Post for Urban Times on Earth 2 Hub is up!

I'm rather chuffed to announce that I had the great opportunity of writing for Urban Times on Earth 2 Hub's continuing development and exciting new work.

I'm on the front page, you guys! Though I'm totes envious of Mr. Mill's title...

The article is here - and I must say, it was a pleasure and super easy to get the post written via Urban Times platform. While writing, you even get the chance to pick out 'pull out quotes', like so:

I know this might seem really unexciting but my serotonin levels spiked when I realised I could do it, that I had that kind of control. So there. And Urban Times gets major kudos for being super accessible and inclusive. I look forward to penning more stuff for them. I encourage writers to check it out, there's all manner of cool content on there.

Anyway, it was a good to get back to catching up with all things E2Hub, especially they are setting up some fab partnerships and working with the likes of Jason Silva and Dr. Rachel Armstrong, who is part of the team leading on 'Project Persephone' which is about designing a 'living' world-ship. Officially: Project Persephone is charged with the design and implementation of a giant natural computer that will form the ‘living’ interior to the Icarus Interstellar worldship, which constitutes a kind of ‘space’ Nature.' Oh my, how cool is that? Something reminiscent of a sci-fi film fo'sho! And of course, with names like Icarus and Persephone, I'm already loving it. Though I get the reference to Icarus, I'm intrigued by the selection of Persephone.

Anyhow, do feel free to check out the post, like and share if you feel so compelled, merci!

My Reading So Far and Moment-by-moment of 'City of Bones'

I can't say that I've been reading extensively of late (and I don't think listening to audio books by Deepak Chopra counts all that much).

Books that I've picked up recently:
- Kraken
- Game of Thrones
- Clash of Kings
- Stormbringers

I've not got very far into Kraken and it's still just sitting there...I don't know why but I can't say I've warmed up to it, mostly in part because of the protag and the 'voice'. I read to the end of Book 2 of A Song of Ice and Fire and decided I don't think I can take more of this kind of killing, this 'no-place-to -hide-in-something-sanctimonious-or-even-half-decent', ambling plot. (SPOILERS?!) I'd rather skip to when George RR Martin decides to throw the world of fire (dragons) and ice together (nightwalkers).
I have yet to read Stormbringers.

BUT, seeing as there's a host of kids/YA fantasy film adaptations about to hit the ole big screen, I thought I would recount the emotional journey I had when I leafed through 'City of Bones', the Mortal Instruments book by Cassandra Clare. I know reader, you are thinking, 'why, why?' I don't know, I don't know why I pick up these woefully lacklustre tales that adorn the YA shelves at bookshops, my 12 year old self lured in by something that might, *might* be intriguing. Perhaps it's some residual left over feelings from when I would day dream that I'd find other worlds and so I could escape from Physics or Maths class. Whatever. (And being lured in also by a female lead: 'Ooh, she's gotta be cool, right?...Right?' Oh how I kid myself, reader, how. I. kid.)

You're now entering the domain of **Spoiler Alert** Sam!

MOMENT 1: should have known when I read the blurb and saw 'sexy demon hunters'

MOMENT 2: should have known better when it's revealed that the antag's name begins with 'V' and was once a powerful whatsit but had ideas about 'purging' the race and so turned bad.

MOMENT 3: should have known more so when I realised the protag was a self deprecating, klutz. Paraphrased from the book:  "I'm short so I'm always called 'cute', never pretty, always 'cute.'" (First world problems, B****!!)

MOMENT 4: should have known more more so (huh, sounds like 'mimosa' if you say it fast enough) when the protag thinks 'He called me beautiful. No one had called my beautiful before.' (Sweet mercy, I'm crying it's so heart-wrenchingly vomit-inducing!)

WHAT THE HAY? MOMENT: I would say around 75% of the book's content. 

But I still read the book, reader, all of it. I am ashamed. Yet I shall not being going to see this tripe plastered over our screens. Oh no. Alas, there are, like, more books in this stupid-ass series. 

Something 'emo', I'd imagine, something touching on some forbidden love nonsense.

Not another Kickstarter post!

Hello reader! Before you click away with the thought that 'goodness, this one is always banging on about Kickstarter projects', well, I would like to say that the post is in line with all things mythic related (I does like me myths, reader, I does). Plus, it's first day of the month, so the promise of intriguing prospects are in the air.

I'm once again really thrilled to say that fellow writer and all around amazing creator, Chris Carter, has launched a campaign for his second book in the 'Camp Myth' series. I had backed the campaign for the first book last year and it's easily been the most fun and involving campaign I've had the pleasure of being a part of to date (I wrote about it in past post). So no pressure in having to live up to that, Chris!  

Chris has been a busy guy - there's been a Camp Myth app for iOS and a table top RPG, so the world is really building around the series. And so, we backers of the original book patiently waited for the release of the second book.

This time Chris is offering cooler rewards, aka 'swag'. Yours truly is looking doubly forward to the book because I won the chance to create a character that will feature in Book 2: Kraken Fishing. That's what I mean with this particular campaign - Chris has achieved a great way to make it so inclusive and drum up a sense of community around it all - hey, just like camp :) (I assume, I never went to camp, it's a North American thing which I think, has only just recently been imported here).

I'll next be updating you about Camp Myth when I get my rewards, no doubt but if in the mean time, your interest has been even mildly piqued by the whole thing, then do head on over to the Kickstarter page and get-to-backing! You're bound to have fun - hey, just like camp! (see above bracketed comment).    

Also, in other news, I'm also more directly involved in another campaign, this one for a short film. It's one that a colleague of mine has been wanting to make for awhile and so we're all getting behind it to make it happen and it's a chance to finally take part in making a film. It's been awhile! This particular film is rather dark and suspenseful, one of those ones that really builds up to a final reveal. Again, if that sounds like your bag, then head over to the page for 'Not Ever - a short film by Ben Mourra'. Roger O'Donnell from 'The Cure' is going to be involved with the soundtrack and there's a well-known British actress coming on for the lead - very exciting developments. It's just going to be awesome to finally get it made, so if you're a person who loves to back arts and such, then do check it out and share. Merci, merci indeed. 

On that note, I disembark from the Kickstarter train. 

Oh, what the dragons, I shall recommend 'The Cure - Friday, I'm in Love'

Have a good chortle with Po on her travels

One of my dearest friends, Po, headed off to South America mid-month for some travel fun over a period of four months (NB* That's 'Po' is in short for Pauline, not the Telly-tubby whatsit or Kung Fu Panda Po). She's wanted to do this for awhile, reader, so I applaud her courage and initiative because I say a lot of things I want to do and well...well, see my last post, *sniff*

Anyhow, she's only gone and started a travel blog of her wondrous accounts and it's good fun. You'll begin to get to know my mate without even meeting her, as it were, well because she writes so vividly in her own voice. It's like Po is sitting next to me, recounting all at our many get togethers in Giraffe. Don't ask, somehow we always manage to gravitate to Giraffe - we even have the 'table' we always sit at. If you happen to go there, I highly recommend the Sunshine Coast Iced Tea. Oh my, I just saw that they have a Falafel burger on the menu - that sounds divine. Must sample that next time. Oh, Po, I shan't be waiting until you come back, I'm afraid!

What is that?! Read her blog and find out: http://gadaboutwithpo.wordpress.com/

The blog is good fun, it's got that chortle-esque quality, not dissimilar to to our Miranda Hart. I don't know what Po's itinerary is and whether she'll soon be striking out into areas where there's no wi-fi but I can assure you that she updates more regularly than I do! I hope the whole adventure will be fulfilling for her and that we'll continue to hear all about it. Good show.

'Stick it out and be grateful' vs 'I want something more'

I wish I had something of interest to recount here to you reader. Alas, I've sort of fallen out of routine with writing of late - and of other things as well.

I've sort of been rotating around this idea of 'stick it out and be grateful' vs 'I want out and I need something more'. Over the last few years, I've invested heavily in the first line of thinking - actually the second part of the first, i.e. just be grateful. Find things you love about work and the stuff happening in the everyday. But sometimes that feels like effort and that small inner voice that responds 'well it could be worse' does not help, does it? You're not standing on a relatively spectrum everyday, making sure you're in the acceptable 'green middle' and skipping happily along when you realise you are.

No one wants that face. No one.

And even if you are doing that for the majority of the month or year, there are times when you're kind of just thinking 'I am here, I'm not there.' There's still that gap. And you can shrink it with your attitude but gods know that more often that not, I haven't been able to diminish it entirely. And then of course, impatience rears it head, you get overcome with this will to move, to accelerate.

The thing with the submitting to 'stick it out' or 'keep your head down and work hard, stuff will happen for you' ideology is that time can fritter away before you realise this path is leading to Nowhere Town. For me, the mundanity of the corporate video world used to be offset by the chance to do presenting in front of the camera - it meant leaving the godawful desk and that tunnel vision you get around your monitor, your noise-cancelling headphones. I think when you 'fall into' something and realise it's enjoyable and effortless for you, heck, it's something worth pursuing, even if you'd never realised this was something you could see yourself doing. Isn't that a hundred times more worth it than tapping away at a computer all day - when you sure as hell didn't see yourself doing that either (and by that I mean work at the office, editing videos or googling 'how to' this or 'how to' that, rather than writing).

I think some things are coming a to a head for me because it's past the half way mark in terms of this calendar year. Mostly, I do away with time as a concept as this indicator on some scale of accomplishment of achievement. Mostly.

I don't really know where I'm going with this post, to be honest. I only know that I have to constantly, constantly remind myself to push through doubt and fear.  So yesterday I pushed out some of my writing (the real stuff :P) into the world and started sharing it. You might be thinking, whoa, didn't she say she wants to be a published writer?!, isn't that exceptionally overdue?  Absolutely and absolutely not.

That's early for Mykonos, Is it Just Me? (Yes!) and The Great Gatsby

A little bit of a gap since me last post, in which a trip to Greece and a viewing of The Great Gatsby happened.

It's not riveting stuff to report, reader, as half of my mental processes are being consumed by an anxiety of losing one's lovely tan, a tan acquired with hours basking in the Greek sun - I was lounging on a lovely beach in Mykonos this week. And so, since returning, in which cloudy skies persist, I am of course, despairing. You see, reader, I was truly made for the sunny climes, as one's skin does look so much more radiant; it does suit one so. I didn't have good reading material on the beach, reader. I rather foolishly forgot to consider it and so had to make the best of what was available at Gatwick's south terminal. Here were my chosen options: 

And in response to Miranda's question posed in her title, 'Yes, yes, it is just you.' (really a rather ridiculous read but humorous, nevertheless). I have not tackled the Philippa Gregory book yet. 

Courtesy of www.thesaint-online.com. Also, can't help thinking of  when
Michael Buckley (What the Buck?) said how he thought 'blonde on blonde' action was weird...!
But it's Leo, so it's cool...!

With regards to watching 'The Great Gatsby', I went with low expectations for I couldn't be sure Baz Luhrmann could quite please. Somewhat poetically though, the trailers screened before the movie included the upcoming 'Romeo and Juliet', which looks abysmal by the way - and why show the whole story arc in the trailer? We all know it! (Tis poetic reader, because Mr. Luhrmann became known to me only after viewing his film, 'Romeo + Juliet' which was the reason I considered getting into film-making at all: I was overcome with joy that one could bring literature - even Shakespeare - to the silver screen in such a cool, modernly-adapted way?! And it still make sense...?! Daaaamnn!)

Back to Gatsby though - kudos back to Mr. Baz because I enjoyed it so. Yes, there were times it was over the top, as expected, but it was not nearly as OTT as I thought it might be. My main concern was that it would detract from the essential heart of the story and main character but no, it did not. That was still wonderfully conveyed. All the cast were brill. It re-affirmed my belief that Luhrmann really does do a good adaptation. He takes liberties and always gives it his own flavour but doesn't detract from the essential story, the heart of what is driving the narrative and characters. His license is never at the expense of what makes the story, well, the story. Good show. And it did look beautiful, as it should rightly so. I was also concerned that it would drag but there again, I did not find myself sighing with the conscious awareness of passing minutes. I thought it was neatly paced, just so. 

VERDICT: 8/10 

Kickstarter Campaign: Earth 2 Hub App

Hello reader, I hope you don't mind me mentioning this but I've recently got involved with an amazing group of people - namely the team at Earth 2 Hub which is all about giving a platform to new/futurist science and tech, which explores ways to bring nature and humanity back into harmony.

They've just launched a Kickstarter campaign for the development of their new app, which looks amazing. I helped to do some of the filming for the video and am really looking forward to seeing how the campaign comes along. If it takes your fancy, or you're interested, please do check it out here.
There are some really awesome rewards in it for backers, and having backed a few Kickstarter campaigns already, I can honestly say the rewards really work here in terms of giving back in kind. While campaigns offer up 'thank you, you're amazing, you get a digital copy of xx', (which I'm not knocking by the way, each to their own capabilities), as a backer, we kind of want cool, worthy stuff in return and this campaign won't disappoint. Major kudos always goes to Frank and Melissa, the co-founders behind E2Hub and Mark Raimondeau who never ceases to amaze with all the visuals and graphics around E2Hub.

Ok, so on a less 'selfish' note:
At the moment, Earth 2 Hub are generating some amazing content but the whole platform - and the entire vision of bringing earth and humanity together through sustainable means - is produced entirely voluntarily. I've had the pleasure of writing for them and attending some exciting, futurist events. What's more, they embrace new tech entirely and I think it's such an amazing space to be in. It would be great to back such thoughtful  and inspiring ventures - and yes, I essentially write all this because the whole concept behind it all is very dear to me.

Also the APP looks like it's going to be a real corker - while the details won't be finalised or known yet as it's yet to be developed, you can definitely see that it's being thoroughly thought out. (You only have to visit the E2Hub website to see how good it looks and how much it's followed). As an Android phone owner myself, E2Hub can surpass the initial funding so we mere mortals that do not own an iPhone can enjoy it. But for now, it'll be great for the target goal to be reached! Lastly, there's hardly any futurist apps out there, so it will be cool to get behind something so unique and pioneering and that will fill the gap.