the best week ever

That sounds so VH1 but its true.

It has been the best week ever. 

I am pretty broke for being on a holiday but I'm happier than I've been in a long time. 

I've also learned that yeah, I am pretty spoiled and that maybe I don't have it so bad after all.

I'm also learning that free stuff is not worth putting up with other people's lame bullshit to keep the access.

Fuck fashion week.

Why it's taken me a trip abroad to realize this is beyond me too. 

I also learned that I can be broke and live off of a budget and still be completely happy.

All my impulse habits in new york, like buying starbucks daily, getting pret-a-manger for lunch cause you don't feel like making a sandwich is just plain wasteless, unneeded, and necessarily wont make my day go past better. 

This sounds lame, but I've actually survived without au bon pain, le pain quotidien, and starbucks all week and I've been fine. 

I'm happier without it. 

I feel a sense of calmness and not stressed out of what other people think of me - and that it probably dosen't really matter what the general network of people in Los Angeles generally think of me.

Because It's not like i keep in contact with them too regularly or go to LA anyway.

I haven't set foot in the city of angels in two years, which means I am due back for a visit.. but even I'm rethinking that.

I mean, is Rancid a good enough reason to have to set foot in LA?

If London were cheaper to get to, I would rather much prefer going to London for rancid because the people i would go with are the best people in the world.

The best part is theres no gossiping, no OMG you know "insert name here" is going out with "that guy in some band" and that he/she got wasted at some bar, and they're going "insert place here" for "insert reason here" and then I'll know who they are talking about because other people I know have told me similar things about them too. The retarded conversations don't exist here, which I am forever grateful for.

And you would think opposite sides of the country? wtf? but they are more connected. It's gotten worse over time. I still can't over that japan episode, cause I am thinking about it now. 

I had dinner with my friend and her South African friend, and it was the most pleasant night I have had in a LONG time. 

Finally meeting the man, the myth, lol, was the highlight. Who would think that paddleboating in a lake would use so much energy? its tougher than cycling up an incline. Goth bars are fun when you look like youve been playing tennis.

I haven't been doing much but I've been having more fun than any holiday ever.

I think my next goal is taking a slice of insight from the man, tne myth, lol, - learn to be less spoiled and that I really do have friends that I could travel to Thailand with. 

It also helps that one of my best friends is Thai.

So maybe one day, soon in the future, I can tell the man and the former myth about my trip to bangkok and malaysia. Singapore too I guess.

I do want to see more of the world, and I can.

Maybe never australia because It's so damn far and expensive, or maybe one day.

Carnival Time

Yesterday I went to my first Notting Hill Carnival. We got there quite late on and thought we'd missed it all but a little walking proved we were mistaken.



There was a lot of people, a lot of noise, a lot of interesting smells, a lot of floats and a LOT of bass. They have some serious sound systems there. I'd read and heard about Jamaican sound systems but experiencing it first hand was great. As a side note that Sound system culture is often cited as the beginning of Hip Hop (and as a result Jungle, Garage, Grime etc), when it was brought to New York by Jamaican immigrants (most notably DJ Kool Herc)

We saw the guy below performing just before we left. Everyone there was really into it and seemed to know the words. It was cool, really positive, religious rap, but if you took the religion away you just had a positive message. The bass was booming but my phone doesn't pick that up at all!



Glad I resisted laziness and went.

traveling

I've been away from home so much the past 6 weeks or so It's not even funny.

I've been to enough of central america for now, so maybe I will want to see Guatamala and Roatan, Honduras one day soon.

In a couple weeks, I think I am due back into L.A. for rancid... but that is not definite yet.

I want my 3-4 days of rancid, and I will be bloody happy. 

I wonder what I'll do for winter holiday but whatever I do Peter will outdo me.

about rancid

What can I say about Rancid.
Once is clearly not enough.
So I have decided If I decide to see them three or four days in a row, I will see them in Hollywood, CA.

It’s not exactly my first choice but it is the most economical one.
I want to come back to London in January when the fares are like 500 USD.
To go in NOV. and JAN. would be a bit excessive and much of an overkill.
I haven’t set foot for more than several hours since 2006.
I guess I am due back soon.

Seeing Rancid in tropical London would be pretty rad.
But the problem is I don’t have the access there like LA.
Cause once you cross the pond, everything is different.
LA/NYC the worlds are more intertwined.

I really want to see Rancid in SF. Again that’s not economical either. Since I don’t know anyone in the city of San Francisco/. Hotels there are quite expensive.

I get away with charging plane tickets to LA like its nothing.
So that is part of the reason. And other reasons too.

Anyway, so yes I did see Rancid at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA Sunday night. After two days of Radiohead, it was a nice change in pace. Rancid played all the right songs and made me happy for an hour. The openers they had were okay. They had Big D and the Kids table and some other band.

That song, LAX always makes me laugh.
The worst part is that one verse about high fiving the bouncers cause I’m on the guest list applies to me to shows in NYC most of the time especially irving plaza.
I guess to see rancid in LA, its something I always dreamed of since I was little.
To see rancid in LA and SF… but after seeing them at CBGB cured that desire to being content to seeing them in New York.
The 4 day bb Kings stint in New York was great back in 2006. I went to three out of the four dates- because when rancid is playing two blocks from your house you don’t miss it. It’s a crime.

They had the slackers open one day and h20 open another day. That was fun.
You’d see all the agnostic front dudes too enjoying rancid.
Cause that the east coast New york pride right there.
I had some partial los Angelino pride when I was younger but that’s gone.
I loved how Lars sang OP IVYs Knowledge at the show.
They did the usual songs Maxwell murder, time bomb, roots radicals, basically everything from out come the wolves, nihilism, salvation, red hot moon (holla video shoot), Hoover street, anthem, who would’ve thought, and blood clot, oh yeah I do 360.
Lars didn’t do a billy bragg cover like last time L
I’m probably going to miss out on a lot this week which is not making me happy.
Rancid is having h20, theo and the skyscrapers, westbound train, sick of it all, and madball open.
I have LA.
I have LA.
I will fulfill my old dream of seeing Rancid in LA- even though it is not as relevant as it was before 2003.
But right now, I’m on a plane to el Salvador and the song Hoover Street is comforting right now.
Hopefully there won’t be a glass pipe murder.
I can’t help thinking about that time many years ago I was going from sunset// Alvarado to wilshire / Alvarado on an LA city bus (yeah I know, who rides the LA city bus) and slept and missed my stop. As you go further south on Alvarado street, it turns into Hoover. I got off and saw a group of people wearing el Salvador shirts on hoover street.
That was one of those, OMG its like the rancid song nerd moments.

I mean sometimes every now and then I walk up broadway from my apt around the time people get home from work- 5-6 PM..
And around 52nd st, everyone in suits is rushing to get home.
So it’s watching a 1000 people go home from work.
As a kid, I’d always get a kick out of seeing rancid at roseland cause rancid is on 52nd and broadway. Yeah nerd moment, I know.

Last time I came to London and I was at Leicester square, I was looking for some punks on the subway and from chalk farm road it felt like a long way to go to get there.

I’ve also seen several Puerto Ricans on 6th street.
Never ran into lars down on 6th street, but I thought if that happened in real life that would be funny.
Tahira and Vicky always tell me that you never know where lars ends up.
My mate barrie once saw lars eat at Red bamboo- this vegan resturant on w 4th street.
If they ever come to new york I should take them to red bamboo. They’ll eat there once I go- “lars ate there once and barrie saw it”

They’re rancid nerds like that, I think.

What you know about that?

It's official, the best pub in the country has been decided and it's in the manor!

It's none other than New Cross' very own Montague Arms! Don't believe me? Read it for yourself, straight from tuesday's 'londonpaper'.





I'm not sure I'd say its the best pub in the country, I'm even not sure its the best pub in the SE, but it's decent place. Accept for hitting my head on the low ceilings every time I visit it, I've had nothing but good nights there.

I even remember the first time I ever went there, which is rare. It was for the second ever Ubernators gig. We played three songs and I'd spend the the week prior to that gig rush writing 'Tell it like it is' so we had more than two songs to play. I've seen video footage of the gig and we were awful but it was fun.

Other memorable times at the Montague include seeing Naked Babes with PTM, which might have been the same night I met my friend Ruby. Most of the other memories of the Montague include R because she has big love for that place. I don't remember a lot of things these days but I do remember Peter really not liking one of the bands that night. I think it was Hot club de Paris. I think he was half joking.

So good on the Montague. I always feel welcome and comfortable when I go there and even though I'm not that fond of the embalmed animal heads and what not it gives the place a unique feel. Hold tight MA.

El salvador

I'm in el salvador.
Don't ask but I'm singing hoover street in my head,
Now I'm the el salvadorian immigrant....

Oh That's Stryderman

I was watching 'Flava' today, I reckon that's probably the best music channel.
It's got more grime than Base, and less shit than Channel U

anywas, Stryderman by Tinchy Stryder came on.
Here it is if you're interested
Yeah, It's a really good song, with a really catchy chorus.
I like it, I like it a lot.

I've never been the biggest fan of Tinchy Stryder,
I think is voice is too soft for a grime artist, it's not raw enough.
But his bars are strong.

and I did like
Mainstream Money, Breakaway, and Underground (his first release)

And then I was thinking, I probably wouldn't recognise him if I saw him 'on road'
Then I thought that I'd like him to get big,
cos if Lethal Bizzle got big, he deserves to.

Oh, and every good post needs something 'Godfather of Grime'

I must say..

that I probably have more good friends in LA than I previously thought...

thanks to them...Otherwise I wouldn't be seeing radiohead for free this weekend.

But they are the few friends I have on the west coast- and in generale that I really like and have fun with.

yup

All points west..day one.

This is the confetti in my bag from Girl talk's set!

OH what fun all points west was.

The problem was it actually took an hour and  half to get there. 

How is that possible? It's simple. I took the subway to the path to the light rail.

Then When i got off at liberty state park, it was 20 minute walk to the concert and another wait to get my tickets & passes from the VIP Guest list area. 

Anyway it rained a bit, but It was okay.

The rest of the day was beautiful weather. Not humid, and not very hot at all.

It was so fine that I managed not to buy a single bottle of $4 water.

It was about 78 degrees farenheit I'd say.

It was amazing to be surrounded by the NYC skyline. It looked so close- manhattan but boy did it take a while to get there.

I refused to take the ferry from pier 11 because it was 25 bloody dollars. no way.

This was much, much better than Coachella. 

Coachella 2007 in Indio, CA was hell.

I spent so much on water. This was my routine. Buy water. Drink water. Go to portopotti line. Then pee. Then Pass out under a tent while attempting to watch the arctic monkeys, arcade fire, hot chip, repeat. 110 F with humidity made me sick and completely exhausted. To think, I was passed out during bjork the first day there! and it was night so it wasn't so hot out!

Thank god I didn't pay for a ticket, airline ticket, or a place to stay for Coachella. Because of that experience, I fear that all music festivals far from home will be like that. That too- and I prefer to watch bands indoors. AT NIGHT. yup. 

Back to All points west, East coast nyc style. 

There were games set up- Bean bags to knock the milk cans, frog jumping, basketball hoops, and that thing where you take a water gun into a target to see who can get the dog to the highest height wins..

So I got a couple of winning tickets. Between today and tomorrow I think I can get a prize to take home. 

I love how it had a little Carnival.

The playstation 3 tent was pretty cool too. 

There was a rain delay in set up for FUCKING duffy.

Let me tell you, duffy is not that great live.

And I prefer laura marling or adele any f-ing day of the week

I was angry because everything took so long, i missed a lot of the Go teams set.

I should've gone to Philly to see them with CSS. dammit.

Stupid philly bus fare is like 20 dollars round trip and I would've had to buy a ticket. 

All points west was free.... well for me.

Oh CSS was amazing.

the colors of their outfits kepy me visually intrigued. I probabably would've preferred to see them at night. But OMG CSS? love it lots.

GIRL TALK.

I LOVE GIRL TALK.

that guy is the best dj ever.

That was just one big fat dance party.

I love how I still have confetti in my bag from gt.

The only problem I have was there were all these hipsters dancing on stage with GT. They looked stupid.

One of them was this dude or dudette (bloke or woman) in a saturday night fever white disco suit. Ew. Sh/he had a fucking beard and lipstick. There were too many people wearing stupid silver or neon yellow american apparel leggings with vneck striped t-shirts and retarded looking sunglasses. And those handkerchiefs tied on their heads. GOD.

Wait this entry is supposed to be about happy music at a happy concert. Why I hate willamsburg and it's west coast version- silverlake + echo park and the hipsters is another entry.

So after that amazing GIRL talk set, I was tired. I danced.

danced.

AND DANCED.

Sam has me converted. 

So Radiohead.

What Can I say?

NO WORDS.

OMG.

Thom yorke is bliss.

Then I had to walk forever and a day to get back to the NJ transit rail station.

I pride myself on not spending a single dime on food or water. 

Thank god for nice weather. 

I did manage to spend $35 on vinyl from the Virgin booth. I bought some good stuff that you can find, guess where.

ENGLAND.

I got a ting tings shut up and let me go remix vinyl.

I got HOT CHIp one pure thought

CSS left behind

and.. the Fratellis Mistress Mabel!

To all points west I go.

The british radio influence is rubbing off of me. 

I'm going to this concert in New Jersey - an outdoor thing to see:

Girl Talk

CSS

The GO! Team

and everyone's fave RADIOHEAD.

CSS go team.

you know i thought about seeing them in philadelphia today but i thought it was a bit too far. i mean i don't like outdoor shows too much but jersey city is about 30 min on the train from me vs two hours on a bus.

and the tickets for radiohead were free from some of my amazing mates...

So its a radiohead weekend, which i am excited about. 

I'm seeing radiohead saturday as well.

Hey are the kings of leon any good?

let me know.......

Usually BUBBLE

Reading 'The Shortlist' magazine the other day:
On the back page, every week, they have a celebrities list of their favourite...something.
And this week was '5th Gear's Quentin Wilson's Favourite Watches'
which was unusual,
of course one of them had to be a Rolex.
and they had a picture of a Rolex, and the 'funny' caption read:
"Im off for a drink, dance, babble. You better be here when I get back."
BABBLE?!

It's not Babble, not by any means.
The journalists are a bit off the pace of youth there.
It's Bubble.
Thinking about it, bubbling is quite a hard adjective to describe.
So I'll resort to the fountain of all knowledge...www.urbandictionary.com
I found
BUBBLE: a form of dancing ( for example: a girl is wining and a guy goes behind her and she continues on to dance)
come here ma, let me go behind that bad boy!!! (bad boy meaning:ASS)

But I feel, even this isn't right.
Bubbling, is more sort of, busting a little one-two step, chatting to some girls, having a laugh with the man dem.
Generally having a good time.

Consulting RC about this,
he stated that by saying babble, it negates the point of the whole song, inferring, that you get drunk, try to dance & then chat some shit for a while.

So this is to say...no it's not.

----------
This song should have come out about month ago.

help

does anyone use the phrase " I have earlies tomorrow"?

Oh, and can anyone tell me what REET means?

 I don't speak british, I speak american. 

hahahaha

notting hill

I'm in the mood to watch that movie. 

I remember it being quite good.

reef

xfm is playing put your hands on.
i havent heard that song in ten years.
i forgot it existed.

wow reef.

YES THE YANK KNOWS WHO REEF IS.
by the way, i like kenickie too.

so there.

nightmares

Many years ago I believed I had great friends in New York.

At once I was delusional to believe I even had friends in LA. 

And then one day I thought it would be weird or a nightmare if they all knew each other somehow.

Back in the day, before myspace and all that junk, i got it a bit, oh yeah you know blah and blah.. especially since i was a real coaster (i.e. west coast to east coast).

but It was seldom compared to what happened some years later...

because everyone I knew associated with LA started to know everyone from new york..

and it got really annoying cause people would talk shit..

and half the time i was anxious that people would be talking about me.. 

and I distanced myself from that entire subculture / crowd completely...

It's also the reason why I refuse to set foot in LA or in places where I can run into people..

but I still have my muslim headscarf, so I'll be alright...

But it's so annoying, you mention to one person that you might be in LA for something, and then all those people know youre coming, so they call you and you don't want to see them...

but yesterday i had a nightmare that I hope will never come true. 

because If it did, I would't have a solace anymore.

Oh, if I'm with any one of my london mates and someone I know sees me in europe (which i hope never happens, it was part of my nightmare)

My name is SoonJin Kim or ChinChin Lao, I don;t speak english very well, and I'm an exchange student from Asia somewhere. 

Back in the Day

A couple of months this song was going around Rinse FM
it's probably the best idea, and well produced grime songs since Wiley ripped Ashanti saying "Gangsters", and made...Gangsters

Smasher - Back in the Day. Part 1

Part 2


I especially love the line
"Since day 1 I've been a Creeper" (with Danny Weed's Creeper coming in the background)
And the More Fire Crew - Oi usage

Here's the Best, and Worst of Dizzee Rascal.

I'm off to a water fight in Hyde Park, I saw it beingadvertised on Facebook, anyone wanna come with me?
It's gonna be iller than Pamela Anderson (Cos she's got Hepatitis innit)

dance wiv me

that song is so catchy. and i love calvin harris. 

Rinse's 14th Birthday

Rinse FM, the only grime radio station are having their 14th Birthday on 22nd August at the End.
18 West Central Street, London, WC1A 1JJ

With a super massif line-up; including a special set by PAY AS U GO!!!

Here's a video of Pay As U Go in their heyday, circa the late 90's

And about 5000 DJs clashin each other,

It's gonna be gonna be retarded!

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU....

that i could re-build the world.

you would have to think what was wrong with it origionally.
here is what i have thought would drastically improve the world.

1. Not invent religion
I understand it is very good for morale or those that cannot decide themselves the best way to live their lives, but surely as they differ they cause far to much trouble than they were origionally worth.


2. Not invent money
I really like the idea of being able to swap items directly. Then there are no middle man to take between you such as taxes and profit. I understand the items we have now would probably not be available such as the computer im typing on becuase we would not progress but we would not of known differently if we hadnt.

I really feel those things alone would make the world a better place

This is funny

Wow, This video is funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fapYIefxoYM

Thank god I don't know any chavs. They seem like terrible people to be around.
From what I have read, they all wear BurrBree and they are ill-educated. Many chavettes wear gold hoop earrings and have too many children.

ew.

supergrass

I had a nice chat with sam today! sam is fun on the phone.
Anyway, I'd probably like to chat with peter too, if he does not mind a loud american voice on the other line.
I can be meek and british if anyone wishes.
My accent is getting better.

In other news, I saw supergrass last night for free. I love mates that just put you on guest lists. But then again, I'm just used to it, It's just what I grew up with.

The gig was amazing.

sam told me his dad likes supergrass. Sam's dad also likes the wombats.
I conclude that sam's dad has good taste in music.