Happy New Year...

I am an archaeologist by training. Yes, I know it is long way from filming/night bussing, but it is a passion of mine. I find the history of humanity fascinating, the intertwining of cultures a gem to behold and the similarities more astonishing than the differences. It is probably why I love the beat of traveling so much, as it not only satisfies my curiosity but it also allows me to widen my own knowledge.

But yes, it is the similarities between different people of different parts of the world that astonishes me. No matter where you go in the world, children sound exactly the same when they are playing and the old folks too. It is just us, those that are in between, the 'adults', the 'responsible ones' that seem different. But to be honest, we are not really all that different.

We all need water, then food and then a place to toilet. Next comes decent sleep, warmth then cleanliness. Afterwards sex. Trust me, that is human needs, in exactly the order your body needs it. Take away our creature comforts, our twitter accounts and fast food joints and these basic needs drive us all. And we are ingenious. Sometimes it angers me when I hear that aliens from outer space built the Pyramids or gave us technology. I prefer to trust the human mind and the sheer complexity that it holds. And as the world's population increases, the more complex as a species we become and the better we are at everything. Even looking back twenty years ago, how much smaller the world is, how easy it is to communicate with different people, in different languages. Despite the policies of isolationism, we are stronger as a whole rather than one.

That is not to say that we are not brutal beings. It is in our blood, and part of being ingenious also requires a bloodthirsty edge. It is what has given us, unremarkable and weak bipedal apes from Africa, a chance in this world where everything else is bigger, faster or better adapted to its environment than we are. But it is this ingenuity, coupled with our fantastic social skills that has allowed us to colonise the entire globe. Oh, and the fact that humans will just about eat anything available. Trust me on this...

A new year, a new decade is upon us. And yes, from a personal point of view it has been a lousy year. Sure, I have had some great holidays and a fantastic time on the radio, but the filming has sucked. However there are two ways I can go with this life. One is downward into a cycle of misery and depression, getting bitter at the world. The other is to pick myself up and dust myself down. Well, I choose life, but that is not to say that I am uninjured; spiritually, it will take time to recover from the dog's dinner of a year that 2009 has been. But I have to rely on the ingenuity of humanity, of which I am a part of, to make my life, my brief existence on this planet, a better one for myself. Happy New Year everyone! And here's to 2010...