26.07.2025

The Comfort Zone

Lately, my mind was thinking, "My Safety Boots are getting comfortable. I must have overcome its toughness. Time to Celebrate" or something similar to that effect.

I try not to let my Brain fool me.

This is how one lands in the Comfort Zone. It is a psychological trap to get you into warm fuzzy feeling, doing nothing, which affects everyone and everything in the end. In short, your mind (and maybe, body) would just want to relax and do nothing even if there is an impending emergency around the corner. So, you'd be slowly wallowing and being sucked into the cesspool of complacency.

For me, if anything suddenly went 'easy' or comfortable, I know it's a signal to kick my ass out of the Zone. That is, if I am aware of that situation. In Life, there is no such thing as an established benchmark or markers to show if you went off the rails or not. So, as always, I will try to do something useful with my hands and/but more often than not, end up thinking and theorizing until I fall asleep.

So for me, "If something is gets comfortable all of a sudden, I need to check and analyse what is the actual situation."

Safety comes First

Which brings me to my pair of Safety Boots. I have been wearing boots since before the turn of the Century. The only time I did not wear them was when I was working in Offices. Granted they are great at walking among the construction debris and well, water. It also gives me a sense of confidence and safety, except when it came to driving a car. Yeah, that one took me almost two decades to realize that it was much safer if I changed shoes in the car.

 

How much was it again? 

Anyway, the boots are not cheap. A typical RM320 boot will last me about 1.5 to 2 years before it became unrepairable. But a RM60 one will last me about 6 months. When it comes to costs, I would have to either pay for RM13.33 or RM10 per month. But it is not that at all. Remember the story about having to buy an expensive show that lasts longer than a cheap show that falls apart after a few days? No? Me neither but the gist is just that.

However in today's Consumerism built with planned obsolescence in mind, nothing lasts (long enough). So, I'd still go for the cheaper RM60 shoes mainly because of the following reasons:

1. I do not have to fork out a huge sum, and
2. In about 2 years, I would have tried three pairs of different designs, and
3. I would have learnt what types of pattern, cutting or features makes the shoes lasts.
4. I would have bought more tubes of glue repairing them than none at all.

So, when the pair I am wearing suddenly felt so comfortable, I knew something is wrong. Instead of enjoying the new comfort, I had to take a good look at the shoe. The first thing is that the sole is worn and conforming to the angle of my soles. If I continue to wear it, it will affect my back in the long run. Moreover, I started to repair them since I felt the first drop of water leaking in and that was just last month.

Unfortunately, I cannot glue the shoe again since the sponge gap between the middle wall and the bottom sole has deteriorated. I like this pair as it does have a metal shield in between. This also explains why the gun I kept pouring was not working and, why the shoe squeaks.

12.07.2025 I got careless and someone died

 It happened when he came over a few days ago. I was busy with you know, Life and stuff. But he kept to himself and although my Wife was chilled about having a Guest, I am not. I am more worried about all of us going a few rounds of, "I thought he was your friend...", which can stretch for days.

 What a way to treat a Guest, right?

 It's quite a challenge for us to force him out of the house since we do not want any trouble on our hands. And our local Law on Squatters can be quite harsh as well. Anyway, I've told him to leave us alone but to no avail.

 In the end, we forced and locked him in a room in the hopes that he will realise his mistake and leave on his own accord. So, everyday, I would take a peek and see how he is. And my Wife said to kick him out by Sunday. Despite my communication efforts (or the lack of it), he remained silent. And we forgot about him...

 

5 days later, this was my crime scene. He was stiff and I had to dispose of him as best and as discreet as I can; bagged him in a non-disposable plastic bag and flung the body across, to the high grassy field...

 

08/07/2025 The Puncture

 

One thing about my Work is that when I drive to work, I hardly see the Sun. And so, sometimes, it can be a bit of a problem where driving is concerned as you'll never know what kind of surprises can leap out at you. For example, this morning, I successfully hit a road shoulder without the help of dim street lights.

The first sign you should not ignore, after the traumatic structure jarring bang, would be the weird sounds that followed. Trust me, this is very important. So, right after hearing those weird sounds which is not consistent with, or anything related to tyres, I pulled over. And right after coming out of Vee Chai, I could hear the hiss of air slowly coming out. The hiss sounded more of a disappointment, as if the tyre was hoping for some great early morning adventure but got un-inflated instead.

Looking on the bright side; I was grateful because one, the rim was not dented and two, I get to use that clicklety click ratchet thingy on the car jack after so many years. The downside was that the rim's cap was missing and that I would have to fork out money for a new tyre...

You nee to get one of these ratchet tools for your car. Make sure its opening is compatible with your jack. It made short work of lifting and lowering the jack in record time, and without much effort.

My Xiaomi 14T Pro's camera tend to lighten up dark shots, which is one of the main features of the phone. (But it cannot take macros). In just under 20 minutes, I have replaced the bad tyre with the spare. If I were to use the normal tool, it would take me more time than before. And sweat like a pig even on a cool morning.

This morning's damage was the bulge in the walls and a noticeable tear. With the special discount, I got it all fixed and pumped with Nitrogen for very much under RM200.00

These guys are Pros and they only use hand tools and torque wrenches, even if the air impact gun was nearby. This is so that the treads on the bolts were not sheared off or broken and more importantly, Customers are able to remove them when required.

Update: 09.07.2025 0642

So, about 24 hours since the accident, I went back to the spot. I was worried that the grass surrounding it were freshly cut and that the blades would have shredded the cover into pieces. But nope, as after a few minutes of searching, I found it! Despite one broken clip, it managed to stick back into the rim. I must say, the Flashlight I bought was actually bright like heck.

 

02.07.2025 Eating at Murni's Discovery in Bukit Jalil

 

 It's been a long time since I, or rather, we, had stepped foot into Murnis's. To be frank, it was one of my (and a lot of Malaysian's) go to places for Food since the 90's but unfortunately, when the Sun goes down, most of the outlets were standing room only. So, it was hard for me to be there as most of the time, I could barely get a place despite queuing up for Centuries.

 Fast forward a decade or two, Murni's kinda slowed down a little. I could easily get a table without much problems. Heck, even the one where I took a temp in a nearby restaurant, there were barely any signs of excitement for being just there. And the speed of the service varied. Some were fast and some were not. Then I discovered it has recame Murni's Discovery and there is a big change to the menu. I know they're always innovating but to me, it was not what I expected. Then in the early 20's during our meal at SS2, I could go out, tapau some food behind the shops, return and still the food was not ready. My Wife also commented that the Boss had a very sour face the whole time we were there. Personally, it was OK because on that day, we had secured our Future. So, nothing could derail my Happiness, until I could not find my favourite dish, which was the Dragon Pizza.

 So, on this evening of the second day of the seventh month of 2025, we decided to go for some Western. And it would be my daughter's first experience with Murni's (again), this time at Bukit Jalil.My earlier suggestion of getting a Mat Salleh to cook stuff was shot down. I mean, technically, whatever they cooked would still be considered as Western Food, even if its from a roadside stall...

 Anyway, although the outlet was packed, we still got a table due to the right timing. 10 minutes after that, the throng of customers kept arriving. Looking for parking at Bukit Jalil was more than slightly frustrating if this was just an ordinary day. The cars were parked on both sides of the narrow one-way street and if one needs to leave and have another car to move it, that would mean a long traffic jam for eight or so cars trapped behind. These, I think was due to the numerous tuition centres dotted around the area as I could see anxious parents parking, waiting to drop-off and pick up their kids. Yeah, the famous Lai Meng shool (relocated from Ampang more than a decade ago) is nearby.

 Our drinks came in less than 10 minutes, followed by the food. This kinda lighten our mood after dealing with the Waiter who projecting a sour attitude. But let me tell you this - Murni's at Bukit Jalil was clean, bright and despite being inside an air conditioned area, none of our clothes smelled. And everything was fast! The Tablets took care of the ordering and each food had a printout of what the food was and the name of the person.

As you can see, the place is quite clean and well lit. Despite the metallic black chairs, the place is inviting and quite comfortable to dine in.

My Drink arrived first. The Monkey Favourite Special; a fanciful name for a mix of Nata-de-coco, lychee, Milk and banana. The ice was blended so smooth that I know its there but could not taste it. And I love it! I've been trying to look for (economical) Banana Milk ever since I came back from the UK in the mid 90's without success.

Wife's Sizzling Chicken Chop came next and it was still smoking and sputtering...

 

OK, now it's bubbling... so, while waiting, the both of us gnawed at her side dishes which were fries and a decent helping of coleslaw.

  

When her Indomie Double with Lam Chop came, we were wondering if she could finish it since it was a lot.

  

"I Love You" which is a mix of Soda, Ribena and Lemon.
When I tasted it, it was not Ice Cream Soda though.

Wife's Drink

 

Mine was with Nasi Tong Sambal Hijau Chicken. It should be hot since I've experienced these every Saturday. But here, I was just OK, even with some red chilies thrown in there. The only problem was, like the two earlier dishes, the portion was a lot. By the time I was through half the container, I was actually full.

 

 All in all, going to Murni's was quite enjoyable again. And with them coming out with different dishes (but where's the Dragon Pizza?) all the time, if I were to taste one per week, I think it would take me years...

02.07.2025 The Coke Can Opener

 

After so long, I found back this nice looking can opener. It was claimed to be able to cut off the top of the aluminum drink can, leaving a smooth edge. This way, I can turn the drink can into a makeshift cup. I got this about 11 months ago, for under RM5.00 when I discovered that I can get free shipping if my total purchase was more than RM15.00. Yeah.

I was so used to worrying about the shipping when ordering online, so when my Wife showed it to me, it was really a game changer. Nowadays, I grab the vouchers in the early morning if I can and then watch the purchasing total.

This is the first try with the opener. I had to twist it more times than I should, only to get this disappointing result.

The concept was very simple. You just grip the handle which will push and align the four cutting wheels to the inner edge of the circle. The version I got was for the more slimmer 5.4cm (I think) can. On the first try, I had to grip it hard and twist the cutter in both directions. It did slip off the can a few times. I was elated when the walls of the can started to twist a little which means, it is cutting through. Boy, was I so wrong.

 

 

After much twisting here and there, this is my mediocre result. Note the inner  wall of the ring which is badly scratched. The blades somehow could not venture that far and multiple scratched means each of the four blades are not aligned.

When I was pulling the handle outwards, I noticed the teeth thinking I can actually adjust the gears for a tighter cut.

The whole plastic cutter was secured with only four screws.

Alas, this is how it looked like when opened it. The simple construction means I could not adjust anything.

One of the cutting wheel (top right) is actually bent and when I pushed it back, it felt loose meaning the plastic had failed.

Wiping the inner edges of the can... yeh, I think I better pour the contents into a cup.
This was my second try, which only made bubbles.

So, that's money wasted and now, it is part of the waste system.

 

I do particularly like this design as the cut retains the crimped ring which would in theory, prevent the opening from collapsing or warping too much. I am very sure during the prototyping stage and the first two generations, it worked perfectly. By the time I reaches to me, and costs less than 5 bucks, I had to lower my expectations. A lot.