20240225 Don Don Donki @Mid-Valley

We were at Mid-Valley today for some grocery shopping as NSK was deemed a little too far away for a Sunday afternoon adventure. The first thing we noticed after coming out from the SouthPoint escalator was Don Don Donki. After a brief search on Facebook, apparently, it had opened its doors on the 31st of January this year, just about 9 days before the Chinese New Year. There were quite a number of people at the entrance but not enough to give me the impression it was crowded.

To be honest, I am not sure what to make of this place although it was touted to be a famous discount store. When I first heard about it, my impression was that it could be another Daiso competitor. Boy, was I wrong. Unlike Daiso, their price range varies from as little as a few Ringgit to just close to a hundred. But that was not the issue. The maze-like place is filled to the brim with a lot of... things. Things such as food, food and more food. You can find other stuff like make-up, and grooming accessories and some choice gashapons. But they are just a small selection in this crazy maze of a store.

Entering the Don Don Donki expecting to find the item you want (in this case, a tube of Wasabi and maybe, some nice Gashapons/ gadgets) can be very difficult because, um, how shall I describe the experience. OK, its like looking for something in a sea of other somethings which looked like it but was not it and at the same time, there were new somethings which you never expect to exist. Also, for a first impression, it was a little overwhelming and worse than my first time in Ikea, where there were a lot of people mingling around and no sign of nearby exits or even a quiet corner to escape in. Its no fun steering clear of people lest I bump or touch them.  And that 'Don Don' jingle does get to you once you start to notice its existence after awhile. I find myself looking for the exit but more importantly, I need to find my Wife first.

Anyway, the (oveloading) experience lasted for about 30 minutes although I promised that we should just take a quick look earlier. On second thoughts, this place might not be suitable for my Generation but the one before (and my Kids) love them. Or maybe, its just me. I just cannot fathom why this place is so popular. If this was a store selling model kits and electronics from Japan, I would be in Heaven, lurking in there for hours. Sadly, it is not. Looking back, there were a few items I do not mind getting but they are certainly not wallet friendly for the budget conscious. The lights are uncomfortably bright in some areas and did I mention the 'Don Don Donki' jingle? It's starting to make me lose my focus and well, making me forget what I wanted to do in the first place. In the end, all I wanted was to get out of the store and leave the things behind.

Maybe I shall try again, hopefully during the time where there is less people around and with my (newly found) Bluetooth earphones on.

 

As soon as you come off the escalator, you can't miss this large shop (which I think, was formerly Guardian Pharmacy)

At the entrance, the instant noodles on the left (RM4.90) and the Pringles-like chips on the right (RM5.90) looks like a good deal.

This is a very small row of Gashapon machines.
I don't think my Panoramic trick managed to make it look longer.

The 1/72 Nissan Cefiro costs 4 tokens while the Zaku Head is 5, which (I remember) is cheaper than the time they were available years ago.

The Gashapon token machine where 1 token costs RM5.00 and amazingly, for RM10.00, you get 2 tokens!
What a bargain!

I just Googled about Horse Oil and it does exist.
You should do the same too.

Various selection of drinks and on the right, is Asahi.

I think it's a nose, sideburn and other facial hair trimmer.
Sure, you can get them from Shopee or China for much cheaper but hey, Don Don Donki!

They even have self-checkout (on the left) if the two manned counters are busy.

 

20240217 That yellow mouse button

The Scroll button

 In the early years of computing, people were contend with two buttons on their mouse. It was so useful, that they named it the left and right mouse button. This was all well and dandy, I suppose until the mouse for southpaws were created. Imagine the left and right mouse button on the your right hand becoming right and left mouse button on the left hand.

 And by the early 90's, with the infancy of the Internet, some bright spark thought it was fun to create long Webpages and pages and pages of documents. Imagine the amount of potential RSI injuries. So, in the mid-90's KYE Systems from Taiwan introduced the scrolling wheel and strategically placed them between the two mouse buttons. This new feature did not catch on until Microsoft picked it up and also featured them in Microsoft Office 97.

 And all of a sudden, we could not live without it.

 

The Lifetime of a Mouse

 Any mouse, or rather, any mouse that I love to use, would have a longer lifespan than the ones I threw away. The more I use them, the more I would grow attached to it, so much so that if it fails, I would try to repair them. I use my mouse daily and if there were a software which can count the times I clicked on the buttons, it would go into the hundreds. And so, this is the time where the buttons would be affected mechanically, either from plastic fatique or worn out buttons. For today, it is the scroll wheel button which is faulty.

 Once you start to use software that needs the scroll button, this is the end result. The CAD software like SketchUp, EaglePCB and even Inkscape tend to make use of that as often as one uses the left mouse button.

 

My tweezers are holding the shorter 6mm x 6mm x 4.3mm silent mouse buttons. Each button colour, from different manufacturer, has a certain lifespan. In this case, the supposedly Kailh red buttons has a 5 million click lifespan compared to yellow's 8 million. But I am not going to hold the seller to that since I have no idea if this is original.
I am going to replace the yellow scroll button (middle) with a red version since this was the only button I could get without having to buy lots.

The big blob of solder is hard to remove and due to age, the lead seems to have some issues with the soldering iron. I had to feed it with extra lead and once it is molten, I use the de-soldering pump.

Yeeeaahh... red and yellow buttons does not make any difference to me right now.
Millions of clicks? Just de-solder and solder a new one in its place.

 

20240212 Getting lighter?

The Early Years

When I was a kid, right up to my Forties, I was always fat. Maybe fat isn't the word I was looking for but I would feel when the word obese was being mentioned. I actually did not notice I was fat until when I was about 11 or so where the metal clasps to my short pants always come undone. And there were always holes near the crotch which rubbed my thighs raw.

Stretch that to a few more years but for a boy at that age, I was never aware of these problems or how it was linked to my obesity. That is, until I started going to tuition and there and then, I was started to be more self-conscious. But it still did not occur to me what caused all these chubbiness.

Maybe it was the Water

OK, I do eat a lot as most of the food cooked by my Mom was delicious. However, as I was the first born, I was also given the best choice of meat, usually by my late Grandfather wherever we attend one of his big massive Dinners in the City when he comes over. Heck, even when we're dining. So I kind of accepted it but as I grew older, it became tiring to the point of embarrassment. Apart from the food, I guess I do drink a lot of soft drinks too since my Grandfather did own a drinking spot cum Restaurant. Anything sweet within reach is well, game.

The Turning Point

When I was into my late 20's, I was sent off Overseas for further study. Anyway, the end result was that we do take a lot of photos and I realised, I was the short and fat guy. We were in a boarding house so more of less, the food has been well taken care of, with the occasional instant noodles to tide me over if I am still hungry before bedtime. By this time, my self-consciousness was manifesting itself to the point that I started to feel both socially and academically insecure.

Luckily I do have a great friend there but I do realise that he is also not necessarily be there for me all the time as he does have other friends. Going through the years alone and facing its consequences helped created a monster. At that point, I was still unaware and wondering why Life was so strange. But deep inside, I knows it has to change yet I feel more comfortable wallowing in the warm comfort of the monster. Maybe I can call it a friend?

This is me

So, there I was, a short and fat chubby guy who is socially awkward and insecure. Always double checking on the self-made decisions and comparing them with the majority and yes, the quiet guy in the corner. Maybe I can just wing it in Life by following the Rules and not stand out too much, something I guessed what my Late Mom wanted. Or maybe, that was what she thought it was the best since I was so withdrawn and quite as I grew up.

But it wasn't until in my early 30's that I started to explore things (and failed the course). I was so obsessed in being thin and healthy that my weight plummeted to 55Kg when I returned. I mean, I was swimming at least 3 times a week, cycle all the time and diverted all the food to milk. It's good right? To me, this is the way to be free of the monster. No more feeling embarrassed when I am not fat, eh?

The only problem was, there was no one I could turn to on how to be healthy and strong. The irony was that the Library was only a good source of Sci-Fi literature and music CDs. The only starting place which I did not look. So yeah, I ended up being a skinny guy (like one of those Ethiopian victims as described by my Mom) at 55Kg, lots of veins in the hands (my indication of healthy and skinny). I stupidly confirmed my theories when one day, I ran a fast 100m without breaking a sweat not was my heart beating fast.

This is not me

After managing to get a Degree, I started work and forgot all about my college days (of trying to be thin and healthy). And I though I was still that thin guy and all. But no. And now a grown chubby guy with a lot of hair. And by the time I was about to get married, I actually found myself ballooning thanks to the newly promoted 'deskjob' in the office. Yeah, I used to go to the Fields but now, I am sitting behind a desk, as a technical consultant to the Sales Team.

The only solution I could think of, in terms of slimming, was to eat less. Ain't no time for Gyms and exercises.

Is this me?

Fast forward decades later, I am still a little chubby. But my weight goes up and down. The weight kind of swings around the 110Kg mark. But as I grew older, there is a marked decrease. It was not until the Pandemic where we were in a Lockdown that I shed the 20Kg compared to my colleagues who had the opposite effect.

The Covid19 also did a number on my body where I saw the weight went down to the eighties. And now, my current job where I try to walk about 11,000 steps a day, whether I want to or not, here we are...

 

That's about 75.5Kg

 

20240204 The Last Weekend before Chinese New Year

Today is Sunday and it is also the last weekend before the Chinese New Year. In about 5 day's time, we would be ushering the Year of the Dragon. Hoo. Ray.

 

In reality, it is also the only opportunity left that the both of us are able to clean the house as best as we can while the others are, um, busy (living).

 

Off to the Market

First thing first is to get as much groceries as we can. In most cases, most Chinese would not start work until the 10th day. The trend has started to return these past few years. The Market, on the other hand, was busier than usual and this time, there are a few 'new' stalls which as you can guess, sells stuff for the coming new year. From Mandarin Oranges to finger snacks, they're there, until the eve where they disappear for good. This is the same MO with stalls that suddenly pops up to sell bak gua (aka loong yok). The only way I can describe this is chinese pork jerky which is a 'must' during Chinese New Year. Sadly, in my drive to and from work, I hardly see them.

It is also a good time for us to pack some breakfast back as well. I know what the day is going to be like, so I might as well enjoy a little first.

There are at least four tables of stalls which magically appear. The crackers (right) looked tempting though.

Panoramic shot of the new stalls.

I've never seen these purple crackers. Maybe they're yam.
I hope it's yam. I forgot to buy one as Wife was busy with another stall. Then again, they're not exactly cheap.

Panoramic shot of the other side of the actual wet market. There are more people (than the usual numbers) doing their marketing.

Once again, I was able to get some nice Chee Cheong Fun. I've waited weeks since by the time I woke up, they have closed for the day.

I did not want the usual sauces they offered not the curry. As I wanted to mix it with some cooked minced pork cooked with petai. Alas, the other stall did not have them and so, I had to choose the appropriate thosai chutneys and dhal sauce.

Or the chili sauce. One thing about this version of the chee cheong fun is that it still taste good even with a tablespoon of sauce.

In the end, I chose the spicy red chutney (which was always my favourite)

But, ha ha. In the end, of all things, I added all the three sauces together!

Off to the Driving School

My eldest is growing up and today is also the first day of her driving school. Long ago, I wanted to bring up this subject but eventually, both she and my Wife made the decision. I did not want to drive at first until my Aunt convince me that I could drive to help other people. And after more than three decades, I've literally driven all over Malaysia due to my Job as an Engineer.

Off to the Cleaning

The main mission today is spring cleaning. Though we wished for our own house, this was still an important task since no one else would be able nor interested in doing it. And so, like the previous times, I had to water-jet the walls. This time, we could not clean the floor since that would take far longer than either the two of us could handle.

This is the cement rock wall which is about maybe, a modest 20 metres long. That white segment took me about 20 minutes to clean...

This is the cleaner version of yours truly.

After an hour or so, I let her have some fun with the water-jet

Three or maybe four hours later...

Off to Mid-Valley. Not

OK, to be honest, I wanted to go to Mid-Valley from some last minute shopping which after some thinking, not going is the wiser choice. Even though the car park status on their website showed there was a lot of empty bays.

This time, I don't think I have anything new to wear as I've forgotten to buy some new clothes months prior. Then again, my choice of colours are usually black or grey, which is not a nice color ro usher in the Year of  the Dragon.

20240204 Tools for the Restroom

It's not my job

Making sure the toilet rolls are always replenished is very important. Not only does it create a good impression to Visitors but also, a life-saver. So, this utmost important job falls on the Cleaning Lady who does her rounds a few times of the day. However, in some cases, said roll will finish before her arrival. Having figure out how these things worked since my last two Jobs, it was a no-brainer to do the deed myself.

The only obstacle to the whole Samaritan rescue is the damn plastic cover. They require some stupidly special keys so that Normal Joes could not tamper with them while they're bored in the cubicle. Usually, it does not matter what keys look like as they are only required to turn the lock 90º to release the latch.

The Makeshift Solution

Luckily for me, I do have a makeshift key in the form of a small metal tag, which more or less, was able to turn the lock. The Cleaning Lady was impressed but I was unable to give it to her since it came with a car. Since I have shown her how to open it, I am sure she knows what to do next. The only question I had was, how did she managed before I even came onboard?

I am still very sure she knows what to do next. Very, very, sure.

OK, so, in the end, nothing happened. Except for a few mysterious events where the cover was opened. Maybe she has figured out how to open it and before she could continue her work, she had to be in another area. Or, maybe not because the rolls are half full. Which makes me guess that someone was pulling the tissue too hard that the latch vibrated and worked itself loose. Yeah, right.

 

 

Becoming the Keymaster...

I think she also hates me since I am the one with the key. Plus, every now and then, I would be taking the rolls into the restroom and refill them myself. Her initial solution was to tape the cover closed which, I kinda admire. But I began to do some imaginary costing which means that her solution could be very expensive over time, say, in a year's time.

Not only that, during one of the heavy thunderstorms a week ago which turned our lanes into river, the tape failed when rain water splashed into it. With the opened cover and a soaked roll, I guess I can only be patient for so long.

Conspiracy

I also fell back to the bad habit of mine which was overthinking. Maybe she taped the keyhole because she got pissed that I was meddling in her job. Some people even my Boss saw me taking the rolls into the washroom. Or maybe, she thinks someone (maybe not me) was playing with the keyhole as well.

Maybe she knows I've been replenishing the rolls and that's why the keyhole was taped up.

Not the Keymaster but the Locksmith

In this case, the actual key is just a 8mm x 8mm square which can be easily replicated. What I did was to search for a the same sized square tube in my modeling tools and then use an inch off it. Knowing how plastics fared when being carried around especially as a keychain ornament, I reinforced the interior with a tube and strengthened the ends with some JB Welds.

These 1 inch 8mm x 8mm square tubes has a small round tube reinforcing the drilled out holes (for the keychain ring) and then filled with some JB Weld. To make sure the metal epoxy settles on that end, I first sealed it with cellophane tape and then 'pulled' them downwards using some neodymium magnets and left them for 24 hours just to be sure.

Finally, they are ready; one for me and one for the Cleaning Lady

It fits!

Two days later, the cellophane tapes were ripped up which means she does use the 'new' key!