Music Unplugged

Just a quick shout out for live unplugged music videos, proof that real musicians don't need electronic aids or flashy videos to make quality music. The video below is The Cranberries performing a Tiny Desk Session which takes place in an office in Washington. What I like most about these videos is the simplicity, music shouldn't be complex and this series from NPR is a great illustration of this.



While i'm on the subject X103.9 also does a great series of acosutic videos from artists mainly from the alternative rock scene.

Living in the UK

Just recently I spotted a book to prepare Immigrants for the citizenship test on life in the UK. It got me thinking, what should someone know when going to live in the UK, what it means to immigrate to another country and about multicultural living.

The world of the train commuter

When I was young I barely ever took the train, let alone on a regular basis. Since starting a new job this has now become part of my everyday routine. I have quickly come to realise that it is a bizarre world, the world of the commuter. A world in which there are so many people rushing to get from A to B yet very little interaction between one person and the next. It makes for an unnerving experience.

Minecraft: Pixel Lego

Over Christmas I was introduced to Minecraft, a game based around 'building stuff' in a retro 8-bit style world. It is instantly addicting, very simple to use and control. I love games which allow you to exercise creativity so this game seemed like my perfect gaming experience.

Welcome to 2012

2012. It has a futuristic sound to it. Like something out of a science fiction novel. Whether it turns out anything like the film '2012' or if it all ends on December 21st is yet to be seen.

Without trying to sound as though I'm giving a church sermon; the new year provides us with the opportunity to reflect on the previous 12 months and look forward to what the new year may hold. I've mentioned it before about how beneficial taking a step back to look at our lives can be. The question I ask myself is am I getting everything from life that I want? In the grand scale of things our lives are a tiny time slice from the 4.5 billion year history of the earth amongst which now contains over 7 billion human inhabitants. This year I aim to conquer obstacles that block my path and not hesitate to try something different.

Good luck to all this year in the never ending pursuit of happiness.

Questions that not even science can answer

Today human understanding continues to push boundaries at a seemingly ever-increasing rate. This post asks if religion is still able to provide answers to the really big questions in modern western life.