November 29 is “Pay A Blogger Day”

Everyday you enjoy reading unique, insightful content from bloggers. Why don’t you give a token of appreciation at the end of the year? Support your favorite bloggers, November 29 is “Pay A Blogger Day”

Created by Flattr (social micropayment system), “Pay A Blogger Day” suggest you to give something back to bloggers. Besides money donation, you can support bloggers by buying their wares or using Flattr service. Or, simpler, share the content you like to your friends on social networks (facebook, twitter).
For bloggers, there’s a small test to find out what blogging has bought you and options to tweet, embed a badge on your blog, or share on facebook.
Here is my Pay A Blogger test result screenshot:

Nuffnang Premiere Screening – The Muppets

It’s here…it’s finally here!!! All Jim Henson fans it’s finally the time…*in a singsong voice* it’s time to meet the Muppets!!!
The Muppets are back from a long hiatus! Remember those Saturday mornings when educational TV meant watching The Muppets and Sesame Street? Well, it’s time to relive those moments with Disney’s big-screen adaptation of The Muppets.

Synopsis
On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage a telethon and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.

Thanks to Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Malaysia, 25 bloggers will be given the exclusive chance to watch The Muppets. Details of the screening are as below:
Date: 5 December 2011 (Monday)
Time: 9:30pm
Venue: Cathay e@Curve

Well for those of you who didn’t really grow up with The Muppets, check out the trailer below. We promise that you will fall in love with the adorable cast and keep your eyes open for notable guest stars! ;)
Okay, time for some fun facts! Did you know that Miss Piggy was originally played by two men? Her character was so over the top, so diva-like that only a man could do her justice! And do remember to check out Miss Piggy’s outfit in the finale number as her shoes were specially designed by Christian Louboutin and her dress by Zac Posen. How very chic, Miss Piggy! ;)

To be one of the lucky 25 bloggers, all you need to do is leave a comment telling us what you would do to help The Muppets save the Muppet Theater? Would you organize a charity benefit or them? Would you raise awareness of the Muppet Theater by going to the media? How would you save the theater?
Hurry and leave a comment now!
Terms & Conditions
1. This contest is open to Glitterati Nuffnangers only.
2. Your blog URL must be stated in your comment.
3. The first batch of invites will be sent out latest by 1 December 2011 and RSVPs will be required. Failure to RSVP will result in invites being revoked and passed on to the next in line.
4. Screening tickets are not for resale to other parties.

First Ever Blogger MasterChef contest in Malaysia

MasterChef is famous.. and so is that clock. It has made many Chef cry/throw fits, and it is not about to stop doing so any time soon. MasterChef is of course a well-known popular reality TV series where amateur chefs get the opportunity to show off their culinary skills and battle to be crowned the MasterChef.
This year we’ve had the privilege to collaborate with Astro Ria to start something more exciting and fun. Over the first three weeks of October, Nuffnang was proudly involved in the search for the country’s first ever blogger MasterChef and it is finally over. From quirky curries to delicious desserts, dozens of people entered their mouth-watering recipes and now 10 finalists made it to the grand finale to battle it out for the title.

Astro Blogger MasterChef Malaysia was the first-ever blogging competition where all aspiring chefs amongst bloggers competed in several challenges that tested both their culinary and blogging skills. In the end, the bloggers who impressed the judges with their flair and style in the kitchen walked away with:-
GRAND PRIZE (Best MasterChef Blogger) : RM3,000.00 in cash + Panasonic IH Cooker (Model: KY-C227B) worth RM2, 799 + BHPetrol Cash Voucher worth RM 500.00 + Ipad1 (16GB) with WIFI + Masterchef Pendrive (4GB) + Mitten + Nestle Hamper worth RM 300.00
Runner up Prize – (2nd Best MasterChef Blogger) : RM2,000.00 in cash + Panasonic Microwave (Model: NN-GS597) worth RM999 + BHPetrol Cash Voucher worth RM 400 + Ipad1 (16GB) with WIFI + Masterchef Pendrive (4GB) + Mitten + Nestle Hamper worth RM 200.00
8 x Consolation Prize Winners : a BHPPetrol Cash Voucher worth RM 100 + Nestle Hamper worth RM 150.00
Quite a mouthful isn’t it?
If you didn’t run out of breath trying to read the list of prizes offered, you certainly struggled to finish it in one breath.=p

The finale cook-off was conducted exclusively for all the 10 finalists on the 15th of October (Saturday) 2011 at SACC Mall Shah Alam where they competed in a whole 2 ½ hour cook-off while their friends and family cheered them on!

A panel of three judges, including famed food blogger KYspeaks (http://kyspeaks.com), Raqim Ahmad from Astro Ria, and Chef Kerlley ranked the following favourites from two major challenges – the invention test, and the skills test.

For the first challenge, bloggers were tasked to create a dish with an unexpected and challenging ingredient – the avocado! It definitely caught everyone off guard; who would have expected that from the Mystery Box?

10 final contestants working very hard at their very own stations.

Tada! End product! Bet it was easy peasy for the finalists as they still managed to come up with something so spectacular! *applauses*

The top 10 finalists with their final avocado-infused dishes. :)

For the second challenge, contestants needed to show off their skills where they need to slice and dice a basketful of onions in 10 minutes with a certain method demonstrated by Chef Kerlley! If you think this is easy, think again. No one even managed to dice more than 4 onions!

After a thorough deliberation, Yip Wan Yee from http://wendyinkk.blogspot.com was crowned as the First Ever Blogger MasterChef who walked away with loads of amazing prizes! Wawa from http://eencyweency.blogspot.com was the first runner up with her bold attempt of using avocado and turning it into pastry treats.
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, and special thanks to Astro Ria and all those that made this year’s contest a major success! It was a tight competition and most importantly, you can now use this contest as a resource and start viewing and bookmarking some great blogs that might have slipped through your culinary radar. =p

Toyota Fun-Vii

TOKYO - Presiden syarikat Toyota Motor Corp, Akio Toyoda memperkenalkan kereta konsep futuristik yang memiliki bentuk menyerupai sebuah telefon pintar gergasi dalam satu majlis di sini semalam.

Dinamakan Fun-Vii, beliau menggelarkan kereta konsep tersebut sebagai "sebuah telefon pintar bertayar empat".

Kereta itu berfungsi seperti sebuah komputer peribadi dengan pemandunya boleh berhubung dengan orang lain dengan mengetuk panel pintu kereta tersebut.

Pintu kenderaan itu dilengkapi skrin besar dengan fungsi sentuh yang beroperasi seperti sebuah telefon pintar.

"Sebuah kereta perlu mempunyai daya tarikan," kata Toyoda.

Beliau turut memperkenalkan sebuah skuter yang boleh ditunggang sambil berdiri yang dinamakan Winglet pada majlis berkenaan.

Toyota GT 86

Toyota had debuted the FT-86 few months ago in concept form, and now the production is known as GT 86. The GT 86 is said to be inspired by the legendary AE86! I'm sure that many know AE86 was the king of the hills (in hill racing, not offroading, mind you) and delivers great handling and performance in the 80s.



Measuring at 4240mm long, 1280mm high, 1770mm wide and with a 2570mm wheelbase, Toyota claims that the GT 86 has the lowest centre of gravity (460mm) among all of its products! It is also the most compact four-seater (2+2 to be exact) available to date!



While I have no unfavourable comments on the GT 86's design, a more sporty and low slung side profile will be appreciated. The front and rear end design of it looks great and prepare to produce some exhilarating performances on the road.



The rear-wheel-drive GT 86 with front mounted 2.0litre Boxer engine is able to churn out 197bhp at 7,000 rpm and 205 Nm of torque at 6,600rpm. The powerplant can be mated to either a 6-speed automatic or manual gearbox. The Boxer powerplant and 53:47 front-to-rear weight distribution will ensure your driving experience an enjoyable one!

10 New Ways to Make Money Online

So you want to ditch your corporate cubicle and join the ranks of web workers? But you have a mortgage, maybe a dependent or two, and a taste for Venti Mochas from Starbucks? You can make money in the new economy, though it might not be as easy or cushy as keeping your old economy job.
I’m not talking about advertising or affiliate marketing or selling your junk on eBay. Those are so last millennium! I’m talking about the new new economy.
1. Offer your professional expertise in an online marketplace.These days, you can do more than just sell your old books via Amazon and your old Coach handbags via eBay—now you can sell your professional capabilities in a marketplace. No longer are you limited to looking for a permanent or contract job on Web 1.0 style job sites like Monster or CareerBuilder. The new breed of freelancing and project-oriented sites let companies needing help describe their projects. Then freelancers and small businesses offer bids or ideas or proposals from which those buyers can choose.
Elance covers everything from programming and writing to consulting and design, while RentACoder focuses on software, natch. If you’re a graphic designer, check out options like Design Outpost or LogoWorks–you don’t have to find the customers, they’ll come to you. Wannabe industry analysts might sign up for TechDirt’s Insight Community, a marketplace for ideas about technology marketing.
2. Sell photos on stock photography sites. If people regularly oooo and aaaaah over your Flickr pics, maybe you’re destined for photographic greatness or maybe just for a few extra dollars. It’s easier than ever to get your photos out in front of the public, which of course means a tremendous amount of competition, but also means it might be an convenient way for you to build up a secondary income stream. Where can you upload and market your photos? Try Fotolia, Dreamstime, Shutterstock, and Big Stock Photo.
3. Blog for pay. Despite the explosion of blogs, it’s hard to find good writers who can turn around a solidly-written post on an interesting topic quickly. GigaOM is always looking for bloggers with great content ideas and solid writing skills. How do you get noticed? Comment and link to blogging network sites. Write blog posts that are polished and not overly personal (although showing some personality is a plus).
4. Or start your own blog network. If you like the business side of things–selling advertising, hiring and managing employees, attracting investors–and have the stomach to go up against the likes of Weblogs, Inc., GigaOmniMedia, b5media, maybe you should make an entire business out of blogs. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ll get a lot of time to write yourself though.
5. Provide service and support for open source software. Just because the software is free doesn’t mean you can’t make money on it–just ask Red Hat, a well-known distributor of Linux that sports a market cap of more than four billion dollars. As a solo web worker, you might not want to jump in and compete with big companies offering Linux support, but how about offering support for web content management systems like WordPress or Drupal? After getting comfortable with your own installation, you can pretty easily jump into helping other people set them up and configure them.
6. Online life coaching. Who has time to go meet a personal coach at an office? And don’t the new generation of web workers need to be met by their coaches in the same way that they work: via email, IM, and VoIP? You could, of course, go through some life coaching certification program, but on the web, reputation is more important than credentials. I bet Tony Robbins isn’t certified as a life coach–and no one can argue with his success. For an example of someone building up their profile and business online as a coach, check out Pamela Slim of Ganas Consulting and the Escape from Cubicle Nation blog.
7. Virtually assist other web workers. Freelancers and small businesses desperately need help running their businesses, but they’re not about to hire a secretary to come sit in the family room and answer phone calls. As a virtual assistant, you might do anything from making travel reservations to handling expense reimbursements to paying bills to arranging for a dog sitter. And you do it all from your own home office, interacting with your clients online and by phone. You can make $20 and up an hour doing this sort of work, depending on your expertise.
8. Build services atop Amazon Web Services. Elastic computing on AWS is so cool… and so incredibly primitive right now. Did you know that you can’t even count on your virtual hard drive on EC2 to store your data permanently? That’s why people are making money right now by offering services on top of AWS. Make it easier for people to use Amazon’s scalability web infrastructure like Enomaly has with elasticlive, a scalable web hosting platform built on AWS.
9. Write reviews for pay or perks. If you blog for any length of time on a particular topic–parenting, mobile phones, or PCs, for example–you will likely be approached to do book or product reviews. You can get free stuff this way, but are you selling your soul? Is there any such thing as a free laptop? These are decisions you’ll have to make for yourself, because no one agrees upon what ethical rules apply to bloggers. Even less do people agree on services like PayPerPost that pay you to write reviews on your blog. Check out disclosure rules closely and see whether such a gig would meet your own personal standards or not.
10. Become a virtual gold farmer. A half million Chinese now earn income by acquiring and selling World of Warcraft gold to gamers in other countries. If you’re not a young person living in China, this probably isn’t a viable option for you. But what’s intriguing about it is the opportunity to make real money working in a virtual economy. People are making real-world money in Second Life too.

Volvo S60 T4

Volvo S60 T4

If you lost touch to the outside world since a decade ago, you will be filled with disbelief if I present the 2011 Volvo S60 to you and tell you it is a Volvo. The S60 is no doubt one of the best products had ever created by Volvo. Comtemporary and sleek styling, not to mention the safest Volvo to date, which is claimed by Volvo themselves. When Volvo says the S60 is the best, you'll know how good it is when it comes to safety...

S60 T4 (left) and S60 T5 (right)

While the Volvo XC60 is Volvo's best looking SUV, the S60 is Volvo's most attractive sedan to date. It has dynamic design that no one would ever possibly imagine a Volvo a decade ago. The low slung roofline promotes a coupe-like silhouette, but thankfully this is achieved without sacrificing the rear occupants' headroom.



Settling in the driver's seat and you'll find the driver-focused cockpit centre console and instrument panel looks upmarket and good build quality. Another worth mentioning is the comfortable and supportive seats, together with high quality leather make it one of the best seats I've ever sat in a car. Thanks to the supportive seat which feels like it is hugging you (in a comfortable way), I felt safe already even before the car started moving!



Being a Volvo, a mile long list of safety abbreviations are installed in the S60. For instance, Side Impact Protection System (SIPS), Fading Brake Support (FBS), Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC), Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), so on and so forth. Speaking of BLIS, I've experienced its effectiveness for the first time when the system informed me that a car appeared in my left side blind spot after I switched on my indicator. It saved my life!!! *exaggerating*



Volvo promises a more engaging drive with its S60, and yes, Volvo did it! Good handling accompanied by superb powertrain. The T4 was powered by a 1.6litre turbocharged engine with 180bhp and 240Nm of torque at 1600-5000rpm. The responsive powertrain is mated to a 6 speed Powershift with Geartronic, but the gear change was not as smooth as I've expected. The engine, however, provide strong pulling power thanks to the high torque figure and turbocharger.

While the brake felt strong and effective, I have to refrain my leg from stepping on the brake pedal too hard because the brake bites harder than some Japanese manufactured car.

The Swede has created a superior sedan that would give its competitors a run for their money. Priced at RM220,000 for the S60 T4, it is a sexy, sporty, sophisticated and safe car that you would never go wrong buying it.

 

Japanese Glory Company Display E-book Vending Machine

One big advantage of Kindle Store, iBookstore and other e-book store is users can easily download and buy books anywhere.

Same as drinks / snacks / tickets / crabs automatic vending machines, consumers can make payments by cash. After payment, vending machines will print out a receipt with a QR code. Consumers through taking photo of QR code to obtain the e-books’ download link.

Compared to the online book store, Glory’s book selling machines could display all the sold books through a large-screen, providing a “look” books place for passers. In addition, the payment method of Glory is traditional, it does not require users to register account which reduces the cost of the primary user to get started. It is an interesting attempt – but I am afraid it is only an interesting attempt nothing more.

Celcom offers Samsung Galaxy W from RM328

Celcom is on the roll with more Samsung device up for bundling. Today they have revealed its Samsung Galaxy W offer which can be yours from RM328.
As usual, you have a choice of 3 plans and 2 contract periods – 12 months and 18 months. The cheapest offer of RM328 is applicable on the Celcom Exec 250 with 2 years duration. At the bare minimum, it is offered at RM708 on 12 months contact of Celcom Exec 50 + 1GB Data plan.
If you’re not willing to fork out too much money for the latest but looking for something decent, the Galaxy W is the best value priced phone under RM1,000 at the moment. Another telco that’s offering the Galaxy W is U Mobile which is now open for registration of interest.

Further price reduction on Motorola Xoom

It seems to be raining tablets in Malaysia with massive offers and smaller sized tablets coming our way. The Motorola Xoom is now more attractive with another round of price cut. According to IMCC, the Motorola Xoom WiFi is now priced at RM1,399 while the Motorola Xoom WiFi + 3G version is going for RM1,599. That’s a massive price difference which is almost RM1,000 less from its launch price. This offer is valid from IMCC while stocks last.
Just to recap on the specs, both Motorola Xoom 3G and WiFi versions runs on a dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and comes with 32GB of internal storage. Just recently Android 3.2 Honeycomb update has been rolled out to Xoom users which puts it up to date with other tablets out there.
If you’re looking for a better bargain for the Xoom, you might want to check out Maxis RM299 Xoom 3G offer which recently resumed.

South Korean fans shun iPhone 4S due to poor performance and lack of features

Despite record sales elsewhere, iPhone 4S sales in South Korea have been surprisingly slow reports The Korean Times on Wednesday.
Customers of one of the world’s most tech savvy country cite the phone’s poor battery performance and lack of support for 4G LTE as the main reasons why they’ve decided to forgo Apple’s latest smartphone. The paper reports that pre-sales of the iPhone 4S have totaled between 150,000 and 300,000 units combined at SK Telecom and Korea Telecom, citing unnamed carrier officials in stating that a number of customers who have made pre-orders have recently cancelled.
“I dropped my plan to buy the iPhone 4S. It’s not wholly-new and also there are big problems relating to hardware-related issues,” one iPhone 4 owner told The Korea Times. “I am a big Apple fan. But I’m very disappointed by the uncompetitive iPhone 4S.” Local press and customers in the region have been vocal in complaining that the new iPhone failed to meet their high expectations.
The report also cites the iPhone 4S’ lack of 4G LTE compatibility as a barrier to the handset’s success. Many South Korean cell phone users seemingly have a need for speed that outweighs any desire they might have for the Apple handset. “The key point is how Korean carriers effectively manage LTE networks to attract more clients,” a mobile phone shop owner said. “Since LTE is new, there are also complaints about its quality. If LTE services do well, then more people will switch as carriers give more subsidies to customers who buy LTE smartphones.”
“Except for the ‘Siri’ function, I didn’t find any wow factors about the iPhone 4S and that’s why I decided to buy Samsung’s LTE smartphone,” one man complained. “Also Siri doesn’t support Korean language and that means the iPhone 4S is technically the same as the iPhone 4. Why should I pay more to buy the same thing? It’s nonsense to purchase the 4S just to show my personal tribute to the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs”
Internationally, Apple’s latest iPhone has seen record sales following its launch. Apple announced that it sold more than 4 million iPhone 4S handsets during the device’s debut weekend, making it the fastest-selling smartphone in history despite launching in just seven markets.
Is this a reflection on how the Malaysian market will react to the iPhone 4S when it is launched here? What do you think?

2012 Toyota Avanza leaked!

The current Toyota Avanza found on our road has been around for many years. Despite that, it is still selling well and became some small families' trusty family mover or moms' favourite car to fetch their kids to school due to its compact MPV dimension.

The all-new Avanza's exterior dimension didn't change much compared to the outgoing Avanza. The former is wider by 30mm at 1660mm, longer by 20mm at 4140mm while the wheelbase and ovrall height remain unchanged.



The exterior styling has become sleeker and less boxy compared to the outgoing model. More curves were added to the front, side and rear of the all-new Avanza, making it less dull and more lively.

According to the spec sheet, the all-new Avanza uses Electronic Power Steering (EPS) which is found in many modern cars like our very own Perodua Myvi. It promotes lower maintanence, fuel consumption and easier manoeuvrability.



The cabin features tidier looking dashboard, resemblance to the Rush's I would say. The steering wheel design also has hint of Vios'. However, the overall design looks more upmarket than before.

The Avanza Veloz is offered 2 choice of engines. One is the 1.3litre engine and another one is the 1.5litre engine, similar to the choices offered in Malaysia now. The 1.3litre VVT-i engine is capable of producing 92bhp and the 1.5litre VVT-i engine can churn out 104bhp. I bet the larger engine will favor the family movers because the 1.3litre engine is said underpower when it is fitted in the outgoing Avanza.

Toyota Avanza was once the best selling MPV in Malaysia due to its affordable pricing and branding, and the new generation of Avanza will sure continue its predecessor's legacy, if everything is done right

2012 Ford Escape

Ford has been producing some awesome looking cars when they start to introduce its kinetic design language into them. For instance, Ford Mondeo, S-Max, Fiesta, to name a few. Now, Ford has evolved its kinetic design language, make improvement to the already attractive design, and the result is the above - Ford Escape.

The new design language first appeared in Ford Evos Concept, a 2-door concept car with a brand new 'face of Ford' which is similar to the one found on the latest generation of Ford Focus. The overall design resemblance of the Ford Kuga, and coincidently Ford Espace will wear the 'Kuga' badge when it is sold in some countries.


There will be 3 engines available for the all-new Escape. A 1.6 EcoBoost with 173bhp and 240Nm, a 2.0 EcoBoost that offers 237bhp and 338Nm and a 2.5litre engine with 168bhp and 226 Nm of torque.