The trip up North . . . Ipoh with Nexus II

One thing I like to highlight about having Nexus with me is that there was never a dull moment. And not only that, with his excess midichlorian count, everything was smooth sailing, except for the parts where I need to work while he sits around.

OK, remember the part about the sleeping contractor in the previous post? Turned out that he was the cabling contractor which I was waiting the whole night for. I had called the Main-contractor who said this guy has gone out for dinner and should be back soon. Little did I know that he would come back at 11 at night only to sleep. While I was working on the system, he did come in, saw me and went about his things. In the morning, when he was introduced to me, he said, being arrogant and all "Oh, you're the phone guy. Well, you should have told me last night". I bit my tongue because, in this kind of line, every contractor knows who are doing what and if not, they would ask, as I was asked by other contractors the whole two days. And I was polite in answering them and offer any help if I could. This is because everyone is working there and the sooner they finish, the faster they get their monies and there are no time for anything else. Anyway, after explaining for the last time, I told him that I needed an extra 10-pair cable from the Telekom riser to the PABX, nevermind if the specs said otherwise because I am not going to argue with their consultant in KL on a weekend. Siply put, I told everyone concerned, that, "If I don't get these cables on time on Saturday, the PABX won't have lines come Monday morning because I will not be ehre on Sunday. Please do as I ask and settle your problems later. I am the expert here. Now." And so, within less than an hour, it was ready.

Anyway there was more trouble with the cable guy as well. We found out that the ultra expensive surge protectors to protect the data and PABX equipment was stolen. So, after letting him discuss with the main contractor, they both came to me for a solution. You should see the look on his eyes when I told him that, "Normally, on average, these items costs about RM30,000" [So the real price is not that much but its very close]. Now, the fun begins.

Instead of being Gentlemen, the small-time-not-going-anywhere sub-con was trying to wriggle his way out withlame excuses and finger-pointing. these are the main points which came out from the argument where I was the mediator of sorts because no one else want to be a part of it. My answers to them are in italics:

1) The Main-con refuse to compensate the Surge protector company since it was not their fault but their sub-con who signed and took delivery so the surge protector company should just replace it out of good faith.
Well, guys, you will have to sort these things out first fast. But if I do not have these items, I cannot be responsible for the damage when lightning strikes and the whole system goes down, OK? I have also spoke to the surge protector company and they have also told you about responsibility when you signed on the documents, right?

2) The sub-con refused to pay since he only signed the last page of the Delivery Order and not the first two and this is the standard procedure by the main-con too, who also signs on everypage.
Really? See the document again, it says page three of three, etc. And see this item on the last page you signed? This is the most expensive part of all.

3) The two claimed that when the delivery was beind made, the surge protector company should have told them how much it costs and they would have taken better care of it instead of chucking it to one side.
It does not matter if its cheap or expensive, big or small. Bottom line is, once you signed and took delivery, you have to take good care of it and not chuck it to one side as you have already admitted. Where I work in Kuala Lumpur, its called resposibility. And since the cable guy is parked under the big guy, both parties are in deep doo-doo.

4) The cable guy also said the surge protector company is trying to screw him since they only gave him two boxes.
Here, let me go through the items in the D.O. with you. See? All these items are in the two boxes, OK?

5) The surge protector will make a new set but it will wake days and they want cash or post-dated cheque.
Yeah, I know, I spoke to them just now. They do not like it either because this is the first time it happened and this speaks volume of trust and responsibility. Whoever was in charge of this "project schedule" would have known better than to take these "easy to lose" items earlier on. They should be been delivered when we are setting up the PABX at least a few days before the D-Day and not during the early stages of the construction.

6) How are going to solve this? The sub-con's storage room was broken into and all his things were stolen. Right now, I am going to get the security guards to check every car that comes in and out.
This is your first project with this company right? Nevermind, you'll learn as you go along. As for the guards, they are very important on construction sites but I think its a bit too late now since the customer is going to open on Monday.

Then the next problem is that the cable guy after buying what I needed (since everything is now coming out of his pocket), he promised to lay the cable and help with the termination on both ends, but disapeared for lunch and was never seen again until hours later. To the detriment of the cleaners, I took their ladder and finished the work while everyone was out for lunch. Then another bombshell was that the new telephone lines were not "registered" with Telekom and we all had to wait hours before I can use the confirmed phone line numbers for the PABX, Fax, Credit cards and so on. By the time we settled all these and I get to continue my work, it was very late in the evening which means we could not go explore Ipoh. And the sub-con seeing me as being the no-nonsense guy and doing all the work, he spoke to me nicely and with respect in the end, and even asked me for my card. Which I complied. Maybe he wants to send some gang to beat me up in my offce. Anyway, once again, I had to kick Nexus away from all this, not that he is in the way but when one starts to rename and archive their MP3 collection and watching Stargate episodes........... Ha ha ha ha. Yeah, he is bored but now he gets to see the jobs I did. But we did wished my Senior Tech was here so he could do all the work while Nexus and I painted the whole City red. Ha ha ha ha ha!

Anwyay, by the time we reached Subang, it was way past on in the morning. Time to go home and sleep for days (years/millenia, etc.)

One thing I noticed about the car we drove, is that the fuel consumption is quite reasonable but I have to test more and not only that, the suspensions only gives problems when there are more than a single person in the car. Anway, if my Boss keeps on insisting me to take this car, I would like a few things done first:

1) Sports suspension.
Hey, I am sacrificing my Bengmobile, OK?

2) A cheep cheep MP3 player, maybe with DVD capability.
So I can have more than 900 MP3 songs. Bwhaahahahaha!

3) Redo all the window controls.
I dont want to worry about not closing the rear window at 110 Km/h when I accidentally press it.

I was woken up by the horniness of the buses very early in the
morning but slept again as I only got to bed at about 4Am after
my much needed shower. OK, so I had to check my E-mails and
spams too. Ha ha ha ha

While I was working, I had to literally get Nexus out of the
place because I think he was seriously bored already. So he
drive the car around town and came back with a RM7.00
chicken rice. First time I have every seen rive packed like
that. Oh, and he got me extra chilies too.

When I opened the pack, it was delicious! And with the extra rice,
and those nice sauces, it was heaven! So, what I had in there was
chicken, char-siew, ngar-choi and more rice. Delicious especially
eaten with hand too.

The customer wanted me to go back to the old site to reconnect
their main line to a telephone so that they can get one person to
sit there, and anwer the calls to redirect the customers to the new
place. Right. And you want me to do this after I have cut all the
wires and because Telekom told you that cannot do the call
forwarding until Monday afternoon. In the end, I told him it
would take hours which I do not have since I need to get the
PABX up and running before I leave in the evening.

One of the phones salvaged from the old place which was used
by the mechanics and left out in the element. I told him it can
be used one you give it some TLC cleaning. Ha ha ha ha!

The old lightning arrestor (top) and the new. I sent the arrogant
cable guy out to buy it along with the tags which I needed and he
ran all over the place to find them. Unfortunately, he only got the
arrestors and luckily, I salvaged the old tags from the old site.

All done! See the computer serve cabinet at the top?
I tripped on the desk below after going in and out too
many times. Luckily, after washing all the blood away,
my lips sealed the wound very fast.

By 2200, everything was up and running. And because of so many delays, I did not get the chance to explore Ipoh with Nexus nor buy any stuff. Nexus did go out in the evening but most of the shops
were closed and could not find dinner and almost lost his way back The shop selling salted chicken was closed too and this is more than a year since I wanted one. I wanted to rush over to get his some crispy pork skins but it would be closed by now too. Oh well.

Oh, and I have discovered a latent ability: I can talk people to sleep and not just my Boss!

The trip up North . . . Ipoh with Nexus I

You know what? I am going to Ipoh today. No, wait. We're going to Ipoh today. Yes, we, as in both of us: Nexus and I. Ha ha ha ha ha!

Originally, the plan was that my Senior Tech was to go with me and Nexus "sneaked" along. But by Thursday evening, my Boss and I realised that there were too many service calls that needs to be attended the next day and so, we pulled my Senior Tech out of the trip. Although my Boss has some worries about me driving and doing the job there alone, I assured him I would be alright andI might bring a friend along. However, the problem is, I am not sure if he has heard the last part but I am definitely bringing a friend along.

Because of the heavy calls, I could not take the company van as much as I wanted to. And so, reluctantly, I had to use the other company car, which belongs to our Ex-Director. Anway, once we arrived, I got straight to work and with Nexus helping me, the job was completed faster tahn usual. And when we brought it over to the new site, I continued working until half-past nine where we started to drive out to look for the Hotel. The customer showed us where to go for a reasonably priced Hotel but after 300 metres or so, we got lost. Its not easy driving in the dark while looking for landmarks at the same time. So, we got lost until I reached a familiar road and used my memory to guide us to the original Hotel which I wanted to go to as it haas Wi-Fi. I've been to this Hotel many times but because I have not stayed there for two years, I sort of forgot how to get there nor the Hotel's name. No thanks to my broken PDA as well.

Still, after checking in and leaving Nexus there, I continued for a few more hours before going to bed.

This is the other company car, which has its radio taken out,
spoilt suspensions, loose buper parts and also its braking
system worries me; it takes a long time for the brakes to
start biting and sometimes, it feels like as if its not stopping.
However, once on the road, it feels so stable and the drive
is quite enjoyable. And quiet. Nice.

We arrived slightly after four in the afternoon and started to dismantle
this PABX. And reinstall it at the new site. Everything must go.

An hour later, with Nexus's help, we got the job done! There
were too many wires and my pair of super duper sharp
scissors were super duper blunt. And suing my normal
pliers makes my hand go number since it can cut one cable at a time

This is the spot where the PABX will
be relocated to. Its cramped and the
computer cables are everywhere as
they will not be using a cabinet for it

Five hours later, at almost eleven at night, there
were three people coming it with their mattresses
and stuff. More on this later.

Wow. I really am surprised how these people managed
to get all the face plates installed. Either at the installer
who wrecked the table panel or the furniture fellas who
supplied without the holes.

Its almost three in the morning and some are already rushing
to complete the job. He is pouring the paint on the floor, which
is quicker than taking it out with the brush. Ha ha ha ha

While the three people slept on, and in the Manager's office too

OK, its time for me to head to the Hotel for some Zzzz's
and at three in the morning, the roads in Ipoh are very
very quiet indeed, unlike Kuala Lumpur

Revoltech Ayanami Rei

Well, its two in the morning and I am still not asleep despite the fact that in a few hours time I will be driving up North to Ipoh for a system relocation job. Maybe its the Kung-Fu Panda soundtrack which I am listening now, on the headphones, on the track of "Oogway Ascends". Its a very sad melody but yet it gives you hope and a bit of happiness and peace at the same time. Its like in a movie, the Hero has to go away and yet tells you not to grieve but be happy for them. Anyway, I think I want to get this soundtrack CD.

Anyway, with the broken tripod, I managed to get some decent shots of the new toy I just bought from ShiokToys for RM75.00 after dropping Nexus off the other day at The Curve. The new toy is a Revoltech Ayanami Rei figure. Right now, on the market, there are two versions of the Ayanami Figure: The normal figure which comes with two pairs of extra hands and the Staff of Longinus. The bandaged version has more accessories such as another head but with eyes open but you're stuck with the bandaged hands though. Opening the box, I was surprised that the figure is made from soft plastic. But once I get over it, the figure is quite nice to play with and it really can do a lot of poses. The only problem is that I like my figures to stand straight and because of the ELF joints, the angles on her feet does not have the "flat surface"setting. So, you'd have to use the stand to help her stand but she wuold look as if she is floating like an Angel.......

Ayanami Rei, Ayanami Rei. A clone with blue hair and red eyes.
Lonely, withdrawn, behaves like a Vulcan and pilots a huge
bio-mecha. Yet, she is still a kid

From the box, is the figure, two sets of hands, a 2-piece Longinus,
and a little cute black base.

Rei is only a 1/6th scale figure, hence she is
about 5 3/4 inch tall!

After my man-handling her, she's all in pieces! With the unique
E.L.F. joints, and her set of extra hands, I can literally re-create
her into something else but after thinking about a 4-handed Rei,
I decided not to. It might give me nightmares

Ayanami Rei modelling my wireless mouse

Problem Keeping Still

Godammit! My tripod broke just when I was taking photos of the Revoltech toy. It happened when I was securing the Nikon D50 to the tripod's clamp. Not sure what happened but I held the camera and then felt it loosen. Luckily, by reflex, my fingers grabbed onto the camera or else it would have fallen on to the floor.

Having a closer look, the plastic snapped off due to stress, I guess. Still, I am glad it happened because if it happened at other times which I was not that lucky, it would be bye-bye to everything. I had this for more than 15 years and it was my first tripod too. It was already broken in some areas but it was not that critical. But when the clamp broke, it was beyond redemption.

So, for the moment, I can't take night shots or other stuffs, especially with the heavy zoom lens under dark lighting. I just wonder how much a new tripod would cost. Maybe less than Rm100 and a bit heavy ones la. They should not costs more than RM 500 to RM5,000 kua.

This is the plastic which clamps on to another plastic piece
screwed to the camera's base. This allows me to quickly
detach the camera from the tripod if I need to

Snippets of conversation

Kristine: Mommy, why is Daddy taking this road?
Mommy: Because we're going home
Kristine: Why are we going home?
Mommy: We need to go home to rest. Tomorrow, Mommy and Daddy got work
Kristine: Mommy got work, Daddy got work, Kaelynn got work, Kristine also got work!
Mommy: Kristine also got work?
Kristine: Kristine got school work!

Pandemonium in the Kitchen

OK, frankly, our response to this sight were Worlds apart. I
said, "Wow" and rushed off to get my camera. My Wife? She
started scolding, that's all. For the rest of the night, I made
sure I stayed far far away and try to help as much chores
as I can. Ha ha ha haha

Low respect for the Expert

There is one thing I hate about paying for people to "help" install things and not getting our money's worth. That is why we make sure our service calls do not give our customers that impression what we're unprofessional.

Take for instance one of our customer today. They had a very old door access system and required us to re-install it for them. Because this is an unfamiliar system to us, we decided to seek help from a local distributor as there was no other option. The first thing I sensed trouble was their statement, "....and after we installed it, and it does not work, we will still charge you for it, OK? Its because this system was not bought from us". What the heck. I was not happy to hear that because although it is the truth, she could have rephrased it in a more pleasant way, namely, "We will help you as much as we can. And if some things do not work after that, we will advice you what the next step is. You must understand that this is not our customer and therefore, we do not know the condition of the system or its history. Nevertheless, we would still have to bill you for our services".

The first visit last week was bad because asfter looking for all the remaining parts to the system, our customer finally revealed the bigger picture and so, we had to revise our quotation for them to get a new system instead of using the existing one. We could have sold them a new system altogether but since we engaged this installer, we decided to stick to their brand or end up paying for nothing.

Another complain that I had was the fact that there is an arrangement between our company and theirs in the sense that for that chargeable call, they will teach us how to install the second unit and supervise us. Well, since the "expert" arrived early, I told him not to start the job as my techs have not arrrived yet despite his busy schedule. I need my guys to learn this. By the time I arrived, they were all at it. By lunchtime, he was still at it.

I was quite pissed hours later when he told me that he has, "done his part but the magnets to hold the doors are still not functioning and he has to go". So, he advised me to, "Please call my office and arrange for a technician t come and troubleshoot the next day." Wow. I stood there, shocked and pissed, looking at this guy, who was decades older than me, who should be having more experience than me (instead of calling on his mobile phone for help all the time) and who shoud professional about it, took his bags and headed for the car. But common sense prevailed and I just said my Thank Yous and wish him well.

Then I turned to my Senior Technician and gave him two choices; either we "run" as well, continue with our calls and wait for him to come back later in the week, OR we wait for him to leave and then we try to troubleshoot this ourselves. I was so glad he chose the latter. So, for the next few minutes, we probed and theorised the problem. Eventually, we found out the reasons why the door magnets were not working. Once was that the "Break Glass" Emergency switch had broken glass which disabled the magnets (and also, the possible cause as to why the guy left in a suspicious way) and the other were wrong wiring on both systems. Once we sorted these out, we programmed the system and briefed the customer. There was no need to tell him the truth about the installed because this is not the way we work.

Maybe its luck, maybe its just us. But just poring over their manual (OK, a piece of paper) for a few minutes, we solved the problem in minutes what the expert could not in hours. I do not want to brag too much nor diss him (because, tempting bad Karma is not a good thing) but it might come back to me one day. And that fat punk could be younger and smarter than me. Still, we both felt like the Top of The World.

At the end of the day, I was very sure my Senior Tech was happy because he also solved the problem, which gave him more confidence. My Boss? He was happy as hell too because now, he has more confidence that we can handle this new brand of door access system.

What I liked about this unit was that the keypads do not have
any switches and therefore, no moving parts. Its using the new
touch-capacitance technology. and its very fast responding too.
This desing also makes it effectively a splashproof keypad.

And when I turned the keypad over, I noticed that uses one of
the Microchip processors! These are also the same ones I use
for my projects! I could not examine the board further as it is
glued becausue I am very interested in how they designed the
touch sensors. Still, I am going to talk to my Boss so that he
can help me buy one keypad for my own R&D. By the way,
this Keypad is Made and Designed in Malaysia. Its a very
famous name for years.

Kaelynn and Grandpa

I was a bit late this morning because while I was about
to leave the house, I saw Kaelynn trying to help Grandpa
in removing the tyre valve caps so that he can check for
tyre's air pressure.

Thanks to Telekom

What a day. And I am supposed to be outstation. The problem started when I was about to go to Seremban but had to stop by a customer in Damansara Perdana as they complained that therir telephone line was out. Unfortunately, by this time Nex has already arrived at LCCT and I am supposed to pick him up. When I arrived at the customer's place their line was working. So, I has wasted almost 45 minutes for nothing. Anyway, the original plan was to detour to KL Sentral and pick him up from there before going to Seremban. But plans change because of my hectic schedule. So, it ended with Nex waiting at LCCT while I drove like mad using the Highway to get there. In the end, he had to follow me all the way to Seremban and wait for me there while I attend to my customer before we go the The Outpost which is his intended destination.

By the time I was aboutto leave Seremban after lunch, my technician called and it seemed that another customer nearby also had the same problem. And at the same time, they wanted to program the ISDN line. Because I was moving about, there was no electrical outlet to plug my Notebook into and look for the notes, we had to find one fast since its battery gave out after 15 minutes. Sad to say, I lost about RM15 because of this. Still, despite no air-con in the car and raining heavily, I got Nex to the Outpost in one piece. Ha ha ha ha!

But I was still not happy because a few more customers also had this problem which I suspect must be someting to do with Telekom.

Yeah, this Frappucino costs me RM13.15
and the parkng into Starbucks was Rm2.
By the time I got the drink and was about
to open my Notebook, my tech called and
said the lines were OK so I don't have to
bother. Damn

My tiny super stick

So, for the rest of the afternoon today, I was running all around Kepong doing a few chores, from cashing out cheques to entering them, buying hardware, a new office printer (long story, this one) and a hamper for tonight's customer dinner. All was fine until Boss forgot to mention about buyng another item which means I had to go back to the previous stop and drivng under a hot sun in with no air-con is madness. By the time I was finished, I was literally soaking and I stink like a fat guy who was locked in a sauna for too long.

Still, I had enough time to get myself another USB thumbdrive. This was because I was out looking for a replacement printer and saw this ultra thin and small thumbdrive. So, I got one and that made me slightly happier for the rest of the day. So, what can I do with 4GB of data?

Its almost the size of one DVD disk. Maybe I can fill it up with MP3s but if I insert it to my FM transmitter, I would have a hell of a time selecting the correct songs since my remote is lost and the buttons are not responding too well. Either that or I will have to get a cheep cheep car audio player that accepts USB cards or DVDs (they costs about RM399 from what I saw at the Kepong Info advertisements) but they usually do not last long and there is no point wasting money on this. Or maybe I'll just store it with the first half of the second season of The Sarah Connor Chronicles video files and watch it somewhere else. Choices, choices, ha ha ha ha!

RM48.00 for 4GB, which is alright but on the Internet
a 2006 Forum tested it and it reported a very slow
writing speed. Not a problem for me anyway.

See how small it is? Not only do they include a cute string
thingy but also some kind of holder, which reminds me of
the always fatal character Kenny in South Park

Unfortunately, since 2006 to now, it does not have a LED
to indicate activity. So, I have to make sure its not being
written or access when I want to pull it out.

Who is not going to Dinner?

Why does it happen to me of all things? Just the last minute, my Boss was unable to attend a customer's Hari Raya Gathering and so, I have to go. I had to bring along the hamper which I bought as a gift to them too. So, having no choice, I had to do my duty.

Its not that I do not like it when there is free food but driving at night in the rain and with no air-con where the car windows mists up is just plain worrying. Still, it was a great evening where I get to meet other (potential) clients and chat with most of the staff of the two offices. Now, they know who I am and should not hesitate to kill me given the chance. Ha ha ha ha!

Compliments to the Chef! I had two rounds and still wanted
more but have to act Gentlemen la, since they are my
customers and friends. Even when I was there, I took
the chance to examine each CCTV and my customer
scolded me for being a workaholic. Sheesh. Pai seh

So, I wandered about and took some weird photos. This one is
titled: "Condemned" as it is being thrown out of sight, away
from the crowd

This one is called: "Frustration" The lifts were not really working
for a long time and more often, its a bit slow too. However, most
of the occupants here are just plain destructive and mischevious
as they were caught on the CCTV every now and then.

"Secure"

To Nexus

OK, after some Instant Messaging, Nex says the package is mine and inside it, is a Playmates Star Trek The Next Generation Tricorder!

Woohoo!

And its all mine!

Woo Hoo!

So, the contents of the package is (clockwise from top) the plastic
wrappings, the box itself, the O2 battery, the flip-top calculator
and the toy Tricorder!

Anyway, I took the battery and fitted into Nex's O2
just for fun. And then.........

Yowza! It turns on!

Unfortunately, he did not include his SIM card and so,
I cannot make any crank calls. Hee hee hee hee.
But seriously, there is a problem with the screen
alignment, similar to my late HP iPaq4350 which
can be cured with a screen adjustment. If i can
remember how to do it, that is

[Update: 15 minutes later]
Oh, I see, there is a real problem with the screen and the calibration module does not work. Maybe I should have re-dropped it and hope it will work itself out.........

An evening with the girls II

After coming home late and had dinner, I went to see what my girls were doing. Surprises of surprises! They're actually playing quietly in the room! So, I went back to get my camera because I know this form of serenity would not last.

Here they are, looking innocent and cute

Kaelynn playing with the pot

And Kristine playing with candles

After taking my orders, Kristine
proceeds to make my upside-down
green fishy dish. Here, she is banging
on the fish.

And now, Kaelynn got bored and starts to
look for other toys.

And they found some jigsaw puzzles

And suddenly, when I wanted to lie down for
some rest, they piled on the pillows and what
nots on top of me!

To Nexus

The package has arrived. I wonder if I should deactivate
the fibrous shell as I know the kralium power cell tends
to leak if not disconnected for long periods.

Arias CD (or Local CD to you and me)

So, we're at the Popular Bookstore to look for the story book that Kristine lost. And while we're all separated, looking at things I was distracted by the songs being played there.To cut a long story short. It was the Arias CD which was being sold for RM54.90. As they're having a pre-renovation sale, it was priced at RM39.90 for three discs.

That's the problem with having a book shop with a music section in there. They played the song in low comforting volume that it was so nice. Yeah, I bought it and I just remembered, it was the first commercial legal CD (pirated DVDs do not count) I have bought since 2003. The reason why I stopped was because of the stupid Fat Cats harping about copyrights and Madonna being her usual self, making us potential/existing customers feel as if they're criminals.

Anyway, since I bought it, I have no choice but to enjoy it anyway (ha ha). And I must say, some of the songs in there are really really good. But if you plonk it to a CD player which displays the track titles, there are sone errors, as shown on my Media Player. For example, Track 10 on Disc two is Canon in D by Johann Pachebel, it just reads anon in D. Worse is Disc One's Il Mio Miracolo by Vittorio Grigolo which just displays as Track 7 or misspelled Angels as Angles. And when it came to the third disc, sigh. I can go on and on. I guessed I should have seen the CD-RAMA logo before making a decision. Or at least try to remember if LiteFM is a local radio or what. Because this CD pack sounds so obvious of local made. And yet, even after giving them a second chance, they still cannot get anything right. RM54.90 is a lot of money and this is the quality we get when we want to buy music legally? Fuck it, man. Universal is a big label and now its making me take second guesses whenever I want to make a decision. Maybe I should have stuck back to Uncle Ho with his pleasant customer services and reasonable prices. The discs scream, "Gold Celebration Edition" and, "As heard on LiteFM". Sheesh. Who the fuck cares after getting this CD full of title and spelling mistakes.

But you should listen to The Mass (Era), Ameno (Era), El Condor Pasa (The Vienna Boys's Choir), Moon River (Emi Fujita), Romance (Peper Romero), Vincent (Chloe Agnew) and so much more. At least the monkey who cut & paste these songs from other New Age albums is doing his job. However, quality of some of the songs were a bit disappointing. Whatever DSD technology is, its making some high notes sound distorted. But the overall feeling? Yeah, I've been had, hook, line and sinker. And I am disappointed.

Its like following they hype on the arrival of the new Proton Persona only to see a Gen2 with a bigger boot space.

Disc One:
01. Insieme A Te - Alessandro Safina
02. Walking In The Air - Hayley Westernra
03. The Mass - Era
04. Desert Rose - Sting
05. Fields Of Gold - Triniti
06. Song From A Secret Garden - Secret Garden
07. Il Mio Miracolo - Vittorio Grigolo
08. A Whiter Shade Of Pale - Sarah Brightman
09. Angles - The Angles (Its Angels by the Angels!)
10. Buongiormo Principessa - Merio Frangoulis
11. Ameno - Era
12. EL Condor Passa (Bolivia) - The Vienna Choir Boys' Choir
13. Nessun Dorma - Pavarotti
14. (Where Do I Begin) Love Story - Tito Beltran
15. The Winner Takes It All - Anne Sofie Von Otter
16. La Petite Fille De La Mer - Vangelis

Disc Two
01. Moon River - Emi Fujita
02. Parla Piu Piano ("The Godfather") - Patrizio Buanne
03. Who Painted the Mon black - Hayley Westernra
04. Like The Sun - Ryan Dan
05. Always There - Secret Garden
06. Nella Fantasia - Russell Watson
07. (Quello Che Faro) Sara Per Te (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Katherine Jenkins
08. Jeux Interdits (Romance) - Pepe Romero
09. Vincent - Chloe Agnew
10. Solitaire - Sissel
11. Now We Are Free ("Gladiator") - Lisa Gerrard & Han Hammer
12. Amazing Grace - Hayley Westernra
13. Tears In Heaven - The Choirboys
14. Pie Jesu - Charlotte Church
15. And I love You So - Nana Mouskouri
16. Canon In D - Johann Pachelbel

Bonus Disc
1. My Love Will Get You Home - Christine Glass
2. Bizzarre Love Triangle - Freya Lin Fan
3. Against All Odds - Three Graces
4. Yo Te Voy A Amar ("I'll Make Love To You") - Blake
5. Thank You - Secret Garden Featuring Peter Joback
6. World In Unison - All Star

Is it me or are everyone starting to use these new CD jewel
Boxes? I am so outdated now.

Whatever it is, the jewel boxes make these three CDs
special. Next to it is a small booklet full with lyrics
and bitsof info about easch song. If you're in the
mood, you can sing along with it too.

[Update: 13.10.2008]
Forget what I said about the CD quality. Most of the tracks have problems.

Installing a Door Access system

We're to install a door access system for an IT department. Its to make sure only authorised personnel are allowed into the servers and all. I have inspected the site the day before, and it should be a no brainer except for a few minor issues.

By the time I got the crew ready, it was already mid-morning. I want to drum it to their heads to make sure every tool is ready and also the possible ports to be used. There is no point going back to the office or do a follow-up because of it. It would be a waste of time and also displays their lack of efficiency.

After a lot of security clearances, we could start our work. First of all, I explained (again) to my crew how the cables are to be laid. Then, the next step would be to install the system itself followed by the necessary wall drillings for the keypad access and switches. Then the last step, which is most time consuming, would be the installation of the door access unit which must be precisely mounted so as to "catch" the door and hold it all the time.

We worked until almost three where we stopped for a quick lunch break before continuining the remaining tasks which is to connect everything and make it run. As for me, I could almost do nothing once the supervison job is done. All I can do is to sit back and watch them go at it, with the occasional drawings or sketches to keep my mind occupied. OK, the real reason why they kept me away was because I was either obstructing them or doing it too slow. Ha ha ha ha.

Anyway, by the time we finished and i got home, it was already half-past six where wife wanted me to drive her to the City to look for some books which Kristine vandalised.

I noticed that my tech's driving position is very close to the
steering clumn, almost hugging it. And his gear changes, ah
its worse than me. But since I am taking the back seat the
whole day, I just have to sit back, observe and shut up

This is not a time bomb but the power supply for the door
access system. We bolted the casing to the orange bar (top)
and used the PVC pipe (tied by tie-cables) to strengthen
the whole thing since the battery (black) might sag the
box. Yeah, the IT guys do not want it touching the floor

This tiny kitten, coaxed out of hiding by my tech was not
so cute once it attacked my friend chicken. There was
something harmless yet dangerous when it started to eat.

After the break, we started to patch things up quickly.
My tech was mixing the plaster on the spot (But I am
not going to show you that photo in case one day, I
would be at your place)

And the other was left to wire things up

We have heard the lightning and saw the sky darkened
so we moved all our tools and quickly to the van using
the fastest means possible

But it was too late.........

After waiting for quite a bit, the rain slowed to a trickle
and we were on our way home. I was worried because
one of my tech using his bike as he joined us after he
has finished his service calls nearby.
I tried to fantasize how it felt to be riding a helicopter
during the Vietnam war as a door gunner. Nah, it fails