It's funny how social activists usually protest against the only things that have a credible chance of achieving the activists' goals.

A passion for politics stems usually from an insatiable need either for power or for friendship and adulation or a combination of both.

I've got some great guy friends. They can start out as crushes. But when you realize something isn't going to happen you make a choice whether or not the friendship is worth it. And it usually is. Then you can laugh about the fact that you used to have a crush on him or he had one on you.

Jazz is about freedom within discipline. Usually a dictatorship like in Russia and Germany will prevent jazz from being played because it just seemed to represent freedom democracy and the United States.

Freedom is not won by merely overthrowing a tyrannical ruler or an oppressive regime. That is usually only the prelude to a new tyranny a new oppression.

Southeast Asia food uses many different types of spices which are quite new to me like the curry leaves which I saw at the Kreta Ayer wet market in Chinatown. With such spices used in cooking this usually imparts a strong aroma to Southeast Asian food which appeals to the senses.

Men can absent themselves from real life for their art more easily. Women are anchored into the quotidian business of getting food on the table making sure everybody's socks match the soccer gear is ready. I admire idealists but they're usually enabled by someone who holds the tether on their balloon who pays the bills and sweeps up after them.

Entrepreneurs always pitch their idea as 'the X of Y' so this is going to be 'the Microsoft of food.' And yet disruptive innovations usually don't have that character. Most of the time if something seems like a good idea it probably isn't.

Asian food is very easy to like because it hits your mouth very differently than European food does. In European food there may be two things to hit - maybe sweet and salty maybe salty-savory but Asian kind of works around plus you have that distinct flavor that's usually working in Asian food.

The food in the House of Commons is fairly good. The cafe in Portcullis House is really very high quality and you also have a choice of eating in the more traditional restaurants the Churchill Room or the Members' Dining Room. I don't often eat in them though as I'm usually on the run.