The Weekender - Friday

The weekend started of with a Friday afternoon wedding. There's nothing you can really say about weddings, except how great an occasion they are, especially when you know the couple are really happy. 15 years is a long time together....but they looked so so happy. The church was good, we had the most amusing priest from Nigeria. He'd just recently moved to the Uk, and he's in the middle of middle class Kent...a far cry from home. But he was fantanstic with the right amount of humour and seriousness.

Ibster and I drove, or rather Ibz drove and i was the annoying passenger, but we managed to map read and navigate ourselves from the church to the reception at Syon House in West London. The place was spectactular....real fairytale stuff.....

We ate sushi style salmon for starters, we were on the table with the groom's nephews etc....four boys from 7-16 who weren't impressed, lucky for them some chicken and chips turned up.

They were all in suits, looking sharp!

The best man's speech was hilarious, but i'd just 'hash' it up trying to explain the ins and outs. Let's just say it involved a lot of laughter, a white coat and some alien references.

A great day/night.....the bride and groom happy.... a fixed bouquet throw - cake - some old school tunes - then an attempted house party afterwards in some dodgy estate in London. We turned up over dressed..and out of tune...and left!

ibster took some great photos.

The Remix Edition

Remix 1:

Almost had me out of my seat, that is untill...well u have a go, but it helps if you're Yoruba.

Google Yoruba

Remix 2:

a personal fav..

Mr.Smallo, tell me, who do you think you are?
Mr.Smallo, you're never gonna get my love
Mr.Smallo, you're never gonna break my heart
Mr.Smallo, you're never gonna make me cry

you can find the original classic on

Ms Franklin

Another Man Down...and a Dentist

Weekend saw another one of the boys start the walk to a simpler life. We tried to send him off in style, but not sure if u can ever really do that. But it was a fun day, go-karting, japanese food and the obligatory u know what.

Apart from that i'm reeling in pain, from a visit to the dentist and a filling which is causing me more pain than the cavity would have. I now know why i've stayed away from for so long.

New Architecture in Africa...

Found a great book today whilst trying to get some inspiration at the library, called New Architecture in Africa, published in 1963 by Thames and Hudson, London. The book shows the development of the modern movement in Africa, really expressing how form and function can produce some amazing buildings within the 'context' of Africa. Buildings that really responds to climate and enviroment. Some of the building in Nigeria, Ghana etc just blew my mind.

I can't locate it anyway to buy, except here, New Architecture in African, but i think it's the original German version,

I photocopied the entire book....just in case.

Crash - Bang

I went to watch the movie 'Crash' at the weekend end. It's funny cause a friend asked me how it was - and i said it was 'great'. i'm known to use a lot of superlatives when it comes to movies, so the little laugh at the other end of the phone was to be expected.

I went to watch it the next day - again. It's intresting the reponses i've heard, read etc about a flm which is essentially about racisim and sterotypes from all angles.

I enjoyed the movie - it was an angry film, reactonary - at times very un-subtle but it hit me - BANG!!!! on all levels. The characters were belivable and although their actions at times were hyper exaggerated for a 36hour period, there was enough depth to their stories and enough understanding of the real world for us to see their reasoning.

A woman in front of us when the movie finished, said 'the movie is just so angry - what's the point of that'.

Apparently Paull Haggis, the writer, wrote the script after he got car jacked, just after 9/11. Being in London at the moment with the recent bombings etc and 'seeing' the seemingly fraught racial/reglious tensions been played out on the streets and in the media, adds another dimension to what is essentially an 'american' film.

I think one thing that the film definetly does capture, is that racism/prejudice is the easiest thing to turn to when confronted with fear and more and more today, people are afriad, and segregated. I think the notion of the metling pot, works to an extent on university campuses, nice coffee shops, nightclubs - record shops etc but maybe not in the real world.

It's funny because before watching the film, a friend was trying to tell a story about some comedy, about a white guy/pretending to be black or a black guy pretending to be white etc - i can't quite remember. Anyway he was saying that in the movie, the acid test was they took the guy to watch a movie....and they could tell he was black cause he couldn't keep quite in the cruical parts. It was funny to here all the shsssh etc during the movie aimed towards a group of black friends, who ooohed and ahhhhed their way through the film. They were also the only one's to clap at the end.

I think films like Crash are important, not because they give an answer, or that they even completely make sense - but because they force us to think (those of us anyway - who are honest enought to fully admit what it is we're thinking anyway).

I recommend it.

The mind is willing but the body is weak

Ah man, i'm distressed. the realisation of 'i can't do it like i used to', slapped me in the face with a wet salmon last night.

A spontaneous outing on a monday night, no food, three beers, a young soul crooner, home by 12.30 am only to be followed by one hell of a hang over.

Three beers! Three beers for crying out loud....yes u read it right (although i should point out that they were Belgium beers) - sad sad ol' man.

Next i predict a silver streak.

Why does water get no enemy?

Good question - London Aug 5th and i just got pissed on...rain, rain, go away...
come again another day...the rest is folk.