Terrible dream again

I went boozing with my highschool buddy after my little David went to bed. As usual, it was our time to rant and talk cocks. We left two hours later after four rounds of beer.
I woke up with pounding head and a terrible dream this morning. After few liters of water down the throat, I feel a little better now. Of course, tylenol or panadol will kill the hangover instantly but I don't want to become a habit to do it whenever I have this hangover thinggy.
Whatabout my terrible dream? It was quite terrible and it involved me and one of my closest friends. My friend kept asking why I was avoiding her. I tried to run away but she hold on to me and refused to let go.
I find the dream disturbing. My inner self is probably telling me that I have to resolve it, or else it will keep on haunting me. Maybe I should give her a call and get this settled once and for all.

Air Itam Dam

I went to the Air Itam Dam after my little David and his mom took their afternoon siesta. It was a drizzling day. I thought I would be the only one there sinc it started to rain. I was wrong. The car park at the dam was almost full!! I found myself lucky for finding a spot to stop there.
It was a nice walk. The surrounding was so peaceful and romantic. It would be an excellent spot to walk with loved ones, sharing thoughts and holding hands enjoying the view(not what you think lah pervert!). Funny though, it was the first time I visited this dam on foot. I am quite familiar with the dam since it is a gateway to the farmer trails that we use for our mountain biking activities.

Actually I was there to geocache. There are two caches. I found one but I failed to find another. Check the logs at geocaching.com and found that others also couldn't be able to find the one that I didn't manage to locate. But I did find a lot of pitcher plants at the spot! They are pretty, are they not?
Piece of advice for those who want to try this geochaching thinggy: wear hiking shoes. You will find them useful since they have wider footing and suitable for climbing over slippery surfaces. I got mine at Carrefour. For RM20.00 a pair they are sure worth every single sens I spend on.
Hmm, next week Penang State Park maybe???

The Company

It pisses me off when I try to secure a big project for the company, and the rest of the team refuses to change just because it's new. The mindset has to be changed if the company wants to survive. They always criticise me for showing lack of interetest of the stuff they are doing.
I am not saying Chinaman way of approach is the wrong way. If this is not the right way of doing business, the company will not survive for this long. But they must realize that time has changed. People have different approaches. The customers are smarter and better educated. They are no longer Ah Beng or Ah Seng who knows nothing but just spend money. I am quite overwhelmed by their lack of knowledge of what market trend is and how other competitors survive in this cut throat business. Don't they really care? Don't tell me that they need a newbie like me to tell them what should and what shouldn't.
The mindset has to change. I have tried for the past four years and told them countless times. Yet they're keep on making the same old mistakes.
Tired? You bet I am. It's hopeless. If they don't wake up. I don't see the chance for the company to survive.

That mapping thinggy again

I am still in the office preparing the next set of catalog.

I just checked the mapping forum not long ago. Things becomes more intesting and exciting in this free mapping for Garmin GPS units thinggy. Recently we managed to get topo maps ready for Garmin set. Of course, they are not as detailed as what surveyors are using. But they are good for us ourdoor enthusiast to walk around in the jungle. For me, it makes my recce easier since I could visualize the profile of the trail and also to judge if we were on the right track. I am still learning how to use my GPS unit. It is a useful tool. Some might say it's just a toy. It depends how you see it though.
Anyway, it's 11.30pm now. Think I'd better log off and hit the sack.
Just one night only, and I already miss my son. Hmm...

Bukit Gambier

I went up to Bukit Gambier yesterday. The traffic on the way to the trail head was expected to be heavy. But I did not except there were so many people coming for the ride that day. I could see that most of them were not regulars. Infact you can say that they are newbies. A bunch of yuppies who just drop their hard earned cash on a human powered two wheeler that can be as expensive as a Perodua Kanchil. I was the first one who arrived at the trail head. While setting up my trusty VooDoo, I noticed there was a guy sitting in his car apparently waiting for someone. 15 minutes later the whole came in. Which flashy bikes on their cars. Compare to their bikes and cars, mines were simply not worth to talk about! We exchanged few pleasentries and showed my ooh and aah about their cars and bikes(of course inside my mind I said something else!) and ahem, enjoyed a view of curves and well laid contours...;)
It turned out they were friends of my friend when my friend showed up. I didn't waste any time since I saw that they would spend aother 10 minutes or so to fix up their bikes.
So I was on the peak 30 minutes later. Saw other regulars and had few chat about car mods and yes, place the log book into the cache that I set up few days. So far, no one seems to visit the cache yet. I hope in the next few weeks or so I should see someone come and find it!
What happen to the newbies? As usual lah. All the huffs and puffs and complains about how tough it was. I started first and I was tailing them from behind since I ws going for a longer detour. I could imagine their responses when I overtook them on a bike that look very much like a cheap 200 ringgit two wheel rig used by Bangla!

Into zen mode again

Just had a word with sis. She just came back from meeting a kitchen cabinet's customer. Apparently this customer is a mistress of so and so, and she is quite popular in Penang high fly society.

It makes me wonder. If I am not mistaken, she's quite highly educated and doesn't look like an airhead at all. Maybe she wants to take an easy way out by hooking herself to someone who is rich and probably influential.

I don't know. From what my sis decribed, I don't like her already. She maybe a stunner with a brain. But she degrades herself by taking an easy way out. Call me jealuous if you will, I strongly believe that one cannot call himself a human being if he forgoes his pride and principle. A person without pride and principle is just an animal who can think. That's all.

Ok, where is my VooDoo Erzulie againn? Hmm, need a new pair of tires already!

A coincidence?

I don't know whether it is a coincidence or what. After my little David was born, all the sudden I heard friends of mine are having their babies too. The interesting thing is they all have daughters. Lucky dude. By the time he's 18 he's gonna be spoilt of choice!
Just received a picture of my long time friend's daughter, who is currently staying in Singapore. We met few days ago when he was in Penang visiting his parents. Of course, we exchanged ideas about how to take of our little creations. It seems so strange that two big fellas, who used to listen to Punk Rock musics and adored wierdos like Marilyn, Boy George, Steve Strange, Ultravox, Gary Numan and other punk rockers now talks to each other about what baby formulas should use and where to get the best price! I don't know about him. But for me, that whould be unimagineable 3 years ago!
Oh yeah, we both agree that Enfapro and Enfagrow in Malaysia are the cheapest in the region...;)
Don't laugh. Unless you don't intend to get married or have baby, your turn will come!

Giant ant and Scorpion

I saw these things during my last ride at Bukit Gambier. They are quite fascinating, don't you think? But be careful though. Their stings are quite painful and can be deadly if you are allergic to their venoms. Of course, I was not that stupid enought o fool around with that scorpion. It was about 6 inches long and was crawling towards us. I saw it first. My riding partner was very excited to see it too. Hmm, what is it called in Cantonese again? "Shan Har"? Which mean mountain prawn or mountain shrimp if I translate it literally. Well, it sure looks like crayfish or lobster to me!
Woke up this morning afreash and thought I would have a great day today. Half an hour later I had a big fight with the old lady. What a good way to start my day!

Oh yeah, my ride. You can go to this link to view the rest of the pictures.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=oc6i5yj.3f0wwmib&x=1&y=-6568m9

Bukit Gasing Educational-Recreational Forest

I asked my friend in KL about it and tried to find if I could mountain bike there. From the look of the trail on the map, it sure looks like a nice place to thrash around. Well, he told me to forget about it since it is basically a hiking trail. So no luck then.
There is an article about it on today's Star. Hmm, a nice place to hike and mouth watering thosais huh? Maybe next time when I visit KL again I'll pay it a visit then.

The article: Of jungle walks and mouth-watering thosais


Speaking of thosais, did I tell you before that I was quite fascinating by brown skin chics, be they Indians, Malays, Pakistanis, Polyneseans, Thais or Indochinese ? No? Trust me, under those sarees, loose fitting dresses, tudung/veil are leggy, well proportion body. Man, how can they be so perfect? And their complexion! It rivals the best Greek sculpture that you have ever seen! The eyes, the eye browses, the nose and the juicy lips. Man, just imagine that lips. They can virtually suck you dry...;) But one thing, once they've caught their male preys(ahem), they will start swell like balloon. That I don't understand. Some say because of the diet. Hmm...gene maybe???

The Hungry Ghost Festival

The traffic was unbelieveably light when I came to office this morning. Today is the 15th day of the Seventh Lunar Month according to Chinese Lunar Calender, which is also the Hungry Ghost Festival.
I don't feel good after I receive an SMS from my wife. I sometimes wonder if it really worth it for staying put for the sake of little David just because I feel that I have the responsibility to provide him a complete family. It is a sad thing to see what happen between me and her now after I fight for so many years(15 years to be exact) to get her accepted by my family. My heart bleeds whenever I think about it.

Geocaching, Hummer, Cheetah

I just placed a cache at the peak of Bukit Gambier trail yesterday. Eventhough it was still hazy, I succumbed to my urge to ride yesterday and went for it.Geocaching is very popular in the States and countries in the western. But it is not here. Maybe it is because of the availability and the price of GPS here that makes it difficult to be famous. There are still followers. Most who are into this are normally what we call geeks. Well a cache has been placed in Bukit Gambier and posted the announcement at Geocaching. I'll see how often it will be visited.

I read with interest about the discussion of Hummer at the Malsing map forum. I wonder if they know before Hummer there was a Cheetah? This machine was made by Lamborghini and was only for the riches and famouses. Infact, one has to be super rich to own one! I was thrilled by it when I first saw the miniature model of this monster. Since then, it has become my dream machine. My later search for it also revealed that it was developed to bid for a contract to supply the next generation of military vehicle in US. Of course it was won by the now famous Hummer. No matter what, it is still my dream machine. Both Hummer and Cheetah are ugly. They don't mean to be pretty in any sense. But I like them. They have character. They are just like my kind of woman; they don't have to be drop dead gorgeous but they must have character. It will be nice if they were drop dead gorgeous. Life is always like that. You can't have both, character and beauty. You hafta pick one. Come back to this Cheetah and Hummer thinggies. Just imagine sitting in one of these machines and listen to the roar of the V8 or V12 engines. Wow! Of course, don't expect them to be a chic magnet. Yeah like I care!

Info about Cheetah and Hummer:
Cheetah: http://www.lamborghiniregistry.com/LM002/
Hummer: http://www.hummer.com/

Pixia

I have been scanning pictures of new office chairs into my pc since this morning. Man, due to staring at the screen for too long, my eyes hurt like hell. I was just done converting them to the format I wanted. I hope I will be able to get the final touch up done tonight.
Oh yeah the software I am using is called Pixia, a freeware alternative to commercial wares like Photoshop. If you are looking for a freeware that does the same magic as Photoshop, give Pixia a try.
Just in case if you wonder, the Haze is still bugging the sky of Penang. I took a peep at the sky just now, the view of Bukit Mertajam hill was totally blocked. I've got no choice but to cancel my routine bike ride today, again...:(

Geocaching, anyone?

Never thought that there are caches in Penang. So I decided to try it yesterday. Found the one in Greenhill, a popular hiking spot in Island grades. It was the second time I visited this hiking spot.
It took me about 20 minutes to reach to the peak. Along the way I saw few hikers going up or coming down. It was probably due to the haze and also the time. It was getting late. I started my hike at around 6pm.
It didn't take me long to find the cache. It was an easy one though it requires some efforts to climb the hill. Anyway, great hike and good one if you consider that this is my first time doing geocaching.
Info about Geochaching: http://www.geocaching.com/

It is not popular yet in Malaysia. Maybe because of the cost incurred. The price of typical Garmin GPS in Malaysia is normally twice of what GPS users pay for in the US of A. But it is catching up. We have a bunch of lucky ones who got their hands on GPS, and there are few caches in Penang, waiting to be discovered by others. Funny though, when I asked those I know about where they get their GPS units, none of them got it from local vendors. That really tell something, ain't it?

It's Monday, and I feel like shit. Monday blue huh?

Haze in Penang

Picture taken this morning

Picture taken on 12 August 2005

It's getting worsen this morning. If you look at the picture posted, you'll be surprise how serious it is now. Checked with DOE's API index page does not help to understand the seriousness since data posted is one day late. I think I will have to stay at home tommorow instead of my plan to do go hiking at Mt. Erskine. Called my wife asking her to stay at home or wear mask if she plans to go out.
Malaysia DOE API: http://www.jas.sains.my/jas/API+12-8-05.htm

Haze hits Penang!

I thought the weather was good when I woke up this morning. It was raining early this morning. The haze should not be a problem here. I was wrong. It became hazy at around 2pm, and now it's getting worse. I was thinking of going out for a spin. But I realized that Bukit Mertajam far away was a blurry view, I changed my mind!

More on haze in Penang: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/8/12/nation/20050812163641&sec=nation

Songs

Lately I have been listening to WBLI online radio. You know what, they keep on playing Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" day and night! It must be a great hit on Long island, or else they would not play it all day. It is a sad song. It's talking about someone dumps her loved one and regrets later.
Then, Kelly Clarkson's "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and Gwen Stefani's "Cool".

Arghhh! I hate it when thoses songs keep on playing in my mind! Where's my Hole's CD???

Think I'd better switch to WLIR before I become soft like jelly like them!

Bukit Gambier

This is the tea kiosk at the peak of the Bukit Gambier Hiking trail. Three weeks after I came back from Ipoh Fellowship ride, I decided to go back to my routine biking activity. Yesterday saw me suffered up to the peak on my VooDoo rigid. Along the way I met few fellow bikers whom I made acquitance of during ne of the mountain bikers' gathering. We had a small chat at the peak and afterwards I decided to call it day when the time hit 7pm.
Oh yeah, land has been cleared at the begining of the trail. A sign shows that the owner has decied to develop it. It's sad to see that another trail is making way to the so-called development and progress. This trail may not be lasted very long!
There was a small incidence in Tesco when I went there to shop for Little David's stuffs. My key stuck in the keyhole of the trunk when I tried to unlock it. Man was it a frustrating moment! I tried franticly to get it out, and at the same time called my sis and my friend for help. Thanks alot guys for being so helpful. My sis just back home and my mom was not around since she was the one who got hold of my spare key. That friend I called went unanswered. At first I didn't want to bother my wife as she was busy at her shop that time. Giving no choice I gave her a tinker and asked her to get me a locksmith. Guess what, the security guard showed up after I hung up. What a good timing! So I asked him for a favor to look after my car and I ran to the locksmith in Tesco to get help. He came down with me to my car and just a turn only he pulled the key out. Man, I was speechless when I saw it. It was so easy for him to get it out. I felt so dumb. Anyway, he's a pro! The locksmith was good hearted enough for not charging me. I thanked the security guard and quickly rush to see my kid as it was about time for him to go to bed! Mental note: next time don't use key to open the trunk!

Long Island Radio Station

I have never thought this station, WDRE of Long Island, NY would come back alive. It stopped transmission two years ago due to sagging rating. Anyhow, I am glad to find out they finally revive this great alternative rock radio station.
It was my favorite radio when I attended colleges in Long Island. It played nothing but New Waves and Modern Rock, which are my kind of music. It still does. For more info, WLIR.
Other Radio Stations I listen to most:
WQXR
WBLI

History of long island radio stations:
http://www.wackradio.com/lirhistory/

Bukit Mertajam

I was thinking of going to my routine ride at Bukit Gambier after work today. But after I bought network card for my antiquete pc and got it installed, little did I know that by the time I was done with the installation and some updates for anti-virus programs and the OS I am using, it was already pass 6.30pm. Time flies, isn't it? Anyway, I can go tommorow so it's no big deal.
Ah yes, the picture. That's the view of the hill we always see whenever we are in Bukit Mertajam or BM as what the town is called by locals and the regular vistors. The town is called "Da Shang jiao" in Mandarin, "Tua Shua Ka" in Teochew and Hokkien or Fujian or Fukkienese or "Tai Shan Kyok" in Cantonese. No matter how it is called in Mandarin or Chinese dialect, it means under the foothill of big hill/mountain. It puzzles me why it is called like that. Anyhow it makes sense since the town locates exactly at the foothill of this Bukit Mertajam. So this hill is called Bukit Mertajam. I am still trying to find out. But it should be.
I remember when I was a kid, I always heard horrible stories about people in BM and it seems to me that it was famous at the wrong reason, like drug smuggling, illegal liquor, triad activities etc. Just name the few. People just said bad things about others who suddenly became rich overnight or in a very short period of time like he was a drug pusher or a pimp to explain why he/she became rich at very young age. It maybe true in some cases but I believe the majority of the town here aren't that bad.
Anyway, got my pc solved. Now it's time for me to get my laptop overhauled.
Speaking of which, thanks to this I screwed up my Penang map update. Now I've got no choice but to rework on it again. Man, another sleepless nights again!

My kid

Gertak Sanggul

View from the plateau of Gertak Sanggul trail. Nice, isn't it? I always like to ride in Gertak Sanggul. It is really a scenic ride. The trail runs through rubber estate and durian orchard. During the fruiting season, you can see the estate owner busy tending their archard and at the same collecting ripen fruits from the ground to be sent to nearby market. This trail also connects Pulau Betong and Gertak Sanggul. Gertak Sanggul and Pulau Betong made to the headline last year when they were the places that faced the hardest hit from tsunami. But if you visit these places right now, they are almost back to normal now.
I also took some pictures during the ride. If you would like to take a peep at those too, here it is: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=oc6i5yj.371ko7yr&x=1&y=-d0xzyg

Enjoy!

TV Smith's Dua Sen

This is a fun site. If you were looking for a website that gives you an alternate view on issues in Malaysia, give it a try!

The url: http://www.mycen.com.my/duasen/

Dash Mount For my GPS unit

It is actually a cellphone dash mount. I saw it one day when I was in Tesco getting baby formula and diapers for little David. After seeing the stuff for weeks(!), I decided to bite the bullet and get one myself. It is a snug fit for my GPS. The thick side is just enough for my GPS to slot in.
Of course, there are mounts specially made for GPS. One of the best is called RAM mount, which claims to be made in US of A. Price? USD99 per piece. It is a matter of personal preference. Some like to get the actual genuine thinggy. Some like to compromise by spending less on alternatives. For me, RM9.50 vs RM380 is a great saving. I can spend the remaining RM370.50 on other things like buying toys for my kid or taking my loved one to a nice dinner.
Well, it's Saturday now. I am still in the office doing nothing other than trying to figure out how to promote my stuffs to my buyers. Sometimes I wonder if it is really worthy for me to spend time on this that already screw my financial status. I already get my hands dirty. I will have to get it done. Of course, I definitely switch to other thing once I am done with it since furniture is not my cup of tea. I am more into high tech stuffs if you bother to ask. You know, something that relates to Aerospace engineering, like, cartography or how to build a rocket engine?? Yeah I know. Dream on! Hey, everybody have dream, right???

The map again

Tested out the map I created with topo lines in Penang by driving around Coastal Highway and places where roads are running accross the hill. No problem with refresh rate on screen. It's probably because it is a non-routeable map. I am now cracking my head to compile it to become a routable map, which requires me to roll up my sleeves and immerge myself into the instruction codes!

Oh yeah, I came back from a visit from a rattan furniture supplier. A humble guy in his 30s. We had a good chat, and I learned quite something about rattan furniture from him. I already have the brochure of his products. Right now I would have to think about how am I going to promote his products.

Oh boy, another midnight burning session!

The latest development of the GPS map of Penang

If you visit the map/sing map forum right now, you can see that the members are excited about the latest thinggy on the map: adding topo lines. We all are very excited. I actually found out about it before it was discussed in the forum. But too bad, the OS I am using in my pc is not good enough for the software used to create this topo line. So I KIV the plan and hopefully one day I can do so with more updated OS.
One of the mappers is already get his map compiled and to be released for download soon. I too have managed to paste the lines into the map and get the person who works with me to get it compiled. Of course, we still need to do house keeping on the lines since there are few lines that lie in the places that are not supposed to be.
The problem I am facing right now is to get the topo map from JUPEM to compare the accuracy. Friend of mine tried to get it. Their reply: maps from the northern region are restricted. Oh well, I'll see what I can do lah...:)

The land planarian

Remember two weeks ago I asked if anyone knew what was it? Finally someone answered. Thanks to him, he pointed me to the website that talks about this creature. It's called land planarian and some kind of flat worm. Also, it's a worm eater! Interested? check it out at http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/misc/land_planarians.htm

Nasi Lemak, My kid and his mom

This picture was taken when we were on our way to meet my mom at Ratu Mutiara, Tanjung Bunga. He has been looking for opportunity to climb that ladder of the ferry. Anyway, here it is. The most recent picture of my little devil.
So, what has it got to do with nasi lemak? Naah, it's just I ate it for breakfast this morning, that's all...;) I have been a great fan of nasi kandar since I left school and worked. I always find myself craved for it every morning, and I started heard about rumors that they put poppy seed into their curry so that their patrons would come back for more since they would be addicted to this additional flavor. Well, it is true poppy seeds are one of the spice ingredients that make curry so tasty. At one time the MB up there were making lots of huha about that. But after some experts stood out and defended the practice of this adding poppy seed thinggy it was quiet again. Sometimes I wonder if those YB were so busy that they didn't have time to find facts first before they make any comment.
Lately I have discovered any good stuff that rivals Nasi Kandar. Yup, it's nasi lemak! I can have almost the same stuff with less money! Nasi Lemak, Sambal, peanuts, tibung, eggs and beef for half the price I would pay for nasi kandar. They taste better too! Definitely a savior for me since I am now on my own and don't work for corporate world anymore!

Nasi Lemak anyone???

My close friend

A friend of mine who was in my bad bad dream called me last night. Though she sounded happy over the telephone, I sensed something's going on. We have not been getting in touch as often now since she met her Prince Charming few weeks back. I felt like it would not be appropriate for me to get closer to her as she currently engaged.
We did not talk much. I had to cut short our conversation since I forwarded my Maxis number to my Digi one, and there wasn't a good reception for DiGi in my office.
I do hope she's alright.

New blog from the Tan family

Just got a reply from my youngest brother that he too has set up his own blog! Call it a brother pressure if you will. But I think with the advent of electronic technology and faster connection to the internet, posting updates of our daily lives seems to be a good idea after all. Of course, as long as we keep our blogs to a close circle of friends and kins. Well, I intend to keep it that way since this is the place that I will share my thoughts about my friends and my life!
I have been on lap top since I screwed up the OS that runs my desktop last week. I have been pain stakingly backing up import files, i.e., my work on GPS maps, email archives, Open office document templates etc since yesterday. I hope I will be able to get it done soon since most of my e-mail contacts are in that pc!

Bad bad dream

I had a very bad dream about someone, who is close to me. It's about her relationship turning sour. It makes me worry since if I could wake up remember the details, it means it is happening now, or it will happen very soon.

Anyway, lets hope it is just a bad dream, and it won't happen!