The weekend that "flew"...

Mon 28th July 2008

Time really flew this last weekend! Yup, KL & fmly were here as planned. Arrived earlier than expected ie @b4 5pm in rain! And the best part was...KL extended her arms to me on reaching our door!! That was a real happy surprise! First time ever...recognition at first sight! You should have seen the great smile on a proud grandpa's face...hehe...

As earlier promised, I have added a no. of pics to "The Many Faces of KL in 2008" slideshow in here on the right of the Blog page. Enjoy the updates...

And a bonus right in here for all KL "fans"....haha!Yup, KL enjoying her fav area @ AS Mall...having as many rides as possible. And this one is 1 of her favourites...the Wild West Wagon ride!

As usual, the weekend was full & hectic with most of our time spent with KL. She is still as lively & full of energy...and she has grown even taller now! Never knew a child could be so much welcomed fun for an ole man. However, this ole mind might be willing but, the ole body it's in, is not that young anymore.

So, after KL left with her fmly on Sun afternoon & quiet returned to Lot 10, it was "recovery" time for this ole body. Dinner time was "refuelling" time. With enthusiastic support from my other half, it was decided to have a special item for supper! One whole sp D-24 local durian!! At RM18, it was a feast! Large succulent & fragrant...hehe...well worth the $$. Had to keep some in the fridge, too. Me believe in the "Eat Less to Eat Longer" philosophy these days...

Well, Cine Nite was postponed from the usual Sat night to Sun but due to both having had our fill for the weekend, it was felt that "Doomsday" the movie could be watched another day...

And so the weekend ended on a quiet restful note, with nice happy memories. Sincerely hope yours was just as enjoyable as ours...TC.

p.s. As you know, I've been persistently being haunted by the question "What is Life all about?". And I've tried to answer that, from time to time, in my entries here. Well, after this last weekend with KL, it has also dawned on me, once more, that Life sort of boils down to truly "Enjoying the moment... " Happy times come along & we enjoy them. Spending such times with family members, even extended ones, bring with it all the joy & happiness one can wish for...making whatever past unhappy events fade even more into oblivion! The idea is to move forward. Life is short.

pps. Just received the sad news that the mother of a former colleague (TKS), passed away yesterday. TKS, I feel sure that your mother left feeling proud that she had a loving & filial son in you. Our sincere & deepest condolences to you & family.

KL is coming...

Fri 25th July 2008

Yup, KL is coming this weekend! Was supposed to have visited Lot 10 inmates last weekend but her dad had to work. So, Lot 10 has been mildly "disinfected" so as to be "safe" for our little girl...haha! This regular monthly visit is a good thing or else Lot 10 would have become not even fit for living by its inmates!! Ha ha again!

Well, me would try to snap some pics of KL & update the slideshow in here...to share...no guarantee though...wish me luck!

As is the practice, after our "petrol refill" for the month, we could "move"...the usual once a month trip out of A/Star! Merdeka! Yup, on Weds, 230708...and this time around, we really walked...and walked! From Carrefour in Prai...to Prangin Mall...and to Gurney Plaza on Penang Island!! Contributed a bit at each stop...it's only right, right? Lunch was at Prangin Mall. We bypassed a new eating area called Home Recipe to savour my other half's fav dishes at the old Lynn's Place corner which was taken over by a new management but still serving similar menu items. But, guess what? It's under a newer management now and the dishes offered were nowhere similar to the former ones.

Since we were already there, we decided to try a couple of dishes. Pineapple Fried Rice & BBQ Fish Fillet set meal. The first one turned out ok but the latter was somewhat not my kind of taste...esp the sauce! We there & then decided that was gonna be the first & last time we would patronise the corner! To give credit where credit is due, the service was good though...

The final stop for that trip was at our cousin's place @Minden Heights. Everyone appeared well & fine. We spent a couple hours chatting...tidbits were served eg kuih talam & even rambutans! Me? I had a nice time spent with the 3 nieces around. Introduced "dominoes effect" setup to them using educational wooden slabs! Share a couple of pics with you all here... me & YL and all the 3 nieces...And guess what? We brought back 4 little durians! Courtesy of HS & his mom!! They were delicious...made up the bulk of our dinner that night! Yum-yum...& thanks!

That's about the excitement for that week. More during this coming weekend...hehe...Bye!

All the hassle...

Tues 22nd July 2008

Yippee! My Streamyx is now running as usual...as you should know from my earlier entry, Streamyx was down for a few days in many areas in A/Star...supposedly due to what the cust care ppl call "Outage", whatever that may be...haha!

And, since one cust care guy told me that I could apply for a rebate for the deprivation of service, I thought I might as well do so...since the privilege is there and is mine!

So, yesterday @just before 6pm I called 100...the TM (Telekom Malaysia) multifunctional access number. After some identification & explanation, the cust care personnel confirmed that I was eligible for a rebate and then told me that he had to check with the Billing Dept on the procedure to follow to submit an application for a rebate of fees.

I was then put on hold & subsequently passed onto another guy from the Billing Dept. I had to repeat to clarify the aim of my call to him. After listening to me, he then told me that as my official fault report was still active, he had to close it. After my agreement, he then told me he had to check with the Technical Dept. I was put on hold again! I was then passed over to the guy in the Technical Dept and yup, you got it! I had to repeat my story & call intentions one more time!! This guy then put me on hold again because he had to check certain data/info abt my problem...

Finally after certain data was checked, the Tech Dept guy then told me that he would submit my case for a rebate in due course. Phew...that was extremely excruciating & demanded great tolerance and patience!! Thank God it ended well...my patience finally paid off! Time was already abt 6.40pm.

About 3/4 of an hour just to request for my legally due & entitled rebate due to failure on the part of TM/Streamyx to provide the broadband service that I had subscribed to. If TM is a responsible ISP with integrity and well-managed, any such deprivation of service & entitlement for rebates should have been done automatically in due process w/o all the hassles that a subscriber/customer has to undergo as I had to.

What do you think?

Luckily calls to the 100 multifunction number of TM is FREE (I had to confirm that with the cust care ppl a few times!) or else I would have a whopping large bill for my call...much much more than my entitled rebate!! No wonder one hardly hears of anyone doing so in spite of so many of TM/Streamyx's disruption of services. I can now certainly understand why.

Well, that's my grouse for the day. Actually for the day before. Haha!

Not matter though. Am certainly looking forward to a better day today.

Bad Days...Streamyx's Down!

Sun 20th July 2008

Yup...What a broadband/Net user fears most had just happened 2 days ago! Malaysia's TM Streamyx service failed miserably for many users since 18th July! From info that I obtained, this "Totally NO access" situation affected numerous users in Kedah & Johore...maybe in other states as well? No warning, no notice, no info of any kind was provided to its loyal customers! Funny, isn't it? Esp in this time of high tech & atomic age communications.

Believe it or not, even those managing its cust care lines were none the wiser at the beginning. It was only later that they were able to attribute it to "severe outage" in those areas! What that means is only privy to them. I was even told that it could last right up to 31st July! Thank God it didn't...phew...

Me made 3 calls to TM/Steamyx cust care lines...the 1st call was the most frustrating...simply because the cust care personnel made me go through all the unnecessary routines of checking my modem, line, pc, etc!! That was totally irrelevant & a pure waste of time 'cause the problem was NOT on my side BUT on THEIRs!! It goes to prove the poor communications exhibited by a supposedly modern communications service provider....

Well, finally me am back online again @ a bit past 11am when me tried to go online again...Streamyx was still NOT available at 9am this morning when me checked! Guess it ends up as all's well that ends well. TM/Streamyx ppl should compensate its users for service denial for the past 2 days...maybe more for others.

Also now feel that it's good to have a backup ISP...even a dialup service. Luckily for me, I still maintained my Jaring ISP membership & access! So those of you who are solely dependent on one ISP, my advice is simply DON'T be....

Well, my weekend started well. Our pension was paid earlier than usual...not much but just 1 day earlier. To one with an almost empty pocket, that made a lot of difference tho...hehe....

Like in one advert on Astro at one time... "No petrol how to move..." is true. So, with the refill, we could venture forth with renewed confidence. Ha ha! Not far though. Just for a breath of "fresh" air and to stretch our legs & feast our eyes, we went to our old "sundry shop". Yup, A/Star Mall.

And, upon arrival, we were in time for a special event, namely the Bodybuilding Contest for Kedah/Perlis 2008! We opt to go 1 floor up to have a better view cos the view at the area in front of the stage was kinda obstructive...

Here are some pics to share...

The pics show the contestants...8 of them; a few of them "performing" for the judges...and finally the 5 winners on stage!

The honest truth...that was the 1st time me had witnessed a real-life bodybuilding contest in action! My, oh my...the amount of rippling muscles on display! It was real enlightening on what one could create with real hard work & determination through time...Congrats to the winners!!

Well, that was a long show! And the time we spent watching it just passed...without our realising it! That proved that it was truly an entertaining session for both of us.

As always, Saturday night was Cine Nite. This time around, we had no choice 'cause the only DVD we had not watched was "Gone Baby Gone". A simple title but it turned out to be a good show! It leaves one to ponder whether doing right can sometimes be wrong, too...eventually. Well, watch the show & you'll know what I'm trying to say here...hehe...

As I'm keying in this entry, it's raining. Cool. Which is good. With no plans, it's gonna be a quiet Sunday. Simple meals. Time in front of the "Idiot Box". And whatever comes...

Have a great Sunday yourself! And a great new week ahead, too!

Update : Me just got a voice call from TM to check & confirm that my Streamyx connection is ok now. Told me that they were testing & called to confirm that the line is working now...TQ, TM...altho abit late. Better & improved pre-info & communications, coupled with pre & well-informed staff, would go a long way to portray a better image of TM/Streamyx services.

5 more days...

Tues 15th July 2008

Yup, 5 more days to go...And yup, 5 more days before it's Pension Payment Day! Like working ppl, we pensioners only wait for "Manikam's" day, namely the day when "Money Comes..." Ha ha! And that day is officially either the 20th or the 21st of most months...

And, as advised by our Govt & most sane ppl during such hard times, we need to change our lifestyle. And so we did & have been. Applying the " Need & Want" philosophy. To a reasonable extent, of course,...hehe...

But, as life normally is, we need to "splash" a bit! From time to time. Or else Life wouldn't be worth living at all if one cannot even pamper oneself once in a while, right? Yup, there must be a so-called "Value of Life"! Esp after days & days of belt-tightening efforts. Can't be virtually drowning ourselves in $$ and $$ all the time. Can virtually die la. Agreed?

Well, this time around me threw a little bit of $$ to get something which was kinda overpriced when it was the hottest thing around...yup, a Tunsten Carbide Magnetic Bracelet! For my other half...since the price is now down quite a lot & thus kinda affordable now. It used to cost above RM100 each!! Even above RM200 at one time!! Phew...

Source? My usual local auction website...where else? Ha ha!

And, in spite of the special holiday today in Kedah ( so declared so Kedahans could celebrate their Sultan's Jubilee (50yrs) reign), our friendly Poslaju delivery system was still operational! Lucky us! And so we took delivery of the bracelet earlier just now...just after lunch.
Pls see pics of it below :

The bracelet is a bit heavier than the ones I had previously bought ie the much cheaper stainless steel and/or titanium ones but this one is lots shinier though. Supposedly scratchproof...but would chip/break upon a hard fall since it's said to be kinda brittle like ceramics!
And seeing that smile, that lit up my other half's face, made it worth every $$ that me "splashed" this time around...

On the political front, however, things are getting kinda exciting though...a "Live" debate is on tonight ( hard to really be sure though...in politics...) between the PKR head, DS Anwar Ibrahim, and the Govt's Minister of Information. It'll supposedly be aired Live via 3 private channels. Well, something to "look forward" to, huh? If it should materialise, that is, ...a rare event in Malaysian politics...

That's it! A quiet start to the week. Am looking forward to some excitement tonight. Sincerely hope yours was more eventful, maybe?

Bits & Pieces...

Sat 12th July 2008

Another week has just ended...another weekend is here!

One very prominent & heart-warming event took place yesterday. I have been browsing http://kh7883.blogspot.com/ regularly and found reference to a DVD, made from recordings of their recent Reunion, being distributed. Being the kinda Mandarin-illiterate guy I am, I had no inkling of how to get a copy. So I posted a query via their C-Box feature in their website. That was @abt 1pm. At abt 2pm, a reply was posted...saying some1 would soon be passing over a copy to me! And guess what? Just before 6pm on the very same day, I got a phone call from a former student, LTP, that he's coming with the DVD!! Phew...that was true Efficiency of the highest degree!! Thanks a meg, CS & LTP, for the great networking you guys have among yrselves...and esp for the DVD!

The kh7883 May 2008 Reunion DVD...




As can be seen from the pic, it was a neat package full of great & wonderful memories...shining examples of the pride that a teacher can always hold dear to his heart...esp at the end of his teaching career.

An Update :
Progress of Taman Berjaya 2 - the housing developing right in front of Lot 10. What can I say...what was formerly green vegetation with a clear view of Gunung Jerai on clear days is now slowly but surely being transformed into a gigantic concrete jungle!!

See for yourselves... (pic taken at time of posting) :
One consolation though...it's not so dusty now. However, just to be clear abt that, it still is...dusty...but at least we do not see the brown layer that used to settle daily to form a brown coating on our car, floor & everything else around!!

Oh...being a Saturday, it's the Chef's Day Off! And it was spent walking around the local Star Parade Mall. Lunch was at the Chef's fav Hokkien Mee outlet. Dinner? Sorry...No idea, at the moment! Chef's choice, you know...

However, Sat Nite is also Cine Nite. And, me managed to get a couple of new clear DVDs. An old movie...Alien Vs Predator 2 and, a not2recent one...Super Heroes Movie. Would be enjoying one of these on the big screen tonight...Chef's choice also la, you know...hehe...

Sincerely hope your weekend started as well as mine. TC.

Quiet...And peaceful...

Mon 7th July 2008

Quite & Peaceful. Yup, that's what the weekend was. Nice. Don't think this ole heart can be "stimulated" that so often...haha!

A little recap. On Thurs last, me browsed pages in our local auction site. It's been a long time since my last foraging there. And a closing item caught my eye! Yup, a seemingly cute little unisex "Omega" watch!

With just a few mins before auction of the item closed, me bidded. As always a max had been set by the seller. At RM16, me passed that max and the auction closed with me the winner!! The watch was mine...total cost of RM28 incl delivery charges. Fair enough, considering it's a simple "cosmetic" watch...what one could get in those booths at malls...however with a BIG name...Omega!

Have a look...cheap & nice, isn't it?



It's a battery-operated quartz watch. An addition to my other half's collection of such watches.

The weekend also brought along a disappointment. Me was looking forward...again...to watch the F1 GP race @ Silverstone, England. Didn't get to see the Friday 2nd practice although it was slotted in the schedule of Wheels on TVU player...saw msgs of other viewers complaining of the change of schedule! The worst part was that there was NO streaming at all of the Race itself!
The official F1 website states the race was to be on from 20:00 Msian time but Star Sports streaming on TVU's schedule was fr 01:00am!! That late hour is NOT for me...sleep is more important at my age. So, it was another missed F1 GP!

Finally, as being urged by our Govt, me had to be frugal and to be so, me had to change my lifestyle. And recent events bear testimony to the success of the application of a "Need & Want" philosophy! Whenever we feel the urge to spend, a consideration of whether the purchase is a Need or a Want really helps make a rational & beneficial decision. Well, for a more financially stable future, that's the "sacrifice" to be made...

Yup, me made the ultimate sacrifice last weekend! One of my "dreams"...a dream, a wish to have been fulfilled when me retired but, as yet, unfulfilled. Tossed it around zillions of times but finally it culminated in the "Need & Want" thing...being the more down-to-earth guy which I've recently become, the Need won!! No more "dreams"...that particular "dream" cost me a no. of insomnic nights, besides the daytime migraine!!

Furthermore, we also need to take better control of our credit card expenses. Banks are enforcing new rules & regulations. Too long a topic to go into detail here but in short, it means that if one does not settle in full one's bill for the month, one would lost certain special privileges, eg the 20-day interest-free period for payment, besides paying MORE in interest accrued from the date of transaction. So although my petrol tank was almost empty, I didn't have it filled because it would mean using my credit card and over max-ing my bill! As a result, my ole junk had to be grounded for the weekend! Sorry...No more that joy of "signing my life away" thing...sad but true!

Yup, take care of the present & the future would take care of itself! However, pls do NOT misunderstand that. That does not mean spend now and the future would be ok! It simply means :

Save now & the future would be safe!

Sincerely hope all of you are managing yr "purse strings" well. We are all in for hard times ahead...so it seems...

So, like the Scout's motto : Be Prepared!!

Palms...and more palms...

Wed 2nd July 2008

Now, is there such a thing as "green" fingers? Not that our fingers are gonna be really green in colour but idiomatically so. Do you have "green fingers"?

In plain simple Science, we learnt in school that a green plant just needs water, carbon dioxide & minerals in soil to make its own food via photosynthesis and grow...& of course, to survive!

But in real life, I've found that keeping plants alive and healthy is really not that simple! And I've lots of DEAD plants to bear witness to that!!

So, over the years, it's been proven that I not only do NOT have "green fingers" but for my plants to survive & thrive, they must be really, really tough...needing very little attention except for the intermittent spray or "feed" of water & possibly some artificial fertilizer that I could get my hands on. Believe it or not...even cacti died in our care...Ha ha!

Well, so far 2 particular groups of plants tend to flourish fine under our "brown" fingers...#1 = bamboo plants! And...#2 = the living-in-the-wild kind....yup! Orchids!!

And yes...we are now trying #3! Palms...

When the new Tesco Mergong opened here in A/Star recently, one species of palms was widely used to provide green decor in & aroung its premises. My other half was greatly attracted to the natural beauty of its special leave structure. So, we kept an eye open for any such "baby" versions of that kind of palm in our walk-walk sessions around the local malls. One such "baby" did catch our eyes, looking very similar to the Tesco kind. As there were very few for sale then, we quickly chose a good specimen, bought it & potted it the moment we reached home!

This was our "mistake"...when the truth finally dawned upon us!Yup, do have a good look at the leaves esp in the top view pic. Ok? Above is a Yellow Palm.

Now, to continue the "Saga of the Palms"...hehe...

We confirmed that the palm in the above pics were of the wrong species, by making another visit to our newest Sundry Shop, namely Tesco Mergong. Both had a good close examination of the palm we were attracted to. And, the prominent feature we should have looked for was how each leaf had all its parts growing out from the SAME point at the end of the leaf stalk! Can you see that in the above palm? No, right?

During our latest visit to our fav niece in Penang, we discovered she had so many of the palms we're looking for far & wide...when it was so close at hand! Ha ha! Feel me need not tell you what happened next, right?

Back home, we bought a new pot, some good 5-in-1 compost soil and the bits & pcs we brought back were put together, making a neat pretty little package! Here it is...

Now, have a closer look at the leaves. See what I meant earlier? Good...hehe...