Performing Monkey

2009-06-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

A timely reminder

Yesterday marked 20 years since the Chinese army gunned down hundreds, if not thousands of its own people in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.

I watched the BBC's coverage with great interest as the event back in 1989 had a really big effect on my teenage self. As a 14 year-old I was just getting into music, girls and going out but the Chinese fight for democracy in their capital was perhaps the first time I felt I was consciously witnessing history in the making and when it ended in mass bloodshed the first time that got a real sense of the terrible injustice and cruelty man can inflict on itself.

As the various survivors talked about the horrible events of June 4 and Kate Adie described their 20 years of exile, harassment and persecution it made me think about how lucky I am.

The political system in the UK has come under strong criticism in recent weeks with the expenses scandal, the electorate's seeming inexorable increasing apathy and powerlessness.

But as I watched the programme about Kate Adie's return to China, thought about my recent trip to China and how despite the massive increase in material wealth that some of the people in the country how politically powerless the were I noticed my polling card on my coffee table.

I always try and vote, even in local elections as these are. But that polling card reminded me that no matter how bleak it can seem in Britain at times I can always cast my vote to get someone elected and if necessary stand myself.

2009-05-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

Summer's here

I had the very ill fortune of working this weekend. Unlike the last time we had a Bank Holiday weekend in England the weather this time round has been stunning.

While everyone has been out and about, meeting up with friends and generally having fun in the sun I've been cooped up in an office.

Last night I decided to BBQ my dinner despite the fact that I was on my own.

After grilling and then eating some very tasty food I sat in my small garden and enjoyed a Cuban cigar and a long vodka. As the sun went down and I made serious dent in my Monte Cristo Edmundo my thoughts went back to the time I was house sitting for a friend in Battersea and spent a lot of time out in the garden of an evening.

I had just had my big relationship break up and was lying low. Regularly I used to sit outside with a nice glass of red and a cigar (Monte Cristo number 3 I've obviously gone up in the world) and watch the sun go down.

Despite the fact that my heart had been broken and my life was in flux the one thing I remember distinctly about those evening was the sense of calm I had. As the ash slowly grew on my cigar I remember feeling as though I could take anything that was ahead of me.

2009-03-17T10:04:00.001-07:00

Tired, tired, tired...

Working shifts is really getting me down at the moment.I'm on my second day of earlies and although the fact it is a really pleasant day outside I'm sat on my sofa in a near catatonic state.

Do stay in this twilight state of consciousness for the next four hours and hope that I can get a good night sleep then? Or do I get forty winks now, enabling me to get a little bit of energy to go for a run and sort things around the flat, but with the possibility that I might not sleep until very late?

2009-01-20T03:24:00.000-08:00

Cometh the hour, cometh the man...

Well, it's almost upon, the inauguration of America's 44th president when Barack Obama becomes the man.

I'm working this afternoon but thankfully as we have TVs everywhere at the office I'll be able to watch it, as long as nothing major happens in the world of local news.

I remember watching Bill Clinton's inauguration in 2001 when Maya Angelou read the poem On the Pulse of Morning. That was very affecting but somehow I think this ceremony is going to be a little bit more historic. A very important day for the US and the rest of the world.

I wish everyone well who is going to be in Washington. I would have been there if, I had my leave booked, I hadn't had to spend a fortune on moving house at short notice just before Christmas.

I'm sure Barack Obama's writers have been working overtime to make sure his speech hits just the right note. But is anyone out there secretly hoping that after President Obama is sworn in Public Enemy take the stage and sing Fight The Power?

Just me. Oh well. Here's to Change...

2008-11-23T18:43:00.001-08:00

My new Mac!

I'm fully aware that I'm being very geeky but I'm so pleased with my new Apple Mac! I've been without my own fully functioning laptop now for about eight months so the purchase has been long overdue. It's super quick and an object of absolute beauty.

Even the fact that I bought it just before Gordon Brown announced a cut in VAT hasn't taken the shine of my delight.

2008-10-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

You, Me and Everyone Else

It's been an interesting few weeks, what with the Credit Crunch really starting to bite.

My grasp of economic theory was never the best while I was doing my business degree (I got a BA Hons in Business Communication) so I don't know whether the government's announcement that it is to go ahead with a large number of public works will see an end to monetarists economics and a return to Keynesian economics or not. So I'm only going to make observational comments.

As I don't work in the banking industry, have large savings or own a house it hasn't as yet directly affected me.

And as the housing boom that preceded the crunch meant that I, a single potential housing buyer, was pushed out of the market I should be sitting her smugly enjoying the fruits of every one's greed.

But despite the fact that I think on a very basic level greed did precipitate some of the problems I don't think thew investment bankers or the property developers who helped super inflate the housing market are anymore to blame than the rest of us.

I think we are all guilty of thinking that we could have everything now and we are entitled to everything getting better.

Over the past 15 years I've gone from being someone who saved and waited to buy things to someone who ran up moderate credit card debts and I think I'm fairly sensible with my money.

The fact is we are all responsible for the greed that has driven the recent economic bubble. Greed that blinded us all to historical facts about capitalism - all booms turn to bust and markets left completely unbridled favour the few rather than the many.

Now we have to face up to our responsibilities, however hard that is, and rather than play the blame game accept the forthcoming hardship and try and help to put it right - the bankers, governments and us.

2008-06-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Can't Sleep!

I'm sat in bed typing this on my iPhone in the knowledge that I have to be at work in less than five hours time and my stupid brain won't quieten itself sufficiently to allow me to sleep. Which is all very ironic as I had planned to update my blog with a post about dreams.

I was riding back from a Manchester to Kent on Sunday and I went past a housing estate somewhere off the A5 in the midlands which I instantly recognized from a dream.

It was a late 60s to late 70s development - brick built homes with strategically placed part wooden facades, wide roads for cars and lots of grass and conifer and pine trees. If you've ever seen the film of Farenheit 451 you'd probably see the similarities with those houses and the one Montag lives in.

Anyhow, as I sped past on my Vespa the image from a dream I must have had in the past year jumped straight to the forefront of my mind. In the dream the houses were very much the same but the road going past was a three-lane highway rather than the single one it was in real life and the sky was burnished bronze rather than a flat grey.

As I've only been down this road once before it struck me as quite strange that one night my mind decided to dredge up that fleeting image and see fit to incorporate it into a dream, the rest of which I don't remember.

It got me thinking... If that image was taken from real life than the various strangers that appear in my dreams could be based on people I shared tube train with when I first came to London as a young boy. Have I met you the reader of my ramble in the past and will you feature in my dreams tonight and will my mind slightly alter reality so you have a bigger head or different coloured hair?

To be honest I'm sure you'd rather not know! Ha ha.

Good night....

2008-04-16T11:00:00.001-07:00

iPhone post-poned

Original iPod and iPhone at the Apple Store - NYC, US
Originally uploaded by clarky clark

Sorry I haven't posted anything for ages but my iBook G4 has broken and I've not really felt like blogging from my work computer.

Those of you who have looked at my flick page my flickr.com page will probably be aware that I went to New York in December 2007.

While I was there I took the opportunity to buy a iPhone (version 1.1.2) from the fabulous Fifth Avenue Apple Store as my little brother had assured me that his mate could unlock them.

I decided to get one, despite the fact that it didn't have 3G capability or a decent phone, because I really did want to have the first proper version to go alongside my my beloved original 5gb iPod which a friend bought for me in New York in Janaury 2002. However I didn't want to get tied into the O2 contract as it was really quite poor and it was at least £80 in the States.

Looking like the cat that got the cream, I brought it back and handed it over to my little brother's friend in Manchester, England, who unlocked it and told me to bring my sim card round to his house so he could add the Turbo Sim.

To cut a very long story short the Turbo Sim didn't work properly and he still hasn't got round to getting me a replacement, four months on. Also in the meantime the O2 contract is now a lot better and the 8gb phone's price has been slashed by £100.

So as I write I've got all the functionality of an iPod touch but no phone. I carry it round so I can use its mp3 player, internet browser and organiser and still use my Nokia to make calls!

The cream round my chops has definitely been replaced by egg on my face and I've been soundly beaten by the Gods at Apple for trying to go against them!

If anyone knows which Turbo Sim I need to get from eBay and how I then attach it to my Orange network sim card to get the phone to work on an iPhone v1.1.2 please let me know as I'm sick of carrying two phones!

My broken iBook? That's another story...

2007-05-21T17:16:00.000-07:00

Superman Returns

Been feeling very blue this evening. I think it's been caused by a combination of factors: a heavy session at the weekend, a couple of bad nights sleep and a few personal issues that I can't resolve or don't want to resolve.

I don't feel trapped which is what normally causes a major downswing in my mood I just feel a bit alone and a bit in limbo. My new job is good, albeit very hard work. But I do miss my friends. Years ago I used to be a good telephone talker but these days I only really thrive from one-to-one contact.

I have been drinking this evening, which I know is a depressive, but over the years I've learnt that as long as I only have a few and watch a film that is either full of pathos, comedy or reminds me of good times it'll sort me out. Tonight I've not gone for pathos or comedy I've gone for Superman Returns.

It's a good film, rather than a great film. But any of you who have looked at my flickr site will probably realise that my name is Clark. And the movie reminds me of the time when I truly wanted to be the real Clark Kent. Funnily enough I am now a reporter and I once worked at newspaper group with a girl called Lois!

What I do like about my situation now, rather than a few years ago and what is helping me to overcome that sick and empty feeling in my stomach, is that if i take a moment to think outside myself I can put into play elements which I know will go some way to making me snap out of it.

There was however a time when I couldn't and I feel for those people who are experiencing that now.

For me personally it's a case of not so much blue, as blue, red and yellow.

2007-04-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

2007-04-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

Squeeky bum time

I've just bought my ticket to the Man United v AC Milan Champions' League semi-final at Old Trafford! I can't wait for the game. The United v Roma game was absolutely fantastic. Each goal was a joy to watch. The only downside for me was that I messed up my train times and ended up spending a fortune on my tricket up to Old Trafford.

I'm hoping that Rooney and Ronaldo will want to avenge their defeat at the hands of AC Milan in 2005. Now that they have started scoring in Europe I believe we can go all way and win the trophy.

If we get through to the final I don't know who I'd rather face - Liverpool or Chelsea? I'd hate to lose to either but I think losing to the scousers would be worse!

I was close to some of the trouble at the Manchester v Roma game and although it was completely inexcusable and worrying it was scuffles rather than anything more.

I don't think they'll be any trouble with Milan fans but I hope their police look at how the German force dealt with potential troublemakers at the World Cup. They were very good indeed.

2007-04-02T03:29:00.001-07:00

Me
Originally uploaded by clarky clark.

I've just returned from Manchester on my scooter - a 455 miles round trip on the A roads. And putting my saddle-sore arse to one side, it really is a very beautiful trip. You get to see lots of places and villages that you would never normally dream of visiting. In the Chilterns there's a cottage with a thatched spider on its roof, I travelled through a hamlet called Butt Lane and a village called Muckney's Corner. You also really notice how the local architecture changes to fit in with the landscape and local stone.

At one point I was speeding towards the old Roman town of Towcester with a beautiful sunset to my right-hand side, a lovely tree-lined country road ahead of me and The Who's Quadrophenia on my iPod. Does it get any better?

It may take a lot longer than the motorway but I'd recommend everyone travels a fair distance on to the A-roads once in a while.

2007-01-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

Everyone who visits my site using a Mac might want to check out this Greenpeace site www.greenmyapple.org

Preaching over.

xxx

2007-01-10T16:02:00.001-08:00

There goes one of my resolutions... Or maybe not...

Just watched the Macworld 200 keynote speech on the internet. Yes I am an Apple geek! Steve Jobs announced the iPhone. Boy and what a great bit of technology it is. It looks great, it's an audio and video iPod, a touch screen phone and proper web browser in one. I can't wait to get hold of one.

They the basic 4GB version is going to retail at $499, which probably means when it is available in Europe it'll cost about £350. Bang goes my thoughts on getting my finances in check!

Well, maybe not. As it's not going to be on sale in Europe until the end of the year I might be able to use it as a way of helping me learn to save better. As I'll be unable to nip down to the Regent Street Apple store and buy one on my credit card for ten or 11months I could, revolutionary thought here, squirrel away £30 - £40 a month and then pay cash.

Ha ha! How great are the people at Apple not only have they come up with a fab phone they're also helping me keep my New Year's resolutions!!! Thanks Steve.

2007-01-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

Nightmare

Just made myself wake up from a nightmare. It didn't have any really scary people or anything. I just woke up within my dream. I was lying on my bed and things just start getting a bit creepy, stuff started falling on top of me and I felt this amazing sense of dread. I got up to switch my light on but it wouldn't work. I frantically tried to get the light to work for a while and then realised that all was not as it should be and I was dreaming. It was at that point I made myself wake up.

I always seem to have those weird bedroom situation, ultra realistic dreams if I'm really tired and I fall asleep on my back. I don't know why?

What was nice when I woke up was the sound of the rain. I do love lying in bed in the pitch black listening to the pitter-patter of the rain against the window. It's really calming and makes you feel glad to be inside.

Back to bed now.

2007-01-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

The new year

I don't normally do New Year resolutions but I think I am going to this year. Obviously I plan to keep all of them! Some, however, are more important than others.

1. Sort out my love life

Since my ex and I finished I've been messing about with a few girls and it needs to stop. I often feel lonely but I can't carry on messing about as it is starting to turn from being fun into something that is very selfish. I need to be happy being single until I meet someone I really like and resist the temptation to drink and dial.

2. Sort out my finances

Unfortunately this means I'm also going to have to curb my travelling but I could do with getting rid of my credit cards and saving some money.

3. Lose weight

I'm supposed to be running the London Marathon in April, depending on how well my achilles is holding up, which should go some way to acheiving this. I also need to stop snacking, my culinary achilles heel, and cut go out for a couple fewer beers throughout the month.

4. Finish my short story/screenplay

I don't reckon it's going to be a world-better but as every journalist is a frustated writer it'd be good to get something meaty down on paper.

5. Film a short with friends

We've got the idea we just need to start developing it and then film the result. Easy!

6. Make money from my photos.

I had my first picture publish this year and have had offers from a couple of ad agencies that fell through at the last minute. Now I need to start getting back some of those travelling costs by selling more of my snaps.

7. Move to Hong Kong

Ideally I'll be writing my blog from Hong Kong on January 2, 2008. I don't know if it's doable at the moment but it's something to aim for.

There we go my list of seven things to do in 2007;

Happy Christmas

2006-12-22T11:35:00.001-08:00

Happy Christmas
Originally uploaded by clarky clark.

I'd like to wish everyone who looks at my blog a very Happy Christmas and New year. xxx

2006-12-18T23:21:00.000-08:00

I couldn't sleep

So I'm up, I've eaten and I'm now spending the final 15 minutes before I leave the house blogging! This type of behaviour only ever comes about if I've had a bout of insomnia, which I have.

I don't really know what has caused it. I have been thinking about my future of late but it's not something that has been keeping me away.

I have just applied for a job that isn’t something I want to do for more than a year and would involve a very long commute. However, it gets me up a grade, which is something I've been trying to do for ages, so is a tactical move.

Making tactical moves and being prepared to wait for a while for something isn't really me, hence my rather large credit card bills! Don't get me wrong, I'm immensely patient with people I'm just not that patient with events.

Ideally over the next few months I'd be doing everything in my power to raise enough money for a move to Hong Kong. If I do get the job I've applied for it would mean I'd be able to save a lot more money but it would also mean having to put my plans back at least 12 months and being me I would rather be there now!!

I don't know when my impatient streak came about because as a child I was very good at saving money and waiting for films to come out.

I guess somewhere along the way I realised that waiting can also mean that you miss out on the life that's happening around you or ultimately make the wrong choice and be very disappointed. Hmm... I suppose the trick is balancing the two so at least my finances can deal with my impulses.

2006-12-11T12:53:00.001-08:00

Vietnamese Coffee Filter
Originally uploaded by clarky clark.

Very tasty!

2006-12-09T12:52:00.001-08:00

Missing Vietnam

hanoi_overhead_seller
Originally uploaded by clarky clark.

Having said all that I did about the whole internet dating thing I decided to email a very pretty and seemingly nsweet girl that I'd 'winked' at a few days ago. It's hard to gauge whether she's out of my league or not but she's really into music and apparently matches me on lots of the system's points.

Whether she's into someone with a shaved head, who's not unattractive and can be quite funny (sorry my posts aren't!!!), but not classically beautiful I don't know?

Anyhow that isn't want I wanted write about. I was looking at Noodle Pie's blog and
his feature about Andrea Nguyen's new recipe book and it made me desperate to be in a Hanoi side street supping fresh beer at the bia hoi and just seconds away from a stall selling tasty street food.

Or on the back of a bike speeding through the mayhem that is Saigon's traffic choked streets towards The Rex for cocktails and then a fantastic meal at The Temple Club.

As I've mentioned before Vietnam had a real impact on me. Not only was it the first country I'd visited on my own without knowing anyone living there or that it came at a real 'find yourself' moment in my life it just was and is a wonderful, beautiful, vibrant place.

It is coming up to 13 months since I was last there and I'm really missing the place. I first visited in 2003 and went back for a Saigon stopover at the beginning of 2005 and full trip, incorporating Laos and Hong Kong in November 2005.

As I don't have either the funds or time off work to fly there at the moment, not to mention the fact that my mother would disown me if I missed the family Christmas, I think the only thing I can do is make myself a Vietnamese coffee, text Lauren (my Australian friend who teaches in Hanoi) and play the Vietnam playlist I did for my last trip.

Vietnam 2005 playlist

What Condition... - Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
Gloria - Van Morrison
Sky Stars Falling - Doves
This Modern Love - Bloc Party
What Became Of The Likely Lads - The Libertines
Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who
Northern Sky - Nick Drake
Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bob Dylan
Tropical Hot Dog Night - Captain Beefheart
Otis - The Durutti Column
Soviet - Electronic
Wake Up - The Arcade Fire
Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles
La Ritournelle - Sebastien Tellier
Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths
Observatory Crest - Captain Beefheart

2006-12-06T19:14:00.000-08:00

Internet dating

I was recently persuaded to sign up to an internet dating agency. Previously I'd been a bit dismissive of this form of matchmaking but as I'm now 31 and currently don't now have a girlfriend I thought I'd give it a go.

The first thing that struck me was how expensive it was. I only signed up for a month but if you joined for six months as seemed the only option, at first,it would cost nealy £70 pounds.

But this wasn't the thing that made me distrust the system. What put me off was the fact that it was very superficial. A lot of this was probably down to me initially, as I'm drawn to pretty faces, but after a while I just realised that it was just how the system worked.

I hate chat up lines. It's not really me as I'm quite shy. I like to rely on my personality once I've started chatting to a girl, that friends or family have introduced me to, as I'm not the most photogenic of classically handsome chap.

My ideal type of girl would have either dark brown/black or natural blonde/mousy hair , be a little bit curvy and have a wonderful smile.

The problem with static based internet dating is that the first thing you see is someone's picture so you're going off what they look like and if they match your ideal.

I've dismissed girls out of hand because they've not had very good pictures or don't seem my type. In the real world I would never dismiss having a chat with anyone because they didn't look perfect. And once I started chatting to them they true beauty might start shining out.

Alternately I've chatted to drop dead gorgeous girls who after I've realised that they are either very boring or not very nice don't seem as beautiful.

Beauty is definitely in the minds eye and as it can take a bit of time for your minds eye to open I'm not going to bother renewing my internet dating account.

2006-11-23T18:13:00.001-08:00

mui_ne1
Originally uploaded by clarky clark.

Here Comes The Sun

I was riding home the other night listening to Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles and it took me back to the time I'd listened to the song on the beach in Mui Ne, Vietnam in 2003. I'd been travelling south from Hanoi for the previous two weeks and it was the first time I'd really had chance to relax and take stock.

My trip to Vietnam itself was my reward after an unbearably difficult 12 months personally. At the beginning of the year I'd spent months going through a particularly painful break-up after a six year relationship with someone I'd known since childhood. And then spent the subsequent months dealing with real loneliness and a deep sense of loss.

So I'm walking along a beautiful sunkissed beach, having already fallen in love with the country and its people, the sun is heating my bones, the surf is pounding, kids are playing football and all I've got to think about is what my travelling companions and I are going to do that evening when Here Comes The Sun comes onto my iPod.

I remember a big grin coming across my face and a slight tear forming in my eyes as I listened to the lyric "Here comes the sun little darling, it seems like years since it's been here...", and I realised that for the first time in at least year I was actually happy.

Now everytime I hear that song it reminds me of wonderful memories, wonderful friends - Katharina, Diana, Charity, Brittni & John you know who you are - and how no matter what happens in life I can deal with it and come out the other end intact.

Thank you George Harrison. RIP.

2006-11-01T03:54:00.000-08:00

Having a bit of a crazy time in Hong Kong at the moment. Painting the town red, sighting, meeting business contacts and generally tiring myself out.

I'm off to China tomorrow for a couple of days of relaxation amongst some very pretty villages. I'll hopefully take plenty of pictures too.

Will update this page properly when I get a moment...

2006-10-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

London Film Festival

I really do enjoy the London Film Festival. It allows you to see films you'd never normally get the chance to see.

I went to see a preview of an Inuit film called The Journals of Knud Rasmussen the other day. It's a very interesting feature from the director of Atanarjuat which focuses on the actually events surrounding the demise of the Inuit's native shamanic belief system and their conversion to Christianity.

The story is told in Inuit style which means there are no introductions and the context isn't explained. As the film is meant for an Inuit audience there is also lots of singing and quite a lot of dialogue in unsubtitled Inuit which means that it does tend to drag a bit. But it is a fascinating insight into a culture that was lost before it was barely known about.

Visually it's a treat. There's lots of snow, obviously, people dressed up in their traditional caribou skin and fir outfits, and igloos. And the leading female actress Leah Angutimarik who plays the shaman's daughter is quite cute too!

The film prompted me to find out a little bit more about Inuit and the town (Igloolik) where the events took place in the 1920s. And I found out that there is a really a interesting project in the town of Igloolik, which teaches the local teenagers drama, video and circus skills in a bid to prevent suicides as depression is a particular problem.

Some of the actors in the film had been introduced to the arts by the Artcirq Project. It sounds like a really important project which is not only giving people skills and opportunities but helping to preserve the history and heritage of the Inuit. Something to be applauded.

Unfortunately this year I didn't factor the film festival into my holiday plans so on Wednesday with one week left and lots of great films still to see I'll be leaving London on a jet plane to Hong Kong.

Alright, I'll admit it's not much of a nightmare but I would like to have seen a few more interesting movies. I just hope the inflight entertainment is half decent.

Hopefully going to squeeze Andrea Arnold's feature directoral debut Red Road and Anthony Minghella's Breaking and Entering in next week before I fly to Hong Kong.

2006-10-15T03:23:00.000-07:00

Bem-vindo!

Forget creepy 70s films! The internet has some truly scary capabilities. Cybersoc introduced me to a rather wonderful if freaky tool called Statcounter.com which allows you to track visitors to you blog.

Being a little hungover and curious I decided to fire it up this morning. I didn't think anyone would have visited since I last rather obsessively looked at statcounter the other day.

I was wrong. At about 1am someone in Rio de Janeiro, running Microsoft Windows 98 and Internet Explorer v 6.0 spent about two and a half minutes looking at two pages! There weren't any details on how they had found me. I can only hope they weren't too disappointed!

Obviously, I'll now be closely tracking my Brazilian readership and if it grows I might start introducing new South American themed features. Haha.

2006-10-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

Creepy 70s films

Just watching the Omen. I don't know what what it is about 70s horror/thriller films but I find them a lot more scary/creepy then films being produced now.

There was only one bit in the Blair Witch Project that made me shiver and look over my shoulder. That was the bit where they focused on the material that encased the severed finger and flashed back to the crazy women's house and the same material that was wrapped round her gate. The Omen has at least four of those moments for me. Damien riding round the room on his tricycle before knocking his mother over the banister is a big one.

I was very disappointed with the Japanese Ring series. I thought it'd be very scary but the Hollywood remake of the Grudge was a lot more affecting. The woman crawling out of the TV screen is creepy but a little bit expected.

Saying that Japanese cinema I think is taking over that creppy role hough. The bit in the Takashi Miike film Audition when the character Asami Yamazak waits for the phone to ring next to a sack containing a trapped man is awesome in that sense. The smile she gives when the phone starts ringing is the stuff of nightmares!

If anyone knows of any films that are creepy in that sense then send me an email or post a comment.

2006-10-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

Breaking up is hard to do...

I went to pick up my final things from my ex-girlfriend's on Thursday night. It went as okay as these things can. She'd arranged to be out while I was there which I thought was a bit much as we had finished because we came to realise we weren't right long term. But if she didn't feel comfortable seeing me then I'm not going to demand that she sees me.

These occasions are always a sad because you don't just loose someone who you obviously cared enough about to go out with but you tend to loose all those friendships made through them too. When I turned up on Thursday her housemates, who I've spent quite a lot of time with weren't half as friendly as they used to be.

I used to be of the belief that once you've split up you shouldn't try to do the whole 'friends' thing. But I'm kind of changing my mind now. Obviously my ex and I need space to let feelings settle but I'm hoping some time in the not so distant future we can get along.

It was one of those breakups which is very sad but right. We just weren't right for each other. I was too laid back for her and she was too high maintenance for me. She could be so lovable at times but equally infuriating. And I'm sure I was the same!

I think the best memories I'll take from the relationship are the time we spent in Vietnam and Hong Kong, Christmas with my parents (which was absolutely lovely) and the Sunday nights we used to spend watching foreign films together.

I hate difficult and sad things....

2006-10-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

I've finally added some pictures of my Vespa on to my flickr site. I took them with a compact digital point and shoot so I had a few problems gettting it to focus on the right thing.

My scooter is looking a bit battered at the moment as someone at work recently knocked it over with their car and then I came skidded off when I hit some oil. I bruised and gashed my arm and side, bashed my helmet and was quite dazed and confused but thankfully wasn't injured seriously.

I has left a lovely big scrape down the one side of the scooter that skidded on the ground which will probably cost at least £150 to fix but more importantly has left me a little nervous in the wet.

I came off in July after the first rain shower in London for weeks. At Sloane Square I'd noticed the road was a bit slippy so I was call all the way home - well, almost all the way home. As I pulled up to the last set of lights before my street a bloke on a geared Vespa PX stopped by the side of me. When the lights changed to he zoomed off really quickly, so obviously I just had to keep up with him.

As I came up to a Zebra crossing a pedestrian stepped out into the road, a applied the brakes a little too hard, hit some oil and the next thing I know I'm skidding down the road just behind me bike. I came to a stop a couple of feet away from the crossing and was suddenly surrounded by concerned passersby.

I think my intial reaction really worried them. I'd had a really bad headache earlier so the bash to my helmet had made it worse. So as they were asking me whether I was alright and whether I needed to go to hospital all I could say in reply was: "My head really hurts. I'll be okay. I only live round the corner but my head does really hurt."

I declined one couple's offer of a glass of brandy, as I was off the booze at the time of the accident, got back on my rather ill-sounding bike and rode the remaining two minute journey back home.

After a cup of hot sweet tea and an explanation of what had happened to my housemate. I walked to the local supermarket to buy some food. Thirty minutes of slightly confused shopping later I went home to eat all the sugary things I'd bought.

I got back on the scooter the very next day. But now whenever it rains I don't really like travelling on my bike. I know that it was the oil and dirt that had built up during those weeks without rain that made me skid but I'm still nervous and go round corners very cautiously which can be a danger in itself.

Hopefully I few more weeks of wet whether and I'll have got my confidence back...

2006-09-26T03:03:00.000-07:00

The Wonder of Wikipedia

Lying in bed trying to make myself tired listening to music and browsing wikipedia for information about classic films stars. I know more than ever did about Richard Harris, Richard Burton and Burt Lancaster.

It was actually the song 'MacArthur Park' that got it all started. BTW - I never realised it reached number two in the US Billboard charts! I had been feeling a bit down so decided to activated my new iPod playlist (see below) which contains the epic Jimmy Webb song and decided to actually find out where the park was located (it's LA).

So I hooked up wikipedia got the information and then start reading about Richard Harris, who happened to be one of my favourite actors when I was a child, then 'The Wild Geese', Burton and Lancaster.

Playlist:
It Hasn't Happened Yet - William Shatner
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
The Windmills Of Your Mind -Dusty Springfield
Living Thing - Electric Light Orchestra
La Ballade Du Georges - Sebastien Tellier
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song - The Flaming Lips
The Rhythm Of Life - Sammy Davis Jr
Replaceable - The Killers
When You Were Young - The killers
Islands In The Stream - Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
Young Folks - Peter Bjorn And John
Common People - William Shatner
Never Be Lonely - The Feeling
Do You Realise -The Flaming Lips
Fight Test - The Flaming Lips
Town Called Malice - Paul Weller
Mr Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
Man Of Constant Sorrow - Soggy Bottom Boys
MacArthur Park - Richard Harris

I've been listening to it on shuffle so it's not been in that order.

I was always find it amazing how much music can change my mood. As I said I had been feeling a bit down reflecting on life, existentialism, my career, relationships, my ex-girlfriend, why I was lying on my bed not sleeping, whether I'd dream about spiders or sharks... You know, those I can't sleep profound and trivial thoughts that dart across your mind in equal measure when your staring up at the ceiling.

Well, I started to listen to my iPod and 'The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song', 'It Hasn't happened Yet' and 'Wichita Lineman' didn't seem to help. In fact they just increased my malaise. But then 'Living Thing', 'Islands In The Stream' and 'Young Folks' came on and it really perked me up. I was soon horizontal leg dancing, taping my fingers and mouthing the words.

By the time MacArthur Park came on, which admittedly isn't the cheerest in parts, I was singing along to the very questionable lyrics and thinking where is the place that inspired the lyric "Someone left the cake out in the rain, I don't think that I can take it, 'Cause it took so long to bake it, And I'll never have that recipe again"! Hence wikipedia.

Messrs. Harris and Burton Rest in Peace - well a drunken stupor at least!

I think I've now made myself tired enough to sleep. Unfortunately there's only four and a half hours until I need to get up....

2006-09-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

It's been quite an eventful couple of days all in all. On Friday I went to see a special screening of the Brit-horror flick 28 Days Later which featured a Q & A with the director Danny Boyle.

He's such a genuine bloke it was an absolute joy to listen to him talk for about 40 minutes on the making of 28 Days Later and his next movie Sunshine that is going to star Michelle Yeoh, Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans. It's all about a team of astronauts who are sent out in to space to save the sun, and ultimately mankind, from dying. I won't bore you with the details here as you can find more about the film in a lot more succinct fashion at their website www.sunshinedna.com.

Apparently he doesn't like the special effects and cgi process as it takes too long so they've been editing two versions, one with the effects and one without, so he can see an immediate result after the months' work. They've been filming it at studios in east London.

The main bits of information that he gave away about the filming of 28 Days Later were that the alternative ending which sees Jim (Cillian Murphy) die in the hospital after Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston) has shot him in the stomach was really a rouse to get the films backers to give them enough money to pay for the actual ending in the Lake District with the fighter jet coming to the rescue. And when they saw the bleak first ending they duly paid up.

He said Mailer, the soldier who became infected and was kept alive was originally a background artist who was promoted after the original actor was sacked for being a horrible twat to other members of the crew and cast. This according to Danny Boyle is the only time has ever had to sack someone on set. He also said he'd be directing the second unit for 28 Weeks Later the sequel featuring Robert Carlyle and his next project after sunshine was going to be an animated film version of Truckers by Terry Pratchett.

On Sunday I went to my first Bar and Bat Mitzvah party. I colleague at work's two twins were celebrating their coming of age and what a do it was. The party was held at a out of the way club in King's Cross. Any preconceived ideas I had about the location were swept away as soon as we got to the car park. The place was chocked full of posh cars and the venue was an old converted warehouse. In fact the whole area of town often reminded me of Manchester with it's arches, warehouses and railway sheds.

The place was very tastefully done out. Lots of black, wood and minimal adornments. And instead of a buffet or a sit down meal we had food stations which was so my colleague and his wife! But it all changed when their sun and daughter first came in. They were hoisted through the crowd, and it was quite a big crowd, of guests on chairs and then were treated to a belly dancer. The daughter Sophie looked a bit non-pulsed it this point and the son Ben blushed but recovered soon enough because he was dancing with her two minutes later.

I do think I was born into the wrong religion. Dancing one-on-one with a scantily clad belly dancer at 13 and having your parents book a celebrity (X Factor's Andy Abrahams) singer as the pre-'disco' entertainment can't be bad. Although I'm not so sure I'd be happy with losing such a delicate part of my anatomy, well not at this age!

One thing I didn't realise was just how middle-eastern it was going to get. I'm not ignorant of Jewish culture or the history of diaspora I just didn't expect parts of the party to be that different. Just after the belly dancer a lot of the women put on very heavily decorated smocks and all started dancing round in circles to the type of music you hear at Jewish weddings in films.

The sweetest thing about the whole ceremony was just how family orientated it all was. The speeches went on for ages but it all seemed so heartfelt it didn't seem to drag too much.

After the serious bits we all got down to some serious dancing and quite a bit of drinking. At one point a c-list British TV and Radio celebrity and I were captured on video jumping up and down to the House of Pain! I did redeem myself with my dancing during the funk and house sections of the set but dread to think what the footage looks like!

2006-09-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

After a two month struggle I've finally got broadband in my house! It's been an absolute nightmare. We were signed up to OneTel but my housemate decided to take TalkTalk on their offer of free broadband if you switched your home phone to them. Don't do it.

After six weeks of waiting we never received any of the starter/driver packs they were supposed to send out. We spent hours on the phone and got no further than "we're receiving a high level of calls at the moment please try later" after 30 minutes of waiting. The only communication we received was a bill for Â£25 for the phone line which we hadn't been able to to use because they hadn't sent out the details.

We finally managed to cancel their non-existent service and thought we'd seen the last of them. I say seen the last of them but the problem really was that we never did see anything from them or their agents. But it wasn't! When upgraded to Orange's Dolphin Â£35 a month contract that includes free broadband I couldn't get connected because TalkTalk had a block on the line.

I had to go back to TalkTalk and waste two mornings trying to contact their call centre (I say call centre but I wouldn't be surprised if the whole operation was run from a kitchen in Rotherham). It was only when I chose to opt for their paid for line that I got through to anyone. They managed to give me the MAC code I needed to free up the line!

Unfortunately that wasn't the end of it. As I have an iBook G4 and the cd-rom containing all drivers and configations from Orange was typically PC only I had to get back on the blower and try and track down someone who could help me. Easier said than done.

On Friday morning before work and this evening after work I've been passed from pillar to post with everyone claiming either that the Livebox wireless router (Orange's wireless kit) isn't compatible with Apple Macs, despite the fact that my computer's Airport detected it straight away. After some irate words from me they managed to track someone down who knew how to get it working in a couple of minutes flat!

So here I am properly back on the net after a break and posting I rather boring post on my broadband trials and tribulations. Apologies, but getting it off my chest is helping me.

I lot of interesting stuff has been happening of late some bad, some worse and some good! I had my first scooter accident a couple of weekends back, my girlfriend and I have finished after 14 months, I got a considerable raise at work and have trip to Hong Kong and China planned for October/November.

2006-08-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

Where in the world have I been?

Doesn't seem that many really...

Vietnam, Hong Kong and Australia were probably my favourites.

2006-07-25T04:12:00.000-07:00

I'm a week in

It's been eight days since my last taste of alcohol and I can't say it's been that difficult to stay off it at the moment. I do miss having a cold beer after work and would have enjoyed a glass of white wine with the BBQ on Sunday (we had a great time burning sausages, burgers and fish on Balham Common) but apart from that it's been okay. Which is really as it should be as i't only been just over a week.

In that week, though, I have been offered more free booze than is usual; at the curryhouse, after the 5km run I took part in.... Normally I'd have glugged it all down and probably had some more. Alas no.

The big test is going to come on August 10 when it's my work's summer party. The place we've hired will be awash with free booze, both offered by friends and provided by the bosses. I don't know how long I'll be able to cope with work my colleagues' drunken antics. Arrrrgh!! I'm becoming a teetotal bore!!

2006-07-17T04:55:00.000-07:00

A month without booze

Over the last couple of months I seem to have got myself a bit of a drinking problem. Well, I say drinking problem but it's more problematic drinking than anything else.

On three separate occasions in the last month I've got myself so pissed that I've become a danger to myself. No, I don't get violent or morose I just get lost and then tend to fall asleep.

It doesn't sound that dangerous but when you end up being woken up in a public park by two strangers, worried for your welfare, you know something is seriously wrong.

Work has been manic over the same period and my girlfriend and I have been on and off too. Also it has either been when there's free booze available or I've been at an all-day party. Whatever the whys and wherefores, one thing is certain this kind of obliteration drinking has got to stop.

So... I've decided to give up alcohol for at least a month. Hopefully I'll be able to lose some weight and start getting serious about my running in the meantime too. Watch this space...

2006-07-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

We're out!

We're out. The dream or nightmare depending on whether you enjoyed watching an undoubtedly talented team perform so badly is finally over.

Having enjoyed the result, rather than the game, against Ecuador at first hand I can't say it's too much of a shock. After the final whistle in Stuttgart the crowd struck up Three Lions but we all sang "It's coming home" in the knowledge that really it wasn't very likely based on the performances.

I really did think we were going to beat Portugal despite being down to ten men but then again I thought the same in Lisbon two years ago, so it shows my football judgment!

All the papers are talking about the money Sven's made from the FA without getting the results when it mattered, and it made me realise that England is the Newcastle United of World Football. We pay over the odds for talent who don't really care that much about the team or supporters, have a board that make decisions of such ineptitude that it is laughable, have fans that spend a fortune on overpriced merchandise and blindly buy into a dream that has no basis in reality.

Forget World Cup success, if there was a global equivalent of the old Milk Cup would struggle to get to the semis.

Do I seem a bit despondent? Maybe, and that's why I'm supporting Germany for the reminder of the tournament. Great hosts, great beer, a very pleasant country and a team that is not only playing attractive football but can hit a decent penalty when they need to. Come on Germany!!

2006-06-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

Back home and back at a regular computer

I didn't manage to update this site after arriving back from Holland because I managed to get hold of two tickets to the England v Ecuador game in Stuttgart!!

My friend Joe and I both flew out first thing on Saturday morning (7.15am) and what a couple of days it has been.

If Cologne was heaving with English fans than Stuttgart was absolutely bursting. On the Saturday German flags were being waved everywhere as the city celebrated Germany's win over Sweden.

There may have been small bouts of trouble in the main square caused by both drunken English and German fans, rather than hooligans, but just a street away Joe and I did our bit for international relations.

As we were walking up to towards the main square we noticed a couple having a rather vicious argument. The very drunk boyfriend appeared to be pushing and hitting his girlfriend and then storm off.

At first we couldn't believe what we'd just witnessed but went over to see whether she was okay. She was very upset and quite frightened but seemingly unhurt. We didn't want to leave her where she was and agreed to go with her to meet her sister.

The girl kept saying her boyfriend had never done anything like this and was 'so full of alcohol' but judging by her sister's reaction when we met up with her this kind of treatment was nothing unusual.

We left them to it and made our way from the centre of Stuttgart to our dreadful hotel in the suburb of Korntal. Knowing that the room didn't have aircon or a fan and the temperature would be we made sure we had a few more sleep inducing lagers, served by a Mexican barman whose only English was Germany win World Cup, England go home!

Talking about Mexicans, I've seen more of them in Germany and Holland than any other South or central American nationals. They all seem loaded and are at every game I've watched. I think the two certainty in this World Cup are that English fans will out number any other country bar Germany, although it's a close run thing! And that wherever you travel in Germany from Heligoland to the Black Forest you'll always see a Mexican draped in a tricolour flag in the corner of your eye despite the fact that there team are now out and they didn't play anywhere near the area in the first place.

On the day of the game we manage to swamp Stuttgart with English flags. It was really quite a sight although I was slightly more concerned about the 120 euro category one England ticket that didn't quite fit into my jean pocket at the time. I was really worried that I'd either manage to lose it, have it nicked or damage the embedded chip.

My worries were unfounded, the worst that happened was that it got a little creased thanks to all the other stuff I had in my pockets (camera, glasses, phone, room key, passport) and we got into the stadium with plenty of time to spare.

The game, as anyone who watched it on telly will know, wasn't the most beautiful example of football. But it we got the right result and Becks, who happens to be exactly) four days younger then me, scored the winning goal.

I fortunately managed to snap the goal with my camera which I'll hopefully post up on this blog if I manage to work out how to do it.

The fact that we didn't put a couple of goals past Ecuador did take a little of the shine off the occasion and made our chants of 'it's coming home' sound a little hollow but it was fantastic going to my first ever World Cup game.

With the atmosphere being so tense and the stadium so humid we were absolutely shagged by the time it finished, no wonder Becks threw up.

Normally at this stage in the tournament a start forgetting all the times England have disappointed in the past and start believing the hype but because we've played so badly it's not happened. Is that a sign that something might change? Watch this space.

We met a lovely South Korean couple called Cathy and Matthias at the restaurant after the game who took us to a great German patisserie and treated us to dessert and then gave us a lift back to our dreadful hotel. They have even invited both of us over for the Stuttgart Octoberfest. If I can get time off work I'll definitely be going.

My World Cup overseas adventure is now over. If England progress further than the quarter-final against Portugal I'll watch the games in London at friends, hopefully accompanied by a BBQ happy in the knowledge that I've done my bit in Germany.

2006-06-21T04:17:00.000-07:00

What a couple of days!

Wow, we're back in Holland after our two day foray into Germany and what a couple of days it has been. Nothing went to plan!

We'd pinpointed the Switzerland v Togo game in Dortmund as a dead cert for tickets. Trouble was so had the thousands of other fans who had descended on Western Germany for the next day's England v Sweden match.

Th ticket situation was very different to Euro 2004. At the stadium's tram stop scores of hopeful fans thronged round the dozen or so touts. Such was the demand for tickets even for this game that the touts refused to drop their prices below 100 euros even after kick-off.

Unwilling to part with that much money for 75 minutes of a match we weren't that bothered about we decamped to the Westphalia concert hall to watch the first half of the game on the big screen and then moved to the Fans' Fest in central Dortmund for the second half.

The match finished 2-nil to the Swiss, making them group leaders. The fans were all in buoyant mood and we joined a trio in a beerhouse just a sort walk away from the main crowds for some beers and plenty of 'Hop Schwitz' chants.

Despite our lack of success on the ticket front we were really looking forward to a night out in Cologne with our German hosts Thorsten and Markus. But like the match it wasn't meant to be.

Just before we left Dortmund I received a text from Thorsten saying he'd had to go to Frankfurt on business and wouldn't be able to put us up, leaving us in western Germany just before an England game with no hop of getting accommodation!

2006-06-18T01:51:00.000-07:00

We're here!

Well, I say we're here, we're in a non-World Cup country with no tickets but in the words of the 1982 England squad 'We're on our way...' We arrived in Amsterdam yesterday morning.

We had a very relaxed afternoon - cycling around the the city on bikes with no brakes, soaking in the very hot sunshine, downing a few white beers and watching Ghana beat the Czech Republic and the US draw with Italy.

At first it seemed as though we were the only English fans to have chosen the Dutch capital as our World Cup base. It was ominously England flag free.

We couldn't really believe that was the case and it wasn't. 'England tell I die' was apparently be being belted out around Dam Square and Centraal Sation.

Like those England fans we may not be driving to Germany until Monday but our World Cup adventure has very much started here for us...

2006-06-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

Got tickets to the World Cup? Well sort of

Setting off to the world cup first thing in the morning. I'm currently packing and downloading some quality German music for the journey. At present I've got:

Opus - Life is Life

Nena - 99 Luftballons

The Scorpions - Wind of Change

Kraftwerk - Autobahn

Kraftwerk - Das Model

Assorted Boney M

Falco - Rock Me Amadeus (Austrian but close)

David Hasselhoff - Reach Out (Big in Germany)

There must be loads but I can't think of any more at the moment. As you can probably tell I've not finished packing and am finding things to put it off.

It's Friday night I've had a hellish week, had an argument with my girlfriend and the last thing I want to do is try and dig out my English/European electrical adaptor!

Despite all this I am really looking forward to the trip. We're flying to Amsterdam tomorrow to meet up with friends for two days, before we head off to Dortmund on Monday for Switzerland v Togo. What a cracker I hear you say! Well it should be fairly easy to get tickets and although we all support England we're all of the mind that the World Cup is all about enjoying as much football from different countries as possible.

We then head off to Cologne for the England v Sweden game and to stay with some very friendly German fans we met at Euro 2004 in Portugal called Thorsten and Markus who have offered to put us up.

I think some English fans are going to be really surprised at the friendliness and level of support from the German fans. They all seem to know the English players almost as well as their own team and will quite happily drink to England's success. I don't know if I can say the same for everyone from back here.

We haven't got any tickets to the England v Sweden game but aren't too worried. If the touts sell them at a reasonable price just before the game we might get some if not we'll watch the match in one of the fan parks where the atmosphere we'll undoubtably be good and we'll be able to get beers to.

One of my friends and I have got tickets to match 51 which sees the winner of Group B (England's group) against the runner up of Group A (Germany's group) so we're desperately hoping Beckham, Rooney and co can raise their game. It'll be a bit of a gutter if we end up seeing a poor Sweden because the team can't shake their malaise.

Who did that really bad song "Da, Da, Da"? I think they were German? Best rack my brains and get on with the job in hand, packing!

2006-05-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

Eight inanimate things I really love (in no particular order)

Canon EOS 200x - My travelling companion and facilitator of great pictures
G4 iBook - Beautiful to look at, beautiful to use and not as heavy on my pocket as a powerbook
2001 Vespa ET4 - Gives me a buzz whilst getting me from A to B in super quick time
Vietnam 30 years of peace propaganda poster - Looks great on the wall, has real meaning and reminds me of the all the great times I had in Vietnam
Cigar collection - Chocked full of Cohibas, Montecristos, Romeo y Julietas, Trinidads, Partagas and eons of pleasureable moments to come
Man United Season ticket - After 20 years of waiting, this bit of paper and card enables me to see me beloved football team whenever I want
Great, Great Uncle's First World War Medals - The symbolise a life destroyed by a meaningless horror-filled war.
Original 5gb iPod - A bit bruised and battered, not as powerful as all who followed her but still one of the three things I could never travel without

2006-05-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Just one week without a mobile phone...

I have been almost one week without a regular mobile phone!

Why? I managed to drown my Nokia 7610 last Monday whilst taking a bath. I didn't drop it into the water but while I was moving around I slipped and sent a wave of water over the edge and onto my phone and the clothes it was sitting on.

It has been quite a strange experience. On the one hand I've missed being able to chat to people freely, send text excuses ahead of being ridiculously late, feel connected and generally talk and text crap to friends.

But on the other hand I've actually quite enjoyed the discipline of having to stick to meeting times or miss people and having events dictate my plans rather than the other way around.

My work colleagues went to a comedy night at a pub near my flat in South London on Saturday. As it was two days before pay day and I'm very skint because I've moved into a new place and been to Australia this month I couldn't go. They said they'd be in touch to meet up for a drink or two, but as they couldn't get hold of me I ended going home and watching the film Metropolis for the first time and it was fantastic.

I'd advise anyone to go without their mobile phone for a couple of days as it is really quite liberating.

Welcome to my blog!

2006-05-12T05:21:00.000-07:00

Hi bloggers, readers, lurkers and anyone who has somehow stumbled across this my first ever blog.

I am a journalist, based in London and currently working in New Media and Telly (am I allowed to say admit that I work for web establishment!).

Anyhow, I'm hoping to use this space to post up my thoughts on scooters ( I ride a Vespa), music (Doves, Stone Roses, New Order, Gorillaz, 70s Soul and Funk), travel, of which I try to do as much as I can (Hong Kong, Vietnam and Berlin are favourites) Apple Macs and anything else that comes into my little head when I'm near my computer.

I hope you enjoy what I write and post comments.

Performing Monkey :)