b3@N Thinking ALOUD > > >

Bulldog On The Loose

2009-06-16T09:54:00.002+08:00

Who let out the BULLDOG?

The moment he appears, everyone get stress. The way he talks, the way he looks at you and the way he moves. Yes, he is BULLDOG!

Who wants to whack this BULLDOG? Who wants to bite this BULLDOG?

I have bitten this BULLDOG a few weeks back. I almost vomited. so yucky!

Now who's gonna catch this BULLDOG? And tame him?????

HP Desktop.......

2009-06-06T23:21:00.002+08:00

Hey, I have to get a HP desktop for my dau.

Why? She has a notebook already!

Well.....
She fried her Toshiba harddisk and motherboard. Super. The repair will take a while. In the meantime, she started eyeing my Acer.....

The moment she looked at it, my harddisk also gone bonkers. What a pair of eyes she has.

While waiting for her Toshiba to be repaired, I have to get another notebook for her as she needed it for her school projects.

I got her an Asus for temporary use.

Know what? She fried the Asus harddisk too. Oh my!!!!

Luckily by that time, her Toshiba is back after repair. Whew!!!!

Here is how I got her a HP desktop. Hopefully not as easy to fry as the notebooks.

My wallet is getting lighter by the days.... sigh!

Hey, My Right Thumb Tingles.....

2009-06-05T22:04:00.002+08:00

Yes, you read right. It tingles and it is not a good thing.

I started to have the tingling sensation on my right thumb a few weeks back. Thought it was just the occasional blood flow problem. It turned out that this is serious. The thumb tingles and my arm started to have this dull pain.... and feeling weak. What the "tooot"!!!!!

I finally made time from work to go see the doctor, have x-ray taken. Gee, the doctor said I have cervical Scoliosis and spondylosis, whatever. It is a condition where your vertebra bones are not straight but slightly curved. Mine curved towards the right so this side is pinching the nerves if I keep my head at a certain position.

I have to experiment a bit to understand how the tingling sensation happen.

I was given a month's supply of medication to help improve the condition.

Now the bad news. If things get worse or not showing any sign of improvement after one month, the only option so far is to go for operation to remove parts of the bones to relieve the pressure on the nerves.

I do not like to go under the knife but do I have a choice. Permanent nerve damage which can happen over time may cause partial or full paralysis of the affected arm. Now that is scary. And it is my right arm.

When the time comes, I may go for second opinion. Until then, just have to do my exercise to strengthen the muscles on my neck and with the help on the medication, hope for the best.

Hey, my typing speed will be halved if my right fingers are not working. Shucks!

Maybe someone can help type for me.

a jOB fAR aWAY

2009-06-04T00:05:00.001+08:00

I should just consider myself lucky to secure a job in Johor, after having moved here around mid-December 2008. A lot of people will be losing jobs soon and in the future as long as the economy is continuing to be in bad shape.

Well, I did not expect any until I received a call asking me if I was interested to join this company doing some project work at Teluk Ramunia. It is Oil & Gas related, so I said why not, if not to see if I can last as long as the project.

Now, you may have wondered about the ‘can last as long as the project’!

Well, this worksite is about 2 long hours drive away from JB. Yes, I should have stayed there and only come back to JB every weekend. The thing is that the place is super duper boring. It is a very laid back kind of place, a fishing village, supposed to be famous for its king prawns. Wait till you see the giant prawn. I will try to get a picture of it so remember to come back to this site.

Any one interested to take over?

Strange Strange Call

2008-11-20T18:16:00.003+08:00

Few days ago, I received a phone call from Najib. Not the DPM, possibly an officer working in an employment agency. I am not an important person.

Anyway, he called and asked me if I am interested in securing a job in JB. He mentioned a few companies where the job may be suitable.

He told me he will send me an SMS to enable me to send my resume to him through his email address.

It's strange that he called as I have put up that ad, God knows where, many many years back. Now when I am about to go over to JB, this Najib called, out of the blue. Strange indeed!

Should I respond?

New Toy #2 Part 3

2008-11-20T17:48:00.005+08:00

Lazy to blog so no new posts since so long ago. Anyway, as promised, an update on my new toy, the Toyota Hilux High Lift. Enjoy the pix.

Front Angle Shot

Side Shot

Front Shot

Back Shot

Front Differential - Look at the details

Looking into the wheel arch - detailed shocks, leaf spring etc

Experienced sleepless nights to assemble this 1/10th scale model. Getting the tiny pieces and assembling them was a real headache but worth every second.

The finished, fully assembled model is a sight to behold.

Mind you. You need good eyesight to assemble this. If your eyesight is so so, then should one tiny screw drops, you will have a whale of a time looking for it. Possibly you will attempt to feel for it by sliding your hand across the floor.

If you do not like to assemble it yourself, you can always ask the guy at the shop to do it for you, for a small fee, of course. Nothing is free in this world, except air. Polluted air I suppose is free.

New Toy #2 - Part 2

2008-11-04T00:21:00.002+08:00

I am currently assembling this kit by myself and I just love the details on the kit. Here is the model that will eventually turn out. Hope it is the same or better. huhu!!

My New Toy - Part 3

2008-11-03T22:52:00.007+08:00

Ah, here are the pix of my new toy. Don't be jealous!!!!!

Pretty Wild? 4-Wheel Drive and 4-Wheel Steering. Wish I can own one like that. I mean a real one!!!!

New Toy #2

2008-11-02T23:40:00.002+08:00

Ha ha! While going around R/C Car Hobby shops, I came across another R/C Toyota Land Cruiser kit . It was a pickup model. Wow, it looked nice and very realistic and it's a Tamiya.

Guess what happen next?

I bought it. $$$ draining off, but no regrets. It may be a collector's item in the future and may be worth more than what I have paid for it.

Well, just another item to add to my collection. I guess I have to be more determined not to part with my Vitamin M next time. Hmmm, wonder if I have the will power!!!!!

No pix as this is a kit, not assembled yet.

My Road Trip Back To Cat City (Kuching)

2008-11-01T23:39:00.002+08:00

I am now writing this piece after having survived the road trip from Miri to Kuching. You may be wondering, 'What is the big deal?'.

Well, It took me about 11 hours total to drive from Miri to Kuching on our so called Special highway. My daughter and I started from Miri at 5.00am. Yes, 5.00am. A nice time to sleep and continuing my dream. I actually woke up around 4.00am.

We arrived at Kuching at 4.00pm after a very very late lunch (3.00pm) at Serian, one of the smaller towns about 45 minutes from Kuching City. Wish I have taken a picture but I am sure you can find some pictures of the place on the net. Just do a search.

Yeah, a long and tiring journey as I did not get enough sleep the night before. I slept around midnight to 1.00am.

My ADVICE! So if you decide to make any long road trip, ensure you have enough sleep, else you may doze off while at the wheel. If you doze off while driving, especially when you are taking a bend, you ........ I leave that second part to your imagination. I am sure you will be thinking what I am thinking.

My New Toy - Cont'd Part 2

2008-11-01T23:30:00.002+08:00

Hey, I felt disappointed I could not get my new toy on Wednesday as promised by the shop owner. Anyway, I finally received it on Friday, whew, just in time before I leave Miri on 1st Nov 2008.

I took a few pictures but did not have the time to upload to my blog. I will do it after I am more r less 'settled' down in Kuching. More about that later.

Stay tuned!

My New Toy

2008-10-27T23:36:00.004+08:00

I have been eyeing a big boy 'toy' at a shop a week back but could not touch or see close-up as it was being assembled at another place. Shop owner asked me to come back in a few days.

Today, I made the trip to that shop hoping to see the finished product.

Wow, I was impressed with the details but still not fully completed.

The shop owner recommended I upgraded a few key components of the 'toy' to ensure I do not regret later. I agreed and he gave me a quote.

OMG, the figure is insane, man!!!!

Nevertheless, I agreed to get it from him. As he is still waiting for a component for the upgrade, I was asked to come back in a couple of days.

Damned, I have to pay a deposit!

Well, I will continue in my subsequent post and maybe a pix or 2 of my new 'toy'.

My Farewell Dinner on 25.10.2008 - Finally

2008-10-27T21:11:00.020+08:00

Wow, I finally hosted my farewell dinner as planned, for my ex-colleagues, friends and family members from Brunei. After a month of planning and deciding on the venue last minute really wore me out. The reason I had to wait till a week before the dinner as I needed the feedback from those I have invited, especially from my Muslim friends. If they confirmed not going for my dinner, then I would have chosen a Chinese restaurant.

I have also arranged a surprise for my honoured guests which I will reveal later.

Come 25th October 2008, I went down early as I was the host. After most of them have arrived and it was already around 7.30pm, I asked to have the dinner served. Sorry I did not take any pix on the dishes which were recommended by one of the staff.

Charlie's Angels?

One for the Album

Entertaining themselves

Tummies getting full

About half an hour into the dinner, time for my surprise!!!

I have engaged a magician to perform during my dinner as I did not want it to be just another dinner. When the magician started the music, all eyes were glued towards the magician who introduced himself. The show was an eye opener for my guests as it was unexpected. The magician performed well and won applause from my guests as well as others who happened to be at the restaurant. Even the restaurant staff was pleasantly surprised.

Above pix showing the magician in action, entertaining my guests

We continued our dinner after the performance.

We finished dinner around 9.30pm and my guests started to leave, with their tummies filled with good food.

My daughter in the middle, rubbing the magic off the magician

I am sure this dinner will be a memorable one to them.

Farewell, my friends!

1st October 2008

2008-10-04T14:02:00.005+08:00

The day came and went quietly for me. Hey! It's Hari Raya Day 1. Selamat Hari Raya to all my Muslim friends, colleagues and acquaintances. A big day for those celebrating this special occasion. The young ones and those young at heart, even not so young at heart will look forward to this celebration.

Yes, I heard the firework bombs in the neighbourhood but not as bad as during Chinese New Year. My ears hurt, my nose sucking in those polluted air that time. I remembered in the early days, they did not let off firecrackers or shooting star fireworks. They merely played with these sparklers and sometimes these loud booms from bamboo (nowadays steel - for safety reasons?) cannons.

When I went around the place, it's pretty quiet too. Guess everyone avoids visiting and giving away those hard earned cash. It has become a tradition to give 'Green' Paus during this time. Must admit I did see some houses full of visitors though but far in between.

With cost of living going through the roof, everyone is extra careful to spend unnecessarily. The future so uncertain.

Anyway, wondering if any Muslim can comment/refresh our memories on how this celebration came about in the first place. It will be interesting I guess. Later, later, when my postings go 'public'.

Again, Selamat Hari Raya!!!

My Last Day - 30th September 2008

2008-09-30T21:16:00.005+08:00

Yes, today is my last day at work. Being a Maintenance Planner has its ups and downs. More downs though. The day was uneventful as most of my colleagues are taking leaving or have taken leave so the office is a little on the quiet side.

I have to work till the last half hour as I needed to follow up on a few stuff before handing them over to my colleague. Its a relief when it's done and I can go back home, Home Sweet Home.

Tomorrow will be a new beginning of another phase of my short life. Then again, ...........

Postings For ......

2008-09-28T21:46:00.004+08:00

For the moment, I will keep the postings to myself. I don't think anyone will pop in here to view anyway. Better enjoy the peace where I just write what is on my mind and also my so called 'adventures'.

It's a kind of diary for me.

Maybe later I will expose myself to the world. Not now. People will fall asleep reading my postings anyway. Boring, boring, boring!!!!!

Not very creative today cos maybe I am a bit tired after my trip to Brunei earlier on.

Forgotten to take pix of my trip. Boring me!

Uneventful Trip to Brunei

2008-09-28T21:26:00.002+08:00

Woke up a bit late cos bones were lazy in getting up. Woke up my dau. She had lazy bones too. Maybe due to late nights.

Anyway, after having our breakfast, we zoomed to Bandar Seri begawan, the capital city of Brunei. The place is pretty clean but a bore.

We reached there around 11am and we went for our lunch at one of the malls after picking up 2 of my nieces from my brother's place. My daughter would be staying for the next one week. She told me she wanted to go there for the Raya 'Green' paus (Green Envelope). Money face!!!

I left them at one of the malls before I zoomed down to Miri.

It was a boring trip to me. Wish she can drive!

b3@N Thinking ALOUD - My Very First!

2008-09-27T06:33:00.001+08:00

Hey, I am a blogger, finally am one.

A million and one thanks to REANACLAIRE of Ipoh who has been encouraging me to post my thoughts, my views, my whatevers for all to see and share.

I am here to share what I have experienced and hope to receive positive or negative comments. As long as the comments are sincere and constructive, I don't see why I should be discouraged.

Afterall, I am here to stay, in this cyber space.

I hope to blog till I am in my 90s...... Am I asking too much?