The TGV Club is a new premier concept movie theater which just opened in TGV Sunway Pyramid offering a special experience from moviegoers.

TGV graciously invited members of the media and social media influencers to experience this new offering/product that they had. We started off in the outside area near the Cantina for a selection of reds and whites, mostly from Australia (and sponsored by GAB I believe). Then it was a walk into the Lounge with a display of their SUPER YUMMY Popcorn Royale.

(photos from TGV Facebook page. My phone was running out of batt so didn’t take photos)

As you can see the lounge is pretty spacious. They removed the tables and chairs to make way for cocktail tables but one side of the area has a row of sofas (not in pic). The middle table also has ‘bar stools’ so you can sit around and chit chat or order food/drinks while waiting.

Kenny Wong, CEO of TGV Cinemas said a few words thanking us to for attending. Kenny is one of the most friendly and down to earth CEOs I’ve met (not that I’ve met many) and its quite interesting to see how much TGV has progressed since he took over the reins.

After some drinks and nibbles, we were ushered into the cinema halls (there are two) to watch Underworld : Awakening (Kate Beckinsale in black leather and skin-tight latex..mm). Kenny came in to make sure everyone was comfortably seated and we had a bit of photo taking before the movie started.

The Cinema Halls

The halls are the smaller halls with limited seats. The last two rows consists of 8 couple/twin seats while the other rows have 10 seats each. The couple seats are so big that I saw 3 guys who tested the sit and manage to sit comfortably. Each seat is also separated by a small table with a cupholder to hold your goodies.

So the big question is, how much is it la?

Its RM25 for the single seats while the twin seats are RM52 for two people. Its quite affordable considering the comfort level you get. Also I would recommend to sit in the top 4 rows for optimum viewing pleasure.

I’ve already been to TGV IMAX (watched MI4 there – awesome!) and now the TGV Club which I think will be nice for an occasional treat. Next is to try the Beanieplex!

Went for a food review at Kin Shui Tei last week. Check it out at Zestful Eats!

I got invited to a Wine Tasting event last weekend (yes I really was the busy bee last weekend. tee hee hee!) at Opus Bistro in Bangsar. Malbec is a grape variety that is grown/cultivated (sorry not sure of the term, I have no green fingers) in Argentina and the Malbec wine produced are of exceptional quality.

The Malbec World Day Event was a series of events which included tasting masterclass, wine tasting, brunch, dinner and tango but I only attended the afternoon session of wine tasting and brunch.

The Brunch was mostly Italian with pastas, lasagna and salad. The carbonara was pretty good actually. Should go to Opus and try out the food there some day.

For the wine tasting, everyone was given a glass of wine with lables of their names. Pretty smart coz I’m sure people will leave their wine glasses then forget whose glass is whose. The bottles were all covered in foil and labeled with letters. we then had to taste each of the wines and rate them.

Its actually my first time doing any kind of wine tasting – I’m more of the hard liquor girl myself – but luckily they had a guide on how to taste wine, which I actually only read/realized after I was on my 6th or 7th type of wine. Haha!

Basically, as you can see from the pic above, there are three steps : (1) See the colour (2) Swirl and sniff (3) Sip to sample. Also make sure you rinse your glass between tastings and also drink water to keep your palate refreshed. Also nibble on bread to recondition your tastebuds for another round of tastings.

We were all given scoring sheets as above. I obviously couldn’t make up my mind on which wine I liked, hence all the scribblies. Oh, also we were given “Cabarnet (Wine) scented pencils” – how cool is that? The scores were all tabulated and the top three favourites were:

1. Wine M – Kaiken Ultra Malbec 2008
2. Wine P – Catena Malbec 2008
3. Wine N – Zuccardi Q Malbec (tied with) Wine T – Luigi Bosca Reserva Malbec 2007

All in all, it was a fun and interesting experience. We also took home some interesting magazines (which I haven’t had the time to even open the plastic yet) and that wine pencil.

If you’re a wine drinker/enthusiast/curious, follow Entwin3 on Facebook for updates on future events and maybe stand a chance to win free bottles of wine. Alcohol + Free = Very good!

I’ve been using this Energizer Energi To Go XPal XP2000 for more than a year now I think. Yea, yea slowpoke, I know!

I’m actually quite surprised that a lot of people are not aware of this thing. There are actually a couple of different brands for power packs/external battery pack but I choose Energizer because it is a reputable brand. You don’t want to buy a cheap power pack only to plug it into your expensive smartphone and spoil it!

I initially bought this for my iPhone 3Gs and HTC Desire but I’m always lending out to friends to charge their blackberries and Nokias. The Charger also works for the iPhone 4. I did notice once that when I plugged it into a friend’s 3Gs, it stated that the accessory is not compatible but that was fixed by re-plugging it.

It claims to contain 1x charge for smartphones and 3x charges for normal (dumb?) phones. I’m sorry I forgot to test out exactly how much power it contains. The pic above shows the size in comparison to the name card/ business card box on the left.

I’m not sure how much it is overseas but its RM120 (or so) in Malaysia. I’ve seen it in shops like AllIT and IT hypermart (in e@curve). The charger comes fully pre-charged out of the box. Oh, I must give a shoutout to the All IT store in Ikano where I asked the guy if the iPhone can be charged and he actually took it out of the box to test it on my phone.

Package Contents

• XP2000
• USB Charging Cable
• Cell Phone Tips – Mini USB, Micro USB, Nokia, Samsung, LG, Apple 30 pin
• User Manual
• Welcome Card
• Travel pouch

As you can see, you will receive 6 charger tips for various types of phones. Don’t fret if you are missing any of the charger tips. After buying the Power pack, register your product at EnergizerPowerPacks.com/my and you can order FREE replacements for life! I believe you are limited to 2 tips a year.

I tried ordering a MicroUSB tip last year before my first year was over. I only had to pay for International Shipping – can’t remember how much exactly but it was quite cheap (as in under RM15) if I’m not mistaken. As you can see, it is well packed in a sturdy box and sent via airmail along with a small brochure of their newest products.

Tech Specifications

• Battery Cell : Lithium Polymer
• Power Capacity : 2000 mAh
• Rated Input : DC 5V, Max 500 mA
• Rated Output : DC 5V, Max 500 mA
• Recharge Time : ~4 hrs
• Weight : 0.16lbd/ 0.07 kg
• Dimensions : 3.34 x 2.28 x 0.51 Inches / 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.3 CM

All in all this is a great product. In fact, a lot of my friends have bought this after they seen/borrowed it from me. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Footnotes :

i) Energizer should totally pay me for influencing a lot of friends to buy

ii) Maybe I should start charging for usage of this battery pack. lol

Have you ever wondered why certain things happened to you just at the right time and the right place? Some might call it divine intervention, some call it sourcing (based on “The Secret”), others call it coincidence.

But to them, to these people, it was all expected. They knew it was happening, and they knew it was according to plan.

The story starts off with bad boy turned politician David Norris (Matt Damon) who tries to run for Senate. It shows him campaigning against much more older and seasoned opponents. Part of his charm, I think, is how he is close to the young people. Saying that the older candidates don’t understand them, basically doing what I call “mendekati rakyat”. Then he finds his dreams dashed by photo from his bad past and his ranking in the polls dropped.

And just as you were thinking the movie is a political movie, that’s when the politics fade away.

He bumps into a mysterious lady in the weirdest place to meet a woman, who proceeds in changing his perceptions of life around him just by simple conversation and a kiss. She was a stranger to him, and yet, he bumped into her again and again, in the most unlikely places, only to be torn apart. There is always something, or someone forcing them apart.

He then has to choose between fate and let thing run as planned, or fight it and choose free will.

You really must watch this movie as I found it to be entertaining and a good movie.  The story was a unique concept on an idea that has been portrayed before but this certainly was a fresh difference. Definitely better as average so I give this a 6-7 over 10.

Now watch the trailer below :

As always, thank you to UIP Malaysia (Facebook page) for the premiere tickets to view this movie.

I’ll have to say that first and foremost, I’ve never watched a western movie. Not in the Cinema, TV or even on DVD/CD. Or, as my friend put it, “you didn’t grow up with John Wayne.”

True Grit is a adaptation of an old book  and 1969 movie. This 2010 movie, however, focuses more point of view of little 14-year-old Mattie Ross (played by relatively unknown Hailee Steinfeld), who travels to the city to avenge the death of her father, who was shot by a conman, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Smart witted and well above the maturity of her younbg age, she persistently looks around for people and resources to help her in her quest, enlisting the help of aging, drunkard and trigger-happy US Marshall, Rooster Cogburn (played by the awesome Jeff Bridges).

The story is what I would imagine a typical Western movie to be like (minus the cliché – two men standing in the middle of the almost empty down, staring down at each other waiting to whip out their guns and start shooting) but oh so much better.

Mattie will charm you from the very beginning with her gutsy determination to make her voice and wishes heard in what must have been a time where women (especially of a young age) were not taken seriously. Rooster Cogburn will remind you of that drunk and awkward man that everyone thinks is useless and selfish but has a soft spot inside. The cocky Texas Ranger (played by Matt Damon) will make you feel like he’s too big for his britches and thinks he knows better than others.

It was rough at times (trekking through unknown Indian territory), witty at some (funny catchphrases and quotes in the movie), brutal and bloody at others (lots of guns, bullets and horse chases) and heart warming at the end. All it all, I personally thought that it really was an entertaining, good movie and well deserving of its Oscar nominations.

Movie Info

* Nominated for 10 awards in the Oscars 2011 – Best Achievement in Art Direction, Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Achievement in Directing, Best Achievement in Sound Editing, Best Achievement in Sound Mixing, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Jeff Bridges), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Hailee Steinfeld) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on a Material Previously Produced or Published.

* Interesting Movie Trivia – John Wayne, who played Rooster Cogburn in the 1969 movie, won a Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Actor. Will history repeat itself in this year’s Oscars?

Classification: 18
Genre: Drama / Western
General Release Date: 24 Feb 2011 (Malaysia)
Running Time: 1 Hour 58 Minutes
Cast: Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Thank you to United International Pictures Malaysia for the passes to this movie.

As usual, this post – and all other posts across this blog – are the personal opinions expressed by the writer and do not represent any third party’s view in any way.

Just saw this on twitter:

Google, blogger sued by fish head curry restaurant operator in KK

Jothy’s Fish Head Curry restaurant director Tharumaraj Sivaperumal filed a RM6mil civil suit at the Kota Kinabalu High Court here Monday, naming blogger Poh Huai Bin as first defendant and California-based Google Inc as second defendant.

The suit is arising from some allegedly defamatory statements about Jothy’s Fish Head Curry restaurant posted in May last year by Poh, originally from Sibu in Sarawak and now residing in Kuala Lumpur.

Jothy’s is also seeking an order from the court to remove the offending articles from Google and other popular search engines used on the Internet.

As a result of the defendants’ action, the plaintiff claimed it had suffered loss and damage, and its reputation had been affected both locally and internationally.

Source : TheStar Online

So apparently Huai Bin @ Sixthseal wrote about how he didn’t like the food in Jothy’s in his blogpost (way back in May 2010 mind you) even though it is recommended in Lonely Planet. In his words he called it “The Worst Fish Head Curry and Banana Leaf Restaurant in the Known Universe” and “a tourist trap. Avoid it like a bad case of herpes.”

His post – http://www.sixthseal.com/2010/05/jothys-fish-head-curry-banana-leaf-restaurant.html – is currently down (and/or a bit slow). You can get his post in Google cache here – http://bit.ly/gWJKeW

If that is a bit slow, I also have a screenshot of the post with images below. Click for a bigger pic (thx april!)

Edit : Just realized the screenshot wasn’t complete. Fixed.

Update to this issue : Google to retain ‘offensive’ contents on fish head curry outlet

Disclaimer to save my ass : All the contents of above post are content reproduced from relevant sources. All comments below are owned by the commentators themselves and do not reflect the opinions of this blog’s author.

I got invited to a blogger event organized by PlusSizeKitten & hosted by Malaya Optical in Uptown Damansara. We were all allowed to bring a couple of friends but my friends weren’t free / was lazy to go so I went alone.

Malaya Optical is a brightly light store with rows upon rows of eyewear ranging from specs frames to sunglasses. Its on the same row as Uptown 37 (where there’s Starbucks, Umai-Ya & HSBC) and before the Satay Haji Samuri.

Left: The hard working people at Malaya Optical. Right : Tammy welcoming everyone and giving away the prize for best FB post/comment/slogan

There were a lot of people in the shop but Ryan – the owner (I think), Optometrist & Professional Eyewear Stylist/Designer – was very friendly, asking if I have already registered and if I wanted coffee/tea (they have a small dispenser right at the corner, cute!) or a lollipop. They also had some refreshments outside (sandwiches and kuih).

Upon registering, we were required to line up to purchase our contact lenses. Oh, on the same day, they had a special one-day promotion on Facebook (join here!) where if you printed out the voucher, you can get the “Logic BigEyes” contact lens for RM15 a box (1 pair inside). Usual price is RM90. I picked up 2 boxes for myself (brown and black) and a couple more boxes for a friend. Will be reviewing this in my ShoestringBeauty blog soon!

Besides the special RM15 contact lens offer, we were also given two vouchers:

• a Comprehensive eye exam (worth RM150)
• Voucher for 1.50 Super Multicoated UV Protected worth RM150 (valid to 31 March 2011)

The eye test machine on the right is different from most machines I’ve seen in the sense that they have these rings around your iris which are differently coloured. I forgot to ask what the rings mean. They also did the usual round of Eye test with the different lenses. I found that my power/degree is pretty much the same but my astigmatism seems to have gone up a little. I asked about the astig and the guy said that, mine is not that serious as its less then 1.0, so that means I don’t have to change to toric lenses.

As you can see from the many compartments and boxes stacked up high, Malaya Optical is surely where you can get a lot of brands of eyewear. In fact, Ryan mentioned, “whatever brand you want, we have it.” I even saw high end brands like Miu Miu, Marc Jacob, CK and the like. Even for the contact lenses, they have a whole cupboard (with glass cover) of the different lenses – non-coloured and coloured. Even some really cool ones like the Glow in the dark and Jewel series types below.

Oh I’m also pleased that they carry Biomedics55 which is this really awesome non-coloured contact lens that I usually wear. It’s a bit more pricy but its super comfortable especially during long wearing times.

I left pretty early as I needed to go off someone and I made an appointed to do my eye test the next day as there were way too many people in the store on that day. But all in all, I found that all the staff in Malaya Optical were friendly and patient in explaining and answering questions – even when they had a lot of people in store.

Check out their history printed at the back of their card, their first store was way back in 1957! Explains the name doesn’t it? Pic frm Sugar Coated Muffin.

Thanks to Tocky and the good people at Worthy Media, I was given a copy of this book

WHAT IS IT?

Worthy Book is a revolutionary KL consumer lifestyle mini directory guide for Dining, Entertainment, Retail and Services. Selling at only RM 35 per copy, Worthy Book offers more than RM18,000 worth of special discounts, free samplings and attractive values to over 100 top brands in Malaysia for you family, friends and loved ones!

In addition, Worthy Book believes in giving back to the society, so you will be pleased to know that RM 2 from each copy of the Worthy Book sold will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), Malaysia.

I must admit that I was a bit skeptical on how “Worthy” this book really was. But when I looked at their site and saw that most of the brands were places that I actually did go to (or at least am planning to go), I thought that it could be a pretty good deal after all.

ALL ABOUT THE VOUCHERS

The book is separated to four main sections:

Dining

• This is actually the thickest section with different types of cuisine and shops ranging from:
  Chinese – Purple Cane Tea Restaurant
  Japanese – Sakae Sushi, Ichiban Boshi
  Snacks – Boost Juice, Krispy Kreme, Lecka Lecka
  Thai – Flying Chillis, Good Evening Bangkok
  Western – Tony Roma’s, Papa John’s
  Vienamese – Du Viet & La Viet

The promotions range from things like

• Enjoy 20% F&B Purchase (Gloria Jeans)
• Buy 1 Original Size Smoothie or Crush and get your second one for only RM1 (Boost Juice)
• 50% Lunch Discount on Pastas and Pizzas (Modestos)

Entertainment

Here’s where you party people can get some discounts on Premium bottles in clubs, or where you can get discounts in golf clubs

Some same promotions:

• 10% on All Premium Bottles (clubs)
• Enjoy 10% discount on holiday packages for Berjaya Langkawi Resort and Berjaya Tioman Resort
• 15% off at Luna Bar
• RM 9 for 100 Balls (Bukit Jalil Golf and Country Club)

Retails

All the shopaholics can rejoice! Enjoy discounts on major brands! Some sample promotions:

• RM 50 Cash voucher (Magic Boo)
• Enjoy 5% Discount of Puchases for Photobook (Fotokem)
• 30% Discount on all Tops (Baleno)

Services

Get discounts at spas, hotels and even travel agencies! Sample promotions :

• RM30 off on 1 hour foot and 1 hour Tui Na Therapeutic Massage (Reborn)
• RM320 nett for 2D/1N in Superior Suite (Pacific Regency Hotel Suites)
• OPI Gel Lacquer 20% off (L Amore Nail Expert Salon)

Seriously, if I were to list it all, its wayy too much!

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I had dinner at Du Viet the other night. Worthy Book had a voucher for 10% off the bill. Upon paying, we showed the voucher and at first the lady was confused as it was also applicable for La Lot.

She gave it back but we insisted so she made some calls and then accepted the voucher. So we got 10% off which covered almost 1/3 the cost of the book.

I assume its because they are new, some of the outlets are not too sure that its possible to use it. But don’t worry, just insist and I’m sure its possible.

Did I mention that the vouchers mostly expire on 31 July 2011? Granted there are some vouchers that expire monthly but most have another whole YEAR to finish up.

I actually find myself putting this book in my handbag almost every time I’m out because you never know if you might be going to that place in the book.

In fact, I think I’ll bring Boost Juice vouchers to KLCC tomorrow :D

p/s: Did I also mention that you can actually see the COMPLETE online version of it online to see for yourself how “worthy” this book is? Click – http://www.worthybook.my

Thanks to P1 W1MAX , I had the chance to  review the Acer Aspire One 533 powered by Intel and Wimax Inside.

WHAT IS WIMAX INSIDE?

Its convenience in a laptop. Instead of having dongles or long cables like many other wireless broadbands these laptops are inbuilt with the wimax modem INSIDE. No modems, usb dongle or wires.

TECHNICAL STUFF

The Aspire One 533 is powered by the Intel Atom Processor N455 and comes preinstalled with Windows 7 Starter. It has a 250GB HDD and 1GB RAM. It has a 6 cell battery which promises a long battery life.

I must admit that I seriously liked this netbook. Especially because of its small size = 10.1” monitor, 1” thickness & 1kg in weight. I can actually bring it around in my handbag :D

Also for all the times I brought it around, i think i charged it less than 5 times. The battery really lasts, especially if you put it on power saving mode.

The adaptor is also the Acer MiniGo one which is so much lighter and smaller than the usual adaptor that comes in 2 parts.

The speed is of course depending on the coverage by P1 W1MAX . You can call them up or check their website for coverage areas. I got almost 3MB in Sunway Damansara (thats close to the Sunway Giza) which is actually pretty good.

Got really good speeds in 1Utama as well. Friends were using it to watch youtube while we waited for other friends to come.

Even with 2MB, its so much faster than the Free wifi that most shops give. Also some shops don’t provide wifi so the netbook was really convenient.

PRICE

Now the important question : How much does it cost?

The Acer Aspire One 533 Netbook with Wimax Inside is RM 1,499 which includes FREE P1 W1MAX service until 30th September 2010.

After this free period, you can choose to continue the 1NSiDE plan. As an early adopter, you get the benefit of paying a monthly fee of only RM 49 (usual fee is RM89 monthly) which has a Quota of 15GB.

Interesting yes?

This is something that I would buy if I am going to get a netbook. Thanks so much to P1 W1MAX for the opportunity to review!

For more information:

Check out their website - www.wimaxinside.com.my
Where to get – dealers
Devices – more laptops/netbooks
Tweet them – @P1W1MAX
Call them – 1-300-800-888