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I was searching through my folder of photos and found some photos taken with my trusty SonyEricsson w810i. Although the photo quality of a camera phone can never match a digital camera, I feel that it is still good enough to take some candid shots and also snapping some moments if you do not have a digital camera with you. Below are two photos which was taken with my camera phone and I did submitted it to an Exabytes photo contest in conjunction with the Merdeka celebration last year.

The above photo was taken in Melaka on a beautiful morning. I was amazed by the quality of it when I got home and transferred it to my computer. Well, to a photographer this photo might not seem very attractive but to me and I believe some others will think that it is amazing for a camera phone to take such photo. There are even better camera phones in the market now, I am only using an old SonyEricsson w810i so I assume the newer models could even take much better photos in terms of the photo quality.

I believe many do know the famous Petronas Twin Tower or rather known as KLCC. Again the above photo was taken with my camera phone and I submitted it to the Exabytes photo contest as mentioned earlier on. I was shocked that this photo made it through to the last round but eventually lost badly in the last round as this photo only received two votes. For a photo taken with a camera phone being able to make it through to the final round is really amazing because it won’t be surprising if it lost considering the other photos were taken with digital camera and some even with prosumer and dSLR cameras.

I am actually trying to say that camera phones are still good if you aren’t taking photos seriously as a profession, minus the focusing ability, zooming ability and the photo quality would make camera phones a close competitor to digital cameras. For those who thinks that camera phones can’t take good photos, never underestimate camera phones again alright ?

In Malaysia, we have two big players of the blog advertising scene which are Advertlets and Nuffnang. Both Advertlets and Nuffnang launched their company/service at about the same time and as far as I know based on my experience, Advertlets had a flying start capturing many bloggers’ attention to use display their ads while Nuffnang didn’t have as many users as Advertlets did. I was a previous member of Advertlets displaying their ads and I was pretty happy with their service as well as their payouts. After that it was just a pretty bad experience for me.

Many have been searching or asking “Why Advertlerts Suck ?”. Recently many bloggers displaying Advertlets ads were so furious that they had to let out their anger on their blogs as well as some forums. One big problem that bloggers on the Advertlets network mostly complained about their pending payouts, we’re talking about months of earnings still pending. I’ve read many blogs that complained about Advertlets and those who have months of pending payouts usually will be held because of a suspected click fraud or illegal activities such as getting involved in a traffic driving activity so eventually the earnings will then be forfeited. I am shocked that many blogs on the Advertlets network are usually suspected to be involved in either click frauds or illegal activities which doesn’t make sense. If there were a few cases then it is probably acceptable but just look at the amount of blogs suspected, it is unbelievable. It is as though that this is a standard procedure to suspect blogs for click frauds or illegal activities, this is just my assumption and I have no solid proof to back this statement, well if you did read about the complaints in many of the blogs currently under the Advertlets network then you can judge it yourself.

Now some of the complaints on Advertlets, one of them is by 5xmom and another is by jayceooi. SlowCatchUpKuan has posted an interesting entry on click frauds here. I was also previously suspected to be involved in a click fraud, some of the bloggers argued that it might be a sabotage issue and I thought so too considering the amount of blogs being suspected. However, sabotage or not the main point here is that there are so many blogs that were suspected and even if a person is trying to sabotage I don’t think he is able to sabotage that many blogs. Of course there are people having no bad experience with Advertlets but those bloggers are usually either celebrity, famous or high profile bloggers. Now I begin to wonder why bloggers like Kenny Sia and Jeff Ooi chose Nuffnang instead ?

As a conclusion, if you are a happy blogger under the Advertlets network then I am really happy for you. If you aren’t then don’t worry as you are not alone. Want to share your stories as well ? Perhaps you could leave a comment with a link to your blog post on this matter. Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts if it is a fact.

If you’re looking for a change because you are just bored of Asian food, perhaps you should try Backofen which serves their food in Austrian style. Although the food may not look that much different of a Western delight, it is still good.

Backofen is located in Desa Sri Hartamas. For those regulars who always hang around this area would be able to locate this restaurant quickly but for those who aren’t regulars, it might take quite some time unless you have a good sense of direction, however with the address of the lot then it shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Spaghetti Carbonara

This Spaghetti Carbonara is served with turkey ham and obviously in white sauce. Simple it may look but it is good and the white sauce is really rich so you might get bloated if you aren’t a big eater. The Spaghetti Carbonara here is priced at RM11.00.

Chicken Chop

Their Chicken Chop or rather known as “Huhner Schnitzel” uses a skinless boneless chicken fried in breadcrumbs and served with potato salad. Chicken chop might be simple but it is much better than any ordinary chicken chop plus the breadcrumbs do add a little boost in it. This Chicken Chop is priced at RM13.00.

Grilled Chicken

Chicken lover but do not want it dry like the previous Chicken Chop ? Then this Grilled Chicken might be for you since it is served over mushroom sauce and crumbed potatoes. The mushroom sauce tastes good and is a good pairing with the boneless grilled chicken, what more can I ask for ? The Grilled Chicken here is priced at RM13.00.

When the food is good, it is no surprise that there will be no leftovers on the plate (well maybe a little). I find this restaurant to be quite a good place to dine especially if you want a quiet atmosphere. Price wise is not too bad ranging from around RM10.00 to RM15.00, there isn’t many restaurants around this area that have this kind of price tag. Moreover the food is good so the price shouldn’t be considered expensive for a satisfying meal.

Backofen
34, Jalan 24/70A
Desa Sri Hartamas
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-23006676

Well I am quite a big fan of Marié Digby after I first listened to her acoustic cover version of Rihanna’s “Umbrella”. She is just so talented and gifted that she deserves every bit of success she’s having at the moment. Now GAP presents Marié Digby live in Kuala Lumpur, a really good opportunity to catch her live for the fans here in Malaysia.

Don’t know who Marié Digby is ? Marié Digby is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist. She is best known for her acoustic cover version of Rihanna’s number one hit “Umbrella” which was originally posted on YouTube and it was then spread across the Internet. Well I think many have heard of her after her first official single “Say It Again” was aired on radio stations. Her debut album titled Unfold was released on April 8, 2008. Never listened to her songs before ? If you would like to listen to some of her songs then you may listen to it at her official YouTube channel.

Now as stated in the poster she will be in One Utama on the 14th of May 2008 which is a Wednesday at 8pm and the admission is free. The event will be held at the new wing, ground floor, near the GAP outlet. Also, you can get a copy of her album “Unfold” on that day which will be sold there and you stand a chance to get that album autographed by Marié Digby herself. Since it is free, there will be no excuse like “the ticket is too expensive”. This event is brought to you by GAP.

This post was actually posted in my blog when it was hosted with my previous web hosting provider. I am now recovering that same post by popular demand on Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant located in The Gardens Mid Valley. I took a look at the recent keywords that led visitors to my site and I still see quite a number of people searching for this restaurant.

So this restaurant is usually packed and sometimes there might be quite a long queue too back then, I am not sure how is it now as I’ve not been to The Gardens for quite some time. My first impression on this restaurant from outside is the great atmosphere and the bright lightings, I guess not many likes a dim lighting in a restaurant unless they are looking for a romantic surrounding. Better lightings also help publishers be it from magazines or blogs to be able to capture better photos.

Their tea pot set is quite unique in my opinion, not your conventional tea pot set. Presentation is important too to give a better impression to customers. Without wasting some precious time, let’s move on to the food shall we ?

Taiwan Braised Beef Noodle

Their Taiwan Braised Beef Noodle was actually ordered by my sister because I do not eat beef (well once in a while). I can’t recall her saying that it is really good but I am very sure that there weren’t any bad comments on this, I guess this noodle is average and not enough to drive someone shouting “Excellent !”. This Taiwan Braised Beef Noodle is priced at RM18.80.

Fried Fish Fillet with Tomato and Fried Egg

Now this Fried Fish Fillet with Tomato and Fried Egg is one of their chef’s recommendation. I tasted this and what I can say is the fried fish fillet with tomato is a good combination along with the fried egg. Since it is a chef’s recommendation, first time visitors should try it. This Fried Fish Fillet with Tomato and Fried Egg is priced at RM19.80.

Taiwan Spare Ribs Rice in Sweet & Sour Sauce

This one is also another chef’s recommendation. My way of describing this one is it tastes similar to those spare ribs rice outside but of course much more tasty. If you are craving for spare ribs on the day you visit this restaurant, don’t hesitate to order this. This Taiwan Spare Ribs Rice in Sweet & Sour Sauce is priced at RM18.80.

Taiwan Chicken Chop Rice

So this Taiwan Chicken Chop Rice was what I order on my first visit here to this restaurant. My first bite on the chicken chop reminds me of the chicken chop of Uncle Bob found in most ‘pasar malam’. However the chicken chop served in this Taiwan Chicken Chop Rice is more crispy and in a way tastier than Uncle Bob’s. If you are a chicken lover then go for this. This Taiwan Chicken Chop Rice is priced at RM18.80.

Taiwan Baked Sausage

Last but not least a side order on my visit here was their Taiwan Baked Sausage. Well to be honest I don’t find this to be anything special, perhaps I just don’t know how to appreciate sausages, what’s more is this is a Taiwanese style. This Taiwan Baked Sausage is priced at RM5.80.

Overall I think that this restaurant offers some decent tasting food. However, the price isn’t too affordable so I will consider this restaurant to be quite pricey. Well a restaurant in The Gardens should be expensive as expected, as long as the food is good then paying a high price once in a while should be alright. By the way, Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant has two other branches, one in Jalan Imbi and the other in Desa Sri Hartamas. So how many of you have tried Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant ? Perhaps you could give your own feedback too.

Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant
Lot T-208, 3rd Floor
The Gardens Mid Valley
Tel : 03-22828699

Maybank has just announced a phishing site that imitates Maybank2U by randomly sending e-mail requesting customers to update the security of their accounts to obtain the username and password of Maybank2u.com customers. Maybank also clarified that such e-mails are not issued by Maybank and advises customers NOT to log in to any of the website links contained in the e-mail. If any of you received such e-mail and clicked the link, you are advised to change your password immediately.

A sample of the e-mail provided by Maybank2U :