tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22350382402017448032024-02-07T05:04:51.550+00:00Musing, Opining and CriticisingSamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-58968102996403708482014-09-24T21:53:00.003+01:002014-09-24T21:53:57.063+01:0010 Books That Have Stayed With MeOkay, so Clare nominated me to list 10 books that have stayed with me in some way. I have to list 10 books that have stayed with me in some way. The rules: Don't take more than a few minutes and don't think too hard - they don't have to be the "right" or "great" works, just the ones that have touched you... <br />
<br />
(copying this here from Facebook, to keep it for posterity)<br />
<br />
<b>Five Go Off in a Caravan (Enid Blyton)</b> - Blyton was my first reading love, and I read basically everything she wrote. This was the first though, and the first 'proper' book I read all by myself. I distinctly remember my Nan buying it for me in Luton airport.<br />
<b><br />
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (CS Lewis)</b> - another of the books that really got me into reading. There are sequences from this I can remember verbatim, and having re-read it recently, I think there are whole sections of description, of characters and landscapes, that are just so evocative.<br />
<br />
<b>The Diary of Anne Frank</b> - Excellent on two levels. Firstly as a study of a young girl and her emotions and feelings while in a total goldfish bowl, but also as a jumping-off point into further reading about the war and holocaust. Despite the vast differences in our situations, Anne was someone I really identified with as a teenager, and I imagine I'm far from the only one.<br />
<b><br />
The Catcher in the Rye (JD Salinger)</b> - read it for school, and loved it then. I am intending to read it again soon, and see if it's still as good, or if it was just the angsty teen in me then.<br />
<b><br />
Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier)</b> - I never expected to like this, when I read it at the age of about 18. From the title I expected a boring romance aimed at older women. I couldn't have been more wrong.<br />
<br />
<b>On Chesil Beach (Ian McEwan)</b> - very underrated, the honesty and awkwardness of youth, and the tragedy of a misunderstanding... I cried when I finished this.<br />
<b><br />
The Man In the High Castle (Philip K Dick)</b> - perhaps an odd choice. I only read this a few months ago, and I didn't even enjoy reading it *that* much - but the characters and scenarios have really stayed with me.<br />
<br />
<b>Finding Myself (Toby Litt)</b> - one of the first books I read and was able to analyse its structure and techniques (an excellent story within a story going on, for example) as an independent adult, rather than as part of a class, and thoroughly enjoy it at the same time.<br />
<b><br />
She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth (Helen Castor)</b> - a non-fiction book that re-ignited my interest in the British history of the Middle Ages.<br />
<br />
<b>Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)</b> - just plain wonderful, frankly.SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-33968946560915137942013-07-10T13:26:00.000+01:002013-07-10T13:27:07.838+01:00An honest evaluation of my progress in NorwegianIt's now been about 18 months since I started learning Norwegian. Some periods of that time have been quite intensive, others have been much more passive and slow (read: lazy). After this weekend's trip to Norway, I wanted to think through my progress and evaluate honestly - and I summarise my thoughts in Norwegian below. <br />
<br />
My main weakness has always been in conversation, and specifically listening comprehension, something I've found particularly difficult in Norwegian compared to other languages due to the range of dialects and accents present. But even though I know I've improved, and often I can understand what's being said by others, I'm still not jumping in and having those conversations in Norwegian. <br />
<br />
I really do still have a lack of confidence, and many conversations will switch or drift into English - sometimes that's my doing, while other times the Norwegian will change to English to make things easier. <br />
<br />
And that's the right thing to be doing. While I want to learn Norwegian, and take advantage of the opportunities presented to me in a visit to Norway, my trips there are not language-learning expeditions - they're a holiday. And I'm there to have fun with friends old and new. And the problem is that me speaking Norwegian often isn't conducive to that kind of fun - it's difficult to keep up fun, sponteneous conversation and it also risks me getting stressed, confused and frustrated. <br />
<br />
Whether it's dancing in a club, chatting about boys or throwing ice cubes down each other's clothes, these are all things that are best done in the language that most people speak best - and that's in English. The split second of waiting for me to form a witty comeback in Norwegian can be enough to shatter the mood, and I don't want that. I'd love to be doing these things in Norwegian, with Norwegians, but at the moment I just can't do that well enough. <br />
<br />
I really hope that the people I met at the weekend didn't think I was lazy for reverting back to English so often. I want to have a good time, and I want you to have a good time with me. And I know I certainly did. <br />
<br />
If you're Norwegian and reading this, please comment and let me know what you think (in Norwegian!). And do please keep helping me. If the opportunity presents itself, speak to me in Norwegian. Be helpful and clear. Tolerate me a little and help me along, especially if I actually seem to be doing well, forming real sentences and not getting nervous and stuttery about it. I love speaking Norwegian with you, and I want to do it more. But I want us all to have a fun time too. <br />
<br />
<br />
<i>På norsk:<br />
Før meg, vanskeligste på norsk er å høre og forstå bra, og det er spesielt vanskelig på norsk. Mer og mer kan jeg forstå hva nordmenn sier, men jeg fremdeles ikke snakker med og tilbake. Jeg mangler selvtillit, og ofte snakker vi på engelsk.<br />
<br />
Men kanskje det er bedre. Jeg vil lære norsk, men jeg er i Norge til å ha det gøy med vennene mine - det er ferie! Og noen ganger når jeg snakker norsk er det ikke egnet å ha det gøy, fordi jeg snakker ikke nok bra, og jeg vil ikke bli frustrert!<br />
<br />
Og nå vi er ute, og danser på en bar eller prater om gutter eller kaste is i bukser, er det bedre å snakke engelsk sammen, og ikke norsk, fordi for alle er engelsk mer naturlig i denne situasjonen. Det går bedre for alle om vi snakker engelsk. Folk vil ikke vente på meg å tenke om noe på norsk, fordi det kan ødelegge kvelden for alle. Jeg vil at jeg kunne gjøre det på norsk, men for nå kan jeg ikke, så sikkert det er bedre at vi snakker engelsk sammen.<br />
<br />
Jeg veldig liker å snakke norsk, og vil bli bedre. Så, nordmenn, hjelp meg! Snakk med meg og vær klart! Vent litt på meg, støtte meg, spesielt om det virker at jeg snakker bra uten mange feil eller uten å bli nervøs! Men på samme tid jeg vil at vi kan alle ha det gøy - og denne helgen helt sikkert hadde jeg det veldig gøy med dere!</i>SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-31515526784995456892013-06-11T14:18:00.000+01:002013-06-11T14:18:48.268+01:00Glass Mill leisure centre Lewisham - swimming reviewToday was the second day that the new Glass Mill leisure centre on Loampit Vale in Lewisham has been open, and I went down this morning before work to have a swim. I was later than intended, so only got to do a few laps, but thought I'd write up on my experiences for others intending to head down.<br />
<br />
Firstly, the changing rooms. They're very big, with lots of locker space, and I can't imagine there being a time when there isn't enough space for everyone, even in busy periods. Taking my shoes off presented a pleasant surprise, as I placed my feet down expecting a freezing floor, only to discover - the floor is heated. Very nice! And everything felt very clean, as you'd expect of a new facility. Some have complained about other centres managed by Fusion, so hopefully Glass Mill will keep up their early good standards.<br />
<br />
There are about six showers in the men's changing room, including one for disabled access, and all of them have lockable cubicle doors. The only hooks are inside the cubicles, which means you either have to leave your towel in your locker, and drip your way back to it afterwards, or bring it into the shower with you. The water in the showers is nice and hot, perhaps even slightly too hot - after a tiring swim I would have quite liked the option to stand under a cool stream. The changing rooms themselves are pleasantly warm, though obviously this is June!<br />
<br />
The lockers. Big, and plenty of them, with a £1 deposit returned at the end. Annoyingly though, they have the same horrible wristbands for the keys as the pool at Wavelengths. They're like plastic watch straps, and with the key attached are rather big and bulky, and quite difficult to get on without nicking the skin on your wrists. I actually struggled getting mine on at all, as they're clearly new and rather stiff!<br />
<br />
The pool itself wasn't particularly crowded, I'd estimate there were about 15-20 people in the main pool. As an aside, I appeared to be the only man in the early morning lanes session to have opted for tight trunks rather than baggy shorts. Much more comfortable, and far less drag in the water, I find.<br />
<br />
The lane swimming was organised differently to any other lane swimming I've been to. As expected, you swim clockwise or anti-clockwise in alternate lanes, but I've never been in a situation where all eight lanes are divided - in my experience it's normal to only use every other lane divider, making four 'big' lanes in effect, which people can use to swim clockwise or anti-clockwise as instructed. People were following the instructions this morning, for the most part, but there was a bit elbow knocking as you struggle to pass fellow swimmers in the narrow lanes. I eventually managed to get a lane to myself, but most won't be that lucky. There also didn't seem to be any differentiation between slow and fast lanes, which could potentially cause issues.<br />
<br />
One development I did like was the huge clock on one of the longer walls of the building - this means that I can see what time it is from the pool without having to walk right up to it or bring my glasses in. A lifeline to a blind-as-a-bat late-riser like me, as I can calculate to the minute exactly how long I have until I need to run for my train.<br />
<br />
The water in the pool wasn't breath-catchingly cold, and might be too warm for some. I found it pleasant, but anyone who uses swimming as a hard work-out might find themselves sweating after their session - and speaking of which, I couldn't find a water-fountain anywhere in the building. Bring a bottle! <i>(edit: there's a water-fountain up in the gym.)</i><br />
<br />
I enjoyed swimming at Glass Mill, and will be back. It's a good pool, and not too busy (yet!) - there was plenty of room to swim freely, even with people of different abilities in the pool. The changing rooms are also a good size, with plenty of locker space. I imagine it'll get crowded in the pool at busy times as popularity grows, particularly at weekends, and it remains to be seen how well the space copes with potential demand.<br />
<br />
I'll be at the gym later this week.SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-52921178417461228292013-02-14T22:51:00.000+00:002013-02-17T23:19:59.120+00:00Weekend Norwegian challengeSince I'm alone at home this weekend, I figured I'd use the time to set myself a little language-learning challenge.<br />
<br />
So, by Sunday evening, my challenge is to know THREE Norwegian language songs by heart.<br />
<br />
The rules:<br />
<ul><li>the lyrics must be available online. I'm not good enough yet to understand all the lyrics by listening only, and if I do it that way I'll only end up mimicking sounds.</li>
<li>I must be able to understand what I'm singing. Understanding will make the memorisation much easier though, so this part shouldn't be an issue.</li>
<li>by Sunday, I must be able to sing the three songs from beginning to end <i>without</i> listening to them at the same time.</li>
</ul><br />
I already did this a while back with the brilliant 'Oj oj oj så glad jeg skal bli', by Kirsti Sparboe, so that can't be one of the three on the list. However, I will be trying to choose relatively easy songs I think, and will probably select ones that I already know a bit.<br />
<br />
So, keep an eye on this post - I'll be updating it with my progress throughout the weekend! And do post suggestions!<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE!</b><br />
I've chosen two of the three songs and have done a bit of work on them.<br />
<br />
<i>Adieu</i>, from Eurovision 1982, is a song I already know quite well, in two different versions, the original and the <a href="http://euro-bee.blogspot.com/2013/01/i-love-concept-of-norwegian-show-hver.html">cover by Kurt Nilsen</a>. It's actually been very interesting for me to hear both, because of Kurt Nilsen's distinctive dialect differences, but I shall be trying to learn the original!<br />
<br />
<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nz6lclkBtlw" width="420"></iframe></center><br />
The second song is <i>Intet er nytt under solen</i> from Eurovision 1966. A bit of a cheat, as it's pretty short, but it has great lyrics, which I really want to learn.<br />
<br />
<center><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2rFH0L2YtZA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br />
<b>UPDATE 2!</b><br />
I've done it! Learned those two songs! I can sing them both without looking at the lyrics - and I recorded it to prove it! Listen below. You'll have to take my word that I'm not reading the lyrics though!<br />
<br />
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F79686141"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F79684034"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE 3!</b><br />
And finally, the third song is done:<br />
<br />
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F79700487"></iframe><br />
<br />
This one was much harder in a way - I know it less, but also Britt sings with quite a strong dialect. I didn't want to just copy her pronunciation, and would rather fit it with the way I speak Norwegian, which is much closer to the bokmål standard. I've tried that here, but it's much harder without a model to copy, so there may be more pronunciation slips this time.<br />
<br />
Let me know what you think!SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-12471516384467535212013-01-27T16:48:00.001+00:002013-01-27T16:50:55.487+00:00Save Lewisham Hospital - but don't politicise itYesterday I took part in the march to <a href="http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/">Save Lewisham Hospital</a>. It was a great occasion, with around 20,000 members of the local community walking from Lewisham town centre, down past the hospital to a rally point at Mountsfield Park, where numerous speakers took the stage to speak about the campaign.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/69612_10151416879925590_7778631_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/69612_10151416879925590_7778631_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It was so good to see so many people in the demonstration, many of whom were so passionate about the hospital that has formed a central part of the community for many years. Particularly inspiring were the children born at the hospital, and the people whose lives had been saved by this vital facility. It was such an inspiring feeling to be marching with thousands of ordinary people who all felt the same way, singing songs to get behind this hospital and to save the NHS that so many of us hold dear.<br />
<br />
What I didn't enjoy was the political co-opting of the protest by some groups and individuals. Early in the march I got stuck near one man who insisted on telling everyone in the vicinity "you all voted for Boris Johnson back in May, and where is he now??" Er, no, we really didn't. I quickly moved as far away from him as possible. I similarly tried to stay away from another loud man with a loudhailer who kept trying to turn chants of 'Save the NHS' and 'It Must Not Close' into some kind of Occupy movement. Happily, he didn't seem to getting a huge amount of response.<br />
<br />
There was also, as might be expected, a Socialist Worker Party contingent present, and many of the banners bore their logos and slogans. This is something I'm particularly not a fan of, partly because it feels like a larger organisation co-opting something local for their own purposes, but also because it gives those against the campaign more fuel. Politicians including Nadine Dorries have already used their presence as a reason to dismiss the campaign, and it's not something we can afford to have happen.<br />
<br />
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">@<a href="https://twitter.com/savelewishamnhs">savelewishamnhs</a> Demo when I was at QT totally dominated by the Socialist Workers Party who were aggressive and rude. March will be same<br />
— Nadine Dorries MP (@NadineDorriesMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/NadineDorriesMP/status/293317433454895105">January 21, 2013</a></blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center>That said, the demo was fully peaceful. For all there was a small number of people who clearly wanted to make it political, there was nobody being aggressive or rude, and the majority of attendees were there simply because the hospital is a part of their local community they care passionately about. It was so good to see a local community coming together in this way, and walking down the middle of Lewisham High Street with a mass of people chanting "Save Lewisham Hospital, Save the NHS", while cars going the other way sounded their horns in support, is something I will remember for a very, very long time.SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-25654519264072344442013-01-17T22:45:00.003+00:002013-01-17T22:46:48.187+00:00The best piece of interviewing advice I've ever heard<i>Taken from <a href="http://tng.trekcore.com/bluray/01112013_robmeyerburnett2.html">http://tng.trekcore.com/bluray/01112013_robmeyerburnett2.html</a></i><br />
<br />
<blockquote>"I think that when people see celebrity interviews, they don’t want to hear "Tell me about your character." We already know about their character. We watched the show; we get it. You don’t have to tell me who Captain Picard is. I know Captain Picard as I watched for seven years and I’ve seen four feature films. I get it, man. I want to know what was it like for Patrick Stewart, as an actor from the RSC, what was it like to play this part on these wacky sets with this costume on, and suddenly go to conventions… how did YOU feel about that?"</blockquote><br />
Something I'll be trying to bear in mind if I do more interviews with Eurovision stars this year. Too many fan interviewers ask the performers about their songs, what the lyrics are about, that kind of thing. We know that, we've heard the song, probably countless times.<br />
<br />
What we want to hear is insightful information on things we <i>don't know</i>. Remember that, everyone. Especially me.SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-73167288507454784152012-12-10T13:49:00.000+00:002012-12-17T22:27:55.463+00:00Learning Norwegian: reconsidering my goalsWhen I began learning Norwegian, I knew that it would be tough. From prior experience, I've experienced how tough learning a foreign language can be, both mentally and emotionally.<br />
<br />
I thought I was prepared for this. I'd read a lot, and shared wry stories with fellow learners about the difficulties of motivation and the likelihood of looking and feeling very stupid. And for the most part I am ready for this - I can usually take it on the chin and treat it as part of the learning process. But sometimes it hits very hard.<br />
<br />
Recently, while on a trip to Norway, I indirectly received some comments about my progress in learning the languages (I won't go into specifics here). It really knocked my confidence, especially as these words came from friends - they weren't meant to be personal and hurtful, I know... but the result was the same - I was hurt.<br />
<br />
The comments were negative enough about my skills to make me question why I was even bothering to try, whether I was actually accomplishing anything and brought me very close to completely throwing in the towel. It affected me enough that, the next day, I refused point-blank an opportunity to have a conversation in Norwegian, something I'd been anticipating and looking forward to for weeks. <br />
<br />
I'm still unsure what to think. I know full well that my main weakness is in my aural comprehension, struggling to understand what people are saying when they talk at normal speed, especially considering the multitude of accents, variations and dialects Norwegian has. The comments made me wonder if I'm ever going to 'get it', and whether it's even worth trying.<br />
<br />
I could take it as advice, as a challenge - use this experience to drive me to improve my listening comprehension. I know that I can't get compliments all the time, and that anyone who tells me that my Norwegian is great and that I have nothing to worry about is lying to me and not doing me any favours. I need to learn from mistakes, and from failures, and try and make sure that, next time, these friends don't feel the need to make such comments.<br />
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On the other hand, my self-confidence and self-esteem have really been knocked by these comments. It's hard when you think you're doing well at something to be told pretty much outright that actually, no, you're not. <br />
<br />
Am I ever going to get better? Am I ever going to be good enough at the language to make it worth continuing to put in all this effort? Should I switch my focus to another language, the speakers of which aren't all fluent in English anyway, rendering the learning more worthwhile? Or is it time to re-consider whether I really have those language-learning skills I've always thought I had since school?<br />
<br />
Constructive thoughts much appreciated in the comments. <br />
SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-28730083131788958282012-10-30T21:48:00.001+00:002012-12-10T13:55:50.480+00:00A tale of language successThose familiar with my postings will know that I'm currently learning Norwegian, but that's not the subject of the story I want to share today.<br />
<br />
Last week, I went on holiday to Spain. I studied Spanish for two years in school at age 16 (I'm now 26), and haven't kept up with it since beyond occasional holiday. I intended to do a quick refresher course before leaving, but other things (mainly Norwegian) got in the way.<br />
<br />
However, I turned up and was determined to follow the mantra of Benny from <a href="http://www.fluentin3months.com" target="_blank">Fluent in 3 Months</a>, and SPEAK. I knew I had limited skills, but I also knew that there were some situations I would be able to handle. I knew the basics of grammar, and I still had retained a decent amount of 'tourist vocabulary', including all the numbers.<br />
<br />
On arrival I managed to buy bus tickets and, in probably my favourite victory of the whole trip, managed the entire check-in process in the hotel in Spanish. The lovely receptionist realised immediately that I was trying to speak limited Spanish, and spoke slowly for me and let me speak haltingly back to her, and we managed to do all the necessary admin, including me beginning the conversation, understanding all her requests, providing my passport and phone number, and understanding and repeating back to her the times for breakfast.<br />
<br />
In the town, I managed to mostly understand menus and order in Spanish, and ask for drinks and the bill in the language. There were of course times I didn't understand, but it was really great to learn the words by using the English version of the menu (a simple form of parallel texts), as well as hearing and then retaining things said in context by waiters and other Spaniards around us, and things just generally coming back to me during the week.<br />
<br />
There were times I had to resort to English - I had no idea how to ask the receptionist if it was possible for us to leave our bags on the last day (not knowing the word for leave or bags), and occasionally waiters would just go back to English if I was clearly struggling. And in Barcelona later in the week, I found that people will often just speak English to you as a matter of course - particularly after an ill-fated attempt at pronouncing Catalan!<br />
<br />
But it's those little victories that mean a lot to me. Checking into the hotel. Successfully having a small conversation with a waiter where I clarified I wanted still water, not sparkling. Removing a misunderstanding about a restaurant reservation. Sorting out a very confusing conversation with another waiter regarding how many more <i>tortillas de patatas</i> we wanted.<br />
<br />
And there's a further lesson in all of those, but particularly the last one. I asked for another potato omelette, then a moment later another one, since my friend wanted one too. I clarified I wanted 'one more for me, and one more for him'. I'm sure I messed up the grammar completely - I said '<i>Uno más para mi, i uno más para el</i>'. I knew immediately it should have been 'una', and either 'mi' or 'el' must be wrong, and possibly 'para' too. But it didn't matter. I communicated successfully, and both my friend and I did get a <i>tortilla de patatas</i>.<br />
<br />
Success :)SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-84952819326394304512012-09-12T19:08:00.000+01:002012-09-12T19:08:36.894+01:00Why I won't be buying an iPhone 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8z1YycA04D73FrZcI-yxQTg9a8qspjHFDpevh_gfIMPYRUM2QHSIHbmnyH7eTWnkVsTImCQfjRpffwA-SvuIX0JltqDgqifA6EUhcSZqUQcnZ3wtN-ZCJMrHXUDzINHlpGhhGSOYq4w/s1600/Phil-Schiller-announces-t-008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="192" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8z1YycA04D73FrZcI-yxQTg9a8qspjHFDpevh_gfIMPYRUM2QHSIHbmnyH7eTWnkVsTImCQfjRpffwA-SvuIX0JltqDgqifA6EUhcSZqUQcnZ3wtN-ZCJMrHXUDzINHlpGhhGSOYq4w/s320/Phil-Schiller-announces-t-008.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It does look very pretty, doesn't it? And it's going to collect your e-tickets for you and have a really fast processor. It's got a great camera (just like the Samsung Galaxy S3 had when it came out), and a super-exciting new proprietary connector.<br />
<br />
Excellent.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, there's one very good reason I won't be buying an iPhone 5. No, it's not because I'm an Android fanboy (though I am) or that I hate the fact everyone loves iPhones even though they do a lot of the same stuff less well (though they do).<br />
<br />
Nope, the real reason is because I am only 11 months into a goddamn 24 month contract for an HTC Sensation which I can't even use. It was a beautiful phone, so quick, great at multi-tasking, tons of space and a crystal-clear screen. And then I dropped it and smashed it three months into the contract, so now I'm stuck using my old HTC Desire until the contract finally comes to an end.<br />
<br />
Lesson learned? Don't get into really long contracts for shiny, swishy new phones that can make cocktails and open doors for you. One slip of the hand and they're just bits of plastic and glass all over the pavement.<br />
<br />
*sad face*SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-40797844192080858302012-06-16T17:05:00.000+01:002012-06-16T17:05:22.819+01:00Learning Norwegian - Mitt nye husYep! We're moving, and we've found somewhere new to live, after lots of worry and stress. It's in Lewisham, and it's actually a house! Like, with an upstairs and a downstairs and stairs and everything!<br />
<br />
In the video below, I take you on a little tour of the house in Norwegian (with subtitles!). I make a couple of mistakes, as always, which I was kicking myself about afterwards, but I didn't film it again as I wanted to keep it as natural as possible.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Cxf_-JNtjbQ" width="420"></iframe></div><br />
I notice that I mainly kept forgetting genders, and not using articles before nouns where I need to. They're things that I do know, that just slip away when I'm speaking, so it's something I need to work on, but the main focus for me here in these videos is my pronunciation and accent.<br />
<br />
Constructive criticism and comments are always very welcome.SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-4842564944423408012012-06-14T08:06:00.000+01:002012-06-14T08:06:57.965+01:00Arron or Chris: who goes? Big Brother decides<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaILpwDpl11ln3Hrae046aQpUwsctVSOv1PJXXBVtY7x0Ypf4l71om6g0Adh0g3E3yS3U72VXc9KmuG6o9iAEiBAWGqN3BClAeWnS6H3K8pJXaEh4gD9dRVCuLe7-a0EghBWtMRyEzStw/s1600/channel5_t_big-brother-2012-eye-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaILpwDpl11ln3Hrae046aQpUwsctVSOv1PJXXBVtY7x0Ypf4l71om6g0Adh0g3E3yS3U72VXc9KmuG6o9iAEiBAWGqN3BClAeWnS6H3K8pJXaEh4gD9dRVCuLe7-a0EghBWtMRyEzStw/s320/channel5_t_big-brother-2012-eye-logo.jpg" /></a><p>It's no big secret that the producers of reality shows like Big Brother strive to create storylines to provide the best entertainment and bring in the biggest ratings. It's also no surprise then that they try and control who is voted out each week.</p><p>Nowhere is this more obvious than in The X Factor, which sofabet have written about many times. But in Big Brother, where only two contestants each week are voted on by the public, the situation is a little different.</p><p>This week, the two housemates up for eviction are Arron and Chris. But who do the producers want out?</p><p>There's considerable evidence pointing to the idea that they're trying to steer the vote towards Arron (viewers vote for whom they want to stay). With no live feed, viewers have no choice but to be fed the version of events presented in each evening's highlights program.</p><p>Tonight, in a task where contestants are not allowed to laugh, Big Brother had Arron wear several silly costumes, putting him at the centre of events, in potentially sympathy-winning situations. The third of these costumes also allowed him to show off what's perhaps his best asset - his body. Shots like the one below are surely enough to win him some votes from a certain, not inconsiderably-sized demographic of viewer.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2V8hj16cwN58-BGKl5KxQM44hQsDWthZ663VHNR8Z8Wx12FHY6Jq8j3Gc7vMN_ROfW_IY2due8oE07AWWDdUl2A-XM8Pdfjx70oYyBq_OuoYheCk-GZAimClfiKND9OQ3RofpJKmbdv8/s1600/kQALA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img align="center" border="0" height="237" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2V8hj16cwN58-BGKl5KxQM44hQsDWthZ663VHNR8Z8Wx12FHY6Jq8j3Gc7vMN_ROfW_IY2due8oE07AWWDdUl2A-XM8Pdfjx70oYyBq_OuoYheCk-GZAimClfiKND9OQ3RofpJKmbdv8/s400/kQALA.jpg" /></a></div><center><small>(yes, this whole post is just an excuse to post this picture)</small></center><br />
Indeed, the theory is backed up by articles on <a href="http://www.digitalspy.co.uk" target="_blank">DigitalSpy</a> featuring the two nominees, both shirtless. There's an obvious voting pull right there, as there was in Tuesday nights episode when, right before the voting numbers, the pair discussed their nominations while Arron stood naked and dripping wet in the shower.</p><p>Elsewhere in tonight's program, Chris's edit featured him largely being unpleasant and argumentative, largely with Becky. However, the show did go out of its way to show a particularly odd disagreement between Arron and Deana followed by an almost comically insincere apology by the former. And while Arron is being given every opportunity to sell his body for votes, he's also being provided with all the rope he needs to hang himself as the show gives him reason after reason to display his vanity.</p><p>Overall, it's hard to say who the producers want to stay this week. I was initially leaning towards Arron, but Big Brother's Bit on the Side, the talkshow following each evening's episode, made a point of campaigning for Chris tonight. On a purely shallow level I'd personally prefer Arron to stay, as well as because I find Chris (more) annoying. And it would make sense if the producers did too. Arron's good eye candy, and while Chris causes conflict which will be seen as entertaining, Arron certainly has the potential to do the same.</p><p>I'm loving this series of Big Brother, and I'm very pleased that after so many years the contestants are finally allowed to discuss nominations and strategise. Let me know what you think about this, and about Arron and Chris, below.</p></div>SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-9160311027778242352012-06-13T21:58:00.000+01:002012-06-13T23:03:50.852+01:00Why I dumped Google Chrome - a review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmzy7Tbj8S3GA9Klm03NZ6hOpzIfTCfEBGRGzg4mi7ZkkMAKuqFmUqRXAyu3MuiH_jdFjAl44g7ziR2rfOJ6YLt-0SbmG0e2j3AI0-y8MtQ_gUJpHczx0mIwoPn-gdBy6n223G5JFA1M/s1600/google-chrome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmzy7Tbj8S3GA9Klm03NZ6hOpzIfTCfEBGRGzg4mi7ZkkMAKuqFmUqRXAyu3MuiH_jdFjAl44g7ziR2rfOJ6YLt-0SbmG0e2j3AI0-y8MtQ_gUJpHczx0mIwoPn-gdBy6n223G5JFA1M/s320/google-chrome.jpg" /></a>As a long-time user of Firefox who's seen praised lavished upon Google Chrome, when I got my new computer with Chrome pre-installed, I decided to give it a go and see what all the fuss was about. <br />
<br />
Six days later, I'm back to Firefox. But why?<br />
<br />
Firstly, the positives. I'm a big fan of Chrome's clean, unfussy layout. The screen remains uncluttered by sidebars, toolbars and other buttons, leaving more space free for the websites the user visits. <br />
<br />
I also really liked Chrome's automatic website translations. When visiting a site in a foreign language, the browser automatically pops up a bar at the top to ask the user if they'd like it translated into English. I normally didn't want that, as I was visiting these websites to learn the languages concerned, but it's very handy to have, and easy to turn off for specific languages too. <br />
<br />
In addition to these features, like all good browsers these days, Chrome is very customisable, with lots of extensions to be added and removed at will. This is where my problems started however, and ultimately is the reason I switched back to Firefox.<br />
<br />
Chrome and I didn't get off to a good start, as the version that Lenovo has pre-installed on my laptop was a little old, and wouldn't accept some of the extensions I wanted to use. (Incidentally, I wonder if this is by accident or design on the manufacterers behalf, as all the extensions it wouldn't install were ones relating to privacy or ad-blocking.) The browser then wouldn't allow itself to be updated; I eventually uninstalled it, and reinstalled it fresh from Google's website, upon doing which I was able to install <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/cfhdojbkjhnklbpkdaibdccddilifddb" target="_blank">AdBlock Plus</a>.<br />
<br />
There were three activities in particular where extensions to the browser were important to me. <br />
<br />
The first is a service I use called <a href="http://getpocket.com/" target="_blank">Pocket (formerly Read It Later</a>), which allows users to save webpages they want to read at a later time, and synchronises between computers and smartphone. The official Chrome extension didn't even let me read the pages I'd saved without going to Pocket's webpage, and the three different user-created ones I tried were all fiddly to use. I found a workaround using one of these, but it required more clicks than the simple <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/read-it-later/" target="_blank">Firefox add-on</a>. <br />
<br />
The second activity that I like to use browser extensions for is Twitter, and I had a terrible time trying to find a Chrome extension that suited the way I work. Very few seem to support managing multiple accounts, and similarly few are able to load your tweets from when you last read, instead bringing up the newest tweets each time the extension is opened. <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/echofon-for-twitter" target="_blank">Echofon for Firefox</a> manages both of these tasks beautifully, with a simple, inobstrusive interface, and it was my longing for this that was the tipping point, finally driving me back to Firefox.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zp9iasDIDwqgA_wvWh1AKxyDPjlkb9HdZ6Cex3KmXzv61o9FBF7lIb_3CDJ8gaRYHkK8VkLQbrDyEEMbeb8YPY-XLChbgbCpeZ_cqIuMHKvFtusX1Lbqbcq07h-_HTolmdbA0zdELDM/s1600/lastfm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="250" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zp9iasDIDwqgA_wvWh1AKxyDPjlkb9HdZ6Cex3KmXzv61o9FBF7lIb_3CDJ8gaRYHkK8VkLQbrDyEEMbeb8YPY-XLChbgbCpeZ_cqIuMHKvFtusX1Lbqbcq07h-_HTolmdbA0zdELDM/s320/lastfm.png" /></a>In going back to Firefox, however, I was concerned that I would have to sacrifice one great extension I'd found, that automatically scrobbled YouTube videos to my <a href="http://www.last.fm" target="_blank">Last.fm</a> account. I'd never been able to find a working Firefox add-on before, so I was surprised and pleased to find that now there is a <a href="http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/71606" target="_blank">Greasemonkey script</a> that does this very well. <br />
<br />
All of this means that I'm very happy to be back with Firefox. Other than the automatic translations, there's nothing that Chrome can do that Firefox can't, and plenty that Chrome fails miserably on that Firefox accomplishes with ease. And while Chrome is supposedly less demanding than other browsers, when extensions are taken into account it was sucking up far more system resources than Firefox ever does.<br />
<br />
For some users perhaps, Chrome could be ideal. But for me, and for how I work, it was a total letdown. I'm pleased to be back on familiar ground with Firefox.<br />SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-66900627005915237212012-06-05T22:22:00.002+01:002012-06-05T22:26:03.957+01:00Rolling my 'r' - an updateAs you may have read in my <a href="http://musingopiningandcriticising.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/herrrrrrrrrrregud.html">last blog entry</a>, I decided to dedicate some time this weekend to training myself to roll my 'r' better, to improve my language skills, specifically for Norwegian and Serbian.<br />
<br />
I promised to record a video, and you can watch me stumble through my attempts below (the words with 'r' are at the end, from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qkHW9bzGFPI#t=208s">3:27</a>). I introduce the video in Norwegian (with subtitles, don't worry!), and then continue in English, explaining some of the methods I used and problems I had. It was pretty difficult; I had some skills before, and I don't know if I particularly improved how I sound, but I do feel a little more confident than I did before, and, as much as anything, I know what I'm doing wrong! Now I just need to keep practising!<br />
<br />
Comments and constructive criticism are particularly welcome.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qkHW9bzGFPI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
The following sites and videos helped me this weekend, so thank you to them.<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKRQMCHlONU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKRQMCHlONU</a> - this girl explains things well, and is fun to watch too<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mMvuRGKY8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mMvuRGKY8</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gOZTXqgKcY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gOZTXqgKcY</a> - a really great video, an accompaniment to the previous link, that shows how to make your tongue less stiff.<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4lI6LkAeLw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4lI6LkAeLw</a> - for Spanish learners, but the concepts are the same, and I feel I got closest to getting the vibrations right with this one.<br />
<a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Roll-Your-%22R%22s">http://www.wikihow.com/Roll-Your-%22R%22s</a><br />
<a href="http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1406">http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1406</a>SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-26398806275106060172012-06-03T01:32:00.002+01:002012-06-03T01:34:40.770+01:00HerrrrrrrrrrregudSorry, I'm not going to be writing about Eurovision for once! Instead, this post is about my goal for this long bank holiday weekend.<br />
<br />
I'm going to spend some time with some internet resources I've found, and I am going to learn to properly roll my r's. Just like this man:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9K8XpRGxnVhYhwxTKyUIbRrt4Vgje1EVauQcMfFJXc9_P-HWbodZYil_COvvOH9nZlXt3-P4d5UIqjXzuj8qVhDgIPelbS2BRP-m8d6EWR19Kmf9ktGgdsuTZhkXMvVf1CBP6oBgYMqc/s1600/6965231737_837ddb9dff_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="227" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9K8XpRGxnVhYhwxTKyUIbRrt4Vgje1EVauQcMfFJXc9_P-HWbodZYil_COvvOH9nZlXt3-P4d5UIqjXzuj8qVhDgIPelbS2BRP-m8d6EWR19Kmf9ktGgdsuTZhkXMvVf1CBP6oBgYMqc/s320/6965231737_837ddb9dff_z.jpg" /></a></div><br />
With the languages I'm learning, it's very important for me to be able to master this vital skill. It's one thing that's really held me back all my life when speaking foreign languages, from French to Serbian and now Norwegian. <br />
<br />
Of course, all these languages have their own different sounds represented by the letter 'r', which are described in more technical terms that I don't really understand <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R#Usage">here</a>. But when speaking another language, the fact is that using the English sounding 'r', where the top teeth meet the bottom lip, is a sure way to mark the speaker as a non-native, and is invariably recognisable as English. <br />
<br />
That's why my goal now is to learn how to <i>properly</i> roll my r. I do have some approximation of it, which was taught to me by a friend in Serbia, and involves putting my tongue behind my top teeth and pulling it back. This isn't really enough though, as I can't maintain the sound, and I'm still not fully confident with it. Hopefully by putting my mind to the task this weekend, and really making an effort, I'll improve my speaking abilities and make myself more likely to be understood when using my languages abroad.<br />
<br />
So, on Tuesday night, I'm going to record a video of myself speaking, and you'll be able to judge for yourself whether I've succeeded. It's a daunting prospect actually, showing my potential weakness to the world, but hopefully that'll help me to focus and overcome this barrier.SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-60711385922909466912012-05-22T18:24:00.001+01:002012-05-22T18:24:35.377+01:00Eurovision 2012 Semi 1 - predicting and wishingLess than two hours to go until the first semi-final, and I've been predicting. But first, here's the 10 countries I want to make the final on Saturday:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSLKZBTYFMMTeH90KErOncR-g6xlXJ-cSIGUBgACEhSv5JT0l3ME9psDI0anwY4SR8AdxpEPL-vN3sCcc2TS2FpehNKgv9b5iZejHC-rdax1fmYVk-Q4UutK2zTd4ESU1J5uAViQjNN0/s1600/eurosong_2012_fotograaf_bart_musschoot-3733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="263" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSLKZBTYFMMTeH90KErOncR-g6xlXJ-cSIGUBgACEhSv5JT0l3ME9psDI0anwY4SR8AdxpEPL-vN3sCcc2TS2FpehNKgv9b5iZejHC-rdax1fmYVk-Q4UutK2zTd4ESU1J5uAViQjNN0/s320/eurosong_2012_fotograaf_bart_musschoot-3733.jpg" /></a></div><blockquote>Iceland<br />
Greece<br />
Latvia<br />
Albania<br />
Romania<br />
Belgium<br />
Cyprus<br />
Denmark<br />
Hungary<br />
Moldova</blockquote>It was a close-run thing, and Jedward just missed out because of their annoying and frankly rude fans, who've made me wish for the Irish song to crash out humiliatingly tonight. <br />
<br />
Of course, these are just my wishes, though some of them are tied to my predictions, as there's some I really need to come true if I'm to make any money in my bets! This year, as well as general bets - the most money is on Belgium in various forms - I've also put £1 on each of the ten songs I predict as my qualifiers. Afterwards, I'll come back here and let you know how much money I ended up, and we'll see if I made a profit on my £10!<blockquote>Iceland<br />
Greece<br />
Romania<br />
Belgium<br />
Cyprus<br />
Denmark<br />
Russia<br />
Austria<br />
Moldova<br />
Ireland</blockquote>That's it! Agree? Disagree? Either way, have a lot of fun tonight!<br />
<br />SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-56455394027209087132012-05-15T14:28:00.000+01:002012-05-15T14:28:26.782+01:00Why I feel sorry for Valentina MonettaYou know, there's a lot of reasons to feel bad for this perky 37-year-old (I know!) from San Marino. First and foremost, she has to stand and sing '<del>Facebook</del> The Social Network Song (Uh Oh Uh Oh Oh)' on a stage in front of millions of people. The poor girl also has to spend a lot of time with Ralph Siegel. It doesn't seem like a fun experience for anyone.<br />
<br />
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0kQBEzzFRBs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br />
It's bad enough that a talented jazz singer has been shoe-horned into a song completely unsuitabed to her. It's a song for a 17-year old girl, though Monetta pulls off a pretty convincing impression of one in the video and in her performance. But it's the way that the campaign has seemingly overtaken her entire existence that makes me feel sorry for her.<br />
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Of course, all promotional campaigns involve creating an image for an artist, dictating where they go and who they talk to. But Monetta's has been taken to the next level. Even before the song was unveiled, a personal Facebook account had been set up in her name and started friending Eurovision fans and over the past few months has posted as if it were Valentina herself behind it. And throughout her promotional campaign, she's worn variations on the same clothes (always white and light blue, to reflect her country's flag) and always has to be pictured at a moment's notice on flights and in foreign cities allegedly 'on Facebook' or making friends. <br />
<br />
We know nothing about her personally outside of 'The Social Network Song'. All of her interviews are about how much she loves to use Facebook and how cool social networking and the internet are, and nothing about her as a person (oh, except she loves kitesurfing, of all things!). Valentina Monetta just does not seem to exist outside of this song.<br />
<br />
It's almost like this Valentina Monetta who we've got to know over the last few months and been friended by on Facebook is nothing but a character created by Siegel and the Sammarinese delegation to sell this song. It's as if 'Valentina Monetta' is just a creation in the way that Silvia Night was just a creation. But in this case, while she's just playing a role, there is a real person with a real career behind it, who is going to lose out.<br />
<br />
But the reason I feel most sorry for her is that all of this effort is likely to be for about 8 points next Tuesday, and an early flight back to San Marino, and back down to earth to a bump, with nothing to show for it except for lots of blue clothes and a Facebook profile full of friends she doesn't even like.<br />
<br />
She's Lolly for the 21st century.<br />
<center><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LuE3c_7fLI8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen ></iframe></center>SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-10471556239427003272012-05-12T23:15:00.002+01:002012-05-17T10:02:54.997+01:00Eurovision 2012 interviewsAlmost two weeks ago now, I visited the <a href="http://www.londoneurovision.com" target="_blank">London Eurovision Party</a> as accredited press and took the opportunity to interview several of this year's performers.<br />
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As press, you always want to keep your cool and appear professional, but the one artist I was absolutely desperate to meet was Kaliopi from Macedonia. I'm a big fan of hers and have been for many years. After hanging around while she was in massive demand early in the day, I eventually managed to grab her right after her soundcheck. It's always a concern when you meet your idols, in case they don't live up to your impression of them, but I had nothing to worry about. Kaliopi was absolutely lovely and hugged and kissed me after the interview when I confessed what a big fan I am. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLhExTbEOdiKkqZMOZeVBqfiUCFeE-WFyVdXeqpU8cKKBpUweU3hlkxghgWcQ06M_DKr6k2JztL3kTvntwLUsV6tZwpZXQfvVv3LzS3Vr93olC63RP0e2rmWByaqRZPuYq9M4jWJK0_E/s1600/577275_10150876701479673_737549672_11797334_2098501201_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLhExTbEOdiKkqZMOZeVBqfiUCFeE-WFyVdXeqpU8cKKBpUweU3hlkxghgWcQ06M_DKr6k2JztL3kTvntwLUsV6tZwpZXQfvVv3LzS3Vr93olC63RP0e2rmWByaqRZPuYq9M4jWJK0_E/s320/577275_10150876701479673_737549672_11797334_2098501201_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
And she was a delight to interview too, and was shocked at how knowledgeable I was about her career (as well as a little humourously put out that I reminded her how old she was!). It was such a pleasure to meet her, and you can read my interview with her for ESC Nation <a href="http://www.escnation.com/news/?id=965" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
After having achieved my main goal for the day, I set about grabbing as many more interviews as I could. I'd made contact with Andrej Hofer, the Slovenian press representative, earlier, and he'd promised me an interview with Eva Boto, but she'd been snapped up by Channel 4 and the BBC. He came to find me immediately after my hugs and kisses from Kaliopi, and hustled me into the toilets where I finally got my interview with Eva. You can read that, as well as my chat with 2005 representative Omar Naber, <a href="http://www.escnation.com/news/?id=966" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Filipa Sousa from Portugal wasn't very in demand compared to many other performers, as spent much of the afternoon sitting chatting to her parents, who'd she'd flown across to have a brief holiday with in London. I perched on a couch next to them, and her interview is <a href="http://www.escnation.com/news/?id=968" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Finally, I ventured into the press scrum upstairs, where at least four acts were sitting with fan and professional journalists queueing up and trying to hold their ground to get their five minutes in. Compact Disco from Hungary headed off very suddenly, but I did manage to sidle my way on to Anggun's table, and did a very quick interview with her too, which you can read <a href="http://www.escnation.com/news/?id=967" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
The final performer who was hanging around was Sabina Babayeva, who was very sought after by the TV stations present, and I was warned that they were eager for a story on Azerbaijan's human rights record. With a large crowd waiting to get to talk to her, and finding myself at the back of the queue, I bade a hasty retreat. I wasn't able to stay for the party in the evening, where all the acts sang their songs and other hits, before fans and performers danced the night away to Eurovision music until the early hours.<br />SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-13107462618947719432012-05-08T13:57:00.000+01:002012-05-08T13:57:16.858+01:00Serbia - what I did wrongIn embarking on my mission to learn Norwegian, I've frequently been prompted to look back on what I did wrong in my previous time learning a language, in an effort to learn from my mistakes and go in with a fresh, open outlook.<br />
<br />
My last big attempt to learn a language was Serbian, which I did as my degree course. This involved a year of study at the University of Belgrade. A year abroad should be a time of immersion, to fully experience life in the country where the target language is spoken, allowing the learner to properly appreciate how the language is used in context. I didn't manage to do this: I didn't embrace the opportunity, and therefore I didn't come home with a level as high as I would have wished. I've made a lot of excuses about this in the past, and while I recognise that some of these are valid reasons, I have to face up to the fact that the reason my Serbian didn't improve was, quite simply, my own fault.<br />
<br />
The main problem, in essence, was that I missed home too much. I was quite naive, liked my home comforts and was in a relatively new relationship. I wasn't ready to be thrown into a situation where I was out of my depth and, for these reasons, I came up with several coping strategies that ended up being detrimental to my long-term language prospects.<br />
<br />
<b>I didn't speak to people!</b><br />
Just reading that headline, it's blindingly obvious that I was doing something very wrong. I have to admit that I was very intimidated about talking to people, both to strangers and to my Serbian friends. It may seem strange that I was worried about speaking Serbian to my own friends, but I was very conscious of making mistakes around them, and thus hampering our communication. Similarly, while I did communicate in Serbian in shops and restaurants, I wasn't making enough of an effort to just talk to lots of people. Looking back, this is obviously something I should have been doing much more.<br />
<br />
<b>I isolated myself</b><br />
I also couldn't face staying in the (free) student accommodation we were provided with. They were extremely cramped, didn't feel clean and I couldn't get used to sharing a tiny room with a stranger, so I struck out on my own and rented an apartment. In hindsight, this was a mistake - many people seemed to improve greatly from time spent with the other foreign students speaking in Serbian, an opportunity I missed out on by spending a lot of time alone, chatting with friends back home on the internet. This also meant that I was missing out on social bonding, which would have probably helped to make the whole experience more pleasant and enjoyable.<br />
<b><br />
I spoke English</b><br />
And when I did hang out with my friend from back home who was also learning Serbian there, we generally spoke in English. I also made other British or American friends, and even got a job teaching English to local teenagers. All of this meant that I was spending far too much time speaking English, and not enough time speaking Serbian. I thought that because I was going to the classes, and living among the sights and sounds of the language, that would be enough, but of course, I was wrong.<br />
<b><br />
I was looking for ways to cope</b><br />
Looking back, I know now that this was all very much a coping strategy, as I was finding it incredibly difficult to be away from home for such a long period of time, and in an alien environment that frequently made me feel stupid. Michael Sieler at <a href="http://www.nononsensespanish.com/10-steps/">No Nonsense Spanish</a> recently blogged about 'benefits'. I recognise a lot of my own struggles in what he describes:<br />
<blockquote>"I had a goal to speak to at least one native German speaker each day. Some times I would talk myself out of starting a conversation with someone I didn’t know and would instead just sit quietly next to them on the bus. For me, at that time, the benefits of not starting a conversation were greater than starting one. By not talking to strangers, I was able to feel safe and secure. I didn’t realize this was sabotaging my ultimate goal of becoming fluent."</blockquote>For me at that time, the benefit of learning Serbian that would have been gained by hanging out with more Serbs, living in student accommodation and chatting more freely were outweighed by the benefits of not doing so - the security I felt I needed that came from the apartment, the English conversation and not exposing myself to the potential humiliation of making mistakes. <br />
<br />
Like Michael, I now know that I was sabotaging myself. I felt at the time that I was doing what I needed to do in order to get myself through that year, emotionally and psychologically. However, in doing that I lost sight of the long-term benefits of being there, and didn't make the most of them. <br />
<br />
It was clear when I came home from Serbia that I'd fallen well behind several of my colleagues in terms of being able to hold discussions and converse fluently. My Serbian still isn't as good as it 'should' be for the amount of time I've spent on it and the amount of work I put in. And looking back, and being honest with myself, I know it's because of the mistakes I made during my time in Belgrade; and they're mistakes that, if the opportunity arises again, I'm determined not to repeat.SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-85871211666404726402012-04-02T22:10:00.000+01:002012-04-02T22:10:55.858+01:00The demoralising world of trust fundraisingBeing a trust fundraiser can be a bit of a demoralising world to inhabit at times like this. The recession has bit funders hard, and money is limited. At the same time, many charities have lost major grants or statutory funding contracts, meaning that competition for these limited funds is up.<br />
<br />
I, like everyone else, am working very hard at this time. I know that I'm currently producing some of the best work of my career, and I'm very proud of some of the applications I've sent out recently. Of course, as a young, developing fundraiser, it's natural that the work I'm producing is my best - I'd be disappointed if it wasn't, quite frankly. But despite the fact that I know I'm sending out good applications at a decent volume, the last month has been pretty quiet on the donations front. And that's demoralising. <br />
<br />
It's not a pleasant experience with each day that goes by to bring a pile of post for the office, with nothing bearing my name. I feel like I'm sending out these good applications, for a very worthy cause, and that we should get be getting something back in return. But realistically, I know that's not how it really works. <br />
<br />
What I need to remember, and what I'm always told, is that trust fundraising is very much a waiting game. You send an application off, and it may not even be looked at by a panel of trustees for six months, or even longer. Which means that these applications I'm sending off now really have no connection to the lack of donations that are coming in at the moment. This dry spell is linked to a period a few months ago when my applications were generally less numerous, and less targeted; they were still decent applications (I hope!), but I know they weren't as good as the material I'm producing at the moment. The work I'm doing now won't bear fruit for several months yet.<br />
<br />
I know this in my heart of hearts, but it does make life difficult, and quite stressful. It's no fun not receiving money when you know you're doing good work. But hopefully in a few months I'll be all smiles, when this hard work pays off. <br />
<br />
Just gotta keep positive!SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-52516522458557587082012-03-27T20:06:00.006+01:002012-03-27T20:46:07.835+01:00Eurovision 2012 - a draw analysisIt's been a week, which is plenty of time for the draw for the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest to sink in a little, so here's my take on what those random little balls have done to the chances of some of our favourite songs.<br />
<br />
<b>Semi 1</b><br />
<br />
Semi 1 starts with, who else, <b>Montenegro</b>! A song like this was always going to struggle to qualify, and I think going first more or less wipes out any chances it may have had. It'll certainly be an entertaining start for the viewers! <b>Iceland</b> and <b>Greece</b> follow, two strong songs which should have decent chances of making the final from any starting position.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHi_6akdevsmut5BfTXUK1uMDDnSEcEsF6m75QnYaola1gQZfVYREhcBTFE9OkYIJVYeQvLFcuQilXTXrGPAd2xCz3PcYBI61bB-EhJPWCogdj7jbS14iWVkU9-_TozVx0ALXQVpPrEkY/s1600/191292_506x285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHi_6akdevsmut5BfTXUK1uMDDnSEcEsF6m75QnYaola1gQZfVYREhcBTFE9OkYIJVYeQvLFcuQilXTXrGPAd2xCz3PcYBI61bB-EhJPWCogdj7jbS14iWVkU9-_TozVx0ALXQVpPrEkY/s320/191292_506x285.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I personally feel that <b>Latvia</b> and <b>Albania</b> were always facing an uphill battle to qualify. Latvia risks coming across amateur and silly, if they aren't very careful with it, and Albania is probably just too weird for mainstream ears. In this draw, they're going to struggle. <b>Romania</b> probably isn't the kind of song that's really affected by the draw, but it certainly benefits coming after Albania - two songs could barely be more different!<br />
<br />
Romania is followed by <b>Switzerland</b>, which I've automatically assumed is pretty doomed, especially in the first half of the draw. Following Switzerland we have <b>Belgium</b> and <b>Finland</b>. As good a draw as either were going to get really, once we knew they were in the first half, though both could have seriously benefited by getting to be the 'sensible', competent pop song in position 17 after a lot of silly stuff. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxKRY14To5ylKcrhZiukN82RXAuDO05f5ndGra7aKPgE4VrkmwYCnJNxrQQ-EKDis2f9HF6BghbxqkFIjNXxGBcYpT3l85W6SdG5KeFRif0HQ28E6IMFE3SNPf1RkeKgL1WzlijfM9lU/s1600/soluna-samay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="215" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxKRY14To5ylKcrhZiukN82RXAuDO05f5ndGra7aKPgE4VrkmwYCnJNxrQQ-EKDis2f9HF6BghbxqkFIjNXxGBcYpT3l85W6SdG5KeFRif0HQ28E6IMFE3SNPf1RkeKgL1WzlijfM9lU/s320/soluna-samay.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The song that effectively gets that opportunity is <b>Denmark</b>, performing after <b>San Marino</b> and <b>Cyprus</b>, one of which is almost certainly going to be ridiculous and hopeless, with the other definitely having the potential to be (I'll let you decide which is which!), as well as <b>Israel</b>'s quirkiness. Either way, Denmark, which was already sailing through to the final, really does benefit from this draw.<br />
<br />
Denmark is further helped by preceding the Russian Grannies too. Late on in the semi is a decent enough draw for them, but, in contrast, it doesn't work for <b>Hungary</b>. Initially I thought they'd got a great draw, but listening through in order, it really doesn't work coming after Denmark and <b>Russia</b>. Which means that <b>Austria</b> following Hungary comes in like a breath of fresh air; its qualification chances went right up for me after this.<br />
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<b>Moldova</b> is Moldova, and has a pretty decent draw, performing close to the end. And the semi concludes with Jedward. Watching these through in order, 'Waterline' came across as very ragged and a little bit hopeless coming on last, but we know how well <b>Ireland</b> polished up 'Lipstick' last year, and Jedward of course have form qualifying from the final starting position. They're almost certainly through.<br />
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<b>Semi 2</b><br />
<br />
The second semi-final this year is dominated by the ex-Yugoslav countries, so let's take a look at their draws first. <b>Serbia</b> opens the show, and, while it's probably not the best position for this atmospheric, quiet number with a long introduction (especially if the Azeris choose something along the same lines for the opening act), Željko is obviously qualifying. Less clear is Kaliopi singing for <b>Macedonia</b> in the unfavoured second position. I think these two songs would both benefit from performing the other way around. <b>Slovenia</b> and <b>Croatia</b> have been drawn together in the middle of the running order, probably not a great draw for either, and their chances will wholly depend on their performances. If one of Nina and Eva commands the stage and kills it, then the other is probably screwed. And <b>Bosnia</b> takes position 17. As the last ballad, it surely has strong chances of making the final.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3LPLHsKI9BA629sI3Sc-xn4ieV94qs_SHi-46CpCx-AMgqVibRxF0JlbqyE1RfVrDkQ28i-I5JA-WypWS_9MrEl8z53kkkDrsnCqcI22OkO-2zcwi2mgqDbku3qvONtAYf6HjTuIz0M/s1600/DSC_0657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3LPLHsKI9BA629sI3Sc-xn4ieV94qs_SHi-46CpCx-AMgqVibRxF0JlbqyE1RfVrDkQ28i-I5JA-WypWS_9MrEl8z53kkkDrsnCqcI22OkO-2zcwi2mgqDbku3qvONtAYf6HjTuIz0M/s320/DSC_0657.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Other fan-favourites in this semi-final include Joan Franka, performing third for the <b>Netherlands</b>, and Tooji taking 16th position for <b>Norway</b>. It's probably the worst draw that Joan could have got - I feel that her song would have benefited the most by coming across as a refreshing break from silly, amateur pop, and while Serbia and Macedonia won't be everyone's cup of tea, there's no arguing about whether they'll be performed professionally. Tooji, in contrast, needed a late draw, and he got it.<br />
<br />
Others benefiting from the draw include <b>Estonia</b>, who get to perform their ballad after the potential madness of <b>Georgia</b> and <b>Turkey</b>, and also favourites <b>Sweden</b>, who get to follow two ballads. The draw isn't particularly kind for many of the first half - <b>Malta</b>, <b>Belarus</b> and <b>Portugal</b> all probably had slim chances of qualifying anyway, and would have benefited from being in the second half, and <b>Bulgaria</b> risks coming across as a less-good version of <b>Ukraine</b>, which it follows. Ukraine, with its storming performance, is probably pretty safe anywhere, and couldn't have picked a better song to perform after than Portugal.<br />
<br />
Which leaves <b>Slovakia</b>, which I generally think is pretty chanceless wherever it performs, and <b>Lithuania</b>. The Lithuanians selected to go last, clearly believing it to be the best position to perform from, and they may well be right, with only one non-qualification from the last spot in the semi since 2008. But still, I do think there's a risk performing last, and that's that you take the chance of coming across as a silly interval act, or just simply not good enough. Both of those things arguably happened to the Netherlands in 2009, and they were effectively left with just one point, from Denmark (plus 10 from the barmy Albanian jury). If you're on last, you have to give people at least some reason to watch, and to vote, otherwise everyone's off to the loo before the reprise. Needless to say, I'm not sure Lithuania made the best decision here.<br />
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<b>Final</b><br />
<br />
Moving on to the final, which is much harder to say anything concrete about, since, as much as a late draw can be important for an act, perhaps more crucial is the combination of songs surrounding them. <br />
<br />
Either way, performing first probably isn't great for the <b>UK</b>. It didn't work for 'Da Da Dam', another ballad, in 2011, which lost a bunch of its votes from the semi by the time the final voting came around, and if the Azeris put 'Running Scared' in the opening act, it'll be a downbeat first fifteen minutes to the show. Whichever of the semi-final qualifiers gets drawn as the first uptempo of the night should be hoping to do pretty well come the scoreboard.<br />
<br />
Later on we have <b>France</b> and <b>Italy</b> drawn together again (at 9 and 10), though this time I don't think the draw hurts France as much as it did last year, with both clearly going for rather different audiences. 13th before the break is probably decent for <b>Azerbaijan</b>, and <b>Spain</b> and <b>Germany</b> will both be pleased to be on towards the end of the show. Their chances, though, will greatly depend on what gets drawn around them.<br />
<br />
So, there you have it! Do you agree, or do you have another opinion on this draw? Comment below and share your thoughts!<br />
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<small><i>This blog also appeared in a slightly modified version at <a href="http://www.escnation.com/" target="_blank">ESC Nation</a>.</i></small>SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-34980256841362722562012-03-26T13:29:00.002+01:002012-03-27T20:38:48.439+01:00Soundrop - a Spotify app reviewA new Spotify app caught my attention today. And unlike some of the present apps, which merely encourage you to read mediocre reviews of mediocre albums and then (not) listen to them, <a href="http://www.soundrop.com/" target="_blank">Soundrop</a> really makes the most of the social heart of Spotify.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuYKGAgfyycJYFcC01TY0FPnrj-hlNaTJbP49yupJjI3WDbJT6tlAyR9-5VAHpecb2fZxh6moqs610jM0NTbG0WcqEk22dOa8oL8g2J5Gxh9iArHYitlpE5dX5DGqsCwCpAwCRuxCeP0/s1600/428736_334083619960453_179289645439852_859421_1950168923_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="107" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuYKGAgfyycJYFcC01TY0FPnrj-hlNaTJbP49yupJjI3WDbJT6tlAyR9-5VAHpecb2fZxh6moqs610jM0NTbG0WcqEk22dOa8oL8g2J5Gxh9iArHYitlpE5dX5DGqsCwCpAwCRuxCeP0/s320/428736_334083619960453_179289645439852_859421_1950168923_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Soundrop, which like several other progressive web music projects, is based in Norway, allows users to enter a 'room' and vote on tracks to be played. The founders describe it as being like a jukebox:<br />
<blockquote>"Music was originally social; people had to go somewhere to hear it. Today music is often experienced individually. By combining the concept of the jukebox with the pervasiveness of the web, we can restore music to its social roots."</blockquote>There are a number of genre-specific rooms already set up within the app, but users are also able to launch their own rooms to share music with friends. I haven't tried this, so this review will focus on the experience in the in-built rooms.<br />
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The interface presents a basic chatroom, above a list of the songs in the queue to be played. Users can then simply scroll down and 'vote up' the songs they want to hear first. Songs re-order themselves based on the number of votes they've received, so more popular songs get played first.<br />
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It's a great way of making the most of the social aspect of listening, and will only improve as more people start to use it. At the moment, despite popular rooms having around 150 listeners, the voting is often dominated by a couple of people. There's the potential for some great competition between users to get their favourites played first, with positions changing frequently, but this just isn't the case in many rooms at the moment that simply end up with a long list of songs with two votes each.<br />
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It is, however, a good way of discovering new music within a genre you already have some familiarity with, and this is clearly how many listeners choose to use the service. It's really easy to add a currently playing song to one of your own playlists by simply dragging and dropping, or you can even make a playlist of the whole queue with a simple click.<br />
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No listening experience is without its disadvantages, of course, the most notable being that other people obviously have less good taste than you do. You can't skip a bad song that's voted for by other people, as you would then fall out of sync with other users; similarly you can't pause a track. Where the system falls down slightly is when the community votes for a song unavailable in your region. When this then reaches the top of the queue, the music simply stops for the duration of that track. It spoils the atmosphere somewhat to have to sit in silence for four minutes, or leave the room to find something else to listen to.<br />
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Overall though, despite a couple of disadvantages, I do really quite like Soundrop, and will definitely continue to use it in the future. It's simple to use, very easy to get the hang of and is pretty low-maintenance. If you have particularly eclectic taste, it's probably not for you, but if you're just up for some background music in a specific genre, or are up for discovering some new tracks, give it a try!<br />
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<small><i>Find Soundrop within Spotify's app finder. You will obviously need Spotify to use the app, and will have to link Soundrop to your Facebook account.</i></small>SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-85842181261461509972012-03-13T12:50:00.001+00:002012-03-13T12:51:47.091+00:00What we've been watching this weekendA weekend away with some of my bestest friends, the guys from ESC Nation, always ends up with a few videos characterising the whole experience. The below represents some of my best memories of the last few days.<br />
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Obviously we watched Bizek Emi.<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-zAIBDbTZJc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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And of course there was Ragni. Including doing the Ragni dance moves to random dansband songs at the Patricia nightclub.<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qn3vwi7GjZE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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For some reason we watched this several times...<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D2T6YdEcp6w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Of the many national finals we watched, this performance stands out for the hilarity it caused, as well as being a great song! Ventspils looks nice too!<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xCvb5zuFjak" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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And of course, there was the whole reason we were there in the first place<br />
<iframe width="490" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MnbJWR7PaII" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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It was another great weekend. Thank you to everyone who shared it!SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-87548887944535219492012-02-29T13:16:00.002+00:002012-03-04T14:50:43.926+00:00Melodifestivalen 2012 - My Top 321. På väg - Abalone Dots<br />
A beautiful country ballad with tight harmonies, this was always going to be my favourite. And it even has a really well-executed key change too!<br />
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2. Why am I crying - Molly Sandén<br />
Big emotional break-up ballad, with lovely thoughtful lyrics - just my thing!<br />
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3. The Girl - Charlotte Perrelli<br />
See, I do like schlager sometimes! <br />
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4. Amazing - Danny Saucedo<br />
I wasn't particularly expecting to like this, but I really do! I find it really uplifting and positive to listen to.<br />
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5. Euphoria - Loreen<br />
Not as dark as 'My Heart Is Refusing Me', and therefore not as interesting, but a goodie nonetheless.<br />
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6. Soldiers - Ulrik Munther<br />
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7. I mina drömmar - Maria BenHajji<br />
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8. Sanningen - Carolina Wallin Pérez<br />
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9. Why start a fire? - Lisa Miskovsky<br />
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10. Förlåt mig - Mattias Andréasson<br />
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11. The boy can dance - Afro-dite<br />
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12. Det går för långsamt - Mimi Oh<br />
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13. Jag reser mig igen - Thorsten Flinck & Revolutionsorkestern<br />
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14. Mirakel - Björn Ranelid feat Sara Li<br />
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15. Baby Doll - Top Cats<br />
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16. I din himmel - Sonja Aldén<br />
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17. Kyss mig - Axel Algmark<br />
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18. Goosebumps - Hanna Lindblad<br />
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19. Just a little bit - Love Generation<br />
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20. Aldrig Aldrig - Andreas Lundstedt<br />
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21. Sean den förste banan - Sean Banan<br />
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22. Shout it out - David Lindgren<br />
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23. Stormande hav - Timoteij<br />
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24. Youngblood - Youngblood<br />
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25. Salt and pepper - Marie Serneholt<br />
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26. Ge aldrig upp - Thomas di Leva<br />
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27. Lovelight - Andreas Johnson<br />
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28. Mystery - Dead by April<br />
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29. Land of Broken dreams - Dynazty<br />
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30. Don't let me down - Christer & Lotta<br />
Well, you did let me down. I was hoping that this might be a charming little old-people number, along the lines of 'C'est la vie' from 2004. It's not, it's just horrible.<br />
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31. Allting blir bra igen - OPA!<br />
Pointless. Why bother, really. I'm all for diversity in Melodifestivalen, but not when it comes up with songs as poor as this.<br />
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32. I want to be Chris Isaak (This is just the beginning) - The Moniker<br />
HAAAA-HAAAA!<br />
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And to get the taste of The Moniker out of my mouth, here's my favourite, 'På väg' by Abalone Dots.<br />
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<iframe width="490" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/csQ3vrzohhY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-87147129284380429092012-02-26T17:43:00.002+00:002012-02-26T17:52:06.323+00:00Learning Norwegian - visiting NorwayAs mentioned in my <a href="http://musingopiningandcriticising.blogspot.com/2012/02/learning-norwegian-introduction.html">last entry</a>, I've recently started learning Norwegian. My first test of my progress came a couple of weeks ago, when, after less than two weeks' learning, I paid a visit to Bergen, Norway's second city.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9W1aFDI93mLq0sexZcpsZY2Vja1TPoYDvv3Upe225oMSBQNlzIyFccjZh6OEhQ2tjGn126HZGDHKVuEXhL8IJ_RE2S6GRaDUc94nMxCdL5LfGXeCU2O2uTgXPch6YScQgwJZWcULQkc/s1600/Bergen--Norway-europe-612732_1024_768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9W1aFDI93mLq0sexZcpsZY2Vja1TPoYDvv3Upe225oMSBQNlzIyFccjZh6OEhQ2tjGn126HZGDHKVuEXhL8IJ_RE2S6GRaDUc94nMxCdL5LfGXeCU2O2uTgXPch6YScQgwJZWcULQkc/s320/Bergen--Norway-europe-612732_1024_768.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I've been following the Pimsleur method with my learning, which involves a 30-minute audio lesson each day. I'll go into this in more details in a later entry when I review the course, but for now I'll just mention that it's a pure audio course, at least for the early stages, which involves learning from two native speakers on the recording, and strongly encourages a focus on pronunciation and recall.<br />
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When I went to Norway, I'd just completed lesson eleven. I was determined to try out what I'd learned on my friends, and hadn't told them anything about it before going. My intention was to surprise my friend Harald by talking to him in Norwegian when I got off the bus in Bergen city centre. I was very nervous about it all the way there, but, as I disembarked, I ignored his English greeting and spoke Norwegian. We had a simple conversation, during which I asked him how he was, said that I wanted a glass of wine and asked directions to Stortingsgata. <br />
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My vocabulary was very limited, as was my breadth of topics to discuss, but that wasn't an issue for me at that stage. I just wanted to try my pronunciation and comprehension in a natural environment, but one with inbuilt support. I was extremely worried that my accent would be very strong, and that in particular I wouldn't be able to pronounce my 'r's correctly, a strong indicator of a native English speaker. I'm pleased to report that my fears were ungrounded, as I was complimented on my accent, especially my 'r's - I even realised that I was over-rolling my 'r's, an easily-rectified problem that I would have been overjoyed to have had during my years of Serbian.<br />
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I continued my experiences by speaking Norwegian to Harald occasionally during the weekend, but the real test came when we went to a party of a friend of his on Saturday night, full of Norwegians. Of course, most Norwegians, particularly young people, speak excellent English, but I was determined to at least try out my Norwegian, and hope they wouldn't automatically switch to English to accommodate me. Happily, most of them didn't, and most of them understood what I was saying and were happy to enter into a very simple conversation with me. They were rarely more than a couple of minutes before disintegrating into a 'Jeg forstår ikke' and switching to English, but the effort was made, some success was had and my confidence boosted.<br />
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I was very worried before going that I would be laughed at for my poor accent, or lack of comprehension, or that people would just want to speak English with me. The latter only happened once, and I persevered in Norwegian with her. I was also only laughed at once, but I suspect that was more because the phrase I used, while correct, was overly formal for the situation. And my accent was genuinely praised my several people - and since it's early days, I'm taking "you sound a bit Swedish" as a compliment too. <br />
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I think much of this success is due to following an audio course. It allows me to really focus on my pronunciation without continually thinking about how words are written and distracting myself by thinking about their written form. Indeed, I have no idea how to spell most of the words I've been speaking.<br />
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Opening myself up and speaking Norwegian to strangers was a massive step for me to get over, particularly after the pummeling my confidence took in Serbia. But now I feel much better about myself, am really buoyed up, keen on my learning, and look forward to going back to Norway - this time with a much wider range of topic areas and increased vocabulary.SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235038240201744803.post-40636915654611538372012-02-26T01:20:00.000+00:002012-02-26T01:20:54.232+00:00Learning Norwegian - an introductionLanguage learning is something that's always been dear to me. I started learning French and Latin at school at the age of 11, picked up German and Spanish when they were available in the curriculum, and always generally doing well at languages. They were my best subject at school, and I moved on to take Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian at university. <br />
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But since my university days, when I struggled somewhat with my learning, I've let my languages slip a little. I've made half-hearted attempts to renew my BCS, as well as occasional forays into my other languages, in particular on holiday, but with little long-term success.<br />
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Recently, however, I decided I wanted to be a little more dedicated. I wanted to learn a language and stick with it. I wanted to work hard at it and improve. And I realised that the only way I would do this was to actually <i>use</i> the language. I could try to brush up my BCS, and go and spend some time in ex-Yugoslavia, but realistically, that probably isn't going to happen.<br />
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So, I turned to a country where I've spent a lot of time recently, and where I have friends with whom I can practise my language - Norway. It may not be the most necessary language to learn, with many Norwegians speaking excellent English, but it's a good challenge for me, and one that's potentially achievable given my own circumstances.<br />
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I'm looking forward to it. And I'll be using this blog to keep you updated on my progress too, as a way of keeping myself honest and motivating myself. I've been learning for a couple of weeks now, so I'll be posting my first update pretty soon.SamBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10149436695556280325noreply@blogger.com1