A bit of cinema, a bit of music, a hint of theatre, some stories and a hotchpotch of everything and nothing, all this being unpretentious. Welcome to eBooblog.
This is not a scoop, the blog has been put in brackets for a few weeks! Times are hard and the survival instinct is back! For a few weeks (and only a few weeks) priorities are no longer about writing eBooblog but rather about writing my bloody Master’s thesis, and even more about finding small jobs (extras on the Bateaux Parisiens (see picture) which give me blisters) to bail out or about looking for a studio apartment in a more than hostile French capital! All of which must of course be punctuated with a few silly games with Gularu so that I do not go crazy or suicidal.
But be patient, within about two weeks, the blog should be revived (and so will I and my feet!). I can not wait to get back!
The snooker player Alex Higgins died yesterday evening at the age of 61, after a long battle against throat cancer.
Alex Higgins was not really your average snooker player. Loved or hated, he left no one indifferent. His love for snooker was unfortunately as pronounced as the one he vowed to alcohol, smoke, games and women. No, he really does not leave indifferent.
Around the table, his habits were not really different and he had, incident after incident, won the title of the most capricious, most unpredictable and most arrogant snooker player. The number of quarrels with other players were as numerous as the acid and vulgar arguments with referees. In short, the show was assured with every game.
Despite his unsavory looks and his not advantageous reputation, the man was in fact… a genius. Higgins has truly revolutionized the game of snooker. He is the father of the “new snooker”, the one we know today. His style was aggressive, fast, linking centuries (break of 100 points or above) with ease (which earned him the nickname Hurricane) ; and all this while provoking the aristocratic, boring and pompous aftertaste of the game. He had turned a game into a sport.
With Jimmy White, he won several international titles and his record grew impressively quickly. His victory at the world championships in 1972 also allowed him to be able to find a decent accommodation, in contrast to the abandoned houses (and awaiting destruction) where he used to live up to then.
The end of his life was polluted by the disease (throat cancer, pneumonia, dental problems), depression but he had a strong desire to play again. In 2010, while he had not played a single game in 16 years, he was still ranked 124th worldwide. He was still very gifted and talented, despite his advanced age.
Although he looked very weak in his last interview in February 2010, he had kept his huge lack of modesty, describing himself as follows:
“I think I was the most natural, charismatic player who ever lifted a cue. I think my presence around the table was mesmerising at times. It captured people.”
Here is the video of this interview, his last interview:
Sunday, June 27, 2010, it is approximately 16pm. I take my car heading towards Tesco. And then, surprise! The streets are deserted.
The roundabouts which are usually crowded with cars are now empty. Not the hint of a human being in sight. The silence and the pleasant sweetness of the English summer are the only ones to reign over here.
I reach my destination in record time. It’s like if it was three o’clock in the morning but the sun would not want to sleep.
One thing is for sure, at this precise moment in the English history, there are more TVs on than subjects in the streets.
An impulsion, once again. A report to write, working at night, the music playing in the background, some violin, this track that prevents me from concentrating and that makes me dream.
Ah violin! I have always been attracted by its music and by the object itself. And, the other night, a thought crossed my mind “Why have I never learnt the violin? It’s not too late!”. Quick look at the university’s website. There are tuitions, but it is quite vague, I send an email. The following day I get a positive answer, I call them, book my first lesson for 3.30pm and 20 minutes later I am in a violin shop, a brown object in my hands.
Once again, excuse me dear neighbours… It had to be the most difficult instrument and the most awful to hear when it’s played by a total beginner… Sorry….
It’s only been 4 days since I started but I am already hooked. It takes an eternity to learn how to grip the bow and centuries to correctly play a single note, but once every 2 or 3 hours I do manage to feel something while playing… I’ve got the impression that this piece of wood is finally what I have been looking for for a long time.
Voici venu le temps de vous présenter deux de mes amis… Styven et Seemin. Pourquoi eux ? Qu’ont-ils en commun ? Internet.
The time has come for me to introduce you two friends of mine… Styven and Seemin. Why them? What have they got in common? Internet.
Vous ne le savez peut-être pas encore mais vous avez toujours été passionnés par le Marketing au plus profond de vous-même. Non, non, non, c’est parce que vous vous faites une mauvaise image du marketing ! Faut arrêter d’imaginer que ça concerne qu’une poignée de gars tirés à quatre épingles, assis autour d’une table ovale, se disputant de longues heures sur l’emballage d’une de boîte de cure-dents ! Bon d’accord, j’avo
ue avoir eu les mêmes cauchemars…
Le marketing c’est à la fois un outil et un large domaine sujet à de nombreuses analyses. Et s’il y a quelqu’un pour nous faire découvrir ce monde merveilleux et enchanteur c’est bien ce cher Styven. C’est simple, clair, intéressant, plein de petits détails croustillants consolidant des analyses constructives, tous les éléments sont réunis pour disséquer concrètement notre environnement quotidien.
Du petit au grand écran, en passant par la pub sur l’immeuble d’en face ou le dernier buzz sur le net, tout est scruté et expliqué pour nous et rien que pour nous.
Alors, si comme moi vous voulez comprendre pourquoi Marge Simpson a fait tombé sa robe vert pastel pour la couverture de Playboy, allez jeter un coup d’oeil à http://www.regardmarketing.com/.
C’est bien sûr sans oublier le blog personnel du dit individu ! En tant que curieux professionnel, c’est mon p’tit plaisir régulier. C’est divers et léger, un peu de tout et beaucoup d’autres choses, de quoi nourrir votre curiosité et stimuler votre esprit critique : http://www.gularu.fr.
Now, let’s talk about this nice pakistani girl I met a month ago. Of course it is obvious she is nice, funny, thoughtful and clever but, what you must know my dear friends is that she’s hiding a terrible secret… Behind the façade of a normal human being’s behaviour, she’s in fact… a bloody wonderful writer!
Just let your mind drift in her enchanting ocean of words, gently guided by this writing mermaid to the imaginary shore of your actual feelings and consciousness. This way please… http://maverick-chronicle.blogspot.com/
Well… I know it’s been quite a long time but… OK! I’ve got no excuse!
This one is quite short, just wanted to post some pictures of my first weeks here. I don’t know if they will actually really mirror my life here but it can give you a vague idea of some aspects of it anyway. So here they are… Just click on the picture below to see the whole album.
For some reason, I decided to post these pictures on Facebook but anyone can see the albums, either you’ve got a Facebook account or not.
What about my life then?! Well… I’ve been living in my new flat for three weeks now and everything’s going very well. I love my flat, I love the university, I like my course, and I’ve met some very nice people! I’m really glad to be back in the U.K., it’s just… « different »… I really love this country and all it means to me. I’m thinking of writing a little comparison list of what I like and dislike about both French and English cultures. Could be quite funny and interesting.
However, this is not Utopia!!! I must admit that my first month here is quite different from my first weeks when I did my studies in Ireland. Firstly, the circumstances are different: it’s not my first time in England, I speak a better English, I haven’t got as much money, my health is not as good as before, my vision of the world and of people has changed a lot, I live in a studio and not in a shared house, there’s a psychopath girl living downstairs, etc. Some of these examples might seem strange but that’s because they’ve got both important advantages and drawbacks… I would like to develop some of them but it’d be kinda long. Another time maybe…
One of the most annoying problem at the moment is probably that parking permit thing! I’m not allowed to park my car on campus, and I LIVE on campus! So, it is a bit of a problem. To be able to do so I must apply for a parking permit. But it is not as easy as it sounds… They had lost my parking application form, I had to fill another one, they don’t accept my french medical documents, etc., etc.. So, after some adventures with my car (see pictures), I am still waiting for an answer from the university. I might get it in the next few days, I’ll let you know of course!
That’s pretty it for now. Not really interesting, quickly written I know but there’s so much to tell I don’t where to start from. Anyway, take a look at the pictures and I’ll write again very soon I promise…
…, my apologies.
