Hong Kong WinterFest Romance Through The Lens Contest

Has anyone spent Christmas in Hong Kong before? Yes? No?
Well, maybe this year is the year to be in Hong Kong for Christmas!

Why?
Because CNN.com has selected Hong Kong as one of the 10 best destinations for spending the Christmas holidays. And also because the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has once again put together a basketful of special programmes for visitors and local residents under its Hong Kong WinterFest promotion.

Running from 25 November 2011 to 1 January 2012, the focal points of the celebrations will be the popular tourist districts of Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, where themed decorations and fun activities are bound to ensure visitors a memorable and dazzling winter experience.

This is Hong Kongs 10th year in celebrating Christmas with its Hong Kong WinterFest promotion and the theme isLove Christmas. Love Hong Kong, which underlines not only cheerful celebrations, but also the spreading of love through charitable causes.

The two key promotions are:

Central: A Holiday of Tiffany Treasures

Sponsored by Tiffany & Co, the centrepieces will be an 18-metre tall Christmas tree and a fairytale-inspired carousel at Statue Square in Central. Most importantly, there will also be a photo boothfor capturing the memories, customised Tiffany & Co postcards and stamps for sending seasonal greetings to friends & families.

Part of the proceedings generated, after deducting operational costs, will go to Make-A-Wish Hong Kongto help make the wishes of children with serious medical conditions come true.

2.East Tsim Sha Tsui: Ice Wonderland

• Presented by Sino Group Limited, the Ice Wonderland at the UC Centenary Garden is set to further enhance the festive ambience of East Tsim Sha Tsui, which has long been famous for its signature Christmas lights.
  In addition to the visual treats from festive motifs and special snow effect, visitors and local residents can enjoy the fun of ice-skating in the Ice Wonderland, while the surrounding Christmas lights will provide a perfect backdrop for memorable holiday photos.
  Admission to the venue is free.
  Part of the income generated from rental of skating equipment will go to Hong Chi Association, spreading the seasonal joy to those in need.

Besides promotions in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong WinterFest highlights the timely events launched by local attractions, including Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park,Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and Ngong Ping 360, as well as travel itineraries and ! special offers by the travel trade and mega shopping malls respectively.

• 

So, celebrating the Christmas holidays in Hong Kong sounds good doesnt it??

Well, trying winning yourself an all-expenses paidtrip there this year end!

In conjunction with the Hong Kong WinterFest, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, with New Straits Times Life & Times, are looking for a winning couple to go to Hong Kong, for 4 days 3 nights (tentatively from 19th of Dec 2011 to 22nd Dec 2011) all-expense trip, including a makeover and romantic photoshoot at Christmas Dreamland and Ice Wonderland.

To win, you will have to:

• Submit an original & creative photograph of yourself and your other half depicting your interpretation of romance.
• Include an interesting caption of not more than 25 words.
• Email entries to HKwinterfest@gmail.com with complete details (Full name, IC number, mailing address and contact number).
• ALTERNATIVELY, you can tweet the photograph with caption and the hashtag #HKromance.

Closing date is on the 4th of December 2011 (Sunday).
Entries will be judged on content and originality, technicality and visual aesthetics, as well as the creativity for the caption.
Results will be published on 10th December 2011 (Saturday).

Also, take a look at the promo video for the celebration!

For more information on the contest and to potential increase your chances of winning, visit these links:

• http://bit.ly/HKwinterfest
• http://bit.ly/HKWinterFest2011
• http://bit.ly/HKWF2011

I might be taking part! Are you?

Restoran Soon Lee Somewhere Hidden in Segambut Kuala Lumpur

Restoran Soon Lee has its sign board located outside near andnext to BP petrol station along Jalan Segambut. There is no sign board seen at this stall. "Chap Fun" or economy rice is sold here beside many comes for their "Tai Chow".

This deep fried fish paste with bean curd wraping was delicious it was super crispy & fluffy on the outside and bouncy soft in the inside. This is a must try dish.

La La clams in ginger rice wine soup was good, the clams were big & fresh with thick shells.Stir fried sawi vegetable to green up the lunch.
Steam local promfret was the best of the lots, fresh and yummy. Good recommendation "Si Tau Por" by the way her name is Evon.
Fried Siew Yok was lovely, I like the popping skin it was absolutely cripsy. Don't miss this dish okay!
Bitter gourd fried with chicken was just normal with no complaint at all.
We saw our neighbouring table enjoying their fried Hokkien Mee and we just can't help ourselvesbutto requestfor a small plate from Evon. The noodle had lot of lard chips in it and it was truly sinful indeed.

Restoran Soon Lee

Jalan 1/57D,

Segambut,

51200 Kuala Lumpur

gps : 3.184041,101.669648

Toshiba Ultrabook Portege Z830 Lightest & thinnest in the WORLD!

Here I go again, on an ultrabook rampage that doesnt seem to be winding down anytime soon. Im blaming it on the ever-happening tech scene; with the current trend where all the major tech brands choose to launch their version of an ultrabook all days or within weeks from each other.

With each launch I get more muddled in the head. The Asus Zenbook was ultrasexy, and 2 weeks afterLenovoteases with some really funky features. Today Toshiba unveiled their Portege Z830, which they claim to be the LIGHTEST & THINNEST in the world.

After being appointed as an Acer Aspire S3 Brand Evangelist(post>HERE), I finally experienced the freedom of a lightweight laptop and yet at the same realized the limitations of one. While I accepted the lack of a CD/DVD drive, I still think having more I/O ports should be a serious consideration.

2 USB ports? Like seriously? And whats wrong with throwing in an Ethernet jack? And being a blogger, I cant live without a SD card reader, having to transfer pictures from reviews and event to the laptop for editing and uploading to the blog sometimes up to 3 times a day.

So when it was announced that thePortege Z830 is the only ultrabook (currently la..) with full ports functionality, I i! mmediate ly asked if there is a media price.

Dont get me wrong, Im not looking at replacing my current Aspire S3 but Im adding on to my collection of laptops for my company as well as for backups. Frequent traveling and with a few interns coming in next month, equipping the office is one of my primary concern now.
On top of that, Im known for not handling my stuffs with care, carrying them around as much as I do, so its wise to have backups right?

As expected I have done a mini comparison between the Aspire S3 with the Portege Z830. Just like my previous comparisons, it is nothing technical & solely on what you see basis.

After all, it cant be a fair nor proper comparison as I do not have both units to test.

Left: Acer Aspire S3. Right: Toshiba Z830. FRONT FACING.

LEFT: Toshiba Portege Z380. RIGHT: Acer Aspire S3. RIGHT SIDE.

LEFT: Acer Aspire S3.RIGHT: Toshiba Portege Z380. LEFT SIDE.

Back to back.

LEFT: Acer Aspire S3.RIGHT: Toshiba Portege Z380. (Both laptops back to back).

Left: Acer Aspire S3.Right: Toshiba Z830. KEYBOARD.

Acer Aspire S3.

Toshiba Portege Z380. Chiclet keyboard.

Touchpad on the Toshiba Z830, with dedicated left and right click buttons.

Chassis for Toshiba Z830.

Dont you just love the slimness of an ultrabook? I know I do!

The Toshiba Z830 is proven of its durability with tests as the below.

One last look.

Prices:
i5 RM3999. i7-RM4799
Media price: RM3199/RM3839.

Portg Z830-1000U

CPU Technology
Intel Core i5-2467M Processor (with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.3GHz, 1.6Hz, 3M Cache)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Chipset
Mobile Intel HM65 Express Chipset
System Memory
6144MB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
Display
13.3 WXGA HD LED Backlight TFT display (16:9), resolution 1,366 x 768
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics, up to 805MB total available graphics memory
Hard Disk
128GB Solid State Drive
Optical Disk Drive
-
Pointing Device
Touchpad with multi-gesture s! upportCommunications
Bluetooth V3.0 w/ High Speed Technology , Integrated 802.11bgn , 10/100/1000Mbps LAN
Built-in Camera
Built-in HD Web Camera
Sound System
Stereo Speakers, 16-bit Stereo with Intel High Definition Audio Support
Interfaces
2xUSB 2.0, 1xUSB 3.0 (Sleep&Charge) , RGB, HDMI , SD Card Reader (supports SD, SDHC, SDXC, miniSD**, microSD**, MMC)
Battery Type
8-Cell Lithium Ion
AC Adapter
45W Universal AC Adaptor
Security and Protection
Fingerprint/Spill Resistant KB
Physical Dimensions
316.0 x 227.0 x 14.9/15.9mm
Weight
From 1.12kg
Color Variation
Magnesium Silver
Warranty
1-year carry-in International Limited Warranty (parts & labor), 1-year battery (carry-in)

MORE POSTS ON ULTRABOOKS: Check them out!

1.ACER ASPIRE S3
2.Asus Zenbook
3.Lenovo U300S

All pictures taken with:

Es Teler 77 Juara Indonesia, Central Market

I noticed Es Teler 77 when I was over at Central Market a couple of months back. Though I kept reminding myself to try in soon, I never had the time, and when I did, none of my friends were keen to try.

And finally recently, the stars aligned and I went! :p

Unlike the usual Penyet restaurants, Es Teler 77 actually serves non-penyet meals..similar to Bumbu Desa, but in a fast food setting..

With surprisingly rather large selection of food- we only managed to order 2 mains, since the portion does seem huge.

Some Jus Apukat(RM7.80) to quench my thirst..

Different from what I expected- this blended avocado juice was laced with gula melaka, instead of chocolate. I'm fine with that combo if they didnt add in coconut milk/ cream too. The strong coconut flavour totally enveloped avocado's light taste and texture. It felt like I was slurping creamy, blended cendol..

Paket Ikan Goreng (RM11.90 or RM12.90..cant recall :p)...

The 'paket', if you're wondering, refers to the rice- akin to nasi lemak, with tiny fried anchovies premixed into it. The fish was slightly overfried- the meat was a tad dry. The good thing was, the dish was freshly cooked- we could hear them deep frying the fish..hahaha. The sambal was mild and the kicap was plain. A waste.

The Nasi Jelimet..

Fukuharu

A worthy, value-for-money Japanese set lunch. The last time I was impressed by such a deal was back in 2008, when Lyrical Lemongrass, FatBoyBakes and I met for an eight-course kaiseki lunch at Fukuya, Bangsar One. I did find out later that Fukuharu also belongs to the owner(s) of Fukuya. That explains the similar minimalist interior, warm hospitality and affordable, homey Japanese food.

If not for FBB's dive wife (she's an admirable runner too), who'd highly recommended the set lunch, I wouldn't have travelled the distance to come to the TERRACE, given how horrendous the traffic can be like along Jalan Ampang. But more importantly, I wanted to catch up with her and share my recent running experiences.

After a run earlier in the morning, I was certain that one set lunch (Japanese, especially) wouldn't be enough for me. But I was assured that the portions here are huge. The dishes rolled out one after another, starting with the salad, chawan mushi, choice of main dish (I chose the saba shioyaki, or grilled mackerel sprinkled with salt) and a bowl of hot soba (one can choose rice instead). The selection was J-typical but the ingredients remained fresh. Especially at only RM38+, there was nothing left to complain about, really. But of course, the stomach was only half filled, at best. But that's not their fault.

Somewhere between deploring the erratic slopes along the Putrajaya Night Marathon route and plann! ing for the insane Western State 100 Mile Endurance Run (it will not materialise, believe me), we were served the mini kaiseki appetizer platter, which I'd absolutely forgotten. It was surprisingly a plateful. And of relatively good quality too. Among others, the salmon sashimi slices (and cubes - with a wafu-style dressing and served in a shot glass) were considerably fresh, the riceball-coated deep-fried prawn came la minute crispy and there was even a cut of well-seasoned roast duck. Now that's what I call worthy.

Our fervent discussion on running went on for some time (covering Asics/Saucony shoes versus the world, introversion of runners, strategic locations to hide hydration bottles while running, etc), paused only for dessert (part of the set). It was a simple, flavourful scoop of vanilla ice cream, interestingly drizzled with black sesame sauce.

Fukuharu brought back good memories of Fukuya at Bangsar One. Both restaurants offer unbeatable set lunches in a relaxed setting. Personally, I think that this is a better option for a weekend gathering of few friends than to splurge on a chic restaurant where just the appetizer of colourful foams and a deconstructed iced lemon tea cost more this set lunch.

Fukuharu
TERRACE at Hock Choon
241-B, Lorong Nibong off Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia