My 2010 in Pics

2010 was a good year.

2010 was a year of growth.

I travelled more.

I worked harder on my career.

I grew with each relationship - both family, friends, and of the heart.

I continued to see and do things that astounded me.

Here are some snaps from 2010.

Moving to New York - the park across from my street.

A new job and a new view from the street I work on

A goodbye to remember, and some great news for the future

Having a drink in the pub with my dad for his birthday

A movie to remember

Made friends of coworkers and had fun in the office for Mad Men

Friends & Family get together to say goodbye

The one and only Diy Womp night of the year

I took trips to places in England I'd never seen before - Weymouth

and we went to The Lakes camping.. awesome fun

My love of Mexican food grew and grew

I travelled to Berlin a lot

and I travelled to Finland just once for work

I caught up with my university friends for a brilliant weekend

Saw a global superstar play a concert in Watford

and I got to spend time with my mum, I miss curry nights with her.

I got to see my sister grow and we had a LOT of fun

I went on a much needed holiday with my close friends

and these pics make it look as though it was more relaxing than it was ;)

Hanging out with friends before going to a new land

I fell in love with San Fran again, and concurred my irrational fear of driving in America

I travelled to Amsterdam a lot for work ... I want to go for pleasure because I haven't really seen it.

I helped support my friends band

I started the year nursing the alcohol brand I would eventually go on to work for

My friends and I started a monthly dj night in our home town.

I saw and cheered on my friend as he ran the marathon for the second time

I went to Boston for work with Reebok

Womp friends continued to build up the successful poetry night in Watford

Legends

It feels strange that I have been writing this blog for a couple of months now and not really discussed the impact of music. Music has played a huge part of my life. It's excited me, consoled me, directed me, and inspired me. Music grips me, and without it I wouldn't be the person I am today.

Although I'm not terribly musical - I don't play an instrument - I am musical in terms of the way it surrounds me. It was music that inspired me to start Diy Womp. Sure I wanted to put on nights where people could party, but really the party was only happening because my friends and I loved music and wanted to enjoy it. Using my natural organization and people skills I managed to create some great music nights. Although Diy Womp moved away from music and closer to arts I'd be kidding myself to say it wasn't music that was my major inspiration.

I feel as though with music there are two lives I have lived. A similar thing is said by born again Christians. They feel as though they were living a life where religion just existed beside them and then one day its as though their world opens up and religion is a reason for being. I am by no means religious - a clear example of this is the angel on my tree, which I will get into in a while. It's a similar thing but with music. I think I was always listening to music from an early age but it was only when I was an angst ridden (emo!) 11 year old that music suddenly made me really listen.

Sitting in my room at 11 years old I heard Oasis and it sparked an energy in me. I felt that feeling you get when you hear that song that speaks directly to you. I know it's not exactly cool to say that Oasis was my kick start but it was. Live Forever was an eye opener and since then I have evolved and refined the taste of my music, but at 11 years old it was Oasis that woke me. You'd think then that my inspiration might be from Noel Gallagher, or more shockingly Liam. Well you'd be wrong. I like Noel Gallagher but he's not a musical inspiration to me. I think there has to be more than lyrics and melodies to make a music idol, and that's not the Gallaghers.



Over the years my inspirational musicians has altered. Some stay, some go, but mostly it comes down to 3 men. John Lennon, Elvis Presley, and Joe Strummer. These three men have all spoken to me beyond music. They're all very different and I don't doubt they were inspired by each other too. Well not Elvis, he was influenced by some of the great black musicians of Americas southern states.

The thing about these idols is that none of them are perfect men. By no means was Elvis, Joe, or John perfect men before they died. They were probably complete bastards at times. They didn't live perfect lives and they didn't need to. I think the lack of perfection makes them inspiring, and has meant they've dug deep into the hearts of those around the world that share similar feelings and emotions.

The things that inspire me about these men is that they gave their lives to music. They existed for it, and I think there is not many more beautiful things in life that seeing a person give their life to their art. To see the passion for it is fantastic. It's a shame that John, Joe and Elvis died at such young ages but it's amazing to think they touched so many lives in such a short time. I never saw The Beatles, Elvis, or The Clash. God I would give my right nut to see them. However their influence resonates all around me.

As I write this I am sitting in my apartment in downtown New York above the mural of Joe Strummer, sitting opposite my Christmas tree with Elvis on top, and thinking about the evening this week when I went to Strawberry Fields and sang The Beatles with about a hundred other New Yorkers. This blog will never do justice to the greatness these men portray but it at least tells you what to put on when I'm partying at your place. I would also recommend a bit of Jackie Wilson, there's no party with out Jackie.

Who is it that inspired you in music? Go listen to them now and let me know.

Thanks

So this week just gone the Americans spend a day giving thanks. They thank anything they particularly like really, but mostly I gather they thank their friends and family and the people around that help support their lives. The tradition of Thanksgiving stems from the pilgrims when they thanked the natives for helping them during a poor harvest and rocky first arrival. They later thanked them by killing them all off and conning them out of their lands. You win some, you lose some.

The reason I really like Thanksgiving is that it's become a secular national event that everyone no matter what religious background can partake in. Jews, Christians, Sikhs, Muslims.. you name it they can celebrate it. Even Vegans can celebrate the day they fondly call Turkey Day. It's really something the whole country gets involved in and shops, bars, offices, and alike close all around. Even in New York you'll struggle to find much being open on Thanksgiving. Thankfully though there were cabs.

This year was my first year celebrating Thanksgiving and I was invited to my friend Calvin's in Harlem to spend it with him and his family. Calvin is so far my biggest saviour in New York. He has shown me around, invited me out more times than I can remember, and generally been awesome to me. The Thanksgiving invite was the best invite so far though.

I arrived at Calvin's with some gifts. I took wine, beer, guinness, haribo, cookies, and english mustard. I wasn't sure what to bring to be honest so I just picked things at random that I'd be happy with. For the most part I just chatted and helped (I peeled and chopped one apple - the extent of my cooking) and then awaited his family. When the family arrived I was blown away by just how nice and talkative they were. New Yorkers get a hard rap, people say they're tough people but they're not tough really. They're street smart but they're very open and talkative, probably more so that the English especially Londoners.

Calvins aunt, uncle, mother and step dad were there and we talked for hours whilst eating the spectacular food Calvin and his mum had prepared. Seriously the food was immense. When I said goodbye to everyone I was stuffed but very happy. The people and the food is what made Thanksgiving for me and I am very thankful to Calvin and his family!

All for now.. next blog about The British weekend, moving into a new apartment, and partying in NYC

One month

One month ago I set sail for new and foreign shores. I arrived and it instantly felt familiar and natural. It felt right to be in New York. When I walk the streets I knew I'd done something I wouldn't regret. Today is one month on from that day, and it doesn't feel much different. The difference is that I have lived here and worked here. There are challenges but all in all the highs have far outweighed any potential lows. Last weekend was a big high.

Last Thursday Koen, my buddy from the London office, came over to stay the weekend. If you know Koen then you will know this weekend was not going to be a quiet affair. It wasn't by a long shot. On the Friday I met him I was with my work mates and we went for a few pints, exactly a few and a shot to be honest. That was our warm up! Then we went to the Kate Nash gig at Terminal 5. Being at that gig was strange and it evoked feelings I haven't felt since 5 years ago when I used to hang with Kate and friends and I saw her become famous. It was fun to see and Kate was awesome, she reminded me of Karen O live. After the gig we all went to an underground "secret" bar in the East Village. It's considered secret because the entrance is through a Take Away Pizza and then through a door at the back. We didn't go through that entrance though, we went round the side. We had fun, I caught up with some of the people I hadn't crossed paths with in the best part of 5 years and we got horrendously drunk. Whiskey was my go go that night. However a cool thing about this bar is not that I hung out with a popstar there or that you need to go through a pizza place to get in. No, it's cool because it's literally above my new apartment.

My new apartment is amazing. Don't get me wrong it's not modern, it's not spacious, it's not quiet, there's no garden, and there's not artwork adorning the walls by Bacon and Warhol. It's amazing because the people are awesome, the location is unbelievable, my window overlooks a park, that I am directly above a mural of Joe Strummer, and because it's above cool bars that members of todays music scene hang out. Not bad for my first new apartment.

The day after the night before and I felt like I had been hit by an Irish truck. The whiskey was reminding me why we fell out almost a year and a half ago and he was kicking my front teeth in whilst punching my stomach. It was a cruel way to begin the day but Koen and I had to go out and explore. So after a quick wash and change and we headed into the Jungle.

I decided we'd go to The Smile, a cafe I saw in Wallpaper guide book - a guidebook that's a little too design for most but has a couple of gems. The food was awesome and even though the Irish Whiskey god of hate was still kicking me I enjoyed it. Koen and I left with a smile and decided to go for a walk. We headed to Williamsburg to meet our friend Paul who lives there.

Williamsburg is like Shoreditch with a hard on. In one afternoon I felt like I'd just walked into the opening scene of Nathan Barley (note: if you're American and know a production company then I recommended doing a Williamsburg version of the Barley). I like the area and the bars and all that but some of the people can fuck off. I said to my colleague in London once that there's a fine line between being cool and being a wanker. Well i've seen a lot of wankers over there. That said Paul is a good Captain for sailing through the wankness and making it to decent shores. So with his guidance we had a good few drinks and a great dinner at Rye - check the pork belly sandwich, incredible! After the food I was done and headed home leaving Koen and Paul to explore Williamsburg.

The next day I woke up with no Belgian friend in the apartment. I thought nothing of it seeing as it's Koen and it's normal for him to go missing for a day. Anyway it got to the afternoon and he's still gone but alas it is Koen. At 3pm he comes back and crashes out, it had been a long drinking day/night/morning. After that we hit the local Thai restaurant, Room Service. It was fantastic and the closest thing I've come to Thai food since Thailand.

So that was the one month weekend celebration.. ish. Today is the one month of being a resident in NYC and I am moving into my apartment, going to a thanksgiving in Harlem, and expecting the arrival of two more guests from London. Who knows what this weekend could bring ;-)

Sick and Tired...

Hi, I'm sorry for not posting sooner. I really wanted to. In fact I really wanted to do a lot of things that I haven't. That's not true of life but true of the last week. The reason you must understand is that I have been stricken with the deadly man flu. Argh!!
Run for the hills, think of the children, etc.

Yeah so the man flu has really fucked up this past weeks plans of exploring New York and getting things done. By now I was planning on writing about the Levi's store in New York, the high line park, brunching in the upper east, seeing Nas performing at a free Heineken event, and a games night in Harlem. Alas my friends I cannot because I simply stayed in bed and slept, watched movies, and ate soup. (Ate soup? Always sounds weird to me. Drank soup? No not good either. There should be a drate just for soup)...

However that said, I have been inspired this weekend. Amazing since I haven't actually been out the house you might say. Well yes that's true I haven't been out.. much. I did actually leave the house on Saturday to go and get my barnet cut, and I went to a rather brilliantly named salon called Pimps & Pinups.

When you move to a new place you find it's the little things that affect you the most. The change of the supermarket, the local take away, the hair dressers. These are small things that you have over time come to favour and rely on. These things are suddenly gone when you move and you start to notice that these little things you have previously paid little attention to are now adding up to a large part of the effort you give in day to day life. So it is with great pleasure that I say I have, in one fell swoop, found my hairdresser.

The hairdressers is cool and they made me feel comfortable and relaxed, which is not an easy task. If you know me well then you may have heard me talk about my irrational fear of the hairdressers. I see it the same way as others see a dentist appointment. Its a horrible experience for me, and I never seem to look as ill as I do when I am looking at my reflection in a hairdressers mirror. So yes, it was good to feel comfortable.

Now it's not the hairdressers that's actually inspired me, that would be a bit odd. It was the area. The Lower East Side of New York. I walked around the area for about 30 minutes until I felt like fainting. Not because of the overwhelming feeling of inspiration you see but the bloody man flu coming back to remind me I was sick and to go home. The LES as it's known around these parts has more bars per square foot than anywhere in the world. That's an impressive fact.

Now theres a cool video doing the rounds on the internet at the moment and in it one guy being interviewed talks about the LES. So I think it makes sense for you to hear it from his point of view than mine. I will tell you my point of view after i've been there a bit longer, but for now be assured that NYC can inspire me as much in 30mins as it can in a whole weekend of missed opportunities. :)

INFLUENCERS TRAILER from R+I creative on Vimeo.

Leaving London

In case you're one of the very few people that doesn't know, i've moved to New York from London. London is my home, I have lived there on and off for a few years, and before that grew up in a satellite town just north. It's wonderful, historic, fun, creative, and beautiful. So why leave? Well I needed change. I think it's important for change to be embraced otherwise we succumb to a life of routine and distractions.

I have been embracing change as much as I can for the past couple of years, and there's a buddhist mantra that I will now paraphrase somewhat badly - It is simply impossible to exist without change. That my friends is true, those that tell you otherwise are walking through life with their eyes closed. It's common sense no? Things change all the time, we can't control them all, but of course there are some we can. Those we can, we sometimes regret but mostly we celebrate them through an ever so slight improvement in day to day life. So with that in mind I have taken a new direction and moved to New York.

Leaving London was hard, very hard. I left my dearest and closest. Friends, family, and alike and that's tough. However the move away actually made my London life open up. I met some cool people and got involved with some cool people that gave me advice on leaving and how to succeed in a New York. Close friends gave me encouragement and made me positive to go forward. One person in particular was really supportive and positive, even if she did sometimes cheekily ask me to stay.

All in all though, London will always be my home. But as I sit in my hotel room in New York I feel a new wave of exciting change coming and it feels right. It feels comfortable.

So embrace that change, take that leap, and although its sometimes harder than you'd ever imagine it could be, DO IT.

Here is a pic of an engraving I noticed at a hotel bar I drank at last night, I think it says it all....

Back to the cinema

Last week I went to see the greatest movie ever. I have loved Back to the Future since I was a child, and seeing it at the cinema reignited that love. It was simply amazing to see it in a social setting. Hearing people whispering the lines to each other, laughing at moments that somehow feel funnier at the cinema, and clapping at the end all seemed so natural.

Recently I have been to see a lot of movies but none compared to this. I insist that if you're a fan of the movie then you get to the cinema and see it.