This Summer...

I apologise to all the friends whose birthdays I forgot or missed during June and July. I almost even forgot my own sister's birthday. Forgive me, I'll make it up, but this summer jumbled me up with good and bad (mostly good) and I held on tight like it was a real roller coaster.

1) We started off by finally buying a decent, big suitcase. You can't be a serious traveller without a real suitcase, right? It became a symbol of this summer, we overpacked it and underpacked it, and presently it's staring at me from the corner of the room asking to be taken out again.

2) Then we bought tickets for the Robbie Williams concert except it felt like this AAAAA ROBBIIIIIE AAAAA WE ARE GOING TO THE CONCERT!!!!

3) Then little Kosta was born, my boyfriend's nephew, and now we are aunt and uncle and we are goood! We can sing and bounce and shshshsh and laugh and goo and ga and gau, we are pro and we don't even have to change the diapers, WIN!

4) And the day after Kosta was born we celebrated in style at the Robbie Williams concert. I thought my nice boyfriend had the umbrella and he thought I did. It started raining with the first beats of Let Me Entertain You and ended as soon as the show ended. We walked home, wet, happy and hungry. Over the bridge and through the sleepy Belgrade and we were COMPLETELY ENTERTAINED.

5) A few days later, after we finally met Kosta and presented our gifts like Cinderella fairy Godmothers, we set off to Greece for our official 10 days of summer holiday. A 12-hour bus ride seemed easy as we got the 4 front seats on the upper deck with the big window in front of us. Just as we got comfortable, about 2 hours into the trip, the bus broke and was replaced by a tiny matchstick box. Just my luck.

But I had the next 10 days to recover from the shock. On the beach, watching sunsets, on the balcony, watching the pool. Eating a lot of chocolate cake and peach compote for breakfast. Running from the beach to devour tones of watermelon in the afternoon. And after that I comforted myself a bit more in the evening with some beer and Pringles or wine and chocolate. 

6) Then we got back to Belgrade, but Belgrade seemed angry that we had fun somewhere else and tried to fry us at 40 degrees Celsius so we had to run away.

We went to a tiny town and a mineral spa Vrnjacka banja and we learned what it means to live in a town that is one big park; what it means to wake up and look out of the window and to see only green, to wake up without the sound and smell of city buses and traffic; what's the optimum time spent sitting in the garden/balcony/backyard before and after every meal, before and after swimming, and before bed at night and after you wake up in the morning. We also learned that we like having at least 2 different cakes in the fridge at all times and that we all like Cuba Libre. And the most important thing we learned is to take all these habits back home!

And in the end there is still a nice chunk of summer left and this is not all. My new sewing machine is coming and also some plane tickets, so the excitement is still rising and I intend to stretch out this feeling at least until the winter. 

:)

Serbian

Cats of Belgrade

;)

*Serbian

A Very Nice Cat

I meet her a few times a week. She is one of those nice cats that always let you touch them although she won't be too thrilled someone's messing with her perfectly fluffy fur. You'll find her on the stairs to a hair salon or resting on a hood of a car parked nearby. She'll just squint at you inquisitively but she'll get up for food only. So if you need a daily those of cat, she's there, you can pet her, she won't look like she's enjoying too much (but you will ~^..^).

:)

*Serbian

The Cat and the Rain

Belgrade, April 9th, 2014

It was Tuesday. It wasn't raining when we left the apartment but the rain started soon. We forgot to bring the umbrella, naturally. Our dad was waiting for us at the Belgrade Bus Station but we had to stop and buy an umbrella. Our dad was waiting for us but we saw this black and white cat napping on a narrow wall protected from rain and we had to try our luck. We always try our luck with cats, be it rain or shine, some are happy to see us some run away as fast as they can. This one was happy to see us and we gave her exactly two minutes of our time and then we went on to the Belgrade bus Station as fast as we could.

;)

*Serbian

Rings and Things

What have I been up to lately... hm:

1. Small things - you know how when a season drags out and you just want it to be over you go into survival mode; no complaining, no crying, not even depression, just pure robot mode; at the time I forget I'm human, I wear the same things over and over again, I don't even open the closet, first chair around is the closet for the week; I also forget I own jewelry, don't wear earrings, don't care about rings; then comes spring and waking up I rediscover the collection.

2. Then some much bigger things, like trying to be a better teacher. That's what I do for quite some time now and sometimes still feel like a beginner. Lately I tend to lose my self into hours of texts and videos on teaching, curriculum, classroom management, discipline, and then the next lesson seems easier and the next one is hard again. It goes up and down, but most times it's fun.

3. And more bigger things, like me... Like me getting into a dress for a friend's wedding. Like a miscalculated too early purchase of the dress and then miscalculated amount of food during Easter weekend. Like endless browsing for a new dress that can storage a lot of boob (I also feel for the people with the opposite problem, which again makes me wonder is there such a thing like a normal sized boobs or is this some kind of conspiracy...). Also endless wondering why girls on Zara site have such weirdly photoshopped legs. Just look at the section with skirts or dresses. Does someone have a fetish for disfigured legs there?

4. And some random things like walks and walks when the weather is nice. Killing some more plants (I'm down to one at the moment). Reading. Stalking some cats and taking pictures of them on Instagram. And also blog procrastinating.

And what have you been up to lately?

*Serbian

Marcel Makes Me Smile Today

* Last night the Skype conversation with my sister started with her saying: 'M. sent me the most beautiful little video I've seen in my life and I'll think it's the most wonderful thing forever. I'm sending you the link and I want you to watch it right now because I want to see your reaction.' And she sent me the link, and saw my reaction, and we laughed, and then I watched the video two more times last night. And you know what? I wish I could see your reaction watching this video, especially the last lines in part two. Yes, you must watch part two.

* More wonderful things for today, see how books are printed, from piles of paper to boxes ready for delivery to bookstores.

* And guess who wants to live here? 50 beautiful photos of cats living in a cat heaven on a small Japanese island.

;)

*Srpski

Postcard No.2

I know, I was scared too that the rest of the Greece posts won't even happen, you know how it's like when work gets in the way of life. But here it is another infusion of sea water just for you.

Places, People and Languages

Just like last year we spent most of the time contemplating ways to simply stay there, in Pefchokori, Greece. I suppose the same thought was in the minds of many hundred thousands of other Balkan people who were there at the same time. But we, we're different, oh yes! I found a little language school  (I'm pretty sure it's not working though) tucked away in a back street and his work depends only on the internet connection any way. What do you say, Pefchokori? We are the people for you. We got to know you from the top of the hill to the bottom of the sea. We speak English and Serbian, but your mother tongue and ours mix in the most wonderful ways on your streets. There's nothing we couldn't say to each other with a bit of hand waving and big smiles.
 
Another thing I realised, English is not very useful in this part of Greece. Former Yugoslav languages, on the other hand, are very much so. How do I mean that? Well, on the very first day of our vacation in this same place last year I got into a store to buy a bathing suit. 'How much is this one?', I asked in English. The lady said: ''15 Euro.'' What I didn't realise is that she said it in perfect Serbian, so I continued: 'Do you have it in other sizes?' in English. But she was stubborn, she probably heard us speaking Serbian going into the store: 'Do you need it in bigger or smaller size?' 'Bigger', I thought in Serbian, and 'Bigger' I said in Serbian finally, and blushed. She was Serbian and this thing happened many times over, so we ended up getting in stores saying 'Dobar dan', and just watched the things unravel in this or that direction.

Food

This was the only food that stayed on the table long  enough to be photographed and that for the sole purpose of making the recipients (my sister) extremely jealous. We got into that little bakery Lemoni, that we were warned was expensive, but who cares, we'd just try one thing. And although I'm usually more attracted to the desserts with a lot of fruit and cream this time I was strangely drawn to this chocolate miracle that seductively stared at me from the fridge - the Profiterole (second picture). I was hooked but I mustered enough of my brain power to spot at least three other things we had to try (and our wallets cried, but we didn't care). And we did try them all in those 10 days. Profiteroles were the best, I had three and I still suffer I didn't take one more on the last day. The second was Karamelito with caramel and chocolate and cream (second in the first picture). Tried it once and it would be the best one if it weren't for the queens Profiteroles (yes, still crying). Cherry panna cotta got the third place, it was very good and as I said I usually go for the desserts with fruit, but this time they lost to chocolate and caramel. The last one was strawberry panna cotta which was a total disappointment (first on the first picture). Although strawberry is one of my favourite fruits and I was even surprised at myself that I didn't choose it on the first day, lucky that I didn't, it was really bad and I'm still sad I didn't took the Profiterole instead.

And yes, it's not right to speak about Greece and food and not mention giros... No, I can't do it, I'm still thinking of, you know... I'll tell you what, you just go find that place in that little street of the main walk with the old plaid tablecloths, where they watch soccer on the TV from the seventies. They have the best giros not the big ones on the main street, don't trust what anyone else tells you.

Cat

You were worried I left the country where the cat is the national animal without a picture of a cat? Impossible! Well, last year I only started learning about the Greek cats, this year I had a personal teacher. So, the first very important thing we learned from this guy was that in Greece they grow cats in flower pots. And don't try to make any contact while they are sleeping like that, they'l just snore a bit louder. Second, if you have a cat meowing under your balcony in the morning don't try to give it food as your neighbours will also try and many pieces of meat and bread will start flying past you. The cat will just smell it and leave it because it's not food time, it's petting time, so come down for a session, and only after that they'll eat your food. Although on the day seven you might be tempted to throw a sausage at the said cat and say: 'Shut up and eat cat I'll come down later if your not gone sleeping in your pot!', not my proudest moment.

There will also be more Greek cats in another post until then relax from my Profiteroles and cat talk with a few more pictures.

;)

*Serbian

A Cat in Stone

For 10 years we've been going to the same eye doctor and that's exactly how long it took me to notice this cat in the hall of the building where their office is. 10 years! For someone who can spot a cat from the plane that's a strangely long time, but was a nice surprise.

;)

*Serbian

Cats of Istanbul

No, I was not in Istanbul and right until yesterday I wouldn't even add unfortunately to this sentence. Istanbul wasn't high on our travel list for Europe (like, for example, Lisbon) simply because it's to close to where we live, where we grew up, to our history, too similar to everything we know. Until yesterday, as I said, when a friend came back full of impressions (gifts) and stories of cats that rule every corner of Istanbul      and all the people living it, coming, leaving, staying or just visiting. So due to extreme potential of random cat spotting, petting and picture taking, Istanbul just jumped very high up on our European travel list. Now, you have the permission to imagine me chasing this yellow guy around the harem quarters and not even caring for the Sultan, 3, 2, 1, go...

;)

*English

Usual Sunday Frolicking

* I turned 29 recently and this text really struck a cord with me. Yes, I've got a few ideas and you'll probably never here how busy I am again. And I may also forward the text to a few people that might not be in the age group, but could use facing a few of its points.

* Yes, I've seen the whole 60 minutes, don't hate me...

* Another one of those blogs where you must go through the whole archives for reading and pictures equally. Although sorry, it's in Serbian only. 

One more thing! About the pictures guess who else likes going to the flea market and randomly buying his daughters some questionable, but extremely comfortable footwear. You've guessed, my dad! My sister and I  are stilling picking up our jaws from the ground, but I do wear the shoes and you can see them and decide what you think. And you know, business as usual compensating the furry pleasure, we can't have at home, on the streets

;)

*Serbian

Spring Summoning Successful

Who would've guessed! It worked (so, what if it's that time of the year, shut up!). Now, it's important not to forget a few important things:

* Listening to some good music
Thanks Amelie!

* Petting something fluffy
* Laughing
* Reading
*Buy, pick, steal, or ask for some flowers!

As for me - I'm off to see the Wizard!

;)
*Serbian

Summoning Spring in a Leather Skirt

     

I got Zarafied by this scarf! But for a month I managed to successfully resist winter sales despite being dragged through every single shopping centre in town by the sister who was preparing for the best friend's wedding. Oh, Universe, say how hard it is to stay sane passing by all those -99 price tags, all the colours thrown together, thrown up and down and all over you, all the female adrenalin running past and bumping into you, but also running through your own weak veins and burning, burning hard. I mentally took out bags full of clothes out of every single store. I was shaking with fever in every shopping centre, but, finally I got out an empty handed WINNER!

And this Zara scarf is one thing that was in the bag at the end of the winter sale season. But before I got it, I let it snuggle me in my mind for a whole week, despite the knitting needles clunking and a ball of yarn in a similar colour, it stayed strong and deserved to be bought. And the fact that since I bought it I've seen about a dozen girls with the same scarf didn't change my mind, just made me more sure of how great it is. And although I hardly resisted high fiving and winking at every girl I've seen wearing it, I still wonder* how that would go...

The scarf joins the collection of favourites with the earrings, skirt and the coat. But now you have to tell me who else got out of the sale season victorious and who got out with an empty wallet? Admit...

;)

*Serbian

* and I still open the dictionary every time I'm writing wonder and wander...

One-Eyed Jack

Cats are difficult subjects for photographing. They either run as fast as possible or just want to be snuggled. It was hard to get a clear photo of this one-eyed fellow, especially with my sister, the cat petting machine extraordinaire, present. It was even harder to leave...

;)

*Serbian

Just wanna make you smile...

Greek Cat

First few days that we spent in Greece there was not a cat to be seen. Just a couple of angry looking tails that I spotted in a bush. And I'm also not counting the hundreds of cats on the shelves of souvenir stores and on the tote bags pictured in different moods (horny cat being my favourite). So I was left wondering how the Greeks could claim the cat the national animal when there were no cats.

And for a few days I was left without my favourite subject for stalking and photographing. But then on a third and fourth day there was a strong wind and the see was restless, waves huge. And after that when everything settled down, the temperatures dropped from around 33°C to 27-28 °C and they finally came. And they were everywhere...

Oh, cats how i love you because you are so much smarter than me and also you couldn't care less about that.

:)

*Serbian

Instagram!

Two years ago, when I was just a blogosphere observer, people stared posting perfect retro looking photos that looked like they had been taken by my grandpa years before. But he had not, because how he could have taken a photo of my favorite bloggers feet, I ask you. Hipstamatic was the name, for the filter, not grandpa's, I did some online research and found it. Instagram was the name of the IPhone application and I didn't have an IPhone.

Well, I wasn't giving up and I started looking for similar... thingies. And found some.
First,the Poladroid, a little Polaroid camera for your computer. You install it and it sits on your desktop, makes a real Polaroid noise and you can shake your picture when it comes out Andre 3000 style. Not many options, but it's cute and addictive.

Then came the Picnic, recently promoted into PicMonkey. And this is what I call Photoshop for sloths (not the animal, me, and whoever feels like one). I am so proficient in PicMonkey, I can do anything. Photoshoppers have got nothing on me! Sloths!

And I've also found Pixlr-o-Matic. Gets the job than if you are lazier than an average sloth. Works both on and off line and on your phone also.

But that did not satisfied my curiosity about the Instagram, I was still hurt by its elitism towards moi, pour soul sans IPhone, although I pretended I didn't really care and I had other photo application friends (sour grapes).

But the day came. Instagram got released for the Android phones, sweet little green Androids! No, I didn't install it at once. I waited a few days, I played it cool. And finally I did it (nonchalant and cool, if I may add). And I had it, and it was NOTHING SPECIAL! Over the course of two years since the beginning of Instagram I found better friends. And they don't even have the Hipstamatic anymore (at least I don't see it). The only thing the still kept me there is storing memories in a pretty package quickly, without USB cables, programs and stuff, that's all

And as for the Android phone, yeah,... I don't really have it (I'll wait for you to laugh for a while, it' ok!). But my really nice boyfriend does. So, I do have an Instagram account (and no smart phone) and if you want to you can follow me, and find somethings like this and this:

1. A Siamese graffiti that's now gone, so, storing memories, people;

2. Giant stuffed dog on a giant suitcase, spoted on the Belgrade bus station. Lucky is the child who got it!

:)

*Serbian

... because it was a Saturday

;)

*Serbian

Little Cat of the Day

;)

Random Cat Today

;)

*Serbian

Spring

There are about 1000 reasons why I adore spring. Actually, it's a stupid question, why,  but I have such a great answer that I'll answer it anyway.

Reason no. 1:

Last year I was looking for the pussy willow branches like crazy and couldn't find them (actually I spent a weekend in this search). This year I saw an old lady selling them on the street and asked my lovely boyfriend to buy them for me as I was already late for work. He bought three bunches as he befriended the old lady and got a discount. He arranged them around my room which made a great surprise when I came back.

Reason no. 2:

I missed them on the streets for months while they were wisely avoiding winter, but now they are everywhere.

Reason no. 3:

The light in our apartment.

And I forgot the best of all, reason no. 4:

My birthday was last week.

:)

*Serbian