the secret is to live within walking distance from your work - if you cant stand the heat....

The destination for those after work Friday drinks can be a tricky decision. You want somewhere you can relax, discuss the issues of the day, look forward to the rest of the weekend (if you have one, depending on the excesses of Friday night!), and generally kick back with the workmates you like.

Around Dublin 2, there are many options. However, most pubs are much of a muchness. The same suited crowd, the same packed bar, the same boring conversation, the same greasy platters of cocktail sausages, chicken wings, and dips. The same repetitive Friday evening.

On Richmond St, there is an alternative however. George Bernard Shaws. Like the best pubs, it ain’t much to look at, but it’s whats on the inside that counts. Generally neglected by the suits, this is a place for people of a certain mindset.

The decor is old - no great shakes, tiled floors and, thankfully, no bikes on the wall. It’s comfortable though, high sturdy stools, laid out in a fashion that encourages conversation and good craic. The pub has two bars and one of the main selling points - a beer yard. Not a beer garden but a yard. Resembling a crap pre-Celtic Tiger “lean to”, the yard has a retractable roof. Seating outside has a few tables, stools, high chairs, and quite magnificently, a very battered couch and armchairs, which look like they were rescued from a skip. The pool table in the corner has worn down cushions and the balls are chipped and faded. Chalk is provided and it’s all a good laugh. When it starts to draw a crowd, the atmosphere outside is refreshingly old skool and unpretentious.

The toilets in Georgies are attendant free, and the mirror is cracked, but it’s not unhygenic. The pub has a jukebox, which I’ve yet to study but how often do you see a jukebox in Dublin these days??

A DJ area is also situated in the bar. Run by the “Bodytonic” crew, they have a lot of club nights around Dublin.

The final selling point of Georgie’s is the fact that they sell bottles of Buckfast (the tonic wine fermented by English monks), which is really quite extraordinary. If you’ve ever drank it, you’ll know what I mean! They sell it for around 10 euro, and serve it in a pitcher with plenty of ice. If there’s another pub in Ireland that do this, I’ve yet to hear about it.

The staff in Georgie’s are down to earth, and provide a good service - I haven’t been waiting too long to get served yet.

Overall, I really enjoyed this place. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but my friends and I thought it was great. Good atmosphere, good fun, good night. The weekend starts here!!

Solas is a cool pub with a green facade, long bar, hip selection of beers, and comfortable seats. A good place to have a drink on an weekday evening, or to meet chums at the weekend.

However, what about the working day lunch?? Well, amongst my workmates it’s fast becoming the no.1 spot. This may have to do with the cute waitresses (my mates ARE that sad!!), but to sustain interest the food must be good. And to be fair, it is.

Boasting an extensive menu, pretty much everything is available:- Steaks, burgers, chicken, pasta dishes, wraps, and stir-frys. Veggies are well catered for too. The club sandwiches are pretty massive, containing an egg and melted cheese. I’ve gone for the BLT in the past, and struggled to finish it. Struggled in a good way, as well as door stop bread, the sandwich is loaded with lettuce, onions, tomato etc. Chips are of the skinny variety, and are plentiful. In fact, fitting everyone’s plate on the table is a feat in itself. Today I went for the Beef in Black bean sauce stirfry. The beef was succulent and the vegetables fresh.

Solas is split over two levels. Downstairs is slightly dark towards the back (I’m sure the proprietors would use a more inviting description), but the upstairs is totally different. Bright and cheerful with a chic modern design. Upstairs also has an outside area, with stone seats in a curvy layout. Eating lunch outside on a warm day, with good company and good food, is quite relaxing and pleasurable.

The average cost for a lunch meal in Solas is under 10 euro. Service is brisk and friendly, so overall, as cool in the early afternoon as it is at night.

For those of us still lucky to have hair, the wrong decision on what hair products to use can prove fatal to the old rug, and lets face it - who can say for definite that their hair is truly a renewable source??

Wax is like showering with a brillo pad - it’ll do the job, but can cause long term problems. Gel dries too quickly and doesn’t quite look too cool after a couple of hours and Brylcreem is, to call a spade a spade - too goddamn greasy!

The solution is at hand - Paul Mitchell’s Tea Tree Shaping Cream. Purchased at Sam’s Barber Rooms on Bachelors Walk, Dublin, this is the business. 11 euro will get you a tub of 100g, it’ll last forever.Giving a long lasting slightly wet look, the cream is a strong and flexible texture, and without sounding too metrosexual, is kind to your hair.

Enjoy while you can!!

It’s back - the greatest ever invention for football management simulation geeks like myself!!

Having grown up in the 80s and early 90s playing lifeless, and depressingly limited management games on the old Amstrad 464, my generation dreamed of a detailed, lifelike (hey...within reason), and thoroughly riveting games like this. Well my friends 1989 it ain’t, and science fiction has become science fact.

Football Manager 2007 (and it’s predecessors 2004/5/6) evolved from the Championship Manager series, the genesis of proper footy manager computer games. The same creators are involved and have moved to the giant corporate arms of Sega, and bigger certainly is better.

This game has it all - transfers, tactics, training, press interaction, contracts, salaries, scouting in Argentina, in-match management, thrills spills and bellyaches!

Have a row with Wenger, stick Rio in the reserves, tell the lads to do for the fans, or criticise Craig Bellamy in public, there is very little in the real world that you can’t have here (and I’m sure the next version will contain certain WAG features).

The aspects of management are so detailed that you can literally play this in real time, and a single match could actually take 90 mins if you chose to watch. I’ve calculated playing a full season at the fastest speed takes 2 days in 12 hour shifts...maybe i should get a life - but I don’t care!!

Be warned, this game has the potential to ruin your marriage and make strangers of your kids...but hey, there’s no accounting for other peoples’ selfishness, and who said winning the Champions League wouldn’t involve sacrifices!

I must’ve been a good boy last year, either that or Santa’s standards are dropping, because I was fortunate enough to find an iPod Photo in my stocking on Christmas morning.

Even though this is my first iPod/MP3 player, I was well aware of the convenience of this invention. All my albums available at once, at my fingertips - magic!! At 40 GB, this iPod Photo has the capacity to hold 10,000 songs.

As an alpha-male, the photo side of the product is somewhat superflous, although a friend downloaded some photographs and all appears to be good. Photos can be viewed in library or sideshow format, and are stored by month and year.Extras on the iPod photo include clock, contacts, calender and some fun games. “Brick” is reminiscent of Breakout from the old Atari 2600 (no complaints there!!), the “Music Quiz” plays snippets from one of your tunes and gives you five options to choose. Alot more fun than it sounds! “Solitaire” does exactly what it says on the tin, and “Parachute” allows you to shoot down some helicopters and their occupants. Fun for all the family. All can be played whilst listening to your music (except for the quiz, obviously).

The instructions to the iPod are simple and easy to read. However, I would prefer more detailed explanation on how to load your CDs through iTunes onto the iPod. Instead you get advised to visit a website, and you’re left with the feeling that they weren’t bothered completing the manual properly.

The menus on the iPod are clear and the control panel sensitive, but not too sensitive (a bit like the leading guy in a chick flick). The iPod Photo weighs 6.4 ounces, is 0.75 inches thick, 2.4 inches wide, and 4.1 inches tall. There are lighter, thinner iPods available, but I think these specifications are perfect. Small enough to fit in your pocket, but not light enough to fall from it unnoticed.

The earphones provided are fine. Nothing fancy but comfortable. The sound quality is top notch. The iPod comes with a battery charger, and I’d estimate that recharging is required after six or seven hours worth of listening. That could be a reflection on the volume level I use (it goes up to 11 in Spinal Tap terms!)

What more can I say? Even after only a few weeks, I can’t imagine my life without my new iPod Photo!!Best Christmas pressie since the scalectrix.

Very conveniently placed between Boylesports turf accountants and Cassidy’s public house, Zaytoon is not a restaurant you’d bring the love of your life for a romantic meal. However, if you’ve accidently got drunk with the lads and require some post-closing time soakage, then you’ve found the right spot.

Boasting a modern and inviting design, Zaytoon exudes quality. The range of kebabs is impressive and is complimented with some choice house specialities. These consist of the Chicken-Shish kebab (a marinated boneless chicken fillet), and the Barg (fillet of beef). Other choices include the kubidah, fish, lamb, and chicken donner. Can’t make up your mind? -Choose the mixed donner!Vegetarians and children are catered for, and for kebab sceptics, quarter pounder burgers are also on the menu.All kebabs are served with iceberg lettuce, onion, red cabbage and tomato. Sauces consist of garlic and chili. Whilst I don’t like garlic sauce, the chili sauce does what it’s paid to do..The average kebab costs 7 euro, but I recommend going for the meal deal: kebab, chips and soft drink all in for 9.20 euro. The bread is delicious, and one can’t help but be satisfied.Zaytoon is a popular lunchtime destination, and this is no surprise. I feel the staff at times could be friendlier, and when it’s busy, you may have to ask for your dressing and sauce.But overall, in one word - Quality!

What do you know about Frank Bruno? Or more accurately, what do you think you know? Unconvincing boxer?, Panto star?, lovable rogue?, Brown sauce salesman? figure of ridicule?

This book is a perfect example of the differences between the real person and the public persona in the world of celebrity. “Fighting Back” is a riveting book, a story told in a lean and direct fashion.From his humble beginnings, harsh teenage years at reform school, escape from a life of crime through boxing, his rise in the ring, title bouts, his relationship with Tyson, his embrace of celebrity, his realisation of his champion dream, his retirement, marriage imploding, his decline into drug use and his eventual loss of sanity; Frank pulls no punches in recalling his life. I found this book hard to put down, and constantly found myself referring back to the photographs. Was this really the character I arrogantly assumed I knew all about??Every human emotion is contained here, and the rollercoster ride that is Bruno’s life is described excellantly. Lewis, Benn, Eubank et al are not spared judgement, and Frank’s final analysis on Mike Tyson is thought-provoking, astute, and ultimately heart breaking; scathing on the world of boxing and those who inhabit it.The large font used in this book reflects the wide appeal of Frank Bruno. It is a sad, tragic story, and yet to the man’s eternal credit, he choses not to end with some phoney optimism, but rather with courage, acknowledging that even if his career is over, he still has many fights ahead...

Has your mother gone to the great kitchen in the clouds, and you pine for those dinners she used to cook for you after school? If so, fret not my friend, help is at hand..

Discreetly placed on Richmond Street, Dublin 2, O’Connell’s is a homely pub that offers a particular selection of hot lunches. This includes, amongst others; chicken goujons, scampi, steak and kidney pie, and the tour de force - chicken curry.All above are served with a generous dose of chips. Apparently there exists people who like to eat salad, and they are also catered for, with a serving with each meal.Seating is comfortable, service friendly and brisk. Water and a selection of mi-wadi’s are provided free of charge. Coupled with a post meal free coffee or tea, the standard 8 euro bill represents great value for money.I personally recommend the Shephard’s Pie, although I prefer to enhance the experience with baked beans (then again, what meal isn’t enhanced by the presence of beans??).My friends vouch for what we term the “Kiddie’s Special” - Sausage, beans, and chips (6.50 euro).

Overall a very satisfying lunch experience, especially if you’ve got the Monday blues.

O’Connell’s comes with one caveat. To be avoided if you’ve got a busy afternoon ahead, side affects of the large helpings do include afternoon desk snoozing!

Published in the wake of his re-discovery through the great art form of our age - Reality TV, this autobiography tackles the question of where did it all go wrong for Sharpe. Bursting onto the scene with a glorious hat-trick in a famous 6-2 win v. Arsenal, this 19 year old had Manchester United, and the world, at his feet. Yet he retired aged just 31, disillusioned and disenfranchised with the game, and many of those he encountered in it.

An entertaining read, Sharpe’s tale is told light heartedly and with good humour. His decency and humility are never far from the page (dismissing his own talent when comparing himself with contempories Giggs and Beckham), and he provides some insights into the elusive characters of Messrs. Keane and Cantona. He agonises over his complicated relationship with United manager Alex Ferguson, and does not shy away from admitting his hurt and bitterness at his once caring father figure.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who has followed English soccer since the 80′s. Sharpe’s story overlaps the pre- and post- Premiership eras, and his career highlights the contrast between two very interestingly. Whilst it certainly is another “what might’ve been” tales, Sharpe has few regrets, and his self portrayal as a likeable and modest guy is hard to disagree with.