Writer / Photographer
As the years roll by, I’ve begun to notice the legends I outlive. It's become an annual habit. Last year, I wrote about Albert Camus. A writer that rubber-stamped my religious resistance and showed me a better way to live. So, this year. As I escape the clutches of the 47 club, I'm thinking about… Continue reading The Legends We Outlive #47
Being above politics has not insulated me from the annoyance and frustration politicians bring. No one has done less for my sense of well-being than the mop-haired back and front that just dodged a bullet. There was a time his humour and haircut amused, but all that disappeared when I realised it was just a… Continue reading Some Folks Are Hollow
As my newsfeeds filled up with jubilee mania, I felt the urge to offer some sort of antidote. It's not that I'm against Er Maj. We've got a lot in common. We're both above politics. And I too would like a day at the races to count as work. As heads of state go, we… Continue reading No Jubilee For Me
Not that long ago, this neighbourhood was a no-go zone in the world’s most dangerous city. Today, it’s a tourist hotspot where Spanish speaking souvenir sellers saturate the sidewalks. Not being one for trinkets, I give them my “Nah, you’re alright” face and have a look around. If the subjective stars align, my memento will… Continue reading Minds Alive! On Hope Street
Writing Never Mind The Jollop was an attempt to exorcise my pandemic frustrations. It was working. Until the deportation of Novak Djokovic from Australia sucked me back in and had me questioning my affection for the country I used to call home. My biggest beef with the pandemic response is the erosion of civil liberties.… Continue reading Public Enemy No. 1 
…A birthday message from the Rookster As the years roll by, I’ve begun to notice the legends I outlive. It puts things in perspective and has me asking, if I’m gonna join 'em, I better get my shit together! Last year, it was Freddie Mercury. The recent biopic brought back a Live Aid performance that… Continue reading The Legends We Outlive #46
As a kid, I kept my trap shut. A stutter will do that to you. You have something to say but dare not risk the embarrassment of those words not making it past your lips. Thankfully speech impediments fade, but they do leave their mark. The remnants are a visceral understanding of the frustration that… Continue reading Free Expression As Revolution
Why I didn’t get “vaccinated” against Covid-19.
We came into this world on the same day. My forceps provided the slipstream for her, 5 minutes later - and twin-life began. It was a mixed bag. The fun of having a ready-made playmate was diluted by sibling surveillance, and sharing. People said we were polar opposites. Maybe. Or maybe we were the same… Continue reading Same Same But Different
Recently, I discovered something laying dormant inside my mobile blower... Podcasts. More precisely, Desert Island Discs. There are hundreds of 'em - and many are my cultural counterparts; from Gallagher and Brand, to Weller, Winstone and whispering Bob. If you're unfamiliar with the format. Guests (or "castaways") get to choose 8 songs (or "discs") to take with… Continue reading Music From The Motherland
My trips to Big Buddha and the A-Ma Temple got me thinking about this Buddhist teaching I came across a few years ago. It's the only one I know, but to me it makes perfect sense. Don't believe anything simply because you have heard it. Don't believe anything simply because it's spoken by many. Don't… Continue reading These Buddhists might be onto something…
If we're talking about living for the moment and making life count. This kid puts it better than I could... Breathing is a luxury and I could die today I would like some change, like a shopkeeper - George The Poet
Poem: “No Leaders, Please” invent yourself and then reinvent yourself,don't swim in the same slough. invent yourself and then reinvent yourself and stay out of the clutches of mediocrity.invent yourself and then reinvent yourself, change your tone and shape so often that they can never categorize you.reinvigorate yourself and accept what is but only on the… Continue reading Reckon I might take this advice…
Ben Rook 