Blue Valentine

The first thing that needs to be said about this film is that it isn't a comfortable watch. It brings a close to the bone type reality that is all too often shirked by filmakers. Credit therefore has to go to Director & Writer Derek Cianfrance who struggled for years to get the finance together to complete this project. It is to the audiences great benefit that he eventually got this film made for it is an important one. It is in essence a drama centering on the gradual disintegration of a relationship between a couple played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. It is played out in an unconventional manner flashing back and forth between varying stages of the relationship, the good the bad and the eventual collapse. The good centers mainly on the meeting and falling in love process, the bad on the gradual decline and inevitable final collapse. By polarising the film between these two extremes we are left crestfallen with the ending because much of what we had known was the good and the happy. We had fallen in love with these characers with all the innoncence that marked the early stages of their relationship.
Indeed Gosling had never seen the bad, all he knew was the good. He was just floating along, completely oblivious to the signs that all was not right with Williams' character. It is in this knowledge that we struggle all the way with Gosling as he tries to face up to the inevitable. All those things that were once cute and funny are now just seen as annoying by Williams, despite the adulation of their daughter, who Gosling had agreed to raise despite the fact that the child was not his.
These little details just make us emphasise more with Goslings character. There is no panto villian here that would make the disintegration of the relationship an easy and logical one. There is in fact no easy fix, as is the way with anyone who has gone through the pain of a relationship breaking down. Sometimes there aren't even any overwhelming reasons, simply a loss of feelings that were once commonplace.
Gosling & Williams deserve special acclaim for their perfect potrayal and Cianfrance hold everything together neatly. A must watch.

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Another Year

I was lucky enough to be given guestlist +1 for this films premiere in Prague on Wednesday night last. Although none of the stars were there we were given a short introduction by the distributors as well as after show refreshments. None of that is important however, the real star is the movie here. I can take or leave Mike Leigh films but this was a standout classic. The usual social commentary and realism feel that you get from Leigh films is here at its devestating best. It will have you laughing one minute and hurting the next, empathising with each and every character and the hand that life has dealt them. The film unfolds over the course of four seasons, each bringing a new layer to the last whilst still holding a continuation of theme.
The writing throughout hits every right note and brought to life brilliantly by the cast. It seems unfair to single out any one individual in the acting stakes as all were brilliant but the performance of Lesley Manville as the desperate alcoholic Mary deserves special recognition. She steals every scene with her humour mixed with desperation.
This is a tale that speaks to all those who live on the margins of so called normal life, somehow cast adrift of the normality which is daily for most. This may have come about by bereavement as is the case with one of the characters or simply by bad luck. There is no happy ending here to tie it all up nicely. Instead there is that lingering shot of Mary taking the film out to its conclusion. We are left to ponder and that is in fact the perfect ending and one which I'm sure Leigh was striving for.
Do yourself a favour and go see this movie. It is one of the best I have seen.

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Prague Diaries - 2010

After a considerable gap I am back blogging. There is one overriding factor to explain my absence since September, aside from my laziness that is and that is the fact that our new apartment was broken in to and my laptop stolen. It was a frigtening experience and one which left an indelible sensation of shock. It happened on a Tuesday night in mid October. Zuzana had been out with an old university friend and they both made their way back to the apartment shortly after midnight. After a few too many her brain was on slow mode and she forgot to lock our entrance door. This shouldn't have been a major issue because to gain access to our apartment you must first have a key for the front door or else buzz in for access. Now I was halfway to sleep when she got in to bed. Shortly after there was a buzzing from downstairs to our apartment. Half asleep I dismissed it as someone who had pressed the wrong buzzer. I later came to realise that they were just testing the waters. When they received no answer they obviously decided to proceed to enter. With Zuzana having forgotten to lock our front door their task was made easier. As I was trying to get back to sleep I heard our bedroom door open. I automatically assumed it was Zuzana's friend coming back from the bathroom who had made a mistake and opened the door to our room and not the spare room which she was staying in. I later realised that this was one of the burglars.
Fast forward to next morning and we were preparing to leave for work. I went to grab my wallet which I always left on the living room table, it wasn't there and the change that I had left on the table was also scattered. I next looked to the floor where my laptop was left. That too was missing. I immediately turned to Zuz and asked her if she had put them somewhere after coming home. I knew from her look that she hadn't and it was at that exact moment that we realised we had been burgled. I then began to search back in my mind over the buzzing and door opening from the night before. My anger immediately turned to shock at what had taken place. We called the police and they came with a 4 strong team and later by two detectives and a forensic team to take fingerprints and photographs. Along with the laptop I'd been stung for around 4k in cash (Czech Crowns), all my cards and travel pass. This wasn't what I needed just as things were beginning to settle down. We filed a report with the police later that evening but there has been no positive outcome to that particular exercise.
That was the bad of the last quarter of 2010 but there was also much to report on the good side of the ledger, none more so than the fact that I landed a plum job in early October. I began my role as a GL Accountant for the global leading Johnson & Johnson company on October 10th. I attended 1 interview and after a successful consequent negotiation I was hired. It was a great opportunity to join one of the world's biggest and most innovative companies and one which I wasn't going to turn down, despite having another offer on the table. I am glad to report that 3 months in and with my probabtion period passed that I have made the right choice. As well as learning about new processes there is a major focus on personal development in the company which can only be beneficial in to the future. My colleagues have helped me settle in quickly and despite some language difficulties we manage to get the message across. Although the business language is english most of my colleagues are czech so that is the dominant voice in the office. Speaking of Czech my courses ran twice a week up until mid december and progress, although slow, is visble or should I say audible. The language is certainly a challenge but one which I am enjoying. It's nice to see the appreciative reaction of Czech people to my efforts even if I feel like a fraud sometimes.
Those were the two major moments of the last quarter of 2010. Interspersed in all that was many good nights out, including a free bar at the Christmas party (Woops!) and my first Christmas away from home. The Czech christmas isn't all that different from home in all honesty except for the food. I really missed that banquet prepared by my mother at home. A dinner of carp and potato salad, whilst nice, pales in comparison.

Here is to 2011 and hopefully many more good nights and days.

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Cowen & The Few Pints

I observed from a distance the furor that followed Brian Cowen's Morning Ireland interview. To say I was surprised would be understating it. This wasn't a good interview by any stretch but neither was it deserving of the genuine outrage which followed. Mr Cowen has never been a wonderful orator. He is a man possessed of a strong intellect but his communication skills have all too often been of the gruff and rushed variety. He is always on message however and that it what a citizen would demand of their leader.
The interview itself lasted around 10 minutes and Mr Cowen had a couple of slips of the tongue, to which he immediately corrected himself it should be said. He was attending a Fianna Fail party think in Galway. These occasions serve not only as a meeting of minds but also as a social occasion once the business of the day is over. As such Mr Cowen and his followers indulged in a number of pints and embraced the social side of the event. He had a late night, 3.30 am by some accounts, and then presented himself for the Morning Ireland interview shortly before 9 the next morning. His delivery was hoarse and hesitant, befitting someone with only a few hours sleep. He didn't make any major errors despite the case presented to the contrary. Fine Gael's Simon Coveney described him as 'halfway between drunk and hungover'. This was picked up by the Pat Kenny show and the baying masses begun to smell blood. The loony asylum that is Liveline gave the masses their voice, warranted or not.
If someone were to tune in to this show without knowing the background they would be forgiven for thinking this was an alcohol free society, filled with devout pioneers and that Cowen had been steamed on air at a quarter to nine. There was the odd modicum of sense from the minority of callers.However, it wasn't in the interest of RTE to push the minority callers view, ie the sensible analysis of the situation. Instead it attempted to hype this event to silly levels and further fuel the fires of an already disillusioned public. RTE took the easy sensationalist route on a public who didn't need much encouragement when it came to Fianna Fail bashing. This for me is the greatest worry to come out of this episode. That being the further slipping of standards across the media.
It isn't just confined to Ireland of course. This (non)story was syndicated across the world. At one point it was one of the most read stories on the BBC website. The effect being to reinforce the gombeen stereotype that is lazily used against Ireland. This at a time when Ireland's reputation is on its knees. This trashy tabloid centred style of journalism is unfortunately permeating media organisations across the world. The rational, researched and balanced article is being replaced by the hearsay, agenda based and sensational type article. The more space given over to these articles, the more de-sensitised the populace become to them. In the long run this is to the detriment of not only the reader but also to the goodwill and reputation built up by media organisations over time. The media organisations will argue that there is a market for this type of stuff but the reality is that they are being force fed it.
It's time for a return to good standards in journalism. Liveline will always be there for the wingers and sensationalists.

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Prague Diaries - Week 6

A largely uneventful week it has to be said. I will refrain from a daily breakdown as it isn't warranted. The weekdays pretty much took the following format; apply for any English speaking jobs in the Accounting sector. I have a stack of emails with the standard rejection template, ie 'We have reviewed your profile and decided that we will not offer you an interview at this time. Please continue to visit our website for future opportunities'. I have some solace in the fact that I am by no means alone. One of the girls from my Czech class is also job hunting presently. She has a law degree and masters in marketing and is finding it difficult to secure a position without Czech.
We had a visit from Zuzana's mother and her partner Ladia on the weekend. They were returning from a weeks holiday in Austria and stopped by on Saturday evening.They arrived pretty late in the evening and all parties were hungry by then. We headed to one of the local restaurants, a mere 2 minutes walk from the apartment. They served traditional Czech dishes in a nice environment. We took a place in the beer garden as it was a nice evening. There were rugs on the back of each seat to stave off any impending cold. I opted for svicková which is quickly becoming one of my favourite dishes. It also happens to be one of the most reasonable dishes on most menus. After filling our bellies and washing it all down with a few beers we retired home around 11. An hour of browsing holiday photos and it was time to hit the hay.
Zuz's mother and Ladia took a walk to Wenceslas next morning before meeting up with friends in the afternoon. Zuz got back to finishing her thesis and I kicked back for the day after a brief walk in the hot September sun.
Tuesday saw lesson 3 in my Czech course. It's strange but it feels like being back in national school all over again. Learning numbers, days of the week, seasons, food items (with pictures), it's all a bit surreal. Nonetheless it's enjoyable so far and we have a good group who are fun to be around. The teacher is also very patient with us which helps a lot because there is no getting away from the fact that it is a difficult language.
I returned home after classes to catch United's game with Rangers in the first round proper of the Champions league. Dire rubbish, I'll leave it at that.

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Movie Themes

A selection of some of my favorite themes from movies. Also included are some tracks which weren't main themes.

The Bourne Series - Main Theme - Composer John Powell



Gladiator - Main Theme - Composer Hans Zimmer




Pirates of The Caribbean - Main Theme - Composer Hans Zimmer



Home Alone - Main Theme - Composer John Williams



Home Alone - Setting The Trap - Composer John Williams



The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - The Money Train - Composers Nick Cave & Warren Ellis



American Beauty - Main Theme - Composer Thomas Newman



Requiem For A Dream - Main Theme - Composer Clint Mansell



The Godfather - Main Theme - Composer Nino Rota



Broken Flowers - There Is An End - Composers The Greenhornes ft. Holly Golightly



Shutter Island - Main Theme - Composer Krzysztof Penderecki



Das Leben Der Anderen - Main Theme - Composers Stephane Moucha & Gabriel Yared



Munich - 1972 - Composer John Williams



Catch Me If You Can - Main Theme - Composer John Williams



Slumdog Millionaire - Latika's Theme - Composer AR Rahman



Cinema Paradiso - Main Theme - Composer Ennio Morricone



Brokeback Mountain - Main Theme - Composer Gustavo Santaolalla



The Untouchables - Vesti La Giubba - Composer Ruggero Leoncavello

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Prague Diaries - Week 5

Wednesday September 1st
Saturday is moving day in a golf tournament. For us it came on a Wednesday and constituted a 10 minute taxi trip across town with all the belongings to our name, in the Czech Republic at least. In this case two large and two small suitcases. We were both looking forward to the move and having a long term residence. The short term rental was fine and all but it never felt comfortable. It was a small space in truth.
We arrived shortly before 10am to be greeted by the landlord. He helped us haul the cases in to the lift. Next stop Floor 3 and the start of the next 12 months. The place looks and feels right and out initial instincts prove correct. The estate agent arrives a few minutes later with copies of the lease agreement. We have a read over them and sign three copies, 1 for ourselves, 1 for the landlord and 1 for the estate agent. One sideline to this is the agents commission. It was one part of the process which we had difficulty with. They charge a months rent as commission for finding you the apartment and drafting the lease agreements. It's extremely steep but it can be hard to avoid as they seem to have the majority of attractive apartments on their books.
Zuzana departs to head back to work and I begin the process of unpacking the bags. I get through it in about an hour and then give the place a once over and compile a snag list. There isn't anything of significance really as the place is in very good nick. Most of it centres around some repainting of walls which have been tainted by scratches or marks. The dishwasher wasn't working either but that was remedied by simply switching on a valve behind the sink. The landlord, Mr Sharaf, is a pleasant middle aged man who deals with our queries in a considered and pleasant manner.
One unfortunate is that the apartment isn't equipped with an iron and ironing board, nor a clotheshorse. It amazes me that a large number of apartments don't supply what is a basic requirement.
Thursday September 2nd
The first nights sleep in the new bed was a good one. That's not something I've always been able to say, I'm usually quite a bad sleeper when away from my usual lodgings, depending on the amount of drink consumed of course!
True to his word Mr Sharaf returns to go through the snag list. He is apologetic as he hoped to have ironed out all these small issue before we moved in. He though he would have had a few extra days but as it was we had to move immediately as the old apartment was being rented out to a new tenant. He applied a coat of paint to cover up the wear and tear marks of the previous tenants. He fixed a slight looseness in the bathroom door. He applied some pollyfilla to the bottom corner of the shower door as we had identified some leakage from a previous evenings shower. He fixed the issue with the dishwasher by turning on the valve. The final issue was to put our names on the intercom panel outside the front door and to get us a key for our letterbox. These issues he would see to over the coming days in conjunction with the Italian Management company.
The fridge and cupboards still needed to be stocked with food so I waited for Zuz to come home from work and we headed off. Given our central location we are within walking distance of a few supermarkets. We choose Tesco on this occasion as it's the closest.
I haven't missed a lot of things food wise from back home but tea was one of them. It was proving hard to find black tea similar to back home. Tesco carried a Lipton yellow label however which is the closest I've found so far. The previous tea I had been using had been infused with bergamot which is great for all those bergamot fans out there but it didn't wash with my taste buds. I never thought I'd miss the Barry's so much but there you go. God, I sound like one of those ad's I consistently cringed at. I haven't had any hankerings for a fry up mind so I'm not quite the disconsolate paddy abroad.
Friday September 3rd
The weekend is on the horizon. The day starts off with a call from a company who I had applied to for a job a week previous. I had a quick phone interview with a HR representative and was told they would be in contact if they wanted me to come in for interview next week. I didn't leave the conversation with a good feeling however because she told me that they were ideally looking for someone who could speak a proficient level of Czech along with English. I also apply for an open position for a Financial Analyst with Accenture in the afternoon.
This evening sees the first round of the qualifiers for Euro 2012. I need to find an Irish pub showing it. There is an 'Irish' bar named Martins about four minutes walk from the apartment, very close to the IP Pavlova metro station. I am in town around lunchtime to pick up the Prague Post so I stop in to Martins on my way back to inquire if they were showing the game. The conversation with the barman went something like this.
Me: Dobry Den, mvulite anglicksky prósím? (Hello, Do you speak English please?)
Barman: Eh, uh, eh, a little.
Me: Are you showing the Irish game this evening?
Barman: Eh, uh, Which game is that?
Me: The football game vs Armenia.
Barman: [brings up CT4, the Czech public sports channel and scans the listings] shakes his shoulders
Me: Thanks, Bye.
The cheek of these guys to be passing off as an Irish bar. I return home and scan the pub listings in the Prague Post. There is an Irish bar on Stepanska called Rocky O Reillys which is described as 'rowdy, but in a good way'. Stepanska is only about a 12 minute walk from the apartment so off I head about quarter to 5. Zuz will join me after she finishes work. The place is very quiet for a Friday evening but it is early enough for weekenders I suppose. The pub is split in to 2 sections. The one immediately left of the entrance is the more twee Irish of the two sides, with the pictures of Irish pubs on the wall and the obligatory signposts. The other side, to the right as you go in the front door is much larger and this section screens all the home nation internationals on a number of screens. A plus is the attractive waitresses who ferry the drink to the tables promptly.
The game itself is dire enough but the result was what was needed. Armenia away will be tricky for all opponents in the group. After the game we grab a McDonalds, primarily because Zuz want's some coca cola glasses on offer with a menu plus meal. I'm lazy so I'm happy to go along with McDonalds for this evening. It's only a five minute walk home from there and kick back with a bit of telly for the rest of the night.
Saturday September 4th
Zuz is going to be busy all weekend on her thesis so I pretty much have a free rein. It's a cracking day so I decide it's better to spend as much of it as possible outdoors. I walk to Wenceslas Square, takes about fifteen minutes at a leisurely pace. The centre is teeming with tourists as always and the atmosphere can often be claustrophobic, especially in this heat. I needed to pick up a few household items so I nip in to Marks & Spencers and pick them up. I then head to Luxor bookstore to hopefully pick up a copy of the expats.cz survival guide. Expats.cz is a website exclusively designed for Prague's many new arrivals. It has a forums section as well as many news articles that would be of interest to expats. It also produces an annual survival guide which is a great reference point for the many requirements a new arrival might have, telephone numbers, street maps, addresses etc. I ask an elderly lady in Luxor who hasn't two words of English for the guide. I then try a younger member of staff who tell me he has never heard of it and they don't have it in store. So much for this place being listed as an authorised supplier. I then head to another bookstore that is listed as supplying the guide. It is an english owned bookstore down by the old town square. Unfortunately they are out of stock so it was somewhat of a wasted journey. I did manage to pick up some pyjamas in H&M on the way home. I have a feeling they'll be needed once the Autumn sets in. Underpants just won't cut it at this time.
Sunday September 5th
A nice lie in to round off the week. There really is sweet dam all on the schedule today, not even a premiership match to kick back to. In the morning we head to the local Billa supermarket for a weekly shop. We get about four bags worth including beer for the equivalent of about €40. Not too shabby at all.
I take a walk up to Namesti Miru in the afternoon. There is a nice big square there to wind away the afternoon in the presence of some of Prague's nicest buildings.
I complete my research on possible language course options in the evening. Zuz finds a well regarded school that is only around four minutes walk from the apartment and they have reasonable rates also. They are offering a 1 month intensive course for beginners starting on Tuesday the 7th @ 6pm. That consists of two evenings a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, running from 6 - 8.30. The cost comes in at the equivalent of just over €100. There is also the option to progress to the next stage after completion of the beginners course.
Monday September 6th
I apply for a position with an American company in Prague 4 this morning. It's for a senior accountant position and I tick most of the boxes required. I need to apply for every job with English as the number 1 language as there aren't an abundance of them in the accounting field. I have even started pondering the notion of teaching English if something doesn't turn up in accounting soon.
In the afternoon I head down to the language school to register, a process that is completed in all of 2 minutes. I'm looking forward to getting started on it because it was one of my main priorities along with getting a job when I move to Prague. English isn't as widely or well spoken as I had though before coming so getting a handle on the difficult Czech language is now a must.
I prepare a killer chicken szechaun for dinner and that;s about that for Monday the 6th of September.
Tuesday 7th September
The morning is spent browsing job sites and catching up with any news back home. A cursory browse of the RTE website and a listen to some of the shows on Radio 1 tells me that not much has changed. The faltering economy dominates once more and our clueless politicians are as clueless as ever.
Today is all about the busy evening schedule. I will be starting my Czech lessons at 6 followed by the Irish game at 8.45 local time. I should be able to finish classes, head home and drop the bag and be down to O Reillys just in time for kick off. That's the plan anyway. I get dinner in early at 5 to prepare for the long evening ahead. A simple pasta dish but pasta is great for sustenance.
I leave the apartment at ten to six for the short walk to the language school. I climb the 2 flights of stairs and the first door on the left is marked 'Beginners Czech, Intensive'. There is only the teacher present so far, a pleasant woman in her thirties by the name of Draha. We are soon joined by 2 German women, one an intern with the German Chamber in Prague named Elizabeth, the other an older German women named Monika. The final member of the group is a 22 year old Armenian girl called Karmela, a masters student at the University of New York Prague. That means by default I am the only male, fine by me. No need for any of that male posturing.
The class progresses at a nice pace. The basics like the 'to be' table and 'to have' table are first on the agenda followed by the correct pronunciation of the alphabet and some numbers. There is also some dialogue practice towards the end of the lesson to recap on what was studied throughout. This is going to be difficult but worthwhile I reckon.
Class over, albeit 15 minutes later then scheduled. No worries I reckon, it's a Tuesday night and we're playing Andorra. The place will probably be as quiet as last Friday. How wrong I was. I arrived just after 9. I have a look in to the Irish section to the left of the front door. It's jammers so I chance the larger side. When I eventually get to the bar at the top it's just as jammed. I head to the counter and get a pint of budvar. I manage to grab a stool at the corner of a table occupied by an English couple. I knew this because they were both wearing the 3 lions. The place is hopping and roasting. A quick glance around the room tells me why. This section of the bar is very much a sports bar. The 2 screens above the bar are showing the Irish game. The projector screen in the middle of the room is showing the England game with commentary (the cheek!). The screen in the right corner of the room was showing the German game with its own corner of German fans. The screen to the right of where I was sitting was showing the Scotland game. The atmosphere was electric. The games didn't quite match but Ireland once again secured the win and 6 points from 2 games was the aim. Tougher games to follow. The English stuttered to victory in a game which included a stunning strike form the young Swiss player Shaquiri. Scotland meanwhile were incredibly lucky to strike a 97th minute winner against the mighty Lichtenstein. I head home after a few Budvars and crawl in to bed. A good evenings work.

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