Men's Lifestyle

I do like the classic cars in the NE1 Motor Show, they are really cool and the ones from the 90’s bring back memories, but perhaps the cars I like to see the most are the more modern sports cars and prestige cars. Once again there were lots of these out in force, and Grey Street looked beautiful with so many high end modern day cars. A new addition to the line up this year was Tesla, who brought a couple of cars. It was really good to see them up close, and with the bonnet open there was something missing, an engine of course! 😉

Infiniti was there once again, last time round they brought the Red Bull F1 car, and this year they brought the Renault F1 car. Bentley and Aston Martin had their cars there, and I just love them. There’s something which is so brilliant about a DB9, the Vanquish was looking really good. Porsche had a stand with an electrifying looking Panamera, BMW brought out their i8 again alongside the brand new BMW M2 which was just featured on Top Gear, and Jaguar were there with some cars, one of my favourites the F-Type.

Check out all the sports & prestige cars from the NE1 Motor Show below

Check out the pictures from the 2018 NE1 Motor Show

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It’s that time of the year again! It’s the NE1 Motor Show in Newcastle, which made it’s debut last year. I was at the 2015 NE1 Motor Show and it was really good and very busy, so I am not surprised it’s made a return. As with last year it’s on Grey Street in the town, I got there fairly early today and it had already been busy. The weather is not the best, but that did not damped peoples spirits who were out in force looking at cars from normal to classic, sports and prestige.

There were cars that had returned from last year, as well as some newcomers. Plenty of vintage cars, sports cars from the 90’s and American muscle cars. The Jaguar E-Type was there with other classic Jags, lots from TVR, Porsche, Austin, Corvette, Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, and more! If you prefer things more modern check out the sports & prestige cars from the NE1 Motor Show here.

I took so many photos again, so I have split this into two parts…Here’s the best of the classic cars from the NE1 Motor Show below.

Check out the pictures from the 2018 NE1 Motor Show

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I finally got myself a new pair of headphones!

When I am using my PC or listening to music indoors, I always use headphones, so I can listen to my music as loud as I like. I’ve done this for over 10 years now, and in those 10 years I have pretty much only used my Sony MDR-V700 headphones. In fact, I’ve had at least 2 pair (maybe it was 3?) but they’ve always broke after so many years, which is what you may expect, so it’s not so bad. The problem is that Sony stopped making these headphones a few years ago, so I have not been able to buy any. They’ve never really replaced them, there’s a few pair out there, but none as good as the V700.

As you can see in the pic below mine need replacing, they actually needed replacing a long time ago. So many parts have snapped and they’re literally falling apart. Finding a replacement has been tough, I basically wanted exactly the same ones, with the same quality and the same everything. they’re actually DJ headphones, and have closed back, a coiled cable on one side, and large 50mm drivers.

When I was looking around most the headphones come with 40mm drivers, lots are either Bluetooth or have a straight cable, or just don’t seem to have the same power. I almost went with the Sony MDR-1A headphones, I was looking at these for a while and seemed to fit my needs, other than the fact I’d have to buy a coiled cable separately.

Then I came across the Audio Technica ATH-M50x. They’re really popular, have great reviews, and look almost the same as my old Sony’s I loved so much. They have everything I want, so I went for them, and they’re great!

The sound quality is good, good enough for me, they come with different cables including the coiled cable which I want, and are really comfortable to wear. They come in at around £100, which is around the price-point I want to pay, they’re all black and look sleek, and the build quality seems to be good. They come with various different cables which are interchangeable depending on what you like, and a carry pouch too.

I am so happy I have found the pair of headphones I wanted! I hate looking around for replacements for things because they’re usually never as good as what you’re used to and love, but I am happy to say that these make a good replacement for the old Sony MDR-V700.

I got myself some funny emoji cushions!

The emoji has taken over the world…We all love them, and we all have favourites. One I use the most, and what I see the most is the crying with laughter emoji, and I do like the little bit flirty kiss and wink emoji too, as well as the hearts for eyes emoji. When I was in Madrid I saw these in the shop window of Ale Hop, so I had to get myself two of my favourite smiley faces. I could not see the wink kiss one, but I got these two which I think are really funny and just a bit of a laugh.

They were only €7 each, and definitely the most random thing I have ever bought when I’ve been abroad! They are really soft and plush, and feel like good quality. A real bargain for something just for a laugh. I’ve never seen them in the UK, but I’ve never actually looked for them. Since I got back I’ve had a search and there’s a couple of places which have them, all more expensive and look bad quality, so I am happy I got the ones I did 🙂

Hey guys!

So last night we went out and went down the Quayside. We watched some of the football, about 60 minutes of the Portual vs Austria game, which was not the greatest game of Euro 2016, and it finished 0-0. I did not see Ronaldo miss his penalty, but I heard about it 😀

It was sunny and a nice night, it’s always good to go down the Quay in the Summer. We went to places like Popolo, Redhouse, Akenside and then headed up and went to Canteen And Cocktails, which is a really cool place. Popolo was really chilled out, and it’s always been a place I’ve liked, and was quite quiet. I was really tired and went home early!

I hope you had a good Saturday night 🙂

Have you been watching the latest new show on Sky Atlantic, Billions? I have, and I love it!

It stars Damian Lewis who plays Bobby “Axe” Axelrod who is a billionaire and runs his own firm, Axe Capital. The show is heavily based around money and the financial markets, but you don’t have to really be into Wall Street to enjoy this show.

So far it’s been about Axe who runs his business, but making all those billions is never clean and easy, and the U.S. Attorney for New York, Chuck Rhodes, is gunning for him and wants to take him down.

The plot thickens, because the psychiatrist at Axe Capital, Wendy Rose, just happens to be the wife of Chuck Rhodes. Axe’s wife is Lara, who’s brother was a New York City firefighter who was killed in 9/11, which is significant in some of the plot.

I won’t spoil any more of the plot and what happens, but it’s really good and I am hooked!

Check out the best TV shows on Sky To Binge Watch right now.

As you know, I recently visited Madrid, and stayed in the brilliant Dear Hotel. If you’ve read my other reviews, including The Square in Copenhagen, you’ll know that I really like modern hotels, and ones with a boutique feel. I had a look at the Dear Hotel and it looked like it would fit the bill, so I chose it for my stay in Madrid.

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With Father’s Day only a few short days away, you’re probably looking for the perfect gift for the big day on Sunday. If you’re anything like me, then you’ll have bought all the usual things before, and you’ll be wanting to come up with something you know he’ll like, but something original too. Shock Top have come up with the perfect combination, something all dads love, with something all dads need. This Father’s Day get your dad some beer and socks, in this unique gift set, featuring novelty socks along with Shock Top Belgian Beer.

Styling The Socks

First of all let’s talk about the socks. They’re charcoal grey with printed images of orange slices and accented with a blue heel, toe and top. Since the base colour is charcoal, it’s a staple colour, so even with the novelty orange slices, these socks will go with most clothing which your dad will own. This means that there’s plenty of options when it comes to pairing the socks to fit in with an outfit.

It’s the summer, and we’ve been having some really great weather of late. The sun is out, it’s warm, so what better way to show off the socks than with a pair of chino shorts. I would style these with a light pair of chino shorts, and nautical tee which is perfect and on trend for this Summer. If shorts are not something you like to wear and you prefer jeans, then these will obviously work with a pair of jeans too. They’ll create a more relaxed feel to your casual outfit, and will work well with any wash.

Finally you can dress up the socks at work with your usual clothing if you work in a casual and friendly office. It will create a talking point as soon as someone spots the orange slices, which will brighten up your look. If you usually dress a little bit on the conservative side, the socks may change some people’s opinion on you, and you can show them that you have a fun personality.

The Beer

The beer comes in the form of 4 bottles which are 340ml in size and is a perfect accompaniment for the socks. It’s Shock Top Belgian White, wheat ale with real orange that gives a zesty taste, perfect for the Summer. It’s an award winning beer and comes in at 5.2% vol. which packs a punch without being too strong.

With Shock Top you’re getting something traditional, fun, tasty and practical all in one go. It’s something he’ll probably need, with something he’ll more than likely want. You can get this limited edition gift pack for the first time in the UK exclusively at Ocado for £15.99 here.

Post written in collaboration with Shock Top

So day 3 in Madrid began at the Palacio Real de Madrid, aka The Royal Palace. It actually began at the Plaza de Oriente, which are gardens right outside the palace. I had done so much and seen almost everything in Madrid by my final day, the last things on my list were to see the Palace and Cathedral, both 10 minutes from my hotel, and then I had the rest of the day free, but decided to do the two tourist bus tours to see as much of Madrid as I could where I could not walk to.

The Royal Palace is so cool. In my first couple of days I did not see many tourists, but when I got to the area with the Palace and Cathedral there were loads, they must hide out here. The cathedral is really big and also worth going to see.

For lunch I had spotted this nice little place which was a chip shop, selling cones of chips. Since I love chips I had to get myself a little cone, which was more than enough for a little snack to keep me going before doing the bus tours.

The Madrid bus tours are worth doing too, the hop on-hop off buses run regularly through the city, and there’s two routes; Classic Madrid and Modern Madrid, and I did both. The modern Madrid tour was mostly things I had already seen, but still worth doing as you get a seat and a view from the top of a bus. Tickets cost €21 for 1 day, and you can use them on both routes for the entire day, I think it’s definitely worth the money.

I finished off the day with a stroll around Puerto Del Sol, and then chilled out at Plaza De España with an ice cream.

Check out some of my photos below…

Michael 84 In Madrid

Madrid Day 2 – Hard Rock Café, Plaza De Colon

Madrid Day 2 – Estadio Santiago Bernabeu Tour

Museo de la Selección Española Visit – The Spanish Football Museum Madrid

Short Break To Madrid – Day 1 – The Sights

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On the 2nd Day in Madrid I did so much! I went to Museo de la Selection de futbol, done the Santiago Bernabeu tour and finally to finish off the day I went to Plaza De Colon to check it out, and the Hard Rock Café happens to be in the area too. I had to get myself a Hard Rock T Shirt, I have a bit of a collection going on, so I needed to keep it up.

Here’s a couple of photos from day 2 of looking around Madrid. Check them out below…

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