Midvalley Southkey -- Does not invite motorcycle riders to go.

I tried going to this new mall for 3 times so far from the expressway off the causeway. There is a dedicated exit which has a nice ramp off the highway directly towards the mall, but the basement carpark does not allow motorcycles in, and there is a motorcycle parking area, but the barrier is closed and following the crumbling walls with water damage in this new building, it brings you out to the expressway again.

Yes, this is a new Megamall, and after a few tries, I decided to drive there, and managed to get parking easily. It cost RM$2 for the first 3 hours (even though it is very empty) and you can get a parking space if you drive. (For weekday afternoons. Expect evenings and weekends to be packed)

For motorcycles, sorry, you are not invited. Please avoid.

I was expecting this big mall to be interesting, however, it is more of the same. If you have been to KSL, City Square, this is more of the same... kind of new, with all the same stores.

This mall is however much bigger, filled with a lot of same stores you find in other malls and even when it is new, some of the sinks in the bathroom are not working.

Everything here feels expensive. If you are Singaporean, other than food, most of the things found here can be found in Singapore as well, no real reason to go. Yes, there is a Sogo, but I feel that Aeon is much cheaper and I'd rather go Bukit Indah or Terbrau.

Opened in April, this mall is still not fully occupied. Don't expect entertainment like Cinema...

If you are coming from CIQ by bus, just stay at City Square, you are not missing much. No point spending time and money to come to a similar mall, probably more crowded too, with empty shops.

Midvalley in KL on the other hand is much better, this Southkey seems to be sad looking for a new mall with rundown walls, water damage and not all the shops are opened despite being opened for 5 months?

Management seemed strict as I found several cars with clamps on. So do take note when you park.

So this mall, perhaps good for food selection (cheaper than Singapore) but everything else you can find in other malls in JB.

If you are riding a motorcycle, sorry, you can't park there.

-- Robin Low

Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic - exhibition at the MFA #Boston

Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic Exhibition going on at the MFA is FANTASTIC!

First published in 1926, Winnie the Pooh is one of the most famous children’s book characters of all time. This exhibition displays the original drawings, letters, photographs, and early editions, along with whimsical ephemera, take visitors on a journey exploring how the stories of Pooh and his friends Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, Owl, Piglet, Rabbit, Tigger, and Christopher Robin.

It has also opened my eyes on the author's (A. A. Milne) thoughts and ideas behind the character and how he had created characters that we can identify with. If you are a writer and want inspirations, this is an exhibition not to be missed.

It is still at MFA till Jan 6.

Don't miss it.

-- Robin Low

 

ASUS Zenbook Pro 15.6" Unboxing

I bought the ASUS Zenbook Pro 15.6 with an i7 processor, 512GB SSD Drive and 16GB ram with a GTX 1050 Ti 4GB video card.

There were several boxes that it came in. Firstly, there was an Amazon box, then an ASUS outer box, before you get to an inner box. The number of boxes created from just one laptop is quite amazing.

The laptop comes with a charger, 2 instruction booklets, an additional cable strap and the laptop.

Physically out of the box

The laptop which weighs 4 lbs actually feel pretty heavy compared to all my other 14" ultra portable laptops. It feels very dense and actually quite well built.

The keyboard has a good feel and the layout is comfortable for typing.

I would say, the location of the power button beside the [delete] button is simply poor design, but otherwise I do not have any other complain.

The mouse pad is responsive and the matt screen looks pretty good.

As I have several legacy software that does not work well on a QHD screen, this laptop is FHD and it does look pretty good and images and colors are pretty sharp.

After doing all the updates (about 30 minutes), the computer is ready to use. There was not a whole lot of updates to be installed.

There was no special design to raise the computer. It opens like a regular laptop, the matt finish on the laptop looks great. There are 2 speakers embedded on the side of the keyboard and they look pretty good.

The sides of the laptop contain a variety of ports. On the left side are an HDMI output and a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports, while the right side has a headphone jack, microSD card slot and a pair of USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports.

It has a fingerprint sensor which may come in handy for fast logins.

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The Sound

The Zenbook Pro has very clear and loud speakers. The Harmon Kardon speakers did not disappoint. It could easily fill a small meeting room, and possibly even a mid sized conference room. It was quite impressed by the clarity but the bass is not very noticeable.

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The Screen.

I got the FHD version which has 1920 x 1080. The blacks are pretty black and images clear. The brightness of the screen is also very good. 

By looking at the photos comparing it with a color corrected screen to Pantone colors, I would say the images and colors are pretty accurate.

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Heat and Fan

While using this laptop and installing software, it was on my lap for 3 hours, and it still did not heat up enough to burn me.

One thing for sure, in a totally silent room, you can constantly hear the twin fans blowing. It was not noisy enough to annoy, but definitely audible.

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Battery Life.

The massive 73Wh 8-cell lithium-polymer battery seemed big, but after 4 hour of use, downloading software updates, installing software, browsing web, listening to music or watching a movie in the background while moving files, the battery is at 50% remaining. 

I would have to use more to have good assessment of the battery, but I could easily say that I probably would never get the 10 hours of battery life as claimed by ASUS. With my current estimation, I would say a 6 - 7 hour battery life would be possible for normal usage.

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Graphics

This is one of the few laptops I own with a dedicated video card. the GTX 1050 Ti with 4GB memory is pretty good in running even the newest games. 

I ran Mafia 3, PUBG on the computer and after optimizing the game, I do get 100+ fps which is very good at FHD settings 1080p. 

I would say that the graphics capabilities on this system is pretty good, however, the laptop seems to heat up considerably. 

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Overall

I would say that this is a good laptop. I paid around US$1,200 (Black Friday) for i7-7700, 512GB amd 16GB memory. with a GTX 1050 Ti video card, it is good for a few years of entry level gaming and possibly video editing. At this price, I would say it is a pretty good buy. (or you can shell out a little more for a touch screen)

The battery life is a little disappointing as my Surface Book at 1 year old gets much better battery life than this.

The laptop has speakers that sounds amazing and the screen is pretty solid for a FHD screen.

The weight is a little of concern. If given a chance, I'd probably get the 14" Zenbook instead of the 15.6" screen. The difference between 2.6 lbs and 4 lbs is quite significant. 

-- Robin Low

MIUI 10 on Mi Mix 2S

I just updated my Mi Mix 2S to the new MIUI 10.

There is not a lot of difference at the first. Dragging the screen up gets you the Google search, and dragging it down gives to the setting menu. Pretty much the same as MIUI 9.5.

At the start, my keyboard disappeared from my Facebook Messager and Facebook, and after restarting the phone, everything was fine again.

One thing I need to get used to is that now to close apps, you have to swipe left / right instead of up...

Holding on the app at the app switch screen allows you to lock the app, create a split screen or change settings on the app.

The timer now also has sound options for you to listen to natural sounds for the duration, sort of like a napping aid to help you relax.

The toggle app screen is also different.

I have yet seen significant improvements on the camera, calendar and other claims that MIUI 10 has over MIUI 9.5.

My phone was already running pretty fast with no lag, so there is not much difference.

Overall, I do like the new changes, and yes, there is a little need to get used to the new design. Overall, the UI and UX seem better, and nothing much is compromised except for the initial bugs I faced with Facebook, but all seemed to clear up once I restarted my phone.

I do like it and I would recommend that you update to the latest MIUI when you have the chance.

-- Robin Low

Fancy Remodeling in Malaysia. Is it different?

I see a lot of new renovation and development in Malaysia, many of the malls are give a new facelift. Things look really nice giving them the clean Japanese retail look. Shopping and browsing seems quite nice.

I was recently in Terbrau Aeon and I really liked the new look of the mall. The layout of the mall was very interesting and they have a new food court with an interesting concept. The products sold there seemed to be of a wider variety and of a pretty good selection.

However, when I decided to purchase a product, the design of the cashiers are totally FAIL!

I waited 20 minutes for a small purchase, and I saw many customers walking off, and not completing their purchase. This is like going online, trying to buy a product, and after clicking through many pages, the checkout cart is still not completed.

There were 6 staff, but only 2 counters, the other staff seemed to be standing around and chatting for 30 minutes. When the queue grew, other shoppers were blocked from walking and there was a congestion created on a Thursday afternoon! When there is not even a lot of shoppers.

So the renovations:
Pretty (YES)
User Experience (BAD)

Going to the different levels, the mall looks really transformed. The design seemed really pretty and many of the products and display makes them attractive, however, the whole experience of buying is still very bad. Long queues, multiple queues, and inefficient staff.

Is this typical of shopping in Malaysia?

The food court. Looks really WOW and nice. The food choices seemed great, and they smell great. However when I tried buying food, it was again a miserable experience.

You queue to choose your food (with many people cutting queue), then you queue to pay for the food.

And what's worse, the food (friend food and BBQ food) seemed to be served in excessive plastic and there is no way of heating it. (A microwave was found and it was not turned on.)

When you buy a drink. You queue in one queue and collect in another queue. The queues are manned with only one person with 20 people in line, waiting for their orders which seemed to be made 2 at a time.

It was a pretty food court, but I WILL NEVER go back again. Seemed like a great layout, but much FAIL in user experience.

Perhaps they need a lesson in UX.

I hope someone goes in and work with them to fix the experience. I really like this mall, and the new design is better, but the experience is worse.

-- Robin Low

Jaffna - Sri Lanka - Is it worth going?

Jaffna, a city that is ravaged by a long war, almost 10 years later. The big question remains: Is it worth going?

Jaffna today (Sept 2017), is in much better shape than in 2009. There are many new hotels opened, roads rebuilt and lots of post wars ruins to be discovered. Many people seemed to be raving about some sites which I had to check out.

So here is the run down.

1) War Museum at Puthukkudiyiruppu

This place is absolutely SHIT. The war relics are kept out in the harsh sun and the location is far from civilization. There is garbage on the relics, and it is not even maintained or sheltered. Yes, there are some broken / damaged war vehicles here, but nothing that is a war-relic of note. Submarines are kinda cool, but hey, left out in the sun to rot.

Good thing is -- its FREE. Expect nothing, look at it and don't touch anything, may have pee or poop on it... Yup, outdoors, if it rains, you are FUCKED.

2) Jaffna Fort

Jaffna Fort is right in the middle of town, near the clock tower and library. They do have opening hours like 8am - 6pm, and there is no shelter if it rains. The restorative works is ongoing and the workmanship is pretty good. If you are in Jaffna, there is no reason not to go. It makes a great sunset pic as well.

3) Jaffna Library

This place is near the fort, it looks nice and historical from the outside and may be interesting to visit. But for visitors, it opens only from 4:30pm - 6pm. Yup, knowledge is rather limited, and you are not allowed to have it. I wondered why this is not burnt down during war along with all that set the rules.

4) Random construction beside the library

This place looks so cool, the silhouette looks like mini crosses. Not sure what it is going to be, not really interested to find out.

6) Clock Tower

This clock tower is at a rotary and it has 3 statues around it. Guess what, the clock actually works too. Much impressed.

7) Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil

 

This is one of the most significant Hindu Temples in Jaffna. Kinda historic, but damn, you need to take off your shoes and shirt to get in, and no photography allowed?

It shouts : "No tourists please"

8) Random abandoned Monastery beside Old Park in Jaffna.

Maybe this has not a lot of significance, this is a fantastic abandoned structure. There is not a lot of information on this, and there is a sign that says, "Enter with permission only" But at no where did it give you instructions on how to get permission.

Initially it seemed like another FUCK YOU, YOU ARE NOT WELCOMED  place, but as we entered and saw a guard that ignored us, this became one of the best ruins to take photos of... Bring on the HDR, snap away!

9) Kayts Island

Nice roads, plenty of plastic trash by the side of the road. Cow, Stray Dogs and Crow... That is about it. And yes, nice sunsets, shallow waters...

10) Fort Hammenhiel

This is some strange shit. It is in a Naval Base, run by the military. And the fort is also a hotel by the way. And yes, you need to pay to get to the island. It is nicely kept and food is mediocre but relatively cheap. Care to stay at the Fort Hammenhiel Resort? (Away from Civilization) With no tides and waves.

11) Delft island Jaffna

Delft Island is a relatively small island. It is accessible by ferry from Kayts. We chartered a ferry for 8,000LKR and paid a Tuk Tuk 2,000LKR for a 2 hour tour of the island to visit ALL THE SPOTS on the island.

There are some places which is simply like WTF, like a fucking huge footprint in cement, and others relatively underwhelming. But the whole island using corals as walls is simply fascinating. I've not seen so much corals as building materials before.

Delft Island is home of the Delft Pony. These are mutated horses left by the Portuguese back in the days, and they lived on the island and became shorter, smaller with long manes.

Strangely, I do not see much ponies and even though Delft Island is a wild horse sanctuary, you probably see more skinny cows. The cows have already overgrazed the grass, and it is hard to find any grass longer than 1 inch. According to the locals, there were more than 100 horses dead because the water was contaminated and there is lack of food for the horses due to the excessive number of cows.

The island is relatively unspoilt, but it is also an ecological disaster waiting to happen as I foresee that most of the horse on the conservation area will probably die off as the cows eat all the grass on the island and compete for water source.

The island is nice but depressing as you see the skinny horses and cows run free and die of starvation. The question to ask is how incompetent the authorities running the reserve are when they allow the locals to bring in cows in large numbers to compete with the limited food supply.

Pro-Tip: Bring water and an umbrella.




So, if you ask me again if Jaffna is worth the visit, I would say if you have a lot of time in Sri Lanka, then yes.. Otherwise, stay the fuck away from there. It is 4 hours from Trincomalee and no where near anything else unless you are going to Anuradhpura which is like 3.5 hours away.

Food is mediocre, land is hostile and businesses are not tourist friendly. Many museums and stores will pretend to be closed just not to serve you. There is constantly a bad smell in the air, like raw sewage. The Rio Ice Cream which seems to be a local attraction serves ice cream that taste like supermarket store brand ice cream and they add syrup to the overly sweet ice cream. No matter what name you call it, it is bad ice cream.

The hotel that has the best food in Jaffna -- Green Grass Hotel -- has pretty good Jaffna Curry, but its got small bones inside. Forget about Crab Curry, its a tiny hard shell crab which is hard to eat.

Some locals are friendly, but they do not speak Sinhala or English, landmarks are not clearly mapped, and businesses and attractions close when they like.

-- Robin Low