Bubble's blog
This blog is a mish-mash of stuff that I make or that I simply come across in my everyday drifting. Everything you´re about to experience here has been carefully chosen and hopefully some of the things shared below will even blow you away...
Tuesday 24 September 2013
Monday 23 September 2013
What if I can choose to make my life simple?
What if today can be less about "the usual do do list" and so much more about "the to be list"?
So here goes!
Today I choose to be open, instead of closed.
Today I choose to be brave. Today I choose to be aware that even behind the thickest layer of clouds, the sun still shines, waiting patiently for a chance to get through.
Today I choose to be as gentle with myself and others as the hands which have placed these tomatoes under the sun rays. Today I choose to be as generous with myself and others as nature is with all its creations.
Today I choose to be there for myself without judgments, regrets, guilt and expectations. Today I choose to allow you into my world.
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Get your diaries out!!!
Coming up on the 1st of June!!! All welcome!
My first exhibition in London is soon to be opened.
I´m super excited about it as I´m finally getting to share my work with all of you.
If you can´t make it on the opening day, no worries. The exhibition lasts until July 27th.
Please spread the word about it!
See you soon :)))
My first exhibition in London is soon to be opened.
I´m super excited about it as I´m finally getting to share my work with all of you.
If you can´t make it on the opening day, no worries. The exhibition lasts until July 27th.
Please spread the word about it!
See you soon :)))
Monday 13 August 2012
An Englishman in Moscow
“Snowdrops” by A.D. Miller
The chilling Russian reality viewed through a typical Englishman´s eyes – that´s basically what “Snowdrops” brings to the literary table. But to me there is so much more to this book.
The chilling Russian reality viewed through a typical Englishman´s eyes – that´s basically what “Snowdrops” brings to the literary table. But to me there is so much more to this book.
I finished it while sprawled on a dotted blanket in the middle of an
opening covered up in green grass. There are moments when the English summer can
make one feel like everything is just as it should be. This definitely was one
of those days.
Not exactly the best one for a novel that depicts the exact opposite. Despite
the sheer contrast between what I was reading and my surroundings, I immediately
felt immersed in the harsh everlasting Russian winter and drawn to the dark
secrets of its deeply fascinating underworld.
With every babushka, mad cab driver and wobbly old man who jumped from
the page I was given a sense of doom and gloom that brought about images rooted
in my very being. As I smelled the vodka in the characters´ breath, heard their
thick accent and felt the snow settling everywhere layer after layer in huge
blinding piles, I could feel closer to home than I wanted to be. Above all, it
is this strange discomfort of familiarity that I am taking with me from this
novel.
Another book about guilt. But surely not nearly enough guilt to make me sympathise with the main character. Nick Platt is driven by nostalgia to write his late confession rather than by a genuine desire to finally come clean. Does that make him unlovable? It certainly made him very human to me. In his imperfection he may come across as weak or even devoid of feeling, like a male Russian doll with English features. As a character he is a strange hybrid, a misfit, a deeply saddening fellow whose inability to act and react is brilliantly done.
Another book about guilt. But surely not nearly enough guilt to make me sympathise with the main character. Nick Platt is driven by nostalgia to write his late confession rather than by a genuine desire to finally come clean. Does that make him unlovable? It certainly made him very human to me. In his imperfection he may come across as weak or even devoid of feeling, like a male Russian doll with English features. As a character he is a strange hybrid, a misfit, a deeply saddening fellow whose inability to act and react is brilliantly done.
“Snowdrops” tells his story in first person. For a first novel this is
quite an achievement. The rather bleak image that A.D. Miller creates of Moscow
will certainly stay with me. I even enjoyed how he manages to bring to life the
female characters. Their motives may not fully justify their choices, but the
fact that they are consistent throughout the book does give them a remarkable depth.
Although the ending does not necessarily tie together all the details in
a coherent web of events, I just would not have it any other way. Because it successfully
resorts to elements specific of detective novels, “Snowdrops” has what I would
call a gripping plot. But what makes it a really good read from my perspective
is the quality of the atmosphere. Miller takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster
that I would gladly embark on again and again.
Friday 10 August 2012
Crashing on the sofa
"Crash" - American drama film 2004
How much serendipity can one take in a film? To what point does it all
become a little bit too clever or even way too transparent?
Although the questions above kept boiling up inside my head for a good
part of the film, "Crash" made one of my evenings last week. It had all the
ingredients to keep my eyes glued to the plasma from beginning to end and it even
brought out the occasional sigh of relief at the way one situation or another
was solved.
When it came to its incredible cast, to its spectacular power to make
all characters fully-flashed and truly human, I´d say the film delivered. To
the point that whether the connections were sometimes too obvious simply became
simply unimportant. That´s what high quality use of serendipitous events ought to do in
my book.
What I really liked about it was how none of the characters proved to be "the bad guy" as opposed to "the good guy." All boundaries seemed to dissolve and
all preconceptions melted into a single certainty. This certainty is that any
attempt at pigeonholing a person no matter what criteria you´d use is bound to
fail. We are all victims of the choices we make in certain situations and
nothing, not even skin color, background or high moral principles can point out
at what this decision might be.
This recipe made the stories that intertwine in "Crash" truly engaging and
their outcome did not disappoint. As the tension amounted at times to unexpected
levels I found myself thinking I would definitely give "Crash" another go
anytime.
Monday 6 August 2012
Brand new start
A Cupboard Full of Coats by
Yvvette Edwards
After spending most of her life consumed by sheer guilt, the
heroine of “A Cupboard Full of Coats,” finds some sort of comfort in finally
finding out the truth surrounding her mother´s death. Another novel
wrote in first person and yet another one that takes place in London. It is the
ending that I found most gratifying. That and the way in which a gloomy past is
interwoven with an even darker present.
At first I was a little bit annoyed at
the perspective of reading once again about a woman´s inability to become a
mother for her child. After “We Need to Talk about Kevin” I feel like I have almost
developed some sort of phobia when it comes to reading about the intricate ways of motherhood. I simply can´t engage anymore with
the subject, unless it is briefly touched upon like in the case of Yvvette Edwards´
book. Jinx´s narrative did follow me for a good few hours after I turned off my
kindle. Hence my decision to write about it here.
It will certainly take me a little bit
of time to get into a rhythm. Consistency is what I am striving for. That and
some sort of gratification. I am not sure what kind, though. Writing about the
books I read should help me get back into the “business of words.” Hopefully…
The
characters in this book felt quite vivid. They did not jump out from the page,
but they certainly smelled, cooked, had sex, committed murder etc. and talked loud enough for me to be able to clearly hear and see them in my
head. I kept wondering how I would have felt
about the book, had I not been here. Pointless questioning, of course.
My
intention is to write up to three hundred words on each book that I finish. I
am about to hit the mark with this one. Not too bumpy a start, after all!
Sunday 15 July 2012
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