Month completed: February 2011

Lots of countries are going through tragic events. But for some reason, the falling apart of Zimbabwe over a number of years is the one that intrigues me the most.

Perhaps partly because of the fact that despite all the condemnation of their president Robert Mugabe around the globe, he is still in power after 30 years.

For those not aware, Robert Mugabe came to power in Zimbabwe in 1980, and in his time the country has utterly fallen apart.

How he hasn’t been assassinated, or overthrown in a coup, or voted out democratically, amazed me, so I wanted to know more.

I recently finished reading a fantastic book on the rise of Robert Mugabe called Our Votes, Our Guns by Martin Meredith, which covered his life up to 2002, and how he first took an active role in creating a revolution, through to becoming the president, and the tactics he used to stay in power as long as he has.

Here are a few things I picked up:

• He spent 11 years in prison, and used this time to strengthen his resolve for a takeover of the country
• He was actually very popular with both the black and white communities in the months after his election, declaring the white colonial past a thing of history and showing a desire for unity and equality
• The democratic, rather than violent, way that he gained power (through an agreement with the British) seemed to leave him with an unquenched thirst for violence
• He is corrupted by power, in a very big way, as are those around him, and violence and intimidation, particularly of white landowners, is the key to his keeping power
• His rival parties have to deal with some really shocking, and scary, things just to get the chance to run around his party (murder being one)

A good book gets you emotional. And this one really got me worked up. It is disgusting the way he has turned a jewel in southern Africa into a destitute wasteland, and it reminded me just how lucky I am to live in a country where the biggest issues I face are a cramped Tube, or a bit of rain. Be thankful for what you have – that’s the message I take away from the book.

I love simple ideas that get people interacting. And this is one of the best.

Notologist is a website where people leave random notes around. The finder of a note is requested to leave their response on the Notologist website, where other people can leave their comments about the reply, and get a conversation going.

A couple of my favourite notes so far is:

Pencil or pen?

To which the answerer wrote:

Pen. They’re mightier than swords, right? So you can use it to write something OR fight a pirate.

So far most notes are left in the US, but London and Melbourne have also been notified. Check them all out at the website.

(via Brandflakes)

Month completed: February 2011

I have mentioned previously my interest in the philosophy of Buddhism, primarily around karma and the importance of being happy. So I thought why not combine that with some relaxing meditation at the same time. So I did.

Last week I went to a night class which combined meditation with hearing a few Buddhist parables, and thoughts on how Buddhism applies to the modern world.

We sat in seats, rather than on the floor, which was a bit of a surprise, and there was no chanting or background music or anything. Just the soft words of the teacher about how we should focus all of our attention on our breathing, and do our best to bring our mind back to that whenever it starts to wander.

I found it quite difficult actually. When you stop, and try consciously to stop your mind racing, you realise how much it really does race. I think it would take at least weeks of practise to start to get your mind to settle down, and perhaps going straight after a busy day at work means your mind races more than usual to start with.

At the end of the session, I did feel more relaxed, took away a couple of exercises to practise, and I will probably go back every now and then when I am feeling super stressed.

And no, I haven’t become Buddhist. But a religion based around the mantra of being happy in life can’t be too bad, can it?

This blog is mostly about the adventures and fun that I get up to.

However, there are so many other people out there doing great stuff and having great adventures too.

So, I am adding a new feature to this blog, which is to find these people and have a quick chat to them. First on my list is Kyle (aka One Red Paperclip guy).

Back in 2005/2006, Kyle was an internet sensation, when he managed to, through a series of ‘bigger and better’ trades, trade up from one red paperclip to a house.

He put out a book recently detailing the 14 trades that it took to get to his ultimate prize, and the fun he had along the way, and after finishing the book last month I knew he was the perfect person to be the inaugural interviewee.

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Firstly, are you totally over being known as the One Red Paperclip guy, or do you still totally love it?

I kinda like it. Easy to walk down the street and nobody knows who I am, but it makes a nice ice-breaker when people ask questions like “so what do you do” etc. Many folks have already heard of the red paperclip stuff and they usually like it!

It has been nearly 5 years since your One Red Paperclip adventure. What is the moment you remember most strongly from the experience?

The housewarming party in Kipling after all the trades were finished. HUGE party. More than 3000 people cam to Kipling (pop. 1100) over the long weekend and almost all the traders were there as well! It was a massive town celebration and just a really fun time all around.

I personally loved the snow globe trade. What was your favourite trade?

Tough to say really. It was amazing to be on stage with Alice Cooper and to visit Kipling for the first time…but my all time fave is the red paperclip for the fish pen. Without that trade, nothing would’ve ever happened!

Were there times where you thought about quitting? If so, what kept you going?

Sort of, yes. What kept me going was the strong desire to reach the goal of trading to the house, and to keep my word that I was going to do it. There were thousands of people around the world who were following the story and rooting for it all to happen. I didn’t want to let anyone down!

Do you still keep in touch with the people you traded with?

Some yes, others not so much. We’re all spread out over the place so it’s tough to keep track of who’s doing what.

Do you still live in your house in Kipling (the house Kyle won, in Saskatchewan, Canada)?

The red paperclip house is now a cafe and Dom and I live in Montreal.

How would you feel if I said that staples are much more reliable for keeping paper together than paperclips?

You’re probably right. I don’t really care about paperclips at all! I trade those things away!

What are you working on at the moment?

A bunch of different projects. Kinda early to talk about because they’re in development. Starting up new things, and doing some public speaking about the red paperclip adventure and such. Good times.

Finish this sentence. No-one knows that I…

Received the doorknob + espresso maker from Shawn as a housewarming gift! I actually got one of the trade items back, in the end. It was awesome to see Shawn again, and the coffee is delicious.

(The doorknob was the item that Kyle got for his fish pen, and traded to Shawn for a camping stove)

Lastly, what words of inspiration can you share with the aspiring adventurers out there?

Start small. Think big. And have fun!

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You can find out more about the One Red Paperclip adventures on Wikipedia or Kyle’s website, and I would definitely recommend picking up his book – a great read.

If you have any suggestions for who you want to hear from next, let me know and I will see what I can do.

I spotted this in Westfield in west London on the weekend, full of people completing the sentence “In 2011 I will…”

Click the image below to get a close up of what a few people wrote.

Month completed: January 2011

My reading habits have been very set in their ways for many years. Pretty much all I ever read was crime novels by Jeffrey Deaver or Agatha Christie, or a business marketing book of some sort.

So this goal was my attempt to get out of my rut and try some new stuff.

Here are the five books I read, with a brief review.

1. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

This book is set in Melbourne, and revolves around the ramifications of one adult slapping another family’s 4 year old son.

I really liked this book, especially the fact that every chapter was from a different character’s perspective.

2. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

If you are stressed, over-worked, needing something to take your mind off things, read this book. The style of writing is really peaceful, and the story just followed, not with big ups and downs but with brilliant word play.

The story is based in Botswana, and Precious Ramotswe who decides to set up the first detective agency in Botswana run by women. There is a kidnapping, disappearance and other crimes to solve, but never are they really the central point of the book.

3. Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Kafka was an interesting read. This story is his most famous, about a salesman called Gregor who wakes up one day to find he is a gigantic insect. But rather than being a story of high drama, it is really a story of how he and his family then deal with the situation.

I enjoyed how the story flowed, but it wasn’t the easiest reads and certainly not an easy story to summarise, and I felt quite sorry for Gregor.

4. Human Instinct by Robert Winston

This is a non-fiction book about evolution, and how the human instincts we all have are borne out of millions of years of human development, and certain things we do can be traced back to when all humans existed in the African deserts fighting for survival against bigger and stronger animals.

It was an interesting book, but it made me realise that when I want to read I want to escape into a fictional world, so this isn’t really for me. I much prefer to find out about things like evolution via a TV documentary as I find it much easier to remember things I see visually. That’s just the way I am. A good book for anyone who likes reading about evolution though.

5. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

This book had all the ingredients of a book I would usually avoid. It was over 1,000 pages, it was set in the 11th century, and it was about the building of a cathedral.

But thankfully, Nat read it and told me quite insistently that I must read it too. I am so glad I did. Because I have to say it is probably the best book I have EVER read.

The central story is around the city of Kingsbridge and their attempts to build a beautiful cathedral. However, there are people with contrary interests who are constantly doing their best to ruin things for Kingsbridge.

I can’t do the book justice by trying to paraphrase 1,000 pages, so I will just say this – go and read this book. Now.

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p.s. I got a Kindle for Christmas, so reading books has become a whole lot easier too. I would recommend you get one if you are an avid reader – they are just brilliant.

As long-time readers of this blog may remember, back in 2008 I successfully attempted to travel to every station on the Melbourne train network in one day (I did it in just over 18 hours). Here is my summary of the day.

Not the coolest of achievements, but an achievement none the less.

I read in The Age yesterday an article that a young man named Lachlan had tried to beat my record.

Unfortunately for him, he didn’t succeed. Delays and a late afternoon illness got the better of him.

Lachlan later sent me a message on Twitter saying ‘ Congratulations on your successful attempt! One cancellation & an illness lead to my failure — you may hold the fastest time!’

For those of you familiar with Inspector Gadget, you will remember that at the end of every episode his enemy Dr Claw, upon being defeated once again, would proclaim ‘I’ll get you next time Gadget; next time!’

Well, I am getting that vibe from Lachlan’s message. He may have been defeated this time, but I sense a second attempt coming soon.

And if so, I wish him the best of luck. Anyone crazy enough to want to do 18 or so hours of train travel has earned my full respect.

Plus, records are made to be broken.

I read this quote today on the Adventure Wannabe blog, and really liked it.

“It is never too late to be who you might have been.”

It comes from George Eliot, which I was fascinated to discover is the pen name for a female author of the 19th century called Mary Anne Evans.

Sort of ties back to one of the original posts I put on this website, way back in 2007.

Month completed: January 2011

The first goal achieved in 2011 was one of my most enjoyable so far.

On a trip back home from New York, we chose to fly Icelandair so that we could have a day in Iceland before getting back to London.

Fortunately the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s most well-known geothermal spa, is only 20km from the airport, so we had a good few hours to soak in the warm water before jumping back on the plane.

And it was almost the most relaxed I have ever been.

Although I didn’t get to see much else in Iceland, apart from the volcanic rock near the lagoon, and the houses along the stretches of road we went down, the people all seemed really friendly and I am definitely going to be on the outlook for a cheap 3-day travel deal there in the future.

If you do get the chance, please go. You will love it.

One thing that made me smile was that they are cashing in on their infamous, un-pronounceable, exploding volcano that spewed ash across Europe and caused chaos for weeks – you can buy jars of the ash for a few dollars. The Icelandics certainly have a sense of humour.

We had an awesome roast dinner on Tuesday night, and it caused a weird thought to pop into my head.

With a roast dinner, it is all about the pre-planning and preparation, and then the cutting it all up to be served at the end. The middle bit, where it sits in an oven for a few hours, is the easy bit.

And the end result of this effort is an awesome dinner.

But without planning ahead, getting the right vegetables, defrosting the meat, setting aside the time early enough in the day to get started, there would be no roast dinner, and you will be eating 2-minute noodles…again.

For me, a cooking of a roast dinner is kind of like the formula for success.

If you do sufficient planning and preparation, the results, like the actual cooking of the roast, tend to take care of themselves. And you just need to make sure you are there at the end to enjoy the result.

Bon appetit.