tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36561112012-01-04T22:37:54.833ZOlav told me to do it."an unquiet eddy..."Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.comBlogger4841100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-39597625990670524422012-01-04T22:37:00.003Z2012-01-04T22:37:54.846ZBBC Have Your Say is the most depressing place in the worldWitness here, and click on highest rated.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16393926\
Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-83430675794637493462012-01-03T14:20:00.001Z2012-01-03T14:20:42.869ZThe curious effect of watching Mama Mia!
I finally saw Mama Mia! the movie a few days ago and it reminded me of the Mark Kermode review I heard on BBC Radio Five a few years ago.
It's starts off as unbelievably naff. You almost can't believe you're watching it. You kind of want everyone to stop screaming and shut up. You worry about skin cancer on the unbelievably sunny Greek island. You wonder if Meryl Streep is, in fact, Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-64076131368048076112011-11-30T21:54:00.001Z2011-11-30T21:57:15.638ZKrugman Does The InbetweenersLove Paul Krugman and his column in the New York Times.
Love his passion for Keynesian economics and his willingness to take on all comers.
But what I especially like about today's article is his Inbetweeners impression, right at the end.
Link: Bleeding Britain - Paul KrugmanKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-50432876093444071092011-11-29T17:40:00.001Z2011-11-29T18:02:22.993ZHe's a Living Tabloid Newspaper
Via ITN
Evidence from former News of the World deputy features editor Paul McMullan at the Leveson inquiry was explosive today.
Lots of tittle tattle, lots of celeb name dropping (Brad Pitt, Princess Diana, David Beckham...), lots of sex, drugs and death. Also, lots of righteous indignations. Lots of standing up for the little man against the system and protecting children from evil childKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-19901169833572098922011-11-29T14:30:00.001Z2011-11-29T14:39:42.891ZWith Great Power...
Via Guardian
Sometimes, a journalist needs to bend the rules and skirt on the edge of morality to get to the bottom of a story. This is fine when used to expose a wrong, such as government corruption or a crime, but not fine when used to expose someone's private life or black mail an individual.
I think this is thing that editors and newspaper owners fear, that a blanket ban on such Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-19055205672393614162011-11-28T20:36:00.001Z2011-11-28T23:06:52.648ZDiamond Witness
Source: Reuters
I saw parts of the live stream on the UK Leveson Inquiry into Press Ethics today, and was very impressed by Anne Diamond.
As an ex-print journalist who was subsequently hounded by tabloids after she became a TV presenter, she gave a very even handed opinion on the media balance of good and evil.
Despite shocking revelations of reporters posing as doctors when she went into Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-3230674802637139062011-04-29T07:16:00.001+01:002011-04-29T07:18:06.426+01:00TwitterPlease look to the right. Yes friends, I've started tweeting, please follow me!Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-52562110875354591652010-12-19T00:17:00.002Z2010-12-19T00:20:05.922ZCoughs and Shower Sealants- Get over this bastard cough that's been plaguing me for a week.- Buy sealant to fix our leaky shower.- Don't give up.- Remember who I used to be.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-65565711617082293702010-12-12T18:40:00.002Z2010-12-12T18:42:35.421ZLife's too short to fold socks- Decide what colour to paint small room.- Fill out and send off application for Wimbledon tennis tickets.- Buy socks from Hugo Boss. (It's a Christmas present!)Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-41679444807588960872010-12-11T15:28:00.001Z2010-12-11T15:29:26.364ZIkea and Pax- Go to Ikea and look at the Pax storage system.- Go to the supermarket and buy ingredients for mulled wine.- Try to feel better from cold.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-82966589086143519272010-12-08T22:26:00.003Z2010-12-08T22:35:11.459ZBank and BattleplansTo do- Call the bank and ask why they called the house yesterday.- Finish another section of the Battleplan.- Buy fish, toilet paper, and white wine vinegar from Waitrose.- Scan taxi receipt and send to Eurostar.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-69330871751745820562010-12-07T19:25:00.001Z2010-12-07T19:27:35.170ZTaxes and Gardeners- Set the alarm at 7.30am tomorrow so I can get up for the gardener- Got to the cash machine to get money for the gardener.- Make a check list of what the gardener has to do.- Do my tax returns.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-53212988237263056222010-12-06T19:27:00.005Z2010-12-06T19:38:45.372ZMy Life In ListsThis is what my blog should be called, as that's what I'm going to do now. Make lists.This is what my life has morphed into, a list of things to do, an ever growing list.So here it is for your delight, a Monday to Friday list of things I have to, and should do.- Change the PIN number on my new credit card from the one they gave me.- Call the bank to ask why I don't have a joint Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-58768159776710883742010-11-01T23:42:00.003Z2010-11-01T23:52:59.643ZBlog breakBeen away for a while, is it time to return?To be honest, I'm at a loss to do with this blog.Should it be a diary? I'm redecorating my house at the moment, there are many light hearted anecdotes about choosing different shades of white for the living room, gay furniture designers on King's Road, and my DIY laminate flooring mishaps.Or should it be cultural commentary? I recently Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-42213815260359098212010-05-02T22:21:00.002+01:002010-05-02T22:26:04.109+01:00Boxes from JapanJust opened a load of boxes full of stuff when I was in Japan.Memories rushing back, images filling my brain, old faces coming to say hello.Me wondering where time has gone, and where the people are I used to know.And even if I did find them again, they'd be different like I'm different.And how it might be better to leave them alone, and have them crystallised in my mind, my Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-53442547829586414962010-04-17T18:56:00.003+01:002010-04-17T19:00:38.819+01:00Election erectionYes, I'm excited about the up coming elections.Yes, it will be the closest elections in my voting lifetime.Yes, Nick Clegg has really thrown a yellow spanner in the red and blue works.Yes, television is now influencing British politics.Yes, politics is becoming more presidential, for better or for worse.Yes, politics is now about images as well as messages.Yes, I will be voting.IKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-53872058678861057482010-04-07T22:40:00.002+01:002010-04-07T22:43:15.945+01:00I used to do this for freeNow it's part of my job.How I Overcome Range Anxiety in Mitsubishi's New Electric CarWasn't such a waste of time, was it?Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-79547308928558430312010-04-06T19:39:00.002+01:002010-04-06T19:41:30.259+01:00Early startsI have early starts this next fortnight.I have to wake up at 6am for the next two weeks.But still I stay awake until past midnight.I look forward to the burnout. Until it happens, then I hate the burnout.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-9367073332751795892010-04-04T02:01:00.008+01:002010-04-04T02:18:57.531+01:00Kick Ass - Movie** SPOILER ALERT **Saw Kick Ass tonight and it was awesome.Excellent characters. I really did care if Kick Ass would get the girl. I really did feel for the plight of Big Daddy and Hit Girl. I also felt a bit sorry for Red Mist, being the son of his workoholic gangster father.Action scenes were original, shocking, and exciting. The first fight where Kick Ass gets stabbed, then Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-78492646428681827642010-03-30T18:55:00.002+01:002010-03-30T18:57:12.773+01:00Test DriveTest drove an electric car for work today.All I can remember is seeing the aftermath of two car crashes.Smashed bricks, twisted bonnets, broken glass.And policemen listening to frantic or shocked drivers.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-62590068035759247952010-03-29T23:11:00.002+01:002010-03-30T22:38:47.949+01:00TV SympathyThere's a cleaner in my office that looks like the dad in Ugly Betty.This makes me sympathetic towards him.Although he could be a total wanker.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-29551648746615190722010-03-28T21:56:00.002+01:002010-03-28T22:01:46.166+01:00Green Zone - movieSaw the new Paul Greengrass/Matt Damon movie Green Zone today.Was pretty good: exciting action sequences, back room bickering, intrigue, professionals failing their responsibility and soldiers going outside their duty boundaries.A piece of fiction, well realised if not revolutionary.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-9386019061742146832010-03-27T00:44:00.003Z2010-03-28T22:02:25.230+01:00GI Joe - movieWas pretty atrocious in many many ways.Like Team America without the irony.But some of the action scenes were not bad.And Brendon Frasier and Jonathan Pierce are in it too.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-17959533074102242322010-03-25T23:29:00.003Z2010-03-28T22:02:43.595+01:00Young peopleWas on a train home with a load so school kids today.Instead of slagging them off, I quite enjoyed listening to their conversation and it gave me hope in the future of humanity.Intelligence, wit and charm; where all of life's possibilities are pregnant realities.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-15069875631467907212010-03-24T23:17:00.003Z2010-03-28T22:02:57.902+01:00I own a DJToo tired to type much.I bought a dinner jacket yesterday though.My wardrobe is (probably) complete.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-88844226441754941202010-03-22T20:22:00.003Z2010-03-28T22:03:16.076+01:00Hang the DJTried to hire a dinner jacket today in Canary Wharf.Only one shop does hires.And they don't do instant hires.The guy asked my why I didn't come in sooner.Fricking wiseass.I only found out I need one on Friday.I tried to buy one, on the condition that he gave me a rental receipt and then I could at least claim that back through the company as an expense.No go.So I left without a dinner Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-72964048902670632082010-03-18T21:51:00.002Z2010-03-28T22:03:29.549+01:00Life really is too shortLife really is too short.I feel like I want to experience a hundred lifetimes, and live life many times over.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-25415923039471869402010-03-17T21:06:00.002Z2010-03-28T22:04:00.440+01:00Carbs on carbsI had fried rice for dinner tonight. Topped with boiled potatoes.Yeah, I love them carbs.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-34432668673000525462010-03-16T21:17:00.005Z2010-03-28T22:04:33.288+01:00Too much stuffThe chief executive officer of Scottish and Southern Energy utility company told me I have too much stuff today.Ian Marchant said: "You have too much stuff!"I wanted to say back: "I've only just moved house. I don't have anything!"But there were another two hundred people in the conference hall, listening the the leader of the 23rd biggest company in the UK.Then Philip Green, chief Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-63959143128452339572010-03-15T20:44:00.004Z2010-03-28T22:04:55.059+01:00Football fade awayI heard two young men talk about football today on the train.One was reeling off the winners of the Champion's League from 2001 onwards.The other was commenting on the finals: this guy scored in this game, that guy scored in another.They were reminiscing about footballers, how good they were back then, which team they subsequently joined, the ups and downs of dozens of Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-92206847892950744662010-03-14T18:52:00.007Z2010-03-28T22:05:17.896+01:00Big Mac vs WhopperHad a Burger King Whopper meal and a Big Mac meal in the space of two days.Early mornings over the weekend had something to do with it.I've not eaten a burger meal for around 6 months I reckon, and probably 6 months before that was the one before.I remember my first Big Mac. It was with my grandma.I remember feeling really proud when I finished it. Like I achieved something. Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-23489945934614437892010-03-13T12:28:00.003Z2010-03-28T22:05:27.962+01:00Well that didn't last longI didn't post yesterday, even though I took the pressure off me to post.It's all a matter of time.I've been listen to Bob Dylan again recently, after downloading an Arena documentary about him off the iPlayer.It isn't really a documentary, more like clips of him during the Newport Folk festival from 1963-1965, when he went electric.It's great to see this old footage, butKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-67870257806031966902010-03-11T21:54:00.003Z2010-03-28T22:05:40.348+01:00New year, new blogI'm restarting this blog.Instead of posts, it will just be a load of notes.Not made into a flowing post. There will be no beginning, middle, and end.Or it depends, there might be if things happen to fall in that way.The sentences will be coherent, but maybe not the whole post. That takes too long, and time is the only commodity I now care about now.I'll attempt to post everydayKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-11601298089122991942009-12-20T22:27:00.003Z2009-12-20T23:12:06.359Z I will end up doing what you tell meJust had a thought that the X Factor versus Rage Against the Machine chart battle that ended today is a perfect conclusion to the British cultural landscape of the last ten years.Why? Well in one corner, we have the X Factor. Reality TV is in its most perfect noughties form. We have the ordinary people. We have their stories. We have a peek into the lives Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-8014253080815195722009-09-08T00:09:00.002+01:002009-09-08T00:10:50.466+01:00They are always firsthttp://www.theonion.com/content/news/next_tarantino_movie_an_homage_to?utm_source=a-sectionKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-68212302437642504062009-09-06T12:59:00.009+01:002009-09-06T21:16:44.244+01:00Inglourious Glorious BasterdsSaw the new Quentin Tarantino film, Inglourious Basterds, and thought it was excellent, despite it being a bit too long and containing spasms of unnecessary flourishes.While the trailer makes you believe the story is about an elite group of Jewish American soldiers rampaging around Nazi occupied France, the meat of the film revolves around a plot to bomb/burn down a Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-71876597145817968402009-06-28T11:37:00.006+01:002009-06-28T22:04:18.885+01:00Why I Won't Be Watching the Piece of Shit that is the New Transformers MovieI am the exact demographic that the new Transformers move, Revenge of the Fallen, should appeal to.Sure, also new teenage boy fans, but also the guys that were brought up on Transformers, and had the original cast metal toys. The kids that would rub the mysterious black sticker that would reveal an Autobot or Decepticon Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-8082533346016431042009-05-28T22:48:00.003+01:002009-05-28T22:50:44.301+01:00Review I did of the Kuniyoshi exhibitionI have to pay the bills, right?http://www.dimsum.co.uk/culture/review-kuniyoshi-at-the-royal-academy-of-arts-london.htmlKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-59223923977081750592009-05-06T20:27:00.004+01:002009-05-06T20:32:17.217+01:00I know it's lazy to just drop in a YouTube clipsBut it's kinda related to the previous post. And there are a shitload of them.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-25125317516876362152009-05-05T20:33:00.003+01:002009-05-05T21:15:46.594+01:00Demons and Angels trailer - the best bit about the new Wolverine movieSaw X-men Origins: Wolverine yesterday. It was a bit rubbish really. Some half decent action scene and lots of sledgehammer exposition (ever wanted to know what happens if you shoot Wolverine in the head with an adamantium bullet? Well this film tells you, no really it tells you to your face and waves signs in case you Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-55564443939659405472009-03-28T12:16:00.005Z2009-03-28T14:00:25.130ZFinally turned 30So it finally happened, I turned 30 and handed in my young persons card, ready for my life in the pastures, never to experience the chase, the thrill of life, the surprises and fresh feelings of youth.I look back at all the things I have done and wonder if it's a life well spent? Some bits have gone well, other bits could have gone better, but what I most regret is the missed Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-91339286547451003912009-03-15T13:11:00.009Z2009-03-15T14:23:57.696ZWatched man***SPOILER WARNING*** ***THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS***I saw the Watchmen last week and came away with mixed feelings about it.The plot of Watchmen is a bit too complicated to explain concisely so I will explain what I think is the main premise: what would it be like to live in a world with real super heroes? Set in a alternative 1985, Richard Nixon is still in power, the world is Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-42754362539420712202009-02-23T21:05:00.013Z2009-02-23T22:11:57.078ZReassessing MoviesI re-watched two Tom Cruse films over the past two weeks, and have come to different opinions about them from the first time I watched them several years ago. Those two films are Vanilla Sky and Collateral.CollateralMy initial view of Collateral was dim: I found the existential hitman concept tired (done by better by Leon, funnier by Grosse Point Blank and a thousand times in Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-39692011564879869872008-12-21T18:34:00.003Z2008-12-21T18:57:19.578ZHallelujah x 4It looks like Alexandra Burke's version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah will be Christmas number one, with Jeff Buckley's version in at number two. But for your consideration is my personal favourite, by John Cale and a bonus of an amazing version by Alison Crowe (see live performances below). Why do I like John Cale's version more than Jeff Buckley's version? I think I like the Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-82028596892783709652008-12-13T12:24:00.002Z2008-12-13T12:38:08.379ZNew WordI learnt a new word at the Byzantine exhibition last week. Psychosostria. It means "she who saves souls".I also looked an object that is said to contain a bit of the cross Jesus was nailed to. Apparently (or as legend has it), Constantine's mum, Helena, went searching for the cross in 200 something AD and found it. And a bit of the cross was put into a ornamental cross, which we can Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-83613957661692145552008-12-09T20:15:00.005Z2008-12-09T21:25:45.888ZTwo World Changing EventsA bout of insomnia last night got me thinking of the time I'm living in. I began by wondering why the Mumbai attacks didn't affect me as much as 9/11. Nor 7/7 really. Nor the Madrid bombs in 2004. I suppose the most probable reason for this feeling is that 9/11 is a historic moment. A single event that changed everything after it. A moment that happens once in a Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-376648795882245252008-11-23T12:48:00.003Z2008-11-23T13:13:18.148ZThoughts on Starship Trooper *WARNING: SPOILERS*I watched Starship Trooper again the other day, after it was brought up at a dinner party I was at, but this time I had the DVD version and managed to listen to the director's commentary and wanted to comment on the audiences' reaction to Dizzy and Carmen.According to director Paul Verhoeven, audiences around the world hated Carmen, from the USA, toKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-79827035643363452342008-11-10T21:21:00.003Z2008-11-10T21:25:45.364ZWhat I DidJust wrote the following email to someone I haven't seen since I was in Japan. I think it sums up my life:---fucking hell, so much shit has happened!so lisa got married! you both look lovely in the photo. goddamn, it seems like such a long time ago since i saw you both. yowsers! i really hope she's happy.i think i left tajimi before the other lot came along, and the only other guy i Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-77442428934240819012008-10-12T18:00:00.007+01:002008-10-12T23:08:36.190+01:00Straw Dogs - Movie CommentsIt has been a while since I've seen a film that made me want to blog, and it had to be a movie by maverick director, Sam Peckinpah that has forced me back onto the computer. The film is Straw Dogs and isn't just controversial because it is brutal and violent, but more importantly, it's amoral and turns accepted society on its decapitated head. In the UK, it was bannedKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-72233609597688509562008-09-06T13:23:00.002+01:002008-09-06T13:29:12.444+01:00i hate domino's pizzaI ate a Domino's pizza two years ago and didn't like it so much that I've been slagging it off ever since. Now the Onion are doing it for me. Hurrah.Domino's Scientists Test Limits Of What Humans Will EatKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-52049764730105155192008-08-03T22:15:00.005+01:002008-08-03T22:21:39.724+01:00More linksSorry I haven't been writing much. I might start blogging from work, could take the edge off the day.Anyway, here are some links to other things I've had publish.This is a travel feature about Maui.This is review of a photo exhibition at Tate Modern.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-88053410711778029562008-06-15T22:29:00.003+01:002008-06-15T22:33:49.267+01:00More Travel StuffHere's something I wrote about Vietnam.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-4615545760688339532008-05-28T21:58:00.002+01:002008-05-28T22:00:43.599+01:00Home TownHere's a travel feature I did about a town near where I grew up.http://www.travelbite.co.uk/feature/uk/england/west-sussex-idyll-$1224707.htmKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-1012582038080731022008-05-17T08:03:00.004+01:002008-12-11T22:22:16.604ZBusiness Trip #2Went to Barcelona a couple of weeks ago for work and stayed for a few days. Admittedly I spent most of my time in a conference hall in a business hotel, but managed to get out for one afternoon and one morning. This is the third time I've been to Barcelona so had seen most of the touristy things before, but decided to see the touristy things again since I didn't have much time Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-65993948039084555872008-04-13T22:56:00.009+01:002008-12-11T22:22:16.870ZCambridge Heath Station Here's a photo of the train station I use to get to work. You might be able to see a steel works in the background that seems to dominate the local skyline.It's not a big station and only a handful of people are on the platform each morning as I wait. What I like about it is the colour of the bricks (called London stock, I think) which seems to absorb the early sunshineKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-38384197069827530052008-04-06T17:27:00.007+01:002008-12-11T22:22:17.975ZOlympic Torch in Hackney, East LondonI made my way to see the Olympic torch being carried through my part of London and saw the protests and police. All in all, it was a pretty peaceful protest, though loud, and the police did their best in a difficult situation. I also took some snaps, from the preparation, to the arrival of the torch and finally the aftermath.Some people supported the Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-20732661454819288502008-03-24T15:46:00.001Z2008-03-24T15:47:44.917ZEver wondered...what Smoke on Water would sound like when played by a traditional Japanese orchestra? Wonder no more...Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-90935971315383790822008-03-18T22:32:00.002Z2008-03-18T22:35:57.821ZArthur C Clarke: RIPFirst Anthony Minghella then Arthur C Clarke. And they say things happen in threes...Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-30967150356713444332008-03-05T21:54:00.002Z2008-12-11T22:22:18.196ZCD ReviewI reviewed another CD. They're a band called Beach House and the album is called Devotion. I thought it was ok, walking on the edge of dreamy lightness and occasionally falling into the crevice of high-pitch annoyingness.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-64682222272849540532008-02-28T23:11:00.006Z2008-02-28T23:32:15.493ZPress Gets Good PressSo Prince Harry has been to war and not told anyone. Well, that's not true. People were told and upon their honour they swore to secrecy. Upon their honour and a promise of all the footage you can print/broadcast after his tour is over that is.Since becoming a journalist, only have I noticed how the world hates journalists. Not only oppressive regimes like China and BurmaKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-57379759209747683432008-02-25T18:46:00.003Z2008-02-25T18:56:01.553ZBits and PiecesNot blogged for a while, but I have a good excuse. I have a new job!I'm going to be writing for a mining magazine, talking about sand, clay, limestone and a whole host of other industrial minerals. They have already asked me to go to Athens to cover a conference and I haven't even started for them yet!Meanwhile, I have also been writing more articles and reviews. The best of theKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-13215992584065993182008-01-13T16:55:00.000Z2008-12-11T22:22:18.373ZLust, Caution indeedJust saw the new Ang Lee film, about Japanese occupied China during the Second World War.Lust, Caution is a more than a spy thriller and more than a love story. It's passionate and cruel. It's sensual and brutal. It is shot beautifully in 1940's Hong Kong and Shanghai and the main female protagonist, Tang Wei, is brilliant.Though it is hard to fault, it is also difficult toKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-56562825312561026502007-12-31T00:02:00.000Z2007-12-31T02:23:10.217ZLast Post of 2007Sorry I haven't posted much recently. I've been busy with a new job, and am also now thinking of looking for another new job.2007 has been a transitional year. I've already mentioned my new job, but entailed with that is all the events that lead to that job and all the things that have happen because of it.After being reject from another job in early 2007 (as a Regional ManagerKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-27493475824439553872007-11-18T17:48:00.000Z2007-11-18T17:53:00.993ZGood news from BadPity it's only a delay and not a full blown derailment.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-19350906700199836082007-11-13T18:30:00.000Z2007-11-13T18:36:08.696ZLinksHere's more things I wrote:A gig review of Ani DiFrancoA feature about online games.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-88084202556646979012007-10-25T22:52:00.000+01:002007-10-25T23:03:54.697+01:00Book ThoughtsJust finished Paradise Lost. It has taken me over 6 months to read it. Was it worth it?There are good things and some things I didn't really understand or like that much. I liked all the bits with Satan. Satan. What a brilliant character. He obviously kicks arse compared to Jesus. Jesus is a soppy yes-man. Satan is a ball-on-the-line, take no shit devil in devil's clothing. Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-68982518309019534052007-10-10T23:10:00.000+01:002007-10-10T23:14:59.044+01:00BAD BYLINE: Flooding and Book ReviewSome more things I wrote. Something on flooding and a book review of Serve the People!Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-16985034219855326072007-09-29T18:32:00.000+01:002007-09-29T18:38:06.061+01:00BAD BYLINE: Gig Review - Rachel Unthank and The WintersetHere's a review of Rachel Unthank and The Winterset, a nu-folk band from Tyneside.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-89196350324518664892007-09-11T21:43:00.000+01:002008-12-11T22:22:19.040ZBAD BYLINE: Skin and Bare ItSome skin cancer goodness, which I also wrote for work.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-39537545206340790952007-09-04T16:59:00.000+01:002008-12-11T22:22:19.181ZBAD BYLINE: Warming to Food BugsHere is something I wrote for work. I must say that after researching and writing this, I've begun to cook my food a lot more closely.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-52361819792370989732007-09-01T12:35:00.000+01:002007-09-01T12:38:07.461+01:00A Lesson In RehabilitationPrison in the Philippines looks like such a laugh.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-48940310973829459702007-08-06T15:08:00.000+01:002007-08-06T15:12:55.821+01:00BAD BYLINE: Gig Review of Of MontrealThey aren't Canadian apparently...Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-10085980358513952212007-08-03T00:12:00.000+01:002007-08-03T00:17:17.820+01:00BADBYLINE: Art Review of the Same Thing As Last TimeBut to a different audience.I hope you can enjoy the subtle differences in tone and subject matter.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-53761809063550034252007-08-01T21:44:00.000+01:002007-08-01T21:46:05.150+01:00Ad Break #1Just had to share this because it is great. Tony Hancock in some 1960's egg commericals...Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-5970425017377897812007-07-30T10:54:00.000+01:002008-12-11T22:22:19.437ZBADBYLINE: Art Review: Crafting Design in Modern Japan at the British MuseumHere is another review I did of an art show.This is why I haven't been blogging much. There might be more to come...Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-69124499511178344072007-07-28T11:32:00.000+01:002007-07-28T11:52:17.076+01:00Four Feet High and Rising (picture taken from BBC drama series)Everyday we've been hearing of more bloody rain in the worst hit areas. Some say it's a complete and utter disaster. Others say it's nothing compared to other natural disasters, such as the Boxing Day tsunami or Hurricane Katrina.I think the place you call home is the most sacred places you have. To have it invaded and damaged in Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-1471729988018177782007-07-23T11:43:00.000+01:002007-07-24T12:34:19.408+01:00Example to the World?Turkey's Islamist AK Party win the General Election on Sunday, even though critics say they could threaten the country's secular constitution. PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would continue reforms and push to join the European Union.People often highlight the fact that Turkey is the crossroads between Europe and Asia. I'm happy that the AKP have won and now get a chance toKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-82612130359745483442007-07-21T09:57:00.000+01:002007-07-21T10:24:31.576+01:00Potty for PotterThe final Harry Potter book has gone down a storm. Literally in some regions.A lot of people don't like Harry Potter. Most famous critics of J.K.Rowling are A.S.Byatt and Harold Bloom, complaining her books are derivative and cliched. They may be true, but I don't mind. The thing that I like about Harry Potter is that it makes children excited about books.You've seen the Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-2429306251817980692007-07-20T10:35:00.000+01:002007-07-20T11:34:13.615+01:00Better Than GodThere is now a computer program that is unbeatable at draughts. The makers of Chinook says, "This program could play draughts against God and it would get a draw."Don't you just love human hubris? As if God had nothing better to do than play stupid games. He probably more likely wringing his hands over the mess we have made of this planet. It took him a day to make the oceans, Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-91323886628235576552007-07-19T11:00:00.000+01:002007-07-20T11:34:54.100+01:00Edit Edit EditThe BBC is spreading itself too thinly, says Neil Midgley in the Daily Telegraph. And who am I to disagree.I too am constantly surprised at the amount of trashy shows on the BBC. If I had my way, there would be no more shows involving antiques, cooking, house buying or talent/audition shows. It always surprises me when Bargain Hunt is followed by Cash in the Attic. It's the sameKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-53092335190263151352007-07-18T16:00:00.000+01:002007-07-20T11:35:19.305+01:00Names Names NamesI never knew the Royals had to change their names. They were too German sounding apparently, and that was bad in the early 20th century.I often wonder too about my name, and its weird non-English sounding double consonant. I too often wonder when I'm applying for a job, if they will read it and think, "Nah, I ain't pronouncing that." I wonder what images spring up when they Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-12284886016314691072007-07-08T14:32:00.000+01:002007-07-08T14:37:31.163+01:00Bad Byline #3 & #4Some art pieces I did on Gormley's Blind Light and Hong Kong action film Hard Boiled.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-1736940881573973622007-07-02T19:35:00.000+01:002007-07-02T19:37:06.240+01:00InterestingInteresting link to a difficult problem. I wonder where it will all end.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-62818934209273459502007-06-25T17:12:00.000+01:002007-06-25T17:16:28.098+01:00Bad Byline #2http://www.dimsum.co.uk/viewpoints/are-hong-kong-people-feeling-more-chinese-10-years-after-the-handover.htmlKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-62931208313993047982007-06-11T21:45:00.000+01:002007-06-11T22:08:10.566+01:00Weird SundayI had an odd Sunday. Went to the cinema to watch a screening of Hard Boiled, the classic Hong Kong action film, in central London. The screening was free, so there was a long queue going all the way around the corner, leading into Leicester Square.So there I was, waiting in line at 10 in the morning, when who do I see, it's Alistair; a guy I used to work with in Tajimi in Japan. Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-42404528644704028212007-05-25T14:12:00.000+01:002007-05-25T14:13:40.688+01:00West Beach – Littlehampton.You approach West Beach by driving up narrow roads that twist and turn, until you reach the River Arun. You carry on with the river to your left, outpacing the driftwood and detritus, until you get to the gaping mouth of the gaping river. You park the car, headlight pointing toward the Channel and head towards the gate, walking past the old public toilets.At first theKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-18331409557429199022007-05-19T15:52:00.000+01:002007-05-19T15:54:27.904+01:00Last Night's TVSaw Derren Brown's show last night. He made a woman think she was dead. I don't believe there are no lasting effect from such as experience.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-5098403868215867722007-05-07T10:04:00.000+01:002007-05-07T10:06:57.573+01:00Bad Byline #1http://www.bbc.co.uk/humber/content/articles/2007/05/04/japan_iron_feature.shtmlKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-52500801129424894512007-04-22T20:54:00.000+01:002007-04-22T21:39:50.012+01:00Book Shops are like Shit LibrariesWhen I have nothing to do on a given high street, I always head for the book shop to spend my time. I never look at books I want to buy, only those I have no intention of buying.The Waterstones I went to was very reader friendly. It had tables and chairs and sofas. People loafed and read brand new books. They sat with their legs stretched and elbows on Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-80588628339064591242007-04-19T21:00:00.000+01:002007-04-19T21:26:46.502+01:00NBC "news"When I heard that NBC got the videos all I could see was a room full of news producers, rubbing their hands, thinking it was the best cocaine Christmas happy heroin holiday present they could have ever got. The biggest story of the year so far and they were gift wrapped something that would explode in the faces of everyone in the world.I bet they mentioned ratings and exposure. I bet Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-70156064557853575412007-04-18T22:24:00.000+01:002007-04-18T22:34:16.061+01:00New CourseStarting a course in journalism next week. It's a post graduate diploma apparently.They said it's a full time course and I'm expected to write of an additional 15-20 hours a week. This might effect the blog. But, this also may be good for the blog. I might just post up all my essays and assignments here (slightly edited so no-one will steal them.) I also might not because I don't Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-79821421572413026332007-04-10T14:59:00.000+01:002007-04-10T15:20:11.548+01:00Horses and DeathI was walking down Lordship Lane in Dulwich today and as I was walking, I saw a funeral procession. The coffin was drawn by 4 horses down the main high street. It has a wreath of flowers that spelt out "SON".The coffin carrying carriage (I'm sure there's a proper name for it, please let me know if you know) was black and decorated in silver. The two drivers (again, offical nameKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-1511094021485224362007-04-04T10:23:00.000+01:002007-04-04T10:30:55.171+01:00Milton KeynesWas in Milton Keynes for a few hours yesterday. It's a city made by a committee. It's half concrete half boy band. It's straight lines and ninety degree corners. It's the only place in England that reminds me of a David Lynch film. It has a certain foreboding and hidden menace. The geometric symmetry is just too neat and too tidy. You know something terrible must be happening Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-75826063707883736532007-03-21T14:56:00.000Z2007-03-21T16:21:48.152ZEating Food #10 - Curry 2000I just went to a curry place in Bethnal Green, near Bethnal Green tube station (and it might have even been on Bethnal Green High Street). In any case, it was across the road from a Nandos. It was called Curry 2000, despite it being 2007.From the outside it looks like a kebab shop. If you asked me why I decided to stop in there for lunch, I couldn't tell you. It Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-67561682570183989062007-03-20T22:19:00.000Z2007-03-20T23:16:37.477ZTitleI saw a trailer of a film called: "The Hills Have Eyes 2"I thought it should have been called: "The Hills Have 2 Eyes"*zzzz...*Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-82860633316373034772007-03-17T21:12:00.001Z2007-03-17T21:46:41.346ZWalking in HackneyStaying in Hackney for a few days. I took a walk today, and this is what I saw.A Fair Trade cafe. A Saturday food market. Pain au chocolat for a pound each. Stained red brick buildings. Old women smoking. Young men wearing stripy scarfs and in tight jeans. Young women wearing knitted hats and knitted gloves. Vietnamese restaurants. Vietnamese cornershops. A police Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-68083628565976275282007-03-11T18:20:00.001Z2007-03-11T18:20:52.377ZRelateFinally. Someone I can relate to.Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-59416745235221042212007-03-08T15:26:00.000Z2007-03-08T23:05:44.701ZEating Food # 9 - Green Tea Ice CreamNow spring is coming, my thoughts turn to ice cream. Haagen Das ice cream. I actually believe anytime of the year is good for ice cream. It's not just here to cool you down. There's more to ice cream than that.Did you know that Haagen Das exists in Japan? Did you know they have their own range especially designed for the Japanese market? Flavours includeKwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-61589332281222547852007-03-01T12:02:00.000Z2007-03-01T12:05:11.240ZBook BlagTry this:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6404297.stmGo on. Then I'll tell you which one I thought it was...Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656111.post-89123759161773618682007-02-28T12:36:00.000Z2007-02-28T12:53:07.408ZEating Food #8 - Baked BeansI love baked beans. When I was living in Japan, I really missed baked beans.I can eat baked beans straight out of the can. When I went to Glastonbury, I ate value Tesco beans straight from the can. I ate it at night, around the campfire, whilst watching the plastic bags and newspapers burn. I ate it in the cold morning, wondering what time it was and trying to Kwokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15403848642146144331noreply@blogger.com2