The next big thing

 I appreciate how lucrative it is to sell wireless headphones (what are the cool kids calling them?). You get them, you lose them, you buy more. What’s not to like.

I’m still using a 6 year old iphone. With the standard issued apple wirefull headphones. 

Wondering when and which one of the big guns will be coming to market with the next big thing? The wired. Easy to find and keep headphones.  Ta da!

I love it when I'm right

 Even though I don't know if I'm right. We need trustable curators more than ever.

During an instagram rabbit hole today, got to find out about Jill Bolte Taylor - the video I saw was quite awesome. But anyway, went to search for her on insta, to add yet another account that I follow. The woman does not have an instagram account.

What a refreshing thought. I signed up to her newsletter. Hope it won't clutter my mailbox.

Back at it.

Curator

We live in a noisy world. It became so noisy, it's hard to focus.

No better time for curators.

Don't worry.

I am so pissed off with the world and the way things are, I need to do something about it.
But fuck you google that took over my blogspot.
And fuck you facebook. And fuck you facebook for fucking instragram.

Innovate or follow

I'm job-hunting at the moment. And since for the past 3 years I've been working in hospitality, I'm looking for innovative positions that deal with food.

One of the openings I found is for a food director. Among the requirements, besides proving you can be innovative in creating dishes from local food, is being updated with the latest food trends.

Food trends is something that I dread. 

Avocado was promoted for so long as a healthy food, it lead to higher prices because of course, in order to produce a huge demand you have to produce produce produce till it becomes an avocado cartel.

Same for quinoa 
"But there is an unpalatable truth to face for those of us with a bag of quinoa in the larder. The appetite of countries such as ours for this grain has pushed up prices to such an extent that poorer people in Peru and Bolivia, for whom it was once a nourishing staple food, can no longer afford to eat it. Imported junk food is cheaper. In Lima, quinoa now costs more than chicken. Outside the cities, and fuelled by overseas demand, the pressure is on to turn land that once produced a portfolio of diverse crops into quinoa monoculture."

Do you like palm oil?
"Large areas of tropical forests and other ecosystems with high conservation values have been cleared to make room for vast monoculture oil palm plantations – destroying critical habitat for many endangered species, including rhinos, elephants and tigers."

Maybe you fancy kale.
Kale consumption commonly leads to too-high levels of thallium, a toxic metal, in the blood—and that that leads to chronic fatigue, skin problems, arrhythmias, gluten sensitivity, and Lyme disease. 


Remember juicing trends? 
“Detoxing is a nonsense term; it’s not a physiological thing,” she says. “You can give your liver a bit of a rest by having a few days off alcohol, not smoking, not eating processed food, but it’s detoxifying all the time. The idea that giving it juice will help is nonsense. There’s a lot of money in the juicing industry – all those retreats and fancy machines. But people are deluded.”

And the list can continue.

When I was a kid, tomatoes was something we ate only in the summer, because that's when we had it.   If you wanted apples during the winter you had to settle for the drier, sweeter version that was usually kept in crates in the attic. Of course it got dry. You want it fresh and juicy? Some of the apples in your local supermarket are one year old. Ever wondered what keeps them juicy? 


I don't like food trends because they promote on one side overconsumption of some new"superfood" while forgetting that your local fruit and vegetables producers, usually tomatoes, potatoes and the common lot are struggling to make a living. And on the other side, food trends promote complete advertising driven frauds as doctors, experts, nutritionists that lack the science and the common sense.

So eating local might just mean saying fuck you food trends. And innovate just going back to eating seasonal and local, grandpa style.

Not so sure I'll get the job with this attitude.
Better make myself some comfort food.

Treasure! Treasure!

Treasures are not hard to find these days. You just need to keep your eyes and heart open.

One of these is Snowshill Manor. Not exactly on a popular touristic circuit but then again that's what preserves it's charm and what's a treasure without some traveling to be discovered?

Mr. Charles Paget Wade, a British architect started collecting things in 1890, when he was 7.

In 1911, he inherited a part of the sugar family business in West Indies and after his service in World War I, he bought and renovated an estate and its gardens. The estate has a large apple orchard, a garden, the manor and a smaller house. Charles Wade used the manor as a place to host his massive (22000 objects) collection while living in the small cottage in the garden.

Wade gave the estate to National Trust in 1951.

An opportunity to think about what drives us when we buy things, what's inspiring about them and if they're worth preserving.

Boxes, bicycles, musical instruments, costumes, samurai armours, little houses, paintings, keys, kitchen utensils, books, toys, furniture and your imagination can run wild.



The manor is a dark maze where you walk through 3D dutch paintings, carefully laid out, abundantly detailed for your eye to discover. The collection is insufficiently catalogued but the guides are there to answer your questions.

The lighting is minimal, clothing the collection in mystery, inviting your curiosity to expand.

The garden's elaborate layout resembles outside rooms of a house. Ponds, a miniature sea village, pigeons, vegetable garden, all continuing the explorative nature of the manor. 

Last four pics via google.

TV series worth watching

If you feel like you need something different than the usual netflix menu, here's some series I watched and liked.

So if you're into good crime I recommend Montalbano.

There's two of them. Young Montalbano and Inspector Montabano.
They are tv adaptations after Andrea Camilleri's novels.

I started with "Young Montalbano", having no clue the series I was watching were a prequel on a classic Italian series: Montalbano.

In gorgeous Sicily, foodie Commisario Salvo Montalbano deals with crime. Salvo keeps everyone happy, while gently imposing the sense of justice. His longterm stagnant relationship with Livia (who lives in a different city) is one of the constant themes. His love for Sicily keeps him in fictional city of Vigata. Oh, and he lives in an awful place by the sea.

All characters are absolutely great and I can't really decide which Montalbano I like. The young one or the old one. Both series are impeccably done and same character is beautifully played in both adaptations.

And in a beautiful twist of history, Young Montalbano's music is performed by Olivia Sellerio, daughter of Enzo and Elvira Sellerio, Andrea Camilleri's publishers.

Watch both of them, in whichever order you choose. Let me know what you think

I'm going to leave you with Young Montalbano's trailer featuring Olivia's haunting voice. 

Baby, we need to have a talk.

Dear Apple,

This is Oana. I've loved you ever since my first iPod. 64 gb of music. It seemed like heaven. It was that old model, with a wheel, I hope you remember. One of those that didn't have a replaceable battery. Oh, the drama when it broke. I loved it so much, I had to dissect it to figure out the magic inside, I'm a geek you see? When I did that, there was a loose contact, a wire sticking out, which I cured with some tape. That first iPod works 8 years after. 

But see, I didn't have an iPhone, nor desired one, nor worked on a mac. 

You seemed too beautiful to me. 

You seduced me with the touch. So I decided to get an iPhone. Oh, the drama of a lost one, the drama of a broken screen, you know what I'm talking about. 

The mac came last to join the happy family of screens and endless possibilities. 

The iPad because I moved so I needed to compress all my books. 

Now I'm listening to a meditation audiobook on my iPhone6. Oh, love it. 

But baby, it doesn't have a fucking bookmark on audiobooks? Are you fucking kidding me? See? I got a kindle as a present. I would have never betrayed the shinny luminous iPad for bedtime reading. But you know what? Kindle rules when it comes to reading. It's uglier, it's true and Gooooood, it takes me 45 seconds to write something which would have been 10 on you. But it works beautifully. 

I can bookmark shit. I can take my time. 

I don't want to download an app that helps me bookmark an audiobook. It's scratching my left ear with my right hand, after I managed to get rid of the bag and the rainproof jacket, in a crowded underground. Your built in app can do that. 

Amore, just put a fucking bookmark sign there. You don't need a whole design department to do it. 

So please step up the game and deliver what made me fall for you. That brilliant user experience. The common sense of longlasting great design. Maybe it's time to read Steve Job's stuff again. Do it on a kindle. Be disruptive, again. 

Thank you, babe. 

I made my will today.

I made my will today and I'm not happy with it. What do I leave behind and to whom? I'm not going to bold shout this. Nor italic hint this.
I'm going to make a new will this time, next year.
Hope I'll be happier.

Have you made a will this year?
What did you find worthy of leaving behind?
I'd so much like to know.

ROI looking good?

For every civilized human being that was connected yesterday to any kind of news channel, events in Paris were simpy revolting. 

Except for the marketing team at Tesco and the editorial team behind Metro, self entitled "world's most popular free newspaper". They were not on the planet. They had a core meeting somewhere in Saturn, about conquering new teritories and you know how interstellar wifi works. It's still in its early days. News travel with sublight speed. It takes a while to reach Saturn. 

This is the only explanation I could find for this morning Metro running a full cover advertising Tesco.

I understand Metro is a free newspaper, thus relying on advertising. I also believe that when the core concept of the media you're using is threatened, you as a newspaper and you as someone who uses it as a part of the media plan, you stop doing those powerpoints presentations and brainstorming sessions for company's monthly newsletter. You forget about brand awareness. Your common sense descends back and you realise that you can, for a day tell Tesco that they can have the cover tomorrow. Today, we have more important things to write about. And you, marketing team behind Tesco, you can either sack Metro, or just say, you know what, we're going to run the cover. Make it black. Write something empathic. Be human. Or just don't run the ad. 

SHAME marketing team at Tesco, shame editorial team at Metro. 

My mind is full of jam.

We discovered this public garden where blackberries grow freely on a rainy day. 

The crazy though of gathering enough for a jam crossed my mind but it was rainy and we didn't have any recipients with us.

He walked me to the train station next day, said goodbye and I left. Not for the train station but went back to blackberry heaven with the clear thought of picking enough for a jar of jam (you know that beautifully colored jelly you find in supermarkets, seed free and sweet as hell)

 

First you're going to pick the fruit. They are beautiful little creatures. Nature decided to gather up tiny blobs of pure delight, paint them black and call them....ahmm....blackberries. As for humans who want jam, all you have to do is give it time. Blackberries are naughty creatures and it takes time to get them together in an orderly pile in your bag.

Nature has a very nice way of putting things together as well. So you'll find nettle grows beautifully near shrubs of blackberry. Just to test how determined jam driven humans can be.
It takes a lot of time and you're alone. You start thinking that if someone passes through the garden they will at least say you're nuts. You look weird wearing boyfriend's fluffy but superwarm socks*, animal print hooded rain coat and 2 supermarket bags just to make sure the brazen creatures won't escape and stain everything around them. 

You even think about quitting. You told nobody about this idea so nobody can witness your failure.

And then something nice happens. You stop thinking. You know you'll make it. All it takes is patience and keeping your eye on the jar.

You will eventually manage to get a kilogram together. Your pinkie will be a bit numb from the nettle. But it will feel like fireworks light the sky spelling Welldone.

Got home and felt very creative. Instead of 900 gr of sugar, I added only 250. My jam is not very sweet and it's seedy but it tastes like victory.

Maybe we should make jam more often, just to learn about embracing whatever the process with a patient mind, not worrying about how we might look in the eyes of others while we're pursuing our crazy ideas, ready to get our hands numbed from whatever nettle we might come across.

Keep it real.

I moved to London 6 months ago, leaving a lot behind. A lot of my clothes, books, tools. The only thing I truly miss is my cat. 

You learn that you don't need a lot to be happy. You don't need two pairs of fins and 3 googles to be able to swim. You don't need all those boxes with small things you gathered all these years. You don't need all the books. You don't need all your clothes. You don't need that tshirt you bought years ago but never managed to give it away just because.

There comes a time when you need to stop doing the things you do. Especially when those things are nothing but noise. Especially when there's too much useless information coming at you from all directions. Our brains are not equipped for all this busy modern life we're living.

Stop, take a break and declutter.

You don't use it? You don't need it. 

I started with the luminous rectangles almost a month ago - deleted all the games from my iPhone. Then deleted a lot of apps that buzzed me with notifications but that I never really used. Trust me, you don't need a lot of free apps tracking your workouts, you need a good payed one.

Kept my games and books on the iPad that always stays offline. Offline time is always good time.

Mail was next so I unsubscribed from all the useless newsletters feeding me information I didn't use or need.

Maybe marketing should forget about newsletters and think about something new. They didn't make me buy anything or love the brand.

When it came to facebook, I had 2 choices, either delete the account but then again I use their messenger app to keep in touch with my real friends. So the obvious solution was to unfriend everyone I never met, or met but never really got to be personal or people that are not in my life anymore. Keeping it real. So I got from 2020 facebook friends to 600 people I know or I'm interested in what they do, or simply I just like them.

And it feels fucking great. Facebook is again only for friends, for sharing silly little things that amuse me and maybe the people I know.

Back to blog for sharing thoughts or inspiration. Back to soundcloud to discover new music. Back to newsreaders where I carefully curate what I read. Back to books. Back to more offline life. 

And I hate those sites that teach you how to make your life happier in 10 easy steps. I have no idea what works for you when it comes to decluttering and making your life easier and tastier. I'm simply sharing what works for me.

You go and have an awesome weekend. I know I am.

Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot.

Original cast for Breakfast at Tiffany's was Marylin Monroe. I'm pretty sure it would have been a completely different movie. Not sure a better one.

Audrey Hepburn has always been an inspiration for me. Her timelessness, her grace, her style, her sense of humour, her vulnerability but at the same time, her wiseness always gave me confidence. Confidence to wear a little black dress, show some back and pearls and the occasional tiara. Confidence to keep it simple.

Vulnerable and sweet enough to say all those quotes about happiness, pretty girls and kisses you'll see on facebook today, wise&graceful enough to embrace her age by retiring at her best, not ending up as  botox, paralax or whatever old stars put in them to be for ever young.

Guys at Tiffany's know all this. She gracefully endorsed Tiffany's at a time where "product placement" and "brand values" weren't even invented. But Tiffany's are smart. They keep delivering that feeling, even today.
It's true. Nothing bad ever happens there. It's not about feeling like a princess, it's about feeling human, being asked silly questions without feeling questioned while delivering splendid service which makes your necklace, brought there for a fix, a valuable reminder that some stories are real and not fairytales. Great "brand" and "customer care" lesson there. 

She's a constant reminder that only with an open heart, you'll feel all those beautiful things that we all crave for. That it's all about smiling and feeling happy, a visionaire, indeed ( I'm sure Pharrell is a huge fan as well ).

So thank you Audrey for everything, cause at the end of the day we're all a sweet vulnerable bundle of neuroses. And it's ok.

Pain is necessary, suffering is optional.

When I first saw London Marathon's map, wondered how on Earth am I going to move that day, since it's basically by my house.

Woke up today knowing I'm going to see it, although I had no burning desire nor was in a very olympic mood. I needed milk.

I was sure I was going to take some pictures, instagram them, get milk and go home. Got there, found a good spot, took some pictures and it started to come to me. My spot is pretty close to the finish line. But for runners who made it this far, pretty far away. And you see it not in the first 3 hours but after 5 hours in the competition. They almost walk, but they are not stopping.

And it hit me.

Awe, because I've always admired athletes. And my, a marathon is quite a distance. I've always wondered what went throught Phidippides's brain while he did it. What really drove him. Cause back then Nike was just a goddess not something you put your feet in and go train for a marathon.

And for people who run or do any kind of sport, even for short distances, you know how hard it is to tame your brain into doing just another lap. 

And then I felt envious for every single person I saw running today. Because when they cross that line, they will feel, today, a week from now, a month from now, that they can do anything on this planet. That, through hard work, will power and discipline they can achieve anything. At a slower or faster pace. And I remembered how it felt when I did swimming competitions. There was no pleasure there. It was hard work, determination and faith that got me pass the finish line. But life was simple. Good. It had bubbly at the end of the day.

I felt envious for the smiles on their faces when they're going to finish, for their quiet sleep tonight, for the meal that's going to taste like heaven. 

And then I felt humble and inspired. So for every person, superhero and building that did the London Marathon today, I humbly thank you for reminding me that we all run. It's about deciding if we run for or from something. You've been amazing, thank you.

Title of this post taken from Haruki Murakami's book: What I talk when I talk about running.

Van Eyck was here

Wish you have a Beyonce 2014!

Meaning I wish you keep your mouth shut when critics fiercely bark on your back, while doing great work.

Let's all pull at least one beyonce this year. Let's humbly focus on what we do, let's have a point, let's deliver more quality and less shitvertising.

Let's all believe in our fucking selves more, while totally being honest with who we are.

Let's challenge concepts that really need changing. Let's keep more good habits. Let's be humble and thankful for what we've got.

Let's enjoy life, its nowness, let's smile more, let's move our asses on the dance floor, let's be sexy and let's just aspire to be happy.

I got your message, baby.

Happy anniversary, baby.

Exactly two years ago, something important happened to me. And I'm sure the world doesn't care that much about what was it and that's fine. But to put it in context, I won two medals at a swimming competition. Gold and silver. Of course it was very cool to be number one, but being number two made me think about being second best, about staying hungry, staying fearful, about always staying humble.

So I decided that the 27th of November will be a special day for me. An anchor to always remind me that I'm not the absolute best, that there are good things to come, that effort always pays off and that generally life is good.

We can't walk on water or fly or be personal Jesuses for somebody else, we can't change how the world spins, we can't know it all, we have limited resources, we can't be someone else overnight and that's fine with me.

But we can create our own anniversaries, we can establish our own traditions. We can change toxic habits with healthy ones, and by doing so, small steps every day, hopefully become better versions of ourselves.

That's being true to meaningful events in your life, keeping your eyes wide open. That's allowing the world to pass through you as input and let it form-ulate you, without over thinking too much, though.

Today I am celebrating two years passing ever since, the end of a cycle, the beginning of a new cycle. 

And if you are celebrating something today as well, take a moment, think about what you're celebrating, smile and be thankful for what you've got. 

Happy anniversary, baby.

Jay-Z is Great Gatsby's real director.

The Great Gatsby has pretty colors, has CGI, "cool"actors" pools and champagne. Perfect you might say. It's so boringly flat, I had to force myself to make it to the end. It lacks pretty much everything that a good movie needs.

There's no build up, there's no rhythm, nothing sexy and decadent about it, characters looked all the same to me, costumes were boring.

I mean guys, it's a love story in the 20s NY decadence...champagne and some pool splashes? 

When I first saw the names on "The Great Gatsby"s soundtrack I was in total awe.

Dark Jack White plus Beyonce covering Amy Winehouse plus Florence and the Machine plus Bryan Ferry plus Sia plus Emeli Sande covering Beyonce? with a splash of The XX? Oh, my, I could feel my brain shiver on the verge of an explosion.

Over the years, Jay-Z showed himself as a brilliant producer cause like it or not, he is to blame after all, for ubertalented wifey's constant success. 

But now, he simply reveals how much music he knows, creating this beautiful aural landscape, yours to fill with the plot. Just take some time off, play the soundtrack, add some 20s decadence with a dash of love and I really don't want to know what's inside that secret cinema that your brain possesses.

I'm sure it's eons better than what I saw last night.

Practice makes perfect.

I read something that I really liked.

" It's only when you are alone that you can engage in Deliberate Practice, which was identified as the key to exceptional achievement. When you practice deliberately you identify the tasks or knowledge that are just out of your reach, strive to upgrade your performance, monitor your progress and revise accordingly"

Quiet by Susan Cain