Oh..my poor head. Now that I'm a lightweight, on the rare occasions that I give into mid-week drinking, I often find myself feeling somewhat listless the day after. So, I didn't drink that much yesterday but I'm still feeling weak. Last night, I had a lovely dinner at this wee pizza place with a bunch of old mates (and their mates) from my days in Oz. The food was pretty nice (there I go, describing food again), the company was enjoyable and I was sober. I then made my way to dodgy Orchard Towers (yes, four floors of whores. I don't think I saw any, unless they were masquerading as SMU/NTU/NUS students...these are the 3 main Universities in Singapore for those amongst you who do not know better) to watch Tat's band (as well as some other bands) perform. I have to give credit to all the wee boys and girls who got up on stage and sang/played their hearts out. It takes courage to do that and I enjoyed it immensely....thank goodness for Tiger Beer. It just makes me want to CLAP MY HANDS!! Anyhoo, after that I made my way to hang with Fiona who plied me with red wine. We had some quality chat and some quality apartment dancing as well. It was fandabbydozey (i might have spelt this wrong) and to make this long story shorter, I ended up following her to The Liquid Room. Anyhoo, the place was packed with drunk,noisy,sweaty people and some very very loud trance spun by a dj who looked like some tramp from Camden Town. Ru, Londoner to be, was there dancing her little heart out which made me very happy. I'm very content that we got to have a wee dance, shaking our shoulders and booties. What made me very pleased was the fact that 2 of the girls (the aforementioned ones) on my list (yes, that list!hahaha) were there at the same time and, what's more, got on fabulously. So, can you say P-O-L-Y-G-A-M-Y ?! All Right......*said Quagmire stylee.... I probably spelt this wrong as well, why is it that I seem to become dyslexic whenever I'm hungover?!*

Choonage: I Feel Space - Lindstrom

When I was in the UK, I often day dreamed about what was going on in the daily lives of my mates here in Singapore. I often imagined that they were having a great time, eating amazing food, getting tan...etc. It's funny how when you're in one place you often think about being somewhere else. As simplistic as that statement sounds, what I guess I'm trying to say is that I don't really feel like I've settled in that much. I've been leading a more than comfortable life since I got back and I really don't have anything to complain about. I mean, I have my health, I have most of my family here and I have some wicked mates here..but, my soul, it just feels so restless and unsettled. Truth be told, I spend so much time thinking about my mates in the UK (as well as those I met in the UK) and spend so much time missing them immensely, that it just feels like my head (and heart) isn't quite here. My head's clearer than it's been in a long time but I just feel like I don't belong, almost. I don't know how long it's going to take and I don't know if I ever will be able to get used to being back here but I hope that this feeling of detachment and uncertainty ends soon. If not for my parents (who, it seems, always have something for me to do. This is a good thing because it keeps me occupied) and for folk like The Tick who're constantly coming up with stimulating and interesting activities for me to indulge in (ok, i know this sounds very twisted....it makes me sound like a hyperactive child and a sex pervert at the same time...let me assure you that said activities are very decent), I'd probably have gone clinically insane. Ahhhh.....Suddenly, I feel better. This is so strange. Maybe I am beginning to fit in again. If I was in the UK, I would have gone to the pub to celebrate feeling better. Now, I think I'm going to take a cold shower. It's the only thing that I constantly feel that I need. And not because the women here are THAT hot ( I think it wise to swiftly inform my female readers from Singapore, especially those that I know, that this last sweeping statement does not apply to them. They are all hot in my eyes.) PHEW! I think I might have saved myself. Peas Out, I'm off to take that shower.

Poem of the Day:

Big Night Out 24-7

There's a rave inside my head,
With pounding beats and shufling feet,
And hundreds upon thousands of voices.
Reaching for the lasers, stumbling through the smoke machines of my mind,
My common sense is wankered and almost blind.
I don't know what to make of this brouhaha.
I'm starting to get all para.
Methinks it's about time for a break, time for some fresh air, time to leave the venue.
But how can I leave when this mess is in my head?

Tim'05

Choonage: The Observatory - Failed Recollections of a Fool

SCOTLAND!!

SCOTLAND!!
Originally uploaded by buggboy.

And here we have Glasgow's contribution to the Notting Hill Carnival. Alasdair shows us how it's done, with all his usual grace and dignity, no less (I'm kidding Ali!).

He's on a diet.

He's on a diet.
Originally uploaded by buggboy.

Like that guy on the left in the picture, I attempted to look for the "Goat" in question but was left with a sense of bewilderment when I couldn't find him. I think he might have gone for a slash....

Shocked, Angry, Merry.

Shocked, Angry, Merry.
Originally uploaded by buggboy.

Here we are taking a wee time out from the madness to drink some lovely cider. Aaaah..cider on a summer's day at a festival....mmmmm.......

This man is the reason we love dance music.

This man is the reason we love dance music.
Originally uploaded by buggboy.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this guy's Tee-shirt. I was pissing myself (with laughter) when I took this photo, a good thing he didn't turn around or I might have had to call upon the Spirit of Belligerence.

Procession at The Notting Hill Carnival.

Procession at The Notting Hill Carnival.
Originally uploaded by buggboy.

It took some time but here they are, some photos from my last week in the UK. These photos are from the Notting Hill Carnival which I went to two days in a row.

Sorry for the madness of the last post. I lost the plot momentarily. Anyhoo, I've been a busy bee lately. Thursday night was spent at Zouk at the Heineken Green Room Sessions with The Tick, we were witness to the amazing live house music of Tortured Soul from NYC...the drummer man was not only a wicked drummer but had a great voice (perfect for house music) as well. The dj, Patrick Forge, famous as he was, didn't do very much for me. The lovely Fiona was there as well, which brought back memories of the first few times I went to Zouk...oh how we used to rock the wee dancefloor. This time, I stayed in a little corner next to the dj booth and drank steadily, stopping only to poke my finger into the air or clap my hands every few minutes to show my approval. Ahhh..old age, it wears me down, slowly but surely.
The next night was, I guess, my way of proving that old age hasn't gotten the better of me yet. A bunch of us went to Asia-Pacific Breweries (Aye, where Tiger Beer is brewed) for a charity event and drank a fair amount before heading to Zouk (once again!) where I bounced and danced and jacked and shuffled my body for what seemed like hours to the detroitey techno/bleepey house of Stacey Pullen. In reality, it was only for about an hour and a half I think. But, whatever, I had fun.
Saturday was Tat's birthday and we went for a lush vegetarian dinner. It made me feel slightly healthier so of course to counter these sudden feelings of well-being, I decided to drink after dinner. Of course, the only sporting people in our little group were Lynwood and myself....so, once again, TEAM UK, represented and kept it real! Wahey! Anyhoo, I've to warn all of youse that Singapore is keeping me very busy. Even when I don't have things of my own to do, there's always something to do (for eg, general house-keeping and running errands with my mum)....also, this probably sounds really strange to those amongst you who cannot identify but I'm feeling alot clearer in the head now that I'm back, exercising, eating well and drinking less (believe it or not..hahahaha)...as a result, I'm feeling less depressed and less creative and am actually beginning to feel like I'm losing my personality (ok, perhaps a bit too dramatic?)...I don't have any immediate personal problems apart from not having a job (I've only just started looking so not much bother there) and my wee beer belly which is aesthetically unpleasant to the eye (my eye at least). So, chances are that I'll be writing alot less from now on.......unless, something dramatic happens like my getting a job that posts me back to the UK!!!...*wishful thinking for now*

Choonage: Freeform Five : Misch Masch Mix

Currently fuming. Misunderstandings abound and tempers are flaring. I shall quote the profound lyrics of that hard as nails house tune by Harry Choo Choo Romero to describe how I feel:
" I just can't believe all the things people say, Why must I deal with this shit, every fucking day?"

Choonage: Harry Choo Choo Romero - I Want Out

p.s. Job-hunting is a royal pain in the arse.

Today, I am knackered..I have run like a fool,chasing balls on a tennis court with Tracy, her mum, and her cousin (Tracy's).....anyhoo,post-shower, I am feeling an incredible sense of tiredness/calm and have decided to have an early night in, listening to techno/house/electro type music (i.e. Alasdair's Electro-Tamp mix, the quintessential mix of the last year, for me at least..it just reminds me so much of my last yr in St Andrews and of Ali in particular....one of my favourite nutters ever!)....ok,i'm too tired for any more electro-chat.....MON the Techno!!

Choonage: Comrade Potato - Electro-Tamp

Just a quick update: Went clubbing last night. It took much effort to get people to come out and turned out to be an alright night in the end. It was good to return to Zouk after a year. Yes, it's nice to not feel short again and to not have to wait too long when you're ordering drinks at the bar. Yes, the women are still stick thin but I'm slowly getting used to it...I enjoyed drinking but woke up feeling slightly guilty for spending all that money on it (I don't think I'm ever going to get used to how much booze costs here)...I thought I was going for a trance night but ended up listening to a great deal of non-trance; some good tracks but the mixing could have been alot better....so, Gabriel & Dresden? I'd give them a 5.5 out of 10 at the most. Maybe I should have just stayed in Phuture listening to the "indie" on offer and people watched, i.e. looked at the funny characters in their quirky clothing. Oh well, I'm all clubbed out for the next few days...let's see how long I can stay away from the clubs this week.....I have a feeling it won't be long before I find myself sweating and jacking my body to pounding pounding techno/electro/house music......

I'll make this a wee one. It's too hot/humid to type much. I hate feeling sticky, even typing this is making me sweat. Yes, I could turn the air-con on but i'm not quite ready to feel cold....ok,I'll stop whining. Anyhoo, the past few days have been good ones I suppose. Singapore, apart from the heat, is really quite ok. I've been eating pretty darn well (3 good meals a day,hooray!) and trying to get back into shape by playing tennis, swimming and walking long distances. Yesterday, I walked to Wiley's place to play tennis. It took me 50 minutes and when I got there, I was dripping like an ice-cream cone in a sauna. It made me feel very much alive. I then played tennis and ran about like a nutter, chasing balls and swearing loudly (as one does), I'm not going to be surprised if I get banned from Wiley's place soon. I do need to tone down the cussing.
Post-tennis, I then arranged to meet a very dear friend from way back when. I walked to meet Fiona in town just like I used to (meeting her in town,not walking to meet her...but i'm sure u already knew that) back in the day. It'd been a good few years since we last hung out and any prior pre-meeting jitters I had were dispelled as soon as I saw her. To cut a long story short, we ended up walking for miles, drinking ice wine thru straws (and a very strange experience it is), going to this open air bar, drinking more (cocktails this time, darlin'!!), walked back into town after, more booze in hand (alcopops this time...ok,no more jibes, i'm taking a break from beer,i owe it to my belly).So, lotsa exercise plus booze equals a fairly tired tim today. But, no worries, I had a most amazing and random night with Fi and I certainly hope that it won't be the last. A shame I didn't bring my digital camera to document our wee adventure. Tis all good, I have the memories. So, till the next time I can bring myself to brave the stickiness that comes with typing in this humid-as-fark country, peas oot!
Tim...
p.s. Quitting smoking is proving to be easier than previously imagined...I just have to stay away from smokers, booze and coffee......i.e. I am soon going to be a nae mates c**t.

Choonage: Massive Attack - One Love

Poem of the Day:


For all the Fake Friends


This face you see,
Is but a mask.
Who said our friendship was meant to last?
I'm showing you the boy you think you want to see,
But it's not really me.
I thought I knew you,
and vice versa.
Turns out,
It's just not true.
Your probing questions,
Your furtive manner,
Make me want to hit you with a spanner.

Tim'05

Choonage: The Observatory - Killing Time

In about 13 hours, I'll be on a plane, making my way back to Singapore on a 13 hour plane ride of sadness. Tonight has been brilliant. Anthony, Gina, Nat, Ali, Sara, Mo, Ish and I spent a good amount of time on King's Road, drinking lots of booze...lots of champagne included. It was a proper St Andrews farewell in London. My lovely watch has taken a beating and when i wake up, I'll be heading straight to the nearest watch shop to get it sorted...my heart hurts for many reasons. I want to get the watch sorted, I want to get my head sorted and I want to get my heart sorted. This has taken way too much effort to type. *tim thinks it's about time to sort it out*....So, from London, thank you guys so much for reading this. it means so much to me. Here's me ending off on one of my favourite songs of all time....

Choonage: Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter