| Profil de JeremyBass, Drum, SquidPhotosBlogListes |  Outils  Aide |
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29 mai Things I've learned this weekHard-partying lawyers are the reason that Sudafed™ is now a prescription drug in Australia.
Adaptation used to mean growing fur all over your body to protect you from the cold, teeth evolving into fangs to eat small animals. Flight was bestowed upon those whose bones hollowed and whose scales became feathers. Now adaptation means bending the environment to your will so that you can stay smooth, hairless and beautiful. Nature is fighting back by crushing us with earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricaines... What's next, giant killer locusts? Maybe giant killer expats.
I can eat a chicken wing using only chopsticks. I can strip it to the bone without ever touching it once with my fingers. Other (mostly white) people end up with greasy fingers and half the damn meat left on the bones. Athletes get medals for running round a track, but any son of a bitch with two legs can run. Lets see how your poultry fares against a pair of chopsticks.
If you're going to go to all the trouble of having an animal slaughtered, carved up and packaged in plastic trays and cling wrap, you ought to have the respect to eat the tendons, offal and other assorted organs. Before you turn your nose up at it, remember, you're probably been fed the cow's arse for years. 22 mai I like what I do, why don't you?I suppose I’m at the age where people normally settle down and start thinking about issues like stability, children, homes… Unlike me, most people made the decision to be a certain “something” when they left high school and are now finally reaping the rewards of their arduous studies and time in the trenches.
“Yeah, the first few years were hard, but now I’m finally making some real money, what are you doing with yourself over in Beijing?”
“I’m playing in bands, teaching drums to kids and enjoying every day of my life”
“You don’t think you can do that forever do you?”
What have I done to deserve this hostility and condescension? I didn’t spend time in law firms, I was never an intern at Price-Waterhouse, I never had to kiss anyone’s arse to get where I am. I did take advantage of several of the opportunities afforded to me by my family. I have fulfilled many of the goals I’ve always pursued. I am happy, I’ve always been happy. I could be better at what I do, but couldn’t we all? What makes other people happy? Money? It seems to be a point of contention for others hence “Now I’m finally making real money”. What were they making before? Monopoly money? Why subject yourself to years in the lower levels if you are unhappy doing it? Does the ascension to the upper rungs of the pay-scale matter more than what you do? Does it bother you that I don’t do the same as you? Do you think I’m missing out on something? Do you consider what I do to be lowly, trivial, worthless? Does the fact that I don’t engage in what I consider to be the trivialities of your life offend you? People have good reasons for choosing careers, but how many people actually ask themselves why? Out of those people, how many can actually answer it? And out of those people how many can honestly say that the choice was 100% theirs? How many can say "I am a __________ because I have a burning desire to do this"? NOT because the money is good, NOT because it's prestigious to have a title on your business card, NOT because it would make your parents proud. There was a time when we were all at the same place, we all looked after each other, we all loved each other, and we were all proud to be associated with each other. Those times have gone. They were just one stop on a longer journey that you were always on before I knew any of you. I was never headed to the same place, but for a while our paths intersected. I can’t keep you in this place any more than you can take me with you, but one day you may discover that my destination is every bit as rewarding as yours. 12 mai Birthday, end of an eraToday is my birthday. I'm 29 years old. In this time I have learned to speak the language of my ancestral homeland, I can play drums, bass, a bit of guitar, I've been in a band on a record label, signed autographs, gotten drunk with famous people, been on the cover of a magazine with Zhang Yimou's girlfriend, been on TV and radio, had ONE fulltime job... This year I've gotten closer than ever to knowing what my goals are. To some that is still several steps behind, but I've never had to resign myself to anything, and the journey of discovery I've been on has been well worth it. Some would called it arrested development but I'm more satisfied than most, this I can say for a fact.
If I didn't still look so damn good I'd feel old. 7 mai Better or worse, ahead or behind?To the West, China has long been regarded as a country shrouded in mystery and wisdom. From kung-fu monk inhabited temples to ancient convoluted Confucian proverbs. Last night I saw the Matrix Reloaded in Chinese, and guess what? It was 100 times easier to understand than the widely criticised English language version. The movie was still shit though.
Speaking of shit, the last thing the Chinese music scene needs is another spoiled expat vanity band on a mission to "show the locals how to rock". Granted there are exceptions, a certain 'experimental/post rock' band that I will never see (you know who you are), certain cultural traditionalists (irish, blues, reggae etc). However, if you think you are filling a hole in the Beijing scene with your very ordinary rock band consisting of whichever other expats own guitars, refrain from proclaiming your "originality" and just play. If you were supposed to show the inhabitants of a developing country how to rock, you wouldn't be an expat. |
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