Kwai’s Dish
Fish and Chips, Root Beer

Yiki’s Dish
Shrimps, Fish and Salad with a side of Papaya sauce and Sour cream and chive dip. POG juice (Passionfruit, orange and guava)

Exterior
A small car park outside at the front. It’s located near the main coast of Kona on the same stretch of road but not adjacent to the sea, hence it’s restaurant name. It’s easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it at night.

Interior
The restaurant is split into a bar and restaurant layout with an outside sheltered portion.

Service
Friendly waitress who explained that Hawaii is different to the rest of the USA when it comes to chips. They take the British version of chips which are fat french fries to the other Americans.

Toilets
They were in poor condition and not clean.

Review
I had fish and chips a couple of times in Hawaii and I like the style of how the dish is served compared to how it is served in the UK. The fish and chips I had at Quinn’s was not the best I had in Hawaii but it wasn’t bad. It lacked a little seasoning but it was still enjoyable. The wife’s dish was very similar but with shrimps too and without the chips. The POG juice tasted like it came from a carton rather than being made fresh. One good thing the place has going for it is the late opening times (open past 9pm) which is rare on the island of Hawaii.

Score
9/20

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The white sand beach at Hapuna stretches half a mile which is not massive by any means. The beach is Hawaii Island’s most visited beach located just north of the Mauna Lani Resort. Because of the closed off location you do need to drive to get there. I’ve got to admit, having seen all the ranting and raving on the internet praising Hapuna Beach as ‘The best beach in the world’ or ‘The prettiest beach in the world’ I was really expecting a lot more. The sand may be white but it’s not as white as some beaches I have visited in Australia. The water is clear and the location is great for the sunset. There is apparently lots of fish around but I did not see nay fish life around. I’ve yet to see a real top 10 beach list with Hapuna Beach in it. they are mainly Hawaii or USA tourist biased reviews with little substance. The feet washing facility was broken and there was no running fresh water anywhere which was really annoying afterwards when trying to clear sand off myself.

Generally I was not impressed by the facilities but I was happy to see our familiar sunset – which we could see anyway from our Hotel Room at the Mauna Lani! If you aren’t already staying at the Mauna Lani or at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel then the Hapuna Beach State Park is probably worth a visit.

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Waipiʻo Valley is signposted from Highway 19 and is close to Waimea. Once in the Hamakua district it’s a short drive to a free car park where you can choose to drive down the steepest road in the USA in your 4 wheel drive or you can just take a view form the lookout point.

I took a look at the steep single lane off road down to the valley floor and i didn’t fancy it. There is a warning that only true 4 wheel drive cars are allowed down the road as it’s super steep with a gradient of 1 in 4. The beach at the shore of the valley is a black sand beach. The view is breathtaking and is worth a visit even if you don’t venture into the valley.

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Kwai’s Dish
Real Turkey Wrap with Pineapple Slaw

Yiki’s Dish
Linguine with chicken breast & garlic tomatoes.

Exterior
Off a quiet road with a big sign on the roadside. Free car park.

Interior
Large windows are open to the view of… the car park. The inside is painted in summer colours of lime green and yellow with a bar area for a quick or lazy drink.

Service
Our waitress was a little slow to take our order but food came out quickly. The waitress could not recommend any dishes.

Toilets
Not well maintained. Could be a lot cleaner.

Review
Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill was not the easiest place to find as we drove down Kuakini Hwy but then a large board suddenly appeared with Jackie Rey’s on it and we had arrived. The place looked welcoming and the waitress seemed good to start off with. Her level of service dipped quickly however as she spent most of her time chatting to other staff at the bar or out of sight altogether.

I chose a very strange sounding dish, the ‘Real Turkey Wrap with Pineapple Slaw’ which did have real pieces of turkey in it. I’ve not often eaten fake turkey so i found this point amusing. The real turkey was overcooked and dry, the wrap was cold and together with the slaw felt more like a deli sandwich rather than a sit down lunch. My wife’s linguine was overcooked and soggy. The chicken was overcooked and the taste of the garlic tomatoes drowned out any other interest in the flavour stakes.

The experience at Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill was a poor one and did not reflect Hawaiian dining at it’s best but rather near the worst. It was unfortunate that we bothered to go there.

Score
6/20

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The above video shows a full tour of the Mauna Lani Resort on Hawaii Island. (You can even see Maui from the beach there!)

The Mauna Lani Resort (also known as Mauna Lani Bay & Bungalows) was where my wife and I decided to have our wedding ceremony and was our hotel for the duration of our trip in Hawaii. Rooms at the hotel cost up to $1830 USD per night so it’s not a cheap place to stay. The bungalows for family stays are even more expensive so expectations are high for the premium resort. Mauna Lani rarely disappoints with it’s high level of service, quality rooms, restaurants and even weather! It’s dry and warm most of the time due to it’s location on the West side of the Big island of Hawaii shielded from the wetlands of the East side of the Island. The ocean rooms look out onto a timeless picture of tranquility and peace. The sound of the ocean can be muted by the heavy patio doors or can be left open with the mosquito fence in place of glass.

The grounds are well laid out and design is classy throughout the building which is open to the sky. The restaurants are world class with the signature Canoehouse leading the way with it’s Michelin pedigree. The Bay Terrace is a fantastic place to dine for a luxurious breakfast or have a coffee. The Mauna Lani also has a couple of golf courses and a wedding planning service whihc we used. The beach has a few hammocks and chairs with shade to kick back and relax after a hard day of sightseeing or during the lazy days of the holiday.

There are some water activities available like kayaking available but these come at a huge premium. The flowers and trees cap off the superb views at the Mauna Lani resort which is a place to remember for any special occasion or a regular visit if you’re rich enough!

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Kwai’s Dish
Chili Rellenos, Carnitas

Yiki’s Dish
Chicken Burrito Deluxe

Exterior
Based in the small town of Pahoa just north of the observation area for the lava flowing into the ocean. Looks like an old western movie style building. Free parking on gravel next to restaurant.

Interior
Decorated to feel like an authentic little Mexican restaurant.

Service
Our waitress was friendly and explained some dishes I had never heard of before quite well.

Toilets
Restrooms were OK but could have been cleaner.

Review
Having just viewed lava flowing into the ocean at the end of route 130, there was little chance that we would make it to Hilo in time for last orders so we stopped off in the nearest town of Pahoa. It was a great choice as we were treated to well cooked authentic Mexican food. The food did not look brilliant on the plate but it made friends with my taste buds very quickly. Luquin’s would score higher if they worked on presentation, had a better explained menu and perhaps a nicer restroom, the food though is not to be missed!

Score
10/20

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At the end of the drive is a walk down to the coast a safe distance away from lava flowing into the ocean. Unfortunately from April 2010, the lava has changed direction from the the erupting Puʻu ʻŌʻō and is not flowing into the ocean anymore but is likely to link back up to the old lava flow so it’s one to note for future vacations. We were lucky enough to catch the super red lava flow into the ocean which can only be seen as the light fades to dark. During the day it just looks like smoke. Good footwear is a great idea because the path is rocky and uneven. Lava makes some strange patterns, some of which look like dinosaur fossils which means that a good torch is also necessary to ensure that your fossils don’t end up there! It’s pitch black at night and the walk is a lot longer than it appeared on the way out during the light of day. If lava does flow into the ocean again in the future then a sunset visit is well worth the effort as seen in the video below.

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Hawaii was formed by a string of lava flows from a group of volcanoes in the ocean. Some of these volcanoes are still active today including Mauna Loa which still forms land on the Island of Hawaii in Hawaii (otherwise known as the big island). The living history of Hawaii has been captured and turned into a small museum in the Hawaii volcanoes national park which is a world heritage site. It doesn’t really need much protecting though as anything built onto it would probably be melted down in the future!

Throughout Hawaii’s history, towns have literally been burned down by molten lava. In recent history the Kīlauea volcano took out Kaimū and Kalapana in 1990. These days, the main activity comes from Puʻu ʻŌʻō which has been flowing out into the ocean until very recently.

The federal run Hawaii volcanoes national park is good value but only requires a day visit unless a week long ascent to the top of Mauna Loa is on the cards. There is not that much to see any more as the lava activity is the main selling point of any volcanic attraction and there is none happening at the park. I still think it’s worth a visit before driving down to the end of route 130 to catch any lava flowing into the ocean which may happen again in 2011 onwards.

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Kwai’s Dish
‘The Pocho’ (Portuguese sausage omelet) with a side of hash brown. Coconut Pancake with side of ice cream. Passionfruit, Orange and Guava syrup. POG juice (Passionfruit, Orange and Guava)

Yiki’s Dish
Banana Pancake with side of ice cream. Chef’s choice (Spinach, sausage, herbs, onion mushroom omelet). Passionfruit, Orange and Guava syrup. POG juice (Passionfruit, Orange and Guava)

Exterior
Busy free car park which is prone to flooding when weather is wet. Located on the corner of 2 major roads. The Restaurant is styled as an old style Asian Pagoda building.

Interior
Decked out like an American 60s diner with booth style seating. Everything is a little worse for wear and also on the dirty sticky side of clean. Probably a result of a mixture of under staffing and 24 hour opening.

Service
I was confused about the menu as pretty much everything came with pancakes which took the waitress a while to explain while she looked a little lethargic and bothered. She ended up being friendly but with a grumpy attitude. When a Sumo dish is ordered all the staff go nuts and a gong is banged to liven up the atmosphere. Service was quick.

Toilets
The restrooms were awful to visit. They are worse than many of the public toilets available in Hawaii. They looked as if they had not been cleaned for a few days.

Review
I was really looking forward to eating breakfast at Ken’s House of Pancakes because of it’s rave reviews on Urbanspoon and USA today. Ken’s House of Pancakes was the highest rated breakfast or brunch place on Hawaii Island on Urbanspoon and the USA today article is published on the wall as you walk into the restaurant and on their website and is dated 2008. It must be good right? WRONG! Perhaps it’s my high expectations of something special, perhaps it’s my perception of culinary brilliance, perhaps I don’t understand the Ken’s house of Pancakes experience or perhaps it’s just because the food and restaurant were crap!

Let’s start from the outside, a car park with no drainage is not too welcoming when it’s wet (which it is a lot in Hilo). Walking in through the doors, the place is dirty. The walls are bragging about how great they are which I find arrogant. The service is grumpy, tired and lazy. The seats and tables are in poor health. Everything is sticky because nobody seems to be cleaning anything. The menu is appallingly designed and shouts out ‘Cheap and tacky’. Then the food comes out and it’s lazily presented, greasy, flavourless, bland and boring. Then a visit to the restroom to wash down the sticky fingers picked up by the dirty syrup jugs reveals flooded faeces and urine on the floor. I had less chance of picking up a lethal bacterial dose cleaning my hands in the puddle in the car park than I did from the disgusting restroom sink.

Maybe it’s the fact that it’s the only 24 hour place to eat or drink on the island that draws loyalty from the 1am crowd but I don’t understand why the place is so popular. If anyone was to look at all the restaurant review videos I’ve made, I would very much doubt if anyone would rate Ken’s Pancakes as the most attractive dishes in Hawaii. The breakfast (and pancakes) at the Bay Terrace at Mauna Lani was far better and was only a little more expensive; a premium worth paying in my opinion.

Ken’s House of Pancakes came top in my most disappointing experiences in Hawaii. I had really wanted this restaurant to be great but instead found that it was just a giant mess. I’ve been generous with the scoring to accommodate the free parking and the quick service.

Score
2/20

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I have driven a lot of different cars over my driving years so far. This is mainly due to work and also use of rental cars instead of owning outright until recently. I had never driven a jeep before though as they are not a very popular car in the UK. In Hawaii though they are the rental car of choice. The Jeep Wrangler is a compact four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle vehicle produced by American automaker Chrysler, under its Jeep marque. A defining feature of all Wranglers is that they continue to use live axles both front and rear like their original Willys civilian Jeep form the 1950s.

When I first got a first look at the Jeep at Alamo in Hawaii I was stunned to see such an abused car being rented out again. The soft cover was not on properly, there were scratches all over the place and they had warning stickers on everything inside the car. Things did not get any better when I turned on the engine either. The ride height was really high yet it was still difficult to judge the width of the car. The handling was non existent and driving around in windy conditions was even worse with the wheel being turned every millisecond to compensate. The noise was intense too with the soft cover being blown to bits as the car was swaying side to side. I’m not a great fan of automatic transmission but being the USA I didn’t have any choice in that sense. The Jeep Wrangler had the worst automatic transmission box In any car I’ve ever rented. It revved itself to hell before changing up and it wanted to stall before switching down gears. The acceleration was non existent as was the top speed as it struggled at 50mph. Whilst cruising at 50mph I had a look at all those warning sings on the doors and windscreen and sun visors. The Jeep Wrangler had no side crash bars, hardly any air bags, no safety column at the windscreen pillars. The 4 wheel drive was also difficult to engage and required the use of the car manual to operate. Driving the Jeep Wrangler was like going back 30 years and driving a car before computers decided how we drove our cars.

So where am I going with this ramble you may be asking? Well I need to point out the good bits. It handles very well off road which is really the purpose of having this type of vehicle. It is a true 4 wheel drive vehicle and not a computer enhanced all wheel drive. It feels very reliable on 4 wheel drive mode and we drove off road, up a mountain, down a mountain and through a major flash flood. It was pretty stupid on reflection but we ignored warnings that a tropical storm was going to hit Hawaii and everything was fine until we were on the wrong side of the island trying to get back home. The storm hit hard and driving on the side of a volcano next to the ocean didn’t inspire confidence in itself let alone when the rain was so hard it went up to a metre high near a small bridge. The small bridge was totally flooded and it was hard to tell where it even was. It was a very scary evening with the wipers struggling to clear a decent view driving at 2 mph. The high clearance and high riding position came into it’s own at that point. I could see where the bridge was and I got over safely. I had another 5-6 patches of flash flood like this to deal with which was very difficult. The wind was hard and with the water gushing in the same direction, nature was constantly pulling us towards the ocean. the car in 4 wheel drive mode had other ideas. It felt like it had loads of grip and I could compensate for this push. Later on was a moment when I thought we were going to die. A tree fell down onto the road blown over by the power and intensity of the wind. I hit the brakes and we hit the tree hard. amazingly we went over it. We couldn’t stop because the flash flood was still around and getting out would have been suicide. We had just driven over a fallen tree and just carried on through the flash flood and the car was fine when we finally got back to the hotel. The clearance was truly high and the bottom of the car was water tight. We owe our lives to the off road elements that the car was designed for.

So to summarise, the car is crap to drive on road but off road it is King! If you are going on holiday somewhere like Hawaii then go with a Jeep as you can venture and explore and feel safe.

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Toto is the largest producer of toilets in the world. I’ve never even heard of them in the UK but in their native Japan, Toto have over 70% of their flagship washlet toilets in installed in Japanese households. My stay in a Mauna Kea hotel room was the first time I had encountered one of these in person and I was impressed form the start. For those who have never seen one before, these toilets are deodorising, seat warming, bum washing, massaging and drying, self flushing and soft closing.

The model that I tried wasn’t even their most premium model. They have one that raises the toilet seat as you get near it and closes itself! In countries like Thailand I’ve had to use a water hand washer to clean my bum after a poo as is the standard for a lot of Asian countries but this washlet bidet thing does it all for you.

The control panel sits on the wall at easy reach to where you are seated. There are settings to massage, pulse or stream water up your bum and when you’re happy that your bum is clean you just hit the dry button. There’s a pink lady button too to wash from front to back to prevent thrush and water infection. I’m never happy with the end result of using these water washing things alone so I usually double up with toilet roll which the Toto washlet doesn’t seem to tolerate at times. I blocked our Toto washlet twice because the flush was not strong enough to push through a decent amount of faeces and toilet paper.

If these toilets and washlets were easily installed and easily available I would definitely want one at home but as it stands, English homes are not really plumbed for bidets and washlets so i won’t be using one again for some time. Toto do sell their units in europe but I’m guessing that they have targeted the high end market looking at their European website where they sell rimless toilets with great styling.

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Kwai’s Dish
Fresh fruit punch, Edamame, Starter platter of Rib, King Prawn and Spring Roll, Pan roasted Breast of Chicken with Asparagus, Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé with ice cream on raspberry sauce

Yiki’s Dish
Strawberry Daiquiri (non alcoholic), Roy’s Trio of Ahi, King Prawns and Ribs.

Exterior
Based in the outdoor shopping mall of Waikoloa Village. Plenty of free parking.

Interior
Nicely decked out and probably has a reputation for fine dining as other people were well dressed. The kitchen is open for everyone in the restaurant to see.

Service
Service was prompt to start with. Different people serve up the food to the waiters. Service was really lacking by closing time though. They were far more interested in going home than helping the last diners get out first.

Toilets
Restrooms were clean and tidy.

Review
Having come back down from the summit of Mauna Kea on a Saturday evening we were planning on going to a well rated restaurant in Waimea called Daniel Thiebaut. We were dismissed as quickly as we entered from that place though because 9pm was too late to serve customers! The kitchen was still open but they were prioritising their Sunday Brunch customers over Saturday evening customers. This kind of business mentality really makes me question the great reviews there. Out of desperation we phoned around to see if any restaurants were still open and serving and not too far away on the Kilua Kona coast was Roy’s Restaurant in the Waikoloa village.

The place had a very hard american irish kind of feel to the furniture and the service was very welcoming, very fast and very helpful. Before we knew it our drinks had arrived which were fantastically fresh. The Edamame was far too salty but the strater platter was incredible. The reinvention of typical Asian starters was very clever and made my taste buds go crazy. My expectations were now very high and then everything just went to pot. The service began diminishing. I was given a dirty fork and it took an age to replace. The main courses were really bland and nowhere near as exciting as the starters. My chicken was so bland it may as well not have been pan roasted. My wife’s portion of ribs was amazingly huge but the seasoning was non existent and the sauce very plain. The real joke of the night was the Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé which had nothing melting at all. the menu stated that it had a hot molten centre and the video clearly shows that it did not. To round things off for the evening all the staff disappeared and it became increasingly difficult to try to pay up so that we could leave. Perhaps it was because we were the last guests of the evening but I always believe a restaurant should be as good for any customer at any time. Roy’s Waikoloa Bar & Grill started really well and just fell flat on it’s face – very disappointing end to something so promising.

Score
10/20

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Mauna Kea can be reached via the very tricky Saddle Road. The summit is then a very long, steep drive on a mixture of man made roads and off road dirt track. Cars must be 4 by 4 drive to be able to go past the Mauna Kea visitor centre as it is a difficult off road drive. Visitors must also acclimatise at the visitor centre so you don’t pass out whilst driving up at altitude. There are toilets, souvenirs and a mini cinema inside the Mauna Kea visitor center. If you are going to the summit for sunset then when you get back down there is a free star gazing session every evening where you can use optical telescopes to check out star systems, galaxies and planets with local university guides to position the telescopes and to offer information on our universe.

For those brave enough to venture to the summit of Mauna Kea, it is paramount that enough supplies are taken in terms of fuel, spare fuel, food, water, warm clothing, sunglasses and sun block. The Mauna Kea summit is regarded as one of the very best observatory sites in the world as it is clear of about 40% of the earth’s atmosphere, free of light pollution and above the clouds, allowing very clear observations for about 300 days in the year which means huge savings by not having to venture into space to position a telescope. The location relatively near the equator means than most of the northern and southern stars are visible.

The summit houses over a dozen telescopes including the largest optical and infra red Keck telescopes which are 10m in diameter. A full list of telescopes at the summit is available here
Plans are underway to build the Thirty Meter Telescope for 2018 which will have 10 times the resolution of the space based Hubble telescope but will only be the second largest in the world as the European Extremely Large Telescope will be completed at the same time in Chile (42m). If observatories are not of interest then the spectacular views of the world below will be. It feels immesly peaceful high up at sunset.

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So I have been using the same old-style television for what seems like 10 years; Oh! It has been 10 years! Now 10 years ago there were no LCD panels, there were only CRT style massive televisions and I had one of those massive televisions until it started displaying some very weird stuff on screen. I then asked myself the same question every curious guy asks when he wants to buy a new TV – “Which is the best TV on the market?” Luckily for me it was March time which is when the new models tend to start coming out. Having looked at the 2009/2010 range of Panasonic and Sony televisions I was excited and looking forward to what the 2010/2011 models would bring.I then looked up the new range of Sony Bravia specifications on the Sony website and I just had to try one of these new babies out! There are 4 new ranges for 2010 to 2011 – the essential range, the cinematic range, the signature range and lastly the top-of-the-line range which is the network range. As of the end of March 2010 with the run-up to the World Cup Sony released to the public the 32 inch essential range television. Although it is supposed to be the most basic range, it is anything but! This television comes with YouTube out of the box, DLNA, LAN connection, full PC and freeview HD!

The Sony Bravia KDL32EX403 is full of connectivity with plenty of legacy scart and new HDMI sockets. The really nice thing for the laptop or desktop PC user is the addition of a standard 3.5mm audio socket to use the TV for the speakers as well as the visuals. The 1080p scaling for blu ray movies and PC use is amazing. It fully scales to the border of the television and is as crisp as you could possibly want or imagine. It really doesn’t get much better than this for HD content. The upscaling on SD stuff from the TV is not so great but with so much content going to HD it’s not really going to be an issue soon. It also has freeview HD built in which would normally cost in the region of £150 for the set top box.

Next thing on my list of cool things for the Sony Bravia TV is the DLNA features. For those of you who don’t have a clue, check out the DLNA website which explains it all. DLNA basically allows users to play their gadgets on other gadgets via the home network. Windows media player is a DNLA client and I can access my PC files from the TV to watch or listen which is a very cool thing indeed and saves me from buying a PC to TV wifi gadget or transfering stuff via SD card to my blu ray player which has a SD card slot. The TV connects up to the hoome network either via a USB wifi dongle which you can buy seperately or you can just plug it into the network via the ethernet port on the back of the TV.

I have basically explained all of my current uses of my shiny new sleekly designed Sony Bravia TV apart from the internet stuff. It was a cool novelty when I first got the TV and it would be a main use for many so I’ll mention it here. There are lots of internet things to watch including a full search of youtube on the TV (as long as you are on the home network which is on broadband). There is no web browser though so you will not be able to watch porn channels directly on the TV (for now). There is a Love Film service which allows you to watch movies directly on the TV without having to wait for the DVD to come through the post which is a good idea until I look at the high price for this service. I’m sure that with competition and a little time, these services will be very cheap if not free.

Last but not least is the speed of the remote control for the TV. It is slow on boot but faster than any other LCD TV I have come across and once the TV is on properly the remote is really fast with no lag in the menus and EPG. This is definitely a television worth every penny and as a result I award a prestigous 9 out 10.

If you would like to purchase the Sony Bravia reviewed here then get it for the best price here

Similar Sony Bravia Televisions at different sizes and additional specifications are listed below and can all be found at the best price here :

Sony Bravia KDL32EX403 32″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL32EX403U
Sony Bravia KDL32EX503 32″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL32EX503U (This is the same as the KDL32EX403 but with faster 100Hz Motionflow)
Sony Bravia KDL32EX603 32″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL32EX603U (This is the LED version of the TV)
Sony Bravia KDL32EX703 32″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL32EX703U (This is the LED version of the TV but with faster 100Hz Motionflow)

Sony Bravia KDL37EX403 37″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL37EX403U
Sony Bravia KDL37EX503 37″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL37EX503U (This is the same as the KDL37EX403 but with faster 100Hz Motionflow)

Sony Bravia KDL40EX403 40″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL40EX403U
Sony Bravia KDL40EX503 40″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL40EX503U (This is the same as the KDL40EX403 but with faster 100Hz Motionflow)
Sony Bravia KDL40EX703 40″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL40EX703U (This is the LED version of the TV with 100Hz Motionflow)

Sony Bravia KDL46EX403 46″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL46EX403U
Sony Bravia KDL46EX503 46″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL46EX503U (This is the same as the KDL40EX403 but with faster 100Hz Motionflow)

Sony Bravia KDL55EX503 55″ Also known as Sony Bravia KDL55EX503U (This is the only TV at this size which is LCD with 100Hz Motionflow)

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Big European cities have grand squares and London is no exception. Trafalgar Square is distinct in it’s use of materials which are different to others in Europe. It is also the most popular square outside of Time’s Square in the world by footfall.

If you are desperate for the restroom on Saddle Road then give the Mauna Kea State Park a miss. The toilets there are totally revolting! There is some sort of accommodation there and parking spaces seem to be very active. If you are heading up to the summit of Mauna Kea then I would recommend stopping by the observatory for a toilet break instead.

Once upon a time Charing Cross Road was famous for it’s collection of book stores selling out of print and niche books as well as mainstream bestsellers. If you wanted a first edition Bond novel then this would have been the place to get it. However with increased rent and intense competition from online vendors, the book shops have begun dying a slow death and many are now boarded, closed or turned into a fast food outlet/coffee shop. The area used to be great for music shops too and these have pretty much gone the same way as the book stores. Turnkey, the old Mecca for music artists to buy their shiny new gear has now closed up it’s physical shop opting to sell solely online.

If you are around London for a visit then do pop by the street to visit the last of the rare bookshops along the road. They might not be around for longer!

In the above video, Myself and the wife took a drive down Saddle Road in Hawaii. this is one of the most crazy drives you could possibly do with massive potholes, dirt tracks, narrow lanes, random humps and tons of blind corners. The pay off is the fastest route between Kona and Hilo and also the breathtaking views of Mauna Kea (tallest mountain in the world) to the left and also Mauna Loa (tallest volcano in the world) to the right.

Kwai’s Dish
Fish and Chips

Yiki’s Dish
8oz Burger and chips

Exterior
Located next to a supermarket but with it’s own parking

Interior
It’s a traditional looking american bar

Service
Service was friendly but they changed server 3 times during our stay.

Toilets
Toilets were downright disgusting. They were not maintained at all.

Review
Pakini Grill was one of the best food experiences I had in Hawaii. Fish & Chips is very different in Hawaii to what I am used to in England. The good news for Pakini Grill is that theirs was superior. The beer battered fish was incredible and very memorable. The chips were also outstanding and well seasoned. My wife was happy with her burger but Huli Sue’s burger across the street is better. The place itself wasn’t the best place to dine out but the fish & chips was well worht the visit.

Score
10/20

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Kwai’s Dish
Shrimp Platter

Yiki’s Dish
Shrimp and Pasta

Exterior
Located on Kona beach front with views of the bay and ocean. Have to park somewhere else as there is no parking

Interior
There’s a Bubba Gump Shop and it’s set out like a big bar like the program ‘Cheers’

Service
Friendly waiter who explained that everything was based on the film ‘Forest Gump’

Toilets
Dirty and vandalised

Review
I didn’t know that this restaurant was themed on the film ‘Forest Gump’ but there were many clues around the place like the number plate signs… oh and the gift shop! They like their shrimps in this place and pretty much every dish has shrimp in it one way or another. I had one of their many platters available and the wife had a pasta and shrimp in cheese thing. I was looking forward to digging in as it was late and it looked great. Unfortunately it wasn’t great. It was immensely disappointing. Some of the shrimps were served cold and others were served warm and some were hot. The wife’s pasta was not seasoned in any way. It was just served bland and soft. Like the gift shop, the food was an overpriced experience.

Score
3/20

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Kwai’s Dish
Mega Mango

Yiki’s Dish
Peach Perfection

Exterior
Located in the same car park as Ross

Interior
Looks like a typical juice or coffee bar

Service
Fast and friendly service

Toilets
Toilets were communal for the precinct. Clean.

Review
This is very much like Boost Juice in that you can get ‘healthy’ shots for your fresh juice drinks. Our drinks were pretty good and tasted better than any juice bar in the UK. The ones in Sydney were far superior though. They serve food but no one was eating from there so I’m guessing it’s not great.

Score
14/20

Kwai’s Dish
Rack of ribs with a side of rice. Root Beer

Yiki’s Dish
Prawn Garlic Sandwich with a side of salad

Exterior
Really hard to find and in a random industrial estate. Parking is full to the brim. We had to park far away and walk back. I kept getting bitten by mosquitoes whilst waiting outside. There’s also a Kona Brewing Cafe souvenir shop near the entrance.

Interior
It’s a bar with a few tables outside. There are little things to bite you all over the place! Not the cleanest place to dine. Open kitchen from the bar.

Service
Service was well stretched. We had to wait for 10 minutes to get seated, another 10 minutes to give our drinks order, another 5 minutes to give our food order and another 20 minutes for the food. Only 1 waitress for the entire indoor section of the restaurant.

Toilets
Toilets were filthy. They looked like they hadn’t been cleaned for a few days.

Review
This place has rave reviews about it on internet review sites and I’m really not sure why. It’s certainly very popular which meant that we had to park far away in another car park to try this place out. The service was really slow and the place was generally dirty. I wouldn’t even bother going to visit the toilets! I enjoyed my root beer and the wife enjoyed her fruit punch which came in gigantic glasses but unfortunately that was the only highlight of the visit. They could have sped up service if they had taken the souvenir staff to serve customers with food instead. Their menu talks the talk but their food seems to want to walk. I ordered the rack of ribs which were supposed to be really good but they were really crap! They just slopped on a cold can of tomatoes on top of the lukewarm ribs. They didn’t bother with simple things like seasoning or even salt! The wife’s meal was also appalling. This was a disappointing experience of epidemic proportions. We saw the souvenir shop on the way out and I just felt disgusted that they cared more about selling non food items than anything else. with so many other choices in Kona, the Brewing Company is one to miss.

Score
2/20

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Kwai’s Dish
Fillet Mignon Taco. Passionfruit Iced Tea. Carrot Cake

Yiki’s Dish
Island Fish with Passionfruit sauce, tomato salad and rice. Fresh Pineapple Juice. coconut Creme Brulet with Macadamia nut shortbread.

Exterior
Easy to find off the main road with ample parking. Some shops and other services are nearby as are other restaurants.

Interior
It was a late lunch time on a weekday and we had to wait for over 10 minutes for a table. We wouldn’t normally have to wait for lunch so this is a very busy place. This is a tablecloth and nice modern interior type of place with decent cutlery. You can see the open kitchen from most seating positions to wet the appetite. They play some Hawaiian music for your background pleasure.

Service
There is no one at the door to welcome you or tell you how long you will have to wait for. Instead you have to hover around and jump about a bit to get attention from one of the waitresses. Once you do then you get pretty good ‘tip chasing’ service. The waitress thought that absolutely everything on the menu was the best which didn’t help in choosing what to order. Service was speedy though.

Toilets
Very clean toilets and well maintained. I would happily take a crap in the Merriman’s restroom.

Review
Like most places we went to on the big Island, Merriman’s serves food with ingredients sourced locally. So let’s start with the criticisms… well my Passionfruit Iced tea was bland and flavourless. We had to wait ages for a table and had to flag down a waitress to get seated…. Anything else? Nope! Everything else was simply fantastic. My Taco dish was one of the food highlights of the Hawaii holiday and I was very impressed at the high quality of everything on the plate. My wife rated Merriman’s over our Wedding dinner at Canoehouse and was her second favourite restaurant in Hawaii. The place is very welcoming and the service is excellent once it gets going. We only stayed for dessert in restaurants we really liked which equated to 3 places whilst in Hawaii (Canoehouse, Merrimans’s and Huggo’s) and we weren’t disappointed with ours at Merriman’s. I would highly recommend a visit and prebook as it will make your life easier!

Score
14/20

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Kwai’s Dish
Garlic Fries and Bay Blue Burger

Yiki’s Dish
Mushroom Lasagne with a side of bread and salad.

Exterior
Shares the same car park as Walmart, so there are no views of anything apart from cars.

Interior
Nicely decorated and modern interior which looks great

Service
Service was not the best. It was friendly but there didn’t seem as if there were enough staff to keep everyone happy.

Toilets
Toilets were clean.

Review
All the reviews we saw before coming here were great, the location was easy to find (just look for Walmart and you’re there), the place looked modern and funky, the service was friendly although our waitress couldn’t recommend a signature dish. At a push she told me to go for the Bay Blue Burger which I did. This was a big mistake! The burger was terrible! The blue cheese should have given it some flavour but it was too late to rescue. The patty itself was just bland. I met the chef later who looked on arrogantly as if he was God’s gift to cooking, but he was nowhere close! This was a lazily cooked dish with no seasoning. When I was about to complain about the crap food the chef and waitresses all disappeared as if they could see it coming! My wife was equally disappointed with her mushroom lasagne. The lasagne was also bland, lacking seasoning and what was with the sides it came with? A massive slice of dry bread bigger than the lasagne itself which looked like a cheese topped pie! There was also a Taco shell resting on the salad which was also inexplicable. I was reading some of the reviews posted up on the wall on the way to the restroom with reviews praising the clever european cooking, but I think they must have been on another planet! Hilo Bay Cafe was easily the biggest anticlimax to our dining experience in Hawaii. I regularly make authentic Italian Lasagne and Angus burgers at home which were spectacularly better tasting than what the award winning chef could produce. It could be argued that it was an off day for them but I just think that the Chef’s ego has got the better of his own tastebuds! Avoid Hilo Bay Cafe or be very disappointed!

Score
3/20

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Kwai’s Dish
Combination special (Tempura, Sesame Chicken, Katsu Don, Tuna Sashimi), Miso Soup, Green Tea

Yiki’s Dish
Vegetable and Tofu Udon noodle bowl. Miso Soup, Green Tea

Exterior
Located at the back of some high rise housing estates. It was quite hard to find! There is some easy parking outside the restaurant which is not very obvious from outside. It’s located on the first floor (2nd if you’re American).

Interior
Noisy atmosphere with live music playing from a one man with guitar gig. Old style wood throughout. not the cleanest of places but there were mosquito nets at the windows.

Service
Service was not the typical efficient and friendly from a Japanese establishment that I would expect. A non japanese lady took my order and couldn’t pronounce the items properly which was disappointing. She did not seem very clued up with the menu either.

Toilets
Toilets were located outside. A key was required which came on a long and bulky key fob which was disgustingly dirty and unhygenic. The toilets were horrendously filthy.

Review
Miyo’s Japanese Restaurant was a very mixed experience. I was excited because Japanese food back in London is typically very expensive whereas the menu at Miyo’s in Hawaii was relatively very cheap. The place was hard to find in the dark and they were already taking last orders at 8pm which is early by what I am used to in late night London. When we finally did find it, service was very rushed in an effort to get us back out of the door as quickly as possible so that they could have an early finish for the evening. The live music was a nice addition which reminded us that we were in Hawaii and not in a dirty little Japanese restaurant. Unfortunately we were in a dirty little Japanese restaurant! Luckily we were also in Hawaii which meant that the sashimi ordered was fresh. The tempura was pretty good as was the Kara Age copy which they called Sesame Chicken on their menu. The wife was a lot less impressed with her dose of soupy noodles. She liked it to start off with but quickly got bored of the flavour combinations. The toilets matched the lack of service, they were covered in faeces and urine which prompted me to get back in my rented Jeep as soon as I possibly could so that I could wash my hands in alcohol gel! so to summarise, the seafood was good, the non seafood was average, the price was low and everything else was pretty shoddy. I would eat at this place again but I would take away the food and find my own restroom!

Score
7/20

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I didn’t get a chance to go close up because a tropical storm came in literally seconds after I stopped filming. We drove away as fast as we could to save our dear lives. We hit a tree that fell onto the road that very same day!

To find out more about Akaka Falls, read the Wikipedia entry here

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Laupahoehoe Point in Hawaii is a random stop off between Waimea and Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. I would not exactly call it the highlight of the trip but I stopped there looking for a toilet to use. There is one a little further up the road towards Hilo at the train museum and they don’t make you pay to use the run down restrooms. I wouldn’t really call it a museum myself, more like a little house on the prairie with a truckload of random train pictures all over the place. Anyway, for more info on Laupahoehoe see the following links which contain a lot more than this blog post!

Wikipedia
Hawaii Blog
Big Island website

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Back in the 80s, when I was growing up, people had small television sets that sat on top of some wooden furniture that already existed in the house. As I got older, television stands began coming as a package with televisions themselves as the televisions grew in size. The television stands that came free as a package, usually came in the same colour as the television itself and it was usually made with cheap materials like MDF and were made big enough only to accomodate 2 VCR sized pieces of equipment. Luckily for us time moves on, and these days we have very nice looking stands that we can put our prized televisions on. You can still buy television stands that are made of wood and look like furniture but most consumer television stands are now made out of a mixture of plastic, metal and glass with glass being the main material.

Unfortunately for the consumer, the dimensions of the television stands are usually hard to find and instead they give a recommended maximum size of television that can be put upon the stand instead. A good example would be a stand that is meant to be used for the televisions up to the size of 42 inches, being absolutely suitable for a television that is 55 inches in size, as well as a television of 22 inches in size. The key thing to look out for is how much space you actually have for your stand, how much of equipment you have which you would like to put away on the stand, and also the weight of your television. As televisions are getting progressively lighter in weight, in comparison to the dimensions of the television screen, the weight that can be accepted by the television stand is becoming less of an issue, but do doublecheck before you purchase. The television stand is probably one of the most overlooked purchases when buying new electrical equipment, and as such companies use it as a bargaining tool or as an incentive when buying a large ticket item purchase like a television. As many people now buy their televisions online instead of in a store, these incentives become less important, and as modern consumers, we should really compare all of the television stands available to us and get them at the lowest possible price for maximum possible value. One really useful thing to look out for is the weight of the stand itself, especially when buying a glass stand. Generally, the heavier the better as the glass itself is likely to be more dense in structure. As shops do use these television stands as incentives, do make sure you buy online, as the store prices will usually be hyper inflated by up to 1000% of what you can buy it online. There are also not many companies who make stands for televisions. So do not be put off by brands you have never heard of before. Instead look for highly rated consumer reviews.

I opted for my stand in the above video because I needed the shelf space to accommodate all of my electrical equipment that accompanies my television and also I liked the black gloss glass finish of the stand that suited my glossy black new LCD panel. My 32 inch television does not at all look silly on my 42 inch stand as neither would a 50 inch television. My stand does have a cable tidy incorporated into the design, but I have chosen not to use it because it is located in an awkward position in relation to all of my electrical equipment.

Do check out my online store for the best price for the stand that I got if you are interested @ Kwai Chi’s Store.

Discuss which stand you have opted for @ Kwai Chi’s Forum

Huli Sue’s BBQ is also @
Huli Sues at Mauna Lani Golf Club House
68-1050 Makaiwa Place
Kohala Coast
Hawaii 96743
885-7777

Kwai’s Dish
S.O.B.Burger: Guacamole, Green Chilis, Onions, Ranch & Cheese Served with Fries, Tomato, Lettuce and a Dill Pickle on a Homemade Sesame Bun. Iced Pineapple mint tea.

Yiki’s Dish
Meat Eaters Burger: Beef Chili Topping with Cheese Served with Fries, Tomato, Lettuce and a Dill Pickle on a Homemade Sesame Bun. Fresh Mango Juice.

Exterior
Located on the north end of Highway 19 from Waimea with a small car park beside it (watch out because the ramp into the car park will reck anything other than a 4 by 4). Restrooms are also located outside from the main restaurant.

Interior
Texas BBQ style interior, fully decked out in solid wood. It has a very old school feel about the place. There are tables and chairs and also a stool and bar section looking out onto the road.

Service
Service consisted of one waitress who was very friendly and on the ball.

Toilets
Outside and not great. Avoid if possible!

Review
Back in England when I think of Fries I think of those string like things that you can get in McDonalds but over in Hawaii, I was glad that Fries were the equvalent of ‘Chips’ back home. Even better was the fact that the fries had the jacket on them and were also seasoned well. They had a wonderful crisp texture to them which lingers in my mind still. The burgers were generous in size and were of a high standard. The burgers would beat any supermarket or chain gourmet burger restaurant in the UK hands down, they are even almost as good as my own home made angus burgers. The reason simply being that the beef used in the USA is not the best. USA Angus pales in comparison to Aberdeen Angus and is no fault of the restaurant. The drinks tasted very fresh and a few boxes of local produce were on display to remind us of the locally sourced ingredients. On reflection, my first meal as a married man was very good in quality and value. I would recommend this place ot anyone who wants to try out a really good burger and fries in Hawaii.

Score
13/20

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In the above video the future wife and Kwai go to Watanabe Floral on Hawaii Island to pick up the wedding flowers for the wedding later in the day. To view pictures of the wedding add me on facebook

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The Mauna Lani resort is vast, very large and offers plenty of world class facilities. Some of these facilities are highlighted in the above video which shows off the award winning Spa and world class tennis courts.

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Click here for a tour of the Mauna Lani Spa, gym and tennis courts
Click here for a view of the Mauna Lani resort & Ocean from one of the Hotel’s corridors.
Click here for a review of the Mauna Lani Breakfast Restaurant, The Bay Terrace
Click here for a review of Ruth Chris Steak House @ The Mauna Lani Mall
Click here for a view of the Ocean from One of Mauna Lani’s Ocean Front facing Deluxe rooms
Click here for a tour of a Mauna Lani Deluxe Ocean Front Facing room

Hawaii is a really beautiful place on a fine mild morning. After having a sumptuous morning wedding breakfast, we decided to go back to our hotel room, but the view from the hotel balcony just made us stand still and take notice of the beautiful day that the world had given us. If you believe in a God, then perhaps this was God’s work. It was quite early in the morning so there were not many people around the Mauna Lani resort still. Actually there are never many people around the Mauna Lani Resort. I guess that is a pretty good thing as it makes our visit much more relaxing. Watch and enjoy the video above and appreciate one of the many astounding views from the Mauna Lani hotel itself.

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Click here for a tour of the Mauna Lani Spa, gym and tennis courts
Click here for a view of the Mauna Lani resort & Ocean from one of the Hotel’s corridors.
Click here for a review of the Mauna Lani Breakfast Restaurant, The Bay Terrace
Click here for a review of Ruth Chris Steak House @ The Mauna Lani Mall
Click here for a view of the Ocean from One of Mauna Lani’s Ocean Front facing Deluxe rooms
Click here for a tour of a Mauna Lani Deluxe Ocean Front Facing room

The above video basically tells it all in detail with the VIA taste challenge info that I got through the post for being a loyal prepaid RED customer. If you don’t want to watch it then basically The terms and conditions on both the info through the post and also on the Starbucks VIA website state that I should have received a free coffee based drink if I took the VIA taste challenge. What actually happened was I went to 3 Starbucks today and all of them said that I could only get a free coffee if I purchased the via coffee which I blind tested 3 times and found to be inferior! Why would I want to buy poor tasting coffee to get a free coffee? I ended up buying a venti white choc mocha anyway to get rid of the foul taste. One taste tester staff person also lied about which coffee was which but I saw the flasks afterwards of which one he poured out the coffee from. He had earlier told me that he would give me a discount if I thought the via coffee was worse. What a con!

Having come back home and gone onto the official Starbucks VIA website I have seen that many other people had faced the same problems in what must be one of the worst PR disasters for Starbucks in the UK. They had even advertised on Capital radio earlier in the week that we could all pick up a free coffee of our choice if we took the taste challenge!

My review score for today’s Starbucks experience was a 1 out of 10!

The link to the Starbucks VIA taste challenge page with comments is here

The link to the Facebook fan site is here

Discuss this video, this article or your experience with the Starbucks VIA taste Challenge here

In the above video you can see the below transcript as I dictated it. View the above video in full 1080p for the best view.

Maximise the do like the wire recognise words, but as a maximise to service maximise that pair to make default a lot bigger. Speaking reader to easier. Now I’ve set this to be the most accurate Earth face. It doesn’t like it when I say, are you just did her instead of her yeah okay were actually at least it punctuates my stuff, may I don’t have too safe. All the time, I just speak naturally, and it will somehow find out what they said they learned phrases in all sorts of things like that. So the first thing to know is which version you would want to purchase that while it’s got a list on the side here, where are the Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 in her options. Where there is a preferred version and the standard version, they preferred versions come at twice the price man and the preferred version are DG, everything that the standard version has earned the standard version allows you to create documents, e-mail and instant messages, simply by speaking that’s true, I even use Google chat earlier with the friends and now had no problem at all. You can surf the web or voice, I haven’t tried that because any compatible with Firefox and Internet Explorer I use Google grow no enrolment required to get started. Instantly, that’s kind of true it activated online by itself, but I still registered Roger project anyway, I am new on-screen help editorials be an expert users right away them down. And yours truly is not good as Microsoft’s tutorials dictate directly into virtually any Microsoft Windows application. I haven’t tried that yet, there were trying Dragon naturally speaking tend to drag and had their control menus and dialogue boxes by voice and virtually any Microsoft Windows application, her I haven’t tried that either natural commands the Microsoft Outlook express. Dragon voice shortcuts from web and desktop search sorry the last two are actually prepared soap natural commands the Microsoft Outlook and Outlook express is the preferred not to standard Dragon voice shortcuts the web and desktop search is the preferred to everything from here on his own in the preferred her package automatically transcribe recordings from new. Once approved handheld recorders all Pocket PCs wireless Microsoft wireless microphone support including Bluetooth includes new and real speaks of turning text into human sounding synthesised speech of God final draft at a local kennel so do that on their Microsoft’s own product to bear on Bicester. Playback your dictation through easy correction and proofing in search of signature logo or boilerplate text into file with a simple voice command I got no idea what boilerplate is import export your user files to use on any PC would Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Now, one thing I’ve noticed on here is that when I is beat the specialness Dragon pad thing it comes up with what I say in this yellow area here and then it kind of finds out what I’m kind of say and then it phrases it correctly into one whole sentence and that way you can put in the Commons and full stops by itself is far bad it all seems kind of makes sense and Der film I can say I certainly said a lot so far. I certainly would have been up to type this as quickly as this. I would say that it has got everything correct, her life only run this once before and are very used that tiny little bit. So is the first time that I’m really properly using it and the way I’m talking to you is my most natural way of speaking. I don’t dictate any differently, so perhaps that’s why Windows Vista’s speech recognition program didn’t work so well for me. It even recognises the word Vista and doesn’t call it Mr, which is quite cool. That is very cool, I don’t know if it recognises my last thing the it recognises what I said that’s very cool. Very cool indeed. I liked this program, this is actually very accurate to what I’m saying I am very impressed that it can often a lot less time I trained on the Microsoft Vista’s speech recognition program for over an hour, and it took me an hour to do my first article, which will lose about 100 words long at this one seems to have worked for me already and it’s taken hardly any time while I had to read what five chapters are laws Charlie and the chocolate factory by Roald Dahl and another to Toro before it lamps. So you and all the tests and everything altogether took about half an hour in my right ear, about half an hour altogether on quite a fast talker anyway and I can read aloud quite quickly down to a quite clearly from all my water Tewkesbury’s presenter, so maybe that helps them this is really quite impressive on the box it says that you how you can speak to this program out hunting 20 words per minute now most people think well that’s a pile of rubbish per how can anything keep up with hundred 20 words per minute that moment I am, properly speaking, 120 words per minute and it says the coping quite well, what I will do after I’ve said all place and finish this video is posted at my blog exactly are at war is here on this document and you’ll be up to see exactly what was written otherwise can watch this video in 1080 p in your BR to say anyway but if you are interested in reading exactly what was taken on as a mistake or what was taken correctly, especially some of these long phrases, you can save yourself how accurate or inaccurate as programmers from my point of view I think this program at the moment looks quite accurate. I would only have to go back and correct quite a few things and teach it had state corrections, but are giving corrections on this program are a lot easier down on Microsoft Vista speech recognition program, but you do have to pay for this sake the top 10 reasons to buy this program has earned sold by new wimps heard most accurate version ever Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 delivers up to 99% accuracy with no spelling errors will ask as they got dictionary help, but they spell incorrectly create documents and e-mail faster, you can speak more than three times faster than you can hardly wear denied by pretty fast but is comfortable that free easier than ever to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 installs quickly and requires no special script reading new on-screen help and Toros will make you an expert in no time works with favourite programs dictate text directly into virtually any Microsoft Windows program. Browse the Internet with ease search Internet access information and navigate webpages or more by voice get the most from Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect natural language commands let you say it your way to perform commands and format text. Corel WordPerfect, who the hell uses that any more works away, he worked at names addresses in other words to your custom speech vocabulary. New quick voice formatting allows you to format and edit your dictate text in record time. Protect your health reduce the risk of developing RSI by talking instead of typing works hands-free and finally number 10. This is the world’s bestselling speech recognition software Dragon NaturallySpeaking products have won more than 175 awards worldwide, but accuracy and ease of use well. There’s kind of bragging fees is also fun and easy to use and you can create documents and e-mail and instant messages and highly by voice turn talking to type say it naturally worked more than three times faster than typing in okay okay enough of the promoting of the product that comes with his microphone to this noise cancelling microphone or which comes with them and throwing bits as well that you have to plug it into both your headphone and microphone socket. You are microphone in & out socket and the microphones got this kind of doom windshield playing so if you breathe on it like it shouldn’t really pick up anything that you say it properly, will the unit on to say. I am saying generally hurl what a cool product, you know I’ll be able to now all make longer blogs are blogs that make more sense blogs that are lengthier Herm and serve more readable, hopefully her because I like to have content in it in each article if you do get this program yourself a preferred all standard version or a third new version comes out dental free to post on my forum put the link in the description. Both your reading the blog up at the end of the blog and Der Berg just talking to it and dirt idea is got some weird thing is that like the Bird in hand. Dirt idea and dental free is not perfect and I would say some of it is because I’m probably mumbling and probably because I’ve been talking all that each hairless mice settle review after doing the Microsoft Vista speech recognition program review and my voice has probably become the little horse and is probably not the same as it was just say one hour ago and I’m probably mumbling a little bit more than I was only wrong. So I’m going to leave and there I would say if I’d skip this rating at 10 from looking at what it caught up with me in. What I’ve said about the product so far just reading it back. It looks really amazing how much is correct, II wouldn’t have to correct too much looking at that. I would say, I would give it a hair than 8/10. I would if I would give it a hair than 8/10 at EC can’t overemphasise things because it will start to do weird things like that, if you talk an SAE to hone all along it won’t go wrong, but it’s only get really excited your voice passengers changes loads if you have ever ever edited. Music will edited your voice before in say, the video you’ll know what I mean her D voice passengers goes cheeks out the roof and it works on that kind of basis, so I would say this program has done very well so far is still learning it still nears it is a beginner to my voice at the moment and my voice has strayed from speaking quite well like a newscaster to the abyss of Chad and East End not say that all Eastenders a chance, but I just think of myself as a chap sometimes not because I am a child for that have been chimed the past, but just that I have caught on the Chad actual attributes from knowing chads and being around cows in the past. Not any more, though and if you don’t know what channel is well Google it until next time take care.

Now at first glance it doesn’t seem like the software did a great job as there are plenty of errors, but when I do speak more clearly like now, the program has no issues at all. I have since added slang words like chav to the dictionary which helps a great deal in cutting down errors. I also did not use the correction feature which is very accurate and quick to use, especially compared to Microsoft’s efforts. I find myself using the headset all the time now which is very comfortable and now that I’ve spent a few more hours with the Dragon Naturally Speaking, it is now very accurate. One thing I would recommend though is to be in a quiet room and don’t let anyone else try to imitate your voice as it throws the program off and gets added onto your voice file! My wife played with it for a bit and the program found it hard to figure me out straight afterwards when I started using it again. The license is per voice so if you do want multiple users then you need the preferred version.

Grab your copy of Nuance’s Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 software @ http://astore.amazon.co.uk/kwaichisworld-21?node=9&page=2

If you’re after a wireless microphone edition and also have the ability to transfer your voice settings between computers then get the preferred wireless version @
http://astore.amazon.co.uk/kwaichisworld-21/detail/B001AZ4TDS

Upgrade to Windows 7 with free Speech Recognition software @ http://astore.amazon.co.uk/kwaichisworld-21/detail/B002DGS81C

Discuss this video @ http://kwaichi.com/forum/reviews/nuance-dragon-naturally-speaking-10-review

It seemed that every time I went to London to try to record a video of Regent Street, it started to rain. I had so many requests for Regent Street, it was unprecedented, so I am finally glad it is here. Regent Street cuts through the heart of London and crosses many junctions with very famous roads and landmarks. As a result many Tube lines serve Regent Street too, and there are many Tube stops with easy access to get to Regent Street from walking distance.

Discuss this video at the forum kwaichi.com/forum or click on this sentence

Kwai’s Dish
Poi Pancake with a side of chopped macadamia nuts, maple syrup and coconut syrup. The whipped cream butter stuff. 3 Malasadas. Fresh pog juice.

Yiki’s Dish
2 eggs sunny side up, chipped potatoes, sausages, 3 slices of toast, strawberry, pineapple and orange.

Exterior
Located at the Mauna Lani resort overlooking the pool area. With exterior and interior seating available.

Interior
Most of the seating is located outside but there are seats inside with a traditional wooden interior. The buffet items are located inside offering a large selection of hot and cold items.

Service
Service was excellent. Service was by a team of waitresses which worked well for a really fast turnaround.

Toilets
Did not inspect

Review
This is a breakfast time only restaurant. There is a buffet selection on offer at around 30 usd per head but we decided to opt for the a la carte menu with items between 7 usd and 17 usd on offer. Poi is a glutinous purple paste made from pounded Taro root and is really popular in Hawaii. It was a great introduction to try out Poi in my american deep rise style pancake as it was a truly memorable experience. If a pancake was to be cooked to perfection then this was it! Another popular Hawaiian staple is the macadamia nut and it serves as the perfect compliment to the Bay Terrace Pancake. The maple syrup was simple stuff but the coconut syrup made in house was absolutely superb. Yiki had something similar to an English breakfast except most of the items were missing. Eggs in the USA come in a variety of options including sunny side up which is what Yiki had and sunny it was. The main difference with this fry up and an English breakfast was that this tasted healthy even if it was odd having the fruit on the same plate. Another item to note was the excellent POG juice which is freshly made on site from Passion fruit, Orange and Gauva. POG juice is everywhere in Hawaii but the Bay terrace is the best place to go for the best possible example of this wonderful non alcoholic cocktail

Score
16/20

Discuss this video @ http://kwaichi.com/forum/reviews/the-bay-terrace-mauna-lani-resort-hawaii-island-review

Click here for a tour of the Mauna Lani Spa, gym and tennis courts
Click here for a view of the Mauna Lani resort & Ocean from one of the Hotel’s corridors.
Click here for a review of the Mauna Lani Breakfast Restaurant, The Bay Terrace
Click here for a review of Ruth Chris Steak House @ The Mauna Lani Mall
Click here for a view of the Ocean from One of Mauna Lani’s Ocean Front facing Deluxe rooms
Click here for a tour of a Mauna Lani Deluxe Ocean Front Facing room

There is also a KFC based in Hilo:
111 E Puainako St
Hilo
HI 96720
(808) 959-1886

Kwai’s Dish
Chicken meal for 2, crispy coating, 2 biscuits, 2 mash and gravy, 5 pieces of chicken with sides of buttery spread & honey sauce.

Yiki’s Dish
Shared Kwai’s dishes

Exterior
Located at the Lanihau Center on a corner. Plenty of easy parking spaces. Across the road is the Kona coast shopping Center. There is no seating outside.

Interior
Interior was geared to have plenty of standing room with only a few tables available for dining in. The area was well kept and very clean which surpassed my expectations of a fast food establishment.

Service
Counter service was friendly and the staff tried their best to help explain what all the things (that we don’t have in the UK) were.

Toilets
Did not inspect

Review
This kfc meal was far better in general than any kfc I’ve had in the uk. For a start I was astonished at the absence of french fries in the meal deals. The menu was geared towards feeding the family or large parties and they also did not offer many other types of dishes apart from normal chicken pieces in original or crispy coating. There were only 3 pictures of burgers on the display wall menu. The biscuit is not what I would think of a biscuit in the UK. Instead it was very much like an english scone except it was salty instead of slightly sweet. Also unlike most scones in the UK, the biscuit was served warm. The crispy coating was very thick and reminded me of the UK spicy wings coating except it was much thicker. The mash was served very creamy with a ring of gravy laid on top. Biting through the chicken some grease came through which is similar to the UK version. One notable difference at the end of our meal was the lack of a wet wipe which is a standard and expected feature of buying a KFC in the UK. A tip would be to take your own wet wipes or take it home. Although standard was higher than expected, it wasn’t mind blowing gourmet cuisine.

Score
6/20

Discuss this video @ http://kwaichi.com/forum/reviews/kfc-hawaii-island-review

I am trying to get used to the Microsoft dictation software that comes free with windows vista. Even though I have taken the training on three separate occasions, I am having difficulty with dictating this document. I had to continuously correct myself on a continual basis because the dictation software keeps getting me muddled up. I think the main problem is that when we dictate our documents we speak very differently to how we would speak normally. We are supposed to speak in a newscaster fashion and this may not come naturally to most people even a trained presenter like myself. I have found many instances where I’ve had to correct words of context in a sentence such as the word to and two. I started this document at 11.10 AM and it is now 11.30 AM and I am finding that I’m getting used to this newscaster fashion of speaking although it is not as fluent as a program you have to pay for such as Dragon naturallyspeaking. I do like the fact that you don’t have to pay for the program if you already have windows vista although I’m starting to feel like you get what you pay for. It is now 11.35 AM to give you an idea of my progress. I have found it increasingly annoying that the computer will go and select something that I have already dictated as it gets confused with my commands with my dictation. I have to admit that the program is learning quite quickly the things that I’m saying at a relatively quick pace. Since taking the tutorial and three advanced voice recognition stages, I have launched wordpad and started typing this article without once lifting my finger to move the mouse or keyboard. There aren’t too many words in this article so far yet it is already 11.45 AM and I certainly don’t have 99.97% accuracy rate, for the amount of words that have been written I would say it’s closer to a 30 per cent accuracy rate but it is definitely going up. Compared with dragon naturallyspeaking I would estimate that this technology that is included with windows vista Is equivalent to dragon’s software couple of years back. Annoyingly I would have thought that the computer would now have picked up a mistake that has been reoccurring throughout this article and interestingly enough that mistake is to the word VISTA. Instead of using a noise canceling boom microphone I have opted to use my lavalier microphone clipped onto my shirt. I don’t think it has made any difference whatsoever though. It is now 12.02 PM, my throat is becoming hoarse, my mouth is dry and I am surprised I have been this patient so far. I am now going to go and buy a dragon naturally speaking and I pray that there will be 20 to eight million times better than this experience. It’s great that this piece of software is free but I awards this is generous five out of 10. I think it’s high time that I regained control, turn off my microphone, and get back to clicking and typing

Just for the record is now 1210 PM!

As I had made so many corrections to the software I figured it was ready and fair to review for video.

So to compliment the above video, below is what got spat out. Enjoy what was right and what was wrong with the transcription. The rating for the product is also in the transcription

Are finding out solution type of it deleted everything what the hell did what was its fighters laughed and to understand what was it got what the hell are a comedy deed is deleted everything that was unbelievable that is unbelievable sharks what are you wonder to read the whole transcript of Glory can only what you want an eight by whatever is left of the document I will close stop house at had this is meticulously in a one thing I found so funny when I was dear Mr. Other day I found that one I want to say I’m running this user Microsoft’s vista programme speech recognition program I notice that the word sister conduct as Mr. Own lanarkshire that Microsoft Mr. Programme it did, so he does learn what it doesn’t learn that while the had a difficult about what it’s Derek if you have learnt i.e. at had looked for a motor trader Ivan again and you don’t the a cheese Leon are Shay widening quickly by saying so one I had to keep going back there and changing and dispersal earned in real time say estimates is a mistake once an enticement three times its players never make do returned yet whenever I said this to it would come up with the word Mr. Year while this time is money, with Mr. Lister now turns into a almost early start her O SE’s of why this is followed so although Yardley you would think that sister would be a word in the dictionary on Microsoft’s own programme leg get it disk and colour with them Mr. or something else and now it’s just talking absolute garbage are everything that’s coming out lose the speech recognition program just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever to flow into a year on talking quite well the most the financier eat my words very well known is not classic their feet up in a way as it were a piece dinner in line I do Armenia sometimes but you would think that the speech recognition program 10 generations on with your Tacoma’s Colin thinks wild interplay programme becomes with this day comes with windows seventh so might have a go yourself if you got windows Mr. or you’ve got windows seven them at all speech recognition by an been activated until the training is in your control panel and ER in even the most basic version of Mr. Has got the program so does go into a try at yourself open up burn this programme he had no word hadn’t start talking and see what you come out with try and earn talk about something may be about programme Alan copy and paste to a all the stuff that comes out with online forum are believed linked in D a description of video and also on the end of the block so you can find easily and a host what the house there will be quite fund had to say whatever one has come up with what if you’re asking me R know what I would get this out of 10 are I would had to say it’s a very clever programme how the inaccurate his there is quite a clever thing you to a speech recognition turning points a interpolated ones and zeros must be so incredibly difficult and emotional angst and I really appreciate what the developers had done honestly but as for the program itself I would say that if you speak anywhere faster them what you can possibly time then it doesn’t keep up with the very were a little learn best can see from the client to meet debts are as I talk are art and I’ve talked about animal for them all have I hadn’t actually been rooting out ability you are in I can tell the tale of mistakes and if you can imagine trying to go back incorporate or your mistakes them to one of your mistakes you have to actually do all the corrections through the voice program itself could if you don’t it will never learn estate that is trying for a time consuming in itself very time consuming so it fit and mother just earn do our them may be dying dragon or something nor or to a home order online you on a your online access scheme is your fortune is video to fit so well to start a program there are gala programme what I have got the criminals once, microphone hadn’t right here in reckons it and learn speaker 120 words per minute into its programmes eighth or contacted the test quite soon and turn as for this program however clever and is how the rear is is made by Microsoft one of the biggest companies in the wild and software why should be all right up there and it has failed big time to for so widely of this are whopping two out of 10 unto our next time take care listening

Discuss this video and post your dictation results @ http://kwaichi.com/forum/reviews/microsoft-vista-speech-recognition-review

Grab your copy of Nuance’s Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 software @ http://astore.amazon.co.uk/kwaichisworld-21?node=9&page=2

If you’re after a wireless microphone edition and also have the ability to transfer your voice settings between computers then get the preferred wireless version @
http://astore.amazon.co.uk/kwaichisworld-21/detail/B001AZ4TDS

Upgrade to Windows 7 with free Speech Recognition software @ http://astore.amazon.co.uk/kwaichisworld-21/detail/B002DGS81C

So you’ve decided to get married, the place for the wedding is booked, the place for the party is booked, the date is confirmed, the guests are getting their invitations, the dress has been picked, what else?…… YOUR HAIR!

OK, so you probably were already thinking about your hair even before you went window shopping for a wedding dress at every boutique and dress sale going where there were hoards of tiaras and veils to tempt you into splashing out a few more hundred quid (dollars or other local currency). It’s important that before you opt for that once in a lifetime diamond tiara or the coarse net curtain that droops over your face to find a wedding hair stylist to sort out your hair on your head. My recommendation is to go for a wedding hair specialist who does wedding hair styles day in day out and can travel for your big day.

You may already know a hair stylist or you may have liked someone else’s hair style at their wedding, so take a recommendation and seek a consultation as soon as you can. If you have no success then you can ask your wedding photographer for a recommendation or 5. Photographers are a great resource for weddings and most are more than happy to help. Because we had our wedding in a location far away, I got my recommendation this way. My wife then was on the phone back and forth to the salon to book a trial day the week before the big day to see try out different styles. My wife also collected a brochure’s worth of printouts and magazine cutouts of hair styles she liked. Unless you are going for a radically different hair style to anything that’s ever gone before or you want to have short hair on your big day, then don’t get your hair cut for at least 6 months (preferably a year) before your wedding. The longer your hair the better as you’ll have more options for your big day.

Another reason why I say to book a wedding specialist is because they will usually travel out to wherever you are having your wedding. There is always a fee but it means your hair style will not fall out of shape and you can be less nervous about getting stuck in traffic. There is no cutting on your wedding day as the style will have been decided on your trial day so there is less to think about and less importance on needing a salon. Your stylist will be able to give you a very accurate time for how long they need to style your hair, so work backwards from your wedding ceremony then putting on your dress, then your makeup, then your hair for the stylist’s arrival time.

So to recap, don’t get your hair cut, gather loads of pics of hair styles, find a wedding hair stylist who can come out to you on your big day, meet them, like them, discuss style and accessories, book trial day a week before, book the stylist to come your wedding preparation place and finally confirm a month before for your trial day and wedding date, then on your trial day confirm the wedding date. Some stylists can double up as your make up artist and the steps above are applicable in every way for your make up on your wedding day too. Whatever happens I’m sure you will look great on your big day! It goes by so fast anyway so just let the photographer snap away to give you some glimpses of what actually went on and that fab hair do.

The salon in the video is of Icicles and we both got our hair trialled and styled with Shaloma (Who also came to our hotel room for the wedding) and Randee at
74-5615 Luhia St # C2,
Kailua Kona,
HI 96740
+1 808-329-1383

Discuss this article by clicking here

Kwai’s Dish
Concha Bun & Kona Blue Sky Coffee

Yiki’s Dish
Danish Pastry, Assorted Cookies & Hot chocolate

Exterior
Located at the Lanihau Center on a corner. Plenty of easy parking spaces. Across the road is the Kona coast shopping Center. Seating and tables are located outside in limited numbers with a view of the car park.

Interior
1 table but mainly standing room only. Laid back atmosphere with pastries on display in the counter and hot food made to order.

Service
Served by a laid back and friendly guy who also gave me helpful directions when asked.

Toilets
No toilets

Review
I was advised by the guy who served me that the Concha bun I ordered was going to be bland but it goes great with coffee. I have to agree with the blandness of the Concha bun which tasted very plain and dry. The coffee was awful by Italian/French standards and maybe this coffee was out of this world by American standards but I have a universal standard for my reviews. Yiki had a dreadful hot chocolate and the Danish pastry was easily forgettable. One saving grace for Buns in the Sun was the delightful melt in the mouth cookies. They were very well made and I can imagine that other bakery items would be equally excellent. My rating will be on the expereince that I actually had though.

Score
6/20

Discuss this video @ http://kwaichi.com/forum/reviews/buns-in-the-sun-review-hawaii-island-review

Click here to view video with commentary

The above video view is from Vertigo Bar which is on the 42nd floor of Tower 42, formerly known as the Natwest Tower. The address of Tower 42 (if you are trying to find it) is 25 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1HQ.

Below are the views from the video above. At each time code I will mention the landmarks & buildings from left to right and then top to bottom (top left, middle left then bottom left and so on).

(mm:ss)
00:05 Exchange House, Exchange Square, Broadgate Venus, London Liverpool Street Station, Bishopsgate Arcade, RBS building, 1 Bishops Square, Spitalfields Market Gazebo, Spitalfields Market, Heron Tower, Denning Point

01:05 Denning Point, Petticoat Tower, The O2, HSBC Tower, Canary Wharf Tower, Citigroup Centre, Gherkin (Also known as Swiss Re building)

02:05 Broadgate Tower, Exchange house, Exchange Square, Broadgate Venus, London Liverpool Street Station, Bishopsgate Arcade, RBS building, 1 Bishops Square, Spitalfields Market Gazebo, Spitalfields Market, 99 Bishopsgate, Heron Tower

03:05 Finsbury Circus, Winchester House, 100 Liverpool Street, Dashwood House

04:05 Tower 42 purple and grey chairs

05:05 Citypoint, Finsbury Circus, Ropemaker Place, Artillery Ground, Triton court, Finsbury Square, 30 Crown Place, Broadgate Circle, The Broadgate Exchange

06:05 Artillery Ground, Triton court, Finsbury Square, 30 Crown Place, The Broadgate Exchange, Broadgate Tower, Exchange house, Exchange Square

07:05 Tower 42 Menu card, Winchester House

08:05 125 Old Broad Sreet, Angel Court Tower, Drapers’ Hall

09:05 1 Threadneedle Street, Threadneedles Hotel, 125 Old Broad Sreet

10:05 Strata, canon Street Railway Bridge, Southwark Bridge, Royal Exchange, Millennium Bridge, 125 Old Broad Sreet, Blackfriars Bridge, London Eye, St James Park, Waterloo Bridge

11:05 The Parish Church of St. Michael’s Cornhill, Threadneedles Hotel, 1 Threadneedle Street, Royal Exchange, 125 Old Broad Sreet

12:05 Giant Marker Pen (The side of Tower 42), The Willis Building, Lloyd’s Building, Tower Bridge, City Hall, Plantation Place, The Scoop, More London Place, HMS Belfast, Southwark Crown Court, Hay’s Galleria

I’ve listed out the landmarks in order of appearance from the time codes above with their address details, map and website if available. Click on the landmarks to go to their corresponding websites or wikipedia pages.
Exchange House, Primrose Street
Exchange Square,Primrose Street
London Liverpool Street Station, Bishopsgate
Broadgate Venus, Exchange Square
Bishopsgate Arcade, Bishopsgate
RBS building, 250 Bishopsgate
1 Bishops Square, Spitalfields Market
Spitalfields Market Gazebo, Spitalfields Market
Spitalfields Market
Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate
Denning Point, Commercial Street
Petticoat Tower, Petticoat Square
The O2, Peninsula Square
HSBC Tower, 8 Canada Square
Canary Wharf Tower, 1 Canada Square
Citigroup Centre, 33 and 25 Canada Square
Gherkin, 30 St Mary Axe
Broadgate Tower, 201 Bishopsgate
99 Bishopsgate
Winchester House, 75 London Wall
UBS, 100 Liverpool Street
Dashwood House, 69 Old Broad Street
Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street
Citypoint, 1 Ropemaker Street
Ropemaker Place, Ropemaker Street
Artillery Ground, City Road
Triton court, Finsbury Square
Finsbury Square
30 Crown Place
Broadgate Circle
The Broadgate Exchange, 2 Exchange Square
125 Old Broad Sreet
Angel Court Tower, 1 Angel Court
Drapers’ Hall, Throgmorton Avenue
1 Threadneedle Street
Threadneedles Hotel, 5 Threadneedle Street
Strata, Walworth Road
canon Street Railway Bridge
Southwark Bridge
Royal Exchange
Millennium Bridge
Blackfriars Bridge
London Eye, Westminster Bridge Road
St James Park
Waterloo Bridge
The Parish Church of St. Michael’s Cornhill, St. Michael’s Alley, Cornhill
The Willis Building, 51 Lime Street
Lloyd’s Building, 1 Lime Street
Tower Bridge
City Hall, 110 The Queens Walk
Plantation Place, 31-35 Fenchurch Street
The Scoop, The Queens Walk
More London Place, The Queens Walk
HMS Belfast, Tooley St
Southwark Crown Court, The Queens Walk
Hay’s Galleria, The Queens Walk

To view the menu @ Vertigo bar see the below video

Discuss this video @ http://kwaichi.com/forum/things-to-in-london/vertigo-bar-at-tower-42

In the above video Kwai Chi shows off a small part of Regent Street, London from the sheltered canopy of Hamley’s Toy Store.

Discuss this article @ http://kwaichi.com/forum/kwaigina-monovlog/london-rains-all-the-time!

Kwai’s Dish
1lb Rib eye steak with a loaded 1lb potato (sour cream, bacon, cheese)

Yiki’s Dish
40 USD sunday special 1lb Rib eye steak with a loaded 1lb potato (sour cream, bacon, cheese)

Exterior
Located at the Mauna Lani shopping mall on the 1st floor (2nd floor for our US friends)

Interior
Layout was Chicago gangster style tables and booths with super large tables with clean thick white cloth on top.

Service
Served by one waitress, female mid 40s. Service was friendly and food was transported on a luxury looking cart.

Toilets
Toilets were very clean and well maintained.

Review
First thing’s first – everything here is big! The layout is big, the space between tables is big, the doorways are big, the tables are big, the seats are big, the waitresses are, um…. Anyway the place is comfortable and the mood is very warm with nicely polished hardwood everywhere. It’s like all those old American gangster films where the bad guy orders the hit! So on to the food. We chose the cheapest thing on the menu which on the day was the Sunday special. It comes out on a gigantic plate on a gigantic trolley with a side of a gigantic 1lb baked potato with an enormous portion of random toppings like fake bacon bits. The steak is not cooked on the large flat side like most places or at home, instead it’s cooked until burnt on the outside of the steak. To accomplish this the steak is very thick cut. One advantage is that you can see when the middle is cooked to the preferred done state. One massive disadvantage is the seasoning, the middle tasted of nothing. The experience was texture only, it was so bland in the middle I almost cried. On the outside where it was burnt it was pretty inedible but the parts I could chew, I felt an explosion of salt. In between the burnt crust and the bland middle was a great steak, but the middle and crust took up too much of the steak.

If you are bold enough to call yourself a steakhouse then make sure your steak is great! Big does not equal great, it’s all about the quality! The execution from the kitchen did not meet the expectation of the atmosphere or the service. Overall I was sadly disappointed, it’s like going to a great looking new cinema only to watch the movie on a 12 inch black and white TV.

Score
8/20

Discuss this article @ http://kwaichi.com/forum/reviews/ruth’s-chris-steak-house-hawaii-island-review

Click here for a tour of the Mauna Lani Spa, gym and tennis courts
Click here for a view of the Mauna Lani resort & Ocean from one of the Hotel’s corridors.
Click here for a review of the Mauna Lani Breakfast Restaurant, The Bay Terrace
Click here for a review of Ruth Chris Steak House @ The Mauna Lani Mall
Click here for a view of the Ocean from One of Mauna Lani’s Ocean Front facing Deluxe rooms
Click here for a tour of a Mauna Lani Deluxe Ocean Front Facing room

The future Mrs Chi was driving on the wrong side of the road (or the right side if you’re American or from continental Europe) for the first time in her life on Hawaii island on route 270. We were looking for Radioshack in Waimea and we had the address so we input the zip code and the first 2 digits of the 6 digit house number. This was our fundamental mistake. In England we are used to addresses with a number (usually 1 to 3 digits long) followed by the street name, city, county then most importantly the post code which accurate to a part or all of a street. The USA system of Zip code is quite different though with a zip code covering a much larger area (see the wiki on zip codes here). There is the additional 4 digits for more accuracy in big cities but we did not have that for Radioshack in Hawaii Island.

Fundamentally we took a right turn instead of a left at the junction of route 270 and ended up seeing another wonderful scenic area of the Big island. It’s not all bad in paradise I guess!

Discuss this article @ http://kwaichi.com/forum/hawaii/lost-on-highway-270-looking-for-radioshack

They also have a branch in Hilo:
Cafe Pesto
Historic S. Hata Building,
On the Bay,
Downtown Hilo,
Hawaii Island,
Hawaii,
USA
(808) 969-6640

Kwai’s Dish
Special of Linguine with breast of chicken with a sauce of shitake mushrooms and normal mushrooms and cooked ham

Yiki’s Dish
Sweet potato mash and mushrooms, Crab and shrimp sandwich with cheese

Exterior
Located at a dead end on a road nearest the coast with a few other restaurants and shops. Parking is on the tight side by US standards. Parking stop blocks are present.

Interior
Small casual feeling restaurant. Not cramped but not loads of elbow space. You do feel like you are close to the other tables.

Service
Served by 1 waiter, man in his 20s. Service was a very friendly to the point of cheesy. The waiter recited the specials easily and was quick to recommend dishes on request.

Toilets
Toilets were clean and well maintained.

Review
My dish really lacked consistency with the ham part being really salty while the linguine was really bland and far too soft. Yiki enjoyed her sandwich which was served bruschetta style so not a sandwich at all. For the hype of this place on many review sites, I was sadly disappointed with the lack of care over the key ingredients which just did not compliment each other.

Score
7/20

Discuss this review by clicking here

In the above video, Kwai Chi shows off the view from the Balcony of a deluxe ocean front facing hotel room at the Mauna Lani Resort. It’s truly breathtaking and if you haven’t ever been to Hawaii then pack your bags and get out there!

Discuss this post here

Click here for a tour of the Mauna Lani Spa, gym and tennis courts
Click here for a view of the Mauna Lani resort & Ocean from one of the Hotel’s corridors.
Click here for a review of the Mauna Lani Breakfast Restaurant, The Bay Terrace
Click here for a review of Ruth Chris Steak House @ The Mauna Lani Mall
Click here for a view of the Ocean from One of Mauna Lani’s Ocean Front facing Deluxe rooms
Click here for a tour of a Mauna Lani Deluxe Ocean Front Facing room

There are times when things need fixing or things need clearing and the easiest reaction is to say that someone else will do it or that it’s someone else’s responsibility. The harder option is to do something about it yourself. When it snows and ambulances get stuck, why not help? If it floods, why not help pump out the water? Sometimes there simply are not enough public resources to cope and we, as humans, should help out if we are able to. It’s easy to cheat ourselves and only help ourselves but we should be asking ourselves whether we should be doing more.

Discuss this video here

In the above video, Kwai Chi gives advice on which venue to pick for the big day. The wedding venue is the determining factor for which date you choose for your ceremony. Wedding venues range from temporary marquees to castles in Italy. Some couples decide to have multiple ceremonies and multiple venues to bless their marriage. Whatever you decide for the big day, make sure it’s something you want for you and not for anyone else!

Comment on this article by clicking here

Direct Sports is an online sports store specialising in racket sports. Their website is either http://www.directsportseshop.co.uk or http://www.directsports-eshop.com. After selling one of my current rackets I thought I would try something new out for 2010. After much research I was on the hunt for a Babolat Pure Drive Roddick GT Plus. The best price was at both http://www.prodirecttennis.com and http://www.directsportseshop.co.uk. I finally chose Direct Sports because they took Paypal (which I had some credit on already) and they also offer a stringing service for just the price of the string (even though the string is overpriced). On ordering they also threw in a free gift of your choice (A choice from rackets, balls and bags) and so I chose a Babolat Club Line 3 Racket Bag as part of my purchase. To top everything off, next day delivery was free of charge because I had purchased a racket (normally 2-4 days is free of charge). All looked great, I put my order through at 3pm on 29th December 2009 which was the cut off time for next day delivery and so I was looking forward to having my shiny new racket on the 30th December 2009.

Direct Sports Shop Order

I was very excited on the 30th December 2009 and so I logged on to my order history and the status had not changed from ‘Payment Taken’. I waited until 3.34pm but it hadn’t arrived yet so I called customer service on 01740 646961 and queried why this was and the lady explained to me that I had missed the 3pm deadline (even though I ordered at 3pm) and so I wouldn’t get my order until the 31st December 2009. I was gutted but I didn’t feel too bad, after all I only had to wait an extra day, right? Absolutely wrong! I got a call at 5.07pm the same day (30th December 2009) from the same lady telling me that I had to wait an extra day because there was no stringer available to string my racket until the 31st December 2009. I was incredibly annoyed and the lady just told me it was out her control and that it was my fault for wanting the stringing service and also blamed the time of year. She then went on to tell me that she could send me out the racket that day (30th December 2009) without the new string and then immediately told me to hold and then came back on the phone to tell me that the courier had already left for the day and so I definitely wouldn’t get the racket until the day after. I finally got a chance to speak and I thought that I would point out that the 1st January 2010 was a bank holiday and so she told me that I would get it on the 2nd January 2010. I asked her to confirm that they were going to send the my new racket on the 2nd January 2010 even though it was a Saturday and then she quickly replied that I wouldn’t get the racket until Monday 4th January 2010. I was really trying to get my head around the fact that the person I was talking to had no idea what day of the week it was or that the 1st of January of each year was a bank holiday.

My wife was annoyed too when she heard what happened when she got back that night and suggested that I talk to them to ask them to deliver on Saturday 2nd January 2010 as it was their fault in the first place. With this in mind I phoned up Direct Sports again on the 31st December 2009 at 10.20am asking them to deliver on the Saturday instead and I was bluntly just told that they didn’t deliver on Saturdays because it cost them too much and nothing further would be done. This really annoyed me as I had worked at ebuyer.com before and the operating director (Armando Sanchez) would always try his best to accommodate the customer if it was a fault of ebuyer.com themselves, even if it meant getting his own staff to deliver items directly to the customer. What ever happened to this moral stance on things? How can an online only company like Direct Sports be so blaze and have such an arrogant stance on customer service? I resigned myself to wait until 2010 to get my shiny new racket.

Happy new year plus a few days into 2010! It was the 4th January 2010 and I thought I would check in on the status of my order and once again it had not changed from ‘Payment Taken’. I phoned up Direct Sports at 9.59am on the 4th January 2010 to query this and she told me that she was checking on my order. She then told me her database was down and that she would call me back. She called me back about 20 minutes later at 10.21am and told me that it had been dispatched on the 31st December 2009 as planned and after asking about 3 times got a consignment number. After asking if I would definitely get the order on the 4th January 2010 I was told not to expect the order as she had no success with trying to track the item. I tried the tracking number on Parcelforce’s website and it showed up with an error. I tried all through the day but kept getting this error ‘We are currently unable to confirm that status of your parcel. Please check the number and try again. Please note that items sent over 4 months ago cannot be tracked online. If you are tracking a parcel sent from outside of the UK, we may not have received it yet. Please try again or use the help button below.’ I thought I’d email them at sales@directsports-eshop.com as the phone didn’t seem to offer any joy. I got this reply 3 hours later ‘Hi Kwai, We are sorry to hear that you are yet to receive your parcel. I can assure you that this parcel has been sent with Parcel Force and under normal courier days your order would have been received. Clearly the Christmas/ New Year services have held up your order. We genuinely regret any inconvenience and issues this situation has caused you.’ they also included another tracking number that didn’t work. I replied back to them by email telling them that the tracking number did not work.

More time passed and the 5th January 2010 came around. I was so annoyed at this point that I still hadn’t received my parcel so I called up at 11.43am as once again my order status showed ‘Payment Taken’ and I had received no email reply with the correct tracking number, actually no email reply at all. By this stage I had waited a whole week after the date it should have arrived by. I wanted compensation of some sort and I also wanted the correct tracking number. I spoke to Rebecca at customer service and was finally given a tracking number that worked. However I noticed that they had not given the parcel to Parcelforce until the evening of the 4th January 2010! I was livid and demanded compensation for their outright and constant lies to me. How much of what they told me was actually true in the first place? Rebecca then told me that they had definitely given the parcel to Parcelforce on the 31st January 2010 and that Parcelforce must have attached a new label as a result of their own delay. I asked her to get compensation from Parcelforce if this was the case. Rebecca then told me that that would not be possible, Rebecca told me there was nothing she could do. Once I told her that I was writing this all up in this blog Rebecca offered to refund me the delivery. I pointed out that the delivery was free and Rebecca told me once again that there was no compensation available. Rebecca reminded me that she had got me the correct tracking number and that I would be getting the parcel very soon, what more could I want? She also reminded me that I was getting free delivery and that I should be satisfied with that. She continued to tell me that she could not offer compensation, discount, refund or a voucher of any kind.

Parcel Tracking status as of 5th January 2010

I was really annoyed with her attitude and lack of action and told Rebecca sincerely that I should be compensated to some degree. Rebecca then finally offered a reduction on a future purchase which I have in writing although she declined to give an exact figure or percentage, only that I would have to phone for my future reduced purchase. I told her that a 50p reduction off a new racket would hardly justify any form of compensation but Rebecca tried to reassure me that it would obviously be more. The email reads:

‘Hi Mr Kwai,

As requested, here is confirmation that we will offer you the best possible price of your next order.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Regards,

Rebecca

Direct Sports’

After all the uncertainty with Direct Sports, I don’t think I’ll be taking Rebecca up on her offer!

Finally! The Parcelforce guy comes knocking on my door at 4.49pm and I gladly take the order off his hands. The box is totally intact with the Direct Sports label sealing top and bottom:

All caution tape was intact

The box only looks big enough to hold a racket and oh wait what’s that on the main label? It’s the date of despatch! It’s not placed over an old label and as the caution tapes are in place it’s not a new box. The stamp is for 24 hour delivery but the date of despatch is not the 31st December 2009 but 4th January 2010! Direct Sports and Rebecca have totally been telling me fibs. How can anyone trust a company that just keeps on lying?

The label for despatch clearly shows the date

OK, forget about how poor the customer service – well service full stop – so far from Direct Sports. Let’s see the goods! The racket is in the racket case which is in a long polythene bag. The racket case looks fine. The free gift Babolat bag is packed in tight next to the racket and is also in a polythene bag. There’s no other padding of any sort so it’s lucky that the flimsy box was not compromised in any way. Taking the racket out of the cover we see from the outset that Direct Sports have decided to paint the strings as if I had not had a restring.

The Babolat Roddick Pure Drive GT + Racket head has been restrung and repainted

That would be absolutely fine if the paint was actually even, not flaking off easily and didn’t have random tennis ball like fluff all over it, but alas it has all of those properties!

The string has been painted unevenly and there is fluff all over the place

The saying ‘You missed a bit’ should also be ‘You painted too much!’ There’s excess paint on the frame of my racket. Luckily the paint is so crap that I can easily rub it off with my thumb with no effort.

The Babolat Roddick Pure Drive GT + with excess string paint on the frame

Sometimes when people tell you that you get what you pay for, they are absolutely right! I paid nothing for the restring service except an inflated price for the string itself and got a racket strung by an 8 year old! The tension is supposed to be at 60lbs but the cross strings move along the mains as if it’s strung at 45lbs. Any decent stringer will string the mains and crosses separately but my 8 year old Direct Sports stringer hasn’t bothered and stuck it in the frame as one piece! To top it all off, Direct Sport’s 8 year old stringer couldn’t be bothered to trim off the string ends after doing a Double Half Hitch Knot! I’m not sure why they didn’t opt for a Pro Knot and it’s sure going to be annoying to see flashes of excess yellow string waving at me.

There's just way too much string hanging off there!

This is what a double half hitch knot looks like before the string has been trimmed

Well it looks like the restring (which was one of many excuses given to me by Direct Sports) is coming straight out wasting me £15.99 plus getting the job done properly plus more string! So what is there to learn from all of this? Well from the outset it’s easy to say that you shouldn’t trust any online companies you’ve never heard of, but I’ve had great success so far (in general) with small retailers. I will always champion shopping online however difficult it may be, but I may be less adventurous in future with companies that haven’t been reviewed very much. It’ll now cost me more time and money to get the racket restrung along with what I paid Direct Sports but is still cheaper than if I had just got the racket and restring from my local PWP store. I’m confident that if I had gone with another online retailer that I would have received better and faster service though.

There are several types of material on the market when it comes to rings including silver, gold, platinum, palladium, titanium to name the most popular. Titanium is a really lightweight material and so comes in handy for guys as the bands tend to be far wider than a female ring. Guys rings usually start from 3mm width all the way to a couple of centimetres. It really depends on preference, taste and budget. With this in mind titanium is really cheap compared to it’s heavy counterparts and you can expect to pick up a male wedding band from just £15. Expect to take the ring off often though as the rings are usually poorly finished and can feel uncomfortable for long periods of wear and also can suffer from a green copper like stain when your hands get sweaty or wet. This is because the ring is actually an alloy and not just pure titanium. An all titanium band is available for a little more and is very hard wearing (even harder than platinum) and very lightweight.

Silver is sometimes sold just as cheaply as titanium for wedding bands but it is almost always an alloy. Sterling silver (or sometimes just sold as silver) is not 100% pure silver. Although it’s harder than gold, pure silver is very soft and so it is almost always alloyed with copper. The percentage is usually 92.5% silver and the rest copper. This can lead to skin stains when the silver is wet or it can lead to your ring looking well tarnished if your hands get anywhere near certain chemicals eg. sulphur lakes turn silver black. Rings are very rarely made in pure silver as they can’t hold their shape very well. If you do source one then it probably isn’t worth buying.

Gold is a precious metal and is very very soft. Jewellery made with gold is usually always an alloy, although pure gold rings are often found in Asia as it is seen as a classier purchase. When buying gold make sure you look on the inside of the ring and look for the purity stamp. Purity is measured as a percentage of the purest carat of that metal. The highest carat for gold is 24 carat which will bear the number 9999 somewhere on the jewellery. The 24 carat stamp is not the usual though, the purity number is usually out of 1000, so 750 denotes 18k (carat), a stamp of 500 denotes 12k and a 250 stamp means that it’s 9 carat gold. I’ve seen some 24k gold rings and they look horrid when they’re old! They are so soft that they pick up millions of dents and divots and totally lose shape. I find the colour a bit off-putting too. 18k is a better choice and the other 250 parts of the ring affect the look of the finished ring. If the 750 parts of gold are plated with 250 parts silver, palladium or rhodium then the yellow gold miraculously turns a shiny silvery-white colour and is known as white gold. More expensive 18k white gold may be alloyed with rhodium. Rhodium is a non irritating and very hard metal that gives a really nice shine to wedding rings and is also found to coat platinum. Rhodium is part of the platinum family and is totally resistant to acid erosion. For almost any other 18k gold mix, the metal will usually appear yellow.

Palladium is a metal that is part of the platinum family but is less dense. It shares many of the characteristics of Platinum but at a much lower cost. It’s not as hard as platinum but harder than gold and it’s naturally silvery white and easily sourced. It’s usually found as a by product when mining for gold or platinum and can even be a product of spent nuclear fuel!

Platinum is the top of the metal tree when it comes to wedding bands and is super dense, super hard, super durable and super expensive! As it’s so hard the platinum mix with an alloy of rhodium can be as high as 950 parts to 50 rhodium (to make the 1000). Rhodium is the alloy of choice for Platinum wedding bands as it is relatively cheap and easy to replate and also not much is required to keep up the natural colour of the Platinum underneath or to strengthen the shape. Ruthenium and cobalt are also often used to alloy as alternatives to Rhodium and both serve well, however avoid Iridium alloys as the metal is easily dulled and scratched.

So that’s the metal side of things covered, well how about the shape? Well for guys, go for something wider than 3mm up to any width of your preference and/or budget. Shapes differ dependant on the material and some come with detail, stuff inside/on the ring or just plain. If you’re not used to wearing a ring then make sure you try on plenty of different styles and shapes of wedding bands as some may be a lot more comfortable than others. Flat style rings eg. flat court rings, tend to be more comfortable than raised and rounded rings which hinder the ability to close a fist properly.

For the brides wedding band , go for a shape that compliments the shape of your engagement ring. A matching width looks great and more importantly the rings should sit together easily so that there’s not a massive gap between them. If the engagement ring has a diamond on it then usually it will sit high up on the ring to allow the wedding band to sit flush next to it. If it doesn’t, then consider getting your wedding band custom made from a jewellery maker. If your engagement ring has no diamond or stone on it then consider having a diamond or diamonds in your bridal wedding ring. There are many styles of diamond wedding bands from a single small diamond set in the ring, a semi pavé of diamonds (a series of diamonds positioned next to each other to fill half a ring) or a full pavé of diamonds (a series of diamonds positioned next to each other to fill the whole ring).

To discuss this article further click here for wedding bands for the bride and click here for wedding bands for the groom

For more information on diamond engagement rings click here

For more help with selecting your wedding band see the following videos:

Christmas is a time for sharing and a time for giving. It’s also a time for calorie busting food! In the UK the tradition is to have a gigantic turkey or goose as the mainstay of the table with sides of chipolatas (thin British sausages sometimes wrapped in bacon and called pigs in blankets), brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, gravy, cranberry sauce, roast potatoes, stuffing, yorkshire pudding.

For Desert, a rich Christmas pudding (steamed for hours and poured over with brandy then lit until evaporated) topped with clotted cream.

What do you eat in your part of the world at Christmas time?

http://kwaichi.com/forum/kwaigina-monovlog/what-are-you-having-to-eat-at-christmas-time

Kwai Chi poses the question in the above video. What word do you hate or annoys you the most?

Discuss this post here http://kwaichi.com/forum/kwaigina-monovlog/what-is-the-most-hated-word-in-the-world

If you got caught in the snow and ice yesterday then here’s a reminder in the video above. For all of you around the world who aren’t affected then take a look at a typical road in the UK last night. More than 3000 people were stranded and had to sleep in their cars or abandoned them! The AA breakdown service said that yesterday was their busiest day in over 25 years….

Discuss this video at http://kwaichi.com/forum/kwaigina-monovlog/the-worst-road-conditions-for-over-25-years-in-the-uk!

In the above video Kwai Chi explores what’s on offer in Mauna Lani Resort’s Deluxe Front facing Ocean Room. Mauna Lani is well known on the big island of Hawaii with much to offer including some top golf courses, stunning beach location and even a shopping mall. Mauna Lani is about 40 minutes drive north of Kona airport, 50 minutes drive from Kailua Kona, 20 minutes from Waimea and 1hr 40 minutes from Hilo (about the same time for route 19 or 200 Saddle Road).

Mauna Lani Resort is also known as The Mauna Lani Bay and also used to be known as Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows. The address is the same though 68-1400 Mauna Lani Drive, Kohala Coast, Hawaii 96743. To talk to someone there phone +1 808-885-6622. To get the best room rates book directly on the Mauna Lani Resort’s website http://www.maunalani.com (they always have special offers on, although you probably won’t need to eat a buffet breakfast every morning and a la carte menu is cheaper)

Mauna Lani Resort also offer a competitive package for weddings starting from just $550 plus tax (4.166%). We had a sunset wedding with the cheapest wedding package and the Wedding planner gave us a choice of minister, time of day (morning, afternoon or sunset), location (several wedding locations around the resort) and helped us with the flowers.

I found my own photographer after much searching online and went with Angy Chesler at http://www.vip-wedding-hawaii.com (I negotiated a deal to have all our photos on a DVD so that we could print and upload them wherever we wanted). We got the bridal bouquet and the boutonnière from Watanabe Floral at http://www.watanabefloral.com/contactus.asp (We picked up from their Kamuela Store which is about 30 minute drive, so we could see the flowers and also so that we didn’t get charged the extortionate delivery fee). My wife got her nails done at the Mauna Lani Spa at http://www.maunalani.com/s_st_hawaiian_treatments.htm and we both got our hair done at Icicles with Shaloma and Randy at their Kailua Kona Salon at
74-5615 Luhia St # C2, Kailua Kona, HI 96740 (and in our hotel room on the wedding day). To book a trial and wedding style give Shaloma a ring on +1 808-329-1383 at least 3 months in advance (and don’t get your hair cut in the meantime!).

To discuss this article further come and chat in the forum (requires registration and is separate from the registration on this blog) at http://kwaichi.com/forum/hawaii/mauna-lani-deluxe-front-ocean-room-tour-1080p

Click here for a tour of the Mauna Lani Spa, gym and tennis courts
Click here for a view of the Mauna Lani resort & Ocean from one of the Hotel’s corridors.
Click here for a review of the Mauna Lani Breakfast Restaurant, The Bay Terrace
Click here for a review of Ruth Chris Steak House @ The Mauna Lani Mall
Click here for a view of the Ocean from One of Mauna Lani’s Ocean Front facing Deluxe rooms
Click here for a tour of a Mauna Lani Deluxe Ocean Front Facing room

Costco in the UK

Costco aftercare is pretty generous with a free phone technical support line for electronic items(0800 066 5091 open 12 noon to 12 midnight 7 days a week excluding bank holidays). As long as you stay a Costco member you are automatically given a free extension on your warranty on Televisions to 5 years and Computers to 2 years. Costco offer a 90 day no quibble return policy on Televisions, Projectors, Computers, Cameras, Camcorders, mp3 players and mobile phones.

There is a catch to shopping at Costco though, Costco is not open to the public in general – only to people who own businesses and Individuals who fit into the following categories:

Current or Retired employee of:
Banking/Finance
Civil Servant
Education
Fire/Rescue
Insurance
Local Government
Medical/Health Service
Police Force
Post Office
Airline

Or Qualified as:
Chartered Architect
Chartered Civil Engineer
Chartered Surveyor
Dentist
Optician
Pharmacist
Qualified Accountant
Solicitor/Barrister/Magistrate/Advocate

Membership also requires a fee of £20+VAT for a trade membership or £25+VAT for the individual one. There is an executive scheme if you plan on spending more than £150 per month which costs £30+VAT more but offers 2% cashback at the end of the year (on items under £300). The spouse or partner living at the same address gets a card too and each additional card costs another £12+VAT (trade members only). Cards can be used at any Costco in the world (handy for cheap fuel in USA). Each card holder can bring 2 guests ie. friends and family. Don’t try to bypass the system or think you can take a look around by sneaking in because security is seriously tight! Costco can search you on your way in, they search every trolley that leaves against your receipt and they hound you down if you wander in without showing your member card! If you do want to have a look around then go to the member desk to pick up a visitor pass. You still need to pass the eligibility criteria before they give you one though.

It’s odd that the UK stores seem so secretive about who Costco are and what they sell compared to the USA where they are the 3rd biggest retailer. Even the UK Costco.co.uk website hardly has anything on it, only offers for mypublisher.co.uk. The USA site allows so many more discounts from other firms and also offers some online shopping. I’m not complaining though – at least we have the chain over here in the UK! Having visited them 3 times over 4 days I don’t know how I managed to do any shopping without Costco! I only wish that we had joined sooner so that we could have enjoyed the USA Costco in Kona, Hawaii, USA. The petrol is cheaper at Costco’s own gas station than anywhere on Hawaii Island which which have saved a few dollars on our honeymoon out there not to mention the immense amount of shopping that we would have stocked up on!

To have a glimpse of what’s on offer, here is a list of prices inc VAT (by unit where appropriate as much of the goods are sold in bulk) and a comparison lowest price elsewhere (All prices accurate as of 9th November 2009):

Store Cupboard
Lucozade Sport Still 12x 750ml (9 litres) £8.61 Asda (made up of special offer price per 100ml on 4x packs) £11.25
Napolina Tomatoes 400g 12x £5.49 Tesco (Made up of special offer 4x packs) £5.70
Skippy Peanut Butter 1.13kg £3.79 Ocado (made up of 340g jars) £5.65
Nutella 750g £2.49 Sainsubry’s £2.74
Mission Wraps 8 pack 2x £1.49 Tesco £3.50
Part baked Petit Pain 4 pack 4x £1.95 Sainsbury’s (made up of 6x packs) £2.11
Vittel 1.5l 12x £5.39 Tesco (Vittel not commonly sold so Evian brand 2x 6 pack used) £7.16
Vittel 500ml 24x £5.73 Asda (Vittel not commonly sold so Evian brand 4x 6 pack used) £7.96

Produce
Fresh Leeks per kg £1.79 Sainsbury’s £1.98
Fresh Rocket Salad per kg £5.53 Asda £11.10
Fresh Baby Plum Tomatoes per kg £3.87 Tesco £4.00
Fresh Vine Tomatoes per kg £3.32 Asda £4.00
Fresh Medjool Dates per kg £6.05 Sainsbury’s £9.04

Fridge
Fresh Potato Gnocchi 500g 2x £1.99 Waitrose (Equivalent quality) £1.49
Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella per kg £9.58 Ocado £17.96

Fridge Meat & Fish
Fresh Whole Chicken min weight 3.4kg 2x £6.69 Tesco (min weight 3kg x2) £16.74
Fresh Chicken breast Fillet per kg £6.49 Tesco Value £6.56
Fresh mini Chicken breast fillet per kg £5.49 Sainsbury’s £9.08
Fresh Chicken thigh fillet per kg £4.89 Sainsubury’s £5.82
Fresh Chicken thigh per kg £2.39 Asda £2.88
Fresh Sea Bass fillet per kg £8.69 Asda £17.28

Frozen
Frozen Chicken breast fillet (no added anything! Air frozen) per kg £4.77 Tesco £6.66
Frozen Whole Aromatic Duck kit (with 24 skins & hoi sin sauce) £6.59 Sainsbury’s (similar kit but 16 skins) £7.32

Various Other Products
Photo prints 6 by 4 inch £0.04-£0.07 per print (dependant on amount purchased, upload online pick up in store) Snapfish.co.uk costs £0.09 per print
Photo prints 7 by 5 inch £0.09-£0.12 per print (dependant on amount purchased, upload online pick up in store) Snapfish.co.uk costs £0.19 per print
Eye test £9.99 High Street Optician £15-30
Lacoste Frames £29.99 Lacoste Store £150
Essilor 1.67 ultra thin lenses £49.99 Standard optician price £125
DKNY ladies watch £58.90 Goldsmiths £89
Tag Heuer Link Ladies watch £865 Goldsmiths £995
Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade £58.96 Amazon £64.38
Braun Oral B Professional Care 1000 £22.98 Boots £29.99
Wii Console with Wii sports resort £158.88 Game £164.99
Kirkland Alkaline AA batteries 48x pack £8.04 Tesco Value Batteries 48x (made up of 4x packs @ 99p each) £11.88
First Class Stamp £0.37 Royal Mail £0.39
Current Magazines 20% discount on all printed prices
Finish Quantum Tablets 60x £9.76 Asda (made up of cost per tablet on 40x pack on special offer) £12
Adidas Clima 365 tracksuit trousers £19.54 Sportsdirect.com £26.99
Honda Cars 10% off price

The Restaurant after checkout
Luxury Cottage Pie £2.45 Square Pie £4.50
Hot dog and soda (free refill soft drinks) £1.47 Ikea £1.80
Danish Pastry £0.59 Waitrose £1.09
Pepperoni Pizza slice £1.47 Mulberry Street £3.50
18″ BBQ Chicken Pizza £7.33 Papa Johns (15.5″) £18.99

As you can see from the above list, it is clear to see that if you buy a small combination of the above products then you will easily make back the membership fee over a year. Don’t forget that you will have to visit fewer supermarkets to grab a good deal saving time as well as money. Also keep some bags and boxes in the car as no bags are provided and the vendor boxes that are available after checkout often run out. Maybe I’ll see you in Costco sometime soon

In the above video Kwai Chi reviews Brauns latest line up of Oral B electronic toothbrushes with the revamped Professional range. Starting at number 500 and going upwards in number through the range, each toothbrush increases in the amount of functions, base charger and also toothbrush attachments.

In the above video Kwai Chi spends a fortnight testing out the Rapidwhite whitening kit.

In the above video Kwai Chi explores what the area of Salisbury has to offer the casual visitor

In the above video Kwai Chi explores the grounds of the Salisbury Cathedral which owns the highest spire in the UK.

In the above video Kwai Chi explores Frith Street in London which is home to the world famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club http://www.ronniescotts.co.uk. Frith Street also offer’s a unique garlic restaurant http://www.garlicandshots.com, a karaoke bar http://www.karaokebox.co.uk and an authentic italian coffee shop http://www.baritaliasoho.co.uk

As the show intensifies, so does the competition. Will Stacey Soloman conquer all with her personality and performance and ‘Do it for Dagenham’ or will she fall flat on her face? The judges form their opinions and Stacey is counting on you, the viewer to get her through the competition! Watch the above video to find out!

In the above video Kwai Chi explores a hidden lookout just off the M25 ring around London. It is one of the best inland lookout points in urban England

To get here go to Fort Lane on this map http://tinyurl.com/yjjqr48 and walk past the TV towers for about 5 minutes until you reach a gate. Open the gate and continue past a pavilion and you will reach this map http://tinyurl.com/yguk9sw which is where this video has been taken

In the above video Kwai Chi takes a trip down Dean Street in London and shows what’s on offer. Dean Street can be found linking Oxford Street and Shaftsbury Avenue.

Dean street is home of the Marco Pierre White restaurant, Quo Vadis. It’s also home of the Soho theatre and celebrity haunt, The Groucho Club.

Kwai Chi shows an unusual example of a wedding cake as an idea for your wedding.

This cake is from the famous Parisian Restaurant, Laduree in Picadilly, London

Kwai Chi explores what’s on offer down a street that has kept it’s tradition as a place to go to buy male garments, especially fine gentlemen’s shirts.

In the above video Kwai Chi and John Skellon highlight the eventful 4 day trip in this lengthy summary. Kwai and John travelled to Cornwall for their friend’s wedding. A lot of things happen on the run up to any wedding and this was no exception. If you’re coming close to your wedding then you are not alone.

Above is a video highlighting what’s on offer at Trevaskis farm. Trevaskis farm is a must see and must eat place in Cornwall. http://www.trevaskisfarm.co.uk

In the above video Kwai Chi shows off what he’s wearing as best man for his friend’s wedding and also offers an insight into what to wear as a groom.

Cream tea is comprised of scones and clotted cream. The scones in this review are from Philps bakery and the cream is from Rhodda. The kit can be purchased from any Philps bakery in Cornwall.

Kwai Chi demonstrates how to effectively turn any place into a better looking and more memorable one for your wedding reception.

The location for the reception was the Thai Chef in Hayle.

The address is Thai Chef
42 Fore Street
Hayle
TR27 4DY
Tel: 01736 757671

Above is a video of Kwai Chi, John Skellon and Tim McArdle having breakfast on the day of Tim’s wedding at the Brewers Fayre in Hayle, Cornwall. If you don’t have time to watch the video then please note that Brewers Fayre serves a totally rubbish breakfast.

Above is a video of Land’s End. Kwai Chi and John Skellon (http://youtube.com/schellinho) take you around the far westerly tip of England and the attractions on offer there.

Parking for a car costs £3

Above is a video showing the view from Minack Theatre in Cornwall, UK. It’s not the easiest place to get to but the views are amazing! You can watch a play with the backdrop of ruins looking over some Cornish coast. Some fine camera work by John Skellon (http://youtube.com/schellinho)

To find out more about Minack theatre go to their official website http://www.minack.com

Above is a video by Kwai Chi and John Skellon (http://youtube.com/schellinho). We took a route that hugged the coastal line around the Cornwall tip of England.
The video has been sped up to keep the video shorter. It’s really windy around this area so the sound isn’t great. Also the drive was not what we expected. We expected stunning coastal scenes but instead we found ourselves in tiny narrow roads wide enough for one car with the wing mirrors tucked in! As a result we had to cut our trip short as our original plan was to drive further round to get back to Hayle, Cornwall. Highlights of the road trip included getting to Minack Theatre and also the final destination of Lands’ End.

Kwai Chi and John Skellon (http://youtube.com/schellinho) peel back the truth behind this claim at the Hayle branch of Philp’s Bakery.

To try one yourself, here are the details of the branches:

Philps Bakery
Market Place
Marazion
Cornwall
TR17 0AR

Tel: 01736 710332

Philps Bakery
1 East Quay
Hayle
Cornwall
Tel: 01736 755661
Fax: 01736 755661

Philp’s Bakery
1 Foundry Hill
Hayle
Cornwall
Tel: 01736 753302

Pizza Patio’s website is http://www.pizzapatio.co.uk

Pizza Patio restaurant details:

Pizza Patio Al Fresco –
Hayle
35 Commercial Road
HAYLE
Cornwall
TR27 4DE
Tel: 01736 753745

Pizza Patio Al Fresco – Newlyn
4 New Road
Newlyn, PENZANCE
Cornwall
TR18 5PZ
Tel: 01736 363446

Pizza Patio Al Fresco –
St. Ives
31 Fore Street
St. Ives
Cornwall
TR26 1HE
Tel: 01736 798235

e1 Introduction and Ilchester Somerset

e2 Cartgate Service Station

e3 Ilminster Service Station, Somerset

e4 Ilminster, Sommerset

e5 Monkton, Devon

e6 Honiton, Devon

e7 Exeter, Devon

With the weather turning cold and dark fast, I created the following dish to warm up the belly without adding too much winter bulk.

(For 2 people, cooking time about 20 minutes)

What you need:

For the Jersey Royal Potatoes-
500g of washed Jersey Royal Potatoes
3g of dried Oregano
2 heaped tablespoons of Concentrated Chicken Stock
2 heaped tablespoons of Concentrated Vegetable Stock
3 litres of filtered Boiled Water
2 teaspoons of Extra Virgin Olive oil

For the Avocado Chicken-
2 chicken breasts
1 peeled, cored, quartered and sliced Avocado
1 teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive oil

For the Autumn Vegetable Jus-
4 peeled and sliced Figs
1 peeled and sliced Carrot
250g sliced Chestnut Mushrooms
150ml Chardonnay
1 sliced (lengthways) Continental Spring Onion

This recipe is very simple to make and takes little time to cook once everything has been prepared.

Jersey Royal Potatoes
Place all the ingredients (excluding the Olive Oil) for the Jersey Royal Potatoes in a large saucepan and keep to the boil for 20 minutes.
Sieve and place back in the saucepan.
Add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and lightly fry the potatoes under low heat turning until the Potatoes turn a light brown colour.

Avocado Chicken
In a frying pan, mobilise the Extra Virgin Olive Oil under low heat until the oil moves around freely.
Place the Avocado first and then the chicken breasts on top so that the chicken does not touch the frying pan and cover with a saucepan lid.
Turn the Avocado and the chicken after 10 minutes, add 5 tablespoons of the Royal Jersey Potato water and cover again for another 10 minutes.

Autumn Vegetable Jus
Place all the ingredients into a medium sized saucepan and cook under high heat and stir constantly until the Jus thickens.

Serve and enjoy!

I watch so many crap films to find those hidden gems and once again I got the chance to watch an almighty crap film. The plot is contrived and so ridiculous and the jokes are not funny or entertaining. Carmen Electra is in this film and looks seriously bored and not at all interested in the other lead character who she is supposed to fall in love with.

I almost forgot to tell you about the plot. Well these 2 college kids want to make a name for themselves and failing to secure funding from working title, they go to make a porno. Funded by mobsters who aren’t very convincing they secure the services of Candy Fiveways – the world’s leading porn star.

A boring story and not at all imaginative. Who the hell gave up good money to make this pile of rubbish? For British films to make an impact on the world of film, we need to be making quality films to be remembered or at least entertaining – not this type of absolute shite! I award this film a stonking 0 out of 5

As a study of film I go back and watch old classics now and again to re-evaluate once popular movies to see if my view has changed due to age of film or age of me. Being almost 20 years old, this Soderbergh directed and written film is a cult classic. At the time it was cutting edge. Just the mention of sex in the title was edgy. Tick on the clock and as a society we have become immune to on screen nudity and steamy sex scenes. Back then it didn’t happen very often. A younger Andie MacDowell and a very young James Spader play the leading parts.

James plays a nerdy guy who can’t get a hard on when he’s with a woman and the only way he can get motivated to ejaculate is to film women talking frankly on his camera about their sex lives. Collecting these tapes, James is seen constantly seen masturbating whilst he gains the attraction of Andie’s character.

In case you haven’t seen it I won’t give it away but basically looking back this story is no longer strong or compelling. Time has killed this film. However if it wasn’t for this film many mainstream films of today would only be cult and edgy so it did clear a path of sorts. For today though I give this once classic film a 2 out of 5

Here are some tips on the best way to use garlic.

SIZE
A peeled garlic’s flavour becomes more concentrated the more surface area there is. So a minced clove can be as or even more intense in flavour as a peeled but unchopped garlic.

Here are some uses for different sizes of garlic

Minced garlic – To add towards the end of cooking to enrich flavour. Also can be used for marinating.

Finely chopped garlic – Less intense than minced garlic. Used towards end of cooking to enrich flavour and for marinating.

Chopped garlic – Use towards the beginning of wok frying to flavour the oil or for use in a lot of oil for longer frying times without burning.

Whole cloves – Use for flavouring oil at beginning of cooking or in a lot of oil.

Whole or halved unpeeled garlic – Use for roasting on the same baking tray as food to be scented with garlic or inside a carcass (eg in a chicken) to flavour. Halved garlic can also be used to flavour a little oil in a wok and removed before adding ingredients.

HOW TO PEEL GARLIC
One of the most common time consuming things is usually the peeling of garlic. As I’m a speed chopper my personal method is to chop the top and tail off which releases each clove and then I position each clove and slice through a side of the skin to easily peel away. My method wastes a little of the garlic but I can get through a whole garlic in less than 20 seconds.

Another popular method is to position the garlic on a hard surface and then crush it with a chopping board or a side of a meat cleaver with the force of a palm. Any unpeeled cloves can then be quickly peeled.

Another method is to wash the garlic and peel by hand under running water.

The slowest method is to try to peel only by hand while the garlic is dry.

1 tablespoon of sea salt
3 chopped bird’s eye chillis
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 chopped garlic

In a hot wok filled with enough peanut oil to submerge the marinated chicken, pop in the whole lot.
After 1-2 minutes until the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken,chilli and garlic and drain on kitchen roll/oil drain.
Serve.

Stir for about 5 minutes or until the beef is cooked through and then serve into large lettuce leaves (The rounder the leaf the better).

Put the chicken in a hot wok with enough peanut oil to virtually deep fry the chicken. Carefully place the chicken into the hot oil and remove once the coating has turned brown. Place the chicken on some kitchen roll or oil drain.

In another hot wok put the following ingredients in and stir together:

1 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of rice wine
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon of malt vinegar
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 sliced bird’s eye chilli

Slice up 1 sweet orange pepper and 1 spring onion and add to the sauce. As the sauce begins to simmer add the chicken and stir for another minute then serve immediately.

At first it seems like a lot of ingredients but it’s actually quite simple to make.

Fires breed because there is oxygen present to help it grow. All you have to do is simply starve it of air by throwing in something dryish and large enough to smother.

Here’s a few ideas to keep at hand:
The next thing you are going to throw into the wok eg. noodles, cornstarch coated meat.
Some plain flour to dust.
Some plain boiled rice.

You can also move the oil around the pan to burn off the oil quicker.
If all else fails turn off the gas and keep a fire blanket nearby or a phone to call the fire brigade .

As an adult I have been lucky enough to have travelled the world – much of the time just to try out some of the best restaurants and their cuisine. Food is one of my biggest passions and the only reason why I have not opened up my own kitchen is because of the long hours involved and the detriment to life as a result. I have experienced this as a son of a chef and don’t really want to repeat the cycle. Whereas my father and many other chefs have lost the passion for food, my interest has intensified and as a result I experiment a lot more and my palate has become more sensitive.

As well as a lot of fusion and western cuisine I still cook and reimagine Asian dishes and I now prefer the sweeter taste of well made Japanese soy sauce in my Asian cooking rather than the harsher and artificially salty taste of Chinese soy sauces like the Pearl River Bridge range (colouring and potentially carsonagenic chemicals are used in the process too as confirmed by the Food standards agency). The Japanese soy sauce I use are sweeter due to the addition of wheat and have a sherry like flavour due to the addition of alcohol as part of the fermentation process. The production is also far more sophisticated than the production of Chinese brands. This does also mean that they are a lot more expensive.

In many of the recipes I have posted I have been specific to which Kikoman soy sauce to buy. As the sauces are imported, they are all in Japanese and I don’t have a Japanese keyboard and most of you can’t read Japanese (I apologise if most of you can). There is only one more reference so that you can purchase the same soy sauce that I use and that is the Kikoman number.

Here’s a reference for you about my favourite soy sauces:

Kikoman C00036 Reduced Soy Sauce (Gen-en Marudaizu Shoyu)
Kikoman C00039 Soy Sauce (Shoyu)
Kikoman C00044 Organic non alcoholic premium Soy Sauce (Tokusen Yuuki Shoyu)
Yamasa Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce (The whole bottle is in English)

I tend to use the Yamasa soy sauce only occasionally when I want a really strong salty & alcoholic flavour like when I’m cooking a salty fish dish.

There are other varieties of Soy Sauce too, here are a few off the top of my head:

Kecap Manis is a really thick and treacle like soy sauce due to the high content of palm sugar. I prefer not to use these at all as i wake up with a guaranteed headache the next day (maybe an allergy ).
Kicap Lemak is like Kecap Manis but with less sugar content
Shiro is a high wheat, low soybean soy sauce which makes it really sweet and great for sashimi (raw fish sushi without the rice). It’s odd that most sushi restaurants here don’t have this available. Keep it fridged after opening or it will go off pretty quickly.

Some examples include Italians who cook their pasta in different regional mineral water to get a different taste to their pasta. The Japanese make really good quality miso soup by double filtering their water beforehand for absolute purity.

When buying from a takeaway/restaurant you are left little choice as to what water is used (usually the local tap water) but when cooking at home we can use what we like. Why not try it out for yourself and see if you can taste the difference – I’ll chance a bet that you will.

Try different things like cooking with mineral water or putting evian through a filter or filtering tap water through your normal water filter before your kettle’s filter (if you have one).

1 knorr chicken stockpot pot thing
4 tablespoons of tom yum paste
200g of sliced button mushrooms
400g of King Prawns deshelled and gutted
1 teaspoon of finely chopped lemon grass
1 chopped spring onion
3 chopped birds eye chillis (or more if you like it really hot)
1 tablespoon of lime concentrate
4 tablespoons of fermented fish sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar

Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir throughout and you’ll be left with a great tasting soup to entice your tastebuds!

The Chicken:
Thinly slice a rolled out chicken thigh fillet (slice horizontally so the chicken is in flat slabs)
soak in a marinade of
2 tablespoons of soy sauce (kikoman C00039)
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of extra hot chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
1 teaspoon of sesame oil

Marinade as long as possible then weave onto a skewer and grill/barbecue until cooked through.

The Sauce:
In a saucepan mix up 4 tablespoons of peanut butter with 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce (kikoman C00039) and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Heat gently and stir together.

Add the hot sauce onto the the chicken to finish or leave it as a dip on the side.

Stir fry for another 2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

1 handful of chinese mushrooms (rehydrated dried mushrooms or fresh)
1 tablespoon of finely chopped ginger
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon of soy sauce (kikoman C00039)
1 tablespoon of rice wine
200g of pork chop strips

Stir fry for about 2-3 minutes and your done!

You can finish with a sprinkle of chopped spring onion and some chopped dough sticks (available from Chinese bakeries)

In a wok heat up 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and then pop in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce (kikoman C00039), strips of ginger (as much as you like according to taste) and 1 chopped spring onion.

When the fish changes colour and is white throughout, drain and serve onto a warmed plate. Add the hot ginger mix on top of the fish.

Very simple and very delicious!

Prepare the following mix:

2 tablespoons of curry powder mixed into 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
50g of shrimps (peeled and gutted)
50g of sliced Char Siu pork
50g of sliced chicken thigh fillet
1 finely chopped garlic clove
2 fresh birds eye chili peppers
1 finely sliced sweet orange pepper
1 tablespoon of soy sauce (Kikoman C00039)

Heat up a wok with 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and throw in 2 large beaten eggs.
Add the mix and stir for 2 minutes.
Add the noodles and drizzle a further 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (Kikoman C00039) on top.
Stir fry for another minute making sure the mix has infiltrated the noodles. Add more sesame oil if not.

Serve and enjoy a classic

50g of cooked Chicken Breast, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of soy sauce (Kikoman C00039)
2 tablespoons of Cornflour
100ml. Cold Water
1 tablespoon of Sesame Oil
2 Tablespoons of Peanut Oil
1 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Black pepper
1 tub of Knorr Chicken Stock Pot
285g of tinned sweetcorn (naturally sweet)

Simmer for 1 minute then take it off the heat and add 1 egg white.

Stir quickly as the egg white solidifies in the soup. That’s it! You can garnish with some chopped spring onion if you like too.

Put the following into the pot (if you’re worried about biting down on any ingredients then just pop them into a teabag/stock bag) and start boiling:

300ml of soy sauce (Kikoman C00039)
300ml of soy sauce (Kikoman C00036)
150ml of Chinese rice wine
150ml of sugar
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
3 whole star anise
1 teaspoon of roasted Szechuan peppercorn
1 cinnamon stick
1 litre of water

Once the mix is boiling just add the whole chicken and simmer with the lid on. Turn the chicken every 10 minutes and baste. After a total of about 50 minutes, leave the chicken to settle by taking off the gas/heat and leave for another 30 minutes to an hour.

Carefully remove the chicken from the pot and drain in a colander or equivalent. Serve the chicken thickly sliced with bone and drizzle with soy sauce (C00039) and a little sesame oil.

HO FUN WOK
Heat up 2 tablespoons of peanut oil until really hot.
Put 2 packs of fresh Ho Fun in and separate with a bladed spatula.
Heat for about 30 seconds and then introduce a tablespoon of oyster sauce – this will help separate the noodles from each other and give a shiny texture

EVERYTHING ELSE WOK
Heat up 2 tablespoons of peanut oil until really hot.
Throw in a handful of beansprouts followed after 30seconds by some pak choi and some soy sauce.
After a minute throw in a sliced birds eye chilli and a finely chopped garlic.

Pop the contents of EVERYTHING ELSE WOK into the HO FUN WOK and stir.

Heat up 2 tablespoons of sesame oil in the EVERYTHING ELSE WOK followed shortly by 1 chopped spring onion and 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce. Put the EVERYTHING ELSE WOK into the HO FUN WOK, stir and serve.

To make a wet version just substitute water instead of sesame oil at the last stage.

When a chinese takeaway/restaurant is busy, if only a little oil is used some of your food gets stuck onto the wok because over time, the non stick coat begins breaking in places because of use of metal utensils and metal scourers (for cleaning).
When the food gets stuck on the wok it takes longer to clean with the scourer. It’s as simple as that – more oil equals less cleaning which equals more greasy food.

The same will apply in your home. I’m only talking about the type that can go on all hobs – the ones with flat bottoms. Don’t buy a round bottom wok unless you have a really high flame on your gas hob and a cradle to hold it.
If you buy a cheap wok that does not come with a non stick coating you will have to season the wok with oil and even using wooden or plastic utensils will not stop it becoming sticky quickly. If you buy a cheap non stick wok then you can’t season it and the non stick coating is usually completely useless after about 5 uses.

Luckily there are high quality woks on the market which are non stick and are guaranteed to stand the test of time. Le Creuset, Circulon and even Asda direct do an anodised aluminium material wok. Anodised Aluminium is seriously non stick but I would still recommend only using wooden utensils (pref beechwood or olive wood).

Even with the best wok your food will turn out poorly if you are not brave enough to heat up your oil to the max! It may sizzle and spit but that’s what will give you the special carbon taste and familiar asian flavour.

The Random Veg:
1 cup pre shredded carrots

Sauce:
80ml of rice wine vinegar.
2 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of soy sauce (Kikoman C00039)
1 clove of finely chopped garlic
1 finely chopped birdseye chilli

In a bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce.

Remove all of the fat from the meat and cut it into thin strips.
Coat the beef with a generous dusting of cornstarch and press into the beef so it sticks with your hands or a teatowel.
Add the peanut oil to the wok and heat until hot. Make sure to add enough oil so that the beef will be virtually deep fried. (Alternatively use a deep fat fryer)
Carefully drop the beef in the wok and allow to fry for about 5 minutes or until it browns.
Drain beef on some kitchen paper/drain rack.

In another wok (or using the same wok without the oil) use a tablespoon of peanut oil and heat until hot.
Add the carrots and stir for about 2 minutes. Add the beef and then the rest of the sauce ingredients.
Stir together and serve immediately.

The beef coating now softens a little with the introduction of the sauce and you may have noticed that because you are using topside beef you don’t actually need to shred the beef at all. Once cooked the nature of topside makes the beef stringy when cooked in the pressure of the cornstarch coating.

In a takeaway the beef is usually part cooked and stored in a freezer/fridge as and when you order it. It is then refried in the deep fat and the sauce & carrots are added on top to slowly soften the beef by the time you get home/it gets delivered.

Sometimes it’s served with gravy or a soy gravy (just gravy with soy added) instead.

Steam Rice and then fry up eggs in a wok using plenty of peanut oil. split the egg apart with a pummeling action using 2 bladed end spatulas. When rice is ready pour over egg and continue pummeling action. When egg is well mixed into the rice add the crab and the salted butter. The rice should taste relatively plain so not to have too much flavour to clash with the main mix but add some soy to taste.

Autumn Mix:
1 Courgette sliced
2 Pak Choi halved
2 Baby Green Leaf halved
3 Birds eye chillis
200g Beansprouts
1 Sweet Orange Pepper thinly sliced
1 breast of free range chicken sliced
Oyster Sauce
Soy Sauce (Kikkoman C00044)

Whilst doing the above using another wok heat up a couple of tablespoons of peanut oil until very hot. Pour all mix ingredients apart from the sauces & chicken into the pan. Allow to sit for about 2-3 minutes to allow the steam to reduce the size of the leafy bits. Begin stirring and add then make a well in the middle. Place Chicken in the well and stir regularly.
Add oyster and soy sauce to taste.

Serve the rice onto the plates first and then place the mixture in the middle.

It should look a little like this http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi…0&id=749386194

8 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
2 cloves of finely chopped or blended garlic
8 teaspoons of sesame oil
16 tablespoons of strong soy sauce (Kikoman C00044)
8 tablespoons of finely chopped or blended black beans
4 tablespoons of honey
2 finely chopped or blended birds eye chillis
1 teaspoon of black pepper

You’ll have to whisk for a while or use a processor. You can add msg for extra flavour but I never use the stuff.

Noodle wok:
Soak some dry egg noodles in hot water until it’s soft.
Heat wok with a couple of tablespoons of oil until it’s very hot (the oil will move around the wok very easily).
Throw in a handful of beansprouts and let sit for about 30 seconds.
Throw in the softened noodles and fry for a further minute or 2. (If you want the noodles crispy then put the noodles in

first and in a lot of oil)
Add soy sauce to taste

Everything else wok:
Slice up Cabbage, Carrot,Peas,Water chestnut and green pepper and pop into the other hot wok.
After the cabbage has softened up add some sliced chicken thigh fillet or thawed frozen chicken (with added water if you

want it super tender like some takeaways serve it)
Add oyster sauce to taste.

Add the contents of the woks together and mix together.

CHINESE HOME VERSION
You need 2 woks for this. One for the noodles and one for everything else:

Noodle wok:
Soak some dried egg noodles in boiled chicken stock water until it’s soft.
Heat wok with a tablespoon of peanut oil until it’s very hot (the oil will move around the wok very easily).
Throw in a handful of beansprouts and let sit for about 30 seconds.
Throw in the softened noodles and fry for a further minute or 2.
Add soy sauce to taste (I recommend Kikoman C00044)

Everything else wok:
Slice up
a courgette
2 pak choi
2 baby green leaf
3 birds eye chillis (mix red and green for nice visuals),
4 mushrooms
1 Sweet Orange Pepper

add also

1 teaspoom of soy sauce (Kikoman C00036)
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce

and pop into the other hot wok.

After about 3 minutes add some sliced free range chicken breast.
Cook for a further minute and then add 1/2 of a finely chopped garlic into the mix.

Mix the 2 woks together and add oyster sauce to taste if required.

Add into a mixing bowl with:

1 tablespoon of cornflour
1 teaspoon of Sesame oil
1 teaspoon of dark Soy sauce (I recommend Kikoman C000039)

Mix in really well and rechop anything that’s too big (you could alternatively pop everything into a processor with a coarse blade)

Toast 10 slices of bread in a toaster or grill and then spread the mixture onto each slice (If you have made too much mixture then toast more bread) The mixture should stay on if you lift the bread, if not then try spreading it in harder or use less mix.

Get a jar of sesame seeds and evenly coat all your mixture bits on the toast. Press it a little if they do not stick easily (and use a little more sesame oil to act as a glue if this does not work).

Heat up half a litre of peanut oil in a deep fat fryer and dunk the toast in when the oil is hot. The hot oil should seal the mixture and sesame seeds in.
It is ready when the sesame seeds change colour to a dark brown colour.

Drain on some kitchen roll/ clean teatowel/ oil drainer

You can make the mixture in bulk and freeze for a later date to fry. You can also make up the toast and freeze for frying later too. That is common practice in Takeaways and restaurants. The thing to look out for when buying from a restaurant or takeaway is the amount of mixture included. It is often disguised by the amount of sesame seeds.

Heat up the wok with a little peanut oil.

Add the following to the oil:
2 tablespoons of chopped black beans
2 chopped cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of ginger

Fry for about a minute and then add the following:

1 teaspoon of salt
1 chopped spring onion
2 teaspoons of soy sauce (I recommend Kikoman C00036)
150ml water
The marinated prawns without excess soy sauce. (you can use the excess for making egg fried rice)

Add 1 teaspoon cornflour mixed with 1 teaspoon water slowly until the sauce thickens

If you prefer it a little sweeter then add sugar to taste.

The first is a cheat method where you buy the sauce in a jar/can from a Chinese supermarket like Wing Yip. You can even find this in mainstream supermarkets these days although they usually stock duff brands.

Heat up the wok with a little peanut oil.
Heat up the sauce.
Add chopped Beef (why not treat yourself to some fillet beef)
Done

The second method is to prepare the sauce from scratch.

Prepare the beef by slicing into strips and then soaking in a tablespoon of Soy sauce (I recommend Kikoman C00039)

Heat up the wok with a little peanut oil.

Add the following to the oil:
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
2 tablespoons of chopped black beans
2 chopped cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of ginger

Fry for about a minute and then add the following:

1 teaspoon of salt
1 chopped spring onion
2 teaspoons of soy sauce (I recommend Kikoman C00036)
150ml water
The marinated beef

Add 1 teaspoon cornflour mixed with 1 teaspoon water slowly until the sauce thickens

If you prefer it a little sweeter then add sugar to taste.

Add the following:
Garam masala powder
Termeric powder
Sugar
Water
Oil
Sweet and sour sauce

Experiment with different quantities of the above and you will have the unique taste of chinese curry. I’ve only ever made it in bulk and by taste so I don’t know the quantities scaled down.

I don’t really understand the novelty of it though as I don’t really like it myself.

The first is to cheat and use Veetee Rice (long grain).
Break an egg or 2 into a hot wok with 2 tablespoons of decent peanut oil. As the egg begins to cook turn it over as if frying and egg in a frying pan.
As it begins to solidify, begin to break it up into pieces with a spatula.
Add the long grain Veetee Rice and break that into pieces and then squash with a spatula.
Mix in with the egg properly and as the rice begins to soften add some quality soy sauce.

Taste it and if it needs more salt then add more soy. I recommend using Kikoman c00039.

The second is to boil the rice in a rice cooker (Use Thai fragrant rice).
Once the rice is finished in the cooker, begin to fry your egg in the hot wok.
Turn the egg and continue to cook so it solidifies.
Immediately add the rice and beat it with a spatula so that the egg mixes into the rice.
Add soy sauce to taste.

The third is to cook the rice in a saucepan (Use Thai fragrant rice and a good quality pan with lid).
Wash the rice once.
Add 1.5 cups of water per 1 cup of raw rice into the saucepan.
Put the lid on and bring to the boil. (If you pan is rubbish then seal lid with a wet teatowel)
Hot simmer for 12 further minutes.
Turn off the heat (move to another hob on electric)
Allow to rest for 30 minutes with the lid on (YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE LID ON THROUGHOUT OR IT WILL NOT WORK!)

Fry the egg in a wok and turn it over to cook both sides.
Begin to fry your egg in the hot wok.
Turn the egg and continue to cook so it solidifies.
Immediately add the rice and beat it with a spatula so that the egg mixes into the rice.
Add soy sauce to taste.

If you try all 3 of these methods and your rice is rubbish then asses why that could be. It could be poor equipment, poor rice (do not use quick cook rice) or even poor egg (I like using duck egg)

Hope that helps you on your way to cooking perfect egg fried rice. It should taste better than restaurant or takeaway egg fried rice which is usually prepared early in the day or even a few days before with unsold boiled rice (common cost saving, always only buy steamed/boiled rice eating out) .

Crush 2 chillis in a pestle & mortar and add salt in the mix.

Prepare the prawn by skinning out the prawn form the shell and then remove the black spine which is the prawn gut.

Dip the naked prawn into some oil and then the pestle & mortar mix and put the shell back on.

Cut 2 or more chillis into small pellets.

Heat up some oil and then pop the prawns and chillis and salt in.

Finish with some lime.

3 oranges (grate the zest and include)
2 tablespoons of vinegar
1 chopped pineapple or 1 mango
1 lime
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 tablespoon cornflour
1/4 litre of pineapple juice
1/4 litre of water

Bring to boil then simmer. Keep tasting until the flavour is to your satisfaction. Thicken further with cornflour if required.

To make the chicken Hong Kong Style:

cube or strip cut chicken breast fillet or thigh fillet
dip cuts into egg white and place onto surface full of plain flour
Pour a generous dusting of flour over the chicken and use a clean teatowel to press flour to the chicken. (If you find this hard then use cornstarch instead)

Deep fry in peanut oil (peanut oil is healthy like olive oil but not as good. Don’t ever use olive oil for high temp cooking as it burns too easily).

Remove chicken when flour coating turns greyish brown and bubbles.

Add to sauce and add diced onion, peppers and courgettes.

If you prefer the big chicken balls then cube chicken

Make a batter by mixing a whole whisked egg with 100g of self raising flour. Allow to settle for about 5 mins and then dip chicken into mixture.

Deep fry in peanut oil (it’s a lot more expensive than veg oil but it’s worth it for your health and flavour)

I personally prefer making a beer batter for my chicken. I just mix some beer with some self raising flour (no egg involved).

frozen boneless whole aromatic duck (comes in 2 halves) £6
frozen pancake skins 17 packs of 10 (£3)
Spring Onion (60p)
Cucumber (80p)
Amoy Hoi Sin Sauce glass jar (£2)
Amoy Plum Sauce glass jar (£2)

Total £14.40 approx

Less than half price considering that you won’t use up the sauce and skins.

It’s really easy to make once you got the above. Bung the frozen Duck in the oven on a rack if you got one (to drain the oil) at 190-200c and leave for 35 mins.
Prepare the cucumber and spring onion by slicing in strips.
Get the steamer going with some water and with about 5 mins to go on the Duck being ready bung in the pancake skins.
Serve the hoisin and plum sauce into bowls.
When the duck is ready use a fork and a spoon to shred the hell out of the duck.
When everything else is ready, serve up your items and have fun making up your wraps!

This event runs every August bank holiday weekend every year on the Sunday and Monday with the Monday designated as the busier ‘Adult day’.

To find out more check out http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/

The main thing to consider when buying an engagement diamond ring is the diamond (see here for general ring advice). The diamond is the centrepiece of the ring and there are crucial factors to consider, these are often called the 4 cs – cut, carat, colour and clarity. You should really add a fifth c for cost and perhaps prioritise this C in pole position over the main 4 Cs. Whatever happens, you should never pay so much for your symbol of love to your partner that you challenge the foundations of that love by risking your finances. Before you can consider the 4 Cs you need to know what shape to go for. Perhaps go and see some different styles in person to help you decide what shape is best for your partner, or even better, go with your partner to choose after proposing (perhaps propose with a token ring). The main shapes to choose from are Asscher, Cushion, Emerald, Heart, Marquise, Oval, Pear, Princess, Radiant and the classic Round Diamond. To help with the rest of the selection, try to take a look at the GIA, AGSL or other certified gemstone certificates to prove the 4 Cs are what the seller tells you what they are. High end retailers like De Beers may have their own certification procedures but the labelling is standard across all reports.

So onto our 4 Cs:

Cut
The cut of the diamond is the main C to look for. The cut determines the amount of light transmitted back to the eye from all light sources going into the diamond. This sparkle measure by the naked eye is often called ‘fire’. The more symmetrical the diamond is the more fire you get back. If a diamond is cut too shallow then the light travels straight through the diamond and if it is too deep then the light gets reflected through the side of the diamond. An ideal cut allows for the light to be transmitted like a mirror back to the eye looking into the diamond. The best cut by certification is Excellent cut or Ideal cut (dependant on the certifier). The next best is Very good cut and then Good cut. There are 2 more cuts that you shouldn’t really consider which are Fair cut and then Poor cut. If you have the budget then try to always get an Excellent or ideal cut diamond. These cuts will show fire in almost any light condition. The other cuts might look good under the concentrated halogen bulbs in the store but will appear lifeless outside. A better cut will also appear larger than a diamond larger in size but of a low cut.

Colour
The colour of a diamond ranges form D to Z. D is currently the clearest diamond money can buy. The colours A-C are reserved for the future if any clearer diamonds are found. D, E and F colour are totally colourless and the naked eye would find it very hard to tell between D and F. G,H,I and J colours are classed as near colourless and appear clear and white to the eye unless placed next to another diamond with a clearer grade. K-Z colours should not be considered as these are yellow-brown in colour and not very desirable. If you can get it in your budget then go for a diamond that is between D and H.

Clarity
The clarity of a diamond is the third C to look at and is measured by the physical imperfections found inside the diamond. The best grade is Flawless or Internally Flawless (FL or IF) diamonds which have absolutely no imperfections even under ultra high magnifications. These diamonds are really rare. The next best category is Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 to VVS2) diamonds which have imperfections that can’t be seen with the naked eye but may be able to be seen under 10x magnification. Very Slightly Included (VS1 to VS2) diamonds still can’t be seen by the naked eye but can be seen under 10x magnification. Slightly Included (SI1 to SI2) diamonds have imperfections that can be seen easily under 10x magnification and may be seen with the naked eye. A good diamond cutter will when possible cut the diamond so that the inclusion is found around the area under the metal prongs of the ring. If you buy a diamond smaller than 1 carat then you will probably not be able to see the inclusion with the naked eye. The last category (which I don’t recommend getting) is Included (I1,I2 and I3) diamonds which show up visible imperfections to the naked eye eg. lumps of bubbles that sit inside. These imperfections will badly effect the light reflecting and travelling through the diamond.

Carat
The final category is Carat which is a measure of the weight of the diamond. Notice that the measure is in weight and not in size which means that a diamond weighing 2 carat does not look twice the size of a 1 carat diamond. Once you have taken into account the other Cs, the carat will likely be determined by the remainder of your budget. A small diamond of about 0.3 carat is not much smaller than a 1 carat diamond, you will more likely see more difference in the type of setting used on the ring. Size is definitely not everything. Remember that the bigger the carat, the better everything else has to be as it will be easier to spot a dull cut, a yellow colour and also imperfections. S1 inclusions can be visible to the naked eye on 2 carat diamonds but remain expensive.

The Setting
Unless you are going to buy the diamond separately from the ring, you are likely to buy the diamond engagement ring as a whole purchase. There will be many compromises between all the grades of each of the 4Cs of the diamond and perhaps the material of the ring. There may also be compromises as to how many diamonds there will be on the ring, a popular modern choice is to have a large diamond set between 2 smaller diamonds. This is reminiscent of some of the multi diamond settings from the early 20th century. It can be cost effective to have many small diamonds on a ring rather than one large one as they are less rare and so less expensive to produce. Personally nothing beats the classic look of a single diamond centrepiece on a plain or pave diamond ring. The setting is so important as this is the factor that will really make a diamond look bigger or smaller. A high Tiffany style setting allows for a lot of light to enter the diamond from all sides (even underneath) and keeps the diamond isolated as the centrepiece. This solitaire setting has been copied many times and remains the most popular setting for a diamond engagement ring. The original Tiffany setting has 6 prongs which is great for hiding imperfections and holding the diamond securely. If you can find a 4 prong version like the De Beers Forever setting then it will allow even more light through the diamond. don’t go for anything less than 4 prongs though as the diamond could fall out without you noticing. If you want to make life easier for yourself when it comes to finding a matching wedding band then go for a high setting with a ring that is straight and not curved in any way so that the wedding band can sit flush to the wedding band.

Good luck in finding your perfect diamond engagement ring! To chat about the above go to Kwai Chi’s Forum

In the following video Kwai Chi explains everything you need to know about buying a diamond engagement ring including what to look for in cut, carat, colour and clarity as well as different metals and styles for the ring.

The ring shown in the video is a De Beers Forever Diamond Ring

Other high end jewellers who sell good quality engagment rings include

www.tiffany.com
www.cartier.com
www.bulgari.com
www.bluenile.com

If you’re looking for high quality independant places to go then try

www.hatton-garden.net Hatton gardens in London, Enagland (It’s a street)
http://www.the-quarter.com/index2.htm The Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England
Antwerp in Belgium
Kimberley in South Africa
New York in USA
Kimberley in Australia (famous for pink diamonds)
Jaipur in India

To read about wedding bands click here
To chat about this article go to Kwai Chi’s Forum

Below are some of the websites for some stores on savlie row

www.nortonandsons.co.uk
www.gievesandhawkes.com
www.kilgour.eu
www.ozwaldboateng.co.uk
www.richardjames.co.uk
www.henrypoole.com
www.stowersbespoke.co.uk
www.richardandersonltd.com
www.scabal.com
www.jasperlittman.co.uk
www.garyanderson.com
www.spencerhart.com
www.evisu.com
www.savilerowco.com
www.edeandravenscroft.co.uk

In the above video I take a trip down the famous and historic road, Piccadilly in London.

In the video above, I tackle all the smooth peanut butter I could get my hands on. Find out which is the best and the worst on the market.

Rest in peace to the legendary Michael Jackson.

Things you didn’t know about my amazing hair…

Follow my twitter @ http://twitter.com/kwaichi

On the 2nd May 2009, after a long day out celebrating our first anniversary together I proposed to my girlfriend whom I first met at school at the tender age of 4. I proposed with the aid of a poem I wrote which was 3 pages long and with the line ‘Will you marry me?’ on the penultimate line. Watch the video above to find out more about one of the most nerve racking things a man can do in his life.

Annoyingly when we tried to complain about a noisy neighbour at 4am we had no help! See the above video to see what I mean!

The above video shows a little of what you can expect at Piccadilly Circus

The above video is about facebook fan sites

I’ve previously taken you around covent garden but this is a video just about the market and it’s history as a fruit & flower market.

This product is now available form Kwai Chi’s online store @ http://astore.amazon.co.uk/kwaichisworld-21?_encoding=UTF8&node=9 This has got to be the loudest alarm clock in the world! The clock is made by Sonic Alert who specialise in items for deaf people. Please see the above video to find out more.

Did you buy the wii fit just to get a little wii fatter? Well that’s what’s happened to me. Watch the above video to find out more…

I review the silver laced moisturiser in the above product review. The product is only available in Germany as far as I know.

Writing is such a discipline and it’s so easy to get sidetracked don’t you think? Well In the above video I explain why I still strive to create new material.

In the above video Kwai Chi has a wonder around the old landmark in London located near Hyde park named Marble Arch. Marble Arch was originally built for Buckingham Palace but never made it there, instead it ended up in the middle of a roundabout – a bit like L’Arc de Triomphe except not as spectacular…

I review the number one instant noodle snack in the above video

I take a walk along Oxford Street in the above videos – commenting as I go.

In the above video review I get to grips with the ergoflex mattress. ergo flex are an online manufacturer and direct seller of their memory foam mattress. This 2 year old company has been making waves in the industry and have also been featured on programmes like Deal or no Deal. ergoflex pitch themselves as an alternative to Tempur but personally I see them as a direct competitor.

When researching online I kept seeing myths about memory foam mattresses which I would like to dispel:

Memory foam mattresses get too hot when I sleep on it
Whilst this may be true for a minority of people it certainly isn’t the case for most people. If you do find yourself getting too hot on any mattress you can simply put a good quality cotton mattress protector on top. New Tempur mattresses come with an air circulation structure to allow heat dissipation and the ergo flex has a cool-sleep airflow system.

I find it hard to turn in bed
Everybody tosses and turns in bed when they sleep. Whilst memory foam mattresses will encourage you to stay sleeping on your back for a better night’s sleep, it certainly is not going to stop you from doing so. Having gone from pocket spring to memory foam mattress I can definitely say that I would prefer to lay on my front on a memory foam mattress to a pocket spring as it hugs my tummy as well as it does my back.

A density rating of 85kg per metre cubed is too dense
Whoever makes up optimum figures is talking out of their backsides. With Tempur being the market leader of any mattress sold with a memory foam density of 85 to 110kg per m3 it is mind boggling how anybody without research can tout anything lower as being optimum or better. Tempur are a market leader for a reason – there is more to their mattress than hype or marketing, it’s down to their research. In fact without Tempur there would be no memory foam mattress of any sort on the market! Don’t forget that in countries where mattresses can be prescribed for bad backs the doctor will usually always opt to prescribe a Tempur mattress.

Any myth where 85kg per m3 is supposed to gobble you up/make you too hot/is too hard/is too soft is totally unfounded and without any research. Personally I find it extremely comfortable. Higher density basically means that the air bubbles in the foam are smaller and therefore more reactive (not less reactive and slow as many would suggest).

9cm of memory foam is too deep
Anyone touting that there is an optimum depth is either a bed salesman selling something shallower or just scaremongering, after all we’re all different. 9cm certainly won’t make you disappear and is well suitable for those who are 50kg or 100kg. Having slept on one for a while I can honestly say that it gives a very luxurious feel. anything under 5cm in depth may as well not be there at all.

I can’t make love on memory foam
Oh yes you can! I’ll leave this one at that lol…

If I go for memory foam then I should go for one that is on pocket springs and double sided
First off – what is the point of wasting that expensive layer of memory foam on your slats/divan base? It’s absolute nonsense and that’s why there are hardly any manufacturers mad enough to do it. It is purely a gimmick and nothing else. I have personally slept on a few mattresses that had memory foam sat on top pocket springs and there is a massive difference in the quality when it comes down to how much it cost. The cheap ones are seriously nasty! The more expensive ones are comfortable as the foam tends to be denser and better quality/better built.

The recovery rate of 85kg per m3 is too slow
As you can see in the above video this is certainly not the case! If anything because the cells are smaller they are more reactive the more dense the foam.

I should buy from an independent reseller because they can buy in the best quality at lower prices
This is not true as it is not true in other industries. Take the PC industry for instance – the market leader are Dell and as a manufacturer they also sell direct to consumers. Independent resellers of PCs do not have the buying power of chains like PC World and are often around for only a short time as their stock can’t shift and their debts pile up. Dell has recently begun selling their PCs via chains but the credit worthiness of independents and a risk to their brand name being cheapened means they are far less likely to go with them. As we have seen in the last year chains can also go bust.

So I said the same goes for the mattress/bed industry and it does. Companies like Tempur and Ergoflex do not want their brands to be cheapened by independent ebay resellers where accusations of fake memory foam mattresses are rife. With companies going bust, often with very little notice, it is much safer to put your money on a product that you will receive in a matter of days/straight away than something you have to gamble on for 6 weeks plus. Because of the construction of memory foam mattresses on reflex foam they often come vacuum packed and rolled up which means that it is less risky for bed stores to keep in stock and are usually available to take home or delivered pretty quickly. Any pocket sprung or open coil constructed mattress will not usually be kept in stock and the reseller will basically act as a middleman for the manufacturer who may make your mattress on demand to save money. There are exceptions to this like mattress next day but my previous experience with them was less than satisfactory and the salesman was not at all knowledgeable. Oh and my mattress did not arrive next day! As I have reviewed the ergoflex mattress I am happy to say that the delivery was also great with the mattress being delivered when they said it would and a tracking number for my peace of mind.

I’ve seen reviews saying that memory foam mattresses are rubbish
There is loads of competition in the bed industry and you find that many independent resellers and chains will post on forums and review sites claiming to own and hate their memory foam mattress. Look out for experts too who appear to help people decide what to buy as they often have an ulterior motive to shift their own stock. Some will say that memory foam is all hype and some will say that memory foam is only suitable on a pocket spring mattress and must be double sided. Some will say that a certain shallow depth and low kg per m3 density is optimum for a mattress but do a little research and it’s usually because they don’t stock it themselves. They’ll come up with all sorts of half reasonable explanations like ‘I only stock mattresses that I believe in’, but read between the lines and you’ll find that it’s all hot air. Remember that if a people tend to only post problems in reviews rather than positives, so when you do see lots of positive reviews like on reviewcentre, you have a pretty good idea that it’ll be good.

I’m safe if I buy it on ebay
This is normally true. As you always have the option of paying on ebay via paypal you have can get your money back quite easily if nothing turns up or if the product is dodgy and the seller is refusing to take it back. On better sellers there will actually be a checkbox allowing you to pay a premium for a full money back guarantee via paypal if you’re not happy within 45 days. Watch out for seller feedback too which is different to total feedback which can be disguised by the seller buying lots of products on ebay (artificially boosting their score). Look out for comments that suggest problems with the supply chain too as their manufacturer may have gone bust recently or even worse – the ebay shop has gone bust and hasn’t closed down their store.

Remember that an ebay store is relatively easy to set up and can be closed and set up as a different company relatively quickly.

Kwai Chi reviews one of the more exclusive hair holding products on the market in the video above

I review some of the history and things to do in Tottenham Court Road in the above video. Plenty more in the series coming soon.

I review the Tempur Queen sized pillow in the above video. enjoy!

I review one of the best toilet bleaches on the market in the above video. Contains graphic images

I review the Veetee rice range in the above video

OK, so watching loads of movies means that I also watch rubbish movies even when I know they’re going to be bad. Bratz was one of these movies. Bratz is a line of kids dolls based on bling and ‘real’ girls. Translating this onto the big screen must have been a challenge as they would have to keep up the appeal to young kids and mums so that they continue buying these morally wrong toys. There were so many things wrong with this movie so I have listed some here for your perusal:

• The Chinese girl can get changed and have a hair makeover in about 30 seconds in public into an outfit that stays with her for the rest of the film.
• The black cheerleader turns into a 30 something white overweight woman when she does cartwheels.
• The poor soccer girl turns into a 30 something overweight woman when she plays football.
• Oscar winning Jon Voight couldn’t give a **** about being in this film and puts in a stunningly poor performance as a crap headmaster/principle.
• The deaf kid can hear himself talk and therefore speak perfectly.
• The deaf kid can lip read without looking at lips.
• The kids age by 2 years by driving motored vehicles but dress up exactly the same way.
• The bad girl in this film is exactly the same type of bad girl seen in about every tween movie including high school musical.
• A scholarship is awarded to the winner of the talent contest. Since when does a scholarship go to someone good at singing over someone who is good at maths?
• The poor girl is looked down upon and pitied by even her own friends in the film making any viewer with less than £400k in their bank account feel like wringing all their necks.
• The girls seem to make the party food with play dough toys.
• The girls appear to make play dough food.
• The songs are really bad.
• The plot is really bad.
• The poor girl mimes over a singer who sounds a lot older.
• All the girls have walk in wardrobes yet none have an ensuite bathroom.
• The kid who gets a football in his belly squeals at the most pathetic kick.
• The bad girl wanted to win the scholarship. She would not need a scholarship.
• The bad girl had an MTV sweet 16 party yet her dad is only a headmaster.
• All the kids in the school want to go to this pretentious party even though no one likes the girl.

The flaws go on and on and on! With all things reflected the director (Sean McNamara) should stop making kiddie movies and concentrate instead on fermenting cheese. At that note I should say that this film deserves nobodies time. I feel really sorry for those parents whose kids will be receiving this film as a DVD as they are going to probably play this aweful thing over and over again studying the fashion if that’s what you want to call it. Even High school musical is better than this absolute trash. With that in mind I award this film a whopping flat zero out of 20 million.

This is a French horror film based in Romania. It basically follows the same plot lines as most ghost horrors instead this one is based on a real story. The scary monsters are replaced with real life 10-15 year old kids. It started off well enough with a mother and daughter being slaughtered in their car and the main 2 characters were nicely portrayed and built up.

From there it all went wrong. The scary bits weren’t very scary and the tense build up was no longer tense. I just started to get bored and when you see the kids, you feel like you could just bend their ear and they would concede like little babies. A nice build up but poor execution leads me to give a score of 2 out of 5.

So you’ve heard about it, you’ve probably seen it – it’s the Rocky horror picture show! This old classic musical was massive in it’s time and still has a huge sing a long following and is probably in a theatre somewhere right now. 2 main characters played by a young Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick breakdown in the middle of nowhere and end up in a dodgy castle. This story could only be written by a nutter like Richard O’Brien (known in the UK as that guy who presented the Crystal Maze).

We quickly enter a time warp and meet all sorts of gay transsexuals and transvestites including the main weirdo doctor Tim Curry. There are plenty of sexual innuendos galore and lots of weirdness. It is probably one of those films that people grew up on with a splif in hand as it is seriously trippy (see fame the movie). For today though this film is really out of place and would not get anywhere in the box office if released today as a new film. It is so weird and arty that I just don’t really get it so I give this film a 1 out of 5

This is the film about William Wilberforce who was a prominent politician in England many years ago. The film centres around his efforts to end slavery in all British colonies exploring different avenues and doing extensive research into slavery conditions. It’s a biography that is not all that accurate – especially the role of his wife in the whole thing and his religion which is not at all mentioned. The story is predictable as we no longer have slavery today so that is a given, but it’s highlighting Wilberforce’s efforts and struggles that are the mainstay of the story here.

Fact from fiction aside – as a film it is not all that compelling a story. At no point was I really feeling the effects of slavery and was not at all moved. The story has some good intentions but they have poor story telling technique which leaves me feeling dry eyed. For that I give this film a 2 out of 5

Jim Carrey takes another outing in a silly comedy film. Up alongside him is kooky Zooey Deschanel. To cut a long story short Jim Carrey plays a guy who runs away from everything in life and as a result gets nowhere in life. One day an old friend persuades him to go to a Yes seminar and it changes his life forever – as long as he keeps saying yes to everything. A run of luck is rewarded to him as a result and he meets equally crazy Zooey. They fall in love but then a run of poor luck follows Jim for bit until we get to the predictable end where everyone leaves the cinema feeling happy and smiling.

Some of the jokes in the film are funny. Other times it’s a little cringe worthy. In the right mood this film can be just what the doctor ordered. With a mixed bag of goodies I give this film a 3 out of 5.

Following on from the success of the first film, writer/director Eli Roth was at it again with a sequel. Based back in the same place as the first film – the story was very familiar. Not diverting the story much from the first film, I was left feeling a little cheated of originality. What’s wrong with making up a new story for a sequel? So many sequels these days are just rehashed revisions of the original and Part II was no exception.

If you saw the first one, then you know what will happen in the second one. Instead of seeing men getting slaughtered, you get to see women getting slaughtered. One of them even gets fully nude hanging upside down from her feet. Apart from the twist at the end there was little else on offer with this film. Not at all interesting and not worth a watch if you saw the first one. If you haven’t then it may be worth watching so I’ll give this a generous 2 out of 5

Rating 1/10

I was hungry the other night and decided to order in using hungryhouse.co.uk. I chose Zulfi’s even though I had reservations choosing a place that not only specialised in a good curry but also pizzas, burgers, chicken and kebab! To put this in perspective,when was the last time you had a decent curry at Pizza express? What the hell I thought to myself – it seems that many of the other takeaways on hungryhouse.co.uk near me are up to the same gig.

I got the meal deal #8 which included a large chicken bhuna, large keema dopiaza, 1 tarka daal (side), 1 bolied rice, naan, 3 chapati, 1 mushroom bhaji, 2 popadom, 1 mango chutney. I requested cooking with no ginger and keema to be replaced by chicken. My requests were all met which was great but the food was of a poor quality.

I’m a curry fanatic and this cooking was just lazy. The lentil dish was so bland and overcooked. They could not even get the popadoms right which are so easy to make. All they had to do was deep fry but they had left mine out somewhere for too long and it was stale and soggy by the time it got to me.

The worst part of the service was the delivery. First I got a phone call 10 minutes before the latest time they should have delivered by asking me for my post code and address. I swear the whole point of this website is that details like this are not necessary! It was not like he was checking either – he just didn’t know! 20 minutes later I get a call from the delivery driver asking where I live. I had to open up google maps to help guide them in but the guy kept hanging up on me while I was explaining where to go so he kept getting lost. I don’t live in the middle of nowhere either – I live in Headingley! He kept asking me to go outside to the middle of the road so he could see me but I was trying to explain to him that he was still far away. Add to that it was -3 degrees outside and the last thing I was going to do was venture out in the cold. That kind of defeats the purpose of having a takeaway delivery doesn’t it? Otherwise I would have just taken the car out somewhere! Finally the guys arrived with me standing in the middle of the road freezing my arse off. They apologised for the delay but I was cold enough to freeze water into ice by that stage. I’ll definitely try a different place next time. Zulfi’s is a place to avoid! I award them a lowly score of 1 out of 10.

This is the film made by Clint Eastwood starring Angelina Jolie and not a story about a security officer on Deep Space Nine. I really liked what Clint did in 2006 with the 2 films of the same story from different perspectives in ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’ and ‘Flags of our Fathers’ so I was eagerly anticipating what he would do next. He came out with Changeling penned by former journalist Michael Straczynski.

Basing the film on true events back in 1928 and with a seemingly strong script, Changeling drew the interest of the likes of Reese Witherspoon and Hilary Swank for the lead role of Christine Collins. Clint approached a sceptical Angelina Jolie instead because he felt that she would fit the part better for the era. She succumbed to play the role of a mother, Christine Collins who comes back from work to find her son missing.

After several months of searching, a kid who calls himself Walter Collins appears and the police department jump at the chance for publicity. He then goes and lives with her but then Christine realises that this kid is not hers. Like many people I saw the trailer for Changeling and have since been annoying my girlfriend with my impersonation of the scene where Jolie says ‘I want my son back’. Every time we saw the trailer again we have had giggling fits and when the scene finally came round during the movie we were once again in fits of laughter. It is probably one of those defining moments where you go ‘Wow, that’s an oscar winning performance’ as people around you in the auditorium are weeping and totally involved in the film. I apologise to those who were watching in the same screen as me as I just could not help it.

I won’t go on about the plot because that would give the story away. One thing to note about the film though is Jeffrey Donovan’s depiction of Captain Jones who was head of the police department. He was simply excellent and stole the show with his tremendous study of an arrogant bullying control freak. You simply had to hate him. The acting in the film in general was excellent and the story was well told and moving. The simple direction by Eastwood really added to the realism of events.

Changeling comes well recommended by me and come awarded with a deserved 4 out of 5.

The Irish kid was deservedly out first to leave JLS and Alexandra to battle it out singing their own versions of this year’s Christmas number 1 ‘Hallelujah’. I really liked the JLS version but when Alexandra started to belt, her performance was giving me tingles down my spine. Thankfully the presenter was kind enough to only leave a 20 second pause before announcing that Alexandra had won. In hysterics, Alexandra Burke could hardly speak and finally the situation had built up to the stage where she had to pause in the middle of her song to take a breath.

With a further 3 million votes on top of the 5 million after the Irish kid was ejected – there could only be one deserving winner – and I was sure glad it went to Alexandra!

In case you are new to my Pringle challenge I stuff a set amount of Pringles in my gob (goes up in increments of 5), and see how far I can get. Enjoy the video!

The builders were round creating a mess the other day so come the evening my flat was covered in dust and my kitchen was reduced to the size of a shoebox. Dinner time came round (not Yorkshire dinner which means lunch) and I couldn’t cook. Outside was snowing and icy, so restaurants were out of the question too. As a result I did the decent thing and looked for a takeaway that delivered. From the myvouchercodes.co.uk website I saw an introductory 10% off offer for hungryhouse.co.uk. The deal was simple, for your first order you get 10% off. Great news!

I registered an account and it found all the takeaways that would deliver to my flat. The list could then be filtered by cuisine type. The choice was large and all places accepted credit & debit card and free delivery over £6. Each takeaway has a rating for quality, service and value. Comments can be added additionally on top so that other potential customers can make a more informed decision.

All the menus were online and you simply clicked on dishes that took your fancy and it was in your shopping basket, much like online grocery shopping. 2 emails are then sent to confirm that you have ordered and then the other to confirm that the takeaway has received your order. You can also track your order much like a parcel with the status changing as your order progresses. After your order is complete they email to ask you to rate the takeaway for quality, service and value with an additional comment if you feel like it.

To add to the service, hungryhouse are also active in ending hunger in the UK and worldwide through it’s support of the ‘end child hunger’ online petition and also they also donate 10p for every £15 spent to ‘Action against hunger’.

Shane Lake and Tony Charles own the company and were on the telly on Dragons Den trying to get £100k to take hungryhouse nationwide. They won the backing of James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne for 50% of the company but things didn’t work out and hungryhouse.co.uk ended up being financed by Bryan O’Connell and Andrew Fuller at the tune of £150k for a much smaller stake. They have spent a lot of that money on PR and google adwords beating established companies to keywords like ‘takeaway’ under sponsored searches. They make their money by charging the takeaways a fee for every order taken. On Dragon’s Den this was pitched at 9% of the order but this may be different now.

I think the website could be formatted a lot better and looks a little on the cheap side and unappetising, even simple nice food pics on the site would probably make a huge difference in making the site look like a food website. The advantage of having the simple interface is the ease of use and speed of page loads. Although the selection of takeaways is vast at over 800 takeaways in the UK, there could be a lot more. There are too many low end takeaways who specialise in nothing and sell everything. All the takeaways appear to sell pizza, chicken, kebabs and curry. There are a few outlets who buck the trend but these are few and far between. They could do with extending the selection to decent restaurants who also deliver.

They allow people to rate and comment and even remind you with emails to do so after an order but annoyingly they don’t allow customers to order their selection of takeaways by any form of rating, making you trawl through all the poorly rated places. I had a problem with my myvouchercodes first order not posting through my order with the 10% discount so I complained using the online complaint form under help>contact us. The next day I got a call from a mobile/cell number and it was Graeme from hungryhouse who apologised for the inconvenience and immediately credited my account with £4. He was a nice chap and I felt that under the coldness of an indiscreet website were some jolly nice people running the business behind it.

As it is a new company and it is still expanding rapidly I will give the service the benefit of the doubt that it will add more decent takeaways in the future and sort out the web design. Even without the personal phone call from Graeme and the free money I was already impressed with the ease of ordering and I will definitely be using their service again in the near future. For that I give hungryhouse.co.uk 8/10

Having contacted hungryhouse.co.uk with the results Graeme sent me an email with the following quote “What would we need to do to move from an 8 to a 9 or 10?! If you have any ideas, please do let us know as we’re always working on the website looking for new ideas to make the service better.” So if you have nay further ideas then post them here or email them directly at help@hungryhouse.co.uk

This is the film with Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio in it. It was directed by Ridley Scott, the guy who made Gladiator, Blade Runner, American Gangster and loads of other movies. The film is set mainly in the Middle East where there is all sorts of terrorist activity going on. Back in Europe places are being bombed left right and centre.

To cut a long story short, Russell Crowe is the top dog trying to call the shots in the comfort of his home in the USA while his eyes and ears Leonardo, gets his hands dirty in the Middle East. Leonardo tries to get to the bottom of the terror cell by befriending the Jordan main intelligence but Russell keeps getting in his way by being the clumsy and arrogant American. I won’t say anymore because I’d give away the story.

It is a film that is interesting in parts but easily confusing. It is a thought provoking film but only if you managed to stay awake through the endless boring dialogue and confusing plot twists. The film could have been better in so many ways including Russell Crowe’s performance where I felt he couldn’t be bothered. The saving grace was Leonardo’s captivating acting but that is not enough for me to award any higher than 2 out of 5.

I literally roamed the supermarkets of the UK to bring you a totally blind taste test of all the butter miniature mince pies I could find. There were a few rules, like the packaging had to state the ‘mini’ size and they had to be the all butter variety. There are many more pies on the market outside of these restrictions and notably there were no value or no frills pies on offer, only standard or premium offerings. If you haven’t watched the video above yet, I put the pies in individual punnets labelled ‘a’ through to ‘j’. This threw out any preconceptions of branding or pricing. The test scores went purely on flavour and texture. I have rearranged the list below to reflect the test ranking out of 10.

11th j) Sainsbury’s Mini Lattice Mince Pies (12) £1.99 (17p each) 0/10
Sainsbury’s was founded by John James Sainsbury in 1869 – starting life as an equivalent to a modern butcher store of today. Groceries were later introduced in 1903 and soon grew to become the UKs largest grocery retailer. They stayed top of the pile until they got overtaken by Tesco in 1996 and then knocked further down the pile by Asda in 2003. Sainsbury’s standard offering looked unique compared to the other pies on review with it’s lattice top exposing 4 holes into the filling below. With the first bite I took the crust was far too thick and chewy. The crust was overpowering and took away from the mincemeat inside. Taking a second bite to assess the mincemeat inside I was sadly disappointed to find a really liquid filling with no flavour whatsoever. This odd and poor combination led to the lowest score in my blind test.

10th d) Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Mini Mince Pies (12) £2.99 (25p each) 1/10
Sainsubry’s premium brand ‘Taste the difference’ come decorated with 3 holes in the sugar coated crust lid. When I took my first bite into the pie the first thing that came to mind was the thick hard crust followed by a sudden intense sour burst that was truly revolting. The only saving grace for these mini mince pies is that they are not rock bottom of the list – unfortunately, the bottom, is the other Sainsbury’s pie!

8th h) Marks & Spencer Classics for Christmas Mini Mince Pies (12) £3.29 (27p each) 2/10
Marks & Spencer started life way back in 1884 as a market stall in Leeds Kirkgate Market run by Michael Marks who was a Russian born Polish refugee. 10 years later Michael Mark’s business was failing and Thomas Spencer came to the rescue with an investment of £300 and exceptional organisational skills. Initially dealing mainly in textiles Marks & Spencer branched out into selling food and became one of the main suppliers of food during the second world war. These days Marks & Spencer are known as M&S and are the largest department store chain in the UK. Their food court is very popular taking in more than half of all their business. This mince pie was their standard offering and was really disappointing. The crust was so thick and dry and not at all buttery. The mincemeat was also really dry like congealed jam. M&S is well known for providing high quality foods but I was not at all impressed this time around.

8th i) Morrisons The Best Mini Mince Pies (9) £1.69 (19p each) 2/10
Morrisons was founded in 1899 by William Morrison as an egg and butter merchant in Bradford’s Rawson Market. They were based mainly in the North of England until they took control of Safeway in 2004. Now Morrisons are the 4th largest supermarket chain in the UK fitting out their stalls to look like an early 20th century street market. Morrisons did not have a standard pie to offer – only their ‘The Best’ premium brand. This mini mince pie was topped with a snowflake and sugar. The crust was very thin with little ‘bite’. The filling was nutty but there was very little else to offer in terms of flavour. As there was nothing good to say about this pie, Morrisons’ only entry scored poorly.

6th k) Waitrose All Butter Mini Mince Pies (12) £1.99 (17p each) 4/10
Waitrose started life as a joint venture by three men with surnames Waite, Rose and Taylor. Taylor left the other two and their stores became known as ‘Waitrose’. They were taken over by John Lewis in 1937 making all the staff in Wairose co-owners of the whole group – a bit like a coop. Based mainly in the south and concentrating on selling only high quality food, Waitrose has been aggressively expanding upwards through the UK. Waitrose offered the largest sized mini mince pie in this blind test coming up close to some supermarket offerings of standard size mince pies. The crust was really thick and the filling was both sweet and sour. I could taste the brandy but it added nothing to the overpowering flavour inside. At £1.99, Waitrose supplied a surprisingly competitively priced miniature mince pie against the main major supermarkets. Unfortunately the quality was sub standard – especially for Waitrose whose reputation suggests better than average food.

6th b) Tesco Finest Mini Mince Pies (12) £1.99 (17p each) 4/10
Tesco is the largest supermarket chain in the UK founded in 1919 in East London. With profits exceeding £2 billion they are the world’s 4th largest retailer. Tesco’s Finest brand is their premium brand so I would have expected more. The crust was thick & crumbly but soft enough that it melted in the mouth. Unfortunately the mince meat mixture inside was very poor. The flavour was far too sugary and tasted artificial. At £1.99, Tesco’s ‘Finest’ offering is priced competitively against it’s supermarket rival’s equivalents, being cheaper per pie than all the major 3 rivals Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s . Although cheap – these pies are average at best.

4th e) Selfridges & Co Traditional Mini Mince Pies (12) £6.99 (58p each) 5/10
Selfridges started life as a single mammoth department store in the heart of London on Oxford Street in 1909. Selfridges was and still is the 2nd largest store in the UK after Harrods and the innovations and marketing techniques that Mr Selfridge introduced transformed the way people shopped forever. The Selfridges food court offers fine foods from around the world as well as their own branded products. Selfridges offering was by far the smallest and easily the most expensive mini mince pies on review. They were so small that I wasn’t sure how they would be made up. Would the pie be thick with little mince or would the pie have a thin crust with lots of filling or somewhere in between? Well halfway through biting I had my answer. It was so thick that it was like biting down on shortbread. I like shortbread – don’t get me wrong, but it felt wrong for a mince pie. The mincemeat inside was like dehydrated jam without the flavour. I give this pie a 5 simply because the crust is nice on it’s own merit. More attention to the filling would have easily scored more points on taste.

4th c) Marks & Spencer Connoisseur All Butter Mini Mince Pies (12) £4.99 (42p each) 5/10
M&S’s premium brand ‘Connoisseur’ is rarely seen outside of the Christmas trading period and is usually exceptional in taste and quality. Taking the miniature mince pie in my hand it looked nice enough with it’s single star on it’s sugar topped crust. The crust was very thin and the filling was laden with nuts but what was missing from this year’s Connoisseur offering was the flavour! Where had the currants gone? Where was the brandy? It was like eating a thin crusted nut gel pie. It’s a real shame but the score is fair for M&S’s disappointing premium offering. In fact, for the price, it feels like a rip off!

3rd f) Tesco Christmas Mini Mince Pies (12) £1.49 (12p each) 6/10
Tesco’s standard mini mince pie was the cheapest in my review at just 12p a pie. The single star on top of the sugar coated crust didn’t prepare me for the delicious soft thick crust as I bit into the pie. At first the mincemeat flavour tasted of nothing but then the after taste kick came through and was remarkably delightful. The combination of a great crust alongside an understated filling was rewarded with an above average score.

2nd g) Asda Extra Special Rich Fruit Brandy Mini Mince Pies (9) £1.68 (19p each) 7/10
Asda started life in Leeds in 1949 and has had a turbulent time since, with mergers and acquisitions being passed around until the giant Wal-Mart bought the chain in 1999. Asda is now the 2nd Largest supermarket in the UK and accounts for half of all international sales for Wal-Mart. Asda had no standard mini mince pies on offer but the premium ones they had on offer looked great with a dusted topped snowflake on really great textured crust. The bite was thick and soft with the mincemeat consistency a compromised blend between sour and sweet. The taste was not too intense or rich making this a great choice. The pie could have scored a little better if the crust was a little more buttery in flavour.

1st a) Duchy Originals Miniature Mince Pies (12) £4.59 (38p each) 9/10
Duchy Originals Limited was established by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1990 to promote organic food and farming. Duchy also aimed to help protect and sustain the countryside and wildlife. Every time someone buys a Duchy product, all profits go to one of Prince Charles’ many charities. Duchy Products are available in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Budgens, Somerfield, Booths and Morrisons. Duchy’s offering in this blind test was average in size with 3 punched out holes at the top crust. As I bit through the all butter miniature mince pie I felt a wonderful sweet blend of currents and Brandy swash around my mouth as the very soft thick crust melted on my tongue. The only words that could come out of my mouth were ‘That is absolutely delicious!’ before I just had to take another bite. At £4.59, these pies are on the expensive side but with money going to charity , you can feel less guilty. Absolutely sublime flavour and texture make these mince pies far and away my top pick for the festive season.

In Conclusion
With only 3 pies on test taking home a score of 6 out of 10 or more, the average all butter mini mince pie is generally poor. If I had not done the test blind I would probably not have gone near the supermarket offerings, sticking to the safety of M&S. Having tried an M&S pie during mid November though, I was bitterly disappointed with the drop in quality from which I usually expect and that was confirmed in this blind test. At less than half the price per pie, Asda’s premium brand tasted far better than Marks and Sparks premium offering.

Asda’s Extra Special mince pie was my biggest surprise followed by the revelation that the Tesco standard offering tasted far superior to their own premium brand. Sainsbury’s 2 different pies were bitterly disappointing and having contacted Sainsbury’s, their spokesman reassured me that they would be taking the blind taste test seriously and would pass on the results to their product managers to rectify future supplies.

Duchy’s pie was no surprise topping the list with their sensational mince pie. They’re expensive, but knowing that my money is not feeding a large corporate giant – but instead paying farmers a fair wage and all those deserving charities – gives me a comfortable feeling inside. The mince pie I definitely would not bother wasting my money on is the ridiculously priced Selfridge’s mince pies. I was shocked at the price and would have expected better. It was average at best but coming in at over 3 times the cost of Asda’s offering, it feels like an absolute rip off.

So I conclude that if you have a party of people to feed at a budget then go with Asda’s Extra Special mini mince pies, otherwise just go Duchy!

A different and original twist sees a bunch of unknown actors stranded in the middle of the ocean with no help available to get back to shore safely. A sailing trip goes wrong and the disaster victims end up in the water with no way back onto their boat. It’s an interesting and compelling watch but at the end of it you are left feeling a bit cheated as there wasn’t much content to the film. The back story could have been developed better but I think the film was going in the right direction. I would say more in this review but I don’t want to give away the rest of the story if you haven’t yet seen this movie. For the originality I give this film 2.5 out of 10.

I thought Eoghan Quigg had a strong first couple of weeks but has since started sounding a bit like a nervous croaky girl. He sounds like his balls still haven’t broken and cries like a toddler. ‘Oh but he’s so young’ – give it a break. He’s going to grow up one day – he might even reach puberty! I hate it when people go on about how young someone is. It’s a talent show – not a ‘Look how much you can achieve by the age of 16′ contest. Diana Vickers was another singer who looked like having promise in the early weeks. Although not my cup of tea, she did command the audience well early on in the contest. The last few weeks however, I feel she has looked nervous and her song choices have been awful.

I have liked JLS from the 2nd week and think they have had some songs which could well have done well in the charts. The last couple of weeks have seen them falter under nerves a little but they are well deserving of their place in the finals. I think if they can get it together they can do really well as a boyband. They do best when singing boyz2men style songs in my opinion.

The strongest contender but least likely to win is Alexandra Burke. She has the most gifted voice and would win the competition easily if she was the talent she is now but 15 years old. As she is now a cripplingly old 20 years of age she has little chance to overpower the might of the Irish in Owen or the cunning of Louis Walsh’s hidden call centre rigging the votes for JLS.

Luckily for all of the final 3 contestants they will all have recording contracts just as last year. The most successful single artist to come from reality TV singing shows in the UK is Lemar and he only came 3rd – so in reality it doesn’t matter who wins this year. It’s all down to who’s got the legs for the real long haul and the survival that is the music industry. the main advantage of the Xfactor show is just the initial exposure which can go an really long way for a kick start to their careers.

I’ll be watching next week as will millions of others. I will be routing for both Alexandra and JLS hoping that high school musical cheese Quiglet will be out in 3rd place. As usual in these competitions the judges will go on about how great each act was in their final performance as required so that they don’t bad mouth the winner by accident. The same old clichéd responses from the judges will spill out like water from a bottle as will Cheryl’s tears. Same old, same old! The last laugh will be with Simon Cowell who will once again be rubbing his hands at the prospect of managing yet another number 1 single.

In the age of txt spk its ez 2 _stand why peepol cant spl anymr. I for one am not a fan of text messages whatsoever and much prefer to do things the old fashioned way – well not letter writing, but I prefer talking to people. There is less room for misinterpretation of an intended message. A message like ‘You looked good the other day’ could be taken as both positive and cynically negative. Hearing someone on the phone leaves that doubt to one side. Anyway back to poor spelling, I don’t know whether simple editorial mistakes are down to poor education, poor environmental factors, laziness or ignorance, but I do know that they should know how to run a spell checker!

I’ve got the video above as usual for you to see whether I achieve eating 25 pringles at once or not. I’m really starting to hate pringles now that they are slowly but surely ripping flesh out as they fragment and split off in my mouth. That and the phenomenal amount of fat and dodgy flavourings which are giving a big fat belly and a sore throat – oh and the dehydrated headaches. For training I go through mouth excercises to help stretch out the height of my mouth to increase volume and to increase jaw strength. Yep – I’m taking this seriously! The only positive side effect from this is the high volume of water that it forces me to drink and the naturally formed belly tray for my dinner plate.  As I have gone through so many pringle tubes I’ve been experimenting with other functions other than holding pringles. I have found pringle tubes to be totally useless at most functions I previously thought they might be able to serve. The list includes:

Drum sticks – way too big
Sugar pot – can’t get the spoon down
Water holder/jug – not waterproof after a while and still tastes a little like pringles
Pen pot – way too deep to get pens out
Spaghetti holder – doesn’t quite hold enough pasta and not quite long enough for some brands.
Standard potato chip/crisp holder – hard to get product in and then goes everywhere when you try to get them out.
Pummel sticks – hurts too much when victim of a hit
Christmas tree decoration – absolutely rubbish looking and tacky.

Feel free to give other suggestions in the below comments.

My newly dented car

It was really cold yesterday morning so I thought I would warm up my car while she was getting ready. She uses my car as it’s more economical over long distances than hers. As soon as I stepped out of the door I noticed that it was snowing and had been snowing already as there was a small coat of snow waiting to be ploughed through with every step of my walk to the car. I walked out to the car and the warning lights came on as usual to tell me that it was really cold outside and I let it run for a while.

The weather forecast on the TV had no mention of snow apart from the forecast for Thursday. My girlfriend got ready pretty quick and was out in the car ready to drive into freshly laid snow. We live at the top of a hill and because she works far away it was about 6.50am. Our road is not a major one either and so had not been gritted.

I waved my girlfriend goodbye and she drove off down the hill. I watched on as I saw her slowly moving down the hill and then I saw the brake lights come on. They come up bright red and they stayed for quite a while until I heard a loud bang. I ran down the hill as quickly as I could yelling out her name and almost slipped on my arse a few times on the way down. The car was sat sideways at the bend located at the bottom of the hill. I quickly opened up the passenger door and to my relief my girlfriend was fine albeit shaken up. I walked around to see that my car had collided with an old battered little parked car. Let’s just say that I couldn’t tell which dents my car had caused!

Leeds seem to be packed with cars just the battered parked one and in the time that it took me to get the car back up to the driveway, I witnessed another battered car drive round a bend too fast in the ice and saw it go straight up the rear of a parked car. Whereas I did the good thing and contacted the owner straight away, they just drove off! My girlfriend still understandably shaken can be a bit stubborn and still wanted to get to work this morning to help care for patients in her hospital. I reminded her that she was better to the patients alive and well than injured or worse. Tomorrow is forecast for worse weather and so I have left risk of doing the weekly shop with the Ocado driver who is coming tomorrow night with my groceries.

With the weather so bad and a lack of forecast on the TV I was annoyed that my council had not bothered to even provide a grit bin down our street. I am not exactly in the middle of nowhere. I witnessed some superb stunts (people falling on their arses) today at popular junctions by walking pedestrians crossing the icy streets across from my kitchen window. I almost fell on my arse myself trying to get to my car this morning and got as far as 10 metres from my door. I wonder how many people are going to bother turning up at the M&S one day sale tomorrow!

Here are some more dent and scratch photos for you to enjoy!

Close up of door panel

Door panel

Dent on wheel arch

Scratches on front of wheel arch

Forever sharp knives

If you live in the UK or USA, you have probably gone to your local supermarket or department store and at some point come across an announcement on the loudspeaker telling you that in 10 minutes that if you go to aisle so and so, you will receive a free paring knife or garnishing spiral knife. You wait for ages by a small table clothed stand and wait for way longer than 10 minutes. The demonstrator finally arrives and asks everyone to move really close to the stand so that people watching are out of the way and so that the demonstrator can see who will get a free knife.

Feeling like a sheep in a rounded up herd the next stage of the demonstration is a reminder that you will all receive either a free paring knife or a free spiral garnishing knife. The demonstrator reveals a purpose built table with slots drilled out for rubbish and a chopping board. All other equipment is located underneath on shelves under the table. They tell you that the knife that you are getting for free is worth loads of money and are also used at well known restaurants all over the country/world. In return for getting a free knife they politely ask that you stay for a short demo on the world’s sharpest knife and then straight after that demo everyone who has been watching will get a free knife/spiral thing. The demonstrator then gets everyone to acknowledge this request by saying something positive like ‘yes’. Some demonstrators don’t bother with this stage especially if it’s a small crowd.

The demonstrator then goes on to show off an odd looking orange plastic thing and not the forever sharp knife they promised. They do this by asking spectators ‘Can anyone tell me what this is?’ Someone in the crowd usually will know what it is because they have been to so many of these bloody demonstrations. The demonstrator then puts this contraption into an orange prefilled with orange juice and turns it upside down to demonstrate that it pours out orange juice with minimal effort. (some will actually demonstrate properly and screw into an orange and squeeze the juice out). They add that it’s a gadget all the way from Florida – I’m guessing to associate Florida orange juice with the device. To get the wow factor going they give away a few of theses to the people who got the answer right and to anyone who looks disabled. Finally they get round to the demonstration of the forever sharp knife.

The demonstrator got out the forever sharp knife from under the purpose built stand which looked like some sort of combat knife with a cheap bit of moulded plastic stuck onto the end of it. The demonstrator announces that the knife has only just come out to market and is currently only available from them that day on a special offer before the knives go on public sale and will soon be appearing on shelves all over the UK in the next few days/weeks including the store/supermarket they are currently holding the demonstration. The demonstrator holds it high up with one hand holding it parallel to the ground with the other hand pointing to the various features. The features are that it is made from surgical stainless steel conjuring up images of razor sharp blades used to cut open human skin. Wow! That must be sharp! It has a serrated edge as well which is useful for all sorts of things like cutting bread. Last but not least it comes with a carving fork for your meat after cutting it or as a prodder for anything else you can think of.

It’s so amazing that the demonstrator gets out a tomato to cut. The demonstrator makes a really big deal out of cutting a tomato into really thin slices (I saw one who couldn’t cut thin slices which I thought was funny – just huge uneven slices) and says that a normal knife can’t do the same thing after owning one for a while. I can’t disagree more but anyway let me continue… ‘No longer do you have to sharpen your knife ever again with the forever sharp knife. To show you how strong this knife is I’m going to cut through this hammer.’ Says the demonstrator as spectator’s eyes are now seriously interested in this amazing product. This is the clever illusion of the demonstration and a lot of people will buy these knives just because of this trick. I’ll talk about the trick later down the post…

The demonstrator adds the reassurance of a lifetime guarantee on the knife with a cheaply printed bit of paper that resembles a fake counterfeit note designed by a 5 year old. At this point the demonstrator asked if anyone owned one of these knives. An old lady immediately responded saying that they were really sharp and a great product. Even more people are amazed and interested. The demonstrator should have continued… instead they asked if anyone else owned one of these knives.

Just to give you some history – I’ve been to about 5 of these demonstrations and I bought a set the 2nd time I saw the demonstration because I thought it would make a good gift for my mum who doesn’t ever sharpen her knives. That was over 2 years ago. Remember that at each of these demonstrations they always state that the knives have only just come to market – well that just isn’t true. My mother has used the knife less than I have used it when I have just visited and they do go blunt regardless of the speil the demonstrators give you. The worst thing is that you can’t sharpen them because of the design of the serrated edge which sticks out from the knife. so anyway back to the demonstration – I shouted out that I owned some. I then explained to the gathered crowd that the knives do go blunt and that I had owned the knives for more than 2 years. I just lost the demonstrator more than a handful of sales. They tried rebuking me by telling me that I did not own one of their knives because it had just come to market but I reminded them that on the ‘made in china’ (not from florida) box of knives they were selling, the company name was Twin Towers Trading Ltd. They’ve been trading for years selling the same product telling the same lies and showing off the same illusions. Their parent company is based in the states and the manufacturer are some dudes in China. The other thing they neglect to inform would be owners is the weight – or lack of it. They may be sharp but try cutting through something more dense than a tomato – for example beef and you got some issues. They will try to make out that it will cut through ice – well they should do that demo instead then shouldn’t they!

So onto the hard sell bit of the demo. People who were put off still stayed because of the free paring knife/spiral garnish thing. The hard sell bit comes really thick and fast and the demonstrator tells everyone that the retail price is something like £19.99 but they couldn’t do anything on discounting the price. Instead they will sell you the second knife for just £2 extra bringing the new current total to £22. Not only that – the second knife also comes with a lifetime guarantee. That juicer from earlier – remember the doubts you had of the knife before? – not any more because those memories have been replaced with the juicer demo you saw earlier which is now free and included with the 2 forever sharp knives, the knives that require no sharpening – the knives with a lifetime guarantee. Even better now the demonstrator pulls out a fish knife and explains what it does. As most people have never seen one before they are amazed at the sight of a flexible blade that can skin fish and vegetables. The demonstrator skins the end of the tomato from earlier in the demo. The fish knife is yours – so not only do you get the 2 forever sharp knives, you also get the juicer thing and a fish knife all for only £22. Then out comes another freebie – this time it’s a paring knife. This knife is used for cutting through veg. No demo required. It’s near the end of the pitch so no more thinking time for the customer. Forget the one paring knife – you’ll now get 2. So now you get the 2 forever sharp knives, the juicer thing, the fish knife and 2 paring knives. Wow! What a bargain – all for only £22. Only today – limited offer before they retail for between £3.99 and £20 a knife. All with the lifetime guarantee. There are still some doubters in the crowd so the demonstrator diverts their sensible rational ‘Is this too good to be true’ side and ask a diversion question ‘ So you’re asking yourself, why would you need 2 forever sharp knives if one stays sharp forever?’ This diversion draws the speed of the previous part of the pitch down slightly and gives people thinking time – but crucially on the demonstrators terms. You are not asking the questions anymore – they are! They follow on quickly again explaining that you can give away the £20 knives as gifts for family and friends. Spread the magic of forever sharp with all your loved ones. You’re not being selfish any more by buying these magic knives for yourself whilst you were out doing the weekly/Christmas shop – you are now buying a gift for birthday/Christmas present for other people. Oh and to make things even sweeter you are now getting a 3rd forever sharp knife for free. So for £22 you now get 3 forever sharp knives that go blunt, a juicer thing which breaks after a couple of uses and is a bit naff, a flexible fish knife that snaps and 2 paring knives. ‘Hands up who wants to take advantage of this deal today?’ Slowly the hands go up one by one. The demonstrator then hands out the free product which adds to a perception of honesty for the consumer. The demonstrator asks for another show of hands again for the product and a few more hands appear. The demonstrator thanks them and hands out either the box of product straight away or a voucher to be exchanged for the product at a specified till. One or two thinkers feel they might miss out later and come back for the start of the next demo to grab a voucher/box of product. Job done! No one ever held this cheaply made product in their hand once or asked to buy just one forever sharp knife for the retail price of £19.99. People are greedy and will pay the extra £2 for an extra 5 knives and a juicer thing.

So now that people have gone away with their super sharp knives with nowhere to store them – this is how the hammer trick is done. The knife is actually super light in weight. It is made of hard steel like Japanese knives hence it is also thin and will hardly require any sharpening. A hammer is made of relatively soft metal and the physics will dictate that a harder metal can ‘saw’ through a softer metal. I say ‘saw’ because the serrated edge picks up extra fibres just like sawdust when sawing wood. This gives the amazing illusion that the knife is super sharp and will stay sharp forever.

Japanese knives are forged in a similar way and are also lightweight. The major difference is that Japanese knives tend to be well balanced by being higher and shorter in length. The handles tend to be a million times better than the forever sharp knives too. No serration required either. These knives cannot be sharpened with a normal sharpening steel, instead a new edge needs to be made with the use of a sharpening wet stone. This takes ages and if done by an amateur, can end up in a permanently dented or bent blade.

In the West, the best knives in the world are all made in a small city in West Germany called Solingen. This is the home of massive knife brands like Wüsthof and J. A. Henckels. Here the knives are heavy in weight being made from a softer carbon forged steel. These knives are well balanced and require little effort from the user when sharp, as the weight cuts through things very easily.

Cheap knives in the west are also made this way but are just made of cheaper steel and cheapo material is used for the handle making the balance uneven or inconsistent. Either way the knives will stay sharp if sharpened with a steel before every use. This is where most people fail with a knife. Most people don’t even own a sharpening tool of any sort, or if they do own one, they hardly ever use it. Most knife cuts in the kitchen are caused by blunt knifes slipping off items. A sharp knife is much safer in use as the knife will cut through where you point the thing, allowing the weight of the knife to cut for you. I cook almost every day and I sharpen my knives before every single use, not just every day. I like my knives razor sharp – as a result I save loads of preparation time and have never cut myself in the kitchen.

One more thing – you can also buy folded steel knives which are super hard and also heavy. They are distinguished by cool ‘rings’ which allow the user to see how many times the metal has been folded on itself. These knives also stay really sharp for a long time but will go super blunt if not sharpened often. did I mention these look really cool? They are also really expensive.

Any decent chef will sharpen their knives very regularly and I recommend you do too. Forget the cheap feel of the forever sharp knives and just invest in a decent set of knives and a steel instead. During sale time there are always sets for less than £22 – I bought a set the other day in the Debenhams sale for £20 which included 7 knives, a steel and a wooden block to hold them in. Far better value than the forever sharp knives being demonstrated in the same store for £2 more!

I realise that the Forever sharp knives are cheap compared to very good knives but if you are interested in owning some excellent quality knives (that really will last a lifetime) then take a look at what’s in my kitchen in this link

For more information on what knives to buy, please watch the below video on youtube which I made over 3 years ago.

I had no expectations of how many pringles I would be able to eat in my mouth at one go and I value the argument that I am helping to promote an unhealthy snack, but for me it’s just a bit of fun. Back in my uni days I was so hooked on pringles that I would stuff a tube’s worth of pringles down my neck in no time at all and it got me a whole lot fatter. I haven’t eaten many pringles since those days but I believe in moderation. I’ve been through a time when I ate a very boring diet of chicken and rice with veg or chicken with pasta with veg but nowadays I am happy to enjoy my variety a little more. This pringle challenge does mean that I will eventually scoff as many pringles down my jugular as I can which is binge eating of sorts but I really do not condone binge eating for the sake of self image. I don’t think most people will see this series of videos that way either. It’s purely a fun thing to do which I just felt like doing. Although now I am getting a whole lot fatter!

In my social networking exercise I upgraded my myspace site to the new 2.0 version which does look way better although some html coding is still required if you want nicer fonts etc. I made a new fan page on facebook to keep it separate from my personal account. I set up a new bebo account and a fan page there too. I have a plugin for myspace and twitter from this blog and a feed from twitter to my facebook and bebo. Running so many sites and RSS feeds at once can get a little confusing especially with all the different interfaces available. I’ve even updated my old stickam account although I wonder if I will have much time to even go live anytime soon.

I have wondered if anything new is coming over the horizon and I have seen that youtube will be introducing a live element much like stickam but because of the sheer amount of traffic they get I imagine it will take a long time to implement. With the downturn in the economy I think it will be especially tough on the smaller tech companies trying to make a mark on the web and with the big guns like google and yahoo buying everything decent up I think it will now be a long time before we see anything really fresh come to market. I even worry for sites like twitter during these turbulent times as I can not see any money making avenue for them as they refuse to show adverts. As hard as it is to maintain so many sites, they are still all important and rank highly at alexa. For me it is going to be my only form of syndication and advertising outside of the youtube partnership program. I have to be careful though as I got my first warning for spamming on facebook for posting 2 similar posts in succession – before you pass judgement I had just joined the youtube group and accidentally posted kwaichi.com instead of my youtube.com/kwaichi site. I hardly call that spamming! From now on I will tiptoe around facebook and just leave an RSS feed running. I am contemplating reusing my old flickr account to host my photos in the future instead of facebook too. I would host the photos myself but I like the flexibility of linking.

I’ve changed wordpress theme a few time the last few days on kwaichi.com and run into countless bugs and headaches. There is still a bug in this Carrington theme if you try to click on a category it will show you a correct summary page but then when you click on it again it goes blank! I am banking for a solution soon rather than experiment with yet another theme though.