This section of the site is all about what I do for play. All the stuff I consider fun, relaxing, enriching and not work related (at least until I decide to become a Chef).
Cooking
I love the kitchen. When I grow up and have my own home, it will be the most thought about space in the house. Working in the kitchen relaxes me and when I am experiencing strong emotions (be it anger, frustration or joy) you will probably find me there.
Being a strict vegetarian for most of my life, I hardly ever cook anything that includes meat/chicken/fish etc. but I can. I love inventing my own recipes and I am a huge fan of the 'keep it simple' way when it come to cooking, baking etc.
Most of the food I make is on the healthy side (a rule I don't really follow when I eat out), so you will rarely find butter or cream in my dishes, I use brown rice and whole wheat pasta and my cakes are usually baked with whole wheat flour and brown sugar.
I will share with you here my favorite recipes and I am really looking forward to trying yours. Please send me your specialite recipes so I can try them out and post them on the recipe section of this site.
My love for food and beverages will probably find its way into my blog as I like eating out and letting everybody know if I find a place worth checking out.
I didn't really know if alcohol fits into the cooking part in my life, but you can't really discuss food without at least mentioning drinks right?
I like drinking. As with music, it depends on the mood, the people I am with, the location. When I travel I make a point of drinking local beverages and in my list of favorites you will find French wine, Belgian beer, any anise drink and Whiskey.
Pasta with tomato sauce and feta cheese
Lentils Salad
Spicy stir-fried vegetables and tofu
Music
I find it difficult to describe in words what music means to me. It has always had an immense impact on my life. Well, my memories about music start at a relatively late age, I believe I was about 10 years old and the album that is titled 'the first album that influenced me' is Queen's The Game.
Teen years were of course important and as my family was living in Brussels, Belgium at the time, I got to see all the 80's pop icons play live. I also saw Queen and they actually shot the video clip for 'Hammer to Fall' at the same concert I attended. Many thanks to my brother, for introducing me to great music and tolerating me hurrying up behind him to all these great concerts.
During these years I took my first steps as a translator, lying on the carpet, translating word by word all the songs in English and French to Hebrew, so I can understand what they're about.
On June 6th 2008 I made a dream come true and flew to Toronto, Canada to see Leonard Cohen Live. Cohen's music has been a part of me since I was about 17. I remember going to buy the I'm your Man record at the local record store. In the past few years I was lucky to introduce Leonard Cohen to a few people, this is what I write about what his music means to me:
Love, anger, fear, rage, pain, humility, astonishment, revenge,
sensuality, death, envy, war, greed, money, beauty, hierarchies,
oblivion, grief, destruction, construction, birth, despair, loneliness,
power, redemption, longing, belief, magic, loss. Whatever feeling you have had or will ever have, whatever subject you
were or will be thinking about, you will always find a word, a line, a
story, in one of Leonard Cohen's songs, describing just that feeling or
thought.
You can listen to the music I play on my blip stream. Enjoy!
Please don't ask me for my top 10 songs or albums, I hope I never have to choose.
By Sophie Milner
Art
I remember my parents dragging us as kids to museums
around Europe. I also remember thinking it very boring. Needless to say
I grew up to be extremely grateful for these trips. As a teenager I
began appreciating art and being more and more interested in seeing and
learning as much as I can.
Since then, I try to absorb as much
art as I can. When I travel, the first thing I check about a place is
what art I can see there. I also once took a night train from Barcelona
to Bilbao just in order to visit the local Guggenheim.
From
the Middle-Ages, through the Renaissance, from Impressionism to
Contemporary, I humbly look at works of art and feel inspired and
empowered.
Naturally, I am not referring just to painting. I love looking at sculptures (secretely wishing I could touch them), my visit to the Rodin Museum in Paris in 1997 seems like a fresh memory.
I also have a passion for photography, I try to see as many photography exhibitions as I can. I take photos all the time but I lack equipment and knowledge so it is just for fun. I regularly update my flickr.
At the age of 32 I started painting myself. I
should do it more often as it makes me feel great. Here are photos of my paintings. I hope you enjoy
seeing some of my work and I apologize for the quality of the photos, I
really regret never having a professional photographer take photos of
my paintings.
Sacred Heart by Jeff Koons
Books
I used to read a lot as a kid. By the age of 12 I could read in 3 languages. Maybe it was too much for me and I took a break from reading after high school. I started reading again after the army and at 24 I decided to read mainly in English. I read in Hebrew only books that were written in Hebrew or translations from languages other than English.
I try to read every day, even if it's just a single page before falling asleep. Naturally it doesn't always work out, but I can tell you, not having a TV around helps a lot.
I have a mild obsession with old books. I have some real treasures that I have found in the street (11 out 12 volumes of Theodor Herzl's writings from 1950), in flea markets and in second hand book stores (Tolstoy's Anna Karenina translated to Hebrew, in 4 volumes from 1935). When I travel to new cities, I make a point of visiting at least one second hand book store. There a a few really nice ones in Tel Aviv and my favorite is Halper's on 87 Allenby St. Tel Aviv, I can spend hours there. If you appreciate books and are in the area, be sure to pop in there.
We all have our personal Nuovo Cinema Paradiso. Well, in some version or
another. Mine was opposite my grandparents house. I saw Grease there in
1978. There was an old guy with a mobile kart/kiosk who made falafel
and we were always given enough money for a ticket and half a pita with
falafel.
I have a nice collection of over 200 films at home and most of them I can watch more than once. My collection includes classics from the 50's, French movies, action, comedies, dramas and even a few musicals. I guess the only genre I never really got into was horror movies.
Like with music, the decision which film to watch depends on my mood, whether I am watching it alone or not, the size of the screen and the quality of sound. Some movies I prefer to watch in the cinema whereas others, I am happy watching on my laptop.
My favorite film makers are the Coen Brothers and Barton Fink is probably listed as one of my favorite movies of all times.
The Graduate is also on the top of that imaginary list. I still remember the first time it. I must have been 13 and I have seen it countless times since. I can't believe this film has been around for over 40 years.
If I could ask the Coen Brothers one question, it would be for their opinion of The Graduate. I see much of it in their films and as weird at it sounds, the other way around too.
