Category: Uncategorized

It’s snowing! It’s snowing!

Well it did. Last night. I was snowing.

I did my usual zombie wake up routine, looked out the window and did a double take.

Cars are covered in white. People are still driving them.

People are scraping them off surfaces into snowballs and walking off with a big smile, devious snowball filled schemes running through their minds.

I tell you, I almost skipped through the streets.

Of all the things that make me feel like not working, snow is the best one (I can think of right now).

Danny
London

UPDATED

The day is ending. Hopefully it will snow again.

People were in a great mood today. People told me of their snow memories. A little girl in starbacks was jumping up and down and looking out the window, amazed at the sky.

It was great leveller.

Em made a snowman. We all took photos. I went for a wander through the gardens.

It made for a lovely day, and for such a simple reason. A reminder that I am living in an amazing world.

Danny

Hate-triotism.

Or when I hear the word culture, I reach for my revolver.

When did Racism become taboo? Why are we so embarrassed by the fact that there are racists in the world, living amongst us? Why can’t we admit there is a problem.

Australia has flaired up with a debate on ‘nationalism’, which is basically another word for racism. Partiotism is also another word for racism.

The debate revolves around the Sydney Big Day Out Festival discouraging people from bringing Australian Flags into the festival. They point to the violence and racism of last year’s festival, caused by people using the Australian flag as a symbol fo superiority and elitism.

How can I put this bluntly? People with the flag were breaking the noses of people who didn’t.

Australia has been on a downhill slide for a long time. I remember Pauline. The Cronulla Riots. This. Someone could write a fascinating book about the history of racial intolerance in Australia. The White Australia Policy. Villawood. One Nation. Her track record is embarrassing. A lost beacon of the white western world stuck in the middle of nowhere.

I’ve moved out of Australia. For many reasons. I love a lot about Australia. It’s culture, it’s weather, it’s foods, it’s natural beauty. But I don’t miss the people, in general. There is something very wrong there, that something as terrible as the Cronulla Riots can flair up, but we are told it was not an act of racism.

God forbid we admit our problems and deal with it. Instead we put the monster asleep until it wakes again. And it will by a 2 dollar shop Australian Flag when it does.

So why take the flags away at all, if it’s so bad? Because something has to be done and our leaders are either unwilling – or even scarier – unsupportive.

For me, my view of Australia is when I look over Sydney’s Darling Harbour, when I see the some what tacky attempts of modernity, the open air, the beautiful water, and that mad mix of culture. We are right below Asia, we have a strong continental European community, and we are a bright, vibrant diverse face. We are multi-cultural.

Our leaders. I don’t know what they see when they look out, but I don’t think we see the same thing. I really don’t understand how being Australian can be anything but a mix bag of of the many cultures that makes us up.

I’m not missing Australia today. I’m feeling quite embarrassed about being Australian, just days before my first Australia Day abroad in twenty odd years. And I don’t see it getting better.

Like the warmth of the sun…

It’s been a while since a proper update. Here we go.

Emily has arrived in London. There was a golden year there when we worked at Warners and we used to joke around. Being back at Warners and having her around, it feels both comfortable and frighteningly familiar. Even the desks and the atmosphere are kind of 2003.

We went to great New Years party that was as random as it was fun. The highlight was at 5am, when we had no idea how to get home and out of nowhere the clouds parted and provided us with a cab.

Since then work has definitely kicked into gear. Been spending a lot of time at work but that is fine, it’s keeping me occupied. I’m living 5 minutes from the office so I can go home for lunch, and sleep in til the absolute last minute.

I have been having a few sleepless nights. But I’m definitely keeping busy. Meeting lots of people, going to drinks and parties, but not many gigs yet. I have tickets to the Fratellis and Ash at the moment. The weather has been quite mild and if anything negative has to be said about the whole thing, it’s that it already feels quite like a normal life.

I miss the travelling quite a bit especially now it’s warmed up. Had a long chat with Adrian and he helped me realise that maybe staying in London for the next three years or whatever may actually be a worse case scenario. And I can’t forget Europe is just across the water. To that end, this morning, I booked a Eurostar to Paris and will stay the weekend. I love Paris.

Otherwise London has been lovely to me. I’m in Kensington and on Sundays I walk through Hyde Park into Soho. I’ve been gawking at guitars and MacBooks. Yesterday I finally went to the Tate Modern, which I can only describe as breathless. Photos when I get my new laptop, don’t you worry.

I’ve also decided to explore British culture more, now that I’m hear. I re-read the last Harry Potter, and started on a John Peel biography. I’ve been watching This Life. Listening to the radio. Getting into the vibe. I have lots of books I will finally read – Trainspotting, Saturday Night And Sunday Morning, some Sherlock Holmes.

Today I’m at work, trying not to drown in it. My feet hurt from walking. But it’s getting better all the time.

Danny
London

Doesn’t anyone stay in one place anymore?

Okay, after all that, I promise not to write about music for a while.

It’s my last night in South London – tomorrow I strike out on my own, and I have a room in a flat in Kensington to call my own. I’m excited and I’m anxious. It’s going to be cold, it’s going to be lonesome (as opposed to lonely), and I’m going to get very bored at nights, because I don’t want to buy a guitar or a new laptop til my next pay. So I expect a lot of reading time.

Christmas was quite relaxed. I called people from home and if there was an underlying theme, it was how nothing has changed. Only real bit of gossip was two friends who finally hooked up. Then again, I don’t know what I was expecting. Nothing really happens. And when it does, it’s usually bad. It cured a big bout of homesickness though.

And I guess that’s a wrap for 2006. What long, strange trip. I have to keep reminding myself I’m in fucking London. Me and my friend Emily almost got run over today and I thought, hey, better than being run over at home. I’m in the land of Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, Monty Python and East 17.

Hope you have a happy new year, and had one too.

Danny Yau
London (Balham – for the last time)

Working for the Clampdown

I’ve said goodbye to the carefree life and I’ve started again in the work force.

So I’m waking up early in the cold, foggy, plane stopping mornings and catching crowded tubes. But it’s great. A great job, a big change, and things are moving quite quickly. I’ve looked at a place and hopefully I’ll get it.

I’ve come into work at the Christmas season so there’s not a tremendous amount to do, and lots of long lunches. It’s tiring. So tiring that I fell asleep on the tube. I’m back at the same company I was working with 2 years ago, an I’m getting emails from spammers who’ve held onto my email all that time. But the people here are very nice.

So, I’m still in Balham, and will be over Christmas. I’m really looking forward to sleeping for a few days, and call a wrap to this huge year.

Have a happy holidays, everyone!
Danny
London

God bless Tudor houses, antique tables and billiards

So the arrival of Lisa and Kim has sparked off a big slog of tourist activity. Not that I laid too low before then.

Lisa and Kim at Buckingham Palace
l-r: Lisa and Kim at Buckingham Palace

For those tuning in late, Lisa and Kim are from Melbourne, Australia. We became fast friends in Paris, hung out in Spain and they’ve since been to all sorts of places, and have come back to London. What can I say about them. They’ve been keeping me entertained and making me miss Australia. They are pretty much on their return journey home, where I’m still going to be here, on my own for the holidays. In any event, it’s great to have the band back together for one last show.

Me at Abbey Road
Abbey Road

So I’m beginning to get the swing of swinging London. I feel like I’ve adjusted to the weather. It’s like swimming, just keep moving to keep warm. I’m more than fine getting around. I’ve gone back to giving people exact money and not rounding up or down to the nearest 5 cents. I know Debenhams from my Marks And Spencers.

Like I said, it’s all been a bit touristy these last few days. Palaces, parks, statues, towers, famous album covers and more. Kim took this fantastic photo of me at Trafalgar Square:

Me at Trafalgar Square
I’m lion down. Get it??

Guards in London Tower
The guards at London Tower really don’t move.

We also saw some theatre in the West End, an amazing performance of Chicago. In the foyer was a poster of Ashlee Simpson, who played Roxie but had since left. A shame. But it was amazing to see some real theatre.

It’s bittersweet though because after this weekend I rejoin the workforce and pretty much knuckle down for the holidays. Next step is to sort out banking and then getting a place, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Hope everyone’s doing well. If you haven’t gotten a postcard from me, it’s because I haven’t been manage to send even one yet.

Danny

Tourism

So my laptop has finally died. I will try not to descend into cliche with anecdotal details on the laptop from my salad days. Suffice to say it’s quite annoying.

I also start my new job in a week. I realised a flaw in my thinking. I deliberately packed very little for my backpacking. Now I have about 7 t-shirts to last me a year. And one towel. True bachelor living awaits me.

I have finally taken to being a tourist here. Wandered around all the usual – Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Big Ben, some museum hopping and more. I also spent about an hour in Sister Ray, an indie record shop on Berwick Street, ie, the street on the cover of What’s the Story Morning Glory.

I’m completely undecided about what guitar to buy, although I guess a new laptop now takes priority. I want to get something weird, something not found in Australia.

I wish I had something more funny and interesting to say. I did see something called a ‘Dog Toilet’ today, which was basically a sand box in a park. That was pretty funny.

So overall it’s about a 7 out of 10. It’s going to be a boring Xmas of working. And I realise that January here will be quite different to the ones in Australia. No laid back afternoons in a beer garden, no Big Day Out and side shows to round out the month. Just another, normal, everyday month.

Danny
London
(future blogs may be scanned from handwriting)

Blessed

Look, I know optimism and happiness is not cool.

Let me digress. One day, many moons ago, Warwick at Greville was dealing with a customer who didn’t like Paul McCartney. I’ll paraphrase, but our anti-McCartney-ist, let’s call him John…well John just thought Macca was a bit of a lightweight. He’s pop waste. Especially Wings. Where’s the balls? Where’s the passion? Compared to Lennon’s best solo work, which came roaring like fire from the stomach and the heart, Macca was a wet blanket.

To which Warwick responded: It’s not his fault he lived a blessed life.

Which is true. He did. He was the victim of divorce, sure, but he took it in his stride. He was in a great band, made millions, laughed his way through it, married early, very little baggage and didn’t find religion. Would you want him to write and sing something like ‘Mother’? No. So he has his detractors but he’s happier than the lot of us. Yes, it means he churns out mundane work sometimes, but the guy’s blessed, what do you expect?

So I haven’t made McCartney’s millions, but I’m feeling pretty blessed. I sat today in Kensington Gardens, drinking a coffee and thinking about Peter Pan (it’s set in that park). And thinking, for the first time ever, that things have turned out kind of all right for me overall. And any time anyone has ever said to me “You’ll be fine”, I’ve always brushed off, but they are right.

Again, let me digress. I remember something Judie said…”It’s not like you’re whole life is going to fall apart because you haven’t booked a hostel for one night. Like, I lost everything in my life and then I died because I didn’t book a hostel for one night.”

Anyway that’s a long ramble into what I want to say, which is I’ve had a good life. I really have.

I met someone today who knew someone I used to know. Who passed away, and who I miss dearly. I mumbled and stumbled my way through the conversation. And yeah, there are down times. Things go wrong. But I feel like I’ve made so many right moves. Like every job I’ve left there has been mixed feelings, but it always ends up that I left at the right time. I’ve made more right choices then wrong choices. Even when I’ve been off course, something there knocks me back on it.

So I followed my heart out of Australia. Then followed it Spain, which led me to London, which is exactly where I need to be right now. I feel like it’s coming together, and the future is bright. And I look back, and I have no complaints. And few regrets.

I don’t know what you think of Wings. It could be the self indulgent ramble of someone happier than you. A boring tirade that is without heart, fire or balls. Four colours, no edges. That’s fine. Whatever makes you happy, I guess. But it’s not my fault.

(it’s late, I ramble. I prefer McCartney over Lennon. Superman over Batman. Brandon over Dylan.)

Danny
London

Dan-archy in the UK

(I wish I could take credit for the dad joke that is the title of this blog, but I cannot. It belongs to Adrian)

So I left Paris for London and I’ve been here a few days now. I’m staying with Marianne and Tim. They have been lovely to me.

I’m not writing much because I already feel I’m living here rather than adventuring here. I haven’t done many tourist things. Have not been to Abbey Road. Have not seen Big Ben or the London Eye. I did find the statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.

Peter Pan statue, Kensington

The boy who wouldn’t grow up (and a statue of Peter Pan)

I’ve gone for a few jobs and it looks like I might have gotten a good one. Been going out a little but mainly trying to get settled. Trying to figure out which neighbourhood to live in.

There’s more to write but I’ll do it more later. This is just a little update for those who are wondering.

Look Cath, no swearing at all.

Danny