zondag 27 september 2009

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Why is September

.... the Month?

September is unique because life starts anew in a peculiar uncommon way. Even though most of nature will be dead, miserable and ugly by late November, September trees are still carrying the fruits of summer while getting ready to color their branches in the most beautiful shades that mother Earth is able to create. September is the month when life in cities is throbbing and inviting. New students have arrived, old friends are to be seen again, everyone with their stories about summer festivals, worldly adventures and future plans. Frowning faces in the schoolyard are rare as September classes are still not too heavy and mid term exams are far, far away from thoughts. Everyone is still bronze, wearing flip-flops and unwilling to dispose of the sand in the bags – the leftovers of the long summer days. First student parties, new acquaintances, new small obsessions, frustrations and old desires become reborn. Life starts anew. Normally, spring is associated with new life, because of the few months left to freedom, everybody looking forward to the summer. However, for some of us, the autumn children, September marks the beginning of the New Year – the transition between seasons, where you move one step forward. This is a small collection of September songs selected by a September-born, September-maniac. Enjoy your Sep-days.


September in Cantonese: Kao Yut
I am born in September: Ngo Ge San Yat Hay Kao Yut

September songs:

Melodrom- September
Beatles – September in The Rain
Earth, Wind & Fire- September (recommended)
Future Prophecies- September


my new Septemberists

donderdag 24 september 2009

What the hell is this???

Again, for the Nth time I am reading a sentence in a textbook and I cannot believe its contents. It’s beyond comprehension how could somebody publish this as an academic piece of work. Unbelievable, suddenly I felt the need to throw away all this educational crap and go give workshops on Environmental Respect!!! Damn you people! Just read this:
“Services provided by the environment for society:
(........)
2. The ability to act as a waste disposal system assimilating the wastes of industrial production and other human activities such as leisure and tourism
(........)"
OK, Turner (1994) and Willis (1997) What the hell are you trying to tell us here? May be that onee of the environments’s fundamental fuctions is to carry out humans waste? That’s why we have oceans and rivers on Earth – to dump garbage in them, right? What else are they there for otherwise??!?!?! Those smartasses probably have the environmnent’s signature somewhere on a contract giving its consent to serve obediently the genious of humankind. “Services provided by the environment for society”... services ?!?! And I am supposed to cite those people in my graduation research project. This cannot be true. I must not live in a world that believes such things, pretend that life is sweet and care about my Ipod, school records and future plans. Ignorance is bliss, but I don’t want any of it. (Services?!?!??! I am still shaken)

And still ... Greet the future Master of Environmental Sciences (University of Edinburg, scheduled for 2010-2012)

Source: Turner, K.R., Pearce, D. and Betaman, I. (1994) Environmental Economics: an elementary introduction, Hemel Hempstead: Harcester Wheatsheaf
Willis, I. (1997) Economics and the Environment: a signaling and incentives approach, St. Leonards, Allen and Urwin

woensdag 23 september 2009

Chinaland




When I have got some more time to describe this weirdness of a country called The People's Republic of China I will make you laugh and cry at the same time. For now : just visuals

One year bloggin'

Today Havevisons have become one complete year old. Remembering that Dutch afternoon 12 months ago I cannot help but write a quick review of unimportant stuff. It was a year of utter weirdness, of loneliness, of amazing breathtaking views, achievements, of desires never satisfied. I have found myself and what I want to be – may be only partly but still a good beginning. It was a year of solitude, music and literature – in fact it’s probably the year with the highest number of books read (more than 30 titles for 12 months). Yes, I fell in love – this was something to remember – even though I did not post too much about it here. I left meat consumption behind my back, learned to cook proper meals, found ways to lead a healthy life-style (this is a big step for somebody who used to live on alcohol, cigarettes and rice). And now here I am again – far from all I love! Ready to see new lands, to eat new food, to speak a new language (so far I count to infinity and greet the guards at school in Chinese). New friends are to be made and I am working on that. But loneliness remains, not bothering me anymore, like a statement that my course of life is making. There are other things to be done and I am doing them almost without the painful need to be somewhere else, with somebody else.

This blog has helped me somehow to reflect on past events, remember impressions that selective memory erases but written words contain forever. Thoughts I shared, songs I loved – needed by no one but chosen by me to be present here. Why? I don’t care. Why in English? - Many people have asked: my thoughts run smoothly in English, they probably fly in Bulgarian but I have never typed in my own language and before I find the “ф” and the “ч” my idea is somewhat getting vague. For those who were reading this blog during the past 12 months: thank you and enjoy one of my favorite songs of August 2009 (yeah I have got mental lists of songs that mark each month and this is one of them). BTW I am getting totally annoyed by "Embedding disabled by request" ...




oh yeah and I аm sorry for what we call in Бulgarian "баластра"! :)

dinsdag 22 september 2009

Bring me the disco king



I could listen to this song over and over again.. and after each fully-enjoyed 7:45 minutes there would still be that feeling of deja-vu, of memories I haven't had, of remembering places I haven't been to. Back in the days before I was born. I return to years long gone and forgotten, never experienced. And that's what David does to me. Each and every night.

donderdag 10 september 2009

22 years, woman!!!!!!

It's time to rock this blog! One more year on this planet has been succesfully completed, with a bagfull of great adventures, unique new aquiaintances, loads of music and fun. My 22nd year was just like that song – noisy and fast and energetic. I would normally play slow and easy songs for the soul and spirit... but not today. Today I am going to be noisy, shouting out loud. It’s not easy to celebrate something with strangers in a strange land and that’s why I have to explode. And as there is no place down here in fancy Macau where I could jump and scream to the guitar strings ... I can at least afford a short 3 minute session in my room. Please feel free to join in! “Woman” by the Aussies Wolfmother.

maandag 7 september 2009

Little ashes


A promising, very promising young British actor, with a weird, anti-social, depressive facial expression that we've seen in How to Be, Twilight and now this masterpiece called Little Ashes. The movie focuses on the early student years of Salavador Dali and his connection to Frederico Garcia Lorca and Luis Bunuel before becoming one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. The storyline touches upon the political and social situation in Spain prior to Franco's regime as well as the underground resistance students movements. Art, homosexuality, emancipation, women rights, ideology - to be defined, dismissed and embraced.

The new adventure


(click on the map and find the red cross)
Oh yeah, for all of you who do not know where my new home is at..... Here we go. I present you: Macao, South China or Macao SAR (Special Administrative Region). It is one of the two SARs of China the other one being Hong Kong. Macao was the first European colony in China and gained idependance from Portugal just 10 years ago. The region comprises the peninsula of Macau and the islands of Taipa and Coloane, all three being connected by bridges overlooking a spectacular skyline.

Macau is a sutle and unique blend of oriental tradtions and modern occidental influence. The mixing of Portuese and Chinese culture is expressed in arquitecture, cuisine, folklore, traditions. However, the real mélange between South-East Asia and South-West Europe is carried by Macanese people – their skin colour, facial features and eyes form, southern hospitality and a laid-back attitude while preserving the traditions of China. Macau is claimed to be the Asian Las Vegas accommodating 28 casinos including The Venetian that is currently the biggest casino in the world. Gambling has become a substantial part of the SAR’s economy and tourism. While walking down the Cotai strip – the famous Macao Cotai project inspired by the Las Vegas Strip – one gets a feeling of light confusion – skyscrapers, palm trees, limos, fountain shows, flashing casino brands – all spiced up with an Asian flavour. The night walk around the famous Macau tower is right by the water and the view is magnificent.

The historical centre of Macau was listed in the World Heritage Sites in 2005 and is like nothing you have seen before. Long, narrow, dark South-European streets, colonial Portugese buildings, cobble stone pavement ... all of this stolen away from its European nest and transported by commerce and politis onto the premises of Asia. Buddhist temples and Catholic churches are friendly neighbours, Western food meets dumplings and riceballs, arched façades feature Chinese lanterns. Oh, humanity, what have you done? How could this notorious globalization of our times have created something so spectacular and beautiful- the real gem of China.

zondag 6 september 2009

Macau: F&F

The Macanese mosquitoes are as quiet as turtles (the small ones not the giant turtles that lay eggs on the beach). This unique quality gives them the chance to strike 4-5 times without being noticed. When the victim senses the silent attack and the lamp gets switched on silent Macanese mosquitoes still die in the same disgraceful manner as in other parts of the world.

When 3 European girls are bored in Macau they watch Twilight (of course for the 4th time at least) secretly hoping that some hot pale vampire is spying on them while they are asleep. His role in the fantasy includes also a speedy vampire flying over to Bali for the weekend. Any Asian physical vampire features are dismissed (to be continued).

Typical Macanese delicatessens are: roasted pig muzzle, chicken fingers, steamed claws, marinated blood. The last one looks like somebody puked tomato sauce on the plate and you have to eat it with chopsticks. Enjoy your meal! Poor vegetarians stick to rice with see-weed or asparagus.

When you see plates with food on the street it’s not sympathy for the homeless (actually homeless people are quite rare in Macau, have you ever seen a Chinese homeless person?). The fruit, candy, biscuits and home made cakes are for the hungry spirits that dwell among humans after death. The ritual is as old as time and includes also the burning of fake money (?!?!?!) in front of the house door. These spirits must be really needy

Even though the general public believes that chopsticks are the most common Asian eating instruments, the spoon, fork and knife are well integrated into the Macanese table-based culture. Their utilization, however, is rather unorthodox. The spoon, held in the right hand, is used as a fork on which all food is swiftly shoveled up with the fork, held in the left hand. The fork’s purpose in this respect is similar to the well-know good-table-manner-role of the knife – to just select food and direct it towards the fork. To sum up, the fork plays the knife and the spoon plays the fork. Question: who plays the spoon? The teacup?

donderdag 3 september 2009

On the premises of ..


Hong Kong Skyline


Macau Tower

02:44 a.m.

At the extreme of all extremes. In a position so peculiar and so foreign that objectivity is allowed to penetrate only the upper layers of its eventfulness. Experience is subjective and remote as if reality is on a silver screen, observed from a close distance and the main character of the show is the spectator- silent, assimilating, still uneager to dive in before reading the guidelines. Searching for a point of connection. Waiting for some unexpected hand to shake them up and drag them back to the TV screen where they do belong. Into the “now” of “now”. Far from the concepts – past and future – far from the confortable imaginary idea of a home that used to be. Accept the geography of current events, consider differences as a distorting useless noise, give your shy and stubborn desire to hide and be invisible a loud “no go”. Coming back to a comfortable place in your mind is not applicable for the time being. Is it necessary? As the flight has just begun returning your ticket to the flight attendant will do you no good. Your are already on board.

Thank you for flying with Face-it Air! Try to forget about all emergency exits. Smoking is not stricktly prohibited.

dinsdag 1 september 2009

My gilrs



I just want four walls and adobe slats for my girls

Rice

and tea and language and scents and porcelain skin and fire on the street at night and pagodas and chopsticks and temples and buddha and me being lost and a missing translation and smiling narrow eyes.

My inspiration year has begun.