20251026 The Elusive PYE Tile grout

 Its been close to one and a half years since we've moved and to be honest, we're still clearing stuff. Almost a year ago, we had been moving our stuff non-stop due to the tight deadline. And even after we hired a skip, there were still more stuff that came out from nowhere. It's amazing how or specifically, me, can amass so much jun... er, physical matter in the span of 30 or more years. On and off, I've been trying to lighten the load but to no avail. Even the great idea off-loading them onto Facebook market was met with a lot of disappointments. But anyway, today's post is not about that. Today's post is about...

Where in the World is The PYE Tile Grout?

I'm not an expert on tiles but common sense tells me that the crevices in between the tiles should not be there.

When it comes to using fillers and stuff for the house, I would always go for the PYE brand. My Dad was using it and so, I had very little reason not to. The ones we had were the normal fillers but just this time, I want the specific product for a very specific issue.

Looking for it was more difficult than I thought. In the beginning, my first stop was Mr. DIY and in most of the target outlets I've gone to, they have all the PYE products except the Tile Grout. The nearby hardware stores surrounding the Office had them but it was in powder form which you need to mix with water. Lastly, I went to HomePro on a fine Sunday only to be met with the same predicament similar to Mr. DIY's. It's like as if the PYE Tile Grout, which comes in a paste, had suddenly became rare. Online, the choices were much better and some even bundled in a grout tool to the point of being sus. Of course the PYE paste was there but it was packaged in a much smaller and I'd still have to mix it with water.

I have given up the search and was about to decide on another brand like Scin-Flex or YTL, anything that does not need me to squeeze stuff out from a bottle like toothpaste. And so, on a fateful day (as in today), I dropped by the Mr. DIY outlet nearest to our house and lo and behold, it was sitting there on the shelf! And the best thing is that it costs only RM8.50 or so.

And it's in white!

 

It's so thoughtful of PYE that their scraper has one nice angle which is ideal to for shaping the fresh grout.

 Note: I always used the Arial font since this was the nicest selection from Blogspot. But today, there is the option to choose better fonts and so, today's font is called Quicksand.

20251008 No more Stress for the Love of my Life

 In our Lives, we will go through a lot of Milestones. And with every event, we are lucky enough to look back and reminisce what has transpired. And I hope, all her Memories would be Joyful (except for my part, which is more on hair-pulling episodes). After more than three decades, she is now literally stress-free and does not have to wake up so damn early in the morning.

 No more cleaning up after my Dad or worry what to cook/ buy for every meal. No more cleaning the big house and going the extra mile for them. No more bearing the brunt of edgy words, knife stares or even be the victim of rumours. No more. I Married her for what she is, a Wife, not a Daily unappreciated Servant.

 This is the time for her to enjoy and do what she wants and I will not stop her. It will be her new Life of Discoveries and Adventure, which in a few more years, I hope to be able to follow...

 

 Oh, did you know about Xiaomi's AI?

 When I got the Xiaomi 14T Pro last year, everyone (OK, the promoters) were harping about its AI capabilities. I didn't pay much attention at that time because I assumed I could use it later. And so, close to its Anniversary, I decided to try it again. The first time was changing the Sky and now, it is about removing people...

OK, this is the first try and I am impressed. Let's go for another one

I need to 'remove' the guy on the right. During the auto selection, the highlighted area also covers the Lady's upper torso in the background. And the result is, we now have a Lady in pink, covering her right with a shawl or something, while holding her handbag and walking away...

 

 

The manual selection only removed his face...

 

After going back to the first image, the second pass of the AI produced the same result but this time, the shadow on the floor improved. This time, we can see the Pink Lady now with some weird black bow tie. Notice her right (or is it left) hand is holding the Mobile Phone as if she is walking towards us.a

 

 

 

 

BUDI95 and the Subsidised Fuel

The Cost of Petrol in Malaysia

When I first started work in the mid-90's, I remember filling up petrol on my Bengmobile at the rate of RM1.10 per litre. All was good but there was one time in the early twenty-teens that due to the World's Oil Crisis, the prince went up as far as RM2.90 per litre. That was a heavy toll for car owners like me since at that time, I was traveling at an average of 100 Km daily. So, paying for fuel at an average of four days can be financially draining.

Since then, the Government has been trying to keep price of fuel down but at the same time, highlighting the cost of maintaining the fuel subsidies. In the meantime, the price is now RM2.05 per litre for RON95. The RON97 also suffered the same fate with its prices fluctuating every now and then and the Diesel was no different which saw its prices go up after the Crisis.

Road vehicles, to us, is really an extension to our legs in terms of our daily life. Without them, we are not able to generate any income. 

Malaysians can get fuel cheaper

 There are a lot of theories and all coupled with illegal siphoning but to me, the main thing was, I am allowed to have a 300L quota at the price of RM1.99 per litre. That is all I needed to hear because, the rest are just noise and does not contribute to my quality of Life or its Future.

 So, with the current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or better known as PMX (and still maybe, DSAI) tackled this issue after it has been delayed for so long. I'm so jaded with Politics and stuff nowadays that as long as anyone who can deliver a cheaper petrol price I'd vote for them. Simple as that.

 Just as long as I can prove I'm a Malaysian and that is enough for me.

The BUDI95 aka Budi MADANI RON95

 In short, by September 30th, 2025, if you're not Malaysian, you pay for RM2.60 per litre of petrol.

 There. Simple as that. This will solve the majority of the issues. And so, you can use your IC (Identification Card) which is effectively a SmartCard, the Touch n Go App that ties with other Petrol Stations, and the proprietary Petrol Company Apps. 

 With weeks leading to this, most Social Media has instructions showing how they can be used so that when September ends, most of the problems would be eliminated. Except for one thing. Those dumbf@rks never tell you that when you pay in Ringgit, the pump dispenses that equivalent in Litres.In one glance, you'd think you're being overcharged.

 And within days, after many Malaysians went to the pumps (and social media) did someone else clarified the matter. So you'd think those morons who approved and posted the earlier ones are just copypasta people.

Was I charged more?

 On that very first day, it was my turn to try out the BUDI95 scheme...

This was the splash page when I first opened the App.

 

Based on the GPS location from my Mobile Phone, I am at a Caltex Techron Station and so, the Station of choice was available. Then I proceed to specify which pump I'm at. The screen then gives me a QR Code which the Guy at the Counter scans and activates the pump.

I have less than 5 minutes to fuel up. Not.

Heck! I went above RM50.00! Why didn't the pump stop!

Once I am done, the App reflects the transaction data. This is so weird. I should be getting 25.127 litres for my RM50.00

Strange that I still have some balance left from the RM50.00 I transferred earlier.

Seems like I got an RM10.04 back...

I kinda panicked a little when the pump did not stop at the RM50.00, but then, looking at the litres section, it was at 20.08, far short of the 25 or so litres. I surmised it would have stopped at that stage but now, it was too late since I have returned the nozzle. So, I was 'refunded' the RM10.04... sheesh.