(an experiment in escapology)
With dry-January nothing but a distant memory already clouded by several hangovers, what better way is there to celebrate the alcoholic joys of February than to discover that a microbrewery has opened in Yangon. In fact this might be the first ever microbrewery in Myanmar, or not, I might be wrong, but that’s not important.... Continue Reading →
I have to admit up-front, I’m not mad keen on karaoke. It's never played an important role in my life or really ever filled me ereeith any great pleasure. It's always seemed to just be something that other people did, like croquet, or sudoku, or crystal meth. I have however taken a certain interest in the... Continue Reading →
You carry a container around with you all the time. It might be a small flask, a cardboard box or a suitcase on wheels. It could be a tattered old rucksack, or even a shiny metal briefcase; but it is yours, and only you can open it. You are the only person who can fill that container and... Continue Reading →
These words are painted on a wall in a bookshop in Paris called Shakespeare and Company. They’re actually a paraphrasing of Hebrews 13:2, and when I first came across them I was struck by the power of their message, not for religious reasons, (obviously) as I don’t believe in Angels, but because the words mirror an... Continue Reading →
As sad as I was to hear of the death of David Bowie; it is quite lovely to think that as I sit here alone in my lounge listening to him, across the world thousands of people are doing exactly the same. Record players have been dragged out of lofts, dusty vinyl cleaned up using one of... Continue Reading →
It is twenty-nine years ago to the day that I had to recite the poem ‘St George and the Dragon’ by Alfred Moyes at a school assembly. The terror of those excruciating 30 seconds burned onto my mind to such a degree that I can still repeat it ad-verbatim, and it still makes my knees... Continue Reading →
To some they are just big crisps to crunch whilst waiting for a cold pint of Cobra, or a handy snack to soak up the evening’s alcohol consumption. To others they are a device to distract the mind from the rumblings of the stomach, or just something to pass the time whilst perusing the menu.... Continue Reading →
Is one of the most wonderful things you will do today. It’s more satisfying than spelling your name in the air with a sparkler and even more pleasurable than peeing your initials in the snow. Imagine writing with the fanciest fountain pen on the most expensive handmade paper, whilst sitting in a cloud in your... Continue Reading →
Regardless of what time of day it happens to be, it’s customary in these parts to take a drink with the Chief when you arrive at his village. So when the Chief of this particular dusty little hill village produced a dirty brown glass and a bottle of cloudy green liquid at nine in the... Continue Reading →
“Marijuana grows everywhere, serves a thousand different functions, all of them positive. To make marijuana against the law is like saying God made a mistake.” - Bill Hicks. A ‘true’ story. The year is 2 million years BC and a lone Homo Habilis is sat on the outskirts of his settlement by a burning field.... Continue Reading →
My early-to-bed-plan was rudely interrupted last night as both my phone and the four teams I had lost contact with simultaneously found themselves with reception. Through poor lines, intermittent service and my ability to speak fluent Myanmar by shouting loudly and slowly in English I managed to complete my nightly round up of the twelve... Continue Reading →
Now that I have eventually arrived at the year before the year I turn forty, I’ve found myself doing a bit of reflecting; as you do when you get out of a car after fourteen hours and feel seventy. Do you know, I’ve never found myself in the situation of drowning whilst wearing pyjamas. As... Continue Reading →
