Monday, 7 April 2008
Saturday, 29 March 2008
Friday, 16 March 2007
Wednesday, 14 March 2007
"I be concubining"
From Ananova's Quirkies:"A music producer told a US court he has six children on the way - all with different women.
Ricky Lackey was asked by a judge how many children he had during sentencing on an attempted theft charge.
Lackey, 25, of Cincinnati, told Hamilton County Judge Melba Marsh: "None, but I have six on the way."
"Are you marrying a woman with six children?" asked the confused judge.
"No, I be concubining," he replied, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Prosecutors said Lackey is the expectant father of six children with six different women. The women all are expected to deliver in August, September and October.
Lackey's lawyer, Stephen Wenke, stopped his client from saying more."
Whoa fella!
Monday, 12 March 2007
On moving into a new pad...
Moving house is always a weird sensation.
I have just moved into a shared pad in Buenos Aires; a flat on top of the penthouse which would seem to be the old servants quarters. It is by no means luxurious but has wireless internet (not 100% sure whose) and a gorgeous terrace complete with great views (San Telmo to the Rio Plata) and a barbeque (naturally... this is Argentina, after all).
It's lovely to have some space and privacy, although I guess it will be a while before it actually feels like home here.
I spent the afternoon helping to tidy the place up... it's the first time the rooms have been rented as they used to be inhabited by the owner's daughters, who have now grown up and moved out. Well, I say grown up... judging by the stickers on the window in here I'd say the daughters are roughly my age, give or take a few years. The desk that my laptop is perched on is still full of their stuff and the urge to snoop is a strong one! Karma says no, though.
I guess it I could have held out a little longer for something a little more luxurious. I am paying $300 a month to live here, which can go a bloody long way in this city. My friend is paying the same for a flat of her own near Palermo, which is quite a nice little pad. I wouldn't fancy living in somewhere so new, though, because the walls always seem to be made of cardboard. This is very much the case with her place. Anyways, I'm not tied into a contract, so can always give it a couple of months and consider my options.
To be honest, it's just lovely to have my own space again, to be able to unpack by bag (finding some clothes I had forgetten I owned in the process) and to sit at a desk, undisturbed.
Next things that need doing are the purchase of a couple of beanbags to make the living space more liveable, some speakers for the laptop - with enough cabling to reach onto the terrace for some late-night raving type action - and some hooky DVDs for entertainment as the flat is lacking in the delights of cable TV. To be honest, I think this is a positive aspect rather than a negative one, as it lessens opportunities for just sinking infront of the telly for an evening when living in one of the most exciting, lively cities on the planet. At least with the hooky DVDs I have to go and meet someone to get them!
Righteo... I'm off to explore San Telmo and get some water.
Chau for now.
I have just moved into a shared pad in Buenos Aires; a flat on top of the penthouse which would seem to be the old servants quarters. It is by no means luxurious but has wireless internet (not 100% sure whose) and a gorgeous terrace complete with great views (San Telmo to the Rio Plata) and a barbeque (naturally... this is Argentina, after all).
It's lovely to have some space and privacy, although I guess it will be a while before it actually feels like home here.
I spent the afternoon helping to tidy the place up... it's the first time the rooms have been rented as they used to be inhabited by the owner's daughters, who have now grown up and moved out. Well, I say grown up... judging by the stickers on the window in here I'd say the daughters are roughly my age, give or take a few years. The desk that my laptop is perched on is still full of their stuff and the urge to snoop is a strong one! Karma says no, though.
I guess it I could have held out a little longer for something a little more luxurious. I am paying $300 a month to live here, which can go a bloody long way in this city. My friend is paying the same for a flat of her own near Palermo, which is quite a nice little pad. I wouldn't fancy living in somewhere so new, though, because the walls always seem to be made of cardboard. This is very much the case with her place. Anyways, I'm not tied into a contract, so can always give it a couple of months and consider my options.
To be honest, it's just lovely to have my own space again, to be able to unpack by bag (finding some clothes I had forgetten I owned in the process) and to sit at a desk, undisturbed.
Next things that need doing are the purchase of a couple of beanbags to make the living space more liveable, some speakers for the laptop - with enough cabling to reach onto the terrace for some late-night raving type action - and some hooky DVDs for entertainment as the flat is lacking in the delights of cable TV. To be honest, I think this is a positive aspect rather than a negative one, as it lessens opportunities for just sinking infront of the telly for an evening when living in one of the most exciting, lively cities on the planet. At least with the hooky DVDs I have to go and meet someone to get them!
Righteo... I'm off to explore San Telmo and get some water.
Chau for now.
Friday, 9 March 2007
Learning Spanish
There really is no feeling quite like speaking a new language. This comes from an English speaker - obviously - who has never had the pleasure of conversing in anything but my mother tongue before.
It always seemed impossibly difficult to get talking in a second language... especially after years of language tuition at school ended up going nowhere. After a couple of years not practicing the Spanish I learnt in school, it has effectively all gone out of the window. Which sucks!
But learning a second language can't be all that difficult... after all, almost two billion people around the world can get by in English, with less than 1/5 of these living in English-speaking countries. A large number of these also come from countries lacking in the standard of education that we have in the UK, Australia, Canada and the USA. How does this add up?
Well, it's interesting being in another part of the world and seeing it from another perspective. Basically, it is seen that learning decent English is an essential step on the career ladder for anyone with ambition here (Argentina). Which is fair enough, as a huge percentage of the world's business revolves around English speaking (and American in particular) companies and corporations. The same necessity simply does not exist for English speakers, except those with very specific career goals that involve living, working or trading abroad.
So I'm now learning Spanish. It's coming along at a decent rate, largely as a result of having to speak Spanish to get the best out of life in South America (not to mention getting along with the hottest of the hotties, many of whom don't speak English). This week has seen lessons on the uses of the different past tenses, which is a major variation between Spanish and English. The best lessons, however, have happened outside of the classroom, for instance finding a flat this week, or spending a week in Mar Del Plata, as the only Englishman. Great stuff!
Righteo... that's quite enough of this English speaking for now - time to get back to the homework.
Tengo que practicar mi Espanol, etc, etc.
Hasta luego
It always seemed impossibly difficult to get talking in a second language... especially after years of language tuition at school ended up going nowhere. After a couple of years not practicing the Spanish I learnt in school, it has effectively all gone out of the window. Which sucks!
But learning a second language can't be all that difficult... after all, almost two billion people around the world can get by in English, with less than 1/5 of these living in English-speaking countries. A large number of these also come from countries lacking in the standard of education that we have in the UK, Australia, Canada and the USA. How does this add up?
Well, it's interesting being in another part of the world and seeing it from another perspective. Basically, it is seen that learning decent English is an essential step on the career ladder for anyone with ambition here (Argentina). Which is fair enough, as a huge percentage of the world's business revolves around English speaking (and American in particular) companies and corporations. The same necessity simply does not exist for English speakers, except those with very specific career goals that involve living, working or trading abroad.
So I'm now learning Spanish. It's coming along at a decent rate, largely as a result of having to speak Spanish to get the best out of life in South America (not to mention getting along with the hottest of the hotties, many of whom don't speak English). This week has seen lessons on the uses of the different past tenses, which is a major variation between Spanish and English. The best lessons, however, have happened outside of the classroom, for instance finding a flat this week, or spending a week in Mar Del Plata, as the only Englishman. Great stuff!
Righteo... that's quite enough of this English speaking for now - time to get back to the homework.
Tengo que practicar mi Espanol, etc, etc.
Hasta luego
Tuesday, 27 February 2007
Places I want to go...
...and stay up all night!
Having spent the last three months a long way away from rainy/snowy/sleeting (delete as appropriate) Northern Europe, I've really been bitten by the travel bug. It's funny how being away from home for a decent chunk of time opens your eyes to the possibilities of other ways of living.
For example, there are thousands of my countrymen (Brits, that is) floating around the world with a seemingly unquenchable taste for hedonistic pleasure. The strong pound puts us in the best position to get away and see the world, while living it up along the way. So far, the only nationalities I've encountered for whom this travelling lark is so financially easy are the Irish (of course) and the Norwegians (strange but true).
This, along with a number of recommendations, has lead me to compile a list of three party hotspots which I shall be visting in the next two years, all things going to plan. So, in no particular order...
Salvador, Brasil
While Rio takes all the international plaudits for being a hedonist's delight, outside of carnival the real action is happening a couple of thousand miles up the coast in Salvador. Perpertually sunny, Equatorial days set the backdrop for some of the wildest parties anywhere on the planet.
Berlin, Germany
The home of so much fantastic, progressive electronic music. My favourite record label of the last couple of years - Gomma - is based there and all reports suggest that the clubs of Berlin are the place to hear the next sound of dance music. I do like it filthy... Berlin offers plenty of the filth.
Tallinn, Estonia
The countries of Eastern Europe are partying doubly hard as they shake of the legacy of Soviet rule. The current generation of twenty-something club heads are the first generation to have grown up in an independent Estonia and all reports suggest that Tallinn, along with many other cities in the region, are just going wild in the Noughties.
Hmm.... I reckon more will have to be added to this list as time goes by and the recommendations pour in.
Anyways, take it easy.
Having spent the last three months a long way away from rainy/snowy/sleeting (delete as appropriate) Northern Europe, I've really been bitten by the travel bug. It's funny how being away from home for a decent chunk of time opens your eyes to the possibilities of other ways of living.
For example, there are thousands of my countrymen (Brits, that is) floating around the world with a seemingly unquenchable taste for hedonistic pleasure. The strong pound puts us in the best position to get away and see the world, while living it up along the way. So far, the only nationalities I've encountered for whom this travelling lark is so financially easy are the Irish (of course) and the Norwegians (strange but true).
This, along with a number of recommendations, has lead me to compile a list of three party hotspots which I shall be visting in the next two years, all things going to plan. So, in no particular order...
Salvador, Brasil
While Rio takes all the international plaudits for being a hedonist's delight, outside of carnival the real action is happening a couple of thousand miles up the coast in Salvador. Perpertually sunny, Equatorial days set the backdrop for some of the wildest parties anywhere on the planet.
Berlin, Germany
The home of so much fantastic, progressive electronic music. My favourite record label of the last couple of years - Gomma - is based there and all reports suggest that the clubs of Berlin are the place to hear the next sound of dance music. I do like it filthy... Berlin offers plenty of the filth.
Tallinn, Estonia
The countries of Eastern Europe are partying doubly hard as they shake of the legacy of Soviet rule. The current generation of twenty-something club heads are the first generation to have grown up in an independent Estonia and all reports suggest that Tallinn, along with many other cities in the region, are just going wild in the Noughties.
Hmm.... I reckon more will have to be added to this list as time goes by and the recommendations pour in.
Anyways, take it easy.
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