2007年的3月

都還未來得及細想，舊照片上的微笑寫著確實是已是兩年前的事，我和某某曾在regent's park遊蕩。夢寐以求的primrose hill大樓不再夢寐以求，只是，陽光依舊，生活依然，我如今每天穿著黑色衣服，你還是老樣子的綠色與啡色，嚮往自由的生活麼？

playing the building

David Byrne的新作品充滿organic有機生命力，把一百六十歲的Camden Roundhouse老樓變成了一座樂器，任何人都可以是音樂家，連所有死物都可以是天然樂器。
更多playing the building

人像

總有動容處

圖: seeking out (a day out along embankment with peter, barbara and tim)

Plain parade
Well, where is all the profit laid?
Plain parade
Well, maybe we have lost our way

Some are lone
Sickly running from
Something so wrong
And nowhere to belong

Plain parade
Well, when will I be repaid
Plain parade
I might join you on another day

Some are lone
Sickly running from
Something so wrong
And nowhere to belong

All you've given me is sadness
Proof enough to feel I'm loveless
I wish that I could manage better now
And find a place where we can settle
Down

-- 'plain parade' - the cardigans

三十度

熱氣溫, 一直上升。
我在regent's park卻被灰草吸引。
斑瓓還會回來嗎?

my favourite quote of the day

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. - Buddha

paris when it sizzles

he asks her, why do you come to paris?
she then replies, to LIVE!

why am i in london?
yes, to live!

Indietracks 2009: The DiS Review by Dom Gourlay

終於有人懂得mmk。

Although only in its third year, Indietracks has already built up a reputation as the UK’s best festival of its size. Set in the Derbyshire countryside on the site of the historic Midland Railway, it really is as far away from the commercial hustle and bustle of Glastonbury et al as you could possibly imagine.

Where else can you sit on a steam train while a Manhattan Love Suicide plays half an hour’s worth of break up songs? Or listen to Ballboy songs in a church? Or engage in a spot of sewing with former members of Talulah Gosh? We haven’t even mentioned the fine selection of real ales at affordable prices or ridiculously cheap merchandise, where the average CD costs around £2 and t-shirts sell at a fiver apiece.

Last weekend, DiS sent two scribes to sample the fun and even the continuous showers from noon til night on Sunday couldn’t dampen the spirits…

Dom Gourlay

Downdime

Having been tasked with the unenviable role of opening the indoor stage amidst the glorious sunshine over yonder, Leeds quartet Downdime could be forgiven for being despondent. Two songs in however, they’ve swelled the engine shed to almost bursting point, their luscious boy-girl harmonies between Jeff Tweedy lookalike singer Ged McGurn and keyboard player cum chanteuse Liz Hensor gives us goosebumps. Imagine a mid-air collision between Dinosaur Jr and The Lightning Seeds and you’re in the right vicinity. We’re hooked, and their debut long player Knowing Too Much becomes our first bargain purchase of the day from the merch stand.

Fitness Forever

Italian lounge pop really shouldn’t work no matter what the context, yet this multi-dimensional ensemble somehow conspire to push all the right buttons simultaneously. Maybe it’s a combination of the mid-afternoon sun, luridly camp uniforms and ridiculously beautiful females fronting the group. Whatever the concoction, their sixties flavoured kitsch serves as more than the mere background music it would probably pass for on record, so much so in fact that we trawl down to the front, pint of the aptly named Recession Ale in hand, smiling deliriously.

Mighty Mighty

As one of the formative outfits of the C86 movement, Birmingham’s Mighty Mighty proved to be one of the day’s most anticipated arrivals. Perhaps just as renowned for the line in The Pooh Sticks seminal ‘On Tape’ 45 that simply states “I’ve been living with Mighty Mighty/I think they all really like me”, their Smiths inspired pop is a revelation, even though the band themselves resemble five dads at a wedding, such is that nauseating predicament known as middle age. Old favourites ‘Law Against It’ and ‘Built Like A Car’ sound as vibrant and incendiary as they did twenty-five years ago, while early single ‘Is There Anyone Out There?’ is introduced as being “A song we wrote when Michael Jackson was still black”. The cards…

The Specific Heats

Indietracks is possibly the only festival bar ATP where every other act is something of a new discovery, and this year was no exception. Brooklyn four-piece The Specific Heats stood out like a sore thumb on the Saturday, their energetic surf-tinged, feedback laced pop going down a storm on the church stage. Emerging from the same backyard as kindred spirits Crystal Stilts, Cause Co-Motion and Vivian Girls, The Specific Heats might just be the most exciting combo of the lot, the delirious Eric Rohmer inspired scrawl of ‘Beach 86’ causing something of a mini-riot in the aisles and between the pews.

Adam John Miller

Saddened by the news that DiS faves The Manhattan Love Suicides were no more as of three days ago, we hop aboard the steam train anyway to catch a glimpse of former bass player Adam John Miller’s first ever solo set, and we’re not disappointed. While still understandably disconsolate at the untimely demise of his previous band – almost every song here is introduced as being “about break-ups” – Miller displays a fragility that suggests his other projects The Wednesday Club and Medusa Snare will undoubtedly continue in a similar vein to his old sparring partners. He leaves us with a heartwarming rendition of the Manhattan Love Suicides ‘Skulls’, and with it decrees the end of an era, although we’re equally as excited about the dawning of his new one.

The Marshmallow Kisses

Hong Kong’s The Marshmallow Kisses could be described as something of an indie supergroup, as their onstage line-up boasts members of Whiteoak, Hong Kong In The 60s and One Happy Island among its ranks. What follows is half an hour of flawless J-pop with a twee edge interspersed with poetry recitals and semi-classical, bossa nova style interludes. To say they’re possibly the most original bunch of performers we witness all weekend is nothing short of being an understatement. One glance over our collective shoulders at the packed church (not to mention those queuing outside in the rain) suggests we’re not alone in our thoughts either. A minor revelation of sorts.

Countryside

Bristol four-piece Countryside really look and sound as if they’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere off the A38 and ended up here for some unknown reason. Their demeanour of trucker caps, big shorts and even bigger riffs leaves several punters bewildered, yet those of us who stay throughout their Mew-inspired set are also transfixed by the huge sound emanating from the altar. Occasionally they fall into prog-territory in a similar vein to bands like Kyte, but the deceptive charms of ‘Summer Is Here’ and vast soundscape that is ‘Estuary’ should ensure Countryside a wider audience in the not-too-distant future. Just not necessarily here or now.

Camera Obscura

While there’s no denying their undoubted quality on record, Camera Obscura can be a largely inconsistent beast in the flesh. Take last year’s Summer Sundae slot for example, where their seemingly disinterested performance bore all the hallmarks of a band in wind down before they split mode. Fast forward twelve months however and there’s an air of re-vitalisation all around, maybe sparked by this year’s My Maudlin Career opus, arguably their greatest collection of songs thus far. Tracyanne Campbell is on fine form, showing a more charismatic side to her make-up alongside the undoubted vocal stature she possesses that turn the likes of ‘French Navy’, ‘If Looks Could Kill’ and ‘James’ into distinctive highlights and dare I say it, bonafide weekend anthems.

BMX Bandits

As one of the dominant forces in the Bellshill post-Postcard scene of the mid-eighties, Duglas T Stewart is both a hero and villain in many eyes. Responsible for launching the careers of people like Norman Blake, not to mention early touring buddies of a then unknown bunch of Mancunians called Oasis, Stewart and the Bandits place in rock’n’roll history is assured, even if his bank balance might tell a different story. Nevertheless, their set today is pure cabaret, Stewart even taking a backseat to eat an apple while co-singer Rachel Allison delivers the likes of ‘The Day Before Tomorrow’ and a rousing rendition of ‘E102’ to a rain-sodden, but exceedingly happy throng.

Teenage Fanclub

As the festival’s final headliners, Teenage Fanclub have a lot to live up to, particularly following such a dazzling array of inspired performances across all three stages this weekend. Add to that the persistent downpour and you can almost feel the Gods conspiring against them. It takes precisely ten minutes and just three songs to turn the Midland Railway outdoor stage into an indie disco circa 1991, a storming ‘Star Sign’ bringing several hundred people to life in all-singing, all-dancing show of appreciation. Inbetween “the hits”, we get the occasional new song, one in particular inspired by Rush mainman Geddy Lee, while their run through of The Bevis Frond’s ‘He’d Be A Diamond’ is simply stunning, not least for the unimpeachable three-way harmonies of messrs Blake, Love and McGinley. When they launch into big hit ‘Sparky’s Dream’ followed instantly by debut single ‘Everything Flows’, a sheen of perfection engulfs the whole field. Indietracks (or indeed anywhere else you care to pitch up this summer) really doesn’t get any better than this. As finales go, their set is nothing short of astounding.

Luke Slater

Au Revoir Simone

On record, Au Revoir Simone are dreamy, enchanting and mesmerisin with all those layered synth and three-part harmonies. In person, they're just a little bit sinister – looking almost like some type of girly cult or anthropomorphic invaders, they stand shoulder to shoulder to shoulder, gangly limbs dangling onto keyboards. As the sun sets into the Derbyshire fields with knackered train carriages in the background, everything just seems right. OK, these girls may not have the most varied of sets, you know by now how it goes (swirly, dancey, a little too pleasant perhaps), and there is certainly nothing revelatory here but a kind of slow burning euphoria begins to take over (although that may have just been the 5.2% ale). A “well done” must also go to the soundmen (and possibly women) for the best outdoor sound I've ever encountered.

Sucrette

Ridiculously twee J-Pop on a Saturday morning (OK, early afternoon) is not something a man like me should be enjoying, or rather seen to be enjoying. If an English or American band had been this cute they'd be crucified, but there's something in the Japanese culture which leaves them oblivious to this sort of thing and, I'd say, they're all the better for it. The lead singer gets roundly applauded for her attempts at gratitude in English (and rightly so...) and as the tinkling keyboards, flashing red, blue and green lights combine with the typical Japanese female vocals and shuffling beats, everyone seems happy enough that Sucrette were here. Maybe some even bought their record.

Cats On Fire

The most disappointing thing I can say, unfortunately, is that I left after three songs to go and watch Camera Obscura. This was, in the words of Natalie Imbruglia, a big mistake. Though the indiepop scene is littered – or maybe liberally sprinkled – with Swedish bands, Cats On Fire are from Finland, and though they are probably only about seven Finnish bands who do not play some form of metal, Cats On Fire must surely be the best. Matthias Bjorkas – who resembles a young Bowie – stands dead straight like he has a chronic back problem, the only way to alleviate the pain being to pogo profusely and deliver his low and lamenting lines like his life depended on it. As you can see from the below video, it was more than enjoyed.

The School

The School, aptly named because there's enough members for a class, are pretty hungover (Perhaps so was I on second reading as it turns out there is only seven of them, yet it seemed like 25 at the time). They tell us as much from the off. Nothing wrong with having a good time the night before at all, though thankfully it only really affected their stage banter rather than their stage presence as they do enough to at least light up (if not part) the greying clouds into blue sky as a musical and meteorological Moses with their floaty, shimmering and often clip-clapping tunes.

Nick Garrie

Northern Portrait have a song called 'I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me'. I lasted little longer before traipsing to lie on a bank and listen to the wonderful Nick Garrie, a little odd but definitely delightful entry to the bill of an indiepop festival. He plays the sort of traditional well-set English folk with acoustic guitar and a little help from his friends. He also sounds like Ian Ball from Gomez but actually being 60, rather than trying to sound like someone who is, he gets away with it. As enjoyable as he is today, I'd have loved to have seen him 40 years ago with that 52 piece orchestra with which he recorded The Nightmare of J.B Stanislas. This'll do nicely, mind.

Disasteradio

Gutted to have missed the first few songs of Luke Rowell, aka Disasteradio's set. Everything he does brings a smile, from his geeky affectations and pressing of the keyboard, to the gazing at the roof of the shed on and off in an overly dramatic fashion as he quickly jerks his head back. The music he's responsible for would be best described as mid 80s arcade game spaceship battle music at hyper speed. An old couple (mid 70s at least) bop along whilst everyone else seems to be having an all round good time sampling the electronic offerings. And why not – aside from Art Brut, this is probably the most flat-out fun set all weekend.

Art Brut

Having been one of those people who didn't 'get' Art Brut, this band were a revelation. Even at an indiepop festival, there's only so much jingle jangle and two-part harmonies anyone can take. Art Brut, I thought, would be a nice change from this. A good fun Sunday night band. Though a few people had undoubtedly gathered to avoid being soaked from head to toe, the shed (well, a brick building, a railway shed rather than a garden one...) was packed, not filled. Too many highlights to detail them all but Argos's protestations about twee (“don't share your sweets”), a reworked version of 'Modern Art' cataloguing his visit to the DC Comics HQ which included strolling into the audience for a 3 minute monologue (OK, it's all a monologue really...but) and the encore of 'We Formed A Band' (on bass, Art Brut, on guitar, Art Brut, on drums, Art Brut!) all rank pretty highly. It is now that this band make complete sense, once the sand that was kicked up from the ground had cleared and been rubbed out of my eyes, I wanted to be Eddie Argos's best mate. We all did, I think. I still do. If you're reading this Eddie, fancy a pint? ART BRUT! TOP OF THE POPS!

原文

Indietracks 2009

何以從夢幻的周末走出來, 再進現實?


我們表演的教堂場地。
Cats on Fire!

可愛的ｂａｒｂａｒａ及她的男友們

聖比得花園

這裡建有我夢想中的別墅。

london heatwave night

當夏天一到, 我就知道我不可能不屬於倫敦。
三十二度的高溫, 五萬五千brit-pop擁戴者聚集海德公園, 難怪當中有五人是我來自四方的友好, darren, peter, ken, kat 和男友kurt, 倫敦這鬼地方正好証明我們的地球是圓的。

我跟著全球最美好的樂隊, 舞動史上最美好的節拍, 看著damon佻皮的表演, graham永遠有型而羞怯, alex的帥氣, 我終於感受到夢寐以求是什麼意思。雖然時差了十五年, 我的期待沒有白費。

我好愛好愛倫敦, 好愛britpop及blur。

*由於沒帶相機, 以下就暫借朋友kat的照片用*

我唯一喜愛的舞者, 走了。

Pina Bausch, 1940-2009

We have lost dance's most visionary, influential figure, who redrew the map of the theatre arts

Confusing, troubling, strange, obsessional, wistful ... Bausch's Cafe Muller

A simple note on the Wuppertal Dance Theatre's website says it: this morning, 30 June, Pina Bausch died, aged 68 – quickly, after a cancer diagnosis five days ago. Only two Sundays ago, she appeared on stage at the Wuppertaler Opernhaus.

This is an appalling shock and a tragedy not only for the dance world, but also for the entire international arts world. Bausch's visionary work as dancer, choreographer and creator of the Tanztheater Wuppertal had a reach way, way beyond the confines of the German town where she worked. Theatre and opera simply wouldn't look the way they do today without Bausch; she has also had an enormous influence on visual art and cinema, too (Almodóvar's Talk to Her contains sequences of her work). I can't count the number of times I've seen work that either pays tribute – or cheaply rips off – Bausch's subversive, distinctive choreographic creations. Subtley but clearly, she redrew the map for the theatre arts.

The official tributes and obituaries will pour in. As a personal response – not as an expert in contemporary dance, simply as an enthusiastic member of the audience – I will be grieving for the loss of the most original voice in dance today. More than that, every performance that one saw (and her relatively rare appearances in London were instant sellouts, usually attended by a cultish, extraordinarily chic audience almost as watchable as her shows) was an event that left one emotionally changed, whether drained or elated or touched by an unspeakable beauty.

Instant memories – the dirt and sheer savagery of her early work Rite of Spring, brought to Sadler's Wells last February, which left me pinned to my seat with terror. The same programme brought Cafe Müller - a classic work recalling her childhood memories of her parents' cafe, was confusing, troubling, strange, obsessional, wistful. Kontakthof, brought to the Barbican in 2002, was a deeply moving piece that was performed by dancers in their 60s and 70s, forcing the audience to confront prejudices and fears about old age. Then the sheer beauty of Nelken, in which the stage is covered by thousands of carnations. Or Nefes, her late, Turkish-inspired work, in which the anguish and frustration expressed in earlier pieces was exchanged for something more (but never simply or unambiguously) joyous. A trademark was the way she asked her dancers to express not just the purity of their bodily movements, but their inner vulnerabilites, sometimes anger.

Watching a work by Bausch was never less than a dangerous, and profoundly fulfilling, experience. We will all mourn her.

--- Guardian

花都情迷

st martin canal
shakespeare bookshop
cafe de st martin canal
green chair at the cafe
swirling stairs at the hotel

就是再遊十次, 我依然相信花都有十分的浪漫。
我們的紀念日就這樣無風險地度過了‧

最好的英國人不是白色的

其實不是所有英國人都是壞人, 就像kulvinder及fatima, 兩位印度血統的英國人。
她們的幽默, 我以為從此不能在辦公室找回來。

我告訴k小姐, xx公司的d先生找你, 你給他回個電話吧。k打趣就說, 不, im gonna play hard to get。

出電梯時, f一直待後, 當大家都走出來了, 她就補充說, aged before beauty。

這樣的倫敦生活真是有點意外地可愛。

Boris Johnson的窗口

竟忽然被派做倫敦金毛mayor的窗口平台,
首項任務我想向他控訴怎能讓英國地下鐵懶人擺工拖延四十八小時?

cake of love

圖: torte au chocolat

bobby wraton must have been my twin in my past life!

Around us we see people who each other feel indifferent to,
But who were in love. Could that be us?
Love it sometimes goes away. Could ours do that?
Could ours not stay? Could ours not stay?

How it troubles me that what we have
Could be something that will not last.
Something that won't last.

I find the thought that one day I may not care
Hard to bear, hard to bear.
I hope that I -that I am worrying needlessly
But I always will love you, and you me (I think?)

How it troubles me that what we have
Could be something that will not last.
Something that won't last.

Around us we see people who each other feel indifferent to,
But who were in love. Could that be us?

SUNDIAL - from FIELD MICE

my stupid heart

不要, 我不要我愚昧的心。

美滿

變得很小很小, 像鄰家任何一個人的生活。
不上街遊行, 不大力呼喊自由。
一種很寧靜的生活, 十一個月紀念日, 我們還叫外賣吃了披薩。
看在黑人鄰居眼裡, 他笑問, 我還以為披薩是我這種人才吃的。

天氣美得可怕, 路上都是狗與趕去曬太陽的人, 如果倫敦天天如是, 多好。
樂事就易辦得多了。
就如, 二人在河邊的草地燒烤野餐, pimm"s、grilled lamb chop with pepper and cumin with pineapple on top、side dishes: salad and sausages。
夏天就是這樣慢慢地過, 慵懶的, 黃昏時又烤了爐魚, 就是這樣過了一個又一個美滿簡單的周日了。

六十年代的香港

他們要出唱片了, 我打扮漂亮準備出席盛會, 來到基club, 卻少了隆重裝扮, 於是我只好讓旗袍躲在大衣。

當晚的playlist

就這樣多好

倫敦橋黃昏後, roxy酒吧裡有黑白光影, 二十年代曼妙的swing音韻。
我們扭著手, 分享了兩小時的倒流時光。

青青季

圖:如詩如畫

圖: 孔雀任意遊走於人群間

圖: 花園裡最美一角

圖: 肥松鼠都愛吃花生

夏日將至, kew garden園內都是快意。

夏天來了, 為什麼我們在倫敦?

在伦敦生活的一百条理由

---

一、泰晤士河：一端平静多树荫，一端粗旷多工业，泰晤士河穿过伦敦面目多变，在伦敦塔附近还有一块沙滩，有人把它视作伦敦分界线河北势利傲慢，河南落后放松，这条河的空间和河边的景致决定了整个伦敦的风貌。

二、夜生活：在北方，一个城市一般只有一个夜总会。在伦敦，夜生活要丰富得多。而且“酷点”总在不断改变，今天是Ministry或是The Comlex,明天就会是Fabric, Cargo或是93Feet East。

三、伦敦眼：可惜的是伦敦不常常有这种勇敢的城市规划之举。

四、开车经过议会大楼：到了晚上电视新闻上你就能知道议会大楼里发生了什么。

五、酒吧里的八音盒：投进硬币，你就能听到各种经典歌曲。

六、星期六半夜回家路上在Carling Cross 地铁站买星期天的报纸。

七、赛狗：门票便宜，赌注便宜，饮料便宜。在经过赌赛狗的人数仅仅次于赌足球，伦敦周边有很多赛狗场，因特网上也有网站。

八、城市农场：谁还需要乡村？

九、世界各地的菜肴：品种繁多，价格便宜，伦敦有世界各个角落的口味赛过其他任何大城市。中国菜，越南菜，缅甸菜，叙利亚菜，印度菜，等等，想吃什么有什么。

十、便宜的奢侈品：人们总抱怨伦敦物价贵，但是知情者仍能淘价廉物美的好东西，例如名牌时装等。

十一、与名人在同一屋檐下：与电视上常见的名人同在一家超购物同在一家餐馆吃饭，或与某个著名时装设计师同在一个厕所里吸白粉，这不让你感觉好？你每天走过Abbey路的斑马线时，是否想到披头士最著名的唱片？

十二、运河生活：跑步的，散步的，骑自行车的能欣赏到运河的平静，但是只有船上的人家才真正了解运河，他们情绪好时，会告诉你伦敦的水路。

十三、通宵烤饼店。

十四、泰特画廊。

十五、无论 你从一条街上走过多少次，每次都能发现意想不到的东西。只要睁大双眼，在伦敦总能发现新奇。

十六、北伦敦火车线：这是伦敦的秘密铁路，它从西南方的Richmond开始，环绕过整个伦敦北部，在最东边的North Woolwich结束。对于急着上班赶路的乘客来说，这是条来自地狱的火车线，但是如果你有的是时间，也不在乎火车的晚点或班次的取消话，这条铁路线会给 你一个看伦敦的最不寻常全新的视角。因为弯弯曲曲不在乎走直线。所以很少有隧道，你能看到整个伦敦的后花园。挑一个星期六，买一张全日卡、带上三明治，随 心所欲的上上下下。

十七、伦敦出租车：夜半醉酒，常常是伦敦的出租车把你送回家，看你蹒跚打开房门安全进入室内，出租汽车司机并不都是混蛋，他们表现好时是伦敦最出色的一群。

十八、桥：虽说新建的步行桥并不很成功，胆寒司伦敦的泰晤士河上还有无数明桥，西敏桥是最酷的，它曾给华兹华斯写诗的灵感，滑铁卢是四十年费雯丽“魂断兰桥”之处，美国人曾购买了伦敦桥，把它移植到沙漠中。

十九、Borough食品集市：最好的食品集市，虽然摊主常常不是货物的生产者，但是他们都对所卖的东西充满激情，这里你能买到最好的放养的牛羊肉类，摊子上的面包也是用爱心烘烤而成，那些果酱和咸菜也像是你家中老祖母用祖传的秘方做成。

二十、自然历史博物馆中恐龙。

二十一、小型电影院：真正的电影爱好者只能生活在伦敦，外地只有大型电影院放映最新的流行大片，而伦敦却有无数的选择。伦敦有大型影院，也有小型的独立影 院，放映世界各地来的新旧电影，其中最好的要数国家电影剧场，它一年放映一千五百部不同的电影，许多都是在别处看不到的老电影。

二十二、Southhall大街：人们称这里是“小印度”，但是这里与印度弊

病不一样。这里是英国多元文化的表现。是一个独立的南亚大陆的各种宗教的综合。这

里有欧洲最好最便宜的印度餐馆，食品商店，首饰布匹商店，书籍唱片商店，这里还有

最简陋的集市，让你不解的是为什么许多印度百万富翁会选择住在这里。

二十三、老古玩：伦敦有世界上最好的老古玩店。世界上最有名的演员时装设计师等等名人都来这里淘古玩。在这里，你能找到曾经流行过的，几十年后有再次流行的各种东西。

二十四、街上集市：有名的要数Portobello和Camden的集市，其他不太有名的如星期天早上Columbia路的花草集市，Bricklane 的旧家具集市，Spitalfields的食品服装饰品集市，Berwick街的蔬菜水果集市等等。这些集市如同伦敦的无数个小口袋，每一个都有知己的颜 色、声音、风格和魅力。

二十五、Edware路：这原本是一条平淡没有风格的路，但是在过去的三十年中，阿拉伯人在这里安营扎寨，他们在街沿上的咖啡馆中高声谈论政治。这里也有许多阿拉伯饭店。淡然，九一一后，街上的警察也骤然增多了。

二十六、牛津街上的Top商店：总是比街上的时装领先一步。

二十七、价廉物美的印度餐馆：在伦敦，能吃到各种风味的印度菜。

二十八、——三十七：官方统计数字证明伦敦比英国其他城市更好的十点理由：

伦敦是雨水最少的城市。

伦敦人很健康，伦敦人的寿命高出因果平均水平。

伦敦人工资高，人均周收入为五百二十九点八镑，而英国的人均周收入为四百一十点六镑。

伦敦人花更多的钱在娱乐上。

伦敦是英国流行音乐的中心，每周有七百多场各种不同的演出。

伦敦的人工作机会更多，世界上四分之一的大公司的总部在伦敦。

伦敦人运气好。至今为止，伦敦人中奖的机会比其他城市的人多。

伦敦是欧洲游客最多的城市之一，游客得数每年达二千八百万，仅次于巴黎。

伦敦的参观、剧院、影院等娱乐场所在欧洲都是最好的，好过柏林、阿姆斯特丹、罗马等城市。

伦敦是世界上最绿色的城市，伦敦公元面积达五千公顷，人均绿地远远多过巴黎、纽约、东京或是曼谷。

三十八、Almeida剧场：这个剧场是伦敦最有吸引力的地方，它粗糙的砖墙最合适于剧院。
三十九、Ronnie Scott爵士酒吧：仍是音乐的圣殿，当年Hendrix在这儿演出之后几个小时死去。

四十、滑稽喜剧表演：从街角的酒吧到小剧场，喜剧新秀层出不穷。

四十一、从伦敦前往苏格兰北部的卧铺火车：第二天早上打开火车的窗帘，你会发现自己置身于苏格兰的高山秀水之间，你会不相信自己的眼睛。

四十二、小型音乐演出场地：这些小酒吧、小俱乐部、小夜总会是伦敦音乐的生命所在。

四十三、时装设计师：虽说许多著名的伦敦设计师都在为巴黎的时装公司效力，但是伦敦每年还是培训出许多年轻的时装设计师，他们为小型时装公司工作，出品的时装是伦敦独有的。

四十四、唱片的天堂：在伦敦，你能买到价格公道的各个时期各种音乐的唱片。

四十五：Selfridge百货商店：进门是那些好看的包袋和小商品，然后是白色的香水大厅和让人流口水的食品大厅，楼上是各种时装，家具、室内装潢。这个商店总是非常友好，而且还有一个小画廊，在这里还能喝到地道的波兰伏特加和英国茶。

四十六、科学博物馆的地下室：大概是伦敦最好的地方，特别如果你是十岁以下。

四十七、前往巴黎的欧洲之星：三个小时后， 你已经从伦敦的中心到了巴黎的中心。

四十八、Union Chapel俱乐部：漂亮、宽大、空旷，有些冷风习习，但是在那里看各种演出，不用担心别人把饮料洒在你身上。

四十九、Claridges俱乐部：这里有最传统的英国下午茶，是最酷的俱乐部之一。

五十、免费的画廊和博物馆：不花钱就能看到世界上最著名的艺术品。

五十一、十三个足球俱乐部：伦敦的足球俱乐部多过所有其他的城市，适合于各种不同性格的足球爱好者。

五十二、Jubilee地铁线新段：可谓是二十世纪的大教堂，是充满朝气的公共建筑。

五十三、子午线：格林威治是经线零度的开始，全世界的时间都要以我们为参照。

五十四、Oval棒球场。

五十五、夜班公共汽车：虽说它们并不尽善尽美，常常晚点，你可能得在冷风中等很长时间，坐在你旁边的可能是一个醉醺醺神经不太正常的人，但是在没有夜班地铁的情况下，还是有许多人使用公共汽车，而且，无论你要去哪里，车费都是一镑钱。

五十七、在地铁上没有人和你说话，你能一路安安静静地看书读报，没有人打扰你。

五十八、西斯罗飞机场：全世界最忙，最大，最重要的飞机场之一，那标着无数终点站的大翻牌就能让你有无数的幻想。

五十九、婴儿按摩。

六十、伦敦不起眼的角落：伦敦有许多被人遗忘的角落，常常让你发现一些惊喜。例如那些废弃了无人使用的地铁站，很少有人参观的收藏独特的小博物馆等。

六十一、皇家音乐学院：你在这里能免费听到世界上最著名的音乐家的演出。

六十二、Wigmore音乐厅：世界上最著名的才华聚集之地。

六十三、Robert Eim节目：关于伦敦掌故以及伦敦被遗忘的历史的节目。例如曾在伦敦工作过的独裁者，或是从塔桥开到泰晤士河的双层公共汽车。

六十四、餐馆：全英国百分之七十的餐馆坐落在伦敦。

六十五、诺丁山艺术俱乐部：啤酒价格便宜，表演属于一流。

六十六、怪人：如果你脾气古怪，与众不同，那么伦敦是你的天堂，这里充满了各种怪人，所以也就见怪不怪了。

六十七、奇怪的伦敦地方法律：例如根据一九八二年伦敦动物园法律第十七条规定，游客不能递香烟给动物园中的动物。

六十八、坐地铁到乡下去：当然你可以开车到乡下去，但是如果你不想精神紧张，或早堵车的大军中浪费时间，伦敦有好几条地铁线可以一直把你开到树林湖水的旁边。

六十九、后面开门的双层公共汽车：你可以自由跳上跳下，完全不管车站在哪里。

七十、你在国外旅行是碰到的人都知道伦敦在那儿；人们不一定知道爱丁堡或德比郡。
七十一、Croydon的有轨电车：交通的最便利形式。

七十二、面积：伦敦是个大城市，许多地方可能你十年才去一次，但是你一到那里，老朋友、旧情人都会赶来看你。

七十三、国际化的报摊：伦敦的许多报摊都供应当日的西班牙、意大利、法国等主要欧洲报纸。

七十四、私人成员卡的俱乐部：最有名的当数Garrick，成立于一八三一年，取著名演员David Garrick之名。老顽固会员无数，其中著名的有作家Kingsley Amis，他曾在一九九二年七月极力反对俱乐部接受女会员。Soho的Groucho俱乐部传媒界人士的聚集之地，但是到了九十年代中期，Groucho逐渐衰落，现在最酷的私人俱乐部有Soho House.

七十五、Trafalgar饭店的Rockwell酒吧：现代、时髦而且现在还有座位。

七十六、Shoreditch酒吧街：每个月 总有一个新酒吧或新餐馆开张。

七十七、老Comton街：同性恋的天堂，也是观察那些非同性恋的不知底细的旅游者仓皇逃窜的最佳地方。

七十八、Public Life、面积极小的地下室俱乐部，位于Spitalfields,是有旧公共厕所改建而成的，重金属音乐。

七十九、93Feet East的前厅：摆着许多大沙发，软垫子，如果后厅的音乐让你头痛了，你可以在这里休息，你也可坐在这里和朋友聊天。

八十、好玩的街名：伦敦的街名都有来历。有的是和许久以前街上的生意有关，例如Silver街以前确实曾是银匠街，Cowcross街以前也确实有牛从这 条街上经过被运往附近的肉类市场，街名后带着Gate一词的也往往确实有一道城门或是大门。有的街名则与街上住家所为风马牛不相及，例如Shoe街并不是 鞋匠或鞋摊的所在，而是指这条小街的形状象一只鞋子；Pudding街，也不是指这条接上生产甜点，而是因为一六六六年的伦敦大火从这里开始，而大火并不 是因为谁家烤布丁而不小心引起的；Mincing街也不是一条专门供应肉酱的街，这里Mincing一词来自古英语，意为修女。

八十一、广场：伦敦的无数个花园广场对这个城市至观重要，最早的广场都是砖铺的地面，而且都是向公众开放的。十九世纪时，私家的街心花园广场开始流行，每年六月，有一天是私家广场开放日。

八十二、清晨开门营业的酒吧：他们的主要顾客是集市上的摊主们。许多早上五点半或六点钟时就开张了。

八十三、酒吧戏院：从六十年代末起。法律允许伦敦的酒吧把他们的空房间改建成小剧场。票价便宜，戏的水平因酒吧而异，有趣的是表演就在观众的眼前。

八十四、大英博物馆：证明了我们在全世界偷了多少好东西。

八十五、Borderline俱乐部酒吧台前的座位：这个俱乐部开张于一九八九年，是发现音乐界新秀的好地方。位子不多，早到为佳。

八十六、Gastropubs：这也是过去十年中新兴起的酒吧，有些供应饭菜，有些只供应饮料，有些你可以就坐在那里消磨时间。

八十七、拍电影的场所：把伦敦当成电影背景的不少，《诺丁山》、《单身女子日记》、《密码》等。

八十八、伦敦市长：Ken是一位“酷”市长。

八十九、白塔山艺术中心：桂冠诗人John Batjeman曾经在这里朗诵作品。

九十、Time Out杂志：如果伦敦没有Time Out， 你怎么知道该去哪里玩呢？

九十一——一百、是一个初秋的下午，Time Out杂志的记者在Covent Garden拍照采访的十个人，以及他们最喜欢伦敦的地方。

再見太陽花

本來為了慶祝友人生辰, 捎來五枝美麗的太陽花。
最後, 還是據為己有。

返回原點

圖:四月完美的一天在Brighton, 有迷人的日落, 海傍 及 某名長髮男子

小休後, 重回夢想地, 再接再厲。

生活

如果要好好生活, 就要記得生活就是為自己在寫小說, 想要什麼就想什麼吧。

香港小遊, 謝謝愛蓮一言, 當頭棒喝。

聽歌療傷

失戀憧憬再會下次美麗的意外,只好聽音樂,一邊憧憬下個戀愛幻象。
聽 blueboy的stephanie, 怎樣?

some gorgeous accident took place
in pinkneys green, a blur of colour
and a noise like was perfume snowdrops on the grass
as i dreamed away you didn't say much
as the days began to fly
i was in love with you
so saw the bluest sky
no clouds, black or white, to spoil my view
stephanie deafen me with words of sweetest ecstasy
stephanie deafen me with words of sweetest ecstasy
alone i will care
alone i will care
i've seen the sugar on the lips of passers-by
it's time to leave but i see you cannot cry
snowflakes bathe your eyes as i wave goodbye goodbye
stephanie deafen me with words of sweetest ecstasy
stephanie deafen me with words of sweetest ecstasy
alone i will care
alone i will care
stephanie deafen me with words of sweetest ecstasy
stephanie deafen me with words of sweetest ecstasy
alone i will care
alone i will care

大霧都

迷魂記。

shake their thang

我們有時不堅持音樂, 都要堅持台上fashion一定要細緻。像detroit metro city的男主角,因為喜歡涉谷系音樂與時裝, 而要往東京尋夢,2002年我留學東京為賞美妙的涉谷系及cutie pop,2006年開始旅居倫敦, 還親歷夢碎在blur的發源地new x。

可我的音樂痴一直都沒有太多人明白。

等了又等, 我的anorak dream到了今天終於有人通曉了。

拜讀今天的Times,寫２００９歐洲十二大熱門音樂節<top 12 hottest coolest festivals, Indietracks!>,我們將參與的indietracks有emmy the great, 寫的人卻隻字不提, 卻列出我們的大名。

2009將是美滿的。

INDIETRACKS

The Midland Railway Centre, Derbyshire, July 24-26

Set in a heritage steam-railway tourist site, this tiny festival is loved by anoraks of all sorts: indie kids, synth-popsters and train spotters. A large shed, a truck stage and a tin chapel are where bands with names such as the Marshmallow Kisses shake their thang before a fashion-conscious crowd. A steam train trundles up and down as, inside, bands warm up with acoustic sessions. Ripley is nearby should you need provisions, but cafe-style fare — jacket potatoes, pasties, fry-ups — is sold at cafe prices on site.

TIP: The Midland Railway Centre includes lovingly restored diesel and steam locomotives, and you might also want to check out the nearby farm with its pet llamas.

£55, tickets from ticketweb.co.uk ; more info at indietracks.co.uk

from 《the times online》

從倫敦走入北京與非洲

她說: 如果我下星期去英國, 你說呢?
然後小女子就閃電一般來了倫敦。
闊別年半我們彷彿昨天才見面, 當走在new x大道上, 我們才開始驚訝時間的步履, 這個住了整整一年的非洲區, 曾幾是brit-pop友的起源地, 九十年代青春期所憧憬的波希米亞居所, 如今看上去, 就跟中國大陸的發展區相去不遠。
和她分別後, 我抵不住要往high street kensington走上一回, 以讓為往事的感慨心情過過冷河。

花的姿態

春天的花再美, 原來不長在田園, 而種愛人心裡。

southbank ether festival 09 - royksopp

這兒的冬天就算有多冷, 只要春天那罕有的陽光晒下來, 配以應接不暇的音樂會。
冬末時雖已說過了, 春天再說一次罷: 這樣的倫敦還是可以住人的。

活得精彩

離開時,在酒店細長而陰暗的走廊跟那位印巴藉同事道別。
我說：「have a good weekend!」
他帶點幽默，回應：「have a good life!」
然後我想，這些曾和我日夜相對數月的人，可能從此就不會再見了。
老闆在臨別前給我一個電話，你身體好不好，什麼時候回去。記得給我寫信，告訴我你生活可好。
雖然曾經給她快逼得要發瘋。
其笑聲與金色的頭髮，忽然教我想念。

倒數只有兩天

自由不遠已!!!

在森林和原野

圖記第一個春日原野遊richmond

了解

奧修禪卡寫的: 放棄對這個籠子的執著, 走出籠子, 然後整個天空就是你的。

旁觀者

請讓我變成透明的, 就不再現人前, 冷靜地熱情地觀景。

激未完

想起我的大霧都, 除了激氣不斷以外, 還有總是看不完的激, 還有, 太陽一曬下來, 就不住讓人想起有走不完的小窄巷, 維多利亞大宅。
一邊期待著blur, neil sedaka, royskopp, 一邊細數上半年看過的音樂會: leonard cohen, soulwax, love mahattan suicide, jarvis cocker, jane birkin, pains of being pure at heart, saint etienne, tender trap (amelia fletcher), action biker。

如果一直都有音樂, 陽光, 愛人, 大霧都都還是可以住人的。

原來死亡可以如此接近

I think too much
On things I want too much
It makes me hateful
And I say stupid things
Only you can fill my blank heart
And I'm resigned to that

I wish the sun
Could just keep me warm
And I'm resigned to that
I'll forget to breathe someday
I never stop to think why

--- resigned from blur

黑天鵝的屁股

晴天終於來了。
黑色天鵝的屁股好像一把傘子,adeena和我看著吃吃笑, 那不就是issey miyake的高級設計麼。

羅馬假期不再

像電影裡的男主角, 反覆來回, 四角重奏著的只得空洞。

普普季節

圖: action biker

像zipper唱的, today i am pop!!

聖彼得廣場之花樣年華

印藉鄰居阿倫的眼睛如水晶咖啡珠, 笑起來如孟買的烈日當空。
他住在樓下, 我們從來就只是擦身而過。
趁著各自戀人不在, 我們開始聊天。
他說後天我就回家去, 聚老婆。我們只見過五次面, 而我從來都沒有過女朋友。
他說, 如果我能有個女朋友, 我希望她像你這樣, 多好。我好喜歡中國女孩的甜蜜, 她們的精緒化, 好美。

如影畫戲裡的窄巷, 舊記憶, 細細的寫。

他問, 可不可以抱一抱。輕輕地揉我的臉。

然他已買了機票回國, 當然亦不會問, 你同唔同我一齊走。