beyonce made me a birthday present

I got 99 bloggles but Beyonce ain't (been in) one (until now.) (I think.)

Lily: you absolute legend for sending me this.

She's only gone and done a music video as part of Michelle Obama's Let's Move intiative... Down with fat lazy people, up with shakin' yo bootaaayyyyyy. My kind of health regime.

Learning it asap.



There is also a SPANISH VERSION. Taking this instructional video to the Chilean youths with intention. (Note when the song comes in the words are in. Spanish. She's such a g.)

perspective

I had dedicated last night to working and just couldn't bring myself to, then tried to get up at 9am today but turned the alarm off and conked out for another two hours. I am now sat here in an empty house with no distractions (for once!) and an afternoon begging to be worked in but I just. can't. slash. won't.

This is really taking its toll on me now. I have been in this tiny room for I think about 3 weeks now, since my attempts to try and study in libraries failed miserably upon discovering the one here in Viña and in Valpo are both closed... I am two down one to go (research already been started on the last one), and some more work needed on my translation essay too.

Last night I had tea with Zelma and Laura Dyson; the fewest of us that have been together in the house since everyone arrived 2 weeks ago. Zelma and I ended up talking about what it was like when I first arrived in October, and about Exequiel passing away. It was really nice to chat to her, it made me realise how long I've been here living with her, and just how fond of her I am. I do really feel at home here now, and for the first time I thought about how sad I will be to leave this house and my Chilean hostess.

It also gave me a bit of perspective: Zelma is still waiting for her pension to come through, 6 months after Exequiel's passing, and she was telling me that if it wasn't for me being here and paying rent she doesn't know how she would have coped financially. It seems really Godsent now in hindsight my arriving here one week before he died, not even thinking about me helping her have some company during the days, but from a purely financial perspective for her.

It's definitely been a nice wake up call to remember I am not just here to write essays and sit in a bedroom moving my laptop around as I search for wifi, but then I have lived here, with a family, and been through lots with them.

Although taking my eyes off my now trivial seeming essays is not motivating me to work now, is it??

X

walt whitman

O the joy of my soul leaning pois'd on itself, receiving
    identity through materials and loving them, observing
    characters and absorbing them,
My soul vibrate back to me from them, from sight,
    hearing, touch, reason, articulation, comparison, memory,
    and the like,
The real life of my sense and flesh transcending my sense
    and flesh,
My body done with materials, my sight done with my
    material eyes,
Proved to me this day beyond cavil that it is not my material
    eyes which finally see,
Nor my material body which finally loves, walks, laughs,
    shouts, embraces, procreates.

From 'A Song of Joys', lines 98-103

TOM VEK

The man is back.

5 years after the stonker of a debut album that was We Have Sound...

A reminder >> Nothing But Green Lights >>



Finally. The next one is coming.

Single off the new album out in June >> A Chore >>



Could not be anymore hyped about this.

You know who I'll be listening to all day all week all month.

the sound of silence

It's gone a bit quiet on the not-a-blog front.

This is because I am trying to not be on the computer without studying for my essays.
Sadly my blog got hit first, facebook is obviously yet to be affected...

Good news is that the house is very full with Laura Dyson arriving and Ricardo, Rebecca, and the kids here for their youngest's baptism on Sunday! Rebecca's parents arrived yesterday, and two more of Ricardo's sisters and families are arriving today. (ie. more of Zelma's kids.)

With Rebecca's parents came a rather delayed Christmas presents from my Grandparents! Although I think Dad included his presents in with mine - I don't think I was supposed to get cufflinks somehow..!

I'm learning loads right now, which I s'pose is a good thing... Sadly most of it isn't going into my essay, because of space and trying to make a point and not just ramble on about things I find interesting (which I could do very easily). Might try and share some of my new knowledge with you when I'm not quite so fed up with it all.

Listening to the Paul Simon Songbook now on Spotify to get my through...

Peace out XOX

say no to april

Hello chaps.

Quite frankly I am willing this month to end, pronto. Main reason being this work for King's is sucky and boring and making me sucky and boring, and wish I was at home right now even more than I already do
a) because procrastination always ends in facebook, and stalking all my friends, and
b) because at least in London I have a mad decent library where I feel guilty about being on facebook. Oh and the books are helpful?

Also, once this month is over there is only fun ahead - Buenos Aires in May, and then possibly going to the South of Chile, and then Bolivia and Peru in June and then HOME.

So apologies in advance for future stroppiness, and for any symptoms I have already been manifesting.

I'm just getting hardcore bored of the internet and this room!!

Got 32 articles downloaded now, most of which will not even be necessary. Dull. And masochistic.

Trying to finish one essay today so I can go to Santiago for a bit of fun and japes with Dais, Phil and Isa before starting on number 2.

Very tight and squeezy hugs XOX

june travels

Daisy just blogged about what we did last night. So instead of repeating what she said, here is exactly what she said.


Oui, c'est un blog: What's the plan, stan?:

So, last night Lulo popped over again from Viña to set the plan in motion.


With only 7 and a half weeks until i finish work at La Segunda and a mere 8 weeks before we set off on our travels, we decided we should have a sit down and decide where we're going.


Here is a very rough plan;


Atacama desert
Over the Andes by jeep for 3 days to Salt flats in Bolivia
La Paz
Lake Titicaca
Cuzco
Machu Pichu
Atacama
Santiago
England.

i. am. so. excited.

SO AM I!!!!!!!!!!!!

We even managed to book return flights from Santiago to Calama (first stop of the trip) - it's crazy, awesome and also rather reassuring that the wheels are now turning...

So little left to go........

my awesometer just broke

THIS COULD NOT BE ANY MORE AWESOME
(made my eyes kinda wet from sheer awesomeness.)
((did i mention that it's awesome?))

birthday whammy!!

ALSO it is the 22nd birthday (still on Chile time) of two wonderful darling girlies of mine - Emma and Ceyda!

You're very awesome and I think these say it all.



(skip to 2:20 once you get a bit bored - yes she does carry on doing the same thing until then)


BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAAYYYYYY / DIRTAAAYYY / THURSDAAAAYYYYY???

brits at an american festival in chile

Yes, so this weekend we were at Lollapalooza (we being Phil, Samuel and I, and Daisy and her parents for the Sunday too).

Let's just say that the whole thing was a complete shambles in the run up. Like, extraordinarily so. Their website was a total waste of time, giving no information about anything at all. I ended up having to do twitter searches to find details about most things that they had not explained.

I quite frankly cannot bring myself to explain to you the horror that it was - I think I may still be a touch traumatised and don't want to reopen my wounds.

The healing process was hugely and incredibly aided by the festival itself. Which almost makes me crosser because the thing was worth it!

One thing I will mention is that there was no alcohol at all on site, neither allowed to be brought in nor sold (unless you forked out for a VIP ticket). However, this info only came out through one of my twitter searches and the rumour mill at Santiago Times via Phil. So in our minds we were thinking "how on earth can they possibly imagine having a festival without booze?!?!" I guess that says a lot about drinking culture at UK festivals - something I don't bother partaking in hugely (because I just get sick and boring more than anything else) but a factor you just assume will determine quite a lot of your festival experience...

The brilliance of it was that once we were inside and enjoying the music you just couldn't tell at all. The whole thing was a lot more civilised and respectable, but people were dancing and enjoying the music just as much.

That's not to say the concept would work in the UK - I think we're probably too accustomed to the way we do things to loosen up enough to enjoy ourselves at a concert or festival without the boozey atmosphere... It really does give you a license to let your hair down, even if you're not drunk yourself.

Two tip top highlights:
1) the Movistar Arena
I had no idea that the "LG Stage" was the arena where U2 played a few weeks ago - it is GIGANTIC. Like the biggest festival tent you can imagine, with 2 tiers running the whole way round that fit in probably as many people as are on the ground floor itself. And the sound system was immense. We saw Fat Boy Slim play on Saturday night there and it was rammed and incredible.

2) Chico Trujillo
This band is the best thing musically I have discovered all year. They are so fun and awesome and just brilliant.

Here is a song with minimal words but you will catch the vibezzzz.
'Con la pollera amarilla' - with the yellow skirt.



The classics: Medallita, Loca, La Escoba.

I haven't danced so hard in like, 6 months. ie. Since I've been away from London.
IT FELT GOOD.

Phil has some funny videos of us jumping around like loons.
Also might steal some of his photos to show y'all as I failed to take a camera.

All in all it was FUN.
Now I'm back to my essays... A boring week in front of the laptop. It's a good time to skype me!

XOX

heard it through the

Flo getting interviewed by her own boyfriend for Dazed and Confused, and a very cool version of Heard It Through The Grapevine. Really loving it.



Going to Lollapalooza tomorrow - Phil wrote an article on it which quotes me (lol): check it out.
Updates after the weekend!