A grammar lesson from 007

MI6 seeking for "relationship-building skilled" people:



This is not a rare occasion - you can easily find similar ads in newspapers and surely you'll find them surfing popular job boards.

Also, note the pronoun "they" used with a "person", a legal method to avoid the problem of choosing between "he" or "she" when gender is unknown.

It is also okay to use "she" in that case (at least I've met that in literature and press), for the male gender is understood by default, so it's less impolite. And I've encountered clumsy "he or she" turn many times before. Apparently, the only way to make a mistake here is to use male chauvinistic "he".

Decision point

I possess really poor skills in chess and usually my phone beats me or drives to the point where the defeat is unavoidable very soon. This time, started on my way to the office, I'm still standing after 15 turns:



White pieces are mine, as the turn is. Although I have a feeling that almost every turn from this point will worsen my position. Gotta think about it while commuting home today.

Matter of trust

ATM in London support cash withdrawal only with no way of replenishment, and you have to visit bank's branch for cashiers. Another way available is to use so-called "quick deposit envelopes":



Having an envelope, you can write your account or card number on the flap, put your cash in and drop it to a special box in the branch. Sometimes holes of those boxes are placed even outside, on a bank's building wall, so you can do that when the branch is closed.

Saturday

Maybe you remember my struggle with banks while trying to open an account. Finally, next week I'll have even two of them. Yay for me! It was no so easy to pay three visits to different branches in two hours to manage into short weekend open hours, but that was the only problem - nothing like that hell I had experienced with HSBC in autumn. Should have tried earlier, actually, but I was really frightened off that time.

Also I wanted to show you this 50x-film-poster-style sign inviting to St Pancras old church, England's one of the oldest. So rad, I really loved it:

All you need is love, and condoms are provided for free

Speaking of stereotypes, another one debunked: finally, a proof that British people do really have sex.

Also note the outstanding number of serious and useful comments. That's amazing indeed.

No country for old women

Walking down the street last week I've noticed posters on local shops fronts offering reward for the information about elderly woman murder in the area (more details about that case).

Later this week I've stumbled upon another two brief articles (1, 2).

That's not a stereotypical picture of the European capital, is it?

Chinese New Year

For some reason Chinatown of London celebrates New Year a week later than other Chinese people do. Nothing strange for a Russian person in that, though.