much more music

In the past few months I have had the luck of being able to attend and take some photos of a few gigs.

My dear friend Mark was on tour with a pretty famous Canadian band The Tragically Hip where they played 2 nights at the Paradiso, the first night was truely amazing Gordon giave 200% to his performance. A huge difference since the first time I saw them in Victoria at the Forge back in about 1991. The second night was also good but you could just tell they were a little exhausted from the night before. The best thing about it was though being able to hang out with Mark for a couple of days which we have not done since he was on tour with Dido over 4 years ago.

The second gig I saw was h Natural This link is a little out dated), the lovely singer from Marillion was on a solo tour and was playing in the strangest little town very close to the Hague. It was the quietest gig I have ever attended but wonderful and nice to be in such close proximity to see his humour and talent up close and personal.

The third gig was a small Belgium band called Das Pop which my friend Martin invited me along, the band was lively and fun, but I was told that they used to be much more entertaining and the older songs were better. Either way for Euro 1o it was a good way to spend a Friday night.

Can you guess where this is?

1. Your coworker has 8 body piercings and none are visible. 2. You make over $250,000 and still can't afford a house. 3. You take a bus and are shocked at 2 people carrying on a conversation in English. 4. You know what these acronyms mean: PNE, VPL, GVRD, YVR. 5. You're shocked when it snows in the winter. 6. You've had California roll for lunch. 7. Know more than 10 ways to order coffee. 8. Know how to pronounce Coquihalla. 9. A really great parking space can move you to tears. 10. Your hairdresser is straight, your plumber is gay, the woman who delivers your mail is into BDSM, and your next door neighbour grows weed. 11. The guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing the baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney IS George Clooney. 12. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment. 13. The gym is packed at 3 PM ....on a work day. 14. Can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food. 15. You watch the weather from a Seattle TV station because it's more accurate (see 18). 16. You pass an elementary school and the children are all busy with their cell phones or pagers while waiting for their personal rides home. 17. You're sure you're the only one on the road with a REAL driver's license. 18. You don't even listen when the forecast announces "chance of showers"; 19. The more expensive the car, the worse the driver. 20. Can taste the difference between Starbucks, Second Cup, and Tim Horton's. 21. Feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash. 22. You're not suprised to see geese throughout the whole year. 23. You cant remember.... is pot still illegal? 24. If there's a day of snowfall, however, you consider not going to school/work. 25. You realize there are far more Rainbow flags in the city than Canadian flags. 26. Can name 10 starbucks locations in less than a minute.




Lotus Landers Unite!

Rotterdam Zoo Blijdorp

Last weekend I went to the Rotterdam Zoo. Now I am not really a fan of zoo's but thought it was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon and an opportunity to take some photos.

I know the zoo is trying to be more modern but I really think they should maybe put a coat of paint on the origional gates and perhaps another person on the cash register for the sunday crowds.

Perhaps it was not the fact the zoo felt a little claustrophobic and the huge amount of screaming kids and their families did not help me feel cozy.

Apparently even a few months ago one of the gorillias, a silverback male named Bokito escaped http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/18/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-Escaped-Gorilla.php and caused injuries to some of the people there because the containment fence was not high enough and he must have just got bored with sitting around all day.

I know I would be.

I wanted most to see the aquarium tunnel they have built, it goes to show what a good photo can do as the tunnel is very short and to be honest not that exciting IMHO.

Oh well I guess it just reassures me how much I am not really a fan of zoos, in prtucular the larger animals that are held, the tigers, lepoards and large birds of prey.

Hospital Music

I know it has been a long long time, but I have been lured to the otherside by the interactive pages, friends popping by and ability to post photos without problems....

Oh but on another note Hospital Music, Matthew Good's lastest is deep, beautiful and heartbreaking and his usual genius. Buy it now!

snippet from the biography:

Prior to recording Hospital Music I spent a great deal of time confronting the past. In doing so I discovered something interesting, that through it all I viewed myself as beholden to the needs of others, even if it meant that I would endure immense anxiety because of it. I spent a great deal of time wading through past relationships and honestly examining their purpose, and in doing so came to the realization that, for years, I had not been all that honest with myself. That, more than anything else, influenced the material on this record, producing, at times, uncomfortable realizations represented in song. Some might, upon examination, call them bitter. Others might disregard them altogether, searching more for the comfortable familiarity of past work. But the truth is that what was ultimately produced was beyond my control in that, given everything that had transpired, it either had to be honest or I would have to walk away from music altogether. In the end, these fifteen songs combine to represent a remembrance, one that, in no small way, both began and ended on the floor of a shower.

High quality of living in Australasian and Canadian cities

Cities in Australia, New Zealand and Canada dominate the rankings of the best cities to live in, according to the 2007 Mercer Human Resource Consulting Quality of Living Survey.
Of the top 25 cities, nine are from these countries, with Vancouver, Auckland and Sydney all in the top ten.The analysis is based on a detailed assessment and evaluation of 39 criteria for each city including political, social, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport and other public services.The rankings are based on data collected on 215 cities between September and November 2006. The data is regularly updated to take account of changing circumstances. Top Australasian cities are Auckland (tied for 5th), Sydney (tied for 9th), Wellington (12th), Melbourne (17th) and Perth (21st).Highly ranked Canadian cities are Vancouver (3rd), Toronto (15th), Ottawa (tied for 18th), Montreal (22nd) and Calgary (24th).Swiss cities Zurich and Geneva are at the top of the rankings this year.In a separate study, Mercer ranked cities on health and sanitation. Canadian city Calgary tops this list.This survey is based on the quality and availability of hospital and medical supplies and levels of air pollution and infectious diseases. The efficiency of waste removal and sewage systems, water potability and the presence of harmful animals and insects are also taken into account.

Marillion Weekend 2007

And what a weekend it was. fantasic, the best ever. Thanks guys!

All Photos copywrite. Berlinergirl 2007

more Good words...

Once again one of my most admired singer/songwriter blogger has said words that are just so right.

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Good love is a few months. Of bliss, of nothing wrongs, of sparkle, of tight gripping hands, of the inability to get close enough.

Bad love is a lifetime.

Bad love is the greatest test known to us. It is our most prized pain - so sought after, so hard to find. Bad love is work, giving-in, compromise, forgiveness, the unflinching support for another even at their most humiliated, their most vulnerable. Bad love is not on television, at the movies, on vacation, or at the bank. Bad love is not in the church, the temple, or under the dome. Bad love is not all around us.

Bad love is what we find when we let go enough to actually be found by someone else.
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Perth, WA

It seems so long ago now but back at the end of November 2006 I was given a great gift of a trip to Perth Australia by G who was going there for work and invited me along. I was very busy the last half year with my work and could really use the break. After a very long flight and a stopover in Kuala Lumpur I arrived in sunny Australia. Perth being the most remote city in the world you would not know it as we drove into the centre. Immediately it reminded me of a mixture of Vancouver and Victoria, with the tall glass skyscrapers and smaller turn of the century buildings.

I arrived at the hotel where we were staying in the CBD and freshened up before going out for dinner.
Having had very little sleep on the way over I was already in a bit of a jet lagged state so sitting down to eat was a relief until I looked out the window and saw that the cement wall enclosing the gardens across the sidewalk was moving. I asked the server if they were large beetles or something more nefarious. He laughed and replied, yet those are WA’s finest cockroaches, but they aren’t half as bad as the flying ones. Yuck and oh joy! There is one insect that I cannot stand and that is a cockroach.
Anyway I had a full two weeks to get to know all the creatures and critters in the town.
I think the first full day after I arrived I just walked around and got to know the place and acclimatize to the weather, that evening we went out to the Swan valley to a wine tasting tour and dinner. The Swan Valley is actually the oldest wine region in WA. There was some good wine to be had and I even bought a couple of bottles from Lancaster Vineyard (Chenin Blanc) and Windy Creek (Old vine Shiraz). Day two was much the same, wandering to the beach and exploring the city but in the evening I went for a traditional BBQ at Neil’s place; he being British and his girlfriend Canadian. But I was introduced to Dukka a dry dip made of almost anything but usually spices, nuts and held in place on the bread with extra virgin olive oil, which I make at every opportunity since I have been back.

Sunday Geoff had the day off so we went to the beach, Cottesloe beach to be exact. Apparently The beach to see and be seen. I just love salt water and being able to swim in a warm ocean. We had to go and find G some Crocs for his for poor feet. Sitting on the beach and reading, listening to music and swimming. After some hours we walked back to the train and took it to the end of the line and went to look for some food in Fremantle or Freo as the locals call it. The thing we did not know on that Sunday was that there was some kind of carnival / parade throughout the whole town. And it was extremely difficult to find a place to eat that was not jammed full. So we decided to head back towards Perth to find some food after a long day. One side note was earlier in the day we had gotten off at the wrong station and happen to walk past a small church (there are MANY in WA) that had a sign out front Free WIFI to God.
The following weeks went something like wake up when G was heading off for breakfast I would join him and his colleague then usually get ready and head out. I rented a bike for a very good deal and spent most days riding around and outwardly from the city.
I visited the Museum of WA, very interesting to see stuffed animals from my home town. My favourite part being the butterfly hall. It was amazing! Some bigger than my hand spread wide, and I have quite large hands for a woman.
I rode out to City Beach, Cottesloe, Freo, Hilary’s Boat Harbour where the Western Aquarium is.

The one thing I have to say is after living in Holland for so long is that it was hard work getting used to hills. I ride my bike everywhere, but there are no hills just small slopes here. So riding some of the big hills I found around Perth was good hard work.
The following weekend we were invited by Neil to go and see some small village outside Perth called York. It was quaint and apparently a favourite for weekend getaways. Personally I did not really get it but hey I guess out there in such remoteness you take what you can. And there is a couple of good pubs and restaurants there. Neil even put an offer down on a house, which I guess is something you can do when you earn expat salaries and the AUD is so low.
Every night we ate out and tried as much of what Perth’s finest had to offer. I can promise you there were some amazing meals to be had, and of course some not so wonderful. Frasers at the top of King’s park where we had kangaroo steak and two amazing bottles of wine, Voyager Estate Shiraz and another that I can’t remember the name of. Another might we went to Kings no. 44 and also had very good meals, with a recommendation from the sommelier to not go for the 65AUD bottle but a 33 AUD bottle from Shield Estate. It was an excellent choice I must admit. Not to forget the lovely Subiaco where I spent several afternoons and even dinner one night while we listened to the Robbie Williams concert from the Oval near by.
While G and his colleagues had to work most days I was free to get out and about on my bike and explore as much as possible. I must have ridden over 250 Km in total the entire time I was there.

Another day the boys took free and we decided to do what not many people in their lives do, swim with wild dolphins, but not after getting up at the crack of dawn to meet the bus. It was kind of silly as it was so commercial but really cool to hear there little squeaks and clicks cause they just swam away if they were not interested in your being around. And I think the team that makes up Rockingham Dolphins knows they have pretty special jobs. After this we went to Penguin Island nearby to see some little fairy penguins and other odd creatures, and another opportunity for me to swim in the sea. Then we headed back to Freo for a drink and some food. We ended up at Little Creatures Brewery for some great beers then on to an Indian Restaurant Maya for food which was also very good. Then we headed home.
On our last weekend we decided to rent bikes for G and Bjorn and take them on the train out to the Swan Valley for another wine tasting tour and a visit to the Animal/ Safari park where we got to pet Kangaroos, wallabies and koalas. As well as see another host of very unusual creatures. by bike. Unfortunately we were either to late for some places or they just were not open for visitors. But we did try some more wines and ended up at a really good pub for some food and wine before making our way back to the hotel after the long day.
My last few days seemed to fly by, but not without one last trip to Freo and Little Creatures Brewery for that delicious Pale Ale.
So before I knew it I was was packing and heading back to NL. It was really a wonderful trip with some much to do. I was sad that I did not have more time to explore more north and south of the city and Western Aus.

International Film Festival Rotterdam 2007

As always for the last many years I made my way to the film festival in Rotterdam for 5 days and 16 movies.
Thursday January 25th
My first was The Journals of Knud Rassmusen, by Canadian Director Zacharias Kunuk, Norman Cohn of The Fast Runner. It was a story of Inuit’s at the turn of the century facing change in their lives from the first Europeans making contact and bringing change to their lives in the form of Christianity as well as changes in their own families.
I liked the movie for the anthropology aspect as well as the wonderful costumes and language.
The second that night was céu de suely: Suely in the Sky which was a Brazilian movie about a young woman and her small child who move back to her small town to try and get her life together while she waits for her husband to join her from San Paulo. When this does not materialize she looks for ways to make money to leave any way she can. The cast was great and the slow shot scenes gave you the idea about how bored she was waiting for things to change.

Friday January 26th
Anche libero va bene: Along the Ridge was the story about a family who’s mother left without saying goodbye leaving the father to deal with the children and his own misery. The main character was a young boy who while trying to please his father by swimming dreams of playing football like the other boys his age and hangs out on the roof to escape his fathers moods and his own life. His sister and father and sister seem to have a close relationship and he seems the outsider. Meanwhile the mother returns promising to have changed and the family takes a vote to take her back or not. The acting was great especially from the boy and his father and I found it to be a wonderful and simple story told in a great way.
The second was Friss levegö: Fresh Air a Hungarian movie about a mother and daughter who are not on speaking terms and who only communicate through notes. The daughter dreams of becoming a fashion designer, and the mother is stuck working in the public toilets in the train station in Budapest. The movie made me laugh out loud but was too long in my opinion; however as a debut director I thought she did a wonderful job.

Saturday January 27th
Jacco and I hooked up to see a few movies on the weekend as usual.
Our first was Izobrajaya zhertvu: Playing the Victim a Russian movie about a guy who makes his living acting out crime scenes for the police, however strange things start happening to him and we are not sure if he is going mad or was already there. I liked the acting from the main character Valja but did not quite understand the main dectective or some of the other charachters. I imagine the main actor will be very successful in Russia in the coming years.
A fost sau n-a fost?: 12:08 East of Bucharest won the golden camera in cannes for best debut. A movie about the revolution 16 years ago and a talk show host trying to find people willing to talk about it. It was quite funny and you end up watching a television show with some pretty strange charachters trying to either escape or relive their past.
Die Unerzogenen: Unpolished. A German movie about a teenage girl who has to live with her hippy parent’s lifestyle which she does not like one bit. After uprooting her from her life in Portugal back to Germany to her granfathers house which has been left in his will to her mother she tries to make the best of her new lifestyle. Several hangers-on also appear from their old life as well as her father who has just got out of jail after many years. She is not happy but thinks there is a way she can have a normal life, if only she can keep her parents secret from the new group of kids she has befriended. Of course things start to go wrong and she is finding that she has choices to make about her life. A good movie and beautifully shot. Another debut film maker on the rise.
Immer nie am Meer: Forever Never Anywhere. Another great German film about 3 men who get in a car after an accident and cannot get out of the car. Each have their own problems and are faced with their own pathetic lives in the process of trying to find a way out. Meanwhile, along comes a very troubled young man who is supposed to be their saviour but things are not always what they seem. A really really great movie, 5/5 on my vote.

Sunday January 28th
The day began very early with a Tunisian film Ors el dhib: Tender is the Wolf about a loser of a man who in his 30’s lives in his parents garage. He has no job or prospects and hangs around with a few low life losers. One night his friends rape a girl and during the event he tries to stop them with no luck. The rest of the film he is paying for his friends and his own mistakes. Somewhere along the film I lost the plot. He was quite stiff and not really convincing with his anger and pain. The lead actress was quite good,and the albino charachter did his part perfectly. Not really a wonderful movie but it did have some elements worth watching.
Shaere Zobale-Ha: Scream of the Ants. An Iranian couple go to India on their honeymoon to find spirituality in their own way. Personally I thought the woman was on the right path and her husband was a real arse and did not deserve her. But interesting that the husband felt so lost to God and the wife was so connected to god. I liked the harsh images of India and the delicate images of the wife.
D.O.A.P.- Death of an American President. A mocumentary about the killing of President Bush. Quite interesting how they protrayed the apparent staff of Bush to speak of him in a way that made him seem like the smartest guy in the world but you know it is done in a way that was taking the piss. I quite liked the movie but am always a little disturbed about the just how paranoid and gullable some Americans seem to be.
Awesome I Fucking Shot That. This was a great Rockumentary about a Beastie Boys concert in 2004 where they gave out 80 digital 8’s to some avid fans to shot the concert. I only stayed for half the movie but it was good fun and I liked the idea. Unfortunatly having done some of my own filming in my days, I could not take the blurry and often very unstable images, sadly the best shots were from the camera on the stage on the runner. I can see though how the B-boys have such a solid fan base.

Thursday Febuary 1st
Drama/Mex a story about people who have to make choices in their lives. The way it was shot was remiicent of Memento but without making sense in the end. It was a unnecessary thing. I liked the different story lines but not how they cross paths. I gave it a 3/5.
Z odzysku: Retrieval a Polish movie about a young guy trying to do the right thing by everyone in his life and still get ahead. After landing what seems the perfect job his concience does not allow him to continue if he wants to keep the other important things in his life. Beautifully acted by the lead Antoni Pawlicki.
Last Winter an American film about a team of oil company exploration and environmentalists sent to the Arctic to map out the site for a major drilling project that should sustain the US for many years to come. However when strange things start to happen to the staff the question is asked is the earth fed up with humans raping her natural resources? The movie had promise to tell a good story about why we should be careful with what is taken and not put back; however the movie fell apart when they tried to make it a thriller. It would have been much more interesting to leave out the animations at the end which ruined it for me, but knowing test audiences they probably did originally and nobody got it so a “bad guy” had to be introduced. A story worth thinking about; a movie worth renting on DVD.
Eagle vs Shark: New Zealand’s answer to Napoleon Dynamite, a story about to outcasts, once if which is obsessed with the other. When fate has brought them together they both learn a little more about life, love and acceptance. A cute movie with some very funny and butt clenching scenarios and a cute sound track not at all bad for debut director/writer Taika Waititi, all in all a very nice way to end my IFFR 2007.