I'm preparing to teach first-year courses in both mathematics and IT skills. I claim no particular expertise in either of these things. I'd even go further and say my spreadsheet skills are pathetic. At the bank, I always had people to do spreadsheets for me as I had then and still have no interest in Excel as it bores me to death (I've actually improved since then, but only through necessity and only at the margin). I'm pretty handy with computers generally, but only when it suits me (if you want to know about the arcane world of video-file formats, then I may well be the guy you're looking for).

Anyway, someone has to teach these 10-week modules and so I decided to do it. The fact is that if you want to learn something then there's nothing like having to teach it to get you going. For example, I'd long forgotten what a cumulative frequency table is but five minutes into the teaching materials and it's now clear to me again. If the teaching materials are well-prepared and you're ready to apply yourself, it's surprising what you can do.

I did my penultimate scene for the film today. It was in a bookshop. In the scene, I was in my standard "bad boy" role and stalking one of my ex-wife's boyfriends.

Coincidentally, the bookshop was just near my flat, just over the road. I'd seen it before but, as you have to go down a ramp to go in, I'd never actually bothered to go there until today. It was huge. I mean really huge. Forget Borders. Forget everything you've ever seen. This underground bookshop was longer than a football field. Standing at one end, you couldn't see the other. It was fantastic. All decorated in a kind of "western" style with groovy fittings, that "polished smooth concrete" flooring, sofas, plenty of room to move around. Lots of people inside but, as the place was so massive, plenty of peace and quiet. Books on every imaginable subject. Awesome!

China is a frustrating place. Just when you think you know it, you find something extraordinary like this just 200 metres from your house.