Saturday

Musical Mystery Tour

En Julio de este año me lance a Londres para el concierto de Café Tacvba (no es que esto tengo gran relevancia, quizás sí, pero solo quería recordarlo). Y el concierto, やっぱり, fue algo así como el clímax de una etapa "musical". Es decir, meses antes del concierto música de Café Tacvba era todo lo que escuchaba. Y no es que me haya hartado, todo es parte de mi ser compulsivo. Ahora, empredí un tour por las carpetas de mi iTunes, y otras fuentes de "dudosa reputación", y he aquí algunos de mis "descubrimientos" (vamos, lo que he escuchado compulsivamente los últimos meses):

BARRET (Syd Barrett)
The madcaps laughs (Syd Barrett)
Where the wild things are (Karen O. and The Kids)
The boy who knew too much (Mika)
VH1 Storytellers (Tom Waits)
Rain dogs (Tom Waits)
Across the universe (OST)
9 (Damian Rice)
Breakup (Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson)
Give up (The postal service)
Nevermind (Nirvana)
Is there anybody out there? (Pink Floyd)
Mediocre (Ximena Sariñana)
Rastaman Vibration (Bob Marley)

creo que en general, Sy Barrett y Tom Waits es lo que me tiene más fascinada. Sí. Sí sé quien es Syd Barrett. No. No sabía quien era cuando empecé a escucharlo. Sí. Nunca había escuchado a Nirvana (o Pink Floyd, o Bob Marley). Y claro, Mika ya antes me había fascinado...

Friday

On translation

I started reading hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world, by Murakami. I actually bought this book quite some time ago. (and then I don't have anything relevant to say on that).

The point is, this is the first time I read an English translation of Murakami. So far, I'd read Spanish translations (and by Spanish I mean, European). I sure didn't love the other translation (mainly 'cause it didn't sound entirely like standard Spanish), but I "enjoyed" the effort of the translator to maintain the essence of the Japanese language. I mean, sometimes a direct translation might sound awkward (and it sure isn't good) but it reminds you the original was written in a language were the form modifies the meaning (as in every language you might say). So, again, my point is, the translation sounded funny, but it kept some (most) of the Japanese background. Now, the (English) translation might better as a translation (as reading doesn't feel funny), but it feels I'm reading someone else.

Now, I read some lines and I can't imagine a Japanese saying that. I sure imagined a Japanese saying some of the lines I read in the Spanish translation.

I'm just saying.

Sure, we all want world peace...

I don't trust the Nobel prize committee. Who says they don't decide the recipient for the prize (in particular the Nobel Peace prize) based on political reasons?!?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8298580.stm

... and it's not only because Borges was never awarded one. This world's leaders are wrong. Wrong. (and so is the rest of the population).

things I shouldn't say here

You know there's something wrong with you when your advisor write things like:

- you don't need to send me an update now [...] Go home and have a weekend.

- Don't stay up until the wee hours to get them to me