Sunday 28 March 2010

These Are a Few of My Favourite Things

There are no pictures to go with this blog because the upload speeds here are atrocious


Things I have appreciated on this trip: cheap fags and occasionally the opportunity to smoke them indoors. I'm still only halfway through the 400 I bought in Costa Rica for around a pound a packet, and although my lungs no doubt would rather I found a new hobby it's certainly been something to occupy my hands with and mitigate the unpleasantness of adopting a marijuana free lifestyle. One vice at a time I tell myself.

My wonderful Dell laptop, which, dodgy touchpad aside has outperformed all my expectations, keeping me in touch by text, voice, video call and blog; creatively productive and thoroughly entertained. All my L-R-G clothes which always leave me feeling quietly confident that, although my apparel may be slightly brash, it's quality, well engineered brash. The fantastic All Saints wallet Sy Hackney gave me for my birthday last year which never fails to make me feel like a gent.

My British passport - the rest of the world’s immigration systems have not quite caught up with what a bankrupt and oppressive regime it now represents and I have regularly been waved through borders far faster than those bearing less respectable documentation.

My rather late entrance to the worldwide party that is Ableton Live! - despite my long term resistance to its charms I have been revelling in the ability to not only continue to develop my dj skills in the absence of decks, but to perform moves that are simply impossible with the traditional pair of turntables.

The ocean. The ocean has been a near constant companion on this trip. I am no beach bunny, and in fact I have no doubt that most of my readers would be both shocked and appalled by how little time I have spent on the frankly idyllic beaches that have been practically on tap since my departure from E11. The simple fact is that, without excellent company I swiftly grow bored on beaches. After taking in the majesty of the view, the blueness of wave and sky and the whiteness of the sand I am left rather stuck. I am not a surfer, and serious sunbathing reduces me to tears of tedium - not to mention that for me to survive more than half an hour of equatorial sun requires me to wear sunblock of such a numerically well endowed nature that it renders the entire exercise rather intellectual. Despite all this...perhaps it's best to describe it as indifference...to actual beaching, simply knowing that an unimaginably vast expanse of roaring, thudding, powerful ocean is a mere stones throw away has provided a rather subtle feeling of...satisfaction.

My Nokia N86 smartphone which has been a solid stills and video camera, apart from in low light, an mp3 player, a backup video player and web browser, currency and unit converter and which I used to write the first draft of this blog while sitting in an upmarket Indian restaurant in Fiji.

Things I have not appreciated so much. Sadly, my Serato setup. The one gig I have played on my journey had a system installed. And that was in my first week. Since then there has been no call for it whatsoever and I’m pretty sure the vinyl will be fatally damaged by the time I get it back home. Other than that I think I have used everything else in my kit, from the mini travel gaffa tape, to the Nintendo DS or the shiny Adidas track pants (perfect for flying)- they have all found their time and their place and justified their existence.

My shoe choices have worked out, after being supplemented with some smart trainers and I’ve used and in some cases replaced all the toiletries. The only thing I’ve really missed? I laughed at it when I say it on the list of must have items provided by my favourite camping shop, but I really wish I’d brought...a universal sink plug. No hostels have plugs in their sinks - never ever thought it would get to me, but there you go. People are strange. Wherever you go.

Voodoo out.

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