Life is Buttons, Switches, Knobs and Screens
Wake up to my mobile alarm, the screen says 4:30… I press the snooze button. 3 More times and it’s nearly 5. Switch on the light and see a screen with my reflection. Not a pretty sight at 5am. Get my things and get in the shower, close the screen door and turn some knobs. (Was gonna mention something funny about knob hygiene but just the mention should be enough). I notice something new in the bathroom, housemate got herself a toothbrush with… guess what… A BUTTON! Look at my computer screen and press some buttons to add some new music and charge my mp3 player. Back to he screen with my reflection… fix up the mess I saw early… the eyes will work out themselves as I wake up slowly. Get in the bus, tap my card, screen says 3 days to expiry. Look through large screens till I near my stop and press a button to let the driver know. Get to the work entrance and press a combination of buttons to get in. Repeat the process on a second door. Switch on the lights and my computer. The whole day now I’ll be seated in front of a screen hitting buttons. Look through the window screen to the other room and there are my coworkers doing the same.
Lunch time. Get to the shops and get my lunch. The lady passes my lunch across a screen and asks me to pay. I insert my card and follow instructions on the screen. Hmmm 4 buttons to press, I better get this right. YES! But wait forgot to ask for cash back… repeat process at an ATM. By now lunch is over and after lunch I gots to have a chocolate! Spot a vending machine and behind the screen there’s all sorts of goodies… I’ve been craving the dark chocolate Bounty so press the respective buttons for the machine to drop my candy. Screen says I got change but it’s not coming out… oh I gotta press a button for that too.
Work… same old. Finish work and since I left my bike at work I’ll cycle to the gym. Turn a few knobs on the combination long and off we go. Get to the gym… soooo many more buttons and screens and displays of all sorts. Treadmill, exercycle, crosstrainer, rowing machine… looks like my fingers are getting a workout too. I’m done and feeling like I wanna relax to a movie and some company. The cinema next door is perfect so text my date so we can both relax by sitting still and silent to an extra large screen and to see better I have this frame on my face that has a couple of little see through screens to make my vision better.
Guruji’s Knowledge – 24th December 2007 from Someshwar Koshti:
Guruji conducted moonlight meditation… followed by the question and answer session.
*Question:* Guruji logically there is no reason to be happy. But happy state of mind doesn’t follow any logic. Is happiness related to logic?
*Guruji:* (laughter) The whole exercise in life is to balance the head and the heart. When you are too much into head, u should just let go, and relax, sing and dance. You know your sleep is a gift to you. Do you know that? During sleep the mind gets so much of rest! But meditation is the ultimate rest to your mind.
*Question:* Guruji, life was becoming weaker and weaker everyday. Then one day you came. You charged up with so much of love and blessings. What is the guarantee that it is going to stay for ever?
*Guruji:* (laughter) It’s a life time guarantee. For many life times. Here u know, the charge never finishes. Its not a disposable cell, what u call it?!!? The sun the moon the starts don’t finish. Do they finish? When Lord Krishna said, “I am the sun the moon, the light in the sun…”, people did not understand! The mind is like the rays of the moon. The whole world is made up of one energy. I recently heard something; someone was telling that Einstein had said that, “If u have not studied physics u loose out something, but if you have not studied spirituality you loose out on everything”. I totally agree with that. Many are surprised to hear that, but
I was not!
*Question:* Guruji, often I don’t realize how seva is happening and sometimes I think I am doing it. Who is it actually who does?
*Guruji:* Who is the one who is observing? When you focus on that you will know that, First the eyes are seeing, then the mind, then the intellect, go on with this … and you will see that there is nothing! That’s why Lord Buddha said “Anaatma”. He said, “I could not find the self anywhere, though I searched and searched”. Then Lord Shankaracharya came and said, “Its all
Maya” temporary”. Then he said, “Who is the one who could not find? That is the one”!! He totally turned around the whole picture to a new dimension with a new sentence! You are the one and you are never away from the self! That’s why we do, “I am”.. Have you done the “I am”process today? Advance course… During the process you must had several pleasant and unpleasant experience. Its ok.. huh…they come and go, what remains is the self.
*Question:* Guruji how can I eliminate conflict with my wife. I want to make her happy at the same time cannot agree to everything she says. Can you help?
*Guruji: *Why do you want a bland life? (laughter) Life should be spicy, interesting. Its absolutely ok to fight! You just tell yourself, today let her scream, I am not going to get angry on her!! You stand like a rock and keep smiling!! See how things turn around! Just one day you do that, and you will see you are so potent to end a conflict or may be begin a new one!! (laughter)!!
*Question:* Guruji why are there so many spiritual institutions? Do we need so many? Why cannot people follow one institution?
*Guruji:* No come on… You never ask why are there so many cinema halls? You never ask why are there so many shops, so many restaurants, so many parties?!!? Why do we wear so many different types of cloths!??!?! This question is not relevant at all. There are so many avenues to bring the knowledge. So many different methods to are there to get to the knowledge. Only the Zihadis say such things. We want only one thing! Only one way! Well things may not be the way you want it, but let me tell you they all have their own importance. Rigveda said something beautiful. It said for those who don’t believe in him, he is there for them also!! Swami Vivekananda
came, he found an institution. Then Rishi Aurobindo came he formed another institution…. We have take up a different way through yoga and meditation…There is no conflict with one another! There is one common thing I think in all and that is meditation.
*Question:* Guruji I got your blessings today, how long will the blessings last?
*Guruji:* (Laughter) depends on what you are going to use it for. I am ready to give you a blank cheque. But what will you use it for!??!
*Question:* Guruji give me bhahma gyan?
*Guruji:* I am ready to give you and that’s what is what you are doing here. Relax and let go. Become hollow and empty. And only when you are hollow and empty you are ready to take it.
*Question:* How different are you from mother and father?
*Guruji:* I don’t want to get into this conflict. How different am I or how similar am I! You find out all that! Some people find both… so you figure that out.
*Question: *Guruji what is the best way to serve the society as a future doctor?
*Guruji:* You know you should keep this question. This is a very good question. How best can I contribute to my society!! But don’t try to do something which is not required! (Laughter!!) Have you heard the story of the scout boys? I think I have told it to you before. Ok…ok I’ll repeat! There were three scout boys. One day they were given a task to do some service. So they went on the road and were wondering what seva to do?!?! Meantime one of them saw a old lady who was standing across the road. The scout boy came upto her ands asked “Would you like to cross the road?” The old lady said, “No thank you”. The scout boy insisted her that she should
cross the road! Finally he forced her to cross the road. Meantime the other boy who saw that came running and said, “I am going to drop her back from where she came” which means the other side of the road. So he forced the old lady to cross the road again. The third boy came running and said “Well I cannot loose out of seva”. So he got the old lady to cross the road again!!! (Laughter!!) We have to bring people to knowledge and spirituality and meditation.
*Question:* Is there a way to handle success without conflict?
*Guruji:* Yes… yes. You can handle success without any conflict. Because the concept of conflict is there in your own mind. If your mind is free there is no conflict at all!! That’s why in Narada Bhakti Sutra it is said, “aatmarata virodhite”… Rejoice in the self without conflict, and that’s is real devotion.
09/10/09 Friday – Early morning gym session. Fitness First instructor forcing the guys to add more weight and hinting not to come to his class if they can’t do it. Freeze my gym account. Busses to Old Street. Taz shows me her work place… it’s like a college for adults man… got gym, soft water, cafeteria… wicked man! have a fish cake there with extra tartar sauce. Change money at M&S. There were these NSPCC or something guys on the street… you know the guys that want you to pay just a couple of quid to save something or another. Some dude was passing them smoking so this cheeky bugger goes up to him saying ah yes please smoke my way I can’t get enough of passive smoke. Lol after that he sees us passing him and just looks at us and says ‘shall we?’ in such a sarcastic way. Loving it.
Walk to Liverpool Street. We try hunt for our bus stop. Get the coach to Standsted. Link with Davina, check in, Trish joins us, buy booze and food in the duty free. Before boarding I felt something in my inside pocket and realized it was fire crackers I’d found at the Small World festival… shit!!! I went through check in with that in my pocket!? Freaked out so dumped them in the bin before boarding. Note: I seem to attract people that love bloody fiddling behind me… be it standing in the queue they come up too close, cinema seats, etc! Then we get a bus to Oslo and I’m left sitting next to this huge guy. Hell he even let out a sigh of disturbance coz he had to put his bag on his lap! WTF I’m sitting there trying to fit in and still hanging out in the ilse at the same time.
Get to Oslo… walk around to our hotel. Try out their complimentary double salt licorice sweets… at first I was like WTF is this!? Then it’s like… hmmm not too bad. Our rooms is huge man! Loved that and we had like 3 bunks coz Kai and Adele will join us tomorrow. Watch some movie called Election which was random and funny.
10/10/09 Saturday – Kai and Adele join us. Davina’s like ‘care to have a shower and smell like a flower?’ Kai is like ‘wakey wakey hands off snakey’. Have a shower and realized how much I love soft water… I’m gonna move to a country with soft water for sure. McDonald’s brekkie. Sightseeing. Come to The Vigeland Park. LOOOOOTS of naked statues doing all sorts. There was one bit on the fountains walls where it looks like the persons kicking a dog… when most of the other ones are about sex, threesomes, orgies, etc. Weird. Then there was the big phallus thing and the wheel of life. Walk around more. Seaside. Chill. Walk. Trish gets shrimps or prawns. Late lunch… I try their local cheese which is sooooo sweet. Walk again.
Oh and all this time mostly it was Davina and Kai or myself and Kai ahead of the rest. Lol Davina was like if only they used that energy on their legs instead of their mouths. Lol. Kai and Davina had jokes though. Get to the Opera house/building/structure thing and Kai had mentioned it looked like a ski slope… I was like dayum… if it snowed I’d def get on some skis and do it… but then Kai pointed out that it slopes down to the water so… maybe not! Walk back to our area codes… chill and drinks in this rock pub… one group of people in there actually looked like rockers from the …. 60s? Anyway, the post of Slash was the best. Rock music playing in the background and rock videos on tv. Seems like rockers were expressing their transgender side too.
Back to the hotel for some drinks, jokes and chats. End up with some deep debates. Religion and philosophy. By this time I was ready with the whiskey Taz and I got and wanted some music that was not from my cell phone. Now I thought Taz and I were gonna go check out what’s going on but suddenly she’s taking food orders so I went alone. All pumped to party… get out of the hotel and its freeeeeezing! So I’m like better find a kicking joint soon. Didn’t find anything and went back to the hotel… Trish is like where’s Taz? I’m like she didn’t come with me… Trish is like she’s at the 7/11 getting food. I’m like ok I’ll go get her. Get to the 7/11 and I start comparing the guy making hotdogs to Taz’s ex. And I kept insisting to him that he looked like Feys. Like hotdog guy is meant to know Taz’s history or something lol. Next day Taz reminded me and she’s something like … don’t make him the ex guy, make him the next guy kinda thing. Twatswat (thats Dane Cooks term for C-blocking a girl).
Back in our room my sell by date has approached and soon to be in my ‘need a beat’ recovery position. Finish up giving Trish a massage… if thats what you call it… lol this time my mouth doing all the talking… imagine serious discussions and a massage… how relaxing is that! So try to move our bunk in a way I could face the TV… suddenly Trish and Taz and moving it too and the beds just making circles now. Finally get in bed and sulk for a bit. TV. Sleep.
11/10/09 Sunday – Find out Taz and Trish did go out… man I gotta stop being so spoilt! Then again I wanted to get in the place before it went from major buzz to mash up. Pack. Davina, Kai and Adele do their thing. Taz, Trish and I do bed sheets and stuff lol. Check out… leave the dude with our bottles. He’s like everyone just gives me booze but I’m not complaining. I try to find internet coz I’d printed both my boarding passes on one paper trying to save paper and find out they rip part of the paper. Find internet but no printers. Relink with Davina, Kai and Adele, walk around and window shop. Coffee. Find a place to print my boarding pass. Coach (this time 2 noisy guys behind me). Airport (get the seat at the end and a free seat next to me… double whammy!). Man the announcements on the flights are getting too much… the hostess marketing shit, pilot and his sleepy talk makes you feel very safe, then theres recorded announcements about menus, duty free, some flight lottery… just STFU! Land. Goodbyes. Coach to London. Busses home.
Small World Festival 26th August – 3rd Sept 09
26/08/09 Wednesday – Finish packing. Genie’s bleeding all over the place so might not go to Small World today but hope we do or we’ll loose the good tent places. We do leave so bike, train, bike, train, bike. Get takeaway chips for Genie she eats them at George and Dragon and we get lectured and falsely accused of smoking a spliff when it clearly was that dreadlock dude. Pitch tent. Meet a guy in a skirt in the Welfare tent with free tea. Catch some sleep and have a meeting with the Green Goddess crew. Really missed the old crew and this time it was all guys so what a bummer. Guys with a shorter attention span than the kids I worked with a couple of weeks back. They were just talking about drugs most of the time. Ah we have a lady… Dinky. Sista that used to be a bouncer but even into singing and guitar etc. She’ll keep the boys in line. Kinda glad I’m not doing cafeteria this time. I’m teamed up with Ray for litter picking. And boy am I glad it’s with him coz we got the job done Juggernaut-styliee. BTW Ray is my ex-housemate’s good buddy. Sleep but the wind is crazy man it was flattening my tent on me.
27/08/09 Thursday – Morning rounds with Ray (from now on I’ll just call it ‘the usual’) Feeling kinda bad for Genie though coz she’s litter picking solo and keeps wanting us to do it together. But at the same time I remember how much she slowed things down with being high or fuffing about and shlack. Hitch a ride into town. Get back and well when it comes to my teammate Ray… I could write a whole article on just him. Dudes like this gentle giant that steals everyones hearts wherever he goes. And every now and then he’ll impress someone (especially me) with some skill or another. This time it was devil sticks. Major props. Chill. The usual (easy round this time). Acidity. My god what a trip… first of all Luke and Callum were going nuts coz they had 4 tabs. Ray would keep loosing me so I thought I might as well do my thing. Over to Hippie Stevies Heaven tent to play cards with Pheonix and the other kids. Pheonix’s sister Tiger was like why you chilling with kids. I’m like I’ll come chill with you tomorrow ok! One of Pheonix’s friends was so bored he’s like lets go mug people. Then he’s like lets go beat them and rape em… I was still trippin so it was soooo funny. His bro has really ginger hair so he’s called Ginger Pubes. Some of our crew had names like Rimjob! Take the kids to see Joe Driscoll and show him some love. Couldn’t stay long coz I had to get them back. End up chilling with the aunties/masis getting high and bitching or talking politics just like last time. The stars… they looked like this big spider web connected to each other. Then this lady told me to lean back on her hands and see them… that was a major trip. I was getting really worried about Ray too… asking everyone and going round tents and all. But then it was sleep time. ;o)
28/08/09 Friday – Wake up to immigration issues in the next tent. The guy in that tent was such a pu55y… I mean pure b*tch made. More easy rounds of the usual. Wasp stings me. So many of them this time… like soooooo many. Get some tea at the free tea tent. That was our ritual… so now ‘the usual’ also included free tea after work. This time Ray impresses me with harmonica skills. Made me wish I’d got my harp. Another ritual was Ray and I going into town mostly for yum yums and junk and me treating him to a coke at the George and Dragon so I can go take a dump. BTW Sainsbury’s yum yums are way better than M&S… sorry to betray you. ;oP The usual. Yum yums. Rest. Late shift. Same as last time… kids fire juggling and shlack. Sleep.
29/08/09 Saturday – Hitch to town. The usual. This time there’s a tent selling cheesy chips. Larry’s Lounge was not there and my assigned tent, Triban, were not even set up so it’s all good. Tea. Over to the weaving tent with Ray. He teaches me how to weave. Tug of war between the two fires. The guy that started it was the main man coz whatever side he was on that side would win till he switched sides. Usual. Work on some signs for the pig swill. Nap. Tea. Sleep.
30/08/09 Sunday – The bands don’t seem to have gone to sleep. Folks were still partying in the morning. And boy did we have a big workload. Drag. This time we didn’t get a ride to town and it’s a long walk. At one point I was like you pretend to limp and someone might help but no cars stopped. Bastards! At least get a ride back. Usual. Do a bit of catering in Green Goddess. Oh and I wanted to tell Shona that she’s like my Tsunade-sama but it would get too long to explain Naruto. There was this other guy… John thats a drummer and also a clown. And Zolly… I don’t know what he did but him and Rimjob were just jokes. Hang. Wait at the cinema for Wallace and Gromit Were-Rabbit. So while we wait for the serious meeting to finish some of the kids took our place in line when we were near the door right. First this kid is like why are they talking about levitation. We’re like it’s not levitation its meditation. Then this girl hears them talking about sucking on the teat of an elephant and cow. So the levitation kid is like what kinda meditation is that. We all cracked up so bad they had to stop the meeting. Again we’re chilling and mostly it’s kids and this lil kid with an afro just goes straight to Ray and cuddles up with him. I’m saying man… Ray got some amazing vibes… I’d say he’s like Naruto but thats my thang! Sleep.
31/08/09 Monday – Meeting. The usual but really hard work this time and boy did we do a hearty job. For some reason I’s like I really want a cold coke and after that we went hunting for a cold coke. We were trying to avoid going into town for it but ended up there. Rest. Again Ray impresses us with keepup skills on a small ball. Dude should seriously be in a circus or some kinda show. He even does sky jumping/paragliding or whatever it is you call it. Rest. Mad heat so chill in my underwear. Note: My lucky underwear had holes it in and I didn’t even realize. Get some shrooms. And do another hearty job. Then halfway through we ate them so by the time we finish we’d be on like donkey kong. Dip trip, flip fantasia. Went to my tent to layer up and ended up in my sleeping bag till Ray woke me up. Thank god he did coz the moon was especially brilliant today. And I don’t know what it was but the back of my neck wont stop bending so i was constantly looking at the sky even when I was walking. The stars, clouds, moon and Saturn. Yeah we went to the planeterium tent to look at saturn. We could see the rings and I counted about 6 moons. Lol just when I would really get into my trip with the clouds and sky stuff Ray would wanna go somewhere or so something. Note: 3 tranny cheerleaders doing a song and dance at the Full Circle tent. Represent! End up in the tent Ray bought for a 10er coz the original owner guy flipped off his head on acid and his friends sold the tent to Ray. Ahhhh the trip of clouds. They were amazing too and at one point the moon made them look like a dragon, than a shark, then something something. Listen to some Rosie girl (acid jazz) on Rays pod while he falls a sleep so I go back to mines.
01/09/09 Tuesday – Goodbyes and folks start dispersing from Small World. The usual. Tea. Rest. Town. Float. Usual. End up in deep conversations from religion, conspiracy, etc. And the main guy talking was Muriels son Ruben. Dude is like 14 and he’s already into all this. I’d noticed him in the teen tent a lot… dudes def got the Alpha Male traits. Play baseball with this kids monkey toy coz it was annoying and we had to break the machine inside it. The kid totally looked and acted like Macaulay Culkin. Chill by one of the fires to get it going. Some lil girl called Tashi becomes my friend as she wants to melt wax in the fire. She was soooo sweet… I thought I’d recorded a convo with her but cant seem to find it. The Small World tent does dinner for all the crews and folks that worked at the festi. That green curry was amazing whatever it was. And some chicken… YAY! But it tasted more like beef… was so tight and chewy. Look for Ray … I ended up following this cat and it was so friendly. I sat on the bench and it jumped straight on my knee. So while I’m chilling with the pussycat on the bench, theres a caravan next to the bench and suddenly a bright light on us. Some lady comes out with cat biscuits and tells me her story of how she feeds that to the badgers etc. Very nice of you sharing that stuff and it’s really interesting but can you stop distracting the cat so it can chill with me… I’m missing Tasha big time. Wrap party in Green Goddess with crew brew and cream cake things. Rimjob and folks were doing lines of E or something. Oh and this other lady was like some Christianity advocate or something with her chalice and honey wine and what not. Notes: Lots of folks kept telling me namaste but the way they were saying it… Namestay and Numbasstay. Funny note: Someone put muesli in Lukes shoes. Sleep.
02/09/09 Wednesday – Man Ray has been doing fine picking since 7am. Brekkie. Fine picking. Feed the pigs and chickens with pig swill. Shut up tent. Bye bye Ray. Get paid. Genie wanted to stay one more day but I wanted to leave and she wont let go man. Bribing me first, then blackmailing me. I was like this is one time I’m not giving in. But still even on the trains she’s like we shouldn’t go at rush hour what not. I was like in my head I’ve got nothing but positive thoughts and anyway I’d rather suffer 15 minutes in a packed train than cycle home in the rain and wind. Sometimes she’s just too much man so get home and do me… aint nobody gonna mess up the best month I had. Anyway at one point the bus nearly got me… so glad I had the brakes fixed… it just got my elbow and now it’s in pain but at least it’s just the elbow. Notes: Paragliders, hot air balloons and a plane doing stunts in the air at the festival. Home. Unpack, washing etc. Really wanted to type the blog out but Tasha was all it took to forget everything else and just chill with a furry motor of affection and … smells. Lol for some reason she was farting a lot.
03/09/09 Thursday – Wake. Pretend I’m going to drop off bags for Paris so Genie does not get on my case and instead I’m at McD’s typing this lol. And I guess this is where it ends too. ;o) Uh oh… thought thats where it ended but check this out. Finish up at McD’s and get on my bike to go home. Now coz of the road works I thought I’d do a really dangerous thing and get to the footpath on the opposite side of the road right… just as I wheelie on the kerb… I come down and rumble tumble. Now this is a busy cross road so lots of cars stopped to see if things were fine. I couldn’t even think of that coz I was worried about my lappy. After I get up I see the front wheel has come off! WTF?!?!?! Thank god it was today man and not yesterday when I was zooming around in city’s rush hour. Now the bike shop is just down the road so thought I’d go get it fixed… but the shop is closed. I try doing my own fixing there… realize there is some stains on my nice top. I’m hoping is just McD’s red and brown sauce and not blood or anything like that. So not only are both my elbows funked up… my knee is totally fwacked! And walking home is… interesting… because I’d taken julab last night so I don’t know if it’s moisturizer or a mean case of sticky buns.
MY JOURNAL (20th May – 27th May) Small World Festival May 2009
(Slideshow in the end says more than the vids)
20/05/09 Wednesday – Thomas gets the bike. Thank god its so much lighter. Pack up. Get bike repaired. Genie and I leave. Train to Liverpool Street. Bike to London Bridge. Train to Headcorn and Genie gets her drink on in the train. Go to a pub that stopped serving food for refurbishing so one lady tells us it’s ok to get some food and eat on the outside benches. Get food and another bully lady makes us eat across the road by the graveyard. Talking about we’re going upscale. Yeah with that attitude you’re up something alright. Genie wont stop talking about the ‘upscale’ bit lol. Bike to the location and first thing we come across is a big fully black cat. So cuddly! Look for Hippie Steve coz we’re pitching tent next to him instead of with the crew. Steve was there stilling outside the sauna tent all naked. Note: So I made sure I didn’t sit where he did… you know just to make sure I didn’t sit on his skidmarks. We’re a few days early so it’s mostly the party tents and crew tents which are up. Set up shop and chill. Steve has brought his bubble machines so sunsets were always amazing as you see silhouettes of kids playing with the bubbles in the sunset. Note: Everyone is so beautiful. You know like in city it’s usually this ones hot or that one’s sexy. Here they did have hints of that but it was more of pure beauty. Inner and outer. The girls especially… they were so so beautiful and pretty and definitely hippie. Well beautiful and pretty… with armpit hair :o| Make rounds and check out the other tents. Some were so pimped out. My fav was Larry’s Lounge coz it it was huge, mattresses inside, COUCHES, piano. And outside more sofas, foosball table, cornetto stand display oh and they were selling funky clothes too. Take a nap. We were working with the Green Godess crew so have a meeting. I was warned about boss lady Shona’s harshness but she was cool. Meet the crew. Amy was definitely the coolest. She was like a dude. Plays drums and banjo/guitar/bouzouki. There was Liz calligraphy and cafeteria, Naomi on the calligraphy, face painting and cafeteria (Liz’s daughter), Rachel cafeteria fine litter picking and drawing, Charlie cafeteria guitar and poi, Kim the main litter guy, Anton litter and attitude, Carl something something and lil Nairan (Liz’s son). Towards the end of the week lot more folks joined our crew. Get instructions. Chill. Fall asleep to the sounds of a Djembe being played very well! Our tents were located perfectly across the circle where the main tents were and then there was the sacred circle that gave us just enough distance so the gigs wont be too loud. Rachel note: I usually look at what I don’t like in a girl first and Rachel was tall and thin plus she speaks really low. And of course the whole issue with the pits. Well it started out like that.
21/05/09 Thursday – Start litter picking and washing. The skies were amazing. Remote control planes flying around. Hot air balloons passing by, etc. Lunch. More pretty, beautiful girls with hairy pits!!! More litter picking. Make stuff with playdough with Rachel and Nairan. Playdough smells so sexy like cake batter… but it tastes like nothing. Dinner at the Inner Circle tent were we’ll be exchanging our meal tickets for excellent food and be entertained by some kinda act. This time it was poetry. Note: Small World festival is pure veg so any meat would be brought in by the person and cooked themselves. Now the Sacred Circle was a circle with stones placed in places… 4 posts around and a stone mushroom. Being a loner I chilled out there and for some reason placed a ring next to the mushroom which was made of sheep wool or whatever it was stuck to the benches. As it got busy the Sacred Circle got more decorations, more folks doing yoga and meditating etc. Mini issue: Picture time… grrrr… why pose man! Whats with all these faces smiling at the camera!? Oh and another issue is I took so many pics but I’m only in one… bit of a bummer but hey… most of the magic that happened could not be captured by the pics, vids and audios I took. Back to Inner Circle tent for dinner, some pub quiz was going on. I was too distracted by the stew and dumplings. Green Godess has it’s opening ceremony. Amy does her thing on the Bouzouki. Chill out. Note: Sleeping in the tent is wicked for observation. I overhead this boy and girl talking about ‘my friends say we have to kiss’. ‘Ok lets go over there’. The age groups made it even more magical coz the kids had their section with boats and hulahoops and all. The teens were near the toilets mostly where the swings were and if not there they had their own Teen tent. Rachel note: Her voice captivates me first. As in when I can hear her it’s so soothing. Amy C-blocks.
22/05/09 Friday – Bike to Headcorn for shopping and some good ol junk. Genie gets on my nerves lol, we usually litter pick together and she’s usually so stoned it’s like I’m taking care of a daughter with issues. It’s all good, she’s takes care of me with the food and all too. Note: Some of these folks have wicked names like Sunshine, Sky, Mushroom… you know… hippie names. Mushroom had her wishing tree tent where folks would stick their wishes on this lit up tree. Pretty funky. Lunch. Usual (Usual from here on means Litter picking with Genie… mostly). By now Genie’s so gone she’s leaving her slippers on the road and walking off. I take went to chill in Larry’s Lounge but ended up having a nap to folks playing piano and exchanging jokes etc. It was so wicked like random people just come into random peoples tents and hit it off. Just like kids. It was about making friends and friendship and all those good things. Oh and jam sessions all over the place. Someone with a drum will spot someone with a guitar and there you have it… jam session!! I met this couple that were into bhajans right opposite my tent so we had a satsang. Later on I’d keep missing our sessions coz when they were free I had to do my shift or eat or something. Oh man… the crowds started coming in. So many more things going on. More tents offering more services. Now Genie and I were chilling in the Sacred Circle next to the Satsang couple tent and these kids come to the edge of the circle, facing the road and one kid on the guitar starts licking out rock anthem choons and Salt and Peppa’s Push It. MAGIC!!! Like everyone had some kinda skill. I’ll come to that later. Now that it’s busy time a barrier is made in the main centre where there are 3 bonfires and folks do all kinda acts from fire poi, fire stick juggling, knife acts, belly dance, etc. Charlie had mad skills in the fire poi juggling thing. Janice joins us. Go to the cinema tent. Yes there was a cinema too… projected by Apple ;o) Wicked documentary called The Power of the Community. About how USA cut Cuba off petroleum. Like if ships docked in Cuba they could not dock in USA till after 6 months. How Cuba started out making lil farms everywhere, got cattle and ploughs etc and now how their scientists are exported for their expertise in chemical free farming etc. Rachel note: Her accent catches my attention this time. I’m like wow she’s pretty easy on the ears.
23/05/09 Saturday – Usual. Sooo many more tents. Paragliders above. Usual. See half a movie at the cinema. Darwins Nightmare or something about how introducing Perch to the Nile changed so much. It was in Swahili so I was asked to stick around and translate till it was just me left lol. It was kinda boring and slow. Now that skills bit I was talking about. Here we have a dad chilling at the Tribal Voices tent giving out his poetry while his teen son is juggling fire poi for the crowds in the main circle. It was like everyone brought something to the table. Rachel note: As we spend more time together I get to do my fav thing… analyze features and Rachel is easy on the eyes too. I’m starting to see her as this hippie angel. LMAO.
24/05/09 Sunday – Usual. Waited 2 hours to be served lunch so Shona had a word with the folks so they’d keep crew food to the side. Oh and Anton had issues with Shona. It was more of a loner than I was. Now he was meant to be taking care of Small World’s tent but we had to do it. My allotted tent was Triban. Do my shift at the Green Godess cafeteria. They serve only Fair Trade! Chill in the sauna while this couple play and sing and the dude gives his strings to the Sauna tent dude. That’s the other thing… even without paying customers all of these people were sustaining each other. Giving what they got. It was basically a hippie village. Note: Sunburn and sauna don’t go together. Bigup: Madhu unc and Neha… they shades with changeable lenses were perfect. Bike to Headcorn in the sunset. Wow… see to get to the festivals you have to pass all these fields with sheep, cows, plants… so many fields and as you pass one of them you get an aroma of ambrosia. The best I can describe this week was Romantic… sooo damn romantic and the Nature is your valentine. Warming you up at noon, cooling you in the evening. Freezing your ass past midnight! Anyway so shopping and stuff. Jokes: Genie has this thing where she moves her head really fast and in random directions right… so I usually ride behind her and I was cracking up just looking at her head movement. Like a chicken or something. Even funnier is when she’s got the light strapped to her head and she’s walking around or talking. I’d usually sleep early and not party to hard coz of work and she’s come to her tent late… and you can see her looking at my tent and these spastic lights going all over my tent. Trust me, its funny! Oh yeah I kept my eye on the Satsang couple coz they were eating and soon as they finished I’m like… it’s time. They’re like we gotta do our washing but we’ll give you one bhajan. Thanx. Over to the cinema. It was so packed with kids coz The Incredibles was on. Back to my tent, fall asleep to this really amazing Rasta MC Beatboxer kinda act. Viv – This dude has the essence of hiphop. Reminder: Look out for Joe Driscoll or Paradox… he’s one of them. Rachel note: Now I’m actually admiring her. Enjoying the time we spend as long as she speaks loud enough or not at all hehehe.
25/05/09 Monday – Rain. Lovely rain but I aint going out till it warms up. At least we got help with the litter this time. Usually it was like tie up the full ones and carry them back to their section. Plastic, cans, bottles, other, compost, raw. And with the wheelbarrow we could only take 3 at a time. Big up Tim for the help too… he was Stewarding but decided to help us during his lunch break. It was the best weather today coz the heat was still there, the rain was here and there and … it was great. Play catch with Nairan. Cara joins us. Oh yeah there was lots of naked kids roaming about and I was like I wish I could do that. Some folks did. I’d taken the Borat mankini along too! Oh well there is another Small World festi in August so yay! Nairan brings balloons. He was soooo cute man. He started tiring me so I took him and Cara over to the bubbles and Steve. Steven even stressed up as Willy Wonka once, walking down the road with his bubbles and kids flocking around him. Do my cafeteria shift… I was getting hungry so grab my food and it went like this. Nairan still wanted to play with the balloons just wanted me to blow them up so that he could let them zip around the tent. So I’d blow up the balloon while he’d take a bite of my pasta, then he’d go chase around the balloon so I’d take my bites… rinse and repeat. Tents have reduced now but people are still partying hard. Genie gave me some mushrooms to try… they didn’t taste as bad as I though and the effect was not all that… colours were just brighter and I was happy and smiley till some rowdy f*** started drama. He even came to the Inner Circle tent and got kinda racial with the black dude doing his spoken word poetry. And what amazing spoken word poetry it was… dude had mad skills I forgot I was eating for a moment. Busiest day, most productive, most fun and best weather and of course the bit of drama to make it complete. Sleep to the sound of the drizzle kissing my tent and some kids were awake late with Steve trying to make the bubbles survive in the drizzle. By now my hips were soar coz of sleeping on the ground and stitching on my jeans didn’t help. Rachel note: BTW from day one we were getting C-blocked and so I’ve not really done my bit. I realize this coz we didn’t chill at all today… maybe for a quick cig or something. Anyway to cut it short thinking of her needy expressions made me wanna be a hero. Must be coz of watching The Incredibles. :oP
26/05/09 Tuesday – Rain! Usual but in the slippery mud. Genie on my nerves again. In this case a solid system for work would not work. We’d agree to the best system for the job as and when it called for it. More usual with Tim and we found so much treasure. Folks left tents, mats, I got a foldable chair, tent-pegs (the most valued), beers, etc. Wow another black and white big fluffy furry cat. Kim’s dog Nova was so sweet, she’d follow him everywhere and get worried when she couldn’t see him. Bike to Headcorn again. Genie loses it. Then loses it again. Has a tantrum. Etc. At one point everything was so beautiful coz folks were shutting up shop and like you see someone playing piano outside with kids playing foosball next to it. The moons crescent looks especially great this evening. It’s basically the last day for many of the crew so we all gather for dinner at the Small World tent. Then for a crew brew in our tent. No more proper lights so Rachel was looking even more angelic. Everyone gathered around with their drink or smoke as Charlie strummed some choons and Nova lying in peace next to him… wish I got that picture but it was too dark and I was using my phone camera. Kim was fiddling about… I think trying to skin up. I was freezing so I was next to the fire. Carl was bringing the jokes. Oh and Genie has her space blanket so she looked like a jacket potato waiting to be cooked lol. Rachel note: Now we’re really adoring each other. Shona C-blocks her backrub. Then again when I say C-block it wasn’t really like that. It was more of an affection thing than an infatuation thing.
27/05/09 Wednesday – Ah last day… this time it’s fine litter picking with the grabber and all. Genie’s still sleeping so I do my hours in the rain. She wakes up and has major ass tantrums, some swearing, a little cry and then goes to sleep in Shona’s tent. Poor thing not well so we hook her up with a hotwater bottle and tea. Some bold cat thought she’d stroll past Nova… it was a tense situation but no one was harmed. Pack one time, fine litter pick, pack tent, fine litter pick, help Genie with her tent, fine litter pick. Ready to go. BTW fine litter pick also means I was getting away everytime Genie had a tantrum. Goodbyes, money and train station. Come across a granny who shares her life with us. From camping naked till today and sleeping with rifles in Kenya during Jomo Kenyatta’s time and living through the depression with a husband she’d thought of killing and how Scientology is opening her eyes to why things happened to her the way they did etc. Genie for once was pretty quiet apart from not approving of Scientology. Way I see it, does not matter what you believe as long as it’d taking you to the check point you want to reach next and you’re not intentionally harming anyone. Even what age you find your path does not matter. Anyway so train to London Bridge, bike to Liverpool Street, train to Forest Gate. Genie goes home, I go to get some CHICKEN! Get home and wow… TANTRUMS ARE BACK IN FULL SWING. Something about stinking up the loo and stuff. Thomas’s friend Dalita’s staying over so I just lock myself up in my room with my chicken and laptop till Genie goes to sleep. Watch Naruto and comedy… aint checking mail/facebook till tomorrow man. No sign of Tasha so I go look for her and boy was she chuffed. She wont stop purring or moving around and I’m like yo I put the laptop on the side now settle down coz I’m tired! Rachel note: Promise to meet up at the Work House festival.
Notes:
- Small World was definitely the best festi to go to for a first timer. It was all so perfect.
- Big up Genie for getting me work coz it also meant a wicked story before I stop My Journal, stuff like this makes me keep it going but I’ve not been true to My Journal for a while now with all the censoring and code names/words for things, and anyway it’s fulfilled what it needed to. Time for another change ok!
- When Mushroom and Genie got stone it was so funny coz they’d both be rambling on like they’re talking to each other but not listening to each other so speaking at the same time about politics and stuff. Mostly the ‘masis’ would get stoned and talk stuff like that. I had to find folks my own age and interests.
- Solar and wind powered phone chargers. One ‘tent’ was really a colourful dome with a telescope for star gazing.
- Teens roaming around with bongs.
- Ambivalence instead of Ambulance on the Ambulance.
- At one point I was like I can do with this life (apart from sleeping on the ground coz I sleep on my tummy and feels like I’m hugging the planet and coz it’s hard). I’ve been offered Glastonbury but I have an idea of how much more crazier and bigger the festival is so lets see. Might mean more than a month away.
Wooed by the World
To all my sisters all across the world, I applaud you,
I know nothing can’t erase the pain we caused you,
I’m sorry sister for all the times we used you,
Hurt you, beat you up, battered and abused you,
Raped you, took your womanhood, violated you, betrayed you,
You women, we supposed to praise you,
Instead we called you hoes and bitches and dissed cha,
I was thinking “Damn, what if that was my mother or my sister?”
You never feel it, till it hits home,
We abandoned you, left you all alone.
It’s only a handful of us that handle our responsibility,
I’m from a broken home, you know this shit is killing me,
How a man can make a woman a mother and a father,
If men got it hard, then women got it harder,
And I represent every man on earth when I say this,
Sister I’m sorry and I pray for your forgiveness.
Sister I’m sorry, For all the wrong I’ve done,
Sister I’m sorry, I’m telling everyone,
Sister I’m sorry, Nothing can change the past,
Sister I’m sorry, Your forgiveness is all I ask.
I broke a promise, cheated on you, lied to you,
I ain’t recognize the goddess thats inside of you,
I know sorry ain’t do it but my acts of faith,
Made me over-stare, hope it’s not to late,
But I don’t understand is how we could hit our girl,
And how we can bring a bastard kid in this world,
I don’t want my child being ashamed of me,
Like “Mommy, where’s daddy?” Wonder what became of me,
Swear to life I don’t know how ya’ll made it all these years,
Can’t even look you in your eyes without mine filling with tears,
You my sister, I respect and love you,
You wo-men, men came from you, And he came from she,
All men ain’t the man that they claim to be,
Sister I’m sorry, swear to god, please forgive me.
Sister I’m Sorry – Sticky Fingaz feat. Choclatt
Imagine watching this in the cinema. I got ‘The Rush’ so bad I was numb for the rest of the trailers. Oh and in the end the dude makes it out still on his board (sorry for spoiling that but they don’t show it) WHAT A RUSH!!!!!
