it's really about time

i've decided against heading down to terminal 3 tmr morning. partly cuz it's a long ride after that, partly cuz i don't want to disturb the still waters again,

partly cuz thoughts have started swirling round my head again, and i think i've seen enough of my qingdao-bound mates for now. strangely. as i write this now i know i'm going to be writing this down for a while tonight.

having talked a bit with sl and pm i now gain a better understanding about the extreme sacrifice needed for something as monumental as the olympics. having talked with ying hao i now understand some of the considerations of going to sydney. at least i know one person heading in that direction.

for a while i've been very happy leading a simple life and just following where the days and months have led me. when i say happy, i mean it. it's really paid off, i mean what more could i wish for?

but 8 months have breezed past and i do have to start preparing for the years ahead.

maybe i need a bit more 'drive'. yea that must be it. maybe i need a license or two.

then again. why so serious?

heath ledger was phenomenal, but i'm not so wow-ed by the rest of the movie. one of my favourite parts was when the prisoner on the second ship said 'i'm gonna do what you should have done a long time ago.' and throws the detonator out the side. and when the joker was frustrated by the delay in the hospital blast. sick.

this is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

it's about time

two straight days of 16 knot winds makes for a rather weathered lightweight laser standard sailor. but boy the downhill ride is totally worth the time and torture going upwind. it's like the reason we're all in this for. swell!

container packing day is always a trying time for everyone. for some reason people just get all irritable and fussy, refuse to communicate clearly what they want or need to do, and end up making others feel bad as well. well be glad it's all done now, and i won't be involved in it for at least a while.

today was exciting cuz we got to shake hands with the president halfway through the day, with the entire boat park surrounding us, a whole mess of people taking photos and making a big scene really.

i became a tourist for one and a half hours this morning, capturing images of that red circular structure that appears on the news, as well as other things that caught my eye in this city. because the connection is a bit dodgy i'm gonna post some when i get back home in slightly more than 24 hours time.

this trip has been memorable and totally worth it, and it's almost over, except for tonight, where i'm hoping i can enjoy my free time for that little longer before i have to return to mowbray reality. i do miss my epiphone actually.

a good year

i've been listening to shearwater live, and opeth's watershed. i admire those bluesy solos. i wish i could translate the tunes in my head directly onto the fretboard sometimes.

yesterday i walked around the boat park with victoria, a plain white beijing 08 shirt, a permanent marker, a cardboard backing, and a smile, and some nice words like 'hello, good morning!', 'we're from singapore!', and 'we hope you have a great olympics!', and accomplished this:

ben ainslie, malcolm page, nathan wilmot, among others. great guys!

today i was promoted to lance corporal!

things are looking pretty rosy eh.

'pardon my lips, they find joy in the most unusual places.'

fly boys

mr tim lim left yesterday.

i've been watching a lot of movies. i watched half of 21 (until i was bored) and jumper on the plane. currently i'm getting used to having star movies on my tv screen, having watched pink panther, fly boys, goal 2 and the last king of scotland.

unfortunately the best movies have to be in the 10-1am time slot. the last king of scotland was monumental.

dead calm.

i am david sparkle, you are there.

there's been a lot happening recently. on thursday i got my wish, hearing the kidnapper bell, yearning and halcyon (beautiful days) live by the jap band mono. it was an eye-opener in more ways than one, seeing the inside of zouk, hearing unabashedly loud atmospheric layered guitar noise. fun!

as you can see, i'm the only one here whose forehead is fully exposed.

i can't help thinking the bottom left signature looks like a doodle of a person playing a cello.

envy are coming to play esplanade on national day, but surely i've had enough with mono to be happy.

instead, there's a mouth-watering opportunity to catch stanley clarke, marcus miller and victor wooten set their basses / double basses alight on a september 19 evening. the youtube videos are quite stunning.

lifejackets.

i'm not looking forward to what's coming out in the papers tmr morning.