Pikachu can drive

Maxis Friend Finder "Found" Stolen Car

2009-10-03T15:26:00.004+08:00

This morning I was reading a local Chinese Paper when I came across a very interesting article. A 34 year old man in Falim, Penang lost his Toyota Camry along with his cell phone inside the car. He used a local telco service provider - Maxis to help locate his car. The owner, used Maxis Friend finder WAP service to locate his mobile phone which according to Maxis website provides the approximate location; accurate between a few hundred meters to a kilometer.
With the approximate location, the police was able to locate the car which was parked in another apartment parking lot in Air Hitam, Penang. The car was retrieved but unfortunately the poliece was unable to catch the culprits. For the original article (in Chinese) click here.

Visting Mango

2009-06-20T11:58:00.004+08:00

For the past couple of Fridays, we've been making constant visit to Mango in Sungai Petani, Kedah. So how long exactly has mango been in 'hospital? Well long enough for a spider to set up a web huge enough to catch this dragonfly. Not to forget the thick layer of dust all over the car!

Anyway, below are a few pictures of Mango's current condition which show it still has a long way to go .

Hello Kitty Car Sub Woofer

2009-04-16T16:00:00.004+08:00

Car chop shops are truly unique. They sometimes can carry weird stuffs. Most if not all chop shops here get their stuffs from Japan. So yesterday the McGuyver and Dan were out looking for some stuffs and McGuyver bought something pink.

Hello Kitty car sub woofer. Honestly, I dislike Hello Kitty. Anything that has the image of that cat without a mouth is something that I'll stay away!

But this box (if without the words or images of THAT kitten) actually looks quite nice. The acrylic side panels has pink stars printed on it. And from one side it looks a little like a toaster oven.
After cleaning the box, the guys decided to give this little thing a test run and see how it sounds.
Unfortunately, this thing only looks nice. The sounds produced is bad. Very Bad.
And it's magenta pink neon light is an eyesore.

Kg. Gajah - We Never Arrive

2009-04-14T15:48:00.003+08:00

Dennis had every single reason NOT to go to the track this season - his Mango is in the 'hospital' for a total make over (metal surgery). But since he had to deliver someone's absorbers (whom unfortunately I forgotten the owner's name... sorry) we took the Ranger to Kg. Gajah with McGuyver, Panda and Fuji tagging along just for fun.
Dennis wanted to take the regular route (exit at Changkat Jering) but McGuyver somehow managed to 'con-vince' Dennis to exit at Ipoh and take the long route down to Kg. Gajah. So while cruising along the high way at speed limit, I noticed the air condition failed to freeze us like it always used to and Dennis noticed the engine bay's temperature was rising. Immediately he turned off the engine and let the car glide into the emergency lane.

Upon checking under the hood, we saw the radiator had cracked and steam was gushing out. Luckily there was a highway petrol car on the opposite direction and the two nice gentlemen quickly came over to place cones and offered their assistance. Since Dennis had called his uncle, the two men didn't need to do anything further and left us.

Note: it's best to keep the highway emergency phone number at hand. So if you're on PLUS highway and something untoward happens to your car，call 1-800-88-0000. Or hunt for the Emergency phone which is placed along the highway at every kilometer (I think).
About one and a half hour later, Dennis uncle arrived with the tow car. It was quite difficult to lift the ranger because it's a very very heavy vehicle. And Since the tow car can only ferry 2 passengers, the 3 other guys (McGuyver, Panda and Fuji) had to sit in the Ranger and get towed back to Nibong Tebal.

Riding in a tow car is SO uncomfortable. But it is quite funny how I can end up sleeping half the journey and only to wake up when we arrive back home!

So a lesson for all:-
1. Always check your car before the start of any journey.
2. Keep emergency numbers handy (tow car and your regular car mechanic numbers included)
3. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times. If you don't need it, your car may need it.

Driving carefully

2009-02-01T13:16:00.004+08:00

Festive season is a time were everyone heads home to be with their love one. However one must always exercise caution especially when on the wheel. It's a good thing that both Dan and I have a valid driving license so one can take the wheel while the other is tired and in need of rest.

The picture above was taken along the North-South Highway, about less than 1 kilometer from the Jelapang Toll (Ipoh). The highway along that area is currently under expansion, so there are many road signs warning drivers to be extra careful. But I guess there are some individuals who thinks they are Michael Schumacher or Mika Häkkinen only to snap back into reality when their car burst into flames - at that point, all they can do is sit and stare blankly into space and wonder what went wrong.

As we approached the burning car, I asked Dan to take a video instead of taking pictures. Luckily the driver and passenger escaped with little injuries (a quick zoom in from my PC shows the traumatized girl had a bleeding nose).

After Dan had stopped the recording I drove by the burning car with caution as the heat from the flames was so bad that I can even feel it from inside the Ranger even though I'm at least 1.5 lanes away from it. Anyway, let this video image be a reminder for all to drive safely during the festive season.

Fight at Kg. Gajah - 40 against 10

2009-01-13T12:00:00.006+08:00

Yes, news spread fast and before you know it, it's in the papers. When TK first blogged about it two days ago, I didn't think much of it. And today it was in the papers just proves how rowdy people can be when they don't get what they want. According to Sin Chew online news report, the event organizer Provice Event held a Press Conference at DAP's office (Perak Branch) to highlight this case which happened on Saturday 10th January 2009 at Kg. Gajah. Yup, shocking isn't it? A simple track right in the middle of no where meant for drivers to test their skills on the track can turn out into a fighting ground. Anyway with this news out on the papers, I think Kg. Gajah cannot be considered as 'middle-of-no-where'.

Now based on the news report, the event organizer was charging MYR5 per head per view. If I may say, it's quite pricey for an individual who's just there to sit at the grand stand the whole day and stare at cars making circles on the track. One fellow visitor refused to pay and made a big fuss about it. And when tempers flare, so does their arms and legs. In the end, there were broken bones, bruised eyes, damaged equipments and probably some dented egos. But according to the gossip version, the very fellow visitor was only a young boy. Being a village juvenile, it's no surprise he can't afford for it. It seems that while he was being ushered out rudely, he dropped his slippers (oh ya... Cinderella style!). And then ran home and cried for recruits. Which then lead to a big rowdy crowd armed with sticks and stones and what-ever their hands can get hold of marching straight to the track. In the end, same thing - broken bones, bruised eyes, damaged equipments and dented egos.

Now I was not at the scene so I don't know what exactly happened. But one thing for sure is that being an organizer you'll just have to be extra careful when dealing with people, especially those revengeful kind. Or you'll never know what hit you.

Image source: Sin Chew Online

Extreme Colors

2009-01-07T14:13:00.004+08:00

One way or another, cars reflects their owner's personality. From those who seeks great attention by doing a little paint job to those who seek greater attention by up sizing what ever their money can buy.
First, we have the Fuchsia Pajero. I'm guessing that this owner is either female, gay, or some guy who likes attention. With all the extreme add ons (see that black pipe by the driver's side?) and body lift, it looks like a car fit for off road. But with that shining new Fuchsia paint job, I doubt he's going into the jungle anytime soon.

and a Lemon Lime Saga. Nothing extreme about this car except it's brightly painted spray which anyone who passes by would notice. Anyway, I wonder if this car glows in the dark??
Then there is this Outrageous Orange Wira which I've yet to take its picture as I do not have the time yet. But no worries, that owner is a local dude so I get to come across that car very often in town...

Kg. Gajah - My First Time

2008-12-30T11:28:00.012+08:00

Despite yesterday's event being the most quiet event I've EVER attended, it was still the funniest and most 'happening' event I've ever participated - and I mean it when I say I took part. But before I start talking crap, let me tell you a picture story...
At about noon time yesterday, Ah Wei said Lao San had met an accident while on his way. So Dan quickly drove the Ranger with Miki and I in the car while Panda and Fujiwara83 enjoying the breeze at the rear end of the Ranger
When we arrived the site, there was already a tow car waiting to 'fish' Lao San's beautiful white Vios (I prefer to call it White Rat ... 白老鼠). Luckily the Ranger is equipped with winch so Dan slowly pulled the White Rat out of the ditch. Anyway, it's a good thing that all passengers escaped unhurt.
And after the tow car hooked the White Rat to be towed back to Nibong Tebal, we drove back to the track but this time with Panda and Ah Wei taking the back seat instead.
They couldn't help but enjoy every minute of the journey as Dennis prep up the Ranger beyond the trunk road speed limit. Ah Wei even managed to have a puff but could not control his body balance on every corner.
And the back in the track and it was time to set up cones for Time Attack. Despite continuous drizzle, many still managed to put up a smiling face for the camera.
Among the many cars that was there was a FUCHSIA Wira which had break lights installed at the BOTTOM of the car... God knows WHO on EARTH needs break lights installed at the bottom of the car! But TK was quick to stop this guy from entering the tracks since he did not register himself (just a guess, cos I didn't see him enter the tracks during Time Attack).
Anyway during Time Attack, Suhaimi in a black wira spun out which the Ranger was called in to save the day. All that was needed was a jack to lift the car and pulled out 7 (or 8) rotten tires stuck at the bottom.
Oh yes, the boys sure had a good laugh when they found out how many tires were stuck under there!

And we have TK looking gloomy ... For some reason unknown to the photographer
And of course, Chloe and Lai Kuan enjoyed themselves atop the Ranger.
The picture below is taken from Jeremy Chin's blog. Clockwise from left : Fujiwara83, Chloe, Lai Kuan, Panda, Jay, Dan and me (on the wheel)

I do have to admit that my camera is like a child's toy compared to Jeremy Chin's Cannon DSLR but this is the best shot of my Hubby's Mango speeding straight along the Grandstand.
And since my 'toy' was in the bag when I took my first lesson on the track with my Ranger, the only picture I could show is my certificate.

Basically, I had only one round to understand the track (warm up lap), 2 tries and one cooling down lap (4 laps in total). Even though I end up being the slowest car of all, I had a good time. Ah Wei even had a hard time figuring out what category does the Ranger belongs to - which was then settled in the Open Class Category. Anyway after the event, I drove the Ranger straight back to Nibong Tebal with Ah Wei and Miki fast asleep like giant babies...

PS : TK if you're reading this, I've emailed the original pics of you and Chloe to your Gmail. And thanks again for letting the Ranger onto the track (^^,)

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2008-12-25T22:45:00.004+08:00

Well, in less than 10 days we will be ushering the new year. While everyone preps up for the last event of the year this monday, I'll be busy revamping my blog AGAIN. Hopefully you'll get to see the new PiKA by New Year's Day!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holidays!

Ugly Cars - One's Beauty is Another's Eyesore

2008-12-17T15:47:00.005+08:00

Ever since joining my hubby here in Penang, I've realized that there are so many people who loves personalizing their cars! They will do anything they can to make their car look different and special from others. So since I've got lots of involvement with cars right now, might as well practice some photography and start taking pictures of cars that I think looks ugly. But of course I will erase the license plate as to provide the poor soul some privacy - though I'm guessing that someone among the many many visitors of my little blog spot would recognize the car.
Ugly Car - 01

Why I choose this as my first Ugly Car is because the owner is someone I know personally - AND he knows I'm blogging about it! Well the reason why I found this car ugly is because the the rear spoilers sticks out at the back of the car like a sore thumb. Now I come to understand in the basic theory of fast cars is that you need these to keep the butt of your car down so you don't float (or something like that... but any kind samaritan reader who wishes to correct me please feel free - thank you). However with a gab big enough to fit a baby panda through, would only create an 'uplift' from that gap during high speed! So like it or not, that ugly spoiler is not only ugly but also not practical!
Ugly Car - 02

This car I also take it as ugly because it's color. See how it blends with the grass in the background? And this color is what my beloved friend Miki would call it 鸭粪绿 (duck poo green)! Now mind you, I took this picture when inside a vehicle so there is a bit of color distortion from the windshield. So the actual color that I saw is worse that what's shown. Even though this car's rear spoiler is a bit of an eyesore but is not as bad as Ugly Car 01.

Believe me, there are uglier cars that I've seen apart from this two. But once I get the chance of taking its pictures I am sure I will upload it!

Saturday Night Races

2008-12-16T11:17:00.009+08:00

So on the 6th and 13th (that's like two saturdays ago and last saturday) we had a small gathering one at our home and the recent one at Lun's home. There was no specific reasons other than having a little get together before Lun's departure to Australia for work. Anyway, I took the opportunity to learn from the chef - which is quite cool to prepare meals for 10 in under 2 hours.

So after a nice meal, it was game time. Dan took out the PS2 and all was hooked to projector for many hours of battle on tracks, roads and off roads on Need for Speed.
Game on - Lun vs Dan
Game on - Wei vs Dan
Game on - Small TV looks better - Lun Vs Chean (Wei looks super excited O.0)
By the time the adrenaline rush was over it was 3am.
Then again, last Saturday we had another get together - but this time at Lun's home. This time I didn't take much photos of the guys battling out on the average sized TV as his two little dogs were much more attractive. Anyway, here's the one and only pic I took that turned out okay...

Oh well, at least one shot is still better than nothing!

Jalan Jalan Cari Makan

2008-11-18T11:54:00.004+08:00

Picture from www.daylife.com

Yesterday night Dan and I headed to Chean's place to collect his Mango which has been sitting in Chean's shop over the weekend. As usual, we were chatting in the car through out the entire journey. Once we made a turn at the Hospital we saw a road block. Dan quickly slow down as we approached the block and the police straight away called us to stop at the road shoulder.
As standard procedure, the police ask for Dan's IC and driving licence and checked the car's road tax. There were about 6 officers manning the roadblock and I saw none of them holding a walkie talkie. After checking, the police ask "tau apa salah?" while the both of us gave him a blur face and uttered 'huuh?' He repeated his questions numerous times and we looked at each other pondering what have we done wrong. The second officer approached us and told us that we had ran the red lights. Dan looked at me and asked in Chinese 'was the light red or green when we passed?' and I said 我不知道 (I don't know). I continued in Chinese 'isn't the red light only applies for those who are going straight?' The officer then asked 'apa macam skrang?' Dan and I kept our silence for a while as the agitated officer continued asking 'apa macam skarng...langar lampu isyarat' Dan replied that he didn't see the lights was red and also mentioned that the red lights at that junction only applies for those going straight while those turning left has always been green. We then continued our small talk in Chinese while both the officers walked away to talk to a third who was scanning every passing car. It was then Dan said 找吃的 while I nod in agreement. Moments later, the second officer called us to go. So Dan said thanks and drove away. For a moment, I sigh of relief as I knew very well that I did not bring my drivers licence and if the officer wanted to check me, I would have had it. Yet at the same time I was angry that the police still resort to this method to get extra 'earnings'. What's worse is I felt bad for the van driver in front of us earlier. It's by far obvious he has flaunt the law by ferrying people beyond it's legal limit and at the same time we can see that the driver and it's people inside the van looks like they are from the lower income group. It sure disgust me to see the police officers that would even have the guts to extort money from a poor man...

Prep-up for comming Track Day

2008-11-08T11:31:00.002+08:00

Hokay... So the track event is another two weeks away. Many are up and busy tuning their cars while I just make sure that Dan make sure that my Powered Ranger is in tip top condition when I take the wheel from Bukit Merah all the way to the Track.

This time, I won't be driving the car alone with the walkie-talkie - I've got a friend to come along! At the very least, I won't get bored during the two hour cruise from Penang to Kg. Gajah and later in the evening cruising back. However this time, I'm not exactly sure about how the Sunday crowd will be and can't even predict the ever unpredictable weather. But anyway, I will sure try my best to take as many pictures of Dennis in his juicy Mango. So anyone who is interested to be part of the picture, do make chase when you see the TKA Mango on the track!

New Transportation Mode?

2008-10-31T16:09:00.004+08:00

Okay. This machine is like all over town! It was sold openly in Baling town and almost everyone was riding one! I don't know where can I get one of these in NT, but it sure would be cool to have one of this! By the looks of it, it's obvious that it's brought in from China, with all the Chinese writings all over and it's even got a 'license plate'! I'm not sure of the price but if small town folks can afford it, then it shouldn't be all that expensive. Honestly this motor-powered bicycle should be the IN thing. The authorities should implement the usage of these machine in universities and encourage city folks to use it! It's environmentally friendly, it's a good exercising machine (ie cycling from one end to the other end of campus) and it's cute! Well, like any two wheeled vehicle, this one doesn't provide any shelter and I don't think this machine would last long in our country's climate.
Anyway, as far as my observation goes, most of these motored-bicycles here are mostly owned by old folks while the younger generation prefers driving four-wheeled vehicles...

Power Ranger - How I fell in love

2008-09-20T12:50:00.002+08:00

This is a little story of how I fell in love with this big machine. It was some time last year when Dennis drove down to KL in the Ranger. Actually Oddball fell in love with it before I did because that pick-up was like her personal limousine! I like the Ranger initially was because I didn't feel nauseous when sitting in the car. I can chat with Dennis from the start of our journey till the end without the need of sour plums or Mentos!

But I began to appreciate this vehicle more when I was the one behind the wheel during one of our journeys from KL to Penang. Feeling tall and huge, it was a big advantage for a person like me. Many of my friends (new and old) was surprised that I can drive such a huge machine when my then love bug was a green metal melon not even half it's size! But that surprise was not as surprising as my FIL's comments - 'She can DRIVE?!' Even though that was a comment made a long time ago, I can still remember it and it still sounds very funny!

Anyway, I am not the only one who loves this machine. Even some of Dennis friends who had the opportunity to drive it says its a great vehicle. In fact one of them said when the Ranger is at traffic lights, he can see passengers of other cars who's skirts were just short of exposing themselves! Well, this guy may be a pervert, but there are some truths said especially when the cars are low and some girls just love to wear short shorts or short skirts. After all, which man wouldn't love to look at a pretty girl in a pretty dress?

So as the Ranger get a few more sessions at the workshop for maintenance; I'll be looking forward for a great ride back to KL for the coming Raya...

Green Hope

2008-09-08T11:17:00.004+08:00

A few weekends ago, Dennis and I went for our second movie in the past 9 months of staying together in Penang. Come to think of it, it sounds little. But truth is we've been downloading movies and watching at home. Anyway, in the most recent cinema trip, we watched WALL-E. It was almost like a Mr. Bean movie (minimal speech, actions says it all) after all a picture is worth a thousand words.
Well today while Dennis was clearing some of his things from the Ranger he found something intriguing!

Plants growing in a partially hidden compartment above the mud guard. Well, since we often park the car under the trees, it's no wonder leaves would get stuck at that small cosy dark spot. By the way, the last time I cleaned up that place was in July right before the Kg. Gajah trip. But I guess with the constant rain (and leaves) falling into that little gap, any plantae would love to germinate. The leaves of this new occupant are slight yellowish due to the lack of sunlight. But if left alone it's anyone's guess on what is to happen...

Mango at work

2008-09-02T11:47:00.001+08:00

Dennis has not been updating his blog in the past two weeks. But he has a valid reason - Mango is back for good!

Well, instead of having the Mango at home, Dennis cleared the factory with enough space for his little Mango to sit quietly while he takes his long sweet time to fix his juicy ride. With the Mango inside the factory, it sure does attract a lot of attention. After all, boys will always be boys - thy loves anything with wheels!

Busy Bee

2008-08-30T11:43:00.000+08:00

Gosh, time flies and I've not been blogging for the past month! Well, I've been quite busy these days that I don't even have time to read blogs let alone write!

Kimball informed me the other day of his intentions to visit me in December with his bunch of F6 friends while on a 'hunt' for insects for his biology project. Dennis didn't mind, so I gave him the green light with condition that they won't mind sleeping on mattresses or on the cold hard floor since we are not in a great hurry to furnish our newly brought home.

A few days later, I caught a funny looking insect (it's got 6 legs, so automatically it's in the insecta class). If anyone reading this knows what insect is this, I do appreciate it.

The side profile of the creature
It's funny how a simple call from Kimball could trigger my 'science-instinct' to catch bugs as I used to back when I myself was in F6. I could still remember arguing with my project mate I will never agree in putting a cockroach into our project display even though she doesn't mind doing the catching and pinning any species from that Blattaria Order. But in the end we still had a roach in the box as the specimen she got was considered a 'big beauty' by our teacher!

So I'll be looking forward in joining Kimball and his friends for a round of bug catching!

无聊ness Strikes Back!

2008-07-24T20:21:00.000+08:00

OK. For me as a blogger, being 无聊 (wu liao) is normal. And the 无聊 bug usually 'attacks' a person when there's nothing to do. These few weeks has been a slow business week. The staffs took advantage of the free time to wash their motorbikes / cars. Then Dennis joined them to wash the Ranger. So while washing the Ranger, he decided to create an artificial water fall...

Seeing the water splash out from the back was totally cool! I guess when we start having kids I can start turning the Ranger into a mini-swimming pool..... (*devil's grin)...

Kg. Gajah – A Day of Rain and shine

2008-07-14T20:47:00.000+08:00

On Sunday morning, Dennis and I decided to take a slow cruise from Ipoh to Kg. Gajah. Not really knowing how to get there, I used TiBO™ (the GPS) to be our guide. With the TiBO™ in the Powered Ranger with me on the wheel and Dennis in the Mango, I took the lead in a slow and steady drive from Ipoh to Kg. Gajah. Instead of using the Tualang route, the GPS machine calculated a different route; leading us through the town centre, Menglembu and then to Kg. Bota before reaching Kg. Gajah. Despite the long distance of 75km, it was a fun ride as almost the entire journey is straight four-lane traffic; with little bends or corners. Unlike the Tualang route that is not only has two lanes but also a winding and uneven road; which would slow drivers like me even though the journey is much shorter. When we arrived, the Penang convoy was only ten minutes behind us. Dennis quickly parked his car under an oil palm tree by the entrance and I took the opportunity to take pictures of the Mango with the grandstand building as the backdrop.

When the Penang convoy arrived, I managed to get a few shots of some of our friends. However, most of the pictures did not turn out as well as I have expected as the heavy rain clouds looming above us created a very dark environment (and I forgot to turn on the flash… oops). The morning session was sunny and I had many good shots of Dennis and his Mango.

Nevertheless, I guess the happiest person on that day would have to be Snappy Scav – his happy face caught on my camera. Finally he had the opportunity to drive the Mango on the track!

As lunchtime approaches, the sky began to pour. Drifters cheered as they lined up to entered the track. Dennis took his Mango with Ah Wei 哥 beside him and tried to drift under the rain. I was in the grandstand while Miki 姐, Ying姐, 老三哥 and many others took shelter under the grand stand and watched the cars drift by and splash water all over. However, due to inexperience, Dennis lost control for a moment and came crashing into the crowd under the grandstand (which included our three special friends). Luckily no one was hurt in this incident as everyone managed to run for safety. Ying姐 managed to get the whole incident on camera – which was very brave of her to continue filming despite the Mango charging into her direction. The clip below is copied from 老三哥's bloggie and Danny managed to get this shot right before the Mango 'charged' towards the crowd below.

After lunch, was the mini race. Since Dennis did not join, Miki 姐, Ying姐 and I took a nice little nap in老三哥’s cooling Toyota Vios. Again the same fella won the race but this time there was something more interesting – a young lady joined the race too. Don’t really know who she is, but she was so cool. Maintaining speed with the second last car all the way from start to end. As the day draws to an end, drivers and drifters throng the track for one last time while Dennis and I begin to pack up and head home. On our way home, we saw numerous buses racing each other neck to neck at most streaches along the highway. There were some who even over took us. At that time I was too tired already to push the Ranger faster and Dennis was already soaking in sweat (mind you Mango has no air cond) so we maintained at 80-100kmph along the highway.

Generally there was far less participants in this event; probably cos it was arranged too near the previous event. Nevertheless, I believe many had a fun time.

Prep-up : Kg. Gajah

2008-07-09T23:48:00.000+08:00

There will be another open day in Kg. Gajah this coming Sunday organized by TougeKing. This time, Dan and I won't be leading any convoy from Penang since we will be in Ipoh a day early to check Mango out of 'Uncle Choy's Hospital'. During the previous trip when there was two convoy groups Wei 哥 and 老三哥 lead the super fast group while Dennis and Chean took care of the scenic drivers... Well can't call them slow cos they are faster than L drivers. At certain points of the journey, I really felt like stopping by to take photos; or at least if I wasn't the one driving, it would be nice to take some photos. Anyway, between driving and taking pictures, I think I prefer driving ^^,

So while everyone gets ready for this Sunday event, I'll just start sleeping early so that I don't have to crave for nap times while everyone else is burning rubber on the tracks....

Would you eat this?

2008-07-03T23:44:00.000+08:00

Ever since the petrol price increase, business has been slow. So some of Dennis's friends were so free, they could spend almost the entire day with us just for a cuppa; while some others were so busy trying to make ends meet that you can't see them for a long period of time. Anyway, a couple days ago Dennis's friends drop by and Dennis decided to have dim sum for breakfast at a friend's restaurant. While I looked into their 'pao' steamer for some buns, I saw something intriguing. And I ordered it ^^,

A funny looking bun (馒头). Well, looks can be deceiving. It very much looks like a pile of poop but it's actually sweet potato bun; so it is quite yummy (sweet). According to our friend (owner) it's self made (not outsource). So the first question that ~~pooped~~ up was "can't you make a better pattern?" While Dennis gave a more honest (brutally direct) statement "it looks like sh*t"...

Oh well, in the food industry you do have to be 'special' in order to stay ahead of competition. But I guess some people just took it a step too far

Flexing my rusty fingers...

2008-07-03T00:22:00.000+08:00

Well, I've left uni for more than a year now and it's been some time since I've last done some programming. The only time I make use of my programming skills is to help Dennis develop his webby (which is still under construction as there are limited graphics on absorbers on the Net) and some simple softwares to keep a record on his customers.

Anyway, since I am quite free these few nights, I decided to play around with the CSS style sheets for my blog. I guess programming is like maths; you have to practice everyday and keep on learning as you progress. So this is how my bloggie looks like right now, and I'll see if I can make more modifications to 'beautify' my little space on the world wide web...

P.S. The Header changes every time you refresh this page ^^,

GO GO Power RANGER!

2008-06-25T20:33:00.000+08:00

While we were having lunch at KFC today, Wei 哥 called Dennis and said the saw the ranger on Zerotohundred.com Since KFC provides free WiFi (yes, the KFC here in Nibong Tebal is not THAT backwards) Dennis took out his Nokia N82 and started surfing while I struggle to finish my burger.

Then, Dennis pointed out the Ranger! The first picture below is Dennis reversing the Ranger to it's VIP parking spot. I'm guessing that this picture was taken right after lunch when Dennis took his long sweet time do drive the Ranger as there was not many cars on the track.

Now I don't have a clue on when this picture was taken, probably Dennis would remember.

Anyway, there are 3 pictures of the Ranger, a side profile of Danny (below) with Uncle Choy's monster car (the green one) but no Mango; So this coming trip, I won't be doing anything except taking pictures!

Give blood and save lives

2008-06-22T17:19:00.000+08:00

After 10 hours of sleep I was all prepped up and ready to donate blood. By the time we arrived at McD, it was almost 12p.m. The hospital that took part in this event was from Seberang Perai - about 10 minutes drive from Auto City.
When I peeked into the blood donor room, there was 4 beds but only one donor and his supportive wife. Dennis and I quickly filled in the form and proceed with standard procedures of being asked many questions (i.e. have we eaten, am I pregnant or having period and stuffs like that). After the Doc took my blood pressure and weight, I proceed to get my blood iron level counted in the most sophisticated method (not really canggih la... just that it beats the traditional method of using a container filled with Copper II Sulphate). Its a machine that does the calculation and gives the response in numbers. According to the nurse, a normal Asian woman should get a reading between 11.9 - 18.9 while blood donors should exceed 12.5. My reading was 13.9 (happy grin) as I proceed next to get my bag, Dennis came to me with a sour face. Doc refused to accept his blood as he had history of asthma. Even though the last attack was 10 years ago, she didn't want to take the risk of being responsible in the event that anything happens to him.

Anyway, I proceed with the donation with Dennis being my personal camera man. In the room, I was greeted by 3 senior nurses with full of smiles. The donor whom I saw earlier was actually donating for his first time. He was considered lucky as being a first time donor, it is important that you get good hospitality and treatment as it will influence your future plans to donate - and the best way is getting a senior nurse - totally professional and filled with tender loving care! I definitely had lots of attention today. 3 nurses entertaining me alone - I felt like a super VIP! And the best thing is that the puncture wound made by senior nurses are small and clean. I had a 16G needle stuck in my arm, yet the wound is the size of a mosquito bite with minor bruise.

So while I was in the process of squeezing my blood into the bag, I had a little chat with the 3 wonderful ladies and got lots of interesting stories. Everything in the room was almost qualified to be placed in a museum! The beds were like from colonial times; they didn't have blood donor chairs as it was out of their budget AND the models they had seen couldn't recline into a bed in the event the donor feels faint. Then it was the blood bag - really old school design. They all have seen the latest blood bag from the National Blood Bank (PDN) but it was totally out of their budget so they stick to this old fashion design. The new designs came with a side path where the nurses can tap blood samples before the donor fills the main bag. In the old school design, they have to cut the tube to get the blood after the donor filled the main bag. In simple words, the new blood bag reduces contamination and exposure of the blood to the environment. Then came questioning on the amount of blood a donor can donate. Now according to these ladies, all criteria in accepting the amount of blood from any one donor is set by PDN. The weight, height and gender of the donor is obtained before it is decided on the amount of blood allowed to be taken. What's surprising is that last year when I donated blood, PDN has took 450cc of my blood when based on my physical conditions, they can only take 300cc. Talk about NOT practicing what you preached! Then came to question on the role of McD. They had a place for us to donate blood, but there was no token of appreciation from the host. Now, I'm not saying that I donate for rewards but a token of appreciation would be nice in form of discounted meals or at least a free drink. Unlike in KL, where flood loads of goodies awaits donors especially in temple organized events. But at least the McD management knows how to appreciate the nurses by providing them a coupon for free burger and drinks! At least something is better than nothing, right?

So after resting on the bed, I bid adieu to the ladies and my bag of blood; then head outside for free flows of milo (provided by the hospital) and coke (from Dennis' set meal). In a way, where there are not many donors, it's cool cos you get super VIP treatment. Yet you feel sad as the crowd prefers to eat and fatten their waistline than to donate and stay healthy...