Being boring

Hokay. I am bored. There is nothing else to do but hang loose. I feel like going to 1-Utama but having just used up close to RM2600 in just less than sin hours really took my mood away. Yeah, the salary came through this morning and after paying all the bills, I have less than Rm500 left to sustain for at least more than a month, knowing my company's salary payout habit. Heesh.

So, what can I do at home to keep myself busy so that I won't start taking things apart. Wife and kids have gone to their sisters and won't be back until Sunday. I am starting to miss them already and trying to go back into bachelor mode is no fun at all. Haih. Maybe I should:

1) Watch the first 5 episodes of season 2's Sarah Connor Chronicles. Oop Dad's there
2) Play with some toy guns. Wife kept them locked
3) Surf the Internet....... hey I am doing that now!
4) Get comics. No money
5) Sleep. Too tired to sleep after all the adrenaline rush just now
6) Take a bath. Yeah that's it! Bye!

Maybe I should attempt to kill myself now........

Feel like doing this Gundam model kit I got it for a steal
a few weeks back. All the shops were selling RM30 more
and for this 1/100 scale, the box is big. This Master Grade
model is almost as good as the ultra detailed Perfect Grade
models which incidentally, is scaled at 1/60 (very big)

Its the Gundam Avalanche Exia. I always like Gundams with
big armours. But not those that dress up as Japanese warriors
Despite its size the model is prone to falling down face first

Bandai's molding quality is excellent and nothing can come close. When

you have seen the qualty close up, yo'dbe actually having second thoughts
about buying the pirated Made in China version even though its cheaper

[Update: 2249 22.11.2008]
Yo! Sorry, Nex! I dozed off after the bath! At least nothing has been taken apart! Ha ha ha ha ha!

The RM4000 Light Table

Hello, Mr. Ghana, I need your help, la.
OK, what can I do for you?
I need you to transport a table from A to B
No problem
Its almost eight feet long, four feet white and 30 inches tall, wor.
No problem, when you want it?
This Saturday, can, ah?
No problem, can we do this at 930 in the morning?
Sure, but the table is big, man.
Er, OK. In that case, can I see it first?
Sure but tomorrow (Friday) no one would be there. I took a picture of it, I can eMail to you
Er, Boss, no eMail la, can you fax to me, ah?
OK, no problem

So, for the rest of Friday morning, I wasted my time faxing an A4 picture of a table to them. Fax after fax, it was rejected after every 15 or so minutes. Only when they gave me an alternate number did it get through. Setting the resolution from STANDARD to FINE would only increase your faxing time (and more coffee sessions with the office chick - unless she is married). But this is irritating since I was using different fax machines at different customer places as I was out on the field and it does not help either when their company was using only one incoming line both as the fax line and the office line. Moral of the story, folks, don't fax anything that has more than 40% black in the picture and with everyone sharing the same telephone line.

Dial number XXXXXXXX and faxed
Breep breep "Hello? Hello? . .. .click"
@#$*&!

Dial number XXXXXXXX and faxed
Breep breep "Hello? Hello? . .. .click"
@#$*&!

Hello! I am sending a fax to your Boss.
OK, let me switch on the fax machine first
Dial number XXXXXXXX and faxed
Breep breep "Hello? Hello? . .. .click"

Woi! Your fax machine on or not?
Yeah, its on but no fax la.
I know, what is your fax number?
Its XXXXXXXX
And what is the number you're answering now?
Its XXXXXXXX (same number) . . . Oops. OK, I hang up and wait for fax

And so, after much communications problem, the table finally arrive at our house at abut almost four in the afternoon. I had to communicate with both my friend and the lorry guys by phone as I could not tear myself away from work and we had an important appointment at two (even if its Saturday). My Boss would tear me from limb to everything if he knows I "escaped" to personally coordinate the transport. And so, the whole day, I was calling them for updates.

Ble dep beep beep
Hello? Yes?
Bang, you entered the building already or not? My friend waiting la
We're already but the 3 tonne lorry cannot enter la.Too big
Sure or not? My friend said can wor
Sure la, Bang. Our lorry got (canvas) cover one, so, too big to enter
Ya, hor. Ok do your best.

Ring. Ring.
Hello, your guys here already?
Yeah, they're downstairs, trying to enter the building
OK the lorry can enter through bla...bla...bla...
OK, thanks

Beep, beep, boop, beep, ble deep
Hello?
Yo, bang, when you coming la?
Er, soon Boss, soon. We go problem at the cargo lifts la
Why? Your Boss said no problem one? You should have been here latest by one already
Cannot la, Boss. Table too big and the something something are only six feet
OK, OK. I wait for you la but please hurry, OK?

Woi! Now what time la?
Sorry Boss, we really got problem la. The table too big la to enter lift la
So how?
We're carrying to down, Boss
What! You're 39 floors up! Crazy, ah?
What to do Boss? This is the only way
OK, OK. I won't disturb you anymore. I'll wait for you
OK, Boss

Wow. 3 men carrying a table 39 floors down. This is crazy, man. And they did it in less than three hours. True or not, I cannot say since I was not there. Yes, the table is big. It was designed at the height where you can comfortably spread the Map and look at it while standing up. And it costs them RM4000 to have it custom built. But looking at the construction, the material cost alone cannot even reach the RM1000 mark. The lorry guys and I discussed a bit about the table after it was set up and we both agreed that the carpenter pulled a fast one. For a table that expensive, it would have BOLTS or some removeable mechanism that not only makes a stable table (Ha ha ha) and but easily remove the legs. But no, they were nailed in. And the material is not even solid wood. But since we do not know the actual history of the table, I would not want to comment further eventhough I am very sure of what happened.

Moving into my Dad's working room was another problem. We had
no choice but to remove two of the legs. What we found out at the
stump was not comforting. While they're doing this, I was driving
like a madman to reach a DIY shop for some screws and nails. The
most surprising thing is that when we fixed the legs back on with
screws instead of nails, it was more solid. So, in the end, the Table
was Stable after being Screwed. I refused to let my Dad go ahead
with the plan of sawing off 8 inches per leg. The lorry guy agreed
as well because the end result of a machine cutting the wood and
a person using a saw is very obvious. Not forgetting the fact that
it will make the table warp. Putting the heavy glass on it and some
objects, the glass will crack on the uneven warped edges.

There all connected and lit up! Very nice! And my friend gave me the LCD
monitor for a very good price and I will give it to my Dad so he could see
the better once I save up for a Notebook that he wants. He liked the idea
of the Notebook after visiting his friend whose son was using it to call his
sister in Japan via Skype through Wifi and with webcam summore. I like
the idea too as this would mean we do not have to worry about pulling
network cables all over the hosue (again) since this is not an option as we
forgot to do this while the house was under renovation. Maybe I should
take up Maybank's offer of a credit card where I can pay for the Notebook
by installments.....

Oho! I found another treasure in my Dad's room! So this is where my
lost Enterprise 1701-A was after being missing for two years! Luckily
I took the batteries out before storage or else it would be very bad
(OK, I am thinking of any excuse to break it open and put some radio
control circuits in there, actually. Ha ha ha ha!)

And the Ending? It was not so nice for me after all. The transport fee was RM250 but because these poor (almost dead) guys carried the table for 39 floors, it went to RM400. I was willing to shell out RM300 and a big bag of keropoks but changed my mind. I don't want to piss them off because who knows I might use them again in the near future. Whats more, they're patient with me and even connected the fluorescent lights back on.

The keropoks (crispy stuff) I got were (left to right) Seafood flavoured (RM12.00),
fish sticks (RM10.00), Onion flavoured which is mine(RM8.00) and potato (RM10.00)
So, when the kids come back, they're going to be very very happy except for my wife
and Mom who knows they will litter it everywhere and not eat their meals. Oops.
Compared with the International Standard of Measurement (the Coke can), these
keropoks are cheap (in terms of volume) compared to what you would normally
buy off the shelf.

My Primary School II

Directly looking at the Sepak Takraw court would be my Standard Two class. And if I remember correctly, Standards One to Three are in the morning session while Four, Five and Six are in the afternoon. Because of our age differences, I always miss my brother in either session.

Just next to the Sepak Takraw court were the Standard Two Classes. The classes for Standards One and Two are usually on the ground floor while Standard three are on the upper floors of the main building and all these three are in the morning session. Standards

This is my class, Standard Two Biru (2 Blue) and this went on right up
to Standard Six but I always confuse my memory with the Kuning (Yellow)
class. There used to be some concrete flower bed on the left but its all
gone now. Here, I remember being scolded for cheating my marks by
Cikgu Faridah (who was a very tall lady) but I stuck to my guns and
my class Teacher, Datin Chen (who was also very strict and loud) did
something to me which I forgot. All I can remember was standing about
while she went here and there. Another memory was our homework
where I was supposed to make a dacing (scale) for our commerce class
and I only told my Dad who had to stay up late (midnight) to make one
for me. Throughout the whole day, I was trying to find parts to make it
by myself but I failed. In the end, it was a big scale and when I brought
it to school, I was feelinglike a fool because one smart aleck just made
his with a chopstick. And everyone followed the idea. Oh, we also
traced some coin patterns with pencils and cut them out to make
some pretend coins.

Ok, so the sign says Darjah 2 Biru (Standard 2 Blue) If I remember correctly,
there was Merah (Red), Hijau (Green), Kuning (Yellow) but I cannot tell
in which order. The funny thing was, while I was in the morning session,
there were other Standard 1 to 3 in the afternoon. Then when we went for
the afternoon, they switched to morning instead. Weird. But by the time
I joined the secondary classes, both morning and afternoon sessions were
combined into one (Secondary 1-3 is afternoon while Secondary 4-6 were
in the morning)

If memory serves me well, I think nothing much has changed, except
for the wall painings, whiteboard and switches.

Right next to the class would be the stairs leading to the lower floors and
also to the canteen. Let's go to the lower floors first (top middle)

OK, this has changed a lot. If we go towards the right side of the corridor,
it used to house a teacher's room, I think and somekind of a meeting room.
Here, we all went nuts when it came to lining up to receive our dreaded BCG
injections. We were waiting like what seemed to be hours, and the line is
moving by inches until we reached the nurse. It did not help either when some
idiot spreaded rumours like he saw the needle went through a boy's arms. But
ultimately, when the line reached into the room, we saw how the nurse sterilised
the needle over a fire, we were very very scared and we were ready to run out
of the room. Luckily, since my mom was a nurse, i got my BCG shots earlier and
I was let out for the room. Or I think I had the shots........ oh well. It was scary
for me, not so much becaues of the waiting until to the point where the nurse
puts the needle in to the arm but the feeling of the hot sterilised needle poking
into the arm. By now, more than 30 years later, I realised it was not true.

Going deeper into the corridor, we turn left to what was once my first
class, which was Standard 1 Biru. All I could ever remember was my
class teach, Cikgu Letchumi who always wear a saree and when she
punish you, you could see her tongue sticking out and upwards before
the slap comes. Now, its all sealed up and converted into something
else which I am not familiar with. So, I did not enter further.

Coming out of the corridor, we no head for the stairs towards the basement
where the canteen is. When I was small, this was the longest set of stairs.
And I was a bit afraid of falling down or even up when I was walking. That's
why I started to hold the smelly handrails even though I hated it
(the smelly sweat from so many hands sticks to yours).

Ok, something new here. As soon as you come done, the empty space that
was once there has now been converted into the teacher's dining room. And
further on (right), it is now the Bengkel Kemahiran Hidup (Skills workshop).
Lets go through to the black grilles, which leads to more open space. When I
was there, it was just a big area where it serves as an assmebly area for us
during recess and sometimes morning assembly. We even used it as a football
area when it was raining during our PE lessons, I think.

Whoa! The beams are still there (of course!) But look at the green painting
on the far left. From the first beam to the painting, it used to be a eight feet
extension for a ten or so feet long toilet. Its gone now. And there is so much
junk all over the place. If you go out of the (now locked) gate, you can go
into the school field and if you turn left, its to the old Bengkel Workshop.
But I think its now converted into something like a centre for the deaf.

Still, lets go to the grill and look out from there. This is still the original grille.
Ok, the houses (for the maintenance staff, I think) are still there. So the path
on the grass where other students walk to the workshop is now clean, this is
reinforcing the fact that the workshop does not exist anymore. At least they
have put up a fence at the edge.

Turning back, you can see the stairs again. If I am not mistaken the school's
bookshop (on the right) is still the original but repainted. But I cannot for
the life of me, remember what the brown door is for. Anyway, if we go on
towards, we will reach the canteen. Funny why they need to install grilles
there as well. I mean, how much damage can hungry primary schoolkids do?

The tables and benches have changed slightly but otherwise, its still the same
old design. Of the three columns, I remember the spot in the middle where I
first encountered bullying. The fucker Mustaffa lend me his Luke Skywalker
action figure for me to take home and play an then, the next day, he called all
his brothers and confronted me to make me pay for the toy. Later on, he was
a prefect and there was an incident too. I was the innocent scapegoat but was
not detained. Still, if I do see him again, I would like to shake his hand for all
the wondeful learning experiences. And then punch him in the face for being
who he is.

The school's main tuckshop has not changed much except that the yellow
grills were originally black, the green tiles were, I think, slabs of stone but
not marble like. Still, this was the only shop that sells drinks and it still does.
I am not sure of the original people were still there being the last day of school
and all but I was just curious to see if the efiminate Ah Kua is still alive or not.

Oh hey! The sweets counter is gone! I've spent a lot of time (looking & drooling)
at the sweets as most of them cannot be found outside. If i had collected most of
the toy guns, swords there and then, they would look good for some of my figs.
But yeah, next to where the trays were, used to be an old lady who sells rojak
and the most delicious and oiliest (round thingy but is not yam cake) which I
loved. With high ceiling and all, I've spend most of the time there not because its
cooling or the nice cooking smell but because of the soothing domestic background
sounds just like as if we're living within a big open community. I like that a lot