Peter Hoflich

A stunning two days. Yesterday morning we took Zen to kindergarten, I hung out all morning doing some proofreading while Naoko and Mrs. Fujino went off to the local park to look around. The perfect park, the perfect distance from home, the perfect time spent together. They did some grocery shopping and came home, I picked up Zen and brought him here. He didn’t sleep until 2:30, then woke up at 4:30. We went downtown, ate yummy Chinese dinner, then went to check out the lobby of Raffles Hotel. Zen did a pooh there. Why is it that he always poohs in the hotel lobbies of 5 star hotels? Good thing we make him wear daipers. We walked to Raffles City and Mrs. Fujino said she wanted to buy me a watch! What a surprise. I couldn’t find one I liked, though, right there on the spot, unfortunately. Then we walked to the Esplanades, across the bridge to the Merlion, and hung out there a while admiring the spewing beast and the nightscape. Mrs. Fujino was impressed with the beautiful tropical moon that hung over Suntec City like a ripe melon and took pictures of it too. What a nice night. We walked past the Fullerton Hotel and up Boat Quay a bit admiring the Ang Mor drinking beer there, then tried to find a taxi to take home. All were fully booked and speeding all over the place full of people, so we took a train home, then a cab from Clementi, getting home after 11. It was midnight before Zen went to sleep. What energy he has. He was up already at 7. Only 9 hours of sleep that day, not enough for a growing boy.

Today was a busy day for me – finish up the proofreading, deliver it, close up the apartment, rush off to the Registry of Companies and Business to fix the clerical error in the start-up date of the company (11/12 to 12/11) so that it can start this month and not next. Took some time and I couldn’t even get everything done. Then off to Plaza Singapure to see the Matrix Revolutions. I had been looking forward to seeing it for forever, unfortunately I have been let down easy by the bad reviews it got, so I wasn’t too tragically disappointed to see that it sucked. Oh well. After that went back to the RCB to finish up my paperwork and then to home. I am starting to get used to that place.

Naoko and Mrs. Fujino and Zen had a nice day wandering around the botanical garden. Zen slept in the stroller from 10 to 11, then was awake all afternoon with no nap. Crazy. I took him for a bike ride at 5, but kept him from falling asleep in the child’s seat on the bike. Had dinner, bathed him, and let him fall asleep in front of the TV at 7. Hope he sleeps until dawn tomorrow at least.

Thought for the day: the cyclops doesn’t blink – he winks.

Film review – The Matrix Revolutions: Yawwwnnn… The first is infinitely watchable, the second quite all right and multiply watchable, the third just bearable once. Unless you like seas and seas of swarming sentinels. Barely any kung fu scenes, most of the characters were underused (Morpheus, Neo, the Merovingian, Persephone, the Architect, even Agent Smith barely appeared until the end) and there was none of the cool reality biting philosophy of the first film. Talk about a series going downhill. I agree with the reviewer that said that from being this generation’s Star Wars, the Matrix franchise has become the Phantom Menace. OR Phantom Matrix, or something. Even the twins didn’t appear in this film. Michael Bey might as well have directed it for all you can tell from the huge fight scenes and stuff like that. And the final ending? Unsatisfying.

Book review – Poodle Springs, Raymond Chandler: I had this book for a long time and started it finally three days ago. It is excellent – not too confusing, well written, good-ish humor, sexy, and wraps up well. The Ross MacDonald and Dick Francis books I read recently weren’t as good as this Raymond Chandler book about his famous Phillip Marlowe detective character (see also the Big Sleep). Chandler didn’t finish it before his death so it was finished by Robert B. Parker, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. Thankfully I had this to fall back on after seeing the disappointing Matrix Revolutions.

How to play a song on guitar – Sweet Jane: Play the cords D A G A D over and over again. It isn’t the perfect way to play it, but it works. The lyrics ramble on and on, and if you like you can sing it the way other famous groups have in the past – Cowboy Junkies included.

Another 2 days have passed. Yesterday was Mrs. Fujino’s first morning here, so we took her to Singapore’s highest summit, Bukit Timah nature preserve with its million-year primary forests. The summit is 163 m. above sea level, so no big deal really. Did some grocery shopping and hung around the house some too. Zen slept from 11 to 12 in the stroller, a strange time, then was up all afternoon. We wanted to do a picnic in the botanical gardens, but when we were in the bus going over there at 5, the sky opened up and a heavy rain poured down. When we got there we waited for the rain to stop under the bus shelter. It let up a bit after 20 minutes or so, so we crossed the street to take the bus home the other way. Waste of time. Zen was sleeping the whole way. In the bus going home, rained heavy again, then less when we got to Signature Park, then more when we were at home. At least we could avoid getting soaked, and the boredom was less than if we just stayed at home, although it was still pretty dull.

Last night I woke up feeling gross and puked my guts out. This morning I felt like hell. Still, went to the Ministry of Manpower to sort out my paperwork. I was waiting for a letter that should only take 7 days, but now it was 17 days later, so I thought I’d go and see what’s up. They said that the letter was probably mailed on Saturday and I would be getting it later today. Hmmm… So they made another copy for me right then and there, I took it over to the Registry of Companies and Business and set up my company – En Ideas. Unfortunately, I did screw one thing up – I had wanted to start the company on November 12th (12/11) but accidentally wrote December 11th (11/12), so it won’t really start until next month. I might change that if its possible – it could cause conflicts in the visa and delay things too much.

Got home at 12:15 dog tired, I hadn’t eaten or drank anything all day. Bought some drinks from Lim Deli, then picked Zen up. He fell asleep in the child’s seat before we were home, so I had to carry him the last part of the way. Phew!! Slept all afternoon, interrupted by Terry bringing work over, then Mrs. Fujino and Naoko coming home. We had a nice dinner, then tried to get Zen’s birthday cake working for the second time – our first try was on the 8th, but the whipping cream turned skunky when I beat it too long. We bought more yesterday, and today when we tried it again with a new pack the same thing happened!! What crap cream!!!! I guess Zen won’t have a nice birthday cake this year. All the daily frustrations are so endless. Yesterday for no apparent reason my computer was displaying everything huge, I have no idea why. It doesn’t really make sense. I managed to figure out how to fix it at least, so it is not unmanageable any more.

Book Review – Big M little m Marketing I am reviewing this for a local magazine, so I shouldn’t write too much about it here. It takes the simple concept that marketing is all about strategy (the big picture, the big M Marketing) and about tactics (the details, the little m marketing). Some explanation of the concept, some diagnostics you can do on your product or brand, some background to the currernt Asian business scene, then some ideas for getting your marketing back on track. Interesting, somehow.

How to play a song on the guitar – a Boy Named Sue it’s taken lots of practice, but I think I have finally gotten the hang of playing this song. The cords are simplicity itself – G, C, D – but playing them with thumb brush-up is tougher. Pluck the respective bass string, then brush the treble 3 strings with the backs of your nails “flicking.” The lyrics are tough enough, but once you have memorized them you can have a lot of fun.

Hey ho, another 2 days have passed. Yesterday was Friday – I went jogging in the morning and read my marketing book all afternoon and did a bunch of preparation for Naoko’s mom coming.

Today was OK – got up early, did chores and shopping, looked after Zen and took him to a fun fair, Zen napped from 2 to 4, I picked up some fish from the local shop to fill Zen’s new fish tank with – guppies and neon crawlers – then at 4:30 we left to go to the airport to pick up Mrs. Fujino. Various delays later, we arrived there at 6:00. Her plane was due to land at 5:25, but of course the impossible happened and she was through customs and with her luggage at the exit at 5:30, five minutes after she landed! She waited 30 minutes for us. Bummer. We took a cab home and got settled, she played very happily with Zen with his toy buses, Zen was squealling with delight. I went and got some dinner and we munched out, she went to bed early. I went off to the poolside party with Tony and Barb, it was good. Got to talk to Livio and Shide and Avi about films. I never knew I was surrounded by so many film buffs. Livio told me an amazing story about how he found a pangolin one day when he was in the forest, right here in Singapore! Incredible!!

how to play a song on the guitar – Jane Says: Just one listen will tell you that this great song only has 2 cords. As it turns out they are Gm and A. Gm is played on the lower three at 355xxx. A is played on higher strings as usual. Play Gm slowly twice, then A quickly four or five times or so to make up the tune, then sing away. Easy.

Hey ho, another busy two days. Yesterday morning I went jogging, five laps around the park @ 1.6 km each. All together it was near 10 km I reckon. I felt like giving up after the first lap, but kept on and it worked out OK. Porridge with a banana for breakfast shore does give you power. I sweat a bucket, though – it was hot even at 8:30 in the morning, I think a 5 PM jog would be cooler. At 10:30 it had clouded over somewhat so I decided to cycle off to my interview at Ayar Rajah industrial park instead of taking a taxi. What a ride – 40 minutes uphill and downhill. Meeting Jason Johnson of First Magazine was pretty cool and we had a lot to talk about – films and such, Japan, other things too. I might get some work reviewing things for them, all right!!! Rode home the same way, the sky looking dark and menacing, thunder rumbling off in the distance. Huge thunderhead hanging above Bukit Timah hill, raindrops on my heels as I sped onwards. I dropped by the grocery store and picked up drinks and junk food – and bread and milk – then went to pick Zen up. He was good, jumped on the back of the bicycle and away we went. When we got home just ahead of the rain, he didn’t go to sleep right away, so I was hungry AND tired AND sweaty waiting for him to drop off. Luckily he was asleep at 1:45 and I was eating a huge serving of Kraft Dinner at 2. Spent the afternoon reading the new First magazine and finishing the English Patient. Oddly it didn’t rain much in the afternoon, but it started in earnest around 5 and just kept on all night. I guess this is the rainy season. Hung out at home all night and read.

Today was another mellow day, sorta. I met Lawrence at 9 to hand over the illustrations, then back at 10 to catch up on the computing, emails, suchlike. Organized my files so that My Computer is no longer as messy as it was. Read from the marketing book I have to review by next week, then played with Zen when he woke up. Talked to Mrs. Fujino on the phone, cool that she is coming in two days. Tomorrow is Zen’s birthday, he turns two. Today I also learned how to play “the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” on guitar…

How To Play A Song On Guitar – the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. This song is quite easy as it is four easy cords played in repetition. They are Asus2, Eminor, G, and D. Asus2 sounds hard, but it is actually just an A without the third finger on the G string, i.e. you just hold the two strings in the middle of the guitar, at the 2nd fret, which is convenient because the next cord is Eminor, just shift over a cord. It also sounds nice. I find D a pain to make, but I guess I can live with it. Gordie doesn’t have much vocal range, and neither do you I bet, so singing along is easy too. The lyrics aren’t too hard to memorize, as they tell a story progressivly, and there are some great lines “At suppertime the old cook came on deck he says ‘fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya,’ at 7 p.m. the main hatchway gave in he said ‘fellas, it’s been good to know ya.’” A sad story.

Book Review – the English Patient Here is a story of people involved in WWII, but not involved directly in fighting. Of course, everybody has seen the great film version, but the book is quite different again. It is almost not even directly about the people, but more about their moods, about their location, deserted Italian mansions and the living Sahara. It is about geography and change, or lack of it, and it is about the little things that happen between people. The classic love story at its core is almost secondary, and hence the chemistry between the lovers is poorly described and even quite dull. Narrative is often confusing, but at least not the point of forcing you to give up reading this gorgeous book. We want to be confused when we read the English Patient. More enjoyable and less of a slog (that word again) than 100 Years of Solitude or any Faulkner, yet not quite as captivating as Beautiful Losers, or And The Ass Saw The Angel, both gutter versions of the English Patient by Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave respectively.

Saturday was a day of tidying and stuff like that. We were invited to go with Dominic to the botanical gardens to have a picnic dinner and watch the sun go down, but it clouded over and there was thunder, so we had a picnic in his living room instead. It was cool talking to him and his friend Ray, the 3 older kids played together and left Zen on his own wandering in and out and all around. It was a fun evening.

Sunday we planned to go to the nature reserve and hike around, but it just rained and was crappy, so that never happened. We still went out for Indian food and it was just the best – it always is. Watched the Empire Strikes Back on TV. Amazing to see just how much better it is than any of the dumb prequels. What happened to the Star Wars franchise?

Nice day today, I did a bunch of emailing and trolling around the internet all morning, and changed the guitar strings too. They sure sound better when they are new. I was playing kind of crappy recently and I thought it might be the old strings. It’s not, but having shiny new strings at least gives a psychological boost. Rain began falling around one, it was pleasant to have nothing to do but read and relax all afternoon as the big drops hit the palm leaves under the window, a cool breeze blowing in and rustling the curtains.

Got a call from Ralph with good news – Nicole is expecting their second baby, hooray. I am going to be an uncle again, and Zen is going to get his sixth cousin, lucky kid.

Took a cruise around the block before dinner with Zen looking at the houses. Some of them are nice, and it was cool after the rains and feeling good. Got a book in the mail to review from John Wiley, “marketing with big M and little m” or something like that. Looks interesting. Watched old videos of when we first came to Singapore, very nice.

Hey ho, another two days pass. Yesterday was all about having a whole day do to anything I wanted to… and then about it getting eaten away by emails, phone calls, and chasing down facts. I think I got something done, but I don’t remember what it is. I watched Zen last night as Naoko did some resume translation E->J, then watched 24.

Today I got tons of stuff done – 2 hours of proofreading work for Miriam, then most of an article, some drawing, then a bunch of stuff for Talking Cock. Great. Made a monkey costume for Zen, then went to the great Hallowe’en party Mihoko organized for the kids and dressed up as the Great Pumpkin for them to be scared at. Zen and Samuel and Glenn and Aysia were the most frightened, poor kids. Drank some of their gin, ate some great food, and had a fun time. Zen went to sleep late, so now it’s already after 11 as I’m writing this…

Learned how to play Puff The Magic Dragon today. Nice song. Will have to learn the Japanese lyrics for those kids parties. Magic tricks – next year.

Thought of the day: Put your pants on no legs at a time.

Here’s some Hallow’en pictures…