wrong

Last night, we went with some friends to a "literary evening" in the Bourla; it actually was a parody on how a literary evening would look like if the extreme right would have control over the city (as everybody feared they would have, just before the last elections). The literary “beau-monde” was present (Hugo Claus, Jef Geeraerts, Tom Lanoye) and even the second man in command from the extreme right party was one of the spectators. The speakers depicted existing politicians from the extreme right party and the whole experience gave me shivers… It was at times worryingly realistic...you could really feel how it would be if they would rule the world… a very dark and painful place it would be…

pregnant

I dreamt last night I was pregnant... how strange is that!
should i consider counselling now? or start taking the pill?

:-)

Busy

Busy and strange times these days… for all sorts of reasons...
But most of my free time this week will be spend rehearsing for the Proms. On Wednesday and Thursday afternoon and night there are the first full-dress-rehearsals on stage with all artists and bands…
Oh and there is a very funny feature about the proms, because John Miles is said to be kidnapped... check it out!

gifts

I’ve been working for my company on a selection of new corporate gifts, and we – and more precisely – my bosses, can’t seem to agree on it. But what is an ideal corporate gift, say for instance to give to your clients for New-year?

In my opinion, it needs to be something original, useful and not cheap-looking. Something people will keep at least for a while, or would pass on to somebody. Not something that gets lost in drawers or in the bin…

but the offer of these things is endless… knives, umbrella’s, clocks, pens, bags, scarfs,… so anybody who can help me find an original idea… post them here!

Science of Sleep

Why is it that, every time I see a movie of Gael Garcia Bernal, I feel a sense of pure pleasure… is it because he chooses not to choose for mainstream commercial success? Or is it because he gives younger directors a needful “star” on their cast-list? Or is it maybe because he has a talent for picking out wonderful scripts? Is it his social involvement? his incredibly funny accent? Is it because he reminds me of a friend from my past? Or is it just because I think he is one of the greatest young actors of these days? ...

or maybe it is just his devillish handsome looks?

I am nuts!

Yesterday night, while being in Turnhout, we paid a surprise visit to the parents of M. We just went to say hi, but were treated on ice cream and drinks! M. has a real ‘mama’ that takes care of her guests just like your typical mom. On the way out, she asked if somebody of us didn’t care to have some fresh-from-the tree walnuts, and guess who couldn’t refuse that offer?

They are healthy (contain omega3 acids good for cholesterol and reduce the risk of cancer) and very nutritious (they provide protein, several essential vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants, yet are free of trans fats and cholesterol. Thank you Google) and even the Romans considered nuts as the food for Gods…

As a child me and my sister used to spend hours opening nuts and pealing of the brown-yellowish layer that covers the inside… But I always wondered if this in necessary or advisable? is it good to eat this layer? Is it a nutritious part? I don’t think it tastes good anyway and still like to try to peal it of – if I can find the patience that is…

turkish

I received a very funny letter this morning. It came from the socialist party with a flyer to vote for a specific candidate of theirs. Now as such this is not a very exciting fact, especially because in two weeks there are local elections, and probably everybody's mailbox is full of these things. But mine was special.

It started with the name it was addressed to... First there was a Turkish sounding name, then my surname Duran and then my first name and then another Turkish name. And to make things complete, the flyer inside was also in Turkish!

Now i suspect that somebody reading the population register saw my name, "duran" which is - as a former Turkish flatmate of mine told me - a very Turkish name, and thought that i was Turkish...

That, or maybe because of my beautiful tan and southern looks :-s

Walk on the wild side

yesterday-night, it was the first night since long that i was home-alone and no plans for the evening. And i can say i have really enjoyed it. At night, I decided to take a walk into town, just to have a walk. (first i wanted to go by bike, but i had a flat tyre, just like P). Not to become philosophical but it felt as if I had a walk with myself (which i suddenly remembered was already a while ago). It was a little walk down memory lane as well, since i went past all the flats i used to live, through the student area, past my old school, my first "real" flat and then again home.

And J. can tell whatever he wants, but i still like those super-size advertising that they put on scaffoldings in the city. especially if it's an diesel-angel... (i wanted to put a picture here of the ad, but cannot seem to find one... pity)

Take a walk on the wild side...

yesterday-night, it was the first night since long that i was home-alone and no plans for the evening. And i can say i have really enjoyed it. At night, I decided to take a walk into town, just to have a walk. (first i wanted to go by bike, but i had a flat tyre, just like P). Not to become philosophical but it felt as if I had a walk with myself (which i suddenly remembered was already a while ago). It was a little walk down memory lane as well, since i went past all the flats i used to live, through the student area, past my old school, my first "real" flat and then again home. And J. can tell whatever he wants, but i still like those super-size advertising that they put on scaffoldings in the city. especially if it's an diesel-angel... (i wanted to put a picture here of the ad, but cannot seem to find one... pity)

walk

yesterday-night, it was the first night since long that i was home-alone and no plans for the evening. And i can say i have really enjoyed it. At night, I decided to take a walk into town, just to have a walk. (first i wanted to go by bike, but i had a flat tyre, just like P). Not to become philosophical but it felt as if I had a walk with myself (which i suddenly remembered was already a while ago). It was a little walk down memory lane as well, since i went past all the flats i used to live, through the student area, past my old school, my first "real" flat and then again home.

And J. can tell whatever he wants, but i still like those super-size advertising that they put on scaffoldings in the city. especially if it's an diesel-angel... (i wanted to put a picture here of the ad, but cannot seem to find one... pity)

walk

yesterday-night, it was the first night since long that i was home-alone and no plans for the evening. And i can say i have really enjoyed it. At night, I decided to take a walk into town, just to have a walk. (first i wanted to go by bike, but i had a flat tyre, just like P). Not to become philosophical but it felt as if I had a walk with myself (which i suddenly remembered was already a while ago). It was a little walk down memory lane as well, since i went past all the flats i used to live, through the student area, past my old school, my first "real" flat and then again home.

And J. can tell whatever he wants, but i still like those super-size advertising that they put on scaffoldings in the city. especially if it's an diesel-angel... (i wanted to put a picture here of the ad, but cannot seem to find one... pity)

God was in the house

With some re-scheduling and putting priorities in my calendar-activities, I managed to go and see Nick Cave anyway on Sunday-night. And - for me - it was divine. I have not much adoration for many artists, but only one, and that is Nick Cave. And he totally lived up to the expectations. He was charming, in good shape, witty, talkative and very funny. The play list was very similar to the gig I saw in Edinburgh a couple of months ago. Nick Cave has the ability to play his own songs in such a different way (Henry Lee goes wild or The Mercy Seat on a slow train) but still in his unmistakingly Nick Cave-style. For me, pure heaven... Add a fresh piece of midnight-strawberry cake with friends and you have a recipe for a perfect night!

Where do we go but nowhere...

He has been mentioned in my blog before (and is the inspiration even for its title), and might be mentioned many more times I hope. Next week I have – or better "had"– in my calendar a big fat date marked: Sunday 24/09. That day was circled in red because my all-time-hero would perform that night in Belgium: Nick Cave.

I have seen him perform the same show in Edinburgh a couple of months ago, one of the better shows of Cave I have seen. As soon as i knew that he was coming to Belgium, i bought these tickets. But now my own musical project (what’s in a name), the choir, has planned its first rehearsal on that same day and being present is obligatory! I dare say that – if Cave had not scheduled a second gig on Monday – I would have had strong doubts of participating in the first place!

Leaves me still with one problem: swapping my tickets… I have posted several messages on fan-forums to swap my tickets, but no-one seems to be interested… does anybody have some creative ideas to get me into the Monday-night gig?

DIY-sunday

Last Sunday, we had a DIY-day at our home - well half a day for me, since i slept until after midday, because we went out to the "Mayor's Ball" - a great (yearly) initiative of our current major (great atmosphere and beautiful people - i always end up wondering where they would go out on regular saturdays, because that would be the place i want to go as well). This party felt a bit like a massive wedding party where everybody is happy and where there is a very strong communal feeling... very cool) and afterwards to our old time favourite "Petrol".

But back to the DIY; we painted one of our walls in olive-green and Joris hung up an old map of Europe on the wall. Our old cupboard, that i dismantled after i thought i had done it wrong the first time, was put back together - in the right way this time (which, very worryingly, looked very similar as the first time). I'll see if i can take some pictures tonight of the final result.

Afterwards, as a treat for our work, we went later at night to a comedy-night in "The Joker", which had a line-up of three stand-up comedy acts. The best act came from Johan Petit, not much a stand-up-comedian, but more a full blown actor who can be extremely funny...

oh and i will need your help - if you would be so kind to start thinking about what kind of tasks our friend Caroline can do during her 7 months in Australia for us (i'll give a wee example: "take a picture of yourself together with a koala-bear"... send all usefull things to finland@advalvas.be)

first time

lots of first-timers yesterday:

first time in cd-shop after midnight
first time eye-to-eye with a famous belgian singer
first time watching that freaky old lady sneaking up to the cd-shop and wondering what the hell she was doing there
first time taking pictures in the cd-shop of any dvd that seemed to have a funny title
first time letting R drive on his bike through a poster of that same singer
...
unfortunately also:
first time (since being back from Edinburgh) forgetting to put my alarm clock
first time sleeping in and arriving late - which is at my current job a very delicate matter...

Come un lampo di vita...

Last night, for Joris's birthday, i had bought him tickets to go and see "Alegria", from cirque du soleil in Brussels. Joris works for a cultural festival in Antwerp and I wanted to show him that culture and commerce can go hand in hand and deliver a beautiful product all the same...

However I fear that yesterday's "Alegria" failed to convince. I had seen the same show a couple of years ago and remember that i found it a truly magical experience. But after yesterday's show, it all felt a bit dissapointing. The acts were more divided, there wasn't anymore that magical "flow"that melted one act into the other. And there were stupid clown acts that abruptly changed the mood between acts.

To me, Alegria has lost a bit of its original weight, and that - my dear friends - is a pity ;-)

we had a little bbq

and that is just what i wanted to say; yesterday we had a nice little bbq, just like that. Nothing fancy, nothing organised... which made it the more fun... after the food we went for a treasure hunt near the water (I really can't tell more about this) and then for a cocktail in the Capuccino Club (which may sound like it is inspired by "Friends", but is in fact a very laid back, cool bar just around our flat... just so you know!

Tornado

Yesterday, I was visiting my parents in my hometown in the jungle under Brussels, and my mother told me something remarkable. In the town adjacent to ours, there had been a tornado!


Now when I think of tornado’s, I immediately see those killerscenes you can see in Hollywood-movies – houses torn apart, cars upside down in trees, screaming antagonists who always seem to be able to run just a bit faster than the tornado itself. Apparently - and luckily - in this case the tornado turned out to be a very small one, just in a meadow (of which there are a lot in that area) and did no harm to men nor beast…

it’s reassuring to know that even tornado’s adapt themselves to the scale of my very small hometown…


By the way, tonight on Canvas they broadcast one of my all-time favourite movies, Bram Stoker's Dracula! definitely worth watching!

Little red things

*
I was sitting at my desk at the office when suddenly, by seeing “it” I was confronted with a sudden flashback of my youth… and then I realised it was indeed a very long time since I had seen these things… * I can very vividly remember seeing them as a child in summertime on the blue stones of my grandparents entry of their house.

I am talking about those very little red spider-kinda-like animals… I cannot really name them, since even in Dutch I wouldn’t know what their name is (in my youth we called them “donderbeestjes” but after some research that turned out to be another kind of small spidery animal…). Does anybody now their name and what they * are?

I have already seen two on my desk now (on the same day). We work in a very green environment here, but it struck me to see them in this kinda un-green environment… I would have taken a picture of them, were it not that I have squeezed them with my pen (the only proof of them being here are two small reddish bloody spots…) – I made a little drawing in illustrator to help identify them… They actually look like red asterisks - just like this: *
or zoomed in like this:

Finally!

Finally, finally, finally! I already purchased my new keyboard a while ago now – somewhere mid-july -expecting to be able to play still in my holidays until the end of july. Faith however, decided against me; the store didn't have my keyboard in stock and so I had to wait for a new delivery from the manufacturer… and I waited and waited and waited, in great anticipation, I must say… until now!

I finally have it! It looks and sounds super great! My new baby is called Kawai MP4 and i bought it together with a superfancy-state-of-the-art active monitor…


Still a bit unfortunate timing however, because my good friend (and priest) Geert had arranged to pay me a visit (have not seen him since I am back from Scotland), so I had to leave my new toys already behind – although I must say the alternative was just as good – Mojito’s in Café au Lait!