Well i thought it would be time to update you with a state of the union address on all my recent goings on.

i quit Al Jazeera English 5 months ago, and moved back to the uk. i had spent nearly 4 years out in the state of qatar (of the 2022 world cup hosting fame) it was fun whilst it lasted but my time had come to move on, and what a move on it has been.

upon my immediate return i had an important engagement - i had been asked to speak at TED global in oxford! that is a set of storys for another day but needless to say it is one of the highlights of my already highlight packed life.

i spent most of the summer in what can only be described as culture shock (no the ability to walk into a pub on a street corner and have a beer that costs less than $10 at lunchtime hasnt worn off, neither has the selection of fine porcine products) i put the culture shock to good use and renovated my flat on the south bank (yes the 1950's bathroom is gone, it is now white subway tiled, painted and carpeted the place and i put the shower in too!) the tenants wanted the furniture gone too, so the dreaded green sofa was cut into pieces and unceremoniously dumped.

in the interim i purchased a rather silly car (a dropped chipped and tuned dark blue Volvo C70 T5 GT, thats pulling about 330bhp) that i now commute in with much glee

Not all the summer was lost tho fun and frolics were had at a couple of music festivals, and a week long trip out to manhattan was had.

then for the rest of the year, i was awarded an MBA scholarship place (thanks to Dominic Morroco for that.) and have been pretty much head down since the end of september, at school everyday from 9-5 countless presentations, 4 heavyweight essays on everything from employment law to the application of Modern portfolio theory (after proving Markowitz's efficient portfolio theory by longhand) through corporate governance and a dash of economic theory. im on to revising for my accountancy exams in jan, as well as a few exams in Employment Law, intellectual property law and Information management theory.

i stay in a hotel when im in bournemouth during the week (yes the howard hughes prophesy is starting to come true) for those of you looking for accommodation i can heartily recommend it (http://www.leahursthotel.co.uk/ the proprietors are lovely), and am staying at the family summer house nr glastonbury in somerset for the 4nights im not at college.

in the last few days as i run up to christmas you will find me sweating over exam revision and a HR essay next to a log fire looking out over a field full of brown cows,

Peace out!

"His body plodded on mechanically, while his reasonable mind left him, and from without, looked down critically on him, wondering what that futile lumber did and why. Sometimes these selves would converse in the void; and then the madness was very near, as I believe it would be near the man who could see things through the veils at once of two customs, two educations, two environments."

-T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), "Seven Pillars of Wisdom"

this person feels my pain

http://qatarvisitor.blogspot.com/2006/10/ramadan-boom.html



a 2 page set of instructions on quitting doha, short compared to the al jazeera 4 page folksonomic guide

In attempt to compartmentalise the doha experience i will be blogging from here in the future http://2011bumba.blogspot.com

Well, My time is up here in Doha/AJE its coming up on 4 years, i have submitted my resignation and am T - 7weeks until i depart, a summer in Europe and an MBA to start all before october.


Paperwork prior to extraction is Epic, i have several reems of documentation to get signed before i depart, a bank account to close, a car to sell, a household to ship.

For my peeps, I will be at TED Global in oxford, part time Somerset & Southbank, Secret Garden & festinho.

Well its that time of year again the annual WEB TED bashing fest, The its so ‘Eletist’, Its so ‘Expensive’, Its so ‘……’.

Ive been inspired by Robert Scoble’s blog post (http://scobleizer.com/2010/02/14/the-elephants-in-the-room-at-ted/) to post my own responses to the general bashing and supposed value questions generally raised at the same time as TED.

People generally ascribe different cost value relationships to things, some people are into expensive holidays, some have to have the latest gadgets I-phones are de-rigure, some have to have the best car my colleague drives a lexus for example, some people spend their money on an expensive wine collection/or hang out at the bar, some people go to sporting events. I do/have very few of the above.

I drive a 5 year old car, I drink boxed wine, my phone is 3 years old, my last holiday I spend with a combination of my mother & father, and sister at their homes. I can’t remember the last sporting event I paid to go to. I did however go to TED Global last year.

What I got from TED last year,

1 the speeches – are inspirational.
2 the event – the setting and surroundings are great.
3 the people – the general networking is fantastic
4 the people – Friendships built

And I’m going again this year.