After months of searching for a good local Chinese restaurant near Waltham Cross, Enfield and Cheshunt a colleague told me of a good restaurant in Cheshunt called China Star. I called up and made a reservation for Valentine’s Day. As its just off the main high road in Cheshunt the first thing you will notice is there is no parking but if you take the first left after the restaurant there is a car park where you can park for free after 6pm.
As you walk in to the restaurant you are greeted by friendly smiling waitresses waiting to seat you, if you do not like the table they are happy to seat you elsewhere. The decor is very nice and authentic and the lighting and music was really soothing. For Valentine’s Day there were candles on the table and roses everywhere. We were given enough time to choose our food and asked if we wanted them in order of dish or all together. I ordered the crab and sweet corn soup and it was very delicious, soon after the man course was served.
As there are so many options to choose from it’s very difficult to decide what to choose for a main, I chose the shredded duck with some rice a vegetables as a side. My partner chose sweet and sour chicken with noodles. As we enjoy spicy food we had to ask for some chilli but all they have is chilli oil which is a bit disappointing. A small portion of rice is actually quite a lot even for two people so I would only order one. The services are very efficient but beware when they serve you because they do charge you for that.
At the end of the meal you can ask for the desert menu, they have ice cream filled into little porcelain mugs that they wash and you can take home with you. For Valentine’s Day they all had hearts on the cups. For children they have cartoon character cups such as Tweety, Sylvester and the Coyote.
Overall the food and service was very it was so good that we go for birthdays, anniversaries and whenever we have a lazy weekend. Due the food being inexpensive but very delicious you can expect to pay under £100 for a group of 5. I do recommend this restaurant as they have everything even the lobster is exquisite try it once and you’ll keep coming back.
As I have recently done my kitchen my mum was so impressed at ho something so simple could transform the home she decided to do hers too. My mum has been extremely lucky in some ways as she has never had to do a kitchen before in her life. I offered to help her choose one and plan it all as I had recently been through it myself so off the journey that would soon turn into a nightmare began.
Finding Wickes kitchens
As I had already advised my mum against Homebase kitchens she looked into getting a B&Q kitchen instead. She had made an appointment and I was there with her, we went a little earlier to check out the whole kitchen range. It was very disappointing and massively overpriced, as we contemplated if we should stay or go when I looked at the carcasses I knew B&Q wasn’t for her. We proceeded to Wickes and looked at all the kitchen ranges in Waltham Cross. When my mum found the kitchen she liked we made an appointment for the following week. We went home and double checked all the measurements and other kitchen companies.
Wickes kitchen designer
We were greeted by Andy the kitchen designer who thanked us for making a wonderful choice; he then said straight away that he had a Wickes kitchen and that he had sold 10 alone this week! He then made the kitchen plan and we then started to choose accessories such as door handles sink and tap. I’m so glad I was there with my mum as he tried to make her buy a £250 sink excluding taps! There was nothing special about the sink and we declined, the taps were also overpriced so we decided to purchase it separately. The cost of the kitchen rose to £4,500 and my mum got a free dishwasher for spending over £3,500. As I looked at all the costs the appliances alone were costing over £2,000! I went onto Curry’s, Comet and even Dixons to find the appliances cheaper, we purchased them separately saving my mum over £800.
There is a design flaw with Wickes kitchens as all cheap DIY store kitchens do. The corner cabinet doesn’t allow one of the handles to stick out as the doors have been badly designed. It’s truly a shame that there were also some fitting problems due to poor workmanship. As we got an experienced carpenter to fit the kitchen he truly did a good job where you can’t notice all the imperfections.
If you are looking to buy a Wickes kitchen I would only advise them for rental properties, and to buy appliances separately. Also be careful of Andy as he just wants to make a sale to claim commission and doesn’t really care about anything else. I would also never advise a woman to go alone as these sales people can be very persuading and persistent.
I would like to add that ideally we all want a luxurious kitchen where no expense is spared but in the current climate where no one stays in the same house for more than 5 years it was silly to buy a Moben kitchen at the cost of £10,000+. If my mum had a lovely country home in the countryside where the style and cost would be appreciated then that’s what she would’ve gone for. At the end of the day you only buy what you need and all my mum needed was a hob she could cook on a some extra worktop space.
For as long as I can remember I have been a serial nail biter, only now after 20 odd years have I had the self control to let my nails grow. At first like all nail biters will know I had very weak nails, after growing just a little they would split and I would have to start all over again. After a year of pampering my nails were finally strong and healthy enough to start having manicures and nail art. As my work was very hands on I found that my nails wouldn’t last very long they would chip, split or the nail varnish would be gone after just a few days. I even tried to wear gloves to make my nails last longer but it still didn’t work. After a year of paying nail technicians to do my nails I decided to try and do them myself.
Do your own French tips effortlessly
We all like classic simple designs such as French tips, going to a salon can cost anything up £50 just for a little bit of nail polish. After perfecting my own technique I would like to share the easiest way to get French tips or smile lines as some people also call them.
Have to hand a small glass, like a shot glass
Fill it up with some nail polish remover
Have a good quality paintbrush to hand
Line the surface with some kitchen towels
Try and paint across the nail as neatly as you can
Then dip the paintbrush into the nail polish remover and remove excess nail polish
This is the simplest way to have neat and simple French tips, after a while you may also find that you no longer need a paintbrush to neaten the smile line.
Nail art flowers at home
Doing your own flowers on your nails is easy; there are a few ways of doing so each of them unique in their own way.
Method 1:
Place 5 dots of nail polish in a circle
From the centre of the dot use a toothpick to drag to the middle
Let it dry then add a diamante or nail polish dot in the middle
This method creates the illusion of petals
Method 2:
Place 5 dots of nail polish in a circle and leave to dry
You can add a diamante or nail polish dot in the middle to finish off
Experiment with your own designs, remember to buy fast dry nail polish or nail oil so that nails dry in a few minutes. If you were to let nails dry naturally it could take anywhere up to 3 hours.
What is a lie detector test?
As the title suggests your heart rate and pupil are monitored to see if you are lying. Your heart will beat faster if a question you are asked shocks you and your pupil will also widen. Lie detector tests are performed for a whole range of reasons; it can be for a criminal who won’t confess to a crime, an unfaithful partner or a pre-employment check. Contrary to what you see on the TV you now know that a lie detector test is not just for cheating partners.
Lie detector test cost?
The cost of a lie detector cost can vary from region to region and how experienced the examiner is. You can expect to pay from £500 and more if the tester will have to travel far to reach you. You can meet at the office if it’s a company or at a hotel or meeting room if the examiner is freelance. If the lie detector test is for a personal issue the examiner can travel to your home if preferred.
How does the lie detector work?
The whole thing can take up to 3 hours or more depending on the reason for the test, the most time consuming is the pre test interview and the questions to be asked. The examiner will need to hear the whole story before conducting the test and will then come up with a list of questions to determine whether or not the person is lying. The examiner will also explain how the test works and give you the opportunity to ask any questions. All answers should be answered with a simple yes or no; by hesitating and saying anything other than this you may affect your result.
The set of questions will be asked 3-4 times to get an accurate reading, during this process you will also be given the opportunity to confess to anything you may have done. You will be asked to sit on a chair facing away from the examiner with your hand resting on a table. You may have a camera pointing to your eye to check pupil responses. A finger plate may be clipped on the forefinger to measure pulse and tubes may be placed on the chest area to record breathing.
Before the examiner gives an answer the results of the chart will be reviewed, if there is any doubt the examiner may consult another examiner for a second opinion but in most cases an answer is given straight away.
When I started to decorate my living room I always knew that I wouldn’t settle for anything other than a corner L shape sofa. Although I painted my living room cream with a red flowery feature wall I wanted a red sofa to lift the room so it wouldn’t look so boring. It was proving difficult finding a sofa that would meet my taste and when I realised my dad’s 60th was just round the corner I had to act fast.
I went to DFS, Land of Leather, Harvey’s and other local sofa merchants and they didn’t really have anything that I was looking for. As I was adamant that I wanted a corner sofa all the stores were saying it was at least 3 months before the sofa would be delivered. I had a month before I had a party at my house and was finding it difficult to find a sofa that would be delivered on time! I even looked at ‘normal’ sofa sets that had a 3 seater, 2 seater and armchair but I still wasn’t satisfied.
Finding Nabru
I decided to go on the internet and see if I could get a custom made sofa in time for my dad’s party, I stumbled across Nabru and found that I could have a sofa meeting my requirements in as little as 3 days! I was very impressed but for those who don’t know about Nabru sofas they are self assembly sofas that have a wooden base. At first I was very sceptical of this as the prices of the sofas are very cheap; I was also concerned about how long the sofas would last. I decided to go to the showroom and see for myself. The showroom for Nabru sofas is in Uxbridge and living in Hertfordshire the drive there wasn’t too bad.
The showroom is within a business park and upon arrival we were greeted by a sales person who showed us the different combinations and fabric options that were available. The sofas were very well presented and the options were incredible, it was so nice to see that they had already made sofas in different combinations. As I was set on a corner sofa whilst in the showroom I changed my mind to a U shape sofa unit. The sales person sat down and did the design for us on the computer; it was fantastic seeing it in 3D. We took the specification with us to check over at home and decided to go for it.
Before purchasing a Nabru sofa I did read some reviews and they were very good! I decided to see for myself and go ahead and purchase. I had a red base with cream suede seating and metal feet, we also paid £40 for the delivery person to assemble it for us as we were busy decorating at the time. The man who assembled the sofa was very quick and assembled it in 30 minutes, we were glad we paid for the service as we had so much to do. I also like the fact that if you want to change the combination by adding a seat or even splitting it into two you could! I was tempted to buy a sofa bed but after seeing how thin it was I changed my mind. The sofas are very big and can sleep three people or seat 13 people!
I purchased my sofa May 2009 and eight months later it’s still in perfect condition, seats are still firm and base as solid as when I first bought it. I thoroughly recommended Nabru for good customer service, delivery and workmanship.
After buying a new house, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to move in or rent it out while I spend some much deserved time travelling the world. Due to being undecided I opted to buy a cheap kitchen that would last at least 5 years until I decided what I wanted to do with it.
Choosing my new kitchen
I first went to Moben and found the starting prices for the kitchens to be £5000; I then went to B&Q but couldn’t find a simple design for a rental property. I then ended up in Homebase and found a simple white gloss kitchen design. I spoke to an advisor who went through the things I required in my kitchen and he quoted me around £5000 for the kitchen. I told him it was absurd and I could get it for half that price.
Homebase kitchen planning
I came for my appointment in Homebase Enfield and was greeted by Jonathan the kitchen planner. After going through the kitchen specification, he then proceeded to design the layout for me. As there was some information missing, I then had to arrange another appointment for the final details. Upon arriving he had another client with him so I waited and after 20 minutes I was ready to leave. In total I waited over an hour! I had enough and left the premises. He phoned to apologise and asked me to come down again but I refused. After much grovelling, I gave in and went back. I managed to get the kitchen down to £1200 and bought the taps and sink somewhere else because it was much cheaper.
Fitting Homebase kitchen
The quote for a kitchen fitter cost more than the kitchen coming in at £2500, so I refused, I found a local kitchen fitter who did it for £650. He had many problems with the workmanship of the kitchen units, the hinges provided were wrong! I had to go back and forth trying to find the correct ones; the same went for the corner unit next to my sink in the kitchen. The design planning was bad and the corner door wouldn’t open! Luckily I had a reliable kitchen fitter to correct the mistakes made by Homebase!
As I was undecided about whether to buy a gas hob or an electric hob Jonathan advised it was against the law to have a gas hob in front of a window, we listened to him and bought an electric hob. When we were having the kitchen fitted we had a council planner over and asked him about the gas hob in front of the window. He said there were currently no regulations that were in place preventing us from doing so! I was so angry that I wanted to sue him; I then decided it wasn’t worth it but I have written this to warn people of the dangers of buying a kitchen from Homebase.
Don’t buy a kitchen from homebase as the unnecessary mistakes cost me time and money, Jonathan isn’t well trained and Homebase kitchens are not worth the money!!
After joining Gosling Sports Park gym membership it is very handy to see that The Retreat is located just next door to the female changing rooms. Offering a wide range of spa treatments, facials, nails and more for a very good price it is very tempting sometimes to walk past and not have a nosy at the specials board. Just outside The Retreat reception area they have a notice board telling of any special offers and discounted products.
Having a French Manicure at The Retreat – Gosling Sports Park
After booking a last minute holiday and cramming in hours of gym workouts I really needed a time that suited me to get my nails done before going on holiday. I popped into The Retreat to enquire, the basic file and polish for a French Manicure was £17.50. It is quite expensive but as it was my first experience there I decided to give it a chance.
I was taken to one of the treatment rooms and the nail technician used a couch for a table to place the products on. For £17.50 a manicure you would’ve thought they could have a proper room with a choice of colours and better lighting. The room is supposed to be for facials and skin corrective treatments as there was a microdermabrasion machine pushed into the corner. As I regularly do my own nails they had already been trimmed, filed and neatened. The nail technician did notice this and said she didn’t have to do much to prepare my nails for the Manicure.
As I chose my basecoat and nail tip colour I was shocked to notice how bad the bail technicians’ nails were. They were chipped, uneven lengths and with no polish! I do find it quite odd that a nail technician can do wonders on others but not take the time to do their own nails. I did ask her why her nails were in such bad shape and she just said that she is too lazy! I found it hard to listen to the advice she was giving me about keeping my nails healthy and long when hers were in such bad shape.
The French tip smile lines were done free hand, they weren’t very good, I probably do a better job and I’m not even qualified. The nail polish used was Jessica and I find that it doesn’t last very long! Having paid £17.50 for a poor manicure was very disappointing, I won’t be going back and I wouldn’t advice going there either.
With a year of travelling in store and a few weddings to attend in 2010 it was the right time to start going to the gym on a regular basis. There aren’t many gyms where I live so I opted for Gosling Sports Park. Before I signed up for the membership I attended a tour to make sure I was getting my money’s worth.
Upon arrival there is ample parking and the reception staff are very friendly, I met with one of the managers who asked what I was interested in and he then proceeded to show me around. As I walked into the Gym I was amazed at how many different types of workout machines they had, it wasn’t cramped and the trainers are always smiling and happy to advise. From the Gym you can see the swimming pool directly below; it is very small and not very deep. There are a few seating Jacuzzi areas within the pool to relax tired muscles as well as a shower, sauna, steam room and other spa rooms that I have not yet ventured into.
After seeing all that was on offer to me I decided it was the right decision to make and immediately signed up for membership. The monthly off peak rate I paid was £37 with a one off joining fee of £49; this membership includes the use of the gym between 9am – 4.30pm, unlimited use of the swimming pool and spa rooms and access to fitness classes. The membership is for 6 months so you can cancel any time after that upon giving a months’ notice. I then booked my induction for the following day.
When I arrived for my induction there was only me and another new member waiting, we were shown the equipment and how to use it; we then were told that the entry keys that were given to us when we joined had to be paid for. We were not told of this before and unless we paid the key wouldn’t grant access to the entrance, pool or gym equipment. You are also entitled to free sessions with the trainers who will then programme your key with a customized exercise program to help motivate you. You can have them changed whenever you feel like you just need to pre book an appointment. There are also private one to one sessions with personal trainers at a fee of around £25 an hour. This comes in very handy when you need that extra push to lose those stubborn few pounds left to lose.
I have been going to the gym for 3 months now 5 days a week Monday to Friday, it was the best thing I have ever done. I’m in so much better shape and I know if ever I need a private lesson I can get it all at the same place without having to go back and forth.
I recently had an anniversary to celebrate and after moving to Hertfordshire, was set on eating out in an Indian restaurant. I’m not sure why but there doesn’t seem to be many reviews for restaurants in Hertfordshire so I really had no choice than to just follow my instincts and choose a restaurant. There really isn’t that many restaurants near me so I made reservations and travelled to St Albans to eat at Asia Dining.
Upon arriving in St Albans there isn’t much parking surrounding Asia Dining and it’s a shame they don’t have a parking area at the rear. We went on a Tuesday evening so it wasn’t really busy; the staff was welcoming and very prompt and efficient. The speed of service was also very good.
The food
We ordered Punjabi Swordfish with Mustard and Honey and my partner ordered Mango and Papaya Spring Roll as our starters. The Swordfish wasn’t very nice and I had to leave it; it was really bland and didn’t taste like it had been marinated. The Mango and Papaya Spring Roll was delicious; it was a very different starter that we wouldn’t normally go for but in this case it was well worth it.
For the main course we ordered Dhaba Ghost, Sag Aloo, Chicken Rogan Josh with Naan bread and a small portion of rice. We washed is all down with a lovely Mango Lassi. The Dhaba Ghost was very spicy and we found it very hard to finish, the Sag Aloo was very nice as I wouldn’t normally have spinach with potatoes. The Rogan Josh was very tasty as was the Naan Bread. As always we ordered too much food and had to take it home with us. It was still just as nice the following day and even the Naan Bread was still soft and edible.
I would definitely recommend Asia Dining in St Albans to all my friends and family as the service was excellent and so was the food, the only inconvenience would have to be the lack of parking.
I’m very lucky that by choice I choose not to celebrate Christmas by spending silly money on gifts for friends and family. I personally believe that Christmas should be about spending time with family and friends as we all lead such busy lives that it’s impossible to keep up with all the latest news, good or bad. I take this opportunity to invite everyone round to catch up and drink and eat without feeling guilty.
Over Christmas and New Year I’ve had up to 20 people round to visit with the majority of them staying over, in food and drink alone I have spent over £500! If I were to buy presents for everyone then I would never go on holiday and would not be able to but my mum and sister presents for their birthday which falls the following month.
How to not let Christmas ruin you financially?
Many people that I know use the January sales to stock up on things for the following year. For example this year my sister-in-law will use the sale to save up to £100 on decorations and a new Christmas tree for the end of the year. Decorations can be sold for as little as 25p and a Christmas tree worth £60 sold for as little as £10. The same goes for Christmas crackers, tinsel and Christmas cards. We should all take this opportunity to get organised and save some well deserved £’s for the end of the year. My best friend also used the sales to buy toys for her children that will be 5 and 7 this Christmas she saved £300 by buying reduced presents.
If Christmas is very important for you and your family you should start putting money aside as early as August. Most people fail to realise that you still need to pay bills at the beginning of the month so by planning early you shouldn’t have to default on mortgage, council tax, gas and electricity bills.
Remember Christmas isn’t about spending obscene amounts of money of everyone but to have a good time and catch up with all the people you love and don’t get to see as often as you would like. It’s also a time to reflect and make positive changes to the forthcoming year as this is the time of year people of for a career change.