March 24th 2013
Recently...
Recently Bought
It’s got a retro-looking design with a Panda slapped right in the middle. This surprisingly delicious can of condensed milk is produced in neighbouring Zhejiang province from a Chinese company with more than 55 years in operation. Able to keep the product’s cost to just RMB 10 – this is quality and a bargain rolled into one. Great for dipping donuts into or, as we did, bring a bit of life into our coleslaw.
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Recently Watched
A brilliant documentary on the music and mysterious life of Rodriguez. Having recorded and released two American flop albums in the 70s, miles away the Detroit native’s songs became the soundtrack for hundreds and thousands of young South Africans living under apartheid. Well researched and deservedly a recipient of a number of awards including an Oscar and BAFTA for Best Documentary.
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Recently Watched
A 2012 Bollywood release filled with colour, passion, singing, dancing and a heart-warming storyline. Bittoo (played by Pulkit Samrat) plays a wedding videographer who uses his art to spread happiness and joy. Falling in love with a girl at one of his wedding receptions, the couple is soon wooing each other with poetic words of commitment on a vibrant backdrop of eye-popping Indian culture.
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Recently Read
One of my favourite expat publications to read. That’s Shanghai monthly release comes packed with all the latest goings on in the city. In this current edition, focus is placed on China’s fast-growing online playing community. Plus, you can get the lowdown of restaurants, DVD releases, community events, sneak peeks of interior designs and featured articles including a story on Shanghai dance crews with a difference – the decidedly more elderly.
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March 19th 2013
Recently...
Recently Read
Published in Australia, this travel magazine covers more of the off-the-beaten-path locations. Samoa, Japan, Canada and Spain are all featured in this latest issue. The magazine also lists its Top 100 places to visit in 2013 with a well-deserved Colombia coming out as number one. Throughout the publication there are smaller features like the latest travel gadgets and websites. A comprehensive read.
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Recently Visited
Bhoomi is basically Shanghai’s only specialist store dedicated to all food products from India. Located a bit out of the way over in Minhang, the small store stocked a good number of Indian spices, different varieties of rice, shampoos, curry quick meals and bootleg Bollywood DVDs. From what I could tell, they also do home deliveries at a charge. Great news of our home curries!
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Recently Watched
The great thing about many of China’s online video viewing platforms like youku and tudou is that you can practically watch an entire season of most programs. We indulged ourselves in Jamie Oliver’s 30 Minute Meals. Favourites so far are his Killer Jerk Chicken and his Feta Cheese and Spinach pie. Some of the ingredients used in the show are hard to get in Shanghai but that gives us a challenge to find alternatives.
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Recently Watched
Miranda and her posse return for a third season with all the trappings of good old British slapstick humour. The opening episode kicks things off in a Christmassy mood and from then on the laughs get bigger and better. The ‘will-they-wont- they’ situation between Miranda and her close buddy Gary (Tom Ellis) teases viewers and Miranda’s dramatic mother Peggy (Patricia Hodge) delivers her hilarious posh edge to great effect.
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March 13th 2013
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Recently Bought
Opting to ditch the delivery option, we went for a home cooked pizza using every kitchen’s must have accompaniment – Betty Crocker. Easy to prepare with hot water and taking around 15 minutes to bake in the oven this pizza crust mix gave a delicious crusty base. A little tip: don’t pack in too many toppings otherwise you get a-not-so crunchy base.
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Recently Bought
As the spring weather finally starts to creep into Shanghai, I thought I’d dabble in a bit of gardening. Our first purchase is a mint plant. Easy to look after and it grows pretty quickly. Not only does it add a bit of green to our windowsill but we also now have a home-grown supply of herbs to season up our dishes or for a refreshing cup of ‘cha’ which incidentally comes from Mandarin.
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Recently Watched
I was totally addicted to the mysterious series Lost. So when I heard that TV/film producer J.J. Abrams was also behind NBC’s new one – Revolution – I rushed out to get a copy. The world experiences a mysterious black out and now civilisation has to cope living without any kind of power. Not quite the roller coaster ride I expected but still, some good twists to the plot.
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Recently Listened
I managed to buy this compilation during my stay in Australia. The 2013 edition hadn’t arrived yet so I have to make do with this one. All the Gospel heavyweights feature including: Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Fred Hammond, Martha Munizzi and actress/singer Jennifer Hudson. My favourite cut so far is Smokie Norful’s old school ‘The Blood’ – it reminds me of communion back at my London Church.
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March 5th 2013
Recently...
Recently REceived
We were blessed enough to receive a new Sony S Table from Lezil’s parents. Using an Android system, with 32GB of space and a handy SD card slot, we are enjoying every inch of its functionality. I particularly like the slick design of the tablet, making it seem less ‘boxy’ then, say, an iPad.
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Recently Drank
With its catchphrase “who needs a nip and tuck, have a sip and suck” – what’s not to like about Boost Juice Bars drinks? My favourite so far is the Chocolate Sports flavour packed with chocolate, banana, protein blend, vanilla, yoghurt and ice. Just right for the hot Australian summer.
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Recently Watched
Kevin James (Hitch, Zookeeper) plays a biology teacher who gets involved in a save-the-school’s-music-program campaign. His desperate efforts to raise the necessary funds seems him ending up in the ring kicking and punching his way through mixed martial arts competition – UFC.
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Recently Watched
This was shown on the flight back from Oz. Foul-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsey goes behind the towering walls of Brixton prison in south London to train up 12 inmates to help produce a new line of food products under the umbrella of Bad Boys Bakery. A great concept to help prisoners rehabilitate from the inside.
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