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Showing posts from 2011

agent provocateur banjo

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130am on a boxing day night,  in the little house on the hills:  let's see if that banjo is any good? minnow got this banjo from mr. p. eliotte, a singer/guitarist man from the years gone by (60s) in manchester.  they played together for years, since minnow was a wee teenager with more hankering for 'cooler' music than chets stuff. their specialty was the music of 1940s: ragtime, al bowlley, early country, pre-rock/roll. it was the music of a man who hated the drum kit and yes, the beatles (this, i can concur).  anyways, he doesnt exactly remember when he inherited this banjo, but it's been kicking around rather quietly, without strings and couple pegs which has rusted/rotted away.  it's still loose necked, though with tweaking, it was certainly playable today. as you will see. when i decided to pick up fiddle playing, i got immensely frustrated with the bow-arm business. i never had to expose my armpits to anyone, nevermind be fixed on such position (i suppose t

vignettes through life, slightly odder.

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my parents live in a classy buildling. but with such busy schedule, surely santa can have one bigmac meal? last freelancing location recording session, with new apogee 'geoff', please refer to craig ferguson show. haha. and i thought i saw everything in the world now. i dont think santa should have had large fries. though children cannot see below his chest on cam, if the elves arent feeling vindictive... oh the feeling of fillet steak right along with your ribcage... i was so happy to get an dental appt and got cleaning done. surely the sign of aging, i believe. shaving one sweater.  enough to make a full grown adult snarky.

vignettes through the city

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for the right goodies, i dont mind looking like stalin. korean bakery goodie with ms. chung. sleepy giant taking the last look at the world, by the time he wakes, it'll be 2012. cold winter smokers. a few left nowadays. i wonder if the culture will ever survive? total non sequitur conversation of street arts. such direct answer, yes- no? after three separate trips, granny gets new walking booties!  go walk that shoes granny! no use, you lose. love, c.

we all pop like popcorns!

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winter is here! from the usual night walk with chemist :) the other day, i had funny feeling that i need to get in touch with chemist, an old friend of mine. weairdly enough, i cant never really tell how long i have known someone without serious computing- so many of my lovely friends  feel as if ive known them forever. how great is that! well, ive known him for almost three years and though i dont get to see him very often, i cant help but to be in contact when that lightening urge strikes. well well, he tells me that he just had his phd thesis defense and now moving to boston to start the new year as a postdoc! i am very proud of him and it's a shame i didnt get to see him one more time before i left yyz. but you see, it's because that one free evening, i was scheduled to meet up with one of my dear friends from undergrad years, who is also wrapping up her thesis, totally buried and had to make inhumane effort to come above the water- but she did, yay! was a great meeting

blurs of december

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mrs santa hustling before noon. i bet she wishes she can take that back at 3pm, on 2nd shopping wknd of december. i remember thinking that december, i will catch on with you. i will dig my heels down and think about the important things and put period on every sentence i began this year. i will write cards and see people, catch up with life and thank the appropriate people for enriching my life. realistically, i didnt get to do much of it! i dont really understand what have happened! school finished a bit early this year and i did take plenty of odd pictures which made me laugh. but the first two weeks seriously flew off.  i learned a new lutoslawski piece for violin/piano. i played for young, ambitious and hard-working musicians in the most pleasant manner. i didnt make it to the bassoon bonanza this year thanks to developing cold. i barely saw some people i desperately wanted to see. in a sense, i had just enough time to book dental appointments, do laundry, pay bills and pack,

what was i going to say *blank

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i just came back from un-monkey-like pub visit on a sunday evening.  it was a nice pint- well, two half pints. yes. i know. logically makes no sense, but as a wee drinker, that's how i must roll- halfer at a time.  we went to the pub to celebrate amazing bassoon kiddie's recital- an event that i have been looking forward for a long time. i always think of a moose calf whenever i see him.  he's quiet. not in a great hurry.  but not because he doesnt have things to say/think. i think it's the opposite, really.  he's busy thinking and processing, like the way a little moose calf chews on prairie grass. and just like a calf that have lived through a winter, he's not easily fazed or swayed. and most of all, such a great smile! when he approached to me to work with him, i was glad. smile was enough of a sign. november is always full of mayhem and vagabonds, unexpected near-disasters and comically in comprehensive situations.  we worked through november, despite of

... tis a simple request yet...

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so this conversation continues on. it's quite amazing, no? when i returned from work at wee hour, i found another email from susan (but now with a last name 'LI', a vast improvement? it's at least 100% improvement, going from no last name to full last name) / alicia jame (this is still a bit of mystery). Dear (monkey's name in a different font altogether)  Thank you for your email. We have read your email  ' seriously ,thank you very much for the suggestion.' (another font) We will refund you $120 for the mistake and you can own the jacket. Sorry to cause you so much trouble and we will do our best to help you. Best Regards, Susan Li and i thought: this is still nutty and yet amazing. how many variants of 'cancellation/refund' can i write? anyways, i did my very best not to be rude. or condescending. or bursting out laughing in helplessness. i mean, what am i supposed to do? to susan li, (i still have not seen any official company information

'but i dont want it anymore!'

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http://www.canada-goose.com/counterfeiting/ monkey to fake internet merchant 1, as 4 nov 2011 order has been bank processed in complete silence. the website, of course is now moved/disabled. so in wonder i wrote on 15 nov: hello, i have put in an order for a jacket, but i have not heard from you nor received any sort of reply (i have emailed you previously regarding this order). would you please update what is the current status of this order (no. 54) and whether it is actually being processed or if there's any problems, sincerely, dr c followed by a weird unexpected msg from merchant to monkey, from 'alicia jame' on 17 nov: Dear (monkey), Thank you for your order. We will sent the goods within 3 days when we receive your order,so pls be patient,any problem pls feel free contact with us,thank you! Best Regards, Susan so a curious correspondence started to roll on its own, 18 nov: hello susan, (i have to say i have never seen a business reply without

et in terra pax homínibus bonae voluntátis

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jacob's ladder, marc chagall tis the yuletide (though it feels ridiculously early at the moment) in the western hemisphere (and part of east as well, i assume).  the streets are covered with desires that is supposedly burning me at the very moment: gifts! services! for you! others! why not buy when you can! when i was a little kiddie, i asked my father if i could have something specific for christmas (i dont remember what it is anymore), just like all the little kiddies who are aware of father christmas/santa.  boy, the conversation was a bit more complicated than i have anticipated: monkey: daddy, i want ___ for christmas, can i? dad: you want what for what? (looking really confused) m: (now sheepish) - no no, never mind. d: wait, i just want to understand. tell me once again. m: (quietly) i wish for ___ for christmas... d: okay (pause) how did you come to that conclusion? m: huh? d: what is christmas? m: jesus' birthday? d: okay, so then how is it that you want

echo of autumn warmth

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it is an unusually warm autumn this year.  it's mid november and the park is now covered in the golden glorious blankets of life- celebrating the last bits of the summer, to remember and to cherish the last bits of the sun, of another year, 2011. it is hard to believe that it's already 11/12 gone. perhaps it's because i am no longer chased by school deadlines. or being away from television, being haunted by the spirit of 'buying' (they conveniently want to call it giving, haha).  or is it because it's too warm and too beautiful to think that the season of downward grace, inward to centre of the cold yet alive earth is already here? i remember heading home two wknds ago, passing through eaton centre, seeing the great tree built. in the same manner a tower is built.  it is a bizarre thing to look at- a mimicry of nature yet- so industrial and so appropriate for the artificiality of the winter. may be that's what it is. it's the displaced weather.  or

inconsistency of time

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though christmas is still a bit away, the stores are starting the sensory assault. in the states, at least they wait till the thanksgiving is over i suppose- but here in canada, right after halloween, it's almost expected to see all things red, green, gold and expensive. sigh.  though i do enjoy the window displays, especially of holt renfrew bloor and hudson's bay on queen.  so as minnow is in town, we decided to casually walk by.   though the soundtrack was horrendous (the tracks mustve been damaged, it was skipping and continue to be stuck on- but how would shop employees know that? they are inside! ha. the irony), the little animated figures werent as scary as i find them sometimes (i have things about dolls and human figurines. i dont like them all that much. fluffies are different matter altogether though).  even bits of canadian history i studied for citizenship  test came back to my mind, with wooly warm feeling as i saw the familiar scenes of (victorian) christmas and

what do you see through whose eyes?

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the boys are together again, wee and tee.  looking over the forest of big tall concrete buildings, they wonder and talk about the grace of the big cities- when you are sitting tall in the quite morning, even the most grungy city street can exude composure and beauty.  especially when it is shared generously.   wee and tee- how are they together? did tee come for a visit in an air mail envelop perhaps? aha, no.  he decided to carry on a big trip, like a big boy.  and just like wee would have done, tee came with a small travelling companion.  minnow was there to encourage tee through the tedium of the air travel- and buy the tickets, go through the airport and the joys of security check, etc.  oh what a man would do for the happiness of a fluffy. this is a very short visit, just merely a week long.  there are many things we would like to fit in. and then there is a full week of work as well- practice, learning, rehearsing, working, etc.  it's always bursting at the seams it seems.

oh why did you leave me?

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perspective 1: 0830: catch walk to school w PO in semi-sleep fuzz. locks the door. 0905: slugs down to practice dungeon with a hot cup of tea. 11-13: be amused when unexpected things happen with fixed score. 1420: WHERE ARE MY KEYS 1435: completes run of the day's trajectory around school. 1445: begs office peeps to produce miracle: my keys? 1446: downcasted eyes, asks librarian: (asshole) keys. 1515: grunts in frustration. 1630: explodes on housemate. takes hiskeys. leaves. 1745: in anger, decides to head over to gym. 1900: gets home. in defeat, picks up a takeout dinner. 1905: laments over lost keys over skype. keeps minnow up. 2400: WTH ARE MY DAMNED KEYS perspective 2: 0830: locks door, gets snug in pocket. 0905: opens dungeon door. rare stay out of pocket. wheee. 1100: MONKEY? 1420: MONKEY? 2400: MONKEY... luckily, keys and its careless owner was reconnect in total random incident. despite of desperate running around the school, the keys were not found

loner monkey plays in rainy evening alone

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die kinderspiele, pieter bruegel, 1560 it is once again well after midnight- 215am, eastern standard time. the night takes the bustle of the desires and schedules away from the city, leaving it somehow pristine and neutral.  of course, there are occasional sirens and car breaks, also a bit of random yells from drunken ryerson kids.  but with the rain that soaks through the thickest sweater, as it permeated throughout the entire day and night, the accents of city night has been dimmed. there are condensations on my window, i can hear occasional wind trying to blow through the smallest cracks of the glass- it is impressive how much dust i sweep on daily basis- the dust that rose from the ground and travelled all the way up to 32nd floor.  this building started in 1971 and was completed in 1973 (same age as my bicycle), all 105m of it.  considering there are only two more floors above this tree house, to say that i live about 100m above the ground could be a nice round-up. from here