Israel UK Michal/Adam Channel 4's 121

London from the eye of a tourist

2008-04-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hi A,

Hope you doing well.
I am doing well and getting back to the real life after a lovely second trip to London where lots of good things happened in only 3 days. I've had a chance to go to a Mika concert, which was actually one of his last gigs before going on a long break to record his next album. Then i also had a chance to go and Watch Kevin Spacey masterfully acting in The Old Vic theater, this is an experience i will certainly won't forget in a while as i also had a chance to meet him and talk to him for only a bit.

I love London, it is a magnificent place to be in for a tourist, although it is expensive, it was a dream coming true to fly and visit this amazinly beautiful city, full with culture and rich history, it is also very welcoming for visitors from abroad.

It was great & unexpected few months and i will surly be back to visit this lovely city once again in the very near future.

Have a good week,
Mici

Eye on London

2008-02-20T15:32:00.000-08:00

It was good to complete the circle at Christmas and meet up in real life. I'm glad you enjoyed my native city so much and are coming back so soon.

The pictures above are from a walk I took last night after work from Victoria to Tate Modern, along the river - past the London Eye you took a ride on and along the South Bank. As Dr Johnson famously wrote: "when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford".

I was on my way to the opening of a marvelous new exhibition: Duchamp . Man Ray . Picabia - inspiring for the versatility, eclecticism and dynamism of the first two in particular. This is probably the piece that was most zingy:

Nu descendant un escalier. I'm now going to ascend a staircase to bed.

Shalom
A

Excitment

2008-02-15T02:31:00.000-08:00

Hi A,

Thank you so much for meeting up with me back in December, it was really nice to finally meet up and have a proper chat face to face and not on the blog only.
London was magnificent, i enjoyed this city so much that i will be there once again in 10 days for only a very short period (4 days). Will be attending few shows, and meet up with good friends yet again, i am looking forward to that very much. :D

I hope you doing well and keeping busy. Would like to hear from you whenever you'll have a free moment.

Mici

London Calling!

2007-11-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

Hi A,

I apologies for my late response for your last post, the past few months were really immense in terms of work, it is our busiest time of the year.

I am so glad that the holiday season has finished already, it is a fun season but too much food is involved and you end up gaining few kilograms, hehe.

Yom Kippur it is indeed the day of atonement, this year I had only one insight and it is to be more with self esteem and confidence, which sometimes I lack of (like all human beings I guess).

Here is a definition of Feast of Tabernacle I found online, which will explain the holiday better then me: “The Feast of Tabernacles is a week-long autumn harvest festival. Tabernacles is also known as the Feast of the Ingathering, Feast of the Booths, Sukkoth, Succoth, or Sukkot (variations in spellings occur because these words are transliterations of the Hebrew word pronounced “Sue-coat”). The two days following the festival are separate holidays, Shemini Atzeret and Simkhat Torah, but are commonly thought of as part of the Feast of Tabernacles.
This holiday has a dual significance: historical and agricultural (just as Passover and Pentecost). Historically, it was to be kept in remembrance of the dwelling in tents in the wilderness for the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert.”

I have never met anyone who was from exodus, I mostly studied about it in school as part of the history of our country.

Thanks for the London sight seeing recommendation, I would love the possibility to meet up as well and I don’t think it come in the way of the whole idea of the blog, it will be exciting to meet the person on the other side who I’ve been writing this blog with.

I already made few mark to myself and the London Eye is one of them, I’ve also love to see some of the markets, I’ve read there are really nice ones in the area.

I will be in London from December 3^rd to Dec.10, it’s so exciting to me, since I will be also meeting another good friend of mine who I know for a while and never had a chance to meet.

I haven’t seen Michael Clayton yet, I did had a chance to catch The Brave One not to long ago, very good movie, maybe a tab bloody and graphic for me but Jodie Foster really did a great job there.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Have a lovely weekend

Mici

From Exodus to Revelations

2007-09-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

Shalom Mic

I had a great summer - spent most of August on the West coast of Ireland, between County Clare and Donegal.

Congratulations on the success of your studies - where were you actually studying, in Tiberias? and what are your plans once you get your diploma?

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, right? What insights did you have? Perhaps you've come up with something useful I can learn from...

What's the Feast of Tabernacles all about?

I'm glad you found my thoughts on Exodus of interest. I don't think Bob Marley was referring to the Exodus 1947 - simply to the Bible story as there is such a strong link between Rastafarianism and Judaism. Have there been anniversary celebrations this year for Exodus 1947? Have you ever met anyone who was on the ship?

Come to that, have there been celebrations for the anniversary of the 6 Day War?

I guess I won't be able to see 'The Band’s Visit' for a good while, if ever. Maybe it will make it to subtitled DVD at some point. I just saw 'Michael Clayton', a very good American movie written & directed by the fella who wrote the Bourne trilogy.

I'm delighted you're getting to London. Hopefully we'll get a chance to hook up in the real world when you're here - or does that spoil the whole idea of a 121 blog (co-authoring with a person you've never seen or met)? It's difficult to know where to start with regard to sight-seeing. I'll splurge a few things here:
* the East End around Brick Lane for a taste of London's multiculturalism, formerly a Jewish area, now predominantly Bangladeshi
* the London Eye for a spectacular overview
* Frederick Leighton's studio in Holland Park (Leighton House) - see picture above
* Tate Modern
* a trip down the Thames to Greenwich
* Hampstead Heath / Parliament Hill - for country in the city
* the Phoenix Cinema, East Finchley - the oldest cinema in the UK (art deco style)
* I could go on & on...

I know Moblog very well - the person that set it up is a friend of mine and I have been using it for a couple of years. It's a lovely community.

Let's try for shorter posts more often - and in that spirit I'd better hit the sack.

Happy Feast of Tabernacles (whatever that involves!)
A

The Band's visit

2007-09-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

Good evening A,

Great to hear from you again after all this time, how was your summer?

I’ve enjoyed reading your essay about exodus but I will get to that in a min.

Would like to start with a small update, since the last time I have written an entry, I have finished my studies in very good marks, I still must go through a small internship to receive my diplomas and that will be it.

Holiday season was really busy in here; I have been away a lot (thus the late response to your entry). Jewish new years was really enjoyable and relaxing, Yom Kippur was a time to think and to reflect about things, and now we are in the middle of Feast of Tabernacles holiday.

Now to the subject of your entry. It was really interesting to read the comparison you made between the history and Bob Marley’s song.
I remember studying about the Exodus ship at school and now I think of it and wonder how could the world be so blind, and when there is someone needing help everyone shut down maybe due to rules & birocracy .
On the other hand, Bob Marley’s song after listening to it and reading the lyrics, I can see how meaningful those words can reflect on the people journey, they simply want to go back to their land.

Do you think Marley was inspired by those events to write the song?

The picture I posted above is taken a new Israeli movie I watched yesterday, it is called “The Band’s Visit”, about an Egyptian police orchestra band who arrived to Israel to honor the opening of a new Arab cultural center. The band got lost on the way and arrived to a small deserted city in south of Israel and made friends with a woman and her neighborhood friends. The story evolves over a night time, and it is a heartfelt, sweet and funny story.

I am happy to write that i will be visiting London very soon, in December to be exact. I'll be visiting the city for a 5 days and i am very excited. It will be my first time in England and i don't know what to expect. Do you have any recommendation site seeing in London? i would love to read any suggestions.

Have you ever heard of a website called moblog? I have recently developed a hobby for taking random photos with my mobile phone and i started posting them there, there are not so much as i joined it only today but i'll keep it updated as often as possible.

That’s it from me for now, I do hope to hear from you soon

All The Best
Mici

Two Sevens Clash

2007-09-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Michal - hope you've had a good summer. I've been reading a lot over the holidays about Israel and I've just written this which I'd like to share with you. I'd love to know what you think...
Happy New Year (5768 - I'm impressed!)
A

Exodus: Movement of Jah people

1977
Bob Marley recorded Exodus in punk London (he referred to London as his “second home”). He took refuge in the city after having been hit by a bullet the previous year in a politically motivated assassination attempt. The record was released on 3rd June 1977.

1947
The ship Exodus 1947 sailed from the small port of Site near Marseilles on 11th July 1947. On board were 4,515 immigrants from post-war Europe, including 655 children. It was heading to British Mandate Palestine.

As soon as it left French territorial waters British destroyers shadowed it. In the wake of the Second World War, the British had severely restricted immigration to Palestine and eventually decided to stop illegal immigration by sending ships running the gauntlet of the British patrols back to their port of embarkation in Europe. The first ship to which this policy was applied was the Exodus 1947.

We know where we’re going
We know where we’re from
We’re leaving Babylon
We’re going to our Father’s land

On 18th July 1947, nearing the coast of Palestine but outside territorial waters, the British rammed the ship and illegally boarded it. Two immigrants and a member of the crew were killed defending the vessel, bludgeoned to death, and 30 were wounded. The ship was towed to Haifa and the immigrants were deported on prison ships back to France at the suggestion of Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin (better known for his role in establishing the NHS).

Men and people will fight you down

1977
The Exodus recording sessions, produced by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, took place in two west London studios: a converted Victorian laundry at the back of Island’s headquarters in St Peter’s Square, Chiswick, and the Basing Street studio, a former church in Notting Hill.

The nightly recording sessions were attended by a sizable rotating posse including the young members of Aswad and their manager, Mikey Dread (who I saw perform with The Clash at the Electric Ballroom in Camden Town); Delroy Washington; and Lucky Gordon (of Profumo Scandal notoriety). Journalist Vivien Goldman remembers the sessions as being recorded “in a mood of exuberant creativity”.

1947
At Port-de-Bouc in southern France the Exodus passengers refused to disembark and remained in the ships’ holds for 24 days during a heatwave - this despite a shortage of food, the overcrowding and dreadful sanitary conditions. The French government refused to co-operate with British attempts at forced disembarkation. Eventually, the British decided to return the would-be immigrants to Germany. These people were mostly survivors of the concentration camps and Nazi German persecution.

So we gonna walk - all right! - through the roads of creation
We the generation
Trod through great tribulation

They were shipped to Hamburg, then forcibly disembarked and transported to two camps near the German port of Lubeck on the Baltic Sea.

World public opinion was outraged by the callousness of the British behaviour and the British were forced to change their policy. Illegal immigrants were no longer sent back to Europe, but instead transported to detention camps in Cyprus.

Open your eyes and look within…
Are you satisfied with the life you’re living?

The escorting British soldiers never returned to their units in Palestine. The ordeal had such an impact on them that a near mutiny erupted among them. The British army decided not to press charges and closed the matter quietly.

The events convinced the US government that the British mandate of Palestine was incapable of handling the issue of post-war Jewish refugees and that a United Nations-brokered solution needed to be found. The US government intensified pressure on the British government to return its mandate to the UN.

1977
Throughout the recording sessions, Bob continued writing songs - Exodus itself emerged quite late and, as Vivien Goldman recounts, “there was a fizzing excitement around that track from the moment it was first laid down.”

Many of the musicians were exiles. Beyond their Jamaican roots was the urge to return to Africa, a desire central to Rastafarian belief. Bob and the Twelve Tribes (a Rasta organisation to which he belonged) were actively exploring the possibilities of land made available by Haile Selassie in Shashamane, Ethiopia.

Goldman recalls: “When the night came to finish the Exodus track, the Basing Street studio was alive with excitement. From the start, the song had its own impetus … at four o’clock in the morning a moment hit when the whole room knew that this one was it.”

1947
Within a year, over half of the original Exodus 1947 passengers had made another attempt at emigrating to Palestine - most found themselves detained in camps in Cyprus. One witness describes the DP (Displaced Persons) Camps on Cyprus thus: “a hot hell of desert sand and wind blowing against tents and tin Nissen huts, a hell circumscribed by two walls of barbed wire whose architecture had come out of Dachau and Treblinka”.

Eventually, after the events around May 1948, the majority of the Exodus exiles made it back to Israel.

Exodus, all right! Movement of Jah people!

2007

Good Night

2007-06-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hello A,
It's is great to see you here after a while, i've been busy as well last month with exams and work.
Talking about the exams, i passed 2 out of the 4 i had, the other 2 i still don't know if i passed them or not, i will probably will know in few weeks.
I'm about to start internship in a hospital to get qualified as a medical secretary, i'm still waiting for answers about that too, i hope to finish with this very fast.
Already started looking for more colleges to study graphic & website design, this is something i wish to have as a career. I find this field very interesting.

About Tel Aviv & Jerusalem, i would say Tel Aviv is the modern heart of Israel as Jerusalem is more of the religious aspect. Tel Aviv is very hip place, full with
young people and a lot is going on there. I would say Tel Aviv is to us what London is to you.

I am so jealous that you had a chance to see Pink Floyd, i bet that was amazing, i missed my chance watching Roger Waters in his visit in Israel few months back, the ticket was too exspensive and was too far as well.

I remember when i first got to know of The Who's music, it was 6 years ago in my visit to USA. Someone gave me a cd of their greatest hits and since then i am a fan.
I can honestly say that Pete Townshend's music helped me to go throw few hard moments in my life. Sometimes just listenig to the songs can give you a different meaning about things.

I'm glad you liked the Kasabian video, i've been a fan of them for a while, their videos are always fresh with exciting ideas. I'm actually working on a fansite dedicated to this band.

The big art mob project sounds so interesting, if i only had a camera phone i would have joined as well.
(i am probably the only person in this planet who doesn't have a camera phone or a digital camra).

I've been wanting to recommand you on 2 movies i've seen lately. The First one is The Prestige with Christian Bale & Hugh Jackman & Zodiac which is the new David Fincher movie. Both of those movies are somewhat different and great to watch if you like edgy thrillers that will leave you on the edge of your seat dazed and confused.

In that note i will finish this post.

All the best
Mici

Cities

2007-05-20T04:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Mic

Have had a ferociously busy time at work recently so have neglected our exchange. I'm going to adopt the Little Often approach to avoid such long gaps.

Have you had your exam results yet?

You talked a bit about Tel Aviv in your last post. I heard that at the beginning of the last century (I think as late as the 1920s) there wasn't much there, just wilderness. Is that true?

What's the relationship like between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem? which is considered the modern heart of Israel?

The rest of my visit to Ireland went well - after leaving Dublin and the Easter celebrations I headed up to Carlingford on the east coast, about half way between Dublin and Belfast. It's an old harbour village with a ruined castle dating back to King John in the 13th Century, time of the Crusades to the Holy Land. My late father-in-law used to be in charge of the navigation of the estuary (Carlingford Lough) when he returned to settle back in Ireland after a career as a sea captain.

Talking of captains, the Kasabian video was worth a watch although I really like the most simple of videos which help focus on the song - the best example I can think (continuing the Irish theme) is Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2U.

I've got a lot of music news for you including seeing Pink Floyd live playing 3 metres from me! That's what the picture is at the top - I took it on my phone. But I'll have to save that for when I have a bit more time in the next few days.

Glad to note you're such a big fan of The Who - they are a very important band I reckon. They were a big influence on Jimi Hendrix - their aggression/energy and showmanship. I was watching a documentary on the BBC last night which included footage of them playing My Generation on US TV and it's still astonishingly powerful.

Let's get back into the swing of things on our blog. A little often.

I'll finish by telling you about my latest project - it's to create a map of all the public art in the UK - it's called the Big Art Mob. You take a photo with your phone and then just send it (by MMS) to the website. So yesterday I was wandering around the city and finding stuff like this. From my memory of visiting Israel it's a nation of sculptors no? I recall that because of the commandment about Graven Images there isn't a strong tradition of painting.

You can also send images to the Big Art Mob by email (instructions on the home screen) so why don't you add a picture or two from your neck of the woods...

Empire

2007-04-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

Hi A,
This past weeks were really busy on my end with school, I’ve had 2 exams and they both went fine, the last one was really easy though thanks for some computer problems it managed to become so complicated and irritating. I had to switch seats 4 times as every computer i set near has decided to break up and stop working, that was one of the things i wished to not happen to me and it did. Aside from that it all went fine and i will know my score in few weeks time.

This past month was also full with holidays. I was spending some much needed time with my sister, niece & nephew around Passover that was fun. We went down to Tel Aviv for a whole day of walking around stores and places we like. I like Tel Aviv very much, it's the big city in Israel as London is to you ( although Tel Aviv is not as big), it's full of life and things to do and i'm really a big city kind of girl so hopefully one day i could afford moving there.
Independence day was on Tuesday, it can also be called the national barbecue day, you mostly find all the people around the national parks and beach front areas making barbecues and eating and eating and eating....I spent it with my mom at home and later went out with some friends.

So how was your visit in Ireland? I enjoyed reading your post about the Easter Rising, I would like to read more about the history of Ireland, it is such a fascinating country.

The music video above belongs to a band called Kasabian,i have recantly got to know their music and it's very intense & interesting piece of work as their videos are.
I got so much new music in the past weeks, lots of indie rock and some pop music as well.I have got the new Kaiser Chiefs album and an album called Some Cities by The Doves.
Speaking of music, my first record ever was History by Michael Jackson, I used to be a very big fan of his music back in high school, I still listen to his music but not as much as I used too.This days I already lost count on how much records/cd’s I got, I’m getting close to probably 400 cd’s who half I probably listened twice and that’s all.
I got my beloved The Who music collection, all the cd’s special edition versions, their latest album Endless Wire is a real nice piece of music, Roger Daltry’s voice is a bit more scruffy then in the past but still a wonderful one, same goes to Pete Townshend- he is an amazing songwriter. The drums are played by Zack Starkey who is actually the son of Ringo Starr and often plays with another favorite band of mine Oasis.

I’m happy you enjoyed Walk On Water, it is a really thrilling piece of cinema with lots of twists, I’ll try to look for more movies as similar to this, this past couple of years the Israeli cinema has really grown and became successful in Europe, it is really nice to see this happening.
I have taken a note and my next movie to watch will have to be Jesus Christ Superstar & Casablanca ;). The last movie I watched was Casino Royale, I’m not a fan of James Bond movies but this was a nice one to pass the time too, not much of a plot to it but it was good nonetheless, it reminded me a bit of Mission Impossible 3. Daniel Craig is also a nice guy to look at :).

It is past 3 o’clock at night here so I better go to bed.

All the best from Israel
Mici

Independence Day

2007-04-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Mic

I heard it was Independence Day this week over there in Israel so Happy Independence Day to you & yours. How did you celebrate it?

I've just been watching the movie of Jesus Christ Superstar with my kids - they were really riveted. I think they were fascinated seeing Jesus realised on screen. They go to a local Catholic school so stuff about Jesus surrounds them most days but this was something they could connect with. Also they were struck by the hippy dimension of the movie - it's framed by the story of a bunch of hippies arriving in the desert on a bus to act out the last days of Jesus.

I don't know if you know it at all - it was shot on location in Israel (that of course was the thought-train above) by Norman Jewison (Thomas Crown Affair, Fiddler on the Roof, Rollerball). The Big Man is played by Ted Neeley who has a bit of a high, weedy voice so not my favourite Christ. That award goes to the alcoholic Preraphaelite Jeffrey Hunter in Nicholas Ray's 1961 'King of Kings'. Jeffrey also played the first captain of the Starship Enterprise (Captain Pike) in the classic double episode entitled Menagerie which i think kicked off the series.

Jesus Christ Superstar was one of the very first records I ever had (the London stage version, not the movie soundtrack) and i listened to it over and over while colouring pictures on our dining room table. What were your first albums and singles?

Hope the exams went well and look forward to hearing your news.

Easter Rising

2007-04-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Mici

Thanks for the Passover greeting. I hope you enjoyed your holidays. I have just been in Ireland to visit my in-laws, nieces and nephews. I was in Dublin on the day of the commemoration of the Easter Rising in 1916 when the Irish State was proclaimed by an idealistic group of poets and teachers. Within a few years an Ireland independent of England was a reality. Not dissimilar in many ways from the way Israel won her freedom from the English in 1948. Both dramas revolving around charismatic people with Romantic notions and a driving idealism, backed by practical resolve. The picture above is of the GPO [General Post Office] in Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street) on whose steps the Republic was proclaimed on Easter Monday. Last Sunday, a woman officer from the Irish Army read out the Proclamation on its 91st anniversary.

From crucifixion/resurrection to miracles - I watched 'Walk on Water' and really enjoyed it, great recommendation - I would never have seen it without your drawing my attention to it. A good strong narrative with substance. Eyal, the brother and sister were all really well played. I loved the scenes on the Sea of Galilee. The Nazi family doing Israeli folk-dancing at the big birthday bash was also very amusing. Any similar recommendations for me? (I love good thrillers with a bit of meaning.)

The Israel-England match turned out to be a bit of a damp squib. A goalless draw - a good result for your lot, not great from the England point of view. I was in Tel Aviv a couple of years ago for the Israel-Ireland match which was a 2-2 draw, everyone went home happy and a good party was had by all, centred on Irish bars in the city. Many of the Irish supporters had such a good time, they extended their trips and traveled round a bit, well impressed with the country.

Talking of which, my partner's cousin (also Irish) has just arrived downstairs on a short stop-over in London on her way back to Dublin from an Easter trip to Jerusalem, staying in a monastery overlooking the Dome of the Rock. She seems to have had a great time so I'm going off now to hear all about it.

Hope your exams went well.
A

Happy holiday

2007-04-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

Send this eCard !

A game of Damka

2007-03-24T05:54:00.000-07:00

Hello A,
This is Damka , come to think of it, this game in proper english called checkers i was completly unaware of that.
I was researching about this place and I stand corrected, this place is actually called YMCA Peniel and not Tabcha. The YMCA Is actually a hospitality place to pilgrims, it looks really beautiful in the inside.
I’ve been there only once during my grammar school almost 13 years ago...

My studying are going pretty much ok, the medical field is pretty interesting though like I wrote previously, the studies even for being qualified as a medical secretary (what I’m applying for) are really hard. I got a final exam after Passover in April 11, I know I’ll be doing well in it but it’s just stressful a bit.
The body is really complex and everything works like clockwork, although sometimes it’s not. You can really see how the human body is complicated by say checking an atlas for the human body, this sort of book is really helpful and very interesting to read an explore.
My work is ok, it's been a bit stressfull lately, lots of work before the holiday.

My mom still hanging around with friends from Russia and watches the Russian channels. She is still very much connected to her past and always tells me stories about it so it’s nice.

Mika is very talented, I really enjoy listening to his music it’s very catchy and funky.
A friend of mine is going to see him on concert next month, I’m really excited to hear what she will have to say.
I’ve been doing some music research lately for a message board I’m part of, me and a friend trying to relive the music board there by putting bio’s of the most influential bands of our time. She is doing a research on gothic music and me on 60’s & 70’s rock music, so far I wrote about Pink Floyd, Beatles, The Who and Led Zeppelin.

Speaking of boards and my internet addiction, I can’t even remember how I was a year ago without my computer and internet, I mean I got a Myspace page, livejournal blog, 2 forums that I maintain, 3 forums I am a member, a fansite , soon will have another forum and a possible site. it's an addiction that has become an obssesion really, clearly i'm less online now because of school an work but still it can take over your life...in a way.

Shakespeare is great, love reading the plays and of course i've seen Romeo & Juliet. Baz Luhrmann's way of making movies is very unique, have you seen Moulin Rouge? i think it was such an entartaining movie.
I promise i'll watch Casablanca soon, it's really silly of me not to watch a piece of cinema history.
Oh i hope you'll like Walk On Water, its really a great piece of Israeli cinema, sorry it took a while till it got there.

A few weeks back i have seen a biography on the history channel about Andy Warhol. It seems to me that he was someone who certainly was outcast but also tried hard to be different and do things that are not usual and might be hurtful to some people. With all the criticism he got back then, it is silly that after he passed away the public gave him a legend status and all of his artwork became very well known. He also was responsible for discovering one of my favorite artists, Nico.

I remember seeing Matt Lucas in Shooting Stars here on BBC prime. It was so funny to see him there and later watching him on Little Britain. What a transformation.

Today is an important football match between England & Israel part of the Euro 2008 games. I'm not a fan of football but i think i'll watch it and try to understand what's going on ( no clue at all).

Well i gotta go study so have a nice weekend

Mici

Tabcha?

2007-03-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Just stumbled across this picture i took in the pilgrim place - see what i mean, could be the bible...

Queen of Love

2007-03-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

Evening Mici (I think I'm going to call your Mici from now on - Mic in English is a bit too much the Irish builder, not that i've got anything against Irish builders but they're mostly muscley blokes!)

Hope your studying is going well - probably better if i distract you with this on a weekend. Are you enjoying the medical stuff? What would you do with your qualification - work in a hospital?

It's interesting when you say the body is so very complicated. From one perspective it's mind-blowingly complex, especially how the foetus develops. But looked at another way it's a bit like plumbing or engineering or building - quite logical how it works.

You haven't mentioned your job since your first post - how's it going?

I am a trustee of the 24 Hour Museum which has charity status. I advise on stuff to do with interactive media. The museum is about to undergo a pretty big overhaul.

Was very interesting to read about your family history. Do you mom and dad tend to hang out with Russians despite the tough life they had in Moldova?

The place we stayed in on the Sea of Galilee was indeed Tabcha I think - it was a place for pilgrims run by Germans as far as i can remember, a great peaceful spot - at moments, like being back in biblical times.

Never heard of Damka - what kind of game is it? My kids have suddenly got into card games - I bought the older one a pack of Simpsons playing cards on my way back from a trip to Glasgow and they haven't stopped playing with them. He calls Hearts "Love" by mistake - so he talks about "the Queen of Love" or the "three of Love".

Talking of hearts, I'm glad you found my short film "heartwarming" - that's why i called it Spark. There's actually quite a lot of backstory in it which probably isn't obvious - for example, the fella fixing the old man's cut leg has a terminal disease and the old man looks out for him, so there's a lot of warmth and tenderness behind that plaster.

I think I've seen Mika on a BBC TV programme called Later with Jools Holland (formerly of Squeeze). He is very particular and interesting. He reminds me a little, beside Freddie Mercury as you say, of Anthony of 'Anthony and the Johnsons'.

It's very illuminating to see a person like Robbie Williams, with so much talent, struggling so much with life. It makes you happy to just be a regular guy/gal and enjoy the Simple Pleasures of Life. Like sitting on the shore of Yam Kinneret watching the fishermen go by. Or looking out over the allotment and following the cycle of Nature.

Your phrase about Music being "like food to the mind" reminds me of a famous line from Shakespeare: "If music be the food of love, play on" - he had a good way with words, ol' Shakey. Did you see Baz Luhrmann's movie, Romeo & Juliet?

I'm going to have to stop talking to you if you don't watch Casablanca soon! ;-)
I've just received Walk on Water - it was not easy to get over here. I'll try and watch it over the weekend and get back to you about it.

I believe Matt Lucas worked really hard to get his break - I heard him on a BBC Radio show called Desert Island Discs and it was clear he committed to drama and comedy from a young age, about 15. I saw him live when he first started stand-up comedy at London's famous Comedy Store and he was truly embarrassing to watch. It's cool how he eventually found his voice.

You mentioned Andy Warhol in your last post - I've recently seen Factory Girl with Sienna Miller. It showed Warhol in a very bad light - very shallow and heartless. The movie contrasted him with a caring and profound Bob Dylan.

Today I've been in Milton Keynes, a strange town created as a 'New Town' in the late 60s, so a very artificial, planned place. It's famous for being full of roundabouts. What I quite like about it is that when you do find something of Beauty or interest there it's all the more striking. It's a bit like the French poet Charles Baudelaire's concept of 'paradis artificiel' - natural beauty enhanced by the artificial like the ribbon round Olympia's neck in Manet's picture above, and the bracelet and shoe.

Have a lovely weekend
A

Grace Kelly

2007-03-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Arkangel,
Good evening, last week has been so busy in my end as well. My final exams are getting closer, so it's an intensive studying about medical stuff. After April 11 i'll be more relaxed and at ease as this particular exam really stressing me out, lots of material and not enough time to study. i have no idea how doctors go through this, the human body is so very complicated.
Thank you for the link of the 24 hour museum, i was browsing through it for a while yesterday. What kind of work do you do exactly in there? it looks very interesting.

I'm glad you enjoyed the clip from Modern Times, i haven't seen this particular detail you have mentioned, i'll have to watch it again. I really like the part in this movie where Charlie is a waiter and tries to bring food to an angry guest in the restaurant while trying to navigate through a crowd of dancing people, so unfortunate and very funny.

My family came from Russia 30 years ago and i was born in Israel, i really am not that interested in the Russian country, culture. i guess since it has never been part of my life as i was raised in the Israeli culture and way of life. I do find interest now in learning the language as my mom is mostly speaking to me in Russian but nothing more. My mom doesn’t miss it, she always recalls how life in Moldova (where she and my dad came from) was difficult, i don't think she will be thrilled to visit it as well.

I was born and raised in Tiberias, my brother is living very close to my mom and me and my sister lives close to Tel Aviv. Tiberias is growing a lot lately, it's funny that after the war, the tourism went up and people are coming here even more. My family in the USA resides in Arizona. Very nice place to be in, i really enjoyed the weather there as it reminded me a lot of the weather in Israel in the summer. Do you remember the place you were staying in while being in Tiberias? Was it Tabcha by any chance?

I think i'll leave sheshbesh to people who actually know how to play... like you :). the only game i'm good is Damka, i can get very competitive in this game, so you better watch out.

i really enjoyed watching the short film you made, it's very sweet and heartwarming. the area looks really nice, makes me wish i could come to London now even more.

Now to music, I had to share my new music discovery with you, his name is Mika and he is fairly popular in the pop music world. I am amazed on how he can sing in such a high note, and his voice reminds me a lot of Freddie Mercury's voice (who's music i miss very much). I'm lately going through a pop music faze, i usually don't like to listen to those catchy tunes but all of a sudden i am just can't get enough. Mika is one and then comes Robbie Williams....he is very talented i think, too bad he is such a troubled person.

You are absolutely right about music influences in an emotional way, to me it’s something indescribable, when you hear a song that is connected to a place you come from…it’s just something I can’t put into words. I had a discussion with a friend on a message board I’m part of regarding a similar effect. We were discussing about different kinds of music and how the lyrics and the melody can inspire you to do things or to think about things in different way, it’s like food to the mind, in a way.

I must admit I haven’t watched Casablanca yet. It’s a bit of embarrassing as it’s a classic movie and I should have watched it.

So Matt Lucas is a family relative, is he? That’s very cool, I find him to be a brilliant comedian and with David Walliams (who I like a bit more) it’s a perfect combination. I watch a documentary on them last week called The South Bank Show, it’s really interesting to learn where and how people or celebrities such as them started their way in showbiz and grew to be famous, there is so much luck involve in this and not so much people succeed to get their 15 minutes of fame as Andy Warhol once said.

Right now I’m reading a book called Jephte’s Daughter written by an Israeli writer called Naomi Ragen. i have just started reading it and it is very interesitng book about religion.

I have read most of John Grishem's books, i'm also a Stephen King reader. Dan Brown's books are interesting though i wish it didn't had the same pattern of a mysterious writing that needs to be solved before someone will be killed. I really enjoyed The Da Vinci Code- the book that is. i thought the movie was one of the worst i've seen, the only good thing in it was Paul Bettany- fantastic actor.

Have a nice weekend

Mici

Brighton to London express

2007-03-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Mic

Been a busy week and now I have a quiet moment to reply. I am on a train this time coming back from Brighton on the South coast where I have been working today on the 24 Hour Museum.

Really enjoyed watching the singing scene from Modern Times - like the globe one from The Great Dictator it captures Chaplin's balletic talent. I liked the fact you'd found the French version - did you notice the cutaway of his cuff with the song lyrics on was in French whilst the signs on the door are in English?

I love the scene in Modern Times when Charlie picks up the red flags fallen from the back of the scaffolding lorry, waves them to attract the driver's attention and ends up leading a workers' demo.

Now talking of red flags, interesting to hear about your Russian heritage. Do you feel any warmth towards that country? My grandmother, for example, came to Britain from Poland just before the Second World War and I feel less than nothing for that country. No interest in going there. No interest in the culture. Do your parents miss the Old Country? Or perhaps just the people from it?

Have you read Amos Oz's memoirs? (i forget the title, almost as forgettable as Good Night & Good Luck! - something about Love and Darkness) I seem to remember his family coming from Russia. I really enjoyed reading it, especially the parts around 1948. There's a story in it where as a child he accidently injures a young Arab girl in her garden when his family is visiting. The misunderstanding is very poignant and of course highly symbolic in the context of the history of the region.

Where in Israel were you born?
And where in the US did your family settle?

Here's a short film I made about where I live. It's a suburb in the North-West of London.

So on to weightier matters - Sheshbesh ;-)
What you have to understand about that game is it's the perfect mix of luck and skill. Whether you win is largely down to how confident you're feeling at the time deep down. It goes perfectly with a Turkish coffee or fresh mint tea, and a Camberwell carrot if you're that way inclined. (If you don't know what a Camberwell carrot is, you'll have to watch Withnail and I again.)

What do your sister and brother do for a living? Do they also live in Tiberias?

My boys are 6 and 10. I forgot to tell you they have been in Tiberias when we went to visit their Irish-Israeli cousins. We stayed in a place for pilgrims on the North shore of the Sea of Galilee - very peaceful. The older one was talking to me about that place just a few days ago and saying how he wants to go back. We visited Tiberias from there for dinner one evening. Here's a picture I took in Nazareth on that trip.

Your recollection of the Independence Day celebrations in the US (Arizona? or somewhere else??) was very evocative. Music, and i guess especially national anthems, can do that for you - a very direct connection to the heart. An English writer/critic called Walter Pater, inspiration to Oscar Wilde, wrote: "All art aspires to the condition of music" which I take to mean that other art forms envy Music the directness of its connection to the emotions, having no concrete form between the art and its impact, no paper, no canvas, no bronze.

Talking of bronze, I bought a small sculpture when we visited Israel from Victor Halvani. It is of a pregnant woman, very simple and very resonant.

Back to national anthems, I have no love for our one - God Save the Queen. (It even looks stupid writing it down.) I'm a bit of a Republican i guess, can't stand the idea of royalty or the aristocracy. The Queen poos. Lords fail their exams. Ladies can lack basic human decency. There's nothing innately special about them, au contraire. A vrai dire, the Marsaillaise is more stirring to me. Do you know the scene in Casablanca when the French and the Germans have a battle of anthems in Rick's cafe and the French win?

I also found The Wind That Shakes The Barley disappointing - and it's a subject I'm really interested in. I think Ken Loach is very over-rated as a director. He makes a lot of dull films, often unmoving. Too much head, too little real heart. I believe a film must be a moving experience.

You might find it a moving experience ;-) to know that Matt Lucas from Little Britain is my cousin's step-brother. So that's not like my best friend (i've never met him) but it's a connection of sorts.

For the casting game, I've recently read The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - have you ever read that? (If not, it's a great page-turner.) Otherwise it might be easier if you list a few things you've read (the only Dan Brown i've read so far is the DaVinci Code - i thought the movie was so bad it inspired me to write my first review on IMDB.)

I'm back in London now walking up my street so time to say:
Over+out
A

Modern Times

2007-03-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hi Arkangel,
This is my favorite scene in Modern Times, i belive it is also the first time Chaplin spoke in a movie back then prior to The Great Dictator. Speaking of which, this scene always made me cry, i wish some goverments and leaders will take some of those words to heart and really think things through before starting wars all around.

The Ipod and other various MP3 players great invention, aren’t they? It is a really a way to disconnect from the world and be with yourself. I can’t go anywhere without my mp3 player, when I’m driving to school 3 times a week, it gives me a nice distraction from everything around me for at least one hour of bus driving. (Plus they very light and not has heavy as the compact disc player)

I believe Persia is actually Iran today, I don’t know if the population form Persia is big in Israel today. Israel is full with different nationalities, take me for example: I’m Russian, my parents came from Russia 30 years ago and I was born here in Israel.
I wish I knew how to speak fluently in Russian and write or read it. I didn’t know a word from that language until my visit 2 years ago to my family who lives in USA. There I learned how to speak the Russian language a bit better then I did before.

So you play Sheshbesh? I am very bad in this game; I never fully understood what the purpose of this game is. My brother is pretty good in this game and he even tried to teach me how to play it…..with no luck at all.
That brings me to how many brothers and sisters I have. I got an older sister who is 14 years older then me and one brother who is 9 years older then me. I’m literally the youngest and as everyone says usually about the youngest kid, the most spoiled one of the bunch (not true at all and I can proof it). How old are your kids?

My time in the army was kind of fun, I enjoyed meeting people who later became friends; I don’t go back to the army at all as I don’t need to. I miss that time, I miss the uniform. It’s a nice memory.
I remember after my army service has finished, I flew to visit my family in America for the very first time (I was there twice), i was traveling around mostly in Arizona, saw places and the Grand Canyon. Before I left back to Israel, the local Jewish community center has celebrated the Israel Independence Day, I went there with a friend and it was very special. It’s amazing that when you far away from home you suddenly realize how much you appreciate and love the place you come from. There was a moment in the end of the celebration that the Israeli anthem was playing and I started to cry everything just struck me- that I miss home and everything else.

I have seen Munich, I was very disappointed from this movie and the way it was made. Spielberg was criticized a lot here for not being to sensitive towards the victims family and made this movie as a Hollywood movie. I haven’t seen One Day in September yet.
Yesterday I watched The Wind That Shakes The Barley for the first time. I must say I didn’t enjoy the movie as much as I thought. but Cillian Murphy was really great in his role as Damien.

I haven’t seen the filming of Aviva My Love, I wasn’t even aware there was a movie that was filmed in Tiberias until it came out to the cinema.

Good Night & Good Luck is a good movie, Robert Downy Jr. had a small part in it, not like in the movie I’m watching now Kiss Kiss Bang Bang… he is really funny in it. True, Robert had a setback in the past few years with all the addiction probalms he had, it’s great to watch him coming back to the cinema this days.

Amazon is a great tool for the online shopping of unnecessary things. I’ve done few purchasing from there lately, the last one was made today, preordering Little Britain Live DVD and getting the 3rd season of this show. Can you tell that I’m obsessed with it? I love this sort of humor that is a bit vulgar and weird.

To the game now, i can't think of a book at the moment, so was there any good book you read recently?

Have a nice weekend

Mic

Down in the Tube Station

2007-03-09T04:13:00.000-08:00

Hi Mic

A few days off the old PC is probably no bad thing. A chance to get back in touch with the body, the ground and fresh air. That said I'm writing this on the London underground (the Tube) on a Blackberry screen with an iPod wrapped round my head and no fresh air to be had, just the rush of air that heralds the arrival of the train. Do you know the Jam song Down in the Tube Station at Midnight (A distant echo of faraway voices boarding faraway trains...)

Following on our conversation about Purim, are there many exiles from Persia living in modern Israel? I'm not even 100% sure what constitutes Persia - Iraq, Iran? anything else?

I only have one Iranian friend here in London - Mansell, the father of my younger son's friend. We recently went to his mother's funeral which was an interesting if sad experience. In a very English cemetery - Victorian Gothic chapel, a variety of native trees, and of course the rain - we attended a full Islamic funeral followed by a meal of Persian delicacies. I'm not sure how many nationalities reside in London but it's certainly hundreds - including the odd Israeli!

There's one Israeli fella that I know in my neighbourhood, Daniel, my backgammon victim ...I mean partner. I love the game (you guys call it sheshbesh no?) He is married to a local artist/photographer. We originally met them through the local school at the bottom of my road where my older son went to.

So you can see I do have children - two boys. They're both technically Irish - their mum, my partner, was born in Northern Ireland which gives them both the right to an Irish passport. One of them has Charlie as his middle name - after Chaplin.

So how many brothers and sisters do you have? What ages? Do they also live in Tiberias?

It was very interesting to hear about your time in the army. Did you enjoy it at all? Did you make any friends in the army? And is that it now, do you ever have to go back at all?

I’m going to order Walk On Water from Amazon and I'll report back when I've watched it. I really like thrillers.

Talking of Mossad, did you see Spielberg's Munich? I thought it was a really interesting movie, not least for its timing. Last year was a good time to reflect on the chicken-and-egg cycle of violence and revenge, and how people lose their souls in it.

Also did you see One Day in September, the feature documentary about the Munich massacre made around 2001ish? I remember my grandfather getting me a book about the Olympics that year which you filled up with stickers which you could get from the petrol station. As a kid I knew nothing of the horrific events which played out in the athletes' village - all I knew was the sport and medals. I guess my parents shielded me from the tragedy.

Which traditions and cultures does Late Wedding explore?

Did you see any of the shooting (as in production not bullets or missiles!) of Aviva My Love?

Back to Chaplin and The Great Dictator - I love the sequence where Adenoid Hinkel dances with the globe, I guess that's the most famous one but it captures Chaplin's physical grace as a comedian as evinced by The Tramp in everything from how he rollerskated to how he kicked butt.

I did see Richard Attenborough's Chaplin when it came out and remember enjoying it. Think I'll get that from Amazon too as I'd love to revisit it. God knows why I'm promoting the said online store so much here but, for all my reservations about its impact on real bookshops, I suppose it is one of the best ways to access the older and obscurer film titles at this juncture.

Robert Downey Jr's career took a bit of a sad nose-dive after the promise of Chaplin. I saw him recently in Goodbye and Goodnight or whatever George Clooney's movie from last year was called - good film, bad title if you're not American and can't remember the tv show from which it derives.

Let me suggest a game to include in our next entries. Picking up from your point about the Dan Brown book and casting, let's see if we can find a book we've both read but which hasn't been made into a film yet (or not recently) and both do an imaginary casting.

Over&out
A

2007-03-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

Hi Arkangel, No worries about writing late, it happened to me as well. I’m writing this post 2 days after seeing yours; I’ve been staying away from the pc this week and resting as I am a bit sick. It’s nothing serious only a minor case of flu and I feel a bit better now.

I’ve always wanted to make a tattoo, but like I wrote before I’m such a chicken.According to the Jewish religion tattoos are a big taboos but mostly people who are strictly religious look upon that, to the non religious public it is fairly popular, same goes to piercing.

Purim is a really fun holiday, it’s only last for a day and in this day we commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination.
I am a very proud aunty for 5 wonderful nephews and nieces, I’m the youngest one among my brothers and sisters. Do you have children?

I’ve been in the army, I finished my service 5 years ago, the army service is a mandatory in my country and once you finish high school you usually get recruited. My part wasn’t that exciting; I was a secretary for my whole 2 years of service.

I’ve heard of David Benchetrit but had never seen any of his work.
There are 2 Israeli movies that I most like, those 2 movies had a big success in the international cinema world and you maybe familiar with them.The first one is Walk On Water, this movie tells the story of an Israeli mossad agent that was sent to kill a former Nazi agent. This movie is full with lots of twists and turns.The other one is Late Wedding, this one tells the story of a bachelor that his family wants him to get married as he already 31 years old. it fellows the tradition and different cultures in Israel.
There is another Israeli Movie that i like called Aviva My Love. this movie was filmed in the town i live in. i remember the premier for it was during the war this past summer, and it was held in the municipality shelter. the actors and the director ( who was born in Tiberias) came here to celebrate this movie in such a rough time.

Charlie Chaplin was always a favorite of mine, The great Dictator is a masterpiece. Have you seen the biographical movie made on him With Robert Downy Jr.?
Peter Sellers is another one that i greatly appreciate. he was a crazy man but he made such great selection of movies. The Pink Panther series is priceless.

I'm reading a very interesting book at the moment; it is written by Dan Brown and called Deception point. It’s a thriller and a very fast pacing one.
When i always read a book like that, i usually think who will act the parts or who will direct it if it will become a feature film.

Weekend is almost here, it's amazing how the time flies when you busy, isn't it?

All The Best,
M

War & Peace

2007-03-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

Hi Mic

Sorry not to get back to you quicker. I used to get an email when posts went up on our blog but that didn't happen this time - not sure why.

I spotted the tattoo in the photo during the summer down at Brighton on the south coast of England. It was on somebody watching a basketball match down by the beach. I once heard Jewish people technically aren't allowed tattoos because they deface the body - do you know if that is true? Are tattoos popular in Israel nevertheless?

Purim sounds like fun. Do you have many nephews and nieces? And what is it actually celebrating?

I don't think we have any public holidays coming up until May Day, the first day of May, marking the beginning of Spring.

I know what you mean about addiction - it can be difficult tearing yourself away from these screens. Mind you, if I had sunshine and blue skies outside I'd find it that much easier!

One of my friends, Thomas Gibson, was in Kubrick's last movie (he's an actor) - Eyes Wide Shut. When he came over to London (from New York) to shoot his scenes he was only given the pages with his lines in, not the whole script. And Kubrick took whole days to light scenes so Thomas just had to hang out in his luxury apartment in Mayfair, poor thing. I met Thomas years ago on a lively night out in Madrid when he'd just finished Far and Away, also with Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise - we just hit it off, interested in similar stuff.

Modern Times is pretty much my favourite movie. I'm a huge Chaplin fan. A great artist and a fine human being. Hitler accused him of being a Jew. He said "I don't have that honour". He's a fellow Londoner, from Kennington, just south of the Thames.

Are there any Israeli film-makers you particularly like or that I should look out for? I've got a dvd somewhere called Avanim which i was given - have you seen that? (I watched the beginning ages ago, was enjoying it, but have never got round to finishing it).

I met an Israeli documentary-maker a few months ago over here. His name is David Benchetrit and he showed a film called ‘Dear Father, quiet, we’re shooting’ about conscientious objectors - a pretty radical film. Can't imagine anything like it being made in any Arab country, nor in many Western democracies come to that. Israeli TV helped finance it even though it is pretty anti-establishment.

Have you had to go in the army yet? It's difficult for people from countries like mine to get their heads round the idea of a nation where every individual has to contribute to security by serving compulsorily in the army. I've no idea how I would cope with that. I guess you just get on with it...

Over&out
A

can you see me?

2007-03-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

good evening Arkangel,

I would like to start this post with a recent picture of me, taken before going to work (and eventually missing my bus). I'm very much familiar with the mental adjustment you have mentioned...as a teenager i used to have a big crush on some radio presenter and from hearing his voice i could imagine him to be a very good looking man, then i saw him briefly on the television and it was the end of my infatuation over this guy.

The tatoo in the picture, it's really cool one, is it yours? i always wanted to make one but i'm such a chicken and needles are my worst nightmare.hahaha

Today is Purim holiday; it is very similar to Halloween. Lots of kids dressing up and exchanging sweets, this holiday doesn’t pass the adults, though this year i decided not to dress up as anything, i couldn't think of anything special in particular. My nephew dressed up as Superman with a sword- he loves swords, such a sweet 5 year old kid.

The weekend here is coming to it's end, the weather is rather nice, lots of sun and blue sky. I’ve spent most of the day doing practically nothing but sitting in front of pc all day, it's an addiction.

Yesterday me and a good friend had a long discussion about Stanly Kubrick and his art. Kubrick was one of my favorite directors and I really cherish his contribution to the movie world. I always think he was one of the directors who saw the future so close to him with movies such as Dr. Strangelove and 2001.
He even went further with A Clockwork Orange which you can apply to our world today.It’s amazing how every movie that he made was perfectly combined with music, colors and customs. Every moment, feeling and situation was well made and thought provoking.

I had a chance to catch few movies on DVD and on some movie channels today.
In the morning, Modern Times was on, then I’ve watched the sweet Little Miss Sunshine, this is such adorable movie yet a sad one. I’ve seen a bit From the Departed, Leo Dicaprio & Matt Damon are simply outstanding in it.
I haven’t seen The Wind That Shakes The Barley yet, I’ve seen some of Ken Loach movies over the years but I’m certainly not a fan.
Breakfast On Pluto is a very special and dear movie to me, Cillian was great in it, Neil Jordan did a fantastic job with the script and directing. Simply wonderful.
300 is a movie based on a Frank Miller illustrated novel, you can watch the trailer to it in here.

Music wise, I’m always changing my test, right now I’m into indie rock music but few months ago I was a hippie at heart with Pink Floyd, The Who & Beatles. Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder are 2 more of my favorites.
David Holmes is great, i like his work very much.

Have a nice weekend,
Mic.

Come Get It I Got It

2007-02-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

Evening Mic

Glad we got the gender thing sorted. It's strange how you have to make a mental adjustment, binning the image you had in your head. A bit like when you see a picture of someone you know from hearing on the radio and they don't look anything like you imagined them to (that happened to me earlier this week - saw a photo of a radio soap star and she was chubby when i'd imagined her as really skinny from smoking too many cigarettes).

You must come to London one day - it has a very special energy. The thing to understand about us British are two key characteristics: eccentricity and tolerance. Now the eccentricity derives in part from our mix of Norman refinement and Anglo-Saxon brutality. That's why, for example, the fashion is so cool. You get a beautiful dress (Norman) and down below a pair of DMs (Saxon). That's what marks us out from the rest of the world. They can't do that in Paris, Rome or even New York.

And that brings us neatly to TV and music. A lot of British humour stems from these qualities, including Little Britain, Fawlty Towers, Monty Python. And the same for music, not least Punk which I particularly love. Take The Clash - punk (Saxon brutality) meets reggae (tolerance, openness) in great tracks like 'White Man (in Hammersmith Palais)' and 'Armagiddeon Times'.

I have been to Israel, a couple of years ago. My partner's first cousin (who is Irish and more like her sister, they're so close) married an Israeli. She was on a round the world trip, met her man and never got beyond the Land of Milk and Honey. They live just south of Haifa on the coast. Here's a picture i took in Nazareth on that trip.

Regarding the Oscars, I was pleased Helen Mirren and Forrest Whittaker won the acting awards in British films (Last King of Scotland was financed by FilmFour in London and The Queen by Granada in Manchester). I really enjoyed The Departed, especially Leonardo's performance (i've always thought he was a brilliant actor, ever since What's Eating Gilbert Grape?), and of course it's high time Marty got his Oscar, even though we all know it's actually for Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, etc. Truth to tell, I thought Little Miss Sunshine was by far the best movie of last year and was delighted Alan Arkin picked up a little smooth golden man.

I'm looking forward to the next Bourne thriller directed by Paul Greengrass - I loved Bourne Supremacy. What is 300?

I thought Cillian Murphy was really good in Breakfast on Pluto (and Batman Begins). I wasn't so keen on Wind That Shakes the Barley - I'm not a big Ken Loach fan. Cillian did a good job in another rather crude film.

Music favorites - difficult to know where to begin - i love music. My favourite female singer - Sinead O'Connor, love her last record, Throw Down Your Arms, the reggae one with Sly & Robbie. Favourite records include What's Going On (Marvin Gaye) and Kind of Blue (Miles Davis). Recent stuff i like - David Holmes, Come Get It I Got It and Michael Franti & Spearhead.

Getting late now so better sign off.
Over&out
A

Good morning from sunny Tiberias

2007-02-27T00:36:00.000-08:00

Hi Arkangel,
First to make the record straight let me confirm that I’m a lady (said in the most annoying David Walliams voice)..i am a girl.

I’ve never been in London, it’s one of the cities I most wish to see, I’m very fascinated with British culture, Television wise I really enjoy Little Britain-the craziest funniest show I’ve seen in a while. Musically I think UK is the best source for the greatest music ever made.

I live in Tiberias, I was born and raised in this city, I’m still living here but I’m hoping to move sometimes in the future towards the big city, Tel Aviv. Have you ever been to Israel?
As I wrote in the previous post, I’m working in a real estate agency, I’m not that sure still if this area fits me but I’m open to explore other things then what interest me.

The picture you have posted is very interesting, I’ve always like this sort of art, it a way to express yourself in a different yet noticeable way.

So what did you think about the Oscars this year? I was applauding Martin Scorsese Finally received the Oscar, he is a legend, The Departed looks like a very good movie.
Forest Whitaker did a good job in The Last King of Scotland. Though I was a bit disappointed the Leo Dicaprio didn’t get the award, he is such a talent.

What are the movies you anticipate to see in 2007? To me there are few such as Spiderman 3, Hannibal Rising, 300, and the most important one is Sunshine, I’m waiting for so long for this one to come to the big screen, I’m a big Danny Boyle and Cillian Murphy fan.
Music wise, I’m always looking for new music, right now I’m really enjoy the music of Kasabian, Oasis, Air and Pink Floyd. What are your favorites?

Well that is it for now, I gotta head off to work. I am really happy to be taken part of this blog project, I made so many good friends with people online, one of them I’ll meet soon when I’ll fly to Italy for the first time, in few months.

Regards,
Mic

London Calling

2007-02-26T14:38:00.000-08:00

Shalom Mic
Before i get going i guess i should come clean on one point - i'm not 100% sure if you're of the masculine or feminine persuasion! i once worked in an office where there was an israeli woman called Mici but assume that was short for Michaela or similar, so i'm putting my money on you being a bloke - but please confirm before this goes off the rails!

So i better stick to stuff i do know about - like Me.

When I was a student i studied languages (french & german) which was actually mainly literature. I nearly studied the wrong thing - I was supposed to change to Law after the first year but thank god i never did, life's too short to be a lawyer.

Glad to hear about your new job - hope it goes well for you and you enjoy it.

I think we got paired up on 121 because I'm also really into music & movies.

I've got a few more years under my belt than you and i don't know if i can say for sure whether i've found my purpose in life. But as Jean-Paul Sartre said: you've got to be philosophical about it.

I live in London where i grew up. It's a fabulous city, i still love it after all these years. Often i'll just go out to a part of the city i don't know well with a camera and just wander about, taking photos and exploring the back streets. Have you ever been to London?

The picture up above is one i took recently in Chalk Farm, North London. It's graffiti by a London-based artist called Banksy. I'm currently working on a web project about public art.

I'm going to sign off now as I went to an Oscar night party last night and didn't get home til nearly 4am. It was in a very old cinema called The Electric Cinema in Portbello Road, West London. Mind you what we call very old in London is not quite the same as what you call very old in Tiberias. Joe Strummer walked these streets. Jesus Christ walked those shores (if you believe in all that).

So tell me a bit about where you live. Do you live in the town? And where do you work? Have you always lived there?

Delighted to be sharing this blog with you.

All the best from London town

Brief Introduction

2007-02-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

Hello there, this is my first blog post, i'm kind of excited as i never had a blog before.My name is Michal but you can call me Mici or Mic, it doesn't matter.
I'm 26 years old from Israel. I'm a full time student in a community college , i'm studying medical terminology and office managment. most of my friends think i went study the wrong thing and still think i should "go study something with in the movie production world or computer graphics". I'm currently working part time as a secretary in real estate agency, i only started working there 3 months ago after being unemployed for nearly 2 years. It's a nice job, i'm very happy that right now it goes well.
I'm a very honest, friendly person, As long as i know myself i'm kind of a loner, i never had too much friends, actually i had only 2 friends who i know till this day.
Music and movies are my biggest passions in life, music is probably more, i'm not the greatest singer but i got a wide knowledge on it. Same thing probably can go to movies. Those 2 gave me an escape from life at rough moments, they still do but also provide me Inspiration.
I dream a lot about things i wish to do in life, i still haven't find my purpose in life but i think it's something most people are struggeling to find in any age.

That's all for now....

Sincerely,Mic