Comparing Browsers:Google Chrome Vs. Mozilla Firefox

image source: http://mashable.com/2009/09/21/web-browser-faceoff/

I was debating whether this should go in my personal blog or my reviews blog... in the end, I chose the reviews blog... so here it is:

I think they are both really great browsers, but lately, I have discovered that using Chrome seems to have more user-friendly advantages over Mozilla Firefox, here are the advantages I have observed:

Advantages of using Google Chrome:
- fast
- directly type search items in address bar to search in Google
- when zooming in and out, I know what is the percentage of the view I am viewing (e.g. zoom 110%, 150%, 80% of original view)
- incognito window (for private browsing, won't save history, cookies, etc)
- open image in new tab option (very useful)
- automatically asks to translate a page for you when it is in a different language other specified in your browser)
- Chrome's autofill is so convenient when it comes to filling long forms (while you need to click on each field in Firefox, Chrome allows you to autofill with one click)

Advantages of using Mozilla Firefox:
- plugin/extensions to view live CSS/html changes (Chrome has a similar feature, but Firefox's extensions have more options and easier to use)
- extremely stable
- lots of extensions and plugins (lots of customization options)


both are great, really (they are both the most used browsers) I use both of them, if a webpage did not work in one, I would use the other browser to view that web page. But in terms of usability and user experience, I would choose Google Chrome.

Greg's Ice Cream - Candy Cane Flavour review

Greg's Candy Cane Ice Cream

It's Christmas Season at Greg's Ice Cream!

We had a warm day last week, so while passing Greg's, we decided on getting ice cream. To see all the "Greg's Ice Cream reviews I have written, please click here.

Greg's is quiet this time of year, since it is getting cold. There were a few visitors but no long lines. One of the advantages was that almost all the ice cream available that day were there (not sold out), I think there were about 10 different flavours to choose from.

The one that caught my eye and I really wanted was the Candy Cane flavour. And why not? It is cold, with about a month's time to Christmas, who wouldn't want some Candy Cane? Besides, I was really fascinated as to how it would taste.

thoughts:

• very minty
• quite sweet
• candy cane bits can be smaller

As weird as it sounds, I did not really like the large Candy Cane bits in the ice cream, I understand that they needed to be there, but they were too big and were stealing the (taste?) attention from the ice cream. It was a very minty ice cream, so minty that I was craving for more a few hours later.

It is definitely a really good tasting ice cream, however, next time when I get this, I would probably pick out the larger bits/pieces before eating. If you love minty stuff, this is defnitely the ice cream for you, it will also satisfy your sweet tooth too!

website: http://gregsicecream.com/scoophappy/

Etude House Dear Darling Tint review

tagline: Jelly Lip Tint for Rouge Colored Lips

I find this product very interesting and fun, I wouldn't recommend you to use this if you are in a hurry, it takes a while for the "jelly" to dry, and  if you don't wait, it will be as if you haven't applied on any lip colour in the first place.

I got the Dear Darling Tint "No.2 Real Red"

 you can see what it looks like before and after product is still wet here

I think this is a fun product, but not a very practical one. As it is jelly based, you basically need to use quite a lot of the product when you use it once. They smell like grape but taste disgusting.

close up shot (sorry, took this picture at a different time, so product is on (left side) other side (compared to other picture)

Pros:

• lip stain
• nice colour
• new and innovative way to apply lip colour
• applicator makes it very easy to apply and control (the colour).

Cons:

• bottle does not last long
• long wait time
• dries out your lips
• product does not last very long on your lips
• product colour is not very strong (I guess that why it is called a "tint")

don't be afraid to put on too much (I was a bit freaked out when I first applied this), the jelly will dry and the product's colour will be less apparent. The Jelly made it really hard to smooth out, Thank goodness the applicator was really precise to apply colour on.

wand/brush of Dear Darling Tint (sorry for the picture quality)

I really like that it works like a lip stain, I don't like the "jelly" stickiness (of the product even when it has dried). When it dries it mattifies, there is no glossy finish (despite that, you can still feel the stickiness from the "jelly" ).

after the product dries on your lips, see how subtle the colour becomes after (I have applied the product all over my lips in this photo)

If you are looking for a subtle lip colour (as if you aren't really wearing any lip colour products) then this is a really good product for you.

After heading out for dinner, you can see that there is a little (30%) of the product left (it is more apparent in real life)

product rating: 7/10

website: http://www.etudehouse.com/eng/product/product_view.jsp?prdtCd=215056002

Montana's Cookhouse food review

It has been a while since I've been to Montana's. The last time I was there, I was so hungry I forgot to take pictures of their food, thus, my review was mainly on the atmosphere. This time, I was sure to take pictures and write a better review.

regular pork back ribs with Texas Bold sauce with Southern Baked Beans and Rice Pilaf & Corn Bread- $20.99

Since Montana's is known for their South Western US of A food, we decided to settle for some ribs.
Smokehouse Pork Ribs. The menu described them as:

Rubbed, smoked, basted and grilled to finger licking perfection

It was REALLY good, the description was very accurate. We were sitting there wondering how did they make the pork so smooth yet it can be so thoroughly cooked. It was really good! For the sauce, we decided on Texas Bold since it seems that this place specializes in Texas Bold. The dish was literally grilled to perfection. The meat was so tender and was well marinaded. This entree included Corn Bread and 2 sides of our choice. It was very filling. ( we decided on the southern baked beans and rice... the sides were very filling, but we thought they could have tasted better. They both weren't very tasty... if you want something really good, I would recommend the mashed potatoes, they were really good!)

Signature dish - Oven-Baked Antojitos - $9.99

For the appetizer we order one of their signature appetizers, Oven-Baked Antojitos. They described this as:

A spicy blend of cheese, jalapeno, onion, and red pepper, rolled up in a flour tortilla and oven-baked till melted.
served with pesto sour cream dipping sauce

I really appreciated that it was oven baked (yet it was very crispy, like the fried ones, but healthier). This can be very filling, so I highly recommend that you share this dish with others... or you won't be able to try the other foods available.

Signature dish - mile high mud cake - $8.49

For dessert, we got their signature dessert, Mile High Mud Cake. 

A mountain of layers. Expresso chocolate chunk ice cream, creamy peanut butter, and chocolate ice cream on a crunchy chocolate cookie crust. Topped with Whipped Cream and Chocolate Sauce.

I think they got every irresistible cake flavour on this cake. It was huge... the picture doesn't reflect that though.

side view of mud cake $8.49

I totally failed at taking a clear picture of this I didn't want to look awkward taking a picture but look at how huge it is! It took us nearly 45 minutes to finish this. It was really delicious. There is a "half" cake option for this item, so if you want to try it but is already full, try that. (I'm sure it will be more than enough).

I would definitely come back to Montana's again. Their food, service, quality and quantity are all good.

I would give this place 9/10 (that's a very high score)

website: http://www.montanas.ca

Joey's at Eaton Centre restaurant review

photo credits: www.torontoeatoncentre.com 

I have heard countless reviews about this restaurant, at Places at Don Mills. People like to come here to celebrate birthdays, reunions or simply just to come here to drink and chillax. A few months ago I ran into their other restaurant at Eaton Centre, decided to give this place a try.

Before I go into my review about this place, here's a little checklist as to what I think:

• great atmosphere
• service is ok (I'll talk more about it in my review below)
• food is good
• quite pricey

menu

I was quite disappointed in their lack of selection in their menu. 

service: some waitresses were very friendly while others were... trying to be friendly. I find the setting very odd, I can tell they were trying very hard to make this place a very friendly, casual environment, but it seemed to be very forced.

lobster sandwich

the first thing which came was the lobster sandwich. This was very delicious but also was a very small portion. I was shocked when the waitress/server settled it on our table. I thought the wrong food item came because it was so small... looked like a starter more than an entree. I have to comment it was really good and tasty, the fries were also good... but... seriously... too expensive.

Florentine ravioli

The Florentine Ravioli was served with seared scallops and prosciutto. The Ravioli's were filled with Artichokes and spinach with a tomato salad. This dish was a bit bigger and it was also very tasty. Good thing we have ordered this or we would probably be starving.

Service was quite bad, as I mentioned earlier, they "tried" to be friendly, food took a really long time to come too. So we were absolutely starving.

I do not think I would be visiting this place very often, and I realized that I must do my research before deciding what to order. I wished they also had a better selection as well. I do not understand how they can make Sushi, Ravioli, and steak in the same place and be good at each one (thus this was why I choose these 2 dishes). I would also much appreciate it if their waitresses were more sincere as well.

website: http://www.joeyrestaurants.com/

Dettol's Hand Sanitizer review

photo source: http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au

I have been meaning to do a review on this product for a very long time... I have used Dettol's Hand Sanitizer for almost 3 years now. I was actually shocked that not a lot of places offer this product though. Luckily, Hong Kong seems to be equipped with almost every good product in the world!

The brand, Dettol, has been around before 1950s and has been known for its amazing ability to disinfect products.

I was really excited to see this product though I must confess I was a bit scared that it would be too strong (like their other products) for my hands, but it isn't at all.

I don't think this hand sanitizer works so well if you have really dirty hands, but it works if want to have cleaner hands before you eat (in a restaurant).


thoughts:

• mild on hands
• does not irritate sensitive skin
• mild cleaning
• great smell (it smells like lime)
• long lasting (one bottle lasted me 4 months)

couldn't find a website, so no website.

Annie's Mac and Cheese review

packaging

I have written a review on their other product, Annie's Shells with Real Aged Cheddar, I will try not to compare these two products, but give you my thoughts on this product individually.

I have always been a fan of Mac and Cheese foods, so when I found these Mac and Cheese in Costco, I was very excited. I haven't liked Kraft's Mac and Cheese as I always had trouble with their cheese sauce. I had high hopes for this cheese sauce.

back

After reading the ingredients (I guess that's usually one of the most important things, especially with dried foods) I was very happy that they were very natural ingredients (they even claimed they were organic... double points!).

The instructions were very simple: boil water, put in pasta, after a few minutes drain pasta and make sauce using milk/butter then put in pasta. I think anyone who can boil water and measure with a measuring cup can cook this.

result

The results were ... a little bit off from the picture shown on the box. The box's Mac and Cheese was much creamier. I was also a bit disappointed as I could hardly smell any cheese flavour (I expected a much stronger smell). The taste was "ok", the cheese flavour wasn't strong. Luckily, the sauce was enough to coat the macaroni. 

Summary:

• easy to make
• great natural/organic ingredients
• not a very strong cheese taste
• creamy

I would give this box of Mac and Cheese a 7.5/10.

website: http://www.annies.com/

Refresh Plus Preservative-Free - Lubricant Eye Drops (by Allergan) review

photo credits: http://www.medichest.com/

As Winter turns its ugly head, our lovely humidity is replaced with dryness. My skin is so dry, I think it will start flaking soon (eww). What is worse, my eyes have started to feel the dryness... they start to become red and if I didn't blink enough (twice of when I usually... blink?) I start to experience patches of blurriness.. (yes, it is THAT bad).

I was shopping at Walmart and came across Refresh Plus - Lubricant Eye Drops. I have always used Tears Naturelle.

Summary:

• expensive
• easy on sensitive eyes
• small quantity  per container
• hard to tear cap off
• hard to put cap on
• hard to squeeze drops out (container is too hard)

It's my second year using eye drops, I am not sure if North America is getting drier or if my eyes are getting worse. I found these at Wal-mart and decided to give these drops a try.

My eyes are very SENSITIVE (notice the caps), I was immediately drawn the word "SENSITIVE" when I found these. Refresh has had a good reputation for eye drops (if you know about eye drops, the company Allergen owns Refresh).

One thing I like about these drops (similar to Tears Naturale Free) is that they are in individual vials, you should not keep them for more than 24 hours (as they do not contain preservatives, once opened, they can get contaminated).

Our eyes are very important to us, we wouldn't want to put chemicals and preservatives in them, so these are ideal for our eyes. They do cost more than other eye drops, but in the long run, they will keep our eyes healthier.

The liquid was quite "thick" but to my surprise, it didn't "hurt" my sensitive eyes. However, despite being so thick, I had to insert drops a few times before they could moisturize my eyes.

These do cure your dryness but you need more, unfortunately, they do not contain a lot of eye drops in each vial, so you might end up using 2-3 vials per day.

I did not like the vials, they were poorly made, it wasn't practical to use hard plastic to make the container,it made it so tough to squeeze the liquid out. And, because the plastic was so hard it was very tough to rip the cap off. I was very frustrated putting the cap on and off.

These are more expensive than Tears Naturale Free and each vial does not last as long. It will be less likely I will be purchasing this product again (unless if they improve).


website: http://www.allergan.com/products/eye_care/refresh_plus.htm