Visit to Cardiff 2013

Just came back from Cardiff. I had gone there to attend the Academy of Marketing annual conference which was hosted by the University of South Wales this year.

I stayed at the Park Plaza Cardiff, which was about 5 minutes walk from the conference venue. It is the only 4 star hotel in the city but I was not really impressed. No free water bottles, no free newspapers, tiny holes in the bath tub, tear on the bed sheet, limited channels on the TV and room facing the main road and NIGHTCLUBS. I could not sleep till late because of the noise. I think they should take the manager for a tour of some 4 star hotels in Malaysia or Singapore to see how it is done over there. Next time I will stay in Premier Inn - at least I will get free water bottles. Positives: the lady at the reception was warm and friendly, hairdryer, ironing board and iron in room. They apparently have a great restaurant, spa and swimming pool but did not get the chance to use them.


An interesting sculpture in my room

Here are some pictures from my short trip:




Cardiff Castle. Unfortunately it was closed by the time I freshened up and went for a bit of sightseeing.













The best part of the conference was the reception at the National Museum Wales. They have an amazing collection of artwork by some of the greatest masters including, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Cezanne, etc.









Will definitely be visiting again.

Note: The pics here were taken by either my Samsung Galazy SII or my Nokia Lumia 900 and hence the quality which is actually not that bad. Definitely need to get my hands on a Nokia Lumia 1020.

From UK to Malaysia

Our friend Jamalulail Ismail, his wife Sofinee Harun and their 4 kids are embarking on a fantastic journey. They are embarking on long trip, from the UK to Malaysia by road on their 2.9 L Turbo Diesel Mercedes Benz motorhome, fulfilling a dream that Jamalulail had for a long time.



Right now they are busy preparing for the trip which will take them across more than 30 countries and some hot spots.


Their planned route.

They post regular updates on their By Road to Malaysia Facebook page and also on their blog .

Check out their website for more information about their project - it is a huge project.

Wishing them all the best on this amazing journey.

Travelling in London - the Dynamo way

Really cool Pepsi ad. Magician Dynamo goes for a ride on a London double decker bus - only thing is that he is outside the bus, stuck to the side.



Cool ad from Pepsi.

Video clip link via Spreaditfast.com.

Throckmorton airshow 2013 videos

Some short clips of the amazing acrobatics.





Helicopter ride. Bit blurry in the beginning.



All video clips taken using my Nokia Lumia 900. Quite impressed with the results.

Throckmorton airshow 2013

The air show is an annual event held at the Throckmorton airfield in the village of the same name about an hours drive from our house.  Had to pay £25 for all of us. We could have got it much cheaper via Groupon (only £10) or £20 online but we found out too late.

Here are some pics from the event:

It was a bright and sunny day and I actually fell asleep even with all the noise.




New police recruit


Someone is going to the police station








Flying the air rescue helicopter.










Apache helicopter




The RAF Typhoon flown by Flt Lt Jamie Norris - flying past at supersonic speed. It's amazing my camera phone was able to capture it.


Aerostars in their Yak-50s going through the paces






My wife and daughter going for a helicopter ride over the surrounding countryside - only £35 each.









This was an amazing fun day for the whole family.

See their website for more details

Cycling trip to the midlands in the good old days

Interesting video about cycling clubs in the 1950s and trips to the Midlands.

Design your own bikes

For those who are thinking of taking up cycling, there are so many designs out there. However, most of the bikes are uninspiring and frankly quite boring. It would be great if we could design our own bikes, the components and choose the colours. Well, now we can.

Mango Bikes, a company started by two University mates are offering customers the chance to design their own bespoke bicycles - well almost.  You can choose from several bright, high quality colour combinations - from the frame to the chains. They are really well designed - with simple and clean lines, and they weigh only about 10 Kg. The comments from their customers speak for themselves.

This is not really a new business concept and there are already a few companies out there which offers you the choice of designing your own bespoke bike. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that the cost of the bikes start from only £269. I was expecting them to cost £500 and above.

Check out some of the possible design combinations. I am seriously tempted to buy one for myself.

Which one do you like?