Love Curry, Hate Propaganda

On sunday went out to Victoria Park in Hackney to see a music festival called “Love music, Hate racism”. The festivals been going for 30 years and it first started in 1970s as an anti racism music festival. It just grew and grew over the years. Theres a few bands that are playing. Patrick Wolf and The good, the bad and the Queen are some of the acts. The park was nice place to have a festivals too. 

   

As you can see the day was mostly overcast with a bit of rain. The sun did came out near the end of the day which brings a cheer to the crowd. To be honest the whole festival was a bit of a wank in terms of festival. You get a band come on, play 3-5 songs and than a guy will come on and shout “Fuck the BNP” for like 30 mins. On both side you have screen of some old stock footage from the 70s of the old protest and the slogan keep the Nazi out.

I am sure that the BNP or right leaning British political party will have a racist/anti-immigration overtone to their policies. I am no great fan of the conservatives myself but the political propaganda crap that was served up proved that extremism on both side of the politics are loads of garbage! When you started to compare anything with the Nazi you risk running afoul with the Godwin’s law. If you do that IMO you totally lost your argument. Railed against the BNP (British National Party) by all means but lighten up on the Nazi reference for Christ sake.

Another thing is that because the festival was free most bands came on and play like 3 -5 songs and none of them are really the best sets. The idea of being “free” is nice, but I guess that “quality” might become optional. Shame that I hanged around the main stage to see The good, The bad and the Queen. Patrick Wolf would be a much better choice.

Highlight of the day:

• Alan lost 11 beer when the security screen took it off Kate and Alan when the enter the festival;
• They search your bag to make sure you do not have any water bottle “tops”. Apparently if you have a lid for your bottle than you can filled it up and use it as missle. Than some clever drink stall decided to sell coconut filled with juice in the venue……. Well done guys! High five!!
• The 4 pound burger was a rip!
• Interesting concept of a male urinal. It kind of just like a waist high basin that pack in ranks. You can see over the basin to the otherside of the area! While you peeing you just see all this guys standing there with you. Hmmmm, personal space anyone?
• The Bricklane afterwards is as usual, awesome and cheap!
• And finally these!

   

Gosh, I loved this new Canon 450D SLR!!!

 *EDIT – Ok, looks like I was wrong. For a party that advocate deportation of all colours and desolving inter-racial marriages does equate them to the Nazis. I guess like the ppl in the rally said: “Fuck the BNP!”

Melting back into the London "collective"

Sorry for the slow update (If you notice) , the Internet is down at my home which means I have pretty damn unreliable internet. Besides now my time at night is spent either cooking or at the gym…..

Life can be funny, sometimes 10,000 little annoyances make your life hell. Sometimes those 10,000 little annoyance also keep your life interesting.

Finally digged my X-box and DVD collection out of A7 in the hostel. Guess thats the last of my links to the A7! The hostel will be cutting its weekly rooms down from three back to one for the summer peak season. This means that alot of the weeklys will be looking for a place to live by 1st of June. The Kiwi boys Peter and Angus moving to the Greek Island Ios for summer, Karen moving to Streatham Hill and Jimmy moving out to East London somewhere, maybe the good times finally come to an end. Hell, it sad to see them go but I am also happy to see everyone progressing in the lives. God knows will we see each other again but there will be lots to catchup on when we do!

Saturday night reveals two perils of living away from home – Locking yourself out and dealing with fixtures when they broke. I managed to grab the wrong sets of keys on Saturday night and locked myself out, with all my flatmates off elsewhere I honestly thought I will be forced to have a big night and following the time-honoured tradition of crashing at the hostel’s DVD room. Luckily Mark turned up early and let me back in the house so another disaster averted. *Shame, I would love to be out Battersea at the Ventures Bar* 

Got a phone calls from Tarks on Sunday for a BBQ at his place, so out comes my new toy – The Canon 450D! Check out some of these pics.

  

Most of you guys will probably think “So what about a train station and some tall buildings?”. You see Canary Wharf is quite distinct from the London landscape. Most of London buildings are around 10 storey low-rise because of the age of the buildings and the soil London is based on. The only bit of solid ground you can build tall buildings on is Canary Wharf in East London which makes the place stands out like no other. This is home to the biggest banks in London and the armies of corporate warriors that service these companies.

If you still think “SO what!”, than maybe you stop wasting time on my blog and go straight to YouPorn.

Anyway the BBQ was great and its kind of a good social-do for a house populated by new housemates. Got to get cracking with the BBQ at my own place.

  

Turkish + Australian = You can’t go wrong with a BBQ

And here are the girl’s invention – Baked Marshmallows/Digestives cakes!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36647&l=0384b&id=544948593

Would love to stay at Canary Wharf till late so I can take some night photos. However I have to rush back home because got news from my flatmate that the boiler is leaking.

See Tarkan drop by my pad on saturday to checkout the place, it was by chance that he checked the boiler and see theres no pressure on the central heating system. (Which explains why it wasn’t working so well!) We pop some water back into the heating system and got it going again.

Sunday arvo got a call from Mark telling me that the boiler is leaking water, great! Got back home to find a puddle of water on the floor where the boiler sits. I guess that explains why there was no pressure! Contact landlady and got her to get someone over to check out the boiler. Asked my flatmates if they notice the central heating was short, it turns out that none of them used it and dun even know anything about the boiler. Jeez, three guys living in a flat and none of the handy!  We need her…

 

On other notes now that I cameback to London, I decided to stop Jujutsu for a little while and see if theres other things to do. Starting to feel bored of my routine and felt like I really have to get something going again! A holiday, a hobby, a pet, a girl-friend, a habit?? 
 

Melting back into the London “collective”

Sorry for the slow update (If you notice) , the Internet is down at my home which means I have pretty damn unreliable internet. Besides now my time at night is spent either cooking or at the gym…..

Life can be funny, sometimes 10,000 little annoyances make your life hell. Sometimes those 10,000 little annoyance also keep your life interesting.

Finally digged my X-box and DVD collection out of A7 in the hostel. Guess thats the last of my links to the A7! The hostel will be cutting its weekly rooms down from three back to one for the summer peak season. This means that alot of the weeklys will be looking for a place to live by 1st of June. The Kiwi boys Peter and Angus moving to the Greek Island Ios for summer, Karen moving to Streatham Hill and Jimmy moving out to East London somewhere, maybe the good times finally come to an end. Hell, it sad to see them go but I am also happy to see everyone progressing in the lives. God knows will we see each other again but there will be lots to catchup on when we do!

Saturday night reveals two perils of living away from home – Locking yourself out and dealing with fixtures when they broke. I managed to grab the wrong sets of keys on Saturday night and locked myself out, with all my flatmates off elsewhere I honestly thought I will be forced to have a big night and following the time-honoured tradition of crashing at the hostel’s DVD room. Luckily Mark turned up early and let me back in the house so another disaster averted. *Shame, I would love to be out Battersea at the Ventures Bar* 

Got a phone calls from Tarks on Sunday for a BBQ at his place, so out comes my new toy – The Canon 450D! Check out some of these pics.

  

Most of you guys will probably think “So what about a train station and some tall buildings?”. You see Canary Wharf is quite distinct from the London landscape. Most of London buildings are around 10 storey low-rise because of the age of the buildings and the soil London is based on. The only bit of solid ground you can build tall buildings on is Canary Wharf in East London which makes the place stands out like no other. This is home to the biggest banks in London and the armies of corporate warriors that service these companies.

If you still think “SO what!”, than maybe you stop wasting time on my blog and go straight to YouPorn.

Anyway the BBQ was great and its kind of a good social-do for a house populated by new housemates. Got to get cracking with the BBQ at my own place.

  

Turkish + Australian = You can’t go wrong with a BBQ

And here are the girl’s invention – Baked Marshmallows/Digestives cakes!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36647&l=0384b&id=544948593

Would love to stay at Canary Wharf till late so I can take some night photos. However I have to rush back home because got news from my flatmate that the boiler is leaking.

See Tarkan drop by my pad on saturday to checkout the place, it was by chance that he checked the boiler and see theres no pressure on the central heating system. (Which explains why it wasn’t working so well!) We pop some water back into the heating system and got it going again.

Sunday arvo got a call from Mark telling me that the boiler is leaking water, great! Got back home to find a puddle of water on the floor where the boiler sits. I guess that explains why there was no pressure! Contact landlady and got her to get someone over to check out the boiler. Asked my flatmates if they notice the central heating was short, it turns out that none of them used it and dun even know anything about the boiler. Jeez, three guys living in a flat and none of the handy!  We need her…

 

On other notes now that I cameback to London, I decided to stop Jujutsu for a little while and see if theres other things to do. Starting to feel bored of my routine and felt like I really have to get something going again! A holiday, a hobby, a pet, a girl-friend, a habit?? 
 

"Wonder years"

“Do you guys remembered, back in the times when we haven’t got a job. We were barely adults and still hang around Denis House playing Warhammer 40K, D&D and magic cards. Back in the days when we would hang in the garage till like 2 in the morning shouting at each other as people in an imaginary world.  Or the time we decided to get the spare tire in Denis yard and roll it down the stairs to play dodge! Fun times!

Its been fun times and good times, and like the below pic the memories might be faded and a little blurry, but you can still make out us back than. This is the fruit of my trip back to Sydney: To raid some old photos of us back in the days.

Good times, fun times. As my Swedish Thomas will say: ‘Hey there super friends! ‘ “

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36129&l=e6ac9&id=544948593

“Wonder years”

“Do you guys remembered, back in the times when we haven’t got a job. We were barely adults and still hang around Denis House playing Warhammer 40K, D&D and magic cards. Back in the days when we would hang in the garage till like 2 in the morning shouting at each other as people in an imaginary world.  Or the time we decided to get the spare tire in Denis yard and roll it down the stairs to play dodge! Fun times!

Its been fun times and good times, and like the below pic the memories might be faded and a little blurry, but you can still make out us back than. This is the fruit of my trip back to Sydney: To raid some old photos of us back in the days.

Good times, fun times. As my Swedish Thomas will say: ‘Hey there super friends! ‘ “

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36129&l=e6ac9&id=544948593

Home Sweet Home Part 3 – Reasons for the "Way we are"

Its been a fun 2 weeks catching up with friend and family. I felt rejuvenated by going back home. Especially in the comic “talent” department! I have never felt so uninhibited with my jokes and see if they are kosher. I think I needed to open the floodgates of thought and stop holding back on some of the jokes I make. So watchout! If you are a black-fat-hairy legged-Save the whale-Lesbian, I am pretty sure I will offended you 90%* of the time.

*To claim the last 10% you have to be either a Korean or Klingon. Matter of fact if you think about it I am pretty sure the Koreans inspired Gene Roddenberry to create the Klingons. If you listen to a Korean and a Klingon you will realise theres only one tone to speak both their language: Angry.

Anyway, now sitting back here in London looking at things I enjoyed, heres a list:

* The Sunshine and the warm weather;
* A bunch of friends who’s humour is still unrivaled from my experience. Going back reminded me how much I missed them;
* Having my mum cook my meals – Its tops!
* Meeting up with my new friend Zed and James catching up in my home town;
* My bike! I enjoyed it so much that I destroyed the rear brake pads;
* Driving a car;
* The shopping in Hong Kong: Every time I go there I come back with new toys and wardrobe

I enjoyed my 2 weeks in Sydney/Hong Kong. Its a pleasant break and a great holiday. Nothing beats seeing old friends and family and catching up with the favour things like coffee or meals at your favour local. However you are enjoying this because its a “holiday”, ironically  the reason why everyone wished to be in paradise is because none of them are there! Heres a bit of wisdom for you kids out there:

The key to enjoy, to treasure and to cherish a slice of paradise is not to spend everyday at it! Familiarity breeds contempt!

One final thing I noticed is that all our lives has changed over the past months. It hasn’t been a long time since we were apart but we definitely moved on especially in the case of Bart with the third baby on his/her way. I guess this is signs of “progress” in our lives. I can go back to Sydney but it will take me some effort to settled back to a Sydney life style, but isn’t it a bit of waste after all that effort in settling in London I have to spend equal effort in settling in Sydney?

All in all I loved my trip back home and I would recommend others to do the same if they spend a long period away from home. Going back will make you appreciate your experience aboard and renew the travel bug, or it will rekindle your love for home that makes you go back. The important point is that everytime you headback home your decision might be slightly different to your last. This time I decided to stay aboard, next time I go home I might decided to stay!

 Now that I decided to stay in London, I will needed a new milestone! What is this new milestone going to be? Going back to Australia has been a milestone for my Europe trip, I will needed another milestones to look forward to!

*               *               *               *               *               *               *               *               *               *

Almost got into a fight with Sarah today over lunch over something trivial – the meaning  and usage of the word “mediocre”. The reason behind the fight is I got challenged over the useage of the words, dun worry about the exact details over what we argued about, its not important anymore.  

The point is that I get ticked off whenever someone challenged me over anything, especially if they tell me that I am “wrong” about an item or an action. I still remembered the time when Karen challenged me to proof that shops can refuse to received a large amount of small coins or when Tarkan tell me to ditched the umbrella before going out in Brighton.

I dunno how or why such small things can get me so work-up: After all it just an umbrella, a minor point of law on legal tender or simply meaning or usage of a word. The issue at heart is not what we are arguing but rather the act of arguing itself. Whenever I sense someone has a flaw in their point of view or argument I felt the need to systematically de-construct their case to proof my point. As much as I hate to put it this way, my mum’s nagging has alot to do with it. Maybe after years of constant barrages and minor criticism I felt the need to ”shoot back”. I love my mum, but there are little things about her that I can’t stand and I have to say thats one of them. It also didn’t help that I inherited my dad’s headstrong and stubborn attitude. I have to remember a big point from the book How to win friends and influence people - ”You can win arguments, doesn’t mean you are winning friends.”

On this thought, it still brings me great pleasure recalling the time Karen ate humble pie after declaring herself the “chessmaster” of argument. *If you ever read this Karen dun take this too personal, it just a little bit of fun!

Hmmm….. 2 Long weekends coming up in May and everyone is scrambling to different location for their holiday. I am wondering where can I go for those 2 weekends!

      

Home Sweet Home Part 3 – Reasons for the “Way we are”

Its been a fun 2 weeks catching up with friend and family. I felt rejuvenated by going back home. Especially in the comic “talent” department! I have never felt so uninhibited with my jokes and see if they are kosher. I think I needed to open the floodgates of thought and stop holding back on some of the jokes I make. So watchout! If you are a black-fat-hairy legged-Save the whale-Lesbian, I am pretty sure I will offended you 90%* of the time.

*To claim the last 10% you have to be either a Korean or Klingon. Matter of fact if you think about it I am pretty sure the Koreans inspired Gene Roddenberry to create the Klingons. If you listen to a Korean and a Klingon you will realise theres only one tone to speak both their language: Angry.

Anyway, now sitting back here in London looking at things I enjoyed, heres a list:

* The Sunshine and the warm weather;
* A bunch of friends who’s humour is still unrivaled from my experience. Going back reminded me how much I missed them;
* Having my mum cook my meals – Its tops!
* Meeting up with my new friend Zed and James catching up in my home town;
* My bike! I enjoyed it so much that I destroyed the rear brake pads;
* Driving a car;
* The shopping in Hong Kong: Every time I go there I come back with new toys and wardrobe

I enjoyed my 2 weeks in Sydney/Hong Kong. Its a pleasant break and a great holiday. Nothing beats seeing old friends and family and catching up with the favour things like coffee or meals at your favour local. However you are enjoying this because its a “holiday”, ironically  the reason why everyone wished to be in paradise is because none of them are there! Heres a bit of wisdom for you kids out there:

The key to enjoy, to treasure and to cherish a slice of paradise is not to spend everyday at it! Familiarity breeds contempt!

One final thing I noticed is that all our lives has changed over the past months. It hasn’t been a long time since we were apart but we definitely moved on especially in the case of Bart with the third baby on his/her way. I guess this is signs of “progress” in our lives. I can go back to Sydney but it will take me some effort to settled back to a Sydney life style, but isn’t it a bit of waste after all that effort in settling in London I have to spend equal effort in settling in Sydney?

All in all I loved my trip back home and I would recommend others to do the same if they spend a long period away from home. Going back will make you appreciate your experience aboard and renew the travel bug, or it will rekindle your love for home that makes you go back. The important point is that everytime you headback home your decision might be slightly different to your last. This time I decided to stay aboard, next time I go home I might decided to stay!

 Now that I decided to stay in London, I will needed a new milestone! What is this new milestone going to be? Going back to Australia has been a milestone for my Europe trip, I will needed another milestones to look forward to!

*               *               *               *               *               *               *               *               *               *

Almost got into a fight with Sarah today over lunch over something trivial – the meaning  and usage of the word “mediocre”. The reason behind the fight is I got challenged over the useage of the words, dun worry about the exact details over what we argued about, its not important anymore.  

The point is that I get ticked off whenever someone challenged me over anything, especially if they tell me that I am “wrong” about an item or an action. I still remembered the time when Karen challenged me to proof that shops can refuse to received a large amount of small coins or when Tarkan tell me to ditched the umbrella before going out in Brighton.

I dunno how or why such small things can get me so work-up: After all it just an umbrella, a minor point of law on legal tender or simply meaning or usage of a word. The issue at heart is not what we are arguing but rather the act of arguing itself. Whenever I sense someone has a flaw in their point of view or argument I felt the need to systematically de-construct their case to proof my point. As much as I hate to put it this way, my mum’s nagging has alot to do with it. Maybe after years of constant barrages and minor criticism I felt the need to ”shoot back”. I love my mum, but there are little things about her that I can’t stand and I have to say thats one of them. It also didn’t help that I inherited my dad’s headstrong and stubborn attitude. I have to remember a big point from the book How to win friends and influence people - ”You can win arguments, doesn’t mean you are winning friends.”

On this thought, it still brings me great pleasure recalling the time Karen ate humble pie after declaring herself the “chessmaster” of argument. *If you ever read this Karen dun take this too personal, it just a little bit of fun!

Hmmm….. 2 Long weekends coming up in May and everyone is scrambling to different location for their holiday. I am wondering where can I go for those 2 weekends!

      

Home Sweet Home Part 2 – Tourist at home

Wednesday/Thursday

   

Big thanks to my cousin Ben, who bascially took me everywhere while I am in Hong Kong.

Consider I lived in Sydney for 16 years, it still felt felt a bit foreign when I arrive. Hong Kong is literally like a tourist destination that I grew familiar with.

I am not sure how many people can say that they are at home in 2 different city, especially when the 2 city are so different with languages that does not related to each other in anyway. 

 Caught up with my extended family in Hong Kong. Its different to the last couple of times I was there. Since Grandma passed away in February the place gone alot quieter. My eldest aunty Pang was in hospital having her knee replacement done so I made a trip to the hospital to visit her.

I have to say that the bone ward is a depressing place to be in. Most patients that goes into the bone ward are elderly – they break bones easy in old age with accidents and brittle bones. There were old people moaning in pain and sad faces everywhere. It was a depressing sight to see so many old people suffering not just mentally, but also physically as well.

 

I walked past one of the nursing homes in Hong Kong and make me contemplate about this irony: Its great grouping people of similar age together when they are young, from 8 year old kids playing with each other to a bunch of 20 somethings hanging out with each other drinking in a hostel of another country. I doubt same can be said when you are in your 70s and being bundled together with your fellow geriatrics. Everybody is crippled by old age, suffering from various ailments, lossing friends to old age and staring at your own eventual demise. Putting someone into a badly run nursing home is almost like cosigning them to their doom.  I wondered whats going to happen to my parents in a few years, and I also wondered what happened to me when I am old.

Bought a new SLR camera and here are a few random pics I shot testing the camera. Didn’t get time to take some decent light shots of the city but its looking promising. Look out London and Europe! I am planning to shoot you to pieces this year!!

 

Thanks Sydney! I will remember you fondly.

Monday/Tuesday

So long Sydney.

Next time I be seeing you will be in a few years, I am sure we will catchup like old friends. We will both probably changed while we were apart, but I will still remember you well as if you are my first love.

Spent most of Monday with mum and dad. Should really have spent more time with them, both of them are hitting old age and I just hope that they are still in a good state and not get sick when I comeback next time.

In the meantime, shopping break in Hong Kong before re-joining the battlefield in London. 

Homage to a great "Buddy"

Sunday

Jacqui has been a long term supporter of mine, and its good to finally catchup with her after a long break.

  

See shes a fascinating woman: Shes a professional working for a pharmaceutical company during the week, on the weekends and in her spare time she spent time dancing up and down a pole – both as a hobbie and as part time work to help out her teacher in her dance school. A far cry from Germaine Greer’s ideal feminist.

*On a side note whats the deal with modern day feminist? – they are empower to fight against sexual objectification, than in they sexual objectify themselves as part of the empowerment process? Well done boys! We got them hook, line and sinker! High five all round! *

Well before the Villiageidioit’s blog came into existence, me and Jacqui have a special relationship. We bounce ideas and share insights that I usually wouldn’t share with the other guys. Its good to have a female view when you are trying to figure things out, and through Jacqui I learnt on a rudimentary level how females think. I still remember the lengthy email chains we have and some of my thoughts which considered as “softer side” I would share with Jacqui. Sorry guys, girls just have the best insight into some things that no guy can match.

These chain of communication have never ceased, they just moved to Facebook instead. Quick glance in my inbox shows a chain 47 messages long. Matter of fact I do take up her suggestions on many occasions! The first draft of open letter is quite different to the one posted on this blog!

   

Good turnout for the day. Its also interesting to see how I changed. Before I went to London I hardly ever took any photos, now I take pictures on the weekly basis with the focus of sticking them on both my facebook and my blog! As most of these pictures we have a fun day out! We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary and the location is far from spectacular. But when you are away from home for so long, even catching up with your mates are considered as “special”

  
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35060&l=3774c&id=544948593

To those of you that never been to Australia or Sydney, you really needed to do it in the back of a convertible!

*Sigh* That wraps up my week in Sydney, in a day or two I will have to leave my friends and home. Its been a great week and it will be hard going back to London.