'The Sorcerer And The White Snake' is essentially a remake of the ever popular legend... And I'm very sure most of you heard or know about the legend of the white snake... So before watching this movie, I roughly know what the storyline will be... So whether this movie will be a memorable one depends solely on the little details that they are putting in...

First of all, let's talk about the CGI... I'm kind of stuck in between love and hate... I love the way they make the wave and flood nearing the end of the movie... But I absolutely hated the way they make the snakes and other animals... Too fake to my liking and there is really a huge gap between movies from 'Hong Kong' and 'Hollywood' in terms of CGI... Nonetheless, there is improvement if you ask me...

So let's move on to the storyline... Nothing much to talk about I guess... Is the same story over and over again... A thousand years old white snake that has taken human form falls in love with a man... Obviously the man does not know that the woman that he love is in fact a white snake... I guess that's about it... Quite frankly, I'm a bit bored and the only thing that keeps me sitting in the cinema is 'Eva Huang'!!! She's absolutely gorgeous and this alone is worth the money!!! I just can't take my eyes of her... Apart from that, boring...

We stumbled across this cafe when we walked around 'Mid Valley'... This cafe never really caught my eyes because it was situated somewhere where we seldom go... It was located  on the first floor where no other restaurants were there... 

We ordered their set meal and it came with drinks, the main course and dessert (my darling's set came with dessert but not mine)...

'Ice lemon tea' on the left and 'Tropical punch' on the right...

The 'tropical punch' tasted quite nice... Sweet, just the right amount of sourness + fizzy, a combination that I can't resist!!! Nothing to talk about the 'ice lemon tea' as it tasted just like 'ice lemon tea'!!! Nothing more and nothing less... 

 'Rice Rhapsody' served with red chilli... RM17.90 for this rice set...

'Pulut Hitam Tong Yuen' dessert... I'm not a BIG fans of these kind of dessert so I skipped on the dessert...

'Chicken Mushroom Pizza'... Looks ordinary but tasted quite nice... Definitely better than those pizza outlet located on the lower ground floor of 'Mid Valley'... RM18.90 for my pizza set...

Cheesy!!!

View from where we sat...

Overall Rating - 3.2/5

Sweet Chat Cafe Mid Valley
Lot FK-010, First Floor,
Mid Valley Megamall,
Mid Valley City,
Lingkaran Syed Putra,
39200 Kuala Lumpur.
03-2287 2798

Steve Jobs

1955 - 2011

Ever since I started using the first generation 'iPhone' aka 'iPhone 2G', there is no turning back for me... I won't take a second glance on other phones in the market (unless it is an android powered mobile phones... still I'm not impress... sorry android junkie!!!)... I used to change mobile phone almost every year... Sometimes even shorter than that... But this change totally when I got my hands on the 'iPhone 2G'...  I stop changing mobile phone and I've been using the 'iPhone 2G' until now!!! Almost 4 years if I'm not mistaken and the phone is still in very good condition... The battery will outlast a lot of other phones in the market now no joke about that...

The 'iPad 2' also change my lifestyle entirely... No more lugging a BIG and bulky notebook whenever I go for an appointment... In fact I stop carrying bag entirely!!! Besides that, I eliminate the use of paper hence saving some trees and doing my part to conserve the environment... Other than business, whenever I'm bored I can just turn to my trusty 'iPad 2' for games, browsing the net and photo taking... Yes you read that correctly... I've been taking pictures with my 'iPad 2' more than my 'Sony Alpha DSLR'!!! It is truly a wonderful device...

Although I stop using my 'iPod' nowadays, but I know that whenever I needed it, it will not let me down... I will still bring it during vacation just in case I'm bored... I used to bring my 'iPod' whenever I go jogging but this is not something that I do frequently!!!

The three 'i' devices that I have  really change my life and thanks 'Steve Jobs' for making this happen!!! 

RIP 'Steven Paul Jobs'... Thanks for revolutionizing the MP3 player, mobile phone and also the tablet computer.  Thank you once again!!!

Got a new grill for my 'FrankenBenz' because the original one is cracking all over the place... I considered myself really fortunate because managed to get one that is in really good condition... I don't care about the metal surrounding because it is the plastic part that I'm after... I didn't want to spoil the look of my 'W124' so I opted to use back the original design... Nowadays there are a lot of different design but the original one still looks the best... 

A lot of people asked me why I don't wanna change to the new masterpiece bonnet??? I know the new masterpiece bonnet looks much nicer... Besides that, you can also delete the three pointed star and replace it with a flush badge that looks much sportier... The reason is because I'm planning to mod my 'W124' looking like 'The Hammer' which is one of the fastest car in it's time... So if I change my bonnet to the new masterpiece design, I can't achieve the look that I want... Is better to save the money and invest in a new bodykit which is precisely what I'm going to do!!!

To be continue...

Woo hoo another 'Lotus' for me to test drive... This time is non other than the famous 'Lotus Elise S'!!! The 'Lotus Elise' is a car that change the rules on low kerb weight sports car... With a bonded extruded aluminium chassis and a body made from fiberglass, the 'Lotus Elise' managed to keep weight as minimal as possible... This is a 'Lotus' so obviously the handling is what made this car so special and it won numerous awards for its handling ability... Some even called the 'Elise' as a overgrown go-kart!!!

The 'Lotus Elise S' that I'm testing is actually a second generation of 'Lotus Elise'... Much nicer to look at and definitely a little bit more habitable... 

 'S'

In terms of looks, the 'Elise' is a much better looking car as compared to the 'Lotus Evora IPS' that I had the privileged of testing a few weeks ago... It looks more butch although it is not as wide as the 'Evora IPS'... Overall it just looks meaner compare to the 'Evora IPS' which in my opinion is a very docile looking car whereas the 'Elise S' looks more like a track day refugee to me...

Much bigger air intake as compare to the first generation of 'Elise'...

 Very nice looking rear light arrangement... 

The whole backside is so much nicer compared to the 'Evora IPS'!!! Nice looking diffuser that managed to make the car so much meaner...

Puny twin exit exhaust... Although it is much smaller compare to the one found on the 'Evora IPS', the sound that it makes will actually made the 'Evora IPS' weep in terror!!! 

 In order to keep weight to the bare minimum, everything is manually operated including the side mirror...

If you are looking for a comfortable car, you can forget about the 'Elise S'... No creature comfort or whatsoever... There is no power steering here and this is a manual only car... You get a very basic sound system and a very basic air conditioning... When they first launch the 'Lotus Elise', air conditioning is an optional item!!! But in Malaysia, all Lotus car came equip with air conditioning... 

As you can see from the picture above, there is no carpeting to cover up the aluminium chassis and you can forget about sound deadening!!! None at all... When you depress the clutch, you will hear a metallic clank because there is nothing to stop the clutch pedal from hitting the chassis... Not even a rubber stopper!!! 

If you are a lady and you own a 'lotus Elise S', you can start throwing away all your skirts... I mean all of it because you can't wear it when you drive the 'Elise S'... You can actually wear if you don't mind those awkward upskirt moment happening!!! Getting into this car require some dexterity and if you are a plus size people, you can also forget about this car... Once you manage to get in, try getting out!!! Much harder if you are not use to it... But luckily I have years of experience climbing in and out from full bucket seat!!! 

Once your in the car, the car feels really claustrophobic and the view out is something I need to get use to... 

 The gear change is really nice... One of the best manual that I've ever tried... 

Front twin pot brake is more than enough to stop this car... The 'Elise S' weight only 895kg!!! My 'FrankenBenz' is around one tonne heavier!!!

The 'Elise S' uses a 1.8 liter four banger from 'Toyota' with VVT-i that can be found on cars like 'Toyota Celica' and also 'Toyota Wish'!!! The engine produces around 140bhp and 170Nm of torque... Very small numbers but on an 'Elise S', this means that the car is capable of sprinting from 0 - 100km/h in a mere 5.8 seconds!!!

If you are going on a road trip, you can also forget about this car because the maximum allowable mass in the luggage compartment is not more than 50kg!!!

Just look at the space they provide for your luggage!!! I don't blame them because this car is not designed for carrying things!!! It is design to devour the roads!!! That is the main purpose of this car!!!

Once you drove the 'Elise S', the driving experience will stuck in your mind for days and even weeks for my case!!! I'm still thinking about it till now!!! This is the most raw car that I've ever driven... Something like a track car if you must know... Once on the move, you can actually feels all the road imperfection with your butt and your hand... You will feel every surface and camber changes!!! The steering is full of feel and there is absolutely no slack at all... The steering is also very direct and quick...  

The driving experience is completely different compare to the 'Evora IPS'!!! The 'Elise S' is very noisy and when you hit 100km/h, you can actually forget about talking to your occupant... Road noise, engine noise, induction and also exhaust noise to be precise!!! Actually can but you will need to shout... So you know why they install a very normal sound system in this car... And when you are gunning this car, the induction sound is really intoxicating!!! You will purposely change down a gear just to hear the induction noise... I can't imagine if this car came equip with individual throttle bodies!!! 

The ride is firmer compare to the 'Evora IPS' and definitely not as comfortable... But who cares about comfort when you are in a car like this... In my opinion, few car come close to the 'Elise S' ability in terms of handling and bringing joy to the driver... For me, this is the car that I will choose over the 'Evora IPS'... I really won't mind driving it everyday but I know a lot of people bought the 'Elise S' as their weekend car... But I guess I can live with it in a daily basis... I really hope more car manufacturers can come out with cars like this... Very basic without all the electronic to spoil the driving experience...

If I struck lottery one day, I know what car I'm getting for myself and it definitely won't stay standard for long!!! In fact, I already came out with a list of modification that I'm planning to do to it...

Another vampire movie??? Yeah but this is something different compare to the 'Twilight Saga'... Although the vampire is also consider as handsome (more handsome than the overly white 'Edward' from twilight!!!) but this vampire movie is totally different compare to the 'Twilight Saga'... 

'Fright Night' which is essentially a remake from the successful 1985 'Fright Night' is more like a vampire movie compare to its rival... Can't really call 'Twilight' as its rival because both are in a different category... 'Twilight' is more like a love story rather than a vampire kind of movie whereas 'Fright Night' is a vampire movie... But frankly speaking, I believe the target audience for 'Fright Night' is obviously not someone like me... In my opinion, this movie feels more suited for teenagers... Besides that, there is nothing frightful regarding this movie... The worse part is almost all the important part is being censored!!! Why censored it when you categorized this movie as 18 and above??? I just don't get the point here... If they censored all the sex scene, I'm okay with it as it might offend someone but they censored all the parts that were supposed to be frightful!!! 

This movie doesn't work for me I guess... The plot is way too simple and definitely not frightening at all... I have really high hope for this movie but too bad, it let me down...    

I'm not a BIG fans of 'Kim Gary'... I don't understand all the hype surrounding this particular restaurant chain... The biggest NO-NO for me is the looooong queue and the way they arrange the table... The space between tables is like 5cm or maybe less??? I'm just not comfortable to sit so close to someone I don't know... And not forgetting the unique talking style when you're in 'Kim Gary'... Shout is the only way to converse so this is a BIG NO-NO if you're trying to impress someone you like...

But sad to say these are also the good point of going to 'Kim Gary'... When you're in 'Kim Gary', you can virtually hallucinate that you're actually in 'Hong Kong' and this is definitely a good point for me... So if your girlfriend or wife tells you that she wanna go 'Hong Kong', just bring her over to 'Kim Gary'... Problem solve without a huge hole in your wallet!!!

Food wise, no complaint from me but definitely not the best around... What I like about 'Kim Gary' is the variety of food that they served... But recently, I'm hooked on one particular menu... The 'A-Mix Set' which is basically a short form for 'American Mix Set'... You get to choose your choice of drinks and soup... Besides the 'A-Mix Set', they have the 'E-Mix Set' as well... Obviously the 'E' stands for 'English' and you can choose the drink and soup as well...

When it comes to ordering these two sets, it seems like I'm answering a questionnaire more than anything else... You will be ask a few question like what kind of drinks that you like and whether you want it cold or hot.  Then move on to the next question... What type of soup you like??? As for the meal, you want it with fries, rice or spaghetti??? What about the gravy??? OMG!!! But you know what, I'm kinda liking it...  

 'A-Mix Set' with spaghetti combo + black pepper sauce...

 'E-Mix Set' with fries combo + garlic sauce...

I don't really know whether I'm liking or hating this place... It really contradicts because I don't like the environment and food is only so so but in the meanwhile, I kinda like the way the the environment is and not forgetting the many ways that I can customize my meal!!! Arhh just forget about it!!!

Overall Rating - 3/5

Automatic transmission is different compare to manual transmission and I'm sure most of you know the difference... But the difference I'm talking about is not the way they change gear... What I'm talking about here is how they are being cooled... For manual transmission you don't really need to cool it as the temperature is not as hot as automatic transmission... The reason why we need to cool an automatic transmission is because of the torque converter... The torque converter can get really hot... So what is the usual way for cooling an automatic transmission??? Normally the automatic transmission fluid (ATF) gets routed through the radiator... 

Recently I found that my 'FrankenBenz' automatic gearbox is becoming more and more lazy to shift, up to a point that I needed to shift the gear manually!!! When I put the gear selector in 'D', my 'FrankenBenz' seems really sluggish and difficult to move... The reason for this is because the gear is stuck in 4th!!! At first I thought that there might be something wrong with my automatic transmission... So off I go asking around and most of them asked me to install a dedicated cooler for my automatic transmission... Since it is not really an expensive mod, I decided to give it a try... I bought a 'Mitsubishi EVO V' oil cooler for this mod... You don't have to waste money on dedicated ATF cooler as it is actually the same as normal oil cooler... A used oil cooler will do unless you are loaded!!! 

Initially there is some improvement but it just can't eliminate it totally... Sometimes, I still need to change gear manually, so this is definitely not the culprit... I ran out of idea and decided to sent my car to a 'Toyota 1JZ-GTE' specialist which is located in 'Labu, Seremban'... After checking, he told me that my car 'ECU' is faulty!!! At first I was a bit skeptical because when I first bought the halfcut, everything runs really fine and it is quite hard to get a faulty 'ECU' unless it comes in contact with water... And this is what actually happened!!! Blame myself because I asked my mechanic to place the 'ECU' in the same place where the old 'Merc' 'ECU' reside which is in the engine compartment... But I'm pushing some responsibilities to them as well because they are not knowledgeable enough to tell me that the new 'Toyota' 'ECU' cannot be put in the same place as water will ruin it!!! 

After spending those unnecessary money and got my 'ECU' changed, problem solved at last!!! It seems like a lot of those so call mechanic are not really knowledgeable because I bump into someone using 'Merc W124' as well as transplanting the same engine as mine and guess what, he's having problem with his automatic transmission as well!!! His problem is even more severe compare to mine... Stuck in 1st gear all the way!!!

To be continue... 

At first I didn't even realize about this movie because there is no trailer or advertisement... So obviously no second glance from me even though I know that it is screening in the cinema... So what change my mind to watch it??? Just look at the cast and you know why... Very strong cast I must say... I guess you can't go wrong with lots of BIG names staring in a particular movie...

'Contagion' is a very real life like kind of movie... It talks about epidermic disease and how to identify and act accordingly in order to stop it from spreading... If you expect this movie to have all the thrill and spill, I'm sorry to say that this movie is not your cup of tea... The way they film makes this movie more like a documentary rather than a movie and this is not a bad thing... This movie shows how an epidermic disease spread and causes fear among human and how we react to it... It shows the true faces of human being... Some sacrifice their lives in order to save while some will lie and profit from it!!! Epidermic comes and go but it is indeed a very terrifying thing... No doubt about that... Countless human will suffer and die because of it... Just think about 'SARS' and 'H1N1' and you know what this movie is all about...

For me, this is a very good movie because it show us all the good side and even bad side of human being... The length we go in order to survive is just astonishing!!! Thumbs up from me but I'm very sure some of you will find it rather boring...