This is dedicated to my nephew who did fantastically well in his GCSE exams and now has to decide what to do with the next stage of his life. I can’t think of a better advisor than Steve Jobs, who stepped down as chief executive of Apple this week, and his commencement address at Stanford [...]
Archive for the ‘Serendipity’ Category
There is no reason not to follow your heart
Posted in Serendipity, What I'm reading, tagged Apple, Steve Jobs on August 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Being thankful
Posted in Serendipity, tagged books, Harry Potter, JK Rowling, movies, Thanksgiving on November 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day in the US. I have a lot to be thankful for as my family are happy and healthy but these are a few of the smaller things I have been grateful for this week : – having a lie in at the weekend, – arriving on a subway platform just as [...]
Hopes for my nephew
Posted in Serendipity, tagged new baby on November 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I was lucky enough to recently spend a week with my one-month old nephew. Spending time with a brand new baby and other young children amongst my friends and family helps put life into perspective. So these are my hopes for my nephew as he grows up and finds his own way in the world: [...]
How small acts can change the world
Posted in Serendipity, tagged China, John Simpson, Liu Xiaobo, Nobel Peace Prize on October 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
On the day that Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, John Simpson, world affairs editor at BBC News, has written a wonderfully appropriate piece on how individuals can change the world: “At a single day’s trial last December, Mr Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison after having helped [...]
Are you living or just existing ?
Posted in Serendipity, tagged happiness on June 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Last week I was lucky enough to spend a week with some old friends. We have known each other long enough that I went to their wedding and this year is their 20th anniversary. In addition I’ve had the absolute pleasure of watching their two sons grow up and develop their own wonderful, and very [...]
Reconciliation in South Africa
Posted in Serendipity, What I'm reading, tagged apartheid, National Geographic, Nelson Mandela, South Africa, World Cup on June 4, 2010 | 2 Comments »
As I have written before the World Cup, which starts a week today, is my favourite sporting event because you truly feel like you are participating in a global phenomenon. This year’s event is even more special as it is the first to be hosted by Africa, and for what it means to South Africa. [...]
Riverside Drive
Posted in Serendipity, tagged New York, Riverside Drive, Riverside Park, Robert Moses, Washington Heights on May 27, 2010 | 2 Comments »
When I travel I like to fix the start and end points but leave the bits in between to chance but sometimes you don’t have to go very far from home to put this philosophy into action. At the weekend, I was honoured to be asked again to be one of the judges at the [...]
May 24
Posted in Serendipity, tagged Brooklyn Bridge, Emily Warren Roebling, New York, Peter Minuit on May 24, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I discovered today that May 24 is a landmark date in New York history for two very important reasons. In 1883, after 15 years of construction, the Brooklyn Bridge, the first suspension bridge to use steel rather than iron cables, and the first bridge across the East River, was finally opened. Wired describes the role [...]
Ashpocalypse over
Posted in Serendipity, tagged Alain de Botton, Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland on April 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I have been meaning to write about the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull (a word I never thought I would write) for a while but my day job got in the way. The Boston Globe has a great set of photos from Iceland (they should have done a slideshow but the images are still damn impressive). The [...]
’10,000 years of history run in my veins’
Posted in Serendipity, tagged 2010 Census, Walter Mosley on April 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
American novelist Walter Mosley has written a wonderful essay on identity as the US is in the midst of completing the 2010 Census. With its history of immigration, identity in the US seems much more complicated than anywhere else in the world. One of the first things you notice when you move here is that [...]
