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Wednesday, October 29 Sorry for this brief temporary blog. Things have been so hectic for me, albeit in a good way. Pressure has been building over the last couple of days for tonight's showcase performance with my friend Kari. For now let's just say that between having Mark Owen's manager and Brian Eno's guitar player, there's a lot for yours truly to live up to. Scary.
Wednesday, October 15 The drop in temperature has also brought to the London streets a far more varied and interesting range of fashion. Girls can now be seen sporting their warm jackets, scarves and other chilly weather accessories, which in all seriousness I find a whole lot more sexy than any kind of Aguilera/Britney wardrobe combination. But as always, there's a price to pay; for apart from the arrival of a cooler climate and girls in cute winter garments, I've also finally caught on to a bit of the cold that everyone else has been infected with and fighting off in the last couple of weeks. I guess my immune system has been somewhat off-guard lately and in a way contributed to by perhaps a bit too many late nights as well as a rather irregular eating pattern. I dread to think what kind of further damage my adventures with the Danielson Famile tonight may add to the sore throat and mental lethargy.
Monday, October 13 I'm actually writing this on my lunch break. It's a quiet sunday afternoon and it looks like the majority of our customers have either decided to leave us alone or they're still caught up in the Jewish festivities. It's only my 7th day and I've already cultivated a newfound contempt towards the rich. Not that there's anything inherently wrong or immoral with acquiring vast amounts of wealth but it seems that many carry with them an air of arrogance and pomposity not easily found in the poor. What really baffles my mind is how tight they can be with their wallets, constantly trying to get us to reduce the price of instore items as well as doing rather scummy things like returning a set of prints and obnoxiously demanding a refund, whilst quietly tucking a few of them away. Like money is really an issue. *sigh* Star-spotting today came in the form of Daniella Baron Cohen, better known as the mother of Ali G. Well, not really a star in her own right but the fact that she gave birth to West Staines' most notorious gangsta rapper should amount to something. Unfortunately the three rolls she brought in contained nothing more than her flower collection. Carlos will be back in London from Eastbourne tonight so I'll be able to catch him one last time before he returns to Cebu via some other engagements in Holland. The plan is to meet up with a few of our mutual HK indie music friends for a meal in Chinatown so he can overdose on some authentic Chinese food before returning to the land of bread and cheese. Katie had come down from Manchester on friday to see him as well as to catch the Mika Bomb show last night but unfortunately had to rush back up north earlier today so she won't be able to join us for the send-off.
Friday, October 10 Sad to say, Johnathon and I aren't on the most amiable terms right now because of various post-departure dispute issues and it's pretty disheartening that he can't see eye to eye on any of the (rather compromising) suggestions I've made. I'm tired of our counter-productive discussions and gutted by his irrational remarks. But I suppose there is no reason for me to cry over spilt milk. I made a conscious decision to leave the band and if it means leaving with absolutely nothing at all then so be it. At the end of the day I can continue making music without the tele and it's not like I'm in a financial hole so whether or not I can get my cut of the band money isn't all that important in the long run. It seems like God's been teaching me a few lessons in material losses lately, as well as highlighting the triviality behind it all. Apart from the mess with Unwed Sailor there's also been a box or two of my personal belongings that I left at a friend's house a few years ago, the whereabouts and contents of which can no longer be verified. For one I took for granted that my friend and his family would never leave the building and I kinda assumed that I could always retrieve the items upon my eventual return to HK. Well it looks like they have moved and that the apartment will be occupied by new tenants sometime next month. I'm not counting on the boxes being there anymore and so deep down my heart has already come to terms with losing various extremely sentimental possessions, including a Snoopy stuffed toy that I've had since I was 1, a handful of video-8 tapes containing old Punkture and Callous shows, as well as one of the best Christmas gifts I ever received... a photo scrapbook given to me by my first girlfriend that pretty much documented our two years together. Life goes on with or without these items and I'm thankful for a loving family, good health and a hopeful future full of infinite opportunities. Just to give you an idea of how posh of an area Hampstead is: Jamie Oliver lives down the road from the shop. His wife and second child came into the shop today to drop off some rolls and I kept thinking to myself 'wow, she sure looks a lot like Jules Oliver'. Sure enough my co-workers pointed out that it was her and this was confirmed moments later when some prints appeared of the Naked Chef himself. I've been told that comedian Ali G lives nearby too and that the actress Helena Bonham Carter is quite a regular customer. If they come in for their passport photos I'm so gonna make an extra set for myself! Ha. Picked up the new B&S on tuesday with some store credits from Select-A-Disc yesterday and it's been keeping me company on my bus journeys to and from work, which unfortunately are getting colder and darker with the speedy advance of winter. With this new release it looks like the band has finally entered the 70s, but not without successfully bringing along their unique blend of breezy 60s summer pop. They also appear to have crossed over to the opposite shores of the Atlantic by paying homeage to some of their American heroes on a few of the outstanding tracks. Stuart's vocals appear more confident and joyful than ever, and Sarah comes along as a satisfactory replacement for Isobel in the light airy female voice section. And as horrible as it may sound, it really is a delight that none of the songs have been ruined by Stevie's inappropriate singing. Be sure to pick it up! Apart from this there's also the second Aqualung record to look forward to later this month. October has proven to be rather busy month, due to a particular high number of out-of-town friends stopping by, a new collection of Hong Kong DVDs, VCDs and CDs that Suki kindly brought over, and Mika Bomb rehearsals/engagements. Of course let's not forget about my (still relatively new) job at Snappy Snaps. All this has contributed to a lack of sleep and I can actually feel lethargy kick in by as early as 11 or so at night. My unglamourous return to the workforce has also served as a gentle reminder of why I left my cushy job at edesigns, that a steady job can really stand in the way of the freedom and flexibility that my other commitments demand. For example the other night I didn't get home until 4 am after a show in the newly renovated Kingsly Court but then had to wake up at 7 in order to show up at work on time. But of course a little discipline and lack of sleep never killed anyone so we shall see how things pan out.
Monday, October 6 Yesterday was the 5th anniversary celebration of the church my parents came over here to plant so I dragged a few friends along for the occasion. Without a church to call my own it's not often I feel comfortable about the idea of inviting friends to any particular service or meeting but this was, if anything, a celebration and recognition of all the immense time and energy that my parents and others have sacrificed in the last five years for the sake of their church, and I just wanted to share with my friends glimpse of their faithfulness. Just my luck that two girls would keep me waiting a grand total of two hours at King's Cross Station. Well in Suki's case she went stubbornly went against my advice to avoid the circle/district lines as they were stopping at Baker Street due to engineering works (on the weekend of all times), and had to continue her journey on London buses. As for Tin Yan, she absent-mindedly forgot that buses didn't run on sundays from where she lives in Cambridge and so her only option was to make the long trek to the train station on foot. Or at least that's what she told me. Heh. It'd been a couple of years since I last saw her, but just like the afternoon we spent the at the Tate Modern previously, our rendez-vous today was just as brief. The service a casual affair for the most part, served with an abundance of food and friendly faces, but the drama, lacking in both depth and creativity, reminded me what an appalling (and rather consistent) record the contemporary church has of settling for mediocrity. I often wonder how great saints like Mother Teresa or Corrie ten Boom would convey God's love to people in a modern day metropolis like London.
Sunday, October 5 Apart from a handful of envious or sympathetic comments about the job, there's also been a few friends who have referred to it as 'humble work' or that I'm too overqualified to be wasting time on something like this. Why should this be considered humble or below me? It's not like I'm sweeping the streets or cleaning toilets. To me a job is a job, the means to an end, and I'm not going to devote my precious life to building a shrine for it. There was even one person who remarked along the lines of gosh... like it's anything to brag about. She clearly missed the point. There goes any possibility of a future with her. Ha. As for the job itself, the naked photos have already started rolling out of the printers but my co-workers have assured me that they're really nothing compared to what they've seen. Sometimes I wonder if some of these people do it on purpose, knowing full well that their images will be in full view for everyone behind the lab counter to see. It also isn't a particularly pleasant experience when they return to pick up their order and you just have to hand the incriminating images in silence, and with a smile. Been avoiding the tube and taking the bus to work instead which will save me about £80 a month on transportation. Journey time ends up costing me an additional 30 minutes but lately the Beyond autobiography has helped to pass the time quickly, not to mention having a profound impact on my outlook.
Wednesday, October 1 Hope all my HK friends took to the streets and braved the crowds tonight to watch the government blow hundreds of thousands of dollars on firework displays. And shame on those who wasted their time and money on Infernal Affairs II!!! |