A beauty once more...

Sat 280209

Yup, my ole junk is a beauty once more! Its shattered front windscreen was replaced yesterday ( pls see relevant post entry) and this morning it is as if that incident never ever happened...

Yup, as you can see from the pic below, the front windscreen has got back its dark sunshade strip...for a mere RM10 only! Tks a meg, Mr T!!The latest renewed road tax disc was re-affixed FOC...More tks to Mr. T!!

Yup, it's a nice thought & a nice feeling to have...esp to have things back the way it was. If only it really didn't happen...but that would be purely wishful thinking, right? Accept we must & then only can we move on...no stress but with happy thoughts...

COD (Chef's Off Day) is once more onto us...but me will save everyone from the anguish & "torture" of having to read a boring replay of such a recuring event...haha!

Only thing different today was that we had lunch at a different spot. Riverland Cafe. At Star Parade. Hong Kong noodles & fresh orange juice for the "chef" & Fried Tanghoon with blended mocha for me. Tasty. 2 satisfied customers.

Cine Nite? The movie? Your guess is as good as mine...the mystery will soon be over tonight...

Have a great weekend yourself, ok? Chao...

Update 010309 :

1. Cine Nite...the movie...now no longer a mystery! It's "High School Musical 3"...feel it's the best of the trilogy! What say you?

2. My ole junk has just been "rebadged"...for RM8.90 only! Now it's more assertive. In front. See for yourself in pic below...hehe...

A cosmetic uplift for having served us well all these 17 years...since 8th March 1992!! That was the day my Proton Saga 1.5I Auto arrived at Lot 10...

Happy 17th Birthday / Anniversary, my Ole Fren!!

New for "shattered"...

Fri 270209

Good news! Yup, it is! My ole junk got a new & better front windscreen!!

And yup, me happy cos my "rollercoaster ride"...at this point in my life... is hopefully slowly but surely going up. At least it is NOT going down some more! Well, in a way it is though. My bank account balance is going down...

Well, lucky for lil ole me 'cause me found that a car body panel workshop just a short distance from Lot 10 was open even on a Friday!

To summarise, a few calls to the repairer's hp resulted in a return call. 2 options were open. To refit the same type of glass or a better one ie a laminated windscreen - the type that is fitted to newer Proton Iswara cars. Me chose the latter 'cause it will, hopefully, eliminate the shattering experience typical of normal toughened glass types.

Total charges? RM430 ie RM230 for the windscreen & RM200 for rubber lining, windscreen adhesive/sealant and workmanship. Just about RM100 more than that for a normal toughened glass windscreen replacement. Worth it? Me think so...hehe...

Well, my ole junk is definitely better looking now (in a way) and most importantly, safer!

Here it is...

And the 2nd pic shows the etched info of the type of windscreen glass. Can you see the word "LAMINATED" on the right side of but slightly below the Proton logo?

Sincerely hope it is on par with those other laminated windscreens as we know them...certainly hope that it need not be proven in the future at all! We don't want that, do we?

Well, that brings to a closure the windscreen saga & hopefully, too, my run of bad luck...

Have a good weekend, everyone!! TC & be safe...

Riding the Rollercoaster of Life...

Thur 260209

Yup, as had been repeated often in this Blog, Life is like a rollercoaster ride. At one point in one's life, one can be enjoying an exhilarating ride upwards...the next moment, one can be going downhill...

And yup, that's exactly what happened to me & my other half today!

Actually, a few days back, me did some minor servicing of our ole junk with plans for a trip to what used to be our favourite haunt when we first retired...Prangin Mall! However, that trip didn't materialise as planned 'cause of unforeseen unfolding events.

Then yesterday, when the "clouds of uncertainty" cleared and there was nothing anymore in the way, I told my other half that it's time for us to make that trip down memory lane...to Prangin Mall. She agreed wholeheartedly...adding that it had indeed been a long time since we went there!

So this morning, after a light breakfast of bread & the usual stuff, we were off to Penang! Started from Lot 10 before 10am and soon it was a stopover at Carrefour, Prai. Only a very small "donation" was made...hehe...

Then it was across the Penang Bridge & the main destination was reached without any problems. Traffic was clear & smooth all the way. A RM2 entrance fee was paid. Lunch was at a new place. Home Recipe. Next to our usual spot...now renamed "Little Oasis". That change was a good choice. For RM8.90 each, 2 different sets of chicken rice meals were ordered. Tasty good food came & both enjoyed filling our tummies although a slight error was made by the waitress...I ordered Iced Green Tea but was given Iced Honey instead! Frankly, me would have welcomed the error, besides enjoying that drink... if not for my present "health-preserving" needs! Ha ha!

Well, my other half finally got her belated "Valentine's Day" gift...a white gold necklace! Me felt very happy when she agreed with my choice...that made it worth every sen it cost!!

After reading in the papers of a new wing having been added to the popular Gurney Plaza, it was decided that that should be our next target visit. Luck was with us because a parking lot was easily found in the basement.
The new wing...looking from the 1st Floor towards the new Parkson end...nice?

To cut a long story short, me got my 2nd pair of cargo longs! Jeans actually. Soda Jeans, to be exact! At 50% discount, it was a good & affordable buy...

And my other half got a 2nd necklace with a 2-heart c/w "diamond" pendant! 2900 only! Oops, sorry...Rm29.00 only... hehe...

Believe it or not, the salesgirl told us it's made of silver plated with platinum!! If you ask me, I'd answer...Nope, it just could not be! Not at RM29. Maybe at RM290? At least? Ha ha!

Well, that was the good part of the rollercoaster ride today!

Now comes the start or "hint" of the not-so-good part of the ride. It started raining after we crossed the Pg Bridge on our way back. It was really heavy after that & only stopped after SP North.

Now the worst part of the ride. The "DIVE"!!

As we're approaching the Gurun interchange, a car, a Proton Wira, came out & cut in in front of us. We both heard a loud explosive "POP" and our car front windscreen just shattered into little "jewels" right in front of us!! Just look at the pics (taken back in Lot 10)...phew...

Luckily for us, the windscreen had a tinting film on its interior face. And the little "jewels" were held together well as we crawled slowly home. Thank God for that small blessing!

Yup, that film of tint material was truly a blessing in disguise! And a real good investment that finally paid off. It really saved the day! Wonder how we would have made it back if otherwise...

Now, comes the hard part. Finding a repair shop to do the replacement of the shattered windscreen. And hopefully, a reliable & competent repair person. Any recommendations?

And yup, looks like the recent "petrol rebate" is gonna come in handy soon...hehe...

Wish me luck, ok? Thanks a meg in advance.

ps. Sincerely hope that my "rollercoaster ride" is gonna be in an upward direction from now...

Being grandparents...

Tue 24th Feb 2009

Grandparents. Yup, what does that word / title mean & what are a grandparent's role & responsibilities (R&R?)? Not forgetting, too, the rights of such grandparents...

You may be a grandparent now...or you will be sometime in the future. So it is felt that this topic would be kinda interesting to delve into. Right?

Firstly, the definition of a "grandparent"...according to Chambers : simply this "a grandfather or a grandmother". On further reference, a grandfather means..."a father's or mother's father". Similarly so for a grandmother.

That's it. Just a step in the family tree.

However, as in this quote taken from a website :

"Kathryn and Alan Zullo, authors of "The Nanas and the Papas, a Boomers' Guide to Grandparenting," remind us that "though we know we must let go of the reins to our adult children, they are still our children. Forever. It doesn't matter how old any of us are."

And yup, that is the biggest problem...although one may be a grandparent now, but our children (who are parents now) will forever be our children in our eyes...forever. But does it mean the same from their perspective? Are parents still respected & looked at as parents when our children have become parents themselves?

Or are they to be used of when need or opportunity calls? Without hesitation? Without considering other alternatives /options? Simple as a "call your parents to come take care of ...."? Do having still-living parents come to just that? A useable commodity?

There is also this "view that being carefree and without obligation is an acceptable goal for the final stage of life".

The most unfortunate scenario is when the parents (on achieving grandparents status) are regarded as "Free & Available help-on-call" when a grandchild comes into the family. A supposedly always-available "child care service". A figurative & possibly even a literal demotion to the status of being a "maid" of sorts? Don't you feel that can be kinda "degrading" even to the extent of disrespect? It usually comes after..."since you are retired, with all the time in the world, ...."

Now what does "retired" mean? Chambers : "To withdraw from office, public or active life, business, profession etc." So does it mean that one has to, upon retirement, to take up a "new" job? Care of grandchildren?

Of course there are those who feel that becoming a grandparent for the 1st time is like a great achievement. So they proudly announce to all & sundry that they will be fully taking care of their grandchild...that they need no help. Esp when one has a history of taking care of numerous kids!

Such ppl are what ppl say "bong thnee leng leng". Translated it means that they do NOT know what they're getting themselves into. Little do they know that not all kids are alike & so is the care for them! Since humility is not in them, the child under their care suffers through care without love...

So when things go sour, they have to bear it out while biting their lips & tongues just to "kor bin chui" or "kor bin puay". Simply translated, that means "just to save face"!

Well, there are also those who find life without kids like a life without direction nor purpose. Bless them. Admire them. Respect them. They are they. Period. Not everyone is them. Agreed? Yup, not everyone is so equipped to shoulder the physical & emotional stress of that child-caring cycle that they had undergone a number of times (when they were parents) all over again...esp so now being in their golden years. Don't you feel & agree that they have served their time? That they have fulfilled their responsibilities?

Ok. To be there when help is needed. That's fair & may be even the responsibility of any right-thinking grandparent ie if the new parents are financially incapable of getting paid or other forms of help. But to put it like... "as grandparents, it's your responsibility to look after your grandchildren..." Is that so? A totally different perspective here.

So, what are actually a grandparent's responsibilities? Can one truly spell them out? Can you?

You bring those kids out into this world (not your parents) and then leave them to your parents to look after them? Shrugging off your own responsibilities to your own kids? Behaving like you are still without kids? Is that fair? Or even right to do? Now with other options available to young working parents?

I've seen ever so often, the young parents walking ahead...acting like they were still courting...while the poor ole grandparents struggled with their grandchild, trying to keep up! Have you witnessed such scenarios? Open your eyes & look around...you will. I can assure you so!

It's great for grandparents to be able to spend value time with their grandkids. When they visit you. When you visit them. Frankly, they would enjoy it & would love the opportunity. But to be burdened with the day to day care of the young active kids while you go about your own life like you do not have kids at all? Now, that is grossly UNfair!!

Isn't it a sin to bring innocent kids out into this world and kinda "abandoning" them so? A child is supposedly the product of love. So where is that love?

One great worry & challenge faced by grandparents burdened with the care of grandchildren is...

" Health : Some grandparents experience health problems due to caregiving demands. The main health risks are depression, insomnia, back and stomach problems, and hypertension. "

Now, do the young parents see that possibility & consequence? Nope. 'Cause if they do, they would never expect their parents to shoulder that burden...if other options are available, of course.

Legally, where do grandparents stand as regards their rights to the grandchildren? This would be the norm...

"Grandparents seeking visitation or custody must prove that the parents are unfit or that the grandparents' custody serves the best interest of the child. Often, proof refers to physical or sexual abuse allegations, which are difficult to confirm. Courts tend to favor parents' rights to custody and care of their children. "

A quote to end this entry. This would be ideal...

" It helps to remember that, as grandparents, we are often in a great position. We can lavish love and attention on these wondrous creatures without getting bogged down in the duties of parenthood. Yes, we worry about our grandchildren. They also can exhaust us. Most of the time, however, we can be caring companions, thrilled and honored to spend time with our grandchildren. And we can tighten the bonds of our families by sharing, with our own children, the joy we take in their children. "

To all grandparents out there, we feel for you...We all love our grandchildren but there's a limit to what we can do nor can be expected to do. Sincerely hope all young parents can see that & understand so...

C'mon, guys...give your parents a break...they deserved it, don't they? Unless they asked for it...then it's a different whole piece of cake...

Ultimately it is as clear as day that you, as the grandparent, have the right to say "Yes" or "No" to any call to take care of your grandchildren. It is NOT obligatory for you to do so cos legally the kids are their parents' responsibility to care for just like your kids were yours to care for. Help from your end, as a grandparent, is purely voluntary.
Of course it is, at times, dependent & subjected to prevailing conditions of urgency & need eg in emergencies. Even then, it depends upon your ability & capability to cope with such special circumstances. Agreed?

To all retirees...do have a good retirement...the kind you choose & will be happy with!

To all young couples...think hard & well before bringing kids into this world. Ensure you can cope with all aspects of having kids. Otherwise, please DON'T!!

An anniversary that I would wish to forget...

Sun 220209

Yup, another anniversary is about to happen...but not one me would want nor wish to remember nor celebrate!! In 10 days...

And yup, it's on that fateful & mind-shattering day, 12 months ago, on 4th March 2008, that I discovered to my utter shock, dismay & deep disappointment that I no longer "knew" nor "recognised" my only son of 37 years...

Yup, this totally "new" guy came into our lives & made a mess of our family, our happiness & our future lives ahead!
( Note : For more details of the incident & my feelings, pls refer to my post on Tues 4th March 2008 & a few other related posts after that... )

A huge window was opened for my "true" son to come back on the occasion of my other half's birthday in August of that year...but, alas, he was already too "weak" to resurface again...lost out to the new stronger, more arrogant & disrespectful personality! Yup, he had become someone so strange to all of us...without any hint of love nor respect for his own father. Someone not of our upbringing. Someone most probably born out of the mess he found himself in...influenced by factors far stronger than our upbringing...

Anyway, another opportunity came when there was hope of a reconciliation...but, alas again, our lost "son" was still as weak as ever...with who knows what affecting his rational thinking & whatever love he might have for his father & the family he was born into...
A "battle of sms-es" ( that's what he called it ) ensued. That dashed all hopes of any comeback of the "son" we all had, once upon a time, knew.

And throughout the whole year, me had tried to "hint" & even pass messages, via my other half, to the son that I knew was still somewhere in that bundle of flesh & bones. But, as before, it is now felt that the love & feelings, that me thought that had existed between a father & son, is now so insignificant or worst still, now no longer exist.

As had been preached to me & heard ever so often, one has to learn to accept life as it happens. Take life as it comes. No amount of regret nor frustration will ever make things better nor turn back the clock of time.

Moreover, time & time again, I've put forward the question..."when do our responsibilities as parents end?" And the generic answer has always been the same. "When our kids have grown up & have families of their own."

In any issue, we can only hope that time truly heals all wounds. That time would pave the way for the opening of eyes of the wrong. So that the wronged would have his respect re-instated. And that the love he had for that child was not & had not been in vain.

In the meantime, Life, as is, must go on. One cannot choose one's children nor determine what nor how they will turn out to be. We can only do our best...to be the best parents we can ever be...under prevailing conditions at that point in time. And, in so doing, we can only hope that whatever we had done, our children would grow up & realise that all that was done with the care & love of their loving parents.

And if one day, your son turns around & tells you that he does not want to be a father like you ie to him now, you are a father who has made his life miserable, what can you do nor say that will ever change that distorted view of his? Really nothing, right? You may feel downright disappointed & deeply hurt but there's nothing you can do about that. You can only accept that you have just lost a son! That you have wasted all your care & love for a son who now no longer appreciates nor has that love you had for him. Yup, accept what he has become. You'll be happier if you do so. And the faster you do so, the earlier you'll be happier & the less you'll suffer.

Believe it or not...As I've told my kids at some point in their lives, "your parents would never knowingly do anything that would harm or hurt you in any way..." Believe it.

Finally, as had been mentioned in an earlier post, in a family there is NO such thing as one is a manager nor an accountant. Whatever one may be in the outside world, in a family, there can only be a Father, a Mother, a Son(s) and a Daughter(s). And it's LOVE that binds a family together. True?

Well, I feel that 1 whole year, or 12 months, is a long enough period for anyone who has wronged his father to realise that, to make amends & put things back into perspective...that of a son who had disrespected his own father...a father who had stood by him till he could stand on his own 2 feet! That light at the end of the tunnel has since dimmed considerably...

With that, me now look forward to happier times ahead...with my other half...hand in hand...back to "square one" when we were also only 2...focussed on the road ahead...living out our remaining years...till one of us has to leave the other behind. For whatever years we would be left & blessed with. Anything else good that comes our way,would be bonuses from God.
Amen.

RO Water or is it...?

Tue 170209

RO Water? Now to the unintiated, RO = Reverse Osmosis.

Firstly, let's see what Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_osmosis ) says...

"Reverse osmosis is a filtration process typically used for water. It works by using pressure to force a solution through a membrane, retaining the solute on one side and allowing the pure solvent to pass to the other side. This is the reverse of the normal osmosis process, which is the natural movement of solvent from an area of low solute concentration, through a membrane, to an area of high solute concentration when no external pressure is applied. "

For a more detailed explanation, pls goto http://chemistry.about.com/od/waterchemistry/a/reverseosmosis.htm

Well, that settles the explanatory part. Now what is this post all about?

Simply this...we can see a lot of such RO Water Dispensing Booths sprouting up everywhere in almost every town/city, right? One can purchase 500ml of such water for 10 sen or 20sen/litre.

The question is...Are we getting our money's worth? Are we truly getting RO water or just plain filtered water? Fyi our eyes cannot detect the difference between the two!! Both look clean & clear...

From what I've found out through a phone call to a staff of WaterShop ie one of the companies putting up such RO dispensing booths, the RO water dispensed by their machines should contain less than 5ppm of dissolved solids. Do you know that? Or could you even know?

Nope. No, you would not. Not unless you are in posssession of & carry around with you one of those simple (but expensive) TDS meters (TDS = Total Dissolved Solids) for measuring that value of dissolved substances in water....
Yup, I happened to have bought 1 such meter. Pls see pic on left.

To cut a long story short, I opted to buy the meter & source my RO water supply from those public water dispensing booths. Reason? Simple. An RO system for the home costs abt RM2k+...cash!! Which me not can spare...hehe...at that point in time...

But the TDS meter? Only RM90. With it me feel safe cos me can test the quality of the water from those dispensing booths. Moreover at the tortoise-paced rate that these 2 inmates of Lot 10 use water for consumption, our expenses would never ever reach the RM2k+ cost of getting one of those home units, not considering & excluding the cost of maintenance eg replacement of filters & the membrane etc.

Let us make it clear that when the dispensers were first put up within Alor Star, the water dispensed then were of good RO water quality...showing a reading of "000"ppm on my TDS meter ie less than 10ppm. My TDS meter shows readings in x10ppm.

However, of late...practically all of the supposedly RO water dispensing machines that I've gone to, are now dispensing water almost equivalent to the filtered water that I get in my own home via a simple Panasonic water filter. Reading? 30 - 40 ppm. ( Note: Reading for my home filtered water is 40ppm )

Recently ie from last year, I was left with only 1 source...a machine at PSK. But now...in 2009...this machine has started dispensing water quality of 10ppm & above or less than 20ppm!! And the quality, as stated to me by their supplier/HQ in Penang ( cust service line @ 016-2299616 ), is supposed to be less than 5ppm!! So is there any hint of "Fraud" or "Cheating"...???

So, please, please...the next time you do get your supply of supposedly clear & clean RO water from such public dispensing machines, please hesitate...pause awhile...think...are you getting what you paid for? What assurances do you have that you are being supplied what you are paying for?

Let's all ensure that we do get our hard-earned money's worth, ok? At least what we are paying for...RO Water!! Not just ordinary plain filtered water...which we can already get in our own homes ( kinda like FOC ? Most of us already have 1 kind or another of sediment filters installed, right?) !!

For more info on TDS meters & how they work :
1. http://www.waterfiltersonline.com/water-tests.asp
2. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-04/rhf/feature/index.php

Valentine's Day 2009

Sun 150209

Yup, that time of the year just came & went. And yup, it was yesterday. Valentine's Day!!

Heartiest & sincere Congrats to our niece, TKP on her official marriage registration @Chin Woo Association, Ipoh, on that special day...Above : The happy loving couple in a group pic.

As for the inmates of Lot 10 OFH, they were not gonna let Valentine's Day 2009 go without any celebrations, no matter how small..hehe...

The day started like any other day. Kwan Lo Mee was the breakfast menu. Then it was off to Tesco Mergong for an outing. Ended up "donating" a bit to the "Tesco Fund". Ha ha! Mainly for necessities...

However, an attempt was made to get something to mark this special day. A ring studded with "diamonds". After discount, it came to RM185. Unfortunately, the "look you no up" attitude of the salesgirl collapsed & ended the transaction. Wonder how such ppl can be in the sales line...??

Lunch was my other half's "Pan Mee" at the food court opposite AS Mall. A good meal. Was pleasantly surprised when the stall-owner remembered my past preferences!!

This was followed by an "outing" at AS Mall. Whilst there, another attempt was made to get a "souvenir" for the special day. This time it was a white gold necklace with pendant. Enquired about one that caught my eye at the shop's entrance. This time around, the salesgirl was over-enthusiastic in her job & tried to push sales to a higher level. She took us inside the shop and showed us MORE at higher prices...phew!

What can I say? She ended up with NO sale!! Well, like the saying goes in the business community.... " The customer is always right... ". Right? And, being over-zealous can bring about one's downfall....loss of a good sale in this case!

We did finally get something to mark the day. Yup, something that my other half will now have in her hand everytime she's in her domain...the kitchen. And yup, it's a Tefal high quality (the Evidence range) non-stick 28cm frying pan! One that can even be used with a metal utensil! Price? RM129. Might not appear that romantic but a much more practical item of purchase (for OFH inmates) to mark the day...

Dinner was a request for Bah Kut Teh meal at Lot 7 but on reaching there, the stall was closed. Maybe the stall-owners were celebrating their own V-Day? And so an alternative venue was suggested. PSK. Nearing the area, we were faced with very dense traffic conditions. Bad. Persistence & patience paid off. And we were soon enjoying our Bah Kut Teh, with added pig's tail!! Ha ha! Only RM14.20. Cheap but tasty & good.

As I've always believed & preached, a meal is good & enjoyable, being not measured by its cost but by the atmosphere, mood & feelings of the participants! And truthfully, the events of that day including the meals were just great! We were ONE!!

As V-Day this year fell on a Saturday, it coincided with our regular COD and thus, it was only appropriate to end it with a Cine Night event. The movie, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, was selected and both had an enjoyable night.

And, as the day & night drew to a close, both inmates of Lot 10 felt that V-Day 2009 was & is a very memorable, happy & loving day!

Sincerely hope yours was as good as mine...cheers!!

Breakout!

Fri 130209

After being mostly cooped up in Lot 10, its inmates found good excuses to breakout! Yup, breakout we did!

Sat 7th Feb : Birthday of Angus aged 1. Yup, 1st breakout destination = Bukit Minyak @ Bukit Mertajam. Plan? To visit my other half's bro & family cum going to Penang to join in the celebrations of a young nephew, Angus. A BBQ was held within the family residence compound. Beside the pool. Starting the BBQ fire provided some problems & excitement and the evening was great...with great food & great company! Most important of all, great value family time.

A few pics here of the event. Anyone you know? Sorry but no names...haha!

Above : The bday boy, clinging to mum's sarong ( oops...sorry, shorts la )...and with Dad...

And...The bro...& with his uncle...in party gear!


Busy ppl at the BBQ pit? Love adds flavour & extra ingredients to the BBQ pieces...hehe...

Here my warmest wishes go out to the happy loving couple who would be registering their marriage tomorrow... That's right! On Valentine's Day, 2009!

Congrats & Happy Valentine, guys!!

We spent the night back in BM. Tks a meg for a great stay, TKY & LH!! And, for everything else...do come visit A/Star, ok?

Sun 8th Feb : Next stop...Taiping!! Yup, after a tasty & varied Tim Sum breakfast with TKY & family that morning, it was time to leave for our next breakout destination. And our gracious thanks to our nephew, CB, for saving us from a "bad" start or else we would have gone the wrong way instead of out to the main highway! Phew...just can't help wondering where we would have ended up if we had proceeded the way we were going! Ha ha!

Well, Taiping was Taiping...hehe...

However, it was a memorable 4 days of time spent with KL & family. KL gave us lots of warm memories & feelings enough to last us for some time. At least till we see her again. Don't worry...me will not bore you with details. Haha!

A pic here of KL during our stay...


Yup, KL in her very own "Kung Fu" pose...

For more pics of KL, pls check out the slideshow on the right of this Blog..." The 2009 KL ".



All too soon, it was time to go...to leave KL behind. We would have loved to stay longer but as it is, like the saying goes...

" The mind is willing but the body is weak... "

And, talking about the body...me had my persistent "stiff neck" problem checked by an Orthopedic Consultant arranged by my daughter while we were in Taiping. X-Ray pics were taken.
Results? The good news is the doc was friendly, helpful & informative. The bad news is the "life sentence" me got confirmed...yup, I have what is known as "Ankylosing Spondylitis". Fusion of my cervical vertebrae. Bad cos not just one but most of them! Surgical operation is not advisable. My best friends now appear to be painkillers. Well, at least me still got friends...painkillers...haha!

Thanks, EL, for your concern & help. At least now me know where I stand...and the road ahead. The Scout's motto, "Be Prepared" applies...

Well, it was a great, interesting & kinda eventful breakout this time around. Now, it's back to Lot 10 OFH routine days...routine is good, right? Bye...

Back in Action!

Thur 12 Feb 2009

Hi Everyone! So sorry but me was MIA for the past few days...

Yup, it was a kinda impromptu arrangement for a couple of visits. And due to uncertainties beyond my control, I was kinda hesitant to post any word about my "probable" absence from any online action.

No worries now cos me am back in here alive, well & kicking!!

So do be patient & me will get down to writing some "boring" narratives about my MIA episodes soon...so do be prepared to be bored!!

In the meantime, pls do enjoy the new pics of our fav grandaughter, KL, that were taken during my MIA do in Taiping...see them in "The 2009 KL" slideshow on the right of this Blog. TQ...

Do come back soon, ok? Oh my...these ole aching bones...do give lil ole me a day or two, ok? To recover? Btw, me thought of a new pseudonym for myself...Robot T!! Ha ha! He he...whatever...
Bye for now...

In Memory of....

Thurs 050209

This special entry is dedicated to our cousin, KS, who has finally left us on the morning of Weds 040209 @3.30am...thus ending her long & tedious fight with the Big C.Upon receiving the sad news of KS's passing via a phone call from her sis @7:43am, both me & my other half went to Penang to pay our last respects to KS @ funeral parlour D at the Batu Gantong Crematorium entrance area.

We will all miss her...

We thank God for ending her suffering and for bringing closure & a final everlasting peace to KS. May KS be forever in God's loving arms & loving care...

Rest in Peace, KS...Amen.


FLASHBACK...Memories are made of this...

Our beloved cousin, KS, at her sister's Bday dinner on Sunday Jan 18th, 2009...KS is on the extreme right @ table in pic below:

Road Tax & the petrol rebates...

Mon 020209

Deadline : 31st Mar 2009...Yup, that would be the last day for any car owner to claim his eligible rebate for petrol since the enormous jump in petrol prices sometime (June 2008??) last year.

And yup, yours truly here thought it would be a good idea to renew our car road tax ( vehicle licence actually...as it is officially called!) a month earlier to avoid the usual last minute rush typical of fellow Malaysians.

And so it was that me & my other half woke up earlier than usual and after a simple breakfast, we were off to renew our ole junk's insurance. The First Step. Well, renewal wasn't a hassle at all. Done in a matter of minutes. Thanks a meg, Ms L, for yr kind assistance!

However, a little background on the renewal of insurance for OLD cars here...

It seems that if one were to try to purchase 3rd party insurance cover for an old car (previously done for cars 10 years old & above), it would be almost nigh impossible! In reality there is still such a cover & the premium is only RM82.90! But, it appears that practically almost all insurance companies & agents would not accept such proposals anymore. Reason? A big loss should there be any claims, considering the very low premium. As such, those insurance companies that do accept, would add a compulsory requirement, namely the purchase of PA (Personal Accident) cover for the driver & passengers. This would add a further premium of RM310 in my case! Total? RM392.90, not forgetting the RM10 extra for stamp duty.

Now, if one would opt for Comprehensive type cover of the minimum sum insured of RM10k, the premium is only slightly more than RM200. So, which would you choose?

In my case, I was kinda lucky as I was permitted a renewal under my old policy terms. Yup, it's an offer me couldn't reject...hehe...

So, after getting the insurance cover, I was informed that I could renew my Road Tax and simultaneously apply for the petrol rebate at the GPO (General Post Office). That means a saving of 1 trip to JPJ as well as not having to fork out cash for the Road Tax renewal (RM90 only in my case). A kinda contra thing.

We, therefore, proceeded to the GPO and... My! What a huge crowd there was! My service ticket no. was 225 and only 162 was being served at the time! We decided to wait cos we saw so many counters were in operation. Told ourselves that a little patience would be well rewarded.

And so we waited...and waited...and waited. A long wait...at least it felt that way. Thank God the numbers moved pretty fast...thanks to all those who took numbers but discarded them or didn't stay when they saw the long queue!! So, surprisingly, after about 30 minutes, it was the turn for no. 225! Me!!!

At the designated counter, I diligently produced my documents...including the required application form for the petrol rebate. To my surprise, I was told that I could NOT do the Road Tax renewal! Reason? The section for printing the renewal printout on my Vehicle Licence were all used up! They could NOT print on the spare printout area which had been used for my past 4 years of renewals, saying that only the JPJ ppl could do that! And one just had to turn the vehicle licence bottom end up to print. That's all!

Now, can a machine printing out the receipt of payment onto the Vehicle Licence detect & know where it is printing? Could someone please enlighten me? AFAIK, there are NO magnetic markers on that form. So it would just be a matter of selecting the location, eg the row no., for the printout. Is the staff so inefficient as that? Moreover, how can the Govt publicly declare that Road Tax renewals can be performed at Post Offices when such a limitation is there? This limitation would restrict renewals to a max of 12 years!

Wouldn't be simple plain courtesy of the Govt &/or the GPO to inform the public that it could only accomodate renewals for vehicles that were only 12 years old and below?

When I told the GPO counter staff that I had queued for so long to be told I could not do so, she asked if I had shown my vehicle licence to the "Enquiry" counter staff. I did ask if I could renew my Road Tax but no one asked to see my vehicle licence nor told me of that restriction! Phew! And that is supposedly to be the "improved quality counter services" at govt departments? Oh my God! What a BS service! More of paying lip service than true service...

Being so rejected, what other recourse do I have but to then go personally to the nearest JPJ office. I did. And, guess what? It just took a couple of minutes to have my Road Tax renewed! No queue. No questions asked. No hassle at all!

The only problem now (which is actually NOT a problem at all...hehe...) is that I need to wait at least 4 days to a week (so I was told by the GPO staff) to be able to claim the petrol rebate. Why? There is a possibility that the updating of records by the GPO might not be as efficient as it should be!

Frankly, how slow can that be? Aren't they computerised & online? If so, that would just be as instant as pressing the "ENTER" key! Or a simple updating procedure. Daily even. If my knowledge of computers isn't as backward as some people...

The only reason that I could furnish on their behalf is that the 2 agencies are NOT online and therefore, there is a need for MANUAL updating of records from one agency to the other. Then it would depend on the frequency & efficiency of the staff empowered to do the updating. I rest my case...

So, have you renewed your vehicle Road Tax yet? Claimed your entitled rebate yet? If not, pls don't think that 31st Mar is still far away lo...it's not!

If you have done so, I do sincerely hope that your attempt was much more pleasant than mine, though...

Now I do wonder if there is anybody whose Road tax renewal is due on 310309...how in the world is he/she gonna claim the rebate? If the rebates end on 310309. Any idea? Maybe they are expected to renew at least a week earlier? RM625 is no meagre sum to most. Agreed?

Will update my progress on this issue for the final step when done...most probably next week...if me lucky streak comes back...

Have a good week!