Excitedly we left for France’s second biggest city, Lyon, a trip cobbled together in the last moments as pre arranged plans gushed away without prior warning.  Cruising in a Citron C3 towards to the city felt so right and as we happened on to the streets of the inner city we were greeted with a magnificent sight of the cathedral, known as the Notre-Dame de Fourvière Basilica, which was purchased on top of the hill presiding over Lyon’s town centre in the valley.
As a driver, the first thing you note is …

Returning from southern France has given me a whole new set of pictures for this section of the blog, so now it’s time for me to catch up.
This photo is called ‘the leap’, named simply as a description of what is happening. Slightly annoyed that it came out so dark, and a little annoyed that I wasn’t taking it in a burst mode, as to get the jumper (Raph) right over the body he was trying to clear. Love watching people do silly things like this and enjoy it even …

Classical music is nothing to cough at, it is often seen as a serious affair, with many dressing for the occasion. On Friday I went the Royal Festival Hall, London, to see Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Staatskapelle. The performance of Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto was wonderfully sublime, whereas the critically successful performance of Schoenberg’s symphonic poem Pelleas und Melisande was not to my liking. But this post isn’t about reviewing the music, as I am no expert in this field and review by ‘professionals’ can be seen in related …

Today was the first time I ventured into the seas with a surf board. As I reflect on the way home of today’s events and as tiredness grips my body I feel a deep sense of satisfaction.
After a painstaking journey through endless traffic we arrived in Devon. With the rain beating down on us and our wet suits on, we fought the wind, held on to our boards and as a trio, dipped our feat into what was to be our playground for the next 2 hours.
The first few …

Being out in New York for the first time reminds me of the first time I went to Universal Studios. Landing with excitement of a kid in line for the ET ride, I saw the Manhattan skyline in the distance, a scene that greets a great many visitors.
An impressive and familiar sight, something that NYC felt to me the whole time. Every corner you weaved, every street you crossed brought a sense deja vu. I guess our elicit diet of American culture has driven the city so deep into our …

What an awesome gig. Amiina was ‘headlining’ Music Through Unconventional Means, on the 15th May 2009. The Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, is a wonderful venue, having seen Love with Arthur Lee there a few years back I was excited to go back. Now I remember why, the sound is fabulous, every tone pitch perfectly.
Shlomo as artist in residence and a supreme human beatboxers for me infused this night with a passion rarely seen and brought the whole concert up to the next level.
This was the first time I came …

On Saturday after an amazing night at the Amiina concert I was lucky enough to be invited to a boat party on the river Themes. Now I must admit usually I wouldn’t written too much about the party if I hadn’t been asked by 3 separate people on my twitter to post something. So here goes on a brief update. Ruk’s sister’s 21st Birthday bash was a all Black and Gold affair in the most formal of styles. Now I don’t have much gold, to be honest I think unless …

truly a hectic month in the life of me! A month both filled with utter joy and immense stress, I find it funny how life and work life can be at such dichotomous ends of the spectrum of human emotion; both parts giving emotions totally separated from each other. The title of this post “Sucking on a Revolver”, is I guess, the best description of what the past weeks have been like, and an awesome name for a song, book or film.
My work life is turning into a wearisome …

like you can see a storm roll over the hills and descend on the valley where you stand at complete peace, well this how I see this week looking. On Thursday last week, I could see the clouds gather and I have had the weekend to allow the calm before the storm to ensue but as I look forward to the weeks ahead I see the first waves caress the side of the ship.
I wonder how positive I can stay as the waves wash over me with increased intensity. …

while I spoke about the beer in the memoirs post, I feel now I should extend beyond just beer and give you a flavour of the nightlife during my stay.
For me both Busan and Seoul both came alive at night, the streets seemed to fill with people, all of whom were reclaiming their lives as their own after a grueling day in the office. The lights of the city shone with a neon golden glisten, illuminating the streets that have no pavements, where the pedestrian reclaims the tarmac fearlessly. …