http://youtube.com/watch?v=wD9o0ObKvn0
You may have heard about what has been called 'one of the blackest nights in the European history of football'. If you have, then you know that this refers to game that was played between Sweden and Denmark, yesterday, Saturday.
The link above will redirect you to a film on youtube that shows all the best parts of what happened. There's a Swedish commentator, but even if you don't really understand what is being said, you'll probably enjoy the footage, at least.
At the time in the game when this happens, the score is 3-3. Sweden started the game in a ferocious pace and had scored three goals within the first 25 minutes, but the Danes successfully worker their way into the game and had, by the 75th minute, equalised. In the 88th minute or so, Danish player Poulsen punches Swedish Rosenberg in the stomach; this goes down in the Danish penalty box. The head referee does not acknowledge what has happened, but fortunatly, his line man has, and calls it to his attention. Poulsen is given the red card and Sweden is, in the last minutes of the game, given a penalty. And here, everything goes very wrong...
Sweden is in the end given the victory - the final score is set to 0-3. I was seeing all this down at pub and I was enjoying myself unexpectedly much (seeing that I lost most of my interest for sports some years ago). However politically correct it may be to condemn what happened at the game, people weren't really too sorry, and I suspect that more than one or two toasts were called out in the honour of Poulsen, and his fellow hooligan.
Besides this, I am not exactly wearing myself out at the moment. I've been down for a couple rounds to the library, and hence built up a stack of books that have to be read. I am currently reading Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and it is, thus far, a very pleasant read. I have also taken the time to catch up with music; I recently acquired Björk's new CD and it is, which surprises me, thourougly listenable. I also urged dear Jon the other day to get a ticket for Roskilde as soon as possible and, luckily for him, as he may have notified you, he managed to get what I suspect must have been one of the last 100 tickets or so.
I hope that you're all doing well and, by the way, never try Newcastle Brown Ale; if someone would have told that I was in fact drinking bear piss, I wouldn't have hesitated to believe him...
Ted
Sunday, 3 June 2007
Sunday
Dear lads and ladettes,
It is Sunday! God's sake what a nice feeling. I am finally off work for one day, and I am going to celebrate the day by doing nothing. And by nothing I really do mean nothing; possibly apart from writing this post. I think the nothingness is also utterly warranted by the fact that tomorrow my day at work starts at 06.00, and I still don't know how to get there in time. The local bus doesn't start running before 06.20 or something...
Anyway, who cares. I read Moses' post with great glee, and found many points he raised interesting. Whatever a Mispucha is, it's probably nice. About going to Jon's b-day, that's something we need to discuss at some point. I suggest we come together on some internet medium and debate it thoroughly, as to attain a final truth about the future course of action.
I am still a bit, let's say, confused, about my future. For the next year I surely have many things I would like to do, and many places I would like to go. Now it all narrows down to finalising it and figuring out what is actually feasible.
Just now I realised that I was perhaps lying earlier. From where I sit; in my room, it looks like my room could do with a thorough tidying. Not because it's so dirty or anything, more because it's just a proper mess.
About the Dubliners, Moses, I saw it in our shelf the other day and thought there was something familiar about it. Would you recommend reading it, or is it more of one of those books I should read when I retire?
So, ladies and gentlemen, tada for now. I apologise for quite a boring post, but I simply felt it as my duty to write something at least. Besides I get to be on top of the page for a while.
Poléo
It is Sunday! God's sake what a nice feeling. I am finally off work for one day, and I am going to celebrate the day by doing nothing. And by nothing I really do mean nothing; possibly apart from writing this post. I think the nothingness is also utterly warranted by the fact that tomorrow my day at work starts at 06.00, and I still don't know how to get there in time. The local bus doesn't start running before 06.20 or something...
Anyway, who cares. I read Moses' post with great glee, and found many points he raised interesting. Whatever a Mispucha is, it's probably nice. About going to Jon's b-day, that's something we need to discuss at some point. I suggest we come together on some internet medium and debate it thoroughly, as to attain a final truth about the future course of action.
I am still a bit, let's say, confused, about my future. For the next year I surely have many things I would like to do, and many places I would like to go. Now it all narrows down to finalising it and figuring out what is actually feasible.
Just now I realised that I was perhaps lying earlier. From where I sit; in my room, it looks like my room could do with a thorough tidying. Not because it's so dirty or anything, more because it's just a proper mess.
About the Dubliners, Moses, I saw it in our shelf the other day and thought there was something familiar about it. Would you recommend reading it, or is it more of one of those books I should read when I retire?
So, ladies and gentlemen, tada for now. I apologise for quite a boring post, but I simply felt it as my duty to write something at least. Besides I get to be on top of the page for a while.
Poléo
Saturday, 2 June 2007
I am off to watch a Fellini.
Eventually last night's film – Spiderman 3 – turned out to be a shallow and uninteresting one. It was simply bad. I had the feeling the film is not going to satisfy me at all already before watching it, or be a a glorious cinematic achievement, but because I watched the first two films, I felt obligated, just as in the Pirates of the 3 case, to watch the third one as well. The budget of this film was $300 million dollars, and I guess the special (computer) effects were a significant part of the budget (together with the salary of the main characters, not mediocre actors and actresses at all, well some of them are, but they all suffered from an undeveloped character, which rather sucks for in that way the audience might think they are pathetic actors. Yet, one should note that the all actresses are extremely pathetic). They should have just donated the money to the starving people of
Hopefully I am going to watch soon better films. There is a film-festival in southern Israel, starting tomorrow, so that should be interesting. It was suppose to be in my town, just like in the past 6 years I think (more or less), but they relocated it due to the rockets, to a nearby city, which is far enough from the Gaza Strip and the rockets. After that I am hoping to start going again to the Cinémathèque in my town. It is showing mainly quality cinema, and not Hollywood trash films – there is good cinema in Hollywood as well though - or films like Spiderman, which are not trash but are not really "quality" either. I hope it is still open, because in the past I was going to watch films there all the time. It is such a great place in a town like Sderot. Later tonight I am going to watch "La Strada" of Federico Fellini. Should be an interesting film, from what I have read about it before. I never got the chance to watch it and tonight is the ultimate night commit myself to such masterpiece.
It is fun to watch films with my Israeli friends again, though the Hebrew subtitles in the bottom are distracting, and sometimes I am commenting in English and not in Hebrew, and then my friends (like yesterday) look at me in a "WTF?" face. I guess it is part of coming back home – rebuilding old friendships (and languages) once again. I still need to meet many other people, because until now I met only about five. The rest did not come back home this weekend from either the army or the national service (and the weekend is over for us- Sunday is a normal day in Israel, unless you are a Christian Arab, and then you are free).
As I wrote yesterday (two days ago actually) I met my Mishpucha today (yesterday actually), and it was quite lovely. I missed my Grandmother and Grandfather, and all the political and general debates my aunts and uncles are having when we are all meeting each other. Well, a "debate" would be a rather polite way to describe the scene, so let me describe the actual event, as it happened today: Imagine many Jewish people. Everyone is sitting next to the lunch/dinner (we started eating around 15:30) table, starting to pile up the (excellent) food my grandmother cooked. We are blessing on the bread and enjoying drinking some glasses of wine (actually today we drank champagne for some reason) and other, non-alcoholic, beverages. Suddenly, someone is raising a topic of discussion (for example, one of the topics today was: 'Are there starving children within the boundaries of the State of Israel?' in a connection to a different discussion that was initiated earlier about the social-welfare system in the Nordic region). It is starting when everyone is calm. The points are being clarified by the person who started the discussion. Then the reply – still polite. And then, the first person is starting to yell in order to emphasise why his points are correct. Then another person is joining, trying to be heard so he is yelling even louder, and then the second one is yelling as well, and the fourth one is mumbling something like 'Let me eat in silence', my grandfather can't hear anything in a way, so he is discussing a completely different topic from his place, and then a second debate is starting, and then more roars are being heard and, yes, I believe you got the point – this is the way Jewish people discuss. Maybe not Jewish, but Israelis are for sure to engage a discussion in such manner. It is quite amusing until it stops when my grandmother asks everyone to be quiet for they are giving her a headache. It just reminded me when I showed Ted during Reading Week a sports' debating show, and he asked 'Why are they all yelling?', and I told him something like: 'They are not yelling, it is the way we debate in Israel'. In my opinion it is quite charming though, because eventually everyone understands that they are yelling too much, and then ask the other person to stop yelling, and then suddenly the discussion returns to his calm start, until the internal Mount Vesuvius everyone has erupts once again. Interesting. You must see it before you die, so you should drop by Israel someday. I met some parts of the other side of the family as well (my father's side). His mother and father are both dead, so we are not having a "united" gatherings any more on the Sabbath, which is sad. I met, though, my favourite aunt and two of my father's brothers, both of them are in the hospital right now (and one of them is really funny, we could not stop laughing with him today. He broke his leg, while the other one has more serious problems right now).
I also went to a nice pub today to watch the game of Israel vs. Macedonia (we won 2-1 in Macedonia). It was a bad game, but the Baileys was nice, and we won, hence we still have a chance to qualify to the European Championship in 2008. A small chance, but at least it still exists. We probably are going to win against Andorra on Wednesday. Assuming that we will have 17 points, and we will probably be in the second place because Croatia (first – 16 points now, 2 above Israel) and Russia (second – 14 points, but better goal differences, which is our worse problem, just like in the qualification matches to the World Cup, when Switzerland qualified instead of Israel, because they had better goal differences) are going to meet. England is in the fourth (!)th place right now, with 11 points, but 6 games (Russia also played only 6 games as well, unlike Croatia and Israel – 7 each). In the next round of games – September – Israel will meet England in the new Wembley Stadium (0-0 in the first match played in Israel), and that would be a difficult game for me as I will not know whom to support.
One month after the encounter with the English, Israel will meet Croatia in Zagreb (3-4 to Croatia in the match played in Israel). The last two games will be in November – Russia in Israel (1-1 in Russia in the first match) and a home game in Macedonia. Hopefully Israel will get some points in Croatia. I am a bit optimistic because the last time Israel lost abroad in an official match was in the Euro 2004 qualification campaign (lost 3-0 to France in a really pathetic ending to a pathetic campaign). Since then we had a draw with France (0-0), Ireland (2-2), Switzerland (1-1) and Russia (1-1) and victories against Cyprus (2-1), Faroe Islands (2-0), Estonia (1-0) and now Macedonia (2-1). So 8 games, 0 defeats, which is quite impressive, though we never managed to win against the "Big Teams".
Tomorrow I am going to the library to take out about three books. I need to read something, as I finished the Dubliners by James Joyce during last night (after coming back from the film). It is indeed a masterpiece in my opinion, and I am happy I finally read it. So many different points of view over the growth of the Irish national identity, the socialisation of the people at the time and the individual struggle with life. The protagonists in the different stories are all similar in the way they are trying to be complete, "normal", one can say "socially adjusted". However, they all fail nonetheless and surrender to a some sort of temptation or an immoral "value". The book also attempts to reveal us the changes the Irish society went through through the eyes of its, primarily, urban people.
I am also about to finish something I have read for quite a long time "The Two Germanies since 1945", a very wide-ranging description of East and West Germany from 1945 to 1987, when the book was published. Too bad I know some more details of (rather crucial and important) events that happened after 1987, but I was obviously unable to read it when the book went out for I was not born yet. In a way it is not the most complete historical book for our time, but it is appealing as it can adds to the individual's knowledge about the Western Perspective of the separation and the creation and growth of the two countries.
Tomorrow – bored again, as all my friends, and by saying all I mean all, will go back to their national duty. I think I have some younger friends, but I think I am too old right now to hang out with them. I'll check out what is happening with my Israeli UWC friends (I have 3 good friends from there), so maybe we could go out this week. I am also going to start looking for a job. It will help my wish to fly to Jon's birthday, and with a bit of help, eventually I think we will manage to come up with enough money to buy the ticket. However, I need to find a job first…
Wednesday – the Première of my sister's film.
The rest is open for books and films.
I am off to watch a Fellini.
Moshe.
p.s. I think I am no longer going to write in my blog. It seems like I can write the same things here, so it does not make sense to have two blogs. I should make a post there that announces that. Oh, and I am sorry for writing lots in the this post and in the one before it. I am just getting carried away when I have time and because I am enjoying writing things to you all.
Friday, 1 June 2007
Home
Small things remind me i'm home. Taste of ale. Smell of garden-in-bloom. Sunset over the forests. Sound of my cumbersome, lazy accent being spoken by others. Texture of cold, thin, soft sheets. Salt and vinegar crisps. Driving on the left. That wonderful feeling when you realise that you saved some. Food that has more packaging than taste. Feeling out of place and alone. The regret that i can't be be truly independent. Feeling the age-gap and difference of opinion. Pining for college. Mediocrity and drudgery.
And i've been back for less hours than i can count with my fingers.
Lost Identity
Dear everyone!
You might think my name is Vasco, BUT YOU'RE WRONG!!!
I've realized something incredibly interesting today, Only 2 people that I met so far called me Vasco:
This girl called Ana that I met 2 days ago and my mother.
Impressively enough, no one else I meet or talk to calls me Vasco. My name has been substituted by pretty interesting ones. Here are the ones I have heard so far:
-"That one who came from Norway"
-"That one who came from the North"
-"That one who was in Spain for a long time"(Yes people here use Spain to mention all foreign countries)
-"The Norwegian"
-"Norway"
-"The Norway"
-(For some sick fucking reason)"The blond one"
-"Nordic"
There might be some more, but I can't remember.
Now which one should I pick up as my Favorite???
I know...it IS lame:(
You might think my name is Vasco, BUT YOU'RE WRONG!!!
I've realized something incredibly interesting today, Only 2 people that I met so far called me Vasco:
This girl called Ana that I met 2 days ago and my mother.
Impressively enough, no one else I meet or talk to calls me Vasco. My name has been substituted by pretty interesting ones. Here are the ones I have heard so far:
-"That one who came from Norway"
-"That one who came from the North"
-"That one who was in Spain for a long time"(Yes people here use Spain to mention all foreign countries)
-"The Norwegian"
-"Norway"
-"The Norway"
-(For some sick fucking reason)"The blond one"
-"Nordic"
There might be some more, but I can't remember.
Now which one should I pick up as my Favorite???
I know...it IS lame:(
Thoughts from the Holy Land
Yesterday I finally landed in the Holy Land, after a really long wait in 3 different airports in the day before.
The 30th started for me in the morning, around 9:00 am, when the alarm clock started ringing violently, and I did not really know what to do. It took me 30 minutes to get up, get ready and say goodbye to the two idiots that were with me at the time (Mr. Poleo and Mr. Rudarakanchana). When the Flytoget arrived I finally realised that it is over. Norway and people from RCNUWC are over for who knows how long, and a new journey is about to begin. My journey to become a grown up, a mature human being, a man who is able to confront the "Real World" and not only bubbles. Then, however, I have realised that I am trapped in a a serious problem, as the chances that I'll become a mature human being, who is able to confront the "Real World" are so slim, that it is rather frightening. Well well, I hope I'll survive the summer at least...
But realising the above (as you can notice, I have done a lot of realisation on the 30th) was not the real problem at that moment, but the memories that came up to my head during my flight from Oslo to Vienna. Memories from different times, with good friends and some other random people, the stupid mistakes I made, the good decisions I took, the classes I was trying to attend and other mysterious paths I walked through. When I finally saw Norway behind my back, it all went out. But it was good it all went out, because then I was finally ready to look towards the new journey. I hope to meet some people from the past in that new journey, but I also hope to meet new ones.
My first two days in Israel were slightly weird in a way. Most of my friends are in the army or doing civil service right now, so they are quite busy and I am rather bored and so tired for some reason. Yesterday I had a chance to meet some of them though, and we indeed had a nice meal and some glasses of wine. After that I also went to drink a bit more with some other friends in a kibbutz. It was nice. Tonight I'll probably be watching a film (not Pirates of the Caribbean 3, thanks to Nat, who persuade me to watch this film in my last full day in Noway, right before we went lost in Sandvika), and eat some nice meat somewhere and tomorrow we are going to meet all the Mishpucha (Family, as in: 'It all should stay in the Mishpucha, so you should not tell anyone that we killed the Rabbi yesterday' or 'We are all one big Mishpucha').
I am probably not going to go to many parties this summer, as in the past the parties I went to were in different Kibbutzim, and when all my friends were together, thanks to the fact we were schoolmates. Now everyone are scattered, and I am not a "club-party-person" but the other kind of parties-we-had-person, so I think I would no longer enjoy any wild cabins. Well, two Britons already pointed out in the last two days that I am a boring person, so I should fulfil this description.
There are two problems of coming back to my town right now:
*It is hot (around 28 degrees today, but next week it is going to reach 35 most probably).
*Rockets are falling once and a while (11 rockets since I came).
I reckon that I can handle the first problem, but the second problem is, indeed, a bit annoying, as I am forced by my parents to go down to the shelter, something I really cannot bother to do every time the alarm goes off. Well, apparently they are planning to install wireless internet at least, and put me in the lowest floor(out of 3. My actual room is on the third floor). Our first floor is divided into several rooms (kitchen and a very big room divided into two) and a shelter. I suppose to have a T.V. there and a personal air-conditioner, but I really prefer to sleep in my actual room. I will have to please them though, as my mother said she won't go to work without knowing that I am sleeping in the lowest floor (she assume I am going to sleep until 13:00 every day), where the shelter is. Because I need (her) money, and I still don't have a job, her wish is my command.
It is quite bizarre that rockets are falling sometimes but life continues as usual. It is like nothing is happening, and that there are normal life, until the alarm goes off, telling the people that a rocket is about to land in 15 seconds. I find it amusing, but some others do not. It seems no one likes our government, and especially not the people of Sderot. I don't like the government, but it is not like they can do much in order to prevent the launching of the rockets by the Palestinians. It is better not to invade the Gaza Strip for the rockets will continue to be fired after any such invasion anyway. I cannot say that everything is going to be better in the future, because I really cannot believe it. Anarchy in Gaza, incompetent politicians in both sides, and militants who just want everything to become worse are not the best ingredients for a prosperous and peaceful area. I hope Hashem is fine. I talked to him today, but every second that passes can change things over there. Too much madness under the surface, too much normality above it. I think one needs to experience this shift between existential situations in order to fully understand and grasps this sort of existence. It is just impossible to really describe; that everything seems to go just normal, until an alarm is going off that is. That only 60 minutes from here, in the centre of the country, everything is ever more normal. That only 20 minutes from here, the people of Gaza are living under their strip's own madness (well at least they stopped fighting each other over there, and are concentrating now in sending the rockets towards Israel). It is just confusing. Everything is so physically close, but yet mentally far.
Oh yes, and now it is about to be 40 years since the great victory in the Six-Days War. It was indeed a great victory, with brilliant strategic operations, and before the US and the USSR became really involved in the Middle East (actually this year's Pentagon papers were revealed lately, containing a rather interesting story - the US was planning to invade Israel, if it was to open a war against any Arab country. It was never implemented because Nassar was the one that seemed to put the basis for the war).
There are many T.V. broadcasts on that war now, and they are divided into two kinds. One is describing the war operations, while the other kind describes the political and cultural consequences of the war. It is indeed interesting to watch, though some of it is not critical enough in my opinion, to the mistakes made during and after the war. However, not surprisingly, most of the broadcasts are highlighting how this victory was actually a long-term defeat, as it started a 40 years long occupation that destroyed the moral values of our state. Nobody believed after the victory that Israel will stay in those territories (as before, for example in the Suez Crisis, Israel gave the territory back to the United Nations, which handed it back to the defeated country). They interviewed some Palestinians who said that they thoughts Israel will leave after maximum two months, and that they will have to live under the Jordanian or Egyptian rule again. Well the story enfolded differently, mainly because of the Khartoum Resolution, which was a statement made by the leaders of the eight main Arab countries in September 1967, after the war. They called it the "Three-Nos" of the Arab-Israeli relations - 'No peace with Israel, No recognition of Israel, No negotiations with Israel'. The "Three Nos" encouraged and prompted Israel to come out with a provocative statement of its own, and settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip were established. What a foolish mistake, that was bound to cause many internal problems in the future.
Since the "Three-Nos" many things happened though. Egypt and Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel, but the occupied territories that were captured by Israel from Jordan (the West Bank and the Eastern part of Jerusalem) and Egypt (the Gaza Strip) stayed under Israel's control. In 1978, when the peace treaty with Egypt was signed, they refused to get the Gaza Strip back, and asked only for the Sinai Peninsula. When the peace treaty with Jordan was signed, the Palestinians refused, of course, to be ruled again by Jordan, and at that time peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians were progressing rather well. So 40 years of occupation, 40 years of confusion and 40 years of a continuous defeat, even though on the battlefield it was, and still is, a bit different. This war was also the starting point for the realisation of some, if not all, Arab countries that they cannot destroy Israel with their armies. Thus the Arab League, several Arab and Muslim countries, and especially Syria and internal Palestinian forces helped founding and sponsoring militant organisations. Unfortunately, it seems like it is impossible to win against militant organisations, without striking in civilian areas and thus hurt too many civilians. It is just impossible, and that is why the situation is dire as it is today.
I got to carried away with history and for that I apologise. With all the contemplations, I am happy to come back home. There is something in this place that makes it so, I don't know, I think I am just happy to live here in a way.
I have just finished a very interesting philosophy book of the Dutch-Portuguese-Jewish philosopher, Baruch Spinoza - "Treatise on the Improvement of the Understanding". I will, perhaps, write about it later, but I advise all to read it, as it is rather thoughtful for anyone who is interested in Ethics.
Getting ready for the Shabbat now and for another nice meal. The food, my friends, becomes much, but much, better when one is back home.
Shabbat Shalom from the only Jew among you.
P.S. The film about my family and me is about to be out next week. This should be interesting...
The 30th started for me in the morning, around 9:00 am, when the alarm clock started ringing violently, and I did not really know what to do. It took me 30 minutes to get up, get ready and say goodbye to the two idiots that were with me at the time (Mr. Poleo and Mr. Rudarakanchana). When the Flytoget arrived I finally realised that it is over. Norway and people from RCNUWC are over for who knows how long, and a new journey is about to begin. My journey to become a grown up, a mature human being, a man who is able to confront the "Real World" and not only bubbles. Then, however, I have realised that I am trapped in a a serious problem, as the chances that I'll become a mature human being, who is able to confront the "Real World" are so slim, that it is rather frightening. Well well, I hope I'll survive the summer at least...
But realising the above (as you can notice, I have done a lot of realisation on the 30th) was not the real problem at that moment, but the memories that came up to my head during my flight from Oslo to Vienna. Memories from different times, with good friends and some other random people, the stupid mistakes I made, the good decisions I took, the classes I was trying to attend and other mysterious paths I walked through. When I finally saw Norway behind my back, it all went out. But it was good it all went out, because then I was finally ready to look towards the new journey. I hope to meet some people from the past in that new journey, but I also hope to meet new ones.
My first two days in Israel were slightly weird in a way. Most of my friends are in the army or doing civil service right now, so they are quite busy and I am rather bored and so tired for some reason. Yesterday I had a chance to meet some of them though, and we indeed had a nice meal and some glasses of wine. After that I also went to drink a bit more with some other friends in a kibbutz. It was nice. Tonight I'll probably be watching a film (not Pirates of the Caribbean 3, thanks to Nat, who persuade me to watch this film in my last full day in Noway, right before we went lost in Sandvika), and eat some nice meat somewhere and tomorrow we are going to meet all the Mishpucha (Family, as in: 'It all should stay in the Mishpucha, so you should not tell anyone that we killed the Rabbi yesterday' or 'We are all one big Mishpucha').
I am probably not going to go to many parties this summer, as in the past the parties I went to were in different Kibbutzim, and when all my friends were together, thanks to the fact we were schoolmates. Now everyone are scattered, and I am not a "club-party-person" but the other kind of parties-we-had-person, so I think I would no longer enjoy any wild cabins. Well, two Britons already pointed out in the last two days that I am a boring person, so I should fulfil this description.
There are two problems of coming back to my town right now:
*It is hot (around 28 degrees today, but next week it is going to reach 35 most probably).
*Rockets are falling once and a while (11 rockets since I came).
I reckon that I can handle the first problem, but the second problem is, indeed, a bit annoying, as I am forced by my parents to go down to the shelter, something I really cannot bother to do every time the alarm goes off. Well, apparently they are planning to install wireless internet at least, and put me in the lowest floor(out of 3. My actual room is on the third floor). Our first floor is divided into several rooms (kitchen and a very big room divided into two) and a shelter. I suppose to have a T.V. there and a personal air-conditioner, but I really prefer to sleep in my actual room. I will have to please them though, as my mother said she won't go to work without knowing that I am sleeping in the lowest floor (she assume I am going to sleep until 13:00 every day), where the shelter is. Because I need (her) money, and I still don't have a job, her wish is my command.
It is quite bizarre that rockets are falling sometimes but life continues as usual. It is like nothing is happening, and that there are normal life, until the alarm goes off, telling the people that a rocket is about to land in 15 seconds. I find it amusing, but some others do not. It seems no one likes our government, and especially not the people of Sderot. I don't like the government, but it is not like they can do much in order to prevent the launching of the rockets by the Palestinians. It is better not to invade the Gaza Strip for the rockets will continue to be fired after any such invasion anyway. I cannot say that everything is going to be better in the future, because I really cannot believe it. Anarchy in Gaza, incompetent politicians in both sides, and militants who just want everything to become worse are not the best ingredients for a prosperous and peaceful area. I hope Hashem is fine. I talked to him today, but every second that passes can change things over there. Too much madness under the surface, too much normality above it. I think one needs to experience this shift between existential situations in order to fully understand and grasps this sort of existence. It is just impossible to really describe; that everything seems to go just normal, until an alarm is going off that is. That only 60 minutes from here, in the centre of the country, everything is ever more normal. That only 20 minutes from here, the people of Gaza are living under their strip's own madness (well at least they stopped fighting each other over there, and are concentrating now in sending the rockets towards Israel). It is just confusing. Everything is so physically close, but yet mentally far.
Oh yes, and now it is about to be 40 years since the great victory in the Six-Days War. It was indeed a great victory, with brilliant strategic operations, and before the US and the USSR became really involved in the Middle East (actually this year's Pentagon papers were revealed lately, containing a rather interesting story - the US was planning to invade Israel, if it was to open a war against any Arab country. It was never implemented because Nassar was the one that seemed to put the basis for the war).
There are many T.V. broadcasts on that war now, and they are divided into two kinds. One is describing the war operations, while the other kind describes the political and cultural consequences of the war. It is indeed interesting to watch, though some of it is not critical enough in my opinion, to the mistakes made during and after the war. However, not surprisingly, most of the broadcasts are highlighting how this victory was actually a long-term defeat, as it started a 40 years long occupation that destroyed the moral values of our state. Nobody believed after the victory that Israel will stay in those territories (as before, for example in the Suez Crisis, Israel gave the territory back to the United Nations, which handed it back to the defeated country). They interviewed some Palestinians who said that they thoughts Israel will leave after maximum two months, and that they will have to live under the Jordanian or Egyptian rule again. Well the story enfolded differently, mainly because of the Khartoum Resolution, which was a statement made by the leaders of the eight main Arab countries in September 1967, after the war. They called it the "Three-Nos" of the Arab-Israeli relations - 'No peace with Israel, No recognition of Israel, No negotiations with Israel'. The "Three Nos" encouraged and prompted Israel to come out with a provocative statement of its own, and settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip were established. What a foolish mistake, that was bound to cause many internal problems in the future.
Since the "Three-Nos" many things happened though. Egypt and Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel, but the occupied territories that were captured by Israel from Jordan (the West Bank and the Eastern part of Jerusalem) and Egypt (the Gaza Strip) stayed under Israel's control. In 1978, when the peace treaty with Egypt was signed, they refused to get the Gaza Strip back, and asked only for the Sinai Peninsula. When the peace treaty with Jordan was signed, the Palestinians refused, of course, to be ruled again by Jordan, and at that time peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians were progressing rather well. So 40 years of occupation, 40 years of confusion and 40 years of a continuous defeat, even though on the battlefield it was, and still is, a bit different. This war was also the starting point for the realisation of some, if not all, Arab countries that they cannot destroy Israel with their armies. Thus the Arab League, several Arab and Muslim countries, and especially Syria and internal Palestinian forces helped founding and sponsoring militant organisations. Unfortunately, it seems like it is impossible to win against militant organisations, without striking in civilian areas and thus hurt too many civilians. It is just impossible, and that is why the situation is dire as it is today.
I got to carried away with history and for that I apologise. With all the contemplations, I am happy to come back home. There is something in this place that makes it so, I don't know, I think I am just happy to live here in a way.
I have just finished a very interesting philosophy book of the Dutch-Portuguese-Jewish philosopher, Baruch Spinoza - "Treatise on the Improvement of the Understanding". I will, perhaps, write about it later, but I advise all to read it, as it is rather thoughtful for anyone who is interested in Ethics.
Getting ready for the Shabbat now and for another nice meal. The food, my friends, becomes much, but much, better when one is back home.
Shabbat Shalom from the only Jew among you.
P.S. The film about my family and me is about to be out next week. This should be interesting...
09:05 am
OH MY GOD!
This was the most amazing night in a loooong time mates!!!
This afternoon at about 7 or maybe a bit later (can't really remember when) i decided to drink something like .5g with water. It is CRAZY, trust me. Stuff is way more appealing than usual, colours are wicked, shapes are...i dont even know. In general i's JUST very different.
At about 10 pm, a friend with motorbike said there was a rave going on sort of close to my city, by an articial lake. I thought it was some stupid party...BUT IT WASN'T.
There was a big tent, and when it was tops full there were about 2000-2500 people in there. The music was absolutely excellent. A Portuguese Female DJ did the honors. Was Beautiful!(10 euros to get in though)
Alright, now THE LIGHTS in there man...FUCK ME! I'm seriously...they screwed me up badly. I was really paranoic, but that just made me enjoy the music even more, then the lights were killing me at the same time. Crazy!
It was 6 am when i went out for a piss, and something really cool happened...I looked at the few clouds in the sort of purplish sky and saw purple sheep going around up there! They looked more like clouds than sheep, but with sheep shaped clouds you gets me? And they moved quite a bit..all purple! After what i though it was 5 minutes I went in and when the strobe lights flashed really frequently...I saw the sheepy clouds in between the strobes sometimes. It was well wierd.
Some other various events took place in the night, but that was the one which really gave me something new!I was in there about 8 or 9 hours and did not exchange a word with anyone during that time - just danced and shouted.
At 8 or so we came back, dropped me somewhere, and I had to walk for half an hour
It's past 9:05 now and the only thing I see is small purple clouds, shapeless, every 10 seconds or so...
That thing really made me thirsty...
I think I'm gonna crash for a looooooooooooooooong time now. I could bet 100 whatever currency except dollars that I'll be dreaming about purple cloudy sheep, either that or something else completely...fuck i dont even know the word...Anyways i dead now.
This was the most amazing night in a loooong time mates!!!
This afternoon at about 7 or maybe a bit later (can't really remember when) i decided to drink something like .5g with water. It is CRAZY, trust me. Stuff is way more appealing than usual, colours are wicked, shapes are...i dont even know. In general i's JUST very different.
At about 10 pm, a friend with motorbike said there was a rave going on sort of close to my city, by an articial lake. I thought it was some stupid party...BUT IT WASN'T.
There was a big tent, and when it was tops full there were about 2000-2500 people in there. The music was absolutely excellent. A Portuguese Female DJ did the honors. Was Beautiful!(10 euros to get in though)
Alright, now THE LIGHTS in there man...FUCK ME! I'm seriously...they screwed me up badly. I was really paranoic, but that just made me enjoy the music even more, then the lights were killing me at the same time. Crazy!
It was 6 am when i went out for a piss, and something really cool happened...I looked at the few clouds in the sort of purplish sky and saw purple sheep going around up there! They looked more like clouds than sheep, but with sheep shaped clouds you gets me? And they moved quite a bit..all purple! After what i though it was 5 minutes I went in and when the strobe lights flashed really frequently...I saw the sheepy clouds in between the strobes sometimes. It was well wierd.
Some other various events took place in the night, but that was the one which really gave me something new!I was in there about 8 or 9 hours and did not exchange a word with anyone during that time - just danced and shouted.
At 8 or so we came back, dropped me somewhere, and I had to walk for half an hour
It's past 9:05 now and the only thing I see is small purple clouds, shapeless, every 10 seconds or so...
That thing really made me thirsty...
I think I'm gonna crash for a looooooooooooooooong time now. I could bet 100 whatever currency except dollars that I'll be dreaming about purple cloudy sheep, either that or something else completely...fuck i dont even know the word...Anyways i dead now.
It's raining outside and I am soon going to bed
So, I'm just writing because I promised Jon I would, it's almost 9:00 pm here and I've got nothing better to do and since Jon spent about half an hour of his time teaching how to use the facilities of this type of technology to a certain Nicaraguan monkey, I kinda had to.
Anyways. Although life back at home has turned out to be a little boring and despite the fact that there are certain complications standing in the way to what I want at this right moment that annoy me very much and give me bad mood rushes every now and then, everything is quite ok. There isn't really much to say, sorry I can't do a Vasco entry, at least not at this moment.
I just really hope you're all doing fine. And hope I can see you soon, some of you sooner than others...
Take care.
Bianka
Anyways. Although life back at home has turned out to be a little boring and despite the fact that there are certain complications standing in the way to what I want at this right moment that annoy me very much and give me bad mood rushes every now and then, everything is quite ok. There isn't really much to say, sorry I can't do a Vasco entry, at least not at this moment.
I just really hope you're all doing fine. And hope I can see you soon, some of you sooner than others...
Take care.
Bianka
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