28+1

der blogger als forschungsobjekt

wer schon immer mal wissen wollte, welcher bloggertyp er ist, sollte sich für eine studie meiner alten alma mater interessieren.
ich habe zwar nicht an der studie teilgenommen, bin aber typ selbstdarsteller, was sonst, und wünsche mir als promiblog... gar keinen!

os-car or os-walk?

what a boring, predictable and pc show!
the brits i'm sure are happy because they are always happy when their big brother from hollywood pays them some attention. it makes them feel that they are somebody. a mediocre role in a mediocre film won ms mirren an oscar, and to dedicate it to the queen is just tacky. there are so many queens in england, she did not even specify. but then, the dame did get famous for her tits not her talent or her intellect. (well, i can somehow relate to that...)
you are probably not surprised: there is no mention in the english media of the german oscar for das leben der anderen. i'm really chuffed that a film about ossis is honoured as it should be, and i'm impressed by the ambitious director.
digressing slighly: does al gore have shares in hybrid cars? or the german minister of environment shares in energy-saving light bulbs? why else would we see this blatent product-placement in politics and entertainment? why not walk or cycle to the next award show? and the os-walk goes to...

after a short break

hello hello.
i'm back in bloggerland.
you may have thought i was on an exotic, internetfree holiday. or bed-ridden. or worse, just not interested anymore.
truth is, i was lazy. actually, i AM lazy. i also had an essay to write, on politics in the middle east. and due to some changes in my professional life (aka *career*) i revived my 7 year old laptop with windows me. that one took a while to get going with the novelty that is blogging.
but before my birthday and after that german film about the stasi (= east german secret police) by that very tall director with the very long name won an oscar, *hurra!*, i decided to come back.
did you miss me?

mud

it's evening, it has been snowing most of the day, but it's no longer white. mud and icy patches where you look.
i look forward to peeking at kylie's hot pants in the v&a this weekend.
la la la.

snow!

it's snowing again! all is white, london is looking crispy clean, and the tube has come to an almost complete standstill.
global warming??

intelligentes leben

habe in meiner rolle als studentin der nahostwissenschaften an der soas (na soas!) gestern und heute 2 vortraege gehalten. zu den sensationellen themen *globalisierung und mittlerer osten*, und *urbane raeume - die islamische stadt*. jetzt ist erstmal die akademische luft raus. in ersterem vortrag zeigte sich, dass es sich im sinne einer lebhaften diskussion lohnt, eine unpopulaere meinung zu vertreten. in diesem falle: der muslimische osten widersetzt sich der globalisierung. die tutorin unterbrach mich das erste mal schon nach 10 sekunden. weitere einwuerfe folgten.
ich fuerchte nur, dass ich selbst dadurch nicht an popularitaet gewonnen habe.
ein kleines, vertretbares opfer fuer meinen baldigen ruhm.
ab morgen wird an 2 essays geschrieben. eins nach dem andern. denn der wahre student ruht nie!

how british do you think you are?

pass the citizenship test.
then pass the chips, please.

quote of the day: *there are 100 writers in the world who could do a better job. and i am one of them.* - norman mailer on the bible.

wonders of the world

a bunch of event and tourism managers are encouraging people to vote for the new 7 wonders of the world. i think it's a silly idea. clearly the first time round, the number was arbitrary, there just happened to be 7 great buildings of ancient times stuck in people's memories. also, is this new list supposed to compete with the hanging gardens, the colossus of rhodes etc? the mention of the pyramids on the shortlist seems to suggest that. but the other candidates are laughable compared to the pyramids: the sydney opera house?! schloss neuschwanstein?!?! how can you even begin to compare?

my objections notwithstanding: i expect there to be some considerable media hustle-bustle, so i better vote alas in the end the statue of liberty will be a new wonder. so i voted for petra. the rose-red city in jordan, carved into the stone, and incredibly beautiful.