ReviewGuru

Asus Transformer TF101 - initial review

2012-01-23T01:09:00.000-08:00

I just bought the Eee Pad Transformer TF101 last week, and here is the first look at this Android Device.

The following is the specifications.

Display

10.1” LED Backlit screen with IPS (1280 x 800) 10 point multi-touch input
Memory

1GB
Storage

16GB /32GB(1)eMMC + Unlimited ASUS Webstroage(2)
Wireless

802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Camera

1.2MP (front), 5MP Auto focus (rear)
Interface

2-in-1 Audio Jack (Head Phone / Mic-in)
1x mini HDMI 1.3a port
1 x Micro SD Card Reader
1 x Internal Microphone
1 x Stereo Speaker
Sensor

G-Sensor, Light Sensor, Gyroscope, E-compass, GPS
3G Module

Optional
Flash support

Yes(3)
Multi-tasking

Yes
Special App

ASUS launcher, MyLibrary, MyNet, MyCloud, File manager, Kindle, Zinio Magazine, PressReader, Polaris Office, ASUS sync
Battery

9.5 hours; 24.4Wh Li-polymer Battery(4) 16 hours with Eee Station

My first thoughts of this Asus Transformer is the weight, this tablet is HEAVY. Compared to the Galaxy Tab 10.1, this is indeed a heavy tablet.

I was indeed going to use Ice Cream Sandwich, but there seems to be issues.
Issues Facing Asus Transformer Prime Android 4.0 Update

Apart from the weight and ability to use Android 4.0, the Asus Transformer is the first device to use Nvidia's new Tegra 3 quad-core mobile processor, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is, arguably, the tablet to beat when it comes to raw computing power.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is not as powerful, but the Asus Transformer is not much faster. There is an occasional lag. The angle of viewing is very good and screen is bright and crisp.

I've used this tablet non-stop for 13+ hours using 3G and playing games, and the battery is still running. I'm quite impressed with the battery life and the way the tablet does not get hot after use.

Looking at the ports, the tablet has a micro-HDMI and a Micro-SD. And the dock with the keyboard has 2 USB ports and a SD card slot. Somehow, after using the tablet for sometime, I rather enjoy the keyboard and build quality.

I've brought the tablet for a weekend trip, and the battery lasted the whole weekend, sharing wifi with everyone.

Overall, I like this tablet and the way the keyboard extends the battery life. The design and build quality is good and the tablet just feels solid.

I would recommend it if you need a tablet as this still is the first quad-core tablet.

-- Robin Low

British Airways - Boston - Singapore - My impression

2012-01-17T23:31:00.000-08:00

I caught a flight from Boston - Singapore on British Airways via London Heathrow airport. This is not the first time I am on this flight, and I'd like to share my experience on the trip.

Firstly, I would like to point out that this journey is slightly more expensive than flying from Boston to Singapore through the West Coast, however when you take airlines like China Eastern Airlines, Malaysian Airlines or even United that goes near China, you will find that much of the flight is filled with many Chinese Nationals which will make you feel uncomfortable. I've experienced on every flight that passes through Shanghai that people go to toilets with the doors open.

The flight from Boston to London is rather pleasant. The people are rather orderly and not overly excited to get on the plane. The seat size and luggage space is decent, after all its a B747.

I have not much complains except that the food is pretty bad. But since it was a short flight, it was fine, and I got dinner at Heathrow.

As Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest in the world, it is efficient in many ways, however, I do not like it very much as they still use buses to transport people between terminals, which I do not feel it is safe as it does not seem hard to stray away from bus area to get to the planes.

The terminals are separated and not accessible much but by the buses and lots of walking. The staff at the counters at British Airways are not terribly friendly as well. My flight got delayed for 12 hours, and there was not even any notice by the British Airways staff to inform the passengers of the delay. The airport sigh says flight delayed to 9am, and if you don't look closely, you will not notice as the flight was for 9pm.

After going to the transfer counter, the staff gave me a note to go to the Qantas staff and they have a bus to bring me to a Hotel to accommodate me for the night. Again, the location of the counter is far away, and rather hard to navigate. When I finally arrived, there was again, going from arrival to departure to arrival and much back and fourth.

The hotel that they put me in is Park Inn Hotel inn Heathrow. It is about 10 minutes from the airport, and a pretty nice hotel. It seems like 50% of the time I transfer in London, I end up at this hotel as the planes failed to fly off on time.

However, in the morning, after another 1 hour delay, my flight to Singapore was ready, and it is a Qantas Codeshare flight and its a A380. QF010

The flight was orderly unlike domestic US flight where everyone brings their huge luggage on board. On this flight, everyone was normal. The old ladies spoke in their strong British accent and were courteous and enjoy their tea. On the flight, the touchscreen was pretty enjoyable, it was a skycam which shows you the top view of the A380, which during take off, makes you feel that it is "too heavy" to fly, but miraculously manages to take off.

Other than that, there was nothing special about the A380. The flight was bigger, but it simply packed more people in the 2 levels on the plane. I've previously flew business on the A380 and it is much more spacious than economy, but not much more special compared to the 747-400.

Overall, I would say that going from Boston to Singapore through London, would be a very pleasant experience if not for the 13 hour flight delay which makes me arrive in Singapore at 6:30am, one of the worst time as the Taxi's charge you extra for peak hour charges, and you get stuck in the terrible morning rush hour.

-- Robin Low

Heathrow Airport

Leaving Boston

Dinner on British Airways

Arriving at Heathrow

Heathrow Airport

Fantastic photos I've received in my Email

2011-12-29T17:07:00.001-08:00

Office of Selgas Cano in Madrid

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The world's highest chained carousel, located in Vienna, at a height of 117 meters.

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Thor's Well a/k/a "the gates of the dungeon" on Cape Perpetua, Oregon. At moderate tide and strong surf, flowing water creates a fantastic landscape

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Emerald Lake in the crater of an extinct volcano. Tongariro National Park - NewZealand

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Restaurant on a cliff on the east coast of Zanzibar.

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Gryfino, Poland. The cause of the curvature is unknown

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Desert with Phacelia (Scorpion Weed). Flowering once in several years.

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Balloons in Cappadocia.

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Dubai. The view from the skyscraper BurjKhalifa. The height of buildings is 828 m (163 floors).

And this is the view down

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Day and night. The monument in Kaunas, Lithuania

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The border between Belgium and the Netherlands in a cafe

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Twice a year in the Gulf of Mexico rays migrate. About 10 thousand stingrays swim from the Yucatan Peninsula to Florida in the spring and back in the fall.

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In the resort town of Skagen you can watch an amazing natural phenomenon. This city is the northernmost point of Denmark, where the Baltic and North Seas meet. The two opposing tides in this place can not merge because they have different densities.

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In the Chinese province of Shandong is a bridge across the Gulf of Jiaozhou. The bridge length over 36 km is calculated for eight car lanes, and is the longest sea bridge in the world.

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Paris computer games store. In fact, the floor is absolutely flat.

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An unusual tunnel in California's Sequoia National Park

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This statue, created by Bruno Catalano, located in France

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Family photo

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The longest traffic jam in the world recorded in China. Its length is 260 kilometers

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Lena Pillars. Russia, the Lena River.

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Marcus Levine - slaughtering an artist in the literal sense. He creates his paintings by nailing a white wooden panel. At his latest series of paintings exhibited in a gallery in London, Marcus has spent more than 50 000 pieces of iron

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In the city of Buford (USA) lives just one person. He works as a janitor and as a mayor.

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Autumn camouflage

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Haus Rizzi - Germany.

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Balcony of floor 103 in Chicago. (Outside)

Balcony of floor 103 in Chicago.

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Lost paradise in the Indian Ocean. Isle of Lamu.

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Banpo Bridge in Seoul, South Korea

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Favelas of Brazil. The boundary between wealth and poverty.

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Lighthouse guard in Mare, France must be one of the most courageous people on the planet!
Not everyone will have a smoke in such weather, and in such a place!

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View of the sunset from inside the wave.

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This is a unique geological phenomenon known as Danxia landform. These phenomena can be observed in several places in China. This example is located in Zhangye, Province of Gansu. The color is the result of an accumulation for millions of years of red sandstone and other rocks.

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In northwestern Montana, USA. The water is so transparent that it seems that this is a quite shallow lake. In fact, it’s very deep

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Airport in the Maldives is located on an artificial island in the middle of the Indian Ocean

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Morning Glory - kind of clouds observed in the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Australia

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Photo of storm in Montana, USA, 2010

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Skyscraper-Crescent Crescent Moon Tower (Dubai)

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Heavy fog in Sydney, which enveloped the whole city

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The river above the river: Magdeburg Water Bridge, Germany.

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Gibraltar Airport is one of the most extraordinary airports around the world

Enjoy them!
-- Robin Low

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol -- MOVIE REVIEW

2011-12-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

I would not really have wanted to watch this movie as I felt it was just going to be another "Tom Cruise - Mission Impossible" Movie, and bring the fourth one, I never expected it to be good.

However after watching it, I must say that this is the best mission impossible movie thus far! In theme with "M:I", there are a lot of exciting sequences and beautiful scenes, but in this movie, there was a good blend of humor.

It was very hard for me to say this, even for a Tom Cruise movie, I actually enjoyed it better than Sherlock Holmes 2! Strangely enough because in this movie, Tom Cruise is depicted as more human, just... very tough!

You will be dazzled by all the (bond like) gadgets that are pretty believable by today's science and the action shots of Cruise climbing a 130 storey building is indeed exciting. Along with an exciting score, the pace of this movie is good, and the action seems to continue and there was not much of a dull moment.

In this movie, you see Ethan (Tom Cruise's character) miss a jump several times, nearly costing him his life, and it was exciting and funny in a way as well. Many scenes were timed perfectly and the framing, movements and camera angles gave this movie the extra edge to make it far more exciting than the other movies.

Again, the gadgets in the movie were not perfect field gadgets, and they are quirky at times, which adds to the humor. The locations are also beautiful, Moscow, Dubai and Mumbai...

I did not expect much but was delighted at the movie as a whole. It was well put together, no thanks to Tom Cruise, and the movie was well made, edited and presented. Good job.

Overall: 8.5/10

-- Robin Low

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Movie Review

2011-12-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

Robert Downy Jr teams up with Jude Law again in A Game of Shadows, directed by Guy Ritchie.

I expected this movie to be good after watching the first one, and had pretty high hopes for this one. Not to reveal the plot, I would just go to what I like and dislike about the movie.

Likes:
1) A lot of funny moments. The chemistry of Watson and Sherlock Holmes is great, and there are tons of funny moments.
2) The cinematography, colors, costume and set is beautiful, a real high quality production.
3) Story is very cohesive and Guy Ritchie managed to bring everything together at the end.
4) A very innovative way of telling the story. Very original story. And they DARE to kill off characters.
5) You get to see one of the ugliest onscreen women -- Robert Downy Jr.
6) Felt very family friendly. It is PG-13 afterall.

Dislikes:
1) The action sequences, use of the slow motion to add dramatic effect gets a little dry after a few times.
2) There are many jokes that are unnecessary and falls pretty flat Do we really need to see a fat white guy? Really?
3) The investigation is a little epic. Too Epic. Sherlock Holmes stopped Prof. Moriaty's plan to start a world war? Do they have to go there?
4) The explanation for all things get a little stale at times, and for some action that Sherlock Holmes take, there just too much explanation.
5) There are a lot of moments where the action stopped and they tried comedy, then some dry parts. Movie is in pieces and the story is pieced together, but it did not seem to be a very good job.
6) Tries too much to be a comedy / action movie.
7) Felt very family friendly. It is PG-13 afterall.

Its a great holiday movie. If you like the first one, you should like this one. It feels very much similar. It seems a little like they are milking the series though.

The End?

Overall: 7/10

-- Robin Low

If you want to know why I did not like this movie. I don't get why Prof. Moriaty has to go after Watson... Its kinda unnecessary. Watson is married and pretty much out of the story otherwise, and going against Sherlock Holmes would be much easier.

Kindle Fire -- 10 things I learn using it

2011-11-20T20:37:00.000-08:00

I've read so many reviews about the Kindle Fire, and I am not going to review it, but rather, let you know what I've learn after using it and charging it for the second time.

1) This is a colored ebook reader, not really a replacement for your notebook. A tablet is still a tablet. If you think you can answer emails, write blogs and do actual work on this, you are kidding yourself. The keyboard is still crap. Don't throw away that notebook.

2) You get one month free Amazon Prime, and you get free ebook checkouts and videos to watch. When you activate your Kindle Fire, your free month starts immediately.

3) Android apps in the Amazon Appstore get Fire-optimized version. There are about 200,000+ apps in the android store and the Kindle app store only has 10,000. There is no Android app for the Kindle fire.

4) The Kindle Fire is able to download and store media locally. However after all being said and done, you only have 6GB to store on the memory of the Kindle Fire. You do get online storage on the Amazon cloud though. The kindle Fire uses Micro USB, and you can connect with your notebook to transfer files. Alternatively you can email it to yourself once you allow the email account to send you files.

5) Amazon claims 8 hours of battery use, however after my full charge, I watched 4 movies on Amazon prime and played around and download apps. (Yes, Wifi is on) I get about 6.5 hours left and the warning 15 mins left is now on. My screen is also on 65% brightness as I'm indoor all day. (And the 15 mins lasted 30 mins or more now, so 7 hour battery with wifi)

6) Amazon updates the kindle all the time! I left the wifi on, and I get updates several times now. It feels kinda invasive, however it is in the terms of service.

7) New Silk browser is still a mobile browser. It is indeed fast and smooth though. Has not crashed on me yet. I've watched Youtube videos on it fine as well.

8) There is only one button on the Kindle Fire. The power button. Everything else is on screen, in app buttons. This may be one of the reasons why some apps will need a rework on Kindle Fire.

9) If you stream everything, you will not even use much of the 6.5GB space in the Kindle Fire. Each app is about 20MB, and I installed about 100 apps, and I still have more than 6GB of space left. After loading in significant amount of ebooks, I have now slightly less than 6GB. I guess without music and video, 6.5GB may seem a lot.

10) Kindle Fire runs nook Apps. Yes, it does. Read here <-

-- Robin Low

Kindle Fire -- The Unboxing.

2011-11-19T22:14:00.000-08:00

I got my Amazon Kindle Fire on 17 Nov and it comes with just a charger and the tablet itself. Packaging is modest and simple. There is an instruction card, not even a manual!

The manual is actually an ebook in Kindle Fire!

I have charged it and played around with it for a while. JUST A REMINDER, when you want to do anything, you have to register with your Amazon Account, and instantly, YOU WILL GET YOUR FREE AMAZON PRIME.

So if you are not ready to start watching the free videos or ebooks yet, DON'T register!

The App Store is much different from Android App Store. It is fairly limited. The Kindle Fire is not really a tablet. It is more of a ebook reader Hybrid. Even though it runs Gingerbread Android 2.3, it is totally different from my Galaxy Tab with Gingerbread 2.3.

If you want to use it as a tablet, you may be totally disappointed!

Will play with it more and give a review later. Here are some photos.

-- Robin Low

Fuji x100 - Review

2011-11-16T20:39:00.000-08:00

The Fuji x100.

It is a compact camera with an SLR-size APS-C sensor and traditional analogue control dials, that hides ground-breaking technology inside a retro-styled body with looks to die for. It's Fuji's first camera with a large, APS-C sensor aimed at professionals and advanced amateurs for like 5 years.

There are a few things that attracted me to this camera. It’s a retro-styled camera that squeezes an SLR-size APS-C sensor into its compact body, and sports a fixed, fast F2 maximum aperture semi-wideangle lens with a classic 35mm-equivalent field of view.

I've always wanted a small camera with the following features:

Manual Focus
Shoots Raw
APS-C Sensor or Full Frame
Fast Lens (F2 or higher)

And once I saw the x100 and how it looks, I MUST GET IT.

For a start, the x100 is not hard to look at. Here are some photos.

There are so many accessories for the x100 and it has the world's first Hybrid View Finder.

So What is the HYBRID VIEW FINDER?

It combines a conventional direct-vision optical viewfinder with a high-resolution electronic viewfinder, offering the best of both worlds. The optical view finder can also digitally overlay gridlines and other important information, making it strangely fascinating. It can also change to a digital view finder is also very high resolution and it gives you a better view in dark conditions.

Styling

The styling of the x100 works. It looks like a 1970 camera, the aperture controls, shutter speed dials and other controls are in pretty good locations, making it easy to use. There is a place to even for the flash in the small body, the place you would find the viewfinder in the old rangefinders.

Key features

12.3 megapixel APS-C sized CMOS sensor
Fixed 23mm F2 lens (equivalent to a 35mm lens on full frame)
2.8" LCD screen, 4:3 aspect ratio, 460,000 dots
Hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder
OVF with 0.5x magnification, projected framelines indicate approx 90% of field of view
EVF with ca 0.5x magnification, 1,440,000 dots
Traditional-style control dials for shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation
ISO 100 (L), 200-6400, 12800 (H)
Flash hot shoe and built-in flash
Built-in neutral density filter (3 stops)
1280x720 HD movie recording with stereo sound (24 fps) H.264 .MOV (max 10 mins)

Here is a sample of a video of the x100

It records very fast with the press of the button, and focuses continually even in low light.

Here are some sample photos.

Indoor photos.

Night Photos

Day photos

Portraits

I feel that the quality of the photos are pretty good, most of the shots are done at ISO 3200, or ISO 1600 at night and yet you do not see much noise. The color is very vivid, and images pretty sharp.

Pros:

APS-C sensor in a small body
Good noise reduction
Fast f/2 lens
Beautiful and simple to use
Incredible Hybrid viewfinder

Cons:

Slow focusing
Manual focus is hard to use (or just sucks)
Macro Range 10cm - 2m
Maximum shutter speed at f/2 is 1/1000s (max speed of 1/4000s only for f/8 or smaller)
Relatively expensive at US$1200

I feel that the x100 tries to be all smart to control the light and the camera actually does not allow you to do artistic overexposed or underexposed silhouette shots. Even with manual aperture controls and shutter speed, the camera still seems to process the data when it makes the shot.

Overall:

This is a great travel camera and it does street photography really well. It is small and light for something with an APS-C sensor and it is pretty to look at.

I would give it a 8/10

Immortals - Movie review

2011-11-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

Immortals (2011)

Theseus is a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity.

I'm not even going to seriously review this. I was shocked when I was in the cinema today. Initially, I thought it was like 300, with Inception music, but I was wrong.

I don't even want to explain the story. There is none! Everything does not make sense and the more they try to be serious, the more hilarious it gets. One thing though, the movie is very GORY! Lots of guts, blood and bodyparts everywhere.

Everything is predictable. The minute you see a virgin, you know she will not be for long, and they ACTUALLY SHOW IT, her ass and all!

The gore is not scary, but as it is trying to be artistic and serious, it becomes hilarious. Everyone is laughing at the over the top action sequence and gore.

It does teach you a valuable lesson though -- NEVER BE A TRAITOR / DEFECTOR. You will see the most horrible consequence, and it is graphic, did not even try to do any face away or off camera shots. A REAL OUCH moment.

Everyone seems to have great abs. It like everyone in the movie pauses to pose for the camera when they stop walking and show off their modeling pose for Abecrombie 500BC...

Nothing much else to say about this movie. 3D does not really add that much, but I do appreciate 3D ass cheeks, which makes me want to watch Sex and Zen in 3D.

Overall -- 3/10

If you want a comedy, go for it, it is brainless, gore and fun.
Otherwise, avoid it.

-- Robin Low

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas Movie Review

2011-11-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas

I am very surprised at the pace of this movie. I did not like Harold and Kumar 2, but I felt that there was a change in pace and the way this new movie is presented, and it was a pleasant surprise.

With a cast of Danny Trejo, and all of the original cast, this movie has the same old feel as the original movie. In this movie, NPH is not so funny and his role is indeed very minor.

The pacing of the movie is pretty good. At the start of the movie, Harold and Kumar are not together, and it starts out pretty slow. Every 10 minutes something outrages happen, and in the spirit of the movie, it is always about getting high. There is a hilarious joke about the baby getting high on weed, heroine, and estacy pills.

The story also gets increasingly outrageous, and there is a lot of funny surprises, twists and turns in the story which will keep you entertained.

Storyline
Six years have elapsed since Guantanemo Bay, leaving Harold and Kumar estranged from one another with very different families, friends and lives. But when Kumar arrives on Harold's doorstep during the holiday season with a mysterious package in hand, he inadvertently burns down Harold's father-in-law's beloved Christmas tree. To fix the problem, Harold and Kumar embark on a mission through New York City to find the perfect Christmas tree, once again stumbling into trouble at every single turn. Written by Mandate Pictures

Overall, I would say catch this movie when its out, watch it, you'll enjoy it!
Rating 8.5/10

-- Robin Low

In Time Movie Review

2011-10-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

In Time

Director: Andrew Niccol
Writer: Andrew Niccol
Stars: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy

In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Here, Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage - a connection that becomes an important part of the way against the system.

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When I first read about the synopsis, I was thrilled about the idea, and wanted to watch to see how it goes. It does make sense as you see a lot of people wasting their lives away, spending their time on video games, YouTube and other random stuff. Time is a currency, and when time is the only currency, people might appreciate it more.

The movie was a little brave to take such a premise and run with it. And Justin Timberlake did not do much in helping make the role more convincing either. The dialog, and pretty much everything in the movie seemed a little unreal, and not in a good way.

The acting and plot at times become so bad, that I actually laughed hard. For people with minutes to live, they sure kiss a lot! Overall, I thought the idea was rather good, and the movie could be so much better, however the cast and the way this story is told on the big screen killed it.

I'm sure the book was much better. (I'm not even going to rate it -- Don't watch)

-- Robin Low

Halloween in Salem

2011-10-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

Tis the season to be in Salem.

And here are some reasons to go.

1) Its Freakin' Halloween
2) Food is good.
3) There is a carnival??
4) 3D Haunted House is out of this world
5) Packed with activities!!! REALLY

-- Robin Low

Fuji x100 - Unboxing

2011-09-19T04:07:00.000-07:00

This is the unboxing of my Fuji X100.

The first look and feel of this camera is pretty good. The camera feels very solid and it is pretty. I will be testing the camera, but the initial look and feel is pretty solid.

I've got it for RM$3200 with a 32GB Class 10 SD card, Original Fuji X100 Camera Case and a screen protector.

I'm just upgrading to the newest ver 1.11 firmware, and will do some shooting later. for now, the power up seems pretty fast, and the shutter lag is bearable, like a regular point and shoot.

The focusing is not fast and it cannot capture my fishes swimming. The image quality looks pretty good and the rear LCD screen and viewfinder is simply amazing.

Its a left-eye focus camera, and when I used my right eye in the viewfinder, I could see the lens of the camera.

I'm quite satisfied with what it is at the moment, and will shoot more to try it out and give it a review over the next few days.

Certainly very excited to have a APS-C sensor in such a compact body!

-- Robin Low

Night Festival Singapore 2011

2011-09-04T03:25:00.000-07:00

Prior to my visit to Night Festival, I heard many good things, and the large crowds it draws.

I was very excited and decided to visit on 3 September 2011, and here are some of the photos.

Yes, the question after arriving at 6pm hearing all the good things was "That's it?"

Yes, there was sort of a live light show exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum, but everything else seemed rather underwhelming. The crowd was terrible and the experience was rather disappointing.

Standing under LED lights to stare at your own shadow seemed to be one of the attractions as well.

*sigh*

-- Robin Low

High dynamic range photography (HDR)

2011-08-22T00:56:00.000-07:00

In image processing, computer graphics, and photography, high dynamic range imaging (HDRI or just HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than current standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wide dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight.

The two main sources of HDR imagery are computer renderings and merging of multiple photographs, the latter of which in turn are individually referred to as low-dynamic-range (LDR) or standard-dynamic-range (SDR)photographs.

Tone-mapping techniques, which reduce overall contrast to facilitate display of HDR images on devices with lower dynamic range, can be applied to produce images with preserved or exaggerated local contrast for artistic effect.

HDR Photo of the above picture

Just search Google for HDR images and be inspired!

-- Robin Low

Where companies get their names?

2011-08-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is part of a chain mail which I copied and shared.

Which logos do you like best and which one do you know how it got its name from ?

-- Robin Low

IRAS Webpage (Singapore TAX)

2011-08-03T01:12:00.000-07:00

I'm currently doing taxes for several companies in Singapore.

If you have simple businesses like me, even if its a PTE LTD, you can actually file your taxes yourself.

The IRAS Website has a lot of information, too much perhaps, but as I've filed myself before, for several companies that I own, I believe that you can do it yourself too.

If you intend to file taxes yourself, it is not very hard, but a little confusing. You need to have your balance sheet and profit and loss statements, and everything is just dropping information in the right place.

Here are some important downloads:

1) Basic Tax Calculator

2) Form C

What is Form C

The Form C is a declaration form for a company to declare its income.

Please ensure that all the necessary sections in the Form C are correctly completed and that it gives a full and true account of the company's income.

Who needs to file Form C

All companies carrying on a trade or business in Singapore need to file Form C annually to report their income. Even if the company is making losses, it is required to file the Form C.

If your company is newly incorporated, you may not need to file Form C in the first year following the incorporation date. Please refer to the guide for new companies to find out more.

If your company is dormant or has ceased business operations, please refer to the details below on what you have to do:

- If you are a dormant company
- If you are applying for strike-off/to cease registration
- If you are under liquidation/judicial management/receivership

Who can sign on the Form C

Any person authorised by the company can sign the Form C. However, the director or principal officer of the company is still responsible for the company's tax affairs.

What if I do not file Form C

If the company does not file Form C by the due date, IRAS may issue a Notice of Assessment (NOA) based on an estimation of the company's income. If the company does not agree with IRAS’s estimated assessment, it has to object in writing within 30 days from the date of service of the NOA. Otherwise, the estimated assessment will be treated as final even if the Form C submitted subsequently shows a lower taxable amount.

Basically, you should have received Form C by now, it is a stack of forms sent to you somewhere in February - April this year. Well, the electronic copy can be found and used so your ugly handwriting will not affect your filing.

The process was straightforward last year, and after contacting IRAS (a long wait) you can get things pretty much resolved. They are slow by happy to help, and feel free to visit them at their HQ in Novena for more information.

I am embarking on the journey to file my taxes now!

-- Robin Low

Leica M9P vs Leica M9

2011-07-24T01:42:00.000-07:00

I have a chance to try out the M9 Titanium and the M9P today, and I must say, they are very pretty cameras indeed.

Looking at the M8, M9, M9 Titanium and M9P, I personally do not feel that there is much difference. They are all well built, and look great.

The M9P's design does drop the red Leica dot on the front, and added sapphire glass to the rear, but does it really make any difference at US$1000 more?

I would say, the low grade 2.5" LCD Screen with 230k pixel resolution is simply disappointing for a S$11.4k camera. Adding sapphire glass does not increase resolution. Even the Fuji X100 has a 2.8" 460k pixel resolution LCD screen.

I would say, this Leica is a work of art, and it takes great photos. The price is in deed a little high, and I'm not sure if dropping the red dot and adding sapphire glass to the low grade LCD screen does make US$1000 of a difference.

-- Robin Low

Wu Xia - Movie Review

2011-07-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, its Donnie Yen again in another martial arts movie. Watching the trailer does not reveal much of the story, so it is fine to watch this following trailer. I thought it was a satire or a comedy at the start, but it quickly changed my mind.

I would say this movie is unlike any martial arts movie I saw, and I rather liked it. I will try my best not to reveal any plot in this review, but not knowing anything before watching this movie really did blew me away.

If you intend to watch this movie no matter what, I say, just go, and don't read any further, it might spoil the fun.

Director Peter Chan, someone whom I've not really take a lot of notice before really transformed the genre of martial arts movie. Set in 1917, the story starts slow with the life of Liu Jinxi (Donnie Yen), a simple paper maker is changed completely when he faced 2 thugs and some how managed to defeat them "by luck"

Then the story goes into a CSI style investigation when Xu Baijiu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) examines the death of the thugs and digs deeper and deeper in the investigation. At times, the deduction made by Baijiu may seem unreal, but more light sheds as the story continues.

When the investigation phase is over, Jimmy Wang Yu appears as the scary figure of Jinxi's past and the dark and creepy past of Jinxi starts to reveal. This movie then transforms into a fight fest as the spectacularly choreographed fight scenes changed the whole tempo of the story.

Cinematographers Jake Pollock and Lai Yiu-fai did a fantastic job of bringing in the 1917 village and town to life. Overall, the movie is well made, well edited, and very enjoyable to watch.

Although there is no "feel good" ending or the feeling of just giving a standing ovation when the whole movie ends, I still feel that the whole new way to a martial arts movie is told by this movie is something that people will be talking about in time to come.

If you are waiting for a great summer movie to watch, this is it!

Rating: 8.5/10

-- Robin Low

Galaxy Tab on Gingerbread Android 2.3.3

2011-07-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

On 5th of July, Galaxy Tab started rolling out Android 2.3 in many countries. However, I could not wait for this to come to Singapore and so I decided to flash the rom myself.

I have a Galaxy Tab from Singtel (Asian version) and this are the following steps I did to get Android 2.3.3 onto my Tab.

I followed instructions found on this page

Here are more details :
The firmware version of KIES is : P1000XXJPZ.
This rom is running Android 2.3.3
Firmware Version: 2.3.3
Versione banda base : P1000XXJPZ Base-band version: P1000XXJPZ
Versione Kernel : 2.6.35.7 – se-infra@SEP-52 #2
Kernel Version: 2.6.35.7 – if infra-SEP-52 @ # 2
Numero build : GINGERBREAD.XXJQ1
Build Number: GINGERBREAD.XXJQ1
Hopefully this is not a joke and all the tabs will get updated to Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread).

It is not very hard to install the rom, you will need:

Download Android 2.3 Gingerbread User Guide : here
Download Android 2.3 Gingerbread Firmware : here

Or you can download software here.

Download these files and place them in a folder together on your desktop.

1. Main Firmware (227MB) <------------- http://www.multiupload.com/IZLCKQ3VJC2. Pit File (557b) <--------------------- http://www.thegalaxy...h&attach_id=1563. dbdata file (1.92Kb) <----------------- http://www.thegalaxy...h&attach_id=1574. Flashing Program (196.71K) <--------- http://www.thegalaxy...h&attach_id=1580. Preparing to Flashing the firmware1. Take the main firmware and unzip the file using winzip or another extraction program. When it unzips you will be left w/ a .tar file. This is the file you will need to flash.2. Unzip ODIN V1.7. You will have several files in the folder. you will use the file called Odin.exe3. Unzip the pit file. you will be left w/ a .pit file4. Unzip the dbdata file and you will be left w/ a file named dbdata.tar.Take all those files and put them in a folder inside the main folder so they are in one spot and easy to find.1. Flashing the Firmware1. Double click ODIN.exe to run the program.2. Make sure your tab to turned off. Hold the Power and Volume down button at the same time and it will have a android guy in a triangle w/ a shovel and hook it up to your computer. This is the download mode.3. in the PDA section of odin place the main firmware .tar file in that section.4. Place the .pit file in the pit section and make sure repartition is selected.5. Hit start and it will flash the firmware.2. Second Phase to flashing Firmwareyou tab will reboot after the firmware flashes. Shut it down.1. Place tab in DL mode again and hook it up to your computer. Power button and Volume Down at the same time.2. Place dbdata.tar into the PDA section in ODIN (DO NOT SELECT REPARTITION)3. Hit start and it will flash the .tar file.4. Shut down the tab.3. Phase Three of Flashing FirmwareWe will be placing your tab into recovery mode. In Recovery Mode you will use the volume up and down keys to navigate and home key to select.1. Hold Power and Volume up together.2. Release Power after holding it for about 4-5 second and continue to hold the Volume Up button until recovery menu shows up.3. Select wipe cache (When Done go to next step)4. Select wipe data/factory reset.5. Select reboot and you are done. You now have Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread.4. Flashing of OPTIONAL rooted kernel GSM TABS ONLYThis is to be done after all the steps above have been done.1. unzip the CFroot file and you will have a .tar file.2. Start the ODIN program3. put the .tar file in the PDA section in ODIN (DO NOT SELECT REPARTITION)4. Place your tab into DL Mode and hook it up to your computer5. Hit startyou will now have a rooted tab and ClockWorkMod recovery installed.============================================================================Version 2 of flashingQuick & Original ChainFire instructions For Those Who Know flashing (do this if you didn't follow the above tutorial only!) : Download the version "With bootloaders": http://www.multiupload.com/IZLCKQ3VJC <--- flash this oneProcedure (ODIN !)- Download and extract the firmware zip- Download and extract the attached gt-p1000_mr_PIT.zip- Download and extract the attached dbdata.zip- Flash the firmware tar as PDA, repartition enabled, use the attached PIT- After flash immediately boot into download mode again- Flash dbdata.tar as PDA (NO repartition)- After flash immediately boot into recovery mode- Wipe cache- Wipe data / factory reset-----------------------------------------------------------------I've done it several times, and it works, but if you are not computer savvy, don't try, I'm not responsible if you bricked your G-Tab.-----------------------------------------------------------------There are still further steps if you want to get your G-Tab online.You need to input the APN data for the 3G to work.In Singapore, I'm using Singtel, and here are the following information that finally worked for me and my Galaxy Tab.1st APN -> IDEAS. There is a Green Light selected on this option
Name: IDEAS
APN: e-ideas

Everything else is blank

2nd APN -> IDEAS MMS

Name - IDEAS MMS
APN - e-ideas
Proxy - 165.21.42.84
Port - 8080
Username - 65IDEAS
Password - ideas
Server - *
MMSC - http://mms.singtel.com:10021/mmsc
MMS proxy - 165.21.42.84
MMS port - 8080
MMC - 525
MNC - 01
Authentication type -
APN type - mms

With the above settings I am able to surf the web go to the Android Market and install stuffs everything is ok EXCEPT sending out MMS

The minute I edit the First APN to have the same settings as the second, I'm disconnected to the 3G network. I cannot surf the web at all, but can send MMS.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I'll review the Android 2.3.3 at a later date after using it for a while.

-- Robin Low

Bus Stop Fail

2011-07-09T03:21:00.000-07:00

This bus stop shelter does not shade you from the sun, nor does it shelter you from the rain.

This bus stop is located near Parkway Parade in Singapore.

It seems that there is always unnecessary construction going on in Singapore, and often, the result is worse than before.

-- Iron Bowl.

Green Lantern Movie Review.

2011-06-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1133985/

A test pilot is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.

Director:
Martin Campbell
Writers:
Greg Berlanti (screenplay), Michael Green (screenplay), and 5 more credits »
Stars:
Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard

From the trailers, I would never really want to watch this movie after the trailers, but as my friends want to go watch it, I decided to join them. As I've watched all the interesting movies in theaters, there was nothing else to watch.

Firstly, Green Lantern is not my favorite comic book hero, nor is Ryan Reynolds my favorite movie star.

As I've watched Thor not too long ago, I felt that the story was quite similar... After all, its a comic book adaptation.

Green Lantern is an annoying super hero, I felt that the explanation on the powers of the superheros, it did a slightly better job of saying that they heros are powered by "Will" and the enemy is powered by "Fear" instead of "Green" and "Yellow"

Its a fun movie, the effects are pretty ok and the story was fun and enjoyable as long as you do not over analyze the movie.

Caution:

1) Do not watch this movie with critics... They will nag all the way home and argue in the car.
2) Do not watch this movie with nerds... They will try to analyze the science and somehow try to justify a comic??
3) The purple alien is naked under the "Green Lantern Suit" so when he dies, he dies naked.

Throughout the movie, you see that Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) is simply an annoying prick. Not sure if there was much character development or anything at all, and everything seems pretty predictable.

Not much plot, no imagination, sucky story.

Avoid it and watch it when it comes out on TV.

Even when I watched it with discounted tickets, I felt it was a waste of money.

Overall: 3.5/10

-- Robin Low

Philips Norelco G370 Hair Trimmer Review

2011-06-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

The Philips Norelco G370 All-in-1 Grooming System is a full-size trimmer that is designed to keep your hair, beard, and moustache looking sharp.

I needed a trimmer and got myself a Norelco today, and I was surprised with what I bought. Costing $14.99 at Target, this trimmer comes with a charger and many attachments!

I tested all the attachments and this is what I feel.

The nose hair trimmer and the fine detailer works pretty good for its size. Although the plastic attachments felt a little cheap and flimsy, it worked out pretty well when I used it to shave my sideburns. The results were pretty good.

The trimmer is pretty well shaped and easy to use. Being a low cost trimmer which is cordless and sold with many attachments, this trimmer is surprisingly nice to use.

Although, the finishing and quality of the trimmer may be questionable, I feel that it is good enough for its price, and definitely works great!

Overall, if you are interested in getting a shaver / Trimmer, you should check this one out as it does a good job of trimming, and the price is hard to beat!

Rating: 8.5/10

Pros: Great value for money, Works great!
Cons: Build quality not so good.

-- Robin Low

Mc Fadden's Pub Review

2011-06-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

I was at Mc Fadden's Pub for a few times and for the first time, I actually dined at the Vault in the basement. It is an actual bank vault! Pretty amazing to be there.

I was pretty impressed by the vault, and decided to try out more food and drinks to give a review.

Firstly, I must say again, dining in the vault is pretty cool. I remembered going there before and after having more food, I remembered why I am not there more often.

1) Location:
The location is ok, pretty accessible by the Blue line or Green line train (possibly orange line too) It is right near Haymarket which is a famous touristy place.

2) Atmosphere:
The staff is generally friendly, though the bouncers seemed a little hot headed and unfriendly. It does get crowded, and the service is pretty slow when it does get crowded. The music varies greatly, one moment its great dance music, then its techno, then its hip hop. I don't get the different floors how the music pretty much is random. The place does smell like years of beer on the floor, and does not feel very appetizing. Service, like the music, is pretty random too, sometimes its good, and other times, pretty bad.

3) Food and drinks:
The food here is pretty good, decently priced. Less than $20 per person for a meal! Not bad at all. The drinks may get a little pricey though, for the same price, you can head over to cheers and Hard Rock.

Overall, I would suggest that if you are interested in going there for drinks, don't. Lots of other good places there for a drink that does not smell bad.

However, if you want food at a good price and relatively good tasting, you should check it out.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Mc Fadden's Pub
148 State Street, Boston, MA 02109-2506
(617) 227-5100 ‎
mcfaddensboston.com

Voyage de la Vie Review

2011-05-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

This is a Circus Theater at Resorts World Sentosa. If you have been to a Cirque du Soleil, you roughly can get the picture of what Voyage de la Vie is about.

Firstly, the set of Voyage de la Vie is fantastic! The stage, lighting, pyrotechnics, props, music and costume, just one word to describe it -- Fantastic! It was one of the higher production value shows I've been to, and it does make the experience more pleasurable. The gigantic dragon pillars at the sides of the Festive Grand theatre stage were the amazing, and the use of lighting makes it spectacular!

The theater is world classed. Great acoustics, comfy seats, great views... Two thumbs up!

The cast. Viktor Kee is an amazing juggler. Back in 1999, his segment can easily steal the show. No wonder in Voyage de la Vie, he is pretty much in the lead.

Jonathan Leong, a local boy was 2nd at Singapore Idol, and there is certainly no lack of fan support and talent here.

Aurelia Cats, a Trapeze Contortionist does things that are not only dangerous, these stunts are pretty much impossible to attempt without years of training.

Liina Aunola, famous for her rope and cloud swing acts is also renowned globally.

Martti Peltonen, a marksman is also pretty good in what he does.

The story. With such an amazing cast, can they strong out a cohesive story? Frankly, no... My mom did not understand, and I could not explain to her as well. The transitions are not terribly well done either, but the changes in each scene is pretty dramatic, and rather exciting.

The singing & music. I would not say that this is a musical, so the music is just average. Nothing you can really feel for, and the lyrics not very memorable. I can remember the lyrics when I watch Avenue Q, Sweeney Todd, or Rocky Horror, but not really for Voyage de la Vie. Well the final song that is played in the trailers can be recognized, but otherwise, nothing was great about the music and songs.

The Performance. I would say that for most parts, it was rather enjoyable and exciting. Certain acts definitely could be a show on their own, but the others kinda felt rather blend, but it was rather unfair to compare it with Cirque du Soleil I watch 2 months ago. I felt that the skills of a lot of the star studded cast is not fully leveraged, and it shows. The cast could do more, but the script was rather limiting I suppose.

The Price. Well, I would not pay to go watch it again. I guess this is meant for Casino high rollers... and they have to be pretty high to pay for these prices. A decent seat would cost close to S$100.

Overall -- I enjoyed the show, very entertaining, and lots of fantastic bits. The question is whether I felt it was worth S$100.. and sadly, even with the great stage and cast, I would not go back to watch it and pay S$100

I would give this a 7/10. If you win big at the casino, why not watch it and redeem with your bonus points!

-- Robin Low

Kung Fu Panda 2 - Movie Review

2011-05-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

From the beginning, you can get to see a new level of 3-D, the beginning was very well animated, and you get to see Po spitting buns in your face... in a good way. The 3-D was very impressive and awesome.

List of cast:
Po - Jack Black
Tigress - Angelina Jolie
Shifu - Dustin Hoffman
Shen - Gary Oldman
Monkey - Jackie Chan
Mantis - Seth Rogen
Viper - Lucy Liu
Crane - David Cross
Mr. Ping - James Hong
Soothsayer - Michelle Yeoh
Wolf Boss - Danny McBride
Master Ox - Dennis Haysbert
Master Croc - Jean-Claude Van Damme
Master Rhino - Victor Garber

The plot: Shen -- an evil peacock killed all the pandas as a soothsayer foretold that the peacocks will be defeated by "black and white". Shen with the power of gunpowder must be defeated by Po or it will be the end of Kung Fu.

The movie: Po integrated well with the furious 5 and fought to bring justice and help the other animals against the various raiders. Shifu has acquired inner-peace and wants Po to learn it to get to the next level.

Shen, used the power of fireworks to make cannons and wants to take over China. With the power of the cannons, few oppose him as he acquire metal to make more cannons.

As Po defended against wolf raiders raiding his town for metal, he saw the insignia on the shoulder of a wolf and caught a glimpse of his past...

...

Po went to the city and try to find out more about his past, and learns more about himself on his journey towards inner peace.

...

Not to reveal the whole plot, here are my thoughts.

The beginning of the movie started strong. The story was pretty lighthearted and fun and it does include some emotional scenes to try to give an emotional kick. There is more development of feelings between Po and Tigresss and they hugged twice in the movie. However the movie does feel a little empty in the middle as the story develops, but it sort of lacks comedy or action... Something was not right, and the flow was somewhat interrupted. However, it did try to finish strong and did a descent job with a few moral takeaways.

Overall, Kung Fu Panda 2 is a pretty good movie, a tad shy of "How to train your dragon." but still pretty good one. A few must watch scenes though -- about how Mr. Ping found Po (the cutest baby Panda ever!) and some great laughs here and there. Great fun for the family matinee on the weekends.

Rating: 7/10

Palo Alto - Trip Review

2011-05-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

I arrived at San Francisco Airport on May 19th and the weather was very nice. It was nice and cool with green all around. The drive was slightly packed with traffic at even 4pm, but it was otherwise pretty nice.

After placing my bags at a home, I visited Stanford and Palo Alto area.

Located in Menlo Park, CA, Stanford was HUGE and it does take a few hours to visit the parts of campus. There are a few Famous spots like the Hoover Tower, Memorial Church, Mausoleum and Angel of Grief ... It is very big to explore, and certainly more than a few hours is required.

After visiting Stanford, you can easily get to the rest of Silicon Valley and check out Cisco, Intel, Google, Facebook, Nvidia and much more. It all happens here!

But be reminded, security is tight and you need to get a friend who works there to bring you around.

-- Robin Low

Galaxy Tab Review

2011-04-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

I've used the iPad, Archos 7, Huawei Tablet and the Viewsonic tablets for a while, and now I decided to get the Galaxy Tab.

This is not the latest review of the Galaxy Tab launch last year, but I'm going to share with you my experiences and reasons why I got the G-Tab.

Quick specs: 1GHz processor, full Flash support thanks to Android 2.2, dual cameras, support for up to 32GB of storage and WiFi / 3G connectivity

The Galaxy tab looks great and the screen is fantastic. I would say Samsung has did such a good job of making such a bright screen, compared to the other tablets, it is definitely brighter.

The reason why I got the G-tab is because the price with a 2 year plan is S$248 (on a Singtel S$39 plan) It is pretty ok in price, and I love the specs.

Pros:

1) a headphone jack
2) microSD card slot
3) form factor is great for 1 handed use.
4) solid build.
5) great screen, great viewing angles.
6) Responsive screen.
7) supports flash.
8) 1Ghz processor. (much less lag compared to other tablets)
9) Internet tethering (via mobile AP app)
10) ok 3mp camera. (crappy flash)

Cons:

1) no micro-USB slot. (random Samsung Slot)
2) no kickstand
3) Gmail app on the Tab sucks, I sent 3 emails out when I pressed the send button.
4) ~ 6 hours of battery life vs the ipad 9.5 hours

After using all the Android tabs, even now with the newer tablets out, the Galaxy Tab is still a pretty choice which is better than the other tablets.

If you can get a plan with a relatively cheap tab, why not get it.

Overall 8/10

-- Robin Low

just1book.com.sg Photobooks Review.

2011-04-14T01:43:00.000-07:00

Recently I've used just1book.com.sg to print a Relief 2.0 photobook, and here is my experience.

Traditionally, I am not a big fan of photobook services as I feel that they are overly expensive, and in this case, a medium sized book of 40 pages, with a wrap hard cover costs S$104. Although I used more than 100 photos in the book, I felt that it was a tad expensive.

The software that you can download and use is not especially intuitive, and overall, I spent 8 hours putting photos and addition captions, then resizing the photos.

However, a week later, I received my photobook, and the quality was amazing! The paper quality, printing quality and colors were simply amazing. It was a true 300 dpi digital print and I love the book!

The service and the choice of books at Just1book, located at Dhoby Ghaut MRT was fantastic, and I highly recommend it!

So do try out their software, if you are good enough to design on your own, save a 300dpi PDF file and they can print it too.

They are definitely worth the price you pay for the books and service.

-- Robin Low

Ishinomaki - Japan

2011-03-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to travel to the "Manga city" in Japan, but being here today is rather heartbreaking

I'm at Ishinomaki, Day 8 after the Tsunami. Streets are being cleared, but damage is still very obvious.

I hope the town rebuilds, so I can come visit another day.

I am with Relief 2.0 to help empower, enable, engage and connect the local. And will share their brave stories of perseverance so others may learn from them.

The brave Japanese does not need pity or donation, they need loans to help rebuild their businesses and come up with creative ways to starting over.

I wish them well, and believe that they are strong people and will succeed.

-- Robin Low

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (Singapore) Review

2011-03-07T00:06:00.000-08:00

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a 130 ha wetland site, designated as a nature park in 1989. Located near Kranji, it is in the north of Singapore.

Opening Hours: 7.30am to 7.00pm on Monday to Saturday
7.00am to 7.00pm on Sundays & Public Holidays

Admission: Free entry
except on Saturdays, Sundays, Public Holidays and School Holidays.
$1.00 per adult
$0.50 per child / student / senior citizen

Theatrette show screenings: Mondays to Saturdays -
9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm & 5pm
Sundays and Public Holidays -
Hourly 9am to 5pm

------------------------------------------------------

There is much to see at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. But much of the beauty and ecological diversity can only be observed by one with an eye for the small details and patterns of nature.

I embarked a trip to Sungei Buloh, at 8am on Sunday, and as recommended, these are a few things that I packed and recommend packing.

1) Water Bottle with plenty of drinking water. (There are no vending machines and water coolers in the middle of the nature reserve.)

2) Good COMFORTABLE walking shoes. (The terrain is rather accessible, paved with gravel most parts, but the distance is HUGE, and you need to be able to walk several kilometers.

3) Camera. (There are a lot of things to see, but you really need a lens which can reach very far. I brought along a DSLR with a 200mm lens, and it is not even close enough to shoot the wildlife.)

4) Mosquito repellent. (lots of mossies out to get you.)

5) Umbrella. (Singapore's weather is unpredictable, and there is not a lot of shade.)

6) Binoculars. Birds are pretty far away.

-------------------------------------------------

I took the bus 925 from Khatib MRT Station with several photographers (watch out for the bus stop signs, but will not stop elsewhere.) and upon arrival, we we greeted by the smell of fresh air.

We were initially greeted by some Herons by the water and a few other birds that are hiding in the trees and bushes. The Herons are pretty far away, and pretty much just hanging out.

Then a huge Komodo Dragon walked by and slowly strolled along the path ignoring everyone taking photos of it. It is at least 2m long and is sized of a small crocodile.

Nature is everywhere, there are fist sized spiders in the trees, squirrels on the branches, It does take a good eye to spot them, and your reactions have to be quick to catch the perfect picture.

You can hear crickets and birds in the bushes, but more than often, not see them. If you are a little into nature, and want a safe controlled environment, this is the place.

Like always, there is claims of biodiversity, but after walking for some time on the well kept and concrete gravel path with people pushing strollers along the way, it just did not feel that much like your traditional nature reserve.

Walking around Macritchie reservior, you get to see butterflies, dragonflies and many other insects, and an occasional snake, however, at Sungei Buloh, the only few butterflies I found were small and rather common.

However, finally at one spot, we found flowers and one bee.

The walkways are later nice and made of wood, perfect for photographers with heavy equipment, and perhaps -- even a Trolley! The feeling of sort of in nature, but with a nice walkway is a little strange, but I do like the setup, but I felt that it did probably affect the wildlife, which was very elusive and hard to spot.

As we continued on the nice path, we spotted more spiders, and somehow, it became a lot less interesting.

With the lack of wildlife, spotting a bird became much more interesting. When a bird landed nearby, the photographers all shot hundreds of frames for a bird to land on a branch and then fly off again. Watching photographers may just be as amusing as the birds.

Later, there are bees. Lots of bees. They are not in your face, but rather, high up in the trees!

Walking to the mangrove area, you get to see many things which we took for granted when living in Singapore in the past but have disappeared in our lives. The giant mudskipper for example was common when I used to go fishing at the drains and canals, but they are impossible to find with Singapore getting so built up!

The next thing at the mangrove area was tree crabs. Its amazing to see small crabs climb trees.

Walking out of the mangrove area, we came across a bridge and saw fishes jumping on the surface of the water. It was very challenging to capture the fishes in the photos and again they were pretty far away, and you need far reaching lens.

As noon approaches, the weather was a lot hotter, and a little unbearable. Resting in a shaded area overlooking the water, a jellyfish was spotted, and it was indeed fascinating.

We decided to go home as lunch approaches and the weather was getting darker, and we spotted a large spider hanging out with flies. I'm not sure why the flies did not get stuck to the web, but they seemed to be getting along well.

Getting on the bus, we finally made our way out of the nature reserve. It was rather big, and we took 4 hours to cover only a small part of the park.

Overall, I would say that the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve just feels like any old park in Singapore. Calling it a Wetland Reserve is rather misleading, and the biodiversity and wildlife is rather limited. Being a reserve, it just means the land will probably not be developed into a golf course, and none of that adventure / danger you may expect in wildlife reserves.

But I would still applaud Singapore to keep such a place and not building more factories, roads, malls and offices which they do all so well.

If you intend to visit, as with any nature parks, do not keep your hope too high, as you may not see any rare birds at all. It is interesting to visit, and rather accessible terrain. Even one in a wheelchair can move about here.

Rating: 7/10

-- Robin Low

WD My Passport Essential USB 3.0 Review

2011-02-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

Western Digital My Passport Essential USB 3.0 1TB Review

My Old Seagate portable harddisk 250GB failed after 2 years. Although I used it to backup data, I still had a lot of photos and videos which I accumulated over the years on the hard disk.

Anyway, as I have my important data online and on DVDs as well, nothing essential was lost.

I bought a WD My Passport Essential USB 3.0 1TB, and I'm testing it out.

Product Features and Technical Details

Capacity: 1 TB | Color: Black

Product Features

Dual USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatibility
Connectivity today; speed for tomorrow
Up to 3x faster transfer rates with USB 3.0
Maximum capacity
Automatic, continuous backup
Hardware encryption, password protection

Technical Details

Brand Name: Western Digital
Model: WDBACX0010BBK-NESN
Hard Disk Size: 1 TB
Warranty: 2 years warranty
Hardware Platform: PC, Mac
Hard Disk Description: External hard drive
Hard Disk Interface: ATA100
Width: 4.3 inches
Depth: 3.3 inches
Height: 0.7 inches
Weight: 7.1 Ounces

Dual USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 interface- A single drive with universal compatibility today and next-generation speed for tomorrow. Use it with USB 2.0 now and step up to USB 3.0 speed when you're ready.

Up to 3x faster transfer rates - When connected to a USB 3.0 port this drive lets you access and save files up to 3 times faster than USB 2.0.

USB-powered - Powered directly from the USB port on your PC. No separate power supply is needed.

Compatibility
Formatted NTFS
Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows 7
Mac OS® X Leopard®, Snow Leopard™ (requires reformatting and will work in USB 2.- mode)

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The looks:
It looks rather small and ok I guess. The little white light on the side looks pretty cool, but otherwise kinda plain. It feels rather plastic and cheap.

The Experience:
Initially, when I plugged it into my Windows XP (SP3) the WD My Passport Essential USB 3.0 tries to search for drivers, and it does get a little annoy as it is not usable out of the box.

The instructions on the box and the booklet provided is worthless, but luckily it did something online, and within 10 minutes, it was automatically connected to my computer.

Once connected, I tried to dump 50 GB of things I would like to backup on the drive. Initially the "time remaining" was 1 hour, but it shortly reduced to about 40 mins.

I recalled using USB 2.0 in the past, and backing up the same data would take about 2 hours. This USB 3.0 is indeed a significant improvement.

I connected it to a MAC, and it was as slow as my USB 2.0 device.

The Price:
I bought it at about US$100, went to several stores in Singapore and found that Challenger has a pretty ok price for members, but to be a member, it costs $30. This is simply a very stupid decision for Challenger to force people to join an expensive membership. Everything in the store is overpriced too.

I found it at another store for US$100 too, and I did not need to be a member.

PROS:
Very small in size.
Relatively Cheap compared to other brands.
High Speed USB 3.0 Data Transfer.
No power required, powered by USB
Cables provided!

CONS:
Plastic built
Needs some form of installation online.
Needs reformat for MAC

Verdict: 8.5/10
Recommended!!

-- Robin Low

Movie Review: I am Number Four

2011-02-20T08:54:00.000-08:00

Aliens hunted down by other aliens on earth. Sound kinda like Escape to Witch Mountain, and it does feel like it.

John is an extraordinary teen, masking his true identity and passing as a typical high school student to elude a deadly enemy seeking to destroy him. Three like him have already been killed ... he is Number Four.

Director: D.J. Caruso
Writers: Alfred Gough (screenplay), Miles Millar (screenplay), and 3 more credits »
Stars: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron

Storyline

Extraordinary teen John Smith (Pettyfer) is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love (Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

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Overall, plenty of plot holes, exciting action scenes, and a Great Number 6 to watch. It was still very enjoyable to watch.

I'm afraid that if I discuss more about the plot holes, I'd reveal the whole story.

This is a movie that is ok to watch for a Matinee.

Rating: 6/10

-- Robin Low

New Facebook Page Review.

2011-02-11T00:30:00.000-08:00

I've switched my pages to the new Facebook page format.

1) The layout.

The layout of the page is very clear. On the left side, all the tabs that used to be on top and a little confusing is there on the left below the page picture. I would say this is very pleasant to look at.

Tabs are being removed.

2) Featured -- Owner + Likes

There is also a section on "featured" which allows you to feature your owner's pics for people to connect with the owner of the page.

You can also "like" other pages and link them to your page.

3) You can also convert your profile as a page.

It gave page admins the ability to post and comment on other Facebook Pages through a “Login as Page” feature.

There are some other notable differences between the new Facebook Pages and the old version, especially for page admins. The “Login as Page” feature gives admins the ability to interact with the rest of Facebook as a page, not an individual.

This is great new for companies who are starting their FB page, with their profiles.

Pages can’t do everything a user can, though. Most importantly, they cannot post on a user’s wall or comment on his or her status. The lone exception is for a user who has opted for the “everybody” privacy setting; Pages can comment on status updates for those individuals.

The other update Facebook is adding is an “Everyone” filter that brings the most interesting and engaging posts from a page’s community to the top of the page. This makes it easier for users and admins to easily find the most “liked” and commented conversations on a particular page. The new Facebook Pages are also smart enough to filter out posts that are not in a language you speak.

4) More information

A lot more information can be added to the page.

5) Admin Info.

The right-hand menu has also been tweaked. There is now a section that features the page’s admins (if you so choose) as well as a section that shows users how many of their friends have also “liked” that particular page. Finally, just like profiles, a page can now feature relevant photos at the top. This could lead to some very creative uses for Facebook Pages.

The new design launches today as a preview for Facebook Page admins. Before switching, they can check to see what their page will look like and tweak elements of the design before launch. The company is also releasing a Page Tour and a manual to explain the new design. Admins will have until March 10 to switch over though, before Facebook automatically updates every page to the new design.

Unlike some of the previous attempts of Facebook to change the layout, I kinda like the new layout of the page and how it flows.

Great job guys.

Overall: 9/10

-- Robin Low

2D1N Soju Bang Restaurant Review

2011-02-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

2D1N Soju Bang is a Korean BBQ Buffet Restaurant at Tanjong Pagar in Singapore.

Address: 44/46 Tanjong Pagar Road Singapore

Tel: +65 6227 6033

Opening Hours

Mon–Fri: 11.30am–2.30pm, 5.30pm–3am

Priced at $20/adult, $15/child and exactly 10% service charge (I don't understand why they just don't make it nett.)

----------------------------------------------------

Firstly, I must say, the queue is long, and I've heard some good things about this place and I finally tried it 2 days ago with 8 friends.

We arrived at 6:40pm and got seated by 7:30pm. It was packed and the smell from outside was killing me as I was getting hungry. The food indeed smells very good, and at this point, I was dying to try.

I love beef and pork. And I do love Korean BBQ, and I've had awesome Korean food in Boston and in Korea, will this stand up to the test?

My first impression and the feeling of the place is pretty good, but it is all about to change with my first bite.

The beef does not taste fresh at all. Heavily marinated, it does taste ok, but NOT FRESH... NOT FRESH AT ALL. Tried other cuts of beef, it is simply not good. I went to read other reviews from review sites and food bloggers, and I have to disagree with all of you. THE BEEF IS NOT FRESH! Therefore the food isn't good. I'm not talking about the food being authentic or flavors. It is simply not fresh, and how can you eat unfresh beef?

The pork is very bland and porkbelly ok, but this is a Korean BBQ place that has really bad beef.

The sausages are pretty ok, and I feel that the sauce available is pretty limited. I've made better Korean BBQ at home.

I must say, the Hite beer taste might good as you wash down the bad beef taste from your mouth.

Not all the meat is bad. Pork is bland, shrimp is fresh. Tried other food in the Korean BBQ, but it felt wrong after to go have sausages and shrimp when there are beef short ribs. Tried it again, and the cut was bad and it has a bad aftertaste.

Well, it was a rather unpleasant experience, and service.. what service?

I'll never go back there again, not even when its free. (at least not to eat, but I'd gladly drink beer)

Overall Rating: 3/10 (thanks to good beer and pork belly)

-- Robin Low

Shaolin (2011) Movie Review

2011-01-31T01:30:00.000-08:00

Shaolin (2011)

Directed by Benny Chan. Starring Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Bingbing Fan. China is plunged into strife as feuding warlords try to expand their power by warring over neighboring lands. Fuelled by his success on the battlefield, young and arrogant Hao Jie sneers at Shaolin's masters when he beats one of them in a duel. But the pride comes before a fall. When his own family is wiped out by a rival warlord, Hao is forced to take refuge with the monks. As the civil unrest spreads and the people suffer, Hao and the Shaolin masters are forced to take a fiery stand against the evil warlords. They launch a daring plan or rescue and escape.

This movie is grand martial arts spectacular, brimming with action, redemption and a generous helping of Zen Buddhism.

The beginning of the movie is a little slow, it does an okay job to bring out the important characters of the movie, before jumping into the plot. This new Shaolin is indeed much more epic than the previous one, and it can be seen as the production value is much higher.

Set during the tumultuous Warlord era of the early 20th Century, Andy Lau plays Hao Jie, a ruthless warlord, whose overwhelming victories and amassed personal wealth and success have come at the expense of the country's vast, struggling population.

Hao is betrayed by his own ambitious apprentice Cao Man (Nicolas Tse), sees his young daughter killed, he is forced to flee for his life. Ultimately Hao seeks refuge at a Shaolin temple and though reluctant at first to help a warlord, but later the monks welcome him in.

The story is very straightforward, without much plot twists, but the fights are well choreographed and the editing is pretty tight, compacting the whole story of Hao Jie's redemption in about 2 hours.

Coupled with a great score and beautiful scenery, this tale of epic redemption is well paced, and it attempts to make you feel for the characters in the movie which it had delivered pretty well.

Andy Lau's performance is exceptional in the movie both portraying the ruthless warlord and an enlightened monk. The final scene with lots of action, fights and explosions also tries to make the redemption even more emotional, and it does gets some fans wet around the eyes.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, and this is one that you should check out on the big screen.

Overall: 8/10

-- Robin Low

Shanghai Pudong International Airport Review

2011-01-23T04:56:00.000-08:00

Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVD)

This is a relatively new airport, and I have been to the airport many times so far. Each time, more renovations are done to it, and it changes slightly.

In Jan 2011, I was at Shanghai again, and I found many new shops there. My complains last time was that the stores were closed early, and most of them were like 9am - 5pm stores. Next, Some stores do not accept non-China Credit cards. WTF? Airport, seriously?

The airport is located near many airport hotels which are relatively cheap. I had 6 hours to spare, and I actually spent US$40 on a room to take a shower and a short nap before flying off. It was definitely worth it.

Many new stores good -- closing stores early bad -- having lots of stores clutter up walkways bad -- not changing signs when new store are blocking way to international departure bad

There are a few more things about the airport that irked me, but I think it cannot be helped. The local people seem to not care about the place, I've seen people smoking electronic cigarettes, littering, allowing their children to pee in the trash bins, spitting, missing the toilet bowl while pooping (poop on toilet seat)

Yes, many parts of the new airport is disgusting.

There is nothing much to buy and shop. Its expensive, and many parts of the airport is disgusting!

Avoid it if you can.

-- Robin Low

Green Hornet Review

2011-01-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

I unexpectedly went to watch the Green Hornet today in iMax 3D

If you don't know what is the Green Hornet, here is the Trailer.

The Green Hornet
Director: Michel Gondry
Writers: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Stars: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Edward James Olmos

I did not know what to think of the movie, and never expected to watch it in 3-D let alone at iMax 3D, but nonetheless, I paid US$15.50 to go watch it at Lowes Boston Common.

Playboy Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) becomes the new publisher of Los Angeles' "The Daily Sentinel" after the sudden death of his father. Britt's party life is about to change when he and his driver and kung fu expert, Kato (Jay Chou), stop a robbery. With the help of Kato, Britt starts a new career of fighting crime as the masked superhero "The Green Hornet".

I would say from the start, Seth Rogen was playing a dick, and instead of your usual Batman-esqe wake up and take responsibility and become super hero movie, this movie simply does not go that way. Seth Rogen remains a dick throughout the movie.

Hey, his father was murdered, well sort of in the beginning of the movie, and Seth Rogen does not seem to care, and did not even grow up through the process of the movie.

I would say the movie was about Seth Rogen and Jay Chou, and any other scene without them seemed a little flat. The action is average, and some of the scenes are pretty hilarious, so the movie is not a complete wash out. Cameron Diaz did not add much to the movie.

Even with the appearance of Edward James Olmos (Adama from BSG) the center of the movie still revolves the 2 main characters, Reid and Kato. And everyone else is not properly fleshed out.

There is a lot of slapstick humor, a bit of action, but not a whole lot of 3-D. I would say this movie, you can totally forgo the 3D part, and you should pay less if you want to watch it.

Is it worth the $15.50. DEFINITELY NO.

I would give the movie an overall 5/10

Don't watch it in 3-D, it does not add anything to the movie.

-- Robin Low

SVP FS1880 Black 35mm Negative Film/ Slide Scanner Review

2011-01-14T14:11:00.000-08:00

I bought SVP FS1880 Black 35mm Negative Film/ Slide Scanner, and thought it would be pretty nifty to own a negative scanner.

I got one from sigutech on ebay, and thought, heh, how bad can it be if I was using it for scanning lomography photos.

I was terribly wrong.

Well, this item arrived in 10 days, a little longer than expected, but worst of all. It failed to work. I installed it, rebooted the computer, plugged it into several other computers, Windows XP, Vista, 7... the works.

I realized that the software it came with works, but the scanner unit, though recognized by the computer after the driver was installed, was just faulty.

Yes, many things are cheaply made.
Yes, it feels very cheap.
Yes, it is made in China.

But really, dead on arrival?

The bulb in the scanner is just not functioning, and when I shine a flashlight into the unit, I can see something, but it surely does not scan negatives.

Buyers are responsible for the return postage and shipping charges to send the item back. All returned products found to be non-defective after the inspection are subject to a return shipping and handling charge which will be paid for by the buyer.

I feel that this clause does not cover the fact that the scanner arrived "dead" and hence I cannot continue with this review.

Avoid sigutech on ebay and probably SVP products as well.

-- Robin Low

Talisman Boardgame Review (Fantast Flight 4th Ed)

2011-01-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

There is indeed a new Talisman Boardgame.

I was quite excited that one of my friends got this for xmas this year, and I've had fond memories when I played this in the past about 20 years ago.

First: Playset

The new Talisman Boardgame is pretty well made. Although the plastic play pieces are not painted, the cards, gameboard and other game pieces are pretty well made. In fact, the plastic coins somehow sounds like coins when clinked together!

Game Contents (for Fantasy Flight Games Revised 4th Edition):

* 1 Large 6-fold Game Board (slightly revised)
* Revised 4th Edition Rulebook
* 14 Character Cards with matching plastic character figures
* 104 Adventure Cards
* 24 Spell Cards
* 28 Purchase Cards
* 4 Talisman Cards
* 4 Toad Cards with matching plastic toad figures
* 4 Alignment Cards
* 6 Six-sided Dice
* 120 (40 each) Strength, Craft, Life Counters (8 large and 32 small plastic cones in each set)
* 36 Fate Tokens (cardboard)
* 30 Gold Coins (plastic)

Game play

The game takes about 15 minutes to set up and about 3 hours to play. # of players is 2 - 6.

Talisman is a cult classic board game with a fantasy theme. There are 14 characters a player can control, from the heroic Warrior to the powerful Sorcerer. In this perilous adventure, play centers around the journey of these gallant heroes to find and claim the Crown of Command, a magical artifact with the power to destroy all rivals and make the bearer the true ruler of the kingdom. Only with strength, courage, wisdom and a few good dice rolls will players be able to survive the ultimate test and beat their opponents to victory.

Overall

I rather liked this game, and it does has lots of replayability. For about $50, this game is definitely worth it.

I give this game 7/10

-- Robin Low

First Night Boston 2011 Review

2011-01-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

Well, its safe, warm and fun!

All thanks to the Boston Police.

Here are the pics.

Have wonderful 2011.

-- Robin Low

Thunderstone Boardgame Review

2010-12-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

Designer Mike Elliott
Artist Jason Engle
Publisher Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG)
Arclight
Edge Entertainment
Pegasus Spiele
Year Published 2009
# of Players 1 − 5
User Suggested # of Players Best with 3 players
Recommended with 1, 2, 3, 4 players
Playing Time 60 minutes
Mfg Suggested Ages 12 and up

Thunderstone is a fantasy deck-building game. Fight the evils of the dungeon to prove your worth. Gain powerful weaponry and level into new and mighty hero classes. Claim the best cards and survive to take the Thunderstone.

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The Game:

Thunderstone is a Deck Building Card game that is quite similar to Dominion. There are several modes of play and I just tried one last night.

Thunderstone basically is about a group adventurers entering a dungeon, fighting through a horde of monsters to get to the Thunderstone and thus ending the game. And before you can enter the dungeon, you have to be in the village to equip yourselves with the right equipment.

For anyone with collectible card gaming experience, this game will be easy to pick up. You have some cards which give you gold, some cards which give you attack points, some hero cards which attacks, some cards have additional to boost your hero's attacks, light, the monster cards have a defense you need to exceed, and more.

The game is much about deck building and card draws. Like any card game, having a consistent draw is very important, and cluttering the deck with unnecessary things is bad. To win, a clear strategy is important, and there is not a lot of luck involved as the decks can be optimized for the adventure as the game goes along.

-----------------------------------------------

Gameplay:

The gameplay is pretty good actually. If you are a collectable card gamer, or you have played other card games, this game is very easy to pick up. Most of the time, a game of Thunderstone will take 30 minutes and about 15 minutes to set up, but sometimes when the randomness is bad, then it may take about 1 hour to complete.

Game is fun, and I would say great for 3 - 5 players.

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Replayability:

The game is very replayable. It is a different game every time you play as there are many variation of cards, and even better, variation of game play.

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Overall:

I feel that Alderac has done a good job testing the game. It is pretty well balanced with a 30 - 45 minute game play. To be good at the game, there are a few strategies you can build and it does get challenging and entertaining.

I would say that this is a great game to buy and play with a group of friends!

-- Robin Low

Tron: Legacy Review

2010-12-19T13:07:00.000-08:00

Tron: Legacy

Director:
Joseph Kosinski

Writers:
Edward Kitsis (screenplay), Adam Horowitz (screenplay)

Stars:
Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde

Storyline
Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 20 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant, father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

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I've read many bad reviews on Tron (2010) but since it was an outing planned weeks ahead to watch this movie in a big group at an IMax 3-D Theater.

It was a Friday night on the opening weekend. With the loads of marketing and hype behind the movie, it is easy for people to have very high expectations, but since I read some reviews and watched the original Tron Movie before watching the Tron: Legacy, my expectations were pretty much very low.

------------------------------------------------

The storyline.

What storyline? Have you watched Tron? Is there a storyline?

The science.

Hey, high resolution graphics in a 1980's computer? Those computers probably would have less computational power than your smartphone!

The science is not accurate, this is a movie, so enjoy it and do not think about it.

The Effects.

There is a lot of $$$ spent on this movie, and most of it goes to the effects. There is an old Flynn and a young Flynn (Clu) which is completely computer generated. In fact, most of the movie is computer generated.

I would say that the 3-D part of the movie is not as impressive as it could have been, but there are some scenes that is absolutely beautiful! The sets really do work, and give you that awesome feeling that you are in a video game world.

For many parts of the movie, especially the animation of Clu, it sort of felt like the animation from a video game, as it does look completely fake, which is ok as it is set in a video game after all.

The music

Daft Punk did hell of a job on the movie. This may be one of the best soundtracks I've heard this year.

Overall

I would say overall, it was a pleasant experience, and much of it may be due to going with lots of friends (group of 20).

I give it a 7/10 and would recommend it for a Sunday Matinee.

-- Robin Low

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens

2010-12-14T22:25:00.000-08:00

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens is a nifty lens. Relatively "budget" priced, it typically runs around US$80 if you get it on craigslist.

PRICE: I would say this is a great beginner lens as it is a great FAST lens for sub $100 range.

BUILD: This lens feels very plastic. The MF/AF Switch feels very fragile, and the manual focus feels like a toy. However, it is very light considering its is still a f/1.8 lens.

IMAGE QUALITY: The photos taken can be pretty good if you do not have too much megapixels. For essentially a less than $100 lens, the bokeh is okay, and the auto-focus is relatively fast. The downside is that for low light, it does not focus well. (Not sure if it was the problem with my EOS 5D)

OVERALL: I would say that this is a great lens to get used, as US$80 on a lens is not bad, especially one at f/1.8. 50mm is a pretty standard lens, but if you have a crop sensor camera, say a Canon T2i or a EOS 60D, then you get a 80mm lens, which is a portrait lens.

It is good value for money, and I would recommend it, as you can just try it for a while, and if you like its speed, keep it. Otherwise, you can always sell it again and perhaps move on to a 35mm f/2 or a 50mm f/1.4, though these lens are about $400.

Good prime lens are hard to come by, and owning a fast prime lens is always good, especially for those indoor events where a f/1.8 lens would mean you would not need a flash in a lot of indoor situations.

-- Robin Low

The Warrior's Way Review

2010-12-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

I watched the Warrior's Way today.

A warrior-assassin is forced to hide in a small town in the American Badlands after refusing a mission.

Director:
Sngmoo Lee
Writer:
Sngmoo Lee
Stars:
Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth and Geoffrey Rush

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When I saw the trailer, it had ninjas, cowboys, clowns?
IT HAS TO BE AWESOME!

It is set somewhere in the past, where an Asian swordsman traveled to the west to escape from his past. The setting is indeed strange and the use of color was interesting and it does bring out much of the strangeness of the movie.

Basically, this movie is very similar to Ninja assassins. It has lots of action and over the top surrealism. I mean, cowboys vs ninjas stuff. The special effects and editing strangely makes the movie enthralling and captivating.

The action and fighting scenes in the movie is great in this movie. The scenes are vivid and the is indeed enough blood and gore for all you gore loving folks. The concept and plot is kinda incredible, yet strangely entertaining.

If you enjoy the movies like Ninja Assassin, Kill Bill and other random Japanese Action flick, this Sngmoo Lee's Movie will not fail to entertain you.

-- Robin Low

Enslaved - Odyssey to the West (PS3) Review

2010-12-03T18:09:00.000-08:00

Enslaved in the trailer, seemed like a fantastic game. The world is very detailed and pretty, the story seemed very original and interesting.

Initially, when I watch my friend play it, it seemed pretty fun and the game play looked epic! When the first robot was killed, the cut scene is amazing, however my friend started to swear more and more in the game.

Very soon, the game play got bad. The camera angles were very difficult to work with and the controls did not seem responsive. When I tried playing it a little, I felt powerless as the controls did not seem to work much at all. When multiple attackers came, your character in the game would "auto-block" and all the moves seemed to be cached, so buttons you pressed 5 seconds ago will be performed with serious lag, and it just seemed frustrating, and not really difficult and challenging.

Then again, the cut scenes seemed very well timed and pretty. It sort of made some of the frustration worthwhile with some satisfying kills in the beautiful cut scenes.

I watch my friend progressed in the game and the gameplay did go south. when you think that the camera angles and the lags were bad, it just gets worse. Some of the movements seemed pretty choppy, and the game just gets ever more buggy. Some enemies just gets stuck and not attack you, however you need to go hunt for them before this very linear game can proceed.

With my friend playing the game, the swears increase in intensity and agony increases. I find myself unable to play anymore after failing in a level 30 times, and my friend managed to pass it with a computer glitch, and it seemed to get worse level after level.

The increase in the number of enemies, with bad camera angles just increase the lag and playability of the game.

Conclusion: If there is not enough pain in your life, this game is pretty good as the cut scenes is AWESOME. Otherwise, avoid it at all cost.

-- Robin Low

Android 2.3 Gingerbread on Nexus S

2010-11-25T08:24:00.000-08:00

Samsung’s Google Nexus S leaked again, shows off Android 2.3 Gingerbread

XDA Developers – the source of the new photos
– says the Nexus S might feature a Super AMOLED 2 display, dual-core processor, and 720p HD video recording. (More photos to be found there)

Google and Samsung has yet officially announce the Nexus S, new photos of the smartphone have appeared on the web, this time showing the Android version it’s based on.

As expected, the Nexus S runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread – which should be released in the next few weeks.

Here are some specs of the Nexus S:

* ArmV7 CPU – Could be Dual Core
* Open GL ES Supported
* 512 or 328MB Ram (Not 100% known)
* 1GB or 2GB Internal Memory (Not 100% known)
* 800×480 Screen Resolution
* 4″ Screen Size
* SuperAmoled2 – Possibly
* 720P HD Video

If you are planning to get a new phone season, you may need to wait a little longer, and get the phone with Gingerbread.

-- Robin Low

Battle of the buses. Boston - New York

2010-11-20T15:18:00.001-08:00

Fung Wah vs. Lucky Star vs. Megabus vs. Bolt
Boston: All buses leave and arrive at South Station.
The trip takes 4 hours - 5 hours and has a 10 min break in between.

Traveling between New York to Boston is simple and relatively cheap. Now there are multiple buses to get you there.

From Boston, you can get on any of these buses at the bus terminal at South Station. Depending on where you need to get to in New York will cost around $15 to $25 one way.

Bolt bus

New York
Number of Stops: 3
New York 33rd and 7th by Sbarro (To DC or Balt.)
33 St. & 7 Ave NY, NY 10018

Description: This is an outdoor stop at the northeast corner of the intersection. The bus will stop in the designated bus stop area on 33rd Street in front of a Sbarro’s Italian restaurant.
Connections: MTA subway lines A, C, E (8 Ave), 1,2,3 (7 Ave), B,D, F, V (6 Ave)
New York 34th and 8th by Tick Tock (Phil. or Bos.)
34 St. & 8 Ave NY, NY 10001

Description: This is an outdoor stop at the northwest corner of the intersection. The primary landmark is the New Yorker hotel and the Tick Tock Diner. Along 34th there are designated bus stops from the Tick Tock to the entrance of the Manhattan Center. This is where our bus will pickup.
Connections: MTA subway lines A, C, E (8 Ave), 1,2,3 (7 Ave)
New York 6th Between Grand & Watts (To DC or Phil)
Canal St. & 6 Av. NY, NY 10014

Description: This is an outdoor stop at the northeast corner of the intersection a little north on 6th.
Connections: MTA subway lines A, C, 2, 3

Price sort of varies between $15 - $23.00 or more, and though there are a lot of buses running, they tend to sell out. This is a good way to get to B&H in New York, but otherwise, its main cost is the Wifi and Plug in. If you don't need to plug in, why pay extra?

I don't feel the service any better than the others.

Pros: Wifi, Electric Plug In
Cons: Pricey

Fung Wah Bus

Your old school Chinatown - Chinatown bus.

Maps : Location

Fung Wah runs regularly with very solid schedule every hour. In fact Fung Wah Bus service is running every 15mins during the rush hour on Nov 24 and Nov 28.

It is always $15 (except the 2am bus) and it seemed fantastically fast!

There are lots of news about Fung Wah getting into accidents though, but heh, accidents do happen right...

Pros: $15 most of the time, every 30 mins during peak hours, can book at the boarding area. FAST!

Cons: May get into accident?

Megabus

The Megabus offers Free Wifi,

Leaving New York, NW Corner of 9th Ave and 31st St.
Arriving New York, 7th Ave & 28th St.

I feel that this leaving and arriving does get confusing at times, and I've been on this bus twice back from New York, and as it always pass by Yankees Stadium, the traffic jam sometimes makes traveling time unbelievably long! (I was stuck at a location there for 1 hour before)

The Megabus is also pricey. Costing $13 - $25 online, it costs $25 at the bus stop.

This bus stop is great for leaving B&H as it is just across the road from it.

Pros: Free Wifi
Cons: Expensive and slowest. Confusing stop locations in New York.

Lucky Star

Lucky Star is yet another Chinatown - Chinatown bus.

Location: 55-59 Chrystie Street (Chinatown)

Strangely, this $15 bus also offer free wifi, and the wifi feels pretty fast compared to Bolt and Megabus. It just feels like Fung Wah, less fast (less dangerous?) and with free wifi.

Pros: $15 bus. Wifi
Cons: No plug in.

After trying out all the services, I feel that Lucky Star is the way to go if I want to get to Chinatown and move from there. It has a short rest stop in Connecticut for 10 mins, and the wifi seemed great.

I was on the Megabus and Bolt, and the NYC staff seemed uninterested and I feel that they do not really answer your question, and the locations to board are pretty "questionable" off the street.

Fung Wah and Lucky Star has a store in Chinatown where you buy tickets and board. And since they are very near each other, if a bus is full, you can always get on the next.

Compared to flying, this is a much cheaper way, and you don't need to be at the airport 2 hour in advance.

-- Robin Low

China Eastern Airlines (SIN - JFK)

2010-11-12T06:03:00.000-08:00

Flight: MU 568 Singapore - Pudong (Shanghai)
Flight: MU 587 Pudong - New York (JFK)

At a glance, this is the cheapest flight form Singapore - New York. The cost is about US$1400 which is about $400 cheaper than the other flights. As I was saving up for a camera lens, I decided to fly this as I have enough miles on China Eastern to upgrade to business class on the latter flight.

Initially, I booked at several other webpages, and all of the bookings seemed to be cancelled. I wanted to book with Singapore webpages, Zuji and Asiatravels.sg, however for the same (cheapest flight) the cost is S$150 more than the US sites. Hence, I decided to try the other sites, and eventually, with Orbitz, the order got through.

The flight was however far from satisfactory, but at $400 cheaper, I decided to try. Firstly there was a 14 hour stop over at Shanghai, this allowed me to meet a friend and go around the EXPO area again.

It was strange how many passengers on the airlines are just so eager to get on board, from the beginning, this flight to JFK (New York) seemed to be a nightmare. The flight attendants of China Eastern cannot seem to control the crowd. The boarding was very chaotic, and everyone seemed to be fighting to get on board. On the plane, the passengers do not seem to know where to sit. I had a person in my seat because there was someone in his seat, and someone else in his seat...

Nonetheless, the flight took off on time. On the flight, I requested for water after 30 minutes in the air, and the air stewardess was no where to be found. 30 minutes later, they started serving water, and for the initial few people in front, they seem to get beer and other beverages, however, when they came to me, there was no more beer and orange juice, just apple juice and coke.

Then dinner came, and again beef rice was out, and chicken noodles was what's left, and indeed, it is inedible. The fruits are soggy and food is simply nasty. They ran out of beverages, and they only have water and tea. I requested for playing cards, and they are out of that too. This is simply insane!

When I arrived in Shanghai, I met my friend for dinner and we travelled around the EXPO site and had dinner, later I checked into a motel. It was a decent motel for $60, but there is no internet access. I was quite glad to have this break in my flight for a nap, and it may prove to be very good. 2 showers amd a breakfast, it may seem all worthwhile.

The second leg of my flight is from Shanghai to New York. The plane is much bigger and the business class is much more spacious compared to economy. In business class, the food however is as miserable as before, and what I can simply call NASTY, hence I decided on my liquid meals, 6 beers, and they have only Bud light, but still, its better than crappy food. Surprisingly, in business class, the "China" people who fly seemed to be similar. As I was sitting near the toilet, I could say that 1 out of 2 people flush, and about 2 out of 3 knows how to lock the door. It was a very sad seat indeed when you hear people from the toilet trying to have a conversation with their friend outside.

I usually get a lot of sleep on flights, but this bunch of people are extremely noisy, the "real estate tycoon" beside me who boasts of 7 digit income per month and several mistresses around seemed very eager to share too much information, and show me his keys to the different cars he own, and one of them was a limited edition E63 AMG with Swarvoski Crystals embedded in the key. He also talked about his Cadalliac and his Audi R8 in Manhattan, I wonder where is there space to own a supercar?

The beers for each meal kept me going on, no food and simply light beer seemed to work so far. I'm really looking forward to meet my friends, and all the pain endured, and more pain to come (Metro, and probably bus from NYC to Boston) will be rewarded with good company.

Overall, the trip was indeed "Budget" and it feels like it, the meals are poor, and experience rather bad, but it felt safe and ok when you arrive. Do you think it is worth it?

-- Robin Low

Cheapoair.com

2010-11-07T22:39:00.000-08:00

This is the first time I booked with CheapoAir.com

Its $1 cheaper than Orbitz and much cheaper than Travelocity and Kayak.

I've tried Orbitz before, and it was plenty of FAIL, and so because of price. (And saving up for that stupid lens) I've decided to try CHEAP, and fly this stupid airlines.

Initially, when I saw the above ad, I was pretty happy, but when there is no way of entering the "coupon" during checkout, I realized that it was a FAIL and a ploy again.

Then checking on AsiaTravels.com and Zuji.com.sg, the prices are $120 higher, and I decided that since it was the same flight, I'll trust the Kayak Price comparison, and go with CheapoAir.

By The Way, Singaporeans without a US Credit need not even try as they need a US / Canada Billing address. So go pay your $120 more with AsiaTravels.

I am going to earn some miles, and get lots of pain! (I've got China Air miles eligible for upgrade!)

I booked the tickets and got this reply.

CheapOair.com
(For any changes to your itinerary, please call us at 866-636-9088 )

Booking Receipt

Please print and keep this receipt.

Please do not respond to this e-mail! This email is intended for notification purposes.

Customer Information

Traveler:	Robin Low	Email:	robinxxx@yahoo.com	Phone:	1-xxx-xxx-xxxx
Booking Number:	XXXXXX	Booked on:	Mon, Nov 08, 2010

Trip Summary

Flight Summary

From:
Singapore Changi, SG (SIN)

To:
New York Kennedy, US (JFK)

Depart:
Thu, Nov 11, 2010
4:35 pm - 1:25 pm (+1 day) (1 Stop)

Return:
Wed, Jan 19, 2011
3:35 pm - 5:00 am (+2 day) (1 Stop)

Traveler Name	Ticket Number	Seat Request	Meal Preference	Special Request
Low, Robin (Adult)	-	Any seat	Any meal	-

Disclaimer: All special requests, meal preferences, seat requests are not guaranteed. You must contact your airline to reconfirm that they have received this request and confirmed it.

Booking Number:

5755755

Departing Flight - Thursday, Nov 11, 2010

China Eastern Airlines
Flight 568
Airbus 600 Series E Jet

From
Singapore Changi (SIN)
04:35pm -Nov 11, Thu

To
Shanghai Pu Dong (PVG)
10:00pm -Nov 11, Thu

Nonstop
Coach

China Eastern Airlines
Flight 587
346 AIRBUS JET Jet

From
Shanghai Pu Dong (PVG)
12:00pm -Nov 12, Fri

To
New York Kennedy (JFK)
01:25pm -Nov 12, Fri

Nonstop
Coach

Flight Duration: 19hr 50min

Layover Time: 14hr 0min

Total Trip Time: 33hr 50min

Return Flight - Wednesday, Jan 19, 2011

China Eastern Airlines
Flight 588
346 AIRBUS JET Jet

From
New York Kennedy (JFK)
03:35pm -Jan 19, Wed

To
Shanghai Pu Dong (PVG)
07:30pm -Jan 20, Thu

Nonstop
Coach

China Eastern Airlines
Flight 543
Airbus 600 Series E Jet

From
Shanghai Pu Dong (PVG)
11:55pm -Jan 20, Thu

To
Singapore Changi (SIN)
05:00am -Jan 21, Fri

Nonstop
Coach

Flight Duration: 20hr 00min

Layover Time: 4hr 25min

Total Trip Time: 24hr 25min

Please note: As Airlines have frequent schedule changes, please call the Airline 24 hours before departure to reconfirm your flight details. Airline Phone Numbers

Your ticket is NON-REFUNDABLE . For any changes to dates or routing, please call our Customer Service. These changes may have airline penalty and our fees. Some flights may be completely NON CHANGEABLE even with an airline penalty.

Price Details (USD)

Flight Price Details

Traveler Type

Ticket Price

Tax & Fee Breakdown
(incl. Traveler Assist)

Total

1 Adult/s

$ 852.00

$ 470.78

$ 1,322.78

Insurance Fee:

$ 0

Charged on Credit Card - Visa - 4802**29

Subtotal:

$ 1,322.78


Total Cost:	$ 1,322.78

Please Note: Your credit card may be billed in multiple charges totaling the above amount.

Terms & Conditions

Flight Booking Terms & Conditions

Remarks

IMPORTANT NOTE: All Tickets will be automatically issued and are non-refundable, if you do not receive an email with ticket # information, please contact us to get the Ticket #s or call the Airline to receive ticket # information, IN NO CASE WILL TICKETS BE REFUNDABLE , even if not utilized.

NOTE: If it is a third party credit card, you may receive a phone call and email from our customer service department asking to verify this transaction before the tickets can be issued. A Third party credit card is when the Traveler is not the Card Holder.

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Effective November 3, 2008, travelers, who have purchased discounted fares such as student, military or senior citizen's fares are required to present a valid photo ID for verification purposes. A Government issued photo ID must be presented by all travelers for boarding any domestic and international flights.
Please re-confirm your seat and/or other special requests such as Frequent Flyer miles with the respective airlines directly: Airline Phone Numbers
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If you have a last minute reservation, please re-confirm flight schedules and departure times with the respective airlines directly at least 24 hours before departure.
If an airline has a change to any of its flights and such changes are within a 4 hour period of your original flight times, we will notify you of such change by email.
We will attempt to contact you via phone; however, due to various reasons if we are unable to get in touch with you, our email will serve as a final notice.
For all such changes within a 4 hour period, tickets will remain non-refundable. Certain ticket types may be non-refundable even when the schedule change is over 4 hours.
Please check your travel documents such as Ticket, Passport, Visas and other applicable Entry Permits and make sure that they are valid for the duration of your entire tip. You are solely responsible for all Entry Permits and Visa requirements for the countries you are visiting. Prior to commencement of travel, please review your travel itinerary carefully and make sure you are fully aware of possible flight connection times and changes of Airports at your point of connection. Please ensure that you are in possession of valid documents that may be required and follow instructions pertaining to connections that involve a change of Airports (especially for international travel).
Please note that your flight itinerary may consist of flights that are operated by a code-share partner of the airline on which you are traveling in which event we advise you to make sure ahead of time that you check-in and board your flight at the corresponding Airlines' terminal. For example - The flight # on your ticket may indicate a "United Airlines Flight #" but in fact this flight may be operated by "Lufthansa" in which case you are required to check-in and board this flight at the departure terminal of "Lufthansa".
In extremely rare cases Airlines' rules or fares may change prior to the issuance of tickets, in which case we reserve the right to notify you of any rule or fare changes within three (3) business days. For any fare changes up to US$25 of the new fare, we will absorb the difference of fare. However, in the event that the fare differential is higher then $25 you may have the option not to purchase this ticket and your credit card will not be charged. If there is no change in fare then your ticket will be automatically issued and will be non-refundable.
Changes -All tickets are non refundable and non changeable. Some tickets where Changes may be permitted are subject to penalties and fare differential based on whether the change will be for dates and/or routing. In order to determine the total applicable fees, you must provide us with new dates and/or routing. There may be fare differential as well as Airlines' and our fees that apply in order to process changes to your itinerary. For assistance you may contact us at our 24/7 toll free call center - 1 866 636 9088. We do not guarantee final processing of any changes as they are subject to many factors beyond our control such as fare and seat availability and other factors. Most tickets have restrictions and may not be changeable even with a fee.
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Travel Insurance - If you selected to add Trip Insurance to your flight ticket purchase, the payment of your insurance policy will be processed immediately upon the submission of your order thereof. Please click here to review the detailed description of your insurance coverage. For questions about your coverage, or to file a claim, or inquire about the status of an existing claim (only if you purchased insurance on or after January 16, 2009) contact Travel Guard at (800) 826-1300 and refer to Plan Code - 008483. This number is valid for insurance related questions only.
Some airlines may charge a baggage fee .
Tickets are non-transferable and name changes are not permitted.
Original service fee charged at the time of bookings is non-refundable.
Cancellation fee charged at the time of cancellation of reservation is non-refundable.
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Print the 3-1-1 for Carry Ons by the TSA [Transportation Security Administration] - click here .

Charge Authorization, Your Electronic Signature Copy

I, ROBIN B LOW , have read the Terms and Conditions and I understand that this fare is non-refundable. I agree to pay a total amount of USD 1,322.78 (Credit Card :4802**29) for this purchase. This will serve as my Electronic Signature.

I have a feeling that this service may suck as well, and there may be verification calls to add on the pain. Nonetheless, I hope that returning to Boston to meet my friends for the holidays will make it all worth while!

-- Robin Low

Moist+ 2 Review.

2010-11-01T01:18:00.000-07:00

Moist+ 2 Facial Masks.

Moist+™ 2 is a relaxing at-home facial treatment for vibrant, soft and silky-smooth skin. The soft Eco-cotton facial mask will give you the moisturizing and relaxing benefits of a spa-quality facial in your own home. Each mask is pre-cut and pre-moistened with a relaxing mix of rose hip extract, marine collagen, Hyaluronic acid, Mulberry Bark Extract and Matricaria extract, to moisturize your skin and boost its radiance.

From the packaging, it looks like a simple Facial mask, but after opening it up, I was pleasantly surprised.

The Unique Facial Mask has a very nice pattern, and the grey parts contain Eco-fabric which helps absorption of nutrients.

It looks very interesting and the mask, backed with a piece of plastic is easy to open and apply to the face.

The nutrients are also very thick, and pretty much odourless, with just a tinge of faint refreshing smell. The thick nutrients feel good when applied, and the mask fits rather well to my face.

Directions:
Wash face thoroughly.
Open packet, take out pre-moistened mask and unfold.
Apply mask to face and press lightly with finger-tips to set in place.
Relax for 15 minutes and remove mask.
Discard mask after use.

After 15 minutes, I rinsed my face and my face does feel softer and refreshed. The short 15 minutes of relaxation also calms me down after a long day at work.

This is simply Genius!

Ingredients：Rose Hip Oil , Marine collagen, Hyaluronic Acid, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizinate, Extracts of Matricaria, Bamboo Charcoal, Mulberry bark, Sea Weed Extract, Perilla Extract, Carbopol, Butylene Glycol, Methylparaben, Distilled water.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

The masks feels top quality, and compared with the top brands like SK-II, it actually feels similar, but the masks looks more interesting.

Many people were afraid of Methylparaben, but I did some research, and found that top brands are using them, and though Paraben is banned in Japan, SK-II and Moist+ 2 are sold in Japan and according to many credible websites, MethylParaben seems completely safe.

Wikipedia Entry.

I would totally recommend this product.

-- Robin Low

New Facebook Group Test - Singapore Social Media

2010-10-26T01:25:00.000-07:00

I've started a Group on Singapore Social Media, and I invited my friends who are on Twitter and Facebook to join.

Within a few seconds, I realized that I actually have a lot of friends on Facebook whom I'm not following on Twitter, and I would like to add my friends on Twitter to Facebook as well.

I have a Singapore Twitter list. Where I listed a lots of interesting Singaporean Tweeps to follow.

I hope this helps businesses in Singapore to look for influencers in Singapore as I believe a lot of them are indeed very influencial!

I'm still testing out how Groups work on Facebook, and I will share more information soon.

-- Robin Low

Audiophile In-ear Head Phones 2010

2010-10-11T05:22:00.000-07:00

I have the pleasure to try out these fantastic devices over the weekend, and I was indeed pleased with most of them. Here are some of the reviews.

Monster turbine pro high-performance in-ear speakers gold

These babies are simply insane. The separation is very clear, and they seem to have the best base you can ever get. I mean -- Subwoofer base -- right in your ear! Listened to Hip Hop and it felt like you are in a show car with all that BASE! For most other headphones with base, the other ranges of sound usually suffers, however these babies are crisp and clear.

I'm really impressed with the technology, and this headphone is the only one you need to listen to hip hop, opera or classical music! (However the price is rather intimidating)

Shure SE535 Sound Isolating Earphones

Triple High-Definition MicroDrivers
Featuring Triple High-Definition MicroDrivers, the SE535 utilizes dedicated tweeter and dual woofers to deliver spacious sound with rich bass. A detachable cable with wire-form fit enables easy replacement, both extending the life of your investment and providing a secure, comfortable fit. Sound Isolating sleeves in multiple sizes provide up to 37 dB of isolation, and a wide assortment of accessories offer premium customization.

In short, this is INSANE. Though the base was not as deep as the monster turbine, it was very rich, and when used in crowded areas and loud places, the sound isolation REALLY works. Very comfortable and GREAT quality. It comes with a lot of accessories as well. The removable cables is indeed cool, but the price is SCARY.

Klipsch Image X10 Noise-Isolating Earphone

These headphones don't look impressive. They are indeed light and could be the smallest audiophile quality headphones ever! I was shocked by the clarity of the sound this headphone produced, and the sound isolation and base is relatively top grade as well.

They are so small and light, I forgot that the are on my ears sometimes. Very comfortable to wear! Again, price is a major consideration, and a tad $$$$$$.

The High-fidelity Sennheiser IE 8 Premium Audiophile

Ok, I don't really get this. The owner I borrowed it from bragged about the quality, and the reviews I read were stunning. However, when I put them on, they did not fit perfectly like the other headphones, and I felt it was lacking in base. I could not tell that it actually had more frequencies in the inaudible range than the other headphones (As I'm not a dog) and I frankly do not care.

It produces a good sound, however when compared to the rest, and at the price of these headphones, I did not like it at all, perhaps because of the fit.

Grado GR8

Initially, I did not feel that this was in the same range of headphones I've tested, but after seeing the name Grado, I realized that there must be something great behind this babies. Although they feel a little plastic, they were actually the most comfortable of the lot, and the sound is nothing but stunning. The build quality is rather good, and the cables feel sturdy with certain parts reinforced and strong. I like them, but again, I feel that this is just a "cheap" Grado product, something pretty affordable, while giving you all that good sound.

Still cheaper than the SE535, these seemed like good value for money, when you put on the brand.

-- Robin Low

#Newtwitter Review

2010-10-06T00:55:00.000-07:00

I've been using the New Twitter for some time now, and I would say, it has been an improvement from the previous Twitter.

Some features are pretty nifty, and when you click on a person's Tweet, their last tweets will be shown.

The window on the right also shows much more information like the #Hashtags used, Retweets, and your replies, making it more useful than before.

I feel that the direct messages portion, though it may be more fancy than before, is harder for you to delete messages, especially spam. It is still not useful for me as I have too many spam in my DM box, and I can't be bothered to check.

The Retweet still feels weird to me, as I much prefer the standard way of using RT, even it does cost 3 characters.

For many people, even @Mashable, their backgrounds definitely need to be edited to fit the new Twitter, but otherwise, I would say its fun, and an improvement.

-- Robin Low

Legend of the fist - Review

2010-10-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

This is the new Donny Yen movie, and yes, it is with fast punches, parkour, and of course... Super Heroes.

Seven years after the apparent death of Chen Zhen, who was shot after discovering who was responsible for his teacher's death (Huo Yuanjia) in Japanese-occupied Shanghai. A mysterious stranger arrives from overseas and befriends a local mafia boss. That man is a disguised Chen Zhen, who intends to infiltrate the mob when they form an alliance with the Japanese. Disguising himself as a caped fighter by night, Chen intends to take out everyone involved as well as get his hands on an assassination list prepared by the Japanese.

Not to be confused with the Fist of Legend, this new Gordon Chan movie is about Chen Zhen, after he returns from France, being a "war labour" and somehow also a hero, and he is indeed a Superhero.

This is the sequel to the Fist of Fury, made popular by Bruce Lee, and is set in Shanghai before the Second Sino-Japanese War, seven years after the apparent death of Chen Zhen, who was shot after avenging his teacher (Huo Yuanjia).

In the spirit of the good old Bruce Lee movies, it brings out the incompetence of White people, and the arrogance of the Japanese, and how all of them should be killed with the fist!

To make things more interesting and Superhero like, Donny Yen puts on a ridiculous fake mustache or a black mask (like the Green Hornet), and the action in the movie is also making Chen Zhen look like just another invincible Superhero.

I must admit, the action is quite interesting, however, it fails to deliver much message like Ip Man, and the characters are indeed pretty flat. There are a few characters(Shawn Yue) in the movie that does not do much, and are simply a distraction.

Many of the action scene are simply over the top -- like Crank, and simply too hilarious. It is a good action flick, and should be just taken as that if you intend to go catch it.

I've watched it a few days ago, but decided to review it only after a few requests.

I would give it a 7.5/10 for action and 3/10 for story.

The last villian fight is indeed fast like any other Donny Yen movie, and I feel like when you watch Ip Man, you probably recognize some of the similar scenes. I`d say LEGEND OF THE FIST is a damn solid Donnie Yen movie(If you are a fan), and a kung-fu extravaganza to please all fans of the genre. While I prefer both IP MAN films, as well as SPL, and FLASHPOINT, it would be a great way to de-stress and watch Donny beat the Japanese to a pulp...

If you love Gore, you will love this movie! (It needs lightly more blood... to qualify as a B-movie)

-- Robin Low

New Twitter teething problems?

2010-09-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've recently placed my mouse over the highlighted text and I immediately tweeted the same thing!

Is this some form of exploit or Twitter bug?

There are some new changes to Twitter coming. Could this be due to the new additions?

Well, my suggestion is not to put your mouse cursor on top of the highlighted area as you will just RT it and propagate the bug.

-- Robin Low

Rosarito Beach Mariachi Festival - Oct 2010

2010-09-13T00:16:00.000-07:00

Rosarito Beach October Mariachi Festival
To Feature Grammy-Winning Super Group

ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO – An October mariachi spectacular will feature the first Mexican concert by the Grammy-winning Mariachi Divas as well as competition between music and dance groups from Mexico and the U.S.
In addition to the chance to hear great mariachi music, the thousands expected to attend from both Mexican and the U.S. will know that their ticket purchases will go toward helping build Rosarito’s first Boys & Girls Club.

The Oct. 2 and 3 beachfront spectacular on the grounds of the Rosarito Beach Hotel will feature both mariachi and folkloric ballet competitions starting at 10 each day with groups from junior high through college age from both countries.
U.S. competitors include groups from Chula Vista, Anaheim and Tucson.

From 6 to 9 on Saturday, the Los Angeles-Based Mariachi Divas will headline a three-hour concert. In 2009 the 20-member group was awarded the Grammy for Best Regional Mexican Music for its album “Canciones de Amor.”

“We have many fans in Mexico and are looking forward to seeing them at our first public concert there, as well as many of our friends from the U.S.,” said Diva leader Cindy Shea.

Maya, Timoteo – El Charro Negro, Olga Flores, Folklorico Ixtlazihuatl, Genesis, and Beto Jimenez Maeda will also be performing. The event also will feature wine, food and VIP areas.

“This truly will be a spectacular event,” said organizer Gil Sperry, author of several books including “Mariachi for Gringos.”

Tickets for various portions of the event begin at $7.50 for children and $10 for adults, with complete packages priced at $25 and $45. Details are available at www.clubdeninosyninansderosarito.com, www.rosarito.org and clubrosarito@hotmail.com
Tickets also can be purchased in advance at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, the Rosarito Convention & Visitors Bureau or, if still available, at the event itself.

Proceeds from the Mariachi festival will go toward the $1.3 million needed for the construction and operation of the Rosarito Boys and Girls Club. Ground already has been broken and about $200,000 raised.

Members of Rosarito’s large expatriate community will be helping as event volunteers and the Rosarito Beach Hotel is offering special lodging packages.
“We are so grateful to Gil Sperry, the Mariachi Divas and all the participants for their help,” said club president Rosy Torres. “As well as helping children, we know that those who attend to will have the chance to enjoy one of the best shows ever in Rosarito.”

The mariachi festival has been named an official event of Mexico’s bicentennial. The state department of tourism and city are among sponsors.

“We are proud to have this prestigious event in our city and look forward to it becoming an annual showcase,” said Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres.

(Writers & Assignment Editors: The Divas are available for advance interviews as well as San Diego appearances on Oct. 29)

MEDIA CONTACT: Ron Raposa
(619)948-3740
ronraposa@hotmail.com

--------------------------------------------------------

This event sound amazing, fun, and not to be missed.

See you there at Rosarito Beach!

-- Robin Low

Importing Goods into Singapore

2010-09-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

I have been importing and exporting products, and the cost of shipping seems to be on the rise since I started shipping in 2005.

The Singapore post office costs are getting more and more unreasonable, and for shipping goods outside Singapore, SAL (Surface Airlifted) is no longer an option, and parcel posts are also sometimes not available.

Recently, as the cost of shipping and freight for import was a little unacceptable, I decided to try to import the products myself. This is what I have learned.

-------------------------------------------------------------

1) FOB
FOB is an initialism which pertains to the shipping of goods. Depending on specific usage, it may stand for Free On Board or Freight On Board, with similar but distinct implications. FOB specifies which party (buyer or seller) pays for which shipment and loading costs, and/or where responsibility for the goods is transferred. The last distinction is important for determining liability for goods lost or damaged in transit from the seller to the buyer.

Free on board means that the seller delivers when the goods pass the ship's rail at the named port of shipment. This means that the buyer has to bear all costs and risks of loss of or damage to the goods from that point. The FOB term requires the seller to clear the goods for export. Buyer is responsible for all the costs incurred after the cargo has been LOADED on board.

FOB is one of the most common way of shipping for most manufacturers. What is usually means to me is that the manufacturer will absorb all the loading cost of the cargo, and usually it also means that the manufacturer will pay all the cost of the shipment, including documentation fees and shipment to the port for export.

I recently have a shipment of 100 sandals made by amputees, which I shipped from Jakarta to Singapore. The cost for collecting the goods, bringing it to the port and loading it on the ship is the FOB cost.

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Export Charges - There are often handling fees, documentation fees, duties and other loading fees incurred.

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2) B/L - Bill of Lading

A bill of lading (sometimes referred to as a BOL,or B/L) is a document issued by a carrier to a shipper, acknowledging that specified goods have been received on board as cargo for conveyance to a named place for delivery to the consignee who is usually identified. A thorough bill of lading involves the use of at least two different modes of transport from road, rail, air, and sea. The term derives from the verb "to lade" which means to load a cargo onto a ship or other form of transportation.

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Importing Goods from Overseas in Singapore.

In general, non-controlled goods may be imported into Singapore without the need for licences.

What Permits Do I Need?

* For each shipment of goods, you must apply for an Import Permit through TradeNet®, your freight forwarder or cargo agent.

* If you are importing controlled goods, your Import Permit must be routed to the Competent Authorities (CAs) for approval. CAs are Government agencies that regulate controlled goods.

* Under certain circumstances, you do not need to apply for an Import Permit, e.g. importing trade samples that are worth less than S$400. A full list of these exemption scenarios are available on TradeNet® - Import/Export Procedures.

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What do I need to do first?

1) Get your UEN by activation of your Customs Account. -> Link <-You need a Singpass for this, but otherwise, it is free.---------------------------------------------------------------After you products are shipped from overseas, you will get the B/L.With your invoice and your B/L, you can apply for your permit.2) Apply for the Permit (And pay custom taxes -- usually GST)With the information, you can a) Get a Tradenet Account and apply for the permit online.

b) Get help from a TradeNet Service Provider. (If you do not import as often.)

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LCL - (Less-Than-Container Load)

Less than container load (LCL) is a shipment that is not large enough to fill a standard cargo container. The abbreviation LCL formerly applied to "Less than (railway) Car Load" for quantities of material from different shippers or for delivery to different destinations which might be carried in a single railway car for efficiency. LCL freight was often sorted and redistributed into different railway cars at intermediate railway terminals enroute to final destination.

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When your goods arrive, it will be at customs of your shipping company. There will be import charges incurred. These import charges would include Port fees, LCL unload charges, Documentation Fees uncrating fees and many other charges.

Freight Invoice Sample

When your shipment comes, you can claim your shipment yourself from the customs, and you will need.

1) B/L
2) Invoice
3) Permit (See above)
4) Letter of authorization with company letter head to claim on behalf of your company, to enter the "Free trade zone" (restricted area) to collect the goods. -- This letter varies so check with the customs pass issue office on what is required.
5) Identity card. (Apparently Passport or driving license with photo is not enough)
6) D/O (Delivery order) If you pay the charges of unloading and port charges to your shipping company (The company warehousing the goods) they will give you your D/O

With all the items above, you are ready to go to the warehouse to collect the goods and then upon exiting, you need to give the proper documentation (show that tax and duties paid) and you can leave the customs area with your goods.

This process is not so simple, however it can save you a hefty amount of money.

-- Robin Low

Changeable Sandals

2010-09-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

The Changeable Sandals --
Sandals with Interchangeable Straps is an interesting concept. Being able to pick the right straps with the right colored soles is very interesting, however I realized that being able to customize your sandals to preferences is just the beginning of what to come.

The idea feels a little ahead of its time, and I feel that the design of these sandals feels very simple and basic, but the thing that impressed me most is that this sandals project is a social enterprise.

Amputees are hired to make these sandals, and the cost of these sandals still feels very reasonable at $25 for a pair of sandals and 2 different types of straps.

The sandals do feel comfortable, and there is also a feeling that you have help someone disadvantaged. Very satisfying indeed.

-- Robin Low