Of Edinburgh and Qingdao

A little group of us went to Teppanyaki on Sunday night. This was partly why not many of said little group went to class on Monday as it was 150 yuan for all you could eat *and* drink. I adore teppanyaki food as it consists of tasty things expertly fried in front of you by a stubbonly non-Chinese chef. That is one of my favourite things about it as it is quite a show to watch. The chefs are incredibly skillfull and deft and when they set up a huge flash of fire to cook steak, rather entertaining. The Japanese present scorned the offerings a little as not being "authentic" and when what looked like bacon on toast with tomato sauce came along I had to agree. However, it was goddam tasty. As well as fish sushi there was also beef sushi, which was the first time I had tried that. It tasted like how you expect raw beef to taste. I also was cajoled by Taku, our Japanese judge, to eat a shrimp head. I did. It was very crunchy. Along with the meal were copious amounts of Qingdao beer and sake. I am not a fan of hard liquor taken neat so I sneakily mixed mine with lemonade and got very happy that way.

The slogan of the restaurant is that "they'll stop before you do". It's a lie, I was still hungry by kick out time.

On the way to school someone has been messing around with the manholes. They have removed the lids and carefully layered branches over the top in some sort of human booby trap.

That is something about China, the freedom with which one has to wonder around building sites. Often without realising you've entered one until you have to dodge a craneload of bricks. Health and safety? 什么意思？

Last year's president of the Edinburgh University Students Association has been arrested for occupying Fortnum and Masons, or something anarchic like that (is anarchic the word I want? Mildly rebellious?). Don't I feel proud... He promised to get us a 24 hour library. They've all promised that. And they've all failed.

No point being disillusioned with the politicians we've got as by the looks of it, the next lot won't be much better....