Heather and I have been in Penang for a few days, "recharging our creative juices". But what does that mean? Creativity is like happiness. You can't reach out and grab it directly, although we do believe that getting out of your comfort zone (I couldn't think of another cliché, sorry) – and sleeping a lot – both help. We're staying in old George Town. It was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 2008, as the locals are proud to tell us. They're also proud that Jimmy Choo was born into a family of local shoemakers, and apprenticed to a little shop just a few metres from where we're staying on Muntri Street. His Dad helped finance his studies in London, where he came to the notice of Princess Diana and Vogue in the late '80s. I'll never be seen wearing a pair of Jimmys, but suddenly they mean something more. Less Sex in the City, more the flamboyantly decorative crafts of Penang - real, not devised by an agency. They have a voice and a backstory. I can imagine paying good money for them. So, creativity: built on hard work, tradition and craft. Those certainly aren't enough, but they can't be by-passed. Cheers Ian There used to be hundreds of shoe makers and factories in Penang, but sadly most are gone. Sadly? Inevitably, I guess.