here, I have to say.

I lives in a dome

where I feels pain and suffering and sacrifice

where I lives life

and will end it too.

here in the Dome,

the Dome I’s built.

I lives in a Dome wiht unreachable outs,

built with windows and glass.

You can stick your hand to the outs

but the outs will sting

because the Dome is meant to keep you in.

So I watch the outs through the windows of the dome

waiting if I’ll be watching alone.

I and other I’s live in a dome,

sheltered with protection, with “SAFE”, with “LUCK”, with

“HARDWORK”.

I and other I’s are caked in plastic,

living in the walls,

we’ve forgotten how to breath real air

the ones that are invisible

not the ones secreted by tubes and

inserted metals.

I lives in a dome,

where the windows are slits

and it hurts too much to look or stay out

because thats what domes are for-

they keep you in.

Mezzaluna Restaurant

Tower Club at lebua, Bangkok

ChefThomas & Mathias Suhring believe in sous vide or slow cooking method which requires a thermal circulator, a timer and a vacuum machine to cook meat or fish over vegetables and fruits. The dishes made with this vacuum method not only develop a wonderful aroma, but all nutrients and ingredients of the food are preserved through the technique. Research has shown the sous vide give the highest retention of vitamins and minerals versus steaming and boiling.

Carbonara “ Explosion”

For Carbonara stuffing

• Egg yolk 2 pc
• Gelatin 2 sheet
• Pecorino romano (fresh grated) 20 g
• Parmigiano reggiano (fresh grated) 10 g
• Whipped cream 150 g
• Ground pepper 3 g
• Salt 1 g

For Pasta dough

• Pasta flour 180 g
• Semolina slour  90 g
• Fresh egg 1 pc
• Fresh egg yolk  pc

Cooking

• Guanciale bacon 50 g
• Butter 10 g
• Olive oil extra virgin 5 ml
• Grounded back pepper 2 g

Method:

For the carbonara stuffing, bloom gelatin in ice water for 5 minutes. Place the egg yolk into a bowl and whip slowly over a water bath until 60 degrees. Squeeze excess water from gelatin sheet and add to egg yolk. If the gelatin is melted, add the two types of cheese and mix everything together. Let the mixture cool down; proceed in folding the whipped cream into the carbonara mixture and seasoning with ground pepper and salt. Place the cheese mixture in a piping bag. Keep it for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process for 30 seconds. Check consistency and add if necessary small amount of flour if pasta is too wet, or a small amount of water if pasta is too dry. Process another 30 seconds to incorporate any additions. Turn dough out to work surface sprinkled lightly with flour and knead by hand for a minute or two, until smooth. Place the dough under a bowl to rest for 20 minutes before rolling, or tightly wrap in plastic and refrigerate, if not using right away. Roll pasta our using a roller machine, beginning with the widest setting. Fold dough over and roll through again, gradually decreasing the roller setting as the pasta becomes smoother. When pasta is thin enough it is ready for use in making fagotelli.

Brush the pasta sheet with egg wash and pipe 10 g of carbonara stuffing in the center of the pasta sheet. Close the pasta by overlapping. Remove remaining air pockets and portion each fagotelli with a pasta cutter.

Cook the fresh pasta in salted water for 2 min at the same time add sautéed small dice of guanciale bacon in the pan with some olive oil. Then add the fagotelli with some pasta water and finish up with 10 g of butter. Dress the pasta nicely on the plate. Cover each fagotelli with a fresh slice of guanciale bacon and seasoning with fresh grounded black pepper.

My ‘chill’ day really consisted of some very mundane activities; reading a chapter of Stephen King’s ‘The Dome’ which I have sadly rather neglected of late; catching up with 4 episodes of Doctors and a bit of general tidying up, as well as finding lots of things I should do but haven’t because I’ve had other things on my mind (I still haven’t done them!)

I know we’ve had quite a few ‘flowery’ pictures recently, but I’ve been waiting for the bluebells to appear so I couldn’t not include one – it is spring after all, although if you live in the UK you could be forgiven for thinking so as we actually had snow the other day. Yes, snow in April! What is the world coming to? I really like the depth of field in this picture – I think it works quite well.

As it’s the Easter weekend, I’ve got a nice few days to in which to go hunting around for exciting things to take pictures of. Got to get an Easter egg in there somewhere too – rude not too.

“The main thing to do is relax and let your talent do the work.”
- Charles Barkley

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Sir Harry Preston

He began his career as a teacher in London but later became a clerk in an East Indian merchant’s office. It was then that he developed a keen interest in boxing and at the age of eighteen, joined the West End Boxing Club. When, in 1884, the Amateur Boxing Association instituted a Bantam Weight competition, he was the first to enter and made it through to the semi-final, only to lose by a narrow margin. He was also a member of the West London Rowing Club and won several prizes for swimming at the St. James’s Club.

He married Ellen Boore, daughter of a boot manufacturer, in London in December 1885 and their daughter, Ethel, was born the following year. After his father’s death he gave up serious boxing and turned his attention to the hotel trade. By 1891 had taken over the running of the Central Hotel in Bournemouth.

Arriving in Brighton in 1901 he took over the dilapidated Royal York Hotel in the Old Steine. The town at the time was perceived by some as not being the famous resort it had once been and a move was made to reinvent it as a:

‘Blackpool show fair with swings and roundabouts and an Eiffel Tower’.

Sir Harry Preston’s Brighton hotels, c. 1911

Harry was opposed to this view, saying the ‘best people’ could be encouraged to return and gave an interview to the Daily Mail in order to promote his cause.

In his early days in Brighton, he was approached by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) and asked to arrange a race at Brighton, but the club insisted that it must take place on tarmac. The Corporation was against the proposal initially but finally agreed to lay the tarmac along Madeira Drive. The  first speed trials took place during the ‘Motor Week’ from 19 to 22 July, 1905.

Harry was not only a sportsman on land but also in the air and on the water. A photograph in his autobiography, Leaves from My Unwritten Diary shows him as a passenger in a water-plane (a sea-plane). The pilot was Andre Beaumont who had won the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Race in August 1913. Harry also hosted a banquet at the Royal Albion Hotel to celebrate the arrival of Oscar Morrison, who flew his plane from Brookwood to Brighton in sixty five minutes.

Sir Harry Preston’s motor yacht, ‘My Lady Molly’

Harry was a keen sailor and owned a motor yacht called ‘My Lady Molly’. Both the yacht and Harry nearly came to grief in 1911 when, during a voyage from Erith to Cowes, the vessel ran into a storm. Not only was the yacht swamped with water but the engine caught fire. It was eventually driven ashore at Shoreham.

He redecorated the Royal York and in about 1906 took over the Royal Albion. In 1910 he carried out large scale alterations creating a roof garden which overlooked the Palace Pier.

Ellen died in 1913 and a year later he married Edith Collings, who was listed on the 1911 census as ‘Hotel manageress’ at the Royal Albion Hotel.

Sir Harry Preston at his cottage, from The Ideal Home, November 1922. Image courtesy of Philippa Lewis.

Harry was a great supporter of charities in Brighton. He became president and life governor of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, for which he raised ten of thousands of pounds, and further funds were raised for the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children and the Lady Chichester Hospital in Hove. He frequently borrowed the Brighton Hippodrome for Sunday celebrity shows in aid of the hospitals.

One of his most famous associates was Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII and ultimately the Duke of Windsor). He first approached the Prince in 1920 to enquire if he would become patron of the boxing tournament he was planning to hold in Brighton to raise funds for the Royal Sussex County Hospital and the Royal Alexandra Hospital. The Prince’s brother, the Duke of York (later King George VI), also agreed to be a patron.

Boxing Tournament, The Dome, 1920

The match took place at The Dome and Harry himself took part, fighting Tom Ringer, featherweight champion of 1908. The souvenir programme for that event can be seen at the Brighton History Centre.  Further boxing matches took place at the Dome over the following years and included such famous fighters as Jack Dempsey (world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926).

Popular as Harry was, author Beverley Nicholls was not so complimentary:

‘Sir Harry was not quite a gentleman …. was tiny with a bright mauve complexion, and had the curious habit of drenching himself in a variety of expensive toilet water’

With regard to Harry’s relationship with the Prince of Wales, Nicholls commented :

‘Both were very tiny and very rich… and they were both, if one may be forgiven for mentioning it, rather common’

This comment was made many years after Harry’s death. However, his reputation had been somewhat tarnished by his involvement in the 1926 General Strike. Strikers had gathered at the tram depot in Lewes Road, anticipating that volunteers were on their way to operate the trams. A large crowd gathered and around 11am, several hundred police and special constables arrived on the scene. One of the mounted special constables was ‘sergeant’ Harry Preston. It was reported that the police charged the crowd, which included women and children, and according to Adrian Wookey (‘Impact of the General Strike on Brighton’), eye witnesses ‘all tell of indiscriminate police brutality’.

It has been suggested that following the ‘Battle of Lewes Road’, as it became known, Harry lost some of his popularity.

The high point of Harry’s life came in July 1933 when he was knighted for his services to charitable causes. In 1934, his wife, Edith, was presented at Court and Nancy, their daughter, followed suit in 1935.

Sir Harry died in August 1936 after several weeks of illness.  Tragically, a week later, his great friend, Captain Chandler (a former heavyweight boxer), died following complications which arose after he had given Harry a blood transfusion.

Sir Harry Preston’s funeral was attended by hundreds of people, too many to be accommodated in the parish church of St. Peter’s. London Road was lined with onlookers watching the cortege as it made its way from the church to Cuckfield, and two large motor coaches and eight cars were needed to take the huge numbers of floral tributes. Amongst them were wreaths from the theatre impresario, C B Cochran and the comedian and singer, George Robey.

The Brighton Herald reported :

‘ The passing of Sir Harry marks the closing of a chapter in the history of Brighton…. Brighton has lost her greatest ambassador, and the realm of sport one of its greatest figures.’

Paul Jordan, Senior History Centre Officer

“What? Iceland? Who goes to Iceland?” —Emily

“I’m scared to die.” —Camila

First off, my most sincere apologies for the delay on this week’s rankings. I was unavoidably detained. Luckily, I will be able to provide a prompt recap of this week’s finale.

Last week’s episode, on the other hand, seemed like a lot of filler. With two teams needlessly sent home at the beginning of the season, MTV had to do some reshuffling to reach the usual ten episodes for a season of The Challenge. As a result, the episode killed a lot of time focusing on Mark’s choice of headgear and Robin’s latest crisis of confidence before getting to the task at hand: The final Dome.

When we last left this group, Mark and Robin had been selected to compete against Johnny and Camila, meaning one of the two most powerful couples wouldn’t see the Final Challenge. The Dome competition was X Battle—the same wrestling challenge that Ty/Emily won in Week 5, and that Leroy/Naomi won in Week 2. In the first heat, Camila beat Robin twice in a row, despite Robin’s rigorous preparation of writing her son’s name on her arm. I figured Mark would take Johnny in the second heat, but Johnny continued his surprisingly successful run this season and sent the old man home.

With Johnny/Camila, C.T./Diem, and Ty/Emily left for the Final Challenge, Battle of the Exes might be the first time that the final teams are the most deserving ones: They combined for five of the eight Power Couple wins, and half of the Dome victories. It’s hard to really find fault with this final three.

Ty also declared that “the teams that have made it the farthest are the teams that have come the furthest,” which is true enough for two of the pairs: Johnny and Camila haven’t come all that far—they started off liking each other and they still like each other. Still, after MTV told the final three that they’d be going to Iceland for the Final Challenge,* it was a boring love-fest, with all the contestants getting along and telling each other how important they were to one another. At least Rivals had Kenny and Wes to make the final more interesting.

*At this point, why do the contestants always seemed so shocked when they learn they’re going to relocate for the Final Challenge? They do this every season! It would be more shocking if you stayed in one place.

Once the Final Challenge began, the episode’s focus shifted to MTV’s efforts to constantly outdo itself with the Final Challenge. The first two legs of this one involved dog-sledding and sprinting up a mountain. Lastly, the pairs had to strip down to their underwear, wade into the water, and touch a buoy. It may not sound like much, but the water was really cold. So cold a producer had to warn the contestants not to spend more than 30 seconds in the water, or else they might, you know, die.

With the fastest time, C.T. and Diem got the best tent and sleeping bags for their night on the mountain. Meanwhile, Ty and Emily were basically sleeping on the frozen ground, thanks to their last-place time. Sleep well, folks, for tomorrow we die!

Predictions:

I hate to be anticlimactic about it, but it seems to me like the order the teams are currently in is pretty indicative of how things will play out. Ty and Emily have been great in Dome-like competitions, where the focus is on bursts of strength, but they haven’t fared as well when teamwork or extended competition is required. Plus, Emily may have the same problems Laurel had with endurance in Finals.

Meanwhile, C.T. and Diem have been on fire since they started getting along, and it really doesn’t seem wise to bet against C.T. in a final. So, the last rankings of Exes:

3) Ty/Emily (-1): I’ll be rooting for these two to come in second.

2) Johnny/Camila (+1): These two peaked too early.

1) C.T./Diem (—): The rightful heirs to the throne!

Originally I was only popping into school for a couple of hours, but I was still there four hours later. It was a nice day though, everyone was very jolly, even if we did all want to be outside in the sun instead.

Once I had made my lunch, there was just time to have a quick flick through my new books that arrived; one on the universe and the other on astrophotography. I’m really hoping they give me all the info I need to find some interesting things in the sky, and then be able to take pictures of them. I’ll let you know how that goes.

I’m building up quite a collection of books to read, what with the ‘PS Bible’, Bear Grylls’ autobiography (did I mention it was signed?) and now my two new additions. All this whilst I’m still enjoying Stephen King’s ‘The Dome’.

Anyway, needless to say I didn’t have much chance to take a photo this afternoon, so my camera came to work with me. That’s where the swimming pool is, and that’s where I found today’s image. Instead of just normal black and white, it’s had a bit of an artistic effect added to make them look slightly more interesting than they actually are!

I suppose really, as they aren’t actually hooks, the title should be ‘No Hook, No Line, No Sinker’? Oh well…

Tomorrow, ***spoiler alert*** (I’ve always wanted to do that!) I think I might go in search of some incense (having just emptied the loft of candles and the like I decide I actually need some!) so I can have a play about with my new flash. I’m not going to promise that that will actually be tomorrow’s image because as you’ll know if you’ve been reading my blog for a while – things have a habit of not going quite as planned…

“The whole point is to hook people and keep them interested. ”
- Penelope Ann Miller

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Wide stairs, which seem wider because there are no walls to bind them, begin from the sky and descend seemingly into theBangkok skyline. Two steps down, you stop giddily – the panorama of the city vyingfor your attention, the Breeze rummaging through your hair and sounds of a live band floating six hundred feet above the ground into nothing. Gathering your wits, you descend lower and find yourself welcomed intoSirocco, the highest al fresco restaurant in the world, one of the gems on offer at the Dome, Lebua Hotels & Resorts, and one of the most sought-after dining destinations in the Thailand capital.
As dusk turns into a twinkling night, the lights of Krung Thep, also called the‘city of angels’, shine above the darkening Chao Phraya River. Your five-course Mediterranean meal turns up one delight after another, and you linger over the Your Mediterranean meal turns up one delight after another, and you linger over the absolutely perfect hand-rolled potato gnocchi served with roasted butternut squash and king- oyster mushrooms.

The Whispering Angel rose wine only adds fuel to the enchantment of sitting in the open air, 64 floors above a breathtaking urbanscape, with elegant jazz for company.

It’s like dining with the stars, not just under them.

It was this very charm of Sirocco that compelled Warner Bros to shoot scenes from the film  Hangover 2 here. According to Deepak Ohri, CEO at lebua, the five-day visit by the Hollywood team of over 400 movie professionals was perfectly choreographed down to the last detail. “They would vacate our restaurants at sharp 5 p.m.,” he marvels, “no matter how much equipment was strewn about just five minutes prior.”

To pay tribute, the hotel now offers a Hangovertini, created by Alex Holzer, mixologist at The Dome, using the formula, “vitamins + minerals + antioxidants + bit of alcohol” (see box on the next page for its recipe). Not only is this drink one of the hotel’s bestsellers, so is the Hangover Suite located at the Tower Club, a three- bedroom sprawling 266-square metres space with four separate balconies to savour the Bangkok skyline from different angles and a whole host of complimentary luxury services. But fear not if you can’t get a booking – the hotel still has 357 other suites to offer, and a staff of over 700 from 18 countries at your disposal, including in-suite masseurs who bring soothing spa music along with their sweet-smelling oils.

Located in the heart of Bangkok at the corner of Charoen Krung and Silom roads, and just a few minutes away from the city’s most popular attractions and markets, the lebua is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, a luxury collection in which member hotels must embrace an extensive 1,600-item annual quality assurance programme. The luxurious rooms here offerbreathtaking vistas of the Chao Phraya River and come with kitchenettes, home-entertainment centres and Bulgari amenities (coming in April: amenities by Acca Kappa) in all bathrooms. The high-end suites in Tower Club also offer complimentary mini-bars, along with access to the super-elegant Tower Club Lounge, where you can sip coffee from gilded cups as you view the cityaround you from an opulent vantage point.

Fine dining is, in fact, refined to an art at the Dome – a collection of super exclusive fine-dining experiences The rooms offer breathtaking vistas of the Chao Phraya River and come with kitchenettes, home-entertainment centres and Bulgari amenities (coming in April: amenities by Acca Kappa).
The high-end suites also offer complimentary mini-bars and Internet including Sirocco, where per head costs start from THB 4,300 excluding taxes for a tasting menu. The Dome is also home to the startlingly innovative Mezzaluna, a ‘modern European’ restaurant headed by celebritytwin chefs Thomas and Mathias Sühring. With a formidable background in haute cuisine, the German duo create a new menu every evening using the latest in culinary technology and the finest seasonal ingredients from around the world.

Mezzaluna entrenched itself firmly on the global epicurean landscape when it held a ‘million-baht dinner’ in 2007, a gourmet extravaganza that was ‘invitation by request’ only for a few of the world’s who’s who and lauded as the world’s most expensive dinner. The event was the grand finale of the Epicurean Masters of the World PartII, a one-of-its-kind ourmet festival that saw several Michelin Star-awarded chefs congregate under one roof. The six-course tasting menu at the Mezzaluna includes unexpected ingredients such as ‘forgottenvegetables’ from around the world topped with freshly grated winter truffles from Europe, and kumamoto oyster servedwith cauliflower, sea lettuce, turmeric and dashi. With wine pairing, the price for one person’s meal starts from THB 6,900,excluding taxes.
For those in a mood for more Asian fare – after all, you are in the strategic fifteenth-century capital of the historic Siam – head to Breeze on the fifty-second floor of the Tower Club. Dig into Chinese savouries created by executive Chef James Ho and his team, against the backdrop of a 25-metre high neon-lit sky-bridge.

Else, you could always have a drink at Distil or the Sky Bar, such as the 62 Gun Salute – a peg of which could set you back INR 35,000 – or wines that go up to THB 2 million perbottle. “A Russian billionaire flew in for one evening recently and ran up a bill for USD 100,000 – that’s been the most anyone has ever consumed in one meal,” recalls Ohri, who was the hotel’s first employee and has been here since. Despite their rather exclusive clientele, Ohri insists the rules at the Dome apply to everyone, no matter who they are or what they are willing to pay.

“Sirocco has twice refused entry to the prime minister of Thailand because they wanted table for 16 to 18 persons, and we don’t do large gatherings,” he says. “Another wealthy client once offered a million dollars to hire  one of our restaurants for an evening – and that was just the cost of the food – but wesaid no.” Later in the evening, we observe a

HAVE A HANGOVERTINI Shake together a peg of Scotch whisky, 1 oz Zen green-tea liquor, 1 oz green-apple juice, 0.3 oz Martini Rosso, and0.2 oz rosemary-infused honey. Pour in a Martini glass and garnish it with a rosemary sprig.couple being turned away from Mezzaluna because they are in shorts and T-shirts. “The dress code at the Dome is very strict,” informs Kanokrat Kirkland, the amiable director of public relations. Internationally acclaimed for its innovative business strategies and use of cutting-edge technology, the lebua Hotels & Resorts chain – with propertiesin Bangkok, New Zealand and New Delhi – has been rated within the top 1 per cent of companies in the world in terms ofcustomer satisfaction by TNS research. Interestingly, it started only as the Dome group of restaurants, and then developed a hotel at the same location when clients demanded a place to stay. It now also features Café Mozu, an all-day diner.

Having redefined the landscape of luxury hospitality in Thailand, Lebua has gone the lebua is a member of Preferred Hotels suites also offer complimentary II, a one-of-its-kind gourmet festival that bottle. “A Russian billionaire flew in for one Pour in a Martini glass and garnish on to win several awards and its business strategies have become the active point of discussion in several top business schools around the world.

But business is the furthest from your mind as you take your morning coffee out to the spacious balcony in your suite,and gaze out at the vista below. The sun is just starting to come up but the city has never completely gone to sleep. The highways buzz with traffic 60 floors below you, vendors have begun their business of the day, and the river is abuzz with cargo boats. A gentle breeze picks up, bringing with it sounds of a multi-cultural city with a plethora of languages. The day ahead stretches out replete with luxurious delights. Who would ever want to say goodbye?

ou can sip a drink anywhere, but if you like your martinis with a splash of panorama, read on. We rounded up ten great bars with incredible views, from vistas of Alpine peaks to glittering cities and mega- monuments. Check out our favorites to find out where to meet for drinks when you want to impress—and be impressed.

Sky Bar at Sirocco, The Dome at lebua Bangkok

The view: The bar provides a vertigo-inducing panorama of the capital city sprawl and Chao Phraya River from the 63rd floor. Dare to step up to the chest-high transparent acrylic walls that separate you from thin air.
The scene: Mediterranean restaurant Sirocco—which claims to be the world the highest alfresco eatery—is located on an adjacent open-air patio. Nightly live jazz drifts up the graduated terraces toward Sky Bar, where a round, glowing bar subtly changes colors and anchors the lounge platform jutting out over

The open sky.

A cool drink in your hand.

The city of Bangkok beneath you.

It’s time to unwind.

As we sat at our table dose to the edge of the terrace, I looked at the majestic dome of lebua at State Tower, Bangkok shining with many bright lights, thestail”5 leading down from the foyer to the seating area, the Sky Bar situated almost at the edge, the dinner tables decorated with cutlery and candles and the jazz band playing at a comer. Sirocco looks like a grand set straight out of James Bond movie, where quaint traditions meet chic modernity.

On the 64th floor, under an open sky, the pleasant Breeze is as soothing as the faint humdrum of activity going on around you. Light conversations over glasses of Hangovertini (lebua’s signature drink with a scotch base, especially concocted to not give you hangovef5 the next morning) and the five-course meal prepared especially by the chef-de-cuisine, Chef Rick Gonzalez,

Is quite an experience? Wines, selected from some of the best cellars across the world, adorn the bar menu, while some of the best Mediterranean dishes feature prominently on the platter. While a dish of king oyster with battement squash and king oyster mushrooms is absolutely delicious, you cannot miss the main course from the

Chef’s Non-vegetarian Tasting Menu. The Australian grained boneless rack of lamb with spatula, a variation of spiced comet and dijonnaise jus is something you might have never tasted. For the green lovers, there is also ample to choose from the Chefs Vegetarian Tasting Menu.

Besides the wines and Hangovertini, there a Variety of other cocktails you could choose from. Vodka-based Sunset 63 and Sky Cosmo are definitely for the sweet­ toothed while the scotch and tequila-based Earth is for those who like their drinks strong. A must-try is the Mimosa, a delicious concoction of champagne and orange juice. And for those who like It strong with a slight bitter taste, you must definitely call for a Desire-a mix of champagne, brandy and angostura bitters.

No matter how inebriated you feel after the amazing cocktails, dessert is a must Kirsch – Vanilla mousse with chocolate Cream and spiced sponge is to die for. The mousse with the cream creates just the right balance of a bitter-sweet taste in your palate and it lingers on for quite some time.

Just as the CEO, Mr. Deepak Ohri stated, Sirocco does actually create an experience­ one that is simply unforgettable.

Of course, the start was rocky.

We made the unfortunate decision of taking a “sleeper” train from King’s Cross Station. Contrary to the implications of the name “sleeper train,” there are no beds or cabins, but rather a stiff, slightly reclined chair. They provide eye masks since the lights never turn off, but with the gross symphony of snoring and burping happening around me, sleeping wasn’t nearly restful. British trains seem to be kept unusually chilly, as well.

We arrived at 7:15 AM, SEVEN hours after departure (I could have flown back to NY in that time). We hailed a cab to the hotel – a Travelodge, sparse, but cheap and comfortable – where we napped for a couple hours.

When we wandered into town, we were amazed. The city is tiny and certainly walk-able. Well preserved, every building is authentically medieval or in a neo-gothic style. As we turned a corner, we both stopped in our tracks – an impressive medieval castle perched high on a hill in the middle of the city, a stunning feature. A characteristically grey city with the stone and weather, when the sun shines and the sky is clear, the city adapts a warm, cheerful glow. The icing on the cake was an indulgence to my love of authentic cultural clichés. As we walked towards the river, the faint sound of bagpipes travelled to my ears, like the breath of the wind. We followed the sound, and came to a group of men and boys dressed in traditional attire, and treating passersby with their beautiful music.

Equally as charming as the cityscapes are the people. Cam and I had breakfast, and asked the waiter for directions to our next destination. Having heard his unhelpful tips, the mother and daughter seated beside us chimed in. Not only did they give us thorough suggestions for our weekend in Edinburgh, they also told us they had a flat in Kensington, and advised us on a number of places to visit here in my neighborhood.

Likewise, each cab driver we met was quite talkative and engaged in our American impressions of the city. A fountain of stories and suggestions.

We all carry stereotypes of a place we visit, but sometimes, they don’t come into consciousness until you’re confronted with the opposition. For some reason, whenever I heard a Scottish accent emerge from a young man or woman, I was really shocked. I suppose I always thought a Scottish accent was for old people, crusty old sailors with long white beards. How ridiculous.

Saturday in Edinburgh, Cam and I must have walked ten miles, at least. Starting on the far western side of the city, we went through the town, to Arthur’s Seat.

Arthur’s Seat. This was one of my primary reasons for choosing Edinburgh. Legendarily, it’s one of the possible sites of Camelot. In reality, the history isn’t nearly as exciting, but if it’s anything, it’s beautiful. The walk itself isn’t particularly difficult, except at the very beginning where it is incredibly steep. It did get tiring, no doubt, and for anyone who hates stairs as much as I do, the end bit, with the rocky uneven “staircase” to the top was traumatic. But, let’s face it, I’ll do anything for a nice view and a good place to snap away on my Nikon, and this definitely was it. The view of the city was unreal, and it actually gave us great perspective on how far we had walked.

By the end of our hike, and walking back to town, we ACHED. We managed to get back to our hotel to change and shower before dinner.

Dinner was a recommendation by one of my superiors at work: The Dome. Fantastic. I believe it was an old bank, turned posh restaurant. Besides being absolutely lovely, with a (obviously) domed ceiling, fresh gardenias in heaping quantities, and elegant arches and moldings, the food was fantastic.

Cam and I started with some wine, and haggis. We had to do it. The traditional Scottish food – essentially a meat pie made from all the innards and offal of an animal. We figured if we’re ever to try such a repulsive peasant dish, we’re probably safest doing it in an elegant, not-nearly-peasant restaurant.

It was delicious.

The pepper sauce, mashed potatoes, puff pastry topping and meat composed a surprising medley of flavors. Blocking the ingredients from my consciousness, I ate up happily.

The next objective was to try Scottish beef, considered some of the best in the world. Enter: a huge steak with an incredible pepper sauce, roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and a roasted tomato. The steak was phenomenal, and lived up to our expectations. But the simplicity of the meal was perhaps my favorite part of it – each flavor was vibrant without trimmings.

After a long and hearty meal, we returned to our hotel, and passed out.

The next day, we had breakfast at one of the gallery’s cafes and headed to the castle and the Royal Mile. While we climbed to the castle, we chose not to tour through it. As we’ve come to realize, when you’ve seen one medieval castle, you’ve seen them all. Likewise, when you’ve seen one palace/mansion, you’ve seen them all. Funnily enough, though, I can’t get tired of cathedrals.

We were happy with our decision, as it left extra time for walking, shopping, tea-drinking, and general Scottish merriment.

If I am ever to illustrate a children’s fairy tale, I will likely reference my photos from this wonderful trip. Scotland, I will return to you someday!

Beardsley was born at the home of his maternal grandfather, Surgeon Major William Pitt, on the corner of Buckingham Road and West Hill Place. The Pitts were well-established in the town – William’s father Thomas Best Pitt was a doctor practising in Brighton as it became a fashionable resort, and William followed his father into medicine. He married in India and it was there, in 1846, that his second daughter Ellen was born.

After many years abroad, the family returned to Brighton in 1864. Ellen Pitt was said to have been a great beauty with a sense of mischief and adventure. Vincent Beardsley, visiting from London, posed as a gentleman but flouted convention by approaching her in public without a formal introduction. They continued to meet secretly, often in the grounds of the Royal Pavilion, but Ellen eventually presented him to her family and the couple were married in October 1870 at St Nicholas Church.

Aubrey Beardsley’s baptism, St Nicholas Church, 24th October 1872

This was not considered an ideal match and, from the start, life was difficult for the Beardsleys. They moved to London in search of work but were continually beset with health and money problems. Perhaps not surprisingly, Ellen returned to the comfort and security of her family home for the birth of her daughter Mabel in 1871 and son Aubrey in 1872.

The next few years were characterised by comings and goings. The family lodged in London for a while, where Ellen inspired in her children a love of books and music. But Aubrey was a delicate child and, at the age of seven, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He was sent away to school at Hamilton Lodge in Hurstpierpoint, where it is said that he first showed an interest in drawing. After four terms, however, he was back in London, before moving to Epsom with his mother and sister, again in search of fresh air. By 1884, this peripatetic existence became unsustainable. Vincent had lost his job and Ellen was unwell, so the children returned to Brighton, this time to the home of their great-aunt Sarah, who lived at 21 Lower Rock Gardens.

Aubrey became a pupil at Brighton Grammar School in November that year, and it seems that he found it a sympathetic environment. Although not sporty or particularly concerned with school work, he read voraciously and took part in school plays – he was often seen pacing up and down on the seafront, learning his lines. He also wrote poems, submitting them to the school magazine, Past And Present. The first of these to be published, ‘The Valiant’, appeared in the June 1885 edition, when Aubrey was just 12 years old.

Illustration for the school magazine Past and Present, published in June 1887

Encouraged by one of his schoolmasters, he continued to draw and his love of caricature became apparent. Alongside mischievous sketches of his friends and teachers, he produced a charming drawing entitled ‘The Jubilee Cricket Analysis’, which appeared in the Jubilee edition of Past And Present (June 1887). He combined artistic ability with a witty play on words: A Good Bowler is depicted as a hat, Caught shows a man grabbed by the scruff of his neck by a policeman, and Square Leg is a man whose legs are as short as they are wide.

Aubrey became involved in every aspect of the school’s theatrical productions, from writing dialogue to performing, designing costumes and illustrating programmes. The 1888 Christmas production at The Dome, a comic operetta called The Pay of the Pied Piper, was a case in point. The preface notes that, ‘the illustrations are the perfectly original designs and drawings of a boy now in the school, A V Beardsley’. Two years later, having left school and moved to London, he returned for a Conversazione for the Old Boys’ Association, which was staged at the Royal Pavilion on 7 November 1890. It featured a short farce called A Brown Study which, according to the Brighton Gazette, ‘was received with a good deal of favour as the production of an Old Boy, Mr Aubrey V Beardsly [sic].’

Extract from the Brighton Gazette, published on 8th November 1890

Brighton History Centre holds a complete set of Past And Present, which has been produced by Brighton Grammar School (now BHASVIC) from 1872 to the present day.

Kate Elms, Brighton History Centre

One of the tallest hotels in Asia, Lebua at State Tower in Bangkok offers a breathtaking restaurant and bar experience, the Dome. One can expect that the prices are high as well – true, if you compare them to the street level restaurant prices in Bangkok, but reasonable for an occasional international traveler who comes to enjoy also  the view and not only the drink.

If you are faint-hearted, the Sky Bar at 65th floor is not for you: only a thin glass wall separates you from a 250 meters drop. And think about a majestic thunderstorm … I would love to see it from this level.

I guess there are not too many house bands who can enjoy the views like this, night after night. The drawback for the audience is that you might not be able hear much of the music due to the wind.

“That’s one of the dumbest moves I’ve seen in Challenge history…” —TJ Lavin

“Robin is actually doing exceptionally well: She hasn’t totally freaked out and she’s not crying yet!” —Mark

One of the biggest factors determining whether or not a reality show contestant is well-liked has to be how entitled he or she seems. Players who come into the game acting as if they are somehow owed a pass to the finals come off as spoiled, whereas audiences will root for anyone if they feel he’s earned his keep.

Compare, for example, Camila and Paula in last night’s episode of Battle of the Exes. When C.T./Diem announced their decision to send Dunbar/Paula into the Dome—a puzzling decision that even TJ criticized—Paula took it in stride and didn’t complain, even though it pitted her against her new beau Ty. Dunbar was a little confused, but only because he didn’t understand the logic behind the move.

As a result of their stoicism, it was sad to see the two of them go, particularly in a relatively dull elimination challenge (which was really just a toothless, nonviolent version of the game Adam screwed up on Rivals); although it was nice to see Ty/Emily—another team that’s put in its work, with three Dome wins now—move on after their ugly fight last week.

On the other hand, Camila cried so much after having to go first in the challenge that you’d think she was Robin.* As Power Couple, C.T./Diem shrewdly had Johnny/Camila, the toughest team, go first. This led a comically inept sequence in which the two dominant players flailed through a challenge with no strategy.

*I could not keep track of the number of times Robin cried in last night’s episode. It was at least five, including once when she seemed to bring up Hurricane Katrina victims for no apparent reason.

The challenge involved carrying items (for some reason the items were picnic-themed) across the path of 80-mph winds (generated by airplane jets, in what I cannot imagine was an environmentally friendly manner). Camila got tossed and flipped so much by the winds that they couldn’t complete it in the allotted 20 minutes. Mark and Robin fared slightly better, using a strategy that was heavy on crawling, but they also failed to finish.

That left Ty/Emily and C.T./Diem; Ty/Emily were good, but C.T./Diem were better. Running head-first into hurricane-force winds is just the kind of thing C.T. is great at.

For the second challenge in a row, C.T. and Diem had to decide who was going into the Dome. Logic suggests that they send in Ty and Emily, who have the best shot at sending Johnny/Camila home. But they’ve been in three times already, and C.T. and Diem each clearly felt that Mark/Robin should earn their spot in the finals. Mark, in fact, has never faced an elimination challenge in his career.* Ultimately, C.T. and Diem went with what they thought was fair over what they thought was best for their chances, and sent Mark/Robin into the Dome. Gotta respect that…

*This fact is slightly less impressive when you realize that this is only his third Challenge with elimination challenges: The Battles of the Sexes simply used voting, and the original Challenge didn’t eliminate players at all.

We don’t need brackets for these rankings:

Eliminated: Dunbar/Paula

It’s always sad to see Paula go, since she’s so great for quotes, and this season was the most I’ve ever liked Dunbar.

4) Mark/Robin (-2): How does Mark expect to win in the Dome with no elimination challenge experience?

3) Johnny/Camila (—): It’s nice to see the dominant team of a season forced to face an elimination round.

2) Ty/Emily (+3): These two definitely deserve to be in the finals, and I’m happy they got there.

1) C.T./Diem (—): It looks like there’s a new kingpin in town…

In the absence of any decent and appropriate venue, the erstwhile car park of the International Conference Centre now turned into what has been christened The Dome seems to be the foremost choice for event organizers looking forward to packed venues for shows even if there is not enough seating for all. I understand The Dome seats some 4000 people. As I have come to know about Ghanaian event organizers, they will however sell tickets to more than the 4000 seats without a hoot about where the extra persons will sit for the 6-8 hours that they spend at a venue. There is however a disaster waiting in the wings at this makeshift entertainment centre and our authorities are either aware but have looked away, or someone does not seem to know his job.

Now imagine this: between 4 and 5 thousand people are crumped into a tarpaulin. The tarpaulin itself is a highly flammable material, remember. There are livewires running all across the stage and around it. There are heavy equipment and lightings around. The floor of the auditorium is made of woods which has been creaking for some time now largely because of the frequency of events there. Then we have roughly 65% of the audience being female most of whom are wearing stilettoes not less than 6 inches long with skirts and dresses so tight and short sons of Adam are left to salivate and gawk as though their lives depended on absorbing the sights of these daughters of Eve.

I do not mean to be a doom monger but imagine if one of these wires somehow catches fire! Some of our ladies even trip whiles walking in these with nobody touching them so picture what happens when hundreds of them are running to hit the only exit they have in sight! Here is the thing, there are hardly any emergency exists at the Dome! Yes people! Most of us will not bother looking out for things like emergency exist. If I am mistaken then it means that whatever emergency exists there is (or there are) are barely visible which defeats their purpose. I have not also seen any fire extinguishers too. Again, except if somebody has hidden them somewhere in the auditorium. So in the possible event of a fire or some other unexpected occurrence which will require that revelers exit from the Dome, a disaster will be expected. I am not the person to realize it, am I?

Elsewhere

I think generally (and sadly too) that we are a people who attribute virtually everything, especially mishaps to the doing of the bearded old man above. But how did God tell us that when a bunch of idiots are climbing up a 50, 60, 100metre telecom mast they should not wear harnesses? Or they expect that when the soles of their smooth rubber shoes give way God will not take away their souls? There are state institutions whose job it is to ensure that companies and people adhere to safety and other regulations. But if as usual they fail to justify their salaries should it not be a matter of common-sense to those who climb these masts  unattended?

Next time you drive by any of the new roads being constructed take a look at the folks working there. Ideally, they ought to be wearing hard hats (what we generally call helmets); then nose masks because of the dust all around them; and then goggles too to protect their eyes; then they ought to wear reflector vests so vehicles coming from afar can see them; then they need safety boots on their feet. But what you will see is that almost none of the local workers you will see is wearing no such personal protective equipment (PPE). The few with any resemblance of PPE will be some torn boots with their toes sticking out or some vests without any reflectors or a very dirty rug over the nose. The end result will be that they start having chest pains, eye issues, and all manner of injuries. Not too strangely you will find ministers of state or even the President visiting these sites and they will find absolutely nothing wrong.

A friend of mine narrowly escaped death on the Sunyani-Kumasi road more than a year ago. He didn’t know what happened but was told the car had somersaulted at least four times and had landed in the shrubs near-by. He escaped unscathed simply because he and another dude in the car had their seat belts strapped on. I understand there is now a law against the non-wearing of seat belts. Even still, you will find taxi drivers and passengers strapping on their seat belts when they are approaching police check points. I have even seen a trotro driver tucking the seat belt under his thighs upon seeing the police. Seriously, do people think they are doing the police a favour by wearing seatbelts? Until I started working for my current company I found seat belt wearing irritating. But after  the accident I described and others, I even search for a seat belt in a trotro!

Yes the government and state ought to take the lead in most of these safety concerns but as we all know, most of our governments going back as far as I can recall either will not care or are too busy thinking of other things that interest them personally. So, it should be up to us to have some of these things changed. It should start with us, first!

Diem: “Wow, I’m excited for this one. The money’s cool..”

C.T.: “The pat on the back is cool!” 

Like Rivals, the most compelling relationship of this season involves C.T., but unlike Rivals—when C.T. and Adam seemed to follow a slow but steady path toward reconciliation—Battle of the Exes has not renewed or repaired C.T. and Diem’s relationship. Throughout the season, they’ve been perhaps the most distant couple. They’ve rarely shared any scenes together, and when they have it’s usually been to talk about how they haven’t been talking.

It doesn’t take a degree in psychology to figure out that why: Unlike most of the other couples, they hadn’t seen or spoken in years, and unlike the other relationships in the house, this one was really important to both of them. Since they’ve been mostly polite to each other, and they haven’t lost or won a challenge yet, they haven’t had a lot of screen time; but based on their confessionals and brief interactions (and, of course, knowing C.T.’s history of dealing with anger), they’d always seemed one wrong word from being at each other’s throats.

Last night, that “wrong word” came when C.T. compared Paula and Ty—who finally gave into their ongoing flirtation last night—to himself and Diem on The Duel. Diem objected to comparing what she called “a fling” to what she had with C.T., which was “something real.” From there the fight escalated into who valued the relationship more, who had actually moved on, and who was actually to blame for their relationship’s failure. It ended with Diem in tears and C.T. venting to Aneesa.

Compare this fight with the one between Camila and Johnny last week. Both fights started during a night out for the cast, and both ended with a girl in tears. But, in reality, the fights were totally different. Camila’s fight with Johnny was more violent, but it was simpler: She was upset that Johnny wasn’t paying more attention to her, and she had too much to drink. The next morning she understood immediately why she’d been so upset, and by the beginning of last night’s episode, she and Johnny seemed fine.

On the other hand, C.T. and Diem’s fight was less explosive but more complex. They weren’t fighting about any one thing, but about the totality of their relationship. When Camila was at her angriest, she threatened to kill Johnny, but when Diem was at her most upset, she questioned C.T.’s sanity and stability (“I’ve never thrown someone’s head into a wall, but you have.”). Which one of those actually seems more hurtful? Unlike Johnny and Camila, C.T. and Diem don’t seem likely to make up anytime soon.

Which is a shame, because they actually seemed to be coming into their own as a team. They were nearly the Power Couple in last night’s challenge, “Lube Me Up,” which played to their strengths by being essentially an individual challenge. Working in heats divided by gender, the players had to slide down a slip-and-slide into a pool, retrieve a ball from the pool, and climb back up the greased up slip-and-slide. Like musical chairs, there was always one fewer ball than player, meaning that one team would be eliminated with each heat.

Finally, though, the all-girl team has the advantage. As the only team with two players in the same heat, they were the only team that could devise any type of strategy or teamwork. Naturally, given their allegiances, they decided to target Camila in the first heat, hoping to send her and Johnny into the Dome. It was a good plan, but Camila is feisty, and she managed to get her ball up the hill anyway. Rachel and Aneesa did manage to get up the hill as well, and Robin and Diem snuck by in all the commotion. That left Emily and Paula fighting for the last remaining ball.

Watching these two fight for the last ball was like watching a lion attack a gazelle on some nature channel. Emily, still upset from being sent into the Dome in Week 3, clearly targeted Paula—she apparently didn’t even bother chasing after a ball, and instead simply waited for Paula get hers, and then wrestled it away from her. Paula put up a fight, but Emily was too much, and she managed to send Paula into the Dome without even claiming the title of Power Couple.

Which was lucky, because Ty was eliminated in the first male heat, ending any shot she had at TJ’s pat on the back. In the second girl heat, Rachel seemed to abandon her original strategy without telling Aneesa, hanging her partner out to try. Robin managed to grab the last ball, eliminating Aneesa and Rachel. Johnny and C.T. won the next male heat, setting up a final showdown of Diem and Camila. The two fought for the ball all the way up the hill, but Camila was the first one to grab it at the top, pulling out another win for her and Johnny.

Of course, just as the 1% never stop whining about their taxes, Johnny complained about the perils of being Power Couple. Even though he’s now $2,500 richer, and even though he got a nice pat on the back from TJ, Johnny’s upset that he now has to decide who Dunbar/Paula will face in the Dome.

The choice came down to Aneesa/Rachel or Ty/Emily. The former were clearly targeting Johnny/Camila, but the latter were clearly the stronger team overall. Ultimately, they chose to send in the team that didn’t like them (Aneesa/Rachel) over the team that might actually beat them. I’m not sure it was the right strategy—if Aneesa and Rachel couldn’t win Power Couple last night, they probably never will, so they’re not much of a threat. On the other hand, you should always try to eliminate a team with a strong girl. I suspect a lot of it had to do with trying to placate Paula, who desperately didn’t want to face Emily in the Dome.

Going up against Aneesa/Rachel in the Dome was much more reasonable. The elimination challenge—“Banded Together”—was one that Ty/Emily had already won, and one that seemed particularly hard without a male player. Aneesa/Rachel held their own, but Dunbar/Paula won in the end (as Mark Safan would say).

Now, rank me Amadeus!

Eliminated: Aneesa/Rachel

Is it chauvinistic to say that I’m impressed by how far they made it without a guy? Yes? OK, then I’m not impressed.

5) Dunbar/Paula (-1): Though they’ve won Power Couple before, they’re clearly the worst remaining pair at physical challenges.

4) C.T./Diem (+1): I really hope these two can work out their issues…

3) Ty/Emily (—): I loved how Emily hunted Paula down to send her into the Dome, but I can’t tell if her resentment of Ty’s relationship with Paula is personal or purely strategic.

2) Mark/Robin (-1): Mark really likes making fun of his own age, huh?

1) Johnny/Camila (+1): The return of the king (and queen)…

After home depot delivered the wood it was time to get started.

We have a tarp covered garage and this is where all the cutting will be taking place.

In Kasper’s book he mentions that the first step in cutting is that you cut each different strut to an exact length (+\- 1mm), and then use a very sharp pencil to mark the rest of your boards using your perfect cut first board.

Well I figured out a faster, and very accurate way to stream line this process without the PENCIL.

First one needs a miter saw stand that has arm supports with stops, not rollers, such as the Dewalt pictured here:

Then once your saw is mounted all you do is position the stop the exact distance you need, and poof! No pencil, no need to remeasure, except for checking to make sure the stop hasn’t moved every once in awhile, and you have a very fast way to cut the same exact length.

To measure my distance I placed a laser distance finder at the face of the saw blade and shot the distance to the stop. That was accurate to +\- .005′! Here is a picture of it.

“I just want to be on the same page as her, and I don’t know what page she’s on… or what chapter. I don’t know what book she’s reading.” —C.T.

“What is a second? It’s like… a second!” —Jasmine

As reality television has grown and evolved, a lot of attention has been paid to producers’ Orwellian attempts to spy on every aspect of the participants’ lives: The Real World producers alone have infamously put microphones in headboards to capture the cast’s pillow-talk, filmed a cast member receiving the news that his mother died, and captured a girl getting slapped in the face. Lost in all of this, though, is the fact that the secret to reality TV’s success is what the cameras don’t show.

Last night’s episode of Battle of the Exes was a perfect example. With Johnny/Camila once again in the position of Power Couple, they have to choose which team to send into the Dome against Tyrie and Jasmine. Johnny is leaning toward sending in Rachel, who voted against him on The Island (Dude, can hold a grudge—that Challenge was almost four years ago), and her partner, Aneesa, but Mark, Rachel’s friend, tries to intervene on her behalf.

Then shit gets really complicated thanks to something Camila tells Johnny that Rachel told her at some unspecified point, in front of other people who never actually confirm Camila’s story. Camila claims that Rachel tried to ever-so-casually throw Mark and Robin under the bus by saying that Robin wasn’t performing well, and that Mark didn’t actually want to be there.

Of course, if the cameras had actually caught this exchange, then it would be obvious what was going on: Rachel was so desperate to avoid the Dome that she was willing to betray her friend. She would have come off as unsympathetic, and Johnny’s decision would have been easy and boring.

Instead, the situation became far more complex because it was never quite clear what was going on. Had Rachel actually said those things? Was Camila making it up? Why would she do that? Does she see Aneesa/Rachel as a threat, or does she just not like them? Is Mark actually upset? Would Mark have been able to convince Johnny to chose another team if Rachel hadn’t pissed him off? Is Johnny just seizing on any excuse to vote in Rachel?

The outcome was the same—Aneesa/Rachel would have been the team to throw in even on a purely strategic level, since they are the least likely to win a challenge in the future—but the journey was a lot more interesting.

On the other hand, the camera’s blind spots can often fail to provide context, as was the case with C.T. and Diem last night. They continued to have problems communicating. C.T. insisted that it was hurting them in challenges, but as the challenges to this point haven’t really required communication* of any kind, it was hard to figure out exactly where his concerns were coming from.

*Here are some of the things that HAVE been tested on challenges thus far: swimming, the ability to retain honey on your person, walking, knowledge of Britney Spears’ marital history, and the ability to fall into the water without getting injured.

Most likely, of course, his concerns are general ones about the state of his relationship with Diem. More than any other couple in the house, they seem to be walking on eggshells around each other. Clearly, their feelings for each other are quite complicated, but also quite positive. I don’t imagine I was the only one who agreed with Jasmine last night when she said she just wanted to see them get back together already.

And I will always rank youuuuuuuuuuuu:

Eliminated: Tyrie/Jasmine

I am definitely happy to see these two go—they were by far the least likable and least interesting couple—though I did feel Jasmine’s pain after Tyrie fell on her.

7) Aneesa/Rachel (—): I don’t think these two can get to Power Couple status, but I’m glad that we have a few vendettas building up in the house.

6) Dunbar/Paula (-3): Speaking of vendettas, this pair is squarely in Ty and Emily’s crosshairs after last week.

5) Abram/Cara Maria (+1): These two seem to be on better terms—after the challenge, they kissed.

4) C.T./Diem (+1): Though this episode was largely about their problems communicating, it was the first time they seemed to develop a good strategy for a challenge.

3) Mark/Robin (-1): Robin’s poor social game, and the fact that their names were mentioned at all for the Dome do not bode well.

2) Ty/Emily (+1): Ty still has an incredibly inflated sense of his own abilities, but this pair seems to be clicking now that they have a purpose (destroying Dunbar/Paula).

1) Johnny/Camilla (—): They go together like peanut butter and…bananas! Get it?!

“Throughout his career, Bob Flider was a tireless, effective leader for rural farming communities and global agri-business leaders. He served his district with distinction, and I am pleased he will continue to serve all the people of our state,” said Quinn.

Flider served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2003 through 2011. He sat on the House Agriculture & Conservation Committee, the Energy & Environment Committee and the Ethanol Production Oversight Committee.

The former lawmaker is one of six ex-legislators who voted for the controversial 67% state income tax increase in 2011 to land a job in Quinn’s administration, raising questions of political payback.

“After spending the last several years advocating for people in our farming communities and agribusiness, I look forward to continuing that work on a statewide level,” Flider said.

Flider must win Illinois Senate confirmation.

What a great idea to make a carnival style party in a big ladies toilet block and sit on the floor (eating biscuits) all day. Thanks so much to Shambush! (http://shambush.wordpress.com/past-events/) for inviting me along and entertaining.

Shambush! are super interesting events and immersive theatre people, highly recommended by my mate Party Bear.

“I know she’s a great competitor, but then there’s also the fact that I hate her.” —Ty

“We do not talk. We are not Facebook friends. Nothing.” —Diem

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we’re back!

MTV is back with another installment of The Challenge and this time, fresh off the success of the Rivals format, it’s embracing a similar concept: Battle of the Exes will pair players with partners who they hooked up with/dated/sloppily-made-out-with-while-drunk on previous challenges.

Of course, it should go without saying that I love this season’s format, but I feel the need to stress something: I love this season’s format. There’s the obvious drama factor—always-quotable Paula called this season “drama’s wet dream”*—but this season also addresses a lot of concerns I have about challenge format. First of all, I almost always prefer individual or paired competitions (like The Duel, Fresh Meat, Rivals) to team challenges (The Gauntlet, The Inferno, Cutthroat). They prevent players from skating by and force everyone to strategize.

*This would have been an epigram quote if it didn’t sound like a disgusting Entourage reference.

One problem with individual or paired challenges is that they often separate the guys and girls, meaning that there are essentially two challenges taking place simultaneously, which dampens the competition. BotE eliminates that problem by pairing guys with girls (with one notable exception, which I’ll get to).

Finally, the elimination structure is intriguing: The winner of each challenge is named the Power Couple, and gets to chose who the loser will face in the Dome. This creates some odd incentives, and at least prioritizes not finishing in last, which should benefit rookies.

But, of course, the best thing about the format is the drama that comes from pairing players with their exes. Part of the fun, though, is the variety of relationships that Exes encompasses. Whereas Rivals had a similarly diverse group of rivalries, the essence of all of them was essentially the same: These two people don’t like each other. But with Exes, some of them currently hate each other, some haven’t talked in years, and in some one still seems to harbor feelings for the other… and it’s not entirely clear to me what type of relationship is most conducive to the challenge. Whereas Rivals rewarded rivals who weren’t really rivals (Johnny/Tyler, Leroy/Michael, Cara Maria/Laurel), it’s not clear if Exes will have a similar theme.

Before we start discussing last night’s episode, then, let’s break down the details of the relationships in question:

Abram/Cara Maria: This relationship bloomed during Cutthroat, and as recently as Rivals the two were still together. The attraction here was that both Abe and Cara Maria are borderline crazy, yet surprisingly they had one of the healthiest, supportive relationships in Challenge history. They seem to have broken up after Rivals (Wikipedia says that Abram getting arrested had something to do with it, but I know nothing of this). It’s clear, though, that Cara Maria did the dumping and Abram still has feelings for her—the break up seems to have motivated Abram to find a stylist and say, “Give me the Kid Rock!”

Aneesa/Rachel: The token homosexual relationship of the bunch, these two dated back in 2003, after Battle of the Sexes. Enough time has passed that both seem wistful about the whole situation, though Rachel did mention that Aneesa didn’t treat her well. The bigger obstacle for these two is that…you know, they’re both girls. While I appreciate MTV’s efforts to include a gay couple, it does seem like the absence of a male on the team will hurt their ability to perform in challenges.

C.T./Diem: Once again, the most complicated relationship of the season involves C.T. While many/most of these “relationships” are no more than glorified flings, the kind of relationship a normal person might have during a semester abroad or something, Diem and C.T. were actually profoundly important in each other’s lives. They had, as another contestant so aptly put it last night “that Notebook kind of love.” The relationship began after Diem was recovering from chemotherapy, at a time when she says she felt like a “broken woman.” C.T. helped her realize that she was still desirable, and she admits that she thought they would end up getting married. C.T., on the other hand, still feels betrayed that, when his brother died, she wasn’t there for him. Their break up infamously helped fuel the Adam/C.T. fight on The Duel 2.  Despite all this, they haven’t spoken in years, and they both clearly still have complicated feelings about each other. As they should…even I got choked up hearing them talk about each other.

Dunbar/Paula: Ugh, these two have the most boringly complicated relationship. They used to have a flirtatious, love-hate relationship, but it always seemed like Paula wanted more from the relationship than Dunbar. Apparently they had sex at some point, but I have no idea when. It must have been prior to Cutthroat because by then Paula seemed to see everything Dunbar did as a betrayal, and now they don’t speak anymore.

Dustin/Heather: I have no idea who these people are. Apparently Dustin did porn?

Johnny/Camila: These two are only “exes” in the loosest sense of the term. During Cutthroat, Camila harbored a crush on Johnny, but it was never acted on. If they ever hooked up, either then or on Rivals, it was off-camera. This is probably the best case scenario for a team, since Johnny and Camila still like each other, and haven’t had time to develop strong feelings of resentment or regret. Combing that with the fact that both Johnny and Camila are strong in challenges might make them the favorites in Exes.

Leroy/Naomi: I like Leroy. He was a great player in Rivals, and he was extremely patient with his partner’s shortcomings. But Naomi seems nuts. If Leroy hooks up with another girl in the house, she threatened to kill him and the girl. This does not seem advantageous for Leroy…

Mark/Robin: These two are the vetest of the vets. How old is Mark? His original Road Rules season aired in 1995. Someone born on the day it premiered would be old enough to drive in most states. His relationship with Robin began on Battle of the Sexes 2, and they did date for some time after the season ended, and there seemed to be some questions about Mark’s fidelity. Robin admitted last night that “Mark is hot,” but she has a kid now and he’s almost 40… Will they end up hooking up? Probably.

Nate/Priscilla: Who?

Ty/Emily: Oh man, do these two seem to hate each other. When TJ announced them as a pair, Emily wouldn’t even walk over to him. I like Emily, but this her second challenge where she’s been teamed with Ty, and his emotional instability and general worthlessness at challenges have a tendency to hold her down. It’s a shame, because Emily could be great with a decent partner.

Tyrie/Jasmine: The less said about these two, the better. Jasmine is possibly my least favorite player in challenge history (including Wes!)—though she did amusingly lament the fact that she hooked up with Tyrie as opposed to C.T. or Wes or Johnny. Tyrie is notoriously terrible at these challenges, and it’s hard to see how pairing him with Jasmine will help at all.

Vinny/Sarah: Another relationship that seems to have lasted about five minutes. Sarah clearly regrets her “one-night stand” with Vinny, and the fact that he appears to have prepared for the show by doing nothing but eat can’t help. On the other hand, these two have been partners once before (Fresh Meat II), so it’ll be interesting to see if that helps.

Wes/Mandi: When C.T. rejected her last season, Mandi sought refuge in the arms—and bed—of none other than Wes. It was very hard to get a read on how either of them feels about the relationship now. Wes calls Mandi “the closest thing I’ve had to girlfriend the last few years,” but they don’t seem particularly close or distant. Mandi does seem upset that she’s partnered with the house hothead… which didn’t work out for her so well on Fresh Meat II.

Is that everyone? That seems like everyone. Anyway, those are the teams who headed into last night’s first challenge. Now, if you read my Rivals recaps, you may recall that my chief complaint that season was that the challenges almost never required the rivals to actually cooperate—why team up players who hate each other if you’re not going to exploit that hate?

Last night’s challenge—“Give Me Some Honey”—indicated that the producers learned their lesson. The challenge consisted of each player in a Speedo, walking from one end of a beam to another, where she douses herself in honey, and returns to her partner, who wipes as much of the honey of her body and into a jar. In other words, the challenge is designed to have the exes rubbing and touching each other’s almost naked bodies—to be intimate with what Dunbar called their “no-no special places.” It was ideally suited to maximize awkwardness and awaken any old feelings that might exist.

The competitive aspects of the challenge, though, are not as compelling. The best strategy is “get a lot of honey on your body.” Nate (Who?) boasted to the camera that he was going to blow away the competition, and then promptly proceeded to spend his time falling off the beam about a dozen times. It was an embarrassing performance that put him and his partner into the Dome (this season’s name for the site of the elimination challenge).

On the other end of the spectrum, Johnny/Camila and Mark/Robin had a bonus duel to see who would reign as Power Couple. Though Johnny/Camila won, Johnny mentions that it’s a double-edged sword, since you have to potentially make an enemy by nominating someone for elimination.

That might be true down the road, but everyone knows that the first elimination is for rookies, right? WRONG. After Wes performs his go-to move of trying to alienate and belittle the most powerful person in the house, this time by picking on Camila, Johnny decides to throw in a veteran.

The only problem with his plan is that Nate/Priscilla seem really bad, and pretty much incapable of besting Wes/Mandi. The elimination challenge, which involves jumping over and ducking under a spinning beam, at first seems like a test of coordination, but it’s really just a matter of endurance, which Nate and Priscilla do not have. Both of them fall before either Wes or Mandi, sending home our first rookie pair.

But you know me; I’m just a merry rankster:

Eliminated: Nate/Priscilla

We hardly knew ye…

12) Dustin/Heather: These two rookies lucked out to not get thrown in last night, but that luck probably won’t last.

11) Tyrie/Jasmine: These two are so bad at challenges that it wouldn’t surprise me if they went home before the rookies.

10) Aneesa/Rachel: I’ll need to see a few weeks of performance before I buy this whole “two girls competing with guys” thing. Call me sexist…

9) Vinny/Sarah: Vinny has never been a particularly strong player, and he appears to have put on the weight of Buick.

8) Wes/Mandi: The fact that Wes is already getting sent into the Dome is not a good sign.

7) Dunbar/Paula: Paula is coming off her first win, but I’ve never been totally sold on Dunbar as a performer.

6) Ty/Emily: This is possibly too high to rank Ty, but I really like Emily. I want her to stick around longer.

5) Leroy/Naomi: As I said above, I was very impressed by Leroy by Leroy on Rivals. But, man, Naomi seems nuts…

4) C.T./Diem: Look, C.T. is amazing at these challenges. But his capacity to blow up is only magnified by Diem’s presence. Still, I hope these two crazy kids make up…

3) Abram/Cara Maria: Like C.T./Diem Lite, I think Abram’s craziness may be amplified by Cara Maria, but they have a greater shot at peaceful coexistence.

2) Mark/Robin: Always bet on experience….

1) Johnny/Camila: …Unless you can bet on Johnny Bananas. Johnny is coming off a big win in Rivals, and Camila finally has a teammate who won’t hold her back.

An infusion of East and West, with a touch of Thai flavors, every dish is epicurean indeed. Their creation will be featured on Lufthansa’s Business and First Class international flights till February 28, 2012.

Highlights from the Business and First class menus are shown below. Bon voyage appétit

Coconut and Basil Pudding with Caramelized Pineapple and Chili Oil Bavaria Blu Cream Cheese and Camembert with Walnuts

Coconut and Sago Soup with Mango and Green Tea Biscuit

Sautéed Tenderloin of Beef in Oyster Sauce with Seasonal Vegetables and Jasmine Rice

Congratulations to Sarah, who was the lucky winner of our prize draw for a complimentary engagement shoot.