Tasty Delicious Enable Happiness

I've been tagged twice in the last week or so with two memes and it really is only sporting to participate. The first occasion started with the gifted Marcus in Munich and with whom despite inevitable titanic struggles over the meaning of meaning I'd love to work with some day. I just know we could push ideas further than I''ve ever had a chance to push before. So I'm crossing my fingers on that one. In the mean time Marcus has asked me to name five bloggers that I'd wish to be a little more like. Also I've been graciously tagged by Johnnie Moore who really is quite brilliant and curmudgeonly in a likable-professor way. I also suspect that he's closer to the meaning of it all even though he'd probably dislike that compliment.

Johnnie has invited me to share eight random facts/ habits and pass the meme onto a further eight. Well in the interests of symmetry and breaking rules (The best to the brave) I'll only do five and intersperse those five facts and five cross-meme links with some snaps I've taken today. Just in case that has confused those I've linked to it means that ideally you should pick up the meme mashup and do both as well.... if you like of course. So here goes.

First off is the admission that I was born in Germany and have a Maltese mother and an English Father so truthfully I don't really buy into any nationalism at all and see the planet as all mine wherever I choose to tip up. It's kind of liberating to discard a passport and inherit a planet. I also see how easy it is for different countries to start saying the 'we' word when lets face it, 'we' are all in this together. Particularly as the planet heats up. So shape up. I'm tagging Rob Campbell on this one simply because on top of living in Singapore and loving Asia like myself, he's given me some of the best laughs on the net if only for the comments section on his blog which is just ace.


Second I guess I can fairly admit to taking off more time than any planner I know and have made good use of tropical beaches, tropical rum and more books than I should have really ever had the time to read. I majored in Politics during this time and had just one of the best mentors to guide me on which books to read and where. I also picked up my McLuhan habit around during this period and can't see why he hasn't been canonized. Its all there in much the same way that Stephen King inventor of planning's writings were more pure from reduced clutter and yet at the same time so prescient. I'm linking to Faris on this one because its one thing to be super clever, its another thing to be a regular and likable guy with that much brain power kicking around. Duty of Genius and all that.


That's bubbling sugar above, and is used to make those toffee fruits I've talked about. I think I'd like to share my favourite place in the world. Its Luang Prabang in Laos. Laos is an unreconstructed Communist country and possibly one of the richest (spiritually) countries in the world. The people unlike those in Thailand have been sheltered from breakneck economic growth and is the only place in the world I've seen folk on motorbikes tugging friends along on bicycles at a sedate pace while holding a conversation. This is when I realised that a slower life is what we're all looking for. All I need are a few books in Luang Prabang and I'm content. My next tag is John Dodds. John is a top bloke with one of best marketing bullshit detectors as well as a good sense of humour. Even if he does do work on the side for MI5.


What else. I've quite a track record in marriage and relationship guidance. Even though I'm a walking disaster at managing my own relationships I seem to have a face that enables people to confide in me in a way that suggests my advice is valuable and I'm grateful for that because it makes me feel that I can be trusted. I hope its because I'm a bit more direct than is good for me in most instances but its fair to say I've rescued more relationships than I care to think about now that I start to dwell on the matter. I'm going to link to Charlie over at Tantramar for this one because he's one of the cleverest and most creative people I know. Now that I think of it he's just the sort of person that What If should be talking to because he's done more stuff than any of us put together.

Finally I think I want to share that I once had a gun pulled on me in Stringfellows nightclub in the 90's. Its one of those improbable stories that litter my life and was completely unanticipated but I remember thinking how sobering it was to be on the end of a barrel and how for once in my life I just kept my trap shut in the interests of not making it onto the front of the tabloids the next day. Good story though if you ever catch me with nothing to say. I think my last link for this occasion and completely unrelated to that little factoid should be Fiona because she needs a little prompt now and again and is shaping up as a lovely blogger.

Countdown

I"m not so bothered with George Bush as some. I feel a wave of mild embarrassment each time I see him pretending that what is happening isn't happening. I'm embarrassed for his poor grasp of geography, his shunning of history and lately a reversal on GOP economic theory by advocating 'trickle up economics' with the stimulus package. Now they say it's because poor people are more likely to go spend the cash, and the cynicism this reveals for trickle down economics is only now manifest. Have they been fattening their wallets all this time? Selling cheap loans to people who will spend the next decade paying them off?. Keynesian economics is now evidently being practiced by POTUS and the mantra of free market economics as the unfailing driver of good, is a boil waiting to be lanced.

This doesn't mean I'm not horrified by the grotesque spectacle of Bill Clinton pulling tricks I never thought I'd see in order to gain reentry into the Whitehouse and of course his desperate wife Hillary who looks way past her time and a little ugly like Giuliani with his never ending repetition of what he did for N.Y. But don't let that colour your impression of my politics because my favourite candidate so far has been Ron Paul of the Republican party for his ruthless pursuit of presenting the unpalatable truth to the U.S.

It is however increasingly looking like Barack Obama's time and I see potential in him to lead the country forward in a way that the United States both deserves and desperately needs. It's time to rid the U.S. of that unholy alliance of the fundamentalists and neoconservatives because its just obscene listening to those pro lifers support the war in Iraq.

Via Rebecca Mackinnon

Connecting Peoples

Earlier today I was passing that blood bank bus I've mentioned before when talking about brand utility, and I thought I'd do my bit and load up the People's Republic with some of my own juice as I had a pint or so to spare.


This nice Gentleman took all my details and loaded them up on the notebook.


And the nice nurse checked my blood pressure and took a sample to be on the safe side.


And I got on with taking a few pictures as the people on the bus were all the generous giving sort. (I don't count myself. I was looking for shameless blogging content).


And Bob's your uncle. No mess, no fuss, just juice. Which sounds like a line doesn't it?


And that was my Saturday afternoon, apart from buying some Stella McCartney's Adidas for a girl I haven't yet met, because I do that once in a while.....meet someone, figure out if I've bought the right size and if it looks like it will work, say 'here's something I bought earlier'.

Seriously though if there are any ladies out there who are really into this the Adidas 'Stella' the store on Wanfujing is doing 50% off and I can only justify buying the one item on the off chance of meeting a close fit, even though its easily the sexiest and most futuristic female clothing I've ever seen and it doesn't seem to be shifting over here. Its like Prada/Miu Miu meets Adidas. Which isn't a bad thing. Its still pricy but a half price sale is a fair chunk off. Go check out the current collection.