London is buzzing with excitement and the countdown to the London Olympics 2012 is in full swing. Last week the world watched as the Olympic flame was handed over to Princess Anne and the media is closely following the Olympic flame’s journey throughout the United Kingdom until it reaches its final destination in the Olympic Park. This week Royal Mail announced their Gold Medallists stamps series which will feature Team GB athletes as they win gold at the London Olympics by lunch time the next day. This is remarkably fast and a great souvenir of the games, marking the achievement of this country’s great athletes.

The Gold Medal stamp series will commence on the Opening Ceremony day with a special stamp “Welcome to the Olympic Games” and will then follow with Team GB’s athletes as they go for gold during the games. The main image of the stamp will, wherever possible, be a photograph of the Team GB athlete or team in action from their gold medal winning final. Where this is not possible, the image will be of the athlete’s gold medal winning journey taken from a heat or from their gold medal award moment on the podium.  Royal Mail’s team of picture editors, graphic designers, etc, will be on standby and ready to swing into action when Team GB strikes gold.

Gold Medal stamps will be on sale at 500 selected UK Post Offices by lunchtime the next day and on www.royalmail.comafter each gold medal win by Team GB. They will then be distributed three times during the Games to a further 4,500 Post Offices nationwide .Many of the 500 selected Post Offices will, for the first time, open on Sundays during the Games

Moya Greene, Royal Mail Chief Executive, said: “Royal Mail is proud to be involved in this once in a lifetime event and to recognise the success of Team GB. The Gold Medal stamp series would a great present for stamp collectors all over the world and a perfect souvenir for visitors of the Olympic Games.

On top of that Royal Mail will also be the first postal administration, whose country is hosting the Games, to issue a set of stamps to celebrate the start of the Paralympic Games on 29^th August. Royal Mail has a proud history of commemorating the London Olympic Games, having issued four stamps for the 1948 Games bearing the five Olympic Rings. Olympic stamps were not issued to mark the 1908 London Games as Royal Mail stamps then bore images of the reigning monarch only.

I for one can not wait for these stamps to come out and cheer on Team GB. In 2008, Team GB won 19 gold medals; in 2012 we would love to double that. How great would it be to send cards, letter and postcards to friends and family with a stamp featuring a Team GB athlete who won gold at the 2012 Games? You can now be the first to know about all happenings and register your interest now directly on their website.

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For weeks now I have been hearing about how great pie, mash and liquor is so I finally plucked the courage and decided to pencil in a date for sampling this traditional London dish. A group of us researched the web for the perfect spot to enjoy a plate of pie, mash and liquor. The shops that specialize in the dish is closing down left right and center, the ones that still remain open have funny opening hours which makes them hard to visit.

Before I share my experience with you, I might as well tell you where pie, mash and liquor came from. It originated as a working class meal from the east end in London during the Victorian times where people filled their pies with eels from the heavy polluted Thames River (yuck). Gee, I know how to sell it to you! Anyway, the eels were cheap and cheerful and when people had a bit more money they filled the pie with other scraps of meat. We don’t have that problem today as you get pies filled with beef, chicken, steak and vegetables.

The pie, mash and liquor comes on a plate typically with your mash on the one side, the pie of your choice on the other side and drenched in liquor. Liquor is a type of parsley sauce which varies in taste from one shop to another. The liquor is traditionally made using the water kept from making stewed eels. You normally have a choice between either liquor or gravy.

We all found a shop in Greenwich near the Greenwich market which is open seven days a week and can seat up to a hundred people at once, which is pretty convenient as Greenwich can get very busy on the weekends. The restaurant recently moved premises and it looks really well decorated throughout. The restaurant was full of people all eating the same thing, obviously a variation to the pie and sauce they have but all the same thing. This restaurant even had their own freshly made fruit pies with custard for desert if you still had space after that major calorie meal. It was very well priced as well, my meal came to £4, only because I chose the steak & ale pie instead of beef one which would have made my meal £3.40, not too bad eh?

I can now tick off Pie, Mash & Liquor from my list, now off to the next traditional London meal, that is if it is not too bizarre for my taste buds to enjoy.

In the last couple of weeks I’ve read loads of articles in the newspapers about fraud being committed in the United Kingdom and it has made me realize that I’ve become relaxed when it comes to protecting my hard earned money. It can happen to anyone but I am not going to make myself an easy target with the Olympics coming up. The best way to protect yourself against fraud would be to educate yourself on how it is being committed and what information you put out there can be used by criminals.

We have come up with a basic list of things you can do to protect yourself against fraud in the UK. Everyone should be doing them already, if not, you’re leaving yourself vulnerable.

1. When withdrawing money from a cash machine in the United Kingdom, always inspect it. If it looks a bit dodgy then it probably is. Criminal gangs have been known to fit devices to the card slot to make it appear as if the machine has “swallowed” your card but meanwhile it is stuck behind the device.
2. When entering your pin number, always, always, always cover it. You never know who is watching.
3. Check your credit history regularly. There are currently two credit agencies in the United Kingdom and they both offer a statutory check for £2. This check can be done either online or they can send you the paper version. Check it and double check it to make sure everything matches.
4. Destroy paperwork with your personal details. There are people out there who will sift through your bin contents and use any paperwork your have discarded without care. Your cards are all linked to your address and you’re making it super easy for them to either steal from you or your identity.
5. Limit personal information on Social Networking sites. The average Joe does not know about all the different privacy settings and having too much information about yourself, where you live and work etc makes you an easy target.

A bit of scare tactics might help you to protect yourself against fraud in the UK. A little while ago my bank card got compromised and “they” kept on taking different amounts of payments out of the account to try and book flights. Luckily my bank was on the case and they detected the unusual activity on my account and stopped it immediately. Like I said, I was lucky but a lot of people I have spoken to have their whole account milked dry and their bank did nothing to help them and they became another statistic. Don’t become another statistics, form new habits to protect you as criminals will always find a way to be one step ahead.

A couple of months ago I got to see for myself how deaf foreigners interact with each other whilst living in London and I was in awe on how well they navigate around this vast city, made it their own and integrated with society. These group of people were all foreigners from different backgrounds and it made me think about how hard it must have been on them coming to London but they did it and they should be proud of themselves. The article below is written by a dear friend and it may help you coming to London. If there is anything you would like to contribute to help someone else out there, please feel free to leave a comment.

When I came to the UK for a very first time, I didn’t tell anybody about my condition. I thought it should stay private and it was only my business and how to deal with. Very little I knew how difficult sometime it can be not to understand fully other people. I always hid it and made excuses that my English was not good enough and people usually accepted and carried on. Until I met one girl who became my close friend and she asked me straight away whether I had some hearing problem. This time I could not hide and told her the truth. She laughed and said that I should be loud and proud! It still took me a while to accept that there is no shame to be hard of hearing and still make friends among hearing people. I lived in a lovely countryside, not far from London and loved it. However, I felt bit isolated and as a social person, I needed interaction even more.

So what could I do now? Move to London for sure and start to live! Maybe now you might say that my first trip would be to deaf club? Nah, it wasn’t. I couldn’t understand them! I saw some deaf people having conversation and it was different to my native sign language. Common mistake among hearing people is that they think sign language is international. What the heck? If spoken languages are different, why not sign languages? See the point now?
It took me a while to get inside of the Deaf community, and to become a part of it. I’ve learnt what rights as a deaf person you can have when living in the UK. Firstly, the best way is to contact appointed organizations such as RAD (Royal Association for Deaf people, http://www.royaldeaf.org.uk/). Here you can find all necessary information about services they provide to make.
Are you deaf and foreigner? Do you know what BSL stands for? Of course, British Sign Language which is one of means of communication in the UK and its popularity is rising since BSL has been officially recognized as a formal communication within the Deaf community and UK society by UK government in 2003. Another question might arise why I used capital D in Deaf? Simply, because its stands for its own language, culture and mentality and thus as minority in the UK.  The Deaf community has so much to offer in the UK and as myself being deaf and foreigner I realised that services provided for deaf is way much better than in other EU countries. But don’t get your hopes high!
Firstly, if you intend to stay and work in the UK and your first language is sign language, then the best way is to contact some appointed deaf organizations such RAD, Remark!, Action on hearing loss (previously known as RNID)  and they will give you essential information what to do. As deaf, you are eligible to have BSL interpreter which either can be appointed by deaf society or through Jobcentre. Some agencies specialized in relay interpretation service through Access to Work from Direct.gov.uk that will provide you all information and contact links.
So what “Deafies” do? Oh man, they socialize a lot! If you are from London, then every Wednesday deaf people at any age meet in Leicester square pub to catch up with larger or any liquid to go down.
Hearing people are very welcome to join and start learning BSL. Also deaf people like to perform, and their performances are sometimes breathtaking, funny, emotional or just boring, depending on your taste! Maybe it might be worth visiting this website before you decide to go with your friends, put yourself into “silent world” and find out that it is not silent at all! http://www.deafinitelytheatre.co.uk (There is upcoming event for those who love Shakespeare! Check it out).
If you would like to take BSL onto another level and maybe to become communication support worker (CSW), BSL interpreter or just to learn BSL for fun, there are many courses provided around London. Simply put onto search engines BSL courses in specific area and results should be shown.

I go to City Lit, which is located near Holborn station, to get a certificate (examination required) in BSL level 2 and believe me, it is a lot of fun! We usually laugh so much as our lecturer makes jokes. It makes it much easier, enjoyable and thus even happier to go to class every week. The pricing varies, from about few quid to thousands. But make sure that BSL certificate is accredited and accepted within UK.

But if you are lazy or shy, visit http://www.deafpage.info and you will find lots of things to help you to improve sign language or just to peek what it is all about.

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my blinds on Saturday morning to find this fella stretched out in the corner of my garden. Strange to actually see a fox in my back garden considering I’ve got 6ft fence panels all around. It was freezing outside and he was quite comfortable on the icy grass. Could not get more photos because he spotted me and got a fright. There is a big park a street away from my house, probably where he came from.

In the last couple of months I have been forced to make use of the rail network in London due to no tube lines stretching out to South East London. Not that I like the tube, it’s dusty and hot but I will use it if I absolutely have to. I have now traveled at all times of the day to give you a low down of my experiences and hope they benefit you when you travel around London.

1. Stand behind the yellow line – Seriously, it is there to keep you safe from trains not scheduled to stop at that station that travel at high speeds. A lot of people stand on the platform reading either a Metro newspaper or are listening to music on their iPod. You are not aware of trains coming in at all times, if a train hits you, not only will be you be either dead or in ICU but you will inconvenience thousands of commuters trying to get to work or home
2. Recycle Newspapers – Common courtesy is to read your paper in such a way that you can leave it for the next passenger to enjoy and not be bored shitless like you would have been and plus, it’s good for the environment.
3. Train Times – This can be super annoying if you get it wrong as rail companies due alter the amount of trains running due to peak times and off-peak and you may wait up to half an hour on a platform if you get it wrong.
4. Research – We all know that rail companies have pushed up prices by 8% this year which is crazy since a lot of people did not get a pay rise. So, my advice would be to see if you really do need that extra zone, can you bus it for 10 minutes instead or walk? Fine, if you want to be lazy, then do not moan. Yes, they are sharks for charging so much for no improvements but we all know that won’t change any time soon. I work in Central London but I don’t pay Zone 1 prices, I get a Zone 2 & 3, a train from Zone 3 to Zone 2 (Elephant & Castle) and then I jump on a bus which is still covered under my travel card.  I save myself £40 each month, lots of people do it, find your station that is on the cusp between two zones.
5. Water aka Liquids – Always carry a small bottle with you, you never know when you get stuck somewhere on the track with signal failures, yes, they do happen quite often. You also might want to avoid those vending machines on the platforms as they charge extortionate prices.
6. Twitter – Who would have thought that Twitter can be so useful to Londoners when commuting? I follow my rail company as I get updates on delays and failures much quicker than their own website. News spread fast on twitter especially when someone has been bit hit with a train and it causes major delays.

There are plenty more tips but I thought I’d share these with you for now. Feel free to add more by commenting below.

A week before Christmas I received a text message from friends inviting me with to go explore the new Westfield in Stratford. As I have never been to it, I gladly accepted and met them there on a Sunday morning. Westfield is relatively easy to get to with all modes of transport in London. I used the DLR network as it avoided going into central London. I was quite amazed to see how many people on the DLR were headed for Westfield in Stratford as we got closer to it. Bet the bosses at Westfield have a small office at the top where they can watch hundreds of people streaming into their fancy new mall and rub their hands together with an evil laugh.

The minute you walk through the doors it really hits you how Westfield has gone for the wow-factor. They’ve gone for the whole shebang to make sure shoppers of all ages are entertained and never want to leave again. Some of the services that Westfield provides are really simple yet clever such as a Cloakroom & Bag Storage area which also delivers to your home, hotel or internationally. Another great service is the Playroom where kids under the age of 5 can be kept entertained. Westfield also has their own Police Safer Neighborhood Team which patrols the complex to keep smiles on people’s faces. (a lot of shopping centers have them now)

Let’s get back to talking about the shopping and entertainment aspects of Westfield in Stratford. It seems like nearly every major brand decided to open a shop, guess they have to with the London Olympics this year and the thousands of tourists that will be flocking to the area. To name a few would be River Island, Hugo Boss, Bose, True Religion, Links of London, 02, Disney Store, H&M, Lego, and Marks & Spencer etc. Westfield really has too many to mention and there is even two banks inside.

The ground floor area has the fast food type outlets where a lot of families tend to spend their time as kids always want something fast and easy. On the first floor you will find a nicer seating area with a whole range of foods from Sushi, Mexican, Jamaican, Indian and more. We have now twice had food on that floor and the system they have works really well. You go to a counter, order and pay for your food; they provide you with a little beeping device which will alert you when you’re food are ready for collection. Westfield staff clear the tables and keep the area clean and presentable. Once you’re food is ready, you collect it from the same counter on a nice fancy tray with proper cutlery which is a nice change.

On the entertainment front at Westfield in Stratford, you can go to the cinema on the top floor or even to the brand new casino that just opened. There is also a bowling alley for those who want to be more interactive.

I’ve now spent two Sunday’s at Westfield in Stratford and to be honest, I am going to need a lot more time to explore everything but I am thoroughly impressed with it so far. Oh, they even have a free app that you can download from iTunes to help you navigate through the mall, how whack is that? Be prepared to part with some of your money when you walk through those doors…or shall I say, if you have a bit of a spending problem, stay at home!

Everybody has his or her own idea of how to celebrate an ideal Valentine’s Day. For example, some prefer to make a big deal out of the holiday by taking a vacation or having an extravagant date.

Others are fine with a relaxing, comfortable night at home, and perhaps some flowers ordered from Marks & Spencer. Regardless of your own personal preferences, however, many couples will agree that, at least at some point, you ought to spend this special day in a big city, where there are endless opportunities for unique dates and experiences. For example, consider how many great ways there are to spend a day with your loved one in London!

To begin with, if you are not from London but have access to the city for the Valentine’s Day holiday, you should certainly take advantage of some of the city’s sites. While it seems a bit touristy to simply walk around the city observing buildings and views, there is a certain romance to London that can only be captured in exploration. Of course, you don’t want to walk yourself ragged, but a slow, relaxing tour around some of the more historic areas in the city can be a very nice thing to share with a significant other.

London is also a great place to go if you would like to see a theatrical performance with your loved one for Valentine’s Day. Watching a great play with someone you care about can be a very intimate experience, as you share your feelings and enjoyment about what you are watching, and can simply enjoy each others company. There is probably no better place in the world for many types of theatre, meaning that a theatrical getaway in London might be a very memorable Valentine’s Day experience. Plus, you can enjoy the thrill of surprising your loved one with the tickets!

These are just a couple of the numerous ways that a big city such as London can be enjoyed on Valentine’s Day. You can also consider a moonlight stroll by the water, or a night out at a nice restaurant. Both of these activities are easy enough to come by, and can be very romantic and, of course, you can cap off your Valentine’s Day evening with a stay at a luxury hotel, as there are numerous fine places to stay in the city. If you’re planning on getting away someone with just the person you love, what better place for it than a city with so many options and romantic aspects?

Yes, we are a bit slow of the mark here but finally bit the bullet and visited the ever so popular M&M World in Central London. M&M World is smack in the middle between Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus which is always packed with tourists. Every second person you will walk past will have the famous yellow paper bag with the M&M World logo on it which means that they must make a killing inside.

I dread to know what M&M World makes each and every day with the amount of people always inside the building. M&M World has four floors packed with all kinds of merchandise you probably do not need but will get because of the novelty. Merchandise can be quite pricey but at least they do not charge an entrance fee and do allow people taking photos.

If it is the chocolate you are after, then M&M World is the place to go as you can make you own combination with over 100 choices to choose from. Go on, they are open seven days a week, Monday to Saturday until 12:00pm which is pretty impressive!