Strange world

One of the things that we all find insufferable are those days in Dubai when it's unbearably hot and humid (with the added bonus of sandstorms). I returned from a visit to the UK in July, and found that the grey cloud of depression left by the weather was all too tangible.

Unlike many Brits, I opt out of whinging about the weather. Even in these trying conditions, I try to look for a ray of sunshine. My chosen antidote is to escape reality through music. If, like me, you live with an iPod permanently strapped to your head, it can give an almost surreal beauty to the most testing of situations. I urge all of you to walk around any city in the world with a soundtrack spinning, and I'm certain that you will be transported into a parallel universe as the real world moves before you like an art movie.

I experienced this wonderment while standing on the Underground in London. The trip to my mum's house usually coincides with the tide of commuters making their way to work. As the stressed faces ride the elevators, I ride the wave against this torrent with Jay-Z in my ears it's like an out-of-body experience! The same is true of those balmy Dubai nights when we are gripped by the fog of a sandy blanket, which is why I'm going to try and suggest various soundtracks to elevate you. All you need is a car, my suggested tracklist and your imagination to be transformed.

Go back in time& it's 40-plus weather late at night and visibility is so poor it's as if the magician David Copperfield has pulled off his most ambitious illusion by making tall towers disappear. As you drive around, the roads are nearly deserted like a scene from 28 Days Later: the streetlights are glowing like the dying embers of a barbecue.

Our city of lights and glamour is almost unrecognisable and a far cry from the buzzing metropolis that we know and love. As you drive slowly through the streets, protected from the harsh environment outside, flip the stereo to Into Dust by Mazzy Star.

As the dreamy guitar and haunting vocals swirl around you, it feels like you are drifting underwater in a deep-sea submersible. This blissful sensation will alter the way that you perceive the dark doorways and corners, with neon signs dancing like fireflies up ahead.

Any stranger who drives past becomes a mystery& just for a moment you think about them, their lives and thoughts. As quickly as the stranger appears, he is gone enveloped by the darkness (like the song says "into dust"). You drive on, your imagination bathed in the light from your dashboard display, dim electric blues and greens, flip tracks to St Germaine's All I need. The more optimistic jazzy blues lift your mood and allow you to enjoy the calm serenity, while you are safely cocooned in your car.

At this moment of seclusion, a lingering thought drifts through your mind: 'What is it that I need?' To heighten the trip, select Ordinary World by Duran Duran, and allow yourself to follow the poetry of the words& "I won't cry for yesterday, there's an ordinary world, somehow I try to find".

The poetry flows beyond the moment and sparks thoughts that these rare extremes in weather are far from "ordinary" and provide the stimulation to reflect on what's most important to strive for.

Where do we find ourselves at this point? For me, my drive is over, so the music momentarily fades. But, like the random playlist on your media player, the rhythm should never stop!

Continuously-Loopingly Yours,