Hidden Message (100 Ideas 34)

Boy, this task really made my hand hurt. But it was a good excercise for being more patient. There is a secret message hidden in the pic, but it is hard to find. But once you see it, it is obvious.

34. Fill an entire page in your journal with small circles. Color them in.

I admired Mim´s and Casey´s colorful circles, but then I used my favorite color combination (red & black) again (though I had planned to do something more colorful). Strange!
BTW: Casey joined the 100 ideas project. Welcome! (3 people are even more inspirational.)

Link to Mim´s post
Link to Casey´s post
100 ideas

Europa Filmfest

"Europa Filmfest"
Munich

Nov 28 - Dec 5, 2007
@ Gloria Filmpalast!

I enjoyed the movie yesterday evening and maybe I´ll find the time to watch another few movies of the fest. Maybe on Monday? We´ll see...

You can download the time table and the programm for the fest here.




(Copyright for all images posted here by Europa Filmfest)

European Filmfest - Venus (2)

The movie yesterday was sad, lovely and funny too. Two aging actors and close friends lives are turned upside down when Ian´s niece's daughter Jessie moves in to his flat to care for him. The provincial girl turns out to be a nightmare for Ian. But Maurice develops a romantic love for the girl fifty years younger.

Maurice: I will die soon, Venus. Can I touch your hand?
Jessie: That's one chat-up line I haven't heard.
Maurice: I'm impotent, of course.
Jessie: Thank Christ.
Maurice: But I can still take a theoretical interest.
Jessie: Have you been thinking about me?
Maurice: All the time I was in hospital.
Jessie: What did you think about me?
Maurice: I saw your body.
Jessie: Which part?
Maurice: Your hair. Your feet. Your legs, your behind, your eyes.
Jessie: My eyes?
Maurice: Your elbows. Your cunt.
Jessie: Oh, shut up. You can touch my hand.
(He kisses her hand)
Jessie: Only with your fingers. Anything else will make me vomitous.
Maurice: Can I ask you, have you ever been in love before?
(She smiles)

European Filmfest - Venus

Yesterday was the first day of the Europa Filmfest in Munich. How could I possibly have missed the opening movie yesterday evening?
Anyway, I still prefer the Asia Filmfest and the Fantasy Filmfest. While I try to watch as many movies as possible at these fests, I´m pretty content with watching maybe only one of the movies at the European Filmfest tonight: Venus.

My Art Will Be Published!

Well... at least one of the portraits I drew. :)

Rama Hughes sent me a note. The Artist´s Magazine is going to write a story about The Portrait Party and they want to print the portrait I did of Christine and the one she did of me. What a wonderful surprise and boost to my self-esteem. It is my first piece of art which is going to be published. And it was the fourth portrait I ever did in my life. It is still one of my favorites. I need to get a copy of this magazine.

My portrait of Christine Castro (Maganda.org, Darling Design) (original pic) is on the left and on the right you can see her portrait of me (original pic):

"The Artist’s Magazine celebrates the creative life and the creative act, the artist as well as the art, by showcasing the best work—in all media and in all styles—of the best artists working today. With beautiful color reproductions, engaging interviews, lively discussions of timely issues, practical lessons in craft, and news of exhibitions and events, The Artist’s Magazine inspires, informs, encourages and instructs so that an artist’s creative life will be filled with success as well as pleasure." (taken from their website)

100 Tage Bücher - 100 Days Of Books

By chance I discovered another blog some weeks ago. "Hundert Tage Bücher" (100 Days of Books) is a nice blog about 100 days at a Guerilla- or Pop-up-Book-Store* with readings and exhibitions. I enjoy reading the short posts with lots of pics. As I love books and as the owner (Dorin Popa) said he´s specially proud of his selection of books in the sex and fetish corner I just had to go there.

© (2007) by Dorin Popa

So Saturday evening, I hurried out to drive across town to this little book store . Just as I reached the store, the owner came out and locked the door. You know what? When I asked him whether he had already closed the store for that day, he opened up again and let me browse through the books for half an hour. Thanks for that! I really appreciated it.
Actually I didn´t find anything in the sex and fetish corner but I did find some great comics (100 Bullets Samurai, Neil Gaiman: Sandman, etc.), novels (Truman Capote: Summer Crossing) and art books. Though the store is tiny there is quite a selection of books and I´m sure everybody can find a good deal.

© (2007) by Dorin Popa

*The store is opened only for about 100 days in the whole.
Only 35 more days are left!!! So in case you want to have a look you should hurry there.
The number of days how long the store is still open is displayed in the window. I think this is a great project and I would love to do something similar. It gives you the chance of trying out something new for a certain period of time without commiting yourself for years. Anybody needs a partner? Here I am!!!

Four-Letter Words (WTJ)

This one was an interesting task. The results somehow show the way I am and the way Benjamin is imo. My pages are filled with simple fun little pictures. I just enjoyed doing them. And Benjamin thinks a lot more about the things he does and is a lot more complicated. At least that is my opinion. Any thoughts, Benjamin? ;)

"A page for four-letter words (WTJ)"

Mine:

I didn´t write down words, but drew four-letter words in German. I´m surprised how many of them are four-letter words in English (marked in red) as well.

"Glas (Glas), Herz, Dach (Roof), Ofen (Oven), Rose (Rose), Wein (Wine), Auto, Nuss, Salz (Salt), Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier (Four), Acht, Neun (Nine), Zehn, Mann, Frau, Kind, Mond (Moon), Erde, Welt, Ball (Ball), Igel, Hose, Buch (Book), Mars (Mars), Baum (Tree), Nase (Nose), Boot (Boat), Hemd, Rock, Hand (Hand), Fuss (Foot), Mund, Cola (Coke), Fass (Cask), Topf, Bart, Auge, Kamm (Comb), Maus, Geld"

Benjamin:

Benjamin: "When I opened up this page for the first time I immediately knew what I would have to do. I would have to fill it with letter combinations of one particular four letter word. This four letter word is actually a name, and it is a name that nobody can articulate. There are two reasons for this mystery. First: It is a hebrew name, written without vocals. In order to vocalize the word you would have to know how it has to be pronounced. But second: For thousands of years it has been deemedinappropriate to pronounce this name aloud in order to obey the biblical commandment Nr. 3.

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

If you don't use the name - the four letter word Y''H''W''H - at all you cannot make wrongful use of it. That's why only synonyms where used, and the real vocalization got lost.

Making use of the divine name has nevertheless always been an integral part of mystic exercises. One of the most influential books of jewish mysticism - Sefer Yetzirah (Book of the Creation) - "explains" the meaning and powers of every of the 22 letters in the hebrew alphabet believed to be the very source of the creation. The three letters within the divine name are special in many ways. And the mystics committed to the exploration of the powers within the letters would sooner or later try write down all possible combinations of those 3 letters in four letter words - all of them names, all of them unpronouncable. And they would do it in order to connect to the strong powers of the creation and in order to feel close to the creator of their longing souls.

I'm not in a state to make an exercise like this. And if I would, this page of the journal would have to be buried afterwards like everything holding the divine name. In fact: I did make the exercise and I felt connected and inspired. But it all happened inside of me. I did not touch the page. I did not take the pen. I did not write. And that's why this page in my journal is intentionally left blank."

The Gulmohar Tree

Mim´s favorite tree is a pine, but she lists a lot of different trees she liked at the place she used to live before. And suddenly all these trees popped up in my mind which I always looked at in awe. So beside the Weeping Willow you can count the Gulmohar tree (Flamboyant tree), Orange trees, Magnolia Trees, and Neem to my list of favorite trees. Except for the Orange tree, I remember all of them as a common sight in India.

The last 5 years of our stay in India we lived in a very dry place along the border of the Thar desert. Except during the short Monsoon the landscape used to be brown and dry. So imagine driving hours along the road, barren earth, scarce vegetation, scorching heat... and suddenly this bright tree flames up right in front of you. It´s amazing!

Search Terms 7

More search words which led to my site:

• poet way to say goose bumps (I love this one. Any ideas?)
• eat the ones you love (?????)
• snowflake nude (You won´t find any nude pics of me on the net. You´ll have to come and ask for it! ;))
• german vampire
• pink vampires (Never heard of a pink one.)

The Human Behind The Avatar

I was invited to contribute to the fuelmyblog book "The Human Behind The Avatar". The book is to show that bloggers are real people. And the 15% commission the community would earn on each book will be donated to the charity Doctors Without Borders/ Medicins Sans Frontiers.

"If you want to know why I started blogging, then you better check out www.postsecret.com :-)
You´ll find art in various forms at my blog snowflakes & blackvampires: my art, your art, movies, journals, music and a lot more. Most of it is black or white, light or dark, pleasant or weird. Basically it forces me to be more creative and I really do need that."