Alvin's Life after 20

July 9th, 2011

2011-07-09T19:11:00.005+08:00

I joined the Bersih March today, 9th July.

How was it? It was mind-blowing.

My journey towards Stadium Merdeka started from Kelana Jaya LRT station, around 12.30P.M. Upon reaching the station, already got at least 5 policemen so efficiently on guard. If everyday also guard around LRT stations, Malaysia crime rate sure drop by at least half already lor.

Next stop : Pasar Seni ~1:15P.M.

Already police are asking everyone of us to leave the station immediately while leaving only one small door for like 1000 people inside the station to get out from. I take back my word on police efficiency.

Outside the station, FRU already blocking the bridge. People were gathering around the area. Helicopters hovering around.

~1.30P.M

Follow group walking towards Maybank / Jalan Pudu. Along the journey one small Indian stall selling drinks got crowded with people buying drinks from his stall. Untung banyak la as the only stall still open.

Reached Maybank. Saw YB Ngar Kor Ming in person. He looked much fatter than what I usually see of him on Youtube.

Chanting of "Hidup Rakyat!" , " Hidup Bersih!".

~1.45P.M

FRU started spraying tear gas and water cannon. Got my first experience being sprayed with these devilish things. Group dispersed, regrouped and marched towards Pudu bus station.

Helicopters hovering very low, attempting to disperse us? Group stucked along Jalan Pudu. Closed off from both sides. Something is very wrong here.

Everyone started singing "Negaraku".

Police fired tear gas again, one landed right beside me. Ran like hell!! Tear gas all around, eyes felt so hot! Coughing non-stop, good people around started distributing salt for consumption. Good men and women.

Ran to Tong Shin Hospital/ Magnum building. Rained heavily, miraculously, right after FRU fired the tear gases. Blessings from the heavens ?? =D

People started to climb over fence to escape from hospital compound. Everyone helping each other out. Really touched.

~3.20P.M

Joined another group walking towards KLCC. Chanting along the way. Police around Bukit Bintang just watched as we march along.

~4.00P.M

Finally all gathered in front of KLCC amid some confusion and fatigue. YB Chua Jui Meng and some other leaders giving speech.

~4.15P.M

helicopters hovering very low again. After that FRU started firing tear gases again and policemen closing in on us, VERY FAST. Already caught a few protesters. For the rest of us, there's only one thing left to do:

RUN LIKE HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Managed to get into KLCC safely, only to get myself stucked inside for around 30 minutes as LRT's closed and all exits closed.

~5.00P.M

Things started to cool down around KLCC, heard that people were gathering around Petaling Street but no matter, my mission here is already accomplished. Time to go home.

~6:00PM

Reached home safely. :)

From this experience, I'm seeing all walks of life, Aunty/Uncles/MakCik/PakCik in their 70s, young couples, groups of young people all gathered around, helping each other out, irrespective of races. This is already 1Malaysia! =)

HIDUP BERSIH!! HIDUP RAKYAT!!

PTPTN : A step-by-step guide to online repayment

2011-03-03T18:50:00.015+08:00

Hi folks, today I just made my first PTPTN loan repayment, 3 months after the 6-month grace period.

I'm sure everyone knows that if you don't pay back your loan, you'll be blacklisted and will not be able to travel outside of Malaysia. What can we do? Well, for a start, pay back your loan!

You do not own what is not yours.

To no one's surprise, many of my friends do not know how to pay + check remaining balance etc.

Since I'm off-day today (diarrhea countless times the night before) and I got some free time, after some research done, below are the steps I've taken, and I hope this guide can be of help to all the PTPTN loaners who are still in the mist.

* Do note that there are a few ways of repayment - EPF deduction & salary deduction. For more information on EPF or salary deduction, please go to here and here.

Online repayment Guide:

Step 1 : PTPTN FAQ

Goto --> http://www.ptptn.gov.my/web/english/FAQ-english/repayment

On this faq page there a list of repayment methods: Let's have a look at the online payment part.
There are a few banks that provides PTPTN repayment services, as listed in the picture below.

Notice the e-FES.

Click on it will bring you to the e-FES webpage.

Step 2 : e-FES login page

This page will ask for your IC no. and your pin no. For first time users, you can get your pin number by sending a SMS.
Type :

ptptn [space] nopin [space] your IC number

and send to 33199.

you will get a promptly reply stating your pin number. REMEMBER YOUR PIN NUMBER. You'll need to come back here for your next payment.
(you can check them again, but that will cost you RM0.50 for each SMS sent)

Step 3 : loan statment

After you got your pin number, proceed to enter them in the column provided and you will see your loan balance, all in full details.

Step 4 :

Notice at the bottom of the statement there will be something like this :

If you have multiple loans (e.g one for foundation/Pre-U, another for Degree) you will see them in your loan statement.

Proceed to tick the box for whichever loan that you want to pay, and enter the desired amount. Then click Bayar.

Step 5: pre-payment

For example you want to pay rm50.00 for pinjaman 1 and pinjaman 2. A statement like above will be shown. Click Teruskan.

*Note that RM0.50 will be charge per transaction.

Step 6 : Choose your bank

Choose whichever bank that you have an online account in.
Click Agree and Continue.
*Note: Please disable pop-up blocker in your browser.

Step 7 : Payment time

From here onwards you'll be prompted by your respective bank online service to log in to your account and the proceedings steps should be clear.

Step 8 : Cofirmation

After you have done your payment, go back to Step 3 and check your loan statement again. You will see something like this at column 4 confirming your payment:

Step 9 : Print

PRINT THIS STATEMENT OUT AND KEEP IT SAFE!

Step 10: Repeat

Repeat Step 3 to Step 9 again on your next payment:

Done!

Hope the steps are clear enough for everyone. Please do not hesitate to ask me if you have any doubts on this matter. =)

等待

2010-10-05T18:18:00.009+08:00

It's been a while since I last blog. So here's some updates..

Finished my internship programme last week, it's a bittersweet moment really. I still remember that day when I first woke up, my heart wept. Never shall the moments in AMD be repeated again. Thanks guys and gals for the fondest of fond memories in the last 18 weeks.. :D

The end of my internship means the beginning of me being jobless. A dilemma looms over me, many things have come through my mind like : Why in the name of [whatever you like] do you decline the offer? or How can you screwed up that interview? and so on, and the list goes on and on..

In the boredom of waiting, I managed to finished reading a particularly old, but yet intriguing novel. It's about the adventure of a tiny little fellow, by the name of Baggins.

Nope, it's not that famous Baggins some assume to be gay, but of his older relative.

Here's a hint: He's the one who gave the One Ring to Frodo the Gay.

As many of you would have guessed it by now, it's about Bilbo Baggins, of his adventure with thirteen dwarfs (not dwarves, mind you) and a wizard, by the weird name of Gandalf.

Why would an old man be fighting in a robe? Fake and Gay..

Too bad the dwarfs are not like those below, all cute and fat with big noses..

Want to cubit me?

but like this one :

Anyone want to cubit me? Try my axe first!

If you have read The Lord of The Rings，then you should be quite familiar with the writing style of Tolkien, with deep and serious language used. The Hobbit however, seems to be targeted for a much younger audience, with it's story-telling style similar to bedtime stories, with a simpler and merrier setting. Anyhow, it's not just meant for young people only, it's a very entertaining read for everyone regardless of age.

Ye Shall Read It!!

Pushups!

2010-08-19T20:33:00.000+08:00

Since the beginning of my industrial training I have been lacking in doing exercises. To my surprise, I didn't gained any weight! (Up 1kg at one time, but came down the next week)

This week I'm going to start all over again with the one hundred pushups challenge. As you may have guessed it, I followed this programme before, but I stopped at Week 4. Lazy, busy, not enough time. All the usual excuses.

But I guess it's time to follow this till the end for once and for all if I want to have the stamina of a gymnast. I hope everyone follow this programme too. Suitable for all ages and for both sexes.

For girls, I recommend going to bodyrock.tv. The trainer is a very hot woman with a VERY hot body. Follow her training if you want to be hot too, stopped giving excuses like tired la after work. Just do 30 minutes every 2 days is not a very difficult task. Imagine, you only have to use 30 minutes of your 48 hours. There is no ugly women, only lazy ones. ^^

Love is in the air

2010-08-15T03:50:00.003+08:00

Hehe, here I am sitting in front of the monitor early morning, catching up with all the updates I missed..

Recently just had my first birthday celebration in Cyberjaya with my university mates, I'm quite speechless you see, because the last time my friends celebrated my birthday was 6 years ago. Yeap, 6 long years. I almost forgot the feeling of being celebrated. Thanks for the surprise friends, unbeknownst to you all, my eyes were a little wet when the cake was presented to me. ^_^"

Recently a very good friend of mine, is in love and got himself into a romantic relationship, really happy for him (damn sounded so gay). Anyway, may you be happy and lovely always! Love doesn't come easily.

Love is in the air~~

Intern

2010-06-07T23:34:00.002+08:00

It's been a week since my internship starts, so far so good.

I'm assigned to be lead by a fellow senior trainee for two weeks, to learn how everything inside here works.

I'm kinda lucky to be frank, 'cause my senior is "super hot", my supervisor also "hot". (Quote from James)

Got my result last friday. I'm so glad I finally finished everything, well except internship. Got a very good result, hehe FYP got good result, thank you Mr. Tan Wooi Haw and Dr. Hezerul!!

The results of the other subjects also surprised me. I got good grade for the subject I thought I will FAIL. Surprisingly, it's also the other way around. I got okay-okay only lah grade for subjects I thought I could score.

Life's full of surprises, don't give up on it. :)

Start All Over Again

2010-05-24T19:16:00.002+08:00

After my final exams, I've been thinking quite alot, trying to find out how money works.

Some of my friends are already working, surviving on their own. How I wish I could be like them. I hate being pampered anymore. It makes me feel so vulnerable and useless.

What I want is to savour the fruit of my own labour.

My internship starts on 1st June at AMD Penang. I'll try my best there, and if I like it, I hope I could stay there for a much longer period.

It's time to start all over again. Wish me luck.

Take Care

2010-05-18T23:00:00.002+08:00

5 years of university life ending, this is one hell of a period in my life I'll never forget.

I dedicate this song to all my PE01/02 friends, you know who you are :)

Good luck and all the best in all your future undertakings my friends, may Huat Zai Yia bless you all the way~

HUAT ar!!!

Exam over

2010-05-15T06:06:00.002+08:00

Exams officially over! Playing Starcraft 2 beta. My geekiness is back!! I guess I'll never be away from PC games (PC games FTW!)

Can't think of anything to blog about. Will update once I'm back in hometown.

Cheers~~

Final paper 09/10

2010-05-14T04:52:00.002+08:00

A quick update.

Been through 3 papers, left one tomorrow, after that it's over. No more exams! (No supps too please~~~)

I can't wait for my next stage of life!

休息

2009-11-09T11:45:00.001+08:00

给自己个休息先。。

昨天爱人播了我已好久没听得歌。张玉华的《原谅》。

五年前的事情，全都一涌涌的浮出来了。

常听人家说，

第一次的回忆，是最难忘的。

无可否认，那时候的痛，到现在我还会隐隐约约地感觉到那一阵阵的失望。是，是失望。

已经不再感觉到痛了。

如果我们会在一起，现在会是个怎样的情景呢？哈哈。。

Relax (1st Semester 09/10 officially ends)

2009-10-07T03:02:00.001+08:00

Phew! That is all I can utter right now. It’s been quite a nice 1st semester 09/10 for me.

To be frank, I was a little disappointed in myself for getting myself into extension of my degree course, and since I’m already in this deep shit, I might as well make the best out of this “extended semester”.

Boy, how glad I did made the best out of the 4 months given to me.

Internship life I will experience….a year later

Things were not that pleasant though at the beginning. Friends and course mates around me all were either complaining or enjoying their new internship life, a life I know I will not be living through it till a year later. To make matters worse, some even were lucky enough to be in foreign countries having the so called training aka vacation.

As a consolation, there’s still some very good friends I came to knew back from the 3rd semester of year 08/09, who’s taking the same subjects as me. At least I’ll not be alone all the time. :D

New housemate, with a new twist too

Oh, a new housemate arrives in our reasonably-clean house. Quite a shy fellow, but nonetheless a very pleasant guy to talk to.

I got myself into trouble too, for what apparently, for all the wrong reasons. I came to realize that, where most people have the same sense of humour as yours, there’s some who don’t.

A room for three, all mine *evil grin*

A roommate of mine went back to his hometown for internship, another moving to the single room for a while, means that the room that is meant for the three of us is now..mine. *drool*

It’s always a pleasant experience to have the privacy and the room all to myself, but I do miss the presence of my roommates, too quiet can be harmful to health.

Oh, and my sincere apology to Robin, for which I used his table for my notes and stuffs. I’m very sorry Robin, I will clear them off before you’re back okay? Hehe.. :P

Nua-ing before examinations

Without the pressure from my fellow housemates when it comes to study for final exams, I found myself in a state of nua (lazy in Hokkien) 2 weeks before my first paper. I haven’t even touched my notes at that time. Instead gaming and watching movies were my top priorities, for 3-4 days. It’s until when there’s only 10 days left before my first test that I came to realize the apparent fate I will suffer if I continue nua-ing.

An experience I hope I will not go through again, or it shall be the real doom of me. *shudders*

Finals

Lucky for me, all my papers were not that difficult, which I hope will give me a decent result. *Finger crossed*

Conclusion

This is one moment of life where all the minute things I often disregard become so apparent without all the attractions and distractions around me.

A good lesson learned. :)

See you guys next semester! Happy holiday!

注意!

2009-09-24T03:17:00.000+08:00

1.今天坐公车,到站开门后,一个男人突然堵住车门说自己手机不见了,不让人下车.人群哗然.这时旁边有人说打那个男人的手机,看在谁身上响谁就是贼.这个男人就向边上的一个人借了手机要拨自己的号码,突然靠近门口的一个人拔腿挤下车就跑,这个男人也没还人家的手机就叫嚣着追了过去,转眼都不见了.于是,这次真的有人丢了手机.....

2.一朋友手机不小心被偷了。

两个星期后，他在外地旅游的时候，收到深圳的一部手机发送的短息：“请注意：我们将连续六小时内不断地拨打你的电话，请作好心里准备。你可以选择关机，谢谢！”在收到这条信息后，便有一部小灵通不打来电话，康一接听，对方就说：“我们将在六小时内连续不停拨打你的电话，你可以选择关机“。康问对方为什么这样做，对方回答说是测试；然后挂机。此后，康大约每分钟接到一次由这部小灵通打来的电话，康每次接听，对方就叫他关机。对方不断地拨打，康终于不堪忍受，只好关机。半天后开机，他在成都的家属打来电话，说有人打电话到家里，称康突发事故正在抢救，请对方立即汇多少钱到某某帐号，并声称，如果在多长时间内收不到钱将停止抢救。

3. 在路上遇到一个人，问一条较偏的路，然后说车子开不进去了，要你帮忙看一下车上的货，他去接人来卸货。如果你答应了，你就准备着上当吧。因为，你在守货时，会有有来将车开车，说是那人要他们来的，车刚走，那人和一大帮人就过来找你麻烦了，如果不拿出你身上的钱，你是走不掉了

4. 一个女孩刚从火车站出来把箱子放在ic电话旁，开始拨电话了，这时她后面站了一个男的手里拿着卡，好像在排队打电话。正当她刚刚把我的号码拨完，突然后面那个人伸出手“啪“的一声把话机的压簧按了下去，电话没有接通。这时女孩转过身很气愤的看着那个人，那个男人立即满脸堆笑，连声说对不起！说不是故意的。然后告诉女孩，你按重播键就可以了！！！这个阴谋像一张网此刻已经张开了！！！女孩满脸疑惑的转过来，按了重播键。这次没有再挂断，通了！但是，是另外一个陌生的声音。女孩问：“某在吗？“那个声音：“对不起，他刚才有急事出去了，连手机都没有拿，他让我去接你。“女孩又问“他不是让我打的去××大厦吗？“那个声音：“是这样子，我们有车，现在我们去车站接你，你到车站旁边的××等我！“这是一直站在女孩身后的那个男子说话了：“我知道××这个地方，离这儿很近的刚才不好意思啊，为了表示歉意我送你去哪儿！！“说着就拉起女孩的行李，这是电话那边已经挂了！那个可怜的女孩就傻乎乎的相信了那个人的话，跟着那个男子走，还不时的给那个男子道谢!!!当走到流花车站旁边的时候，那个男子好像遇到了一个熟人，打了个招呼。那个人笑嘻嘻的说：“行啊你，这么靓的都搞得到！“那个男子立刻板起脸，骂了一句。这时小师妹突然间像是意识到了什么，经过十几秒钟的思考，立刻明白了自己处境。就在这千钧一发之际，一个保安从前面听到喊声跑了过来。注意：那IC电话是做了手脚的！！！不要轻易和陌生人说话，不然不久以后你就可能出现在山沟沟里面.

5. 晚上10点，一条行人不是很多的路上，一女生独自行走。这时过来一个推销人员向其递来传单或宣传资料；但当其拿着那几张传单数分钟之后，忽然觉得头脑昏眩起来，继而感到头前所未有地痛，此时她感到情况不妙，急忙跌跌撞撞地走到路口,拦了部出租车直奔附近的医院。医院诊断，该女生是由于接触或吸入了一种可以导致昏迷的药物(学名:达克罗宁，医生称如果过量容易导致死亡!!!!)而导致以上症状。这是一起有预谋的抢劫未遂事件，传单上喷洒了药物。

6. 建行一同志转送: 今天经过一栋大楼门口，门口有一提款机。有一个老伯，一直看著我走过他身边，突然叫住我。他说他不识字，拿一张提款卡要我帮他在大楼门口的自动提款机取钱。我回答我无法帮你取，叫警卫帮你。结果，他就回答我说不用了，继续找其他路人帮他取钱。朋友们要记住---取款机可是有摄影机耶。万一他说我抢劫或是偷他的提款卡，甚至他的卡片是偷来的，帮他领钱会在提款机留下影像，绝对会让你百口莫辩！我会警惕 ! 是因为已有同事上当，目前仍官司缠身。显然这是诈骗集团在找替身了! 请用力传出去~~~ 骗案真是层出不穷,一不小心就会踏入陷阱,真是令人防不胜防！

7.芍药居一业主，家中突然断电，看到窗户外别人家里都有电，就出门查看自家电表箱，打开门就被刀子顶着了——持刀入室抢劫伤人家里突然断电，不要贸然就开门查看，有猫眼的多观察一会门外动静，没猫眼的也隔着门静听一段时间，没有异常响动再开门。

8. 各位女同胞们注意了！这是最新骗局女同胞请注意男同胞请叫自己的朋友注意新出的情况，女性朋友要特别注意啦: 一位上班的小姐在下班回家的路上看到一个小孩子一直哭，很可怜 ,然后就过去问那小朋友怎么了.小朋友就跟那个小姐说:" 我迷路了,可以请你带我回家吗?"然后拿一张纸条给她看, 说那是他家地址.然后她就笨笨的带小孩子去了.一般人都有同情心,然后带到那个所谓小孩子的家里以后,她一按铃，门铃像是有高压电,就失去知觉了.隔天醒来就被脱光光在一间空屋里,身边什么都没有了,她甚至连犯人长啥样子都没看见.所以 ,现在人犯案都是利用同情心啊，如果遇到类似这种的,千万别带他去,要带就带他到派出所去好了,走丢的小孩放到派出所一定没错啦，请通知身边所有女性，为了广大女士的安全，看完后麻烦给转发给所有人。

9. 昨晚在XX里的工行自动取款机取钱时，后面来了个老妇女，问我能不能取钱，还说什么取款机有个键可能坏了，旁边不知什么时候来了个小女孩，一直想我身边跻，我也没在意，小孩子淘气嘛，可是过分的是她竟然把手朝出钞口放，准备拿我的钱了，我感觉不对劲了，立即把她推到一边，等着把钱取出来。之后我想了一下，她们俩给我设了个套：老妇女负责和我瞎聊，吸引我的注意力，小女孩趁我不注意时抢走我的钱！如果我不防备的话，钱说不定就被抢走了，这样的话，我就进套了：（一则我立即去追小女孩，去追回我的钱，可是谁又会相信一个小女孩能抢我一个大人的钱呢？更可怕的是站在我后面的老妇女将会取光我卡中所有的钱，因为我的卡还在取款机里面；二则我不立即去追小女孩，等拿到卡再追，到那时小女孩就无影无踪了，钱也就没了啊（她们真的很"聪明"，很可耻的！！！)

10. 最近有人告诉我，他的朋友在晚上听到门口有婴儿在哭，不过当时已很晚了，而且她认为这件事很奇怪，于是她打电话给警察。警察告诉她∶ 「无论如何，绝对不要开门。」这位女士表示那声音听起来象是婴儿爬到窗户附近哭，她担心婴儿会爬到街上，被车子碾过。警察告诉她∶我们已派人前往，无论如何不能开门。警方认为这是一个连续杀人犯，利用婴儿哭声的录音带，诱使女性以为有人在外面遗弃婴儿，她们出门察看。虽然尚未证实此事，但是警方已接到许多女性打电话来说，他们晚上独自在家时，听到门外有婴儿的哭声，请将这个消息传给其他人，不要因为听到婴儿的哭声而开门。

11.前两天晚上打的，从XX到XX一共花了二十多块吧，我给了一张一百块的给司机，他掏摸了半天，说没有零钱，要我凑零钱给他。我大惑问“你干了一天怎么一百块都找不开”。但我还是凑够零钱给他了，他就把一百块还给我。回家才发现是假钞，那小子称黑竟然偷偷换了。

12. 一个人说没钱回家了，问我要一块钱，我二话没说就给他了，当时还告诉他在哪坐车，坐第几路。后来看他有点不对劲，也不去车站等车，还往前走，我和他正好顺路，接下来看到他又向别人要钱，有的人还没等他说完扭头就走了，我这才知道被骗了。是我太善良了还是我太傻了，唉......

13. 当你从银行取钱出来，或者到邮政局存钱的话，旁边会有两个串通好的男子，一个假装把一捆钱丢在地上，往前走，后面的骗子故意在你面前将钱捡起来，然后把你拉到一边，把捡到的那叠钱放到你身上。而前面丢钱的骗子则返回，问后面的骗子是否捡到了钱，并且要后面的骗子搜身。后面的骗子说没有，然后把你拉到一边，说捡到的钱平分，现在钱在你身上，我现在跟他去搜身，我怕你在我去搜身后逃之夭夭，所以你要把你身上的部分钱押在我这里。如果你真的将你自己的部分钱押给他们，就再也找不到人了。你打开那捡到的一叠钱，会发现，表面是一张颜色纸，里面全是白纸。

个案1：

有一妇女手提包被偷，里面有手机、银行卡、钱包等。 20分钟后，她打通了老公的电话，告诉自己被偷的事。老公惊呼：“啊，我刚才收到你的短信，问咱家银行卡的密码，我立马就回了！”他们赶到银行时，被告知里面所有的钱都已被提走。小偷通过用偷来的手机发送短信给 "亲爱的老公" 而获取了密码，然后在短短20分钟内把钱取走了。
提醒：
不要在手机通讯录中暴露自己与联系人的关系，忌用 “家电” 、“ 老公”、“爸妈”等称呼。一律用名字，字越少越安全。

个案2：

有三位自驾游的朋友不慎连人带车跌落一百五十公尺深的山谷，受困四日三夜后，才获救。
其间，他们曾多次想以手机向外求救。无奈一只被摔坏，一只没电了，一只收讯不良。
他们还多次移动位置以寻找较佳的收发信号地，但都不成功。如果这三位人士平常就知道１１２专线，紧急时刻也能知道如何用那只收讯不良的手机拨出１１2专线，相信他们可以很快获救。

提醒：
全国各地通用的１１２专线，在手机打开后即使没有接收信号，甚至电力极为微弱，任何厂牌的手机在任何地点皆可拨通。拨出１１２后，马上会进入语音说明如下 ∶这里是行动电话１１２紧急救难专线，如果您要报案，请拨0，我们将会为您转接警察局；如果您需要救助，请拨９，我们将会为您转接消防局。中文讲完后，会以英文重述一遍。此时只要拨0或９，一定会有人接听。以三位人士所处的情况，或登山迷途或遭遇其它困境时，应拨９，将可获得及时的救助。

个案3：
有个留学生喜欢吃速食杯面，后来，这位留学生因身体不适去医院看病，医生发现他的胃壁附着一层蜡！原来，杯面的容器里包含一种可食用的蜡！各位下次吃杯面的时候摸摸看杯壁是不是觉得滑滑的，那就是了。而长时间的食用杯面，将造成我们的肝脏无法分解这种食用蜡。
最后，这位留学生不得不寻求手术治疗以移除这层蜡，不幸去世。

提醒
吃泡面的时候，尽量把面拿出来，另外用碗来泡食，不要用碗面、杯面所附的容器直接冲开水食用。哪怕是出差，也要带上一只大茶缸泡面用。为了自己的身体，不要偷懒啊！

个案4：
一件很可怕的事：有一天，一个 21岁男生戴着隐形眼镜去参加一个烤肉野聚会！就在他开始以木炭生火之后的几分钟，他突然大叫一声，然后很痛苦的跳来跳去，在地上打滚……全场的人都吓呆了，没人知道究竟发生了什么事？大家赶紧送他到医院，医生检查后遗憾地说，他的眼睛失明了！

提醒：
参加野外烧烤或任何有可能接触到火源的时候，请不要戴隐形眼镜！因为隐形眼镜是用塑胶制成的，过热的温度会熔化我们眼中的隐形眼镜！

个案5：
苏西跌倒了，雪丽看到苏西跌倒就立刻问了苏西“三个问题”。她见苏西无法回答这三个问题，就立即打999电话求救。虽然当时苏西的血压正常，看起来也没有中风的样子。但因为雪丽有“三个问题”的认知常识，坚持把苏西送到医院救治，使苏西很快康复而没有留下后遗症。
提醒：
有时候中风的征兆很难辨识，常因为中风患者旁边的人没有适时发现，延误救治而使患者脑部受损。我们要问患者的三个问题是：要求病患展示笑容；要求病患两只手都举起来；要求病患说出一句简单的话。如果病患无法做到这三点，周围的人就应该立即打999话，并且告诉随车的救护人员这是中风的征兆。如果我们能够广泛传递并且应用这种询问方式，测试中风征兆，就可以迅速诊断治疗中风患者，最大限度地避免患者脑部受损。

Steelseries 7G Gaming Keyboard Review

2009-09-22T06:19:00.002+08:00

All right, this article will be my first ever hardware review, so give me a break ok if it’s not thorough enough. I will try to cover all aspects of the piece of hardware that I will be reviewing.

As the title states, I will be reviewing the SteelSeries 7G keyboard.

Just a brief introduction of the brand, SteelSeries caters to the need of gamers with its wide range or gaming gears including mouses, keyboards and headphones. You know the drill.

First Impression

The first thing I noticed about this keyboard is that it is heavy, to be exact the weight is 2,6kg. What that means to you is that this keyboard will not simply “glides” away under intense gaming condition (or fierce typing.)

Closer Look

Here are the specifications of the 7G :

- Switches: Gold plated no-click

- Switch lifetime: 50,000,000 cycles

- Assembly: Face plate mounted keyset

- Dimensions: 480 x 250 mm / 18,9 x 9,8 in

- Cable length: 2 m (6,6 ft.)

- Connectivity: PS/2 + USB

It also comes with a removable palm rest. The palm rest is HUGE that it took out all my desk space. Typing with the palm rest or without the it is a personal preference. For me, I feel a little more comfortable typing without the palm rest.

The switches is gold-plated for better time response, and it can withstand 50 million keystrokes. That’s at least 5 times more than the average membrane keyboard life cycle. Suffice to say, this keyboard can last you A LIFETIME, literally.

The cable is braided (always a good thing) and it’s 2m long, excellent for those who put their PC far away.

There’s 2 USB ports and a jack each for microphone and audio. It’s a little disappointing that the USB is 1.1, not the now standard 2.0.

The jacks are placed at the back of the keyboard (behind the escape key), which is a little awkward as I have to bend over in order to access them. It will be nice if the designers at SteelSeries could have put them on the side of the keyboard instead for easier access.

The 7G connects using the old PS/2 connection instead of the USB. The USB is just to bridge the two USB ports on the keyboard to the PC. However, a PS/2 to USB converter is provided.

Why using an older technology, you ask. Well, for a good reason PS/2 is hardware only and it’s low-level. That means it run things faster, which means less latency compared to USB.

Another good reason for using PS/2 is its “anti-ghosting” capability. It’s a good feature for gamers as the 7G prevents keyboard lockup, the effect that will suspends all input if you accidentally press too many buttons at once.

But I seriously doubt that gamers will press THAT many keys during gaming – How many Counter Strike players that crouch, reload and move forward and left all at the same time? A little overkill, mate.

View Full Album

The normal windows key in between the Ctrl and Alt key is replaced by the SteelSeries logo key, which acts as a function key to the controls on the F-row keys. It’s a good thing as there’s no longer any “jump to desktop” problem which is a frustrating problem, especially when in a intense gaming session.

There’s the keys mute, volume decrease/increase, play/pause and previous/forward.

Mechanical Switch

This keyboard uses mechanical switches instead of the normal membrane ones.

The 7G uses the the Cherry MX Black switch (Cherry is a German brand that specialises in keyboard switches) which is a non-tactile, non-clicky switch--which is to say it is linear and does not transmit a bump to the user's fingertip when pressed (non-tactile) and it does not provide an audible click (non-clicky). It will, however, produces a click-like sound when it is bottom-out (pressing the whole key down)

Here’s a short video of me typing on the 7G for those curious of the sound this keyboard.

In my honest opinion, the typing feel on the 7G is the best typing experience I ever had. I find this keyboard is the perfect balanced for both typing and gaming. I usually play a lot of RTS games that requires me to press the keys a lot of times and although it takes a little time of getting used to, my gaming performance instantly improved. (Not as much as you might think though, I’m still noob)

Same case with my typing performance. The improvement is much more obvious as now I don’t have to punch the keys down as hard as I used to to the extend that my housemates suspects I’m on rage-mode.

One thing that bothers me though, is the LED indicator for the num/caps/scroll locks. I’m not a person that always look down on the keyboard while typing but the LED is a little too bright for comfort. You might want to cover that LED with some scotch tape to “decrease” its brightness. :D

Conclusion

The 7G keyboard is definitely one of the best keyboards out there that is both good for gaming as well as typing. The keyboard is of solid build quality and with the Cherry MX black switches it’s good for both typing and gaming that will last you a lifetime.

The downside of the 7G however, is the price. Costing around RM530-RM550, it’s really a little too much to bear for many people. Even for a VERY good keyboard.

Then there’s the USB port. As a high-end product, I would expect a standard USB 2.0 on the keyboard instead of the obsolete USB 1.1.

Another problem is the keycap prints. After just three weeks using it, I found out that the prints on the keys are smudged with dirt. I tried using cloth to try removing the smudge without accidentally scratching off the whole print, but to no avail. Again, as a high-end product with a high price, there’s a suspicion of me thinking that SteelSeries is overpricing the 7G.

The lack of any features leaves the 7G with a solid and clean appearance that some gamers like. If you’re like me who does not like extra features on a keyboard such as LCD screen and other gimmicks then the 7G is for you. You don’t have to worry that punching the keys down too hard will ever spoil your keyboard anymore, unless you’re using it as a baseball bat.

It feels great typing, it feels even better gaming on it. Buy it if you want a keyboard that lasts a lifetime.

失眠。怪癖。Lame

2009-09-17T05:51:00.003+08:00

失眠
又失眠了。
附近的回教堂又在“唱歌”了。
在电脑面前发呆好久了。

怪癖
很奇怪。
我，有个怪癖。
不想面对的东西，就会想尽办法逃避。
能拖的就拖。
能忘的就忘。
可是，
我却不知道，我正在逃避的到底是什么东西。

Lame
还好有她陪着我。
但，有些东西还是需要自己来解决的。
加油吧！别放弃！
听起来有点Lame，
没办法，有时候听起来很lame的东西，反而特别有效。

The Dark Side of Apple

2009-09-15T02:28:00.004+08:00

Last Sunday was shopping day and with Aireen together we went to Alamanda Putrajaya for our shopping session.

Our lunch at Sushi King was a pleasant one, but both of us needs to go to the toilet afterwards. Weird.

Anyway, while waiting for Aireen to finish her business, I stopped by a news stall and I was attracted by this one magazine (I forgot the mag's name, it's a Malaysian tech mag.)

The cover is The Dark Side of Apple. I was sceptical at first. But as curious as a cat, I read on.

It turns out that Apple have been sweeping its problem under the carpet. The article mentioned various cases of exploding ipods and cracking iphones. There's nothing wrong with that, I said to myself. There's bound to be some defective products produced.

What astounded me is the action that Apple took to handle such cases; by silencing the owners with gagging orders.

I mean, what the hell? Why not just replace the owners with a new one? Instead Apple went through all the troubles to gag the owners, from threatening them NOT to compensate them if they do not keep silent to court orders preventing the press to report them.

Back home, I did some research to find out if all of these allegations are true. Unfortunately, they are.

All these happened in the West. I really hope that there's no such cases in Malaysia, but I doubt that myself.

Here's all the news, for the interested ones.

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/17987-apple-wants-exploding-ipod-hushed.html.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/personal_tech/article6736587.ece
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/16228-apple-silent-on-burning-ipods.html

Next time if you want to buy an Apple product, think trice. :D

无聊

2009-09-01T10:13:00.005+08:00

心情又点无聊，什么都不想做。

不是不开心，只是有点闷。

这，是不是一个提示来提醒我，

是时候，该把那些被遗弃的梦想，给实现去了？

心里的那一团火，都快被熄灭了。

怎么办？

Left-Handed

2009-05-28T04:11:00.007+08:00

I'm using my left hand for my mouse right now. I think it's about time I get back to my dominant hand. WC3, Dota, CS ; I'll have to relearn them again. I'll give a day-to-day update on my progress. :D

First Day (27th May 2009)

Things still feel a little awkward; will automatically raise my right hand to the right side of the keyboard to get the mouse.

PoPoint 2

Been trying this mini-game to improve my reflexes. With my right hand the best I could manage is 3.9s. I got a 4.01 with my left hand. It's impressive, taking into account that I just switched to left hand for no more than a few hours.

Warcraft 3 and Counter-Strike : Suck badly. Totally out of control. I can barely beat the AI with easy difficulty.

Dear left hand, please master this mouse!

2nd Day

Well, I got a 4.006s for popoint. LOL. Played a game of warcraft. stilll suck. My hero died to hits from buildings THREE times. xD

3rd Day and onwards..

Went back to hometown, have to stop using left hand, will continue when new semester starts.. :D

Black Day

2009-05-08T06:13:00.004+08:00

Been saddened by all the things that happened in my lovely state, Perak.

The prince ignored everything as if nothing's happening, and the speaker is removed from his seat forcefully and illegally, even though the motion to oust the speaker has been rejected.

What's worse is that the police acted like gangsters arresting anyone and everyone suspicious, even a mamak restaurant nearby is not spared.

Shit.

The whole system is corrupt. The police helping BN to suppress any discontents.

For as long as I care the Police and BN can go to hell and rot in there for all eternity.

Condolence

2009-04-30T04:01:00.001+08:00

On 25th of April I received a bad news; one of my best friends’ mother passed away.

I still remember how I first got the news. I woke up at 3pm, got a MSN message from another good friend of mine, JT telling me this bad news.

On first thought I was shocked. Really shocked. I just sat there in front of my LCD repeating what the words that are shown to me.

So sudden. My fingers were trembling and shaking so badly I can’t even type properly for a while.

Condolences to you and your family Ferdinand. Be strong, friends will always be with you. :)

To the others, Life’s too short. Appreciate it before it’s gone.

Piles of Rubbish

2009-04-29T19:26:00.002+08:00

Things are not going to fine. Everybody’s busy on assignments and sitting in front of their computer (pun intended), resulting in minor matters being put aside..

like the piles of rubbish and bread crumbs and plastic bottles etc etc that currently resides in my house.

View Full Album

I can barely stand it. No one ever cares.

But no worries, I will clear them all up after my test.

Still..

Shit.

Bolehland

2009-04-23T15:12:00.005+08:00

I read this article by James Chin at The Malaysian Insider. Here's a preview of the article.

1. All chairmen must fly first class for the sake of subordinates

2. You are only poor if you don’t have a TV or Astro

3. The “best best boss” can be found in Bolehland

4. If you don’t report it, it does not exist

Click to read the article. Have a good laugh guys and gals. :D

Stress

2009-04-22T19:05:00.002+08:00

I can't stand it. Been worrying too much.

Now it's about finding group mates for assignment.

Being solo has it's consequences. :(

~烦恼~

ASS-ignment Week

2009-04-22T11:35:00.002+08:00

Yay! It's that time of the semester again! Let us get down to business and see all the deadlines for my assignments and reports~

23-04-2009 : Lab Report
24-04-2009 : Control Theory Assignment
27-04-2009 : Advance Microprocessor Assignment
28-04-2009 : Engineers and Society Assignment

Not to mention there's one last event to attend~

25-04-2009 : MMU Awards Night Chinese Orchestra Performance

And also a 5-mark test~

29-04-2009 Algorithm and Data Structures test

What a week.

^_^"

Najib's disappointing start (From Malaysia Today)

2009-04-16T01:49:00.002+08:00

I'm a frequent reader of Malaysia Today, in fact you can say I'm a fan of Raja Petra Kamarudin. A very good Malaysian he is. Here's an article I read from his MT I think is very meaningful. Please read this with an open heart. :)

After appointing a lacklustre cabinet, Malaysia's new prime minister refused to answer questions from the media

This poor beginning raises serious questions about his leadership and calls into question his ability to deliver on the reforms that are critical for Malaysia's future.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Bridget Welsh, Guardian UK

Malaysia's sixth prime minister, Najib Tun Abdul Razak took office earlier this month, replacing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. In Najib's first week, he failed key tests that show he can be his own man. He lost important by-elections, failed to address persistent scandals and selected a cabinet of lacklustre appointees that has not evoked confidence. He ran away from the press, declining to address basic questions about his government.

This poor beginning raises serious questions about his leadership and calls into question his ability to deliver on the reforms that are critical for Malaysia's future.

Before Najib took office he managed to win a strong mandate from within his own party's polls last month, as loyalists in his cohort rose to party leadership positions. Najib represents a third generation of leaders from the UMNO party that governs Malaysia. The first generation assumed office in independence, the second after the racial riots of 1969.

Najib's generation came into politics after 1969, and has matured under the shadow of Mahathir Mohamad, known for promoting economic progress while simultaneously closing political space and weakening political institutions. Najib's strong party showing was expected to set the stage for the new premier to introduce reforms and step out of the shadow of his predecessors. Early signs were good, as Najib's speeches highlighted reforms and the day after he took office he released 13 political prisoners held under the draconian Internal Security Act. Malaysians were pleasantly surprised with his first moves.

Skepticism reigned, however. After the five years of promise without delivery under Abdullah Badawi, Malaysians want results, not rhetoric. Many are not willing to give Najib the benefit of the doubt. Part of this is his association with Abdullah's government, as deputy prime minister.

Another reason has to do with the heavy baggage of scandal that cloud Najib's leadership; his alleged connections with corruption in defence contract deals and links to a Mongolian model who was murdered by staff assigned to his security detail have damaged his reputation.

Last week, the two officers charged with blowing up the model were convicted. The government's response has been to ban the use of the model's name – Altantuya Shariibuu – further raising speculation about the crime and suspicions about Najib's involvement. There is no evidence that Najib was involved in the murder, but the lack of credibility that Najib faces – which is only enhanced when he refuses to answer questions – has hurt him.

An even darker shadow is Mahathir Mohamad. The former prime minister who governed Malaysia for 22 years systematically undermined Abdullah while he was in office. He has played a major role in mentoring the new generation of leaders, including Najib himself, and his values that have promoted Malay rights over those of other communities, undermined political institutions, deepened corruption and created a climate of insecurity among the elite that runs deep.

Najib is seen to be under the thumb of Mahathir. While this gives the former premier too much credit, the reality is that Mahathirism remains a force that must be addressed and Mahathir himself remains a political player in his agenda setting role.

These factors played out in three recent by-elections when more than 100,000 voters went to the polls. Najib's coalition lost two of the three contests. The contest it did win – Batang Ai in rural Sarawak – was the result of massive allocations of patronage (RM70 million in promises for 8,006 voters) and included allegations of ballot box tampering. Voters in West Malaysia in two traditionally strong seats for Najib's government, gave the Pakatan opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim larger majorities.

These results were the product of greater opposition cooperation and the inability of the governing coalition to reach across races. Non-Malays voted in large majorities for the opposition. They were joined by large numbers of Malays who rejected the use of Mahathir for Najib's campaign and were tired of the endemic corruption in the system. Najib stayed away from the campaigns, showing that he is not ready to face the public directly. He received a sharp rebuke.

Najib had the opportunity to stem the tide of negative perceptions through his cabinet selections. Here too, he disappointed. The majority appointees are recycled old faces and Najib loyalists. While many of them are among the cleaner alternatives and his choices in finance and trade show promise, the inclusion of Mahathir's son, and reliance on his close allies who are seen to not make the grade do not build confidence.

This cabinet follows in the Mahathir mould, one that appears to focus on the economy and exclude the need for political reform. It does not include individuals who appear willing to address the albatross on Malaysia's economic competitiveness, the pro-Malay affirmative action policy, the New Economic Policy, that has become a vehicle for corruption. After announcing his list, Najib refused to answer questions.

Najib is running away from addressing the factors that will hamper his government. He lacks public support. He is trapped by the system he inherited, the shadows of Abdullah's unmet reform promises and Mahathir's hardline approach. He faces a stronger and more cohesive opposition. Najib's style is more measured, but in these challenging times and in the light of his public credibility issues, the tepid responses have disappointed.

With each passing day that the new prime minister fails key tests, his tenure is shortened. Najib cannot continue to avoid the fact that his political survival is based on winning over the Malaysian public and bolder measures that deliver reform are essential.