Food plays a big part in both Diwali and Eid - and we certainly profit from it here! Tomorrow we're having a staff lunch to celebrate both - non-contributers pay £2.50 and everyone else brings a dish.

Basically I get to gorge myself on home-made curries, samosas, breads, pickles etc in the name of cultural diversity. I don't touch the sweets - Indian sweets are so sweet they melt your teeth just by looking at them.

I took my camera on a walk through Town Hall Square and into the market. It's a bit slow as I haven't found a way to edit it yet and I'm far too impatient to wait until I have.

Better movies will follow I should think.

But bear with it until the market - that's colourful and noisy at least, as well as showing our vibrant ethnic mix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc4OUq9Ei5M

That was fun, although it looked like a good day to stay inside and drink hot toddies. :guinness:
How did you keep the camera so steady while you were walking?

By not drinking hot toddies :)

Actually it's not cold here at the moment - I was wearing a t-shirt (as it's so damn hot in the office) with just a light poncho over the top.

You must pad about on little cat's feet because there wasn't even any footstep jar to them. I had to chuckle ay the camera looking both ways crossing the street. :D

Nice. Just...nice.

I don't know about anyone else, but watching this video by SG left *me* feeling a little misty. Thousands of miles away, on a chilly, rainy Fall afternoon, people are going about their lives, almost indistinguishably from the way that I go about my own life. Just a few weeks ago, Selene and I were at our City Market here in KC, seeing, smelling, hearing much the same things as SG showed us in the video. Christmas is similarly making an ever earlier appearance here, same as is evidenced in her video. Families move with purpose, children in tow, men and women examine the wares and probably pat themselves on the back for making a better deal on better produce than they could have gotten at the supermarket.

Somewhere else in the world, people are devising ways to kill other people, blow them into tiny bits in some godforsaken shithole; people who probably have had experiences much the same as what we just shared with SG and her Leicester community. People with children in pink coats, clutching balloons and whining that they want to go home.

Why in the name of all that is Holy do we kill each other? Why can we not all live in harmony, and shop for our vegetables in peace?

Why do I think of shit like this just from watching a simple video of daily life?

Because Sundae Girl brings out the best in you, too. :thumb:

I think perhaps it's the season. It's not far off the longest day when the year flips itself over again. There's a good reason why the early Christian church set up Advent as a time of reflection.

When I heard about the killings in Iraq this Sunday (Remembrance Sunday) I cried. It reminded me so much of Enniskillen in 1987 - my Mum and I sat with our arms around eachother crying over that one (Remembrance Day bomb in Northern Ireland - 11 killed, 63 injured)

People killing their own countrymen and women. Makes my throat hurt even now. Any regime that glorifies the death of civilians is morally bankrupt.

Anyway!
Enough of that I guess.

Time to go out stalking the streets for streakers :)

Right - consider this a work in progress

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf2LMiNW1Is

It's my first attempt to film my bus journey to work
I set off late this morning, so I wasn't at the front of the bus, grrrr - don't these people know who I am?

It's 6 minutes and believe me, apart from shaky camera-work and the bus stopping to let people on, it's 6 minutes of nothing.

But I will get a better one and link to it by the end of the week (I hope). And I will learn how to edit! Anyway, I'd be fascinated by other people's journeys to work so I'm simply posting a link for other curious oddities like me :)

I'd video my commute, but I'm sure no one wants to watch 35 minutes of rush hour traffic from inside a rattly ass car.

I admit, I was shocked at the fact the bus only takes 6 minutes. But that doesn't include the wait (average 15 minutes and it's a 20 minute walk!)

You know - although I'd balk at 35 mins as described, I'd love if you took some blue-tak, fixed a camera on your dashboard and filmed a trip in your area. And get Selenerati to commentate too - she has a lovely voice.

I'm more widely travelled than my colleagues, but I wouldn't know Missouri if it dropped its Fruit of the Looms and flashed me!

I absolutely loved both your videos, SG. I really enjoy the whole video thing and will try to talk Els into taping at least part of our morning commute sometime this week. I think that exchanging information through these video shorts really shows each other how we are living.

Thanks so much for sharing with everyone.

1) I thought Brits did away with double decker busses?
2) Was that the driver sitting in front on the top deck?
3) Everyone is driving on the wrong side of the road? :D
4) No commentary...? Sniff...

I am really enjoying your videos, SG. Please send us more!

Those busses are great for filming. Our busses let you see the sides of trucks and street signs.

I commute in the dark so you wouldn't see much. :D