Surf and sty
Posted: February 19, 2012 Filed under: Eating out, Food, Friends, London life, Weirdness 2 Comments »I met my friend Mathschick on Friday and we went to Chinatown for a meal.
I wasn’t tempted by the “Octopus with Assorted Pig Organ” on the menu, my filthy mind immediately imagining some form of genitalia.
I am hoping/assuming it was a bad translation, of course. Most likely the organs were liver or kidneys or something.
Even so, seems like a like strange combination to me …
We opted for the much less risqué set meal for two (crispy duck etc.), and very nice it was, too.
Naked cyclists
Posted: June 13, 2009 Filed under: London life 4 Comments »I met up with Maths Chick for a coffee in town this afternoon. I took the tube to Oxford Circus, and what sight greeted me as I exited the station? Hundreds of naked people cycling along Regent Street!
It was hilarious and so unexpected! It turns out that it was part of the Naked London Bike Ride. According to their website, they were cycling naked to protest about oil and car dependency, and to celebrate the “power and individuality of the human body”. And I can assure you that there were definitely saw some interesting and individual examples of the human body on display this afternoon!
Here are some photos that I took …
Here’s a video, too (crap quality, sorry!) … My favourite is the person on the skateboard (?!).
Living rooms but no cake
Posted: March 25, 2009 Filed under: ESOL teaching, London life 1 Comment »I had a very easy day at work today. I took my students to the Geffrye Museum in Dalston. If you’ve got a spare few hours, and you happen to be in the vicinity, I would definitely recommend dropping in. It’s a museum about “middle class” living rooms through the ages, and as you walk through, you get to look into mock-ups of living rooms from 1600 to the present day.
I’ve been there three times with students, and have enjoyed every visit. And they have excellent resources for ESOL teachers that you can just print off and use. No preparation required!
One slight disappointment. The restaurant looks lovely and the menu is very tempting, but I still haven’t been able to try it! Each time I’ve been to the museum, my students haven’t wanted to go in. Not sure why – surely a post-visit cup of tea and chocolate brownie is the highlight of a trip to any museum. 
Motorbikes in bus lanes
Posted: January 6, 2009 Filed under: Driving, London life, Stories in the news, Travels in the Metropolis 2 Comments »Since yesterday, motorbikes are allowed in most red route bus lanes in London. Is this a good idea? I don’t know.
I must say that I already worry about knocking over cyclists when I turn left across a bus lane (it’s a bit easier to see taxis and buses) and now there will be motorbikes to contend with/ worry about, too! On the other hand, I suppose it may discourage motorcyclists from weaving in and out traffic, which they are wont to do, and which must surely contribute to collisions involving motorbikes…
Boris says that the new scheme will help ease congestion in the capital … but honestly, how often do motorbikes wait in queues with cars? They usually just zoom on through.
Maybe he means that more people will be encouraged to travel into work by motorbike (rather than by car) and it will reduce congestion that way…? But is that really likely? How many car users would actually buy a motorbike rather than use the car they already have? Either car drivers (like me) are too scared to use a motorbike or they have a car for a particular reason (e.g. they need it to transport their family). And motorbikes aren’t cheap, are they?
I’m pleased that Boris is addressing the issues of both safety (for all road users) and congestion, but I am not sure whether this scheme is the right solution. Perhaps a better idea would be three separate lanes – one for bikes, one for motorbikes, taxis and buses, and a further one for cars. This would put public transport/ cars/ bikes on an equal footing, but would probably upset many car drivers and be hideously expensive to implement. And it doesn’t solve the problem of traffic turning left and knocking both types of cyclist over, either.
Obviously the ideal would be to have a super-duper, state-run, CHEAP and not- for-profit public transport system, and then nobody would need to use their own car/ motorbike for commuting anyway. Maybe I should write in to Boris and suggest that one. I’m sure he’d get that up and running in no time. 
