Msia is 50 yrs old and....

Hi again...
And yup, Msia is 50 years old today. Aug 31st 2007.

And yup, I was already around when that BIG day took place on 31 Aug 1957...I was just a young boy then...hehe...
When events like this occur, it does make one feel older than one actually is. And looking back thru those years, one feels a sense of achievement & pride to have gone thru all that and be still around to enjoy today!! Cos everyday now is truly a bonus...

And how am I going to spend this Merdeka Day? Quietly. At home. A relaxing stress-free day. In peace & tranquility. Ha ha!

Btw me got a little bonus just a few days ago. With a "little" help from my other half. Monetarily & morally. He he...
You see, I was on my 2nd Canon Pixma iP1700 printer ever since it became cheaper to buy a new printer rather than to buy replacement ink cartridges! The main problem was the moment one colour of the 3in1 colour cartridge is used up, that cartridge is DEAD!

Refilling with 3rd party inks was a neverending problem. Overfill by a bit and the whole colour cartridge is condemned! Bad. Not forgetting expensive, too! @RM79 min a pc.

Having had quite a nice experience with my Canon S400SP for a no. of years (until it KOed on me!)...that printer had individual ink tanks..., I decided to get a similar model to ease my problem.
So I went searching. Browsed the Net. Canon sites. Review sites. Even consulted a fmly member. With budget limitations, only one Canon model fits the need. The Canon Pixma iP3300!

Here it is now...sitting so beautifully & imposing on my computer table shelf :
Got it for RM248. Replacement ink tanks for each colour is affordable at RM43/44. Blk is RM50. With much more ink than those of the iP1700. The main difference tho is it uses a fixed printhead. Not renewable at each cartridge change. Unlike the iP1700 where one gets a new printhead with each replacement.

Now, that would be a great test on Canon's reliability, wouldn't it?

The problem now is that I now have TWO iP1700 printers which are going to collect dust...no one wants a printer where the ink cartridges cost more than the printer itself!! Sad but appears to be the norm.

If you think abt it, the iP3300 works out similarly, too. However, the advantage is I'm paying less for more ink & I don't need to fork out so much each time a colour ink runs out...

A memorable event has just passed...on 270807. My dearest B's Bday. And TQ for all the years you've tolerated this eccentric old man...

Presenting our Bday girl cutting her Bday cake, lovingly supplied by our DEL..a little earlier. On 180807. : To add to the 2 bracelets me already got for her (which she got to know in advance, unfortunately...chk out my 190807 entry.), I was lucky enough to surprise her with this...Yup, a "Rolex" Oyster Perpetual DateJust chronometer! A "Rolex" watch la! Can I really afford one? Have a closer look, my friend...hehe...

And...to make the event merrier, our little KL was here to keep her granny busy but warm & happy. A big happy smile for granny...from KL :One really can't ask for more on such occasions. And at this point in time. The presence of ppl who care abt you, love you, find the time & make the effort to share some happy moments together. I believe in "Happiness shared is happiness multiplied..."

And...times passed would never be re-captured ever again...an opportunity missed is an opportunity lost...

It's a pity & saddening to note that when we are young, we don't think abt how it would be when we grow old. A common response by the young is "I will not be like that when I'm old... ". So, do plse...plse do NOT ever grow old...cos you will be in exactly the same position as your parents...and their parents before them...and their parents before them. The future is in your hands to mould...

Let's get out of all that gloom and have another little peep into the recent past...on 160807, a Nokia N1110i was added to my hp collection...hehe...to overcome the regular swapping of SIM cards. Above pic shows the N1110i in its protective crystal casing. Cost me only RM135. New & original. But was well worth it! Small ,feature-rich tho but simple to use & comes bundled with a very long-lasting battery. The crystal housing was added later...RM5. Wanted to put on a protective screen film (RM8) but was advised to just add the crystal case. Cheaper. Protects & improves its appearance, too!

Not a bad month. Really. Bye!

A good weekend...

My...How time flies! Just 10 more days till Merdeka Day...Malaysia's Independence Day. Aug 31st.

And our latest weekend passed...just like in the wink of an eye! But nice...

For one, it was incident-free...hehe...

Secondly, it was made less lonely by a visit from my grandaughter, KL, & fmly. Here she is...on Saturday...playing with her little penguin. :

As always, good things must also come to an end. The weekend passed just like that! And Lot 10 is all quiet again. Ha ha!

And, of course, the main reason for the visit...KL's granny's Bday! In advance tho. "Forced" to be older 9 days earlier! Ha ha! Mainly cos her parents could not make it on the real day later. Working ppl are forever facing that dilemma. An unavoidable fact of life these days.

The granny had a special Bday cake. Ordered, bought & brought all the way from Taiping. Mango flavour with fruit toppings. Happy Birthday, my dearest B....

And, of course, muah did his little bit to bring a little smile to his other half, too! Well, something special and hopefully too, of help...hehe...

Got these 2 bracelets via a local online auction site. Came in nice presentation boxes, too. :

Lower one is made of stainless steel with titanium magnets...gold plated? Maybe...only time will tell.

The upper one is similar but no "gold-plating". The special ingredient is Germanium inserts & with FIR (Far InfraRed).

Each bracelet, theoretically...and it is believed...has its own "curative" benefits to the wearer. True or not, it really doesn't matter. Both look & feel nice. Affordable, too! But, most importantly, it brought a pretty smile to her loving face! That's worth every sen spent!

Bye! Will write again when there's something to tell, ok? Be happy.

Another Home Improvement episode

Hi...

With previous increases in electrical tariffs in mind, this ole man's thoughts could do no less but wander to any possibility of some savings in the near future. Guess what? Me spent some time at a booth in a neighbouring Giant Hypermarket...listening attentively to how a simple device could cut down unnecessary loss of energy and thus cause one's hard-earned & valuable $$ to go to waste.

Cost? RM199. And it was the last day of offer there!

Without losing heart, me proceeded into the electrical section of Giant itself. There a similar device seemed to call to me. By Nesly. Model EN 2009. Tag price? Only RM59.99!! I vaguely remember seeing something similar going for RM80 or so at another Super...

Without a second thought, me grabbed one!

To be frank, I had bidded for a similar item a couple of days earlier at an online auction site. A Made in China product. Got it for only RM33 plus RM7 despatch & handling charges. Was awaiting delivery when me went to Giant SP.

Now that me got this Nesly unit directly, me could immediately plug it in and enjoy its benefits!

So here it is...


The Nesly EN 2009 plugged into a wall socket in our Hall.






The next day the Made in China unit arrived. A larger bodied device. 2 LEDs. Since there are more power-drawing appliances upstairs eg air-con units, I decided it should not hurt to plug it as a supplemental unit up there.
So the unit went into an empty power socket in our Master Bedroom.

Result? As up till today, the average consumption as read from our meter has been abt 15 units ( or kWh ) per day. That would be a forecast saving at the end of the month of abt 40 units. Roughly abt Rm10 savings.

If that improvement continues as predicted, I would have recovered the cost of BOTH units in abt 10 mths. Then it would be 100% savings all the way...expected lifespan of the device is 5 years of continuous usage.

Besides the saving in $$ terms, I have found problems of our TVs eg unsteady/shrinking top picture display on one TV as well as a darkening effect on another, have both amazingly "vanished"!! A miracle of sorts? To me, that's $$ saved, too!

Moreover my room air-con unit compressor now operates much more silently. Difference was noticeable enough. And all flourescent lamps are now brighter...

Too hard to believe? Not so for me. I'm right where it is all happening...hehe...

To me, a good investment. An affordable one, too! Bye...

On & After 080807

0808 of 2007 has come & gone....

A good day it was then. Ordered our new fridge the day b4 & it was delivered on 0808! A Panasonic NRB282G. One of those in the "Magic Top" range. Freezer compartment is at the bottom instead of the normal top in 2-door refrigerators.

Here are different views of our Magic Top fridge...still empty at that time...hehe... :

Yea...empty as in pics but sorry...not anymore...ha ha!

As you can see, there are lots of shelves & trays. However the location & size do not permit easy storage of the variety of items/containers/foods that inevitably ends up in our fridge. Me had to remove the 3rd tray in the refrigerator compartment to accomodate larger containers. Now we have a "spare" tray...hehe...

Btw I wonder if you guys have ever heard of this. It seems that a new fridge that has been transported some distance by road, should NEVER be connected and switched ON until after abt 6 hours. If that advice is ignored, seems the new fridge would sort of go "Boom!!". First time me heard that when informed. Wonder if there is any truth in that.

To be on the safe side, me "obediently" followed said advice! Well, the good point is our new fridge is operating fine...since then. Keeping fingers Xed that this one would last as long as its predecessor did. 1979 till 2007! And was still going strong when carted away .... would have loved to have been able to keep it tho. However, being the "tiny, little" home we have now, it would have been redundant. A sheer waste of space, energy & $$$...

Btw me also noticed a small discrepancy in specs of new fridge. Advertised as a 310 Litre model. In flyers. In adverts. Even in the DO & Invoice. But in reality, fridge is only a 279 Litre one. How in heaven's name did who knows who ended up with the view that 310L = 279L or vice versa. What is wrong with today's world?

Besides that, nothing much to tell. Made a few minor purchases via Auction at lelong.com.my. Awaiting delivery. Every purchase is a risk. One never really knows what one is getting.

As I always believed, no news should be regarded as "good" news. A routine day is also a "good" day.

So time to wish one & all a good day...you know what I mean, right? Be happy.

August 2007

A new month is here. August. Gonna be an eventful month. Probably a bz month.

For starters, it's time again for my regular monthly medical check-up. Need to replenish my "drugs", too. A perpetual "drug addict". In my little own way. Without those pills, me would be long gone...life-savers!

Then there is a dinner for an old friend. A former colleague. Tomorrow. At Crystal Phoenix. He just retired last month. Welcome to the club, CSM!

School holidays are starting on 18th Aug. My grandson is scheduled to spend part of his hols in AS. With us. Dunno for how long yet. Wonder if he'll be here at all...to be frank. Hope he will be tho. His "prize" for being top student in his class in his recent mid-year exam.

Following close by is the birthday of our other grandaughter, Jan. On Aug 22nd. With her dad's (our son) bday falling on the next day! And a few days later, it's my other half's turn. Yup. Her Bday, too! Happy Birthday, everyone! Wish you all that's good & nice...

How am I gonna handle all that? Best way is just to follow the flow of things...if you get what I mean. I used to get so caught up & stressed abt what to do under such circumstance. But no more. Have learnt that somehow events will fall into place on their own...factors being beyond our control. A simple way to achieve "happyness" ?

In the midst of all these, our newly planted "backup" guava tree is blooming with buds & flowers. Lots of them. Fruits soon. Pics (taken today) below will tell their own story :










My new marcots are almost 2 weeks in the making...really hope they would be successful. To fulfill future needs.

Just learnt that Hotlink has some kind of Bday bonus for its users. Reload by a certain date during yr bday month. 30% bonus airtime is yours! Just did so for my other half. Re-loaded RM60. 30% of that = RM18. A good bonus. A nice Bday angpow, too. However, need to wait a few days to confirm if the offer is real.

Almost forgot. The movie, Evan Almighty, is now available on DVD. Surprisingly clear enough. Even b4 the movie reaches the cine. Have been told it's very entertaining. There have been calls for it to be banned in the country. Due to references to God. Just like "Bruce Almighty" b4 it. However, Bruce Almighty was finally given the go-ahead. Sincerely hope it'll be the same for Evan Almighty. After all, a movie is just a movie. Fiction. For entertainment only.

Finally, Aug 31st is Msia's 50th Merdeka...Independence Day. The Govt is making it a big event...being the number 50. At one point, even privately organised celebrations were not allowed. But ultimately "corrected". Only that there should not be other events held at same venues as govt-organised ones. Phew...another sensitive issue...

Well, quite an eventful month, won't you agree? Let's see how everything turns out. Would they fall in place nicely or ?. . Your guess is, as always, as good as mine.