Saturday, July 26, 2008

A Night Out With Mat Le, Medea and Mena

I had been working hard for my Final Year Project for 3 days consecutively. Collecting spot speed data is not as simple as I initially thought, but nevertheless I actually enjoyed hiding inside the bushes, inconspicuous to the drivers.

Lucky me, I had a helping hand with my job yesterday evening. Mena was too boring staying in-campus that she decided to join me for spot speed studies nearby Bota,Perak.

I am quite into this type of job vis a vis speed voyeurism. The peeping tom at work

A million thanks to Mat Le too for being so kind to lend me his motorbike. My project would cost hell a lot more if I drive my own car to the study location.

I am now well ahead of schedule, with aplenty of time for other work. An outing to Ipoh would be a good reward for myself for working so hard. Bowling was our first stop.

Hey that was a STRIKE!

After bowling, it was around 12.10 midnight. Snooker centre adjacent to the bowling place is closed. So, we went to Seven for pool, instead.

Bragging session : My five consecutive stripes to victory!

Clumsy Mena is working hard to master the basic skills of cueing. She improved a lot in a night's time, thanks to supervision and lessons from 3 sifoos. Not bad for a beginner actually.

Lesson No 1 : Holding the cue properly

The night of clean fun ended at Padang Polo Ipoh. We chatted for one hour at the park before speeding back to UTP.


Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Use Durex Save Dumex

Ohh that's surprising! How is that possible? Some participants in a popular local forum even allege that prostitutes boosted the statistics. Even funnier, a male participant calls the manufacturer of the condom a liar because he is a loser and he haven't been in a relationship, yet.

Be realistic. We don't live in Shangri-La. Face the truth. Shangri-La only exists in a popular novel, Lost Horizon, written by James Hilton in 1933. Our world is not earthly paradise. It is too utopian to think in a way that we can put Shangri-La and our world, juxtapositorily.

PRE-MARITAL SEX : WHERE IS THE BOUNDARY LINE

As being described by Paul Stenzel, any type of genital contact is considered sex. The boundary line is just clear. Yes. Oral sex is sex. Physical intercourse is sex. A man penetrating his female neighbor is sex. A secondary school kid thrusting his girlfriend inside some bushes is sex. "Medically speaking, they're very clear, because any type of genital contact can transmit disease."

In my opinion, there's no line to draw. It is not like playing "Territory" when we are still kids. Strictly speaking, having sex is just a matter of choice, whether you want to do it or not. Of course, many factors come into consideration before you do it. Unwanted pregnancies, mental distress, STD but I tell you, breaking the law is the last thing in mind of many teenager couples.

PREMARITAL SEX : AN EMOTIONAL TORTURE

Say you are in one of these situations:
  • You are playing it safe. You use a condom. Oh not because your partner insisted you to, but on your free will. However, you don't know that certain type of lubricant somehow weakens the bond between basic isoprene units that make up condoms. You played it hard and the condom bursted. You did not realize it until you got up from your bed for a hot bath. (Haha you are unlucky!)
  • You don't use condom because it deprives you of the sensation. You are pretty confident you can withdraw at the right moment. But you are too into your position that you blow up in her. (Pray hard you won't multiply!)
  • Both of you are lost somewhere in the steamy world of sex. The girl's dad shouted and knocked down the door. He punched and kicked your ass. (Haha you are lucky coz he did not bring along a parang!)
Imagine the extent of emotional distress and guilt you will feel right away. You won't know for sure whether your girlfriend is pregnant or not. You wait anxiously for your girlfriend's menses. You keep thinking what will happens if she really got pregnant. Family looked down upon, unwanted child, guilty feelings haunting you, Pak Haji come running for you, long life emotional effects and what not.

PREMARITAL SEX : WHAT RELIGIONS SAY

"And go not nigh to fornication; surely it is an indecency and an evil way." (Qur'an 17:32)

"Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral." (Hebrews 13:4)

***

Is sex recreation, or re-creation?


This Caught My Attention

Forgive me for not posting the new article that I have promised. This caught my attention when I surf through blogs of "Yang Berkhidmats (YBs)". It is a letter from a Law student to YB Lim Kit Siang (MP-Ipoh Timur)


For your information, "Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) is one of those qualifications entitling the holder to become a qualified person. The examination is conducted by the Board by virtue of section 5(e) of the Act. Applications to sit for the CLP examinations are open to holders of Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degrees conferred by the universities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and certain universities in Australia and New Zealand whose qualifications are not gazetted under section 3 of the Act." (The Malaysian Bar, 2008)

Well, since we are talking something related to law, let's see this. This is something which I least expect to happen.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Moving Out

A close room mate of mine graduated and left me alone with one more semester to go for. Officially he is a graduate and a "liability to the society" since Petronas have not call him up for work, yet. To me he left all the good wills and hope, and a big water dispenser too. I pray for his success in life.

While training, Master Shidu of Kungfu UTP answered a phone call. (Photo credit : Wei-zhu)

I moved up to Level 4 of the same block where I have previously stayed for 6 months. Of course the view is magnificent here. Lushes of greenery surround New Village 5, and micro-climate here is temperate. However, it can get a bit hot in the room especially rooms with orientation facing the afternoon sunlight. One good point of moving to a room so high above is no mosquitoes. My previous 6 semesters staying on ground floor has been terrible. We have no choice but to close the window when night comes, sleeping in a stuffy room for more than 8 hours.


Yeah did I mention that I got a new pair of spectacles? This is me, caught cam-whoring with my new spectacles.

I might need Schick Quattro Razor. Chew, any trial shave?

Oh god. I am hungaray~ I ate only a burger for my lunch. I shall pen off and begin the quest for dinner.

Next post : Use Durex, save Dumex.



Sunday, July 13, 2008

Market Prices

For sale? Uh huh nope but the Russian girls fetch a really good price at this parlor. They were popular back in 1990s. Well I think the price list is quite a match to the market value. I don't understand the Chinese characters, but I'm sure it is quite "meaningful".


Don't get yourself in unnecessary problems. Stay away from vices. AIDS and STD statistics in Malaysia is quite scary, just so you know.


External links :

Malaysia Aids Council
Progress Report 2008 : Malaysia's Fight Against AIDS


Sunday, July 6, 2008

1981

I found an old copy of CLEO magazine that back-date to 1981. It was in a box unopened since we move from the old house to the current one that I am staying now. The magazine itself is older than myself, yet it maintains the way it is though a little bit yellowish and dusty.


Together with the magazine, I found one copy of National Geographic magazine dated back to 1994, covering Ireland and Crimea as the pick of the month. Both the articles are really long that I only flip through pages with a lot of pictures. Together with the "loot" from the treasure chest; a diskette and a floppy disk which is not labelled.


This camera advertisement attracted my attention. FASHIONFLASH was launched in UK some where in 1981 and took the market by storm. It must be the big-boys' toy back then.


Decore? Heard the name before, but I couldn't find any of the product in hypermarket shelves.


Hahaha now I know how Kent cigarette packaging looks like back in 1981.


And how power-suits for OL looks like back then..


This is the new look of Cleo magazine in 2008 on its website.


How the world have changed since 1981..

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

The Complete Dummies Guide to Engine Oil

Get To Know The Bad Guys In Your Engine

Internal combustion of petrol with air gives your car the power to go further, but it also produces by-product harmful to your engine, clogging up the interior parts. These by-products are call soot, a type of black powder produced in combustion. On higher heat and RPM of most performance vehicle nowadays, engine oil of good quality is no longer a luxury treat for your Number 2 Darling. These type of good oil contain certain additives that help to reduce wear and tear, maintain viscosity and to suspend the soots.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa158/hermandaz/swiftturbotimer3.jpg

How Bad Are The Bad Guys?

The oil become so saturated with soot and contaminants from prolonged used that they will build up and form sludge at the bottom of your engine. It increases the wear and tear inside the engine, resulting in less response on highways. Your morning start-up will be a nighmare too.

Protect Yourself From The Bad Guys

The bad guys are there all the time. They are by-product of combustion process with air and petrol. That means you can't get rid of them. All you can do is change your engine oil frequently so that sludge won't build up in your engine.

Oil Change Interval

Somebody will say "Okay, now I'm confused. How frequent is frequent? Give me some values. Numerical values."

Many people debate on the proper oil change interval. Those sitting at mamak stalls say 5000 km. Those sitting at kopitiam says 7500 km. Some kids down the block say 10 000 km on high quality synthetic oil. Which one is correct?

Of new car less than 1 year old which is still under manufacturer's warranty, it is advisable that you follow the manual book. A complete manual book comes with every new car purchased. (Look into the dashboard compartment if you don't see one in your car.) Each time you send your car for normal or severe service, there will be some markings and official verifications to show that you follow the maintenance schedule accordingly.

A routine check before you travel long distance reveals dirty black engine oil. It does not mean that you need to go to have the oil changed immediately. Modern engine oil, called detergent-engine oil works in a way that it suspends the soot and contaminant from the combustion process. That is why the oil is black in color. By following the manufacturer's recommendation, you will never go wrong because you change the oil long before the oil has become saturated with soot.


Anyway, both Malays and Chinese call them "black oil" in the own dialect.

However, maintenance schedule differs by country, even for the same car. A Nissan Latio in USA and a Nissan Latio in Kuala Lumpur have different service regime and package. This is because of difference in quality of fuel used in both countries. Have you learnt in high-school that petroleum extracted from Malaysian reservoir contains less sulphur? Come on, recall the facts!

For cars relieved from warranty, here comes the tricky part. You can still follow the recommendation from car manufacturer, but with a longer service interval of course. Comes this tricky part, it all follows your money. From my conversations with a few of my mechanic buddy, they recommend 5000 km service interval for any car less than 10 year old.

Personally, I go for 7500 km on semi-synthetic Shell Helix Plus. If you are with your car for some time, you can notice the deviation from its real performance, especially while overtaking other vehicles on highway. Over time, a far deviation from its real performance rings the bell. It's time to change the engine oil.

Shell Helix Plus made a hole in my pocket for every oil change, making me RM 90.00 poorer and that is excluding oil filter, spark plugs and workmanship. For your information, I am driving a Proton Iswara 1.3 Manual, clocking approximately 148 000 km from 11 years of service life.


On what the numbers and alphabet printed on engine oil packaging means, let me quote from Shell Malaysia's website.

Below the word ULTRA, note 5W-30. It means the oil is able to maintain their performance in high and low temperature. The first number (followed by "W" for Winter, not Weight) indicates the oil viscosity under low temperatures. The second and higher number indicates the oil viscosity under greater temperatures. Most modern engine oils such as Shell Helix Ultra are multi-grade, which minimizes the viscosity differences under temperature variations. The higher the number, the thicker the oil. However,there is no such thing that the thicker the oil is, the better it is. Using oil which is too thick for your car can clog up the bearing clearances.

Normally the lower the first digit in gradation ,the higher the price is. 0W-30 is certainly more expensive than 5W-30 due to quantity of base stock. Mechanics will tell you that the lower the front digit, the thinner and the lighter the oil is, resulting in easy morning start-up and powerful acceleration. This is true though.

Ehem, girl drivers..don't get yourself cheated by dishonest mechanics. They might put mono-grade SAE 30 oil in your car engine and say "This is very very good" and charge you a whopping RM 90.00 for it. My quick and reflexive response will be "Fcuk you mister mechanic! Monograde SAE oil is not for use in modern passenger vehicles. Possibly lawn mowers!"

Exclusive car such as Bimmers, Benz and Volvo require more stringent service schedule. Some generous owner send their cars in, even at 3000 km. This is due to misconception that exclusive vehicles are heavier hence the engine is stressed up more compared to normal sedans. A service bill exceeding RM2000.00 is considered normal on a new E-class Benz. Well, I don't know. Rich men have deep pockets. Any Bimmers, Benz or Volvo owners reading my blog post?

So, This Is Malaysia's Roadtax?

My father came back from the town with 2 pieces of cards. I was wondering what they are until he handed them to me. They are road-tax stickers, for the Iswara and the Toyota. Without a word, I understand that he wants me to replace the old road-tax stickers on both cars. So I compelled.

The road-tax sticker on my car windscreen has been made hard and "crunchy" from the gruelling hot sun in Tronoh, which means... I have to scratch it away bit by bit using a 20 cents coin.


After scratching the crunchy layer off the windscreen,I have to use petrol to clean up the sticky dirt. What a hassle!

Finally I got the sticky dirt wiped off. Frankly, I don't have any idea on how to remove this "crunchy" roadtax behind any tinted windscreens. Anyone care to share?

So, this is Malaysia's roadtax, huh?