20260204 20GB from Yahoo!

 

 Is it worth it? Would we see the hook after we bit it?

 And after that, the eMail Webpage changes to something weird... eukkk...

 

20260117 Artisanal Coffee

 What is Artisanal coffee?

In a nutshell, it is coffee made from high quality beans and brewed at insanely slow methods via Artisans. Or whoever they want to call themselves. I am not sure how this is done or why this is done. When it comes to making coffee, I prefer to use the common 3in1 powder sachets.

Then I looked at the word again. I might be a little dyslexic because I always get it mixed up with antianal or just plain artisanal. After some rest, I looked at the word again:

 Artisanal

or rather,

Artisanal = Art Is Anal

 This is where my mind went off tangent and thought about Luwak Coffee where Asian civets ate the beans, let it ferment inside their intestines and then pass it out of their ass with other stuff. and since the twenty tens, making coffee was claimed to be an art form. So you have been served a cup of coffee, with either a map of the Dubai Palm Islands or some cute Teddy Bear hanging at the side, which makes it a Sin to destroy. It's like a form of torture to a thirsty art connoisseur. Yeah, it is technically shit coffee. Or maybe, this anal coffee, I mean artisanal coffee, is the Luwak Coffee which everyone raves about.

 

20260114 How to train your Mamak

The Mamak Connection

 I want to tell you something, I might have either told you or someone else long ago. And since you're here, I want to tell you again. And I am so sorry if you have heard it before because I am going to tell it to you again. 

The Favourite Mamak

 Back in the mid-90's, we Engineers would hang out at the Mamak after work, or any given chance we can get. Of course, we can go to other stalls within the vicinity but we always prefer this place. There is one tall skinny fella who remembered our Drinks and does great mental calculations right in front of you. Of course we only go there either during lunchtime or, in the evenings but never during working hours *ahem*. And another great thing is, even if we stayed beyond 7pm in the evening (to wait out the evening traffic), he does not chase us away.

 It sounded ideal but we have to remeber that there are the occasional patrolling Supervisors or Managers who can catch you red-handed even if you sat right hidden inside the stalls. Luckily, we know their usual time-table and so, after collecting our Jobs for the day, its an open secret that most of us would hang out at the Mamaks before the grind starts. Here, everyone can share about Job anecdotes, Customer follow ups, tips & tricks, hand-overs and anything else that can be done in the Office since they do not serve teas and coffees. We would rather sweat it out here, in an environment where hierarchy is the last thing on everyone's minds. And over cups of iced Tea of Coffee, where everyone knows your name.

 

The NESLO Story

 Which brings me to this. I am not sure if I was one of the few who invented the NESLO Drink. Right before the time of Internet, Forums and Digital recording devices, there was no other way to record this. It happened one evening, when I my thirst wanted something different apart from the usual Coffee, Tea or Milo and their various combinations with milk, sugar, etc. So, I just asked for Neslo as if there is such a drink. For those who are not familiar, it is essentially, mocha.

 As expected, this unexpected expectation led me to showing they Guy how it was done, although I just thought of it mere seconds ago, for a made up drink. The name Neslo is a potmanteau of Nescafe (Coffee) and Milo (Chocolate drink). Come to think of it, maybe Milafe is a much better name (Me, Laff). Anyway, I just told him, just do the usual iced Nescafe Coffee with all the condensed milk and stuff but in half the cup, then add lots of Milo in. And lo and behold, it was done and yea, it was delicious! I can see the Mamak's mind is working overtime as he looked as if someone smacked his face with a plank multiple times.

 Anyway, about 6 months later, I realised that most of the Mamaks I've been to, have this Neslo drink. A drink that never existed before, made up just for fun, became a reality. My theory is that he might have revealed this newfound knowledge to other fellow stalls and maybe though the Mamak network, then got the Drink officiated. Maybe he was given a Medal or a Box of KFC, but yeah, that'd never happen. Thankfully, the price that f@cker charge me, which is the equivalent of two drinks with no discounts, has settled into a single drink price. And so, that was my story of I 'invented' Neslo which cannot be proven nor claimed.

This is like Generations ago, where through migration every country had Bak Kut Teh, and now, they're claiming theirs is the original, etc. Or even, the origin of the Nasi Lemak which is a Country's National Dish and for others, a native dish.

The Mamak stalls were located on the left (yellow) of this recent 2026 Google Map. As you can see, the ongoing roadworks on both sides have nuked any remaining stalls, trees and road shoulders for you to double-park.

 

 The Kuey Teow Special Story

 I have a friend to thank for this next culinary breakthrough but then again, it is nothing new. Char Kuew Yeow which is basically a stir-fried flat noodles (almost like chee cheong fun's flattened version) with a good dose of soya sauces and stuff AND cooked with a fiery charcoal heated wok. In Malaysia, where we have three dominant races, the way they prepare this dish is very different.

 For me, I prefer the Chinese version which is 'dry' and sprinkled with oily, crispy lard and must have that umistakable 'wok hei' flavour. I do not care for stuff such as prawns and chinese sausages though, just as long as there's some chili in there. However, all these was nothing when I tasted the Mamak variety. It is wet. I am not sure how to describe it but its just not oily wet. The Kuey Teow Special, like the Chinese version, does vary depending on who cooked them. Some would have a lot of Kuey Teow, some would add in crispy chicken and/ or, good stuff such as big chunks of raw garlic and whole green chilis. 

 And so, in every place, I would tell them that I want a 'Kuey Teow Special' but with TWO half-boiled eggs on top of it. The first time trials with new Mamaks are more misses than hits but once in a while, a few would get the concept right away. The main aim is to mix the two (almost) raw eggs into the HOT Kuey Teow which will eventually cook them. The reason being that the egg yolks kinda hits the spot for me as it makes the whole dish creamy and sweet.

 You know, one day I might want to add the eggs to a curried rice or, even, curry noodles but not Nasi Lemak unless its piping hot. Eggs on buttered toast has already been done since I was small shiet.

I guessed the former 'team' manning the Mamak Stall near the Office has gone. The two new faces there looked quite inexperience but over the course of about three months or more, picked up very quickly. Except that only one of them can cook Kuey Teow. Alas, although it was delicious, the portion was quite small, about 1/3 less compared to the previous Chef.

 

20260111 All for a RM20.00 PSU

Good Morning! Ha ha ha ha! 

 For once, I forced myself to wake up as early as possible to get some soldering done on a nice Sunday morning. The day went kaput the moment I connected the Chip Programmer and switched its power supply on. Since the Laptop was not able to detect the said programmer, and basic trouble-shooting indicates the 9VDC 2A PSU is out.

 Instead of getting it online (and cheaper even with shipping), I decided it was time to drive down to Pasar Road instead...

 

 

This is literally the whole Map of Pasar Road. Just for this post, I am only showing the main street, which is Jalan Pasar (aka Pasar Road). There are more electronic shops (not shown) in the upper area of the map. Anyway, for today's blog, my Journey starts from the left to the right, and that's just about 425 metres (or 1,400 ft, give or take)

Walking down Pasar Road

 A lot has changed since my last visit and I have to admit that Pasar Road was not how I remembered it. I remembered on my last visit, the whole street has gotten hotter because decades old trees were chopped down. Today was no different except for the roadworks behind. And today, there wasn't much of a crowd too.

 The first noticeable sign was that apart from the normal Electrical, Cars and CCTV shops, most of the Electronics shop were not open, except for two. By around 1000 on a Sunday morning, the shutters would be up but it is now past eleven. Secondly, the crowd seemed to have thinned out, which is quite apparent on the open booths and the market alley. Maybe tomorrow is the end of the School Holidays and everyone is scrambling to get the kids ready. Or maybe, this is how it is.

 After getting the PSU, I decided to walk the whole street, starting from the left (as shown on the map (above). Most of the dots in the Map are roughly the spot where I took the photos. It is not accurate but then again, I am not being paid for this.

This is the T-junction entrance/exit to Jalan Pasar Baharu. If you go on straight in, you'll see the Wet Market and then end up cutting across to Jalan Yew. Ever since I came to this area in the 80's for some Tuition, the corner is always filled with fish and aquarium related stuff.

 

Some of these fishes are ready packed in a bag...

 

The more 'exciting' ones, I guess, are plastic bags housed in glass jars, maybe to make them stand upright?

From aquariums, to filters to pumps to plants to food, etc. everything is there. I am not sure why there are eels though.

 

The makeshift stalls on the main Jalan Pasar Road seemed quite empty today. The road shoulders are devoid of sellers.

 

The Clothes shop is still here.

 

And so is the Toy Shop. More than a decade ago, and old man used to sell his RC stuff from a small Van and later, I assumed, ventured into this shop. He does have one at the back but this is much more 'noticeable'. I have to assume because I used to see him in there, always chastising his 'son' and scolding the staff. Suddenly, he appeared on the Van parked on the left and away from the camera.

 

A usual sight where 'Customer Service' is at work. For me, it is normal even when I was a kid but in most shops, they will take the item and slip into another shop, so that the Customer does not see what is being done. My assumption would be, since the Customer wants it fast, the item in question to be repaired and without the Customer asking any questions, butting in and complicating things. It slows down the whole process without them knowing it. But from their point of view, we're doing the sneaky. I've been in that spot many times and it took a lot of strength not to yell at them to shut the hell up.

 

I've just passed a guy sitting on the right. They are the ones selling Blue Pills of mysterious origins and you know what these small shops are, due to images of women plastered near the walls.

 

 

 

The small Market in the Valley. Notice not many stalls are felling meat and stuff, maybe they're closing up since this is already 1100.

 

At the mouth of the Alley is where I would stop for a bowl of soya bean drink. I did not see the old man anymore and so, I am not going to ask. If the next time I came and it still this old woman, then I know the sad answer. Anyway, with the Chinese New Year coming, they are displaying more CNY cookies than soya bean drinks. Or maybe, this is their Business Plan now.

 

 

 

More and more Foreigners doing their weekly marketing and instead of walking back, they're haggling with the Taxi guys. I cannot remember if the Bus Stop is still operational.

 

It is about 1133 and the guys at Nasi Kandar Lubna took about 10 minutes for my Thosai. By noticing the light cast by the Sun, the yellow arrow shows how much time has elapsed. I did not measure the length but it's about 8cm. The traffic on the left is already building up, leading to a heavy Jam later.

 

I finished the whole meal within 10 minutes and by my estimate, I will start to receive a lot of direct Sunlight if I stayed on for another 30 minutes.

 

So, this is the RM20.00 switch-mode PSU. I was looking for those heavy transformer types but with most of the Electronics shops closed, my choice was pretty much limited...