treeflame

Antwerp, yet again

Thu, 15 May 2008 11:05:01 GMT

Vacation is what you take when you can't take what you've been taking any longer.
Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz).

Nobody felt like working yesterday. The weather was great and it seemed like sitting behind a desk would be a waste of time. Then again, sitting behind a desk is *always* a waste fo time.

In short, four of us took the rest of the day off. And we decided we wanted to do something constructive, instead of just drinking sangria in a bar.

We took the train to Antwerp and there we decided to climb the tower of the cathedral of our lady.

Bit of culture, cathedral was build (work started) in 1351, and it's on the list of World Heritage Sites. Also known for the works of Rubens inside, and for the tale of Nello and Patrasche (a dog of flanders), which is more famous in Japan, then in Belgium.

500 stairs and counting.

From the bottom;

And from the top, with a view on the cityhall (Antwerp), build in the 16th century. And proof we made it!

Kylie Minogue - KylieX - Sportpaleis Antwerp, yesterday

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:32:14 GMT

Have you ever thought
That the sky was just endlessly dark?
And then you look up
And see a million stars.

Kylie Minogue - No more rain.

A friend of mine works for a huge international company that sponsors artists. And she sometimes gets free tickets.

In short, I did not pay for this one. Kylie's tour started yesterday in Paris, this was her second show. We had very good seats, but we also had to *behave*, because a lot of people from her job were there.

I am not a big Kylie fan. I think I can name ten songs, five of which I really like. Her songs usually sound like somebody else. Everytime I hear 'Wow', my brain goes 'Holiday'. It's the same beginning.

I do like "slow", "Cant get you out of my head", "Confide in me" and "Kids" though.

Anyway, what a show! I am used to the 'one band, 3 guitars, one mike and no movement, no dancers and not much of a stage'-concerts. For this tour, I think Kylie recruted dancers from cirque du soleil. These guys did interesting things with their bodies. The kind of things only people without a spine can do. Really impressive.

Special mention goes without doubt to the stage and the outfits. The outfits were obviously Gaultier. Every single outfit was a piece of art.

Kylie changed costumes at least 6 times. She arrived on stage in a big circle of green lights wearing a purple dress (back was a bit spiderman, like a web?), scene two was an "American football"-field, where she was wearing a cheerleader-outfit, then there was a giant skull, with Kylie on top of it, all dressed in red (with a dictator cap). Euh, there was a black and white ballroom-scene, with costumes, then a samurai/geisha- stage, where all the male dancers were wearing long leather skirts and then you had the loveboat scene with sailor outfits (copacabana!). That part was almost a living Gaultier commercial (and really how gay can you go?).

She did the slows in a blue dress, with a red heart, and at the end she was wearing a sparkly top and black trousers.

Everytime she changed outfit, the entire decor changed. It was a very spectacular show. I prefered the first part for some reason.

And though it's the first concert I didn't stay to the very end (we left two minutes earlier, because it was hell to get out of Antwerp), I have deep respect for Kylie, it might not be my kind of music, but she's a professional all the way.

Playlist

Speakerphone
Boombox (Intro only)
Can't Get You Out of My Head
Ruffle My Feathers
In Your Eyes

Act 2 : cheerleaders, American style

Heart Beat Rock
Wow
Shocked

Act 3 : with the skull

Like A Drug
Slow (with line from Free)
The One
2 Hearts

Act 4 : dancers on black/white checkboard floor, then Kylie comes in

On A Night Like This
Kids (with two lady singers, like on Fever)
Step Back In Time
In My Arms
Love At First Sight

BREAK

Act 5 : Geisha/Japan (BEAUTIFUL set)

Sometime Samurai (projection)
Come Into My World (remixed)
Nu-di-ty
Sensitized

Act 6 : the ballads

New Song
I Believe In You (ballad)
Cosmic

Act 7 : the boat, the summer style party

Loveboat
Copacabana
New Song
Spinning Around

CALL BACK :

No More Rain
All I See

Ikea and Iron Man

Mon, 05 May 2008 11:12:40 GMT

I need alcohol, seriously.

Iron man (Either from Iron Man, or my mind made it up during Iron Man, am not really sure).

Plans for the long week-end: do constructive things.

List of things to do:

Taxes.
Figure out how much money I have and how much I need (for my loan).
Find the papers I need for my assurance.
Find the papers I need for my loan.
Cleaning.
*NOT* spend money.
I repeat *NOT* spend money.

And constructive things. Had to be that.

Mistake 1 (and pretty much the only one): picked up my cellular.

5 bars and 1 movie later, it's Monday, and the only constructive thing I did was going to ikea. I will skip the conversations in the bars. I only remember a beer with a penguin as a logo (vedett), and me really wanting that penguin. It was a really cute penguin! The advertisement said "because penguins know what they want"! Now how cute is that?

On a saturday. Next time I get brilliant ideas like that, just shoot me. 50 billion people, and only one exit. And you only find that exit when you follow the yellow brick road. Do not deviate from the road or you will be back at square one. The square where they want to sell you Swedish food. Swedish cook from the muppet show anyone? ;)

Ikea could well be the decor for a ghosthunt. There is no daylight and the aisles just keep going on and going on, and every aisle looks a bit like the last one but with a different color.

And the wall paper. I swear that wall paper moves.

Then you get lost.

After denying you are lost, you get fear.

In a 'didn't I already see that desk?' and 'Where am I? I wanna go hooooome'. If you ever open an ikea closet you might find a costumer crying in there. Rocking back and forth. Going 'Why do I have one screw left? Whyyyyyyyy?????'

They didn't have what I wanted (not in the right color anyway). But I didn't have a lot of time, as I was looking for the exit the whole time I was there. They do have great swedish meat balls.

Iron man. Pretty much because it started to rain when we were sitting outside drinking sangria (+20°C out here and getting hotter). One hour of discussing things in drizzling rain later, they (the people that say are my friends) dragged me into the movie theater where the only movie running was Iron Man. Good thing I had that sangrai first. Because I did NOT want to see Iron Man. I also *said* I did not want to see Iron Man. And that I really wanted to see Nick Cave. So, I wasn't going to see Iron Man. Nah.

It was an okay movie really. A movie that starts with AC/DC's "back in black"... that really cant go wrong. And it's all thanks to Robert Downey Jr. Wearing tight t-shirts. *All* the time. Well except when he's iron man. Or when he's wearing no t-shirt. The no t-shirt was surprisingly good too.

Maybe it's not all Robert Downey Jr and his body. Tony Stark is an entertaining character. Unlike spiderman for instance, Tony knows what sarcasm is. And unlike spiderman, in this movie you actually have chemistry going on.

I liked it.

Product placement in Hollywood movies is getting really ridiculous though.

"What time is it?"

"Hm, well, it's *big close-up of a bulgary watch during about 20 minutes later* time to show my watch."

Also, there is the obvious fact you have a second Iron Man coming up, with the sidekick getting his *Robin* outfit. I gather in Iron Man it's not Robin. It's Tin man or something.

But man, that ac/dc song wont be out of my head any time soon. In short, Iron Man was a lot of fun.

Could be the sangria talking really.

I need a vacation!

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:30:49 GMT

e-bay

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:10:41 GMT

Après nous, le déluge.

Madame de Pompadour

Have been watching a bit too many 'how clean is your house'-episodes. Freaks me out too. I dont wanna end up with a big pile of salmonella fungus with eyes sitting on the carpet.

Then again, maybe you can make it your pet. "Sit Fungus". "Roll over Fungus". "Take over the world Fungus"!

Anyway, I decided that - before I move - I want to get rid of all the things I dont need. And I discovered that you can actually use e-bay to sell crap. You know, instead of buying crap ;)

I think I sold for about 150 dollars now, which is not bad. There was nothing "great" among it really. Lots of junk. The most expensive item I sold was a Lost Dvd-box, season 3. Also sold some bigger items, cd-racks, an etagere, a bulletin board, some of my comics, even clothes. Next up is part of my cd/album-collection.

My room looks rather empty now. And some things... I sold a nice etagere yesterday, and it somewhat hurt to see it go. Even though I sold it to a very nice lady that was really happy with it. It's hard to say goodbye to stuff that has been around for most of my life, but... There are just too many things in my life I dont need. I need an empty room and a empty head.

Does that make sense?

I think I want to know for myself that I would be able to leave it all behind and move on.

It's an interesting lesson. My life in a suitcase.

Or even better.

My life, part 2.

Bring it on.

Lala-land

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:35:49 GMT

Perhaps the world's second worst crime is boredom. The first is being a bore.
Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton

Have a great week-end.

This week in the Belgian news, we broke a world record!

The fragment is in Dutch, but I think you can make out what is happening without understanding the language. The record happens at 0.28 in the fragment.

The real life

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:12:34 GMT

Eddie Temple: You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake son.

Layer Cake.

Cops behind me while I was driving 140 an hour on the highway. They seemed to be going somewhere else themselves, so perhaps they didn't notice my blue car flying over the road. Heck, they were driving faster then I was.

Well, technically, they were only driving faster when I noticed them and slowed down.

The question is, how long were they behind me? The other question is, why did they pull over again later on?

Good thing I have an old car, I cant go faster then 140. After that, my car gets ready for lift-off. It starts to shake and things start to drop off.

Can I blame the music? Blur with song 2, come on, that's an excuse. I think ac/dc is an excuse too. Anything with a beat really. And Mariah Carey is an excellent excuse to drive your car into a brick wall.

And I got the first bill for my apartment. My first bill containing 5 numbers. Not even my car was a 5 numbers amount I had to pay. Next bill will contain 6 numbers. Which will be paid by the bank. Goodbye life, hello poverty.

No, I cant pay for your traffic fine, I got sued by the Mariah Carey fan club.

Short version

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:16:23 GMT

I'm an ice sculptor. Last night I made a cube.
Mitch Hedberg

This job is the fly in my Chardonnay.

U2 3d; I dont know what I prefer, "Is it an ant or is it u2?"-seats, or "a "3d Bono" reaching out and going for your face"-seats.

"u2 3d" is sometimes better then the real thing, for instance, this time I saw the entire stage. And they cut most of the 'Bono plays Ghandi' part in the movie. But then, you cant smell the grass in the cinema, now can you (Actually they had scent effects during the avant-premiere, so you could smell the grass). Still it's a great idea to have a 3d concert movie, but it remains a movie.

Brussels celebrated the 50th celebration of the biggest world exhibition ever. With the biggest firework ever. My cinema is on the site of the world exhibition, so we happened to be there anyway. It looked as if Brussels was under attack, firework from under the Atomium, firework from the ground level, firework from the balls.

For those wanting to know what the atomium is

From the news (and the firework);

And I donated blood. Think that was a record, needle in, 2 minutes and 575 ml later, needle back out. Excellent doctor. Scored a kitchen towel and a whole lot of cookies.

Tiles

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:08:17 GMT

What's the difference between Michael Jackson and a grocery bag?
One is white, made out of plastic, and dangerous for kids to play with and the other you carry your groceries in.

Alright, I agree the above joke is stupid, but I couldn't help myself finding it very funny when I first heard it. Anyway, the contract is signed. Never signed that many pages and copies and pages.

I went for tiles yesterday too. I saw great tiles in one shop, but they were freakishly expensive. So, now I wonder, whether I can combine lesse, 7 freakishly expensive tiles, with plain white tiles from a supermarket.

Off course, that means, going to a shop and ask for 7 tiles.

"Can I have 7 tiles?"

They might think I am a nutcase.

These are the ones I like btw, in combination with white tiles.

http://www.bardelli.it/bardelli/catalogue_en/decor/temaevariazionetiles.htm

And this is what they look like in a badroom

http://www.bardelli.it/bardelli/catalogue_en/decor/temaevariazione.htm#

Though I also really like these

http://www.bardelli.it/bardelli/catalogue_en/decor/solielune.htm

Movies

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:15:49 GMT

Marie: Why don't you both put your guns down and go home?
Harry: Don't be stupid! This is the shootout.

In Bruges

Spend almost the entire week in the cinema. Except Wednesday and Friday. Strange that I always find people to go to the movies with, but still nobody wants to go to Nick Cave. Gorramn.

So, in short, because I have not a lot of time (I will get back on u2 3d).

Thursday, In Bruges.

Good movie. Extra creditpoints for the excellent ending. You have to like the genre though, combine crime/neo-noir with dark comedy and you are there. The movie really insults everything and everybody; Americans, Dwarfs, Belgians, Bruges... everything that comes along really.

Maybe not as good as the excellent kiss kiss bang bang (same genre), but not bad at all. Comes in at a solid second place in my top 2008 list. My list being, 1 "No country for old men". Then a big void. Then 2, In Bruges.

I do believe not all beers they drink in the movie exist though. Besjesbier? WTF

Saturday, The other Boleyn sister

Interesting story; I didn't even know there was a Mary Boleyn, so I did learn something new here. Good acting. Solid nice little costume drama. No more no less.

Sunday, Taken

Alright popcorn-action flick. Was a bit confused on who made this, the director is French, the producer is French, it was sponsored by the bbc and the daughter was a recycled actress from Lost. I think it's a French movie, spoken in English. Lots of clichés; but then, aren't all action movies a bit of a cliché? In a week or two, I probably wont even remember seeing it.

Monday, 21

Movie about playing black jack and getting rich rich rich. Main actor was a bit of a déja-vu, seeing I just saw him in 'The other Boleyn sister' on Saturday.

I do wonder what the definition of a genius is in the US. Because the guy in question made some pretty stupid decisions along the way. Interesting to hear you need 300.000 dollar to study med at harvard. Glad to be European, where you need 300 dollars to study med at any university of choice. Liked the soundtrack of 21, but wouldn't call it a must-see. I have no idea why Kevin Spacey signed up for this. I am thinking money. I am thinking 'breaking the bank in Vegas'-money.

Buying stuff

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:32:54 GMT

I would be the most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.

Anna Quindlen

The big news, I bought myself an apartment! Weeeeee. Ok, the deal is not official yet, I need to sign on wednesday. Then it will be official.

Well, technically, it will only be official when I get the keys. In Belgium, that's three months from signing to getting the keys.

Most important mission after signing is getting a loan. I like banks. My mum worked in a bank, I read books about economics for my job and I work with professionals in the banking business.

So, whenever I go to a bank, it always amuses me how stupid banks think you are. They really screw you over from minute one. For instance, the life-insurance... You dont need one in Belgium, yet, they all make you believe you need one.

Also, they never give you a good deal from the start. You first need to go to bank A, then to bank B, and go 'well, this is what bank A offers, what do you offer?' Then you need to do that with bank a to z. This will be great.

My colleague (big shot banking professional) says I should yell. He claims yelling works.

That being the bad news, other bad news, it's in a dodgy part of town, so I will get myself killed walking home at night. I still need a floor, and seeing I have a small (ok, no) budget left, it will either be, the inexpensive floor put down by professionals, or the expensive floor, put down by me and friends and family.

I am already having visions of expensive floorboards going up and down. And back up. And perhaps a rat stuck under one floorboard.

Also, I need to think about what tiles I want in the badroom, what tiles I want in the kitchen, the floors I want in the rest of the apartment, the colors I want and the furniture I want.

Then I have to delete all I want, and shop on e-bay, seeing my budget is non-existing.

Maybe stick with non-painted walls and hay on the floor.

But still, I will have my own apartment! Yay!

I even have a room with a view! On a brick wall!

But it's my view! Mine! I even like the name of the streat I will be living in. The "little mill streat".

Because in the Middle Ages it had three mills.

Yay!

The eye

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:48:17 GMT

An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.

Gandhi

It's hard to say which movie genre sucks the most. To me it's a close call between romantic comedies, horror movies and pseudo-intellectual garbage. Romantic comedy as in "The heartbreak kid" (look at that, I can show my hairy muff), horror movies as in "Creep" (look at that, I am a creep in the subway. What do you mean, most men in the subway after 10 PM are creeps?) and pseudo-intellectual garbage as in "Babel" (look at that, I can kill a chicken).

Seeing pseudo-intellectual garbage isn't a genre, only two remain. After seeing "27 dresses", it's pretty obvious nothing can beat the romantic comedy as worst movie genre.

Because I am going to give some extra credits to the horror genre. "The eye" wasn't all that bad.

Story in short, blind chick gets a cornial transplant, and *sees* things.

Spooky.

Generally speaking the movie still sucked a lot. Wasn't really original either. Every part of "the eye" came from somewhere else. Heck, at some point, it even reminded me of a supernatural episode (in my time of dying).

And its the American remake of an Asian movie, so if you want to see a better version, see the original. I even know that without having seen the original.

Oh, and Jessica Alba cant act. *At all*

But, it was better then "The heartbreak kid"! And better then "27 dresses".

Wait, does arent horror...

What's the definition of horror again?

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:44:30 GMT

Now if these aspirations bother you
Well you are just you, you don’t have a clue
I’m sticking to the plan I will see it through
Let there be no confusion
Cause I’m the architect

dEUS - The architect

I think doctors should pay money back if they have it wrong.

That is, if the patient is still alive to collect.

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:02:33 GMT

All of this, all of this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
Just give me what I want and no-one gets hurt

U2 - vertigo

Torchwoods last episode... WTF was that? No really?

I am pretty certain Owen isn't dead. Nope. He was already dead, so my guess is, he will be like that liquid guy in Terminator. He better not be dead! Or I open the gates to hell myself.

Anyway, a friend of mine has tickets for u2 3d tonight. The Belgian avant-première! I hope the entire room will be filled with u2 fans.

Then again, the Irish avant-première had the band. Gorramn.

Vertigo was not my favourite u2 concert. The Koningboudewijn-stadium has the worst sound in the universe. We had terrible places, and Bono was playing Ghandi during most of that concert. Which pissed me off, because at that point, buying u2 tickets meant I couldn't eat for the rest of the month. Make poverty history? How about we start with the u2-tickets? Which you could only order through the internet, which poor people dont have to begin with.

At least we might be closer to the band tonight (well, virtually that is).

In all we have scored tickets for three free movies this week. And one free movie next week. Starting with "u2 3d" tonight, tomorrow, the eye, which should be garbage of the worst kind, and on thursday "In Bruges". Then next week monday "21".

Even though all of the above movies might suck, In Bruges has free alcohol, and u2 3d has free singing. And both have Irish guys. Talking Irish. *drool*

This week is still waiting for Godo though. Thursday might not be a great day. I should get more news then - through mail - but I wont be at my job to check my mail, so unless I phone in, I wont know till Friday. Phoning in might ruin the rest of the day. Then again, thursday might already be ruined because I need to go to the hospital in the morning.

I am not really certain yet what will happen there either. It will depend. Anyhow, they cant keep me, because I have Colin Farrell waiting. I think that's a valid reason to check myself out.

And I cant really tell what the combination of (local) anaesthesia, alcohol and Colin Farrell will bring us. Thursday will be weird on several levels.

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:44:39 GMT

Edmund: [reading a curse] Dear Enemy, I curse you and hope something slightly unpleasant happens to you. Like an onion falling on your head.

Blackadder

Interesting things are happening in my life.

I can only wait now.

And no, I am not talking about the New Kids On The Block reunion.

Or about the fact you can bid on a dinner with David Duchovny on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=260226370358&Category=88433

Nothing really

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:21:41 GMT

I understand you're pretty funny as a DJ, and, well comedy is a kind of hobby of mine. Well, actually, it’s a little more than just a hobby. Reader's Digest is considering publishing two of my jokes.

Good Morning Vietnam

This is a very old one, but I keep thinking it's hilarious. For everybody out there needing a smile. And a good song too. "Ok go", with "Here it goes again".

Monday

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:35:20 GMT

You know it's Monday when you find sharks circling in your water bowl

Garfield

We had training today. By sick boy. Sick boy looks like he has a deadly disease. Even though he doesn't. I dont think he eats. Whenever I meet him, I want to give him a sandwich.

Anyway after 50 minutes of paying no attention whatsoever, I start looking at the book that came along with the training. It looked as if part came from another universe. A universe with people that studied quantum physics.

Another 25 minutes later my colleague puts her hand up and goes; "I am sorry, but what is this?"

The guy was giving the wrong training.

I wonder whether I can sell the book on e-bay. Its worth 70 dollars. I bet in some universe somebody might be interested.

The lost boys 2

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:04:43 GMT

10) You know there's something up in Santa Carla when 20 year old boys ride the merry-go-round.
37) If your teenage is sullen, wears sunglasses all the time and hangs out at night, he's probably not on drugs, he is a vampire.
?)The mullet haircut was popular in the vampire comunity during the late 80´s
Things I learnt from The Lost Boys - IMDB

I bet everybody has seen the trailer for the lost boys 2 by now. Man, that's going to hurt.

My favourite 80's movie (well, together with the breakfast club) thrown in a blender and all screwed up. There is no way this movie can have the scene of a lifetime; Kiefer Sutherland crying one tear.

Off course that had all to do with the lenses they used in the eighties, he cried because his eyes were dying.

Anyway I have to see this. Just like I had to see all highlanders. Because you never know that maybe, one day, the 6th part of a movie, might be as good as the first (which never ever is the case).

The Darjeeling Limited

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:45:53 GMT

Je m'baladais sur l'avenue
Le coeur ouvert à l'inconnu
J'avais envie de dire bonjour
À n'importe qui

Les Champs-Elysées
Composed by Mike Deighan and Mike Wilsh

Some artists don’t need signatures. If you see a Van Gogh in a museum, it stands out between all the other paintings on the wall. Your attention is drawn to the colours, to the movement, perhaps even to the insanity of it all. Only a man that would send part of his ear to his brother can make pictures like that. Insanity on canvas needs no signatures.

Movies made by Wes Anderson are pretty much the same. You don’t need more then 5 minutes to recognise the hand that also gave us “The life aquatic With Steve Zissou”.

The story of the movie is quite simple; Owen Wilson (Francis Whitman), Adrien Brody (Peter Whitman) and co-writer Jason Schwartzman (Jack Whitman) star as three estranged brothers, who have not encountered each other since their father's funeral a year before. Francis, who has had a near death experience so his face wrapped in bandages throughout the film, has planned a spiritual awakening aboard The Darjeeling Limited, which is heading straight through India, to re-connect with his family.

Defining the movie is quite another challenge. According to the paper the Darjeeling limited is supposed to be a comedy, but I think that’s a bit too easy. It’s not really a comedy, or a drama, or even a road movie. It’s a bit of everything rolled into one. The red line in the movie – the trip – makes some interesting deviations in which the mood of the movie changes from one scene to the next.

Technically, I adored the moving from one compartment of the train to another in a straight line. Just like every compartment of the train has different situations going on, every single scene brings different emotions. Its one of those movies where everything just fits. A good movie with a great soundtrack.... And a movie where everybody smokes! It had been ages since I saw a cigarette in a movie. And this movie just needs a cigarette now and then.

I can imagine this is not a movie for everyone though, neither was the life aquatic. I think you either hate Mr. Andersons work or you love it.

Seeing weirdness is underestimated in this world, I love it.

Hugo Claus

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:44:07 GMT

In een boek moeten duistere passages voorkomen. Een roman is geen oploskoffie. Hij mag niet gebruiksklaar opgediend worden.
Hugo Claus

Hugo Claus died yesterday. One of the few Belgian writers who was always connected with the nobel price (yet never won it). "The Sorrow of Belgium" was voted *the* book (written in the Dutch language) of the 20th century in 1999. He suffered from Alzheimer and requested his life to be terminated through euthanasia.

So, I just wanted to give you one of his poems.

Repetitie

Ik wil dood.
Zoals vijfenveertig procent
van de Belgen
Ik heb niemand
‘Omdat je nooit in liefde
hebt geïnvesteerd, liefje’
Ik begin
Ga verder
Sodium thiopenthal
Zo, je bent bijna buiten westen
Dan pancuronium bromide
Je longen begeven
Dan potassium chloride
En je hart houdt op
Dat kan ik nooit onthouden

And this is my English translation. I actually doubt his last poems were translated, so this is a non-official translation. Dont sue me, I am poor.

Rehearsal
By Hugo Claus

I want to die.
Like 45 %
of all Belgians
I have nobody.
"That's because you never
invested in love, honey"
I start.
Continue.
Sodium thiopenthal
You are almost out cold
Then pancuronium bromide
Your longs collapse
Then potassium chloride
And your hart stops.
I'll never be able to remember that.

The Cure - sportpaleis 03/14 - Antwerp

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:15:25 GMT

Suddenly I stop
but I know it's too late
I'm lost in a forest
all alone
The girl was never there
it's always the same
I'm running towards nothing
again and again and again

The Cure - a forest

Just for the record, the sportpaleis in Antwerp is terrible, you never get there on time, you never find a parking spot (it must be the only concert-temple in the universe with no parking) and at the end, prepare to get trembled. A disaster waiting to happen.

Anyway, that's Antwerp for you, but The Cure is something else.

Its not the first time I see The Cure, but compared to most fans ("Oh, you have seen them a couple of times now? Well, this is my 17th/25th/35th concert), I am still the newby.

Unlike Depeche Mode or The Flaming Lips, where you get an entire show, The Cure is a *concert*. Robert Smith is a man of little words. And what he says is mostly unintelligible or really confusing.

He doesn't move a lot either. One tile. At the very end he moves to both sides to greet the audience. That's all you get. And, it's also known he doesn't see a lot, but refuses to wear glasses, because then he would actually *notice* the crowd.

You almost feel sorry for the guy.

Yet, it all doesn't really matter, great things dont need a lot of words, or a lot of introducing or bells and flames and jingles and mudd. Or alcohol. Or women in big dresses, or women in no dresses. Or backing vocals and dancers. And a decor where everything shines.

Their music sells itself. And with 13 albums, they have a lot to choose from. So, their concerts are bloody long (+ 3 hours). In fact, I have never had longer concerts.

The concept is always the same, they take a slow start. Like a diesel. Not only the band, but also the crowd, need time. But time is what you get. After about an hour the real fun starts. And true insanity starts when the bis numbers are being played (that's a concert on its own, you get "bis", then you get "ter" and "quater").

Their 80's songs are without doubt their best numbers, a forest, boys dont cry, and killing another (which is the political correct version of killing an arab - it's a song about the book "L'étranger" by Camus, but then people started to see all sorts of stuff in it, and the cure decided to change the lyrics because of it (first "kissing an arab", then "killing another"). They played a couple of new tracks, and to me, they weren't convincing enough to actually buy their new cd (due april or may).

The real magic moment of the entire concert was "A forest". Which to me, is still their greatest song ever. Worst song being "Friday I am in love", which is an insult for the rest of their carreer. Always a good time to head for the bar.

Ending with 'close to me' and 'why cant I be you' was perfect though. No idea why the guitarist trashed his guitar at the end. For the cure, that's weird. Then again. It's The Cure. I think they invented that word.

Well, this is from the cure concerts website. Its not that I would remember the order of the 35 songs they played

Plainsong
Prayers for rain
A strange day
alt.end
The end of the world
Lovesong
To wish impossible things
Pictures of you
Lullaby
From the edge of the deep green sea
Hot hot hot!!!
Please project
The walk
Push
Friday i'm in love
Inbetween days
Just like heaven
Primary
A boy I never knew
Never enough
Wrong number
One hundred years
Disintegration,

***
At night
M
Play for today
A forest
***
Boys don't cry
Jumping someone else's train
Grinding halt
10:15 Saturday night
Killing another
***
Freak show
Close to me
Why can't I be you

Sweeney Todd

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:24:44 GMT

There's a hole in the world like a great black pit, and it's filled with people who are filled of shit, and the vermin of the world inhabit it, and it goes by the name of 'London.'

Sweeney Todd

Blasphemy.

Thats what this post will be.

Blasphemy.

Because I did not like "Sweeney Todd". Not liking a movie made by Tim Burton, with Johnny Depp as the main actor, is the same as not liking bunnys. You're a social outcast when you dont like bunnys.

But I did not like Sweeney Todd. The first 15 minutes are promising - true - but then the movie repeats itself. Over and over and over and over. At one point you start wondering - somewhere around the 47th slit troat - whether Tim Burton couldn't have used those blades to cut the movie. Maybe to cut the movie and make pies from that.

I never got the feeling Johnny Depp was truely a killer with a heavy past. Most of the time he just... seemed bored. The fact he got nominated for "Pirates" and for this movie is really an insult to the rest of the mans carreer.

And while Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter aren't the greatest singers, the younger couple in the movie, well, they aren't the greatest actors.

Not the entire movie is bad though, I enjoyed the seaside part, the decors and Sacha Baron Cohen. That's one scène and one sidekick, in a great decor. Other then that, even the lyrics didn't impress me much. Never did I get a "I shot two warning shots, straight into his head" (chicago), there is wit, but nothing I will remember in 50 years.

At the end I felt like this must be a great musical. On a stage. In a theater.

Addiction

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:13:47 GMT

Way too much coffee. But if it weren't for the coffee, I'd have no identifiable personality whatsoever.

David Letterman

Why... Oh... why... is there no *coffee* none *no* COFFEE like no - none in the COFFEE machine.

No coffee inside the machine. None. No coffee in my mug either.

It's a sad sad planet when you have no coffee in the coffee machine.

Argh

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:31:50 GMT

I think the world is run by C students.
Al McGuire

We won the office quiz. Now word goes round, that we were the team shilding our answers with cardboard. I am very sorry, but that piece of cardboard was our mascot. It had the Battlestar Galactica on it? With stars and planets? The exact same mascot we used last year.

I am surrounded by morons. They are everywhere.

We were the only team that recognised Butters from South Park. I am thinking about printing t-shirts saying "already number 1 so why try harder?".

I do wonder, shouldn't CEO's and managers actually know more then their employes? It was a general knowledge quiz, so, really, shouldn't they?

I did learn some new things. For instance

From wikipedia.

St. Elmo's Fire is an electrical weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a coronal discharge originating from a grounded object in an atmospheric electric field (such as those generated by thunderstorms or thunderstorms created by a volcanic explosion).

St. Elmo's fire is named after St. Erasmus of Formiae (also called St. Elmo), the patron saint of sailors. The phenomenon sometimes appeared on ships at sea during thunderstorms, and was regarded by sailors with superstitious awe, accounting for the name. Alternatively, Peter Gonzalez is said to be the St. Elmo after whom St. Elmo's fire has its name.

Physically, St. Elmo's Fire is a bright blue or violet glow, appearing like fire in some circumstances, from tall, sharply pointed structures such as lightning rods, masts, spires and chimneys, and on aircraft wings. St. Elmo's Fire can also appear on leaves, grass, and even at the tips of cattle horns. Often accompanying the glow is a distinct hissing or buzzing sound.

In 1750, Benjamin Franklin hypothesized that a pointed iron rod during a lightning storm would light up at the tip, similar in appearance to St. Elmo's fire.

Other things, I ordered my second tickets for the summerfestivals. They are now asking 3.25 dollars for a pint. Yesterday there was an award ceremony, and the guy organising the festival was boo-ed off stage.

You cant bring any food or beverages on the field, and then they ask 3.25 for a pint/glas of water. Last year, it was 35 degrees. Frontstage and in the big tent, I think it was 50 degrees. I think at some point there were more people backstage in the red cross area then front stage.

Maybe I should do what some friends of mine did, about two weeks before the festival they burried their alcohol on the field, with exact GPS coordinates. So, when the festival started, all they had to do was dig.

Oh, and people keep telling me I should see "there will be blood". Maybe next week. It's batibouw at my cinema, so no parking, no movies.

And I am pissed with SGA, exploding

tumors

Gimme a break.

Office quiz

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:36:06 GMT

Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.

Jeff Valdez

Today is annual office quiz. 20 teams will compete for the grand title of smartest people in the office.

Last year my team came in second. The prices are good too, 150 dollars to spend on books/cd's/dvd's when you win, 75 when you come in second. Our bosses came in 6th. They aint playing anymore. Bosses are not the best loosers in the universe.

My specialities are supposed to be movies, music, history, flags and quotes.

Our team is called "Battlestar Intergalactica/Intelligentia". *I* did not come up with that name, nor do I like it. But we do have a battlestar mascot. That looks like a toilet roll with wings.

It is a toilet roll with wings.

We wont win though. A collegue from last years winning team came into my office once and looked at my firefly quote on the wall. It says "Everyone under the heavens ought to die", but in chinese. Now usually, people ask me what it means, and then I reply that it's something buddhistic about flowers and birds. But he just smiled.

He gorramn understood what was on it! We're so dead meat!