Ben faces off against Errol Zimmerman on Saturday, May 3 at Glory 16 in Denver, USA. His last showing was an impressive third round knockout against Belgian juggernaut, Jamal Ben Saddik. He gives us the lowdown on the lead-up to Glory 16. Continue reading
“Where there’s discomfort there’s fear… in these very tough positions, you’re in a little piece of hell. And through this daily suffering you learn to survive in these situations. You have to find comfort in uncomfortable situations. You have to be able to live in your worst nightmare.
“Jiu Jitsu puts you completely in the moment where you must have complete focus on finding a solution to the problem. This trains the mind to build that focus, to increase your awareness, your capacity to solve problems. Sometimes, you don’t have to win. You cannot win. But that has nothing to do with losing.”
– Rickson Gracie.
“But who is that on the other side of you?”
-T.S. Eliot,
The Waste Land.
For seven of its eight episodes, the first season of True Detective was some of the best television I have seen to date. I prefer to forget the final episode because it was so shithouse, but that’s another story. The series really hits its straps at the end of episode 3 with Rustin Cohle’s monologue, visible here.
The show has the three features present in all ‘great’ films and t.v. shows; Continue reading
Things I Don’t Want To Know by Deborah Levy does not, judging from the blurb on the back, sound like the sort of book I’d like to read.
‘…it is feminist and political while being an inspiring act of writing.’
Whenever a book is ‘feminist and political’, it’s like being hit over the head with a length of dowel; irritating and painful, but not hard enough to knock you out – or into unconsciousness so you don’t have to listen anymore. Continue reading
Greetings Dear Reader,
As you may have noticed, I have undergone a prolonged absence. It has not been because I have been doing other things; rather, an extraordinary occurrence overtook me a month ago and completely sapped me of the desire to write. It wasn’t negative, but so profound I haven’t been able to do much other than go to work. Nothing painful; just dazzling. I may write about it at a later stage.
I am getting back on the horse and starting to produce some essays and the like. In the meantime, I thought I’d post this chapter from the novel I’ve been working on for the last nine months. I’ll have it finished soon and will publish more of it accordingly. I thought to post this today because I went to the gym and engaged in one of my absolute favorite activities; squatting with a barbell across my back. Perhaps you share my enthusiasm. Otherwise, perhaps this piece will give you a doorway into it.
Enjoy. Continue reading
“When I came home: on the abyss of the five senses, where a flat sided steep frowns over the present world, I saw a mighty Devil folded in black clouds, hovering on the sides of the rock, with corroding fires he wrote the following sentence now perceived by the minds of men, & read by them on earth.
How do you know but ev’ry Bird that cuts the airy way,
Is an immense world of delight, clos’d by your senses five?”
– William Blake,
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
“If she’s amazing, she won’t be easy. If she’s easy, she won’t be amazing. If she’s worth it, you won’t give up. If you give up, you’re not worthy. Truth is, everybody’s going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.”
-Bob Marley, That canny old Rastafarian.
Thanks to Chris Tate for putting me on to this one.
“She [Heather Locklear] showered me with flowers and I learned to love it. Any guy, I decided, who doesn’t like flowers is insecure about his masculinity.”
– Tommy Lee, The Dirt
The title is taken from the poem ‘somewhere i have never travelled’ by e.e. cummings.
AS controversy rages in the US over star footballer Michael Sam’s brave decision to come out, a US sports anchor has delivered an amazing and inspirational speech. Continue reading
“The best part of a writer is on paper. The other part is usually nonsense.”
–Hollywood.
Theme Park at its Darkest 