SHUTTER TO THINK
A new project of mine... I plan to upload a new photo everyday, or at least whenever I can...
http://pike.high8us.com
FORTY-FOUR DAYS
So he made it...
David Blaine is now out of the perspex box that he had entrapped himself in for the last 44 days... I think the biggest surprise for me was that his model girlfriend allowed this to happen...
I was away for most of the time he went without any food in that little box of his... Whether the experiment was for his own whacked-out amusement, or just money (£1 million from TV rights, thank you very much) remains to be seen...
It didn't take long for the egg-throwing and the cheeseburger tauntings (with aid of a remote-controlled helicopter) to start.. but in general, people here have embraced him and seem to regard him as a bit of a hero... As ridiculous as the whole stunt was, you have to admire the man.. and his army of adoring fans, some of which turning up everyday to keep him entertained...
On Day 38, just a week ago, I went along to see Mr. Blaine on the banks of the Thames, to see what the fuss was all about... Admittedly, I did not know much about the guy before this.. although I had read that he had levitated himself in front of hundreds of people, and made buildings disappear...
Having now seen him, everything about Blaine intrigues me... His life, his talents, his story - I feel he is the personification of ambiguity.. and an enigma in the true sense of the word... Half the trick is in his hypnotic eyes.. and it is not until you see him in action, you can fully appreciate the mystifying aura of the man... I, for one, am looking forward to his next venture...
Boredom
LONDON CALLING
Ok.. back in London... Been here since Saturday morning... I knew I was finally back in the UK when this dude tried to talk to me on the train, in a typically undecipherable cockney accent, and naturally, I couldn't understand a word that came out of his mouth... As I always do, I gave a nod whenever there was a slight pause, and half tried to look like I gave a stuff...
I arrived at Heathrow at 5:30 in the morning... There I was, lugging my 5 bags (around 40kgs in total) all across the London underground network.. It was human indurance to the max and a test of sheer will... I'm still feeling the effects of it now, and I can safely say that I never want to go through that ever again... Thank God Shaun was able to help me from All Saints station back to our flat.. otherwise, I probably would've never made it, and still be lying motionless somewhere on the footpath...
I had been away for exactly one month, and it was an odd feeling walking the streets of Poplar and All Saints again... The Halal Kebab joint.. the Perfect Fried Chicken.. the beemers flying by - Familiarity combined with a slight sense of "what-the-fuck-am-I-doing-back-here"... And it wasn't as chilly as I thought it would be.. I had imagined I would be coming back to a winter wonderland.. with frost covering the grubby walkways, and gusty winds hammering my face.. somehow, this was not so...
Naturally, the first thing I did was... sleeeeeep... The guitar greeted me as I walked into my room.. She even said a hello (in E minor, I think)... and then.. I was goooone...
In typical pike fashion, I had already planned to go out that night.. It was Paul's birthday drinks at a bar called "Strawberry Moons" in town... I slept in a little and arrived late.. It was good to see everyone there... Still feeling a little weary (I hadn't slept properly for 3 days before that), I did my utmost to be sociable as I can.. A couple of Stellas usually does the trick.. and soon enough, the bartenders stood up on top of the bars, and did their Coyote Ugly thing - it felt like I never left... Then I was off to another drinks thing at Old Street (supposedly for the other Paul's farewell, who was leaving for Korea the next day for 3 weeks).. I managed to find the place after walking up and down the street for a good half hour... People seemed to be having a fine-old-time, and I got to meet up with Langers (not that we could hear each other talk over the doosh-doosh)...
And all this.. on the first day back...
Oh how I missed catching the N15 back home.. (not)... I was back in bed at 4am...
I spent the Sunday at Alice's place.. exchanging stories and photos.. She made this Chinese soup which went down as well as it possibly could... I left her place fairly late that night, and headed straight to Jonot's place, so that Langers (where she was staying) and I could get an early start for our day trip to Oxford the next morning (I may or may not write about this later)...
Tuesday was the first day I could start sending CV's off... The job market has definitely improved since I left... The available jobs seems to have tripled.. so I'm fairly confident I'll find something soon... Here's hoping anyway...
Wednesday was a funny old day... After checking out and appreciating the high-tech modern architecture stylings of the Lloyds Building (see photo), I said bye to one friend (Lang), and almost immediately said hi to another (Connie)... The stupid transport system slowed me down a little, but I arrived at Liverpool St Station in time to greet her... Poor thing had just flown in all the way from Armenia.. I had to have a little chuckle to myself as she was in the same clothes as I left her in Vienna a month earlier...
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