Monday 29 June 2009

Pierced in Pakistan


So can YOU? tell me how piercing affects the Energetic body, our Pranamaya Kosha.


Its a question that has been blotted on my mind for over a year and although I have asked many people (piercer's to healers, yoga bums and masseurs to tattoo artists) I have still not found anyone who could give me a decent answer.


Instinctively I felt the effects would be adverse, but Jed is still funky


so the understand by experience way. Coincidentally on Eid.
The autoclave is just around the corner, near that lighter for those of you concerned.




Friday 26 June 2009

MACA or Macaz? The red or the blue pill.

Do we ever really want to feel that bad?


At New Years, I thought I would celebrate it with all the things I hadn't done in ages that I knew I didn't want to do again. In Buddhist practice they recommend that you spend the first four days doing the things you want to do for the rest of the year. Thus many monks choose
not to clean their room and similarly I had a anti-new years resolution day by celebrating to do things I usually choose not to do just because I could. (The freedom of America)


For me this was having Japanese McDonald's fries (they're really better than elsewhere though I admit I'm not
au courrant on the fry scene) and a milkshake AND some Krispy Kreme donuts that Nihon-jin just love queuing for (as they do for all their cakes).

I wanted to see what it was all about and yes I can understand your point of view. Quick, easy, cheap and addictive
but do we really want to feel that bad- which we inevitably do- consuming greasy, carcinogenic, health decaying fat-sugar-not-food-mixes?


It is now no easier to grab a Maccaz than to drink up a smoothie with superfood ordered from the internet.


At the moment I'm fasting. I believe that even if you are a nihilist you can still benefit your body and thus your mind from a good old dose of eating nothing.


However I'm not just fasting on water, but mixing in fresh vegetable juices and superfood smoothies. Some of the best superfoods I have found include kiki, (a tad
takai), lucuma,
and for a Theobromine kick: raw cocoa nibs not forgetting MACA (because thats how this whole post started).


But lets write about fasting later.


Bed time despite all this supafood.

Tuesday 23 June 2009

EastStrikeWest


Out-n-About

Bit of Promo for the band I saw last night EastStrikeWest in trendy's Hoxton Square just opposite the White Cube Gallery.

Venue (the Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen) has a bar and restaurant as well as a pretty decent gig area.

Been listening to the Beautiful vocals of Tom Clark, a nice change from my lyric-less, rhythm rangmatazz I usually enjoy. Free Demo CD too. Thank you


Thursday 18 June 2009

Mongolian Wedding




Drunk.. sweating across the nose they leaned forward inches from my face and tried to have a conversation with me one by one.


I go back in
and the new ger has turned into a mad hot house- the three types of vodka has got the better (?) of everyone who has not already run out. People are smiling and raising their bowls... people are shouting-the fire is on- even though it's mid afternoon +sunny+warm outside. Something is cooking and the new strong bottles are twisted open with a spray of liquid as the old ones are shelved. Sunlight filters in from the top-the tono cover is half open and there is a mild light shining on some people's faces- the girl next to me is smiling but silent. They break into song... The place is bustling. The compulsory games are finished and people rush out whilst others crackle at the tops of their voices and the fire spits safely behind a closed door. It is steamy milk in the pot and Sara the bride is pouring tea with a new pink ladle type. (She is already at work!). It is truly lively-with people stumbling and spilling drink in a circle the diameter of ?


Suddenly everyone is gathering outside amidst shouting and song


The truck takes off with waving arms and struggling women. In the back amidst the fucking dust is a writhing drunk -tall and grinning -he seems possessed- a sexual, pent, snot tossed fury. He is trying to climb out and kicks me several times as he is pinned by 4 or 5 women. When we get back the pick up before us has just arrived +another literally falls out on the ground.


He is thrashing -more water than he uses in a week is doused over him... he is ripping off his clothes. He is restrained by 2 or 3 other men. He is skinny and all strong + filled with perhaps (they told me it was 3 bottles per person) 3 litres of strong vodka. Continual water -all the dead dried grass sticks to his muscles and...

Tuesday 16 June 2009

AFGHANISTAN by Tricycle



At war so that we can live expensive lives back home. A reason for invasion, intrusion, need I say reckless devastation...

Sunday journeying in the dim interior of the the tricycle fringe theatre. 12 plays. 12 hours
-but a half hour each.

Afghanistan past (1842) to present. The Great Game.

Wit, advice, history, stimulation. A bluebird day indoors. No solutions offered. What can we do ? maybe, what should we do.

Discuss who's getting married in Diane Von Furstenberg's new collection? The roses blooming in our garden?

Does it really matter what goes down in a country as dry as dust?


Brunch from
Borough. No, that was Saturday.


LONDON Jazz _ Sir John Dankworth



Jazz Great, Sir John Dankworth
Sax.
Blast of Life, Life is Music.
Music is Love.
Played in smoky basements.

Now a cinema- no Charlie Parker.

Wednesday 10 June 2009

At home

The cleaner got diagnosed with terminal cancer a year ago but is still alive. She carried on paying her her hourly wage bi-monthly, "What else can you do?"


But time hasn't expanded and she hasn't found time nor a new cleaner and consequently the place gradually became miserably dirty.


She said I'd been in Japan too long, but there was dust like settled snow and black cat hairs in balls. I started hoovering but, like two shampoos at the hairdresser, I needed to cover the area twice- giving time for the carpet to breathe once again and exhale another clingfilm of deeply ingrained dust.


The place is quiet and once again I am here in the country I remember where the rain tap is almost always left on. Not too much adjusting for me apart from for the sensors in my bum. 'Recoil' as they hit the cold porcelain, after months of warmed plastic, beeping plastic, plastic which creates a flushing sound when appraoched so that the pooper can poop in peace even if there are other listeners in the vicinity. But here it is just that temperature and there are no gadgets to play with to wash the bum, spray your bits or...


I begin reading the Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid. 52 pages in; it is brilliant...

Tuesday 2 June 2009

Tokyo Shoe Rescue






just another two days in tokyo.. but still every days at least a little adventure...


today was many things including what to do when you loose your shoe... or flip flop for that matter!

Omotesando, is just one of those places.. where you could find beautiful new treads.. a popular station as ever, and me, laden with baggage as officially moving out from lux Minami Aoyama Garden Court, I step off the train to let all those behind me escape to ?
and in the process of the moshpit push out I precariously loose my shoe..

Oh yes, oops! for its gone haphazardly right between (into that small deep chasm) the train and safe platform.

I stare and as the doors close I point to the outlooking passengers in pantomime.. my bare foot and then the whole, small and tight, right under their squashed-to-the glass. noses.

I wonder if my purple flip flop will be sliced, but the train slides out and as I go to peer over the platform (wow it's high!) it is still in tact. My fellow photographer friend runs up to the end to go inform the guard, I don't have much spare yen and I'm not prepared to return on one foot if a rescue attempt is indeed possible. Lights shine in the tunnel and its not a question to pop in, get dirty then try to work out how the hell to get out. I wait as more loads pop out of the, already in the station train.

And you can see what happens. Maybe he's been missing pachinko sessions for arcade claw practise.. but it is smoothly delivered.. and .. yes.. the day continues.. on two feet..


so, see you soon!

Monday 1 June 2009

Tokyo Pirate

Rup rup rup, been sitting on this returning train covered in a bit of Chichibu mud. Not quite the 64k 4day-day hike I was planning as the sequel to last weeks trail 100, but am tired n totally dozy so pretty satisfied none the less.

ONE repetative event keeps opening my curious eyes.. the man opposite is fastidiously cleaning himself with Japan's wet wipes. He carefully opens one, rubs his face up and down and finally, using both his hands and all his concentration twists it into a long ring of a wipe and scrudles it neatly into his ear. Now, we're on the fast train and from his station (Tokorazawa) to Tokyo's Ikebukuro it takes 33 mins. But the whole journey is a pile of wipes neurotically opened, folded, unfolded, twisted, scrudled then left as a growing sculpture on the little window pane.

He Never even looked dirty (not only comparatively) and I wonder what he has been doing that makes him feel quite this dirty.

Taking a trip this Friday to Blighty. Torn, an interlude in my Japanese love affair, but ....