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islandpcosjourney · 3 years ago

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Day 7 - Autumn ‘21 challenge

24th October 2021

Day 7 and the urge to eat anything chewable only just passed through my mind today when I had to get a new packet of my pre-conception supplements from the cupboard and what’s in there, but my dark chocolate! I’m quite picky about my chocolate. I’ve tried many makes of dark chocolate but Chocolate Tree made in Scotland is the only one I like, a Venezuelan bean at 85%. I was gutted to find out recently that there was only limited stocks available of my favourite kind due to bean shortages (most likely Brexit causing issues!) Anyway, it was only a fleeting thought and to be honest, most of it was probably dehydration and a bit of boredom rather than the “junky food terrorist” rearing its ugly head. It didn’t bother me too much but I definitely noticed it being the first time this week, which is unusual for me - a sign that my imbedded habits are improving?

Looking forward to the weigh-in tomorrow. I’m feeling quite trim and satisfied that I’m heading back in the right direction again. Juicing however, is all about my general & reproductive health specifically and that is far more important just now; making sure that I am on the right track. An ovulation confirmation a fortnight ago is the first real sign we’ve had that we have any hope, whatsoever. The docs said I’d never ovulate without drugs and I believed them. I would’ve continued with any meds or procedures they’d have given me were it not for the fact that I was still too heavy, despite me having lost 10lbs between my consultations. I hadn’t responded well to Metformin, Clomid and Letrozole so a surgical procedure was my next step – if I became 2 stones lighter. I’m nearly at that target so I’ll soon have to decide whether I get back in touch with the gynaecology department or not. My instinct is telling me to continue as we are for the moment, after all the natural way is how I wanted to do it after my diagnosis 10 years ago anyway. I read and read and read tons of books on the subject and “knew” exactly what had to be done. Life got in the way plus we weren’t going to be trying for children back then anyway so all of my specialist appointments were ALL angled around controlling symptoms rather than TTC so without focus, all my good knowledge flew out of the window; it wasn’t a priority. Although now I know that if I’d done my groundwork back then and focused on the potential future we’d have, maybe I could’ve prevented such a delay. Who knows, nobody, it’s in the past, can’t be re-written, move on.

Today was a moving on day for certain. Moving on from a fluctuation of emotions over the past few days. My pre-menstrual mood swings have been awful this time, resulting me in crying over the slightest thing – something which Kevin took great delight in teasing me over 😏 It is quite funny really. I wasn’t sure about church this morning. I’d been quite upset over a few things upon waking so I was feeling quite vulnerable and unsure if I’d make it through the service without tearing up. BUT once I had my double ginger shot (oh yes, DOUBLE today to get that zing back in my step!) I felt like I could conquer the world and do anything so I got showered and dressed in my new favourite dress (Popsy Evanna), took some comparison pictures (below, as I wasn’t feeling up to it yesterday) and merrily went on my way to Church. I was so glad I did because it gave me the lift and spiritual boost I was needing. I’m quite old fashioned when it comes to church. I was brought up in the Free Church of Scotland (FCoS), we moved to the FCoS (Continuing) in 2000 when our church in Edinburgh was one of the breakaway churches but all the while our upbringing still had our Mum’s Free Presbyterian background influencing us, so I still wear a hat to church and dresses rather than trousers. It’s a tradition thing, just like Kevin insists on wearing his suit trousers and a shirt, sometimes a tie (& jacket depending on the weather). I also take my own bible with me as I still like to read the pages and feel the page turns when the minister is reading a passage. I also like to be able to read before and after the verses he’s chosen, so I can see the context for myself rather than only being able to see the chosen verses on the screen. That’s a personal thing but also influenced from my childhood where we were always encouraged to know the order of the books of the bible, be able to memorise and recite psalms & prayers - something which wouldn’t have made sense without seeing it in a physical bible. I did go through a phase when I was trying out not taking my bible as I still only had the King James Version (still my preferred version) but the denomination was now using the English Standard. I didn’t like not having a bible in my hand in church so I bought my own ES bible a few years ago in a teal leatherette to match my favourite colours – obviously!

Today however, I was more than pleased that I had taken my bible with me, as the chosen verses from Ephesians Chapter 1:15-21 were read out and then the guest preacher announced that the best of the chapter had actually come before it, even though he wasn’t going to read it out! So I promptly read it 🤷🏻‍♀️ Couldn’t have done that if I was just looking at a screen now, could I? 🤪 I also noticed that there were many headings above certain passages – Spiritual blessings in Christ, Thanksgiving and prayer (the passage we were studying), By Grace through Faith etc. My eyes were being drawn to all of these headings and I turned my pages to see what others would follow – teachings on what it means to be a Christian. My eyes hooked upon the Chapter 5 section “Wives and husbands” – notice how Wife gets first mention 😏 and as I started reading this exact sentence, so did the preacher 😲

28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

If you believe in God, you believe he works in mysterious ways & all things are predestined. If you don’t then you’d call this a coincidence. It brought a tear to my eye that I had been drawn to exactly the same sentence at exactly the same moment as the preacher was reading it out. What was he trying to tell me? Well during our TTC journey, Kevin has had to change a few things about his lifestyle too and over the years I’ve not been convinced that he was on the same journey priorities-wise as me, until I made a huge turnaround with my health and reinstated my cycles last Christmas. Then he perked up. I was the mitigating factor to be fair.

Generally speaking when TTC, yes the woman might need to change her habits to increase her chances of good egg quality, regular ovulation, balanced hormones etc but it is always encouraged for the man to do the same, for optimal quality of his millions of swimmers too. In another way I always felt that it was just kind and respectful for him to do so anyway as you should…….. (Matthew 7:12) Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It wasn’t a coincidence that it was exactly this that our Minister, who took the first portion of the service, was speaking about in his children’s talk. He’s been going through the Lord’s Prayer, phrase by phrase each week and today was the “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” He had a brilliant description of it for the children in the format of “Don’t do this” but then promptly did it himself.

Don’t eat chocolate – he ate a chocolate

Don’t play on your phone too much – he played on his phone.

Don’t eat sweets; he did

Don’t pick your nose; he did

Don’t eat fizzy drinks; he did

So, if the woman is expected to change her lifestyle then so too should the man, to a certain extent; and the health professionals do advise this; for men to significantly cut back on smoking, drinking, unhealthy eating & wearing tight boxers, among other things. It would only be rude if I were to change everything and he changed nothing, right? Well, for long enough, Kevin was still eating whatever he wanted and tempting me while I was trying my hardest to juice – feeding my cells quickly with vital nutrition. If I’m honest, I wanted him to act normally, to see if I could be trained out of the temptation of simply following him for ease or allowing the junky food terrorist to win! But now he eats, and craves, tons of veg (alongside his BBQ delights) and he is aiming (although not always winning) at reducing his portion sizes too. He’s definitely vaping a lot less (although it’s been 0% nicotine for years anyway) and is definitely smoking less (bar the occasional pipe-smoking session when drinking). Which then brings me to the drinking which isn’t “significantly” less, but he is monitoring it rather than allowing free-reign when he’s home, so it’s a start.

28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Kevin is always telling me how much he loves me but perhaps this verse tells him a little more than it just being about loving me, but also of loving himself. What comes next in the chapter is, 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. There’s your proof if ever you needed it. Nourish and cherish your bodies, as you should love it just as much as your true love. This verse comes after Kevin’s favourite quote of the bible: 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord – totally taken out of context, he is always quoting this to me, in jest! I only laugh. We have such an equal relationship and a very open and honest one. He knows me better than I know myself probably and I can say what I like to him as we’re best friends.

Going through this journey with him makes it special, easier and worthwhile. In no way did we think we’d be at this stage a year ago as the comparison picture above clearly shows the bad state in which I was in (despite having already been juicing for 2 months). I asked him which of the two comparison pictures that I made should I use and he wanted to use the one with the Popsy dress because “You look tidy today” 😂 whereas I wanted to use the one where I’m wearing the same top but a size smaller in jeggings (below) which shows mid Spring challenge to today in more of a direct comparison. That top is for sale on FB marketplace now as it just flaps over my bust & falls off my shoulders – covers nothing so no good for me anymore but still plenty of wear in it for someone! Despite having been up and down since June really, I can still see major changes in my body shape and that’s such good encouragement to make me continue, all the time making our future more embryonic (pardon the pun 🤪).

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travelsofablonde · 5 years ago

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Royal Pain

WOW! I’m actually able to do more than one blog today! But only because I HAD to do laundry tonight because we leave for a week in London tomorrow morning. BTW it’s 8:30 pm here and the sun is still out and we got back from Conwy and Caernarfon about 30 minutes ago--I’m exhausted!

Anyway! This post is about what happened AFTER we check in to the hostel in Edinburgh and pretty much the events of that first day. I may end up breaking this into multiple posts depending on the length.

SOOO After arriving in Edinburgh we basically threw our bags into a room at the hostel (because they weren’t done prepping everything for us) and then we started the hike (and I mean freaking HIKE) up to The Royal Mile.

The Royal Mile is basically this massively long street (I’m guessing it’s a mile long but it seems like it might be 2-3 miles to me) going all the way from Edinburgh Castle at the top, down to Holyrood Palace at the bottom. And all along the way are pubs and small museums (a few old grave yards) and shops. Lots and LOTS of shops! It’s basically your must see spot if you’re a first timer in Edinburgh. So, I didn’t know this at the time, but there’s a short cut from the hostel to the mile that’s WAY easier but for the first time Dr. Mann had us march the hardest way imaginable. But it’s kind of also the coolest. So we leave the hostel to grab a fast snack several streets over at a Sainsbury’s (convenient store) and then head back down hill to cross princess street and head towards the Waverley Steps (train station entrance). But we don’t go in and instead cross the bridge over the water to the older area of the city. This is where it got difficult because it became a straight up hill walk on a teeny tiny sidewalk filled with tons of other tourists trying to get on tour busses on what actually ended up being a pretty warm day (for Scotland).

We stopped at a cross walk and listened to Dr. Mann talk about the history of the city and then we crossed up to this group of buildings with a dark but very old and very interesting stone stairway in between them. Obviously we climbed that upwards as well and I didn’t think we’d ever stop climbing when suddenly i’m stepping through a door frame (without a door) onto a busy street! We were right there just below Edinburgh Castle at the top of the mile!

It was full of people speaking Scots speak, Gaelic, English, and a billion other languages and the most amazing scents! I could smell bread and whiskey and chocolate and so many other things! We took a few minutes to rest and then we began our descent. This was much easier because we were going at a much slower pace (Dr. Mann’s Calves of Magical Olde are too fast for us) and obviously it was downhill.

But let me tell you guys... my feet. My poor poor poor exhausted feet were KILLING me. In fact most of the walk I could barely focus on the sights and was concentrating only on my painful feet. Thus the name of this blog.

On our way we passed the burial place of the great John Knox, the leader of the Scottish Reformation (and possible founder of the presbyterian church) who died in 1572. Unfortunately his grave stone (and i’m fairly certain his actual grave site as well) is now in a parking lot between St. Giles Cathedral and some Scottish government buildings. He is specifically buried under Slot #23!

For those of you who have been reading my blog (hello to all 2 of you!) then you already know I’ve done a post bout what happened next--- we went to Holyrood Palace and Abbey Ruins. If you haven’t been reading my blog (WELCOME FIRST TIMERS!) then please scroll down to find that blog. I honestly can’t even remember the title right now... but we’re going to skip ahead to what happened after Holyrood.

Upon leaving Holyrood most of the group meandered back UP the royal mile to head to our dorms. I was really not in the mood to keep up with he of the magical calves of older, our lord and sovereign Henry VIII aka Dr. Mann. He just walks to damn fast. SO me and the illustrious Ray (Rayanna for those not keeping up) decided I would go with her to check into her Airbnb and just kind of take our time. ***SIDE NOTE: Ray is one of the oldest people on our trip. She’s 48 (I think?) and is a graduate student of both of my professors and therefore was granted special permission to get her own accommodations as she saw fit through out the trip while also having a bed in the dorms and hostels if she should need it.***

So Ray and I set about walking slowly up the mile at our own pace and taking in the different shops vying for our attention and that of every other tourist looking to burn some notes on the mile (apparently cash is called a note, not to be confused with the coinage). We finally discovered her Airbnb entrance right behind a Starbucks (actually above it once you climb the 44 stairs -- yes she counted them). It was a quaint little place and had everything she’d need for a few days in country and after resting and letting her settle in we headed back to the dorms to grab her suitcases.

This also was perfect because Dr. Mann decided he was going to take us out to eat on the universities dime! There is nothing college kids love more than free food. Especially when someone else is cooking it. The funny thing isn’t that he chose a place on the mile, but that he chose a place that cooks Mexican food! In the middle of Edinburgh, Scotland our entire study abroad group, including one alumni and the significant others of both professor are shoved into the backroom of Poncho Villa’s Mexican Restaurant where a group of (INSANELY TALENTED) Spaniards made us the most delicious Mexican dishes and kept the margaritas coming (we had to buy the ourselves because the university can’t buy booze).

Oh.. they also had sombrero’s on the back of several of our chairs that they encouraged us to wear so of course we did!

That was pretty much it. After that we went back to the hostel to rest and if you’ve been reading the blog then you now all about the hostel adventures!

That’s all for tonight. It’s now 9:23 at night.. my clothes are still not done.. I haven’t eaten (thank God Hannah Ricks is making fried chicken for us back in the dorm kitchen) and i’m so so tired. And I really need a shower. I was totally going to post a photo of the hot mess I look like right now... but I thought better of it because it’s pretty bad. Today was a long and rough day and I don’t think I’ve ever gone up so many stairs in my entire existence. But that’s a story for another blog post. Probably several days late like this one. So in the words of another Brit we all know and love, TTFN -- Ta Ta For Now!

-Chey

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recentnews18-blog · 6 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://shovelnews.com/comedian-eshaan-akbar-i-want-people-to-see-the-funny-side-of-the-koran/

Comedian Eshaan Akbar: 'I want people to see the funny side of the Koran'

Eshaan Akbar is a diplomatic provocateur.

The 33-year-old stand-up is one of the BBC Asian Network’s latest breakout talents. He first made waves on the comedy circuit supporting Micky Flanagan on tour in 2014 but now he’s wading into choppier waters. His latest set-piece, Prophet Like It’s Hot, aims to show the Koran “is actually quite funny” at the Edinburgh Fringe.

“If someone kills me for doing this, which a lot of people are worried about, I think it will at least make people sit up and take notice,” says Akbar, tucking into a halloumi burger at Bill’s in Kensington. “I don’t know if I want to die for my job — I’ve got plenty more shows left in me — but what a legacy that would leave, eh?”

Dangerously funny, maybe. But there’s plenty of humour to be found in religion, a fact that’s crucial to the show’s mandate of demystifying Islam. “Comedy is an integral part of making people think and feel differently about issues,” he says. “I want people to be challenged, have conversations and feel uncomfortable. Well, fundamentally I want them to laugh. They can feel uncomfortable while in a plush seat and not walking out, hopefully.”

Edinburgh Fringe comedian Olga Koch on coming from Russia with laughs

Three weeks ago a woman came up to him after a preview show. “It turned out she was on that train at Parson’s Green with the bomber on, and had sat opposite him,” says Akbar. “She was in tears because she said that ever since that incident she’s struggled to reconcile her relationship with people from the Islamic community and the fact of what could have happened to her. So she cried and held me because she said I made terrorism funny. I was able to somehow make her laugh about a quite serious thing, and there’s something wonderful about that.”

Born in Whitechapel, Akbar’s family moved to Essex and he attended a Church of England school, Stonebridge, on a scholarship. “I was a bit of a misfit, the poor brown boy at a private school in Essex,” he says.

It was a nuclear family at home: mum a Bangladeshi Thatcherite, his dad a Pakistani Labourite, both strictly following the tenets of Islam (he has a younger brother, now a teacher). “When I visited Bangladesh I was too British to be Bangladeshi, and here I’m too Bangladeshi to be British,” he says. “It’s weird. My mum first heard me speak English when I was seven, and I had a bit of an Essex twang, which would not wash. She’d pull out her favourite book, Wuthering Heights, and say: ‘I want you to read this like you’re on the BBC. If you start swallowing your ts I’ll smack you’. I gave Heathcliff a Yorkshire accent, which really annoyed her.”

Yet Akbar hasn’t been a practising Muslim for years now. This, he says, grants him perspective. “I was raised within the faith but my mum said: ‘The lottery of life meant that you were born a Muslim. I’ll tell you Islam is great but if I’d been Jewish I’d be saying Judaism is great. The same if I’d been born a Christian’. So with that upbringing I was always able to respect everything.”

The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

9 show all

1/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Jen Brister

Idil Sukan

2/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Sara Barron

Carla Guler

3/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Rosie Jones

Aemen Sukkar

4/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe

Suzi Ruffell

Jiksaw

5/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Jamali Maddix

6/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Nish Kumar

BBC/Endemol Shine UK

7/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Norris & Parker

8/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

David O’Doherty

9/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Lazy Susan

Bobby Goulding

1/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Jen Brister

Idil Sukan

2/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Sara Barron

Carla Guler

3/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Rosie Jones

Aemen Sukkar

4/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe

Suzi Ruffell

Jiksaw

5/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Jamali Maddix

6/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Nish Kumar

BBC/Endemol Shine UK

7/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Norris & Parker

8/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

David O’Doherty

9/9 The best comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2018

Lazy Susan

Bobby Goulding

He found the teachings at the mosque inflexible. “Even the revelation itself came from the prophet asking questions of society. But we weren’t taught any of the historical context. All I was told was: ‘Read this’. The first alphabet I learned to read was Arabic and I didnt know what any of it meant. If I dared to question I’d get slapped. They said: ‘This is the word of God and that’s it, don’t ask questions’. As I got older that pushed me away.”

Comedy was not his next calling though. There was a long fixation with the diplomatic corps. Three of his uncles were in the service, and used to pick him up, aged six, in a limousine. “I used to wear a clip-on lime green tie every time they visited,” he says. “I wanted to be an ambassador.”

He studied economics at Queen Mary, University of London, and bought a house in Chadwell Heath, near Romford aged 18 — “I lucked out. Easy credit.” He buckled up for a career in banking through Barclays’ graduate programme — his parents lost their house in the 1991 recession and he needed to support the family.

“The main thing I did was wealth management for celebrities. There were some big names, including a comedian of much repute whose financial affairs were a bit of a scandal.”

So… Jimmy Carr?

“Right, so there we go. You look at someone like Jimmy Carr’s bank account and the remarkable thing was he had as much money as he did. For context, to open an account with me you needed £5 million in investment assets or an annual cash flow of £450,000. So, big money. And I’m a 21-year-old going ‘I’m never going to see that much’. And he’s doing comedy.”

The best new writing to see at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2018

He was made redundant during the 2008 financial crisis and went into occupational overdrive. He briefly reignited his diplomatic aspirations, studying for an MA at Birkbeck before dropping it. He then freelanced for The Observer and worked as a researcher for Sky News. “I’d even been a dance choreographer for a bit outside work at Barclays,” he says. “It was Bollywood. I choreographed groups for weddings, that kind of stuff.”

Then, some luck. A producer at Sky filmed him for a broadcast audition tape and spotted his flair for comedy. That was the nudge he needed. Akbar took an eight-week stand-up course and was spotted by Micky Flanagan’s agent.

In 2014 his mum died. “I had two gigs left after her passing. I was going to do them, and that was going to be it. I couldn’t think about anything but my mum. But I hadn’t realised how cathartic comedy was for me. Confronting people who didn’t know me and my story and not thinking about my mum, it just became this safe space where I could enjoy myself.”

Akbar still lives with his dad and brother but even that’s comic material. He’s written a sitcom — still in the works — about trying to find love while living with his “housemates”. “They have loads of sex and I get nothing in the show,” he says.

London’s best comedy clubs and nights

15 show all

1/15 The Soho Theatre

Sara Pascoe’s favourite comedy venue, and with good reason: the Soho Theatre is arguably London’s finest place to see both up-and-coming and established acts. Being a theatre, rather than a comedy club per se, expect to see full sets from individuals rather than bills with a few comics. Its three rooms host all sorts of things, from the latest Edinburgh winners to big names road-testing their latest bits. The standard is reliably excellent: even if you’ve never heard of a comedian, chances are, if they’re playing here, they’ll be worth watching.

2/15 The Comedy Store

Another old favourite, the Comedy Store benefits from being built for purpose: no other venue in London suits stand-up quite so well (and the beer isn’t too ridiculously priced, either). After starting out above a strip club in Soho, this place made its name throughout the eighties by breaking the pioneers in alternative comedy. It’s happy to host mainstream stars these days, and never struggles to draw top acts, but if you can only make one thing, try The Comedy Store Players, old pros whose improvised shows on Wednesdays and Sundays all but guarantee hilarity. Tuesday’s The Cutting Edge is best for those who like topical humour.

3/15 Old Rope at The Phoenix

Old Rope is popular with circuit veterans and newbies alike, so the weekly show usually has a mix of big names, comedy veterans and ones-to-watch. Host Tiff Stevenson leads an evening of new material – yes, lots of jokes given their test run – and it’s given its name for the noose that hangs over the stage. Ironically, this noose is a bit of a life-saver: if the new act is going badly, comics can grab the rope and fall back on old material.

4/15 Knock2bag

Always top value, the Knock2bag nights offer the chance to indulge in the odder end of the comedy spectrum: expect serious helpings of whimsy, eccentricity and surrealism. If you’re looking for something different, this is your place to go.

5/15 Monkey Business Comedy Club

A first-rate comedy club and well worth travelling for. We’d pick the Thursday night over Saturday, but you’ll get a decent show on either day. There’s a mix of big names and up-and-comers, and host Martin Besserman is a pro who’ll keep you laughing in between acts. Of which, there’s often as many as twelve a night, so you’ll get your money’s worth. If one isn’t to your taste, another promises a laugh.

6/15 Banana Cabaret Club

The Banana Cabaret Club hosts a lot of top drawer comics, and is well loved in comedy circles – in part, because they’ve been going a good thirty years and in part because of the man running things, David Vickers, whose had everyone from Eddie Izzard to Stephen K Amos performing. Stars pop-in, and comedy circuit regulars play often, but it’s also on the finest spots to see new talent . No wonder Marcus Brigstocke name-checked it as his favourite London comedy club. Besides, once the two-hour show is done (typically wrapping up around 11pm), DJs strike up and everyone dances till 2am. Splendid.

http://vivivi.co.uk/

7/15 Piccadilly Comedy Club

Hats off to the Piccadilly for keeping comedy cheap: their shows cost £10 at the most, and they do a ‘meal deal’, where you can eat at Tiger Tiger and see the show for £20 all-in. A bargain. Expect a mix of well-known TV regulars alongside the best newcomers on the scene. Line-ups are particularly well thought out here: they don’t just sling together anyone, so the nights tend to be uniformly excellent.

8/15 Leicester Square Theatre

The Leicester Square Theatre draws the big names, so expect to see top flight acts: Richard Herring hosts a weekly podcast here on Wednesdays, and the likes of Bridget Christie, Micky Flanagan and Frankie Boyle all make it a stopping point on their tours. That said, check the website for what’s upcoming – there are chance to see some under-the-radar sets too.

9/15 Live at Zédel

The excellent Brasserie Zédel – whose Bar Americain is one of the finest drinking spots in the capital – relaunched Crazy Coqs as Live At Zédel last year and following a successful first run, are launching their second season. Besides comedy – the standard is usually very decent – they also host musical theatre and drag acts. The cocktails are terrific and there’s at-table service. Eat in the restaurant beforehand (or after), too: we swung by recently and the food is as good as its ever been. Cheap, too.

10/15 Happy Mondays

This fortnightly show boasts the best new up-and-coming acts in the capital, combined with big name hosts – expect the likes of Miles Jupp, Sara Pascoe and Holly Walsh – who keep the standard up to scratch. Definitely up to par, somewhere to find your new favourite comedian.

11/15 Angel Comedy

Just how a comedy club should be: small, crowded and above a pub. Best of all, it’s free, and each night offers something different, from open-mic nights to well-known names giving their latest sets an airing. Check the website for details, but you won’t be let down – just get down early, as it fills up quickly.

12/15 Ginglik Comedy Club

Following a decade of success in Shepherd’s Bush, this comedy club has found a new home at the ever-popular Roof Gardens. Known as ‘Jimmy Carr’s favourite comedy club’, the Ginglik has had everyone from Al Murray to Robin Williams play, and is set for more success.

13/15 Laugh Out London

The likes of Stewart Lee, Reginald D Hunter and Tony Law play these nights, which gives an idea of just how decent they are. Laugh Out London always do a good job of bringing the highlights from Edinburgh festival to town, so take the chance to see who everyone’s been tweeting about.

14/15 The 99 Club

This Leicester Square club is much, much better than you might expect for a place that continually flyers. A big favourite with the Chortle Awards, it always attracts big names – it runs a little like ‘Live At The Apollo’ but on a smaller scale. There are three acts a night, and shows are fairly priced: some are as cheap as a fiver, though most will cost around £10 – £15. They’ve also got venues in Soho and Covent Garden.

15/15 Live At The Chapel

Bit of a shame that shows here are so few and far between – usually about once a month – but there’s no place more beautiful than the Union Chapel to see comedy in London. The upside is that, with so few performances, they always get the big names headlining, with unfailingly impressive support. Plus there’s usually a live band, who are fab. The atmosphere is everything.

Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

1/15 The Soho Theatre

2/15 The Comedy Store

3/15 Old Rope at The Phoenix

4/15 Knock2bag

5/15 Monkey Business Comedy Club

6/15 Banana Cabaret Club

http://vivivi.co.uk/

7/15 Piccadilly Comedy Club

8/15 Leicester Square Theatre

9/15 Live at Zédel

10/15 Happy Mondays

11/15 Angel Comedy

12/15 Ginglik Comedy Club

13/15 Laugh Out London

14/15 The 99 Club

15/15 Live At The Chapel

Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

Based on real life experience? “Slightly. My brother’s got a girlfriend in America and he’s having more sex than me.” He laughs. “I get no matches on Tinder. None. Muslim Tinder however, aka Minder… oh boy. You can declare how religious you are on there and a lot of girls, when they find someone who’s not religious, they’re like, ‘Oh, hello’. I’m the bad boy. I never thought I’d play that role.”

You’ve got to have faith. Even when you don’t.

Eshaan Akbar’s Prophet Like It’s Hot is at the Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh (edfringe.com) August 1-26

Source: https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/arts/comedian-eshaan-akbar-i-want-people-to-see-the-funny-side-of-the-koran-a3895681.html

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