The David Bowie Knives

Here we go again.
I need to leave the country by september sixth. The next available flight to Phuket is on the sixth. I'm cutting it way too close this time, but this is what happens when you don't have any options.

I've started a new bog called Hongkongbebs.

Though I do post pictures on this blog, I do so mainly to add a little spice to the plain black layout. This new one is strickly for photos. I'll update regularily and most photo's will be very recent. I've made a few posts already. The latest for my friend Adriana. I was meant to send some pics I took to her ages ago. This way is much more efficient than most others.

I also put up some photo's from when I was in British Columbia two summers ago. I like the one's I posted and figured I may as well share them with the internet world, instead of just having them sit around unnoticed on a hard drive.

If you have any requests for photos just let me know. I have loads of pictures of the hong kong gang out in various spots, including the famous Woodstone RIP and Dundas.



In music news. The new band formation is doing really well. Kachun seemed to completely lose interest in everything to do with doublethinks and general keeping in touch. So, gabe shaun and I are keeping the dream alive. We didn't want to keep the name Doublethinks because doublethinks was a four piece. Doublethinks could only be with Kachun. So we've adopted the name The David Bowie Knives.

Last night was our first ever show as an official three piece and it was probably the best response we've had from any audience. The applause and whistles were from unfamilar faces plus a few I don't get to see too often.
Cheers to everyone who came out to support us.
Tom and Paul of the Academy, Sholan and Annette of the Shotgun She-ras...Jenkins, Paddy, Rob...you're all very supportive. cheers.

The three of us loved playing together last night. We want to do it again soon.
Nothing beats that kind of sweat, noise and jumping around.

Our next David Bowie Knives gig is an important one. We're auditioning for Hong Kong's Rockit festival @ Red Devil Bar in Ho Man Tin (Near Mong Kok) on SEPTEMBER 21ST!
Come support us!

Plus...
That's the day after my birthday folks. So even if you don't give a damn about live music, at least join me for a celebratory drink.

On birthdays.
Happy Birthday Dad!!!
I had a drink just for you.

we put out fires with spades

"At ten I shaved my head and tried to be a monk"
weezer... good bye you hacks! ooooooo!


how oh how are you my golden friend?

Let's be mashed potatos. We'll make with the mixing, though left a little chunky, peppered and basiled and served with carrots, we're a dish. That's how I like to think we could be.

The people here are good. They know how to jive.
Two nights ago I was rockin canadian club on the rocks, moving in a jazz club, a tiny place where the players find space where ever they can. A trumpet player behind me leaning against the wall, a straight backed asian women hitting keys at my left. It was a good night. I wrote this when I sat bumping my feet against the floor.
---

Characters. Gecko's full of characters, crawling along empasso walls. Hands in pockets, fingers tracing glasses, Asahi brimming lips.

Ella, dresscoat and shoulder pads, singing. She goes down and brings up all the right notes. An old jazz tune and she's dressed in black. A good night for sure.

...The drums in a baseball cap... trumpet an old shirt, pinstripes on top. Jazz baby! They jam, We swing!

A girl moving in her seat, some guy sleeping on a couch. Too much wine, not enough rythm, that's what killed him.
This dancing girl, a real piece of candy, smiles. Gums all free, she ain't got no secrets here! We're all just a foot tap-tapping. Cheers to her good looks!

CC on the rocks hitting my teeth. I had enough for dinner but not for drinks. Shaun's been taking care of me, even when I already owe him big. Drinks and a virginia cig, freshly rolled.

Watching Jazz musicians during a solo is like watching bee's guard their winter honey. I'm up somewhere standing on a ladder watching it all happen. They're working on a good buzz and my cheeks are numbing in time.

It may be my antenna but come on boys burn my ears! I'm aching. Too much blowing and not enough sweat. That's what makes good live jazz. Bending knees, hips n' shoulders swinging and sweat!

The voice is gone and the drums are going off to somewhere wanting of a damn good time. Now it's happening! I can barely see her fingers! where are those keys!
From Cm, then with a sharp, something like D following G... I can't keep watching...black and white stripes really moving, being pulled down by hungry fish.

My rocks are water. What a drink.
---

Plans are coming!
My visa was rejected.
routes open.

cheers
bebs

the kitchen sweats Part Two

I thought I saw a girl carrying a big brown sofa. It was just a reflection of something else, looking out the train window. The lights inside are so bright, you see all sorts of things. Outside, people looking up see everything. Still, there was a girl at least.





Rob's work visa was rejected today; my answer will come soon. Be good news, I hope. I need to stay put 'til rent's paid in april.

Allow me passage mr. immigration man please.

i'm not leaving
i'm not leaving
i'm not through with this city yet you bastards

A going away poem

the kitchen sweats
cracking nuts, cooked noodles
let's sit to tea
no fruit fly's allowed



bebs

the kitchen sweats

Our kitchen has been invaded by little fruit flys. There are so many of them at times that we've made a little game of it, seeing who can clap the most of them out of existence in a day.



Here's rob digging the purple shades.



Wednesday night Jas stayed over at the flat and it seemed that everyone had the next day off. So, naturally we needed pancakes to celebrate a thursday breakfast free of work. Jas took to the kitchen and came back over half an hour later with these. They looked more like mash potatos than pancakes, but they at least had the right taste.
She served them with jam and cream cheese.
Jam, Yes.
Cream Cheese, surprisingly...yes.



In the corner of the flat, hiding behind the shoes is the infamous Macau beer tower, the tallest standing structure in our 500sq ft. Construction soon to recommence.

eat noodles, be nice.
bebs

good enough to eat

Yesterday was Gabe's birthday. The gang went bowling and I was there with my camera.


Here's the man of the hour...or more importantly, his stylish bowl. Gabe you're awesome. I hope you had a great birthday dude!


Gabe's inspiration, Sally, selecting the right size ball to rule the night with.



Rod's shiny victory shoes.


Rob bowls like he means it.

well I was going to post a load of pictures and write more, but I've been distracted. I shall see you all soon.

tartar
bebs

French Taps

For the past two Sunday's Rod and I have gone out on adventures. Photography was the main focus just as it has been it my daily outings lately.

check it!






















































dance and be merry
bebs

east knows best

sharon's back
shaun and I rocked the house at Joyce is Not Here in SoHo.
I managed to play ten or eleven songs and the response was good. The owner Joyce is a great lady. She bough me a shot of something strong during one of my songs, and a corona for shaun when he was playing. She loved his voice.

Today is my 8000 day birthday, so I'm treating myself to a night out. I'm hoping for dundas. It's been ages since I've had a good long night of drinking at a seedy hong kong kareoke bar.

I can't seem to stop sneezing and yawning. First thing I did this morning before my first class was buy some bakery food, along with a biog mocha soy milk, a bottle of water and a strong dose of cold coffee that I'm saving for midday.

One lesson down. Seven more to go.

My work visa is still being processed.
I have to leave the country soon.

Sharon and I have been talking about going to thailand or malaysia in early september.

I'M EXCITED!
wee hoo.

pictures coming soon

talk to you soon
love
bebs

and that's the way it is

I've had a few complaints about the lack of visuals when I update my blog, so this is a little promise for all you wonderful people....I will post pictures soon!
I would regularly post a few pictures of recent events, but I usually only update this blog when I'm at work with a long long break. On this old box computer we teachers lack administrative access, so I'm not able to do much unless I'm at home...and whenever I'm at home I don't really feel like sitting down to my blog.

Rod and I went for a hike yesterday in search of Amar's Rock, which is on one of the eight mountains along the dragon's back that separates kowloon from the new territories. Tai Wai is fairly well in the middle of the dragon's back so all we had to do was walk around the corner from our flat and we could start our way up.
easy enough.

NO WAY!

At some point we took a wrong turn and our leisurely hike of not two hours turned out to be just over five. We didn't even make it to Amar's Rock. Instead, we ended up somewhere WAY better!
Lion's rock is incredible. I had no idea that such a broad view of Hong Kong even existed. So, I will post a few pics of from the adventures of Rod and Brendan very soon. maybe tonight.....probably not.

Right well, it was pitch black when we were coming back down the mountain, we didn't have any flashlights, the ground was pretty dewy wet or just plain steep, AND WE COULD HEAR MONKEYS!
Coming down from lion's rock the first thing we had to do was walk straight into the dark mouth of dense over growth, where the moon didn't have a single opportunity to share it's light, and when in the same spot last a monkey making odd noises was not four feet above me.
Rod, being the whimsicle fellow that he is suggested that I use the camera light on my mobile which luckily doesn't just flash but stays on. There were a few tricky spots on the way down when I was thankful that my camera light was desinged to be so unresonably bright.

About half a kilometre down we decided that the path which we came by would be way too tricky completly void of light, so we took a new path down the moon lit side of the mountain; one that would bring us down into kowloon, we didn't know where.

An hour later we were both laughing and couldn't be happier to be on flat ground. We found the first 7-11 in site and promptly bought water, a soft icecream and a bag of hot n' spicy crisps.
Glorious.

I swear I've never eaten so much in my life with such ease, when we found home at half ten.

ANIMAL NEWS

Hoppy's fur! I let her hair grow for ages so she'd look like a fluff ball and it worked. Last week, however, I had to chop it all off because she was getting massive dirty dreadlocks all behind her legs, under her chin, behind her ears and even on her feet. It took a while but she's now looking cute as ever sporting a new summer do.


NOT ANIMAL NEWS

It's cora's birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORA!
It was Jenkin's birthday on the first. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY JENKINS!
Gabe's birthday is sometime this month. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOMETIME THIS MONTH GABE!
My wonderful pops has a birthday at the end of the month. HAPPY SOON TO HAVE A B-DAY POPS!


Once again I've lost track of time.
Once again it's time to go.
One more lesson.
One last hour.
Finally.

live long and prosper
bee

Second Level of Hell

It sounds like another emo throwback album (maybe the reuniited weezer in ten years?) but it's not.

I was reading up on Dante's Inferno beacause one of my favourite books, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or a Modern Promethius makes quite a few end note references to it, when upon a google search I found a quiz.
This quiz has been designed to let you know what your place in Dante's afterlife will be, and mine is the classy title of, THE SECOND LEVEL OF HELL.

Not bad, not bad.

Here's what the little test has to say about me according to my results.

You have come to a place mute of all light, where the wind bellows as the sea does in a tempest. This is the realm where the lustful spend eternity. Here, sinners are blown around endlessly by the unforgiving winds of unquenchable desire as punishment for their transgressions. The infernal hurricane that never rests hurtles the spirits onward in its rapine, whirling them round, and smiting, it molests them. You have betrayed reason at the behest of your appetite for pleasure, and so here you are doomed to remain. Cleopatra and Helen of Troy are two that share in your fate.


The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Second Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	High
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Moderate

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test

There were more than a few questions where I had to answer counter to what I wanted because of the wording of questions. There was one in the True or False section that stated something to the degree of, "God has all the answers".
I don't believe in God so I couldn't answer true or false, but as far as I'm aware the teachings of God swear that he is omnipitant. So of course I had to answer true. Being omnipitant is one of the characteristics or sort of qualifications of god being god.
Some of the other questions that lacked clarity dealt with sins and war. Like in the statement 'In war, the best idea is to bomb the hell out of the other country.' Well yeah that is usually the most efficient way of going about it, assuming that whomever's doing the bombing has the money to do so and assuming that the geography of the other country allows for the bombs, to provide the greatest saturation of destruction. So, I clicked the 'true' bubble. The test, I assume, took my answer as being sort of inhumane but really what the writers were posing tested whether I view war through efficient eyes or emotional.
True is efficient.
False is emotional.

Another one that bothered me asked if I repent for my sins. I don't belive in sins; morals are relative, so of course I don't repent for my sins. I'm willing to wager heavy that most pieous folk don't repent either. They regret and dwell with years of build up like a college dorm bathtub. Nothing's cleaned, only layered. Repenting is meant to cleanse but religious folk (namely the followers of western religions like christian's, baptist's, morman's and the like) don't repent at all. They busy themselves with other tasks so as to avoid guilt, and hope to god that things are sorted out later.

Alright I've obviously wasted too much time here.

My flatmates and I have downloaded and are nearly finished watching every episode of Smallville, and after so much quality Smallville time we're making a Smallville drinking game, similar to the Star Trek TNG version. Soon I shall post all the rules for drinky fun. I'm planning on experiencing the games whirlwind birth tonight.

Saturday here I come!
cheers
bebs