The Juke Joint

My crib/pad/abode/residence or whatever you want to call it is probably as fancy as it'll ever get. It came totally empty except for a few built in cupboards and kitchen gas stove so I rented some furniture, just the bare necessities:

01 x Bed (w/mattress)
01 x Writing Desk
01 x Fridge
01 x 19" TV

And they were kind enough to throw in a sofa and a lamp.

Minimalist it is, but that's just me. Anything that doesn't need to be there isn't there. Perhaps the only thing that counts as decoration too is a bottle of Ballantine's Finest on my work desk. Well, that works for me.

The neighbourhood seems pretty quiet. It's located in a sub-urban residential area (Anaheim isn't a bustling city to begin with) and this particular block of rented apartments I'm staying in comprises mostly Hispanics. Generally rather peaceful. No encounters of the sweet Latino kind though.

It's my first weekend here and I'm catching up on the Internet stuff I've been missing out on after the cable guy came to install it at about 1100 hrs. Right now the weather's pretty much the same as in Singapore, warm and sunny. It gets cold in the mornings though, which doesn't do much for my early morning moods. It doesn't get dark until about 2030, where the temperature starts to dip a little.

Food is, well....American. I've just had my lunch of one huge slice of pizza which is probably equivalent to 3 Singapore slices. Chinese food is so-so, rather bland and caters more to American tastes. Imagine black-pepper beef that actually tastes sweet. Mexican food adds a bit of spice and zest, but seems to be the same everywhere. There are only so many tacos and enchildas I can eat in a week.

Besides, eating out gets rather expensive. No more SGD$3.00 cai peng. I've bought stuff to cook from the supermarket (ok ok instant noodles and canned stuff...master chef I ain't alright?) but my gas stove isn't working yet, so those will have to wait.

I managed to rent a Chevrolet Cavalier, a decent saloon car that drives quite well. It sure beats the monstrous gas guzzling SUV that I had the last time I was here. The rent is killer due to the underage fee for renters under 25, but it's a necessity to get around here. Driving on the other side of the road isn't new to me, but still takes a bit of getting used to. The roads and lanes are huge though, since everyone seems to love huge cars, SUVs and trucks. The things I like though are free parking and having lots and lots of lots (try saying that fast 20 times).

Alright, so much for my living arrangements. Here's something rather unrelated but it was very striking when I saw old 1930-40's b/w footage of Billie Holiday singing it on some late-night music channel. I know reading the lyrics can never be the same as hearing these verses in a pained and fragile yet bittersweet voice, but just try to imagine.

Strange Fruit by Lewis Allen

Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Can't figure out what it's about? Hint: The barbaric acts being portrayed in imagery are still practised, even if it's not in the same place.

Till the next installment of The Great American Odyssey.