December 28, 2006

WWW is World Wide Wait not World Wide Web

I woke up yesterday morning and found that the Internet was down when I got to work.

At first, I thought it was because the ISP was down. (We use TIMEdotcom...)

It turned out that there was an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale in Taiwan. This earthquake has so far killed 2 people and caused millions of people much migraine when the underwater cables were damaged as well.

That means, for us in M'sia, we're cut off from US and other parts of the world because we connect out to US via Taiwan/China.

Anyway, I managed to get this info from Screenshots (Jeff Ooi's blog) and got even more info from Lowyat.

The best solution now is to get hold of a proxy server and use that as a temporary solution to surf out to Internet. I'm currently using some proxies listed on Proxy 4 Free @ http://www.proxy4free.com. Try it out, if possible.. ;)

Of course, please be considerate and not use that to play your online games-la....

Other people want to use the proxy server to check their mails and stuff too-le...

December 24, 2006

Merry Blessed Christmas 2006!!!

Shinny, Bright... O'Christmas Tree...

Christmas is finally here and I'm sooooo glad that I'm back home.

For me, Christmas is a time to remember to welcome Christ into our hearts. This is the time of year when we begin our journey with Him, from the time of His birth to His death and rising again at Easter.

Christmas for me is about spending precious moments with family and friends. It is a time to cherish each other. Many people travel from near and far to be with their loved ones.

When I was a kid, it was all about the presents, but as I get older, the presents are now the time spent with my close friends and family.

I found a very meaningful verse:
"The Word became a human being and lived among us. We saw his glory, full of grace and truth. This was the glory which he received as the Father's only Son." - John 1:14

We must be reminded that Christmas is not just about presents, food and parties, it is also a time to show love and care to one another. For, God so loved the world that He gave us His only son. God gave His son to restore the connection which was broken between the world and Him.

So, what are you doing for Christmas?

December 21, 2006

Happy B'day PA!!!

It's my Dad's 62nd b'day today.

He doesn't look that old.

I believe I'm my Dad's b'day present today. (^_^)

Anyway, I got him a St. Andrew's Golf Course cap which I got from Edinburgh. I believe its his dream place to play a round of golf there.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PA!!!

December 15, 2006

我的家在英国。。。

It has been a very busy week for me. I'll try to keep up by posting once a week. I'll probably have to make my site feel a little "Christmasy" but then, I know I can't do it due to work constraints. ^_^

As some of you may know, I've moved out of my lovely apartment near the city centre to another house. Anyway, I was put up at a new house but it had some problems with the heating and so, I moved out after spending a very cold night there.

The following picture is the outside of the house where I'm currently staying in Alvaston. It is about 5-15mins away from the office by car. It's more of a townhouse than a house standing on its own.

10 Downing Street got black door, we got green door...

The interior of the house is modern and very homey. The following picture is one of the couches, we have 1 3-seater and another two-seater on the right-hand side of the picture which I didn't take. The TV is at the front, and it's a small one, about 21-inches. No, it's not a plasma or LCD... It's not even digital.. -_-

Comfy couch...

I'm sure you're wondering how the kitchen and dining looks like, right? Hehehe.. Am sure that some of my colleagues who lived in the house would be surprised to find that it looks clean now because the landlord was very fussy about it.

All food is eaten here...

This is where we have our big makan.... Ok-la, it's not like a great hall or anything, but at least we have a table and chairs to sit on to makan-la.

Jamie Oliver/Nigella Lawson wanna-bes cook here...

Yes, we have a functioning oven/gas-stove and that little machine on the right is a dish-washing machine. We don't use it as it doesn't clean very well. My last apartment was equiped with an electric stove and so, that was quite ok to cook with it except that it took a while to heat up the element.

So, the next picture you're curious about is where I spend about 6-8hrs of my day... alone... Oii!!! No deerttty thots.. So, here it is...

Take 40-winks here...

It's a nice room and I have the view of the garden from that window. The rooms get a bit warm at night and so, it is nice to sleep in on cold winter nights these days.

All in all, I'm pretty comfy here. The house comes with 3-rooms, & 2-bathrooms. Anyway, we met up with the landlord recently, who came to inspect the house. After some complaints, we cleaned up the place and waited for the landlord to come. After two false alarms, we finally met up with them.

The landlord's wife came to inspect the house to ensure that all the work she asked the builders to come and fix had been done and that the house was neat and tidy. She got the house 2 years back and so, she wants to maintain the house to near-mint condition.

Okie, that's it for now. I'll blog about Edinburgh Part 2 soon...

December 09, 2006

Edinburgh Part 1 (25-Nov-2006)

It has been a while since I've blogged and I do apologize for my inability to do so. Work has caught up with me and so, I only have time to blog during weekends, if possible. ^_^

Anyway, I've decided to blog about my Edinburgh trip, short though it was, but I managed to capture some of Scotland's beautiful city and countryside.


The Edinburgh trip started off really early as we were looking at almost 1000 miles worth of road. That is, a roundtrip of going to Edinburgh, the attractions and back to Derby.
We started off from Derby at about 7:30am, heading towards the M1 to go up north towards Leeds, and onwards towards the city of Edinburgh. We had directions taken from theAA.com, which provided comprehensive information for the long road up North.

The weather was not too good as it was drizzling and at some parts raining a little heavy. When it did rain a bit heavy, we had to drive a little slower. The route took us from highways to small country roads and eventually back to the main highway. We even managed to pass by the coast of Scotland just as we were entering the border of Scotland.

Colleague driving the car (near Manchester)

Half-way through, we managed to switch drivers. I didn't drive as I wasn't insured to drive the car and so, I acted as navigator for the trip. The trip up to Edinburgh took about 5hrs. By the time we reached the city, it was about 1pm. However, we got lost around the city and so, we managed to reach our hostel by 2pm.

The first thing which strikes us about Edinburgh is how hilly the city is. This means that most of the city is built on hills and thus, we need to be able to walk uphill ALOT! I would suggest that if you intend to visit the city to get some good walking shoes as the roads are mostly cobbled/concrete streets and thus, if the streets are wet, it will be slippery.

Castle Rock Hostel

After checking in and taking a short break, we decided to visit Edinburgh castle which is just situated on a hill above our hostel. It is accessible via a flight of stairs (YES!! MORE CLIMBING!!) and the castle is situated right at the top of it. Once there, the first thing which greeted us was a huge gust of wind which nearly knocked us off our feet. The wind made our hands jerky and it is difficult to take photos.

Edinburgh castle (yes! It's on a hilltop!!)

Edinburgh castle served as a fortress and residence for the royal family of Scotland. The fortress was also the birthplace of King James I who unified England with Scotland to form the United Kingdom after the death of Queen Elizabeth I. The castle also included a memorial to all the Scottish soldiers who have fallen since the Great War (WWI) up til this day. The crown jewels of Scotland were also hosted at the castle. It had been returned 10 years ago by Queen Elizabeth II.

It's awfully C...CCCCOLDD & windy!!! Thank Goodness I'm prepared for it!

Great Hall

Apartments where the Scotland Crown Jewels are kept

We stayed around the castle, taking some photos until it was close to closing time. After that, we decided to walk the streets of Edinburgh. We managed to pick up a few souvenirs and stuff. We even walked to Princes Street to look at the Christmas fair there. The fair was very busy with many stalls selling goods and food. There was mulled wines and even stalls selling some Christmas foods. I was feeling rather cold as the weather in Edinburgh was cold and windy. So, a good cup of hot chocolate was very much welcomed to warm a cold body.


Edinburgh Castle at night...

We continued to walk around the city until it started to get a bit late for dinner. During the course of our walk, we got lost in the city. However, pressing on, decieded to get to Greyfriars Bobby's pub for dinner to have some pub eats. When we got there, there was no room and so, we had to go on to search for another restaurant. I regretted not taking a photo of the statue while I was there but all of us were tired and wet, looking for a place to recuperate. In the end, we found this pizza place to have dinner. We had to wait for a good 20 minutes before we had a seat. We had forgotten that Edinburgh, being a cosmopolitan city, was very active during Saturday nights and so, many places were full. Besides that, there were a few rugby matches, that night, being New Zealand played against Scotland. New Zealand won of course and the afternoon before, Australia had won their match as well.

Anyway, after dinner and getting warmed up in the restaurant, we made our way back to our hostel. Taking a hot shower and getting to sleep before having to wake up the next day at 5am (!!!!!!) for our trip to Uruqhart castle and subsequently making our way back to Derby.

I was freezing my butt off. Frankly, I don't think I was able to feel my hands and feet after all that walking in the cold... If this was autumn, I can't imagine what winter will be like.. (o___0)

Next up... Scotland's rugged countryside...

November 28, 2006

Company Car

On the request of EV, I've decided to blog a little about the company car which I got while in UK.

At first, I was given a Peugeot but it was a manual transmission. :( I can't drive a manual car now after so many years of being spoilt by driving around an automatic car. *Sigh*.. Sometimes, I miss my little Satria... ^_^

Anyway, here's the front view of the car.

As you can tell, its a Renault. To be exact, its a Renault Scenic. The car handles very well. The size is about the size of the Perodua MyVi. So, this car isn't too big for me and since I've been driving my parents' MyVi around, I'm pretty used to this car's size. I still have a slight problem with parking a car of this size, so still got to get used to it.

This is the back of the car. Noticed that cars in UK don't have to put up the third brake-light as it is in other parts of the world, i.e. M'sia, S'pore and even Australia. So, at night, you've got to watch out when cars in front of you brake.

The drivers here are courteous but they drive really fast, even on winding roads! The road conditions here are marvelous and it is no wonder that the best drivers for F1 and etc. come from Europe. That is why Alex Yoong may have problems winning even the A1 because firstly, our cars here are poorly maintained, -- kereta potong and our roads are not roads at all, it is just a road, lined with a bit of tar, very prone to potholes.

I currently drive to and from work only. I haven't had the chance to go exploring by myself as I'm not familiar with the roads and I don't have a proper map. One thing I did notice that in Europe, the GPS navigation system is a must! Just last night, the gadget tv show spoke about GPS systems.

Anyway, for my next post, I'll put up some pictures of my trip to Edinburgh. So, expect that! :)

November 22, 2006

My Temporary Apartment at Derby

I’ve finally arrived in the UK on Friday, 11pm (UK-time) and I got into my apartment (SACO), which is located at Brook Street in Derby. Anyway, I’m living alone for a while, until I get to move into a “permanent” location, which will be my base in Derby.

I took a direct flight from S’pore to London Heathrow, so I took a shuttle from KLIA to Changi. Anyway, the following picture is of the plane at the KLIA.

I reached Changi airport just about 20minutes before the London flight was to start boarding. There was quite a bit of tight security at the gate. I had to remove my laptop to be scanned before being allowed to get to the gate.

On the flight, it was pretty empty but certainly, there were a lot of Europeans, not many Asian faces and immediately, I started to feel a bit out of place. There were a few Asian faces but then, not many. *sigh*… I started to feel very homesick at that time, thinking about my parents, sister and Snoopy.

I arrived at London in the evening, 6:30pm (UK-time) but then, because I was coming on my work permit, I had to be submitted for a medical check-up, i.e. a chest x-ray. There were a number of Indians who were there for work/study. I met another M’sian who came from Penang, who is working in London. Her friends would pick her up at the airport. At least she’s got a support network there. I was looking forward to seeing the guys.

After a 3hr drive from London to Derby, I arrived at the apartment and waited for the Project Manager to arrive to see if I’m ok, I had a good chat with the driver, who is of Pakistani descent.

Anyway, the following pictures show the apartment… J The apartment is located on the ground floor.


This is the hallway from the door to the living room. On the left, there is a bathroom and on the right, there are two rooms, one is the bedroom and the other is a study.

This apartment is big and kind of drafty because of its size. However, I find it to be kind of warm. J I like the place just that I don’t like to live alone here in a foreign country for now.

This is the kitchen area where, it comes with a dishwasher, microwave, oven and washing machine. The fridge is on the left of the picture (not shown).

This is the couch, where there is a TV, Sky (limited channels) and a DVD Player. I turned on my notebook to write my journal. I wasn’t connected to a broadband as it wasn’t available and it is rather expensive, about 15GBP per week. L I use the DVD Player to watch some shows and also do my daily exercise.

This is the double bed. Sorry that it’s a little messy. The room came with and ensuite bathroom. :)

A shower with a toilet… Quite nice. There is a towel rack which warms up the towel. Very useful especially during the cold weather now.

This is the study room where there is another phone as well as a broadband outlet. There is a network cable made available but since broadband is expensive; I didn’t request to get connected. :(

So, this is it! I would take more photos around Derby whenever I can. So far, my colleagues are not very keen to take me around, so, I’ve got to move around on my own. I hope to drag my colleague to bring me around town again. Hope that would cheer him up. He seems to be a little down lately.

Oh well, this is it for now. I’ve got to do my exercise now. I’m still kind of homesick but hope that the feeling will pass. I’ll be away for about 84 days, and hope to come back before CNY. After that, I may have to consider my options about travelling away from family so much.

November 02, 2006

How Nerdy Are You?

I was going through some posts regarding a few topics on software development and architecture when I came across this link at www.nerdtests.com.

Anyway, curiously I decided to take the test too. (^.^)

Here's the result...

I am nerdier than 95% of all people. Are you nerdier? Click here to find out!

I guess... I'm a real nerd. (-_-)

I always knew I would be a nerd but not a NERD GOD!!!!! -_____-|||

Anyway, the test is real easy to take and from the answers, you know what kind of nerd you'll be...

Take the test anyway! (^___^)

October 28, 2006

Too Trusting...

The holidays have come to an end. My blog has not been updated for a while as I've been rather busy with things. Anyway, Happy Belated DeepaRaya to all. (^.^)

I've been spending my time playing games and getting up to date with what movies I've missed... and I've missed an AWFUL LOT!!!

I've also managed to try out the latest Warhammer 40,000 installment, Dark Crusade on the PC and its an A M A Z I N G game!! I highly recommend it to all you RTS (real-time strategy) gamers out there. Of course, if you're pre-occupied with CoH (Company of Heroes), then you an ignore my recommendation-la...

Anyway, I got "ping-ed" by EV who has been trying to get me to update her resume for the past... year (*ahem*) but what do I know about the financial/accounting industry?? Oh well, she decided to disturb me and we got online...

EV: *ding*!! (actually, its a Nudge.. she loves to do that..)
Me: yeah (oh no! the torture just got virtual... would I lose real brain cells? yep..)
EV: u asked me to come online, now i'm online-la
Me: hehehe. r u done w ur resume?
EV: yea. u were supposed to help me!
Me: o_o... wat do i know?
EV: anyway, i got something to ask u
Me: yea. wat?
EV: i want to clean my pc, clear the trace of where i've been.
Me: ohhh... just clean the history & files-la. u using IE?
EV: how??
Me: select "Delete Files" from your Internet Properties. 1st select "Tools --> Options", then the thing will come up.
EV: and then?
Me: delete ur history oso-la. select "Clear History".
...
Some minutes later

EV: and then? wat else? i want to clean it...
Me: hmmm.. lk that.. open the command prompt and type "format c:\"
EV: ok
...

EV: i'm hungry now... need to get something to eat.
Me: y didn't u eat earlier?
EV: u were disturbing me-la...
Me: hahahaha... :P
EV: this thing take so slow, i go makan 1st.
Me: ** OMG... did she....**

At this point, I wondered if she REALLY did try to run the command "format C:\" and so, I frantically call her.

EV: WHATTTT??
Me: What is your PC doing now?
EV: Running the cleaning-lo, very slow now...
Me: ... (O.O)
Me: Did you run the "format c:\" command I gave??
EV: Yeah.. So slow...
Me: ALAMAK!! STOP THE COMMAND! CANCEL IT! YOU MAY HAVE FORMATTED YOUR C:\ DRIVE!!
EV: WHATTT??? WHAT DID YOU DO???!! WHY YOU ASKED ME TO RUN THE COMMAND??!!
Me: I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE SO BLUR TO RUN IT MAH! TELL ME HOW YOU RUN IT?
EV: I just open the Run command and type it-lo
Me: ... Ok ok... Nevermind. Just stop it and restart your PC. Hope that nothing happen!
EV: How could you do this to me... You know I'm blur one... If something happens to it, I'm going to kill you!
Me: Haiii... You kept asking me all the questions on cleaning your PC, how would I know?? Sorry-lo... (=.=)

EV was pretty upset as she had about 6yrs worth of data there and HAD NEVER DONE A BACKUP BEFORE!!!

I asked her if she ever did a back-up and she said "No"... Clearly, it is bad IT policy (both company and personal) to not have a back-up of your data. If given to some malicious people (not me.. please..), you could be in serious trouble.

Nevertheless, the latest tech in IT forensics could still help to recover such data but you have to pay for such services...

Anyway, by the end of the day... I SMSed to EV to apologize and she was pretty angry with me. I followed up on Monday to check if all was well. She didn't send me any nasty stuff and so, all was well.

Kekekeke... Don't ever try this on your non-IT-savvy friends.... (^_^)

October 17, 2006

Salute the Boys In Blue!!

Today is one of those days which I can play Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" because it certainly feels like it. I just got a "fantastic" piece of news concerning work... *update on that later*

Anyway, I couldn't sleep too well as I was preparing a lot of stuff in order to head over to the UK visa office this morning after getting the rest of the stuff from the Office Manager. So, I reluctantly went to bed at 3am after watching a bit of Paradise Kiss with my PS2 (which I will miss dearly... |T_T|)

I managed to wake up early today and decided to go off early to work so that I can make copies of the documents that I have to file. I was happily on my way, driving slower than usual because I remembered that the speed limit has gone down by 10kmph effective in the next few days. Besides, I like a slow drive once in a while. ;)

Anyway, around near the Pekeliling flats I noticed that my steering was veering off towards the left. I knew something was wrong. So, I turned on my hazard lights (THIS IS THE TIME TO USE IT!! NOT WHEN IT'S HEAVY DOWNPOUR) and made my way towards the left side of the road. I stopped near the Titiwangsa monorail station. So, I called my colleague to let him know that I had some car trouble and won't be in. I called my dad to let him know as well.

After about 15mins, the traffic police from DBKL came to ask me to move my car as it was at a dangerous spot. The officer asked "Boleh gerak-ke?", I answered yes. So, we moved our car and another officer came. He checked my car and found that my tyre had punctured.

Officer: Ini tayar puncture-la (This is a tyre puncture)
Me: Ya-ke? Ada mekanik sini boleh tolong-ke? (Yes? Is there a mechanic nearby?)

Officer: Saya boleh tolong tukar. Ambik itu "jack". (I can help change the tyre. Can you pass me the "jack"?)
Me: Ok...

Three officers came to help. One helped to jack up the car using the "jack" while the other was removing the bolts. After about 20 minutes, the guys got it done. They even told me that someone tried to steal the tyres from my car as one of the bolts wasn't right.

I wanted to thank each of them properly, but they had another breakdown to attend to. Another kancil stopped their car somewhere near I did. Turns out to be some engine trouble.

As I went off, I waved to them and wished them a "Selamat Hari Raya". All of them were very fortunate to be able to "balik kampung" (go back home) for the Raya hols. One of them told me that the army and some police who had their leaves frozen.

As much as what alot of my friends tell me about how often they met with some corrupt officers, there are a few good guys out there. Most of the time, its people who have broken the law, tried to bribe these guys to get off scott-free. And when these people take the bribe (because they are getting so little pay... seriously), we chastise them for being corrupt. There are a whole more corrupt people out there who actually cause some harm to the public. These are the crooks we should go after.

I wished I got the names of the three officers who helped me out that day. Perhaps when I've got a bit of time, I'll e-mail The Star and let them know that there are good officers out there.

Anyway, thanks Mr Police Officers!! You really help me get back safely home to fix my car!

BTW, just to remind you guys... If you're driving home, make sure your car is safe to drive. Don't speed too as the cops will be out to get you. It doesn't matter if you reach your destination late. It matters more that you have reached your destination safely.

Price of new tyres: RM700
Price of toll: RM4.60
Price of 3 police officers helping you change your tyres: P R I C E L E S S

Happy Safe Hols guys... ^^

October 14, 2006

Google RSS Reader

As I was trying out the new GoogleDocs, I came across a new RSS Reader (beta) by GoogleLabs. Quite cool!!

Here's a screenshot taken from the site.

(Taken from GoogleReader tour)

I've subscribed to my favourite blogs, Janesse, Joel on Software and even Screenshots (Jeff Ooi). ^^


The posts are organized in e-mail formats, thus making the posts easy to read. Give it a shot, am sure you'll enjoy it.

Meanwhile, back to my MU-vs-Wigan game. So far, its not going United's way.. (T__T)

October 12, 2006

Virtual Office?

I'm not referring to where we can setup a virtual office in cyberspace ala Matrix styley, but more about the latest trend in office productivity - software hosted on the web where users can login and create documents online.

Anyway, a couple of sites caught my eye after I saw a piece of news on eWeek, regarding latest news on what Google was offering --> GoogleDocs. This is kind of cool! If you have the time, do check it out.

What is the pro/cons of having such a service? Well, for one, you can create/view documents on your web browser without installing any office productivity software. Pretty neat idea for a mobile roadwarrior who is lugging a large notebook around. All you need now is an Internet connection which is reliable and fast enough. (^-^)

HOWEVER... I do have some issues in regards to document security as these documents would be stored at some server somewhere. So, security and privacy would be the main issue of why this idea may not be adopted so soon.

It was interesting to note that Google announced this so soon, ahead of Microsoft, the forerunner of office productivity software, which nearly 90% of the world's office workers use (both legal and illegal.. *hee*) . Anyway, don't be surprised that after Office 2007 is released or prior to that, Microsoft would have a version for customers (who have bought Office 2007) to use online, via Microsoft Office Live (still in beta).

Anyway, besides GoogleDocs, do check out Zoho as well as these guys have also launched their services in beta mode this week as well (news from Techcrunch). This is certainly taking collaboration to another level..... Wonder what is next, developing code online?? (^___^)

Note that if you have signed up for Google Spreadsheets before, you can access this with no issue.

October 08, 2006

Happy Mooncake Festival!

What's the in the box??

Another food-related post... This comes a bit belated but just wanted to wish you guys "Happy Mooncake Festival"!!!

Alot of legends and stories came about why this festival is celebrated by the Chinese but the best I like was the one related to how the Chinese rebels slipped messages to one another using cakes to inform each other of the plans to overthrow the Mongolians who ruled China at the time.

Anyway, there were lots of stories surrounding the Moon and the Mooncake festival, but all I know is that every 八月十五, we would celebrate the 八月中秋 (mid-autumn festival) by having a nice meal at home. This means usually steamed white chicken. My mom remarked that during those old days, having chicken at every dinner was a luxury and so, these special occasions would give them a chance to have chicken. My late grandma would celebrate every special occasion in that manner.

This year, I've decided to get a number of mooncakes for my family to eat. Perhaps I've gone overboard a little but then, I wanted to try the various kinds out there. These days, there are many types of mooncakes to eat, including the teochew style of having yam instead of lotus as the filling in the mooncake.

Anyway, here are a couple of photos of the mooncake in all its plastic-wrapped glory. (^-^)


The mooncakes are hygenically wrapped in plastic...

The following picture is a close-up of the "Shanghai" (上海) mooncake I got for myself to eat since no one likes the pastry kind... Kekekeke...

上海月饼... (Shanghai mooncake)

Happy Mooncake Festival!!!! (^.^)

September 23, 2006

Great Balls Of Fire!!!

Nope, I'm not writing about Jerry Lee Lewis's song "Great Balls Of Fire", I'm talking about an eminent danger we IT people face with each day now. (*_*)

Yep.. It's another exploding laptop folks!!

I was surfing around the Lowyat website looking for my next IT "toy" deal when this article caught my eye --> Another exploding ThinkPad. Apparently, this is the 2nd IBM Thinkpad to explode, as there was one which exploded in LAX last week. For those who don't know, LAX = Los Angeles International Airport.

I'm getting kind of worried now as I'm sitting here at my laptop, writing this blog. (*-*)

My laptop's battery is being charged as I've used it up today. When I first got this laptop I noticed that the base got a bit too hot but now, it seems to be ok. However, I always unplug the battery once its fully charged so that I can preserve the battery as well as minimize the risk of it being blown up. |>-<| However, some thoughts are running through my head now...
  1. By the action of plugging and unplugging the battery often, would it make my battery more susceptible being blown up?
  2. By constantly draining it every other night and then, subsequently re-charging it back again, would it cause it to blow up?
Anyway, as I recall, some friend told me that these batteries have a certain number of charge/discharge lifecycles and that the proper way to charge the battery was to ensure that the power adapter wasn't faulty in the first place. So, in the end, your laptop will turn into a desktop. hee... (^_^)

I had a laptop with a suspected faulty power adapter once (it was a Compaq Evo) and after calling up HP support (yep, they got taken over, remember?), the kind support guy told me to bring the laptop in for servicing. I remembered asking how long it would take, and he said 3 days. I couldn't afford 3 days and besides, all the data on the laptop was sensitive (there was no PGP encryption at the time - co saw no need for it) and so, I opted for a replacement.

Anyway, that was scary because I found that the cable on the adapter was melting away (due to overheating) and the HP support guy did suggest to have the laptop checked in case, something bad happened. Never did I think about it exploding. The worse I thought was the laptop wouldn't start and that it would trip the office's power (hehehe... **evil laugh**)

Oh well, here's to all of us road warriors. Better pack a mini fire-extinguisher and watch for those tell-tale signs of when the laptop is about to explode. Should something does happen (touch wood.. NO...) remember the following,
  • Run away!! Run away!!
  • Run and shout "Fire in the hole!!"
Anyway, for those travelling and you need to bring your little lappie along, if you're not using it, guess its best to remove the battery away from the laptop. Since those travelling to the UK (not sure about Europe) or US need to check-in their lappie, guess this is already being done. (^_^)

So, stay safe you laptop owners out there!!!!

Anyway, some interesting pieces here:
Guess that even non-Dell laptop owners are cringing in fear now.. (o_0)

September 21, 2006

Jams (Not the Sweet Kind)

9:40am - Got into car, to get to work... ** Yes, I start work late... ^_^ **
9:44am - Damn!! Took me so long to find my shoes... (+__+)
9:45am - Listening to my favourite channels.. WTF??? Why so bad jam on opposite side of the road??
"... bla bla... Overturned lorry on Federal Highway, near Anchor/Guiness... Don't try to use NKVE as there is another overturned lorry near Bukit Jelutong toll... NPE at a standstill... "
9:47am - (O____O)... FaAAAARRRRR***KKKK....


I was on the Federal Highway when I heard the traffic update on the radio. Anyway, I decided to take my chance to get on the NKVE and turn off from Damansara Toll (cheaper-ma.. RM1 only...) and I was greeted by a wonderful view of classic Malaysian bottleneck road.... The jam was backlogged towards the toll... (o___O)... I had no choice.. Had to SMS my colleague.

Sent SMS: Fantastic traffic 2day. Massive jams everywhere. Chk hitz fm.
** Beep! Beep **
Received SMS: Wa... Take ur time.......

As it turned out, there WAS overturned lorries and as well as several car breakdowns on the way to work. The last I counted, when I reached my workplace in KL, was 4. ALL of them were locally made cars. 3 out of 4 were driven by females... Hmmm...

I'd guess these people didn't really maintain their car properly. It was particularly warm and sunny today. There is a kind of syndrome here in KL that when the rainy or hot season starts, cars tend to breakdown easily.... Don't ask me why... Must be some timer in the car engine which switches to "OFF" when it touches water or sunlight. LOL!!!

I managed to reach office by 10:30am.. *SIGH*.. Means, OT for the day... -__-|||

Oh well, got to think about LRT.......... But then, I've not recovered of being nearly crushed by a big guy...

September 17, 2006

Aiyo.. Are you sure you Malaysian or Not?

I had lunch with a few ex-colleagues today. It was a nice Saturday and we haven't seen each other for a while...
** Damn! Should have taken some photos... ** (-__-)

We were catching up with each other and just talking about general stuff as my friend announced that he's getting married next year. --> ** WAH LIAO!! Advanced Warning!! **

Anyway, we were talking about how this one ex-colleague was so blur... Here's the sample conversation according to her... (^_^)

** Some time back in August 2006 **
Ex-Colleague Aunty: Aiyooo.. My Singapaw flen so gud... Got holiday today....
Ex-Colleague Friend: Hah?? Really-ar... ** Very busy typing... **
Ex-Colleague Aunty: Yealo... **Thinking**
Ex-Colleague Aunty: Eh... You know what day is it today-ar?
Ex-Colleague Friend: Hah? What...?
Ex-Colleague Aunty: Aiyooo... You sure you Malaysian or not? Today is Singapaw National Day-la!!
Ex-Colleague Friend: O____O --> ????????? ** Thinking, what is Singapaw National Day got to do with us?? **

Note: This "Aunty" can't pronounced certain English words properly, so, hence...
flen - friend
Singapaw - Big island south of state of Johor, some country-la

As my friend finished her story, we just sat there, LOL.. I nearly fell off my chair. Kekekeke....

It got me thinking... Today is 16th September 2006... MORE IMPORTANTLY, DO YOU KNOW WHAT DAY IS IT TODAY????

Give you 3 seconds.. If you cannot answer, haii.. I congratulate you. You are certainly a product of the Malaysian Education System. (^___^)

Selamat Hari Malaysia....

September 14, 2006

Still Tired....

Snoopy, taking a nap

Finally, the house painting is almost complete. All the rooms were painted and all that is left are the grills and other small stuff to clean up. I believe the doors of the house are to be painted as well. If I'm not mistaken, my Mom has chosen white. -___-

Yes.. Yes... Its a boring colour and yes, it will mean that we have to have clean hands when we use the door. I'm actually quite happy with the current colour, but Mom said that it doesn't match our new look.

Anyway, there is still a lot of junk even after we cleaned up the place. I was going through some stuff and found that I had software from way back in 1999... (o___0)

I think some of these software are either
  1. obsolete
  2. bought over by M$ to be apart of its tools
  3. original developer died. look at 1st option
  4. the o/s became obsolete
Oh well, as much as I would like to keep some of the software CDs (what? You don't recall software being in CDs??? Oh yea, these days, software comes in DVDs.. ^_^), I can't find any use for it anymore.

So, armed with a whole bunch of CD jewel cases, I thought of something to do with it...
  1. Build a replica of where I work...... KLCC-la...
  2. Build a fort made of plastic for me and Snoopy to play...
  3. Give Snoopy something to play with (unlimited frisbees)
  4. Recycle... --> become future empty DVD??
Anyway, I'm still exhausted from all this cleaning. I had a night "off" as I was so exhausted from the last few nights that I had enough of the cleaning. However, the mess is waiting for me and I've got to clear it up by this weekend. So, my plans are set... *sigh*...

One thing I'm glad though, the weather had been pretty good for the painters to complete the job on time. (^___^)

Otherwise.......

OK.. Time to go....

I'm breathing in too many paint fumes....

o_____0.... **pengsan**

September 10, 2006

Exhausting Weekend...(-___-)

I'm absolutely tired. I could just fall asleep on my lapppppppperewraera'foka;qkl3eavameir1lmhs/[ppafd..ZZZZZZZzzsaerar.... ***oops*** laptop... (@____@)

It all started some many many many bulan (Malay-Eng. translated: moon) back.

Mom: Please clean up your table..
Me: **mumble mumble**.... ZZZZzzzzzZZZZZ
Me: <-- T I D U R (Eng. translated: sleep)
Mom: >___<

** Some "bulans" (Eng. translated: plural of moon) later **
** Came home from work... mau 死 (die) from 重音 (stress) @ 办公室 (office)... Went to my room.. **
Mom: Noticed anything different?
Me: ...... \^o^/ **shock**
Mom: 吓死你了!!... (Cantonese-Eng translated: Scare you to death-le!)
Me: ...
Mom: I cleaned your table, so much dust!! Next time, better clean up, ok??
Me: ...

** Some more "bulans" later... Wednesday, 6th Sept 2006 **
Mom: You better stay home this weekend.
Me: Why??
Mom: Got people coming to paint the house tomorrow and you need to clean your room.
Me: ...... \^o^/ **shock**
Me: SO FAST??!!!
Mom: Yeah, we never expect it also, but the fella is coming to paint the house tomorrow. I give you colour to choose, ok?
Me: ...

** Present day... Sunday, 10th Sept 2006, 10:37pm **
Actually, my Mom asked me to choose a paint colour and I've been going around either green or blue. My Mom kept saying too dark and won't be nice. In the end, we end up with some "vineyard green" colour for the interior rooms.

Me: Aiyo... 我瘁死了... (Cantonese translated: I am so tired until I want to die)
Mom: Why??
Me: I pick this up and that up. Move this box here and there... Tired...
Mom: Oh! So, are you done yet?
Me: No, just finish the tables and part of the shelf. I want to move some books to storage. Maybe might sell them to 2nd hand bookshop.
Mom: How about your cupboard?
Me: Cannot! That one another day...
Mom: The drawers?
Me: Wah!! You want me to die-ar? That one, another day...
Mom: Ohhh...
Me: So tired... So tired...
Mom: Go bathe and then sleep early-la!!

I'm afraid that after this post, after my shower, I will go tidur and may not wake up in time for work since I'm so tired. This is a good workout. I seriously think my Mom is quite happy that my room is finally being cleaned.

Mom: You know..
Me: What?
Mom: This is a good way to get you to clear all your rubbish...
Me: .... (o_______0) ** mata terbeliak ** (Malay-Eng translated: Eyes pop out of socket)

=======ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ=======

P/S: I know that I'm very lucky to have my Mom to help clean my room for me. But you see, she "beh tahan" (Hokkien: cannot stand) the amount of rubbish I kept in my room anymore that she had to take some drastic action.
Anyway, she doesn't do this anymore, the most she does is just to wipe the surface area from time to time... (^_^) I still need to do all the hard labour-le... (-___-*)

September 08, 2006

My Dad's Breakfast Oats

This may be a weird category to post a recipe but then, I'd figured that since I don't do many foodie posts, I might as well plug it into this category until such I have such need for it. (^_^) Besides, we have Foodbazaar for such posts! LOL!!! (^___^)

Anyway, this recipe was an idea originated from my Mom who heard from her colleague about an alternative method of preparing quick-cooking oats. Here's the quick recipe:

Ingredients
- Quick cooking oats (as much as you can eat)
- 1 to 1.5 glass of room-temperature water
- 1/4 cup of raisins
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup of breakfast muesli or cereal
- 1 whole fruit (banana or orange or apple or... your liking)

Preparation Method (The night before)
  1. Take a large bowl and place the oats in it.
  2. Place the 1/4 cup raisins in the bowl with the oats.
  3. Add the water.
  4. Leave to soak overnight.
"Cooking" Method (The next day)
  1. Once the oats are left to soak overnight, the oats will soften and the raisins have also absorbed some of the water as well, making it quite "juicy".
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients to your liking, i.e. sunflower seeds, breakfast cereal, and fruits.
  3. Mix well and enjoy!
Note: You may add more liquid such as milk if the oats feel a bit dry, however, I feel that after adding the breakfast cereal, a lot of the liquid has been absorbed as well. (^__^)

Anyway, if you're curious about how it looks like, have a look at the picture I took below!

Dad's Oats!! Yummy!!!

September 03, 2006

Jesus, I Trust In You!

Today's theme at church was about differences of observing the commandments and human traditions. The liturgical readings today spoke about the importance of commandments to help us lead a good life. The 1st reading from Deuteronomy (Dt 4:1-2, 6-8) reminds us that the commandments which Moses presents to the Israelites is to help guide them be a great people by careful observance, i.e. "In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin upon you, you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it." (verse 2).

The 2nd reading from the letter of James (Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27) reminds us that we should not be hearers (and readers) of the Word, but also doers as well, i.e. "But you must do what the Word tells you and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves.". By this, he means that one should not think that he can be holy by just only listening to the Word of God. We need to live the Word of God in our lives.

The Gospel of Mark (Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) elaborates further by Jesus telling the Pharisees that they, being hypocrites only provided God lipservice (verse 6) and they have put aside the commandment of God to ovserve human traditions (verse 8). Jesus goes on to say that it is not what that goes into a man which makes him unclean, but it is what comes out of a man which makes him unclean (verses 20-23). What Jesus meant to say is that it is not enough that we listen to the Word of God, we need to live it as well.

During the sermon, the priest mentioned that he saw some road signs while driving along the road in US. The first one he saw was, "THINK GOD". The second one was, "FEEL GOD", and finally the last one was "DO GOOD". This message had a profound meaning to me as I pondered about the message as how many times we profess that we believe in Him but yet, we fail to do His works?

I recalled back as I came to church, I encountered some very nasty drivers who had no considerations about the safety of other drivers on the road. I remembered feeling angry about them but when it came time to admit our sins in front of God, I remembered the words of the prayer "I Confess", where it states, "... that I have sinned in my thoughts and words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do...". I prayed for forgiveness that I had failed to forgive those who crossed my path. In this, I had failed to do good by being more considerate.

The priest then asked the congregation if there is anyone who could truly profess that "Jesus, I trust in You!" always and every chance they can get. Not when they have problems, or when they're sick, but at every chance they get. I found myself thinking that I lack the faith and trust in Him to say this. I reflect on the many times in which I asked God for strength and help when I came upon a crossroads in my life. I now realize that I should have said to God, "I leave this in Your Hands, I trust in You that You will give me wisdom to choose the right path!"

At the end of the sermon, the priest closed by saying that the Pharisees have missed the biggest point that Jesus was trying to sell to us, that "Love Your Neighbour As Yourself", because that commandment supercedes all the commandments which God gave to us. Only through Love that we will be able to follow the commandments God gave us, only through Love, all things are possible. When we surrender ourselves to God fully, by trusting Him fully, in his Love, we are free. We need not hide behind traditions and laws which humans have created because this is not what He wants from us. He wants us to live fully in His Love.

THINK GOD, FEEL GOD, DO GOOD.

Amen!

August 31, 2006

Merdeka 2006 & Festivities

It's Malaysia's 49th Independence Day. I'm tempted to say Malaysia's b'day but then, that would be absolutely inaccurate. Malaysia was born 16th September 1963 but we obtained our independence from the British on 31st August 1957. I believe not many of you know that brief little factiod... (^__^)

Anyway, I didn't do much this Merdeka. Usually, my Dad is absolutely addicted to the National Day parade and every year, he'll watch the parade on the local channels. I'd guess since he was a pre-Merdeka baby, this day would be very special for him. I used to watch it with anticipation to watch out for my school's brass band. (^__^)


Today, our family went down to Seremban to visit my eldest uncle, who has just shifted house. Getting to Seremban wasn't a problem but getting to his house was a different matter all together. THERE WERE NO ROAD SIGNS LEADING TO THE HOUSING ESTATE WHERE MY UNCLE LIVED!!!!

You can imagine the nightmare of us getting to the place. *sweat*

My cousin-in-law (my cousin's husband) asked us to call him whenever we reached a major landmark so that he could lead us to the house. (-___-)|||

Anyway, we got there safe and sound, and Snoopy was very relieved to reach the destination.
My other uncle soon arrived and we had a ball of a time. Here is just a sample of our day...

NOTE: My family's PRIMARY activity is EATING.... (It's a proud Malaysian tradition)

My dad & eldest uncle dissecting the durian fruit.. Notice the cleaver... ^_^|||

If you're wondering what or how a durian looks like, have a look at the following pics... **slurp**

Yummy...

Note that the chinese words I've decided to use is actually durian in cantonese, i.e. "lau lin"... (^__^)

The fruit in all its spiky splendour

I was very tempted to take a photo of my relatives in action, digging into the fruit but then, that would scare my blog readers away... Kekekee... So, I'd better spare you from the horror... LOL!!!

My eldest aunt also prepared some yummy non-durian based food as well. She had some "yong tau foo", glutinous rice and yam cakes made for us as well. A few more pics... (^__^)

White tofu stuffed with minced pork, Glutinous rice


Fried Tofu stuffed with Minced Pork & Stuffed Fried Tofu Skin


Meatball stuffed with Dried Mussel

Boy.. It was a BIG meal for us. We even had other fruits besides durian as my mom found a fruit stall just after the highway toll as we came into Seremban.

I took a few more pics of my relatives, including my mom.. Kekeke...


My 4th uncle, Dad & eldest uncle

As you might guess, I'm Hokkien. Frankly, I'm mixed, because I'm part 1/4 Hokkien, 1/4 TeoChew, 1/4 Cantonese and 1/4 Nyonya + Others... So, if this phrase is wrong, then please forgive me. LOL!!!

My 4th uncle currently resides in Melbourne, Australia, a place which I call my 2nd home. I do intend to go back there someday but not now. Not until I become more experienced in the IT industry and so, could command a higher position and salary when I make the big leap over the sea and ocean. (^__^)

My other uncle, the youngest one, wasn't in any of the pictures I took as he was feeling unwell with his sinusitis. Our family seems to be rife with this and it is a gene which I inherit as well. :(

Anyway, here is another pic of my uncle and mom.. LOL...


Uncle Hock: Smile!
Mom: **Exit: Stage Left**


All in all, it was a busy day. My sis' boyfriend did the driving to and fro KL-Seremban, so he's really exhausted. He had little sleep as they had a party up until 2am this morning.

My youngest aunt failed to turn up for the festivities as she had to work. Anyway, we will catch up with them the next time around. Once in a while, its good to keep in touch with relatives even though, we're busy. I do wish that I could catch up with my uncle since his trip was so short this time around. Seems that he might come back next year in August/September so that he can catch the durian season again.

Anyway, before I forget, I'd better say, Selamat Hari Merdeka!!!!

August 29, 2006

Don't Laugh At People Who Have Mumps...

I wonder why I posted this as "Funny" as there is nothing funny about this... Nevertheless, since we're here, we might as well write something about this.

I've been pretty caught up with work lately as there is a number of things to achieve by the end of September. *Sigh* Anyway, it shouldn't be a problem... GAMBATEH!!!

Anyway, the problem started on Friday afternoon after I had a pretty good lunch with my colleagues. We decided to have "ikan bakar" that day I think and so, after I got back I decided to have my Fruitybix granola bar as dessert.

A horrible pain started to grow from the left side of my face and extended throughout the jawline. I felt a large swelling and it didn't seem to want to stop. I sort of panicked and decided to check myself in the mirror. However, since I'm so fat, I can't tell the difference if my face was swollen or not. In the end, I began to feel for the gland near my ear (where the origin of the pain/swelling was) and it was puffy. So, I called up my good friend, EV (Emotion Vampire).

EV: Harlo? What you want?
Me: Eh, last time you had your mumps, was it swollen near your jaw?
EV: Yea.. Yea.. It was painful beneath the ear. Why?
Me: I think I may have mumps.
EV: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
Me: ...
EV: Are you sure or not? Maybe its your toothache or something?
Me: I think its the mumps, I should probably go home and see the doc.
EV: Wahhh.. Like that also can. Go see the doc now-la!
Me: I'll go see my family doc, he has my medical history
EV: Up to you-la... Eee. So, you look like a pig now!! HAHAHAHA
Me: *Sigh*... Yea, goes to show, cannot laugh at people who have mumps. Sure you will kena next time.


I did go check out the doc and he said that I've got infection of the parotid glands. I didn't have fever but I was feeling a bit tired lately.

I wonder why I caught it. Probably it’s due to this very bad ulcer at the left side of my mouth which took a while to recover, causing it to be infected.

Anyway, I've to avoid certain foods and take any medication to reduce the swelling and inflammation caused by the virus.

No, you can't kill viruses with antibiotics. If your doctor gives you antibiotics for a viral infection, you should reconsider getting another doctor. (-__-)|||

As of today, the swelling has gone down and now, I'm feeling a whole lot better. (^__^)

Anyway, more info about this can be found here. The image was taken from the United States National Library Of Medicine.

August 20, 2006

It Has Begun... 2006/2007 Season...


The wait is over...

World Cup 2006 came and went...

We saw Ronaldo "wink" and Rooney being the bigger man to back up Ronaldo...

We were shocked to see Zidane act like a bull when he should have been calm as a stalking tiger...

After the frenzy, a full month and over to recover from the frenzy of football, only to start over again...

United, United, United.. FOREVER!!!

August 13, 2006

Pikom PC Fair 11-13 Aug 2006

There are few events which will rock the "geek" in all of us... One of which is the PC Fair, held twice a year in various parts of Malaysia (Penang, KL, Johor Bahru, Kuantan, Sabah, Sarawak...), it allows us "geeks" and "geeks-wannabes" to head down to a big space to gawk and grab some PC stuff.

Anyway, I've been to a few of these many years back and what put me off was the manner in which it was organized. It was really a marketplace for people to just buy stuff, usually cash-n-carry for PC stuff at bargain prices. It was hot and sticky and when you did manage to grab some stuff, there were chances that some parts were defective and had questionable warranty.

Years have passed and now, this event is held in a proper venue and reorganized to give bargain hunters and observers a chance to see the latest stuff as well as grab some cheap items. Yup, for the past few years, we've seen the "display-chick" around microprocessor display cases, lugging around whole laptops and other gadgets. It feels like I've gone to the KLIMS (KL International Motor Show) instead of PC fair, where instead of model-chicks hanging around cars, I see them hanging around PC parts.. (^___^)... ~~~Whatever sparks your "lightbulb" buddy~~~

This time, I went to the PC Fair with my colleagues, which was a lot of fun...

Team Lead: Awrite! Everyone has their assignments?
The Team: Yes Boss!!
Team Lead: Ok!! Move out!!

** Following the crowd. Notice the barriers and how the personnel are directing the traffic... **

Me: Geez, its like a marathon here...
Team Lead: Yeah...

(( Feels like we're being herded... like sheep to a slaughterhouse... where's the slaughterhouse --> bargain stalls ))

Team Member 1: This one looks good...
Team Member 2: What you mean? The "size" of the breasts looks good?
Team Member 1: Yea...

Typical... You walk around guys, they approach the gals handing out brochures and stuff and these are like model-chicks! So, you can imagine, I'm sure that they had their pics taken by these geeky fanboys.

** Back at the office **
Team Lead: Awrite! How was the assignment?
Team Member 1: I think the Samsung girls look the best.....
The Team: HAAHAHHHHAAHAHA...

Anyway, jokes aside, I was looking for some stuff. I decided to head back after work during dinner time to get my stuff. So, as I walked along the last exhibition hall, I noticed the large Corsair booth and they were not just selling or showcasing the gaming RAM but also one of the most sought after gaming machines ever............. The ALIENWARE.... (o____O)

I had passed the booth earlier but we were rushing to get back to work that I didn't get a chance to really take a look at it. Anyway, take a look at these couple of pics...


What a beauty!!

Have a look at the side profile of this bad-a**...


Oooo... BAABBYYY!!!!!

There are only so few things in life which make us drool over such creations and certainly, ALIENWARE desktops are just one of these things. And you'll definitely drool over one of these babies as you can't get them locally through your local DELL supplier. (-___-)

If you're wondering which model this little beauty is, its one of the Aurora series, though I'm not very certain which model it is from. So, go over to ALIENWARE's website and just drool over these babies for a bit.

So, what did I get from PC Fair this time around? Well.. I got a number of essential items, as shown in the picture below...


Eeee.. My new toyys!!!!

If the picture is not very clear, I got the following,
  • A new webcam by V-Gear
  • Kensington Laptop Lock
  • Logitech Mini-mouse
Well.. I figured that I needed a new mouse because the one provided by the office was just too bulky for me to use and carry, should I move about during project works and so, I decided to get one which had a wrap-around cord for easy transportation. I contemplated a wireless optical laser mouse but then, thinking about taking care of the batteries and etc, I had to say "no" to that. :(


Here's a lovely close-up of the mouse...

Anyway, I had a blast at the Pikom PC Fair this time around... Note that all the pictures were taken by my new Sony Ericsson K750i and I'm really impressed by the macro-closeup features of this camera phone. Hahaha...

So, it was $$ well-spent... (^____^)
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