SwissCobalt's Blog

Create Your Own Passport Photo!

2014-01-29T13:21:00.002+08:00

When I go to photo shop to get my passport photo done, 4 pieces of photo costs me RM 15. If you have a family of 4, that quickly add up to RM 60. Add it up with the cost of applying for visa, that can easily reach RM 120++.

Most photo shops only use a cheap point and shoot camera, with a makeshift backdrop. Yet they charged so much for the service. When I looked at my passport photo, the quality is pretty crappy. When my photo stays at the passport for 5 years, might as well I look good in it. So I looked into alternatives...

1) I've considered purchasing a compact printer, Canon Selphy CP910. The printer itself costs RM 449 and to get the 108 pcs of 4R photo paper and the printing cassette, it costs another RM 108. If I can squeeze 4 to 6 pieces of passport photo size in 4R paper, it will only costs me RM 1 per piece of paper. Pretty cheap, but I need capital of RM 557 to get the complete equipment

2) I've considered freemium online services that will detect your faces and the proper size requirement for certain countries. After googling for various websites, I came across 123passportphoto.com, that provides pretty good services and the pricing is not that bad too.

For ~RM10, the code is valid for life time and it can be used for the whole family. So instead of paying RM 15 for one-time, 4 pcs-crappy-photo from photo shop, I would rather spend on this service. I can decide how my photos looks like from my own camera, get 6-8 hi res photo on 4R sheet, stick it in USB drive and print it at quick photo labs for around 50 cents per piece (example at Harvey Norman ) , it still comes cheap rather than buying a printer that you don't use regularly.

The downsize is that the list of the countries are not complete (yet?). But as long as Malaysia is available, it's good enough, although the information on photo requirement is outdated ( latest Malaysia passport requires white background photo, not blue). I hope they update the database from users' feedback. I've sent them a note today (29 January 2014), let's see how long they will respond

Update 4:57pm : Wow! Their response were very quick. They have updated the information for Malaysia already!

Malaysia Telco Contract Penalty Calculations

2013-11-07T13:31:00.001+08:00

Maxis
(this info is correct as of 7 November 2013)

Penalty = (RRP-upfront payment) x (remaining months / 12 or 24 months) + RM 100 (admin fee)

example :
iPhone 5S 16GB : RRP RM2,399
iPhone 5S 16GB : bought with package iValue 1 : RM1,899
contract : 12 months
months remaining in contract : 3 months

So, Penalty = [(2,399-1,899) x 3/12] + 100 = RM 225

Philips GC9240 Iron Review

2012-05-10T16:58:00.001+08:00

Philips GC9240 Steam Generator Iron

Introduction:

All my previous irons are from Philips. It’s just a personal preference that whenever I bought an iron, I wanted Philips. The oldest Philips iron I bought was 7 years ago, and it is still working fine. So naturally, when I’m looking for a new iron, Philips is the first thing that comes to mind. Here comes the GC9240

First Impression:

It is one expensive iron! I came across this thing during HOMEDEC 2012 Exhibition at KL Convex. I was impressed with all the bells and whistles that comes in it and decided to get it right away, but at different store or course :)

What I like:

My big turn on is the absence of temperature knob. Means that I don’t have to set different temperature for different fabric. I don’t know how it works but there is a chip in it that detects different kind of fabric. It’s no coincident that I have burned many shirts (together with ironing board) before this. So I guess this iron could solve all these problems. I tried ironing my cotton shirt, linen shirt and polyester pant after one another and it just works! I also left the iron unattended for 10 mins with my old shirt (for experiment) and it did not burn at all. I’m lovin this!
I discovered that I can save time and electricity with this iron. How? Take a long sleeve shirt for example. With regular iron, I need to iron on both sides of the sleeve. With this iron, I just iron one side of it, and the other side will come out perfect as well. Same goes with my wife’s baju kurung. I can do twice amount of clothes at any given time with this new iron compared with the old iron. There is a button under the handle where the pressured steam came out when you push it. For even higher pressure, push the button on the top handle. Philips says maximum steam pressure is 6 bar, but no way I can measure this.
Just don’t put your hands under the ironing board. The pressured steam from the iron can pass through the board and burn your hands. Don’t let kids playing underneath it either.
Big water reservoir. It is 1.5 liter tank of water, good for almost 1 hour of ironing. So I don’t have to go to the kitchen for a refill as often. Means more ironing. Means less idle iron. Means more electricity savings
The lock switch. After I’m finished with ironing. I don’t have to worry my kids pulling the cable and tipping over the iron. Once it’s locked, it securely attached to its base. The kid needs to be very strong to lift the whole unit (~5 kg I guess)
Philips throw away free ironing board. It’s not a cheap wood board, but an iron mesh with foam. It’s quite long too. I got to check the exact measurement
It comes with standard 2 years warranty. I purchased mine from Harvey Norman with add-on for extra 3 years warranty. So in total I’ve got 5 years warranty

What I don’t like:

Nothing I don’t like but there are some minor things I need to adjust.

This iron is not meant to be portable. I have to have a dedicated space to put the base somewhere
The sound came from the pressured steam is much higher compared with traditional steam iron. Maybe it’s a new thing for me, but it is like a small laundry shop.

Conclusion:

Philips GC9240 Steam Generator Iron serves true to its promise. Although it is on the pricey side (RRP RM1699, although some shops can give you some discount), but you’ll definitely save in the long run. Plus, the reliability of the brand makes me comfortable investing in this particular iron. My family doesn’t have a maid, so we are doing our own house chores. So I thought if we were to do it ourselves, better get something good. Ironing in particular, can be a tiring and time-consuming affair. But this iron definitely helps us a lot!

Conversation with 2 year old

2011-10-16T23:56:00.000+08:00

Mama: Esok Abah work, Mama work. Rais buat apa? Pergi school ye? Rais: Rais pegi Giant beli ikan

How Maybank2u Scamming Works

2010-10-01T11:35:00.006+08:00

Maybank, being #1 bank in the country undoubtedly makes its more vulnerable to phishing attacks. I'm sure most of us have received emails regarding 'Security Alert from Maybank' asking to update our account information.

This email looks familiar?

When you click the link to 'Unlock Account', a login page appeared. It looks very convincingly similar to the authentic Maybank2u website. Take a look at the comparison image below...

The fake link. Note the URL address redirects to some weird address

The authentic link. Note the security signature on the 'tiger' logo on the url bar, and secured url (https) and also the 'locked padlock' icon on the bottom left of the window

That's the reason why logging in to your bank account from email link is a badddddd idea. ALWAYS log in to your online account via original bank address (http://www.maybank2u.com.my/ in this case, and login from there)

Now, back to the fake login page. I managed to bypass the security system to login to my account. See below

My dumbass account

After that, it will ask you to enter your TAC number...

Once you gave up your TAC, you'll be milked dry...

Finally, you will get a friendly message saying "Your account is being verified by our security team. Do not login to your account within the next 48 hours so as not to cause error(s) in our database."

Why 48 hours, you might ask? Because by then your bank account will be milked dry by the syndicate. Please do not login before 48 hours, otherwise you'll messed up our database. For a bank who conducts billions of ringgit worth of transaction every day, its that easy to messed up the database, eh? Sounds phishy.....

8 months after

2010-04-16T00:15:00.001+08:00

It's been a hectic, wonderful, mind altering experience life for both of us since the last 8 months. Even now I already feel that 'si kecik' is growing too fast. Or is it because I'm getting old already, unable to catch up with his daily surprises and tricks

I do miss him (and his mommy) everyday. And going home after work to meet him is something most rewarding, something to look forward to.

I couldn't thank my better half enough for all the sacrifices she went through. Thank you for that, and I love you two both!

Oh Allah, please give us your blessings and grant us a happy family.

Nite2. XoXo :)

How to setup modem ZTE MF627 with Celcom Broadband

2009-12-24T22:31:00.003+08:00

Attached is the screenshot of configuration setup to connect celcom broadband with ZTE MF627 modem. Click on the thumbnail to see full scale image. If it works for you, let me know, thanks!

Somebody's trash is my treasure!

2009-08-29T19:34:00.001+08:00

I saw this posting on ebay UK. Click the thumbnail for bigger picture. It looks like a trash for some of us, but it could be a valuable item for others! I wonder what the buyer of this 'burnt xbox' is going do with it

My PC doesn't recognize new DVD/CD drive - Solution!

2009-07-05T22:24:00.000+08:00

I just bought a new LG IDE GH22NP20 internal DVD writer. Installed it as usual, and suddenly it just won't appear on my drive list. I changed the jumper (CS,MA,SL) still it doesn't work.

If it's happens to you, try this link. I did it any suddenly it worked perfectly!

Microsoft Support

or

Restore DVD/CD drives in explorer (download the file, run it. Restart your PC)

Good luck!

Awana Porto Malai

2009-04-12T01:33:00.002+08:00

Beautiful night at the harbor

Happy at new house

2009-02-20T22:31:00.000+08:00

Jasper, with Ayu sleeping at the background @ new house

Udang...Udang...

2009-02-04T15:44:00.004+08:00

Udang...Udang...

New Layout for 2009

2009-01-13T22:14:00.003+08:00

Jasper, 2.5 years old

A bit too late to wish for new year. Nevertheless, Happy New Year 2009! Not sure how often this blog get updated. Been thinking of changing this to photoblog instead. Some say, picture worth a thousand words

How to bridge DSL-520B with WRT-54GC

2009-01-12T22:42:00.000+08:00

Most IT shops don't sell modem anymore. After my free TM modem Riger DB102 went kaput, I went to buy just that. But, most modem now comes with router function. But since I already have Linksys wireless router WRT54GC, something has to be done to disable router function of my new D-Link DSL-520B. I thought I might share this with anyone who might have same problem. Different brands might have different solution, but at least I got mine :) These are the screenshots and some brief description

1. Reset both the modem router and wireless router
2. Connect ONLY modem router to your PC. Set it up so that you can connect to the internet
3. Login to the admin page http://192.168.1.1. Default username/password is : admin/admin

4. On the left hand side panel, go to Advanced Setup > WAN > Add

5. Leave the defaults of PORT, VPI, VCO as 0, 0, 35 respectively. Service Category, choose UBR without PCR

6. Connection type : Bridging
Encapsulation Mode : LLC/SNAP-BRIDGING

7. Leave to default. Click next

8. Summary of setup. Click next

9. Click Save/Reboot

10. Connect Linksys wireless router. The settings we did just now are to disable the router functions in the modem router. Now it only function as modem. All the routing work is done by the wireless router

11.That's it! Hope it works for you

Want to get rich? Do spam!

2008-11-14T09:19:00.001+08:00

from www.computerweekly.com

Spammers are making profit even though they are only getting one response for every 12.5 million e-mails they send, researchers who hacked into the infamous Storm spam network have found.

The spam study was carried out by computer scientists from University of California Berkeley and University of California San Diego.

For the month-long study the computer scientists infiltrated the Storm network, which uses hijacked home computers as relays for junk mail.

At its height, Storm is believed to have had more than one million machines under its control.

The researchers created several "proxy bots" on the Storm network to send out their own spam.

The team used these machines to control a total of 75,869 hijacked machines on the network and routed their own fake spam campaigns through them.

Linked to the spam e-mails they sent out, the team created a legitimate looking pharmacy site selling "male enhancement herbal remedies".

The fake pharmacy site was made to resemble those run by Storm's real owners, but it always returned an error message when potential buyers clicked a button to submit their credit card details.

The researchers sent about 350 million email messages over 26 days, which resulted in only 28 sales.

The response rate for the campaign was less than 0.00001%. Direct mail campaigns aim for 2.15%.

Even though the experiment saw a poor conversion rate, the researchers said that by sending out many more messages, the owners of the Storm network could be earning £4,500 a day, or £1.6m a year.

Why yoga? Choose solat instead

2008-11-05T11:13:00.000+08:00

Wikipedia refers to yoga as traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India; to the goal achieved by those disciplines; and to one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy.
It is intimately connected to the religious beliefs and practices of the Indian religions. The influence of yoga is also visible in Buddhism.
Practising yoga won’t cause a Muslim to deviate and become a Hindu but copying or adding elements which are clearly from other religions is not acceptable in Islam. The reminder was given in Surah Al Kafirun.
By practising the act which is endorsed by the Hindu and Buddhism religions, one indirectly permits these religions although the faith in the heart remains unchanged.
Muslims who feel offended need to take this issue seriously. In Islam, there are so many healthy activities well known to be good for the health, physically and mentally.
One such activity is Solat, which is to be performed five times a day. Solat dictates a sequence of movements which is good for the body.
There are some health benefits in performing the prayer as it has been proven to increase concentration and refine memory, provide a calming effect and regulate stress, and make the body healthy and active.
Studies have shown that the act of sujud, or prostrating, in solat, encourages blood circulation to several nerves in the brain which do not receive regular blood flow in normal positions. The hearts and spines of pious Muslims are healthy as they receive constant stimulation.

So why look far for such stuff for a healthy lifestyle when you can find alternatives so close to you?
I AGREE!

TENGKU AZLAN SULAIMAN,
Sri Kembangan.

Non-obvious alcoholic drinks in supermarket

2008-10-17T18:07:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has ordered a leading hypermarket to immediately remove all alcoholic drinks in its soft drinks section.

The alcoholic drinks should be placed in the liquor section of the hypermarket and not with the soft drinks as this could mislead shoppers, especially minors, the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Mohd Zain Mohd Dom told the New Straits Times yesterday

The Petaling Jaya branch of the hypermarket was discovered recently to be selling 14 varieties of alcoholic pop drinks as well as popular brands of beer in its soft drinks section.

The alcoholic pop drinks come in colourful 275ml glass bottles and have an alcoholic content of between five and eight per cent .

They are priced between RM6.50 and RM12.

The labels on some of the bottles state that the alcoholic drinks contain Vitamin C.

Tidak halal labels were displayed near the price tags.

But, some of the tidak halal labels were partially hidden by the price tags.

Complaints have been pouring in from consumer groups on the sale of the alcoholic drinks and the ministry said it was investigating all these cases.

The Consumers Association of Penang had called for an immediate ban on the sale of alcoholic soft drinks. It said they posed a serious danger to youngsters.

CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris said the association had received complaints from parents stating that their children had been consuming these alcoholic soft drinks.

"These parents have expressed fears about the chances of these youth being hooked to alcohol in future due to their exposure to these alcoholic soft drinks at a young age."

Melayu Bodoh?

2008-07-05T23:52:00.005+08:00

It happened at a petrol kiosk somewhere in Petaling Jaya
A young couple, parked their turbo-exhaust-Satria car at the outside cash counter, thus blocking other cars to pass through. The man waited inside the car, with windows rolled down, and smoked while the girl went inside.

Later on, he finished up his red bull drink, and threw the empty can on the road. Off they go...
And they are Malay. Are you angry if I say Malay is stupid?

I'm dissapointed....and ashamed to belong to the same race as this Malay punk

I'm fueled by anger

2008-06-05T11:40:00.009+08:00

1 US barrel = 159 liter
current oil price USD 130/barrel or USD 130/159 liter

equals to USD 0.818/liter or RM 2.62/liter

We pay RM2.70/liter. Eh, biar betul?

and they said they're still giving out 30 cents per liter discount from market price..Other neighboring countries pay higher price than us, and we agree...(Oo..betul la tu, our gomen is caring)

But, compare that to the price of cars in Thailand.

For example, the most expensive line (1.5S Limited) of Toyota Vios is 699k baht = RM 68, 374
ours? RM 88,100 for the same line

We're struggling to pay off 9 years loan, being the first year or more just to pay off the interest. Plus ever increasing tolls which don't necessarily mean that you get smooth journey (think of LDP tolls, you pay RM1.60 whether it's jam or not)

I'm not done yet. We compare with Singapore pulak. They pay RM5.20/liter. But they have a choice to use public transport, efficient public transport. On top of that, how much they earn?

We're not paying the market price of cars like Thais do..and we don't have efficient public transport to depend on like Singaporeans do.

I feel both of my hands being tied, and blindfolded, and forced to say, "It's okay, we're good. We're going to change our lifestyle."

When they increased the petrol from RM1.62 to RM1.92 few years back, the savings was said to be used to improved public transportations system. I didn't see that.

When they ban Thais from filling up at country borders, the excuse was so that the subsidy could be enjoyed only to Malaysians. Merely 2 days later, the ban is off so much so that the ban to Singaporeans didn't even take place! So much for long term plan...

To our government, please provides us with choice

excel file on how much extra you spend on petrol based on new price

Exhaust buluh

2008-06-04T23:44:00.002+08:00

Haha....classic!

"Nak kasi tak bunyi pon boleh! Ha ni longgarkan sikit, ni apa ketat-ketat sangat tak boleh. Wayar berserabut banyak sedara tak boleh ini macam. Ini mesti ambik dua-dua kasi jadi satu sotkan dekat body ya, baru datang api jadi itu plag boleh hidup"

"Ooo dia pakai ekzos besi rupanya patutla bunyi pong pong kuat sangat. Apa tak gantikan dengan ekzos buluh?"

Ha a kan...tak perasan pulak!

2008-05-25T20:49:00.002+08:00

copied verbatim from RockyBru

Umno equals Sarkis (circus)? Like you (most probably), I am a big fan of P. Ramlee, both his movies and his songs. But there was this scene from the movie Bujkang Lapuk, in which P. Ramlee and S. Shamsuddin are making fun of Umno, which had escaped me until I watch it on You Tube just now.

For context, you have to read the posting by OpEd, P. Ramlee - Umno = Circus!

How did P. Ramlee and S. Shamsuddin get away with it? Can you imagine what will happen to anyone who tries this kind of joke in a movie these days?

p/s I found the clip after discovering OpEd, a blog by a journo. Great stuff. And good to know more and more journalists are blogging these days.

Motsy trying to walk

2008-05-05T16:31:00.001+08:00

Motsy trying to walk
Originally uploaded by swisscobalt.

with his small legs and big belly...

April Fool comes late?

2008-04-11T08:48:00.003+08:00

The Star article 11 April 2008.

I captured this online edition right away before the newspaper editor rectify it. This dude/dudette journalist V.P. Sujata must be in trouble for putting the wrong picture :)
I'm going to assume this is an honest mistake, or somebody up there knows something that we, average people don't know..I'll go with the first one :)

Sufiah Yusof : Conspiracy Theory

2008-04-10T11:21:00.000+08:00

updated 10 April 2008

Jangan perbesar kisah Sufiah - Mufti (Utusan Malaysia)

As the news about Sufiah Yusof (aka Shilpa Lee) unfold on the internet regarding her downfall from math prodigy who entered Oxford at the age of 13 to an escort valued at 130 GBP per hour (maybe she chose her own rate 130 to match her historic age at 13? Maybe not...)

She came from a Muslim family with both her parents and siblings are all brainy lots. It’s a rare occasion where genius Muslim family being elevated to media spotlight in the Western world. So when something like this happens, ‘they’ (whoever you want to refer at) started to get scared. What if someday this family produces more Muslim geniuses?

To stop this phenomenon from happening, they plan something to disgrace this fella, and her whole family. Also, to know that prostitution is one of the worst jobs known to mankind, they took this opportunity to offer this innocent girl money...and sex...

She was working as an administrative assistant earning £16,000 (RM102,400) a year in Manchester when, about four months ago in a bar, she was asked by an “immaculate lady in a designer suit” to become an escort.

She herself admits that she has regular clients attending to her needs; maybe all these regulars are part of the plot to take her further down the hole? (no pun intended).

And who is that 'immaculate lady in a designer suit'? Why of all other girls in the bar, she was picked? Did she had 'pick me! pick me! written all over her forehead?

As for me, her story has more than meets the eye.

That’s what they do to Lady Diana when she was about to marry a Muslim dude….(also one of the conspiracy theory)

I’m still working out on other possibilities, as my story isn’t yet complete…I've been watching too many Hollywood movies lately...

Cool Honda advertisement

2008-04-09T23:00:00.002+08:00

I've found this cool Honda advertisement on the Youtube..Really cool stuff...
It was said that it took approximately 600 times to get right, none of it is computer animated.