Monday Blues and Happy Halloween!

 My dear,

How are you today? I feel very tired! Yesterday I couldn’t fall asleep, even though we changed the clocks to winter time. How did your surprising weekend trip go? I am waiting for photos!

Since yesterday I couldn’t post anything, today will be the day to say some words that were intended for Sunday.

After the long post on Friday, which I must confess, was written for several days, I felt exhausted. I consider making the Neverending Sunday posts optional, because it’s difficult to write something (even personal stuff) after such long music Friday publications.

So, a little bit of what I have been doing lately… Not so many great things happen to me, except that we were preparing ourselves for the upcoming winter. Last week we had the firewood delivered to our home and the weekend before I had to help granny with the flowers – we usually put them in the basement, when the weather becomes really cold.

Petals from cascading geranium

Photo made by my cousin

So, you can see that, apart from writing about music and wise quotes, I couldn’t find some time to write about other things. Even now I am writing from work and I will finish the post at home (I wrote most of my latest posts during  breaks, because at home the only thing I can do is to edit them).  And recently I have a lot of work to do in my daily job, which is very tiring.  Anyway, I will stop complaining now.

Speaking about flowers, there is a new addition to my collection of orchids! The fifth one (I call it the maknae, meaning “the youngest” in Korean) is a mini-orchid with a deep purple colour, accompanied with some leopard pattern in the middle.

You can’t see clearly the purple colour, because my phone cannot catch it, as many cameras can’t as well. It is so tiny and sweet! How could you resist this charm?! I hope that our home is not so cold for the little one, because its petals will fall off.

Apart from the (mindless for some) flower shopping, I found Korean cosmetics! I have long heard that there are some masks in the DM store, but recently I found spare time (and money) to look for them. And I must say, there are plenty to choose from!

As you can see, I bought two types – a sheet mask with Korean red ginseng and under-eye mini sheet masks with green tea. The ginseng mask, which is a bit expensive, is only one in the package and I haven’t used it yet, but the under-eye treatment turned out to be very good! There are 30 sheets, 15 for each eye and they are very easy to use.

Interesting Article

My dear, last week I happened upon a very interesting photo article on the BBC site. It shows some very old photos from Shanghai. I personally liked the one with the wheelbarrow taxi driver who disassembles his rig to avoid paying taxes for crossing the bridge with his wheel.  Clever trick, haha!

Movies and Dramas

There is not so much to say about new dramas at the moment. Recently granny and I concluded Coffee Prince, which is a very sweet (and old) 2007 drama. The main actress, playing a girl disguised as a young man, was very impressive. From all clichés that I have seen, this role felt very suitable for her.  The drama is very light and funny and makes you feel comfortable. It is perfect to watch when you have some time during the cold and rainy days.

Recently I began watching Scarlet Heart, which will end this week. Maybe I will write a review after completing it, but for now I can only say that the music in the drama is the one thing that still excites me the most. The story was interesting at first, but now the plot is diluted and chaotic, weakening the whole concept, I think. Apart from the good acting of some of the princes and older actors/actresses, it feels like a teen – oriented drama, filled with famous idols (some who are still learning how to act) just for the fan-service – a fact that can easily disappoint, even though everyone seems so beautiful. Beauty is not always the main point after all. 

Speaking of dramas, there is a movie I watched recently. It’s called Hot Young Bloods and it is very energetic to watch. I personally wanted to see it, because of Lee Jong Suk at first, but the whole acting team did an amazing job. The vibes I get remind me a lot of Punch – another coming-of-age movie, with another favourite actor, Yoo Ah-in. Well, I began writing about one movie, but ended up praising two. Of course, I am not going to compare these films; I will just recommend you to watch them both. You will like the energy, the humour and the simple wisdom and truths about life, especially in Punch.

Photo taken from hancinema.net

Destination for Motivation

Dear, there are so many places I want to visit in this world! Apart from my dream to celebrate my birthday in Australia (not only because it matches Australia day, but it is also summertime in January there), my eagerness exceeds to making travel my way of life! I feel so alone some days; like a person with no connections and no companion to share the same interests, like a person that lives in another country. I sometimes feel more connected to things that happen abroad, than in Bulgaria. I am not even a real patriot in my own country….

Anyway, today’s destination is a place in South Korea that I saw in the first episode of the drama mentioned above (Scarlet Heart). The place is Cheonjuho Lake in Pocheon and, from what I have seen in the drama and Google, the view is very beautiful!

Photo taken from visitkorea.or.kr

Some Monday Music…

Dear, I think that my admiration for BTS is growing with the speed of light! They turned out to be very interesting and fun! The excitement I have for them these days reminds me a lot of my first SHINee days. As an unofficial Shawol, now I can say that I am turning also into an ARMY. (Although I am using these labels only to express my fondness and support for the groups, but I distinguish from both fandoms’ behavior.)

Here is a song, released in 2015, which is sooo good to listen to! I also like the choreography, the dance made me watch the whole video several times, can you imagine that, haha! There is this sound in the chorus that reminds of Flo Rida’s G.D.F.R. song, (which I know you didn’t like so much), but Dope has a lighter feeling that you will definitely enjoy more!

[MV] BTS(방탄소년단) _ DOPE(쩔어)

          So, that was my Monday post. I am currently at home, finishing and editing this post and I will probably read s few documents for tomorrow, because I have a lot of work to do these days. It was a very long Monday…

         Tomorrow my aunt and little cousin will come for one night and two days to stay with us. No more K-pop for me, only My Little Pony, hahaha!

Till Wednesday, my dear!

Hugs,

R.

My ears at work today. This is really embarrassing, haha! I hate selfies! I am only doing this for you. Happy Halloween! Meow!

Gourmet Bomb and Friday Music Favourites – 28 October

 My dear O.,

Your food-inspired letters were really delicious! I am glad that you take care of yourself by eating good food and socializing with people! That’s the best way to beat the autumn melancholy. The worst is that after autumn there comes winter which is even more depressing and colder. It is good that you search for some colour in your daily routine, do not let the cold make you feel sad!  Your lodging looks very comfy and warm; I can see from the photos that you furnished it with style. I really liked the pictures you posted! And also, the gluttony quote made me laugh sincerely, hahaha!

The dinner you prepared for your colleagues is the best way to “break the ice” as people say and to catch up with the times you couldn’t meet with those girls. They look very pretty and friendly in the photo you posted.

You did everything well – from the stylish arrangement of the table, to the wonderful meal. The menu seems very delicious and fresh – is turkey common meat to eat there, as it was with the fish in Brest? I know that in France they eat goose meat (a stereotype, because of the foie gras, maybe?) and each region has its unique meals (like the Pâté Lorrain you wrote about). The connection between food and wine that French people have has always impressed me. I saw it when we were touring in France with the choir in 2014 – especially older people, they couldn’t imagine eating something without a glass of wine. For me wine is too heavy to drink alongside a main course or if I want accompany it with some cheese, I will definitely not do it during desserts time.

Japchae!!! I cannot believe it! I envy you so much (in the noble way, of course)! This dish is in my Korean food bucket list! You must cook it for me, haha!!! So, they sell dangmyeon (sweet potato noodles) in France, don’t they? And the thing you wrote about how your Korean friend prepared all the veggies and the meat – the patience they have when preparing their dishes is something very different from our hasty Western style. I really admire the effort they put and the respect they have towards beautiful and nutritious food.

So, it’s Friday again and this time, as promised, I will write about music - something I had to do last week…

BTS and their wings

My dear, there is a group I stumbled upon by chance more than two weeks ago in one late Sunday evening. Called BTS, or also Bangtan Boys, they had just released their newest album and the Twitterverse (and the entire Internet) was literally exploding that same night. My curiosity brought me to the song I posted last Friday. 

Their album, WINGS, topped the charts in many countries with the Blood, Sweat & Tears MV becoming the fastest K-pop music video by a group to reach a high number of views on YouTube in a very short time.

The album consists of not only group songs, but also each member has a solo track. I only recently watched the short films for their solos that use quotes from Hermann Hesse’s novel Demian (a book that I plan to read).

Source: Wikipedia

The reason I continued listening to their album that Sunday night was simply because I was really surprised by the promotional song. Blood, Sweat & Tears was simply something I didn’t expect to hear from a South Korean band, so I had to check the other songs, too. Below there are few words about some of them, including the lead single. (Thanks to all those YouTube users who upload the songs for us to listen! I should thank them every time I write and share songs here.)

Blood, Sweat & Tears reminds me of one of those summer European mainstream songs that we sometimes listen and dance to. Due to the oriental elements in the song, the resemblance with our modern pop-folk genre in Bulgaria is astonishing and makes me giggle every time I listen to it. I must confess that initially, when I was first listening to it, I was literally frozen by surprise (as I told you above). I watched a video where the boys explain that the genre of the song is moombahton trap. A simple check in Google leads you to a Wikipedia page that tells something about the genre and gives examples of other songs, some of which that are famous, too. Moombahton or pop-folk, I don’t know anymore, but it is definitely different, distinguishing and mostly likable to listen to. The video is…well, you know my habit of not watching the MVs, so I only recently watched it as a whole and was impressed by their moves. That’s the best Korean dance interpretation of pop-folk moves that I have ever seen in my life, hahah! But still, they are good, I must confess. And they surprisingly correspond to the song.

Begin starts with sensual vocals and then flows into a rhythmic and pleasing dreamy song. The sounds in the chorus seem very familiar to me. It’s like I have heard a similar style of music somewhere, but I cannot remember quite well. For me it’s a song for the night – the sounds predispose to something mysterious and exciting, hiding in the darkness.

Lie – my most favourite song! Jimin’s voice range is very wide I must say. The classical notes at the beginning take you to a complete different version of reality. A playful vocal tease, followed by a dramatic burst of emotional high notes in the chorus – simply delicious to listen to! Drama, violins, creepy female voices and old crinoline dresses from the Victorian era – this is the universal feeling I got at first, while being swept by this swinging musical harmony. I usually stick to several songs and listen to them multiple times and this song is on repeat at the moment. It may sound too eerie and dramatic to you, though. Just focus on the beautiful musical heights he conquers, haha!

First Love sounds like a painful confession. I really regret not knowing the lyrics (and not knowing Korean), because it is really promising as a single. The piano sounds complete Suga’s voice which is filled with regret, pain and mocking disdain. The song is very suitable for a movie soundtrack.

Stigma, MAMA and Reflection are songs that you will definitely enjoy. They are calmer, relaxed and close to your preferences.

Awake and 21Century girls sound more like k-pop songs, although there are still some moombahton-ish elements at the end of the latter, but that makes it appealing, more boyish and danceable in my opinion. Awake is a very delicate ballad, showing the tenderness in Jin’s voice. His timbre is also very light, but unlike Jimin’s boyish notes, Jin’s voice feels more relaxed and manly in the musical heights (with no offence to Jimin’s abilities, of course!). Bonus: There is a new dance practice video which is simply hilarious! Hahaha! Happy Halloween in advance! :D 

BTS Cypher 4 is your jumping song! Rap trap power, haha! I heard that there was another song that used the same musical theme, but I must confess that I like the Cypher more. Brrr! Ha!

Although I wrote only about some of the songs, I highly recommend you to listen to the complete album. The songs in it are very well arranged and their course does not burden your mind while listening.

Actually, it is very difficult to write about them, because I am a Bangtan newbie, so to say. I feel that there are still some things about the concept that I am missing and that makes the songs’ reviews incomplete in a way. For me they are still a new group that I discovered by chance and I think the surprising sound of the promotional song made me listen to their album and to dig on YouTube for more. I recall that I have listened to parts of their previous songs in the past, but initially they couldn’t hold my interest for long (simply because I was obsessed with only few groups and that was it). So, now I can only say that all the opinions above are mostly based on my first impressions and the reviews do not encompass everything that could be said. But, as a whole I can conclude that this album is very interesting and it’s close to my taste in music and style concept. It has that enchanting vibe with a pinch of eerie mystery that makes you tremble from excitement and pleasure. I am glad that I turned my eyes (and ears) to other fresh artists from the K-pop scene and BTS is indeed a valuable addition to my collection of favourite Korean bands.

I will continue observing their future work as closely as I can, because they seem really fresh and capable to create more great pieces. And, from what I have seen and heard recently, they are very well matched as a group.  BTS, fighting! :)

R.

Wednesday Wisdom – 26 October

My dear!

Sorry for being absent for so many days! I had a lot of things to do and couldn’t post regularly. Of course, most of my plans for posts have failed, but…anyway, let’s continue!

Today’s quote is inspired by a recent event that at first may seem like a simple good deed, but it has the potential of being very inspiring.

As you know, my aunt knits hats and has a store on the Etsy site. Recently she had a purchase from a woman that wanted to make a gift for her nephew, who is ill - a girl at the same age as my little cousin. I will not reveal more information, because the topic is very sensitive.

My aunt usually sends little thank-you-cards with a hand-written text in English in a standard form she wanted me to write for her in advance. I remember a couple of weeks ago she called me and told me that she wanted this time the text to be different. After a quick discussion, I wrote some simple lines, intended for the little girl, trying show all the warmth and optimism that my aunt wanted to say to that young and brave soul.

The hat was made and sent and we (I actually) almost forgot about it. But yesterday my aunt received a message from the aunt that said that they received the hat and she and the child’s mother were very touched from the written words.  The reply was really emotional and honest. This, my dear, reminded me of the proverb you will see below:

 

Picture taken from Pinterest

 

 

 

Now that I am writing this, it may seem like nothing special, but the excitement and emotions that I felt at that moment were, I think, the magical effect from doing something good. To know that you had even a tiny part in making a person’s life better, this is marvelous!

The power of words is often underestimated, but in moments of doubt, very often they are the bricks that you need when trying to build the path of your own life. Simple words of encouragement were often the most important and magical thing that kept my head above, with eyes focused on the stars. We must not forget the response of the woman who purchased the hat – her words have the same emotional power.

Of course, nothing of this would have happened if it weren’t for my aunt’s talent for knitting and desire to make every hat very special. She is truly the star here. Not the famous photographed person that visits patients in hospitals, but the anonymous ordinary person who sends droplets of love around the world.

            I hope that the little girl will have the strength and will fight the illness. I wish her to grow and become a good person filled with kindness and love.

            With all my hope and optimism for the future,

           

            R.

L'Automne ...

Rali,

Je déteste l'automne ! Il pleut, il fait gris ... pas du soleil ! C'est une triste saison...

La vue d'une des salles à la faculté. L'espace verte c'est l'esplanade de François Mitterrand
Heureusement il y a les graffitis qui anime en peu le paysage haha 

Voilà l'automne est même dans mon lit haha les petites feuilles, couleurs orange, gris, marron ^^

Mais quand j'ai froid, voilà ma solution : 

 

 

C'est la spécialité d'Angers - le Choc'o Roi, un gâteau au chocolat

 La tasse que j'ai trouvé à Roussé et je l'ai piquée lol.
La boîte rose c'est le cadeau qu'Alexandra m'a offert quand j'étais chez elle à Rennes.
Un thé aux arômes du mangue et d'ananas du magasin Kusmi Tea

Vive les vacances de Toussaint !! J'ai hâte haha

Je t'embrasse

Olly

Un dîner... presque parfait

Chère Rali,

Un dîner presque parfait est l'équivalent de notre émission bulgare Chereshkata na tortata haha.

J'ai choisi ce titre car j'ai fait un sorte d'un dîner presque parfait avec les filles de ma nouvelle promotion à l'ESTHUA. Je les ai invité chez moi pour me rattraper parce que j'ai raté deux sorties avec elles. L'une des raisons était ma mère qui était à Angers pour un petit moment. Donc je devais passer du temps avec elle. Je ne voulais pas la laisser toute seule. C'est pourquoi j'ai décidé de faire ce repas convivial chez moi, une occasion de voir mon appartement aussi.

Finalement j'ai choisi de préparer de la dinde avec une sauce moutarde en accompagnement j'ai sevi du riz et de la salade verte :)

Bien-sur avec un bon vin avec notre petit plat 
Vin d'Alsace Gewurztraminer 
Un vin très doux 

 De gauche à droite : Jeanne, Margot, Leslie

Deuxième repas : Corée du Sud !!!

Ma copine Heejin, qui vient de Corée du Sud voulait me préparer un plat coréen. Vu qu'elle n'a pas assez de place dans son petit studio, je lui ai proposé de venir chez moi. C'était le vendredi, le 14 octobre. Elle a insisté de faire les courses, moi j'ai choisi le dessert (mais on n'avait plus de place lol).

Le plat qu'elle m'a fait dégusté c'était le Japchae Coréen.
Voilà ci-dessus les nouilles mais pas du riz mais de patate douce !!! Les nouilles avaient une couleur grise haha. J'avais le rôle d'observateur car elle ne m'a pas laissé de toucher à rien ! J'adorais comment elle coupait les légumes avec précision, doucement : "Ca prend du temps .. la cuisine coréenne !". Avant de commencer à couper les légumes, elle a découpé le bœuf et elle l'a mariné à la sauce soja et elle a ajouté de l'ail.


Mais à côté elle a fait de la poitrine du porc à la poêle avec beaucoup du poivre. Dans un petit récipient elle a mélanger de la sauce soja et du poivre (le petit bol sur la 3e photo haha)



N'oublions pas la sauce spécial nommé Japchae que Heejin a acheté sans laquelle Japchae ce n'est pas un Japchae !!!
La sauce a un goût sucré-salé et que l'on peut trouver dans le Comptoir d'Asie à côté de chez moi haha

Japchae

C'était super délicieux ! J'ai adoré, un jour je te ferai haha. 

Troisième plat : La Lorraine s'invite en Anjou ! 

Le lendemain, le samedi soir j'ai fait une autre dégustation ! On retourne en France et en direction la Lorraine.

Margot et son copain nous ont invité chez eux pour nous faire découvrir un spécialité culinaire de Lorraine :

Pâté Lorrain

Le pâté lorrain est un pâté en croûte, un grand classique de lorraine que l'on déguste de préférence tiède ou chaud. Malheuresement je n'ai pas fait une photo quand on l'a découpé en morceaux mais à l'intérieur de la pâte il y a du porc découpé en dès et de l'oignon. Le porc est assaisonné avec trois ou quatres épices et cuit avec du vin blanc sec.

Tu seras plus intéressée par le dessert, je pense ... haha
C'était une gourmandise faite maison - Cheesecake avec un coulis de caramel beurre salé ! (comme tu vois le vin, on le boit et en dessert haha)

Et je finis la semaine avec un petit brunch dimanche matin...

C'était mon premier brunch dans ma vie haha ! Il n'y avait personne avec moi pour le partager mais j'étais quand même contente haha

J'ai commencé avec un petit croissant, ensuite un petit bol du yaourt aux céréals et fruits rouges. J'avais un verre du jus d'orange préssé, une baguette et ATTENTION un thé BULGARE !! hahaha J'étais super étonnée ! Un thé bulgare .. et je regarde les arômes, je vois La Rose et la framboise. 

Flamenkeuch au saumon fumé et l'aneth, des œufs cuits et un morceaux du bacon (que je n'ai pas mangé lol, il était super salé), de la salade avec un morceaux du fromage et du jambon cru.

D'ailleurs, le brunch était super copieux à tel point que je n'ai pas mangé le soir LOL

"La gourmandise commence quand on n'a plus faim."

Alphonse Daudet

Artiste, écrivain, Romancier (1840 - 1897)

Bisous
O.

Friday Music Favourites - 21 October

My dear, 

It has been a long week! I really wanted to write about BTS and their new album, but I will have to postpone it for another day. 

Anyway, enjoy their promo song which is... surprising. More details (and songs) - soon.

Bon week-end!

Hugs,

R.

Wednesday Wisdom – 19 October

My dear O.,

Today’s wisdom consists of a quote by a blogger I happened to discover almost two years ago.  Well, it would not be enough to say that she is just a fashion blogger. Her name is Nicole Warne, she is behind the brand Gary Pepper and her amazing style suits my preferences.  

So, the quote by her at first may sound too simple, but it actually captures all those “fears” I have been struggling with during the recent years. Sometimes, when I am really in a self-hate mode, I re-read her words and they encourage me to continue believing in my abilities and myself at all.

We all have our worries and doubts. And, nowadays, when you have to fit in the group of young, successful, innovative, optimistic, sociable and constantly travelling around the world super-people, you can sometimes question your own capabilities, uniqueness and self-worth.

Anyway, I hope that you will like this quote (although it is written by a person with many of the mentioned features above, no bad meaning here, of course).  

Hugs,

R.