Good afternoon Landlubbers!
Today’s 5 Bullet Friday comes to you from the blue seas and white cliffs of Dover, as I set off to Zürich, Budapest and then Barcelona. The past 6 weeks in England have been a special time to reconnect with family, friends and to watch Spring take her first tentative steps. So, without further ado, please enjoy this mad March mix of social tips, treats and talking points which I’ve come across or re-discovered over the past fortnight. Enjoy!
1. What I’m reading: The gender wars of household chores – A week after International Women’s Day, it’s not too late to enjoy this short comic sketch published several years ago in The Guardian. Cue those wry smiles as these scenes undoubtedly resonate. Men: take heed!
2. What I’m reminding myself of: The positive impact of slow travel – I’m far from 100%, but wherever possible I still love taking trains and buses over flying. I recently had to revisit the carbon cost of flying to firm up my resolve. Poor calendar planning has me travelling back to England three times over the next 3 months. Flying in just one direction one time will already emit more C02 than all these trips combined by bus. Let’s see how it goes…
3. What I’m cooking with: Aquafaba – The last weeks have been a culinary whirlwind, testing out a host of new recipes from the comprehensive Vegan Baking Bible. So if you’re still cooking cakes with eggs – stop! Aquafaba (the liquid you drain from canned chickpeas or beans) does exactly the same thing. Just like egg whites, you can prepare fluffy sponges, delicious mousses or whisk it up with sugar into stiff peaks for meringues. Welcome to the next plant-based revolution!
4. What I’m asking myself: What excites you?– My main take-away from recently skim-reading Tim Ferris’ 4-Hour Work Week was losing the focus on happiness, and aiming for excitement instead. He says, “Happiness can be bought with a bottle of wine and has become ambiguous through overuse.” Agreed. He goes on, “Excitement is the more practical synonym for happiness, and it is precisely what you should strive to chase… The question you should be asking isn’t, “What do I want?” or “What are my goals?” but “What would excite me?.”
5. What I’m recommending:Digital Candle – For charities, the digital world is a jungle of opportunity, threat, confusion and wonder. But who has the resources to access top-notch skills? That why I’ve enjoyed exploring the offering from Digital Candle – a great free service for charities to connect with a specialist digital consultant for free. Well worth making use of!
📣 Opportunities and Offers
👨💻 Join Aspen UK’s Rising Leaders Fellowship – a London-based group of change-makers
💰 Apply for Fundraising Manager at RBB – we’re recruiting! UK salary £32k – £40k
📚 Apply for Changemakers for Education – if you’re based in Asia, I cannot recommend this enough!
That’s it for this fortnight! As ever, please let me know your thoughts and feedback – and send anything you’d like me to include in upcoming editions this way.
