People person

I like people. Well, I don’t actually like them, but I find them interesting.

Why? Because people generally have a peculiar way of being. They can simultaneously be mad, sad, violent, calm, hypocrites, gentle, helpful, irritated. It all depends. It depends on the environment, on the abhorring stare of someone in the bus to work, on the books one reads and so on.

It’s great to look at one person and try to imagine his or her past, to picture a reason for a frown, to decipher the meaning of every wrinkle, to try and learn something new. People are interesting because they’re always surprising. I’m not a fool, I know the
world isn’t all that rosy, flowery and good. There are good people and bad people, there are people concerned with their future, there are people who don’t have a future, there are people who make millions and there are people who beg for mercy. In spite of it all, the world is great. To me it’s just like the Indonesian motto: “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” (There is unity in diversity).
Following the advice of a friend, or perhaps not a friend, but a person whose advice was well-meant:
It’s a matter of surrounding yourself with those who cherish life, cherish fun, cherish wit, cherish you.

The pictures are of people in Maramures, Romania, the region I was born in. I like to return to that part of Romania as often as I can, not only because the landscape is unique, but because the people are unique. Somehow, civilization hasn’t affected them as much and they still feel the need to base their lives on tradition. Sad to say this only applies to some old folks who still have some solid creeds. The youth, well, they are more into cell-phones, cars, motorcycles and the like. It’s understandable. We’re “evolving”.

We used to laugh a lot, oh don’t you
Remember the days of the old schoolyard
When we had imaginings and we had
All kinds of things and we laughed
And needed love… yes, i do
Oh and i remember you
Remember the days of the old schoolyard
We used to cry a lot, oh don’t you
Remember the days of the old schoolyard
When we had simplicity and we had
Warm toast for tea and we laughed
And needed love.. yes, i do
Oh and i remember you

(Cat Stevens – Old Schoolyard)

Can’t keep it in

Ascultand muzica de ani 70 ma gandesc la vremea anilor de dinainte sa ma fi nascut. Anii 70. Muzica buna, oameni interesanti si multa iubire.

Cum inca ma incadrez, conform normelor, in tiparul adolescentului, ma gandesc la iubirea adolescentina. Nu sunt prost. Sau asta imi place sa cred. Stiu ca nu e totul roz. De fapt, gandindu-ma la Camil Petrescu stiu ca totul nu e roz. El are un fel foarte ciudat de a intelege iubirea. Imi vine in cap acum pasajul din Ultima noapte de dragoste, intaia noapte de razboi cand Stefan Gheorghidiu defineste iubirea. Chiar daca nu mai stiu exact pasajul, stiu ca mi-a placut definitia lui. Poate pentru ca eu nu aveam una si m-am identificat automat cu ea.

Mie imi place Camil Petrescu asta. Adica, uite, in toate romanele lui si operele de teatru, iubirea nu se realizeaza (macar e original). Cuplul e pus mereu in fata despartirii (a frangerii bratelor, cum ar zice prietenul nostru, N.S.). Ma tot intreb de ce. Poate ca a avut o problema cu femeile, poate a fost maltratat in copilarie de dadaca lui, poate singura lui iubire nu l-a iubit asa cum s-a asteptat, poate e misogin, sau poate nu. Oricum, el are un fel foarte ciudat de a intelege “sexul frumos” (nu stiu cine a inventat sintagma femeie = “sex slab” dar putea foarte bine sa fie Petrescu). Din ce-am citit, el considera ca iubirea nu se poate realiza pentru ca femeia e inferioara barbatului si deci intr-o continua incercare de a se ridica la nivelul “sexului puternic” . Pana si personajele din romanele / operele dramatice reflecta ideea asta: intr-o anumita interpretare ( UNDD,INDR: Ela = El + a = completarea masculului, Act Venetian: Alta = nu, nu e un nume italian, chiar e o alta, o oarecare). Omul asta stia oare ce-i iubirea? Chiar daca stia, chiar daca nu, el tot o definea. Acum ma gandesc cum as defini-o eu.

Cum iubesc eu? Cum ar trebui sa iubesc? Cine stabileste cum trebuie sa iubesti? Ce-i aia iubire absoluta?

Imi place sa cred ca iubesc romantic, religios si incerc sa iubesc neconditionat. Ar trebui sa iubesc neegoist. Nimeni. In clasa a IX-a credeam, la fel ca un personaj al lui Camil Petrescu, ca iubirea absoluta e un tot de iubiri mai mici. M-am ars, nu-i asa.

Iubiti-va ba, iubiti-va. Iubiti-va intens, tandru, instantaneu, la lumina lumanarii, in debara sau in masina. Daca nu va place cum iubiti, ascultati muzica. Dupa ceva timp n-o sa va mai trebuiasca muzica. Iubirea voastra o sa fie muzica.

Moonshadow

Happy New Year, y’all!

I’m sorry for the absence. I didn’t find the time to be more involved in updating this blog. I still think of it (the blog) as a small child craving attention. I believe the Child Services/Social Officers would have long forced me to give up my parental rights, were this blog really a person. Therefore, I apologize.

I wanted to take some time and write a New Year’s post, but I started packing and forgot all about it. As far as I remember, the main point of the post I had thought about was the twenties. Yes, the famed “roaring twenties”. I like everything about that period, although I haven’t read much about it, or seen a lot of movies on this theme. All the same, I like it. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed Gatsby and all the related Fitzgeraldian writings. Visualizing the scenery while reading Fitzgerald has sparked my interest in the twenties. Apart from the visual memory which helps in i-don’t-know-what percent of cases, it’s the olfactory memory that works magic for me. I’m not crazy, but every time I think about that period of time, there’s this indescribable sensation in my stomach and what’s more important, a combination of fragrances that helps define a cozy, warm atmosphere of coffee shops, mobsters and old music.

As we are in 2008, I cannot help but think about the new-twenties, the 2020’s. Will they be the same? Will they have the same impact as their younger siblings had? Yes, I’m a nostalgic, but I’m ok with it. I don’t mind being told that living in the past equals death. I know it’s not that. I just like to evoke certain periods of time that have somehow interested me. I’m still anchored in reality, no doubt there, but I find it extremely rewarding to occasionally escape to another world, be it through a theatrical performance or through some quality time spent in front of a book.

As a New Year’s Resolution, I think I would like to get more in touch with my inner-self, to get hold of a better understanding of who I am or what my purpose is. What’s more, in 2008 I’d like to be more of a child. Although I’m technically a grown-up, I don’t want to think of myself as such. I’m still a kid. I enjoy good jokes, my grandmother’s baked cookies and the free time in the winter breaks. Looking at the modern grownups, I decided I didn’t want to be like them – an endless circle of work-food-sleep is no life for me. I am completely aware I currently find myself on the first step of adulthood and that I have not yet fully understood the concept of hard-work (a.k.a. there’s more to come). Even so, I would like my life to be enjoyable. I’d like to have time to take photos, hike, jog, or read my favorite author each night. I’ll let you know how many of these I’ll be able to actually achieve.

Here’s to a good year. Not necessarily a better year than the last, but a good year in general.

Oh, one more thing. I hope I can live up to my off-the-record new year’s resolution: to keep the blog updated.

Wishing you the very best,

Yours faithfully.