It could be a seminal moment in Burma’s history if the current protests result in the installation of the democratically elected government and the overthrow of the 45 year old military junta. The concern primarily though it at what cost it will come at.

As events look like they will be coming to a head over the coming days, I’m hopeful that the Burmese people’s campaign will triumph, but can’t help but think that it’s going to come at a cost.

I received a new memory card and two new batteries for the 350D this morning, so am getting ready to be trigger happy for the weekend. There is a chance I’ll be doing a paid shoot tomorrow which will be good warm-up time, as I’m going to be gone from Thursday first thing until Monday.

I am actually coming back from the Lakes on Sunday, but some tickets came up for a web/business talk in London, so I’m heading straight down there from Ambleside. I’m also really pleased that I’ve now got tickets to see Russell Howard next week and with the new Foo Fighters album firmly in my clutches, I am a very, very happy man.

This’ll teach the Conservatives to leech bandwidth.

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I don’t usually do these, but as I have been tagged directly, you’re now going to learn something new.

The Rules

• You have to post these rules before giving you the facts.
• Players state eight random facts/habits about themselves.
• At the end of the blog post, you tag eight people and list their names. (Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.)
• People who are tagged need to write about their eight things on their own blog and also post these rules.

(I think my omission of this bit earlier might have made this a fairly disastrous first attempt at a meme)

The Facts

1. I’m the first male in the Higgs family going back at least four generations who didn’t join the family business, which is a large solicitors practice in the Black Country.
2. I have appeared topless on page three of a national newspaper.
3. I have never smoked anything
4. My great aunt was responsible for designing a council-built sliproad off Icknield St (in the Jewellery Qtr., Birmingham) which turned so tightly that lorries would jackknife on the bend. It was revenge for the fact they had knocked down my great grandfather’s workshops to build the road.
5. I’m a mix of English, Irish and Scottish and according to family folklore, we’re meant to be related to Robert the Bruce.
6. I hate theme parks. The rides and the atmosphere even more so.
7. The first work I did on commission was to for luxury ladies’ shoe shop in Solihull, when I sold my GCSE IT coursework to them.
8. A 92 year old friend of my aforementioned great aunt, presented me with a Victorian knuckle duster when I was about 16 years old. It apparently belonged to her father, who was a vicar. I think it smells of blood.

Right, so the next people who will be cajoled into this meme extravaganza are:

• Stuart Maynard-Keene
• Ellie Hyde
• Kate Bolin
• Ben Ward
• Ross Riley
• Sam Hardacre
• Matt Machell
• Owen Gregory – Probably not suitable for your work blog, but hey!

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So Sister Two is at university as of this week… how did that happen? Only ten minutes ago she was 4 or something. How quickly time flies.

I spent a good portion of this week in pubs (although not necesserily drinking). Jon and I went for a steak on Thursday to talk over a bit of business (and the steak really was a ridiculous size – mine nearly killed me; and you think I’m joking). Then on the Friday, Gwyz, Henry and I headed to Will’s new flat in Pedmore for his housewarming. I ended up cycling home on Will’s bike at 3am, but have no idea why.

Yesterday was Multipack September. A good little gathering at a place called The Old Joint Stock (where I will most certainly be visiting again) and another pub called The Old Contemptibles. It’s funny I’d not been to either before, but they’re one hell of an lot nicer than the Broad St boozers.

Attendance comprised of myself, Matt, Owen, Gareth, Ross and eventually Charles, and for the first time the subject of US politics raised it’s head during food – not a usual topic of conversation over the Multipack table, although then again, usually Gareth doesn’t compile a fully illustrated set of minutes in pink felttip.

Did I mention they were a good couple of pubs?

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Well, not for a number of other people. For me it’s been fine.

Sad surprises all round at the tragic deaths of Anita Roddick and Colin McRae – two people who will be missed great deal in their respective spheres. Also not a great time for Gerry and Kate McCann either.

On the other hand, and less depressingly (for me) – I’ve been working on some new projects – Sister One is back from the USA and I met up with Ross, then another Ross and Gareth in Birmingham today – all of which has made it felt like my weekend extended a little longer than usual.

I’m getting frustrated by the Aquaspa 3000 that is the driver’s footwell in my Polo. Yesterday I was wearing sandals and on every corner and at every brake-stop my right foot was experiencing a dousing. On the other hand the highly anticipated announcement of the UK iPhone is due tomorrow morning, so there’s a silver lining to every car related puddle.

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Maybe it’s just me, but I really love discovering old things that just don’t make sense, are plain wrong, or just have been forgotten.

I’ve been working my way through a box of The Children’s Encyclopedia which we think were my grandparents – the earliest was published in 1908, and to put that in perspective, that was eight years before the Great War and five years before my 94 year old grandmother was born. They will be 100 next year.

So it’s brilliant to flip through this century-old youth magazine. The encyclopedia was originally distributed as periodicals and is not alphabetically organised. It simply covers topics and answers questions that that the readers might ask – including cartoons, but also including serious observations on the world. It’s more of a magazine than a true reference book.

The first article I came across (from 1911) explained that a friend of the editor (Arthur Mee) had recently written a book explaining why it is no longer possible for wars to occur. Apparently the complex nature of credit arrangements between countries would mean that it would become financially impossible. I think it’s fair to say that being optimistic isn’t necessarily the same as being correct.

An offshoot of the encyclopedia was the establishment (with regular head count) of the League of The Helping Hand. This organisation was setup and promoted by Mee, and it boasted a scout-like structure open to both boys and girls. In 1911, there were ‘Bands’ of this League in the UK, Italy and the USA amongst others, and the members of each band would appoint Captains and award Knighthoods to each other for particularly good work. Very imperial. I’ve just discovered it’s still in existence, but now as a registered charity.

There is a lot of other interesting stuff that is fascinatingly well past it’s sell by date, and sheds light on a world that still didn’t yet have wall sockets, women had no vote, where ‘Titanic’ was just a collection of drawings and where most of the readers were born during the reign of Queen Victoria. Probably the most poignant observations are the regularly appearing collages and montages of readers’ photos which record the faces of hundreds of kids who would sadly never live to see the start of the 1920s.

I’ve been scanning in some of the pages to see if I can make any future use of it before the books are disposed of. The image above demonstrates the future of train travel as imagined in 1911 – on a single track using gyroscopic mounts which “will keep the train so steady that we shall be able to write while travelling, or even to play billiards”. I’m still waiting to play snooker on a Virgin Pendalino.

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The week gone by has been pretty good for catching up, as weeks for catching up go. What with the London visit at the weekend, I followed it all with a curry and drinks with Jon on Tuesday (trying out the Z4 – nice), then a pub run with Tom last night, though my scheduled housewarming with Will and Charlotte was postponed.

I also heard from yet another Tom from the old skool, who has passed some work my way. I think I’ve managed to salvage a pretty good social calendar for the past sever days considering how despondent I was becoming two weeks ago. Such is the life of a busy freelancer.

I read an article this week that Mark Boulton mentioned and was motivated to do something with my creativity. As a result, I think my output that day improved and I managed to tackle a couple of design problems that I had been stumbling to resolve for sometime – I even got all ‘modern’ with a brand wheel I’ve been working on as part of a collaboration with Rattle. Different, but very enjoyable.

I’ve been really impressed with new TV comedy Outnumbered on BBC One. Definitely my One to Watch at the moment.

Finally, and on a hopeful note, I wish adventurer Steve Fossett the best of luck wherever he is. Hopefully the search and rescue operation will soon conclude with him being found safe and well.

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Friday took me down to see Swan, Devito and his new Missus (Ainowa, pronounced ‘I Know Her’ or for those not good at Spanish, ‘Arnold’) in London.

Duffy joined us a little later on in Walkabout and we ended up all going our seperate ways for the night after a little bit of business card banter, a little bit of being thrown out of a bar, and a little bit of sleeping on the pavement.

The next morning I met up with Sammi in Covent Garden for pasties and talk about her new charity… I’ve not really been involved in this stuff properly before (not on a permanent basis anyway) and it’s really good that I’ve finally found a way in and to help contribute.

While we sat above the pasty shop we were also entertained by London’s Fittest Fire Fighter competition which spanned all age groups and at it’s toughest, focussed on a 15 and a 16 year old girl doing a hose run in full breathing gear up 10 flights of fire escape. It looked knackering from over the crust of my fat chicken pasty.

In the afternoon I went to see John in his new house in Barons Court and stayed for food (the only reason I ever visit John) before slipping back over to Duffy’s to get ready to go out in Angel.

Butts & Sean joined us at The York before moving off to The Embassy and finally The Big Chill. I was glad we had managed to get together as it was sheer luck we were all available this one weekend. When we got back in it was getting lightish, so I took Duffy’s sleeping bag and went to sleep out on the sunlounger on the balcony. It’s not often you get to watch sunrise over the London skyline, and with Duff moving out shortly, it is going to be the last at that flat at least.

Next morning I was up and off and back in The ‘Bridge after a greasy breakfast and a return train home. Good times.

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