20240719 The Detolf Shelf

One and a half hours

One and a half hours. That's how long it took to assemble the first Detolf Shelf we bought sometime in 2011 or before.

90 Minutes

One and a half hours.

The shelves were laid on the floor on my Father's working room for more than a decade and we literally stepped on them everytime we need to walk into that room.

The Special shelves

I never did appreciate these shelves until I realised a lot of people used them to display their props and stuff. And it was a best selling item in any Ikea store at that time. All of a sudden, it was the most sought after display accessory, especially if you have a lot of props.

The Special Feature

Looking at the shelf, it is unique because all the four sides are glass and despite the pair of metal support frames, there is a lot of space. It even has a pre-drilled hole at the top for when you need some lighting. What's more, you can build the shelf to have the glass door open on either side. Still, there is a special feature which I am aware of. Or rather, worried about.

They shatter.

Yep. The glass breaks for some unknown reason or when you even looked at it. In some Forums, many discussed about the temperature changes in the room which might be the cause, or even, some scratch or micro fractures. But having read the instruction manual, I just hope that the cause could be from too much tightening the four bolts at the base or top.

In theory, the design uses the concept of having a pair of metal frames as the main support with the three tempered glass as reinforcement. So, to ensure the glass are not stressed, the four bolts at the top must not be too tight. During assembly, the two side glass are actually bowing out in the middle. I have loosened them a little and hope the whole assembly does not sway from side to side. And with the two plastic strips to hole the three tempered glass together, I hope it would be OK.

By the time we've assembled the first shelf, fatigue had set in. The neurotic guy in me was already starting to think about how to protect the display should the shelf shatters...

And, we could not locate all 12 of part #102433, which is used to support the glass selves inside. So, I have to look for an alternative solution since the Detolf was bought so long ago and it has been discontinued in January 2024. Having seen that they looked like on the Internet, I suppose I can get a correct-sized silicon hose and cut them to the correct length.

The Shell Game (千王之王)

The Hong Kong TV Series in the 80's leading to the turn of the Century were quite popular. Audience from all ages, especially the Moms would be addicted. Unfortunately, I was unfazed by this fad.

But there was one Series, which got to me. Being who I am, I could not fathom much of the show but there were at least three scenes which remained in my memory.

The first was Patrick Tse (after being blinded) washing the rice with his hands. I am not sure why but this technique was very weird. Secondly, a kid was fed with a lot of food, which actually contained explosives. So, while running to meet his Mom during the hostage exchange, he jumped to his Mom (who avoided) and blew up (Episode 25). It was too late that the kid was revealed to be Simon Yam's actual son...

Lastly, this scene where Sei Gor, was murdered (Episode 12). Whoever planned this trap was a real genius. You'd have to watch then end of Episode 11 as this is where he started to fall into the trap.

 

20240716 There are Two Lights!

The first time I noticed my left headlamp was not lamping was sometime in the last week of June. Ever since we moved to our own house, we had to get up very early in the morning to beat the traffic. And so, you guess it, driving in the dark was a little too dangerous what with other drivers did not have their morning coffee yet.

My spare lamp did not light up either and so, I began to suspect the wiring, which has hardened due to years (or shall I say, a decade) of being exposed to the element and engine heat. Just least year, because of a degrading rubber seal on the windscreen (which I found out was a common problem with this Myvi model), every time it rained, my dashboard lights has an extra disco mode. Trouble-shooting this area might solve a year long issue but it would mean going to the passenger side, especially the fuse box. And I'm too tired after coming home in the evening.

After discussing with the Techs at work, I started to look into the car's fuse box in the engine bay...

This is the view of the whole headlamp assembly as seen from the rear. The plug grips onto the bulb's metal connectors. Pull that away and also the rubber ICHIKO cover. Then slowly un-clip the metal springs to release the bulb. And yeah, the three wires here are hardened.

It took me quite some time to realise that the 'HEAD' is the headlamp relay and not the smaller 10A ones above it.

So I decided to order a replacement which came after 24 hours.

The replacement in the one on the LEFT but just like the review on the Shop, although it is brand new (The plastic package was not opened nor tampered with), it does have some scratches.

Finally! After putting it on, the right headlamp is still not lighting up.

So, I replaced the existing lamp with my spare which I've been keeping for years. I rarely used the headlamps, even when I was working further away years ago.

The older bulb had some suspect contacts. The backup bulb looks good. But alas, the right headlamp is still not lighting up. Looking closer, I realised its contacts was bent but yeah, it was still not lighting up.

As a last resort, I got this RM7.90 bulb from Mr. DIY. It proved that the earlier two bulbs were fit to be thrown away.

And the next day, coming back from work, I noticed the left headlight was not lighting up as well. I decided to get a new set with 130% more broghtness.

It's been after a few days and both light are working, with the left lamp slightly brighter. If either one keeps blowing after each replacement, it could be the alternator...

20240712 The Myopic Huawei P10Plus

I got my Huawei P10Plus in sometime in 2017, which has just passed 7 years by a little over a week. And By now, it has taken about XXX pictures and videos. That's about YYY GB worth of Data (I have to fire up my old PC to check the ddetails). It has gone through a battery change and just recently, a screen replacement. It is constantly by my side all the time.

And today, the camera has start giving me problems. It could not focus and if the Huawei was a human, its symptoms would be that it has suddenly gone short-sighted. For the Camera aficionado, the Huawei suddenly has a fixed focus lens but without the bokeh.

I went to the PRO mode to test the manual focusing, where the controls were responding but not the lens. I restarted the Phone but it did not improve the situation. At this time, I was more worried than annoyed since my backup phone is a bare bones Samsung Galaxy J2Pro. I am so spoiled by the Huawei, the shots from the Samsung could never be as good.

 

It was at this moment, 12th of July, 2024 10:00:27 in the morning, that I noticed the Camera module was unable to focus, except to about 8 inches or so.

Turning to the Internet for help, this fella suggested to let the phone fall flat in front. I tried it and it worked. But the problem is not solved by a long run. Every shot I took, I have to check for blurriness which I'd have to re-take AFTER I let the phone fall flat again and again.