Lotusblog

They certainly got the knack

I was at Black Panther tonight and as always the drinks, the music and the people were up to the high BP standards. Bunshiro played the “Get The Knack” album (both sides) and it was great. “My Sharona” needs no further explanation, but the rest on the stuff on the album was also pretty good. Bunshiro took a picture of the album for me, but I have a feeling this is different from the regular cover.

Just can’t pin it down…

Another Saturday night, but this time I am at home working. Pretty dull really, when you think about it. It’s another icy night (no surprise, it is winter after all) and I was just day- dreaming whilst listening to the Buena Vista Social Club Soundtrack about where I would like to be right now.

The beach

I think the answer is here, on this beach near my house in Perth. With my family and my dog. Oh, I can just feel the momentary shock as you dive through the waves, the salt water stings your eyes, and the feeling of the sun piercing your skin. This is a picture from my last trip home in 2002. If any Perth people are reading this, then “hello! I’ll be back soon”.

I think I might go and put some sunscreen on just to get in the mood.

Another night, another 2am sitting in front of my mac.

But it is made all the more sweeter by Nick Cave. I suddenly remembered the song “Foi Na Cruz” from the “Good Son” album and I just had to hear it. Since then, I have been on a bit of a Cave-a-thon. This chap rocks.

So yesterday I got home at 4am. The night before I was working (right here) until 4am. The night before I was working until 5am. The night before I got home at 5:30am. Since I met N my life has become a bizarre collage of colour, faces, cocktails, music and people mixed with cold winter air- I am in the midst of a whirlwind and I don’t know where it’s taking me. Well, on Sunday it’s going to take me to Tokyo, that as much, I know. I met another 9 people today. 9 more names to remember. I am going to have to get my Buzan book back from Simon so that I can re-read the chapter on how to remember people.

This is getting too much.

Well, not quite nearly the middle, but nonetheless time continues it relentless breakneck forward dash. I did something with my hands for the first time in ages today- changed my tires. It was great to sit out in the cold, getting oil and grease and city-dirt all over my hands as I transformed my Mongoose from a svelte city cruiser to a monster urban-buggy. The tires are only little bit wider but they totally change the bike’s dynamics. Can’t wait to get on and go for a ride. As soon as this ridiculous cough (that I am currently burdened with) clears up I will be back in the saddle before you can say “re-pressurize my shock absorbers”.

Crikey, I completely forgot to wish you all a Happy New Year! It’s been about 10 days since I last posted to this blog. Osaka had a bit of snow on New Year’s Day but otherwise has just been bitterly cold.

I spent New Year’s Eve at the cabaret-lounge “Universe” in Osaka’s Sennichimae area. It was fantastic- we saw a live band to count in 2005 and then the rest of the night was spent bar-hopping in the adjacent Misono Building. Kariente, Black Panther, Macau, Hong Kong- they were just a handful of the places in which we found ourselves.

So 2005 is a year of exciting possibilities- judging at least by the last week. I have met so many new people I am having trouble keeping up. I thought I already knew everyone worth knowing in Osaka- it seems not.

Somehow The Pixies’ song seemed to be the right title for this post. I got up a couple of hours ago, made a coffee and logged onto BBC’s News page and was completely stunned by the headlines I saw. As I clicked and read more and more about the massive earthquake and accompanying tsunami I was completely shocked. No doubt over the next day or two the real horror of this tragedy will unfold. My cousin, planning on being in Phuket for the Christmas/New Year period was fortunately still in the Philippines. It appears that thousands of other tourists weren’t quite so lucky, not to mention the locals living in the affected areas.

I don’t have a TV but this is one of those times when I wish I could actually see more than photos on a web page. I just cannot comprehend the destruction, the size of the wall of water. My imagination is working overtime.

Tuesday the twenty-first. Already.

It’s been mad since I got back to Osaka last Thursday. But in the midst of the madness, it’s nice to know I can enjoy some holiday cheer courtesy of Somafm’s “X-mas in Frisco” station. Eclectic doesn’t quite capture it. You really have to listen to it for 20 or 30 minutes to see what I mean.

Better get cracking on my Christmas cards.

It’s Friday evening, November 12. Just after 18:00. I am sitting on my balcony enjoying the end of my fine Japanese whisky, a very long cigar, the spooky green lights on the ferris wheel and the Cafe Bleu album by The Style Council. This album has a couple of eighties moments, but the rest of it is so perfectly timeless it brings tears to my eyes. Perfect pop is a phrase I seldom bandy around, but indulge me as I use it now. This album is as close to perfect pop as anyone has ever gotten.

So what else is new (or old, as is the case with my cigar, whisky and this album)?

It was a pretty action-packed week and it absolutely flew by. Work- and this week that was only graf- went well but we are at a turning point I think as far as my future with them goes. I am probably going to be in Europe again at the end of this month (and the beginning of the next) if I get the go ahead for the project I am working on. On Monday we are all (the 27 members of graf) off to Ishikwawa and Fukui Prefectures for a couple of days of madness. I am looking forward to it. I think the best bit is that we are chartering a bus with a “companion” and karaoke. Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face.

The other stuff that happened this week was that my girlfriend finally got up the courage to dump me- but hilariously chose to do it via email. And from her work email account at that!
I thought she had a little more class than to do that, but, heck, you can’t be right about people all the time.

The other stunning news was that Mr Bush become President of the world again. And then Mr Arafat died.

This week may not so much mark a turning point in my own life, but rather, for the whole world. I guess we’ll have to see what happens now. I am optimistic about my my own future- but sadly I can’t say the same for world affairs.

This page has been silent recently, and for that I apologise. It’s 07:37, Saturday morning, and I am just finishing my morning coffee before I head into the shower and off to work. It’s a beautiful, sunny Osaka morning.
I am just remembering how much I used to love Yello’s “Otto di Catania”. It’s the perfect Saturday morning song.

I promise to write more soon.

What happened to pop music?

Last time I remember, it was inanely catchy fluffy lyrics, lip-synced by attractive and young idols, tightly choreographed dance “moves” all geared up to make money for the man.

Well, somebody must have forgotten to tell me that the rules have changed.

Now we have this.