Now, for me personally, I have tried many supplements and had drank all sorts of tonics, herbal concoctions in my lifetime in my desperate effort to stay young, and more importantly, to remain razor-sharp & on my feet for a minimum of 20 hours in a day. I mean, don’t we all wish we have more hours in a day? I can name offhand at any one time; a list of 10 friends who finds sleep to be a waste of time!

Unfortunately, our bodies and brains are not wired that way. And hence 6-8 hours sleep per night is recommended by all health practitioners. But more and more people are discovering that sleep alone is insufficient to power them throughout the day.

I’m no strangers to essences and I have tried a few previously, even Brands. But as usual, consistency was a problem. I either forget to take them after a while, or it started to become a hassle to bring those pill boxes/bottles/sachets around with me. One way around that was taking them in the morning, before I leave the house.

Hence the BRAND’s 14 -Day Get Smart campaign was a good kick-start for me to make it a habit to start taking supplements. Because it is only 14 days, it didn’t seem so daunting & sounded perfectly doable. I put all the 14 bottles of Brands essence on my kitchen table, & drank it before leaving the house in the morning.

Since I had to keep track of my mental progress (ahem), I did a little chart as below. Like I said, I ‘lied” to my mind & assured myself that “it’s only 14 days..“. Somehow it worked! And you know what people say about forming habits right? Do something consistently for 14 – 21 days and it will become a habit. Now, I automatically reach for a bottle once I finish my lunch!

So do I feel smarter as the campaign claims to achieve? Heck I can’t tell. I’ll like to think that I’m smart to begin with. But yes I do appreciate that my attention span & mid day energy slumps has reduced significantly though I’m sleeping less and less! Not a good habit I know, but it’s reassuring to know that I can count on Brands to keep me going on days when my schedule is packed to the rafters. At least it’s made from natural essence rather than the sugar based energy drink like Red Bull where you’ll get the instant spike of energy but runs low on you once it’s metabolised. Brands takes a longer period of time to take effect, but it is after all, a supplement for long term health benefits rather than for instant gratification.

Below: Advertlets bloggers with Ryn, the Ambassador for Brands during the launch of the BRAND’s 14 -Day Get Smart campaign.

Now, if only Brands could improve on the taste of the essence… ;-)

Well, ‘Belieber’ or not, Justin Bieber fever has reached our shores & the infamous singer/performancer will be here in KL in April 2011!

As you know, Tune Talk is the proud sponsor of the upcoming Justin Bieber concert and his movie “Never Say Never”. As a blogger or NOT (YES, this contest is open to EVERYONE!), here’s how you can get your hands on the tickets for both events.
Read carefully how:-

MY WORLD TOUR CONCERT
Top 5 Most ‘LIKED’ Bieberfied Display Picture (RM288 X 5 pairs)
1. Download the TuneTalk Twibbon (picture overlay) for your Facebook & Twitter here:-
a) For your Facebook display picture
b) For your Twitter display picture
2. Change your Facebook & Twitter profile image, upload it on your Facebook & Twitter account.
3. Upload it on Advertlets Facebook link
4. Get as many people to ‘LIKE’ your photo on Advertlets Facebook.

Top 5 Most ‘LIKED’ Bieber Video Impersonation (RM358 X 5 pairs)
1. Give your Best Bieber Dance or Singing Impersonation.
2. Upload it on Advertlets Facebook
3. Get as many people to ‘LIKE’ your video on Advertlets Facebook.

See? You can join the contest too even if you are NOT a blogger! Just upload to Advertlets Facebook wall!
SO ARE YOU JOINING THE CONTEST???? Come on! Do it!

Ok, next one you will have to be a blogger! Or at least you will need to publish your blog post on a blog, it can be a NEW blog, or you publish it on your friend’s blog.. just get it published on a blog!!

NEVER SAY NEVER MOVIE PREMIERE
Top 5 Best Blogpost (3D Movie Tickets X 5 pairs)
Top 30 Runners up Blogpost (Normal Hall Tickets X 30 pairs)

For this contest, you MUST include these in your blog post;
1. About TuneTalk prepaid, include the link: (http://www.tunetalk.com/services?page=features)
2. Why you deserve to attend the Movie Premiere
3. And what does ‘Never Say Never’ phrase mean to you.
4. Include the Movie & Concert flyer

That’s it people! 3 ways to Win Justin Bieber concert tickets & movie premiere!
So start changing your display picture, get as many LIKES or blog your way to the movie premiere.

Terms and Conditions:

- Your entry must link to this blog post and have the 2 images (ABOVE) included in your post.
- (IMPORTANT) Do send your post URL to (jason.ong@advertlets.com) after you’ve done your blog post.
- Winners will be notified via email for tickets confirmation. Judges’ decision is final.

Closing date for all entries and voting is 31st March 2011 at 11.59pm!

Also, Tune Talk brings you The Belieber’s Day Out at the Curve, 16th April, Saturday from 2pm onwards. Bieber fans, see you there!

Last week was the Castrol Football Crazy with Adam C and JD, and just few weeks back, 35 of us were in Mid Valley for a laser tag game.

Oh, you’ve never heard of Laser Tag?
Well, Laser Tag is a team or individual sport where players attempt to score points by engaging targets, typically with a hand-held infrared-emitting targeting device.

Laser tag is similar to paintball, but MINUS THE PAIN & the mess, as it is reliant on a computerized control system. The computer system provides score tracking as well as enforcing some rules – such as an enforced period when a player is unable to shoot after being hit by another player, or discounting all friendly fire.

The game has been around for while, but I have only heard of it recently during the Advertlets Laser Tag outing. Yea, I admit I’m not that up- to- date! ;-)

Anyhow, the short video clip below will explain half of what’s it’s about to you. Watch it!

It was an exhausting game I tell you! Though the game was staged in a comfortable & air-conditioned environment, we were all still puffing & huffing and some of us soaked through our shirts with sweat!

Excited yet? I don’t mind another round. The owner of Galatic Laser Tag is offering a special package for us bloggers, RM45 for 3 games of 10mins each. Who’s up for it?? ;-)

Operating hours and Price Rates for Galactic Laser:

Website: http://www.galacticlaser.com/
General Information: 3rd Floor, North Court, Mid Valley Megamall. Right beside Celebrity Fitness & MegaKidz.
Telephone: 03-2283 2999

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/galactic.laser

Thanks to Advertlets phototog Jason (aka mynjayz) for the superb pics!

The Honda Freed -  equipped with the Modulo kit.

And yet I was. Though at first comprehensive; I found myself zooming at 140km/hr heading towards Putrajaya on a fine Saturday morning.

I must admit I certainly put the brakes [Antilock Braking System, Electronic Brake Distribution and Brake Assist (ABS, EBD and BA) ] to good use  ;-)
Panicking at some parts, for the Honda Freed is certainly smooth on the road & more powerful than my usual ride, I emergency braked a few times & got my team mates, Ee -Van, Jason & Leonard exclaiming “Wahh..very good brakes! PASS!!! “ . LOL.

Driving the Honda Freed, a Premium Compact MPV recently launched by Honda Malaysia in April 2010 is a breeze.
The gear box is at almost eye level, the “handbrake” is now another footbrake at the leftmost side of the usual footbrake.

There is no gearbox obscuring the space between the passenger seat & the driver’s and I certainly liked that. Not sure why, but it does adds a sense of “spaciousness”. Also makes it easy for the passenger from the front to move to the back should there be any situation that requires it. I’m thinking that since this is a urban family oriented MVP, it’s probably for the mum?

Asthetics – wise (which IMHO is a very important factor for the target market of young urbanites), it is certainly passable. I like the front cos I like cars with low slope – downwards bonnets. Gives it a sleek look doesn’t it?

The back..the rear..whatever you may call it.. is not exactly my preferred shape. It’s so SQUARE!

But of course, I have to be reasonable. It’s a MPV, hence the need for a fat ass. Which also translates to ample “boot” space.

Suitable for transporting picnic boxes, baby strollers, wheelchairs (disable – friendly), baby bags of milk bottles etc. (think becky, think! family stuffs…err..) groceries, DOG CAGES, school bags, hhmm..what else?

Or for young single partying urbanites, (oh yes, this is more up my area of expertise) CRATES of beer/wine, coleman full of MORE beer (what else), mobile BBQ pit, racing bicycle (for the sports – inclined), golf clubs, diving gears..etc.
Yup, perfect for those outdoor-sy people too, and a single car that could fit up to 4 if the back 2 seats are lifted up means better usage of resources for car-pooling purposes.

Or even a body bag………….. (ok, just joking).

And even for office use, as a company car to ferry staff to & fro; for the fuel consumption is 13 – 14km/litre of petrol. A full tanks of 42litres yields an average of 450 km (depending on your driving habits of course.)

below: the screen tells you your average fuel consumption. :good: !!!

The wheels are 15-incher shod with Dunlop tires. It did not look out of place as the Freed is pretty large.

Honda specifically mentioned that the lowered height for the Honda Freed is specially so as they wanted to make it as family friendly as possible. Undeniably, it does eases kids, elderly and pregnant women, (or even fat people ;-) ) to climb into the MPV.

Both rear doors at the side is auto! So cool. Pull the handle and it slides back smooth & sleek.

I didn’t really think it’s a big deal, but I would have preferred the seats at the back to have arm rest on BOTH sides, for there were no arm rest on the sides that faces the door.

Another thing I noticed about the dashboard was (wheee! ) I can put my laptop and work on the go! (the death of a workaholic). Not only that, I can snack easily since there are plenty of space for my bottles of drinks & tupperwares of food.

Also, there is a lot of space for my junk! Small compartments, indented space on the dashboard for papers, cards, etc.

Even the passenger seat glove compartment is nicely segment-ised. There’s a little slot for cards (BonusLink, Mesra card petrol card, Touch & Go..etc). Nice & neat I would say.

The engine.

Very smooth ride, steady enough to apply mascara! :good:

Love this compact MPV!

PS: I have seen the Honda Freed before in Siam Paragon, Bangkok when I was there in June. Didn’t think that I would be driving it one day! Thanks to Honda Malaysia for making it happen for us!

Hip hip hooray!! :yahoo:

Honda Freed on the road with insurance – RM112,980.00 Modulo kit is another RM2,200.
Warranty is 3 years or 100,000km (whichever comes first) and 6 months free service or 10,000km (whichever comes first) is provided too.

More technical details: http://www.honda.com.my/freed/overview/

There are Sony products to be won! So come & have fun with us!

I didn’t take pictures as back then I didn’t even own a camera. However, on a recent trip to the huskies farm here in KL, I was already a blogger & hence my trusty Sony P & S is always in my bag.
BOY, am I glad, for it would have been a waste if I didn’t take any pics of these babies! They were absolutely adorable at merely a few months old.

The blue eyes ones are the most sought after. But in reality, it is actually a genetic defect.

The whole kennel is air-conditioned for Huskies can’t take our Malaysian weather. These pups are PURE breed & comes at a hefty price tag.

The normal tests we do – check the eyes…

…and the pup’s bite.

Seriously, look at that fur! So fluffy & soft.

Huskie are very alert dogs (they are descendent of the fox family after all) , even at the young age of 2-3 months old.

My my, sharp teeth they got there… ;-)

I wish I had taken more pictures! I have yet to have seen such beautiful huskies since, or any dogs that doesn’t look as if they are “mixed”(cross-bred) to high heaven. Seriously, I will never buy pups here, they don’t even look anything remotely like their actual breed!

Well…just waiting for the day when I’m not so busy..the day I can actually be responsible enough to have a dog… *dreams*…

………..

Have any interesting stories or pictures about pets or any animal? Do share it with Advertlets just like I did!

Advertlets is giving away passes to the screening of Cats & Dogs 2, : “The Revenge Of Kitty Galore” this coming Aug 26th!!
Details here:Advertlets: Movie Screening – Cats & Dogs 2.

Movie Screening Details
Date : 26 August 2010 (Thursday)
Time : 8.30 PM (Come on time to register your seat!)
Venue : GSC Mid Valley, Hall 10 (165 seats)

Mechanics:

1. Post 1 (ONE) picture of your pets or a happy moments with your pets.Write a bit about the pet to you and tell us why you want to watch the movie. (Wins 1 pair of ticket)

2. Post a 20-30 seconds video of your “happy moments” /playing with your pets and tell us why you want to watch the movie. (Wins 2 pairs of tickets)

No Pets? No worries.

3. Which is your choice of pet…cat or dog? kitten or pup? Tell us why? Also tell us why you want to watch the movie.

Very simple no?

I’m giving away tickets for this screening as well! Do email me at wackybecky@gmail.com with your blog link after you have posted your write-up & I will reserve your tickets for you!

THERE’S MORE FOR PET LOVERS!

Let’s participate in this event! A bunch of us will be there with our pets at 12pm. Email me at wackybecky@gmail.com if you want to join us!

(haha..Ee -Van left earlier but we can’t NOT have him in the winning team pic ritteee…)

Our winning pics:

The top winning pic that garnered us the votes ;-)

Our prizes! One for each of us! Woohoo! :yahoo:

Our goody bag for the day – Honda Freed Rubic cube, 2 units of EasySafe – a specially encrypted storage “thumbdrive”, pen & the Honda Freed brochure plus a “Picnic Bag” in the car! With bottles of Evians, Gatorade and Red Bull. We are hydrated and charged for the ride ahead ;-) !

Many thanks to Honda Malaysia for hosting us on a beautiful Saturday morning! All of us had a blast! ;-)

Next, techical review of the Honda Freed!

The National Geographic Store in Lot 10, Bukit Bintang opens through a joint venture between YTL Corporation Berhad and Worldwide Retail Store;  a Barcelona-based partner of the National Geographic Society responsible for National Geographic Stores around the world.

This outlet spans over 4000 square feet & encompasses a retail marketplace along with an exhibition area and a delectable Spanish inspired café.

This store is the 2nd store in Asia (1st is in Vivo City Singapore – I visited in May & our National Geographic store in LOT 10 is way better!) & fourth in the world after Regent Street, London, Vivo City, Singapore; and Malaga, Spain.

The grand launching of the store happened on the 22th of June 2010 though the store was opened for operation in early April 2010. YB. Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen was there to officialize the store alongside with Tan Sri Francis Yeoh and Ruth Yeoh, the Director of Investments for YTL Corp Bhd.

In staying true to the concept of bringing the world to you, there were performances with ethnics instruments, dancers & guests of the launch get to pose with people dressed in ethnic costumes.

Press conference: YB. Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen, Tan Sri Francis Yeoh and Ruth Yeoh.

This store is an ideal venue for picking out gifts, especially if you are looking for something out of the ordinary & any gifts with the label of National Geographic is sure to impress. Attractive coffee-table books such as photography collections and atlases, adventure bags, clothings (very very rugged look I tell you!! ), magazines, collectible toys are certainly worth browsing through. Perfect for adventurous individuals & travellers but also appealing to the ordinary man on the street.

Highlights for me is definitely the scrumptious treats ala Pinchos ( traditionally Spanish, small portions of food-on-sticks) that was prepared by National Geographic Cafe located within the store itself. This Spanish influenced café adapted the idea from another National Geographic Store which is located in Barcelona.

However, even the food is multi- cutural as well. And here, there got one of the BEST satays in KL! LOL.

I like the attention to details. Did you notice the cute flags on each dish? Dim sum = chinese = China flags. CUTE max! ;-)

These meatballs are heavenly. Seriously lip-smacking & the sauce made me lick the small saucers clean (discreetly of course ;-) ) ,

The whiff of dark sensuous molten chocolate assailed my nose as I neared the bar. And I knew why when I saw this. OMG!!! :yahoo:

Chocolate & oranges are goooodddd :yes:  Sharp & citrusy; with warm, creamy chocolate. Wooohohoo…

Italy flags on pizzas!!

American hotdogs!

English Bread & Butter puddings.

Creme brulee. Soft, sweet & rich.

This is the outlet’s specialty. Ice on a stick! The ones we had that day were kiwi-ed flavoured & absolutely fun to suck on (ahem). It has a sharp tanginess & a very refreshing finish. Totally a hot seller if the lady boss, Angie decides on making it a permanent item on the menu.

Some celebrities that were present: Will Quah, Daphne Iking, Bernie & Maya Karin.

Remember, there are only 4 National Geographic Store in the world and we have one right in the heart of KL. There is no reason not to pay a visit! And nibble on some delectable Pinchos while you’re at it! ;-)

National Geographic Store Address:
T 16-17, Level 3,
Lot 10 Shopping Center
Tel: 03-21448288

Check out more: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

I’m not one to turn my nose up at luxury accomodation, but let’s just say the rich and well-heeled are the minority and having pocket-friendly options such as Tune Hotels and Air Asia does wonders for the majority.

Tune Hotel, Kota Damansara opened at end of May 2010 and the day I was there, for the FourSquare meet-up, the hotel was fully booked!
Mine you, it was on a Wednesday too!

Occupying two floors of Sunsuria Avenue in Kota Damansara, all 121 rooms are equipped with 32” LCD television sets, 5-star beds and hot power showers.

Tune Hotel has 7 branches in Malaysia : Kuala Lumpur (besides maju Junction), Kota Damansara, KLIA – LCCT, Penang, Danga bay Johor, 1Borneo Sabah, Waterfront Kuching, Sarawak.

Overseas – wise, there is one in London (to be launched in Aug 2010) and Indonesia. Can you imagine? Affordable accomadation in London! Whee! :yahoo:

While Kota Damansara might seem to be a weird location for some, it does makes sense when you consider the following:

1. Strategically located to surrounding areas like Damansara Perdana, Mutiara Damansara, Damansara Utama, Bandar Utama and even up to Sungai Buloh, Kepong and Subang.

2. Serves as a satellite to our prime hotels in Downtown KL and KLIA-LCCT Airport that are consistently enjoying high occupancy.

3. Easy access by bus and taxi, and surrounded by business, shopping (Sunway Giza, Giant, Tesco), entertainment and education establishments (SEGi University College, Sri KDU).

4. Within near vicinity of Subang Skypark (Terminal 3).

Enough of the hotel, I have yet to actually stay in one, and hopefully there will be a trip soon to the Johor or Pg one. *cross fingers*

So yes, I managed to check out the hotel cos a bunch of us (bloggers) were gathered there last week in the attempt to get a Swarm Badge. So the cute image below kinda sums it up.

All bloggers and four-squarers gathered. 50 of us checking into FourSQuare online gets us each a Swarm Badge!

Tune Hotel provided us free dinner buffet as well @ Bangkok Wasabe which was right opposite the Hotel ;-) The food was actually not bad for Thai cuisine! I won’t go into details on the food here as I will make another trip there before I post a proper write-up.

Thanks again to Tune Hotel for the goody bag and the voucher for FREE 3 days 2 night stay in Legian, Bali. Time to start planning my Bali trip! ;-)

Tune Hotels.com – Kota Damansara
Suite 3A&5, Main Tower, Sunsuria Avenue, Persiaran Mahogani,
Kota Damansara PJU5, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

For more information, 3 links below seems helpful.

http://www.tunehotels.com/
http://www.twitter.com/tunehotels
http://www.facebook.com/tunehotels

ps: This is not a paid advertorial.

We were all wondering which characters exactly we were to meet…

..till we saw …

…..

Buzz & Woody!! :yahoo: All the way from Hong Kong too!

Woody & Buzz came on stage for a quick photography session with the crowd after some preliminary rounds of Q & A and games with the audience. The host for the event was funky, bubbly Azura from Disney.

The Disney host, Azura. She was a bundle of energy on stage! Guess it comes with the job! ;- )

All the images here are taken with the HTC Desire. I have been pretty amazed with the camera capabilities so far & it has instilled enough confidence in me to actually leave my Point & Shoot at home!

Since Monday, I have used the camera under numerous circumstances & lighting, and with the exception of clubs/pubs, the picture quality for normal objects photography deserved a special mention.

Below: Clear, crisp pictures. Please don’t be silly & tell me your DLSR/prosumer cams can take better pics. This is a HP cam ok!

I wouldn’t say I have used the camera to the best of it’s technical capabilities. I’m sure with further fooling around with the various options, I’m bound to discover more of it’s potential. Right now? I’m thrilled to that I got better pics to post on my blog! ;-)
I remembered that for this group photo below, the face recognition feature was activated and each of the individuals’ faces in the screen was “box-ed” into focus. Cool! :good:

Group shot! Such kiddos aren’t we? :yes:

Note: The group shot above is not by the HTC Desire cos I’m posing with it! ;-)

Camera specifications:

* 5 megapixel color camera
* Face detection capability
* Auto focus and flash
* Widescreen photo capture
* Geotagging

Average file size of image is 1.5 – 1.9 MB.

More technical comparison for the camera for Nexus One & HTC Desire on the next post. The above are just some pics to show of the Desire’s camera capabilities.