» Conversation Killers

my dad
Dad was English but lived in Amsterdam for 11 or so years before he died of cancer at the young age of 52. He undertook most of the chemo and radiotherapy treatment in a hospital just outside Amsterdam near Schiphol airport if I remember correctly.

For the first few weeks at the start of his treatment all the staff and other patients on the ward, assuming dad could only speak English, only spoke English to him. They never spoke in Dutch to him and more or less assumed he was an ignorant English man with no grasp of their language.

Nothing odd about that except my dad was a quite a bit of a character and had shaved all his hair off (his response to being told he will lose his hair due to the treatments), was drawing erotic and dirty bondage pictures for the nurses and smoking skunk out on the balcony. The other cancer patients basically thought he was a complete oddball acting inappropriately through to disgracefully. A couple of weeks pass:

Nurse: Hello Mr Sutit Senior Ive been told that you speak fluent Dutch
Dad: Um well yes, I do.
Nurse: In that case would you rather we spoke to you in Dutch or English?
Dad: Dutch would be fine...

As my dad tells it there first was an audible gasp from some of the patients as the realisation dawned on them that he had understood ever single bloody word they had said in the last two weeks and then it was so quiet you could of heard a pin drop...

still miss him
(Thu 12th May 2011, 21:02, More)

» Bedroom Disasters

not me
...this didn't happen to me but is worth a post. Back in school we had a friend called Mark. We were 5th years so about 15 at the time and one day he came in to school and said that last night he was lying bollock naked on his bed, pretending, god knows why, that he was pregnant, in labour, giving birth, queue lots of grunts, legs spread up in the air, push, push, push, push, push when suddenly his mum walks wondering what the noise is just as he with quite some force shits himself. Try explaining that one away....
(Thu 23rd Jun 2011, 22:00, More)

» Funerals II

updated pearoast - my dad
At the time of our dad dying my sister and I were pretty broke. He wanted a cremation and we chose a cardboard coffin for the job. Cheap, eco friendly and delivered to your door in flat pack.

After assembling it looked rather manky - a great big grey cardboard coffin shaped box slap bang in the middle of my living room. I am not sure of what we were expecting but it was miserable. Searching the cupboards I found a tin of lime green color emulsion and a few coats of that paint worked a treat. It brightened up the coffin to an almost luminescent glow. Then to finish it off I scanned some of his artwork and glued A4 copies to the lid and sides.

And sorry dad I know you wanted to be cremated staring at your paintings of your ex girlfriend's flaps on the inside of the lid but we just could not bring ourselves to do it.


Just to add: On the day of the cremation one of his brothers had a large 5 ft wreath the shape of a spliff made. The funeral procession through SE London was kinda eerie with that along side this painted day glow style coffin in the hearse.

At West Norwood Cemetery we played in with Jimi Hendricks "All Along the Watchtower", played Van Morrison "Beautiful Vision" half way through and finished with Bob Marley "Kaya". After that it was the standard wake, his pissed ex alcoholic gf making a tit of herself and the usual over apologetic relatives with various amounts of guilt tripping over themselves, but at least I think we did him proud. Still miss you dad.
(Sat 13th Apr 2013, 17:01, More)

» Books

Last Chance to See - Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine.
I lent a copy of that book to a class mate in my first year at Uni way back and got it back 3 years later after everyone in that year group had read it.

It was properly battered, its cover half off, ear marked throughout, pages yellowing and some of it held together with sellotape.

Just the fact that 15 to 20 or so people read it and passed it on saying, "it is Sutit's book, he wont mind you borrowing it but make sure he gets it back" or similar makes this book my favorite. Countless times I almost bought a replacement thinking it had been lost or nabbed.

So that has to be my favorite book on my shelf and not because it is a bloody good read, (even though it is).
(Sun 8th Jan 2012, 1:17, More)

» Amazing Projects

Lime Green Coffin
At the time of our dad dying my sister and I were pretty broke. He wanted a cremation and we chose a cardboard coffin for the job. Cheap, eco friendly and delivered to your door in flat pack.

After assembling it looked rather manky - a great big grey cardboard coffin shaped box slap bang in the middle of my living room. I am not sure of what we were expecting but it was miserable. Searching the cupboards I found a tin of lime green color emulsion and a few coats of that paint worked a treat. It brightened up the coffin to an almost luminescent glow. Then to finish it off I scanned some of his artwork and glued A4 copies to the lid and sides.

And sorry dad I know you wanted to be cremated staring at your paintings of your ex girlfriend's flaps on the inside of the lid but we just could not bring ourselves to do it.
(Sat 19th Nov 2011, 17:12, More)