Being Saint Nick

LOL I think I'm going to be Santa for as long as I'm in Hong Kong.

It all started last year, when a friend asked me if I was interested in being Santa Claus at Ocean Park. Of course, I jumped at the chance, the job went through, and I absolutely loved it!

Well, this year I've been asked to be Santa Claus three times.

One invitation came from the same friend, for Ocean Park again. Sadly, because of my 2 jobs, neither of which I can back out of or take leave from for a month, I am unable to accept the job. Too bad, because the pay was awesome, and it was SOOO much fun! This year they were even going to have a Mrs. Claus. I recommended my friend Matt for the post, but, unfortunately, he's in jail for deflating a huge McDonald's sign this Spring. :'(

The second invitation I couldn't refuse. I've been roped into being Santa Claus for the Christmas party for the hundreds of employees at my company/group. I was asked because I'm one of only 2 Westerners in our 2 buildings. I won't be getting paid any extra, but it'll be fun, and earn me some brownie points with the HR Dept. My daughter and girlfriend will also be able to come and take a photo with me, just as last year (different girlfriend, same daughter - LOL).

The third invitation came from one of my schools. It'll be fun to be Santa for the little ones during their Christmas party, which falls on my regular teaching day at that school. Just a short party, and probably the same working hours, but it'll be a good change from the usual class...

Well, I've established something pretty solid to fall back on if I ever find myself free during the holidays.

Ho Ho Ho!

Alternative Identities: Appleinsider

I'm a regular poster on the Appleinsider Message Boards, mostly posting on non-Apple and non-tech relatied things. As message boards go, I find it one of the most well-educated boards on the internet, and there I'm able to discuss politics, humor, geeky things... basically whatever my heart feels like at the time, with a bunch of people I feel to be intellectually similar to myself. It's nice to have such an outlet, which is why I've been an avid poster for about 10 years or so, with dry spots here and there, but always going back there instead of somewhere else when my fingers get itchy to write.

Here's one of my recent posts there:

Whatcha Reading Now?

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Couldn't find the old thread on the first 2 pages, so I thought I'd start one afresh.

I've recently finished reading David Mitchell's Black Swan Green, and although it was well written as are all of his novels, I can't say I liked it nearly as much as either Cloud Atlas or Number9Dream. Right after reading this book, about a middle class English public schoolboy, I read Irvine Welsh's Glue, which is about four Scottish lower class public schoolboys (who grew into young men of various levels of success), which I have to admit I found much more pleasurable and rewarding. Maybe I missed some profound insight or something in the Mitchell book... not sure.

Now, I'm reading Nabakov, specifically Ada or Ardour, which despite having thouroughly loved Lolita from start to finish and having also enjoyed a collection of Nabokov's short stories, I found difficult to get into early on. Fortunately, I kept at it, and about halfway through I'm really enjoying it. This is despite the fact that, like Lolita and unbeknownst to me prior to reading it, Ada is another story of a love too taboo to be written about by any other than this eccentric Russian overliterary genius.

Was it that having just finished something written in vulgar Scottish proletariat dialect (and following that with a brief return to horrorsmith Clive Barker), my brain wasn't tuned to the complex sentence structures and roundabout descriptions Nabakov so loves? I don't know, but I suspect that it was!

This has caused me to formulate an interesting hypothesis:

Does our brain tune itself so quickly to the language to which we are exposed?

I've also noticed a transference of the intellectual style of what I've been reading to what I've been writing. Case in point my post in PO about the definition of "victory" in the War on Terror. I don't think I could have written that a month ago when I was reading Welsh or Barker. While I admit I can never come close to being a Nabakov (and who the hell can?), or even a Mitchell, I do think what I read greatly affects how I write. Having observed this, I've come to the conclusion that were I to immerse myself in sophisticated literature of the style of Nabakov and Huxley, I may be able to maitain a certain style that I respect of myself within my own writing.

Of course that would all become boring very quickly...

Maybe it's time to read some Chuck Pahlaniuk so I can better flame the likes of SDW and Trumptman... LOL

Actually, it looks like the next book I'll be reading will be Michel Houellebecq's The Possibility of an Island so maybe you can look forward to me spewing out violent sexual annhialism in the near future.

But I digress...

So, whatcha reading?

Did I Say That I Loathed You?

Sonically speaking, after a near overdose on Placebo (that sounds hilarious!) I have been delving back into some cool tunes by Irish songster Damien Rice, and discovering the lovely voice of his co-vocalist Lisa Hannigan. She's the undercredited voice we hear throughout Damien's work, and when you hear her bossa nova in full force, you'll realize just how cool she is.

It all started with some b-sides and live recordings I downloaded. I ended up discovering the soundtrack to the Irish Lesbian Film I Most Want To See "Goldfish Memory". Filled with cool bossa nova throughout, Lisa and Damien appear thrice on the soundtrack, accompanied by cellist (I think) Vivenne Long, with brilliant covers of the legendary Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Desafinado", "Once I Loved", and "Waters of March".

Now I'm back into a bossa nova beat, which never fails to inject new optimism and an induced contentment into my sappy simple soul.

Then I read a great blog entry about Lisa that just blew me away.

Very cool.

Here's a snippet of Lisa and Damien's magic:

Beautiful

That song is "Unplayed Piano" which was dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi. Lisa and Damien's touching tribute to such a great human rights figure only adds to their coolness.

Truly inspiring.

By the way, for other fans of Damien, especially as it relates to the film vehicle that launched his career, here's a cool site...

Hello Stranger

Bliss.

I've been very very happy in my personal and leisure life lately. Work could potentially be very good, but I'm still struggling to be productive.

The teaching is great, simply because I'm forced to do it, I have no choice but stand in front of the little kids for 30 minutes or an hour at a time, and try to keep them entertained, keep them calm, and maybe help them pick up a little English and a little confidence.

But like I said, I love my personal life lately. While it does remind me a lot of my time with M., and also of the best of the best time with J. (on Lamma during the Santa Claus days when she told me daily how much more she loved me than the day before), there's none of that sickening abuse I suffered under M., and no sign of the heartbreaking neglect I suffered in the later days with Ms. J.

In fact, Fanny offers so much love and appreciation - and attention - it's been making me feel a sense of true contentment I haven't felt in nearly a decade. Just a few weeks ago I was still - even after four months together - doubting my ability to devote myself to her. But now, I know very clearly that I can truly love her the way I loved M and J, and I want nothing more than to spend as much time with her as possible. Something just clicked in these last few weeks. That's why I keep feeling compelled to write about it.

An aside: I know very few people read this blog, but really I don't care as I write for no one except myself, as a therapeutic avenue to express my feelings whenever they begin smothering me as they are wont to do. If someone cares to observe, my exhibitionist tendencies shout, "Venez! Voyez! Vivez!"

So I go through each day answering emails to my clients, inspiring three, four and five year-olds, reading Nabokov, listening to Placebo, knowing happily that at the end of the day there's someone at home waiting for me, ready to tell me how much she loves me and loving the way I tell her that I love her, sharing our lives, our kisses, and even our tears, together.

Then the weekend comes and it's sublime. I get to see the daughter I love, spend time with the woman I love, eat good food together, go shopping together, watch movies, play games, listen to music, sleep, with my arm around the woman I love, or with her arm around me, and then I know that the week's suffering two jobs and very little sleep was all worth it.

Every weekend makes every week worth it when I'm with Fanny. I wish everyone could have that feeling... that all their suffering through a job they perhaps hate, leads to something wonderful, and, if they deserve, someone wonderful.

Placebo Placebo Placebo !!11!!!!111

God I love this band. Everything just fits together. Melodic Guitar riffs, cheeky lyrics, eccentric vocals, drilling drum beats and bounding basslines... a perfect alternation between moody ballads and euphoric explosions of rock... I just can't get enough!!!!

Brian Molko... excuse me... the delectably androgynous Brian Molko... is a rock God amongst rock Gods.

Brian, Without you I'm Nothing!

Vive le Français!

Due to my recent financial freedom and time spent on the internet over a brief spot of the flu, I've had the opportunity to check out some new music. A couple of tracks stood out because of the langue de chant.

First, a fantastic track from one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Damien Rice. This track can be found on the "B-sides" disc that comes with the recently relased deluxe edition of "O", which I bought to atone for my piracy of same (I like to consider this "borrowing" until I either buy the disc or throw it away).

The track is called "The Professor & La Fille Danse", and it's not really French track, but it has a French ending:

Well I don't know if I'm wrong
'Cause she's only just gone
Here's to another relationship
Bombed by excellent breed of gamete disease
I'm sure when I'm older I'll know what that means
Cried when she should and she laughed when she could
Here's to the man with his face in the mud
And an overcast play just taken away
From the lover's in love at the centre of stage yeah
Loving is fine if you have plenty of time
For walking on stilts at the edge of your mind
Loving is good if your dick's made of wood
And the dick left inside only half understood her
What makes her come and what makes her stay?
What make the animal run, run away yeah
What makes him stall, what makes him stand
And what shakes the elephant now
And what makes a man?
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No I don't know you any more
No, no, no, no...

I don't know if I'm wrong
'Cause shes only just gone
Why the fuck is this day taking so long
I was a lover of time and once she was mine
I was a lover indeed, I was covered in weed
Cried when she should and she laughed when she could
Well closer to god is the one who's in love
And I walk away cause I can
Too many options may kill a man
Loving is fine if it's not in your mind
But I've fucked it up now, too many times
Loving is good if it's not understood
Yeah, but I'm the professor
And feel that I should know
What makes her come and what makes her stay?
What make the animal run, run away and
What makes him tick apart from him prick
And the lonelier side of the jealousy stick
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
No I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Hell I don't know you any more
No, no, no no...

Well I don't know if I'm wrong
'Cause she's only just gone
Here's to another relationship
Bombed by my excellent breed of gamete disease
I finished it off with some French wine and cheese

La fille danse
Quand elle joue avec moi
Et je pense que je l'aime des fois
Le silence, n'ose pas dis-donc
Quand on est ensemble
Mettre les mots
Sur la petite dodo

The French translates to (my translation):

"The girl danses
When she plays with me
And I think I love her sometimes
Silence, not daring to draw attention
When one is together
Put the words
To sweet sleep"

Very poetic.

This one's not so poetic. It's a B-side from my current favorite band, Placebo. Placebo's lead singer, the delectably androgynous Brian Molko (has that name EVER been mentioned without that adjective?) is fluent in French and quite often sings in that language (my god you should see the original video for "Protège Moi"!!!!) but here appeared to deliberately offend. Come to think of it, the video for "Protège Moi" was meant to stir controversy, and maybe that's what Brian was trying to do here. Damien Rice played the inept lover in the above, and here Brian Molko plays the one detached from love:

Embrasse - moi, mets ton doigt dans mon cul,
Embrasse - moi, mets ton doigt dans mon cul,
Une présence ambigüe,
Une présence inconnue,
Jusqu'a ce que j'en peux plus
(x3)

This is sung over a pretty decent bossa nova interestingly accompanied by telephone dialing tones (adding to the impersonalness of the lyric).

I'll let you do the translation for that one. (Listen)

Halloweekend Love

What a weekend. I just love the idea of one night (or weekend, as the case may be) per year where we can kind of let our inhibitions go in this way. Next year I will absolutely go all out, and prepare my costume months in advance.

My girlfriend was sooooo cute in her little outfit, and sexy as sin... the white lace-top stockings and the pigtails completed the overgrown lolita effect perfectly.

And we were so naughty on the bus over, and especially in the taxi and when we got back home.

Regarding my GF, I'm really getting used to her goofiness, and starting to think that this might end up being a much bigger deal than I had thought, and at least as big as I had hoped. My feelings these past few days have been so intense. It's the first time I've had feelings this strong in quite a while now, and it's nice to be obsessing about someone who's actually *nice* to me for a change... and I hope the dozen red roses I bought her made her feel special too. The idea that not only do I love her from my heart, but that logic tells me that she deserves that love as well... is really comforting, and not something I'm used to. I'm happy to treat her well. With the last two girlfriends I had to ask myself, "Other than sex, why am I with this woman? Yeah, she's smart and sexy, but don't I deserve better than someone so mean and selfish?" With Fanny I know exactly why. And she is better. And there's not a mean or selfish bone in her body.

I'm really glad my best friend C likes her too!

Now it's time to get back to work... :)