Writer’s Block

Today was suppose to be a day of writing.  I’m working on my third book.  It’s about how computers mediate communication… My interest.  My research.  Well, I managed to edit some existing writing, but was unsuccessful on the production front.  As I sat there in Starbucks – after eating a very expensive, but very average lunch from Cova Caffe in Harbour City – I quickly realized that today was not a good day for writing.  I couldn’t focus.  The Canadian next to me was talking to his girlfriend about American politics (Canadians are, by the way, experts of American politics).  I wasn’t happy about the fact that I spent loads of money on a crap lunch.  And the Canadian continues to talk, this time about languages.

So, what qualifies for writer’s block?  Purdue University (fairly famous for their online writing resources) has a list of writer’s block symptoms.

- no preparation

- boring topic

- anxiety

- stress

- self-consciousness

Nowhere on the list did they mention Canadians.  I’d therefore like to offer my own advice.

Symptom:

Canadian in a public space

Cure:

- Do NOT commit to a seat before scanning the room for Canucks!

Avoid…

- hockey shirts

- Maple Leafs sewed onto backpacks

- people talking incessantly about American politics

- English-French bilinguals

- soul patches (most Canadians I know have soul patches)

- anyone who has an American accent, but speaks for their love for: social health care, world peace, and/or the Queen of England

- anyone with a Colbert Report t-shirt

Of course, this list is not comprehensive, but highly accurate and based on years of empirical research.

Who Loves Work?

No one does.  And if they say they do, then they’re feckin liars…  This is why:

My job is great.  I enjoy doing research.  Writing is fun.  The relative freedom to think and do what I want (apart from teaching) is also an added bonus.  However, I don’t think I can say I love my job.  Love is a pretty strong word.  I love SJ.  I love my family.  Do I love my job in similar ways?  The answer is, fuck no.

Most of us would trade in what we do (occupationally/professionally) – in a heart beat – for a life pursuing our true loves.

Like:

- Climbing

- Relaxing on the beach

- Enjoying the outdoors

- Eating great home-cooked meals

- Drinking wine and eating cheese

- Spending long hours with good friends having great conversations

- Spending small chunks of time with family

However, the reality is, these endeavors pay shit.  This is why whatever we call work will invariably suck, and why no one truly loves their work (apart from porn stars and photographers – there are always exceptions!).

This rant has nothing to do with the fact that it’s mid-semester, and there is still two solid months before I can truly enjoy non-work related activities.

Hawaii

SJ and I are going to Hawaii for Xmas, and it’s never too late to devise a long list of things-to-do.  Both of us have never been, so we’ll be aiming to maximize the three weeks we have there.  This, of course, requires pre-planning.

Here is a provisional list:

1. eat plenty of Spam dishes – Will sadly miss Spam Jam – an annual event celebrating Spam

2. see lava – maybe even put my fingers in it

3. walk up a volcano

4. take some surf lessons

5. get beat up by a gang of fat Hawaiians

6. eat loads of Hawaiian food

7. visit Pearl Harbor (a must, as we’ve visited Hiroshima a few years back – it takes two to Tango, doesn’t it?)

8. grow a mustache (in honor of you know who)

I can’t think of anymore, but the list is – as I said – provisional.  More to come later.

Stupid Student

I’m stupid, and I’ve done stupid things as a student.  Believe me, the list is too long to publish here.  One thing that I have never done, however, is…

From HKmagazine.com:

26 – Sun

“A form two student is having a chemistry lesson at his secondary school.  Hungry, he eats a piece of bread found in the laboratory’s refrigerator.  Soon after ingesting the snack, the student experiences a searing pain in his stomach.  It turns out that the bread is used for performing experiments and is saturated with chemicals.  The student received medical treatment and is soon discharged.”

I’m guessing the bread didn’t look like a fucking eclair or muffin, so WTF was this student thinking?  When I was in school, there was always one or two students in class that would have stolen 7-11 snacks for sale… Kids these days are so unimaginative.

Strange?

People have ‘interesting’ quirks.  Some get pure satisfaction from folding napkins or peeling labels off of beer bottles.  Me?  I enjoy eating crusts off of cheesecakes.  Am I seriously fecked up in the head?

This love for crusts has developed into buying graham cracker crusts from the supermarket.  Instead of baking a nice pie, I’ll just eat the crust. Hmmm….

Realization (Cafe Review #?)

Yesterday, whilst drinking some seriously good coffee at a cafe that I’ve never been to, I came to the realization that I’m pretty shit at making coffee – despite paying top dollar for good, single origin coffee beans, and coffee grinders and makers.

The cafe that I’m referring to is called Cafe Golden, and it’s located near Shek Kip Mei Station (exit A, and walk all the way down until the road ends – 10 min walk – turn right and enter the Arts Centre there).  The place is mentioned in all online discussions concerning where to do for good coffee in HK.

This place has me seriously thinking about giving up on my attempts to make good coffee at home (sell my hardware, and drink, shit instant coffee?).  Why?

Well, the first cup that I tried there was a standard latte macchiato.  Apart from its aesthetics, the warm beverage was much better than all lattes consumed in HK and beyond.

The second cup was a double shot of espresso.  Single, origin peabody espresso beans from Sumatra.

Pic taken after taking one sip:

The coffee hit my taste buds in three, different consecutive ways: (1) nutty flavor, (2) bitter sweet, and then (3) spicy.  Apart from the great taste(s), the coffee had me feeling like I smoked a big crack rock (by all accounts, of course).

Food was pretty good.  All freshly made…

BLT:

Roast beef sandwich:

Just-out-of-the-oven brownie:

Salmon salad:

The cafe wasn’t the best work place.  No wifi… Small tables…

Despite these shortcomings, the place is well worth a visit.  Gooood coffee.

Clientele?  Located in an arts centre (and part of Baptist Uni?), so arts and arts history students.

Oh, and they offer various workshops in coffee and coffee making (some in Canton, others in English).

Stupid, I Be. Stupid, I Am.

The other day – Sunday, I believe – SJ and I decided to visit IFC (International Finance Centre).  IFC is basically a mall with high-end stores.  The plan was to look around, possibly buy something, and maybe watch a movie.  Because watching a movie was a possibility, I decided to bring my glasses with me.  At some point between getting on the minibus at our apartment and entering IFC, my glasses fell out of my pocket (and/or someone stole them from me?).  This has happened in the past, but I’ve always heard the case hitting the floor/ground.  I was particularly fond of these glasses, mostly because they were new (and I paid a fair amount for them).  Well, because I’m a stupid idiot that loses everything, I had to buy another pair today.  $1400 HKD gone in a blink of an eye… Not talking crazy amounts of cash here, but it’s a decent price to pay for being stupid.  I really do need to start wearing a fisherman’s vest or carrying a manbag or wearing my glasses on my face or using contacts or thinking about laser surgery or being more careful.