Recently went to Longdan Supermarket and bought a few groceries during the Platinum weekend. It was fairly quiet in the morning, I guess a lot of people are still trying to have a getaway weekend away from London, or possibly coming into London to see the Royals, politicians and the wotnots of the UK.

At the counter, I saw this cute South Korean package of delight. Something that I’ve wanted to try since watching a lot of Korean variety shows (and don’t forget Squid Game where they were making shapes with dalgona) where they showed how to make this confectionery from the past.

Dalgona 달고나 is basically known as honeycomb toffee in the Western world If you’ve had Nestle’s Toffee Crisp Honeycomb or Nestle’s Crunchie, you might find that the crispy part tastes similar to Dalgona.

Ingredients are: sugar, water, corn syrup and sodium bicarbonate. Just 4 ingredients!

Once I opened the packet, you could see some squared shape biscuit like objects. It would probably remind you of soft set caramel, or possibly some sort of pet treat. It is definitely a treat, but for human consumption rather than the likes of a pet.

Well, what does it taste like? It tastes very, very sweet! Have you tasted any sort of East Asian black sugar snacks, or black sugar bubble tea? If you have, you will taste that very same sort of black sugar taste after tasting the punch of the sweetness followed by a familar caramel-like taste, then sort of ending it with a darker note of the black sugar aftertaste.

Later on in the day, I wanted to see what it would taste like in some hot coffee… Hmmm… Doesn’t taste very sweet at all!

The price of this small bag is £1.75. Expensive but it was worth a try, and I would definitely buy this again as a once in a blue moon human treat.

It was my birthday just over 2 and a bit months ago. YAY! And it was the first time in two frigging years since I’ve been able to celebrate my birthday.

2 years older, 2 years of being drained working between the office and home (and only catching covid at the end of last year), 2 YEARS of not being able to blog as much as I had wanted to.

So it was decided with the Gang of Four that we would go and eat in a Korean BBQ restaurant. Reason one – Miss Money is on her keto diet. Reason two – I wanted to eat Korean food outside. And Reason three, (which I didn’t know until we almost finished eating), was that Mr Games and Mr Sensible never had Korean BBQ before).

I had already checked the menu online and was ready to order. As there were four of us, we decided to have two lots of Set Menu 1, which costs £66 and serves 2 people (that’s £33 per person). There’s a choice of 2 starters – Korean fried chicken or Mandoo (Korean dumplings). We chose the chicken. And then you have a choice of 4 different bbq dishes – meat or veg from the main menu.

The fried chicken came out first. Miss Money and I chose the kimchi mayo, and I think the other one was soy teriyaki. These were ok, but I prefer the bigger pieces of fried chicken from Cheemc.

Japchae was also one of the starters. This tasted ok. I didn’t want to eat too much as there was a lot coming our way!

As you can see, the side dishes of kimchi, spring onions, meat for the grill and rice coming out… Our table was practically full of amazing dishes.

😅😅😅 So. Much. Food!! And such a tiny grill…

We grilled and ate, grilled and ate. There were times when we thought the food we were cooking were undercooked. The meat was flavourful and marinated well. I think we just burnt the first grill though as obviously there wasn’t enough fat from the meat or no cooking oil at hand.

Our grill was only changed twice the whole time we sat there. What they should have done is provided some cooking oil so that we wouldn’t burn the grills the whole time we were there… Oh well. Nevermind!

We had a small amount of everything left, so we just poured everything in. I don’t think the staff were that impressed, but we needed to finish the remaining food items. 🙃

We were finally stuffed… Finished with all the amazing food… And then came out the fruits. Mr Sensible and I finished our plate, but for some reason Mr Games and Miss Money wouldn’t touch their plate of fruit… They are so weird! I’m sure on a keto diet that you’re allowed to eat some fruits right? Mr Games has a funny palate so I understand that sometimes he doesn’t want to eat certain things.

At the end of the food show, it was time for the cinnamon shot. It’s non-alcoholic, but it’s so sweet! Koreans like sweet stuff. I like cinnamon, but wasn’t sure of this drink… methinks it could have been diuted a bit more for the likes of four people.

Total cost came to around £148 including drinks, so that’s £37 per person. I think it was a very well-deserved meal and having not spent anything for my last two birthdays.

Korean food is becoming so popular these days that it might topple over Japanese and Chinese food in the UK… I doubt that! 😅

My geeky rating: 4.5/5

Address: Central Piazza St Giles, 4 St Giles High St, London WC2H 8AB

Website: https://www.superstarbbq.co.uk/

Been bit on the quiet front recently. It’s been non-stop at work as the offices and staff are almost back to normal. Almost normal. Still working from home people? Most of us have become hybrid workers. I for one am now a hybrid worker. ^_^

Cup noodles! Ummmm. The last time I had a cup noodle was last year at some point and the last time I blogged about a cup noodle was when I was in HK. LOL.

When I went into New Long Fung Supermarket a few months ago, I explored the noodle section as I ran out of instant noodles at the time… and then in the corner of my eye, I spotted these cup noodle treasures! Woohoo! Katsu Curry, Pork Tonkotsu and Beef Sukiyaki. (I also have chicken teriyaki, which I forgot about).

Here I’m eating from non-preference to preference, I tried out the Beef Sukiyaki first. Tastes artificial and sweet to the very end.

Tasted sweet at first, then it felt watered down sweetness with a touch of beef as the aftertaste

The Tonkotsu flavour became a my dinner before bed. Tastes very watered down of the packaged version. Can taste the pork flavour, but it really tastes bland. 😦

Last of all was the Curry flavour. I bought two pots in case I liked it… Artificial taste again. It doesn’t taste like the one I had in HK. It tasted like watery curried flavoured noodles.

Costs £1.35 or more (depending on where you get them) – Unfortunately, I wouldn’t buy these again but instead buy those original Nissin cup noodles or Korean cup noodle. (Dreading to eat the second curry cup noodle and the chicken teriyaki flavour). 😭

The nice part is the design of the cups – likely taken from the famous 18th-19th Centuru artist, Hokusai-san…

I have a smile on my face. Why? Because I have not blogged about books in a very long time. In this post, I will explain why I have two fairly new e-readers and the purpose of each. To be honest I explored a whole lot before picking these two. I’ve been sluggish with reading, and have been listening to audiobooks for a year or so during this boring pandemic… but made the switch to reading more via e-readers since using a phone made my eyes swirl.

Kindle Paperwhite 11th Generation is the newest Kindle e-reader at a semi-affordable price of £139. It has a screen size of 6.8 inches, no buttons on the sides, 8GB storage and is slightly heavy. I bought this back in October 2021, and so far I have enjoyed reading from it. The first book I read on it was Swing Time by Zadie Smith. I actually have the paperback, which I bought it in July when I was waiting for Mrs Hen at London Bridge Station, but somehow I felt I couldn’t finish the book… Once I had the Kindle, I felt I could read a lot more faster, and finished the book in a few weeks.

After my first book after a long time of not actually reading fiction, I quit my Audible subscription, and went for Kindle Unlimited which was on a promo last year… Well I’m glad I did, because there’s a lot of books I can borrow! And even manga too!!

Manga quality is not too bad, some words are hard to ready because of the lightness of the font. However, you can zoom into the panel to get a better look of the writing.

You can change the way the page looks… have just recently added the time on top of the pages… I always lose track of time when reading.

If you don’t like people knowing which book you’re reading, you can switch to the Kindle screen covers when it goes on sleep mode… I chose this option, as I didn’t want people to know what I was reading.

However, there is only so much that I can borrow via Kindle Unlimited (and also find free e-books elsewhere)… certain books I wanted to read on the Kindle aren’t available on Kindle Unlimited but are available on Overdrive, which is an app that’s usable on the Kobo e-readers!

So, after a few months of contemplation, I bought my second e-reader (my third or was it my fourth really – I have a really old e-reader somewhere). This is the Kobo Libra 2, which costs £159.99.

Why did I buy it? It has 32GB of storage, there’s button on the sides, it has a 7 inch screen, I can borrow library books (that’s why I joined Lewisham Libraries, as Southwark Libraries don’t use Overdrive), and I can read a lot of manga! A lot of reviewers out there have said to get the Kobo Forma for reading manga, but to be honest, Kobo Libra 2 is also good. I don’t need an oversized 8 inch e-reader, I needed one that was weight-friendly for my small hands.

The quality of the manga is pretty good, and the pages look very paper-like compared to the screen on the Kindle Paperwhite.

With the Kobo, I like the fact that I can choose what goes on the header and footer. I chose how much time to read (supposed to be per chapter… but depending on the book, it will give me the half-way time for the entire book). And the footer, I chose how many pages I read / left in the book to read. Handy!!

Like the Kindle Paperwhite, you can choose to remove the book cover, but Kobo doesn’t show any default images.

Well, if you’re in two minds like me – get both (only if you can afford it … I’m still paying for the Kobo using Amazon Prime’s 5 x 1 monthly installments). If you can’t buy both, then the best thing to do is ask yourself, which one is more appropriate…

Overall: I would say go for the Kobo Libra 2 – you can borrow library books, and if you can find free epub books on the Internet, then you don’t need to change the file extension for Kindle.

Books I’ve read on the Kindle so far:

• Swing Time by Zadie Smith (puzzled with this book, but enjoyed reading a complex book after many years)
• The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan (fairly sweet book)
• The Expatriates by Janice YK Lee (I was really disappointed with the ending for this book… I wish there was an alternative ending for one of the mothers)
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee – currently in my reading section… the Agatha Raisin series took over!
• Sweetness and Lightening Manga – Volume 1 (watched the animé, thought I might as well read the manga! And the first 8 volumes are free on Kindle Unlimited)

Books I’ve read on the Kobo so far:

• Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by MC Beaton (read in 5 days!)
• Agatha Raisin and the Viscious Vet
• Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardner
• Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley (currently on chapter 2 … the Agatha Raisin series is quite addictive!)
• Absolute Boyfriend Manga – Volume 1 … Reading this because it’s a short series of 6 volumes

If you’ve been stuck in a rut with reading or haven’t read in a long time, give an e-reader a go… I have a long list of books I want to read at the moment, and have downloaded a lot of manga for this manga-deprived geek! It’s paper-free friendly, and takes up less space in your home and in your bag!

I’m a geek who needs to be a geek.

Back to blogging! Phew, it’s really been hectic in the past few months. Staff down, means you have to pick up everyone else’s work. Really, really hoping this wave will die down sooner than later! But I’m back into blogging a bit more this month (hopefully!).

Happy Belated Birthday to my blog of 10 years! Wow… time has gone fast. Thinking back, I really used to do a lot. The past few years I’ve slowed down, but I really hope I can do more.

Well onto this post. I know, I know, it’s another HK milk tea… I’ve become obsessed with them since coming back from HK trip last year. This one I found in Chinatown Bakery (in the fridge). They come in rectangular bottles, which resembles a whisky tumbler. Hm. I wonder who decided on this design.

I left it in my home fridge for one week… Was trying to find the right time to drink it before it expires.

The cap took forever to open. MummyGeek even tried… it was so hard, I think I sprained my hand! You will need to somehow release some of the air from the cap before you can unscrew it.

Anyway… this is definitely an authentic HK Style Milk Tea! Cha Dong (茶檔) meaning “tea shop/stall” seems to have some professionals in place to make this stuff… It’s not too sweet, not too milky, it has that strong tea taste that tastes better cold than hot. I can feel the people making this have made this a thousand times using the right ingredients. MummyGeek tried a bit too, she like it!

Thumbs up from this Geek!

Cost: £3.50 a 250ml bottle (expensive, but this one is worth the try)

Website: https://www.chadong.co.uk/

Ok… It’s been a very, very loooooooooong time since I’ve written about a TV advert. Last year was depressing, so there was absolutely way I was going to blog about boring adverts. Let’s hope this Christmas will be saved by sensible people. (I can sense a lot of moaning at the moment. Uh-hm!).

Let’s start off with the ones that people whinge about often.

John Lewis – Unexpected Guest

Well, I’m not sure about this one. Maybe it’s the song that makes it a so-so for me. Or maybe the fact that John Lewis thinks aliens will look like us humans (homosapiens! Really?). The storyline was fine with Boy meets Alien, which sounds familarly like the movie E.T., but maybe work out on the music!! The advert needed more of an uplifting than a sad one. p.s. How on Earth did this advert cost £5million to make?

Bought two Apple items recently from John Lewis as they were only the place that was stocking what I wanted. Well, what a disappointment when I opened the box at the bus stop! They weren’t even the items I ordered… Straight back to John Lewis via a Waitrose branch who told me that the box was not even a John Lewis box…! 😖 A little angry, a little shocked and a little disappointed at whoever wasted my time listening to the music on John Lewis’s Customer Service phone line. Were my items stolen or was it just a mix up? Who knows, but I bet they were stolen. 🤔 SHAMBLES!! Waiting for a refund and Customer Service to call me back…

Sainsbury’s – A Christmas to Savour

I have to agree with this one. It’s been a long time coming for the Christmas celebrations. In this ad, they’ve re-used some old concepts of slowing down and speeding up processes in the video – like the Matrix style. A Pretty simple advert with all the Christmas foodie things, water sound effects, jazzy music, and ending it with normal people just celebrating Christmas. AND all in ONE MINUTE, compared to their other long adverts! Impressive!

Boots – #BagsofJoy

Hm. 🤭 If only I had a Bag of Joy. Here’s a Mary Poppins themed Boots ad with their classic Boots music tingle for Christmas.

Well, I kind of enjoyed this advert. Although it was a 3 minute advert, it told a story of wishes and expectations from the Bag of Joy. Lots of make-up, gift ideas and even a massive pram! Is that even possible?!

If I had one of those bags, I’ll be whizzing out a lot of baby wipes and nappies for one of my godchildren. 🤣

Aldi Christmas Advert – A Christmas Carrot

Heheheh… And we have Kevin The Carrot back with another episode of Christmas.

Aldi have used the theme from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. We have a Banana as Ebanana Scrooge, and Kevin as The Christmas Spirit. (This book is actually on my list to read at some point… otherwise, I’ll just watch the Disney version. Hah!). They whizz around town where the Spirit shows Scrooge what Christmas should be like through the Carrot’s eyes. LOL! I really love Aldi’s efforts in making the Narrator’s sentence rhyme throughout the ad. Clever advert!

Tesco – This Christmas, Nothing’s Stopping Us

This is the very first time I’ve watched the advert in full. Not sure how many complaints it’s received, but I had a grin on my face throughout the ad! 😬

I found the advert funny. It’s a funnier version of what Sainsbury’s tried to do. No one’s going to be stopped from having a fun Christmas this year (whether Omicron destroys our hopes or not). And you know what? Tesco showing Santa has been vaccinated meant he’s able to travel around the world to deliver his presents… so I don’t see anything wrong with that! Everyone who’s travelled so far has had to do the same.

Right, let’s stop here for the moment… I still think lots of companies just bounce their ideas to each other, and make similar Christmas adverts! Hm, I wonder if they go to a brainstorming session, and feed each other with what they got, then divide between themselves on what they’re going to do… Funny idea!

Part 2 to come soon.

Last post on Hong Kong. Delayed post because of so much work, so many meetings and so many frigging audits! Plus on the downside, a lot of people catching covid (fully jabbed people)… so having to fill in last minute for certain tasks has not been fun.

Ok… After quarantine, it was straight to another hotel. I was covid-free. Still am! 😆 I always go to Regal Riverside Hotel (when I can). Thankfully, it was near the end of summer, and the prices were going down. Phew!!

On Booking.com, there was a choice for checking in at 3pm and then checking out at 3pm. I chose this option, because there was nowhere to go after I checked out… Thankfully the staff gave me my room early… I thought there would hardly be any guests, but I guessed wrong. In Hong Kong, people are taking the advantage of staying in hotels… they call it “staycation”. Hm, I wonder if the Brits will adopt this in the UK. Probably not. Hotel prices in the UK are too high… how are they surviving without the rush of travellers is beyond me!

Anyway, my discovery of this hotel was the Laundry Room on the 8th Floor! Wow. How long has that been there? You need to buy the tokens at Main Reception, and each token used can be used for either the washing machine or the dryer. Happy Days!

By the way, the lift access has also changed. You have to tap in inside the lift to actually access it to the other floors… whaaat? That’s so, so new!

Everything else was practically the same in this hotel – with the rooms I mean. Access into and out of the hotel was kind of depressing. The back door does not open, so you have to go in and out from where the vehicles drop off people. And the front door doesn’t open until some unknown time.

You do have to check your temperature you go in, and also use hand santiser…

And that’s the very end of my Hong Kong working-holiday in September! Since I’ve come back from the UK, a lot of my colleagues had decided to go on their mini trips and have flown out of the UK… AMAZING!

Address: 34-36 Tai Chung Kiu Rd, Sha Tin, Hong Kong

Website: https://www.regalhotel.com/mobile/regal-riverside-hotel/en/home/home.html