picking through the cacophony

intermittent rants and some keepers

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Creaking joints

have been stuck at home ill for the last 3 days, including bank holiday monday.

my timing with free days off always seem to suck.
it's like the work week and london's weather - it's brilliant all week, you want to be lying on the grass in the sun but you have to work; come the weekend and you have the time to do all that and it's overcast and even showery.

why does it always rain on me ... is it cos i lied when i was seventeen?

hahahha.

it's crazy how ill i can suddenly get in my (early) old age.
one day, i'm perfectly fine with the occassional bouts of sinus/hayfever.
then i go to whitstable for a dozen and a half fresh oysters and come back to london with a running nose, a clogged head and constant sneezing. i'm sure it contributed partially to my not winning some money at the mahjong table that i was intermittently at.
and then it's full blown cold .. leading to flu complete with aching bones and fever ... for a day and night ... then tailing off to two days of cold.
where did this come from?
is my body that weak now?

i have noticed a correlation that i'm not sure qualifies as full blown hypothesis:

i have had these bouts of illness every single time i get a foot massage from an unlicensed masseuse who has nothing by way of skill but guided by love. she thinks that her moves are causing more harm than help even though i think that the sessions always feel very good and i sleep like a baby that same night.

but cold and/or flu have followed at least 3 times now!
is there something in this form of alternative medicine? i have always believed that there is a lot there to believe so this is giving it even more credence.

another correlation is the way the body starts to let down it's guard once a particular stressful period is over. the body softens and one notices that a particular demanding period of variable duration overcomed would then be followed by total meltdown. just when you thought you want to go out and do all those things you could not while locked away in deadlines and late nights, little sleep and extra push ... the body takes over and tells you - you need proper rest now.

strange how it's so difficult to listen to our bodies and increasingly difficult to direct our actions to do what is best for it/ourself. when did this start happening? from the fracturing of many personas? from the Industrial Revolution with the separation of production into the production line and all that it entails? i have to reverse this trend, if i do say so myself.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Saying it my way

the two concerts i went to in the last month couldn't be more different:

morrissey versus jason mraz

manchester versus san sunny diego

lyricist writing lyrics that stick in your head saying things you wanted to say but not quite as well versus mr wordplay cos he's clever

magnificent versus exuberant

reflective versus everyday snapshot-y

old versus new

the smiths versus ...

20something to late 30s english (who all probably need a bit of a wash) versus students and a lot of americans

alexandra palace versus carling apollo hammersmith

Time on my hands!

so i'm done with the Guangzhou tower project and booted right out of the best corner in the office for a week now.

what this means to my life:
1. i am now working on a planning application scheme for a pfi school campus in bristol that will be on-site in january 2006;
2. i get to look forward to playing softball with the office every wednesday (since it's rained out the last 2 weeks and we had to cancel our games against SOM and hopkins);
3. i get to leave the office on time every day (plus/minus half an hour);
4. i get to go to the gym if only i don't leave the office so totally mentally drained every day;
5. i get to attend to my apartment purchase (just signed the contract - going to be very poor very soon!);
6. i do not get free sushi lunch ordered in anymore;
7. i spend more going out for lunch with colleagues because we can (time-wise);
8. i get to go on dates with michelle on a weekday (movie, dinner, drinks ... poor poor!);
9. i get to spend weekends buying comics and whatever books take my fancy;
10. i actually get to read the weekend papers;
11. i get to attend concerts (2 so far - the ever magnificent morrissey and mr.very talented and slightly too clever jason mraz);
12. i get to update my blog

what now?