BOOM!

The year has been eventful hasn't it? No Big Brother on channel 4 (but I think The Family has replaced that reality hunger ;o) ), X Factor's growing bigger than ever (thanks Wagner!), Kate and William are giving us a Bank Holiday next year, the economy was a lil' better than last year (but it's still not great), cables released what world leaders really think of each other, parts of the US and UK almost came to a standstill because of the white stuff - snow, that is ;o), Northern Ireland and parts of Yorskhire are without water a man who created a system for guys and girls to rate attractiveness (allegedly) became TIME's person of the year , and we came to learn that 500,000,000 of us use it in an entirely different way as Facebook. So, what did 2010 mean to you? I hope it was a good 'un, the fact that I'm still here to make my dreams a reality is sommat I'm grateful for. If 2010 wasn't your best year so far, make 2011 so. ...

So we said goodbye to the Adesinas. They've entertained, shocked, appalled and pleased us. We could relate to the children of the parents who seem emotionally detached, working for the family business, respect for elders (who feel they have the right to tell you off even though they don't know you)... So many highlights... What were yours?

Rihanna (as pictured above) may not be the most accomplished vocalist, but certainly knows how to come up with great tunes. SOS, Umbrella and now What's My Name? rank amongst my favourites. What are yours?

Readers of my blog cannot help but notice my love of the programme The Family . This documentary captures a mixture of life's dilemmas: dreams, should I eat that cake or not?, relationships, love, music...  Ah, music. Speaking of music, Ayo was the focus of the show again, and to many people, his life seems to evoke the question: how long should you reach for your dream [or how long is he gonna keep up with this (insert word here)]? His performance at The Sunday Show in last week's show didn't exactly get the party started and left a lot to be desired. These are some of the things I would (possibly/try to do) about if I was his friend: (Persistently) Ask him what his other interests are in order to see if there's something else he could concentrate on (obviously as well as him continuing his rapping, of course) that he's suppressed, dismissed/disregarded or seen as unachievable Get him networking with more good quality MCs if he doesn'...

So I drew Matt...

"Legacy is greater than currency" @Garyvee

We got another entertaining and insightful episode from The Family - the Nigerian clan The Adesinas, living in east London. Who watched it then? I did - and I loved it. The focus seemed to be on Julie again. [What about Olu (above: photo courtesy of channel 4 ) though? What has he got to say for himself? I'm waiting for something.] Julie was throwing away items in the house much to the annoyance - and amusement - of the Adesina crew. Her mother was naturally unhappy and asked her where particular items, such as her pastry spoon disappeared - the daughter seemed to think she was the responsible and cleanest adult in the house, driving her mother to say: "I'm not the daughter, I'm the mother!" Once again, instant vintage quote from Vicky, the matriarch. I was cringing at the seeming lack of respect from Julie towards her mum as she appeared to shout at her mum or talk in a condescending manner. A part of me wonders what she would be like if sh...

I've been inspired to sketch a pic of Martin Luther King as I have been reading his autobiography. It's hard to not put him on a pedestal; I realise that we don't know all of his weaknesses as well as his strengths, but what he did help to achieve is so evident. If I was to travel to the US I could get on any seat on public transport. It's hard to believe it wouldn't be possible 55 years ago. The work's not complete on race relations, but we're closer than we were. "My great prayer is always for God to free me from the paralysis of crippling fear, because I believe that when a person lives with fears of the consequences for his personal life, he can never do anything in terms of lifting the whole of humanity and solving the social problems which we confront in every age and every generation." Martin Luther King ******************** Who inspires you? Give me your suggestions below.

Did you enjoy channel 4's The Family this week? I did! One of my favourite quotes from the Adesinas was from Vicky the matriarch on her desire to see her son Ayo married: "He doesn't need to rush, he just needs to be... fast." Classic. The spotlight was firmly on Ayo (above: picture courtesy of channel 4 ) this week. At 27, as is the Nigerian culture, Ayo was feeling the pressure of being the eldest son. You can catch up here . Ayo was evidently still in love with one of his exes, which felt unfortunate because he was still weighing up the option of getting back with her, but he was doing absolutely nothing about it because of his mum's family's feelings of animosity towards her... And it makes me wonder, how often we, as humans, seem content to rest in a state of limbo. In Ayo's case he was neither willing to walk away, leave the past behind and meet someone else he could settle down with, nor face the wrath of his mother...

A cheerful song for a chilly month ahead (at least in the UK) What are your fave cheer-up songs? Let me know below.