More letters

I am going to delve into the mailbag again this week to answer some questions and respond to your comments. I feel this is a vital part of our little Friday party, and I don't like to feel that I am falling behind in my duties!

Ms Gamz wrote back, thrilled that I had mentioned her in a previous column. She had initially mentioned that she was a little shy to contact me, but she has now learned that in real life I am not intimidating; it was her "reluctance to connect with different people" that made her wary at first. This is a lesson for all of you out there in Friday Land... if you have anything you want to ask, share or just argue about, put finger to keyboard and get in touch!

Michael Jackson's sad passing and my subsequent column also generated many mails. Ms Anjoo summed up the thoughts of many by reflecting on a life and career that brought us all so many magical musical moments but was also full of crazy decisions that left us scratching our heads in confusion. Anjoo proclaims that "MJ was blessed with the infinite talent to enthrall his listeners around the world" but his success drove him into "an ivory tower where he lost touch with reality".

As the sad state of affairs that surrounded Mike in his later years start to unravel and fall into the public spotlight, it's clear that his own madness was being fuelled by some severely unscrupulous characters who had their hooks into him. As I mention lessons to learn, this is a big one for anyone reading who might be in a position of privilege where others surround them for reasons other than friendship. It can happen to the best of people.

I was most surprised that the article I wrote about the affinity I felt with the girlie movie Confessions of a Shopaholic didn't receive more comment from you. I was ready for a barrage of criticism but all I received was a letter from Dalia in full support of my feelings! Wonderful! Dalia agrees that "nothing beats the silver screen in relating to actual life".

I agree with this sentiment totally and encourage everyone to make sure they get to eat as much sweet popcorn as possible before their own end credits roll!

Shabaz S asks the long-standing question, "Aren't there times that you just want to give up the anonymity factor and reveal yourself to the world? What keeps you going modesty or building the curiosity?" The simple answer is that I think my man-of-mystery approach, which may have been born of a shyness or moreover of a real feeling that it wasn't that important who I was, is now one of the elements that makes my column work so well.

I am very much a night-owl, and think that anyone frequenting the cafes in Dubai Marina or Jumeirah will eventually find me typing away on my little white MacBook... so I am certainly there to be discovered.

The other priceless gem from Shabaz's e-mail was the observation that "you write with no clear defined topic." Well done for spotting that one! It may be divine inspiration or just having no clue, I will leave the judgement up to you!

Ms Trisha "loved my column on small talk" which, if you recall, was based on my observations of conversations that break out with no warning between strangers (especially at bus stops in London). I was quite dismissive of small talk at the time, but Trisha positively asserts that "some talk is better than no talk and you may even see some 'big talk' trickle in there eventually".

I am not sure that I could handle "Big Talk" on the spur of the moment; I need a good run-up to it, but I agree with your sentiment in spirit!

Medium Talk-ingly Yours,