For my recent trip to Cancun, I really wanted to have mobile internet access, without having to pay crazy resort fees to access some flaky wifi! As nice as it is to get away from the usual online distractions from home, I did need to have access to my email. Its also nice to do some research on trips etc whilst there, and to use Google Maps etc.
I did LOTS of digging around online to find the best deal, the most up to date information, and to have the least amount of leg work possible when I arrived. I thought I would document my findings on the web, so that people searching for help would hopefully be able to take advantage of what I learnt. This all worked REALLY well for me, and at the time of going to press (September 2013) this is the cheapest most effective route! I should add that I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies mentioned.
It appears there were 2 phone networks to buy Sims for, I went for Telcel and the coverage and speed was excellent - and the process was pretty simple. I read about people going to local shops in Mexico, having to submit paperwork and their passports, and taking a few hours to activate a local Sim card. I didn't like the sound of that!
I purchased a Telcel Micro SIM Card from http://www.mexicosimcard.com Most places seemed to be $29, whereas here was $19. You can buy them elsewhere, and on ebay. I had it shipped to the US for $4.95 (to friends that I would meet on holiday...I didn't have enough time for it to come to me in the UK before i left for my vacation). I didn't order any pre-loaded data from here, it was expensive compared to what I had planned!
Once the card arrived, and I had the phone number from it, I recharged it with an online service. There are several of them, all at similar prices. For example https://www.worldremit.com/en/mexico/telcel Its really easy to enter the sim card phone number, buy your credit (in US$), and it gets added to your Sim card. NB You won't be able to check this, or activate your service until you are in Mexico.
The data plans are listed here: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s86/sh/b1990a3f-0691-4bd1-b6c5-495b711edbe0/4cfe6b0a3d45e0d48b678c10bab305c9 Basically, buy enough credit for which ever plan is suitable for you (you will need to convert from pesos, based on the rate at the time). I personally wanted 7 days, 1GB at $169. At the time of ordering, the Sim card came with $50 (pesos) credit already on it, so I ordered $150 pesos of credit to give me a bit of a buffer.
The error I made is when I arrived in Cancun, I put the Sim card in, turned my phone on, but had data switched on! This meant my phone went online, and started using the credit right away downloading emails etc, before I could activate my data plan! This meant that by the time I sent my text to activate the plan, I didn't have enough credit on my account! My tip would be, make sure that your data service is turned off on your phone BEFORE you put your Sim card in. This is different to "Roaming"...since you have a local sim card, as far as the phone is concerned, you are in your home country, and not roaming!.
As per the data plan link above, I sent a text reading "Saldo" to 333. This tells you how much is on your credit account, and it showed that my top-up online had worked. I then text "medio7" to 5050. This gave me 7 days of data, up to 400mb. I am a fairly heavy user, and that was plenty for me.
This should be all of the information you need. It looks complicated, but it really isn't, and its the cheapest way to get online. I haven't gone into specifics like phone settings, as these will vary with different phones, and over time! Basically, buy a Sim card online. Buy the credit. Activate the service you need once you arrive by text. And you are done!
I hope you find this useful! Feel free to reply to this blog if you find any updates to this info, or if you find a better solution. Or if this method worked for you!
Monday, 23 September 2013
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
The Screening
Well, today the programme was finally screened in full! Overall, Im really pleased with it, I think I came over pretty well and it was good to see it all come together. Ive been really overwelmed by all the really nice comments from friends by text and on Facebook, and even complete strangers on forums, so thanks everyone! If you want to take a look yourself, you can watch below!
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Matthew Stokes Dinner Date Update!
Well, I have the airdate now! My episode is on during the last week of series 2, on Wednesday July 27th 2011 at 5pm on ITV. All of my dates were in London, but not too far away from me. The new series has just started, and its interesting to see it now that ive experienced the "other side" of it all! I will of course be checking out the other girls featured through the series to see if any would have been a good match for me...! Oh, and I have also been told that they didnt feature my magic trick as it was quite tricky to edit, and they were struggling for time in the edit process. It's a shame, but ho hum, let's see how the rest turns out!
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Dinner Date – The Dates
(NB The details will be a little sparse, I don’t want to spoil the programme!)
When it came to the actual dates, I was genuinely just looking forward to meeting some different people in a really weird situation, and getting involved in the filming itself. For the first one, a car came to take me door to door which was really handy, and gave me a chance to have a couple of drinks en route. My first date had a South African themed main course, so I bought South African wine and some Biltong (a local delicacy!). I was pleased to see that the girl was very pretty, and we got on just fine. The filming got in the way of any kind of natural flow, filming multiple angles of arriving at the front door, and our first meet, and then having to avoid certain topics during conversation (friends, family, celebrities, work places…). However, we were in it together, and went with the flow. The girl had been filmed all afternoon preparing the meal, and so I knew the food wouldn’t be at its best since it was “over prepared”…and the time spent cooking was set by the filming duration. The dinner setting was a little unconventional, and I spent a fair amount of the time relaxing the girl, but she seemed to find me funny, and laughed at the right points. I was left alone quite a few times while they filmed the food being served, and interviewed the girls reactions to me. The producer/camera woman was also quite “hectic” so I was trying to relax her a few times too! When it was time to leave, my date was quite keen to give me a kiss, so I obviously hadn’t completely repulsed her! I won’t give any more details, you will just have to watch! We finished filming a lot later than planned, but Im a night owl, so not a problem…although I think my date was pretty shattered.
The second date was very similar, but was a little more relaxed so we got a bit more conversation in. Again, I bought gifts themed with the food which went down well, and the cooking seemed a little more relaxed. We got on well, and we laughed a LOT, much of which will never be able to be televised, but it was another good evening. So far, I was pleased with my selection of dates, and menus. I was definitely finding it awkward being served on though, I wanted to help with the plates, or clearing up, or something! It was also getting tireing having to give on-camera responses to EVERYTHING! What did I think the girl would be like? What as I expecting from the meal? After I arrived, What was the girl like? Did she live up to expectations? Did I think we would get on well? What was the food like? Did she cook well?..... you get the idea! Before, during and after every part of the meal I had to give responses. Fortunately, with my familiarity to what was needed from a technical point of view as well as editorially, I was ready for it and the producer was REALLY appreciative…it made the whole process a lot easier. So much so, the series producer actually came to the last day of filming to meet me and to thank me in person!
The morning of the third date, I actually woke up expecting to have to give response on camera...seriously! I think all this “fly on the wall” TV was getting to me! My third date came to the door (4 times…for filming purposes!) in a really nice dress and had clearly made a bit of effort, which was nice. Although she did confess that she only cooked things that went “ding” (microwave meals!) so it was interesting to see how the food would pan out. The wine really flowed during this evening, which was great. There was a technical problem, so we were left for about an hour just bantering and drinking. Fortunately, we got on well so it was good fun, and a chance to have “real” conversation. It felt a bit more like a date than any of the other evenings. Since we had covered the fact that I used to be a professional magician, I was encouraged by the producer to do a magic trick during the date….we will have to see if this is included in the final edit. It went down very well though. We had a slight car problem, and a delayed taxi, which meant we had even more time hanging around and chatting…it will very interesting to hear what she had to say at the end of the date! In fact, the same applies to all the dates. They were all attractive, good fun, and I got on well with all three…I will be very interested to hear their verdicts!
The final day of filming was back at my house. I had to give blow by blow accounts of each meal, each date, each girl and then deliver my final selection of date! Anouther full on filming session! And then it was off to take my selected girl out for the final date!
I can't tell you any more, but needless to say, I had a really good fun, mad, surreal week. All of the girls were nice and good fun, and I didn't have any nightmare dates, which would have been a bit of a nightmare! If you want to find out what happened you will just have to tune in. The air date has not been announced yet, but I will hopefully post the video onto Youtube once its been on. If you fancy getting involved, I highly recommend it, you will have a great time (hopefully!). If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch by visiting my video production company webiste.
Dinner Date Filming
Having my own Video Production Company, I was aware of the process, the kind of thing they want to cover, and what I would need to do! They needed some establishing shots of me, as well as interviewing me at home to find out about my ideal date etc I play badminton at a club every week, and I thought this would make quite interesting viewing, rather than the usual shots of people walking dogs. My lodger Rachel is really into her fitness so I roped her into coming and being my playing partner, we had quite a fun game, whilst the camera struggled to keep up and get some good shots. I just hope my better shots are used, rather then some of the misses! My lodger is very concerned her bottom will be featured!
Having my own production company, I decided that it would be good to feature that, so I set up a video shoot with a client of mine that is based locally. We visited her office, and they filmed me setting up the shoot, and doing at interview. All quite surreal, but they seemed to get some nice shots, so hopefully it will come over well!
Then back to my house for the interview. I was able to help out here, setting up a suitable shot, sorting the lighting, and the assisting with the content...good fun! The questions were all fairly simple, and stuff that we had covered over the phone already. They also wanted some shots of me cooking for the opening cooking montage, so I put my best chopping skills to the test and made a stir fry, which would then form a very rushed lunch for me and the producer! After gobbling the food down, we rushed to the restaurant to film my menu selection.
We took lots of walking shots of me arriving at the venue, which took around an hour! And then took a long time setting up the shot inside the restaurant. This was made more complicated by the venue being surrounded by mirrors...this is really difficult to light and shoot. Fortunately, I was able to help again, and we eventually got the ideal angle. I then had to mull over all 5 menus, giving a blow by blow review of the food, and what I think the person might be like. There is only so much you can say about palma ham! Again, there was a lot of starting and stopping, and after a couple of hours I was feeling pretty shattered! The producer was getting more and more frantic, but we did manage to get everything we needed. There were SO many shots of me picking up and putting the menus down, it got pretty tiresome!
So, that was day 1! I gave my choices, I picked some of the more interesting menus in the hope that the girls behind them were more interesting too! For some reason all of the girls were quite a distance from me, and they didn't know how I was going to get to each date. Never mind, bring on my Dinner Dates!
Having my own production company, I decided that it would be good to feature that, so I set up a video shoot with a client of mine that is based locally. We visited her office, and they filmed me setting up the shoot, and doing at interview. All quite surreal, but they seemed to get some nice shots, so hopefully it will come over well!
Then back to my house for the interview. I was able to help out here, setting up a suitable shot, sorting the lighting, and the assisting with the content...good fun! The questions were all fairly simple, and stuff that we had covered over the phone already. They also wanted some shots of me cooking for the opening cooking montage, so I put my best chopping skills to the test and made a stir fry, which would then form a very rushed lunch for me and the producer! After gobbling the food down, we rushed to the restaurant to film my menu selection.
We took lots of walking shots of me arriving at the venue, which took around an hour! And then took a long time setting up the shot inside the restaurant. This was made more complicated by the venue being surrounded by mirrors...this is really difficult to light and shoot. Fortunately, I was able to help again, and we eventually got the ideal angle. I then had to mull over all 5 menus, giving a blow by blow review of the food, and what I think the person might be like. There is only so much you can say about palma ham! Again, there was a lot of starting and stopping, and after a couple of hours I was feeling pretty shattered! The producer was getting more and more frantic, but we did manage to get everything we needed. There were SO many shots of me picking up and putting the menus down, it got pretty tiresome!
So, that was day 1! I gave my choices, I picked some of the more interesting menus in the hope that the girls behind them were more interesting too! For some reason all of the girls were quite a distance from me, and they didn't know how I was going to get to each date. Never mind, bring on my Dinner Dates!
My Dinner Date Application!
My Name Is Matthew Stokes....and I went on Dinner Date!
Well, SO many people have been asking me about this, so I thought I would post a blog about it! If you dont know me and you have just found this online, hello! My name is Matthew Stokes, Im 33 and I live in Fleet, Hampshire. I have a video production company called Captive8 Media Captive8 Media Video Production Company
Let me start at the beginning. At the end of 2010 I got an email asking for people to apply for the new series of ITV's Dinner Date http://www.itv.com/. I joked to my lodger that maybe I should apply, and then the joke got a little more serious, so I sent an email! In return I got an application form which I quickly filled out, not giving TOO much thought to my answers. This was sent along with a photo, and I didnt think about it again.
In February I got a phone call from the Dinner Date production office asking if they could interview me over the phone. We chatted about me, my love life or lack of it, my ideal date, my cooking skills, my friends, family, work...pretty much everything. The girl was really sweet, and we actually had a really good chat for about an hour. At the end she seemed really keen for me to progress, and said that the series producer would probably get in contact. This was getting a bit more serious now...exciting! About 30 minutes later the phone rang, and it was the producer who also seemed really keen, and we talked about the programme, the format, the timescale as well as some of the stuff I had already talked about. It was explained that everyone was dealt with as the person that cooks, and at a later stage they decided who would be the picker to go to the 3 houses...this was clearly everyones preference! I was also asked to finalise a menu of 3 courses which was fun, original, and reflected my personality! Not very easy, and I would need time to think. A week went by, and I was really struggling to think of a suitable menu, I'd spoken to a few friends and they came up with a few obvious answers, but I really wanted something that would stand out and get noticed.
Out of the blue I got a phone call from the production staff at ITV, and they said that not only had I been selected, but they wanted me to be a picker...no menu would be needed! Result!
Well, SO many people have been asking me about this, so I thought I would post a blog about it! If you dont know me and you have just found this online, hello! My name is Matthew Stokes, Im 33 and I live in Fleet, Hampshire. I have a video production company called Captive8 Media Captive8 Media Video Production Company
Let me start at the beginning. At the end of 2010 I got an email asking for people to apply for the new series of ITV's Dinner Date http://www.itv.com/. I joked to my lodger that maybe I should apply, and then the joke got a little more serious, so I sent an email! In return I got an application form which I quickly filled out, not giving TOO much thought to my answers. This was sent along with a photo, and I didnt think about it again.
In February I got a phone call from the Dinner Date production office asking if they could interview me over the phone. We chatted about me, my love life or lack of it, my ideal date, my cooking skills, my friends, family, work...pretty much everything. The girl was really sweet, and we actually had a really good chat for about an hour. At the end she seemed really keen for me to progress, and said that the series producer would probably get in contact. This was getting a bit more serious now...exciting! About 30 minutes later the phone rang, and it was the producer who also seemed really keen, and we talked about the programme, the format, the timescale as well as some of the stuff I had already talked about. It was explained that everyone was dealt with as the person that cooks, and at a later stage they decided who would be the picker to go to the 3 houses...this was clearly everyones preference! I was also asked to finalise a menu of 3 courses which was fun, original, and reflected my personality! Not very easy, and I would need time to think. A week went by, and I was really struggling to think of a suitable menu, I'd spoken to a few friends and they came up with a few obvious answers, but I really wanted something that would stand out and get noticed.
Out of the blue I got a phone call from the production staff at ITV, and they said that not only had I been selected, but they wanted me to be a picker...no menu would be needed! Result!
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