Time of wonders

Chanuka is just few days away and I haven't started to prepare yet. I still have to take out the chanukkia and clean it. We use oil chanukkia which needs to be washed and polished every year.

This year's going to be different. It's been different since Ezra was born and it will never be the same again, thank G-d. Chanuka starts on Saturday evening right after Shabbat ends so we'll be lighting one candle that night. I usually make sufganyiot (doughnuts filled with jam or chocolate) but I'll make them either on Saturday evening or Sunday, I don't have much time because Shabbat comes first as usual. Plus this Friday my brother-in-law has a birthday so he'll come over to us for Shabbat and we'll be celebrating the "double date" - beautiful queen Shabbat and his 27th birthday.
You need to make also latkes, this is Chanuka tradition. Latkes is grated potatoes with flour and spices fried in oil, which is not favoured in our family and I never make it.
Many people confuse or mix Chanuka with Christmas, or I knew some people who mistakenly thought Chanuka was somewhat alternative to Christmas. Someone even asked whose birthdays do we celebrate on those 8 days. We don't give presents on Chanuka, there's only this European Jewish tradition to give children "chanuka gelt" (Geld = money in German) which would be chocolate coins wrapped in golden paper.

Chanuka is not a festival from Torah. As you might not know there are festivals that are mentioned in the Torah where Hashem commands to observe in a particular way: like blowing shofar on Rosh Hashanah, building sukkah on Sukkot or not eating chametz on Pesach and etc. Chanuka is a festival that was established much later after Greeks conquered Jerusalem and decided to exterminate the Jewish nation (as many nations before and after had done), but they weren't killing people but trying to change their moral behaviour, to influence their culture and make Jews like themselves - people with no morality whatsoever (although this festival doesn't have a Torah value and we have no obligation to do anything, it remains as brightest and jolliest festivals in modern Jews' lives. What can we do, world is so under Western show-offy influence).
There were people who went against them and as it has happened many times during the history - Maccabees - group of "guerillas" fought against conquerors and miraculously won. When the great battle was over and Jews took Jerusalem back, high priest realised there was not enough oil in the temple to light the Menorah and give thanks to the World Creator. And then, against all the physics and chemistry, oil was burning whole 8 days which was/is, indeed, considered as a great miracle of Chanuka. Thus, G-d created everything so He can definitely make oil to burn longer, can't He?
For some this maybe just a beautiful story, but religion is mostly about stories and very strong ones, don't you agree? Because we all love stories, we believe in miracles and that's why we keep on living and winning our own Jerusalem almost everyday.

As for me, Chanuka is very important festival because I absolutely believe in miracles, I don't mean the supernatural ones, but this little life meaningful miracles like receiving exactly what I longed for, or achieving the goal that seemed impossible before. These are my miracles and most of the time they had come true at this Chanuka time. I hope we keep this tradition.
Chanuka Sameach - may you have wonderful, marvelous, lit up and lovely celebration!!! We are all G-d's miracles and it should be enough for now :)

El Mar

Life has to be blue like the Mediterranean.
Greeks say, the Aegean sea is like a butter - soft and still. All you have to do to close your eyes and let your body free in its waves... I dream of the sea very often and it is the only thing I will miss for ever.

What makes one appreciate the beauty of G-d's creation, what is beauty anyway?
Beauty lies in the sea, in its bluest waves, in the clearest sky, in the shiniest sun rising and setting. You sit by the sea and feel golden rays on your shoulders, on your face and keep smiling. It is burning and leaving freckles on your nose but you still sit there, smile and feel the smell of your sunburned skin... You are becoming one with the sea, the sun, the sky...

Mar Adentro is a movie by Alejandro Amenabar, Chile born director with passionate spirit and melancholic view I would say. I imagine him as one of the lonesome characters from Marquez's novels... There is one remarkable scene in the movie - flying over the green forests, mountains, rivers, feeling the horizon, breathing fresh air and achieving the "highest" point - the sea, the blue giant with most marvelous shape and colour in the world. Not only you see, but feel and realize that it is the sea inside making you move and live, it is the sea blustering in your veins, running through your blood and your heart trying to jump out the chest.

This is my sea, the sea inside me.
El Mar.
Mar adentro.

Put the kettle on

I love this poster.
I've been thinking today if I can keep calm. I actually can only when I am sleeping. Really. Sometimes I wake up and think how nice I am when I am asleep and no crazy thoughts bug my mind. I took an afternoon nap today because did not sleep well last night, and before I fell asleep I was thinking how small I am comparing to the huge universe, all those stars and planets around. And still, I have my own world, my own place and space to dwell, to close my eyes and fade if you know what I mean.

What about putting the kettle on? Yes, we all need to drink some tea and speak about poetry as Georgian painter Niko Pirosmani would have said. Poor one. He was a drunkard all right, sold all he had got and painted, painted as much as he could. He was a primitive painter they say; he had soul I would say. Only man with soul can dream about drinking tea and talking about poetry while he is homeless, moneyless and favourite woman does not give a damn about him.

So screw the tea, crash the kettle, be emotional, do not mind being embarrassed. Life is too short for tea, we should all be drinking wine and making love. Well, this approach does not belong to Niko Pirosmani definitely, it is damn Greek philosophy ruling over the world.

Anyway, what I wanted to say is that I am this mixture of body and soul, loving tea and wine at the same time, admiring poetry and love, embarrassing herself often but feeling happy because this is me, this is my life and I love it. Even when I am not calm and don't put the kettle on, you know.

Good Night You All!

Don't go wasting your emotion

Have I told you how I adore musical movies?
I've been watching them since I was little kid, and I thought I would become a big Broadway star one day :lol:

Ok, now I am too far from that. I can't sing or dance before men due to my religious observance.
But I still keep watching 'Cabaret', 'Chicago', 'Summer magic', 'Some like it hot', and my late favourite is 'Mamma mia' - an amazing musical comedy with Meryl Streep and gorgeous Pierce Brosnan in it. Plus dear old englishman, Colin Firth, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried and other sunny funny actors.

This movie is shot on some greek island, and it makes everything sunnier and bluer, you know. Greek islands are my favourite - what an aura there - people are so warm and friendly, loud and proud, sun is sweetly hot and tanning, water is so clear as it can be, and what else can you do but love and cherish people/nature/G-d.

Enjoy!