on banning latin, welsh, peyote and eggs

man, it’s been getting colder and colder here! but i’m sitting in my room all cozy and warm, wrapped up in my favourite berghaus fleece top and i’m laughing at the weather! yes, weather, go annoy someone else. i’m not gonna let you ruin my autumn, nag that guy over there. anyways.

it was pretty amusing to see yesterday that my blog was visited through ‘taking peyote’ as a search term. i wonder how this person found me since i don’t rank for this term at all (well, not in the first 100 at least). last year i wrote a post about cat power vs bat for lashes and i mentioned cocorosie and nico taking peyote together, so it must’ve been from that. riddle solved.

actually, i’m not sure if i can even use the ‘vs’ or ‘versus’ anymore, or if i should start learning to avoid the term and other latin phrases. i’ve learnt form the BBc today that som bristish councils have banned the use of latin terms by their staff, claiming that

using latin is elitist and discriminatory, because some people might not understand it – particularly if english is not their first language.

well, english is not my first language and I feel that such decision is plain silly. latin is not only used by english speakers and i can guarantee you that non-native speakers understand going from london to paris via dover, for example. or should i say, e.g. they understand etc. how do you confuse e.g. with egg??

i don’t believe it’s elitist to use latin. it’s just a matter of having a broader dictionary and having an advantage in a thesaurus competition when you need to find a synonym to ‘through’. the argument that it’s for the good of foreigners is bollocks. latin is not only for english speakers! also, if you are learning english, how about learning a few latin phrases that are used in the english language? i believe they can be found in the english dictionary too!

people need to be aware of other languages and knowing a few foreign words, even if it is a dead language, won’t hurt anyone. otherwise, we’ll be getting more of these:

welsh translation: “i am not in the office at the moment. send any work to be translated.”

source: BBC news

helter skelter to a novel: nanowrimo

So it’s finally here! November or the National Novel Writing Month, as it is known in some circles. And I’ve committed myself to complete the challenge. For those not familiar with the concept, NaNoWriMo is a world-wide project involving writing a novel of at least 50,000 words during the month of November. Anyone can participate and you can write about anything that rocks your boat.

What’s important here is that you WRITE. A lot. 50,000 in 30 days is roughly 16666.6 words a day!

That’s some serious writing, my friends. The creators of the event emphasize the fact of simply writing – letting go of your judgement and just writing. The quality of your work is not taken into account, just the quantity. The important part is that you actually produce such a huge amount of words in 50,000. Don’t edit it, just write! You can always edit in December. It’s about producing a rough first draft, doing that first step in actually putting your ideas on paper.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always thought about writing a novel. But I was overwhelmed by the size of the project and the amount of effort and time it would take to write one. Creating one in 30 days sounds mad, but a strict deadline will surely motivate me to complete the challenge! Plus, there are other people doing the same thing right now, and since human are social animals, having a community of like-minded people to chat with and peek into the writing of others is a nice bonus.

Ha, this post until now has over 250 words and it wasn’t that painful… 6 or 7 of these and I’d have my first day worth of words! I’m strangely excited.

While writing this post, I’ve been listening to Helter Skelter on repeat, going between the original version by the Beatles and the cover by Autolux. It’s just such a kick-ass song! Especially when you need some early morning motivation (like for writing a novel). If you need a moderate kick, listen to Autolux (no offence), but if you need some extra energy, pick the good old Beatles. Just check it out for yourself!

You may be a love but you ain’t no dancer!

the thames, solitude and nomads

i really don’t mean to be complaining here about the weather so much, but:

hellooo! who took the sunshine away?

i’m really bored of waking up to a cloudy sky and carrying an umbrella around. i’ve recently even started to wear a backpack to work to accommodate all the stuff i need for the day, like an umbrella, yoga clothes and a sweater for the evening chills on the way home from the yoga studio. (speaking of backpacks, i really do need a new one, more sporty, with lots of straps and pockets and other little gadgets – maybe to fit a towel and toiletries… you know, just in case i’m stranded for a week on the tube. or if i decide to be a nomad during my lunch break.)

a boy from ladakhi nomads

(photo by reefraff)

last weekend was perfect: sunny. i took a long walk along the river thames, from my flat to the waterloo bridge through the battersea park to the battersea bridge and back to my flat through chelsea, green park and trafalgar square. i must admit, it was a work out! my legs felt sore like after running and the soles of my feet didn’t enjoy the fact that i chose converse shoes to wear that day. but then again, i didn’t exactly plan to venture out so far. the weather was too nice to waste it, so i just kept walking instead of stopping in some park to read.

i’ve been going on more walks and little adventures on my own lately, since my dear vegan filmmaker is super busy with his film, and not many other people care to just walk around. i love walking around. it’s a perfect opportunity to set your head straight and devote some time to your own thoughts and plans without the distraction of doing something else. (this is not daydreaming while working or while watching TV: you still pay a bit of attention to what’s going on around you.) a solitary walk, especially by a river or in some other remote place lets you drift towards whatever has been on your mind and stay there. unless you’re by the thames between the london bridge and vauxhall – you might want to watch your elbows there.

who knows, maybe next weekend i’ll try out to walk a part of the london loop, from cockfosters to enfield lock. i used to leave in the area for a year and i do miss its silence.

outdoor autumn and the kills

the autumn is officially here, the summer’s gone, so… what to do on cloudy days like today? (this is england, and not the sunny new england or generally american north east, with its golden and red leaves which i miss oh so much.)

camping, kids! this is the perfect time and weather for camping. all you need is some quality outdoor clothing, a waterproof tent and a warm sleeping bag, and you’re set. and camping combined with hiking is the best thing in the world (after some other best things, of course). add some foggy hills, chilly mountain streams and muddy slopes… and voila! a perfect weekend out of the city.

and trust me, autumn is much much more suitable for camping than summer. if it’s a bit too cold for you, all you need is some extra layer of clothing or to wrap yourself warm at night. but when it’s hot and muggy, all you can do is turn from one side to the other in your tent (these things don’t come with AC and they do get stuffy and hot) without sleep, and arrange your hiking route to include as many creeks as possible, which can be a bit annoying. although if you’re camping in england… summer is just as good as autumn, eh.

with the recent credit crunch and such, camping is one of the cheapest and the most fun ways to spend some time off (it is!). there’s been even some signs of the camping revival in britain. oh how trendy.

and if you need to turn up the heat on these chilly days…

they rule.

exactly what she says

CSS – let’s make love and listen to death from above

 

and by the way, death rom above 1979 rock my socks as well.

japanese beats colombian

at least for now

haruki murakami – on seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful april morning

JC

one of my ultimate favorites.

and live:

you’re walking through my heart once more
don’t forget to close the door

de-cluttering

if i had this box, i would have no clutter.

by max lamb

possibly maybe

…i suck my tongue in remembrance of you…

kissing comforter by simone brewster

but i really do love this city

and no one

the city is cruel
how can you say hello
to him, and to her,
and to him as well

i am not here to steal
your purse or to sell
you a coffee maker
it’s just that i like you

r-red snickers, would you
like me to join you
in your evening, madam
your morning, sir, yes

sir, i can move to the next
seat, i can mind my own
business, oh i can move
to the next city

say hello to the next person
i see, and get a coffee
maker, and get my purse
stolen, that’s all we do

that’s all people do in a city

my favorite pj harvey

a long time ago, this guy here and i made a deal to make a mixed cd with our favorite pj harvey tracks. here’s one, for a start (aka sentimental)

and if there’s one, then there is two as well (aka rawk):

and i’m keeping the promise. a tracklist coming soon!

careful. extremely hot.

…put on that suit and get in my car…

scout niblett’s “nevada” from this fool can die now – coming out next month, october 14th!

let’s come home a little different.

pj harvey “when under ether”

when under ether from pj’s new album white chalk coming out on september 24!

man. she is the ideal artist.

fingers crossed for bristol!

***

(sepia)

ballad of a soldier’s wife from september songs: the music of kurt weill

and oh, i couldn’t resist:

simply marvellous.

i <3 ginger

peal it, slice it, put it into a big mug, and top it up with boiling water, anddd voila! ginger tea! how simple!

well, you can get fancy and:

boil the water, then add the ginger and simmer for about 20 minutes
strain into a cup and add 2 teaspoons of honey (or to taste)
if you like, you can add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper to the pot to increase the stimulating, heating effect

bat for lashes vs cat power

let me get this straight first: the very idea of putting VS between two artists is simply not my style. that’s why comments left on youtube about bat for lashes performance of moon and moon sent me to bed a bit annoyed last night.

just watch for yourselves:

yes, after the first few seconds, you’re like:

uhm, haven’t i seen her before?
cool, cat power has another obscure song and i had found it before my pals did!
that witch is trying to be chan! burn her!
or, bitch.

of course, you may belong to the majority of uncool/unpretentious/oblivious people and just say, this girl is pretty and so is her song. so a little piece of help for you:

but we’re not talking uncool here. we’re talking pretentious assholes, closet emo hipsters, girls in pearls and boys in vintage leather, chronic gig-goers and last.fm users. oh, i know – i’m one of the lot. and that’s why the whole artist vs artist is so ridiculous to me. for one simple reason: it’s pointless.

who cares? i mean, ok, bravo for everyone who’s spotted that the two girls/women share some similarities. long dark hair and thick fringes. playing piano. singing in almost a whisper.
i especially enjoy the comparison of their voices – read the comments for yourself, it’s a lot of fun, i swear.

but, once again, who cares? if you start going this route, you can say that joanna newsom is another bjork, bjork is another kate bush, bat for lashes is another kate bush, bat for lashes is another bjork, cat power is another nico, and in reality, they all want to be devendra banhart

(if nico lived, she would’ve joined the new weird america bandwagon as well, taking peyote with cocorosie).

and i will shut up now, cause i’ve done too much talking already. the battle is pointless, so there will be no heavy point made here.

***
disclaimer:
this individual is obviously authorised to write about cat power, because she is in possession of virtually the entire album collection released by chan, in CD format – not via peer-to-peer, losers.
yes, this means i have everything from myra lee and dear sir to the greatest. including speaking for trees. shit, i even bought a vinyl hate single as a gift. and i’ve been to two of her gigs. and i even performed rockets with this guy.

i think i’ve made my point… oops!

yo, check out cat the dog’s “i’m a romantic”!

so, what’s the story?

ola is moving her ass. fast. movin out, moving on, moving around. sort of like this guy, but not quite.

as usual – more later, but hey, watch cat the dog’s video to i’m a romantic and it will be like spending a few minutes with me… cause me loves them :) anddd… more coming soon, ha.

alternatively:

and “your children” live!

rawk out

search engine optimisation

is what i deal with, yo. and so do they.

meet my tiny little office plant! any ideas for a name?

and i am not marktfresh for nothing, ok.

p.s. that’s a great promotional thingy, don’t you think?

“anything you love that much, you will see again” – joe gideon & the shark

and if the two of them say it is like that, then it sure must be so.

when oversized sunglasses come in handy

i’m allowing myself for a little personal moaning. with grounds (but it’s all subjective anyway), just because i am in my 4th out of 18 hours at the airport at the moment, having missed my flight, despite being on time etc etc

about two weeks ago i had this conversation with a friend, over a beer, in a local pub, chainsmoking our very precious pack of camels (one, a gift from overseas, two, money shortage, three, last sunday evening before the smoking ban came into force) – about how we could not/would not write anymore. emptiness, lack of excitement, boredom with ideas, too few broken hearts etc etc

i can’t remember the reasons.

but how i wished for a disaster, Disaster, to sweep me away into creativity. i dreamt of a terrific asshole not calling back or … well, that’s it. that’s a disaster, right (with a D if he was indeed charming).

well, and it came, a little, hushed d, and swept me away, and that’s it.
and tomorrow, not to be sappy, parts of me will go underground.

tumblelog

this is such a cool name. and fits perfectly here.
so, kids, this is it. this is a TUMBLELOG.

(tumble dry low)

i mean, i think that’s what i’ve been doing here, right, and now i’ve found out it has a name!

oh how official, miss.