7 days with Galaxy SIII

Friday, June 29, 2012

My good 'ol iPhone decided to die on me & I was left with no access to "civilisation". Umm, not literally. But you know the withdrawal symptoms that surrounds you when you're away with your smartphone for far too long. Yeah, you get the idea. I do have a spare phone, a Nokia 6100 that uses a standard size SIM card which my micro SIM stands no chance in fitting snugly into the compartment.

Whilst my phone was sent to the shop for repair, my cousin bro's gf was kind enough to lend me her brand new Samsung Galaxy SIII for a week. Yes, you read it right! A week~ I was cautious enough from leaving any smudge on the gorgeous large screen because the phone was barely...2 weeks old?

How did it felt being an Android user for a week? It's a breath of fresh air, if you ask me. A huge change from the rather rigid iOS that it does get a little dull after 2 years of usage. Not if you had your iPhone jailbreaked. Anyways, the functionality & flexibility on the Android or specifically the Galaxy SIII is vast that it does take quite a bit of time getting used to. The screen is pretty sensitive & half the time my fingers accidentally brushed on the soft keys, unwillingly activating some menu or functions. It does get pretty annoying after several days.

The huge 4.8" screen is gorgeous & my iPhone looks inferior next to it. The Koreans have outdid themselves by designing a phone with beautiful lines incorporating a large screen without compromising the thickness. I was really tempted to get the SIII myself but didn't because that would cost me RM2,199 at retail. Besides, the repair fees for my iPhone was only RM300 so I chose to be more prudent instead.

When it was time to return the SIII to its rightful owner, I couldn't bear to part with this baby. Can you imagine that? It did grew on me pretty quickly. Since I won't be able to hold it anymore, I took a picture of it & sharing it here. SIII, you have served me well. One day when my humble iPhone reaches its final journey, you'll know what phone I'll be looking for.


Snow White & The Huntsman

Monday, June 11, 2012

For the first time, there are 2 movies with Snow White-themed movies being released in the same year. One of it is a comedy while the other tells a darker version of the childhood fairytale. I ended up watching the latter called Snow White & The Huntsman.


This movie is not your typical princess meets Prince Charming, who later falls in love with each other & an evil queen who threaten to murder Snow White with the poison apple. The story is about the evil Queen Ravenna (played by Charlize Theron) taking control over the kingdom after killing King Magnus. During the commotion, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) failed to escape & was locked up in the tower for several years. When she managed to escape, Queen Ravenna hired a huntsman to assassinate her. This is because the magic mirror revealed that Snow White is now the fairest of them all & will soon rise to fight the Queen for the kingdom.

The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) obviously oblivious to the Queen's intention when he is hired because all he cared was the monetary reward that entails. As soon as he discovered who the victim is, he changed his mind & decided to help Snow White instead. While the movie maintains the main elements of the fairytale - poison apple, the 7 dwarves - the twist is that Snow White actually learns how to fight & lead a group of army to the battleground.

What I found strange & awkward about this movie? The on-screen chemistry between Kristen Stewart & Chris Hemsworth just didn't work out. Hemsworth is undoubtedly attractive & effective as the rugged Huntsman but Stewart as Snow White may be beautiful but her acting skills play against her. I hate to say this...she always seem to look constipated albeit trying to portray a painful, emotional expression. Not to mention, she lacks expression most of the time in the movie. On the other hand, Charlize is ravishingly beautiful & very, very evil. She's probably the reason why I bought the tickets in the first place.

The verdict? It's still fine to watch for its entertainment but don't expect it to be great. I just couldn't imagine having a sequel though. I mean, how else can the story extend from this movie since I felt it's ended for good. *shrugs*

Pic courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com
DESIGNED BY ECLAIR DESIGNS