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What you can do in 2.5 months!

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Earlier this year, I proposed that I would keep up with my blogging more often. A promise to myself that I just could not keep! I tell you what, it’s really hard to keep up with these things especially when there are so many distractions in life. I started out with good intentions when I started catching the train to and from work. I had a solid hour each way to write some cool stuff for you to read. My Samsung Galaxy S2 started playing up and the battery began draining really quickly. There was also nothing to do on my iPad either apart from typing up a blog. A few things happened though in a short space of time. My new work place, The Social Partners, handed me an iPhone. 68 games completed later and the BBC decided to allow users to download content to watch anytime on iPad. Suddenly, I find myself finishing off a few more achievements in Tiger Woods Golf on my iPhone whilst watching last week’s Dragon’s Den on my iPad.
Dragon's Den on BBC iPlayer on Apple iPad
Read More »What you can do in 2.5 months!

Reiss Personal tailoring fitting was an absolute shambles!

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Jesse gave me a call last week to tell me that my suit was arriving this week so I booked in to see him for an alterations fitting. Walking in early to the Reiss store in New Change shopping mall, I found Jesse ready to greet me with my suit. The first thing I noticed in the changing rooms was that the block machine stitching was really good. There was a little fraying in the lining and there were some loose ends but around all of the wool the seams looked neat or were completely hidden.

Reiss Personal tailoring suit with my chosen red lining
Reiss Personal tailoring suit with my chosen red lining

Around the back of the jacket there was a little bagginessRead More »Reiss Personal tailoring fitting was an absolute shambles!

Mark Marengo cock up

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Following on from my review of my Mark Marengo suit, I thought I’d share with you my wonderful revisit to Savile Row to fix my crotch rip.

Mark Marengo trousers ripped at the crotch
Mark Marengo trousers ripped at the crotch

I thought that I would premiere my wonderful new Mark Marengo number for an EMEA marketing event hosted by Excelsior recruitment the other week. Everything was good, Read More »Mark Marengo cock up

Mark Marengo Review plus Cad & the Dandy Basted fitting

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A couple of days ago I went back to Cad & the Dandy for my basted fitting session. I turned up about 10 minutes for my appointment which was made over the phone with Ian, the guy in my previous Made to measure suit post. There was another guy around who hung around. I wasn’t sure whether he worked there or if he was another customer. Ian welcomed me with a handshake and noted that he had read my blog post. He put away the name dropping on this visit which was a plus for me. He asked me how business was and who I was working with. I moved on quickly to get started with this section of my suit fitting.

My jacket at basted fitting stage shows the hand stitched full canvass from Cad & the Dandy
My jacket at basted fitting stage shows the hand stitched full canvass from Cad & the Dandy

I tried on my basted suit for size, the band at the top of the trousers were a little snugRead More »Mark Marengo Review plus Cad & the Dandy Basted fitting

Terrible cold calling whiplash claim companies

Only last week did I watch the terrible exploits of cold calling companies on BBC’s Panorama. People from these cold calling companies were outright lying about who they were, who they represented and made ridiculous claims to either gain a fee from people making personal injury claims or to exploit money directly out of victims on the other end of the phone. One method of claiming money from people was to get the victim excited about making a claim before giving victims a fake claims number and a premium rate phone number to call to follow up. Victims calling the premium rate number would then be placed on hold for a long time while they were getting billed directly from their phone network. I got hit from behind which resulted in the endless cold calls
Just over a year ago, those of you who followed me on Twitter or Facebook will have seenRead More »Terrible cold calling whiplash claim companies

The ‘red route’ ORN traffic delays

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So the games are coming to town really soon and all the athletes are coming in from around the globe to settle in at the village in Stratford. London has created a priority route from Heathrow (all the way west outside London) to Stratford (all the way East in London) which allows priority traffic for athletes to get escorted in BMWs which are painted red. There were complaints that the routes were not signposted well enough which has caused massive bottlenecks today.

A crowded train in rush hour in the first class carriage
A crowded train in rush hour in the first class carriage

It is one of the reasons why after 2 years Read More »The ‘red route’ ORN traffic delays

Media Week's 30 under 30 awards

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Kwai Chi Media Week 30 under 30 award
Kwai Chi Media Week 30 under 30 award

Yesterday night, I received an award for my contributions to the media industry. Normally awards for marketing are given out for campaign work for clients but the Media Week 30 under 30 awards are given out to those who are deemed to be the most talented people under 30 working in the media industry. This was the first year I could enter and it would be my last as well as I only just met the age criteria this time around.Read More »Media Week's 30 under 30 awards

Made to measure suits (also known as personal tailoring)

As I look back at my YouTube videos from 2006 I have noticed one major difference… I used to be a lot thinner. Oddly as I have gotten older and fatter, people still ask whether I am a recent graduate. I even got asked for ID when buying a £10 meal deal from M&S recently. I’m pretty sure that I don’t look 18 anymore let alone younger but it appears that many do! I figure that some of this is down to my ultra laid back casual look.
In an attempt to turn forward the age clock or perhaps the respectability factor, I am going to turn back to the tried and trusted male staple of the suit to bring me back some professional pride. When I started out working in investment banking over a decade ago, I used to wear a suit every day. Back then there was little choice in what to splash the cash on when it came to suit buying. Basically, you went with a nasty cheap suit from a store that fit really badly or you went bespoke from a tailor down Savile Row. There was the ready to wear option but the suits were really naff.Read More »Made to measure suits (also known as personal tailoring)

UK to Stuttgart to Metzingen to Lake Garda to Munich to Calais road trip

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It’s been a long time since my last blog post which is kinda what I had said last time around. So a brief update of Germany and Italy. Let’s take this in order.
UK to Stuttgart
The drive from England to Stuttgart is a really long one. It’s also incredibly fast in Germany before and after the Frankfurt bit where you get restricted to a measly 130kmph. Stuttgart is a little on the pricey side and you can’t park in the centre unless you have an emission badge. I couldn’t be bothered with all of that so I stayed with the missus near the airport but right next to a train station in Echterdingen.Read More »UK to Stuttgart to Metzingen to Lake Garda to Munich to Calais road trip

Things to do in Germany & Italy

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It’s been a long time since I last posted an article here and that is for a number of reasons. The key ones being work commitments, moving house and also lack of access to my own blog. Remarkably I had no access to the admin pages until very recently when my SQL database finally got upgraded by my host who I will not be renewing with! For name and shaming reasons, they are called ixwebhosting and they charged me $50USD for the privilege. I miss the travel write up and the video capture and over the last couple of yearsRead More »Things to do in Germany & Italy

Quinn’s Almost by the Sea Restaurant, Hawaii Island Review

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The restaurant reviewed is:
Quinn’s Almost by the Sea
75-5655 Palani Rd
Kailua Kona
HI 96740
(808) 329-3822

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 Read More »Quinn’s Almost by the Sea Restaurant, Hawaii Island Review

Things to do in Hawaii: Hapuna Beach State Park at sunset

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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. Read More »Things to do in Hawaii: Hapuna Beach State Park at sunset

Jackie Rey's Ohana Grill Restaurant, Hawaii Island Review

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The restaurant reviewed is:
Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill
75-5995 Kuakini Hwy
Kailua Kona
HI 96740
(808) 327-0209

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. Read More »Jackie Rey's Ohana Grill Restaurant, Hawaii Island Review

Things to do in Hawaii: Mauna Lani Resort

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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. Read More »Things to do in Hawaii: Mauna Lani Resort