The Book of Sifty

Brief large entry 2:09AM

Sorry long time no useful postings here guys. I've been on holiday, and now I'm in full job hunting mode. This entry is going to be kinda of brief. Yet again. I just can't compete with Ash for the epic, regular entries, and you once mocked me for my epic swiss story Ash?

Cool that the parcel arrived Ash. Yeah I know the customs declaration kinda takes the surprise out of it too huh? Still the parcel I posted Kate, which the people I was staying with in New York actually posted for me, was opened by customs on its way into NZ since the guy had written 'Gift' on the customs declaration thing. So I suppose you have to spoil the fun and giveaway the contents. I was going to send you a coke label, but forgot. The Coke over here has some other ingredients in that NZ stuff doesn't and in the States it all made out of corn syrup rather than cane sugar.

So Scotland was cool, the best couple of weeks for a while. As I said I've been thinking a lot lately, continuing my ongoing mid-life crisis, and sitting on a bike by my lonesome helped clear a few things in my head.
Sometimes I really wish somebody would just tell me what to do.. it would make things a lot simpler. At least then if I had no choice I could just get on with life, and not spend all my time worrying if I was doing the right thing. Anyway thats a silly thought, enough of that. I'll paste the guts of a bulk mail about my adventures in Scotland that I'm about to send out, as soon as I write it.

Spent the last weekend in London. It was yet another bank holiday weekend, so Monday was a public holiday. On the Thursday we attempted to see Pitch Black play at Cargo. After navigating the tube, and getting a little lost on the streets we found it. Its amazing how few people know what street they are standing on in London, even locals. I mean in Wellington, if you lived there, and were wandering down a street, you'd have a slight idea where you were wouldn't you? But not in the UK. Also they seem to have some aversion to putting up street signs in a regular way. I mean the lack of rubbish bins is fair enough, people kept putting bombs in them, but why so few street signs??. Anyway there was a huge queue outside the club, and they had just stopped letting people in. So we flagged and went down the road to a cool bar, playing some good tunes.

Lesson One: If you think it will take you 1/2 an hour to get somewhere in London you've never been before, allow at least an hour.

Lesson Two: Never underestimate the number of Kiwis living in London who will recognize a NZ electronic band.

So Friday night Paul Oakenfold was playing for free in Clapham Common.

Lesson Three: If something is free there will be at 1/2 a million other people trying to go.

So even after allowing for lesson one we ended up spending one and half hours getting somewhere that should have only been about 20 minutes. Infact the tube driver just gave up and stopped a stop before we were supposed to get out since there were too many people for him to deal with..

On Saturday, Mike, who has been working as a van courier, had a delivery to Tunbridge Wells. About 2 hours south of London. So we all tagged along for the scenic drive into the countryside. Its going to be a while before I fail to be taken aback by the size of London. About 1 hour of the drive was getting out of London, taking a pretty direct route to the M25. Still a good afternoon sitting around in the back of Mikes van, and sunny garden bars of nice country pubs.

That night after yet again experiencing the serious lack of helpful locals for navigation we made it to see DJ Soane at some bar called Dust.
About the first decent downbeat house music I've heard here, and it was played by a New Zealander!.

On Monday we excelled ourselves in prepartion and forethought by making it to the Nottinghill Carnival in record time and avoiding the busy tube stops. Apparently there was somewhere between 2 and 4 million people there, so I think we did pretty well to make it there at all. Manic day of huge sound systems and lots and lots of people.

I know how you feel Ash. I've been feeling 'Ashful' most days since about the 19th of December last year!

Okay got a couch to move. ;) more later.