Sean Azzopardi, Van Nim, John Miers.

Many special thanks to Paul Gravett, Peter Stanbury and Megan Donnolley who made this possible!

See you all at Comiket 2012 :)

Portrait of me by Lucy Bergonzi

2011-10-31T11:17:00.000Z

I met this talented artist at the Laydeez do Comics Meetup events.

She is very good at sketching portraits of people and landscapes in a very short time, using a confident, simple but precise line.

When I presented on my works, she encouraged me to continue sketching semi-realistic portraits of people, which both surprised and flattered me :)

This is a portrait of me she made at one of the Laydeez events, when I was part of the audience, listening to another artist's presentation.

It's one of the best portraits of me that has been done so far!

For more beautiful drawings, check Lucy Bergonzi's website

Japan, Japan, Japan!

2011-09-19T17:59:00.002+01:00

In the last two weekends I had two chances to appreciate some beauty, taste and culture from the beautiful Land of the Rising Sun.
Visiting it is one of my biggest dreams since I was a teenager, but it seems like at the age of almost 33 I am still not even able to afford living on my own... Sigh.

Anyway.

On Sunday, September 11th I volunteered to take part in the Lantern Parade in the Thames Festival Night Carnival.
The event was organised by The Japan Society to raise money to help the Tohoku region of Japan, six months after the massive earthquake and tsunami which struck it.
Wearing yukata and zori, we took part in the parade, performing a simple Bon dance to the sound of always-enchanting Taiko.
I wasn't aware of the dance bit when I applied but I actually enjoyed it :)

On Sunday, September 18th the annual Japan Matsuri took place in Southbank. I think it was smaller than the one they did in Spitalfields market a few years ago.
Anyway, I could enjoy looking at some traditional Japanese dances and I got almost moved to tears by the Taiko Meantime group. Needless to say, a lot of Hello Kitty and similar cute stuff were on sale everywhere :)

Laydeez do Comics

2011-08-26T09:08:00.007+01:00

Something I found almost impossible actually happened!

I managed to give a short presentation of my (few and unpublished) works to the amazing audience of Laydeez do Comics, my favourite meetup for people who love graphic novels, comic strips and illustrations.

What I like the most about this group is that among professional illustrators, graphic novelists etc there are also fans and amateurs like me :)

I am terrified of speaking in public, even more when I have to present on something as personal as my "hobby" artwork.

I know that drawing is the best way for me to express myself, but I also know that my lack of practice, patience and self-confidence make my favourite hobby a source of frustration as well :)

Anyway, thanks to the wonderful Sarah and Nicola, I did one of the things that scare me the most.
I was very anxious and it wasn't easy for me to control my emotions. Still, I didn't burst into tears and didn't panic.
Surprisingly, the audience asked me questions and a few also encouraged me.

With hindsight, I wish I had done better, but I am so glad I did. Maybe someone will start recognising my face at the next events! :)

Photo courtesy of Mike Medaglia

Check the Laydees Do Comics blog.

Updated 5 September 2011: write up for the Laydeez Do Comics August meeting by Sally Plowman

Italian Referendum - June 12th and 13th 2011

2011-06-21T09:51:00.003+01:00

Many things are wrong in Italy.
Otherwise, why would there be so many of us abroad?
Most of us love and painfully miss our country.
But hey, our economy and our politicians are such a pain.

There are loads of wrong things in the UK as well, but at least I can have a decent job and afford to get by without living off my parents.
And I appreciate all the opportunities I have been given here.

I must confess I almost lost all my hopes for the future of Italy.
Like most compatriots, I don't believe that my right to vote means anything.
Most referendums are a waste of money because less than 50%+1 people bother going and expressing their opinion.

Still, this year has been different.
In spite of what happened to Fukushima, our Government wanted to reopen the nuclear plants in Italy.
They were closed in 1990 after a referendum in 1987 when Italians already made it clear that they were against nuclear power.

There were other important issues to vote against, like the privatisation of water, but I am sure that what motivated my compatriots most was this one. So, the nuclear power project has been closed.
In your face, Berlusconi.

I've felt so proud of being Italian :)

Laydeez Do Comics

2011-05-30T13:06:00.004+01:00

I've been asked to contribute to Laydeez Do Comics Blog by being May's Blogguest.
It's been a big honour and pleasure :)

Laydeez Do Comics Blog - May Event

I hope to find the courage to speak in public too :)

Black Swan the movie and Mother-Daughter Sexual Abuse

2011-04-13T21:49:00.012+01:00

*WARNING: SPOILERS*

"Black Swan" is in my opinion a very good movie.

I don't find Natalie Portman's performance so stunning, even though I appreciate the incredible effort she made to enter the role.

Anyway, let's just ignore her; I think that the director Darren Aronofsky is the only person to praise :)

If you are reading this post, most likely you've seen the movie.
Anyway, to summarise the plot very briefly, it's about Nina, a young, dedicated ballet dancer who loses her mind to play the double role of the White Swan and the Black Swan.

I think everyone realizes from the very beginning of the movie that ballet is just a background, even though Nina's life and personal development seem to follow the same pattern as the plot of Black Swan.

Also, it's quite obvious that one of the main themes (if not the main one) of this movie is the relationship between Nina and her mother Erica.

Nina is probably on her early twenties but behaves like a child. And her mother treats her like a child.
Erica is not simply overprotective, but domineering and oppressive.
Nina is not allowed to have a life, a sexuality, and not even some privacy.
Every moment and aspect of her life is controlled by her mother.

Nina's mother was a ballet dancer herself, but she had to give up her career when she was pregnant with Nina.
She is clearly envious of the daughter who is doing what she couldn't do.
At the same time she wants to use her daughter's life as an extension of her own life.
I think the scene of the cake shows very well how contradictory Erica's behaviour is and how confused she is.
Is she happy that Nina got the lead role in Black Swan?
Why does she get her a huge cake, knowing very well that a ballerina must be on a strict diet?
And then she gets so upset because Nina doesn't want to eat the cake, and basically morally blackmail her until she has some...

Undoubtedly, Erica is abusing her daughter.
It's not completely clear how much this woman is aware of what she is doing to her child.
There are some hints to the fact that she might hate herself, but she is clearly unable to stop.

Nina is undoubtedly and understandably disturbed.
She is very repressed, and this affects her relationship with other people but also the inability to express herself with her body in a role full of passion like the one of the Black Swan.
She is a perfectionist, as often happens to children of very demanding parents.
The fact that she is finally given the lead role after so many years of hard training is what triggers her need to break free from her mother.
Without being able to perform the Black Swan, her role will be taken over by less perfect but also less repressed fellow ballerina Lily.

What we see in the movie is what Nina sees. Reality is more and more mixed with her delusion.
Lily becomes an enemy to defeat, even though the fight between the two is actually the fight between the two different Ninas, the sweet and delicate child and the repressed Black Swan who wants to break free.
In a way, Erica represents the 'good' part of Nina, and Lily the 'bad' one.
Nina eventually fights only with herself.
No surprise that she kills herself while thinking of killing Lily. No surprise that she looks defiantly at her own mother at the end of her impressive performance as the Black Swan, before breaking free and dying.

***

While looking for reviews to read I happened to find this extremely interesting article by Faithallen:
Black Swan: Movie about Mother-Daughter Sexual Abuse (Blooming Lotus).

Not just the article but also all the comments to the article are very interesting and thought provoking.
They made me want to watch the movie again, to see it from a different perspective!

Anyway, I do not agree with everything stated in Faithallen's blog post.
Especially with the statement that the movie *is* about mother-daughter sexual abuse.
Well, I wouldn't go that far.
It's possible, even very likely if you want, since all the details Faithallen and some readers of hers mentioned are very convincing, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary.
Psychological abuse would be enough to explain Nina's fragility and repression.

I must say that, luckily for me, I have never had the dreadful experience of being sexually abused by a parent, so I didn't even think about it when I watched the movie.
Still, I didn't have any problem in understanding Nina's feelings and sympathising with her.
I even found the tragic ending the only possible one, and I felt relieved when Nina finally died.

In general, I believe that when you comment on a movie, book, artwork you cannot claim that you understand the only truth about it.
"Black Swan" shows quite well that people can see what they want to see in it.
But apart from this, I am very grateful to Faithallen for the post she wrote, and to all the people who commented on it, because it's a very interesting read. I'm only sorry that most of them during her childhood experienced something that I find hard to believe possible.

Glass no Kamen Update!!!

2011-02-26T11:09:00.003Z

I was planning to update this blog with an interesting analysis of "Black Swan", but this will have to wait.

In spite of having to pack everything today and move to another shared flat tomorrow, I am at Starbucks in Golders Green to update my site with the synopsis of the last chapter published 2 days ago in Japan in Bessatsu Hana to Yume.

Many thanks as usual to Ale-chan for summarising and translating from Japanese to Italian.

Maya no Garasu no Kamen.

Fans of Maya and Masumi, enjoy!

Blue Valentine

2011-02-08T10:51:00.003Z

I feel it's my moral duty to warn you against wasting time and money watching this irritating, soporific, overrated, B movie.

Actually, I am offending good B movies.

*Warning, spoilers.*

Some would say I am an insensitive, bitter spinster, but while I respect their opinion, I want to stress the fact that I love drama and I enjoy watching love stories, both those with unlikely happy endings and those with a heart-wrenching and depressing atmosphere more or less from minute 5.
I'm not afraid of praising emotional movies.
Provided they are involving. Well written. Well directed. Something like that.

"The film centers on a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods." (IMDb)

Oh yes. Contemporary means disaster. Obviously.
That's fine, down with Prince Charming and pathetic, spineless princesses waiting to be saved.
Let's show that reality is much harsher. Fair enough.

But if you want to portrait character's psychology, then do it properly.

One of the things I enjoy most the psychological development of characters.
Which basically doesn't exist in this movie.

A tiring sequence of scenes from the beginning and the end of a dull relationship between two unconvincing people.
Nothing in between. Apart from lot of drinking and smoking.

Why this unhappy lady falls out of love?
Because her husband is too childish? Because he's not ambitious with his job? Because he smokes and drinks too much?
All of them?

Has she ever been in love with him at all?
I don't think so.
He just saved her from an unwanted pregnancy and entertained her for a little while.

Anyway, this is just me guessing, since the director didn't make an effort to explain what happened.

I would say that the actors did their best. But seriously, if you really want to watch this movie, tell me if you find it worth 2 hours of your time. The best actor cannot work miracles with such a mediocre script.

The film feels slow most of the time. And I like slow movies.
I regard Yimou Zhan's "The Road Home" as one of the most touching and delicate movies I have ever seen. And it *is* a slow movie. But it doesn't bore you.

While watching "Blue Valentine", I kept yawning and checking the time.
Especially since I started realizing that the story wasn't going anywhere.

Can someone tell me why "Blue Valentine" received awards and nominations?

Angoulême 2011

2011-02-02T10:00:00.000Z

I am so glad I made it.
Freezing cold, crazily busy, impossibly crowded. But it was all worth it.

Highlight of this amazing long weekend:
My best friend and I, on the first row, listening to divine Riyoko Ikeda sensei.
And getting an autograph!

For once, I shared the whole photo album not only on Facebook but also on
Flickr. Enjoy!

Oh, and a photo of me, or I'd better say of my Pucca bag, appeared in the Angoulême Festival Official webite :)

Original URL of the image:
Rencontres Internationales avec Riyoko Ikeda. Le public.

Angoulême Festival - Official website

OMG what an exciting week!

2011-01-26T09:14:00.010Z

I might have found the room where I am going to move to in March.
It's the first and only one I've viewed this time, but I am quite tired of room hunting every 6 months.
Also, I would be in Archway (which is a location I like), and I would have to share the flat only with a woman my age, who is vegetarian, into art, yoga and meditation. Perfect flatmate for me!
I asked to view the room again on Thursday (tomorrow), and I will make my decision.
Well, the other flatmate has to make her decision too, but I think we both like each other =)

Also, the new chapter of Glass no Kamen by divine Suzue Miuchi has been published on the monthly issue of Hana to Yume. You should know how much this manga means for me =)
Well, as far as the relationship between Maya and Masumi, this chapter is the most exciting so far!
I have just read the summary my wonderful Ale-chan wrote on my good old Italian forum and I am going to translate it as soon as possible. I almost fell oft my chair when I read it.
My goodness, 46 volumes and I still adore this manga. Ok with highs and lows, but now is definitely one of the 'highs' =)
I hope the chapter will stay the same when the official volume 47 is published. Please, Miuchi sensei!!! =)
Stay tuned fans of Glass no Kamen, my fansite is going to be updated as soon!

Last but not least, I took Friday off. I am going to take my first Eurostar to Paris, and then the TGV to ANGOULEME to see the international comics festival! Yes, I am following my dreams, as usual =)
I will be couch surfing because I don't know anyone in there and everywhere was all fully booked.
I bought a sleeping bag since there will be about 8 couch surfers in the same house and I don't think there are many sofas! LOL!
I'm a little scared but also very excited!
Oh and my best friend Cecilia is there already, so we will meet on Friday afternoon and hopefully Saturday morning.

Life is ace =)

My portfolio :)

2011-01-15T13:55:00.003Z

Ladies and gens,

finally I got rid of the Wordpress-based illustration blog and replaced it with a messy one I built from scratch with php, html and some JavaScript! Yay!

I know there is a lot of room for improvement, but I am really excited about it!!!

I have so many projects I start and never finish that this is for me a great achievement! Especially because I keep spending all my energies in searching for a decent shared flat in North London :D

So, I picked up some images from my personal favourites or most popular ones in DeviantArt and displayed then in a simple portfolio.

I tried not to make it too messy, you might know how much I like to put a lot of colours and patterns together :)

Anyway, while I am still trying to improve the technical part, and test it in as many browsers as I can, I would really love to ask you to help me with any kind of feedback. It would be greatly appreciated!

You can send me feedback by email, by comments on this blog or using the form in the contact page of my portfolio.

Enjoy!

Colours and Dreams

Happy New Year!

2011-01-07T09:57:00.004Z

Since I seem to spend all my energies room hunting and moving every 6 months, I don't have time and strength to paint... But I still need to do it.

So, I always carry with me a sketchbook, a pencil and a fiber-tip pen.
Sometimes, I even use them! :)

I have recently discovered that my black and white drawings are as popular as my coloured ones... In spite of the time it takes me to make them!

This is one of my personal favourites, titled: "I found a friend". Enjoy :)

You can find this and more sketches as usual on my deviantArt account.

Also, I am (slowly) building an online portfolio. It will be very simple and much nicer to use than the current illustration blog.

Let it snow

2010-12-18T14:36:00.003Z

Even though I am supposed to fly to Italy on Monday and I am pretty worried about the big number of cancelled flights, I really love the snow, especially when it's fresh.

In any case, there is no point in worrying about what's going to happen in 2 days, right?

This is the view from my room in Golders Green.

My manga obsession

2010-12-14T11:40:00.003Z

I'm really glad I met Frankie.

First of all, because she created the Cartoon Heart Club.

Secondly because she is really friendly with everyone.

And thirdly because she is full of great ideas.

While we were working on the video mentioned in the previous post, I started telling her about my obsession for mangas.

She was very interested and asked me to write about it on the Cartoon Heart Club Blog.

I must confess that I really enjoyed writing it.

And it made me feel so good that for once that not only I wasn't looked down on, but even considered interesting :)

This is the article. Enjoy! My Manga Obsession

Video - Group Illustration

2010-12-13T11:15:00.000Z

1 competition: Smile for London.
4 creative minds: Frankie, Rhoda, Oscar and myself.
2 meetings.
1 big illustration.
A lot of photos.
Even more fun.

Please vote for the video we created if you like it!

No face from The Cartoon Heart Club on Vimeo.

Full article on the Cartoon Heart Club Blog

Good times for a change

2010-11-30T09:53:00.003Z

Finally, I started meeting people who share my interests, and I do not care any longer if work mates, flat mates etc think I am weird or boring.

I never really thought I am :)

Therefore, this blog is going to change soon :)

Stay tuned!

Still alive :)

2010-11-03T17:37:00.004Z

... And apparently still determined to dump rants and random thoughts to the internet!

I've been working a lot on my fanlistings, now all database driven! Yay! I so ♥ php!

And I am very excited about my big manga love, Glass no Kamen. Lots of volumes being published, lots of updates to do. I am so proud of my fan site.

Last but not least, I am planning to redesign my illustrations blog. I think I will abandon Wordpress, maybe I'll create another blog on Blogspot.

Did you miss me? Don't be too excited! :)

Drawing and sketching online.

2010-03-25T15:29:00.005Z

Possibly 2 of my very favourite websites ever.

No words are necessary. If you love drawing, you'll love them as much as I do!!!

Harmony

Odosketch

Evanescence - Missing

2010-03-23T20:45:00.001Z

Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
Maybe someday you'll look up,
And, barely conscious, you'll say to no one:
"Isn't something missing?"

You won't cry for my absence, I know -
You forgot me long ago.
Am I that unimportant...?
Am I so insignificant...?
Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?

Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?

Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
I know what you do to yourself,
I breathe deep and cry out,
"Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?"

Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?

And if I bleed, I'll bleed,
Knowing you don't care.
And if I sleep just to dream of you
I'll wake without you there,
Isn't something missing?
Isn't something...

Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?

This blog has moved

2010-03-17T09:50:00.002Z

This blog is now located at http://dreamsaddict.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://dreamsaddict.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Google is not supporting FTP publishing any longer!

2010-03-03T12:57:00.005Z

I have always been a fan of Google, but it seems to me they're so powerful now that they can happily decide to make unpopular choices without worrying too much.

Well, they also made a bunch of useless tools like Google Wave and Google Buzz, but OK this is my opinion and someone who lived on another planet until yesterday may think we really needed them.

Now they have decided that Blogger is not going to support FTP publishing any more or may even charge money to those who would like this support.

I'm not sure yet if I want to keep this blog, it will depend on how painful it is to migrate all the posts. It is very likely to change url anyway.

They claim that only 5% users publish via FTP. Who knows if it's true or not. It's still a big bunch of pissed off people anyway, including me.
Luckily they postponed the deadline from March 26th to May 1st.
Not bad, since their migrating tool is not ready yet.

Muse - Map of the Problematique

2010-01-20T12:20:00.000Z

Fear and panic in the air
I want to be free
From desolation and despair
And I feel like everything I saw
Is being swept away
When I refuse to let you go

I can't get it right
Get it right
Since I met you

Loneliness be over
When will this loneliness be over?

Life will flash before my eyes
So scattered and lost
I want to touch the other side
And no one thinks they are to blame
Why can't we see
That when we bleed we bleed the same

I can't get it right
Get it right
Since I met you

Loneliness be over
When will this loneliness be over?

Loneliness be over
When will this loneliness be over?

Clients, those weird, loved-hated creatures...

2009-12-10T10:20:00.002Z

Everyone who works in an agency or has a job that involves selling a service to a client is destined to have some frustrating, tragicomic exchange of information when trying to deal with the client in person.

The whole dreadful experience becomes hilarious when you realize that you are not alone. Then you start laughing out loud at jokes about clients :)

The funny thing is, you have to love clients, because thanks to them you have a job. But at the same time, they become a nightmarish presence that seem to be there only to make your life impossible.

If you know what I am talking about, you are probably already smiling - or sighing :)

Some links I really like. Are there more you would recommend?

Clients from Hell

Clientcopia : Stupid Client Quotes...

Please design a logo for me. With pie charts. For free.

How a Web Design Goes Straight to Hell - The Oatmeal

Cool Links - Scroll Clock & Human Calendar

2009-11-27T14:18:00.004Z

I'd better not commit to posting a link to a site I like every week.

Not that I don't have any links to recommend, I am actually saving them in a file, for when I have time to write a few lines about them in this blog.

It's just that I am too horribly good at wasting my time on Facebook, Twitter and DeviantArt. They are outrageously addictive!

Anyway, today I want to mention two very creative ideas.
Do you remember my beloved Industrious Clock?

Let's go on with clever and original ways to display time and dates!

Here are

an awesome clock made with scrollbars: Scroll Clock

and a brilliant Human Calendar

Don't tell me you don't love them :)

Radiohead - Creep

2009-11-21T19:30:00.003Z

When you were here before,
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel,
Your skin makes me cry

You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fuckin' special

But I'm a creep,
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here

I don't care if it hurts,
I wanna have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul

I want you to notice
when I'm not around
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here, ohhhh, ohhhh

She's running out again
She's running out
She run run run run...
run... run...

Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep,
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doin' here?
I don't belong here

I don't belong here...

Colours and Dreams - my illustrations blog

2009-11-08T09:51:00.004Z

So, what's the best thing to do when you do not have time to update your blog?
Build an other one of course :)

Don't worry, I still love this blog and blogger.com.
But I happened to have to work with Wordpress and I wanted to play with it a little more.

Also, I wanted to create an illustration blog with some of my favourite works from my DeviantArt account and my Glass no Kamen fanart.

So this is what I have been doing in the last week or two, and I am still working on it :)
Enjoy and any feedback is welcome!
Colours and Dreams - My illustrations blog

Site of my life - Maya no Garasu no Kamen

2009-10-08T15:11:00.002+01:00

So, I am being so rubbish at updating my blog.
My health is getting better, yet I am so tired that my billions of exciting ideas remain all in my head!
I seem to enjoy sleeping more and more every day!
(And eating, of course. But I have always loved eating so it doesn't count)

Anyway, today I want to make a nerdy announcement.
About 1 month ago, after 6 years since I bought dreamsaddict.com, I moved its hosting from Windows to Linux!
And I even bought some database. I haven't used it yet though.
In the meantime, I am tidying up the code of all the web pages.
The plan is changing all my websites from html to php.

All of this will mean absolutely nothing to you, but it makes my life so much easier when I have to keep my sites updated. And it renovates my enthusiasm. I even bought a new laptop (at last!)

If only my days had 36 hours, all the broken links will be already fixed, all the sites in dreamsaddict.com would be already in php and all my fanlistings would be database-driven.
Well, Rome wasn't built in a day, was it? And look at the magnificent result :)

So, today I want to celebrate once more, the site that actually changed my life
Maya no Garasu no Kamen

Thanks to "Glass no Kamen" the manga, many years ago I found a strong motivation in self-teaching html and building a site to share all the info I could find with the fans from all over the world.
Thanks to the manga and the fan site I built, I happened in different ways to meet my best friends, to find amazing pen pals and to receive excellent works from stunning fanartists.
Thanks to the site I built, and all the encouraging messages I received from all over the world, I happened to believe in my dreams again.

So, since 99% of my blog visitors are actually Glass no Kamen fans, I want to thank you all for your precious support.
Your feedback, help and collaboration are priceless.

Thank you!

Perfect Quote

2009-09-14T17:42:00.002+01:00

"I used to hate being out of the loop. Lately I am happy that I don't know what the hell is going on. Also: Get the fuck off my lawn."

ChiNurse

Radiohead - No Surprises

2009-09-10T00:19:00.002+01:00

A heart that's full up like a landfill,
a job that slowly kills you,
bruises that won't heal.
You look so tired-unhappy,
bring down the government,
they don't, they don't speak for us.
I'll take a quiet life,
a handshake of carbon monoxide,

with no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises,
Silence, silence.

This is my final fit,
my final bellyache,

with no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises please.

Such a pretty house
and such a pretty garden.

No alarms and no surprises (get me outta here),
no alarms and no surprises (get me outta here),
no alarms and no surprises, please.

Site(s) of the week(s) - Geek Sucks & There, I Fixed It

2009-08-12T21:40:00.003+01:00

It's getting hard to update this blog every week.
Especially when you spend all your time in Deviantart, Facebook and Twitter (d'oh!)
At least I have deleted all my Twitter accounts but one. Getting better and better :)

Two great links that I should thank work mates for telling me about.

Geek Sucks - Design and Development Inspiration Blog

There, I Fixed It: Epic Kludges + Jury Rigs

The melancholy sweetness of Camera Obscura

2009-08-02T21:54:00.004+01:00

Last year, while listening to random music on LastFm I fell in love with Belle and Sebastian. For a long time I only listened to them, and still now I am a big fan of them.
I learnt about the existence of this branch of indie pop influenced by chamber pop artists of the 1960s. And I started to be interested in other bands, similar to Belle and Sebastian, that were recommended by LastFm.

If you don't know Belle and Sebastian, well, now you've heard of them, and I will be very unhappy if you don't go and listen to some of their great music :)
They are already quite popular, and they deserve all the success in the world. Their lead singer and songwriter Stuart Murdoch is just a genius ♥ ♥ ♥
I have this feeling that I would be happy to live in Glasgow. Bands from there create an awesome sound!

Anyway, this blog post is not dedicated to Belle and Sebastian but to less famous, yet equally awesome Camera Obscura, an other Scottish band whose first album was produced by Stuart Murdoch. This last fact is mainly the reason why I happened to listen to their music the first time. It was love at first hearing, really!

I got to know their third album first: Let's get out of this country. After listening to it an awful lot of times, I decided to move to the other ones, and especially the newest one: My maudlin career. Seriously, they are more than talented!
Tracyanne Campbell's dreamy voice sings beautiful, retro yet timeless, innocent, sweet, melancholy tales about love. Sublime melodies, stunning string and horn arrangements.
You can't remain indifferent, even if you are not an hopeless romantic :)
I am not sure how to label their kind of music. Folk? Chamber pop? Indie pop? And by the way, do we really need to label everything?

I've just started knowing these artists.
This is not a proper review of their albums. It's rather a more than warm recommendation: you have to listen to their music!

I will see them live at the Sheperd's Bush Empire on November 3rd. I just can't wait!

Interesting links:
Camera Obscura - Official Site
Review of "My maudleen career" on For Folk's Sake
Metacritic - search for Camera Obscura: they got quite a good score! Most reviews are very favorable, and user comments are mostly positive.

Perfect Quote

2009-07-31T16:08:00.002+01:00

"If A equals success, then the formula is A = X + Y + Z.
X is work.
Y is play.
Z is keep your mouth shut."
Albert Einstein

Site(s) of the week(s) - Omegle, Oddee, Drum Set

2009-07-22T21:09:00.006+01:00

Hello lovely readers!
Hope you missed me :)

I am hopefully back for good. Health hasn't been my best friend this year, but I hope now I can leave behind a lot of negative things and be back to my happier self :)

Oops. This is supposed to be an impersonal blog.
He he.

Anyway, even if I am very happy to support sites dedicated to a good cause, charity, environment and so on, I keep believing that we often need something useless, odd and mental to keep our spirits high.
Well, at least I do. And I am afraid I sort of rule here. Don't take it personal :)

So, 3 precious pointless links are on their way...
Hope they'll make your day :)

Drum Set
Among the most outrageously useless sites I have ever seen, still I am not telling you how much I enjoyed it. Just play some music with the virtual keyboard, try the sound of your own name, and feel sorry for me if you think it's really pathetic :)

Omegle
I actually think it's sad and interesting at the same time.
An anonymous chat with a random online user. Don't know if it's the first chat like that. Probably not. Which is even sadder.
I have never been a fan of chats, but I thought this deserves to be mentioned for its weirdness and absurdity.
Do people (in this moment almost 3000 online users) really need to chat to someone whose name (age, sex, nationality, appearance, whatever) they don't even know?
"Cause anything is better than posh isolation..."
(from a beautiful song by a talented chamber pop band he he)
W H A T ' S W R O N G W I T H P E O P L E ?

Oddee
Destined to become one of my favourite blogs ever.
"A blog with over 3 million visits a month, it features the odd, strange and bizarre things of our world. Be amazed!"

Site of the week - Allvoices

2009-06-23T23:17:00.006+01:00

I'm recently getting back to the good old days when I would spend too much of my time in that paradise for socially handicapped people called Facebook.
Which means I belong to the category...? He he. Don't ask.
I almost abandoned it, and switched to Twitter.
Right. I have 2 accounts on Twitter now.
Still I love sharing photos. So currently I am addicted to both Facebook and Twitter.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH PEOPLE?

Anyway. I've just received an email by someone at Allvoices asking me to join their community. I must confess that I am flattered! Someone came across my blog and asked me to join. So, obviously I joined.
Anyway... I am too tired tonight to understand completely how the whole thing works, but it's like a community of bloggers who write and discuss about topics. And I just love it!
Maybe I will dedicate a little less time to Social Networking crap. Maybe I will spend less energy in loooong emails to my best friends Ali and Cecy. Or maybe I will just sleep even fewer hours than usual.

Please have a look and let me know if you join! My username is... Guess what... dreamsaddict :)

Allvoices

Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

2009-06-11T10:15:00.002+01:00

And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight

And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive

And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am

Site of the week - 64 Words for Aung San Suu Kyi

2009-06-08T08:08:00.003+01:00

I'm back! With a link to a site I want you all to visit.

64 Words for Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate, symbolises the struggle of Burma's people to be free. She has been detained for over 13 years by the Burmese regime for campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma.

64 For Suu is the global hub for supporting Aung San Suu Kyi on her 64th birthday (June 19th 2009).

Please visit the website and leave your birthday message!

64 Words for Aung San Suu Kyi

The Cardigans - Communication

2009-05-24T00:42:00.003+01:00

For 27 years I've been trying to believe and confide in
Different people I've found.
Some of them got closer than others
And someone wouldn't even bother and then you came around
I didn't really know what to call you, you didn't know me at all
But I was happy to explain.
I never really knew how to move you
So I tried to intrude through the little holes in your veins
And I saw you
But that's not an invitation
That's all I get
If this is communication
I disconnect
I've seen you, I know you
But I don't know
How to connect, so I disconnect

You always seem to know where to find me and I'm still here behind you
In the corner of your eye.
I'll never really learn how to love you
But I know that I love you through the hole in the sky.
Where I see you
And that's not an invitation
That's all I get
If this is communication
I disconnect
I've seen you, I know you
But I don't know
How to connect, so I disconnect

Well this is an invitation
It's not a threat
If you want communication
That's what you get
I'm talking and talking
But I don't know
How to connect
And I hold a record for being patient
With your kind of hesitation
I need you, you want me
But I don't know
How to connect, so I disconnect
I disconnect.

Perfect Quote

2009-05-12T22:10:00.002+01:00

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain

Site of the week - ToyVoyagers

2009-05-10T08:29:00.002+01:00

This time it was my funny work mate (actually boss!) who told me about this site:
ToyVoyagers - Travelling Toys - Little Things on Big Adventures.
Now be honest, it did make you smile :)

"If" by Rudyard Kipling

2009-05-10T08:27:00.000+01:00

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

The ultra-condensed book about happiness by Matthieu Ricard

2009-05-06T23:44:00.004+01:00

Semiserious tribute to a brilliant site I mentioned in a previous blog post: Book-A-Minute Classics.

Following are the ultra-condensed great lessons you can learn from the excellent book "Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill".
Do never forget them.

1. Who cares?

2. Who do you think you are?

3. Peace and love!

4. Rome wasn't built in a day.

5. Meditate, people, meditate.

Hehe. I will write more serious and boring posts about Ricard's philosophy one day.
But I thought this concise list would be of help :)

Camera Obscura - Country mile

2009-05-03T22:23:00.004+01:00

Silver Birch against a Swedish sky
The singer in the band made me want to cry
We're all inside our own heads now
We are leaving new friends
Leaving this town
I wish you could be here with me
I would show you off like a trophy
The road it winds, it twists, it turns, oh my stomach burns

Once again I'll be the foolish one
Thinking a blink of these lashes would make you come
Don't you worry, don't get in a state
I don't believe in true love anyway
Who's being pessimistic now
I could document this as our first, as our last row
The more you look forlorn, the more to you I warm.

I won't be seeing you for a long while
Oh I hope it's not as long as these country miles
I feel lost, I feel lost.

No I won't be seeing you for a long while
Oh I hope it's not as long as these country miles
I feel lost, I feel lost.

No I won't be seeing you for a long while
I hope it's not as long as these country miles
I feel lost, I feel lost.

No I won't be seeing you for a long while
I hope it's not as long as these country miles
I feel lost,
I feel lost,
I feel lost,
I got lost.

Site of the week - Worldometers

2009-05-02T07:49:00.005+01:00

I guess this has to be taken seriously, but honestly I think it's just mental.
And outrageously pointless.

On the other hand, I seem to be attracted by pointless stuff.
Enjoy :)

Worldometers

Belle and Sebastian - If you find yourself caught in love

2009-04-25T21:45:00.004+01:00

If you find yourself caught in love
Say a prayer to the man above
Thank Him for everything you know
You should thank Him for every breath you blow

If you find yourself caught in love
Say a prayer to the man above
Thank Him for every day you pass
You should thank Him for saving your sorry ass

If you're single, but looking out
You must raise your prayer out to a shout
Another partner must be found
Someone to take your life beyond
Another TV, I Love 1999
Just one more box of cheapo wine

If you find yourself caught in love
say a prayer to the man above
But if you don't listen to the voices
Then my friend you'll soon run out of choices
What a pity it would be
'Cause you talk of freedom don't you see
The only freedom that you'll ever really know
Is written in books from long ago

Give up your will to Him that loves you
Things will change, I'm not singing overnight
You've gotta start somewhere
Start by kidding on your care

If you find yourself out of love
Say a prayer for the one you love
Tell your boss that you've gone away
Down your tools for a holiday
But if you're going off to war
Then I wish you well
But don't be sore
If I cheer the other team
Killing people's not my scene
I prefer to give the inhabitants a say
Before you blow their town away
I like to watch them play
I like to marvel at the random beauty
Of a simple village girl
Why should she be the one who's killed?

If you find yourself caught in love

Site of the week - Passive-aggressive Notes

2009-04-22T07:28:00.002+01:00

I was very pleased to receive so much feedback after sharing on Facebook and Twitter a certain photo of a certain note stuck to the fridge by a certain flatmate.

Funny ex-colleague Kat, suggested that I visit this website - and I really loved it.

Passive-aggressive (and just plain aggressive) notes - no, your mother doesn’t work here.

The Painted Veil - W. Somerset Maugham

2009-04-17T07:53:00.004+01:00

I definitely have to thank my dearest Cecilia for talking about this movie and book in her blog. I didn't read her review, because I decided straight away that I had to watch the movie, possibly after reading the book.
What convinced me, was the awe-inspiring poster of the film.
I've been lucky enough to have the book lent by Kitty and David (thank you my friends!) and I read it in a few nights, and then I ran to the cinema to watch the movie.
First of all, you might know already how much I usually prefer the book rather than the movie version. And this is what happened.
But I liked the movie as well.
I just think it's a completely different story!!!

Anyway, let's start with the book.
I thought it was a romantic novel; I was more than wrong.
And, strangely enough, it's not a negative comment.
There is something else I really love reading besides romance (^_^): it's the characters' psychology. And this is one of the strong points of this books.

The story is quite simple.
The pretty and vain Kitty accepts to marry the boring and cold Walter Fane to run away from her ambitious mother and to get married before her uglier and younger sister Doris. Walter Fane brings her to Hong Kong (in the movie it's China, not Hong Kong) where he works long hours as a bacteriologist. Here the bored Kitty falls in love with the sexy English Vice Consul Charlie Townsend, and the two become lovers.
When Walter discovers that, he accepts to volunteer as a doctor in the village of Mei-tan-fu, where people are dying like flies because of a cholera epidemic.
Kitty is forced to go with him, after realizing that her lover has no intention to divorce his wife and leave his children to marry her.
In Mei-tan-fu, Kitty grows more mature, while Walter becomes even more silent than before, despising her in his heart, unable to forgive her.
He is eventually infected by cholera and dies. Kitty, pregnant (and not sure about the father) comes back to Hong Kong, where she falls once again in Charles's arms. Despising herself, she is ready to move back to her family's house. Her mother dies before she arrives, and Kitty is ready to start a new life with her father, who has never been respected and loved by his wife and daughters and finally deserves a happier life.

This is the original story.
Quite far from being romantic!

Kitty is a spoiled and fun loving lady, not particularly intelligent. But the reader can't help sympathizing with her. She is humane. She is down to earth. She admits her faults and she asks for forgiveness. Nobody is perfect, after all!
In Mei-tan-fu, witness of horrid deaths, she only asks her husband to be friends, not to make life harder than what it already is.
Walter, on the contrary, is a hopelessly repressed, boring, clumsy man. He should be handsome, but Kitty (and she's not alone!) is unable to be attracted by him. He is considerate, and polite, very intelligent, but it seems very difficult for Kitty to fall in love with him.

I haven't understood well why he fell in love with her, and what he expected from her. He knew every silly thought of her, he knew why she married him, he knew she didn't love him. And still, he fell in love with her and married her.
He was as passionate as an ice-lollipop, he talked to his wife only when strictly necessary, he loved his job more than her: how could he have been so shocked that his wife fell for the first good-looking idiot who wooed her properly?

At first, I hoped to see a new Mr. Darcy, or Masumi Hayami, to come out. Maybe the unfaithfulness could give him a shock and wake him up!
Wrong guess!
Walter is simply not humane, I would rather say diabolical.
He's proud and serious, unable to forgive a woman he probably idealized, till the end (and unable to forgive himself as well).

He gives me gooseflesh to imagine what was in his head when he decided to volunteer in Men-tan-fu. He got completely insane! I can imagine his devilish sneer when he told his wife about his decision.

If there were any doubts about his folly, the scene of his death would wipe them off. Kitty, who still doesn't love him but is sincerely sorry for him, asks him for forgiveness. Even if he's suffering badly, before dying he manages to say: "The dog it was that died".
Like everyone, when I finally learnt that it is the last line of Goldsmith's "An Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog", I looked up the poem in internet. I found it, read it, and my last hope of a sign of humanity from that icy dull robot disappeared.
The elegy is about a dog who bit a very good man. Everyone thought the man would die, but in the end it was the dog that died.
I will not comment what the poem actually symbolizes.
What did the mad man mean by whispering this verse before dying, is not 100% sure for me. I don't think he refers to cholera, but I think he refers to his wife and himself. Even if he knew he was committing suicide by volunteering in Men-tan-fu, he expected his wife to die.

I feel that the death of some characters is a source of relief, for Kitty (Walter's death) but also for Kitty's father (Kitty's mother's death).
Also, I would say that other two keywords for this novel are punishment and redemption.
Walter punished Kitty for her unfaithfulness, but life itself punished Walter and Kitty's mother (who dies without knowing about his husband's promotion) for their stupidity.
At the end of the book, Kitty is finally ready to start a new life, loving her father as she has never done before. The good ones are not the most virtuous ones, but the most humane ones, who made mistake and try to learn from them, who are able to forgive themselves and then the other ones.

I love the final scene of the reconciliation of father and daughter very much.
What a pity it has been completely cut off in the movie!
But this is not the only thing I don't like.
The poster of the movie reads "Forgiveness comes at a price".
Haha. I don't need to add anything.
Hollywood is Hollywood.
Walter Fane on the big screen is just someone else. He's sexy and charming, he's far from looking boring and cold; in Men-tan-fu he shows his feelings for his wife more than once and eventually jumps on her (lucky Naomi!!!). He becomes sweet and passionate, he doesn't even care about the fact that he might not be the father of Kitty's baby. Who's this man who stole Walter's role?
Honestly, I enjoyed the movie. The photography is very good, Naomi Watts is perfect, Ed Norton is: wow! The movie is skilfully created to enter your heart and break it into pieces.

I really like the movie if I consider it an other story from the book I read.

1. Walter is not Walter the robot, but a sexy mortal man who makes teenagers' eyes get starry (LOL am I a teenager?)
2. Charlie is less charming than Walter's shoes, while in the book he's supposed to be irresistible.
3. The Mother Superior is neglected in the movie, but in the book she is one of the most wonderful characters
4. I wrote this already, the final scene has been cut off! *sigh*
5. In the last part, Kitty says that she hopes her baby will be a girl, so that she can give her a different education from the one she has received. When I read that, I thought: "Haha, at the cinema it would be a boy, named after the father - actually supposed father". I've seen that too many times in the movies. I hoped so much this wouldn't happen in this movie. Unluckily, it happened :p
6. In hte movie Kitty ignores Charlie when she meets him again in China (in the book Hong Kong) after Walter's death. But well, since Kitty in the movie basically falls in love with Walter, which never happens in the book, this is not too surprising!!!

In spite of that, the movie is worth seeing.
The novel is not so popular, so if you don't care about reading a very good book, don't bother. If you do, just watch the movie forgetting the book.
Fall in love with Ed Norton's Walter, and cry for his death, and enjoy the photography. There are a few beautiful romantic scenes created for the movie (I like the scene of the piano very much!).
And, my very favourite scene in the book exists also in the movie!
I'm talking about the scene where she eats salad in Men-tan-fu, even if it's very dangerous, and then he eats it too. It's completely insane, perfect for Maya and Masumi! I got crazy when I read that part!!!

→ Highly recommended!
→ I also really love the soundtrack. Lang Lang rocks!!!

REM - Everybody hurts

2009-04-16T09:01:00.002+01:00

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, hang on.
Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes..

Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it's time to sing along.
When your day is night alone, hold on, hold on.
If you feel like letting go, hold on.
If you think you've had too much of this life, hang on.

'Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends.
Everybody hurts. Don't throw your hand. Oh, no. Don't throw your hand.
If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone.

If you're on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,
When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on.

Well, everybody hurts sometimes,
Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes.
And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on.
Hold on, hold on. Hold on, hold on. Hold on, hold on.
Everybody hurts. You are not alone.

Site of the week - Matthieu Ricard

2009-04-14T21:48:00.003+01:00

Did you lose any reference points?
Is your working environment as friendly as the Artic circle?
Is food no longer a pleasure and still you find yourself overweight?

Do you keep wondering if there is a way to be truly happy?

If you answered no to this last question, it might be a good sign. You could be one of the few lucky human beings who are actually happy.
In that case, please write me :)
I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Otherwise, this website might be of interest.
Matthieu Ricard.
This man is a French Buddhist Monk who lives in Nepal. He wrote several books.
I heard of him thanks to my dearest Cecilia, who sent me his essay "Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill" as a (very appreciated) present.
I am still reading it, but I thought I would introduce this great philosopher and photographer to you. Have a look at his site!

Peace and love!

Site of the week - Charity Caritas Italiana

2009-04-07T00:02:00.009+01:00

Sorry, no funny, artistic or demential websites this time.

Earthquake in Abruzzo, April 6th 2009

* 150 reported dead *edited: unfortunately the number almost doubled*
* 1500 injured
* 10,000 buildings affected
* 50,000 people affected
* The affected region is 50 miles North East of Rome.
* Epicentre at Tornimparte, Abruzzo.
* It's the older towns that really suffered, though there are cases of some modern buildings that have collapsed.
* International help from Russia / France / Greece has been offered.
* L'Aquila hospital suffered. First Aid was delivered to casualties in the street.
* Aftershock smaller tremours are making rescue dangerous.
* Map of the locations suffered in the earthquake here thanks to ANSA. Click the small map at the bottom of their page to see in detail.

Italian Earthquake Abruzzo Official Donations website is the Italian Charity Caritas Italiana.

Ace of Base - Ravine

2009-04-04T07:16:00.002+01:00

Have you heard, have you heard?
About this girl who was ripped up by her roots
Wanna know what she learned?
Like humility - you win when you lose

I have learned, I have learned
The most horrifying nights have an end
I was hurt, I was lost
In the dark I found a way to a friend

I am standing here in my ravine
Once again I see a piece of the sky
And my joy'll never be denied
'Cause I was meant to be here -
The only place on earth
Where you are near, where you are near

Was a flower, was so frail
And I let the trees grow wild around me
Grew so high, hid the sky
Shaded everything I needed to see

Then one night, someone came
Took a knife and ripped me up by my roots
Tossed astray, far away
In my darkest night, I started to pray

I am standing...

Why do you, why do you ask?
Why I'm not blaming my God?
I'll tell you, I'll tell you what
He was the only one there

I am standing...

Site of the week - Book-A-Minute Classics

2009-03-31T23:53:00.004+01:00

Shame!
Why is it that such a brilliant website doesn't have a decent design and, most important thing, hasn't been updated in a long time?
Yet, I chose it for the cool idea. It makes me laugh, and I love laughing :)

Book-A-Minute Classics - The Ultra-Condensed Classic Books.

If you are not a bookworm, you might not appreciate :)

Site(s) of the week(s) - Engrish Funny & PostSecret

2009-03-20T20:41:00.002Z

This post is valid for two weeks since last week I forgot to post my 'site of the week' link. Hope you didn't suffer too much because of that :)

PostSecret
PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people
mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.
Some are pathetic, but some are so brilliant! Definitely worth having a look from time to time!

EngrishFunny
Engrish Pictures That Is Your Funny Engrish.
I shouldn't laugh too much because my English is not better than that.
And because English people should appreciate that the rest of the world tries to speak their language.
But well, some of the posts are really funny.

Happy weekend everyone!

Daughter of China - The true story of forbidden love in modern China

2009-03-18T00:20:00.002Z

Something I bet you were waiting for!! A book review! Yeah!

Actually, love is the least involving aspect of this page turner!
This doesn't mean to be a negative comment: the plot turned out to be completely different from what I expected - much, much better!
My interest for Chinese contemporary authors is reaching obsessive levels...

The story is settled in China during the years of the Cultural Revolution.
Meihong Xu is a strong-willed and determined young woman, born in a country village in a family of peasants. A passionate idealist and a dreamer, fascinated by the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army since her childhood, and with so many examples of heroic behaviour in her family to guide her, she becomes a member of the elite intelligent corps. And she is asked to spy on a professor of hers, the American Larry Engelmann.
The more Meihong gets to know him, the more she believes he is just a innocent, naive man. And she is attracted by him. Needless to say, the professor can't help being fascinated by this brilliant woman from such a different and charming country, who unlike her compatriots talks to him and even enjoys it...

This is just the beginning of a thoroughly enthralling true story, where a forbidden love affair is just the beginning of a chain reaction that will end up destroying Meihong's life in China and giving her a chance to start a new one.
In my humble opionion, things would have ended up the same way even without Larry Engelmann, at least as far as Meihong's faith in China and the Communist dictatorship. But well, the American element adds some Hollywood style and a sort of happy ending.
Happy ending... Larry calls it like that. I think he is trying to convince himself rather than us.
Personally, I found it very sad.
I mean, compared to the heart-wrenching real-life stories wonderfully described by Xinran in "The good women of China" and even in "Sky burial", Meihong's story has an happy ending indeed. Still, I feel so sorry for this woman.
I sympathize with her very much. She is clever and enthusiastic about learning something new.

She is a dreamer, an idealist; she is extremely ambitious and she needs to be independent.
It seems to me that she doesn't fit in anywhere, that she wants too much from life.
I believe that this is the destiny of any hopeless dreamer.
At the same time, I cannot help wondering if her life is just an other life stolen by the Communist dictatorship, just in a more subtle and less 'physical' way than the poor victims in the books mentioned above. Why was Meihong luckier than them? Probably because she was a high-ranking officer of the PLA and because she had very good connections.

What I like of this book is... Almost everything.
It gives a very interesting portrait of China during the cultural revolution, most interesting for me because from an high-ranking officer's point of view. You can follow step by step a detailed psychological analysis of an enthusiastic child and later cadet who grows up and finds it harder and harder to repress her feelings of distrust and disenchantment and who eventually just fights for her own life, against the country and the party she literally lived for.

Also, besides Meihong's life, we learn about her parents' and grandparents' lives, and
personally I was deeply touched by all of those stories, at least as much as I was by Meihong's story. There are also the other students of the academy, especially the other eleven Pandas (the only girl cadets), secretly bound by the same unrevealed feelings and loyal to each other like to nobody else. There are two men, Lin Cheng and then Larry Engelmann, deeply in love with their ex-wife. And there are a lot of other characters, the General, the Colonel, the man who gives Meihong a lift, the train conductors, even the nameless students of Tiananmen Square...
All of them give their contribute to make this story unforgettable.

There is something I have to say though. The story is told from Meihong's point of view, but Larry is the writer. The story is said to be a true story, but how much has been censored? How much filtered? How much embellished?
Meihong herself was trained to lie and proved that she could do it amazingly well.
Isn't there a chance she deliberately omitted or changed some parts of the story for some reason? Or that Larry himself wanted to make the story more romantic or dramatic or whatever?

Anyway, I guess this doesn't matter after all.
Whether fiction or not, this is a book you will not only enjoy but fall in love with.

A link to a very interesting review:
Weekend Reading: Daughter of China

Site of the week - U Couldn't Make It Up

2009-03-10T08:51:00.005Z

Not that it needs my help to be popular, since it has just been launched and in one day gets more hits than my blog in a month, but I can't help thinking that the site of the week is my colleague Chris's new blog.
Worth having a look, it's too much fun. :)
U Couldn't Make It Up - A series of bizarre tales and encounters

Site of the week - The Kindness Offensive

2009-03-01T11:55:00.003Z

So glad to see there are some nice people in London.
Those guys rock! :) I am a big fan of them now.

The Kindness Offensive

Site of the week - Industrious Clock

2009-02-24T22:50:00.004Z

The "Site of the Week" blog entry is usually posted on Sunday or Monday, but this weekend I was busy with treating myself :)
While searching for birthday presents for a friend, I finally found the mug I have been looking for since I first saw it months and months ago at a friend's house.
Now it's on my desk and makes my day :)

Anyway.

The site of the week is a site I first saw with when I was a university student.
I thought it was brilliant (and insane at the same time) :)
I've just remembered it after so many years and I am so happy to find that it's still online.

Industrious Clock

Food in Golders Green

2009-02-22T17:59:00.004Z

I fell in love with Golders Green at first sight. It's beautiful and tranquil, there is an amazing park, and it's very well served by tube, buses and even a coach to Stansted Airport. Last but definitely not least, if you like food as much as I do, this place is heaven :)

First of all, there are loads of Jewish bakeries. Only the scent in the air is enough to make your day :) I am crazy for holla (aka challah) bread...

Secondly, There are 3 Asian (Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Korean) food shops, the biggest of which is Seoul Plaza. Thanks to them, I had a chance to eat delicious things like Lotte Yukimi Daifuku. I had been dreaming about it since the day my pen pal Masasumi told me about it - years ago. I have never been to Japan (sigh) but at least I could eat this mouth-watering sweet wonder.

Finally, there are some Italian restaurants. One is Pizzeria L'Artista, next to the tube station. Not as good as La Porchetta in Chalk Farm, in my opinion, still I enjoy eating there and I even went there with my dear friend Cecilia from Napoli(!).

Most important, between Golders Green and Hendon there is the restaurant with the most beautiful name in the world!!!

Site of the week - The First Worldwide Website Where Nothing Happens

2009-02-15T00:12:00.004Z

This time it was a nice colleague of mine who told me about this website.
It became immediately one of my very favourite sites ever.
Pure genius!!! No more words are needed...

The First Worldwide Website Where Nothing Happens.

Geishas and Fiction

2009-02-14T08:52:00.004Z

Geishas and Fiction - Part 1

Among the old blog posts, I found several ones about a movie I watched years ago: "Memoirs of a geisha". I previously read the book by Arthur Golden and I loved it, more than I loved the movie. Even though I must say that Ken Watanabe is awesome!
Anyway thanks to the movie I had a chance to ask my Japanese pen pals about their opinion. I could more easily find some Japanese people who watched the movie rather than read the book.

Oh by the way, the Japanese title of the movie is "Sayuri".

This is a summary of what my Japanese pen pals told me (don't blame the messenger!):

1. A very small number of Japanese watched it.
2. The Japanese who watched it didn't like it.
3. Japanese generally give a hard look at Hollywood movies about Japan
4. The atmosphere of the town and the lines isn't like Kyoto. Japanese feel like wondering "Where are we?"
5. It seemed like a story of Edo period, but actually the very beginning is in the early Showa period. (Edo period: 1603-1867, Showa period: 1926-1989)
6. Some people expected to see the traditional performance of geisha and where disappointed
7. Screen image, costumes, and actresses are very beautiful, but Zhang Ziyi has broad shoulders, too long legs and arms, too small face, so her kimono looks like put on a hunger. The actresses don't walk as a real geisha would walk
8. Kimono is not put on correctly. Generally speaking, kimono doesn't fit good on a tall woman. The obi (kimonos' belt) is often fastened in a wrong way
9. Sayuri's performance was not Japanese at all (this is exactly what I thought when I saw it!!!)
10. After all, the movie is American ^_^

Geishas and Fiction – Part 2

In another post, I sort of wrote a letter to Mineko Iwasaki commenting on her reaction to the publication of the book by Arthur Golden.

I read that the geisha Iwasaki Mineko, who inspired the book Memoirs of a Geisha, was really mad at the author Arthur Golden. She felt betrayed by the writer who had been interviewing her while he was working at the book. She read the book in delay because she had to wait for a Japanese translation. She said that Golden took the story of her life and wrote it in the form of a novel, adding many invented details and lies. In her opinion, the book is only about sex, and the heroine looks like a prostitute. Iwasaki Mineko is afraid that the readers may think she is a prostitute. She also added that in the book women look like stupid beings, running after money and changing men often. She said that the geisha system is just created to give women a chance to get independance: We are artists, sex has got nothing to do with it.

1. Sorry madam, but how would you expect that an American man could make a likely Japanese movie and understand your culture perfectly? After all, it's Hollywood.

2. I like the book. I didn't think Geishas are prostitutes, and I didn't think women look stupid. They look mean, vindictive, ready to do anything to reach for their goal, spiteful, competitive, but this is because they are unfortunate. They are obliged to act like that to be the most popular and the richest so that they can hope to be independent. Also, they are very smart and cunning.

3. Sorry, but I think sex has got much to do with it. I respect geishas and I am not here to judge anyone. Their situation is better than being prostitutes. But I cannot see them as free or independent women.

3.a. They have been sold by their families in most cases, probably because of poverty. This means they didn't choose to be geishas.

3.b.They are artists indeed, but their goal is finding a danna, that is a man who will mantain them... Right? I think they have sex with their danna, am I wrong?

3.c. Of course, many Westen women (and also men) have sex and even get married for money. But this is a choice they make as adults, not something they are destined to and trained for since they were kids.

3.d. Moreover, what about mizuage? The young geisha sells her virginity to the man who makes the best offer. I think this has got much to do with sex.

3.e. Maybe the only independant geishas are the ones who manage to be adopted by the Mothers of the oikya and become Mothers themselves. But what about the geishas who are not adopted? Will they all have a sad life like Hatsumomo?
And anyway, I think they they are not young when they become Mothers, so they cannot live a normal life, getting married and having children. Also, a Mother lives thanks to other young Geishas, so it's like a never ending circle.

3.f. Anyway, can a Geisha, at least a Geisha who becomes a Mother get married???
(and even if she could, I think a Mother of oikya is too old to have kids, am I right?)

3.g. They say a Geisha is forbidden to fall in love.
Once again, why? If a geisha is independent, why can't she fall in love?
She is a slave of the oikya, isn't she?

3.h. Last question. I would really like to know if Geishas have sex only with their dannas and with the best bidder for her mizuage. So, should I believe Geishas are so well paid just to talk, serve tea, dance and play music? I already said that I am not here to judge, I would really love to understand how it really works. Is there someone who can tell me the truth about it?

Anyway, I read an interesting interview to Mineko Iwasaki.
She says that everything is a lie, even the mizuage thing. Honestly I don't believe her completely. How is it possible that all these things have been invented by foreigners? Maybe she was a lucky geisha. She said she never had sex, not even at her mizuage, and she retired at the age of 29, got married and have kids.

Forgive me, but I think she was an exception.
Moreover, Mineko Iwasaki was born after the second world war, and I guess the Gion quarter could be completely different from the Gion where the book take place.

Geishas and Fiction - Part 3

I finally read Mineko Iwasaki's autobiography "Geisha of Gion".

I really wanted to know what this woman has to say, after suing Mr. Golden who wrote "Memoirs of a Geisha".
Let me say that since the beginning I had prejudices against this lady and her book.

I had just read Sayo Masuda's heart-rending and desperate Autobiography of a Geisha, and I was expecting a cold, boring and hypocritical book written by a rich lady who wants to redeem herself after Mr. Golden's best-seller slandered her (I don't think it did slander anyone, but I respect her feelings).
Well, this is true only in part.
There are several things I have to remark, but believe me, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as much as I enjoyed the other one. I'm getting keen on autobiographies this year!

The very first reason why I liked "Geisha of Gion" is that Iwasaki Mineko is an aesthete, and so am I. The whole book is overflowing with detailed description of precious kimonos and
accessories, with passion and obsession for art, dance, beauty.
Her interest for this "visual" aspect of life surely takes after their parents, as she said, anyway it is a leit-motiv and obsession through her whole life.
Only this would be enough for me. Her book is almost "painted". This is what I felt by reading it. And as you might suspect, I couldn't help falling in love with her enchanting flower and willow world.

The second remarkable thing in this book, is Mineko Iwasaki's peculiar character.
Since her childhood, she has been quite original.
Asocial, reserved, stubborn, but also extremely proud and self-assured, sometimes I think she has (and had) a superiority complex!
This lack of modesty, sometimes is annoying, but on the other hand attracts the reader. She runs the risk of being too big-headed, but on the other hand, she sacrificed her life to reach for their goals. She has been ambitious to distraction, but she has undoubtedly worked hard. Talented, but hard-worker. Big-headed, but she was objectively the best and most requested (= paid) geisha at her time. I am attracted by people like that.
So, this is probably the second reason why I found this book so interesting. I guess it's not so easy to find a person who admits so clearly their self-confidence and feelings, especially if they are Japanese.

Anyway, while I was reading the whole book, I couldn't help thinking that this was Mineko Iwasaki's story, not a common Geisha's story.
This is clear in every aspect of it. But she is not the only geisha who wrote an autobiography. I will not say she lied, but all the autobiographies contain their own truth.

Now, I can compare only two autobiographies.
But there are already so many things to say.

First off, the two lives are completely different as far as location (Gion in Kyoto Vs a rural hot-spring resort in Nagano Prefecture), time (Mineko Iwasaki was born in 1949, Sayo Masuda in 1925, and prostitution became illegal in 1957-1958 in Japan) but also family.
Sayo Masuda was an unwanted child sold by her uncle to a hot spring resort.
Mineko Iwasaki decided on her own to become a geisha. Several older sisters were sold to the same oikya before, but she didn't have to. She was the youngest one, and her parents adored her. They didn't need money any longer since their business were going well. And still, she fell in love with kimonos, tea houses and especially traditional dance. She wanted to be the best dancer ever.
If Mineko Iwasaki's eldest sister had written her autobiography, it would have been full of hatred and resentment!

I think those info are enough to make you understand how different there two life experiences can be. Actually, they have nothing in common, except a very strong personality.
One struggled to survive, the other to be the best. I respect both in the same way.

I don't want to insist too much about Mizuage, anyway let me say that maybe the "Prostitution Prevention Act" made the difference in the two women's lives.
Actually, Sayo Masuda even complains against the Prevention Act, since the poor ones like her found themselves unable to survive once their only job became illegal. She thinks this law is hypocritical. I found this comment quite strange, but I can't help thinking she has a point. What an interesting topic to discuss about!
Anyway, Sayo Masuda makes it clear what her Mizuage was, and actually her 'first time' was sold more than once to different customers!
With that, I will not say that Mineko Iwasaki is a liar. Lucky her, she just celebrated with a big ceremony. But again, times changed, and she lived in a such a different and more refined area. Also, she was considered the best performer. She made a lot of money. Maybe less talented geishas led less virtuous lives. I'm not criticizing anyone, but I just can't accept it, that someone who claims she has never farted in her life (she was offended when the doctor asked her about that, after an appendicitis operation if I remember well), someone who has never complained about teachers who would make Tsukikage-sensei get pale, only because she wanted to be the best dancer ever, thinks she is the only one who knows how the world goes.

I recommend both the books to anyone!!! :)

Site of the week - Everyday people

2009-02-08T22:56:00.003Z

Thanks to my dear Kirsten, I found this lovely website with so absurdely true examples of how a woman's mind works :)
Everyday people: Cartoons about women, and the people who love to annoy them by Cathy Thorne.

Available also in the blog version.

Kirsten and I so much identify with this one.

Have a lovely week everyone!!

Maya no Garasu no Kamen stats

2009-02-03T23:41:00.004Z

Yes, it's a manga fan site, and it's mostly plain html, but it's the site I've worked the hardest and the site I'm most proud of.
An average of 500 hits a day, from all over the world.
Not as many feedback emails as I would love to receive, still very encouraging and supportive messages from many countries.
On February 1st, the site had more than 900 hits.
Thanks to all my visitors!!!

Maya no Garasu no Kamen

Garasu no Kamen 43 and the site of the week: Pimp That Snack

2009-02-02T13:50:00.009Z

Last night I updated Maya no Garasu no Kamen. It was a hard job: a lot of copy to write, info to update and so on. I was so tired that I couldn't actually check my updates. I will make some amends soon, but the so much wanted synopses are there already :)
Special thanks to Enju, Shion and Kate :)

Now, I need to ask for help with the cover images of volume 43. I might use my mailing list :) Fans from all over the world, please help me!

Today I decided that once a week I want to talk about a website I like.
So, since my New Year's Resolution Number 1 is 'eating less', and as far as diets my will power is ridiculous, what site could be more appropriate than Pimp That Snack?
The level of obsession these people show is almost equal to mine.
Sublime. Indulge and enjoy.

Garasu no Kamen, volume 43.

2009-01-25T21:36:00.006Z

I can hardly believe it's true!
After more than 4 years since the publication of the controversial 42nd volume, tomorrow, January 26th 2009, volume 43 will be published in Japan.
I am more envious than ever of whoever is in Japan and/or of who can read Japanese.
I wrote to the Italian publishing house months ago, so I hope the manga will be translated into my language in no more than 3 months.

Will the story be the same as the one we read in the 4 issues of Hana to Yume or not?
I am dying to know. I guess I will pester some dear friends of mine to get the answers as soon as possible!!! :)
I so need to update my fan site with precious info! :)
Maya no Garasu no Kamen → Stay tuned! :)

Will Miuchi Sensei make us wait years before we can read the next tankoubon?
Unfortunately, nobody can answer this question. But well, let's enjoy this long-awaited volume 43.

Hakusensha Website

One of my favourite websites ever - Wish Tree

2009-01-22T20:33:00.006Z

This is one of my very favourite websites ever, if not my very favourite one.
The idea is so simple, yet powerful in its simplicity: everybody has wishes to make.
Alex created a little cute place where people can record their wishes, deciding if they want to keep them private or public and support other people's wishes.

It doesn't have many fancy features as a social networking site, even though you can add people as friends to follow their wishes; you cannot even send private messages and even personal profiles are very basics. This is exactly how it has to be: we didn't need an other Facebook, and people who make wishes generally want to keep anonimity.

The design of this site is exquisite, the background colour can be changed by selecting one of the 8 available, the tag cloud is so originally used that it makes everything even more precious.

Could Dreamsaddict not fall in love with such a little web treasure?

Visit Wish Tree

Village of Stone - Xiaolu Guo

2009-01-17T16:51:00.004Z

I am planning to republish a few book reviews from my old blog, and I will start with one of my very favourite books ever. This review means very much for me also because it was praised by an English tutor, in spite of the fact that she never liked me :)

"Village of Stone", by Xiaolu Guo

Coral is 28 years old. She lives with her boyfriend Red on the ground floor of a 25-storey block in Beijing. She works part-time in a video rental shop.
Her boyfriend is not doing much with his life, but he's financially helped by his parents. His only interest seems to be taking part and winning at Frisbee competitions.
The couple lives a quite squalid and monotonous life.
One day, Coral receives a packet. The sender's details are illegible, but it was sent from the Village of Stone, the poor small village of fishermen where she came from. It contains a giant dried eel.

This is the beginning of a long journey to a past which Coral wanted to forget, and of which not even Red is aware of.
Little by little, we learn about the lonely childhood of an unfortunate girl.
Her mother died after giving birth to her and her father fled from the village to escape the fishermen's life; he never came back, otherwise he would have been imprisoned for his bourgeois ideas.
She lived with her grandparents, who hated each other and never talked to each other, until one day her grandfather committed suicide.
This semi-abandoned creature became an easy prey for the devilish mute, who harassed and eventually raped her.
Later, she fell in love with the school teacher, Mr. Mou, who got her pregnant and forced her to abort. Someway the rumours spread, and Coral left and started a new life in Beijing...

We'll never find out who sent the eel. But its smell spread all over the building and its tasty flesh that feeds the two young people every day seem to suggest that Coral has still something that binds her to the Village of Stone.
Moreover, a man who claims to be her father visits her one morning, just to let her know that he's dying with throat cancer.
At the beginning, Coral thinks he's just a mad man or a maniac and she wants to forget about him. She's got something else to think about. She is pregnant, and she is going to have an abortion.
Unexpectedly, Red asks her to keep the baby and to get married.
Finally, both have something to cling to.

Coral is ready to start a new life, but before that she still has something to do. She manages to find the man who claimed to be her father and to spend with him the painful last few days of his life.
Then, she visits the Village of Stone with Red, and prays for the souls of her grandparents, and of all the dead people of the village, included the mute ("if there really is an afterlife, I hope that the mute will be reincarnated as a person with the power of speech, so that he can know how it feels to speak, to scream and to cry").

Red loses his Frisbee in the sea of the Village of Stone. In any case, the baby he wants to have changes him as it changed Coral. He eventually finds a job and the couple is ready to move to a new house.

I simply adore this book.

I love the perfect way it's written. I love the gloomy atmosphere. I love the presence of the sea everywhere: terrible cause of destruction and death but also source of food for all the villagers; you can hear the sound of its waves in the background, you can smell the brackish air everywhere; the same sea used to be Coral's only friend.

I love the sense of silence.
There was silence between Coral's grandparents.
The villagers hardly talked to Coral's grandmother, since she was a foreigner.
Coral's grandfather killed himself silently, without an explanation.
The mute himself was the most frightening and mischievous character.
Coral didn't have many people to talk to. Also, she never told anyone about the mute's harassment. Moreover, when she was kept prisoner in his house, a rug was stuffed into her mouth, to prevent her from shouting.
The mutes' parents saw what their son was doing, but they didn't say or do anything.
It's not written in the book, but in such a small village, I believe it's impossible that nobody saw what was happening. And still, nobody said anything.
Coral and the man who claimed to be her father couldn't talk to each other. He had his vocal cords removed.
In a way, silence brings the idea of death all around.
Coral's first baby, who had never been born, was not even allowed to cry.
But things have changed, and a new life will start soon.

I love the message of not forgetting about one's origins. Coral with her last visit to the Village of Stone forgave everyone, and forgave life. Finally she found peace.
I would like to quote the whole book, but let me just write part of the ending chapter, when Coral visits the cemetery of the Village of Stone.

"I feel a profound grief, as if my heart is filled with sorrow. It is a sorrow that emanates from these graves, these graves marked with names I know and names I will never know. I grieve for the dead. I have grown up, moved away from the village and become an adult woman. But none of the occupants of this cemetery will ever know this. I want to offer something to each of them, some sort of memorial, no matter how frightening or hateful hey were while alive. All that is left of their lives is this yellow earth, this ancient soil.
I stand in the cemetery on the far side of the mountain and weep. As the harsh ocean winds buffet my skin, I feel the tears down my face, falling to the parched, dry earth below.
On my last day in the village, I face in the direction of the mountain cemetery, kneel down and touch my head to the ground. There, buried in the shadow of the Temple of the Sea Goddess, on that hillside looking out to the sea, are the souls who will live on for ever in my heart."

Excellent book. One of the very best novels I've ever read!

I didn't resist too much, did I?

2009-01-14T02:01:00.001Z

Ladies and gents,

I am back already.
How much you missed me, huh? :)

I am still working at this blog, but I hope it won't take me too much.
I should have been finished today, but I am falling asleep.
The Italian private blog will follow... How exciting!

The most stunning piece of news is that I dramatically reduced the time I spend on Facebook and I couldn't care less!! Something to be proud of :)

*Peace and love*

Francesca, listening to (and adoring) Hayley Westenra, Belle and Sebastian, Muse.