Rubbish unlikely look-alikes (III)

Javier Pastore - Argentine Footballer             Raul Gonzalez Blanco - Spanish Footballer


 

F**c You – Cee Lo Green

Ok, I admit it. This post and its timing are very opportunistic from me. On Friday, Cee Lo was on the BBC program Later with Jools Holland. (LINK). Also, this song is number one in the charts right now in the UK.

The lyrics via  http://www.elyricsworld.com/:

(Chorus)
I see you driving 'round town
With the girl i love and i'm like,
F**k you!
Oo, oo, ooo
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough i'm like,
F**k you!
And f**k her too!
I said, if i was richer, i'd still be with ya
Ha, now ain't that some shit? (ain't that some shit?)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a...
F**k you!
Oo, oo, ooo

Yeah i'm sorry, i can't afford a ferrari,
But that don't mean i can't get you there.
I guess he's an xbox and i'm more atari,
But the way you play your game ain't fair.

I pity the fool that falls in love with you
(oh shit she's a gold digger)
Well
(just thought you should know nigga)
Ooooooh
I've got some news for you
Yeah go run and tell your little boyfriend

(chorus)

Now i know, that i had to borrow,
Beg and steal and lie and cheat.
Trying to keep ya, trying to please ya.
'Cause being in love with you ass ain't cheap.

I pity the fool that falls in love with you
(oh shit she's a gold digger)
Well
(just thought you should know nigga)
Ooooooh
I've got some news for you
i really hate yo ass right now
(chorus)

Now baby, baby, baby, why d'you wanna wanna hurt me so bad?

(so bad, so bad, so bad)
I tried to tell my mamma but she told me
"this is one for your dad"
(your dad, your dad, your dad)
Uh! Whhhy? Uh! Whhhy? Uh!
Whhhy lady? Oh! I love you oh!
I still love you. Oooh! 

Fuck You lyrics by Cee-Lo Green

But the thing is that this song got me thinking: What is a good song? How would you define it? For me, it is simple: nice tunes and meaningful lyrics. I know these are very broad categorizations. But for example, this song’s lyrics are meaningful in the sense that they are funny and tell story I can appreciate or relate to. Hey, I have some F**c yous to give away. And who hasn’t? Don’t tell me you don’t.

PS: an amusing video doesn’t make a song great but it helps.

Street Art

One of the things I like about living in a city (even better if it is as large as London) is the mix of people. Of course cities are sometimes full crime amongst other bad things but I always prefer to look at the positive things when it comes to human beings. And it is cities where you are most likely to find street art. On Friday night I was coming back home and found this ‘intriguing’ piece of street art (apologies for the quality of the picture).

What? Don’t you think this is art? Look pal, this is a blog and I checked it in Wiki (follow the link to see some cool pieces from all around the world): this certainly falls in the definition of street art and for me that suffices. No, seriously, if there is a composition that is intentional and tries to communicate messages/feelings or generates them in the witness that in my books is street art.

I particularly like those that are spontaneous like this picture below. It was last winter, it had snowed heavily and I went out to take pictures at the same places I go usually around but with the snow giving them a different spin.

After the inspiration I received from the “Chair in the Canal”, I produced my bit of street art that same afternoon in the Victoria Park (well actually just took the photo of the “Left Buggy”).

I also like the somewhat less spontaneous. By the way, you don’t need to be in such a large city to come across street art. I found this grafitti (the translation from the Spanish is “Where are we going to that we are not getting there?”) in the stunning Cuenca, Ecuador.

Do you like street art? I would love to hear your stories about it.

An Artist of the Floating World - Kazuo Ishiguro

“If o a sunny day you climb the steep path leading up from the little wooden bridge still referred to around here as ‘the Bridge of Hesitation’, you will no t have to walk far before the roof of my house becomes visible between the tops of two pingko trees….”

This is how the book starts. As you can see just with a few lines, Ishiguro’s writing style is incredibly elegant. The last paragraph is also lovely literature but hopefully you will find that out after reading this review. Sometimes you feel you can visualize what it happening in this book which is a trait of a great writer.

The novel, which takes place in post-Second World War Japan, centers on a retired artist as he looks back to his career, comes to terms with his mistakes and revises his convictions as well his relationships with mentors, disciples and colleagues. It is very simple but at the same time with profound meaning.

I find interesting that when you read a novel that you end up liking you sort of develop certain feelings (sympathy, empathy, resentment, etc) towards its main character. I could certainly do it with this novel that with the beautifully composed writing and interesting themes makes a valuable reading.

This is the second novel I read by Kazuo Ishiguro with the first being his more famous “The Remains of the Day” (which I only finished two months ago). There are some common topics between the two: the main character, in this case a butler that used to word for an English Lord in his Oxfordshire mansion, also reflecting upon the past, his career (and its meaning and sense of purpose) and his relationship with his employer and staff.

I will probably try to read more by Ishiguro in the future. One thing I particularly enjoyed about the two novels is the way they reflect on the reader stereotypes (of the Japanese idiosyncrasy and the English post-war society) without I believe actually seeking so.

If I have to recommend one of the two I would go for “An Artist of the Floating World”. Both are very good books but “The remains of the day” only grew in me as a reader towards the end as it failed to engage me. Instead, I greatly enjoyed the former since the first sentences copied above.

Bonus track: the movie “The Remains of the Day”, with a cast including Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson and Christopher Reeve, is also very good indeed. Did you watch it? Did you read anything by Ishiguro?

Rubbish unlikely look-alikes (II)

 

 

Nestor Kirchner - Former Argentine President           Mesut Ozil - German Footballer

One song, three versions

There are songs that take me back to certain moments in my life, others remind me of the different seasons, others I like to listen when blogging and others that reflect on my state of mind or help me to get to certain mood.

This post is about a song that I never tire of listen when I’m a bit down and need a little help to carry on. It’s a classic. The song is (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher which was written by Carl Davis featuring some Motown musicians and sang by Jackie Wilson. This is the original version.

 

This second version is by the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. When I grow up I’d like to be like him.

And the third one I want to show you is by ACM Gospel Choir and it was performed in the very entertaining BBC program Last Choir Standing.

Of course, one of these three versions is the one I like the most; I’ve got my favorite. But I find things that I appreciate in each one of them. I love the cool movements and voice of Jackie Wilson plus the original Motown feeling about this version. Also I like the energy of the Boss in a more rocker version. And lastly the exuberance youth that emanates from the choir (who said choirs are not cool?). Maybe it’s a bit simplistic but I think there could be a lesson here on multiculturalism, tolerance and appreciating the good that different things have to offer. Am I being too naïf? Can you see good things on all the three versions?

Optimist

There is a scene towards the end (if I remember correctly) of My Own Private Idaho (LINK) that I find very telling regarding the human nature. In this scene, the character played so awesomely by River Phoenix collapses due to his condition of narcolepsy (LINK) in the middle of a country road. A truck stops by and the two guys that descend from it steal from him his rucksack and shoes. Then a car stops and the guy picks River Phoenix to take him in search for help (it appears).

However, when it comes to humanity I am always with optimists’ side. I know that everyday there are a large number of developments against this optimism. But there are also always positive developments. And it makes me good when I witness them. No matter how small.

I took this photo with my mobile last week. I guess a child lost his school sweater and someone, instead of stealing / keeping it for himself, left it hanging on the railings in case the owner came for it later. The same thing happened to me a few years ago (I dropped one of my scooter gloves) and found it on the railings just like that school sweater. I was grateful. Little things that make sharing this large home called world better.

Are you with us, the optimists as well? Have you witnessed something nice recently?

HTML is a piece of cake: I’m happy!

In the last couple of days, I was trying to round up a couple of posts for this blog but couldn’t find the finishing touches that I was looking for. So then, I decided to entertain myself playing with the template. And boy, did I have fun!!! When you start playing around with Blogger’s templates, codes of HTML and CSS it can be a very absorbing, engrossing and most of the time frustrating experience. Most of the time because I think I got there in the end.

With the help from some friends (amogst others tips-for-new-blogger.blogspot.com), I began by adding a menu navbar. Then, I gained confidence and dived into that wonderful world behind ‘Edit HTML’ (who would have thought it a few days ago!). The template was starting to look more like something I like (please remember there is noting more relative/subjective than tastes). But thanks to this excellent post by jacqsbloggertips.blogspot.com I could add the final touches (for now!) by writing the codes myself in the CSS section. Unbelievable. I don’t need a lot to be happy!

                                                      (http://onemoremonkey.com/index.php)

I started this blog a few days ago just trying to communicate and exchange ideas with people with similar interests to mine, always with the idea of keeping on learning new things. I haven’t interacted so far (hopefully that will come) but I am glad I already learnt so much.

You wouldn’t think this is the most beautiful blog design around. But for me, it’s. And you know why? Because I (sort of) created it!

Any experiences daring to approach HTML? Have you tweaked your blog?

I fell in love with the Ryder Cup

I am in no way in a position to express informed opinions about golf. I have been to the driving range some times but my swing is as erratic and hilarious as Diego Maradona’s reactions. I used those putting practices spaces but putting is much more difficult than it looks. I don’t even watch the sport on TV so often (usually the majors but also there has to be involved a player I liked).

But this weekend I watched the Ryder Cup and fell in love with it. It’s a shame I couldn’t watch it live yesterday (the deciding fourth day) but I just caught the highlights. Of course, the nail biting finish with Europe regaining the cup by beating the US 14 ½ - 13 ½ and the event being decided at the last match (almost the last hole) providing an absolutely compelling viewing certainly helped. It was great drama as sports can create. It is not exactly golf’s World Cup because only Europe and the US play it. However, it has an amazing feeling about it. There is big rivalry that in the past went a bit too far.

In the more ‘technical’ note, I like that the competition tests the player in different ways. In the four-balls, the hole is won by the best score of the four players and therefore your partner can save you if you have a bad hole. In the foursomes, each pairing plays with one ball with the players taking turns in the shots. An individual sport like golf becomes a team sport. And finally, in the match plays each member of each team play against one of the other team in an individual confrontation.

Here you can see the highlights from the Official Ryder Cup website

This time there were incredible performances I particularly enjoyed. For the US, Tiger Woods started the weekend not so well (and in the first matches was carried by the excellent Striker) and after suffering a trashing in the second session recovered like a true champion in the last match (at some point he scored birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie). Rickie Fowler showed that he is a start of today at only 21 years-old halving his single match recovering from 4 down wining the last 3 holes and keeping the American dream live to the last single match-play. For Europe, I enjoyed Luke Donald’s almost unflappable display, Ian Poulter exuberant performance the last day, Miguel Angel Jimenez playing with the usual charm and charisma and the Molinari brothers playing together.

A thought for Hunter Mahan: he was the unlucky guy to lose the last match. But no disgrace for him, he played really well for the whole weekend and with a lot of nerve in the last match but was just beaten by Graeme McDowell who was unbelievably solid considering what was at stake.

And I used to think golf was a boring sport... Long live the Ryder Cup!!!

Did you like the Ryder Cup?

Rubbish unlikely look-alikes (I)

Gonzalo Higuain - Argentine Footballer                       Edoardo Molinari - Italian Golfer

A pass to the net

Barcelona are not playing their best football right now. In their three La Liga games at home so far this season, they lost one, won one and drew the other scoring just two goals in the process.

However, they can still produce magic moments. Argentina's World Cup 1978 winning coach Cesar Luis Menotti said that sometimes a goal is a pass to the net. Messi's goal yesterday is the best example.

Why we love sports

As a teenager, I never gave my parents any trouble apart from being a bit untidy at home and lazy for school, doing just enough to pass the exams. The latter would annoy my Mother and she could not understand why I spent so much time watching sports when I was not practicing them (football and rugby mainly, with some spells also of handball and tennis). She used to tell me that watching so much sport was a waste and will leave me empty. In truly teenager fashion, I never bothered to come up with a response but I am not sure I was able put up a reasoned argument (beyond “..because I enjoy it”, which is still fair enough).

Now I would said because I enjoy it and because sometimes sports can resemble arts in as much as unleashing deep emotions and also they can produce moments of magic and brilliance. Lately I came across some moment of brilliance (in these cases individual) that remind me why I love sports.

Exhibit A: Luciana Aymar’s Maradona-esque goal against China in the 2010 Women Hockey World Cup in Rosario (Argentina). The dribbling ability and stick-skills are out of this world. The commentary is legendary, is not the one of this goal but the one of Diego’s second goal against England in the 1986 Mexico World Cup.

Exhibit B: Kumi Yokoyama’s Messi-esque goal against Korea DPR in the 2010 U-17 Women Football World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago. The beginning is not so brilliant but then the way she passes from ‘foot-to-foot’ not once but twice before finishing is remarkable. The commentary is also very good!

Exhibit C: something very different from the previous two is Andrea Pirlo’s goal yesterday for AC Milan against Parma in the Calcio encounter. The way the ball travels without moving (bending, spinning) for such a long way before finding the top corners defies dynamics. As the commentary says: "The reaction from Ronaldinho says it all".

Diego Maradona’s sheer madness

We all love Diego, don’t we? No, of course not everybody loves him. His figure will be controversial for our lifetimes and beyond. I know I love him. I loved it to death as a player and I love now the character, the public persona (not so much the coach, I am afraid to say).

This week he went to Moscow for promotional activities. In the press conference, he put up again his case to regain the position of Argentine National football team coach and was duly – and fairly – criticized for the manner in which he did so. In this article (in Spanish) in La Nacion, Argentine newspaper, the columnist points to Diego’s lack of self-criticism, of ability to learn from past mistakes, of coherence and of respect for other people including Sergio Batista, the current interim coach.

But I am digressing here. The reason I love him now is for his sheer madness, his ability to amaze, to bring a smile to my face with his charisma and eccentricities. In Moscow, participating in a charity event, he had to shoot some targets to raise money the institute of hematology and transplantation in the Russian capital. He hit 10 out of 16 targets (although carrying an injury in his knee) and raising US$ 500,000. As usual, he put a real show.

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa was a painful experience for Argentine fans with a sad exit in a heavy defeat to Germany in the quarterfinals. But if there is something I would remember with joy, these are the “Diego Moments”. Via You Tube: Diego smoking a cigar in training, domesticating the somewhat controversial Jabulani ball and re-affirming his macho-condition in front of the press. Are you sure you don’t love him?

How to decide the next book to read

Someone could think that I am a bit like the main character in “Sex and the City” who always coming to new questions for her newspaper column. As seasons went, these questions in what once was an original TV series became increasingly irritating. But believe me that this is a genuine question I pondered for some time.

During this week I came across a couple of answers. The first was in this Guardian article on the page 99 test. The idea is "open the book to page ninety-nine and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you" (Ford Madox Ford). A new website (page99test.com) is coming up shortly to carry out this idea in which after reading the page readers would be invited to whether they would be interested in reading the rest. Similarly, in page99test.blogspot.com they invite American authors and university professors (I believe) to test the idea on selected books. I just performed the page 99 test back trying it with a few books I read (and a couple I couldn’t finish) and it seems a like a good idea.

Of course, in the internet age you can have this question answered for you. Which book will show you books according to your preferences. I tried it briefly and not so sure whether it would work. But it could be a useful tool anyway. The number of books considered is simply amazing.

Another online option is What should I read next? Just input a book you liked and given other people’s reading list you will get several suggestions. I think it is overall not bad although some of the replies are nonsense (a “The Catcher in the Rye” search leads to Freud’s “The Interpretation of Dreams” and “Harry Potter”, really?).

For similar sites, please see this great post.

In the last week I learnt that Amazon released “Kindle for PC” as a free application. Therefore, you can download on your computer the sample of every book in Kindle form in Amazon (apart from the free books that they offer) and read for free usually the first pages / couple of pages in order to have a better idea on a book you are interested to get hold / buy.

(some of my book shelves)

My approach? Not different from most people’s I guess. I follow suggestions from friends and also go for books that draw my attention in newspapers reviews / internet reviews. Then, when I like an author I like to read most of his/her books and see how these vary and his career developed. However, this led me to several disappointments in the past. Normally, following suggestions or authors I enjoy I get most books from my local second-hand charity shop and buy the rest (those which are no likely to appear in that shop) brand new. Normally this means I have a pile to read and I am never short of options. But in the future, for books that I am not so sure about, I’ll try the options described above.

Autumn has arrived

In the last few days, I really felt that autumn has arrived. Which was probably reasonable when you are coming back from work and the scene from the bus stop looks like this:

And I’ve been remembering the song “The Great Beyond” by REM. I can’t quite explain why it reminds me of autumn. I remember I discovered it some years ago in the tube going to the airport to pick up this girl I was really into at the time who I haven’t seen for a couple of months.

Enjoy!

Once

I have been lucky with movies recently. I picked up “Once” in the DVD shop as I like the description in the case. A few hours later, I liked the film very much as well. From IMDB: “A modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story”. It is one of these movies that are sometimes called “small” (with no disrespect) as it is a simple tale of loneliness being replaced by love and friendship. But most importantly, it succeeds in being different and original.

One of main features of this movie is its music. One of the songs (“Falling Slowly”) won the 2008 Oscar Academy Award for Best Original Song. Without being a classic musical there is music all along it and it is simply beautiful. My favorite scene is when the GUY and the GIRL play this song together for the first time in the instrument shop.

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

(thanks stlyrics!).

It is hardly surprising that the music is really nice considering that the main characters are musicians and not actors. Indeed, Glen Hansard, the GUY, is very famous in Ireland.

So if you like small but touching stories that do not are necessarily the product of big budgets and if you like singers/songwriters that can convey deep emotions with no more than a guitar, give it a try.

Portnoy's Complaint - Philip Roth

I finished reading today Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth. It is one of the funniest books I ever read. Almost plot-less it is interesting enough to grip you. The story is a long psychoanalysis session in which Alex Portnoy “deals” with his obsession with sex, traumatic relationship with his over-worried parents, Jewish identity, inability to sustain meaningful relationship with women, Diaspora vs. Israel amongst many others issues!

“The legend engraved on the face of the Jewish nickel– on the body of every Jewish child!– not IN GOD WE TRUST, but SOMEDAY YOU'LL BE A PARENT AND YOU'LL KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE”

"American society [...] not only sanctions gross and unfair relations among men, but it encourages them. Now, can that be denied? No. Rivalry, competition, envy, jealousy, all that is malignant in human character is nourished by the system. Possession, money, property--on such corrupt standards as these do you people measure happiness and success."

"Dreams? If only they had been! But I don't need dreams, Doctor, that's why I hardly have them—because I have this life instead. With me it all happens in broad daylight!"

According to Wikipedia, this novel published in 1969 caused a great deal of controversy given its direct treatment of sexuality and numerous and detailed references to masturbation.

It is the second novel I read by Roth with the first being Indignation. Indignation is also quite clever in the sense that it is narrated by a dead person telling the last years of his life. There are common themes with PC (growing up in a Jewish family, trouble rapport with parents, love for baseball). It was also quite an engaging read but I enjoyed PC more as it showed me again that books can be entertaining, inspiring, thought-provoking but also very funny. I will certainly try to read more by Philip Roth in the future.

Across the Overpass - The Solids

In the final scene of the film Strictly Sexual there is a lovely song in the background.

It's as simple as this, here it is
Couldn't spell it out more clearly
There's only today, and the freeway,
And the pain that keeps you near me

The animation, of sinking souls,
Strung along a telephone pole
It's easy to miss

You could circle the earth
The universe
We're shadowed in the same light
It's coming undone
So you run
While I'm circling the drainpipe

An invitation to just forget
Well I'm not finished yet, I got big plans

Cut off the table, hon and do the math
Washed out and faded like a photograph
And I spell out your name across the overpass
It's as simple as that

It's as simple as this
What I miss, I will carry to the last day
Deliver my spark
Through the dark
To the angels in the ashtray
Saturation of hopeless need
But as the asphalt bleeds
Curtains rise and

Someday you'll find me standing in your path
Whether deep in the background of some photograph
And you'll see your name scrawled across the overpass
It's as simple as that

Simple's hard enough now anyway
Simple's hard enough now anyway

Someday you'll find me standing in your path
Somewhere deep in the background of some photograph
And you'll see your name scrawled across the overpass
Someday you'll find me standing in your path
Somewhere deep in the background of some photograph
And you'll see your name scrawled across the overpass
It's as simple as that
Simple's hard enough now anyway
Simple's hard enough now anyway
Simple's hard enough now anyway
Simple's hard enough now anyway........

(thanks lyricsmania!)

This song is by The Solids, a Californian band now composed by Carter Bays (vocals and guitar), Craig Thomas (drums), Pat Butler (bass) and Phil Wen (guitar). Nothing remarkable so far: a rock band that makes good songs (see myspace).

However, what it is remarkable is that Bays and Thomas are the creators of “How I Met Your Mother”, one of my all time favourites TV series (whose song “Hey Beautiful”  is also by The Solids).

Ps: maybe for a future post, people with talent for different activities (such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, football player that when retired were great managers such as Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cryuff, athletes being outstanding in different disciplines) and people with an amazing talent for one thing that failed trying a different one (for instance, Michael Jordan).

Strictly Sexual

By chance I came across this film (Strictly Sexual). The comments I saw on internet about it mentioned a film that was much more than a movie about sex. And they were right: this is a romantic-comedy much more interesting than any rom-com you can watch. Here is the trailer:

I liked it a lot. And it made me remember other American indie movies that I enjoyed very much (Sideways, About Schmidt, Little Miss Sunshine, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Juno) and how much more I like this sort of cinema over the typical Hollywood stuff.

Bonus track: reading on the movie in IMDB I learnt that the script-writer is one of the leading characters who said something really interesting and encouraging: “"There has never been a better time to be an indie filmmaker. If you have a story to tell, you can grab a digital video camera, get your actor friends together, and make a movie... Just work hard and put your heart into it”. The budget for this movie was US$ 100,000!

Messi and his passing abilities

When Lionel Messi started playing professional football his critics pointed to the fact that he only stood out due to his dribbling and raw speed. Moreover, he was regarded as no more than a winger. In time, he showed that he was more complete than suggested starting to produce assits, scoring all sorts of goals (left-footed, right-footed, remarkably with the chest and even headers!!!) and playing a false center-forward making plays for himself and his team-mates. This video shows this then-undervalued aspect of his game: his ability to produce assits which is on par with the best in this aspect of the game (Xavi, Riquelme, Ozil, Rooney, Guti).

Whilst he was regarded as "just a winger", I believed Messi would finish his career as a play maker behind a stricker similar to Michael Laudrup. As it is usual when considering Lio, time caught up impressively fast.