Sunday, January 29, 2006

Bubela

When I was little and my grandparents were alive, I used to know quite a lot of Yiddish. Now I've forgotten it, mostly, and it's funny when a word will come floating up from the depths of memory, or I'll hear it and remember. (When I see my friend's babies, it seems to come out. "Bubela! Boychik!")We didn't think of them as foreign words at the time - it was probably only in going to school that you noticed subconsciously that you never heard those words there - meshuggena; tush; schnozz; schluf ...

Even now I've no idea how you spell these words. It was only a spoken language to us. And I can see how other, lucky children grow up bilingual, with this double knowledge of words. (Like the kids at school, who sometimes forget and talk to me in Sylheti.) No one ever had to sit down and explain these words to us, they just were. I wish I hadn't lost it (or my grandparents, for that matter), but some of them have entered into the English language, like shmooze, or shlep - it's earthy and expressive, makes me glad I haven't lost it altogether.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Pandora's Box

Find Music You'll Love - Pandora

From the Music Genome Project. Thanks to clever Leila for the link. Type in a song you like - it will come up with a whole radio station full of tunes for you.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Resident techie god

reckons that there are too many girls in this house. That is L, me, and his girlfriend. (We started calling him the token male.)

He said, and I quote, "I'm paranoid in case I pinch the wrong arse by accident." Now, given that he's been with his girlfriend for 10 years, you think he'd know by now.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Smile at a stranger day

Yesterday was statistically speaking, the most depressing day (in this part of the world at least). Being dark, cold, after the holidays, no time off in sight, and a Monday to boot. Apparently the way to combat this is to plant a tree, take some exercise and smile at a stranger.

I must have been a day late, felt like a ton of bricks had landed on me today. Until I went to Tescos and the Jamaican woman working on the till gave me a gorgeous smile and said, rather surprisingly, "How are you, my darling?" And guess what, it worked.

Tuesday's link

Channel 4 's FourDocs - upload or download 4 minute documentaries - you'll like it, if you like that kind of thing.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Voyeurism

Reading Mimi in New York's post Blog Wars made me think about this whole voyeuristic business. She started off fairly anonymous but isn't any longer. I find her writing infuriating at times, but always very open, articulate and compelling. ( Her straight-talking seems to attract the lunatic fringe - just take a look at her commenters.)

I admire writers who are so very open but it does make you uneasy, I've had to give up reading some people's blogs because (though I know they are voluntarily putting it out there for all to see) it feels too voyeuristic, like witnessing open heart surgery. It conflicts with what must be my indoctrinated sense of English reserve. It's a fine line to tread, to write so that people get a sense of you without giving away all your secrets.

What I wanted to ask, especially of people that have been doing this longer than me, is how do you find a balance? Did you ever post about something you later regretted? Did it change the way you wrote, or affect you in other ways? Do tell...

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Poor whale

You think you've got problems. Look at this poor whale, stuck in the Thames. Click on BBC link for video.

Update: RIP whale. Will all readers kindly observe one minute's silence. Thank you.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

London Books 2, 3 and 4

Oops, kind of got behind on this. So here are 3 for the price of 1. (First post here).

The Buddha of Suburbia Hanif Kureishi


A South London Anglo-Indian teenager longs to leave the dull suburbs of the 70s and escape to the big smoke.

Many things I love about it, but with the London connection, most of all the love of a suburban kid for the big city. I like it that he makes it, though it seems like a poisoned chalice, all that ambition and yearning from an outsider from the uncool suburbs I could relate to... though at least we were on the tube.

Armadillo William Boyd

Loss adjuster Lorimer Black goes to investigate a claim and finds his client has hanged himself, the start of a powerful noir thriller set in the City.

Apart from falling in love with Lorimer Black, (strange because I've never found a fictional character so attractive or real to me before) this struck a powerful chord, still not sure why. He writes about a city which is half as familiar as the back of my hand, half unknown & exotic as another country (the Docklands, Pimlico, Kensington). All the wonder and strangeness of the city.

A White Merc with Fins James Hawes

Trying to save himself from temping hell before he reaches his thirties, our hero plans a heist on Michael Winner's private bank.

Very funny, very perceptive and for me, reading it after graduating, very close to the bone. Speaks for a world of people finding it a struggle to make it, to keep their head above the water - his ambition is not so huge, just " a flat with tall windows". Love the heist aspect, love the happy ending. Pure wish fulfilment.

January escape blues...

in which I bring you links. Take a look at this nicely designed site, i-escape, an independent travel company. Beautiful places to lust after, whether you can afford them or not.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Link of the day

Not sure how I feel about the idea of posh bowling, but thought I'd put it out there for consideration. Bowling is great. Especially the shoes.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Bon temps

What a beautiful weekend it's been. Dragged my arse out of bed to go to deepest north London, to see Emily and new baby, arriving on her doorstep to hear a voicemail saying "Can we cancel?" Bah. She'd forgotten she told me to come over, but seeing as she's had about a nanosecond's sleep in the past four weeks, I forgive her.

Especially as I bump into her and Tamor coming back and we adjourn to the St John with our Canadian architect friend and lovely new girlfriend where he regails us with tales of designing a new police station with blow-up pre-made pods. (don't understand how these work AT ALL. Much conjecture over the flaws in designing a police station around the principles of a bouncy castle.)

The baby is lovely, he has a good head of hair on him. I'd post a picture but for reasons of privacy, will say that he looks like this:

In case you're wondering, it's from Barbapapa, a great kid's book written by a couple of French hippies in the 70s. Barbapapas can change shape. In this book he gets lonely and after travelling around the world, finds himself a Barbamama in his back yard. A moral for us all in this I feel.





Next meet Vanessa in Broadway Market, where we go to the Dove and I try to persuade her to start up one of these here weblog things. Here is a picture from the Dove; gotta love the neon.
When I arrive home there are two new people living in my house. (Friends of L's, not random strangers). I'd forgotten about them coming. And they have quite a lot of stuff. But one of them is a techie God, and will magically make it so that we can have internet in every room in the house, upstairs, downstairs and in my lady's chamber. Rah!

New favourite blog

I Hate Teaching English on Chase Me Ladies

Now, this was posted in 2004, so it's like, practically Jurassic in the fast-moving world of the internet, but I laughed at this at lot and anyone who has ever had any experience of English teaching (or indeed any kind of teaching) cannot fail to relate. (The British Council - At Least It's Not Run By A Drunk - is also pretty good.)

I found the line "Having spent all this time teaching it is probably too late to rehabilitate back into society" especially chilling. Funny, but chilling. Like he's trying to tell me something.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Things fall apart


...especially when they're from (possibly litigious) Swedish furniture chain.

You know who I'm talking about.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

On with the links

Free handwriting analysis. I pinched this from Viking. (Go see his, it's very civilized writing - for a Viking.) Go on, try it, you know you want to.

Monday, January 09, 2006

Art review

We went to the Araki exhibition at the Barbican. It was quite saucy.

Strange though. There are all these naked ladies, tied up with ropes on building sites, and all looking like they couldn't be happier about it. And THEY approach HIM to have their photographs taken. So they look passive and submissive, but they've called the shots. It messes with your head.

How did he get that job? He's one lucky old man. If I started taking photos of naked men tied up, would the museums and galleries of the world be beating a path to my door, showering me with money, exhibitions and acclaim? Would it be Art? I think not.

(But worth a thought, if the teaching doesn't work out.)

A non-naked Araki lady.

Friday, January 06, 2006

Spanish in 5 easy stages

written whilst living in Spain

1. Be woken up at 6.30 am by workshy teenage Neanderthal downstairs neighbour playing a techno version of Bonnie Tyler singing "I need a hero" for 5 mornings on the trot (having arrived home from school at 11 pm every night.)

2. Be subjected to more remixed Bonnie Tyler and other eurotrash techno tunes at a volume which makes your fillings rattle and plates jump off your kitchen shelves for 3 hours of siesta time.

3. Have "Radio Nacional de España" blasted into your kitchen every night by stone-deaf next door neighbour, especially savouring the way the football commentators scream "Goooooooooooooooaaaallll!" for about 10 minutes when a goal is achieved by either side.

4. Go to bed and stuff earplugs in your ears in an unsuccessful attempt to drown out the 70s -style gameshows emanating from your neighbours' flat all night.

5. Finally lose it, go down and hammer on your neighbours' door in a frantic manner.

Y esta! You (and they) will be amazed at the fluent Spanish which pours forth!

"!Es la una de la manaña! Tengo que trabajar! !Estoy harta de tu ruido! !Harta! Hasta la nariz! !Solo quiero vivir en paz! !Ya basta! !Ya no puedo suportarlo!!"*

* It's one in the morning! I have to work! I'm sick of your noise! Sick of it! I've had it up to here! I just want peace and quiet! Enough already! I can't bear it anymore!

I may even have stamped my foot. Maybe my Spanish isn't getting better, maybe I'm just turning into a Spanish person...

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Salt With A Deadly Pepa

I feel bad that I don't bring you the good links. It's my new year's resolution.
First one up then, is this, Hiphop Karaoke. Couldn't imagine anything better. As soon as I can corral any of my friends to share the shame onstage, I am there.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Hi! Thanks for stopping by...

just wanted to tell you that you're great, have enriched my life 1000% with joy, good writing, sarcastic comments, good links, sage advice, free music and postcards, and I wish you the best year ever. Don't you go changing. Happy 2006, imaginary friends.