My favorite place is New York City. Love it! I used to live in upstate New York and used to visit the city often to visit family. It never gets old. It's been a year and a half since I last went and I already want to go back!
But one of my favorite places in the city is the Ferrara Bakery & Café in Little Italy. Their gelato is AWESOME. I try to go there every time. It never gets old!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Sarah's Key ... more than a novel
So a couple days ago, my cousin, Heather, posted a book on Facebook and said she recommended it to everyone. This was a historical novel called "Sarah's Key." I usually don't have time to read, but I looked this one up and Amazon and I immediately fell in love with the story.
In case you don't know, I have always been extremely interested in World War II, specifically the deeper events that took place besides the war itself (e.g. the Holocaust). I've always been intrigued with the stories of the survivors, their will and hope to persevere and learning about the horrific acts the Nazi Party carried out. Stories like those really bring you back to reality. And for those who are ignorant, the Holocaust was much more than just the genocide of millions of Jews. It goes much deeper than that. I encourage you to keep an open mind and learn.
Anyway, back to "Sarah's Key." I'll take the summary on Amazon from Publisher's Weekly.
Tatiana De Rosnay's U.S. debut fictionalizes the 1942 Paris roundups and deportations, in which thousands of Jewish families were arrested, held at the Vélodrome d'Hiver outside the city, then transported to Auschwitz. Forty-five-year-old Julia Jarmond, American by birth, moved to Paris when she was 20 and is married to the arrogant, unfaithful Bertrand Tézac, with whom she has an 11-year-old daughter. Julia writes for an American magazine and her editor assigns her to cover the 60th anniversary of the Vél' d'Hiv' roundups. Julia soon learns that the apartment she and Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand's family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. The more Julia discovers—especially about Sarah, the only member of the Starzynski family to survive—the more she uncovers about Bertrand's family, about France and, finally, herself. Already translated into 15 languages, the novel is De Rosnay's 10th (but her first written in English, her first language). It beautifully conveys Julia's conflicting loyalties, and makes Sarah's trials so riveting, her innocence so absorbing, that the book is hard to put down.
The novel was moving, heart wrenching, heart breaking, emotional, haunting. In general structure, the novel is essentially telling two stories: the past and present. It's to no one's surprise that they end up overlapping. Because there are essentially two stories being told, the novel goes back and forth from chapter to chapter between the two. The author even uses a subtle font difference to distinguish if you're reading the past or the present.
This is a memorial in Paris honoring the victims of Vel' d'Hiv'.
Before reading this book, I had no idea what the Vélodrome d'Hiver (or Vel' d'Hiv') was. It was obviously French, but what was its significance? "Vel' d'Hiv'" was code for "Operation Spring Breeze" (Opération Vent printanier). Sounds nice, right? First and foremost, the Vélodrome d'Hiver was a stadium in Paris. Among other things, the stadium was used for cycle racing. But the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup was an entirely different thing all together.
More than 13,000 French Jews (as well as other foreign Jews) were taken from their homes by nearly 10,000 French policemen on July 16, 1942. That's right. They weren't even taken by the Nazi police. Anyway, these Jewish families -- fathers, mothers, babies, toddlers, grandparents alike -- were arrested and taken to the Vélodrome d'Hiver where they stayed for eight days with no bathrooms, little food and little water. During that time, many died of starvation and others committed suicide. There was no way out. Those who survived were taken to internment camps (e.g. Drancy and Beaune La Rolande) in local areas around France, and then they were eventually sent to Auschwitz, a famous death camp during the Holocaust.
"Sarah's Key," while a historical fictional novel, focuses on the events of Vel' d'Hiv' and on the Starzynski family. You don't learn a lot about the family's history before Vel' d'Hiv', but you do learn about a little girl's story. Her story is painful, heartbreaking -- but also memorable and inspiring. Tatiana De Rosnay does a wonderful job at portraying the little girl's innocence and how she has no choice but to grow up at a very young age. In essence, she misses out on a large chunk of her childhood.
I know, I only touched on part of the story. Obviously, Julia Jarmond is also a big main character -- possibly even moreso than the little girl, at times. This book will make you think, tug at your heart strings and maybe even make you cry. I encourage you read this and I guarantee it, you won't be able to put it down.
In case you don't know, I have always been extremely interested in World War II, specifically the deeper events that took place besides the war itself (e.g. the Holocaust). I've always been intrigued with the stories of the survivors, their will and hope to persevere and learning about the horrific acts the Nazi Party carried out. Stories like those really bring you back to reality. And for those who are ignorant, the Holocaust was much more than just the genocide of millions of Jews. It goes much deeper than that. I encourage you to keep an open mind and learn.
Anyway, back to "Sarah's Key." I'll take the summary on Amazon from Publisher's Weekly.
Tatiana De Rosnay's U.S. debut fictionalizes the 1942 Paris roundups and deportations, in which thousands of Jewish families were arrested, held at the Vélodrome d'Hiver outside the city, then transported to Auschwitz. Forty-five-year-old Julia Jarmond, American by birth, moved to Paris when she was 20 and is married to the arrogant, unfaithful Bertrand Tézac, with whom she has an 11-year-old daughter. Julia writes for an American magazine and her editor assigns her to cover the 60th anniversary of the Vél' d'Hiv' roundups. Julia soon learns that the apartment she and Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand's family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. The more Julia discovers—especially about Sarah, the only member of the Starzynski family to survive—the more she uncovers about Bertrand's family, about France and, finally, herself. Already translated into 15 languages, the novel is De Rosnay's 10th (but her first written in English, her first language). It beautifully conveys Julia's conflicting loyalties, and makes Sarah's trials so riveting, her innocence so absorbing, that the book is hard to put down.
The novel was moving, heart wrenching, heart breaking, emotional, haunting. In general structure, the novel is essentially telling two stories: the past and present. It's to no one's surprise that they end up overlapping. Because there are essentially two stories being told, the novel goes back and forth from chapter to chapter between the two. The author even uses a subtle font difference to distinguish if you're reading the past or the present.
Before reading this book, I had no idea what the Vélodrome d'Hiver (or Vel' d'Hiv') was. It was obviously French, but what was its significance? "Vel' d'Hiv'" was code for "Operation Spring Breeze" (Opération Vent printanier). Sounds nice, right? First and foremost, the Vélodrome d'Hiver was a stadium in Paris. Among other things, the stadium was used for cycle racing. But the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup was an entirely different thing all together.
More than 13,000 French Jews (as well as other foreign Jews) were taken from their homes by nearly 10,000 French policemen on July 16, 1942. That's right. They weren't even taken by the Nazi police. Anyway, these Jewish families -- fathers, mothers, babies, toddlers, grandparents alike -- were arrested and taken to the Vélodrome d'Hiver where they stayed for eight days with no bathrooms, little food and little water. During that time, many died of starvation and others committed suicide. There was no way out. Those who survived were taken to internment camps (e.g. Drancy and Beaune La Rolande) in local areas around France, and then they were eventually sent to Auschwitz, a famous death camp during the Holocaust.
"Sarah's Key," while a historical fictional novel, focuses on the events of Vel' d'Hiv' and on the Starzynski family. You don't learn a lot about the family's history before Vel' d'Hiv', but you do learn about a little girl's story. Her story is painful, heartbreaking -- but also memorable and inspiring. Tatiana De Rosnay does a wonderful job at portraying the little girl's innocence and how she has no choice but to grow up at a very young age. In essence, she misses out on a large chunk of her childhood.
I know, I only touched on part of the story. Obviously, Julia Jarmond is also a big main character -- possibly even moreso than the little girl, at times. This book will make you think, tug at your heart strings and maybe even make you cry. I encourage you read this and I guarantee it, you won't be able to put it down.
Day 26 – Your fears
Like many others, I fear loneliness. I also hate bugs, specifically roaches and spiders. Eww. Gross. Not my thing.
I'm pretty sure I'm one of 95% of girls who fear loneliness. Not original, I know.
I'm pretty sure I'm one of 95% of girls who fear loneliness. Not original, I know.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Black Sawn...
So, I saw Black Swan last weekend and it was... interesting. I really had no expectations for the movie and the only things I knew about it were: 1) It was nominated for multiple awards, 2) Natalie Portman was a beast of an actress, 3) It had something to do with ballet and 4) There was some epic lesbian scene.
All awkwardness and creepiness aside, the movie was good. Natalie Portman did a fantastic job -- hence why she won a Golden Globe and SAG award. (Fun fact: Did you know she graduated from Harvard with a degree in psychology? Intelligence is hott.) But to be honest, no matter how much you prepare for it, the lesbian scene will catch you off guard and there's no getting around it, it was so awkward. I mean, sure, it was hott (Mila Kunis is gorgeous), but it was creepy.
Having done ballet for a number of years, it was weird to watch the rise and fall of a ballerina with tons of talent who unfortunately got conquered by her mental illness. I liked how the directors of the movie tied in the "Swan Lake" theme literally and metaphorically. It added a whole different level of depth to the film.
I still haven't decided if I really enjoyed "Black Swan," but it was definitely memorable. I was naturally impressed with Natalie Portman's ballet technique... she rehearsed five to eight hours every day for six months. That's intense. She also lost 20 pounds. But I guess to make it realistic, she had to look like as thin as a toothpick.
The creepy aspect of "Black Swan" was that it really makes you think. By the end of the movie, you obviously know that Natalie Portman's character, Nina, has suffered from major hallucinations and schizophrenia. But the real question is, what parts of the movie actually happened and which parts were solely figments of her imagination? Some were obvious, but others, not so much.
It's also a little frightening to think that in reality, real people suffer from such mental illnesses every day. I cannot imagine going through life in fear, not knowing if the people I was talking to were actually real or if events actually took place. That's not a stable way to live life and I have sympathy for those who suffer from those kinds of illnesses.
All awkwardness and creepiness aside, the movie was good. Natalie Portman did a fantastic job -- hence why she won a Golden Globe and SAG award. (Fun fact: Did you know she graduated from Harvard with a degree in psychology? Intelligence is hott.) But to be honest, no matter how much you prepare for it, the lesbian scene will catch you off guard and there's no getting around it, it was so awkward. I mean, sure, it was hott (Mila Kunis is gorgeous), but it was creepy.
Having done ballet for a number of years, it was weird to watch the rise and fall of a ballerina with tons of talent who unfortunately got conquered by her mental illness. I liked how the directors of the movie tied in the "Swan Lake" theme literally and metaphorically. It added a whole different level of depth to the film.
I still haven't decided if I really enjoyed "Black Swan," but it was definitely memorable. I was naturally impressed with Natalie Portman's ballet technique... she rehearsed five to eight hours every day for six months. That's intense. She also lost 20 pounds. But I guess to make it realistic, she had to look like as thin as a toothpick.
The creepy aspect of "Black Swan" was that it really makes you think. By the end of the movie, you obviously know that Natalie Portman's character, Nina, has suffered from major hallucinations and schizophrenia. But the real question is, what parts of the movie actually happened and which parts were solely figments of her imagination? Some were obvious, but others, not so much.
It's also a little frightening to think that in reality, real people suffer from such mental illnesses every day. I cannot imagine going through life in fear, not knowing if the people I was talking to were actually real or if events actually took place. That's not a stable way to live life and I have sympathy for those who suffer from those kinds of illnesses.
Day 25 – A first
First time I read Harry Potter -- freshman or sophomore year of college. Yeah, I originally thought it was dumb when I read the first couple of chapters of the first book.
BUT, now I'm a Harry Potter lover. I can't wait for the final movie to come out this summer. OMG! :)
BUT, now I'm a Harry Potter lover. I can't wait for the final movie to come out this summer. OMG! :)
Finding inspiration again
I've realized that this blog has kind of lost its purpose. My original intention was to post my daily findings, get my thoughts out on paper, etc. I used to keep a physical journal every day (I should probably burn some of them lol) and I thought that with the advancement of technology, I'd be able to put my journal into Web form.
My next goal is to try to get this thing back to what it was originally intended to be. I'll start this week.
On an entirely different note, OMG. The LAST and FINAL episode of Ace of Cakes will be this week. Sad, sad day. I really enjoyed that series. Although, I'm pretty sure Charm City Cakes will be set for life.
My next goal is to try to get this thing back to what it was originally intended to be. I'll start this week.
On an entirely different note, OMG. The LAST and FINAL episode of Ace of Cakes will be this week. Sad, sad day. I really enjoyed that series. Although, I'm pretty sure Charm City Cakes will be set for life.
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry
Obviously hurting other people. Just recently, Drew and I got into a tiff and seeing the pain in his face was just downright heartbreaking. I'm not a crier, but that day, I was. It was just so sad! Good thing I don't plan on breaking up with him anytime soon lol. ;)
Yes, I know, that was totally a cliché answer.
Yes, I know, that was totally a cliché answer.
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better?
I'm determined to finish this ridiculous 30-day challenge. (Can you believe I almost spelled "ridiculous" as "rediculous"? Sad day.)
Something that makes me feel better: music. More recently, I've gotten into Kelly Sweet's soothing jazz music. She's got a Norah Jones kind of feel to her. I'm a fan. I recommend her song "Raincoat."
Something that makes me feel better: music. More recently, I've gotten into Kelly Sweet's soothing jazz music. She's got a Norah Jones kind of feel to her. I'm a fan. I recommend her song "Raincoat."
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