A strange place to be...George's page: Blog

The web, my own dependency and a new birth right

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:01:53 GMT

A week ago my web connection went dead for two and a half days and being used to always having information on tap it was like entering a different world. And as with any crisis (even as miniscule as this) I couldn’t stop thinking how we take things for granted till we lose them. But then was losing access to the web such a horrible thing?

Well YES!
It totally throws the Web 2.0 world we live in out of the window, my media server can not fetch video and audio from the web, my Playstation 3 can not go online to download demos and other content, my computer can not access any online data…it is like being totally excluded from a society we think we have a place. Ten years ago I barely used to check my email three times a week. Nowadays I am always wired to my Gmail account through Wi-Fi. It is crazy!

But then the other day we had a conversation about simnel cake (a great banal subject) and its origins and it really helped getting instantly to Wikipedia and finding the answer on my handheld device. Sure it is possibly diminishing the need to remember any intricate details about most not day to day items but it is immensely fun having so much information on our fingertips. The novelty never really wears off. A recent Guardian article put it in more old fashioned terms…Wi-Fi is the nearest we can get in our everyday life to magic.

And I will have to second. Being able to stream video and data over the air to any room we choose is a freedom I never imagined of. But it just feels both luxurious and mystical. Maybe that is the reason that it makes it feel like a birth right it’s the fact that data access is no more something that a dull black cable brings to you, but part of the air we breathe.

Long live IEEE 802.11n

Beauty + commercialism and the De La Warr Pavilion

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:11:41 GMT

I am an architecture junkie at most times and surely an important building like the De La Warr Pavilion is a visit to treasure.While visiting the shop it was clear to me that the merchandise was aimed at the wrong people. They had commissioned quite a few trendy designers to come up with products that are inspired by the architecture and reflect back on it.

The main products was a plate and a canvas bag. Unfortunately while I was browsing books in their shop for 15 mins at least 5 people gasped at the prices of those two items. The plate is being sold for £25 and the bag for £14.50 (http://www.delawarrpavilion.com/shop/peoplewillalwaysneed.htm)
It then dawned on me that the merchandising was aspirational (with a prominent Alvar Aalto and Iittala display) but it was not acknowledging the local area and its people.
A large proportion of the population of Bexhill is pensioners that aspire to retirement by the sea. I do not think that they would have a large amount of disposable income to spend on merchandise and surely the prospect of a £25 plate must seem extortionate. To my eyes the selection in the shop was geared towards a very design conscious urbane audience.

This instance raises the question to who runs artistic and cultural centres around the UK and how well they know their local area. I wonder how many members of the administrative team of the Pavilion have grown up in the area or have resided for long enough to know what the locals would want. The Pavilion is a wonderful building that is clearly very popular with the local community but it seems its administration is out of touch when it comes to the commercial activities.

Pimlico and the subtle art of deterring thugs

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:54:18 GMT

For a couple of months now when I arrive to Pimlico tube every morning I seem to be walking as a late-comer to a Symphonic concert. Normally I end up somewhere in the middle of the final movement of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony or like today when I landed mid flow of a Telemann quartet.

I remember when London Underground trialled playing orchestral music at Brixton Station back in 2001 with the obvious target being the various drug dealers that used to frequent directly outside the foyer of the station. They even installed speakers on the outside!

It is rather intriguing how the choice of music reflects back on Transport for London. They seem to go for a certain “unfashionable – uncool” kind of music that petty criminals would not enjoy listening to (or at least is what their advisors are telling them).

While orchestral music is in terminal decline in the public’s consciousness. And the record companies have pretty much given up on new (studio recordings, live recordings don’t really need the same amount of investment) ambitious recordings of Opera, Classical, Romantic and Baroque repertoire. Most record companies seem to be more than happy to rehash their back catalogue from the 1950s-80s into compilations. And so avoiding taking any commercial risks and giving new artists and orchestras the chance to record in studio conditions either contemporary music or give a new breath of life to older repertoire.
It is symptomatic of this decline in support that most of the large orchestras have set up their record labels (e.g. The LSO and the Hallè in Manchester) in order to disseminate their distinctive ‘sound’ out of the big record labels and their politics.

My personal response to the classical muzak, that Transport for London is putting us through, is contradictory. On one side I like listening to the music itself (the performances seems to be decent and the sound adequate) but on the other I have an uneasy feeling on the ethnic & economic profiling that has gone on in the background. Clearly TfL must be thinking that orchestral music will not appeal to the caricature of a mugger that they have in their minds (probably non-Caucasian and under 30). To me the amount of presumption that has gone on, before settling in this “novel” way to combat petty crime, creeps me out.

And a few links

Hallé: http://www.halle.co.uk/publishedSite/products.asp

LSO: http://lso.co.uk/buyrecordings/catalogue

http://www.urban75.org/brixton/features/brixton_tube.html

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/08/should_music_be_used_for_crowd_control.html

January Blues? Well it's dark, dingy and there are no presents to be had

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:00:26 GMT

Well well, almost the end of the month and I bothered to write another blog ;-)

After the foodie and financial excesses of Christmas it always feels like a terrible come down getting into January and thinking about the year ahead.

This year I have no idea what I should be planning, I'll just let it roll.

I really find the idea of January New Year’s resolutions repulsive. Does anyone really hold on to those promises past 28th January? Aren't just a way to delude ourselves that we are in control of our life and an act of self-hatred?

Possibly the whole idea of the New Year resolution must be an extraction of Christian ethics and rules that are especially formulated to combat desire and pleasure. What is the point in denying yourself a source of pleasure, really? (in line with all the self-flagellatory resolutions –not to eat this, not to smoke that etc-) Surely if you enjoy something what is the point of denying yourself that very pleasure and trying to be someone you are not?

Is it all about self-discipline of just a mind-fuck that we all put ourselves through in order to be seen as more “virtuous” by other people?

I hate all those trite social constructs that try to pigeonhole everyone and make our everyday life lack even more poetry and the unexpected. Why can’t we all think outside the social clichés this year and come up with a daily run of events that satisfy our needs and allow our imagination to fly?

George

What's wrong with Mac users?

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:36:15 GMT

Oh I do wonder sometimes, whenever there is a silly IT issue in the office and the only person around is a habitual Mac user, all they do is scratch their head and call for help.

In a way Apple's computers with no need for configuration has created a breed of computer users that have no knowledge of the working parts of their machines. Pretty much in the same way that modern cars being more reliable have removed the need for the driver to have any mechanical knowledge. But it surely must be different with computers! We use them all the time and quite a few of us run parts of our lives through them.

Some people will say that Apple's operating system is marvelous and an exemplary piece of engineering but my criticism is that mac users are technologically unintelligent as they cannot think what happens beneath the pretty interface that Apple provides them with. And that essential reality is what creates those blind followers of the cult of the Mac. As they are far too insecure to look around they will just follow like sheep Apple's latest OS update (Leopard where are you?) or run to buy the next available Apple gadget with an i prefix! Not considering what they are really buying, which most of the times is a pretty box that has limited expandability. In the real world some of Apple's gadgets would not have a commercial future, but then the consumer is seduced by great design and sleek surfaces!

A quick rundown:

The iPod, iTunes music store downloads are of a very average quality and they have a very limited amount of times they can be transfered to devices...oh and guess what they only play on the iPod! They never had the now standard FM radio or recording functionality (well not without spending another £30 for the add on module)

The iMac, no possibility for upgrading components and if something goes wrong with the computer innards the whole thing is scrapped.

The iPhone, locked down to a network with a really expensive airtime contract on top of the dear purchase price in the first place! No decent camera (2 MP? Oh come on Apple this is supposed to be a powerhouse of a phone) and Bluetooth that is only functional with Apple's own headset!

Any company that would have produced such second rate devices would have been attacked numerous times by its very customers, but somehow the cult that Apple lovers are following is depriving them of critical thoughts of their beloved brand. And queuing in the Apple Store the other week really put me in the centre of the cyclone that he cult is. All those 'creative' tossers buying the latest shiny Apple box to replace their 12 month old previous purchase where there buying their way to an Apple utopia, a world where computers look good and under perform and where music devices come with shoddy screens and second rate music playing capability. Still though I appreciate Apple's design ethos I really do not like the stupid generation of technophobes it has created. At least the staff in the Regent Street Store were uber efficient and extremely pleasant.

Facebook? More like Idlebook/ Crapbook/ Dullbook/ Crackbook

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:31:03 GMT

Well well! Another invite to join the ranks of fools that have a Facebook profile.

Oh how much I hate those "I've added you as a friend on Facebook" automated messages!

I thought friendship was all about personal interaction and exchange of ideas. The very process that Facebook's set-up negates.

Being in someone's list of "friends" is almost like looking in the party but not actually being there.

How can an inane comment of the "I'm eating crisps" kind of league constitute of communication? Isn't the very nature of meaningful communication that the broadcasted message is worthy of its broadcast? Who the hell cares if I am currently having a big bag of cracked pepper Kettle Chips?

When I asked a friend if he had moved to the new flat he was trying to buy in the last few months, all I got was an automated invite to join Facebook.

It's exactly the kind of degradation of individuality in interpersonal communication that makes me so angry.

If he bothered to let me know with a persona email I may have been more understanding...but answering to my email with a standard invite to Facebook? That is the equivalent of taking the piss!
Oh when will people see that its is just a pointless exercise for arrogant self publicising morons

iPhone hysteria here we go!

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:09:10 GMT

The general hysteria that accompanies a major, and rather delayed, Apple Corp launch has started.

O2 is the "lucky" network to pick it up in the UK. The iPhone will be launching on 9 November, rather handy for the critical Christmas sales.There's a rather buzzy photographic coverage on Engadget of the press launch:
Launch event report on Engadget.It pretty much illustrates the kind of excitement an Apple launch can create even though it is essentially an already launched product in the US (and widely reported in the media and blogosphere)

Especially when the iPhone is a rather crippled device that is locked down (impossible to run non apple aproved applications) and non expandable (no memory card reader). Hopefully the European mobile users will be more savvy and realise that it is a device firmly rooted to past of mobile telecommunications...pretty much the area occupied by the US.

The US users are used to paying for their mobiles as they are used to paying for receiving text messages. Both are totally inconceivable in Europe, where the phones are heavily subsidised and the texts are free to receive.

Also there has been an advertising campaign by NOKIA around the US pointing out that their Symbian based mobiles are open to new applications and customisations by the users...reminding all those iPhone users that are locked down to an 18month contract and paid for a device that they cannot customise without putting more money in Apple's pockets (e.g. ringtones through iTunes)

(picture from gadgetell.com)

La Scala The Royal Opera House and the impossible steps of Rudy

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:57:12 GMT

I was waiting for months to see the La Scala Ballet dance The Sleeping Beauty in Nureyev's 1966 choreography.

The afternoon got to a promising start with corps du ballet being in great form and being my first matinee at Covent Garden it felt very different. The audience was rather mixed. With the usual overdressed madams of the Home Counties(looking more like they belonged on the stage than the stalls), some of the usual dancey crowd (waiting to castigate the Italian's technique) and a large smattering of families (trying to expand the horizons of their children while not falling asleep in the process). The most obvious difference in the behaviour of the crowd was their clapping which reminded me of a west end musical. They would clap every time Aurora and the Prince will come on stage...which was unneeded and anyway 19th century ballets allow plenty of space for applause anyway!

This work being one of Nureyev's earliest choreographic efforts it was suffering too much with his stamp on Petipa's beautiful classical line, most gestures and attempts to characterisation were smothered with lavish amounts of over-ornamentation. A simple ensemble rondo would turn into the most complicated affair known to man! Thankfully Aurora's part was not touched by Rudolph's heavy handed approach, may be owing to the great (meaning assertive) divas of his time like Fonteyn. Who they would not tolerate changes to the traditional Petipa choreography which is always the golden standard and the measure to judge Aurora's performance.

The most distinct aspect of the work as staged by La Scala was the over-emphasized role of the Prince (created for Nureyev himself) and especially in the third act the steps were so personal to him and his incredible ability to create high jumps out of nowhere. Massimo Caron who performed for us was very virile but he looked out of his depth when he had to deal with the demanding high jumps of the third act. To the point of almost narrowly escaping a fall. His part is custom made for Nureyev and his very personal and very powerful dancing style that very few dancers could match. Unfortunately when his choreography is being executed by anyone else it becomes a hollow vehicle that fights again the frothy 19th century heart of this ballet. In a way it reminds me of the 1964 Zeffirelli Tosca at Covent Garden which was made for Callas and her famously charismatic acting. Most Sopranos that filled Tosca's shoes did not really possess the same strengths as Callas and you could always feel the loss of the pre-requisite acting ability. After so many years on the stage those Sopranos tended to approach the role as Callas impersonators, trying to be her by assimilating her stage behaviour. Luckily the administrators of the Royal Opera saw sense and got the production out of its misery in 2005. Maybe La Scala Ballet should follow their lead and retire this Sleeping Beauty and allow a new choreographer to put his/her stamp on this piece.

I will not bore any more readers by commenting on the overblown sets and the rather glitzy costumes.

All in all a missed opportunity for La Scala

Listmaking madness and the seven wonders of the world

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 14:36:03 GMT

Oh dear we have all gone list crazy. From contacts lists to My Space/Facebook (so called) friends.

When the media reported on a new list of the seven wonders of the world we all thought it was an interesting idea but the more one thinks about it the more "contemporary" the viewpoint is. It clearly stems from the revisionist tendency of the new world (mainly the US) to take on historic conventions and spin them for their uneducated and largely thick audience.

Clearly looking into the Herodotus and his reported descriptions (as the text itself has not survived) of the ancient seven wonders was not enough...we need to jazz it up with SMS voting! What a load of crap!

On the website: http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php?id=633 four out of seven new wonders are indeed ancient monuments...pretty much in line with the original list in Ancient Greek literature.

Clearly the ancient Greek list of: The Great Pyramid of Giza / The Hanging Gardens of Babylon / The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus / The Statue of Zeus at Olympia / The Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus / The Colossus of Rhodes and The Lighthouse of Alexandria

was not good enough anymore! Or maybe all the idiots that read the tabloids have never read any ancient Greek texts!

The above website had insinuated that UNESCO had been involved with the project, which made me question their judgement. Thankfully UNESCO have announced with a press release that they have not in any way collaborated on this commercial project. Check: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=38482&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

UNESCO has its own list of World Heritage Sites: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list which is a list of sites of extreme significance to mankind and also a listing by them creates the basis for a conservation protocol for those sites. Which makes this list much more valuable than most.

Unfortunately a scholarly and researched list like this one does not provide good voxpops for the media. And in our current news reporting culture all reporting is aimed at rolling news channels that only like 2 minute reports with not insight.

I do despair about all the stupidity that is surrounding us and that has made culture just another badly packaged product for the consumption of the masses. But organisations like UNESCO and ICOM give me a little hope that all is not lost to the draw of the blockbuster exhibition and the latest Monet to appear on tea towels!

George

'The Tower'

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:42:51 GMT

Was watching the night before on BBC One 'The Tower'

And I was really interested in the premise of the programme, development and regeneration of squalid parts of London.

Surely Deptford is one of the armpits of London but not so the residents of Aragon Tower that Lewisham Council was ousting.

The residents, even though in a Daily Mail kind of way I have expected to be abhorrent. But the only people that were shown to be truly awful were the developers, Council officials and estate agents that were in charge of the redevelopment. They seemed to be arrivistic non entities that had a very simplistic view of what constitutes redevelopment and regeneration. It seemed to them that as long as you get some so called ‘professionals’ to live in the tower block that would change the very constitution of the area. As a naive an attitude as the original policy that made possible for those horrible blocks to be built in the 70's.

Back then the attitude was that if you make clean affordable housing that people on the Council's housing list would love and cherish them and would feel for ever grateful that you took them out of the slums. As we know the reality was very different most council built tower blocks were filled with people that never chose to be there. Instead of a new community spirit all the residents experience was excrement in the elevators and overcrowding.

I suppose, this obvious housing disaster is acknowledged by the ease that Lewisham Council offloaded Aragon Tower to the developers. Thinking that if you get willing owners in the block all the problems of the area would go away. That very idea is what pushed the gentrification of huge enclaves of the capital...get the professionals and Starbucks in and push out all the unwanted trouble makers!

The main problem of mass development is the lack of accountability and safety. What designers and developers forgot when they created those dreaded London tower blocks was that the basic principle for pedestrian (resident) safety is the road/walkways being overlooked by the residents. Jane Jacobs articulated the argument in 1961 in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities especially in the chapter entitled: The Uses of Sidewalks: Safety she explains that very basic principle: if a road is overlooked by the residents anti-social activity is more than halved as the offending party gets deterred at the prospect of any eye witnesses present.

Unfortunately that principle was not taken into account and most 1970’s blocks tend to have lots of internal or external corridors without any direct connection to the flats (or windows overlooking them). Nowadays councils are dotting CCTV cameras right left and centre trying to cover the inadequacies of the original design. Unfortunately the cameras do little to increase the sense of safety in the tower blocks.

High rise living can be very successful indeed as long as it takes into account the wishes of the residents and is encouraging interaction. Tower blocks, when designed with vision, can create diverse housing that offers a rich emotional and sensory experience. Such towers were some of the early examples in London like the Trellick Tower which is a sought after address and has lots of proud residents. I do not think things will change soon enough though, as the developer is king and the need for profit is the main motivation.

Links

A brief description of the programme on the BBC One website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcone/listings/programme.shtml?day=yesterday&service_id=4223&filename=20070702/20070702_2245_4223_12855_50

The review of the programme on The Guardian’s website:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,2117049,00.html

The developers page about the Aragon Tower development:

http://www.berkeleyhomes.co.uk/index.cfm?articleID=1050

Update on Paris---post prison

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:32:02 GMT

Paris's post prison interview to Larry King on CNN has made it on his podcast

Worth checking out:

http://rss.cnn.com/services/podcasting/lkl/rss.xml

It will be interesting to see how long this more restraint Paris will last!

Oh dear I just hope she will not drive to her next red carpet engagement!

Madonna - Confessions Tour - Wembley Arena - August 16th 2006

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 12:48:52 GMT

I just found this little piece languishing in my drafts folder...

It was thrilling seeing Madge once more...but she kept us waiting for 1h and 10mins! But that is the problem with charismatic performers like her, you forget all about those kind of problems when she makes it on stage!

The show was really tightly choreographed and with a great playlist. It was slightly more special than the rest of the nights she played as it was her birthday. So we all got to sing happy birthday to her...and quickly escape to Wembley Park tube station!

Milton Court a monstrocity or a lost jewel on Barbican's crown?

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:24:27 GMT

I was browsing today and was made aware that Milton Court, at the edge of The Barbican in London is about to be redeveloped.

Modernist architecture has had a very rough ride in the UK from most of last century. Especially in the aftermath of the dreadful social housing that used Modernist language without the philosophical and ideological background.

Milton Court was built in 1965 as a support building to the main Barbican Centre. It was not listed unlike the Centre and a few years ago all leftover residents were bought out of their flats and it has been lying empty read to be redeveloped, here's the proposed plan on the Corporation of London's website: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/media_centre/files2006/City+selects+preferred+Milton+Court+developer.htm

Here are some more links that relate to the campaign to save Milton Court on the debate about its architectural merit:

The BBC's website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6222792.stm

CABE's website with an elevation plan: http://www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=1925&refid=0&sl=

Advocates of Milton Court have put together a website to try and save it: http://www.miltoncourt.org/

and also the 20th Centrury Society is advocating the building: http://www.c20society.org.uk/docs/press/060929_milton_court.html

CABE seems not to be too impressed by the quality of the proposed development

"We do not think that the architecture in this case is of sufficient quality to make a positive contribution to its immediate and wider setting."

The objections of CABE are higlighting a major problem when developers are brought in to built mixed use development for public bodies. On one hand they have to keep their clients happy by fullfilling the brief even in the expense of the design. And also trying to deliver it to a predetermined price point and make enough money for the architectural practise and the contractor. Unfortunately this kind of development very rarely produces good architecture. And in this instance the Corporation of London should be thinking more about how to make a interesting contribution to the London skyline than how to self-finance the new theatre for the Guildhall School of Music by selling the flats in the new development.

Let's hope that reason will prevail and maybe a sensitive redevelopment will incorporate the original building.

George

Police brutality alla Greca

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:48:27 GMT

Was amazed yesterday going through my usual sources of Greek news to discover a video showing a couple of policemen abusing two immigrants in a police station in the very centre of Athens.

Once more it demonstrates how far Greece can really be from the civilized west.

The minister in charge seems not too be too bothered about the whole situation and clearly is not able to offer his resignation.

In my 18 years I spend in Athens I was witnessing from all sides the inability of the Greeks to deal with difference and change. And the logical conclusion of intolerance is racism and xenophobia.

Back in 1996 everyone seemed to be up in arms about the influx of Albanians in Greece and how it changed the traditional social strata of the country. What most people refused to acknowledge though was the very fact that all the cheap labour helped Greece though some rough times, when the economy was very unsteady and almost ruled it out of the single European currency. All the migrant workers were referred to as if they were inanimate objects, there just to please the Greeks.

I am deeply ashamed looking back at those years realising with hindsight that the times were, and still are, deeply racist and intolerant.

Everything in Greece has a veneer of "national pride" which legitimises the most abhorrent behaviour. And most people think that the country is owed special dispensation from accepted wisdom and mores because it was the historic cradle of civilization. I remember countless conversations and quarrels at school when I expressed any views that did not reflect this pseudo-patriotic given. Other students would call me names and that I was anti-patriotic. For them being a patriot equalled agreeing with all the policies the Greek government came up with without judging them in the slightest. If the government wanted to go to war over the sea borders with Turkey then we all had to agree that Turkey is automatically the force of evil and it had to be ring fenced. The very fact that Greece is most probably the only European country to use land mines to protect its borders always used to pass by all those "patriots".

I'm sure a number of people will quietly applaud the police officers in the leaked video for "keeping in check the foreigners". Police brutality is nothing new in Greece. The power of the police over the lives of the citizens is immense. They pretty much have every right to stop and search anyone whenever they fancy and of course all of them being armed you wouldn't resist! That police state practically dates back to the dictatorship (1967-1974) when torturing the opposition became the norm. The country since then is pretty much run under a status quo of hatred, suspicion and fear. I just wish they would all wake up and realise that very much like ancient Greece built its success on huge numbers of slaves, modern Greece depends on human trafficking and bribery to keep itself going.

I will be watching the development of the story with huge interest and see if any politicians will take responsibility for the institutionally racist police force they have nurtured over the last 30 years.

The furore has not as yet made it to the UK media, here are a couple of links to the Athens News Agency in English:

http://www.ana-mpa.gr/anaweb/user/showitem?service=132&listid=NewsList132&listpage=1&docid=5447143

http://www.ana-mpa.gr/anaweb/user/showitem?service=132&listid=NewsList132&listpage=1&docid=5447746

and the link to the video on the Greek website that publishised it:

http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=719730#719733

Organic and more organic

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:24:16 GMT

Have been buying organic products for the last few years...mainly on the basis of taste.

Today have ordered my first box of organic vegetables straight from the farm!

Hopefully it will put a stop to my all too frequent visits to Marks&Spencer on the way home! And is surely cheaper than Marks. Plus you get to try new veggies that most supermarkets would not bother to stock (wet garlic anyone?)

Will report back on the first delivery, this coming Thursday

MTV Movie Awards 2007...and Paris

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 23:38:03 GMT

Oh dear I did watch the repeat of the MTV Movie Awards last night...and had a great laugh at the abuse thrown at Paris Hilton from the presenter!

One day before she was up to be locked up she chose to go to another red carpet bash. Poor Paris she doesn't have a life away from the photographers flashes and her own camcorder ;-)

Here is a link to the video on you tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwkjeefUEes

I just love Jack Nicholson's reaction! As for Paris' sulky expression...oh well maybe she should have been more gracious and just smile back. But then she maybe was thinking of ingenious ways to suck on those bars without hurting her teeth!

You've got to love pointless celebs like her! They offer us hours of unadulterated escapism and fun

A rainy morning in London Town

Thu, 17 May 2007 10:18:06 GMT

As I was waiting for the train this morning I noticed on my left-hand side a man wearing a bowler hat!

In the drizzly weather it reminded me of the Robert Frank photographs of late 50's London, most of them taken in the City.

I had not realised that bowler hats are acceptable this day and age ;-)

According to some of the attached links they are acceptable in parts of France and Germany!

Well in London we are left with the post-chav remnants of the Burberry flat cap. Which surely can't be good news for hat wearers!

Well talking about hats today it brought back to my mind Isabella Blow and the fact that she died last week.

I had the chance to see her a few years ago and was stricken by her attitude and that she appeared to be almost modelling the hat devoid of any expression...in the best catwalk tradition. And was intrigued what it must be like when you life is almost based on your sartorial choices. An attitude rather different to my everyday life. Still I enjoyed seeing her appear on magazine pages and websites, celebrating the little idiosynchrasies (or in her case outlandish hats that only she could just about get away with!) that make us all unique.

Fashion-crowd obituaries tend to emphasise the superficial nature of the business and trying to find qualities that are worth praising in a universal plateau

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowler_hat

http://www.rideanddrive.co.uk/hats/bowlers1.htm

http://blog.villagehatshop.com/iconic_hats/index.html

http://www.europe.org.uk/index/-/id/260/

Isabella Blow

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1760141.ece

http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2524405.ece

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-blow9may09,0,1218855.story?coll=la-home-obituaries

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/08/nblow08.xml

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/fashion/story/0,,2074469,00.html

10 year retrospective

Thu, 10 May 2007 12:58:06 GMT

Well today, of all days I thought it was time to write again here!

In the last few days I've been exposed to the otherworldly extravagance of Diamanda Galas and also made contact with people I haven't talked to in more than a decade.

Talking to people you haven't heard from in such a long time can be so awkward. You never know where to start catching up…especially when the other party is thousand of miles away it gets even trickier. At the back of one’s head you wonder why the heck you lost contact in the first place? Whatever the reason for the loss of contact is very difficult after a decade to try to relate to what those people have evolved to be nowadays. It is all so confusing!

Those people have been lost in our thoughts at the back of our head and they always remain the same age to me. Talking to someone you knew was about 12 and now is fresh out of university is terribly confusing. It sounds really silly but it is true for me, the people I carry in my head are never aging. The old people remain old the younger people remain young. I suppose that is down to our brain never catching up with the daily passing of time. I have changed a huge amount from the moment I moved to London in 1997 and turned from a scared kid of 18 1/2 years to a more confident man of 29 year old with a definite sense of belonging.

What I left behind never mattered greatly, as my new life was the main impetus from leaving my claustrophobic Athenian life. My memories of Athens have crystallized in my head to what it looked like 5 years before the Olympics. If I went back now I wouldn’t possibly recognise most of it! London has changed a huge amount around me too, in the last decade. The Dome wasn’t there, the ‘Gherkin’ wasn’t there, the Jubilee Line extension wasn’t there, my Art School used to be at Greengate House in grimy Plaistow. With all this change though and seeing it around me I gained a sense of belonging in ‘London town’. We are growing up together.

Well today and with the fact Tony Blair is quitting my first decade has come full circle. When I arrived in late August 1997 New Labour was indeed newly elected and full of promise, a bit like my outlook for my new London life.

Bring on the next decade!

Royal Ballet April 4th

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 00:02:58 GMT

Went to another performance of the RB on the 4th and it was a rather patchy affair.

The new commision was a rather pointless affair, it's title 'Castle Nowhere' encapsulated my feeling pretty much!

Despite the wonderful set and costumes the choreography felt laboured and repetitive.

At least the finale of the evening (Kenneth MacMillan's Requiem, based on Faure's music) was glorious!

The stark sets by Yolanda Sonnabend allowed the dancers to creat the appropriate mood and showcase the extraordinary choreography by MacMillan. Once more the company reminded us all what a great asset it's heritage and the British Ballet tradition are. The lightness of touch and precision has rightly become the hallmark of the Royal Ballet.

Worth going just for the extraordinarily uplifting end to the night

new images from my Cornish trip now on Flickr

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 23:30:27 GMT

Check out some of the images from my trip to Cornwall

http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgios1978

Hope you like them!

Happy New Year...

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 00:29:42 GMT

To all reading this!

Check out the new images

George

Manon

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 01:55:28 GMT

Tonight we went to see Manon with Sylvie Guillem.

It was fantastic seeing her re-interpreting the classic MacMillan ballet in her own unique style.

There are no words to describe how exciting it was...

the fact that she got the most loud and long standing ovation that I have ever witnessed...describes the atmosphere in the auditorium

Surely it was history in the making. A great ballerina re-creating a signature piece. It's even more moving casting my mind back to the problems she had with MacMillan and how she overcame them by making the choreography her own.

A great night. one to remember for a very long time

A night at the ROH

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 20:41:03 GMT

Last Thurdsday went to see the Royal Ballet and once more I was amazed by the delicacy and feeling of the performance.

Was lucky enough to be there for the premiere of La Sylphide...Alina Cojocaru and Ivan Putrov made an incredible couple! It's amazing that this important work of Romantic dance has never before been performed at Covent Garden! Let's hope it will remain in repertoire.

Can't wait for next month's Manon!!!!

http://info.royaloperahouse.org/PerformingSpaces/Index.cfm?ccs=117&cs=2205

A few new pics

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 23:58:51 GMT

I've just added a few new pics...hopefully they make an interesting addition to what's already here.

George

was very much like seeing an old friend and getting used to their idioms and facial expressions,continuing the relationship where we left off;-)

Tue, 23 Aug 2005 08:12:03 GMT

George

Tue, 23 Aug 2005 08:11:24 GMT

New flat,one week later
It has been pretty tiring in the past few days moving our stuff from one place to the other.But it's worth it as the new flat is absolutely adorable.I haven't managed to over-sleep so far(because of the orientation of the bedroom,making it really bright),which is amazing considering!We still need to paint three rooms,I'm sure they will look amazing in the end.On my way to work...back after almost three weeks off and so many displays have already changed.Was amazed yesterday,seeing one of my favourite Hockneys returning into view after more than 5years of absence from London.It

Just leaving York on my way back from Edinburgh...a bit of a mess with people trying to find their seats amongst the mayhem!

Fri, 12 Aug 2005 12:52:18 GMT

Edinburgh was lovely,went to Gauguin's Vision at The National Gallery,Bacon-portraits and Cartier-Bresson at The National Gallery of Modern Art.All three show were interesting,butthe one that captivated my attention was Bacon.A large accumulation of his work,always has a curious effect on me.The experience is one of amazement,involvement,surprise,familiarity,respect,seduction.Seeing the fantastic full length portrait of Isabel Rawsthorne from Berlin had me quaking in my boots.The beaty of the colours and the handling were devastating.I could look at it for days and still find more excitement in it.

More soon xx George

Sun, 31 Jul 2005 10:08:19 GMT

New job?
Well,not quite!I didn't get it,but then my heart wasn't in it.The interview went well but I knew deep in me that I'd be unhappy over there.Sostaying put,but some new possibilities seem to be opening up.Ah moving flat on the 15th but due to lack of storage space will have to edit possessions heavily!The new place has no garden,but its the attic flat on level3 which gives it some lovely light and some well volumed rooms.Already on overdrive tocome up with a new decorative scheme.Off loading some plants and gardening paraphernalia today.

Mon, 25 Jul 2005 22:32:38 GMT

Job interview today
It was a pretty feel good interview.My second one for the same post.Right now it feel like the appropriate time to move on,after 41/2 years.Will it happen!I'll be notified on Thursday.The number of the applicants was pretty high(200) and fifteen people are being interviewed!
All Ican do is wait,which is always frustrating.
Over&out,George

A most bizarre and sad day

Thu, 07 Jul 2005 20:36:48 GMT

Working a public building while bombs are exploding around the city, is never easy.

We struggled to keep the gallery open as normal, while losing a wing and the two main entrances.

I'm proud that in the end we kept the building open till 4.30. It was very calm and very quiet in the building, the noise from the police cars speeding by disrupting the concentration.

Walking through the imposing classical columns of the sculpture gallery images of the wartime bombing of the building came to my mind. Back then 9 1/2 acres of glass were lying shattered on the floors, this time round the only thing shattered is our ease and confidence to move around London. We are reaching the same vicious circle again, like after Sep 11th, we will be looking around us looking for suspicious faces,etc

What the terrorists always aim for is isolating us from our cosmopolitan existance, making us feel uneasy while moving around the city.

Tomorrow I'll be again on my way to work but at the back of my head it will be what happened today, 37 people blasted into pieces while making their way to their workplaces. A sad and disgusting thought but one that reminds us of how sort our life can be. A reminder to tell our loved ones how we are feeling everyday, as it may never be another chance to do that.

Life goes on but always affected by the trauma

-Bluetooth update-Another search for devices on board the train:only one find:BigKev!Looking around not easy to identify him;-)

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 08:41:12 GMT

Entry via txt