Read of the Month: March

"A hundred prisoners are each locked in a room with three pirates, one of whom will walk the plank in the morning. Each prisoner has 10 bottles of wine, one of which has been poisoned; and each pirate has 12 coins, one of which is counterfeit and weighs either more or less than a genuine coin. In the room is a single switch, which the prisoner may either leave as it is, or flip. Before being led into the rooms, the prisoners are all made to wear either a red hat or a blue hat; they can see all the other prisoners' hats, but not their own. Meanwhile, a six-digit prime number of monkeys multiply until their digits reverse, then all have to get across a river using a canoe that

can hold at most two monkeys at a time. But half the monkeys always lie and the other half always tell the truth. Given that the N-th prisoner knows that one of the monkeys doesn't know that a pirate doesn't know the product of two numbers between 1 and 100 without knowing that the N+1th prisoner has flipped the switch in his room or not after having determined which bottle of wine was poisoned and what color his hat is, what is the solution to this puzzle?"

There are many famous companies that are known for their tough interview questions. Apple, Microsoft, Google and many many more seek not only high IQ or excellent school grades. They need people, who are ready to change the world and know exactly how to do it. People, who are able to think creatively and find solutions to all given situations.

The riddle above is not an actual interview question. It is an internet parody of the seemingly impossible to answer questions, given at job interviews for world's top companies. However, the real puzzles sound pretty much the same.

"Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?" by William Poundstone is a wonderful collection of trick questions, riddles and puzzles. It doesn't teach correct answers. There aren't any. But it gives an idea of how to improve your creative thinking, how to step out of the box and look at things differently.

Here are a couple of questions you can think about, too:

- You've got an analog watch with a second hand. How many times a day do all three of the watch's hands overlap?

- On a deserted highway, the probability of observing a car during a thirty-minute period is 95%. What is the chance of observing a car in a ten-minute period?

- In a dark room, you're handed a deck of cards with N of the cards faceup and the rest facedown. You can't see the cards. How would you split the cards into two piles, with the same number of faceup cards in each pile?

A little bit confusing, aren't they? However, the book is a light read and is perfect to kill some time while riding the bus or underground. It is witty, funny, and most importantly - it makes you think.

Hundertwasserhaus

Hundertwasserhaus is the most popular residential building in Vienna. It was built after the unusual concept of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and has become one of the expressionist landmarks of Vienna.

Hundertwasser's views about art and architecture have sometimes been dismissed as "unserious kitsch". He acted against the conventional boring architecture of his time. For him, the reason of human misery was the sterile, grey, monotonous architecture. Hundertwasser believed that straight lines and right angles were "godless" and propagated a type of architecture in harmony with nature, with bright colours and whimsical shapes.

The Hundertwasserhaus is designed with undulating lines and lots of colours. The original plan was the building to have uneven floors, but for practical reasons this was never implemented. The roof is covered with earth and grass and large trees grow from inside the rooms, their limbs extending from some of the windows. Colourful solid pillars support the building and numerous stucco figures and ceramic mosaics decorate it. Hundertwasser did the design of the residential building free of charge, declaring that the investment was worth it to "prevent something ugly from going up in its place".

"A person in a rented apartment must be able to lean out of his window and scrape off the masonry within arm's reach. And he must be allowed to take a long brush and paint everything outside within arm's reach. So that it will be visible from afar to everyone in the street that someone lives there who is different from the imprisoned, enslaved, standardized man who lives next door."

Happy Weekend!

I've had a busy week and I am super excited that the weekend is finally here. Now I can finally snuggle with a cup of chocolate tea and all the fancy books I've bought during the week. ("The girl with the Dragon Tattoo", anyone? I decided to finally give it a try, I've heard too much about it to ignore it any longer.) I plan to finish some sketches, reply to all my mail, cook something special (I am getting better and better! I could even share a recipe or two!) and study some German grammar. What do you plan to do in the weekend? Whatever that is, enjoy yourselves! ~

Paper Rose Bouquet DIY

Sometimes you need the simplest and most ordinary materials to create something special. I am still in the process of decorating our (not-so-new-anymore) place and I am having so much fun! I am excited to share with you this super easy and cute paper rose bouquet diy!

1. You will need: Paper/cardboard in your favourite colour (mine isn't red, but it goes well with the interior here so I had to compromise). I preferred cardboard, because the roses come out better defined, but ordinary paper would also do the trick; a twig or two; a pencil, liner, scissors, some soft poster stickers and a small vase.

2. Cut out squares, depending on the size you want your roses to be. I didn't want mine to have the exact same shape - for the biggest one I used a 13x13 cm cardboard and for the smallest - 3x3 cm.

3. Draw a spiral on the cardboard square. It doesn't have to be perfect - just to give you an idea of where to cut. Make sure you have a little circle in the middle, this is where the stickers will hold the whole thing. Let's call this circle Mr. C, he's quite important!

4 and 5. Following the line you've drawn, cut the cardboard into a spiral. If you have zigzag shape scissors, don't hesitate to use them here! It would look even cuter! When you're finished with the cutting, take the end of the spiral and start rolling in towards the center. Roll until you hit the little circle we've left in the middle (Mr.C!) and then let loose. There you have it!

6 and 7. If you cannot find soft poster stickers, you could use two-sided duct tape as well. I prefer stickers, because they are like paste and hold the cardboard well. Put one sticker on the inner side of Mr.C and one on the back side. (He likes to stay warm.) Then adjust any imperfections while the stickers are still soft.

8. Plan how many roses you wish to have (mine are nine) and make consistent spacing. Then attach the roses to the twig and ta-da! You're done! Now all you have to do is put the bouquet in a cute vase and find a place for it :)

Chestita Baba Martha!

Grandma Martha is one of the most revered Bulgarian rites. It is a centuries-long Bulgarian tradition symbolizing the end of winter and the coming spring. On the first of March people exchange martenitsi - twisted red and white threads - and make wishes for health and happiness. The white woolen thread signifies long life and well-being and the red one - health and strength.

People never buy a martenitsa for themselves - they are always given as gifts. Martenitsi are worn on clothing, around the wrist or neck. Sometimes people adorn their home with martenitsa tassels as a token of abundance and prosperity. All martenitsi are worn until the wearer sees a stork or a swallow returning from migration. Then the martenitsa is removed and put on a blossoming tree.

There are numerous legends about the origin of this tradition. The oldest one dates back to 681. Khan Asparukh, who established the first Bulgarian Empire, won an important battle over the Byzantine and wrote a letter to inform his people. He attached it to a pigeon's leg with a white thread. While flying, the pigeon was hurt by an enemy arrow, but nonetheless succeeded in delivering the message. The white thread, with which the letter was attached, had been half soaked in blood and became the symbol of life and prosperity.

In any case Granny Martha symbolizes the new beginning. The nature wakes up from long winter sleep and the people welcome the upcoming spring. Thanks to my boyfriend's sweet mom and a cute friend of mine, we too have martenitsi here in Austria and we follow this beautiful bulgarian custom. Chestita Baba Martha to you all, I wish you health and happiness! Spring is almost here! :)

Честита Баба Марта! :)

Little Things

Just a list of little things that make my world go round: beautiful sceneries, a nice cup of tea with milk, cute puppy faces, good hair-days, rainy Sundays, surprises, love notes, striped socks, people with funny mustaches, adventures, a slice of warm apple pie in the morning, a nice song, spying cats, cameras, a good read and some old school video games. Ah!

All-Seeing-Eye.

Although I have been enjoying painting a lot, it was high time I used my super neglected tablet. Photoshop, I have truly missed you. We have a special connection, the two of us. We work as a team and I love that. Watercolours doesn't seem to trust me like you do. I promise I will never again leave you for such a long time. (:

Lernen, lernen, lernen

For the past two weeks our dining table has turned into something like this. Sheets of paper with German grammar exercises are flying all around the place and I am basically falling asleep and waking up with thoughts in German. (my vocabulary is a bit scarce, but still...)

It's super fun, actually, to learn something you're interested in. I'm always interested in new languages, no matter how super crazy some rules are. (or the word order, in this case). I am a little bit nervous and pretty excited about the following days. I am eager to check my progress in German and to SPEAK, for the very first time, in front of a small audience of native speakers.

I would appreciate it if you could keep your fingers crossed for me, just in case! Positive thoughts always do the trick :)

~

An Egyptian Collection

One of my favourite things to do when I was little was watching documentaries about ancient Egypt. I was (and still am) so fascinated by every single piece of their history.

Visiting an egyptian collection is even more fun when you have your personal translator with you. Yes, that is right. Lazar has studied egyptology back in Bulgaria and can actually read some of those pretty hieroglyphs. How lucky am I?

This cute little statuette is one of the gems of the egyptian collection in Kunsthistorisches Museum. During the Old Kingdom the female hippo was seen as a deity of protection in pregnancy and childbirth. Egyptian women wore amulets depicting the hippo goddess - Taweret, to protect their pregnancies. The motif was used in the decorations of beds and headrests, because of its protecting powers.

The image of the goddess has changed with time. Later on, the goddess was depicted as half human, carrying an ankh - the symbol of life, or a knife - to chase away evil spirits. This statuette depicts the original perception of the goddess. It is more than 4000 years old and is so well-preserved, its colours and details still amusing the people.

In ancient Egypt even in death the rich people differed from the poor. You can see how different the left mummy mask is from the right one. The gilding on the face symbolizes the union of the dead with the Sun God. The black and gold wig and the rich gilding suggest that it was the death of a wealthy man. The right mask has more details but has been done with more ordinary materials and suggest the death of a less wealthy man. However, both of them depict the close connection between an ordinary person and God, and the striving for perfection and eternal life.

Are you fascinated by ancient Egypt as much as I am?

Tribal

My watercolour adventures continue!

I am a bit sick (bad weather came to Austria, too. And although I love snow I can't really enjoy it without Dexter.) and I am staying home, drinking tea and reading. But, you know, you can't just sit around doing nothing. Even when you're sick. So I took out my favourite set of watercolours and decided to make a friend for this little girl.

I enjoy painting so much that I have completely forgotten about Photoshop. For now. I think I might need to use my new tablet at some point, though. I bet he's not enjoying himself stuck in that box.

~

Karlskirche

The St. Charles Church in Vienna (better known here as Karlkirche) is said to be one of the most outstanding baroque church structures in the world.

The construction of the building began in 1716 and took 21 years to finish. After the death of the primary architect, J.B. Fischer, his son completed everything using partially altered plans. The ambitious design of the Karlkirche combines architectural elements from three different cultures. There are elements from ancient Greece (the columned portico), ancient Rome (the two Trajanesque columns) and contemporary Viennese Baroque (the dome). This is the reason the design of the church is always regarded as something of an architectural curiosity and was never imitated by any other architect.

The interior of the church is much more conventional than the exterior, but is still impressive, with High Baroque decoration. The vault frescoes depict St. Charles Borromeo begging the Holy Trinity to end the plague in Vienna. The large round glass window high above the main altar symbolizes God's love and absolution.

The green copper dome of Karlskirche rises 72 meters high and a special lift in the church can take you to the very top. I don't like such improvements, since I prefer old buildings to keep their original appeal, but I guess building an elevator was the only way for people to have a close look at the beautiful ceiling paintings. The depiction of the little children looking at the grey bird is actually the highest painting, just at the center of the dome.

Things that make me happy

I don't know about you, but I rarely use my cell phone as a... phone. I almost always leave it at random places and forget where it is, or forget it at home when I go out. But since I've been using it as a camera, capturing daily shots of all the things around me, things have changed. I carry it with me almost every time. And I capture everything colourful and pretty.

Painting has kept me busy lately. I lost my tablet pen, so I had to buy some supplies that I hadn't used for ages. The first picture is a glimpse of the canvas I am currently working on. Acrylics are fun!

I love witty messages. I like them even more when they're in German and I can understand every single word. (I am making progress!) Picture 2 is a postcard I found in a little bookstore here. It says "When the end of the world comes, I'll go to Vienna. Everything there happens 20 years later." I think that is my plan, too.

Did you know that there is a free application for iPhone, that turns Mona Lisa's portrait into 3D? All you need to do is point your phone at a Mona Lisa picture (you don't have to be at the Louvre... though it would be more fun, ha!) and voila! Mona Lisa looks like she's about to jump out of the frame and kiss you on the cheeks.

On the other pictures you can see my last fortune cookie (so mysterious!), the watercolours I've been so excited about and a tiny carousel. The pink one is a quick shoot I did today that I really like. This is the chimney of Vienna's Fernwärme, but it really looks like a cloud factory to me. Doesn't it? Next is my Little Prince quotations box, that helps me learn new German words in a fun way. A banana, that I spotted near home today and instantly reminded me of Andy Warhol. And, of course, Dexter. The prettiest of them all! :) I miss his wintery pink nose and I can't wait to snap another load of pictures of him. Isn't he the cutest fella?

Rediscovering watercolours.

If you spend most of your time drawing on Photoshop (or any other computer program), you somehow forget about paper. I mean - when I know I have my tablet around, I prefer to use it instead of doing sketches and doodles in a notebook. (except when I'm traveling with the underground or waiting for someone somewhere.)

But when I lost my tablet pen I decided to try it. And guess what? It feels great!

I hadn't used watercolours for ages. The last time was most probably in middle school. All I can remember from back then is that I never got the hang of it and it always turned out a complete mess.

What I used to see as imperfections and bad paint coverage is what I absolutely adore now about watercolours. It's simple and easy and so much fun to use brushes again that I think my new tablet will stay unopened in its box for a while. Painting with watercolors is great! And it's the best way to relax after a whole day of grammar exercises in German.