Archive for 'Culture'
Back to the Roots: A French-Algerian Rhapsody Posted by Hichem on Feb 16, 2012
How long does it take to go on a roadtrip from Paris all the way to Algeria? Probably beaucoup trop longtemps (way too long)! But Hamdoullah (meaning “Thank God” in Arabic, as French-Algerians would say), the cool Uncle, aka “Tonton du Bled”, has fully packed his Peugeot 504 car with plenty of cadeaux (presents) which he bought from…
Jacques Brel: “Quand on a que l’amour” (When We Have Nothing But Love) Posted by Hichem on Feb 9, 2012
This French song never gets old. It got all the reasons to be “newsworthy” today. Like being madly full of hope, in face of all the other reasons that make you feel like baisser les bras (giving up)… There will always going to be songs like these, in the words of people, in the songs…
Compter les moutons pour s’endormir (Counting sheep to fall asleep) Posted by Hichem on Oct 27, 2011
What is your favorite astuce (trick) when you’re having a hard time falling asleep? Aside from the radical solutions, such as resorting to sleeping pills, or -when desperate times call for desperate measures- forcing yourself to watch back-to-back episodes of “somniferous” shows like “Jersey Shore” (try better “Jersey Sore”, or even “Jersey Snore”…), some people…
Michael Jackson sings “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” in French Posted by Hichem on Oct 20, 2011
Yes, you read it right, mes amis! Believe it or not, it really is him, le Roi du Pop (The King of Pop), Monsieur “Michel” Jackson, singing in French! You probably have already heard his song in English, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You“, right? Now listen to the same song, interpreted by MJ himself, in French…
Dis-moi Encore Que Tu M’aimes Posted by Hichem on Oct 13, 2011
Love needs to be fort (strong.) Love needs to be réciproque (reciprocal.) But for love to be firm, it also desperately needs to be confirmé (confirmed.) Hence the importance of telling, whispering, writing, yelling, drawing, encore et encore (over and over again) what your deepest feelings are! – So yes, go ahead, refresh mon cœur et mon esprit (my heart…
Oui, Oui, French Boxing – aka “La Savate” Posted by Hichem on Oct 12, 2011
Ihe martial art of “French Boxing“, which is also known as “savate“, doesn’t date from yesterday, and for that reason it belongs to the category of les Arts Martiaux Historiques Européens (Historical European martial arts), such as the 15th century “Jeu de la hache (“game of the axe”), the English jujitsu-inspired “Bartitsu“, or the much older Greek pancrace (in…
How to Conjugate the Verb “to Know” in French Posted by Hichem on Oct 1, 2011
“Je sais que tu sais que je sais (I know that you know that I know), mais le savais-tu avant que je ne le sache ? (But did you know it before I knew it?)” The verb Savoir (To Know), as in the French song “Savoir Aimer” (“To Know How to Love”), by Florent Pagny… > Indicatif: Présent …