Me and the Moon

I was walking home today when I suddenly saw the Moon. The sky was light blue and the Moon was white. And I remembered my childhood. When I was a child my father told me that small boy and girl eating chocolate can be seen on he Moon. I always thought that the boy should look like Little Prince from Antoine de Saint Exupéry's story.

Today I was walking home and it was really strange to realize that the Moon is still the same, but I'm not.

Book Fair

Today I spent about 5 hours searching for some interesting books at the International Book Fair. There were a lot of books, but most of them were rubbish! I wanted to find Faulkner, but I couldn't...

My friend Kate managed to buy "Stephen Hero" by James Joyce. Some days ago I realised that I wanted to read his "Ulysses". And I ordered it at the internet bookshop. This year Book Fair was rather boring. There weren't any famous authors there... But there were a lot of religious literature... I don't like it.

Also there was Flower Salon in exhibition complex. Very nice! I enjoyed a lot of interesting flower compositions, my favourite garden gnomes and other cute figures...

And after that I found what I really wanted to have. It's "Gone with the wind" by Margaret Mitchell. The book looks like a brick. It's small and very very thick. I'm going to read it soon after I finish another story about Civil War.

Oh! And I bought a lot of lovely postcards! It was a good day :)

Low Rising

It's a fabulous video by my favourite Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. I think it's a masterpiece.

Monday walk

Today I and my friend Mary went to the excursion to Presidental Library. Before we were let inside we had been checked like at the airport. Our guide looked like Oksana Fyodorova (Miss Universe 2001), but not like scientist. I know that it's very difficult to get a card to this VIP-library. But I realised that access to reading rooms is useless. You aren't allowed to take necessary book and you can look through it only using computer. So it's better to go to other ordinary library.

After this 20-minutes excursion we got outside this unpleasant building and saw a very common for St.Petersburg but very interesting natural phenomenon. One part of the sky were pastoral blue. Another part was dark. And the border was very clear. We went to see New Holland Island, which will be destroyed soon... Although people aren't let to go to the island, it's my favourite place. Huge gates and brick-red buildings are majestic!!! I am addicted to industrial architecture!!!

At the end of our walk Mary showed me second-hand bookshop where I found two postcards kit: reproductions of paintings by Grigory Soroka and Alber Marquet. I like Marquet's style very much. Especially his "St. Trinity Square in Paris" (1911). It's breathtaking view, isn't it?...

Mother's skin, Father's skin...

It was rainy today and really cold. But it couldn't prevent me and my friend Kate from getting new experiences. This morning we were trying to find the former Dutch Church on Nevsky Prospect to see Flower Festival. But we couldn't. Wind was really strong so we decided to have a cup of coffee in the nearest cafe.

Then we went to the Al-Gallery. And watched installation art there. It was an exibition by Vita Buyvid, famous photographer. I like her "Skins of the Bobrovy Family". You can see it on photo. All skins are made of plush and look really nice. As a part of installation there were tv sets. Different women on the screen were repeating: "I'm a bitch", men were complaining: "She is a bitch".

Also there were portraits of families. In the pictures some people were bleeding or had black eyes. Author wanted to show that sometimes we hurt our relatives with words. And wounds we leave in their souls can't be seen. But these wounds are never healed.

Later we attended a lecture about Nabokov. Writer Vyacheslav Kurizin showed some interesting pictures somehow connected with Nabokov's life. And later Kurizin read his "Christmas Story" written in the Nabokov manner. It was interesting because there are few places where prose can be heard.

When I was going home the wind almost blew me away. Weather was really nasty, but it didn't spoil my day.

Involuntary

Yesterday I watched "De ofrivilliga" or "Involuntary" as it's translated in english. It should have been a swedish comedy by Ruben Östlund. But it was the strangest film I have ever seen. There are a lot of heroes in this movie: sincere teacher, stupid school girls, man who hurt his eye with firecracker... All film consists of stories about these people. But they aren't completed! So when the closing credits appeared I understood that I didn't get the main idea of the film... I was disappointed.

As a bonus video short movie "Incedent by a bank" by the same director was shown. It got Golden Bear as Best Short Film in Berlinale in 2010. Östlund tells a story about failed bank robbery, which really took place in 2006. It's interesting because it was filmed without any cut. But I think it's not an Art par excellence!

After the cinema I met my friend Julia. We wanted to attend lecture about USSR movies, but it was postponed to April 27. Unfortunately my cultural thirst wasn't satisfied yesterday...

A new way of Hamlet

Today I watched "Hamlet" in Alexandrinsky Theater. It's new performance. And I think, that the stage director is insane.

The play opened with two two dogs led by two gloomy women. Then Hamlet was brought to the stage. He was dressed in something similar to straitjacket. And later a saucepan appeared on his head. Hamlet's friend Horatio was dressed in jeans and casual shirt. He wore backpack and big headphones. Also there were Donkey and a lot of alcoholics on the stage. In addition to all this madness a mockery was made of famous Hamlet's monologue "To be, or not to be..".

During the play Hamlet carried the imitation pig. He was darting with it around audience and screaming so loud that it seemed to me I got into asylum.

I'm sure that this crazy interpretiation of the play would make Shakespeare turn in his grave...

The Artefact Exhibition

One of the most exciting museum I've ever visited in my life is "Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition" in Madrid. As it's written on its official page the exhibition has ended. And about 100 000 people have seen it.

I think everybody knows this tragic story of the largest passenger steamship. It was going from England to the USA, but it sank in the Atlantic Ocean. As you see the history of the ship has no connection with Madrid. So when I was walking through Plaza de Colon and suddenly saw a poster advertising the exhibition I was deluded...

But I bought a ticket and got a boarding pass. The same as all Titanic passengers were given.

The exhibition opened with history of building the ship. Also the cabins of the first and third class were shown. And a big collection of dishes and other artifacts recovered during the expeditions. Among the things belonged to the passangers were bags, books, jewellery, etc. But the most exciting thing for me was perfume oils set. It's unbeliviable but you can still feel the smell of them!

Horses can read

Film of very talented journalist Alexander Nevzorov "Lectio Equaria Palestra" convinced me that horses almost as clever as we are. Just look at the eyes of these gorgeous animals! Of course, all animals are clever creatures. But I could never imagined that horses can read and understand letters, pictures and teacher's verbal requests.

"L.E.P." is a kind of ancient practice. The main point is that our mind is similar to horse's. Nevzorov proves it in his movie. Small child can't read. He even doesn't know letters. But we can teach a child. And after this film I'm sure that horses can be taught too. Author showes teaching methods he uses. When horse learns a new word, it have to pass a simple test. A picture of something familiar to horse is shown. Animal takes special cards with letters and "writes" the word.

In addition to lessons with horse an exciting story of "L.E.P." is shown in this film. Nevzorov made a great work! And it's a pity that there are only few articles about this practice in the internet. I'm interested in topic and I think I will go to library to find some books about it. I'm really impressed...

How I ended this summer

Have just returned home from the cinema. Movie I watched called "How I ended this summer" by Alexei Popogrebski.

It got 3 Bears at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival this year. Two Silver Bears for best actors: Grigori Dobrygin and Sergei Puskepalis. And one for outstanding artistic achievement in the category camera (Pavel Kostomarov).

Whithout any doubt "How I ended this summer" is thriller, because story keeps viewers in suspence. And it seems to me that script is written in a style reminiscent of Hitchcock's stories. It reminded me of the play "Rope" by Patrick Hamilton. Thriller film with the same name was directed by Hitchcock in 1948.

"How I ended this summer" is story about fear, fib, frienship, lonelyness... My friend Nastya felt sad about the heroes. But for me the last picture said everything about the main theme of movie. Popogrebski filmed a brilliant drama. And it's about hope.

I recommend to watch this movie. It is worth while!

Konnichiwa

With Postcrossing I became really addicted to postcards. And I was happy to find a big pack of them in my closet. Some postcards are from Soviet Past. My city looks really lonely on them... And also I find one very strange card... Rather old too. I think it's korean. And it's called "Jet Coaster". I guess it's name of the park amusement these cloned people are riding. It seems to me that they are from Utopia. Weird picture...

And this postcard is from Japan. My Japanese teacher gave it to me when I was at school. I don't know if it's a boy or a girl and who author is. But colours and atmosphere of picture are amazing. Very warm. Can this child be hero of zen koan? He looks so pure!

Starting

What a nice time to start a blog! Being student of mass media communication is good, but not enough. I feel that I've been journalist all my life and my previous lives too. Carry my Moleskine everywhere and write, write, write... Writing, reporting, creating stories, drawing weird pictures always gives me pleasure. I'm sure that making interview with celebrities or other boring things isn't what I really want to do. So... ta-da.... this wonderful night I'm starting my blog!!!

WELCOME!