"They left a ringing in my ear, but that drum's still beating loud and clear"

When one goes to a concert, one gets to sit on the ground and compare shoes.

As much as I love a lot of things in this world (glitter, Robert Downey Jr's gravity defying hair, those DSquared shoes), I think only a few things match the level of complete ecstatic love I feel a few moments before the first few notes of a concert break through the air.

What is a concert without half-naked rockers doing a mosh-pit? Or without "rock on" hand signs? It's like tornadoes without Dorothy, really.

Maria and I, in our little space on the concrete, waiting for Rammstein to hit the stage.

That's why the last weekend was just what the doctor ordered - and I should know! - and the perfect cure for an exam addled brain. Two days of music, from the always rocking and always powerful Metallica to the only-the-Germans-can-pull-it-off insanity that was Rammstein, with little drops of Slayer and Alice in Chains in between.

The Boy won't let me see the bands, boo ;)

I don't think I ever mentioned this around here but I used to be one of those sulky teenagers, wearing all black and all spikes and all chains, a long-haired emo before emo became cool and before cool became hipster. The sulkiness passed but the music remained forever etched into my brain, to the complete shock of my mother who hoped that with the discovery of pastels and dresses I would also stop, quote-unquote, ruining my ears with that incessant sound.

Metallica! Fire! Good noise!
(photo source: Metropotam)

So of course I was going to be one of the thousands of people at last week's Sonisphere Festival. And of course I was going to be singing along until my vocal chords gave away (I also partly blame the ice-cold beer for that too). Because Metallica showed us that they can still rock a stage like no other, even so many years after first gracing a stage. And because Master of Puppets still sends shivers down my spine like it did the first time I heard it, when I was too young to function. (Dear guys, I forgive you for the "Budapest" mistake, just let it not happen again, mkay?)

Rammstein! Flame throwers! Funny costumes! More good noise!


(photo source: MetalHead.ro)

Because Rammstein reminded me why I stand by my belief that german is the language of anger and energy (I mean that in the best possible way possible) and because they're the only ones that can turn a concert into this over-the-top show. I mean, is this the best entrance or what? They even bought the noteworthy face mounted flamethrowers. Yeah, that is what I call a good, first-rate show.

(I look so very surprised in all of these photos and still have no idea why)

Wearing: Zara blazers; Kotton dress; Musette/Replay booties; a bunch of very random accessories.

And of course at the end of the day, I'm still the girl who goes to a heavy metal festival wearing heels. My excuse is simple: those 10 centimeters are a concert savior when one is surrounded by metal heads who are too tall, who still wear their hair like James Hetfield in the 80s and who are sitting right in front of you so you can't possibly see the stage. True story!

(For any romanian speakers out here interested in a great review, check Vulupe's posts here :)

*

(source)

This past week has really been a week of firsts. On Wednesday I was lucky enough to be in the same room with Jacqui Banaszynsk, 1988 Pulitzer prize winner, at her narrative journalism presentation (THANK YOU Decat o Revista!) I didn't know what to expect when I walked into that room and I admit I sat awkwardly for a moment when looking around and seeing mostly journalism students around me.

But then she started talking and I don't know where those 3 hours went. I listened and my brain has been in overdrive since then. I'm still in awe at the strength and conviction that flew with her words and at the end I was left with this need to know more, to say more, to hear more.

Other people have written about this meeting and I don't feel I can add anything without sounding like a little swooning girl (between you and me, that's what I am right now, but shhhh, don't tell her I said so!) so I will leave you with one of her favorite quotes:

"... history is written by those who have hanged the heroes."

And a link to her award winning piece: AIDS in the Heartland. Read it if you want to witness what creating something awesome feels like.

*

And, and, and! I'd also like to thank Cristina Bazavan for the invitation to the Tabu Facebook Party yesterday. Besides it being fun, I got to hang around with some really, really, really, really, really stunning girls and be their personal cheerleader, and I also got to meet some smart and dapper people who I hope to see again as soon as possible!

Told you I had a very exciting week ♥

*

(My fridge door and fridge magnets are used for something useful ;)

And now back to the drawing board. Or, as they say in my neck of the woods, back to those annoying pharmacology books. The joy.

*

Songs of the Day:
Metallica - One; Rammstein - Mein Teil

"The slayer T-shirt fit the scene just right"

Tuesday was one of those deceptively sunny days. The ones where you look out the window and see bright blue skies and you can almost hear the birds singing (of course, that is merely a hallucination by your warmth starved brain) and you walk out singing and freeze your ass off in exactly 3.6 seconds. But still, yay sun!

*

This week, these things rocked harder than David Bowie's glitter make-up back in the days:
+ one Pathology exam passed on Monday. I am convinced this subject will be the death of me, which is slightly ironic.
+ playing The Penis Game from 500 Days of Summer in front of Starbucks at night with The Boy and Edvigia. Everyone needs to try this game at least once, a fun time is guaranteed!
+ wine.
+ being the proud owner of a new sparkly blazer which I cannot wait to introduce to the world!
+ losing time by looking up clips of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law being all bromantic. Sherlock Holmes is great even the second time around, trust me!
+ choking on coffee from too much laughing when watching the new American Idol episodes. Oh man, some of the people that try out for that show are just too painful to hear.
+ having to skip going to the club with the twitter group but still getting a phone call in the middle of the night when our gang's song (The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 miles) came on. In case you're wondering why that's our song, all you need to do is watch How I Met Your Mother. I rest my case!
+ Falling in love with the style of Vika Gazinskaya thanks to a post by the lovely Carola's Musing on AloModa.

This week, this thing sucked as much as the lack of glitter make-up these days:
+ exam session starting in 3... 2... 1.

*

Tuesday, the 12th:
Courses at the hospitals that deal with infectious disseses. Germaholics beware!







dress: Mango, trench: H&M, belt: Zara, tights: Accessorize, boots: Nine West, bag: Musette, peacock print scarf: bought in Turkey, owl necklace: thrift, heart necklace: Swarowski.

*

Thursday, the 14th:
Two tests in one day which brought along a small degree of mental damage. The day ended with wine so it all was good.







top: Hugo Boss, cardigan: Mango, pants: Stradivarius, booties and bag: Musette, bracelets: bought in Rome, bracelet: CalvinKlein Jewels, watch: Swatch.

*

Friday, the 15th:
Starbucks. Need I say more?



*

Song of the Day:
Weezer - (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To

"He took the days for pageant, and became as mad as rabbits"

These past few weeks have been sort of awesome really. I might even say legen - wait for it - dary! (The How I Met Your Mother craze is back and kicking :))

Late nights and pancakes and inside jokes. Yup, this is a summer that I might actually remember.

dress: Dika, socks: Golden Point.



dress: Kotton, shoes: Nine West, belt: thrift, watch: Swatch, Bracelet: CK Jewels

*

Before high-school, I used to love making mixtapes for friends. A bunch of my favorite songs, a CD recorder (it was way before I ever heard of CD writers) and some hours to spare and ta-daa! A brand new CD with all my favorites for my favorite person then.

(How old am I that I can also still remember making actual tapes? )

So here's a mixtape for all of you. These are some of the songs that have stuck to me lately, be it their lyrics or their melody or the moment they played at.

Download and enjoy, my darlings :)

*

Click Cover to Download:

Out of Heartache, A Mixtape

01 Mika - We Are Golden
We are not what you think we are / We are golden, we are golden.

02 Cobra Starship - Living In The Sky With Diamonds
And that girl loves danger / But she don't know when to stop.

03 Jonas Brothers - Hey Baby
The lines that you feeding will leave you alone.

04 Kings of Convenience - I'd Rather Dance with You
The music's too loud and the noise from the crowd / Increases the chance of misinterpretation / So let your hips do the talking

05 Panic At The Disco - Mad As Rabbits
But there ain't no sunshine in his song / we must reinvent love

06 The Killers - Sam's Town (Abbey Road Version)
But I know that I can make it / As long as somebody takes me home / Every now and then

07 Jason Mraz - Plane
And supposedly you can crawl right through me / Taste these teeth please / And undress me from the sweaters better hurry

08 The Teenagers - French Kiss
Your eyes don’t lie / Perfect timing for a / French Kiss / On your soft lips

09 Green Day - Viva La Gloria!
She smashed her knuckles into winter/ As autumn's wind fades into black / She is the saint of all the sinners

10 Eels - P.S. You Rock My World
And I was thinking about how everyone was dying / And maybe it is time to live

11 Empires - Valmont
So damn tragic, so fantastic.

12 Travis - Get Up
I need a little love and a hand to hold / Somewhere to hold the frustration / I need a little cause for celebration

13 Cage The Elephant - Back Against The Wall
I said you got me where you want me again / And I can’t turn away

14 Beck - Where It's At
Members only hyponotizers / Move through the room like ambulance drivers / Shine your shoes with your microphone blues

15 Simian Mobile Disco - Cruel Intentions (ft. Beth Ditto)

16 Kasabian - Fire
I'm going, you tell me, I feel it, I say it / I'm heading back into the tunnel for my soul to burn

17 Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To
When I woke up tonight / I said I'm gonna make somebody love me / I know that it's you / You’re Lucky, lucky, you're so lucky

18 Doves - There Goes The Fear
Out of heartache /Along with fear / There goes the fear again / There goes the fear

19 Kaiser Chiefs - Never Miss A Beat
Best bit of the day / Now that's living / Why don't you run away? Are you kidding?

20 The Last Shadow Puppets - Separate And Ever Deadly
I'll pretend / I didn't hear / Can't you see / I'm a ghost / In the wrong coat

21 The New Pornographers - The Laws Have Changed
Awakened to cheers after years on the faultline / We are shocked to be here in the face of the meantime.

22 James Morrison - Once When I Was Little
We could build a rocket / Fly to the moon / Leave Tuesday morning / And be back for noon

23 Glitterati - Keep Me Up All Night
You can keep me up all night / Yeah, even though you're out of sight

24 The Hush Sound - The Boys Are Too Refined
And if I'm given the chance to be a doll in his hands / I will be sure we shake the mountains while we dance

25 Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position
Right past the fabulous mess we're in / It's gonna be a beautiful day

26 The Stills - Let's roll
Don't be afraid / To be afraid here with me

27 The Strokes - Last Nite
Oh, baby, I feel so down / See, it turns me off / When I feel left out

28 The Wombats - Moving to New York
I've just had the craziest week / Like a party bag of lies, booze and then deceit

29 Fall Out Boy - Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown
Tempest in a teacup / Get unique / Peroxide princes shine like shark teeth

30 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Scar Tissue
With the birds I’ll share, this lonely view

31 Razorlight - Golden Touch
Give them a taste but not too much

32 Bon Iver - Skinny Love
I tell my love to wreck it all / Cut out all the ropes and let me fall

What songs have stuck with you this summer and why? Which song is your favorite right now? How about lyrics?

Hope you enjoy all these songs as much as I've been enjoying them these past few weeks.
CD cover made by me. And yes that is a photo of the Panic! At the Disco boys. I have no shame for the love I hold for them, they're too adorable :))

*

Video of the Day: Panic! At the Disco - New Perspective
See, no shame :D

"We lived an adventure. Love in the summer, followed the sun till night reminiscing other times of life"

So I had the kind of weekend that kept me away from sleep and on beer and that made me sigh at the end and whisper "Best weekend ever" under my breath. Friday we all took off to Sirnaville festival outside Bucharest. I don't know what we were all expecting but it turned out great.

But I need to add that maybe the greatness of the whole thing was not necessarily because of the festival but the wonderful people I went with. So big hugs to @pandutzu, @gabriela_perca, @cart00n, @adrianciubotaru, @d3vilgirl, @davidpripas, @roxana_niculae, @iulianv. You guys made my summer go from blah to wonderful, you can't even tell we've known each other for only a week, can you? :))

There was music, there was laughing, there were mosquitoes and borrowed jeans, sex talks and giggling at inappropriate times, stalking of singers and actors, a sky that had visible stars, butterflies in my stomach and Lemons and Clark Kents, stolen cigarettes and totally unhealthy meals, twitter in-jokes, hugs to keep warm, new friends in unexpected places, making lemonade and feeling the smell of lemons all day, coming home at 6 am passing by people who were already getting ready for work and smiling right before falling asleep even though I'd be up in less than 5 hours to do it all over again.

Yeah, this is how summer is suppose to taste like.

*

All the photos from the weekend at my Flickr accound. Enjoy :)

























*

Song of the Day: Empire of the Sun - We Are the People

"We move along with some new passion knowing everything is fine"

Came back from Turkey and was expecting peace and quiet. Instead it all felt like someone forgot to lift their finger off the fast forward button. Ah, I love the sound of people I don't fancy running around my house every morning. Except I would not miss you at all if you left!!


Trying to get in the vacation mindset now. Deep breath in...

... and let the lazying around begin!

*

Turkey:

(click most photos for bigger)





I loved the pool at the hotel!!


Now how did you expect me not to gain 2kgs when that was the dessert table at every meal? Yummy, syropy, creamy, 1000-calorie goodies!


Turkish night! Dancing and wine and more dancing!





Such beautiful costumes.


The belly dancer managed to convince/force some men to dance with her. Hilarity ensued :))








The bazaars. An eclectic mix of kitsch and colors and sounds, you honestly felt like all your senses went into complete overdose!


Me at the best pub in Kusadasi, an Irish pub with great music, adorable waiters and good food!


Live music at the pub! The guy even sang Kings of Leon songs!
(and yeah, it figures I found the only Irish pub there and stick with it like peanut butter to bread :))


Turkish icecream and the funny people making it. People there are always ready for a photo.


Kusadasi, a surprisingly modern city!


The first photo is for any Romanians reading this. The sign says, in really bad grammar: "You are my Romanian brothers. For you, everything almost free." I love the subtle almost squished into there!
And Turkey is the best place to find fake bags, they had every it bag you can imagine.


Lucky Turkish eyes!








And the best shop ever. You know those people that, after you've finished talking with them, leave you with a warm happy feeling in the pit of your stomach? He was exactly that! A man that should be in the pages of a novel.


Of course I couldn't leave without a photo with them. He also said I had the aura of a she-devil ;))


Last change spent on food in the airport.


Wherever I go, it's good to know some things never change!

*

Song of the Day: Panic(!) at the Disco - New Perspective
Still bummed that Panic is no more, but this song makes me feel slightly better.