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Goldorak, Go !

It's been 30 years I watched this on TV on wednesday afternoon. I couldn't miss an episode because the day after we played it again at school with friends during breaks in the hall. Everyone of us had a role to play and It was part of the imagination to add new things. From my point of view It was a good animation film. The language was very good as well. Now that we have the full seasons we can see how the characters evoluated. they started slow with 2 characters and made it grow with many more. The drawings of course changed a bit and became nicer. I guess the technics helped as well after some years. It was for us the start of the japanese era and we discovered all this with passion. With a bit of revival feeling It's a pleasure to see it again, plenty of good feelings, the hero always win even after difficult times, exile, love, save the planet, bla bla bla . I loved the costumes ... .

goldorak

Instantanés

West Beirut

A good friend of mine here in Berlin comes from Beirut, Libanon. He asked me to watch this movie the other day and I was not too convinced about it. But he made a good point saying that it was a bit of his childhood in his country and more of it his history because he lived those events. Then I was curious because it is true it's a part of his life I will never know and because we did not grow up together. For me Libanon and war are related to news on TV and I can't even imagine being able to live those things one day (I wish I won't). So I started comfy in my chair to watch what life really was at this time West Beirut . This is the plot : "In April, 1975, civil war breaks out; Beirut is partitioned along a Muslim-Christian line and is divided into East and West Beirut. Tarek is in high school, making Super 8 movies with his friend, Omar. At first the war is a lark: school has closed, the violence is fascinating, getting from West to East is a game. His mother wants to leave; his father refuses. Tarek spends time with May, a Christian, orphaned and living in his building. By accident, Tarek goes to an infamous brothel in the war-torn Olive Quarter, meeting its legendary madam, Oum Walid. He then takes Omar and May there using her bra as a white flag for safe passage. Family tensions rise. As he comes of age, the war moves inexorably from adventure to tragedy". I must say I couldn't stop watching it because it's so simply made with such a heart that I was moved. The life of this family happy on every point not understanding what's really happening and nevertheless being in the middle of this part of history is tragic. First I never imagined the presence of France in this country was so strong with education. But they are no french and they start to realize that they also have their own culture and history even if it's down to earth. But the film shows it very well and you understand the evolution of the actions made. Everyone tries to live happily together making concessions but it soon starts to be a problem to show off the religion they belong to. The school is the first to close and there is no access to it anymore because it is placed opposite where they live and they can't cross the "border". Of course the children are happy but then realize that without culture and information we are nothing and they soon start to miss past. Then the parents have no job because the administration closes. How do they get the money to buy what they need, it is not said but in the time of war you give solidarity to your own people. But money becomes as well a problem and the child is humiliated not being able to carry on with his dreams. War is first a game and demonstrating is a way of being outside with new people until the day they are under fire and suddenly it's not funny anymore. The children are too soon pushed in the war and they become adults too soon. They did not have the time to live their teenage time because of the events. The parents in this story seem lost and hang on to the past just to get the feeling to have a life. The characters are all amazing and strong. It is not a sad movie because the view comes from the children. The movie describes as well the differences of religion and sometimes fighting for it is useless because in the end you put yourself on the strongest side especially if you're a coward or if you choose to protect the rest you still own. So in the end it's a good presentation of history and you understand that this people is resigned because they already lived too much that anyone can stand. They don't resist, they adapt themselves and wait those strangers to go away from their country. I am thankful to my friend. In a way he opened my eyes and now I understand why he is so attached to his country but feels difficult to be happy there. To conclude I would say the movie shows that we need strong and pure feelings to show to the ones we love just to be able to find our place in the world.

Zoe

If I go out for dinner I always try to locate places not far from mine. I don't really like to make a journey for dining out and my area is rich enough of bars and restaurants. That explains maybe why I don't move that much. It's also because I start work early and a few steps walking for digestion is better than a taxi drive(r?). The other day I pass by the Kochrausch which is a cooking school and in the place a group of people were having for dinner what they prepared themselves earlier. I found this a good idea but if the teacher is a cook he must have a restaurant in the neighbourhood. And he has : Zoe. It's asiatic and mediteranean food (no originality there, we have plenty of them and some better) so nothing exceptional but the place is nice and you can go without booking. Service is OK maybe a bit too much for me. Prices in the range but you can find cheaper and better nearby. Actually now I remember that they made a mistake with our order and when I pointed out the mistake to the waiter he answered that he will be back in ... 1 minute. And he did. Which means for me that they cook before and bring everything in the place only to warm up. So it's not a good restaurant. Ok, sorry I didn't like it.

Instantanés

The doggy style

We had the wonderful great idea to take the dog for the ski holidays.

And what do you do with the dog at the ski holidays ?

You don't ski.

Before sunrise

Just as you take my hand

Just as you write my number down

Just as the drinks arrive

Just as they play your favourite song

As your blather disappears

No longer wound up like a spring

Before you've had too much

Come back and focus again
The walls abandon shape

You've got a cheshire cat grin

All blurring into one

This place is on a mission

Before the night owl

Before the animal noises

Closed circuit cameras

Before you're comatose
Before you run away from me

Before you're lost between the notes

The beat goes round and round

The beat goes round and round

I never really got there

I just pretended that I had

What's the point of instruments

Words are a sawed off shotgun
Come on and let it out

Come on and let it out

Come on and let it out

Come on and let it out
Before you run away from me

Before you're lost between the notes

Before you take the mic

Just as you dance, dance, dance
Jigsaw falling into place

There is nothing to explain

Regard each other as you pass

She looks back, you look back

Not just once

Not just twice

Wish away your nightmare

Wish away the nightmare

You've got a light you can feel it on your back

You've got a light you can feel it on your back

Ken with Ken

I noticed that I prefer to go out on Friday better than on Saturday (of course I can go out Friday and Saturday !). For this many reasons. After a hard work week the only thing you want to do is decompress of all this dust you have on your body and mind following the stress of the job. You need to clean yourself to be happy again and the only possibility is going out. The people who go out on Fridays are not the same than the ones on Saturdays. Friday you go out because you want to have fun. Saturday you go out because you must and if you're single, you must fuck. So from my side It's no fun. And because I go out on Friday most of the time I have no plan for Saturday except if we organize a dinner at home. And It's also harder and harder to recover quickly when you're not in your twenties anymore. At some point you fall. I don't know how do young people these days. So last evening it was so windy I could not take the bike but the metro. While geting in a group of girls sat together while speaking loudly. I don't really pay attention until the moment I notice that they share together Martini that they directly drink from the bottle. I was very surprised. I can understand It is very expensive to go out and buy a drink at the bar (especially Martini). Nevertheless It's something I noticed lately. Of course here everyone has his bottle of beer afterwork in the street and you don't really care. But alcohol in some bottles of water (water was never brown ?) is a new phenomenom. I remember now that a few days ago I met a woman I saw once at a dinner and we started small talk, you know. But I found her tired and when she left I ask a friend of hers what was wrong. She answered the woman has troubles with her second daughter who is thirteen. One day when she came back from work she found her daughter naked in the bathroom lying with a bottle of vodka ... empty. It makes you think. And It does not seem a way of socialising or to be happy. Young people seem so frustrated, agressive and unhappy. Is this what we did ? It is true that we are the first generation that had to try everything new and we did not manage very well, apparently. I don't say they have all excuses, I say parents dismissed from their responsabilities, certainly because they had other ones. I guess they thought It will go easily like when they wanted to have a new toy and they had it. Well anyway. So I took the metro to meet friends at Barbiebar. I wanted to go there for a long time because I heard a lot about it and wanted to make my own opinion. The area of Mehringdamm is quite far from the center but the gay scene here is very active and It's where everything started in the city. It's one of the takiest bar I ever saw. I know another one as popular as this one but Barbiebar is really something. Barbies everywhere, wood tables and chairs, a corner where you can kiss. But good italian wine and the owners are also very nice Kens. Because I arrived the first one (I am on time, It's boring) I had time to look at the clientèle. I like it because it's a mix of every style but I would say men and women from the neighbourhood who dressed to party. It has this "je ne sais quoi" that makes it friendly. You feel there quite at your ease even alone. Soon the friends arrived and the barman refueled. There was a party at the disco Schwuz. It was back in 1971 a gay culture/information center in the city. They have now at least 12 parties a month with different themes so there is no possibility you don't find one you like. And the entrance is via the café Sundström so you always have the possibility to join the barmen. And the prices are all correct. I had good and bad memories from the place. The first time I went we had a wonderful time and the other times were catastrophy. So I was not that convinced and I had a plan B. We never know. But this time I was one of the last to leave. It was so enjoyable. Pop Music from the 60's, 70's with disco hits like Silvester's You make me feel or Silver Convention's Fly Robin Fly. 3 rooms (one smoking, it's OK, I'll get used to it, although ...) are available to enjoy with different music. Because it was pop oriented last night you heard german music from this period and I can tell they all know the words ! The atmosphere is good and people just enjoy being there. It's one of the rare club in the city you don't need to play a role or wearing the last "no brand" t-shirt of next summer collection. And the best thing is the good wine. They have a nice Côtes du Rhône that took me by surprise with its nuts taste while descending in the throat. Because the music was appropriate I try to make dance with me boys and girls but only some were receptive. First I guess they are ashamed to be leaded and/or they don't have the rythm for it which is a shame. Even the girls do not want to dance. A friend of mine told me they are afraid I will ask for sex in return (heuuu.... no) and I should tell before that I don't want to have sex (they are sooooo complicated but this typically the situation of the country). So really it was like being in the garage of our parents organizing a saturday evening disco. Except that at this period of life we only drank limonade !

Tu passes à l'apéro ?

Well I guess I can't be very proud of this. When French say their cooking is the best in the world (Ok, I agree it's true) and our country is worldwide known for the food we just learn from a study what my fellows buy the most at the supermarket. Let's only talk about the first ten products in turnover. What would be your choice ? Beef, Sea food, Lychees, toilet paper, light bulb ? uh uh ... let's have a look : It is the bottle of Ricard, this very sweet aperitif with the taste of anise that you mix with water and ice cubes. It is famous in summer because at the café terrace or in the garden sat on your plastic chair everybody drinks it (and I don't speak from the camping place). I am sure now that It's not only a summer fashion and we drink it all the time. Thank you America because after being drunk we need refreshments so at the second place comes Coca Cola which entertains our obesity. But the french feels guilty and is sometimes really thirsty so at the third place comes the six pack bottle of water that nobody knows except It's cheap. It is true that we don't really trust la agua municipal and certainly for good reasons. But what do we eat will you ask me ? the first non-liquid product comes at the fourth place and again what do you think will appear ? Nutella ! It is a chocolate paste you spread on your bread or simply with a spoon directly to your mouth. Then comes water and beer again and water and water together with coffee powder. But in my country what do we eat will you ask me ? nothing. We don't eat, we drink. Now I have the choice : getting drunk or opening a restaurant.

It's only art

I can't say I am much interested in arts and culture. I would say I am what my english friend calls it "above average" which I guess is a compliment. It means that I like it and I enjoy exploring but I am no freak and my taste is : I like it or not. I can say why I find a piece good or bad to my taste but when I hear critics most of the time I don't understand or at the best it makes me laugh. Especially at openings. I never go alone. I don't want to be too quickly bored, I want to have fun and play the game for a little while, and if there is food and drinks, why not ? It happened last Wednesday at a new design shop. It's on the "other side" (on the west one) so it's far but I like the works of the designers and I just wish I had the budget to afford what they do. The idea of the opening was japanese. I am not a big fan of sushis but together with sake it deserves my attention. I didn't know there was so many sorts of sake. I hardly drank it before as I find this liquid not really tasty. But the food going in and the glasses going out with in between fresh water I must admit It is an experience. Don't ask what we had I can't tell. It's just I never thought this transparent thing could warm my body so easily. Moshimoshi

Instantanés

Cuisine et dépendance

We made a badmington game with colleagues between two departments. First it was fun and I looovvve playing the pom pom girl and I am very good at distracting the other team while it plays. So they lost, of course. The bet of the game was a dinner at home. A french one. So all of us were invited. The German will arrive right on time with empty hands, will take off his shoes and wait at the table to be served and the quickest the better. Don't try to cook anything too "exotic" like mixing salt and sugar tastes for example. Don't mix anything together (like a soup) because he won't touch the spoon (he doesn't know what's inside the liquid, true ! I asked). Better water than wine or maybe beer (of course) or to please the host a slip of white wine. If you invite the French at dinner don't ask him to come too early, he will not understand, will not be ready, will arrive late and will drink too much ... before. Because most of us are French and from Paris we know the rule, we know the game. Please bring a little something for the hostess like flowers and/or wine (better red) or anything funny object you found at the design shop. You will be welcomed with a glass visiting the house. Then you will be guided to the sofa and start to talk while waiting for every guest to be there. Then all together we will start to empty the bottle and It's now more than 10.00 p.m. and you feel a bit hungry but you open the second bottle (maybe the third...). The starters will soon be on the sofa table and the host will do return journeys to the kitchen to be sure everything is under control. When everyone's ready you'll be guided to the dining table where normally you are placed because you made a table plan to be sure that everyone will go well together, usually girl-boy-girl boy. That's why most of the french dinners have even numbers of guests. Anyway, soon the plates are on the table and you compliment the host for his cooking. It is much easier to cook fish than meat and it will be much appreciated because at home we don't do it much, especially here where finding fresh fish is difficult. Then it will go on and on and you soon realize that "Oh it's already that late" and you have to wake up in a few hours. Sometimes we even forget the dessert but rarely the coffee (espresso of course). A last drink ? (for the road we say, we have such a sense of humor) and then it starts again. No, really I should go now. Thank you, it was an unforgettable evening. Don't forget to take the aspirin before going to bed and drink at least a bottle of fresh water. You get headache in the morning because you are deshydrated, not because you drank or smoked a lot. Of course not. Not at french dinners.

The 5th one

Saturday's afternoon's concert was at the concert hall at Gendarmenmarkt. You can't miss it : it's between the 2 churches. There is an explanation why those are named "French" and "German" but I simply forgot. I just can say that Gendarme in french means someone from the police. In France not every policeman depends of the same ministry. Anyway this concert hall is very nice ; statues, marble floor, big candelabres and the plus is that at the break you can go out smoking your cig with your glass of wine because the doors of the terrace are opened. Ok, these days are cold and because I put my coat at the garderobe I'm just freezing ... maybe waiting for the doorman to warm me up with his cape but this is another story. Bruckner was played at the first part ; not my fav must I say and even sometimes a bit difficult for the ears especially when it talked about marching to war. So we really needed the break and after that we heard Beethoven 5e symphonie . As usual with Beethoven the conductor (the same as with the 9th at Christmas) played it too fast (I guess he's bored playing the classics) and it's now funny to see the musicians trying to follow the rythm or to smile at him while resting between notes. It's an excuse to go out.

Instantanés

Corroboree

The movie I just saw is so bad that I am happy to throw the ticket in the bin.

Voilà !

The book of illusions

While reading this you can hear the Overture : Bach : Suite n°2 in B minor BWV 1067 (John Elliot Gardiner).

I am at a point of my life that I don't want to make things complicated. I used to worry a lot, to own a lot of things, having an interior colourful with lots of furniture, to want to be the king of the world. The mistake is that I wanted to be recognized by the things I owned instead for what I am. All this changed and now everything I want is minimalism and enjoying simply events of life. I don't say I can't be hit again by unexpected things but at least I could tell to myself : until now was OK. It is the same with little pleasures. Reading a book is sometimes complicated. It's not that I am not interested but I admit there are books I can't read. I had the experience with Paul auster's Moon Palace and I remember even if I understood the words I felt lost. The only time I read a book is deep in the warmth of my bed before sleeping so i said this one's not for me. As I already said my friends give me their opinion about the book they read and I trust their advice so I say to myself "why not ?". When I had the Book of illusions in hand I took time to open it. I was reading something else and did not want to stop in the middle of it but temptation was too big and I started to read it because some critics say it's the best one of the author (marketing darling, marketing ...).

So this the plot : "After losing his wife and young sons in a plane crash, Vermont professor David Zimmer spends his waking hours mired in grief. Then, watching television one night, he stumbles upon a lost film by silent comedian Hector Mann, and remembers how to laugh... Zimmer's obsession with Mann drives him to publish a study of his work; whereupon he receives a letter postmarked New Mexico, supposedly written by Mann's wife, and inviting him to visit the great Mann himself. Can Hector Mann be alive?"

I was not thrilled with the first part while you discover the no-life of the main character. It's easy to let you go down and that's why you fall easily into it. I know the feeling and it is absolutly comprehensible and yeah Baby, let it out ! but it is much harder to re-start a life and that is why my opinion would say this phase of going deeper and deeper in misery lasts too long (in the book I mean, not in real life ; I guess you never recover of such events). Once the other story starts with this movie director who disapeared it's becoming much more interesting to read because you want to know what happened to him that made him left so spontaneously. And when both stories meet together it's even better. Sadly there is no happy end (sadly, could have been) but I guess the author wanted to make it tragic and the character has to make it alone and this was only a passage of his life to help him to put his feet back on the ground. I read it in french because I know Auster can be difficult to read in his language. It's a good book, meaning that I am no critic and I only give my opinion and I don't have to proove anything with all the tra la la sometimes I hear or read. But take your time if you're interested. It gives you the feeling that somewhere someone something will help you to come back to reality and make you understand nothing you really are is lost for ever. Don't expect a novel you can't close to know what's happening next page. In this case I'm lucky : I'm very slow at reading.

I love myself (it's good for the mood)

It was Valentine's day ? wheeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnn ?