One very cool thing with living in London is that there are some of the best museums in the world here. One of these museums, the Victoria & Albert museum does an event once a month, the Friday Late, where they keep the doors open until past midnight (which is as late as this bloody city goes till anyway). You get music, drinks, and some interesting things going on. On top of seeing some Hattori Hanzo swords, you also get to see readings and other fine things you typically see at world-class museums.
My take on museums still stands: 2 hours MAX. Stay away from religious painting sections. Stick to modern art and sculptures. Yeah, I know…..I’m a very cultured and complex man. [this is where I would burp in person]
Yes, this is just to scare you
The cool thing I did see is a talk by the UK Society for Paranormal Investigations. If you have seen Ghost Hunters, you would know what I’m talking about. There are some shows in the UK that also hunt for ghosts. Now, it’s a given that American shows are better than British shows, so if you’re to watch any, you should watch Ghost Hunters. The one at the murder site of the Manson clan was particularly interesting. The talk by the UKSPI was interesting. The equipment they had was sort of crude…but it’s an area I have a deep fascination with. Why not? We’re talking about ghosts here. I had a nice conversation with the members of UKSPI and may try to join a paranormal investigation at some point in the future if I have time and if the location is near London.
FYI: If all of a sudden I stop blogging or my eyes roll in the back of the head and start consuming the brains of all victims, you will know what has happened….
I have mentioned this before, but the yoghurt in the UK is absolutely fantastic. As a matter of fact, everything other thing is “absolutely fantastic”, “amazing”, or “lovely” in the UK, but don’t worry about that, love. Yoghurt, as it is correctly spelled here is a creamier silkier delight. Not sold in those small-arsed Yoplait type of cups and does not look like some strange gelatin-like substance when you open the container. It is absolutely…you know what I mean. It contains cultures, hence “biopot”, or bio cultures…or Lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidobacterium longum, and Streptococcus thermophilus. Yes, that’s right…Strepto, Coccus, and Philus. Hehe…coccus and philus. Yes, I am in the 8th grade.
Fruity, full of fibre and made with our special combination of wholemilk and bio cultures, Onken’s Wholegrain Peach is a yogurt so feel-good it almost hurts. Its creamy, fruity taste makes it a yogurt to die for.
This by far is a must-eat when you come to the UK. And don’t worry for those of you lactose-intolerant folks. This won’t affect your social life any more than your bad hairstyle.
Word: Schedule
Definition:: Nothing has changed here…a schedule.
Usage: Same usage. If everything is the same, why am I even writing about it? Well, the Britons pronounce it wrong…or the Americans pronounce it wrong.
British pronounciation: “shed-ule”
American pronounciation: “sked-ule”
Ninja pronounciation: “W-T-F”
In doing some more formal research, I looked at similar words in the English dictionary and find other “sche” words….scheme, schema…
Verdict: British lose once again. (Rugby reference)
Yes, the worst blogs are the ones that explain why they have not been blogging. This is one of those. Here are my excuses:
1. A whirlwind trip to San Diego to attend my boy AK’s wedding, which means also seeing friends and family. Fab.
2. A Firestorm, which has ultimately put a million folks at risk and evacuated from their homes in San Diego. Fab.
3. My parents actually got evacuated from their home, so I had to keep the news on. Fortunately, I have both a live video stream and Slingbox to watch whatever is happening in San Diego.
4. I have been attending a information security conference the last two days. Highlights have been learning about multimodal biometrics, meeting up for drinks with a friend and author in the industry, and hearing the true story of Catch Me If You Can by the actual person himself.
All that said, it is officially winter in London now. I’m not in California anymore, toto.
Words: “Are you all right?”
Definition: “How are you?”
Usage: Whenever you hear this phrase, it actually means something completely different than what you think it means. Instead of asking you about your current state of being or that you look like you’re in a state of poor condition, it is just how the Brits say “How are you?” When I first arrived, I was not sure how to answer this…usually these options:
A. “yes, are you?”
B. “um…yes, I am all right..and always right.”
C. “yes, yourself?”
D. “bloody hell”
E. “Some blokes have been smoking my fags”
F. “Blimey, I have a slight headache and my arse feels raw from all the spicey foods I just ingested.”
Usually I answer F, but I think something like C seems to make most sense. I’m still not completely used to that question and generally say “yeah, how are you?” like an American bloke with a raw arse.
So unless you have been hiding under a rock or…are American, England is in the Rugby World Cup finals against South Africa. This means that there will be a World Champion between the two countries. These things go on every four years like the Football World Cup, except this is Rugby, similar to football in America…not football in Europe, which is soccer. Very simple.
The big difference between sports in Europe and America, of course, is the amount of international play. Most people here don’t care that much about rugby generally but when it’s rugby against France in the World Cup, it’s a completely different story. Compare that against the American way of “international competition” and we have something completely different. In America, the World Series represents the best in the world because anyone in the world is welcome to come to America to play. It’s the same for football (the American kind that you play with your hands), and basketball. Basically the team that wins is crowned the “World Champion” because Americans believe that nobody else could compete and if they could they should come over to America to play. My opinion is that this makes complete sense. There is no competition for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on a international level and likewise with Ladanian Tomlinson and the Chargers. I’m all for it. The only thing that is amiss is the whole international rivalry aspect. It’s more fun to take your best and stomp a whole country’s pride where possible (the same way the Americans that competed against the Brits in rugby got stomped). Unfortunately, Canada just plain sucks at all sports except for hockey…and the only thing we compete against Mexico for are workers. Oh well…I don’t think any of that will change in any forseeable future.
My friend Watty from the large American state of Canada seems to be obsessed with kippers in the UK and so I have taken the liberty of taking a picture for him at Borough Market.
A kipper, is a whole fish that has been split from tail to head, gutted, salted, and cold smoked.
Typically, the species is a herring, mackerel or salmon, but traditionally it is any fish found in great numbers and caught during its spawning period. Spawning fish are not good to eat fresh and usually arrive in great abundance, thus they are salted and smoked to improve flavor and preservation.
I highly recommend consuming this fish right after you consume the hoof of a deer and the testicle of a freshly gutted chicken. raw. feel free to use soy and wasabi.
