Differences

Her: Why do you still want me? I've learned that people only want others that are no different than themselves. Homogeneity makes me sick.
We live in two very different worlds. My world is in minority, and yours will reject me

Him: Then I'm going to be part of your minority

Her: Are you sure? It's a small one. Many are not even aware that it exists, while others are calling it egocentrism, selfishness...even ignorance.

Him: How do you call it?

Her: The minority of one.

Philistinism

On Social Networking

Whenever i feel intellectually over stimulated - :)- I enjoy having coffee in Columbia's cafeteria, while reading The Bottom Line, a publication written by the Business School students.
This month, they dedicated an entire issue to us, the Social Networking Generation!
Most of the articles and simply hilarious, and the observations incredibly accurate:

"Oh shit, she defriended me! The coffee almost spilled on my keyboard as I looked to complete my mourning ritual of eating while creeping the profile of my crush in Cluster B. (...) With a 3% margin of error( with a confidence interval of 95%), I should expect 21% of you might defiended me based on my status updates on the composition of stool. But what hurt the most, what cut the deepest, is knowing that 13% of you will delete me because I am just not attractive enough to merit a .5 inch x .5 inch spot on the exclusive real estate that is your, and probably her, fiend list."
"Yes, I understand the importance of the right profile picture, the gravity of the relationship update and sometimes, the painful necessity of de-friending taht guy or gal...you know who you are. However, the office is not the place (...). My advice would be to save -Saturday or Sunday afternoon while nursing world class hangover and facebook stalking...er I mean..keeping up on that attractive person from your local gym."

A new kind of music

I've met Nazeri recently, at an event in NYC. The “awkward picture” was taken approximately 5 sec! after we've met at the entrance.
Tall, very stylish, almost shy, and modest, Hafez introduced me to his music: “I don't know if it's better, but it's certainly different. It sounds like nothing you've heard before.” He composes for a different type of listener, an intelligent, sophisticated listener. Only 30 years old, Hafez wants to involve young people in promoting his work. I agreed to be part of this. I'm going to see his performance on November 14th at Carnegie Hall...and a concert in Carnegie Hall needs little to no introduction. What really strikes me: an Iranian composer will perform in America's most prestigious concert hall. I applaud this nation every single day.
You can find online plenty of information about his work and the concert.

I told you...it's not just me!

"We were shaped by individual selection to be selfish creature who struggle for resources, pleasure, and prestige, and we were shaped by group selection to be hive creatures who long to lose ourselves in something larger."

"The Happiness Hypothesis" by Haidt made my week.

 

On art, consumerism, and sex

Mr. Warhol,

I can't get modern art yet! I simply cannot!
The modern artist "produces things that people don't need to have." Sometimes, like to attend modest art shows in Chelsea or Soho, but whenever i do...the artisty scene is my only motivation. Well, it's a very New York kind of thing. I know... "I am a deeply superficial person."
However, I love one modern artist...it's you Andy W! I love you, I love you because you are so damn obvious and repetitive...and you know what.... "I like boring things" as well! After all... “Isn't life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?”
We no longer have the time to stop, admire, or to unlock the meanings of art...This speed is making us all ignorant and superficial.
How beauuutifully you verbalized it once: "If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am. There's nothing behind it." I've heard that some don't even consider you and artist, but “Don't pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.”
And oh..we even share the same ideas on certain matters. There is one thing we both observed about this city called New York. At some extent, in Manhattan we all tend to have the say way of life. Rich or poor, depressed or on Xanax...we all consume the same Starbucks latte, go to the same parties, and take the same subway car and yellow cabs. It amazes me that you were the first one to state this: "What's great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest."
Wait...there is another one. Sex! In NY people think that “Sex is the biggest nothing of all time”. It sounds boring, but we already agreed that boring things are cool. Btw, I don't believe in this statement: "Sex is more exciting on the screen and between the pages than between the sheets." You mean porn?! I can't see any art in that..oh yes..maybe because porn is a type of modern art. Silly me...You know what the real problem is?! Listen carefully...“During the 1960s, I think, people forgot what emotions were supposed to be. And I don't think they've ever remembered.”

Otilia


*Quotes by Andy Warhol
*This post is a pamphlet and does not reflect my behavior, or understanding of the subjects discussed. Not fully...

About an artist

What is the point in photographing beauty, if the world's most beautiful pictures already exist?
I had the honor to work with Harry once. I remember feeling uncomfortable and intimidated by his presence. But that weekend I was about to learn something important. I remember him whispering, so no one except me could hear: "Tomorrow is your day...forget about the client, this magazine, or me. Have fun...this is all about you!"
Not long after that, the name of this photo blog became "aboutotilia", and everyday...my day!
Thank you Harry for being my inspiration!

Being an optimist

I would like to finally hit rock bottom...good thing about it...it absolutely can't get any worse!

Flying trapeze

"Shamless" ...as the artist calls it

photos by/with Ohad Maiman

....

“People are like lice-they get under your skin and bury themselves there. You scratch and scratch until blood comes, but you can't get permanently deloused. Everywhere I go people are making a mess of their lives. Everyone has his private tragedy. It's in the blood now-misfortune, ennui, grief, suicide. The atmosphere is saturated with disaster, frustration, futility. Scratch and scratch-until there's no skin left...I want everyone to scratch himself to death.” H.M.

Croatian postcard

Dear Romanian friends, Croatia is absolutely beautiful and not far from our beloved country. If you have the chance, grab a "Lonely Planet" guide and explore it!

Venice

A beautiful,sexy,memorable day in Venice

Baroque in Florence

A beutiful experince

Flight over perfect Switzerland

Naked

Painted by artist and friend Sawan Yawnghwe.

A backstage story

Ciprinai nyc, the making of "The Fashion Show", Bravo Tv.