A refreshing alternative for cider lovers is the uncommonly coloured pink cider readily available at many bars.

Pink is the new Gold

When poured into a glass with ice, you can almost taste it, as an overwhelming smell devours you into a naughty unacceptable drink.

At a drunken 4.7% abv., it’s not a drink to take down quickly, despite it’s friendly but misleading colour. One too many of the magic juice would put you over the limit in no time, and so should be drunk with care.

This comes at a favourable price as well, resulting in money well spent. An expensive cocktail can cost you about £9 in London, but priced on an average of £3.30 give or take, this could be your quick source to becoming a tasty drunk!

Final verdict?

Pink is the new gold. With competitive prices on the market and the recent credit crunch, this, along with the £9 cocktail, may not seem to favourable with the good old fashioned pint of beer, but you’ll get more in a bottle and the colour can only put forward your masculinity.

The handset looks nice and the phone is easy to use. It’s fast, and has features you’d expect working really

LG KT520 - Does it exist?

well. The camera is of a great quality and adding an additional memory card enables you to store a high number of files (the handset memory is quite small – only could fit about 4 songs and a couple of photos). However, and this could easily just be my handset, but when reading messages as old as 2 weeks or more, when you select the message in the inbox, it’ll either give you a blank or give you a different message. Now my phone is in repair for switching off every 30 seconds as well.

Suggested additional features

To add a bit more colour to the screen – it’s rather monotone being only black and red (with another option to replace red).

Hints and tips for other owners

All in all a good priced phone for what it is. It’s the cheapest HSDPA phone around, but a lack of support for this phone (not available on the LG website – only available through O2 – which is fine… but one begins to wonder why it’s not even available on the manufacturer’s website) can be rather worrying.

Check out my review on the O2 website (it’s the same) and buy it by clicking here

Savannah Memories - Richard Milburn

A story of life in the savannah told through the point of view of an Acacia tree focuses on the wildlife and two characters – a travel guide who appreciates life in the savannah more so in comparison to other travel guides, and a female photographer from England, sent to capture real life of the savannah.

Having the story-teller as an acacia tree was an interesting character device, and made a refreshing difference in telling a fictional story. The tree would tell us what the tree “sees” around it, and so is able to give us a different point of view to wildlife in the savannah as the tree lives there, giving us what is to be a more accurate view of life there, unlike by a human character passing by for example.

Another interesting tool used in the book is how the tree almost tells a new story of a different species of animal that live there with each new chapter, whilst keeping continuity through the two main human characters’ stories of the development of their relationships. The author gives us an educational background of each species and how they live, integrated in the fictional story, allowing the readers to learn something new about a certain species, and allows us to discover new ones through the book.

The relationships between the characters, and the animals, are developed well and easy to follow. A relaxing read, and a good alternative to your usual summer read.

Reviews of this book will also be put up on:
Amazon.co.uk
Waterstones
Blackwells

Click the above links to buy

Richard Milburn is going back to Kenya this summer, and you can follow his travels through his blog: Karibuni Kenya

“Let’s wave at the 9:15!”

The Railway Children - inclusive of a real live steam train!

The production of The Railway Children at the National Railway Museum in conjunction with York Theatre Royal had an interesting set, one I have not seen before. When we entered, we were seated on either platform one or two, either side of a train track. What one may have seen it as a risky set-up, worked brilliantly, and the acting did not suffer from it – in fact, made it stronger as the audience felt more engaged and involved with the story.

Inclusive of a real live steam train (”Stirling Single”, a 39 tonne steam locomotive built in 1878), seated on the platforms of the station brings you close to the action and you feel as if you’re part of the action. The train rolling into the stage was an impressive attempt and worked brilliantly. 

The acting was superb – laughter, tears – all sorts of emotions were expressed by the audience. It was superb, and the relationships between the characters were strong. Well worth the watch if you’re in the neighbourhood.

£15 adults/£10 conc.

Book here at York Theatre Royal

“London’s Heartbreakers…” – one of the famous phrases said on air in this brilliant radio station based and aired in the heart of London.

Heart 106.2 - Touching people's hearts

 

With the mix of music from previous decades and current music, it’s a radio station that appeals to most. The DJs of the station do not speak too much and let’s the music do the talking, frequently playing back-to-backs of songs to keep you entertained. However, as with all radio stations, adverts are a must, and as annoying as they are, Heart 106.2 makes up for it in the back-to-backs and the taste of music.

So, why not relive your previous decades or hip-hop to brand new tunes with this radio station? Heart 106.2 really does touch your heart.

Listen here

David Hasselhoff - Hope and Survival?

Baywatch – a brilliant and heart-warming story of Mitch Buchannan and his lifeguards has touched the hearts of people all around the world, with David Hasselhoff himself fetching a Guinness World Record for the most watched TV star. The iconic slow running adds a unique beauty to the show, symbolizing the importance of time in relation to saving someone’s life.

It’s a story about a group of lifeguards on a beach in Malibu saving people’s lives and ensuring that the casualties are reassured, giving them hope, and ultimately, saving them.

David Hasselhoff himself doesn’t act his role as the protagonist, but IS the role. Not only does he appear to endanger his own life for our pleasure, but also engages with the other actors to express emotion very effectively.

Most namely, the other actors on the show such as Carmen Electra and Pamela Anderson have highly notable moments in the show that enhances the entertainment and the morals behind the show.

Another big icon of the show is the visual red costumes (red shorts and red bikinis) that the characters wear to portray their lifeguard careers. These costumes appears to put across a strong idealistic set of male and female roles, but challenges the stereotypical view of men and women, by showing that although they appear different, can face up to the same challenges the world throws at them.

Baywatch – a story of hope and survival? Well… maybe a bit more than that. Well worth the view!

This stylish handset brought to you by Nokia is hardly available in local mobile phone stores. However, you may still have a chance at eBay and here’s why you should trade your brand new WAP phone for the Nokia 8110.

First off, it’s stylish handset has a slim-lined build to it, making it less bulky than some of the phones you see today. It also has a sliding cover that reveals the keypad, and you can even talk into it! The screen has a lot to offer too, as it will show you who is ringing you (to avoid awkward conversations if necessary), shows you the number you’re ringing (in case you type it wrong) and also sends SMS text messages!

It also weighs 152 grams with 5 hours talk time. It can store 125 names in the phone alone, and gives you a large choice of 16 different ringtones inclusive of the handset with no catch!

If all that isn’t enough… it starred in The Matrix.

To start off, the front cover is quite simplistic and therefore effective. For those who are unable to read, there are pictures of the transport fares that it will describe inside the leaflet. This is immediately attractive and inevitably forces me to pick one up.

When picked up, you are most likely to open up to the first page. There, in a nice coloured layout, there is a summary of the changes taking place. Fantastic for those who do not like to read lengthy paragraphs on little information. You keep going to find a colour-coded contents page which is ideal for those lazy personnels out there because then you are just invited to open up to the page(s) with the colours on it.
Throughout the rest of the leaflet, it is all colour-coded with fares set out in a nice table fashion. One of the easiest and nicest leaflets they came up with, which is surprising after a similar team came up with that London 2012 logo…

Makes a fantastic bed-time read. A must-grab! Available at your local Underground Station.

 

22 people, 22 sealed boxes, just one question: Deal or No Deal?

One of the greatest game shows to hit TV. Stolen from the French game show, Channel 4 has by far redeemed itself from the pitiful Big Brother that it decides to patronise us with. With one of the most talented TV presenters in the world: Noel Edmonds fronting the show, it is one not to miss. Unlike other shows which require contestants with knowledge, this allows equality and diversity – those even without any GCSEs can win the jackpot of £250,000, more than what graduates earn in their lifetime. Not only this, it is one of the most thrilling game shows to watch. When the contestant chooses a box, possibly due to the box number being something meaningful to them (e.g. the age when (s)he lost his/her virginity…), my ANS releases adrenaline, making my heart beat uncontrollably as part of the fight or flight response. Then, if it is one of the blue numbers, I cry. If it’s red, I cheer. (I am fully aware the emotions should be placed the other way round, but I am jealous as to how they can win without any knowledge, and I wish them losses). The banker then rings after a few boxes and gives the contestant a price in which they can be bought for. If the contestant “Deals” then the game is over. Great. My afternoon has ended. However, if it ends early, then fear not! As Channel 4 would not have any other shows to fill the gap in the schedule, they carry on the game to see what the contestant could’ve won if (s)he carried on. What a bummer if the person carried on and found out that she could’ve won the jackpot. What a loser. 

This is one of the most thrilling daytime TV shows since Loose Women, and I highly recommend it to those who have not seen it yet. Where have you been???

Of course if you don’t live in the UK, but in the US, you also have a stolen version of the show by NBC pimped out with ladies in bikinis to attract the American family audience. 

 

“A rich and creamy baked vanilla flavour cheesecake on a digestive biscuit base”

I’ve always thought that anything cheesy would be great. And I was right. From David Hasselhoff to New York Cheesecake, cheese is by far one of the best things on Earth. And all for the reduced price of 69p (Normal price: 99p per slice or £3.99 for the whole box you fat pig.) However, the one problem I faced with the cheesecake is that the title is highly deceiving. Rather unethical of Waitrose don’t you think? Upon reading the title, I was in the assumption that it was made in New York, but later found to my disappointment, that it was in fact made in the kitchen which was just behind the wall in front of which the man in white stood. I was in fact quite upset but having bought it already, I decided to try it. This was by far the highlight of such deception. The fork and knife came wrapped in plastic which included a napkin and lemon handwash which always comes in useful for those accidents… and with that, I took my first bite. It was pure cream heaven. It beats Philadelphia dips anyday!

In conclusion, despite the deception I was pleased and you can buy it here if you can’t be asked to go down to your local Waitrose. I presume if you are buying a whole box of cheesecake, then you probably won’t be asked.