Tag Archives: Literature

lifestyle, School

How does sunlight sound?

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The sunlight tiptoed in my bedroom, crawling silently in the dark like a cat approaching its prey. Gently, silently making its way to my bed, caressing my face and whispering in my ears, calling my name. ‘A little bit more,’ I implored turning my back. But it did not want to listen, it did not care, it kept going crescendo brighter, making a warm crackling sound on the floor, its loud colour invading my space, knocking on the walls, jumping on the sheets like a capricious child. ‘For the last time I beg you to let me sleep! Just five minutes more, that’s all I am asking for!’ and I hid my face into the pillow. But now the roaring noise was getting louder, producing sharp disharmonious combinations of yellow and white tones, exploding like a military band in my ears, blowing through the windows like a storm: it was unstoppable, it was everywhere! The deafening sunlight had a message to deliver and was determined to make me listen. I could not ignore its voice anymore, it was time for me to surrender, wake up and get ready because today was the day and there was nothing I could do about it!

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This text is one of my assignments from creative writing class that I wanted to share with you. We were asked to write a paragraph using synaesthetic metaphors. The idea was to create new ways of expression by creating cross-sensory experiences where you can for example hear colours, smell sounds, see music, feel the texture of light and so on… By mixing the different senses you can layer your story and come up with a unique and original piece. In order to warm up our creativity, we were given a list of questions and we had to pick one of them and work on it using synaesthetic metaphors… I was inspired by “How does sunlight sound?” and I built a short story starting from this question. I must say I was pretty impressed with the result because it worked really good and I was really proud and happy about what I came up with! I think this technique helps to describe a scene in a original way and it helps creating a real universe by using lively images so people can truly feel the atmosphere! I hope you have enjoyed this story and I hope it will intrigue you so you want to know more 😉 Please do not hesitate to leave me a comment: Did this text tickle your imagination and if that so why do you think the main character does not want to get up? I am curious to know because it is always interesting to hear about different ideas and then we can compare with what I had in mind when I wrote that piece… Come on, don’t be shy, I am sure it will be fun!

School

An angel to watch over me

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I was seven years old when my mother passed away. I don’t remember much about her but to me she was a loving woman who rarely raised her voice with anger at my sisters or myself. She was also an excellent cook and despite the little money we had, there was always a lovely smell in the kitchen. I remember her beautiful hair piled on her head and her long black skirt under which I would hide when an unannounced visitor would knock at the door of our home. Unfortunately, she died very young at the age of 32. I remember the day well, for it was the first time I’d been confronted with death. My sister woke me up early in the morning saying that mum had pushed on Heaven’s door, but I could not understand. I knew mum was sick. She had asthma and could not breathe properly ; she needed to rest and it was not easy to find a doctor in the countryside at that time. But I was just a kid and all I could wonder was how she managed to get up out of bed and open a door since she was so weak and where had she gone?! My sister brought me to Mum’s room to kiss her goodbye.   Lights had been covered and, despite the lilies, there was a strange smell floating in the air. Mum was lying still and cold on her bed, her hands folded on her chest. She was different and so pale. She looked like a wax doll with her long hair by her shoulders and her eyes closed. My sister whispered to me that Mum’s new home was in Heaven now and that her soul had been set free. Now she could overhear not only what we were saying but also what we were thinking, so we had to behave and make her proud so she would always love us.

From this moment, surprisingly I was not afraid! I knew mum would always look after me and eventually protect me because she was an angel now and her spirit would always be around. I could talk to her about my life, pray to her and ask for help if I needed it, which I did quite often. I guess this thought has empowered me and helped me to go through life, which has not always been easy but she has never let me down. I survived a devastating house fire without a single scratch, I was captured by the Germans during World War 2 and by some miracle I managed to escape. I have reached 96 years of age and have never been sick in my whole existence.

But today is the saddest day of my life and I need her more than ever to help me get through this painful time. I am praying to her to welcome my son, her grandson, whom I am mourning, into her home.

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This sad story is one of my assignments from creative writing class that I wanted to share with you. We were asked to look at old pictures we owned and to write a short story up to 500 words about loss from the perspective of a person we had chosen. The idea was that the loss had occurred when the person was a child and we had to tell what happened and how it had impacted our character’s life. We were also asked to write in the first person subject past tense as it was a recollection and many years had passed since the tragedy had occurred  We had to show what the child had learnt through this experience that stayed with him to adulthood. I must say it was a difficult exercise since generally I prefer to write about fun things and loss is not really my favorite genre. It was also a bit overwhelming for me since I decided to base my story on a true family life chapter. Actually I chose my grandfather who lost his mother when he was only a child and I became his voice for the duration of this assignment. On one hand it made me sad and a bit depressed to write about these past memories, I mean I can only imagine how hard it must have been painful for him. But in the other hand I am glad I could transcribe as a tribute stories I have  been  told a  couple of times by my grandfather. His mother, my grand-grandmother, was a beautiful woman who sadly died very young from asthma and I am grateful she is a caring and loving angel watching over my grandfather in sadness and happiness helping him to go though life giving him hope and bravery.

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My grandfather’s mother who died at 32

lifestyle, School

Red

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She stopped the car at the red light. She looked briefly into the rearview mirror and she noticed her eyes were still red from crying.  The roses were lying next to her on the front seat. She was wondering who was sending the flowers; probably somebody who wanted to feel good about it! Each damn year on Valentine’s day it was the same old scenario: a beautiful deep red bouquet would be delivered to her work place without a card or a message. In a way it felt good that somebody cared about her, but at the same time it hurt so much because it also reminded her of the passion and love she once had, which had been tragically and irremediably taken away from her.

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This text is one of my assignments from creative writing class. Rather than starting to write from an idea, I was encouraged to start with a word that would act as a trigger for writing. The idea is to explore the sounds and meanings of words, to get new ideas and perspectives. I was asked to write only a paragraph (short story) using the trigger word: RED by sound or by meaning… it was up to me! I must say it was interesting because I never proceeded this way before… generally ideas or images drive my creativity! So it was interesting to start from a simple word as “red” and build a story around it! I am happy with the result because I managed to create a story in just 100 words! What I really enjoyed about this exercice is the fact that at the beginning I had no idea where my story would go… I just knew I would use “valentine’s day”, “roses”, “traffic light”, “passion” because they are deeply associated to the red colour but my story really took life under my pen with the words I was using one line at a time, growing like a deep velvet rose on the heart of my white page filling it with its warm colour! 

lifestyle, School

With or without you…

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One of my first assignments in creative writing class was to write about an object without letting the readers know what the object is until the end of the story. I was also asked to add some dialogue to my text and to keep it up to 300 words. It was a challenging exercice but it was also very interesting. I had fun working on that piece and I thought it could be a nice idea to share my text with you… so try to guess what is my object before the end of my story 😉 and let me know what you thought about it!

With or without you…

His adjusted wide and round eyes were following me. His long and curved arms trying to surround me. I could perceive his soft cold touch on my face as he was bending over my ears.

‘Hey, look at me! Am I that transparent!?’ he whispered.

‘Leave me alone! I don’t like what I see; when I am looking in the mirror I don’t recognize myself anymore. You have turned me into something I don’t like! I don’t want you!’

‘Can’t you see beyond the end of your nose?! We are a perfect fit! Deep inside, you know you need me! I am making a huge difference… without me you are confused and lost and without you I am worth nothing!’

‘I don’t need you! To me you are just an accessory! Go back to your confined place with your black suit and fancy tattoos! I hate you!’

When I entered the cafe, I was so angry I nearly missed a step and bumped into a young man. The waitress asked me what I wanted to order. I spotted the board menu hanging… it could have been Chinese!

The waitress stared at me waiting for my answer… painfully, I realised that I had been lying to myself: I desperately needed it!

I reached the unloved black pair of glasses in my crumpled bag so I could see now: cascade of words, cakes appearing on the counter, intensity of colours, faces around me and the expression of surprise in my fiance’s eyes! He had been standing here, witnessing the whole scene and I had not noticed! Only he could see through me!

He said, ‘Even with your glasses on, I think you still look pretty!’

lifestyle, School

Fifty shades of Grey book critique

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Fifty shades of grey – E.L. James – 2011 – 528 p. – 100 million sale

Erotic romance novel written by British author E.L. James. The story traces the unconventional relationship between the naive college graduate, Anastasia Steele and the mysterious business magnate, Christian Grey.

The reader becomes the voyeur of this singular initiatory journey featuring elements of sexual practices involving bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism and masochism. The author uses this taboo universe to explore basic themes such as: How far would you go for love, can love change someone, opposites’ attract.

E.L. James is placing her characters in uncomfortable situations: struggling with their emotions, fighting and finally compromising. The interest of the story lies on the conflict of sentiments between the two central characters. Besides all of their differences and deviances, they share a universal feeling: LOVE. That feeling cements their relationship and helps them to grow together and to explore new shades of their physical and emotional boundaries as the story progresses.

It could be a tale of love that triumphs over the odds. Unfortunately the characters are not believable and dialogues are dull. The author’s style is colourless and the plot is blindingly obvious.

Fifty shades of grey, despite all the leather and spanking, is pretty harmless!

 

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This text is one of my assignments from creative writing class. I was asked to write a book critique in 200 words. I have picked “50 shades of Grey” first because I read it not so long ago (so I remember it quite well) and also because this assignment was scheduled in February at the exact time when the “steamy” film inspired from this book was released and everybody was talking about it for Valentine’s day… so I thought it could be interesting and fun to write my critique about it!

australia, lifestyle

Adelaide Writers’ week

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No wonder March is Adelaideans’ favorite month. There are so many shows running at the moment. It is such a lovely time of the year and a beautiful way to say goodbye to summer!  The offer is massive and the hardest part is to choose because you want to see everything! Actually, I wish I could party everyday… but as a “working/student”  I must save money so I have to restrain myself. Hopefully there are many free events and that is what I love about Adelaide, they do their best to please every taste and  every budget!

Each year, Adelaide hosts the “writers’ week”: a  unique free event! This is an absolutely charming festival celebrating an important art form: WRITING. The writers’  week offers the opportunity to meet national and international authors, to hear about their books and to share their visions. http://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/2015/writers_week/adelaide_writers_week

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It is an outdoor event taking place in the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden. The park is beautiful with the garden roses and the palm trees. It is a very relaxed atmosphere, very casual… I like the way they keep it “simple” and intimate. It makes it even more special and appropriate to share a true passion between writers and readers.

My friend Nasim (from Iran) and I decided to go to the Writers’ week on Thursday 05 March afternoon and we listened to Esther Freud talking about her book “Mr Mac and Me“ set at the onset of the First World War. Esther is a  British novelist and actress. Her family is famous: she is the daughter of painter Lucian Freud and great grand-daughter of Sigmund Freud! It was really interesting to listen to her talking about her book, the war and the little village where the story takes place. It was a little bit hard for me to understand as we were sitting in the back so I had to real focus on the words. I must say the Q&A session was really good and it was also interesting to hear about the author’s personal life as she had quite an original childhood. As a child when she would visit her father’s studio, she was so used to see nudes paintings, it was very natural for her and part of her life. So when she was 16 and he asked her if she would mind sit for him, she immediately accepted and took her clothes off. Actually she said that posing naked for her father was much easier than taking her clothes off in front of a lover – which made the audience laugh! I hope it does not sound like the typical French cliché that the only part I got clearly is this episode  😉 haha…  Actually I recall seing Esther’s nude painting at the Tate Modern when I was living and working in London and I am glad I could hear the true story behind this piece of art as I felt a little bit uncomfortable at the museum.

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My favorite presentation was from the author Favel Parrett “When the night comes“. She is such  a lovely and interesting person! Basically, her story explores the relationship between two different characters who left their mainland to seek for a better life. Isla is a isolated young girl who lives in Tasmanian and Bo is a Danish sailor on his way to Antarctica. Bo enjoys sharing his fascinating stories about the life on board of the Nella Dan ship that transports people and cargo between Australia and the Antarctic research station. The power of the story lies on the amazing description of the journeys and the detailed life on board which will make you travel with the characters. All inspired by the author’s own experience during her Australian Antarctic Arts fellowship used as research for her novel! http://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2012/fellowship-to-tell-the-story-of-longest-serving-antarctic-ship

The Q&A session was also very interesting since the author explained how hard it was to let the characters go when the book was finished. She spent 2 years writing this novel and it was like Isla and Bo were part of her life. She also explained why she chose this title since people were surprised because when you think about Antarctica you think about light, ice, white snow, sun (by the way leave me a comment once you have read the book and I will reveal you why she picked this title). She also told us how hard it is for her to come up with a title as she changes her mind quite often. She also insisted on the fact that it is useful to have a good editor to walk you through and to say “ok, now it is done, stop” since she could have kept on doing more and more researches and re-write again and again about her story and her characters. She added she would be thrilled to work again on a ship like she did a couple of years ago because it is just you and the immensity of the sea balanced with the confined life on the boat that becomes your home and your family! It must be an incredible experience… Anyway, I have really enjoyed her presentation and I will definitely read her book!

Actually it is quite funny because I happened to have a conversation about Antarctica 10 days ago with an old friend of mine…  Life is funny sometimes, don’t you think?!  So my friend John (from California) told me that he would love to take a trip to Antarctica and he is meaning it! I was like “well, good for you” but maybe I should be more enthusiastic about it too since I have never been that “closed” from Antarctica! I must say I was feeling a little bit skeptical… probably because I have never considered this destination before, why would I!? It sounds like a cold no man’s land to me… but now after hearing about this lovely book and story I am willing to give it a go, I have totally changed my mind about it. It sounds like an expedition, an exciting and unique adventure!!!

Adelaide Zoo - 063This is what I like about books, it touches your heart and gives you new perspectives. Writing is about creating, communicating, expressing and connecting with the world… I can’t see better events than Adelaide Writers’ week to celebrate this overwhelming feeling! All in all a fantastic journey where imagination and creation have no limits!

australia, lifestyle

Let’s get crazy: it is mad March!

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There is a lot going on at the moment in our city! Adelaide is a hive of activity: streets and parks are lively, full of music and new faces. The iconic Fringe Festival is in town!

Every year, Adelaide becomes the capital of Arts by hosting many quality events featuring: Opera, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cabaret, Literature and Visual Art. The festival is considered to be one of the world’s major celebrations of the arts and cultural events in Australia. Have a look at the program, it is quite impressive:  http://www.adelaidefestival.com.au

The city has so much to offer! No wonder there are so many tourists at the moment visiting Adelaide to enjoy the entertaining shows. This year the festival’s theme is: Experience something new! Since it is my first year in Australia, I can totally relate to that. I mean everything is a new experience for me here and I love it ❤

I personally took part to the Writers’ week and I am planning to go to the French films festival too! Some friends invited me to the garden of unearthly delights in Elder park with a bunch of colleagues. First time they mentioned it I thought I heard “the garden of unhealthy delights” haha. It was really nice: good food (Aussies barbies = Australians’barbecues) and music in a very casual and friendly atmosphere! The perfect place to relax after work:  http://www.gardenofunearthlydelights.com.au

We have a long weekend coming since Monday is a bank holiday in Australia and everybody is talking about: WOMAD (World of Music Art and Dance)! It is a very popular festival with 400 artists from all other the globe making Adelaide dance in the glorious Botanical Garden. I have heard that artists such as: Buena Vista Social Club, Sinead O’Connor, Youssou N’Dour, Neneh Cherry… will be here 😉 It is still time to buy a ticket as I heard that there might be discounts on Monday:  https://www.womadelaide.com.au

Speaking of  Youssou N’Dour and Neneh Cherry, do you remember their beautiful song “7 seconds”?  It was a hit in France in 1994 and I was a teenager…  If you pay attention, you will notice that a part of the lyrics are in French https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqCpjFMvz-k

So it seems, in March in Adelaide, there is no time to rest! The more you are outside enjoying the variety of events in the CBD, in the parks and by the Torrens river… the better!

DSC_0221 This is why  I believe it is called “Mad March” because each day is a party that you have to join in!