Japandroids

i went to go see japandroids the other night with my music loving friend, tom.  we went to this basement restaurant in central (which is so much more convenient that asiaexpo all the way past the airport - where most concerts are held).  the tickets were fairly priced and included a free drink.  i went to go meet tom and saw a bunch of hipsters sitting outside drinking and smoking.  i thought, this is cool - very non-hong kong.  we waited a minute or two at the door and went in to find a crowd that was older than what we both expected.  we nestled into a prime location and waited to see how it would all unfold.

they had an opening band, revolver, from paris who were pretty good.  it was their last show - a 3 piece band including a cellist (that made me happy).   very chilled out music to have dinner or could easily be in a soundtrack - as tom said, "scene shot from behind of some old cowboy kicking a bottle on the side of the dusty road."

then japandroids came on.  the lead (can he lead one other bandmate?) came on to check his guitar and i havent seen a white dude in skinny jeans quite like that since i left the east village.  he had knobbly little knees and looked about 25.  the drummer was kinda shaggy in appearance and resembles the cop from 'bridesmaids' (i kindly googled his for you as i cant handle not knowing actors names:  chris o'dowd).  they started with a full on number right off the bat.  i like them.  the drummer was fierce.  i love them.

it was a very good show despite the lame acoustics in said basement restaurant.  some non-band highlights included:

• #1 (chinese) fan:  was screaming mental from the beginning; at one point, a speaker fell and he wasted no time hopping up on stage to try to help.  sadly, he was quickly told to get down by the roadies.
• #1 (white dude) fan:  was a big lad with a broken wrist.  he waited no time taking his shirt off and screaming in competition with the other #1 fan.  at one point, he had a beer bottle in his broken hand but the cast didnt allow for flexibility and he dumped part of his beer on himself.
• the mosh pit:  it started off pretty small (like 8 people, no joke) but by the end at least 20.  they were trying to body surf and it was oh so sad; dropping people on their heads repeatedly...hong kong, you do try.
• bandmates girlfriend:  she was clearly jetlagged as she stood off to the side with her arms crossed looking exhausted and fully asleep at times.  i took a picture but it was pretty blurry.

anyway, tom and i had a blast.  i felt like i was almost in a cool city again (please stress the "almost") with  a great band, people who just want to have fun and enjoy the havoc.  i wish japandroids the best and am now a lifelong fan.

Back to Normal Update

it has been some time since my last update.  it feels like nothing has happened and so much has happened.  we have finally got back to normalcy post the haggis' mum's visit.  having guests is great but always turns things on their head a bit.

we took her to saigon as her christmas gift for a long weekend.  i love saigon.  i think it is a very cool place and i noticed so much development since the last time i was there about three years ago.  if i were to move to another city in asia, it would saigon.  we enrolled in a cooking class, as well, which was lots of fun.  we made spring rolls, a banana leaf salad and pho.  very fun thanks to saigon cooking class.  we started out meeting our teacher at the market and then going back to the restaurant to cook all of the ingredients we bought that morning.  we were told the market is set up specifically for tourists as there were some crazy things (i.e. brains).

brains and stuff

the haggis' rolls were perfectly formed

frying my rolls

delish banana leaf salad

pho (pronounced "faux")

 and of course, we did the tunnels:

the haggis couldnt wait to get out of the tiny tunnel

and here are some miscellaneous pictures from christmas and new year:

christmas lunch using my panorama function - very cool

classy self photo...

sadly i dont have any of the wee haggis in his kilt but am working on it :)

2013 Came in with a Bang...Literally

it was a warm and sunny hong kong on the 31st december; a mother and son walked the streets looking for a last minute holiday nibbles.  wandering into marks and spencers, one push started 2013 off with a bang...literally.  blood poured from the mothers face and the son scrambled paniced at what to do.  luckily, some ambulence drivers were around the corner at a fund raiser and off they raced to the nearest hospital.  3 cuts, 2 bumps and 4 stitches later we welcomed 2013.

the poor haggis' mum took a nasty fall on her trip out here and it has since been our focus.  she is doing fine - barring massive bruising all around both eyes and feeling a bit senstive.  but the real question is, who pushes old women?  honestly, only in hong kong, only the chinese would push an old lady.  i am accustomed to it and believe you me, i push back - harder.  but she wasnt ready for it and at an older age, lost her footing and down she went landing flat on her face.

anyway, she has been a trooper and we are all off tomorrow morning for saigon.  it was her christmas gift from us.

welcome 2013 - may it be a year that opens with a bang but goes smoothly along from here on out!