CAN'T STOP ADDICTED TO THE SHIN DIG

Still trying to recover from what has been a crazy few days... It's times like this you wish there were an extra few hours in a day dedicated to sleep... Not that I like or agree with the idea of 'sleep'.. but I sure feel like I could do with a whole lot more of it right now... Let me explain...

I woke up at 5am on Wednesday morning to meet my friend Jenny at Heathrow.. She was here for the day before leaving on a tour around France/Spain/Portugal... Being the excellent friend that I am.. *ahem*.. I met Jen at the airport, before showing her around the city.. sorta... The day consisted of a gentle stroll around Buckingham Palace, Green Park and Piccadilly Circus.. then we headed to Jono/Paul's place for a quick snooze.. before joining the house's occupants for mussels and Belgian beer at Belgo... The night ended with various cocktails at Bar Freud, and then port and cigars back at the house-o-love... (Yes Jen, this is what we really get up to in old London town)...

Next morning, after not being able to sleep on the couch, I had the task of escorting our good friend Jen to Bayswater, so she could meet up with her tour group... I got the feeling she didn't quite trust my directions after catching the wrong train on a couple of occasions the day before.. but hey.. I got her there in the end.. and in time (just barely)... I staggered home at 10am, and Daryl gave me a where-the-frig-have-you-been-look as he was heading out to work.. I just sighed and walked into my room.. collapsed on the bed, and konked out for all of two hours... I was awakened by a knock on the door - It was that cute Jehovah's witness chick again.. and again, we talked at great length about the key to happiness... For the rest of the afternoon, I could not go back to sleep, no matter how hard I tried.. and when I finally did, I got a phone call... "Come out and play!", she says.. "um.. oh.. well.. ok.." I met up with the Korean gang at 11pm, and we decided to go for karaoke at BTR... There, I sat next to Paul, with massive bags under our eyes, and we were thinking exactly the same thing - "what are we doing here??"... Not that we didn't want to be there.. we were just very tired, is all... I made it home at 3am...

On Friday night, Alice (friend from Sydney/HK, in London for 6 months) and I were planning to check out the tennis at SW19 (that's Wimbledon, for you non-Londoners).. but decided against it at the last minute, due to darkening skies and slight rain... We had in fact already been there on Tuesday, where we managed to see a bit of the Grosjean v Enqvist match on Court 2, before bad light stopped proceedings... It was a little weird being there - memories of all those late nights watching my heroes (namely Edberg and Rafter) came flooding back.. and to think that I was standing on the very ground where this was all taking place was quite overwhelming...

Back to Friday though - we ended up at Earl's Court station, where we had originally met to get down to Wimbledon.. I had heard that there were some fine restaurants in the area, so we took a walk around... Earl's Court is typical of inner west London I suppose.. The buildings rich with character and there is a certain vibe of suaveness... We stopped at a bar for some peach bellinis.. then headed to an Italian joint called Zizzi's, where I had a satisfying calzone... I walked her back home, which is just down the road at Kensington, then did my usual thing of catching the N15 home... But the night was not over just yet.. not by a long shot... "You're finally home!", they cried... Yes, there was a party already in progress.. and they had all been waiting for me.. apparently... Daryl had some of his friends over, including Sun-Hee and Hyung-Gu.. The last time this happened, we drank and sang songs til the wee hours of the morning, and it was no different on this occassion...

I woke up on Saturday feeling a tad worse for wear (understandable, yes?)... Shaun came over in the afternoon to drop off some bags, as he will be moving in with me in just over a week's time, after Daryl vacates his room... In the evening, I headed out to Barbican for Paul's birthday drinks... A few hours, five pints, and whatever of tequila and asinthe (65% alcohol) shots later, I was ready to pass out.. I could see that Paul was having a great time and still standing.. and that made me glad... At 2am, the bar closed and we all made our way home.. except my journey turned out to be a little longer than expected... On the night bus, I did the unforgiveable thing of sleeping on the back seat upstairs.. It was oh so comfortable up there in the corner.. my head resting (and bumping) on the window... I was out cold...

"Last stop mate!"

The bus driver was trying to wake me up.. Dazed and confused, I looked around, and the bus was completely empty... I raced out of the bus and noticed that it was 4:20am... "o.k.. I guess I missed my stop..", I thought... and it wasn't long before I realised I was in Zone frickin 5!! It gets a little blurry from that point on - I remember.. waiting for a bus.. getting on a bus.. getting off the bus.. walking to the tube station.. waiting for the train.. walking to DLR station.. finding out there are no DLR's so early.. walking.. and then walking some more... I think I made it home at 7am... That's right, a 5 hour journey home... How embarassment...

I decided not to sleep, as Shaun was scheduled to arrive early in the morning, so we could go buy a BBQ... Instead, I downloaded the latest Sharkies game from nrl.com (I just discovered this!), and witnessed how hopeless they are without Kimmorley leading them around the park... Oh yeh, the BBQ.. I thought the landlord had told me that there was one in the shed, and of course, it turns out that I misheard him.. and now we were in a spot of bother as we had invited some people over already for a BBQ on the Sunday... Before heading out though, I badly put my back out, while clearing out some cupboard space.. I hadn't done that since the time I attempted dragon boating a few years ago.. and it was a similar type of sharp, shooting pain... Still, the task was at hand - buy the darn BBQ... The trip to ASDA and back (mega mega supermarket) was, well.. challanging (I don't know how you did it Shaun).. but we made it back in one piece... While Shaun prepared the food, I was in the garden putting the damn thing together... Soon enough, our friends arrived (Nuria, Jane, Yin, Edurne, Silke, Horace), and although it took a while to get the fire started, the BBQ worked beautifully... The sun shone brightly into the back garden, the music was blaring out of the stereo, and there were smiles all round... A perfect way to spend a summer's day in London...

When it was all over, and everyone had left.. I only thought of one thing - bed... It has been an extraordinarily strange few days, but I'm finally starting to feel like a local here...

IS LIFE ALWAYS THIS HARD? OR IS IT JUST WHEN YOU'RE A KID?

Have had quite a good run with movies lately... Despite the high ticket prices, which should almost be deemed criminal here, the two blockbusters I have seen (X2 and Matrix:Reloaded) were terrific nights out (thanks Shaun!)... but in the past week or so, I have been lucky enough to see some of the lesser known examples of brilliant movie-making.. and I recommend each one...

City of God (Cidade de Deus) - The much talked about Brazilian film delivers on all levels.. Seen through the eyes of a boy growing up in the slums of Rio, it has a Pulp Fiction-esque feel to it.. and the complex story lines come together beautifully at the end.. Marvellously shot too.. (warning though, there are some disturbing scenes shown here)

Pot Luck (L'Auberge Espanole) - Tale of a French ERASMUS student, moving into an apartment in Barcelona with six other characters from all over Europe.. Plenty of belly laughs watching this one.. Anyone who's ever had to share a flat with someone else will find this an absolute hoot..

Leon (The Professional) - Seeing this again with a big fan of the movie was more than interesting.. I almost forgot about the brilliant performance by the then 12-year old Nat Portman.. and the way Luc Besson used the camera is simply breathtaking..

The Pianist - A little long I thought, but this is still one superbly crafted film.. Very rarely a movie can completely draw you in, and drain you at the same time.. This masterpiece by Polanski combines elements of Schindler's List and Life Is Beautiful, which I didn't think were possible.. And Brody is just wonderful as Szpilman..

WEEKEND WRAP

Here's the thing - I keep on getting invited to these drinks/BBQ thingies, and more often than not, I have no clue what they are for... Someone's birthday?.. maybe... Someone's farewell?.. perhaps... Am I just there to make up the numbers?

At these parties, I can usually find 2 or 3 people that I can converse with comfortably.. but my biggest fear is that they would find me boring.. I mean, I bore myself all the time, so it's only natural that the others would identify the vast empty space that circumvents my life right now... Getting out there and mixing it with the trendy people is still very much a foreign thing... This whole how-do-you-know-these-guys?-how-long-have-you-been-in-London?-game can be quite exhausting, but it is still necessary... It's just something I'm not accustomed to, but I think my fake smile is getting better by the day...

Having said all that, I did have a fantastic time at a bbq on Saturday at The House of Luurve.. aka Jonot, Paul and Jade's place... I envy these guys so much! - They have the perfect place (the whole place is brand new!), in a perfect location (Pimlico - right next to Victoria).. and there's a party there almost every weekend.. or so I have been told...

"bbq. my place. 1pm. bring beer.", the sms message said it all, really...

After coming back home at 6:30am, following a big Friday night, the best I could do was rock up at the house-o-love at 3pm... There were already 25 or so people there, scattered around the kitchen, loungeroom and balcony... It was yet another gorgeous day outside, and it wasn't long before some of the guys decided to go down to the communal lawn in the courtyard, armed with a pair of guitars, and various bottles of alcohol... There, we drank whiskey and sang along to U2 / Bob Marley / Radiohead / Proclaimers songs.. and despite some grumbling neighbours, the singalong session continued well into the evening...

Jade has put up some photos on her website.. You can check them out here...

On Sunday, I joined Shaun, Jane and Nuria for a wonder through Hampstead Heath.. an expansive area towards the north of London, featuring fields of thick long grass, rolling hills, and ponds of varying sizes... We had been talking about going there for some time now, and it was good to finally see the parkland and go exploring through the fields... There is a decent view out to the city from Parliament Hill, and we stopped there for a short breather, while we waited for Nuria to get off the phone! :P

In the evening, Yin joined us back at their Swiss Cottage home (where I used to live).. and the girls cooked us a fine meal... Shaun and I were outlawed from the kitchen while the food was being cooked, so we entertained ourselves by watching Shaolin Soccer... The salmon was delish.. and I was hard-pressed to come up with reasons why I moved out in the first place...

How pathetic am I? I've been away from the girls for just over a week, and already I crave for good food!

The chase is on... My money is on the Gunners...

NEW PAD

It took several trips to do it, but I have finally moved into the new place at All Saints in the Docklands area... After 9 weeks or so in the 'loft'.. it's refreshing to be able to just crash on my new double bed when I get home at nights... Also, there is the added comfort in knowing that the chance of killing myself while attempting to climb the ladder under the influence, is now very slim...

I just want to take this opportunity to thank my previous flatmates.. Jane, Nuria and Yin.. for putting up with me, and making me feel so at home for those couple of months... It was really great guys.. and it made my initial stint in the UK a much easier one... Thanks...

THE CHAIR, INDUCED HAPPINESS, AND SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN

There are three bands that I could include in my list of favourites (current).. and in 2003, I have seen them all! - Foo Fighters.. Pearl Jam.. and now Daniel Johns (aka silverchair)... On Thursday night, I ventured out to The Empire at Shepherd's Bush to witness what was essentially a brilliant show, highlighted by extended jams, eccentric windmills, and that voice...

The night involved two hours of waiting in line (with teenagers, mind you) to get into the venue.. but it was sure worth it, as I managed to make my way to the very front... Shepherd's Bush is more like a theatre than a rock venue.. The floor is fairly small, and the three terraces almost sit on top of each other... But obviously, the best way to enjoy such a show is on the floor, and I wasn't going to miss this opportunity to get up close and personal with the lads from Newcastle... The support band was "Colour Of Fire".. Don't know a thing about them.. They were typical of Britrock, I suppose - I could hear bits of Stereophonics, Ash, and even a little Placebo...

It seemed like an eternity before the boys came out.. and the predominantly Aussie crowd gave them a rousing reception... They kicked off the set with the rarely played Steam Will Rise.. then it was World Upon Your Shoulders, a song that I have been trying to play almost every night for the last few weeks.. It is such a complex song and I don't know how Daniel can pull it off live every single time.. (but I guess that's why he makes millions and I don't)... I won't mention every song here, but the setlist comprised mainly of Diorama songs.. with a few surprises thrown into the mix - An enchanting version of Petrol And Chlorine, and after the encore break, the beautiful Asylum, a Daniel solo on the keyboard... There were many sing-a-longs, like Luv Your Life, Without You, and Ana's Song which included a different guitar solo for the intro... Chris and Ben worked tirelessly all night - Ben (with the hat) went all out on The Door.. and Chris was prominent on a wicked Israel's Son...

There were many great moments.. too many to list all.. (At one point, the crowd started an Aussie Aussie chant.. lol..) Natalie could be seen rocking away in the stalls.. and clearly everyone had an immensely good time.. least of all, a little old pike...

---

Saturday night was at a club called Turnmills near Farringdon station...

When a friend asked me whether I was up for clubbing a couple of weeks back, I was all gung-ho, ready to let myself go (into another world perhaps)... And when I was told that it would be a hardcore rave party, I was like, "dude, bring it on!!"... Come Saturday night, though, my eagerness had all but died out - I had already decided that I wasn't going to do anything stupid (due to a promise I made a long time ago).. and it is just not pike-like to be doing anything of that sort... So, instead, I walked into the club with two things running through my head - a) what am I doing here? and, b) what the fuck am I doing here?

doosh doosh, blip doosh

I tried to drink as much alcohol as I could.. but I just couldn't get into it... The people around me were all bouncing around like Tiggers... The more I tried to fit in, the more out of place I felt... If I wanted to be 'happy', I would be down at the nearest Weatherspoon, downing a pint of Courage Best, talking about footy, movies, and/or existentialism... Meanwhile, everyone were putting their hands up for some strange old reason.. waving them round like-they-just-don't-care...

doosh doosh, shack beep doosh

I actually don't regret going.. Being there to experience it was almost worth the ten pounds I paid to get in... At least now I can say I've done progressive, eclectic, hard house, and trance... One thing is for certain, though.. my first attempt at being a raver.. is also my last...

---

Friday was a night out at Kingston (zone 6).. at a club called Oceana...

Now, Oceana is not just a club, but what's known as a 'super club'.. It has 8 huge rooms, ranging from R&B, retro, techno, so forth... and it was apparently converted from a cinema complex just recently... I went with some Korean people, whom I've met over the past few weeks... As I keep telling everyone, I've met more Koreans here, in two months in London, than I ever have while living in Sydney for more than 20 years.. I don't get that...

Anyways, the night started off with me lugging my massive suitcase across town, in peak hour, to the new place I'm moving into (I'll cover this on another post).. and just barely making it in time to meet up with a friend at Waterloo station... We caught a train out to Kingston, a few stops past New Maldon, which is where 'Koreatown' is meant to be... Kingston is like a typical Sydney suburb, like a Strathfield, or a Granville - It gave me that impression anyway...

Once inside (after a bit of a 'shoe' incident), I was fairly impressed with the setting - moody lighting.. moody music.. moody everything... Of course, after I was finished with lounging around and chatting up Korean chicks, there was a slight change of pace, as we moved onto the dance floor... We headed straight to the R&B room, and stayed there for the rest of the night... On my few trips to the little boys room, I could hear the likes of The B52s and The Pet Shop Boys coming from the retro room.. but I strangely found myself going back for more of 50 Cent and J.Lo...

On the cab ride home, all I remember is singing Jeff Buckley songs.. and thinking to myself what a pisspot I am...

LEEDS CASTLE

On Tuesday, Jenni (friend from Sydney visiting her sister in London) and I spent the day at Leeds Castle... No, not Leeds as in the city up north, home to Harry and Dukes.. but a 90 minute bus journey south-east of London towards Dover... We had a more than an interesting start to the day, as we madly ran around looking for Victoria Coach Station, to take the National Express bus directly to the castle... Once we found the coach station, we had to contend with a grumpy ticket lady whom we could hardly understand... We only made the bus by the skin of our teeth.. and we had to get someone stop it while it was pulling away...

The castle itself has over a thousand years of history, with many Kings, Queens, Barons and Lords taking residence in the grand building throughout the centuries... The last person to have lived there was Lady Baillie, who upon her death (1973), bequeathed Leeds Castle to the nation in her will...

Situated on a raised island in the centre of a lake, it has been dubbed the 'loveliest castle in the whole world'... It's certainly the prettiest one I've seen so far, with its stunning setting and sense of history... The lake is surrounded by beautiful grounds and gardens.. and we spent the whole day just walking around and soaking up the view... There is also a cool maze to try out...

It was an overcast day, which was a pity, as we could have taken some glorious shots of the castle.. and while we could not get the reflections off the water.. the backdrop (lush hills, ancient trees, and local wildlife) more than made up for it... Swans, ducks, geese all live happily by the lake, and it was amusing to see the whole lot of them slowly migrating together to another part of the grounds as one...

Leeds Castle is definitely worth a visit.. but do try to go when the sun is out!

THE WAITING GAME

Had an interview with the Royal Bank of Canada on Monday... I think I performed reasonably well... Still waiting to hear from them... Hate this waiting thing...

-- o --

GO BAILS!!

Just watched the State of Origin live at the Elusive Camel (Antipodean pub) in Victoria... I can tell you now that I am missing my footy - The big hits.. the passion.. Peach's brilliance... ok.. well.. maybe he wasn't there this time round.. and although Minichello did ok.. just imagine what the scoreline would have been if the great man was out there...

It was clear, though.. that Origin has finally returned... After a few lean years of nothing-games.. and half-arsed attempts of making the series watchable again.. this game, at the magnificently revamped Lang Park, was one of the most intense game I have seen in a long time... As I sat there on the stool with my fifth VB in hand, the scoreline at 12-12.. I could feel the Queenslanders coming back.. but due to some lucky calls and injury problems, NSW were able to find the right gameplan to come up with the win (25-12)...

(It just occurred to me how much I miss this stuff - thinking about it, reading about it, and writing about it...)

My man, Phil Bailey, who I correctly predicted to be playing for NSW this year (yay me!), came on as a sub with about 15 minutes to go... Although he didn't see much of the ball (I was shouting at bloody Gus all game to bring him on), he will be a much better player for the experience... Hopefully he will see more game time at Stadium Australia... Looking forward to seeing him in action when the Kangaroos come over to the UK later in the year...

MI CASA, EN MEDIO DE LA CALLE

Wow.. I was totally blown away by the talents of Jason Mraz last night... This guy can really play.. and has a voice.from.hell...

I arrived at Camden Lock not knowing whether there were any tickets available for the show... The line was already 50 metres long, and despite the noises eminating from my stomach (I wanted to eat dinner first), I decided to stick it out and wait til the doors opened... Soon, it was made apparent that the show was sold out, so I had no choice but to ask the people around me for any spare tickets... Luckily, there was one guy who happily sold me a ticket that was originally for a friend who could not make it to the show...

Most in the crowd were young to say the least... It was an over-18's gig, but there were a couple of young'ins (maybe 13 or 14).. who must've been huge fans of Jason... and when told that they were way too young, the girl started to cry and carry on.. and in the end, they were let in...

The opening act was Susie Hug (?), who claimed to have been told of the gig only a few hours prior to coming on stage... She was a folky-alt-country type of lass, but the restless crowd (who talked non-stop during her set) drowned out her soft acoustic and stylish lyrics... I felt sorry for her...

Jason came on not long after... He had a bemused look on his face as the crowd (ie. the American chicks) went wild... But from the outset, it was clear for all to see - the guy has class... He is a natural performer.. and be it his quick-witted wisecracks, or his ability to make up lyrics on the run ("the white rapboy").. Jason is massing a huge following through his energetic live shows all around the world... His debut album ("Waiting For My Rocket To Come") just does not do his incredible voice justice... I was awe struck listening to his soulful voice, which can be compared to Tim Buckley and Tracey Chapman rolled into one... Funnily enough, he toured briefly with Tracey earlier in the year.. and that, I think, would have been something to die for...

The two-hour set (it would've been longer if not for the stupid '11pm closing time' laws over here) started off with some fun off-beat numbers, including Curbside Prophet, The Remedy, and Dreamlife of Rand McNally... Jason, Toca Rivera (percussionist), Ian Sheridan (bassist), were having a field day.. occasionally breaking into Christina Aguilera and Bob Marley in the middle of their songs... At one point, Jason and Toca were shaking their booties to "it's getting hot in here.. so take off all your clothes..."

The other standout moments were Sleep All Day, 0% Interest ("mi casa"), Absolutely Zero and The Boy is Gone after the encore break... It was a magical night and one I won't forget in a hurry...

THE WHAT WAY?

I'm considering going to see Jason Mraz tonight.. He's playing at Dingwalls in Camden and I have no idea if there are tickets left... I suppose I'll find out when I get there...

There has not been much to write about recently... I wake up.. I strum a few chords on the guitar.. I read a few pages on how "nothing is real".. I trudge my way to Swiss Cottage.. and sit myself down in front of on one of the EasyInternet terminals for God knows how long... Now that I have just discovered that I only need to pay 5 quid for unlimited net usage for a whole week, the majority of my time is spent catching up on all the news back home (thanks Kaz for the link)... But every so often I would filter through the job boards - a futile exercise, I know... but as with most things.. one can only keep trying...

Every couple of days, I would receive a call from an agency stating/asking the same things over and over again - Are you still looking? / Yes, we will let you know as soon as something comes up...

It may as well be a taped recording... All it is, though.. is just a reminder of how inadequate I feel right now... Am I not good enough to do anything??... I guess I know the anwser to that, but for the time being, feeling sorry for myself strangely comforts me...

I realise I can't be a bum forever (at least for not too much longer)... In a matter of days, I am moving out and into a place that is double my current rent... There are few other "options" I am flirting with.. which should be enough to get me by.. but it's just not how I imagined this trip to be...

Still...

All is good...

All is well...

THE POOH WAY

Just two things I want to say:

I need a haircut..

I think I'm Taoist..