I have learnt the hard way that neither success nor failure last forever.
I have learnt an enormous amount from talking to people on the ground.
So, I went to Harvard and I got exposed to American work habits. I didn't even realise for a while that I was behind. I kind of had the illusion that I was understanding things. But people worked so hard and the thing I learnt first in America was that people work incredibly hard.
When I was on a major label I felt obliged to say yes to every interview, tour and whatever else. The label is always telling you, 'This ain't going to last,' so I worked myself half to death. I learnt from that and I like to pace myself now.
What I have learnt from my time at Barcelona is the invisible work that goes on off the pitch. It's about the fine details.
I learnt a lot from eating junk food.
A good trick I learnt early on is not to immediately look at playback because once you know the shot, you can see when the camera is on you. It's best to stay 'in it' all the time, and just if it's on you, it's on you, and if it's not, it's not. It's the easiest way.
I can cook because my life depended on it when I lived in Thailand. Either I learnt cooking, or I learnt how it felt to starve. I chose cooking.
It is impossible to remain indifferent to Japanese culture. It is a different civilisation where all you have learnt must be forgotten. It is a great intellectual challenge and a gorgeous sensual experience.
I learnt that I must never finish a book with nothing else to do.
