Eating Outside

You were prepared for dinner your friends cooked then you eagerly await that final seasoning he had to put in. The smell was sinfully excruciating filled with overdosed pepper and a tint of basil on top.  Grasping the cutlery tightly, you were about to feast your eyes on the most so thought fascinating food that he had promised.

Snow White Fried Rice

Sorry about my absence lately. Been lazy these couple of weeks but I finally updated my blog with an entry that I always wanted to post since I came here. And you guess it (alternatively it’s already stated in the title), it is about consumables.

When you first arrive in Australia, you will thought that it will be in a bustle of clean restaurants, fine dining popping up every mile, finger licking good fast food and corner wine stores, and yes all of that is certainly true. Though, it lacks of one important ingredient that made most Asian countries unique in taste. That is;

Hawker Centres

Photos are all taken from Kuching, Sarawak and may be taken from other blogs. Apologies in advance before bashing starts to occur in my innocent blog.

 

Why would anyone like a store filled with blood sucking mosquitoes, dense filled brown cockroaches, non air-condition buildings, dirty plastic tables and sound pollution in every degrees?

One word, distinctiveTASTE. (That’s one word aint’ it?")

That run down look that foreigners beg to have

Whether they poured detergent all over our mee kolo, you will never ever get to obtain that same taste in Australia at ALL. The environment itself is non comparable with the “Back to Nature” surroundings that Malaysia has. Music itself also isn’t enough to do battle with those soothing ‘Apek and Ama” talk you hear at every kopitiam (Coffee Shop).

Who needs this when you got..

This ‘Authentic’ Asian Look

So Perth itself in my opinion should just do 4 important steps to improve their dining diversity and quality.

P – unPrudence (The lack of carefulness and caution of the food they cook  can resultantly improve the quality and eminence of their menu)

O – Options (A dash of pepper, 0.5mg of Curry Bean Curd, 0.125ml of Soya sauce and a half a bottle of wine in our Broth. Don’t forget to put alot of oil)

R – Reek (Without the sufficient oily, grimy and filthy surroundings, the optimum conditions for food molecules cannot be achieve. That run-down look is a must!)

N – Necessities (If you keep on selling noodles rather than Mee in stores, nothing can be done)

So just remember the 4 steps PORN, watch how people execute this 4 steps, PORN and probably do this 4 steps PORN.

***

So Perth, please, help us bring back that Asian look into our suburbs or cities. We will be entirely glad if you do this for us.

You wouldn’t want to end up in this conversation;

Girl : Eh, wanna’ go Yam cha tonight?

Boy : Ok. Sure very romantic wan.

Girl : Cibiet Boyfriend

For your information, most shops closed at 5.30pm except fast food stores in Perth.

iPhone 3G Review

Apa itu?

It’s…

Bryan ada dua igik phone? Apanya tu? (Trying to not forget my Sarawak Heritage)

 

A damn big ass phone

People must be wondering, that Bryan must be one ‘hell of a rich bastard’ to afford such an expensive phone. I’ll definitely say nay to that. Though the real purpose of this post is to tell all those unconventional and pessimist  human beings that the phone that you seem to look down upon so much, that there is no competition at all. Oh noes? Am I turning to a Apple Geek like Steve Jobs? Not entirely, but I’ll tell you one thing, especially to Nokia, Sony Erricson, Motorola and all those other crappy brands hardcore fans that this phone, SUCK BALLS HARD (Though in a good way).

The phone which I am going to tell you all about is none other than the magnificent Apple iPhone 3G 16GB.

This review is dedicated to those nay-sayers and cynic uneducated people that giving a go with new things aren’t that bad. I never regretted in having this phone and this review will convince you that this phone is agitated to be the top of the ladder, unless it is already one.

On to the SUCK BALLS HARD phone review!

My iPhone. I know you are jealous.

Basically, the iPhone is a touchscreen phone that has one of the best, user-friendly, responsive touch response ever. Try comparing it with other phones, the iPhone beats it hands down. Apple invented the touchscreen anyway so there’s evidence there by itself.

The built itself is not only on par with the slimmest phone but girls will often be jealous of it’s slim properties it has. And to think of it, so much it can do packed into a slim phone like that? Incredible.

My 7610 turned fat all of the sudden

Nevertheless, the main charm of the phone is it’s ever glaring bright colours that seem to captivate people as soon as they touch it. With a ever user-friendly interface of just moving your fingers over the ‘body’,pushing the ‘right’ buttons, grasping on its slim ‘texture’, gasping at its '’applications’, it will soon want your ‘attention’ and ‘affection’ every minute.

 

I know you want me.. Come to bed then

“So? Even it does have all those functions, what phone doesn’t have that? It also has a pretty sucky ass camera (2.0 Megapixel) and probably can’t MMS to anyone which even the oldest of old phones have that capability.”

Honestly, the 2.0 Megapixel is suffice to say able to even beat its 3.2 Megapixels counterparts. It does very well in taking in bright places and even in low light. I do not have pictures to proof it to you, but do trust me, it is worth the shot even the box stated 2.0 Megapixel which should actually be 2.0>3.2 Megapixel.

MMS? That is already solved in the new 3.0 update for the iPhone.

On the side note, there is no autofocus. Too bad I guess

Someone said it’s a crime to have too many applications in a phone. It does ultimately lag most Nokia Phones if there is too many applications in a phone but why worry if you have the iPhone. You can never have enough!

That’s just one page.

That brings me yet to another point, the iPhone can serve any purpose. Unless you hope it do your homework, you are out of luck. Though it can still do a bunch of cool stuff like;

SMS like MSN (SMS)

Prevent you from buying too much porn (Budget)

Check out Guys in wet clothing. (Weather)

 

Remind you when to stock on necessities (Notepad)

Built up your vocabulary for the upcoming test (Dictionary)

 

You can also do some cool weird stuff with your iPhone like;

 

Check if you are stupid (Quiz)

 

Shred like Steve Vai (Guitar)

Make you lazier (Remote)

Waste your time with touchscreen, motion sensing games (Entertainment)

Inspite of all those halfass reviews telling that there is an iPhone killer everytime, there is barely anything that matches up to it. Blackberry Storm? Beaten. Nokia 5800? Beaten. That Google Andriod whatiscall phone? Beaten.

It even gets better when you do JAILBREAK your phone. Something like the crack that you get from games. You can download applications for free, put wallpapers behind your applications (which actually cannot be done), change your themes, crack ringtones and so much other things. Though people who want to do this have to go through a set of complicated rules but I’m glad to share this knowledge with a price. (My previous ‘teacher’ didn’t charge me so I am just being evil)

I am going to miss my 7610 Supernova….

So why go spend your father and mummy’s allowance on cheap phones. Go for this phone. You will never regret it.

Though I have to remind you that the iPhone 3G(S) is coming out soon so it’s better that you wait for the new one which is fitted with a 3.0>5.2 Megapixel Camera. Previous owners though can easily upgrade their phones to 3.0 for more features.

For that I end my brief, incomprehensive review of the iPhone.

To that, I will conclude this with only 3 words.

Buy this PHONE. Thank you.

 

Final Verdict;

Built : 9/10 (Just cause maybe the screen is a tad too big)

Interface : 10/10 (Awesome touchscreen)

Usage : 7/10 (2.0>3.2 Megapixel only)

Appeal : 10/10 (Long lasting appeal with applications)

Battery : 7/10 (It finishes pretty fast though it’s probably me using it too much)

Music : 10/10 (I forget to mention about ths but anyone own an iPod should know about this though it has improved interface; cover page and easier scrolling)

Average : 88.3 (Recommended Biatch!!!)

Perth in Review (Part 1)

Why so busy lately?

  Have been busy dodging bombs. (FIY, SOY means Soil on You or in other words, Shit on YOU)

Perth is as a matter of fact, a great place to live though there is not much ‘Hua Na” roaming the streets anymore. Thank goodness. Terrorism be gone Whether it is a good thing for some people, there is still those Aussie Slang running around your mind every now and then. You will receive heaps on greetings containing, “Luv”, “Darling”, “Sweetie” and the all famous “Teddy Bear". I am not a cute cuddly toy mind you but they Aussies don’t really take those words seriously as to their real definition.

Nevermind about that I say. They wont rape me that’s for sure. Right?

  Like I said, “No Hua Na, no terrorism"

Another thing is, those fences or jail bars that we seem to cage around our homely home are long gone in Australia (Well in some cases). They are not inviting any robberies or rape cases and some sort, it cause crime in Australia is more well controlled than Malaysia. You walk at 12 midnight and what do you see? No shady man, no massacres, no nothing (Well, I still don't recommend you to walk at that time of night). Though aggressive drivers are more likely to be seen in Australia.

  A typical street in Perth

In Malaysia, the car chases are a bore compared to Perth. Don’t you find it awkward that a car chase have a ninety percent chance that the car they are chasing is a KANCIL? I mean seriously, they don’t make movies like Italian Job anymore. "Reporting a prime suspect in aggressive driving, a black Kancil driving at 90kmp/h. Calling in backup in Batu Tujuh. We may have duit kopi if we do catch them" depicting a actual car chase in Malaysia in English.

As I said previously, cars here such as brand new Mazda can be sold as cheap as a plain old junk called the Kancil. I am so sad that we all have been cheated all along. Say thanks to the Prime Minister of Modernization. He’s the one who came up with this brilliant idea.

Perth Public Transport in comparison with Kuching? Laudable

Besides all that ranting, there are also other things to be well kept aware of. The many places to visit in Perth of course. From Perth City itself, strolling over the famous Swan Lake, feeding seagulls at Fremantle Port, having a picnic at Kings Park, feeding yourself at Chinatown, getting lost at Curtin University, going Wind Surfing at the beach, and all in 30 to 1 hour drive from the suburbs, you can’t go wrong getting bore at this place. Though, night life here is particularly amiss in Perth. Most shops close at about 5.30pm. The agony for us, the bliss for those businessman.

 

Chinatown, the only place with nightlife (Well, doesn't really look like Chinatown)

The Beach (Forget whats it called)

London style Chinatown

Pwetty Unknown Flowers

 

 

OH YES. You can easily get fat here..

 

 

Fish and Chips + Me = Orgasmic Dietary Malfunction

They call this kids meal

What Naruto fans like to eat. (The best Ramen is available in Fremantle Market)

 

Anyway, my first impression of Perth compared to Kuching is “Beats the Hell out of it in some ways”

Since my hair is itching to get a shampoo rinse, I’ll be signing off up to this point. Be sure to check out for more upcoming post about Perth and a review on the iPhone 3G.

This is definately a must for those iPhone haters cause I was one of them last time but now, I have become a fanboy. I proudly admit it.

So to sum it all;

KUCHING : PERTH = 0 : 1

(Check the current standings at the log next to my post)

Acer 6935G Review

My New Portable Beast

As for now, I currently inherited the Acer Blue Gemstone 6935G. This is what should be keeping me alive for the next five years. Hopefully it does last that long..

This is my first review in this blog and I intend to make this a good one. I’ll be looking in the Value, Performance, Design, User-Friendliness, Hardware, Software, Sound, Accessories Weight, Portability, Net Surfing and just about everything in this powerhouse machine.

Hardware Specifications

From there we could see the specifications quite barely.

For those cannot catch a glimpse on what I just took, I guess I’ll type all of it out. Prepare to be astounded^^

• Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 (2.4ghz, 1066 MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache)
• 16” Full HD 1080P Acer CineCrystal LCD (1920 x 1080 = Crazy Ass Resolution)
• Up to 2303MB NVDIA GeForce 9600M GT TurboCache ( Alright, I am in Love)
• 3GB DDR3 (DDR3 not those obsolete DDR2)
• 500GB HDD (Sadly, it is more than my Uber Awesome Rig)
• Blu-Ray Disc (This could be the most expensive part of the laptop)
• 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N WLAN
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Acer Xpress VoIP Phone
• Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit
• Surround Sound Enabled (by something called TUBA)
• Built in Webcam 1.3Mega Pixels/2Mega Pixels (I am not too sure about it)
• Built in Fingerprint Security
• Built in Mic
• 1 year international warranty

Software Provided

• McFree (Like most laptops)
• Microsoft Office Student 60 day Trial (Though I quickly reinstalled it with a pirated one)
• Some Acer Stuff

Accessories given

• Acer VoIP Phone
• 16GB Kingston Thumb Drive (We paid an extra 50 to upgrade it from 4 to 16)
• Headphones with Mic
• TECOM mouse (It’s a little small for my hands)
• Laptop Lock (Don’t really know how to use it)
• ACER laptop bag (Barely manage to fit my laptop inside)
• An outdated blu-ray disc showing some trailers

Performance and Multi-Tasking

I have this laptop for about two weeks and it seems to be running quite fine without any BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) or frequent lag happening now and then. I normally run my Windows Messenger, Windows Media Player, Few tabs from Mozilla Firefox while posting this blog with Windows Live Writer with no cinch of lag. Besides that, with the provided resolution, 1920 x 1080 pixels, you can guarantee that you never have problems not being able to do stuff all at once.

Adobe Photoshop CS4 opens in like about 5 to 7 seconds the moment I click it as it loads all its resources. The Firefox on the other hand loads in about 3 to 2 seconds. Most Windows program though load in less than a second. But one thing I hate is it seems to show the Welcome screen after you access an account a little longer but its forgivable.

It also achieve a 4.9 rating for the Vista Experience Index.

Entertainment and Video

The sound system taking all the space up

From the picture above, you can see that it has an extra large sound system. Though if your one who love bass heavy songs, you may hear a slight interference every once in while but it’s not quite audible. But it has no problem with songs that are softer.

With a 16 inch screen at your disposal, you cannot give up trying to see the latest (pirated) movies with this machine. The picture is very crisp and sharp. I have no problems with playing DVD’s with the machine though I have not tried any blu-ray disc being it is to expensive for my puny budget.

Though, my main problems is the blu-ray disc drive seems to be making loads of noise while reading certain disc. The crackling sounds that you may hear may fright you for awhile and probably tempt you to take the disc out but I have not see any problems so far if you leave it in there. The drive can burn CD, DVD and most probably HD-DVD also but sadly it doesn't burn Blu-Ray disc.

The CineDash Media Console

Yes it does look very catchy and it works pretty catchy also. It seems like they stole this design from some Star Trek Movie and slap a sticker next to the keyboard. But it is not any sticker, but it is some flashy touch sensitive buttons so you won’t need to press or anything but just brush your fingers over it. It did have few problems when I wanted to change the volume though.

User-Friendliness and Design

The Keyboard and Touchpad in view

The keyboard I would like to say is alot smaller than usual. You can see that the space bar seem to be cut off due to the space the CineDash Console taking part of the space. With that, for first time users, you may have some problem getting use to the keyboard but it is not impossible. But one thing I don’t really like is that dust or some other foreign object seem to like come out from nowhere and hide itself under the keyboard. The keyboard seem to have holes here and there. I don’t know whether it is dangerous or not to leave it in there but it is just so silly when you get bothered by the same thing you see every time you type.

Anyway, the power button looks very sci-fi like and that seems to make eye go ogle it everytime. The one thing I love more is the circular shinny oject at the side of the laptop where you plug in the power cable and probably also the blue illumination around the laptop. The touchpad material also follows the body of the laptop which is carbon fibre. Yes it does sound strange but it works well since it doesn’t spoil the design of the product. No wonder this lappy had won the Best Product Design of 2009 though it didn't win the Dust-Free Award.

So smexy!

The top/dashboard/or whatever you call it seems to be the most attractive feature of this laptop. But yes, it does collect alot of dust also and probably smudges from your hands. So be sure to wipe it almost every time which is getting pretty annoying.

The weight is about 3kg plus. That is pretty heavy for a laptop. But consider it has 16 inch screen it is pretty average in its category. Though with this weight, it can easily be as heavy as a desktop replacement. But the hardware inside the computer is not to be miss as it is the main reason that it is this heavy.

Gaming

With the 9600M GT, it does pretty well in gaming. With playable frame rates in games like L4D with medium-high settings and L4D in medium settings with about 60 Frames per second, I do say this is the best laptop which is bang for my buck with such a great graphics card. Though I didn’t benchmark much on this laptop but I do say, you can’t go wrong buying this laptop as a gaming machine.

Though I didn’t test this beast on Crysis or more of the top end games but this will certainly appeal to the casual gamers and possibly the hardcore gamers also.

Internet and other wireless capabilities

It has no trouble in connecting internet outside and WIFI. Though it is not tested thoroughly, but it does pretty well in finding connections outside. It also has Bluetooth for those who want send files in a jiffy from your phone.

It can view webpages with no problem as the resolution is ultimately quite big. Though it didn’t had JAVA the first time I got it.

The webcam was pretty fine and it takes pictures and videos also. Though be warn that the videos taken have a slight delay with the sound which is pretty annoying as you can’t record yourself if you intend using sound with it. The microphone was possibly hidden very well as I can’t find it but it does read sound pretty clearly even when afar.

Value

I bought this for 4499 (Though it got a discount of 99 bucks). With extended warranty of 3 years domestic only (add another 200), I say this may be the best laptop around with this kind of specifications. I did not regret as I have made this purchase and I will absolutely take care of it like its my baby.

Verdict

This is should be the best laptop at its price around and you can’t find it anywhere on other companies. I do say few things bother me but still it is easily forgettable as it brings so much that you can as well get from a desktop. I dare say that this will be something I can’t live without when I am at Aussie.

Pros

• Cheapest laptop you can find with specifications like that
• Extremely wide resolution
• Blu-Ray
• Mainstream to High-End Graphics Card (Gaming capable)
• CineMedia Dash Console
• Beautiful Design
• 500GB HDD
• Crisp Videos
• Bright LCD
• Some nice Acer Programs fitted in there

Cons

• 3 USB Bays only
• Reflective LCD Screen
• Smaller than average keyboard
• Heavy
• Collects dust and smudges easily

Final Rating : 8.7