In early 2015, I was sent over to Slovenia for a science education project that was being launched by the Prime Minister. It was an intensive couple of weeks. However, afterwards I stayed a few extra days in Ljubljana, so I could explore this relatively unknown – in Britain anyway – central European capital. Turns out finding Indian food in…
Leave a CommentClick here to read part one of the story. Stage two of my first ever trip to Islam’s most revered cities (aka Muslim Disneyland) was the main event: the Umrah (i.e. pilgrimage) to Makkah – birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, where the Quran was first revealed and (according to Muslims) the holiest place in the universe. There are very specific…
1 CommentIn early 2015, I was given the opportunity to visit Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah pilgrimage. It almost didn’t happen though. Firstly, thanks to a corrupt and deceitful travel agent my passport sat in a drawer for two weeks instead of being sent to the embassy. Then, secondly, I was stymied by the sheer incompetence of the staff at…
1 CommentEarly 2015 and I was heading back to Istanbul once again for a quick cultural tour of both the European old city and the Anatolian side. I love playing tour guide for family and friends who are visiting new places and, seeing as I’d lived in this city for about six months, I was the perfect person to plan the…
Leave a CommentClick here to read part 1 I’d already visited Ronda, Gibraltar and Cordoba, but we were only halfway through our tour of the Andalusian region. Having a hire car for the trip was exceptionally useful as it meant we were totally in control of our schedule and could decide to change our plans as and when we wanted. The fourth…
Leave a CommentAnother Christmas and another big foreign tour. Once again I’m spending my winter in a different country. This time around, I’ve decided to take some of my family to see the Andalusian region of Spain. As usual, we were taking the sensible option of flying into Malaga, hiring a car, and controlling our own schedule. If you have the ability…
1 CommentEdinburgh Fringe – the largest arts festival in the world – runs throughout August every year, and is the ideal summer holiday for wannabe comedians wanting to turn their dreams of a standup career into reality. A year ago I was bored, unemployed and purposeless. Late one night, while browsing eBay, I found a coach ticket to Scotland for less…
Leave a Comment“And the award for funniest blind lesbian of the year goes to…” I won an industry award last week: “Breakthrough Act Of The Year”. It certainly came as a shock given I’ve been performing standup comedy for less than a year. Don’t worry. It hasn’t gone to my head. I’m not deluded into thinking I’m the greatest comedian in the…
Leave a CommentIn the last nine months, I’ve spent most nights of the week travelling up and down the country performing at open mic comedy shows to audiences big and small. During those 150+ gigs I have, as you’d expect, met hundreds of the nicest, most intelligent and creative people around. Unsurprisingly, given what an intrinsically eccentric hobby I’m pursuing, I’ve also come across…
Leave a CommentI’ve been involved in the world of comedy since the beginning of this millennium – mainly behind the scenes in various capacities. Earlier this year, I decided I would start performing stand-up comedy and treat it the way you would any full-time job. However, unlike most people starting out fresh on the circuit, I had the advantage of my experience…
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