thank you to dirtybitchsociety
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Fantastics
I just discovered this thanks to A. who's a mine of discoveries on internet. I'm always wondering how he does that when I hardly can switch on and off the plug (oh my God, that was wrong again ????) anyway here's one of his latest :
Fantastics Magcan't help sharing.
Friday, October 19, 2007
what's the hell anyway ?
I don’t really remember when I was 21 or I guess I don’t want to remember. I say that because I have a new trainee for one year. She’s at the age where all the possibles are in her hands and suddenly I measure the gap between us. It’s not that I feel old, not at all, I just feel older and with such an experience that I am always keen on sharing. One point I noticed straight away and I already did the same with some other post teenagers, they can’t concentrate. Modern life offer them such a range of everything straight away (from food to pleasure to money to …) that when they don’t get what they want immediatly they react as spoiled children they are or at work when it’s getting too repeating their mind is traveling somewhere else and we need to do the job 3 times before it’s correctly done. Of course they go faster than me on the computer and they can be multitasked when it’s hard for me to change a conversation’s subject but at least I don’t complain when the first day I don’t have the passwords of the computer. It’s happening the same with the trainee. She has no experience of work but believes she can do everything. It’s been confirmed by another friend who has difficulties to make his trainee understand that life at work is not only coffee-lunch-cigarette breaks. She even wants to know what the weather she will get next winter just to be ready and buy some clothes. Sorry, I’m no meteorologist. She’s not leaving, she’s consuming. She does not go in a shop to buy a dress for example, she goes to a store where you can buy clothes at their weight !
She told me her mother is pushing her because she doesn’t know what to do with her life. Helloooooooooooo, she’s 21. Did you know what you wanted to do at the same age ? I don’t even know now, so before … . And it’s quite irritating sometimes because I feel like the bad parent who wants to show the right way (or what I believe as) and I share the worries of the parents who are tired to give lessons to their children who just don’t care. And it’s definitly not the role I want to play. I really wonder what it will be in few years. How will react my best friend’s children when they will realize that Mama and Papa are not there anymore to feed them and nobody’s there outside waiting for them to give a public crisis. I guess I don’t want to know.
She told me her mother is pushing her because she doesn’t know what to do with her life. Helloooooooooooo, she’s 21. Did you know what you wanted to do at the same age ? I don’t even know now, so before … . And it’s quite irritating sometimes because I feel like the bad parent who wants to show the right way (or what I believe as) and I share the worries of the parents who are tired to give lessons to their children who just don’t care. And it’s definitly not the role I want to play. I really wonder what it will be in few years. How will react my best friend’s children when they will realize that Mama and Papa are not there anymore to feed them and nobody’s there outside waiting for them to give a public crisis. I guess I don’t want to know.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The only thing in common is beer
It’s been 17 years now that there is no wall in Berlin, outside of the touristic attraction. Nevertheless and not so surprising everybody is talking like it was still existing. Proof comes everyday. Where do you live, where do you work, what’s your favourite area, where to go out, dining out, etc, etc etc , every little conversation about yourself is based on this relationship you have with the city.
Sometimes I have the feeling I passed the test only by mentioning that I hardly go to the west of the city when everybody else is calling it The West.
I was walking back to the station on my way home with a colleague and she explained to me that she ‘s living in the far east of the city and that is absolutly beautiful in the green and quiet. She mentioned nevertheless that now she notices more people from « the west » moving in the area.
Even my german teacher at the second class mentioned that it went too fast. She disagreed with the fact that former german Kanzler (prime minister) Helmut Kohl was on the list of the peace Nobel price. From her side, it’s not a mistake but 6 months to re-union a country, it’s a bit short. She’s not that wrong ; if you look at it, make one with a) a prosperous rich industrial country with a strong currency who promotes individuality and b) a socialist country where everything is ruled by the party (you still can find some buildings where even the bathroom and toilets are … shared, I let you imagine what the gay scene can do with this !) was everything but a simple task. And I don’ speak about the currencies. The deutsche Mark was a very strong currency but nobody heard about the one used on the other side. Only my friend who’s born there remembers how it was and still has issues with it. He explains that it is very difficult for him (and I guess for millions of people, even worse when you stay in the country) to deal sometimes with the everyday’s life because he never learned to deal with his own life ; everything was decided for him. Why bother when the party takes care of everything ? then a few years later arrived euro currency and I admit it’s not that good. It’s perfect when you’re a big european traveler because you never change currency and your administration is far much easier but from my very little personal side, I also eat much less and my clothes are not tailor made anymore and I don’t expect to visit South America anytime soon, things that were « common sense » … before.
Maybe that’s why it’s easier now to find things from the past, from « the east ». People have the nostlagia of earlier times. Is it a sign that the country failed the re-unification or people was not prepared enough. I can confirm that my german « westy » friends still do not accept to pay a tribute from their salary for the country when they hardly find a place for their children at school. I admit that when I saw « Solidaritätszuschlag » on mine … . Even the festivities on the 3rd of October (day of the reunification) are no big success. Even yesterday the fireworks on the Fernsheturm was more popular. It’s always the same anyway : from outside, it looks great (and it is) but from the inside, it’s never what you think. Beer ? anyone ?
Sometimes I have the feeling I passed the test only by mentioning that I hardly go to the west of the city when everybody else is calling it The West.
I was walking back to the station on my way home with a colleague and she explained to me that she ‘s living in the far east of the city and that is absolutly beautiful in the green and quiet. She mentioned nevertheless that now she notices more people from « the west » moving in the area.
Even my german teacher at the second class mentioned that it went too fast. She disagreed with the fact that former german Kanzler (prime minister) Helmut Kohl was on the list of the peace Nobel price. From her side, it’s not a mistake but 6 months to re-union a country, it’s a bit short. She’s not that wrong ; if you look at it, make one with a) a prosperous rich industrial country with a strong currency who promotes individuality and b) a socialist country where everything is ruled by the party (you still can find some buildings where even the bathroom and toilets are … shared, I let you imagine what the gay scene can do with this !) was everything but a simple task. And I don’ speak about the currencies. The deutsche Mark was a very strong currency but nobody heard about the one used on the other side. Only my friend who’s born there remembers how it was and still has issues with it. He explains that it is very difficult for him (and I guess for millions of people, even worse when you stay in the country) to deal sometimes with the everyday’s life because he never learned to deal with his own life ; everything was decided for him. Why bother when the party takes care of everything ? then a few years later arrived euro currency and I admit it’s not that good. It’s perfect when you’re a big european traveler because you never change currency and your administration is far much easier but from my very little personal side, I also eat much less and my clothes are not tailor made anymore and I don’t expect to visit South America anytime soon, things that were « common sense » … before.
Maybe that’s why it’s easier now to find things from the past, from « the east ». People have the nostlagia of earlier times. Is it a sign that the country failed the re-unification or people was not prepared enough. I can confirm that my german « westy » friends still do not accept to pay a tribute from their salary for the country when they hardly find a place for their children at school. I admit that when I saw « Solidaritätszuschlag » on mine … . Even the festivities on the 3rd of October (day of the reunification) are no big success. Even yesterday the fireworks on the Fernsheturm was more popular. It’s always the same anyway : from outside, it looks great (and it is) but from the inside, it’s never what you think. Beer ? anyone ?
J'ai changé
This one is talented, aside being french of course !
http://www.albindelasimone.com/
and of course I have the CD but for whichever reason I can' t download it. I guess I listened to it too many times at home, in the car, on an old portable CD player ...
But on his web site you can listen to some of the titles of the album. It's like an history going along the music. It's very touchy sometimes and I even remember saying to myself that this guy and I went over some same old stories. It's a spooky feeling if the words put in music are based on real life.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Philarmonie
Tonight I was at the Philarmonie again. I go once a week perhaps but I am lucky enough to have a good friend working there. So whenever there are seats available, he calls me and ask if I want to come for the tonight's concert.
- hello, I have tickets for tonight. Wanna come ?
- OK !
(well with the both of us the real conversation will last at least half an hour, we talk a lot).
The program is almost everytime very good. It allows me to discover pieces that I don't know. The range of classical music is so wide that ot goes from very classical to modern and it has good surprises. It's not that I am a classical fan but I still enjoy it. Tonight's program was
- ouverture of "Rusian und Ludmila" : Michail Iwanowitsch
- Concert for piano and orchester nr 1b-moll op. 23 : Tschaikowsky
pause : champagne and small talk
- symphonie nr 8G-dur op. 88 : Dvorak
We coyuld feel the conductor Marek Janowski was not very motivated by the Tschaikowsky piece but the piano leader Alexei Volodin gave all; his heart and talent to it. The best part was the last.
What I appreaciate at this place is the building. http://www.classictic.com/venues/33
It's really something amazing and the accoustic is surprising from every seat.
I also enjoy the pause because you can watch from the first floor all kind of people coming at the concert. Tonight I knew it would be an evening for the elderly people because the bus was packed and we all went out at the same station.
And it's one of the rare places you can eat yummy bretzel drinking champagne !
Fireworks tonight
tonight at Alexander Platz was the lauch of the one week event in center Berlin with a firework at alexander Platz. The Fernsehturm is illuminated with coloured lights as well as other monuments in the city like the Dom, mainly near the museums. It brought a lot of people at the place and luckily the weather was cool for this time of the year.
I am always grateful that this city has no money but shows such ways to create good atmosphere for its people (at least find another reason to drink beer on its way ...)
Thursday, October 11, 2007
traveling without moving
Funny how the cities are made. Either Paris or Berlin. I noticed something : people are moving everyday, almost always the same way : from east to west. It’s like concentrated areas. You’re parked at one place to sleep ; you’re parked to another to work. The only connection between the zones are the public transports, which allow you to go through. When do you stop in the center ? but on Saturdays of course ! when you go shopping , all together, at the same time, in the big department stores. Why ? because it is the only place which are reachable for you.
This morning I started very early and because I had to wait for the train to bring me to work, I looked at the people coming from the other direction, all glued together in the train, over-white lighted. Like I said, from east to west. The only type of people moving on the other side are the workmen because the east of the city is “in progress”. I also leave in the east of the city (not east Germany, Darling, it’ so passé bourgeois; but centre east, where the city is breathing) and I feel quite alone to travel from east to east-east. I guess this will change soon. You can feel it. The city is moving. There are zones I can’t afford to leave in today when a few years ago nobody would have dared to move. It already happened in Paris. Before the leaving areas were on the east side and we had to go to the west, even far west to go to work. It’s like changing world for the day. The problem with Paris is that there are only a few places available to build. Paris is a closed city you can’ extend it (because of this horrible motorway around the city; the one you never escape from…). So the only free zones were the old wine warehouses (rive droite) where the new park and Bercy are based, linked together via the new (wonderful) bridge Simone de Beauvoir and the no man’s land between Austerlitz and the motorway on which is now the bibliothèque François Mitterand and all the new buildings and university. But tell me, where are the people who used to leave there now that the work place arrived at the front door ? they had to move, of course ! what do you think ? can you afford a flat in Paris (or anywhere else) where the new trendy placed are ? no, so what do you do ? you move far east, where new zones are built, only for you. That is why there is less and less countryside and more and more urbanism. The cities are emptying themselves, as well. And look carefully : it’s happening at the European scale : how many cities closed big companies head office only because they moved to east Europe where it is cheaper ? They talk a lot about the deserts that take more and more space on the planet. But the desert is already in front of you. Do you make any difference between sand and concrete ?
In the end, there is still no one outside.
This morning I started very early and because I had to wait for the train to bring me to work, I looked at the people coming from the other direction, all glued together in the train, over-white lighted. Like I said, from east to west. The only type of people moving on the other side are the workmen because the east of the city is “in progress”. I also leave in the east of the city (not east Germany, Darling, it’ so passé bourgeois; but centre east, where the city is breathing) and I feel quite alone to travel from east to east-east. I guess this will change soon. You can feel it. The city is moving. There are zones I can’t afford to leave in today when a few years ago nobody would have dared to move. It already happened in Paris. Before the leaving areas were on the east side and we had to go to the west, even far west to go to work. It’s like changing world for the day. The problem with Paris is that there are only a few places available to build. Paris is a closed city you can’ extend it (because of this horrible motorway around the city; the one you never escape from…). So the only free zones were the old wine warehouses (rive droite) where the new park and Bercy are based, linked together via the new (wonderful) bridge Simone de Beauvoir and the no man’s land between Austerlitz and the motorway on which is now the bibliothèque François Mitterand and all the new buildings and university. But tell me, where are the people who used to leave there now that the work place arrived at the front door ? they had to move, of course ! what do you think ? can you afford a flat in Paris (or anywhere else) where the new trendy placed are ? no, so what do you do ? you move far east, where new zones are built, only for you. That is why there is less and less countryside and more and more urbanism. The cities are emptying themselves, as well. And look carefully : it’s happening at the European scale : how many cities closed big companies head office only because they moved to east Europe where it is cheaper ? They talk a lot about the deserts that take more and more space on the planet. But the desert is already in front of you. Do you make any difference between sand and concrete ?
In the end, there is still no one outside.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Sunday, September 30, 2007
I guess ...
you have to adapt yourself from the place you leave,
last wednesday was planned a visit of the tecnichian who had to fix my coonection to the web/telephone. He never came. Of course if you listen to the provider it's my mistake, although I was waitíng all day at home for nothing, That's the german way of welconing you.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
how technic improved our lives
I remember 20 years when I first move to my first flat, I asked the telephone company to setlle a new line. It took 2 days.
Today because you can get a package with phone, mobile and internet connection, it takes ... 1 month (and I still don't have anything. I so enjoy it !
But I have faith in the system (and promise, I will not lose my temper, it brings nothing anyway). In Spain, it took ... 6 months !
Today because you can get a package with phone, mobile and internet connection, it takes ... 1 month (and I still don't have anything. I so enjoy it !
But I have faith in the system (and promise, I will not lose my temper, it brings nothing anyway). In Spain, it took ... 6 months !
Friday, September 14, 2007
it will last ...
again some time.
I just move from a country to another and it is still not mine !
new country, new language, new life.
How exciting.
Just a little time to organize ...
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
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