When is the moment you get a hobby? Origami with Laura Brennan

There’s always a story behind everything. This picture was taken when I was teenager, or when I used to live there or when I was happier. Sometimes, even we have THE picture which is coming with us wherever we go; printed or digital format, it doesn’t matter. With music also happen. There’s something in each song which makes THE song due to it wake up in you something deep. But, my question today it is different. I was wonder which is the exactly moment you fall in love with something [because with someone…. That’s another story!].

Origami elephant made it with one dollar

Therefore, this afternoon I spend some time with Laura Brennan, twenty-years-old student from Pennsylvania, and she told me about this subject. How we get involved with something which normally come out from us? How come? After two or three coffees [we discovered we both addict to coffee] she told me about one of her hobbies: “Origami”.

Origami (折り紙^?, from ori meaning “folding”, and kami meaning “paper” (kami changes to gami due to rendaku) is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD in Japan at the latest and was popularized outside of Japan in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form. The goal of this art is to transform a flat sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques, and as such the use of cuts or glue are not considered to be origami. [WIKIPEDIA just click to further details and photo gallery]

Bonsai made it using different colors. They are not gluing.

But, for her, it was just a simple reason to relax and enjoy life. Have a coffee, some good conversation, and take some papers. Her reason was a Japanese teacher when she was young. She couldn’t imagine that day that Origami would be her new hobby along the years.

Of course thank you again to my interviewed she knows she’s is great. And, by the way, do not miss the five shot video [just learnt in Multimedia Class]

PS. Can’t wait to know about your stories guys, feel free to comment on my wall! 🙂

Smoking a wonderful cigarette

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Five shots video Monday!

Little Oscar is waiting in a bench. He rolls a cigarette, he enjoys it.

Sometimes more is less, in this case it is. Just 42 seconds are necessary to “tell” a story. Five Shots video realise about what someone is doing with his hands, who is that someone, where is he/she doing that, his/her point of view filming behind his/her shoulders (how) and the last and most creative one, why should be that interesting to the audience. I didn’t realise till the moment I wrote these words that this five shots are the famous Ws in journalism. That’s a great way to report without words, love it!

The problem of communism and post communism countries is they did a lot of things but they just did it for “the picture” and they let it crumble. Luc Lagniau

Some grass, some music and some photography. Luc Lagniau and his guitar chat with me for a while. He is majoring in politics science and living in American University in Bulgaria as a real sophomore for nine months [after he will come back to his France].  What about live in AUBG bubble? What about outside world? It’s a sunny day in Bulgaria, perfect afternoon to talk about… whatever, for example, what these [my] pictures inspire to Luc Lagniau.

Showing him my most suggesting photos, the more I love. Let’s do it. We both we are excited. Four photos with someone.

Number One. First picture was taken in Blagoevgrad cemetery. The very first word come to Luc is “stuck”, immobile in the past.

Cemetery in Blagoevgrad

 “just looking at this picture you can see the respect they have for their ancestors”

But actually, he prefers thinking about the future because past it is already gone.

Number Two. In this photo you see some houses from Blagoevgrad by the river. Luc thinks about communism. “Why I ask him?” Communism is like you can see in these houses, that in their time they were great but they are neither colorful nor beautiful anymore. Now they are crumbling. You see the houses are crumbling and there’s no evolution to get back to the last picture.

Houses in Blagoevgrad

Number Three. In this case there’s a green truck. It looks like old style. It is located in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. In Bulgaria everything looks like twenty years ago. This truck it’s a cliché. How occidental people imagine a post-communist country? It is that way. For some reason it’s beautiful [and mean] for occidental minds think post-communist countries they are ruined because we think “oh… we are the best civilization…” It means…  Did we win? Did we?

Green truck in Blagoevgrad

Number Four. This picture was taken in Istanbul [half Asian zone] where a group of covered Muslim girls were friendly chatting. They never noticed me.

Girls group in Istanbul

Luc is quick about the word [or expression] I am trying to find out: “Learn about it”. At first, he considers the hijab [turban] it was the antithesis of fashion. But after… it becomes something beautiful.

“They take something impersonal because it’s like a religious symbol. And then, these girls, they made it personal. Like they take something with customization, with patterns, colors, everything and it’s to make it something a part of themselves.”

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I really enjoy that interview and for the ones they want to read more and more the interview doesn’t finish here… In the long audio version Luc Lagniau talk about some other photos like the one taken in Rila’s Monastery, a traditional market in Bansko, ruins in Blagoevgrad…

It’s funny how we can catch something trough the lens that probably is just a minuscule part of truth and after someone find out something… different from me. It is comforting see brains working an walking in different ways.

Thank you very much again to Laura Brennan [always helping me] and of course, to Luc Lagniau [keep the name, he will be great].

“Dis poem” it’s very chaotic but maybe, that’s the point. Nicholas Spina

Some years ago I was in Oxford in a friend house. What was my surprise when I went to the toilet to discover every wall was covered with a poem. There wasn’t empty space. Of course I had to ask my friend what was the meaning. And, I have to tell you, the answer was very convinced for. “Don’t you think toilet is the place –and moment- when we are quiet, no noises, no worries; we are just sitting enjoying the reading moment? Don’t you think toilet it’s perfect for poetry?” told me Caitlin. She was right… Who can say knows a better place to enjoy poetry?

That’s was the context the first time a read “Dis Poem”. Caitlin was English but she was born in South Africa and she was major in African Studies. She was such an expert in Africa and Afroamerica.That’s the first contacts with Matubaruka and world around against racism, fascism, riots and different classes. Reflect a society in a poem is art, it’s get a life words.

I was wondering who could be a good candidate to ask about that poem and it was something sure: Professor Spina! At the beginning his face when I saw him the poem was strange. He thought my interview it will have been “easy question” and life question. I tried to find out more with the way he speaks than what he speaks.

To get into the interview I asked to him about his first impression in Bulgaria. An American in Bulgaria. First day he was here he got lost several times. Around Blago[evgrad] streets  he saw the street dogs which in America don’t even exists, walking around the streets. Also the smell, that of course, due to kind of food, weather, is different from each country.

But the moment when he read out the poem for me was fantastic.

“It was… interesting, creative, it was fun to read it has a good rhythm. […] It seems very chaotic, but maybe that’s the point, to be chaotic. (4:50)”

The poem catch him in the structure, style writing and rhythm and he is not an expert about it. Poem has something which flows but as Spina says he doesn’t get the substance because of the emphasis. But maybe… That’s the point?

Also I would like to empasize silents when Spina is talking… He is so deep because his pauses have its own meaning. Thank you very much professor.

Check out here the poem we are talking about!

“To be honest, I don’t really understand your blog” Safraz Ahmed

Mechanic, londoner and a little bit philosopher, chats for a few minutes with me. Safraz Ahmed, committed muslim reminds me again my topic blog it’s not very clear, at first. I will explain it to you, I said: “my blog wants to care about details”. Details about when you meet someone for the first time. Safraz told me he is not very good noticing things (02:26).

I don’t know why but my eyes are blind when it comes to details (02:45)

It could be an interesting point of view, should we try ignore those first impressions? Safraz does it. Maybe those details contains wrong information or we don’t know how explain it. So, prejudices are coming easily that way… Aren’t they?

After that, also he is talking about different categories: How many types of people do exist in the world? Our friend is talking about ten. But, if each one of us belongs to a different category, what is it the sense of life? Can not we improve, change our, rock any world any life, always there will be someone like you. That makes smaller our big world. I am not sure if that’s good news.

London, Beatriz Hernandez

You can hear further details listening whole interview, including last 30 seconds he’s saying what he liked.

Also, many thanks and special mention to Laura Brennan, my personal English advisor in this adventure. She’s so lovely.

First step

Today we are starting this new adventure blogging. I am wondering how it will be. I hope have wonderful stuff from this unknown country for me, I hope meet people interesting and of course, be able to get readers. Having a look other blogs, at first it looks like difficult to get in this creative and open-minded blog world.

But anyway… The best things are those who no one can see, the details which join each other in an very special way. That’s what I would like to find out and make something beautiful with.