Tag Archives: I’ve been thinking

Theory and practice – Fragrance Republ!c

I've been thinking, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume June 19, 2014 Comments: 8

Or, in theory, I like the idea of Fragrance republ!c, in practice though, I’m not really thrilled with the way they smell.

I received three of them (not as a paying member but as a blogger) and I admit to being rather underwhelmed. The three I received (01/02, 01/03 and 01/04)  all overpowered my nose with the smell of the now standardly used, shrill, clean musks and the lovely opening all of them had was forever lost to my nose.

That said, everyone else who tried them, loved them.

Including my father who is now the proud owner of two of them. 🙂

If you’d like to know more about the general concept, Undina summed it up quite nicely.

 

 

Repeating myself – linden in the city

I've been thinking, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume June 13, 2014 Comments: 4

I noticed I had the same post up last year around this time, when the linden trees were in full bloom, we were experiencing a heat wave and the air was humid and hot and full of the smell of linden blossoms.linden

The same thing happened this week and all I can say, I breathed it in as deeply as I could and let the smell bring a smile to my face.

I honestly forgot from last year how unbelievably great that smell is. 🙂 So not to repeat much of what I said last year, I will just add, I want to find a perfume that can reproduce it.

I’m wearing Zeta now and although I enjoy that perfume, it is not the smell of humid linden city air…

Quotes

I've been thinking, World of Perfume May 29, 2014 Comments: 8

On pain and suffering.

Because I’m just in the mood for some. 🙂

 

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
― Rumi

 

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
― Khalil Gibran

“Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

“We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love.”

Sigmund Freud

“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.”

Khalil Gibran

“Adversity introduces a man to himself.” –Unknown

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
Helen Keller

“There is an ancient tribal proverb I once heard in India. It says that before we can see properly we must first shed our tears to clear the way.”
― Libba Bray

“We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it to the full.”
― Marcel Proust

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?”
Kahlil Gibran

My top 5 authors

I've been thinking, My top 5, World of Books April 28, 2014 Comments: 21

Last week I talked about my favorite perfume houses and this week I’ll talk about my favorite authors. Although this list might change every once in a while.

J.K. Rowling – Well, if you follow my blog, this can’t come as a surprise. 😉 I am a huge fanrowel of the Harry Potter series (I admit, I haven’t yet read any of the other novels she wrote). I find the world of HP so well written that I keep going back. Especially at times of stress.

Kresley Cole – She’s on top of my list of paranormal romance authors. She’s really good at what she writes and the steaminess of her scenes is undescribable (go read and see for yourself).

James Rollins – The list wouldn’t be right without  mentioning  the thrilling action packed novels that are in my opinion so much better than what Dan Brown writes. And the mysteries and legends that he can weave into the story at the same time making them believable is incredible.

Marija Jurić Zagorka – She is my favorite Croatian author and my first foray into the historical romance genre which she wrote in the first half of the 20th century. Her novels are still very popular and will probably remain so for many generations to come. The bad mjzthing though, for some reasons her descendants won’t allow her novels to be translated into foreign languages so we, fans, need to wait for the requisite time before the novels are no longer copyrighted.

Jane Austen – As I am a huge romance fan, the list wouldn’t be complete without the original woman who started it all. Pride and Prejudice being of course my favorite (I admit pride is one my flaws).

So, who are your top 5 authors?

Lost in a sea of books

I've been thinking, World of Books March 3, 2014 Comments: 9

The other day I talked about how I’m behind times in the perfume world and news reach me (if they reach me) months after everyone else has heard them. 🙂

It seems that when it comes to books, I’m even worse.books1

These days, the only way I will hear about a good (new) book is if there is a movie being made out of it (and some of those aren’t really that good either).

I have a pool of authors I follow and read, whatever they publish, but adding to that pool is rather difficult.  Even when I find a book blogger I share tastes with, some of those reviews just don’t sound that appealing to me.

I also sometimes wonder how many people are actually intrigued enough by my reviews to read a book I found great…?

In the haystack that is the book world, finding your needle is very difficult. And the blurbs don’t help. The only reason I wanted to read World War Z was because I really liked the movie and thought the book must be better. Then I read the blurbs for the book and wasn’t very sure about my choice. Luckily, this time around, I decided to ignore them.

The thing is, that book is one of the best new books I’ve read in quite a while and I wouldn’t even know it existed unless for the movie.

That’s why I’m a bit sad now. How many more books like that are passing  me by because I don’t know where to look? Or who to trust?

Do you have a way of figuring out what books ought to be on your TBR pile? And how do you select from the pool of new authors those, whose books might be worth reading?

Or is it basically luck?

A lingering collection

Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume February 14, 2014 Comments: 20

That is what I have. 
My collection has been growing for years but unfortunately my perfume review output hasn’t. And I can’t get rid of anything I haven’t actually reviewed (unless it’s so bad I never want to smell it again). Or anything I grew out of in my smelling journey. The irony in all this is the fact that for what seems most of my life I’ve been lecturing my mom on clearing her life of stuff she no longer uses, only to end up in pretty much the same mess.
According to my limited knowledge of Feng-shui (very limited actually), the stuff you don’t use but only accumulate weighs down your life energy. As my life energy feels pretty much down most of the time, I’m guessing I did it to myself (well, it’s not really guessing if I’m sure of it). 😉

image

So basically, if I don’t want to weigh myself down I have two choices. Start writing even short reviews if I don’t have much to say so I can decide what to let go, or just have a quick smell and let go of at least half of the stuff I have (I’m talking mostly decants now).
Then again, I keep thinking what if there is something of what I let go I later decide I would like to revisit and I no longer have it?

Has anyone faced a similar problem? How do you let go of accumulated perfume which lingers because you never got the time to get to know it?
Should I let it go or still try to get to know it?

I must say, I don’t have such problems with clothes. At least my wardrobe is clear of lingering clothes… 😉

Behind times

I've been thinking, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume February 4, 2014 Comments: 15

It’s not really surprising I’m behind perfume news considering how much free time for it I have (basically none). It’s a busy time at work and after it there really isn’t that much time (or energy) left for anything but bed.

But I don’t want to bore you all with the fact I have no free time, I was more shocked with the fact that pleasantly surprised as I was with what I thought were news about the new Dior Collection Privée Elixirs Précieux (Rose, Ambre, Oud and Musc) – a short Google search showed it was only news to me. 🙂

Even though it is only news to me, I got very excited after reading the French Vogue article where they said they were meant for layering. I must say I have high hopes of them smelling good by themselves and together.

Seeing though that they cost 280 €, I might have to decide they don’t really smell that great… 😉

Today I’m ashamed to be a Croat

I've been thinking December 2, 2013 Comments: 35

It seems we are a nation that is either intolerant of differences or generally doesn’t care at all.

Croatia had to vote today on a referendum whether it will be put into our constitution that marriage is a union between a man and a woman.

So, after today, we are going to have an additional clause in it, saying exactly that.

To think that I live among smart, tolerant people was obviously a serious judgment error on my part. Because it seems 65% of voters today think it’s okay to limit the right to marriage. That is, 65% of the 38% of people who actually care one way or the other. As that was the percentage of voters today – 38%.

My heart aches knowing that I live in a country where this can happen and no one can do anything about it (too many idiotic things allowed, leading to such a stupid outcome).

The most incredible thing is that none of the arguments why limiting marriage would be ok is actually based in logic, Catholic religion or common human decency. But the other side kept bringing those up like it were, and now it seems to have worked.

I do wish I lived someplace else where things like this don’t happen and people actually listen to common sense. Aren’t hypocritical. Mean. Or just plain stupid.

Still, it hurts. And I feel ashamed.

So, if anyone has a job offer anywhere that isn’t Croatia, I would be more than willing to consider it.

I wish I could write

I've been thinking, World of Books November 10, 2013 Comments: 21

I think many voracious readers actually think this.

I love reading so much and my imagination works overtime (especially when I’m asleep or resting) so I can’t help but wonder if my imagined scenarios might make for a good reading.writing

It’s just that I am no writer. I neither have the knowledge nor the discipline (especially the discipline).

I do wish though that I could write about all these things I enjoy reading about so much. The romance, the thrilling stories, the paranormal characters, the post-apocalyptic society, the friendship, the bravery, the tragedy of personal traits…

There are so many things I enjoy reading about that fill me with enormous anticipation and happiness and that put a smile on my face. I often wish I could return the favor by doing the same.

It’s just, I am no novel writer.

I tend to express myself in short sentences and even explain things to people in short and (hopefully) concise speech. I hate long explanations, writing long essays or anything that requires more than several sentences to be communicated.

Basically, I’ll never make a good novel writer. I just I wish I could though…

What good is interesting imagination if it can’t be put into words…

The odd woman out

I've been thinking, Perfume thoughts, World of Perfume July 18, 2013 Comments: 10

Would be me actually. :-S

It seems that I, in my blogging efforts, have completely missed the fact that there is a lively perfumista scene here in Croatia, thriving through different fora, mostly the ‘local’ version of Fragrantica (punmiris.com).

And if it weren’t for my decision to sell some of the perfumes from my (unfortunately still growing) collection, I would still be unaware of this fact.

I met another of those lovely perfumistas today and realized she actually knows all the other people I meet through these sites rather well. It is only I who is meeting everyone just now (or in the last year).
Well better now than never. 😉

And I’m loving it!

(I hope that didn’t sound like the McDonald’s commercial…)