Last one this year...

Firstly, I just want to say, I am quite proud of myself for having achieved controversial status. At the end of my last post, I managed to get a disclaimer stating the views were my own and not of the university.

Also, I am shocked that Nicola (who sits next to me) has actually been doing homework this past couple hours and was making progress, but has stopped to look at her picture book.  (‘Look’ Magazine Christmas special). She says she actually paid for this one ... she stole the previous one (from her coffee table) and made excuses when I confronted her.  She said I can’t read it cos it doesn’t have any articles, just pictures. Seems kinda obvious, considering its called “Look” not “Read”) She is reading this blog as I write and keeps laughing. I am not being funny! She continues to laugh.

Christmas eve, and here I am at work, writing my last blog of the year. In fact I have been at work every day this week, be that at the Enquiry Unit or in my other job.  Anyhow, the end of the year draws near ... next week in fact. It’s been quite a year, a lot has happened. This time last year I was still in my 20’s waiting to hear from the Metropolitan Police about my application, I had just gone back to university after ten years and had no idea what the year ahead would bring.

I began the New Year with a major facebook cull. I sent everyone on my friend list a “happy new year” message, and those who didn’t reply, got deleted. Might seem a bit harsh, but I don't really care. So did all those who I never spoke to or never spoke to me in school but decided they wanted to be ‘friends’ now. They too were deleted. I don’t want to be just another number in the millions of facebook friends that people accumulate these days. This brought my total number down from 145 to 28. And I feel like a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I did the same with my contact list on my phone. Chopped that down to 30. I never speak to these people so not having my facebook wall filled with their pointless crap was a welcome change.

2010 was a pretty good year for me overall I think. In February, my sister’s boyfriend proposed to her, and they married in August. I am happy cos she finally left. We had a whole load of family come over from India and the US and it was a really good time.

In March, I finally joined the Met, currently working in a North London borough.  I am loving that job so much I am willing to do it for free. Hopefully soon, I would be actually getting paid for it. It’s a really interesting job with no two days being anywhere near even remotely alike (except if you get stuck on a crime scene ... and I’ve had my fair share of them).

In June, Thirteen years of a Labour government finally came to an end, and a new era of the coalition government began. Promises were made, most of them broken, culminating in a “peaceful protest” which resulted in a students rioting over increased university fees. A group of so called ‘students’ even set fire to the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square.

November and December saw the usual bad weather conditions, which as usual brought the country to a complete standstill; I don’t understand how that happens ... every year. There are countries where snow falls much more than here, and life still goes on. What’s up with the government? Why can’t they get their act together and sort out a bit of extra salt and grit the roads early.

This year, we also learned the outcome of our bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. We got two votes, one of which was our own. Russia will be hosting that tournament. Prince William looks pleased with that decision.

Anyway, it’s time now to say goodbye for the year, I was going to have a real big rant about something but actually forgot what it was about, so couldn’t have been that big a deal, but I am sure I will remember soon enough. I look forward to venting in 2011. In the meantime, just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Great New Year

Ps. Nicola has kindly reminded me that I am mean for having not made her cheesecake that I promised I would. My excuse is I got home at 4 am and didn’t have enough time. Apparently that’s not good enough. I will bring her one first day back at work in the New Year. Apparently I need to PROMISE, so Nicola, I PROMISE I will bring your cheesecake first day back in January.

She approves of this.

Pps.  And another cheesecake for Uzma J

Say “NO TO SNOW!”

Open Day this past Saturday. I was at the Avery Hill Campus this time. A change from Greenwich. I actually enjoyed it cos I didn’t have to stand outside in the cold. I spent most of the day on reception greeting the potential students. I did manage to scare a few people into thinking that they were too late (at 11am) or had come on the wrong day. I was able to have a laugh with them so it was ok. Quite a lot of people turned up despite the predictions of snow on the weekend. It did however snow on Tuesday!

Speaking of snow, my facebook newsfeed over the weekend was dominated by people demanding to know where the snow was. What I don’t get, is that these same people who want the snow are the same people that will complain about the aftermath of the snow which they so emphatically demanded. I am expecting these complaints to made public at some point in the next week as this snow turns to slush ... That’s going to be a rant for next week! But what I don’t understand is how come this country comes to a complete standstill because of a bit of snow?? It’s not that bad. It’s actually worse in other countries. And they manage to deal with it. It’s not like no one knew it was going to snow. Everyone knew. The weather people said it ages ago. So why are people surprised?? It’s not like Michael Fish was doing the weather. For those who don’t know who Michael Fish is, see this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Fish I wonder, am I showing my age??

In other news, I was at the Arsenal vs. Wigan Carling Cup game last night. Well, actually I was doing crowd control at Finsbury Park Station. Not an easy job. There was only me and one other officer there for most of the time, till the horses turned up.  Then it became a LOT easier. We just let them deal with the crowd. I am amazed that just two horses could hold up 10,000 people.

Something I noticed in the supermarket the other day ... there’s these plug-in air fresheners, that have a number of fragrance ‘settings’ like Lavender or Vanilla. I found one that had the actual fragrance “Open Window” what’s that all about?? If I want the “open Window” fragrance, I will open the bloody window!! Why would someone pay for that??

Finally, what’s up with the news people?? On the radio this morning I heard a news story, about the Queen. Apparently she and her husband King Phil went to the movies last night and watched the new Narnia film. That’s not what I am bothered about. What gets to me is that the fact that they wore 3D glasses to see the film made headlines!! WTF?!?

(The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the University of Greenwich - Ed.) 

Rants and Rallies

Hi guys! So, in my last rant, I mentioned I was going to Wembley Stadium for the NFL game between San Francisco 49er's and Denver Broncos. I didn’t get to go in the stadium as the event wasn’t actually policed,

we were just there to make sure that the crowd got to the station  without any problems. I'm told by the fans that went, it was a pretty good game, that was won by the 49'ers (apparently they had not won a game all season) so this victory was indeed a welcome one. The final score was 24-16 to San Francisco

In other news, I decided against the mini. I'm not going on holiday instead, I will be getting car, I am just back to being undecided as to what exactly. I have been leaning towards Vauxhall or a Peugeot, simply because my first car was a Peugeot (a 205 GTi) which ended up in an accident.

In other news, this past week has been quite eventful. There was a huge student protest rally against increased university fees. Although I totally agree with the cause, I didn’t take part in the march. My reasons were justified later in the day when a group of "students" clashed with police as violence flared. Everyone should have the right to protest peacefully but there is no need for the violence that ensued. As a student and a serving officer in the Metropolitan Police, I feel ashamed that the following day, November 11^th, Rememberance Day, newspaper frontpages were dominated not with images of rememberance of those who lost their lives in the wars of the 20^th Century, but by images of the mindless and unnecessary violence brought about by so-called students. Perhaps they need to be reminded that if it wasn’t for those people, they would not today have the right to protest against the administration.

Anyways, speaking of Rememberance Day, I got to go to Whitehall in London on Sunday for the Rememberance Day Parade. I was posted opposite the Cenotaph and I think I was even briefly on TV before the ceremony began on BBC1. There was a lot of waiting around for me as we were there pretty much for crowd control. I was slightly disappointed at the fact that I didn’t get to see the Queen. She was literally only 10 feet away from me, but I had keep my attention on the crowd. I suppose it’s the only downside of being a police officer, I will never get to actually see the monarch in person.

In closing today,I would like to end with a quote from Sir Winston Churchill.

"Yes madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly!"  

Till next time …

Its NOT a sport!

OK, so, first things first, this medieval banquet. It didn’t happen. My friend the actress that works there ended up injuring herself and we couldn’t go. I am not too happy about this but nothing I can do. I was hoping to go at some point this weekend, but due to work I am again unable. It’s not so bad this time though because I am training for a new part of my job. More will be revealed later.

I will also be getting to work at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. There is an American NFL game happening, The Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers.

I am not really a big fan of “American football” in fact; you can’t even call it “football”

The game of football is a team sport which involves kicking a ball with the foot in an attempt to score a goal as marked at opposing ends of the playing field by a pair of goalposts connected by a crossbar as shown by the picture over on this side and not the pitchfork thing the Americans use shown over there.  Besides, what the Americans play is not football. It’s more like rugby for beginners. They basically play rugby wearing full Kevlar body armour and stop for a break every 20 seconds. It’s not a sport! It’s a tea party! Speaking of sports that aren’t really sports, what’s up with baseball? That’s just rounder’s right? Anyways, that’s a rant for another day. I won’t get into that just now.

I have recently decided that instead of spending my student loan on a trip to San Francisco over Christmas, I am going to instead buy a car. After some thought I have decided to go with a Mini Cooper. In fact, I’m thinking of getting this one.

I will be taking it for another test drive at some point within the next week.

I no it’s a bit of a hairdressers car, but I actually like this one.

Earlier this week, I was (supposed to be) looking for images of textures on the internet (actually I was supposed to photograph them myself but had neglected to do so) when I randomly happened across a story about German Air Traffic Controllers at Frankfurt Airport, and I thought I'd share it with you. I don’t know how true this is but it did make me smile.

Allegedly the German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a short-tempered lot. They, it is alleged, not only expect one to know one's gate parking location, but how to get there without any assistance from them. So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways 747, call sign Speedbird 206. 

Speedbird 206: "Frankfurt, Speedbird 206 clear of active runway."
Ground: "Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven." The BA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.
Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?"
Speedbird 206: "Stand by, Ground, I'm looking up our gate location now."
Ground (with quite arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, have you not been to Frankfurt before?"
Speedbird 206 (coolly): "Yes, twice in 1944, but it was dark... and I didn't land."

In closing, I’d just like to remind anyone who is handing in any kind of written work, be it an assignment or a blog for example, to make sure they actually proof read it for spelling mistakes. Simple things like putting ‘know’ instead of ‘no’ (F7 really does work)

Isn’t that right Uzma J

Stand on the RIGHT!

So, been a while since I last wrote. It’s been quite a busy month. Started back at uni, I am with a new class now having moved to being a part time student. The first couple weeks back were pretty good. There was a film crew that had taken over the university campus, filming Pirates of The Caribbean 4. They had turned the campus into a representation of London in the 1800’s. Couldn’t see much of the set because it was all blocked off as they had put up screens around it. The security guys were also very irritating. I needed to take some pictures in the chapel for an assignment, and they wouldn’t let me because I was facing outwards. Ended up getting in a massive argument with them about human rights. I am told by my classmates it was actually quite entertaining to watch.

Started to get back in the swing of uni life. Courseworks haven’t started pilling up yet, but the small assignments have begun. I think I’m off to a pretty good start this year, managing to keep on top of things. Hope it stays that way.

I've found lately there seem to be an increased number of tourists in London. Especially in the Greenwich area. This becomes most apparent when coming out of the DLR station. I usually find a large group of them just standing in the entrance to the station. It’s really annoying because they just stand in the entrance and you can’t get in or out! They tend to block up the escalators as well. Stand on the RIGHT! Walk on the left. Speaking of walking, why do people walk down (or up) the escalator? That totally defeats the object. It’s a moving stairway. It does the moving so you don’t have to. If they wish to walk, they should take the stairs in the middle. 

Work has been pretty crazy too. I found myself working at the fresher fair at Middlesex University, recruiting Special Constables for the borough of Barnet. The place was pretty weird. Didn’t feel like a university, more like a college. It felt odd being a student at Greenwich, and doing this at Middlesex. I have recently started working with a Safer Neighbourhoods Team in Barnet. I get to work on some pretty rough estates in the area and it’s really interesting. Makes a change from driving around responding to emergencies.

I worked at the Open Day this past weekend too. That was fun. I ended up being a guide for tourists, directing them to the Greenwich Observatory. Was tempted to give them wrong directions for a laugh. I think at some point I actually did. No one came back to complain so I guess I’m ok there, for now!!!

In other news, I finally cashed in my birthday present. My uncle gave me a voucher for a driving experience day at Mercedes at their Brooklands museum in Woking. I basically got to spend the whole day being driven around their test track in a number of different cars across their entire range. I even got a couple hours of instruction on high speed driving and then actually got to drive a McLaren SLR on the track doing crazy things like donuts on the skid pan. I felt like The Stig on the Top Gear track.

Tonight should be an interesting evening. I am going to a medieval banquet in London. One of my friends, an actress works as a waitress in this place, so we get free entry and booze all night long. Hopefully I will have some pictures of the night for next time.

Till then, remember ... STAND on the escalator!

My First Blog

So, this is my first blog (the first of many I hope). Over the past four weeks I have been working in the Course Enquiry Unit, mainly taking applications from students looking for a place at the university through clearing. It has been an interesting four weeks. I say this because I have been put into a team with 8 girls. Yea, EIGHT girls! Sounds good right? Well, it sounds better than it actually has been!!! Only joking! It hasn’t actually been too bad. I (think I) can have a laugh with them.


On my left there is Susan. She’s a very cheerful person who I bug quite a lot. It turns out I tend to reach a point in the morning, around 10:30 when my coffee induced high is on a seriously downward spiral. She calls this my ‘Mid Morning Moan’. She even made a name badge for this time period.


On the second week I came in one morning to find my computer all pinked out – My blue folder had been replaced with a pink one, had a pink cover on my chair, pink hearts and fairy wings all over my monitor and a fairy wand pen. One of the girls even gave me a pink shirt to wear for the day, which I did. They wanted me to wear the wings as well. This I would not do. They weren’t too happy about that but eventually stopped bugging me. There is a picture of the whole setup somewhere, but I don’t know where. If I had it, I would have deleted it.


Basically the whole four weeks passed like this. The best day was last Friday. We had a “Theme Your Team” day where we had to come up with a theme for our teams and decorate accordingly. We chose to do “Cops & Robbers”. Admittedly we had a slight advantage as we had access to some authentic equipment which was put to good use.

We had a crime scene set up with three of us being cops and the other three being robbers. All the teams were judged in the afternoon and the winners announced later that day at the Clearing BBQ.

No surprise, the winners were Team 3: “The Uzmapolitan Police – Working together for a safer enquiry unit”

Towards the end of the final week at the Greenwich Campus things started to get a bit crazy. All the schools had stopped taking applications and the phone calls had begun to dry up and all our equipment was slowly removed. Ironically the number of phone calls increased as each piece of equipment was taken away which did make things a bit harder.


Thursday today, and we decided to have a team picnic. As it was likely to be raining everyone had to come in wearing something summery. Tiffany and Royalle were the only ones to make a real effort in that department. We had our picnic indoors and everyone had to bring some food or drink. I brought a marble cake that I made last night. It was very well received. The girls are surprised that I can make this, and quite well too! They demand to know why I did not say anything before, I tell them that they never asked. Now I am supposed to make and bring a cheesecake tomorrow. I wish I had not said anything.  We will see how I feel when I get home. I will make it if I am in a good mood.


Tomorrow is Friday. It’s the last day of clearing/enquiry unit work in the Maritime Campus. From Monday everything gets moved back to Avery Hill. I won’t be working there for the next week during which the clearing basically winds down, but I will be back there in October to continue my good work (and annoying Susan)


That’s all for now ...