Broken finally..

My Tamron 17-50mm finally broke down after an event shooting last week due to excessive turning of the zoom barrel. After servicing me for more than a year in all extreme and harsh conditions, it finally gives its way and decided to burn a hole in my wallet.

Nevertheless, I sent it to repair at the service center which cost me RM350. Hopefully when I get it back it will be as good as new and I will use it more carefully in future. =(

[Review] Bel Pasto, Aman Puri

In my previous post for Bel Pasto, Kepong Baru I mentioned that they have another branch at Aman Puri before the opening of the Kepong Baru branch and I have never been there. So, this time I paid a visit to the Aman Puri branch instead to try out the menu there and to see whether it is better than the Kepong Baru branch as claimed.

It is located at the shop lot opposite the Shell petrol station and McDonald's at Aman Puri, next to a corner restaurant. The exterior and interior have similar design as of Kepong Baru's branch but it is narrower in comparison to the later.

This time I came with my family instead and we are able to order more off the menu. We tried from starters to pasta, main dishes as well as pizzas. For starters we ordered the soup of the day followed by garlic bread. 

 The soup of the day appears to be chicken soup and it is different from what we usually drank. The chicken soup is more like what we will cook according to the recipe for chicken soup, that is a blend of celery, potatoes and carrot cubes as well as cubes of chicken meat with chicken stock. Well, nothing much to shout out about the soup. Very original taste of the chicken soup recipe, which to be honest, similar to what I will usually prepare at home as well.

The garlic bread is served with a good layer of garlic butter on one side. It is served in 5 pieces for a plate, just nice for a family of five. Also nothing much to shout out about the garlic bread and it is good as starters while waiting for the dishes.

We ordered a few types of pasta including macaroni, penne and lasagne. As described previously, the tomato sauce is prepared by themselves using fresh tomato. The presentation is also plain and simple unlike the fancy decorations that you found in other Italian restaurants.

Then here comes one the lamb shank. We noticed it has a chef's recommendation icon there and decided to give it a try. Their lamb shank is served with salad and tomato rice, which is slightly different from other restaurants that has different side dishes to accompany it. The lamb shank has a very heavy taste and I don't think many will like it. The usual gamey smell when having mutton is strong in this dish and have to be eaten together with the rice in order to minimise it.

On the other hand, the pizza is worth trying. The pizza we order has four different types of toppings but we opt the beef for other ingredients which is mushroom and tomato. The pizza is called a Pizza Quatro, which explains of having four different toppings. The crust is very nice with soft and chewy texture, accompanied by nice wheat aroma. The pizza is a good try.

Last but not least will be the Tiramisu. The Tiramisu definitely worth trying for every visit. As described in my previous post, the Tiramisu is prepared using the original recipe that uses lady finger biscuits dipped in thick coffee and layered with mascarpone cheese. It will not disappoint.

I guess I have wrapped up for both branches and already have a rough idea on which to order for my next visit if I fancy for any Italian food nearby. Read up about the Kepong branch from this link: http://gavincty.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-bel-pasto-kepong.html

[Review] Haji Musa Ikan Bakar - Crystal Bay, Melaka

Dear visitors,

I have moved my posts about food and travel to my new blog with renewed look as below:
[FOOD] 20140711 Haji Musa Ikan Bakar @ Crystal Bay, Melaka

Feel free to pay a visit and also to read about my latest experience at
Travel Foodie

Thank you

Last edited: 06 July 2015

[Review] Bel Pasto Kepong

Bel Pasto, A fine meal everytime!

Bel Pasto, Kepong branch is opened for quite some time already and it is until recently I paid them a visit on a Friday evening for dinner. It is rare to see an Italian restaurant operate in a place like Kepong, and it is even ran by real Italians themselves. The first outlet is located at Aman Puri, which is also nearby Kepong. The Kepong outlet is located at a shop lot behind Carrefour Kepong alongside with many steamboat buffet restaurants like QQ buffet steamboat and BBQ. It is a humble and cozy restaurant with not much exterior design, which makes it a bit hard to notice if you are not reading the signboards one by one. Even thou the exterior of the restaurant is just a plain glass panel and a lunch promo panel, the interior is decorated like a typical Italian restaurant with paintings on the wall and square-patterned table cloths on wooden tables. I went early and there's only one table with customers while others were empty.

I've always heard good comments about the branch in Aman Puri but I guess I will give it a try for the Kepong branch, which some claimed, not as good as the Aman Puri branch. We ordered pasta only for this time, skipping the pizza and other main course first just to try out. Chicken Bolognese and Chicken Lasagne were our choice because I'm a fan of tomato sauce and I couldn't take beef.  Besides that, we also ordered their signature Tiramisu as dessert to compliment the meal. Drinks were just normal peach ice tea and ice blended Cappuccino.

Chicken Bolognese - RM9.90

The restaurant is operated by real Italians, meaning to say, I would be getting a more closer taste of authentic Italian cuisine (I suppose?) than other Italian chain restaurants in the shopping mall. As you can see in the picture, there's no fancy decorations on the plate, just pasta. The look may not be appealing, but how about the taste? The first bite of it you definitely will be able to taste the tomato from the sauce. The tomato sauce is different from what we usually taste outside or even different from the pasta sauce that we cooked at home. The reason is because the pasta sauce served in other restaurants or in our house are usually canned/bottled tomato puree that is processed in the factory and then further cooked into pasta sauce, which have a very vibrant red colour and strong sourish smell.

Simple pasta

The tomato sauce used in their pasta is obviously cooked from fresh tomatoes due to the distinctive colour and smell of local tomatoes. I knew because I cooked my own red sauce at home too and that flavour is very similar to what I prepared at home. Local tomatoes are more to orange colour than red and the flavour is not as rich as imported red tomatoes. It is a waste that they did not use imported red tomatoes as the ingredient for the sauce but at least you know they prepared it themselves instead of using pre-cooked cans of tomato puree, which might have artificial flavours and preservatives.

Enough talk about the sauce and move on to the pasta and the other ingredients. The pasta is very soft, in fact I would considered the softest spaghetti I had when compared to other restaurants I visited. To be honest, I prefer my spaghetti to be more chewy instead. Perhaps I should notify the waitress next time. Anyway, the pasta was well seasoned and the sauce is cooked with minced chicken meat and black pepper.

Chicken Lasagne - RM11.90

The next dish will be Chicken Lasagne, prepared directly in an oval bowl baked in the oven. The tomato sauce used is similar, or I would say same as the one in the Chicken Bolognese but with slightly stronger flavour. The aroma from the Mozzarella cheese definitely makes me drool over it and the portion is just nice for one person. Other than that, nothing much to shout about the Lasagne.

Tiramisu - RM8.90

The Tiramisu is actually what we really looking forward for in this meal. The waitress will ask whether to serve it before or after meal when ordering. The picture may not be able to tell you the portion but I can rest assure that this is a portion for two. Just take your typical cheese cake from Secret Recipe, and times two. That's the portion for the Tiramisu that they served and definitely worth the price of RM8.90.

They make the Tiramisu according to real Italian recipe, i.e. by using Ladies finger biscuits, dipped into rich coffe and then covered with thick layers of mascarpone cheese and lastly decorated by generous amount of coffee powder and chocolate syrup. This is the real Tiramisu recipe and not some fake Tiramisu cake that is made of cream and cake that usually found in cake shops. I enjoyed having it and I felt like I could help myself for another piece. In fact, some people even claimed that it is better than the overrated Alexis Tiramisu that charge a bomb for its Tiramisu cake, but well, taste and preference is very subjective.

Overall, the dining experience here is pretty pleasant. I would like to visit here again next time to try their starters, pizza as well as the main courses before I give a conclusion about this place. The pasta did not really make a great impression on me but the Tiramisu did. I wouldn't mind to drop by after dinner to have a piece of Tiramisu with a cup of Cappuccino for dessert or supper. Perhaps I should also pay the Aman Puri branch a visit to compare the quality to see whether it is better or equal like some people claimed.

Update: Aman Puri branch visit
Their blog for menu: http://belpastoitalianrestaurant.blogspot.com/

Mini Food Blog

It has been awhile since I last updated this blog. Because most of the time I have been note taking and blogging using my phone instead and seldom online using PC.

Anyway, I have created a mini food blog through Evernote app and shared it with the public.

Everything is done and processed using my phone, give a hit at the side column or the link below!

https://www.evernote.com/pub/farscope/Minifoodblog

积极

积极，这个词，令我想起以前小学六年级时班主任交给我的两个字。
当年，老师印了一些词语，交给我们几个人，一人负责一个词。
我们的任务就是回家把它们上色，然后贴在班上的墙壁，作为勉励之用。

当年的我并不知道 “积极” 的含义，只知道是一些勉励词语。
回到家拿着那张印了 “积极” 两个字的白纸，问了妈妈 “积极是什么意识？”

妈妈含含糊糊的回答了，我也不清不楚的应了几声。
大概是说什么目标啊、努力啊、进取啊…就这样，手拿着颜色笔地把那个词给上色然后交给老师了。
“积极” 两个字，就这样贴在班里的墙壁上，直到我离开为止。

就这样一年一年的过去了，对于这两个字当然有更深的了解，也对我的人生有一定的影响。
很多时候，这 “积极” 的态度帮我度过了不少难关。
即使有时只有一个人，只要咬紧牙关，积极地面对，没有东西是做不了的。

然而这两个字，随着我开始工作后慢慢地消失了,我变得消极了。
每天日复一日的工作，也不知道自己在做什么，慢慢的失去自我，变得消极了。
对任何事也提不起劲，也不想去做。
有些东西明明很想去做，但是却找不到那股推动力，宁愿坐在那儿发呆，无所事事的过日子。

有时候东西开头了，却只有三分钟热度，就不了了之。
非常不喜欢这样的我。
当人长大了，责任大了，想得多了，顾虑也多了，自然的就会失去了年轻的魄力。
看着电视里的人能做他们想做的事，心里无比的羡慕，常问自己，人家可以，为何我不可？

现实往往就是如此，事与愿违。
我们看到的，都是那些能做到，有条件做到，还有有机会做到的人。
事实是很多人，想做也没办法做。
有人说，你要的人生就掌握在自己的手中，就看你敢不敢跨出第一步，积极地面对你理想的人生。

我能做到吗？我想，时时刻刻都想。
除非我能排除我所有的顾虑，不然梦想依然还是梦想。
我不能自私，我必须以大局为重。
看来，“积极” 还是留给找工吧……

Fast August

Updates slowed down a lot lately with only 4 entries last month. Been busying on other stuffs instead. August will be a very fast and happening month with many holidays around. Already been to a few places last weekend and might be posting about it if I have to time and idea to write about.

Just a blink of an eye and we are almost at the mid of August already and with the Raya holiday week around the corner and Merdeka Day following, August is definitely a fast month.

[Review] Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie

Was browsing my Lightroom's old album and found out that I missed out one album to share here. It was taken 4 months ago during my visit to Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie with a group of friends. It is a famous bakery, well known for its pastries and bread with their signature stone oven.

It is located at Jalan Delima, nearby Prince Court Medical Center, Wisma Technip and Off Jalan Bukit Bintang. The bakery is renovated from a Bungalow/Mansion into a bakery, serving fresh breads and special pastries. We went on a Sunday noon, where the whole place is crowded with people and many bread were sold out as well.

View Larger Map

We managed to secure a table outside and choose some breads to try. Basically after you secured a table, you need to remember the table if you wish to order beverages or other meals like pasta. After you chose your pastries and breads, proceed to the cashier to order your beverages if you want, and then tell them cashier the table number so that the waitress can serve to your table later. The attached picture below show the ordering instruction written on a black board.

Since it was 4 months ago, I couldn't really remember the names of the bread that we took and the price associated with it. I will try to recall some of it, nevertheless, pictures will be provided.

 Maple Toast

Turkey Ham & Egg

Turkey Ham Croissant

The interior design follows some English cottage style with some plants outside the compound. There's basically three main sections including compound outside, the ground floor inside and the first floor upstairs with modified rooms that are quite small thou.

U may find a lot of decorations that are based on cottage or farmer home style around the bakery especially first floor. The price is on the high side, definitely not an everyday tea time location for people like me which is not from the higher income group. However, if you have a sudden crave of good bread or pastries, this is definitely one of the place you can come for a casual tea time break.

[Review] Plan b, Paradigm Mall

Paradigm Mall is a new mall located at Kelana Jaya and it is the new attraction for that area recently. Knowing there are many restaurants within the new mall, my colleagues and I decided to drop by for a meal on a casual weekend. We ended up at Plan b to try because other restaurants like Fish & Co., Nando's and Italiannies can be found at many other places and this seems new to us.

Plan b basically serves western dishes along with some local delicacies. Burgers, sandwiches and pastas are the main ones that you can find in their menu. Their menu is a very unique one where it's like a pile of papers bind on a piece of wood with a catchy slogan of "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade".

We were served with plain water while reading the menu. The water comes in the form of a bottle, similar to the acid bottle we used back in the school days for experiment purposes. It feels like we are drinking a big bottle of medicine, but of course in smaller glasses.

I ordered a Chicken Burger for myself and my girl ordered Pasta Aglio Olio. Within the menu, I noticed they used a lot of nuts in their dishes and drinks as well. Presence of nuts is also felt within my Chocolate Milkshake, dunno is it me or they really blend some nuts within.

The pasta is rather simple with proper seasoning. Nothing much to shout about with a price tag of RM15++.

The Chicken Burger on the other hand comes with more than just the burger itself. It is served along side with a bowl of salad with lettuce and nuts, and a serving of fried chips of yam, sweet potato and tapioca I suppose. The burger's portion is quite big with a thick piece of grilled chicken breast with mashed avocado toppings on it and fresh lettuce under the patty. The patty was grilled just nice, well cooked enough for the thickness but not overcooked until the meat is dry. The avocado paste compliments the patty well and best to eat together. However, I'm not sure what is the piece of cracker or what ever name you call it located on top of the avocado paste. Maybe I'm not used to western cuisine and has no idea on how to eat it. All these sums up to a price tag of RM24++.

 

Overall, it was a good experience dining there. Probably due to the environment and the company. The restaurant is decorated with some vintage items, partly antique, partly natural with modern feel and cozy furniture. 

Not much review is done in this post thou cause my main purpose of visit is for gathering instead of a proper dining intention. Perhaps would drop by again in the future for a better one.

It is worth mentioning that all the pictures above are taken with my Galaxy S3 instead of my DSLR. Looks like my phone can replace my camera for some photo shooting provided with good light source is available for shooting.

[Trip] Sekinchan Drop By

Went to Sekinchan for a day trip last month. It was not our intention initially to visit Sekinchan. We just drop by Sekinchan during our visit to Kuala Selangor. We were just in time for the harvesting of the paddy field, hence we decided to drop by for some photos before heading back home. I believe there is a lot of pictures of Sekinchan in the web, most of them are heavily edited. I will just share my shots without much editing besides exposure and white balance.

On the way back, we saw this truck carrying harvested crops and just quickly took a photo of it and it ended a bit out of my expectations where it gives a very different mode and feel of it.

It's July Already

It's July already, June was a mixed up month. Happy and sad feelings all together, along with busy schedule and lazy attitude. The blog entries are far less than targeted amount and I have myself to be blamed.

June was a happy month because I finally got myself a new phone after using my old one for four years. Even thou it is an expensive one, but it is well worth the price paid for. I guess I won't be doing anymore purchases anytime soon as I need to start funding for my other stuff. It was also a happy month because it has been a while since I went outside Malaysia for a trip, even thou it was just across the Tebrau Straights to Singapore, but it was still a good one especially it is a first time oversea trip with my gf.

June was also a sad month because I spent a lot on both phone and trip, but like I said, it was money well spent, so it really doesn't matter much. The real sad thing is the opportunity that I waited for half a year just decided to turn down on me due to last minute cancellation. I have spent months of time and effort to build up my basics and knowledge for that and it decided to close the door for the time being. To add more salt, the other opportunity also turned down on me as well. I guess June is not a very good month for a change, or maybe is it my luck has fade away. Now I'm back to ground error where I have no more aim and target, felt lost, like most of the young men at my age. It is also a sad month because my good friend/colleague is leaving the company to pursue his studies further.

June was a busy month too. I was busying playing around with my phone and writing reviews for the camera performance as shown in my previous post and separated blog. I was busy filtering photos from the Sekinchan Day Trip and Singapore USS trip as well, which I still haven't upload any photos here yet. I was also busy preparing for my presentation in the technical forum, but was only busy for a few days. There are a lot of stuff going on in my department where we had many meetings and discussions, follow up by plans to do. These all sums up to a busy month of June.

June was also a lazy month because I'm too tired from my daily activities and work. it's July already, hope I'm able to cover up the back logging items for this blog and hope for a better month.

Long Abandoned Post

Oh my, time flies and we are almost at the end of June now. Looking at the number of entries for this month really makes me wanna go LOL. Initially planned to have at least 15 entries per month and now my entries has been decreasing every month, the consistency is not there anymore! There are a few events for this month and I will try to update them ASAP. Been to Kuala Selangor, or Sekinchan to be precise and also a 3D2N trip to Singapore with my secondary gang of friends. Also, there are a few depressing incident that again affects my my confident and spirit. A few days more will be the technical forum presentation for my research project done last year, lots of things need to prepare as well.

As for now, I'm busy with filtering the photos from the Singapore trip and then I will continue filtering the paddy field shots in Sekinchan and share them here soon.

Review Writing for My New Phone's Camera

Finally after few days of hardcore writing, my review, or I should say guide for the Samsung Galaxy S3's Camera is ready and published at a separate blog. The reason is that blog is created specially to cater different audience and I do not want to mix it with this blog. I will update pictures taken by my Galaxy S3 from time to time as a gallery for myself.

There are total of 6 parts, explaining and discussing almost everything about the Galaxy S3's camera and how to maximise its potential for our daily use.

Please proceed to my new blog if you are interested to see what the new flagship phone can deliver

The Galaxy S3 Gallery

A Comprehensive Samsung Galaxy S3 Camera Review and Guide:

Part 1: Hardware and Features
Part 2: User Interface
Part 3: Limitations
Part 4: Shooting Mode
Part 5: Scene Mode
Part 6: Summary and Conclusion

P.S. I would like to apologize to my girl for being busy these few days. ;)

First Week of June

The first week of June has been a busy week, mainly because of my new phone. Need to spend some time exploring as well as playing it. Besides that, I installed an app called mini diary that helps me records all the tiny story that I want to keep. Hence neglecting this blog. Felt guilty by a bit and that's why i'm writing this entry now.

Besides that, i'm working on a camera review for my new phone and had ady spend quite some time writing it. I will publish the review and guide in a new blog that I purposely made for it and will provide a link to it when i'm done. Do stay tuned.

May Update

May is a lazy month for me, and also a busy month as well. Blog progress was slow mainly due to the launch of Diablo 3, which occupies most of my PC time. Either my bro, or myself were using it to play and hence less time is available to blog.

However, I do managed to post up three review entries, which is considered not too bad at all. I believe June will be a better month, especially when I have my new toy, I will have more things to share.

Close Up of The King of Android

Finally had some time to do some shooting for my new phone. Will do a brief review on how to maximise the potential of the camera of this phone. Stay tuned.

The King of Android is Finally Here

Finally after two days of hunting, finally it is here. My pebble blue Galaxy S3. Hunts up and downs for it and finally bought it for RM2199, no discount, as expected.

A little interesting story happened is that, my 4 years old SE k810i decided to die on me on the spot when I purchase my SGS3, looks like it has endured the torture long enough, to pass the baton to the new King of Android.

Damn, even my PC don't have quad core. More details and pictures, coming after I finish playing with my phone. :P

[Review] Melkco Leather Casing for Galaxy Tab 10.1 P7500/P7510

Disclaimer: This is not a professional review and all the findings and opinions are based on my own experience only.

Preface

A tablet as big as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is definitely not as pocketable as phones and PDAs. Therefore, carrying it out naked will possess quite some trouble if no proper protection or cover is used. Usually we will always put our tablets on the table and no doubt they will always be humps and bumps that will damage the tablet's chassis or dirt that will scratch the surface of it. Besides, a casing or a cover will act as disguise to avoid unnecessary attentions when holding it or using it in the public. I did not buy a tablet to attract attention like some other people, who prefer some particular brand. I want to keep as low profile as possible, to avoid attention and for safety reasons as well.

The Selection

There are many variety of casing to choose from in the market to fit my tab, with price ranging sub RM100 to few hundred ringgit to choose from. Samsung themselves also have their own design of casing for the tab, which is very slim and offer least protection but remains the slim profile of the tab, and it is good looking too. However, the price for it is exorbitant and it does not fulfill my requirement for protection purpose hence I will skip the official ones.

I bought a Belkin slim folio casing for my tab on the first day of launch but it has several issues. The linings beside the casing were terribly glued and it started to peel off within a month of usage. The peeling starts from the folding area where it is used to fold and keep the tab standing and slowly propagates along the glued sides. Another problem with the casing is that it is very hard to clean it once contacted with dirt, especially water or oil stains. Hence, after a month of usage, the casing shows a lot of wear and tear even thou I took good care of it. After two months, I couldn't bare the low quality Belkin casing anymore and issued a RMA request and sent it for replacement. It took them around 2 weeks plus to respond and Belkin replaced my slim folio casing with another variant, which is thicker and bulkier. I immediately sold it off and start hunting for a better quality casing.

Having heard of the good reviews Melkco received for their premium hand made casings for iPhones and Galaxy S2, I decided to give it a try even thou it makes my tab looks thicker and bulkier. However, the hand made genuine leather and the build quality is what attracts me the most because leather are very durable and easy to clean compare to PU, thou some maintenance are required to keep the leather last longer. Besides, a polished leather gives a very classy feel which will not make you shy to take it out and show it to others.

The Purchase

I spent some time looking for shops online that sells this Melkco casing for Galaxy Tab and found out that not many shops carry this model because of low demand. Most of them charge a very expensive price, which is around RM270 for the casing itself. My budget allocated for the casing is just RM150. I went to survey around shopping malls and shops, those who have this model sells it at very high price and claims it is a rare product as they don't take in much stock. When I almost giving up on finding it, I came across a shop located in Subang which sells this casing in lelong at a cheaper price at RM170. I contacted the seller to inquire about the stock availability and he says its avail but one stock left.

Wasting no time, I drove all the way to Subang because I want to inspect the casing by myself, in concern of a fake product due to the cheap price. I took me some time to look for the shop in Subang because I'm not familiar with the area. The seller shows me the casing, having one black and one red left in his cabinet. Even thou the red one looks nicer, but I choose the classic black instead, due to lower profile and more classic look. The seller let me open the box to inspect for any defects and it is a genuine product no doubt, with very good hand made stitches, the genuine leather smell that you will get for any leather product. After the inspection, I happily paid the seller, who in turn, gives me a further RM5 discount when I jokingly asked for it. So, the total damage for this casing is RM165, which is just RM15 more expensive than that low quality Belkin slim folio casing. Worth much more than it too!

Real World Experience

It has been 6 months since I had this casing, and it still feel very new, except that the leather smell, which is no longer there. The stitches are still very in tact, no sign of thread coming out. The casing is very well built with excellent workmanship. It has some cushion beneath the front facing leather which makes it very nice to hold and touch. Sometimes I will use my tablet as my arm rest too because the cushion and leather is so comfortable to put on. The back is also leather but wrapped on a cardboard, which does not have the cushion feeling as the front cover. 

The interior is covered with padding and carpet like texture and the padding has three grooves that can hold the tab in standing position. On the padding itself you will find it is embedded with the Melkco logo and brand name diagonally. The casing is made in China but no doubt on its quality which is superior to other leather casing you will find in the market. The leather is genuine cow hide, with my unit has some slight defects on the skin surface, but doesn't really affect the overall quality because such slight defect is expected from genuine leather.

 

Picture courtesy of Melkco website: Melkco Leather Case for Galaxy Tab 10.1

 A bad comment for this casing is that it is a bit troublesome to change it into standing position as it requires us to detach the bottom grip of the casing in order to tilt the casing in standing mode. Troublesome for initial use, but once you get used to it, it doesn't feel so anymore. Another thing is the cover grip, the cover closes on the tab with minimal grip because it uses a curved hook to just hang on the tab's side. Aside from the hook, the connecting strip between the back and the front gives me a feeling that I will snapped it if I open it in a harsh way. However, after half a year of abuse, no issues with it really. It performs how it should, and it is very durable.

Wrap Up

A very premium casing which offers good protection, good maintenance and classic look that will make other owners drool over the leather and the quality. Wear and tear is minimum, with some damage to the side but not very obvious, thanks to the black colour. The leather requires some clean up once in a while and will get damage by sharp finger nails, which must be careful. Overall, it still feels very new and I know it will last longer than my tablet's lifespan. A very well worth product to buy.

Advantages 

• Premium feel and quality 
•  Genuine leather for durability and cleaning 
•  Very strong grip of the tab 
• Hand made stitches with excellent workmanship 
• Comfortable cushion 
•  Solid build 
• Offers fairly good protection for front and back 
• Durable 
• Classic outlook

Disadvantages 

• Sides and edges are exposed 
• Thicker and bulkier 
•  Cumbersome to change to standing position 
• Offers only adequate grip on cover 
• Pricey 

Official Website for Melkco: Melkco Leather Casing for Galaxy Tab 10.1