Marc Levy in Moscow

The famous French writer Marc Levy was in Moscow yesterday, which was the Defenders` Day here (the former holiday of the Soviet Army). As for Marc Lavy, the meeting took place in one of the largest bookstores in the center of Moscow (the Loubyanka square, if that says anything to you, but let me tell you - that`s close to the KGB building).

The meeting was nice, though overcrowded. Marc looked tired and a bit harassed by cameras all around, but managed to speak quietly, meaningfully and with a good humour. His translator was quite a character, with long blond hair, quietly ironical, sort of nicely cynical. I like people with such eyes - a mixture of cheerfulness and sadness. I didn`t participate in questions&answers session, though enjoyed listening to what other people were interested to know: his favorite writer (BTW Romain Gary), whether he liked the movie based on his book, does English language influence his French, does his international experience help etc). As for the autograph - I asked for one, because I wanted "a blessing" from a real and a successful writer for my ongoing and future projects. So I told him what I was translating at the moment and asked him to wish me luck. My "speech" was quick, brief and bilingual. He was nice enough to write a couple of nice words on my (well, his) book.

By the way – here are the details what`s in his bag! (for those lucky ones who read Russian :))

And to finish for tonight on a more cheerful note: he will celebrate his birthday soon, March the 2nd, which is the very next day after mine B-Day. Ciao now!

a later UPD: the article is about Litvinenko assassination, which looks like a strange topic while advertising posh bags. In my opinion.

That was a surprise yesterday…

... when I saw the advert in one French magazine. Starring our former president Gorbachyov, promoting Louis Vuitton bags. Actually I absolutely don`t mind and not going to use big words sort of “leader of empire”, “ideas of consumption”. That is still quite a legal way of earning some (well...), some money, so I don`t really care.

But honestly I didn`t feel extremely comfortable when I saw him on the back cover of the “far away French” magazine, full page. The man on the back seat of the car which is supposed to be a good car, with quite a bag on his left? Was he playing a respectable pensioner enjoying his life? Something about never-ending adventure? He doesn`t look extremely happy (well, I know, nobody can guarantee staying happy all his life), but more than everything - he looks a bit puzzled and maybe lost. That`s not a confident proud look of the former Somebody. Perhaps he was playing just an ordinary person, but let`s face it – an ordinary person doesn`t typically travel with a personal driver with a posh sack.

On the other hand I do guess that it`s better than selling really ugly or dangerous stuff or advertising a drink which is believed to be the Russian national one (aka vodka).

And perhaps he is spending the money earned on that project for something really important and valuable. Am still in the age when I do believe in better thoughts and intentions.

The River Moskva, the centre of Moscow, my walk during the lunch time (I told you that`s not a real winter here, there`s still no real ice on the river, though they`ve promissed minus 20 soon). To celebrate that forecast I had to upgrade my coat yesterday - I trimmed the sleeves a bit.

A little bit of flirting to celebrate February the 14th

We are in the reporting stage now...

I mean at work. So we try to show our best activities etc in order to prove that we were okay and we would be okay. That`s quite a tricky psychological moment here, because I need to be sure that I am always okay (am working with my self-esteem now), but well – I don`t mind finding some nice photos of the events and showing them to the world. Not now of course, because that would not be an example of my perfect professional behavior.

Anyway, what I can say here:

- Reports need happy faces, even if the event is completely educational, takes place in a tiny room and involves pages of something printed in small letters. Well, typically people try to look happy and they smile. We work with youth by the way.

- As for the “youth” topic – that`s fun to chose pictures with them, because even in the depressed auditorium described above you can find some quick looks, quick smiles and other proofs of young romantic behavior, which I totally understand and ready to support morally.

- Photos of summer events – usually involve some naughty clothes and really funny footwear.

- I quite hate when it is necessary to show the pictures of some groups with disadvantages. Because being mentioned in the special context – they don`t look like I want them to look like. I always want them to be mentioned in the “main root”, just in the main line, so you can`t see the difference.

- More observation: people`s attention differ. In a huge hall there always will be someone sleeping, shaded in by dozens of other happy faces.

- Youth on the pictures also work with their self-esteem and they like to express themselves with some mysterious gestures or even a lit cigarette, which won`t be approved by me even in admiration to their age.

- Gender balance is sometimes a nightmare, because as everybody knows – girls are everywhere (and boys`re working with their self-esteem in other places).

By the way, playing with the pictures is just a small part of my job. I also don`t mind to do some translations from time to time (which means regularly, but "English into Russian" is sure more simple for me, that`s why I took that challenge here, writing in English).

It`s Sunday now, and although I know that it is a little bit “mauvais ton” to come to the office in weekends – I don`t mind, because that`s my own fun anyway. There is a small translation to be finished, so bye now.

Update, minute later: oh, sh... just opened the file, it`s not "a small translation"%)) definitely need to go now :))

By the way...

Also had a big day in the French (cultural) center. So that`s what I also had in my huge bag, enjoy.

Need to admit and to let you know that I like to pretend being an expert in French music, cinema and even theatre now, what is true anyway.

And if back to English, the books are (with my weak attempt to translate the titles) -
1) Christiane Baroche - The little happy moments of Eloise; The little treatise about bad behaviour.
2) Philippe Beaussant - The archaeologist.
3) Marcel Aymé - The Sorceress.
4) Katherine Pancol - Tough guys can not be found just on the street.

Sure I`ll read that just in Russian, but looking forward to know more about tough guys, bad behaviour and happy moments. Ciao!

Hey, still insisting on teaching me some English :)

Just returned from the supermarket. So that`s my lunch for today. Doesn`t look like a terribly healthy diet, I know. Well, the pudding part looks okay - bananas and some youghurt. Anyway - that`s just my bad taste, so I have to live with that.

Hope that posting such a thrilling picture here doesn`t disturb any public ethics or better feelings, though am ready to admit that it looks a bit pathetic.

Anyway - have a nice weekend!

Winter in Moscow...

... is pretty boring these days. Difficult to be referred to as "Russian winter", but everybody has already accepted the fact that Moscow is not Russia. Well, it`s a huge topic here, won`t start it now, you may enjoy the photo attached (if enjoying such grey everything is possible).

Funny enough but my umbrella was used yesterday (let`s speak about winter). I was okay with the idea of walking under the rain, but my colleague from Kaliningrad, who came yesterday in a new posh fur-coat, was happy to find my umbrella in the wardrobe. Actually that is a pretty broken old umbrella which I keep in the office just in case. But it does it`s job, especially in force majeur situations like yesterday, which means that it`s perfect. Anyway I feel quite pleased that my umbrella helped.

We also had rain today. The puddles are enormous and I do a lot of jumping, and that is probably good for me.

Everybody by that Carla Bruni

Tout le monde
Text (French original) – Carla Bruni 2002

Everybody is a funny person
And everybody has a tangled soul
Everybody is from the childhood which is purring
On the bottom of a far away pocket

Everybody has the dreams left
And the devastated corners of his life
Everybody was once searching for something
And everybody has not found it

Everybody should demand the authorities
The law against all our solitude
So that nobody would be forgotten

Everybody has his single life, which is passing
But everybody doesn`t remember it
I see how it is bent and how it is broken
And I see who doesn`t even see that

Everybody should demand the authorities
The law against all our indifference
And so that nobody would be forgotten

Everybody is a funny person
And everybody has a tangled soul
Everybody is from the childhood which is clanging
Once in the forgotten hour

Translation attempt: Lana (French-Russian-English)

Ok, the first experiment has shown that I do make mistakes, which was unnecessary to be proven, but still interesting to know.

The first thing needed to be known – there is no such a thing as “the English grammar” mentioned in my message yesterday. It should be just “English grammar”. Perhaps there`s no explanation, so I`ll try to remember.

My second insight is that English and Russian punctuation differs. As I got it now - the theory about (no article) English punctuation is that you may reject the words within the commas with no significant harm to the sentence. The theory about Russian punctuation is so huge that I won`t even start.

Example:
Being Russian in your mind - you`ll write using the commas like this: “Got my sandwich, and then I went shopping to the supermarket, where I found some French movie, which I finally bought, and still pretty excited about that, but right now I am back at work and have a lot of other funny things to do”. The remark that this whole sentence may be well rejected won`t be accepted.
In English you`ll probably use: “The lunch was okay” construction.

Hey teach me some English ©

So it`s February the 5th, 2008 and that`s the start of Lana`s new project, titled as above. I`ve seriously decided to take that challenge – starting to write something in English. At least in “my English”.

Can`t promise high-class literature here (difficult to measure anyway), but sure here will be some stuff to read – concerning myself. Mostly and obviously. But also:
- Some of my general observations about somebody, anybody and everybody.
- The results of my walking and talking.
- Some ideas I am thinking about, at least sometimes (I mean – thinking), although can`t promise to open the world for you. You`ll sure do it yourself, quite independently from me.
- ...
Was not going to write the full declaration of that “charming writing experiment” right now. Hope you`ve got the idea.

Just one more thing: private matters will be discussed if needed or by a specially treated request, with my complete and total right to ignore and deny anything. And never mind – I am quite talkative anyway, so perhaps you`ll start feeling too much involvement with no significant effort.

And yes, just want to clear that up: all the words, letters and numbers written here are mine in the sense of privacy, copyright and hands off! The ideas mentioned here are also mine, but they also may be well absorbed from people whom I respect or admire. If you share the same ideas – don`t hesitate to let me know.

Not going to write in an encyclopaedic (whatever) manner, can`t provide it anyway, but for some strange reason I do strongly believe that people who speak the same language (I mean – The Language), they understand each other even in easy reading or with grammatical mistakes.

As for mistakes, you are pretty welcome to point them, to make this world better and cleaner in the sense of the pure English grammar. I just suggest doing it in a gentle manner, avoiding tough words unless they are really necessary, but doubt that I am that desperate.

I can also admit sharing some of My pictures (c), as I definitely have a lot of everything around me.

So my name is Lana, right now am in Moscow and let`s start.