Fragment: MY Born-DAY...turning 25!

Remember the little trip to Zara I might've taken? Well, I took it today! Ahhhh, so much delight in one place!! I wanted a couple of things, but of course, I could only choose one with the excuse of making myself a b-day present ;) This is what I got ---> aren't they gorgeous?! Funky and cute...really, really like them!

So my born-day is in a week; I will be turning 25...wait a minute! Isn't this when the "quarter-life crisis" should be taking place? But, but, but...I think this will be my "5th quarter-life crisis anniversary day"!

Seriously, everyone that knows me is fully aware of this: I've been dealing with the quarter-life crisis since my sophmore year in college! I think it has something to do with what Kim tells Michael in the movie "THE LAST KISS" (click on the link below and FF to 1:40 minutes):



"The world is moving so fast now that we start freaking out way before our parents did...cuz we don't ever stop to breathe anymore..."

Wow...what a trailer, what a movie! I soooo recommend it! It's one of the most realistic Hollywood movies I've seen. I don't know much about films, but I'm a fan of independent films because of how REAL they are, and this movie reminded me of indie's...ABSOLUTELY love it! Especially at this point in my life...speaks so much to me...

So for my SUPER quarter-life b-day, this is what I've got planned! I'm going to wake up early and have breakfast at some nice coffee shop (still haven't decided which); will hang out with my family (sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew) for a bit, perhaps for lunch (?); will catch a matinee of "Nights in Rodanthe", which I've been waiting for by the minute (can't wait to see it!); will go home, shower, wear a sexy black dress, with a sweet butterfly headband I made, 'whichgoose' inspired :) (OK, so not even close to her fantastic creations, but it was fun trying!); will go out to "La Cave del Rey" for a fabulous dinner, at a fabulous place, and drink lots of WINE; will probably go home to sleep after that ;) mmm, but I think it's a nice day...just like my outfit for the night, it's like a mix of innocence and adulthood altogether...the matinee mixed in with wine at a fancy restaurant...the sexy dress mixed in with the cute butterfly headband...

.................25..................yep! I think that's what it represents for me right now....the MIX of it all...of all that I've been, up 'til this moment....*a girl breaking in to be a woman*....like a BUTTERFLY.....................

Fragment: MUSIC STUFF

Last night, I worked for literally 5 minutes...haven't I said that I love my job before?! Don't get me wrong, it's not because I don't want to work. I actually prefer playing more than waiting, I get less tired. I love my job because my weeks are so full of little surprises!

One day we don't have a place to rehearse; another day we have but there's no electricity or the A/C isn't working, so rehearsal gets cancelled. One day Manzano conducts, another day Molina, a random day Dante conducts, and invited conductors come and go! One day the program is full of intense, complex music; other days (like yesterday) I only have one overture to play. One day we perform in Sto. Dgo. (the capital); another we're taking a bus to some other town to perform and ride back home in the middle of the night. We have a concert this week; next week I have no clue of what's going on or what we'll be doing, who I will see, what I will hear, what I will learn, or what I will already know........? (Above left: Joseph Haydn portrait, 1770)

Each day with OSN (the orchestra) is a surprise...it makes me feel sooooo ALIVE! Well, in some occasions I feel sad, because there are some really unfortunate circumstances, but that's a whole other subject.

OK. So last night, we had a concert at Bellas Artes, which is a cute little theatre that has been remodeled and has become our new HOME. When I see the stage from the audience it gives me the feeling of a cute little circus. Love it! I'm happy we are there, although some people are complaining about acoustic matters, I don't feel the SO terrible problem, but what do I know!

As I said before, I just played on the first piece, Mozart's Overture from the "Marriage of Figaro". Therefore, I had the chance to sit in the audience for the remainder of the program! I made myself enjoy it as if I'd gone out to hear a classical concert that night. I made myself believe I was just an expectator; that I was there because I chose to, because I'm a cultured young lady that goes to hear the symphony ever so often ;) Well, I believed myself, and enjoyed it very much! Even more when Haydn's "Farewell" Symphony was performed. I'd forgotten a detail about this work that I'd learned in Music History class in college (WOW, I learned something!). But I'd forgotten and was so shocked when 2 cellists just stood up and left in the middle of the last movement! I was like HUH? for 3 seconds, and immediately remembered the detail I'd learned in Brookshire's class! Read the following excerpt from WIKIPEDIA...Culture 101:

Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor, known as the "Farewell" Symphony (in German: Abschieds-Symphonie), was composed by Joseph Haydn in 1772.

It was written for Haydn's patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, while he, Haydn and the court orchestra were at the Prince's summer palace in Eszterhaza. The stay there had been longer than expected, and most of the musicians had been forced to leave their wives back at home in Eisenstadt, so in the last movement of the symphony, Haydn subtly hinted to his patron that perhaps he might like to allow the musicians to return home: during the final adagio each musician stops playing, snuffs out the candle on his music stand, and leaves in turn, so that at the end, there are just two muted violins left (played by Haydn himself and the concertmaster, Alois Luigi Tomasini). Esterházy seems to have understood the message: the court returned to Eisenstadt the day following the performance.[1]

Haydn was such a rebel!!! What an amazing thing to do in 1772?!?!?! Haydn just gained much more of my respect and admiration ;) How creative is that?! It's not even about music composition stuff, it's about ingenious ways to make and own your art, and send realistic messages using it as a powerful tool! WOW, I am in love with this now!! Haydn, you ROCK!

Fragment: SHOPPING

Have you ever went into a store and felt the URGE to buy EVERYTHING?!!?!?!?

It had been a couple of months since I went shopping. I could not even drive past Acropolis Mall, just so I didn't feel tempted to go in...why? Because for the first time in my life, I am supporting myself, and it is a learning process, I haven't felt ready to deny my urges. I can not spend money pointlessly anymore, I actually have bills to pay, YAY...well, I still satisfy a couple of my desires, if not too pricey, like wine and a movie, a nice restaurant maybe? ;)

Therefore, there are stores that I can't even drive by at this point. There are those stores that you can not come out empty handed, YOU JUST CAN'T!

These are those stores for me: ZARA

URBAN OUTFITTERS

H&M

ANTHROPOLOGIE

TARGET

This past weekend, my friend Yamel asked me to accompany her to Acropolis Mall. She had to redeem a gift certificate she got from ZARA...........................oh man! You know what that means! I was going to say no but...it had been a while, so WHY NOT?

UFF, I found the answer why not...I wanted to buy everything! Especially in the TRF brand section. Fortunately, I hadn't gotten paid yet, so I literally had NO $$...but guess what? I got paid...so I might just take a tiny trip to Zara today :-/ oopsie!

"Thesaurus"

Another place that has become a refuge, like a second home to me, is the bookstore THESAURUS. It is lodged in a two-floor building, but has a very small feel. Very neat and organized, the store has a magazine stand that I directly go to when I come in. I grab one or two magazines, or how many of them I haven't read, and go directly to the second floor, where the smell of coffee and the indistinctive chattering of intellectuals draw me in like a spell.


The space of the tiny cafe is delimited by floor length windows that give the room fabulous natural lighting. Despite the windows facing one of the busiest avenues of the city, the tranquility inside the cafe is unobstructed. There are about 12 small, round tables that have a shabby french look to them. The iron chairs are black with striped (navy blue, red, green, yellow) cushions. They serve all kinds of coffee, alcohol (yes, in a bookstore!), and exquisite sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. Everything they make tastes so fresh and homemade...and the coffees are delightful! The kitchen area is tiny, integrated with the coffee makers and the cash register, all in the same small place. They have one of those beautiful (and super expensive) copper coffee makers which gives the tiny coffee shop a vintage feel. (ABOVE: My niece and nephew at the cafe area)


Everytime I need to gather my thoughts, whenever I have a book to read or things to write, if I feel sad or nostalgic, if I'm happy about something and feel the need to celebrate within myself, when I need the perfect place to meet a colleague or a friend, I GO TO THESAURUS!

I always order a 'cortadito' (macchiato) with brown sugar...the best in town!

(RIGHT: Pushy browsing through books in the cooking section)

"La Cave del Rey"

My new favorite place...a hidden gem...a tiny, french restaurant called LA CAVE DEL REY.

I found this place a year and a half ago, when I first got here. I remember my little brother and I had just had a big argument with our mother and our big sister about how we weren't doing anything productive with our lives :-/ In the middle of the heated conversation, I needed to get out, so I did...

I got out of the house and started walking and walking, aimlessly. Very few times, if ever, had I walked around the streets of my residence. I began walking fast, as fast as my heart was pounding. But as I started to walk around the unknown, I started getting distracted, so my heart slowed down, and so did my steps. And it is when I slowed down that I began to appreciate little details that I'd never noticed before. I even started to enjoy the moment...it helped me forget the argument that I'd just walked out from.

In this moment of discoveries, I noticed a little blackboard hanging from a wine color ceiling...it read, in chalk written words, La Cave del Rey-RESTAURANT FRANCES. When I got closer, I looked inside what looked like a little cave, through wine color, translucent curtains, and I saw something beautiful...I rang the bell, "I HAVE GOT TO GO IN!" What is this place?! A slim, mulata girl greets me, opens the iron gates and lets me in. I was mesmerized...............

.......a roofed terrace with a few white cloth covered tables; green, wooden chairs; random, antique findings scattered everywhere (lamps, frames, dressers, mirrors, vases); frescos painted on the ceiling, as if you just entered an old, european church; polished cement floor.....then, there was an entrance to an even tinier part of the restaurant, where it really looked like a cave, and where they have their wine reserve, the bar, the kitchen, the bathroom (behind a wine color curtain) and just 2 tables! It is such an enchanting place........


Well, to go on with the story, I went in, sat at the bar and ordered a glass of wine (wine always makes things better). There was no one but me at the restaurant, so the girl served my wine and stood right there in front of me. She saw my teary eyes and asked if I was ok. Never had I thought I'd want to talk to a complete stranger, especially at a such emotional state, but for some odd reason, I did...I started venting out with her and let me tell you, it was fabulous. Then, she began telling me her life story, which made me feel a whole lot better about mine ;) (what a screwed up life!).

Well, I must have spent at least 4 hours in there--it was early afternoon when I arrived, and left when the night had taken over. After a couple of wine glasses and a whole lot of dialogues, I left (just so my family wouldn't get too worried, but if it were for me, I think I would've stayed a couple of hours more in this oasis....).

Here's the tiny back part of the restaurant, where the wine reserve is. I am sitting here with my clarinet professor and my cuban, clarinet friend. We had lunch at La Cave almost every day he was here! The lunch is fabulous and affordable...but dinner is kind of pricey :-/ Can't be too perfect!

"Mamma Mia!"

I saw the movie Mamma Mia! last night with my sister and I must say, I have seen my dream wedding materialized (especially with my whole wedding theme shifting).

...an outdoor terrace, with a magnificent view; long tables with white cloth and embroidered details; bright, mismatched glasses; spring flowers in colorful, mismatched vases; jelly jars as candle holders, with a wired string of butterflies wrapped around them, set as centerpieces and hanging from the terrace ceiling...so enchanting... so relaxed, so familiar, so simple, so pretty and colorful!

It's like bohemian and whimsy put together...isn't that exactly what I want?!

note: Look at the bridesmaids dresses, so flowy and simple...and the bouquet: wild greenery...love it, love it, love it! Also, the crowns and hair accessories reminded me so much of Whichgoose (see how hooked I am?). After watching this movie, I love my Bella crown and my wedding dress even more!

The elements on the tables looked something like this...

"Whichgoose@Etsy"

I've bought yet another BELLA!

I think that at this point WHICHGOOSE has become a fragment of my life...I mean, I first found out about her back in April, and ever since, I've been hooked to her shop, her creations and her blog! Her art has served as a wonderful source of distraction and entertainment in my lonely days (which are every day). I utterly enjoy browsing through her shop!

And so far, I have bought from her my wedding crown BELLA, my flower girl's crown DREAM...and my most recent acquisition, my maid of honor's head band, another BELLA.

I was obliged to buy this BELLA...it just looked so much like these enchanting cones that I found at a christmas SALE that my sister recommended I check out.

These are the cones...

I was drawn to these cones as soon as I spotted them in the store! They reminded me somewhat of the DREAM crown, so I bought them, not even sure of what their use would be (bridesmaids will carry instead of lanterns?). And then, I saw the BELLA headband at Whichgoose's shop, and it was like seeing the cones in the form of a crown!! I have got to have this BELLA!!!

The cones even have the star anises that the BELLA headband and the DREAM crown have! *sigh*....so perfect.....

Now, I feel that my whole boho-hippie-beach wedding theme is kind of taking a twist...whimsical-ethereal-enchanting might be the new words describing the wedding...even a bit woodsy ;)

Fragment: CRAFTING

I went button hunting a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't had a chance to write about it with all the hecticness of my cuban friend coming...but now that I'm resuming all my chores and personal activities, I remember that I have a wedding to keep planning!

So button hunting was of course, DELIGHTFUL! My sister took me to a pretty big mercer's shop and guided me directly to the buttons section. There were 5 aisles holding jars full of different colored, sized and shaped BUTTONS!!!!! Oh my!! I felt like I was dreaming!!!!! So after an hour or so of choosing the ones I liked most, we went home and layed them out on the table...

This is me sorting out the white and ivory buttons for my wedding BUTTON-bouquet!! EXCITING!

The wire sticks I'd already found at a local craft shop a couple of days ago. I was hanging out with a friend and when we drove by the store I got a hunch that I had to go in! I was so excited to randomly find exactly the wires that I wanted: green and sort of thick for sturdiness.

Yesterday, I went to my sister's house with my toolbox holding all the buttons and the wire sticks..."LET'S GET TO WORK!" It was fun and relaxing making the button flowers...this is what I love about craft making, it's so therapeutic! I think we had a successful first try at button-bouquet making ;)

"Una Noche de Clarinete"

I haven't written in a couple of days...please forgive my silence...but I'd been busy (something that seldomly happens). I've achieved one of my short term goals for the year, and it gives me such a satisfying feeling!

Alden, a friend from Cuba who's an amazing clarinetist, came to Dom. Rep. by an invitation that I made work through a whole lot of errands! He gave a wonderful recital, "UNA NOCHE DE CLARINETE", where we performed together and, as it always happens, I had a blast on stage! He gave a delightful masterclass at the National Conservatory, from which I unexpectedly learned so much! I mean, I organized the event, but I didn't expect to actually learn things from it! Lastly, we performed the Mendelssohn Concerto for 2 clarinets and piano at a mini concert held at the Conservatory, sharing stage with musicians from NY that were also visiting and performing.

Everything went smoothly, I can not complain, although I have ;) But nothing went too wrong, and all the little goals were met...so I am ECSTATIC!

After 11 days of music, clarinet conversations, rehearsals, performances, and lots of driving and eating out, I took Alden to the airport yesterday...and after a bit of nostalgia, suddenly my life came back to me...I went to my french class last night, today I will resume my work at CRESCENDO, and I can now sit and write in my blog again, among other things...I'd kind of missed it ;)