European Cinema

It just rocks. I spent yesterday with the iPOD Perv, and checked out Ognisko, a lovely restaurant in the Polish Club opposite Imperial College. Sadly, there was no Bigos on the menu, but the Barszcz and calve's liver were exquisite. We toddled off towards the Curzon, but stopped to checkout the Twilight photography exhibition. I liked Boris Mikhailov's work.

Anyway, onto the films. 'Pan's Labyrinthe' was stunning. A film that even non World Cinema freaks would enjoy. Sergio Lopez did another fine turn as a Class A bastard.

We couldn't find Nadine's in Greek Street, so made the mistake of settling into Kettners. It had the aura of feeling (to me) like a Buenos Aires steakhouse, where Dr. Mengele's entourage of Nazi scumfucks could walk in at any moment and steal my mustard (quite why they would do that, I don't know, but you get the picture). The service was so-so, the food was fayre from any ole where. It's a large place, and there was plenty of room, but they seated us in a part of the dining area full of shaven-headed male couples, some of whom were earnestly discussing the presence of Barbra Streisand in their record collection, as well as showtunes.

The iPOD Perv blamed me, as I have a shaven head, 'dress a bit gay' (to quote him; I don't think that's true). Yes, I have a Streisand CD in my collection, but it's her dreaded album 'Streisand - and Other Musical Instruments' - which the iPOD Perv got me as a brthday present/humiliation. Ok, I might have some showtunes and soundtracks, but they are more in the vein of 'Porgy & Bess', etc.

The evening was rounded off with a masterclass performance from Sandra Huller in 'Requiem', set in early 1970s Germany, encompassing religion, isolation and epilepsy. I left angry.

Tough week ahead, rounded off with a cottage weekend in Lymington. Will I make it?

A big hand to...

...the angel at the Meningitis Research Foundation. I emailed them on Monday, on Tuesday they called me with the results of their research, and it was delivered in this morning's post.

The prep work is progressing. Roll on round three.

Sweet f*ckin' A!

Actually managed to edit a couple of poems I wrote back in 2003. That ole inertia is giving way to a resolve - no, hunger - to edit the back catalogue for once and for all.

I have also spent some time thinking about Farah slacks. You know, those iconic slacks from the 1980s. They were often paired with v-neck golfing sweaters from Pringle or Lyle & Scott, and accompanied by trainers (Adidas, Nike, Puma, Reebok, depending on the year) or a pair of Kickers. I swear we each must have looked like a clone of Terry (from the sitcom 'Terry and June').

Why am I thinking about them? I saw pair upon pair in Debenhams this week. Same cut, style and fabric, with that dreaded 'f' tag on the rear pocket.

Back in the 80s, kids got ribbed for not wearing Farahs. They came in black, light and dark grey, beige, pale blue, dark blue and dark brown.

They had to be straight. Anything other than 'close to drainpipe' was considered a pair of flares, which meant that when it rained, our skintight Farahs would cut off the circulation in our legs.

Also...and perhaps I shouldn't say this, but all middle-aged men with prominent, tight butts, wore Farahs. It is fair to say that men with tight butts only came into existence when Farahs were available.

So which came first, the Farahs or the tight-ass?

Very Heavy Industry

I am completely obsessed with Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries, the net art combo. They recently did a commission for the Tate. Check out the interview 'The Art of Silence'.

Listening to: classic Blue Note, Radio 4...

Working on: editing!

Link of the day

The blog of Scott 'Dilbert' Adams.

I am missing all my old Far Side books by Gary Larson. Think I need to rectify that.

Listening to: lots and tots - it's a big World

Today's word is...

Témoignage.

This French word means to 'speak out' and 'bear witness'.

In the case of MSF, it is regarded as one of their sacred duties. There is nothing worse than neglect or indifference, and we know that silence can kill.

Dispatches

Medicins Sans Frontieres produce a quarterly newsletter, 'Dispatches', which provides updates from the field to the organisation's supporter base. It is now available online, complete with additional resources (interviews, slideshows, etc).

It is also worth checking out the blog of one of their doctors - Anu, currently in Africa.

DVDs

I can't believe my luck. Melville's 'Army of Shadows', starring the formidable Lino Ventura, is available from the BFI in the UK, following their long-anticipated screening of it at the NFT earlier this year. Also, Alan Tanner's 'Jonah, Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000' is available on DVD. This treat was written by John Berger and was also screened at the NFT earlier this year.

Some photos from the last APAC tour

Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Pudong, Shanghai

Killer Cranes Attacking Shanghai


Remnants of Colonialism on the Bund, Shanghai

Temple, Shanghai

Shanghainese at Rest & Play

Surveillance (Illegal Gambling)

Taipei 101

'D' at Taipei 101

Living Mall, Taipei

Tokyo Fish Market

A Fish, Tokyo Fish Market

Tuna, Tokyo Fish Market, 5am (in my stomach by 6am in the form of sashimi)

Tuna, c'est fini

Tuna fin

All is not fair in food

I only noticed today, as I drove past, that the Chi Brasserie has closed down. It shut up shop on August 12th. It's a shame. It was one of the few decent restaurants in Reading. However, just as being spoilt with good ole South Asian cooking means I can't stand Indian restaurants, my monthly jaunts to China/HK/Taiwan mean I can no longer go to a Chinese restaurant in the UK.

Pen pervert

As an owner of several Montblanc & Cross pens, it is fair to say that I have both a pen fetish and a pathological fear of losing them (for reasons of sentimentality rather than vanity). The Montblancs look classy and have the cachet, but for writing they are totally outclassed by my brace of Crosses.

In Beijing, there were stacks of fake Montblancs to be had, and the level of replication was impressive. The nibs of the fountain pens even sported '4810' - the height of Mont Blanc, and the refills were also fakes. Any drawbacks? Well, apart from the fact that they were not the real deal, there were no drawbacks. In fact, they were more robust than genuine Montblancs (MB have been cutting corners for the last 10-15 years - tales abound of dodgy nibs, shattered housings, etc), and you can of course fit a genuine MB refill if you wish (I get mine from the MB store in HK airport as that's the cheapest source I have access to).

The quality test is simple. Drop an MB and a Cross on a wooden floor. The MB will crack or shatter, while the Cross will do it's damndest to go straight through the plank.

But here's what I really, really want. But at a price of $2500-3000, i'll just keep it on my 'wet dream' fantasy list instead.

Hoping: that my gear is safely shipped from Taipei & Seoul back to London, and that my nephew Asad likes his new gadget

All in the interests of research

Something I picked up in Tokyo for a friend - who's using it for a project, honest!


Being unable to read Japanese (Hiragana, Kanji, etc), I am unable to check out the level of detail provided, although the contents page (below) is a neat pictorial summary of the content.

It's certainly gained notoriety for the author Wataru Tsurumi.

What's happening? We are physically living closer together (packed like sardines, in mega-cities) yet are becoming increasingly isolated. Alcoholism, depression, STDs and sales of gadgets are up, human interaction and happiness are down (and possibly out).

Lordy Lordy, Holy Moley

My suitcase has finally expired. Less than a year old, on this current trip it has sustained serious scuffing, a sizeable dent (it is a reasonably hard-shelled case) and the zip is damaged. I have now replaced it with a gorgeous Samsonite case, offering 4-wheel drive, traction control, etc.

So what of Taipei? We purchased a lot of stuff. 13 World cinema DVDs (£1-5 apiece) and electronics gizmos (iPod for a mate and a mini voice recorder for myself). OK, not so bad - until you consider what I picked up in Beijing (two cashmere suits, four shirts, cashmere coat & 'genuine fake' merchandise). I have really taken the piss (but it was about time).

Now I have to get it back, along with my clothes and paperwork. Before that, it has to go with me to Seoul tomorrow, and then Tokyo mid-week. I'll be ok as long as I don't buy anything in Seoul & Tokyo...but then, I said that about Taipei.

Thank God for Fed-Ex.

Habla Espanol?

It's the loneliest place in the world...

The strangest, most perverse thing about being seriously ill, is that while people will focus on the sufferer, the sufferer will focus on everyone else - you know, there's that desire to square everything away before the big sleep. When confronted with uncertainty, you have to prepare for the worst.

But God help you if you try to do it in advance. If you leave it too late, events take over, and you are left to provide inadequate explanation & comfort. If you do it in advance, you are in danger of unecessarily upsetting those you care most about.

What to do?

Fuck it. Play on with the straight game; they'll understand.