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I recently took a few days off work and went to relax on Bintan Island, Indonesia.

It was a very enjoyable break, just laying under a tree sleeping, a bit of sailing, snorkelling, jetskiing

and some good eating too!

You can find the photos here: Bintan Photos
And moblog shots here: Indonesia Moblog

Comments Welcome 🙂

Just returned from a little more than two weeks in Shanghai, China
Was an interesting trip, plenty of sights and smells to take in.

You can find the photos here: Shanghai Photos
And

moblog shots here: China Moblog

Appreciate any comments 🙂

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I’ve been tagged by Delicate Genius.

Rules:
Post 8 things about

yourself. 4 true things and 4 false things.
For a bit of fun, commenters on your post need to guess which items are true and which are false – don’t get offended if they guess wrong.
Tag 8 people by adding their name at the bottom of your post and notifying them telling them that they’ve been tagged.

So, my 8 items:
1. Asparagus and chocolate taste the same to me
2. I was physically restrained and searched by machine-gun toting agent for taking photographs of a bank
3. I’ve never had a car accident
4. I never ate Vegemite (yet)
5. As a child I intentionally electrocuted insects on my Scalextric set
6. I have 2 body piercings
7. I was once stuck under a car with a gearbox on my chest
8. I worked as a DJ for 4 years

So what is true and what is not? Your comments as the what’s true or false…

Slow Travel is autobiographical, in that is the story of Mari and Allen and the packing up of their normal lives, buying a yacht and sailing around the Indian Ocean for 3 years.

They set out with next to no sailing experience, which would appear somewhat foolish to say the least, but they seem to gain a rapid introduction to ocean sailing and poor weather in their first foray off the coast of Western Australia.

Its a good book, in particular because it deals with alot of the aspects of ocean sailing that you either would not have thought of, or if you had thought, didn’t know how that particular thing was done or dealt with so far from civilisation and solid land.  It’s a practical book in some ways, but far from ever being boring.

In fact their story is inspirational more than anything else.

I’m almost inspired to go sell my possessions, buy a yacht and set sail into the great wide ocean. (with great fear of the many frightening events that might occur as did in Slow Travel.)

Those that have seen my bookshelf will know that I’m a sucker for the writing of a foreign correspondent.
Perhaps its an unfullfilled personal desire. 🙂

It generally doesn’t make a lot of difference where the correspondent is posted, although strange, dangerous or remote lands seem to make a more frequent showing on my bookshelf than those that have been posted to say, London, Berlin or New York.

Hence it probably comes as little surprise to hear that I just finished reading KapuÅ›ciÅ„ski’s book “The Shadow of the Sun”

I had never heard of KapuÅ›ciÅ„ski, until a neighbour showed me his book titled “The Soccer War“.  After reading half a chapter of that book, I realised I needed to find out more and read some more of this author.

The Shadow of the Sun is a loosely arranged but detailed collection of KapuÅ›ciÅ„ski’s essays and notes from his time spent as a news correspondent posted to the continent of Africa.
Kapuściński gets in amongst the real Africa. Shunning life with the privileged whites, their servants and stately homes; he lives among the African people, gaining a deep understanding for the many African ways of life.  He shares those experiences in The Shadow of the Sun with detailed and colourful language that describes various African nation states at war, at peace and times of infinite despair.

KapuÅ›ciÅ„ski’s intelligence and depth of knowledge, 30 years in Africa; shows in his writing as he details the characters he meets and associates with. You get a real sense that you begin to know the people he describes and understand their circumstances and thinking.
And he does

this with all the associated risks and while barely staying alive.

The Shadow of the Sun is one of the best books on Africa that I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

Recently finished reading my second Garci­a Marquez book, News of a Kidnapping.  Riveting stuff.

News of a Kidnapping tells the story of a number of kidnappings carried out in 1990 by the Colombian cocaine cartel, Medellin; led by billionaire drug baron, Pablo Escobar.

Garci­a Marquez, in his amazing way with words, describes with intricate detail the effects the kidnappings have on the victims. He draws you into the depths of Escobar’s cruel mind and gives a good look at the sociological issues the kidnappings bring about and details the political control that Escobar exerted on all aspects of Colombian society during that time.

Drawn from interviews, diaries, media reports and other sources, it is a frightening yet tremendously insightful look at the history of the country during a very painful period in Colombia.

For anyone with the slightest interest in recent Colombian history and society it is a valuable read.

Ever wondered how the small arrow on your computer monitor works when you move the mouse?

With the aid of a high powered screen magnifying lens, the underlying mechanism becomes apparent.

The image may take a minute or two to download and when it appears, move your mouse over the light gray circle and you will see how the movement of the mouse comes into being.

http://www.1-click.jp

What is it with names?

I have a simple name, 4 letters. 2 vowels, 2 consonants.  Yet somehow I still get so many different permutations in the spelling (and pronounciation) of my name.  Have a go at these, Here are just some of the names that have been attributed to me recently.

Got any others?

• Luck
• Luke san
• Fluke
• Luc
• Like
• Licke

Recently I was describing what I thought of this book to good friends.
I told them, while I was reluctant to

attribute such a grand assertion to my reading of this novel, I went ahead and stated that;

“….it is probably the best book I have ever read, to date”

During my reading I found it very difficult to pause at times, when I reached the last page, I was tempted to return to the beginning and commence over again. I just could not put it down, and wanted to continue reading day and night.  Often I had to force myself to put the book down and go to sleep, else I’d had been up all night.
No doubt I will re-read this book in the near future.

I had seen the film The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which was based on the book, over 10 years ago and I really enjoyed that film, but wondered if that has just a little to do with the magnificent acting by Daniel Day-Lewis & Juliette Binoche.
While the film is still an great work, the book is a masterful achievement beyond comparison.

Kundera is a genius wordsmith. His ability to draw you into the detail of the complex relationships between people and depth of thought is unlike anything I have read before. The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a book that deserves greater attention, it forces the reader to not only understand the characters and their story, but to reassess ones own life and existance.

I cannot recall ever reading a book prior to The Unbearable Lightness of Being, that put a lump in my throat and made my eyes well up.

Following on with the unplanned musical theme of films I have seen this month, I recently had the pleasure to see, La Tourneuse de pages (The Page Turner)

I really enjoyed this film.

The Page Turner is a cleverly crafted French psychological thriller. It kept me in suspense throughout the entire film, I was twisting in my seat at times wondering what surprises would come next.
There are some amazing sequences of classical piano in this film, of particular note is the Shostokovich piece, so dramatically played, even with the mistakes which were required of the film.
Mélanie (who is played by Déborah François) completely draws you into her mind and her mental contortions as she corrupts & destroys those around her.

A wonderful film, one that you are well advised to see.