Anna Ko Kolkowska

I can't stop laughing!!!!!

I returned to read old Mika's articles for XL Pop Up column and I am on the "My Family and Other Animals".

It's about holidays. I think Mika told this story even with more details at one of his gigs. 

Enjoy and relax during this hot hot hot day of holidays (for some of you) . 

"Once upon a time there was a boy who was angry with everyone and everything around him. So angry, that one night he decided to run away. Whilst preparing his bag to leave home he thought about what he would need. He packed his clothes but then his books and games. Fearing discomfort he packed his bed. Fearing loneliness he packed his dog. Worried about what he would do with his clothes once they were dirty, he packed his mother, who in turn packed their washing machine and her daughter, his little sister. She, then packed their father, who in turn packed his desk, television and his favourite armchair. Not to be outdone, his mother then packed her dressing table, her curling irons and her set of knives. She also suggested to the father that he pack the barbecue. The boy stood and looked at his now empty house and saw his favourite apple tree, alone in the garden and he felt sad. So he took that too. In the end the boy ran away from home but without knowing it he took all of it with him. Except for the gold fish. Everyone always forgets the bloody gold fish, he died. This is my life.

The idea for my holiday this year was a pretty normal one. To get into a car from London and drive through France and Italy, stopping in various places along the way. The only unusual thing about my trip is that I took my whole family with me, all 18 of them, and not only that, but my Dog came too as well as a few friends, my goddaughter, her parents, my grandmother, her nanny (I’ll come back to that) and of course a couple spouses and partners. The grand total? 26 people, 8 cars, 48 suitcases, 1 dog bed and a Magi-mix (for the dog). The story about the boy, is one that I used to read often as a child. Clearly it had more of an influence on me than anyone could have predicted.

To be fair, of all the places we have been in this enormous group, Italy has been the most welcoming and un-afraid of my Godzilla sized family. In France, I couldn’t help but feel like we were as welcome as a barbarian invasion. The only Barbarian in the group to be fair is my grandmother. Although she is more like a Trojan Horse. She enters a room with a coy smile and hobbles with her walking stick, as slow as possible so as to maximise exposure. Slow movement is one of the more refined weapons in her arsenal. As soon as the stranger, often a waiter, is out of site, she accelerates like a lizard in the sun, devilishly cruel and funny in equal measure. This time round I decided to temper this duality with a professional nanny. So I hired a trusted, former Soviet Block drill sergeant to keep her in check, it has worked a miracle.

Looking back on my trip and all the places we have gone to, I realise now that I did something that is extremely Italian. I displaced myself for the summer and brought almost a whole town with me. However the way we did it was very Lebanese. Where as other more sensible groups would have travelled in a coach with a guide, we all wanted to feel independent and free. However, we all wanted to be together all the time and we all wanted to have whatever the other had. You cannot imagine the scene we caused when we would descend upon a small gas station or invade a local coffee shop, demanding espressos, all at the same time. The dog: water; the granny: a toilet; the aunties: space; the walking sticks (three by the end of the trip): always left behind; the secret smokers: behind a bush; the secret eaters: also behind a bush; the under eaters; the over eaters. We were a moving tornado of functional anarchy. What we lost in organisation and calm we gained in joy and that was worth far more. Did I mention the best part of it all? Out of our army of 26, there was only one person who actually spoke Italian and that was me. I am Lebanese, French, American, English and after this trip I can’t help but feel like I have become a little Italian also."

Mika

Pilot Pen Contest

Hi everybody,

I still have a chance to win the Pilot Mika Pen Box .

I made a fabric doll Toy Boy that I would like to give to Mika. And I shot a short video with it for the Pilot Pen competition.

You can watch my video with a song "Toy Boy" on FB page.

Please like it. There is an additional set for the contestor who will have the highest number of "likes".

We have time till Sunday 4 pm.

Please go to Mika's Facebook page (see link below)

https://www.facebook.com/pg/mikasounds/posts/?ref=page_internal

and find a post as on the screen below. Then watch the video and click on "like it". 

You can leave your comments as well 

Thank you Mika fans 

Hallelujah cover....

Yesterday while exploring youtube I stumbled on Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah. I always wanted to sing it but Cohen's voice is too lowfor me.

And yesterday I discovered Alexandra Bruke's version which in in my register. I was soooo happy that at once I recorded it.

Well saying "at once" does not mean "only once"   A cat running through the room, some noises recorded by the mic..... it took several takes ...

At last I had my more or less satisfying version. 

I added some photos made by myself (in the past, not yesterday  )

At last I recorded a cover that I can present you.

It was hard because the app StarMaker was not working well on my mobile. And I think my built-in mic is not good for it.

So I used a separated mic and a music played from speakers.

It sounds rather a duo than a karaoke version, but it sounds much better than via StarMaker.

This is "Over My Sholder" song.

No images because I think this song is better when you just listen with your eyes closed  Just mp3.

over my shoulder cover Anna Ko.mp3