tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57917872024-03-07T08:59:13.717+00:00chungkingexpresspost-mansionsJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.comBlogger397125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-83175640373098755152008-10-18T16:29:00.004+01:002008-10-18T17:17:42.802+01:00MovingApologies to anyone who has been visiting this blog in vain. I've become pretty irregular lately and have decided to close down chungkingexpress for a while and make it password protected.I'm not done with writing though and I'm planning to start up a new blog themed on my stay in a Rajasthani village. My aim is to write once a week and write well. I'm not quite ready to put a first post up but Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-41223919583859694182008-09-22T04:04:00.003+01:002008-09-22T04:45:20.421+01:00CookingOn my last trip to Jaipur I picked up a few cooking supplies. My cook, Shankar, can manage with no chopping board and a knife that looks like it's meant for buttering bread but I can't. I bought the best knife I could find. It's so good that it's very likely to raise suspicion about what I'm cutting. Shankar is hugely impressed with the knife. He has given it a special place apart from other Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-71400356757482131612008-09-05T17:46:00.003+01:002008-09-05T18:24:57.243+01:00I take the busSince I'm working Saturdays, I get to take a 5 day holiday in lieu each month. I just took my first one to Jaipur and Delhi. Much to my colleagues' displeasure, I insisted on giving up the car I'm supposed to be provided with and travelling by bus. Apart from environmental objections, I was in desparate need of a little independence.I felt quite proud of myself, heading off without a guidebook Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-32712796707997411272008-08-25T18:05:00.005+01:002008-08-25T18:51:36.344+01:00Fun and gamesIf anyone wonders what life was like before health and safety regulations they need come no further than Jaswantgarh (which is quite far enough from anywhere, believe me). Our school's Independence Day function threatened to be incredibly boring. I sat through a rant from the local Hindu equivalent of Pauline Hanson, listening wistfully to Bollywood numbers blaring from the school 2 streets Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-19764074199392124932008-08-17T08:23:00.004+01:002008-08-17T08:47:57.746+01:00Now reporting from India: Oh my gourdDue to local laws, I have now been pure veg for over three weeks. Not only have I not had meat, eggs or alcohol, I pretty much haven't eaten anything that doesn't come from this stall or an identical one opposite. My cook does his best but there's only so much taste you can get out of a bitter melon and a few spices.I've now reached a point where I look at any animal suspiciously, from camels to Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-30366449172652325572008-06-24T19:13:00.004+01:002008-06-25T06:51:55.642+01:00SuspicionsI took a hiking backpack today on my weekly shopping trip to Dalston. It seemed like a good idea because I had three bags full of unwanteds to take to the Oxfam store and I wanted to bring a big load of groceries back. I also took cardboard for recycling. Our building doesn't recycle cardboard or plastic bottles and I usually end up carrying it halfway across London to drop in a bin on the way toJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-91267974417822849982008-06-17T10:25:00.011+01:002008-12-11T09:14:47.887+00:00A weekend in LondonThe camera has been replaced so here's a record of last weekend:Saturday evening on the South Bank...returning via Waterloo Bridge. Sunday morning strolling down Ridley Road in Dalston.and Sunday afternoon admiring open gardens in De Beauvoir Town...before returning home along the canal...to admire my own garden again. Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-49662182471737054922008-05-26T08:57:00.005+01:002008-12-11T09:14:48.794+00:00I make idlisCal brought me an idli maker back from India. It's the best thing thing that's come into my life since I splashed out on fancy bike gloves that saved my hands from dropping off. And here's an idli maker for Pip. The camera broke in Paris on the weekend (more on that later) so here's a very similar looking one from the internet:Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-21475158205709474252008-05-18T18:21:00.008+01:002008-12-11T09:14:49.110+00:00Second attemptThere's one morning a week where I have to wake up 6:30am for an early class. I'd love to be able to sleep a bit longer on other days but my body likes routine and insists on walking at 6:30am every morning. That came in handy this morning when I woke up, put on shorts and a t-shirt (it's mid-May but I've cast all my clouts - I'm tough) and headed down to Columbia Road to make up for last week's Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-67585055644025272882008-05-16T07:04:00.006+01:002008-12-11T09:14:49.816+00:00Flower fightMy garden is at an ugly transition stage. The last flower (below) died off weeks ago but the leaves are taking way too long to wither away and I don't want to pull the bulbs out until they're ready. Not that I'd have anything to replace them with anyway. Apart from a few very healthy looking lettuce, my seeds (especially the ones I ordered from overseas!) have not been too successful.I thought Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-270057844379297462008-05-11T09:40:00.005+01:002008-12-11T09:14:49.985+00:00Dalston last nightAnd on Kingsland Road a zorba dance has blocked traffic in both directions. Drivers are advised to seek alternative routes...Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-18930108935946576302008-05-06T22:00:00.006+01:002008-12-11T09:14:50.209+00:00Powerhouse of pleasureI've just got back from Birmingham. If anyone wants to know what it's like, watch the video below and imagine how much better it is 30 years later. I went by train so I wouldn't know about the revolutionary road systems but everything else is just like Telly Savalas says...Cal texted from a swimming pool in Kolkata and I replied quite proudly that I was off on a bluebell walk. I amost didn't evenJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-34659837167667345822008-04-29T10:09:00.004+01:002008-04-29T13:40:02.239+01:00ComplicatedThis country is way too complicated. Here are 3 reasons why...1. One of my students told me that she goes to Birmingham by coach because train is too expensive. I asked how much she pays and it is twice as much as I pay to go by train! I know how to get to Birmingham cheaply because I do it regularly and did a lot of research on the internet. I would have to do more if I wanted to go anywhere Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-5313281072603484782008-04-23T22:46:00.005+01:002008-12-11T09:14:50.698+00:00KewI wasted too much time in school being good. Now that I'm a teacher I've realised that mischevious students are the most interesting. We went to Kew again for an end of term excursion and I enjoyed staying quiet while my students had a bit of fun with the tour guide: Now these ones are bananas.Are you sure my habibi?Yes, they are. And underneath the bananas you can see that we've put lots of Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-403530297491060212008-04-20T20:07:00.011+01:002008-12-11T09:14:51.062+00:00Back in LondonI arrived back in London this morning. Typhoon signal number 3 was hoisted when I left Hong Kong and water was pouring from the sky. I love that type of weather but it made for a bumpy start to the flight. The biggest disturbance occurred as the first round of drinks were being served and the man next to me ended up with a very wet lap. No such exciting weather when I landed in London. It was Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-57537846388275767772008-03-25T21:05:00.013+00:002008-12-11T09:14:52.012+00:00Another EasterAnd another lovely trip to the seaside. There wasn't quite as much adventure, monopoly, wine or Greek tradition as last year, nor was there much pleasant weather. But there was still bonding with animals...secret caves...and sea!Plus there were some things that didn't happen last Easter. Like a drive by viewing of a prehistoric monument. And rainforest! The warmth and humidity felt so comforting Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-53996301208288263692008-03-17T22:46:00.006+00:002008-03-18T08:11:47.790+00:00ComplaintsI asked a class today to prepare a story about a time they had bought furniture or something big for their house. It was in preparation for making a complaint phone call so I encouraged them to think of a purchase that was in some way problematic. After some work on past tense verbs, the first anecdote went like this:'I swear to god this is a true story. I used to have two girlfriends. One of Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-81850327200711400722008-03-09T08:57:00.004+00:002008-12-11T09:14:52.416+00:00DaffodilsMore from my balcony. These make me think of my mum, who (full of optimism) planted bulbs in our Sydney garden, hoping that a freak winter might one day prompt them to flower...Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-8092894936500008312008-03-05T07:07:00.004+00:002008-03-05T07:26:27.653+00:00Berber terroristsI went to ask for an appointment at my hairdresser on Monday. They didn't have anything that day so when I mentioned that I'd come in again later they gave me their card. I don't know why I have an aversion to booking things in advance. That evening, when I looked at the card, I noticed that the business is called 'Rush Hair Salon' but their email address is rashhairsalon@. Neither of these were Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-47631013849974081382008-03-02T20:01:00.002+00:002008-12-11T09:14:52.624+00:00At lastIt's officially spring on my balcony. Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-70273858703372410012008-02-28T07:32:00.015+00:002008-12-11T09:14:52.773+00:00Gulshan mein gul khilte hain jab...Mid-term soon revealed how boring my life is. After returning from Birmingham I did little other than see Jodhaa Akbar (recommended highly to anyone with 4 spare hours - gosh people were good looking in the Mughal era) and book tickets to Hong Kong and Sydney in April. It's strange to be going again after only 7 months (particularly as I waited 2 years before the last trip) but since I'm Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-60795562444448563812008-02-18T12:17:00.003+00:002008-12-11T09:14:53.060+00:00Mid-termIt's the mid-term holiday and I'm off to Birmingham today. I'm back Wednesday and plans for Paris have failed (I was too late trying to book bus or Eurostar tickets) but Mogfa is on break too and we're planning a Hackney fun day later in the week. I love holidays!The Mughal era epic, Jodhaa Akbar, released last Friday and it's quite fortunate that I'm on holiday becuase it's 3.5 hours long. I Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-48714159413102221092008-02-14T08:39:00.005+00:002008-02-14T08:46:58.620+00:00Bike luckAfter having a bike stolen a month ago and falling off last week, I've had more bike misfortune. Yesterday I was fined 30 pounds for crossing 3m of deserted footpath between the end of one bike path and the beginning of another. Grrr. It's not much money but I feel stupid for being honest. When the community police person stopped me, she was talking on a mobile phone and I had to wait half a Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-49174382001065249682008-02-12T08:25:00.000+00:002008-12-11T09:14:53.527+00:00WildlifeIf you see anyone in London feeding squirrels, there's a good chance that they're Australian. When I discovered how tame the squirrels in Victoria Park were, I bought a huge bag of raw peanuts (they're called monkeynuts here) and went back the next weekend. There's still half a bag left so let me know if you're keen for a feeding tripIf I tell an English person that I feed squirrels they scoff. Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791787.post-6710459796368114342008-02-10T22:58:00.000+00:002008-12-11T09:14:53.671+00:00MilesEver since moving to London, I've looked longingly at the boxes of longans for sale in Chinatown. When I lived in Temple Street I used to buy whole bags to take back to my room and eat in front of the fan while listening to the BBC world service. Until now, I couldn't justify buying a box of fruit flown from Thailand but Chinese New Year is a special occasion. I bought them for our CNY party butJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926963982302097947noreply@blogger.com5