My Christmas List... The musical one

You know that token question you get asked at a family dinner, or a job interview, or a rubbish first date..?

"If you were stranded on a desert Island, and you could only have three things in your posession, what three things would they be?" I've always, always struggled to pick the full three, but have never failed to get the same ONE item on the list, every time. 

Music. I would bring music. When this question comes up, people tend to get into the nitty-gritty, saying things like, *cue exaggerated annoying whiney voice* "but you can't just say 'music'...  and you have to include earphones, and that would then be two things. And then what about battery power? And what if the sand broke your iPod? Or it over-heated in the sun? 

To those people, I say, get the f*ck off my island.

So, without further adieu, here it is... Round two of some of my favourite covers. A lovely little playlist, which, given the time of year is a bit more... specific.

Merry Christmas (I don't wanna fight tonight) - The Ramones

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2

Fairytale of New York - Matthew and the Atlas

Jingle Bell Rock - Arcade Fire

Blue Christmas - Bright Eyes

Father Christmas - The Kinks

Silent Night - Alexi Murdoch

Baby it's Cold Outside - Tom Jones and Carys Matthews 

O Little Town of Bethlehem - Sarah McLachlan

Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bruce Springsteen

Little Drummer Boy - Jimi Hendrix

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra

Have a Yule-iscious one x

B

Cover Me Up

In the world of music, there is nothing worse than being subjected to a diabolically bad cover of what was originally a decent song. A few examples of this that spring to mind instantly for me, are Madonna's 'American Pie', Jessica Simpson's 'These Boots Were Made for Walking', and let us not forget (please God, let us) Britney Spears' atrocious butchery of Joan Jett's 'I Love Rock and Roll'.

I pondered over this for a while, had a look at the aforementioned monstrosities and face-palmed the sh*t out of myself... I had nearly resigned myself to the idea that a higher power (Simon Cowell?) had decided all good music, at some point in its life, was destined to be tainted....destroyed... by messed up, female, blonde pop starlets.

Then I got sense, and started thinking about covers I like. The very first one that popped into my head was Nirvana's version of 'Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam' by the Vaselines. The V's took the song - an old Christian folk song, which is actually called 'Jesus Wants Me for A Sunbeam' - and re-recorded it under the new title. Cobain wanted to cover that version, so that's what he did. And boy, did he do it well.

See, this is a prime example of the goodness that can come from cover versions... And when I started thinking about this more, let's just say the floodgates opened... (thanks to a few friends for assisting with that via Twitter - I had a field day).

Some of the most superbly composed songs have been covered time and time again, by recognised, accomplished artists who have done (in my opinion) a beautiful job of making a song "their own". Side-note: One of the reasons I'd rather X Factor didn't exist, is that it is diminishing the kudos deserved for a good cover.

So, with all of this, I thought i'd pull together my own list of covers to share with you good people. All 3 of you reading this... Hi mom. Now, this list was long, but i've whittled it down to these few because let's be honest, you don't have all day.

The ones most people will be familiar with...

Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley's version

Nine Inch Nails, Hurt - Cover by Johnny Cash

The Beatles, With a Little Help from my Friends - Cover by Joe Cocker

Nina Simone, Feeling Good - Cover by Muse

Kate Bush, Running up that Hill - Cover by Placebo

Bonnie Raitt, I Can't Make You Love Me - Cover by Justin Vernon

Bob Dylan,  All Along The Watchtower - Cover by Jimi Hendrix

Some others I adore, which may not be as widely known...

Hank Williams, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Cover by Seasick Steve

Ben Harper, Waiting on an angel - Cover by Joshua Radin

Tom Petty, I Won't Back Down - Cover by Benjamin Leftwich

Tracey Chapman, Fast Car - Cover by Foy Vance 

Joni Mitchell, A Case of You - Cover by Diana Krall

Oasis, Wonderwall - Cover by Ryan Adams

Elliott Smith, Between The Bars - Cover by The Civil Wars

Arcade Fire, My Body is a Cage - Cover by Peter Gabriel

Bob Dylan, My Back Pages - Cover by The Byrds

Robert Knight, Everlasting Love - Cover by U2

Gerry Rafferty, Baker Street - Cover by Foo Fighters 

Here are some covers I came across thanks to some friends with excellent taste in and knowledge of, music...

The Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter - Cover by Merry Clayton

Bob Dylan, Man In The Long Black Coat - Cover by Mark Lanegan

Ricky Nelson, Lonesome Town - Cover by Richard Hawley

Bob Dylan, Times They are a Changin' - Cover by Odetta

Tom Waits, Martha - Cover by Mick Flannery

The Beatles, Twist and Shout - Cover by Shaka Deemus and Pliers

And the beauty of a good cover..? On the rare occasion, it can actually be an improvement on the original. Evidence of this is right here. 

Carly Rae Jepsen, Call me Maybe - Cover by Ben Howard

LMFAO, Sexy and I know it - Cover by Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen

JoJo, Too Little Too Late - Cover by Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear

Katy Perry, Hot n' Cold - Cover by Los Colerados

Happy Listening :-)

My NYC Twenty-Six Point Two

About two weeks ago, Hurricane Sandy lambasted her way through the east coast of America, and left behind scars that will have impacted thousands, in ways most of us will hopefully never have to experience.

Because of the damage the storm caused in New York, particularly downtown and on Staten Island, Mayor Bloomberg announced that the ING 2012 NYC Marathon would not be taking place as planned. I will be the first person to say that I completely agree with the reasons for this decision - When people have been left homeless after their houses have literally been blown away, there is no hesitation in my mind that any attention, support and relief efforts available should all be focused on where help is needed most. I do however think the media, in its typical fashion (Fox, my finger's pointing in your direction), painted a more negative picture than was necessary. I mean this in terms of how marathon organisers NYRR (New York Road Runners) were portrayed in the days before the cancellation of the marathon. Generators were originally being used by NYRR (as they are every year) to power entertainment stages / toilet stations etc. along the course route. NYRR came under a huge amount of scrutiny for this, as some reporting on the storm depicted it as wreckless and inconsiderate planning - casting a view that the same generators being used to support a city event, could be better used to provide power/heat to those in areas most affected by Sandy.

This was not an accurate picture, at all. As soon as NYRR realised the devastation caused by the storm, particularly in the areas along the run route, they immediately made the decision to cancel, and offered up all and any support they could to their wounded community. 

When I found out about the cancellation, I was pretty devastated. I won't deny that it was a hard pill to swallow - I don't think I have dedicated myself to something in the way that I have this past year, for both training for the run, and raising money for our charity, the IDEAL School. But it felt wrong being angry about it. OK, so the marathon wasn't going ahead and that was shit, but I was healthy and well, as were my family and friends. My "America Grandparents" live right on the coast of New Jersey Shore, and unfortunately their house and virtually everything in it had been destroyed by Sandy, but they were safe.

In the hour or so after Bloomberg's announcement, I had pretty much made a decision in my little round head, that be it official or otherwise, I was going to do a 26.2mile run before we left New York. I didn't want it to be a spiteful thing, I didn't want to come across as if I wasn't seeing the bigger picture. I did, with my own eyes. I saw some of the destruction in lower Manhattan, and I saw how neighbourhoods were coming together on street corners to pool any donations of food, clothes and other things for people effected in adjacent boroughs and cities. But we had a goal in our sights, that had been there for close to a year - to run a marathon in New York in aid of our chosen charity, The IDEAL School. It is a very uniquely ran facility originally founded by my aunt and uncle in New York City, which caters for children with and without learning disabilities, all under one roof. 

I talked to my uncle John - who I was due to do the marathon with along with my cousin Aoife - about wanting to go ahead with a run, and we both agreed we still felt we had to do something to honor the very generous donations we had received. 

My champion of a mother, who had travelled all the way from Dublin, with my bestest sister, was 100% behind me from the moment we made the decision. Well, I really should mention, she was 100% behind me from the day I got my place in the Marathon back in February. In fact, the week after I got the news she booked flights for herself and my sister to come along for support AND went and paid for my flight as a "well done for doing this", gift. Legend. Love you mum.

So, we came up with a DIY Manhattan-based course that went from the upper west side to the southern tip of Manhattan and back again, into Central Park for two loops of the perimeter road ending at 81^st and Central Park West. Sunday, the original day for the official Marathon, was a perfect day for running - Dry, no wind, sunny and cool. 

My lovely sis sorting the marathon do out... quite important when you have as much hair knocking about as I do

Woke up at about 7.30am, unaware that it was actually 8.30am with the time-change. We chowed down some brekkie - good aul Flahavan's porridge (Thank you Zabars!), bananas and honey - sorted out the running playlist (80's whipper tunes galor), did a bit of stretching and light-walking to loosen up, and set out at about 11.30am. Yep, by this time we'd figured out the timing miscalculation.... Extra time for my sister to sort my out of control hair out.

We were incredibly lucky to have "the man, the legend" - photographer/biker support/phone coordinator extrordinaire, Mr Gary Murphy, on the mountain bike with Gatorade, gel, gloves, iPods, bagels, bananas and more encouragement than either of us ever anticipated could fit in a backpack...

Here's the route we took -

  

26.6... to be exact ;-)

When we set off, we knew that while we were planning on a full marathon distance run, it wasn't going to be the same as the real deal. There would be no big crowd cheering us on from beginning to end, no water/toilet facilities, no blocked roads or controlled traffic flow. The first half was much like any of the long runs I had been doing as part of my training, with the exception of it being with my awesome uncle, in my favorite city in the world, with a slightly busier running route than i'd become accustomed to - there were a LOT of runners out doing what i'd guess to be the very same thing we were. 

Heading south...

I don't think either of us were prepared for what was to come when we hit Central Park for the second half of the run. The official Marathon may not have gone ahead that day, but what took its place was something truly surreal, something we will always remember as a completely unique and special experience. 

Part of the route for the official run, which loops the internal perimeter of Central Park, was packed to the gills with fellow runners, much more so than the route we had taken for the first 14-15 miles. You'll see in the pictures that I am wearing a bright orange running vest - this was given to all runners at the registration expo before the run was cancelled. I wasn't going to run in it as I had my kit all picked out, but under the circumstances I thought it'd be nice to fly the flag for the event. When we entered into central park we were met with a sea of orange! Hundreds (probably more like thousands over the course of the day) were out making their unofficial marathon mark, just like us. Along with the runners themselves, were their support teams rallying along the edge of the running track with flags and banners - cheering their own along with everyone else running by, like their lives depended on it.... 

Cheers dahlin'
 

... And along with those support teams, were a whole host of local New Yorkers, out in force, lining the roads to motivate everyone running by. People were passing out bottled water, bananas and energy bars, and kids were handing out sweets (I probably consumed more of those "for energy" than was really necessary). 

Just when I felt like I was nearing the dreaded "Wall", i'd get a massive burst of energy, from seeing total randomers holding up the most adorable signs, emblazoned with quotes like "NY welcomes you- We're all in this together", and "Run like its the real thing and we'll cheer like its the real thing", and "Run like you're a politician" (Presidential election day was taking place on November 5th). I don't think i've ever gotten so many high-fives in such a short space of time in all my days - Token Americana deadliness. I have no doubt the presence of these awesome strangers, along with some of our amazing family and friends, contributed to us being able to keep smiles on our faces right through to the very end.

Now, I must mention that even though my champ uncle is "a few" years my senior, it was his energy and banter that had me laughing my way up the final few hellish hills on mile 25/26. The guy made it look easy. He is someone I already admire and look up to a lot for many reasons, and this just reaffirms his awesomeness.  

Mile 23... Feeling it!

We were using John's GPS to navigate our route, and keep track of our distance. Needless to say, the number one goal was to ensure we actually ran 26.2 miles. Toward the end, John realised that the GPS has stopped tracking us for a small portion of our run so far - about a mile and a half or so (I think), so being the hero he was, whilst running - and bear in mind this was about 23 miles into a killer run that needed a certain pace to be maintained  - John figured out the appropriate distance we needed to go, to 100% ensure we covered at least 26.2miles. 

DONE!

We had passed the family/friends support team back at mile 21 in the park but much to our surprise, there they were again, about a dozen of them, waiting to greet us at our finish line. Heroes.

That was that. We had completed a 26.6 mile run, in a pinch over 4.00 hours.

So, yes, the official NYC Marathon didn't go ahead. But what happened in its place, was something few people will ever get to experience - An unofficial, inpromptu marathon, an incredibly resilient community coming together to make the most out of a very unfortunate situation, a pretty awesome demonstration of determination.

I raised over 5.5K for the IDEAL School to date (a Massive Thank You to my amazing Papa Bear, Kevin Fennelly, for being an energiser bunny of a campaign manager back on the homeland - I wouldn't have raised this much money without his support and dedication).

New York City stole my heart a long old time ago, and every single time I visit, the crush gets bigger. This time was no exception.

11 months 2 weeks to go until next year, when we make it official :-)

B

How I Find New Music

As previous blog posts will indicate, I am due to run the bejayzuz out of the NYC Marathon next week. A big onset affect of this 26.2 mile sized commitment, is the increasing amount of “nights in” I am having at the weekends… and during the week, if truth be told.

I do miss that aspect of my social life, but when one door closes…..

Something I have ALWAYS been massively short of since moving to London - is some good, old-fashioned ‘Me Time’. This city is manic, and to add, I happen to have quite a demanding job and a fair amount of other commitments to keep me busy, so it can be quite tricky to find the down-time.

Amongst other things, I’ve used quite a portion of my newfound spare time to sort my mammoth music collection out – God knows it needed a clean-up. I’ve also been adding to it, and have been lucky enough to uncover some of the best music I’ve listened to in a while…. And just when I was losing faith in the music industry.

Perhaps it because I am steering clear of just that – the Industry. Well, at least what it has become.

Personally, I have absolutely NO method for finding new music. It always seems to happen unintentionally. In saying that, there are definitely a few ways to go about the tune-hunt.

Lastfm.com searches work a treat  -  By using the ‘similar to’ tool you can search for new music via artists you’re already into. I highly recommend this to anyone who knows what they like and are keen to find more of it.

Friend benefits – No… Not THAT type of friend benefit. I am lucky enough to have a fair few palzos with awesome taste in music. I’ll always check in with the inner-circle to see if there’s anything on their radar that may have missed mine. Music is one of my favourite topics to chin-wag about with friends. I could literally do it all day long.

Gigs – Self-explanatory… Or is it? It’s one thing going to a gig if it is to see an artist/band you are familiar with and a fan of. It is a totally different thing to head along to one where you might not be so accustomed. This, is one of my favourite things to do, especially here in Londink. Doesn’t have to cost much, as usually you’re heading to the lower profile gigs, where it tends to be anything from a £3 to £10 door fee. Best ways to find out about these gigs? Get to know the venues that are home to them. Keep an eye on their events calendar. Follow them on Twitter. 1 + 1 = 2, would you believe.

Twitter – This is a no-brainer. Follow artists you like, music publications and industry bloggers, decent radio DJs and the stations they frequent… XFM and a fair few of their jockeys (Maryanne Hobbs is noteworthy) get my vote here in the UK, but there are also some random smaller stations based across the pond in America – the further south, the better. Some of the unplugged sessions I’ve come across from checking these fellas out, are ridiculous.

TV Shows – I’m not ashamed to admit, that some of my favourite bands have been introduced to me via TV shows like the OC, Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill……. Most shows will have a dedicated site that lists all music played in each episode. Easy-peasy.

SoundCloud – Most people I know are under the impression that SoundCloud just caters for those on the music performing/producing side of the music world. Now, I may never record my own song and put it up on SoundCloud for all to see. But, I still have an account, and I love snooping around other profiles to see if I can find any random winners.

YouTube - I use YouTube a fair bit, to compile playlists and... you guessed it, search. I can't count how many times I've come across new music, simply from checking out the videos listed in the tab on the right of the video i've initially been searching for. Always seem to find some awesome little recordings of the song I may have been searching for in the first instance. A perfect example of this - only days ago, I was looking up some Tom Petty, and came across an excellent cover version of 'I Won't Back Down', by a chap called Benjamin Leftwich. 

It's late, and I have a marathon to run in a matter of days, so sleep is (supposed to be) my best friend at the moment. It's a bit of a forced friendship, but we're making it work.

Bee

One week and counting

One week to go until Marathon Day....

I have one week to go until I take to the streets of New York City and run my slightly shrunken ghetto booty through 26.2 miles of it’s beautiful, bustling streets. As I enter the “rest period” of my training, the level of excitement continues to grow, along with the level of “shittingmyselfness”.

I guess, at this point I have done all that I can do in terms of preparation – the only thing to focus on between now and run day is resting up, carb-loading (gotta be careful on that one… HashtagSnort) and packing! I am actually finding the resting part trickier than I, or any normal person for that matter, would have anticipated. I guess, when your body is very used to being active for a larger % of the week, it is hard to come down from that.

I did a six-mile run today, and it felt too short. I guess that’s a good thing, right?

I hop on the old familiar early morning Delta flight to JFK on Thursday, which means I have three days in the large apfel before run day – November 4^th – to revisit some of my favourite NY running routes, 75% of which, involve Central Park. I adore the reservoir lap, and cannot wait to do a couple of early morning rounds there.

I say now, 1 week BEFORE the epic legathon, that I’ll do a fair bit of running afterward. I have a whole week to spend in the City before heading back to Londing. If I put my realist helmet on (god, it’s heavy, and it makes me look fat), I can’t help but think that the only running I’ll be doing that week, is to and from the bar of the many, many, MANY pubs I plan on getting rather merry in with buddies and family from NY. I am massively looking forward to catching up with everyone over there. The big bonus? My mum and sister are also coming over for the duration, to be my personal cheerleaders… OK, maybe there’s more reasoning to their trip than to simply shake their pom-poms for Becca on November 4^th, but still. I feel loved. I am so, so chuffed that they’ll be here. There'll be quite a bunch of us actually... Between all the family and friends I have living over there, and the family coming from Ireland for myself and Aoife..... Yep, I feel loved.

I am running the Marathon with my cousin, the aforementioned Aoife, my Uncle John (lives in Manhattan with my Aunt and three awesome little cousins), and a heap of other people I’ve not yet met – all associated in some way, with the IDEAL School, the foundation of which I am raising money for. When I say “running the Marathon with”, that basically means we will start out together but I plan on being a lone ranger for 99.5% of the route.

The whole training experience has been quite rewarding. I am certainly at my fitness peak, I don’t think I’ve ever felt healthier. But it is true what they say – “What is good for the body is good for the mind”, and my mind feels..... minded?

B

Train-a-thon

So, it's Saturday night and I am curled on the couch with Wossy on the box, wrapped up in a lovely knitted blanket that my mom sent over when I moved into my new place last month. It's near 10.30pm and I am quite aware of the fact that I should be going to bed in the next hour if I know what's good for me...

Bed at 11.30? On a Saturday night? Well, yes. With at least 15 miles to run tomorrow, I think a good night of sleep is one of many things I should be considering.

Some of you reading this may be aware (I have pretty much been shouting it from the rooftops - both real and virtual) that in a very short time, I am jetting off to New York City to take part in the NYC Marathon. That's right... i'll be running my not-so-little arse off, through 26.2 miles of the Big Apple.

I am running the marathon in aid a charity that is incredibly close to my heart - The IDEAL School of Manhattan. IDEAL was founded by my Aunt Julia and Uncle John, and its an inclusion school that is dedicated to creating a community that accepts every child from all walks of life, at all levels of ability. It is a school that my little cousin Catherine not only attends, but excels in because of their inclusive attitude to learning and development.

Catherine has Down's Syndrome, and because of the IDEAL School she is given the same opportunities to learn and grow as any other child should. This amazing school will get her and her peers ready for the exciting world that is waiting for them in the most effective of manners.

I've been lucky enough to visit IDEAL on numerous occasions over the years, and every single time, from the moment I walk in through the big beautiful doors of that Brownstone building, I am inspired.

I can't quite get my head around how much I am looking forward to this. On the 4th of November, not even 7 weeks away, i'll wake up to begin a day that I have no doubt i'll remember for the rest of my life. I am both incredibly excited and massively terrified - I'm settling with the fact that this combo is only going to become more extreme as the day draws closer.

"Eeeeek", she says...

The route for the marathon is pretty special. I grew up  being fortunate enough to spend quite a lot of time in New York City (see last blog post) and I have a long-standing love affair with her and everything she has to offer... the good, the bad... the excellent. I have this idea that whilst, yes, running 26.2 is no easy feat, the fact that I am running it in my favourite city in the world, will somehow make it all a lot more doable. 

I've been speaking with colleagues, friends and friends of friends who have either ran the NYC marathon or been in the city when it has taken place, and their feedback is pretty motivating. You know what those Amwuur-ick-ee-aans are like... They'll be out in their droves, cheering like their lives depend on it. I will definitely be taking advantage of the fact that I am Irish, and really milk it...

I've not been a very good blogger of late, it has been a pretty hectic few months. But now that i'm in the home stretch of my training... let's just say i'll have a little more time on my hands on Friday and Saturday nights.

For those of you on Twitter, i've been hashtaging my progress via #twentysixpointtwo. Keep an eye out! Send me some virtual pats on the back, why don't you....

B

It takes a Supermodel to attempt the Impossible in the world of Social Media

I read a great piece in this month's Wired following their interview with eye-wateringly purrty supermodel, Lily Cole.

Did you know that the average Londoner knows just one neighbour? I, an average jane, London resident did not. But model and actress Lily Cole did. She says - "I travel a lot and I'm always surprised by the strong sense of community in some countries. We've lost something fundamentally human and we don't even realise it." I have to say, I couldn't agree more with the alluring ginger lass. I do think that major social shifts in our society have caused us all to morph into what I now dub 'Battery Humans', thanks to the British alternative indie folk band Stornoway. They wrote - 


Where are we goin' this fine morning,
What are we doin' this fine day
We're doin' the same as every morning
We're stayin' inside on this fine morning
Stayin' inside on this fine day
We'll stare at a screen, like ev'ry morning


I'm a pretty outgoing, friendly gal. The fact that I am Irish certainly bodes well for me to this affect. But in the two years i've been living here, I can't help but notice how hard it can actually be to meet new people if you're not willing to really put yourself out there. I find that the majority of people in this city are so busy keeping up with their own daily grind, the grind that involves more than just their obligation to there professional life but to their virtual life too...


During a trip to the Thai-Burmese border in 2010, Lily came up with an idea: a social network built around giving. "Social media is popular because it feeds into our desire to be connected," she says. "I want to transport that into real life, with real value."


Cole's social network, Impossible, has been designed for users to meet and essentially help each other out. Users post requests (say, "I need a haircut"), and anyone in their local network can offer to help. The emphasis is on giving, rather than bartering. "Giving triggers social cohesion," says the 24 year old modelpreneur. "It's also the basis for an economy not based on money. Impossible will facilitate that via social media."


Impossible is currently in beta and it is still self-funded. But with advisers like Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and economist Hazel Henderson, the pudding has every chance of being full of proof. Lily admitted in her interview with Wired, that Impossible is a "utopian idea", but she's clearly dead-set on making it reality.


I do hope she's right. I don't want to be a battery human... I was born to be free range.


B

I heart NY

So, I'm sure most of us are familiar with the I *insert heart here* NY merchandise. See, I actually do love New York. A lot. To the point that, when I see people donning the t-shirt, or base-ball cap, or mug, or umbrella.... (the list goes on, and on) I can't help but mutter to myself... They don't REALLY love New York. They don't know it like I do. They are just.... tourists.

Yes, I am a self-proclaimed honorary New Yorker and it pisses me off that the majority of people who'll come to the hustling, busting city will leave without really discovering the most beautiful and loveable things about it. When you really love something, you'll find yourself loving the good, the bad and the ugly. New York is like a person to me, with the most bizarre, infectious personality you could ever imagine.

I've decided to list off a handful of my favourite things about New York. Note to reader: this is in no particular order. In fact, i'm half tempted to number them all, one.

1. The elderly people: You do NOT want to piss off an elderly person in NYC. They are just as protective of their city, as they are of themselves. If you're caught littering, loitering, cussing etc. You will get a whip across the shins with a cane and a stern talking to from at least one octogenarian passer-by. I've witnessed this in the streets and on public transport, many times. It is a spectacle.

1. The uptown dog-walkers: There are these guys who make their living from walking dogs for the rich, famous, lazy, busy, dog-health crazy.. however you want to brand them... and if you go for a walk any more than half a dozen blocks, you are bound to see one of these chappies pacing the sidewalk with anything between 4 and 12 dogs in tow. Their ability to manage up to a dozen giddy, personality filled, attention demanding diva-dogs, never ceases to amaze me. If you're lucky, and you catch of of them taking a water break, they are usually more than happy to let you come up and say hello.

1. Sheep's meadow: This is a field within Central Park, that is one of my favourite places to go in the summer, chill out and people-watch. There is NO WHERE in the world (that I have found, so far) better than Central Park to people-watch - my favourite perch is by Bethesda Fountain. Sheep's meadow is great for this, but its real perk is the friendly atmosphere - you will more than likely be approached at least once by a group playing ultimate frisbee, football, keepie-uppies and asked if you'd like to join in: this usually leads to the following: a) conjoining of beachtowels/blankets with these once-upon-an-hour-ago-strangers to form a giant social blanket network; b) banter over beers/mojitos provided by the one-man-mobile-bar circling Sheep's Meadow with his cart full of ice-cold booze; and c) an invite to a house-party and bar crawl around the Village later in the evening, where you'll undoubtably make at least half a dozen new friends, add them on facebook and see them the following week for more post-ultimate frisbee mojitos.

1. The crazy people: You know when you feel like you are losing the plot completely? That no one else in the world is as mental as you..? We've all been there. There is always someone crazier than you walking the streets on NYC. ALWAYS. And they are only too happy to make their craziness known. I for one, find this refreshing.

1. The normality of seeing a famous person: When grabbing your morning coffee/bagel/juice, or going for a run/workout, it's rather likely that you'll jog by a sweaty Alec Baldwin or Natalie Portman, brush shoulders at the traffic lights with Willem Dafoe, Matthew Perry or Maggie Gyllenhaal, or order the same filling as Tina Fey in that local jewish bagel haunt you love (mine is on the corner of 79th and Amsterdam). But, really, for whatever reason, it never tends to be a huge deal.

1. Access to everything 24 hours a day, all day: Whatever you need, whenever you need it, there is someone who will bring it to you for a price, which may or may not be negotiable. (Or legal.)

1. Mocking the richies: There's no shortage of stupid rich people to make fun of.

1. The F-Bomb is more like the F-hiccup: Yelling "fuck" is just a mild obscenity, if you want to get more attention from passers by you'll need to go past verbal action and bring out the big guns. Not literally of course. That wouldn't be favourable, but unfortunately is a common occurrence.

1. Drunk Drivers are non-existant: There is absolutely no reason to ever drink and drive. Added bonus: Spontaneous, fascinating conversations with cab drivers.

I have a heap more number 1's I could add to this list, but it's late and I've now got a hankering to plan some bits for my next trip to the second home later this year, when i'll be running the NYC Marathon for the very first time. Can't think of another city in the world i'd rather run around until I feel like crying/dying/melting.

B

Untitled... for now

I listened to a song today, for the umteenth time. Everytime I hear it, it makes me feel... shivery. The good kind. I am listening to it again now. It makes me feel like I can do anything. But when the song ends, my superhero powers tend to go with it. I feel that at the moment, I am spending too much time being "bad busy". Def: Bad busy - Busy with thing(s) you don't really want to be busy doing. I want to be good busy again.

Gumpspiration

So I got home from work last Monday evening, with a view to going for a nice little run - about 4 miles or so - to cure my Monday blues... an ailment i've been suffering from most Mondays for a while now. I set off, and decided to take a different route than the one I have become rather accustomed to over the last couple of months of Marathon training. But when I say "different route", I didn't even know what the route would turn out to be until I finished the run. It was completely undetermined before I left. I basically decided that I needed to try something different to test myself, both mentally and physically. Up until now, i've been doing laps of the lovely Clapham common... 2,3,4 in a go. Plus some other runs around that general area. Don't get me wrong, the common is a nice run, but after doing it every other day for a few months, like any route, it became monotonous. As a result, I think I was feeling every ten meters as I ran them. And not in a good way. It got boring. I ended up running about 11 miles that night. And I can honestly say it felt fantastic. After every mile or so passed, I thought... "sure, what's another mile?". Looking back, I know it was the frame of mind that took over, and was essentially my fuel. I was no better or worse a runner the day before, when I ran about 8km, but I a) didn't enjoy that 8k as much, and b) struggled through it more than i did with Monday's 11 miles. This all made me think a little, about how my noggin (and everyone else's for that matter) works... and works best. If you are trying to achieve something in life - little or big - enjoy the process. The journey to the finish line should be just as rewarding and fun as the feeling you get when you cross it, and the only one who can control that, is you. At the risk of sounding a bit deep.... ah, too late. B

Top ten street Markets according to me

OK, OK.... Maybe this isn't according to me... Maybe it is more so according to Nat Geo, who published this list.

Think I may set myself a mission of hitting at least 4 (why 4 you ask? My favourite number) of these markets. In fact, I only need to tick another 3 on the list as I've graced London's Borough Market a handful of times. I'm really pleased to see this is on the list....



So.... drum roll please...

From the National Geographic book Food Journeys of a Lifetime -

1 - St. Lawrence, Toronto, Canada
This farmers market emporium has operated since 1803, when it cohabited with Toronto’s city hall. Redeveloped between the 1970s and 1990s after long neglect, the area’s mix of homes and businesses showcases urban regeneration. More than 120 retailers dispense everything from seafood to coffee.
Planning: The market is in Toronto’s old town; Saturday is market day.

2 - Union Square Greenmarket, New York City
Once a Manhattan focal point, by the 1970s Union Square had become a junkie hangout. Barry Benepe founded a farmers market in 1976, aiding struggling Hudson Valley farmers and reintroducing New Yorkers to seasonal food in one stroke. The market's variety in this now revitalized area bewilders many supermarket shoppers.
Planning: Flanking East 17th Street and Broadway, the market is open on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, year-round.

3 - Castries Market, St. Lucia
Opened in 1894 and still occupying the original orange-roofed building, this market in St. Lucia’s capital is the island’s largest and loudest. Stock up on island spices (star anise, mace, cinnamon); breadfruit, bananas, and other tropical fruits; condiments like hot-pepper sauce; hot food, including rotis; or the fishermen’s catch.
Planning: Next to Jeremie and Peynier Streets, the market is open daily (except Sundays), but is best on Saturdays.

4 - Ver-o-Peso, Belém, Brazil
Noisy and chaotic, yet irresistibly atmospheric, with parallel rows of fishmongers selling odd-looking specimens, this vast riverfront emporium hugs Béllem’s Ver-o-Peso docks, where the boats land their Amazonian catch. Alongside the original neo-Gothic market building, imported from England in 1899, a marquee shelters stalls vending dizzying varieties of fruits and hot food.
Planning: Visit early in the morning when fishermen unload their catch. Belém has a riverboat station and international airport but no railroad.

5 - Mercado Central, Santiago, Chile
Under a wrought-iron, art nouveau canopy dating from 1872, this animated fish market groans with an extraordinary shoal of sea creatures, from barnacles to giant squid, many unlabeled, untranslatable, or unknown outside Chile. Marvel at the fishmongers’ speed and skill. If the thought of identifying and preparing the fish is too much, onsite restaurants offer local dishes like paila marina (Chilean bouillabaisse).
Planning: The market is two blocks north of Santo Domingo church. Beware scalpers and slippery surface

6 - Kreta Ayer Wet Market, Singapore
Like most things Singaporean, this Chinatown market is spotlessly clean, its floor hosed down regularly for hygiene, hence the term “wet market.” But in variety the food is anything but sterile: offerings range from turtles, frogs, eels, and snakes (often still alive) to medicinal dried animal parts. The upstairs food center offers local breakfast fare, like spicy noodle soup.
Planning: Visit around 6 a.m. to beat the crowds. The market closes around 1 p.m.

7 - Kauppatori, Helsinki, Finland
For a taste of the Arctic, hit this fiesta of traditional Finnish fare. Star buys include moose, reindeer, and bear salami; chocolate infused with salted licorice; and salmon and herring delicacies.
Planning: The open-air market is situated on Helsinki’s South Harbor.

8 - La Vucciria, Palermo, Italy
In a gritty part of Palermo, and reflecting Sicily’s heady ethnic brew, the boisterous atmosphere of La Vucciria is more Middle Eastern than European. Musicians bang drums and sing Arabian-infused ballads; the smell of barbecued sausages and kebabs permeates the air. The name comes from the French boucherie (butchers market) but expect everything from fish to fruits.
Planning: La Vucciria is off Piazza San Domenico. Take a local guide.

9 - Cours Saleya, Nice, France
This pretty flower-and-food market is so crowded that fellow shoppers jostle you as you shop. Among the essentials of Niçois cooking are indelicate animal parts like lambs’ testicles, and pigs’ ears and heads, alongside more internationally acceptable ingredients. Lined with cafés and seafood restaurants, the market has a different atmosphere on summer nights, when it becomes a covered eating area.
Planning: Cours Saleya lies between the sea and the old town and runs Tuesday to Sunday, mornings only.

And last but by no means least... Just down the road from me...

10 - Borough Market, London, England
London’s oldest food market—here for more than 250 years—is wholesale most of the week, but Thursdays through Saturdays it delights foodies with its cornucopia of fine foods from independent suppliers throughout the U.K. and beyond, from the choicest olive oils and cheeses to ostrich burgers and wild boar sausages.
Planning: In good weather, take a picnic into the gardens of Southwark Cathedral, next to the market.

A Simple Message

Don't criticize what you can't understand. I see far too many people (myself included) doing this far too regularly for their own good.

I is easier said than done, I think...

With that said, i'd really like to practice what I preach on this front.

B

The Alchemist

If you are looking for a book to read at the moment, I would highly recommend that you give The Alchemist a go. I'm sure it's not one for all tastes, but it is currently blowing my mind.

It's a short and inspirational parable about the importance of pursuing your dreams.

I'd warn any pessimists from it though... I don't think it would sit well. That said, what DOES sit well with a pessimist?

The Secret To Pinterest's Success: We're Sick Of Each Other

By Bianca Boster @ Huff Post tech...

An excellently written article. Made me think hard about how I look at social media platforms...



Pinterest's recent success, which flies in the face of so much speculation about social media fatigue and information overload, holds an important lesson: It's not social media we're frustrated with. It's with one another.

The two-year-old, Palo Alto-based photo-sharing site allows users to "pin" images they find while browsing the Web or pictures they snap themselves onto a virtual bulletin board for friends to peruse and enjoy. It recently reached the 10 million monthly visitors mark, the fastest of any standalone site to do so. It already sends more traffic to other sites than LinkedIn, YouTube, and Google+ combined.

Tech pundits attribute Pinterest's rapid ascent from merely popular to phenomenon to its emphasis on images and ease of use. Napkin Labs CEO Riley Gibson calls it as the "Apple of social networks." Indeed, it "just works," to borrow a Steve Jobs phrase. Sure, these elements are crucial, but that alone can't explain Pinterest's uptick. There are a slew of other simple social sites chock full of beautiful images, such as Instragram, Tumblr, Path and even Flickr.

What sets Pinterest apart and makes it so appealing is its focus on who we want to be -- not on what we're doing, where we've gone, how important we are or how beloved. While much of the content shared on existing social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare screams, "Look at me," Pinterest posts urge, "Look at this." At least for now, the site offers a refreshing haven away from the boosterism and boasting that plague so many sites.

Consider this snapshot view of Facebook and Pinterest. The most recent posts from my friends on Facebook could be summed up as a lot of "was on this TV show," "wrote this article," "read this intelligent op-ed" and "ate this." On Pinterest, the pinners I follow have just shared a nail-art idea, inspiration for a disco-inspired outfit, a colorful guide to manual photography and an entrancing knee-length blue dress. It's hardly insight into the European debt crisis, but it's entertaining news I can use.

A great deal of the content that we share on social networking sites focuses not only on ourselves but (even worse!) it depicts a carefully curated version of ourselves hobnobbing at exclusive parties, distilling current events into 140-character witticisms, snapping artfully aged photos of flowers and sunsets, and finagling a dinner reservation at New York's most exclusive new restaurant last Saturday.

To be sure, not all sharing is self-aggrandizing noise: Twitter is my first source for news in the morning, and Facebook has numerous virtues. Yet the tooting of horns can be a big distraction from the good stuff and a major turnoff. Facebook photo albums are filled with carefully edited fictions, while the frequency of Twitter-based boasting has spawned a popular hashtag, #humblebrag, that's so successful it's made the migration from online meme to real-world slang. I scrupulously avoided Twitter for a week last month for fear of a nervous breakdown induced by stumbling across yet one more tweet about a Davos party's playlist.

In short, too many of our posts come with the silent subtext "Here's how great I am." On Pinterest, the tone seems to be "Wouldn't this be great?"

The stream of pictures on Pinterest will look different to every user depending on whom they follow, but much of the most popular content thus far has been decorating tips, fashion ideas, recipes, DIY projects and wedding inspiration. The top four posts on the site currently include a photo of a belted skirt, a snapshot of rainbow fruit kabobs, and two text-heavy images, one poking fun at teenagers and another declaring, "I work out because I know I would've been the first to die in the Hunger Games." It's about this, this and this -- not me, me, me.

Of course, everything we share on any social network is a cry for attention, and in this sense Pinterest is no different: It involves sharing because doing so makes us feel good.

Yet the nature of the content on Pinterest so far seems to succeed at both satisfying the needs of those posting it as well as those of the people perusing it. Too often I leave Facebook feeling fat, friendless and a failure -- and studies show I'm not alone. Instead of feeding my FOMO (fear of missing out), Pinterest has taught me things, like how to make a leek-based pasta sauce or pair a striped sweater with a plaid shirt.

This sharing of things rather than personal updates, while deeply consumerist, enables Pinterest to connect strangers in ways that Facebook hasn't yet perfected. While Facebook pioneered the concept of the social graph that allows us to peruse a Web personalized by all the people we know, Pinterest may be paving the way for an interest graph, whereby we can discover and connect with people whose tastes we share, but whom we've never looked in the eye.

Through Facebook friends, we discover new content and products based on recommendations from people we trust.
We also know which tips to disregard because we know which of our friends don't share our taste in food, hotels, music and clothes.

Both Pinterest and Facebook are extremely powerful ways of linking people together. Pinterest has an opportunity to branch into still unconquered territory and exploit a Facebook weak spot by helping people "meet" and connect over their shared love for, say, shabby chic.

Pinterest is still in its early stages, however, and risks losing its unique feel as more diverse audiences sign up. Unlike most social networking sites, Pinterest's first, most ardent supporters came from outside the Silicon Valley scene and only now am I beginning to see my techie friends trickling on. It remains to be seen whether the arrival of corporate users, like Newsweek, Whole Foods, Cabot Cheese and GE, along with a more mixed crowd of individual users, will change the nature of what's shared.

Already, I'm seeing more Instagram photos of people's swanky meals, ski vacations and cooking feats on the site. Please, make it stop. I'm not pinterested.

Mooosic #44

Do you ever listen to a song and find yourself momentarily transformed to another place?

This happens to me a lot. I am guessing that it probably happens to me more than i care to admit... but I blood love it.


You can be in the worst mood in the world... lash on a tune you love, which will either make you laugh, smile, cry or dance. In any case, more often than not, that little dark cloud vulturing over you, vanishes.

There isn't many things you can depend on in this life. For me, music will never let me down.

I guess it's what you make of it isn't it?

As is life.

Now, I must depart... Off to save the world... or eat a bowl of cheerios, one of them

B

Pinteresting

So it's been a while...Sorry

Although, who exactly am I apologising to?

I discovered Pinterest last week, and have to declare... I'm a fan.

Proves pretty handy to have a platform that allows you keep note of everything and anything you come across, that YOU like/want/enjoy/appreciate and categorize it as you see fit.

Think the real winner factor for me, is how visual it is. No words needed... Says the girl as she writes in her blog.

Watch this space... I may complain a lot about this newfound distraction at any time