this is my sperm whale

neil harman sent me a whale in the mail

i expected a small drawing of a sperm whale, something to hang on the fridge or pin to my wall, add to my art collection that is slowly growing.

no // no // no

i received the hugest what i could even image in the mail, life size, at least of a small baby sperm whale!

thanks for my whale! [neil is the coolest ever]

if you want to be part of his whale migration project, send him an email, the further away you are from the uk the better. i had my whale mailed to hungary, but it's coming to canada with me in three weeks, i just hope i can find a wall big enough for it.

"Oh, the rare old Whale, mid storm and gale
In his ocean home will be
A giant in might, where might is right,
And King of the boundless sea"
-Whale Song

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already on the next

while you're reading this im somewhere on a plane heading to italy for seven days of bliss, meditation, sun and hopefully the most delicious pasta and wine i've ever tasted. 

bari // brindisi // polignano al mare // alberobello // osturi

see you in a week, and a bit.

because after italy, i have a short weekend trip planned to barcelona.

this girl travels.

[20 days until i leave]

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la photocabine

apple's photobooth has nothing on this charming little french creation.

introducing: la photocabine [try it!]

vintage film snapshots in less than thirty seconds

mine aren't too adventurous, i look completely bored out of my mind to be honest.

enter: office job and concentrating too much for too long. (and i didn't want to look obvious to my colleagues)

save // print // share

it's brilliant, isn't it? show me yours!

[via poppytalk]

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vyhlidky // czech republic

weekend trips are some of my favourite, short tastes of a space away.

just long enough to enjoy just short enough to leave you wanting more.

last week ukraine, this week czech republic.

driving into the night down country roads looking for a village that was nowhere to be found.

stopped, called for help //

danced at 1am to fatboyslim, blinkers on, radio pumped, on a village street.

friends found us and showed us the way there, when we arrived we were greeted by a lovely dog, an old farm house converted into one of the most beautiful buddhist meditation centre's i've seen.

[lodge-feeling, big wooden beams, cracked brick walls, pond and wood stoves]

meditation, open fire grill, czech puppet shows, archery, lake-side walks, friends

it was more than perfect. but of course every good weekend must come to an end.

on the way home we got stopped for speeding: 70 euro

the officer who spoke english with a second-world-war-movie accent wouldn't give up.

we paid and kept going. the austrians are serious about speeding, seriously.

tell me about your weekend trips, favourite spots close to home?

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ikebana //

[arranged flowers] japanese
kadō [the way of flowers]

ikebana is a disciplined art form in which nature and humanity are brought together
it often emphasizes other areas of the plant, such as its stems and leaves
emphasis is drawn toward shape, line, form

minimalism.
is there no other flower arrangement so beautiful?
architecture with living things.

 [img: okinawa]

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ukraine // borders, vodka and city views

uzhgarod // ukraine

car packed with funny buddhists, sleeping bags and open minds

2 hours border wait

barking [robi] dogs and passport stamps.

working all weekend with shovels, spades and little children that only spoke russian.

vodka bottles never run dry in ukraine, if one's empty there is always another close behind.

it's the only place in the world (besides russia) that used full vodka bottles as door stoppers.

brilliant.

i was supposed to work, hard. but these little ones were too cute not to climb apple trees with, run through corn stalks and pick flowers with. unfortunately the only russian word i know is babushka... so that's what we said to each other.

the meditation centre there was a quaint little cottage, i'd like to have one just like it. outdoor kitchen, patio, screeching wooden doors, good vibes and happy friends. david and i just finished the day's work and we've got smiles on our faces.

i'd go back anytime, there is something special about ukraine that i didn't see before.

now i wish i had more time, one month before i leave budapest.

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good days start with t[ea]

i had an unusually scheduled day off yesterday and i reveled in it. sleeping in late, starting the day with fresh pastries and strong coffee. thursday is my favourite day, even better when i don't have to work.

made some time to meditate longer than usual, cut & paste and do some work in my long neglected sketchbook and cycle around downtown a bit too. the days are quite grey here which doesn't exacly inspire to make a photo day // at all

but i promise more city shots to come.

i also wonder if there are mugs existing in the world out there with french mustaches printed on the bottom, like how i drew in my moleskin the other day. im sure there must be, i don't think im so original to be the first to think of it. do you know where?

whats on the plate for the weekend?
[im heading to ukraine for 2 days]

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joon & jung

if there is anything more spectacularly magical than these cloud stools, please tell me.

fluffity, puffity, 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

these giant knits are coming up all over the place, like this rug.

all i can say is // how lovely //

i want one.

what: cloud stool

from: joon & jung

cost: unknown

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athens // athina

looking through august photographs now // how lovely is athens?
i was only there for a hot and steam 40 degree 48 hours but managed a thorough sight-see.

the city gardens and their vintage coffee shop, ridiculously overpriced vintage coffee shop
who wants to pay 3 euro for a coffee? not me.

fallen columns and capitols of a style i no longer remember.
feeling like i should have paid more attention in art history class.
sorry wren //

lost in the winding alleyways leading up to the acropolis, sweat and soil // no water left
but this plant was so darling.

once i wrote a review about this wine on a travel/wine blog, without having tasted it
now i've tasted it, and my review still stands. retsina [tried, tested, true greek wine]

have you been to athens? just two more weeks until bari.

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bubi // billboards

grey days don't scare me. neither do rainy days.

early morning meditation with norbert and david when the clouds opened up //
no better reason to go back to bed.

clouds closed up and we dashed to the library return an english grammar book
then whizzed to toldi for a latte and a glance at the bubi bike parade.
no better place for bicycle eye candy and budapest hipsters // a species of their own.

billboard exhibition at hero's square: hungarian geographic
where do you think you live?
door bells and switches, all taken around budapest.
i ride a hoffman bike, at least it goes as fast as hoffman's lsd trips

says david.

so far saturday, you're alright.

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meditation // conjugation

fridays are for catching up.
on sleep, final postcards, art galleries and sightseeing.
is it too early to start my countdown of final budapestian days?

still have museums on my list, still have cafés to linger in.
there's still time, more than a month's time but it feels quick, feels short.
weekends are for catching up.

to do:
-cut and paste art magazines from greece
// collage and decopage
-attempt to do justice to the greek frappe, for which i've been yearning since our return from athens
-finish "islands in the stream" by hemingway [finally]
-meditate
-go to the library and browse the art catalogues, pretending to be a uni student again
-pass the time // breathing in and out and enjoying the limitless potential of every moment

you?

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fort dweller

 id like to have one of these in my flat, not the one i have now, but a flat.

somewhere id like to have a fort like this and inside there'd be a little nest.
for late night sleeping, a window for late-night star gazing, and a table

for early morning tea. in bed.
wouldn't you?

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