I set off this week to put together a post listing some things we can do/eat/watch/listen to/whatever in order to learn more/better/faster. And what I came up with is that would be pretty boring and a lot of the research is so unsubstantiated that it seemed silly to tell all of you to.. I don’t know.. eat three pounds of Brussels sprouts a week to increase your synapses when who knows if that’s true. That’s totally made up, by the way, but I won’t discourage you from eating three pounds of Brussels sprouts a week because they’re so delicious! Good and good for you!
There are already a million good reasons to listen to music - namely, we all love it. But if you need any extra excuses for all of your music listening or making - here are the legit ways that music makes us healthier, happier people.
Cocktail making in London - there really is something to be said for learning to make a fantastic drink - one that you can actually savor and enjoy rather than toss back before shuddering and making that utterly disgusted "gack" noise. Creating an exemplary beverage amounts to a lot more than sloshing one part cheap vodka, two parts orange juice into a tumbler, but it doesn't have to be incredibly complicated either. One of London's greatest mixologists, Dan Thomson, puts into his own words what makes a cocktail truly great and also shares his most beloved recipe:
With another Wimbledon full of false hopes for British glory almost completely faded from memory, it’s time to turn your attention to another racket sport, one in which UK players actually win things - squash.
The thought of dieting, eating healthy or merely cutting back on some of the (apparently) atrocious things we eat has crossed nearly all of our minds at some point or another. Unfortunately, many of us are filtered out of the pool of such “healthy” lifestyles due to the common inclination that good-for-us foods are tasteless and unsatisfying.
The internet really is a baffling place. When Tim Berners-Lee first came up with the idea, I doubt he could have foreseen the hours wasted watching a baby biting his brother’s finger or looking at pictures of cats that look like Hitler. The problem with the internet is there’s just too much of it. Stuff, vital information, utter nonsense - it’s all there. Faced with the choice of absolutely everything it’s no wonder our digits dawdle over the keyboard, clueless as to where to point this information monster. I would suggest that podcasts are a good place to start.
In our blog post last week - we listed all the reasons we think everyone should be out trying new things as much as possible. Having new experiences and putting yourself out there is great and all, but sometimes it can be difficult to summon up enough self-confidence to even begin thinking about stepping into a room full of people you don’t know to attempt something you’ve never done before. (Actually, don’t think about it! Just makes it worse.)
Sometimes you just need to be with someone who understands you. With all the varied interests, hobbies and opinions of Londoners – it’s actually easier than you might think to meet up with likeminded folk. Maybe one day you’re feeling particularly dark – like dress in black and stalk the living dark. Or maybe you sense a psychic connection to your cat Roger and need someone to share your experience with? For all of you thinking there isn’t a group for you – I assure you, there is. No, really. And to prove this theory – I’ve sampled the varied collective of groups in London on Meetup.com.
TasterLab speaks to best selling philosophical author and television presenter, Alain de Botton. Alain’s best selling books include titles such as The Consolations of Philosophy, The Art of Travel and Status Anxiety.
