This post was supposed to happen 3 days ago, commemorating Gagarin´s travel into space...but due to a number of reasons I didn't manage to do it in time...and not even the next day...or the next...(I actually haven't been able to post anything for like two weeks even though I had some cards already prepared)....as for the reasons...my allergy kicked in and it's been terribly annoying, preventing me from normal functioning...then I had to do deal with some issues out of nowhere....and on top of it prepare for this job interview which took place yesterday....and which I must say was like one of the most disappointing job interviews I have ever had...like EVER! It was not about something long-term...just one year for this future project...and you know, I was so delighted that I actually entered the shortlisted-candidates....but then because of a few factors my delight went down the drain...and then you leave the building, wandering like lost around the city and you have this sight of armed soldiers, tanks, water-cannons because of the current situation here and the protests going on.....yeah, quite a reality to live in...and when you sum it all up, postcards are not really something you think of...apologies to all waiting a card from me...I promise to put it in the mail in the next few days :)
Anyways, back to Gagarin...as you know, on April 12th, 1961, the charming Gagarin and his Vostok went on a journey into outer space, completing an orbit of the Earth...the first human to have ever done so...yeah, if I ever get asked to name like the 5 most charming men in the world, Gagarin would take one of the spots ;-)
now this maxi-card here was issued by the Italian post in 2011, commemorating the then, 50th anniversary of his journey into space....I have no cards or anything commemorating the 55th unfortunately
Seems that instead of posting stuff regarding what this blog really is intended for, it has turned into a place for commemorating events....sometimes nice ones, and sometimes not really nice ones, like the one this post is about..and from the title, you may guess what it is about....yeah, my adorable furball Kimi, died late last night....even though I saw this one coming, it doesn't hurt any less than when Foxy died...it may hurt even more actually because Kimi's been sick for years, and I can only imagine how many days he had spent in pain...so even though now he is finally relieved, it is us the pain is gonna stay with for losing him...
For his entire life, he has had some kind of problems more or less, but the greatest one, and the one that eventually made him too weak to be able to live, was the so called feline AIDS, or viral stomatitis...or whatever vets call it...however, just as with humans, there was no cure...a fact we had accepted years ago when he was first diagnosed with it..and we all tried to fight with the disease for all these years...but eventually, we couldn't save him, and after being not himself for the past week, last night he just gave up on it all....
He will be terribly, terribly missed...I just can't imagine that he won't be around anymore to jump on my lap, to abuse my laptop when I leave the room, to run after me when he sees food coming...to go out in the street when he hears my footsteps from afar and wait for me...he wasn't the kind of playful cat Foxy was, yet he was Kimi, adorable and gorgeous in his own Kimi way.
After this, I don't think I'd be able to keep another pet....at least not in the near future...not cos of me only, but my parents as well...my dad and Kimi especially had this particular bond, and losing our pets makes him suffer terribly as well...my mum too, even though she always somehow kept her distance....yet, I know she adored them with her whole heart...
I didn't manage to say goodbye to him....even though I knew it yesterday he just won't make it, still my heart somehow hoped for a miracle...unfortunately, the miracle didn't happen...
Thank you Kimi for all these lovely years you gave us with your presence...I'm really sorry we couldn't do more and save you from the pain...I just hope you know we would have done anything for you, literally anything!! Rest in peace my dearest one! ♥♥♥
as for my last choice today come these two cool Titanic cards, sent by two dear people respectively.
As many of you probably know, 2012 is a year commemorating the 100 year memorial of the Titanic disaster so many Postal services have issued a commemorative stamp (even Macedonia..though I cant say the stamp is anything special, plus as usual, the face value is totally useless....it is enough not for one, but 3 postcards actually..so unfortunately, cant be something to be used on daily mails).
Anyways, Canada also issued the Titanic stamps, plus it issued a reprint of old Titanic postal cards, each one with a matching preprinted stamp. The card above shows the bow of Titanic and I received this card from Glenn as a part of his National Postcard Week Quest! Im honoured and touched to be one of the chosen for this, since you can use like just seven cards. So to be one of those, means a real lot!
I hope that next year Ill be able to take part in this too...though im not sure how ill manage it with Sunday, since post offices here do not work and our mailboxes are not operational..but we'll see...there is till plenty of time to come up with a plan.
as i said, these are matching stamps to go with the card...
the second card shows Titanic's prow and propellers...im not sure if i got the terms 'bow' and 'prow' correctly here, so sorry for any potential misuse.
This second card came from Bryon who as you could have figured out by now, loves making surprises and putting smiles on people's faces :)
I dont know if there is any point in asking if you had watched Titanic...i could say I guess you have...well, I watched it when it came out to the cinema, so long time ago...for that age i was, it was not bad...but even then, Leonardo was not someone i fancied..neither Kate...plus lasting over 3 hours...give me something else please!
I wonder if they're gonna maybe make a movie soon about Costa Concordia......
thanks so much Glenn and Bryon for always cheering me up! I hope I manage to do the same...at least from time to time!
I would like to say that I would try to squeeze in updates every day for the rest of the week....but lets not get overambitious...every second day would be perfectly fine :)
Today is one of the dates that will always be engraved in my country's history, the day still remembered by many who shudder at the thought of what they lived through 47 years ago. My family is also one of those people who do not dearly remember this event and who had to find ways of how to make their living in the months and years that followed until they could get back to a normal life...if anything could have been normal after that.
Today is the day when 47 years ago, at 5:17am, my hometown was struck by one of the most disastrous earthquakes, which took way too many people's lives and destroyed many homes, lives and memories. The 6,1 earthquake is said to have killed over 1,070 people, injured between 3,000 and 4,000 and left between 120,000 to 200,000 people homeless. Between 75 and 80 percent of the city was destroyed.
I happen to have a number of vintage reprints portraying my hometown before and after the earthquake and I thought it would be a great opportunity to post them now and share with you the kind of Skopje none of us will ever see again and the kind of Skopje which is being missed by many...even me, even though there was not even the slightest plan of me coming to this world, when reading about those times and seeing pictures, I can for surely tell that back then Skopje had a soul, it had its identity, it had its charm...now it is just another craving-to-be-modern-by-all-means city, cluttered with concrete wherever you turn to, a city without a concept and getting worse every day...and it is a public secret I dont actually like it.
Old Skopje, a picture dating from 1926, showing among else, the Stone Bridge and the Railway Station (that's the bottom right picture). If you take a better look on the top right picture, you will see something which reminds of a person's spirit, and that is actually the apparition of Mother Teresa.
A Panoramic view onto the centre of Skopje with the two banks of the river Vardar. If you cross the Stone Bridge, you will find yourself in the Old Bazaar.
Skopje before and after the earthquake...you can pretty much see the devastating power the earthquake had.
The Army House and the Railway Station, before and after the earthquake.
The Krango Palace, built in 1926, demolished in the 1963 earthquake.
Panoramic view of Skopje central area before the earthquake with St. Konstantin and Elena Orthodox church built in 1926.
The Clock Tower, built in the middle of the XVI century.
The National Theatre, built between 1921-1927, demolished in the 1963 Earthquake. Nowadays missed by many and incomparable to any of the existing Macedonian Theatres.
The Building of the Railway Station before the earthquake.
The preserved part of the Railway Station building, with the famous clock, which you could see it illuminated on some of the above photos. This clock stopped at exactly 5:17 am, when the earthquake struck, and has remained like that ever since, to serve as a reminiscent of this day and is considered as a symbol of the earthquake.
Today, here in this building, is the Museum of the City of Skopje.
edit: here is a video I found in the meantime, reporting about the earthquake
Note: This is gonna be a longish, as the title says, Wimbledon related post...boring to many of you, I know...more of the Nadal rambling, which I know you are fed up with...but now that the Tournament has ended, and having the most appropriate card in my hands, this post cries to be written....the regular updates will come back from tomorrow on.
Well, I received this card back in February, and saying I was delighted doesnt really describe my reaction when I found it in the mailbox...those who have directly or indirectly been following me during tennis tournaments all year round, could get at least an idea how I felt :) Of course, I was so over-excited, I wanted to post it right away, but then this little voice inside me said: No no no Ana, not now...Wimbledon will happen in a few months, so it will be smarter if you save the card till then and use it to commemorate the event...good that I do listen to it sometimes.
I was in big doubts about when should I post the card...before Wimbledon starts...during...after...eventually decided to go for 'after' and make a summary of all the events and happenings and the outcome....and oh what a perfect outcome we had :D Rafael Nadal, lifting the trophy....Rafael Nadal walking out with 2000 ATP points and firming even more his 1st position...Rafael Nadal shutting the evil mouths of many...but Ill get to the last issue later
This year's Wimbledon has produced loads of surprises and memorable moments, and can you believe it, it didnt rain even once!
The most memorable event would definitely be the epic match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut...the match which lasted for 11 hours and 5 minutes....stretching out over 3 days...where on the second day they played for around 8 hours straight...so crazy and so unbelievable, record breaker in many aspects...It was sometime during the 6th hour of that second day when I tuned it...and in total disbelief watched what was happening on Court 18...a match of the very first round...yeah, exactly...in general, a match on Court 18 surely wouldnt catch my attention...but this one did...a match of a kind you dont even see in the final battles...with two men barely standing on their feet, Isner especially...they were winning their serves, but couldnt possibly run after balls...and thats how it went, one game after another, both clinching to their serves...everyone wondering if this was ever gonna end...honestly, it was so crazy and unique, i wasnt sure if I wanted it to end...you dont really get to witness something like this every day...well, it eventually did end...the third day, where Mahut eventually couldnt hold his serve, and it was understandable that Isner was gonna use the opportunity and put an end to this drama/nightmare or however you wanna call it...uhmm...pity...not coz it ended, but coz I actually wanted Mahut to win...he was so more down to earth and so kinder, he is so less known...it seemed as if he would appreciate this win much more than Isner...but there you go
At the end of it all, a ceremony was held, where prizes were given to both of them...am not sure what exactly, and I know that Mahut got a consolation prize, trip to the Maldives..honestly, I dont think that when losing a match like this, there could be a consolation...it is not the kind of a normal match you lose...it is THE match...the one everyone would talk about tomorrow, next month, next year, after 50 years...the match whose 5th set lasted longer than the previous longest match...even Mohamed Lahyani was given a prize for being the chair umpire throughout the entire match...speaking of him, I cant recall I saw him afterwards...but he definitely is my favourite chair umpire..I so much wished he would be in charge of some of the Nadal matches, esp. after those French guys turned out to be sort of biased and unfair and bringing some really unjustified judgments...well, later about it
Another thing which would make this Wimbledon remembered is coz her Majesty, the Queen decided to turn up, at the match of Murray against Nieminen...good for Andy, he won...I wonder, if the Queen showed up at Murray's match against Nadal, would that have helped him somehow or no...
Then come the early calls for danger...from no one else but Federer who faced being kicked out by Falla at the very very first round...Federer playing 5 sets at Wimbledon's earliest stages was incomprehensible to many (to me as well to be honest) but it was the reality...not that I didnt enjoy it :)
I knew I shouldnt laugh at it, coz eventually Nadal found himself into 5 setters as well against Haase and Petzchner, but I have to say I liked both guys and how they played so they are like one of my Wimbledon findings..both matches with some controversy...once Nadal is given an official warning due to the fact he received coaching from uncle Tony...then, Nadal seeks for medical treatment...eventually he is called a liar...as if he set it up on purpose in order to get some time..funny how when other players never were called liars for such a thing, esp. Soderling, whom I got to dislike even more after this. Not to mention how Soderling asked for a medical time out right when Rafa was about to serve for a set...no one was available, but instead Pascal telling them to continue with the game, they had to wait..which was totally unfair and against the rules...but I never heard anyone speaking of Soderling as a liar or a deceitful player which is what he actually was...and please keep the French umpires away in the future
Another thing that must be noted for this year's Wimbledon was Federer being kicked out...in the QUARTER-FINALS! Wow! I could have just gone out and celebrate! The so much called God of Wimbledon was out! Berdych had the honour to do so! Yup, I disliked Roger before, but like Soderling, now he even made a firmer position on my dislike list...he may be a great player but is such a sore and terrible loser...just now I realized how self-centered he is...and how cynical....one of the reasons why I love Nadal is coz he is the total opposite...but Federer got the nerve to say, after he lost, that he sees Del Potro as the favourite, just unfortunately he is not playing, and that Nadal and Djokovic have been playing awfully! Oh please, for the love of God, can you hear what you are saying?! You, who have not won a title for months, got the nerve to say Nadal and Novak are playing a lousy game?? Not even once given the credit to them nor to Berdych who played amazingly?? All of a sudden Roger has pains and his back is killing him and oh boy we should feel sorry for him and thats why he lost, otherwise he would have beaten everyone in straight sets 6:0 each...yada yada yada...it was the same in 2008 when he lost to Nadal in the finals...oh well, the light was pretty bad and I couldnt see...yeah yeah...Nadal was playing in the same light and he got to beat you...why dont you just for once admit that someone played better than you and you played an awful game..Nadal always says it...sometimes I hate it how modest Nadal is and how much he appreciates and publicly praises Federer, coz Federer obviously doesnt deserve it....anyways, Fed, I hope you and Mirka are having a blast of a holiday since you so cynically stated you wont be watching the finals..yeah, it is painful I know...
Thumbs up for Berdych though and for the game quality he had produced, which was still not enough to beat Nadal...I just dont know why was Novak so absent-minded when Berdych and he played
And even though Im not much into women's tennis, I must point out one name here, Tsvetlana Pironkova...a young Bulgarian who shocked many..82nd on the WTA, but reached the semis and on top of that, kicked out Venus...I dont like the Williams sisters, and I was so pleased to see one of them being outplayed by someone who is rather unknown to the tennis world
And I musnt forget one very important moment...the journalists at wimbledon.org....I havent seen so many biased, unprofessional and cynical reports at one place...totally underestimating the great plays of Nadal, while lifting his opponents in the sky...they all made it as if Nadal deserved to win nothing, as if he won due to being lucky, as if he only struggled to win, even going to extents and criticize his English..as if thats the cruical matter when playing tennis...but when they were to describe Murray, oh boy, Andy produced such an outstanding, tremendous game! The cherry on top was the last article about Zvonareva...
The initial title was something like, Zvonareva's dream turns into a nightmare, but they got to change it eventually http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/articles/2010-07-03/201007031278171346992.html
I was appalled when I read it..instead of giving her the praise she deserved for reaching the finals, i get to read this...I think that the management at wimbledon.org should take a look into the matter and who is working for them...and this is not just my subjective opinion...this is an opinion by many who found the articles throughout the tournament, absolutely biased and even cynical...many of the comments were even deleted eventually...mine were never published...could only presume why, and you could only guess what my messages contained...but I hope that next year and at the upcoming tournaments, I wont have to read crap and gibberish like this...this is one of the reason why I could never work as a sports commentator...I would never be able to be subjective and I would always cheer for someone...but at least I have the decency to admit it...
Ok, to finally close this....Wimbledon came and went...leaving many new great and not so great memories, but for sure, on the overall, it was an exciting one!
Thank you Nadal for bringing another day of joy and for shutting the mouths to the many evil guys and gals who underestimated you and who so much wanted to see you lose...you are my number one, and will always remains so!
PS. Dont you think he is adorable when arguing with Pascal? :P
PPS. Big hug to Zarah and Beatriz, my two dear Partners-in-Crime when it comes to Nadal :)
PPS. I warned you it was gonna be a longish post...so no complaints will be admitted ;-)
Just one (shortish) post today, since this day HAS TO be commemorated, and since I have the perfect card to do so! Yup, this IS a card, especially created for me by my dear friend Ana in Belgrade <3
Do I hear some jealous threatening females voices?!!! One from Spain and the other one from Cambodia??? :P :P :P :P
Well, today, 3rd June, our boy Rafa is turning 24....age at which he has achieved so so so much more than many of his tennis counterparts...I often hear how Federer is great and how he has won xy number of titles.....BUT..when making such comparisons, people obviously seem to forget that Federer is 5 years older than Nadal and is sort of normal for him to have won more matches....except that an irony follows here, coz it is Mr. Nadal himself, with his 24 years (he actually achieved all this at 23, he is turning 24 today only), who has won 18 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments....which is a RECORD! Which is TWO more than Roger (who is 28) and ONE more than the previous record-holder, Andre Agassi, who was actually not more, not less but 33 years old when he achieved that record...so please...stop giving me your arguments of how great Federer is and how much Nadal sucks....I am not denying Federer's success...I may not like him at all, but I do have the courtesy to admit he is a great tennis player..however, if you are about to criticize Nadal, at least find me someone equal to his age, with equal experience and THEN make the comparisons....you dont have such a person? I rest my case...please call me when Nadal is 28 too
Should I mention that it was Nadal who took Wimbledon from Federer?? When everyone was sooo suspicious about how Nadal would adapt to grass, he managed to get to the finals, twice in a row, with which he proved that he can be good on grass as much as he is on clay....the next year proved to be a third luck charm and Wimbledon was in Nadal's hands....and their overall stats are 14:7 in Rafa's favour....hm!
Apologies to all the Federer fans and Nadal haters for this post, but lest not forget, this is MY blog, and MY post, so I can pretty much speak my mind, no? Feel free to write your own post about Roger or whomever else you want, and I promise i wont say a bad word there, nor will I argue....just as i WON'T allow that happen here...save the bad comments and insults for yourself please....I know this sounds harsh but i am also well aware of what this sort of posts may provoke, so this is just like a warning :) But this is Nadal's day, so let me enjoy it as I want it....and even though I dont like Federer, i DO like YOU as my friends....and you can hate Nadal to guts, but I never let that interfere in my relations with other people....just like i hate it when politics interfers too...
Right now Roland Garros is being played, where Rafa reached the semis, where he is going to play against Melzer, who rather surprised me by outlasting Novak in 5 sets....having in mind that Melzer is the oldest remaining guy in the tournament (29)...so I cant be still about his play to Nadal, even though Nadal has the 2:0 overall lead against him....Nadal is the guy who mentally is extremely strong, physically even more....I just hope and keep fingers crossed he doesnt have one of his bad days :P
Another thing that I love is that Fed is out, which means he will lose his last years points which gives Nadal the chance to come closer to regaining ATP number 1, and if he wins RG, number 1 is his! But lets not make predictions...whenever I do, they dont come true :) For those of you who follow tennis, esp. Rafa, are quite familiar with last year's events and why Rafa skipped many matches and why he played so poorly in general
Here are some stuff I wanted to share with you
a 12 year old kid, called Rafael Nadal :) isnt he cute :)
Nadal winning his 18th ATP Masters...can you just see how Federer missed that ball?????
Nadal vs Federer at Wimbledon 2008...by many considered as one of the greatest, most thrilling and most tense matches ever, interrupted by rain twice....it ate my nerves personally...but it was Nadal eventually who took the title home....I literally cried after this one (the second time i cried was when he wont the 18th ATP tournament)
I was about to speak also about Nadal's modesty and fairness in general, where he admits if the line umpires had made a mistake when calling the ball out if it was actually in....at the last Nadal-Federer meeting, when it was OBVIOUS the ball was IN, and Nadal should have won the point, Federer just raised his arms saying "i have no idea where it fell"...yeah, right....it was shown later that the ball WAS *IN* indeed, but oh well....the justice was served in the end, since Nadal won :)
And without any further ado....HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAFA!! Wishing you many many many more Happy Birthdays and MANY MANY MANY more matches and tournaments and titles!
And the greatest thanks to Ana for sending me this card in the first place and making this post possible.
And I also want to dedicate this post to my dear Nadal-friends, Zarah, with whom I often watch Nadal's matches, comment, laugh, cry, curse :P And Beatriz, with whom even though I havent been able to watch a match yet, is as supportive for Nadal as I am, and who shares with me the joys and disappointments of his matches.
I received this card exactly one year ago.....it took me some time later to actually figure out what a portent it was...and this was my first received card with a cat which looked like this...all my other cat-cards were in general cats which looked like Kimi...but anyways, here is how the story goes....
I was getting ready for work, and mail arrived and among it was this card....cute.
I go to work (by bike) and not far from home I hear some meowing which catches my attention in an odd way that it makes me stop, wanting to see what's going on. And i see this woman standing near the bushes, and IN the bushes this small orange kitten, with its hysteric meowing and aggressive hissing. My guess is that it was this woman indeed who had left him there, so that someone can pick him up, but of course, she wouldnt have admit it.
I am a cat and dog lover, but what happened here was something i cant really explain...there was some force which kept dragging me towards this kitten...and then there was this woman which kept telling me to take it....which i couldnt...first of all I was already late for work, so there was no way I take the kitten, go home and go to work..not to mention the bare fact itself for taking another cat home...i didnt want to leave the kitten there but after some reasonable thinking I decided that i just CANT take him....and got back on my bike....and after a few metres, turned my handlebars the other way and came back...for whatever reason it was, i just COULDNT leave the kitten there...I couldnt wait to get back from work in order to take him coz the chances for him to still be there were almost impossible...I had to take him THEN and THERE...I knew it was a crazy decision, but the thought of leaving him there was heart-breaking....and the next I know is this woman picking him up, putting him in a plastic bag, and giving it to me....no turning back...no way to go home, since im LATE for work....so I just head straight to work, with a kitten in a plastic bag, who couldnt stop hissing....i dont think i have seen a more aggressive cat ever....by just pointing a finger towards him, he would immediately attack...it was even scary honestly, but I couldnt just leave him NOW on the street...and I didnt even want to think what would happen with me bringing a kitten like this at work.
Of course, when the children saw him, it was pure joy and all my attempts to have a normal class failed....everyone wanted to see what the kitten was doing (we had to put him in the bin....that was the only place from where he couldnt get out...otherwise, as aggressive as he was, I risked someone from the children getting hurt or scratched all over).
Well, the class eventually came to an end, if you could call that a class...and now it was time to go home and of course face with another problem or risk being kicked out of home along with both cats.
Kimi was FAR from happy when he saw the new buddy, and it took months actually before he gave in eventually.
You can just imagine my parents' reaction...and my excuse was that I just couldnt leave him like that, and that I need to give him something to eat and eventually I will let him go....well giving him to eat was also impossible, coz we just couldnt come near him....so I had to use these thick gloves my mum has and which she uses for gardening....that was like the only thing which could protect us from him...
I dont know if it was because he started feeling safe, and had something to eat...but his aggression lasted for a few hours only...by evening time, he was so timid, I couldnt believe it was the same kitten I found in the morning.
Of course, the issue of letting him go remained, and my dad was the most persistent one about it, and i can freely say he couldnt stand him and had this reprimanding approach all the time, about how it is not fair towards Kimi and blah blah blah...yeah, Kimi is well-known for his anti-social behaviour so I wasnt surprised and I felt bad with the fact that he would go away and wont come home all day long...but on the other hand i REALLY didnt have the heart to have the other one let go...not after how timid and sweet he got...I know that deep inside myself i was convinced he would remain, back in those several days, it was a really troublesome issue..
I kept finding excuses all the time...how I cant leave him in the the middle of the night since he is too little...and I cant leave him during the day since other people will see me and of course, either bring it back to me or turn me in to some of the Animal-Protection societies...and eventually my excuse was that I cant let him go now that he has been with us for a week or two...and he remained...and i am more than glad and happy he did...I am more than happy and glad that I decided to take him in the first place, that i decided to listen to that inner voice and go against my common sense...
Foxy (my mum gave him the name, since he is orange and crafty like a fox) is one of the most adorable creatures ive seen...and smartest as well. He is the kind of a cat which NEEDS human company, wants to cuddle...he is soo playful...sometimes too much...he always wants to tease the other cats....he knows how to open doors (I dont know how cats figure out the thing about doors)...and one thing I LOVE about Foxy is that when I tell him "sit down" he sits down :))
And Foxy is the exact kind of a cat as the one on the card which arrived that morning before I went to work...when I realized this some days later, i got shivers all-over....even though i refuse sometimes to see things like that, the card wanted to tell me something, to prepare me for something that was about to happen and which would in a way, change my life.
From this point if view, I would have never forgiven myself i I didnt take him with me, on this day, exactly one year ago....boy, time flies so fast :)
Later, I got this card too....since it reminded Ana of Kimi and Foxy together :)
Their relation today is muuuuuuuchh better than it was at the beginning...well Foxy always loved Kimi, but Kimi didnt love Foxy...I still think that Kimi is not so fond of Foxy (well Kimi is not fond of anyone actually), but at least he doesnt run away now, when Foxy comes to him, and cuddles into him, and falls asleep like that...when I see them like that, i just simply melt :)
this is Foxy during his first days with us:
this is him today
oh yeah, I forgot to say....he is ALWAYS hungry :)
sorry for this loooongish cheesy post....but i had to give some significance to this day, coz i absolutely adore my two cats, which are different as day and night :)
Ill be back with the regular postings from tomorrow on.
So there we go...the day has come...and its just a matter of hours until the actual event takes place...well, ok...ill have one more extra hour to sleep due to the winter time change to which im thankful for...
oh...and no no no...its not MY wedding we are talking about, no panic :))
a friend of mine is getting married, and since we are/were kinda close, i just wanted to sort of commemorate it...and its also like an excuse for my absence in posting here too...so i better post something than nothing, right?
and honestly, its this card that had me inspired and i thought it would be VERY appropriate to post it today than any other day...if you are about to say that my OWN wedding would be more appropriate...well, i dont have the heart to keep this card in darkness till then honestly :P
personally im not a wedding fan...but its nice to attend some...the one that is about to come is still something i cant categorize unfortunately, and i dont feel like im going to a wedding at all nor that something important is happening...but i wont go into details...at least not in public coz it wont really be fair
why i dont like weddings? i dont know...im just not that kind of a social type of a person (im a complicated type of a person in case you hadnt figured out by now)...i dont like all that fuss revolving around the weddings and i most of all dont like the *i have nothing to wear* moment...which stroke me big time this time...and all that with the thanks to my awful eating habits lately, since ive come to the conclusion that nothing fits me...and i just feel ridiculous in whatever i wear...my only attempt to do something about it was to refrain from chocolate and sweets and stuff....for the past 3 days...a real sacrifice, no? and my body is craving for some cake, so i guess once the wedding is over, ill get my dosage with a less feeling of guilt...
and speaking of the card...those thoughts perfectly describe ME! i cant explain it in short terms, but how i judge things is often totally different from what my common sense tells me to do...and i often follow the 'my own judgment' than the 'common sense' thing...whether its a right or wrong thing to do, i dont know...but thats how i do it...and with no intention to actually switch to 'common sense'....oh well...maybe someday...one day....maybe :)
my biggest thank you goes to Chris for sending me this card...first of all for the reasons why he sent it to me, and second, for actually giving me a material to make today's post and for sending me such a handy and convenient card for this occasion :)
oh, and one more thing...its Chris to blame, why i have developed a soft spot for the Anne Taintor cards and why they are on my wish list now...yeah Chris, its your fault, shame on you! :))))
well...in order not to blame me that i totally rant of other stuff, here are the stamps from the card..
and...Marija dear...i wish this day to be the most memorable one for you and i hope you have a life full of joy and love and happiness...and we are sorry that we wont be able to attend the ceremony from the beginning, but we hope you understand (and you know who we all are...sorry! =[....)
Well, as you can see, today is not gonna be a regular update day, but more like a shortish post since the day itself calls for commemoration...and on the other hand i have a bad mood-swing day, so its not really advisable that i ramble here....
As the title itself tells you, this boy here has celebrated his 30th birthday today! Who would have thought...honestly, he doesnt seem 30 to me, but looks can deceive you...and lately actually ive been well deceived by certain people and their age, who either appeared much younger than they actually were...or seemed older...and it was all men...which is odd...
Anyways...i hoped that this day might be a lucky charm for Kimi boy since today were the qualifications for the Brazilian GP...but i have to be satisfied with him finishing 5th...if you watched today's qualifications, you would have been happy if your favourites were among the first 10...2 and 45 minutes of drama...probably more interesting than most of the actual races this season....and i still hope for drama tomorrow...and i wish that Button scores zero points and that Barricchelo ends among the first ones, so that we can have an even more dramatic last race, which for the first time will be held in Abu Dhabi this year (and what a coincidence, Kimi has Abu Dhabi written on his cap...)
And i can just hope that next season will be luckier for Kimi, and that in general it will be a more interesting one, coz frankly, this was the most boring one i had ever watched...and lets see if Kimi leaving Ferrari will be a good thing or no...as for tomorrow's race....im honestly indifferent...even if Kimi wins (which i doubt), its not really gonna change on the overall for him...so he just needs a fresh new start....what im really concerned for tomorrow is the Nadal-Davydenko Final in Shangai....Davydenko can be a tough opponent, and he has proved to be so against Nadal....but i truly wish Rafa plays his best tomorrow...it has been an up & down season for him and i just really love to see him back on track....so, all in all, its gonna be a sportish day tomorrow....lets hope i wont regret having spent my time watching it actually :)
and here are the stamps of this card...i wasnt really gonna show them, but i thought they were really beautiful actually...
Well, here i am....and instead of catching my bus to Belgrade, im going nowhere....unfortunately...hence my mood in the past days...if that can be called a mood at all.....this is the day ive been anxiously anticipating for months, or better said since last September when it was announced that Depeche Mode are gonna be touring again...this is the day that I dreaded since the very same day...and unfortunately, the day i wont have a chance to fulfill my dream....simply, the concert was cancelled...along with a number of others...the real shock was when i read that the concert in Athens had to be cancelled at the very last minute, before the guys actually went on stage....thats when the ghosts and the shadows started haunting me, giving me some bad sign...then it was Istanbul that was cancelled...and then, it was four others...Bucharest, Sofia, Belgrade and Zagreb....when i read this i was totally lost...i wanted to cry, but i couldnt....i just felt totally down and bummed out and just totally empty on the inside...I know to many it sounds as if im making a drama over nothing...but to me, Depeche Mode are not just my all time favourite band...their real impact is far beyond that...there is an emotional connection i would never be able to explain...with their music i had managed to get through many of my hard times...with their music, i was able to face and live my own feelings and fears and joys and doubts...with their music i had often been able to give my feelings a meaning...you know, when you feel a certain way, but you cant find the right words to express it? well, Mr. Martin L. Gore has written it all down for me...their power on stage is one of the most amazing things ive seen and felt...and i have to say ive been lucky to actually experience it...3 years ago...regardless how pathetic it sounds, thats the best event thats has happened to my life, EVER! Depeche Mode are an inherited part of me....and thats why all this is feeling so hard on me...its like a dream being broken into thousands of tiny little pieces....
Im really sorry im bothering you all with this....but i really need to commemorate this day to myself in any way...coz today is when i actually start to realize what has actually happened (its like a post-shock state).
I even planned to stay in Belgrade by the end of the week, since my manager gave me two days off to go to the concert, and then was the weekend and just a perfect way to spend some time in the city i love so much...there was even the plan to meet with some of the Serbian postcrossers, but they will have to do without me this time :) The problem is, i dont know the right way to grieve all this...and i just still feel its chocking me on the inside...the worst part is that, I and all the rest of the DM fans, have no idea how the condition of Dave Gahan is right now..everyone is extremely worried, coz no news at all is actually WORSE than any sort of situation update...that gives a lots of room for opening rumourss and speculations and right now the official Depeche Mode message board is a place of insanity, with people's attitudes ranging from anger to fear to total impatience...and its getting worse and worse...unfortunately, im into that category too....the lack of news is killing me...not about further cancellations or the reschedule of the Belgrade concert...the fact that no one knows how Dave is doing is whats bringing loads of drama, and of course, the fact that many people have booked train/plane tickets, hotels etc. and now it all may be for nothing...its a real real chaos...but i just want so suppress my selfish attitude of *I* didnt go to the concert...this is not about me anymore...its about Dave and Depeche Mode...and all my thoughts and prayers for the best possible outcome regarding all this...I just wish it didnt feel THIS sad =|
Get better soon Dave....our hearts and thoughts are with you! I REALLY want to do the "NLMDA" wave at least once more in my life :)
Cheers to all the Depeche Mode fans out there, to all the soul sisters and soul brothers and any DM fans who happen to come across this post.
Today wont be a regular update but more of one of those posts regarding some occasion...and im dedicating this post to my beloved dog i used to have years ago....coz today it would have been his birthday...he would have turned 16...the sweet sixteen...which feel bitter and sour...coz i terribly terribly miss him.
No wonder why i was so delighted and emotionally moved when i received this card not so long ago...even though i think of Edi every now and then, this card brought back a whirlpool of memories.
I got Edi when i was nearly 13 years old, as a present from our next door neighbours who also had a dog called Ares...and Ares was my best friend when i was little coz he constantly played with me, and i was one of those kids who had no fear of dogs but who even dared to taunt him and annoy him (in a nice way) and Ares never got bothered or harmed me in any sort of a way....and due to my love towards him and my love towards animals in general, our neighbours decided to give me one of his puppies...you could never precisely imagine how i felt back then nor how my reaction was...it is all blurry for me as well, but i know that i was simply overjoyed.
I named him Edi, coz he had to be named with a name starting with the 5th letter from the alphabet...I wanted to call him Erik, but Erik had already been taken, so i went for Edi...
Edi was one of the most loving dogs ive seen....maybe too loving coz he could befriend anyone easily and thats no good when dogs are in question...i dont say that he should have been dangerous and harmful, but he did need some more discipline regarding interaction with other people...well, he needed discipline in general, he was just too playful.
Problem is, i was a bit reckless with him and i didnt really treasure the fact i had him (and here comes the rule that you are never aware of what you have until you lose that). I loved playing with him and all, but i didnt really take much care of him when it came to making him a meal or taking him out for a walk or stuff like that....thats one of the things i really regret, coz if i had him now, he would have been my best companion for a walk at times i need one and i just want to be alone but yet have someone with me...like right now for example...
Unfortunately, i didnt have him for long....it was 9th November 1995 at around 1:30 pm when someone took him away...i never found out who...i was at home when that happened...i heard the front door open and i thought it was the postman (see the irony here?) so of course i didnt really react, but i just waited for him to ring the bell or drop the mail...after several minutes realized it wasnt the postman and i got this bad itch inside my stomach...i ran out, just to see the front door left open...with Edi nowhere in sight...thats how it ended...the fact i didnt react on time is something i will balme myself for the rest of my life...but regrets dont work...if i ever have another dog i would like to be no other kind but a Rough Collie...also known as a Shetland dog...or the most popular, a Lassie...
as an addition, i found this old card recently while i was cleaning my room....i found it under the bed...you just dont want to know what all kind of stuff i found under my bed...and i had totally forgotten this one, and the only reason why i had bought it is coz of the dog...this was back in time when all kinds of postcards could have been found here...nowadays there are NONE like this...
And here is Edi..this is probably my most favourite picture of him...coz he stood still while i was taking this photo even though i know he was annoyed with those glasses on him...but he was a poser sometimes...and i loved him for that...and for enduring my nonsense esp. at times i was bored...
and here below are some more pics related to Edi's father, Ares...when i was little my mum simply constantly took photos of me and of what i did...half of the pictures i have in general, include a dog or a cat in them...surprises you?! :)
The cat on the following two pictures was also my neighbours' and when she had kittens, Ares was the one who looked after them and who was carrying them around....I was amazed
this is Ares, and me.....and my mum
another one in our backyard...
the only point about this photo is the thing im holding in my hands...i was visiting my ganrdparents (on the picture) at this place they were staying on vacation and on our way there at one place i found a postcard with a Lassie...i wasnt just thrilled and happy...i was the most proud kid in the world then....you can see it from my face and how im showing off the card....just please, no comments on my hairstyle :P
I dont know if Edi is still alive or is peacefully sleeping in Heaven....i just hope that he had a good life and wasnt ill-treated.....I hope he knows i awfully miss him ;-(
Today im not gonna have a regular post with postcards and all, even though it will be postal related in some sense...
Im making this post today in order to commemorate the death of Тоше Проески....which happened exactly one year ago, 16.10.2007...a day i dont think ill ever forget....
Some of you, esp. if you are outside Europe, had already had the chance to see him on a stamp i had put on your postcards or envelopes..the stamp to which for some reason you want to refer to as 'the guy with the dove'...apologies to those inside Europe, but its somewhat harder to combine this stamp with another one in order to post something to you...but if you really want this stamp, ill see what i can do about it next time i send you something...
It was one year ago, when after I woke up i turned the TV on and the first thing i saw was some performance of Toshe with some other musicians....which wouldnt have been so odd unless I actually noticed the words "In Memoriam" on the screen...this immediately gave me the creeps and made me wonder who had actually died...not in my wildest dreams I would have thought it is Toshe...to me, and to all of us, the guy was simply immortal...so, I switched to the Teletext to read the news, and that was when it hit me...it said "Toshe Proeski died in a car accident"..I switched all channels and everybody was either talking about it or had his music on, with the words scrolling through the screen, of what had happened...he was just 26 years old...
ive never been his fan..i never liked him...though I do admit he had some really good songs, and I never denied he has a terrific voice...but i never was a fan in the sense most of the people here were...and believe me, he had the greatest fan population ever...everyone loved him...it was in his nature I guess...he was kind and generous and sincere, and with all his fatih dedicated to God and his family...he was just sooo down to earth, unlike most of the popular people...even though i didnt like him, I admit he did deserve all the attention and popularity he had...not just in Macedonia, but oisde the country as well...
I would never be able to convey the atmosphere here during that and the following days...you could have simply felt the sadness and grief flowing through the air...not even when our former president died in a plane crash years before that, people grieved like this...
The city sqare here was full of people, young and old, litting candles, leaving flowers, messages, stuffed animals...people crying all the time...no one could have actually realized of what had happened...
They broadcasted the entire ceremony on TV as well...from the arrival of the coffin at the airport, to the burial itself...I would never forget the moment when the plane arrived at 11 pm at the airport, and they took out his coffin from there....one of the creepiest things i had ever witnessed...coz this was real...this wasnt a movie...this was something really happening and we all knew that inside that coffin is Toshe's body...we all knew he would never come back, even though we all still thought that its just a part of some bad dream, and that Toshe would come out of somewhere..we couldnt face it...coz it was Toshe..Toshe couldnt die...Toshe was everywhere around as...on Tv, in the papers, on the radio...it was inevitable a day to pass without hearing or reading something about Toshe..we felt like his constant presence is simply more than natural, and we were used to it, regardless how annoying it could have get...and now we had to push the stop button and make a drastic change of the reality....
it was when he died when it surfaced of how much he had actually done for the music scene here and the country in general...it was then when it surfaced how huge he really was in every sense, and why people loved him so much...it was then when all of a sudden we started to appreciate many things regarding him....I really wonder why the hell do we realize what we have had once we actually lose that....even me...why did he have to die so I actually figure out the exact figure he represented....the shy teenage guy from Krusevo, who turned into the greatest Macedonian star ever...completely deserved...
I think that the media back then also contributed a lot to making things much more dramatic, as if they werent enough already....I personally, couldnt stop crying for days...I was surprised at my own reactions, that I grieve and cry for someone i never really cared for nor listened to...most of my friends went to his concerts....i never did...I just couldnt picture myself at a concert of his.. I still cant...if he was alive today, i still wouldnt go to his concert...but the difference is that today I much more appreciate all that he did, and grasped the depth of his music and the emotions he had put in things he did...should i say he did countless of thigns for charity? should i say he made hundreds of children smile just coz he personally went to visit them at a hospital or at their home coz they were sick? Yeah, it is a part of a propaganda, but he did it wholeheartidly, not just so they write in the papers next day about it...he was a real humanist...its such such a pity of what happened....i just cant believe it that a whole year had passed since then...time flies so fast...
Regarding the accident itself...I never believed it really was an accident...certain things of the jigsaw just DONT fall into place...many things were done rushed, many things took infinite amount of time to be investigated...many things they served us, just dont make sense...but it all doesnt matter now...he is gone...its pointless to be debating whether it was really an accident or a conspiracy or something else...that wont bring him back...
I wouldnt go into details about his life and all....if you want to, you can read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To%C5%A1e_Proeski
ill just post some of the songs i think are worth posting...i know you wont understand most of them, since they are in Macedonian or Serbian...but at least you can hear some Macedonian music and you can get to see and hear him...
R.I.P Toshe!
this has got to be one of my favourite performances of his...this is actually a Macedonial old traditional song, which i had always loved...his perforamnce is just terrific....the song itself, i have always found it really sad, but beautiful...
Zajdi Zajdi, Jasno Sonce (- Set down Set down clear Sun)
Cija si (- Whose are you?)
Angel si ti ( - You are an angel)
from the Eurovision song contest...due to adjustments at all, the song there was performed under the name of "Life"..i never liked this performance, and I always CLAIM we should stop going to Eurovision...but i still think its approproate to post this today, regardless my opinion about it...
Lejdi (- Lady)
this is the Serbian version...couldnt find the Macedonian one..yet, i always thought there is something powerful in this one..I love it
Aria
Toshe performing with Gianna Nannini....
Tajno Moja ( - Secret of mine)
Live version...ive always loved this one, i admit that
Soba za taga ( - A room for sadnees)
another live version...no official videos.....this is at his last concert in Skopje, 5th October...just 11 days before he died...
Igri Bez Granici ( - Games with no Boundaries)
this is the song which is giving me the creeps...its from his last songs....has the feeling of death, of a life wasted, as if he had known he was going to die soon...saying he is tired of life, with empty written pages, with constant failures...i cant help but shiver each time i listen to it
I could post more and more stuff...unfortunately i couldnt find some of my favourite stuff so i can share them with you...but in case you want to see and hear more, just go to YouTube and search for him....you will as well see videos from the accident, from the burial ceremony, from when the plane brought his coffin...im sorry, but I couldnt post those here....
Thank you for your attention at this post...this aint for me...its for Toshe...and for his life...the creidts of today;s post go to him, not me...
btw, i hate translating titles...but i did it, just so you get the context of the song and what is it about
