Coincidence

Last night I left my office around 8 pm and was heading home, weaving my way through gawking tourists. Someone ahead, blocking my way to the street crossing, called out to me. I looked up, expecting to provide directions to some landmark or other, but there in front of me stood Baskar and Stefan! Seven and a half million people in this massive sprawling city, and I run into two people I know. I didn't even know they were in London -- they're only here briefly, stopping on their way from Montreal to Coventry or Israel via France and India.

So, naturally (this being England), I turned around and we went to a pub.

Smokefree!

As of this weekend (July 1), London goes smokefree! The new smoking ban applies to pretty much all enclosed public spaces and work places. I can't wait. Of course, it probably just means that I have to deal with more smokers outside.

Our local (which is a chain pub) has boasted a non-smoking section for longer than I've been here. It consists of precisely one table. And that table comes equipped with an ashtray.

现在几点了? (What time is it?)

Having a flatmate who is also learning Chinese is great. (Séverine 也学中文.) Anything that we know how to say in Chinese, we do, and waking up in the morning and saying "早上好!" reminds me of being in China.

I think I'm as bad as Robin though. This morning, Séverine asked me (in English) what time it was. I coughed pointedly. "Um... um..." she stalled. "现在几点?" she asked. "十一点零五分," (11:05) I replied.

Yesterday I went to the Chinese bookstore (昨天我去中文书店). I bought "The Little Prince" (我买 "小王子"). It's in both English and Chinese. I was excited because I could read the title (and because I love the book). Trying to actually read the text in Chinese is more difficult. It reads more or less like "I something something something. You something something something. I want something something something." I guess I'm not quite ready for it, but they didn't have the baby books I was looking for.

New Flat

Alright, here are a few pictures of the new flat.
That's Séverine. Charlene (my other new flatmate) is back home (Northern Ireland) for a few weeks.

That's my goban on the shelf behind the door.

The kitchen.

My room, with my Alvinia baby cotton monster in the corner.