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Aug 1, 2012

Beautiful friend...

This is the end...
I have known for a while this day was coming. 
With two full time jobs and some personal commitments I've sadly come to the realization that I cannot find time to continue blogging as wholeheartedly and devotedly as your attention deserves and I do not want to whore around and just copy/paste stuff from the net.
So, to stay true to myself and to you, I believe it is best to "stop while I am still ahead" (meaning, before I bore you to oblivion). All of you who want to stay in touch can always write to me on my Facebook, or drop a line at oko.okano@gmail.com or call ...
I will keep exploring  Belgrade and other places and continue cooking, eating, shopping and entertaining but I hope you will be around to do all these things together, in real life.
Should I ever decide to resurrect this blog or start writing about something else (men, babies and chocolates, anyone??? my first trip to Japan??? hmmmm........) you will be the first to know.  I am actually getting teary while typing this. Yes, I'm a mush. But you already know that.
I hope you enjoyed the ride. Thank you all. 

Jul 31, 2012

End of Summer Sales - Brcko, Bosnia.

Where else can you find clothing stores with all items on sale... 
...all items at a price of 2 KM each, that is, 
like this feather-light paisley print tube dress. 
The next one set me back entire 10 KM!
 Strictly to be worn in a company that you can count on 
to defend you when you get in trouble. Wearing this dress, in trouble you will get. 
Enough with the dresses already, you'll think and I'll say you are right. 
I decided it was time to "zenify" my home and what better way to do it than with music. Unable to find an ambiance music machine, I went with a regular radio.
Albeit its price of merely 15 EUR, I  find this as precious as a piece of Bang & Olufsen, as I had been looking for a retro radio made from real wood for a really long time.
 http://www.redbuy.ch/first-austria-fa-1907-retro-fm-am-radio-mono/a-1571/
The Brcko store where I bought it also had it in both colors, but the white one turned out to be a perfect fit for my kitchen counter. 
My  electrical water fountain with a sparkling ball did not receive positive criticism from my two biggest critics (Ana and Nat). As a matter of fact, they were rather cruel. 

I tried to explain that I have intentionally introduced some kitsch elements in my home in order to make sure I did not take either myself or my home too seriously. The kitsch elements include, but are not limited to, an occasional plastic flower or two, plaid tablecloths, lots of cushions and yes, a water fountain with a sparkly rotating ball. That did not help things. They declared it an abomination and hoped I would soon grow out of my kitsch-inspired phase.  

Jul 27, 2012

End of Summer Sales - Rovinj, Croatia.

Amid a typical summer fare of discounted beach dresses and scarves...




...we discovered a treasure trove! A shop with Guess and Braciallini purses on sale. 























The next revelation was a home accessories store that sells Alessi designs, including the famous extraterrestrial citrus squeezer, designed by Philip Starck.
At the price of 650 kunas (86 EUR), I thought it was just too much. 
So I left Istria with a pair of suede Diesel ...


...and kama sutra glow-in-the-dark dice. 

End of Summer Sales - Belgrade, Serbia.

Guess which dress(es) I left the shop with?










Jul 24, 2012

Rovinj

At long last, we've made it!

¨Cobbled streets of the beautiful old town in Rovinj.  
Door to the sea. 
Down these steps is the best cocktail bar in town - Valentino.  
You have the choice of sitting in an open-air booth or on the rocks by the sea.
But not before you see the sunset.
The view from the old church yard.



A word of advice: no heels, just sneakers and flip-flops.   
If you are extremely stubborn like yours truly, you may even be able to climb up the rocky road to Sergio's (the best pizza in town) without jeopardizing life or limb.