Horses bottoms in the morning. On the subject of food, the following post will contain lots of it, so consider yourselves warned..

Outside Les Miz

I Love this shop on Charing Cross Road, smoking good Cigars is one of my greatest pleasures in life. I hate cigarettes though. People who love reading may of heard of Charing Cross

It's olde...

It used to be orange-

I often ponder the same thing

Heaven. I am partial to a Monte Cristo myself, which is what I bought. My girlfriend likes Cigars too if they are mild. Monte Cristo's are in the left hand top of the picture, un-tubed.

My favourite Italian Deli, Camisa & Sons. I heart Italian food!

I ended buying some Tuscan Pancetta as well as some juicy sweet cherry tomatoes, hand picked from the side of Mt Etna!, They are delicious simply roasted with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. Modena has the best, the sweet sticky type is pefect. I also got some really strong Gorgonzola cheese and some Sicilian split olives.

About to make a most awesome melt

Just look at those cherry tomatoes!

Chinatown

The Dim Sum lunchboxes are fantastic

So is everything else, I love the scent that fills Chinatown, I don't think there could be any better advert for the food.

I bought some Char Siu

Got hungry

I also bought these old chinese coins and a bamboo brush wrap for some chinese brushes I have.

This shop sells great engravings

I bought these, I just could not resist. Lately I have become fascinated with the London of the past, the gritty side especially. James Drummond depicts the Gin drinking and prostitution well I think. Such scenes were common place around the time this engraving was made in 1870.

I also bought this JMW Turner landscape of the Piazzi chapel in Florence, Italy. I love Turner. I managed to haggle the price down due to the blotch in the sky (not a technical term)

I also went to this store that sells all manner of cinema stuff from models to autographs

I have had my eye of this lately..but it costs way too much..

After all that hard work shopping lol, I then decided to grab a slice of Strawberry Cheesecake and a cream tea at Valerie's

!CAKE ALERT!

MORE CAKE!

For dinner I took advantage of the happy hour at this fine establishment, I had the "Bat wings". They are in exact fact chicken wings that have been blackened with Tamarind paste, and then char-grilled with honey.

I have no idea, but none the less Pofta Buna to you all!

Well..

It seems like it's been ages since I last posted on Gamespot, although I have been very busy with work related stuff since I got back from my brief but blissful retreat away from London. It was a fantastic week in the Lake District, the trip done both me and my GF the world of good!. Such trips away are now something we are going to be doing a lot more as a couple in future. It was very exhilarating at times, not just the abseiling and gorge walking as you would expect, but also the fishing!. We went night fishing in a beautiful private lake and it was so much fun. We both ended up getting told off for making too much noise and scaring the fish away by a white bearded fisherman that looked like Captain Birdseye lol. It turned out he was actually a very pleasant chap, one who gave me a few pointers I really needed. I never thought fishing could be so exciting until..

I caught a fish! ...

Linkyshink's Little Fishy

A Brown Trout to be precise, yes I know it's small looking, but hey, at least I caught something on my first ever attempt!. I think that's worthy of praise, so pile some on people

I see from taking a brief browse around earlier that some of my friends on GS are not doing so well right now, some are having to endure the woe that ill health brings. My heart goes out to those such friends. I hope you both recover to a point where you can begin to embrace and enjoy life again. You all have my sincere wishes that you find the inner strength needed for recovery.

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Crysis: Warhead

I bought Crysis:Warhead on launch and I absolutely love it! I'm very impressed by how well it runs in comparison to the last game, but even more so, I am impressed by how much more fun it is. It's far more action orientated this time around. The game only lasts about 5 hours or so, but within that five hours it's packed to the brim with insane scenarios that you constantly find yourself right in the thick of, and it all happens from the get go. The beach base invasion at the start of the game is very cool and enters you into the proceddings very well. It's so action packed it reminds me of the last scene in the recent Rambo film, it's so bloody intense it begs belief!. With this game far more than the previous, I am a lot more bolder in using the Nano Suit abilities, because in this game, the game demands that you use your suit abilities confidently and intelligently. You simply cannot go through this game shooting then going into cloak mode instantly in a cheap manner. If you do so, you will get your arse whipped severe.

Without any doubt what so ever it's the best looking game I have played to date and I am sure has moments that will make any gamer drop the jaw in astonishment. I cannot wait for the sequel, on the evidence of this that game is going to be absolute blast, and to think it will look "twice as good" makes my mind positively boggle.

The Witcher

I am also playing the fantastic RPG The Witcher EE after downloading the the Enhanced Edition Patch (v1.4). The game is now running so much better and the patch has remedied so much that was wrong with the intial game, like the old inventory for instance which was a chore to use. It also now has new content including two new adventures, which on the evidence of the little I have played already are both great.

I cannot recommend this PC RPG enough to any RPG fan out there. If you have a PC that can run it I say buy the original second hand and download the 1.4 patch free.

[TRAILER]

I am also currently reading this to futher immerse me in the world of the game, it's the book that the game was based on, The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowsi. It's awesome, in the tradition of other greats in fantasy fiction. The author creates a very believable world that is fascinating to delve into.

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Recent Retro Purchases

I recently managed to acquire this very rare item, the Sonic 10th Birthday Pack (Dreamcast). It was only on sale in Japan for two days only in June 2001.

Sonic 10th Birthday Pack

On the subject of Sonic...

The fanmade project "Sonic 2 HD" has really come a long way and the first playable demo is now available over at Sonic Retro. I've been playing around with it and I have to say it's certainly impressive.

PC DEMO:

Official Release Thread at Sonic Retro

New Mint Condition N64

Latest Otaku Purchase

I also got these adorable little LOZ Phantom Hourglass figurines from a Manga store in London

I am missing little Linky from the set so I will have to do my best to get that online. I really heart Ms Tetra, she's too cute! lol. I like most tomboyish female characters for some reason, I think it may have something to do with my love for Peppermint Patty when growing up. That little miss saved me from being bullied at school after I saw one particular episode and stood up to the brutish " Lil Soul Sisters" . They used to drag me around the playground like a mutt!, yanking on the mittens my mom had sewn onto the sleeves of my my duffle coat. Anyway, childhood trauma aside, I hope you all guys have a great weekend gaming or whatever you end up doing

OMG I nearly forgot to mention the AWESOME Megaman 9 which I absolutely heart, it totally rocks!. And I forgot to mention the great Osamu Tezuka (Astroboy) exhibition I went to last week. Ahh well, I shall leave that to my next blog. I will be plying the site with my own Megaman 9 review soon so be sure to check it out.

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I am laughing out loud at the supposed hardcore gamers crumbling because of the game.

Megaman 9 Desroys Jeff Gerstmann

Video

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Pop by and leave a wall message on GB if your logged in. Anyway, till next time good GS people, ROCK ON!.

Linkyshinks Giant Bomb Blog

Wii

-1051 0426 6697 8228-

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4999 SCREWS IN MEGAMAN 9

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LEGEND

R.I.P

Paul Newman 1925 - 2008

UPDATE

Nikkei Newspaper Report New DS Model

Japanese finance newspaper Nikkei discusses Nintendo's forthcoming DS model.

The report, also found on Monex, discusses a supposed new DS that Nintendo are currently preparing to launch later this year in Japan. The king of portable gaming had previously denied speculation into a revision for the ever-popular dual screened machine, but now the next model is said to include:

• Integrated Digital Camera for new types of games.
• Music player function.
• Larger, crisper screens.
• Wireless connection power up
• Exchange data using SD cards (integrated slot?)
• Under 20,000 Yen at retail, to be released in late 2008 (Japan).

The newspaper feels that Nintendo wants to venture into the realm of digital imaging, music and video, an area of the electronics market that Apple and Sony currently grasp.

At present it's likely that the story is true, but Nintendo hasn't, at time of writing, officially announced plans for a new DS model.

On Tuesday I travel up to the north of England with my GF to be among the beautiful wilds of the Lake District in Cumbria. I'm really looking forward to it as this will be the first time I will get to properly appreciate the amazing surroundings they have there. I have been before a few Christmas's back, but then what with it being winter there was not much to do at the time apart from stare at the scenery. This time however will be a entirely different affair, with a strong intention of getting right in the thick of it with some camping.

Lake Windermere

As well as a few days camping I will be doing a spot of gorge walking and some abseiling, and cycling. I will also be hiking up two of the famous mountains in the region. It's all standard fare or any such trip. Would you believe I actually suffer from vertigo lol. It puzzles a few including my GF as to why I am choosing to do some of these activities, but I do like to test myself and confront my fears to some degree. I have a habit of singing loudly as a way of getting rid of my fear when abseiling. It can be pretty funny when there is a echo and everyone can hear what your singing at the bottom. It also probably annoys the instructor when I am and he is trying to pass on important instructions. The last time I went I sang the song from the R Wights Lemonade TV Advert, about 100 times or so till I made it down to the bottom lol. That time I went to Wales and absailed down a 200ft rock face in a dissued quarry, one where there was a 150 ft sheer drop onto a rock surface. Perhaps strangely, I felt safer when I had the sheer drop to deal with than having the rock face to negotiate by kicking off it. I find it easier letting rope go in bursts than having to bounce my way down as you do.

When mountaineering I am fine for the most part but I do admit I break into a cold sweat if they become too steep, and I do mean very steep. In the past I have had to slide down mountain sides feet first giving me a sore bum due to my fear. I hate that feeling where your center of gravity goes haywire and you have that feeling as if you are going to plummet down to a painful death. I have no wish to go out like Jack did, Jack of "Jack and Jill" fame. Anyway, I have taken measures to make me feel safer this time around by investing in some well gripped mountain boots I bought yesterday .

I am going fishing!, it's something I am very happy about. I have never ever done it despite having many opportunities to do so in the past. I think it was the maggots that put me off when I was younger. I remember some kid throwing a jar full into the cafeteria at shool while everyone was eating. I think that may have mentally scarred me. As I have grown older the appeal of fishing has really grown on me so much though, even maggots cannot scare me!. The very idea of me sat down smoking my pipe in front of a vast lake while waiting for fishies is very appealing right now. Cream tea and scones, sausages sizzling in the pan, it has to be bliss!.

I am surrounded by beautiful parks in London yet I still yearn to be within the womb of such untainted natural beauty, as seen in the Lake District. It nurtures my mind and it's something I see as vital for me as a artist, and a person in order to function properly. The place has a long history of doing the very same for many great poets and Artist in England's history. It has been seen as retreat since a array of great 19th century painters recorded it's beauty and promoted it with some of the finest landscape painting this country has ever produced.

JMW Turner - Buttermere Lake

John Ruskin's home on the shores of Coniston Water

I hope to own such a house in the Lake District myself one day, I cannot think of a better place to retire.

Sadly, I think many young people in England have no idea how beautiful our country is and how amazing these places are. The majority now would rather take cheap booze filled holidays in Ibiza or elsewhere on the continent than go to the Lake District or the likes. Home stay vacations are not as popular here as they are in the U.S, if fact that very terminology is new to us.

Well anyway, I will be back in a week, even though I could do with two. Here's hoping I catch a fish or two, preferably a large Trout

Gaming wise I made a new very welcome addition to my retro collection by buying a mint Neo Geo from another collector. It's staying minty fresh until my second hand current one should ever brake, god forbid. I also bought a import copy of Final Fantasy 4 on the DS but have been banned from bringing it with me tomorrow lol, not even allowed to bring the DS, women!, lol. Also, yesterday my brother who lives out in Nagoya Japan with his GF sent me this Nintendo Donkey Kong watch which I think is pretty cool.

Neo Geo AES

Donkey Kong Vintage Nintendo Watch

Today we have had the Notting Hill Carnival in West London, Europe's biggest street party.

I have had a great time

VIDEO:

!JUMP!

Catch up with you all in a week, I leave in the early morn. Bye for now.