Hola from Quito

A dancer performs during X-9 samba school's parade at the sambodrome in Sao Paulo



Thing´s is going well here. Moved out of the hostel and into a house around the corner, with a very nice family that love having the ´craic´, i only understand about 5% at times, but they like having fun and eating well, so i understand enough.

Had a game of football with them a few days ago when i met them, it was Europe V Ecuador, and with the altitude you have to be pretty fit to keep running, anyway we were beaten convincingly by a bunch of girls and the mother and father, i spent most of the time in goals gasping for air, good fun all the same.

I was voluntering at the hostel, but they wanted me to miss Spanish classes, so that wasn´t on and i put a stop to that, so no more free beer, accomodation, food and i´m feeling the better for it.

There´s a market really close with heaps of cheap food, great coffee, fruit and vegtables.
Today i had a potato and meat soup, i was pretty happy with that for a dollar and then i was given a plate of rice beans and chicken and told it was included, all for a dollar. Too much!!!

Went with the family to their house in the country with a few other tourists and had a great time. Went to a place called ´Rio Bamba´, and as the people in Ecuador love doing had a huge water fight. Arrived in this town and there was over 1 km of everybody drenching everybody else, when we couldnt get water we got these aersol cans that squirted foam, what a laugh, i must have got about 8 of these cans in about 90 minutes.
Some guy got me, and he happened to be holding a hamburger, so i got him and his hamburger, i might have been going a bit too far, but if your going to start a war......
Even women in their 60´s were getting into it, hard to believe

The family´s place is in a valley outside the town, where everyone grows their own crops, they have a stream flowing above their crops and they unblock it and the water winds down and waters their crops, they must have spent ages digging. It´s volcanic earth too, so everythig grows, very beautiful.

Went to a suprise party in their grandfather´s place, i was probably told about it, but since i havent got the hang on the language, i was suprised and everyone got shots of the traditional brew and then more and more.

Went to an outdoor basketball court later that night where they had a DJ playing with 3 of his MC´s who have to talk over every song, i suppose urging everyone to get into it.
The local brew was $1 for a big bottle and everyone was being offered shots from the same glass, very funny.
The people complain here when it´s 17 odd degrees, they think it´s the middle of winter, they cant believe me walking around with a T shirt, they´d never survive the Arran Islands.

Had a few more water fights before leaving next day, everyone must get wet, everyone, what a laugh, everyone gets envolved, no water restrictions.

Since it was carnival, everybody was up for singing, it was a variation of the pretty much the same song, with the chorus ending with ¨... carnival´, great craic.

I´ll be renting a double room off of them now with a kitchen, sitting room with TV, bathroom and if i wanted 3 all you can eat meals thrown it, it would be $15, i cant eat that much food, so i´ll proably just have dinner with them and everything is cooked from scratch and you get more and more and more.

Going to head to an indiginous market 2 hours south on Thursday, apparently it´s the most important market in Ecuador.

Crocus flowers blossom through a layer of snow in Freiburg, southern Germany

Well this time next year I won’t be a millionaire, but this time next week I will have been on a Jet plane, 2 in fact.

I booked the first flight today, and if I had booked it last night it would have cost me Euro 0.01, today 23 euro, so why didn’t I do it last night, internet connection was slow. That’s like I suppose, tough shit.

Going to head out for a walk with the dogs, listen to Spanish, hopefully some of it is sinking in. Languages are acquired, so it will be a case of having to acquire it when I hit SA, because very few will ‘Have the English’, do you follow me now?

Listening to the Frames on the net, through You tube, not a bad band, Kerry I think, a bit like Cold play, a bit I said!!

Should be cleaning out the attic over the garage today, my cleaning services are in the demand, no frills, cleaning, I get the job done, I could be to cleaning what the Dog the bounty hunter is to bounty hunting. I’m coming to get you!!!

Might go to a gig tonight, Cyprus Avenue has a UCC student night on, I’ve always fancied myself as a bit of a student around campus. After all I’ve technically been there and in reality I haven’t, but that’s reality and that’s a tricky thing sometimes.

Off for a walk to Knockraha and back, I’m off.

Where the bloody hell are you

The Basant Panchmi Festival in India, celebrates the onset of spring, marking the beginning of new life as yellow mustard flowers start to bloom




Gone Arran
Set off from Cork last Tuesday with a faint idea of what I was going to do, that being go to An Galliamh (Galway in English) and see where the craic was at.

There is a new service from Cork to Galway 18 Euro return, so I got that and as it turned out I was the only person on the bus. I remember sending out an email saying something like, ‘There’s 5 cars in my house and I can’t use any of them, so I’ll get a poor mans chauffeured trip to Galway. Turns out I was right.

As we got as far as Limerick another guy got on, I remember he was reading a comic, I haven’t seen anyone read comics since I was 10.
Anyway after a drivers smoke brake we got talking for the rest of the trip.
He showed me a place to stay, the SleepZone. We met up later for a few beers and then went to a comedy in the ‘Rosing Dubh’, 3 excellent comics, I laughed hard and drank heaps of Guinness, oh the Guinness was great, one solid week of it, it was probably coming out my ears in the end, so good.

Went on the Burren trip, saw the Dolmen, hard to believe that those 3 stones have had 1800 birthdays. And all of us tourists gust get off a bus, go in for 10 minutes take photos and back on the bus again.
Went to the cliffs, got talking to a Canadian guy Matt I think it was, hard to believe how windy it was, a Polish girl was taken by the cliffs only 6 weeks ago while posing for a photo, ‘Yeah, back a bit, back a bit’, then no more, game over folks.


Then we called into Oliver St John Gogarty’s place


Very nice, the tour guide was really good, heaps of stories, great value on my 14 Euro student ticket, there was only 4 of us on the bus too.

Went on a pub crawl with the Canadian guy and listened to some music.

Next day it was time to get out, so off I went. Having coffee, I had an idea, what about the Arran Islands, so I got a ticket and as Hunter S Thompson said, ‘If you buy the ticket, you take the ride’

Only about 10 people on the boat, found a place to stay, it was raining a fair bit, but I was starting to get used to it.

Walked around and noticed a pub open, so in I went and I was quiet surprised to see a modern pub, like any you would find on the mainland. Very impressive, but the best was to come.

The best Guinness of my life was being served, what joy!!
Later that nigh I went to the Hotel for some food, very nice setup again. The barman was a polish guy, first Polish guy I have met in Ireland. Ordered food, not too bad, more Guinness, not bad. I was the only person there, not too bad. Had a good chat.

Went back to the village, met an old guy Padraig, he’s 73 years old, every morning he arises and says 3 hail marys as he’s so happy to be alive and Shadow Boxes. I was thinking to myself what would you think if you happened to be walking past and saw him shadow box, you’d probably think he was off his game.

Found Tiompal Ciaran, had a look and got a few photos.
Went up to Dun Aungus, hard to believe that it dates back as far as 100 BC when they had no tools and the rock was cut from rock.

Very hard life, no wood to make a fire, windy rainy area. They must have been constantly wet or damp.

Even when they started farming the islands, there’s 1800 kms of stone wall on the islands. They made soil, every where you look there are stone walls and some of them as was rightly pointed out are works of art and they are, they also double up as cattle shelters as they don’t bring in their cattle.

So after being wet and cold on the islands, being cold isn’t so bad anymore.
Called to Doolin on the way back, I was the only one on the bus and had a great chat with the driver.

Got a photo of the Lisdoonvarna matchmaking festival sign, the bottom of it says ‘Were here for the women and the beer’. Had to walk a long way for that one, but it was worth it. Might try and make a brake around the 5th of Feb.

Here I go now.

Cooking, Cleaning and living a normal life

A Hindu holy man bathes in Allahabad during the Ardh Kumbh Mela festival, the largest religious gathering in the world

Well what’s been going on ?

Been helping the mother put her new kitchen in the first step in putting in a new kitchen is take out the old one, but before you can do that you must take out what’s in the old kitchen, and before you do that you must have somewhere to store the stuff So I spent 4 days cleaning out 2 Attics, had a fire going for 4 days solid, burnt heaps of old paper, you can be fined here now for having a fire going on your land, but if the fire wasn’t going nothing would have been thrown away and you would be back to square one, how am I going to get the kitchen in.

So now we are at a stage where the old one can come out, only took 5 days, but we are there, and it’s not a very big kitchen either.

Getting away from work and all of that, went out last Sunday night to see a gig.

I saw Wallis Bird
Unreal is all I can say, she badly cut her finger when she was 2. Right handed, so she taught herself to play as a left handed, because no one told her that was not what you were supposed to do. Great gig, I was talking to a guy that was telling me her drummer was unreal.

Looked her wikipedia, she is compared with Janis Joplin and Annie De Franco, haven’t heard much of Annies stuff, but now maybe I will.

Going to go to Galway to morrow and see where the craic is at. There is 5 cars in my house, but no chance of me getting a car for a few days or a week, so I think I’ll get the bus, someone else can drive, I’ve driven enough. I’ll feel like a poor man being chauffeured around, but chauffeured none the less and that’s better that walking or a kick in the arse. And that’s a fact.

I’ll try and use my fake student id, it’s expired. But it still works. Meself and the sister went to the movies last night. She goes to UCC, I have a fake USIT that says I go to UCC, the guy selling tickets took ages looking at her ID. I started making a bit of a fuss going ‘Erra, Susan I’ll pay for it’ just to get his eyes away from the cards. It worked too, but after all, she is an actual student. You can never be too careful, there are some chancer’s out there.

I will try and take in the Cliffs of Moher, without getting blown off, I’m told a few have of recent. Won’t be getting too close, my camera has a very nice zoom function, very nice. :) God knows how many Australians went on about West Ireland, now I think I’ll go and see what they were on about.

Stay tuned


Kieran

Oh the weather outside is frightful, the fire is so delightful.......

Cool eh ?


It's lashing rain as a write this. Been quiet on the going out front, too quiet if you ask me.

Had a few beers last night while the mother and sister were having dinner upstairs at a bar, i'm told my mammy put me to bed. Sent off a few text messages too, seemed like a good idea at the time, but over time, maybe not and as the length of time increases and as the universe expands, no defiantly not.

Been very slack with the Spanish lessons. The mother doesn’t want me to leave, will have to get motivated again, pick a date mid January and go.

Walking the dogs here is really good, went on a huge walk with some good tunes into the country, or used to be country, it's like Fraggle rock here with the Doozers building everywhere.
Every morning I’m under constant survalance, I cant bring all 3 dogs, cos they are Fuckn mad as hatters. We have 2 outdoors and one indoors. If the one inside sees me walking around she starts barking, them the 2 outside go absolutely mad, it wouldn’t have been much of a problem 10 years ago, but the Doozers have been hard at work and now we have neighbours.

Told my sister I was talking to my uncle in the pub last week and he said to me ‘What does your mother see in those dogs, they’re only mongrels’
Sisters response ‘He’s a feckin mongrle’. Funny thing is that they both are right

The walk was really cool, if the battery on my iRiver went dead there is no way i would have made it back, no way. Every one thinks i'm mad walking, but if you saw the country with the mist lifting, you'd have to be mad to stay in bed.

I saw Warney went out well, made the back page of the newspaper here, i nearly laughed. I was contemplating ringing the newspaper and abusing them for putting an English game on an Irish paper, all for a laugh of course, i don’t mind Warney at all.

I was in a pub last week and i said to a fellow.
Me: What’s the story with this country, it's dark at 9am and it's dark at 3pm, in Australia it's 25 Degrees.
Him: 'Erra, Feck Australia, I'm watching a horse race'

It's become a bit of a running joke here, every time i mention 'Australia' my sister says 'Erra, Feck Australia, I'm watching a horse race'. I have to do something to amuse myself.

I've been helping the mother out cooking, cleaning and stuff out the back that she's been asking my siblings to do for ages. I am number 1, it doesn’t matter what I do for the next year
Cooked rice and vegetables a few times (All in 1 pot) here with a Soy sauce, Chilly, coriander, ginger and Garlic sauce) I am being hailed as the best chef since Jamie Oliver. But any dinner you don’t have to cook, is pretty good.

So I’m living the normal life for a bit, trying to get the dole too. Money for breathing really which I will hand over to the mother, I don’t need it, but it’s on offer. I feel like a guy going to dinner party with a doggie bag and saying ‘It’s for the dog’ and someone else saying, ‘But you don’t have a dog’, at that point I am going to fake a mental illness, that’s half true after all, some people don’t need much convincing of that after all. :)

Have to make a start on the Spanish again and figure out where to go Ecuador, I think…………..

Time will tell

Kieran

Oh the weather outside is frightening

People walk on a pier by the sea during warm weather on New Year's Day in Athens, Greece.


Oh Hello there

After a 43 hours commute back home with 1 hour sleep maybe
on the plane I had enough of traveling for that point in time.

Flew into Cork and I thought to myself ¡What a beautiful
day¢, what an eejit I felt like when it was announced that there was
fog in Cork and after circling for about an hour it was off to Shannon Airport
and then a bus to Cork a 2 hour journey

I remember feeling a vague need to cry when that news was announced,
but I¢m a big boy now and big boys don't cry, do they?

The funny thing about it was there was a Tibetan Buddhist
flying to Cork too, and I remember thinking ¡He probably took too
much acid in his day and has come full circle now..

He got off the bus within 30 min at his stop going to Cork, it couldn't have
worked out better for him, I must be praying to the wrong god again.

Flew from Melbourne to KL, yeah big deal I hear you say, I
though I was going to Singapore, worked out well in the end, I had
breakfast in
my favorite place in the world, cheap cheap too. Worked out about $1.20
Australian for gourmet Nasi Lemak, yeah gourmet, no GST added on
either, quality; eat it at the side of the road, yummy.

Flew from KL to Amsterdam with KLM airlines and if you've never flown with them before, don't!
The air hostesses are the biggest bunch of school teachers I have ever seen in
my life.
If you have more than 2 drinks with alcohol you are branded an
alcoholic, School teachers!!!
Nothing a hot session with a man couldn¢t fix of course,
hey I'm a man! Well I suppose there will be other times.
They do take their job very seriously though; you¢d swear we
were going to outer space. Which was were I was going flying into KL.

Left revolver Sunday and pretty much went straight to the
Airport, passport control I might not get on the plane if I kept on
singing and dancing, I was singing Chris Rea, Driving home for Christmas¢ oh yeah
and I had a fair amount of speed too, did I tell you about that ?

Had to go to the toilet every half an hour and do my version
of the Melbourne Shuffle, I was having a great time. The Phillipino
woman and her daughter next to me must have thought I was from outer space
and I was half way there literally.

Stopped off in KL from 5am till 11.30pm and did some
shopping, charged my iRiver at a backpackers walked around and took in
the carbon dioxide.

I was standing at the Burger king at 11.05 pm trying to
spend my last 6 Rinngit (Just over $ 2) when I though I¢d have another
look at my boarding pass, it said boarding time was 10.45pm.

I then proceeded to run the fastest 100 meters of my life, I
must have looked such a sight, I can laugh now, I wasn¢t laughing then,
when I got on the plane I looked like I¢d just gotten out of the shower.

Got lots of great tunes before I left Oz, and have been
bringing my mothers dogs on huge walks every morning, when the tunes
are going, I could walk all day, the dogs can't I'm afraid.
But they go apeshite for walking all the same.
My mother has 3 dogs so I can only bring 2 at once because
they go a bit mad, well if the piggy in the middle thinks he¢s been
left at home, madness erupts and everyone is woken up by dogs barking.

Oh and a little Christmas present, for getting this far into
my bullshit with hitting the delete button, well done.

This DJ has only had her decks for 2.5 years and is the best
DJ I have heard in a long time by a country mile, enjoy.

DJ

Oh and happy Christmas, and I hope Santa brought you
everything you wanted, if you were good of course.


Kieran

Last Daze

Wild ducks fly across the Siberian river at a temperature of around minus 20 degrees


Brrrr, should be around 1 degree at home, going from 25-30 to 1. But it is Christmas time, isnt it ? Hmmmm……..

Right I’m down to my last days in Oz and strangely enough it feels pretty good. I’m doing fine.
Been crashing on couch of Chris and a chick I met a few weeks ago Jamilla.

Funnily enough, was out with Jamilla 2 night’s ago went back to her place, had a few Jim Beams and a smoke or 2. Where there’s smoke there’s fire yeah fire. Maybe with all the bushfires going on, maybe that’s not too good a comment, but it did sound good at the time.
Which reminds me, a not so old but more on the overweight side was getting or trying to get off the tram yesterday and the doors closed on her. Eventually she got off, my comment was ‘Be quick or be dead drawing on my vast metal repertoire and ‘That’s poetry in motion, literally’ and it was the tram nearly took off with her jammed in the door’s and that wouldn’t have been too funny, after a while or maybe it would get funnier as time went on, and on, and on.

Going to the opera tonight with Chris, going to see Turandot. Chinese inspired that was banned up until Sep 1998, laugh at yourself China will you!!

Called up to see Gerard yesterday had Absinth for the first time, might explain how I fell off the bike, hmmm makes sense the more I think about it and especially when I move around.

Haven’t even told you about the mad and stupid landlord trying to stick a knife in me last week, what a silly man.
Got on to the local council to shift his 7 cars and a tow truck parked illegally, even in the ‘No Standing’ area. Unbelievable is all I can say to that, if I parked there for an hour I would get a ticket.

Will have to take Frankie to VCAT court ext year, it’s all a game and I’m super Mario jumping around the place. Wonder when I’ll get super powers.
Started watching Heroes, on of Chris copied off of someone else’s series not yet available in Oz. Anyway it’s good, do yourself a favor and get it on a hard drive and watch it. I’m not a fan of staying in at night .i.e. ‘Can’t do Thursday night, heroes is on at 8.30’ aw boo hoo, your life is being ruled by a little box in the corner of the room, fair enough I suppose. I suppose its better that your life being ruled by a bitch in high heels or not demanding attention, look at me Kimmey!!

Phillips is gone to India, Gerard is off tomorrow, I’m off on Sunday, ‘So Fuc#$n what’ he says. So what indeed, choice bro. [experiment with the English language there, wont now it was a success until Scholars are trawling through my work trying to figure out things like, ‘What drove him on’, ‘Who inspired him’, ‘Who or hat is don don’s’, ‘How did his plots and characters develop’] ok experiment is over, now all I have to do is play the waiting game……………………..

I’m bored, but writing this waffle tends to help

K

Sometimes in Russia trucks are used as a bridge pier.

This happened in Medvezhjegorsk city, 200 km North from Petrozavodsk in Karelia, Russia.

The driver of the truck tried to pass under the bridge with an opened load body.

Typing away on a Monday arvo, nothing else to do?

Another busy weekend.

What’s the story morning glory? I was reading about the benefits of writing, and their appears to be many benefits for all sort of ‘Things’ going on in your head. So it’s a good idea to do what I’m doing. Defiantly not the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, no not by a long shot.

Among the sensible thing’s I did on the weekend (Before I started partying with Ross and co.) was catching up with Cassie, at the market, the Prahran market to be exact.

I used to go there and have a free breakfast of bits of sausages and crackers and any other free food they were dishing out, some days I hit the jackpot. Great place to eat in an expensive area, and did I say fun, it was that too, Who says the best things in life aren’t free, they are, Prahran market of Saturday, yummy. 

Met up with Cassie’s mom, pretty chilled out, and went to rub the budgies in the flower shop on Chapel st. Not as good as when you come out of Revolver, but that’s another story, I had sleep.

I went to see Cassie’s piece of heaven, yep. I could be comfortable there, if I was settled that is. Not sure if I could get used to the idea of living in the same place for a long time. I like change, one day I might even shape shift. Some people believe in it.

I watched some program where a guy was saying ‘If you believe you can walk through a wall, you can walk through a wall’.

Henry Ford once said ‘If you think you won’t succeed your right twice’ or something like that, Eeek? That didn’t go too well.

Try something else, ok so.

Went to the Belgium Beer garden yesterday, but first I went to word. Not too many people there. Good fun as always.

Met a guy called Rob and is friend, can’t remember her name and had good craic. After they left I walked back to the band and met some other girls and hung out with them for a while, not a ad day in the sun. Not a bad day in all, then I came back to the city and had Hungry Jack’s, and why not, I’m nearly 30 years of age you know ?

Friday I caught up with Matt and went to Brown Alley, some German DJ, Michael Maher I think, and house ort of music up stairs. Good craic.

Met a girl who’s mother was into the German DJ, and, and the mother went clubbing more than the daughter. Hard to believe, but there you go.

Met another girl called Ruby who was shocked when I told her I had female friends, and after telling her that she said ‘You must come and see me in Sandringham, we can go for a walk along the beach, we can go for coffee……’ Very amusing. Have to give her a call, called her, no answer. Such as life.

That’s roughly what happened on the weekend, give or take a few other stories.

Might go the opera this week, more bands, and meet up with the Famous Ross and get the Iriver.
Sharlet mover out, and no bond was forthcoming, same old ding dong, that’s what you get sometimes I guess, when you expect these things it’s not so bad I suppose. I’ll look forward to getting screwed, oh Frank give it to me baby !!

Going to Splodge tonight, should be good. Have to call to the Library and get my Eminem cd back and pick up some other stuff.

Peace out

K

Been a long time, been a long time

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (on platform) waves to cheering supporters during his closing campaign rally in Caracas.

Well, well, well

Hmm, better start with the weekend, the last one, if I can recall it. Friday night I stayed local, oh, in fact I went to a festival on the Edinburgh gardens in North Fitzroy, great craic. Early one, went home for a smoke, woke up on my bed at 7am with clothes on, I was going to go to bar open but alas, never made it.

Woke up, finished the beer that was opened and went to sleep.

Woke up again and got up, I’m on a roll now. Walked to the library and found a perfect backpack, with may I add day pack, 2 weeks in Vietnam is probably all the action it’s ever seen. Could not believe my luck, nothing at all wrong with it. There was a printer next to it, should have picked that up too.

Met up with Cassie Bourke in Fitzroy for lunch. Went to the veggie bar and then to the artists market. Cassie was dreading going, well sort of expecting to see crap and ended up loving it. Called into see her friend in Collingwood.

Called into the Tote later was watched a band, met some chick that I was talking to 2 weeks ago in North Melbourne, but talk is cheap and I have lots of it :)

Went back to the festival in North Fitzroy, saw some shows. Ate the food, drank the wine, every body having a good time, but you, you were talking about the end of the world. Well that’s what Bono would say.

Got up next day, bright and early, no sleepin’s for me. No flies on me and off to the Sunday club. Met Ross and his girlfriend, left there and went to South Melbourne for a dim sim, met the Bev and Micks crew back from big night. Their friend (Barman from 2 Floors up) and lots of snake bit was consumed.

Went to the Belgium Beer garden and ad a pretty cool time. Good spot, might go there again next week.

Ben Watt is playing on Saturday night, should be good, big weekend. Friday night in Brown Alley, should be good.

Good link with a difference

Oh the weekend the weekend

Well, trying to remember what happened on the weekend.

I went out with Fuz and Heidi and his French friend, can’t remember his name now,
Went to brown alley, had enough of that then it was off to Revolver, on attempt 2 I got in. Stayed until around 12 noon as per usual, should have gone home, when will I ever learn, never probably. Got home on Saturday around 2pm had a sleep, felt much better indeed. Decided I would have a quiet sort of night, so it was off to the Tote, met some people Nicky, Lou and can’t remember the guy’s name. Then it was off to Jim’s tavern. Yummy Greek food.

Then it was off to my place to view the city lights have a beer and smoke. Nicky had a voice mail of a guy that had Turrets syndrome. The voicemail contained some impromptu comments ‘I don’t know where you are’, ‘Show us your pink bits’, very amusing party piece.
Went to the Sunday club in the city, had a bit of a dance, met some people and went to Revolver after Revolver I went with an Indian chick to The Vineyard, had another dance and met 2 dental nurses one of them I going out with an Irish nerd, there you go, then I got a taxi home. Story.

Should do some more productive things on the weekend, hmm. But that’s not going to happen, met some good people though, not that bad and had fun to boot, there you go, not too shabby.

Recording more in the mix music, Anthony Pappa to be exact, much better than his earlier stuff.

Met a chick at the Sunday club that’s a fan of Inthemix music, it would be interesting to meet up with her to give her all the music I’ve been recording.


Peace out, for now :)

Memories of my dog Alf

Cute puppy isn’t it ? Apparently it’s a half dog, half cat. The dirty dog, it’s the offspring Alf was always trying to have, god bless his little soul.

Well it’s Friday afternoon, I’ve done feck all this week again as per usual and loving it, the finishing line is well within sight and I’m going to power home over the finish line. Just had a flashback of Guerilla tactics I employed against my landlord, not that I would get the blame. But the landlord will be hopping mad at the girls or maybe at everyone, the Metallica song, 'Am i evil.....yes i am', or maybe he's getting his Karma that he's been dishing out for so long. Getting it from me !!

I used to be an altar boy you know? No one ever suspects the altar boy, did I tell you I had my photo taken with the Bishop? I didn’t, well I’m telling you now.

Recorded heaps of Ben Watt and I’m going to get more, all his friends are on his site, your supposed to pay and only listen, but I’ve got the recording down to an art and I’m grabbing it all, gimme, gimme, gimme !!!

Must print out my Spanish homework and do that Monday, life is tough, he he.
Subscribed to lots of new Pod casts today and watched a documentary that was asking the question, ‘Did Aliens create the Pyramids’. Some people think so, let them off, you have to have something to believe in I suppose, even if it’s half baked idea, or not.

Good link easy_mental_multiplication


Maybe it’s time to ring people, why not waste a more time before I go out for a beer with Fuz and Heidi.

Blizzard of oz

Going to see Malmsteen later, I have a spare ticket, hmmmm. I wonder who will be coming with me ?
I actually wrote an SMS to Jo, but since I deleted her number and all her messages, I guess I cant contact her, such a pity.........well maybe not. Time to move on. :)

I know I’ll feel like a kid with Malmsteen tearing it up, cant wait my friend.

Went out to lunch with wine, free of course, Ignatio did a big thank you to everyone, thanks for what, I haven’t done anything ? Well I lie a little there, I have been downloading and recoding a bit of music, but what’s a guy like me to do ? If I didn’t do that I would be doing absolutely nothing, I’ doing it for my sense of self worth, it makes me feel important, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with work. Well life cant be all about work, can it.

No regrets here my friend, I’ll look back on this contract and say ‘That was the best job I ever had ?’ only because I didn’t have to do anything and no one cared. Yep I think I’ll die a happy fellow reminiscing on that one.

Didn’t do any Spanish today, that’s the beauty of the iRiver, I’ll do it on the way to St Kilda, you little beauty !!!


Give it up, yeah! (Ben Watt song)

Sydney baby yeah

So where did I leave off last ?

Some where last week, early last week I think it was.
Well what happened since then Kieran ? Well I’ll tell you.

Met Mr. Phillips last week for coffee and he mentioned the Newtown festival and how he was going. I didn’t think much of it until I was walking back and I had to book a ticket to Sydney. Good idea.

Took a half day on Friday and day off on Monday, good idea.

Got Chris to drive me to the airport, good idea, got there on time. Great all was going well, but I noticed they were only boarding a pane to Perth, something was not right.

Checked my email, realized the flight was from Tullamarine, eek !!

Managed to ring up and get the flight changed, only cost me $5.50 too, I thought it was $50, but I didn’t care. I should have been sipping beers on the harbor, but it wasn’t to be. No problem, got to Newtown for around 9ish in the end, no worries.

Saturday night had a party with Simon's mates, took a few good photos too. Ended up getting a Taxi there, it was nowhere where I thought it was. Redfern is a big place, or so it seems to me anyway

I went as a rock star (In get up from last year, I like the clothes though). Fell asleep in the downstairs part of the house, good sleep.

Woke up and I was off out the door, take me to the festival. Taxi back.

The dog show was good craic as always, hung out by the DJ section for most of the day, missed Bass Kleb, saw Bec Patterson, the English chick I was hanging out with thought she was good.

Went for a beer in the Carlyle and low and behold I saw Jane sitting on the bar like she had never moved, had a beer with her and her friend and it was back to the festival.

Met one of the girls from the Coopers Lisa near the Courthouse, she told me she was thinking about me the other day, very strange indeed!

Hung out with the English for a while, she cooked dinner I got the wine and it was back out to see what was on offer in Newtown. Went to the @Newtown, looks more classy now.

Monday I woke up, that was a good start, checked out, called into Startcorp or bCode as it’s now called. That was a good laugh took a few photos, back on the harbor baby. James, Raena and Mr. Mak are the only surviving members, the cat doesn’t have any teeth apparently, hmmm to be expected really.

Ohh, had a thought there 32 days until I leave, I leave the same day as my work Christmas party in the Fitzroy Bowls club, I’ll be going to the real Christmas weather my friend, don’t worry about me.

Went to Bondi, called into the Lets go surfing (Where I bought all my surf gear) and had a chat.

Went to the walk to Coogie, met an awesome chick from Yorkshire, Lindsey, great craic. Got a few photos too. I was too occupied with saying good bye to her that I forgot to pay, probably didn’t occur to her either. I was happy to have met her and she was happy to meet me, then we went our directions.

I did email her yesterday and offer her a flight to Melbourne if she wanted to come down, chances of that now are very slim my friend, very slim. No regrets on my part thought.

Now I’m back to work, going to see Malmsteen tomorrow, should be great.

That’s it for now :)

I have a dream, a song to sing

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez campaigns ahead of the December 3 presidential elections in a neighbourhood in the capital city, Caracas.
If you want to know someone, walk a mile in their shoes.

I’m wearing size 11, not sure if many people could do that, I remember trying to buy shoes in Malaysia. A truly trying experience, just go to the big shopping centre if your size 11 my friend, don’t even waste any time shopping for bargains, there are none, not in size 11 anyway.

Listening to Foo fighters Another Round, I remember they were big supporters of Bush, in the US. The only reason I heard them was because of the 2 boys stuck down the well in Tassie, Timmy O’Tool and his friend.
Speaking of them, they have now released a book of their ‘Experiences’, cant believe it, they spend 2 weeks down a hole and the rest of their lives milking it. Well I suppose I beats having to go back down the hole.

What happened last night, oh the usual, went to Spanish class and that was good, things are starting to click. Went to the Empress for a beer and started talking to a guy Brendan, met the guy next to him when the conversation drifted to Colbert and Daily Show, have to check out Colbert roasting of Bush. In fact I’ll do it right now. Err, maybe in a bit when peering eyes are off. So writing it is.

After The Empress, we went to Bar Open, met a few people there and go out of there around 3am. Such as life, but what else would you expect from me? Huh ?

Started transcribing Spanish into a note book, technically Telstra owns my Spanish notes and In the Mix DJ sets, Intellectual property I think it’s called. Not sure if they would want it though, might not fit in with the scheme of things ?


Had a quick look at my notes from hanging out in Thailand, brought back a few memories, that’s only the start of it, there is more to come my friend, more.

I wrote around Jan 2000, that I wanted to learn Spanish, well nearly 6 years on, I’m doing it, I wonder what will come if, I always wanted to learn Spanish, sounds like a cool language, I’ve always liked Spanish people for some reason, maybe it was because of Barcelona ? And there’s South America, has to be done me boy.

Sandra from the Empress daughter went to Argentina and was so sick that she went blind for 3 days, I’ve heard some stories but that takes the biscuit, would be really scary too to go blind. Flashback to Vang Vien after that Milkshake that I should of only drank half, when will I learn moderation, good job I don’t get too paranoid, well not yet anyway, and there’s always time, might just slow down a bit, I have things to do on Saturday, get a jacket, another $10 job on Chapel, might get 2, to be sure, to be sure and a haircut.

Might try and get a blood test today and see how I’m traveling, could find out about the tropical diseases stuff, yes I think I will. Good idea.

Tuesday with Kieran

Camels at the long-week cattle fair in Pushkar, India.


Got locked out this morning for the first time.
Couldn’t believe it, after all the states I’ve been in over the past few weeks, this time I had actually been sober, and going out to work, or going out to give the impression of work and closed the door behind me, and walk down the road, everything was cool, then I thought, something’s not right. Hands in the pockets, oh no, no wallet, no money, did remember to ring my phone though.

Called Sharlet, no answer, sent her a text, called Frank the landlord, that apparently does not give bond money back, time will tell, if I was going to be around, I wouldn’t worry about it too much, waited on the street for about 50 minutes, called Sharlet again, then eventually she came out, not a morning person there and saw Frank as I came out the door, very riveting morning.

Went to see a movie last nigh, ended up seeing ‘Little miss sunshine’, good movie about a family that drive 1000 miles across America so that their daughter can enter a beauty contest, and she ends up doing a bit of a striptease. Very funny

Went to bar open on the way home and met a 50 year old woman Keri, and ended up talking to her until 2am, chatting and having a laugh. Reminds me of the days of hanging out with Jo in the Empress.

Transferred the rest of the money to her account, I hope it gives her some happiness.

Listening to Madonna, on a set by ‘Tones - Musica Summer Series October 2006 Promo’, not bad. Should probably go and see a band this week, where’s the rock and roll. Might go Salsa dancing on Thursday, meet up with Jo tomorrow and have a beer and a laugh and Friday, well Friday always takes care of Friday. Housemate Rob is moving out on Friday. He as not told Frank (I-don’t-give-bond-money-back), bit of a running trend there I think ? Hmmm.....

Nothing better to do ? Write in a blog

From Russia with gloves ... the collection by Russian label Fresh Art was a stand-out at this year's Russian Fashion Week in Moscow. Photo: Reuters

Ok so he says.

Went out to St Kida last night to see, drop the lime, called into the saint first for a BBQ, called into the Saint for the BBQ, thanks to Ross for pointing that one out to me. I think I’ll be going back, beats Archie’s I suppose.

After that I strolled down to the Espy for a second dose of Drop the lime, not bad. The first gig was better though.

Went over to Chapel st with Ross to Q Bar, I love queuing up as you might know, some how Ross was able to call someone who called someone and I was on the guest list, amazing.

Was escorted to the door maybe 2 hours later, too much aint good enough, too much just aint enough, breathing’s bout the only thing I do too much that aint enough.

Had enough, going home for a power nap.

Bye bye

The steeple to a church is surrounded by fall foliage along Route 16 east of Waynesboro, USA.

Went and saw a gig last night, in case your were wondering, and some of probably weren’t even wondering that at all. I hope someone gets a laugh or even some benefit from my fingers racing across this laptop, it is giving me something to do.

Have to get onto the BBC Spanish later, but I am supposed to be working, and that would be taking the piss as there happens to be people doing ACTUAL work right behind me, well it depends what you call real work, some might say, ‘Working in an office, that’s not real work’. I have no idea myself, it’s been that long since I did any, if I had to do even a few hours a day of any work, I’d probably think it was slave labor.

Downloading music and recording music is the only hard slog I’ve been doing, how bad.

Anyways, went to see ‘Drop the Lime’ and ‘Kid 606’, ‘Drop the Lime’ was really cool, I think I’ll go again tonight, best DJ in a long time, and free too to boot.

Going to go to The Oaks day, or the races on the 8th of Nov, lots of chicks I’m told, o and it is ladies day, bit a clue there.

Heading to the horse bazaar in Northcote tomorrow, lots of things on, and too little time.

Got the cash from Excel coal, will do the final transfer to Jo’s account to morrow, she gets 90% of the profits and I still come out on top, I really hope she puts it to good use, and no blow it all in Revolver, but I suppose your only young once, so you might as well go hard or go home.

Listening to DJ ESP, if it weren’t for Jo and inthemix, I might not have discovered this music, I’d be hanging out at the Tote, Eeek !!

So there you go, off for a spot of lunch at the Queen Vic markets, come back do some Spanish, Feck off home, got to St Kilda later.

Bye bye

I like sunsets, ok ?

One of those world-famous Arizona sunsets
is perfectly reflected in the mirror-like water
of a resort golf course lake in the desert of
the Superstition Mountain foothills, Arizona

One of my favourite scenes from the Big Lebowski
"I was gonna fuck you in the ass Saturday! I fuck you in the ass on Wednesday instead!"

So what am I going to say to you, maybe thank god I’m doing Spanish, and it’s keeping the mouse in my head busy, because if he wisent busy he would be killing be, well and truly.

Read a good quote there ‘Without music, life would be a mistake.’, how true.

Booked the lonely planet book for Argentina, doing Spanish now, why not combine the two, makes sense to me, why Fu@#in not he says.

They are 85 % descended from European, hey I’m European ? Or a Homer Simpson, Hey I’m a guy like me ! I sure am, I sure am.

Whets happened since I lasted posted, better go and check first before I write any more crap.

Right I’m back, it appears as if I didn’t tell you about the weekend

Well, went out on Friday, was going to have a quiet one, went to Bar open, just for one last beer. Met 2 girls that were about to leave. Denise and her sister I think, they said they were twins, but what else would 2 girls out for a laugh say?

Denise was going to come to the Caufield cup, but she got home and announced to me that she wanted to have 10 hours sleep, get up at 12 noon, and it’ll take me about an hour to do my hair, sure love we might get there when everyone else is leaving.

I went, got some photos of some people I met, came home, decided to call into Chapel street on the way home, for a beer of course.

Went to Blue bar, and had a laugh. Couldn’t get into any of the bouncer type pubs, no suits I’m afraid, and certainly no suits by themselves, which I could say I was

Continued to St Kilda, met Ross just as he was coming out of the Saint across from the Snake pit for some fresh air and off I was to Twister why not.

Put the suit jacket rolled up under my arm and off in I went, camera in the pocket, but at this stage I didn’t give 2 Fuc%s. Just some fun for me please and maybe a little beer.

I remember meeting people as I was coming out at 7 am in the morning, came out and 2 guys were fighting, let them off I thought. Who cares, it’s the morning. If you meet people that are not I a good mood in the morning, don’t bother with them, so said an old French guy leaving Sri Lanka, and think he wisent too far off of the mark.

Had a bit of a rest across from the Vineyard and went home, Cheery Bomb was closed, what a Fuc$*n waste of time, went to Vineyard in St Kilda, good spot for a Sunday session, since I cant do the Revolver thing anymore, it will have to be my thing.

Went from there to Honky Tonks and was really hungry, BBQ was late starting, I think I had a power nap and was escorted to the door, I wisent too fussed, me need some sleep. So went to Maccers ad a feed and it was off home for me.

Went to see Megadeth last for nostalgia reasons, Simon P was saying it would be worth it and it was, spent $18 ringing him so that he could hear too. Called into Mc Mahons and conversed on the finer differences between Megadeth and Metalica, but the Megadeth fans weren’t having any of it, no way.

Called into the Bar Open on the way home and had a beer out the back, met some guys, one of them was a doctor, hard to believe, he seemed to lack the aura of ‘I’m a doctor’, that doctors seem to convey.

Going to see kid 606 later


Time will tell, maybe Cloheesy might come along and venture past postcode 3000.


Till the next time.


Kieran

Breakfast Borat?

... a waiter serves the national dish of Kazakhstan, beshbarmak - boiled sheep's head - at the Essyk traditional restaurant in Almaty.

Now that Borat has been invited to Kazakhstan, who’s laughing now. He probably wouldn’t go anyway, he’s be probably stoned as soon as he got off of the airplane, camel, horse, tractor or however one makes it to that glorious country.

Well well, could be the races on the weekend, not looking like good weather, but should be good anyway, you cant have sunshine all year round and I should know this better than anyone.

Started learning Spanish, it will keep my mind off of other things, like how she seems to be back to the way she used to be, the way I liked it. Sometimes if you want something you have to travel in the opposite direction.

Have to go home first after work and of all feckin things change my pants, or else people might see my arse, not that that would be a bad thing, saw a guy once walk down King street in Sydney with the back cut out of his leather pants, I though e was brave, maybe if I went out someone might thing I was brave, or just bash me, again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and. There you go the truth comes out eventually, and as Jimi Hendrix once said ‘Eventually’, never before was a truer word spoken.

Haven’t done any work this week, been doing an online course in Spanish and I managed to record the phrases on to my iriver so that I can revise where ever I am, nice one, now all I have to do I remember what it all means, hmm that the whole point of this blog to figure out what it all means, fecked if I know, you’ll have to ask someone else that one pal, you really will.

Really happy I worked things out relatively with Jo and didn’t aver to deal with lawyers, that would have been all too much, too too much.

I think there’s an Irish horse running tomorrow at Caufield, saw a horse I the listing today and it was something like ‘Gentle lover’, it was funny anyway.

Have to go to Exhibition st on Monday morning to see a guy doing the work I’m supposed to be doing, could be another Honky Tonks Sunday night, and why not ?
It’s all good fun.........until someone losses an eye that is!!!

Maybe it’s tie to head off home. Good idea !!

Saw Fred Negro in the pub last night, I was telling how Mam though he was a ‘Nice fellow’, and he is too as he rightly pointed out, very true. I might even appear on his strip, with luck. That would be one to write home about, or SMS. Saw Eoin’s phone book on the net, one name caught my eye, Huny Lips, very good indeed!!

Till the next time

If honesty was my only excuse

Giant panda cub Tai Shan during the opening of the Giant Panda Habitat and Asia Trail at the National Zoo in Washington.

Listening to the Mick Molloy on tough love on the ITunes pod casts

They are rambling on about pick up lines, among other things, ‘Is that a ladder in your stocking or is it a stair way to heaven’. Classy stuff.

Missed a few postings, but who cares.

Was going to pick Chris up on Tuesday and was passing the Language centre and thought to meself, ‘I wonder if they have any Spanish classes on’. So in I goes and low and behold, I signed up, now it’s Thursday and I’ve been listening to some Spanish on Pod casts and looking at some stuff on the BBC Spanish learning website.

Good stuff, it will keep me busy for the next few week’s. Weather as been pretty good for the last few weeks and the Caulfield cup is on this weekend, off racing it is for me.

Ross is going as well, good stuff, it will be an all dayer, converted the ‘Thin Lizzy’ 1971 album to .mp3 yesterday, rocking stuff. Cant get enough of that wonderful stuff. It was my favorite album when I first heard it, and it still is.

Have to go to Collins st and see what testing Bob Beers is doing, apparently he is doing the testing I’m supposed to be doing. I will be 6 months in Telstra and the only work I will have done here is download music, what a laugh. 6 odd weeks to go to the great escape. Should be good.

Speaking of work, time to record music and Feck off to Collins st.

Bye bye

K