There was a common theme running through my rss feeds yesterday...
Eric Keck
"I can't stand being told it can't be done..." [read more]
Pud
"As long as you're being creative, taking risks, and making things happen, people will always think you're crazy." [read more]
It was nice to be reminded.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Please please me
Reading this article this morning I was reminded of this.
There is a game that we play among fellow human beings which screams simultaneously "I am desperately intelligent, stylish, suave and good looking," and "Please, please, please give me some value." It's a game that we barely remember because it becomes so deeply entwined with who we are. We so badly need others to tell us we are worth something that creating a fictitious self to get it somehow loses its absurdity.
Strangely, we are told by a somewhat marginal stranger, that the way to find rest, the way to "reconcile this battling trinity into a seamless whole" is to escape this unsatisfying game.
"It is said that we are all three different people: the person we think we are (the one we have invented), the person other people think we are (the impression we make) and the person we think other people think we are (the one we fret about). You could say it would be a lifetime's quest to reconcile this battling trinity into a seamless whole." Read more (via)
Reading this article this morning I was reminded of this.
There is a game that we play among fellow human beings which screams simultaneously "I am desperately intelligent, stylish, suave and good looking," and "Please, please, please give me some value." It's a game that we barely remember because it becomes so deeply entwined with who we are. We so badly need others to tell us we are worth something that creating a fictitious self to get it somehow loses its absurdity.
Strangely, we are told by a somewhat marginal stranger, that the way to find rest, the way to "reconcile this battling trinity into a seamless whole" is to escape this unsatisfying game.
Monday, March 19, 2007
White Van Man
This weekend Dave and I took a trip down to Plymouth in a white van. It was fun to see Mr Henson again and to enjoy some Wagamama Yasi Katsu Curry once we were back in Bristol. We watched Identity and I fell asleep just as the plot was coming to a head. When I woke up it waas the end credits and I made Dave explain the entire film.
While I was away from Cardiff, Wales beat England 27-18 in the Rugby (watch it here) transforming my otherwise sport-dispassionate father into a huge fan...
This weekend Dave and I took a trip down to Plymouth in a white van. It was fun to see Mr Henson again and to enjoy some Wagamama Yasi Katsu Curry once we were back in Bristol. We watched Identity and I fell asleep just as the plot was coming to a head. When I woke up it waas the end credits and I made Dave explain the entire film.
While I was away from Cardiff, Wales beat England 27-18 in the Rugby (watch it here) transforming my otherwise sport-dispassionate father into a huge fan...
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Why Britain will not win the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
'Our' entry
In Britain no body keeps track of the Eurovision and its entrants. It fits comfortably in the category of 'crap music,' which, by British standards, means 'worse than X-Factor,' and therefore attracts little attention. The one reason why a few people tune in on the night of the main contest is seasoned radio DJ, and comedy genius, Terry Wogan, who, as UK compare, is paid to make a mockery of the whole thing.
There was one thing that drew the interest of the press this year and that was the involvement of Morrisey, who wanted to write and perform a song at this years event (I'm told that he loves the Eurovision, and cites a past Swedish contest entry as his all time favourite song, despite being clueless as to the words).
Sweden's Entry
In Sweden, on the other hand, Eurovision, or Melodifestivalen as it's known there, is serious business. It's an event that makes headlines and is carefully constructed to extract revenue from the 12% (upwards) of the population who tune in through every week of the preliminary selections.
Not only that, but it attracts 'serious' artists, such as this years' winner The Ark, who have toured with the likes of UK favourites The Darkness. Carola, who has represented Sweden twice (and here in English) at the Eurovision, is one of the most famous people alive in Sweden today.
Swedes have a word for everything, and the style of music at The Contest is no exception. Swedish artists are proud to rise to the challenge of writing a piece of 'slager' for the event.
'Our' entry
In Britain no body keeps track of the Eurovision and its entrants. It fits comfortably in the category of 'crap music,' which, by British standards, means 'worse than X-Factor,' and therefore attracts little attention. The one reason why a few people tune in on the night of the main contest is seasoned radio DJ, and comedy genius, Terry Wogan, who, as UK compare, is paid to make a mockery of the whole thing.
There was one thing that drew the interest of the press this year and that was the involvement of Morrisey, who wanted to write and perform a song at this years event (I'm told that he loves the Eurovision, and cites a past Swedish contest entry as his all time favourite song, despite being clueless as to the words).
Sweden's Entry
In Sweden, on the other hand, Eurovision, or Melodifestivalen as it's known there, is serious business. It's an event that makes headlines and is carefully constructed to extract revenue from the 12% (upwards) of the population who tune in through every week of the preliminary selections.
Not only that, but it attracts 'serious' artists, such as this years' winner The Ark, who have toured with the likes of UK favourites The Darkness. Carola, who has represented Sweden twice (and here in English) at the Eurovision, is one of the most famous people alive in Sweden today.
Swedes have a word for everything, and the style of music at The Contest is no exception. Swedish artists are proud to rise to the challenge of writing a piece of 'slager' for the event.
Friday, March 09, 2007
As I'm sure you've figured out by now I'm back in Cardiff. It's actually been an entire week and I'm just about getting used to it.
Leaving Malmö was as difficult as expected. The last few days were bittersweet, being with great friends, knowing that I'd soon be gone. However there was hope mixed in with it, the hope of growth and adventure.
The Sunday before I left I met up with Andreas for the last of our weekly catchups, and was just about to leave (about 18:00) when the doorbell rang. When Andreas opened the door there was a small collection of people, all of whom I knew, but was surprised to see together. It turned out he had organised a surprise leaving party. It was a great surprise - Thankyou to all concerned!
Designing
One of the things I've been working on recently is the Skapa website. For those of you who won't get much out of the site (it's in Swedish) Skapa is an organisation that exists to explore the overlap between faith and art. This is primarily expressed through an annual event, where these elements are brought together. The theme for this year is Black/White, Life/Death and contrast, and the site design reflects the idea of this contrast. It was a challenge working primarily in black and white (there is a hint of colour in the links), but an enjoyable challenge.
Leaving Malmö was as difficult as expected. The last few days were bittersweet, being with great friends, knowing that I'd soon be gone. However there was hope mixed in with it, the hope of growth and adventure.
The Sunday before I left I met up with Andreas for the last of our weekly catchups, and was just about to leave (about 18:00) when the doorbell rang. When Andreas opened the door there was a small collection of people, all of whom I knew, but was surprised to see together. It turned out he had organised a surprise leaving party. It was a great surprise - Thankyou to all concerned!
Designing
One of the things I've been working on recently is the Skapa website. For those of you who won't get much out of the site (it's in Swedish) Skapa is an organisation that exists to explore the overlap between faith and art. This is primarily expressed through an annual event, where these elements are brought together. The theme for this year is Black/White, Life/Death and contrast, and the site design reflects the idea of this contrast. It was a challenge working primarily in black and white (there is a hint of colour in the links), but an enjoyable challenge.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)