tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64388163222377640542024-03-14T06:18:45.169+01:00silent sn@ilThao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-14394435329975377392014-04-03T17:26:00.000+02:002014-04-03T17:34:45.580+02:00Ranunkel, Ranunkel, let down your hair...<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of my favorite spring flowers is Persian buttercup.</div>
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The red Persian buttercups are something between red poppies and red roses. They have the pasionate look and the velvet touch of red roses. However, their stems and buds are slightly hairy and the beautifully sharp contrast between their blood-red petals and midnight-black pistils remind me of red poppies in summer. </div>
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The German name of Persian buttercup is Ranunkel. It sound quite similar to "Rapunzel" to me. Have you ever heard of "Rapunzel", a German fairy tale in the collection assembled by the Brothers Grimm, telling a story of a young, beautiful woman with very long, golden hair, who is imprisoned in a tower in the middle of the woods? Since my little girl is a fairy of red Persian buttercups, she doesn't have golden, but black hair, which goes better with the color red.</div>
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Ranunkel, Ranunkel, let down your hair...</div>
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This is how the drawing was made step-by-step:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kugGnpP21-o/Uz18a-q58gI/AAAAAAAACIg/zfrBjTZnbAI/s1600/IMG_2887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kugGnpP21-o/Uz18a-q58gI/AAAAAAAACIg/zfrBjTZnbAI/s1600/IMG_2887.JPG" height="640" width="635" /></a></div>
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And ta-da, the final outcome! </div>
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Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-39726172666816980152014-03-27T19:22:00.000+01:002014-03-27T19:22:31.332+01:00Birthday Princess<div style="text-align: justify;">
I celebrated my Birthday greatly with my close friends on Tuesday. A friend of mine reserved a table at a Chinese hotpot restaurant. Because it was Tuesday, the restaurant was empty, when I came in. I felt special, as if my friends had reseved the whole restaurant for me. </div>
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Every year on my birthday I miss my Mum so much. I wish she was by my side and we would cook something and eat at home like we used to do, when I was younger. </div>
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I believe, it doesn't matter, how old I am, I am always a little princess to my Mum and every year on my birthday she will surprise me with an unique present - her love but always in a very different way. </div>
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To my Mum: </div>
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Thank you for loving me unconditionally! </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pJHmR3M7qfU/UzRrBrig8uI/AAAAAAAACG0/3DpxHNhMyU4/s1600/BirthdayPrincess-s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pJHmR3M7qfU/UzRrBrig8uI/AAAAAAAACG0/3DpxHNhMyU4/s1600/BirthdayPrincess-s.jpg" height="640" width="510" /> </a></div>
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To my friends:</div>
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Thank you for making my birthday a sweet one!</div>
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Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-84847063831540422172014-03-12T02:09:00.000+01:002014-03-12T02:09:17.230+01:00The magic of cherry blossom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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All my exams are over. It's now time to draw again.</div>
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I made the sketch for this watercolor several days ago while learning for the last exam of this semester. What a relief hearing the sound of pencils scratching on paper! I always wonder, why some people disklike this wonderful scratching sound so much. It sounds so beautiful and promising, much nicer than the scratching sound of chalk on a blackboard or a knife on a plate. I assume, that is the sound of an idea. </div>
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I'm very sure, spring has arrived safe and sound. The sun shines again. Birds are tweeting merrily. Eagerly numerous flower buds are longing for blooming. And I feel the fragrance of love in the air. </div>
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One of my favorite moments of spring is the blooming of cherry blossoms. The moment is just like magic. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-udzHzv8rLKI/Ux50IkYVKEI/AAAAAAAACFs/Q4_RakCbzqc/s1600/cherryblossoms-s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-udzHzv8rLKI/Ux50IkYVKEI/AAAAAAAACFs/Q4_RakCbzqc/s1600/cherryblossoms-s.jpg" height="454" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-86933703864772218352014-02-28T23:43:00.001+01:002014-02-28T23:43:36.181+01:00The first signs of Spring<div style="text-align: justify;">
Spring is coming back, I saw the first signs of this return several days ago. </div>
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Snowdrops (<i>Galanthus</i>) are now found at every corner in the garden, and as usual they are modest, but lovely in their appearance. </div>
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This drawing is very small, only 8 x 10,5 cm, done by me with watercolor and colored pencils, my favorite artistic media to celebrate this happy event. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-enPR-LGzH3c/UxEQHXlRoRI/AAAAAAAACEA/1InlIfn0gjE/s1600/Snowdrops_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-enPR-LGzH3c/UxEQHXlRoRI/AAAAAAAACEA/1InlIfn0gjE/s1600/Snowdrops_s.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-9429032535085228522014-01-06T22:37:00.000+01:002014-01-06T22:37:57.650+01:00And they lived happily ever after <div style="text-align: justify;">
My cousin, with whom I grew up and shared beautiful childhood memories, got married to his high school sweetheart at the end of December, three days before Christmas.What a brave decision to celebrate the wedding in such stressful time! </div>
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Two months before the ceremony, he asked me for designing his wedding invitations. I felt touched for being asked. <span class="userContent">The invitation design will be a small present of mine to
celebrate a new chapter in his life, since "we can do no great things; only
small things with great love". I wish him all the best for the future. </span></div>
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<span class="userContent">This is how the official invitations and the other two options look like. </span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><br /></span>Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-42201082354187349612014-01-03T00:03:00.001+01:002014-01-03T00:03:10.072+01:00The taste of Christmas<div style="text-align: justify;">
Christmas is over, but the warm memories of Christmas still leave a delicious taste on my tongue and melt in my mouth. Yummy!!!</div>
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Grilled pork filet served with Duchess potatoes and mushroom cream sauce - Noodle salad with surimi - Smoked salmon - Pickle grilled sweet pepper - Leberkäse - Oven baked chicken legs - Kimbap with marinated beef - Minced raw pork with onion </div>
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Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-77759390003877577882013-12-02T21:57:00.000+01:002013-12-02T21:57:06.540+01:00Sketches Home-Sweet-Home<div style="text-align: justify;">
I stayed at home in Vietnam for nearly four weeks from September to October this time. It was great to see Mum again after a long time apart. I often come back home on Christmas holidays to escape from freezing European winter days and because it's silly to face Christmas alone without surrounding myself with family and friends. </div>
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Mum is not only a gourmet but also a good cook. Staying at home with her means cozy atmosphere, good meals and healthy food. </div>
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I love to sketch food. While drawing I tried to remember how delicious the dishes looked like when they were served in front of me, how enticing they smelled and of course how their <span class="st">delicate </span>taste melted on my <span class="st">tongue. These memories make me so happy and feel deeply grateful for what I got in life. </span></div>
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<span class="st">Arabian-style dinners on the plane back home in Sai Gon:</span></div>
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<span class="st">Mum's lovely pets:</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NfdVskkq-C4/Upzrf4gTYWI/AAAAAAAACBA/SQFFJq4aj9A/s1600/VN+Sketch+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NfdVskkq-C4/Upzrf4gTYWI/AAAAAAAACBA/SQFFJq4aj9A/s640/VN+Sketch+4.jpg" width="640" /> </a> </div>
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<span class="st">Dinners like a King at home:</span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Grilled Meat on Rice Noodles (Bún thịt nướng của mẹ) - One of my favorite things I love from my mum's cooking</span></span><span class="fbPhotoTagList" id="fbPhotoSnowliftTagList"><span class="fcg"></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UKS1yfXwPI0/Upzrggrjp5I/AAAAAAAACBM/dlXizJBfHI8/s1600/VN+Sketch+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UKS1yfXwPI0/Upzrggrjp5I/AAAAAAAACBM/dlXizJBfHI8/s640/VN+Sketch+7.jpg" width="640" /><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"></span></a><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Sushi and Sashimi at Tokyo Deli in Saigon: Salmon belly, herring fish roe sashimi, sliced octopus with wasabi and broiled eel nigiri.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tb4rGNg_vPA/UpzrhFirZJI/AAAAAAAACBU/OUk2rE9p_Dk/s1600/VN+Sketch+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tb4rGNg_vPA/UpzrhFirZJI/AAAAAAAACBU/OUk2rE9p_Dk/s640/VN+Sketch+8.jpg" width="640" /></a><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Traditional dishes from Hue, the old imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty- the last dynasty in Vietnam</span></span></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> Keep this quote in my mind:</span></span></div>
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang</span></div>
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Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-16833876227710518902013-09-12T02:29:00.000+02:002013-09-12T02:29:28.870+02:00Forest animals One year has passed since I made my typography paper cut "<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><a href="http://silent-snail.blogspot.de/2012/08/cras-numquam-scire.html" target="_blank">Cras numquam scire</a>". </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">This is the first paper cut I made this year. It is supposed to be a birthday gift for a friend's father, who turned 75 years old this year and adores the art of cutting paper designs. I finished the paper cut one day before my trip to Strasbourg, France. </span></span><br />
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told me, the paper cut brought back his childhood memories of watching
the TV series "The Animals of Farthing Wood", based on a book of the
same title written by Colin Dann. What a coincidence!</span></span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span>Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-19182830757597504982013-08-08T21:27:00.000+02:002013-08-08T21:27:22.992+02:00Lost in a cloud of butterflies<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last summer, I purchased a book named "Gioconda " by British writer <span class="st">Lucille Turner, an</span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer380932646"><span id="freeTextContainer4247620907613777136"> excellent historical fiction of </span></span><span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer380932646"><span id="freeTextContainer4247620907613777136">Leonardo da Vinci's life. I love the way t</span></span>he book opens inside the mind of the <span id="freeText8815404955476731499">solitary </span>boy Leonardo roaming the countryside,
being fascinated by mechanics of <a href="http://silent-snail.blogspot.de/2011/11/magic-hat.html" target="_blank">butterflies</a>, watching rivers to see exactly how water moves, collecting dead animals to dissect. </div>
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"A small boy knee deep in meadow flowers of humming violet, blazing white, is lost in a cloud of butterflies. He holds out his net,..., and waves it through the air, making eddies and currents but catching only sunlight. He flies this way and that, chasing wings that do not want to be caught, until finally he gives up, sits on a clump of moss and watches the stream instead...Time for another approach, he thinks. <i>Let the butterfly come to you</i>. He sits still and waits..."</div>
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Immediately after reading these sentences, I began to make a sketch of a small boy standing in the middle of a wild flower meadow and observing a lek of colorful butterflies dancing in the air. For some inexplicable reason I didn't feel like finishing the drawing and just left it undone until yesterday. </div>
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Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-9543363101946948012013-08-03T00:04:00.000+02:002013-08-03T00:10:26.488+02:00Language of flowers: Love-in-a-mist<div style="text-align: justify;">
Language of flowers:</div>
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Nigella (or Love-in-a-mist) - "You puzzle me."</div>
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Love-in-a-mist (<i>Nigella damascena</i>) is one of my favorites. </div>
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Love-in-a-mist gets its evocative name from the way a tangle of ferny, fennel like foliage form a mist around the flowers. However, obviously not everyone felt about it in the
same way, as it was also known as devil-in-a-bush and Jack-in-prison (???). Because of its misty foliage like a veil of secrecy, the flower is a symbol of perplexity. In some regions in Europe, women used to give Nigella as a refusal to their undesirable suitors, since the flower is also a symbol of unrequited love. </div>
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<span class="bqQuoteLink">"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them." - </span><span class="bodybold">A. A. Milne</span>
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Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-64153717093295031632013-07-23T02:06:00.000+02:002013-07-23T02:06:17.127+02:00Language of flowers: Phlox<div style="text-align: justify;">
Language of flowers: Phlox - "Our souls are united."<br /></div>
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<span class="userContent">"A garden without a phlox is not only a mistake, but also a sin against summer." - Karl Foerster, gardener and garden writer</span></div>
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<span class="userContent">A phlox may not have a stunning beauty, but its gentle scent is just lovely. I love to receive flowers and actually receive them currently quite often. "What a lucky girl!" is what I talk about myself now. I have thought about creating a series of botanical drawings of the flowers I received. Each flower in the drawings will carry with it a common </span>symbolic definition according to Western Culture. <br />
Over the years I will have a great collection of drawings of flowers or plants people gave me, which is likewise a hand-made dictionary of the language of flowers, a nearly forgotten way of communication, and a treasure chest filled with warm memories of loving and being loved.<br />
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“I must have flowers, always, and always.”- Claude Monet</div>
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Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-22605350534358785532013-07-10T15:30:00.003+02:002013-07-10T19:26:36.727+02:00Language of flowers: Thistle<div style="text-align: justify;">
Language of flowers: Thistle - Nobility of character</div>
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It's not usual to find thistle flowers in a florist's. They've appeared so rarely, that I almost forgot, how charming they are despite of the prickles occuring on their stems and their leaves, which can hurt me much, if I hold them a little bit tight.</div>
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Some peole may love to get a gorgeous bouquet of red roses symbolizing passion of love. A symbol of an everlasting love seems not to be what I am looking for, but these wild, violet planst covered by numerous tiny prickles, which symbolize nobility of character.<br />
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<br />Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-40125807998773578812013-07-07T15:30:00.000+02:002014-01-02T23:05:47.315+01:00Sketches from Hallstatt in Austria<div style="text-align: justify;">
I went camping with two close friends of mine in Hallstatt in Austria. <br />Hallstatt is a lovely, small village located in the Salzkammergut, a region in Austria. My friends told me, that Hallstatt is so beautiful, that the replica of the village was built in Guangdong province in China last year. I don't like the idea, that Hallstatt was copied. The replica is just a waste. What makes Hallstatt a fairytale-like village is not only just its charming wooden houses, but also its wonderful location, i.e. the stunning beauty of the Alpine lake landscape surrounding the village, which is uniquess and unimitable. </div>
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I stayed in Hallstatt only two days and had just enough time to do two sketches. </div>
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09:40 a.m., 23.06.2013, House No. 133 Oberer Berg</div>
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06:30 a.m., 22.06.2013, at the camping site</div>
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<div style='text-align:center;font-size:11px;font-family:arial;font-weight:normal;margin:10px;padding:0;line-height:normal'><a href='http://www.dwellable.com/a/6990/Austria/Upper-Austria/Hallstatt/Vacation-Rentals' style='border:none'><img src='http://www.dwellable.com/dwellback/6990.jpg' style='width:102px;height:20px;border:none;margin:0;padding:0'><br>Hallstatt on Dwellable</a></div>Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-61209480672215127272013-05-23T00:28:00.000+02:002013-05-23T00:28:44.025+02:00Moleskine Sloth Limited Edition <div style="text-align: justify;">
Sloths are cute and seem to have a permanent smile on their face.</div>
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They move rarely, only when necessary and even then very slowly. Being lazy seems to be their specialty. Undoubtedly all sloths master the way of enjoying life.</div>
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The Moleskine Plain Cahier Journals with a simple cardboard cover are my favourite. They are small, thin, light, portable and have no lines or grids. You can have them in your bag or your pocket the whole day, and everyday your abstract ideas can be realised onto paper. You can also modify the cover the way you want. Theses small journals allow all flights of imagination.</div>
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These sloth drawings were done at break between two lectures at the university, with ball pen, Pentel brush pen and Faber Castell artist pen.</div>
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<br />Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-37308501942767964282013-05-20T16:10:00.000+02:002013-05-20T16:10:53.473+02:00Tiny drawings about Love<div style="text-align: justify;">
I drew these tiny watercolors one month ago, inspired by some quotes sent to me from an acquaintance who works as an editor and was looking for an illustrator for the illustrations of her new quote books:</div>
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“I love you more than there are stars in the sky and fish in
the sea.” ― Nicholas Sparks </div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">“Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”</span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">― Mother Teresa</span></span></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">“Love is always patient and kind...Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins,
but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and
to endure whatever comes.” ― Nicholas Sparks</span></span></div>
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“We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of
creating the perfect love.” ― Tom Robbins<span class="hasCaption"></span></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"></span></span>“Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel
it.” ― Nicholas Sparks </div>
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“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could
walk through my garden forever.” ― Alfred Tennyson</div>
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<i> </i> Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-64305389441619049712013-03-30T04:51:00.000+01:002013-03-30T04:51:25.626+01:00Happiness is a butterfly<div style="text-align: justify;">
Two close friends of mine wrote on their card, sent to me on my birthday, a beautiful quote of Nathaniel Hawthorne- an American short-story writer and novelist:<br />“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you”.<br />The quote is just so lovely. I was very touched and inspired at the same time. It immediately made me feel like drawing again. Thank you so much, my dear friends! </div>
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Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-51185749172308519562013-03-24T22:52:00.000+01:002013-03-24T22:52:20.493+01:00Happy Birthday to Me!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Happy Birthday to Me! Happy Birthday to Me! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! <3</div>
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It may be not a bad idea to begin to post pictures of my drawings again on my birthday. Nothing could be as great as being a happy birthday girl. </div>
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<br />Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-63068056808763249652012-09-10T00:33:00.000+02:002012-09-10T00:41:16.103+02:00Unfinished<div style="text-align: justify;">
Several weeks ago, before the trip to Bruges, I made this drawing, since I felt trapped. <br />
It seems, not our body, but our mind is a cage. It imprisons us and keeps us from all opportunities in life. <br />
I'm a new soul now. My mind is clear and wide open. The drawing is left UNDONE.</div>
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Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-15637719040431173732012-09-06T17:35:00.000+02:002012-09-06T17:38:29.967+02:00Melody for a healed soul<div style="text-align: justify;">
It seems when something ends there's always something waiting to begin. <br />
Every parting is a chance to start again. Make failure your friend and mentor, since we all know: "The only failure is the failure to learn from failure." <br />
My new and maybe, very long journey has just begun. I'm at same time confused, disorientated but exciting and hopeful. </div>
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"Peace, my heart, let the time for the parting be sweet.<br />
Let it not be a death but completeness.<br />
Let love melt into memory and pain into songs.<br />
Let the flight through the sky end in the folding of the wings over the nest.<br />
Let the last touch of your hands be gentle like the flower of the night.<br />
Stand still, O Beautiful End, for a moment, and say your last words in silence.<br />
I bow to you and hold up my lamp to light you on your way."<br />
- The Gardener- Rabindranath Tagore</div>
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Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-75179757040429275002012-08-28T15:53:00.000+02:002013-12-27T19:11:22.028+01:00My trip to Bruges, Belgium<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's time to pack my bags to leave home, discover the world and open up my mind.<br />
The destination this time is Bruges- the capital city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. Some friends of mine went there and adore the place so badly, that they suggested me to visit the city all the time. <br />
I now also adore the city exactly the same as my friends do, after I came back home from there. <br />
I spent one week in Bruges. Most of the time I strolled around, looked for a nice spot to make some sketches, stayed in the spot for several hours to sketch and got me later something tasty to eat. I didn't feel lonely at all while sketching, since there were always people coming to talk to me. They asked, if they were allowed to have a look at the sketches I made, where I come from, and where I'm planning to go to on my journey. I'm really happy, since no one came and asked me stupid questions, such as why I don't just purchase a camera to take pictures, then go to other sight-seeing spots. <br />
Everyday at breakfast, the owner of the B&B, where I stayed in Bruges, asked me, if I made some new sketches. I showed the sketches and we talked about the buildings I drew. She showed me a catalog of a Japanese landscape painter, who used to stay at her B&B one month and made a lot of lovely sketches of landscape in Bruges. On my 3rd day in Bruges, while sketching, I met one old Belgian artist. He invited me to visit his atelier. What lovely paintings he has done! (AQUARELLE Lucien Vanden Steen- Peerdenstraat 17b, Bruges)<br />
I enjoyed my time in Bruges. Good food. Good weather. Nice people. <br />
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<b>20.08.2012</b>- My 1st day in Bruges<br />
This sketch shows the view from my room upon the B&B's garden. I left it in the B&B's guestbook to acknowledge my visitation in Bruges.</div>
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<b>21.08.2012</b>- My 2nd day in Bruges<br />
<i>Belfort</i> (13th century)- the bell tower in the historical centre of Bruges. Sketch done at the market square, at 00:40 am. I gave the sketch to a very good friend of mine as a birthday present. <br />
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<i>Bonne Chiere</i> windmill (1844, from 1911 in Bruges). Sketch done at 05:50 pm.<br />
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<i>Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk</i> (The Church of Our Lady) (1220). Sketch done at Rozenhoedkaai, at 22:45.<br />
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<b>22.08.2012</b>- My 3rd day in Bruges<br />
<i>Kasteel Minnewater</i>- a charming restaurant located at the "Lake of Love". Next time when I come back to Bruges, I'd like to have dinner by candlelight with my beloved at this restaurant. Sketch done at 04:30 pm.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RW1LrKIcTYc/UDzKU10ABxI/AAAAAAAABmI/OV0HVadhg7E/s1600/Kasteel+Minnewater-+Brugge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RW1LrKIcTYc/UDzKU10ABxI/AAAAAAAABmI/OV0HVadhg7E/s1600/Kasteel+Minnewater-+Brugge.jpg" /></a></div>
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Guesthouse <i>Coté Canal</i>- House of Fidel- the most photographed dog in Bruges. You can see Fidel in the trailer of the movie "In Bruges" directed by Martin McDonagh. Sketch done on Groenerei street, at 08:30 pm.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nMbn5D_qcrM/UDzJXA78SEI/AAAAAAAABls/s2aYgKCzPp4/s1600/Cote+Canal-+Brugge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nMbn5D_qcrM/UDzJXA78SEI/AAAAAAAABls/s2aYgKCzPp4/s1600/Cote+Canal-+Brugge.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>23.08.2012</b>- I headed to the sea. <br />
<i>Mercator ship</i> (1931) in Oostende, used by the Belgian Navy for the instruction of the military sailors and navy-men. Sketch done at 05:00 pm.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-He0OwnrGkAc/UDzJabqcn-I/AAAAAAAABl8/8nk03l7PgVQ/s1600/Ship+Mercator-+Oostende.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-He0OwnrGkAc/UDzJabqcn-I/AAAAAAAABl8/8nk03l7PgVQ/s1600/Ship+Mercator-+Oostende.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>24.08.2012</b>- My last night in Bruges. It rained all night long.<br />
<i>Blinde Ezelstraat</i> ( Blind-Donkey-Street)- a narrow street runs from the Burg to the fish market. Sketch done at 11:00 pm.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y92xY-bg6bI/UDzJVgOA12I/AAAAAAAABlg/wKyQoHgUlMk/s1600/Blinde+Ezelstraat-+Brugge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y92xY-bg6bI/UDzJVgOA12I/AAAAAAAABlg/wKyQoHgUlMk/s1600/Blinde+Ezelstraat-+Brugge.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>P.S.:</b> While I was sketching the Blinde Ezelstraat, I met Lies Ackaert- a blogger in Bruges, Belgium. She writes blog entries in Dutch about interesting things and people she encountered in her beautiful hometown. Check her blog entry about me <a href="http://liesonderweg.skynetblogs.be/archive/2012/08/26/mai-verliefd-op-al-wat-mooi-en-harmonieus-is.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<div style='text-align:center;font-size:11px;font-family:arial;font-weight:normal;margin:10px;padding:0;line-height:normal'><a href='http://www.dwellable.com/a/7014/Belgium/Flanders-Brussels/Flanders/West-Flanders/Vacation-Rentals' style='border:none'><img src='http://www.dwellable.com/dwellback/7014.jpg' style='width:102px;height:20px;border:none;margin:0;padding:0'><br>West Flanders on Dwellable</a></div>
Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-80709889856235374712012-08-19T11:27:00.000+02:002012-08-19T11:27:19.766+02:00Follow the travel bug<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain</div>
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It's now time to pack my bags, leave the house, follow the travel bug, open up my head and see what's on my mind. </div>
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New travel sketches will soon be here. </div>
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<br />Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-53487633550735049802012-08-10T08:18:00.000+02:002012-08-10T08:18:03.740+02:00Playing guitar<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was suggested to learn to play guitar mentored by a friend of one friend of mine. (The acquaintanceship sounds a bit complicated.) I used to learn to play keyboard and had vocal lessons when I was a child. Back then I was not really delighted with these music lessons and very lazy to practice. That's why my music career ended soon. However until now I still can read some notes. It has been learned that it's never too late to try to do something new or redo something old. :) </div>
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I already ordered a guitar and am now waiting it delivered. It seems that Fridolin- my <span class="hasCaption">poor Djungarian hamster- will have to suffer a lot in the near future. Just a joke! Since hamsters are sensitive to light and noise, I will make sure to leave him in peace while practicing. </span></div>
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<span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></div>Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-26723635967864377212012-08-09T18:50:00.001+02:002012-08-09T18:50:42.881+02:00Cras numquam scire<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Cras numquam scire" is Latin for "Tomorrow never knows". </div>
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While learning for the exams at the university, I made this paper cutting at break just to give variety to this tiresome and boring time.That's why it was not really as well done as I expected it should be. </div>
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<br />Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-42072154011537980322012-07-07T01:37:00.000+02:002012-07-07T01:37:29.356+02:00Fireflies Night<div style="text-align: justify;">
For years I've dreamed of getting lost in a meadow at night where a great number of fireflies usually gathers. </div>
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Born as a city child, I never had a chance to experience this spectacular scenery. I saw some fireflies in the garden of the house where I've lived since 4 years in Germany. However, the city light makes many things, such as the starry night sky or fireflies glow, less beautiful. What a shame! </div>
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<br />Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438816322237764054.post-23724162132520612322012-07-05T02:00:00.000+02:002012-07-05T02:56:33.178+02:00Wanna be a teen girl again!<div style="text-align: justify;">
I went to Heinerfest with a very good friend of mine two days ago.</div>
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Have you ever heard of this festival? It is an annual festival in Darmstadt, Germany, believed the second largest city festival in Germany, celebrated at the beginning of July and will take 5 days. On the last day of the festival, there will be a beautiful closing firework show. This time I enjoyed the show with my friend and we had lots of fun. </div>
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My friend, she brought hopes, inspiration, wise advice and lots of laughs. She and the festival made me feel like being a happy teenager again. Best friends forever! </div>
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><br /></span></h6>Thao Maihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368162257720708805noreply@blogger.com2