[Review] Oral-B Genius 9000

        Hi there! It's been a while since I didn't post anyy update! Finally have some spare time to use for blogging, although it is not what people do anymore. Somehow blogging feels more fulfilling to me, rather than social medias. No one's here being negative towards a blog post, right.

        Recently, my electric tooth brush stopped working, so I upgraded from Oral-B Pro 500 to Oral-B Genius 9000. I wanted to try Oral-B IO lines but the brush head replacements are quite expensive just to have close performance to Genius. The price of IO 5 can be around Genius' depending on sales. Concurrently, I still have plenty stocks of Pro brush heads, which fits Genius.

        I have been eyeing Genius 9000 and the price was around RM800 ($230) but I was waiting for sale! Which can drop half the price to $130. At the same time, I was reading multiple review saying Genius 9000 is overpriced for only the extra features that was inconvenient, and IO is a lot better. Fortunately, after few weeks of considering, I saw Genius 9000 price drop drastically during 15th June sales - Malaysia throw sales like every single week (1.1 2.2 3.3... 12.12 , mid month 15th, paycheck sale on 25th, celebrational sales, you name it), with a Free Gift! I lovee free gifts! So I ordered it at that bargain price. After receiving it, surprisingly, the app feature has been updated to be not as inconvenient as what people used to claim. See, even people change for the better, let alone tooth brush! Never listen to what they say until you try.

The box

It opens like a magnetic gift box and display! Feeling luxury

The box and items are just thoughtfully organized to fit

Tooth brush with charger, 3x brush heads, smart travel case with charger, brush heads & charger organizer, and smartphone holder (which is not necessary after upgrade - I'll tell you more about this at the end), and guides

The smart travel case is OK

Except it won't fit my iPhone 16 with casing. This is iPhone 11 in the picture

        The travel case can fit tooth brush, and maybe hold a quite thinner phone. As well as charging the tooth brush when I plug in the charger for the travel case.  I really thought it's gonna work like a power bank which I can charge my phone through the USB port at the bottom of the smart travel case. It's only to charge phone while it's plugged in, and charging the tooth brush. So that I can charge two devices at once.

        So here comes the actual features and the app,

It connects to my smartphone easily, but what is it for? And is it going to be efficient?

Having an iOS actually helps, I can connect it to my Apple Health app, which monitors my health even though I barely use it until this Oral-B app

This is what set this apart. It has different functions which you could set as your goal. It's still manual work, maybe some sort of discipline, but I'm gonna try Whitening and see.
Mostly it will be based on your brush heads, I've been and still using CrossAction, cause it feels cleaner. There are few other brush heads that are suitable for the other features.

So this was the 'inconvenience' I said earlier. At the past, users will have to install smartphone holder on the bathroom mirror, and smartphone will open a camera while you're brushing your teeth, and it has to be at the center of your face. But they have upgraded the feature, and just use Bluetooth. That was why many people consider IO over Genius 9000 cause this feature will never be used as it can be quite troublesome.

        This wouldn't be a game changer to some, it does feels quite like my Oral-B Pro 500, but with extra features. The features heavily depends on user themselves. For me the promotional price justifies the features compared to my old tooth brush. It's a step up, like buying a Business Class seat over Economy. Haha.

18 Best Halal Foods in Labuan (by local!)

It’s hard to find a good halal restaurant in Sabah, especially in small cities. Most of them are non Muslims owner which would give doubts to us Muslims. Even then, some of the Muslim restaurants don’t achieve our expectations in terms of taste. So as a local Labuan, this is completely unbiased in terms of taste since I have been hunting for foods all over Sabah to Johor Bahru, here are some of my Halal/Muslim Owner restaurants recommendations (numbers are not in order)

1. Sayang Sri Utara (4/5)

This is more towards Indonesian with Labuan fusion tastes. I have tried some of the dishes and drinks but I love their Coto Makassar and Bakso the most. I can say it’s the best Coto Makassar and Bakso in Labuan. They also offer buffet for lunch however sometimes they are closed and you can find them in Labuan Events around Medan Selera. Parking need to be paid RM1 per entry.

Recommendation: Coto Makassar, Bakso

Cleanliness: 5/5

Taste: 4/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Breakfast - Lunch

2. Pantai Batu Manikar / Pohon Batu (3/5)

This is true Labuan tastes. Dishes are rich with seasonings/umami but it’s tasty haha. At least affordable option then dining in resorts! Perfect for chilling. Strong windy beach area. Might be crowded during the weekend and fully seated. Opens everyday except Monday.

Recommendation: Soto Daging, Mi Goreng

Cleanliness: 3/5

Taste: 3/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Breakfast - Dinner

3. Opah Corner (3/5)

A really crowded place for it’s strategic area. Taste is not quite reach the expectation but it’s edible. The goreng-goreng like fried rice tastes good but not the authentic Thai menu tastes. Drinks like juices and tea tastes great.

Recommendation: Nasi Goreng Kampung, Teh Ais

Cleanliness: 3/5

Taste: 3/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Dinner

4. Kubong Corner (3/5)

The most famous curry noodle in Labuan. Nearby a hiking trail with a beautiful cliff beach view (nothing near the restaurant you have to hike). Besides chimney and museum.

Taste is fine but a good breakfast option. Closes around 12PM.

Recommendation: Mi Kari

Cleanliness: 3/5

Taste: 3/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Breakfast

5. Sate Siga-Siga (5/5)

I can confidently say this is the best halal Satay I have tasted so far. I’ve been to Sate Kajang, Sate Wak Radol, nothing can beat the rich spices and balanced tastes in the peanut satay gravy with marinated chicken satay. However I don’t recommend their Sate Daging since it’s a bit rubbery SOME times. They pick their satays using machines which is actually cleaner. Opens in the evening.

Recommendation: Sate Ayam

Cleanliness: 5/5

Taste: 5/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Dinner

6. Theobroma Bake Lab (5/5)

I looovvveeee their pastries so much! Crunchy, buttery, fresh. Not a fan of their cakes and coffees though. The vibes is so cool too.

Business hours 9:30AM-5:30PM and Closed every Monday.

Recommendation: Pastries

Cleanliness: 5/5

Taste: 5/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner & Halal Ingredients

Location:

Dining: Breakfast - Lunch - Teatime

7. Dapo Paknek (4/5)

Calling for fans of Sarawak dishes! Honestly, I don’t know the actual taste notes of Sarawak dishes but the umamis taste in Dapo Paknek dishes are just nice.

Recommendation: Mi kolok

Cleanliness: 5/5

Taste: 4/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Dinner

8. Pantai Pancur Hitam

Similar to my review about Pantai Batu Manikar, this is like a copy of them or the other way around. Actually there are bunch of food lots like this in Labuan since it’s around the beach.

Recommendation: Mi Goreng, Soto Daging

Cleanliness: 3/5

Taste: 4/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Breakfast - Dinner

9. Nasi Lemak Sabariah (3/5)

The most famous Nasi Lemak in Labuan. However this doesn’t quite meet my expectation. The taste is quite average to me. It’s close to the beach city area.

Recommendation: Nasi Lemak Rendang

Cleanliness: 2/5

Taste: 4/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Breakfast

10. Ayam Penyet Ria (5/5)

The best ayam penyet in Labuan! Crunchy at the outside, juicy on the inside. Air conditioned dining area. Located in the middle of the city.

Recommendation: Nasi Ayam Penyet

Cleanliness: 5/5

Taste: 5/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: I’m not sure but I’ve been there for lunch

11. Restoran Malindo (4/5)

Again, Labuan foods are so rich with umami tastes. So this goes in the list. The soto stall im Restoran Malindo, not Malindo itself. They sell varieties of Labuan daily to-go foods which are Soto, Gado-Gado (Noodle), Coto Makassar, and Laksa Sarawak. The taste is Labuan standard.

Recommendation: Soto Daging, Gado-Gado

Cleanliness: 5/5

Taste: 4/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Breakfast - Lunch

12. Cendol Cinta (5/5)

Offers desserts like Cendol, ABC, and fresh juices. This is a hidden gem. The seller is very generous serving the desserts.

If I wasn’t mistaken, this was the same stall that was once crowded with customers around 10 years ago in Financial Park. But after the restaurant lot was on fire, we completely forgot their existence. Around 2020, Cendol Cinta was located under Klinik Bakti and now moved to his own lot in Pasar Peladang.

Recommendation: Cendol

Cleanliness: 5/5

Taste: 5/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Breakfast - Lunch

13. Pantai Layang-Layangan (4/5)

Well I need to copy and paste the review from Pantai Batu Manikar and Pantai Pancur Hitam 😂 but honestly, in terms of cleanliness, Pantai Batu Manikar is better. But in terms of stressfullness, Pantai Batu Manikar is too loud with buskers. All I want is to listen to the sea waves!

14. Restoran Deen (5/5)

Labuan calls an experienced and good foods as “legends”.

so yes this restaurant is legendary. Serving Indian foods like restaurants, curries. Everything tastes great! But be careful most of them are spicy 🌶️

Recommendation: Nasi campur, mi goreng mamak

Cleanliness: 5/5

Taste: 5/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

15. Nasi Lemak Bamboo (5/5)

A franchised nasi lemak focused restaurant. Honestly, I think the taste is better than average but not the best like Nasi Lemak Pak Nasser lol. But the overall experience is great so I  would recommend it anyway!

Recommendation: Nasi lemak rendang

Cleanliness: 5/5

Taste: 5/6

Halal Status: Halal Ingredients

Location:

Dining: Breakfast - Lunch

16 & 17. Ikhwan Restaurant & Ikhwan Bakery (4/5)

The restaurant offers varieties of Semenanjung Malaysia kinds of buffet dishes. The only downside is you have to come early and most of the times there are out of stock if you’re late. Same as their bakery. When you come early, only few options of buns and donuts available. Also, their roti canai, the roti canai itself is so tasty!

Recommendation: Nasi campur, roti canai

Cleanliness: 5/5

Taste: 5/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner

Location:

Dining: Lunch

18. Tanjung Food Hub (5/5)

I’m not afraid to guarantee this is the best halal Thai foods across Labuan & Sabah. Offering Western, Thai, and fancy beverages. From the chicken chops, pizzas, burger (with their logo on the bun!), tom yam. Tastes of Thai foods are authentic tastes. Many unique and tasty drinks options as well like Unicorn drink! Cool night vibes and open until late night.

Recommendation: Lamb chop, Burger, Siakap, Seafood, Mango Float

Cleanliness: 5/5

Taste: 5/5

Halal Status: Muslim Owner & Halal Ingredients

Location:

Dining: Teatime - Dinner

 

Trap

For the first time I know how to explain it in words, never in my life that I didn't feel trapped to a guy. But this one never make me feel that way. I'm happy and it didn't feel like work at all. Despite of us being busy. I love everything of you :)

thought

I grew up travelling back and forth to see family so the idea of having a future living in the same city kills me. Different city or country would be challenging but that's euphoric.

Resipi Bergedil Kentang

 Assalamualaikum and hi,

Bahan - Bahan:

- 6 biji kentang

- 1/2 biji bawang merah besar dihiris untuk digoreng

- Daun sup atau daun celery

- Lada besar

- 0.5 sudu makan gula

-  2 sudu teh garam

- 1 sudu teh lada putih

- 1 biji telur

Cara - cara:

1. Potong kentang kepada beberapa bahagian sesuai untuk digoreng. Goreng sehingga kentang lembut.

2. Lenyekkan kentang yang telah digoreng tadi menggunakan penumbuk lesung.

3. Goreng bawang merah.

4. Masukkan bawang yang telah digoreng, daun sup, lada besar, gula, garam, lada putih. Gaul rata.

5. Bentukkan doh menjadi bulat dan mampat.

6. Salut dengan telur yang telah dipukul.

7. Goreng dengan api sederhana dan balikkan hanya sekali agar bergedil garing dan tidak terlalu berminyak.

Sedia untuk dihidang.