20051231

He Managed

The trip last night took a mere 6 hours and 20 minutes, excluding one brief stop. No toll was involved, thus it's full-fledged challenging. Nothing uneventful happened, I'm utmost pleased to say. The ride was basically well flowing.

I was worried something might break, but STELLAR managed well. We had a small break after 300km of non-stop driving at a Petronas just before Club Med Cherating, for prayers and drink.

Arrived at around 8.30pm or something and finally had my full meal called luncher (lunch dinner). Had only a kebab before the trip, just after my Friday prayers, so there.

20051230

Colour Confusion

When you read this, I will probably have reached Kuantan or something.

I will head to Terengganu after today's Friday prayers.

The painting of STELLAR will probably commence next week. To be done by dearest Pak Su. I will pick him up three weeks later. That's my budgeted time anyway.

Will be back on Wednesday, although I'll might already arrived to Putrajaya by flight on Tuesday.

I'm actually feeling quite nervous looking forward to this trip. It's been a while since STELLAR went for a long distance run.

He still looks stunning in black. But the stickers are somewhat off-putting. Hehe.

But I realised, eventually he will need his coat of paint anyway.


PS: Believe it or not, I'm still open to options on the colour. But I guess blue is good.

20051228

Anuar Zain - Sesucinya Cintamu

Dapat ku membayangkan
Dari senyum bibirmu itu
Terlindung dari nyata
Aku tahu semua
Terucap kata-kata
Bisikan seluhur hatimu
Ku percaya jua
Sesucinya cintamu

Kukagumi sinar
Matamu yang ayu
Bundarnya... Cantiknya...
Wajahmu sayang penyejuk rasa
Selembut hatimu
Menjadi ku bertambah sayang

Senangnya hati kini
Sejak bersamamu
Bertemu dan bermesra
Sering menghibur duka
Biar masa berlalu
Kasih sayang dipahatkan
Ku percaya suci cintamu


PS: Muzaffar's crazy with this song, especially when he saw the glamorous 3 year old girl tries to imitate Anuar Zain.

20051226

Malaysian Times Square

Took Muzaffar and his mom to Berjaya Times Square today, finally.

It's supposed to be my promise to her, when the building finally opens to public.

Since I am very comfortable with some of the public transport around the metropolis, I might as well use them, while Muzaffar can adapt as well.

In fact, Muzaffar adapt too well, that he refuses our request to disembark the Monorail by shouting on top of his lung "Tanaaaak!"

Most of the time at Times Square, he wants either of us to carry him, rather than him walking on his own. It quickly tires the better of us.

We watched Baik Punya Cilok, starring Afdlin Shauki. Halfway through the movie, Muzaffar was already doing a runaround in the cinema hall and touching stuffs. I was so embarrassed, but his mom told me, it's better that way than being held up and screaming. After countless negotiations, he retreated and receives his treat, and slept. That 15 minutes before the film ended seemed so peaceful.

After the movie, we went runaround ourselves. Then it's time to eat, and we chose the very expensive Rasa Utara. Felt so not worth the price. And the food is way better elsewhere.

After the prayers, we saw some roller coaster action. Me and Muzaffar's mom intend to ride it someday, without Muzaffar around. Hehe.

Close to 4pm, we retreated back home, stopping first at Alamanda to buy households.

That ends another tiring day for all three of us.

20051221

A Day With Son

Muzaffar is not well. He have a very bad sore throat.

Took leave today to take care of him. He's very unpredictable. But I think he's doing ok.

Gave him a quarter spoon of Manuka Honey two times, and I guess it made the throat a little easier.

One funny thing was, after our lunch of chicken rice, I planned to walk him at the vicinity of Masjid Putrajaya. But as soon as we arrive, he's already napped. So we went back home to ease his sleep. That was around 12.40pm.

At 4.15pm, 2 hours after he woke up, he felt the need to do outing again. So again we went out, this time at the park nearby. And for an hour, I waited.

While taking photos of him with my new "sports camera", he fell down the swing. Lucky he broke the fall with his hands. I think he's ok, hopefully. Maybe his hands got tired. Or so I think. I guess it's time to quit the park. But not for him. He nagged to sit back on the swing.

He screamed and I thought I was an artist already from the shortlived attention we get. I was hoping his mother was already home, which was a loud 10 minutes later. And we went to Alamanda to buy him a cheap new television. Phew, he's tuned down.

What a day! The illness surely made him more grumbly.

20051220

Almost A Sports Camera

Finally got the famous Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5. Found it at Fotoflash in Berjaya Times Square today. Thanks to Citibank customer service for helping me here and there.

It costs me a bit more than I assumed, but I guess it's a small increase. And I got a camera bag, a tiny tripod, and bits and pieces of small gifts too.

One thing about this camera, the shots are fast! It's flawless, and seemed SLRish. And I love the 12x optical zoom range.

I should really enjoy using it. Especially so since Muzaffar can't stand still at all. The fast autofocusing might snap most of him in action.

Journey - Open

Girl, oh you came to me,
Touched my life
Girl, how you sheltered me,
Touched my life

It's the joy, you gave to me,
when I was on my own, alone

Girl, your lips touching mine,
Ooh so fine
Girl, softly touching me,
Ooh so fine

She's the smile in my heart that sings,
It's a song for you again

Ooh, she opened up the door,
She made my life once more,
Yes she opened

Yeah, she opened up the door,
Made my life once more,
Yeah you opened


PS: Very touching classic circa 1978. Genius band.

20051218

Total Confusion

One thing about shopping complexes such as Sungei Wang Plaza is, you tend to get confused easily.

Add lots of crowd to that crampy place, and it becomes even more confusing.

Add another connected building to it (the BB Plaza), and it's becomes an endless confusion.

I do not intend to enter KL with STELLAR, so I look around near Tun Sambanthan for the supposed monorail station, which I found. And it was a breeze.

At first, I intend to disembark at Berjaya Times Square (my first time). But instead, I felt better thinking about Sungei Wang Plaza. So I delayed one stop.

Guess what!? I found the camera I wanted, the Panasonic FZ5, at around 1600rm at Boeing Electronics. The larger FZ20 is offered at around 1900rm. I guess the smaller one IS THE ONE.

But I guess I can find it at a Citibank friendly outlet. I should try KLCC next week.

20051217

Outing

Today's a tiring outing day for us three.

Apart from Pekan Meru, we went to about 4 shopping complexes in Klang area.

First was Klang Parade.

Then it was Bukit Raja Mall.

Then it was Centrepoint.

The last one I can't really tell, was it Plaza MPK, the one across Centrepoint.

I guess it's too tiring I can't continue writing.


PS: Muzaffar seems heavy today. Or was I holding him too much? My back hurts.

20051215

Toto - How Does It Feel

Morning's here
I feel so far away
It seems like I felt this before

All alone
Sun burns my skin
I can't live with pain anymore

And with you on my mind
Thinking of all that we've said
Were they just words
We'll live to regret
Why won't you stay?

How does it feel
To make me fall apart
Could this be love
Or just a broken heart

How do you feel
When you see me cryin' again

Times have changed
Is love at an end?
What makes us wonder why?

Rearranged
Just pretend
I can't stand the thought of goodbyes

And with you on my mind
Thinking of all that we've said
Were they just words
We'll live to regret
Why won't you stay?


PS: Accidentally sung this number after my MP3 player died of battery exhaustion this morning.

20051212

This Morning

Mini engines are heavy. They need all the oil they can get. And the carburettor needs warming up too. So before moving off, I usually will prime the engine a bit with oil, and the carburettor with fuel, for a minute or two.

I usually use my MWalker MP3 player in the car. Since the engine are way noisy, I need more than just a radio and speaker in my car. And rather than spending so much on audio, it's better having a small but audible small unit with earphone.

The drive today was pleasant, albeit surprising. I was expecting to be late, as I had to stop at BP for 20 dollars of fuel. And I really wonder where are all the traffic, especially at the usually jam-packed Pandan Indah stretch was? I was driving at 105kph at that stretch today, where I usually crawl at 5kph. And I managed to spent only 40 minutes on the road. And I arrive before time.

Logged in and out, and then went to Projet to get my free copy of The Sun, and two nasi lemak. Felt hungrier today I guess.

20051210

Was Our Home

Went to a small family get-together at my brother Safwan's apartment today.

Since it is our previous home, I feel so familiar with it.

The smell of the cupboard, the KL sight, the kitchen dimness, all comes back to me.

Muzaffar got two new toys. My non-operating radio-controlled Subaru Imprezas are his now. To throw, push, shove and play, at his expense.

But I feel he wants my model Ford Escort Cosworth more than the two bigger cars.

Then we head to Seremban. We will attend to two weddings tomorrow, one at Jasin, another at Kuala Pilah.

20051208

Def Leppard - Everyday

I gave in when you gave out
You showed me the way to love, there ain't no doubt
Always together and never apart
Disappeared, didn't say a word
I slept right through, guess I never heard
Now I'm awake but I wish I was dreamin'

Everyday, without you in my heart
Everyday, I'm falling apart
And I know you know I think about you everyday

I woke up and you were gone
Just one night without you, it's too long
Sleepin' with the ghost of you
Dyin' with or without you
Don't wanna feel this way tomorrow

Everyday, without you in my heart
Everyday, I'm falling apart
And I know you know I think about you everyday

Don't know what you got until it's gone

Everyday, everyday, without you in my heart
Everyday, I'm falling apart
And I know you know I think about you
Everyday, till I see you again
Everyday, I'll try to pretend
But I know you know I think about you
Everyday, out of my head, I've been dazed and confused
Everyday, I'm lost but it's you that I don't want to lose
Everyday, we're torn to giving ourselves to each other


PS: Announcement to all Cruwy members! This is to be included in our staple song.

20051206

Sweat And Blood.

Went to Alamanda today, expecting to see Tamiya heaven. To no avail. I guess the Toycity at Mines will be my next attempt. Can't wait to at least see the Tamiya Mini.

By the way, I was hypersweating before I even entered Toycity. I feel like helping somebody change the flat tyre of their BMW. Only thing was, one of the nuts makin' me nuts!

It's too tight, all I did failed. Other three nuts was easy enough. In case you are asking about the fifth nut (7 series BMW have 5 nuts each wheel), I haven't tried. They keys to the 'locknut' are not found yet.

I really hoped any wheel nuts that I might encounter in the future was tightened just nice, so that in an emergency, anyone as old as the 'uncle' who owned this particular BMW, can do the wheel change without assistance.

20051205

Nyum Nyum

Since I cannot further my drumming hobby at home, I might as well look elsewhere for an alternative hobby.

R/C, short for radio-control, which have long been a hidden favorite of mine, should be a good alternative to start.

I plan to grab a Tamiya radio-controlled Mini Cooper.

It looks yummy, and I guess me and Muzaffar might fight over the controls of this car soon enough.


20051203

More Than A Car

STELLAR is more than just a daily-driver. It is also my hobby, diner, studio and racer. And a Mini being a daily-driver is really a rare occurence.

Him as a hobby is when it comes to driving and maintaining. I don't usually maintain all aspects of it. Mostly basic stuffs like checking and simple repairs. But most of the time, I treat it as a hobby when I drive it. The cornering, the acceleration, the stunts. As a hobby, it tends to be an expensive one. Maintenance by a third party is one of the things that matters to make this a prolonged hobby. It's an old car, so I would expect to give more TLC. And even more if I drive it to the limits.

As a diner, I regularly eat food in it. And it's not just about any bite-sized tidbits. It includes rice and other staple food, usually in the poisonous styrofoam container (it's still easier than plastic all the time). And the spoon will move while I'm on the straights, or at a traffic light. And he witnessed me eating chocolates everytime.

STELLAR is also a recording/vocal studio. Sort of. I always sing in it. And sometimes, you can see me playing air drums, air bass, or even air guitar, not to mention air singing (singing while holding an invisible mic and stand). And it's always full-fledged singing, falsetto or real voice, and trying very hard to do everything they do.

Current sing-along favorites:
L.A. Guns - Never Enough
Mariah Carey - Someday

It's a quick racer too, though I doubt I will outrun most cars. Usually I love tailing people, instead of outrunning them. At least I won't get embarrassed my mind said I lost. First gear and second gears are good enough, though at third and fourth, I can only get moderate pick-up.

I plan to race it someday. When expenses permits, and more go-faster mods are done. Drag race, motorkhana, hill climb and rally are some of the options.

I guess STELLAR will stay in my life for quite a while.

20051201

Love vs Care

While sending my boss to KLIA today, we talked about something confusing yet intriguing.

Which is better, to love or to care?

He said, most people recognize love. But those that do, rarely recognize care as well.

He also said, being in love doesn't mean you care. But it's different when it comes to being caring. This means, to care is better than to love, as when you care, you treat your cared-ones better. This differs to being in love, which sometimes means to take your loved-ones for granted.

It's an unfamiliar place for me, talking about care, when all I have heard about, is regarding love. But for me, love itself has a loose or vague meaning to it.

And what's the case for me? Do I usually love someone, or do I care for someone? I don't know. I haven't reached that far in myself just yet. I just spend my time day to day doing the routines.

But deep inside me, I think I have not cared enough, especially to my wife and son. Of course I think I loved them, but I don't think I cared enough. It's simply a feeling inside me that said so.

20051130

Still Snorting After All These Years

I was sick starting Friday. It was a heavy runny nose bout.

And up to today, I'm still snorting in the relatively thick stuffs. Blowing it out means ear rupture. So I take the safer alternative.

I've seen an ENT doctor in Kampong Baru before. So when I get my claims for this month, I will probably head there for a once-and-for-all solution.

20051128

The Cutest Passport Pix

This is Muzaffar's passport pix, with fresh short hair off the barber shop, exclusively taken by yours truly, with a cream-colored sofa as background.

It will be used for his application to enter kindergarten on 1st December.

He should qualify for an international passport, since he looks so cute and charming.


20051127

Regret Of The Month

I am so regretting this!

I just missed out on a great offer for a Panasonic FZ20.

It was offered to me at RM1600 by a shop in Warta, Bangi.

Normally it will retail at approximately RM2100.

I guess, I may have to wait for a wee bit while. And to frantically make phone calls around just about any shop available.

Or just settle with an FZ5 as a cheaper alternative.

20051126

Excuse The Exclusion

All these raya fests, feasts and eatings are makin' me sick! To top it all off, my nose hasn't recovered, so double blow!

I swear my stomach need repairs.

Actually I should put the blame solely to myself. I can't look at my favorite food without my tongue touching it later. That's why.

So I hereby make this mental note, that I will not look at food the way I look at it like today, starting from today.

I exclude chocolate though. Hehe...

20051123

Surprising Kota Bharu

Kota Bharu has a nice looking airport, I'd say.

And it seems new too. If only I fly more often to other states.

By the way, the meeting was a normal, albeit somewhat irrelevant, and I think everybody in our company would agree.

It was raining all day, and I think sickness are coming my way soon enough.


PS: I love the part when the airplane accelerates and takes off. Wahoooo!!!


20051122

STELLAR Needing TLC

Last night, STELLAR did his last brake stunt while avoiding a stupid Waja driver who think he can control his car while driving insanely fast. Then the brakes failed altogether.

So I took half day leave today. STELLAR will need urgent brake repairs, and I need to use him everyday too.

Went to Bangi in the morning. The shop I went just before Raya Fitrah to repair our Wira seems to be a good place to do repairs.

And it's a good deal cheap too.

The leftover money is spent on doing the alignment at another shop, though the feel is far from satisfactory. But I guess the floating feeling I always feel on the road got lesser.

When I arrived at the office, I saw the toe-in of the front wheel remained the same.

Will probably head to the shop again sometimes later.

20051118

I Was Afraid The Engines Would Fall Off

I need to arrive home at least after Maghrib. So unlike most days when I delayed heading home for 5 to 10 minutes after office hours ended, I plan to drive home straight away.

As soon as I entered the highway via Giant Taman Permata exit, I saw the traffic jam. It was short of a standstill.

Plans to use the highway was scrapped straight away, albeit wasting precious 30 minutes crawling from Giant exit towards Masjid Ridhuan exit to change route to Jalan Genting Kelang.

At probably 6.45pm I managed to arrive at PWTC and slows down a bit until I saw KL Central.

At close to 7pm, I finally exit Jalan Bangsar and went southbound.

At close to 7.40pm, I applied my handbrakes at Precinct 16.

At 8pm, departed for USJ.

Uhh that was close.

I suspect the 4pm downpour has flooded the Ampang Park exit at the right hand corner.

By the way, this is probably the best color I can come up with for STELLAR. I guess plain color with no pattern or theme will be nicer after all.

20051116

Switching Error

STELLAR's wiper switch is acting up at just the right time (sic).

It did that well within the rain season.

I guess I want to just bear with it for the moment.

Writing in disappointment, at the moment.

20051115

Life Is Full Of Near-Misses

The UNITEN corner leading to Putrajaya near Lebuh Silikon is always a tempting feat to me.

And things that tempt you will almost always contain hidden danger.

I intend to overtake an AC-Schnitzer BMW, at that corner today.

Suddenly at the right lane, there is sand everywhere. A dump truck must have overturned earlier today.

The brakes are duly pressed, while I try very hard to first straighten the car to avoid any unintentional drifting stunt.

I nearly did a corner-slide at 70kph.

Almost a catastrophe waiting to happen to any agitated cornerer.

20051113

Like A Horror Movie

Vomit gushes out from the mouth, and out from the nose. Cries of illness strucks the air. Scores of flesh look-alikes seems to gush out too.

It almost seems like in the movies.

But it's really Muzaffar.

He vomits a lot today.

It's as if he got food poisoning.

The worst thing is that, everything that went it, went out. I just hoped that some of the liquids he consumed will seep down anyways.

At night, again it happened.

We rushed to Putrajaya Hospital.

He was hospitalized for the night, and water drip was attached to his right hand.


Son: kukaaa kukaaa, mama kukaaa ni, abah, abah, kukaaa ni (kuka: buka)
Dad: hang in there son..

20051111

Quincy Jones - Getta Bloomin' Move On

This is the self-preservation society
This is the self-preservation society

Go wash your German bands, your boat race too
Comb your Barnet Fair we got a lot to do
Put on your Dickie Dirt and your Peckham Rye
Cause time's soon hurrying by

Get your skates on mate, get your skates on mate
No bib around your Gregory Peck today, eh?
Drop your plates of meat right up on the seat

This is the self-preservation society
This is the self-preservation society

Gotta get a bloomin move on
Babadab-babadabadab-bab-ba
Gotta get a bloomin move on
Babadab-babadabadab-bab-ba
Jump in the jam jar gotta get straight
Hurry up mate – don't wanna be late
How's your father?
Tickety boo
Tickety boo
Gotta get a bloomin move on

Self-preservation society
This is the self-preservation society
Put on your almond rocks and daisy roots
Wash your Hampstead Heath and wear your whistle and flute
Lots of lah-di-dahs and cockneys here
Look alive and get out of here

So get your skates on mate, get your skates on mate
No bib around your Gregory Peck today, eh?
Drop your plates of meat right up on the seat

This is the self-preservation society
This is the self-preservation society

20051110

Tempting FZ5

Surveyed some camera shops at Alamanda last night, after my visitation to Cambridge Language Center regarding Mandarin lessons.

The first shop, QS Citifoto, has none of the cameras that interests me, so I went to another shop, Fotokem.

At Fotokem, I found two of the three I was originally interested in, the Canon A610 and the Panasonic LZ2.

The Canon was priced at around RM1400, while the Panasonic was around RM1300.

Thinking back, I was liking a long zoom, so I added a new choice in my list, the RM1800 12x zoom Panasonic FZ5, as replacement to the lukewarm-reviewed Kodak Z7590. But the Z7590 is there, while the FZ5 is not.

I guess more hunting is needed, apart from lots of calls to different shops.



Panasonic Lumix FZ5

20051108

Marriage Should Be Easy

Initially basic matters are easy.

But as time went by, people became more advanced, and easy basic matters may become complicated.

This includes marriage. Especially the wedding part.

In Islam, it is supposed to be easy. It should be simple.

But not in Malaysia. With influences from olde-Malay customs, it became a difficult affair to run/manage. And an expensive one at that!

As a basic matter, marriages should be easy on anybody. There should be any reason to complicate it. What matters in not the event of wedding, but the marriage itself. It should last, and should not be a burden.

And with the current rise in vice (not saying it wasn't in the past), I think it is high time that we change our paradigm.

20051106

The Chosen Ones

Arrrgh I'm depressed!

I got sick of reading too much reviews, but I managed anyway. Now I have narrowed them down to two groups, the most likely group, and the least likely group.

I chose three likely candidates, based on having more preferred criterias than the rest.

Since I already have a Nikon, and they didn't put enough zoom and aesthetical factor in their 5-megapixel range, I chose to put the Nikon 5900 in the Least Likely group. Good looking 5-megapixel Nikons are expensive, too.

Although the Kodak has the biggest temptation ever, I deem the Panasonic and Canon to be the likely final choice. Reviews has put both as having the best overall picture quality, as well as ease of use, and all sorts of obvious factors.

It seems agonizing sometimes, when you know what you really wanted.

Most Likely

Kodak EasyShare Z7590
Zoom: 10x Optical, 30x Total
Power: Lithium Batt
Movie: MPG 640x480
Comments: Good Looking, Large Size, The Best Zoom, EVF, Heavy

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2
Zoom: 6x Optical, 24x Total
Power: 2 AA Batt
Movie: MPG 320x240
Comments: Medium Small, Display Off/On Button, Image Stabilizer

Canon PowerShot A610
Zoom: 4x Optical, 16x Total
Power: 4 AA Batt
Movie: AVI 640x480
Comments: Medium Large, Swivel LCD, Medium Weight, Lots Of Batteries


Least Likely

Nikon Coolpix 5900
Zoom: 3x Optical, 12x Total
Power: Lithium Batt
Movie: MOV 640x480, 320x240
Comments: The Best Look, Small, No Display On/Off Button

Sony CyberShot DSC-W5
Zoom: 3x Optical, 6x Total
Power: 2 AA Batt
Movie: MPG 640x480, 160x112
Comments: Medium Small Size, Smallest Total Zoom


Canon PowerShot A610


Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2


Kodak EasyShare Z7590

20051104

In Dilemma

I think I am ready for my next digital camera.

I have been pondering for a while which model are the best overall for my disposal, as well as considering several parameters for my convenience/ergonomics.

To compare with, I currently have a 4-megapixel Nikon Coolpix E4600.

For my next camera, I am looking for at least 5 megapixel.

I have a list of potential candidates. They are
  1. Canon Powershot A610
  2. Sony Cybershot DSC-W5
  3. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2
  4. Kodak EasyShare Z7590
  5. Nikon Coolpix E5900
I am not keen on the Nikon, but if it's good, I'll consider it.

Other than the megapixel, I am looking for at least more than 3x optical zoom, good battery consumption, good enough picture color and some other features that I deem useful.

I budget around RM1600 for my next purchase.

PS: Ever realized that most mainstream digital cameras have middle names? EasyShare, Lumix etc etc. I wonder why is it so?

20051103

Under The Influence

A very prosperous Eidil Fitree to all.

From 11am to 11pm, we traveled around Negeri Sembilan. Rembau, Kuala Pilah, Jelebu and Chengkau are some of the places we traveled to, to meet up with my wife's relatives.

I am quite tired, but managed to be influenced by Mawi's Mamee advert, only to end up buying the wrong Mamee!

Nevertheless, it's good tasting, and as I write here, I slurpppped....

20051031

I Don't Usually Do This

The title subject should have been "I seldom book flight tickets, so I'm quite nervous at today's attempt".

I just booked Air Asia one-way ticket from Terengganu to Kuala Lumpur. It will be a Tuesday morning flight, on the 3rd of January 2006.

I finally initialized the first bit of STELLAR painting initiative.

The plan will be to drive up to Terengganu probably on Friday night or Saturday morning to send STELLAR to my automotive painter uncle.

Obviously I will need to take a day and a half of leave.

Now to book another ticket to go back to Terengganu, but that will probably be on February. At most late January.

20051028

Lost Three

I think it worked!

I could swear I lost 3kilogrammes, making me weigh 63kg.

Now, the only thing I need is consistency.

If I am consistent enough, another routine will be added.

Exercise!

Today is the last day of office. Tomorrow until next Sunday will be a long vacation.

Selamat Hari Raya Fitrah everybody!

All apologies!

20051026

Caught The Blues

You can expect the rain to be Anywhere, Anytime, Anyway, and A Lot.

You can also expect traffic jam to be similar as the four above.

Expect a third for every two. Construction, especially roadworks are just as bad.

I nearly lost my patience with all three. I am lucky it's fasting season, so I am literally unable to even think of losing anything.

By the way, I picked up STELLAR from Pak Syed today. And as normal as phobia, I double, even triple check the wheel nuts.

Got to have a plan for weekly car maintenance/checks.

20051024

Spontaneous Human Combustion Theory

I have a theory on why some human are spontaneously-combusted.

This is merely from what I can relate to based on my reading.

They may have come in contact with highly-reactive pure alkali-metal.

They may have either accidentally touched it or consumed it. Since consumption may lead the material straight to water-laden areas, ignition will be the result.

Premise 1 : Alkali-metal are reactive to water
Premise 2 : Human body are 70 percent water
Conclusion: They mix with violence

This is only my opinion. And of course it's questionable. I leave that to you to ponder upon.

20051021

Look Ma, No Brakes!

I intend to attend our Chairman's fast-break ceremony at Janda Baik with SYCLONE.

SYCLONE was actually undone. I sent him for brake repairs just after Friday prayers, and expect the works to finish at 6.00pm as promised.

When I arrived there, at 6.20pm, SYCLONE was basically not touched. Without saying anything, I picked up the keys and just drove away.

So here I am, driving on hilly trunk road with less of a brake.

Apart from two trucks in front that finally stopped after nearly 7km to let me pass, the road was basically a breeze to drive. The Mini's traits was also a relief, so I won't need to use the brakes at probably all the tight corners.

The drive was basically comparable to STELLAR, when we went to Janda Baik last time.

20051019

I Love This Road

Today is our traveling day towards KL.

I plan to go back using the infamous Gua Musang-Lipis-Bentong trunk road. This will be my first time.

It wasn't so bad. I guess we had it quite fast there.

Departure was at 11am. Arrival to office was a wee near 5pm.

I drove halfway, from Kota Bharu to Benta. I slept all the way afterwards, while Zaidi was driving.

While driving, I saw lots and lots of ex-roads (my term for disused and abandoned roads).

I made mental plans already, to conquer the road in the future with STELLAR.

20051018

Kota Bharu And Me

Finally I'm spending a few days at Kota Bharu.

It's been a while since I last stayed at KB. The last time was in 1993, when my cousin got married. The last time I drop by without staying was probably in 2002, just after I got married, so basically there's bound to be problem with direction.

Even Zaidi, a Kelantanese was having some problem finding his way around.

Probably we will get used to it sometimes later, when the project finally kicks off.

By the way, three of us (minus PM) broke fast with KFC today. Talk about having nowhere to go!

PM wants a teh tarik session. Gotta go.

20051017

Kota Bharu Here We Come!

At first we planned to go to Kota Bharu straight away, using the Bentong - Gua Musang trunk road.

But a small hiccup today saw us heading first to Kerteh, for a much anticipated site rectification.

The rectification consumes quite a significant amount of time, so our plan to break fast in KB was not to happen. We did instead at Kerteh. We're lucky we broke fast on time.

We might arrive at Kota Bharu close to midnight.

20051016

Another Buyout!?

My wife and her sister shared money to buy a cheap laptop computer.

It's neat, with only a Celeron processor, but somehow I liked it. Probably because of the significantly large 15' screen.

I hope it's good enough for heavy home use (read: lots of multitasking), which I think is hardly what the Celeron can do.

20051015

Will Forget This Moment... NOT!

Last night was the worst nightmare of any car owners. And for me, even worse than an auto collision.

STELLAR's left front wheel came off. Simply said.

I was going downhill towards Selayang at 120kph moments earlier. Then some perpetual shaking happens at the front side. Instantly I slowed down by reflex to around 50kph.

I shudder at the thought if ever I still drove at that downhill speed when the front wheels shook briefly.

A brief check reveals that only the wheel came off. The hub is fine, but the lower arm ball joint needs renewal.

I guess I'm pretty lucky. I'm not seriously harmed, only really shaken up.

20051014

So In Love

Woke up a bit late today. It shows at the clock 5.18am.

I guess I cannot fill myself up with bread this morning. Next day perhaps.

Blame it on Winslow 2000, which I have failed to install multiple times to my PC last night. And finally it did embed itself fully in after all.

I just surfed in Midland Wheel Supplies website. And I fell in love with this.

20051012

Being Me

I am flexible and take life as it comes.

I focus on the big picture rather than on details.

When making a decision, I tend to weigh the possible consequences in logical, detached way.

I tend to focus on and get my motivation from my own inner thoughts and ideas.

Hmm, or so the BBC "What Am I Like" Personality Test of mine resulted.

So I am these:

I guess most of it is true. I can't think properly at the moment.

20051010

Half-Yearly

I thought it's impossible.

But SYCLONE managed to get his half year roadtax, for RM15!

As you can see, I prefer renewing half-yearly. Furthermore, the insurance coverage has six more month remains.

The next time around, probably it will be half yearly too.

I hate to see the roadtax losing its ink halfway through, cause by the misty screens when it rains.

But then again, I'm letting SYCLONE go someday. Probably the end of this year.

20051009

Hot Sunday

Sundays are always hot.

It will seem that way anywhere. In my case, at Putrajaya, at Subang Jaya, or at Seremban.

Usually I will want to cool myself after every outing. A bath while shutting my eyes and concentrating do help most of the time.

If I don't, usually I will end up having fever, or runny nose.

By the way, Muzaffar and I went out for some amusement. His.

First we went to the local park. The when he saw SYCLONE, off we went in.

We had loads of fun.


First, son overtakes dad.


Now dad overtakes son.

20051008

An Evening With Old Friends

Had a small fast-breaking reunion with my fellow alumni from SAMER at Persia Restaurant, Ampwalk Ampang

Turnout was good. We even had an extra or two. So much for confirming your attendance!

Great turnout, good enough food (I didn't expect this from a Middle-East eatery), and some new faces are the highlights of the day.

Hope the next event was comparable, if not better.


This is the main course meal.

20051007

Sooner Or Later

It happened at KM 305.6, PLUS Highway, Sungai Besi - Serdang stretch, 6.00pm.

STELLAR was suddenly misfiring, or seems to be.

As fast as instinct can be, I park him aside, just before the location.

I thought it's the carburettor acting up again. It's been there done that for a few times.

I rev him several times, even testing it from different revs.

A minute later, it totally died.

Checking the fuel, shows that probably it was empty. So I filled it up.

It still wouldn't start though.

After a thorough check with both PLUS and AAM breakdown rescue team, it seems that the fuel pump is at fault.

So here I am, breaking my fast on the highway.

At 10.00pm STELLAR was finally towed, with extra difficulties. I arrived home at 10.30. And God I'm hungry!

Will attend to STELLAR on Saturday. Lots of plans are in store for that 25 year old guy.

20051006

I Need Patience

On the Islamic fasting month, you are guaranteed extra difficulties.

A few of those are
  • Rain, and lots of it
  • Traffic jam, and lots of it
  • Being sleepy, especially while in a traffic jam
  • Less time, and you seem to be rushing everywhere
I just hope I am given the patience.

20051005

Taku

Fasting season starts today.

I was hoping tobe able to finish my personal tadarus. Hope to complete all compulsory fast. Hope to do much better this time around.

By the way, I can't wait to get home! I miss my son so much, especially after seeing this pix of his.

mom: thank you
son: taku


20051002

Somebody's Babbles

Part 1

dad: pok amai amai
son: ku ku ku (lalang KUpu KUpu)
dad: pok japa pandai
son: cu cu cu (boleh minum SUSU)

dad: susu lemak manis
son: ta ta ta (sanTAn kelapa muda)
dad: japa jangan nangis
son: pa pa pa (mama aBAh keje)


Part 2

mom: one
son: tu (two)
mom: three
son: po pai (four five)


Part 3

mom: twinkle twinkle
son: tunke tunke
mom: little star
son: howa
mom: wonder what you are
son: ap
mom: above the world so high
son: hai
mom: like a diamond in the
son: kai

20050930

Musha Ring Dam A Doo Dam A Daa

The jamming session last night was not a great one for me. We had not enjoyed it just as much as I think I did last month.

But, I guess the MP3 player was good enough for me. I think I enjoyed having it.

It's record feature was good enough too. Only thing was, the jamming studio was probably too loud, as the sound was rather overloading or overblasting.

One other thing was, it's random play mode was too random. It will play the same song after 2 or 3 other songs. In short, it's no shuffle, it's totally random.

I have not set my favorite FM radio stations. Will do it sometimes.


PS: The title was the chorus line of a Thin Lizzy song.

20050929

To Record History

I'm preparing myself for the jamming session tonight.

One of the preparation was buying an MP3 recorder. As of right now, I'm still familiarising myself with it.

It's an 256MB MWalker MMP3-B311. It's probably cheap at 179RM. Good enough for me.

Probably other that recording jams, I will record speeches, my in-car solo singing, Muzaffar's babbles, and use it as my thumb drive.

I'm still waiting for the right moment for coffee. It'll be another 2 hours before the jam.

This session feels so penultimate. Can't really tell why.

Maybe it's because of the two hour duration of the music we're about to play.

I can't wait..

20050928

A Look Into The Future

I have redesigned STELLAR.

It will be dark maroon in color. It will have some chrome. And a dark ambience. But I'm not sure about the side mirrors though.

I designed it at P&L Minis website. Click on Build It.

I wish they had a darker maroon template.

It will probably look like this, or very close to this.

If I get the chance, probably I will do it this year.

20050927

Sickly

Felt so sickly today. I think the Sunday night drive was to blame.

Work and the office seems so far away. I guess it should stay that way.

I think I lied down at least 6 hours on the same spot at the sofa, at daytime.

I thought it would hurt my back, but now I think I felt better.

Feel like eating now. Reading would probably do too.

20050926

Up...

The Malaysia Classic Mini Information Center is UP!

Please do pay a visit, especially if you are a fan/enthusiast of classic Minis.

By the way, Dr Ismail Kamus is heading my way. He will deliver a speech at 1pm at SCS HQ. Must not miss this one.

Afterwards, I must go to Harakah office to donate blood.


PS: The title is Muzaffar's fav word in "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"..

20050925

Being A Caretaker

I have a few websites under my belt.

This one I'm currently doing. It's my company's. I plan to register it at MYNIC with a proper URL after it's fully updated.

This one, is mine. It's not updated for two years. I don't know whether to shelf it or do something about it. I guess, putting something that will stand the test of time will do just that, while keeping other people updated with changes in my life thru the weblogs I have.

This one, is a website about Mini that I did. At first, it became the MSVCR-MSM website. Then it was supposed to be a website about MASMA, a club-to-be that never materialize. I plan to revive this website to become the Malaysian Mini Information Center.

Another one, is sadly shelved. It's the SAMER9094 website supposedly at Tripod. It is no more.

20050923

The BDL Craze

I must find the BDL needle. STELLAR needs it badly. No, actually it's me.

I crave for the claimed fuel economy.

The end of the year is getting near.

I 'fraid that the petrol price will shoot up come next year.

20050922

Everything Else Is Superficial

The ship developed a similar problem, as mentioned by the ship staff to a colleague of mine on Saturday.

At first I decided to head to Lumut on Wednesday, but some conflict saw me going there a day later.

There's no major problem with the PLC. It just have this intermittent fault which caused it to run sometimes, and unrun sometimes.

But then again, it seems major.

Most hours are spent checking and rechecking the PLC, whether it will operate properly everytime switched on, or not. We repeat this 5 times. All OK.

Everything else is superficial.

We head back at 8pm.

All in all, we are relieved the ship air-cond works this time. We don't sweat as much, and tempers doesn't flare.

20050919

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Load up on guns and
Bring your friends
It's fun to lose
And to pretend
She's over bored
And self assured
Oh no, I know
A dirty word

Hello, how low?

With the lights out it's less dangerous
Here we are now
Entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now
Entertain us
A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My Libido
Yeah

I'm worse at what I do best
And for this gift I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end

Hello, how low? (x bunch of times)

With the lights out it's less dangerous
Here we are now
Entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now
Entertain us
A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My Libido
Yeah

And I forget
Just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard
It was hard to find
Oh well, whatever, nevermind

Hello, how low?

With the lights out it's less dangerous
Here we are now
Entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now
Entertain us
A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My Libido
Yeah, a denial
A denial
A denial…

20050914

Trying To Master The HIF44

I've had some problem adjusting my HIF44 carb before. Today I tried to change that.

Armed with a half-length flathead, I try to find the new screw hole on the right hand side.

It's a bit flimsy at first, but think I have adjusted it a bit when the idle suddenly went to a complete stop. I guess it's already adjusted for max economy already.

Based on what I hear from the previous owner, the carb probably has the rich-type BDR mixture jet. And according to the HBOL, a 1990s Mini Cooper 1275 uses the BFY jet. I shall see what the IME ought to say about this.

20050910

Double Job Took A Toll

Been very tired and lazy today.

Woke up at around 10am. Some pain on my body. And a lazy attitude.

Must be the jamming session last night.

By the way, it's a satisfactory session, as far as I think and feel.

The traditional stick grip I had learnt proved very useful. I think I have more control of the beat strength, though I need to get used to it.

Drawback? I can't roll so fast like I did with symmetrical grip.

But I think it helped me with my singing. I find I don't struggle as much as before.

In fact, I did more singing last night.

But the double job really took a toll.

I had to rest for a few more hours, and straighten up my attitude, before heading back to Seremban.

Tomorrow will be my wife's younger sister's trip back to Ireland.

Gotta nap.

20050909

Beta Tester

finally sorted out my company website. It is a simple version of what I can call, beta version. I will host it temporarily at Tripod, which I just did. Finally it's done, sorta. Well, maybe some correction is needed.

With this job being done, I probably will be able to head to Lumut first thing next week.

Now, to concentrate on the jamming session tonight.

Some preparation I did, apart from lots of air drumming (with shticks of course!) is to drink a cup of Nescafe.

That cup will ensure I get to the desired keynote.

20050907

And Then Some

Today is our third anniversary. I'm far away at Paka, for Petronas Gas Berhad site maintenance. I just had to wish her that, but this time from a long distance.

I'm really itchy for a jamming session, so I can't wait. I heard from somebody that there is a jamming studio in Kemaman. Since we stayed there, we had to find it.

After quite an effort, we finally arrived at around 10.40pm, at a one-studio place.

We had an audience, but I didn't mind. I guess my guitarist's quite nervous, so he couldn't manage to play. So here I am, playing with strangers, with some karaoke-loving boys.

20050904

Muzaffar Drives

I think Muzaffar likes STELLAR.

Since STELLAR went to Paroi Jaya, Muzaffar can now get near to it at will, accompanied by his grandad of course.

Once he kept pulling the door opener and wanting to get in. He likes to drive you see.

He nearly got his driving license, on his 18th birthday (read: in months). If he finally gets it, I have to allow him to drive STELLAR.

20050829

Not Flying The Flag

I read somewhere that less people are flying the Malaysian flag commemorating the Malaysian Independence Day 2005.

Now I came to realize why.

Dissatisfaction with the government is one of the reason I can come up with.

For me, the biggest reason is, the government is not backing the people in consumer goods price control. That includes petrol price.

Plenty other reasons. AP, poverty (ever watched Bersamamu?), non-functioning people-representative (wakil rakyat) etc etc. Go figure!

As for me, it's been a long time since I stop flying the flag. I don't see any reason for, that's why.

I even remembered once in 1998, moments after a free flag was put on my mother's car's windscreen, we decided to unstick it and keep it in the car.

Fly the flag if you wish. I won't. Democracy is indeed good.

20050828

Muzaffar At The Screen

Me, my wife and my son went to the movies tonight.

We watched Bewitched.

I actually loved to see how Muzaffar was amazed at the large screen.

He seems so into the movie, at least for an hour or so.

Then he got bored.

Fortunately there was a lot of seats left, so we put him in one.

In 20 minutes, he was off to sleep.

All this made me remember the last time we brought him to the cinema, when Madagascar was shown. He did not act so positive then.

But I guess, from now on, we can bring him anytime to the big screen.

20050825

Somebody's Gotta Do It

Today was a tiring day. But it was worth the while.

Quite a significant number of people stopped by our exhibition booth.

Frankly speaking though, I'd rather not participate in such so-called generic exhibition like SMIDEX anymore. More non-seeker are walking around rather than genuine clients.

I'll make a mental note to stick to technical type exhibition only, such as DSA, ICA, TENAGA or IA.

Gotta head home for a much needed nap.

20050824

Surprise Surprise

Several mishaps happen today. Firstly, STELLAR did a full throttle stunt for several minutes, . Turns out the speedo cable had stuck itself at the throttle.

Nasty.

The Brother's interior car fan went broken too. I should've known better. I'm so wanting to return it to them.

On the other hand, a surprise awaits me at night. Stumbled upon an old friend of mine. Actually it's my ex-pet sister, or so she said, which I disagree anyway. She brought everybody shopping at Alamanda, her hubby and all four kids. The eldest is 15 and she's almost my height. The youngest is 9, which I thought is still 4.

It's my mindset acting up again I guess.

I have realized my mind will get itself stuck in the past sometimes, especially on sentimental stuffs.

20050822

Exhibition Syndrome

Tiring day today.

Tomorrow is exhibition day. Anticipation runs high.

Expect no less than everything tomorrow.

Uhh, I'm expecting too much.

Maybe just because I'm tired.

20050818

Not Amused

Not an amusing chain of event, to say the least.

First, last night, SYCLONE's exhaust tip dragged down the streets after a misfortune with a mock-up wood ramp. I nearly missed Mohd Sabu's speech.

This morning, lots of rain downs me quite a bit too. And I thought the engine will lose out in the rain.

It did, at Projet. I can't start it anymore after buying nasi lemak there.

Trying hard to not feel let down, I thought of the old-age idea of wiping the dampness inside the distributor cap. It is wet by the way.

After wiping, hey presto it starts! All the downed feeling I got suddenly was dismissed.

20050814

Mariah Carey - Vision Of Love

eated me kind
Sweet destiny
Carried me through desperation
To the one that was waiting for me
It took so long
Still I believed
Somehow the one that I needed
Would find me eventually

I had a vision of love
And it was all that you've given to me

Prayed through the nights
Felt so alone
Suffered from alienation
Carried the weight on my own
Had to be strong
So I believed
And now I know I've succeded
In finding the place I conceived

I had a vision of love
And it was all that you've given to me
I had a vision of love
And it was all that you've given me

I've realized a dream
And I visualized
The love that came to be
Feel so alive
I'm so thankful that I've received
The answer that heaven
Has sent down to me

You treated me kind
Sweet destiny
And I'll be eternally grateful
Holding you so close to me
Prayed through the nights
So faithfully
Knowing the one that I needed
Would find me eventually

I had a vision of love
And it was all that you've given to me
I had a vision of love
And it was all that you
Turned out to be

20050811

It's That Bad

Today is cool. So was the day before and the day before the day before. :?

Must be a good thing. At least for Mini owners with a car without air-conditioning.

The sun won't be seen for quite a while I guess, so while I'm driving, I won't be greenhoused in either SYCLONE or STELLAR for a long time.

Najib once said, "We are not releasing the API result of the haze". Translation: It's too bad we cannot release it.

20050810

SYCLONE Is A Keeper

I think I will probably keep SYCLONE for a while. At least until the end of the year.

STELLAR is not fully stable yet. Some more repairs or parts-replacement are still in order. So I will probably need a second car.

And SYCLONE is very mileage-friendly now. I got near-Wira mileage, which is 15km per liter.

I guess at 1.62rm per liter, I will probably drive SYCLONE more than STELLAR each week.

But then again, if my brother were to borrow SYCLONE for schooling, I would not mind lending it to him.

20050809

Nearly Lost It There

Sent STELLAR for the much-anticipated steering repairs.

It's close to 7.30pm when I arrive, I nearly miss Pak Syed. He was about to go home.

Some of the task for him to fulfill are:
Steering rack replacement
Small tacho rerouting
Speedo and large tacho fitment
Fuse holder replacement

The steering job probably will take a day or two.

20050806

I'm Guilty Of Watching This, Sort Of

As I had expected, the Fantasy Academy champion is indeed Mawi.

Actually I have this very hot feeling on my body, probably because of the excitement and anticipation. Or maybe because my in-laws were here, adding the fun and louden the screams.

Hey, my 18 votes tonight probably counts for 0.1 percent out of the 58 percent Mawi got. Or not even close.

By the way, copious bathing after the TV show doesn't cool me off. I'm still on fire!

It's all because of Mawi's aura.

Should get some sleep to cool me off.

20050805

Clinical

Took MC today. My body feels too weak to do anything.

Went to Klinik Putrajaya for some medicine. I arrived close to 12pm. The attendant told me that I may have to come again after Friday prayers, as the doctor may take a break at 12.15pm.

I took my chance and gambled my way.

Sure enough, I went in at 12.25pm.

Good doctor!

20050804

Caught The Bug

Lifting stuffs at the office has took its toll on me.

I think I am in the midst of getting a flu.

It's all dusty and powdery here and there, and we are all exposed to the dirt.

Some of us had already caught the bug. I think I'm the worst part.

In another quite-related occurence, one of us had the back pain. Not for the faint-hearted.

20050803

Perish In The Sand

The office nearly finished obliterating most perishables and asset disposals.

From now on, Digital Aura is half-floor large. Well, not quite actually.

The top part, sort of the attic, will be the store.

Still, manpower will occupy half of the third floor only.

I actually felt the crampiness already.

By the way, the remaining floors and a half will be SCS's Maintenance And Services Department (MSD).

20050802

It's A Half-Fold Increment

sebelum 90 - RM 0.89
tahun 1990 - RM 1.10 (kenaikan RM 0.21)
01/10/2000 - RM 1.20 (kenaikan RM 0.10)
20/10/2001 - RM 1.30 (kenaikan RM 0.10)
01/05/2002 - RM 1.32 (kenaikan RM 0.02)
31/10/2002 - RM 1.33 (kenaikan RM 0.01)
01/03/2003 - RM 1.35 (kenaikan RM 0.02)
01/05/2004 - RM 1.37 (kenaikan RM 0.02)
01/10/2004 - RM 1.42 (kenaikan RM 0.05)
05/05/2005 - RM 1.52 (kenaikan RM 0.10)
31/07/2005 - RM 1.62 (kenaikan RM 0.10)

I have enjoyed the 1990 rate for about 5 years. Feels glorious enough!

And now it's a fifty-percent increase since that.

I wonder where all the tax money goes? And the oil royalty that Terengganu is supposed to enjoy, can't that be used to cover the subsidy up?

Spoilt government, I guess.

So guys, you know who to vote next time. Or do you still feel stupid enough to ignore?