GINTELL Hi5 Rental Plan & DéWise Wisdomantic Massage Chair

Posted September 20, 2017 at 12:20 pm in Advertorial

GINTELL is known as a leading brand in massage chairs with Simon Yam as their ambassador they have a good reputation, with that though comes the price which scares a lot of people away from even considering the investment.

Gintell GT9008 DéWise Wisdomatic Massage Chair

So what GINTELL has come out with is a much more affordable way to have a luxury item in your own home that provides you with relaxation and some health benefits.

The GINTELL Hi5 Rental Plan requires no credit card like regular instalment plans and aims to allow anyone to bring home a top quality GINTELL massage chair.

Why buy when you can rent?

The 5 main highlights for the Rental Plan are:

  • Guaranteed Service – 3 Year Warranty
  • Guaranteed Maintenance – Free maintenance throughout the contract
  • Guaranteed Renewal – All risk insurance coverage including flood, fire etc
  • Guaranteed Upgrade – Flexible upgrade plan
  • Guaranteed Value for Health – Muscle relaxation, posture aid, improves circulation etc

Gintell Hi5 Rental Plan

The chairs are great too, I tried out the DéWise Wisdomantic Massage Chair which has a ‘Simon’ program designed around Simon Yams’ favourite settings.

Gintell GT9008 DéWise Wisdomatic Massage Chair

It comes with this great 2-layer remote control and is extremely customisable including positioning, pressure, massage type and so on.

Gintell GT9008 DéWise Wisdomatic Massage Chair

The massage is really good and especially important for those of us who use the computer all day as a chair like the DéWise Wisdomantic can actually help correct postural issues. With everyone looking down at their smartphones all day, this becomes even more important.

Gintell GT9008 DéWise Wisdomatic Massage Chair

It’s really relaxing, apart from the when the 3D Acupressure Rollers are giving you a pounding, the chair senses your body position and actually works on the acupuncture points to release tension in your shoulders and back and it really works.

Gintell GT9008 DéWise Wisdomatic Massage Chair

There are a whole variety of programs including a Thai Stretch, some gentler programs and a specialised Chiropractic program. It goes really quite flat too which makes it very comfortable. It also works your hips and spine alignment which is nice especially with the heating pads on.

Gintell GT9008 DéWise Wisdomatic Massage Chair

Liam wanted to have a go too but unfortunately, he’s a bit too young as it’s quite a powerful massage so the youngest recommended age for this type of chair is 15-16 years old.

Gintell GT9008 DéWise Wisdomatic Massage Chair

It has some nifty techie features too like built-in Bluetooth and speakers + you can opt not to use the remote and use a smartphone app to control the chair instead and play your music through the speakers.

There’s also a massage program which will massage you in time with whatever music you are playing through the chair – that’s really cool!

The speaker area also has a negative ioniser built in to combat all the positive ions that our gadgets and electrical devices emit in our homes.

Gintell GT9008 DéWise Wisdomatic Massage Chair

For the Hi5 Rental Plan, the cheapest rental is the GINTELL DéVano S GT9001 FUNtastic Sofa you can see Liam enjoying here which starts at RM88 per month.

Gintell GT9001 DéVano S FUNtastic Sofa

If you sign up now there will exclusive free gifts (limited amount available, so hurry!).

Head to GINTELL website to find out more http://bit.ly/2wt9mxg

Or visit one of their outlets, the 1-Utama outlet is super convenient for us as it’s right opposite Isetan which homes all our favourite restaurants.

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1.4 TSI Volkswagen Tiguan Review in Malaysia

Posted September 8, 2017 at 4:25 pm in Advertorial, Cars/Motorsport

Introduction

This is my Volkswagen Tiguan Review for the all new 1.4 TSI model released earlier this year, April 2017. I had the car for about 5 days and I did notice it when it was launched as it’s a lot of car for the price so I was happy to get to take it for a spin and explore it in a little more depth.

1.4 TSI Volkswagen Tiguan Review in Malaysia

Obviously, I didn’t have the car for a year or more, so I can’t talk about service intervals or reliability, but I will cover whatever can be observed by driving the car full-time for 5 days including a trip up to Genting on the windy Karak highway.

It’s locally assembled in Pekan, hence the attractive pricing.

Specifications

It’s a 4-cylinder 1.4 Litre TSI engine with a DSG 6-speed wet-clutch gearbox with pretty good fuel consumption (8.6L/100 for Urban and 6.7L/100 for combined).

The Comfortline model retails at RM149,578 and the Highline model for RM169,578 – both prices are on the road excluding insurance.

The Comfortline has an 8″ touchscreen display radio, halogen lights, manual seats etc.

The Highline package has the addition of the Active Info Display (AID), which is the rather nifty digital instrument cluster. It also has LED headlights and running lights, 3-zone temperature control, cruise control, keyless access, park assist, rear view camera, power assisted boot and an electric driver’s seat.

Volkswagen Tiguan AID - Active Info Display

Having the map in the instrument cluster is great, a lot less distracting than having it in the middle.

Safety and function wise they are identical other than that.

Exterior

It’s a good looking car with a nice finish, high vantage point and smooth lines.

1.4 TSI Volkswagen Tiguan Review in Malaysia

Nice side profile.

1.4 TSI Volkswagen Tiguan Review in Malaysia

Nothing to complain about at the rear either.

1.4 TSI Volkswagen Tiguan Review in Malaysia

Interior

The interior was surprisingly spacious to me, even though it looks like quite a large car, it feels even bigger inside and has a lovely elevated driving position.

VW Tiguan Interior

It’s well specced with dual-zone climate control in the front and a separately adjustable panel for rear passengers.

VW Tiguan Interior

The large bright 8″ stereo screen was easy to use and fairly intuitive, I managed to pair my OnePlus 3 easily and play music through Spotify without any hassles.

VW Tiguan Interior

The sound quality was great.

Performance/Drive

It was pretty nippy for a small car with 0-100km/h coming in a very respectable 8.7 seconds, for a small engine and a fairly large car it feels very responsive. The power comes low down in the RPM range.The bonnet also feels very short which makes it very manoeuvrable and the turning circle is very small.

VW Tiguan Steering Wheel

There’s paddle shifters for when it’s in Sports mode and the gearbox is both very smooth and very responsive, it doesn’t engine brake too well but that’s probably due to the size of the engine.

I would also say if you’re prone to be overtaking at 140km/h (on a private road obviously) you aren’t going to find much acceleration here.

Other than that, the car is smooth, stable, corners well, accelerates well (at legal speeds) and is overall a pleasure to drive.

Safety

Safety wise this car gets top marks, it’s seriously kitted out in terms of safety and in my books, that’s more important than creature comforts.

It has:

  • ISOFIX points for all rear seats
  • Top tether anchor for all rear seats
  • Curtain airbags front and back
  • ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
  • Anti-theft alarm
  • Dual front airbags with passenger airbag deactivation available
  • Dual front side airbags
  • ESC (Electronic Stability Control)
  • 3-point rear seat belts for all seats
  • Hill-hold

As a very safety oriented parent, the ISOFIX points are a big plus for me, especially with this design that actually puts them on the outside so you can easily see them rather than most cars with have them tucked deep inside the upholstery.

VW Tiguan ISOFIX

ISOFIX points make fitting a child-seat tightly and securely much easier than using a seatbelt, the car also has a top tether anchor for all 3 rear seats meaning when your child-seat is front facing you can strap it to the back of the seat to stop it rocking forwards in the case of an impact.

VW Tiguan with Carseat

I was able to fit Liam’s car-seat in the front facing position extremely securely.

Conclusion

Overall I think it’s a great car, especially the kit you get in the Highline model for less than RM170,000 – that’s a whole lot of car for the price. Of course, it’s not perfect and there are pros and cons, but I’d say it’s very definitely heavy on the pros side – a very family friendly, comfortable car.

1.4 TSI Volkswagen Tiguan Review in Malaysia

Pros

  • High spec
  • The Active Info Display is great
  • Responsive
  • Good handling
  • Premium feeling interior
  • Good fuel economy (if you don’t have a lead foot)
  • Spacious
  • Well equipped
  • Safety equipment is virtually unbeatable
  • Road tax is cheap too at only RM70 as it’s a large car with a relatively small engine.
  • 5 Years manufacturers warranty & 5 Years roadside assistance

Cons

  • Can be a little raspy at high speed
  • Passenger seat is manual not electric

Not much in terms of downsides really, and there have to be some trade-offs to keep the price down.

That’s all, thanks for reading. Find out more on www.volkswagen.com.my and watch out for an extended video review on my VLOG sometime in the future.

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Malaysian Theme Parks – An Interactive Guide

Posted June 28, 2017 at 5:17 pm in Advertorial, Trips & Travel

There are quite a number of Malaysian Theme Parks, many of which people aren’t really aware of – Expedia has come out with a great Interactive Malaysian Theme Parks Guide which allows you to explore the various options available.

Malaysian Theme Parks - An Interactive Guide

It allows you to filter the list in various ways by location, price or the activities available. Most of the Malaysian Theme Parks are in KL/Selangor area or Johor.

If you click on “Find out more” on any of the parks there’s quite detailed information including opening hours, some reviews, a description, the admission fee and food and accommodation available.

Legoland Malaysia

It also includes a map with the directions to get there from your current location + driving time and the full address.

Legoland Malaysia Directions

We actually really love theme parks so this is a great way to keep track of them, we actually went to Legoland way back in 2005 just after it opened and had a fun day out! Really great place to take your kids (please ignore what I’m wearing, OMAIGARD what was I thinking).

Badly dressed man at Legoland Malaysia

So it’s great to have a place to keep track of what’s available, where it is and how much it costs. I recently went to Fuji-Q in Japan and that was amazing so I’m definitely looking forwards to more theme parks, especially when 20th Century Fox World opens in Genting.

Fujiyama - King of Coasters

Do check out the guide, it might give you some ideas for your next family trip:

Malaysian Theme Parks Guide

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Visa payWave Security – Yes IT IS SAFE And So Convenient

Posted February 15, 2017 at 9:05 pm in Advertorial

I’ve seen threads about Visa payWave security crop up on my Facebook timeline quite a few times, especially with Malaysia mandating the usage of “Chip-and-PIN” cards to be compulsory January 2017 (last month). Most of these cards come with contactless payment options, most commonly Visa payWave.

Visa payWave Security - Yes IT IS SAFE And So Convenient

I’m pretty sure by now everyone is familiar with contactless payment, Visa payWave being the most common type and NFC phone type payments (not currently supported in Malaysia) like Apple Pay and Google Wallet.

I mean look at my old ass UK Barclays Card, we’ve had contactless payments since 2007 and hardly anyone in the UK uses cash anymore as it’s just so convenient. And no, we don’t have a bunch of security issues, cloned cards and RFID card theft.

UK Barclays Debit Visa

So what is the deal with the security of them? For a brief layman’s type overview check out this video first:

A lot of the concerns come from viral-type videos of people in the Subway ‘cloning’ people’s credit or debit cards whilst they are inside their handbags or wallets. It’s a neat trick, but in reality, it’s not so useful and the person reading your card with their RFID reader is actually getting less info than if they just peeked over your shoulder at the shopping mall and looking at the front of your card.

And of course a bunch of wallets on Kickstarter to go along with this, that protect you from that via “RFID protection”.

I’m glad to see my Malaysian cards finally getting up to date with Chip-and-PIN implementation + Visa payWave contactless payment, both Debit and Credit.

Malaysian Visa payWave

I use payWave quite a lot, I’ve gotta say the Malaysian implementation of it right isn’t bad, but I’d like to see some improvements. I’ve had no real issues at shopping malls or places like Tesco but I’ve struggled a bit at petrol stations. And more shops needs to rewire/adapt their terminals so we can enter our PIN more easily and securely (UK shops usually have separate permanent terminals solely for contactless payment and PIN entry).

But let’s talk more about the security of it, as that seems to the concern of the majority of people. Let’s start with putting it this way, I’m an information security professional (trained, experienced and certified) and I have no issues with carrying or using contactless payment cards.

And I don’t think you should either.

In theory, if someone managed to scan your card they would have had to get their reader within 4cm of your card, with your card not being near other cards and all they would have got is your card number and your expiry date.

Your name and the most critical of all, the CVV2 code (the 3 digits on the back of your card on the signature strip) are not stored on the card so they can’t be read. Plus the card itself has a unique cryptographically signed chip in to verify it’s original (that’s why chip cards are more secure than magnetic strip cards).

To do an online transaction you need those AND your physical home address and then you’ll be sent to the Verified by Visa page where you will need to enter the code sent to your phone via SMS to proceed with the purchase.

Maybank Verified by Visa

So in reality, its not that straightforward to steal, clone or misuse your card details.

In the absolute worst case scenario, someone stole your phone AND your card, you just need to call the Telco to cancel your SIM card and call the bank to cancel your Credit or Debit card.

If you have any further questions ask below and I’ll do my best to answer you, security is a top priority for Visa so use your cards without worry.

Please note the views express here are my own and do not represent views of Visa and associated companies.

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VLOG003 – Getting Rid Of Clothes After Losing Weight (20kg/44lb)

Posted February 13, 2017 at 9:17 pm in VLOG

So here’s a great problem to have, getting rid of clothes after losing weight! I lost about 20kg (23kg to date) and obviously, my old clothes didn’t fit anymore, not even vaguely.

Getting Rid Of Clothes After Losing Weight

This video documents the fun journey of going through my old clothes (some of which I was deeply emotionally attached to) and getting rid of them.

This book helped a lot to be honest: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Those that were pretty worn out went to H&M for recycling and 2x 15% off vouchers for every 2 bags.

Those that were wearable and some honestly were like brand new went to Kedai Bless in 1 Utama.

And the MOST fun part started after, shopping for new clothes now I can fit into Old Navy, H&M, Uniqlo, FOS and even Top Man!

Remember SUBSCRIBE NOW for more VLOGS.

Camera used: Canon PowerShot G7 X

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Where To Go In Malaysia – Interactive Travel Map

Posted January 24, 2017 at 4:46 pm in Advertorial, Trips & Travel

Say you’re travelling to Malaysia for the first time, or like me, you live here and are looking where to go in Malaysia – for something new and interesting. This new tool by Expedia could come in really handy!

It’s an Interactive Travel Map of Malaysia that provides info about the major cities and points of interest including things to do, where to eat and Flight + Hotel info.

Where To Go In Malaysia - Interactive Travel Map

Locations

It currently covers:

  • Kuala Lumpur
  • Langkawi
  • Melaka
  • Labuan
  • Johor
  • Putrajaya
  • Penang
  • Kota Kinabalu
  • Cameron Highlands
  • Kuching
  • Ipoh

With a ‘Things to Do’ and ‘Food’ section for each place plus a link to a Flights and Hotel guide for each.

Food in Kuala Lumpur, some great suggestions:

Food in Kuala Lumpur

Points of Interest

If you click on the pin on the map, it has more details for each location. Including the full address, opening hours and a description of the place.

Fierce Curry House

Fierce, one of my favourite places! (When I still at rice and bread..haha).

There’s plenty of interesting places to visit in there too, even for KL natives it might give you some new ideas for weekend activities (Farm in the City or Broga Hill for example?).

So do have a look through.

You can find out more about Malaysia by checking out the Expedia Interactive Travel Map.

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VLOG002 – How To Install A NATO Watch Strap – 22mm AVI-8

Posted December 17, 2016 at 1:25 pm in VLOG

NATO straps are super in at the moment, here’s a video on how to install a NATO watch strap – specifically on a 22mm lug AVI-8 Hawker Harrier II watch.

How To Install A NATO Watch Strap

The watch is an AVI-8 Hawker Harrier II my wife bought my for my birthday <3 - http://amzn.to/2h1xmvb

And the strap is an olive (military) green NATO strap with black hardware to match the face, 22mm for the AVI-8 watch – http://amzn.to/2gUXTeM

Camera used: Canon PowerShot G7 X – http://amzn.to/2gMBMKh

Remember to Subscribe!

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VLOG001 – Easy Paleo Mayonnaise Recipe (Whole30 Compliant)

Posted December 6, 2016 at 2:43 am in Food/Eating, Paleo, VLOG, WildFit

I started Vlogging (yay) and here’s my first video an easy Paleo Mayonnaise recipe which is also Whole30 compliant and of course SUGAR FREE.

Easy Paleo Mayonnaise Recipe




WildFit has changed me so much (totally changed our lives in fact) and I had a bit of a milestone today – I managed to buy a pair of Uniqlo jeans – which means I no longer have to wear ‘fat man’ clothes (which my wife calls choosing between ugly shirt A or ugly shirt B) and I can wear things I want to wear as I can fit in regular sizes on normal shops now – so I’m SUPER happy about that.

Anyway, I decided to try something else new as well, which is vlogging – many people asked about how to make Mayonnaise so that’s my first video, if you are interested in this kinda thing and more WildFit/Paleo/Whole30 compliant tips and recipes (nut butter, pickles, pancakes, deep fried oysters etc) tune in.

Here’s the video:




I’ll also be vlogging about other random other stuff as I’ll just be recording my life with my family and what I get up to (so expect to see some Liam too).

So please subscribe, share the videos if you find them useful and give me feedback!

If you have any questions, ask them below or on the video.

Here are my WildFit posts:

WildFit Challenge – Week 1 – Inner Dialogue
WildFit Challenge – Week 2 – Alkagizer Mild
WildFit Challenge – Week 3 – NO SUGAR!
WildFit Challenge – Week 4 – NO CARBS Or Dairy
WildFit Challenge – Week 5 – No Alcohol or Caffeine
WildFit Challenge – Week 6 – Entering Ketosis AKA Spring
WildFit Challenge – Week 7 & 8 – Staying In Spring
WildFit Challenge – Week 9 & 10 – Yah Still Spring
WildFit Challenge – Week 11 & 12 – A Small Break

And you can find out more and buy WildFit here: Why WildFit – a 3 Part Video Series

And remember to subscribe to my VLOG: http://bit.ly/2h7PmVu

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Resuming My Couch To 5k Training – Learning To Run

Posted November 21, 2016 at 6:11 pm in Couch-to-5K, Fitness

I started this journey way back in 2013 with my Couch to 5k training and my dusty treadmill and unfortunately this category on my blog has remained lonely with only 2 posts in it for the past 3 years.

But now I’m eating well with WildFit, I feel great and have loads of energy, plus I’m way better at committing to things now – I decided to take it up again.

I think last time I only documented the first workout of week 1 and probably didn’t manage to get much further than that: Couch-to-5k – Week 1 Workout 1 Conquered!.

This time though, I WILL FINISH IT! No promises I’ll actually be able to run 5 kilometres at the end, but I’ll give it a damn good go.

So yah, I started again. Started with walking at 3.2 mph and jogging at 5.2 mph – not too bad. Got a good sweat on and heart rate maxed out (my Fitbit Charge 2 arrived just in time!).

Resuming My Couch To 5k Training

It’s a good work-out, nicely paced and with 3.2/5.2 mph I find it very manageable to complete. The first week has you going about 2.6km in 28 minutes.

Fitbit Charge 2 - Couch to 5k

I’ve actually complete 3 weeks of the program now and am starting my 4th (tomorrow night will be Week 4 – Day 1) and I haven’t missed a single session yet, plus I’ve completed them all.

My speed is up as well, now I’m doing 3.4 mph for the brisk walk and 5.4 mph for the jogging sections (the past week had 2x 3 minute jogs – which was pretty intense).

Couch to 5K Training

It’ll be interesting to see what the coming week brings, I can definitely feel the difference in my cardiovascular fitness, stamina and ability to run. It helps a lot of Badminton (which I try to play at least twice a week) – and burns insane calories (1500-2000 in a 2 hour session).

Definitely getting thinner, fitter and healthier every day!

Get a great book to help here: 5K Training For Beginners: From Couch To 5K Runner In 8 Weeks Or Less

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Web Application Security – DevFest + GDay George Town 2016

Posted November 10, 2016 at 12:57 pm in Hacking & Infosec, Internet & Tech

Recently I was invited down to Penang for DevFest + GDay George Town 2016 to give a talk on Web Application Security. This is my 3rd year in a row attending (for a panel and last year a talk) and this year I managed to record (most of) my talk with my own camera.

Web Application Security Talk

The subject I covered was titled “An introduction to Web Application Security” mainly focused for web application developers (although most principles also apply to mobile and native or embedded apps). The talk covers the basic principles of infosec (CIA), do’s and don’t and the top 5 from the OWASP Top 10.

I thought what was the highest value subject that I have some decent expertise in and is relevant to the audience (mostly young or junior web and mobile devs), last year I already covered CI/CD and the tools used + some agile.

So this year I decided to go back to my roots and dive into security in a fairly holistic manner (without getting too technical).

georgetown_devfest2016-2

The slides are up on Slideshare here:

And the (almost) full video is here:

Apologies for the last 5-10 minutes being cut off as the camera battery ran out 🙁

Hope you enjoyed it.

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