Here’s my 9700 review after using it for about a month. Note, this Blackberry is also known as the “Bold 2.” I upgraded to this from the Javelin.

Pros:

• Faster! The web browsing is faster but nothing to “wow” about compared to my old Javelin on a 2G network. Apps like Ubertwitter and receiving files on BBM are a lot faster though.
• Trackpad!! I was playing around with Boyfriend’s Blackberry the other day and the trackball felt so weird… can’t imagine ever using it again.
• My fat fingers are no longer an issue! Better keyboard than the Javelin (but I still like the 8320 Curve’s better).
• Text messages are linked … BBM style!
• SPEAKERS ARE AMAZING! Well compared to older Blackberry models and even my 3rd generation iPod touch.
• Battery life is a HUGE improvement.
• It’s compatible with the Javelin’s micro-USB ports so I don’t have to replace any accessories since I have a gazillion chargers lying around everywhere (home, work, Boyfriend’s, car, etc.). My biggest fear is a dying Blackberry.
• Awesome resolution and bright screen.
• It’s the perfect size, which is the same as the Javelin but smaller than the chunky [original] Bold.

Cons:

• Leather backing looks tacky.
• Can’t seem to set my right convenience key to show ALL “messages” like I usually do with older Blackberry models. Right now, I can only set it to SMS/MMS OR Messages (BBM/email/etc) and not both. Am I missing something?
• I love how text messages are linked in a chat like BBM but I always forget that I’m texting someone and send them a billion in a row which they probably want to punch me in the face for.
• My calendar alerts can’t seem to be silenced even though it’s set in my profiles.

Rating: 9/10
I only wish there was a bigger screen. I have to admit the numbers are biased because I’ll always give Blackberries a high score.

I know iPhones can do a lot but here 10 Things iPhones Can’t Do, But Blackberries CAN!

Also read: Blackberry Javelin 8900 Review, Blackberry Curve 8320 Review.

Just thought I’d do a quick review of the Blackberry Javelin 8900 since I just switched the the 9700. I’ve been using this phone for about 7 months, upgrading from the 8320 which was a huge difference.

Pros:

• Nice and upgraded interface.
• Small, compact and light; it’s the perfect size.
• Has Wifi and GPS.
• Vivid display and sharp sound.

Cons:

• Not as fast since it’s on a 2G network.
• Keyboard isn’t as good as the one on the 8320 (which is still the best Blackberry keyboard to date).
• Camera still isn’t anything to rave about but it’s a HUGE improvement from the 8320. I don’t use it for anything other than Twitpics anyway so it doesn’t matter much to me.

Rating: 8/10

I think the 8900 was a great phone although it would’ve been a lot better if it had 3G.

Anyway, I finally switched the the 9700 after it’s been sitting in it’s box in Boyfriend’s closet for the past two weeks and I love it! I’ll do a review after I’ve used it for a couple weeks. I also switched over to Rogers after being on Fido for over 10 years just to save about $15/month on my plan. My new plan is exactly $53/month after taxes with: 500GB of data, 100 daytime minutes, unlimited local and network calling and evenings/weekends, caller display/voicemail/etc. It’s almost the exact same plan I had on Fido excluding unlimited text messaging which I was paying $65-$72/month for but after all my friends got Blackberries, no one text messages anymore. Edit– nevermind I just realized I do get unlimited texting.

Now the question is how I’m going to pimp out my new Bold?! I was about to order another full-white casing for it because I refuse to have the black one just like everyone else but I had second thoughts because I had a white Blackberry for the past 8 months. Should I go for another color? Hrm.

Which Blackberry model are you using and how much are you paying monthly?

Marcelle is the cosmetics and skin care brand that offers every woman high quality, effective and affordable products. Hypoallergenic and perfume-free; women of all ages believe in Marcelle products.

I was sent some Marcelle make-up products which I was uber excited about because I’ve always loved their skincare line. It’s great to support a Canadian company too because well you know… all our companies end up getting sold to an American one.

This fall Marcelle® Cosmetics innovates again and offers a wider variety of eye products. This new line will satisfy the need of every woman, whether she is looking for a glamorous, urban or more classic look. The Fall 2009 campaign presents 3 models with 3 different looks: Classic Elegant, Ultra-Glam and Urban Chic.

Wet & Dry Eyeshadow Quad: Versatile eye shadows to suit your every mood.
This quad comes in some beautiful shades and I received one in Blue Moon. It’s not as pigmented as I’d like it to be; without a good base, it would be hard to get a good color pay-off when applied dry, HOWEVER it did give off an intense color when applied wet. You do need to build it up quite a bit though.

Concealer Palette: The simple art of camouflage.
I love this concealer palette! It blended easily with my skin tone by mixing the 4 different shades. My only complain is the useless brush which was too small to do anything with.

Vita-Lip Plumping Gloss: The ideal plumping treat for your lips!
I love this gloss because it was shiny, non-sticky and enriched with vitamin E but the staying-power was a little disappointing. As for the plumping part? This is suppose to increase your lip’s volume by 11% and suprisingly it doesn’t have that tingly sensation that comes with most plumping glosses. I’m eating a super-spicy gumbo dish right now so my lips feel hella “plump” already so I’d have to get back to you on that. Edit – Plumps? YES! I can’t compare it to other glosses though because I never had to use them.

Liquid Eyeliner Pen: A glamorous look in high-definition.
Goes on smooth and extremely easy to apply. I use to use liquid liners religiously in high school but switched to Mac’s Fluidline gel-liner and never went back again. Although, after using Marcelle’s Liquid Eyeliner Pen, I might just go back and use it occasionally. It’s much more convenient carrying this in my make-up bag than a pot of Fluidline and a eyeliner brush. I was wearing this during an intense cardio session and although it did smudge (Fluidline never smudges on me, even 2 hours in a hot tub!), it did okay for a non-waterproof liquid eyeliner. Yes, I sweat buckets.

Khol Eyeliner: Make a statement or keep it subtle, this eyeliner pencil makes your every wish come true.
This pencil liner wasn’t pigmented enough and was actually a little hard to apply (had to tug on my lids a little bit). They also sent me the non-waterproof version so there is no way I can use it on a day-to-day basis.

Volume Precision Mascara: High definition volume
Didn’t work on my non-existent Asian eyelashes, but it has pretty good reviews on Make-Up Alley so it maybe worth trying out if you have naturally “nice” eyelashes (like that of Caucasians, Indians, etc). No offense my fellow Chinese people but our eyelashes usually sucks a$s.

Anyway, if you’d like to win a brand new set of all these Marcelle products for FREE just leave a comment and I’ll draw the winner next week. The only catch it that you have to be a Canadian-resident. Good luck!

I don’t wear mascara as much anymore because I haven’t found a mascara that works so I prefer falsies. Last week, I got my hands on a couple tubes of Maybelline’s new Pulse Perfection mascara though.

Maybelline Pulse Perfection Mascara is a revolutionary, vibrating mascara that grips and coats your eye lashes using a battery powered Turbo Equilizer wand.

Priced much more affordably then it’s competitions, Maybelline Pulse Perfection Mascara allows you to create the 7 signs of lash perfection – Thicker, Longer, Defined, Intense Colour, Shapely Curve, Healthy Luster, and Perfect Alignment!

It vibrates 7,000 times per stroke and the battery is suppose to last a minimum of 130 applications or just over four months. The concept is sounds good but does it really work? I used my sister’s pictures to test the mascara for this entry …because she has longer lashes than mine. Hyukhyukhyuk.

Things to keep in mind:

• We’re Chinese so this review is a little biased.
• Chinese people don’t have eye lashes (well we do but they’re usually short and stick straight, so that basically translates to they don’t exist).
• *Lashes were curled before mascara was applied.

Maybelline Pulse Perfection Mascara

• Easy-to-use but fingers get tired after pressing the tiny button for a long time (if you’re one of those people who likes to apply tons of coats).
• Thickens and lengthens with 3-4 coats.
• Makes your already-curled lashes go straight again. (-)
• Vibrating makes mascara prone to CLUMP-AGE even though they say it doesn’t. Keep your lash combs in hand! (-)
• Can retain similar results to Majolica Majorca with a few more coats and if lashes were curled again. But that’s one extra-step for the uber lazy.
• Results are good but still prefer Majorca Majolica.

Here are shots with her favorite mascara, Majolica Majorca.

• Thickens, lengthens, minor clumping and retains curl.
• Clearly the winner but the problem with this is that it’s hard to get in North America.

I gave some to my girlfriends to try it out too and they had similar comments. The final verdict is that Maybelline Pulse Perfection could be a good mascara— if you don’t suffer from no-lash syndrome like us poor Asians. If you’re Caucasian, Indian, Middle Eastern, etc. etc., who are already blessed with long, thick and curly lashes then this mascara might give you good results and worth trying out since it DOES thicken and lengthen.

Good mascaras are hard to find and it really depends on the person. Would I buy this mascara for $15? Probably not.

I’ve given up my mascara quest years ago so nothing beats plain old Ardell falsies. ♥ Looks exactly like all mascara ads out there (with fake eyelashes on the models and all). BUT on my lazy days when I do wear mascara, I use Lancome L’Extreme (which still isn’t perfect).

Have you tried Maybelline Pulse Perfection? What did you think?

What’s your favorite mascara?

And just for the record, vibrating mascaras are NOT scary! Why do people get all freaked out? It’s not like it’s an epilator or something.

WARNING: MSG OVERLOAD!!!

I’m ALWAYS raving about Phnom Penh, an authentic Vietnamese/Cambodian restaurant located in Vancouver’s Chinatown. This time I can actually write about it because I have FOOD pictures thanks to my sister (since I have this thing where I don’t like taking food pics while I eat). The pictures don’t do justice at all and was taken with a Blackberry in really bad lighting. I’ll update this entry with better pictures in the future because I think Phnom Penh deserves awesomely-delicious food pictures and not brought to shame with crappy visuals.

FILET BEEF ON RICE – Everyone goes to Phnom Penh for the chicken wings but I go there for the Bo Luc La a.k.a. filet beef. I wish Boyfriend’s mom would cook this at home everyday then I’d set up a tent in their kitchen… um, or just a futon.

---

BUTTER BEEF – Another one of my favorites. This is like beef sashimi— deliciously-cooked rare beef in an equally delicious sauce and topped with loads of cilantro and fried garlic. See that missing piece? Jimmy Chu says not to be too hasty, but I was too hasty.

---

CHICKEN WINGS – Phnom Penh is famous for their chicken wings and I’ve gotten countless people addicted to it. Mind you, I’m not even a huge fan of deep-fried chicken but I am when I go to Phnom Penh.

---

FROG LEGS – We wanted to order something we’ve never had so this was my first time eating frog legs and they (a.k.a. everyone who eats frog legs) were right! It tastes exactly like chicken… maybe even better than chicken!

---

CLAMS – The clams are so good! I forgot what they were cooked in but I eat them like I was eat M&M’s; I just kept popping them into my mouth. I think we got jipped though because a lot of the clams were empty or closed.

---

PAPAYA SALAD – I didn’t order this nor was I a big fan of it but everyone else seemed to like it. I ate a version of this during Boyfriend’s family party where they used green mango instead of papaya and it totally threw me off because I thought I was eating noodles! I was so disappointed that I decided to not like it from that point on.

---

We also ordered a bowl of noodles (not pictured) and the only thing I forgot to order was my DURIAN MILKSHAKE that I usually order when I go there. Oh well. I suggest you drink tea anyway to wash down all the greasy(ly-delicious) foods.

Bill came to about $100 which is not bad because it’s totally worth it!
YOU CAN’T PUT A PRICE ON GOOD FOOD.