Hot Destinations to Celebrate New Year : MYAlexus01

Goa

Goa isn't known as the Party Capital without a reason! | Photo Credit: Mikhail Esteves/Flickr

Talk about New Years’ celebrations and the first thing that comes to mind invariably is Goa! From eclectic carnivals to electric New Year bashes, Goa is without a doubt, the party capital of India. Although a prime holiday destination all round the year, Goa is at its sparkling best during the last few weeks of December. Not just a hub for hardcore party animals, Goa is also a favourite with those looking to enjoy some quiet time on its beaches. From wild beachside festivities in North Goa to peaceful traditional Goan flavours in South Goa, this beachside paradise manages to pop-up just about everyone!

Viva Las Vegas

Party the night away in Sin City

Where’s the party tonight? Well, in Vegas you don’t have to look for a dance floor. On New Year's eve, the streets of Vegas are the ultimate party floor. The streets are closed down to vehicular traffic and thousands of revellers throng here to let their hair down. Midnight witnesses a mesmerising fireworks display shot off from the roof of seven different hotels and casinos and then the party goes even crazier. After all, Vegas ain’t called Sin City for nothing! While those who wish to ward away from the street crowd to join in the parties in clubs and casinos, ensure you make reservations in advance, failing which you may not be allowed inside.

New York

Ring in the New Year at one of the hottest parties in Times Square

Well, if you haven’t “watched the ball drop”, then you have missed the largest New Years’ celebration in the world. More than a million people from all across the world flock to the Big Apple to witness this historic event at Times Square in New York, where a giant confetti ball is dropped over the city at the stroke of the midnight. Offering star-studded performances, fireworks, music and pyrotechnics, Times Square is the place to be.

London

Stand by the River Thames and enjoy the beautiful display of fireworks

As the iconic bells of Big Ben chime at midnight, millions have their eyes upon the London Eye fireworks display. Every bit electrifying and spectacular, this sight is not only the most widely viewed live but also one of the most widely watched spectacles on TV. While the sky is bedazzled with an array of sparkling colours, standing at the shores of the Thames River is the chosen spot for spectacular views.

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We Tried A Bakers Dozen Yogurts--So You Don't Have To!

Until now, the dailySpark has been reviewing foods one at a time. We're trying something different. We'll review several varieties of one food, then share the pros and cons with you. We won't pick a "winner," because taste is subjective. We will share our comments and opinions in the new series Supermarket Survey.

How often do you buy a food at the grocery store, only to get it home and try it--and dislike it. It's too sweet, not flavorful, too thick, not filling enough, etc.? It's disappointing--and expensive! That's why we're we're doing these large-scale reviews.

We started with yogurt: fat-free vanilla and low-fat strawberry. We tried them all: organic and conventional, creamy and chunky, thick and thin. We even tried a soy yogurt.

Take a peek at our evaluation and our comments!




Comments:



Cascade Fresh had fruit on the bottom, a very natural flavor and a natural color. It looked darker and redder than the other yogurts when stirred.


Dannon was sweeter than the other fruit on the bottom variety, and it had great chunks of real strawberry. Our testers were big fans of the fruit on the bottom varieties because they like to control the amount of fruit in each bite.


Silk was hit with the tasters who loved FrankenBerry cereal as a kid. This is a soy yogurt, and most people said they'd like it more if they didn't think of it as yogurt.


Stonyfield Farm had a great natural color (meaning it was a reddish pink and not hot pink), large chunks of fruit and a nice creamy consistency.


Yoplait Original is a blended yogurt but still has fruit chunks. This was a favorite for a few tasters.


Yoplait Whips had mixed reviews, but the reviews were strong. Some people LOVED this light, fluffy yogurt. They thought it would be a great substitute for whipped cream. Others thought it had a strange aftertaste. It reminded some people of a dessert their grandmothers made--and they loved it.


Yoplus+ was tops with our reviewers. It had chunks and was very creamy and smooth. The strawberry flavor was strong, and it was nicely sweetened.



Comments:



Both Dannon yogurts had good, intense flavors. They were good on their own with no additions.


The Horizon yogurt had a slightly sour taste and was really creamy. We agreed it would be perfect in a parfait.


The OIKOS yogurt had great texture. It was thick, creamy and flavorful. However, it wasn't sweet enough and had a very mild vanilla flavor. We wanted to add sugar or honey to it. It would be good alongside some sweet fruit preserves or berries.


Stonyfield Farm's yogurt had the truest vanilla flavor. It was very runny, but that would be good if you wanted to drizzle it on granola or fruit.

If you want thick, custardy yogurt, go for the Yoplait, which was the thickest. It was very sweet and creamy--perfect for a dessert. (no photo available)

What is your favorite yogurt? Do you prefer creamy or fruit on the bottom yogurts? Do you like this new food feature? What other categories of foods should we review for you?

We Ate It: Special K Bliss Bars : Hilser4

Sometimes you just need chocolate.

A little sweet pick-me-up to get you to 5 o'clock, a dark, rich treat to make you forget all the work that's piling up around you, an indulgence to go with your morning coffee.

But who wants to waste hundreds of calories on a sweet? Not me.
When we tore into the box of Special K Bliss Bars, we were excited to see they were only 90 calories (and had just two grams of fat). Overwhelmingly, we preferred the raspberry to the orange, but we decided that was mostly personal preference. (Is there a more perfect combination than raspberry and dark chocolate?) We had just one complaint: We wanted more than "less than 1 gram" of fiber. I suppose that's the trade-off for a low-calorie, high-flavor bar.

Our thoughts:
"I thought this was a nice tasty treat that was light but just enough to tide me over. Even better, they’ve outdone the 100 calorie packs since these are only 90!"
"It's a hybrid of a granola bar and a candy bar, with plenty of fruity bits."

"I liked it! Lots of interesting textures coming together. Chewy, crispy, chocolaty...and only 90 calories. Thumbs-up from me!"

"When I first bit into it, I was reminded of "Swedish Fish"
candy. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but as I kept eating I liked the taste more and more."

Special K Bliss Bars, in orange and raspberry flavors $3.49 for six 0.77 ounce bars

hilser4:2od1e6

We Share Our Favorite 100-Calorie Ice Cream Treats: Hilser4

When the mercury started rising, we hit the supermarkets, scouring the freezer section for the tastiest low-calorie ice cream treats. We tried a few, and we selected three 100-calorie treats to share with you. (There were a few higher-calorie runner-ups, too!)
Read on to find out what we thought!


Skinny Cow Chocolate Truffle bars
They say: "My divinely decadent chocolate ice cream bar, drizzled with chocolatey ribbons, is surprisingly skinny."

We say: "The Skinny Cow Truffle Bars are delicious, amazing, fantastic. Seriously, I love these. They're creamy and chocolatey."

"I tried the truffle and it was very good for 100 calories. I would consider buying them.
I usually buy Skinny Cow at home. This would just be another lighter ice cream option."

"One word: Ahhh…"




6 bars for $4.99.
Find store info here.



Slim a Bear 100-Calorie Sandwiches
They say: Staying healthy? Easy does it with our precounted100-calorie sandwiches. Choose the low-fat, artificially flavored vanilla or chocolate ice cream, both sandwiched between chocolate-flavored wafers.

We say: "I thought Slim-a-Bear was a great 100-calorie snack; it's a tasty ice-cream sandwich and not super tiny like some of the other 100-calorie things!"

"These are GOOD ice cream sandwiches. They're not too small, and the cookie part is rich and full of chocolate flavor. A really good calorie bargain!"


6 bars for $4.99.
Find store info here.




And for the lactose intolerant among us:
So Delicious Minis (Made with Coconut Milk)
They say: "The perfect snack size treat that you can feel good about eating. With an agave sweetened center, our So Delicious made with Coconut Milk Sandwich Minis are the perfect snack."

We say: "As the resident lactose intolerant ice cream lover, my cravings often go unfulfilled. I've tried other nondairy ice creams, and they taste fake and weird. Every Turtle Mountain product I've ever tried is DIVINELY DELICIOUS! We also tasted some pints of ice cream, other treats and coconut milk. I had heard such rave reviews that I asked the company to send us some products. I'm a convert. But what really stole my heart were these ice cream sandwiches."

"I didn't know these weren't "real" ice cream. There isn't a strong coconut flavor, but there is a definite creaminess to them. I can tell they aren't sweetened with corn syrup--there's no weird aftertaste. These taste cleanly sweet. I would eat them again."

"I thought these would be super expensive, but they're about the same price as other ice cream bars. These are really good. I like them. Even if you do eat dairy, these are a tasty option."



8 sandwiches for $4.99

Hilser4 : dr5c21

Behind The Wheel: Aston Martin Vantage

The Aston Martin Vantage is worth getting up early for. When the key is in your possession, it’s the kind of car you think about just before you fall asleep. And it’s the first thing that crosses your mind when you wake up.

It should be, in every sense, a supercar. It certainly feels fast enough. It’s this speed and on-road capability that you think about when you lay there in darkness, it’s raucous V8 engine note doing laps around your brain.

The supercar moniker doesn’t quite suit Aston though, the brand is too elegant and refined to care for such titles. Which is perhaps why the British marque simply refers to the car as a ‘predator’. It hunts and consumes roads with reckless abandon when in attack (track) mode. Behind the wheel you get the sense it’s ready to pounce at any moment, and most of the time, it’s all too tempting to give in and let the car unleash itself.

What Is It?

This is Aston Martin’s ‘entry-level’ model. There’s not much that’s entry about it. Aston has gone all out with its design, which is completely new from the ground up – a welcome choice considering the old Vantage dates from 2005. Aston’s previous generation, including the DB9, had been around for so long it was a wonder they’d ever be succeeded.

Aston Martin cars have often referenced the past, with its signature design trait a distinctive gaping grille, first seen with the DB Mark III of 1957. Nearly all of its models have featured this, and the new Vantage is no different. It’s a decidedly modern looking thing though and the British marque can no longer be accused of dining out on the success of its heritage. This car looks ahead, it’s the Aston of the future.

One of the ways it’s looking forward is with its partnership with Mercedes. As part of the deal, Aston Martin uses Mercedes-AMG engines and borrows plenty of tech, including the sat-nav system and overhead parking cameras. Part of the centre console is taken straight out of Mercedes, too.

There are still plenty of details inside that remind the driver what they’re sitting in though. The elongated, sculpted metal paddle shifters click satisfyingly when changing gear, the flat-bottomed steering wheel nods to Aston Martin’s racing heritage, and the model tested was swathed in nappy alcantara, which felt suitably expensive. Shout out to the beautifully designed magnetised sun visors, which feel like a bespoke addition to an already luxurious cabin.

The Feel

Aston Martin’s intentions with the Vantage are immediately clear the moment you push the ‘engine start’ button. The 4-litre, twin-turbo V8 roars to life and maintains a hungry burble once it settles down. Unlike many new sports cars, the Vantage doesn’t have a ‘comfort’ driving mode – it defaults in ‘sport’. It’s not interested in dumbing itself down and demands that you drive it with the vigour it deserves. Which is why, as soon as you’re driving on anything other than a motorway, you should put it straight into ‘track’ mode.

The Vantage is a car you’ll want to accelerate in at every opportunity. You’ll end up going for the smallest of overtaking gaps and it’ll make them seem huge. Thumping through the gears produces addictive crackles and pops that’ll turn you into a child as you absorb A roads with ease. Enter a corner and the car is on rails, giving the driver a confidence that, in my case, far out-weighs my ability. It’s very good.

The Engine

It’s also very fast. The old Vantage achieved 0-60mph in 4.8 seconds. The new one does it in 3.6. The old car had 430bhp and 361lb ft of torque. The new car has 503bhp and a huge 505lb ft. It’s also 80kg lighter. You get the idea.

Some will miss the natural aspirated Astons of old, and sure, the car doesn’t have the same unhinged V8 rumble of the previous generation. But on the road you wouldn’t know the car is turbocharged. There’s no lag to speak of and the exhaust note is raucous. What’s more, the car is faster as a direct result of its turbos, turning it into an overtaking weapon. You don’t need more speed than this.

A slightly less raw engine note for vastly increased performance? We’ll take that trade-off every time.

The Verdict

Yes, the Vantage is quick, but it’s also incredibly stylish. And more so than all of its rivals. Nothing from Ferrari, Mercedes, Audi or McLaren can rival the elegance and poise of its muscular design. People don’t get angry at you for driving an Aston Martin. They admire it, smile at you and appreciate your good taste.

Maybe it’s the James Bond connection, or the fact the Vantage is just simply, intangibly, cool. It could be the best looking sports car on the market today, and also happens to drive spectacularly well. A bargain at £120k? Perhaps not, but you won’t have more fun on four wheels. And you won’t look as good either.

Top Speed: 195mph
Acceleration (0-60mph): 3.6 seconds
Engine: 4-litre, twin-turbo V8
Power: 503bhp
Price: From £120,900

Harrison Osterfield: The Small Screen's Next Big Thing

It’s early April and despite a chill in the air, Richmond-upon-Thames, just outside London, is looking like the French Riviera. Sunlight shimmers on the river and shines onto the face of 22-year-old actor Harrison Osterfield, perched on a jetty above, like it knows he’s the next big thing.

There’s an undeniable air of Dickie Greenleaf from The Talented Mr. Ripley about Osterfield. Not just the piercing blue eyes, easy tan or the mousy blonde sweep. There’s a poise about him. Confidence beyond his years. A sly smile. The wrist tucked under the chin.

It’s all an act. “I find photo shoots nerve-wracking,” says Osterfield. “I find it easier to hide behind a character or a load of lines. When you put on these clothes that make you look a bit different then I just try and get into the character who would wear these clothes. Channeling a bit of Dickie Greenleaf, a bit of James Dean.”

The comparison is appreciated by Osterfield who sees Jude Law, who played Greenleaf in the film version, as a major source of both style and career inspiration. (It’s also a reason why we styled him in this exclusive shoot in easy-wearing spring/summer trends.)

By the looks of it, Osterfield is on a similar path to the older actor. His latest role finds him taking a pivotal role in George Clooney’s new TV adaptation of Catch-22. And he follows that with walk-on appearances in two Marvel superhero films, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War.

“It’s a grand war epic,” he says about Catch-22. “I play a tail gunner called Snowden that has just come from America to Europe for the Second World War and is thrown into the mix right away. I have a pretty close relationship with the lead character who is played by Christopher Abbot. We have some really intimate scenes together that have a great effect on the grand scheme of things. It’s nice for me as even though it is a small part it has a big effect on the series.”

It’s not just the looks and the style that draw comparisons to Jude Law. Back in 1993, Law was splashed across the front page of magazine and culture bible The Face as one of the New Brit Pack, a group of British actors in their early 20s, all tipped for greatness. Osterfield seems to be in one of his own. It includes friends Asa Butterfield, star of Hollywood blockbuster Ender’s Game and Netflix sleeper success Sex Education, and Spider-Man himself Tom Holland.

“As a young actor, you’re just thrown in at the deep end. You know what you want to do but unless you’ve got some sort of mentor who’s been through it before you haven’t got a clue and with Tom, I just so happen to have one who’s the same age as me and who I’ve known since I was 15.”

The two met at the Brit School (other famous alumni include Adele and Amy Winehouse), before Holland went off to Hollywood, and Osterfield to the competitive London Academy of Dramatic Arts. Holland invited Osterfield to come over to Tinseltown and with that, the school’s traditional theatre training started to jar with the excitement of working on a Hollywood blockbuster.

“LAMDA is an amazing theatre school but it doesn’t teach you how to work on a film or TV set. If you got given a call sheet at LAMDA they’d probably think it was a menu or something.”

Osterfield is focused on acting but as is the case with modern celebrity, it’s not just his roles that his fans and followers are interested in. Half a million people follow his movements on Instagram. With that kind of audience, he’s worked with the likes of Armani and Dsquared2 during Milan Fashion Week and has just partnered with luxury watch brand Tag Heuer.

It’s not enough to just have the big name drama school and George Clooney on your CV these days. You have to have the full celeb package ready, adoring fans in tow.

“It’s very strange to me that I can upload a video of me cooking baked beans at home and that gets viewed by a 100,000 people. It is a game changer. If I’m lucky enough to get cast in something then I’ve already got 500,000 people behind me,” he says.

Still, there’s no diva behaviour here. There’s hard work behind his castings and the social media currency, and every success Osterfield mentions is backed up by an affirmation of how lucky he is. He notes the down-to-earth behaviours of A-listers and fellow Marvel cast members Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans as an inspiration.

“I was Face-Timing my mum outside some of the trailers at the back of the lot and one of them opened and out walked Robert Downey Jr. Now she’s loved him since Natural Born Killers and I gave him a passing glance and he came over. My mum just freaked out and spent the whole time shouting ‘oh my god’.

“There’s a common conception that there are big divas out there but someone like Robert, he’s the most down to earth guy, so friendly and accepting. It doesn’t have to be like the stereotype.”

At the time of speaking, Osterfield was in the midst of endurance training for the Virgin London Marathon as part of his association with Tag Heuer, which is the official timekeeper of the race. He’s keeping an eye on the watch (an Autavia if you’re wondering). “I signed up a bit late so I’ve been on a crash course for ten weeks but only just found out that the marathon training app lasts for 24. I’m worried.”

Training gives him order in his day-to-day, he says – something he likes. Despite the Hollywood buddies and big name brands backing you, being a young actor chasing jobs can be an endurance race of its own. “[The training] gives me a consistency in the day. Those weeks where you have four or five auditions a week but nothing else it gives you a bit of extra oomph for those auditions.”

For all of Dickie Greenleaf’s hubris, he was effectively a gadabout wayward son. Osterfield is anything but. Driven, ambitious and incredibly personable, he’s the model of what the modern day young actor needs to be, complete with the lit Instagram feed to go with the casting tapes.

Harrison Osterfield trained for the Virgin Money London Marathon 2019 and gave this interview as part of his association with TAG Heuer, the Official Timekeeper for the fourth consecutive year. For more information visit www.tagheuer.com, @tagheuer #DontCrackUnderPressure

Credits

Photography by Will Bremridge
Styling and Art Direction by Luke Sampson
Grooming by Katie Moore

Look 1: Jacket, Reiss; polo shirt, Reiss; trousers, Reiss; sunglasses, Cutler & Gross; Watch, Tag Heuer

Look 2: Jumper, Brunello Cucinelli; trousers, Reiss; glasses, Cutler & Gross; Watch, Tag Heuer

Look 3: Jacket, De Bonne Facture; shirt, Reiss; trousers, Reiss; shoes, Converse; Watch, Tag Heuer

Look 4: Shirt, Gant; trousers, Reiss; shoes, Russell & Bromley; Watch, Tag Heuer

Look 5: Shirt, Basic Rights; vest, Marks and Spencer; trousers, Trunk; Watch, Tag Heuer