I wanted to go cycling this morning. I have gotten into a really good routine with it and wanted to push myself. Same with running.

I have however clocked 100km in the last 7 days and also had a lot of work on the go and on Friday, my back and shoulders became achy and uncomfortable.

I am very obstinate and will try to push myself but at this point I had to concede defeat and not go ahead with the cycling today and take some time out.

When we are on a hedonic treadmill, looking to push ourselves and on a stream of adrenaline, we feel that flow and momentum and keep going.

Sometimes though, your body tells you otherwise and an inner conflict ensues. It’s good to listen to your body instead of your mental desires because sometimes ignoring the former will prolong the damage and recovery period.

I will be back out there again, but for now, recuperation.

After watching Avatar: The Last Airbender I decided to watch the follow up sequel.

I was instantly surprised at how different this series is in terms of the style, tone and characters.

The world has moved forward 70 years and the creators did a tremendous job of showing the advancement and development of new technologies and systems within the universe, it made for a fascinating new set up.

Whilst ATLA had an incredibly strong 3 season set up with characters all of an age that had that charm and innocence, LOK has characters that are slightly older and more closer to adulthood and a driving force of older adult characters as well, and the complexity of the characters, their desires, resentments and inner conflict is remarkable. This tied in with the very complex array of villains makes me wonder how specifically this series was targeted for children. Themes within the series cover fascism, anarchy, political ideology, spirituality and identity. It may be by far the most adult animation series I have ever seen, with a few moments of violence that due to take the viewer by surprise. The sense of humour and charm is still there in plenty of supply.

The animation is absolutely stunning, with cities and spiritual worlds that are hugely imaginative and what also made me adore the series was Jeremy Zuckerman’s score which uses a wonderful blend of eastern and western instruments.

I ended up watching ATLA twice in quick succession because the world and characters have so much quality and depth, I would say it is the same case for LOK.

I admire how the creators went for something completely different and the critical praise is warranted. The way the final season ends is a beautiful, powerful and important moment for animation as well.

I am so glad I decided to watch these series during lockdown. The art of animation is wonderful world when done right and Michael Dante Di Martino and Bryan Konietzko did just that.

I am currently listening to the Liverpool match on the radio. Besides needing to work at the same time, I’d love to watch it in a pub with some drinks but that’ll be post COVID Era.

Either way, paying £10 for a pass for the privilege of watching one game is a bit of a joke.

Prices for viewing sports in the U.K. is extortionate and arguably exploitative of the passion that football fandom creates.

The irony is that broadcasters would probably do better business if they charged less because students like myself would not be so hesitant about a steep pay wall.

Netflix produces an astonishing amount of content for a monthly fee. Streaming means you have the history of music at your fingertips for a very cheap fee. Amazon has become a global corporate powerhouse because the company knows how to set prices.

Sports could do with being less greedy. I don’t know whether they care, but for now, radio and highlights it is.

I am currently listening to the Liverpool match on the radio. Besides needing to work at the same time, I’d love to watch it in a pub with some drinks but that’ll be post COVID Era.

Either way, paying £10 for a pass for the privilege of watching one game is a bit of a joke.

Prices for viewing sports in the U.K. is extortionate and arguably exploitative of the passion that football fandom creates.

The irony is that broadcasters would probably do better business if they charged less because students like myself would not be so hesitant about a steep pay wall.

Netflix produces an astonishing amount of content for a monthly fee. Streaming means you have the history of music at your fingertips for a very cheap fee. Amazon has become a global corporate powerhouse because the company knows how to set prices.

Sports could do with being less greedy. I don’t know whether they care, but for now, radio and highlights it is.

I have been really enjoying using Strava through the lockdown.

I have been tracking both my runs and cycles and accumulating all the hours and kilometres that I have undertaken in activity.

On Monday evening, I set a new Personal Best on my run. I did 5km in 21:04 and 10km in 45:42.

I’m really happy with both, but determined to push it further. This has been the result of 6 months of training, and trying to get consistency.

Having an app like Strava is an opportunity for you to show whether you’re being consistent or not, showing up and putting exercise into your routines and tracking your progress. You also get to follow others on their journey. It’s social media used in a way that’s focused on something positive.

Running and cycling are both things o enjoy regardless, especially the adventures involved with the latter but having an app that helps me track where I am at is a wonderful incentive.

Have you ever tried recording a video of yourself talking?

All of a sudden you’ve lost the ability to talk.

Words fail you and what comes out of your mouth is a salad of letters and sounds that are incoherently marred by stammers.

It’s stressful!

I’m currently doing a video presentation and it took me the entire day to record 11 minutes of me talking in a way that was clear and acceptable.

There were a few strategies I adopted to make sure I could do it:

1.) I would get frustrated when I got it wrong, cry, swear, then let it pass. You can delete and do it again. I accept this is part of the process.

2.) Drink water. Staying hydrated helps you pass air through your body.

3.) I opened my mouth when talking and breathed from my diaphragm. I took my time and made sure I wasn’t rushing.

4.) I did some vocal warm ups which helped me improve the warmth of my tone of voice and the pronunciation of words.

Presenting to a video or recording a podcast are skills and require practice. It’s different from normal conversation but with the repartition of processes that prove effective, you will improve.

That’s the take.

Today is St. David’s Day here in Wales.

Wales is a beautiful part of the world, especially in Spring where days begin to get longer and skies become more blue more often.

This is the first time I’ve been home during this time of year for five years and I’m enjoying the natural beauty around me.

There are mountains, trees, rivers and streams and as I study my masters in composing, I find myself in a moment where I feel creative and surrounded by the love of my family, despite the trials of a tough winter.

Our national anthem was written in Pontypridd and celebrates heritage, poetry and song.

It sounds it’s best when sung in our national stadium during the rugby. I came across this sensational clip where we won the grand slam in 2013.

Our flag also has a dragon on it! How cool is that?

The last couple of days have been beautiful.

The sun is shining, the days are starting to get slightly longer and the skies were blue.

I’ve got a week of composing projects coming up and for my day off today, I could not think of anything better than going for a long cycle.

As you can see from the photos below, it is very rewarding to cycle around my home and around the Garth mountain just outside of Cardiff.

There were a lot of people out today and you can’t blame anyone wanting to enjoy the fresh air and weather after a pandemic, lockdown ridden winter.

Spring is with us, and hopefully along with it, some much needed reason to be positive.

is Hindi for ‘The Heart Desires’.

My girlfriend told me this was one of her favourite films and after watching it I understood why.

The film has a cult status in India and is loved by many. It is about three young men who have recently graduated and are finding their way in the world. This of course involves their professional vocations but then there are their love lives.

What is amazing about this film though is how it approaches this subject with an extraordinary sense of wisdom. Normally, Hollywood guy romantic comedies are outlandishly tongue in cheek and look to provoke crude laughs. Not to say that this film isn’t funny as it is at many points but it actually approaches the subject of love with a phenomenal sense of delicacy and complexity.

The film explores compassion, parental pressures and expectations, attachment, unconditionality, friendships and how they evolve through adulthood. It is a film with a tone that is understated but incredibly heartwarming and affecting.

I highly recommend it.

It will also make you want to visit Goa.

Whenever I used to have a gig pre covid era, I was an incredibly good at faffing.

I would be up the stairs, down the stairs about a dozen times, ensuring I had everything I need to perform at said gig.

Checklist

Amp

Guitar

Guitar Stand

Pedalboard

Jack cables

Kettle Plug

Speakon lead

Mic

Mic Stand

XLR

Mic Clip

Spare Strings

Guitar cleaning cloth

The list goes on and there are all sorts of things you need to ensure the gig can go smoothly. It is worth the time making sure you have all of this equipment to run things smoothly because if you don’t, all chaos breaks loose.

I currently spend my time faffing when preparing to cycle. Helmet, bike, tyres pumped, spare small pump, puncture kit (you do not want to be 20km from home when your tyres go flat!), water, snack.

It is good to make sure you have everything you need.

It is even better to have it all in the same place.

Something I could do with reminding myself occasionally as it would save me twelve trips back upstairs!

P.S. I wrote a song inspired by me and my bandmate’s proclivity for faffing. It is called the Almighty Faff and features a brass trio. I’m releasing a video with the accompanying score for it this week.