Okura Spa

Hidden away on the 25th floor of the new luxury Japanese-chain hotel, The Okura Bangkok, is the Okura Spa. Set in a contemporary oriental space, the five private treatment rooms are hidden along a dimly-lit walkway. The highlight is the Okura Take Relief bamboo massage where therapists roll a warm bamboo pole over your muscles to release stress before a soak in a big bathtub (B3,600). 25/F, The Okura Prestige Bangkok, Ploenchit Rd., 02-687-9000. Open daily 10am-10pm. BTS Ploenchit.

Kiriya Spa (The Lit)

There’s an immediately calming effect walking into this dim, cavern-like and voluptuously curved space designed by VaSLab. All the treatments take inspiration from Thailand’s four main regions. The Southern treatment, for example, starts with a strong, slow massage informed by the local Nora dance and performed with hot seashells. It’s followed by another massage technique inspired by a dance, the Hooloo Vahi, which focuses on blood circulation (130 min, B3,600). Come before 2pm for 40% off all treatments. The Lit. 36/1 Soi Kasemsan 1, 02-612-3456. Open daily 10am-10pm. BTS National Stadium.

Apex Medi Spa

Situated behind Ei8ht Thonglor in Thonglor Soi 8, Apex Medi Spa manages to block out the city with its wooden screens and soothing water running down panes of glass. It’s warm and quiet, with just enough touches of white to look “medi” as well as “spa.” The treatments include a lot of expensive products meant to rejuvenate your cells, from gold fusion therapy to caviar masks and infrared beds. Prices start from B5,000 for facial treatments but the drain-massage treatment is B2,500 for 30 minutes, if you’re just looking to quickly relax your calves and thighs before a night out in Thonglor. Behind Ei8ht Thonglor Complex, Thonglor Soi 8, Sukhumvit Rd., 080-500-0123. www.apexprofoundbeauty.com

Overview 
ACER reenters the competitive smartphone market with a phone that offers cloud sharing functionalities as well as performance that aims to compete with mid to high-end smart phones.

Plugged 

• The simple design distinguishes itself with the use of high quality plastic, which is very nice to hold and doesn’t leave fingerprints.
• With a 1.5 GHz dual core Snapdragon S4, the powerful processor allows the controls to be more responsive when switching between apps or playing 3D platform games.
• There is minimal lag time in which the web pages are rendered.

Bugged

• Although the camera has a fast response speed, the photos taken in HDR and Panorama mode failed to impress.
• The cloud function of the phone only stores content for about 30 days compared to up to two years offered by some competitors.
• The Play Music App has no controls on the lock screen or any widgets for quick access to control what you’re listening to. Users are also unable to play their music from their cloud storage.

Verdict
The ACER Cloud Mobile requires much improvement in terms of its multimedia and cloud sharing programs which are thoroughly outclassed by other Android-based phones. Still, the ACER phone has incredible processing power for an affordable handset.
Price
B13,900
Specs
4.3 Inch 1280x720 IPS-LCD, 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4,  8MP camera, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 8GB Internal Memory, 1GB RAM, 1080P Video.

“The only thing Playing for Keeps teaches us is: Guys, forget the bars and nightclubs. Soccer moms are where the action is.” Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

“A father-son heart-tugger wrapped around a mushy reconciliation rom-com sprinkled with tinsel of shiny Hollywood supporting stars acting like they’re in another movie entirely.” Neil Pond, American Profile

“A sloppy, poorly focused comedy that wants to be about the relationship between a father and his 9-year old son but ends up being about nearly everything else.” James Berardinelli, ReelViews

“One of those movies that comes ‘straight from the heart’—the heart of the hack screenwriter’s manual that pushes formulaic structure to cover up a lack of compelling characters, genuine emotion or actual humor.” Kyle Smith, New York Post

“There’s a lot of poorly-conceived plot crammed into this film, and it never actually decides what it wants to be, emerging as a disjointed story suffering from severe ADHD.” Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

“This is modern movie stardom, and it’s depressing: the romantic lead who could also be selling us body spray.” Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

“A modestly affecting reconciliation drama wrapped in a so-so sports movie by way of a misogynistic romantic comedy, Playing for Keeps can’t stop tripping all over itself.” Justin Chang, Variety

“Is it a heartwarming romantic drama? Or a cynical sex and sports comedy? There is no wrong answer, dear ticket buyer.” Mark Jenkins, NPR

“Butler beware: In acting as in soccer, if you keep taking dives, sooner or later you pay the penalty.” Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail