Faun♥

Faun is a german band that creates beautiful medieval ballads capable of taking any dreamer back to the middle ages. The songs lead us through woods filled with mythic creatures, so that we may encounter elves, witches and fauns, until we finally reach the high lands of Asgard, where we dance songs dedicated to Iduna.   

They evidently create a parallel between Norse, Egyptian, Greek and Latin mythology (the band’s name is quite suggestive: Faun is a mythical creature from the Latin mythology bond to fertility, he’s the kipper of the woods and is usually associated to music). The most known faun is the god Pan, always represented carrying his flute, while he wanders through the forest and dances with the nymphs. Some songs bringing concepts of latin mythology are: Alba (a city believed to have been founded by Eneias), Lupercadia (Pan’s Temple) and Arcadia (Yes, this term you for so many times heard during literature classes is the name of Pan’s homeland). In the Greek imaginary, Arcadia was full of hills and flock of sheeps, away from the cities (here comes the idea of living in touch with the nature: the bucolic).  

Fortunately for deutsch Lerners like me, most lyrics are written in this language. If you search the translations you’ll find yourself staring at lovely poetry (and in this case, listening to it). Read some verses of the song Isis (an Egyptian goddess connected to the nature and magic): ~Ich höre deine Stimme in dem Wind, Ich sterbe im Winter, ich stehe dir bei, Ich wachse im Regen, ich spüre den Wind, Ich spüre die Erde, ich halte dein Kind~ (Eu ouço sua voz no vento, Eu morro no inverno,  Eu cresci na chuva, eu posso sentir o vento, Eu sinto a terra, eu acho que sou seu filho).

Von Den Elben

~Muitos homens são enfeitiçados pelas fadas,

da mesma forma eu também fui enfeitiçado,

com o grande charme da melhor

a quem um homem pode ter amado.~

♥Thymian und Rosmarin♥:

~Du sagst Du stehst kurz vor dem Ziel

Ich glaube der, der ich verfiel

Du sprichst im Traum von einem Ort

den es nicht gibt, doch bist du dort~

(Você diz que está à beira

 Acredito que por isso me recusou.

 Você fala de um sonho, de um lugar que não existe,

 Mas você fala como se estivesse lá.)

Das Tor
~Ich werde dir eine Blume geben
und du mir eine
Ich werde dir meine Hand geben
und du mir deine
die Nacht, die Nacht, sie wird nicht mehr sein
 nur eine Wiese mit Blumen~


(Eu vou te dar uma flor
 E você me dará outra (tradução: mais ou menos isso)

Vou te dar minha mão
você e eu
a noite, a noite, ele deixará de ser
apenas um gramado com flores)

Hymn To Pan

~Listen now, Great Pan he calls us
From the green wood in his grove
'neath the waxing moon above us
Hear his clear flute sweet and low~

The vocals are alternated among Fiona Rüggeberg, Oliver Pade and Lisa Pawelke. Since 1998, year they banded, seven full-lengths were launched: “Zaubersprüche”, “Licht”, “Eden”, “Totem”, “Renaissance”, “Buch Der Balladen” e “Von Den Elben” – not necessarily in this order. In the oldest albums the songs used to sound more acoustic than nowadays, but they always added modern tricks, differing themselves from Krauka, for instance, a band that tries to make authentic Viking music by playing old instruments rebuilt by archeologists (this is the closer to viking music we’ll ever hear). Though Faun make constant use of technological resources , it doesn’t make their music bad at all, for their use of typical medieval instruments, like bagpipes, flutes, harp, lutes, hurdy-gurdy (intensely played by the bards), etc, make it possible for any listener to imagine he’s dancing around the fire of a medieval village, surrounded by magic creatures. Watch the video below where some of the previous instruments are displayed with more details:

Eden is my favorite album and also the first one I had the pleasure of listening to. The first song to slave my soul was The Market Song: the sweet rhythm of the flute, the lyrics about medieval fares, the woods in harvest time, the parties and dances – all this atmosphere combined with a lovely melody. I find this song very similar to Diese Kalte Nacht, from the album Von den Elben. Curiosity: Eden’s cover art was drawn by Brian Froud, who works with medieval fantasy along with his wife. Their work is a real show of goblins, elves, witches, trolls and so on. One of the most beautiful songs in this album is called Iduna. I know a nice story about this goddess:  

~In the old tales from the Norse mythology it is believed that there’s a young goddess called Iduna, who’s in charge of carrying a chest of golden apples capable of keeping the god’s immortality. Without these apples they’d perish like any mortal creature. Once Odin ordered that a new world ought to be raised to give the gods some shelter against their worst enemy: the giants. This world, that would be later called Asgard (the god’s homeland), was then summoned. One day, while the gods were all gathered admiring the work, a horseman came close to the party and noticed that the boundaries that should be protecting Asgard were nowhere to be seen. He offered his work as master builder, quickly receiving the god’s allowance, especially Odin’s. The problem began when Loki (another god) decided to make a dare with the horseman: if he accomplished the task within six months, he could have Iduna’s hand in marriage. Loki obviously didn’t think it was possible for a mortal man to do such a thing. Unfortunately, as time passed by, all signs pointed that he would indeed finish the boundaries in time. Loki was then under the pressure of the other gods (they were all suspicious about this mere mortal’s extreme strength), and had to come up with a plan to discover who was that mysterious master builder. So, one night Loki disguised himself as a female horse, attracting the man’s horse into the woods. Without the horse’s help, the man had to reassume his original shape, revealing to be a giant. Thor, then, thrown his powerful hammer and smashed the giant’s head, who had his body thrown to the fogs of Nilfheim (the world of the dead).~ ♥

Diese kalte Nacht♥  
Alba♥
The Market Song
Tanz Mit Mir
Warte Auf Mich♥
Iduna
Rani
Hymn to Pan
Pearl
Ynis Avalach
Wenn Wir Uns Wiedersehen
Thymian und Rosmarin

The clothier from Balmora

Curitiba has few fabric stores worth visiting, since most local shops are expensive and sell fabrics of a terrible low quality. The only alternative for those who expect to find something out of ordinary is to purchase it online, for you can choose from a larger variety of patterns and get the cheapest prices. Though I’ve never done it myself (fearing to feel too much expectation only to receive something completely different from what I ordered) I’ll have to make a research on safe online shops if I’m to have my vecona-inspired outfit for the next victorian picnic done. Despite wishing a victorian dress or something closer to medieval elegance, once the opportunity of taking part of this event arrived I immediately pictured my favorite fashion designer’s outfit in my head and decided to go wearing what seems to be a fusion of victorian and steam-punk. My next task is to find extra quantities of black and white striped fabric (which will be used for the bloomers and is most likely going to be cotton – lack of better options) and black wool for the cardigan. Besides my falling in love with this specific outfit, there’s also a practical reason for why I chose this one among Vecona’s creations. Whereas a witchy velvet dress would be hardly ever used (if not on these underground events) the striped bloomers along with the black cardigan can be dressed in several occasions. Let me say that I’m not exactly the sort of person who’s got an agitated social life, so giving the circumstances I’m not in position of spending my money with clothes that will rotten inside my closet with no use.

Over the past weeks I spent my free times in front of the sewing machine working on a piece of my project, something that had to be delayed for three years. The truth is I couldn’t get too involved in such things while eagerly waiting to be admitted to a top university, therefore my only options were either focus on the tests (Brazilian universities select their pupils through multiple-choice tests as well as essay tests – the public ones are free and awfully hard to be admitted to) or spend the rest of my life messing around. The second option was clearly out of question so I laid aside all my hobbies and plans for a greater good. Finally the storm is over and now I have plenty time to dedicate to my ideas, such as the blouse in the picture below: 

~victorian striped blouse made out of cotton

Silk lining~

Once my hands touched the texture of a fabric it amazed me how much I had forgotten the sensation of working on something handmade: for a second you’ve got an amount of cloth and in a blink of eyes it materializes into something beautiful in front of you! The cotton used to sew this blouse was bought at Imperial Fabrics (not the best around here, really), but it was on sale and I got two meters for only R$24, 90. Since they were out of silk I had to chase it in other shops and found it at Huddersfield Fabrics (their products are much better if compared to Imperial’s – so does the customer service). I found these delicate black flowers early this week and bought about 10 planning to use them on a Gothic Lolita headdress, but as I was working on the last details of my blouse I felt like something was missing, so these little beauties were added to the buttoning and now I’m pretty satisfied with the result.

~(Oh and before I forget let me list here the small soundtrack that made my afternoon's work worth it: Juli-  Immer Wenn Es Dunkel Wird, Süchtig, Mit Verbundenen Augen, Dieses Leben, geile zeit, Das Gute Gefühl, Elektrisches Gefühl (click to listen) - I am addicted to this german pop band, though this is not my favorite kind of music I like it because it helps me to learn german, besides, the lead-singer's voice is very pleasant).~

The striped cotton of higher-quality is sold at Casa Belem, one of the trendiest stores specialized in crafts and with the best variety of materials in the city. They offer prints that vary from polka dot, cherries, stripes, flowers and cupcakes to Russian dolls, skulls and red roses (most of them are imported so that one meter might cost more than R$ 45). There you can also buy sewing machines and take courses on cut and sew, patchwork and crafts in general...  Below: two pictures taken inside the store displaying imported fabrics and handmade products, such as cushions, beanbag chairs, dolls, purses, lampshades, wooden boxes and so on – all extremely expensive. For more information check their website:  http://www.casabelem.com.br/ 

Fringe ♥

Parallel universes, wormholes, reanimation, psychokinesis, precognition, hypnosis, time travel, teleportation, dark matter, a remarkable scientist, his son (who inherited his father’s incredible intelligence) and a badass FBI agent: this is the unique combination responsible for making Fringe a brilliant and unforgettable TV series that will probably be around for generations. Fringe is brainchild of J.J. Abrams and was broadcasted on Fox from 2008 to 2012. Unfortunately its good ratings didn’t last beyond season one and began to decrease dramatically from the third season on. Anyway, we must be grateful to both Fox and fringe’s producers that agreed to give it a fifth season to put an end to the story rather than leaving it undone. (It’s needless to say that given its fascinating background Fringe deserved at least 10 seasons). 

Because of all scientific issues covered by the series (mixing real theories to fiction) it turned out to be a good option for readers of popular science that are fond of speculating into scientist’s affairs, even though the principles of physics required to understand these matters are beyond our grasp. Fringe helped us to have a glimpse of what’s been going on in the scientific world and this is much like the work of guys like Carl Sagan, whose books introduce scientific theories in a more intelligible way. The difference is that Carl Sagan gives science a realistic approach (unless he shared Dr. Bishop taste in working under effect of drugs, who knows?).

The story begins with Olivia Dunham, a federal agent who finds herself involved in a highly classified investigation after having her partner shot in a bioterrorist attack. In an attempt to save him from whatever was consuming his tissues, Olivia went after a renowned scientist whose previous works indicates he’s the only one qualified to help her out. But before she could reach Dr. Bishop she had to convince Peter Bishop to release his father from the mental institution where he was been held. 

The background is based on the Level 3 Parallel Universe taken from the “Superstring Theory”, which claims the existence of multiple universes. Unlike what narrow-minded people might be thinking this is a serious theory widely studied by  physicists. Its implications are hard to explain (and the fact that I’m a dummy must be taken into account D:), basically this Level 3 p.u. is a different dimension that coexists with ours in the same space and time (sadly we can't cross over to the other side like Olivia – not until the day someone creates Corthexiphan :p). Although we can’t interact directly to this parallel dimension, every decision we make causes a bifurcation in the timeline (remember that both our universe and the Level 3 take place in the same time), consequently creating infinite possible futures and alternate dimensions (Walter explains that with more details in episodes like “The Road Not Taken” and “There is More than one of everything”).

I still remember the first time I watched Fringe and got blown away by the quantity of easter eggs and leads for next episodes, the hard-to-spot observers (you gotta freeze the scene to see them), the perfect opening theme and especially by the way all theories were carried out! After each episode I would  login to sci-fi forums to discuss over ‘n’ theories on whether the color of a particular object was a lead to something relevant (like when Peter said to Walter: “the red toothbrush is mine” – and in fact it turned out to be a crucial part of the puzzle). There’s a perfect connection between all fringe events and surely every one of the characters (including the bad guys) have made their way into our hearts in a way that only fringe is capable of. What’s to be said about David Robert Jones, the german guy who escaped from prison using a teleportation device created by Dr. Bishop? Or Newton, the shape shifter responsible for opening a bridge to a parallel universe?  They’re adorable villains!

And now it's over. It took me a while to recover my senses from the chock I felt after watching the series finale last friday. It is chocking not just because Fringe is no more but mainly because of its sad and totally unfair end. Despite have been born under the sign of pisces (I don’t believe in astrology, really xD) and considering myself a quite emotional person, crying with books or movies are very unlike me. Fringe is an exception. As an old fan(atic) I developed a deep connection with both the story and its characters in a way that I never did before . Each member of the fringe division (Olivia, Peter, Walter and Astrid (or Asteroid, or Aspirin, or Astro or any other name Walter might have called her – the list is endless!) had a contagious persona and somehow completed each other. They’re the sort of people I’d like to have around.

Dr. Walter Bishop♥, my favorite character. It is impossible not to fall in love with him right in the early episodes. At moments he would make us laugh as he went about his lab helping Olivia to figure out what might have caused human decomposition, mutation, fast-growing-clones, brain damage, human combustion etc – all cases in which he had previously worked on with his fellow William Bell - the mysterious owner of Massive Dynamic. The most amusing scenes are with no doubt the ones in which Walter is tripping with Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Brown Betty and so many others homemade drugs. Some scenes still get a laugh out of me even though I’ve already watched them about 5 times. Here you go some of Walter’s quotes that I’m so found of:

They’re bringing a dying David Robert Jones into the lab in a hurry and Walter is there entertaining himself with his cow Gene. Peter will say “Walter put the cow away”. And in another occasion as Walter picks up Peter’s call: “Hello Peter. This is me, Walter Bishop. Your father”, “Thanks Walter, I know who you are”. In the episode “The road not taken”, when Peter finally shows a device he created in order to digitalize Walter’s old discos: Walter “Thank you, son”, (and looking to Olivia and Astrid) “You know, when he was five, he built me a popsicle napkin holder. Dreadful design. Utterly useless.” Peter: “Thank you”. Walter: “But this is… this is…”, Peter: “You’re welcome”.  But this one is by far the funniest: The Fringe team arrives at a warehouse and as they scan the crime scene and find a hidden shape shifter embryo curled into a ball Olivia asks: “Walter, have you seen anything like this before?” Walter: “I think I may have. It's awfully familiar. Ah, yes. It reminds me of a beanbag chair I once owned... 1974”. ♥

But our beloved John Noble is also talented in making us feel heartbroken. Fringe’s last scene is certainly a proof of that, for it showed the sketch of a white tulip and then the screen went black to never again come alive with the colors of a new episode. Only old fans can understand the meaning this symbol has to Walter and why it’s so beautiful. The seventeen years he spent at a mental institution and his reencounter with Peter changed him into a better man. Before his reclusion he had worked in an area called Fringe Science and in all his ambition he knew no limits for science progress, what led him to conduct drug trials on children, among other anti-ethical researches. In other words, he didn’t much allowed anybody to stay in his way. 

When Peter fell ill with a rare disease Dr. Bishop did everything within his reach to save his son’s life, but in doing so he broke the balance between universes and caused damage beyond imagination. It’s in this very episode (Peter) that we are introduced to Walter’s old lab assistant, Dr. Carla Warren. As soon as she discovered Walter’s plans to cure Peter she tried to stop him “Walter there must be a line we can’t cross” – referring to what she believed to be god’s domain. Dr. Bishop’s response came sharp: “There’s space for only one god in this lab and it is not yours”. And that was when Walter crossed this line and everything began. After all he went through, the only way he could have his guilty relieved and feel forgiven by god was to receive a white tulip. In the end who received the tulip was not Walter at all, but… Well, I must stop here otherwise I’ll reveal too much. 

I thought I could go through all the seasons again and again but now I know things will end in that terrible way. I got such a void inside me at the point of waking up at the middle of night to think about all the possible alternative ends, all the “roads not taken” they could have chosen in order to give fringe a happy end. I felt hope when someone asked “There must be another way”. I said to myself “Yes! They’re gonna figure out a way of doing this just like they always did before.” But this time they couldn’t avoid this fate.

The Fringe Division faced daunting challenges in both universes and after five years the journey is over. As tribute to fringe some movies and other series borrowed the “observers” and displayed them in random scenes, so don’t get alarmed if a bold guy carrying a briefcase appears out of nowhere in a movie: you’re not nuts or obsessed (well maybe a little xD). I’m looking forward checking a 12-issue collection of comics written by Peter (Joshua Jackson) filled with stories about alternate realities experienced by him while he went missing between the third and fourth season. In case the comics aren’t enough to satisfy our thirst for Fringe we might check “October’s Notebook”, a special edition bringing all the data collected by this observer through the series (fortunately for us it is not written in the observer’s codes – probably Asterisk managed to translate it into English!) I swear that from now on, whenever I listen to Bowie’s old classics I’ll picture Walter in my mind and… smile :)

                                                                                     ♥

Himmelblau

This morning I dragged myself out of bed hearing the delicious sound of trees blowing along with the wind and poked my head outside the house, only to discover a winterlike weather under a deep blue sky. There is no better place to spend my vacation than my mother’s house: pure air, silence, my grandmother’s cakes and that old room of mine, where I for so long dreamt of my future. It’s priceless. My plans for the coming days are to ride horses at a colonial coffee and go out with my friends. Once I get to see them again I’ll hold them so tight that their bones will be torn apart! 

I’m in the verge of a new phase in my life and it makes me feel euphoric. In one of my talks with a hippie friend I mentioned my preference for being away from civilization, that is to say: Curitiba and its high buildings that tower over you, its slow traffic and crowded streets. I grew up in a small german settlement in the countryside of Santa Catarina, in a neighborhood surrounded by trees, peace and quiet (it wasn’t a farm at all). I miss the grass painted white by the frost, the sound of the deciduous trees and the fact that I was in touch with my loved ones at all times.

Normally people don’t believe me when I say this (probably because of the way I lighten up with them and make them laugh) but I’m way too anti-social to live in such a crowded city like Curitiba. Up to a few months ago I would never picture myself saying what I’m about to but nowadays I’m considering to move back to some small town. It doesn’t have to be exactly small, but consider places like Köln or Nuremberg (Germany), Stockholm (Sweden), Stavanger and Berger (Norway) - they’re all big cities but are not even remotely suffocating like São Paulo and Curitiba.

Here I spot new condoms going up everywhere and old houses being destroyed to give space for ugly squared buildings. If there’s one thing you realize after setting down in a metropolis is that people are always too busy to raise their heads at the sky to appreciate the sunsets, they get used to the smell of pollution and queuing in fast-foods is completely normal - this lifestyle is so different from the one I’m used to. In all my urge to open my wings and fly away I couldn’t see how lucky I am for being born in a small town - I experienced things that most residents of big cities don’t even dream about: I ate homemade pies cooked on wood stoves, organic vegetables and fruits (the food you buy at Curitiba’s markets are tasteless!), I got the habit of preparing my own meals instead of ordering it, I lived in a house with a garden, etc.

I’m not saying that I don’t like Curitiba, there are indeed wonderful things you come across on your daily life when living in that huge place! To begin with I could name a few universities, job and exchange opportunities for students, interesting people with the craziest tastes, beautiful places to visit, etc. The best opportunities can’t be found in small places – at least not in my country. I had to leave a lot behind, all the same I have reasons to be cheerful: I’m finally majoring in linguistics at a top university where I can go across the hall to run into renowned linguists and the best of all: I’m having the opportunity to learn as many languages as I can and prepare myself for my dream job as translator and interpreter! Had I stayed in my comfort zone none of it would have happened.

As soon as my vacation comes to an end I’ll pack my bags and say: Neuen Lebensabschnitt: Herzlich Willkommen! Warum nicht Deutsch mit Musik lernen?

Giants Citizen Kabuto Soundtrack

Para quem não sabe, GCK é um jogo de ação/aventura e talvez a coisa que mais marcou na minha vida. Aí você dá uma olhada na data de lançamento do jogo (2000) e em algumas imagens e acha até que bonitinho para os jogos da época, mas nada demais. Bom, se você é gamer desde pequeno e digamos que acabou de sair da adolescência há uns dois anos como eu, isso significa que você pegou uma fase em que os gráficos não eram tudo isso, e certamente se apaixonou por algum jogo que marcou muito e que ganhou espaço especial na sua lista de jogos. “Na minha época”, os jogos não eram tão realistas como os que são feitos hoje (com algumas exceções). 

Eu que sou escapista ao extremo procuro coisas que fujam o máximo da realidade. Cenários estranhos, enredo maluco e personagens mais estranhos ainda. E o que seria mais estranho do que um jogo que se passa em ilhas de um planeta desaparecido, no qual mulheres de olhos vermelhos e pele azulada são a forma de vida dominante, chegando a criar um monstro para defender seus domínios? Fiz uma postagem “gigante” (hehe) declarando meu eterno amor pelo universo de Giants nesse post (clique aqui e veja). 

Há uns anos eu tinha encontrado a trilha sonora para baixar, mas como tenho o péssimo hábito de não fazer backup dos meus arquivos (curiosamente hoje pela manhã eu estava fazendo), acabou que meu PC estragou e eu perdi tudo. Depois de anos sem jogar (prometi que voltaria só depois de passar em letras, yay!), senti profunda vontade de ouvir as belas músicas compostas por Jeremy Soule e Mark Morgan. São músicas clássicas maravilhosas e na maior parte, alegres. As minhas preferidas são as dos Meccs. Em segundo vem as do Kabuto e só então as da Delphi. As duas primeiras são mais de aventura, geralmente tocando enquanto os Meccs ou Kabuto estão em batalha. Aí está mais uma coisa muito feliz que esse game proporcionou na minha vida: o interesse por música clássica. Afinal de contas, Games também são cultura!

Minhas músicas preferidas (para ouvir é só clicar e ser direcionado para o youtube): Flight of the Meccs, Baz'sAdagio, Majorcan Voyage, Kabuto's Awakening, Kill, Crush, Destroy

Passei! Caloura de Letras Port-Alemão na Universidade Federal do Paraná

Um dos momentos mais esperados e sonhados da minha vida chegou: Finalmente passei no vestibular da minha amada UFPR, depois de tentar por três anos consecutivos. Dessa vez consegui ir além, me concentrar nas redações e realizar meu objetivo. Queria agradecer aos meus professores do cursinho, meus amigos e colegas que me incentivaram, me deram força quando não agüentava mais abrir um livro para estudar e, principalmente, minha família. Foi uma longa caminhada, por muitas vezes pensei em desistir. Felizmente esses foram apenas momentos ruins e hoje sei que vou conseguir chegar onde quero. De agora em diante quero aprender diversos idiomas e me preparar para ir ao velho continente europeu.