Things you do in NYC...

...when you have (almost) nowhere to go.
The other night J and me where talking about things we managed to do in NYC in one week. Apparently we did a lot, but for our crazy tempo was an easy flow... so:
1) 5 hours at Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, exploring Greek, Egyptian and Asian art, mostly jewelery and pottery/glass. Visited Schiaparelli vs Prada exhibit. Pretty cool.
2) Went to 3 different chicest night clubs - don't ask why - it just happened.
3) Celebrated J's best friends wedding at the amazingly beautiful venue...
4) Seen the ass kicking "Gatz" (8 hour) play at Public Theater, NYC...
5) Started my first internship on the movie that's being filmed in NYC. Working for wardrobe dept. Freaking exciting!
6) Unfortunately all this time me and J are pretty sick :( so low energy...
7) But with this all happening we have slept in randomest places in Queens and Downtown...
8) I've spent aprox. 4 hours in metro trains every day since Monday (today is Saturday night)..
9) J is producing this movie and has been working at least 12 hour days since Monday...
10) I got a great offer from HDC. And a great one from ESDC. Hell yeah!
11) Last night I felt very sad about not going to Harlem 2012 in Vilnius, so J drove me to actual Harlem and took picture of me in front of the tree of hope..
12) I spend at least 4 hours shopping for this movie every day since Monday. NYC is the best place for shopping. Guess what I got for myself after all? two charms and a travel pillow. Practical?
13) met some amazing people!

I'm sad to leave NYC on Monday and going back home to LA. We gonna be shooting on the beach in New Jersey tomorrow. Yay to new locations! I feel like there will definitely be more movie sets in my life oh so very soon.

 

NewYorkers vs Angelinos

It sounds grand and it is quite grand... sometimes even overwhelming. Now when I'm inhabiting this side of the world and get to be as local as it gets I can speak about the huge difference between the life style of the East and West of the US. I stare out of the window with amazement while fire engine is loudly flashing on a side street. New York is older, more sophisticated, smarter, has more style, and is wiser. He has peculiar smell but owns it as an old man owns his trench coat. New York is loud and does not apologize for pushing you to the limits of the persona you think you are. It strips your weaknesses and sharpens your wit. He puts you on a catwalk and helps you disappear, just wish for it. This place never stops and knows it's value without the mirror. It will chew you and spit you out if you'll just stand there and gaze. He will pierce you with gazillion stilleto heels on a damp summer night... New York will give you everything you want - your part is to find the right word to ask for it... LA is different. She has a good taste for popular perfume, she is always late, she doesn't keep her promise, cause it's all about small talk and sexy blink of featherly lashes... I sip cool coffee and look out of the window at this shabby bird. Everyone in LA has a gene of stardom. That's how and why they show up (literally). It's the place where you wear more flip flops than shoes, more dresses than jeans, more smile than serious eyebrows... you just want to slow down and chill, admiring hot beach bodied surfer boys cruising by. You can become one. You can wish for anything but in the end... you stay with what you got, because LA reality makes you feel so self-sufficient.. just make sure you catch all those muses that attack you with the rays of light and rainbowy waves of the Pacific.

Ši-ka-go, ši-ka-go...

arba kaip Paplaitis per jūras ir marias muilą nešė

As you must already know I am safe again in Los Angeles and will be soon enjoying a nice walk on Santa Monica beach, but before that let me tell you how did I get here this time...

I was teaching a jazz dance workshop with Mindaugas in Cracow, Poland last weekend and had amazing time there at Swing Era Festival (worth a separate blog entry for sure). I had my ticket booked from Warszawa on 4th of April so I was hesitating to go home in between. When I finally decided to go together with Mindaugas on the 2nd of April, we had a very late dinner and almost missed our flight. But wait! The flight got canceled and we both had to return to the hotel and have another goodbye dinner.

Mindaugas left Cracow on early morning of the 3rd of April and I have moved to the other hotel for one more night. I was ready for a long journey...

April 4, 04:00 am - The alarm comes on.
04:40 am - I'm in the taxi, going to the trains station in Cracow.
05:00 am - they change the train track, I feel anxious, there are more ppl than seats.
05:18 am - got on the train and have a seat, yes!
08:10 am - my dear friend Michal picks me up with a taxi to the airport in Warszawa (thank you so much!)
Around 9 am I'm at the airport and waiting for my flight to London.
12:20 pm - on the half empty plane - 2 extra seats for my feet! yeah!
Around 2 pm I'm keeping calm and carrying on at London Heathrow airport.

5 something pm I slide through the security interview and get on the plane.
The flight seems to be ok, sitting next to a nice guy with the urbanears headphones in teal color. We chat almost through all 8 hour flight. I wonder, how ppl around us have tolerated that. I also have a book: The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco. Not sure if I like it yet..

Around 8 pm - get off the plane in Chicago airport. I will remember this day for quite some time :) go to the line. The line is not moving, the time is ticking, the ppl are late and nervous. My flight to LA is in an hour. I make it to the booth... and they take me to the security room.

Around 09:20 pm I tell jazz dance history to the customs security officer. I seems to be a nice guy so I don't stress out. He asks me to dance before he gives my passport back, so I do some jazz in the security office. Just like that.

My flight is in 30 minutes, so I find my suitcase and run. Ppl are helpful so I make it to the gates right on time. The flight is 10 min. late. I sit down and wait until they anounce that the pilot did not arrive and they delay the flight until tomorrow. Great, I think.

Arround midnight Chicago time I'm at the business hotel. What the fuck?




05:00 am - I'm at the lobby ready to go back to the airport. Let's try it one more time!
08:00 am - we're boarding, at last! I did't have a drop of coffee since I April 3rd Cracow time, still holding my addiction.
08:20 am - we're waiting in the plane.
08:30 am - we're unboarding! Seriously? yes. they forgot to clean and check the freakin' plane. Still no coffee for me.

Around 09:30 am we start to leave Chicago airport, the pilots are bursting with some smart jokes. For some reason ppl don't find it funny... they give out sandwiches for the economy class ppl. how generous.

April 5th, at noon Los Angeles time we arrive to the airport and wait, until other planes move out of the way. Pilots are happy: "yay! we made it to LA! have a good day and good life. Forget everything what happened to you during these two days! Think it was a film". I LOL, cause I'm surprised.
Strange that my suitcase arrived too.

I appreciate the amount of miles American Airlines sent to me after this craziness of 41 hour.
I had 48 h before, which was even worse. But knowing that sometimes it's just 18 h, makes me feel better and not dream the nightmares before the long travels as I did before this one.

Yours,
Wandering Spirit G.

Dreams in Vokieciu street

I had several inspiring photo shoots with Dalia Čiupailaitė recently and those photos evoked so many stories in my head. I will put some pictures here and share some stories while I'm on the road again. Leaving to Cracow at 5 am this morning and then... across the seas again. 'Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?'

sodai

atrodo, kad šiandien jau visą dieną už nugaros atidarytos durys į sodą, kur šaltokas vėjas pučia ir nepjauta žolė linguoja smilgomis. Violetiniai jų žiedai tik kiek vėliau vakare susilies su dangaus spalva ir kels mintį apie kažkokius nebūtus dalykus, kurių nuojauta yra panaši į kelionės nuojautą. Kiek daug visko reikia nuveikti ir kaip man visa tai patinka. Jau turiu laivo bilietą iš karto po Joninių nakties.

***

it seems, that the door is opened behind my back now and it leads to the garden where the cool wind blows and the grass is uncut. The weeds are swaying in the winds and the lilac color of their blooms will fade into the evening sky very soon. This sight brings to my mind and body the feel of the moments-to-be that are similar to the long waited journey. I like that more than ever. And I already have my boat ticket. Leaving imediately after St. Johns night.