MY Super Sweet 16

I’m not sixteen anymore, but every time I see those ‘lucky’ specimens on MTV, I always wonder: What would MY super sweet 16 be like if my budget was unlimited? Could I possibly organize a better party if I had the money? Would my guests be all hysterical and want to talk about my party to their grandchildren? Would I be a nastly, immature brat with no manners and decency?

Here is a comprehensive list of things that I’d like for my theoretical super sweet sixteen;

1. Theme: Something sophisticated, but not yet snobby. What about a pyjama party? Only guests would wear pyjamas, waiters wear tuxedos.
2. Invitations: Perhaps a pyjama outfit with the name of the invitee to the pary embroidered in gold?
3. Location: Local mall? Pleez. it would have to be something way more classy. I’m thinking Kurhaus in Scheveningen. An old skool, old world luxury hotel.
4. Performer: A local rapping sensation? What kind of a cheapo do you take me for? If I could, I’d get She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but I guess I could settle for Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams or Amy Winehouse (but she must promise to go to rehab). In any way, I would decide the music. The artist would have to be dressed in a dress/tuxedo. Very classy.
5. Entrance: Tough one. Perhaps I might be carried into the party on a bed (as if sleeping). The bed should fly.
6. Escort: During my entrance (in bed, that is), I wish to be side by side with Emma Watson (Hermione Granger). I guess one of the Olsen twins couldbe OK (or both;)).
7. Nourishment: I want Jamie Oliver to do the catering. First dinner, then partay.
8. Refreshment: Booze. You see, in the Netherlands, you can drink since you’re 16. Water can only be Evian, no other water will suffice.
9. Gifts 1: Guests need to bring gifts. It’s only normal. I throw party, they bring gifts.
10. Gifts 2: I want a car. I want Volkswagen Beetle Carbio, customized so that it can have 16 16-inch plasma screens, just because it’s my birthday.

So… this is my wishlist. Any bored billionare wanna sponsor me?

It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to!

Peter

PS: What would your super sweet 16 look like if you could afford one?

Totally Appropriate

Not too long ago, I’ve read in the papers that the US military in Iraq uses certain music during their “interrogation sessions”. Passing over the suffering that the prisoners must undergo as easily and indifferently as anyone else who never really suffered in their life (now I would like to point out that vacuum cleaning is not suffering) I focused on different aspects of this tragicomic tale.

The US army is supposed to have selected a couple of popular songs that the inmates just can’t get out of their heads (mainly owing to their limited options). One of the featured bands, which I believe was Metallica, is a logical choice when one needs to inspire fear. And while the band members of Metallica are proud of their help to TWAT (The War Against Terror), another Iraqi prison chart topper Bruce Springsteen is considering suing for royalties for the use of his ‘art’. But aged rock stars do little to capture my imagination, I needed a song that I could relate to…

Aah. It was 2002. I was young, naive and X-tina just released ‘Dirrty’. I liked the song, because in my view, it was about liberation and emancipation (life is tough for nerds). But my fond memories aside, this was one of the song that the female inmates ‘loved’. Apparently because it shows the declining moral values in American society, something that terrified the humble Iraqi women. There is nothing better than to take a skanky American girl dressed in a bikini and have her dirrtiest sexual fantasies placed around her while the powerless pious inmates cannot look away. Nice…

Nevertheless, this seems to show that US army (presumably, the government, which command the army) is embracing and acknowledging the ‘moral decline’ in USA. This is somehow is funny and sad at the same time, yet not relevant to my argument. How are inmates to know what X-tine (as known back then) looks like in the video, when supposedly all they hear is music (even though the music is frightening enough by itself).

But consider the song, its lyrics and the music. Could anyone have made a different video for Dirrty. Would any other image suit a song called Dirrty? NO. In this case, the video is instanteneously tied to the song and together, they form a coherent whole, which is not only honest in its expression, but totally appropriate because content reflects the packaging. There is no pretence.

Therefore, if a song is raunchy, dirty, slutty; the music video should be as well. If a song is romantic, the video should NOT show half naked girls shaking their bootays, even though we all like to see that. Even ‘Candy Shop’ by 50 Cent can therefore be redeemed, for if a song relies on innuendo that heavily, it must show itself somewhere somehow. Remember, you either do thisngs properly (either all dirrty or all ‘good’, or you shouldn’t do them at all).

In passing, I must therefore condemn the ‘Baby One More Time’ video with Britney Spears for NOT including S&M imagery, even though the chorus has a rew enough sound and lyrics. Another music video, this time deserving praise accompanies a She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named song ‘Erotica’. It is perhaps one of the most ‘evil’ music videos ever, but the accompanying music leaves little room for another interpretation.

The ability to see things in context is truly a gift from God (even if I am an atheist). In context, ugly and beatutiful are interchangable and, frankly, irrelevant. I suppose that the meaning of the word approriate is now more appropriate than ever…

Peter

Sources:

• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3c/DirrtyVideo.png

• http://tramafotografica.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/madonna-erotica-fever.jpg

Bringing BouwkundeBack (Yeah!)

It’s been one and a half week since tthe fire at our faculty. Many lectures have been scrapped, but we’re still doin’ it. The design studios are being held in tents near the old burnt down building.

As for next academic year, we will indeed have a facility ready. It is the old main building of the university (so we’ve been told). The building itself is very different from our old faculty, mainly because our new location is actually older. It’s an absolutely old-skool, brick, early 20th century. This building has a lot of old world charm, elegance and I think it is very sexy. Although we’ll only stay in there for a couple of years, I think that I will really like the new old building.

This is a picture from Google Earth (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/3370461).

The Pious Pretence

This may have been three or four weeks ago, but I could not help but notice that everyone going to church was wearing really, really posh clothes. I never go to church, except on special occasions (read: under emotional blackmail), but this really surprised me.

Now beware. In Slovakia, people constantly moan about not having money, because the wages are low, rents are high and everything is expensive (that’s what they say). Now, the story doesn’t take place in the richest part of the country, but not the poorest either.

But what do I see? People come into the church dressed in new suits, upmarket trench coats and dresses cut according to the latest fashion. Even a two and half-year-old wears a suit. I suppose for the men and women, you can actually explain their expensive outfits by saying that they need to have them for work and social life. But a baby? The ONLY possible way to explain it is by imagining that the baby attended a wedding not so long ago.

So, maybe it’s not all pretence, but why dress to church like you’re going to the Viennese Opernball? I understand that when someone goes to the house of God, the person should come in a respectful state, but this just seems like keeping up with the Joneses. And that should be unacceptable in the House of God. Especially if that house stands in a town where old buildings fall apart faster than Michael Jackson’s face.

Perhaps the inhabitants of the town should sell these expensive pieces of couture and set up a fund to save their historic heritage. In either way, church is not a catwalk. You go there to pray and reflect, not to show off.

C U L8er

Peter

Dissapointed

Our collaborations never work out how we want them to work out. We started on something, but it got delayed. So really we’re not only dissapointing you, but also ourselves.

But the people we dissapoint the most are the people who google phrases. Peter emailed me and told me that funnily enough, some search engines spit out this blog when people search for, ie “erotic short stories”, “mammal jokes” or “Peter Sucks” or “Hottest Clubs”.

The articles which contained these phrases were really only using these phrases and not actually kinky prose, jokes, or a list of addresses. I, unlike Peter, think this is rather regrettable and would like to apologize to any misled soul. We do care about people’s feelings, you know.

Although I know little about adult prose. I suggest that you search the internet more thoroughly. If you are looking for jokes, try www.jokes.com (this takes you to Comedy Central’s website). One of the London’s hottest clubs, is, apparently Mahiki (www.mahiki.com), where the likes of Prince Harry, Madonna and Paris Hilton have been known to hang out. And if you want to write about how much someone sucks, do it yourself.

Once again, we apologize. But things ain’t always what they seem, so beware…

BSJ

Bouwkunde Inferno: The Aftermath 14/05/2008

Yesterday, I went home thinking that I would return to a faculty with two floors completely burned, yet still standing strong.

WRONG! As reported by the news, the north wing of the building collapsed at approximately 7PM (local time). This debris hit mainly the canteen, which nobody liked. The first two floors were less damaged by the fire, and there is hope yet for the library and collections, which were housed on this floor.

However, the school board decided that life must go on and we (students) are free until Monday. They also said that they will permit students using more sketches, virtual models or non-model presentations. The staff should be equipped with laptops ASAP.

Many people still lost a lot of work, including many longtime staff, and Phd students who lost a lot of their research.

There will be temporary tents set up as studios until the school ends (which is 3 weeks, excluding exams), while lectures will be housed at different faculties. Model making can be supported by the Faculty of Industriual Design. Personally, this I don’t mind, I’ve always wonderd what those other faculties look like and this is a great opportunity.

Meanwhile, we were informed that faculty was offered necessary space by other faculties, the Dutch Architectural institute, the Berlage institute and some other spaces were offered in Rijswijk and The Hague. However, the faculty would like to stay in Delft.

The plan is to finish the academic year and plan for the long term will be made in the summer vacation, after which we should be decvently facilitated. There are no plans for new building competion as of now, but this will be decided later on (We would probably all like someone like Rem Koolhaas to design the New Bouwkunde).

The remains of the building are not yet safe and therefore any cause of the fire is not yet known.  It is thought that it was actually a coffee machine that had a short circuit that started it all. The ruin is a great sight to behold. Whoever said that modernist buildings make bad ruins was wrong. The bare concrete and sooty wall are really unbelievable.

A large area around the building was closed off, so the pictures are from far away, but still…

BK just visible through the trees.

The collapsed north wing.

Peter

Bouwkunde Inferno

But no, seriously. If I complained today that nothing exciting happened, I’d be lying.

Yes, Our faculty caught on fire. First we had water leaks on the sixth floor, and these cause a short circuit which caused fire. And not something you can put out by peeing on. The flames consumed the south wing of the 6th and 7th floor. Luckily, I was had a lecture at the ground floor, so I was all right, and from what I overheard from the security, which was also confirmed by an email the school sent us, nobody is dead or seriously injured.

Firts we thought it was a fire drill, and I really hoped to learn about scripting in Maya (God it looks complicated). Then once outside we saw the smoke. From one side it looked rather less dramatic, but on the other side of the building, DAMN!

The largest damage that was caused was probably to the students and staff who kept their work there, as the 4th quarter of the year is in progress and people work really hard. To make the whole situation more regrettable, the sixth floor which caught fire was restored and refitted (with lovely 900 dollar chairs) last summer. In addition, the neighborhood is plagued by nasty fumes, which is made worse by the fact that we, architecture students use foams, plastics and other stuff you generally don’t want to burn.

I just hope that the school is insured and that the bulding won’t smell too much when we return. To prove that I’m not lying, I took some pictures (everyone with a mobile did). This was the situation at roughly 9:50. As of 12:15, the fire is still not under control.

Not too dramatic? That white cloud behind the building is NOT a cloud.

6 and 7 South are in flames.

As seen from the Shell gas station at TU wijk.

As seen from the Delft train station.

Peter

Tulips, last week of April 2008

I might have mentioned the fact that tulips are less easy to get in the Netherlands than one would expect, but that’s irrelevant.

I like tulips. Mainly becuase they are always blooming during my birthday. But as awesome as the tulip fields of Holland are, after a while, the mass monoculture can be quite boring and the whole idea of every flower being unique and beutiful is vulgarized.

That way, we can forget, that tulips can be quite a pleasant to look at in the garden, if used sparesly. Thse are some photos from my grandmother’s garden in Slovakia.

Peter

PS: I promise to write something that makes sense and has a point next time.