avventvra

Here I am. This is what I love.

2012-01-27T17:29:00.000+01:00

Ortak bostan "Ortofficina" hakkinda yazdigim yaziya buradan ulasabilirsiniz.

I am talking about my urban boxgarden project "Ortofficina" since last summer to every soul I meet, and today Gayla Trail, the creator of yougrowgirl.com asks to her readers to join her Show and Tell class and post about their gardens. Umm yes please! Here's an article already posted by Tess Amedeo-Vickery published on GOOD Magazine with a better grammer than mine.

When I moved to Rome I wasn't sure if I had to repeat what I was doing in Istanbul, meet friends in bars and cafés, chit-chat and drink. I had enough of chit-chatting and I didn't have any friends in this new city. When I saw Ex-Snia for the first time I had many questions.

photo: Marco Gargano

What was a centro sociale?
It's an occupied place formerly belonging to the city because some private society went bankrupt. People (usually left-wing) occupie it until the police gives up and the mayor gives permission to use it for concerts, courses, art fairs and such. Let's say it's in a grey area between legal and illegal.

Why was there a bike hanging on the wall?
Because there's a bike kitchen, where you can get help, tools and material for a donation you decide.

Fabrizio was trying to explain all these terms I wasn't prepared to hear. Volontary work without any legal bind, anything you can write on your resumé, anyway you can gain money: And people were there to teach, build, prepare meals to finance microprojects?

We went to see a reggea concert for a small price, might be 3 euros. The concert was to fundraise Radio Onda Rossa, an independent San Lorenzo neighbourhood based, left-wing radio, talking about human rights, femminist and lgbti movements, social centers and alternative culture. I saw a flyer inviting to free italian language lessons, followed the lessons, met teachers and other people volunteering and living in Pigneto, my neighbourhood. I got my small neighbourhood life, waving and smiling on the street at fellow Romans.

In this social center, formerly a textile and chemicals factory, I decided to create a compost bin with a Greek agriculturist and an Italian bike mechanic. As Rome is offering composting service to few rich neighbourhoods in the historical center and people with more than 25 m2 garden, I was desperately trying composting on my tiny balcony. No more finding dead worms on my balcony, no more horrifying my mom.

After few months, I met Giulia, my fellow gardener, working for 41.Parallel, a social project focusing on countries on the same parallel as Italy. I helped an architect translating her talk about urban gentrification and prepared a talk on Turkey's unsustainable energy projects (as an ecophilosopher! what?). Next summer she made me meet Fritz Haeg, an architect creating and urban garden on the terrace of American Academy in Rome. He was moving to his new city, Istanbul, and he was very interested in donating his garden to a centro sociale even though he had never seen one.

After a wintergarden workshop with my CSA (community supported agriculture) group, Tess joined me and started to work on this article in GOOD magazine.

We are now 4 women organizing all. We aren't sure if the terrain is containing anything poisonous: I eat berries grown there for 50 years, but I wouldn't cultivate in the ground. So we have boxes and we'd like to prepare bigger boxes with lasagna gardening. We've put some bulbs, some edibles, but other than cultivating, we need to start teaching people how to use compost bin and the garden, too. It might be a big deal, but I love the idea to check out plants in the morning before riding my bike to work.

I'm not the first doing an urban garden in Rome, check Zappata Romana's map to see others.
Do you have any experience in gardening? Do you cultivate edibles?

Mika Engravings in Piazza di Pietra

2012-01-26T15:29:00.001+01:00

Who wouldn't like to work in an office with historical italian frescoes?

Fatih Mika, one of the most important turkish engraving artists, had an exhibition during the christmas party of a lawyers' office in Palazzo Ferrini across Piazza di Pietra. I wrote about my lessons with him, in this article. Does anyone get used to come work here every morning and forget to look up to the frescoes?

all pictures via Esma Cakir, DN Agency

The office is in this building with the tower at the end of the Piazza di Pietra, Piazza of Stone. This building, Palazzo Ferrini, was designed by Onorio Longhi at the beginning of the XVIIth century. The name of the owners, the Ferrini family, is written in the elegant loggia, while the inscription over the portal "IOSEPH CINI" refers to Count Giuseppe Cini who owned the palace in the XIXth century. Interested in history of famous roman families? This link is for you.

Above is a copper-engraving by Domenico Montagu, out of:´Nuova raccolta delle più belle vedute di Roma...´, from 1756. At left you can see Temple of Hadrian, now used as a customhouse. Montagu´s work was heavily influenced by Giambattista Piranesi and it is quite certain that they both have met because both worked consistently together with J. Barbault at that timeframe.

I don't know how old were the frescoes, but this piazza, the building with the tower these rooms belong to, continue existing at the same place for at least four centuries. Temple of Hadrian was build in 145, as in, it's 2000 years old, 145. It stupefies me every time I think about the history of every stone I'm walking on, in this city.

To come back in time gradually, please don't make sudden moves, read here about Forte Prenestina, build in 1870s, and here about Pigneto, my neighbourhood in 1950's.

Street Art in San Lorenzo

2012-01-25T11:30:00.002+01:00

Did you like pictures of new street art in Pigneto? Next we have pictures from the murales painted during Collective in San Lorenzo, a historical neighborhood born in 1884. San Lorenzo is the nearest neighbourhood to the Città Universitaria - La Sapienza University, so it has a vast population of students hence bars, cheap restaurants, bookshops, second hand shops and community movements.

In 1922 when Mussolini ordered the March to Rome to tens of thousands of fascist militants, this working class neighbourhood was the only neighbourhood which tried to stop them. Thus comes the famous name Quartiere Rossa, the red neighbourhood. San Lorenzo paid for his disobedience with an attack of fascist in which 13 inhabitants were killed. But the neighbourhood kept his antifascist identity since then. In 1943 the Allies bombarded this neighbourhood, to stop Rome getting its supplies, killing 3.000 and harming other 11.000 civils. Some buildings remained with a special architecture that shows a trace of the bombardings.

Interested in Italian music? Listen to this sad song Francesco de Gregori wrote for the bombarding of San Lorenzo.

When I finally decided to get off my bike and take pictures of this wall, some of the pieces were already covered in tags. You wanna know who's who in Rome street art scene? This is the wall you should start your lesson.

Paintings start in Via degli Ausoni, San Lorenzo, next to the calcetto fields, and there is more around the corner, added after a year. The new ones are from Alice Pasquini. This here, instead, is talented Agostino Iarurci.

This freehand piece of Hitnes is amazing and I can't understand the taggers writing on it. As your walk through the city the tags accompany you, at first disturbing, with time getting familiar to a point where you miss having them in their absence. It's a fact that they feel in some kind of a competition with stencil and painting artists but I find it quite unfair as they can tag in seconds.

The former piece is from Lapisanplus or Roberto Iacono, Roman living in Marseille. And the last one's from Studio Arturo, a union of five women, Amalia, Bernadette, Cecilia, Irene and Elena. If you'd like to see more, go check the amazing amount of pictures Jessica Stewart took that day.

Hitnes, Lucamaleonte, Murphy, Alt97 and Alice at Collective
Arturo, Lapisanplus and Wonderbarbee at Collective
JB Rock, HOPNN, The Stickheads at Collective
Honi, Agostino and Diamond at Collective
UNO, Hogre, Pu:re and Sone at Collective
Omino71, Urka and Mr Klevra at Collective

Street Art in Pigneto

2012-01-23T16:08:00.000+01:00

New year, new street art, as the street art gets born and dies everyday. I love following the blog of Jessica Stewart and because her lens is often capturing Pigneto and its street art scene. She blogged about Lucamaleonte, one of the first generation street artists in Rome, getting back on the streets again. And there it was, his new work on my way home.

And on my way there were other pieces from Yuri a.k.a. HOPNN and Cancelletto which you may remember from cut-in-half koi-fish designs.

It seems like CIBOBICI is a project of HOPNN and Cancelletto, together. I'll see to find more info about that.

I found out about pixlr-o-matic to play with pictures and with these ones I tried different filters together. What do you think?

Happy New Year of The Dragon

2012-01-23T16:03:00.000+01:00

via johnnywander.com

Ananth and Yuko is a great artist couple, with their numerous cats and magical stories.

It's the yang-water dragon year, enjoy!

Pico and La Belle Époque in Rome

2012-01-22T22:04:00.001+01:00

Returning to Paris by train (with a 35 euro ticket!) was in my mind for a long time and my nostalgy hit me more as I watched Midnight in Paris (a couple of times). As Trenitalia decided to cancel the direct trains between Rome and Paris, and as I don't like getting a flight just for my pleasure to travel, it was a must seeing the exhibition of Les Folies Bergère, the famed Parisian dance hall still open in Pigalle area.

The famous Josephine Baker, an american singer, dancer and actress, called also as the "Black Pearl" or the "Bronze Venus", got her start here, in the theater of Les Folies Bergère as the place become a landmark of the charm and glamour of Paris in the early 20th Century.

As we finished the only room the exhibit was taking up, we were told that there was a slide show in a different room, but after a couple of failing attempts we left without further research.

From the collection of photographs, posters, postcards, and paintings; the illustration by Maurice Blais (1895) portraying can-can girls was the centerpiece.

As an advice from Keri Smith, an author I love seeing translated recently in Italian, I try to expose myself to new artists. Knowing the art of Pico (Maurice Picaud), which definitely will seem rather familiar to your eyes, was a great experience even though his pieces were scarse in the exhibition. Here are some of his sketches of La Grande Folie, in 30's.

This is the photo of Lila Nikolska, from which Pico created the main emblem of La Folie Bergère represented on the front wall of the theater. Pico was also the decorator of the venue.

Folies Bergère 1928

Another artist patronized the theater was famous Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, sketching here Yvette Guilbert. She was another muse; gorgeous and elegant star-turn from fashion to entertainment.

Here are some of her portraits taken by photographer G.Camus for Le Panorama magazine from 1900.

All these muses, costumes and set designs from various shows immortalized by famous artists were very interesting. Paris at that time period had definitely another taste in women and entertainment. While pictures were carrying a nice glimpse of the belle époque in Paris, the exhibit is curated with reflecting plastic and last-minute-printed A4 info-cards. Yet it's FREE, so go for it!

Where? Sala Santa Rita (near Teatro Marcello), Via Montanara, 3

When? Monday-Friday, 10 AM- 6 PM until February 2nd

Info: eng / ita

How much? Free.

Getting harassed or getting dressed?

2012-01-21T01:55:00.000+01:00

I hear men shouting "Bellissima!" everyday riding my bike even though it's hard to see my face through my helmet and sunglasses, drinking alone is an issue as travelling alone. It's obvious to any stranger that italian men see flirting as a national sport. Should it stop me getting dressed well?

When I read the article of a Latvian girl living in Italy about italian men's behavior, and how to react as a foreigner, I was disappointed by something she said: "Check your look". It's the everyday culture, the institutions which created the misunderstanding that getting harassed or raped is a result of how you get dressed. Here's a picture from Slutwalk protest marches, that I agree very fondly.

In the comments part, an Italian man was saying worse: "You think you are Miss World? Don't like Rome? Leave it!" Being harassed by a man is not about being miss world or not, it's that man's bad intentions, or what other people see in your behavior and dress. People should start understanding that not wanting to get harassed doesn't mean not wanting to be beautiful.

A research in 2006 by Istat shows that, over 14 million of italian women were harmed by physical, sexual or psychological violence in their lives. If you are getting harmed by someone you know, visit http://www.centrodonnedalia.it/ in Rome or call 348 8680185 (between 10.00- 18.00). If you are being stalked or called against your will, free phone assistance line is 06.44.24.65.73 or on weekends 327.46.60.907 http://www.stalking.it/

ZioBici - A Local Bike Shop Opening in Pigneto

2012-01-12T20:02:00.000+01:00

Last week, everyone was waiting impatiently the opening of ZioBici, our newest local bike shop in Pigneto. The long requested bike mechanic Piero and Roma Bike Tour organizer Andrea opened this shop building from scratch.

No need to say that all the roman bike scene was there, people from Ciclofficine Popolari especially from Don Chisciotte, bike workshop at the social center Ex-Snia, where Piero partecipated for a long time and gave free bike mechanics lessons, riders from Roma Bike Polo, Triathlonists, RedBicycleTours, Rotafixa and bike activists from DiTrafficoSiMuore and Rotazioni. Rocco from Milano, "he who welds the world" was the guest of honor.

F. wanted to buy some bike parts, but everyone in Italy knows that it brings il malocchio (bad luck) to sell stuff on your opening day! My batteries died during the opening, OR was it bad luck? If you're superstitious, you can try these rhymes from Naples (find a napolitano to help with the pronounciation!):

Uocchie e maluocchie e furticielle all'uocchie: schiatta la 'mmidia e crepano 'e maluocchie.

Now you know where to find your new bike, or get repaired your old one.

Go find your Uncle-Bike!

illustration by Daniele di Giacomo - ziobici logo design Alessia Adducci

Filming Pigneto

2012-01-06T20:56:00.000+01:00

Living in a beautiful city like Rome has many advantages like seeing your street being filmed. Even though I'm not living in the old city center, and probably Woody Allen didn't come to my neighbourhood to film his last movie "Nero Fiddled", there are many movies filmed in Pigneto, like the famous "Roma città aperta" (Rome, Open City).

Last week we were running some errands with F. and I saw this old tram, we were in a film set! A little search on Wikipedia shows me, this line "Esterna Sinistra (ES)" was used between 1959 and 1979.

These are the doors of the old Snia Factory, open for the first time since I moved in Rome, as the film crew was using it for the day. A part of the factory is occupied and used as a social center as you can read on GOOD Magazine. But I was seeing this part of the factory for the first time, if you don't count voyeuring it on googlemaps.

Here is a list of some movies filmed in Pigneto. Either good or bad, I think I should give them a shot and see my neighbourhood through the lens of a director. Did you see any of these movies?

Roma città aperta (Roberto Rossellini, 1945) with Anna Magnani and Aldo Fabrizi;
Bellissima (Luchino Visconti, 1951) with Anna Magnani and Walter Chiari;
La domenica della buona gente (Anton Giulio Majano, 1953) with Sophia Loren and Nino Manfredi;
Il Ferroviere (Pietro Germi, 1955) with Pietro Germi, Sylva Koscina, Luisa Della Noce and Carlo Giuffrè;
Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti (Nanni Loy, 1959) with Vittorio Gassman, Claudia Cardinale, Renato Salvatori, Nino Manfredi and Tiberio Murgia;
Accattone (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1960) with Franco Citti;
Una vita difficile (Dino Risi, 1961) with Alberto Sordi;
Fantozzi (Luciano Salce, 1975) with Paolo Villaggio;
Un borghese piccolo piccolo (Mario Monicelli, 1977) with Alberto Sordi;
Zucchero, miele e peperoncino (Sergio Martino, 1980) with Pippo Franco;
Ultrà (Ricky Tognazzi, 1990) with Claudio Amendola;
Nestore, l'ultima corsa (Alberto Sordi, 1994) with Alberto Sordi;
Questione di cuore (Francesca Archibugi, 2008) with Antonio Albanese and Kim Rossi Stuart.

Let's Go To The Museum (For Free)

2012-01-04T23:20:00.000+01:00

Full Moon over Foro Romano January 2012

Bu yazinin Yeni Baslayanlar Icin Italya blogunda misafir olarak yazdigim Turkce versiyonu icin buradan buyrun.

Living in Italy means to encounter art on a daily basis. It is also home to the greatest number of Unesco World Heritage Sites to date with 47 sites inscribed on the list. Yet visiting museums can cost you a fortune if you can't get in with a free admission. I was lucky once when visiting Galleria Borghese with a journalist friend, she showed her press cards, and the ticket operator thought that they were for both of us. So we paid 4 euro each, only the reservation fee.

As a flaneuse, I never had the vigor to plan and take advantage of the special museum days. As part of my new year's resolution, I'll get my lazy ass to a museum once a month and it better be free entrance.

Martedì in Arte continues in 2012 as published on MiBAC's website. Every last Tuesday, listed museums in all Italy will be free entrance during the evening between 7pm and 11pm. The list of attending museums can change but you can check last year's list here.

As it is January and it will be an evening, probably an open air museum won't be a good idea. I took Lazio museums which aren't in Rome city, Galleria Borghese and Pantheon out of the list. Luckily Pantheon is used as a church and it will always be free entrance, and I've been to Pantheon and Galleria Borghese a couple of times.

So here's the rest of the list. Which museum should I visit first? Any advice?

- Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Viale delle Belle Arti, 131 - Roma (RM)
- Terme di Diocleziano, Via Romita, 8 - Roma (RM)
- Crypta Balbi, Via delle Botteghe Oscure, 31 - Roma (RM)
- Museo Nazionale Romano – Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Largo di Villa Peretti, 1 - Roma (RM)
- Palazzo Altemps, Via di S. Apollinare, 44 - Roma (RM)
- Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Palazzo Barberini, Via Quattro Fontane, 13 - Roma (RM)
- Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Palazzo Corsini, Via della Lungara, 10 - Roma (RM)
- Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo, Lungotevere Castello, 50 - Roma (RM)
- Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Piazzale di Villa Giulia 9 - Roma (RM)

New Year's Eve in Centro Sociale eXSnia

2012-01-04T16:34:00.001+01:00

Are we still young enough to party for the new year's eve? I have doubts. Yet here I am with my elegant wine glass and my merriest dress. It has some small moth holes but I couldn't care less since it's a vintage Luisa Spagnoli bought in Italy by an old aunt of a friend. Travelled to Istanbul years ago and returned back to Rome with me.

F, holding a spumante wine and firing mini ciccioli chinese pops. My new year's resolutions were learning to fire them between my fingers and remaining eager to see more, like a 6 year old italian boy. Are you reading between the lines?

Ortak Bostan GOOD Magazine'de

2011-12-26T21:04:00.000+01:00

Bir suredir durmaksizin mahallemde kurulmasinda rol aldigim ortak bostandan bahsediyorum. En sonunda oturup toparlamak icin yazmaya karar verdim.

Roma'ya tasinmamin ardindan, evimize yakin bir mekanda konser izlemeye gitmistik. F. bana centro sociale yani sosyal merkez kavramini anlatmaya calisirken, benim gozum yabancilar icin ucretsiz italyanca kurslari ilanina takildi. Gonullulerin projeler hazirladigi, ziyaretcilerin de ucretsiz ya da dusuk bir ucret karsiligi bu projelerden yararlandiklari, isgal edilmis eski bir fabrika binasi burasi. Konser giris ucreti olan bir kac euro ve iceceklerden kazanilan para ile gruplarin (dusuk) ucretleri karsilandiktan sonra yeni projeler finanse ediliyor.

Kurslara gelip giderken bu mekanin bahcesiyle ugrasan bir yunanli ve bisiklet atolyesinden bir italyan arkadasla tanisiyorum. Mahallemizde henuz belediye organik atiklari toplamadigindan, copumuz olmasi gerekenden 4-5 kat fazla cikiyordu. Herkesin kullanabilecegi bir kompost (organik artiklari gubreye donusturme) projesi hazirlamaya karar verdik. Alet kabininden odunc aldigimiz aletler ve buldugumuz paletlerle kisa zamanda bir kasa hazirladik. Iki yildir mutfak atiklarimi cope atmadigim gibi, saksilara koyacak organik besinim de hazirlanmis oluyor.

Bu arada 41.Paralelo projesinden bana ulasiyorlar, her sene baska bir 41.paralel ulkesine odaklaniyorlar, sira Turkiye'de. 2010 Aralik ayinda, Turkiye'deki HESler uzerine bir sunum hazirliyorum, beni ekofilosof olarak takdim ediyorlar. (Kendim kullanmaya cesaret edemiyorum henuz!)

Aylar geciyor, yaz gelirken buldugum bir banyo kuvetine domates ve kabak ekiyorum. Tek basima, iki sap sebzemle kivranirken, projede birlikte calistigim arkadaslar, beni American Academy in Rome 'dan aldigi bursla, akademinin terasinda bostan kuran Fritz Haeg'le tanistiriyorlar.

Bundan sonrasi hizli cekim: Haeg, Roma'dan ayrilirken projesini devam ettirebilecek bir yer ariyor, gonullu calistigim Centro Sociale ExSnia'nin topraginin, eskiden burada bulunan fabrika yuzunden kirlenmis oldugunu anlatiyorum. Centro Sociale, amerikali mimara da yabanci bir kavram, her turlu ayrimciliga karsi oldugumuzu, gocmen, italyan birlikte calistigimizi, yapilan diger projeleri sayiyorum. Haeg davetin evsahibi, ancak konusabildigimiz kisa zamanda anlasiyoruz, Agustos ayinda bostan bahcemize tasiniyor.

Mahallemizdeki ciftciyle dayanisma/biyolojik satin alma grubumuz ile yaptigimiz bir bulusmada, gazeteci arkadasim Tess bize katiliyor. The Guardian gazetesinde cikan, yiktirmamak icin isgal edilmis tiyatro binasi uzerine yazdigi makale ovguler almis. Kurdugumuz bostandan, o gunesli ekim gunu orada toplanip, bitki eken, birbirlerinin dilinde selamlasmayi ogrenen, her milletten insandan cok etkileniyor ve ortaya GOOD Magazine'deki bu makale cikiyor!

F'nin bir arkadasinin cektigi siyah beyaz fotograflari ve benim renkli fotograflarimi buradan gorebilirsiniz.
Guerilla Gardening yani gerilla bahcivanlar Turkiye'de henuz cok duyulmayan bir kavram ancak su Turkce sayfada guzel bir sekilde anlatilmis. Roma'da ise (neyseki!) ilk degildim, iki arkadasimiz coktan bu gerilla bahcelerin ve ortak bostanlarin haritasini cikarmaya bile baslamislar.

Bu tur bir projeye baslamak icin yaniniza bir kisi daha bulup, haftada bir iki saat bulusmaniz bile yeterli. Artik sehirlerde bos alan bulmak zor gibi gorunse de, buldugunuz atilmis kaldirim taslari ve yediginiz sebze, meyvenin cekirdekleri ile bir kac hafta sonra ciceklenecek kucuk bir bahce ortaya cikarmak cok kolay!

Un Dolce Compleanno!

2011-12-17T23:12:00.000+01:00

I had a wonderful birthday with two things I like most: chocolate and comics!
Well I had F. as company but this is irrevelant : P

We went to Necci to have a dolce and I found love again: It's called mousse au chocolat. It was full of chocolate density bombs (there's such a vocabulary, right?) exploding in my mouth. I was looking for Bonet Piemontese, which is a delicacy but the link is only to show what it looks like (I didn't tried the recipe) WAIT, are you drooling on my blog? Go make "The Best Chocolate Mousse of Your Life Under 5 Minutes" from CafeFernando's blog. Then come back.

cafefernando.com

You're back? Good. Now let's go to San Lorenzo. In this neighborhood there is a new den where comics fans meet: Comics Boulevard. Tuono Pettinato, a comic artist that Romans met last year through Roma Guida 2011 of Zero, was signing his new biography, Il Magnifico Lavativo. To be honest I didn't like his linear approach without touching any serious stuff.

I also bought his first fumetto, Garibaldi, the story of the founder of united Italy. You should know that it's the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. If you liked Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton, (and if you're an expat in Italy) you'll like Garibaldi. All those names you see like Via Cavour and Vittoriano, will make sense once you know the characters in the italian history, with the funny storytelling of the artist. (If you don't know anything about Hark! A Vagrant, you should go explore it now, because it's already a New York Times #1 Best Seller!)

Mutlu Yillar Babacim! (Happy Birthday Dad!)

2011-12-11T22:15:00.001+01:00

My dad tries to learn english so I will keep this post simple. If I could, my birthday present for my father would be a workshop for his tools. He used to fix everything when we were living in our old home.

The picture is from Brooklyn To West, a very inspiring girl who knows how to use tools.

Save Your Stella di Natale

2011-12-09T19:43:00.001+01:00

December 8th was Immaculate Conception, a national (religious) holiday here in Italy. Christians believe, that Maria learnt she was pregnant with Jesus without any stain(ugh!) that day. Italians get together for a lunch or dinner, go to main piazzas to eat candy and let the children play. We had F.'s father's family visiting, Angelo, Rosa and Lorita. We did not gamble and go to dancing, as Marissa did in Barletta (whoaa!) We had a wonderful lunch at Da Necci, where Pasolini filmed Accattone. On the restaurants onine page, you can find some of the delicious recipes of the cook, too. Then we headed to Centro Storico, to see the Rome's Christmas make-up. I find it stupid, ugly and unnecessary especially in these days when the government cutts off peoples pensions. But I had to see it to disapprove it, right?

As Christmas approaches, piazzas fill with lights, candies and christmas flowers. Centro Storico was full of young volunteers working for Italian Association Of Leukemia selling these Stella di Natale flowers. Everyone in Italy gets a Stella di Natale, meaning the Christmas Star. Even street vendors sell them on sidewalks. It is lush and vibrant red in full bloom. But soon leaves will fall off and people will abandon them near dumpsters hoping someone will adopt those poor mexican babies.

It is not only possible to make your poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) live forever, but it's also easy to get back those lush moments. Gayla Trail, famous botanic writer tells in her article how to keep them alive and get them to bloom again. For an italian translation of her article, go to the page of Ortofficina.

Homesick Mix Tape

2011-11-21T18:16:00.001+01:00

Just before going back home for holidays, Tess popped the question: What about going to Istanbul together in Spring? I was thinking how I miss my daily routine, favourite streets, secret shops, seeing old friends on the street. I'm living far from home, technically I live in Asia, as Istanbul is built on two sides of the Bosphorus dividing two continents. Then I read Marissa asking through her blog:

What do you do when you're homesick?

Do you look at photos, watch a movie that takes place in your city, listen to a song you have listened at one particular moment? All of these makes me sad.

Instead, I prepared a latte for a dark afternoon and sat on my saved vintage armchair just like the ones they have in ArkaOda, one of my favourite bars in Istanbul and made a mix tape with their most played songs of last month.

Winter Beauty Link Up

2011-11-10T20:21:00.001+01:00

My Erasmus buddy Marissa from The Boot is asking other bloggers what they do to fight back the harsh days of winter. Here you go, bella!

1) Here in Rome we start having shorter days and occasional rainstorms, but still a lot of sun! So I try to get early to catch the most sunshine hours. Smog and freezing weather? Use natural stuff. I cure my hair with solid shampoos and hair balsams from Lush, and use natural soap bars made at the Soap Accademy.

2) Put a lip balm in every bag so you never forget. I protect my lips before hopping on my folding bike and commuting to meet my clients. My afternoon merenda comes with a hot tea, from Botteghe del Altromercato. Here I find Fairtrade products and partecipate in a community supported agriculture group to eat organic food.

3) Cloudy days? Wear cozy stuff to feel better. I'd definitely like to get this extreme chunky knitwear from Johan Ku.

4) Sweat and get toxins off your body. Once a week I take self-defense courses in my neighborhood community center, Ex-Snia. We talk about how not to freeze with fear when attacked, then we put gloves on and learn how to punch and kick!

5) A relaxing massage before bed is good for everyone. And now the temperatures are lower, it's definitely white chocolate time.

6) Going bed early will save you from getting your eyes and skin older. If your partner is staying online in bed, use this Big Bow Cat Sleep Eye Mask from NaomiLingerie.

Finally, remember to drink a lot of water, even if it's too cold to get thirsty!

2 Days in Torino

2011-07-10T18:33:00.000+02:00

When a freecyclist offered a ride to Turin, I knew it was time to see this city sounding more french than italian.
My erasmus colleague Emma lives there, and she told me that she was moving back to Dublin in august.

So I've met this freecyclist, Gianni, to be sure he wasn't a serial killer (he met me on his bike, and we put another appointment for EuroPride, so I guess that eliminates the possibility) and we've arrived to Turin after an 8 hour ride on highway.

He left me on the bike path of the river Po, and we've met with Emma under la Mole Antonelliana,only la mole for friends. It is quite a romantic city with quite bizarre men who wave at you from their car. Act like a local and ignore them.

Collaborative Consumption founder Rachel Botsman says it's time to trust between strangers. My mum was petrified with the idea that I was riding through the country with a stranger. What about you? Would you do this trip with a stranger from a common collaborative consumption group like Freecycle?

Balcony Breakfast

2011-07-09T16:56:00.000+02:00

Breakfast on my balcony with blueberry pie and apple juice. Almost everything you see is found or scavenged. The neat pie baking metal plate came with another pastry in it, from a famous Pasticceria in Naples. The deckchair with a hard-wearing woven cotton seat in orange stripes is from our Croatia trip, people were leaving crazy stuff on our camping site. Blue mammuth chair was in Nonno Mario's basement. I bought the blue enamel cup in Florence, in a household store, for 3 euro, well, made in Serbia and probably not very fairly traded.

Contemporary Character Design: YumusakSeyler in Rome

2011-06-02T15:18:00.000+02:00

This february we had an exposition of contemporary character design in the Bottega. The co-op which runs the bottega does a million projects like sustaining immigrants and community supported agriculture groups. Unfortunately they don't make much money by selling fair-trade food and green cleaning products. This exposition was the second of a series of events to help bottega financially. We had an aperitivo with organic wine and admired the pillows and soft sculptures handmade by my talented sister Sezen Uygur. Check out her website: http://yumusakseyler.com/

Wanna Come Up and See My Etchings?

2011-05-01T00:19:00.002+02:00

Recently I'm following engraving courses of Prof.Fatih Mika, at the Accademia delle Belle Arti di Roma, as a guest student. Even though I don't know how to draw, I couldn't miss this opportunity, so I choose to copy a simple image from an antique book.

My inspiration was "Book of Imaginary Beings" by Jorge Luis Borges. I've decided to look for images of the amphisbaena : "A two-headed snake, with one head being where its tail would normally be. It is venomous and, if chopped in half, its two parts can reunite." I've choosen this image from the Aberdeen Bestiary as the beast bites itself creating an ouroboros. It's a symbol of cyclicality, as I was thinking of my parents once students of the academy of fine arts themselves, too.

This is the easiest technique called Etching, you can read the process, here. Now I'll buy some fancy paper to print more of my first engraving!

Carnival in Freiburg

2011-03-26T22:47:00.001+01:00


stellarbaby - baba yaga's chickenlegged hut

I love Baba Yaga characters like in Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle or Mike Mignola's Hellboy comics. Italians have la Befana, an old woman who brings chocolate and coal to children, which probably derived from Baba Yaga, an old woman who kidnaps and eats children. In these days children are too protected from the violence of the old stories. However the images remain the same.

You can see all the pictures from the Freiburg Carnival on my flickr.

Happy First Day of Spring!

2011-03-21T14:20:00.000+01:00

It's not really sunny and shiny outside, spring in Rome means a lot of rain and burst of sunshine. Did you know that in Rome rains more than London?

This is a pattern called Bavaria by Julia Rothman, but it makes me remember the Alsace architecture and the small trip we did in Colmar, France with Billy and Naike.

After wandering through the city, we've found the sweetest tearoom, run by two grandmas, full of vintage tin can collections and antique pictures. They had a variety of hundreds of tea and five plates of homemade cakes. While we were sipping our tea, french men started to order their afternoon pastis liqueur.

More pics on my flickr!

March 18th, Bloggers Day of Silence

2011-03-17T23:44:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow March 18th I will participate the Bloggers Day of Silence.

Check out the website to donate or to spread the word.

Snow? No Thanks.

2011-03-01T15:18:00.000+01:00

I love snow. Watching it fall over the city, cover the parks, playing snowballs and getting back to my warm apartment to hide under blankets was a part of my happy childhood. Istanbul gets a few times a year covered under snow so quickly, that everybody gets surprised and the city gets blocked. In Rome on the other hand, I saw snow falling last february when I was alone at the office and last december 17th, on my birthday, when we were having a quick lunch with F. in a fish restaurant. You have to run outside and make a quick happy dance otherwise it will already be gone. And romans say that was the first snow in ten years!

So last time we were with F's father, he took us to Campitello on Matese Mountain between Molise and Campania regions. We had hot chocolate with cream topping and enjoyed the view, that was enough for me!

We are planning a trip starting tomorrow, with train until Basel and on bikes until Freiburg im Brisgau. That's 64km of biking; few for F., a lot for me. Meteo says that snow's coming on our way. PLEASE Mr. Snow, wait 'till we arrive to our friends' home!

P.S. Click for more Molise Times: a delicious meal and snowy happiness!

Yuri è HOPNN

2011-02-28T23:14:00.000+01:00

You see those pen sharpeners on the tree? It means you're in front of LaszloBiro, a new art studio in Pigneto. Last Friday we've been to the opening of Yuri è HOPNN with Celia, the artist was giving away screen printed art to those who came on a bike, of course we both were on our bikes. I'll show you a picture when I frame my artwork!

Today I went back to take pictures and buy screen printed t-shirts. A few years ago I pledged to buy handmade, second hand or fairtrade whenever it's possible. And not only during the holiday season.

Please encourage your friends and family to buy (and create!) handmade gifts.
Whether you do so online, in local shops, or in your own kitchen, the gift of a handmade item can’t be beat. Go here to learn more. Are there any hand-makers there? Feel free to link to your shops in the comments.

Carnival Deliciousness

2011-02-23T23:10:00.002+01:00

Few weeks left to the carnival. In Rome carnival doesn't mean masked people on the street, but delicious pastries called: Bigné di San Giuseppe, Chiacchere, Frappé and Castagnole. They are all carnival treats, this means that they're prepared only from January to March. As we're planning to see our friends in Germany in the following weeks, I need to eat enough of these treats before we leave Italy.

My glass is filled with delicious Tuscany bio-apple juice, that we buy through our CSA -Community Supported Agriculture group (called GAS or gruppi di acquisto solidale in Italy). The small plate is from Istanbul, the art's called çini.

Flowers.

2011-02-22T18:41:00.000+01:00

When F. worked for a tv production, he was bringing home flowers left in the set for that days shooting. It was fun because of it's randomness. I hate seing flowers dying, so I made it clear that I don't want flowers for any special day. But I had a dilemma: I love flowers. Thus the solution: potted flowers. Seems like these ones remain blooming until may and rebloom next year. Do you know their name?

Two years.

2011-02-21T15:39:00.000+01:00

I'm so lucky I've met you. Buon anniversario, Fabrizio. Ti amo alla follia.

Cicloaperitivo in Forte Prenestina

2011-02-20T22:28:00.001+01:00

Today we had two visitors from Austria, yesterday they did the tourists, now it's time to do as romans do! So we carried them to a Cicloaperitivo meeting in Forte Prenestina. Like most of you, they had big question marks on their faces. In my last post I've written that my neighbourhood, Pigneto is a suburb with fairtrade and eco-shops, neighbourhood committees and bikers meetings like Cicloaperitivo. We meet in a piazza twice a month, with tools and wine, drink and fix bikes.

paola, veronica and reshma taking a close look.

We decided to meet this sunday in another suburb nearby called Centocelle. Centum Cellae, was a military town constructed by the Emperor Constantin I, for the hundred best troups of emporor's army, Equites singulares, and their horses. It was where today Campo Marzio (and our beloved Rione Parione) is. In this neighbourhood there are few community movements like the one in the old fortress, "Forte Prenestino". It is one of the fortresses around Rome, all of them constructed between 1877 and 1891. Today these fortresses are left to their destiny, collapsed and forgotten, with the exception of Forte Prenestino, occupied by citizens since May 1st, 1986. It became a CSA, centro sociale autogestito, selfmanaged community center. Hundreds of projects are prepared by people who live in the fortress and try a comunal life. They are incouraged to work (and get paid a fair income) in the community center, so everyone who lives there becomes part of the project.

metal sculptures from the entrance of the fortress made by local artists from the community

Around us there was the farmer's market terra/Terra, pub and the enoteca (winebar). We met with the local bicycle workshop mechanics and fixed some bikes, until the perfume of food numbed our brains.
Click my flickr set to see the rest of the pictures.

Happy San Valentine's Day!

2011-02-15T02:39:00.003+01:00

Today F. wasn't working so of course we did Valentine's Day plans. I hate getting and giving senseless products as a present, but I don't like either when people protest it like it's nothing but a sad adoration to consumism gods. For me it's a day to be with my significant other and to do things we both like.
Our plan for today was a late breakfast and hours of homey coziness, a lunch in faboulous Necci, a small tour on bike in our favourite neighbourhood Rione Parione, (where Campo de Fiori is the main piazza) and back home with a pause in San Lorenzo, another hotspot of the city.

F. says that we are becoming real romans who never get out of their neighbourhoods. Pigneto is a lovely suburb getting popular since five years, with restaurants and night spots but also fairtrade and eco-shops, neighbourhood committees and bikers meetings like Cicloaperitivo.

Necci dal 1924 was a decadent bar in the decadent Pigneto when Pasolini was getting his caffè corretto in the morning and using this bar as a backdrop for his films. Today it's a restaurant with vintage look and talented cook, hosting a handmade market and other social events. An interesting article about Pigneto and Da Necci can be read on Gourmet Traveller.
My primo was Gnudi with spinach, which is like ravioli without the pastry, that's why it's called nudes. As secondo I've got rabbit, even though I'm trying to eat less meat, I can't say no when we eat with family or when I see a special dish. Rabbit is not a common dish in Turkey, this is the second time I eat rabbit and the first one was when I was visiting my friend Lilith in Venice, cooked at home by his parents. It was as delicious as todays lunch.

In Parione our favourite shops are Il Fornaio, Lush, Collalti Bici dal 1899, and Libreria Viaggiatore.

Il Fornaio is a fantastic bakery with a bewildering variety of lovely breads, rolls, cakes, pizzas and pastries. The tartlets with ricotta and chocolate chip-topping are insane but this time we've got tartlets with crema pasticciera and pine nuts. We discovered almond pastries rather late, now we try a different one every time we pass by.

Lush has the most fresh but probably also the most expensive handmade cosmetics. The company has a bunch of ethics codes and they support small, grassroots charities and projects working on behalf of the environment and conservation, animal protection, and for human rights. We are addicted to the solid shampoos, luckily we need only a couple every year.

Collalti Bici is a storical bike shop, used by antifascists to print flyers during the Second World War. It's run by Danilo, the third generation of Collalti family. The shop is one of the two Brompton shops in Rome and Danilo has four Bromptons at home, one for each family member. We bought two more bike hooks for our 5(yes five!) bikes at home.

Libreria Viaggiatore has every kind of books about travelling, mainly in italian but also in english and in french. F. got "Il canto delle ruote" by Claude Marthaler, the diary of a cyclist who travelled the world in 7 years. The original is in french and I think that it's translated only in italian. Although his website is english and french, so take a look. F. got me as a present Corto Sconto, "The secret Venice of Corto Maltese. Fantastic and hidden itineraries" by Guido Fuga, LeleVianello and Hugo Pratt. The book is in italian but is also translated in english. I wanted to buy also Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne for F. but it was sold out.

On the way back we stopped by Giufà, one of the best cafè/bookshops with Tuba and Yeti. I've finally got the second part of the comic book "Le Retour à la terre" by Ferri and Larcenet. I liked more "Le combat ordinaire" by Manu Larcenet, because of the more complex storyline. But in this book he draws his life in a small french town and I have this "thing" for daily strips and personal stories. F. wanted a graphic novel, so we bought also "Lucille" by Ludovic Debeurme, which won the Rene Goscinny award in Angouleme Festival.

In Giufà there is also a variety of foreign language books for scavenger prices, I've chosen Tonio Kroger and The Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann and a research book about Baudelaire and Sartre. 3 books in 4 different languages all together for 8 euro!

In the end, we've spent money and bought things, but none of them has a heart on it. It was just another special day.

Carciofi alla Romana at Tess and Brett

2011-01-22T17:26:00.000+01:00

Last night our friend Brett organized a dinner for 10. Even though in Italy that's a regular number, we've never had the courage to prepare such a big dinner. The biggest dinner in our apartment was with the father of F. and his family, in which they've brought everything from the camping table to every single dish. But more on this later, this post's about the artichoke dinner.

The guests were Tess and Brett's ex-housemate Simona from Manduria, like the famous wine of south Italy, and her boyfriend, then there were another couple, the director of Ameriqua, the movie, and his girlfriend. And two single friends, Irina, a russian-american girl who moved to Rome two months ago and Saverio from our Bicycle Workshop, Don Chisciotte. The menu with artichokes alla romana and artichoke risotto was a challenge, and fitting in a small living room invented tables and found chairs, and decorating a perfect dinner table was impressive. So here comes an applause!

After the dinner, we had an exclusive concert from LadyBrett. Tess and Brett play jazz songs from 1940's, to listen some of their songs click here

After many bottles of wine and three bottles of amaro drinks (one was Cynar, the artichoke amaro!) we were ready for hours of name-guessing game like the one in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. First rounds shock was Tess's lack of knowledge about sports, I mean, how is it possible not to know Maradona? F. did good guesses even though he was probably the drunkest one on the table.

Love you guys, best dinner ever!

Wake Me Up When The Winter Ends

2011-01-04T13:01:00.007+01:00

After a new year's eve I actually did enjoy, and a january 2nd-late eve's party, I think it's time to start the new year. My plan for this post was to write my new year's resolutions and list my plans for 2011. Although I know setting goals is one thing, keeping them is another. I've written my resolutions in my Corto Maltese notebook, and now I'll let them sail for a bit.
This month, in Italy, the dawn is at 7.06 and the dusk is at 17.20. I have difficulty to wake up early, we eat mostly cereals, green vegetables and animal products. I know it's a mediterranean country and Rome isn't covered under ice and snow for the next 3 months, but I can't force myself to a fresh start and great change when all I want to do is hibernate a little longer.
January is the time to choose your seeds for the next year, set goals and nourish them. We'll see what germinates in the spring. Until then let me just crawl under the sheets.

2010 in Review - A great year!

2010-12-27T14:41:00.007+01:00

Last year was a pretty good year for me. I faced two of my biggest fears, working in an office and talking in front of a crowd.

Office time: The job definition might be juggling a dozen of projects at the same time and keeping up to the dead lines without collapsing with stress. Luckily it was one of the most loveliest offices I've ever seen, with a few nice people: a boss, an all-operations manager, a counting manager and me. No career fights, no office soap operas. Sadly it was so far away from my apartment that we weren't able to see each other often with F. So I quit in few months, but I made enough money to buy my awesome foldable bike, to pass an easy summer, to stay calm economically and work on demand in the city center, as an assistant for tourist groups for the rest of the year.

Sezgi Uygur, eco-philosoph: I played saxophone for 10 years, I did solo and group concerts, followed by nervous breakdowns behind the scenes. It seemed still easier than joining the faculty trips and speaking in front of a crowd. Last month, I met a group of people who organize the 41.Parallelo project. It is a project about connecting the countries on the 41.parallel, like Italy, Greece, Armenia and USA. and this year's focus was Turkey. I talked about hydroelectric centrals and their damage to the ecosystem of Turkey in front of high school students, their teachers and a dozen of architects, archeologists and artists. Preparing in time, staying focused and keeping calm were strange concepts to me. It's interesting to watch myself change.

Misc: Got together again with some old friends who got mad at me when I moved away. Made new friends who will fly away soon to their home countries. Joined bicycle workshops and learned some basic mechanics. Joined a CSA- community supported agriculture group and getting the responsibility to organize the weekly cart. Of course I had failures, sad moments, burts of anger and embarrassments. But on the whole this was a GREAT YEAR! Let's hope that 2011 will better!

Personal Guide to Rome: Housing, Partying, Cycling

2010-11-10T12:10:00.009+01:00

As I meet new friends, I can't stop myself bombarding them with the addresses that made my life easier in Rome. So I decided to make a list of the steps I took as I moved in:
Looking for an apartment can be difficult. Better ask friends and check the announcements at the university for co-housing. Or you can check Porta Portese for all kinds of announcements.
So you found an apartment, don't go directly to Ikea-shopping. RomaFreecycle is a group where you can get stuff for free, (or get rid of stuff that you don't want). Don't forget dumpster diving, romans leave a lot of seats and tables on the streets.
Now you're ready to explore the city. Friends In Rome organizes interesting aperitivos, language exchange meetings and walking tours in neighborhoods where you don't bump into tourist groups, .
Zero is a website that answers the oldest questions of the humanity: Who are we? Where do we go? How much does it cost?
Altermaps gives you all the addresses in Rome if you prefer to live an ethical life. From squats to bicycle workshops, fair trade and cultural events, you'll get all the answers you need.
Recycling is not a choice buy our civil duty. Butta Bene i Rifiuti dalla A alla Z is a guide for recycling services.
Moving in the city with public transport brings its benefits. ATAC offers sales with Metrobus card for cultural events and various shops.
If you prefer using bicycle rather than public transport, you can get a bike from various local bikeshops, or a used bike from Porta Portese market through Monday to Saturday. The market becomes a vintage market on Sundays.
The city is full of abandoned bicycles and usually they end at the social bicycle workshops in various squats. You can choose parts of your bike and build it in a day even if you don't know anything at all about bikes. There is always someone who is willing to show you what you should do. Choose a Ciclofficina Popolare near home.
If you'd like to learn a few things about bikes, go to Ciclofficina online
When your bike's done, check this interactive map made by roman bikers to get updated about the streets you'd like to ride: Critical Map
The map of Comune di Roma is a bit old, but the bike roads are still the same: Roma in Bici
Last but not least, Cicloaperitivo offers free basic repair help, with a bottle of wine in a local piazza, a perfect way to know people who enjoy this eternal city!

adil ticaret ve sifir km

2010-11-05T21:36:00.008+01:00

Italya'ya ilk geldigimde dikkatimi cekmis, yerlestigimde ise mudavimi oldugum bir firma var. AltroMercato - BaskaPazar dunyanin somurulen ulkelerindeki kooperatiflerle anlasip, kahve ve cikolata gibi ciftcinin az kazandigi, tuketicinin cok odedigi tuketim maddelerini adil ve seffaf bir bicimde pazarliyor. Paketlerin uzerine kimin ne kadar kazandigi, hangi kooperatifin bu parayi ne amacla kullandigi yaziliyor. Italya'daki kooperatifler ise dukkan acarak bu pazarin bir parcasi oluyor, bunun icin de sadece Adil Ticaret (Fair Trade) damgali urunleri satmayi taahhut ediyorlar.
Bu firmanin mahallem Pigneto'daki dukkanina gide gele calisanlarla muhabbeti ilerlettim ve dukkanin baska bir ozelligini daha kesfettim. Bu dukkan sayesinde birbirine ulasmis insanlar, olabilecek en az yolu kateden, en taze, kaliteli ve katkisiz urunleri, bir araciya kar payi odemeden, ciftciyle birebir anlasarak adil bir fiyata aliyorlar. Adil ticaret gruplari, tum Italya'da yuzlerce insanin bireysel girisimi ve gonullu calismasiyla giderek cogaliyor. Gruplar, islevlerlik acisindan yaklasik 30 kisiyle sinirlaniyor. Mahalledeki adil ticaret dukkaninin bodrumunu kullanan, bize en yakin gruba girmemiz sozkonusu oldugunda fiyatlarin manavdan biraz daha yuksek olmasi gozumu korkutmustu. Ancak kisa zamanda farkettik ki asil onemli olan ne kadar alisveris yaptigimiz degil, ne kadar zaman ayirabilecegimizdi.
Elbette bir aracinin olmamasi demek, muhasebeyi, siparisleri, teslimat sirasinda odemeyi yapip, toptan gelen urunu ailelerin siparislerine gore bolusturmeyi gonullulerin yapmasi demekti. Sebze meyve siparislerin hazirlayan cift bir arkeoloji projesi yuzunden her yil uc ay Turkiye'ye gittiginden yaz basinda bu isi uzerime aldim. Roma yakinlarindaki Viterbo sehrinde kimyasal gubre ve bocek ilaci kullanmayan ciftcilerin olusturdugu gruptan gelen haftalik sebze meyve listesini duzenleyip gruba iletiyorum. Pazar aksami ise tum gruptan gelen listeleri toparlayip basilmaya hazir tek bir liste halinde ciftlige gonderiyorum. Urunler ulastiginda uc kisilik bir grup odemeyi yapip, hummali bir calismayla ailelerin siparislerine gore tartip bolusturuyor. Fazla/eksik gelen isaretlenip muhasebeyi yapan arkadasa gonderiliyor. Herkes kasasini alirken bir sonraki siparisi icin bir miktar para birakiyor.
Bu sekilde bu ciftlikten sebze, meyve, sarap, sirke, bal ve peynir, 1 saat uzakliktaki bir balikci sehrinden balik, 2 saat uzakliktaki bir dogal parkta bulunan bir ciftlikten et getirtiyoruz. Bu ciftliklerle anlasmadan once sahipleriyle tanisip, misafir olup, urunleriyle bir ziyafet cekiyoruz. Supermarket manavini zaten gectim, mahalle manavini kat kat asan kalitesi, manavin biraz uzerindeki fiyatini hakli cikariyor. Urun kalitesinin yanisira, bu ciftlikler buyuk sirketlerin genetik ve hayvan yetistirme politikalarina da karsilar. Biyocesitliligi destekleyen ciftlikler sayesinde yokolma tehlikesi altinda olan sebze cesitleri pazara geri donerken, biz de safran rengi kuru fasulye ve mor patateslerle soframizi susluyoruz.

Do you believe in love at first sight? - Part 2

2010-08-12T14:31:00.008+02:00

The first tiramisu we've made was a success. It's a semifreddo, means that it waits in the fridge, to be served cool. But in these mild winter weather of Rome, we did enjoy it a lot as a breakfast. We're cooking meals, desserts, dinners for friends. Cleaning, washing, grocery shopping. Filling the balcony with plants, having chats about decorating our home. Is this real?

When I landed to Rome to find F. in october 2007, I had no idea what he had in mind for my visit. Before taking the plane, I called friends from my Erasmus year thinking that I can crush on a different couch every few days and maybe travel alone, thinking that it would be my last trip in Italy. I was hoping with all my heart to find F. with his emotional eyes like I left him 6 months ago. But I was aware that probably everything changed and I had to move on.

But there he was in the exit of international flights; a small kiss on my cheek, a big smile and so much difficulty to find the right words. Afterwards, F. told me that he was waiting for me the whole summer, drinking and shouting my nickname in the streets of Barcelona. When I was wondering if he remembers me, he was speaking to his friends about me, he was speaking to his father and organizing a trip for us, and even random people had to listen the story about me when they woke F. up on a bench with a hangover.
Our roadtrip to Sicily was an adventure: Our car got stuck in the beach, couchsurfed on the Mt.Etna, camped in backyards of mafia-connected paranoid families and had to explain to the police that we are not from mafia and we don't have any intentions to shoot anyone. At one point near Catania we found our carwindow smashed and our backpacks and camera-bags gone. It was a lesson hard-learned that you should always leave your car in a guarded parking even during the day specially near Catania. Luckily a friend of a friend gave us the keys of his apartment in the citycenter and hosted us for all the time we needed to recover from the shock.

Accepting the fact that we've lost our cameras and lenses (and all the pictures taken during our trip!) was the easiest step. The fact that I have a small guardarobe and I packed my most loved clothing for a trip with F. and now they were all gone, was really hard to overcome. All my clothing had its own story and now they were erased for good. Finally, ignoring the fact that we should go back to Rome to get insurance money just for the broken window was even fun: Our friend Ciccio showed us San Cristofero, the ghetto of Catania, where we found a (probably illegal) carshop to change the window for a small fee. At the corner of the shop there was a small cabin with a horse inside, the owner told us that he joins horse races (illegal of course!).
In this neighbourhood, the police watches out the workers to prevent a robbery of heavy machines, the heavy traffic is caused by the cars waiting for the turn to buy marijuana and by the motorinos to check if the cops are around. Ciccio took us to a restaurant without any sign, next to a butchershop, where you can see four women of the same family, working in the kitchen and the men serving the tables. They filled our calice of wine every time they saw it empty, we had countless plates of antipasto, and the secondo was a swordfish. The plates kept coming till we said we can't eat anymore, and Ciccio ensured us that we shouldn't be worried about the check. But if you would like to go there, you should leave all your belongings at home and go there with a local. I would have loved Catania, even if we didn't have the chance to go there, but it was a privilege to see a hidden side of this city.

This trip made us see each other's faces in case of emergency. I balanced F. during the first moments with cold blood, called necessary people, went to the police not once but 4 times. My desperation began after we had the room to crush, after having written the documents for the insurance (which covered only a small part of course), when we had nothing to do but to get a rest. If it was for me, I could have closed myself in that apartment for a week to sleep and to wash the dishes (yes, it blanks my mind). F. took me from the shoulders and shoved me into the beautiful streets of Catania. We've discovered small pastries, hidden piazza's, shopped like a local in the fishmarket just down our place, and went there during the night to taste the local plates of horse meat.

After a week or so, we decided that it was time to move on, went to Palermo, saw small towns on our way, and headed back to Rome. My stay in Italy was about 45 days, of which we travelled like 3 weeks. But our trip was so full of (good and bad) experiences, that it felt like much longer, as if we were together since a long time. When I was heading back to Istanbul, I knew that this was the first of many trips between Turkey and Italy.

MAXXI Trips in Wonderland

2010-07-09T21:53:00.008+02:00

When I found out that Alice is in town and wants to go to the MaXXI Museum, I accepted it in one condition: getting there in bike. This means that I was ready to not to enter if they've denied to put my brompton in the wardrobe. As we entered in the garden there was no security guards around. We couldn't find the bicycle parking either. Alice left her bike attached to a water pipe, meanwhile the wardrobe was very hosting.
The entrance is expensive and there is no concessions for students or monthly bus card as do other museums. But it's the new temple of contemporary art, so let's do this.

We see first the hall of Gino DeDominicis, the exposition "The Immortal" will be there till November 7th. His invisible statues and ironic installation help me get my humour back.
Then there comes Kutlug Ataman an artist from Istanbul who lives in London, whos work "Mesopotamian Dramaturgies" can be seen till September 12th. His exhibition is interesting but he has also a video of 1 hour. The ticket is valid for 3 hours, so we skip it and decide to not to run through the halls of the museum for the rest of our limited time.
When we enter the hall of MAXXI-HADID exhibition Alice can't not to show her excitement. She wants to take some pictures of the original plans in blueprint which the egyptian origined british architect won the competition. The hostess waiting at the door of the hall shouts in panic: No pictures in the exhibition areas! I think, yeah well come and stop me. I hide my camera and take some unpermitted pictures.
We take a cup of espresso (in plastic cups!) and calm down. The corridor leads us to the exhibition of the architect Luigi Moretti, "from Rationalism to Informalism" can be seen till November 28th. All around the hall the prints of his works are on the walls. We admire both miniature plastics of his buildings, as Alice is an architect, and I'm just curious.
The rest of the museum is Spazio, "from MAXXI's Collections of Art and Architecture". The pieces of art can be seen until January 23rd of 2011. But some of them are already "gone" or useless. We see a picture of a piece of art with a stripe on it, which says banned by the artist. The hostess of the hall explains that during the opening there were so many people inside the museum and the artist saw that the space where his art was hung wasn't big enough, so people were touching and destroying it, which wasn't his aim. He asked for another place to expose but the museum denied him, so he took away his art and let this picture instead.
Another artpiece was a tent from wire, which originally was attacked to electricity so you can draw and write on it. Inside the tent, the electromagnetic waves couldn't enter because of the electricity, so you were "protected" from the modern world. People designed whatever it came to their minds, and the artist got mad. He wanted to take away his tent but the museum asked him to let it be, in a very sad condition: there is no electricity anymore, so you can't write anything on it. The tent is closed, too, they say that inside there are worst things written. On the outside of the tent there is nothing bad written, just a peace sign and some handprints. The artist wanted to interact with his public, but only if they behave! Who knows what idea he had about his public.

At some point we meet a friend, Matteo, an inspiring photographer, who worked there for the first month. The museum is closing and he reminds us to go to the third level, to see the facade. The hall of the third level has an inclined pavement like a torture chamber of Franco, actually all the museum is inspired from fascist architecture, I hope an architect can tell me why. We leave other paintings of DeDominicis behind and arrive to the facade. It's impressing, maybe a bit less than what I was expecting.
When we get out in the garden, the guards hold us and shout: "How did you enter here?!" "Oh well, we didn't land from the sky!" They are angry because they didn't see us entering by bike and they couldn't stop entering bicycles in XXI.century. That's really the last drop about this museum. An adored architect with millions of euros of funding came with an idea where bicycles don't have a place. Palazzo delle Esposizioni lets you leave your folding bike in the wardrobe. Auditorium Parco della Musica of Renzo Piano has bike parking in front of the bar (a good way to prevent theft) and they let you put your folding bike in the wardrobe. Will this museum be the new temple of contemporary art? I doubt it.
On our way back we survive through the mad drivers on Via Lungotevere and find the bike path next to the Tiber. Parts of it are nicely constructed, parts of it are under attack of the summer-clubs next to the river. We make a small city tour on our bikes, leave Castel Sant'Angelo behind, cross the Isle of Tiber, take a hidden street behind the Roman Forum. It's a lovely day and Rome is still a lovely city to drive your bike.

The Known Universe and a Happy New Year.

2010-01-16T23:01:00.003+01:00

I felt rather homesick than small after watching this video. It seemed like a good point to start the year and to analyze where I am.

At this point of my life I feel home in Rome. In our conversations with F. we now refer to my place in Istanbul as "my mother's house". I quit the habit of going grocery shopping before 4 pm and remaining with my mouth open because of the scenery without a soul on the street. I'm creating my work space in the new apartment. My new volunteer assignment is assisting italian teachers in italian classes for women. Unfortunately it's not one of those volunteer jobs where you get paid something. I still need to figure out what I want to do with my life. Luckily I met Tess, a student from the language class, a talented singer with good sense of fashion. Having a friend in my neighborhood where you can easily find art openings is something you'll never get bored of.

The expectation that women should know how to cook seems like a big cliche. Last year I was enjoying the bliss of having a natural cook at home, this year I'm trying to remember how to make my signature dishes that everybody was once admiring. Living with somebody else, encountering all the problems together or ignoring them until the gas leak -nearly- makes the building explode. These are new experiences for me. Within a day my mood transforms from inept, sociophobic and dependent to curious, free and full-of-life. Once in a while I stop and think about my existence in space and time. And I take a deep breath.

Posted via email from avventvra's posterous

Do you believe in love at first sight? - Part 1

2009-11-17T14:38:00.006+01:00

It's been 9 months since I've been married, but I'm still not used to the idea. I wanted to tell it only to my family and to some friends who were involved in the decision. During these 9 months I've been in contact with a lot of old friends and told and retold the story to them, so maybe it's time to write it down.
It all began when I decided to go to a small town called Urbino in Italy as an exchange student in September 2006. The first day I arrived at student halls, I met an Italian boy, F. and fell in love at first sight. He had a girlfriend. He was in a weird state of mind, determined to finish at the university and move to a bigger city. As Urbino is a small city with ten-thousand inhabitants and twenty-thousand students, being an exchange student means 6 months of partying 24/7. On the other hand, for normal students with 5 years and millions of exams, it's not that fun.
During my 6 months in Urbino, whenever I had a chance to chit-chat with F. I tried to switch to conversations with intellectual topics. Politics, cinema, literature, whatever it took to make a good impression, to escape from emotional and personal conversations and to avoid be seen as a threat. We had student-hall-kitchen-dinners together with common friends and went out together to parties or concerts. I was enjoying being with him and at the same time suffering because I was hiding my feelings.
Before I took my plane, some other friends and I wanted to spend a weekend in Rome. F. had already moved to Rome and I asked him if I could stay with him. As I arrived, I saw that he was hosting another friend of his. Was it to protect himself? Did he understand my interest in him? Today I know the answer, no, he was just enjoying company of his friend and still wasn't aware of my existence(!). The last night his looks changed and on the way to airport I could sense his unstable emotions, but the silence continued.
After a couple of months, I heard that they broke up and I didn't know what to feel. Was it me? Was it somebody else? Another time travel and the mystery's revealed, no, the relationship was already in pieces. I wasn't the black cat, luckily.
In October 2007, I had a ticket to go back to Italy, but I had no idea what was waiting for me. I contacted all my friends in Italy, thinking that I would have nothing but a friendly welcome from F. I e-mailed him asking if he remembered that I was returning, the answer was a short yes.
The moment we saw each other at the airport, I understood that he wasn't only remembering the date, he was waiting for me. My Italian was worse than when we left each other, but that wasn't the only reason we couldn't speak. We were breathless.

tiramisu recipe

2009-11-05T15:27:00.006+01:00

Every time we go to a restaurant with the father of Fabrizio, I try a different Tiramisu. We are not used to eat dolce at home, just some fruits for the afternoon merenda, so we never tried it at home. But when a friend asked me the original italian recipe, F. told me that of course he knows how to do it! Oh well, he did call his mother to confirm some stages and I still didn't taste this delicious recipe, but here it is, Burcu, this comes for you.
Tiramisu
Ingredients
* 500gr of Mascarpone cheese
* non sweetened whipping cream (as required to taste)
* 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar(dip&sweep)
* 2 big packs of Pavesini biscuits
* 16 cups of brewed very strong coffee (made with a stovetop espresso maker)
* 6 eggs
* cacao (if you prefer a little bit sweetened, use shaved chocolate)
Method
1. Prepare the coffee without sugar, let it cool, add half a small coffee cup of water, set aside.
2. Take 6 egg yolk and and add 4 tablespoons of sugar, mix with electric mixer. Add Mascarpone cheese and mix again with electric mixer, set aside.
3. Take 6 egg white, add salt- the smallest amount you can: like 10 granules of the finest salt, and mix with an electric mixer until fluffy. Test the result: when you rotate the cup upside down, it shouldn't fall down.
4. Take the cream you prepared with egg yolk and the other one with egg white, mix with a SPOON, very slowly! Add non sweetened whipped cream, keep mixing with a SPOON.
5. Take Pavesini biscuits, dip in coffee, don’t let them sit, just roll both surfaces very quickly, they should be neither soft, nor hard.
6. Assemble a layer on the bottom of a (preferably square and deep) serving dish. Add a layer of the cream mixture. Continue for three layers and finish with the final layer of cream. Sprinkle cacao with a net. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.
Enjoy!

30 nisan'dan bir not.

2009-07-19T23:14:00.002+02:00

En cok bu soruyu cevaplamakta zorlaniyorum: 2002'ydi sanirim, Interrail'le gezmeye geldigimizde Sezen ve Bilge'yle, ama o sayilmaz, bi kac gun kalip devam ettik yolumuza. 2006'da Erasmus yapmaya geldigim sayilir mi? 7 ay kaldim, sonra yine ver elini Istanbul. Bu sefer donuslu bilet almistim, Roma-Istanbul, Istanbul- Roma bak bu sayilabilir kanit olarak. Randevu tarihi gelip cattiginda Fabrizio'yla bir ay Sicilya'yi gezdik. Ama o da turistik. Yine de Roma'da kaldigim her gun bir bitki ektim balkona, aslinda coktan yerlesmistim ben. Sonra o geldi, ben gittim, o geldi, ben gittim, birer hafta, ikiser gun, o gunler disinda komada gecen bir yil. 2008 Kasim'da artik kalmaya geldim. Bu mudur yani, bi kac aydir Roma'da yasiyorum, cok guzel bir sehir, pizza, makarna cok guzel. Bu sehri ilk gordugumde hic aklimda yoktu bir gun yerlesecegim. Simdi surekli gozume Roma- Istanbul ne kadar benziyor diyen makaleler carpiyor. Eh, benziyor mu bilemem, ama yabancilik cekmedim. Sadece 1-4 arasi turistik dukkanlar disinda kimse calismiyor. Saat 5 olduguna gore sokaga cikma vakti gelmis. Ciao!

Life Doesn't Frighten Me

2009-02-03T16:31:00.008+01:00

Surfing for Basquiat on internet, I found an interesting book created with poems of Maya Angelou and paintings of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Angelou is among other things a professor of American Studies, although his poems mirror the fears of the inner child of us. Basquiat's fast, childish lines complete the poems like they are made for this purpose, in fact Basquiat never knew about this book.
Shadows on the wall / Noises down the hail / Life doesn’t frighten me at all / Bad dogs barking loud / Big ghosts in a cloud / Life doesn’t frighten me at all. /
Mean old Mother Goose / Lions on the loose / They don’t frighten me at all / Dragons breathing flame / On my counterpane / That doesn’t frighten me at all. /
I go boo / Make them shoo / I make fun / Way they run / I won’t cry / So they fly / I just smile / They go wild / Life doesn’t frighten me at all. /
Tough guys in a fight / All alone at night / Life doesn’t frighten me at all. / Panthers in the park / Strangers in the dark / No, they don’t frighten me at all. /
That new classroom where / Boys pull all my hair / (Kissy little girls / With their hair in curls) / They don’t frighten me at all. /
Don’t show me frogs and snakes / And listen for my scream, / If I’m afraid at all / It’s only in my dreams. /
I’ve got a magic charm / That I keep up my sleeve, / I can walk the ocean floor / And never have to breathe. /
Life doesn’t frighten me at all / Not at all / Not at all / Life doesn’t frighten me at all.

To Repel Ghosts

2009-02-03T15:36:00.009+01:00

At last we could see the exhibition of Jean-Michel Basquiat at Palazzo Ruspoli on Via del Corso. To Repel Ghosts is the name of the exhibition like the name of a series of works by Basquiat. Over 40 works have been assembled from private collections and museums from all over the world and were presented to the public through February 1, 2009. Tickets 10 + 8 euro. Twins audio guides 7,5 euro.

At first we bought our tickets and looked at Basquiat's photos. Then we started to looked at his art in a hope for understanding anything. At last we rented audio guides and listened to the artists story. Other than being born in a middle class family, getting sick when he was a child, getting the roots of his art from the book, Grey's Anatomy while he was in the hospital, rejecting the culture of middle class and growing on the streets spraying walls.

He didn't want to become famous because he was black, but mostly he was painting black protagonists and using the stories of blacks, like the painting "Undiscovered Genius of the Mississippi Delta" or the story of a black guy shot by two white cops. But as this story continues, we learn that Basquiat rejected to join the artists who protest this homicide.

To repel ghosts is a name that he was using commonly during the last period of his short life, hallucinating about ghosts because of alcohol and drugs. He also had a crisis once, entering the gallery in a rush and destroying all of his paintings to repel ghosts inside them. Probably the owner of the gallery was enjoying the scene, imagining that every piece of his painting will costs like pieces of gold after this crisis. Indeed, there were pieces in the exhibition like this door broken in half.

freecycle

2009-01-12T11:37:00.006+01:00

Roma'da cevreye verilen etkiyi azaltmak icin cam/metal/plastik geri donusum konteynerlerinin yanisira kullanmadiginiz kiyafetlerin ihtiyaci olanlara ulastirilacagi kutular da bulunuyor. cevreye zarari en aza indirilmis deterjan ve kozmetikler, yiyecek, kiyafet, ev aksesuarlari adil ticaret damgasiyla altro mercato'da satiliyor. Paris'teki gibi olmasa da bisiklet odunc alma noktalari var. Butun bunlarin yanisira ihtiyaciniz olmayan resim, mobilya, araba, saksi, her turlu esyayi ihtiyaci olan birinin gelip evinizden almasini rica edeceginiz veya ihtiyaciniz olani bulabileceginiz bir sitenin Roma (ve Italya'da toplam 18 sehirde) ayagi gayet aktif olarak isliyor. Turkiye'deki uyeler de 7 sehirde, sadece Istanbul'da 2000'in uzerinde uyesi oldugunu akilda tutmali.
Sitenin yoneticilerinin sozleri ile Freecycle:
"Freecycle, elinde kullanmadigi esyalar olanlar ile, o esyalara sahip olmak isteyenleri, tamamen ucretsiz olarak e-mail yolu ile birlestirmeye ve geri donusumu arttirmaya calisan, uluslararasi bir projedir. Tum uyeler esyalarini burada sunabilir veya aradiklari esya icin istekte bulunabilirler. Ama temel kural burada sunulan veya aranan her esyanin ucretsiz olmasidir.
Freecycle Grubumuz, Turkiye'de yasayan veya calisan herkese aciktir. Uyelik ucretsizdir."
freecycle.org/
Kitaplar icinse bookcrossing'de verilen adreslerde kitap kovalamak ya da kitaplariniza birer numara ve ozgur kitaplar olduklarini belirten mesajlar yapistirarak vahsi hayata salmak en eglenceli alternatif gibi gorunuyor.
Bunun gibi bir cok site var, eklemek isteyen olursa onerilere acigim.

free art in rome

2009-01-07T12:49:00.004+01:00

london's always rainy. dublin's so small. but in these cities that I wouldn't choose to live even for a year, art is free for everyone. in istanbul, galleries are always free, istanbul modern has free thursdays, other museums don't cost much, and even topkapi palace which costs about 50 euro is free on museum day. rome is an open air museum but the museum's cost so much.
in palazzo delle esposizioni, first wednesday of every month, expositions are free for under 30, between 2 pm and 7 pm. but bill viola was only until tuesday, i smell a little conspiration in here! tickets are 12,5 euro, 10 euro reduced. not for students, but for all under age 27.
although la signora in the ticket office wasn't asking for any id, fabrizio was insisting that he's over 27. the officer started to ask us any society card like feltrinelli bookshop card, but f. put his id in front of her to prove that he can't have reduction. luckily there was also atac-monthly bus card with his id, so she gave us reduced tickets. it seems like atac card have a lot of discount opportunities in many museums, cinemas and other services.

End Of The Days

2008-06-11T11:19:00.002+02:00

Post-graduation glow in Kas.

Viva Bellen!

2008-06-01T04:28:00.001+02:00

: : : Bellen! : : :

handmade shoes in istanbul

2008-05-08T21:55:00.003+02:00

note to yourself: cicci cocco by bilge koprulu yenicarsi cad. 9/a galatasaray 'lazy' info@ciccicocco.com
interview by iss

Diving in Bodrum

2008-05-06T17:18:00.004+02:00

lagerfeld confidentiel vs. pret-á-porter

2008-03-28T14:10:00.006+01:00

I'm not interested in the movie 'lagerfeld confidentiel'; so called, the life and the secrets of karl lagerfeld by the camera of a photographer who follows every step of him. all over the media, we've heard that he never let anybody else filming him, but this is the very first time. this information has been repeated so many times that I even don't have to try remembering the teaser. although, as I saw the movie 'pret-á-porter' the day before, I realized that everybody was there except him. not only the most famous fashion designers but also so many well known artists act in front of robert altman's cameras, that I'd rather not start counting them. I'll just mention that the striptease scene of sophia loren with marcello mastroianni was a carbon copy of 1963 dated 'ieri oggi domani'. I don't know the reason why lagerfeld has not taken a part on this movie, but I've read on the net that he even tried to ban the screening of 'pret-á-porter'. now he's on screen -even with a scene without eyeglasses- during 90 minutes. maybe taking a part in wasn't enough for him, but his movie smells like jealousy.

Ananemin Mantar Kurabiyeleri

2008-03-21T21:57:00.002+01:00

resim yok. açıklama yok. keşke el yazısını da aynen koyabilseydim. mantar kurabiye: 1 paket sana (ev sıcaklığında) 1 yumurta 2,5 su bardağı şeker 1 su bardağı yoğurt 1 su bardağı ayçiçekyağı 1 paket kabartma tozu aldığı kadar un tüm malzemeyi kulak memesi kıvamına gelinceye kadar yoğur. hamurdan ceviz kadar al. yuvarla. yağlı/kağıtlı tepsiye diz. bir kaba kakao/toz nesquik koy. gazoz kapağıyla bastır. 170 derecede pişir. fazla kızartmadan al.

bianca - nanni moretti and his gigantic nutella jar

2008-03-20T21:39:00.008+01:00

The movie I knew Nanni Moretti for the first time, was 'La stanza del figlio', a drama of a family. I didn't ask for more until I saw a short movie for the 60th anniversary of Cannes Film Festival. I saw his sense of humour and after that I saw 'Caro Diario'. I loved the movie, not only because I love Rome and the Sicilian Islands -that I never could have seen- but also because his sense of humour and his philosophy was surprisingly familiar. He loves attics, so he knocks on the door and tells the landlord that he wants to make a movie in his apartment and meanwhile drinks his coffee on the attic. Bianca - also Aprile- are filmed on an attic, I guess the gigantic nutella jar was also one of his dreams. Who's isn't it?

Moğolistan ve Geceyarısı Güneş Tutulması

2008-03-09T03:32:00.005+01:00

"Moğolistan'da şafak sökmesi, olağanüstü bir görünümdü. Bir anda, ufuk baştan başa bir ışık çizgisine dönüşüyor, bu çizgi karanlıklarda yükselerek yavaş yavaş yayılıyordu, sanki bir devin eli göğün ta yukarısından ağır ağır, gecenin perdesini kaldırıyordu. Bu manzaranın görkemi, benim gibi sıradan bir âdemoğlunun bilincinin sınırlarını kat kat aşıyordu ve seyrederken, varlığım da yavaş yavaş eriyormuş gibi geliyordu bana."
2006'da Antalya'da Güneş'in Ay'ın ardına saklanmasına tanık olanlar, bir dahaki sefere görüşmek üzere sözleşenler arasında ben de vardım. Bir dağın tepesinde yüzlerce kişi ve gökyüzüne yönlendirilmiş bir o kadar fotoğraf makinesi ile silikon ya da organik hafızalara kazındı o anlar. Güneş, tamamen saklandığında gözlüğümü indirip gökyüzüne baktım ve o etkileyici siyah çember ve çevresindeki beyaz halkayla -deyim yerindeyse- gözgöze geldim, etraf uğursuz bir sessizliğe bürünmüştü, sanki bir daha hava aydınlanmayacak gibi. İki Japon arkadaşımın daha o zaman uzattığı kartta 2009 tutulmasının bilgileri vardı, yıllar öncesinden hazırlanıyor, her biri birbirinden farklı tutulmaları kovalıyorlardı.
6 dakika 39 saniye sürecek olan 22 Temmuz 2009 tam tutulmasının tamamının Dünya'dan izlenebildiği tek koordinat 24.2199° Kuzey Enlemi ve 144.1182° Doğu Boylamı, yani Pasifik Okyanusu'nun ücra bir köşesi. Bu zamanlamaya en çok yaklaşılabilen yerler Japonya'nın güneyindeki Bonin Adaları'yken, tam tutulmanın izlenebildiği kuşaksa gün doğumunda Hindistan'dan başlayarak, Nepal, Butan, Myanmar, Çin'in batısı, ardından doğusu, bazı Japon adalarından ve gün batımına doğru Kiribati, Gilbert ve Fransız Polinezya adaları yakınlarında Pasifik Okyanusu'ndan geçiyor.
Önümüzdeki ilk tam tutulma ise 1 Ağustos 2008'de gerçekleşip 2 dakika 27 saniye sürecek. Kanada'nın ve Rusya'nın kuzeyinden, Moğolistan'ın batısından ve Çin'den görülebilecek. Dar bir koridoru kapsayan tutulmanın özelliği ise geceyarısı Güneş tutulması olması. "Geceyarısı güneşi", kutup çizgisi içindeki alanlarda güneşin geceyi ufuk çizgisinin üzerinde geçirmesine deniyor. Tutulma Güneş'in batmadığı bu bölgelerden geçerek özellikle bizim gibi alışkın olmayan bünyeleri şaşkınlığa sürükleme potansiyeline sahip.
Karen, bana bu yaz bu tutulmayı izlemek için Moğolistan'a gideceğini söylediğinde henüz yukarıdaki satırları aldığım, Haruki Murakami'nin Zemberekkuşu'nun Güncesi'ne başlamamıştım. Bana bu kitabı veren Gökhan Şeker, askerden dönmeden bitireyim diye başlamamla bu tuğla kalınlığındaki kitabın ne kadar akıcı olduğunu farkedip şaşırmam bir oldu. Moğolistan, savaş anılarını anlatan eski bir askerin ağzından bu kelimelerle döküldüğünde, bir kez daha bir dalışı düşündüm, bir de ıssız Moğol steplerinde, aydınlık gecenin ufkunda, batmamak için direnen Güneş'in bir kaç dakikalığına Ay'la olan kadim savaşını kaybedişini izlemeyi.

free mini skirts

2008-03-02T22:28:00.005+01:00

“We stay on the street, with our purple needle!” This is the slogan of the action group Mor İğne that you can hear every Friday night in Istanbul, on the biggest street, İstiklal Caddesi. The purple needle (‘mor iğne’ in Turkish), has for 20 years been a symbol used by the Turkish women’s movement . For 10 kuruş (5 cents) per piece, you can buy a ‘purple needle’ from the action group, a 7 centimetre long needle with a purple ribbon on it. The symbol was revived after a woman was harassed by a group of young men on Istiklal Caddesi last new year’s eve. Television cameras recorded the "incident", and the fear in the eyes of the woman was seen in many Turkish homes, but the perpetrators didn’t even seem to be ashamed of what they were doing. And the police gave them only a 57 lira fine, which is about 30 euros.
That incident seemed on international channels like a one time thing. But since years, that street on every new year's eve is banned for every woman who knows that it's a bad night to be there. The mass -mainly men- make knots around every unlucky woman that passes from there.
Turkey has seen three coup in it's democracy history, with the changement of the constitution and with less freedom for anything. Our parents tell us that it's the reason of weakness of the left and intellectuals on this land. It's obvious on the pictures that the skirts are shorter. After the last interruption 27 years ago the movement of Mor Iğne has been created. I know that it has changed something but it's not enough. And everything get worse with the government of the islamic party AKP. I wish there would be a better way to express that we don't want to be harassed, in any way.
There was this video that i liked, but could it change anything?

everything is illuminated

2008-03-02T00:26:00.004+01:00

it's been a long time that I saw the movie. although i've never tried to check the website. surfing the web, i've been linked to a site named who is augustine?the website gives a clue about her, if you didn't see the movie. but for who has already saw it, checking her boxes is a hidden desire, even if it's labeled : dust. i'd preferably check the ones with the label : chess/relics/black magic, stars/music boxes, sleep/sleep/sleep or darkness.
the music in loop can put you in search of a lost time or in the project museum where you can read the first chapter of the other book, extremely loud and incredibly close, by the same author, jonathan safran foer. the story of the "reconnaissance expedition" matches with the name of this blog. it's about adventures in daily life and tells that you can put the pieces together to see whatever you want to see. it's about the basic questions of existence. and about the world trade center explosion. probably.

Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution

2008-02-28T13:11:00.004+01:00

Caro Fabrizio,
Ascoltando Black Box Recorder, -il canzone Watch the Angel Not the Wire,- mi sono ricordata di un film, chi se chiama Agente Lemmy Caution, missione Alphaville . E' un film futuristico con un personaggio uscito dai gialli anni Quaranta. La contrasta di bianco-nero fa vedere l'opposizione su cui è costruito il film. La sparizione del istinto dell'arte e la dominazione della programmazione dell'era tecnologica e' mostrato anche con un libro di poesia chi non esiste piu' ad Alphaville. "Le mot clé" di questo film è Jean-Luc Godard chi fatto questo film nel 1965. Ci sono due altri film dello stesso serie di un altro regista, ma non credo che si deve vedere

gilles peterson

2008-01-14T15:09:00.000+01:00

öyle görünüyor ki gilles peterson'u keşfetmekte geç bile kalmışım. lounge fm 102 çoktan onu istanbul semalarına getirme hazırlıklarına başlamış. istanbul, bu cuma santral-istanbul'daki otto santral'de dub’dan reggae’ye jazz’dan nu-jazz’a, soul, neo-soul, R&B, drum and bass, house, broken beat, hip-hop ve jazz-funk’a kadar bir çok müzik türünü harmanlayan, bbc radio1 dışında avusturya fm4 ve radio helsinki'de de yayın yaparak kariyerinin başındaki başarılı sanatçıları tanıtan gilles peterson'u izleme şansına kavuşuyor. otto santral'in eyüp'te olması nasıl bir ilgi yaratacak işte onu bilemiyorum, bilgi üniversitesi santral'istanbul kampüsüne giden servisler mi kullanılacak, yoksa herkes kaderine mi terkedilecek; sanırım gecenin kaderini de bu sorunun cevabı belirleyecek.
gilles peterson'un kendi sayfası ve yayınlanmış radyo programlarını indirmek için::
::searching for the perfect beat::

alif tree

2008-01-12T18:27:00.000+01:00

alif tree è un artista francese, non solo un dj ma crea anche i concetti per un intero "soirée". fa una musica su un arco dal nu jazz, al groove e soul, con le belle melodie, note di piano e coi pezzi di wong kar wai, della cinema italiana di anni 60-70 -e anche della cinema turca!-
::cinemix::
ho conosciuto il legendario bbc radio dj john peel nel 2004, sfortunatamente poco prima che lui e morto. nel suo programmo lui ha ospetato i gruppi bravi e sconosciuti, cercare suo nome abbastava di scoprire buona musica. oggi quando cercavo informazione su alif tree ho visto che un'altro bbc radio dj, gilles peterson ha considerato "french cuisine" uno dei dischi migliori del 2005.
::gilles peterson::

learning to love you more

2008-01-11T01:03:00.000+01:00

like many others, i've heard of miranda july with her movie, 'me and you and everyone we know'. before that she had crazy ideas, since than she still keeps doing what seems impossible, irrational and unnecessary but she makes people happy and she makes projects out of it. the last one is a book named 'learning to love you more' based on the webpage and non-web-based-performances she created with harrell fletcher. Imagine that someone's paying you a grant for a flash photo of the dirt under your bed or for the picture of your parents kissing. the project gives assignments, chooses between the reports and pays $500 without asking you how to spend it. i can't say if the project keeps giving grants after the publishing of the book, but the webpage is still full of inspiring and encouraging ideas.
: : P I N N G : :

herkesin sinemasi kendine

2008-01-09T23:32:00.000+01:00

chacun son cinema, cannes'ın 60. yıldönümü için 35 yönetmenin hazırladığı 3'er dakikalık filmlerden oluşuyor. burada okuduğum kadarıyla, cannes'da bu filmi izleyen şanslı azınlıktan farklı olarak, biz sefil insanlar bu akşam televizyon kanalımızın bize reva gördüğü 3'er dakikalık 33 film yerine 32 film izledik. walter salles'in ikinci bir kısasının ve david lynch'in 'absurda'sının yanısıra coen kardeşlerin hazırladığı ve kahramanın sinemaya girmeden önce renoir'ın 'oyunun kuralı' ile nuri bilge ceylan'ın 'iklimler'i arasında seçim yapmaya çalıştığı 'world cinema' da eksik kaldı. aralarından bir en güzel seçmek zor, bence en eğlencelisi ise -trier'in 'meslekler'i değil- brezilyalı rap ikilisi castanha ve caju'nun döktürdüğü '5557 miles from cannes'. aşağıda kendinizi hazırlamanız gereken film ise lynch'inki.

local girl's day in pictures

2008-01-09T11:35:00.000+01:00

chronicals of an uk based cartoonists alter-ego, enriched by her jewish dark-humour. she gets angry, pisses people off and draws the anger on her wacom tablet to clean her soul. her sloppy handwriting is what makes real this blog. after seing billions of good drawn stuff her simple drawings makes you feel better, like you can start drawing in any moment even though you know that you don't have the talent. harvey pekar did it with american splendor, why shouldn't i?
::dayinpictures::

tunng

2008-01-08T16:18:00.000+01:00

doğu londra kökenli tunng, akustik gitarların sentetik vuruşlarla işlendiği, folktronica denebilecek bir müzik yapıyor. 8 şubat'ta babylon'a gelecek olan grubun şimdiye kadar yayınladığı üç albümü ve sayısız single, remix ve demosu var. aralarından seçim yapmak oldukça zor, müzikler kadar şarkı sözleri de ağırlığını hissettiriyor. dinledikçe müziğin derinizin altına sızdığını hissedeceksiniz. bir çok parça ve videolarına ulaşmak mümkün: :
tunng
yeni albumden iki parca da burada: :
good arrows

Kaş & Ayvalık Diving Log

2007-07-11T22:20:00.000+02:00

Kaş
hava sıcaklığı 21'C su sıcaklığı 16'C
ilk gün 21.4.07
Mavi Batık
18m 30'(?)
210b>110b
Erenalp +Güray /Yıldız/Gürel
Uluburun
24m 25'
ort.derinlik 14m
200b>90b
Tayman +Yıldız/Erenalp/Orhan
2. gün 22.4.07
Kanyon
Zeynep +Orhan/Erenalp/Yıldız/Ilker
Fener
Tamer +Orhan/Meltem/Gürel
gece
Fener Kulesi (Limana ğzı)
Tamer +Elif/Merve/Orhan/Çiğdem
3.gün 23.4.07
Üç Kanyon
M.Egi +Meltem/Gürel/Çiğdem/Orhan
Ayvalık (Haziran 2007)
ilk gün
Karagöz Burnu (genelde erişte/ lahos/ tavşan)
200b>100b
35'/15m Günkut
Duba Sığlığı (erişte)
28,5m/26'
2. gün
Ilyosa Batı Sığlığı (Reef) (erişte)
22m/27'
Günkut +Öykü /Merve
Melina Kuzey Burnu (orfoz)
16m/40'
Tamer +Öykü/Deniz/ Merve/Günkut/ Ayşegül
3. gün
Ezerbey (böcek/ lacivert, beyaz mercan)
43,2m / 21'
Tamer + Onur/Merve
Taş Adası
Navigasyon
gece
Melina Lodos Kuytusu (karavita/ karides/ müren/ orfoz/ sübye)
13m / 46'
4. gün
Mosko Sığlığı (mığrı)
Günkut +Merve/Öykü
30m/ 27'
Ilyosa Kuzey Burnu (2ahtapot/ lagos/ boru kurdu -tarlası)
Tamer +Merve
500m yüzme
28m/39'

Seruven Cizgi Roman Arastirmalari Dergisi

2007-06-24T02:01:00.000+02:00


cizim Kenan Yarar

Seruven dergisinin blogu icin yazdigim yazilara buradan buyrun:

Miyazaki ile Hasret Giderme Zamani: Ponyo

Uggianaqtuq ya da Şu Aralar Havalar Ne Acayip!

Online Cizgi Romanlar

3 Words to Describe Me

2007-06-10T14:36:00.003+02:00

I asked friends to tell me 3 words to describe me in 2007, in every language they were speaking.
How many of them do you understand?

uluslararası çılgın çapkın (Gökçe)
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (Tuğçe)
mütecessis nev-i şahsına münhasır mütebessim (Onur)
irreductible désobéissance (Cemil)
keskesor bleu jiyan (Özgür)
da un'equilibrio che si rompe è pronta a nascere nuova energia (Fabrizio)
rayonnante mystérieuse passioné (Jerome)
gizemli karmaşık kararsız (Barkın)
pointless conversation converting vegetarians morning glory (Maeve)
eyvallah chaplin sophia (Alf)
lollipop rainbow pom pom (Marissa)
kıyametin ardından çatıda yedi uçurtma uçuran kız (Yuna)
"kaç öpücük sığar alnına?" (Krilov)
saksafon gökkuşağı huzur (Barış)
aliena viola sensibile (Alice)
alternative immagini electronic (Emma)
funny crazy random (Fran)
daring pazza artistic (Celeste)
laranja poi mavi (Cemal)
tasteful music chocolate-bananacake skirts (Endre)
toka nehir satranç (Onur)
şirin sıradışı atletik (Yasemin)
crazy fun kooky (Dave)
boja moderna tranquila (Viktor)
vapur peri kızı anlamlı gözler (Cihan)
pasaklı parmakarası terlikli (Bora)
eski keyifli güleç (Murat)
pantalon mor kopça (Anarchitect-Deniz)
colourful funky deep (Jess)
yoyoma lisa simpson kasket (Çiğdem)
kurşunkalem önsıra saksafon (Nejat)
spontane meraklı çılgın (Arzu)
smiley own style turkish (Paulina)
saksafon sıcakkan italya (Ahmet)
crazy hippy turkey (Charlotte)
çizgi kitap akrebi (Elif)
güleryüz eğlence zeka (Levent)
gülmek bodrum koca gözlükler (Cem)
canayakın orjinal güzel (Emrah)
aktif yeni wowowow (Işık)
fun friendly crazy (Soph)
dünyayla barışık kafa dengi zevk sahibi (Serra)
"¿Y qué es el exilio sino una forma de la utopía? El destenado es el hombre utópico par excelencia: vive en la constante nostalgia del futuro" Ricardo Piglia (Laurita)

Dirty Three Concert in Istanbul, Roxy

2007-06-04T02:11:00.000+02:00

If you missed Dirty Three, in Circolo degli Artisti, Rome, or in Primavera Sound, Barcelone, you can still catch it in Roxy, Istanbul on 6th of June, this wednesday. Hard luck, ehi? This Australian group formed in 1993 had left Bad Seeds behind them and I heard that they worked with Chan Marshall (Cat Power) for the last album, Cinder.
Through this link you can download "Long Way to Go With no Punch", "Sue's Last Ride", "Doris", "I Really Should Have Gone Out Last Night"
: : Dirty Three on music.download.com
Here you'll find "I'll hear Goodnight" by Low & Dirty Three
: : Dirty Three on epitonic.com

Flight of the Conchords

2007-05-30T02:04:00.001+02:00

"you're so beautiful you could be a part time model ... but you probably still have to keep your normal job."
"You're so beautiful Like a tree Or a high-class prostitute"
"Thats right sometimes my lyrics are sexist, but you lovely bi**hes and hoes should know I'm trying to correct this"

Flight of the Conchords, the new show of HBO, follows the trials and tribulations of a two man, digi-folk band from New Zealand as they try to make a name for themselves in their adopted home of New York City. The band is made up of Bret McKenzie on guitar and vocals, and Jemaine Clement on guitar and vocals.
Bret and Jemaine have moved to New York in the hope of forging a successful music career. So far they've managed to find a manager (whose "other" job is at the New Zealand Consulate), one fan (a married obsessive) and one friend (who owns the local pawn shop) -- but not much else.
to watch the entire first episode : : Flight of the Conchords : :

Miracle Fortress "Have You Seen In Your Dreams?"

2007-05-30T01:19:00.000+02:00

"I fetishize pedals and things like that."

Miracle Fortress is an experimental solo project which is dependent on looping and pre-recorded sounds. Graham Van Pelt, (member of Think About Life) compiles new-age melodies with extraordinary ambiance and sound.
: : Miracle Fortress - Have You Seen In Your Dreams?
: : Miracle Fortress - Next Train

Pocketbooks- an Indiepop Group from London

2007-05-10T15:40:00.000+02:00

This is the album cover from the new release Cross The Line of Pocketbooks, it's adorable and fits their music with tambourines, organs and boy/girl harmonies. An acoustic-live version of their debut single, Cross the Line, and two other songs; Falling Leaves and I'm Not Going Out performed at Spiral Scratch in Shoreditch in April 2007 is available as video clips. The british band with Andy Hudson, Ben Dorning, Daniel Chapman, Emma Hall and Mark Reston has a smooth style with a similar sound to Belle and Sebastian or Camera Obscura. The full album Proofreading with 10 tracks are ready to download.
: : Cross The Line

: : Falling Leaves

: : I'm Not Going Out

: : It Started With Squares

: : Running Circles

: : The First World Record

: : A Picture Waiting For A Frame

: : Something In The Silence Told Me

: : Every Next Day Is A New Adventure

: : Bookends Apart

: : Every Good Time We Ever Had (Original Version)

: : Let's Not Go There Again

: : Loaded

The Knife

2007-05-10T13:16:00.000+02:00

We share our mother's health- New video from The Knife, directed by Motomichi Nakamura is out now. Even though I didn't like this last one that much, every video of The Knife is unique and surprising, Handyman makes me wonder if it's inspired by "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". You Take My Breath Away is directly beamed up from 80's. My favourite is NY Hotel.

: : Heartbeats

: : Pass This On

: : Handyman

: : You Take My Breath Away

: : NY Hotel

Portecho

2007-05-10T00:54:00.000+02:00

A Project from Tan Tunçag (Radiodays) and Deniz Cuylan. Their album Undertone is out now. I just listened to the songs on their myspace page:
:: Portecho
I hope I'll see them on stage in Galatasaray University Festival on 16th of May at 10pm. The songs are cool and they were even on New York Times yesterday!
:: PARTY DESTINATION OF THE YEAR | ISTANBUL; Amid the Minarets, Club Music Pulses

A short film made by Portecho and Alp Korfali. This was a part of our concert visuals that we used to show in the winter of 2006. Since we thought it was a bit freaky for the fresh, bouncy and dramatic style of Portecho, we dismissed it, says Tan Tunçag. Well, he's right it's a bit creepy. But the next video is not bad at all, except the last part, I would have preferred an accident. And where are the special accessories, that's all the funstuff about driving a ...whoops, just watch the video.

Eternal Youth With A Bite of "Messer Chups"

2007-05-07T01:21:00.000+02:00

Even though I knew that the concert would be no less theatrical than any play, I couldn't have been here. It's ok, I'll catch them up in St. Petersburg. In the meantime I'll keep listening to the melodies of horror, cult, spy movies and circus themes from years '50 and '60 with Oleg Gitarkin and Zombie Girl. The website is extremely fantastic with russian movie soundfiles and zombies.

www.messerchups.ru

Len Lye - An Avantgarde Animation Master

2007-04-24T20:36:00.000+02:00

Starting in 1929, New Zeland, with "Tusalava", following in 1933 with "The Peanut Vendor", and in 1935 with "A Colour Box", a true pioneer in motion graphics, a film made without a camera, Len Lye was an avantgarde animation master, sculpturer, writer and an experimental movie maker. "Free Radicals" was made in 1958, and "revised" in 1979.
Len Lye "A Colour Box" (1935) + "Free Radicals" (1958) 07:48 "A Colour Box" :colourful scratched hand-painted film synchronize with soundtrack + "Free Radicals" : black and white ultra graphic scratches composition beautifully synchronize on soundtrack.

Rainbow Dance 03:58 animation film made by Lye Len 1936

Len Lye: Swinging the Lambeth Walk 03:26 http://www.govettbrewster.com/LenLye/work/film/distributors. htm (International Distributors of Len Lye's work on film and video)

The Peanut Vendor - Len Lye 1933 01:55 This is the creepiest puppet film ever made, an experimental piece by filmmaker Len Lye in 1933.

Len Lye - Colour Flight (Imperial Airways) 03:51 As shown on TVNZ many years ago Colour Flight (1938) 4 min, 35 mm Gasparcolour, sound Music: Honolulu Blues (Red Nichols and his Five Pennies) Synchronisation: Ernst Meyer Sponsor: Imperial Airways First screening: 12 June 1939

Len Lye: Rhythm 01:06 Len Lye, Rhythm, Aotearoa (New Zealand)

N or NW 07:51 A classic GPO Film Unit short explaining the importance of correct addressing.

trade tattoo 05:20

Zizek! & A Hawk and a Hacksaw

2007-04-19T03:15:00.000+02:00

Get into the bedroom of a rock'n roll star of philosophy, what would he talk? Watch him playing with his child, choosing from the menu in a restaurant and on the stage, talking to the public. An unconventional documentary about Zizek's ideas of Lacan and Marx with a seasoning of pop culture to analyze how we construct meaning - and reminds us that our understanding is often far from rational. The director Astra Taylor knows how to show philosophy lessons of Zizek as an outrageous movie, premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival.

Close to the end we watch Zizek choosing some video and he talks about three films: Opfergang (1944) & Ivan Groznyy I (1944) & The Fountainhead (1949) - Zizek lists this movies as his all-time favorite films.

A Hawk and a Hacksaw, a group that I started to listen some days ago, played the soundtrack. Here is an example, you can find more on Leaf Label
A Hawk and a Hacksaw - Maremaillette (2004)

Death of a President

2007-04-15T03:57:00.000+02:00

“… the investigation of the fictional assassination of President George W. Bush in October 2007. Combining real archival footage with a credible but fictional story, Death of a President presents a fascinating and thought-provoking political thriller.”

Yes, I believe that he is the biggest idiot with the most power in the world, I agree that he must be condemned in the war crimes court, but this movie shows in a realistic way, what could happen if he would be killed: the response would be severe, less freedom and more "security".

Resurrection

2007-04-15T02:24:00.000+02:00

My favourite short film in Akbank Short Film Festival was "Diriliş" (Resurrection) of Halit Aktı who already won the Apple Ican awards. He has a very similar style to Sin City. "The man makes a deal with the devil to take his life back from the disasters he lived after the murder he did following to the betrayal of his wife. And the showdown begins among the man, the woman and the guardian." You can download on this page:
Resurrection

DJ Patife @ Babylon

2007-04-09T19:02:00.000+02:00

After two days of illness and rest at home, I beamed myself up to downtown, as Cemal aka. Complicado told me on MSN that he has an invitation from Babylon. As we arrived there weren't much people in the venue. It was weird because I heard that the venue was full the day before with the same dj performance. Then I realized that the resident djs are playing at that moment. When Dj Patife Stamina arrived we had just enough place in front of them to dance. Bossa Nova and Drum'n Bass? New discoveries in electronic music? Yep, I discovered dark side of me who was waiting for a long time to dance.

April Fool! @ İstiklal Street

2007-04-09T18:12:00.000+02:00

A street 1 million people pass on every day, with shops, bars, schools, transvestite quarters, cultural meeting points, music venues, intellectual quarters, drug dealers, bazaars and anything you can think. Sadly, it's usual that the cops stop you when you are busking and juggling. Last sunday we gathered in the park near this street and started to walk with poi-dancers, devilstick&diabolo jugglers, a clown with long-legs and every kind of acoustic instruments. We were about a hundred at the beginning but people started to walk with us and watched us where we had breaks. We never shouted slogans (what could we have said at all?), it wasn't about politics or anything else, just for fun! At the end we stopped on a big sunny square and juggled and played music whilst some of us sprayed and colored the square.

:: http://74.52.238.226/~birnisan/main.php

The Radio Department @ Babylon-İstanbul

2007-04-09T16:34:00.000+02:00

Bant, one of the best music, cinema and art magazines of Turkey arranged this concert in Babylon, one of the best music venues. And a cool friend, Uluç, invited me and Işık to the concert of this group The Radio Department from Malmö of Sweden.
"Out of the catalogue of the charismatic Swedish label Labrador, which serves the warmest melodies of the northern country, The Radio Dept. released its debut “Lesser Matters” three years ago. “Lesser Matters” was picked as the 9th best album of 2004 by NME and the band grew its fame out of Sweden and shouted it to the world. Their well-praised second album “Pet Grief” released last year, is a sign of a mature and self-assurred chemistry of the band which can define itself in The Radio Dept.’s own special approach to pop music, influenced by big names such as My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab, New Order, Cocteau Twins and Arap Strap."

:: www.bantdergi.com
:: www.myspace.com/bantmagazine

I still didn't watch but The Radio Dept. had also fed Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” movie last year with three of their songs, and it's told to be cool.

:: www.theradiodept-frih.net
:: www.myspace.com/radiodeptish

After this group an old dad-looking man came to the stage, it came out that he was one of the biggest writers and explorers of the rock music history, Everett True, who was djing the crowd.
"Everett True was a crucial writer for Melody Maker in the late 80s and early 90s and he had experienced the actual grunge explosion in Seattle and told about it to the whole world. As Kurt Cobain’s and Courtney Love’s very close friend, Everett True also is responsible of the first release of Primal Scream and My Bloody Valentine’s home label Creation Records; The Legend! project. As The Legend!, he has appeared at the Reading Festival 1992, on stage with Nirvana. Everett True is the editor in chief of England’s critical independent music magazine Plan B and he has released “Nirvana: The True Story” book last year in which he tells about his memories of Cobain and what really happened."
Both the group and Unkle True were "deadly"!!!

Best Of 3rd Akbank ShortFilm Festival in Universities

2007-04-07T19:06:00.000+02:00

The award-winning films of the 3rd Akbank Short Film Festival came to Galatasaray University and they'll continue to meet with the students of the 27 university in Turkey.
"Poyraz" (Boreas) that won the Best Fiction Award with the directorship of Belma Baş was also my favourite. The world of a child living with elderly relatives a rustic life, in a remote old house, in the mountains learns how to deal with the mysteries of death and life with the help of her wise grandma.
"Ahtapot Avcısı" (Octopus Hunter) that won the Best Documentary Award with the directorship of Devrim Erdoğan touched our greedy souls with the last sentence of the octopus hunter : "I can feed my family and save money for the future of my children. And that's enough." "A glimpse to a day and the view of life of an octopus hunter living in Zanzibar Island of Tanzania."
"Ukde" (Knot) with the directorship of İlker Özdemir was quiet good with parts of classical turkish movies. "An old man living alone, wakes up at the same hour, dresses up neatly and goes to the cinema every morning. A middle-aged woman works at the cinema, helping the audience to their seats. The man goes to each single seance; however he does not watch the film but the woman standing by the entrance of the theater. One day, the man does not show up anymore. The woman notices his absence, investigates his address and goes to visit him."
"Yürüyoruz"(We are walking) that won the honorable mention in the documentary category with the directorship of Aykut Atasay shows the ignorance, fear and hatred against Gay, Lesbian and Transsexuals who wants to make a manifestation only to show that they exist. "In Bursa, on 6th of August, queer activists would march and do a pree release to protest the lawsuits of the governorships of Bursa and Istanbul to close down their associations. But, Bursa football fans and the police did not let...It is a documentary about hegemonic masculinity, hypocrisy and fear..."
"Tek Duvarlı Şehir" (One wall city) that share the honorable mention in the documentary category with the directorship of Sevgi Ortaç was BAD. I think that it was a Bilgi University student with a professor in the jury from the same university. No theme, no meaning, no hope. "In a dream of a city with a single wall based on the ancient walls of Istanbul that still separates, guards and hides people and places behind it. Old walls provides a life with less walls behind it, getting gardens streets and houses inside each other."

Nouvelle Vague in Circolo degli Artisti

2007-03-26T01:25:00.003+02:00

F. said he fell in love with me that night.
During the concert we mostly missed.
When Nouvelle Vague started to play Istanbul by Litfiba.
Taking notes just to remember.

Chagall delle Meraviglie

2007-03-25T22:47:00.000+02:00

A travel through Europe in 20th century begins in Belarus in a 6-children-jewish family, continues through St.Petersburg to artist-circles of Montparnasse with returns to revolution-era of Russia.
A different conception of religion, a strong expression of colours, animals and couples. Rome enchance with the shine of Chagall until June in Vittorian Complex.
A unique chance to experience the Wonderland of Chagall with 150 paintings mostly from private collections.

steve gullick & death to tv

2007-03-14T19:38:00.000+01:00

Neil Young, Eddie Vedder, Arab Strap, At the drive in, Beck, Blur, Nick Cave, Nirvana, Sparklehorse, The flaming lips. What brings them together? The amazing pictures of Steve Gullick. After Melody Maker, his art can be seen also in the magazine "careless talk costs lives" and following "loose lips sink ships". Gullick Photo

Michel Gondry invites you to share your dreams

2007-02-21T15:31:00.000+01:00

http://thescienceofsleep.imeem.com/ How do you dream?

Magnum Photos in Istanbul

2007-02-21T15:14:00.000+01:00

'İstanbul Museum Of Modern Art is celebrating the 60th anniversary of Magnum Photos, one of the world’s most important photographic agencies, with the exhibition "Turkey by Magnum" between the dates of February 16 and May, 2007. "Turkey by Magnum" is the first exhibition of Magnum Photos in Turkey bringing together selected works from world-renowned photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa.' That'll be the very first exposition I'll run into when I return home. I'm posting one photo about the earthquake near Istanbul. Check the page to see more photos: http://www.istanbulmodern.org/en/f_index.html

Unusual Portfolio of Andrej Dragan

2007-02-06T20:48:00.000+01:00

He is born in 1978, involved with photography since 2003. His biography makes me scared, his portfolio makes my eyes wide open. Discover yourself: http://andrzejdragan.com/

Hrant Dink shot and killed

2007-01-19T16:22:00.000+01:00

I'm ashamed to say, but another Turkish journalist has been shot and killed today near the office of the newspaper Agos, which he was the founder and editor-in-chief, published in Armenian and Turkish. In October 2005, Dink was convicted of 'insulting Turkishness' by writing an article on the Armenian killings of 1915, and was given a six-month suspended sentence. The new code of law 301 about freedom of speech, which he was sentenced, is discussed and protested by intellectuals.

Eurhope 1153

2007-01-19T16:04:00.000+01:00

Arte Contemporanea dal Bosforo @ Udine/Italia 29.10.06-25.02.07 www.villamanincontemporanea.it In Turkey we still use Indian ink to see who vote and who didn’t. Every vote year it’s discussed again and again and the government is never prepared. So everybody has one painted finger for two weeks. This year I saw pictures of painted fingers taken by an artists, but never knew who it was. And now at the same time that I’m here in Italy, I see those painted fingers again in a publicity of an exposition. Unluckily, I don’t think that I can ever go to see it, but the name of the artist is there, at the corner of the page: Osman Bozkurt. Marks of Democracy / Portraits of the Voters (2002)

Why Call It Tourist Season If We Can't Shoot Them?

2006-12-26T04:25:00.000+01:00

View of an occupation from Park Guell, Barcelona.

Street Art in Venice

2006-12-26T04:11:00.000+01:00

Venice isn't only a city of antique buildings, masks, gondols and lost tourists but also screaming walls with political street art. You need a friend from Venice not only to find your path but to get the language of people and stencils.

a brain damage isn't enough to stop the ignorance.

venice with lilith

2006-12-22T01:00:00.000+01:00

once upon a time in rome

2006-12-13T13:45:00.001+01:00

I was waiting for the 1. International Film Festival of Rome since the end of summer, but I was worried about the how's. The italians I talked with were surprised about this news (!) even Rome wasn't aware of what was happening. But Lady Luck helped me again to find another lazy cinéphile like me. We didn't wake up early, neither did we try to follow everything or finish the movie we started, but had a great time while discovering during the day, the theaters and historical beauty of Rome, and during the night, two vibrating zones; Trastevere and San Lorenzo.

street art in tridente

2006-12-11T14:00:00.000+01:00

These are some of the street art on the walls on the way to Tridente, "cul volante" and Spock are my favorites. For me street art shows that there is a hope for this little city, even everybody says that Urbino was twice as full as today, five years ago. The evidence I can see is only that there are few classes for me to choose, but for the students who are here since many years must be sad to observe the disappearing of youthness flowing through the streets.

La Bomba - your favorite desert you've never tasted

2006-12-05T18:25:00.000+01:00

(english) - 500 gr of dry biscuits - crushed - 2 bananas - mashed - 500 gr yoghurt - sugar (50 –100 gr) - cinnamon powder - coconut powder - mixed berry jam - Nutella - Tin-foil Mix bananas, sugar, jam, yoghurt, cinnamon and coconut until you get the taste to satisfaction. Mix with biscuits. Put the mixture on the tin-foil, shape it and cover it with Nutella and coconut powder. Put it in the fridge until you want to eat it. (italian) La Bomba - 500 gr di Petit Biscotti Secchi sbriciolati - 2 banane schiacciata - 500 gr di yoghurt - zucchero (50 –100 gr) - canella granulata - coco granulata - marmelada di frutti di bosca - Nutella - Carta di Aluminio - misciare b,y,z,c,c,m fino al gusto desiderato - misciare con biscotti - mettere nel foglio di Aluminio la forma desiderata - coprire con nutella e coco - raffredare nel frigo al Massimo per minimo un pomeriggio

Les YeuX Ouverts

2006-11-28T18:56:00.000+01:00

Since I was confirmed that I'll study in Italy this semester, I wanted to visit Fabrica, the creativity center of Benetton, located near Venice. As I came here I saw that the exhibition that I wanted to see, is in Paris, at Centre Georges Pompidou. The good thing about Fabrica is that it's always possible to follow what happens through internet. Take your time, because there is much to discover under this link: http://www.fabrica.it/pompidou/exhibition/exhibition.htm edit: films showed in exhibition: China: Beijing Bastards of Zhang Yuan Shangai Shangai of Michelangelo Gondolfi with Ben Tseng, Javin Mo Seventeen Years of Zhang Yuan Bosna: New Bosnian Cinema of Dzenid Jaganiac Beekeeping After War of Tomas Leach First Death Experience of Aida Begic No Man’s Land of Danis Tanovic Iran: Secret Ballot of Babak Payami Lavagne of Samira Makhmalbaf Asia: Aral, Fishing in an Invisible Sea of Carlos Casas and Saodat Ismailova Zulfiya of Saodat Ismailova L’angelo della Spalla Destra of Djamshed Usmonov Tropical Malady of Apichatpong Weerasethakul Brasile: Rocinha, Daylight of a Favela of Carlos Casas Margens of Leandro HBL La Bestia a Sette Teste of Lais Bodanzky I've seen only "No Man's Land". It's a movie about the war in Yugoslavia and the weakness of U.N. during the war. The story is about three men from different parts of Yugoslavia stuck in an absurd situation. At the end of the movie we were stuck in our seats lost in our minds.

end of the meeting session

2006-11-27T15:59:00.000+01:00

meet emma. she's from dublin. she's in. and she finishes the big nutella jar every two weeks. would you marrie me, honey?

i pazzi

2006-11-27T14:56:00.000+01:00

meet jacomo & juliano. They live in braccio3 - blocco 600, the first room you see when you look through the main door. For a long time I couldn't get which one's room is that playground - hard to say a room- everything everywhere, one more crazy than the other, guess who. Or just follow the white rabbit, jump into the hole and remember to drink that liquid after checking the poisonous mark on the bottle.

who are these people and why are they all drunk?

2006-11-27T14:47:00.000+01:00

ubriacchi perduti @ piquero

2006-11-27T14:23:00.000+01:00

Laura - Alfonso - Anthony - Thomas - Maeve Anthony - Endre - Jen It's the only place I go to dance, especially tuesday nights when there is the DJ from the halls -braccio 3!- and we have a special price until one o'clock, so why not to drink until we get lost! The title is like a mantra of erasmus students here in Urbino, "drunk&lost". Endre is from Norway, Alfonso from Madrid, Thomas from Austria, Laura, Maeve and Anthony from Ireland. As seen in the pictures, Irish people rule!