I'll get there one day...

It's a well known fact in this world that if you really want to be someone and go somewhere then dedication, hard work, a goal to work for can move you up the career ladder to where you want to be.

But what if you are right at the bottom in an environment that is alien to you and don't know where to start?

This happened to me a few years ago. I had an idea for a brand new, never seen before reality television program that would be great all round family entertainment which would capture the attention of different generations young and old. I saw this as real prime time Saturday evening material that could be sold from country to country and make millions for whoever took me up on the idea. I did some research and found no other TV idea of this kind existed - this really was a "first" in broadcast terms and a fresh new approach to something quite unique. If only I could speak to the right decision makers.

Sadly though, that's where the problems started.

You see, as excited and enthusiastic as I was, no matter how hard I tried I could never get to sit in front of a panel of people and pitch my idea to them. Websites like LinkedIn simply didn't exist back then and even the Internet itself was in its infancy. I lived in a small town near an idyllic forest with a young family to care for and the idea of finding the right person who lived in the hustle and bustle of the big city was a daunting one. I did try and make contact with a few professionals by writing letters to some production companies but without a target name to aim for my search proved pointless and for all I know, my letters just probably ended up in the bin as I wasn't an accredited source.

A few years down the line and I still have my dream, my goal and one day I WILL succeed. Now, I've moved house, have a little less hair and a bit more waistline but still the same passion and flair for getting my idea off the ground. The problem of finding the right decision maker within the Factual Entertainment genre is still there but thankfully with various internet based groups it is made easier. I'm not afraid to put together once more dedication, hard work and burn the midnight oil, as I truly believe that obstacles are things a person sees when they take their mind of their goal. I've still never seen anything like my idea on TV and genuinely believe that there is a market for what I have to offer.

I want to throw this open to you and ask what did you do to achieve what appears to be the seemingly impossible? Did you give up or did you keep on striving? What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them? 1 year ago I never had a LinkedIn account, now I have nearly 2000 contacts plus some endorsements and recommendations. And it was all done by hard work, dedication and...... burning the midnight oil.

It's wrong to pitch my idea here but if anyone is interested then leave me your details and I will get hold of you. You only live once and I firmly believe you should always grab each and every opportunity that comes your way with both hands as you may never get the same chance again - no matter what it is in life. Who knows where it could lead? This could be the start of a beautiful new dawn, a new day, a new light........ and I'm feeling good.

If you want to know more about me then click here...

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-walker-024090b9

Wingwalker

Mambo Number 5

Music was my first love, and it will be my last, music of the future and music of the past. To live without my music would be impossible to do, and in this world of troubles my music pulls me through.

The above text was an extract written by the singer John Miles http://www.john-miles.net/  and for me sums up entirely how we all perceive music. William Shakespeare +William Shakespeare Fan Page  once famously said if music be the food of love, play on. We as individuals interpret the many forms of music for our own self indulgence and that is what this blog is about. What category do you fall into?

Every generation blames the one before, is a line in the song In the Living Years written and sung by the group Mike and the Mechanics but it is a song that I can’t listen to. Not that I don’t like it as I actually think the tune is quite a good one, but in this case for the words as it can reduce me to tears so sorry guys but I have to turn the radio off whenever it is played. Is it specifically the tune, the words or the song which plays with the human emotion, or is it a combination of all three? A child of the sixties may listen and enjoy music of the fifties, whereas if you are like me and born in the seventies you listened to music of the sixties. Back then you had catchy tunes, you could hear the words and forty years down the line you still know the lyrics singing along to them whether in the bath, driving the car or more annoyingly, on the train.

My kids however are nineties children and so prefer to listen to Hip Hop, Rap, Gangsta Rap and variations on a theme with all its boom boom boom and content sung so fast that it all just seems to merge into one. Now I’m sure that these “Musical Artists” are very talented in what they do being able to compose and recite a whole string of sentences at breakneck speed but I do wonder in another forty years from now if anyone will actually remember what they said and sing it out loud when they’re in the tub? The nearest thing that I can compare it to is Vanilla Ice and Ice Ice baby.

The hit musical +WE WILL ROCK YOU  in London’s West End has just announced that it is to close after playing to packed houses for over a decade. Year after year people went to see this production not to go and follow the story line but because of the feel good factor you get when the rock and roll music is blasted from the sound system at such a rate of decibels you feel as though you have two heart beats. The sound waves passing through your body knocking you from one side to the other just adding to the rhythmic pleasure of the all round experience. Personally I love Rock in all its forms and have attended concerts from the likes of Status Quo, Madness and Paul Weller as these guys can get the blood pumping which in turn lifts up the soul and makes you feel good no matter how much of a bad day you have had.

However, that’s just me and it’s true to say that depending on what mood I’m in I could be just as happy at times to listen to far softer tunes like classical music with composers such as Ludwig Van Beethoven +Beethovenfest Bonn  and his Moonlight Sonata. Maybe a spot of Motown www.motownmuseum.com  or even if I’m with a group of friends then a night of live Irish music with classic songs such as Fields of Athenry, Seven Drunken Nights then later in the evening after a few ale’s have been consumed even Molly Malone can be heard emanating from my lips.

Everyone is different and as such we see the world in a variety of obscure and eclectic ways. Music is usually born out of human emotion to portray human emotion whether it is happy or sad and can change the feeling of someone’s mood in a second. How many times have you said when the radio is on in the background “ooh turn this up, I've not heard it in ages”. In an instant from whatever you were doing your mind set has been altered to a more positive vibe because of the music being played. This in turn can then lead your perception of how you see life for the rest of the day and all because of a single track.

However, certain kinds of music can really only be best listened to at certain times of the day, or even can be affected by what part of the country you are in. For instance, it’s 7 AM Monday morning and the alarm clock has just gone off rudely awakening you from your deep slumber telling you it’s time to go to work. Would the combination miss-match of Jazz notes be what you want to listen to as you drag yourself out of bed and make your way to the bathroom eyes half closed? Or would you prefer something more upbeat such as a Pop track from the eighties? Maybe you are an all night party animal and like a bit of “God Save the Queen” by The Sex Pistols. Jazz is a great thing to listen to with its many and varying different forms but at least let me get my first cup of coffee into the system before I listen with my eyes still half closed as I do the daily commute.

In Dorset there is a folk group called the Wareham Whalers http://www.wareham-whalers.org.uk/  they meet up and sing for the pleasure of entertaining others at various country based events. I’m reliably told that Folk music itself mainly came about because people wanted to tell a story or wanted to sing about something that was happening in their world, usually at their local pub. People also wanted to sing about the hardships of work and songs from the North of England will often be about life in the mines. More traditional folk songs will often have such topics as ladies either losing or trying to save their 'maidenhead', about rogues of the day, Long Lankin or other characters and beasts of folklore. Many folk songs sing about songs of the sea but these are not to be confused with sea shanties which were traditionally written as work songs.

Folk groups became more popular during the 1970's and with the introduction of the electric guitar, bands like Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention became more accepted into mainstream music and started to have much more influence on a more modern audience. The underground folk scene was already well underway in a number of London clubs and names like Paul Simon, John Renbourne, Anne Briggs and more found a serious following.

However, would folk music, tales of sea shanties and how old dog Shep sit’s by his master’s graveside go down well with the likes of your pin striped city types in places such as Canary Wharf? Somehow I think not, I've heard the Wareham Whalers group perform and they’re pretty good to listen to.

So there you have it, a broad cross section of music summed up in a very brief nutshell. Music can bring out both the best and worst in people due to the way it evokes the human emotion. You can lie in bed agreeing with a track such as “Nothing Compares to You” by Sinead O’Connor as she tugs at the heartstrings after an emotional break up. Or you can sit in the sun whilst eating a picnic listening to Mungo Jerry and enjoy life to the full.

The next time you are watching a movie where there is an action sequence with no dialogue, turn the sound off and watch the scene. Then, rewind and watch again with the sound turned on and see if you perceive the scene any differently. Although the music is in the background your brain interprets what you see and what you hear in two completely different ways then combines the two to give an outcome. Music in the movie, as in life can inspire, be creative, and can fuel hatred. But above all music is what it means to you, the individual. It can help you, guide you and be there for you to get through life.

So if music is the food of love, play on.

Wingwalker.

Strange lights seen over London 31st October 2013

I'm very aware that tonight is Halloween but earlier this evening I saw something I can't explain - and for me, that's hard to deal with. I know that by writing this blog I could be up for a fair bit of ridicule and sceptisism but quite frankly, I don't care as what I'm about to describe was incredible!

I was walking home from work and had got off the train just after 7 pm at Streatham Common in London. Minding my own business and not thinking much I became aware of some green / turquoise lights in the sky in the distance. At first I didn't think anything of it as there is usually a lot of air activity one way or another with Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, City and Luton airports.

The lights started to come closer, and at speed and then stopped again and hovered. Then they darted off at an angle on a different tangent, again at speed, then stopped. They then dropped altitude and passed by me in a great big elongated letter "S" shape and passed over my head. The height above me I estimate was around 200 feet. By now I'm transfixed, stood by a normally busy roadside but at this point there was little traffic and yet not a single sound can be heard despite it being so low above my head. The "craft" was probably around three quarters the length of a single deck bus and swept by me gracefully travelling at what I estimate to be between 80 and 100 mph.

It was heading towards the common then stopped again as abrupt as it started, hovered for a few seconds then darted first in one direction then in another without slowing down. By now I've been watching it for around 5 - 10 minutes so I telephoned my wife who was at home. I described to her what I was looking at and she started to come and meet me. By now the craft is approximately 200 - 300 metres from me, the lights are as clear as anything and has risen in height to approximately 800 to 1000ft.

Moving around, hovering, darting in different directions and completely defying any general rules of flight the craft used what I can best describe as white searchlights as I saw the beams move from left to right reflecting on the clouds in the distance. This it did for some time (around 2-3 minutes) whilst all of the time the turquoise lights are still there now coupled with smaller red lights.

The lights went out and became replaced with a single much brighter amber / yellow light that flashed rapidly for around 30 seconds. This then stopped and the green / turquoise and red lights came back on again.

All the time this is happening the craft is either hovering or moving at speed left and right without a second to pause from one direction to another. By this time my wife is almost with me, I turned away from it to give her an idea where I was standing and turned back again - the time from looking away to turning back was no more than 2 seconds - literally - and the craft to my dismay had shot out of sight.

Scanning the skies in the direction I last saw it heading I saw it again only this time it had to be the best part of over half a mile away - a single red dot in the sky which then slowly over a period of around 5 minutes came towards me. This light was steady, the speed and direction was constant and at first I thought it was just another plane, the height had got to be over 3000 feet. At this point my wife joined me, just in time to see it change back to the green and turquoise lights again whereby it dropped like a stone out of the sky going from the height it was at to again around 800 feet in less than a second (as verified by my wife) at approximately 200 metres from where we were stood.

Again it hovered and then gracefully went off back in the direction it had just come from twisting and turning til it went out of our sight beyond some houses.

We waited and tried to look around in case it came back but by this time it had gone.

Did anyone else in the Norbury, Mitcham, Streatham or Streatham Common areas see this tonight? There were cars, buses and the occasional pedestrian, surely someone else can verify that they saw this too? I'm not sure about the whole alien thing and little green men etc but the definition of a UFO is an object that is in flight which cannot be explained.

I'll leave you to make up your own mind but I know what I saw tonight and I know that I am unable to logistically explain it.

Wingwalker.

Dear Daily Mail...

Sadly I can't take the credit for this one but I think it's bloody brilliant and well worth a read - especially if you are British.

This is one article that has GOT to be shared.

Love it :-)

Wingwalker


http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2013/09/08/daily-mail-website-to-be-given-moral-panic-button/

Lost in Translation

Here is something I saw on a forum recently It is a literal translation from Mandarin to English, taken from a sign in a hotel room in Beijing.

Getting There:
Our representative will make you wait at the airport. The bus to the hotel
runs along the lake shore. Soon you will feel pleasure in passing water. You
will know that you are getting near the hotel, because you will go round the
bend. The manager will await you in the entrance hall. He always tries to
have intercourse with all new guests.

The Hotel:
This is a family hotel, so children are very welcome. We of course are
always pleased to accept adultery. Highly skilled nurses are available in
the evenings to put down your children. Guests are invited to conjugate in
the bar and expose themselves to others. But please note that ladies are not
allowed to have babies in the bar. We organize social games, so no guest is
ever left alone to play with them self.

The Restaurant:
Our menus have been carefully chosen to be ordinary and unexciting. At
dinner, our quartet will circulate from table to table, and fiddle with you.

Your Room:
Every room has excellent facilities for your private parts. In winter, every
room is on heat. Each room has a balcony offering views of outstanding
obscenity! .. You will not be disturbed by traffic noise, since the road
between the hotel and the lake is used only by pederasts.

Your Bed:
Your bed has been made in accordance with local tradition. If you have any
other ideas please ring for the chambermaid. Please take advantage of her.
She will be very pleased to squash your shirts, blouses and underwear. If
asked, she will also squeeze your trousers.

Above All:
When you leave us at the end of your holiday, you will have no hope. You
will struggle to forget it.



Hope you liked it! Feel free to share.
Wingwalker.

If ever you needed to know the differences between men and women, this guy sums it up brilliantly.

Genius!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpFpgwW-sIw

A brilliant song from Amanda Palmer

Dear +Daily Mail

What do you do when a boob falls out on in the middle of a public performance?

Answer, write a song about it...

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/15/amanda-palmer-daily-mail-song-video_n_3597292.html