Every now and then you see something on YouTube that just grabs your attention.

This was it the other night.

Google Plus is a bit of a pain when trying to have a friendly web address. Hopefully they will have a feature to set a nice URL in future.

Anyway, Ken Hassell wanted me to help and get his contact details online. I have only done a basic profile for the moment but will update it with more information in future as I get it.

Ken Hassell - Shotokan Karate Instructor

I truly am a miserable bugger when it comes to the Christmas period. I don't send cards and hardly buy any gifts unless it is as a Secret Santa for work, which this year meant the presents were bought with the knowledge of donating them to Poole hospital children's ward.

Anyway, the money I didn't fork out for silly Christmas card and postage (although Angela still sends them!?!), I have donated this year to Shelter, NSPCC and Age UK.

Forgive my little self-indulgence in making the post, but it was mainly to get the web links there for others to consider.

Southbourne Grove is finally coming to life. Has been a sleeping giant for a long time but I think the Ludo Lounge lit the flame and now we have a new deli, Costa, fishmongers and more on the way.

We just need a restaurant or two.

Earlier this year signified 15 years of living in Bournemouth. This is the longest I have lived anywhere and since making the long trip down from the North East it has been a brilliant time.

At first people wondered why I'd be moving to what was perceived as a resting place for the purple-rinse brigade. I took to his place straight away and that first summer in 96 was a fantastic sunny spell, that started around April if I recall. To be honest, we kept it as our little secret.

Funny how once our friends started to visit that they couldn't get enough of the place and our flat and then house became Hotel Fong. Some liked the place so much that they then bought a place of their own. A mini-influx of Northerners, and who could blame them.

The picture above was taken in October on what was still a warm and sunny day. Plenty of people out and about enjoying the beach and plenty of surfers bobbing in the water. I think it nicely captures one side of Bournemouth.

I was clearing out old items from Outlook application on my Mac and I stumbled across some old pricing quotes from BT for Internet leased lines.

I thought I would put them on here so people can have a laugh, and I can delete it from my machine.

BT Gold Flex
Come in on 30Mb bearer
£6,500 connection
£51,600 for 2Mb per year
£288,824 for 30Mb per year


WebStream (more throughput going out than in)
30Mb out
£6500 connection

512kbps in, £168,000 per year
1Mbps in, £174,000

It was 25 years ago around this time that I was dropped off by my dad, up in Griffin Close, Northfield and sat in my pokey room waiting for a first glimpse of a fellow student flatmate. Then there were 5: me, John, John, Duncan and Bong.

Quite timely that I was back at Birmingham University this week and was pitching a product from my company. How weird and actually quite fulfilling was that.

For old times sake I popped into the Chamon for a curry. That was my first ever sit down "Indian" curry. Young and fresh-faced, I am pretty sure my group said go for the Balti and naan.

I even emailed the waiter, Andy, the day before I left Bournemouth to drive up. I got a reply, but on the day I left saying he was going to pop in on the night. Maybe I should have given him more than a day's notice.

Here's to the Chamon Curry Restaurant in Selly Oak, Birmingham! Bless you and bless that fact that you are serving beefburgers and Chinese crisp duck and pancakes on your menu.

Great memories and those memories grow fonder as time passes by.

Not been impressed by this summer whatsoever.

Cold BBQ beach nights, flash floods, rain, then sun, then rain.

Saddened by the death of the Red Arrows pilot at the Bournemouth Airshow.

Friends and family down yet again. Hotel Fong has had many a fast turn-around. Nephews down and growing up. Busy at work. It has all been hectic.

I purposely skipped trips to Orlando and Spain, and by the sounds of the heat, it was a good thing. October and November are my fave times for getting away.

Whilst we were up visiting family, we called in on my cousin Peter. Unfortunately cancer has returned and it was emotional seeing him.

I've always know him to be a larger than life cousin as he is one of the biggest cousins. Has always been active and has always had a fun and active life. He took over my parent's restaurant down in Newton Aycliffe and then later opened one up in Whitley Bay and will be well known to many people in and outside of this circle.

He's always made time for me and gave me encouragement.

Our lives are always very busy with work and we have very little time for our own health and wellbeing. A little investment in time can really bring dividends.

To start feeling refreshed membership of a gym or club can help kick start your inner energy as can early morning stretch and yoga. Just a few of many solutions.

Carrying on the theme of attempting more Chinese recipes, as I am still waiting on the red rice wine to ferment further, I thought I would try and make one of my favourite dim sum dishes called Lo Mai Gai, or steamed glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf with meat filling to give its fuller English translation.

The finished product...

Read on to see how I made them.

Don't know who he is but I like his blog.

Fong Kitchen Journal