As a matter of fact...

"Curiosity killed the cat" some say. Others continue "but the cat had seven lives". I have a question:

Is curiosity a sign of wits or it is just a constant annoying ability/quality some people have or would like to possess? I have been watching some TV lately and I noticed people are very much interested in all sorts of facts, the most attractive ones seem to be mysteries (undiscovered or secret facts), then crimes or paranormal activities  (especially because they are hidden and after many years someone is ready to tell the truth). I could also notice the way some TV shows attract more and more audience just by being as dirty, as violent, as mean and as stupid as possible. If those shows have the label of reality show or real life based stories  they break all rating records. And this vicious circle keeps on rolling: the more audience they get, the more they broadcast and that's the way everything goes.
 I do miss interesting stuff on TV. I miss watching an entertainment show without seeing some retarded people invited there, manipulated and made fun of just for the pleasure of others. I miss watching a talk-show     where the participants/politicians do want to send a message, maybe talk about future plans, ideas and solutions and stop coming there just to attack the other with total lack of respect, show their muscles as if by feeling the force (like in Star Wars) the electors will appreciate them and, of course, vote for their brains.I do miss  hearing a piece of advice based on real facts, maybe real researches, not on excessively motivational messages that have, indeed, overrun all other form of knowledge. There is life besides motivational books. I have nothing against those type of messages, they can be quite helpful sometimes. But not in all aspects of life, not in every little situation and not written by semi-educated people who pretend to have great life experience or even possess some special powers.I had the chance to hear a few enlightened orators and I need to admit they couldn't really convince me. And what I hate the most is that these orators just take advantage of the human misery and lack of hope, people's despair in search for some sense and balance in their life. The answers are in the real facts about life, the great books, the great scientists, writers or philosophers who spent their life searching and analyzing all these aspects; they should be the first-hand knowledge base. Let's just think of Chekhov, Einstein, Kant, Homer, Plato and so many others. If you ask me, we should all start reading motivational books only after we would have gone through at least 20 % of these writings.
Anyways I miss quality information on TV. Of course you will all say there is Discovery Channel, History Channel, Nature Channel, Discovery Science and so on. I agree.But the problem is there are still more shows that explore the flaws and misery and need of exceptional that shapes somehow the human nature. And even if there is Internet, books, other means of acquiring information, TV still has the upper hand.
And we come back to curiosity. Can we learn how to use this quality into our benefit? Is there an easy way to learn about amazing facts that are appealing just by the information they consist of? How do we separate spectacular from really useful? That's intriguing.
If we spend some time watching children at play, we will see that,when they are little, they only learn or listen to relevant stories, they are interested in a message, a finality, they need to understand the usage of the presented objects or facts. Why do we stop doing so after some time? Has this world become so twisted? There is still hope, I know people who would still be interested in learning facts and not empty words, but there must be a way to outnumber the ones who prefer the easy way out. But what's the way? This is the question...

A slice of...laughter

I have always enjoyed comedies, intelligent jokes and sometimes black humour.I simply can't imagine life without a good laughing in times of panic or deception, or even better, while sharing quality time among friends. I am not sure if LAUGHTER is a good therapy, a wonderful cure, a means of letting go, but it surely does more good than bad.
It often takes time and courage to share a smile, or use a sincere smile during a fight instead of a sharp word. It might be harder than we imagine at a first glance.I consider it a real struggle between the child inside and the social mask we all put on to be accepted and appreciated. I was often considered childish (not that I really mind people thinking so),  maybe superficial, unable to take on responsibilities, showing too much disponibility, or on the contrary, lacking ability to learn the deeper meanings of life. I need to contradict those who think by laughing or smiling, by showing a happy face we can only be seen as mere "comedians", aimless people or easygoing. I love this quote: " Man is nearly himself  when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play" (Heraclitus). I think it says it all... Secondly, being a professional comedian needs wits, skills, lots of hard work and a huge talent. One of the most beautiful and challenging profession...make people listen to you, accept their flaws and  laugh from the heart...I remember watching Stan and Ollie when I was little and the happiness they brought each time I could see their "fights", then I discovered some wonderful stand up comedy actors and understood a different type of humour. Watching some of the most popular comedians, each with their unique style it's like sitting in a big room where Life broadcasts the every day show. I remember Paul Auster' "Book of Illusions" and how wonderfully black&white comedy bits manage to change the life of the main character, how laughter transforms his deserted soul into a seeker and a fan of the real comedy of life.
But a remarkable film, mainly based on pantomime, a sort of bitter humour can be seen in RUMBA
(the story of a couple very fond of rumba, who need to reinvent their life after a car accident) needs no words. It has got everything, I would even call it a sample of intelligent humorous work of art... Enjoy:

P.S. I would love to hear about your favorite comedy clips or jokes or comedians, maybe even make your own list of names (a top 5 at least).

Babies...in our life

Finally it's high time I spoke about life during pregnancy:) Does life change after all?Definitely, yes!

Let me tell you the basic steps:
Step 1
"What?!OMG! It's real, the 2 red lines! Hmmmm...I need another one just to make sure" then look around, pretend things are normal, go to sleep and...have no sleep, eyes wide open, thinking; a long row of maybes ready to be counted instead of sheep...
Step 2
"Yes, indeed, you are pregnant!" the doctor says "and you have got twins" another set of eyes wide open, things you have never imagined are now simply flooding your life...
Step 3
"Wearing this and doing this and eating this is a MUST, if you really want your babies to be healthy and grow up in perfect harmony"- the advice stage...that's overwhelming, absolutely tiring and sometimes annoying. And less and less people want to hear the doctor's advice,no, they know better, they heard more, they can even teach your doctor how to take care of you. Or there might be a global medical conspiracy ready to hide the truth from you, the hidden truth that only the Wise can properly seek for and unravel it to your tangled inexperienced mind.
Step 4
"I must relax, I need to calm down,I can't act like a fool, I am to be a mother, I am to be a mother, and what exactly does this mean?!" That's when your brain starts showing signs of proper activity,that's when you (and not the others) become interested in what pregnancy means for your body, heart and mind. It's a cool down stage, a sort of coming to terms with all this changes and fuss turmoil, coming back to your self.
It feels good, refreshing, it's, I guess, the time of joy,, pure joy that slowly invades every little piece of you, because now you added something to the person you used to be, you are ready to know more, to feel stronger, to prove better...
Step 5
...the real you resurfaces...and then you start finding out INTERESTING STUFF, reading about anything that might come in handy, even being able to present your experienced advice to those barely reaching step 1...:)
The fact is I have come across an interesting article you should all know about, related to working hours effects on pregnancy. I am a part of that world where having a job is more than a citizen's duty, it's a must (luckily I do have a job I enjoy performing), a mandatory act, a constant struggle for a decent life. So, yes there are less breaks and no fixed schedule, basically a  lot of stress. But working under stress for a long period of time becomes a routine, you don't feel the pressure so much, you might even start liking it (some sort of Stockholm syndrome where Work is the captor). It has become harder and harder for women to decide when to draw the line between work and time for children, both being equally important, the first because nothing can be achieved without material sustainability, the latter, needless to say, the one single reasonable achievement in a person's life. That is why I admire all these women-focused organizations, all the help that is offered to mothers-to-be in finding time for themselves, organizing and planning the working hours, managing to set the balance needed for a healthy life.
Everything changes, some things stay the same, but the most important thing is to surround yourselves with the right people, get the help and love you need, drop all unnecessary litter and enjoy every second of this new life. It's definitely worth it!

Due to placing myself at the middle of the stages I was talking about in the above, I need to come back with further information  and finish the pregnancy steps.
See you soon, 

Problems...sleeping?

Are you proud of your sleeping habits?Do you manage to sleep 8 hours a night? Do you like falling asleep with the aid of TV?Do you fall asleep right on the keyboard...and wake up on the sofa? These are just a few questions that we could ask related to the way sleep can affect the efficiency of our daily life.
I am not at all a role-model in terms of sleeping for anyone and I could call myself a night bird, a TV addicted (especially before sleeping), a constant seeker for those hours of perfect and sane sleep.
I can't remember the best sleep I have ever had, but I do remember the struggle...
Ever since I was a child, there were nights I had to stand up from the bed and find something to do just to ease my body aches due to lack of proper sleep. Now that I am a grown-up I sometimes do the same.Well I can't actually complain, some of these nights were perfect for a piece of writing (a short-story, maybe a poem), I even managed to finish my University diploma working at nights. But I guess the moment I considered lack of sleep a card up my sleeve was when I got hired for my present job. The question was: "Are you willing to work in the evenings, sometimes up to 9, 9:30 pm?".No need to cite my answer, you might have already guessed the excitement. That's when I start living...
Even if I should be grateful to my body for staying alive and functioning well after these night adventures, I am scared to think of the long-term effects. Just the other day, I came across some interesting facts related to sleep problems or explanations for these anomalies and I can now consider the site a great SLEEP RESOURCE for those of you in search of answers. Let me give just a few hints, and start with a famous phrase:
Did you know that..
-beauty treatments have a greater effect if you sleep for 7-8 hours a night, or that proper sleep helps your heart and make you live longer?
-by giving the body proper rest you actually keep the pounds from adding on your tights?
-tests have been developed to measure the sleep eficiency and that the efficiency ratio is an important tool for doctors when diagnosing the pacient sleep disorder?
-there are sleep disorders (such as sleep apnea,insomnia or poor sleep hygiene) we might have without even knowing?
-nowadays we can purchase fire-retardant sleepware for kids; clothes that can limit the spread of fire if there is one?
-depression can also be linked to sleep disorders or changes in sleeping patterns?
The bottom line is that most of us neglect this aspect of daily life, especially teenagers who prove their worth by the non-sleep hours spent playing games or chatting on the Internet.
"Tell me how you sleep...and I will tell you who you are" could become as relevant as its more famous counterpart.
Wishing you a sound sleep...

Dialogue with... paintings

I was having a walk downtown when I simply overheard a conversation between a little girl and her father:
" What is there in this building, daddy?" the girl innocently asked. " An art museum" the reply came. After a few seconds the girl continued :" What is an art museum?". " It is the house of painters, it is a place where we go when we want to see famous artists and their paintings" the response came, but before the father could finish, she asked " Why should we go and see the paintings?"...When I turned my face towards the little girl I could see her father grabbing her hand, taking a few steps away from the building and saying "Look! There is an ice cream stand over there! Let's go and have some, shall we?"...
"A great question asked" I immediately thought, smiling at the father's reaction. Then it got me thinking: what would my response be. I actually realized this question would fit the entire attitude of the 21st century average person towards the artistic pursuits, towards the value and time spent on contemplating the best artists of all times. There are so many names and so many paintings ready to speak to us, ready to initiate those types of inner dialogues between the human soul and the unknown or unthinkable of the outer world... these encounters are the ones we stopped having or we simply have less and less because of the rush for material gatherings, for a safer and better life, for a long-term job or for a house that could/should become ours. "Who's got the time for all these when one should have three jobs to pay one's bills?!" would be a pertinent question.
Nevertheless these artistic encounters can only take place if we offer these huge personalities the chance to talk back and answer the question themselves. Any information related to the work of the most FAMOUS ARTISTS can share some light into the mind  and give us a different perspective on the human value. Needless to say that the great works are representations of LIFE regardless of a certain political/administrative trend, they portray  the human nature stripped of its artificial clothes, immortalized on canvas so that each time we stand in front of a painting we find answers to the fears we have, to the love we share, to the life we lead. Let's take a few works and see what they could speak about:
- Leonardo da Vinci's Monalisa engulfs the mystery or the struggle to get pass the first impression captivity...
-Van Gogh's Stary night reminds us of a fairytale, a great setting for stories, a realm of dreams and platonic love...
-Salvador Dali's The persistence of time relies on our constant ludic behaviour, frees us from any restraint and sets up a bridge between the facts and the fiction...
-Pablo Picasso's Woman with a fan challenges everything we had known before, forces us to interact with a different dimension of humanity, plays with the already-set patterns, re-creates the essence of colour and light.
Note: All the above are a personal view of the paintings, a game I like to play each time I stand in front of a painting; message decoding...
But isn't it fun, challenging, thrilling, rewarding? What if we start from here the pursuit of happiness? The art museum is a place of freedom and we can't deny this realm no matter how hard life is, no matter how deep the suffering or little the time we have in this world...
What would you answer to the little girl's question?

Free...dom

Finally free!My holiday has just started and I am so happy...I've been waiting for so long and D day is here:)

Photo source

It won't last much, but I am trying to make the best of it.I am not planning any long-distance trip, I am not setting off to a boiling sand and clear water island, but I am at peace and that's rewarding after a long and tiring working year.
So I am now making my imaginary list of to do things during this summer holiday:
-wake up as late as possible and start with a coffee and milk mug whose round stains cover at least 3 of my furniture pieces (I like carrying the mug as a trophy all over the house with me)
-read a few good books
-read my friends posts on their blogs, I missed doing so these last months
-meet my friends, play some cards, have a good laugh and share the freedom moments
-call the friends I can't see these days and check on their own adventures
-re-arrange my house, maybe paint the walls (I feel the need of a more colourful environment :)) go here if you want to check some colours for your rooms
-take long slow-pace walks
-listen to some good music
-turn off the TV and stop hearing the collapse of our  government or the economic crisis
-dream a bit ...black&white or in colours