Horlicks NutriQuest Malaysia Game Review

Windmill

I have been navigating through floating platforms, jumping on evil robots and trying to avoid deadly lasers for the past few weeks. Yup, it’s the Horlicks NutriQuest Malaysia game for iOS and Android! I’ve been fiddling with it when I have a bit of free time on my smartphone and have progressed quite far in the game. Here’s my review (with a few tips and tricks to help you breeze through it if you’re having a bit of trouble).

Kill Metaloid

The starting levels in the City are quite easy. The virtual camera pans through the entire level from the end to the start and zooms into your character the first time you drop in so you can see the layout. There are actually TV screens at the start of some levels (see picture above) and they show you how to learn new mechanics e.g. jumping higher or picking up boxes.Tired of playing games on laptop/desktop/play station, visit the sims 4 apk to download the apk to play all the games on your smart IOS/Android device.

Arrows

There are also convenient arrows which shows you the proper way to go. However, it’s right to ignore these levels sometimes as there are secret areas you’ll need to go to in order to collect all the coins and stars.

Secrets

Here’s one example. You can only access this secret area (which is inside a building) if you double back and ignore the directional arrows. If you are also fond of online games like diablo and looking for diablo addons like amulets, shield, weapons and armor etc then I highly recommend you can visit at Yesgamers.com to buy these items at genuine rates with discount facility.

Lasers

There are plenty of “save points” like the arrow above – make sure to use them frequently as you might fall into a laser grid or bump into one of Mr. Greedy’s robot henchmen! You’ll be able to start again here with all in-level progress saved if you fail. There’s a protective bubble in the first 2-3 seconds after you respawn so make the most of it. It makes you invulnerable for a while so you can get through the difficult bits that foiled your attempts last time.

Stars

The Horlicks Stars are the most important things in the levels (aside from coins and bags of coins). You need them as a measure of success and if you don’t get enough, you can’t progress to the next level e.g. Jungle. Make sure to grab all the coins you see too, especially the big bags!

Big Money

You’ll see how many coins and Horlicks Stars you collected at the end of each level. There are usually 3 stars per level.

Metaloids

The later levels will be more difficult as there are Metaloids which can kill you. The trick is to jump on them to kill them first.

Boosters

Be sure to periodically upgrade your character. You can upgrade three (3) boosters – Tall, Strong, and Sharp. I suggest using Tall first for your first run-through and Sharp last as it only affects the VR Levels (more on that later).

Upgrades

You can also upgrade your pickups. Health is very important, and Magnet can be useful if you have trouble with side scrolling platform games as it helps you pick up coins and stars.

NutriCoin Code

There is a screen for inputing the Horlicks NutriCoin codes you get from Horlicks packs too! Horlicks Nutricoins can be used to redeem Horlicks Nutriquest prizes such as character keychain, baseball cap and watch. You can redeem them through the Horlicks website here.

Characters

There is also a character change screen so you can pick the hero that you like from the 4 available. This is just an aesthetic choice but it’s nice for Horlicks to represent minors and female characters.

Levels

The progress screen shows how far along you are – there are 10 levels to a map and 4 maps in total (City, Jungle, Factory, 4th Dimension) for 40+ levels!

Box

You can also pick up boxes in later levels.

Throw Box

These boxes can be thrown at Metaloids to kill them.

VR Terminal

Another important thing to watch out is for the VR Terminals. This allows you to enter into a bonus level where you get to pick up coins and stars! The Sharp attribute would be important here as it allows you to stay longer in the level.

VR

Some are quite hard to finish so I suggest you do as much as you can first, then go back and upgrade Sharp and try again for more time.

Booster

Watch out for boosters in-game which temporarily gives you powers to be Taller, Stronger or Sharper!

Keys

There are some places which requires keys to pass and it would be shown with a padlock.

Padlock

Just grab the key and it’ll open. Enjoy the game! Hope you had as much fun as I did in your quest to be Taller, Stronger and Sharper. You can download it for iOS or Android.

I made my own chocolate bar at the Kit Kat Rubies launch!

Kit Kat Rubies Group

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Kit Kat Rubies launch at The Royale Chulan Damansara Hotel. This is in fact the worldwide première of the Kit Kat Rubies as the opening launch is in Malaysia – that’s right, we’re the first ones to get it! 🙂

Kit Kat Rubies Photo

There were selfie props at the photo wall so I decided to take one with Aud and the two girls dressed up in Kit Kat Rubies attire. They’re supposed to take a photo of us, but I thought it’ll be nice to have a photo with them flanking us. Haha.

Kit Kat Rubies Packaging

The event started soon after that and Mr. Sachin Goel (Business Executive Manager, Confectionery Business Unit, Nestle Products Sdn Bhd) and Mr Thierry Martin (Innovation & Renovation Manager, Confectionery Business Unit) went up for the launch gambit.

Kit Kat Rubies Presentation

It was our first look at the Kit Kat Rubies packaging…

Kit Kat Rubies Launch

…which opened up to show a beautifully crafted two-tiered box which opens up both ways to show off an array of Kit Kat Rubies!

Kit Kat Rubies

This gem of a chocolate is individually wrapped and contains an indulgent piece of rich chocolate truffle filling with a crispy wafer centre, and pieces of hazelnut encased in silky smooth milk chocolate. The chocolate truffle cream is created from the finest ingredients brought in from Spain and the crispy wafer centre stays true to the Kit Kat name.

Kit Kat Chocolatier

I had a chance to go up while Mr. Thierry Martin was conducting a chocolate making workshop and mixed my own liquid chocolate. This was an extremely fun experience for the media, each of us got the opportunity to make our own chocolate bar with the ingredients we wanted!

Liquid Chocolate

I opted to put everything except nuts into my chocolate since I wanted to make this for my better half and she didn’t like chocolates. I had these to choose from:

  • Strawberry pieces
  • Chocolate crumble
  • Crisped cereal
  • Almonds
  • Hazelnuts

Making Chocolate

I mixed the top three together well in my liquid chocolate before pouring it into my mould. We had name stickers on the moulds so we won’t mix it up while it set. I actually took a photo of the ingredients we had to work with and used Whatsapp to send it to my dear to ask what she wanted in her chocolate.

Chocolate Moulding

It took a while for the chocolate bar to set but as soon as that was done, it was packed up and I rushed to pass my better half her personalized handcrafted chocolate bar:

Handcrafted Chocolate Bar

We were the first to sample the Kit Kat Rubies and there was a lot going around during the Kit Kat Rubies launch. It’s really indulgent – I loved the chocolate truffle and hazelnuts inside the silky smooth milk chocolate that holds it together. The crimson red individually wrapped pieces adds a touch of class and makes it perfect for sharing.

Kit Kat Rubies Individual

Kit Kat Rubies is an ideal gift for the festive season too – the 2-tier packaging is beautiful and it’s perfect as a gift! No matter the occasion, be it Christmas (it lasts for 12 days), New Year, or even Chinese New Year, Kit Kat Rubies would be an excellent gift. It works for birthdays, celebrations or even just giving for the sake of giving.

Kit Kat Rubies Media

I loved the Kit Kat Rubies launch, especially the chocolate making workshop and the unveiling of the product – it was a lot of fun and all of us enjoyed it immensely. I know what I’m going to give as gifts for this festive season! 🙂

Smoking = go to jail?

underage smoking

Yeah, I’m talking about tobacco! I was watching this expose on cigarettes in an episode of VICE on HBO and realized that the place they’re talking about (Indonesia) could very well be in Malaysia! I’ve actually spent a couple of years in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and the trade in illegal cigarettes there is really bad.

It’s causing a lot of young kids to smoke…just like in the documentary, children as young as 6 years old are starting to smoke on a daily basis and no one stops them coz illegal cigarettes are not regulated! A lot of these cigarettes are sold by vendors with no operating licence anyway so they don’t care who they sell to.

kids smoking

Small children can afford the price of these illegal cigarettes since they’re so cheap compared to the premium legal brands. This causes health problems as well as social problems. The Ministry of Health’s Dr. Chong has also talked in length about the danger of kretek (clove) cigarettes in this New Straits Times article.

The predominant brand there at the time is JOHN (RM 2.50) but there are others like GG, Manchester, Canyon, Luffman etc. It’s usually sold by immigrants and those cigarettes tastes nasty. I was in a facility at the time and this was all that they could get.

I think I did more damage to my lungs in that time than ever before. These illegal cigarettes are not made to the exact specifications of the premium legal brands like Marlboro, Dunhill etc and some of them, I hear, are scraps of tobacco and other detritus just packaged together and sold as is – caveat emptor!

Any pack of cigarettes that is sold below RM 7 is illegal. That is the minimum price set by the government and crime syndicates brings in these illegal cigarettes for sale via various points around Malaysia. I know that Kota Kinabalu, Sabah is a large distribution center and this leads to a lot of illegal activity, gangs, and the revenue from this funds a huge criminal enterprise and there’s an article on NST that ties the illegal cigarette trade as a smokescreen for gangs.

Crime syndicates nowadays rely on a lot of revenue streams and besides the classic triad of prostitution, drugs and racketeering, the “lower risk high reward” items are still illegal alcohol and cigarettes (besides gambling) which can really bring a lot of harm to society. I come from a small town with a large gang problem (which was helped somewhat with the original Operasi Cantas Kenyalang) so I know first hand what crime syndicates will do to a town.

I’ve never the urge to purchase illegal cigarettes as they taste foul but I know some people do it coz of cost concerns. However, there’s a nationwide crackdown on illegal cigarettes now and not just retailers, but consumers i.e. YOU can go to jail if you’re caught buying illegal cigarettes.

smoking cartoon

Don’t support criminal enterprises – just like I never buy illegal lottery tickets (there’s the risk of not getting returns) I don’t ever buy illegal cigarette brands like JOHN, GG, Manchester, Canyon, Luffman etc. It’s not just coz they taste bad but smokers can be jailed up to 2 years and/or fined RM 10,000 if caught in possession of illegal cigarettes.

…and that’s no joke!

Ramen burger + short mention

ramen burger

This is a homemade ramen burger that my better half made for me during our anniversary. It’s not burger in ramen but the other way round – the bun in the burger is substituted with ramen noodles! Thus, the patty is encased in ramen noodles instead of a regular burger bun.

ramen

I hear it’s all the rage and she managed to do it on her first attempt. You need to cook the ramen noodles, add a bit of the seasoning, and mix an egg inside (once the noodles have cooled) before sealing it in Glad wrap in the fridge overnight for it to set.

ramen burger bun

The ramen burger is delicious! You have to fry the ramen burger after it’s formed and set before using it as a bun replacement. It stayed intact throughout the eating process so I’m very impressed – the “ramen bun” didn’t fall apart. I’ll love to pick her brains and do this again myself during the weekend!

Just writing about it got me hankering for burgers!

Short mention:

It’s difficult to explain. Words just doesn’t do it justice. You’ll be better off watching the video above of two grown men talking in a totally heterosexual manner (one on the porcelain throne, the other submerged in the tub) in an attempt to describe the awesomeness that is the KFC Crazy Crunch. It features Reuben Kang so expect his classic humor to shine through!

There’s a parody out on Facebook by Shaheizy Sam (not sure who this dude is) and I personally don’t think it’s funny but it has gotten a quite a few Likes so maybe different people have a different sense of humor. I apologize in advance for wasting 16 seconds of your time that you’re not going to ever get back (watch the first Germani Network video instead) but it just goes to show – is the KFC Crazy Crunch really that hard to describe?

Hmm…

The cost of raising kids

me kids

I was out last night with my girlfriend to do something for the next chapter of our life (which will be revealed soon enough) when we decided to do some last minute shopping. It was a school bag for Big E and it cost RM 168. (!!!)

It wasn’t a particularly expensive label – just a practical one with an Angry Birds image which Rovio certainly didn’t know about (if you catch my drift) and a set of wheels, which seem to be a necessity nowadays. She’s just 7 years old and already carries such a huge load of books. I was commenting about how expensive it is to raise a kid nowadays.

I want the kids (including my own in the future) to have a good education. I was sent overseas to Christchurch, New Zealand when I was 15 in 1996 to do my high school and completed my Bachelor’s Degree after 4 years of college and university in Melbourne, Australia. I can’t imagine how expensive that was for my parents but I can guess.

Kids nowadays are very lucky. I was talking about the sms lån with Arthur when I was in Sibu last time and both of us agreed that sms lån is a great help for anyone who needs the financial support for their tertiary education.

I want the kids and my future kids to have a good education but I was calculating how much it costs and it truly staggered me. I don’t dare to think about tertiary education, just getting by would cost a lot of money nowadays with tuition fees being as high as they are.

I like the idea of the study loan. It allows everyone to get an opportunity for a tertiary education provided they meet the academic requirements. I don’t think that’s a problem for the kids or my future kids, with liberal application of the magic wand. smirk

I’m kidding, I don’t believe in corporal punishment.

However, it does make me feel better to know that there’s the chance to go to university for all citizens up thanks to the PTPTN study loan.

I believe that a good education is necessary to survive in life. That’s what my parents taught me and what they strongly believe in. I want my kids to at least have a Bachelor’s Degree so they can have better opportunities in the future – studies have proven that a university education is not just the key to higher salaries and such but also important personal qualities like critical thinking.

I don’t think most taxpayers would agree with the abolishment of the PTPTN or allowing students to default on their loans.

No matter what your political leanings are, it’s just not fair to do that. What about the people who have already paid it back partially? PTPTN study loans allows for an affordable method of payment for new graduates.

The topic came up during a dinner recently – I strongly believe that if you take a loan which the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as:

Something lent usually for the borrower’s temporary use (emphasis mine)

That means it should be returned. You’ve been given a chance at higher education and defaulting on it shouldn’t point north on anyone’s moral compass.

I want my children to be responsible and pay back loans which they have taken. Of course, I hope for a scholarship if they turn out to have the academic aptitude to do that, but if they can’t qualify for the cream of the crop requirements, that’s okay with me too. 🙂

Just Go!

boracay

I must admit, I tend to go on holidays on a whim, flying on the seat of my pants most of the time. Heck, I don’t even book hotels most of the time (one memorable trip to Guilin comes to mind) and just walk-in when I land. Heh.

It’s partly for the fun of it (can you say adventure?) but mostly it’s coz I get sudden last minute urges to just jump on a plane and go somewhere.

…and I do mean last minute.

locals

It’s just so easy with AirAsia bookings, just click, click, click followed by an hour of chucking stuff into my backpack and rummaging around for my passport and off I go.

I have even been known to forget about visa requirements and having to rush last minute to get it sorted out less than 12 hours before I fly. #champion

However, during one of my Europe backpacking trips, I did the same thing, and ended up without a place to stay coz all the backpacker places were booked out and I couldn’t afford to stay in a hotel. I ended up sleeping at the airport for the first day.

It was freezing cold and the automatic doors kept on opening and closing so I couldn’t get any proper rest.

resort

I have seen the AirAsiaGo site before but I’ve never actually truly explored that option. However, the savings from a combined flight + hotel deal could be rather significant.

…and you’ll still retain your freedom to do whatever you want.

Best of all, the hotels can be grouped by price so you can choose based on your budget. There are over 100,000+ accommodation types available, from the most basic to the obscenely luxurious. There are also 5,000+ tours and activities on offer.

You can also opt for a tour package if that’s your thing but essentially you can just use it as a hotel added on to your flight, all conveniently located in one site so you don’t have to waste precious hours searching around.

kitesurfing

AirAsiaGo is having their OMG 72 Hours Sale! which features promo fares and discounted hotels to Bangkok, Langkawi, Perth, Osaka and Beijing. The booking period is from the 25-27th September and you can start flying from 1st October to 30th November!

I figure I’ll give it a shot. I group my travels into two separate experiences – solo backpacking and holidays and for the latter I wouldn’t want any hassles. The flight + hotel combo looks mighty tempting with its heavy discounts.

azure waters

It’s perfect for last minute travel addicts like me, I love deals like this coz I don’t have to wait long to travel. Grab your passport and let your wanderlust take over! Stay tuned to the AirAsiaGo Facebook page – they’re going to reveal their promo soon! 🙂

P/S – Just got the news!
Kuala Lumpur – Bangkok: 3D/2N Hotel Stay + Return Flights + All Taxes from RM 589/person.
Kuala Lumpur – Osaka: 5D/4N Hotel Stay + Return Flights + All Taxes from RM 980/person.
Those are the last minute travel deals. 😀

DJ Ferry Corsten @ KL Live

system f kl live

DJ Ferry Corsten a.k.a. System F came down to spin at the new Heineken bottle launch at KL Live. The entire place has been transformed into something that looks like Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz.

invite

Even the invites look awesome!

emerald city

It was all Heineken green – the entrance was emblazoned with an asymmetrical neon light feature that gave off a new and different, exclusive even, ambiance once you stepped into the threshold and embraced the pumping music inside.

dirty nelly

I arrived early and had dinner at Dirty Nelly’s – it’s right beside KL Live. I opted for the Sausage with Mustard Mash and Sweet Sour Red Pepper. It’s described as a “jumbo pork banger” but I was taken aback at the sheer size of it when it arrived.

It almost made me feel inadequate. 😉

ee lin

Thanks for dinner Heineken! Cheers to Ee Lin from the brand team for picking up the tab.

heineken k2 launch

Anyway, I was surprised by the sheer amount of people inside. KL Live was packed. I met a lot of new people and got reacquainted with plenty of old friends that night.

june desmond

It was awesome!

friends

I happened to be wearing a white shirt that day, and after a lot of festive merry-making to the beats of Lap Sap (the opening act), DJ Ferry Corsten came on stage and got the entire crowd cheering.

dj ferry corsten malaysia

There were bouncers in front getting everyone to stand back while the crowd pushed forward to take photos. I had wisely *cough* positioned myself in the front before DJ Ferry Corsten’s set was on so I was right in front. I didn’t know why the bouncers were keeping people away until he came onstage, the music started, and fireworks and flames went off in a dazzlingly well choreographed moment.

cindy

I was caught by surprise by the wonderful pyrotechnics display that I didn’t manage to take a shot of it – some of the debris landed on my (white) shirt. So that was why the bouncers were keeping people away from the stage – there was going to be pyrotechnics . Heh. *hindsight 20/20

DJ Ferry Corsten kept the energy going high and with the free flow of Heineken beer going, the crowd was moving right along to his beats. He played a great set.

heineken k2 malaysia

It was the launch of the new Heineken bottle with nifty new practical and aesthetic features detailed in my Heineken contest post and Heineken threw a huge party with an international DJ just for it.

dj ferry corsten

It’s just how Heineken rolls, being a premium beer.

uv

You’ll be seeing these new Heineken bottles replace the old ones right about now. I nicked the photo below from Heineken’s Facebook photo album to better illustrate it. 😉

heineken girls

Oh and before I forget, there’s a contest going on with truly awesome prizes! The 3 grand prizes includes a trip to Sensation in Taiwan! You need 50 points to stand a chance to win and there are 3 ways to gain points:

1. Toasting Friends

You basically send your Facebook friend a new Heineken bottle and if they send it back to you, you’ll get 1 point. I’ve detailed this in my previous post and you can refer to the app for more details.

2. Check-in via Facebook

check in to win

This is where you check-in via Facebook when you go out for a drink at participating outlets.

check in

Here’s an example. You can earn a maximum of 1 point per day and you’ll need to verify the check-in via the app after you’ve done it. Don’t worry if it doesn’t appear immediately, each check-in can only be verified after 12 am on the next day.

outlets sibu

There’s a list of participating outlets – I see a lot of familiar places in my hometown of Sibu. Heh. You can filter via state to see which are the ones that will earn you points.

3. Scan Heineken ads with iSnap

the star mobile

This is an interesting one – if you have an iPhone or Android smartphone, download iSnap (it’s part of The Star Mobile app) from iTunes Store/Google Play respectively. I have it on my Sony Xperia S. Search for a Heineken ad in The Star newspaper and scan it. It’ll earn you a staggering 5 points! 🙂

The prizes that I mentioned? The grand prize is a trip to Sensation in Taiwan! It’s held in Kaohsiung and there will be 3 winners for this dance music festival! There’s also 200 personalized editions of the new Heineken bottle to be won. Imagine how cool it would be to own that! I won’t even drink it, it’s the kind of stuff you display.

prizes

Go to the Heineken to.a.star app and start collecting points now and you might be on your way to Taiwan! 🙂

pamela

I had an great Saturday night at KL Live. I had a few beers from the new Heineken bottle (which is the real star of the night), enjoyed mingling about and Heineken was thoughtful enough to provide water (Evian, no less) to rehydrate yourself after dancing. 🙂

How to smell manly 101

girl scouts

I have this peculiar habit. I use shower gel when I’m in KL and soap when I’m in Sibu. It’s not like there’s no shower gel back home, in fact that is what we use. Only problem is, it makes me smell like a little girl. Considering it’s either belongs to my mom or my niece (probably the latter), I’m not very surprised.

Thus, I end up being the only one using a bar of soap in Sibu.

I usually get it myself.

dettol soap for men

I don’t know what my dad uses but I think it’s the generic flowery one, which isn’t exactly what you want. It’s considered ungentlemanly to smell better with more floral notes than your date.

Okay, I just made that up but you get my point.

dettol high performance men

I’ve always used Dettol and last year they came out with a range of shower gel for men. Dettol High Performance for Men is the first product by Dettol designed exclusively for men (if you didn’t get the label ;)). There are two variants – Extreme and Aqua.

I’ve been using Dettol for Men Aqua and Extreme for almost a week now and I like how the shower gel is in a container that has a proper grip.

This is very important in a bottle that doesn’t stand and use a pump to bring up the shower gel. A hand-held container has to have grip (see side) or else you’ll end up dropping it when you reach for it with slippery lathered fingers. I don’t know how many times I’ve dropped my shower gel in unsavory places while backpacking.

dettol extreme aqua

(loofah isn’t mine)

Dettol for Men Aqua has a more invigorating smell and keeps your skin feeling hydrated while Extreme is a classic masculine smelling shower gel that lasts the entire day.

I’m already a Dettol user so the question for me is:

Would I use Dettol for Men Aqua instead?

The answer is no. I’ll use Dettol for Men Extreme instead. Heh.

dettol for men

I’m switching to that coz I love the manly smell and it provides the same germ protection qualities and deep pore cleansing properties inherent in the Dettol brand. However, since everyone has a different olfactory perception – check out both and see which one you prefer more.

I personally like the smell of Dettol for Men Extreme – it’s a matter of preference, really. I love it coz it makes me smell masculine. Seriously, it does, try it out and see!

You know, sometimes you just grab whatever is available (there’s a bottle of shower gel here that one of my ex-girlfriends left and I use it when I run out) and go out smelling like a rose.

rose

Smelling like a rose is perfectly fine, a highly exalted attribute even…for females. It doesn’t work the same way for men.

Fun fact: I also noticed that if a couple uses the same shower gel, you practically cannot smell each other! You have to use different shower gels so you can smell your girlfriend/wife/It’s Complicated (TM).

unlease the man

There’s a fun and funny survey going on that asks a lot of quirky and sometimes thought-provoking questions on Facebook and tells your your “Man-Level”.

men

I won’t spoil it for you but some of the questions are truly laugh out loud funny. 🙂

fb face

You also get to upload your photo, choose one from FB or take one on the spot – it’s important for later.

click fest

…and there’s this mouse destroying click fest that is a surprisingly fun mini-game (gotta love a bit of destruction) before the results are unveiled. 🙂

punchballs

What type of man are you? I won’t say I’m close to Bear Grylls (don’t drink my own pee) but Poh “Punisher” Punchballs seems pretty manly to me. Heh. Find out when you take the survey at the Dettol Malaysia Facebook page. There’s a lot of interactive stuff that you can play around with plus a RM 150 Dettol hamper to be given out each day for the lucky 50th person to complete it.

The new Dettol High Performance for Men range is my choice for showering right now. I won’t make you want to poke your eyes out with shots of me doing that so go check out the Unleash The Man app instead. smirk

Camwhore Level Asian

sony center

I was walking through MidValley on the weekend when I saw that the Sony Center over there had a contest for the Sony NEX-F3. This is exactly the very same camera that I used to take awesome photos like this in Germany:

germany profile pic

This incidentally became my profile photo for Facebook, Twitter and my other social media sites. Heh.

I also took quite a few in Sibu, you can see the sheer quality of photos here:

sibu backyard

My backyard. It used to be bigger and filled with mango, rambutan and apple custard trees but it was chopped down and paved with concrete to make way for parking. There were five cars at one point before my dad sold one off, junked one and I drove mine to KL.

largest temple asia

The biggest temple complex in Asia or South-East Asia. I think it’s the former and it’s located in Sibu.

snail

One large garden snail. We eat this in Sibu. It’s considered a delicacy. I’m kidding, just took a photo of it to show the incredibly low noise in low light conditions. I snapped this after midnight when I went out back for a smoke.

I’m telling you, it sure was hard to return the review unit, I really fell in love with the dSLR quality images with easy shooting modes that the Sony NEX-F3 affords.

promoters

Thus, I tried to enter the contest. It’s quite easy, really. Just head into any of the 10 participating Sony Center outlets on a weekend (Saturday or Sunday) and go to the counter where the Sony NEX-F3 is.

sony nex f3

You won’t have any trouble finding it – there are promoters there to help you with the process.

sony nex f3 promoters

Basically, what you do is to take a photo of yourself using the 180 degree tilt function (a camwhore photo self-portrait in other words ;)) and they’ll help you upload it to the official contest website.

sony nex f3 launch

I did mine at the Sony NEX-F3 media launch with Kim, Rachel and Shah – didn’t win anything though – and asked the promoters if I can do this again at the Sony Center.

camwhore

It turns out that you can – just take a self-portrait of yourself and upload it to The Ultimate F3 Photographer Contest. The contest requires you to upload shots taken with the camera at the Sony Center itself. However, you can also bring your own SD card and slot it into the Sony NEX-F3 if you want to keep the photos. 🙂

One of three Sony NEX-F3 units awaits you! I hope one of them is mine, this is really a nifty camera to bring traveling.

What’s under the tarp?

tarp

I totally missed this event. It’s the all-new Ford Ranger launch in KL but unfortunately I was overseas at that time. I’m reading the official Ford Ranger Facebook page and it seems that everyone had a blast.

shake that

Shake that. There was a lot of beautiful people performing at the launch and the best part was when they towed in a bus with the Ford Ranger.

pickup pulling bus

The all-new Ford Ranger is completely re-designed from the bottom up – everything is new, from the engine to the frame and even the interior of this compact pickup. It is powered by a Duratorq TDCi 2.2L Variable Geometry (BG) Turbo diesel engine with six-speed auto or manual transmission producing 150 PS and 375 Nm of torque. The 3.2L version comes with auto transmission and has a power output of 200 PS with a staggering 470 Nm of torque.

However, despite all that barely constrained power under the hood, the fuel consumption is quite exceptional.

The all-new 2.2L Ford Ranger offers 8.1L/100 km2 while the 3.2L weighs in at just 8.91L/100 km2.

This is one pickup that knows the fine art of sipping diesel instead of guzzling it. 🙂

It’s no surprise that Ford Malaysia has already surpassed 800 pre-bookings for this vehicle.

winners

The higher fuel efficiency and exceptional driving experience is not all it has to offer. There are several active and passive safety features besides the usual ABS and EBD – LAC (Load Adaptive Control) optimizes the vehicle stability when carrying heavy loads, EBA provides additional brake pressure in emergency stop situations and the EBL (Emergency Brake Light) will kick in the indicators when the Ford Ranger suddenly decelerates to alert other drivers.

The Wildtrak 3.2L variant ups the ante by having ESP (Electronic Stability Program) built in so there’s advanced sensors that monitors the road (what road? ;)) or unforgiving terrain the pickup is driving down and compares it to the path the driver wants to go from the steering wheel.

It also has Hill Descent Control (HDC) to make steep downhill descents easier, Hill Launch Assist (HLA) to give a boost when you want to go up a steep climb and Roll-Over Mitigation (ROM) which is quite self-explanatory – it helps prevents the vehicle from rolling over.

ford ranger malaysia

The all-new Ford Ranger is also capable of wading through 800 millimeters of water even when fully loaded! Some variants can even pull a payload of 1,400 kgs which is quite impressive and demonstrated by the bus pulling.

There are three variants that’s available in Malaysia:

  • 2.2 XLT 4X4 6-AT Double Cab – RM 95,888
  • 2.2 XLT 4X4 6-MT Double Cab – RM 89,888
  • 3.2 Wildtrak 4X4 6-AT Double Cab – RM 116,888

(all prices OTR for Peninsular Malaysia and private owners)

ford ranger launch

This is one pick-up that you can really drive anywhere. The all-new Ford Ranger has a comfortable interior too, with user-friendly technology like Bluetooth Voice Control! Heck, in a perfect world with no border controls, I can drive this all the way to China, swing back west and trail-blaze through Mongolia, Russia and Europe.

Won’t that be the perfect road trip? 🙂

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