Saturday, May 31, 2014

Kernel panic

On a fateful day last month, I woke up in the morning to see this on my iMac.

Kernel panic
The exact text was:

panic(cpu 0 caller 0xffffff800bcc0b01): "Unable to find driver for this platform: \"ACPI\".\n"@/SourceCache/xnu/xnu-2422.92.1/iokit/Kernel/IOPlatformExpert.cpp:1 533

Debugger called: <panic>
Backtrace (CPU 0), Frame : Return Address
0xffffff80856cbdc0 : 0xffffff800b822fa9
0xffffff80856cbe40 : 0xffffff800bcc0b01
0xffffff80856cbe50 : 0xffffff800bc92fcf
0xffffff80856cbea0 : 0xffffff800bc92b8f
0xffffff80856cbf30 : 0xffffff800bc8e769
0xffffff80856cbf70 : 0xffffff800bc936e3
0xffffff80856cbfb0 : 0xffffff800b8d7047

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: Unknown

Mac OS version:
Not yet set

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 13.1.0: Wed Apr   2 23:52:02 PDT 2014; root:xnu-2422.92.1~2/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: E9CF78E2-1E9F-3B6F-81A4-FEE6C6D0E4D5
Kernel slide:     0x000000000b600000
Kernel text base : 0xffffff800b800000


System uptime in nanoseconds: 312086064


I tried checking it out on the Apple Support Community, but none of the recommended solutions worked. My iMac warranty had already expired too (almost four years), so I tried calling Apple to ask. I was told to contact A.Lab, one of their authorised service centres.

It turned out that the hard disk had crashed. (Thank goodness that I use Time Machine for regular backups.) But the bill was really shocking.

Replacement for hard drive, 1TB, 3.5", 7200, SATA = $457 (!!!)
Labour cost = $130
Pick-up fee = $20
Delivery fee = $20
Total = $627

This really hurt. I think I can get a similar hard drive for less than a quarter of the price elsewhere! The total cost of $627 was almost enough to buy a brand new iPad Air too. 

I am definitely not going back to their authorised service centres in the future.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

The Beacon @ Marina Square

A new addition to the Palate program, I came here with my gf for dinner on a weekend. Our experience was such that we vowed never to come here again, and I have summarised them into several points.
  1. The normal table seats were extremely uncomfortable. The stand of the table was a huge square block, and there was no space to put my legs. I ended up sitting quite a distance away from the table and actually had to thrust my neck and body forward in order to eat properly. This is one of the most impractical table designs I have ever encountered.
  2. The waiters were inexperienced, and service standards were poor. Our waiter gave us just one menu to share, and stood there looking at us straining our necks (we were sitting opposite each other) until my gf told him quite pointedly to give us one more menu.
  3. The food was disappointing. We ordered two starters and two main courses. The fried calamari rings were actually quite decent, while the chef's salad looked cheap and tasted like something a child could prepare. My pasta was dry and dull, while my gf's ravioli was too cheesy. We ended up not finishing our food and left as soon as we could.
The place was quite empty even on a weekend, but this should be partially due to its poor location (at the outskirts of Marina Square, facing the road). It's a pity the food was so poor, as I like to visit places that are relatively unknown and crowd-free.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

U.K - Blackpool (May 2014)

Blackpool was just a stopover, as we didn't want to drive all the way from Warwick to Lake District at night. Well, there shouldn't be any reason why someone would want to spend more than a day at Blackpool, as it is practically a ghost town.

The empty streets of Blackpool

Accommodation

Beechfield Hotel

Entrance of Beechfield Hotel

Beechfield Hotel's car park
This was the best part of the hotel - the car park. The other hotels we saw appeared to be severely lacking in car park spaces, with maybe just one or two in front - but Beechfield Hotel had an abundance of them.


Our hotel room
Everything else went downhill from here. The room was a major let-down. While it was still reasonably clean, the bed was extremely creaky, so our sleep here wasn't really that comfortable. The bathroom was absolutely horrible. One of the sink taps couldn't be turned off totally and was dripping water perpetually. The shower water's temperature calibration sucked too - it was either too hot or too cold, and the flow was barely better than a trickle. Showering here was a good test of our patience.

Having said that, service was still pretty good. When the staff learned that we would be departing early the next morning before their breakfast commences, they offered to prepare something for us beforehand.

Address: 106-110 Hornby Road, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY1 4QS


Attractions

As I mentioned earlier, Blackpool isn't really a place for tourists. The empty streets are a good testament to that.

Empty streets

More empty streets

We passed by their casino, which Blackpool was supposedly quite well-known for a long time ago. It was probably one of the most deserted casinos I have ever visited; I think there were fewer than 20 people in the whole casino. And the place and machines were obviously quite outdated. 

Blackpool Casino

Dining

Toast Cafe Bar & Grill

Entrance of Toast Cafe Bar & Grill
We shortlisted this place because of the budget prices and the decent reviews on Tripadvisor. We had made a reservation before our trip, but didn't really have to as the place was only half-filled.

The cafe ended up having a special promotion on pastas - 50% off! So this meal was really very cheap (in U.K standards), and the food was actually pretty all right too.

Piri piri penne pasta with tiger prawn, £5.98 (S$12.56)
The tiger prawns were not as sweet or fresh as we hoped, but was still arguably acceptable.


Carbonara pasta, £3.98 (S$8.35)
The quality of the bacon wasn't really very good, but the dish actually tasted rather home-cooked. And for less than four pounds, can I still complain?

Along with our mains, we also ordered onion rings and a glass of wine. Inclusive of tipping, the final bill came up to only 19 pounds. 

Address: 28 Corporation Street, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY1 1EJ

U.K - Warwick (May 2014)

Other than Warwick Castle, there wasn't much to do at Warwick. So we planned for Warwick to be a day trip which would involve mainly Warwick Castle, and to depart after that.




Attractions

Warwick Castle

We bought our tickets online around three weeks beforehand, so instead of £62.40 (S$131.04) for two pax, we only paid £43.68 (S$91.73). The prices included entrance to Merlin: Dragon Tower and The Castle Dungeon. My advice - skip the Dragon Tower and just get the Castle Dungeon. The Dragon Tower was basically a waste of time for us, as it was too tailored for kids. But the Castle Dungeon was certainly much more entertaining - I think most people would certainly get a bit spooked inside.

Map of Warwick Castle

A ballista outside of the castle

Full battle armour for both the rider and the horse
The Armoury has a variety of weapons and armours. We learnt that armour is as inflexible as it looks - and isn't as sturdy as it looks. It's probably better at deflecting attacks, but a direct blow would definitely injure the wearer seriously.


One of the castle bedrooms
The person there is fake, by the way.


It sucks being a servant. Especially rule 8.
I find rule 7 quite amusing.


Along the river

The Trebuchet demonstration
Their trebuchet is supposedly the largest working siege machine in the world now. It's huge and requires several people to run it together in order for it to work. The speaker explained that in the past, they used the trebuchet to hurl huge projectiles to breach the castle walls. Although rocks were the main ammunition, they also flung corpses and carcasses in to spread diseases. This was particularly effective if they happen to land in their wells and contaminate their water supply. The corpses (of the castle's dead soldiers) could further serve as a morale dampener. 

So they did a demonstration on how it worked, and we saw how they flung a fireball some distance away.


View from one of the castle towers

View from another tower

Address: Warwick CV34 4QU, United Kingdom
Website: www.warwick-castle.com

U.K - Moreton-in-Marsh (May 2014)

Moreton-in-Marsh is a small town located in northeastern Gloucestershire. It was a simple and quaint town, and we felt really tranquil and relaxed while we were here.





Attractions

Cotswold Falconry Centre

We only visited one attraction here - the Cotswold Falconry Centre. It was relatively unknown - none of my friends have heard about it, despite it being ranked first on Tripadvisor's attractions at Moreton-in-Marsh. The centre isn't new - in fact, they just celebrated their 25th anniversary last year. Set against the beautiful surrounding Cotswold countryside, I was enthralled by the sights and demonstrations of the various falcons, eagles, vultures, and owls.

Wonderful weather for bird shows
It costs just £10 (S$21.00), and provided almost a full day of entertainment. Thankfully it was also not crowded! The main draw of the place was the bird shows - four a day, at 1130am, 130pm, 3pm and 430pm. Each one lasts for around an hour and involve different birds, so technically you could be here the whole day. (I would recommend watching at least two) 

At the beginning of the first show, the staff preempted everyone by saying,"I know most of you are going ask me this - by letting the birds fly so freely for our demonstrations, wouldn't we be worried that they would fly away and not come back?"

He paused, swept his gaze over the audience, then continued.

"Well, the truth is that, we want them to fly away. We want them to go back to the wild. But birds are not stupid - they know that they have food and shelter here, and free from predators. So they will always come back."

That was interesting. I have always thought that birds did not want to be caged and would definitely prefer complete freedom. But indeed, the fact that they let them fly away with no restraints does say quite a lot about how the birds feel.

Ollie , a Brown Wood Owl
Ollie is just over a year old. His eyes remind me of an alien from Star Wars.


Georgie, a Woodfords Owl
One of my favourite pictures for the trip. This was during one of the demonstrations, and to my delight, Georgie landed just around three feet from where I was sitting. Managed to get a good picture of him under the sunlight, and the different colours of his feathers were all very well-defined.


Crystal, a Snowy Owl
Crystal reminds me of 鱼片米粉.



Baby owls
Gosh, these baby owls were incredibly cute.


One of the vultures during the demonstration

Desmond, a Great Horned Owl
 Desmond has been hand-fed since young, so he grew up having no fear for humans and was actually very "chatty" - he makes hooting noises in almost regular intervals.




Joe, a Barn Owl

Lulu, a Black Chested Buzzard Eagle
Another of my favourite pictures, with Lulu looking quite dignified in his refusal to fly during a demonstration. To his defence, the wind wasn't really strong enough for to fly properly. 

Really love the blue sky as the background, and the long diagonal streak of clouds behind Lulu.


Address: Batsford Park, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9AB


Dining

The Spice Room

This was very highly ranked in Tripadvisor - second at the time we checked. So we were quite surprised when we dropped by for lunch and found the place totally deserted. The waiter explained that they get really full during dinnertime, and also do a lot of takeaway and delivery (cheaper than dining in). Overall, this place was rather good in both food and service, so it is definitely worth a visit.

Lamb curry, £5.95 (S$12.50)

The lamb curry had a tinge of sweetness and was almost not spicy at all - obviously tailored for local tastes. The meat was quite tender and flavourful, and the curry was smooth enough to drink without feeling too bloated.

Madras mixed vegetables curry, £5.95 (S$12.50)

We were given a choice of either Madras or Vindalo (spicy or very spicy). I opted for Vindalo but was warned (quite severely!) against it, so we settled for Madras. It ended up being only mildly spicy - not at all a challenge and definitely less spicy than my mother's curry. Tsk. But it was still pretty good.


Pilau rice, £2.15 (S$4.52)

The rice was really disappointing - there wasn't much fragrance that one would expect from pilau rice. (And it costs S$4.50!)


Tandoori chicken, £6.95 (S$14.60)

The chicken was grilled well, and the meat was also not too dry.


Address: 3 Oxford St, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0LA
Website: http://spiceroomrestaurant.com/

Saturday, May 17, 2014

U.K - Stratford-upon-Avon (May 2014)

Stratford-upon-Avon was our first place for accommodation, and we stayed at the Penryn Guesthouse for three nights. From here, we not only visited the main places of attraction for Stratford-upon-Avon, but also drove to Moreton-in-Marsh (around half an hour drive).




Accomodation

Penryn Guest House
Penryn Guest House
We stayed here for three nights, and it cost us £218.70 (S$459.27) in total. It comes with free wifi too.


Our room at Penryn Guesthouse
The room was quite clean and spacious, and was one of the best rooms during our trip. 


Breakfast
The breakfast (included in the price) here was pretty impressive. Every night we would fill up a form, specifying what we would like for breakfast the next day and our preferred breakfast timing. 

Address: 126 Alcester Road, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 9DP, United Kingdom
Website: www.penrynguesthouse.co.uk


Attractions

Due to Stratford-upon-Avon being the birthplace of William Shakespeare, the attractions here were mainly focused around Shakespeare. We bought the Five-House Pass, which granted us entry to Anne Hathaway's Cottage & Gardens, Hall's Croft, Mary Arden's Farm, New Place & Nash's House, Shakespeare's Birthplace, and Shakespeare's Grave (as a bonus).

As reference, Anne Hathaway was Shakespeare's wife, Mary Arden his mother, John Hall his son-in-law, and Thomas Nash the first husband of his granddaughter.

Mary Arden's Farm

My initial thought was that this should be more of an 'exhibition' of the farm. But I turned out to be wrong - pleasantly wrong, to be exact. Rather than just preserving the farm, they have occupied it and run it. People were doing the traditional farm chores around the farm. At the farmhouse kitchen, there were people cooking (over a fire too, without using gas or electricity). And there were other activities to entertainment guests, like archery and falconry displays.


The rickyard

Chickens and ducks roosting within the enclosure

The Dovecote
This was made of local limestone rubble, and has more than 650 nesting holes for pigeons. Just imagine the amount of bird droppings here if it was still occupied...


The dining area of Palmer's farmhouse

The farmhouse kitchen
Here's where they do their cooking. In the spirit of the Tudor times, they actually gather firewood and start the fire in the very traditional way. I asked one of the kitchen helpers whether they have cheated before, and she admitted that yes, they have done so before, but only very rarely. The last time they used gas or a lighter was because the firewood was too wet, and they couldn't start the fire despite trying for more than two hours.


Elly, at the Tudor farmyard
Elly was very well groomed. The stable hand explained that they groom her everyday, and we could see the great care and affection they had for Elly while grooming her.


This is definitely the hairiest pig I have ever seen.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage & Gardens

Anne Hathaway's Cottage is very picturesque - the beautiful gardens and grounds are splashed with greenery, shrubs and flowers.


The garden at Anne Hathaway's Cottage




Approached by a cat at the arboretum
This cat emerged from the bushes while I was standing in the middle of the arboretum. With eyes and footsteps filled with purpose, he strode towards me with no hesitation at all. Once he reached, he promptly flopped over for a belly rub - which I gladly obliged.


Actually, I felt as if I had been manipulated by the cat.


At the Woodland Walk

Anne Hathaway's Cottage

The Hathaway Bed
Beds were a luxury in the past, and Shakespeare actually has two. This was actually the 'second-best' bed, as during those times, the best bed was usually reserved for guests.


Shakespeare's courting chair
On this oak and walnut panel-back armchair, the initials "W A S" were carved and stands for "William and Anne Shakespeare". It was supposedly the chair which Shakespeare used while courting Anne Hathaway. However, it is widely accepted that this is probably untrue.


Shakespeare's Birthplace

The entrance was definitely misleading, as it looked so new and modern that I thought it was just an exhibition hall. But fortunately, everything went back to the Shakespearean era after we went in. This included the house he was born and grew up in, but it was actually more of an exhibition that included other things like pictures, timelines of his life, his family tree, and various stories.

  

 Wall-mounted metal discs depicting Shakespeare's works



There was a wall book outdoors, which showed cartoon illustrations and summaries of his works. Took some pictures of the more well-known ones below.


Romeo & Juliet wallbook 

The Merchant of Venice wallbook

Hamlet wallbook

King Lear wallbook

Macbeth wallbook

Hall's Croft

John Hall was the husband of Shakespeare's daughter, Susanna. As a physician, he was very wealthy, as shown from his large house with its luxurious rooms and decorations.

Hall's Croft
Timber during those times was very expensive, and a house having more timber pillars can be seen as a symbol of wealth. Hall's Croft had many more pillars than the average person's pillars (just in the front though - the back had significantly fewer pillars because no one could see them).


One of the bedrooms in Hall's Croft

Hall's Croft Gardens


New Place & Nash's House

Nash's House was very well-preserved, and the ground floor has been furnished, as much as possible, as it should have been during Nash's times. Right beside the house lies the foundations of New Place, which was actually a house bought by Shakespeare. It was the second biggest place in Stratford at that time, an indication of Shakespeare's success as an established playwright.

We learnt from the guide that after Shakespeare had passed away for some time, Reverend Francis Gastrell bought over New Place. He was someone who had no love for Shakespeare and purchased the place as a normal property and not because of its links with Shakespeare. In time, he became sick of visitors and destroyed the mulberry tree in the garden - which was supposedly planted by Shakespeare himself. That incurred the wrath of the public. Gastrell also used his religious beliefs (as an excuse?) to avoid paying tax, and in the end, in a final act of spite, he demolished the place in 1759 and hastily left town.

A picture of how the place should have looked like in the past

The beautifully lush flower garden

The deeper part of the gardens


Shakespeare's Grave

Shakespeare's Grave was located at the Holy Trinity Church, and admission was free with our five-house pass.


The graves are on the bottom of the picture. From left to right, the graves of Anne Hathaway, William Shakespeare, Thomas Nash, John Hall, and Susannah Shakespeare

The grave of the poet William Shakespeare
The epitaph was written by Shakespeare himself, and the words are:

Good frend for lesvs sake forbeare,
To digg the dvst encloased heare.
Bleste be Middle English the.svg man Middle English that.svg spares thes stones,
And cvrst be he Middle English that.svg moves my bones.

A quick check showed that in modern English, the words could be translated to:

Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man who spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones.


Dining

The Opposition Bistro

The Opposition Bistro
We expected much more from this place actually, due to its high ratings and good reviews on Tripadvisor. It turned out to be so-so, not bad but nowhere near what we had expected.

Duo of home-made chicken liver pate & coarse country terrine, £6.75 (S$14.18)
Both the liver pate and terrine were quite flavoursome, though the pate could be a bit smoother.


Lamb meatballs with grilled aubergine and mint yoghurt, £6.25 (S$13.13)
The presentation of this dish was quite intriguing - it looked like an island. Can you see it? The meatballs were quite fresh, and the mint yoghurt went rather well with it.


Pork fillet & slow roasted pork belly with creamed potato  savoy cabbage, £13.75 (S$28.88)
This was my main dish. This was still quite all right. The pork fillet was quite savoury, but it's a pity the pork belly skin wasn't crispy enough.


Penne pasta with roasted aubergine & mild chilli sauce with mozzarella, £9.75 (S$20.48)
Maybe it was due to it being a vegetarian dish... but we thought this was very unappetising. It was just so bland and boring. There just wasn't any incentive to eat the next bite, and we left it unfinished.


Address: 13 Sheep Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6EF, United Kingdom
Website: www.theoppo.co.uk



Il Moro

Came here for dinner. As we were early, we managed to get the pre-theatre set dinner, which was a bit cheaper than the normal set dinner. Prices below are for individual dishes ordered separately.


Salmon carpaccio, rocket, capers & lemon, £7 (S$14.70)
Nothing much to say about this, as it can be prepared rather easily (and is hard to screw up). It did taste quite good, though.


Pork Ripieno, Pecorino cheese, pancetta & rocket £15 (S$31.50)
This was pretty OK and was the best dish for the night. The pork was delicious, and the cheese and rocket served as good accompaniments.


Sardinian Fregola, Mediterranean shellfish, tomato & chilli sauce, £9 (S$18.90) for small portion
For a small portion, this was quite value-for-money. It was just average though - the sweet taste of fresh seafood was lacking, and the sauce didn't have that 'fresh' taste.


Mascarpone & coffee tiramisu, £6 (S$12.60)
I found this to be a bit too dry and dull.


Address: 33 Greenhill Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6LE, United Kingdom
Website: www.ilmoro.co.uk



Loxleys Restaurant & Wine Bar

This was even higher rated on Tripadvisor. But it was a bigger let-down compared to The Opposition Bistro. I wouldn't say that the food sucked - but it definitely did not make an impression. At least we got the pre-theatre set dinner, so we did pay a little less. Again, the prices quoted below were for individual orders.


"Loxley's" Buffalo Wings, £7.25 (S$15.23) for four wings
There were three levels of spiciness for this - Spicy BBQ, Extra Hot, and Asian. Of course I took the Asian. What else would it be? And naturally, it wasn't spicy at all. Pfft. The chicken was also a bit dry, so... I found the dish to be a bit disagreeable overall.


Cream of broccoli, £4.95 (S$10.40)
This was thin and insipid. Enough said.


Oven-baked Lasagne Al Forno, £10.50 (S$22.05)
This was glazed with a layer of parmesan cheese, and came with some focaccia garlic bread. For lasagne, I thought it was too light and not rich enough. Maybe that's why it's under the 'Light Meals' section of the menu...


Salmon fishcakes, £11.95 (S$25.10)
The fishcakes came with pickled fennel, wild rocket, capers, and drizzled with lime vinaigrette. The salmon didn't taste as though they were freshly mashed to make the fishcakes, so once again, this was another unsatisfying dish.


Address: 3 Sheep Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6EF, United Kingdom
Website: www.loxleysrestaurant.co.uk