Hong Kong Garden

If the blog seems a bit confused this week it’s simply that my body is just back from Hong Kong but my head is still half way over the Middle East, racing to get back and catch up as I try to get some sleep.

Before I flew to the Far East, I took my daughters to the first anniversary party for the Michael Jackson musical Thriller. The noise was deafening as the cast and friends packed a London nightclub and we had to shout over the chatter and music. I was especially impressed with the cast members who played the Jackson Five in their young days and had grown big, bushy hairstyles for the role.

I jokingly shouted to my older daughter “I’m going to get an afro”. She shouted back that this was a great idea and I should do it as soon as possible. Disappointed that she hadn’t laughed at the idea of me looking like an extra from Car Wash, I carried on drinking until my youngest came up very excited. “Who’s going to get your Blackberry phone?”, she asked. I had no clue what she was on about until she shouted “Annalie says you’re going to get an iPhone”.

iPhones were in plentiful supply in Hong Kong, but there were no afro hairstyles that I could see. I had a great, tiring time, and you can still see the video blogs I kept if you wish. The link is below. Check out especially the video where I had my feet nibbled by fish at the Kiss Kiss Fish Spa. It was very unenjoyable for me but our listeners loved it as I was in pain. What a kind lot.

I got to fly a 747 Jumbo plane in a simulator used to test Cathay Pacific’s pilots so I now know how to make the flight go slower and last longer. This is important as I had watched the movie An Education on the way over but fell asleep so had to start it again and we landed about ten minutes from the end. So if you know what happens in that film let me know. It’s up for an Oscar and I’ll be the only person who doesn’t know if it has a happy ending.

While recording in Ladies’ Market on Wednesday a lady came up to me and told me more about myself than is natural. She wasn’t a fortune teller but had recognised me and reads my blog, has watched my shows, and now watches my wife on Shopping TV. She felt we had something in common as her husband stars in the TV show Casualty. On talking to him, though, I found he’s a driver for the cast who was once asked to stand in as an extra in a crowd scene. Showbiz is glam isn’t it?

Now I’m home to cold, frost and sleet, and life is starting to get back to normal. But I’m armed with the knowledge of what the year ahead has in store for me as I had my fortune read twice. The first reader, a Feng Shui expert, said I was soft on the outside but metal on the inside and I have to take fish oil capsules to stop the metal corroding. The second fortune teller said I was like a Princess from centuries ago and that, sadly, like her, I would not get a new husband in the next year. I’m gutted.

If you want to catch up on my adventures, watch the videos at http://www.smoothradiolondon.co.uk/presenters-shows/shows-xmw1/graham-dene-breakfast-show-myfc/win-a-fantastic-trip-to-hong-kong/pvhmwfz7/promo-pauls-blog/