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Moshi Sushi - Chelmsford

2010-06-27T12:40:32Z

My girlfriend first introduced me to sushi a few years ago, and I have tentatively enjoyed it ever since, even enjoying some of her own home-made creations. However, up until February of this year, there had been no sushi restaurant in Chelmsford.

So, it was with some excitement that we went to Moshi sushi for the first time in February for my birthday lunch.

On arrival, we were shown to our seats at the bar, and the waitress explained how the restaurant worked – we could order anything from the menu, or we could take whatever took our fancy from the ‘sushi train’ and the bill would be calculated form this afterward.

We decided to just take dishes from the conveyor belt, and we were not disappointed. There was a constant variety of choice from the belt, far more than I’d experienced in the chain giants ‘Yo’. Also, all of the dishes were well presented, and appetisingly laid out on their plates. Colour coded plates meant that we knew exactly what we expected to pay.

Our first visit was so enjoyable, and the sushi so tasty, that we have been back to Moshi at least once a week since February! We have enjoyed chatting to the Head Chef who informed us of where he sources the huge pieces of salmon that he skilfully fillets in front of the sushi bar. The service has always been great.

The only downside of Moshi is one rather irritating waitress who has informed us how busy she is, while the restaurant has been half empty. On another occasion she asked us to wait to be seated while there were about 10 people in the whole restaurant. Or there was the occasion where she struck up inappropriate conversation with a chef in front of customers. Still…we haven’t spotted her there for a while, so maybe Moshi took the wise decision of letting her go.

All in all, I can’t recommend Moshi highly enough. Sushi doesn’t need to be scary, and there are many cooked menu options, or many vegetarian options to choose from. It’s also amazingly low fat! They also provide a takeaway & delivery service.

I’ve even introduced my parents to Moshi, and after trying sushi for the first time at 70 my Dad is now a fully fledged sushi convert!

LOST Finale

2010-05-25T12:20:03Z

I was thinking about this for a whole day, trying to find a way of explaining what i thought. I then found this article that summed up how i felt and does a very good job of explaining the Lost finale.

In the final episode of LOST, we learn that the flash sideways is really a sort of purgatory in which our Losties are waiting to be re-awakened, to be made aware of their previous life. Once they all awaken and realise what they had all lived through… they were able to move on.
So how does the Island really connect to all of this? We were told the Island was a place that kept evil at bay. Jacob’s job on the island was to protect the island and to subdue the evil that was created when his brother was killed – a job he passes on to Jack. This task suggests a cultural mandate that humanity has in taking care of the earth. Moreover, we also know that Jacob brought everyone to the island not just to take over his role, but to deal with their problems – they needed the island as much as the island needed them. Through their strivings and adventures on the island, each of our characters learns to deal with their problems and to embrace who they are supposed to be and what they are supposed to do.
Jack learns to have faith in his role as a leader and follower. Sawyer becomes a protector and leader. Juliet successfully delivers a child on the island and has a meaningful relationship that she thought she could never have. Sun and Jin’s marriage is strengthened by their time on the island, and their having a child reinforces this. Claire conquers her fear of becoming a mother and learns to be a part of a family. Charlie overcomes his addiction to heroine and becomes a hero to Claire and the others on the island. Boone learns to accept the love he has for his sister but more importantly to let it go. Shannon accepts that she does have worth and she finds it in helping others and in falling in love with someone she previously stereotyped as a terrorist. Sayid’s dynamic journey on the island leads him to discover that he is a good man as he sacrifices himself for everyone on the submarine. Hugo overcomes the bad luck that seems to plague him, and he makes his own luck by helping others, falling in love and driving the Dharma van. Ben finds redemption in learning to set aside his own personal and violent agendas and learns to help others instead of himself. Ben pays a heavy price for what he learned as the lesson cost him the life of his daughter.
The losties learned how to have faith in themselves and each other. This is most prevalent in Jack’s character, and this is why Jack ultimately becomes the Island’s new protector – Jack is the twenty-first century everyman. A man who was lost, but was found. A man whose cynicism infected his life like a cancer and whose transformation leaves him as a man fully committed to a life of faith and meaning. A man who sacrifices himself in order to protect the island and give his friends a fighting chance to successfully leave it.
So how does defeating Smokey have anything to do with their post-island lives – or post-lives for that matter? The light at the heart of the island is what gives the island its unique powers – but it also created evil in releasing the Smoke Monster. Jacob and the Man In Black are pitted against each other as a modern Cain and Abel. Jacob’s vengeful murder of the Man In Black and sending his body down into the cave results in the physical embodiment of evil. As soon as Desmond pulls the Stone from the ground inside that cave – or moves the final piece in a game that has been going on for a long time – the light goes out. So as the island begins to self-destruct, the Smoke Monster loses his powers. This is what makes Jack and Locke mortal – as well as Richard. Therefore, evil is defeated, and light is restored as Jack moves the final piece back into play. This is echoed in Juliet’s suggestion to Sawyer when she tells him to unplug the vending machine and plug it back in. She says it is a valid, legal move – it’s not against any rules. The light goes out, but as it is plugged back in the and light comes back on Sawyer not only gets his chocolate bar – he is also reunited with Juliet.
All of our characters, whether they make it off the island or not, die eventually. But, as soon as they come together in their post-lives, they are able to move on into the light.
The show’s importance has always rested on the characters and their individual journeys as well as their journey together on the island. What we can take away from this show is that as humans living in this world, we have a responsibility to guard the light and keep evil at bay. We must have faith – in each other and in ourselves. Death is inevitable, but what we do in life will connect us to our after-life.

It has been a great pleasure theorizing with all of you… this last reflection on LOST is nowhere near comprehensive, but it is enough for me right now. I feel satisfied with the show’s ending, and like our Losties.. I can now move on.

Xbox 360 Console Family Settings

2010-05-20T11:35:26Z

I guess that many parents that leave their kids to play endless hours of computer games and are probably slightly worried at the amount of time and/or the content that their little ones many be seeing. Well, you can set parental controls to put limits on the time allowed to play and also the type of content that the child can be exposed to. Either in game or from downloadable content.

Family Settings are customisable tools that help you create a family-friendly gaming and entertainment experience.

Family Settings let you:

Decide what your kids can play, both online and off.
Set levels of protection for games, videos, and Xbox LIVE.
Use a pass code to protect your own Family Settings.
Set limits on console play time using the Family Timer.

Managing the Console
Once you determine Family Settings for your console, these settings come into play whenever the console is turned on. Console Controls help parents keep an eye on not only games but also movies and online access.

To see these settings, go to My Xbox, open System Settings, and select Family Settings, Console Controls.

Console Controls settings include:

Game Ratings: Select the games you want your child to play, from EC (Early Childhood) to M (Mature).
Video Ratings: Xbox 360 recognizes ratings encoded into movies, TV shows, and other videos.
Access to Xbox LIVE: Allow or prevent the console from connecting to Xbox LIVE.
Xbox LIVE Membership Creation: Decide whether to allow or prevent the ability to create new Xbox LIVE memberships from the console.
Xbox LIVE Marketplace Content: Decide whether you want to be able to see restricted content while browsing Xbox LIVE Marketplace. This setting also affects access to the Inside Xbox news feed from the Xbox Dashboard.
Family Timer: Set the amount of time that the console can be used on a daily or weekly basis.
Set Pass Code: Limit who can access or change the Family Settings on your console.
Turn off Family Settings: No kids? No problem! Shut down Family Settings!

Battlefield Bad Company 2

2010-05-17T15:50:22Z

I have recently been addicted to a game i purchased for my XBOX 360 called "Battlefield Bad Company 2" hence the title to this blog.

For those who prefer their multiplayer experiences to be full of camaraderie rather than competition, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 delivers a bonding experience like few other games can. By pushing the idea of teamwork upon players, Bad Company 2 is a game that discourages the "lone wolf" mentality found in many, if not most, online first-person shooters.

If your like me you were probably playing Call of Duty when the original Bad Company was released so if your asking "I barely played and/or didn't really enjoy the first Battlefield: Bad Company's multiplayer. How does this stack up?" The sequel is more Battlefield 1943 than Bad Company. It's a more balanced experience like developer DICE's summer hit, but with a modern setting and delivering the scope one would expect from a full-priced retail experience.

Currently, the two main game modes are Rush and Conquest. Conquest begins with each team having a set amount of "lives" for the round. Each team then scrambles to hold objectives (like in BF:1943) and whichever team has a majority of the nodes begins to automatically chip away at the other team's supply of lives -- naturally, each kill will also tick off another point. It's a mad scramble and requires coordination, which may be frustrating if your squad is doing its job while everyone else can't decide which objective to take.

Rush, on the other hand, is where the game really shines. The map is divided into several sections, with the attacking team having to set a charge at two crates before being able to move on to the next section; meanwhile the defenders use everything at their disposal to stop them. The attackers have a limited amount of lives to complete the objective, while the defenders have unlimited respawn. If the attackers destroy the crates by setting the charges (or in some cases bringing down the building the crates are in), they get to progress to the next section. Though each section of the map gets progressively more difficult for the attackers to complete their objective, players will likely appreciate the change of scenery and variation in tactics each new section requires.

The game also features sguad deathmatch where four squads fight to fifty kills and will eventually include Squad Rush (once the GameStop pre-order exclusive time is over), where two squads kill each other in the pursuit of then blowing up two crates. DICE already has a section on the in-game menu of planned updates, so it appears the developer and EA will continue to support the game and expand upon it ... unlike Battlefield 1943. Yes, we're still upset about that. More maps and character variation are on the docket in the coming months.

As one might expect, the game is full of unscripted "Battlefield moments" that produce the same type of storytelling you find when relaying a game of Left 4 Dead after the fact. You'll just barely escape a building as it comes crashing down and scream half-laughing as you jump out of a tank right before it blows up. You'll find yourself holding an objective against horrible odds, then die, but then find yourself revived by a medic, just in time to hold back what is almost certain defeat.

The multiplayer keeps you hooked with definitive character progression and weapon unlocks. Watching the experience bar for different classes tick up at the end of a level becomes a fix you just keep fiending for. You'll find yourself switching classes and learning how to play them properly to unlock more items and specializations (perks). There are also the constant pop-ups of points and medals in battle, serving as positive reinforcement that you're doing well -- even if you have a 3:17 kill ratio. This game knows how to keep you hooked on that narcotic drip of multiplayer level progression.

Finding fault in Battlefield: Bad Company 2's multiplayer is really difficult. It's an excellent progression for the series, adding new elements but also fixing existing features (like the controls and playing with friends). It's possible to enjoy the multiplayer solo, but there's an indescribable element of going through the experience with someone -- without that, it's hard to shake the feeling that something's missing. But If you surround yourself with a good crew, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 brings a balanced multiplayer experience that easily fits in the rotation of any FPS junkie and even makes those with moderate skill feel like a battlefield hero.

Ive know unlocked all the gadgets and weapons and am eagerly awaiting some more DLC, I haven't downloaded the new skins for your character. The skins change your look in the game but don't i feel add anything to the game itself.

New Bird Box

2010-05-17T15:05:36Z

Well, I have put a new bird box up in my garden that my Dad bought for me from the local garden centre. Its a smart well made one with a stainless steel roof too.

I have recently noticed robins and blue tits in my garden that you don't see about much these days as you used to. I think they normally get scared off by the massive wood pigeons that seem to come en masse to my garden during the spring summer months. Im trying to look out for the little guys. So I have now put it up, in a slightly secluded part of my small garden that im hoping is cat proof.

Its only day 1 but i will write an update on this when i see some activity from the little house.

New Movie T-Shirt I Got

2010-05-17T14:45:21Z

Its been a while since i last created a post due to starting a new job and generally life getting in the way of me being on here writing stuff.

Ok, i was recently looking for some new cool and different T Shirts. Not the type you get in Debenhams or River Island that you see a hundred guys wearing every weekend. So i was browsing the web and couldnt find what i wanted. I then read a tweet by "Simon Pegg" who i follow and he was promoting http://www.lastexittonowhere.com/ . So i checked these guys out. The T's are great i love them all, especially the SciFi ones. But alas cant afford them all. But i did buy the "Quints, Shark Fishing" Tshirt. Classic movie that i have watched a million times and never get bored of. It was reasonably priced, would have been better priced if it was about £3 cheaper but the quality of the shirt is really good and so is the print. It fits well and im really pleased i stumbled on the site.

XBOX 360 Graphics Problem

2009-09-28T11:14:51Z

I have an Xbox 360 and have had it for a couple of years and never have had a problem at all. I was slightly worried I might have an early Xbox and suffer from the red ring of death but as it turns out I have the Jasper model and as such am free of the worry.

I recently purchased an Onkyo TX SR507 AV set with all the surround sound speakers. I was pretty stoked and couldn’t wait to get this all setup and running, also I wanted to see how my Xbox would sound with all my new gadge. So I connected the Xbox to the Onkyo using the HDMI cable I got with it. I then connected the Onkyo to the TV via the TV out port using a 3m HDMI cable. My TV is up on the wall and all my gadgets and consoles are on a unit next to the TV.

Well when I powered on the gear I got no display or sound whatsoever on the TV, just a message saying “no signal” this caused me some concern. So I tried different cables from the Xbox to AV set. No difference, I was beginning to get a little frustrated so I thought “ I know, maybe I screwed up a setting on my AV when I’ve been setting it up” so I did a system reset and set it up all up from scratch again……

This also did not solve my problem. So this time I plugged the Xbox directly into the TV using the long lead that was in the TV out on the AV set. Well, what happened was that I was presented with a flickering display, red dots and red lines all over the screen. At first I thought I may have the start of the E75 error and believed my Xbox to be on its way out. But then I thought, maybe it’s the HDMI cable, maybe it’s not what I thought I had bought and that it isn’t 1080P compatible. So I navigated my way to the system settings and then display settings and changed to 1080i. Well what do you know, it cleared it up a treat. Crystal clear display. So after all that faffing it was the lead to the TV. At least that’s not as expensive to replace if I want to get 1080P back in play.

I hope this helps anyone else that has a similar issue to me.

Mashup and Mixing away....

2009-09-21T21:53:44Z

I have to say ive always loved this style of music ever since i was young kid playing around with twin tape decks, then when i got my Atari ST I used to mess around trying to splice two songs together. Its since got a lot easier to do and has become more popular. Although not too popular, as that would take something away from it.

Heres a few of my current favourites

Evelyn Champagne King vs. Kid Cudi - Shame (At Night)

Nelly Furtado vs MJ

Snow Patrol vs The Police

General Public vs Rihanna

John Williams vs Chemical Brothers

Snoop Dogg vs Led Zeppelin

Bodyrockers vs. Oakenfold (Cheekyboy remix)

Jennifer Lopez vs. TLC vs. Missy Elliott vs. Bodyrockers

Killer Biscuits

2009-09-11T13:27:27Z

I was surfing the web, like i do most lunch times and i found this article on the risks biscuits pose to our health. Not the normal risk as in weight gain or additives and E numbers but physical injuries incurred by people while eating a biscuit..... Can biscuits kill?

A disturbing probe into the potential for apparently innocent biscuits' ability to do harm has revealed that an astounding 25 million Brits have been injured while indulging in some light coffee/tea break snack action, with 500 victims requiring hospital treatment.

That's according to research outfit Mindlab International, which determined that almost a third of adults had been scalded by hot beverages while dunking, 26 per cent had choked on crumbs and ten per cent had broken a tooth or filling while getting their laughing gear round a biscuit.

Rather more seriously, seven per cent of Britons have dropped a biscuit tin on their foot, three per cent have fallen off a chair reaching for vital nourishment, and an equal percentage have poked themselves in the eye with a biscuit.

Seven per cent admitted to have been bitten while feeding a tasty biscuit morsel to a pet or “other wild animal”. The most extreme example of biscuit-related mishap, however, was the case of the man who got stuck in wet concrete after wading in to retrieve a stray biccy.

Mindlab also carried out a "Biscuit Injury Threat Evaluation" (BITE) to determine which was Blighty's deadliest biscuit. Mindlab International director Dr David Lewis explained: “We tested the physical properties of 15 popular types of biscuits, along with aspects of their consumption such as ‘dunkability’ and crumb dispersal.

“Then one of our mathematicians correlated these findings with research data and responses from a nationwide survey of 1,000 adults.”

The chilling result is that the public would do well to eye the Custard Cream with suspicion, since it topped the list with a BITE risk rating of 5.63. That's compared with 4.34 for your common-or-garden Cookie, in second spot, and 4.12 for next-placed Choc Biscuit Bar.

Those of you who like sucking a Ginger Nut will be relieved to learn that they're relatively risk-free, rating 2.99 in ninth place. Anyone not wanting to chance their arm should stick to Jaffa Cakes, since they bottomed the list with an almost harmless 1.16.

Mike Driver, marketing director for biscuit manufacturers Rocky, which commissioned the survey, concluded: “Working with biscuits every day, we’d long suspected they’re not as innocent as they look - and we were right."

Here's the full biscuit risk rating listing:

Custard Cream: 5.64

Cookie: 4.34

Choc Biscuit Bar: 4.12

Wafer: 3.74

Rich Tea: 3.45

Bourbon: 3.44

Oat Biscuit: 3.31

Digestive: 3.14

Ginger Nut: 2.99

Shortbread: 2.90

Caramel Shortcake: 2.76

Nice Biscuit: 2.27

Iced Biscuits/Party Rings: 2.16

Chocolate Finger: 1.38

Jaffa Cakes: 1.16

District 9 The Review

2009-09-06T19:44:19Z

This evening i went to see this movie with my fiancée and some friends (they will love that) after watching some of the trailers on various video sharing sites and was hoping the movie wouldn't let me down.

Well, for me it didn't let me down. Another reason which makes it stand out is that it is obviously a big budget movie but doesn't take place in the United States which must be a first for the Hollywood movie moguls. But the actual setting is in Johannesburg and tells of a group of aliens who become stranded on earth when their ship runs out of fuel and becomes disabled.

The film then flicks in and out of a pseudo documentary style as footage from news feeds, security cameras, and cameras are used to set all the events and also introduce the main character of the film, Wikus Van De Merwe who is an employee of the Multi Nations United (MNU) which is a private security firm which is in charge of overseeing the aliens and keeping them under control.

While much of this is to keep the public’s fear and disdain for the aliens they derogatorily call “Prawns” as they look like 7ft shrimps at bay. The true motive of the MNU is to unlock the secrets of the alien’s technology specifically their advanced weaponry.

The alien weaponry cannot be used by humans as only the aliens genetic signatures can enable the weapons to fire, and as such, 20 years after the arrival of the aliens, the MNU is still unable to take advantage of the new technology.

The crux of the films details Wikus’s promotion to lead a massive relocation of the aliens from their shanty town in District 9 to a more remote location that will better allow the creatures to remain removed from the disdainful locals.

While the relocation of the aliens is forceful, the MNU attempts to appease international community and alien rights advocates by requiring the aliens to consent to the relocation to District 10. The fact that this is done at gunpoint is of no consequence to the MNU as the staff and soldiers show utter disdain for the aliens and even resort to such drastic actions as arbitrarily destroying a nest of their eggs in order to keep their population under control.

During the relocation process, Wikus is clearly enjoying his new position and the status of being the focal point of the documentary. As he attempts to show off some contraband to the camera crew, he is exposed to a dark liquid substance that starts to alter his DNA.

In less than 24hrs, Wikus goes from a mild mannered husband and company man to the most wanted man in the world, when it is discovered his DNA is starting to change into alien DNA which allows him to operate the alien weaponry.

Wikus is exposed to the true nature of the MNUand his father in law, and seeks refuge in District 9 where he allies with an alien in an effort to regain his lost humanity. Along the way, his viewpoints change and he suddenly realises the need to help the aliens.

“District 9” begins in “Cloverfield” faux-reality-programming style with those shaky-cam shots, talking heads and a mix of real news footage of apartheid-related strife mixed with new footage of alien refugee strife.

But when it gets going, once Wikus goes on the run from killer government agents and hooks up with a brilliant prawn scientist (Jason Cope) and his mischievous son, it’s a ride and a half and definitely not for the squeamish. In “District 9,” human actors and CGI characters interact like never before.

The film is a smart mix of action, science fiction, and social commentary as the obvious parallels to Apartheid are clear in the film. The characters are interesting and the film cleverly mixes humor in with the social commentary without hitting you over the head with it. I would certainly recommend seeing this movie to friends.