2many Dees but not enough Js

if anyone can mix and mash the sound of buddhist monks chanting to the theme music of starwars, it's probably 2many djs... it's just that i hadn't planned on listening to something so strange and experimental... the night was so experimental that the venue chosen would normally cater for weddings, and business conferences... in short the accoustics was shit, and the atmosphere resembled a school dance... especially with the no booze, no smoking on the dance floor policy. bizarre night.

rage against the machine

it was ironic to see 10,000 sober, angry kids (see explanation below) moshing, screaming, shouting "fuck you, i won't do what you tell me", "fuck you, i won't do what you tell me", "fuck you, i won't do what you tell me"... and then marching out of the arena in an orderly single file, seconds after the encore ends and the inevitable it's home time announcement. not a whimper or a single boo. it was as if all that aggression and anger was lobotomized with a single announcement.

i must admit, i was angry early... after learning that no alcohol.
that's right, the gig was dry. only soda-pops, tea and evian...
it was easier to score and get high then it was to get a beer...

with the drought hitting hard, i thought the gig was going to be pretty tame, but the kids surprised me with their energy... fuelled only by the music, and possibly a bit of chemical assistance, the place rocked and bounced hard. im sure this must have been a totally new, and strange experience for RATM, playing to a sober yet crazy, but very polite crowd... how all these different elements gelled is a mystery to me.

fashion hi-lights... girl standing next to me was wearing a tshirt that said "mosh pit" across her tits... enuff said.

fashion lo-light... big fat aussie bloke wearing a HRT (Holden Racing Team) shirt. beware there are bogans in japan.

season to be jolly

for some... for others the thought of facing another year must be just a bit too much. for 4 consecutive days, someone has thrown themselves in front of a train... every morning starts with a glance at the indicator boards to reveal another fatality. the scoreboard isn't looking good. and that's what they become, just another statistic, a casualty of a crowded city.

but the inevitable delay (2/1/2 hour train ride) gets you thinking... did this guy catch this very same train? maybe they sat next to you, or you bumped them a bit too hard while squeezing on the train... did that push them over the edge? whatever it is, the mental health of people here can't be that great when people throw themselves in front of an oncoming train. to add the inconvenience of delayed trains, etc, the family of the deceased receive an invoice from the train company, about $40,000 from what i've heard. you got to really hate everyone to go out like this... is my gut feel, but then again you wouldn't really give a fuck about anything if your in that state of mind. rest in peace, and sorry if i bumped you too hard or hit you with a stray elbow.

blink and your 31

it's not like i've forgotten about the blog... it's always in the back of my mind... but procrastination seems to get the better of me when it comes to putting finger to keyboard... i'm such a lazy bastard. 31 years of. and it's not like i've run out of things to complain about in tokyo... quite the opposite, but i must admit i'm starting to get used to life here.

anyhow, it's been a while since the last entry. sydney - tokyo - london - tokyo, a whirlwind of trips in my books... and it's definitely been a hinderance on my tokyo acclimatisation process. everytime i leave, it definitely seems like i'm starting over.

though i wouldn't swap the london experience for anything. it was so good seeing so many friends there, all in different phases of the living in london lifestycle. from people not wanting to leave, to people just starting out or somewhere in between working 9-5 to looking for work, it's a pity i had to leave when i was just getting fond of the ale, pubs and the clubs and really starting to appreciate and relating everyone's experience to my own. life has to be lived to the fullest, and there's no better way than to experience something new.

things to note for november... Underworld and Simian Mobile Disco. awesome DJs. drove the crowd to a frenzy. born slippy, born to be free, born to be whatever the fuck you wanted to be. and a special thanks to pai for calling me on my 31st. was one of the best phone calls i've received at work (nah, period)!! sorry i wouldn't let you hang up!!

happy hour, happy days

walking down a wet senta-gai in shibuya with pai, mel and a couple of their mates was a little surreal... our aussie accents so distinctive among the japanese chatter, yet to me it was music to the ears. all of us have lived in tokyo in the past but never at the same time... so it was about time we shared our tokyo moments together after all these years. its as comfortable as i have felt in tokyo, or maybe i just didnt care where we were as long as i was surrounded by friends, even if our mojito's came with clovers. cheap drinks, good food and good old fashioned banter... what more could you ask for.

napa valley

august wasn't all doom and gloom... managed to squeeze in a week in the napa valley, scene of the rolling hills windows xp desktop theme (geek trivia). anyhow, took a few days to get into the holiday after such a shit month. but once i got stuck into the wine and champagne (napa valley is a giant wine bar, 5 x 36 miles), i was pretty much smashed for the rest of the trip.

locals assured me that the cops didnt breath test, and anyhow, even if they stop you, they just ask you to walk in a straight line... plenty of straight lines in the parking lot to practice i say.

apart from the wines, napa probably has the highest concentration of quality restaurants per capita (according to the guidebook, and probably because the population of the valley is less than the number of people on my morning train) but i have an extra 2 kgs to my waist line, and a massive credit card debt to prove it too. try the pot de creme at bouchon if your ever in the area.

lets write off august, and clean up in september

just for the record... mid july through end of august was an absolute write off. never worked so hard, so long period. also managed to put on 3 kgs, added an extra roll to my ever expanding beer gut, and fear that i am becoming an alcoholic. personal note to future self, lay off the scotch.