jack johnson day!!

all im going to say is that i wrote a lot of stuff......then it didnt save

peeved off....jack johnson is there for me tonight tho...

thanks nemo, tomo, keiko and peter....good stuff people!!!!

so its all good

well ...
how many times do i start with "well?" ..now that is terrible. i need to start sentences in other ways...like, "there was a time..." and " it has been a while since i..."
anyway, in my search to show my girlfriend some culture, i took her to a nice ccuban bar. who would have thought that poor cubans, maybe not poor but defintly hard working, those who understand the true value of a hard days work..who would have thought that a meal for two in a cuban bar in london, where the band is cuban, the food and drinks are cuban (even the chicken is cuban);....who would have thought that it all would cost a grand total of 122 pounds!!!! thats over 4man yen for those of japanese culture...ouch ouch ouch! im not made of money, and my new job is better paid than my old job, but tax takes all teh advantages out of the way...oh shite...amit, save some money for once!!
the more absurd thing is, despite the drinks and the slight tipsyness, we had a better time munching down a romantic plate of ice cream and goodies for a handsome 20 quid. the things you can do with ice cream in public places!!!!!
now i type this blog, at me lady's flat, and im a little drunk, drinking hte hungarian "rum" she bought..its in speech marks, because actually its not allowed to be called rum...its a fake copy. after this, il go on to the cuban rum that my aunt bought me when they went to cuba.
some would say im turning to drink too much...more than jpaan...but hte alcochol , esp the beer was lighter...here is heavy..and too be honest, we drink because theres nothing else to do. we cant climb a mountain, or ride a bike to the local video shop, or go to the beach and swim in teh sea, or jog along the paddy fields.....
so, i found out, a friend of mine is leaving japan...do i come back...
all those in favour say "i"
....
anyway jack johson is all but 2 days apart..im a bit afraid that thers gona be a ton of girls screaming and disprespecting his simple lyrics with their knickers...jack wil not appreciate british crudeness....i hope i can be the only one singing along....
i hope i can hug him , and tell him he inspired me to play the guitar, and then get pissed of, because it looks like all he is doing is srumiing with his thumb..but when u learn, it seems you need 8 fingers on each hand. its frickin impossible!
anyway better have a shower now....
two posts in one day
ouch!

“IF in a hurry, take the long way round”

-sorry bout the delay

Seem somewhat at one with this japanese saying. Why rush and see the world go by in a second? I cant physically walk fast anyway. Even when im late for work, and I think im walking at breakneck, puffing along the concrete pavements, and looking at my watch every 5 seconds, it seems that even short people have got longer legs than me. Its like they seem to be flying across London in their long black coats and black lap top bags. Maybe they just want to work that much more than me?
So far London hasn’t been that bad…have been able to meet many friends, some of which I think I have grown distant from, some of which I have gained a new special bond and others who really, would still be the same in another 20 years. Now, because of work, its so happens that your social circle grows even more, and in my case a girlfriend too
A lot of friends have been working solidly for two years, earning a good salary and able to go to top of the range clubs. I seem to lack any motivation to queue for an hour in the rain, and end up in a club full of x football players, expensive couches and 50 cent tunes. Sure enough these clubs have many fans, or else they would end up being like my local pub, “the Moon,” decaying at the corner of the high street. However there must be more to a night out, especially in London , than the shock of finding a receipt for a 120quid bottle of champagne bought 2 weeks ago.
I say NO! I will not go! I don’t want to escape one flock of sheep in one pen, to jump to another. Does this sound old? Mature? I hope not. That excuse of being too mature is like saying, buying a Volvo is responsible…No, I still like the classic crash sensitive volkswagon beatle.

Luckily I have like minded friends here who would prefer going to a live gig, Cuban bar, a funky restaurant,. I even encouraged a grand total of 3 of my mates to come horse riding for the weekend. Forgetting scenes from “brokeback mountain”, the thought of being free on a horse, and riding along the welsh coast, then returning to your hotel 18th century mansion to have beer by the firelight…now that’s different
I think about all the blogs iv written so far, and now I think its time to change the subjects to actually “what did I do today” topics. However im a bit scared that it will compromise of the following:
“late again, pretended to be busy…fell asleep around 1.30, rang a few people, fnished work at around 6, see someone, hopefully li, who can make me forget about work, eat, watch tv, play guitar (if im lucky), and then sleep”………..ooooooooh yeah!

Jack Johnson concert – 4 days to go
Song of the day – to remind me about all the goods things “gimme some luvin,” G - love

So, I have an idea
My manager is working in the other room. Little does he know, but I have just completed my tasks for the day. Oh how efficient I am. If he walks in right now, all I have to do is the magical "alt+tab" and voila, a lovely xcel spreadsheet full of jargon and unimportant numbers that will make his rosy cheeks blush in content, and then he can puff his chest, and stride back to his air conditioned room, leaving me in trust that I am indeed a competent member of the workforce.

Alas, I have learnt one thing in Japan, and use it wisely here. The art of , as I like to call it in japanese, "izokashi-poi". Looking busy. Im sure theres a more technical term for it, but I was never that technical. Therefore I have managed to fool many a senior figre by simply greeting them with a smile, scratch of the head when they ask me a question, thumb and index finger on my stubly chin when deep in thought, and the infrequent "iv just finished anaylsing the economy of the world and predicted its future" sigh!
So you see, life in London in the city isn’t hard. I do believe the work that im doing, and even many people do in the city, is so brain numbing and uninspiring, that you can give the instructions to a 15 year old school kid (maybe younger) and set out the instructions clearly for him to follow, and you would have the same work completed in half the price. However, instead we have a flock of arrogant overpaid, "im working so hard, life is so bad" type arseholes that no wonder I get depressed every time I enter the tube. Its full of drones, only getting up because they really havnt got a choice. The typical slave to the job…
Am I a hyprocite then? I indeed complain about my job. I defiantly complain about the work being long if not hard. So what makes me different? Probably nothing, which makes the situation even more dire. To know that you have a choice to possibly escape, meet new people and just break free from the corporate shackles is even worse than not knowing and believing that his is the only thing that you can do with your life….
Which leads me to my next and possible "slow" breakaway solutions...part of my LOW goals…Life Outside Work
I created this, minute my plan grounded heathrow. So effected by the fact that I knew my life would not completely mine anymore, I had to think about how to start spending my free time. The effects are beginning to show already. So far I have been able to get involved in guitar lessons (I hope I will have the chance to shout "HE is my teacher!!!" when he climbs the charts). Then there is the weekly (nearly) footie practise…
Most recently, and most bizarrely, there is the acting course that I am partaking in. Although a beginning course for drama, so far I have read Shakespeare in front of a class of 20, performed a small solo for a poem, and improvised a scene with a colleague. I don’t think I will be ever good at acting but it’s a buzz that I havnt felt in a long time (closest so far would be getting up on stage in front of 500 students and staff and explaining to them why you have chosen to leave Japan forever)

So watch this space me says! You never know…you might be able to say when you see me on the big screen, "shit, HE is my mate!!"

not sure how to add links..but read

www.sekkarashii.blogspot.com

and then theres nemos, and ross, and mattus, and ofcourse you got me...

the weekend has arrived, and i will be heading off to do some sightseeing. always wanted to get on top of a bus.those sightseeing ones ofcourse...must dash

living for the weekend!!!

(another nice song by hard-fi)...

tme - 7.40am
day - friday
-days of work this week - 3
why? was ill...
really? will yu print this out and send it to my boss?

Typing this blog from my house, so usually the mood is better, and the tone is lighter. (means same thing?). just more comfotable when i write when im sitting on my own bed, in my converted japanese room (i.e. carpet to wooden floor, bed to matress, and shower to bath)...well i tried...

yes, i live in this place, in the suburbian area , zone 6 of london, i.e. an hour from the city. i guess i was urging to escape from here, i still do (crazy?)...maybe yes. here i have an indian maid who cant speak english, but cooks the best vegetarian food ever (shame shes not a meat cooker, seems by her weight, shes more of a meat eater!). wel theres another topic to cover, i cant speak hindi, and some of you ,ight question my english. So coversations are usually like this

"manisha, food...eat...ok?
manisha - "hah! food? quesa food(or something like that)
me - "anything..cushni (anything i think that is)"
manisha , dazed - "hah?!?! cushi? chushi bla bla blah"
me - fooood please...now praying to her..the godess of the kitchen
manisha - "blah blah ..now turning around and mumbling and taking some utensils from under her bagy clothes and wiping the saucpans with her pyjamas , fresh grease from india i guess...

the conversation is longer than that...but i havnt got time to write..have to go to work. how exciting. am late, again. but somehow i dont care. im more excited about teh long walk i have to the station, a good 20 minutes, past memories of old (especialy the girl high school where i usd to always try and look my best when i used to walk past. nothings changed!)

time to hit tthe road jac..and dont come back no more , no more no more....

not going to give up

really dont think i can give up ,
this is something that i think i should do, to prove to the many that i can stick by and get this done.
was told by my manager that i have to buck up...took some sick days off...am escaping the inevitable...that life in london will be monotonous unless i do something to change it.
so, guess what i decide to do..take acting lessons..well first one, is on sunday.
the second thing i do, is decide to start cooking. yes, although this was slightly attempted in Japan, now, there is a secret passion to learn how to cook dishes that even blue peter would have to take a day to prepare "one they made earlier."
i thought maybe with a blog, i would be able to write some itneresting things. however it kinda depends on the mood your in. if your ina good mood, the blog you write becomes exciting, like a guitar with new strings being plucked! (love my metaphores)....but if ur ina shitty mood, its really like the dull clouds and cold rain that london offers too often...(so what do you think?)
much of my mood depends on little things...
- work? not at all..it might be shit, but i know that its not the "be all and end all"...
- life away from japan - used to be, but getting used to it...
-girls? kinda guessed it...have a girlfriend now, who although being a lovely girl, seems to influence my every mood. maybe this is karma that i deserve given my track record with the oriental express. now i find myself with one who can, quite frankly, give me my own medicene...
but those who know me, know that this is one thing that i dont give up on, and yes il fight on. However as i think about my journal which i kept for the two years in japan, its kind of frightening how many times you write about personal problems, rather than comment on the wonderful times your having....
....so best to change my ways and be positive. there are many good htings to life...like the ability to book the most random things on the internet, to give a homeless person your cup of coffee when you realise that you dont really need it....when you lose your phone..and say f-k it cos you never really call those people anyway...when you slowly realise that you CAN do what you want...

i promise the next one will be a blog!....i.e. what iv done that day...
if you really want to know about an accountants life that is!!?!?!?!?

group of the day - "the perishers" a funny name, and maybe fitting due to the music they play. borderning on the cheesy american slow lovers rock, with a bit of coldplay twist (shut up amit...think your blabbering....)

not quite blogging material but...

well good morning i woke up in my house, (for a change) to find mist coming from my breath. it was freezing. there was frost INSIDE the room. so what happened from yesterday night to today. how should i know! im not an engineer..i believe in bad luck and karma. i woke up in a house that seems to be a complete stranger to my life now. i moved back in september, having spent a large proportion of my good looking, post puberty life outside it. i remember two weeks i was cooking for a friend, and i couldnt even find the nice clean scratch free frying pan...my mum, amazing cook that she is, doest not seem to keep one. she believes in antiques and using past flavours stuck on the pan years gone by... anyway a friend of mine stayed over yesterday. i thought it would be a good reason to show her seveal past memories that have helped to mould me into the dashing man that you see before you... .



......mmm very dashing indeed. anyway we went to my private school, Merchant Taylors School. Its funny, that for 6 years i couldnt wait to get out of that no girls, dull grey suits, farty hymn singing old men decaying old building....but now im showing my friends with pride this 20 acre, majestic and historical atmosphere for learning and education....ok, i fail quite miserably to describe my school in a positive way...
What im trying to say is that its nice to know where you came from, and look at your past. walking in a wood, that i used to live by and seeing the garden of my old house where i used to bum around 15 years ago, seemed to give me a sense of comfort, that no matter where i go, i will always be able to call this place my home...
it makes you feel fulfilled. im comfortable that no matter what happens to me, and no matter who dumps me, i can always go home and relax in the suburbs of london, far from the chaotic drama of london traffic, and enjoy a quiet drink in the local with a friend, or even eat my mum's curry...

sleeping on the job again

its hot...my eyes are squinting. i look at my phone, hoping it might just buzz to say i have a new message..anything to get me distracted from this monotonous ticking. yes, this matches with that, and that has this to go with them, and therefore its all ok and i can go home now!

if i take time to reflect on my life so far, i will realise i am like a record player. many different lines, it looks smooth from a far distance, but is kinda rough to tough, and sometimes crackles like your rice crispies...how does that represent me? pople say i have had a good and easy life, i have had many stories to tell, and it all seems good..the thing is, im just repeating myself like an old record player, and a the life isnt as beautfiul as you might think

iv only done my second blog , and already im getting bored. i just cant get into any hobby for that long, without being curious to know what the other hippy is up to. would love to jump on a snowboard, and rush down those steep slopes with my chilled out music gliding me down.

instead, im on a small cramped table, with an aching back, looking out of a window, wheres theres the typical london view of...another brick wall. hate brick..so boring. red and rectangular, a childrens lego piece. my manager tells me, "amit, have you fnished yet"...i reply..."erm..well, not sure reallly" in the most intellectual manner possible. i should rather say, "no will, i have no f-kin clue what im supposed to do. you see, i was distracted. in fact, im so sorry. i should never have got distracted. how can you get distracted when you stare at size 6 font numbers and match them to a purchase invoice which has a size 4 number, and you have a whle other 6 hours of this exciting work to do. its soooo useful to my life! in fact, i want to take it home with me and sleep on it..i want to rub myself naked with documents and papers and spend my bonus on staples and hole punchers! you complete arse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

as you can see, i have my little reservations about this job. in fact the only thing keeping me alive right now are several things...but i dont know you that well enough to tell you yet. however that is enough complaining about my job. i plan to have a good weekend, which is the norm, and bring a much more positive outlook on life...in fact my manager did say in japanese, i am so "bubbly"...bubbly was said in english. so i guess im happy about something.

as far as things brought from japan goes, two new hobbies, of which i am at best mediocre in, djing and guitar have been keeping me alive. right now, i listen to the chilled album of "thievary corporation"...reccomended if you have candles, a sexy girl on your bed ...or a laptop and crap to write about as is in my case...

lee, is this getting any better?

the first of many..

Blog objectives -

1. to type and type and type
2. to make sure that my grammer improves and practise use of past tense
3. to complain about the current job im in, (if thats possible)
4. to complain about london and the people who live here...
5. to make new friends in london
6. as a point of contact to those who live in japan...those people who i might have scarred for life, the girlfriends who might not understand my english but will be glad to see my picture posted on the internet at last, and for those who had the patience to share their friendship and beer for the past two years
7. to lose focus, and possibly ramble on and on and on and on.....

what to not expect....

1. bill bryson-esque humour..he is a genius..i am not!
2. fluent and correct english...eerm..no
3. great adventures of how i rescued a pet cat from a burning tree..im an accountant who has lost his only pair of trousers and is lost in the maze of the london tubes
4. original and unique proverbs, metaphores, and quotes....
5. structure (why?!?!?)

as much as i want to write more, and as much as i need to write something , or at least post a picture of my big nose, im going to (for once) withold the temptation, and start properly tomorrow when i leave my girlfriends flat...
need to have a shower...went to chinatown and i come back smelling of a peking duck and gooey spare ribs!

p.s. song of the day - kings of inconvinience - (name of track not sure...but its quite depressing....whats material ..., one perceives something as hunger, and the other as food...)..reminds me of something quite depressing , that i need to talk about tomorrow with a clear head.

right now, shower, cuban rum and a movie...

a big "shout out" to those lovers and free spirits out there. *you know who you are.