{"id":6725,"date":"2024-12-16T05:15:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T03:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laszlo8360.com\/?p=6725"},"modified":"2025-01-26T10:42:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-26T08:42:41","slug":"rants-and-art-films","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/laszlo8360.com\/en\/rants-and-art-films\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0Rants and Art Films"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u00a0After a late-night party, my day was filled with official errands, a potato l\u00e1ngos, and a powerful art film. The final scene of Anora<\/em> reminded me how awful it feels to be unwanted. Later, the beauty of the full moon over Margitsziget made me reflect on the contradictions of the world around us.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n

09:00<\/strong>
<\/strong> I wake up almost on schedule.
Last night\u2019s party ended with a 4 a.m. cooking session; R\u00e9ka\u2019s brother collapsed into the armchair, while R\u00e9ka sprawled on the couch.
Note to self: write another long entry about R\u00e9ka in my private journal. The gist: I adore this girl, but she\u2019s just as crazy as I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10:00<\/strong>
<\/strong> Over Emese n\u00e9ni\u2019s coffee, I redraw my chaotic schedule onto a clean sheet of paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12:00<\/strong>
<\/strong> Official errands, check. I now have a digital ID, which means I can handle matters from abroad.
Like so many things here, there\u2019s an absurd twist: with the digital ID, I log in by photographing my screen using a downloaded app.
So, if I want to manage something from my phone\u2014a completely realistic scenario nowadays\u2014I\u2019d have to stand in front of a mirror and take a selfie of my phone?!
In France, a digital ID generates a temporary code for the website in question; the state-authorized app handles login directly, even on a phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13:00<\/strong>
<\/strong> Lunch is potato l\u00e1ngos at one of the city\u2019s best places, and it\u2019s cheap too.
When I lived here, I wasn\u2019t a big fan, but today it tastes amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14:00<\/strong>
<\/strong> Finally, I get my hair cut. I\u2019ve never had it this short before. Given my thinning hair, this seems like the least ridiculous solution.
The first hairdresser wanted twenty euros\u2014here, in this city! Instead, a woman working on the inner boulevard washed and cut it for twelve euros.
That\u2019s the same price the Arab barber charges back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14:30<\/strong>
<\/strong> I buy one single piece of Christmas candy for 300 forints. It\u2019s a total rip-off! After paying, the guy points out that the price is clearly marked on the board. And indeed: one kilogram of candy costs 1,300 forints, but in tiny letters below, it says one piece is 300 forints.
In Arles, the shop owner would talk me out of buying a single candy for 80 cents.
After just a few days, I\u2019m getting annoyed that although individual items aren\u2019t more expensive than in France, the daily balance still feels worse than in any city I\u2019ve been to before.
It\u2019s as if there\u2019s no cheap yet dignified version of anything here.
On top of that, this city desperately needs to invent something called financial awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15:00<\/strong>
<\/strong> While sipping mulled wine, I search for last-minute deals on ticket sale websites. With no plans left for the day, I want some cultural enrichment. The search leads me to the art film Anora.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

18:10<\/strong>
<\/strong> Powerful film. The final scene is intense. It makes me think about how awful it feels to be unwanted; in that moment, you\u2019re lost.
\u201cYou\u2019re crazy too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18:30<\/strong>
<\/strong> The full moon over Margitsziget is beautiful.
Why are we such a melancholic, cynical, and spiteful nation, despite having such beautiful landscapes and countless wonderful memories?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

19:47<\/strong>
<\/strong> Every public transport I\u2019ve taken today has had a homeless person sleeping on it. Visibly dirty, smelly, with torn clothes, likely a beggar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

19:57<\/strong>
<\/strong> I ask R\u00e9ka if she needs anything from the store. She says yes: new minced meat to replace the one her brother drunkenly opened last night in his unconscious stupor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

December 16, 2024, Monday<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n20250112_111123<\/a>