My newest "baby"...

Sun 280210

Yup, me recently (25th Feb) got a new "baby"!! Reason for my kinda long absence from Blog lo...

And yup, it's most probably my LAST of that kind of "baby", too! So me kinda chose something different...kinda special!
Here it is...
Know what that is?

Yup, it's an iPhone 3GS! Cost? RM1999.

Now why an iPhone?

Because as its adverts go...

" It's more than just a phone! It combines 3 devices in 1: a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod & a breakthrough Internet device! "

However, I had to subscribe to 1 of Maxis' iValue plans...a pre-condition for the "offer" price!

How is it? On the whole, good! You can get info re most of its features via Google. The good ones.
However, as with eccentric manufacturers such as Apple, this hp comes with a few proprietory quirks...eg :

1. Although it's a 3G phone, there is no support 3G video calls;
2. Although it has Bluetooth, it does not support non-compatible Apple accessories...not even our PC/laptop;
3. Without BT, all file transfers (images, music, etc) have to be done via Apple's own phone manager program namely iTunes... and by means of a connecting cable ;

And last but not least, it does not support mp3 tunes for use as ringtones....only uses AAC files!

As with all quirks, there will always be ways to get around them, right? Yup, me still searching...and searching...and searching...

Well, me got lots to learn and had been busy the past few days learning....hehe...

And finally, yesterday was another COD. It ended with Cine Nite movie entitled "Case 39". . . a mystery-horror story line. Predictable. We also tried a new outlet selling "Yu Chia Koay" around the PSK area where we had our dinner. Not recommended though!

Before I end this entry, here's wishing all Chinese visitors a very Happy & Special "15 Meh" tonight!! Do have a great time with all you love...

Flashbacks...a compilation?

Wed 240110

Yup, a thousand apologies but me had not accomplished nor done much to write about them till now. And yup, me had accumulated & thus can now write about a few things recently which me had done.

Here goes...

For one thing, during a recent trip to Taiping, me spotted a new gadget, @Taiping Sentral, that me thought would be useful in times of "Need". It's an in-car electronic voltage converter. It converts our car voltage of 12V to the usual household 220V & an output of max 150W, with even a USB socket with USB output power for use by USB devices. More than enough to power a laptop. Cost? RM79. On the left is the V2TEC 1500 P-150W Power Inverter with USB port as installed in the console of my ole junk...

Another item was the "salvaging" of an earlier bought DVD player, a Dzon model. Bought from Tesco Mergong some time back for its mpeg playability and, of course, when it was on offer! It was installed in our master bedroom but ultimately replaced by an LG & more recently by one with USB support! Now this Dzon is serving us well in our dining area...haha! See?

One final thing me had to do was to renew our car insurance & road tax which is expiring in the first week of March. I didn't get any renewal notice this time around! Even though it's only slightly more than 2 weeks before expiry. I would normally get a renewal letter from the insurance company more than 1 month ahead of expiry!

So I made a couple of calls but the lady on the other end told me she would call back after she had checked the status of my policy renewal. However, she failed to keep to her promise! Such staff definitely is a big minus point for any company!

Anyway, as the lady boss would be back after her CNY leave the following week, I waited and made a final attempt. Yup, that call paid off. Everthing went smoothly & the insurance was renewed as a Third Party policy @only RM88.40 in spite of 115% loading but after my eligible 55% NCB, thereby saving me more than a hundred bucks! And the road tax for 2010 was renewed through a provided service...the very same day! Thanks a meg, Ms L!!

A pic to share...the new renewed road tax disc installed!

Well, Life As Is goes on...not plain sailing but we must never give up whenever faced with seemingly impossible uphill tasks. As a well known proverb goes...

"Perseverence is the Key to Success!"

True? To me, it was.

Have a great week ahead, ok?

Eureka! Finally...

Sun 210210

Yup, Eureka! I got it! And yup, it's about my other half's still quite new Motorola VE538. Finally me "tar seh mor" ( "gall bladder grow hair" in Hokkien) liao...or in other words, me finally got the courage after a very close scrutiny of the camera lens area...

I was almost 100% sure then that there was an extra plastic sticker over the actual lens cover of the hp cam. So me took the risk...imagine my heart rate at that time la! Phew!

The sad part of this scenario was that there was no mention of such necessary action in its manual/websites/forums of the existence of such a sticker nor did the salesperson inform me about it nor removed it for me at sales time!

When me did the actual removal of what me had decided was an extra unnecessary sticker, it was so revealed that that was the cause of the kinda less sharp & kinda whitish snapshots we've been getting with the hp cam.

This is pic of the removed "extra" plastic sticker....stuck onto the back cover of the hp for me to snap a pic of it...



And following that pic... is a pic of the camera lens c/w its own integrated lens cover after above removal...so sorry but me forgot to take the "Before" pic ie before the removal of the sticker...

Now pics are noticeably much sharper...pls see the "Before" & "After" results of snapshots taken...
Can you see the difference? Maybe if you select & view each pic separately in its original resolution?

So sorry but just could not accept that pics taken with a 2mp hp cam could be so bad & with a branded hp some more! Haha!

Ok...to end off, yesterday being a Sat was another COD but with a bit of difference. We paid a CNY visit to our "youngest" Auntie in A/S. Yup, she was in this time around...

And we also got a visit from my other half's niece & her 2 kids in the evening. It was a fun & enjoyable evening with them! Thanks a meg for visiting Lot 10 OFH, guys! Deeply appreciated...

COD ended with Cine Nite & the DVD movie "Storm Warriors II". Good action with plenty of special effects! However, there appeared to be no ending...perhaps another sequel?

Congrats, ET!

Fri 190210

Yup, me popped in to congratulate our very own ET...nope, not that ET of "ET come home..." fame but our fav grandnephew, ET, on his double success in a recent swimming competition...

And yup, here he is proudly displaying his medals...Congrats, ET!! With more to come, do keep up the good work...in Mandarin...Jia1 You2!!

Today me was due for my routine monthly medical visit to our family doc. Well, it was me the confirmed "drug addict"....haha! What can I say? All those "drugs" are so essential to keep ole me going...and going...and going....hehe....a need, not a want!

After that was supposedly a planned visit to our "youngest" auntie in AS. However, an advanced call was made and luckily we did because she was not home! In Penang. So visit is now re-scheduled to tomorrow.

An alternative visit was opted for, namely to a niece on my other half's side. That again did not work out! Calls made to both her hp & residence were unanswered...

And so, it was Home Sweet Home... Best place to be!

And, of course, me preparing this entry...haha! Have a good weekend, everyone!

For a new atmosphere within...

Thur 180210

Yup, after 2 depressive days, it was felt that Lot 10 needed a change...internally...for a new atmosphere. A better brighter ambience. A happier setting...

And yup, as always... a nice bouquet of pleasant flowers should suffice!

So, out we went to nearby Tesco and got, not just any plain bouquet of flowers, but literally a "bucket" of well-arranged blooms! Even got some of them replaced by the florist for a brighter-coloured set...

Looks great, don't they? For only RM40. Worth it?

For an improved relationship? Of course, it was!!

And yup, the mood in Lot 10 had definitely improved...both inmates had reached a higher level of understanding. Sincerely hope it would be like forever...at least there is now hope...

And the pot of "Peace Lily" which was there before?

Yup, it was moved to be with its "partner"...together in the same location. Now they would never be alone...hehe...

And on the left is a not-so-well-taken snapshot of the 2 & half storeyed bungalows almost nearing occupancy status, in front of Lot 10...

And yup, it was taken using the built-in 2mp cam of the Motorola VE538 HP. Looks kinda whitish, right?

Me kinda got a feeling that a sticker over the cam lens kinda needed to be removed? At the moment, me dared not do so...for fear of removing an intended protection for the lens.

Can anyone pls confirm...or otherwise? TQ in advance.

Well, me gtg now...need the rest after the stressful 2 days both inmates had endured. Thank God it's over...

The missing piece?

Wed 170110

Yup, there is a missing piece...without it, the beginnings of all of the UNhappiness on Day #2 of this CNY would be incomplete...

And yup, it all started well & happy enough. Good Intentions. It was the day after Valentine's Day. We had detoured for a stop at SP on our way home after CNY celebrations in Penang. In high spirits. Happy days. Happy memories.

So a stopover at Tesco South in SP was envisioned as a good do on the trip home. At Tesco, I went over to the electrical & electronics section while my other half went for her own interest sections.

It was there at the the handphone section that the Motorola VE538 unit (pic on left) on promotion attracted my attention. I'd read about the promotional price in Tesco adverts even before CNY. @298.88. With a Tesco discount voucher for purchases above RM150, I could get it for only RM286.88.

Consequently, I'd thought this would be a good Valentine's Day present for my other half as I had not got her anything this time around. Small enough & appears suitable for a lady. Her existing hp was my ole N3200 bought in 2004 and passed over to her in Jan 2007...when she literally flushed hers down the toilet at a Mall!

As events unfolded, somehow, one thing followed another...smoothly... after I started my enquiries about the offer unit. Answers confirmed that that model suppported both 3G (with 2 cameras) & Bluetooth. Other specs were checked, etc. And finally, the unit was even tested by inserting my SIM card. Very satisfactory results were obtained.

As always, good flow of things point to a good ending...a good purchase. Or else something would have deterred or obstructed the flow of events.

And so it was that me agreed to buy a unit. A new boxed unit was brought to me and I was checking the contents when "disaster" struck!

My other half came into the scene...

And when told that I'd bought the VE538 for her, there was total rebuttal! Full & open objection! I even told her...pls, be happy...I've already agreed to buy it! But no...whatever I said made no difference. I was told I was wrong to get it for her...that I was wasting good money on the present! That she did not want it...

All that in spite of my telling her that the phone is my Valentine's Day present for her! Her answer? There is no such need...not need to buy such an expensive item. I told her that the phone was on offer. I had planned to even buy it before but I had no opportunity to enquire about it nor test it till that day. I even assured her that we could afford the purchase with no bad effects. But no...she just would not accept nor be happy about my decision to buy it for her!

Of all her reasons for objections, one stood out, namely I had recently not allowed her to buy shirts (and a watch) for me. Likewise now, she would not allow me to buy anything for her without her consent! A tit for tat thingy? At our ages isn't that kind of reasoning kinda ridiculous? Phew!

Personally, me feel that there is more to it than meets the eye. It is felt that there is some other underlying reason/factor that caused her to grab at the opportunity to hit out at me...

Ok...back to the story.

Now, I had already bought it. Throw it away? Give it to someone who needs it or appreciates it?

And so it was...all the way home from SP to AS...a very bad & sad ending to what would have been a great CNY outing...

That was on 15th Feb. And the situation just got worse when we reached home. Pls read the entry yesterday for what had happened then.

Thank God the situation has improved a bit more since then. Lot 10 has survived another upheaval. The atmosphere in Lot 10 is cooler now.

But when will another "eruption" take place? There is an active "volcanic source" in Lot 10....simmering since March 2008...with tremors & eruptions when emotions were triggered & spilled over. Just waiting to fully erupt one day.

Unfortunately, it's another wait & see situation. Only God knows when....

My prayer? Once again, it is simply this....

Dear God, pls help my other half to see the damage all these events caused by that "S" has been breaking up the bond that we both had after 41+ years of marriage...pls don't let it come between us. Amen.

The "Ravaging" Tiger came in...

Tue 16 Feb 2010

Yup, the Year of the Tiger came just 2 days ago...on 14th Feb...And yup, it started well & happy enough...

The unfortunate part was that...on the afternoon of 15th Feb, the next day... it brought with it one that figuratively "ravaged" both inmates of Lot 10!! Me was thoroughly devastated by incidents that literally drowned all the happy sounds of this new lunar year! 2 days now...

Without going into details, the "wall" that we thought we had managed to successfuly demolish recently thus bringing some kind of "closure"( Pls refer to earlier entries for more background info...starting from March 2008. TQ.) to the long saga, suddenly reared its ugly separating massive impenetratable structure...

Whatever good relationship that was rebuilt recently came crashing down as if it was struck by "Megatron" of the "Transformers"! There was no more "we"... only that stupid "S" or nothing! We were both back to "Square One". Period.

That only went to prove how fragile our relationship, of 41+ years, had degraded to through these 2 seemingly long & trying years...2 parents caught between that unfilial disrespectful "S"!

Oh God...pls help these 2 ole inmates to find true happiness in their final years together....

And pls help my other half to see what & how that stupid "S" had been breaking both of us up..bit by bit, from that day in March 2008 till today... my prayer...Amen. TQ.

ps. It is sincerely hoped that my other half will realise in time that it is NOT worth sacrificing the one yu had loved, married & stayed together...someone who had loved you, cared for & protected you & family for over 41 years... for an "S" who not know what love nor how a son should respect his own natural father who had stood by him all the years...helping him up each time he fell, providing him with a shoulder to cry on, etc., etc., till he could stand on his own 2 feet & became somebody!

As the saying goes......

"The higher they go, the harder they fall..."

Wishing ALL Chinese visitors...

Fri 05 February 2010

Yup, it's getting very near to that one day in a year in the Chinese calendar, namely the 1st Day of the 1st Moon of the Chinese New Year!

And this year that day falls on Sunday, 14th February 2010!

So here's wishing everyone a Very Happy, Healthy & Prosperous Chinese New Year 2010!!
To those of you not celebrating this auspicious day & its accompanying holidays, do have a great time with all you love...and probably re-charge for another great year ahead...

ps. Me, of course, will be tentatively & temporarily offline...hehe...

Alarm nuisance!

Tue 020210

Yup, a house alarm installation appears to be kinda a necessity these days...considering the number of house break-ins reported. However, it can also be a great irritating nuisance!

And yup, I'm saying so because my neighbour's alarm has been sounding for the past 2 days! It started to go off some time before 12 noon and would stop around 4pm. The alarm would be sounding like continuously after shorter & shorter periods of silence.

Today it has already started...also at about the same time period. The second period of irritation is just over at this time of my keying in this sentence! And the frequency of its sounding is increasing...

Now, don't you think there should be some way neighbours could be protected from this kind of disturbance? This kind of inconsiderate houseowners? Just imagine having to go through more than 4 hours of such noise pollution (I would call it "torture"...) practically daily now? Have you ever experienced the loud bursts from a house alarm siren at close range?

How would it be if the alarm had kept on going off during the night? It had happened before...although not with such frequency. The worst part is that house is practically unoccupied most of the time!

So, is there any avenue for redress or even protection from such inconsiderate houseowners? Can we report such incidents to the police? Or even to the local authorities? Frankly, it is felt that houseowners should be held responsible for their properties...and whatever they installed in their premises. Agreed?

Btw, fyi Lot 10 also has a house alarm system installed...since Sept 2001. A very reliable branded system commonly installed in banks. And I can confidently say here that we had never disturbed our neighbourhood with such episodes! Of course, there were a few times when we ourselves had inadvertently triggered the alarm...but it was silenced almost immediately.

I sincerely hope that none of you have to undergo what me & the other "neighbouring" neighbours of this particular neighbour had to tolerate for these past 2 days (& now today) and probably more to come...

UPDATE #1 @3:25pm :

Peace & tranquility returned to Lot 10...finally! Yup, that neighbour's daughter came to reset their house alarm system. If only they had been a little bit more responsible, we would not have to suffer for so long...

UPDATE #2 @7:50pm :

Here's a view of the front porch of Lot 10 as darkness falls...

Lot 10 with new red lanterns & glimmering, running "rice" lights in preparation for CNY 2010...