Beeing torn apart by Richard Bona

14.04.2008 - Richard Bona in PKO, Bratislava, Slovakia. What a concert! (Click here for interview after the concert)

First I was afraid if I wouldn't like the concert after an AIESEC conference I still feel the PCS (post conference syndrome see: http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/AIESEC note uncyclopedia is not a relevant, nor trustworthy source of information! see rather wikipedia!), longing for the great OC team, but the international atmosphere on the stage made me quite fast comfortable in my position as a listener ;)

I always loved the typical African singing voice which is for me so indescribable, and now I had an opportunity to listen to it. Though I heard less from it then I expected, it was still a marvelous event far beyond my expectations. His repertoire listed mainly traditional African songs and I would say Latino type of music.

The problem on the Jazz concerts in Bratislava is mainly that you have to sit. And this concert was definitely for dancing your soul out. That's why I say I was torn apart. Should I enjoy the well positioned tones following each other by solving their mystery or let my body flow with it. I lost to my natural desire very quickly an was hard to handle in my chair, though as usual most of the audience bewared a calm had. But the clapping, screaming, whispering in the background broke through and 30 minutes before the end of the concert the whole place was clapping and singing "sen sen sen"... so much that Mr Bona and his band stopped playing for around 2 minutes and made the audience enjoy themselves.

He is a great entertainer. He put a lot of great jokes in his concert and made us laugh a lot of times. Like "only women over 40 should sing now"... silence ... "oooh, when you are over 40 in Bratislava your finished" :)

He also gave a solo to his percussionist from Colombia, to have a solo. Amazing.

At the end of the concert there was a 3 minute long standing ovation, one song where the audience had to stand, and should dance... but that was already to much for this type of people... anyway the mood was good and after another 3 minutes of clapping it was said to us, that there is going to be no more music. Central European people don't complain after this. Used to the fact, that the end, means the end, and so the people where slowly moving on.

All in all I was moving all the time in my chair, one of the best concerts of my life, hope to have a good Latino party on Friday ;)

Brezno

Sometime during February I was in the Low Tatra's (Malé Tatry) in Slovakia. I was there with a few good friends and enjoyed the weekend a lot, with sleeping, drinking a bit, playing table hockey and table football and singing. The usual stuff, which makes you feel fine and enjoy the company of good people. I don't want to go into detail. Don't think I want to.

What I want to talk about, and I'm sure I will remember for a longer time, is the city Brezno and it's surroundings. The first day I was going by foot for around 12 km's to see a near cave. The nature was beautiful, the weather clear, the roads slippery... The time flew by, and with a good friend to talk to it is always a good experience. Around 1pm, when we started to feel hunger, we stumbled upon a small cheese shop, where traditional Slovak cheeses were sold. Delicious! We bough also "bryndza" (sheep cheese) and "korbaciky" (woven cheese - the best were with onion flavor yam). And then we visited a stalagmite cave near there. (no pictures allowed, only for extra costs of course).

The second day I had a trip to Brezno. One of my friends lives here, so I was very interested in the city. As it is not a big city (you can see the whole city from the near hills) I enjoyed to walk freely and not getting lost a lot ;) As it was such a wonderful day I made a walk near the river, after like an hour I started to get hungry, so I tried to get to the city center. I was thinking what would I say, when somebody would ask me where I'm heading to, and I imagined to reply to a friend who lives in the Hviezdoslavovo street (in every Slovak city there is a street with that name.). For my biggest surprise just a few minutes later I found that street. Theory proven :P

Then my travels continued and with a rather long detour I got into the city center. Nice :) Wanted to eat something, found a pizzeria, at 16:00 they serve every pizza for 90 Skk. Fine... it's 15:00. Let's go around a bit more. Following some older buildings I got to a church and behind it was a road up a hill. I believed I will get a nice picture from the city from up there. I think in this case I was mistaken... at least not with a mobile camera...

The road went right into a graveyard. I felt a pleasing calmness and sadness while I was up there. I was looking around and found a few old graves and sepulchers. It was a beautiful day. I needed to be alone for a while, and this was the best place to do so.

and a nice pizza and a good beer at the end!
Cheers!

Beware of the Thing

Back in the 60's... A small family: mother, father, two children, a grandma, an uncle and a butler. Sounds quite normal, as it is. Though there is some more to mention like a lion, a hand and a dark, spooky surrounding. For those who don't know yet, I'm talk about the Addams Family.

In the last week I found most of the episodes of the original show on the Internet and I am watching it since then. I enjoy the the family members roles, and how they harmonize with each other.
A silly father, Gomez, who seems careless and is focused only on the things he loves, his hobbies, family and mostly his "querida". When near his wife he is easily falling into an almost uncontrollable state of the urge to kiss her.
The strange mother, Morticia. In my eyes a beauty in all means. Black long hair, humorous, full of the will to live with sarcastic and dark remarks. Having control over the family. It's nice to see, that she always has a good word to everybody, and encourages them.
The children being smart and "well mannered", playing with all childish things, like explosives, bats and spiders.
Lurch is someone no one could ignore. Gloomy, quite and still has so much to say with so few words... like grrr...
And uncle Fester. Who is simply crazy. Thing the hand, who never dials a wrong number, is always helpful. Kitty the lion, who doesn't eat human and is afraid when somebody screams at him and the burger eating plant called Cleopatra :)

A beautiful story of outsiders of the society, who in their own misunderstood ways try to be as polite and helpful as they can be. The jokes are always from the same field, and in this age you already know most of them, never the less the atmosphere of the family caught me, and so I will watch all of it. There are just two series anyway ;)

PS: I'm watching the series through veoh.com , if anybody is interested...

The Plains - Petőfi Sándor

I have the feeling that most of the people I know from my hometown and surroundings, with whom I was going into grammar and high-school have something in common. We love the place we are living. It is nothing special, I believe most of the people feel the same about their hometown and the places around it.
I won't go deep into the talk about why I feel so, cause it isn't anything you can describe, I rather put here a poem of a Hungarian poet. I won't translate the whole poem, just the phrases I had to learn in school and are still sometimes flying in my mind - cause I feel that way. It's quite a hard text to translate.

1.verse:
What are you for me, grim pine-grove lands,
Wilderness of the Carpathian Mountains
Though I admire you, but I don't love you,
And my thoughts don't wander in your valleys

2.verse:
Down on the plains, flat as the sea,
There I feel at home, there's my world
I'm like an eagle which escaped from his prison
When I see the never ending fields.

3.verse
Then my mind flies up
Above the ground near the clouds,
With the smile of the fields
From the Danube to the Tisza .

Last verse:
You are beautiful, plains, at least beautiful for me!
Here was my cradle slewed, I was born here.
Here should the shroud burrow my face, here
should my grave round up above me.


Az Alföld - Petőfi Sándor

Mit nekem te zordon Kárpátoknak
Fenyvesekkel vadregényes tája!
Tán csodállak, ámde nem szeretlek,
S képzetem hegyvölgyedet nem járja.

Lenn az alföld tengersík vidékin
Ott vagyok honn, ott az én világom;
Börtönébõl szabadúlt sas lelkem,
Ha a rónák végtelenjét látom.

Felröpûlök ekkor gondolatban
Túl a földön felhõk közelébe,
S mosolyogva néz rám a Dunától
A Tiszáig nyúló róna képe.

Délibábos ég alatt kolompol
Kis-Kunságnak száz kövér gulyája;
Deleléskor hosszu gémü kútnál
Széles vályu kettõs ága várja.

Méneseknek nyargaló futása
Zúg a szélben, körmeik dobognak,
S a csikósok kurjantása hallik
S pattogása hangos ostoroknak.

A tanyáknál szellõk lágy ölében
Ringatózik a kalászos búza,
S a smaragdnak eleven szinével
A környéket vígan koszorúzza.

Idejárnak szomszéd nádasokból
A vadlúdak esti szürkületben,
És ijedve kelnek légi útra,
Hogyha a nád a széltõl meglebben.

A tanyákon túl a puszta mélyén
Áll magányos, dõlt kéményü csárda;
Látogatják a szomjas betyárok,
Kecskemétre menvén a vásárra.

A csárdánál törpe nyárfaerdõ
Sárgul a királydinnyés homokban;
Odafészkel a visító vércse,
Gyermekektõl nem háborgatottan.

Ott tenyészik a bús árvalyányhaj
S kék virága a szamárkenyérnek;
Hûs tövéhez déli nap hevében
Megpihenni tarka gyíkok térnek.

Messze, hol az ég a földet éri,
A homályból kék gyümölcsfák orma
Néz, s megettök, mint halvány ködoszlop,
Egy-egy város templomának tornya. –

Szép vagy, alföld, legalább nekem szép!
Itt ringatták bölcsõm, itt születtem.
Itt borúljon rám a szemfödél, itt
Domborodjék a sir is fölöttem.

Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!

On the 1.September in Bratislava there were the crowning ceremonies again (5th in row). What I pictures I have seen on some ceremonies before, they were a bit better prepared, but anyway it was a nice experience for me.

I was of course a bit disappointed, when the queen of Hungary is crowned and not even one Hungarian world was heard (Slovak, Latin and German were), but anyway I had to accept it as a big theater, with a touch of a medieval fashion show...

Well it all started with a quite tricky weather, which couldn't really decide, if it wants to rain or not...

Well the crowning was fine, no raindrops falling from the sky, it all went on without problems. One of the biggest attractions was, that Otto von Habsburg came for this event also. He would be the rightful Caesar of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy.

The most fan part for me was what came after this. The people started to move and we were heading on the other side of the Duna. To say the truth from all those medieval clothing I loved the most to group of people, which were thank god quite near to each other. From one I made a lot of pics, see the link below, from the second, sorry no sound :P

What I'm talking about is the group with fur cloths, which amazed me again and again. The (most propably) fox fur on them has a such beautiful color, that I was loving it from the first time I saw it. The queen and the king weren't important anymore :)

And the second group was the drum players, who gave the ritm in my legs, which made me understand how well would I feel to go with drums giving the ritm to my movement.

I enjoyed this pretty much, although when we were crossing the bridge the clouds got overfilled and let on us a whole lot of water at once... At least it wasn't lightning and in around 30 mins the weather was fine again.

We tried afterwards the "local" stores. If anybody knows what burciak is in English please tell me, we had some glasses of that (one of the best I have ever tasted). Bad luck, that I had to leave earlier and couldn't see the cavaliers.

Another nice experience. And a few pics taken with my now broken phone :( http://picasaweb.google.com/hajdupeti/ASmallCrowningCeremony

Tiszta szívvel

Tiszta szívvel

Nincsen apám, se anyám,
se istenem, se hazám,
se bölcsôm, se szemfedôm,
se csókom, se szeretôm.

Harmadnapja nem eszek,
se sokat, se keveset.
Húsz esztendôm hatalom,
húsz esztendôm eladom.

Hogyha nem kell senkinek,
hát az ördög veszi meg.
Tiszta szívvel betörök,
ha kell, embert is ölök.

Elfognak és felkötnek,
áldott földdel elfödnek
s halált hozó fû terem
gyönyörûszép szívemen.

1925

----------------------------------------------------

Song of Innocence (With A Pure Heart)

I have no God, I have no land,
no father, nor a mother's hand.
I have no crib or coffin-cover;
I share no kisses, I have no lover.

Three days I have been starving numb
for lack of either feast or crumb.
My strength: I'm twenty, whole and hale,
my twenty years are up for sale.

If no one wants to have a try,
then let the Devil come and buy.
and I will jimmy safe and fence,
kill, too, if need, in innocence.

Upon a noose they swing me high
then in the good soil I will lie --
and tips of poison grasses start
to prick above my splendid heart.

Translated by Anton N. Nyerges, Thomas Kabdebo [& Adam Makkai]

found at: http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/hellyer/attila.html

One of my favourite poems (translation below)

József Attila: Íme, hát megleltem hazámat

Íme, hát megleltem hazámat,
a földet, ahol nevemet
hibátlanul írják fölébem,
ha eltemet, ki eltemet.

E föld befogad, mint a persely.
Mert nem kell (mily sajnálatos!)
a háborúból visszamaradt
húszfilléres, a vashatos.

Sem a vasgyűrű, melybe vésve
a szép szó áll, hogy új világ,
jog, föld. – Törvényünk háborús még
s szebbek az arany karikák.

Egyedül voltam én sokáig.
Majd eljöttek hozzám sokan.
Magad vagy, mondták; bár velük
voltam volna én boldogan.

Így éltem s voltam én hiába,
megállapíthatom magam.
Bolondot játszottak velem
s már halálom is hasztalan.

Mióta éltem, forgószélben
próbáltam állni helyemen.
Nagy nevetség, hogy nem vétettem
többet, mint vétettek nekem.

Szép a tavasz és szép a nyár,
de szebb az ősz s legszebb a tél,
annak, ki tűzhelyet, családot
már végképp másoknak remél.

1937. november 24.

-------------------------------------------

And So I've Found
My Native Country...

And so I've found my native country,
that soil the gravedigger will frame,
where they who write the words above me
do not for once misspell my name.

This black collection-box receives me
(for no one needs me any more),
this Iron Six that was worth twenty,
this coin left over from the war.

None needs that iron ring inscripted
with sweet words, that the world is new:
rights, land.--Our laws are the leftovers;
now pretty gold rings all pursue.

For many years I had been lonely.
Then many people visited.
I'd have been happy if they'd stayed.
You are alone, was what they said.

And so I lived, useless and empty,
and now I see it all quite plain.
They let me play the fool until
by now even my death's in vain.

All through my life I've tried to weather
the whirlwind that would always blow.
I was more sinned against than sinning,
and it's a laugh that it was so.

Spring, summer, autumn, all are lovely;
but winter's loveliest for one
who hopes for hearth and home and family
only for others, when all's done.

-------------------------------------------
found at : http://www.hungarianquarterly.com/no149/38.html
-------------------------------------------

although I would like to stick with the my translation of the last verse, loosing the structure of the verse:
Nice is the spring and nice is the summer
but autumn is nicer and the nicest is the winter,
for who's hopes for a fireplace and a family
Is granted only for others.

Of course the English version is not able to reflect the whole atmosphere of the poem, but it is enough to show what its about.

This is the poem of my favorite write. I don't know why, even in my "early days" when I was less then 10 years old I have remembered some of his poems. His tragedy in life and poetry influenced my life. Now that I think of it, I would rather say that I can interpret my life in his poetry and in a way I believe I understand the tragedy of his life, although I have a completely different one.

The first verse is also very near to me, but most probably from a completly different reason. I am a minority in Slovakia. It is quite normal that Slovaks don't know how to write my name down, as our surnames are traditional Hungarian ones (like Szűcs or Török) when they don't even know the letters... and I have a lot of friends who have it even harder then me. If ppl know how to write donw your name, it means that you are somehow related to them. I think this is for ppl in a minority even more important, then for other ppl.

Slovak lesson - A day after... Sietovica

Well, hello again. saturday is here, and this time it means Sietovica. For those who don't speak Slovakian, a small insight into the Slovak dictionary.
-ica : almost every word that ends on -ica has to do with alcohol. There are two main groups we can divide the words ending on -ica:
1.) Spirits with high percentage of alcohol - the new word comes from the original fruit/plant like slivovica (slivka = plum), hruskovica (hruska = peach), jablkovica (jablko = apple) and of course we shouldn't forget borovicka - which is the national drink of Slovakia and is made of the same plant as gin.
2.) Drinking events - if there is a group of ppl, who share something common, and have a party together, then the party's name can be derivated from the common thing they share. Of course other ppl may join also... Most popular ones: kruzkovica (kruzka - course/class), chodbovica (chodba = floor - everybody is invited, who lives on the same floor), Mikulasovica (Liptovsky Mikulas is a city in Bratislava, the party is fro all ppl who come from that city).

So what is sietovica - all the students who know eachother from the intranet at the dormitories meet for a huge party :) On the biggest party there were around 30-40 ppl max and around 15.000 Skk was paid at the end (25Skk - 0.5l beer, 40-50Skk - 0.5dl spirits at least 40%).

I don't want to talk much about the event, a lot of party ppl, having fun, and finished in the morning around 3-4 o'clock on my room a bit sober as I usually say and dead tired. :)