Journey to Manhunt Singapore 2014 (Part 6)

Now now.. with the increase of Manhunt events happening, I'm quite behind in my blog post for my Manhunt journey. So I'll be using this post to clear 3 events and all of them are by the amazing LAB SERIES.

Received a phone call from Debbie (our hardworking coordinator) that myself, together with 4 other contestants, were invited to the Introducing of Singapore's New Celebrity Endorser at Kuro bar.

Everyone should know who the new Celebrity endorser is by now but if you're still unaware, it is the one and only Shane Pow.

Courtesy of www.hisstylediary.com

I've always heard of the skin care brand Lab Series but I was really impressed with the history, vision as well as the brand positioning of Lab Series when the Brand Manager, Christine did the opening speech for this event.

Shane was then introduced to the public as the new Celebrity Endorser. We were then directed to this really cool room with 3 huge posters of Shane for the signing of the event.

We managed to grab a shot with Shane too!

Kelvin Lee(Beam Artistes Manager), Nicholas Ngo, Reeeve, GuoJin, Me, Baron

A shot of Samuel Seow

The following Monday, the 5 of us we invited to Lab Series store at Ion Orchard for a mini tour as well as to get our skin tested. I was really impressed with the amount of thought put in when designing of the store. As you may already know, Lab Series is a skin care brand that only focuses on Men. So naturally, the store is designed  for the convenience and comfort of men. That's such a refreshing thought isn't it? Been awhile since I heard some emphasis on men being placed during any decision making process!! *Two thumbs up for Lab Series*

After the introduction to the store, it was time to get our individual skin analysed. As there were only 2 counters to do that, the rest of us decided to have some fun!

Next, it was my turn to get tested!!

The consultant explained every step clearly to allow me to understand what she was actually testing with the diagnostic tool. The result is broken down into 5 components: Flakiness, Tone, Texture, Oil Level & Firmness.

Next, based on the results from the analysis, the consultant will use the recommended products to do the 3 steps facial regime. Any one from the public can enjoy this service too!

And like every event, we always end of with a nice group shot! Thank you so much to Edward for taking time off to snap photos for us! Really nice of u.

Really though I have the time to cover the Lab Series workshop in this post. Seems like my wrong! Will be back really soon to cover that!

Have a great weekend everyone and stay fit & healthy!

The new Samsung GALAXY S5 with LTE & Gear2 Review (Part 2)

Hope everyone is doing really well this June Holiday!

I'm back today for the part 2 review for the new Samsung GALAXY S5 with LTE & Gear 2! It has been about a month since I've received them and here are more functions that I'm really loving.

Samsung Gear 2

The Gear 2 is not your ordinary fitness tracker that only allows you to track your fitness goals. This gadget can do so much more. 

Notifications

Being connected to my S5 via bluetooth, I am able to see what's happening on my phone without the need to take it out from my pocket. Notifications that I'll usually receive will be emails, text messages (SMS or Whatsapp) and even from Facebook and Instagram. 

Music player

With a 4GB memory space in this smart gadget, I have the exact same playlist on my phone and my gear 2. The gear 2 has a standalone music player with a built it speaker that allows me to play my favourite tracks with a decent volume. I can also connect my bluetooth headphones without the use of my phone.

Camera

#nofilter (It's a 2 Mega Pixel Camera but good for quick shots!) 

Another function that I really love playing with is the built in camera function. I feel like a private investigator whenever I use this function but I must say that it take pretty decent photos! Here are some of the photos that I took in the gym. 

There are many more functions in the Gear 2 and I'm sure that I will get to learn them all as I journey with this wonderful gadget.

Now with the Samsung GALAXY S5 with LTE, I'll like to take this opportunity to share with you some amazing apps that Samsung has created.

The Samsung Enhanced S Health App (Available for selected Samsung Smart Phones)

The Samsung Enhanced S Health App turns your device into a personal-health-management powerhouse. You can track health statistics and weight. You can also view and track environmental conditions, and even track your exercise regimen. All you need to do is to set up your profile to begin, and your BMI will be estimated and ideal daily calorie intake recommended. You can then work on achieving the recommended 10,000 steps daily with Pedometer, or choose from 4 types of workouts in Exercise mode and set fitness goals.

You can also activate the Coach application in S Health, which recommends improvements and challenges based on a simple assessment of your current lifestyle. On your journey towards a healthier lifestyle, you can complete fun activities by taking on missions and collecting achievement habits.

I didn’t know about the S Health App until I went for the product training and since then, I’ve been diligently keeping track of my meals.

GALAXY Gifts

GALAXY S5 LTE comes with a set of specially curated third party content and services via GALAXY Gifts (worth over US$500). Users can browse through a variety of content, download them and use in their daily lives to motivate them towards achieving their fitness goals.

Some of these third party content and services include the following:

·         Lark – Your Personal Wellness Assistant, which provides easy personalised recommendations on how to be fitter and healthier. GALAXY S5 LTE users receive free 12-month premium Lark services (worth S$45).

·         RunKeeper – Turn your GALAXY S5 LTE into a personal trainer in your pocket. Track your fitness activities, measure your performance over time and share achievements with friends. GALAXY S5 LTE users receive free 12-month membership (worth S$25) for RunKeeper Lite.

·         Skimble – Workout Trainer provides thousands of multimedia workouts led by expert coaches. Workouts come equipped with dynamic move-by-move videos, photos and text instructions. GALAXY S5 LTE users can enjoy a free 6-month Pro+ premium membership experience (worth S$52). 

·         MapMyFitness – Built to help runners, joggers and walkers of all ability levels and ages. Easily track pace, distance, calories and time with audio alerts and much more. Track running, cycling, and over 600 types of other activities. GALAXY S5 LTE users receive free 6-month ad-free MVP access (worth S$45).

PROMOTIONS

Purchase GALAXY S5 LTE in 16GB with contract

- Trade in current smartphone or tablet and get an additional $50 overtrade from 14 June to 30 June 14.

- FREE 16GB micro SD card (worth $26) on a while stocks last basis

Purchase GALAXY S5 LTE in 32GB without contract and receive

- FREE Wireless Charging Kit (worth $108) on a while stocks last basis

- Battery Pack (worth $88) on a while stocks last basis

*For GALAXY S5 LTE in 32GB purchases without contract at Samsung Experience Stores, there will be additional free gifts -

Accessory Pack (HDTV Adapter and Extra Battery Kit) worth $126

S View Cover worth $78

So, after the Samsung GALAXY S5 with LTE & the Gear 2 for almost 1 month, here are my ratings:

Samsung GALAXY S5 with LTE

Design: 9/10
Performance: 9/10
Features: 9/10
Value: 9/10

Samsung Gear 2

Design: 8/10
Performance: 9/10
Features: 9/10
Value: 9/10

Thanks for reading and till the next post, take care & God bless!

Journey to Manhunt Singapore 2014 (Part 5)

It's June 2014 now, and we're just a few months away from the Finals for Manhunt Singapore 2014. 

In today's post, I'm going to share with you guys my experience during my first outdoor photo shoot and group photo shoot.

Photographer Richard Chen chose the iconic Pinnacle at Duxton for our outdoor photoshoot with the intention of using Singapore's sky scrapper as the background of this shoot. 

The first shoot done was an individual shoot at 9am and here are some of the photos taken by Richard Chen (Main Photoprapher) & Jonathan (Manhunt blogger).

A group selfie before wrapping up the 1st shoot!

I went back to work after my individual shoot and came back at 5pm for the group photoshoot.

When I met the guys, I had to say that everyone is looking really amazing. I could see all so much improvement in all of their physiques.

Here are some of the photos taken during the group photo shoot!

Having some fun while oiling up!

Nicely taken with our dear make up artist

Well that's all I have for you guys! Stay tuned for more Manhunt Singapore 2014 updates! It's going to get really exciting.

The new Samsung GALAXY S5 with LTE & Gear2 Review (Part 1)

In this modern day and age, one simply can’t live without the usage of technology. And plus, it’s not every day where you get to try out gadgets that you’re super interested in! So when I received an email inviting me to do a tech review for the new Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE &Samsung Gear 2, I gave the biggest YES! Well, slightly smaller than the one on my wedding day….. just slightly =)

As there are just so many features to the 2 gadgets, I’ll be doing a 2 part blog post for these products. Are you ready for part 1? Let’s go….

As I’m currently using the Samsung GALAXY Note 3 with LTE, making the change to the GALAXY S5 LTE is a breeze for me. So when I was told to attend product training at the Samsung office, I didn’t think that there will be much for me to learn. But boy was I wrong!! I’m sure everyone is aware of some brands that make very minimal technological advancements when they launch their new models, Samsung is definitely not one of them! Every single launch seemed to have a very clear aim and objective. And as for the GALAXY S5 LTE, the objective is to build a smart, sleek & functional phone that is dedicated to Health & Fitness!

Even though I have been using my GALAXY Note 3 with LTE for a few months, having to switch to a new phone can be quite a pain. But the staff at Samsung shared that there is this app developed that helps users to switch from one phone to another with ease. What I mean is that all your data from your original phone will be transferred over to the new one. And the best part is that you do not need to do any backup at all.

Smart Switch App

The full transfer  took me only 10 minutes!

This app also supports the switch from Apple or Blackberry devices.

Click here for more information!

Now, before I go into the health functions, I have to start off talking about the wonderful built-in camera. This camera totally blew me away!!

Let’s have a look at the specs of the camera:

16 Mega Pixel + 2 Mega Pixel Front Facing Camera, 4X Digital Zoom, LED Flash, Auto Focus, Real Time HDR (Rich Tone), Selective Focus, Dual Camera, Panorama Shot & the list goes on…

With its advanced Real Time HDR, the GALAXY S5 LTE is capable of reproducing natural light and colour with striking intensity in any circumstances

Apart from how clear the photos are, I really love the Selective Focus function. This function allows you to take photos with a good amount of depth of field.

Here’s what I mean..

What is even more amazing is while you’re taking the photo, the camera intelligently captures more than what you require, so that you can further choose the correct focus to tell your story.

Near focus

Far focus

Pan focus

Ultra-Power Saving Mode

The other function of the phone that I found really useful is the Ultra-Power Saving mode function. I believe everyone has encountered a time when you’re down to your last 10% battery life and there’s no charging unit within reach. What’s worse is that you’re still very much in need of your phone. When I’m down to 10% of my battery life, I’m usually in panic mode!! I’ll turn off my wifi, Bluetooth functions and try all means to preserve the little that I’m left with.

 But with the new UltraPower Saving mode function, this is what the phone will do for you.

1) Your phone will enter grayscale mode. (Colours, apparently consumes a huge amount of battery life)

2) Your phone will limit you to only 6 functions. Yes, you can still choose Facebook & Instagram!

3) You can then enjoy up to 30 hours' of standby time 

Heart rate sensor 

Now on the health function of the new GALAXY S5 LTE, I’m really impressed that a phone can have a built-in heart rate sensor! Unlike the Phyode W/Me, that takes quite a number of minutes to measure your heart rate, the Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE takes just around 10 seconds to do the job!

IP67 Rating (Water & Dust Protection)

Photo credit: Samsung.com

Recognising the demands of a dynamic lifestyle, the GALAXY S5 LTE was engineered to take on life without compromising the experience. This phone has qualified protection from water & dust (IP67)!! I am really impressed with the phone being able to be submerged into water for up to 30 minutes and still survive! I didn't do this to my phone of course! 

Found a video showing how well the phone is surviving underwater. Click here to watch!

There are many other functions that I really love about the GALAXY S5 LTE but I’ll stop here for today and bring your attention to the Samsung Gear 2. 

Before we go into the functions of this amazing gadget, here are some of the specs:

Display: 1.63” 16M colours(320x320) Full touch (C-type) SUPER AMOLED Screen

Weight: 68grams

Processor: 1.0 GHz Dual Core

Platform: TIZEN

Camera: 2 Mega Pixel Camera (Auto Focus, Macro Focus, Sound & Shot, etc.)

Additional Features: Make & Receive Calls, Standalone music player, Alarm, Sleep tracker, etc.

Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, WatchON^TM

Sensor: Heart Rate, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, IrLED

Battery Life: Up to 6 days

For more information about Samsung Gear2 Specs, click here.

When I first bought my Nike Fuelband SE, I was pretty impressed by the design and functions of the band. It was able to tell me the time, number of steps I took as well as to set daily goals. I was then impressed by some of the gadgets that EpiCentre got me to review. But for the Samsung Gear 2, this thing made my jaw drop. Here’s why…

I was telling the product manager of Polar that if there’s a device that can:

1) allow users to take their heart rate measurements accurately without the chest strap

2) store music & connect to a Bluetooth earpiece

3) count the number of steps I take a day

4) track my sleep, and that will be the perfect gadget!

Well guess what guys, the Samsung Gear 2 can do all of the following and more!

Sleep Tracker

Before the Samsung Gear 2, I’ve never done any sleep tracking before. So this was the first function that I had to try out.

Here’s my result on my 1^st sleep tracking night.

I was asleep for 7hrs 8mins & was motionless for 86% of the time! I was pretty glad to know that I do not move around that much during my sleep and I’m always very recharged when I wake up every morning.

Heart Rate Sensor

The built-in Heart Rate Sensor located at the back of the Gear 2 can] determine your heart rate

The Samsung Gear 2 has a built in Hear Rate Sensor that is really important for a fitness enthusiast like me. I wear this watch during my gym trainings & cardio sessions so that I can monitor my heart rate and ensure it is in the optimal training zone!

When I do not have my phone with me, I will periodically check my clients’ heart rates in between sets, to make sure that every training session with them is effective & enriching.

My choice is clear!

So that’s all for part 1 of my Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE& Gear 2 review. Please stay tuned for part 2 and until then, stay fit & healthy!

Journey to Manhunt Singapore 2014 (Part 4)

It had been pretty quiet for my Manhunt journey the past few months and being caught up with work, family, conducting personal trainings and some random shoots every now and then, I sometimes forget that I'm still a contestant in Manhunt Singapore 2014.

So after the long wait, we were finally called for our very first studio photoshoot. Every contestant is given a one hour time slot, and that includes make up & styling. Yes you didn't read wrongly, the time has come for us to put on some powder on our faces!

I was scheduled to do my shoot on 12 May 2014 at 4pm. That's 2 days after the Quincy Hotel filming. This is the first time I hve to prepare my physique for back to back shoots and it was quite an experience. Not exactly knowing how to do it, I just had to trial and error. After all, if you never try, you'll never know right?

So arriving at 4pm, I was able to see the contestant before me in action. There was also a large TV screen showing all the photos taken earlier in the day.

As the photos for this shoot are not out yet, here are some of the behind the scene shots taken by our beloved Jon.

Make up & styling:

For this first studio shoot,our photographer, Richard Chen, wants all contestants to be shot in 3 styles.

1st Style
Attire: Manhunt Tank + Jeans
Concept: Personal/Freestyle

I was told to just be natural and get into different poses that I'm most comfortable with.

2nd Style
Attire: Jeans
Concept: Dark Forest

This was a really interesting concept because we were told to portray vulnerability & sadness in the shots but yet still looking classy and poise at the same time. The photos shown here do not have the effects of the lighting so please stay tuned for the actual ones that will be out soon.

Getting the effects tested before we start

3rd Style
Attire: Waveline Trunks
Concept: Samurai/Warrior

This is the one style that I had to most trouble with. Haven't done anything like this before, I must stay that this is really quite an experience. However, regardless of how to photos turned out to be, I'm glad that I have the opportunity to try different things. I still hope that the actual photos will turn out to be great!

So these are all the photos I have to share with you and also the experience that I've had. Feel free to share your thoughts about the shoot!

Till the next post, take care & God bless!