Why OHMSS Is The Best Bond Movie!

I've always been fascinated by people's favorite Bond movie. Most cineasts would argue Goldfinger, The Spy Who Loved Me or Moonraker. And to their credit, they are damned good! But they all lack the classic European Le Bon Vivre and have to much of futuristic mumbo jumbo.

OHMSS has it all: fantastic locations, several car chases, a mean villain, great couture, romance and a beautiful AND smart Bond babe. And let us not forget the soundtrack - "We Have All The Time In The World" by Louis Armstrong. Oh, I forgot to mention the absolute coolest Bond car ever, the Aston Martin DBS. It's the only classic Gran Turismo a gentleman needs to have.

But even more important, it doesn't need to lean on a fire breathing dragon, a underwater Lotus or a space station to come to life. It's key driver is the hunt for Ernst Stavro Blofeld brilliantly played by the late Telly Savalas, spiced up with the romance between Bond and Tereza di Vincenzo (played by Dame Diana Rigg).

The following dialogue between Tereza and Bond says it all:
Teresa: The story of our life, James?
Bond: Just keep my martini cool!

That's what life is about: ensuring that the Martini, Margarita or whatever drink you fancy is being and staying cool. What more can a man ask of life?

Becoming A Walkaholic

This is the third day in a row that I have walked across town. Today I started earlier than usual, around 10:30am, and directed my steps towards downtown. It took around 40 minutes and felt pretty good in the early spring sun.

I was so into my thoughts that I almost forget how I got there when I reached the end of the destination. I had no other objective with my excursion than browse for my general interests: books, CD's, DVD's and t-shirts with unusual prints.

I decided to take the bus home since I didn't want to overachieve this early in the process. The bus went through Chinatown which is always such a fun trip. They got the best veggies and the most critical customers. I saw a lady who dug deep into the bunch of asparagus to find the right... bunch. And I thought they were all alike. The asparagus that is.

The great thing with this walking extravaganza is that my sleep is great. No dreaming (that I can recall) and now serious thinking. Just pure delightful sleeping. I hit the sack around 10pm and I'm out until 8am. And people say you need LESS sleep when you get older. Ba-humbug!

Slacker Man Walking

I had to get out of the house yesterday. I craved fresh air, cardio exercise and a trip to the book store. There are so many threads to follow up on after a week of watching TV. How does hi-low card counting work? What's Belize like? Who was Truffaut, really?

I decided to walk to the book store which is at least a 5 mile hike. I stopped for a burger and then spend about 45 minutes in the store, randomly browsing thru shelf after shelf. I didn't buy anything but I found a number of interesting books. The most satisfying was that I could spend an unlimited amount of time just browsing. If I'd wanted to.

[The best book stores in the world to just browse for hours are the Waterstone's by Piccadilly in London and Hanlin Shucheng in Taipei.]

I did the same exercise at the record store and found several great new CD's. One that really caught my ear was Matt Bianco's / Basia's Matt's Mood. It's a wonderful mix of suave brazilan bossa, sexy movie music and jazz. I did not buy it cause I wanted to check out the price on Amazon. What do you know, the record store was cheaper. Well, I guess I have to walk back to get it one of these days.

I was on the road for 2 hours, re-discovering the pleasure of strolling, turtle-walking, casually taking a promenade (walk in french).

I justed realized that there aren't a lot of american-english terms for walking. Cause people don't walk, they drive. If you know any other words than walk and stroll, please let me know!

Frankie Says Relax

I'm entering my third week as a full time professional slacker. It's starting to feel really relaxed. I don't have any must do's hanging over me which is liberating. Not even mental or social obligations bather me anymore. Who cares if I sleep until 10am? I can always go to the post office tomorrow.

The feeling of false urgency - more lethal than cancer - is gone. I'm getting closer to my true self, starting to reconnect with my inner truth. It's a wonderful warm experience, like having massage every awaken moment of the day. I know in the bottom of my soul that I need to do this to be able to take the next steps in life. I have to go through this katharsis to evolve and re-invent myself.

When doing everything in 110pmh (including driving), slowing down and even stopping is a new experience. It's okay to see everyone else pass me lap after lap. To climb higher and faster on the ladder to success. It's okay cause the value creation is not only measured in time anymore. It's about being brilliant and apply talent to solve tough problems. Remember, Heureka's derive from relaxation not stress.

This time off is the MBA for my soul. In a time when people are being force fed information, knowledge and data, the salvation is perspective. Perspective is the result of experience, reflection and time.

Remember the era when experience was reflected in time?