Over the years a few [important] people vanished from my life. Usually the process was gradual - except for one case when I was directly told that I was not a welcome company any more.
Today a question arose whether it is better to be silently ignored or to be told to your face that somebody is tired of you. And the opinion was that it is easier to swallow that bitter pill if it is served delicately, just a hint, something given to understand between the lines.
I do not agree. When a friend let me know me that he did not want to continue the acquaintance I spent one evening crying, I drank a bottle of wine, and - eventually - I got over it. But when someone simply fades away you can never be sure whether it's because of lack of time, or because they do not care so much, or they really do not see that something is cracking here; or it's actually you. You do not know, you can never be certain - but you have hope... and that hope is killing you.
So - no, thank you for trying to spare my feelings. I prefer the clear cut.
From a favourite childhood cartoon - one of many.
And one of many I have never stopped watching.
I don't know why I was so convinced that it was another film by Pixar. Which would be weird, since Brave came out not so long ago.
Whereas it is just a Disney movie - only it's not a hand-drawn but computer-generated animation. Which is not surprising, since we have already seen it in Tangled.
Ralph is trully funny. Sometimes sophisticated-funny and sometimes plain-funny - and somehow I enjoyed both; yes, even the simplest and close-to-bad-taste jokes, which were always on but never over the edge.
It's imaginative. The story is simple and predictable - but that doesn't spoil the film a bit, because it's more of an excuse to show you various worlds, their logic and dynamics.
Retro and modern at the same time. Funny when you realise the creators used sophisticated techniques in order to make an illusion of worse graphics. But only an illusion, not actual simulation - I mean the quality of the animation is very good.
Polish dubbing is quite decent - sometimes a bit worse, but sometimes better than the original.
Music by Henry Jackman (whom I love for X-Men: First Class, mostly). I have been listening to the score for quite some time now and I like it very much. It does capture varying game styles, moods, sets of characters.
However, little things are what really makes this film big: konami code (!!); angular splashes, which are supposed to imitate pixelised world; discrete movement mode of some arcade game characters; psychonaut-like Vanellope herself - for me she steals the whole show (now that I think of it, she does steal the movie: 90% of action takes place in her, not Ralph's game, and she seems to become more and more important throughout the film); her candy Wonderland-like world, which makes you look for the Cheshire Cat at every corner; Bad Guys Anonymous support group... So many tasty details!
Adorable, isn't she?
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I have already commented on Paperman, but having seen it on a big screen, I can now truly appreciate the genius behind the technique. More on the subject:
My quest to familiarise with Japanese culture subtly advances.
I visited Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology. Current exhibition comprises a number of colour woodblock prints by artists Hokusai and Hiroshige, from the Feliks Manggha Jasieński's own collection.
You have probably seen this one somewhere:
In general, the fun was to actually find the Fuji Mountain in the picture. And not only in the original prints but also in some less canonical representations and modern works, variations on the theme. Only then you could focus on the picture as a whole.
Something less obvious here:
But my absolutely personal favourite was the one depicting some fishermen at the sea and heavy clouds in the sky - there was no mountain, though... The description below gave an explanation and read something like this: Due to rainy and foggy weather you cannot observe the mountain itself. It was there - you simply could not see it.
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Recently, I have learnt a couple of interesting Japan-related details.
The Japanese people do not swear - at least not as we, Western people, understand swearing. That I can imagine.
What is totally incomprehensible for me, however, is the fact that they do not know the idea of grotesque. The point is they did not have their own Aristotle with his decorum to tell them what was adequate and what was not, which combinations were suitable and which would be unbecoming. As a consequence, they did not learn that certain things do not go together and so they mix all sort of styles with various content as it pleases them.
Curiouser and curiouser.
I was wrong thinking that I am no artist and I was not capable of being creative in any way. The art of cooking is still art and I like following proven recipes as much as I enjoy experimenting with the ones I already know too well, making up my own meals, inventing desserts.
Today's special - salty-sweet salad:
black olives sliced in rings
dried tomatoes cut in small chunks
feta-like cheese [cut] in cubes
whole-wheat fusilli pasta
chopped walnuts
I even prepared my own aromatic dressing (based on various herbs and - in the absence of wine / cider vinegar - martini). Decided, however, that the salad was too good on its own, so I just added a pinch of garam masala (♥ Indian spice mixes!) and a few crushed white pepper cloves. No need for extra salt due to feta and olives being already salty enough; on the other hand, dried tomatoes (and maybe walnuts as well?) have a hint of sweetness in them. Together you get an extraordinary blend of flavours that go along surprisingly well and result in a whole new palatable experience. (The dressing wound up on a bread slice.)
BTW, I must try this cheese & strawberry combination some time...
As far as I recall, the big break occurred when I lived in Copenhagen and made some international friends. We used to meet once a week and have dinner together. The problem was three of my friends were vegetarian... So when I wanted to make a lasagne I had to come up with some idea of its meatless version. That was when and why I discovered pumpkins (om nom nom!!*), started experimenting with spinach (om nom nom!) and, consequently, some other veggies that I had not particularly loved previously.
Anyone. Even a rat.**
However:
Anyone can cook. But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.
Well, I'm afraid I cannot qualify as a great artist and will not become one in the future. But, since I am not going to earn my living as a chef, I suppose I will be fine with that and settle for being acknowledged as a fair and creative cook.
Stay tuned.
--- * Recently I have learnt that our Czech / Slovakian peers are severely aggrieved. That is due to Czechoslovakian Television, which deprived them of the pleasure of enjoying Sesame Street! What miserable kids they must have been...
** Yes, Ratatouille is one of my favourites from Disney Pixar animations. One of my favourite films at all, to be frank. For too many reasons to even start listing.
The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), pronounced /ˈɒsəˌlɒt/, also known as the dwarf leopard, is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico(...).
The ocelot is similar in appearance to a domestic cat. Its fur resembles that of a clouded leopard or jaguar and was once regarded as particularly valuable.
Looks cute, doesn't it. Well, velvet paws hide sharp claws... So I believe it fits perfectly.
