Oh!pEnions: February 2006

Pictures from Pasar Road

Managed to extract some photos from my last Pasar Road trip from the MIC (Made in China) Mobile Phone. OK, I just found the connection cables. Here you go.

Yes, the cheep cheep Luxeons could be coming in

But their Boss was away, so I cannot confirm this
All these are samples

Wooo ...... SMD LEDs

LED bulb replacements
I am very sure it hey are meant for cars but are they bright enough?

Various project boxes

I loved this one, at about RM33 but I have no projects for it

This desk-type console is pretty too

The Omu Let

Shot this while I was in the "Yaohan" (OK, I forgot then ame, some Putra what-ever) wif my wife
Didn't order the Omu Let, though

Oh, fuck
This means no more uncessary trips to the toy shops and Pasar Road

Before the 90's - RM 0.89 basic price
Year 1990 - RM 1.10 (increase RM 0.21)
01/10/2000 - RM 1.20 (increase RM 0.10)
20/10/2001 - RM 1.30 (increase RM 0.10)
01/05/2002 - RM 1.32 (increase RM 0.02)
31/10/2002 - RM 1.33 (increase RM 0.01)
01/03/2003 - RM 1.35 (increase RM 0.02)
01/05/2004 - RM 1.37 (increase RM 0.02)
01/10/2004 - RM 1.42 (increase RM 0.05)
05/05/2005 - RM 1.52 (increase RM 0.10)
31/07/2005 - RM 1.62 (increase RM 0.10)
28/02/2006 - RM 1.92 (increase RM 0.30)

Mackie Moonlights

For those who knows, knows
For those who does not, doesn't

What car was this?

Finally extracted the picture from the AWG Mobile phone
Trust me, its a Proton Perdana. Or was it a BMW?
I forgot as its so long ago since I passed by Subang

Boring Sunday

So, its a Sunday afternoon and I have done my chores of washing both cars, the pram, vacuum the carpet, etc. And all the wonderful plans I have planned for today, since Monday, just does not seem "right". With yesterday's heavy rain since this morning, the atmosphere is just plain moody and all I could think of was just the Internet and sleep.

I would have to because when I am bored, a lot of funny ideas crops up and well, you know, "Bored minds & idle hands are a dangerous combination" Hee hee hee hee

Another Bored & Silly Idea to think about:
I am thinking of installing some LEDs and switches (marked yellow) on the car
But for the steering, I would have to design the plate first

Vivian Chew

If I was Kenny Sia, I would be pissed too. If I was TV Smith, I would also be pissed too. Why?

The reason is simple. You do the work, using your own time and efforts and someone else just came is, saw what they liked, copied it and get all the glory. Souns familiar isn't it? This is called "Cut & Paste" or otherwise known as pliagarism, a bad side-effect of the Internet. But very common among Malaysians, from Reports to homework to TV ads. And today, on Newspapers.

Vivian Chew, somehow got Kenny Sia's Photo, removed his watermark and sent it to The Star where she won the RM50 prize for her efforts. If you go over to Kenny Sia's blog, you can compare the two photos that they are the same in the sense that the placement of the motorcycle, the leaf pattens on the bush and the white Proton Saga is the same. Only difference is that the "kennysia.com" watemark is cropped out. And as argued, the only possibility of how Vivian managed to take this shot is that she and Kenny Sia must be standing on the same spot, at the same time and day to take it.

The Star Page N34, 24th February, 2006

I wonder how The Star is going to handle this.

The IT Crowd

One lives with his Mum, who dresses and styles him, and has the social skills of a serial killer.

The other is a fast food junkie with a spiky personality who must be kept away from normal people.

And they're both under the Line Manager who knows nothing about computers except for double-clicking, hard drives, mice and monitors.

And mix them up altogether in the basement, you have , "The IT Crowd". This is the latest comedy from UK's Channel 4. It depicts the antics of computer geeks in an IT Department albeit a bit exaggerated. I laughed the loudest because (the irony of it) most of the jokes happened to me at one time or the other while I was still an Engineer. Scary, isn't it?

Anyhoo, at their website, you can watch the episodes via streaming. (At the time of writing, its already into episode six but users outside UK cannot watch the streaming videos, so you'd have to find some other way. wink wink).

One of the funniest bit was when Moss tried to put out a Fire by emailing to the Fire Brigade since he had accidentally set the Fire Extinguisher on fire as well.

Shooting the locks

You can always see that in the movies, when there is a padlock on the door or a chest, the Hero would shoot it off (because there are never enough keys in the movies). The lock would then break off and the Hero gets to do whatever things he/she wanted to do. Easy enough, right?

Well, in real life, this is not aways true. Because in real life, things never follows the Movie script. To prove what a gun or a rifle can do, refer to The Box O' Truth. From water to armour vests to doors, you will be enlightened.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Reis Chan

In a few day's time, Reis Chan will be celebrating her first year. And there are various ways to announce this occasion:

1) Have a party
2) Shout to everyone within earshot
3) Put an announcement in a newspaper
4) SMS to everyone you know
5) Call everyone who does not hang up

But the best and most memorable (for a week, ha ha ha) is to give a nice little present to close friends.

This is a very nice and cute gift from One-Joy
Contains a lollipop, 2 bags of cookies, one chocolate bar (I suspect is cadbury's) and some sweets
Best of all, is Reis's Personal Birthday Annoucement

Deep Space 9 PADD

This is a working PADD from the Dee Space 9 series. The PADD had multiple sounds as heard from the show and also, this PADD features flashing LEDs. Gerhard has made them limitd editions and if you're interested, you should E-Mail him. Excerpt from his posting:

This PADD incorporates many of the same features found in the small Voyager PADD. But there are several new enhancements. There are a total of 26 LEDs, 20 of which are constantly running in sequence or in random around the viewscreen. There are 4 buttons on this PADD. One of these buttons located in the viewscreen triggers a 6-LED sequence which will run for 8 seconds and then shut off. (This runs in the Neuron Activity Monitor graph on the lower viewscreen.) Another button in the viewscreen sequences through 14 different PADD sounds. The other two buttons, located on the lower button panel, control the power (on/off) and another 2 sounds. The PADD also includes a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (charger included). I found the viewscreen graphic on one of the forums some time ago, but I cannot remember exactly where it comes from. I have modified it slightly to fit with the electronics.

I will only be building 12 of these PADDs in total. Each one will receive an edition number (top number of the button panel). The first 2 of these PADDs (01 & 02) will be constructed by hand from styrene plastic; they are the prototypes. The remaining 10 will be built with acrylic plastic bodies completely cut by precision laser.

I will be selling these PADDs to raise money to fund the large Voyager PADD project. Number 01 of the DS9 PADDs has already been claimed. Each PADD will sell for $360US (which includes postage for anywhere in the world). If you wish to purchase one of these PADDs you can contact me at gmros@cogeco.ca. Each person ordering a PADD will be given a specific number from the edition. Once all 12 have been claimed there will be no more made in this series.

Reference:
If you'd like to have an ultra accurate PADD kit, you can contact Matthew Munson at matthewmunson_@_yahoo.com (You need to remove the "_" from the E-Mail first as these spam bots are nasty).

Kristine and the Banana

If you gave her a banana 5 months ago, she would have removed it from her mouth. But last night, she devoured two bananas.

And I want more! Now!

One evening...........

Nowadays, its getting harder to get her to take a bath

And even harder to get her to dress

And even much harder to put ointment on her

Because she went and switched the lotion with shampoo
(Yeah, we had to clean her up all over again)

Headache.......

My appointment in Rawang today was not what I thought. Yep, we will be trying to move the whole PBX system from the wall outside the washroom into the pantry (with a partition added later). This was because the wiring has been there for almost a decade and Mr. Telekom is not happy with what they see

Then again, neither am I. But since the customer is confident with our services, we will go our best! Banzai! (This also means one weekend would be needed)

Spaghetti Junction!

My Fantasy Project - The PADD Update 23.02.06

Ohkaaayyyyyy.

I finally found a piece of working EL (Electroluminescent) sheet which I bought in Singapore three years ago (and completely forgot about it). My idea is to create a light up PADD with some touch screen elements in it. Unfortunately, the touch-switch circuit is using the human body's capacitance to sense the inout. Unfortunately, the EL is also a big capacitance. Right now, I have placed the touch-switch above the EL which showed dissapointing results. And I know what would happen if I put it UNDER the EL sheet, which is what I am supposed to do.

This is a Flashing Electroluminescent "No Smoking" sign
See the bluish-green gunk at the right near the cables?
That's bad news, but still workable

And this is what happens when you leave the battery there for years
Even if you do not switch it on, the chemicals from the battery leaked
and corroded all the contacts along with the cabling

Reference:
If you'd like to have an ultra accurate PADD kit, you can contact Matthew Munson at matthewmunson_@_yahoo.com (You need to remove the "_" from the E-Mail first as these spam bots are nasty). And, if you like to have THE ULTIMATE PADD that has lights and sound, you can give Gerhard Mros a call at gmros@cogeco.ca and you will not be disappointed.

Rubberised Car Mat

You know the feeling when you are having passengers which are likely to spill liquids in your car. They could be either drunk, carrying a goldfish tank, some packed drinks, or, ok, just plain drunk.

So, when accidents happen, its usually either the car seat or the nice clean upholstery in front of the seat. And for you, as the driver, you can only do two things:

1) Open the window and hope they can hold it (too bad if yours is the wind-down)
2) Open the car door and kick them out. (Ha ha ha)

This is the "bucket" type of rubber floor mat which contains all the nasty liquid

And it sits nicely under other unecessary carpets in the car
(OK, I don't want to throw them out)
But stinks sky high of rubber if brand new

So, with that rubber mat, you now have the third option:

Hold them by the neck and push forward where they can do what they want on the rubber mat. Of course, make sure you are able to switch gears as well. Once you have stopped the car and they are outside their front door, take the rubber mat out and return the nasty liquid by pouring on their head. Ha ha ha ha

Blue Black

A heavy lock fell on Kristine's toe today and after a good cwy, she was back to her usual active self again, forgetting her painful little toe

Its blue black now, and she wouldn't keep still

The First steps

For the past week, Kristine is starting to have more confidence in herself. She is starting to walk by holding on to railings or tables. But once I got her excited, she can actually walk to me unassisted.

Walking down the stairs

Kristine with her nice dress

Exercising the legs.........

Getting ready for another walking exercise

What is my secret?

Come closer, let me tell you something...

Do you know the secret of my happiness?

Yes, its my Mommy's T-Shirt. so clean and nice
One sniff and its Heaven

What the ......

I was stuck in a traffic jam and I peeped out of my car window
Looked like a naked guy on a van but actually, he's wearing a very loose singlet

Another trip to Pasar Road

OK, maybe I was not satisfied with yesterday's trip and so, with today's schedule and luck, I was able to make another trip. Which makes three within a week, I think.

Anyway, as I had about 2 hours to spare, I decided to visit my favourite shops again. And boy, I was not dissappointed! And guess what?

Yes, they might be bringing in 1Watt and 3Watt Luxeons soon, depending on the Boss who is still away due to the Chinese New Year. And their range of Kits have expanded too. The other shop are also very helpful where they will order any stuff for you (OK. I was mesmerised by the cute counter girls)

Momentary switch for my secret car project.
Hee hee hee hee

A cute Power Supply casing for under RM20
For my car's voltage stabiliser project (soon, maybe this year)

And finally! PIC16F84A and PIC16F628
with a 4MHz and 20Mhz crystals, all for under RM30 :-O

Chap Goh Mei

Today is the 15th Day after the New Year and we celebrated with a nice dinner, with another round of Yee Sang (but no Raw Salmon. Boo hoo hoo).

Roast duck, Yee Sang, Prawns and Abalone

Kristine is getting impatient for her share

This is the tinned Claypot Shark's Fin soup (which tasted more like Abalone)
And it costs us RM20. So, each "bowl" is about RM4.00
Wifey spilt a bit and they costs us 50sen. Ha ha ha ha

Trip to Pasar Road

You know, sometimes when things are incomplete, its irritates the hell out of me. I wanted to go to Pasar Road to search for that elusive PIC16F84 or the PIC16F628 chips.

I have been to Farnell and they did not have any stock although I pointed out that their "Malaysian" version website which said otherwise. Their reply is that the number shows the collective amount available in the Asia Warehouse, which is in Singapore. Rather than wait for them to take days to deliver, I decided to take my chances in Pasar Road.

But luck was not with me as most of the shops do not stock these chips.

Anyway, the Rule is, if you still insist on going there on a Sunday, these shops closes at 12 in the afternoon. By the time I got all the chores done, it was four in the afternoon, and is about to rain.

So, I braved through the heavy rain and flood (water went into my car) only to find all the shops closed save for two. The only thing I managed to get was RM5 worth of cables. Cheh.

My stock of switches and connectors, not to mention the stupid RM5 cable as well

The PicStart Plus Firmware Upgrade kit

OK, I have a confession to make: I procrastinate a lot

There. Now that you know my deepest secret, its no longer a secret. Anyway, I wanted to get this upgrade kit ever since Loctor Mayat gave me some sample PIC chips*. I could not remember the reason why I wanted to upgrade my programmer but after 2 years, I finally did it. (OK, Microchip said I must upgrade it so that the Programmer is always up to date) And thanks to AutoWorld Forummer, arist188, it was within my hands after a week.

I have spent quite a sum on this programmer more than five years ago and all I ever did was to lose the cables and made some LEDs blink like crazy (OK, so my assembly programming sucks).

This year, I promised myself to finish at least some of the projects I wanted to do for the past ten years. So, one of them is to program a PIC chip that works as it should be. Hopefully, then it can be used in my PADD project.................

The firmware upgrade kit and the Programmer

Its very easy to do the upgrade your self.
Open the Programmer's casing and look for the big IC chip

Do the swap and there you go!
(Do not break any IC legs, OK?)

* - Sorry, ah, Loctor. The chips you gave me is lost somewhere in the house when we were baby-proofing our room. Now I have to buy some PIC chips to test the programmer.

Blocked!

I was at Damansara Utama and I needed to get to Klang. Therefore, I have to use the North-South Expressway (PLUS) and the only way to do this is to use the "Sony" bridge. Unfortunately, I could not turn right at the end of the bridge because it was blocked due to some roadwork.

Luckily, I have been through this route before and there is now another short-cut to overcome this 40metre obstacle. Yeah, I had to travel about close to 3KM for this.

The Lion Dance 2006

As today is the ninth day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar, it is the right time for companies to start work. And after more than a week of holidays, not only have I grown fat, I felt lethargic as well. Anyway, the morning did not augur well for us because the original Lion team that came last year was not able to make it. So, we engaged another team and they really pissed me off.

For one, they came late, (near noon) and they seemed so tired. I can't really blame them because a lot of companies did require their services that morning and being stuck in a jam did not help either. What I was not happy about was their "Oh, c'mon! Lets get on with it" attitude and their refusal to bless our cars. So this is the second time my car was not blessed. (Last year was due to a technical fault as I was not informed since I was busy taking photos)

Still, its not nice to spoil everyone's mood and we all did our best to ignore such trivial stuff and put on our happy faces intead.