A Taste of British Music

Today the sun decided to take a break...and it has been drizzling on and off since this morning! On days like these, I usually spend most of my time listening to the latest music hits here in UK. One of the astounding British groups I've grown to love is Scouting For Girls.

While we were back in the Philippines, my mum accidentally stumbled on Scouting For Girls while downloading music off the internet. She found the lyrics amusing and began downloading their songs even if this group is not known in the Philippines. I recently checked out some of their official music videos and I found them much MORE amusing. Check out these first few songs by Scouting for Girls that my mum fancied so much.

This is one of their latest and most recent single today:

To give you a short introduction of the group, Scouting For Girls is composed of mainly three members: Roy Stride (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Greg Churchhouse (bass guitar), and Peter Ellard (percussion). The name Scouting For Girls is a play on the words of Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys handbook published in 1908 for Scouts. They play notably because they're looking for a dynamic and energetic way of removing themselves from the chores of their everyday lives, looking to the quirky of childhood fantasy through playing a moog organ.

To finally end my post on Scouting For Girls, i summed it all up in one word-- AWESOME! 

Oh and if you wanna know more about these guys, their lates singles and albums and their next possible gig with location and dates, you could check out one of their official sites at http://www.scoutingforgirls.com/gb/home/

I hope they have a gig soon here in Edinburgh or even Glasgow so we could watch them LIVE! Good day everyone and hope you enjoy watching their music videos!

Cheers!

~Kriz~

A Lovely Day at the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh

Finally after days of rain, the gods must have heard our prayers and we were basking under the heat of the sun at 19 degrees here in Edinburgh. So, we decided to visit one of the must - see sights here in Scotland, the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, which is located at Inverleith Row. The garden is open daily from 10 am till 6 pm (February to October)  10 am till 4 pm (November to January). They are only close on Christmas and New Year's Day.

 The Garden was first established near Holyrood Palace in 1670 until it moved to its current location at Inverleith in 1820. Just a mile from the centre of the city and extending to some 70 acres (26 ha.), the garden is recognised not only as Scotland's premier garden but also as one of the world's greatest Botanic Gardens.

During our visit, we were able to go at the John Hope Gateway. This is named after Professor John Hope, a leading botanist and teacher who was responsible for unifying the gardens. The gateway offers visitors an unrivalled facility where they can discover the world of plants, scientific works and a unique window on biodiversity here in Scotland. We saw an exhibition of recycled products done by the likes of Bettina Schori, Lone Villaume and Lisbeth Nordskov with very creative products that ranges from £ 220 to £ 945.

We also went to the Chinese Hillside - a part of the garden highlights with an outstanding collection of Chinese plants. It has winding paths, a mini waterfall which tumbles into a pond at the bottom.

We also went to the Woodland Garden which actually provides cover for those plants that do not like a bright open aspect, and its beds are full of humus - rich soil.

Then we came across the Rock Garden and Stream created by James McNab designed for true alpines before we left the garden.

 We found out that the garden is home to nearly 15,000 species of plants. There is no way that you can look at these species in one day. But no worries, admission to the botanic garden is FREE! Charges only apply if you want to go inside the Glasshouses ( Adult £ 4.00, Concession £ 3.00, Child £ 1.00, Family £ 8.00, Members Free). They also have guided tours that departs daily from 11 am and 2 pm. We definitely plan to visit the other garden highlights at another time. There is just so much to see and explore yet so little time!

For more information about the garden, you can visit the following link: http://www.rbge.org.uk/home

The Jimmy Chung's Experience

From castles and museums to shopping malls and memorial parks, we, R-Kids, a family of four have ventured off throughout numerous sites in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Today, we went to Jimmy Chung's Restaurant for an all-you-can-eat Chinese lunch buffet after a little shopping and walking around the city streets. (Oh and I'll be doing most of the talking and narrating-- yup, Kriz, that's me, will be doing most of the blogging, as usual. *sigh*)

As we got in, the place was already jam-packed with lots of people and waiters were walking back and forth from table to table. The food was set in hot metal trays right in front of us as we entered. We were looking for a table good for four and to our surprise...our invited guest, whom me and my little Bro call Auntie Nona was already eating right beside a table next to the bar (we sat on the table closest to the bar.). She was having white prawn crackers and honey chili chicken drumsticks and wings. We greeted her as we sat down (Mom and little Bro on one side, me and Pops on the other).

With no idea what to do, me and my little bro just stayed in our seats while Mom and Pops got up and headed towards the food trays. So my little bro and I just followed instinctively towards the food that awaited us.

Different sorts of food were set in trays on mini-bars with installed heaters to maintain their quality. This was for meals such as starters, soups, rice and main courses. As I vividly remember, starters were composed of prawn crackers, crispy and spicy chicken wings, sesame chicken on toast, crispy fried won ton, deep fried squid, and chicken satay. The soups were hot & sour and chicken & sweetcorn. The main courses were mostly different sorts of chicken viands with the exception of vegetarian omelette and mixed vegetables in black bean sauce. Rice was served as either special fried rice, egg fried rice or plain rice.   Desserts were set aside from the other meals with a wide selection of fresh fruits, jellies,  banana and apple fritters, fresh fruit salads and ice creams (Sorry no pics of the mentioned food because we were so concentrated on eating and never thought about taking some).

Following standard etiquette (something to deal with fine dining), I got some chicken & sweetcorn soup first and then I went back to the table and took sips. The soup was incredible and each sip made my appetite grow stronger. Same thing goes for my little Bro but he drank more bowls of soup than everyone in the whole restaurant. As soon as soup was done, I went back to the mini-bars for the main course. Chicken dishes ranging from chicken butter balls, honey chili chicken, and lemon chicken to sweet & sour chicken, Thai chicken curry and chicken with black beans and chili sauce. I really couldn't recall every name of the dish I've eaten but all I know is that it's chicken in various forms. While I was finishing my main course with everyone on the table, Auntie Nona was shocked to see me and my little Bro with such huge appetites (for me though, my little Bro's appetite is not quite shocking--big people have big needs you know). Asides from Auntie Nona, other customers were looking at me as I went back and forth (they don't understand the meaning of "all-you-can-eat") with a plate filled with mouth-watering dishes made by Jimmy Chung's finest chefs and the freshest ingredients (I just found this in the flyer). Finally, after a few rounds of dishes later, everyone was ready for desserts. Auntie Nona, Mom and Pops had peaches, mango jelly, chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Me and little Bro ate vanilla and chocolate ice cream but eventually we tried some peaches and jelly. We took a couple of pics as we feast in the Chinese restaurant. After that, everyone went out and did more shopping 'til the end of the day. We all had a great time even Auntie Nona was filled with spirits.

Eating in Jimmy Chung's was like being in an all-you-can-eat haven, like some other form of sweet paradise. Just filling your stomach satisfies the whole thing which is your body (and maybe, the soul). I could just sum up how everyone felt after eating in the Orient restaurant--AWESOME! My first impression of an all-you-can-eat buffet was that food would be sloppy and unappealing but first impressions are always wrong and the food was more than what meets the eye. Jimmy Chung's is truly an excellent restaurant that everyone should give it a try. "All you can eat at a fixed price, 7 days a week!", The words I'll keep in mind until the next time I get to eat there.

Oh and if you are really interested to know more about Jimmy Chung's, just click here. It is one of the restaurants that you must visit when you come to Edinburgh because they have fast service, affordable on the budget and great food. Hope you enjoy,cheers! (^__^)

Edin-Brrr!, Scotland

For my first post, I want to talk about our second home - good old Scotland. My family and I moved out to Edinburgh about two months ago (that's not too long ago actually). Oh, and before I forget-- my name's Kriz, and I'm the author of today's post. Before I go on talking about my experiences in Scotland, I would like to give you all a little background about the country we just recently moved in to.

Scotland is a mountainous country in the north of Great Britain, famous for its fresh water lochs (that's what they call their "lakes" here) especially the Loch Ness, where the famous Loch Ness monster lurks and resides deep in this lake (though nobody has ever proven 100% that this monster does exist). Scotland is also famous for its colourful and vibrant kilts and eerie yet melodic bagpipes (my old man said we will wear one when we go home to the Philippines - geez! Imagine me wearing a kilt arriving at the airport!).

The temperature in Scotland varies upon the unsuspecting weather and very dramatic changes in wind speeds. These are the reasons why there are times when it's hot for just a minute then suddenly the temperature drops and it's very cold again. That's normally the case when you're outside the flat (another term for "apartment" - I am really having fun converting American English to Scottish - British English). It's warm and cozy when you're inside the flat because of the presence of heaters, good insulation and whatnots. I guess that's why Edinburgh gained its name as the "Windy City". As the name implies, there's not a minute without wind in Edinburgh, wherever you may go. There was a time when my Mom (who is a "wee" lady - small lady as the Americans would say) was almost blown away by the wind. You can hear the sound of the wind at night when all is quiet and still...but amazingly, there has been no records of Edinburgh having hurricanes, tornadoes and typhoons ever! Would you believe that? Edinburgh is also known for the 1000 year old Edinburgh Castle , Arthur's Seat, and the luxurious Balmoral Hotel. If ever you're interested and want to have more details, just click on the following links that I placed for your convenience.

Going back to the main topic at hand, I had some valuable and memorable experiences during my stay here in Edinburgh. The people here are very warm, lively and helpful - especially when they see that you are Asian looking (they always think you are a tourist) and think you are lost and need directions.The people here have strong Scottish accents and you may not understand what their saying or talking about immediately (even people from London find it difficult to understand the Scotts, aye?). I've had some problems talking with the folks--well, mainly because I spoke and understood mostly American English and not much about British/ Scottish English.

In the city side, Edinburgh is loaded with malls, malls, malls, and more MALLS! Yes, there are lots of malls--large and small-- for us to browse and shop in...all in one street! My family and I would get extremely exhausted after our trip to the malls. Aside from malls, there are also parks for those who just want to take leisurely strolls or strenuous jogs. Flowers are set out in beds which adorn and beautify the parks with colour and vibrancy. The flower beds are a wonderful sight in the parks. Museums and galleries are also another hit in Edinburgh especially the National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Museum, the National Galleries of Scotland, the Writer's Museum, and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (click here to learn more about Edinburgh's museums and galleries). The museums and galleries are cool but I haven't visited them all yet.

In the country side of Edinburgh, there are lots of wide and vast fields and meadows. Most fields are for sheep herding and farming. I've seen a lot of sheep with my own two eyes for the first time. Back in my place, you couldn't see any sheep there...only goats, cows, carabaos (water buffaloes) and horses. There are lots of hills and lochs which are also awesome sites to visit. We came across St. Margaret's Loch in one of our hikes and it was filled with lots of swans, ducks and seagulls. Just seeing them on the water was a breath-taking sight for a "laddie" (young boy) like me. We also went to Carlton Hill which had monuments of great people.The monuments were historical and very huge. Again, this was a very awesome, superb and breath-taking experience just seeing monuments so big and tall.

Above all, Scotland is well-known for its numerous castles that have stood the test of time. My family and I have visited the most famous one of all in Edinburgh--Edinburgh Castle, which sits on top of the crater of a dormant volcano. It was a home for great kings and queens of Scotland especially Mary, Queen of Scots and her sons, King James VI of Scotland and James I of England. Edinburgh Castle is also the home of the One O'Clock Gun, which was fired everyday except Sunday at precisely 1:00 pm to provide everyone with an accurate check for their clocks and watches during the Medieval times.We were amused and astounded by the enormous castle and its historical background.

Overall, I found my experiences in Edinburgh amazing, wonderful and incredible. There's so much to do and to see in Scotland yet so little time. I'd love to talk more about my experiences but there's still a whole city out there to explore and experience, and time is of the essence for me. It's a once in lifetime opportunity that you get to stay in another country that you haven't been before. I love my second home! So best of luck for me and cheers mate!

R-Kids: The New Blog Site on the Block

Yes, that's us, R-Kids, which is actually the combined initials of our family. We know it sounds like a nursery blog around the neighbourhood but we are just one bored family, who just arrived in Edinburgh with nothing to do and listen to Bruno Mars singing "The Lazy Song".

It gives us the chills to be starting our blog site on the most dreadful and unlucky day - Friday the 13th! But so far, everything is doing well..no sight of Freddie yet who is probably feeling lazy like Bruno Mars and the Loch Ness Monster must be feeling lazy too. We just want to make our 1st day of blogging a memorable one.

We will be posting loads of different topics and experiences from our everyday lifestyles to just about anything we could blog about. Basically, we're freelancers when it comes to blog posting. This blog site is virtually for all ages—young and those "young once". If there is any topic of interest that you want us to blog about, we will post it as soon as possible. We just want to talk about anything under the sun..even though the sun is really shy here in Edinburgh.

You can ask Mom Sue for the girlie "kikay" stuffs, from chopping onions to painting toe nails and matters of the heart. Papsy Ian can blog loads of stuff about sports especially basketball and medical topics that you want to know more about. Kriz and Demi can talk about teenage life, pets, video games and music.

We will take tiny baby steps with our blog site until this baby grows up to maturity. Have a nice weekend everybody and hope this will be the start of something new!