It’s amazing how much faster I seem to reach the 24/7 supermarket two blocks from home when I am simply taking a walk to “change scenery”… as opposed to those times when I am rushing there to buy food.

I know Halloween was like eons ago, but I thought I’d upload a photo anyway! This year I went to some fancy-shmancy  Masquerade Ball. This photo is from the pre-party gathering at a friend’s place.

I am thinking that masquerade balls must have been so exciting in the old times when society was extremely concerned about etiquette and being proper. At that time, to wear a mask must have been liberating - one could be anonymous and free of inhibitions. These days? Now anything goes, mask or not. Halloween or not!

I think next year, if I am still in NYC, I will go enjoy the humor and creativity at the Halloween parade. I saw it two years ago and it was just pure art!

On a sadder note, someone at the party liked my pink mask sooo much that they stole it from my purse :-(  I wouldn’t usually get attached to objects (most are pretty replaceable) but this mask was a precious gift from a precious person…

I think it would do good to humanity if things like empathy and big-picture thinking are taught in school!

Wow, I doubt anyone visits this place anymore since I haven’t written in such a looooong time but wanted to tell any interested parties that I am still alive :-) Just busy and a bit burnt out with my web work… and my computer time in general.

Here is a little photo of a funny Italian pigeon. Whatever people may say about them, I love pigeons… They remind me of my childhood and how I used to chase them around and watch them fly away. Don’t ask me why but little children in Bulgaria love to do that :-)

This one was intently exploring the nearby tables at a charming Florence cafe our group was sitting at. Was funny!

Mornings like this make me want to write here… I have always adored this rainy, gray and quiet kind of mood, my thoughts flowing freely, only sometimes interrupted by the sounds of raindrops and then the sleepy cars rushing to catch the green light on the corner, ripping through the puddles of water on the sides of the street…

Most of all I like to sit near my window and breathe in the dampness of the soil in the mini-garden in front of the house. It is invigorating, especially when mixed with the scent of french vanilla coffee, freshly brewed and ready for me to pour into a glass of milk - for some sort of latte a la Ilina.

I have not shot anything recently - with the exception of a commissioned shoot I will soon post about on Flickr. Things will change next month; I am planning a long trip including Bulgaria-home, Bulgaria-seaside, Belgium and Italy. Photography will be my main focus and I am sure will produce plenty of material. I am not much of a travel photographer, but my mom always pushes and inspires me creatively (except when she insists that I photograph the sunsets… but I oblige anyway, and then I am superglad because I end up using them in images like this one).

So, good things are coming - and hopefully with them the end to my artistically dry period… With so many dreams to look forward to sometimes it is easy to forget where we stand. But I guess all that matters is that we keep going.

Here I leave you with a funny little picture, makes me laugh every time I see it. Featuring my eye-shut-highness :) and of course charming Nick Counts from Flickr. He came for a day-long visit to NYC a month (or two) ago - and I had the greatest pleasure of meeting him in person:

… is my latest addiction!!

And here is one little secret to make this or any other tea even more exquisite… If you like to add honey, try also adding freshly squeezed orange juice (you just need half an orange). Do that after you finish brewing the tea just before drinking… I tell ya… you get a cup full of antioxidants, vitamins and yummyness.

And by the way, check out the following text from the website describing this tea (doesn’t it just make you want to paint the trees in purple swirls and sparkles?):

“Clasp your cup in both hands and inhale deeply. Sweet and indulgent, Lipton® Bavarian Wild Berry Tea tantalizes the senses with its vibrant flavour and robust aroma. Lipton® long-leaf black tea is made from just the two top leaves and the bud. These are carefully blended with real pieces of blueberry, blackberry and blackcurrant. Our unique pyramid-shaped transparent bags then allow fruity flavour and fragrance to flow freely for a warm, luxurious infusion.”

Aaah, the seductive power of words… now on to my teacup!

Gosh, I have been waiting for so long for someone to finally release a product like AmazonKindle. And here it is!

*clapping, overwhelmed with joy*

I can’t wait to eliminate all the paper books from my life. Despite their retro charm, I actually passionately despise them for being so heavy and occupying an obscene amount of space. Not to mention all the wasted trees.

Yet, I might wait.

First of all, I think that a big part of the $400 cost is pumped by the novelty factor. Moreover, there is no serious competition on the market just yet. Not to mention the marketing expenses? Which, unfortunately, are not even generating quite enough buzz… let’s just say that people will not be eager to drastically change so quickly habits that took millenniums to build. Especially for $400.

And second, I actually secretly wish that Apple will marry Google and strike back with a KindleTouch soon enough :-) In color! Touch-screen scroll, flipping pages, and finger zoom, baby!!! Just imagine the possibilities…

It is undeniable that iPhone has set a new standard out there. For $400 unit price Amazon might as well have made the toy sleek-looking and spoiled the user a little more?