Misread

Kings of Convenience chill me out.

Here's the video for Misread, from Riot on an Empty Street. Reminds me of how the Picnic Society at uni was (at least inside my imagination).

Dylan Moran

The atmosphere was unmistakably Fringe. Employed troubadour singers engaging with the awaiting crowd. A packed foyer, an even more packed Thebby Theatre with seats so closely placed together I should have had a discount from sitting next to a fat bastard. I didn't actually realise how good the seats were which Wazza was able to obtain. Front row. I can't say I was excited when I suddenly realised we would be the prime targets for any form of audience participation, and being a zombie movie-goer I didn't think I'd be up for it. Luckily there were enough knobs in the audience to pique Moran's interest/disgust so we went under the radar. I did have a weird moment of direct eye contact, when I looked into those glazed eyes and had a connection. It was cool.

He didn't disappoint. His jokes were spot on, his descriptions as random as ever. It did strike me how truly, 100% pissed he was. I thought he was going to drop the bundle a couple of times, when he started to tell jokes he'd already done, or ramble over familiar territory then suddenly realise and say something obtuse. There was a distinct tone seeing him live, something very personal about his observations and social musings. It was almost derision, beyond humour. Then again, as the audience you're forced to not take it so seriously, if only it wasn't so thinly veiled. He had me laughing, but not as much as I thought he would. Maybe it's cos I don't drink anymore. Could be that I was exhausted. Overall, the giddy sensation I had when I walked back out onto Henley Beach Road was not from laughing too hard, more from the lack of oxygen in the place.

Happy to have been a part of it all. Long live Bernard.

The US of Nay?

I've been searching for some camping, hiking, day-walk options for my time in the USA next year and I was starting to get disillusioned. I mean, don't get me wrong, hiking in the USA brings up images of the Grand Canyon, Colorado mountains, evergreen forests and shivering in tents scared witless of bears. But I was looking for some middle range stuff, you know, a few days along a trail, a few hours out of a main or outlying city/town, somewhere it's relatively secluded but not real hyper survival wilderness stuff.

And my searches were coming up fruitless. They all seemed to be based around city walks (say, Boston or Washington DC) or the treks listed above, ones where you find skeletons along the way with backpacks on them. I was thinking maybe all Americans drive when they're hiking? Is there no middle range? They're either fat n lazy or extremists, dangling off rock faces, sleeping in a nook in a cliff. That's when GORP finally came along, which seems to be a site with actual information on it, not just those trick links that take you to pop-up heaven.

You'll have to register but it has some great links and information. The articles are written by people who actually go and a lot of the fact file type pages are great, like what I've just devoured about sleeping bags and what type to buy. That's the next thing on the agenda, to test out this Easter, a new bag. So reading through the guide, checking out what's what really helps when you go into the shop and the sales assistant's help (if they know their stuff) starts going over your head. At least with this I'm getting a heads up and can match what I read with what they tell me. The more accurate they are, the more I trust their judgement and more willing to get into open discussion about what's better etc.

Check it out.

'One Giant Leap'

Review

'One Giant Leap - 50 Years of Space Flight'

dvd


It felt so exciting to be watching the shuttle and space station crews floating around in zero gravity. Or being inside the cockpit when the shuttle's fuel ignited and it took off into the atmosphere. There's something about space flight and discovery that I really like and when I was little reading about the previous exploits of Chuck Yeager (speed testing) and the successful rocket missions I couldn't help but think what was out there, where does space fit in with our future?

The second disc of this series was the most enjoyable. There were several shuttle missions which were talked through by the crew as a sort of post-mission briefing, and every delicate technical issue came to light, as well as the endearing humour of these space adventurers. I loved some of the wild experiments they did after their main mission objectives were completed. Like spinning a globule of water in zero gravity and trying to cut it with dental floss. And then touching a tiny blob of orange juice and watch it cruise towards the larger blob of water only to collide and mix in a way that could only be described as psychedelic.

The bravery of these people, for whatever reasons space discovery is still being pursued, has to be admired. I really look forward to going through the Kennedy Space Center and spending as much time there as possible. To infinity, and beyond!

Happy Birthday

Wishing my lil sis a very happy birthday today. Enjoy yourself!

Bringin home the bacon

Yes! Walked out of the post office today (just made it before closing - bus took a crazy route home) with the biggest smile on my face. Just like the cat who got the cream. As she passed it over to me the first thought in my head was "gee, it really is light". It has that new product smell and the soft touch of the silicon fly beckons me to skip work tomorrow and set up somewhere to hide out for the week.

It'll be different sleeping in this one. I haven't slept in a small tent since the days when dad and I went camping in our blue archetype tent, one of those square ones with the peak ridge in the centre. I have a 3-room, 8+ person tent which has seen its days of party camping. Drunken stumbling from one mozzie door to the next. Or when a mate Frank and I went camping for 5 days and it rained non-stop. He had one room, I had another. I read American Psycho while he hammered away at his Gameboy until the batteries ran out. Frank, Lox and I used to make tarp tipis, massive poles encased in a truck tarp. They were cool. Many happy memories camping. Or in a tent embassy (the lazy version - just strapped to trees) when it was freezing. Dale was wrapped up in an orange sleeping bag from primary school he had to dislocate his shoulder to zip it up - totally looked like a bit of bung fritz. Freezing one morning, from the opened end of the tent embassy, Frank and I awoke in our sleeping bags nestled on either side of Dale, a heat generator. It was like that scene from Planes, Trains and Automobiles. "Those aren't pillows!"

Happy days. And more to come! If you haven't been in the outdoors for a while, or can't remember the last time you went camping, get out there. I can't say it enough. I really feel like my life has changed since the moment I laced up my sneakers and had a heart attack up Mount Parker in HK. The best time is now. If you're thinking maybe next week or the night after next, do it tonight, ASAP. Go for a ½hr walk for starters and you'll really feel like you're taking life on your own terms. A great saying from our local pastor: "Excuses are the bricks with which you build your house of failure". Absolutely.

Busy lil Adelaide

Adelaide seems to be a little hub of activity at the moment. A culmination of events which have overrun the small city, bursting to breaking point. There's the start of the Fringe festival, now in full swing but with massive numbers converging on the city for the arts festival. I myself am looking forward to seeing Dylan Moran (from Black Books, How Do You Want Me) next week, counting off the days with manic obsession.

There's also the Fire and Police Games, something I'd never heard about. Imagine all the other kinds of games they must have about the place. And what events must they have at these games? Crowd control, random breath testing, fire hose rodeo... Could get worse but I'm not going to. :)

Traffic is pretty ordinary. I was 20 minutes late in the bus this morning and thought it was pretty exciting when the bus driver basically did a handbrake turn to change from driving (or shunting really) down South Road onto Goodwood Road. It was like the X-Lotto ad. I thought we were going to end up in Macclesfield or go strawberry picking or something.

Australia Post to the rescue

I called up my local post office outlet today. Just a friendly chat with Kathy there, trying to smooth talk her into some sort of after-hours arrangement. Apparently they're there until 6:30pm every day and I just need to knock on the window or the side door and they'll hand my parcel through. Awesome.

So it'll look dodgy but I'll be able to get around the hours restriction. I'm so pleased. Good on ya Kathy.

Looks a go for Easter.

Hubba Hubba

I didn't think I'd be this excited but I can barely contain myself. I'm only a post office visit away from picking up my new tent, ordered from the States and just arrived today. I'm never around to get to the post office during opening hours so it'll have to wait til this weekend.

The MSR Hubba Hubba (aka reh-reuowh, humma-na-humma-na, mmmmmm-MMMMMM - lol). This tent is a 2-person, 3-season job. A nice 2.1kg (including fly and footprint) it looks like something from some sort of lunar discovery mission. For me and my gear it'll be perfect and I can't wait to give it a test run.

I'm going to head down to a nearby caravan park and spend a night during an upcoming weekend, maybe even a couple of Easter! Thought it'd be best to try somewhere away from the inquisitive claws of my cat Cheyenne. Nothing like zipping yourself up into a tent on a chilly night. The smell of the tarp, the fresh air, an adventure full of possibilities. Well, perhaps not in the local caravan park. It's a start.

Health assessment

Well, having a free health assessment at work the other day was something I've been meaning to do for ages. It was good to come in thinking that I really did want to change some things in my diet and exercise but didn't know where to start.

I had blood pressure, cholesterol, basic eye test, height/weight, BMI, 15 mins on an exercise bike and dietary quiz. It was really interesting, and I'd suggest to anyone that it's a good idea to have one done. It gave me a ballpark goal to aim for, to lose 5 kilos and get my cholesterol down. There were even a few ways suggested how I might achieve this. Boiled down to:

Reducing fat/oil intake
Increasing fibre intake
Reducing body fat levels
Eating fish regularly
Exercising regularly

And it was reassuring to hear that the regular walks were good overall. What is required though is to go to the next level where I get puffed out, or in the zone, for 20-30 mins while exercising. I was in the zone for 15 secs the other day when I ran for the bus and my teenie man boobs told me a story. I was also in the zone scrubbing the shower alcove for the first time in months, although these things should really be easy.

So the nightly walks might now include some regular segments of running! It's a chain effect so by lowering my cholesterol and body weight I'm also reducing the chances of getting overly stressed, which in turn helps me remain healthier. Even though I'm into walks in the rain I'll have to skip the champagne and take the health food. lol

Ray Jardine special

Just about to launch into a book written by Ray Jardine called Beyond Backpacking. It's sort of extreme lightweight hiking, taken to the enth degree. One of his big pointers (and a controversial one at that, from what I've read amongst hiking/backpacking sites) is to skip the hiking boots and go with sneakers. This video summed it up for me, titled "The Ray Jardine special".

Brisbane airport

I've been in the Brisbane airport now for a few hours and already I feel like I've traveled somewhere new. lol, perhaps deprived for new locations at the moment. The muggy trip on the train from the international terminal to the domestic was far more exciting than the bumpy ride in the 767 from HK.

Here in Brisbane, knackered with only 2 hours sleep, I feel about as pale as some of these people are tanned. Classic. There's a sort of resort vibe and the feeling hit me like landing in Auckland last year. The international terminal is almost a carbon copy of Auckland, and I'm glad to have found the more intensely air-conditioned domestic. A bit of a shock from the 14-17deg maximums in HK these last few days.

The cool thing about airports is that you're allowed to look knackered, bedraggled and a bit lost. While I sip my $5 water and wait for my bowels to catch up with this time zone it gets me mighty excited to be somewhere completely new. In fact, less overwhelming than going somewhere new in an already familiar place, if you get my meaning.

Dare I try the airport snooze with hand luggage clutched to my gut as I get in an awkward 20 mins?

Genuine nerd

"I'm a genuine party nerd" as Toby calls himself in American Splendor. I am the owner of a Casio G-Shock watch - chunky, black, digital.

That's another pitfall of HK, spending money. I've been carefully researching things that will make my travel life easier and one was getting a less flashy watch (other than my Rolexy looking one) which also had a vibrating alarm. So scouring through websites, reading reviews (if you ever want to buy a watch, check out http://www.watchreport.com/) and then taking the plunge.

It's a flashback to primary school when so and so's dad went to Singapore and brought him/her back a digital watch with calculator on it. Seemed the ultimate to me at the time and when I finally bought one little did I know I was inching one step closer to social suicide. lol

But if you're thinking of sleeping with earplugs and wanting to wake up at some stage (other than have a sonic boom alarm) a vibration setting seemed most obvious. We have them on our phones, why not on watches. And when I'm on hikes I can loosen the strap, or count how long we've taken so far, or have silent alerts to myself for whatever justifiable reason I can muster.

I actually tried it out last night. Set the vibration alert to 3:50am (not eccentric at all) and woke up with a start. I used the illumination function, "Ah yes, 3:50". It was like someone invisible had shook me awake. I smiled a big Cheshire grin to myself and went back to my self-congratulatory dreams.

Go the Japanese! G-Shock, you rock.

Harry Potter

Ok ok, I'll read them. I've been putting off getting into this series for so long now and after a chat with Curtis I'm going to do it. After all, like he said, once the 7th and final book is out there will never again be a time when you can luxuriate in the mystery of what will happen in the final scene! True, very true. So now I've got 6 books to barrel through in the coming months. Feels like a read-a-thon from school again, where I traipse around the neighbourhood asking for people to sponsor me.

So I've bought the first 3 and on the bus I can't help but feel like I'm reading something I'm not meant to. Like that series about the pony club, or Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting a Girlfriend. lol - you know what I mean.

"That's not a knife..."

This is a knife! My new friend. It is also my very first Swiss Army knife and I am smitten. The 'Climber' seems to have everything I could have wanted, without going too far. Some of these knives even have USB sticks! Talk about keeping with the times. One was seriously 2 inches deep with every type of blade and mini multi-tool under the sun. Bet it doesn't have a backscratcher... oh wait... also doubles as a cliff clinger-on-erer.

I got a blue one instead of the red. Very nice.

Telling a friend about it I've already made it work for me:

1. Trimmed my fingernails - shot around like ricochet nail nunchucks

2. Tweezers - not strong enough for nose hairs, at least now I know

3. Hole punch - put a new notch in dad's belt, real handyman stuff that

... and just waiting to be in an accident so I can cut my own limb off!

Already almost paid for itself, specially with the punishment I have in store when I set about carving up my toenails. May need goggles.

GPS in HK

Scary. I've never been in a private car in Mong Kok on a Saturday night before. There were cars everywhere! People, trucks, taxis, scooters.. all doing their crazy stuff on Nathan Rd. We made it from Kowloon City to the other side of Lantau Island to Chek Lap Kok, the HK airport, unscathed. Nice work Mike, a friend of Curtis' who'd picked him up for a VIP trip. I was along for the ride, to jump out at the nearest MTR, but when the GPS started telling us conflicting information, I had to stay onboard for the adventure!

We only saw 2 near misses and a pimped out van that had blown a tyre along the Lantau highway, its tiny tyres wrapped around massive rims like icing on a donut.

Yet another reason not to trust this "dark city". I'm sure one or two of those prescribed turns were ones which were barricaded by council street cones and excavation machinery...

A dark city

Was great to see an old mate in HK again. Curtis and I grew up here and while he was over for a week we visited a few of the old haunts to relive old memories. What we found was renovation, reclamation and relocation. It really did drive home how much of an itinerant place this is, or highlighted the fact that it's over a decade since we ran around the busy streets, bursting with caffeine and sugar, prolonging the inevitable. I guess it's just noticeable, age that is, when you're away from a place for a while and then come back.

It's like the movie Dark City. While hunting around for hiking gear yesterday I found 2 places on the list (printed only 2 weeks ago) had relocated and one the building just wasn't there anymore. In the movie, one day there's a street and the next it's yet another high-rise. I love that movie, and not just cos of Jennifer Connelly.

Each time I come back I realise it's never the same but the only thing that remains is the coming and going of people I know. It might not be the same people each time, old friends from school or church, yet each one of them is coming back for the same reason as I am; visiting family and trying to find that missing chapter of life, the other home which makes no place really feel like home. It's the third culture kid experience, something I'd love to know more about.

Hong Kong home

It's incredible to be back in Hong Kong again. The complicated urban environment, efficient public transport, range of food, colours and smells. As busy as it is, this trip has reminded me of how HK also supports small interconnected communities, something you'd like to think would be more prevalent in an open, Western setting.

Whereas in Australia I have no idea what the people diagonally across the road from my place even look like, let alone their names or whether they'd gave me a hand if I was dying in the street. Not that here I know all the neighbours on the same floor, let alone on all floors in this tower of 7 to the housing estate. Such a concentrated mass of people, so undoubtedly the odds are going to be greater to be in each others' faces, talk in passing, help wherever necessary.

It must also have something to do with a society who still rely heavily on public transport. I could drive to and from work in Australia, avoid all contact with anyone other than work colleagues and the bare essentials when serving the public then head home, relatively untouched or confronted. Here they're in your armpits, shoving in front of you to get out of a train, sharing a claustro look as one more person squeezes into a lift, or amazing me when I'm still served with a smile 2000+ customers later, putting Western countries to shame.

In all this busyness everyone seems more relaxed than ever. Incredible. I will definitely take a piece of that back with me and apply it to my cushy Australian life. Really live out that creed of "no worries".