In Defence of Pinterest Users

What is the difference between sharing a photo on Facebook and sharing one on Pinterest? Other than that the Pinterest one will usually be linked back to the owner of the work, thus driving traffic to their site (not to mention that re-sharing is generally very good free PR).

I don't understand how some photographers and artists can complain that people are Pinning their work, and then go and share the work of others on their Facebook timeline, without crediting the owners! Is this not hypocrisy?

Have Visa, Will Travel!

Yesterday, amato mio collected our visas from the Thai embassy in London - the feeling of joy and excitement we both felt was akin to receiving a much longed-for gift....or perhaps the next instalment of Fallout or Assassin's Creed! Heheh!

Obviously, for security I have removed any incriminating identifying information - I'm not really a secret agent with no identity....or am I? Muahahaha!

Since When Have 'Slebs Been More Worthy Than Anyone Else?

Almost one billion people worldwide suffer from hunger-related issues. (146 million of those are children - 10.9 million under the age of five will die this year because they do not have enough to eat.) 98% of these people are in developing countries, with 65% in just seven countries. There are more starving people across the world than there are in all of the USA & Canada, and the EU. Every day 25,000 children die of hunger...that's 15 infant deaths per minute. Hunger is the world's no.1 health risk, and tonight one in seven of the world's population will go to sleep hungry. 

Forgive me therefore, if I do not blog about empty platitudes and sentiment, mourning the demise of someone whom I knew just as well as each and every one of these starving people. I simply cannot find it in my heart to jump on this particular bandwagon... not when 1 billion people's suffering is considered less worthy of mention and consideration than the premature death of someone who knowingly destroyed her life*.

But here's a thought - instead of rushing to buy the inevitable greatest hits album (with 'previously unreleased tracks'), which will no doubt be pimped by iTunes within the next week or so, so that people can prove just how much of a fan they are, how about donating that money to The World Food Programme, Poverty Action, or any other charity which is fighting to save all these people? 

The cost of one iTunes album could probably feed one person in the developing world for over a week!

~~~

*It's not that I don't have any sympathy for Whitney Houston's demise, of course I do - it's an utterly tragic waste of life. However, regardless of whether her death was immediately related to her substance abuse, there is undoubtedly going to be a link. From the minute she was born, she led a privileged life...a life which she chose to destroy. One billion starving people have absolutely no choice. What is truly heartbreaking is that for the majority of the world's population, every moment of life is the most precious gift, yet in our so-called developed western society there are those who choose to throw it away.

Be Happy For Others!

Amato mio are moving to Thailand at the beginning of March! How exciting is that? We really can’t wait!

Most of our friends and family are thrilled for us, yet a few seem to think we’ll be murdered in our beds, die from disease, be killed by venomous creatures, have terrible accidents, be victims of crime, and a hundred and one other misinformed ‘reasons’. I suspect the worst thing which is likely to happen is that we get an upset tummy!

Some people we don’t see from one year to the next have said, “Oh but we’ll never see you” .... hmmmm, they don’t see us anyway because mostly we’re all so tied up with our own lives that we rarely take time out to visit each other, so how is being on another continent and not seeing each other any different to living an hour's drive away from each other and rarely making the effort?

Wat Prathat, Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai. Copyright Frank Farm

How Do You Reward Yourself?

Yesterday I burned 1630 calories, and I was feeling pretty good about it (I still am, despite having had a migraine due to a lack of sleep, which in turn was due to my horrid neighbours keeping me awake...again). As I ran my bath afterward, it occurred to me that despite finding time to spend 30-60 minutes in the bath most days, it is something I consider a real treat, especially when it has plenty of bubble bath and candles (I don't like having the light on in the bathroom because the extractor fan comes on at the same time, and it's really noisy). 

Image source: Jurlique Spa at the Firesky Resort, Arizona