"Love is all that you can't leave behind"

"Time flies. Time waits for no man. Time heals all wounds. All any of us wants is more time. Time to stand up. Time to grow up. Time to let go. Time." (Grey's Anatomy, season 3, episode 1)

Yet another year flew by. Inevitably for me, there's a sense of nostalgia whenever another year comes to an end. I am never sure whether I want it to end but it is out of my hands so all I can really do is go with the flow. Smile. Drink champagne. Kiss someone at midnight. Make room for other feelings such as the anxiety and the excitement for something new...a new year, a new start. When I was a high school teenager and a college student afterward, the nostalgia was mixed with the feeling of being utterly annoyed by the fact that the holidays were ending, school was about to start, and more exams were knocking at my door. I can't say that I loved being in school back then, even though I always had good grades. I am now grateful and glad that I stuck with it but back then all I wanted was to be free and sometimes school felt as a form of confinement and not challenging enough to keep me interested. I wanted to experience life, travel the world, meet new people, listen to music, hang out with friends, read books, go to the beach and be a free spirit. I enjoyed learning about the stuff that I liked and was interested in. The rest, I'd just wing it. Not to brag, but I'm kind of smart :P - luckily I used to be able to go through the course material of an entire semester in just two or three days right before the exam and because it was about stuff that I really didn't like, I was just happy to get it done and put it behind me.


I don't really do New Year resolutions. I have an idea about what I'd like to do next but I'm not dead set on it. Things can change. I could find myself, 3 months later, wanting to do something different or enjoying something I never expected to. I don't plan stuff so far ahead, although I'm quite an organized person. So if you ask me about any big plans for 2011, I don't have a very specific or elaborate answer. I want to travel more. I want to smile more. I want to keep hanging on to the kid inside me - I have succeeded so far. I want to love chocolate less than I do, my pancreas and my kidneys must hate me. I want to make more friends and meet my internet friends in real life. I want to see fewer discriminating and intolerant people. I want to be able to swim in the ocean. I have an eternal fascination with the sea and the ocean, even though I almost drowned three times in my life. That's a pretty good sign I should probably stay away from deep waters, they freak me out. I am not a good swimmer but I can't hate the sea. I just can't. I feel drawn to it, and it shakes me to my core because of the conflicting emotions it triggers inside me: peaceful, restless, overwhelming, uplifting. It is the beginning and the end at the same time. But one day...I will swim in the ocean. At this point in time, it is not very likely to happen but it is not impossible. The dream of me swimming in the ocean is there. And that makes it a possibility. Until then, the best I can do is breathe and exhale. Enjoy now. Worry later. Maybe if I keep postponing worrying, I will eventually just stop doing it and forget all about it. Take the "Scarlett O'Hara approach": "I won't think about it now. I'll think about it tomorrow". Cross bridges when I get to them. Have a glass of wine, hug my loved ones, smile at the cute kitty I keep seeing around my building, write on my blog and thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read it.

What do I want for all of us? I want for all of us to be kinder, more patient, less hard on ourselves. Hang on to our dreams wherever we are. A new year means more time. More time is ultimately a gift. Enjoy it and make the best of it. "Walk on. What you got, they can't deny it, can't sell it or buy it".

May we all have a peaceful, healthy and joyful 2011 !

Happy Holidays everyone!

Little Things That Count - The Weekly Roundup December 23

Music: Eminem - Not Afraid. WHY? I am not necessarily an Eminem fan, but when this song came up on TV this morning - even though I had already listened to it a thousand times this year, as it's been heavily rotated and you couldn't really avoided if you tried - I found myself just sitting there on the couch thinking that, not only it's a good Eminem song (Lose Yourself is still arguably his best song and his most successful single to date), but this guy has somehow managed to rise from his own ashes yet again. He released a new album in 2010 - appropriately called "Recovery" - to huge commercial success and it's well deserved: it's a good record. Does the world really love Eminem so much? Yes. His fan base has been incredibly loyal throughout the years and all it takes is one good song and he's back to being ubiquitous. After all, this is what being a real fan means: sticking by your favorite artist despite all the ups and downs. And Eminem has had his own share of downs, culminating with prescription drugs/alcohol dependence and contemplating suicide. Read more about his struggle to stay alive, get sober and return to top of the charts in Eminem: The Billboard Cover Story. To summarize here's why this is my song choice for this week:


1. "Recovery" is the best selling album of 2010 and includes 2 number one hits: Not Afraid and Love the Way You Lie. I personally like Not Afraid better, simply because it's more relevant for who Eminem is.

2. Billboard magazine recently published their top 25 music moments of 2010 and Eminem's "Recovery" is at no.1.

3. Eminem has 10 (ten) Grammy nominations, more than any other artist this year.

4. With his sales and chart performances, Eminem is Billboard's artist of the decade. He hit no.1 with every album released in the last 10 years.

5. Time Magazine has recently chosen this Rolling Stone cover as the best magazine cover of 2010:

I can't say if it's the best of the year, as I haven't seen all of them, but it certainly is one fantastic cover. That's what I thought about it, when I first saw it 2 months ago (this was the cover for the November 2010 issue). One simple picture that tells more about Eminem than a 1000 words. Because, at the end of the day, what do we really know about Eminem? He (still) wears hoodies. He doesn't really like to talk about himself, although he accepted to talk openly about his "road back from hell" as Rolling Stone put it. But even when he does an interview, we feel we only get a glimpse of who he really is. He doesn't really care about fame, making headlines or being in the tabloids. He's more of a loner, keeps a lot to himself. The anger is still there but now it's channeled a bit differently, as he shows signs of maturity on "Recovery". The flashy, blonde Eminem is gone along with the cartoon-ish videos. Will he ever get back to that? Who knows? I personally like the dark-haired Eminem better. He's still got a lot of fight in him, most of which is probably against his own demons.
  
Movie: Rabbit Hole starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart. Very good perfomance from Nicole Kidman in a touching movie. I'll post more about it in an upcoming brief review.

Food/Dessert: If you're plunging into the Holiday cooking/baking frenzy, here are more festive dessert ideas: for a color-coordinated dessert the Red Velvet Cake is a classic. If you're still not sure about your choice of chocolate cake, maybe give this Decadent Chocolate Cake a try. And for something completely different try this spectacular Chocolate Chestnut Charlotte.


Perfume: Parfumerie Generale - Cadjmere. Also known as No.18 from their collection. I chose this one because it smells like Christmas to me. It's an exotic but friendly woody concoction with just a touch of coconut, and it ultimately smells like Christmas trees and yummy desserts baking in the oven.


Blast from the past: Robbie Williams - Angels. His hugely popular hit is perfect for this time of the year. Simply beautiful and I'll always love it.


Random thought: Christmas carolers wake up way too early in the morning.


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In the news this week-ish:

The awards season is in full swing and I'm caught up in it not only because I love movies but because it's fun! The nominees for both the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards were announced last week and I'll write more on them in a separate post in January (before the actual ceremonies take place).

Leonardo Di Caprio tops Forbes highest-grossing Hollywood actors list of 2010. 

Avatar Is 2010's Most Pirated Film. Surprised?

Not only is Amy Adams Miss Cuteness, but she's a very talented actress who is back into the spotlight with her role in The Fighter, a movie that's generating a lot of Oscar buzz and might earn her another Oscar nomination. Here she is in a beautiful festive photo shoot for Parade magazine.

The poster and trailer to the highly anticipated Terrence Malick upcoming movie - Tree of Life - have surfaced and you can see them here.

Happy Holidays everyone !

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Little Things That Count - The Weekly Roundup December 13

Music: Tinie Tempah feat. Eric Turner - Written in the Stars. Britain's biggest breakthrough act of 2010, Tinie Tempah released this little number at the end of September, but it's still rocking 3 months later. If possible, please ignore the awfully cheesy single cover.

Movie: Going back to classics this week. Scent of a Woman starring the beloved Al Pacino is a great movie, in case you haven't seen it. Al Pacino's outstanding performance won him an Academy Award in 1993 and, as strange as it may be, it is the only Oscar Pacino ever won.


Food/Dessert: The Holidays are here and I believe in desserts. I'm also a firm believer that, while money can't buy you happiness, it sure can buy you dessert. I also think that happiness comes in many forms, one of which is dessert. So there you go. Money can buy you portions of yummy happiness. And isn't happiness supposed to taste sweet anyway? Everybody loves chocolate cake...well, almost everybody. A classic one to try is the Devil's Food Cake or if you want something a bit different, here's an equally tempting Chocolate Panna Cotta Layer Cake. If you're a peppermint fan, you can go for a festive Peppermint Meringue Cake with Chocolate Buttercream or, if you love the chocolate-orange combination, an Orange-Scented Bittersweet Chocolate Cake might be up your alley.



Random thought: I'm going to be late with my Christmas shopping this year. Why am I not surprised?

Perfume: Tom Ford - Tobacco Vanille is one of the very best (pipe) tobacco/vanilla fragrances money can buy. It is wonderfully crafted, well balanced and it smells good on both men and women.

Blast from the past: A-Ha - Crying in the Rain. One of the most beautiful songs ever recorded.

Thingy: Completely random, but I came across this cool globe chandelier and just wanted to share. It's one of the light pieces created by Benoit Vieubled. This would have been such an awesome thing to own as a kid, but it's never too late, I guess :)

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In the news this week-ish:

Billboard published their year-end charts and the Hot 100 Song of the Year is Ke$ha's hugely successful Tik Tok. Ke$ha is also Billboard's Hot 100 Artist and Top New Artist, while Lady Gaga is Top Artist, which is basically Artist of the Year. Here you can take a look at all the other year-end chart categories.

Time Magazine compiled their own Top 10 lists for 2010, for song, album, movie, TV show, magazine cover and just about every other thing you can think of. You can see them all here.

Yoko Ono gave an interview for Esquire magazine, to be published in their January 2011 issue, entitled :"What I've learned about John Lennon, 30 years on". Here you can read excerpts of it.

Jennifer Lopez revealed her new, over the top album cover. Still no word on the official release date, but it looks like the album will drop in early 2011.

Photos from Flickr, Fragrantica and Black Eiffel.

Random post: 15 things House-related

1. House is one of the best TV characters ever created.

2. House can be a jerk. A jerk who saves lives, how about that?

3. All hospital admins should look like Lisa Cuddy.

4. Lisa Cuddy is hot.

5. House is hot.

6. Hugh Laurie has never won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of House. What is wrong with you people? Just give him the darn thing, he deserves it.

7. If it looks like lupus, double check. Triple check. It's (almost) never lupus.

8.  If I ever have to choose, I'd rather have a jerkenius (jerk + genius = jerkenius) doctor treat me and not give up until he figures out what's wrong with me, even if solely for his own pleasure of solving the puzzle. I don't want someone who holds my hand while telling me :"I'm sorry, there is nothing more we can do".

9. Some people take a crap load of pills that they don't really need.

10. Sticking a thermometer up a policeman's butt may get you in a lot of trouble.

11. Lars Ulrich is the best drummer ever. House said so and I happen to agree.

12. House is not just a character. He is a way of life. You either get him or you don't.

13. House is a genius.

14. Genius does have side effects.

15. Everybody lies. Ain't that the truth?

Little Things That Count - The Weekly Roundup December 6

Music: Adele - Rolling in the Deep. It has been playing obsessively in my mind since I first heard it a short while ago and it is going to do the same on UK radio and TV. This is the first single taken from "21", the upcoming album by the very talented British singer Adele.

Food/Dessert: Tyropites rocked my week. They are Greek Cheese Pies with phyllo dough. You can also use spinach and they become Spanakopita. They freeze well, are easy to pack and take with you for a lunch snack on those hectic days. As far as dessert goes, brownies are always a yay for me.

Movies: I watched The Kids Are All Right again last night. I think it should make the final list of 10 nominees for the Best Picture Oscar and it most likely will. All actors give great performances here, especially Annette Bening, already tipped for an Oscar nomination (I felt that she really let her guard down in front of the camera in a way that she never has before) and Julianne Moore who is the fantastic actress she has always been. A notable mention for Mia Wasikowska who did a great job playing Joni, one of "The Kids". This is an honest, witty, stripped-down movie (no pun intended), where no one is preoccupied with looking good on camera. Matter of fact, it's exactly the opposite. It's raw emotion, with likable characters - flaws and all - simply because they become so relatable on an emotional level as the movie unfolds. By the end, it turns into something different from what it looked like at the beginning. It plays very much like a slice-of-life movie and the last 25 minutes or so are the best.

Perfume: If you like leather/suede perfumes, a nice one to try is Cuir Cordoba by Keiko Mecheri. It can be worn by both men and women. Smooth and velvety, it is one of her best creations.

Blast from the past: Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence. I admit that I have never been a huge Depeche Mode fan, I mostly appreciated them...from a distance. But this is one DM song I have always loved. One of the best of the '90s and one of the best of their entire career. If you want to see the real power of this song, check this live performance in Milan, Italy, where it's basically the crowd singing and Dave Gahan listening and not the other way around.
 
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It happened this week-ish:

The Grammy nominees were announced last Thursday, with a few surprises and a few snubs...as usual. I'll take a more detailed look at the list and possible winners in February, before the actual ceremony will take place. In the meantime, here is the link to the full list of nominees.

Coldplay released their new video to the song Christmas Lights.

Arcade Fire's new single is The Suburbs.

For the clubber in you: Far East Movement - Like A G6 is still played like crazy on the radio and TV.

Ciara proves once again what an amazing dancer she is. Check out her new video, Gimme Dat. This is some of the best executed choreography I have seen in quite a while. The song leaves a lot to be desired, to put it mildly, but with those moves and that body, who cares?

  
Pink's Raise Your Glass is the new U.S. Billboard Hot 100 No.1 song. (and she's filming the video for her next single).

Lady Gaga confirmed that her new single from the album "Born This Way" will be released in February.

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I have kindly been asked by a friend to list the recent DVD releases and with the Holiday season coming up, you might consider these as possible gifts for your addicted-to-movies friends:

*new DVD launches in Romania: Inception, Salt, Knight and Day, Up in the Air, Shutter Island, It's Complicated, Robin Hood, Avatar-Extended Collector's Edition, Step Up 3, Toy Story 3, The Back-Up Plan, Sex and the City 2, The Book of Eli, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

 
Photos from Flickr, Fragrantica.