2009 was Fine: My Favourite Blogging Moments of the Year

Reflecting on all the good stuff that’s happened over the past year, I thought I’d take a moment to highlight the “best of” bits from this and my tikichris to go blog. Thanks to all the folks I had the pleasure to work and travel with this year and to the people who hooked me up with yummy food and drink, compelling art and engaging stories. I hope your past 12 months have been as fantastic as mine. I look forward to carrying on the conversation in 2010. Until then, merry Christmas and happy new year! (above image by mseasons – thanks!)

Best cat-sitter in London:
Yay Lindsey! If anybody needs her deets, lemme know.

Best celebrity meets:
Meeting Mr  T. was incredibly awesome, Jamie Oliver was especially gracious and generous with his time and Patti Smith was the essence of cool.

Best menu:
Club Gascon

Best booze tasting:
Remembering the Tasting Sessions’ Generation XO Cognac tasting still brings a smile to my face.

Best photography gigs:
Shooting pics from my very own RIB speedboat zipping along the Thames was exciting as was my day out at the G20 protest.

Best Qype events:
Oh man, it’s a close (and groggy) call between the Compass Box Whisky and Outsider Tart cake pairing and the new menu (and tequila) sampling at Wahaca.

Best cocktail bar:
That’s easy. The 101 year old Loos American Bar in Vienna.

Best plate of pasta in London:
As far as restaurants go, it was Donna Margherita in Clapham. However, I am rather partial to my dear wife’s lasagna.

Best value red wine:
Good Ordinary Claret

Best value white wine:
Alastro

Best cover art:
I owe a big thanks to Berlin-based exotic guitarist Kahuna Kawentzmann for taking an interest in my photography and using one of my shots for his release, “Der Sommer ist da”.

My best photographic work:
I was most happy with my “RED STATE” solo show at Leeds College of Art.

Best falafel:
Pilpel

Best reason to give money to charity:
It’s been an honour to work with Baraka Community Partnerships this year. I’m especially proud of our campaign to raise funds to provide the people of Zambia with mosquito nets. Mega thanks to Bea’s of Bloomsbury for helping out as well!

Best adventure:
My trip to Lagos, Nigeria was INTENSE, especially the photogenic and nerve racking voyage through the slums of Makoko.

Best tapas in London:
Iberica

Best pizza:
Da Michele a Napoli!

Best exhibitions:
Two posthumous photography exhibitions absolutely blew me away – Robert Mapplethorpe’s A Season in Hell and The Most Travelled Correspondent: A Retrospective of George Rodger

Best recognition:
Thanks to Lastminute.com for listing tikichris.com as one of London’s top 10 blogs!

Best hotel:
I’ve been raving ad nauseum about Rest Detail Hotel in Hua Hin since staying there (but all three of the hotels I visited in Thailand were impressive).

Best boyhood dream come true:
Elephant trekking through the jungle in Laos.

Best libraries:
CLI’s Book Boat and The Learning Project’s @ My Library (both in Laos) wowed the heck out of me! In fact, just about everything I experienced in Laos wowed the heck out of me.

Best gig:
I’ve really enjoyed providing content for the Topsee London iPhone application.

Best London Daily Photos:
Here are four of my faves from the past year.

29 January 2009: Damn Pigeons

9 March 2009: Missing

1 April 2009: On Top of the World

11 May 2009: Danger! Yay!