Panic Packer

...it's late at night, gotta get up early, have sent out 3 quotes, sent out the latest article to my Editor, burnt the pix on a CD, burnt some artwork files on CD for another client, went for an audition (got the part) - and had time to do the evening tai chi class too. That leaves a class to teach in the morning, water the dog and walk the plants, drop the dog off at pet nursery. Ain't packed yet, but I decide to treat myself to a few hours shut-eye, so I volunteer to panic pack tomorrow. That kinda gives me 60minutes packing time and another 60minutes packing my pants to get my ass seated on plane. Seems like I'll be in Hong Kong this weekend (coincidentally) during the 10th year anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China. It's one of those events where you remember where you were at the moment. I wanted to be there to witness history happening, but as a lowly paid actor in London back then, I was skint - and engaged in a performance with Yellow Earth Theatre, at London Arena that very weekend. David, Tom and myself cleared the stage to join the crowds watching the Handover live on the big screen.
As I recall exactly where I was on the day back in 1997 - where will I be 10 years from now?

It's a long long road...

It had been a long time since we city dwellers had a taste of peace...something I miss a lot about living in England. Recently in Vietnam's Mai Chau valley, the smell of real night air, the breeze, and the stillness hit like a ton of bricks and took me back to summer evenings in the garden, everyone over for tai chi, meditation, tea and philosophical banter. How life's journey ends us up in the most fantastic places, for by the year's end I would have set foot in France, Monte Carlo, England, Hong Kong, China, Macau, Vietnam, Bali and Nepal, with very likely a summer foray into the jungles of Malaysia in search of white water rapids.
Life's a long term sentence to work with some returns to freedom in between - or is it the other way round?

The Elusive Mr Manfield

Alter ego blast from the past not many know about...well done if you can sus it all out...
My buddy Marcel spotted this sign on holiday last week somewhere in Europe...

Navigating Guangzhou

Chanced upon a dutch 1700's map of Guangzhou, my Grandparent's town, blew it up, took my Dad and the Map there...and went orienteering!
Discovered that the modern city has mostly retained the old street grid - the oldest thing we found was the remains of a Sung Dynasty bell tower, with Stelae from that era which must have laid about smashed for years by war and weather, before finding themselves partially pieced together and mounted on the walls of the courtyard.
Another site, the Palace of the General, is now a hospital - many sites are still in use today, we found the oldest Mosque in China, which was once on the water's edge (reclamation over the centuries has pushed it about hald a mile inland), some of the major temples still in use and a quaint, all-wooden 2 storey corner house, with wooden pillars perched on round bases, Ming dynasty style. A friendly family from the countryside were living inside this one up, one down house, running a cottage industry making stickers.
We also found that Yen Wei temple, on the edge of a lake and once way out in the sticks to the east of the city walls, revived and in use (it was shut down during the revolution and I remember looking at it from across the water in the late 80's and 90's, when my Grandparents brought us to the park, and wondering what it was), and now very much part of the bustling old quarter of Siguan.

Mai Chau Valley

Early morning in a stilt hut.