A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN

Have I mentioned my little office space before? It is a small piece of heaven, a teeny corner of TriBeca I call my own. Even though no-one can fit in it with me, I am next to a big window so don't mind.  In fact I couldn't do without my corner of a big, multi-rental office suite company. Coming down here to do my thang is fabulous and cheap - I never found anything even remotely comparable in London other than a couple of places, one in Shoreditch, one in Primmy Hill, both available for 800 UKps a month!!  I pay literally nowhere even approaching that kind of sum. My kids call it my fake job, 'Are you going to pretend-work today Mum?' they joke. Laugh all you like you naughty, bad elves - I know what's under your beds.

Anyway, I've been in this building for over a year now and share space with heaps of clever, creative folk. They include fashion PRs,  a Japanese fashion blogger, an Australian beauty product guru, an annoying drink importer, a lovely boxer dog, several real estate agents and party planners and most interesting of all, a showbiz agent. The things he comes out with are pure Showbiz.
"Dude!" he shouted the other day "You are my most rock and roll client but seriously, can you get off it, get on it and get out if I send a car service in an hour.?"  I desperately try not to evesdrop but can't help myself, especially because anyway, the guy speaks so damn loudly...it's like 30 Rock meets Episodes, via Entourage. It's a sit-com in the making. All I need now is an agent...

SHYNESS IS A SHAM

Q: Is this picture a) Dangerous tiger lurking behind a rock  b) a shy person  c) both
A: = c

The cover story of Time magazine this week is: The Power of Shyness. The idea of the article is that some of the world's most powerful people have been 'shy' and that this quiet reticence and apparent lack of confidence with others is just divine modesty. I BEG to differ. There is power behind their shyness but it is of a completely different nature.

All the shy people I have ever known have been secret control freaks. Either too arrogant to bother with the right avenues of communication with others or simply, pathologically unconcerned about the existence of the human race. Far from lacking in confidence, most shy people have tons of the stuff, so much so that they never feel the need to display anything about themselves to others. They simply do not care what others think of them. As children they are pitied, nurtured, helped and encouraged. As adults they are treated as somehow mysterious and special. I know shy people who behind the scenes are scarily horrible. Outwardly bland, fake-ishly modest, quiet and always making a point of dressing down and behaving in an unassuming manner, inwardly the opposite. Often, this kind of exaggerated humility or 'shyness' masks insecurity over talent or abilities. When pushed, such people will subtly belittle others and absolutely refuse to ever go along with anyone who could be a threat to them. They are the ones who are unpleasant to you when you begin a new job, or who never congratulate you on an achievement. All the while, they appear, generally to be 'shy' and 'quiet'. Well they are not, see above pic.

Now, what's on the cover of Newsweek?.......

THE DEBT

 Of all the things that cause me nightmares, dark thoughts and TV-turning-off, it's the Holocaust. It was years before I could watch Schindler's List though I gobble up movies like Paranormal Activity. Maybe it's because my Grandparents suffered in the war, it was still talked about when I was tiny at home and in my older rellie's homes. My Grandad came through France but he had friends who liberated some of the concentration camps. Maybe it's just that the Holocaust defies description. It bubbles away at the back of my mind, a tiny, permanent nightmare.

The Debt deals with the subject of Nazi medical experiments. Can't even allow that into my head but anyway, it is a truly awesome film. All the actors are brilliant, particularly Helen Mirren but also Tom Wilkinson. Jessica Chastain is the young version of Mirren's character and all together the cast make this fabulous film even more amazing. The script is by Jane Goldman and Mathew Vaughn. I wish you would go and see it. 

THAT'S SOOO NEW YORK

I went to the opticians for an eye test last week and to order some new specs. Are you still awake? They were so friendly, I tried everything on, met everyone in the shop, made friends with the nice oncologist, filled in forms, told them my life history, etc etc.

Rang them this morning, no idea who I am or what I'm talking about. (Yes I rang the right place). 

- 9 C Carbo-loading in Connecticut

It's a long weekend, Martin Luther King day tomorrow, yay. Though, not yay about the very sad demise of Mr LK, more just yay that after 2 weeks back in the routine, we're having another day off.

Today I went round to my friend's house in Connecticut where we ate cakes and drank tea. Then I came home, ate cakes and drank tea. I'm so glad that, out of all the changes I have had to live through, some habits will always stay the same.

TOADS ON STICKS

Toads on sticks, outside a shop in Hong Kong

The reason for my long absence, along with laziness and sickness is...we went travelling to Asia just before Christmas, then my family arrived, we went to Connecticut (bliss), Colorado (cool) and back.

My favourite Asia place was Hong Kong...all olde worlde glamour and bubbling discontent wrapped up in something naughty. So many places in the world appear to be exotic but a little digging around reveals they are not really...examples? Barcelona, Moscow, the Bahamas and anywhere in the Caribbean. Hong Kong is the exact opposite. The deeper you go, the more exotic the place becomes. Shops stock jars of snakeskins and er, toads on sticks. People appear silently by your side and offer you absolutely anything if you can pay for it. The air is warm, humid and slightly misty.

We spent 24 hours in Hong Kong and had lunch in a local resto I'll never forget. The place was whitewashed inside, packed with folk jammed around big, round tables. We ordered off the stark menu, rice, noodles, crispy geese-feet, chicken and pork dumplings, or grabbed whatever came round on heated trolleys from the kitchens. Ancient waiters ticked off what we ate on bingo-style cards. Everything was delicious even though we ate from barely washed up chopsticks and bowls you're expected to wash yourself, in your tea. I know...bi-zarre. Admittedly I picked a bit at everything, stared at everyone but that was ok. Plus we were the only Western people in there, a very interesting experience. This does not translate to feeling lost, lonely or scared by the way, just completely different to everyone else in the room, without common language, imagery, memories, heritage, you name it. Which is sometimes how I feel about living in New York, because like Hong Kong, it is a totally exotic, foreign city. The more New York reveals, the less you know and the more mysterious it seems to become. Despite many attempts by different authorities to police, traffic and monitor the place, NYC still moves entirely to the beat of it's own deep, inner drum. NYC is a fancy dancer that no-one can tame, fathom or love but everyone who comes here tries.

By the way,  of course you can't get a decent cup of tea here..

SORRY, BRANGELINA

I would just like to say sorry for being a bit mean in the past, well OK, extremely nasty then, about Brangelina. Mainly Ange on the pages of some of the world's most fabulous magazines. This was Before. In my pre-Brangelina life. In the past month, small but close, separate encounters with both of them have set me straight. OK, I didn't converse with Brad, in fact I only saw him for a long stare at the airport but it was worth it for the Fascination Factor. He is, as someone else I know commented 'all golden, isn't he?'. Yes. Nice, boringly normal too.  2 days later I saw Angelina at a screening of her movie, The Land of Blood & Honey and managed to squeeze in a question for her afterwards. She was just very normal. I can't think of anything else to say about her. Smiling, friendly, professional, interested in everyone else, sensibly clad and sane. 

That's that. End of....