Non-Blog Christmas: See You in '09!

The Tiki Chris blogs are on hiatus while I enjoy some holiday cheer with family and friends. My ontoLondon Daily Photos will continue the rest of December and I'll probably post a few on-the-go bits every once in awhile on my mobile tikichris to go blog. Aside from that, I'm gonna lay low for the next few weeks. See you next year!

Voscars Winner - Jizz in My Pants

Okay. I wasn't just a Panasonic new talent panelist, but also a judge at the Virgin Mobile Voscars where a bunch of us London bloggers got together and decided on our favourite viral video. Read lots more (than I have time to write at the moment) about the event at one of my fave blogs, Fake Plastic Noodles.

The winner? Jizz in My Pants. Yay!



Here's a list of all the contenders. Mostly hilarious stuff with lots of Obama homages too.

Jizz In My Pants
Diesel’s xXx SFW p0rn x
Cat Man Do
Investing in Wind Energy
BBC BinLaden Tape
Barack Roll
Unexpected Performance
Where the Hell is Matt?
TFL’s Cyclist Awareness
Marmite Breastfeeding Ad
Thriller on the Tube
Berocca Fish
Wassup Obama
Hamster on a Piano
Obama and Ellen
Quicksilver Surfing
Jeans Jumping
Banned Snickers Commercial featuring Mr. T
Manowar
Little Gordon
The Phone Call
Sydney Harbour
Shop at Home Camera
Sneezing Panda
Bike Hero
One-take Thriller
Allah Made Me Funny
Jim Carrey on Ice
Rick Roll
Do the Green Thing

My fave was probably the Diesel’s xXx SFW p0rn x vid. Anyhoo, I had a lot of fun participating and would love to do it again!

Panasonic Next Generation Talent Winner

As mentioned back towards the beginning of this month, I participated as a panelist for the Panasonic Next Generation Talent thing-y. Well, the results are in - along with lots of video footage from the evening. Oh boy.

So ... check this clip if ya wanna see me acting way more important than I ever should:

... and this one to see us panelists pontificating about the winning piece:

And, of course, here's the winner! Cool.

Read more about the Panasonic and New Generation Talent here.

Better Late Than Never (December 16, 2008)

Better Late Than Never

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. So I'm a little late with this weekly review. But if you knew the kind of hellish Friday I'd had as well as how awesome my Saturday and Sunday were, you'd forgive me. Besides, I took off Friday night for a weekend in Berlin. There are plenty of other highlights that I wrote about during the past week or so. Be sure to take a second or two to sniff around my blogs. Thanks!



Anyway, for the rest of 08, I plan to squeeze out a few more posts. I'll keep the ontoLondon Daily Photos rolling into the New Year and will surely have some scrappy moments to share on my mobile tikichris to go blog. But for all intents and purposes the Tiki Chris blogs are on hiatus until 2009.



Merry Christmas,
Chris

ontoLondon - ontoTravel - The Adventures of Tiki Chris - tikichris to go

Sickboy - Stay Free

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Stay Free with Street Artist Sickboy (until 10th December)
Chris Osburn
Londonist
December 4, 2008



... prolific street artist Sickboy stepped up to the challenge of wowing London’s jaded art mob with his first major solo exhibition- an exhibition that’s as defiant and provocative as it is fun and vibrant.

Read the complete Stay Free with Street Artist Sickboy review at Londonist.

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Photos: Sick Boy's "Stay Free"
Photography by Chris Osburn
Juxtapoz
Tuesday, 09 December 2008












Stay Free is open to the general public through December 10, 2008 at The Tramshed in Shoreditch, London.

See all the Sick Boy's "Stay Free" photos at Juxtapoz.

Panasonic’s Next Generation Talent Competition

To kick start its campaign for the new Viera Home Hub TV, Panasonic has teamed up with Young Creatives Network to challenge students across the UK to create a film, storyboard or print ad telling the story of the new Panasonic Viera Home Hub TV. Read the brief here.

Among the many entries, six were short listed last night by a panel of “social media, advertising and tech experts,” a panel which for some crazy reason included me. But don’t worry too much because the rest of the panel were super topnotch expert-y peeps:

- Head of Advertising at Panasonic, John Dixon;
- Beri Cheetham, Creative Director for Billington Cartmell;
- Oli Christie, Creative Director at Inbox digital agency;
- Rich Trenholm, reviewer for technology news site CNET;

- Willem van der Horst, digital strategist for Ice Cream 4 Everyone;
- Social media and tech expert Ged Carroll;
- Guillaume Foutry, social media and photographer/design blogger;
- James from advertising and design site Spinning Around;
- Vice Magazine's Alice Judge-Talbot, an alternative culture and trend spotter magazine; and
- Matt Gierhart of advertising and creative sites Josh Spear and mattgierhart.com.

Very cool. Thanks to Panasonic, Young Creatives Network and PR agency onlinefire (hey Melanie!) for including me. As judges, we were given the very fun and somewhat challenging task of choosing the six pieces we deemed worthy of winning £6000 of Panasonic gear and perhaps playing a role in Panasonic's Viera campaign.

But enough about us! Here’s where you come in: The final winner is to be decided by the general public (that means YOU). View all six and vote for your favourite online (and become eligible to win a Panasonic S7 camcorder!). The voting is on now and continues until midnight tomorrow (Wednesday the 10th). The winner will be announced Thursday morning on the Next Generation Talent website.

Barcelona Street Art at Smithfield Gallery in London

(P)review: The Best of Barcelona’s Street Artists at Smithfield Gallery
by Chris Osburn
Londonsit
December 2, 2008



Barcelona XL engages the viewer with a variety of wonderful colours and an array of various styles which somehow work together in the same gallery space exceedingly well with no one artist or piece overshadowing the others. This is one exhibition you shouldn’t miss.

Read the complete Barcelona’s Street Artists at Smithfield Gallery review at Londonist.

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Photos: "BCNXL, Barcelona XL: Homage to Catalonia"
Photography by Chris Osburn, London Correspondent
Juxtapoz
Friday, 05 December 2008











"I believe these artists have been inspired by the unique political and social culture of Catalonia, which faced many years of repression during the dictatorship of Franco," explains curator Janspivey.

See all thh Barcelona XL photos at Juxtapoz.

Whitley Neill Gin Cocktail Recipes

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR. Can't see the above photos? Click here to view them at Flickr.

As blogged about for Qype does London, Monday was a very fun night out sampling a variety of gin-based cocktails (featuring Whitley Neill gin). What I failed to mention was the night's Whitley Neill Top of the Tree Challenge angle and that it was all ultimately for a good cause. Of course, why should I, when Timinator’s already posted this:

In keeping with gin’s botanical makeup - and the company’s branding - the cocktails had to include only ingredients that come from trees and had to be served in bars that stock Whitley Neill gin. WN are also donating to Tree Aid based on the number of entrants they received.

I guess for me, enjoying a decent cocktail and celebrating the art of mixing a great drink are ends unto themselves. Anyhoo, here are the recipes of my favourite drinks from that evening (as well as info about the bar and bartenders who made these treats):

Lost Cherry
by Roberto De Vivo
Lobby Bar at One Aldwych
One Aldwych, WC2B 4RH

40ml of Whitley Neill15ml Noilly Prat vermouth15ml Maraschino infused with fresh cherriesGlass: MartiniMethod: Pour all ingredients in a shaker and shake well, double strain.
Garnish: 1 x large maraschino cherry at the bottom of the glass.

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Reciprocal Cocktail
by Jay Lambert
Quo Vadis
26-29 Dean Street, W1D 3LL

Ingredients: 30 ml Whitley Neill25 ml Whitley Neill Tincture-Pink peppercorns-Grapefruit Zest-Liquorice10 ml white CacaoCampari (rinse)Glass: Pony/martiniMethod: Stir with ice (except Campari)and strain into a chilled pony glass rinsed with Campari.Twist orange or grapefruit zest over the glass from a height and discard.Garnish: No garnish.

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Tippler's Tree
by Julian de Feral
Bureau
13 Kingly Court, W1B 5PW

Ingredients: 50ml Whitley Neill15ml Giffard Abricot15ml maple syrup20ml lime juice4 dashes chocolate bittersGlass: cocktailMethod: shake and strainGarnish: a chocolate maple leaf.

The Week in Review (December 5, 2008)

The Week in Review

Tequila, gin, massive venison burgers, walnut brownie chunk cookies, guilt-free curries, collaborative street art in a snazzy exhibition space, giant floating snowmen, a frisky Santa and oh so much more!

Enjoy your weekend,
Chris

ontoLondon - ontoTravel - The Adventures of Tiki Chris - tikichris to go

Herakut in London

Preview: Herakut Airing Their Dirty Laundry in London
Chris Osburn
Londonist
November 28, 2008



... think darkly witty feminine broad strokes (that’s the Hera contribution) emboldened by the thoughtful and masculine touch ups of Akut.

Read the complete Herakut review at Londonist.

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Photos: Herakut's "Dirty Laundry"
Photography by Chris Osburn, London Correspondent
Juxtapoz
Monday, 01 December 2008












If you can't make it to Convent Garden to see their stunning Dirty Laundry in person, don't worry, we've got all you need in more exhibit photos here.

See all of Herakut's "Dirty Laundry" photos at Juxtapoz.

All the Good Stuff in Review (November 28, 2008)

All the Good Stuff in Review

Okay, T-Day came and went with me settling into full-on Xmas mode and thinking back on all the good stuff that's happend this year. Most recently, the good stuff's included an awesome photography course, a pizza recipe designed just for me and an extraordinary comment left on this blog!

Enjoy your weekend,
Chris

ontoLondon - ontoTravel - The Adventures of Tiki Chris - tikichris to go

THANKS!

I’ve got so much to be thankful for. Family, friends, kitties, interesting work, a nice home in the world’s greatest city, etc. 2008 has been a brilliant year for me and judging from stuff lining up for ’09, next year promises to eclipse the ‘08 fun. I hope everybody reading this post has been having a blast as well. Thanks!





Sappy Thanksgiving,
Chris

Good Oil Pizza

Wow. Hat's off to the good folks at Good Oil and their Splendid Communications allies for mastering the follow-up (see more about Good Oil here)! A quick convo about my favourite food (on the spot I said pizza) resulted in a recipe for "Chris's Tiki-Margarita Pizza." That's kinda cool. Sounds pretty yummy and - when I find that elusive free time - I might just be inclined to give it a go!

Changed Priorities Ahead - Amazing Story!

I just wanted to take a moment to point out an extraordinary comment left about the image on my 14th of November Too Busy Having Fun post. Check it out!


That picture reminds me of the time 12 years ago when I went to visit my little brother in the insane asylum after he tried to commit suicide. I got him out to go for a pint and we were arguing whether or not the universe was inherently good or bad, he said it was bad and i said that "no the universe is good and out to help you, you just have to be positive" and then we turned a corner and the first thing we saw was huge "changed priorities ahead" sign and then the Dali Lama walked past.true story.

- Atomic Tony Tiki

Good Week in Review (November 21, 2008)

Good Week in Review

• So called Good Food Show (but really just so-so)
  
• Phenomenally educational photography class
  
• Yummy dark Belgian chocolate
  
• Proper burgers on High Street Ken
  
• New pubby pub in Clerkenwell
  
• Brilliant Bloggers Meetup
  
• Creative camera-less photographs
  
• Good Oil

Enjoy your weekend,
Chris

ontoLondon - ontoTravel - The Adventures of Tiki Chris - tikichris to go

Why I Love Facebook (and Hate My High School Nickname)

A really friendly feller I knew in high school (when sadly a lot of people referred to me as Ozzy) left this comment on a recent Facebook status I posted:

Ozzy, your photos and stories make my day Brother. Party On.

I love it ... and by all means I do indeed intend to PARTY ON!

Too Busy Having Fun (November 14, 2008)

Too Busy Having Fun

This was another of those too-busy-having-fun-to-actually-write-about-any-of-it sorts of weeks (but I should be able to blather about the good bits over the weekend and next week). So, I guess it’s a good thing I started my tikichris to go mobile blog to capture moments on the run, such as randomly happening upon Nigella Lawson yesterday or checking out a kick ass view while enjoying a kick ass drink!

I also managed to publish a couple of posts about the super fun time I had roamin’ round Notting Hill with some of my favourite London bloggers and the friendly dudes from Elements 8 premium rum (even got some killer cocktail recipes for ya!).

And yep, my London Daily Photos keep rolling on!

Enjoy your weekend,
Chris

ontoLondon - ontoTravel - The Adventures of Tiki Chris - tikichris to go

Subject and Object as One (This is Now)

Subject and Object as One
by Chris Osburn
This is Now
11th November 2008



Here’s another shot by yours truly that made the cut and has been included in the This is Now Flickr pool. The photo, of a young woman seemingly immersed into Monet’s Water Lilies (also known as Nympheas) was taken at l’Orangerie in Paris during my summer 2008 visit.

Read the complete by Subject and Object as One post at This is Now.

Elements 8 Rum Cocktails from Montgomery Place

Man oh man. I had a blast roaming round Notting Hill for last night's Rum Do with Elements 8. You can read about the "do" in my write-up for Qype does London. In particular, I was blown away by the yummy cocktails served at Montgomery Place. Here are the recipes of the fantastic drinks designed specifically for us by Montgomery Place's Marian Beke. Awesome.



1. Chestnut Tom & Jerry (10 Portions)
8-10 Eggs (depending on size)
400ml Elements 8 Gold
300ml Cognac
100ml Chestnut Liqueur
4 bar spoons caster sugar
1 Litre full fat milk
4 dashes Cream

Separate egg yolks and whites in to 2 bowls. In one bowl whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar until foamy. In another bowl whisk the egg whites until frothy. Bring the milk to a boil. In a big bowl mix the milk with the egg yolk mixture. Add Elements 8 Gold, Cognac and Chestnut Liqueur and mix well. Ladle and float the frothy egg white on top.Sprinkle with cloves, cassia bark, nutmeg and shaved bitter chocolateServe from the bowl in to small, preheated ceramic cups / mugs.

2. Molasses Daiquiri
50ml Elements 8 Platinum
1 barspoon molasses
10ml honey water - honey and water mixed 1:1 (easier to do if water is warm)
Fresh lime juice of 1 fresh lime

Stir the molasses with the other ingredients.
Add mixture and 1/2 of the lime in to a shaker and shake hard.
Strain in to a glass and add a large chunk of ice and garnish with the other lime half.

3. Bohemian Negroni
40ml Elements 8 Gold Rum
25ml Becherovka Cordial
25ml Sweet Vermouth
10ml Campari

Mix all ingredients in mixing glass with 3 large ice chunks. Strain in to a glass filled with a lage ice chunk and sprinkle with Campari Dust (Campari that has been dried and changed in to powder form) and an orange zest.

4. St. Lucian Storming
60ml Elements 8 Gold Rum
Juice of half a lime
Ginger beer (Montgomery Place uses home made ginger beer that has been fermented for 3 days using honey water, and is then cooked and blended with spices, though D&G ginger beer may do the trick for home)

Add rum to a silver mug filled with a big chunk of ice. Fill glass with gingerbeer and squeeze lime juice on top. Finish with tiki bitters sprinkled on top and garnish with a mint sprig.

Glaswegian Mummy Tussle!

Just when you thought is was safe to hit the streets of Glasgow (yeah right!) - and for me to move on and start blogging about non-mummy stuff - comes this Herald story:

Men attacked by fancy dress gang - ringleader dressed as mummy

Big thanks to Atomic Tony Tiki for shooting this story my way. Sez ATT about the fancy dress gang article:

... it's such a "only in Glasgow" news story, a few years back now on Halloween I got to see Elvis fighting Ginger Spice in the center of Glasgow. I'm not a fan of violence but Elvis beat Ginger Spice so badly her/his tits exploded.

I love it!

Momentous Week in Review (November 7, 2008)

Momentous Week in Review

What a week, huh? When not anticipating, live blogging or reeling from the US election, I did a little shopping at my neighborhood design-centric book and fun stuff shop, caught the new James Bond flick (and hated it), enjoyed a brilliant cocoa-co-operative photography exhibition, checked out some gruesomely hacked up cartoon characters and had a fantastic meal (with some awesome cocktails) at a Thai restaurant in Soho ... and a yummy pizza in Fitzrovia.

I also started guest blogging for the This is Now photography project.

And for Halloween last Friday (which seems like ages ago)? I popped round to the TrustedPlaces’ Day of the Dead party at Chilango. Fun stuff.



Enjoy your weekend,
Chris

ontoLondon - ontoTravel - The Adventures of Tiki Chris - tikichris mobile portrait blog - tikichris to go

Hi! (This is Now)

Hi!
by tikichris
This is Now
7th November 2008

Hey, I’m Chris Osburn (aka tikichris) and I’ll be guest blogging here from time to time. Although this is my introductory post, it’s not my first. I started posting here on the 4th but there was just too much of an Election Day buzz in the air for anyone to bother reading about lil ole me.

Read the complete introductory Hi! post at This is Now.

Election Day Anticipation (This is Now)

Hey y'all, I started guest posting for This is Now, an "an unparalleled collection of images that capture the essence of now." Basically, I'll be digging around their Flickr pool looking for timely photos to then write about. Check out my first topical post:

Election Day Anticipation
by tikichris
This is Now
4th November 2008

It’s the Tuesday that the whole world’s been anticipating for months!

To read the complete Election Day Anticipation and to see its corresponding photo visit This is Now.

Quantum of So What?

He's really good. She's absolutely stunning. But, sadly, the new James Bond movie is just boring. It simply wasn't that much fun. The only time I was on the edge of my seat during Quantum of Solace was when I started anticipating the end and thought I could get up and stretch my legs. Casino Royale this ain't.

I Want My Mummy (One More Time)!

Just when you thought it was safe to go about your business without having to deal with any more stupid mummies ...







I caught sight of this Sainsbury's employee as I passed by the Fetter Lane Sainsbury's en route to the TrustedPlaces Day of the Dead/Halloween party. It was good to see this mummy making the most of his afterlife and doing his best to be a fully integrated, productive member of society.

Happy Halloween! (October 31, 2008)

Happy Halloween!

London Daily Photo: Yeah, Yeah, Yeah by Chris Osburn © 2008

This week:

- A whole month's worth of mummy stuff, including the gruesome end of my Mummy v Panda series,
- Getting man-pampered in the name of online journalism,
- Granola, pork loin, organic cupcakes, so-so burritos, chili cookin', swanky tapas, and as always ...
- Danger!

Enjoy your weekend,
Chris

ontoLondon - ontoTravel - The Adventures of Tiki Chris - tikichris to go

I Want My Mummy Index!

Okay, here' s all the mummy stuff from this past month.

I Want My Mummy - HELP!
The Mummy Versus the Giant Panda!
The Mummy Versus the Giant Panda: Part 2
The Mummy Versus the Giant Panda: Part 3
The Mummy's Plea
Mai Tai Mummy
Kitty Cats Say: Ain't Makin' No Mummy Out of Me!
I Want My Mummy Underwear Model!
Mummy Dogs with Green Goo
Sick Mummy!
The Mummy of Oxford Street Lives!
Hipster Mummy! NoOooOoooOooooOoooo ...
The Curse of the Mummy Hand!
Fortnum & Mason Mummy is a Real Sucker!
Yummy Mummy Baby Grow - NoOoOoOo!
Mummies Invade San Jose!
The Unknown Mummy
The Mummy Versus the Giant Panda: Part 4
The Mummy Versus the Giant Panda: The Final Chapter

Huge thanks to Amanda Farah, Atomic Tony Tiki, Chongolio, Emiana, Helen Graves, Kimberly, Marmo and Sandokan, Michaela, the Mummy Underwear Model, Tiki Racer and the Unknown Mummy for participation and contribution!

Happy Halloween!

The Mummy Versus the Giant Panda: The Final Chapter

The End.

And yes, the MvP series was indeed a metaphorical analysis of the recent global financial crisis with a suggestion of what may yet still come! Thanks for noticing.

Make sure to watch all five episodes of the Mummy v Panda series!

The Mummy Versus the Giant Panda: Part 4

One more Mummy v Panda clip! Coming soon: the dramatic and bloody finale!

The Unknown Mummy

More mummy photos and video for you!

Mummies Invade San Jose!

Big hugs and thanks to Michaela for documenting these disturbing occurrences in the Bay Area! Yes, mummies have invaded San Jose! They're making phone calls, taking elevators and reading books! Noooooo ....

Yummy Mummy Baby Grow - NoOoOoOo!

Big thanks to the one and only Atomic Tony Tiki (aka Johann Von Sleaze) for taking a snap of this silly lil item that he happened upon in the darkened tomb of his local Tesco.

Super Spooky Week in Review (October 24, 2008)

Super Spooky Week in Review

Mummies have invaded London. Frightening! But come to think of it, London has never been a particularly safe or salubrious city (as I recently learned on a ghost walk through Southwark).

Yes, there is indeed a chill in the air here these days. I reckon it's best to stay in and cook (how about a big pot of chili for a chilli cook-off?). But if you must venture out, just make sure it's to a quality pub ... or better yet, get outta town for awhile and photograph something near and dear to you. That's what I plan to do!

In closing, whatever you choose to do, always remember to do it with lots and lots of chocolate at hand.

Enjoy your weekend,
Chris

ontoLondon - ontoTravel - The Adventures of Tiki Chris - tikichris to go

Chris Osburn Photography Exhibition, Summer 2009, Leeds College of Art & Design

I've been champing at the bits to announce the following news: I am to exhibit a series of photographs at Leeds College of Art & Design from 29th June - 11th September.

For the exhibition, I will travel to my hometown of Chickamauga, Georgia (and the general nearby environs of Chattanooga, Tennessee) to shoot pics which depict the area’s transition from agrarian roots to the commodity/service industry culture of today. Hopefully, I will be able to capture these dynamics within the context of the sucky economy and the presidential election.

I look forward to the opportunity to document these changes and to take advantage of any chances to photographically gawk at rednecks. I have a love/hate relationship with the corner of the world where I was brought up; this exhibition should provide me with an excellent channel for examining my relationship with my home culture and heritage.

Essentially, I plan to head over at Christmas and stay on through most of January. I’m sure I’ll blog heaps about the experience whether via this blog, my travel blog, one of my mobile blogs (tikichris to go, tikichris mobile portrait blog) or perhaps even a blog specifically created to chronicle the expedition down south and my show up in Leeds. Blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog, blog. Oh yeah, I’ll probably tweet a whole hell of a lot about it too.

Fortnum & Mason Mummy is a Real Sucker!

Thanks to Emiana and our good friend Kimberly for picking up this "Halloween Jelly Pop" mummy for me during a recent excursion at F&M. Made in China and featuring colours E110, E122, E129 and E133 and "flavours" among its many ingredients, the lil dude has a shelf life of almost a whole year. ~Spooky stuff~

The Curse of the Mummy Hand!

Mummies have been spotted roaming the streets of London! Although a few head shots have been taken, these mummies have proven to be extremely elusive. Often all that has been captured digitally are the ghastly, tattered, groping hands of the mummies.

These mummies apparently have a real craving for raclet and jamon serrano ...


... and are in desperate need for some botox treatment!

Be afraid. Be very afraid!!!

Hipster Mummy! NoOooOoooOooooOoooo ...

Accursed mummies roaming Horse Tunnel at Camden Stables Market? Terrifying!



See more brilliant photos (including more mummy shots outside Egyptian-themed Greater London House) at http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandafarah/