Kids in Tesco, Leytonstone

4pm in Tesco. Kids are crying here, there, shouting here, there. Tesco is big here and offers a big space for them to produce loud volume without being complained. In addition, I envy the freedom kids have in such a venue. They have the previlage to shout out without feeling wrong/bad/embarassed. Although adults can shout aloud, too, we dare not and would not. It is almost considered as insane. Adults are trained to be quiet in the public.

1 Week after moving to a flat in Leytonstone

St John’s church in Leytonstone has many kinds of bell ringtones. I cannot figure out what means what. Is it for wedding, service or practice? Being public sounds, I think the church should have the responsibility to inform the public what they mean.
Sounds of bath water drained in a different sound from yesterday. It was less computer-processed quality.

Thames Festival

I heard many sounds and I did not have an audio recorder with me. Sometimes it is not necessary to record every sound in order to ‘own’ it—so that experiences and memories will not fade away. By keeping listening experiences in memories, experiences changes and distorted in the ways I like. Perhaps that’s way I enjoy recollecting memories through sounds. By listening to the played-back sounds of my past, I perceive and focus on the imagined part instead of the acoustics of sounds. I am not into finding new sounds but narratives hidden behind sounds. What do sounds relate to you personally? What do London sounds relate to Taiwanese sojourners?

I heard many London sounds that I have never experienced before.
- Navy band was so spirit-up-lifting, particularly the sounds of metal xylophone. They made my tiring feet recharged immediately.
- Mexican-Indian performed on nicely-built open-stage instead of being poor street performers.
- People who were in the competition of rowing counted numbers to coordinate moving pace while switching sides. They sounded nervous but also tried to be calm.
- The Chinese guide spoke really good English. He also had a good sense of humour. People liked him very much and they liked to go to him to have more conversations.
- The two teachers in St Francis of Assisi School enjoyed teaching in the observatory classroom. The shape of the dome helps them to speak easily without forcing themselves to be loud. Pupils can hear easily. The sounds of raindrops on the roof of the observetory do not disturb their lessons. But those raindrops sounds happening on the outside plastic roof are very loud.
After I asked the teachers about their acoustic experiences in this room, they seemed to have many views about it. Later, I returned to the classroom and heard that they were telling other visitors their acoustic experiences again.
- A kid was walking with his skateboard-with-a-handle on a bridge inside Holland Park tube station. The sound was not disturbing.
- At home, when bath water almost drained, the pitch of water sound changed. It sounded like the original sound was computer processed/distorted in the quality of electroacoustic work! So, why process with computer? I can just record it! Cage's spirit: there are enough sounds in our world. Listen to them. There is no need to make new sounds.

A listening on the top of Greenwich

I am going to move out of New Cross on tomorrow morning. My favourate place around New Cross is the square next to the Observatory of Greenwich. I used to jog every weekend from New Cross to here. After having a few good breaths in the early mornings, I returned to my flat with great calmness and confidence.

4:30pm, Friday
On my right hand side there are two British women chatting about other peoples' love affairs loudly. Behind me are people of different nationalities. They are speaking different languages. Some are in Chinese. By listening carefully, I can tell that they are from China.
The two British women on the right are still loud. It is difficult for me not to listen to their conversations.
Suddently, the PA system of the observatory museum is announcing: 'We are closing in 25 mins'.
The two British women's voics are loud.

I open my eyes, blink blink.
I see the paramid roof of Canary Warf. In the cloudy and sunny spell afternoon, sun shines just right on top of the paramid. It is very bright.
By opening my eyes, I realise that I am in the UK. What I just experienced in the listening journey, which allowed me to cross easily and freely among corners is like a dreamwalk. After opening my eyes, I am taken to the present reality. I return.
The pressure of the visual is very huge.