No natural fibers gave up their lives for this arrangement. Maybe bright colors are supposed to cheer one up while doing housework.

From Forest School to Freedom

It’s 10 years since the Nyaru Menteng (NM10) orang-utan rescue and rehabilitation centre opened in Borneo. Last night, founder, Lone Droscher-Nielsen was in London to talk about her team’s work to save this endangered species, and to raise much-needed funds.

Recognisable from TV series’ Orang-utan Diary (BBC) and Orang-utan Island (Animal Planet), Lone’s talk at the Royal Geographical Society, Kensington, covered these issues:

~ rainforest destruction, and the rise in palm oil plantations
~ orang-utans’ loss of habitat, often killed
~ the continued decline of orang-utans at current rates means they may be extinct in a decade
~ the need for sustainable palm oil + protection of the orang-utans’ natural habitat

More:
~ Photos of Lone – Ten Years of NM10
~ Video-clips of Lone’s talk on Ten Years of NM10
~ Borneo Orang-utan Survival website

Despite living and working in the easterly bits of central London, I visited two restaurants in Kensington over the last seven days: Kitchen W8 and Launceston Place. I thought the former was pleasant and worth visiting when already in the area, but in contrast, the latter is a worthy cross-town destination. If there’s justice in the world, Launceston Place should be awarded Michelin star in the next year. In addition to talent in the kitchen, it’s got great style and spirit. [An aside for fellow food nerds: be sure to read this fascinating interview with a Michelin Guide inspector.]

hot-cold leek soup amuse at Launceston Place

A few preliminaries. My friends and I made our Saturday booking about two months ago, not because the restaurant was that unattainable, but because we had such conflicting schedules. Then, I read on Gourmet Chick that Launceston Place’s sous chef, Steve Groves, had just won a TV cooking competition, and more importantly, Gourmet Chick had had a fabulous time despite a bizarre service hiccup at the start. All of this meant that by the time we were seated in one “wing” of the restaurant’s butterfly-shaped dining room, I had pretty high expectations.

Presumably because it was late (i.e, past 9 pm), we weren’t offered the tasting menu (£55), but with a party of four, we were still able to construct our own tasting menu by each ordering different dishes from the three-course (£45) menu. Once we added in all the amuses (like the wonderful hot-cold leek soup in graduated shades of green – just like a leek), we felt like we’d eaten the tasting menu anyway.

roasted scallops with aromatic herbs

Starters were a strong point of the evening. Jon’s roasted scallops were huge, juicy and sweet. Perfect. (However, being competitive, I’m mildly miffed that Gourmet Chick was served three of these, whereas Jon received two. Was the kitchen running low on scallops that night?)

potted foie gras, quince puree and dandelion greens

My starter of potted foie gras consisted of a generous portion of the most velvety foie gras pate, ever. The quince puree added a touch of sweet lightness, and I didn’t even mind the dark slate serving slab (it’s so 1990s, no?).

celery sorbet-julienned apple amuse with walnut cream and walnuts

A celery-sorbet palate cleanser performed its function, but the celery was flavorless (as you’d expect from a veg that’s 99% water), and the walnut cream could’ve been sweeter so that it was more than just an icy refresher.

Tamworth suckling pig, radishes and honey emulsion

As a main, I chose the suckling pig, whose bit of crackling-topped belly was superb, but amazingly, even better than the slice of belly were the tender loin medallions encased in unctuous, flavor-soaking pig fat. There were accompanying bits and bobs for color and crunch, but the piggy stole the show for me.

wild hare, nutmeg cream potatoes and spiced pears

Jon’s wild hare was cooked to a melt-in-your-mouth state. Despite the generous portion size, Jon practically licked his plate clean. However, while I appreciated the gamey meat’s tenderness, it was almost too mushy for me. I felt like I ought to be spreading the meat on toast.

spinach and homemade ricotta ravioli with sage butter and artichokes

Our friend J chose the vegetarian option of a spinach and ricotta ravioli. While it looked gorgeous, and while J loved her dish, from the bite I had, I thought the kitchen could’ve used a lighter hand with the herbs. My mouthful tasted overwhelmingly of parsley and dill. And I’d expected mountains of ricotta in these things, which was not the case.

lemon sorbet and raspberry coulis with a pepper tuile

There was a pre-dessert demonstrating more playfulness with temperatures and textures. I loved the way the peppery tuile shattered and added crunchy sweetness to the smooth, creamy cold-sorbet-warm-coulis combo. When even the amuses are a creative treat, you can’t help feeling that someone in the kitchen is paying attention to all the details.

dark chocolate, iced milk and crumble

Desserts were generally tasty but pedestrian, and I agree with Gourmet Chick’s assessment that they weren’t as special as the other courses. The “dark chocolate” dessert, for example, was exactly as advertised on the tin: rich, creamy chocolate – like a thick mousse.

toffee apple parfait

Visually, my apple parfait was appealing: a golden apple with echoes of childhood candy-like toffee apples. But the apple was enormous, and inside, it was just a creamy, heavy apple-walnut parfait, which got old really fast. Instead of finishing my giant ball of (effectively) ice cream, I ended up “helping” Jon devour his delicious selection of cheese.

Overall, the decor, food and service were excellent at Launceston Place. If I had to nitpick (of course I do), I’d complain that (1) we had to ask three times for our tap water glasses to be refilled; and (2) while the food is tremendous value at these prices, the “extras” add up incredibly fast. A glass of champagne here (£14 for non-vintage yeasty Roederer); a madeira there (£11 a glass); a couple bottles of wine; a cheese course supplement (£6-£10) . . . when our bill arrived, we were stunned for a moment. What happened to that £45 pp price tag? But of course, all the charges made sense and we quickly moved past our surprise and paid up. After all, the important thing is that all of us had enjoyed our food and our evening, and we can’t wait to go back.

Launceston Place, 1a Launceston Place, W8 5RL; 0207 937 6912; closest tube stations: Gloucester Road and High Street Kensington.

Here it is: the Madre’s Visit series!  Disclaimer: we took a ton of pictures, we ate a lot of food (I almost forgot how much I missed it), and we made a lot of magical memories.  Here’s my attempt at documenting it all; a lot of the posts will be works-in-progress as I update them with little details I forgot/didn’t take the time to initially include–I know we have an eager audience awaiting!  Enjoy   I know we did!

After a very Love Actually airport reunion, Madre and I hit the Londontown running!  First, we headed to the London Visitor’s Hotel in Kensington to drop off Madre’s luggage; the LVH is a quaint little bed & breakfast style hotel with an extremely welcoming staff, but the best part is its close location to my flat in South Kensington!  From there, we walked through our ‘hood to my flat, stopping for a pub lunch at The Gloucester Arms and several Kodak moments — we soon realized that we were capturing Madre’s visit to London, my semester in London (flying solo makes getting pictures with yourself in them quite tricky), and our time together (again, only two makes it tricky, but we definitely capitalized on the kindness of strangers and waiters).  Next on the agenda, taking a very wise arrival activity cue from Madre’s The Unofficial Guide to London (the same trusted series we get all of our Walt Disney World advice from), was to purchase two 48-hour tickets for The Big Bus Company’s hop-on, hop-off sightseeing bus tour of London.  We caught one of the last buses and, thanks to the ridiculously early sunset at 4:30pm, Madre got to see all of the London sights for the first time in their twilight glory.  We hopped off at Marble Arch, the end of the route, and grabbed a spot o’ tea (like the real Brits) before embarking on Madre’s first ride through London on a red double-decker bus (“yes, those really are the public buses!”).  Then, the jet lag hit, so we made a quick change of route to South Kensington where we stopped for a delicious Italian meal at Il Falconiere (the first of many delicious, spot-hitting meals).  I grabbed sleepover supplies for the next two nights; we were met outside, after already being freezing, by rain and a black cab…magic moment!  We hopped in, headed ‘home’ to the LVH, and snuggled the night away–the one thing I missed about home most of all!

Well I have been toying with the idea of micro monkeys for quite some time, but even the normal baby monkeys can be fiddly. Today I finally gave in and made my first micro monkey. I love, love, love him but it must be said that Chuckles herself is quite besotted with new mini monkey. They are very fiddly and socks are harder to come by in baby size but I will ensure I have a reasonable range of Micro Monkeys available at the first market in the ‘6 markets in 3 weeks’ Marathon.

Come meet the micro monkeys at;
Kris Kringle Night Markets,
Northcote Town Hall,
Thursdays from November 26, 5.30-10pm

Northside Makers Market
Uniting Church, High St, Northcote,
Sat, November 28, 10.30-3.30pm

Market 3031
Kensington Station, Bellair St
Kensington
Sat, December 12

North Kensington residents share 47 plots for growing their own vegetables.

Dozens of people gathered in the former tennis court of the North Kensington Health Centre where a community kitchen garden was launched.

The site is part of the North Kensington Kitchen Garden scheme, a project developed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council. The scheme already has other seven kitchen gardens throughout the northern area of the borough. In total there are 80 plots in use with over 200 people involved in the project.

“The scheme has proved to be extremely popular. Actually it started when neighbours asked for it to the council because they wanted to grow their own fruits and vegetables,” North Kensington environment manager Terri Oliver said.

As the borough is densely populated the finding of land for the scheme was the trickiest part. However, the project targeted underused plots to transform them into kitchen gardens where local residents can grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables.

Located in St Quintins Ave, the former game arena was completely refurnished to allocate 47 raised wooden planters. Each one is shared up to three people.

Elderly, families and youngsters are involved in the scheme.

Opened to the residents who live nearby, there is a real mixture of elderly people, families and youngsters keen for digging the soil to grow seasonal plants, fruits and vegetables. “It is a very exciting experience because most of us live in flats where is very hard to grow anything there,” Claire Cassar said.

The scheme is develop with the help of Groundwork, an environmental regeneration charity. Community gardener and food growing expert Sarah Milner-Simonds gives assistance and workshops fortnightly to the members of each site.

And besides the thrill of growing fresh fruits and vegetables, the social interaction is the real bonus of the scheme. Terry Oliver said: “I didn’t realise how successful it would be bringing the community together. The plot has to be shared and has brought people from the same neighbourhood who never talked to each other before the chance to know each other better.”

The kitchen garden is a trend spreading throughout the UK. As the fruits and vegetables are growing the scheme in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is expected to do the same. “We are always looking for new sites. There is a list of potential new sites given by residents and we are trying to develop the scheme there,” Oliver confirmed.

The council team is exploring underused sites to transform them into kitchen gardens.

Then shall I begin………….No this is not Listen With Mother but it is about whether you are sitting correctly at your PC or Laptop.

I have been doing some work on my Laptop recently and found that I have had some neck strain because with a Laptop you have to look down at the screen.  It is not very ergonomic and then I discovered you can get Laptop stands which lift the screen to make it more user friendly.

You can also get Copyholders to hold paper next to your PC/Laptop on a stand or you can get a clip to attach to your PC/Laptop instead.  This will help when you are inputting information onto the PC/Laptop.  For your wrist when working with a PC you could also get a gel mouse pad to ease the strain.

Some of the ones to shop for are:

• Kensington Easy Rider Stand for Laptop
• Fellowes Easel Copyholder for your Laptop/PC
• Kensington Flexclip Copyholder for your PC
• Belkin Waverest Gel Mouse Pad

Of course you should also take regular breaks and if you can - do some neck and arm exercises to loosen your muscles.

Happy working!

game hotdog with a mug of game consomme and bacon cream (£8)

Bloggers Dos Hermanos panned Kitchen W8. But this week, Bloomberg’s Richard Vines raved about it. With my friend BK, I gave the place a go this past Wednesday, curious to see with whom I’d agree most. And as is often the case, the reality was somewhere in the middle: I enjoyed my meal there and would be happy to go back, but I wouldn’t cross town just to eat there again.

BK, a lover of all things meaty, ordered the much-written-about game hotdog, which he let me try. Contrary to Dos Hermanos’s experience where the gamy flavor of the sausage was overshadowed by the sugary-tangy “ketchup,” in our version of the dish, there was just enough of said ketchup to complement the meaty flavors of the sausage without overwhelming it. Sipping the bacon cream and game consomme added a smooth saltiness to balance out the sugary-meatiness of the hot dog. I liked it.

foie gras mousse with raisin puree and fruitbread (£8.75)

My foie gras mousse was a little too much of a good thing. I started out loving this dish: a little sweetness from the raisin puree mixing with the salty-meatiness of the foie gras mousse. But the bowl was huge, and after running out of toasts, I couldn’t bring myself to eat anymore of what was, essentially, a bowl of heavy cream and fat. I would’ve liked this dish more if it had come in a smaller bowl with a greater proportion of foie gras mousse.

Halibut fillet with Beaufort crust (£18)

BK loved his halibut fillet – currently the most popular dish on the menu, according to the Bloomberg review. The fish was firm without being overcooked, and I loved the crispness, sharpness and stink of the Beaufort crust. Much-needed moisture came from a bed of sweet reduced onions and a few chanterelles. Definitely one of the better fish dishes I’ve had in a while, but I could take it or leave it. After all, I’m rarely wowed by fish unless I’m eating it by the sea and know it’s jumped straight out of the water onto my plate.

roast duck breast with caramelized endive tart (£17)

My generous portion of roast duck breast was rare and tender, and the crispy caramelized endive tart was a good accompaniment. Like most of the other dishes we had that night, the duck was simply prepared and expertly cooked.

It’s true that none of the dishes caused fireworks, but I’m a fan of Kitchen W8’s ability to churn out crowd-pleasing dishes that are well executed. The portions are generous, the room is casual-elegant and welcoming, and the staff were friendly. Tap water was never a problem, and there are plenty of wines by the carafe and by the glass.

BK and I shared two side dishes (including a forgettable one of buttered potatoes), an enormous cheese course and a carafe of wine to go with our two starters and two mains. Our total with service was £90.

I’d go back. Kitchen W8 is a high-quality neighborhood place that’s versatile – equally good for dates, get-togethers with friends and business meals. For Christmas this year, I hope Santa Claus brings me something similar for Angel Islington.

Kitchen W8, 11-13 Abingdon Road, W8 6AH; 0207 937 0120; closest tube station: High Street Kensington

After a long day at work, dinner out called, so we strolled down the Brompton Road until we came across Tendido Cero, a tapas restaurant. Bustling on a Tuesday night is always a good sign, so we went in and luckily got a seat at one of their linen covered tables where compact cutlery and little plates were laid. We chose some rose and then the food started arriving. We had green salad with a nutty cheese, aubergine chips that were crisp on the outside and beautifully soft inside, bread with a herby tomato topping, Arzua cheese parcels with tomato marmalade and, for good measure, Sue had some chorizo too. Everything was light, fresh and delicious, and service was excellent. It’s a new favourite. Chef’s Kiss!

Long Distance Relationship

____________________________

Long distance relationships…

Long – meaning far and away. Because you know… some couples could always be not away and yet so far apart still; and I know I had no need to explain myself twice.

Relationship – … … … … …

…relationship.

Today I realized that I hate being in a long distance relationship. Well I don’t hate it, I just hate that it’s long distance. I realized, after two months of complete okayness with this situation, that I am absolutely not okay with the current state of being.

Days pass and I don’t talk too much with Loreena, but then when I do, I find that those times are some of the most bittersweet moments in the history of my entire life. Tender, simple moments – constantly being haunted by the fact that no matter what we talk about, that no matter how much we connect, that no matter how good it feels to hear her voice, the moment the phone hangs up… the moment the email ends… she’s still not there in the physical to sit down with and enjoy a meal with – or even the simple gesture of eye contact… still no physical presence.

Bitter… … … … … … … … … … … … …sweet

Long distance relationship

Long distance relationship with God.

How many of us have them?  (Yes I have to go here – everything revolves around our relationship to God)

I have to write about this, no matter how mad it makes you feel that I even mentioned such a subject. I mean just the phrase “Long distance relationship with God” alone carries so many implications. But I will only explain my experience – anything else would not do.

Long distance. A vast divide. An Expansive Chasm. A world apart.

Sin.

Sin comes in many shapes and sizes. It comes in a variety of flavors too! Some like it spicy, some like sweet, sour, salty, thick ketchup, potato mashed or smashed… everything simply to say that I realize more and more that I hate sinning hate sinning, and how capable I am of it.

The other day in fact I caught myself lying three times! And I followed through with those lies. I stayed true to them. It was about whether I had made phone calls or not – I didn’t make them. But I said I did! It felt just like denying Jesus. Three times… three times I made an effort and succeeded in sinning. By the third time I broke down in my heart; knowing that I had sinned. I had to consciously repent.

But here’s the thing.

(There’s a always a thing – a point to be made – a problem to be addressed)

I never wanted to admit it, but I have been in a long distance relationship with God too! No wonder I prayed all those days and never felt him near. No wonder that every conversation I had was so bittersweet it killed me. I made connections with God, but never physically – well, as physical as you can get with God – spent time with him. I wasn’t searching for the will of God in my life or the plan of God for my life or for inspiration from God to feel alive again, I was longing for his presence in my life. I longed to feel him close, holding me, simply being there with me. Isn’t that what’s so great about being in a romantic relationship?

Romantic relationships offer two very solid elements that are not only pleasant but necessary in life. One is emotional, cognitive commitment, the mental decision to love and to be with that person. The other is the physical connection that takes place – the hugs, the kisses, the providence, protecting – all those things that flow from having the emotional/spiritual connection. I bid to you that it is the same with God.

I’ve learned a few things in my years. I’m not old, I’m still inexperienced, but I can say with confidence that just because I make a connection with a person does not mean that they are to be my soul mate, or that I’m supposed to establish a physical relationship with them also.

This happened a lot in college.

There were soooooo many girls there it was ridiculous. I was making connections on a daily basis. Connections that I thought were like, “Wow – let’s start dating immediately”. Up until then the only friends I had were from church. And the secular friends I did have, our tie was because of Music. And music for me was always associated with God and worshipping Him. So to me, I felt love from God… but so many girls? Having good personalities, attractive, good head on their shoulders PLUS they loved Jesus?! – What was I supposed to think?

I established many connections. None of them ever came to fruition as far as dating. And I’m way glad now because God has provided the perfect person for me. But then, it was not so easy to see. Sure I was friends with a lot of people, but that desire to establish the physical closeness of dating was always in the back of my mind. Praise God for a busy schedule and the constant reminder that college would be over one day and I would be heading back to Salinas or San Jose. God had a way of reminding me that I cannot fully explain.

Emotional/Spiritual Connection is not a basis for physical/dating relationship.

Maybe that’s why it seems that more and more in the world are becoming “confused”. They are confused because they have had so much trouble making connections, or never had a genuine one, that the moment they do establish a connection on an emotional/spiritual level, they think “Wow! I’ve never felt this before! It feels so good! I feel SoOoOo complete!” – And the next thing you know they are in a relationship everyone can see is totally unhealthy, or even same sex relationship, and worse it often leads to divorce and people being torn apart.***

All because they didn’t have a little wisdom to differentiate between a genuine connection and a genuine basis for relationship.

Back to my topic.

We are aware of God. We even have His words to Follow. Having his words and seeing His actions, however, don’t seem to be enough to breathe life into your dead, dry bones.

I am learning to value the presence of God.

This is a phrase that I’ve heard a bunch of times in the past few years. “Value the presence of God”. And I hated it! I didn’t want to listen to that cliché garbage that is such annoying jargon – especially since I knew it was something I needed to do. I always associated the presence of God with getting all crazy and being very charismatic during church – which I am finding out is not necessarily the case. Simply spending time with God has been what I’ve been looking for. Yes, I want God to speak to me, I want to hear his voice and read his words… but what I’ve really wanted all this time is to know, to feel and know, that He is with me. That when I get down to pray, or am just walking on the road, He is really there with me.

This isn’t just a cognitive exercise to remind you that God is always with us, this the assurance, the physical part of a relationship. That’s what makes the romantic relationship so special. The connection goes deeper than just talking and getting to know a person really well. And that’s what valuing the presence of God is like, it’s a relationship that is closer than just knowing or getting to know a person. It’s the physical presence of someone you love that brings into a deeper relationship.

Don’t get me wrong, the words and communication matter just as much, if not more! They form a foundation for the relationship, but it’s the being there, the company, the presence of the person that makes all the difference.

Long Distance Relationship.

They are not good. Maybe for a short time, but to try and have a real relationship with a person… no.
I am assured that I will get to spend the rest of my life with Loreena, and I have been far from God for a long time, truly though, my time here is bringing me back to life and back to him.

_______________________

Here comes the time when I challenge you in something. It’s like an alter call, or a response time at the end of a preaching.
Be far away from God no more!
Why do you torture yourself and let yourself believe that you are close to God when you are no where near him?! Don’t just spend your time reading and thinking of God – actually spend time with Him.

But how do I do that? you might be asking.

I had to let go of every thought and logic and simply ask God to come. To forget about every theology class, to forget about everything that I thought I knew about the presence of God, and come – humble myself, admit my wrong, admit that I’m far, and that I want Him near.

It’s like being saved all over again. Or maybe it’s just being saved. I know for sure, though, it is as David expressed, “Restore to me the JOY of my Salvation!“. (Psalm 51)

***Now, I’m an inspired idealist. I’m inspired often to write and think of the things I do, so if anyone wants to do a particular study on this, and use my ideas as a basis for your hypothesis – have some class and give credit where it’s due – First off ME – Cause i acted and wrote this out. Second, whether you believe in him or not, God – I would have killed myself three times already if i had no inspiration for life and inquiry from Him.

Two gunman wearing “Scream” masks shot and killed a suspected gang member in broad daylight last week, the New York Daily News reported. The shooting occurred at 11:30am on Clara Street in Kensington, a neighborhood east of Sunset Park.

Andrea Swalec at CUNY Journalism followed up, and found residents in Kensington dissatisfied with the 66th Precincts crime-fighting efforts.

The 66th is one of several Precincts that has seen an uptick in homicides this year, a Jewish blog reported earlier this summer. The statistics cited do not include the five homicides that have taken place in Sunset Park since the end of August.

Right on the doorstep of Knightsbridge and Chelsea is Point West, a luxury apartment building that has been designed for modern living in London. The apartment is within easy reach of London’s finest shops including the world famous Harrods and Harvey Nichols and a whole host of restaurants and bars. Point West is also surprisingly close to Heathrow airport and being only a brisk five minute walk from Gloucester Road Tube Station, the rest of London is only a whisper away.

Each apartment is fully furnished offering space, comfort and accessibility. Hyde Parkand Kensington Gardens are a stones throw away along with many of London’s famous museums. Point West guests have the option to visit the David Lloyd Premier Health Club which is onsite although this does incur an extra cost. Facilities include a gymnasium, swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and health and beauty treatments.

These luxury apartmenst provide a home away from home featuring custom built and fully fitted kitchens including full collections of crockery, fridge, cooker and full washer/dryer within the apartment. Digital television service and DVD player plus wireless broadband are available in each apartment.

With the Olympics coming up in less that 2 years, it may be wise booking up sooner rather than later and with Kensington you will find an attractive area with the London Buzz if desired but the ability to retreat and relax if desired.

http://www.crownlawn.com/United_Kingdom/london_apartments/kensington/point_west/point_west.html

http://www.crownlawn.com

Kensington is a fashionable, upmarket neighbourhood. It is also situated on a steep gradient. So I’ve been amused, since moving in earlier this year, to find the local children huffing and puffing their way to school on a mode transport which fell out of fashion back home, in Dublin, years ago.

Almost ten years ago when I was studying business for the Leaving, I remember my teacher using the collapsible, stainless steel scooter then popular in the primary school, as an example of a product at the end of its product life. In Kensington, however, such predictions are still being defied. And if you leave the house before nine in the morning, you need to watch your step or you risk having your toes crushed as convoys of children gleefully scoot by.

Despite their parents’ commitment to the latest trends, the old-fashioned scooter has caught the imagination of a generation of younger Kensington residents. While older children scoot independently, their younger siblings -often too small to see over the handlebars- insist on being towed by their parents on specially adapted three- and four-wheel models.

Competiton

Pumping their way to school in the morning, the fitness and energy of the children at such an early hour is enviable. As I trudge up Kensington Church Street to the Tube, I often find myself in competition with families of children whose school is also at the top of the hill. I have the advantage over my under-12 competitors of not having to wait for my mother before I can cross each intersecting road. I cross smugly, leaving the kids in my tracks. But by the time I reach the end of the next block, they have inevitably passed me out and are waiting equally smugly for me to catch up so that we can repeat the humiliating exercise. By the time we part company at the top of the hill, I am often left wondering why I bothered to have a shower at all that morning.

Of course, the children don’t always play fair: younger siblings can be used as obstacles to slow pedestrians’ progress and there are often minor collisions.

Even if the children do manage to avoid bumping into you –or, more likely, you avoid them- they are often responsible for secondary accidents, as unaccustomed pedestrians like myself are distracted by the spectacle of a neighbourhood of children gliding past and forget to pay attention to where they are going. 

Yummy Mummies

Those fortunate enough not to leave home until after nine, may catch the even the more amusing sight of the return journey, when yummy mummies briefly forget their inhibitions and ride their children’s scooters home. The more athletic lead the charge in their gym clothes, rushing to make to it to Pilates classes on time; while the couture fanatics bring up the rear, balancing awkwardly in heeled boots.

The Mayor, Boris Johnson, is a keen cyclist, who often makes a point of arriving at public functions on his bike. He is investing millions in cycle safety and cycle lanes, in order to make London a world-class ‘cycling city’ in time for the 2012 Olympics. If he is to win the support of the next generation of voters in the Tory stronghold of Kensington, however, perhaps it is time he broadens his transport strategy to also include the scooter.

That’s why they spell it “sandwhich.” Either that or the person with the chalk has been sampling the Singha beer.

May 22-30, 2009

From Florence, we made our way to Pisa airport, where we caught a flight to London. Gladys was to fly back with Yuanting and Kenny after they returned from the US, but due to her company imposing a quarantine during the swine flu fiasco back in May, she had to bring her return flight forward by two days.

Back in London, this time we were staying at a hostel in Gloucester/Kensington, just a couple of blocks west of the Royal Albert Hall. Astor Hyde Park was pretty decent, relatively clean and  the rooms were sufficiently livable.

Borough Market

A visit to London is not complete without a visit to a local market. So Saturday we made our way south of the river to get to Borough Market. We had visited Portobello Market just before leaving for Paris but Borough Market was so much better. Part of it is situated under a railway track and the stalls sprawl out in a pretty orderly fashion.

I could not contain my excitement after seeing all the wonderful food that was being sold at the market. From raclette being prepared on the spot to cheese and leek quiches, and fresh scones with jam. Gladys and I immediately bemoaned our mistake of having breakfast before going to a market.

Not a fan of fresh tomatoes but these looked so amazing

gotta love the colors of the peppers

i wonder how many children in Africa can one egg feed?

legs of cured ham at a Spanish foods stall

I gotta add in retrospect that seeing the cured ham being sliced was a novelty for me. However, after my time in Spain, I realized that it really wasn’t a big deal because every bar has legs of ham hanging on the wall because they slice off the meat for ham sandwiches. It took some time for me to eventually get used to smelling and looking at the cured ham all around me in bars.

Gladys and I spent a fair bit of time at the stall pictured below. I would say that the picture explains everything. It doesn’t. Dried fruits and nuts covered not only in white, dark or milk chocolate, but yogurt too. And get this, the guys at the stall were extremely friendly too, shoving generous potions towards us to sample.

cheese mountain

i wonder how fresh these oysters really are

chocolate mountain...

...and brownie mountain

melting cheese before he scraped it over diced potatoes and voilà, you get raclette at a market

Sunday in London

Sunday started off with the 9.30am service at Holy Trinity Brompton before we made our way to Covent Garden. While there, we shopped a little bit, watched buskers… at a leisurely pace, like how Sundays are meant to be.

some people were awed by his body, some were just too scared of him

The buskers at Covent Garden were really great and we were thoroughly entertained by the string ensemble. I even bought their CD! The atmosphere at Covent Garden is lovely and it is one of my favorite places in London.

We headed to Oxford Street to window shop because we saw all these people with Primark bags. Almost every other person we saw on the street had come from Primark. We got there before it closed for the evening — not impressed. OK so the prices were really low but I didn’t see anything that I would wear so buying for the sake of buying would just mean a waste of money, and lesser luggage space.

On we walked till we got to Hyde Park. I love parks in temperate countries where you can stroll and actually enjoy the weather, as opposed to perspiring and wanting to find air-conditioning.

That evening, we met up with Dylan and Nat, friends from school. They waited for us at the Hyde Park Corner underground station and then we headed back in to Hyde Park while catching up and exchanging travel stories.

We decided to watch from Hyde Park corner towards Knightsbridge just to pass Harrods because it had already closed. We kept going and going, towards South Kensington where we had crepes for dinner. Dylan and Nat wanted to check out our hostel so we walked to Gloucester. I walked them to the underground station where they were going to catch the tube to Finchley, where their hostel was, and we agreed to meet up again.

to be continued…

Burger Lounge "Hostess"-style cupcake with creamy espresso/vanilla bean center.

Anyone who knows me can tell you I don’t like burgers. Yes, there are exceptions, but there is a long, LONG list of very specific reasons why I generally wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot-long stick. So I was very surprised to find that I’m obsessed with Burger Lounge.

More about my rendezvous with this tasty eatery, after the jump!

I’ve been to the Kensington location for lunch twice now, and yes, I realize I’m little late to jump on the joint’s bandwagon, but come on, it’s called BURGER Lounge, how was I supposed to know I would love it?

Both times I ordered the kid’s meal with chicken tenders and fries, which is deceiving, if you’re envisioning nasty McNuggets, because they are actually super tender, perfectly seasoned, fresh chicken strips on a stick. And the herb fries aren’t bad either. (Although I rarely meet a fry I don’t like.) The combo – two strips, side of fries and free-refill drink – is just the right amount of food for me.

Also amazing? The (extra large) cupcakes. Oh wow. The red velvet is uber moist, isn’t too rich, and has a really light and fluffy cream cheese frosting. And the Hostess-style cupcake, with its major chocolately cake and frosting and creamy espresso(?)/vanilla bean center = so good, it’s crazy.

A West London arts centre is engulfed in a storm of controversy after angry cinema-goers walked out in protest during a prestigious annual silent movie festival.  Fans of these classic films stormed out of the Kensington Lively Arts Centre and Gallery after their favourite silent movies were shown, not to the traditional live piano score, but to hardcore Drum and Bass records. 

Newly-installed Chief Director of the centre, Peter Farquhar-Pearce, defended the decision to use this Ragga-inspired musical genre, hailing it as part of his campaign to ‘challenge modern-day arts lovers with the juxtaposition of crappy black and white films with vibrant modern street music.’

Fans of the ‘crappy back and white films’ involved were horrified as Chaplain’s ‘The Kid’ flickered onto the screen accompanied by Roni Size’s urban ‘Circles Remix’.  ‘I thought it was some kind of technical mix up.’ Reported one cinema-goer, ’so I sat through it and waited for the next feature, Buster Keaton’s visually dazzling ‘One Week’, only to be deafened by some other musical monstrosity.’ Other fans similarly disliked Shy FX’s throbbing single ‘Original Nuttah’. 

However, despite a barrage of complaints and demands for ticket refunds, Farquhar-Pearce, or ‘you pretentious idiot’ as some people were calling him, remained unrepentant and appeared before the restless audience to announce that the next feature, Harold Lloyd’s ‘Safety Last’, featuring the iconic hanging-from-the-clock scene, would be ‘enhanced and improved’ by Aphrodite’s 2002 single ‘Ganja Man’. 

Many had already voted with their feet by this stage, and the film had barely got under way when the rest of the audience got up from their seats and marched out, deaf to the Chief Director’s pleas to stop and appreciate his brave audio-visual concept. 

‘More fool you!’ he is reported to have shouted at their retreating backs, ‘you’re missing the best part of the show! I’ve got Eric Syke’s ‘The Plank’ lined up, alongside the ‘Tooled Up Mixes EP’ including the ‘Gimp Mask’ and ‘Crap Rinse Out’ remixes you philistine bastards!’

(Written 19 Mar 2009)

Not the best, not the worst. What can I say, other than I hope more restaurants and pizza parlors move to Church Avenue between McDonald and Ocean Parkway? There are so few decent places to eat or sit and have a coffee that even a Starbucks would be welcome.

Hallo zusammen…

vor ein paar Tagen hab ich mir – trotz teilweise schlechter Bewertungen bei Amazon – das oben erwähnte Allroundtallent zugelegt und kann nun schon nach zwei Testtagen sagen: Es hat sich gelohnt!

Die in den schlechteren Bewertungen bei Amazon genannten negativen Punkte sind bei mir nicht aufgetreten.  Es hieß zum Beispiel:

• Der Adapter entläd den iPod über nacht -> das trifft sicherlich bei Autos zu, deren Zigarettenanzünder mit der Zündung ein- und ausgeschaltet wird. Ist dies nicht der Fall, so entläd sich der iPod auch nicht. Denn die Elektronik für die Fernsteuerung im Adapter bezieht ihre Energie vom iPod. Liefert aber der Zigarettenanzünder keinen Strom mehr und wird der Akku so nicht mehr geladen, so saugt die Elektronik den iPod leer. Das ganze hat aber auch den Vorteil, daß man, wenn man den iPod nicht laden möchte oder den Zigarettenanzünder vorübergehend für andere Geräte braucht, die Steuerung trotzdem funktioniert.
• Die Fernbedienung soll schlecht verarbeitet sein und nicht richtig funktionieren -> die Verarbeitung find ich ganz in Ordnung, und funktionieren tut sie tadellos. Sicher braucht es schätzungsweise ne viertel bis halbe Sekunde, bis die Steuersignale am iPod verarbeitet werden, aber das is ja kein Ding.
• Es sollen Störgeräusche im Radio zu hören sein (Lichtmaschinenpfeifen) -> auch dieses hängt sicherlich vom Auto ab, aber bei meinem treten diese Geräusche nicht auf.

Fazit:

Am Anfang hatte ich noch bedenken, wegen der negativen Rezensionen, aber nun bin ich froh dieses Gerät gakuft zu haben und kann es nur empfehlen.

Grüße…

Thomas

Our property of the month is the Guadalmina Penthouse in Marbella, Spain

This 2/3 Bedroom Apartment 4th Floor duplex penthouse apartment is in the heart of the popular Costa del Sol, the pentouse benefits from facing south-west with front-line golf. It is set right in the centre of the beautiful luxurious Campos de Guadalmina golf course. The Guadalmina Golf Copurse counts on two 18 hole golf courses and a 9 holes par 3. The apartment is situated within a secure gated community with well kept gardens, swimming pools and a children’s play area. It is quite close to the Andalucian town of San Pedro de Alcantara and within a short driving distance of Puerto Banus and Marbella to the West and Estapona to the East.

It is only a relaxed 5-10 minute stroll to the picturesque town of San Pedro de Alcantara which offers family friendly and well priced restaurants, bars and tapas bars not to mention a variety of shopping with the Guadalmina Commercial Centre also being a 10-minute stroll which has a large selection of restaurants and cafes, there are also supermarket and newsagents here for daily bits and pieces.

The main beaches are just down the road at 1.5km away. If you want to travel a bit further, Puerto Banus is 3 to 4km, Marbella Town is 7 to 8km, Estepona is 12km, Ronda, Benahavis, Gibraltar, Tivoli Theme Park, Selwo Safari Park, ans a number of Water Parks and more quality golf courses are all within a 15km drive so hiring a car may be a must depending on what you are looking for!

Those who like to shop will benefit from the large El Corte Ingles which is in nearby Puerto Banus and the very large La Canada Shopping Centre which has a wide variety of designer shops and is located between Puerto Banus and Marbella.

Take a look at the link below for more information and keep checking back for a properties of the month.

http://www.crownlawn.com/international/Spain/guadalmina_apartments/guadalmina_apartments.html

http://www.crownlawn.com

As Calvin Harris would sing, ‘I put my shoes on and I’m ready for the weekend…’ and by shoes I mean my second Halloween outfit of the week. Tomorrow I’m off to sunny Brighton to carry on the weeks seasonal festivities by seeing my friends amazing band, Acusis, play a special Halloween gig. This time round I’m ditching my East End prostitute look and opting for a glitter zombie. What exactly that will require I haven’t quite thought through yet but seeing as entry to the gig kind of depends on me being in fancy dress I’ll definitely be putting some effort in. The night will go down sans black sambucca though, that is guarenteed.

Before that though I’ll be heading off to the opening ceremony of Movember. Tonight men from all over London will be gathering at The Dermalogica Store in Kensington to get their faces shaved in time to grow a mustache throughout the month of Movember (nee November) to raise money and awareness for The Prostate Cancer Charity. I of course, will not be getting my face shaved and will purely be standing back and watching the action whilst enjoying some free cocktails but if any of you guys out there are taking part, come say hi first and I’ll make sure I take some pictures for Who’s Jack.

Happy Halloween everyone xo

Are you ready to surf to the waves of wireless technology as it expands its reach with the development of the wireless USB docking station? Say goodbye to cables and clutter, and say hello to freedom and convenience.

Toshiba Dynadock Wireless U was lunched last month and has been gaining popularity like wild fire. It gives the convenience of connecting wirelessly to your laptop, mouse, speakers, printers, scanners, modem, router, keyboards, and monitor, and works with any windows-based PC. It has a built-in video card to support an additional DVI or VGA monitor; it also has a built-in sound card that supports up to 7.1 digital audio surround sound. It offers 4 plug-and-play USB ports in the back plus an additional 2 easy access front USB sleep-and-charge ports.

This device gives you the freedom and convenience of working just about anywhere without cluttering your work space with cables, and its ultra chic design is a great space saver. You can set it up to auto-connect when your machine is in range, and just push the undock button when you shut down any of your devices when you exit.

Now here’s the part where you hold your breath when asking “how much does it cost?” It’s priced at $300, and wow! That’s a lot of money but considering the convenience it gives which allows you to enjoy enhanced wireless productivity and entertainment then it would be worth your money.

There are two versions of this device in the market, this one from Toshiba, and the other one’s from Kensington whose price is the same as that of Toshiba. They almost have the same specifications but Toshiba’s features extend a little farther than Kensington.

Since this is the new trend in wireless technology it makes me wonder if apple would come up with something like this, and if they do it’ll be much exciting. As competition increases this new technology would get better and better, and it’ll be to our advantage because we get to choose what’s best, and for those working on a budget they get to choose who’s cheaper.