Online musings

For my birthday I decided to treat myself. I bought a ticket for a show that I have been wanting to see for a very long time. Yes, you guessed it, that show is Stomp. I finally saw it and it did not disappoint. In case you are wondering what Stomp is about, it features percussionists who use various makeshift instruments out of ordinary objects to perform and thus entertain the audience. I like drums and am a fan of percussion. When I was little I used to beatbox a lot. My fondness for the percussive sound explains my love of garage music. The show began with a lone sweeper who acted like he was cleaning the stage and then, as if he was bored, started to perform with his brush. He was then joined by several other "sweepers" who proceeded to entertain us all. They then used other "instruments" such as pots and pans, lighters, sinks, shopping trolleys, massive lids, newspapers, rubbish and even their own bodies. What I didn't expect from the show was a bit o

Everbody has a thing-to-do list but most people have a very important list. It was once known as a "things to do before you die " list until a successful film came out in 2007. It was written by Justin Zackham and directed by Rob Reiner. The film that starred Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman renamed that very important list. The bucket list comes from the phrase, "to kick the bucket" meaning to die. I have a wishlist of things I want to do and experience while I am still alive. There are popular things to do such as swimming with dolphins and skydiving. Other entries in people's bucket lists are seeing natural phenomenon such as the Northern Lights and the Grand Canyon. Some people have crazy things to do on their list such as skinny dipping and joining the Mile High Club but I will give those a miss. People make bucket lists so that they can live life to the full and tell their grandkids about their adventures - that they have been there and done that. Life

Hi guys. Just giving you an update on my writing. You may remember the last time when I said that I would write a new series about a French investigative journalist called Vendome. Well I have recently finished my first script in the series, titled Vendome and the Assassin . This is my first foray into crime and being a fan of the genre I thought that I should have a go myself. However I am not sure that I have done the suspense and mystery enough justice even though I think that the finished product is not bad. What I am extremely proud of is my incorporation of the French language in the script. This proves to me that I have not lost touch with the language. However I will read more French in order to keep up my knowledge and proficiency of the language. What's more I befriended a French woman earlier this year so I now have the opportunity to speak French on an almost regular basis. I will write four more scripts featuring Vendome and then I will start a spin-off blog series abo

I recently went to the cinema to watch a film by the American director, Ava DuVernay. The title of the film was Selma . The movie was about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his tireless campaign to allow African-American citizens the right to vote. A series of historic protest marches which took place in the U.S. state of Alabama, starting from Selma and ending in Montgomery, featured in the film. I found Selma thought-provoking and very interesting as it presented the struggle of the African-American people to have the law changed in order that they could vote in their own home country. The film showed Oprah Winfrey's character, Annie Lee Cooper, trying to register to vote but she was turned down and so she wasn't able to vote. Throughout the film King tries to persuade President Lyndon Johnson to introduce new legislation to enable the black citizens to vote. Johnson is seen as reluctant but he maintains that he is busy with more important projects. King does not give up ho

There are certain things in this world that are not fair. Some people have plenty whereas others have none. That is why charities are set up in order to help people less fortunate than ourselves. There are some generous souls who are willing to donate their well earned cash to charity. There are others who do fundraising activities such as running or sky-diving so that they can raise money for charity. There are also some people who are willing to take it a step further and volunteer. People volunteer in order to develop their skills, learn new ones or gain work experience. However there are some selfless ones who have nothing to gain by volunteering but are egged on by a genuine desire to help others. Volunteering is about working without getting paid. It is about working without getting anything in return. The contentment of volunteers comes from knowing that they have made a difference and that they have made the less fortunate better off. Volunteers help children and vulnerable