howdy folks

It's amazing how I manage to fill all this time I have, what with not working and all, but here I am, it's 12.45 and I haven't written anything in a week (save a letter for Andrea to send to the phone company, I'm now here secretary; beats working for a ... etc etc) and I've only got 15 minutes before I have to get ready fro my French class (that is; get dressed in clothes suitable for outdoors, rather than the Thai fishing man's pants that I'm loafing around in at the moment). As far as timewasting goes, I'm spending altogether too much time at the moment playing a new game, my first real attempt at network play; EVE online. The makers of EVE claim it to be the largest game universe in the world and that might well be more than just advertising hype. when I log on, there are typically between 5,000 - 10,000 active players online. The record for players on simultaneously is, I believe, about 17,000; which is a whole lot of grade 3 homework not getting done as well as twats like me with nothing better to do. For those of you interested in such things (well ... for you actually, Dave) the game is like the PC Elite games (can't remember the name; Freelancer...?) that we played back in S'pore, but online with '000s of live players. It's a space trading / mining game. Now; mining is, of course, for the birds, and trading is tedious aswell, but hunting pitates, well, that can get quite fun. Anyway. Go check it out for yourself if you're interested but beware, addiction may follow.

I recall hyping up all the great bands that play in Brussels a couple of months back and know that I haven't told you anything about any of them. Well, that's frankly because the gigs we went to weren't too impressive ... actually. We saw the Stripes last month and they were great but the venue was a bit shit and we got stuck sitting under a concrete beam trying to see around a column. Next time I go there I'm going upstairs with a pair of binoculars. I know that big venues are sometimes the only way to get to see A-list bands but it's a bit shit really. I can't imagine paying good money to go to a U2 concert, for example and if I did (like someone paid me to go and promised never to tell anyone about it) I couldn't see the point of standing 1/2 a mile away watching bono toss himself off on a big TV. I suppose it's for the athmosphere, but it just seems like a ripoff to me.

Then there was Supergrass, who we went to see a week or so back. The venue in that case was much smaller and more personal but they were a bit dissapointing. No energy from a band whose music thrives on it was a bit frustrating and ... well ... lazy. They spent the first half of the set fucking sitting down! That's why I haven't bothered posting about them.

Why then, I hear you ask, are you bothering us now? well, the reason I bring this up is that 2 nights ago we went to see a band called the Frames. I honestly didn't expect much; I can't remember where I got the recommendation to buy their album but I have it and it's OK; quite relaxed but a little slow for my tastes. Well the concert was an education indeed. They sounded completely different on stage than on the album and came over a bit like Radiohead, which was a real shock after the album, and a good shock at that. I tried to get a live recording of them, but they weren't selling them after the gig, perhaps I'll trawl amazon after my French lesson, which I need to dress for now, so catch you later.

Bomber out