No longer there - The Cat Empire

Brilliant song!!!



And though you'd like to hear a song
That sings everything's all right
The temperature is warm
The fire horses sleep
So gently comes the night

You close your eyes and stare
The ground they're on is bare
But once it was as deep
As wildest giants dreams
It's no longer there

And all of our desires
They mirror skies with flames
And smoke out heaven's halls
Who was that you called
They're no longer there

Here it goes again
Here it goes again
Here it goes again

What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead?
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept
What would you leave behind when those who bear your name
Are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?

Would you sail to distant shores?
And hide within the hills
And softly close your doors
Pretend the world is safe
And wait for heaven's call

Or would you turn and face the seas
And come beside your cave
There's chance but if you dare
And swift as honour's steeds
Before it's no longer there

Here it goes again
Here it goes agaaain
Here it goes aga .. ain!

What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead?
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept
What would you leave behind
When those who bear your name are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you're no longer there?

To deny or to despair
It's really just the same
Everything between
It means we have to change
Cos when a one forgets
The world begins to fade
And all the shapes and shades
That made the colours see
When they suddenly turned grey
That they're no longer there

Favorite bumper stickers

#1 Don't believe everything that you think!

#2 Beer is now officially cheaper than gas. Don't drive. Drink!

#3 I worship the prophet margin

#4 Never believe generalizations

#5 My drinking team has a bowling problem

#6 Procrastinate now

#7 Never miss a good opportunity to shut up

#8 Thank god I'm an atheist

#9 Why do they call it rush hour?

#10 I'd rather be right than politically correct

MEC

Mountain Engineering Cooperative is an amazing store. Spend the last three days browsing, picking up stuff.

So many finds, here's my top three

A wee lantern perfect for clipping on to suitcases, to belts, great for those backpacker trips where you want to pack/unpack without waking everybody else up $5

Backpack with wheels, with a clip on daybag perfect for carryons, yet spacious enough to hold three pairs of shorts, 2 shirts, three t-shirts, one set nightwear, one pant, sandals. I used the day bag as a camera bag, the two side water bottle pockets are perfect for those bigger lenses, and inside there's enough space to put in your camera plus other essentials $112

Small rolled up towel that can easily fit in your pocket yet is big enough to double as a bath towel. Micromeshed so wicks moisture neatly $20

If you aren't a gourmet ... don't read this review

Gordon Ramsay's The Narrow

A few of my favorite wines

Do you have some cambembert and brie on hand that's had a chance to ripen? Then get a bottle of Pomerol. I was lucky in being able to grab about four of the last bottles of Chateau La Conseillante here in Edmonton at about 50$ apiece, from 1998 which was a good year for Pomerol. Anything from 98 up should be a good year mostly up to 2005. 82 was the best but can be difficult to find. If you do, make sure you order an Osso Bucco to go with it.

This is a variant of Merlot that's grown in a region called Pomerol. The wine is a velvety soft red that makes complex cheeses come alive in a marvelous way.

Another favorite is a white wine, an Austrian Gruner-Veltliner. I will dig up the notes and post more on this later. Also must remember to talk about some great German whites.

For more everyday sipping I've also found Joseph Drouhin's Pouilly-Fuisse hard to beat when paired with both cheeses and food.

Playlist - Bring your own jukebox online

Romancing the grill

Oops meant girl there ... Google style, with cupid cakes :)



but seriously ever since I encountered Nigelle Lawson's Express concept ... the idea of delicious but quick and easy comfort food served right up, I've used that as the touchstone for recipes, and this one sure qualifies.

Arabian nights ...

The depth of tenderness, the almost reverential nuance to the romance in arab songs may be an acquired taste but for me it's always been magic and now years after that sojourn in Dubai, I still love going back to some of these songs at which point you know it's time to share/bookmark online for some time when you need to find it fast :)

For instance here's
Aline Khalaf's Howelt Ansak intensely and hauntingly painting the shadows of memory into being ...

Or Marwan Khoury and Carol Samaha negotiating the tricky roads between breakup and lifelong love together

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg9Zg03CxDQ&feature=related

Here's Fadl Shakr and Yara finding just how much togetherness there is in a song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1f5xeXgTOg&mode=related&search=

And an impromptu talk show duet ... starring the incomparable Souad Massi

And then there's the all too difficult fluid emotional spaces between fun and happiness that goes beyond poetry beyond words even beyond memory to leave you feeling a bit more human than usual ... sorry I love this song :) Strictly speaking the song below is not Arabic but rather a mix of Farsi (Iranian) and Arabic ... but the singer Cheb Khaled is one of it's more beloved artists from Algeria

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVIJdh6W348

and one of those shakira collaborations this time with Egypt's beloved son Amr Diab

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Ir5_ABs-Q


And this song, I'm not quite sure why I like it other than that indefinable something called chemistry between the singers that make it so compelling (to me I mean)

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=7504281

And in no particular some other singers that seem to conjure up visions of sensuous women (be warned some of them are ridiculously hot! hot! hot!) languidly doing the dance of seven veils, of stories swirling in sandstorms of loss and hope and just plain old fashioned here's a party let's rock the casbah stuff ... Doesn't hurt that the divas are drop dead gorgeous and the men just your above average hunks but with those special eyes that speak the special language of hearts that seem to melt a certain type of women :)

Madeline Matar

Nancy Ajram

Elissa ... another version

Sherine

Samira Said

Myriam Faris

Nawal El Zoghbi


Adam's The tears have faded from my eyes ... Do me a favor if you have an Arabic friend ask them to help you understand the lyrics, you'll never fall in love the same way again!

Amr Diab

Tamer Hosny

Ragheb Alama

Wael Kfoury

and one for the road

by Natacha AtlasThis one's exquisite ...

Take a bite of this place

You somehow don't think US as a place for winter vacations, I mean I usually try to find reasons not to go even when I'm forced to *grin* ... well that was until I impulse clicked on one of those ad links you get on gmail intrigued by the idea of a winter in New Mexico.

Now all of a sudden I'm wondering where to find two days to go to New Mexico ... This is a good writer must say or the place is darn good. All that talk of the blood dark goulash, dirndl clad waitresses ... for the skier coming in from the cold ... are we in some mysterious forgotten valley in Bavaria or in good old adobe New Mexico???

You my fellow armchair travellers, also take note of the sauteed risotto at Joseph's table say served on one of those nights where the wind howls like a chained demon outside ... Comfort food taken to the next level :)

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/travel/10Choice.html?ex=1360299600&en=4ea54d4f0d28ae3f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Somebody I know Ayash Basu was over here last year and raved about the picture taking possibilities ... but nary a word about the food!