Zestful One

Zestful Eats : Kin Shui Tei @ Tropicana Golf & Country Club

Posted by IcedNyior on May 18, 2011  |  No Comments

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

Gadget Review : Energizer XP2000 Powerpack

Posted by IcedNyior on April 7, 2011  |  4 Comments

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

Review : Acer Aspire One 533 Netbook with wimax inside

Posted by IcedNyior on August 11, 2010  |  2 Comments

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

LifeCode Anti-Aging Review

Posted by IcedNyior on May 17, 2010  |  No Comments

A few bloggers were selected to join Miu of PlusizeKitten for the Venus 0.8 Project on LifeCode Anti-Aging International Berhad. The people at LifeCode specifically opened the area for us on a weekend to accommodate us.

The lobby is a comfortable sitting area with lots of seats and little tables. This leads to the treatment rooms and also the spa area. Life Code has a spa under the same company called The Asia Spa, which is an award winning spa.

Top left picture is the ingredients used in the spa treatments – ground ginger and the like. The special function of this spa is that each room has a pair of beds and a private toilet and bathtub. Yes, individual toilets.

After the tour, we were asked to put our items into a locker before going for the Miracle ST (Super Tourmaline) House Rejuvenation Therapy room. The ST House has electromagnetic gemstones embedded in the wooden benches, the ceramic floor, the multilayer ceiling cabinet and the bamboo walls.

The black panels in the photos are ceramic balls that are embedded with electromagnetic gemstones. If you have backache, its perfect to lean against those balls to sooth your back. The room also has a essential herbal mist coming out of the holes at the side and also a quantum skin activator at the top corners.

The treatment lasts 30 minutes and we started to sweat. These are the toxins coming out of the body so we had to wipe it off constantly. We were also required to drink at least 4 glasses of the provided active micro-dew beads purified water.

After the treatment, surprisingly it didn’t feel sticky at all. In fact it felt rather refreshing even though we cannot take a shower in the next two hours. After towelling down and changing, it was the makeup and skincare session.

Chris our friendly trainer demonstrated with the Life Code Instant Face Lift Gel. The gel is water based and super absorbent. With just a few strokes and giving it 3 minutes to fade into the skin, there’s a significant decrease in sagginess of the face and also wrinkles.

(Photos of makeup by pinkylicious) Makeup by Life Code is designed to repair skin as well as make yourself beautiful. The eye shadow contains natural extracted anti-aging Hyaluronic Acid that can lift up and firm eye bags.It also refines fine lines around the eye and eliminates deep wrinkles.

The lip glosses are my favourite. The gloss is blended with natural organic skin firming ingredients and herbal extract, it plumps up your lips instantly and fills in all the wrinkles. I mean seriously my lips look plumper.

After the makeup and skincare session, we proceeded to Rasa Sayang downstairs for some Malaysian food.The private room we were in was decorated almost like a balinese style. The food was vegetarian briyani which was quite nice.

All in all, it was a nice experience at Life Code and I really want to thank them and Tammy for this opportunity. Are you interested to try? The ST House treatment costs RM150 per session but if you mentioned that you read this blog, you can get your first session FREE. Just contact Life Code service line 03-2289 0888 between 10:00am – 7:00pm Monday to Saturday (non-public holidays). Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All my reviews are written based on my unbiased review.
To see the full disclaimer, please read this.
Photos are all by Miu unless stated

Movie Review : A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010

Posted by IcedNyior on May 13, 2010  |  No Comments

One…two…Freddy’s coming for you…

I’ve always thought that kids had the creepiest voice, especially when they do that sing-song tone over and over again. Or laugh in a creepy way. Well you are going to hear a lot of that in this movie.

First and foremost, I must admit that I have never watched the first (original) version of this movie. Yea, I’m serious. My parents didn’t believe in letting their children watch horror/thriller movies. I’ve also not watched Edward Scissorhands…but that’s a review for another day.

Thanks Advertlets for tickets to the pre-screening
& Diese of BaYnN.com for her photo of the tix

Okay, back to Freddy:

This story tells of a group of teenagers who all have the same recurring dream. Its about a man whose face is disfigured, wearing a red striped sweater, a tattered fedora and instead of fingers, he has long, sharp blades on one hand.

These teens dream that he is trying to murder them in their dreams, and more often than not, the dream becomes a reality and they end up dead in the exact same way they were dreaming about.

As one by one of the teens unexplainably turn up dead, the other surviving teams band together to try and find out the the answers to their questions while trying hard not to fall asleep. Who is this Freddy? Why is he killing them?

As they dig deeper and deeper, they realize that all of them share a dark hidden past, kept secret by their beloved parents. And everytime they close their eyes, Freddy gets closer and closer.

The film stars Jackie Earle Haley (Ros as Freddy Krueger and Rooney Mara plays Nancy Holbrook, loosely based on the character Nancy Thompson in the original movie. I noticed that Katie Cassidy who acted in the TV series ‘Harper’s Island’ also had a role as one of the teens.

The beginning of the movie was a bit slow but it picked up towards the end, when the characters were getting desperate and chasing for time before their body could not handle it and started shutting down.

The music really lends the perfect environment for a horror movie. I thought the movie did have a few “sudden” moments. But personally, I didn’t think it was as scary as some Japanese, Indonesian or Thai horror movies I’ve watched. I must say the Asians does it better.

He looks more like The Mummy than a burn victim no?

Go watch the movie if you want to see how this remake compares to the first. Some parts of the story is different from the original. Think of it as a reimagining of the original, not the same story re-used. I think this movie better for the DVD collection.

Rating : 3/10

Movie Review : Robin Hood 2010 (no spoilers)

Posted by IcedNyior on May 10, 2010  |  No Comments

I won two tickets for Robin Hood from The Star R.A.G.E. facebook page contest. The question was rather tricky: “How many movies have director Ridley Scott and actor Russell Crowe done together?”

I answered it correctly and I got to watch a few days before the release. yay! So yea, on to the review

Genres:     Action/Adventure and Drama
Running Time:     2 hrs. 28 min.
Release Date:     May 14th, 2010 (wide)
MPAA Rating:     PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content.
Distributors:     Universal Pictures

I grew up watching the animated version of Robin Hood (played by a fox) and his merry men (played by various different animals) who was the champion for the weak. Stealing money from the rich to give to the poor. The hero in the forest together with his merry men taunting the evil king and his guards.

Now Ridley Scott’s version of Robin Hood is slightly different. It tells of a time of war and tribulation where the king and noblemen became richer and richer while the common folk suffered.  The story opens with the English army marching on their France enemies capturing castles in a forgot-how-many-year campaign by King Richard. Robin Longstride was a lowly archer in that army. Quick on his feet and honest.

This is a story of Robin before the ‘Hood’ – who he is before the legend, how he met his fellow merry men and how the legend came to be.

Russel Crowe carried the role well as the rugged, sword fighting, swift archery, fist punching hero covered in mud and blood, similar to his role in Gladiator actually. I personally thought Cate Blanchett was a tad too old to play the role of Maid Marion, unless the ‘maid’ part was referring to ‘old maid’ hehe! Some more it seems like most of the male characters in the movie wanted her. Weird.

The characters were all well developed, the storyline was interesting and entertaining. The only issue i have with this movie is that its a tad too long. But still worth watching :)

Rating : 7/10

Thanks again to The Star RAGE for the tickets.

Btw the answer to the question is FIVE movies : Gladiator (2000), A Good Year (2006), American Gangster (2007), Body of Lies (2008), Robin Hood (2010)

Review: Tune Hotels 1Borneo, Kota Kinabalu

Posted by IcedNyior on February 12, 2010  |  2 Comments

1Borneo is this shopping mall just outside the Kota Kinabalu town, around 5 mins drive from University Malaysia Sabah. Actually come to think of it, 1Borneo does feel a bit like Midvalley in terms of layout.

Anyway, Tune Hotels is one of the few hotels attached to 1Borneo – similar to Cititel Hotel and Midvalley in KL. The rates are from RM20 and up depending on the dates. I stayed there from 25th – 29th January. 1Borneo is a bit out of town but there’s a free shuttle bus from the other exit that stops in Warisan Square, right in the middle of town, near shopping malls like Centerpoint and all.

My room came with some amenities:

(a) Towel + soap + 1 sachet shower gel + 1 sachet shampoo = RM5 + RM10 refundable deposit

(b) 12-hour aircond credits = RM 13.49

The room consists of a double bed, two pillows, comforter, foldable table, KDK ceiling fan and power shower. Add-ons are TV, Wifi & Air Cond. Tune Hotels promises a 5 Star sleeping experience with a 1 star price. Here are some pictures of the room and shower :)

Movie Review : 2012 Exclusive Premiere (No spoilers)

Posted by IcedNyior on November 12, 2009  |  1 Comment

Centuries ago, the Mayans and other ancient civilizations predicts the year 2012 to be the destruction of the world.

Fast forward to current time: We see Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) struggling author, divorcee and part time limo-driver trying to spend time with his kids who mainly live with their mother and her plastic surgeon (focusing on boobs) boyfriend.

We also see a young Scientist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who, with his team has been predicting the destruction and trying to find a solution to work around it while preserving mankind.

That’s a quick summary I can make without giving too much spoilers.

My company had a corporate screening of the movie 2012 on Tuesday (10th Nov) – two days before the official premiere date on 12th November. We had an excess of tickets because some people didn’t turn up so I got to watch this movie in GSC Gold Class, albeit the first row.

Since the movie is coming out today in Malaysia, here’s my review:

I must applaud the awesome effects. In this movie you will see explosions, lava, volcanos forming out of flat land masses, massive clouds of smoke in the air. The earth opened up, splitting in many pieces and buildings collapsing into this gaping hole.

This movie is rated PG13 if I’m not mistaken so there isnt too much gore but you will still feel sad when you see the lives that are lost, falling off buildings, crushed by concrete, etc.

The storyline focuses on what man will do in times of desperation. Would you be selfish and think of yourself? Or would you be compassionate? Clearly it shows that in the face of destruction , prejudices like race, age, rank and finances are secondary.

The movie is a bit long, about two hours or so but in that span of time, i was entertained – laughing at the jokes "Pick up your big butt for me baby" and sad at the touching moments and feeling full of hope in humanity during one of the character’s speech.

The only thing I didnt like about this movie was how the hero , Jackson Curtis, was too good to be true – everything he did turned out exactly like expected. Also, being a doomsday movie, the ending was very predictable.

All in all, I’d give it a 6/7 over 10 Rating.

So what will you do if it was the end of days?

[Review ] P1 W1Max Wiggy USB Modem

Posted by IcedNyior on April 10, 2009  |  6 Comments

Recap: I was invited to the Wiggy Preview for bloggers 2 days ago. I wrote about it and had a few pics here. However the modem was not working so I had to go back and replace it.

So, I went to P1 yesterday to replace my modem from Janice (because Naomi was at the media launch). It was encased in a black tin box which is styled in a similar way to the modem itself. I like the box. More photos at the bottom of this post.

I brought my laptop to P1 to test the modem as well because I don’t want to go all the way through the Federal jam if it was not working again. Upon plugging in the modem, it should prompt to ask if you want to install the drivers (or go to My Computer and find the P1 drive).

How to connect : Open up the dialer (it should be a black box with the word P1 in it on your desktop. The dialer its the purple box on the bottom right in the Speedtest screenshot below. It should start detecting the modem. Wait if it doesn’t. Try re-plugging in the modem.

Connecting : I notice that it usually takes a while for it to detect the modem and get connected as well. Even in P1 office I had to wait a bit. In some cases, I only got connected after exiting the dialer then taking out the modem then re-plugging it back in.

Above is the screenshot of my speedtest. This was in Bangsar Utama. The bottom right purple box is the dialer. Download – 0.99 Mb/s, Upload – 0.01 Mb/s, Ping – 153. I also ping’d google and got a few time outs but mostly it was okay.

Speeds : Surfing speeds were quite good. Youtube was not bad as well. One thing that I found was a bit weird is the downloading. I was trying to download something from rapidshare using IDM and I get fluctuating speeds. Something from 3kbs to 180Kbs. Its hard to say what’s the average download speed.

Conclusion : Based on my initial usage (so far) I’m quite satisfied with the speeds. Are you wiggy? ;)

Inside padding of the tin box

The modem itself

The old packaging

Pricing : According to saimatkong, this is the pricing for the modem

Monthly Subscription Fee (12 mths contract) = RM149 **
Fair Usage Threshold = 10 GB
Wiggy Portable Modem (1 yr warrenty) = RM299 (Upfront Payment)
Registration Fee = RM100 (Upfront Payment)
Activation Fee = RM60 (1st Bill)
E-Billing = Free (or RM5 for Paper Bill)

*Speeds are on Best Effort Basis
**RM200 Rebate on 1st Mth Bill (Limited Time Only)

[Movie Review] Watchmen

Posted by IcedNyior on March 10, 2009  |  11 Comments

I personally really like reading graphic novels. And the Hollywood trend now is to create movies based on graphic novels or games. Some have succeeded (like 300) but others have disappointed. Watchmen is based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore with the same title. It has 12 issues. I watched My friend brought me to watch this movie in GSC Midvalley last Sunday evening.

Watchmen is set at a time where masked superheroes were once revered and adored by the public. Newspaper articles, publicity and fame. Soon after, the people weren’t happy with the vigilantes, demanding that the police do their job. So most of the heroes retired and proceeded to live normal lives. However, when the Comedian is mysteriously murdered, the heroes are come out of hiding to find out what is threatening them.

The movie was captivating from the very start. The intro of the movie was shot like “still 3d images” where the people in the scene were “frozen”- I have no other way of explaining it, you have to watch it yourself. The intro really gives you a glimpse of the current setting – 1985s, where the US was threatened by the possibility of a nuclear attack from the Soviets, and superheroes hug up their masks. I like how they gave this background without any dialog or making the movie longer.

The story then continues with how the public was fascinated with the superheroes who remained in the public eye: Adrian Veidt – formerly the superhero Ozymandias, the smartest man on earth, turned businessman – and Dr Manhattan (formerly Dr John Osterman) who is blue and “can restructure subatomic particles at will, perceive happenings on the subatomic level, live forever, resize himself at will and teleport.”

Then one day, one of the heroes – the Comedian, a man who has strength and is good in combat – suddenly gets murdered. Rorschach – a masked vigilante who wears a sock with changing ink blots over his head – is determined to find out who was behind it. In the process, he also gets set up.

The thing I really liked about this movie was how they portrayed the watchmen as human. Not like some god-like being who are so different that us. They make mistakes, they cry and they feel remorse.

Anyway, I really don’t want to write anymore without giving away too much. Point is, I found this movie entertaining. If you are looking for an action packed flick filled with fighting scenes and not much dialog, this is not the movie for you. If you are looking for something that is deeper and interesting, do go watch it.

Rating : 4.5 of 5 stars