Gangsta philosophy

50 Cent's ex-girlfriend is pursuing a claim that he promised her half of his earnings for life. The rapper is philosophical about the dispute. 'It'll work itself out,' he said. 'It's just a pain in the ass.'

tag cloud

My delicious tags presented via wordle

Things that bug the hell out of me

1. The phone list at work - fair enough it needs to be updated but can it not be in a format that doesn't involve MS Excel? And FFS could it not be set up at a size that fits the telephone list holders?
2. Microsoft Office. I need say no more.
3. Inane reply-alls to emails, particularly when it ends up being a long dull conversation between two people
4. Gherkins in Mcdonald's burgers. What does this hideous green thing add to my burger? nothing. Does it end up in the bin? yes.
5. Drivers who enter the green advanced stop box at traffic lights. Piss off, that box is for cyclists. That includes you Mr Wanker on a moped.
6. Leaving links on desktop (Guilty of this myself)
7. Putting one's ipod on repeat so that you have to listen to the same album again. and again. and again. Enough!

To be continued...

8. Lane rage. Come on people, why can't we all just get along? How difficult is it to have an appreciation of other swimmer's location and give everyone enough space to swim without fear of being cutup/drowned/slapped? And if i'm going too slow for you, have a break and put some space between us. Or go in the faster lane.
9. Ineffective bar staff. If the only way you can get served is to barge over the bar, wave a grubby twenty in the face of the bar maid, then it gets one's evening off to a bad start. What's worse is when a bar has four/five people working behind it and no one gets served. What a waste of resources, it's not a difficult job. Please sort it out.

How to live a better life

It's a bit of a grandiose title but in fairness it describes what i'm trying to encapsulate here.

Our journeys through life don't have a predetermined course and it's what we put in as much as what happens around us that dictates the quality of our time on Planet Earth. Life is very precious so before we all rapidly become food for worms I wanted to try and document a few ideas that I think make a positive difference.

1. Be interesting
Well researched, well read and no doubt often referenced piece by the articulate Mr Davies. A whole host of good practical approaches to being more interesting. As RD points out being creative is linked to how inquisitive one is, and this thirst for information might as a by-product add an 'interestingness' to one's personality.

So have I followed of RD's advice? Well, I've always kept a scrapbook in one form or another (although recently through convenience this scrapbook has become digital) and I try and write on my website regularly. I hate the word blog so deliberately haven't used it. I like to WRITE because i find WRITING interesting and inspiring and challenging. And I'm really, really trying to take a photo a day - my camera phone produces surprisingly good results. Note that by using the word 'trying' i'm actually failing this task. Must try harder.

But why is being interesting important? Because interesting people understand that giving/sharing is more rewarding than taking, that we aren't closed boxes in a warehouse but are free-spirited, complex, fascinating teachers. They understand that everyone has something to give and everyone in turn can have their lives enriched by a chance encounter. Which is why people need to smile more, talk to strangers and spend a little more time doing something different. And no one likes to be stuck in the corner of the kitchen with Mr Boring, whereas conversely great parties are defined by the fantastic conversation one had with the funny looking bloke from Sunderland. At moments like these I'm reminded of the lady in Bristol who kept me amused and fascinated all night long. She was very interesting.

2. Travel
This need for new experiences and chance encounters might result in a bit of wanderlust. This fellow has travelled well and here are his tips doing it the 'right' way. Maybe this approach is why his photos are so good?
travel tips from the road
how to travel well

I don't take an ipod away with me because I don't like shut myself from those around, no point traveling thousands of miles only to cocoon oneself in a musical bubble. Let serendipity happen. Just because the lonely planet place-X is a must-see location doesn't mean that you have to flock there like a flock of sheep. Take your time and see where you end up, avoid jumping from bus to bus in a rush to get to someone else's Nirvana. Stop and sit once in a while and watch the world go by and maybe you'll find your own little utopia.

3. Be inspired
People all around the world have done and are doing incredible things. This bloke swam the atlantic whilst Cookie and Paul are walking the length of the United States of America.

The key thing here is not about emulating these dedicted acts, seeking to compete with these ideas (which are very personal things in themselves) but to use them as a bit of motivation to do something for one's self, ie to be inspired to act. Little actions are just as important as big efforts, and therefore the important thing is that something is achieved. One step further down the road or one step higher up the mountain.

to be continued

Loving this song at the moment

Fake Empire by The National

New prints completed

Another illustration of one of my favourite buildings, as with previous did two versions - hot/cold, winter/summer, evening, morning. However you want to distinguish the two is up to you.

Available to buy from Inky Finger Prints

word power

JK Rowling delivers graduate commencement address at Harvard.

I have asked myself what I wish I had known at my own graduation, and what important lessons I have learned in the 21 years that has expired between that day and this I have come up with two answers. On this wonderful day when we are gathered together to celebrate your academic success, I have decided to talk to you about the benefits of failure. And as you stand on the threshold of what is sometimes called ‘real life’, I want to extol the crucial importance of imagination.

Interesting speech, i like the following points:

(On failure) You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.

Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it.

(On imagination) One of the many things I learned at the end of that Classics corridor down which I ventured at the age of 18, in search of something I could not then define, was this, written by the Greek author Plutarch: What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.

That is an astonishing statement and yet proven a thousand times every day of our lives. It expresses, in part, our inescapable connection with the outside world, the fact that we touch other people’s lives simply by existing.

In my year Sunscreen was a popular song, (appropriatley subtitled class of '99) which all sounds a bit sentimental now but guess there is still a lot of truth in those words. Words like these:

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idel Tuesday.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Reminds me of a really good last summer in Newcastle. Feeling of being on the cusp of a wave, very energised and excited by the next footfall in life. Sad to be saying goodbye to a way of living that would never repeated, to bid farewell to friends one would see all too randomly. Suddenly realising we were adults. More accountable, more vulnerable and yet also more independent and more intelligent. I miss Rothbury Terrace, I miss the time available to think about things. Don't miss the car crash in the kitchen though.

It will be ten years since those heady times this time next year. So much has changed, so little is different.

Experimental jetset

Final D&AD lecture of the season centred upon Dutch designers Experimental Jetset. The trio gave an entertaining 'typically Dutch' presentation of their work. I liked how the structured events by picking a theme (french clients) and then talking through three in depth case studies. Whilst it was still a show-and-tell at least they stamped their own mark on the night.

What came through was how they operate under a strong sense of disciplined logical thinking, resulting in clear and appropriate solutions. i'd imagine they walk in to presentations with a limited number of routes and effectively say 'this idea is the solution to your problem'. Not in an arrogant fashion, more with an air of quiet, dignified confidence.

Somehow they've acquired a Helvetica-phile label but none of the work they showed
used this typeface, each project logically choosing it's own individual language. I'm a big believer in systems, ie create a strong idea at the start of a project that works in a structured fashion to homogenise a range of items/products. So very interesting to see how each piece of work they created had a core structure unifying the graphic work.

A very good evening - except for the journey home. My beloved steed of nine year was absent from the railings outside. No more riding through the moonlit streets with the wind in my hair. I hope he's gone to a good home, I certainly feel i got sterling service from my machine. But like so many things it was time for a new bicycle so in the spirit of good follows bad I'm consoling myself with the idea that the time was right to go our separate ways. Frustrating nevertheless, for if nothing else one would like to say when and how a farewell takes place, and not leave it to the thieving tendencies of some hoody-scally-chaaver.

Copenhagen

Back from my hols, pics upoaded here

Fuller write up to follow but in short:
pros: beer quality, sunny sunlight, beautiful people, appreciation of design, proximity to sea, love of outdoor life (cat naps in the sun).
cons: beer prices, open sandwiches.

Good things to do in London - part 1

1. Walk from hampsted heath to primrose hill. take in the view, then go for sunday lunch here. Drink Adnams or Deuchars if they have it on draught. Alternatively walk along the south bank, the bar beside the Hayward Gallery is quirky and does a wide selection of pickles if you like this type of thing.

2. Watch obscure films. The curzon soho is an obvious choice but it's sibling the curzon mayfair is quieter and it's less hassle to get a ticket, but admittedly less choice than it's bigger brasher relation. For a touch of glamour go to the Electric on portobello road, which isn't so expensive but does have exceptional seating to sink into. And a good local cinema? I'm a fan of the ritzy in Brixton, it has a decent bar and avoids the mega-chain feel of it's West end rivals. I saw 'Happy go Lucky' here which incidentally is a very good (london) film.

3. eat Asian food - Cheng's at the bottom of Wardour street does a mighty fine selection of dim sum, Green Papaya in Hackney does melt in the mouth belly pork and half way along brick lane is a yellow fronted Bangladeshi restaurant. This has proved to be a superb place to soak up beer, unfortunately I can't seem to remember the name. The best I can do is approximate that it's between Hanbury and Princelet street. Screw your eyes up, stagger around a bit and you should find it. For a decent and authentic and surprisingly cheap Thai meal try Charlie Wright's International Bar in old street. A bit intimidating and sometimes has a few characters in but that is part of it's charm.

4. drink beer. lots of it.
Here are some good locations
Clerkenwell: The 3 Kings*, Sekforde Arms
Islington: The Crown, Island Queen, The kings head

For cocktails go to Freuds which considering is in the west end is actually quite nice generally because of the euro-boho-arty crowd that congregate there (thanks i think because of the proximity to Central St Martins?)

* The 3 kings demonstrates why London is rocking in the summer - that glorious friday evening sight of throngs of people spilling out on to the pavement drinking away as dusk descends in the balmy air.

5. After beer comes a kebab and the best kebab in london comes from here. Bodrum wins because of the quality of it's bread, the turkish bread is thick enough to soak up meat juice and chilli sauce before it dribbles down one's front. I eat a lot kebabs and am disapointed by the number of establishments that insist on sticking to flaky pita bread - shameful.

Enjoy!

Sunday night is BBC2 night

If sunday morning's are all about the radio, the melancholy moods of sunday evening are dispelled thanks to a bit of escapism on the goggle-box.

BBC2 is surpassing itself at the moment. Following a slap up feed and few beers of fruity charm (tonight = salmon, roast pots and greens with Green King IPA) I relax on my bean bag and enjoy a visual feast.

Ray Mears starts preceedings, and although he can be a bit preachy and a bit of a hippy I do admire his holistic approach and envy the places he tramps to. He can keep the grub canapes and ant medicines though. Tonight he wandered through Northern Queensland with the Bush Tucker Man.

Wild China follows directly afterwards and the sumptuous landscapes bring back my happy travels through that amazing country. It's a good mix of ideas - ecology, anthropology, and nature are effectvley bundled together.

The night is rounded off by Jonathan Dimbleby travelling through Russia. One of the better moments tonight? Chucking back Vodka as he orders trout in the dining car of a siberian express train. The man is pure class, if only there were more broadcasters of his calibre on our airwaves, his silken vowels and twinkley-eyed engagement with hairy russians is as intoxicating as the booze.

Bob Greenberg

Good skills from Bob Greenberg, a man who seemingly forecast the way the wind would blow through the creative industries. Jumping from movie titles, into special effects, into web-design with apparent ease. Very humbly he spent a lot of time talking about the staff in his offices, no disrespect to them but Bob was so fascinating i'd rather he talked more about himself and his work. A very clever man, he said to Kodak ten or so years ago people would one day stop using film in cameras to which he was laughed. Wonder who is laughing now?

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