Tri session

Tri is a sport under development created by Jeremiah Schwarz.
The basics are:

  • one ball;
  • three teams;
  • three goals;
  • a round shaped playground divided in... 3.

Different phases in the game and the tactical possibilities involved by the reunion of three teams provide quite a nice gameplay. Let’s hope it will grow and reach the mass!

More informations can be found on the official Tri Federation’s website.

Sdodo Photography Studio

While walking in the small ways that are joining my lane to other streets, I discovered one month ago a small shop which was intriguing me...

It appeared a bit later that Sdodo are making and selling photographs.

I just like this small shop, and the people inside look quite inviting and well... you know... They can speak English too, and being in China when you don’t speak Chinese that much, that is priceless.

Being curious and experimenting with cameras, I’m afraid my salaries to come (let’s all hope for this) are gonna be spent in films, cameras, and maybe other things; they do have really nice cameras.

One other thing that’s been tickling me for years is to maybe use my photographs as a revenue; getting more into some kind of production process where I don’t keep what I do for myself. I’m not too much into mercantile business; I prefer the idea that this shop could develop a network of people around photography and that I could be part of it.

Yeah, I really tend to stay away from all those social network services where you can get billions of friends you actually never see or talk to. I prefer the arts & crafts vision where things have some close relationship to a certain materiality. This is why I guess I prefer some geeks to others: they didn’t lose their interest of touching things.

Anyway... Sdodo Photography Studio opened their shop in ShangHai, and it’s right downstairs of my apartment. Here are a few links about them, if you want to have a look at their productions; everything is still a work in progress I think, but still...

Their address is: 徐汇区永康路142弄52号 (XuHui District, YongKang Road, lane 142, number 52) and you can call them at 0086 21 643 105 27; their English is good.

pandas et tremblements de terre

Ce texte est une citation du livre de Gao XingJian : « La montagne de l’âme » ; pp 76,77 ; Éditions de l’Aube ; 2000.

La première version de ce livre (en chinois) date de 1990, soit 18 ans avant le tremblement de terre du 12 mai 2008 qui aura tué officiellement environ 70.000 personnes. Cette zone regorge de barrages et de centrales nucléaires...


—  Quelle valeur scientifique le sauvetage des pandas revêt‑il ?
— Ce n’est qu’un symbole, une consolation, l’homme a besoin de se tromper lui‑même. D’une part, il sauve une espèce qui a perdu la capacité de survivre, et d’autre part, il accélère la destruction de l’environnement qui lui permet de subsister. Regarde les deux rives de la Mingjiang, les forêts y ont toutes été abattues et le fleuve lui‑même n’est plus qu’une coulée de boue noire. Et ne parlons pas du Yangzi [Yangtsé]. Et ils veulent en plus construire un lac artificiel en le barrant au niveau des Trois Gorges ! C’est bien sûr très romantique d’avoir des projets fantastiques. L’histoire atteste qu’il y a eu plusieurs fois des affaissements dans cette région de faille géologique et la construction du barrage va détruire tout l’équilibre écologique du bassin du Yangzi. Si jamais ça provoque un grand tremblement de terre, les centaines de millions d’habitants qui vivent dans le cours inférieur et moyen du fleuve seront transformés en tortues ! Bien sûr, personne ne risque d’écouter les paroles d’un vieux fou comme moi. L’homme pille la nature, mais la nature finira par se venger !

Half a life in 18 posts — Why I’m crying today

arrived in my apartment on the 2nd of March. He died in my arms on the 29th of April in the St. Anthony Animal Recovery Hospital. He was injured by a parasite that went from his ears up to his brain, causing enough damages to him to kill him.
As a side note, the doctors there did everything that was possible to save him; it was just too late to be able to do anything. No one’s to blame but fate and probably me for not going there sooner.

He was found in the street where he sought for shelter by running in my friend’s feet; he was living in the trash, it was raining and cold; he was supposedly 1 month and a half then.
I loved him, I love him and hopefully, I hope I’ll love him. He’s still around anyway; he was a really clever and kind companion; he brought me some peace I wouldn’t have figured I needed.

Knowing all he’s been through, I could only say "Life’s a bitch".
These are the posts I wrote on Twitter on his behalf:

2009-04-29 07:20:07
Today, just before 2PM, I died in @an_archi’s arms, not really knowing what was going on... Peace my friends.
2009-04-26 11:35:11
in @an_archi’s scarf hanging around his neck...
2009-04-26 06:47:47
My heart is too big, my lungs are filled with water. Nobody knows how long I will live. Life’s a bitch.
2009-04-25 15:32:45
watching Star Wars Episode IV...
2009-04-17 01:46:51
Having myself a sunbath... I must be clean after that, right?! There’s "bath" in it somewhere already, RIGHT?!
2009-04-17 01:45:26
Another on bites the dust... HEY!
2009-04-16 11:43:31
I’m so happy when he’s around, that I want to bite him all the time...
2009-04-14 10:16:28
  • 啪 (Pā): "BLAM!";
  • 爬 (Pá): "to climb";
  • 怕 (Pà): "fear"
2009-04-08 14:09:34
Why Oh why is he making so much noise with his nose?! ’CAN’T SLEEP IN PEACE ANY MORE!
2009-04-02 16:12:42
I’m sure I can destroy any living species in this building if I try harder...
2009-03-30 05:46:34
paper-made balls are the best entertainment EVA!
2009-03-29 07:24:23
Haaaa... What a smart person I am! Just found myself a very nice fragrance.
2009-03-29 07:13:23
I’m an explorator. ’discovered new worlds made of food by jumping from platforms to platforms... Beware of the further water area though...
2009-03-27 12:31:51
If you waaaant to destroy my sweateeeeer...
2009-03-27 03:19:19
I’m convinced he didn’t even notice I was sleeping in his sweater... Maybe can... I... bite... this... zipper?
2009-03-27 01:03:59
trying to teach my stupid human how to talk.
2009-03-27 00:06:34
biting the hand that feeds is so much fun...
2009-03-26 14:15:23
Biting this cardboard I’m sitting on might transform it in a flying porch... or not.