The baked potatoes

Finally, after weeks of waiting, I got my butt off the chair and tested the oven. And this time, just to keep me interested, Wife decided we should test it with some potatoes which I loved ever since my SIL cooked for me months ago.

And so, we used two potatoes and one sweet potato,
which Wife cut into 27 pieces. Add in the Rosemary
herb, some butter, salt and so on. Then we left it to
baked for 30 minutes at 130ºC.

While letting the over do the baking, Wife made some
sesame seeds for my Furikake. This is the first time I
have ever know that sesame seeds must be "cooked".
I assume they were just deep fried since the Chee
Cheong Fun ones are oily.

Half an hour later, its still not cooked. Then I
realised that the 30 minutes also include the
oven's warming up time. So, we put another
30 minutes, this time at 150ºC.

After some time, the sesame seeds turned almost
golden brown, which means its ready.

And finally, the 27 pieces are out of the oven.
You can smell the Rosemary herbs. It is very
appetising. However, since we did not use a
lot of butter, the 26 pieces came out very dry.

After letting the 24 pieces cool down, they tasted
quite dry and some parts felt raw.
(I though the crunchy parts were cool)

And so, after looking at the 22 pieces again,
they all taste quite nice but not as good as
the ones my SIL did. But still, this is a first
for me. The last time I ever used an oven
was more than 15 years ago.

And so, although it was a bit too dry, the
21 pieces were still edible, which is a good
sign because everyone survived.

Honestly, I think the next time I do this, I am going to use the oven first, then when it is about almost ready, I will put in some cheese slices and then put them all under a grill for a few minutes. Oh, an I am also thinking about a bolognese sauce to flood the whole dish but unfortunately, I not so sure about making it since I am already pushing my luck.

Three cups

While Kristine was playing with some cups, I decided to teach her some tricks. OK, so I know my skills sucks but as long as I can distract her, I think I might be able to wing it.

So, for about 10 minutes, we were playing this game and because she was so easily distracted, she could never get the 50 sen coin. And even if she did, it would turn out to be a 20 sen coin instead.

So, after it was over, I left her at the table while she was trying to figure out the tricks while I laughed and laughed so hard, my Wife thought I was going nuts.

Kristine trying to guess which cup has the
50 sen coin. Of course, while I distract her,
I quickly shift the coin to other cups.

The Red Otak-otak

It was raining the whole day. And I was thankful that I was riding shotgun with my Boss. And haras....... er, visiting all our customers, we decided to stop by for tea. Or early Dinner. Or snack. Or "whatever you want to call it" meal time.

This habit actually stems from when we were in our original company where in the late afternoon, all Sales and Technical staff would "disappear" to the nearest Mamak stall. However, this is one habit which I have broken years ago, thanks to my wallet. And not only that, I find that nowadays, its easier for me to gain weight just like that.

Anyway, this place is quite funny. You have some stalls selling the same thing and I wondered how it would have worked out. There is a system in SS2 or other Chinese places where a drink stall "owns" a particular area or tables and the competitors are not allowed to encroach. But here, its different. Just look at the otak-otak. One stall uses green trays and the other uses yellow trays. And the best thing is, there is no system. In theory, if the stall owner looks good and her otak-otak tastes terrible, all her friends could switch them with the competitor ........ er, scratch that.

Anyway, I took from the yellow and my Boss took from the green. The mamak guy was obviously in league with the green team because he "reminded" my Boss to pay for it. But for me, I could walk away because no one came to ask for money. If they did, I would just say my Boss took from the Green team and paid for it. Moreover, both otak-otak looked the same. Looks like it, tastes like it but its not it.

The only thing that stopped me was guilt. Or I suspect, they might have stuffed a small activated tag just like the ones in a Department Store and when I walked past the sensors..............

The funny thing about this place is that almost
everyone is selling the same thing, which is the
otak-otak and nasi lemak. As soon as we sat
down, one lady put a tray of the otak-otak on
our table. Not to be beaten, a man ran up and
did the same.

And another funny thing is, I took
a packet of warm nasi lemak from
the table near a mamak stall while
my Boss took his "direct" from the
stall behind.

Mine has an egg and costs RM1.00 while my Boss
has to get his own egg. But I am not sure how much
his costs. Yes, both our Nasi Lemak are from the
same stall.

And surprise! Although both otak-otak are from
different stalls, they are the same. Chances are,
they got them from the same supplier and then
cooked them from their own stalls.

Maybe its the rain but the place is almost
packed with a lot of people.

There is not much choice here. This is the
stall which we both got our Nasi Lemak
from and just a few stores further, it was
also selling the same thing. I wondered how
they will all survive doing this.

Weird Dream

I found myself revisiting my old University, walking all over the place. The place has changed a lot and right now, its Summer, but in the late evening. I liked to walk about when I was in the UK because everything is so close that its just literally within walking distance.

And so, while I was walking out, towards the general direction of what I think my friend's house was. And while walking, I walked past a Chinese girl who was coming from the opposite direction. And then she turned around and demanded some money from me. I just walked away but she followed me. And then Horrors of Horrors, I suddenly felt the back of my belt......

My cable tracer tools are gone!

I exclaimed and she was surprised. This time, I got a good look at her and she is actually Korean. So, I walked a few steps further while she stood there surprised. Then I also realised that I left my black Hardigg bag in the middle between her and me and so, I quickly walked back towards here. Sensing that I left something valuable, she also started to go towards the it.

And she grabbed it, saying, "My Won!" while hugging the bonnet of a Green Kia Picanto.

For me, I grabbed my bag and replied, "My Ringgit!"

And I woke up. Not amused but sad because I know I could not go back there at this moment and one day, if I did, none of my friends would be there.

[Actually, she meant to say, "My one!" to lay claim on the car which she thought was mine, so that she could get some money from me. And I should be replying, "Not the car, this (Bag) is mine!". Since she said "Won", as in Korean Currency, I replied the same with "Ringgit".]

The Broom

I am pretty sure I did not let her watch Harry Potter. But maybe, my Mom did, on the Astro. But I suspect, she did not because Kristine did not mention anything about Harry Potter.

So, it must be a natural instinct
to grab a broom when Mommy
is not looking...

And then straddle it between
the legs, like a flying broom.
Yeah, that's it! She said,
"Flying Broom"! Must have
watched some cartoon on that

The Fishes

My parents came back from Pahang and they bought two fighting fishes. Yes, this is the one point in time where a kid gets a pet. And as usual, kid neglects pet and pet dies. Still, I have to make sure they really take care of the fish and not run away.

Kristine and Kaelynn were very excited about
the fishes. But we have to make sure they do
not overfeed with those small food pellets.
Kaelynn was scared and so gave hers to Kristine
to feed instead.

I am not sure what happened but one the way back,
the water turned very dirty.I think its the faeces.

All through the night, the girls kept watching the
fishes and Kristine even showed them her
concert video.

The NERF Element EX-6

Oh my Goodness! The NERF EX-6 is here! Its here! Wahoo! Yeah, baybeh!

But unfortunately, my paycheck's not here. And even with the price tag of RM119.95, its a bit difficult for me to justify this and buy it outright. Of course I can use the money I saved up to do the Star Trek Navigation lights but this will delay my plans. Let me tell you a bit about the EX-6. I am always a sucker for NERF handguns. But its not just any handguns. They have to look the business. First it was the NERF Scout from the N-Strike series. Then it was the Maverick. After that, they came out with the Wii version but I am not so cool with it. And now, the EX-6. This gun was originally from the Diskshot.

And try as I might, I could not get them, even on eBay (for a reasonable price, that is). But now, after more than two years, the EX-6 came out on its own. I am so tempted. Well, let's just wait for some moolah injection first.

So, for that price, you get 12 bullets, two different
scopes and that's it. I like the EX-6 because of its
design and not the firepower or anything. One
day, I am also going to ask some Chinese guys
how much if they can make it in black and what
will be the minimum quantity........... ha ha ha ha!

Kenny Sia has chosen The Daily Grind Bangsar Village as one of his favourite places in Kuala Lumpur. Visit google.com.my/favouriteplaces to see more.

I saw this on my way there. This is so weird.
It looked more like as if he died on this
spot and Google gave him this tombstone.

Building my Notebook PSU part IV

And so, after lunch, I decided to complete my Notebook PSU with the barest of components since there is no point (at the moment) to realise my actual plan of turning into another source of Beng-power.

So I got Kristine to get my working
case over to me. As it was too heavy
for her, Kaelynn decided to help.

Its a very simple setup. I soldered one 5 volt voltage
regulator and one 12volt regulator onto a stripboard.
Then the connectors were next. Then I used some
double-sided tapes to stick the whole thing to the
heatsink. The DST also helps creating an electrical
barrier between the heatsink and the circuit board.
Right now, the connectors for the 5volt is empty as I
do not have any plans to put in the digital meters.

And so, this is how it looks and the PSU is
very cool to the touch. I have to bring this
to the office to test it out too since it was
in the office that the PSU got hot.

There. All done but there is still one thing left to do, which is to create a cover of some sort to prevent fingers from accidentally touching the Live wires.

[Update: 17112009 1054]
The power supply's heatsink is cool to the touch even when I blocked it from the Air-con's path. But somehow, the noise from the twin fans blowing air are starting to annoy me. Maybe I need to put in some rubber feet to further reduce the vibration as well. Moreover, when I switch the PSU off, the load from the fans helps to quickly discharge the capacitors (I think). All in all, its very good but I still need to get a casing since this morning my Boss nearly killed himself looking at the PSU.

Saturday Lunch

With almost everyone in the house away, there were only the four of us and so, my Wife decided to cook a special lunch; Seafood Spaghetti. Normally, in this house, there are only two types of spaghetti served; Bolognese or Fried. (My plain spaghetti with the crunchy prawn chili sauce does not count.)

While my Wife was cooking, the girls decided
to have a cup of yoghurt drink; their style.

Yep, they're using the syringe which was meant
for delivering medication into their mouths. It
was fun at first but if I let them go on, there'll
be a lot of yoghurt drinks on the floor.

Ah, lunch is ready! This is the normal seafood
spaghetti for the girls. Apart from the huge
servings of la-la, each girls have two pieces of
their favourite seafood: prawns

Kristine showing the la-la which escaped

As for Kaelynn, as usual, she just eat her food
and worry about other things later.

For the both of us, Wife cooked the Tom Yam seafood
version which is quite nice. She did not add any chili
nor other flavourings. I wanted some rice but there
wasn't any because trust me, the sauce goes well
with a plate of hot steamy white rice.

Kids are ingenious

While eating with Grandpa, Kristine
used her imagination to get to the
proper height at the table. Usually
she needs a second chair for this.
But we did not realise what she did
until Grandpa told her to sit
"properly".

Real men don't emote

I gave my 90 days,
And he sat dazed

You could see his face,
He's broken in every place.

We faced, in the cold silent tomb,
Which no one wants to be there.

And Real Men don't emote. They just sat and stare.

In the fidgeting quiet,
We forced ourselves to chat.

He knows the Good Times are up,
And reveals our broken rice cup.

Shook my hand, he said, "Thanks."
I told him why, he understands.

Real Men don't emote. We carry on with the Route.

T'is a sinking plank but I helped it float.
We can go so far, but its no boat.

We are sad and he's speechless. But not mad.
Shook my hand once more, and says, "Thank You for your time."

"First time I felt your hands." as we still shook,
"Its rough, for we toiled like men.", I choked.

Real Men don't emote, even if he lost Hope.

We sighed and sighed,
Lots to say, but my mouth is dry.

Finally, his tooth aches he wants to go.
So do I but I feel so low.

Leaving the Captain, lost in the Horizon,
I looked back, with pain and emotion.

Because Real Men don't emote, we parted silently.

And let's be hush-hush to confuse the wolves
I was your pillar, now I am your Achilles Heel.

I want to run. I want come back.
But its not April 1. Its my Career or my two Kids.

I want to cry, I can't let go.
I want to apologise, but I must be bold.

Alas, I am not one as Real Men don't emote.

Taylor Swift's Love Story

My Wife was asking for this song a few months back because she heard on the radio and loved it. I listened to it as only noticed the banjo part in the beginning. After getting it for her, I just forgot all about it until last week when my Nokia 5800 randomly played the song. After I listened to it, it was just Ok, most probably another girly song.

But then, because of the nice banjo part, I listened to it again and again, almost everyday. And then, it clicked somewhere in my head. This is a damn good song! The lyrics are simple but very powerful:


We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes
And the flashback starts
I'm standing there
On a balcony of summer air


See the lights,
See the party, the ball gowns
I see you make your way through the crowd
You say hello
Little did I know

That you were Romeo you were throwing pebbles
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you please don't go, and I said:

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story baby just say yes

So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet cause we're dead if they know
So close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while

Cause you were Romeo I was a scarlet letter
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
But you were everything to me
I was begging you please don't go and I said:

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story baby just say yes

Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real,
Don't be afraid
We'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story baby just say yes, oh,

I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town I said:

Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you but you never come
Is this in my head, I don't know what to think
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring

And said:

Marry me Juliet you'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad go pick out a white dress
It's a love story baby just say yes

Oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Cause we were both young when I first saw you

And I loved the part, "I talked to your dad go pick out a white dress". In just that few words, the meaning were so powerful. The more I listened, the more my Imagination ran wild, creating my own version of the music video and I actually shed some tears when it came to that part.

Wow.

The Mysterious Metal DB Box

After so many years in this line, its not easy to be surprised anymore. But today, at the a customer's place, I was stumped. This was because after laying an Earth cable, my technician could not get a proper reading from the meter. (I asked him to do this otherwise he would not have done it. He would just pack up his stuff and go off). And so, the next day, I dropped by to see that the problem was.

This is very strange. There IS voltage
on the metal DB Boxes.

I am not sure what is on the other side
of the wall bit what I got here was 25
volts DC. And if everything is correct,
there should not be any voltage at all,
AC or DC.

Finally, after taking the boxes out, I discovered that
the voltage came from the screws, just like my Boss
said. Its a very long screw and after replacing it with
a shorter screw, the problem went away but there
is still some trace voltage.

And we might have top shift the two boxes an inch
to the left or right since these plastic wallplugs are
impossible to remove.

Funnily enough, at the same time, one of the customer's line was out and so, we had to lay a new cable for them. And then, we were faced with another mystery. The line has a nice tone when we tested it at the bottom floor. And it was the same at the customer's floor. But once we punch the line in, the quality went out of the window. After much testing, we could not find any problem until the last cable connection to the system via the metal DB Box. Once we nailed the problem, everything was OK. And so was the mysterioys voltage! But I cannot discount this due to coincidence as the voltage did come from the screws. My only though would be that some device was not switched on at this time when we went to measure the voltage.

I hate follow ups

To be honest, sometimes I am very disappointed with my techs. When I leave them alone to do their job, I expect them to complete it properly. However, for the past few months (and years), I felt as if they have regressed to their former "tidak apa" state. In other words, we have to tell them what to do and they will do it. And we would not know if the job is done unless we ask them on the next morning instead of them informing us on the spot.

And the worse of all, was the latest case where I accidentally discovered their incompetence. I mean, when I send them to do their job, I expect them to use their brains and wit to get the job done PROPERLY and not through short cuts. I was so mad that I sent them back all the way to Seremban to do it again, with me in tow. Its a waste of petrol and resources.

And so, they just lay a sub-standard cable from
the mains, wrapped it over the power supply
and covered it with tape. Then the just hid it
on top of the roof.

And so, now, I insist they use
proper cabling and a proper
mains faceplate for the power
supply up there.

Meanwhile, I decided to inspect a camera which they
(inspected it a few weeks ago) say it has some moisture.
The could not take it back for checking since the CCTV
unit was important in that area.

And so, I used my CCTV Tester MKII to help
check the unit.

Opening the rear revealed the circuit board for the
unit's power. Note the nut at the cover of the unit.
If it rains, this camera will be totally soaked inside.

And removing the power board, I found that they
have stuffed a packet of silica inside to combat
moisture. This is a very good idea.
This is also a good time to you that I have opened
the wrong end of the CCTV camera.

Anyway, once I got top the right end, I
discovered where the problem lies.

The unit was alright. It was the glass which
was fogged up at both ends. After a quick
clean, the camera was OK again.

Since I was hungry as we rushed out of the office,
I decided to eat in the van where we packed some
Nasi Lemak on the way to Seremban.

After the quick lunch, I felt better and before
putting it back, I re-focus the camera so that
the image is better. Here, all you have to do
is to loosen the screw (yellow) so that you can
adjust the camera lens.

This is the image before the servicing
Note the time, which is 14:23 yesterday

After cleaning the lens and re-focus of the camera.

Here, this is the other camera, which is also
affected by the same problem. And its also
about two in the afternoon, which means
there was a lot of sunlight.

And after servicing and re-focusing...... tada!