What is pleasure? An easy answer will be “whatever gives us joy.” If so, pleasure is subjective. How? Let’s say, if you boyfriend has a spanking fetish but you don’t like smacking bums, “spanking” is pleasure to one and non-pleasure to the other. This leads us to a more bewildering question: what is the superior form of pleasure, bodily or mental? The Cyrenaics, an ultra-hedonist Greek school of philosophy, believes that bodily pleasure and immediate gratification is the ultimate form of hedonism. In our words, when you feel urges for a shag or a third-pound mega burger, you go for it without second-guessing yourselves.

The Epicureans, however, don't agree with this view. They preach against immediate attainment of bodily pleasure and insist on slow but lengthened gratification. In curbing pleasures, we eliminate fear and reach a nirvana-like state of gratification. Need another translation? Referring back to SS’s sex and food analogy, the Epicureans will sit down slowly slice the burger and take hours to chew even a morsel of it. In bed, the Cyrenaics will probably find no wrong in having multiple premature ejaculations, whilst the Epicureans will slide it in and out till their knob gets numb. So, which school do you prefer?

Walking around and shooting pics is Sune's ultimate indulgence. Pentax G1 and Leica Minilux are in but he’s still on the look-out for a 15mm, point-and-shoot camera, one not too bulky. Any idea?

In LA, Sharin says drive around for the sceneries; the canyons, the desserts and El Matadore; stopping for pizzas at Mozza Osteria and for stunning food and retro ambiance at Chateau Marmont; and ending their day at the naked spa in Koreatown. This is the Raveonettes’ bliss and so is ours!