We all need One Month Off...

Right...instead of whinging on about myself, I am going to post a blog pertaining to the fact that Bloc Party has released some class new choons, and their third-studio album titled Intimacy is set to drop on the 28th October!
It was all very sudden...what with the Zane Lowe stunt they pulled a month or so ago back where they had this ominous countdown which subsequently led to the release of a new single and album details.
They had just done a webchat a few days ago via myspace (which I had missed) and since then they had released full details, and uploaded three new tracks in addittion to Mercury to their myspace player.



Go to their myspace to listen to Signs, Trojan Horse and One Month Off!
They're ace...really.
I can scarcely wait for their album!

Happy listenings.
x

She is rediculous...

I'm feeling rather defeatist right now.
Feels like air has been pushed out of my sails.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm wasting my time.
But then again, I wouldn't be where I am and have what I have if I wasn't supposed to...
And of course I only have dialogue with myself.
Fuck it.

On the Cusp of Unity

Today I went to Liturgy in an Orthodox parish. It felt good.
Well, let me rephrase that slightly:
It feels great that as a Ukrainian Greco-Catholic, I can attend Liturgies in Orthodox parishes, as we have the SAME Church traditions, teachings and Church Fathers.
But, I can also attend Masses in Latin churches, as we are in communion with Rome.
Though, as a Greco-Catholic, I would much rather attend Liturgy instead of a Latin-rite Mass...

One thing that does indeed bother me is the fact that we do not have unity yet with the Ukrainian Orthodox, and because of this, Greco-Catholics are not able to receive Eucharist.
But I know that this unity will happen...it feels as if we are on the cusp of unity.
And when it does, I will be inexplicably overjoyed.
We will then have total unity with the Latins and the Orthodox!

I am now off to laze round, watch some shite daytime telly and tuck in with a good book.
Peace
x

Beneath the noise...

Right...I am actually in bed at mo, clearly abusing this mobile blogging function.
I had just come to the conclusion that my blog is text-intensive.
It's loaded with the words I never cease to find, and I can see how this is unattractive to the casual blog reader.
Most surfers jump on, scroll through, look at pictures and vamoose if there is nothing that catches the eye.
The absence of any readers affirms the fact that my thoughts are seemingly unattractive in my textual onslaught of a blog.
But hey ho...I do post pretty pictures here and there, and it's your loss if you aren't reading anything...I guess.
I will say though, if there is anyone who does in some miniscule way enjoy my words, I implore you to post a comment.
Or the shoutbox in the corner that is well creepy works as well.
That is, if you can make it through the din and actually sit back reading my mental fragments.

Perhaps I should just begin posting multitudes of photos that have no relevance to my blog.
Then they might attract someone.

Chivalry

Well, I haven't got anything in particular to say, but I just feel like posting.
I'm just taking a slow day, still trying to get rid of this last bit of illness.
I've got Oxford Collapse on, I'm digging it, and I'm looking out my window into the grey day.
I notice for some reason that a whole load of people are having trees cut down.
I hate this. Why cut one down that's 100 years old simply to accomodate your new plan for landscaping?
Not to mention that there are heaps of construction vehicles whizzing here and there.
It's one thing to cut it down when it poses a hazzard to things, or if it's dead.
I just hope those are the reasons for this time.

Anyway, I'm rather fumed, as I have an ongoing issue that remains unresolved with hmv online.
I had ordered five parcels about two months ago.
Three arrived, and two have been lost.
This happens 60% of the time with hmv.co.uk, and I proceed with them through a replacement routine.
This always works, and I get my items.
For some reason, this isolated time they claim no liability as my postal code was not provided.
They then proceed to tell me that they will not issue a refund unless the items are returned to them.
What the fuck?!
If the items are returned none other.
So I'm sat here money down and no items.
I keep asking if I can provide the information they need and repeat the process.
The only response I receive is an automated one which explains nothing.
I've sent another correspondance today...we'll see how long it takes them to respond...five days?
And I've sent an e-mail to the post office asking them for assistance.
I would like a resolve!

Chivalry is dead.

This Scene Is Dead

Well people...after my fantastic mobile post of no content, I sit here now poised and ready to divulge the details of the WAS gig on Monday night.

Due to conflicting information on timing, my brother and I arrived what we thought was an hour and twenty minutes late for the support, but luckily we arrived just in time for Oxford Collapse.
Though I lost some minutes from the woman taking tickets who could not give correct change if her life depended on it, I walked into the micro-spec of a venue and went to the merchandise booth.
Much to my disbelief, none other than Keith Murray, lead vocals of We Are Scientists was standing behind the counter.
After blinking a few times, I mustered up all the courage I could to walk up to him and say "I just want to tell you...you're awesome."

Keith is center...and fit.
:p











Shock. Awe.
Such profound words.
This would be the second time that I had unexpectedly met someone at a gig and said something to the extent of "you're awesome."
How very forgettable.
Had I been given fair warning of the chance that I might meet him, I would have arranged some words to say that weren't knuckleheaded.
And also given the fact that I was stood three feet in front of him, I couldn't very well arrange said words as I was staring at him.

I retreated with a grin to regroup.
As I stood those three feet away, I could not understand how a place full of people set to see WAS didn't recognise their lead vocalist.
This never ceases to disgust me.
I saw only one other bloke who went up for a little chat.
After a few minutes, I decided I should go back and get a shirt that I eyed up before.
I went back up to Keith and spoke into his ear (yay!), asking him if he was indeed selling the merchandise.
He responded yes (really, how amazing is it that he is selling his own items!), but there was a conflicting issue with the correct size of shirt that I needed.
So, I made the split decision to pick up their album from this year "Brain Thrust Mastery" that I had gotten before it was released on digital format.
Since I love getting the physical album instead of having an ugly blank disc with Sharpie writing, I felt that this was a good move.
Not only did I buy it from Keith, but I asked him if he could autograph it for me!
He then graciously proceeded to open the plastic wrapping with a WAS badge and he signed the insert with a K!
Woooooo!

After this, I retreated once again to my slight haven, so as to not weird him out in any way, as clearly he was trusting the fact that no one knew what he looked like here.
This revolts me though, as WAS played GLASTO this year, and they are playing Leeds Fest! There are tens of thousands of people that attend these events!
And here in this lounge, he is safely hidden in front of everyone.
Oh well...their neglect becomes my ally!

I then stood on a slight high and watched the remainder of Oxford Collapse's set.
During one tune, Keith got on stage with them and sang along.
They were actually very good.
I picked up their newest album along with a couple dead cool sex-inducing WAS badges.

As we waited for WAS to come out, I looked round at the crowd, and to my severe dismay, I noticed that there were several large gaps where people should have been present in, and a horde of extreme attention-grapping posers.
I shook my head in disdain as I realised that this was not the sort of crowd they deserved.

When they did finally come on stage, they ripped it up with a set comprised mostly of tunes from Brain Thrust Mastery, and a few fucking classics from With Love And Squalour were tossed in.
To me, We Are Scientits are a great live band, and they have got great stage prescence and energy.
They did their usual cheeky commentary in between songs which was so clearly wasted on the thick crowd.
I got the drift that they were shegrined at the turn-out and the fact that they were apathetic.
It was almost palpable that they were slightly deflated.
Though I was avin' it and dancing along with the quality tunes, I felt sorry for them, as the crowd was rather patronising.
WAS even took a request from two rather dim women in the corner who didn't even realise that performers adhere to a schedule whilst playing a show, and it isn't the easiest thing to throw a song in on a whim.

When they finished their thirteen-song set, a whole pack of chavs began dancing in the same distacting and annoying fashion they were using during the show.
At that, I left rather revolted.
Though I had an amazing time...cancelling out the retards everywhere.
I just hope they return to the city one day, as most artists that receive such a lukewarm reception scarcely return for round two. :(
I left with my head held high, my autographed album copy and confidence in the fact that I am a true WAS fan...

I was able to replay it in my head that night, as I stayed outside until the wee hours of the morning watching a well cool meteor shower.

I are Scientist.
x

Mobile-ing

Alright everyone that may be reading this...though this isn't the We Are Scientists review blog I promised, I simply think it's dead cool that I am posting this entry from a mobile device.
Not to worry my pets, as when I get over this being neato, and when I get cracking tomoz, I do promise that WAS entry.
I won't give anything away now though...sorry.
You'll have to tune in to the same Bat channel at the same Bat time....

x

Lounges, pubs and clubs...oh my!

Tonight I seem to feel well enough to hit the We Are Scientists gig!
It's in a dead cool venue which I have never been to, but upon seeing pictures from their website, it looks rather intimate.
There are two support acts, one of which is Oxford Collapse (which I keep wanting to call Oxford Comma lol).
I had a bit of a listen to them earlier and they didn't sound half bad. We shall see how they are live!

I am just sat stunned thinking that such a quality band like WAS are forced to play such a miniscule venue.
There is another local venue in the area that I fort for sure they would play, but it's mid-sizedness seems too "big" for WAS's stature?
Where is the fairness?
Some complete and utter shit acts play that mid-sized venue, and the real quality is being pushed into what essentially is a lounge or a mini pub, fit for a small-time jazz maverick.
Oh well...I'm reaping the benefits of being so close.
A full gig-update when I recover.
:D

Sphinx
x

Vote?

I wonder why no one votes on my poll.
People come and people go, but if they just took a second out their day to speed-scroll to the bottom of this page, they would find my uber-fabbity poll.
And if each person would vote accordingly, I would continue to gather conclusive evidence about the effect of facial hair on today's world.

But with no participation, I am able to gather no results.
Please vote!
There have only been three votes I'm afraid.
I am unable to generate a full report.
:P

These Grey Days

This is a mini blog of love for Eight Legs, and their choon These Grey Days, of which I have been strangely obsessed with as of late.
I find it eerily relevant in my life.

I shall post the lyrics:

These Grey Days

I've been short of logic so
I'm passed out on the patio, this cold and stony floor
I've been here before 12 times
I'm slime and I've got one thing on my mind
It's on my mind

Well she would sit and talk to me
But that's not quite enough for me
I've sent a nasty text
To show I'm not impressed
She won't comply with the one thing on my mind
It's on my mind

I wish we hadn't changed
I wish we hadn’t kissed good bye to those old days
I wished we stayed the same
These grey days

I've been to a party so
I'm passed out on the patio outside of your back door
And I've been here before so many times
I'm slime and I've got one thing on my mind
It's on my mind.

Something in my brain
And that explains the way that I behave
I need not feel ashamed
These grey days


Here is the video, which in itself is awesome, as it's filming to me resonates with the fact that my sense of reality has been fucked up as well.



Enjoy
x

It's just a matter of time

Well, here I sit again, in the throes of illness.
Since this stupidity has come about, loads of things I had wanted to do I cancelled on.
One thing which is good is the fact that I skived out on a Vacation Bible School that I volunteered for...though not really volunteered for.
I really don't like kids, and every year the woman who organises it goes more and more overboard with things.
She assumes that I am going to be places.
To me, all the charity is gone when someone assumes your position before you were able to volunteer.
It drives me insane.
I had managed to avoid VBS for four years already, and I have to say I was extremely pleased.
Though this year, it seemed like I had no way out.
Enter illness.
*evil laugh*

Oh dear, I must minimise my evil laughing, as it is making me cough...
Anyway, I am really torn on the subject of VBS.

PROS

It is teaching kids about the Bible in some way, I'm sure

It's engaging the community, having kids participate and communicate with each other

Ultimately, it is faith-based

CONS

It's not an Eastern Catholic programme, and not even Catholic in any remote way. I feel that we should be teaching kids Eastern spirituality from early ages.

It gets convoluted. The activities I fear, will go in one ear and right out the other.

It's a very rushed and stressed atmosphere. I wouldn't like it if I were an atendee.

More planning and preperation goes into this stupid week than things that have been established for years, eg the Acolyte Convention, which is Eastern Catholic in nature, and has more depth and etc.

Whatever...I said I was torn.
Though I did attend the first night, I felt ill that entire time.
I have a suspicion that the people there think I am faking it.
Only because of the fact that I have managed to skive out them all now!
It's not good anyway, even if I were on antibiotics, to be round infants and toddlers.

Anyway, that stupid VBS thing cancelled out my plans for going to NYC to see Bloc Party!!
I am gutted.
Though it seemed mad from the word go, I still wanted to try and do it somehow.
Now, who knows if I'll ever fucking see Bloc Party... :(
Must keep positive!

Though now I am concerned as well, as We Are Scientists have a gig on August 11th, and I desperately want to feel well enough to attend that!
Especially since they are a quality band, it's a very small venue and they are touring with Kings of Leon this fall.
And ultimately, I will not see KoL at another gig, as they decided NOT to include any dates locally this time round for reasons unknown. Gutted about that too.
Imagine...seeing KoL AND WAS.
What a show!
Especially since KoL are mega live!!
Thooooough, I also found out that a date has been sceduled for the Fratellis in September!
If any one person comes between that date and I...I will put a move on them!
It's almost like it's too good to be true.
Gogol Bordello, Bloc Party/DIOYY?, WAS and the Fratellis.
Two down, two to go...
We shall see how my plans will hatch!

I'm losing my mind...

Well, after that posting barrage, I am not yet satisfied.
I still feel restless, and like I still have loads to say.
One problem...I don't know exactly what to say.
How's that for a fookin' contradiction?

Anyway, I feel a bit tripped out now when I look at my blog, as I have included all those colours. Don't get me wrong, as one of my mottos is "the more colours, the better" but I just want to be able to read the text without seeing coloured spots.
I blame this particular monitor I am using, as it's got a funky position and has "super clarity"...whatever that means.
Not to mention that I keep on hearing banging noises round, despite the fact that I am alone.
It's really beginning to weird me out.
Also, I have become addicted to my lozenges again. They have a cooling vapour action which numbs the back of my throat, making it easier to swallow. :D
I have also set the ringtone on my mobile to "Calm-a-llama down" which has been stuck in my head something wicked.

Calm a llama down
Calm a llama deep down in the ocean
Blue like a barnacle
Sitting in a tight place
Laughing like a monkey arm
Pulling like a China boy
Carraway carraway carraway!
Noise!
Boing chick-a-masala!
Boing chick-a-masala!
Ooooohhh
Tooth, tooth sswwoop!

Pressing forward...I reckon I could include a small list of a few choons I am having a listen to.

Party Up - DMX
Black Heart Queen - Gallows
Not A Crime - Gogol Bordello
Two Times - The Blakes
Hang Me Up To Dry - Cold War Kids
These Grey Days - Eight Legs
Crawl - Kings of Leon
Sex On Fire - Kings of Leon
Wonderlust King - Gogol Bordello
Driving Nowhere - Hadouken!
Lightning Blue Eyes - Secret Machines
La Nuit - Robots In Disguise
Spit It Out - IAMX
Disco Sheets - Wolf Parade
Tubthumping - Chumbawamba
King Christian - Mew
Cherry Red - The Groundhogs

A bit ickle.
Oh well.
I've run out of steam.
Either that, or I've had it. :|

The Prayer of the Servant of God Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky for Divine Wisdom

And now, one of my very favourite prayers...one that always gives me strength and direction whenever I read it.
It is from Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky...a truly amazing man and one of my heroes.
This humble man will one day be known amongst a larger population of people for all of the amazing works he continues to do through God's grace on this planet.
Metropolitan Andrey, pray for us.

The Prayer of the Servant of God Metroploitan Andrey Sheptytsky for Divine Wisdom

O Great and Almighty God, send down upon me from Your high and holy heavens and from the throne of Your holy glory, Your holy wisdom, that sits at Your side...

Grant me the wisdom of Your good pleasure so that in my life I may know how to desire fervently, seek wisely, acknowledge in truth and fulfill perfectly that which is pleasing to You, to the glory and honour of You holy Name, "to the praise of the glory of Your grace."

Grant me, O God, the wisdom of my state, so that I may do what You desire; grant that I may understand my obligations, grant me the wisdom of my duties, and grant that I may do them as they ought to be done and as is fitting of Your glory and for the benefit of my soul.

Grant me the wisdom of Your ways and the wisdom to walk the paths of Your holy will.

Grant me the wisdom of success and failure so that I would know how not to exalt myself in the former and not to be downcast in the latter.

Grant me the wisdom of joy and the wisdom of sadness; may I rejoice only in that which leads to You and be sad only in that which separates from You.

Grant me the wisdom of everything that passes and everything that lasts; may the first decrease in my sight, and the second grow.

Grant me the wisdom of work and the wisdom of rest; may work for You be luxury for me, and rest without You – fatigue.

Grant me the wisdom of a sincere and straight-forward intention, the wisdom of simplicity, the wisdom of sincerity. May my heart turn to You and seek You in all things all my life long.

Grant me the wisdom of obedience for Your law, for Your Church.

Grant me the wisdom of poverty, so that I would never value goods in any other way except according to their real worth.

Grant me the wisdom of chastity according to my state and vocation.

Grant me the wisdom of patience, the wisdom of humility, the wisdom of gladness and seriousness, the wisdom of the fear of the Lord; the wisdom of truthfulness and of good deeds; may I be patient with no complaining, humble without the least pretending, joyful without inordinate laughter, serious without severity; that I may fear You without the temptation to despair; that I may be truthful without the shadow of duplicity; may all my good deeds be free from self-complacence.

Grant me the wisdom to admonish my neighbour when necessary without exalting myself; grant that I may edify in word and deed without hypocrisy.

Grant me, O Lord, the wisdom of vigilance, attention and wariness; may no vain thought lead me astray.

Grant me the wisdom of nobleness; may I never be brought down by any impure and unworthy attachment.

Grant me the wisdom of what is right; may no selfish intention ever lead me away from the path of my duties.

Grant me the wisdom of courage and strength; may no storm overthrow me.

Grant me the wisdom of freedom; may no powerful passion ever enslave me.

Grant me the wisdom of the theological virtues and the moral virtues: faith, hope, love, prudence, devotion, temperance and fortitude.

Grant me, O Lord, the wisdom of the apostles, the wisdom of the martyrs; grant me a priestly and pastoral wisdom; grant me the wisdom of preachers and teachers; grant me the wisdom of those who administer the Holy Mysteries; grant me the Eucharistic wisdom and mystical wisdom – the wisdom of prayer and spiritual wisdom, and above all, O Lord, grant me the wisdom of sincere repentance, imperfect and perfect contrition; grant me the wisdom of to know myself in my weakness and malice; grant me the wisdom of mortification and fasting; grant me the wisdom of self-denial and self-sacrifice; grant me the wisdom of sacrifice, the wisdom of the Cross, the wisdom of Blood.

O God, grant me, finally, that wisdom which, in accord with Your holy purpose, leads to the unity of churches under one supreme pastor, the Universal Pontiff; grant me the wisdom to cherish the work of holy unity, to love it and to consecrate my life to it.

Grant me the wisdom of our Eastern rite, to hold it, to renew it and develop it. Grant me the wisdom of the Fathers of the holy Eastern Church and all the great ecclesiastical teachers.

Grant me the wisdom of Your great apostle, Paul, so that I would at least well understand his epistles, remember them and know how to explain them to Your people.

Grant me the wisdom of Your first Vicar that I may understand the designs of Your Divine Providence, which governs the Church through the Roman Pontiffs; grant me the wisdom of obedience to them and to the Universal Catholic Church; grant me the wisdom of church history and theology; grant me the wisdom that I and my people lack; grant me the wisdom of true satisfaction, true happiness. Amen.


May you, whomever is reading this, find divine wisdom through these words.
Sphinx
x

"Do It Anyway"

And now some words from Mother Teresa, as I am random that way.

The verses below reportedly were written on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta, and are widely attributed to her.

Some sources say that the words below were written on the wall in Mother Teresa's own room. In any case, their association with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity has made them popular worldwide, expressing as they do, the spirit in which they lived their lives.

They seem to be based on a composition originally by Kent Keith, but much of the second half has been re-written in a more spiritual way.


"Do It Anyway"

People are often unreasonable, irrational and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Creat anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.



Sphinx
x

Sir Winston Churchill...the MAN

Though I could find many, many more brilliant quotes from Winsty, I can't be arsed at mo.
Though one thing is certain...there will be more to come in the future.

Included in the latest edition of this blog are some fantastic quotes from the genius of Sir Winston Churchill.
Sir Winston had a lovely way with his words, and it is expressed in a few chosen quotes:


"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."

"I cannot pretend to feel impartial about colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones and feel geniuenly sorry for the poor browns."

"I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals."

"It is a good this for an uneducated man to read books of quotations."

"For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else."

And lastly, a very important quote:
"A joke is a very serious thing."

Clever Insults!

Whilst we are on the topic of finding little quotes in places, this too is an entry from my myspace blog about some clever insults.
And after I post this entry, I shall include some amazing quotes from Sir Winston Churcill! ^_^

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."
-- Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries
with great pleasure."
-- Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a
reader to the dictionary."
-- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."
-- Groucho Marx

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter
saying I approved of it."
-- Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
-- Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new
play, bring a friend... if you have one."
-- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second..... if there is
one."
-- Winston Churchill to Shaw, in response

"I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here."
-- Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator."
-- John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."
-- Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness
in others."
-- Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up."-- Paul Keating

"He had delusions of adequacy."
-- Walter Kerr

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?"
-- Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."
-- Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
-- Oscar Wilde

Who is your worst enemy?

What to write about tonight faithful and devoted blog-readers (wherever you are, and if you do indeed exist)?
Listlessness? Loneliness? Indecisiveness?
It all seems relevant at this point. It could be because of several reasons.
Firstly, if could be because I am ill at the moment, and feel rather useless.
Or it could be from the fact that I still haven't gotten a grapple on my life as it is.
Heck, it could be because I am having a listen to Can.

Whatever the reason, it doesn't change the lingering feeling of it all.
One does not wish to succumb to hopelessness, but sometimes it seems logical.
When this happens, I am sure to push the negativity away.
It never is a constructive thing to feel hopeless.
I have never been one to look at things in an inherently negative light, though I do get down sometimes.
I simply have to take a step back and look at things in a fresh light.
In certain cases, it takes more than a moment, but eventually I'll get there.

I engage in psychological warfare with myself far too often. It could be said that I am my own worst enemy!
The mind of a human being is such a fascinating place. It can take us to parts we never knew existed, and make us conjure things we never knew were possible.
Though it can also be our downfall.
Enter negativity, doubt and various other dubious states.

I came across a quote just now that I wish to include:
"Half the trouble and misery and pain people have is brought on by themselves. They either talk too much or not enough."

Food for thought.

Blogs: A History

Right...I must admit the truth once and for all:
I have been blogging about on myspace since 2005.
Though myspace isn't a 'blog' website, it does feature a bloging section, of which I utilise still to this day.

Today however, I realised that I hadn't posted there in a while, so I added a new post.
I shall include it in here after I finish writing this useless one, as I am trying to make this a completeist blog.
I will also back log my other blog and pull out some entries I think aren't total rubbish and I will include them here as well.
If no one reads them...who cares? We're in the same position we were in twenty minutes ago.

Anyway, I am feeling a bit irritated tonight, as am ill with what I believe is strep throat, I am really very lonely, in need of a meaningful conversation and freaking out with Can.
Though I know that I will conquer this virus with my own antibodies and white blood cells.
I refuse to see a doctor and take antibiotics!
All I need is some OJ and liberal amounts of garlic!
Guess what? I also feel better today.
Take that, false medical evaluations!

Think Locally...

Alright everyone...it has taken me a couple of days to recuperate from the complete and utter havoc that was Gogol Bordello on Saturday.

On saturday afternoon, I began to get the pre-gig jitters that I normally experience.
It just hits me...the anticipation, the excitement, the rush of it all.
I began to wrangle everyone up as I changed into my outfit for the night.
It was nothing out the ordinary really, as the whole gypsy-punk thing is how I have dressed since I was very young.
I thank my Baba for passing this style onto me. :D
What I wore was a bright blue shirt saying "THE DAY" which is for our Ukrainian independence, and it has Ukraine on it with a massive Tryzub.
I then wore two belts, of which I merely threw on, black shorts that have buttons all over them and my Brazil shoes.
Though I was annoyed that my cousins were poking fun at me, I remembered that this is the way I like to dress, and that I was going to be avin' it tonight!
After some drama involving cats that nearly made us late, we eventually made it into the city to the House of Blues.
There was a line already, but for some reason the cousins felt it was prudent to eat.
After wasting time walking round to look for some food, we went to a dive pizza shop and had a slice.
Much to my prediction, as we returned to the HOB, the line was massive and stretching round the side of the building.
As we were in line, I noticed loads of people staring at my shirt, and my brother's as well, which read "UkraiNEON".
I noticed loads of Eastern European people around, though there were many posers too.
I reckon you can't have a good show without lame posers anyway. :P

Moving on...
We had seen part of the group that we were sort of with in line before, and they told us that they would meet us inside.
After gazing at them skeptically, I came to the conclusion that they hadn't been to many gigs before.

Once inside, we planted ourselves on the floor, about four people thick from the stage.
It began to fill, but we had no sight of the two other parties that would "meet us" inside.
I ran off and got a shirt for myself, and barely made it back to my place.
There were some well annoying people round me, two of which were seemingly genderless short people that had severe body odor.
I was beginning to wane in paitience, as the DJ that was playing was rubbish, and seemed to be playing for an AGE.
The crowd was already very drunk, and getting actually very violent towards said DJ, so when Gogol Bordello finally came out, there was one immense crush!
I got the wind knocked out of me, it seemed like all the oxygen had vanished from the room, the temperature went up to astronomical heights and it was such a force of people, moshing like there was no tomoz!
The crowd never stopped. Literally.
I got shoved, shuffled, groped...the works!
Gogol put on an INCREDIBLE performance, and they somehow kept their energy up for the nearly twenty songs they had played!
Eugene Hutz, lead vocals, is such an amazing performer. He had nearly finished a bottle of wine during the end of the set.
Not to mention that his pants were so low that I was having a party...lol.
There was bodysurfing, and loads of people got ejected.
I went particularly mad during the tracks of Ultimate, American Wedding, Immigrant Punk, Start Wearing Purple, Wonderlust King, Not A Crime, Think Locally, F'ck Globally, Mishto!, Tribal Connection, Sally and essentially every other song!
One thing is certain...they sound better live than they do on record!
Towards the end of the show, I saw one of my mates fly past and disappear again. At least he was enjoying himself, unlike my cousins.

Putting their dampening moods aside, I left there with scratches, my shoe had fallen apart, I was short of breath from being hit in the stomach multiple times, my pants were unlaced and I tasted of lager.
Such a messy, messy night.

My message for you all is:
Think Locally...Fuck Globally!

"Slavic Rivals Embroiled in Church Rift"

Also today, I came across this very disturbing news story.
When will Ukraine be able to stand alone and independently?


"MOSCOW — For many Russians, it is bad enough that Ukraine is pushing to join NATO and to eject the Russian Navy from its Black Sea port. But over the weekend, the confrontation over Ukraine’s attempts to shrug off Russian influence reached an even more emotional pitch — when the Ukrainian president sought to split his nation’s church from Moscow’s.

It was the latest round in an increasingly fraught tug of war over history, identity and power. The two governments have fought with many different political weapons — from Ukraine’s threat to join Russia’s cold war rivals to Russia’s ability to shut off the natural gas deliveries on which its neighbor depends. Both quickly made it clear that the struggle over the church — traditionally an institution closely entwined with state power — was at least as important.

On Saturday, President Viktor A. Yushchenko of Ukraine chose the 1,020th anniversary of the advent of Christianity in the Slavic kingdom that predated Ukraine and Russia — a date that each country claims as a founding event of its nationhood — to issue a plea for Ukraine’s Orthodox Christians to gain independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.

With Orthodox Church notables from around the world looking on, Mr. Yushchenko asked Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s 250 million Orthodox Christians, to bless the creation of an independent Ukrainian church — “a blessing,” he said on Saturday, “for a dream, for the truth, for a hope, for our state, for Ukraine.”

The Ukrainian president — who claims that pro-Russian opponents tried to kill him with poison that pockmarked his face — also snubbed the Russian Orthodox patriarch, Aleksy II, by giving him a businesslike handshake after warmly kissing Bartholomew on both cheeks.

During three days of solemn religious ceremonies, rock concerts and political brinkmanship in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, the power struggle was not resolved. Both sides declared victory, as Bartholomew stopped short of supporting or rejecting the independence movement, saying only that divisions in the church would have “problematic consequences for Ukraine’s future.”

But there was insulted pride and inflamed nationalism on both sides as well, and it was clear that it would be hard to resolve the dispute without causing a schism in the church, heating up ethnic tensions in Ukraine and deepening the division between Russia and Ukraine.

The possibility of a split in the church showed that behind the geopolitical bluster that the two countries have directed at each other since 1991 — when they each became independent after the fall of the Soviet Union — lies an identity crisis and a deep sense of loss.

Many Ukrainians believe that the Russian empire and later the Soviet Union robbed them of the chance to develop a national identity, while many Russians feel that Ukraine is now claiming as its own a land and history that belongs to them as well.

For Svetlana Dyomena, a nurse who prayed Tuesday at Yelokhovsky Cathedral in Moscow, the idea of an independent Ukrainian church immediately reminded her of her sadness over an independent Ukraine.

“How can Ukraine not be part of Russia?” she lamented after lighting a candle at the turquoise, golden-domed church, which was Moscow’s main practicing Orthodox cathedral under Soviet rule. “We have a common faith, a common history.”

Ms. Dyomena said it was less painful to see countries like Georgia seek to escape Moscow’s sphere of influence.

“Georgians, well, they were always from the Caucasus,” she said, referring to the restive mountainous region whose people have fought wars against Russian rulers for centuries. But Ukraine and Russia, she said, have “one language, one religion, even one cuisine.”

Ukrainians disagree. Russian was the language of government and education in Ukraine under the Soviet Union and Russian empire, and Ukrainians struggled to maintain their own language. They view the absorption of the Ukrainian state and church into Russia’s institutions under Peter the Great as an annexation that was not reversed until 1991.

“How can you live like neighbors when your neighbor says the house you live in is not your own house, but our common house?” said Bishop Yevstratiy, the spokesman for one of two Ukrainian breakaway churches, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev Patriarchate, which the Moscow Patriarchate has declared heretical.

Establishing an independent church is essential for Ukraine to consolidate its national identity and statehood, and it would probably happen eventually, said Alexey Malashenko, an expert on religion and society at the Carnegie Moscow Center.

“But for Russia it is also a tragedy,” he said. “I don’t know how they are going to agree.”

When Ukraine left the Soviet Union in 1991, the new nation took with it much that was dear to Russia.

The Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, won by Catherine the Great from the Turks for the Russian empire, was a vacation getaway for generations of Russian nobles and, later, for Soviet laborers. Its port, in Sevastopol, is still the home of the Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet. Odessa, an important shipping hub that is now part of Ukraine, is also the source of shared cultural touchstones, from its bawdy jokes to the famous shot of the baby carriage rolling down the steps in the classic Eisenstein film “Battleship Potemkin.”

Even historical tragedies are subject to the tug of war. There is a Ukrainian movement to convince the world that the famines that killed millions of Soviets during forced collectivization constituted a genocide aimed at ethnic Ukrainians — while many Russians object that their ancestors also starved after being stripped of their private land.

But the biggest prize is the inheritance of Kievan Rus, the kingdom that Prince Vladimir — Volodymyr to Ukrainians — converted to Christianity in the 10th century.

In Kiev, Aleksy II, the Russian patriarch, called it “the mother of Russian cities, a city from where Holy Orthodoxy began to spread through our land.”

Moscow church officials, who are close to the Kremlin, linked church unity to political efforts to maintain close ties among Slavic countries.

At a rock concert organized by the Moscow patriarchate, the popular rock band DDT performed alongside Metropolitan Kirill, a Moscow church spokesman who declared in a kind of ecclesiastical rap: “Russia, Ukraine, Belarus — that is Holy Rus! Holy Rus is invincibility!”

Shots were even fired on Saturday — though they were blanks. Ukraine on Tuesday delivered a formal complaint to Russia over the firing of blanks from Russian naval ships at Sevastopol to celebrate Russian Navy Day.

There is division within Ukraine over church independence. The idea is less popular in Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking, pro-Russian industrialized south and east than in the Ukrainian-speaking, Western-leaning part of the country west of the Dnieper River.

Aleksy II canceled a planned trip to Donetsk, a pro-Russian city, citing health reasons, but he was widely seen to be either trying to avoid stirring up conflict by rallying his supporters, or to be leaving early because the Ukrainian president did not show him enough respect."

Super Taranta!

Well...the time is nigh for a gig!
Tomoz night I am going to a Gogol Bordello gig!
Not only are they ace, the lead vocals, Eugune Hutz is Ukrainian!
So, my bros and I are going with a couple of Ukrainian mates to step up the prescence in there.
Should be a messy gig!



*growls*




And, speaking of other exciting things...I am concocting a holiday!
Nothing is set in stone, but all I know is that my bros and I would like to go to various places in England.
Though one can say that I have ulterior motives...
Muahahahaha...
We shall see what comes of this!

Sphinx
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