The closest you will come to flying.

The term ‘Bucket List’ has been derived from a list of  things to do before you ‘kick the bucket’ or inevitably pass away (unless you are a Hindu and re-birth is an option in your eyes…..even if it is as a mouse).  Some save this for the latter part of their lives but we think the sooner you start the more exciting your life is going to become.

Now we are not recommending you quit your job, leave your family and start taking on all manner of death defying feats to cross off your list. No.  We would prefer if you work your way into, get a feel for knocking a few lower ideas of the list.   Maybe warm up by: learning how to make sushi, running a half marathon, writing a blog or even something simple like walking to the shops backwards.

Once you have built up your confidence (and a bit of spare cash) then start easing into the top 10 below.   But don’t feel like you have to follow the ten to the letter, oh no, mix it up if you wish and add a bit of your own personality.

This list is meant to inspire, not dictate. So good luck and if you do manage to get all these done then be sure to let us know!

Wingsuit Flying – The closest we can possibly come to flying without a machine. So don’t just sky dive, slip on a wingsuit and feel the freedom.

The Big 7 – Visit all seven natural wonders of the world.  You can take your time on this one as this will require a bit of cash but will be oh so worth it: Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef, Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Mount Everest, Aurora, Parícutin volcano, and Victoria Falls

Kayak down the Amazon - Take an 8 to 10 day journey down one of the worlds largest rivers and experience some of the most surreal scenery and wildlife.

Write a Movie Script – Sure it might not be technically sound when you first write it but it’s a creative outlet that you can do in your own time no matter where you are.

Bike across China – You could do this across any large continent but as long as the landscapes are vast, tourist attractions a plenty and it’s physically challenging.  Plus you will need an ass made of granite.

Roll the dice – A play on ‘The Dice Man’ (less sinister) but go on an overseas trip where the following (picked from a list of 6) are decided by a roll of the dice: destination, duration, accommodation, food every night, and the countries top extreme activities.  If you really want to mix it up let you friend pick each of the 6 choices.

Experience Weightlessness – Going into space might soon become a reality for people with a spare million.  But you can get your weightlessness thrills by other means such as Zero G who are bringing this thrill to the public.

Drive a ’57 in Cuba – Rent and drive a 1957 Pontiac or similar around Cuba before these cars are lost not only to rust but the evolving economy post-Castro.

Stand-up in New York – Write your own stand-up comedy act, go to New York.  Then perform it live to an audience of more than 50 people at an open-mic night.

Visit New Zealand – Check out the home of hobbits and bungy jumping in one one of the worlds most diverse landscapes pack into a small area  for.  The best month to travel is March.

Pure New Zealand

New Zealand is known for it’s; lush green pastures, rugged snow capped mountains, pure rivers & lakes and all round beautifully diverse landscape.  All these great assets combine in the clean environment to produce some of the finest natural products in the world.

From Manuka honey packed with anti-bacterial properties to the purest milk powder money can buy.  New Zealand has been carving a place in the export market for many years and it’s only getting stronger as demand in countries like China and the United States grows.

Now seemingly there are a plethora of top natural products coming through so how do you decipher the best kind of products to get your health conscious hands on.  Well not only will we give you a top ten guide to the best type of products but we will also recommend some of the most trusted brands producing them.

Manuka Honey – Our favorite honey product is the UMF Manuka honey from Comvita.

Sauvignon Blanc – There is simply no better Savignon Blanc in the world then New Zealand’s Cloudy Bay.

Organic Infant Formula (Milk Powder) – The most trusted brand is Karicare by Nutricia.

Propolis –  Due to their extensive experience in bee products, Comvita get our vote here again.

Merino Wool – For a range of fashionable and practical merino products you can’t go past Icebreaker.

Lamb – Just remember to always look out for the quality mark when buying New Zealand lamb.

Kiwifruit – You can’t go past the largest exporter Zespri for quality Kiwifruit.

Bottled Water – For the finest New Zealand water at your next dinner party, check out Antipodes.

Thermal Mud – There are a few options but we have found this product the best thermal mud option.

Colostrum – One of our stranger exports but renowned in China for it’s health benefits.

Seamless music sweetness

Johnny 5 had it right all those years ago with the antics he got up to in without the pesky restriction of wires! He could: beat up bad guys,  make cocktails, and even drive cars.  So dam it, let’s do the same thing with our music and take it mobile in seamless style.

Let’s face it, nobody likes wires or the incompatibility of some docking stations (don’t get me started on the iOS upgrades that render some systems useless) when it comes to choosing the right mobile speaker systems.   That’s why the wireless speaker systems that connect to your iPhone, Android phone, tablet, laptop or other Bluetooth enabled device and so fricking awesome.

Now, because these music making machines are so awesome we have truly taken our time to find the very best systems for you.   They not only offer a great mobile music option for: holidays, impromptu parties or just hanging outside in the summer but they deliver brilliant sound quality.

Bose® SoundLink® Wireless Mobile speaker

Jawbone JAMBOX

Soundfreaq SFQ-01W Sound Platform

Creative ZiiSound D5

Soundfreaq SFQ-01R Sound Platform

XtremeMac Tango TRX 2.1

Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox

Audyssey South of Market

Altec Lansing iMW725

Monster Cable Clarityhd Precision

What Gifts would you like?

If there are people in your life that should keep happy and get the right kind of gifts for it’s the women in your life.  Whether it’s a birthday present for your new girlfriend, a Christmas gift for your wife or a truly thoughtful gift for your mom on mothers day, you need to get it right.

Just like our Top 10 Gift Ideas for Men it’s most definitely the thought that counts. But more the thought you put into getting the right present so they don’t  disown for the rest of your life.  Sure they will smile awkwardly, hug you gently and say thank you but when you look into their eyes you will see they are a raging inferno of anger.

So let’s not make these wonderful ladies in our lives angry,  let’s put some thought into it and help you find the best possible gift ideas.   Now we have not looked for risky gift ideas that could go either way in terms of love or hate.  We have gone with ideas that most definitely offer a sense of uniqueness but are more focused on aspects which either directly reflect or at least relate to something we know most women would love.

Fashion Watch – Now we are not saying go out and buy the craziest watch out there just because you think it’s fashionable, oh no. Stick to the basics and the rest will follow. As examples we recommend the Akribos XXIV or the Michael Kors Quartz MK5165

Tablet – Everybody loves gadgets, especially gadgets like tablets that can keep women on the move connected and looking cool (sorry for the cheese but it’s true). We recommend the Apple iPad 2 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab

Clutch Bag – No women can resist a stylish, yet elegant clutch handbag. We recommend the Adriana Castro Python Annie Clutch or the Chloe cream creased leather clutch bag

Luxury Robe – The key thing here is to get a robe that is uses high quality fabric. If you go cheap then it will show and they will see through it straight away. We recommend the Hanro Delight Short Wrap Robe or the Etoile Fine French Egyptian Cotton Robe

Wireless Mobile Speaker – This is an absolute no brainer. Everybody loves music and if it’s compatible with their Smart phone, tablet or lap top then you can do no wrong. We recommend the Bose® SoundLink® Wireless or the Soundfreaq SFQ-1

Juicer – Probably one of the healthiest choices in our top ten list but an absolute great idea, especially for the busy women in our lives looking for quick and tasty nutrition. We recommend the Breville BJE200XL or the Breville 800JEXL

Retro Digital Camera – Add a little bit of retro style to their digital camera lives with something unique. We recommend the Leica D-LUX 3 or the Pentax Optio

Fragrance – A classic gift for the lovely women in your life but just make sure you research some of the fragrances to know what might suit them. We recommend Miss Dior Cherie L’Eau or Chloe

Karaoke Machine – Now the reason this is not at number 1 is because there is a element of potential pain for the purchaser. But if you can unleash the Jennifer Lopez in them or at least make them feel like it then you are on to a winner. We recommend the Emerson GM527 or the iSM-1028

Hair Straighter – No seriously, if you can be smart enough to find a top quality hair straighter you will be at the top of the present buying pecking order. We recommend the ghd Professional Advanced Ceramic Heat-Styler or the BabylissPRO Nano Titanium Ultra-Thin

Lowrider

Like Ying and yang rap needs balance, you have had the Top Ten East Coast Rap so now its time for the sunshine (and gin) drenched West coast.

Looking at the last 25 years, the West coast tunes have not been as prolific but they have created some of the most iconic and heavy hitting rappers every to make there way in the industry. So here it is in all its bloods n crips and gun toting, LA Raider supporting gangster, sorry gangsta hype:

NWA – Straight outta Compton

7A3 – Coolin the Cali

Ice T – New Jack Hustler

Cyprus Hill – Insane in the brain

Kid Frost – La Raza

Sir Mix a Lot – Baby got back

Dre Dre – Still Dre

Lord Finesse – Return of the funky man

Tupac – California love

Snoop Dogg – Gin and Juice

Example of East Coast inspired Hip Hop graffiti

The last 25 years has seen rap or hip hop grow from back street lyrical ‘battles’ to a multi million dollar industry. Defined by frantic, poetic verse, precision scratching, fresh beats and stylish sampling, rap is not only a music genre but also has its own culture.

Being an Adidas shod, Kangol wearing, gold rope festooned double hard homey from Harlem is no longer a prerequisite for listening to slick lyrics….but it helps.

Quick ten have selected their all time favourite raps.  Problem is, there so many good tunes, we had to do this in two parts. Part one (which doesn’t come with free binder) Top 10 East Coast raps.

All you have to decide is are you East coast or West Coast?

Gangstarr – Just to get a rep

Public Enemy – Nation of Millions

RUN DMC – Tricky

Erik and Rakim – Paid in Full

De La Soul – Eye know

Kool G Rap and DJ Polo – Streets of New York

Naughty by Nature – O.P.P

Beastie Boys – Fight for your right

Tribe Called Quest – Can I kick it?

Notorious B.I.G – Hypnotise

And here’s a free one that isn’t good enough to make the grade but everyone hits the dance floor when its played:

House of Pain – Jump around

An inspirational gift idea list below!

Are you struggling to find that special Christmas or birthday gift idea for those men in your lives? Sure they have a seemingly endless range of gadgets in their house but believe us when we say; “they want more”.   And if you do it right then you will also get the gift giving love back in return.

So what makes a great gift idea for men?  Well we have delved deep into this question before looking at the top 10 gift ideas for men and come up with the following key ingredient’s to ensure they will have a grin from ear to ear upon receiving it:

• The gift will make some part of their life easier or more pleasurable.
• It will make them look and feel cool when they are using it.
• It compliments their interests

Tablet – They are so much more than just an oversized iPhone or Android smartphone and will change their browsing and traveling experience. We recommend the Apple iPad 2 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Sport Watch – Don’t worry about buying a designer watch as it’s really tough to get it right. However with a sports watch you can’t really go wrong. We recommend the Casio Protrek Quartz Black Dial Atomic or the G-Shock Big Combination Military

Digital Camera – Yes their new Smartphone has a camera but it really is no match for a quality digital camera. We recommend the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5Vor the waterproof Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

Gaming Console – The gaming console is so much more these days, sure he will be playing games on it but the versatility it offers in the realms of entertainment are mind blowing. We recommend the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360 Console with Kinect

Chef Knife set – Even if they don’t like to cook you can always push them into it by getting them a great set of chef knives. We recommend the Global Knife Set or the Wüsthof Gourmet Knife Block Set

Power Drills – Appeal to the DIY tool man in them and get them an array of power tools that they can use around the home. We recommend the DEWALT 6 Tool Combo Kit or the Makita Lithium-Ion Cordless 7-Piece Kit

Noise Cancelling Headphones – Whether they are trying to concentrate at work or listen to their favorite music on the plane, every man needs a good set of noise cancelling headphones. We recommend the Sennheiser HD 598 Audiophile Headphonesor the AKG K702 Headphones

Classic sneakers – A man can never have enough classic sneakers to line is wardrobe but don’t stray to far away from the normal designs. We recommend the Converse All Star or the Onitsuka Tiger Mex 66

Coffee Machine – Sure one of the best things about coffee is the process of going down to see you local barrista and getting you daily fix. But many an man loves the thought of being that barrista at home. We recommend the Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine or the Casa Bugatti Diva

Messenger Bag – Every woman loves a good bag and if there is something that men are secretly jealous of it’s a choice of some cool bags to take to work. It’s true therefore we recommend the David King & Co Distressed Leather Messenger or the Ben Sherman Messenger

You want some blow?

Throughout my school years my friends and I use to always have an argument that Steven Seagal could kick Jean Claude Van Damme’s ass back to Brussels.  It was obviously conversation of the highest calibre with intelligent and valid points.  All of which proving that indeed if they meet in the heat of battle, Seagal’s superior Aikido skill would dominate Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg aka Jean-Claude Van Damme’s flimsy karate and kick boxing skills.

Sure, Seagal may run like a 12 year old girl who has just spilt yogurt on her pink skirt and is running home to have mummy clean it off.  BUT, and there is a huge butt (that’s not a spelling mistake he does have a massive ass).  This man can truly act. Well actually, when I say “truly act” I really mean; stand in front of a camera with a sweet look pony tail, hold a steely gaze and deliver one liners like “The whole god dam platform’s a tiiiiimmmmmeee bomb”.

With this natural ability to act, has also come the ability to generate block buster, after ball busting block buster action movies.  The critical acclaim these movies have received over the years has even put the second best action star of all time to shame, the great ginger ninja Chuck Norris! For instance this critics quote from the Northwest Herald via Rotten Tomatoes when reviewing “On Deadly Ground” states: Just what the world needs, environmental lessons from Steven Seagal. Exactly, this man hunk of a fighting machine can do it all!

So without any further hints of sarcasm and mucho love for Seagal lets get into naming his best ever movies.

Under Siege

Marked for Death

Above the Law

On Deadly Ground

Out for Justice

Exit Wounds

The Patriot

The Glimmer Man

Hard to Kill

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory

Could this pony tail panther beat Van Damme? Oh yes!

Ghetto Blasters are back and better than ever!

There is something truly brilliant about taking the retro design of a product you know and love, then updating it with all the latest technology.  Sure some of these retro gadgets brought into the modern era may just be shells of their former selves but let’s be honest, one of the main reasons you feel in love with them was becuase of the design.

Combine your love of the retro, the penache and down right cool of the design with some useful and sometimes truly innovative technology upgrades and you have something that is worth having in your living room, car, or office.

And for all the girlfriends, mums or wives looking at this post whilst researching gifts for their male loved one’s.  By purchasing one of these gift’s or similar you will automatically go up in the “gift buying respect” ranking list.  Oh yeah, there is such a thing, maybe we don’t have a physical list but there is a virtual one in our mind that we like to recall whenever we go shopping for you.  So essentially you should see this as a mid to long term strategy in getting the presents you want back.

Pentax Optio I10 12.1 MP Digital Camera - There are other great retro styled digital camera’s in the market like Leica or Olympus’s versions but we think the Pentax is the most stylish, affordable and functional retro digital camera in the market.

Fatman iTube Valve Dock Mk. II with Speakers - This is for the true audio retro connoisseur and truly epic sound coming from this audio valve product.

Lasonic i931 Ghetto Blaster with iPod Dock - Just look at this bad boy?  If this Ghetto Blaster does not make you want to dust off the old Adidas and shell suit then we don’t know what will.

Classic USB NES Controller for PC - It might not be completely practical but do you really care when you bring back the good old days of gaming.  Oh yeah, take that Kinect and your “Your are the controller” bullshit:)

Phonophone II Sculpture Amplifier for iPod - Not only is this a beautiful addition to anyone’s living room or bedroom but the Phonophone II produces quality sound.

Crosley CR249 BK Keepsake USB Turntable - Yes we know there are a lot of music gadgets in this list but dam it they are seriously, seriously good and the Crosley is no exception.  Convert your old vinyl in just seconds.

Mix Tape 1GB USB Memory Stick - The most gimmicky in the list but awesome never the less and will appeal to any body who lived through the 80′s.

Tivoli Audio Model Three AM/FM Clock Radio - Add a bit of classic retro style to your bedroom with this sweet little clock radio.

Off The Hook Bluetooth Handset - This is one of the greatest handsets that can let you live like your back in the 60′s or 70′s whilst using software applications like Skype.

Panasonic RP-HTX7-R1 Monitor Stereo Headphones Headphones - Sit back and listen to your favorite Jimi Hendrix albums on these retro styled modern version of Panasonic headphones.

Android and HTC

Due to the factors like; handset variety, innovative features and price point,  Android phones are quickly becoming the dominant mobile phones of choice around the world.

The Android operating system was acquired by Google in 2005 and since then has been brought to the forefront of mobile development.  Using strategic growth tactics (which have been employed by Google in some way shape or form since their own inception way back in1998) they opened up Android’s source code to anybody keen to develop the platform further.  This has seen the adoption and integration of the operating system into many leading mobile brands and hence driving it’s popularity.

Some big mobile companies have bucked the trend and wasted a lot of money such as Nokia’s Symbian platform which has now been migrated to Windows mobile platform so that it can try protect it’s declining market share.  But many brands like HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola have got it right, taken the leap of faith in getting rid of their proprietary and produced some truly stunning and affordable mobile phones.

So which Android phones are the best?

Motorola DROID BIONIC 4G

HTC EVO 3D 4G

Samsung i9100 Galaxy S II

HTC DROID INCREDIBLE 2

HTC ThunderBolt 4G

Samsung Epic Touch 4G

Samsung DROID CHARGE 4G Android Phone (Verizon Wireless)

Motorola Atrix 4G

LG Thrill 4G

Motorola Photon 4G