Art & Drawing - Something I have enjoyed and developed from a very early age. Although not something I do as much of these days on paper, my art skills have served me better in the last few years as a foundation for my various graphics and photo restoration projects using Adobe Photoshop.
Music - My interest in music got off to a fine start! By the age of five I had discovered a keen interest in the likes of Queen, Led Zeppelin, Cream, John Mayall, Ten Years After, Brian Ferry, ABBA, David Bowie, master of Mowtown such as The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Drifters (in a bizarre twist I would later support this group) and Marvin Gaye.. you name it, I'd listen to it. On my seventh birthday I was given a guitar, which I inititally took to, until the world of keyboards beckoned throughout the 80's. I became drawn into the world of pop electronica with the likes of Tubeway Army, Heaven 17, Talk Talk, Kim Wilde, Godley & Creme, to name but a few. Due to the technological chasm which existed between the small Yamaha PSR keyboard I was playing and the banks of Korgs and Prophets which my heroes were playing, I considered a return to the guitar as something which would likely provide more inspiration. This became cemented by the arrival of Eddie Van Halen (the seminal video "Live Without A Net" blew me sideways!), Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Warren DeMartini, George Lynch, Trevor Rabin.. indeed, all the greats from the time. This new outlet for my teen angst saw me through several groups before I finally settled in Sheffield band Izon Paradise, a quirky but brilliant outfit which for me started in 1993, saw action in pubs and festivals around the country, the recording of the CD "A Beautiful Anarchy" in 2006 and support gigs with Doctor & the Medics in January and The Drifters in July of the same year. The project ultimately was to finish for me in 2008 and although I have something of a modest personal musical portfolio which has built steadily over the last few years I have yet to return to music in anything beyond a quick 'pick up and play' when the fancy takes me.. but you never know. Maybe one day!
Films - Lots of favourites.. far too many to list! Thinking about it though, I'm more prone to enjoying World & Asian cinema and anime these days.
Photography - Shortly after acquiring my first decent PC in 2003 I treated myself to a Canon A40 camera, a wonderful little bit of tech which functions nicely as a 'point & shoot', but with exceptional manual control for a camera of its class - a testament to the fact that I still use it today. You can find some examples of my portfolio on my Facebook account (look me up under Gavrev).
Science - This first showed itself to me through the world of astronomy - another long-standing childhood habit. For the last fifteen years I have had a keen interest in the developing worlds of nanotechnology and enjoy musing over the possibilities of the theoretical sciences.
Reading & Writing - Listed as though being read from a school timetable, I thought I'd throw these together as they seem to compliment each other so well! I have read quite a lot in the past, but like so many others of my generation I seem to prefer the world of motion to print (a sad state of affairs, reflected in the occasional guilt I suffer as a result). I have a few favourites which have come along for the ride from masters in their respective fields - Stephen King ('Salem's Lot), Dean Koontz (Phantoms, The Taking), Greg Bear (The Forge of God/Anvil of Stars), David Brin (Earth).. More recently I have turned my hand to exploratory screenwriting through my love of Asian cinema, which showed me a new and more 'real' world, about as far away from Hollywood as I could get. I plunged myself into some personal dark and scary places to create some material which may yet see the light of day if I can finish it! I think the playful sprite in me would love to see if it would get under anyone else's skin in the same way.
Cooking - Learned out of a personal blend of necessity and desire, my favourite styles are predominantly Asian and Italian, the former inspired by Ching He-Huang and cook/musician Guo Yue (I love his music and autobiography!), the latter inspired massively by Jamie Oliver and his mentors. If any of you happen to have come across this (and stranger things have happened) I'd like to say "thank you" for all you've taught me, my friends!
Travel - I've seen quite a few places over the years thus far - Plenty of the UK (pretty much a given I suppose), Portugal, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Tunisia, Sicily, Canada and the Philippines ( well, a bit!). Future trips will hopefully see me take in Tibet, Japan, China and Hong Kong.
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