Event Gallery

A friend of mine took me to a tiny gallery in east London yesterday called the Event Gallery. It is located in Bethnal Green, hidden on a little side street. You would have to know about the place somehow, as it is in such a discreet location in a terrace house that you can't really find it by accident.

The gallery has a very intimate atmosphere, which intensified the visiting experience. At the moment, they have an intriguing exhibition on the effect of parasites living in the human brain on human behaviour. The exhibition illustrates through images how such parasites can totally control and change human behaviour. One is left with feelings of apprehension. Somehow the exhibition shows how there are factors out there out of our control and how we can't always know what is causing us to behave in the way that we do.

The exhibition is definitely worth a visit. Here is their website:

http://www.eventnetwork.org.uk/

Film Festival for young film makers

A good friend of mine, Filipe, started up a film festival for young, up and coming film makers in 2004. The festival has grown and developed from strength to strength over the past seven years. It is now the second biggest (closely following Berlin film festival) of its kind in the whole world.

The festival runs for one week in June-July. It consists of a variety of workshops, training sessions, networking events etc.. In the past, professionals in the field delivering workshops have included cast from 'Eyes wise shut' amongst other high profile names. It takes place in a beautiful beach town in norther Portugal. The whole package (incl. accommodation,access to all trainings etc.) costs a mere 130 euros!

Definitely a must for any young people wanting to get into the industry - an excellent opportunity for networking!

For more info, see:

http://vimeo.com/

http://www.fest.pt/2010/?lang=en

Helsinki - pearl in northern Europe

Having just spent a weekend in Helsinki area in Finland, I feel that I should fly the flag for the town. It is a lovely small-ish town located by the sea, with a fair share of old buildings mixd with more modern ones. There are several art galleries, museums, old markets and lots of cultural events on offer throughout the year.

Obviously, one's experience is rather different in the winter when the temperature is below freezing point and there is lots of snow, compared to summer-time when the average temperature is +25 with lots of sunshine. If you fancy doing some winter sport, January or February are the best times to go over. If you prefer sightseeing, go between June and September.

www.helsinki.fi/en/index.html

'Music is all around us. Just open your ears and listen.'

Any music lover would love the film 'August Rush'. The entire film is about the magic power of music.

The film is full of beautiful quotes on music and what music can give to us in today's world that is otherwise mad. Here are a couple tasters: ('How much do you love music?') 'More than food.'; 'Music is all around us. Just open your ears and listen.'.

I don't want to give too much away... Here is the trailer - try to find the full film as well and enjoy the magic touch of music:

www.imdb.com/title/tt0426931/

February is here!

February is here!

Doesn't it always feel like January drags on and that february goes very quickly?

This month holds some good celebrations in store. Here are some worth going to:

1. www.visitlondon.com/events/detail/4733685

2. www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/valentines-day-ideas-feature-604.html

3. www.brits.co.uk

Happy February, everyone!

The Xenophobe's Guide to the Japanese

I was given a book on the Japanese for Christmas this year. It is called 'Xenophobe's guide to the Japanese' and it is part of the xenophobe's series.

The book talks about the Japanese culture from a variety of perspectives and discusses a wide range of topics, such as education, lack of street names and the language. It gives a comic introduction to the culture and certainly makes the reader intrigued to learn more about the culture. I am definitely going to get my hands on other books of the series and learn about other countries!

Here is the link for the series if anyone is interested in knowing more:

http://www.ovalbooks.com/xeno/index.html

Iraq Inquiry

So what is Tony Blair up to nowadays? He is trying to facilitate peace in this world after helping to start out a number of conflicts and aiding in the killing on innocent civilians.

This week, he will be in London attending the Iraq inquiry. Will this inquiry bring about anything useful and concrete?

If you are against the Iraq War and want to show this to Mr Blair and other politicians, come along to a protest that the Stop the War Coalition is organising this Friday. See more details below:

http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/

http://www.stopwar.org.uk/