It really has been a while, a long while......

 Hey, I am back.....for now...

Life has been good, considering that I am still breathing, falling from my bed, been through some medical issues though now under control. I consider that as good. Nothing to complain about.

Well, as in my earlier post on ehailing. Well, I have been doing it since late 2017 until now, from a novice struggling with addresses, GPS, and others and to being quite a proffesional driver.

Its not easy to get started on this ehailing journey as, that time, due to uncertain and unknown government policies on ehailing. I have to go through a lot to start driving strangers in and around JB.

I applied to drive for Grab, one of the leading operators at that time. Uber was still around too.The process was considered painless. After everything done, I went for my first trip after accepting a booking, with fare of RM3, considered a good fare at that time. It was a fairly short trip. I had problem reaching the pickup point with GPS. I just lose my sense of direction. Finally I managed to locate my first lady passenger. I apologised for the delay and she told me she would be late for work.

I sent her to her work place at Sutera Mall and upon reaching, I apologised again and told her she need not pay. I will not be losing much, basically with a 20% commission at that fare

I considered that a good experience and I slowly learned the tricks of the trade.

After a few months, the government had decided to introduce laws and regulation to manage this new ehailing service.

First, I need to get my medical assessment done. This is to ensure I meet all requirement to drive strangers from Point A to Point B or even C, D and E.

Then I need to go for training on the ins and outs of ferrying the public in a private car.That, fortunately only took about 6 hours, after which we had to go through a written test.

Uh Oh, the the test was all in official BM. Conversational BM is still ok but not official BM.

Long story short, I did not get through in my first written test. Not discouraged, I went for my second test some weeks later. I did not pull through, this time a bit discouraged.

After my third try, I went home, tired and drained of energy and waiting for the training centre to inform me on the results. I did not have high hopes and prepared to take another test.

After taking a bath, I took a nap to rest my tired body and maybe its soul too.

"Lou Kung, lou kung",  my significant half woke me up excitedly. I force opened my eyes.....

End of Chapter One!

Its late and I have not taken my evening bath yet...so bye for now....

 Well, I am back to Look See Look See.... Bye

Look See

I am coming back here to look see, look see, then poof....again 😆😆😆

Grab Uber

Grab or Uber or both.

Been thinking about ferrying total strangers from Point A to Point B and from Point C to Point D etc etc.... 

The idea has been planted in my grey cells for weeks now since my significant half mentioned it some time back and now seriously considering this route to supplement whatever income we make, though the numbers, especially my numbers are nothing to shout about, or rather to whisper about.

Is it worth it? Yes, considering that cost of living is ever rising and never falling....

Now, for the car to be used. It has to be less than 7 years but now the government wants the cars to be 5 years and below. It is for safety, they said. Hey, what about the wobbling and ready to fall apart taxis. Should they be subjected to these rules too? After all, it is about safety for the passengers. There should not be 2 different rules when it comes to safety, right?

New or used cars? That is the next question that comes to mind.

We went to a few dealers and distributors for Proton and Perodua where you can find the cheaper cars, if not the cheapest in Malaysia.

Proton Ertiga, Proton Exora, Perodua Myvi, Perodua Alza, Perodua Bezza. Now which one can serve the purpose for Grab and Uber as well as for our own use?

Tests after tests on the various models and my mind was not made up yet. It's a tough job, a brain wracking one, but someone had to do it. Obviously it had to be Yours Truly!

The last two models I considered boils down to Perodua Myvi and Perodua Alza. Now which one is suitable and practical? Myvi has a small boot which may not be suitable for those total strangers who have more luggage than we can stuff into the smallish boot. Alza is a 7-seater but will become a 5-seater with a "boot" big enough to carry those luggage.

That thought made me make another trip to the nearby Perodua centre to have the final look and feel to see which one was more practical for personal and e-hailing use. I asked the Sales Advisor for me to have another look at the Alza Advance model. It was red. Looks good. The leather seats felt good too and it came with all the bells and whistles too. The blackish purple one also looked nice.

While I was there asking about the Alza, a Singaporean overheard our conversation and quickly approached me, whispered to me, that he was selling his very new Alza Advance, also red in colour. Wow, what a coincidence! He whispered that we could discuss later as the Sales Advisor led me to take a look at the red Alza Advance at the back of the building. The SA explained all the good points of the model, blah blah blah..... while my mind was on what the Singaporean told me..... about his red Alza Advance.

After telling the SA that I would be discussing with my significant half, we parted ways. 

I approached the Singaporean, who was still hanging around for me, who later introduced himself as Barry. His wife was with him. He showed me the car and its condition. I asked him how much is he going to part with it. RM55k, 10k discount from the price of a new one. Hmm..... Then he told me we can discuss further, away from Perodua centre. I agreed.

We met up at a nearby place, at the roadside under the shades of the trees there, near to a petrol station and I had a closer look at the car again. He further explained the extras he had installed, which included extra key fob, curtain, alarm activated side mirror retraction, door visors etc etc which I estimated is worth an extra RM1.5k to 2k or even more. The car clocked about 1000k+ on the odometer and that was why he was at Perodua for its first service. The general car condition look fine except for some minor scratches at the ignition key area where he or his other half might have been struggling to locate and insert the key into the ignition switch in the dark.

"I will discuss with my significant half", said I. I will let you know later. We parted ways.

I started to whatsapp my significant half to discuss on this rare find and the price offered. It seems like a good deal but we are not going to pay as asked. We agreed to counter offer RM50k to start the real negotiation process.

We would meet later at the place and time to be agreed.

That is all for now.

Update 11th August 2017 - I managed to submit the car loan application to RHB Permas Jaya Mr. Ong, a super nice and helpful guy. The seller will also settle his part on the Car sale consent form and submission of his personal document. Everything going smoothly so far.

Time flies

Yeah, time really flies, maybe at supersonic speed. I have been off this circuit for quite a while. Facebook took over my life and blogging was temporary shelved and got stored in my dusty cupboard.

There was so much dust when I opened that cupboard this morning.

Maybe I will write something on a scam attempt on me that happened recently in another post. I still need to get warmed up to do the post. Back to Facebook till then.....

 bye...

Tingling Arm ..... and Thumb.....

Found this draft blog post on 26/07/2017. Please note this post was supposed to be posted years ago but somehow left in KIV for that period. I am fine now and not having that tingling feeling.

Aiyoh! Is age catching up with me, maybe overtaking me?

A few weeks back, my right thumb started to have tingling sensation and sometimes my right arm will feel weak or rather have that weird weak feeling. Hey, maybe something serious is happening to this aged body of mine. Most probably I have abused it too much.

About a week or so back, I went to the Specialist Hospital to have my arm and thumb checked out.

Sh.....t!!!! the cause? my neck vertebras are curved slightly thus pinching the nerves leading to my right arm. That explains the tingling sensation and weak arm symptoms.

I was given some medication and exercise I need to do for the next few weeks. The doctor warned me that should the medication and exercise do not work, then I may have to go for surgery to correct the condition. Ouch! it is going to be painful!

To relieve the pressure on the nerves, some parts of the bones need to be removed so they will not pinch the nerves whenever I hold my head in a certain position.

Drat! Should I go that route? The doctor also warned me that permanent damage to the nerves may mean my arm will be lifeless if the condition gets worse over the years.

Think. Think. It's my right arm, my useful arm. drat!

For now, I can control the tingling sensation whenever it comes by doing some neck movements. The question is still, should I go for surgery. There is an element of risk for operations like this. A mistake means I will be a vege for life. The possibility is always there. What will happen when the surgeon sneezes while he is happily chipping off some bits and pieces of the bones. What if he cut too deep. What if..... so many what ifs...

Maybe I am overreacting here... anyway, we will see....

Living Life Simple

How do we live a simple life? What is a simple life in this age and time? Do I have to forgo certain "luxuries" in life to be in the "simple" category?

I just cannot imagine living too simple a life without some of the "luxuries" of the modern world.

Can I live without my Mobile? 

I feel disconnected.... Nooooo

Can I live without the TV?

I feel isolated..... Nooooo

Can I live without the Broadband?

Same as No. One.... Noooooo

Can I live without airconditioning?

Maybe..... Nooooooooo

I am leaving Water and Electricity out on purpose.

Money is the root of all evil$.... but I cannot live without it. Your DONATION i$ mo$t welcomed! Read the small print! .............

 Remarks: If you cannot read the small print, you are lucky, and you do not have to part with your $$$$$$.

Have you been Productive?

Half a year is gone. How do you fare in the first half of 2013? If you are progressing in your career or business, good for you. If you are stagnating for the last 6 months, SIGH! and for those who fear the worst for what is to come in the second half of 2013, ARGHHHHHH.

I am in the third category. ARGHHHHHH!

Simple Car Maintenance for the Novice

I am sure most of you have owned or driven a car. Most family will have not just one or 2 cars but more. Main concerns are the maintenance costs over the lifetime of your pride and joy besides the fuel costs. Well, you cannot have the luxury of owning a car without costs. Costs can be from a miserly few Ringgit to thousands of Ringgit. Do you want to avoid those high costs? Of course you do, right?

Have you heard of this, "A Stitch in Time saves Nine"? I am not talking about sewing this time. It basically means, taking action now (low cost) so you do not have to face a bigger problem (high cost) later. This applies to car maintenance. Now, the question you may ask is, "What can I do?". Well, you can do your small part and in return, your wallet will not be lightened significantly in the future.

Car wear and tear happen over a period of time, sometimes a long period of time. You may not notice it as time passes as you may tend to get use of the feel or sound over a period as the deterioration is normally very very gradual and incremental in a way. If you have an ear for trouble, then you will notice even the slightest change in behavior or feel of the car. To minimise these from manifesting themselves earlier than usual or progressing into a serious enough stage, there are some things you can do.

The following are the basics, even for the ladies and mechanically inclined novices.

- The tyre pressures and tyre wear, and do not forget the spare wheel in the boot (you do not want to end up with a flat spare tyre)

- Looking at the Water Temperature gauge

- Looking at the Oil Pressure light

- Looking at the Brake Wear light

- Looking at the Engine system light (for Fuel Injection cars)

- car handling / behavior when driving 
- the Turn signal indicators

NOTE: I omitted the fuel gauge on purpose. You will know what will definitely happen if you ignore that... hahahaha

Getting a bit messier.... in the car engine compartment.....

- Engine oil level

- Coolant level

- Brake fluid level

- Auto Transmission fluid level

- Fan belts conditions

- Battery Electrolyte level for normal batteries. Some sealed batteries do have the caps hidden.

- Windscreen washer water level

If I have left out some of the basics out, do scream out. Afterall, we learn together.

Some of these basics are taught at the Driving Schools so you may be familiar. But then, do you do it so that it becomes a habit or you just leave it to the mechanics? Practice makes perfect as the saying goes.

If you do not pay enough attention to some of the above, you will notice that the car may handle in a erratic way as you start or drive the car. The worst case scenario is that the car will just stall, in the middle of the road or at the traffic lights or may wander into the drains or the adjacent opposite road. You take your pick.

I will go into more details in subsequent postings on what to do for the listed as well as what to do when things happen.

Keep your fingers crossed! Now where are my fingers?

HAZE 2013

Oh No! Time of the year to inhale these air borne particulates in our already overly polluted lungs.

The haze this year has hit an all time high, breaching the 300 PSI in Singapore recently. Since Singapore is just next door to Johor Bahru, I am pretty sure the level is similar in some areas.

Picture showing the haze in JB

This is of course not the right time to go jogging, hiking, cycling and exercising in the open. Do it at your own risks. I also pity those who will be exposed to this health hazard in their own homes, especially the young and elderly ones.

Electricity consumption is going to hit an all time high for most household, not just to avoid the high temperatures we are facing but also from the haze. How lucky you are if you are working in the air-conditioned offices, thus avoiding most of the hazard of inhaling these pollutants.

Now the big question that lingers on my mind, when this happens (and it happens like clockwork every year), what do our government do when it happens. Talk? Discussion with the neighbor? Inform the public on the PSI levels? What more can be done? 

How is that the government cannot solve this annual problems with our neighbour after all these years? Where is the ASEAN spirit? Low cost agriculture resulting in high medical costs for the rest in the neighboring region? Furthermore, some if not all of our own Malaysian or Singaporean companies may be the culprits. Is there any way the governments get involve and solve these problems once and for all. Our health is at risk here. Many of our industrial and service sectors are affected, e.g. tourism, agriculture, construction etc etc plus the health costs to the country and individuals, not just Ringgit and sens.

Do not just talk! NATO. Action speaks louder than words. Do something concrete! 

Now, do we have to face this in 2014?