The last day before CNY week

Today is the 'Last Day' at the office and so, everyone gets a share of the spoils. Spoils as in gifts from customers and suppliers. In other words, we had a lucky draw...

And as usual, one big vendor always ordered this fruit
cake for us. It is very delicious. I wanted to order but
I can never locate her. Moreover, this is homemade
and they do this on every CNY only.

During the Lucky Draw, I got this, which is great
for Wife. Or so I was told.

The funny part was this lass who
won the XO or something and she
is not allowed to drink it. Ha ha ha!

Pakcik calling.....

"Ni p'cik guna kad orng,tolng isikan p'cik top up RM 30 dinumber baru p'chik ni nom 0128140146,pasal p'cik ade kes dibalai polis boleh tak cepat sikit beli."

Translation: Uncle is using other people's number, please help top up RM30 onto my new number 0128140146, as Uncle is at a Police Station can you hurry up buy it.

I am not sure if this is true or not since the "other people's number" starts with +62, which is Indonesia. And the Devil in me wanted to text back, "Ha. Padan muka kau, p'cik. Tipu org lagi, Masuk balai la." [Translation: Seves you right, Uncle. Bluff people some more, you'll end up in the Police Station."

But I decided to ignore it completely. That is the problem with phone scams and if you do reply them, thay know, their bait has worked. And if its a genuine case, that p'chik will call back or something since he already has my number. Moreover, I don't know any Uncle in Indonesia. And the ones I know are either 'gone' (OK, industrial accidents in the most gruesome way) or are still here.

So, I just let it rest at that and think of a new topic for my blog.

Heck. I just did.

Happy New Year 2011

Wow. You guys are still here? Truth to be told, I am a bit busy at the moment as I am still trying to adjust my "Internet" time ever since Kristine has gone to Primary School.

Yeah, every night I come back, I only have enough energy to crawl around and sleep at any dark corner I see.

But lots of posts coming up soon.... hopefully.

Farewell, my friend

Well, I thought it was the end of everything last week but there was a slight hitch. Because we're all honest people *ahem*, we did not use a 'runner' to get our documentations done. Not because we want to save the runner's fee but everyone felt that it is not necessary. To cut a boring story short, I drive the new owner to the JPJ in Cheras somewhere to sort out the documentation, which is actually transfer of car ownership.

So, along the way, I told him, to take good care of the car, its history and also, most importantly, how each modification can be repaired if necessary.

All we need to do was to sign on the forms. And

that's it. No need runner. Troublesome but no
need runner.

This also gave me one more last chance to look at my
Bengmobile. It seemed that they have repaired the
rear bumper and a few minor things or else, they
would not be able tp pass the JPJ Inspection

One of the thing they did was to 'remove' the golden
tint on the windows. This was because the original
Satria windows was already a shade darker. So, by
the time of the JPJ enforcement, it was suddenly
'iillegal'.

I see they have replaced the broken dash and
cleaned up the area too. I wonder if they had
a go with the EL dials as they replaced the dash

Not only that, they have removed the seat covers
but retained the meters on the A-pillars

The seal of approval, by Puspakom

This is the rust which they have started to work on.
See the grey square? That's the cabin roof's courtesy
lights. So, when it rained....

This is the other hole. The roof definitely had to
be replaced. And that, my friends, is costly.

OK, I'll leave this on the windshield

But I definitely took this one with me. Not sure
if BengII needs it or not. The clear edges are
already yellowed

And so, this is really it. The final farewell to Bengmobile, which since 1997, has chalked up more than 260 thousand Km together. Courted a few girls, and well, tested a few Laws of Physics too. I was really sad but it had to be done. Because I need to take Kristine to the school every morning and it had to be a safe car.

Yes, stop thinking about Volvos, can?

How to eat socially Pt 2

I still do not know where to start either...

Kristine's new headgear

Well, its not, actually. Grandma just wrapped
the towel around her head but it looked great.

Resin Casting Workshop @ Multifilla

This is the first SFTPMS workshop that I have ever been and I must say, it is very educational. The Workshop was held at Multifilla, courtesy of Mr. Leong who was kind enough to sponsor the workshop material in addition to the food and drinks. Yes, there was food, in case you all missed it. (OH, OK. I gasak-ed all the seaweed crackers and potato crisps) *ahem*

The Workshop stared with Mr. Leong telling the
participants various Smooth-on products and
how to use them properly. This was a very good
lesson for me because I did not foresee some
potential problems when it comes to casting.
And not only that, we did get to see a small
and unique pressure chamber too.

After that, it was the "Mahagurus" who demonstrated
how castings are done. Smooth-on product that was used
had different effect and not only that, we learnt what
would happen if things are not mixed to the correct ratio.
(Hint: Its a very heaty subject). Here xamel1975 discuss
on how to mould and cast a subject that has very
off angles and protrusions. Also, I learnt that the cast
model, will shrink by 1mm or so when cured.

This is how a simple mould was being done. But there
are some problems. So, this is the reason why a lot of
Lego blocks go missing very quickly... druid_99 is
sweating, as if the chemicals are about to burst into
flames, making the whole casting process look very
dangerous. Actually, it is dangerous but with the right
knowledge, you will not DIE.

I don't have a macro lens but as the casting came out,
all the details from the mould was accurately transferred
to the casting. And if you really want to know, it a part of
a model radiator, where there is a lot of details.

This is a nice smooth-on casting but because the mould
was made very quickly for the Workshop, there were
some bubbles. later on, Mr. Leong said the casting can
still be recovered by a very simple technique. What I
want to highlight is that this casting cured very fast and
its very light was well. Compared to the usual resin kits,
this is feather light and still strong enough for further
sculpting if needed.

One final demo is the crystal clear 'water' which interested
me. But Mr. Leong did warn us that the final result, although
it is clear, it is rubbery. Unfortunately, someone else forgot
to read the manual because it said, "Leave overnight to cure..."

So, there you go, folks. The Workshop is really educational and now, I appreciate how difficult it was to create a model for casting, because there are a lot of things to consider before a perfect kit comes to your doorstep. But this is very different for those who copy the originals and recast them to sell to others for profit.

1:14 cars at Toys r Us

As soon as I have finished dealing with my customer today, I decided to have a stroll at the local Toys r Us to cheer myself up. The case I have been handling is not over yet and it is very stressful for me. What what did I see at TRU? The reason why I am looking for such car now is because of one nice little car i saw on the Internet. I cannot reveal it yet because to modify a car to such extend is beyond my skills. It would be really embarassing it if failed too.

A lot of 1:14 scale R/C cars, that is.
They were priced at RM89.95
(for members, la)

Shall I get the Camry? Nope because there are
no spoilers and sideskirts like the ones I see on
the roads. Lexus is out too because its well, not
brute looking enough.

The 350Z looked like a Porsche imitation. How about
the R35, hmmm? It looks brutish enough and fits my
requirement. But lets have a further look.

Well, this is way out of the question.

And Honda. pfft. I hate Hondas.

Ah, this I like and this is the exact car I am looking
for! But for RM79.90 and a bit smaller, this is one
that I will have to mull over.

The GT skirts and exhausts are all there but in the end....

Size does matter. Wha ha ha ha ha ha!

Delivering Goodwill

Its almost about a week before Chinese New Year and so, everyone is busy getting Ang Pow packets (empty one, of course), mandarin oranges, hampers and so on. To the Westerners, this is almost akin to bribery. To us, its part of life. The Company does this every year for their customers. And if you do not do this, you're the odd one out anyway. So, for this week, you will see a lot of delivery vans and bikes on the road. And you have to do this fast because by Thursday or so, it will be too late as the person concerned would be taking a long leave.

The boxes of oranges arrived last night from a freezer truck and so, by this morning, it was still cool and well, fresh. So, each of us were allocated to a certain amount plus spares (which I used for quality control). Although we can get the company van to deliver, I took a some to deliver to the customers I know which did gave me some problems last year. I always believe in the personal touch.

Although I have some customers, I personally delivered
a few as I know them well. Moreover, this is the one
chance I can really go there and thank them.

And before I go, I took the precaution to check all
the orangesfirst. Any bad ones were swapped. And
boy, I was glad I did that because out of 12 boxes,
a total of two boxes equivalent of oranges were bad.

And these customers were a bit difficult for
me in the past year and so, I have to make
sure everything is 'perfect'

In the end, everything is alright.
That is, except for the missing
two boxes of oranges. Pity the
fella who took and ate them.

The Last Drive together

Its time. And so, one last drive together. Savouring the revs and soaking in all the sound from the exhaust together for one last time. Its a unique exhaust because although it did give me some extra power, it was still relatively quiet compared to other exhausts. And I rememebered the shock/amazement from the exhaust pipe fella when I requested such spec. Nevertheless, finally he did come up with what I wanted. So, the exhaust would not scream itself unless you sharply press on the accelerator or something like that.

Unfortunately, when the Ah Beng streak comes on once in a while, I had problems getting that big exhaust roar to frighten all the Ah Lians. Even the cats and dogs ignored me.

The final tank of gas...
Maybe I should have out in Ron97 but that would
make me not want to give her up

I always like the shot from this angle

After inspecting the engine, etc. The new owner is
satisfied with her and that's when I said goodbye.

Later on, I was told, it got through Puspakom without any problems. And this, was done without using any runners *ahem*.

My Girlfriend and I are splitting up...

Well, it had to happen one day. So, I am preparing her for the new owner, taking my own time to clear things out. Its very sad and sentimental day for me, but it has to be done. I was my first car and we have been through a lot together, from accidents to rescuing friends to well, meeting new people. And so, now is the time for me to say goodbye...

So, lets have a last look at her. Its amazing
that despite all these years, the excellent
blue paint is still good (on non-rusted areas)

And this is the view I always get when I am inside
the Bengmobile. The meters would all be running
and responding to the throttle.

This much in 13 years speaks a lot on how tough it
was. As an Engineer servicing the customers in all
over Malaysia, she has really gone nearly all the
States in Malaysia except Perlis, Sabah & Sarawak.

I loved the Bass from this Sony and so, I will
keep her as the new owner will just throw it
away.

Some leftovers from the Bengmobile. Yes, there
are some RM1.00 coins and 1 sen coins, which
by now, is obsolete and cannot be used to buy stuff.

How to eat Socially

Erm I don't even know where to start...

Two packages in one day

I am over the moon today because I got one package in the morning and for an encore, another in the afternoon! Woo hoo!

The first package was impressive. I say it's impressive
because I already know what is inside it.

Here is a clue for you. I needed to order from them
because I could not get this particular chip from
my usual Pasar Road store

And no, it is not a Laser Printer toner cartridge

What it is, was 20 units of a particular Surface mount
chip which I am doing for Bruce's Top Secret
I-Will-Have-to-kill-you-after-I-tell-you Project

Its the same size as the other chip but it has more I/O
ports and also, it does not need an external crystal.
And the funny thing was, its cheaper too.

The second package came in the afternoon and nearly
made me very angry. This was because of the Ah Soh
who is the company's reporter. She picked it up and
admired the beautiful stamps. As soon as she saw my
name, she slammed onto the table. She was unlucky
because there were some witnesses. So, when it was
relayed to me, I pretended to want to speak to the
Management because someone slammed my letter
and the thing inside it broke, which costs me RM500.
Boy was she scared for the rest of the day.

Anyway, its the smallest 8Gb thumbdrive which
was not available in Malaysia. It costs slightly
more than the usual 8Gb sold here, though

But its doing what it was supposed to do and also,
it does not protrude more than 5mm. Which is what
I needed for Bengmobile II