Musings

Thank you to everyone who came to Nail bar on Friday and Saturday night to see my last two shows. I could not have asked for a better sendoff.
Both nights were fantastic fun and had great crowds, I was fortunate to have been able to see an awful lot of the people in Nanjing who have made a deep impression on me and I was able to say goodbye.
There were many people I did not get a chance to see. I hope someday we'll all meet again.

I am, as I write, downloading the footage of my last night in Nanjing and I must thank Leo for being good enough to arm the camera and capture the last set of the evening, it worked out much better than the first set and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Also, thanks to Brendon for  the 4 minute cleavage commentary and to Hamish and Craig Berry for their Stagnant Pond performance! I have always wanted to have those soulful ditties to listen to whenever I wish, and now I can enjoy 'The 10%', 'I don't want to be a Tepanyaki Chef', 'Half a Bottle of Baijio Baby' and the rest whenever I please. Cheers lads.

As for the gig itself, I have to thank Kerri for her fantastic performances. We did at duet on route 66 and Kerri sang the classic from Porgy and Bess, 'Summertime', solo and she did a fantastic job. Apologies to Fran - you know, I hope, that it was unintentional. That will remain with me for as long as I perform as a lesson in careless perfomance. I think you are awesome and I am so glad you were able to take it with good grace and accept my apology. I cringe when I think of it!
I also cringe when I watch the footage from Jimmy's. As Craig Berry suggested it shall go into the 'Watch Later Vault', alongside the New Years Eve footage, as something to view when I need the motivation to give up drinking!!!
I am glad I have it, though. Priceless memories that would have otherwise been lost with the braincells that were killed off!

I have just woken up from a 14 hour sleep after getting home last night. My parents made one of their typically lavish and phenomenal dinners - ginger and lime BBQ'd king prawns on skewers; tomato bocconcini and fresh basil salad; and Australian scotch fillet, BBq'd, served on a ciabatta slice slow cooked with pheasant farm pate, covered in madeira and mushroom gravy. Followed by peach Melba and mum's home made amaretto ice cream. Yes, I am bragging but, I hope, also convincing some of you to come for a visit to Oz as it will be a while before I can come for a visit back to Nanjing. Definitely when not if.

As I sit on the verandah in the middle of nowheresville, Australia, I am filled with an extraordinary sense of calm that I have not had in quite a while. Calm never occurs in the middle of an adventure, and that is what my time in China was to me - A mad, whirlwind rollercoaster adventure.
I did most of the things I had planned to do in China with the notable exception of not travelling to Lashan; and I did things I never thought I would do like sing Italian opera at 798 in Beijing for China's inaugural biennale and have a regular gig at a jazz club. The whole experience just blows my tiny little brain!

I will be checking up, using Hello Nanjing and good ol' fashined email, on the activities and fun that is being had, but as I am no longer there I will not be writing any more blogs as they aren't relevant to Nanjing and this site is, after all, Hello Nanjing. If I don't already have your email and you'd like to keep in touch then send me a message through here.

So, goodbye
slán
再见
arrivederci
auf weidersehen
до свидания
vaarwel

live long and prosper
Ka Plah!
So long and thanks for all the fish.

Written by :

Alanna

 

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its fRantastic
written by Frantastic, February 02, 2010

Alanna, they changed it in the dictionary to fRantastic and not fantastic. oh dear, ur english sucks

and its aufwiedersehen, how come you spell it right in russian and not in german??? (its only because ZE russians bought u champagne) shame on you young lady. haha just teasing u.

thats me getting back at you at the 'lady is a tramp' part. However its becoming one of my fav's story around town now. See this is my Alanna moment. Alanna singing "the lady is a tramp" and while singing this line she looks straight at me! (she ignored me for all her other lovely songs but the tramp part must have kind of reminded her of me 'nonoes')

thanks, it was a blast knowing you and listening to you and nailbar was packed and that was because of you!!! dont you ever forget that. So I wish you happiness and success for the next chapter in your book 'Alanna's live'.

don't be a stranger.

and

don't forget the tramp, alright?

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the lady is a fran
written by Bjoern, February 02, 2010

I i remember correctly she sung the lady is a fran or ????? ;-)

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Nice welcome home
written by Anil, February 02, 2010

Sounds like a great welcome back for ya:

My parents made one of their typically lavish and phenomenal dinners - ginger and lime BBQ'd king prawns on skewers; tomato bocconcini and fresh basil salad; and Australian scotch fillet, BBq'd, served on a ciabatta slice slow cooked with pheasant farm pate, covered in madeira and mushroom gravy. Followed by peach Melba and mum's home made amaretto ice cream.

By the way, Bjoern sent me some video footage of the night, here's one featuring solos by both Kerri and Alanna


http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/ljnxZD0tCm8/

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Bjoern
written by Frantastic, February 02, 2010

haha, na I think she actually did that the second round because everyone was having a laugh (at my expense of course) and she felt guilty LOL

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...
written by Bjoern, February 02, 2010

By the way, Bjoern sent me some video footage of the night, here's one featuring solos by both Kerri and Alanna

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/ljnxZD0tCm8/

Hmm seems the 50 RMB for an external microphone would be a good investment :-)

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...
written by Anil, February 03, 2010

Agreed Bjoern: the sound could have been better. That said, the quality of the video from your camera is very impressive, better than my dedicated video cam!

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i's and e's
written by Alanna, February 07, 2010

fRantastic, and you are, I have always had an issue with i's and e's, in English and in every language that uses them! I know the whole "i before e except after c" thingy but still....
Besides, I never reread before I post so you get it as fast as my extremely poor typing lets me get it all out.
I am so lucky that you have a sense of humour that is as warped as mine! Thanks for taking that with good grace - it really was just a f**k up!
I miss you guys already.
xxxx

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written by Frantastic, February 07, 2010

Hey I spoke to Greg on Friday, him and Enda came from Nailbar and they both said that now it kinda hit them that you left cause Nailbar was apparently dead that night. Greg came over and said that he misses you. So you see, loads of people miss you as well, which means that you gotta come back sometime soon

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i's & e's
written by Barakiel2010, February 07, 2010

"I before E except except after C"
Which means all science is wrong ??

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It's worse than that, Barakiel2010...
written by Alanna, February 08, 2010

Conscience is also an exception.
The full thing goes
"I before E, except after C, and when sounding like A as in neighbor and weigh."
For that matter "I" as in Einstein but that's a proper name so that simply doesn't count!
There are over 100 exceptions to the rule which may have something to do with the constant misspelling.....
Nah, that would be the alcohol bombed brain cells - or lack thereof!

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