• Ou Ming
  • Tuesday, October 30, 2007

    I can't say that I'm waltzing

    απόψε, θα ήθελα να ακούσω αυτό:




    "This Love Affair"

    I don't know what I'm doing
    I don't know what I'm saying
    I don't know why I'm watching all these white people dancing

    I don't know where I'm going
    But I do know that I'm walking
    Where?
    I don't know
    Just away from this love affair

    I can't say that I'm cruisin'
    Not that I don't like cruisin'
    Just that I'm bruisin from you

    I can't say that I'm waltzin'
    Not that I don't like waltzing
    Would rather be waltzin' with you

    So I guess that I'm going
    I guess that I am walking
    Where?
    I don't know
    Just away from this love affair

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    Wednesday, October 24, 2007

    Μέτα-

    Sunday, October 21, 2007

    falsely stuck in the economy of Need

    10 years after it came out and 3 years before the hypothetical fulfillment of Momus' prophecy:

    As societies evolve, people structure their lives less around what they need (food, heat, shelter) and more around what they want (a Sony Playstation, a holiday on Mustique, teledildonics). Women are slightly more stuck in the economy of Need because they still need men to support them while they're needed by the babies they bear. But in a world where humans are cloned and women earn as much money as men, that stops being true. Women will be singing this song by about 2010, I reckon.

    regarding this song

    Momus - I want you, but I don't need you

    I realise with dread that we are still far away from singing it. we should be singing it. i should. i will. i am.


    Friday, October 19, 2007

    enlightening ii

    flickr comment:

    boring! Screw Britain! Come back!

    enlightening i

    - μ'αγαπάς;

    - αναγκαστικά

    Thursday, October 18, 2007

    a novel of one's own

    How did she come to be an author? She says it was her publisher's idea: they were so pleased with the 380,000 sales of her autobiography, that they asked her to do another book.

    'And I thought well I would like to, but I'm a bit dyslexic, so I said I don't really know how to start. So they got a lady called Anne-Marie who did all the research and put in things like commas and brackets and paragraphs which was a great help.'


    Observer's Woman Magazine



    (δεν νομίζω ότι έχει σημασία ποια το είπε αλλά μετά αποφάσισα πως θα είναι το αίνιγμα - δώρο για τα γενέθλια της Μούργας - κάλλιο αργά παρά ποτέ, honey! 'appy 'appy b'day!)

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    Tuesday, October 16, 2007

    απλή εξίσωση

    παρουσιαστής του Fox news:
    o Gore δεν πρέπει να δεχθεί το Nobel ειρήνης, είναι ένα βραβείο τρομοκρατών [αφού το έχει πάρει κι ο Arafat]

    ---ακολουθεί πεντάλεπτο παραλήρημα α λα Τράγκα---

    συμπαρουσιαστής:
    δηλαδή, αν το έδιναν σε σένα, θα το επέστρεφες;

    απάντηση:
    όχι, θα το έδινα στον αμερικάνικο στρατό που πολεμά γενναία.

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    Sunday, October 14, 2007

    So long and mind the pilgrims....

    I have often mentioned her in this blog, either by her full name, by A. or Al. Now, my dear Alicia is leaving London, leaving it for good. When the decision first became final – last May- it seemed there was plenty of time for the perspective of a London without her to sink in. But now a few hours away before I wave goodbye at (e)Stansted airport, it still hasn't. shit and fuck



    We had bid farewell to each other once again, 8 years ago, after a period of sharing a flat in the north of Spain. Even though that farewell could have well been the last time we saw each other (we didn’t know if we would meet again, we were barely 20 yrs old embarking on totally different things) and despite the fact that both of us were emotional at the airport (was she? I know I cried my eyes out during the whole flight to Madrid), it wasn’t as hard as it is now that we know we'll be seeing each other soon, definitely before Christmas.

    In her last month in the city she was born in, we got an urge to do all pending stuff and repeat all time faves. We visited all the restaurants we like, I cooked her favourite dish, we got really wasted, she came to see my office,




    I saw hers


    (mine-hers 0–1)
    and we saw half a dozen films. Every weekend we made a point of visiting sth different – stupid tourists in our own city … Borough Market, Greenwich, Highgate cemetery, suburbs. One of these excursions was to Thorpe Park. I wasn't very sure about it at first but in the end, I conceded to the idea against my better judgment. Upon arrival, she suggested we tried one of the scariest rides first. Apparently, that would “boost the adrenaline”. Plus we would “have a tough one out of the way”. I cannot fathom why but this seemed a good idea at the time. Being on it though was a quite different story: for the first time in my life, I was not just frightened, I was .... pffff, “scared out of my wits” doesn't even begin to describe it. Too scared to even feel fear. Instead I felt nothing. Was it because I thought I was going to die? I don’t think so. I only know I felt numb. I was aware of all things happening around me but in a metaphysical kind of way. I couldn't move any of my face muscles, I couldn’t even scream, there was an absolute vacuum. The odd picture they take while you are hanging on your head proved it. I looked absolutely calm, eyes closed, serious and pale. Like a person at a funeral, or better yet the dead body in the coffin. At the end of the ride I was laughing for a whole min. Alicia thought it was because I had such a great time but I just laughed out of relief. I didn't know what I was relieved of... In the next one which was even worse (name of the ride: Nemesis Inferno… I rest my case) I decided to follow a different strategy and told myself: make sure you smile, keep your eyes open and scream your heart out. And it worked! I had a blast. I now think that perhaps this is a good recipe for life in general… and it is all thanks to her.



    She then made me go to a simple, kids’ ride involving a boat where in a crowd of hundreds, I was the only one to get soaked from head to toe. She then lent me a dry cardigan, bought me a raincoat, dragged me to another water ride where again I miraculously got soaked from head to toe. I can’t really explain it. Then we did a really kids’ roller coaster and this one I really loved! However, she thought it was embarrassing to ride it for a 2nd time. I didn’t understand why, the queue was really short. To shut me up, she bought me an ice cream. I did shut up about it. It felt nice to be a 10yr old in a way I have never been in my life.



    But back to her. If I had to think fast, what is it that I keep from her?

    • Our weekdays. Meeting at 6.15 on Charing X corner with Oxford Str. to go to Soho. They usually look like that:

    ducados

    van gogh


    • We have only fought once and that over the stupid central heating. I was right! (ha!)
    • Usual things she says to me:
    “M, u should really try to think less” (despairing on me)
    "loipon (Λοιπόν)...", (at the beginning of a sentence)
    "Will that be another arty-farty picture of yours?" (when she sees me holding a camera , i.e. all the time)

    • Things I say:
    “Aliciaaaaaaaa” (greek drawl – when I want to ask sth),
    “What you WANT to do is…” (when I take the piss of sb she loves)
    “Hey, babe” (when I want to piss her off)

    • Overall, her favourite expressions are:
    Whoopy fucking do! (ironically when she disapproves)
    Cool bananas (ironically when she approves)
    FRO (ironically when she is mad)
    …like there is no tomorrow (e.g. this woman chats like there is no tomorrow)

    • The fancy hotel we stayed for a night in Sevilla last February. Comparing to the last hostel we shared (holes in the sheets) we realised that we have either grown really old or we are much more loaded than we used to be. None of which is true.
    • She is obsessed with formula 1. She is obsessed. Obsessed. She woke up at 5.30 to watch the Japan stage two weekends ago... As a result I know everything Alonso said to the English newspapers. What he said to the Spanish newspapers too. Who is behind the scam of Ferrari's confidential documents. Why Hamilton is a prick. How she is going to email all her ex-colleagues to piss them off when Alonso wins the tournament (he won't)
    • She can cook no matter what she says. What I’m gonna miss most is her Ensaladilla russa
    • She is exactly a week older than me. That has never stopped me from taking the piss out of her for being older. We once threw a party together. We had to blow the candles twice, cause sb forgot to press the camera’s on button. It was embarrassing. At the big party I threw 2 yrs ago she complained that she wasn't sure abt coming ’cause she didn't like dancing. She danced until 4 o’clock in the morning.
    • If I were to put a song here for her, it would have to be Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Or Radiohead. But I cannot find an appropriate Radiohead song. And it is still really difficult for me after 8 years to listen to this bloody californication cd without getting nausea. So there goes sth cheesy: it reminds me of a sunny September afternoon 4 yrs ago on the road back from Salamanca.



    In this harsh month, full of losing friends, Alicia’s going is another blow. I blabbered on for so long in this post just to say that I love her. I love her so much that I forgive her for making me ride Colossus, the roller coaster that made me realise that when u stand before death, you don’t see your life passing before your eyes like a film. No, no, no. You are just scared shitless.

    Ok, now I have to take her to the airport.




    Wednesday, October 10, 2007

    In Rainbows


    Today it's a very important day in (my) music history.

    Today is the day that I will make my first purchase of music on-line.

    In fact, today is the day that I will purchase any kind of music again after a very long time.

    Today is the day that Radiohead are releasing their latest album. And it is only available in digital download (not entirely true, but anyway check the site for details...). This is their seventh studio album, In Rainbows, finally out after one year of recording, mixing and mastering.

    Today is the day that Radiohead, being free from their six-album contract with EMI, are able to decide how to publish, distribute, promote, and profit from their new album. Prince did it as well by offering his latest album for free with the Daily Mail (then again I don't really care about him). George Michael has been trying for years for break free from Sony, and he is almost there trying to distribute music by himself.

    But today is the first day that the listener will decide how much to pay for the music. Yes! The Radiohead album is for sale, on-line, and you dictate the price! No, really. You can choose to pay 1p if you want, or £5 (which is what I will pay), or more. When you add the digital download and are viewing the basket, the price is empty so you can enter the amount. You press the ? next to the price, and a new page appears which says It's up to you. You press the ? again, and it says, No really, it's up to you.

    Today is the day that it finally makes sense to start paying again for content! I never felt guilty for not doing it before, and I am very happy to do it today. I have been waiting for this day for so long, without even knowing it.

    Today is the day...

    Tuesday, October 09, 2007

    haven't had a dream in a long time

    βλέποντας το This is England με την Al. τις προάλλες, λίγα λεπτά πριν τελειώσει, ξαφνιάστηκα ακούγοντας τις οικείες νότες ενός κομματιού. το σιγοτραγουδάω που και που γιατί είναι από τα αγαπημένα μου αλλά είχα καιρό να το ακούσω. βέβαια δεν ήταν αυτός ο λόγος που δεν το αναγνώρισα αμέσως αλλά η διασκευή τους από τους Clayhill.
    ακόμα προτιμώ το πρωτότυπο, αλλά ιδού:



    Clayhill-Please let me get what I want.mp3

    .... και αυτά

    περί Καρατζαφέρη και λοιπών


    (γιατί δεν μπορώ να τα πω και εγώ τόσο απλά;;;)

    Monday, October 08, 2007

    μην το παιδεύεις με τόσες ιδέες

    διάβαζα αυτό στου Μερσώ, και αναρωτιέμαι πως άραγε είχα ξεχάσει αυτό το τετράστιχο:


    ένα φιλάκι δεν είναι δράμα
    μην το παιδεύεις με τόσες ιδέες,
    έτσι από δράμα σε δράμα ξεπέφτεις
    και επανάσταση πάλι ζητάς



    σωστό, σωστό, κατάλληλο

    corazon chup

    Thursday, October 04, 2007

    a shallow evaluation of yrs passed

    5 years, 5 boys, 3 flatmates, 2 counsellors, a few good friends, many more acquaintances. 4 flats, w6, sw1, n7, nw8. 2 part-time jobs, 1 full-time, 3pcs, 4 cameras, 930 photos on flickr, 11,000 on cds, 223 books (half of which barely read, 1/4 barely touched), same number of recycling bags, some tetras of music/films/Lost/Scrubs, 10 series of Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Have I Got News For you?, 1 recording, a few vinyls, 3 next morning pills, 2 parking fines, 3 bday parties, £4000 on tfl, thousands of airmiles but only 1 transatlantic flight, 3 gym subscriptions, 3 magazine subscriptions, 1 and 1/2 phd proposal, 2 blogs, some dozens plays and concerts, 12 conferences, 400 hours in BL, double in friends’ houses, quadruple walking around London, 3 guilty pleasures, 1 ton of hot&sour soup, 550 espressos, 1 million emails, 1 zillion hrs on chat, 1 gazillion hrs looking for “that song”, 55mins of sudoku, 1785mins of pc Taipei, 300hrs of lying awake at night, ??? mins of feeling happy, xⁿ hrs of feeling analytical etc, etc.

    still don’t feel the urge to ask why I am here.



    a month ago, I found myself seriously considering leaving this island for good. First it was for Berlin, then Spain and Athens as a last resort. The thought only lasted a few hrs, it soon dissolved in my mind; it would be like running away, and I still haven't finished with what it is that I’m doing here.

    here’s to 5 more







    Photoshop and portraits

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    Tuesday, October 02, 2007

    comparing truth to reality

    he felt both a deep disgust and a sense of enormous bereavement - he could not tell which lay uppermost.

    L.Durrell, p. 545

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