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The Belgian Bla Bla Blog

Live from Belgium

Saturday, September 28, 2002

This blog has now ceased to exist. Feel free to still look around. New entries are not to be expected.

.: posted by Cara 10:33 AM


Friday, September 27, 2002

Shaver, huh?

Today, in CNN Europe Headline News, a funny item:

HELSINKI, Finland (Reuters) -- A buzzing ladyshaver in the luggage of the Finnish prime minister's wife set off a bomb alert near the European Union-Asian summit in Copenhagen earlier this week, Finnish media reported on Thursday.
The article goes on:
Security was extra tight in Copenhagen for the meeting of representatives from 25 European and Asian countries, including many leaders.
Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen said police overreacted.
"Over-zealous policemen checked our bags with bomb sniffing dogs. Instead of using their sense they used something else," Paavo Lipponen told Ilta-Sanomat.
Wait, a buzzing ladyshaver? Could it be that the Prime Minister was so upset because in fact it was another tool they found buzzing in his wife's bag?
If so, nice cover-up. And if so, I'm sure the security people had the chuckle of the century. Note also how a Prime Minister uses the words "over-zealous policemen". In this day and age.



.: posted by Cara 5:01 AM


Wednesday, September 18, 2002

no pictures no thoughts
no need for tags
go elsewhere for your joys
surely around you
you must find
go elsewhere to find scraps
crappy scraps fine scraps
but in the end scraps
when the era has come
of turning recycling
into an art
don't forget alice
and john
and phil
and pieter
go say hi
be a good politician
u need your votes don't you know
don't mind me
sour mood maybe
ground hog day fretting
away at the brain
wake me up
for meals
shite


.: posted by Cara 2:18 PM


Monday, August 26, 2002

What's cooking?

Last weekend, I stumbled upon the website of Jamie Oliver, aka "The Naked Chef" (click the picture to go there). Brilliant site. Completely in the style of its subject. Jamie even has a corner where he answers questions from people all over the world. Everything on the site is very informal and smooth. In the "Extras" section, there are some funny videoclips (which I did not see, since they are in QuickTime format and I'll be damned if I install that again on my computer), some pictures of other "naked chefs" and "unsigned melodies", a forum for bands not yet famous - pretty good things there I think! (I like The Makeshift Gentlmen).

Man cooks: many women drool over that thought. Why? Well because it's sort of reversing the roles I guess. It is a combination of being spoiled (the woman), considering this daily chore has been taken off her shoulders, plus a sort of kinky "uniform" enjoyment. The same way you expect to see a stern, moustached face above a uniform, the sight of a woman in uniform must turn many men on (not me! unless you're talking about Ornella Muti).
Or, the other way, I can imagine a man softening up from seeing his wife, all greasy and dirty, trying to fix something underneath the car, dressed in an overall, smears all over... (I have to stop - shouldn't have mentioned Ornella Muti).

Man cooks: of course it turns women on. For her it has to be a chore, day in, day out. Men take it on as a hobby, fresh, new to the topic. They feel like it, it is a challenge, they go for it. Women sit back and marvel. Let's not forget though that there are some women chefs out there too: such as Delia Smith, Lesley Waters or (alas, not a naked chef) Nigella Lawson. But be a man and become a good cook and you earn the respect and love of many women. One drawback though, as Jamie Oliver puts it: "no one ever wants to cook for me anymore".

But I am sure men don't start cooking because of these consequences. Men are lazy at heart. When they do something, it's because they really want to do it. I think.
After all, we all need to eat. That can be dealt with indifferently, or you can make it an art to feed yourself. Art, cooking is an art. With finesses, nuances, and lots of colours and smells. It can also go wrong, of course. It's not foolproof. And that's also the charming element of it. It is something to start small with, and then to grow as experience is gained. You see me coming, don't you? I definitely do NOT aim at becoming another Jamie Oliver! But I recently started cooking. Trying to. I had thought that it might take ages to make food, it doesn't. I had thought that by the time my food would be ready, I'd already be sick of it. I'm not. I had thought that my appetite would drop after having treated every ingredient myself. It doesn't. Though I'm still at the very very early stages of getting somewhere, I have to say: I enjoy it! One piece of advice though: never ever embark on a long cooking spree while already being extremely hungry. This I have already learned. If you're interested, you can read how I am doing.

.: posted by Cara 9:41 AM


Sunday, August 11, 2002

Knock knock

Do you know these moments, when you feel a gentle, yet powerful knock on the door of your soul? A bit like the sudden appearance of an old friend. You did not expect him, but his arrival is sweet and familiar. And promising.
I get these moments mostly when witnessing simple things. Never when being entangled in more difficult subjects. What does that tell me?
Yesterday night, I watched (again) the magical movie 'Il Postino' (The Postman), not to be confused with Kevin Costner's movie. I won't go into the movie, go and rent it, if you want. Simplicity. Take 'The Others', with Nicole Kidman. Simple story, happening entirely inside the house, with a handful of characters. And yet brilliant.
And there is the knock again. Knock knock. Just like Neo was awoken from his troublesome sleep, to be introduced to the real look and feel of The Matrix. It starts with a knock. Gently. But powerfully. A sudden whiff of recognition and insight, a realization. The only way is the sober way. Maybe in the past years I have heard too much rubbish and now my soul is desperate for something "real" to cling onto. After watching Il Postino last night, I felt strangely cleansed. Purified. Ready to start appreciating the little things of life again. Ready to start creating, from scratch, relying on the basics and not falling in the pitfalls of abundance and overwhelmingness. Ready to start afresh. Ready for a New Way of Living. Oh there is so much work to do first.
Alas, the moment of bliss is only short-lived. In a matter of minutes, the revelation has vanished. Until the next time.
Maybe I need the help of a white rabbit to be able to grasp the moment. And never let go. Or maybe these kinds of moments are not to be grasped.

.: posted by Cara 10:02 AM
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