Kaelynn's new hairstyle

Its the school holiday and what better than to let loose the two girls on their favourite cousins. When I arrived, they tied Kaelynn's hair with rubber bands. Its kinda cute but well, now she looked tomboyish. But sometimes, in a different angle, Kaelynn looked very grown up.

Reminds me of those olden days, where the servants
or students tied their hair with double ponytails.

Ha ha ha ha. She looks so funny!

Happy Birthday, Kristine!

So, Kristine is officially three years old and we decided to celebrate her birthday along with her cousins. She was singing the Birthday Song the whole day after we told that today was her birthday. And she was in a jolly mood too. So, we got her a nice Blackforest Cake and some pizza to go with the party. Everything went well, until....



This is the cake before the incident. We set up the cake with
the candles. And as soon as Kristine saw the candles burning
she got scared. And refused to cut the cake so Mommy had
to do it for her.

In the meantime, Kristine was hiding behind her Winnie.
No coaxing could get her to come out. But as soon as the
candles are out and everyone starts to eat the cake, she
came out and starts to eat all the cherries.

And before you know it, Kristine was in her jovial self again.
Eating cake and pizza like nobody's business

And then, after all the excitement, Kristine was zonked out.
Later, as we came home, she opened all her presents and
she did share some of hers with Kaelynn. Well, as I said,
she was in a very very good mood today.

Happy Birthday, my dearest Kristine!

My Playmate tricorder

OK, I have to admit that my first Playmates Tricorder built with Gerry Mros's circuit is gone now. It won't even come back to me (even if it did, it would not be in a very good state). This will teach me a lesson not to be too forward in helping friends even with good intentions. They will always take it for granted, and lose them as well.

Damn. That Tricorder took me years to search for it and also I had to save up to buy the circuit boards. And now its gone because someone does not appreciate things in their care. Luckily, I have taken back most of my props for display there.

I am so pissed about it. And its missing for months with no news. So, its time to let go.

And then, one day, I found the other Tricorder, which was my very first prototype. Looking back at it, brought me a lot of sadness. Not because of its condition but on how I approached it. For you see, I want it to be the "best" Tricorder and in my fanatical quest, I overlooked many things, mainly the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) method and also to challenge myself with new technology.....

So, now I am starting to try with this Tricorder again. And hopefully, after so many lessons, I will get my Tricorder working again. But it will be at least tow years away unless someone pays me lots to stay at home and do stuff like these. Ha ha ha ha

In front, it looks OK, but once you open the covers...

You can start to see when I went wrong. For example, using a two-part
epoxy for the LEDs which now has turned brown. The strong magnet has
pried itself loose and is rusting somewhere.

This is the part which is the most embarassing. Because of the
"natural" battery holder, I refused to think about other source
of batteries and went on to try reduce the voltage to fit the 2AA
batteries and not the other way round. And if I used those SMT
LEDs and a thinner PCB, it would have solved my problems

This is one thing I hate about clear resins, plastic and epoxies
because over here, as time goes by, they will turn brown or
worse. even the gray plastic is turning brown too

Clouds in KL

I was stuck in a jam and when I looked up the sky, I saw these amazing clouds which I could not resist in taking a few pictures. The funny thing was, there were no rain. Usually, when you see these clouds, there would be rain.

If you were there, you'd think there is going to be a big storm

Or if you want, imagine the cloud is black and there is a big fire

Yeah, the background is "Peace Hill"

Sunday Dinner

Since there is no word about my trip, I decided to take my
Wife to dinner and there, met a friend who was reviewing
the Nikon D3, which weighs a ton and has an iTouch. So,
it is not because of the RM17,000 price tag for the D3
but the heavy weight which makes me recosider in
getting any DSLR. Also the iTouch is nice to play
with but because its so slim, I am afraid I would
drop it more than I use it. Its fun but, nah

Drinking buddies

I got these pictures a week ago from my Wife's Nokia 6300. The two were in such jovial mood that they got on without fighting. Oh, an of course, each of them have a MacDonalds toy.

This is how you drink your milk

You drink, and drink

and drink and drink...

Instead of sucking more, you just lie on your
back and let gravity take over.

Tricorder

As I look at these images, I really miss my Tricorder which went MIA. It is one of the reason why I was attracted to Star Trek:The Next Generation. When you open the flap, the lights in the Tricorder would start to blink and it is a wonderful sight. But if you actually have the chance to encounter this prop, you might be disappointed that it does not have sounds that was present in the shop (it was mixed in during post production). And because of its design of the late 80's the functionality of the device is actually quite convincing at that time. The first time I saw the Tricorder from the show, I was fascinated with it.

This is a prop where most of the time, is used as a plot device in the show. The Tricorder is a portable sensing device which is crucial for teams on away missions. But to me, its just a box of blinking lights and sound. Yes, I must admit that I still love the concept of blinking lights in a box. I can't decribe the feeling but the closests is like tracking a moving item via a GPS device while monitoring its radiation, or something like that.

So, this will be undoubtedly my next project the moment I complete the Phaser Rifle. I dont have to worry too much about the project because, according to the Forum, if I am not mistaken, they have found someone from UK to do the electronics. So, I am not too concerned about it anymore. Anyway, I want to move on to this Tricorder project. Having dug up one of the toy casings again, it really got me fired up. But this time, I hope to do something different with it as its nearly 20 years now since the Tricorder MkVII made its first appearance and the electronics has been done by a lot of people. So, the project has to be a bit more oomph. Something, which I am confident, that I have again, bitten off more than I can chew.

Currently, there are three versions of the MK VII (or TR-560) Tricorder in the World:

[LEFT] The original TV series prop: You can spend thousands of ringgit in an auction, get a propmaker to do it for you or buy it in kit form. You can also have electronics put in so that it lights up like the ones from the show. However, because of its "preciousness" most of the time, it will be left in a display cabinet or box. You must know whom to get it from or else you'd end up with a recast.

[MIDDLE] The toy from Playmates which was meant for kids but many adults grabbed them due to the "limited edition collector's item with serial numbers" gimmick. You can also get them from auctions. It is smaller than the original prop since it was designed to fit into a kid's hands. Still, it was the more "reasonably accurate" Tricorder at that time. But the elecronics in the toy left a lot to be desired. The only thing accurate was one of the three sounds was the Tricorder warble. Because it is made of soft plastic, you can take it out and play with it all the time, provided you do not scratch or drop it too much.

[RIGHT] A Japanese TV remote in the form of a Tricorder and nothing more. It is limited in quantity and therefore, the asking price is really reflects how serious you are into Star Trek. You can only take it out once in a while and show them to the correct appreciative audience.

Fluorescent Lipstick

We all know that it is an orange fluorescent marker.
But as far as Kaelynn is concerned, it is a lipstick just
like her elder sister's (Which was a toy sweet lipstick)
Minutes after her bath, she was ready to use her new
lipstick. And people wonder why I looked so stressed

To my customers

As I worked and gazed at my customer's PABX system, I realised that we are still very lucky to have customers long after the last remaining Director has been kicked out. We are lucky that we still have business. Coincidence or not, after the departure, we have more business than before, in fact, our business picked up.

I am thankful everyday I still have a place to work eventhough it could be better.
I am thankful that our customer still believes in us.
I am thankful that our kids are never hungry.

With time, and a little bit more luck, we can overcome this.

And we can prove to the World again, that we are better and we are still in business. And thank you for your support.

This is a Panasonic KX-TDA200 with capacity for:
32 incoming lines, 48 Digital Phones and 64
Single Line Telephones.

Security FloodLights

You know, if I were to buy this in the 80's, it would have cost us a bomb. Its one of those gadgets which switches on the lights when someone/something moving triggers its sensors. You know, when you walk in front one of your neighbour's house, the light shines at you. Or when you try to pee in your own garden at four in the morning.........

Anyway, I was attracted to it at first but abandoned the idea after someone told me that it is also a sign telling the thieves that there is something valuable inside the house.

This is how it will look like if you mount it on
the wall. You have the lights at the bottom
and the sensor at the top.

Another view from the side. Looks a bit weird

And its from Philips. How much, I am not sure.

You can set the light sensitivity and also maybe, how long
it will shone before shutting itself off. Strangely, does this
look like a funny and drunk alien to you?

I need more RAM!

Years ago, having 128MB of RAM while running Windows 98SE was enough. Then, I had it increased to 384MB, which gave me a piece of mind and speeded up my work. When Windows XP came, my Toshiba Notebook ran like a strong mule with four amputated legs. The problem was, although the Notebook can accept up to a maximum memory of 1GB, the RAM modules, which comes in a maximum of 512MB size only, are now very very obsolete. And to buy one now, would have cost a lot. For example, a Kingston 512MB SO-DIMM PC133 memory is now selling about RM500 or thereabouts and if I need one, they would have to order it for me. A
current 512 DDR would have cost four times less.

Heck.

So, anyone has these kind of memory that they do not want? I have to search for used RAMs now. Even Lelong.com.my does not have them anymore. But I am now trying on eBay.com.my, though. Before going to Low Yatt where I have to fork out RM400 or more.

Memory............ I forget

Saturday Morning in the Office

This morning, was pretty much like a Saturday I experienced in my old company. We sort of just sat down, did our work, called our colleagues for fun, made fun of technicians when they asked for support and also, drank cups or coffee. But here, it is slightly different in the sense that I get to sit IN the office without much interruption, no technicians to make fun of, and enjoying my chat with nex.

That is, until my Notebook hang for at least 45 minutes while its hard disk spun like nobody's business. And then my wife called. We'll, you know what happened next, as any married man will tell you. Ha ha ha

I saw this from of the tables and had to "borrow" it

Then, with nothing much to do, I decided to clean up our fax machine
which we usually loan to customers while waiting for theirs to be
repaired. The problem is that the fax is sending out "dirty" pictures.
And culprit was none other than a set of dusty mirrors in the machine

After the clear up, the fax is much better.
You can see the difference on the two sheets of paper

Just for nex

Everything's all set for nex!
But then, someone chose to go KK next year. Haih

My new mouse

I got this mouse at Carrefour's new Thunderzone. Since I started to really take car of my mouse, they have a slightly longer
lifespan. But like all good things, my mouse just refused to work anymore. I was really starting to like my mouse, even
though it was a tad shorter. Still, as I said, my requirements for a mouse are as follows:
It has a page back/forward buttons
That's really it. These two buttons really kept me from going nuts. However, there is one small problem. Price. For almost
the same mouse, it costs about RM13.00 more. And so, I had to look for a cheaper alternative but with the two features I
could never live without. After some searching, I found it, an Anyzen mouse selling for RM40.00. I was so happy that I paid
for it straightaway. But once the euphoria subsided ( or when I reached home) I foudn that:
1) Although the cable is thick, the mouse would not respond if I straightened the cable.
2) The upper surface is slippery gloss black. So, when I click on the mouse, it felt weird. And if I rest my palm on it, the
stupid thing would glide away, dumping my hand on the table surface.
3) The back/forward buttons are flush with the mouse and this is difficult when I want to click on these two buttons.
4) I damn miss the orange "double-click" button!!!!
5)Its a Samsung.
But on the other hand
1) The roller feels nice
2) I love the clicking sound on the mouse buttons
3) It glides very well and makes the mouse feel "lighter"
4) You do not need to "install" the mouse with drivers

This is my dead mouse with its frayed cables as I
am always taking it in and out of my Notebook bag
at least three times a day

See the cables? When I have the time, maybe I
can solder them together or try to separate them
from touching each other as the protective coating
is just paint

The new mouse is bigger, which is good but it is much
lower and due to the slippery paint, I tend to slip my
hand off its round butt

You know, being a lzy person, I will miss the double
click orange button

Carrefour's new IT Section

Its now a very common trend to have an IT zone in most shopping complexes. Not to be left out, Carrefour has started its own IT zone too. How they did this was to expand their current electrical section with more computer related stuff. So, at Carrefour Subang Jaya, you can purchase things from a computer bag to a mouse to a thumbdrive to monitors to joysticks to
.... well, you get the story. Although this is not a new idea, but it would be a first for a Hypermarket to do so. Without a doubt, other Hypermarkets would follow soon but how they deal with it, we will just have to wait and see, like what happened below

Although the store looked a bit empty (the official opening was from 7th to 9th December) the moment I walked in, I can see the staff carrying and putting a lot of mouse on the shelves. Anyway, since my current mouse has died this afternoon, I decided to get another mouse for myself.

Bright lights and ample space. But there is a more sinister
matter with Carrefour. You want to know? Go in there and
buy an item first.........

The security guards at the exit will check your items for
what reasons I do not know. But what I was not happy
was this.

I did not know this until the Guard went and stamped this
on my receipt on my way out. If I knew about this, I would
not have bought the mouse.

[Update: My mouse is faulty and I cannot change it. Grrr!]

This is the mouse I got, the closest match to my
previous dead mouse, in terms of function

My new glasses

So, after waiting days for my paycheque to clear, the optometrist was getting impatient. I mean, the glasses was ready for days and if I don't pick them up, they're sure going to "remind" again and again. Ha ha ha ha.

Actually, I wanted to get my glasses done in a shop owned by a Forummer in Klang but since it was too far away and my kids could not stand the long drive (yeah, right) we went to Carrefour Subang's Focus Point instead. Throughout the selection, I kept coming back to this frame (and also it was the cheapest at RM159.00). I mean, who else would be buying RM660.00 to RM1180.00 frames which in my situation, gets broken prematurely every year? Anyway, the final total came to about RM309.

And when I wore them, I was warned about slight diziness since I was so used to my ageing yellowish lens. Yeah, and then, everything in my life cleared up instantly.

I chose this frame because it was quite comfortable especially
at the back where it sort of hugs near the ears. This way, the
times I am sweating and looked down, they will not fall off


Although the glasses uses these funny strings, I am more
concerned about the red stripes. Ha ha ha ha

This is my old glasses. Not many people noticed the
recently added extra parts

This is my new glasses and I still look hamsap

The CR2430 or how I wasted RM8.00

Today is Friday and tomorrow is Saturday. Since we're a bit busy for the last three days, i did not get the chance to buy the batteries nex needed. And so, by hook or by crook, Friday is the last day before my Boss flies to KK.

So, rushing there is was not a problem until I realised that my intended route could be blocked with cars on the roadside left by those performing Friday Prayers. So, I had to take a shortcut on the shortcut. And when I did arrive, there was more bad news. The company which I usually go to, has now shifted to AmCorp Mall. Yeah, since I did not go there for months, they have escaped from me. Muahahahahah. But that is not all, I had to pay RM5.00 for jsut 10 minutes of parking.

Then, I rushed over to AmCorp Mall and I was stuck in the jam on the way to the parking entrance because of the Lunchtime crowd. So, I had to turn back, see another customer and comeback by four. Which, by this time, the lunchtime crowd would have gone or died from food poisoning. Luckily I knew where they had shifted because they maintained their phone number. Once done, and since there were some time left before I go for another customer, I decided to stop by the Toy Shop again. Luckily they were closed and thus I saved more money. Usually, they do not close during the day unless there is an emergency. And just for that, I had to pay Rm3.00 for more parking.

Take two of these and call me in the morning!
That will be RM10.00, please.

[Update: 16.12.2007: My Boss delayed his trip to KK until next month. Grrr!]

Downlights

Nowadays, with new buildings and renovations, you are faced with two types of false ceiling: plaster or plaster sheets (I am not sure of the terminology for this one). For those who are using plaster ceiling, I noticed that the only type of lighting suitable for them are the round ones called downlights, which usually have flourescent bulbs in them. Depending on where you buy them, these downlights come in a set, which is the fluorescent and the fixture, and the cost could be anywhere from RM28 to a whole lot more.

Recently, there are some new design which has a glass lens at the bottom and you can also choose to have either a gold or brushed metal ring finish instead of the more common white. So, I am going to help source for these lights as we need to move back home soon.

Unfortunately, these energy saving fluorescent lights cannot be dimmed unless we buy the more expensive versions.

This is how it would look when placed on the ceiling. You do not
see the rest of the lights, just the opening at the bottom. This
version has its own starter, etc.

This is the view you would see if you look up the ceiling.
The fluorescent bulbs are different

See the metal clips at the ring? Its used to hold the
silver reflectors in place and if its too loose, then the
reflector would fall off

I do not like this type of fixing as knowing Murphy's Law,
they will fall when you try to change them or use a stick to
poke at. So, I am going to use the screw on types, which is
more common and easier to buy in cases of emergency

What is wrong with this picture?

Anyone knows what is wrong? Anyone?

The road tragedy

It was a sad day for all molluscs. After decades and centuries of evolution, the day has come. All he had to do was to turn the key to open the door and he is free from the cell. With just one mighty leap, he was able to leap to freedom...........



and onto the path of an oncoming car

When octopus meets car

Show me the money!

Aaarrgh! Today's the 13th and my paycheque still haven't cleared since Monday!

You have RM20.02 left, loser.