To see a World in a Grain of Sand...: May 2007

Picture 1 - The List...

Picture 2 - My lunch...hmmm...

Picture 3 - Ahhh memorys...

Picture 4 - Ikebukuro...

Random pictures of the week...

Well here are four random pictures of the week...

Picture 1. Three of The List...this picture has a whole long story to it...even I could have been added in as I had the same Box hat...hahaha...could have gone on to become a world phenonmenon you know!

Picture 2. One of my lunches at work...I really do pig out man...

Picture 3. One of my best surprise return emails ever! Jimmy my man...its been too long...11 years!

Picture 4. Taken in Ikebukuro...felt very "god" like being so high up!

Jessie the smoothest guy himself!

Frog and jessie singing it hard!

Black UCs...I love em!

Life in the fast lane...

Oh man...life has been fast recently, work, heading out...so many stories, so many photos not enough patience and most importantly time.

Tonight after work I headed out to a cool nice small bar by the name of Waki Ai Ai where Jessie the dude was playing with his band Home Grown.

Upon entering the place there was already a crowd of around 30 people which is alot for such a small place. Many of them were friends of the group or local regulars which was cool.

The music was kinda funk/jazz which was excellent and the main dude frog on guitar and Jessie were the singers. A random guy on trumpet was soulful and added a great edge to the group.

After a near one hour and a half set they wrapped up with a particularly heartfelt number much to the applause of the crowd. One of the best chilled and friendly gigs I have seen in a long time.

Good stuff Jessie...see ya soon bruv.

The supposed "Taiwanese" restaraunt.

Shou Long Bao at 180 yen each..blimmin eck!

David is not a happy guy...

Yasu is like a don...hahaha

Yasu X Supreme...

David and Yasu...KTV time!

David singing who knows what...

Yasu rocking that Nirvana...

White UCs...with England socks...now theres a great collab!

Taiwanese restaraunt and KTV...

After a long day at work Yasu my man calls me up to hang out. So off we roll in his car listening to an interview with Delores of the Cranberrys...well random.

We end up in Fuj and whilst cruising the streets find a Taiwanese restraunt...well I should say "Taiwanese"...hahaha...the only real thing Taiwanese about it were the tables and chairs...well YO YO. After some pretty nice noodles and two xiao long bao for me (180 yen each!) we headed to KTV for some songly goodness...Yasu rocked with some Nirvana and I did some chinese songs...ahhh memorys...

Had a good laugh that night, cheers for the love Yasu mate...remember Urahara soon!

Ki Ki and Ji Ji the cat...

Innocence...

So I was watching Ki Ki's deliver service online today...its an incredible film even after all this time. I have so much respect for Studio ghibli and what they have accomplished.

It really evokes an untrembling, uninhibited idea of innocence, of growing up, of finding oneself in the "real" world. I cannot believe that this is a movie made for kids, there is something so moving about the way in which it has been directed, the long pauses, the childhood longings, loneliness...and its so beautifully depicted.

Ki Ki's delivery service reminds me of my childhood; being loved, remote, isolated, lonely, happy, innocent, idyllic, protected..so many things I cherish, so many things which have made me the man I am now.

After watching the movie now its silent in my room. A shiver runs down my body, I feel a longing to be in the arms of loved ones...I look around me now and this room is full of so many things I have collected over my travels, over the course of my life thus far. But the room is bare...there is something missing from this room and I hope I will find that thing soon.

Check out Ki Ki's delivery service if you have time my friends and family. Even better watch it in Japanese with English subtitles for the real experience. On a different note Ji Ji kicks ass!

Pure Yo in Urahara...note it was like 26 degrees...GORRRRRREEEEEE!

Dropping mad dollas on Chocolate...

My man Sahlan all shopped out...

Beautiful Jordan ones...now these are real!

Crazy ass fakes in Urahara...

David strolling through Rat Hole...

Scrub up that Fixie...I guess its only a matter of time before yours truly has one...

David chugging back that free Champ...

Loveless and those crazy rocks...ahhh the regret of not dropping 52k on a rock will haunt me for life!

Time to scribble...Sahlan leaving his mark on Loveless...

Sahlan with his scribbles...

Davids turn at the book...

I was sweating for another drink...

Love in Loveless Leave a polite message book... destroyed by 2 otakus from Urahara...

Hippos in CDG...I need one...

Uniqlo...crazy hot.

Wandering the streets...

Tan anyone!? Yes our restraunt was also on that floor.

Glorious fried food...hmm...

Chris and the big S

Woz eating that good food hard!

Good night Shibuya...

The List...

So I get word from Sahlan THE MAN that he is up for meeting up in Urahara...is this the time when the Otakus gather in Tokyo!? the answer was a big and resounding YES.

After getting up late I headed into Tokyo, Urahara and met Sahlan inside BxH...whatta place to meet someone. The dude is cool and the banter started from the moment we first met. hahaha...the guy bought a supe box cap for his niece! Whata guy! hahahaa... from there we hit some spots and Kev the prez phoned about 3-4 times well excited..WHAHAHA...soon bruv soon! After bantering to Matsu in Soph and talking about 9/11 and his experience there we headed back to urahara and Visvim and gawked at crazily priced Vis X CDG. After a coffee in Lavazza which apparently is Macs fave we made the trek back up to Soph for Kev...only for you bruv!

Sahlan was complaining about his boards (he dropped three of em in this skate shop for his wall...three pro chocolates...the guy is nuts!) we headed by taxi to Aoyama. After hitting up Rat hole gallery which has improved since I was last there with Jake, and we headed to Loveless for some LOVE...litterally...we walked in and they were handing out free champaigne and nibbles. We both grabbed one (shalan ended up having three) and mingled...hahaha...downstairs was a celebration for the opening of a gallery for selling rocks. Crazy stuff...just rocks that had been customised. A small would cost you back around 50k yen...OUCH. A quick thank you in the Leave a message book later we headed out and the big S dropped mad dollars on a Skirt for this lady in CDG.

So after random wanderings and Shalan taking pictures of EVERYTHING we headed back down ometesando AGAIN and met Chris...crazy dude who sells kicks for a living. We hit up Visvim and then Supreme...

A quick walk and me spotting the Uniqlo store (I completely forgot to check it out) we headed to Shibuya to meet Woz for dinner. We ended up hitting an all you can eat joint...

Hope to hang out with all you blokes again soon sometime!