An acquired taste

Nowhere news

2012-09-05T23:17:00.000+03:00

Creepy stuff happens in Nowhere.

[random pecularities]

Retrospective

2012-09-01T12:54:00.000+03:00

There comes a time in one's life when this said possessor of a first person narrative is required to brave inhospitable conditions and face inner limitations. A gloomy time when retrospectives are in order and facepalms triggered by self-derogatory impulses are a must. And no, I ain't talking 'bout surpassing no mental ilnesses or nothin' (that was last summer's feat of endurance) but more of stepping out into the desert otherwise known as a "personal blog". Yes, siree, Bob, there's nothing like making a great comeback to ye ol' blog account and being greeted by tumbleweeds. Having your baby kidnapped by a bunch of hillbillies would cause less heartache. So, in order to prevent another woe-is-me type of situation, I thought I'd refurbish this place with some pictures. Even the Kalahari gets its sporadic sprinkle, doesn't it?

So, without further ado, I hereby present you with the most emblematic shots of my past year:

February 2012, Cluj. Cryogenic groove.

April 2012, Sibiu. One of the last barely bearable days of this almost moribund 2012.

April 2012, Cluj. Post-Ab Fab Fair prancing around.

May 2012, Cluj. Snaps taken before Răzvan Ciobanu's May Fashion Show which just so happened to "grace" the inner courtyard of our very own Cluj-Napoca Museum of Art. The attendees' attitudes? A perfectly studied constipated chic.

July 2012, Cluj. A moment of avian poise, courtesy of my swan print dress.

July 2012, Budapest. Partial amnesia in the land of goulash.

August 2012, Bucharest. Momentary lapse of reason in the one capital I love.

August, September 2012. Random Instagram shots.

Illogical sequence

2011-09-21T01:27:00.046+03:00

"Sing for your lover
Like blood from a stone."

Now that the summer is, in most books, over and done for, I can finally grant myself the right to draw some conclusions. The kind that are drawn at 2 am, in the blinding light of a screen and with a backdrop of nameless tv programmes, that ensue without any consequence to my life, other than that of being midnight companions/figurative&inanimate substitutes. So here it goes, the magical words of wisdom of an insomniac:

1. Although I am by no means a cliché fan, this summer I was, most definitely, repeatedly bitch-slapped by a slew of bumpersticker tags and mass favourites, such as: "Never say never", "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade", "Never judge a book by its covers" etc. Personal favourites out of the folk lore chest: "Polished brass will pass upon more people than rough gold", "In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is King", "You can't get blood out of a stone", "Those who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones". They are pretty much true, I can testify.

2. Bursting one's comfort zone bubble and venturing out into the real world can be a humbling experience. After I got my first job ever this summer, I realized just how much hard work it is surviving in the work environment, not to mention figuring out the hierarchical dynamics. Interacting with hundreds of people each day has offered me a whole different approach towards the psychology of the masses and while we're at it, a creator meets minions attitude. Modest of me, isn't it?

3. Mentally belittling people with the purpose of nihilating their existence from the database doesn't always have the expected result. Quite the opposite, actually.

4. Sleeping/lying sedated on the ground, with drum 'n' bass booming in your ears and near negative temperatures rotting into your scantily clad body is perfectly doable and tested.

5. The internet is a double-edged sword: whilst being the best platform for individuality, it is also a weapon of mass enslavement. What a clever assessment, right?

6. The mountain can come to Mohammed.

7. I now love Bucharest more than ever after the four days spent there this summer. Its hustle and bustle is the perfect fit for my personality. Stray dogs as many as they may be, who cares? "Bucharest calling" is the new hot tune in my store.

8. I most definitely have a shoe fetish. No doubt about that. It's too bad I spend hundreds on outlandish pairs and only wear them a couple of times a month, because I'm too much of a slouch and I mostly tend to wear flats. Everyone is in total awe at how big of a Jeffrey Campbell fan I am and how much of my time is dedicated to stalking his shoes online and drooling over them. Thankfully, next week I will be finally getting my much coveted Litas. (UPDATE: got them! The babies are fucking gorgeous!) Might just get an extra pillow for them.

9. One of the most beautiful displays of affection is that of someone instinctively reaching out after your hand in bed, after they've fallen asleep. ❤

10. Contradictory urges and feelings can only end in rupture.

11. My soul breathes classical and romanian folk music. Without them, I am nothing.

Two months

2011-08-09T20:40:00.017+03:00

The BAC frenzy paid off. Gheorghe (Le i-Pad) is my new ♥

I know I haven't written anything in a while now, I am quite aware. I mentally mortify myself for this everyday and although I should go the extra mile and scribble a few words or post a few pictures, I just can't be bothered. As far as my existence is concerned, these past two months can only be described as a mixture of agony and ecstasy. I won't go into detail, as I am one of those people who are not big fans of emotional blogging. (I think it's about as loud as a shout, ego-wise) Sob-sob. Anyway, I thought I'd drop by this deserted corner I call my blog and share some photos taken during these two oh, so agonizing, yet so ecstatic months.

n.B.

2011-07-08T14:58:00.001+03:00

Dragi tovarăşi şi pretini,

Luând în considerare mascarada generalizată din ultimele zile, răsărită în urma fabuloaselor medii de 10 la Bac şi reacţiile a tad bit medieval apărute pe unele site-uri ale unor ziare chestionabile, simt nevoia să fac nişte menţionări:

1. Nu-s satanistă. Nu ascult la miezu' nopţii vinyluri backwards, în speranţa că-l voi auzi pe Necuratu' cum îmi face ode. Nu am, în font Old English, numele lui Caraoţchi tatuat pe braţ. Am chiar o icoană pictată pe lemn deasupra patului (care nu-i un sicriu) şi, iaca, mai trăiesc, încă mai îs şi mândria patriei. Satan's Alley este, dragii mei cititori simpletoni ai site-ului Cancan, o fază dintr-un film, botezat Tropic Thunder (n.r. tropic tandăr) de ai săi scenarişti. Din păcate, nu activez într-o sectă ocultă. So sad.

2. Quote-ul "Too weird to live, too rare to die" nu-mi aparţine, oricât de mult mi-ar plăcea. În fapt, îi aparţine scriitorului Hunter S. Thompson, figură proeminentă a scenei literare americane a anilor '70.

3. I like pie.

The Wheel

2011-02-15T23:27:00.018+02:00

Totul e ciclic. Şi nu mă refer doar la mişcările naturale ale Universului. Ca o ironie supremă sau o mană cerească a celei de-a doua şanse, totul se repetă, e damnat unei perpetue reînnoiri. Moda, ca expresie a omenescului, e supusă poate cel mai mult schimbării. Păcat, însă, că marea masă a indivizilor contemporani are impresia că hainele răsar din ţărână în fiece sezon, fără să fie rezultatul vreunei preluări sau regenerări.

Să luăm, spre exemplu, hipsterii über cool din ziua de astăzi, care, for some reason, cred cu tărie că ei sunt pionierii stilului pe care-l arborează. Un stil axat pe minimalism, materialism şi egocentrism, care nicidecum nu originează în deceniul ăsta, ci în altele de mult trecute, dar care încă îşi mai pun pecetea pe tot ce mişcă şi foşneşte. Predilecţia către o paletă întunecată de culori şi absenţa unor detalii pestriţe inutile (toate adorate de hip-patrol-ul actual) sunt doar câteva aspecte promovate de generaţia Beat a anilor '50-'60. Nici totala lipsă de apreciere pentru cultura mainstream nu-i nimic nou sub soare. Ceea ce vreau să spun, în definitiv şi-n calitate de sceptic, este că moda nu funcţionează ca un organism stabil. Preia, adaptează şi prelucrează.

Grup tipic din generaţia Beat a anilor '50-'60. Atitudine laissez-faire şi blasé, complementată de vestimentaţia cu accente boeme (materiale vaporoase, organice, preluate din universul folcloric şi combinate cu elemente avangardiste, precum ochelarii de soare, pălăriile elaborate, tunsorile unghiulare şi accesoriile excentrice)

Omologii lor din secolul al XXI-lea, în vestimentaţia cărora sunt observabile elementele pionierate în urmă cu 50-60 de ani: eşarfele între timp răspândite la nivel larg, pălăriile care şi-au pierdut între timp nota exclusivistă, fiind acum apanajul ambelor sexe şi cămăşile bărbăteşti purtate nonşalant chiar şi de femei.

Edie Sedgwick, muza lui Andy Warhol şi una dintre cele mai cunoscute fotomodele ale anilor ’60, a fost promotoarea unui stil bazat în egală măsură pe naturaleţe, dar şi pe eleganţă, stil care a influenţat viitoarele generaţii, transformând-o într-o fashion icon.

Sienna Miller este actriţa care a jucat-o pe Edie Sedgwick în filmul Factory Girl şi care cu siguranţă poate fi plasată în rândul vedetelor care au adoptat cu succes moda boemă a anilor ’60 şi au integrat-o în cursul principal al modei contemporane.

Audrey Hepburn şi Twiggy (modelul omniprezent în deceniul 1965-1975) sunt cele care au popularizat moda ce se axa, în primul rând, pe funcţionalitate. Hepburn a introdus The Little Black Dress, emblematica rochie neagră adaptabilă oricărei situaţii, nelipsită azi din garderoba niciunei femei. De asemenea, ea a fost printre primele care au preluat din moda masculină pantalonii drepţi şi bluzele austere, purtându-le cu elemente clasice feminine precum bijuteriile sau balerinii, astfel patentând un nou stil minimalist, dar elegant. Twiggy a fost cel dintâi supermodel pe tiparul androgin şi longilin, ea fiind cea care a pavat calea noilor tendinţe: părul scurt, make-up-ul cu smokey eyes şi rochiile scurte, nestructurate, dar feminine.

Dungile, pantalonii trei sferturi, ochelarii supradimensionaţi sau bretonul- câteva dintre simbolurile modei anilor ’50-’60 care au fost transpuse în propriul lor stil de tinerii din ziua de azi.

A bunch of White Lies

2010-12-22T21:15:00.013+02:00

Spiritu-mi critic trece printr-o perioadă ce nu poate fi definită decât ca hyper-bitchy. Şi-mi pare rău pentru victimele colaterale, cum ar fi, în fapt, şi White Lies. Zilele trecute le-am văzut noul clip, preview single-ul pentru viitorul album. Melodia păstrează acelaşi ambiguu, post-punk feel, tipii nu se dezic nici la versuri, acestea păstrând acelaşi motiv al dezrădăcinării şi al dorului dramatic de casă şi masă, motiv identificabil şi în veterane precum "Farewell to the Fairground". Şi totuşi, făcând abstracţie de piesă, nu pot decât să jelesc lipsa de ingeniozitate a brain council-ului din spatele video-ului. Asemănare jenantă cu "Evil" de la Interpol- check. Tema abuzată a apocalipsei/a bolii traumatizante făr' de leac/a copilului cu conştiinţă de adult, crescut în aceeaşi creşă cu Haley Joel Osment din The Sixth Sense/a trupei mesianice- check. Întrebarea mea, de bun simţ, de altfel, este: câte videoclipuri cu muzicieni izbăvitori, puşi în situaţii cataclismice sau epidemice mai pot apărea? Pare-se că într-atâtea încât s-ar cere pentru a se depăşi numărul de clipuri cu saxofonişti senzuali din anii '90.

Compare and contrast, my friends:
(even the video thumbnails look the same.)

Major discovery

2010-12-01T02:32:00.014+02:00

A rare breed of Pokemon was found lurking in Southern Romania yesterday, Neptun TV News reports. Allegedly, the reclusive creature and its fellow kinsmen live in a colony, tucked away from all contact with other beings.

Occassionally, however, these majestic animals, pressed by hunger and exquisite taste in garments, leave their realm in order to provide for their community. Exposed to the common folk at weddings and banquets, they give mesmerizing displays of talent and skill, singing and gracefully prancing around, gulping down huge amounts of food and drinks while doing so. This is all, of course, in the noble attempt to save their race from extinction.

While away from their homeland, The Pokemon Band (as they came to be known, due to their preferred form of social organization) have adopted a sort of dandy fashion as their trademark, all in the hope of being liked by the humans. Do not be fooled though! These frocks, although highly classy, are not an authentic reflection of their beautiful, inner selves, but a mere superficial shell.

Their cultural sophistication is, perhaps, best illustrated by their various methods of social interactions and family relations. The Pokemon Band and their kin cherish the female component of their social structure above all others, as can be inferred from listening to the musical piece above. In the case of symbolical emasculation by other members of the community, the male will seek vengeance, best served in the shape of a glorious self-empowering song or ballad. Also, supremacy within this race is easily attainable: whoever produces the sappiest, most heartfelt songs is king.

Researchers, despite doting on these marvellous creatures, give a word of advice: when travelling in rural or culturally underdeveloped areas, stay alert at all times. If you, by any chance, happen to see a large, pink mass glowing in the distance, you are not delusional. It is, in fact, a herd headed your way, the most ravaging herd of them all, and if you don't run for cover, you might just get stomped by their symphonies.

Wisdom of The Barn Series

2010-10-02T15:31:00.011+03:00

These are just some weird, yet funny (or so I hope) pieces I came up with while hibernating at school. The main idea of the whole project is centred around a deranged amish woman who speaks with her friends "from the barn", namely Millie, the tuberculosis infected calf, Jolene, her syphilitic mother, Ulysses, her pet unicorn and many, many other citizens. The main goal of my life (right now, I'm not that lame), would be to turn the soulful quotes of the barn friends into t-shirts. For weirdos to wear. And be ostracized from society. At least I'll be the first one to test them.

7 Nights in Turkey

2010-09-06T14:09:00.016+03:00

The shock is not as great as you'd think. I didn't see any women in chains. No extremists took me hostage while I was there. I might have seen an occassional 1001 Nights scene here and there, but that only added to the charm. Overall, Turkey chanted to my soul and awed me in a way I couldn't have forseen.

For a sheltered, little european, my first encounter with the oriental world was as spiritual as can be. And pretty stereotypical, while we're at it: pungent smells of spices and perfumes, volatile faith and imposing mosques, exotic sounds and babeled tongues- what you'd, by design, expect from a muslim country with a rich historical past. What I didn't see coming was the great level of european urbanization, which is most obvious in Istanbul, a modern city most deserving of the title of successor of greatness. In this respect, Turkey, an asian country with an european twist gives us, "the white people", a lesson of civilization.

Doggy Style

2010-08-05T01:18:00.008+03:00

A numbing of senses and time

2010-08-04T21:40:00.016+03:00

Imersiune în trecut, subminare a instinctelor de om modern şi abandon total în faţa istoriei. Nimic mai puternic, nimic mai amplificator.

Biertan, Transilvania Fest 2010

Day Trip

2010-07-27T15:11:00.014+03:00

A short, delightful trip to Sibiu, taken on a Sunday. ♥

Interpol 2010

2010-07-17T11:42:00.032+03:00

At long last, the lingering wait that confounded itself with agony has almost come to an end. Interpol's eponymous album has been scheduled for release in September this year and, from what my ears have been given as bait so far, I guarantee you- it is as promising as can be.

Unlike most bands, Interpol hasn't abandoned and disowned its signature sound, but more on the contrary- it has embroidered it into an intricate tapestry of musical empirism.

The first extract off the album, which benefitted from a futuristic video, is Lights. Constructed as a 6 minute long piece, Lights is an epic journey through the land of apprehension, doubt and uncertainty. The guitar dialogue is at its highest form, bringing subtle nuances and complementing the dark, encrypted lyrics. It retains a similar mystical feel to the one in 'Lighthouse' and 'Untitled'.

Another track that was released as an album preview is Barricade, a more melodic tune, centred around alienation, suppression and limitations. The song starts off in full gear, with a corrupting riff that sets the tone for the whole song. The drums accelerate the pace, creating the perfect environment for the convulsed lyrics to unfold in. A series of disconnected, almost cliché-like phrases slip in at the end of the song, reconfirming Paul Banks' preference for evasive enumerations. Nevertheless, it's still a mature song.

Subtlety, commitment and poise. The only thing remaining is to wait for the whole album.

-----------

Lights

Barricade

Evocative songs

2010-06-30T00:54:00.008+03:00

Air- La femme d'argent

This sophisticated track by the electronic french duo, Air, fully encompasses the complex Western-European vibe that is expected of jazzy tunes. To me it stands firm as an element of nostalgia in the memory vault, conjuring up the atmosphere of brewing, cosmpolitan cities I've visited and loved, such as Rome, Paris or Budapest.

The xx- Intro

AMAZING INSTRUMENTAL!

I looked for it a hundred lives, after I'd heard it in a commercial on Discovery Channel. It immediately got me tangled up and since I've found it a couple of days ago, I've been listening to it like a fucking maniac! For me, it evokes artificially induced memories of distant realms, forgotten languages and mystic landscapes.

Aphex Twin- Avril 14th

A simple, yet intricate piano piece. The picture it paints in my mind is that of a long buried age of refinement and charm, alien to today's society.

Foals-Total Life Forever 2010

2010-06-23T17:03:00.013+03:00

Quenching anticipation and calming spirits, Foals' latest album, Total Life Forever, was finally released in May 2010, much to every fan's absolute rapture. Being the successor of the already cult-established 2008 Antidotes, TLF has some mammoth shoes to fill, for sure.

One of the spotlight stealers and my personal favourite is Miami, a song some have classified as being too slow, compared to what they were used to from Foals. To some extent it is, there's no doubt about that, but as far as I'm concerned, there shouldn't be any complaints when the guitar waves are present. And when the math rock feel is present, what more could you want?

Definitely worth a listen.

Fun

2010-04-25T01:22:00.002+03:00

Conceptual pieces

2010-04-07T02:30:00.001+03:00

Interesting manipulations

Erezie pascală

2010-04-04T15:46:00.001+03:00

Mânată de un puternic impuls creştinesc, m-am urnit din putreziciunea mea obişnuită de păcătoasă, spre a merge în sfânta noapte de înviere să iau lumină şi să-mi inund fiinţa cu un falnic sentiment de unire întru credinţă cu ceilalţi credincioşi. Mă gândeam că o mică excursie antropologică ar fi eliminat necesitatea mortificării şi aş mai fi căpătat şi câteva puncte de karma cu ocazia asta. În teorie ar fi trebuit să fie o noapte de izbăvire, epifanii & co.

Am pornit cu o sinceră dorinţă de integrare spirituală spre o biserică obscură din Bedeciu (o ţintă random, aleasă în tentativa de reîntoarcere la origini). După ce aproape am avut a near-death experience pe drumurile foarte bine cioplite ale României, mă trezesc într-un sat, frate în vorbă şi-n port cu Salem’s Lot. Sătenii-aură de sectanţi, casele-ţarcuri de reproducere pentru troglodiţi. What the fuck, îmi zic, doară n-am picat într-un coşmar marca M. Night Shyamalan!?

În lipsa vreunei traiectorii clare, am urmat masa de zombie înnăfrămaţi şi înţoliţi de sărbătoare, pentru a ajunge la beserica satului. Mergând în spatele lor pe uliţe, am putut îmbrăţişa din plin iubirea agapică şi afecţiunea semenilor. Cirezi de domnişori proaspăt veniţi în "vacanţă" de la oraş, blăstămau cu foc şi pară motoru nostru care le disturba procesul de socializare cu purcicile, din drumul spre lăcaş. 5 min. si 200 m mai încolo ajungem în sfârşit pe tumulul unde iluminarea trebuia să se producă. Suntem întâmpinaţi de sute de perechi de ochi dacă nu suspicioşi, măcar inchizitivi. O bătrână îmi spune că trebuiesc folosite lumânări tradiţionale, nu candele, ăstea fiind pentru morţi supposedly. (WWJD, right? :)) ) Mă zbat prin gloata de Jesus freakşi, ferindu-mă de privirile lor habotnice şi cumpăr 10 lumânări de care trebe. Baba îmi zâmbeşte matern. Damn you! (I mean, daffodils and sunshine, ma’am!) Superioritatea mea ignorantă primeşte, once more, palme de la simplitatea pertinentă. Îmi impun, jenată şi scindată în lupta între cinic şi idealist, să încerc să respect ritualurile oamenilor ăstora, care, probabil, chiar dau doi bani pe ele şi vin la înviere cu autenticitate spirituală. În categoria oameni, nu intrau, evident, prinţişorii de pe uliţă. (care şedeau, sămânţoşi şi însoţiţi de borţoasele lor, pe o bordură ascultând, ce altceva, decât belly-dancing sounds)

Solemnitatea şi sobrietatea care chiar mă stăpâniseră preţ de vreo 5 minute fost-au însă spulberate o dată cu baterea de miezu' nopţii. Mi-am aprins lumânărea adecvată, încercând să uit de teama animalică de foc şi de ceară topită care se instalează în fiecare an de Înviere şi care-i ca un leitmotif al patologiei mele. Popii împreună cu minion-ii lor încep să-şi facă rondu-n juru bisericii şi să cânte "Hristos a Înviat", spre disperarea mea şi a creierului meu profund tulburat de auzul acestui cânt on repeat. Babele aritmice şi scenariul ţâşnirii unei găşti de strigoi din ţărână îmi reverberează sub piele ca frică primară, dar chipul nu reuşeşte să fete decât un râs primitiv şi condescendent. Rezolv să mă evapor cât mai repede, hororifiată de ritualurile ortodoxe sinistre şi mai ales de display-urile de bigotism pe care le credeam de mult obliterate. (dar şi biciuită de priviri)

De ales nu m-am prea ales cu nimic. Glorioasa şi planificata resurecţie a credinţei, am lăsat-o to The Leading Man, să-şi facă meseria de păstor al umanităţii. Eu m-am concentrat ca o creatură alienată, nerecunoscătoare şi jalnică (ce sunt) pe tâmpenii. At least the church was worth the trip.

O campanie de cultivare (a natiunii)

2010-04-01T15:59:00.002+03:00

Afis promo

2010-04-01T13:41:00.002+03:00

>> http://issuu.com/nadinazanoaga/docs/revista_casicum

!!

2010-03-18T15:00:00.004+02:00

PIXELS- DANCING ON ME

Trupa Pixels- Un exemplu de formatie care a inspirat cu toata capacitatea vantul indie care a trecut pentru o scurta perioada pe meleagurile noastre viking-izate si heavy metal-izate.

Au adoptat riff-urile haotice si sporadice tipic indie, creandu-si un sound, care desi poate parea neprocesat si cam primitiv la capitolul coordonare instrumentala (chitari-synth, chitari-orga) este totusi un exponent al muzicii de calitate.

Solistul, dupa cum se poate observa ascultand melodii gen "Rockstar" sau chiar "Dancing on me", incearca din rasputeri sa-si muleze vocea si accentul dupa stereotipul britanic al rockerului sofisticat, uber-snob, picat direct din oaza hipsterilor. De sunat suna bine, exceptand scaparile falsetto si scremuiturile de constipat.

Pixels imita, dar imita cu succes, iar intr-o tara in care originalitatea este tinuta la marginea satului, mimetismul este solutia facila pentru evolutie. Sa nu uitam, dragi oameni, ca traim in patria formelor fara fond, pana la urma.

Lame prank call

2010-03-17T11:07:00.002+02:00

Hottest men in rock

2010-03-15T18:04:00.000+02:00

1. Brandon Flowers- The Killers

2. Julian Casablancas- The Strokes

3. Andrew VanWyngarden- MGMT

4. Tom Meighan- Kasabian

5. Paul Banks- Interpol

New polyvore sets.

2010-03-15T16:26:00.012+02:00

My profile:

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/profile?id=905454