sarapirat and her adventures

dear winter

2012-02-10T15:35:00.001+02:00

these days it is almost too cold to photograph. i can’t press the button with my gloves on and without them i soon loose the feeling in my fingers. but did i tell you that i love winter? i might just tell you again. sara♥winter. the sound of crunchy snow under your feet, crispy, frosty branches on the trees and cold air in your lungs.

on another note, should one wait for the wave or go chase one? hmmm. that’s the question.

random/first days of february

2012-02-07T09:39:00.001+02:00

can’t seem to find time for this. even though i have so many things i would like to show. there is real winter here. it seems like that is exactly what i needed. cold and white outside. cozy and warm inside. but no more words for now. they have escaped me.

cheered up

2012-02-02T22:01:00.001+02:00

so i was, (in the most unexpected and fantastic ways) cheered up, by a bunch of lovely people today! family and friends, real life and bloggers, i hope you know that i LOVE you all, and i feel so extremely grateful to be thought of.

♥

collection of smaller and bigger moments

2012-01-31T21:11:00.001+02:00

life consists of so many moments. i photographed 500+ moments from this weekends wedding to edit and organize sometime soon, when i find the right moment for it. i have a bunch of thoughts and feelings to digest, based on different moments in germany. i want a moment to taste the snow and a moment of being quiet in the morning. and now a moment to drink a glass of wine.

s,s&m

2012-01-30T00:17:00.001+02:00

we are no longer two while spending time but three. it is really touching to see your friend who you’ve shared so much with being a mother. different, but it feels like the most natural change in the world. and he is happy, sweet, soft and he smells delicious!

the german adventure ended and i headed further north. 2012 has not been dull for a moment. even at nighttime i have the most thrilling, weird dreams. that’s what i mean by lalaland by the way: the land of dreams, the land of our unconscious.

love&snuggles.

delay

2012-01-26T02:35:00.001+02:00

berlin is already far away, i have slept in three different beds *and surfed some couches*, cuddled my friends little son and met new friendly people since then. i hardly had time to photograph and my cable is lost in my mobile home, the suitcase. so i treat you with some leftover berlin memories, just to let you know that i did not forget you. and now i am entering lalaland. any second now.

day 3,4,5

2012-01-22T11:23:00.001+02:00

what a city. so much history. lots of energy. colors. pink splashes in between many different shades of gray. it snowed today. wet and heavy flakes. and we had our last performance last night. i can’t sleep even though i am so very tired. my sisters are just a couple of kilometers away for a change (look at those curls) and i had the great opportunity to meet ariane (pic nr 3, i blame the giggles for the fuzzy photos) in real life. this lady has the most warming laughter and it was so much fun to meet. making real life friends through blogging does make this whole cyber-space business seem more legitimate, don’t you think? gotta go, berlin is still waiting for me.

day 1&2

2012-01-19T16:00:00.001+02:00

three tendencies while touring: 1. walking with the whole group often means one strong will, many different desires and much time for little action. 2. walking with the boys means all three of us are ‘flowing’ (hence no one decides), and so much laughs and jokes that i tend to forget to notice where i am. 3. walking alone means me and the camera getting lost in mainly trashy areas or areas of a very mixed population.

this week i am in love with berlin. even with the grey rain. i beg your pardon, europeans.

auf wiedersehen

2012-01-17T08:53:00.001+02:00

leaving for berlin today and the rain is pouring down and time is slipping through my fingers. can’t seem to fit it all in. looking forward to this adventure. and to sleep a dreamless sleep above the clouds. see you on the other side.

♥

a few details

2012-01-12T10:12:00.001+02:00

this week i fell in love with the sink in my friends bathroom, it must be my affection for wabi-sabi which makes me fall in love with broken sinks and floors. i also got a bottle of whiskey which tastes oh so good, and there is nothing like drinking whiskey while listening to the rain. we are waiting and hoping for snow, can you imagine?! olive trees, cactus and white, powdery snow. it is a pretty and impressive sight once it happens.

and here some great kitsch and schmaltz to listen to on rainy, wintery days while drinking whiskey. be well, stay warm!

once upon a time

2012-01-08T12:35:00.000+02:00

if there are times when i doubt why taking this humongous amount of pictures in life, there are those moments watching old photos from once upon a time that makes me extremely convinced of why capturing them to begin with. it is so much fun looking at the past of my parents through photos, and with a mother who has a memory of an elephant it becomes even more of an experience. so do photograph, and save some for the coming generation!

♥

2012-01-06T14:03:00.001+02:00

9 things i like: nephews♥fuzzy light reflections♥spider webs after a sleepless night♥frost that looks like feathers on a afternoon walk in sweden♥the excitement of a new year, even though it is all in our mind♥my company on that same afternoon walk♥writing/reading/snacking/viewing on long train rides♥funky patterns in the ice♥colored legs and a nightgown from some old lady♥

and you, what do you like today?

greetings from a ragdoll

2012-01-04T10:23:00.001+02:00

there is something morbid about forgotten dolls. it looks somewhat like a crime scene. and i feel a little bit like a worn ragdoll again, it happens every now and then. perhaps it has to do with the intensity of changing countries, spending lots of time with different people, missing my flight, and getting that weird brain frequency which sums up to thinking in strange paths and patterns.

thinking about it some more, it would suit me more being a worn barbapapa then a ragdoll.

i hope you guys will check out my last post and join my new addiction. and that the beginning of 2012 has been good to you. remember that the winter is not over, better accepting (enjoying) it than fighting it! coffee, anyone?

this will make 2012 a lot more enjoyable, check it out!

2012-01-03T19:47:00.001+02:00

a friend of mine has started a really awesome project where you can all take part in making the world a better place! very inspiring and fun, i can highly recommend you guys to join in, see you there?!

p.s the cute face above is the logo from his website, so all the credit goes there!

2011/faces

2011-12-31T15:50:00.001+02:00

one of the best things with 2011 was meeting so many different, beautiful people. looking through my photos, i find a huge collection of unknown faces from random meetings and plenty of portraits of close friends or people in my surroundings. it made me very happy to look at them again. so i decided to make a yearly summary of faces. most people are missing here though. perhaps i will make another one.

happy new year. thank you for 2011. i think of so many people today, people i haven’t spoken to in a while, people i haven’t seen in a while, people i still haven’t met and hope to meet one day, people i spend plenty of time with, and i love so many of you, so very much! suck it up, please do…

before the summary

2011-12-29T09:50:00.001+02:00

marilyn used to live in my garden in rotterdam, back in the days. today she is gardening the garage and the pelargonium of my parents. time flies while i am here and we are about to end the month and enter a new year. not just any year. what do you think will happen in 2012? what are your fears and what are your dreams?

xxx.

24.12.11

2011-12-24T01:01:00.000+02:00

…and then some swedish delight

2011-12-23T13:33:00.001+02:00

it looks a little bit like eatable clouds on these pictures but actually the snow is rather grey and wet by now. still delightful to me.

i am listening to arabic christmas songs, they are my favorite. two worlds combined in one. the arabic version of jingle bells is hilarious, it sounds like they sing ‘lelijke eend’, which means ‘ugly duck’ in dutch, or what do you say dutchies?

♥/s

somewhere between europe and asia

2011-12-21T13:48:00.002+02:00

yesterday morning i left the middle east, spent a few good hours jumping between europe, asia and back again to finally arrive in the cold north.

it is so bizarre to travel at this speed. watching the sunrise in tel aviv, being treated like a queen for lunch in istanbul and having glögg with my parents at midnight in uppland.

i am thinking that soon enough, we might not have this option anymore… but let’s not talk about this now. anyhow, it was a day sweet as turkish delight and i am so happy to be here and there and here again.

P.S and i can't help but thinking that rather than seeing the usual phallic shape everywhere, in turkey there are plenty of breast inspired shapes... nice for a change!

gifts x 3

2011-12-16T16:56:00.001+02:00

i am spending the last couple of day making gifts. and while making, also receiving some. like julias collection of surprises with the sweetest smell *and taste*, already penetrating through the envelope and filling the postbox with a cloud of happy scent. made me so very happy!

did you know that the petals or stigmas of the flower on the second picture is what you make saffron from? saffron must be my favorite spice of all. in five days i hope to eat a bunch of swedish buns with saffron. and that there will be plenty of snow by then.

i also had my first pottery class this week and worked some more in the carpentry. i hope i earned enough to buy myself some winter shoes. since dried out wellingtons are not water proof no more and sneakers won’t do the job in the north.

enjoy your weekend guys! love and thoughts to all of you♥

13th

2011-12-14T00:40:00.001+02:00

we are just a few days before the shortest day of the year. there’s something very special about these days. as soon as the daylight disappears i feel exhausted. and at 8pm it seems like it is in the middle of the night. on the other hand things are moving. changing. i feel creative.

i hope all energy craving swedes *and others* got some warmth and light today on lucia. this holiday always makes me a tiny bit nostalgic and melancholic. i have said so before, it seems. sweden, i am so excited about coming!

random, not yet shared

2011-12-11T22:20:00.001+02:00

pictures pictures pictures pictures. i never get bored. or sometimes i do, but then somehow, without me understanding how, it comes back like a wave of desire to either photograph or to watch photographs. my hard disc and my external hard disc is getting crowded, at a rapid pace. and then, next to this unreasonable passion of mine, there’s that other voice in me, wondering what i try to achieve by grasping all these moments of life?

oh well, another dear friend of mine is mr.duality. walking in my shoes. wearing my clothes. eating my food. and i am trying accept his presence.

goodnight. lots of love and acceptance. amen.

favorite

2011-12-10T15:41:00.001+02:00

my favorite flower is back again. and my favorite holiday is coming right up. i was baking ginger breads with my friend the potter and we realized it is so close to pottery, working the dough, shaping it and later glazing it. she will teach me pottery this week!

and my favorite inspirational entertainment right now is watching the human planet series. brings proportion into my life. and yet another wish for simplicity and a camper…if anyone is interested in watching it, i can create a dropbox account for you and put them online, one by one. just leave me a comment with your email!

kisses and love♥

postcard from the woodshop

2011-12-07T16:49:00.001+02:00

all i see is wood and i smell of varnish. i just spent two long days working in the woodshop again. if you decide not to let it frustrate you, it is rather hilarious that i recently get paid more as a novice carpenter than a professional dancer. even with a bachelor of arts and 6+ years of experience in my luggage. it is a funny, strange world. where goats nibble on your fingers and you earn your money doing things you officially do not know how to do. *but you learn!*

sara♥evelina

2011-12-04T16:38:00.001+02:00

evelina has dressed me up for high tea. i got a package full of goodies, dresses, cups and intimate words. how amazingly sweet isn’t that?!

the high tea consists of freshly squeezed orange juice and witch brew (onions, lemon, ginger and honey mixture) and the lady left her beautiful green creation and got back into her pj’s again (pj=pajamas, this one is for you, outi!).

as a matter of fact, she is not the most entertaining hostess right now, coughing and sleeping most of the day, but the cookies are tasty and the intentions are good.

murals

2011-12-03T08:08:00.001+02:00

‘if i gave up my arms, could you teach me how to be happy?’

‘just give your love, no matter what!’

have a great weekend, love and snuggles to all of you. i think i won’t leave my pj’s today.

november’s

2011-11-29T18:32:00.001+02:00

a unfortunate fortune cookie seemed to warn me then of the tax mess i am in now. what did i learn from that? always trust your fortune cookie!

despite the taxes and other bureaucratic issues that weigh a little bit heavy on my shoulders, this november has been a sweet month. autumn just flashed before my eyes and here we go, winter is waiting. i feel quite ready for it. ready but not yet equipped!

this evening i am cold, hungry and tired. fascinating to notice how when those basic needs are not taken care of, i can not make sense out of anything. so before i get too carried away in this senseless cloud which is surrounding me, i would like to wish you a focused and restful december. remember that it is ok to sleep and eat more than usual… and if you have november stories to share, i am all ears and eyes. ♥

little/bigger pretty things

2011-11-27T16:59:00.001+02:00

♥steam♥funky, yellow mushrooms♥drops of dew♥earning your work in olive oil♥feeling the movements of the yet unknown and new member♥

and my friend made a very pretty clip to his beautiful song! check it out ♥here♥

more about obsessions

2011-11-25T11:45:00.001+02:00

i can not get enough of my camera and the guy who took this picture can not get enough of his iphone. have a lovely weekend!

p.s do you have any suggestions of what great movies i could see while hiding under the blanket and eating leftover swizz chocolate?!

sara♥autumn

2011-11-23T16:57:00.001+02:00

i fell for autumn. hopefully this crush will grow into a deep love for winter. the sound and the smell of dead leaves reminds me of childhood. and i feel somewhat like a bear ready to hibernate.

look at those

2011-11-22T10:14:00.001+02:00

…sweethearts. we went hiking up the swizz mountains. i am lucky to have funny and adorable colleagues. it helps when you spend 24/7 with each other. how is your tuesday?

george nelson says it the best

2011-11-18T10:35:00.001+02:00

hello there! sending you greetings from the swizz mountains. i have seen plenty of cows by now. we spent a few hours getting inspired and playing around at vitra. which technically means i also had a little stop over in germany. apart from that, we are performing, walking, talking, laughing, eating, breathing. the air is so good here. have a nice day! *what day is it?

before leaving

2011-11-15T16:30:00.001+02:00

plucking and harvesting. and chasing cows. now i am in switzerland again. not a cow in sight. i am drinking glühwein instead.

111111

2011-11-11T23:23:00.001+02:00

what is number one in your life? someone told me to tell everyone i love that i love them today. so, i do. i love you. whoever feels like soaking those words up, go for it!

twigs and inspiration

2011-11-09T20:53:00.001+02:00

perhaps it is the full moon which made me this high, i am not sure. i find this inspiring today:

‘I believe in psychedelicism. Not just psychedelic music, but everything. A psychedelic experience is characterized as the unveiling of perceptions previously unknown -- the brain unfettered from its usual constraints. To me, it's all there is, and certainly all that's worth doing. I find no worth in that which doesn't surprise. Anomalies, irregularities, deviation from the common rule -- that is all I will ever care for’. - richie jackson

in my case, the heart will win

2011-11-07T18:20:00.001+02:00

for the coming days, i will be crossing my fingers and praying to the higher *tax* forces!

i wish i could explain to you the cultural and mental differences between here and there. to show you how big of a challenge it is for a polite, careful and conflict-avoiding swede to survive the game. a warm smile might bring you far, but sometimes not far enough…

(on the way to my accountant today i saw this graffiti and was convinced it was a good sign!)

een bietje en nog meer

2011-11-06T22:23:00.000+02:00

i got a package full of beauty and sweetness from elianne, it started with a beetroot and grew into a lush garden of her pictures..

thank you so much dear elianne, all of a sudden my legs feel very skinny compared to this rich plate of delicious beetroot! ♥

p.s the ‘s’ is already safe in my belly.

shadows&light

2011-11-05T22:22:00.001+02:00

sunset november 5th.

hey november

2011-11-03T19:32:00.001+02:00

abandoned churches, hugging trees old as trolls, getting tipsy in the middle of the day when visiting a friend who is a wine producer(before visiting the ministry of interior, i guess the only way to survive that place is being tipsy), enjoying the first real rainy days and realizing more and more how much language is an identity. with each language i learned to speak, i gained another identity.

if you drop by i will serve you some spicy pumpkin soup with fresh coriander, swizz chocolate for dessert, a bunch of unorganized thoughts and ears that are ready to listen.

keep growing

2011-11-02T21:23:00.001+02:00

I got a letter from the government
The other day
I Opened and read it
It said they were suckers

do you know this song? this is how i feel about the tax office these days. as they are milking my last, dry drops of milk. but, on a happier note, the avocado tree is still growing and i feel very rich while being poor.

kiss!

födelsedagsflicka ♥

2011-10-31T16:26:00.001+02:00

lilla, stora fröken h, grattis på födelsedagen älskade du! önskar jag vore där på ditt kalas… kramar från moster sara.

my sisters daughter is having her birthday today. the little girl is growing bigger, time flies! happy happy birthday.

october’s

2011-10-28T14:36:00.001+02:00

yes, another month is behind us. i am happy to have seen some autumn colors while being in switzerland. back here i slipped right into my dresses and flipflops again. autumn is just a more pleasant form of summer over here. november means another shift, giving up this apartment and sailing freely for a while again. what are you planning for month nr 11?

to answer your question

2011-10-26T15:41:00.001+02:00

i spent an approximate of 25 euros on chocolate, so yes i am indulging and not only on cheese fondue. i also saw two turtles on the way to the theater yesterday. and i woke up bathing in blood this night, from a bleeding, dry nose. it looked like i murdered someone in the bed. life is full of unexpected moments, as you can see…

for the rest, i always seem to miss out bern when i am here. this cold leaves me spending most of my time in the bed or at the theater. but hey, it could always be a lot worse! and we are not victims after all!

brief note

2011-10-23T23:28:00.001+02:00

it happens again that i loose track of time, perhaps the frisk air and the different sensations of a new place does that, confuses your perspective on time.

today we left to bern. and i had my cheese fondue that i have longed for so long. i needed to get used to it, and once i did, i enjoyed a lot.

but now i am sleepy sleepy and with a soar throat to rest. sweet dreams to all of you!

blustery day

2011-10-21T00:35:00.001+02:00

from skimpy summer dresses to long johns and gloves in one day. i completely lost my sense of temperature, can not imagine anymore what one should wear when it is around 6 degrees and raining. so yesterday was spent drinking hot chocolate, watching the knitter, and loosing track of time and space with the umbrella girl, all while trying to stay warm warm warm. today i walked with a strawberry and a bunch of colorful sneakers through hail and sun in zürich, got back to my body in a beautiful theater and laughed until my belly was aching. greetings from heidiland!

ingen vila, ingen ro

2011-10-18T07:52:00.001+02:00

the ouzo hardly left my blood and i am already packing my bag again to go to switzerland. to inhale some fresh crisp autumn air. to eat some cheese fondue. *this has been my plan every time i went to switzerland, so far never realized* and to perform of course. but before that i have approximately a million and three things to arrange.

a few days ago, this lovely bunch of kids put a blanket on the grass and shaded it with a few umbrellas and invited us for massage and hair treatments. i left with a lot less hair and looking a little bit like the singer in Kiss, but it was worth it, no doubt…

many cups of ouzo later

2011-10-16T00:19:00.001+02:00

…and it became difficult to keep my hand steady while picturing. there was a strike on the airport and i found my salvation in the nursery room where there was electricity for my laptop. today i still felt the ouzo haze until the moment i met this crazy austrian friend of mine who invited me for a very worthwhile dinner with whiskey and interesting stories. hence adding a whiskey haze to the ouzo cloud… but do not worry, i will only drink herbal tea tomorrow.

lately life is very surprising and spontaneous. today i had a couple of very good conversations. i feel happy to be able to communicate verbally, then again i recently experienced the freedom and intuitive interaction that can be created when there isn’t a common language to use. after that experience followed the realization that we spend so much time calculating and analyzing the value behind the words that are said. and upon that valuation, we plan and act. rather than just reacting based on our feeling. does that make any sense? perhaps it is the ouzo affecting my writing tonight.

thessaloniki

2011-10-14T08:22:00.001+02:00

with love from greece. where everyone is broke but still smiling. piles of trash and abandoned dogs in every corner. an endless amount of cars. and pastry shops. the staff of the theater where we performed have not been paid for the last couple of months, but for the love and respect of their profession they still come to work everyday. i say wow!

now i am going out to explore the streets some more. and eat a lot of delicious food. and have some ouzo. (but i will wait some hours for that, don’t worry).

Καλημέρα

2011-10-12T01:58:00.001+02:00

i didn’t plan to go a concert and arrive back home one hour before leaving to the airport. but this is what life brought me and it was amazing, dancing in trance… so i need to get going. cause greece is calling. what could fit better than this song? love and thoughts to you all.

take your time

2011-10-09T21:28:00.001+02:00

taste your food, eat in silence, write a handwritten letter, wait patiently in line to buy a stamp, clear your thoughts, take a walk, smell the air, collect things and flowers along the roadside, listen to the details of a song in your earphones, listen again, and one more time, until you learn the lyrics, make a headstand, feel the blood rush from your feet, collect your courage to dare to ask that question, sit down, do nothing, rest your hands in your lap, walk a street you have never walked before, make something from scratch, fix the hole in a broken sock, let a piece of chocolate melt in your mouth without chewing it, put a hand on someone’s arm while talking to them, smile to someone you meet on the street, give yourself a facial massage, read up about a subject you have always been interested in, take your time, feel, breathe.

six o’clock morning beach walk

2011-10-07T09:26:00.001+02:00

some of the most beautiful things in life are for free. this becomes even more obvious when you are struggling with tax offices and similar. and no matter how much it would drain an already somewhat empty well of mine, at least i am healthy and alive, still!

rachel, i thought about you while walking on the beach, collecting pieces of glass and shells, and later in the night after reading your last post i decided not to add to your collection!

loveliness verses taxstration

2011-10-05T11:53:00.002+02:00

i got two letters from Mr.postman yesterday. one was from the loveliest lycke in the world. with amazing treasures and this awesome, crocheted hat she made, oh i love it! thanks for this breeze of northern air, female warmth and care that came through the envelope, you saved me, since….

…the second letter was a fine from the tax office. a fine of 1400 euro’s. ha! to laugh or to cry?! it takes me a little bit more than two months to earn 1400 euro’s, now, i can’t even be angry at myself for having done something wrong, because this time i haven’t and believe me i easily could have, since dealing with bureaucracy and taxes in hebrew is not that easy. no, the responsibility is someone else's, but i am the one who ends up being screwed. taxstrated let’s call it. chop chop. anyone that wants to buy an arm or a leg? i decided not to cry, yet.

here some tunes for you: let me back in and human qualities, i hope you will like them as much as i do.

alive and silent

2011-10-04T00:20:00.001+02:00

i baked a huge batch of poppy seed and chocolate buns for the new year and then i went into a silent vipassana retreat for a little eternity. and with all that stillness around, you can’t but notice the extreme volume in your head. there are so many things i would like to tell you about; a few newly found friends including the turkish woman who told me a fascinating life story on her balcony and the speedy rat who snuck up behind the teacher while she was quoting buddha and the magic winter home *with curtains and all* that i built for a washing machine and how i drilled screws and played a carpenter for a day which might result in me not being able to lift my arms tomorrow and how i walked alone in the dark not fearing wild boars nor serial killers but it will have to wait cause my eyes can’t stay open much longer. thank you all for leaving your thoughts and kind words here, they always make me very, very happy!

september’s

2011-09-30T23:59:00.000+03:00

september has been very adventurous the last couple of years. for instance, some of my most memorable tours happened in september: seoul, shanghai, bangkok, tokyo, sydney and new york. this years september i am traveling internally instead of geographically… how was your september like?

wishing us all a fabulous fall! ♥

we all do

2011-09-28T22:45:00.001+03:00

2. i need therapy (we all do sometimes)

3. the garden of eden is here

5. how good it is to be

peace and independency. inshallah.

3 people, 2 cameras and a little bit about transportation

2011-09-27T09:00:00.001+03:00

we are soon starting to tour again. usually it is almost like being in a summer camp with a bunch of naughty kids; lots of fun and giggles in other words. the third person and second camera in this story stays invisible.

the biggest downside to touring must be all the flying. the one thing i really need and would like to change (from an environmental perspective) is this copious amount of flying. which brings me back to the idea of a portable home, a camper/minibus/van (which i have nagged about a few times already...)

and you know what, i had an in-official driving lesson the other day. it went pretty well until i drove the car into the barbed wire fence surrounding the kibbutz and the car had to pulled out by a truck. but just like when you fall of a horse i was right back behind the wheel again to avoid any traumatic memories. it made me wonder if i have the right skills for driving though, perhaps i should stick to biking?!

and on the beach

2011-09-25T18:59:00.001+03:00

sleeping on the beach is heaven, need i say more? *and that even when i forgot to bring the mosquito net* you wake up at sunrise just to listen to the sound of waves and a few screaming crows, and right in front of you is the huge sea, nothing more, nothing less. i dreamt of wheelchairs and logistics and in daily life i dream of learning any language instantly, just to get over that communication barrier.

and we had our first autumn rainfall. could see the storm as it entered from the sea. colors changed and the air got crispy. then it poured down for about an hour, to be followed by that hot, burning sun and you could hardly remember it rained to begin with.

have a wonderful week, wonderful blog-readers!

in the city

2011-09-24T13:30:00.001+03:00

a little bit of distance and it seemed like i hadn’t been there for years. and since one of my last impression making experiences in the city was someone trying to rob me, i realize i feel more fearful there. the incident left me with a bruised arm, a broken bag and a little bit less confident (but with all my belongings he went for, including my most important-the camera!), while it most likely left him with a darker karma.

these days i have plenty of time to think and feel again. how overwhelming that is, thinking and feeling. give me 16 boys to care for and thinking and feeling becomes more of a side affect of life itself, rather than being the main activity. does that make any sense?

water fight and puddles

2011-09-21T21:09:00.000+03:00

little gypsy savages.

the other day, when i was ~~trying to~~ speak to a mother of three girls (while two of the three are screaming like madmen in the background), the mother told me with a deep sigh: ‘so sara, do think twice before becoming a parent’. and yesterday, she came to apologize for having said that.

at least i will never blame anyone for having tricked me to believe that it is peaches and cream, being a parent.

the good life

2011-09-20T22:26:00.001+03:00

sleeping long hours. dreaming funky dreams. drinking homemade beers. cooking for and talking with wonderful people. all while wearing my pajama. lucky bastard.

kiss and goodnight to you.

outside the bubble

2011-09-19T15:38:00.001+03:00

the team has left and the european championship is over (with the british men and the german women as gold winners). i have met so many wonderful people these past two weeks and experienced an innumerable amount of new things that i feel my heart is almost bursting from all the love and good vibes. and now my body is giving in to the exhaustion. another great bonus is that i have had a complete break from myself, no time whatsoever to think about any personal dramas. bliss!

the incredible amount of work hours, the stress, the frustrations, the unorganized organization, the impossible logistics and the too long meetings are all balanced out by many warm hugs, nights of dancing, lots of laughter and special connections.

how do you like my sunglasses btw? i think they suit macho (but oh so soft) sports men way better!

bananagirl

2011-09-13T18:37:00.001+03:00

every morning i take a walk from the hotel to buy bananas and milk for the team. this is who and what i meet on the way. it is so refreshing to leave the sterile environment of a hotel and be back in real life again. also it gives me a moment to be on my own, to breathe, to think quietly.

by now it became a part of the morning routine, and the young boys who are loading the trucks with wheelchairs are screaming after me ‘bananas, bananas, bananas, how are the bananas?’.

who would have thought…

2011-09-10T14:22:00.002+03:00

that i would be mesmerized by sports? these guys i am caring for are unbelievably quick, strong, flexible and versatile. spending so much time with sportsmen is quite an experience, and being responsible for 16 men/boys is extremely challenging. that’s why i am not present online these days, but instead i am buying bananas, ordering antibiotics, loading wheelchairs, coordinating buses, sharing out sandwiches, pouring glasses of o’boy and frying my brain while shifting between swedish, dutch, hebrew and english. you know, each language brings out a different side of me i have noticed. there is something very fascinating about experiencing all four sides simultaneously.

i hope you are all well out there. kisses and hugs. now back to my boys! (who by the way won their first game against the germans and i have to admit i was very excited…)

crying is ok here

2011-09-05T13:24:00.001+03:00

i have been caring for my close friend, who is freshly pregnant and with terrible nausea all day long. so we are watching movies, at least one a day. (frankie and johnny for instance used to be my favorite movie when i was younger, and it still makes my heart melt…) and we eat a lot of food and talk for hours. she gets the weirdest cravings, and since she doesn’t manage to eat much due to her nausea, we try to provide her with what she desires when she desires it. like homemade chips, plum cake, pear pies and red meat.

so after a few days of that (plus mangos and chickens and pumpkins and wild children and messages and beautiful people and all that jazz) it will be a drastic change to enter my new and temporary job as a contact person for the swedish team of european wheelchair basketball championship. gulp! keep your fingers crossed for me, will you?!

august’s

2011-09-03T13:23:00.002+03:00

august came and went. looking at these pictures i realize that august is often the time i travel back, to visit family and friends here and there on this planet. last year august was spent in a community workshop and that’s when i really got my eyes open to the power of a group. this year it seems like i am shifting between one extreme to the other, either very much on my own or 24/7 surrounded by lovely people. how was your august?

welcome september. i can smell you in the air already.

cheers

2011-09-02T01:39:00.002+03:00

to the broom and the bride. and what a bride! watching her dance all night was pure joy. and i had my share of acqua di cedro and three portions of dessert and a whole lot of dancing on top of that. so i haven’t photographed much, only when i sat down on the dance floor to rest my belly, and then i mainly aimed for the bridal feet…

and here

2011-08-31T06:56:00.001+03:00

how about some coexistence? seems like we are having issues with that one on different levels.

i found some more ducks. these ones look slightly mad. and except for that i have been working as a painter in a woodshop for two full days. painting pieces of wood that later will become a yurt, which is one of my dream ‘houses’. there is a very special energy in a place which is round and not square, like we are used to. anyhow, it is a very good change for me to work with my hands for a couple of days. these somewhat repetitive and not too complicated tasks are great to empty your head with. later i was doing some sewing and grinding too, and it reminded me that there are plenty of fun stuff to do in this world except for dancing. do you know what you would love to do or what you would love to try if you wouldn’t do what you are doing?

HELP!

2011-08-30T08:27:00.001+03:00

hey guys, i am going to a wedding tomorrow, and i seem to have suppressed the fact that one is supposed to dress up for those events… luckily i found a bag of old dresses under my bed (!), now the question is, which one should i wear? or none of them? please be honest and help a not-so-lady- like lady to make the best out of the situation!

random se & nl

2011-08-28T21:00:00.001+03:00

*i seem to forget i have this blog*i crave rice and vegetables all the time since i am back*i enjoyed this book so very much*i made four jars of pear jam yesterday*once again i fell in love with al pacino in this old movie*i dream of traveling to japan (again)and india*i was thrilled to read about your preferences of living either alone or communal*i feel very grateful for being alive, as cheesy as it may sound*♥*

island

2011-08-26T11:25:00.001+03:00

one day while being in sweden we took a boat to this tiny island. it was raining cats and dogs, very cosy in a wet way. i thought it could be nice to live on an island without any car traffic. surrounded by the ocean.

but no man is an island and i would only do it with a bunch of lovely people. and i come back to the same point of realization, which is that i don’t think it suits me to live alone anymore. anyone out there dreaming of living in a community?

hejdå

2011-08-23T23:27:00.000+03:00

two weeks was like a little eternity somehow. the days are melting into weeks which are melting into months and i loose track of time. it is so sweet to go north. so familiar and so foreign. it seemed like i managed to leave without the drama but it caught me in amsterdam instead, it is hard to leave, each time, over and over again. and i leave with a bunch of questions, the same old questions, and perhaps a few new ones too, but maybe this time i can let them be.

hej

2011-08-18T12:26:00.001+03:00

i don’t know what to tell you. my mind feels like fudge, and my body like a cinnamon bun. hey ho, so long.

not yet halfway

2011-08-14T13:44:00.001+03:00

more than anything it is more quiet here. and where are all the people? where are they hiding?

i love the green. and the view. that there is so much landscape around you, and far away to the horizon. the definition of a swedish forest and an israeli forest is miles apart. i marvel about the essence of life being the same everywhere, and yet all the details can be so different. and the context changes you. i think slightly different when i am here. so what is left in us, independently of the place and the context we are in?

if you happen to be in the area of uppsala, pay a visit to this place, where elisabeth is exhibiting her beautiful and thoughtful embroideries. she always puts my thoughts into words.

enjoy the weekend, dear folks!

nl-se

2011-08-10T17:46:00.001+03:00

7 hours in the netherlands and we visited almere *by mistake*, followed by amsterdam, put our jackets off and on an unaccountable amount of times, had a nice chitchat and i ate both an apple cake and some fries with peanut sauce before leaving again. i think it is a great idea to keep bubble blowers in the kitchen by the way!

sweden has so far been berry plucking, long walks, hanging around the sweetest family and many tasty meals. those gorgeous kids of my sister are perfect natural models, can’t be bothered to pose or feel uncomfortable in front of the camera.

so lovely to be here.

goodnight middle east, goodmorning europe

2011-08-07T23:08:00.001+03:00

i had four flat tires this week. ate four delicious mango’s. had three important conversations. got one longed for haircut. took eighty-six pictures. baked twelve muffins and one loaf of bread. spoke to five strangers, went to one demonstration, sat for hundredandsixtyfive minutes in conscious silence, wrote one and a half letter, wondered one time how it is to be a balcony tree, sweated some billions of liters and drank a trillion liters of random liquids. among many other things.

tomorrow i have a stop over in amsterdam, just enough time to hug a very dear friend and give her a delayed birthday present, before continuing to sweden. perhaps i will see you there?!

love and nighty night.

ram a dum dum

2011-08-06T08:49:00.001+03:00

it is the season of ramadan. the whole city is decorated with little lights. i have something for colored lights.

and photographing them makes me think about how things change when we bring them out of context.

soothing

2011-08-04T13:38:00.001+03:00

i have sand everywhere, in my bed, in my ears, in my bag, under my nails. the sand is so ergonomic, shaping around your body into the most comfortable surface to rest on.

a bottle of beer and a bag of crisps for lunch might not be too healthy but oh so joyful. especially when shared with a sweet friend with happy toes.

and this song is very beautiful.

look at the woman on the top picture, i was fascinated by her posture, full of integrity. she stood like this for pretty long. watching the horizon. curious what went through her mind?

around the red table

2011-08-02T13:47:00.001+03:00

i ate a lot of fruits from the prickly pear and still have some thorns in my lip and in my fingers. the days and nights are so hot and i eat, rest, meditate, sew, read, think and dream next to this red little table. sometimes there is a very pleasant breeze there, around the table. accompanied by this roaming tiger and a few lost cockroaches.

apropos cockroaches *part of the inevitable reality over here, no matter how well you clean*, they used to make my heart miss a few beats and my voice to do this high pitch note, and last night i noticed they don’t anymore. i just ask them kindly to leave and hope they will listen. 1-0 to me. i scored again!

enjoy august, enjoy it as much as you possibly can.

june’s and july’s

2011-07-30T13:28:00.001+03:00

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world."
- Ada Louise Huxtable

(mishmash of june’s and july’s, from 2008 until now.)

new mantra

2011-07-29T17:26:00.001+03:00

the other day i bought this better used favorite shirt in a thrift store for a few cents. a no stress smiley with an anarchist sign on his bandana, that is what you would call ‘sfeerverhogend’ in dutch!

algebraic notation

2011-07-28T00:54:00.001+03:00

the bad news are: i have reached checkmate. my queen is in a coma, the knights ran away and the king is caught in a corner. with nowhere to escape.i have no clue how to play this game anymore.

the good news are: first the avocado plant grew an approximate of 25 centimeters in a week. i hope it will penetrate the ceiling in the near future. secondly, 1 out of 2 babies fell asleep while i was baby sitting them. 50% is not a bad score, if i may say so myself. and thirdly, the above mentioned good news do bring a little spark of hope into the above above mentioned bad news.

things that grow

2011-07-25T23:39:00.000+03:00

not much that beats a fresh harvest. no pesticides. no middle hands. i dig this.

23.7

2011-07-23T09:04:00.001+03:00

he, who lives in a library full of stories and who likes seagulls, drinks buckets of coffees, who’s car is his castle, who’s favorite color is black, who can eat an enormous semla without complaining, who always encouraged and supported my photography, who can make a full course feast on a miniature grill, who has the most generous heart, who never walks the same way twice,

has his birthday!

KUL! but what a shame that i won’t celebrate it with you. have a lovely day, and a great new year.♥

you only learn to juggle with one ball

2011-07-22T16:53:00.001+03:00

best place to put things into proportions. and you only learn to juggle with one ball. have a peaceful weekend!

love her

2011-07-20T13:59:00.001+03:00

we just can’t stop talking. all night long. there’s no time to rest cause we have so much to share and to discuss. and in between those long, deep talks we go all silly singing songs while dancing in the living room and eating too much ice cream.

little green wonder

2011-07-18T22:33:00.001+03:00

arriving back home after a few days out of town i was greeted by this new born avocado plant. now each time i enter the balcony i feel a little bit happier.

out and about

2011-07-16T20:35:00.001+03:00

forget about the outside and focus on what is happening on the inside instead.

and then we have the iphoners

2011-07-14T13:25:00.001+03:00

hereby i confess that i am not a fan of the iphone epidemics. perhaps i am too old-fashioned after all. *i need to show you my mobile phone once* but there were a few sweet pictures taken with one during our time in italy that i wanted to share with you.

the last week i went from 10 minutes of meditation to 30 min each morning. more than anything it is a challenge to stick with the commitment of doing it, being loyal to myself and not giving up. for two weeks. at least. then i will see. i am trying to be aware of my emotional weathers. letting them pass without identifying too much with them. phu, easier said then done.

wishing you a sweet day.

random rome

2011-07-11T11:22:00.001+03:00

once in rome for a couple of hours you can decide to wander without any specific goal, and still find yourself at fontana di trevi with another few billions of tourists, and you can decide to photograph them instead of the fountain before escaping the buzz and discovering quiet streets in the midday sun. and you might choose to walk until your legs are about to fall off and then you can be saved by a cappuccino before crying over a plate of ravioli while reading the last pages of this very touching book on a little hidden terrace.

around here

2011-07-09T15:15:00.001+03:00

i love those mustard colored houses. while everyone else is taking a siesta i am documenting the empty streets. and reading this very captivating book. and dreaming about what to eat next. and feeling very solo. sometimes it is quite challenging spending time with yourself…

lunch

2011-07-08T16:05:00.001+03:00

all alone. me and my lunch. and i am thinking of having ice cream for dinner. ice cream and prosecco. sometimes decadent is the only right thing to be.

viva italia!

2011-07-07T16:57:00.001+03:00

some tours we hardly have any time to notice where we are but spend most of our time at the airport, in the hotel and in the theater. and other tours we are lucky to be in a beautiful place with enough spare time on our hand to explore and enjoy. like we do on this tour.

there is so much joy connected with italy for me. the joy of food. of nature. of listening to the language. and picture nr 5 is the view from the dressing room in the theater. wow, almost too good to be true!

fitting the pieces

2011-07-04T23:54:00.001+03:00

sometimes i feel like i am this huge puzzle and i can’t seem to fit all the pieces together. and i wouldn’t even compare it to one of those 5000 pieces one with a picture of some huge funky castle on a shoreline. nah, i think i am more this kind of puzzle, and still i can’t seem to solve it…

and now for a question, are you guys intuitive? and how do you relate to your intuition?

1st

2011-07-02T10:53:00.001+03:00

the fleas are making a buffet out of me. the mosquitoes are snacking me like popcorn. the ants are picnicking on my computer. (perhaps because i was munching on some of these while reading my mails?)

it is the first of july and i saw my first knit-graffiti over here. perhaps the climate does not inspire that many diligent knitters? and i got a flower to put in my hair, had a half a liter of beer (which knocked me out completely) while watching b, sweet b getting drenched in ketchup. i am soon about to have four performances behind my back and next week we have a short tour to italy.

wish you a beautiful month! kiss&hugs

happy

2011-06-30T14:27:00.001+03:00

birthday little boy! my sisters son is turning 3 today. i wish i could bake him a cake and dance some disco dance in the basement with him. ♥♥♥

p.s i love his smile!

little lessons of zen

2011-06-29T13:47:00.001+03:00

this morning i discovered that i currently live less than five minutes from the sea. five minutes! i practically live on the beach! where have i been the past month? ~~absentminded&preoccupied?~~ forget that is is temporary and half my home is somewhere else- it is a DREAM COME TRUE!

walking back from the beach i met a bus driver who was chilling out in the trunk of the bus while waiting for his passengers to return and he told me ‘this is life’ and i thought to myself that these are exactly the words i needed to hear.

and yesterday a man working in a kiosk gave me the equivalent of 2 euros since i didn’t have any small change for the laundromat. i thought that was so special, his trust and the generous gesture to a stranger.

3xeveryday magic.

goodmorning

2011-06-28T08:43:00.001+03:00

tonight my bed was a battle field. between me and the mosquitoes, me and the nightmares, me and the early-bird neighbors slamming doors and running the stairs. i am not sure who was the winner. but today is a new day and here is a new favorite song.

my heart beats faster when looking at these pictures!

love to all of you. embrace life.

23-26

2011-06-26T14:37:00.001+03:00

despite plucking seven kinds of flowers and doing a little ceremony on my own before going to sleep i couldn’t recall any of my dreams. but i enjoyed the focus and love which was put into it.

and finally i regained some focus in general. enough to stitch little toys filled with lavender and flax seeds. the first project in a long time which i could start and finish without letting myself get distracted by other things. a few hours of active meditation.

sådeså

2011-06-24T16:48:00.001+03:00

(but i think i will just skip it all together)

happy midsummer to all of you! i will pluck seven kind of flowers and dream important dreams.

a little thursday

2011-06-23T14:06:00.001+03:00

thursday a week ago i was still in sweden. and today i probably would have drifted away into space if there wasn’t any gravitation to keep me down. i can’t seem to focus on anything and i keep jumping between different thoughts and different actions, without ever finishing the one before. i am a little bit tired of my own company, someone would like to swap?

in between i read a little bit on this very inspiring blog in hope to find some zen somewhere.