Dienstag, Juni 27, 2006
The Day I Came from Angola
Football madness has taken over Hannover. Four games have happened here so far, with one more coming up tonight.
It started with Italy - Ghana. I was not very aware that the game was happening here at all until I saw it on TV. It must have been because I hardly left the house.
The second game was Mexico - Angola. This time I saw the whole madness. In town, three days before the game, I came across a group of 20 Mexicans in full costumes, with violins, having a music battle with a group of Angolans, also in full costumes, with trumpets. And of course many, many supporters behind every side dancing along. And when they were done they danced past one another in two rows and shook hands.
On the actual day of the game I walked through town. I bough a small Angolan flag. I took the free offer from one of our main malls and had my face painted with the Angolan Flag. Many people made comments, I took my picture with some, and some random Mexican TV station interviewed me, half in english, half in spanish. I was with the 5 000 Angolans, as opposed to the 40 000 Mexicans in town that night... :D
Then came Costa Rica - Poland. And with it one ticket that I had bought over the internet from the official page. You had to keep refreshing one page every second until you found a ticket and then be quick enough with word verifications etc, but I managed. Rudy and Manuel came by for the evening. I gave my ticket to Rudy, hoping I'd be able to find another one later. Which proved slightly more difficult, but more on that later. Manuel and me went to see Ecuador - Germany in the Fan Fest, via "public viewing" and saw many many germans be very randomly happy ;) . Rudy enjoyed the game, but had a seat in the polish sector. In fact, nearly all sectors were polish sectors, considering how many were there. When he jumped up and celebrated Costa Rica going in lead 1-0, a polish guy behind him kindly tapped him on the shoulder and gestured him to calm down again ;) .
Then came the last one of the group games in Hannover - Switzerland against South Korea. And for the first time there was actually a lot at stake for both teams, they both wanted to qualify for the next round. I was in town before the game again. The problem this time was that both teams had red as their team colour - so the whole town centre was a big red blob. Most were Swiss, dressed up in interesting ways. I liked the ones with udders on their heads, or with red caveman costumes. And of course the hats with 15 Swiss flags sticking out. But what intrigued me was what football games must be like in South Korea if their fans come to games abroad dressed like this... hmm...
Now tonight Spain is playing France in the knockout round, with everything at stake - and I shall be in the stadium :) . I did manage to get another ticket over ebay, with some luck and a bit extra to pay, and just came back from having it transferred to my name etc. I'll sit block W11, on the top. That is on the opposite side, just next to the left curve, in case they happen to show that area on TV tonight ;) . I am quite excited, but my main problem is that I still don't know whom to cheer for. I (dis)like both teams the same, really. Ah, I'll find something. Pictures and exciting news, should anything exciting happen, will come here afterwards :) .
Ole, ole, allez, allez?
Current Music: Xiu Xiu - Save Me
It started with Italy - Ghana. I was not very aware that the game was happening here at all until I saw it on TV. It must have been because I hardly left the house.
The second game was Mexico - Angola. This time I saw the whole madness. In town, three days before the game, I came across a group of 20 Mexicans in full costumes, with violins, having a music battle with a group of Angolans, also in full costumes, with trumpets. And of course many, many supporters behind every side dancing along. And when they were done they danced past one another in two rows and shook hands.
On the actual day of the game I walked through town. I bough a small Angolan flag. I took the free offer from one of our main malls and had my face painted with the Angolan Flag. Many people made comments, I took my picture with some, and some random Mexican TV station interviewed me, half in english, half in spanish. I was with the 5 000 Angolans, as opposed to the 40 000 Mexicans in town that night... :D
Then came Costa Rica - Poland. And with it one ticket that I had bought over the internet from the official page. You had to keep refreshing one page every second until you found a ticket and then be quick enough with word verifications etc, but I managed. Rudy and Manuel came by for the evening. I gave my ticket to Rudy, hoping I'd be able to find another one later. Which proved slightly more difficult, but more on that later. Manuel and me went to see Ecuador - Germany in the Fan Fest, via "public viewing" and saw many many germans be very randomly happy ;) . Rudy enjoyed the game, but had a seat in the polish sector. In fact, nearly all sectors were polish sectors, considering how many were there. When he jumped up and celebrated Costa Rica going in lead 1-0, a polish guy behind him kindly tapped him on the shoulder and gestured him to calm down again ;) .
Then came the last one of the group games in Hannover - Switzerland against South Korea. And for the first time there was actually a lot at stake for both teams, they both wanted to qualify for the next round. I was in town before the game again. The problem this time was that both teams had red as their team colour - so the whole town centre was a big red blob. Most were Swiss, dressed up in interesting ways. I liked the ones with udders on their heads, or with red caveman costumes. And of course the hats with 15 Swiss flags sticking out. But what intrigued me was what football games must be like in South Korea if their fans come to games abroad dressed like this... hmm...
Now tonight Spain is playing France in the knockout round, with everything at stake - and I shall be in the stadium :) . I did manage to get another ticket over ebay, with some luck and a bit extra to pay, and just came back from having it transferred to my name etc. I'll sit block W11, on the top. That is on the opposite side, just next to the left curve, in case they happen to show that area on TV tonight ;) . I am quite excited, but my main problem is that I still don't know whom to cheer for. I (dis)like both teams the same, really. Ah, I'll find something. Pictures and exciting news, should anything exciting happen, will come here afterwards :) .
Ole, ole, allez, allez?
Current Music: Xiu Xiu - Save Me
Freitag, Juni 16, 2006
The Photograph
To flesh out the previous post a little, a poem I wrote maybe 2-3 years ago now...
The Photograph
Recalling memories,
forming hopes,
A glimpse of the past
to cover the present.
Timeless witness,
quiet victim
of the battle for illusions.
Depicting the obvious
excluding its value.
And making reality
the present enemy.
Current Music: Voxtrot - Raised by Wolves
PS: With this poem, the "her" in "Anna Begins" refers to the past. Sometimes it would be lovely if you could just catch the past in a butterfly net and pin it down in an album - even if it loses all its value in the process. More on photographs later :) .
The Photograph
Recalling memories,
forming hopes,
A glimpse of the past
to cover the present.
Timeless witness,
quiet victim
of the battle for illusions.
Depicting the obvious
excluding its value.
And making reality
the present enemy.
Current Music: Voxtrot - Raised by Wolves
PS: With this poem, the "her" in "Anna Begins" refers to the past. Sometimes it would be lovely if you could just catch the past in a butterfly net and pin it down in an album - even if it loses all its value in the process. More on photographs later :) .
Bird Songs ?
no head, no heart, no hurry, no hate, no fun, no muss, no city, no state,
no card, no kid, no call, no kiss, no book, no bread, no hit, no miss,
no tears, no laugh, no love, no sin, no hand to put my handshake in
no header, no footer, no girl, no boy, no good, no better, no touch, no toy
there is only air
where i used to care
- "Air" by The Owls
But its not all that easy so maybe I should just
Snap her up in a butterfly net-
Pin her down on a photograph album
I am not worried
Ive done this sort of thing before
- "Anna Begins" by The Counting Crows
no card, no kid, no call, no kiss, no book, no bread, no hit, no miss,
no tears, no laugh, no love, no sin, no hand to put my handshake in
no header, no footer, no girl, no boy, no good, no better, no touch, no toy
there is only air
where i used to care
- "Air" by The Owls
But its not all that easy so maybe I should just
Snap her up in a butterfly net-
Pin her down on a photograph album
I am not worried
Ive done this sort of thing before
- "Anna Begins" by The Counting Crows
Current Music: The Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes
Dienstag, Juni 13, 2006
Call me...
... Rüdiger.
Current Music: The Alarmists - Some Things Never Stop
Current Music: The Alarmists - Some Things Never Stop
Dienstag, Juni 06, 2006
Are Mercy's Eyes Really Blue?
I know I should go to bed when I try to clean up my desk, find Christmas cards from St Andys that I took home in winter, and find myself analysing the handwritings to try and remember where else I had seen them. Funnily enough, most people there, if not personally, I communicate with electronically - sad as it is.
Tomorrow will be busy. I will try to get a proper job for the break, arrange for driving lessons, maybe sort out whether I will see any of the World Cup games in a stadium, and arrange for myself to be put through the medical check for the army/civil service. If they want me, I'll have to keep deferring until I am done with university. If they don't want me, I may actually be able to volunteer somewhere in the near future. We will see tomorrow or the day after.
Is it not funny how the statement "Tomorrow answers today's questions" can as such never be true, because neither today nor tomorrow are defined concepts - but just that also makes it universally true...
Or maybe I just really should go to bed. :)
Current Music: The Shins - Saint Simon
I'm trying hard not to pretend
Allow myself no mock defense
Step into the night
Allow myself no mock defense
Step into the night
Tomorrow will be busy. I will try to get a proper job for the break, arrange for driving lessons, maybe sort out whether I will see any of the World Cup games in a stadium, and arrange for myself to be put through the medical check for the army/civil service. If they want me, I'll have to keep deferring until I am done with university. If they don't want me, I may actually be able to volunteer somewhere in the near future. We will see tomorrow or the day after.
Is it not funny how the statement "Tomorrow answers today's questions" can as such never be true, because neither today nor tomorrow are defined concepts - but just that also makes it universally true...
Or maybe I just really should go to bed. :)
Current Music: The Shins - Saint Simon
Samstag, Juni 03, 2006
Because it is the World Cup soon...
Current Music: Asobi Seksu - I'm Happy But You Don't Like Me
Freitag, Juni 02, 2006
Don't You / Go Thinking / Such a Thing / Such a Thing
Pre-script: This post is more a mental rambling to myself. I'll keep it here because I think some of us feel the same sometimes, and I know that personally I find it interesting to read when other people write about it. There's no deeper meaning to it, though ;) .
Oh no. I am in this mood. I am listening to the Field Mice, after an intensely long session of a computer game online while soft Underworld Techno freed my mind, and I long for someone to share this moment with me. It is nice and quiet here, apart from that very soft, slightly romantic, very intense and slightly melancholic music. Kind of dark in my room, the only light is my desk lamp. But with this music, I long for the security that I never had in St Andrews and which I missed so much. To have a few moments alone with one other person, somewhere where you feel comfortable/"home", and then to have a nice atmosphere and feel as if you can give yourself to that person in that moment, as if you could entrust that person with the responsibility to watch over your life, so you could take it off your own shoulders for a minute. In fact, if you died just then, it wouldn't matter, for nothing does in that moment, except the moment itself. A little Murakami-esque, as in "South of the Border, West of the Sun", when dying with someone you can devote yourself to is considered to be the highest pleasure by one of the characters. It is not easy to find the people who touch a life this strongly, but we all have them. Maybe, on a much more physical level, I just long to touch somebody for a bit. As ridiculous as it sounds, touching somebody is a sign of closeness to them, even if it is just a hand on a shoulder. I long to put my arms around somebody, no matter the age or gender, but to know that that person appreciates it and the person holding him/her.
In St Andys, I was sometimes alone in the room, but only very rarely alone and knowing that nobody could come in - and never knowing that nobody might want to come in. Then there were very few people whom I would trust that much. And even then, I never had the chance to make it a moment.
Right now there is a moment. The people whom I would want to share it with cannot be here. So instead I share it with - my blog. Joy.
I better be off to sleep now, before I'll waste another night to waste another day catching up on sleep. Sunday I'll be gone for the day. Next weekend I will be in Berlin, hopefully. If anybody is coming by Hannover this summer, do let me know. If anyone is in Germany, for that matter, let me know - after my travels this year this country seems hardly as big as it used to... ;) .
Current Music: The Field Mice - Willow
Oh no. I am in this mood. I am listening to the Field Mice, after an intensely long session of a computer game online while soft Underworld Techno freed my mind, and I long for someone to share this moment with me. It is nice and quiet here, apart from that very soft, slightly romantic, very intense and slightly melancholic music. Kind of dark in my room, the only light is my desk lamp. But with this music, I long for the security that I never had in St Andrews and which I missed so much. To have a few moments alone with one other person, somewhere where you feel comfortable/"home", and then to have a nice atmosphere and feel as if you can give yourself to that person in that moment, as if you could entrust that person with the responsibility to watch over your life, so you could take it off your own shoulders for a minute. In fact, if you died just then, it wouldn't matter, for nothing does in that moment, except the moment itself. A little Murakami-esque, as in "South of the Border, West of the Sun", when dying with someone you can devote yourself to is considered to be the highest pleasure by one of the characters. It is not easy to find the people who touch a life this strongly, but we all have them. Maybe, on a much more physical level, I just long to touch somebody for a bit. As ridiculous as it sounds, touching somebody is a sign of closeness to them, even if it is just a hand on a shoulder. I long to put my arms around somebody, no matter the age or gender, but to know that that person appreciates it and the person holding him/her.
In St Andys, I was sometimes alone in the room, but only very rarely alone and knowing that nobody could come in - and never knowing that nobody might want to come in. Then there were very few people whom I would trust that much. And even then, I never had the chance to make it a moment.
Right now there is a moment. The people whom I would want to share it with cannot be here. So instead I share it with - my blog. Joy.
I better be off to sleep now, before I'll waste another night to waste another day catching up on sleep. Sunday I'll be gone for the day. Next weekend I will be in Berlin, hopefully. If anybody is coming by Hannover this summer, do let me know. If anyone is in Germany, for that matter, let me know - after my travels this year this country seems hardly as big as it used to... ;) .
Current Music: The Field Mice - Willow
