tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54604761087292261212026-02-23T19:56:16.938+08:00Observations from Malaysia on the world around.Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10241249259045455763noreply@blogger.comBlogger320125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-31999116829484645922025-06-28T09:58:00.001+08:002025-06-28T09:58:31.422+08:00

 It's been nine weeks since I embarked on my intermittent fasting adventure, and the journey has been filled with interesting discoveries and small victories. This week, I decided to push my body a little further by attempting a 24-hour fast, skipping lunch on one particular day. While I expected to feel perhaps a bit more energetic, I was surprised to find myself feeling quite cold

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-84604313111997064322025-05-18T14:21:00.002+08:002025-05-18T14:22:09.918+08:00

My intermittent fasting journey has reached its third week, and I've observed a plateau in my weight loss. Reflecting on my habits, I've identified potential overeating during lunch or dinner as a contributing factor. I'm also using two different scales, a Huawei Smart Scale and an Omron Karada Scale, to monitor my progress. The readings understandably vary (Huawei: 70.9 kg, 23.2% body fat, 13%

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-4691698894731262752025-05-03T09:54:00.001+08:002025-05-03T09:54:29.542+08:00

 I've just completed my first week of intermittent fasting, and the initial progress seems promising. I researched intermittent fasting using both Gemini and Copilot and found that there are three main approaches: The 16/8 Method: This involves restricting your daily eating window to 8 hours. Eat-Stop-Eat: This method consists of a 24-hour fast once or twice a week. The 5:2 Diet: With this

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-59671212225853840732020-07-07T09:21:00.002+08:002020-07-07T09:21:41.624+08:00

The following are the steps for shutting down Fitbit Charge 3. Connect the charger Hold the inductive button for 12 seconds A line will appear on the screen, hold it until it reaches the end. Disconnect the charger immediately after it reaches the end. At this point the Fitbit Charge 3 will be switched off. To start up, just connect it to the charger.

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-19970645554962061522020-05-08T13:53:00.003+08:002020-05-08T13:56:14.371+08:00

Fitbit Charge 3Honor Band 5i Step CountHonor combines phone and band and provides a composite count. so it tends to provide higher step count Heart RateFitbit shows a higher hear rate count compared to Honor Cardio FitnessFitbit provides a cardio fitness range if there is GPS assisted run otherwise it provides a range.Not available SleepFitbit detects higher waking time. (Apr 30 claims I was

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-50655933141445514772019-09-06T09:42:00.001+08:002019-09-06T09:42:15.143+08:00

Fitbit finally added sleep score feature into their app on Wednesday, Sep 04, 2019. This feature was available for beta testing. Still not too sure of the usefulness of this feature but so far most of my sleep score is more than 80 (which is considered good). When this feature was enabled, some of my historic sleep data were also scored but some were not. Not sure why, but the note claims

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10241249259045455763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-45553690718816864922019-01-09T20:09:00.001+08:002019-01-14T08:53:12.376+08:00

In order to reach my two year goal in gaining fitness, I needed a way to measure my progress. I decided that the easiest way is to purchase Omron Body Composition Monitor HBF-375. The purchased serves two purposes: Provide me a way to measure my progress. Sends a message to my subconscious mind that I am serious about this goal. Awareness is the first step. Once I committed myself, I

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-76521569226768890542018-12-25T10:00:00.000+08:002019-01-07T08:51:39.449+08:00

Recent speech I delivered for Toastmasters: New Year is around the corner, there is a tradition that is common across the world. Do you know what is that tradition? It is to make New Year’s resolution. Babylonians make promises to their gods to return borrowed objects and pay their debts. Romans make promises to the god Janus for whom January is named after. At the end of the Great

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-88857058094558170212018-12-21T16:06:00.000+08:002018-12-21T16:06:35.583+08:00

Started to participate in Toastmasters again. One of the notes for me to keep in mind are the various ways to organize speeches. This is what was provided in one of the Pathway speech guides: ChronologicalChronologically organized speeches follows a sequence of events. Topical A topical structure organizes speeches by topics and subtopics. Break your speech into sections that explain major

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-35504874754608668872018-06-19T21:20:00.003+08:002018-06-19T21:20:51.780+08:00

When I tried to redeem my UOB Smart$ points today, I was told that GSC has stopped doing that from midnight on Jun 19, 2018. They will continue to let us earn UOB Smart$ points until Jun 30, 2018. I guess the number of Merchants supporting UOB Smart$ points is shrinking. The first was BHPetrol on Jun 25, 2017. Looks like UOB card is getting less attractive now.

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-19485022567447792702018-05-13T21:51:00.000+08:002018-05-13T21:51:46.930+08:00

I thought of letting the ink go off by itself but it too too long. It started peeling. Finally, I was told that it could be removed using bleach. Bleaches available these days are rather mild, so I did not feel anything when I soaked my finger in it. My wife was more sensitive so she felt some heat when she soaked her finger. This was how my fingered appears immediately after voting.

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-43071944039482762672018-05-09T11:58:00.001+08:002018-05-09T11:58:28.119+08:00

General Election 14 has started. It is a bit different this year, the road is not cordoned off as it was in previous general election. My family and I arrived around 8:15 am but the crowd has already started to build up. The following are some photos taken. The indelible ink is light but turns dark once it comes in contact with water.

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-41403448666479838212018-05-03T22:08:00.000+08:002018-05-03T22:08:24.186+08:00

I expected a lot of people wanted to see this movie but was still surprised when I tried to book the ticket online one week before the movie started in our local theaters. Half the seats were already taken. Had I waited until Thursday, I would not be able to get any good seat.The movie continued from the post credit scene of Thor: Ragnarok where the ship carrying the survivors of Asgard

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-6832529136496163832018-03-31T09:53:00.001+08:002018-03-31T09:53:33.386+08:00

I obtained six months free subscription for this service from my membership with TheStar website.SelectionDim Sum only provide Asian contents - Shanghai, Korean, Thai. Selection include movies, series and documentaries. So far I have seen a few Thai movies. The movies are quite innovative.DownloadDownload for offline viewing are available for both movies and series. Downloads expire after 14

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-77767050885559101962018-03-29T21:00:00.002+08:002018-03-29T21:00:56.897+08:00

I was reluctant to subscribe to any streaming service but since it was offered free, I decided to try it out. This is my impression of the service. iFlix Logo SelectionIFlix provides a combination of Korean and English movies and television series. There is a collection of Marvel movies, of which Guardians of the Galaxy is the latest. Series includes shows from TLC, ABC, Nickelodeon, and

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-89234184513103319882018-03-03T00:35:00.001+08:002018-03-03T00:35:13.772+08:00

Telekoms has been pushing the Unifi branding on all its products. The latest product to use this branding is a mobile prepaid service called mobile@unifi. During the three months promotion period, the sim card is given free (list price is RM10/-). Each person is allowed to request up to 5 sims.The first one million sims come with 20GB data, 10 minutes talk time and 10 sms. To me it looks like a

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-8075697108188766592018-03-01T08:56:00.002+08:002018-03-02T07:55:21.776+08:00

Finally purchased Samsung A8 Plus on the launch weekend on Jan 21, 2018 after getting frustrated with the need to keep rebooting my OnePlus One. As part of the launch, it was bundled with a 10,000 mAh power bank (which allows me to have two micro USB to USB-C adapter - one from the power bank and one that comes in the box) and 64 GB memory card. I planned to purchase A8 initially but bought the

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10241249259045455763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-45086335619427573732017-09-03T20:58:00.003+08:002017-09-03T20:58:46.130+08:00

I received this as book as part of a Samsung for Kindle offer in February but finally got around to reading it. The book centers around one of the characters from Oliver Twist, the Artful Dodger. In the first part of the book the author, Peter David kept criticizing Charles Dickens on the development of Oliver Twist and the focus of the story and how weak Oliver was. It was kind of

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-16850797033330438052017-08-21T20:20:00.000+08:002017-08-21T20:25:21.908+08:00

I was tempted to buy a new phone with One Plus 5 was announced. A few things had driven my initial decision to select One Plus: There was the Screen Overlay Issue, which I finally resolved. Then there was the ability to create multiple user, but the reason disappeared after I learned about work profile (also known as Android for Work). Another driving factor was the thought of better camera (

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-70684141294654169032017-07-08T14:39:00.001+08:002017-07-08T14:39:04.630+08:00

Spider-man: Homecoming is the latest reboot of Spider-man. I expected it to be great but the feedback from my family were as follows: My son: “The story is too cliche”. My daughter: “It was Meh!” My wife: “The story does not get me emotionally involved!” What I liked The introduction to Toomes was good, providing with his motivation; change to survive. However, I felt a bit irritated

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-80856588527750633802017-07-06T20:44:00.000+08:002017-07-06T20:44:13.018+08:00

I recently tried Android for Work (also known as Work Profile). It is similar to the multiple user I wrote about previously except that the apps reside within the primary user account. This approach as a few advantage over the multiple user account, they are: Alarm from the work profile will appear on the screen. In multiple user mode, only alerts of the active (selected) profile are visible.

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-51079794167195751652017-07-01T12:52:00.000+08:002017-07-01T12:52:20.763+08:00

I thought my phone was broken. I could not grant or revoke permissions on any of the apps on my phone unless I restart the phone in safe mode. I could not perform zoom or even change anything in my camera, I could only take normal shots. It was so frustrating that I considered buying a new phone. However, I decided to perform some research as a final attempt. Each time, I tried to make any

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-25419918480295811902017-06-27T17:30:00.000+08:002017-06-27T17:30:06.444+08:00

The thriller for the movie looked interesting enough with lots of action so I thought how bad could a story of King Arthur be. The movie is a complete departure from the legend of King Arthur. Modred was killed by Arthur’s father, Uther Pendragon, at the beginning of the movie. Excalibur is made from Modred’s staff; that was never the case in any of King Arthur’s tale before. In the past,

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-72183925527549747802017-06-26T20:50:00.004+08:002017-06-26T20:50:59.258+08:00

I decided to watch The Mummy because I was given a free ticket. I tried going yesterday but the cinema hall was full (except for the first two rows), so I decided to book the ticket online and went today. The story was straight forward; an ancient princess made a pact with the devil and was sealed alive in a tomb. She is then set free by a person with questionable ethics who in turn was

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5460476108729226121.post-55299069169407084782017-06-23T21:15:00.000+08:002017-06-23T21:15:14.495+08:00

My son wanted to watch Cars 3 but will only be released in August so we decided to watch Despicable 3 instead and I am glad we did. The main villain of the show is Balthazar Bratt, who was a former child actor who portrayed a young super villain which was cancelled when he reached puberty. Gru was fired from the Anti-Villain League by its new leader because of his failure to apprehend

Strovekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905093167036022419noreply@blogger.com0