T-shirt becomes tote bag

I recently stumbled upon this interesting tutorial that shows how to turn a t-shirt into a bag. I decided to try with an old t-shirt that I was actually thinking of throwing away. Instead, I know have a very sturdy bag that I use to carry my lunch box at work

I know, I know… it’s been ages since my last post. Well, here it is: some wacky photos I took in London on New Year’s Eve. It was spectacular and at some point I stopped snapping pictures and just enjoyed the 12 minutes fireworks display. You can find the BBC video here

...hello?!

Please, let director and cast do what they do best.

If you’ve read recent movie reviews, you might have guessed what film I’m referring to. If not, well… I’m talking about Dream House.
The infamous trailer that many say spoils the entire film, doesn’t really spoil that much. Or let’s put it this way: it spoils something, but not everything. As you watch the film, it is clear that the director tried his best and the cast is amazing, but for some reason the production decided to change the film so much that neither the director nor any member of the cast wanted to promote the film. Something must have gone very wrong. And you can probably sense it in the second half of the film. The story is deeply psychological, not a horror-thriller overseen plot. Yet, the depth of the characters never develops fully. The cast is left with very little to play with and the ending is so rushed that you might even wish the same pace was given to the ever-boringly-slow Twilight – Breaking Dawn, part 1.

Shame, because this could have really been a great film. It’s not always that you get to have 3 actors who can talk without saying a word. Not all can do that and if the plot had been properly developed, I’m sure it would have led to an even more outstanding performance. Instead, you end up seeing Craig & co. trying, really trying. There’s something more beneath the surface, something more they want to show. Sadly, it won’t happen in this film.

Anyway, if you don’t mind looking a bit further than the first visual impressions when you watch a film, you might enjoy Dream House. I found it a story about love, loss, guilt, helplessness, acceptance (and not all this whirlwind of emotions refer to Craig’s character). Truth is, thanks to whoever ruined it, this is probably not one of those films you’ll want to re-watch, but given the other choices at the moment, it’s better than the usual Christmas stuff. In my area, we’re still waiting for the second Sherlock Holmes and the remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (wow, must be Daniel Craig season) but with my usual luck, they are both coming out when I’ll be in another country, umpf…
Next cinematic mission: Another Earth. Its director/writer won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival this year. I guess it must mean something.

Addendum edit 20-Nov-2011: some randomness in London

If only they could talk...

Cleaning up the list of social networks, keeping 2.

The joy of reading a book I’ve read many years ago.

A warm Sunday night.

A movie in the backyard.

October at its best.

Apparently, I am now member of the exclusive club of connoisseurs of Venezuelan rum. Maybe I should add this to my CV...

I haven’t posted anything for quite a while, but I have a somewhat good excuse. I was travelling. As usual…

This time I spent about 10 days in Pisa and Versilia, the place I call ‘home’ in Italy. Then I spent 10 days in Venezuela, visiting my parents. Caracas isn’t exactly the safest city on earth, yet the country ‘has potential’. There are nice places to visit and I had a good time. I even visited a rum factory and after a tasting session and a tour of the factory I received a ‘certificate’ to prove I know Venezuelan rum (see photo). That was funny.
But Venezuela was also a good place to make you realise how lucky we are. We take so many things for granted in our lives and seeing misery and poverty on TV is not the same as seeing it for real, with your own eyes, outside of your car window.

Now I’m back to the Cotswolds, planning 2 short business trips in September (London and Belfast). I hope October will slow down a bit, but I’m not sure. Stay tuned!

Thank you, Anna for adding my name to the little note and rose you brought to the Blue Stone in Bergen yesterday.

(to be continued)

This morning I turned on the shuffle on iTunes and Daft Punk started playing. End Titles. From the last Tron soundtrack. You’d ask: what is the connection with Harry Potter 7.2? Aside from mentioning an end, that is.

Well, Harry Potter main theme is quite simple and easily sticks into people’s head. They remember it. Same as Superman or Star Wars… 2 notes and *poof* we already know what is playing. If you think of the music itself, in all these cases it’s just few notes, simple melody, very repetitive. Exactly like this Tron soundtrack. Daft Punk is a French duo that released quite a few electronic/dance album. The tracks are simple, not a lot of ‘musical virtuosity’, no lyrics. Nonetheless, this simplicity is what stays with us. Simple sounds often evoke deeper feelings and memories than instrument mastery. Chose carefully the tones, maybe a minor key to convey a bit more sadness, hold the notes long enough and people will mumble your song for years to come.

The mysteries of the human brain.

—
Daft Punk – End Titles (Tron Legacy Soundtrack)