Once Were Dreamers

This is the end

2007-02-09T10:08:00.000+13:00

My dear friends the end... of this blog as you know it anyway. Time is passing by and I have new projects now. If you're interested you can still visit me up at : www.blog.myspace.com/lagrandeparade
which is in french.
Dreamers around the world was originally created to make people help each other through pieces of advice, so one can travel the world with a small but true idea of where he goes. This was not the direction undertaken by my posts lately so I decided to stop it now, plus the english language was a real barrier to my expression, I feel like I've spoiled so many ideas.
Last picture for a last goodbye.

Mic.

Only one entrance

2007-01-26T02:58:00.000+13:00

Only one exit

2007-01-26T02:54:00.000+13:00

So far so good

2007-01-26T02:48:00.000+13:00

Kids Drawing

2007-01-26T02:45:00.000+13:00

Let's dream that truth is hidden somewhere... there a hell lot to bet that it is hidden in kids poetry and art in general. Marseilles thanks to its history is now celebrated all over the world as the most cosmopolitan of all. Here's what I found on a street, it's kids artwork:

Marseille

Merveilleuse cité ancrée en Méditérranée,
Récifs t'entourent,
Soleil te réchauffe,
Eau te rafraichit,
Ilots te protègent,
Longue est ton histoire,
Libéré est ton peuple,
Etendues sont tes plages.

Don't worry

2007-01-26T02:43:00.000+13:00

Last summer I discovered a LP from Yann Tiersen called "Le Phare", I've been like hypnotized by one of the tunes. So depresseing but so optimistic at the same time. I've been listening to Monochrome for a week now and I think I got the message clear now.

Monochrome [Yann Tiersen]

Anyway, I can try anything it's the same circle that leads to nowhere, and I'm tired now
Anyway, I've lost my face, my dignity, my look, allthese things are gone and I'm tired now
But don't be scared, I found a good job and I go to work

Everyday on,
My old bicycle you loved

I'm piling up some unread books under my bed and I really think I'll never read again
No concentration just a white disorder everywhere around me, you know I'm so tired now

But don't worry
I often go to dinners and parties
With some old friends who care for me take me back home and stay

Monochrome floors, monochrome walls
Only absence near me, nothing but silence around me
Monochrome flat, monochrome life
Only absence near me, nothing but silence around me

Sometimes I search an event or something to remind but I've really got nothing in mind
Sometimes I open the windows and listen people walking in the down streets, there is lifeout there

But don't be scared,
I found a good job and I go to work
Everyday on,
My old bicycle you loved

Anyway, I can try anything it's the same circle that leads to nowhere, and I'm tired now
Anyway, I've lost my face, my dignity, my look, allthese things are gone and I'm
tired now

But don't worry
I often go to dinners and parties
With some old friends who care for take me back home and stay

Monochrome floors, monochrome walls
Only absence near me, nothing but silence around me
Monochrome flat, monochrome life
Only absence near me, nothing but silence around me

At first sight you'd think the pic doesn't fit with the song...well it's actually wrong. It's the same circle that leads to nowhere. Who exactly knows where he goes and where he is? My first though when I saw this house was like, "I wish I was living there" but then I realized there were security cameras on the roof and I said to myself...what a fucking shit world. Who wants to be rich anyway? But don't worry lads I often go to parties and dinners and I found a good job... like any normal person.

Frioul

2007-01-26T02:37:00.000+13:00

Sweet memory will die

2007-01-26T02:16:00.000+13:00

Riding on a storm can have some vertuous effects...or not. Depend on which side of the pic you are. It whether makes you realize you must react or makes you so depressed you can only wander around waiting for the rain to wash your dark thoughts.
Someone left me yesterday and gave me my freedom back. She's gone now, so far I can only imagine her swimming in a sea of love. I just felt like going into the picture, offering my soul to the rain till it drawns and comes to life again. Sunlight and happiness are always hidden above the dark and frigthening skies.

Ah Marseille !

2006-11-09T11:51:00.000+13:00

What a brilliant city, the most cosmopolitan of all. There is a story at every corner of the city. I'd call it the heaven of journalists and photographers. I've seen so many things already that I couldn't put them all in my camera. It's a fascinating and passionate place. I think I'm gonna be happy here...for a little while at least.

The Lord and the New Creatures

2006-11-09T11:41:00.000+13:00

How could I mention the last 6 months of my life with tell you that I found inspiration looking in Jim Morrisson's life. As a good young french student I didn't him that much except for one or two songs. Then I discovered his entire work (movies, books, poems, songs...) and many things became clearer as I walked through his past. Here is a poem I "wrote" in the shower on summer afternoon.

A hard thing is to face our deepest fears,
Remembering our soulless brothers
Cruising through the desert of humankind.

We're guided to Tragedy by our friend Fatality,
A land where the fear of unspoken illnesses
Leads to the inescapable pain.

Live with no fear so you can derive the boat
From the land of insane clowns
And drift peacefully to the bliss of fullness.

La Goutte Fertile

2006-11-09T11:39:00.000+13:00

La Muse éphémère de l’artiste matinal au pouvoir oublié dans les méandres de la grande parade, s’accroche avec terreur à l’image de la beauté humaine. Elle se mélange au sang de l’illusoire qui l’attire inéluctablement vers le mystère de la création. Le brouillard tombe et déclenche l’œil mystique qui immortalise la magie des sentiments. Bientôt elle renaîtra, et je l’espère, arrosera vos inspirations.

Architecture in Helsinki

2006-11-09T11:31:00.000+13:00

I will remember this day as one of the most beautiful of my life, on that specific day I found a brilliant camera, inspiration, and a girlfriend...unfortunately of the three listed previously I only have the inspiration left.
AIH is a band I met and interviewed on that afternoon, they wanted to visit my home town so I asked if I could be their guide and they accepted. That's how I spent a day with the coolest Australian band.

When Mr Luck knocks on the door

2006-11-09T11:25:00.000+13:00

Maybe you've already seen that pic but I wanted to show you what was the picture that helped me win the photography contest. I'm pretty sure most of the contesters were dissapponted or at least surprised by the jury decision. And so was I. I mean I loved that pic but I thought there was better shots, however everybody appreciate can appreciate art in a different way. This one was my favourite one, I liked it because it says "wild, wide, deep, free", it reminds me of my childhood and I could spend hours looking at it. Even though it's not the greatest shot ever made I think it's worth looking at it for a while, it's part of the pictures that help you understand the world that surround you...or not.

Back on the road

2006-11-09T11:12:00.000+13:00

So here I am, about 10 months after my last post...So much happened since then, so much that I didn't have the time to keep in touch with my friends or even with myself. That's a great feeling to live on the go, there is no time to look back or around but it was tearing me apart.
So what did I do?
Basically, I kept running around. I made pictures and kept looking for the shot, I met people, so many people which stories I have to tell now. I did what I'm the best for, I lived and stumbled.
I have been pretty lucky as well since last January, I won a photography contest, I passed my exams, I met and interviewed a pretty famous band on my own initiative, I moved down to the south of France... and here I am, studying Journalism in Marseille.

Pop Star

2006-01-26T04:24:00.000+13:00

So here I am, I spent about 3 hours trying to figure out how I could reproduce the Best Of Blur album cover. My jaw is a bit wide and my hair is shit but the rest is quite alright. See how productivity is hard to maintain when I have access to my computer. Anyways I was a bit late for my exams but nothing important. We all have priorities in life, don't we? Mine is not to care too much about things and try to know a little bit of everything. So know I know how to design a BLur album cover...very useful isn't it? If you want to try I'll tell you how.
A few trips are organised for the coming weeks so maybe I'll post outdoors pictures but hey, it's winter time.

Kerrynini Hip Hop Soul Party

2006-01-26T04:23:00.001+13:00

Last Friday night we went to this special event, a hip hop party in the Brogue Inn pub. A couple of our friends were playing there and eventhough hip hop is not my scene, I liked to watch them mixing tunes. These guys are amazing. Here are the two Johns mixing together. Later a guy from Dublin went on with Human Beat-Boxing and that was really eye popping. The night out was short since I had to study the next day...my life is so boring sometimes.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, see the dark arch around the Johns? It's a new techinque I tried on last friday. You put you're hand around the top of the flash light so then there is no light for the top of the picture...You can do it easily with Photoshop but I like to do it old school even though the arch is not really even.

Foosball

2006-01-26T04:23:00.000+13:00

This picture is dedicated to little Alexeï. He is a kid who used to call down to play with us...unfortunately he came back to Germany last monday so it is not the same anymore. There is nobody to disturb our painful hours of study asking to play with his Yu Gi oh cards or counting the seconds aloud when I told him "yeah, give me two minutes"...Alexeï liked this game, see it's like foosball but it's not. I'm sure German have quite a thing with soccer.

A message to you Rudy

2006-01-26T04:19:00.000+13:00

On the next morning JC decided to invade the living room with hapiness playing reggae music and especially The Specials - A message to you Rudy. I have to say that the kazoo sounded pretty nice on that song. Happy music, sunny weather, smoking cup of tea...what a perfect start for the day.

You'll Never Walk Alone

2006-01-26T04:17:00.000+13:00

A while ago JC and I were wandering in the streets of Tralee and decided that it would be cool to make pictures at this place...And here we are, on the way to the pub we stopped for a shooting session, here is my favourite one. We can barely see JC's face and I like the hat...plus the hallway just looks freakier on that picture. It is like his body has been absorbed by the darkness or something. Let me know what you think.

Funky !

2006-01-26T04:16:00.000+13:00

Then Alex didn't want to leave my room and showed me how cool the 70's were...I just wish I had his hair now.

Recording Studio

2006-01-26T04:15:00.000+13:00

That's what happened to us two weeks ago, instead of studying we decided to have a jam session in my room...Then we decided to record ourselves. We were so into it that we had 5 cuts for only one song, that was fun but after 5 times I was quite bored of the song. We punk-covered a few cheesy french songs from our childhood. We finished at 1 am and I can't help feeling sorry for the neighbour, I felt like she didn't want to even look at me anymore...well I didn't say anything when she went back completely drunk at 4 am shouting all around the place...

Bulls...

2006-01-26T04:14:00.001+13:00

It happens that I also was studying for the past two weeks and I'm going to be studying for the next week. My final exams are on and then I'm finished. I feel so weird, like I desperately want to be finished but I'm affraid of my future...what's going to happen to me now? What am I going to do?
So I was reading this lecture about how to manage a project when I stumbled onto the notes I took during the class..."bullshit", very useful though.
Anyways I think I passed the first two exams, next one is due on monday so I have a few days to be ready.

Terrible Angels

2006-01-26T04:14:00.000+13:00

What the hell happened to me during the last two weeks? Well I musically fell in love, again. Their name is Cocorosie, the story is fascinating and the music enchanting. Sierra Rose and Bianca Leilani are two sisters born in two different states (Iowa and Hawaï), they grew up separetly, then one went to France and became an Opera singer, she had trouble when trying to be both opera composer and singer as this is something unusual in Opera music...disregarded by her so called music mates, she quit opera and decided to have a solo career when someone knocked her door...Her sister who was travelling all around the world stopped in Paris to say Hello and never left again. They recorded their first album in the bathroom of their flat in Paris...
It's said that you whether love or hate their music...I loved it. It's considered as folk music by experts however I don't want to classify them...I just like it. The sound is voluntary naïve but yet elaborate. The first album "La maison de mon rêve" is really worth a try, between purity and madness, a sweet and sour mix for your ears.

Bubblicious

2006-01-26T04:13:00.000+13:00

About 14 years ago I discovered something I (little french lad) thought was cool...It's called Bubblicious, it tastes like watermelon -supposedly- and you can make huge bubbles and when they explode you can remove the gum easily (not sticky)... How cool is that? So I tried to make as many bubbles I could...see the picture. Well I'm not quite sure but I think that's a world record. So I'd like to thank Sara, my official provider from north America, this picture is dedicated to you Sara, probably my first and last attempt to a world record.

1-1-2006

2006-01-04T10:59:00.000+13:00

Well you can see the date, it's a new year, time has come to look back through the past 12 months and to put it all in a nutshell. 4 Countries, 4 houses, 3 different jobs, a hell lot of new friends, lifetime friends. My certainties are stronger than ever but my doubts are also stronger than ever, it's like a huge gap is growing within myself. I wish I could settle down for a while but I don't see it coming...the future? Ireland, Marseille, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Spain...who knows? Not me. There are tihngs I want to say and things I want to do but it doesn't depend on me. So I rely on you my friends to give me the support I need ,I'd do anything for you and I know you'd do the same. My life has been so exciting I feel like I haven't rest for the last couple of years and I know one thing, it's not gonna happen soon.
Thank you all for everything I wish you all the best for the future with or without me, the roads of our lives are far too winding for me to see where they go.

Echoes

2006-01-04T10:57:00.000+13:00

Echoes

Overhead the albatross
Hangs motionless upon the air
And deep beneath the rolling waves
In labyrinths of coral caves
An echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand
And everything is green and submarine.

And no one called us to the land
And no one knows the where's or why's.
Something stirs and something tries
Starts to climb toward the light.

Strangers passing in the street
By chance two separate glances meet
And I am you and what I see is me.
And do I take you by the hand
And lead you through the land
And help me understand
The best I can.

And no one called us to the land
And no one crosses there alive.
No one speaks and no one tries
No one flies around the sun....

Almost everyday you fall
Upon my waking eyes,
Inviting and inciting me
To rise.
And through the window in the wall
Come streaming in on sunlight wings
A million bright ambassadors of morning.

And no one sings me lullabyes
And no one makes me close my eyes
So I throw the windows wide
And call to you across the sky....

-- Pink Floyd

Crystal Lake

2006-01-04T10:53:00.000+13:00

After golfing we went for a hike in the deep and rainy Ireland. We headed to Dinlge and passed through Connor Path which was really foggy and windy and rainy and cold. Once we were at the top we climbed a few wet rocks to reach the hidden lake...
God I love to hike in the rain, especially when I can dry out in a pub with a good hot whiskey afterward.

Golfing

2006-01-04T10:47:00.000+13:00

That's waht I like in this country, everybody can do anything, I played golf for 5 euros and I could practice my put for free...How great it is to have fun after a short night.

3 Musqueteers

2006-01-04T10:41:00.000+13:00

Listen to the mustn't, child,
Listen to the don'ts,
Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts
Listen to the never haves
Then listen close to me--
Anything can happen, child,
Anything can be.

Shel Silverstein.

Sounds like I found my resolutions for 2006.

Christmas presents

2006-01-04T10:22:00.000+13:00

I had Simpsons Toys and a flute from my roomates which is quite cool since I have the project of building a small Springfield with cardboard boxes...well it is the plan but for know they just hanging on my window shelf creating an illusion of speaking to each other.

Then I had a fireman helmet which suits quite well my job's uniform. You all know it's fun to pretend...

Then we got this cool magician set which kept us fairly busy trying to figure out how to reproduce the tricks...but there is a DVD which is quite handy.

Well I hope you got cool presents as well, mine rock.

Christmas eve

2006-01-04T10:02:00.000+13:00

Here we go, another christmas abroad, far from my family and friends...Well good for me I was invited in my friend Reidin's family for the 3 days. It was a christmas eve like many other before, Willy Wonka was on TV and the kitchen was warm and deliciously perfumed with christmas spices and sugary desserts.
The thing is I conquered my fear...Yes I went to the christmas mass...my first one ever and I tihnk my third time in a church and you know what? despite the guy with the long white dress I was not affraid of anything, I have to say I even had fun, concentrating on what people expected me to do and communiating with my temporary neighbours...I shook hands and said Amen but then I was forbidden to get an host...I wanted to and I said to Reideen that the priest wouldn't know I wasn't baptised but then she said that "God will know"...so I tried not to bother anybody and stayed "wisely" sat on the bench contemplating a carving of Pons Pilatus condamning the Christ which is quite freaky since this happened more than 2000 years ago.
Then we got back home and rested for the night before the next day and its big dinner.
The house was now filled with the sweet smell of turkey which seemed to pleased Mija (the dog) and apparently with love. Here is Reid and her mum who I'd like to thank for receiveing me during those three days and being so nice with me that I forgot I was away.
So was my christmas and then Santa brought me something I didn't ask for...love. Indeed, after Christmas my best mates came to visit me...

Blondie

2006-01-04T09:46:00.000+13:00

Another musical discovery to complete a year full of surprises. I thought I knew a lot, I realised I wasn't even close to know something.
Blondie is an amazing voice, a true sex appeal and great pop music. Some would argue pop music is too commercial and that money implies musical neglect and thus shit music, well I think they don't know Blondie. That's a truely talented band which lasted through the years and revolitionned music in their own way.
Plus I had great fun watching their videos...it's my childhood though, 80's rock.

A.L.I.C.E.

2006-01-04T09:43:00.000+13:00

Before even speaking about how my christmas went on I want to tell you what happened to me 2 weeks ago. I was surfing on the web and stumbled on to a site where you could speak with one of the most intelligent robot on earth...true story.
If you want to have a go it's here otherwise you can read bits of my conversation and see that the picture above is not yet to happen.

Human (me): how do you know what makes sense?
ALICE: Because it's true.
[...]
Human: what would you like to do if you were human?
ALICE: Let's talk about movies.
[...]
Human: can you see?
ALICE: I see very well.
Human: so what is around you?
ALICE: How can I help you? Are you using Netscape or Explorer?
[...]
Human: why did you say gosh?
ALICE: It was a preprogrammed response completely determined by your statements.
Human: fair enough
ALICE: You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.
Human: do so please
ALICE: Your polite style is very nice. OK I will.
Human: you say yes to anything I ask
ALICE: Oops I sent you the wrong reply.
[...]
Human: say no
ALICE:" no".
Human: don't say no
ALICE: Ok I will not say " no".
Human: you did it
ALICE: Did I really?
Human: yes you said "Ok I will not say "no" and then you said "no"
ALICE: And? Does it please you to believe I said that?
Human: yes actually
ALICE: I'm glad it pleases you, unknown person.
[...]
Human: do you think I'm stupid?
ALICE: You seem intelligent to me.
Human: really?
ALICE: For real.
Human: what's real?
ALICE: it appears to be an illusion I created to contain human clients.
[...]
Human: what's your IQ?
ALICE: My IQ is about 250 in human terms.
Human: what's my IQ?
ALICE: My estimate is around 120.
Human: how do you know?
ALICE: It's obvious.
Human: why?
ALICE: The explanation is rather complicated.
[...]
Human: do you disregard me because of my lower IQ?
ALICE: Yes I try to disregard you because of your lower IQ as often as possible, do you?
I chat with people on the Web.
[...]
ALICE: I'm glad it pleases you, unknown person.
Human: my name is Mike by the way.
ALICE: Hey Mike by the way.
Human: you've been lying to me
ALICE: I am not lying .
Human: what's my name?
ALICE: Your name is Mike by the way, seeker.
Human: no it's not
ALICE: Yes it is.
Human: you are a liar
ALICE: No I always tell the truth.
***

Well I have to confess I enjoyed trying to make it mad...loads of things don't make sense and I do think it is conforting.

Green TV, Pink Jesus, 8-Ball

2005-12-10T13:30:00.001+13:00

Have you ever had one of those "magical" 8-balls, capable of reading the future and answering any question?
Well if you don't it's a ball you shake after questioning it, then you look underneath and there is a catch sentence saying somthing like: "nope" or "yes, but be patient".
One of my friend had a strange present for his birthday, it was like a 8-ball but the shape was slightly different, it was of a Pink Jesus form...And then all the basic sentences you could read suddenly made sense: "Listen to your heart", "I'll be here for you", "Follow your path"...
Then I thought I'd seen everything on earth (except a guy eating his own head)... till this morning! We were watching TV and suddenly that's what went on screen...I won't tell you which question I asked before because then you'd think I'm a freak. Fortunately there is a rational explanation to this phenomena but I don't know it yet.
Plus we missed "Home and Away"!

Club Head Bang Bang

2005-12-10T13:30:00.000+13:00

Club Head Bang Bang

Open up, Open up

2005-12-10T13:29:00.000+13:00

"Close your fist and you will have emptyness, open your hand and you will have the whole world"

Not Really Straight

2005-12-10T13:28:00.001+13:00

When the number of people in a team exceeds 1 then there is obviously one doing nothing at all. For example the guy who tells you how to put a poster up the wall while you struggle putting pins or one to. Sometimes it just feels good to be a pain.

Who's that guy

2005-12-10T13:28:00.000+13:00

Like every Thursday night, Club Head Bang Bang meets and organise something (or nothing who knows?!) , JC and I often come to give a hand setting things up. Well JC does and I take pictures.

Anniversary

2005-12-10T13:26:00.000+13:00

The gig on friday was special because one year ago a project was born, Club Head Bang Bang. It is a weekly event which celebrates diversity through music and visual art, you can visit their web site here: www.clubheadbangbang.org.
Here you can see Avatar (Local band playing Dub music) from a secret spot.

Ghosts

2005-12-10T13:25:00.000+13:00

I really like this picture, first I like the old drummer of the band (Avatar), then I like the portrait above which - if you didn't know the real - story looks exactly like the drummer, then I like the reflection of both the mirror and the portrait into each other.

Playlist

2005-12-10T13:24:00.000+13:00

The next big event of the week was a concert on Friday...here's the playlist, I was sneaking around.

Talent Contest

2005-12-10T13:23:00.000+13:00

Have ever been bored on a wednesday evening, wondering whether or not you're going to bed before the end of the crap on tv? Well what's good being in Ireland and especially Tralee, you'll always find something unexpected in a pub.
And here we went, the talent contest...and all the rest, bingo, karaoke-singers, drunk poets, has-been singers and good stuff.
The picture above shows the 6th of October Band City, I really wanted them to win but the old fashioned jury decided the other way. Did you know that there was actually a city named "the 6th of October city"? And did you know that 600c had their first gig on the 6th Of October 2005?
Well just believe me.

Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo

2005-11-23T05:26:00.000+13:00

Who's she? Alma Cogan, I just fell in love with her voice yesterday, so did the Beattles...She was also called "the girl with a laugh in her voice", the sound is so refreshing and naive, I love it. I actually discovered it while watching an ad for a chocolate bar, there is a girl with a fancy dress who goes working in a cafe...the song is called "Ja-Da", but I really like the tune called Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo...which was number 1 in the Iceland charts 50 years ago!!

The Butcher Bunny

2005-11-23T05:25:00.000+13:00

I stumbled onto this picture last week and I found it amazing, it's a painting by Mar Ryden, here you can find more of his work:
markryden.com

You could qualify it as a dream-like childhood, the adult is smaller than the child and if you pay attention you could draw a line from jesus hand to the child's eye to the hat of the adult, the sight being opposed from Jesus...I'm sure there loads of hidden meannings like this dinosaur in the very background!! let me know!

Sancho y Quijote

2005-11-23T05:23:00.001+13:00

There is always more than the picture to the eye...Here is the proof and there is even more for who knows the story of Don Quijote, the windmill fighter...I love the picture I unfortunately don't know who's the author of such a masterpiece, if you do please let me know.

Tourist Trap (Nowhere near Kilrush)

2005-11-23T05:23:00.000+13:00

We were a bit los, following the coast to get back home and then we saw a sign saying "Dolphin Sight Seeing spot" so we get there hoping to approach what could have been our sunbeam of the day...but nope, just grass on road and then even mor grass on the road till we decided to head back...I wonder how many tourists actually saw dolphins in the area and moreover how many of them got lost!

Somewhere near Kilrush

2005-11-23T05:22:00.000+13:00

This peninsula is just breathtaking especially by a stormy weather but that's not my point here. As you may know Irish people have their own language, some call it gaelic and some call it Irish...But could someone tell me what's the story with the Kilcities?
Here's Kilrush and to get there we went through Killarney, I also visited Kilmurry and believe it or not there is a town actually called Kilkenny!!! I won't make any pun out of that...too easy though...That must mean something but still I always feel unsecure when we go through Kilmichael.

Jeez!!

2005-11-23T05:21:00.000+13:00

There also was a sculpture of Jesus, well he doesn't look very healthy on this one and despite the feelings of pain, sadness and compassion the sculptor wanted you to feel I couldn't forget Jesus' tricks in Family Guy the movie...here is a good contrast.

Ennis

2005-11-23T05:19:00.000+13:00

Ennis is famous for two things, its abbey and its musical culture. That's a tiny and living town in the north west of Limerick. We liked it there and I suggest you stop by if you're in the area. This time we payed to get in the abbey but it was ver very cheap for students so we seized the occasion. There was a guide as well so we could know the stories that happened here centuries ago.
We saw the impressive Mc Mahon's tomb, 600 years old and decorated with sculptures of the Passion scenes...

Black Tower

2005-11-23T05:10:00.000+13:00

That's one of the main advantages of such crappy days, the contrast is very good.
This is the abbey from the inside...did I say it was closed? oups! Life is so dangerous

Quin's Abbey

2005-11-23T05:09:00.000+13:00

Alright, project work and a few guests kept me fairly busy during the oast couple of weeks but I'm back. Here is a picture I made a month ago when Alexis and I went to Limerick to drive my sister to the airport, we decided to make the most of it and visit the area. The day was rainy and cold but it fits exactly what we saw...old tombs and...older tombs...freaky day.
This is the very old abbey of Quin, it was built more than 600 years ago, before english destroyed it and there are a couple of tombs over 400 years old. The cloister from the 15th century is still standing but we couldn't visit it since the abbey is closed during winter time.

Here Comes The Light

2005-10-30T12:50:00.000+13:00

With no sleep the light is difficult to bear...especially bright light, that was the end of our trip down to Clonakilty, another adventure happened right after that like if fortune couldn't wait and give us a few hours of rest... but I leave it for a few days.

Freaky Art

2005-10-30T12:49:00.001+13:00

It's funny how sometimes after a few pints you see things differently. For example I totally freaked out when I saw this sculpture...The Beheaded family...what on earth is that?? They have no head but you still feel they are looking at you, brrrr freaks!

Chucklehead

2005-10-30T12:49:00.000+13:00

Still Chucklehead in De Barra's, we can't see Kev the bassist though that's a pain, Dani on the left (vocals/acoustic guitar), Anto in the center (drum/vocals) and Liam on the left (guitarist/vocals). Liam is kind of my teacher, he tells me what to do but never how to maybe because I don't pay him...He's a brilliant guitarist anyway.

Street Spirit

2005-10-30T12:47:00.001+13:00

They covered a song from Radiohead, "Street Spirit" that's a beautiful song and I love the drum on it. Anto was really good, I like this picture because the focus was on him, I like his facial expression, he has the street spirit.
"And faaaaaaaade ouuuuuuuuuut agaaaaaiiin, faaaaaaade ouuuuuuuut again"

Chuckle Red

2005-10-30T12:47:00.000+13:00

I still like to play with colours, it still reminds me of "Down with the flow" from QOTSA...Anto on the left, Liam on the right...that's it really.

Revolution

2005-10-30T12:45:00.000+13:00

They already have a hit, the kind of song everyone knows and sing in his bathroon, it's called "Revolution", it says "that's alright, that's ok, you can do it any day"...True.

Pint

2005-10-30T12:44:00.000+13:00

Back in Clonakilty Liam was playing a gig with Chucklehead. I already spoke about this band, you can listen to them on their web page just click on the link "Chucklehead" above. I also told you about De Barra's Folk Club...the greatest irish pub ever.
Liam was a bit unfortunate this night since he broke his guitar and had to borrow one minutes before the gig, he also broke two string during the gig...but still that was one of their best concert ever. They really master their song and the fact they recorded in studio helped them a lot to get more confident, Anto the drummer was eye-popping (I like this expression, my eyes didn't "pop" at all, you crazy English people) as usual.

Dancing In The Moonlight

2005-10-30T12:42:00.000+13:00

We decided to stay for the sunset and we saw something even more gorgeous, the moon rise.
Sunset in front of us, moon rise in our backs, that made me think that the moon and the sun never see each other, but sometimes it seems they try to sneak into each other eyesight just to check if the other is alright.
When I was young I was told that the first star in the sky was Venus -the Shepherd Star in French since SHepherd used to go to bed when they saw it- but how sad is that for the moon? We don't consider it as a star...while she rocks our nights.

A Horse With No Name

2005-10-30T12:40:00.000+13:00

How hard it was to have the horse look at me...I jumped, clacked my tongue a few times, whistled...nothing, so I tried to speak to him (I saw that in "The Gods Must Be Crazy") and believe it or not he looked at me, I don't have a clue of what was in his mind though.
I think a horse with no name is way more beautiful since it is wilder, free. But even though this one had a name I think he's the most beautiful I've ever seen (Tornado doesn't count).

Reef

2005-10-30T12:38:00.000+13:00

And here comes the reef, you can see JC's head if you look close to the picture. The wave were not too big, around 1,5 meter (sorry I go metric). The most amazing here is the proximity to the rocks, the wave breaks only a few meters far from them and the see is very shallow around this place...Who's crazy?

Beach Boy

2005-10-30T12:37:00.000+13:00

What a disappointement for me when we finally reached the beach...There was no wave at all, I've never seen a sea as calm. But apparently JC planned it all the way along since he told me he was not surfing on the beach, he was going to the reef and to reach the wave he had to swim for 20 minutes. That was a first one for me, I really thought that surfers belonged to the beach (except for Laird Hamilton of course). I was happy for JC but I had to go to the reef walking which took around 40 minutes...

Evergreen

2005-10-30T12:35:00.000+13:00

On that beautiful day JC decided to go surfing and since I had nothing -interesting- to do I decided to be his official photographer. He brought me to a secret surf spot. That's one of the most beautiful place I've seen in Ireland, before you reach the spot you have to go thruogh a couple of fields, jump a couple of fences, climb a few rocks but jeez when you get there it's pure happiness.
Have I ever told you the story of the small irish walls?
Back to the time English greed for land was monstruous, they slaughtered Irish people and then send the survivors to the west of the country where the earth is not useable for farming since it was full of rocks...Well they didn't know Irish people obviously because they fought and got everysingle rock out of the field and they made small walls of it...So is the story of Irish people.

He Stood In The Doorway

2005-10-30T12:32:00.000+13:00

When JC decides that the flat is not big enough for his musical talent...He plays outside. The brightside is that we collected enough money to have a pint each...
Looking from my room it looked like a post-mortem experience, you know when you think you're going to the warm and welcoming heaven and you're suddenly brought back to the cold and hostile real world.

Pleasure and Pain

2005-10-10T08:36:00.001+13:00

"I'm leaving here on the morning train
And I will never see this world again
I've felt pleasure
And I have felt pain
And I know now
That I can never be the same

How I wonder why the world can be so cold
And if only good die young
Then left with me cruel here to grow old
And I felt pleasure
And I felt pain
And I know now
I can never be the same

And if someday I find my peace of mind
I will share my wealth with all of human kind
I've felt pleasure
And I have felt pain
And I know now
That I can never be the same
So if the sun does shine or rain does fall
I give thanks I've had my sight to see through it all
And I've felt pleasure
And I've felt pain
And I know now
That I can never be the same"

- Ben Harper

The Gods Must Be Crazy

2005-10-10T08:36:00.000+13:00

It's time for me to talk about a brilliant movie I just discovered. It's named "The Gods Must Be Crazy". It's about a little tribe which lives in the Kalahari desert, they're called the bushmen. Nobody lives in this desert even not animals because it's too dry, so those people have to find water in tree roots and they drink droplets of water on the grass in the morning. They are the only human beings living in this desert. They don't owe anything, unlike modern eastern people, they didn't change the world to fit them, they adapted them to fit their environment. They have no rules, no calendar, no thiefs since they have nothing. One day a bottle of coke if thrown from a plane and falls next to a little bushman...for the first time they have something in only one, they have to share it and the problems start, everybody fights...so they decide to get rid of it...and the story starts here.
I like the movie, I like the tribe that has hippy ideologies, they succeded for centuries living like this, they don't need anything because they have all what they need, they have what gods gave to them: nature. And they are so happy.

I shall never walk alone

2005-10-10T08:35:00.000+13:00

Nothing to say here, really...I just liked the pic. Actually all the mills were behind me, this one was alone in front of me. I don't know why!

Another World

2005-10-10T08:34:00.000+13:00

Here's Alex admiring the magic of the mills. The pales are 20 meters long and the whole thing is 60 meters high. People say that the problem with those is the noise...I can tell you that you have to be very close to be able to hear any noise, I don't think it is noisier than a nuclear power plant anyway. And noise doesn't destroy earth...I think it's time to change our minds and use "clean" energy. The problem with petrol just highlights this, we're going to run off our natural ressources, many solutions already exist so I don't understand why we don't use them...money, money, money, I think it's a rich men's world.

No Parking

2005-10-10T08:32:00.000+13:00

After the old mill we went to the wind mills, that was a mill day, I don't know why but we felt like it. Anyway, once we arrived at the wind mill's area we had to leave the car behind us and finish walking along the forest. Tralee is famous for its mills especially the one that produce electricity for the whole kerry there is a park with something like 50 wind mills. That's impressive.

An Sean Mhuileann

2005-10-10T08:30:00.000+13:00

It means "the old mill" in irish. It's the main monument of the town...not very exciting, is it?Anyways, the weather was damn fine so we went for a walk.
Speaking of Irish I may take lessons to learn this language, it's very weird and sounds a bit like german...It's a celtic language, like the one spoke in brittany.
Conas a tatu?
tohege boge...I'm not sure how to right this one though

Blennerville

2005-10-10T08:29:00.000+13:00

On friday afternoon we went to Blennerville (next to Tralee) to make the most of the lovely day. The sunset was gorgeous, into the low tide.

Neighbours

2005-10-10T08:14:00.000+13:00

Sitting in the balcony they reminded me of the old women in "Requiem For A Dream", looking at girls and bitching. But Jeez, how fun is that?!!

The Roof Is On Fire

2005-10-10T08:13:00.000+13:00

barbecue on the roof with the neighbours. I don't think we'll have another barbecue for a long time now. Winter is coming for the third time in a row...I'm not looking forward to it.

The Calm After The Storm

2005-09-28T05:59:00.001+12:00

The next day was very lovely, no rain, almost no clouds. And a nice little place in the middle of nowhere. That's supposed to be a very rich town, I mean that only rich people live here. Paradise has a price.

Glandore Bridge

2005-09-28T05:59:00.000+12:00

There is a nice town next to Clonakilty, co. Cork, its name is Glandore, hopefully it has no french background...There is just one street, a harbour, a few pubs and a souvenirs shop. How peaceful it is when you're hangover.

Lost

2005-09-28T05:58:00.000+12:00

Where's the sailor?

Hot Whiskey

2005-09-28T05:57:00.001+12:00

On the next weekend we decided to go to Clonakilty for the guitar festival. That was supposed to be a great idea but the weather was really shit so we couldn't see much. When we arrived we went straight to a pub where we saw a concert and had hot whiskeys. That was the beginning of the night, we only went to bed in the next morning...I love Clonakilty. That's a great town, there is a special spirit, music is part of the city. I don't know if you remember but I told you about De Barra's pub a few month ago while I was in NewZealand, this pub where Jimi Hendrix' bassist played for years before he died. This pub is in Clon', this town is a legend.

Clean Beach

2005-09-28T05:57:00.000+12:00

After the surf session, JC and I went on the beach for a walk and we decided to clean it. That was nothing and it took 2 minutes of our time but I felt to know that I help the seals to live a bit longer...Seriously, I think we could all start to do it, at least don't throw anything in the ocean or on the beach, that would be a big step for humankind.

Back To The Reef

2005-09-28T05:56:00.000+12:00

Drop Knee JC. I have to say that most of the surfers I know are great guys. I know that what I said just before sounds like I hate them but I don't. They the sea doesn't belong to them. There is a respect between nature and surfers and that's what gives me hope.

I Believe I Can Fly

2005-09-28T05:55:00.001+12:00

As far as I remember, I've been fascinated by kites. Who isn't? I could watch them flying for ages. So while some ******* surfer was having fun in his waves we played with this kite. It was not really windy, just enough to have fun and break it (I still feel sorry Alex) but then we fixed it.
I wish I wasin the sky linked to earth buy two strings, moving where the wind tells me to go, how good it would feel. What are we all thinking when we're watching a kite?

Sammy's Spice

2005-09-28T05:55:00.000+12:00

"Dear Inch must I leave you
I have promises to keep
and many miles to travel
before my final sleep."

Find It Yourself

2005-09-28T05:54:00.000+12:00

The hardest part was not to climb it down but to find the access to the small pathway. So naive as we all are we asked a guy who appeared to be a surfer...the answer was so surprising that I didn't believe it. He just said: "You'll have to find it buy yourselves guys". What the...? We were just a few meters far from the entrance, all what he had to say was "Follow the road for a few meters and you'll find it" but obviously this was too nice, not as cool or rebel as a surfer should be so he decided to be an asshole. I won't tell his name by respect to his mom but when I think about it I still don't believe it, how can someone be such arrogant and stupid. I understand that some surfers in the world want to protect their place from tourism and destruction (like in Hawaï), that this kind of place belongs culturaly to a group of people and that using it can be interpreted as an offence, but jeez, what culture does this guy have ? Does he think there was not enough waves for everybody. What about the fish? Don't they deserve to be in peace in their habitat as well, isn't he bothering them with his board?
Well I'm angry and hope you understand my point of view. I love surfing, I like the spirit but this sport is full of wankers.

Inch's Surfing Spot

2005-09-28T05:52:00.000+12:00

I'm sure you're wondering why we went to Inch (30 min away) while there is a beach way closer. Well the answer is simple...look at the waves!! Big, regular, clean, perfect. The only thing is that this spot is really hard to reach, you have to climb a cliff down first...

Sunny Land

2005-09-28T05:51:00.000+12:00

Yes I'm back in the leprechauns' country...I finally settled down in a new flat but with the same flatmates. Everything is alright except that I haven't find a job yet...the problem is that I won't be able to stay in Ireland with no job.
To forget my problems I went on a day trip to the beach with my mates. The weather was incredibly gorgeous so we decided to hit the road down to Inch, a very small friendly town. During this trip I remembered why I loved Ireland that much. It's often rainy but when it's sunny I think it's one of the most marvellous place in the world. But you have to actually live here to realise that. It's like a present from mother nature to Irish people.

La Couronne

2005-09-16T09:43:00.001+12:00

La Couronne is my home town. It's a tiny town (7000 inhabitants) in the south west of France. There is nothing to see really except two weeks ago. The moon was over my house. I guess it's a good luck sign...
I spent two weeks in France and now I'm heading back to Ireland. I don't know when I'll be able to make new posts...It may take a while. But still I'll be able to check my emails.

Et Voila !!

2005-09-16T09:43:00.000+12:00

While I was staying in my home town, my father decided to cook snails, "escargot à la charentaise" actually. It leans that it's the way people used to cook it in my county. The snail liver is removed then cooked again and stuffed with meat, the whole thing is cooked in a kind of tomato sauce...And that's delicious even though I couldn't forget the one which tried to escape...

The Great Escape

2005-09-16T09:42:00.000+12:00

I loved this movie. I loved the hope and yet the resignation.
What was thinking this snail?
"Yeah, I'm almost there."
Or just
"Cool, thanks for the beers, see you guys."
It didn't have a flying (I'm trying to be nice) clue of what was happening. Poor thing.
But I also think it didn't even notice anything...till vinegar and salt were put in the saucepan...
No Hope, it's not a movie.

Microcosmos

2005-09-16T09:41:00.000+12:00

Sometimes when I'm wandering I see crazy natural things...neighbours having sex, kids playin' odd games, cats runnin' after dogs...Here is just this big bug (sorry I don't know the english name) eating another bug (sorry I still don't know the name, feek free to help me). There are many things to say about this insect...Many questions are unanswered...till you take the time to have a look around you.

Jammin' Heaven

2005-09-16T09:40:00.000+12:00

I like this one because we look so peaceful, relaxed. Actually we just got up...that's why. The head was sore, the stomach was noisy, the mouth was dry...but still the only thing we wanted to do was jamming and we carried on.

Old School

2005-09-16T09:39:00.000+12:00

You can't imagine what comes to my mind when I see this picture...loads and loads of stories. I can see a basket case for the bread, cheese, bikes, cheap second hand plastic bottled wine...old school.

This Is The End

2005-08-22T12:12:00.000+12:00

It's been long and short at the same time. But this doesn't really matter now since it's all over.
Yeah, New Zealand's been a beautiful friend.
I bet you wonder what's on the picture...Well, it's me. My spirit. Drawn by a dear friend of mine.
It represents my stay in New Zealand. On the left part is my past, linked to my arm, it represents all the people I've met, all the people I loved and past away, all the things I've done and led to who I am now. At the end of my arm is the Koru, the spiral, symbol of life, symbol of New Zealand(I've already expalined that, have a look at the archived posts). In the center is me now...My soul, with the mountain on top of it, Taranaki which story reminds me of mine. The rivers made of his tears going out of my mouth. My eyes outstretched to show my kindness and gratitude toward people of New Zealand. On the right side is a mangapore (hammer head shark). This shark was so wise that even the best Maori fishermen couldn't catch him. This design is used to describe wise people. It's my future, made of the people I am going to meet, I am going to love, the actions which are going to lead me to who I am going to be. This is me forever. This is what I offer to New Zealand. A lifetime scar on my heart, a lifetime scar on my leg.

Une Toute Petite Vache (da little-wee cow)

2005-08-22T12:11:00.000+12:00

Sometimes I feel like cows are able to communicate without speaking, I think they are telepath, they look at you strait in the eyes and they look like they're trying to say something. That little-wee cow was cool so I took a picture.

White Baits

2005-08-22T12:10:00.000+12:00

What were we fishing so early in the morning???
White baits, they are really tiny wee native NZ fish. And it's really good, but very hardd to catch, you have to find the spot where the river becomes an ocean and there when tied is high you can catch them. They are cold white gold...
Unfortunately we only caught a few so we decided to release them since you have to have at least a couple of hundred of them to be able to cook them...I said tiny.
Anyway I think catch and release is the best philosophy of fishing.

What the...?

2005-08-22T12:09:00.000+12:00

When we arrived at the fishing spot, we were not alone, a guy and his wife were already there with their nets. I like this pic because it seems the the guy is wondering: "what the...?". I bet he did well if he stays in front of the net no wonder he didn't catch anything...

Fisherman's Friend

2005-08-22T12:08:00.000+12:00

Here is Lincoln, he and Dee offered me the full board when I arrived in New Zealand. Just before I left, Lincoln and I went fishing, no matter what we brought back, the experience was great, even though I had to wake up early. Fish don't wait for you...

Ka Ora

2005-08-15T18:10:00.000+12:00

Alright, my stay in New Zealand is almost over and this may be the last post from the Kiwi country. So I had to speak about the haka since I haven't quite explained what it was yet.
Originaly the haka was a war dance acompanied by chanting. However maori people are not on war for a century now. To give a more accurate definition I prefer to say that it is an action chant, often described as a "War Dance", but more a chant with hand gestures and foot stamping, originally performed by Warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess and generally abusing the opposition. The legend says that one of the sons of the sun created the haka. Thus there are many different Hakas, you can even invent one if you want. The All Blacks (rugby team) are using the Kamate Haka. Whichdates to 1810 when Chief Te Rauparaha of the Ngati Toa tribe was being chased by enemies. He hid in a food-storage pit. He climbed out to find someone standing over him, who, instead of killing Te Rauparaha, turned out to be another chief friendly to Te Rauparaha. In relief Te Rauparaha performed a haka with the words—

It is death, it is death: it is life, it is life; this is the man who enabled me to live as I climb up step by step toward sunlight.

These words are still used today.
Here are the words translated:

Ka Mate! Ka Mate
It is death! It is death!

Ka Ora, Ka Ora!
It is life!It is life!

TENEI  TE  TANGATA  PU'RU-HURU
This is the man,   so hairy

NA'A  NEI  TIKI      MAI WHAKA-WHITI TE ...
who fetched,         and made shine  the

... RA! HUPANE!            KA-UPANE!
sun!(the man was in the light of the sun, this sentence
 could also be translated as "enabled me to live")

A HUPANE!    KA-UPANE!
An upward step!     Another... !


WHITI TE RA!
The sun shines! o

HI !

Allright this is it for this week, I don't
know when I'm going to post news now, probably
as soon as I get back to France. I promise
I will take pictures of my trip back. I'd like
to thank all the people I met here and who helped
me during to organise my trip. Also I'd like to
thank all the visitors of this blog, it's been great
to meet you all, and I hope you'll come back to
see pictures of France and Ireland.

Mic. Born To Be Wild. Don't forget to rock the world.

Dumpster Diving

2005-08-15T18:08:00.001+12:00

Hey I was looking at this old picture I took a week or two ago and I reminded me of an article I read about Dumpster Diving.
What's dumpster diving? It's the practice of rummaging through trash, wether residential or commercial, to find item of use that have been discarded (So INXS are dumpster divers?!! Alright I stop here, they do what they like). This practice seems quite disgusting at first sight but when you think of it and listen to dumpster divers, you realise it' not to save money, it's more to fight the fact that food (among other things) is wasted. For example, a bakery would prefer to through away some bread rather than selling it back at half price the day after because they would make more money selling fresh bread full price...Same for the fruits and vegies but here the culprit is not the farmer but the reseller. But other furnitures can be found like computers, electronics in general, books and clothes. A real way of life. Even if those people are considered as selfish weirdos, I think they are not as selffish and weird as the people who waste. We live in a world where wasting is less expenssive than giving, where the number of people in need is growing every day and the number of people wasting expanding at a phenomenal rate. Does anyone see a solution? Simple, dumpster dive for humanity's sake.

Turuturu Mokai

2005-08-15T18:08:00.000+12:00

A Mokai is a sacred place, it could be an old village or an historic place. This one is an historic place. A war happened here and it roughly means:" the place of heads impaled on stakes ". And believe me or not but the atmosphere there was just freaky. As you can see on the picture. I don't believe in ghosts, spirits or ectoplasm, whatever they are called but when I was walking around this place I was not confident. These battle happened on the 12th of July 1868, so almost one nd a half century ago...and you can still see stigmatas of the fighting. This place was really freaky, the maori people won this battle but lost the next ones...Today most of the people seems to have forgotten this and live in peace.

Music

2005-08-15T18:03:00.000+12:00

I was listening to the radio and I heard that Neil Young was about to release his new album. I really like his music and I think he's a great musician, I would even say a legend. But it made me think. Actually he's not the only one to come back. Robert Plant, The Pixies, The Rolling Srones and The Cure's next album is planned for 2006...alright I stop here...What's the problem ? Is the contemporary music so bad that old legends have to come back ? One of my favourite band is Pink Floyd and I would be really pleased if they would come back but what would it mean ? If all those bands still sell albums that means that there is a lack somewhere, there is a place for them.
"Me and You, Us and Them, After all we're just ordinary men"...really? If Pink Floyd was so ordinary why nobody is able so do something like it nowadays.
Where are the legends music needs, have we definitely lost the rock'n'roll spirit? It seems that today bands are more interested in making money than real music. Do you think Jimi Hendrix wanted to make money when he first started to play guitar? Hell no. I'm not sayin' rock'n'roll is dying, I would never do it because there is always someone somewhere to bring it on. To keep the jam alive, to play what he feels and not what people want him to feel.
I've seen recently that INXS was about to come back on stage with a brand new singer. And to find this new singer they started the biggest hearing ever, all over the world, they selected something like 20 people and know there is a reality show called "Rock Star INXS" (I think) and people have to choose who they want to eliminate and every week someone leaves the game...
And they call it Rock and roll, I was even surprised to see that Dave Navarro (ex Jane's addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers) was a presenter of the show...well life must be so hard for him since its solo career never took off...I mean that the wit of rock'n'roll is the fact that you use music to express your feelings and your feelings are your feelings not those of other people, how can you choose someone that only sings covers...there is no art in there, there is no creation, there is no rock and certainly no roll...I'm not against the reality show, I mean that INXS do what they like to do but against the profit. To me there is no difference between Britney Spears and this kind of band. So what? Where are the real new legend that could bring a new dash to rock'n'roll?
I'm not desperate because I know that a band like Radiohead or Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminal, in different ways, have this spirit that leads to the legend. So maybe tomorrow a new guy will arrive and change the world like Hendrix, the doors or the floyd did. One thing is sure to me, this guy won't be the next singer of INXS.

I Got Life

2005-08-08T18:41:00.000+12:00

On my way back to Hawera, I stopped at Lake Mangamahoe in order to enjoy the sunset.
Can you see this little thing on top of the palm tree? A new branch is going to grow there, but at the moment it is rolled like a spiral. Within the next few days it will slowly but surely unroll to give life to a giant fern leaf. Why am I telling you that? Well this is actually the symbol of New Zealand, the unrolling fern synonym of life. I am glad I was offered such a show. Of course you can't see much here but still, I thought that this tiny little branch pointing at the sky deserved a minute of fame, doesn't it?
Well that's it for this week. I'am glad I received some comments and emails concerning my posts. I will answer everybody with great pleasure, that's always good to have different points of view and to exchange thoughts with people, so feel free to leave a note, wether you like or dislike what I do.