Secondary infection...

Wed 310310

Yup, a secondary infection. That's what our family doc diagnosed what my other half had since yesterday. And yup, it's a new infection that took place after she'd just recovered from the earlier coughing session...due to our poorer resistance & recovery process caused by an ageing body! As once was heard repetitively....

"Never grow old...."

Well, if only that were possible...

A broad spectrum antibiotic was prescribed for her. Twice daily...together with Uphamol to control the fever. And yup, the fever somehow still persisted but never peaked as high as it did on that morning. Lower than 38.9 deg C. Went down to a lower 38.1. Which was good.

That was yesterday. She now appears to be on the road to recovery, with gradually reduced peaks. At time of posting this entry, the digital ear thermometer gave a reading of only 37.2. Normal. Kind of...

Me went & bought a pack of "Bye-Bye Fever" strips by Hisamitsu. 6pc pack. Cost? RM14:30 @ Watsons nearby. Helps...instead of sponging. Claimed to last 10 hours per application.

Well, what can I say? This month is not ending nice. But frankly, if that's all it is, then it's also not that bad. Agreed? Me was more afraid that the fever might turn out to be caused by something more severe eg Dengue or the dreaded AH1N1...Thank God it wasn't!!

Have to end here now. Just an update.

F1 @ Sepang, Malaysia, is on this weekend. Am hoping all would be well once more & both inmates can enjoy a great sporting weekend at Sepang! Virtually, of course...from the couch!! And yup, this F1 race would be telecast LIVE by NTV7...

Virus...Viruses everywhere!

Tue 300310

Yup, viruses are everywhere! No escape! And yup, somehow viruses had invaded one of these 2 ole inmates of Lot 10 OFH...

Since last Tues, my other half had been down with God knows what...our family doc told us at that time that it was a viral infection. Coughing & coughing. More so & worse at night. However, there was no fever.

We had to postpone COD for last Sat to Sunday. Had meals out as usual because we had been taking porridge since Tuesday...but simpler dishes. Cine Nite was the movie "Twilight - New Moon", the sequel to "Twilight", a movie about love between a human & a vampire! This time around, it brought it werewolves. Slow moving but full of emotions...under extraordinary circumstances, too!

The shocker came early this morning! My other half already appeared so much better last night. Hardly any coughs. But...at about 5am this morning, she awoke shivering....felt cold! The air-con was already set at 28 deg C...no actual cooling! And yet she felt cold! A sign of fever!

Took her temperature with our digital ear thermometer. 38.9 deg C! Even the thermometer beeped & beeped! A confirmation that there was fever! Gave her some warm milk & 2 tabs of Uphamol...for the fever. A cup of water was taken hourly. Even "sponged" her...useful to lower one's body temperature.

The body temperature dropped ever so slowly....but steadily...from 38.9 to 38.8. Then it was 38.5. Looked encouraging. It was only by 9am that she was at normal body temperature again! 36.9. Finally. Phew! A long morning. Really, really long morning.

So far so good. At time of this post. Hopefully it's only a temporary scare. Keeping fingers crossed.

The "Culprit"...The Cause...

Wed 240310

Yup, the "culprit"...the cause of it all! And yup, I mean the cause of the flash floods that our area had been having since almost 2 years ago!!

That part of the big drain (in front of Lot 10 OFH) that leads out to the main road (Lencongan Barat) is so badly blocked! Not only by rubbish BUT by a long collapsed section of the drain in front of the houses alongside the road leading out to the main road!

Here are a couple of pics me took with my iPhone cam...to show you how bad the situation has been and still is now... See? The first pic shows the start of the collapsed drain wall while the next pic shows the stretch of the collapsed (non-existent now) drain. There is now practically NO drain at all at that stretch of what was supposedly the drain leading all the water flow out to the main road! So after a downpour, where can all the rain water in the area flow out to? Nowhere, right?

Now, how did the condition deteriorate until to this extent? Only God knows...

We did ask the residents of the house where that section was located and their answer was that they did inform MPKS (our local town...now "city"...council) some time back...even handing over pics which they had taken of the problematic stretch! However, there was no action taken!

Owing to that mess, each time it rained heavily for about 30 mins or so, the area would be flooded with the flash flood waters entering our porches! A couple more inches and the waters would be in our living room! No joke! And the rainy season is now just round the corner, right?

Anyone of you out there has any suggestions as to what would help our area? A few of us felt that only publicising the problem in the media would be the only solution that would result in affirmative action. One resident in the area even told us that he had brought the head of MPKS (probably the officer-in-charge) a couple of times to see the problematic drain but nothing had come out of it!

So what can lil ole me do now but cry out for HELP, please....some kind soul?

Hi! Me still around! :)

Tue 230310

Yup, me came in just to say " Hi! "... And yup, also as proof that lil ole me is still around...& kicking...hehe...

Not much to write about cos me had been "kwai kwai tuar chu" lately. Yup, that translated (from my half-past 6 Hokkien dialect) literally meant that me had been good staying at home...haha!

Both ole inmates of Lot 10 OFH had just finished watching a Korean documentary on the "Mysteries of the Human Body". The episode this morning was Part 2 of one shown last week about how fruits & vegetables in our daily diet can help prevent Cancer. Cases of cancer suferers were used to illustrate how those ppl overcame their conditions by following a "fruits & vege" diet after their surgery &/ chemo treatments. Those illustrated cases had no recurrence/ re-growth of their tumours even after 5 years!

Different coloured fruits & vege were said to be helpful in the prevention of different cancers...5 coloured groups were classified.

One point that I need to make clear here though...they did take meat but more of a supplement than a daily item... to balance their diet.

Well, what do you think? Worth a try? Wanna try? No harm, right?

Enjoy your fruits & vege...they could keep you away from a possible cancer...

A few steps backwards in time...

Thur 18th Mar 2010

Yup, it's another one of those "travel-backwards-in-time" posts this time around. And yup, it's because I was kinda too tired to write about everything that had happened then.

So what really did happen? Let me see...

Yup, it was during the last weekend when the question "How far is Gunung Keriang from Alor Star?" came up. Well, it seemed that there was an article in the papers that mentioned about an "tourist" attraction there...a Science Museum. Frankly both ole inmates never knew such a place existed...in Gunung Keriang, of all places!

And so it was that on Sunday morning, after breakfast, these 2 ole inmates, with their guests, went on a long_time_no_go trip to Gunung Keriang...aka the "Elephant Hill". What can I say, the trip was worth it cos there certainly was quite a lot of science-related exhibits there... more than I had expected for such a "rural" place! And those were exhibits that one can really try your hands on!! Not just look-see only...

Here are a few pics taken there...

There was a special cut-out sectional view of a REAL Proton Wira on display in the main lobby as shown in the first pic, with the other pics showing views of the exhibition area as we entered it.

The best part of it all was the whole place was air-conditioned and admission was FREE!

And of course, our KL had a great time on the special "leaf" slide/chute inside there! It was up & down, then up & down again...like umpteen repeats!

On the way back, it was suggested that we dropped in at the Padi Museum nearby. Frankly me wasn't keen on such a museum...simply because it would be purely a museum of the look-see no-touch kind!

Well, I was in luck! It appeared that the exhibit on 1 floor was not functioning and one had to pay Rm3 per adult as entrance fees! Definitely not worth that...agreed? So we spent RM4 on 2 packets of "Muar Chee" instead...sold just outside the exit gate! Tasted great, too! And definitely worth the RM4! Instead of paying for the entrance fees! Got leftover change some more! Ha ha!

A couple of pics of the front of the Padi Museum...

See? We even had to climb that long flight of stairs to reach the main entrance...to be told on reaching the entrance that we had to pay to enter! Phew! Going inside might have even spoilt our day...

Btw the Acquatic Centre built there was closed...probably closed for some time now since cracks were detected and someone drowned there. Some kind of project appeared abandoned around that same vicinity, too. There also was some form of traditional village on show in the area but it did not appear to be accessible by car. A recreational park was there the last time we visited years ago but we were too tired to hunt for it as stomachs were already rumbling...

Well, that's history now.

The present is more welcoming...yup, something to look forward to. What else can bring joy to these 2 ole pensioners but the day our "Kay Pa" is giving us our monthly pocket money! To spend! It's Merdeka once more...tomorrow! Ha ha!

Happy times are here again....

Weekend with KL...

Mon 150310

Yup, it's been a hectic & tiring weekend with KL!! And yup, KL & family came for a visit last weekend...arrived later than usual but nonetheless, time was full of KL & nothing much else...haha!

Well, what can I say? KL = KL! Same happy, lively, engergetic kid! So so difficult to keep up with for this ole man lo...hehe...but very full of enjoyable moments! Made me realise how old this body is now...

Me will post a few good pics of KL in her slide show soon...need to get over this tired feeling first!

Anyway, here's one little pic of her as a kinda "downpayment?" before that...

Taken with my "still new baby"....yup, a my iPhone cam pic. A close-up made possible with an Apple Store web application!

And yup, happy happy KL....

Btw, Lot 10 had been plagued with very poor reception of the CNN news channel for the past 3 days! The problem surfaced on Thursday and it was bad...really bad!

After 3 complaints to Astro Customer Service lines, a report was finally issued and a technician was directed to attend to our problem. It appeared that that was an effect of Astro's so called "upgrading" works? A change of transponders...whatever that was! It appeared to have affected a few channels only...or so the Astro customer service personnel said....

The good point was that this technician would be dealing with the problem FOC! Sincerely hope this guy could do so...

Well, the tech guy was supposed to call me around this time but at the time of keying in this entry, there is still NO sign of him nor any calls....

Ok...time for me to "take 5"....also just in case our tech guy comes...

Have a good new week!

What's new?

Tue 090310

Yup, what's new? And yup, there's something new happening right in front of Lot 10 OFH!

And it's further progress in the "new" Taman Berjaya 2 ( from whispers going round...the name is no longer Taman Berjaya 2... ) housing area. Recently, TNB ppl came around and put up poles & cables for connection to the new houses in order to supply electricity to them should the owners make due payments upon occupation.

A few days ago, new almost 10-feet tall palm trees were planted in series at intervals in front of the houses.

Today, the widened road section of Jalan Teratai Jingga ( in front of block of houses where Lot 10 is situated) was tarred including the access roads to the respective new houses.

Here is a pic taken only this afternoon...with my still "new" iPhone cam :

Can you see the solitary palm "caught" in-between the 2 houses? Also the electrical pole with cable? And, of course the new tarred section of the road...

Guess it won't be long before total serenity, peace & quiet opposite Lot 10 would be gone for good! A new concrete jungle had replaced what used to be a green area with a scenic view of Gunung Jerai on clear days...

Well, that's the price everyone pays for development! A Hobson's Choice. Agreed?

Apart from that, it's been another HOT day here! Both inmates had routine quiet days since ADO. Maybe a "break" in mid-week? Tomorrow? Ha ha!

Ahmad's Day Out!

Mon 080310

Yup, yesterday, Sun 070310, was "Ahmad's Day Out"...from now onwards to be referred to as ADO...in contrast to COD or "Chef's Off Day"!

And yup, it's actually the same difference...in the Tan Family terminology...haha!

Well, both inmates of Lot 10 OFH had the day out as in the familiar CODs. Breakfast was in, though. Other meals, namely lunch & dinner, were out.

Walk-walk sessions were at both the local Giant & Tesco...Giant after lunch and Tesco before dinner. Stocking up of our RO water & fresh milk supply was done, with a few other items thrown in.

However, a few items for lil ole me were kinda "tossed" in, partly due to the "need" factor! One such item was a new Black ink cartridge for my Canon printer...managed to find one shop still selling it at the ole price...couldn't find even any at Tesco, Giant nor another shop in City Plaza.

And best of all, after leaving that shop @PSK area, one Maxis shop (in the same block) caught my eye! I decided to make an attempt to get an In-Car Charger unit for my reasonably new "baby". Me had almost bought a USB car cigarette lighter converter at Giant & would use it in conjunction with the orig USB data cable, but had then been "advised", by my other half, to try to get a complete set instead, before doing so.

Just imagine how happy me am now because me had taken her advice...

Yup, this Maxis shop had 2 units of an Apple officially recommended set that came with both the cigarette lighter USB converter c/w 2 USB ports and one data cable! Price? RM70 after discount.
Looks kinda classy & good, right? Worth the investment?

Me thought so...and so did my other half!

The black-coloured cigarette lighter converter unit @ Giant, would have cost me about RM13 and a separate data cable (white) for about RM45...a total of RM58. So for abt RM12 more, me got a great looking all-white Apple-approved matching quality set!

Yup, definitely worth it! After all, how many such sets would one ever buy, right?

Now, me not need to worry about running out of juice for my iPhone anywhere..wherever I may go...in my ole junk, of course!

Today is just another day. But still a bonus day!

And we do sincerely thank God for all the bonus days that we had received so far...and with God's blessings, many more to come...

The sweet, sweet smell of Success!

Fri 050310

Yup, success it was...at last! And yup, me finally found out how to put in ringtones into my new "baby" aka iPhone 3GS w/o affecting other areas of storage...after 8 long & gruelling days of headaches & heartaches, loss of sleep, etc., etc...

And yup, the sweet, sweet smell of success...really, really nice!

Also me found a website dedicated to only iPhone items, namely http://www.ringtonefeeder.com/ where one can get "no problem-type" ringtones. One either can subscribe for USD23.76 for an annual membership c/w access to their archives...Or for a small monthly subscription of only USD1.98.

Poor ole me opted for the latter so as me would have the option to quit at any time...and also cos of the larger investment involved should I commit to the annual membership! In this way, me felt that it's a worthwhile investment...affordable, too! I don't really need that many ringtones, do I? Or don't you agree so?

Ok..me also feel it's about time to drop this new "baby" topic...no more a 7-day wonder, right? To me, it might end up being even a 30-day "luxury cruise"!! And of course, before I well & truly bore everyone to death...haha! But, frankly though, me am still learning & improving on my iPhone usage. It's truly one BIG world in the iPhone Universe....hehe....

Today is Friday. Another weekend is here! Since I've been meddling with my new "baby" (Oops, sorry...a slip of the tongue...is no fault of the mind, right?) , both inmates had been kinda stuck in Lot 10. So, we are breaking free...a bit only though. Gonna be out for our long-missed walk-walk sessions in the Malls! And yup, lunch will be OUT today!

And tomorrow will be another COD (Chef's Off Day). And with another DVD movie for Cine Nite on the same evening. Our list of unwatched DVD movies has been increasing...

Other than that, it's the same ole, same ole routines at Lot 10 OFH...

Sincerely hope that your life is more interesting...

6 days on...

Wed 030310

Yup, it's now the 6th day after me got me new "baby". And yup, that new "baby" was & still is my new iPhone 3GS.

Well, what I like most about this hp is the UI or User Interface, namely the touch-screen. It's truly a wonderful means of using a mobile phone! Try it out & you'll know what I mean...

Besides that, it's a great music-playing device, too! And yup, that's because it kinda originated from none other than the iPod...which was such a great music-playing device. For those in the know...

Support is great from Apple with its own Apple Store. One can just shop right from the hp! I've since added 16 web applications to my iPhone! Even the Papago GPS maps program specially for the iPhone! Of course that one had to be bought! However, most of them were FREE apps. And the best part was...they WORKed immediately after installation!

As for the iPhone version of the Papago Navigation program, the unfortunate part was that the hp could not detect the satellite signal from inside our car! And on further investigations, it was caused by our windscreen heat shield film!! That film prevented the satellite signal from passing through to reach the phone. Like often said...the good & the bad...

BTW, if you had not noticed from the pic of the iPhone posted in the earlier entry, a protective film was added to the hp to prevent scratches and an iPhone holder was bought to put the phone in...also for protection! Ha ha! Total cost? RM45. A similar set from Maxis costs RM99!! Maybe of better quality?

I've also added 140+ tunes to the music library in the iPod section of the hp. So that was not a problem.

The built-in camera was not a problem cos it's of the same resolution as my trusty ole N73. Picture quality had yet to be determined via printing. Onscreen, the images looked good. I've downloaded a couple of free apps to improve on various aspects of the camera.

The main problem was & still is...adding new ringtones to the hp! Still under research lo...
Any suggestions? Besides the correct & official way, of course!

And before I forget, battery life, with normal usage, should be roughly a day or more...depending on light or heavy use. Using the hp the way I did during these past few days, the battery could only last slightly more than half a day...

Ok...enough about the new "baby". Frankly, that's the only happening around these parts! Ha ha!

So looks like that would have to do for today's post...Bye!