Camaraderie On The Tube

Londoners are subject to vast criticism, especially during peak times. They are said to be rude, unhelpful, pushy, miserable, unapproachable and any other negative adjective you can think of. They muscle their way to the front of queues and steal your rightful place on the tube. They insist on forcing themselves onto trains, leaving others to ponder how they found the space to do so in the first place. They unashamedly invade your personal space and won't budge when it's your turn to alight.

But who can blame them? When a notion as simple as 'getting to work' involves so much plight for most Londoners, their behaviour is no wonder. When having to imitate cattle crammed into a third world freight train, no wonder Londoners seem moody. When getting to work involves late trains, rammed platforms, plenty of sweat (which does not always belong to you), becoming dishevelled and being able to feel and smell someone's morning breath on your face, there really seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

Despite it all, Londoners never cease to amaze me. Just the other day I witnessed a scene of such kindness, that I felt my heart tighten with affection towards the people I frequently loathe. My morning Victoria Line journey was disrupted when the passenger alarm was activate in the train ahead. There was much eye rolling and tutting in my carriage as we sweltered in the stifling heat of a dark tunnel. Suddenly, a young man behind me collapsed. He had no time to fully touch the ground as fellow commuters rushed to lift him up. Before I knew it, the window was yanked down and a seat was miraculously cleared for him. A man in latex next to me had retrieved an ice cold water bottle from his bag and was offering it candidly. The young man's embarrassment was clear, yet the lady escorting him to the seat was soothingly explaining that it could have happened to anyone.

It's incidents like these that need wider acknowledgement. They seem to go unnoticed as we dwell on all the negatives, but they occur more often than we think. Camaraderie on the tube should be celebrated and I for one, no longer live in fear of being trampled in my hour of need. I'm confident that a number of Londoners would step up to the challenge.

Muffin Mania

Ok, so I was invited to a girlie night at a friend's house a couple of weeks ago...and only found out the day before that it was in aid of her Birthday! I panicked and couldn't think of a present to buy, so I thought I'd bake muffins. As it was my first 'proffessional' attempt with a muffin tray and everything I decided to go all out and bake two different types. Luckily they were a success and I didn't end up turning up empty handed.

Banana and Peanut Butter Muffins (makes 6)

• Preheat the oven to 190C


• Fill a muffin tray with 6 paper muffin cases.


• Mix 135g plain flour, 25g oats, 1/2 tbsp baking powder in a bowl and set aside.


• In another bowl whisk 1 egg and then stir in 40g brown sugar, 1 mashed banana, 65g peanut butter and 25g melted butter.


• Add 125ml milk and stir to combine.


• Gently fold in the dry ingredients , do not over mix.


• Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 18-25 minutes, or until the tops spring back when gently touched.


• Allow to stand for a minute before turning out to cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Muffins (makes 10)

• In a mixing bowl, cream together 125g butter and 100g caster sugar. Use a wooden spoon until white and fluffy.


• Add in 2 eggs and whisk together for 5 minutes.


• Sift in 125g flour and 10g baking powder. Fold in until well blended.


• Add 30ml milk and 125g drinking chocolate and mix for 1 minute. Fold in 50g chocolate chips.


• Refrigerate the mixture for 2 hours.


• Preheat the oven to 200C


• Line muffin tray with 10 muffin cases.


• Place a teaspoon of the muffin mixture in each case. Then add a square of dark chocolate followed by another teaspoon of muffin mixture.


• Bake the muffins for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and ideally serve warm.

Spicy Cauliflower Soup

Serves 4

This was kind of an experiment and the jury's still out to be honest. I have been receiving a fair few cauliflowers in my organic veg box lately, so I decided to try something different:

• Put 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan and add 1 tbsp cumin and 1 tbsp curry power. Fry on a medium heat for about a minute.


• Add 1 chopped medium onion and fry gently until translucent.


• Add 1 chopped medium potato and 1 chopped medium cauliflower. Fry gently for a couple of minutes.


• Add 3 pints of vegetable stock and 1 chopped medium chilli. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.


• Once the soup cools, blend and reheat as and when needed.

Life is Like a Box of...Chocolate Heart-Shaped Muffins!

Who said romance was dead on Valentine's Day eh?!?

Well at least I did my bit with this rather thoughtful gift to my boyfriend on the special day...I definitely think I've done my good deed for the year though!

Experimental Vegan Muffins

This was an amalgamation of my aunty's recipe and some online recipes from www.fatfreevegan.com. Essentially, they are apple and carrot wholemeal treats.

Not bad for two firsts: first-time muffin maker and first-time vegan muffin maker. I will however, post the recipe once it's perfected as they came out rather cakey. My work collegues devoured them all, but they could do with a little tweak!

SAW IV (18)

Plot

John Kramer (the criminal genius also known as Jigsaw) is finally dead, but his instructive murder mazes are not. SWAT Commander Rigg (Lyriq Bent) is tested on his desire to save everyone, when he is given ninety minutes to save two of his fellow officers. At the same time, two FBI agents consult Jigsaw's ex-wife (Betsy Russel) to uncover the root of his mania.

Review

Saw III ends with the death of Jigsaw and one of his victims trying to save his innocent child. Saw IV does not pick up this thread immediately, instead it introduces new investigators who run around through Jigsaw's infamous murder mazes.

This fourth sequel deliberately leaves the narrative open, suggesting events could be taking place in the past or present. It attempts to impress with slick editing and camera work, fusing separate scenes together and blurring timeliness. For all its cinematic wizardry,it becomes a little tedious and no real bonds are formed with any of the characters.

However, the film does go to extreme lengths to fit in with the events of the earlier films. It brings back a character each from the second and third sequel, but even their presence can't redeem the thinning storyline. Even the FBI's interrogation of Jigsaw's ex-wife, seems like a poor attempt to add substance to the plot and once again the viewer can never fully engage.

Unlike its predecessors, Saw IV struggles to impress with new innovative killing entrapments and leaves us numb to the senseless violence. The viewer is not treated with the same respect as the previous films did and it is with a heavy heart that we acknowledge that the games are set to continue, despite Jigsaw's death.