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Wednesday, July 30, 2003

yesterday was my birthday... my twenty-seventh... and what did i do on my 27th birthday? i got wasted... what else to do?

i started getting msgs from 00.00... knowing that some people care enough to send an email or a msg or give a call sure made me feel good... and at night i gathered all my friends at the local... i had a good time drinking and drinking and dj-ing... got out of there totally drunk...

this morning i still felt the effect... i was pretty much still drunk... luckily playing football helped me get rid of the hangover... and i played quite well, setting up nice passes and stuff... i still haven't scored a goal in ages though... but i don't care...

i'm hungry...

Monday, July 28, 2003

sunday @ paleo

it's the last day of paleo. after 5 days of music, sun, drinks, smoke, partying, today should be a finale of a grande festival. however, the weather decided to make a small change. after months of hot sun, on sunday it started raining. and not just normal rain, it was pouring water by the buckets on to the ground. i was unfortunate doing some sports outside when it rained. first we thought that it'll go away soon and that the skies will clear up. how wrong we were. it rained and rained and rained. it finally stopped around 8pm. paleo turned into a small mud festival but people were still anxious to see some fireworks and r.e.m. of course.

athlete - i was really looking forward to see athlete. a nice british band, sounding a bit like coldplay. i've been playing their cd over and over again to get in the mood. can you imagine how gutted i was when i came to paleo at 8pm, reading a sign saying that due to rain athlete has been moved to 5pm??? why didn't they say that on friday when i was there??? aaaaarrrggghhh!!! so instead of watching 76-year old ibrahim ferrer do some cuban music, i resorted to the rugby bar.

r.e.m. - that leaves me only to watch r.e.m. they came out after the fireworks and i can't think of a better band to end such a festival. michael stipe is more of an entertainer than i thought he would be. mike mills also has the rock star character in him and he seems to be enjoying every minute spent with michael stipe. peter buck on the other hand is the quite one. they played old songs (80's irs years) and new songs from their forthcoming album. the crowd was loving every minute of it. they were supposed to play for 1 and a half hour, but they continued for another 30 minutes. and what better way to end a concert (and a festival) with "it's the end of the world as we know it and i feel fine"??

today might be the end of the world, but i do feel fine...

Saturday, July 26, 2003

friday @ paleo.

i was pretty tired for this day, but with the cardigans and travis coming up, i felt energized. it was much fun, because those badns are easy listening bands and they were able to liven up their concerts really good. as usual i ended up wasted, but had no problems going home.

the cardigans - the decoration was really nice. it looked as if they were playing in the living room of this huge castle. it had all the chandeliers and lamps and carpets etc. nina persson is lovely. her voice is amazing. it's one of those voices that is thin but manage to give that 'innocent' feeling on songs like lovefool. they played much of their good stuff and new stuff. no carnival though. the only minus point was the guitarist. he looked as if he came straight from the set of almost famous, but when he had a solo, it was usually only 3 notes. even i can play that.

travis - with a new album coming out, travis was doing their new stuff, but not forgetting their old stuff. fran healy really likes to talk, although he did have some problems with his ear-piece monitor. dougie payne also looked like talking, but i guess he has to keep it a bit lower than fran. their new stuff rocked, sometimes they don't sound like travis. but some new songs were typically travis. unfortunately it didn't rain when they played why does it always rain on me, so i guess the curse has been lifted. they didn't play flowers though...

all in all a good night. next up sunday, athlete and r.e.m.

Thursday, July 24, 2003

wednesday @ paleo... that was even worse than tuesday because i ended up completely drunk and stoned... but the concerts were nice... and also the food... but then again any food is good when you have the munchies...

badly drawn boy - he was the reason i desperately wanna go on wednesday... i ended up going alone and watched him alone, even though i hooked up with mates afterwards... damon gough is amazing... it was just him, a mic, a guitar, and a piano... oh and marlboro lights and some drinks... it was just like a guy singing in a pub in front of 10 people... bdb looked really scrawny, like a bum... he just sang his songs, stopping to light a cigarette or have a drink... he also has an amazing sense of humour and is really humble for a singer/songwriter with 3 albums... i just loved the whole concert... it was really intimate...

ed harcourt - almost like badly drawn boy... he was also just using a electric guitar or a piano and only had his mate to support him with a trumpet... but the songs were intimate and he tried to give that feeling as well... but being from america, he had a different sense of humour than damon gough... but nevertheless a good concert...

nada surf - well i actually didn't watch them cause i already saw them in montreux... they're good anyway...

alanis morissette - she hasn't some out with anything new yet, but i guess everybody just wants to hear her old stuff, from jagged little pill... she cut her hair, but still has an amazing voice... and still has that "girl with issues" rage about here... some of the new stuff are good though, and hopefully it'll be as good as jagged little pill... she needs it again...

friday again....

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

Paleo, Tuesday

It has started, the biggest music festival in Switzerland. Over 200,000 people will flock to Nyon to watch big stars perform from Tuesday 22nd until Sunday 27th. Me, being a pop cultural nut, will be there on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Tuesday was good! It took us a while to get there with the traffic jams and all, but made it in time before the thunderstorm. Rain was pouring down as if there was no tomorrow! Anyway, the rain helped a bit, because it has been so dry before. Food is excellent and I would recommend Paprika. Tasty Indian food. And plenty of alcohol to drown your food with afterwards.

Supergrass - At one point in time, Gaz Coombes' sideburns was the fashion. That was about 30 years ago, and that is how old Gaz is. Anyway, they had problems with the sound. The electricity even went off for about 5 seconds during their second song and of course this interrupted their mood. The drummer had al sort of problems with his drumkit, the drum techie having to adjust everything. Oh, and that drummer must be deaf, having two huge monitors just at his ears. Supergrass played their hits except for Alright, because honestly, last night they were not alright at all. They're not even young, free, or have clean teeth.

Asian Dub Foundation - I've heard this name everywhere, but I never actually heard any of their songs. I know that this is a British band filled with Asians (mostly from Indian heritage), so it makes sense that they are underground and leftist. It turned out that the music was amazing, mixing up traditional Indian music with dub, a bit of ska, a bit of hiphop, a bit of rock, and some more, making the crowd go crazy. It was really good and signing of with a political statement just increased their number of fans.

Massive Attack - The highlight of Tuesday. I saw them before in Lyon for the same concert so I was expecting more or less the same. I wasn't expecting the huge screen though, but they managed to put it up on stage. Last time in Lyon I was a bit far and couldn't see the stage, but this time I had a clear view. The music was still amazing, especially with Angel's bassline following my heartbeat. And form the screen I found out that in between Lyon and Nyon they went to several other places including Werchter, Roskilde, Italy, Moscow, Riga, etc etc etc. Loved their concert!

Back again on Wednesday...

Monday, July 21, 2003

what a weekend... well, actually, no it's just a normal weekend...

didn't do much on friday, just went out for a couple of beers... wanted to do something, but nobody was up for it so i just laid there on my couch afterwards until i fell asleep (which was exactly 2 seconds after i put my head down)...

montreux on saturday by train... it gave me the opportunity to drink a lot, and of course i seized upon that opportunity... before i knew it i was drunk and couldn't remember much of the ride home... luckily didn't have much of a hangover...

british gp on sunday was a classic... lots of overtaking and lots of action, mainly because of that idiot who wanted to cross the road... stupid ass... but it made the race much more fun... rubens won from montoya and the way they celebrated was really nice...

then just sat in the sun at nyon beach... swam a bit, the water was nice...

i finished another book in a week... and it sort of gave me the idea to start writing... i don't know if i'm a good writer or not but i will definitely give it a try... hopefully i finish this one...

Thursday, July 17, 2003

28 days later...

i guess one of my worst nightmares is waking up to emptiness... everybody's gone while you're still alive... you just missed the apocalypse because you overslept... i don't know how i would handle it... in 28 days later, that's the beginning of the movie... jim wakes up to nothingness, to an empty london... but he seems to be very cool about it... just wandering around looking for clues...

the reason for the apocalypse is from a virus called rage... apparently if a chimp is put in front of violent tv (including some footage from back home), a virus generates and becomes a disease... all it wants is to infect others... it just takes 10-20 seconds to infect, so pretty soon the whole world is infected...

jim bumps into a couple more survivors and they are trying their best to survive amidst the zombies that are infected with rage... since it is pretty much an anarchic place, they can do whatever they want to survive... they all went to manchester to follow a radio message they picked up...

but when they got there it was all against their expectations... just like in the beach - a movie from the same team - living in a new society made out of necessity brings trouble... there's always a power struggle and a egomaniac when survival is at stake... the difference is that in the beach it was in paradise, while in 28 days later it was in hell...

all in all a good movie... seeing an empty london is pretty scary, but if ever one of my worst nightmares comes true i know what it is and what to do...

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

finished harry potter... the ending is a bit blurry so i have to re-read it again... however the story wasn't as good as the previous books... i guess telling a story about a hormoned and rage-filled 15 year old boy is difficult... everybody knows that being 15 is difficult as hell, so trying to make a story around it must be hell... well, know i have to wait another year before the sixth one comes out... oh well...

Tuesday, July 15, 2003

yesterday didn't go out... stayed at home just reading harry potter... i don't know what it is with that book but i'm so drawn into it... and i still haven't finished it yet... i'll finish it today...

it was hot as hell yesterday evening... felt as if i'm living on the surface of the sun or something... at 12 i was still sweating... and sleeping is difficult when it's hot... no wonder i'm always sleepy in the morning, i can't get a night of good sleep...

work is getting to me again... although i have pointed out that i don't like doing some stuff... at least my boss knows, so he knows that i'm not a happy man when i have to do those stuff... isn't democracy a nice thing? hehehehehe...

Monday, July 14, 2003

monday morning... it's so hard to go to work... especially when it's this hot and when me boss is not around in the morning... and when i'm this sleepy...

after thursday, i went to montreux again on friday... pretty tiring... just watched tricky... he's a bit weird in concerts but it makes for an energetic concert though... then just walked along the festival till 2:30...

saturday just rested during the day... woke up at 1 then walked out and got back home and slept again... i was tired from the two days before... at night went out to a party... first with the greek brothers, then with m's and anike... stayed til 2...

sunday was supposed to be a relaxing day... ended up playing football in the middle of the heat... then afterwards had dinner at justin's & dirk's... a movie and a ju... nice....

can't stop reading harry potter... i feel like i'm 15 and i can connect with his emotions... i actually wanna go home and read more...

Friday, July 11, 2003

i'm dead... yesterday went to montreux for the pop rock concert and got back at 3:30... but it was a damn good concert... too bad josie couldn't make it, so i ended up going with kyle...

zorg - a swiss band - was doing their usual stuff... mellow rock... i already saw them earlier at caribana, but stil there is a difference between caribana and montreux... the bass player is amazing... bass drum on right foot, tambourine on left foot, keys/piano with right hand and bass with left hand... all at the same time... he is the musical brain behind zorg... while the guitarist is only strumming chords and not doing solos and stuff... but prety cool music... got to buy their cd...

turin brakes... they tuned it down and play acoustic... olly on rhythm guitars, gale on lead guitars, both electric acoustics with really crisp sound and a guy playing a grand piano and keys... oh and sometimes the guitar techie helps with some percussion/tambourines... but the concert was really intimate and the sounds were amazing... songs like long distance, pain killer, emergency 72 all sounded really good...

stereophonics... full band... kelly jones, richard jones, stuart cable and a bunch of other musicians... but they rocked... kelly is everything in the band... he writes, produces, plays guitar, does the solos, and his voice is stereophonics' identity... but the rock star is stuart cable... in a time when drummers are going for simple, he has a huge drum kit with a double bass... 'stuart' on one and 'cable' on the other one... and his drumming is amazing... always trying to be funny behind the drums but he can really bang the drums...

nada surf... indie band from the states who are more famous in europe than back home... maybe it has to do with how perfect their french is? anyway, they also rocked... and the guy gave a speech in french on the difference between benjamin franklin and gwb... no guesses who he disses...

all 4 bands were amazing, and now i'm dead tired...

Wednesday, July 09, 2003

i'm sleepy as hell... don't know why though...

finished my radiohead review... it's on me website...

ajax have sold cristian chivu to as roma... aarrgghhh... okay it is a step forward for his career so i should be happy for him... it's just that he is an awesome player and an important one for ajax... hopefully sjonnie (heitinga) can step up and fill his shoes...

going to sleep...

Sunday, July 06, 2003

saw radiohead yesterday!!! amazing... thom yorke is not that much of a sulk... he was smiling and dancing and jumping up and down... concert was full... loved every minute of it... montreux is nice as well... got totally wasted...

today was just normal... magny-cours was a boring race with ralf winning... then federer took center stage with winning wimbledon...

last friday was cool... america celebrating their independence from britain... although now the world is dependant on america... how times have changed... well, drinking and smoking won't get me anywhere... but i like it anyway...

Thursday, July 03, 2003

i haven't read harry potter 5 yet, but now knows who dies because of that stupid wanker... if he wants to tease his friend, then to it on your own, not by telling the whole world about the secrets of harry potter 5... stupid git... but now that i know, i will have to begin reading it...

finally bought some cds... junior senior, rem, and the thrills... just to feed my fixation... haven't bought a cd in ages (3 weeks to be precise)...

Wednesday, July 02, 2003

football good... i played well today, even though not scoring...

saw HULK yesterday... i was chatting with a friend and she was asking "why does his pants stay on when he changes from bruce to hulk?"... now i know the real reason why hulk is so angry every time he becomes the hulk... because his penis is still the same size... otherwise he wouldn't still fit the same pants now would he? so there he is, twice/thrice as big, but with the same penis size, which i think is small anyway... who wouldn't be mad? and if the pants fall off, who would be scared? the will all be laughing their asses off... so there you have it, the reason why hulk is always so angry...

the movie was nice, nice directing from ang lee... he made it interesting, a bit deeper than expected...

Tuesday, July 01, 2003

i got tickets for robbie williams!!! had to run around a bit because the website was overloaded... it was sold out at ticketcorner, but luckily fnac still had them... the first night as well (first nights are usually better)... so yes, i'm gonna see robbie williams...

back to work.. :(