Greg McPhee

I'M DONE!

Our dear friend and collegue Greg;

how unfortunate the way you had to part from us all. During my first project as a FSR in Ashkelon, you showed me once more how cruel and unfair life can be. It's still difficult to understand and except the circumstances. On a more selfish note, I started thinking about my own life and how much time we all supposedly have and how we are really taking life for granted. Selfish but sad. We are all trying to get by today, to reach tomorrow in our own way. Piece by piece growing, maturing, deteriorating. The only memories of ourselves are these photos, some scrap of paper or movie ticket we kept from someplace sometime, the memories of yesterday. Should not forget ourselves, memories keep us sane. Time spent with people around me, the scents, the smiles, the warmth, the sincere faces keeps me alive. Yet people are so afraid of intimacy. Always hesitating to take one step further, afraid to open up. We could all be so very beautiful if we would let go for one moment. I guess you didn't let formalities get in your way. Never followed protocol in 'life'. Yet you always had a touch of sadness in your eyes. Under those dark glasses.

U left a sad looking and confused crowd behind you. It's time to get some rest. Rest well in peace and fulfillment of a great life.

As usual, you left with a bang..

You will always be remembered..

Heineken

'This is the proof that god loves me'

Ashkelon

Dasha's

Six

Barbeques at the beach

National Park

Nargile

Open shirt buttons

'Mitch knows me better then he knows his own wife'

Not quite an American, maybe more like an Australian

'I'm lovin it'

'Why the hell is she coming to visit me'

Big heart

3 hours of sleep every night

Noah

Ali & Ivgeni

Chicken race

'Believe me you don't want to be lean, you want to be Six..'

Silk boxers from Thailand

Hidden eyes

'I've seen it all, been there done that'

Hate for all kind of paper with typed 'things' on it

Free spirit with a bit of frustration

50% tips

Always wanted a daughter

Affectionate yet distant

Gemini

'I gave it all away, it's just money'

'Don't screw with me'

Alaskan wild Salmon

'Polar bears only attack when they are hungry'

'I like you, you are funny'

Room 402

Tank NO 7

Age 58

'I've lost 25 kgs, my jeans are too baggy now'

'oooh u don't want to be like me, you want to settle down, find your own home'

'Always wanted a granddaughter, girls are sweeter then boys'

'I started to like that hippie looking thing you are wearing all the time, what is it, a schall?'

That's it. I'm done.

The names I've been called in Ashkelon;

Spirit of contradiction

Six

Sigma

Lean

Simgi

Semge

Simji

Simha

Happiness

Simgay

Sim

Samgay

Samge

Singe

Singa

TANGO

The three-minute romance : some quotes I found

"Güiraldes played a part in the international popularization of the tango, which had conquered the world by the end of World War 1 , and wrote a poem ("Tango") which describes the music as the "all-absorbing love of a tyrant, jealously guarding his dominion, over women who have surrendered submissively, like obedient beasts". "

"It's a dance for people who like to touch. When you first start a dance, you press your shoulder up tight against them and listen to the music. You can feel the music, your partner's energy. You can tell a lot about the quality of the person you dance with. It's synergistic. Together you are more than two."

"Tango is not just a combination of pretty steps... it is a bouquet of human emotions - passion, anger, happiness, desire, lust, jealousy, love... interpreted uniquely by each individual person... and expressed on the dance floor... "

"The tango has the power to pull two strangers together into one,to dance out their desires...to be great lovers and heroes, ifonly for a moment. It's the whisper of sensuality broughton by the hint of perfume. The tango is also the glamourof the ballroom and the allure of the underworld. It'sthe opulence of Paris and the smoky darkness of aBuenos Aires cafe. It's the world of subtle metaphorsthat captures the melancholy heart."

6. yıl

JC'nin bana 6. tanisma (28 Nisan)

yildönümümüz için aldığı güller..

Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.

For Lucy had her work cut out for her. The doors would be taken off their hinges; Rumpelmayer's men were coming. And then thought Clarissa Dalloway, what a morning-fresh as if issued to children on a beach.

V.Woolf

Dream-Earthquake

Have you ever forced yourself to sleep a bit more so you could dream more? It does work ina way, if you don't have a job that is. This morning I did that and I had a really disturbing dream. The kind that leaves you with a nausiating feeling all day.

Banging noises on the door from my next door neighbour woke me up. I tried to ignore it at first but it was so loud and went on for ever. I know I should have gone and checked cause it didn't sound too good. But this is Germany, everyone lives in their own world and literally dies alone. As an 'integrated' foreigner I didn't go and check. I hope the guy is alright.After this I went back to sleep. I had a really disturbing dream.

We were at a house, my parent and Jc. There were other people as well. We were rushing to get out of there, Jc and I were in the same room trying to pack quickly. My dad came in the room and said; there was just a few minutes ago an earthquake in Ankara at the magnitude of 5.5. You know it's going to be worse. It's going to come here so hurry up. And also you shouldn't have sex and eat before or during an eathquake.'

??

London in 3 days

That's me gazing out through the window of our 'breakfast place' in lovely and busy London. Last week we went to london for the Easter holiday. It was my first time. So I was really excited to see some place other then the'continent'. I was expecting the Londeners to be much more different in their personality, way of life, well pretty much everything. Continent people, especially Germans, seem to be more closed, held back and afraid. You can say that 'island' people are closed or somewhat conservative; but not the Londeners! The cliche about Germans being up tight and so on is really true. As soon as I arrived to Heathrow the change of atmosphere after Germany struck me so hard that it just put a smile on my face. That's pretty much what I was waiting for! People were smiling! They weren't bothered nor disturbed talking to other people... Unglaublich. Then I just couldn't wait to get to the city. When we were buying the tickets or getting on the Tube or just buying our first water from a bufe, evryone was just plain old nice. Why is it so difficult for people to smile? Even the weather was more pleasent then in Dusseldorf.. what a surprise.

We stayed in a pretty family home in Aldred road. The neighbourhood was really English with the architecture and the little cafes. We had breakfast somewhere in Oxford st, then walked all around reagent st, Trafalgar Sq and Piccadily circus. Ye I know, 'classic'. In the evening we found a pub near Chinatown and sipped a few beers. Well I drank plain old beer cause I'm not a huge beer fan. But the beer was much lighter in taste as the ones I have in Germany. Maybe good beer should be bitter but what do I know. After we walked to Chinatown. It was totally packed and crazy! As if these people haven't seen or eaten enough Chinese! U may ask me then why I was there. Right, because I really love Chinese food and wanted to have some that time of the day.. We just went into a random restaurant and I can tell you that we'd made a huge mistake. I mean I guess those little Chinese people are sick of non-English speaking French tourists but that's not an excuse to give bad service. It was dreadful. For around 30£ the food wasn't amaz'ng as well. By the way, for those of you who think or believe that London is expensive, I have news for you: Dusseldorf is around the same price range and some places are more expensive. But Chintowns are probably the same all over the world. They must always be hektic and smelly and red. So in London that wasn't a big surprise.
After dinner we wanted to go to a pub or a club or smt. Soho is next to, well they are pretty intertwined, Chinatown. Soho was really great. Just my type of living. There were bars and clubs and theatres and comdy theatres all over the place! It was a nighters paradise. Quickly we had to choose a place cause our poor feet could not take it anymore. Jc had once told me that there were many French students working in London. I could see that from the french in the bar. They were actually everywhere, cause I had seen a lot during the day as well. Again in comparison to Germany; people were enjoying themselves. They were chatting with the next table and so on. Well we had to go home around midnight inorder to take the last train.

The next day I had to go to the Topshop headquarters! It was packed packed packed. I had to wait 15 mins. or so for the changing rooms. I didn't buy a lot, couldn't relly find stuff in a short time and it was really hot and crowded. But I love this 'mix and match' style of the girls there. I mean in London. They just mix evry kind of clothing imaginable and get away with it. It's k'nd of like the Japenese but in a European way?! And I loved that I saw a lot of girls wearing 'Ballerinas', cause I am a huge fan and have a lot myself. That day was just about shopping, or trying to shop for me cause I have put on weight and didn't like anything, Jc found some nice tuff for him.. Then we went off to Covent Garden. I know we are classic tourists, but I had to see the famous places first. But it was a cute place, with the golden carousel and the covered sq. Jc took me to a shop where he'd bought h'is Savage T-shirts from. Well I bought a couple myself. The sales lady recommended a shopping street in Notting Hill and also we had a lovely chat. I mean these people are really fun. As expected we rushed to Notting Hill cause it was already around 5. I don't remember the street's name but it was long street with little second-hand, antique and clothes shops. We didn't find anything interesting so we decided to follow the crowd. there were a lot people there as well. The crowd brought to Portobello Road which is a mile-long street market. There were many choices of antiques (Westbourne Grove end), arts and crafts, fruit and veg (round about the crossroads with Westbourne Park Road), second-hand clothes and jewellery (under Westway), bric a brac and even organic food. It's open on Fridays and Saturdays and we went on Saturday, which was really busy. There weren't amazing bargains, but it was definitely worth a visit. Ofcourse I found Turkish salesmen who were selling clothes. We are just everywhere. towards the end of the market I found a really nice jacket/bolero in grey vintage style. The guy said it was 45£! I didn't get 't and then wanted to go back to Topshop.. And we did.. Like two little shopping freaks. It was almost closed and was still too packed anyway. So we indulged ourselves in a huge piece of chocolate cake! That was comforting.. Again we ended the night smw in Soho.

But I loved the way the Londoners were rushing from place to place at night in their high heels and their dresses and thier suits.. They were probably going to some Theatre or Musical or smt.. London felt really alive. Not like a semi-conciouss Germany.
Why is Harods closed on Sunday? Was it because it was Easter Sunday? We were just so disappointed. We wnt there and just watched the building.. How pathetic is that. Thank Gog we weren't the only ones.

Ofcourse we went to museums. Well only to one actually, The British Museum. It was pretty good. and bad. It was so packed packed and boiling hot with loud Italians and confused Spanish. I did learn smt though; NRW was the glass production centre of Europe about a thousand years ago. Dusseldorf is now the production centre of Germany. It's n'ce see some connections.

We threw our selves to the tube and hed back to Soho, to Leicester Sq. We wanted to go to The Comedy Store but it was already full. So we chose another comedy club at random and it was fantastic. just imagine living in London and going to one of those comedy clubs once a week for 5£! There's really a lot of th'ngs to do in London. The shows were great; the comdians crucified Jesus over and over, the other confessed he wanted to have sex with his mother and sister and the other was acting out a schizophrenic english guy, it was just great. I guess just ordinary english and australian people would do a wonderful stand-up as well. That's the difference between the continent and the island..

On Monday we had to leave and we were so tired that we threw ourselves on the plane. After the sunny weather in London, masses of grey clouds greeted us. What a change. It's even rainy and grey here in August.. What a change.