Wish List

This post started out as something of a temporary checklist, as part of getting all the crap off my old phone, ready for it to return to factory settings. I had these things in a "Wish List" app, not for others reference, but for my own. Now that I reflect on them, well a couple of them have a significant history with me, so they're worth mentioning in more detail. So in the end, this temporary parking of a checklist in my blog drafts has ended up becoming a full-blown post. Funny how things work out sometimes :)

So here I am in April 2020. That first paragraph was written back in January, or perhaps last year. A lot has happened in the meantime. Firstly, I got promoted! Yee-farking-hah-baby! I hope that doesn't sound facetious, it was actually an absolutely superb occurrence and I am SO happy about my new job. It's my dream job, for a dream company, close to Mum and home base, so many many positives. Yeah life is still throwing a few spanners in the proverbial works, but I suspect that may well have happened regardless, so it's probably just as well it happened here and like this.So let's talk about the wish list.

DKNY Men, the long bottle (there are a few versions, this one from mid-2000's):

Ah, the memories this evokes. Hey and not all good ones either. I guess this scent comes from a formative part of my life. I found this back in probably 2000-2001, not long after I broke up with Fi, and when I was in North Perth with Kero, and living the strip club life. Yeah, yeah, judge not, and all that, but that's what it was back then. I explored parts of me that I needed to explore, and emerged a better person because of it. But in the midst, I was a regular in the strip club and nightclub scene in Northbridge, Perth. I was there within an hour of flying in on break, and there most nights. I remember going to my favourite club - The Red Windmill - at like 5pm one day because they were open to service the yank sailors who were in town. Of course being a strip club, it didn't exude much in the way of enticement during daylight hours, so I was largely there on my own. I was enjoying the attentions of some amazingly gorgeous lovelies, and I didn't care. Only now, as I look back do I realise how much cash I blew - not just that day but in general from 2002 to 2004. Oh well, as I said, formative years. But it was later on at the Universal Bar (a fucking cracking and awesome bar if you're ever in Perth) that this memory comes from.

There were a group of yanks at the bar, and I was enjoying talking to a few of them. One particularly loud guy was saying that Aussie commandos were so fucking crazy that they went out of a chopper head-first, and trying to copy them copped him a bullet in the arse. His point was that it was these antics that cost him. I pointed out that had he not been arse-up in the same situation, he may well have copped the same bullet in the face. This drew ire from him but guffaws from his mates.

Hey, it's my blog so fuck it. I am going to take relevant timelines are go with the flow. Talking about the Uni Bar evokes more memories - like sitting there early in the evening (as is my wont) and talking to one of the guys about their awesome music. It was St Germain, and I immediately bought an album, which I play to this day. Instrumental only, chilled, rhythmic and relaxed music. Very cool. And a great bar, especially at that time of day. It was fun later in the evening when the music was live too, but I preferred it earlier. Plus it mainly attracted a lower percentage of knuckleheads, which suited me just fine. As I was alone most of the time, I was wary in some spots of standing out to those looking for trouble.

You could take this further, and talk about the Brass Monkey, and hey why not, I will. The Brass was the other pub in that vicinity that I often went to. In fact I usually started at the Brass while waiting for the Mill to open. I had a usual spot, in the smaller side section of the front bar, in front of a TV that played music videos. I would sit there quietly, enjoy a few pints, and watch music. It was solitude while being among a crowd, and frankly, I liked it. I also had numerous beers with Luke at the Brass on days we met for Dim Sum back in the day. Great memories. Alas the Brass has lost its allure for  me now - last time I was there with Dean back in about 2014 it was run down and had no issue with very poorly behaved people there during the day. A pity.

Anyway, so I digress - a lot. The DKNY scent is a citrusy kind of thing, crisp, masculine, and I loved it. I wore it each and every time I went out. The long bottle is not easy to find any more, but one can still see it online. I bought a cheap bottle a while ago though, and when compared to my lone old bottle, it wasn't the same. Must have been bootleg. So hopefully one of these more reputable online stores will help me out, it would be a shame to lose that smell. A scent that evokes memories long-past. It's not a past I yearn for, in fact I yearn for no past, I love my life as it is now. But nostalgic feelings can be quite pleasing ones.

Merrell Solo shoes, size 8.5 UK.

Holy mother of God. This is one of the best products I have ever owned in my entire life. I LOVE these shoes! I am probably about halfway through the life of the second pair I have owned, both the style and colour as shown above. They are so comfortable, easy to wear and great to walk in. I have owned another style of Merrell before also, but didn't like them anywhere near as much as these. The second pair I bought cost me a bomb, and I kept them under wraps for a long time, in order to prolong their existence. But of course that's really nonsense when it comes to shoes, so eventually they came out, pretty much when we moved to Barooga in 2016 I think. 2020 now and they're still going strong. Makes me want to go for one of my long Damansara walks....

That's a whole other topic, and early on in this blog you can find reference to some of the many walks I did back in 2015/2016 before we left Malaysia, when I was twiddling my thumbs during ASN's fall from grace. What a life. Such walks are not as fun here, even though it's far easier to walk around in Australia. I guess without knowing what hawker stall / restaurant / bar / whatever you are going to come across, Kl walks were a whole lot of fun, and usually ended with me filling my belly in some regard, haha!

So there were a couple of other products on this list, but only those that had entered recently. In terms of longevitiy, well these two are the only ones that matter. If I can keep using them for the rest of my life I will, let's hope I can continue to find them.