Happy Holidays!

I wish you all and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2008! I want to thank those dear to me (you know who you are) for your support and unconditional love. The year 2008 is just around the corner and I cannot wait to get a taste of it and make new memories with you all! I wish you all a New Year of much health and happiness!

Wishing you love and light for now and in 2008,
Pax

Chambao - Pokito a Pokito

iPhone Reviews

Reviews are already out!

The iPhone Matches Most of Its Hype: New York Times

Testing Out the iPhone: Wall Street Journal

A first look at the most eagerly anticipated gizmo ever: Newsweek

NY Times' Pogue Reviews iPhone

Totally Funny!

Auguries of Innocence

Every Night & every Morn
Some to Misery are Born
Every Morn & every Night
Some are Born to sweet Delight
Some are Born to sweet Delight
Some are Born to Endless Night

By William Blake (1757-1827)

My Broken Heart Is Looking For Company

Who says robots don't have emotions? Check out this Broken Heart Robot designed by Craig Anthony Perkins.

And this robot has an history too: On his home planet of Xerbix 319, the Broken Heart Robot was one of the rare robots built without a purpose. Sadden by this, he fled Xerbix 319 and traveled the galaxy to seek out his purpose.
Along the way, the Broken Heart Robot met many interesting characters on various planets, moons and asteroids, and eventually landed on a small planet known as Earth. Though he has yet to find his purpose, he may just find a few new friends to help him with his quest!

So now you know and you don't even have to watch Data in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" to be reminded of it, even robots have feelings, are seeking for their purpose in life and can feel lousy too. Mmmm, I guess they haven't discovered "The Secret" yet ...

¡Que Viva Barcelona!

Casa Batllo in Barcelona, by Antonio Gaudi

I spent a few days in Barcelona last week. It was a mixture of leisure (restaurants, bars, shopping and cinema) and culture (Gaudi's La Pedrera and the Museum of Contemporary Art, MACBA). The last time I went to Barcelona was a few years ago and like the first time it felt exciting to be there again. It felt that good that I already booked my next trip to this beautiful city where you can have a relaxed beach holiday and still have the advantage of the big city with boutique hotels, trendy restaurants, bars and designer boutiques. For this trip I did the usual research on the Internet and travel guides. But maybe there are places I missed or that not many people know about, so I am open for suggestions if anyone can recommend cool places to visit for my next stay in Barcelona. I still have plenty of pages to fill in my Barcelona Moleskine City Notebook, so please let me know if you know any great restaurants to eat, cool shops and any other not-to-miss events/places.

Ali G with Posh and Becks

I love celebs who do not take themselves seriously. In this video Posh shows that she has a good sense of humor about herself.

It Was All Fake!

The Big Donor Show, a Dutch TV show, was a big publicity stunt to highlight the donor shortage. In the one-episode reality show the patient who was going to give away a kidney was played by an actress who had to choose from three candidates competing for her kidney. The patient and the candidates were all actors and were in on the publicity stunt. Because of the worldwide publicity around this show debates started about the donor problem. Camera teams from all over the world attended the show which aired yesterday.
In the past week many people (not just in The Netherlands) showed their disgust for the reality show and questioned whether Dutch TV had gone too far. But there were also rumours that the show was a media stunt to boost the ratings of the broadcaster BNN.
And it turned out to be true. It was indeed a hoax. But it was not for the ratings but for a good cause.

You can call the Dutch what ever you want, but this was a clever idea to raise awareness for an issue that desperately needs our attention.

La Mala is back!

Spain's reigning queen of hip-hop La Mala Rodriguez has a new video. Check out the video clip of "Nanai" the second single from her album Malamarismo. As always La Mala is fierce in this video clip.

No Me Llames Dolores, Llámame Lola

Lola


The video of "Lola" from the Spanish band Pastora.

No me llames Dolores, llámame La Xica, la que siempre va sola buscando follon! Busca busca busca follonnnnnn! Me meto en medio de todo el mogollón.

Free Hugs Available

Yes, that is what the sign says. Free Hugs available at Dam Square in Amsterdam!

I find it a warm and generous gift and it made me happy to see this girl being totally sincere and open to those who wanted to share a hug with her. Although many people were a bit hesitant at first, they slowly overcame their shyness and gave her a hug. On many faces I could see a smile where at first raised eyebrows or a bored expression was to be seen. What a big difference a hug can make! Kudos for the blond girl and her friend!

Nathalie Portman haunts Paul McCartney

Nathalie Portman has a cameo in the video of Paul McCartney for his new single "Dance Tonight". I find the video quite enjoyable. The song has a "simple" happy tune and Nathalie Portman is so cute as a futurist electronic ghost who dances to the sound of McCartney's mandolin.
The video also stars Mackenzie Crook who plays Gareth in the original British TV show "The Office" and plays one of the rogue pirates in the last two movies of "Pirates Of The Caribbean", the one with the fake eye that keeps popping out.
The video had its worldwide premiere on YouTube last Wednesday. It was directed by Michel Gondry from the Bjork videos and the movie "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind".

Sellaband

I am still spreading the word about Sellaband an explosive new concept that is breaking down frontiers. As I am a big fan of this concept of artists and fans making music together I would like to share this video with you.



Check out also my previous posts about Sellaband; click here and here to read my previous posts on this subject.

Happy B-day Therese!

Therese, Happy Birthday to you! I could never forget your birthday because of the pre-programmed email reminders you keep sending me! I am looking forward to our dinner party this evening!

Picture: thanks to Taart Van Mijn Tante for the best birthday cakes in Amsterdam

Cosplay Transformers Video

Guys playing Transformers; HIGHlarious!

Cosplay Transformers - Click here for more amazing videos

Hotspots Everywhere

When travelling, what is better than let a local show you the best places to visit in his home town. On AudioSnacks you can download the most fun audio tours made by locals in Boston, Chicago and London to name a few cities. Besides audio tours in MP3, you will also find maps so you will know exactly where to find that cosy bar in Le Marais in Paris.

Fallas de Valencia

I missed this year's Fallas in Valencia, Spain. I heard that next to the carnaval in Rio, the Fallas Festival in Valencia is the greatest party in the open air in the world. This festival is a celebration of Saint Joseph Day (March 19) in Valencia.

Besides the name for this celebration, the fallas are gigantic sculptures of which the core is made from wood. These enormous and colourful sculptures (approximately 350 statues) are lined up in each neighbourhood of the city and have their own theme varying from the entertainment industry to political parody. Each neighbourhood has their own organization that works all year long to make the construction, the falla, which is eventually burnt on the last night of the festival.








Beside a Falla organisation, each neighbourhood has their own Fallera, a girl dressed in traditional clothing who represents her neighbourhood at all festivities and who takes part in the annual Fallera Mayor election.
Every day during the festival at 2 p.m. precisely La Mascleta, a huge firework, takes place. Thousands of Valencianos, gather at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento to watch this spectacle. When the Mascleta starts, you will be deaf for the next five minutes, wondering whether this is how it sounds like when you are on hostile territory during a bombing in a war. Imagine enduring this deafening noise every day during the festival. Although I never could get a good position to watch this firework spectacle I found it impressive if only for the noise and the enthusiasm of all spectators.



People waiting for La Mascleta to start. On the left side of the picture, behind the yellow/black sign, there is where the Mascleta is positioned. Needless to say, I could not see a thing, but only heard a deafening noise...

But Fallas is not only fireworks. Every day there are processions and of course lots of drinking and eating! On the last night of the festival all fallas get burnt.





And then it starts all over again. The Falla organisations gather again to think about the new design and theme of next year's falla and which girl should be representing them next year. If you decide to take a sneak peek at Fallas next year, make sure to be in great shape as this festival will wear you out. It's a week of bonfires, fireworks, processions and craziness. Every day the program is loaded, there are only give and take 350 fallas to see in just one week, Mascleta at 2 p.m. and around midnight again fireworks. In between there are processions, music and oh the neighbouring villages also have there own Fallas, so be prepared! Fallas, a fun, impressive and noisy Valenciano tradition, every year.



A video of the Mascleta that Antonio Caballer (a famous Spanish pyrotechnic) lit up at La Plaza del Ayuntamiento during Fallas 2006.


Note: All pictures were taken during Fallas de Valencia 2006

Cheer Up!

"Interesting stories, things that affect my life and people that means a lot to me.."
Who would not like this phrase from the song "Live, Laugh, Love" by country singer Clay Walker:

"I'm gonna live, laugh, love just for today
Gonna take all the trouble that tomorrow might bring and put it away
Gonna drink every drop of happiness
'Till they cover me up
I'm gonna live, gonna laugh, gonna love"

So, if you are feeling blue or even if you are in happy mood, these lines will have a positive effect on your mood whether as an acknowledgement that life is good or just as a small "pep talk".

So just put away the trouble that tomorrow might bring and just live, laugh and love!

La Titimania

I love this song! It always makes me feel good and brings a smile on my face. The song is about old geezers who are into young women and are affected by the "condition" called "Titimania". It has a nice melody, good lyrics with a good sense of humour and if you watch the video you do not need to understand Spanish to know what the song is about. So, just watch the video and slowly your hips will follow the beat and a smile will appear on your face.

"La Titimania" from the Cuban band Los Van Van starring (a young) Mr. Juan Formell himself.

Sunshine

After saving our climate in "An Inconvenient Truth" it is time to save the sun in "Sunshine".



"Sunshine" is a Sci-Fi movie set in the not too distant future. A team of astronauts and scientists are going into space to re-ignite a dying star with a bomb the size of Manhattan. This movie is not your ordinary disaster/Sci-Fi movie. Of course it has cool special effects, but it also has a surprising twist and director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting" and "28 Days Later") succeeds to keep that suspense till the end.

Some cast members:

• Cillian Murphy ("Breakfast on Pluto", "Rey Eye", "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and "28 Days Later")
• Michelle Yeoh ("Memoirs of a Geisha", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Tomorrow Never Dies")
• Chris Evans (Fantastic Four)
• Chris Curtis ("Whale Rider", "The Fountain" and "River Queen")

Sarkozy wins the French elections for presidency

With 53% of the votes Sarkozy won the elections. France had decided to give their mandate for the next five years to the Conservative Party. France has called for a change, hopefully it will turn out to be a positive one.

I am PC and I am Mac

For weeks I have been doing research, talking to many people to ask for their opinion and experience with Apple and still I cannot decide whether to buy a MacBook or to stick with Sony Vaio.

Watching this parody of South Park on the Mac commercials did not help either but at least it made me laugh.

In case you missed it. Update!

Paris Hilton's luck is running out. She is sentenced to 45 days in jail! Well, at least she did say 'I'm Sorry' to the judge. Watch here to see why she thought it was OK to drive with a suspended licence. Wowsa!

New wave of twisters strike USA.

France begins voting for new president. On Sunday May 6 it will be decided who is going to take over the French presidency from Chirac as from May 15. The French people will choose between the candidates Ségolène Royal of the Socialists Party and Nicholas Sarkozy of the French conservative party UMP. More after the jump.

Dutch courts rules that ABN AMRO is not allowed to sell its US subsidiary LaSalle without shareholder approval. A take-over bid is still expected from a consortium of Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander and Fortis. Questions were also raised about the position of the bank's chief executive, Mr. Rijkman Groenink, who has offered to resign, but the Supervisory Board has expressed their support.

Kenyan jet went missing with 100 passengers on board. A Kenya Airways flight that went missing shortly after taking off from Yaounde, the commercial capital of Cameroon, crashed Saturday with 114 people on board, government officials in the west African nation said. More here.

Berlusconi calls left wing voters "retarded"."Those who will not vote for the conservative party are mentally retarded and should be hospitalized". Opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi gave his outspoken view during a campaign rally in Palermo, Sicily on Saturday. He showed his support for the mayor of Palermo, Diego Cammarata, whose opponent is Leoluco Orlando of the Socialists Party in the next city council elections on May 13 and May 14. Berlusconi admitted that he exaggerated too much, but "it was just a joke". Source: ANSA

Spider-Man 3 premiered worldwide and is already breaking records! The swinging superhero attracted many fans on the movie's opening day. Some figures: Japan - $ 3.5 million on a Tuesday!!; South Korea - $ 3.4 million; Hong Kong - $ 960.000,00 and $ 59 million nationwide USA. Source: Box Office Mojo

Episode Preview Lost - The Man Behind The Curtain (US Trailer, S03E20)

Only three episodes left of Season 3! To get a preview of next Wednesday's episode watch this video.



In this episode Ben unwillingly gives information to Locke about the island and takes him on a journey to various locations including strange monuments and the mysterious Jacob. Back at the beach, Juliet's secret is revealed. Flashbacks will show us the origins of the DHARMA Collective and the history of the island including "the purge".

Lost is in its third season and judging the storyline there is no certain end in sight, but according to E!Online the show will end in only two more seasons.

French Elections

François Bayrou advises to vote for Ségolène Royal of the Socialists Party. Although he did not say specifically who he will vote for, François Bayrou (candidate Centre Party), mentioned in an interview with French newspaper "Le Monde" last Thursday that he will certainly not vote for Nicholas Sarkozy in the second election round on May 6. Bayrou received 18.6% of the votes in last month's first round and came in third. After last Wednesday's TV debate between Sarkozy and Royal, Bayrou mentioned to "Le Monde" that "voting for Sarkozy would only make the ruptures in French society bigger and turn the situation from bad to worse. Voting for him would only unleash violence ". According to a poll published by the conservative French morning daily newspaper "Le Figaro" on Thursday, Sarkozy won the TV debate: 53% found Sarkozy convincing against 31% for Royal. Source: ANP

Socialist Royal warns right-wing Sarkozy a "dangerous choice"

The campaign is over! Friday May 4 was the final day of campaigning before this Sunday's vote. The two candidates for the French presidency, Ségolène Royal and Nicholas Sarkozy, are not allowed anymore to do any campaigning to win over voters who did not support them in the first election round.

Black and White in Colour

In this documentary the film maker is following Roma singer Vera Bila and her band Kale and shows how she lives in Slovakia. After watching the documentary I was confused and I did not knew how to explain to myself what I just watched.
As a fly on the wall "Black and White in Colour" shows Vera Bila as the Roma singer, the mother of an adopted son, a dedicated wife but also as a woman who sabotages her own life. Although short in height, this Czech Roma lady has a great voice. I was touched by all songs featured in the documentary and I have been frantically surfing the Internet to find out more about her music.
But at times the documentary feels as a long PR video to promote Vera Bila and sometimes it feels as the scenes are manipulated either by Vera or the film maker. I felt a bit 'cheated' and I do not know if I even could blame someone for it as the objective of the documentary is not clear to me. The topic of how Romany live in Slovakia and are viewed by society is only briefly touched and brushed away by Vera which I find disappointing as I believe it would do more justice to the documentary and mostly to the Roma singer Vera Bila. Thinking more about it, I believe I have not seen one documentary that is totally 'objective' about its subject, but is edited the way the film maker wants to get his/her message across. And if the message is to show the talent of Vera Bila then that message surely comes across loud and clear.
Video clip or not, I am impressed by Vera's voice and would like to show you a musical excerpt from "Black and White in Colour".




Black and White in Colour, 1999
Director: Mira Erdevicki
Producer: David Charap

Wii

YAY! I have a Wii! I did not get one when they first went on sale. I have waited patiently for months for a new release, until I could not stand it anymore last week and decided to buy a Wii in ... Madrid. Yes, Madrid as in the capital of Spain. As the Wii is still out-of-stock in my home town and no new release date has been communicated yet, I decided not to wait anymore and to try if I could buy one abroad rather then to wait till Xmas 2007. So finally I have a Wii and I can tell you that it is really fun playing. Being a non-gamer at heart (so I thought) I slowly changed into a Wii-addict. I have only played two games so far, so my experience with Wii games is still very limited.


DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! It is fun playing "Rayman: Raving Rabbids". The graphics may not be of such a high quality as in 'Gears of War' for the Xbox 360, but I would rate it a 10+ for FUN!! You can take up any challenge and work on your skills or just shake your booty and you can even have a work-out. This game has it all. Experience "Rayman: Raving Rabbids" by playing "tossing cows" (how cruel! I am against this degrading 'game' so I refuse to play it, unlike M who acted as if he was a western cowboy ...) or "rabbits don't like closed doors" in which you have to close the door while the rabbits poo and wee... or "gifts" when you are given a bomb after which you have to run like hell to 'dump' the bomb at another rabbit. These are just a few examples of the game "Rayman: Raving Rabbids" and I can recommend to everyone to give this game a try.


And what about Wii Sports, a game that makes your muscles feel sore, makes you sweat and in some cases even lose weight. This is the part where most girls get interested to read this post and sigh relieved. Good news for those girls, because Zander Urquhart, a personal trainer, has developed a program to lose weight by playing with the Wii. His idea is so successful that he has a four-week waiting list for clients desperate to get that bikini-shape. He said: "I was watching this five-year-old who needed encouragement to do any exercise, but here he was for half an hour, running about playing tennis, boxing and baseball and working up a sweat. I started thinking about how useful this could be for other groups." This class was originally intended for children, but soon Urquhart realised that adults were as keen as their children. Too bad if you are not a local, as Zander Urquhart seems to be the only person offering these classes, IN GLASGOW!


Another story about losing weight by playing with the Wii is the one about Mickey Delorenzo, a computer programmer from Philadelphia. Mickey lost nine pounds in six weeks by playing the Wii 30 minutes a day without any adjustments in his diet or daily activities. He ate what he would normally eat and did what he would normally do. Mickey Delorenzo lost the weight by using full body motion, by moving his feet and his arms to mimic the real thing. By using the full range of your arms and feet he had more results than if he would sat on the couch and made small moves. So if you want to get into that bikini-shape by using the Wii, it means you have to exercise more than just your thumbs.

Now if only someone would discover a way to burn calories while blogging...

Music & Life

A cool and short animation about music & life.

Blown away

Hi guys, I have been away for a couple of days. I spent a few days in Spain where usually this time of year the weather is a whole lot warmer than in the rest of Northern Europe. To my surprise it was clouded, chilly and I have hardly seen any sun the days I spent in Spain's capital Madrid. It seemed the climate had gone wild as I left a sunny and hot Amsterdam where in this time of the year it should be drizzling rain and cold to visit Madrid in a cloudy and chilly setting.
Also bizar is what happened during the Americas Cup, a regatta that takes place this year in the city of Valencia in Spain. Normally good for reliable sailing conditions thanks to a regular sea breeze environment, the organisation held it's breath when for a few days there was hardly any wind at all while in the same period in Texas twisters were now more rule than exception and almost seemed to be part of everyday life.

Number 14 turns 60 today!

Happy Birthday to you Johan Cruyff!

Cruyff was awarded "Best European Soccer Player Of The 20th Century". He is without a doubt the most famous Dutch soccer player of all times.

Cruyff was internationally known for his technical ability, speed and acceleration, but his greatest quality was vision, his tactical understanding of the game.
The sports writer David Miller believed Cruyff superior to any previous player in his ability to extract the most from others. He dubbed him "Pythagoras in boots" for the complexity and precision of his angled passes and wrote: "Few have been able to exact, both physically and mentally, such mesmeric control on a match from one penalty area to another".
The Spanish fans showed their admiration for the talented player by giving him a special name. At Nou Camp in Barcelona he is known as "El Salvador" which is Spanish for "The Saviour".

After his retirement from playing soccer in 1984, he became manager of Ajax and later of FC Barcelona.

What is the story behind number 14? At the beginning of the 1970-1971 season Cruyff suffered a long-term groin injury. He made his comeback on 30 October 1970 against PSV. In this game he did not wear his usual number 9 which was used by Gerrie Mühren, but instead Cruyff used number 14. Ajax won the game 1-0. Although it was very uncommon in those days for the starters of a game not to play with numbers 1 to 11, from that moment onwards Cruyff's number was 14, even using the number with the Dutch national team. The number 14 became synonymous with Johan Cruyff, just like number 10 is synonymous with Pele.
There is even a documentary on Cruyff titled "Nummer 14 Johan Cruijff" and in Holland there is a magazine by Voetbal International titled "Nummer 14".
For many soccer players after Cruyff, the player's number proved an inconvenient heritage because, often, a comparison was made with the master. And that is a comparison only a few can bear.
From the next season onwards, Ajax has decided not to use number 14 anymore in honour of Johan Cruyff and in the light of his 60th birthday on April 25. This decision makes perfect sense to me, because if you say "Number 14" you will always think of Johan Cruyff.

In case you missed it

Everybody is so busy lately, so here is an refresher so you know what you have missed:

Boris Jeltsin passed away on Monday 23 April

Sanjaya got voted off American Idol
but will go to Washington

Segolene Royal or Nicholas Sarkozy, the French will vote in a second round on May 6 who will be their new president.

Jennifer Lopez gets paid $2 million to perform 40 minutes at a birthday party. Mmmm, some sweet sixteen, eh 30th birthday party.

ABN Amro and Barclays announce agreements on terms of merger

The American coast guard finds 20 tons of cocaine on a freighter in international waters for the coast of Panama. Street value is estimated at $600 million dollar. All 14 crew members of Panamese and Mexican origin have been arrested.

David Belle - Commercial

Here is a funny commercial with David Belle, the founder of Le Parkour. Again a video of Le Parkour?
You may think I am a bit obsessed with sports such as break dance or Le Parkour where athletes can show their flexibility, physical strength and balance awareness. And you are right... I think this has to do with the fact that my knees are 'kaput' and that is why I admire those athletes with healthy strong bodies who are able to do what I can only dream of.
Who knows what I am physically capable of when I am fully recovered from my TTO surgery in a couple of months. Maybe I could do an aerial instead of just a simple forward roll. I already have the video to check whether I have what it takes to join the Yamakasi team... Time will tell. Until then I have this video to comfort myself.. and to chuckle a bit as it has a funny or should i say 'gross' ending?

Microsoft admits flaw in Xbox 360

After more than 1000 complaints of Xbox 360 users, Microsoft admits on Dutch TV that there is a malfunction in the Xbox 360. In a press statement Microsoft admits that the Xbox 360 could cause scratches on the discs by the DVD drive. For months Microsoft denied the problem and kept saying that the gamers themselves were responsible for the scratches on the CDs and DVDs in the game console.
The Dutch TV show Kassa ran several tests and proved (on film) that the scratches were caused by a lack of cushioning at the lens to stabilize the discs. Microsoft has offered to repair it so it will become a full functional console. However it is not possible to get a new game console. Estimated is that worldwide nearly 1 to 2 million units are affected.
Although while this topic has become an issue in The Netherlands, it could become a global problem for Microsoft in the future. I would recommend anyone who is facing the same problem to contact their local Microsoft office.

Source: Nu.nl

Pandora's box

If you want to discover new music that you will like, then there is Pandora Internet Radio to the rescue. Just name your favourite song or artist and Pandora, a new discovery music service, will make new suggestions. No software is required as it is all web based. You do not have to worry about listening 'illegal' to music as the artists get compensated because Pandora pays licensing fees for all music that is played on their web site. The best part is that you do not have to pay for it as Pandora is free although they offer also a paid subscription.
You can create up to 100 stations and even refine the stations by giving a 'thumbs up' if you like the song or moving the song to a different station. Just like in Pandora's box you will not know what will be released when you open the box. You will not know what song is up next and each time it will be a surprise. This way other artists are brought to your attention, artists whom you may never have heard of if not for Pandora.
But this Pandora's box is different from the Greek mythological one as all negativity has already been released when you open it so as in Greek mythology only Hope remains at the bottom.
The check list: Artists getting paid, check. Free Internet radio, check. Rubbish filtered, check. Good music, check. All items checked and no red flags. So there is nothing against it to give it a try. Then let's be adventurous and see what Pandora's box has in store for you.

Lost in Playmobil

Funny video of 'Lost' in Playmobil version. If you have lived in a cave for the past three years and do not know what I am talking about. Do not worry! Just watch this video so you can catch up with the first season.

TAR-JHAY

A pathetic attempt to make 'Target' sound more glamorous. I don't have anything against this American discount store, where you can find cereal next to great clothes at great prices; everything is cute and cheap. I just don't like it if people are ashamed to admit they shop at a discount store and pronounce the name differently so it would sound more savvy instead of ordinary (read: 'cheap'). WAKE-UP CALL!!! You can name it whatever you want, it is still a discount store! Pronouncing the name differently does not make it magically transform into a French fashion boutique!

It's time for a quizzzzzzzzz

"A thrill-seeking, slightly unscrupulous, tough-as-nails archaeologist, Lara Croft travels the world in search of ancient relics perhaps better left hidden. She packs two Colt .45s and has no fear of jumping off buildings, exploring creepy tombs, or taking on evil meglomaniacs bent on world domination."

Yeah, without a doubt I fit this description. Imagine me as this vixen roaming the streets looking for villains. This was my score on Quizfarm.com on the test 'Which action hero would you like to be'. I scored as Lara Croft. Mmm, I wonder how a pair of tight black jeans would look on me with matching Colts ofcourse...

300

Yes! I finally watched the movie '300' and I loved it! This movie is pure entertainment and although full of cliches, I loved every minute of it. Mind you, the entire movie is shot on blue screen and only the actors, costumes and some props were on stage. The visual effects are amazing and each Spartan has a gorgeous six pack (sorry, I had to put it in here). A while ago I was sent this link, but I did not understand the jokes. Now I finally do ... and indeed the jokes are so funny! There are so many one-liners from this movie that are as strong as hilarious at the same time. I found the scene with Xerces a bit funny and a bit drag queen-ish. I am not sure whether it was on purpose, but it was a nice change from the ever relentless, motivated, energetic, we-are-faithful-to-Leonides-and-will-never-give-up-cuz-we-are-true-Spartans. But my oh my, I found the movie very impressive. I regret not to have read the original comics first, but will rush to the store to buy it to compare notes. Hopefully this movie will be nominated for 'Best Visual Effects' and 'Best Adapted Screenplay' for the 80th Academy Awards. This movie I definitely want to watch again on the big screen if only to hear Leonides shout again 'THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAA!

Video - Test Parkour

Did you like the video with Cyril Raffaelli? Want to know whether you are ready to join the Yamakasi team? Watch this video and find out!


Test - Parkour And Acrobatic - Click here for more home videos

Video - How To Pull A Tablecloth From Under A Dinner Service

Videojug

Video - Star Wars Bagpipes

I knew I should have kept up my bagpipes lessons....

Video - Cyril Raffaelli

Metacafe.com - The best bloopers are here


Yes, this is the stunt guy from 'Kiss of the Dragon', 'Ronin', 'Banlieue 13'. On the set of the last movie he met David Belle, the founder of Le Parkour. Ever since they are close friends.

Video - Breakdance

Video Week - Where The Hell is Matt?

It's like the title says. This week is Video Week. Every day I will post a video which I find the most stupid, funniest, geekest, endearing, irritating or simply interesting video I stumbled upon on the Internet that day. A video that I absolutely want to share with you. Happy Video Clips Week! I hope you will enjoy today's video!

Summertime and the livin' is easy

Listening to 'Summertime' from George Gershwin, it's not hard to imagine that everything could go easier as from today when summertime starts in Europe. Clock changes took place last night and were advanced one hour. Today you can still be late for work and use the summertime change as a good excuse. Tomorrow all will be normal again.
But today we still have 'Summertime'. The tune puts you in a good mood and you can imagine yourself being out on the porch, feeling the sun rays on your skin while zipping from your lemon ice tea.
I for one need this summertime so bad and believe that better times are round the corner. I guess, I just need to sync my watch and in a matter of time my knees will follow ...

Shutdown Day

WRONG! You should not be seeing this (and I should not be writing this ...). Today is International Shutdown Day. The idea is not to use your computer for just one day. Instead of checking your emails or just surfing the web you could check out the new PS3 which was just launched, play dodge ball, go hiking, just don't use your computer! If there is an error in your bank statement, don't be mad if the bank clerk cannot help you as it is today Shutdown Day. So turn off your PC, step outside and smell the flowers. Don't forget next week meatloaf-free-Wednesday! OK, it's time to shut down. C y'all tomorrow.

Sekemanuela Aku Rindumu

Shout-out to Sekemanuela clan! A new song has been composed especially for today's festivities. It is written in Moluccan Malay the native language of the Sekemanuela clan. The song is a tribute to the ancestors and the village of Oma at Haruku island in the Banda Sea.




De Sekemanuela's komen vandaag bij elkaar. Er is zelfs een nieuw lied gecomponeerd voor deze feestelijke gebeurtenis. Het lied is een eerbetoon aan de voorvaderen en aan de negorij Oma.


Sekemanuela
Nama asalku
Nama jang terkasi
Dari bapakku

Sekemanuela
Nama asalku
Sekemanuela
Aku rindumu

Satu gandong
Satu darah
Adik kaka
Mari bersama

Satu gandong
Satu hati
Mari bersama
Berdjabat tangan

Huku jama loming
Tempat asalku
Turun dari sana
Masuk negeriku

Oma jang tertjinta
Aku rindumu
Ta'kan aku lupa
S’lama hidupku

IDFA Update - Dreaming by Numbers

The IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) announced that three documentaries will be released on DVD this year. Lucky for me, the first documentary to be released is the one that impressed me most and that I liked very much.
The documentary 'Dreaming by Numbers' is shot in black and white and gives you a feeling of nostalgia. It shows how gamblers in a run-down neighbourhood in Naples are guided by numbers. Some gamblers see numbers in their dreams, others take their numbers from the news paper or derive it from an accident or tragedy. What is important is that these numbers are 'holy' to them and that they will find no peace until they have bought a lottery ticket with these numbers. The documentary shows how much faith these people have in the lottery and in their numbers even though they did not win this time, again. There is faith that if you recognize the significance, the meaningful coincidence, of a number that you take from a poster or a license plate of a car (even if this car almost hit you), you can change your fate. In fact faith is the only thing they have, as without faith there is no hope and their life has no meaning and certainly no future.

Director: Anna Buchetti.
Nominated in the category 'Best Documentary': European Film Awards 2006 and Golden Calf 2006

De IDFA (Internationaal Documentaire Film Festival Amsterdam) gaat drie docu-klassiekers op DVD uitbrengen dit jaar. Een van de documentaires is 'Dreaming by Numbers' waar ik zeer van onder de indruk was. De docu is in zwart/wit opgenomen en gaf mij een nostalgisch gevoel, wat alleen maar meer sympathie bij mij opwekte (heel slim dus van de makers..).

De documentaire-makers bezoeken een lotto-kantoor in een achterstandswijk in Napels waar dagelijks vele gokkers inzetten op voor hen belangrijke getallen. Deze getallen zien zij in dromen, op een willekeurige poster of herleiden het zelfs van een gebeurtenis of een ongeluk. Voor de interpretatie van de nummers wordt het getallenboek 'De Grimas' gebruikt. De obsessie voor cijfers kan heel komisch zijn; zo vraagt een gokker zich af welke getallen een droom over een manke kakkerlak oplevert. Ook worden de dromen van de afgelopen nacht gedeeld met de werknemers van het lotto-kantoor die de droom in getallen proberen te interpreteren. Zelfs de cijfers van een kentekenplaat van de auto die een gokker bijna overreed worden serieus genomen en voor het gokken gebruikt. Maar achter deze verhalen gaan ook tragedies schuil en zien we hoe een oude vrouw die moet rondkomen van een karige uitkering toch gaat gokken. Immers, hoop doet leven?

Regisseur: Anna Buchetti. Nominaties in de categorie 'Beste Documentaire': European Film Awards 2006 en Gouden Kalf 2006

La Mala and Antonio Carmona

More about Maria 'La Mala' Rodriguez. While recording her new album she also had a side project and worked with Antonio Carmona (former lead singer of the Spanish band Ketama) on his debut solo album 'Vengo Venenoso'. They worked together on the song 'Ay de Ti' on which Carmona's voice and La Mala's rap blend perfectly.

Check out a small bit of La Mala's rap in 'Ay de Ti' which I find so beautiful. To me it's pure poetry and so puro gitano (gypsy).

mala_ay de ti.mp3

"I’m walking down the street with my back full of stab wounds and he who doesn’t love suffers more, that’s clear to me, I laid down the foundation, I’m the first lady, besides I also made up the bed".

"Freedom, look at me while you still can and decide what you want, the good nor the bad does not matter to you, I'm like water, drink me from the fountain, honey, love me uninhibited, till it's over".

Note: I am not a Spanish native speaker, the translation of the last sentence may not be accurate

La Mala Maria

Walking down memory lane today. I hope you enjoy this video from Maria 'La Mala' Rodriguez, my favourite female hip hop artist. The name of the song is 'La Nina' from the album 'Alevosia' which was released in 2003.
Her new album 'Malamarismo' is expected to be released sometime this year. In the meantime we can kill some time watching this video.

Heroes to return on 23 April

Aaaaaaaaaargh! How could they! I have to wait a whole month before I can see my favourite show again. I cannot wait for a month to know if Mohinder is going to survive and how about this bonding thing between Sylar and Peter? What about the cheerleader? And Hiro? And Nicky? The Haitan? And .. and.. It's time to save the world and I mean NOW, not in a month! I was in shock when I found about it and I am still lost for words. I had to check NBC's web site twice to make sure it was real. I know, me rambling does not make it any better. So better read Yakira's blog to know what this is all about. I just do not know what to say ... at least not in a coherent way ...

Being one with nature

I love Japanese gadgets, but I think they just went over the top with this one. Nowadays if we feel stressed, we have many ways to relax and unwind. Some people do it by working out at the gym, others just read a book or go to a spa.
Now we can add the Digital Feeling Sound system to the options for some R&R. Basically, it is a stick that plays 3D sound and makes you feel as being one with nature. If you are working on your laptop, just put the stick in front of you and the 3D sound will ease your mindset as hearing wind chimes and the chirping of birds will put you in a forest. Ta-da! Burning the midnight oil and working on that paper which is due tomorrow morning at 8 am will go smoothly!
Still I am not convinced. Just hearing some birds chirping doesn't always work for me to release the stress and the design of the stick is very basic as it's supposed to look like ... well a wooden stick. So, I will pass this time. I think I will just put some forest and other nature sounds on my MP3 player for a similar effect.

Still curious? People, it really looks just like a wooden stick! Oh well, check out the product page after the jump

via CNet Asia Reviews

Mac-in-my-top

Attracted to a geek? Randi and Jen will show you how to seduce geeky lovers.

Clémence hits 50k!

It's amazing!!! Just a few minutes ago Clémence hit 50k. She is the second artist from my list on Sellaband to hit 50k and she did it only one week after Second Person, another band on my list, raised 50k!
This shows that artists and fans together have a lot of power and they can make a difference in the music industry. This proves that the concept of Sellaband works.
Clémence entered Sellaband in December 2006 and within 4 months she reached the goal many artists aspire, to record a CD. C'EST MAGNIFIQUE!!!! ENCROIABLE!!! I don't know if this is proper French, but hey I'm a happy gal who is celebrating that another artist in which she believes is going to the studio to record a CD, so never mind my poor knowledge of French.
It took me a while to join her circle of believers, but I admire the quality of her production and above all, she has an amazing voice and she reminds me a lot of Celine Dion so eventually I gave in and became a believer. Now I am happy to be part of her team; her talent deserves recognition.
Another Sellaband artist raised 50k, with my help. I am such a good person (LOL) with such a good eye for talent (LOL). Mmmm, maybe I should consider switching careers and become a talent scout at EMI. Naah, I'll just stay where I am.

I am sooo happy for Clémence. Felicitations a toi!

Check out her video 'Ou est-tu' after the JUMP

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Loesje van de straat! Loesje to retire?

Loesje (pronounced as in to loose + uh) is a Dutch writers collective very much social and political engaged who use posters to express their opinion. As they say themselves "they want to try to conquer the world with creativity and posters". Loesje of Dutch origin went international in 2004. As the following article is about the upcoming 'retirement' of the Amsterdam department in The Netherlands, I will post it in Dutch. At the end you will find a few examples of their international poster series.

Gelezen in het Parool: de Amsterdamse afdeling van Loesje houdt er mee op!

Gelijk kwamen er allerlei herinneringen naar boven. Een van mijn favoriete Loesje-uitspraken is "Liefde en de laatste trein gaan niet samen". Ik beeld me dan altijd gelijk in, dat er ouders zijn die weer zuchten als het vriendje van hun tienerdochter maar weer moet blijven overnachten, omdat hij de laatste trein heeft gemist...

En nu houdt Loesje het dus voor gezien in Amsterdam. Volgens een van de oprichters begonnen de meeste leden van de afdeling toen ze nog student waren, maar ze zijn nu in de dertig, hebben een goede baan en kinderen. En tja, als je een goede baan hebt met een gezinnetje, dan schrijf je niet meer over kamernood en terreur in Nederland. Daarom is er collectief besloten om er mee op te houden.

Toch is er nog hoop, want Loesje gaat niet helemaal met plak- en schrijfpensioen en zoekt opvolgers. Gelukkig maar, want stel je eens voor dat we het voortaan zouden moeten doen zonder de ontroerende, grappige, maar ook scherpe uitspraken zoals deze over Oudkerk "Porno, dat is toch research". Gelukkig kon Loesje ook lief en hartverwarmend zijn zoals in "Wanneer ik 's avonds naar de sterren kijk, knipoogt er altijd eentje terug". Loesje, ik zal je missen. Ik hoop dat je gauw terug komt.

How to rip videos from YouTube

Hurrah! I don't have to install all these unnecessary apps anymore! Now I can watch YouTube videos all the time without surfing to their site.

Thanks to the VIXY Project and Kiss YouTube it is now so easy to download videos from YouTube or Google Video. On the website of VIXY all you have to do is to enter the URL* of the YouTube video you want to download and choose the video format like AVI (DivX) or MP4 (iPod, PSP) or 3GP (mobile phones). So copy and paste the URL*, it will download and convert to the video format. Then you can download the converted file. Easy!

Also easy to use is KissYouTube, the whole thing is also web based and all you have to do is just enter the word "kiss" before any video hosted on YouTube to download it.
For example, to download the video of one my favourite Sellaband artists Kane Sole, simply go to YouTube, find the page with your, oops my favourite video and enter "kiss" before the words "YouTube" as in (http://www.kissyoutube.com/watch?v=A-EyFPsa860). It will lead you then to the website of KissYouTube where you can download the file. That's it.
The only downside of KissYouTube is that it does not convert the FLV file to other video formats, so you will need an application like VLC that can play any video format to watch the YouTube video. Daimn, I still have to install another media player... Still, KissYouTube is sweeeeeeeet!

Shiny Shiny via Red Ferret


* for you know who you are: URL is the address bar at the top of your browser

Who wants to morph?

Always wondered who is behind those commercials with cars morphing into robots or the Ad for Spanish TV company Telecinco? In this commercial the anchorman's face opens up to show nothing but wires, chips and tech stuff that we girls (pretend) don't know anything about (well at least this girl is in the dark). I happen to know one of these guys who works on those commercials. Check out Jordi Legarre's website, a Spanish animator based in Madrid whose mission is to make life wonderful by his art work. Well, this mission is about his professional career, his other mission is to make his longtime girlfriend Rosario muy feliz by morphing into Mr and Mrs Legarre on March 24. Felicidades to the new couple!

SellaBand

"The music industry is all about fences. Those who are on the inside, and those who are on the outside. SellaBand wants to break down all the fences. Everybody with a passion for music can be on the inside. It's your music. It's your choice."

This is in the mission statement of Sellaband a concept that provides a platform for bands. These bands have to find 5000 people to believe in them. Fans (or Believers in Sellaband terms) can buy parts to help their favourite artist getting closer to their ultimate goal, to raise USD 50k so the artist can record a CD. Sellaband started out in August 2006 and already 3 bands have hit 50k and are in the studio recording their CD (Note: On March 18 the total number of artists on Sellaband who has raised 50k is four).

Instead of major record companies telling us what is out there, Sellaband shows us that the other way round is also possible. Bands and their believers are providing the market of what is hot. Who better than the fans can decide what is hot or not?



I believe in (in alphabetical order):

Black Jack

Clemence (raised 50k on March 18, 2007)

Daniel Ward Murphy

Kane Sole

Lenaluiz

Lily

Magnus

Second Person (just hit 50k on March 12, 2007)

Travellers

Movie

OK, life may not be a movie, but what is wrong with thinking it is?