Percussive, melodic, and rhythmic

I don't want this to become a blog solely about musical discovery and the such, but I couldn't deprive you of the musical ingenuity of Maneli Jamal. By chance I stumbled upon his song, Movement III Ziur, a couple of days ago and since then I've been hooked. Of course, by nature, I had to delve a little deeper and find out how he came to do what he does, and I found quite the interesting tale of forced nomadic movement. I will leave it for your own interest to read up on him, but I will just add that perhaps it was because of these experiences that he was able to seek out the Arts (in this case through Music) to express himself through his experimentation with the acoustic guitar not only in its melodic abilities, but the less trodden territories of percussion and rhythm.

It is not often that I buy music, but without hesitation I click on the link to the itunes store and typed in my Credit Card details - if you're interested in buying his CD let me take one step out of the equation: click here

I leave you with a taste:




"The art of music is divine and effective. It is the food of the soul and spirit. Through the power and charm of music the spirit of man is uplifted."

'Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 52

Warning: startup disk full

Prompted by a warning of a full startup disk this afternoon I began an attempt to clear some space. I started sifting through all the files on my mac. I stopped when I came across a document dated March 24 2008, the day I left the Baha’i World Centre after spending a year as a janitor in the Cleaning and Maintenance Department. Reading over it brought tears to my eyes, as I’m sure were present at the time of documentation. I just wanted to share a part of it:

March 24^th 2008

I have been on the plane now for 3 hours. I have left my year of service behind. I’ve been constantly on the verge of tears for the past few days in the constant state of anxiousness I've been in. What has become of me? Why does it have to hurt so much? I left my heart in Haifa and my soul is floating freely somewhere in Bahji, entangled in the strings that were tied one by one and day by day to that most Holy place in the progress of the year that evaporated faster than the once oceanic-sized Dead Sea. Why couldn’t those strings keep me there? Why did they have to be only spiritual? Why couldn’t I tie myself to the Threshold? Or Collins Gate? Or even the BVC jani closest forever?

But no, I will never have that again. Bahji is not mine, the BVC is not my palace, and I am not her Queen. Handed down from year to year, the Throne is passed on with no thought of the one who kept her in shape, the marble shinning, the mirrors reflecting, the glass transparent, the carpet manicured, the trash emptied, the sinks dried, the toilet paper refilled, the paper dispenser first placed, the windowsill dustless, the walls mark free! 

No loyalty.

But I will be loyal, I will keep up the esteem of those walls. The glistening cleanliness, the calm and serenity, only interrupted by John’s wise-crack comments and the hundreds of pilgrims storming through the visitors' centre as if it were their own. I will turn up every morning as the sun rises from the East, turn on the lights, in the ending darkness, pull on the straps of on my backpack vacuum and start my daily tasks, only to leave when I finish for the day, as the sun shys away into the West, and I walk down to the Sherut stand on Derech HaArba'a, knowing I will be back the next morning.

If home is where the heart is, Bahji be home.

The Haram-i-Aqdas

The most amazing sunrises and sunsets

I've never seen a bluer sky

Twenty months later, those strings are still tied as firmly as ever. And Bahji is still home.

How to make friends in Iceland

A good friend of mine went to Iceland recently and being the awesome person she is, she discovered some Icelandic music that I'm guessing most of the world is yet unaware of. One of these artists was a group called FM Belfast. I couldn't find the clip for my favourite song of theirs, Synthia (Click here to hear), but here is the opening track on their album:

Chicago has nothing on Copenhagen

Copenhagen is official the windy city.

Yesterday I was riding my bicycle to a friend's place and on the way I was constantly being blown off course (imagine a bicycle involuntarily moving in a sideways direction). But not only was I being blown off course, the wind was enveloping me from all directions, one minute it would be pushing me forward leaving no need to pedal, the next I was pedaling like an Olympic cyclist and wasn't gaining any ground. I was trying to work out what the Danes did in such conditions, so I looked around me and realised I was the only bicycle in sight.

The night was nicely topped off when I arrived home later on, only to find the massive garbage bins on my street had tipped over and shifted about 100 meters down the street, dragging about 15 parked bicycles along with them.

Lesson of the day: Don't ride your bicycle when the wind is strong enough to blow garbage bins away.

Pic: http://feverishthoughts.com/oddplanet/tag/wind/

Just a spark

An image formed in the days of time,
a mold created with no end in mind,
a formation of character unable to redefine,
a perceived persona too elusive to define.
confined by an unwitting vibe,
unaware of any impression modified,
shocked by any ensuing reaction,
unable to explain any reason or decision.

NB: Please ask if you wish to quote.

Kill all my demons

I dare not write down the thoughts that spiral through my mind. For to write them down is to acknowledge them, to be written is to make them real, and to make them real is my greatest fear.

"Kill all my demons and my angels might die too" - Tennessee Wiliams


And on another note, curse all the bands/artists I love that are touring Australia this summer. I resent the fact that you didn't factor my inability to attend your shows into your tour plans. Namely, Florence + the Machine, Foals (DJ Set), Cat Power, Peaches, Ladyhawke, Laura Marling and Chairlift. And those are just the ones I've heard about so far... Curse you all.



pic: http://community.livejournal.com/randompictures/6947490.html

I relent. And so I blog.

I was woken this morning at an ungodly hour by Jose Gonzalez singing Crosses to me, instinctively I tried to snooze my phone, but realise someone from the outside world was making contact. There was screaming in my ear. and instantly I was wide awake with the biggest smile on my face, chortling at her apology for mixing up the time difference. It didn't matter, she made my day.

Its Sunday afternoon in Copenhagen , but it feels like night settled in hours ago. Winter is around the corner and as the days continue getting shorter and colder, I wonder if I will ever see the sun shine again. But there is a beauty in the darkness, it leaves things hidden, leaves things unsaid. Leaves a sense of mystery that the sun's rays erase the moment it peaks it head through the overcast Scandinavian sky.

Let go of your worries
and be completely clear-hearted,
like the face of a mirror
that contains no images.
If you want a clear mirror,
behold yourself
and see the shameless truth,
which the mirror reflects.
If metal can be polished
to a mirror-like finish,
what polishing might the mirror
of the heart require?
Between the mirror and the heart
is this single difference:
the heart conceals secrets,
while the mirror does not.
~ Rumi (The Divani Shamsi Tabriz, XIII)