Archive for 2010

Lost – My Views

Oct 16th, 10 / 0 Comments

I know I’m a bit late to the party, but I recently started watching Lost and love it. I’m on series 4, so no spoilers please! It’s getting very confusing, but I’m intrigued enough to find out what happens. I know a lot of people gave up at this stage and I can sort of see why, but I think it’s very cleverly done.

Firstly, my favourite series is probably the first, as the plot was simpler and the characters were given more chance to grow. As the series has gone on it has become more convoluted, which results in a number of side stories and plots that don’t seem to have a lot of relevance. I’m sure it will all come together in the end, but there does seem to be a lot of extra “fluff”.

The production is fantastic, with good visuals and a believable environment. The story is skirting around the edges of being ridiculous at the moment, but I’m hoping the last two series will help to explain things like the “Numbers”, what the black smoke is and what the island is actually about. Whether this can all be explained in a believable way is another matter, but I’m looking forward to finding out!

Some people don’t like the constant flashbacks/flash forwards, but I think they are great. The whole concept of the island must be something to do with time, so it makes sense to learn about the survivors history as well as what they do after the island. I’m very interested to know whether the six decide to go back, but again that will probably be revealed in a later episode.

All in all, if you haven’t started watching Lost yet then I recommend it! The box sets are around £15 each, but they are worth the money as a lot of picture quality and detail is lost (no pun intended) when watching online.

TV

Cooking the perfect baked potato

Oct 16th, 10 / 0 Comments

If you want a quick and easy meal, and don’t have any time to cook, then try a jacket potato! Yes, it’s not the most exotic food, but it’s simple and is hands free. Here’s my “recipe” for cooking the perfect jacket.

First, start by getting a reasonable size baking potato and scrubbing it to get rid of dirt. This should only take a few minutes, but is an important step. Once you’ve scrubbed it, make sure you dry it carefully using a kitchen roll.

Next, put it in the microwave for 10 minutes. This will help to cook the centre of the potato, and will also speed up the process. Putting it in the microwave for 10 minutes cuts down on around 30 minutes cooking, and gives you a better end result.

Once the potato has been in the microwave, carefully put a small amount of oil on the skin making sure you don’t burn yourself. Then transfer it to the over. The oil will help to make the skin of the potato as crispy as possible, and the centre should be soft from the microwave.

Leave the potato in the over for around 20 minutes, until the skin is crispy. If you want to make sure it’s cooked through then put a knife through the middle. If it’s soft all the way through, then the potato is done.

Now the toppings! I usually keep it simple with butter, grated cheese, baked beans and ham, but you can put almost anything with it. Left over chilli con carne or even curry will go well with a baked potato.

Food

How to “Fix” the England Team

Oct 16th, 10 / 0 Comments

Everyone’s got an opinion on how to make the England football team perform to a higher level, so I may as well post mine! If you agree/think I don’t know what I’m talking about then I want to hear from you either way!

I think what we all want more than anything is to see the team play with passion and pace. Yes, technical skill is essential, but in that area we can’t compete with the vest teams in the world, so we need to play to our strengths. Raising the tempo of our play and not trying to be something we’re not is one way to do that.

Bring Through Young Players

Using young, hungry players is one way of raising our tempo and desire to a more acceptable level. Wilshere is an obvious choice, although I still think he has a lot to prove, but there are others who might be worth looking at. Henderson is meant to be a good prospect, for example. Players like Tom Cleverley at Manchester United, Albrighton and the like should all be given chances once they start playing regularly for their clubs.

Get Rid Of Barry

I’ve always thought that Gareth Barry is overrated, but that he could do a job for England. After watching the last few performances though, I can’t believe how slow he is. We need a mobile and quick player for the defensive midfield role – not someone that can’t keep up. Owen Hargreaves will be the obvious choice once he returns, but there is always going to be question mark over his fitness. Tom Huddlestone is probably less mobile than Barry, but at least he brings a fantastic range of passing to the midfield and a goal threat. It’s difficult to see what Barry gives to the team. Wilshere, while not a defensive midfielder, could be an option. Especially when we play teams with very little attacking intent.

Play Players In The Right Positions

This has always been a problem with England, but we play so much better when the best players for the job are picked – not those with big reputations. Frank Lampard is a good player, but he doesn’t play well with Gerrard in the centre, isn’t versatile enough to play anywhere else and has a poor range of passing. He should be used as a direct replacement for Gerrard when he’s not playing well or injured, but other than that should not be in the team.

With that said, I still think a lot of the criticism given to the England team is unfair. We’re – at best – a top 10 team on the world stage, so we shouldn’t expect to win competitions. Instead, we should aim to get to every major event and then get to the quarters – from there anything can happen. I’d much rather see young talent used though, rather than relying on the same old players who seem to have very little chance of making a major impression.

Football