Hi there! BISC Blog followers
This is your BISC Blog master reporting once again on the activities staged at BISC on the night of Friday 14th November 2008. This was the same day as the national 'Children in Need' and the Prince of Wales 60th birthday. The BISC night was even better. It focused on the International feast and games, and what a night it was of food, flags, games and enjoyment, and by the hilarious laughter that echoed through the hallowed halls (that is the lounge, kitchen, toilet areas and the reception hall) of the BISC Centre, the Team can only assume that a good time was had by all!
Even Oscar the International Owl was ready to go! He was observed at 10am in his usual perch, looking cool and eyeing up the University girls walking by with a rat in his claws!
There were about 50 international students present at the function supported by a contingent from Bristol University CU and the BISC Team. The range of food was amazing. Oh! By the way Joe thanks for the English range of chips! Perhaps less salt next time though ok! The range and talent of our international guests is amazing as was evident from the flags that were produced. There were flags representing every part of the Globe and food to match! I didn't notice any Welsh food or flags though. Perhaps they had their own celebration for Prince Charles and his 60th!
The games were outstandingly fiendish and where could you go except to BISC to see all the academic potential from the universe walking around in a crowded BISC lounge with labels on their foreheads. Excuse my ignorance but who is Bart Simpson? Is he related to Tony Blair? However I did notice an attractive Pavarotti, and an over sized Marilyn Munroe. By the way, whatever happened to Bridget Bardot?
The second game of signs was a little too intellectual for John who was relegated to collecting the empties and returning them to the kitchen. Perhaps this is the time to say a big thank you to the unseen heroines of the night Jacqueline and Hannah who spent their time washing up, putting away and cleaning the kitchen whilst the rest of the party went on with the party as it were! Jacqueline had been at BISC for most of the day. Jacqueline is the lovely South African lady who is a real gem! Next time you see Hannah and Jacqueline just say thanks; they will appreciate it.
Finally on a historical note! Before his curiosity was drowned out by the high powered intellectual activity of the signs game, John's sign was twisting his nose with this hand. No that's right John cannot twist his nose without his hand!!! This was a sign used by Victorian criminals serving time in prisons in England over 100 years ago. You were not allowed to speak in prisons, and a silent regime was the order of the day. So to communicate the prisoners used signs to communicate to each other. Twisting the nose was a sign meaning 'have you any tobacco?' The criminal slang for tobacco was 'snout' which means nose. For this piece of information I must thank my old friend from school days way back in the olden days before the Beatles and Rolling Stones had made the big time! Tim worked for the British Prison Service for 30 years as a nursing officer. He too completed a doctorate late in life with the Open University, but his thesis was far more interesting than mine. His thesis was 'The Victorian Underworld and Silent Separate regime: A Study of 19th century British penal policy'. Thanks Tim and thank you all you wonderful beautiful people who come to BISC and revitalize our City and universities and make the BISC team very happy! The next trip on Saturday 22 November is to a castle and a pit. I cannot wait!!
