Lindsay & Andrew's Wedding Part I: The Photos

Here is the first part in a series of postings regarding the wedding of Lindsay and Andrew. Today's installment will be picture only with tomorrow and possibly Wednesday detailing the event; an evening spent in Dundee and our return home complete with major hangovers and very little sleep. I hope you had a great weekend whatever mischief you entangled yourselves in and it was as much enjoyable as our second and final trip to Scotland this year lest another of our friends elopes at the last minute - enjoy!

Superman Returns

Superman Returns picks up fives years on from Superman 2 (1980), as the man of steel returns from a failed journey to find his former world of Krypton. He soon discovers that humanity has lost faith in him, his beloved Lois has moved on and that Lex Luthor, having escaped a jail sentence is up to his old dastardly tricks again.

The main controversy of Superman Returns centred on the casting of complete unknown Brandon Routh as the hero. However much to my surprise Routh utterly convinces as superman, not just looking the part, but ably acting the part aswell. Every expression and mannerism, whether it’s the goofy nervous smile of Clark or the heroic posturing of superman is carried off to absolute perfection. Routh’s superman is faithful to the character of the original movies and does justice to the mantle laid down by Christopher Reeves. However the rest of the casting is not so inspired. Kate Bosworth is abysmal as Lois Lane. She is completely unbelievable as a supposedly talented, hard-nosed journalist and lacks all of the spunk and attitude of Margot Kidder’s performance. Kevin Spacey is more than competent in his role as Lex Luthor. However I was quite disappointed to find that Lex is nothing more than a caricature of a moustache-twirling villain, with absolutely no logic behind his motives. Parker Posey, in the role of Lex’s sidekick is an absolute treat (as always), providing the only real bite and humour in the film.

The film adopts a similar style to the original Superman films, but lacks much of the charm, awe and excitement created by Richard Donner. The major flaw of Superman Returns is the ridiculously weak plot. There are so many holes in it you could drive a truck through them. The structure and plot of the film seem to have been left by the wayside in order to maintain the focus on the relationship between Superman and Lois and their family conflicts. This does introduce a more human side to Superman and it is interesting to see his morals being tested when his own personal happiness is at stake, but ultimately it makes for a less well-rounded film.

Superman Returns lacks the impact and intrigue of recent comic book adaptations such as Batman Returns and Spiderman. But perhaps this is because we have had the opportunity to see the birth of these heroes from a more modern perspective. With Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne we get to see all aspects of the transformation from man to hero. We were there with the characters through the comedy of Peter choosing his spiderman costume and the tragic murder of Bruce’s parents. In these films we learned more about the events, influences and relationships that moulded the hero than in any of the originals. In this film Superman is an established hero who is largely comfortable in his own skin, having learned about his past and gained much self-knowledge. This sometimes makes it difficult for newcomers to embrace the character, especially as Singer neglects to offers any exposition or explanation of the events that have led us to this point.

Superman Returns is generally entertaining and there are a few standout action sequences, but ultimately you are left with the feeling that it had the potential to be so much better. A competent effort by Singer that makes for worthwhile viewing on DVD on a Saturday night, but not the triumph we had hoped for. I give this film 3 red capes out of 5.

Review by Lou McGaughey.

Gamespot #43

Lemmings

The full classic game in all its glory. Help these little dudes along the way to find their way home.

Wikipedia - Lemmings [game] / Lemmings [real]




I'm off to Scotland once again tomorrow for another bonnie wedding. Have a great week whatever you're up to and thanks for your patronage. Full coverage on my return and fingers crossed for letting the good weather last. See you on Monday 31st!

Ab Tak Chhappan

Ab Tak Chhappan is a ficticious story surrounding a police department in Mumbai, India. Sadhu Agashe is a hard working, hard-edged cop heading up a plain clothed crime squad who makes a name for himself by killing dangerous criminals in staged police encounters rather than locking them up in prison. His loyal officers obey him without question but a rift forms when one of his officers, Imtiaz, becomes frustrated by Sadhu's high ranking status and is secretly competing with him for criminal kills and status. A new recruit is also pushed into the fraternity and Imtiaz is angry when Sadhu allows him to take the lead on his first case. Further change comes in the form of a new police commissioner who disapproves of Sadhu's tactics and everyone gets caught up in internal politics.

I was surprised to see such a well directed action thriller coming from India. The camera work is excellent, the story is well told and the tension is high when the drama unfolds. The acting, pace and political subterfuge convinces the viewer that they are a fly on the wall witnessing the blood, sweat and tears from a close up and personal view and that the events are based on reality which is no doubt why we are told that it is not at the beginning of the film although it is likely that the director, Shimit Amin, has taken liberties with factual accounts. Nevertheless, Ab Tak Chhappan is an extremely polished piece of film-making.

I would give this film 4 bent cops out of 5.

Boating & BBQ

It was a largely quiet night spent on Friday catching up on episodes of Saxondale, a new series co-written and starring Steve Cougan. Cougan plays Tommy Saxondale, an ex-roadie with anger management issues and a pest control business. It usually takes a few episodes for me to get into Cougan's style of comedy but I found myself instantly enjoying this series. The characters are well rounded and spot on and the laughs are four-to-the-floor when Tommy is on the verge of losing his temper. It's on tonight at 10pm on BBC2 so check it out.


I've also been busy playing a new game for the PC called Prey. The story focuses on Tommy, a Cherokee garage mechanic and former U.S. Army soldier living on a Native American reservation. His girlfriend owns a bar on the reservation whom he is trying to convince to run away from the reservation and Indian heritage. His grandfather is there also trying to warn Tommy of imminent danger when they are transported into a massive alien starship. After being freed by other captives, Tommy tries to locate his girlfriend and has a near-death experience where he meets with his grandfather's spirit who bestows him with spiritual powers. After returning to the world of the living, Tommy gains the power to perform astral projection, using his spiritual body to pass through the alien forcefields and areas inacessible to his physical form. It's a straight-forward FPS [First Person Shooter] given an added coolness due to gravity walkways allowing Tommy to walk upside-down and a unique method of room rotation adding a little vertigo edge to the game to throw the player off balance. It's nothing too ground-breaking but if you're craving something to fill the gap after Quake 4 then this is the game for you.

On Saturday we were off to Bangor for some boating courtesy of Lou's dad. We sailed out of the marina around 2pm and spent the afternoon cruising around the coast and mooring close to a beach near Crawfordsburn to enjoy the scenery, sunshine, conversation and a bottle of wine.




After mooring up and making our way back to Belfast, it would be a shame if we didn't exploit the good weather by having a BBQ so we stopped into Sainsbury's and stocked up on meats and beers before relaxing in the garden after a well-deserved sea expedition!




A great time was had by all and alas none of us retired to our beds until 4am which meant that Sunday was spent recooperating. I relaxed by sprawling out on the spare bed and watching The Ipcress File, a late 1960's film starring Michael Caine. A number of leading Western scientists have been kidnapped only to reappear a fews days later, brain washed and completely useless. The British send their agent, Harry Palmer, to investigate. Palmer, played by Caine, soon gets results, and is in contact with the man who could be behind the operation which is when his involvement puts him in danger. I found the film to be watchable on the whole although a little stilted and dated at times. It's not one to rent in my opinion but if it's on on a Sunday afternoon then tune in and enjoy.

Well, that about wraps up my weekend. I hope you had an enjoyable time whatever you got up to. See you tomorrow for more and thanks for stopping by!

Links #25

Big Lebowski - Fucking Short Version

All the f-words from the movie edited together for your aural pleasure.*

Wikipedia - The Big Lebowski




Cool Bike Tricks

German student performing some awesome bike tricks in a gymnasium.

Wikipedia - Bike Tricks







The Amazing Screw On Head

Pilot show from the creator of Hellboy starring Paul Giamatti.

Wikipedia - The Amazing Screw On Head




Also worth noting is the list of films that most frquently drop the F-Bomb.

Have a great weekend - see you Monday!

Hot & Heavy

I took the day off yesterday to bathe in the glory of the most humid and warm day of the year.

After enjoying an extended lie-in, I stuffed my backpack with a book, some lunch, a few cold beers and also a spare t-shirt in case I became the victim of the dreaded backpack sweat which was entirely possible on such a day. So off I went to meet Brian at Cutters Wharf.

Although it was only 11am it was already 20-odd degrees and even after walking 1/2 mile it really took some getting used to. From Cutters Wharf, we made our way along the towpath towards Shaw's Bridge. It was a quiet walk as I imagine most people were in work and we barely met a soul until we reached our destination. However, I made the unfortunate decision to wear sandals for the trek and had gathered two huge blisters on each foot as my punishment. Temporary reprieve came by dangling my legs into the Lagan river as owners with dogs threw sticks for them to collect with one owner joining his pet in the river itself much to the concern of his partner and the cleanliness of the river.


After cooling off a little we lay down a blanket and chilled out for a while. I swopped ordinary lenses for shades and read while Brian stretched out and dozed. A few others had the same idea and we dotted the landscape along the banks of the river.
We played a few games of cards and had lunch over a cold beer before walking under the bridge and up towards Malone House and onto Malone Road for a bus into town as my feet couldn't take any more punishment in the form of walking back.


On arriving back to the house I stripped off as many clothes as decency would allow and opened another beer in a conceited effort to remain cool. After dinner Lou and I settled down to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest. I found the film to be completely lackluster, devoid of any humour, plot or charm of the first film and after an hour I switched it off. My advice is to avoid this film like scurvy.

We decided to watch a new American show called Eureka which concerns a small town with big secrets. The U.S. government has been relocating the world’s geniuses and their families to this rustic town for years to experiment freely without the confines of societies prying eyes. However U.S. Marshall Jack Carter stumbles upon this odd town after wrecking his car and becoming stranded there. When some ultra events start unfolding, Carter jumps in to try to restore order and consequently learns of one of the country’s best kept secrets. I thought it was an excellent first episode and highly recommend checking it out.

As for today, I had hoped that yesterdays thunder and lightning would have broken up the humidity and closeness of the air but it seems to have reverted back to yesterday minus a few degrees. The only consolation is that the weekend is fast appraoching and I hope it stays warm as we are heading out for a boat excursion on Saturday down in Bangor. Hope you're all enjoying the good weather and let me know how you're coping. See you all tomorrow!

Good Customer Service From NTL?

So I had the dubious task this morning of contacting NTL to let them know that Lou and I will be moving house at the end of next month and therefore would no longer require broadband.
That means using the words "disconnection of service" which is a companies most hated customer utterance. As I have dealt with NTL before in unfortunate circumstances I was keen to get this over with as soon as possible and rang their customer service line at 9am on the dot. I was greeted by the usual pre-recorded message informing me that my phonecall was important to them but that due to a busy line I could be waiting for up to 30 minutes. I sensed this would end up with me hanging on the telephone for 20 minutes before being told by customer services that I should actually be talking to another department and that they couldn't connect me and I would have to phone back or that they could transfer me and then I would be summarily disconnected or have to wait 20 minutes for someone else to answer.

Imagine my surprise when the pre-recorded messages telling me how NTL were upgrading their services to provide better customer satisfaction stopped after only 10 minutes and I was
able to inform NTL that I wish to terminate my contract with them.

Me: Hello. I am moving house on the 31st August and wish to disconnect my service.

NTL: What is your customer number?

Me: XXXXXXXX

NTL: And your address?

Me: XX XXXXXX XXXXX.

NTL: And how do you pay for your service?

Me: Direct Debit.

NTL: Good. Where would you like your final bill to go?

Me: XX XXXXXXXXX XXXX.

NTL: No problem. Would you like your service terminated in the morning of the 31st I assume?

Me: Yes.

NTL: No problem. That's everything taken care of.

Me: Uh, OK. Thanks very much. Bye.

NTL: Goodbye.


Sweet Jesus. Could that just have happened? Was I dreaming?

Had I fallen asleep listening to pre-recorded messages and was imagining the whole thing only to wake up and find it was all fiction?

Only time will tell. I've read horror stories about previous customers being continually harassed by NTL for payments long after everything had been supposedly wrapped up. Letters sent were seemingly lost and trying to extract owed money from NTL was like taking candy from a baby and that baby was Finn MacCool. The upshot is that I pay by direct debit so after the final payment goes out in September I can just cancel it and hope that's the end of the matter.

Watch this space!

Half Naked Chef

A group of us were down in Custom House Square for another of the City Council's ongoing treat to the public in the form of free Sunday afternoon entertainment and this week it was the turn of the Half Naked Chef, Steve "Woko" Jackson, Australian TV cook from the hit series Can't Cook, Don't Cook and author of international best-seller Burnt to a Crisp. I was lucky enough to be offered his second and third culinery efforts. The first was an Irish Dessert: Guinness with cream topping, sprinkled with hundreds and thousands, a cherry on top, flake on the side and a mini umbrella to set it off. The finalé was some delicately sliced cucumber by a saw, the ends from two carrots, a tin of baked beans with sausages all sauted in Sunny Delight. Oh, and a heavy sprinkle of a spice he picked up from Delia Smith along the name of Canarbis or something. Here's the science!


Here's a small clip of me and Steve.

Galway Holiday

On Tuesday morning Lou and I packed the car and headed off to Letterkenny. We were staying for one night at a hostel as a stop-gap between there and Galway and to meet up with Lou's classmates from a course they graduated from last year. It was decidedly overcast as we pitched the tent and any fear of rain soon evaporated [excuse the pun] and the sun came out to play. We picked up a disposable BBQ and chowed down on some burgers, chicken wings and monstrous sized ribs which were ultimately too big for the tiny grill but it filled the hole and readied the stomach for a night on the town.

We met up at a pub called McGinley's which was dead as doornails when we arrived at 8pm but filled up quickly as the Guinness came thick and fast. After a couple of hours lining the liver we moved to a club next door, the name I cannot recall and finished up the night listening to a god-awful girl-group murder some tunes and watch Lou's friend Kathy repeatedly fall over which provided no end of entertainment.


On the way home we stopped at a Chinese for some munchies and I ate the worst gravy chip in existence. If I find out the name of the Chinese I will name and shame it.

Awakening the next morning without too many cobwebs, I set up the stove and fired some breakfast in a can - Mmmmm. After packing up the tent we were on our way to Galway. We left Donegal under grey skies and looming rain but four hours later it was bright blue sky and warm coastal breezes greeting us as we set up base for 2 nights in Salthill. We spent the afternoon and early evening chilling out with a few beers from the cooler and walking along the esplanade towards the town centre. It was idyllic and everything a holiday should be.


When dusk arrived and a chill set in, we moved inside to watch Under Suspicion on the portable DVD player Lou had bought for my birthday. I was looking forward to it because it Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman in a supposed tense thriller and initially it was ticking all the boxes but ended up going nowhere fast and finished abruptly without any firm conclusion leaving us feeling confused and cheated so it gets 2.5/5 for me on this one. Unfortunately the viewing experience was constantly interrupted by our neighbours who had the worst taste in music and played MOR cheesy pop such as Ronan Keating for two hours sitting in their car. Hello, you're supposed to be CAMPING! I occasionally hope there's a music heaven and fans of such ear cancer will spend an eternity listening to 200bpm elevator tunes as punishment for their crimes against music.



The next day we made our way into Galway City which has a truly awful traffic system something akin to Sligo and a pain for any driver especially when you're forced to use their stupid roundabout system. Naturally all the roads are under construction thanks to the seemingly endless EU grants that Ireland receives which adds to the trauma.
Nevertheless it was another beautiful day and after taking a quick walk around some of the shops with Lou scoring an Ireland shirt for the rugby, we grabbed some seats outside a bar and
sipped on a well deserved cold beer. Here's the view from my seat.


There was another clothes shop across the road and I picked up an Ireland shirt myself as I didn't want to be left out. We took a long walk up by Eyrne Square and down to the harbour and by this time we were ready for lunch. I can't remember the name of the place but I had a delicious vegetarian paninni and would certainly recommend the restaurant. After another walk through the streets and checking out some buskers, clowns and those idiots decked head-to-toe in silver paint standing still, we made our way back to the multi-storey and drove back to the campsite for some late afternoon relaxing.

In the evening, we walked along the sea front into town and enjoyed a nice outside pint at one of the many pubs. The place reminded me of a larger far less tacky version of Newcastle. There was a small fun fair and amusement arcade which we ventured into for couple games of pool. There's nothing like a few frames to work up a hunger and we found a nice little café/restaurant where we tucked into some beautiful cod and chips before finishing up in a pub for a long pint before walking back to the tent for another flick, this time Almost Famous which is a great film worth buying - 4.5/5 - and then to sleep.

It was another beautiful day as we made our long journey back towards Belfast and neither of us wanted to leave.

Game Spot 666 (or #42 for most of you!)

Zombie Grinder

Help this fat-ass run through the streets with his shotgun, picking up ammo and dispensing justice to the brain-loving, flesh-eating zombie masses. All while listening to some serious death metal on his diePod!

Wikipedia - Zombie Grinder

Note: It appears that Wikipedia has a list of grinders, but has left the zombie grinder out for some reason. One can only assume that Wikipedia must be ran by zombies and that they are scared of promoting this type of grinder...

Orange Lodge Flambé, Tear And Share Garlic Bread (Disputed Territory style) and Tiger Supper

On Wednesday the usual cook-off was cancelled for the Twelfth. Nationalists, Loyalists and even locals from the remedial schools stepped up to the challenge, making an Orange Lodge Flambé for starters, “Tear & Share” Garlic Bread (Disputed Territory Style) for main course and a Tiger Supper for dessert. Here’s the science.

Orange Lodge Flambé
[Serves 1 Nationalist cause]

Ingredients
Some alcohol
An Orange Lodge
A cigarette lighter

Method
1. Drink the alcohol (the cheaper the better) as quickly as possible.
2. Allow body to stew in alcohol for a while until intoxicated.
3. Find an Orange Lodge and add the lighter.
4. Heat until charred on all sides.

Tear And Share Garlic Bread (Disputed Territory style)
[Serves no one]

Ingredients
At least two rival religious groups
One small fragile country

Method
This is an excellent meal for those of you who don’t like the more traditional garlic bread, as it involves no garlic or bread! It has been a favourite in Ireland for some time and is currently going down a treat in Israel and Palestine.
1. Add the religious factions into the small, fragile country.
2. Mix well before leaving to stand. The religions should separate by themselves.
3. Allow tensions to simmer unhindered for as long as possible. If the tensions do not simmer after a while, lightly beat the population.
4. When the tension rises sufficiently, the religious factions will tear and share the country for you.

Tiger Supper
[Serves them right]

Ingredients
Plenty of alcohol
One person (brains removed)
A tiger (you can find these in your local zoo)

Method
If you have any people left over from other recipies for disaster and you’re wondering what to do with them, simply remove the brains and try this meal for size.
1. Add the alcohol to the moron, ensuring that you use enough to fully remove any chance of intelligence.
2. Allow the person to become very drunk.
3. Introduce the idiot to the tiger enclosure (some climbing may be necessary).

Food and Phones

On Sunday night I went to one of Jenny’s friends houses for dinner. His name is Martin and he’s a semi-professional chef who took part in Channel 4’s cookery show Come Dine With Me.

For the last week, Martin and four other people from Belfast were followed around while they looked for ingredients, took it in turns to cook their meals and then voted for each other to find the best chef by the end of the week. Martin came a very commendable second and his meal on Sunday night was very nice (a cheesy pasta bake, beef bourguignon, several types of bread and an excellent black current dessert). I’ll let you all know when the episode is aired on TV.

The meal was an excellent accompaniment to my home-made wine which, while sweet and more along the lines of port in its taste and strength, seemed to go down slightly less well with the group. I still feel it was six months of fermentation well spent, although I would encourage any potential home-made wine enthusiasts out there to make more than 2 demijohns worth (less than 12 bottles for half a years work – a measly 2 per month average!).

All this food reminded me that I needed to do some shopping before the holidays over the Twelfth (more commonly denoted by scenes like this). Most places are shut for marching day here and the shops that open tend to have no bread, milk or much at all as deliveries are also postponed for the holiday.

Phil had warned me on Sunday that you can’t get any reception in Sainsbury’s, so yesterday I was happy to put this to the test when I realised I had to call home to see what all I had in my kitchen. Low and behold, it was impossible to get more than a bar of reception and a text that was sent to me took over 10 minutes to arrive while I walked around looking for somewhere to be able to use my phone.

Eventually I found out that you can get excellent reception in the freezer section but ironically terrible reception by the mobile phone stall. Maybe it’s because the chest freezers are large and made of metal, acting like an aerial. Who knows, but the one thing you apparently can’t buy in Sainsbury’s is the one thing your phone can get everywhere else for free...

The Beautiful Game

Phil will be away for the week, so I have stepped into his Blog-shoes for the next few days to ensure that no one has to be bored during their lunch hour. And after Phil's last post, how could I not bring you a quality movie like this!

Yes that's right, the World Cup is finally over and we now have new reigning champions: Italy! Yes that's right, they should have jobs as actors, they perform on stage better than they ever will on the pitch and they dive more than the average professional swimmer, but somehow the Italian team have pulled off a stunning and unexpected victory over the French to win the World Cup 2006! Not that beating the French is that hard :P

With the bookies placing Italy 5th and France 6th most likely to win, you can be sure that there are some very happy people making a good bit of cash on an outcome like that, but you have to wonder what Italian defender Marco Materazzi said to French striker Zinédine Zidane to outrage the player enough to headbutt his opponent in the chest after the two exchanged words in the 109th minute. Probably something along the lines of "Your dad surrendered before mine"...

My boss was watching BBC and heard one of the commentators (David O'Neill) say that insults, no matter how personal, are just part and parcel of a football match and that Zidane should be professional enough to "just take it in the chin".

I would rather look at it from the point of view that there shouldn't be a need to insult people to that level, if at all, and that such poor sportsmanship shouldn't be endemic in the game. In fact I believe that if you really insult people on a very personal level, the only thing you should have to take on the chin should be a headbutt!

Congratulations to Italy on what was for the most part a well-deserved, if what somewhat unexpected, World Cop victory.

And here's the beautiful game in all it's glory!

Pac-Man Vs Public

I couldn't not post these. Blame that Friday feeling, blame the bottle of wine, but I think these are hilarious. Enjoy!

Pacman ONE, TWO & THREE.

Pan-Fried Mushrooms with Parmesan & Thyme Butter, Moroccan Carrot Soup with Chermoula and Spiced Baked Bananas with Honey & Yogurt

Last night I made Pan-Fried Mushrooms with Parmesan & Thyme Butter, Moroccan Carrot Soup with Chermoula and Spiced Baked Bananas with Honey & Yogurt. I was happy with the starter but I thought the soup could do with a bit more pep so you could add more spice depending on your tastes. The bananas went well also but could do with baking for a few minutes in the oven without foil. Other than that, all the plates were clean so I'm taking that as a good sign! Here's the science:

Pan-Fried Mushrooms with Parmesan & Thyme Butter

[Serves 4]

Ingredients

225g Mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh tyhme leaves
250ml extra thick double cream
2 tbsp fresh chives
25g Parmesan shavings






Method

1. Cut mushrooms into thin slices and after adding the oil to the pan, fry until golden brown and tender.
2. Add a knob of butter and the thyme to the pan and once the butter is melted, stir in the cream and chives cooking for 2-3 minutes until reduced.
3. Slice a crusty loaf and place the mushroom mixture proportionally on each slice.
4. Place the shavings of parmesan on the mushrooms with a sprig of tyhme on top.


Moroccan Carrot Soup with Chermoula

[Serves 4]

Ingredients

25g butter
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, white part only, chopped
450g carrots, cut into small chunks
1/4 tsp paprika
1 litre vegetable stock
salt & pepper






Chermoula

125g fresh coriander
1 clove of garlic
1/4 ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
100ml olive oil
Juice from 1/4 lemon

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large pan adding the ginger, turmeric and cumin.
2. Add the onion, leek and carrots and sweat for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the paprika and vegetable stock bringing to the boil and simmering for 30 minutes.
4. Purée the mixture in a blender until smooth and reheat to taste.

Chermoula Method

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and purée to a smooth paste. Spoon over the soup as desired.


Spiced Baked Bananas with Honey & Yogurt

[Serves 4]

Ingredients

4 large bananas, peeled and sliced lengthways
25g butter
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cardamom pods
4 tbsp honey
4 tbsp plain yogurt/ice-cream







Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Place bananas in greased flat dish
3. Mix orange juice, spices and honey and pour over the bananas. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes until bananas are soft. Serve hot with a the yogurt or ice-cream.

[I'm off for a weeks holiday tomorrow so a full update will appear on Monday 17 July. Have a great time whatever you're up to and thanks for your patronage!]

Gamespot #42

Stealth Hunter

Just like a modern day ninja, you must sneak around, snap some necks, plant some C4, whatever you need to do to survive, kicking ass along the way.

Wikipedia - Ninjas

Links #24

G5 Explosion - A geek is asking for donations of $5000 to buy a new Mc G5. The Internet responds. Their reward? He blows up his G4 Mac.

Wikipedia - Tannerite









Talking Cats - What's more creepy than talking cats?

Wikipedia - Cat Body Language













Hard Gay Cooking - Hard Gay goes in search of kids to try and get them to change their minds about a food they don't like. Of course it's Japanese.

Wikipedia - Homosexuality In Japan

A Sporting Life

The weeend began by unwinding with a few cold beers on Friday afternoon and watching Germany progressing to the semi-finals by putting Argentina out and switching off after Italy put 3 past Ukraine to join Germany in the last four, Lou and I watched A History of Violence. We had seen it before in the cinema and back in October I gave it 4.5/5. On second review it is still a powerful film with gritty realism which only loses some of it's punch only because you know what to expect. If you still haven't seen it I recommend renting it immediately.

On Saturday it was a beautiful day so we took to the hills and my folks back garden as they were down in Portaferry for the weekend. Cue some chilled wine, a good book and bright hazy sunshine and it was perfection. We BBQ'd inbetween England losing, once again, to Portugal in penalties - snarf, snarf. That boy Rooney is such a child. Despite what the commentators were stating, I found it to be one of the most boring matches of the entire World Cup. After tucking into some delicious duck kebabs and ribs, it was Brazils turn to feel the pain and France played their best football of the entire tournament combined and trebled to join Portugal, Germany and Italy in the race to be world champions.

After tidying up the house and packing our things we returned to the city centre to meet up with Keith and Jenny for the Custom House Sunday event and this week it was The Black Eagles from Tanzania. As you can see they were a troupe of body bending feat givers and they gave the crowd a good reason to turn up although it was a little short, it was also free so you couldn't complain. I had hoped to go to Clarendon Dock for a free festival but a little rain fell and we legged it for the safe confines of the Spaniard where we spent the afternoon drinking and playing darts. Badly. Still, it was great fun.


The remainder of the day was spent at the flat watching The Break-Up with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. Unfortunately it was low on laughs, drama and tension and it was a shrug-your-shoulder finalé. So I would give the film 2/5 but the weekend gets a solid 4/5. I hope you had a good one whatever you got up to. See you tomorrow for more.