Light layout design for SS draft 1 & ramblings about choosing

Let's see if GF plaster board can proceed. Then we can use downlight designs for a brighter living room as draft below.

Keep the other rooms standard 1x cool white LED + 1x warm LED. Betting on developer's original layout should be sufficient despite what the reno contractor recommends as alternative overlapping LED placements on more points using weaker watt lights.

Below is shopping list for round 2 trip, hopefully last trip to the lighting shop.

A friend's hubby who is eletrical guy as his main job advises to go for 840 type LED, which is 4000 (K) warmth which is more gentler to our eyes. Try not to go for 830 LED , 3000 (K) as its more yellow.

830 = warm white, 840 = day light.

Quick googling for LED color temperature chart probably can help here.

LED light price scale with its Watt output. My take should be it's the intensity or how strong the light is. So if bigger space can opt for more lights or pick at least 18W to 25W LED. Those downlight type comes with it's driver part, so any damage happen to it we just replace the whole unit.

Another cheaper type is the downlight cone type. We screw normal E27 LED bulbs or incandescent bulbs if you feeling so old school to the holder. Bulb got blowed out, you buy new bulb any DIY replace yourself like a boss, easy as how kiddos replace caps of their coke bottle. The downside is it looks very old fashioned, else i would practically go for this type.

Oh right, the shopping list, below is the draft if everything goes according to plan.

6 pc from Car porch, gate lamp and staircase area.- need to snap photo for actual location of staircase again.

20 pcs from Balconies, bathrooms and bedrooms

11 pcs from kitchen area, living room, prayer table, store room and utility room.


Below are some idea for tiles grabbed from pinterest.

Balcony idea 1 - same size, different shade of colors

Kitchen /utility room idea 1 - 4 colors group into diamond shaped arrangnment. 2x white, 1x grey, 1x black.

Kitchen wall idea 2-  mosaic effect.

Kitchen idea 3- abit tricky since already have existing lower part such as above and need match. If wrongly match, the atmosphere it projects is kind of uh...toiletry? Current lower portion of tiles is a 1x1 feet light orange/beige color. So am thinking to go with subway/brick style laying for tile of similar shade color but maybe larger pieces.

Check how many LED lights your room/house need & my thoughts on renovation's choice

Got different feedback from contractor saying that the original developer's layout or placement of wired power point is insufficient. He suggest to for example in bedroom place 4 LED points to have sufficient light...

Maybe this is dependent on taste, requirement for use and what we intend to do with the rooms. E.g. reading, sleeping , relaxing etc......Living room most likely we can treat it as a showroom; have extra LED lights to eliminate shadows and give stronger light ambience.

Then there is also a choice of warm light (yellow, quite dark) , cool white (soft but white) and bright white (strong white light, but not necessarily highly luminescent than cool white) . This is input we get when we visited Puchong's Houses of Lighting , famous shopping place for cheap lightings.

Anyway, back to the topic; a little surf with Mr G reveals there is probably some scientific backings to how much light we need and formulas..hmm interesting if I have time to ponder about it. Not the right time at the moment..as im losing sleep trying to archive all my current thoughts now.

Link for reference here.

I took a sample of our bedroom, 14 ft x 16 ft x 10ft as in width x length x height.
Seems like depending on the design we want, we have quite some option. So not true that a bedroom of this type of size needs at least 4x 18W LED downlights.

We sort of decided against getting a hood. Seems quite useless in 3-5 years time, in addition to it's crusted oil debris on the hood steel linings that can contaminate your cooking over time. There is also maintenance for baffle type filter hood which is about min once in 2 weeks of heavy cooking. The cost of getting a hood seems more like will be put in better use if a) we install a 10' exhaust fan b) after 5 years we repaint the ceiling. Only worry i have is whether the build in cabinets will survive the test over time. That will remain to be answered by then i guess.

For sink, we are looking for at least 0.8 mm thickness type, probably narrow down to Cabana and HCE. One other requirement we need is the basket type filter that comes along with the drain. Undermount type is more thick and expensive apparently.

Tile - remains unexplored. Guocera is probably the brand of choice until we pay a visit to Super Ceramics.

Hob - narrowed down to Rubine, RGH-PEPPER2B-BL. Price wise economical, have safety valve, cast iron , aeshetic value with 6mm tempered black glass. Lowyat post have one guy commented that better get at shop since it will include cap and hose i suppose for hood and no additional delivery charge.
Another surf around the net, cast iron seems like is preferred for its sturdy build, lasting and non stick characteristics. However, its heavy , hard to clean , tend to rust if requirements permitted it and retains heat (well useless since we talking bout stand here, not cookery). One remark i heard is , cast iron is heavier, which helps it stabilize better for pan/pot balancing, not sure if this is true though.

from lazada, any thoughts about this? gimme a holler yo.

So much to do, yet so little time. Feels like racing uphill against current if this laments even make sense at all now..

Suki-Ya Shabu Shabu @Mytown Cheras shopping mall

Was introduced to my colleagues to this shabu shabu steamboat buffet restaurant @ Paradigm previously. This time we visited Mytown and IKEA Cheras to buy some curtain rails & also got there early for baby E to play at Ikea's Smaland play area. (foc of course haha). Come lunch time, we proceed to Mytown Level 2 which is also at same floor as Arashi Shabu Shabu. Not sure how good is Arashi , maybe next time can try out.

GPS location: 3.1350649,101.7124423

Parking of course is at carpark, which totals up to RM2.22 for our visit of plus minus 4 hours. I got the discount chop scan for my touch n go from the Ikea's cashier counter when making payment.

Here is the setup. Choose 2 base - we took kimuchi , a slightly spicy kimchi soup like base and shabu shabu which is basically a clear stock. Vinegar & the sweet spicy sauce is given as the condiments by default and each pax get to choose either lamb, chicken or beef slice - the main shabu shabu treat.

According to wiki, the Japs actually use uncooked egg as one of the dips. Take a slice of your meat, dip into the boiling soup until it turns and quickly take out and dip slightly into the raw egg and eat. Well, im not really that adventurous, so go into very classic steamboat style dip until it turn, wait a while to make sure everything's cooked and dip into the provided sweet spicy sauce or vinegar if i feel like it.

Vinegar on left , the sweet spicy sauce on right.

Here is a closer look at the pot before things get pretty steamy and soup is boiling. The veges and meatballs are all buffet style on the counter, feel free to grab as much as you can stomach. There is also a small sushi corner with ready made sushis for your consumption. The other side of the buffet counter is the soft serve green tea, chocolate or mixed of both ice cream machine.

We ordered chicken and lamb. Don't take beef so didn't try out. Chicken is pretty normal, lamb is nice and we are not limited only these 2x2 trays stacked together, order at will and fill yourselves silly.

I'm thinking this is pretty good treat after a long day burning carbs like a half day gardening, or hiking etc..then refill back your depleted energies through a sumptuous shabu shabu meal. like this one Pretty darn nice.

After all the things consumed, there is always rooms for a cup of ice cream to seal the meal. It's free for baby E and price per pax is ~RM35 , additional RM2 for weekend dining. The meal totals up on damage of ~RM81 including 10% tax and 6% service charge.

Not too bad given the unlimited ordering and veges/meatballs we can take from the counter.

Minor Reno - DIY Wall mount Fan Installation

Got a broken wall mount fan at my condo unit. Was looking around Old Klang Road and can't seem to find alot of electrical shops instead so many air cond only or car air con shop and tons of foodie shops. OKR ppl loves their air-con eh?

Anyway, I went back to Yat Sin Electrical @ Taman United which is pretty much 5 min away from the condo and they don't do installation service as what they told on my last visit there. So i came prepared with my tools and a ladder.

KDK wall mount fan

Bought the KDK wall mount which is their cheapest, and at one hardware shop brought one block of wire connectors. This type of fan has a power plug like those normal electrical devices used in kitchen, so need to DIY a little, cut off the power plug since my original wall mount is direct wired not via a plug.

Cost:
KDK wall mount fan : RM170
Wire connector block : RM1.50

Wire connector

Let's get started. Unpack, check everything is there.

The wall mount hook is not needed , just reuse existing mount already screwed to wall. Cut off the power plug.

Strip the cables of fan, make sure to switch off house power breaker.
Connect the wires together via the connector block.
Green to green, brown to brown and blue to blue. (brown/blue = neutral/live), can use the same AC power detector pen to test out whether the current supply is running before turning off the breaker.

Before visiting the fan shop, I actually tested that the cables are carrying current to ensure that my power supply lines are fine, and that the old fan unit is damaged.

From fan unit side.

From power supply outlet side.

Once connected, test out the fan unit before assembling the rest of the stuff. Back cover first, the round holder to keep it in place, then fan blades and its black holder. Finally the front cover, fit it in with a snap and secure by closing the plastic latch.

Minor Reno- Solid wood door cost

Another cost of wear and tear. One of the rooms door is broken, actually long overdue but this time the tenant managed to tear down the door. When they left, and i came back to inspect they managed to place the door back and it easily fall off upon touch.

After asking around and checking online, finally head over to Seng Kong Door nearby @ Jalan Puchong Batu 6. They don't do service for plywood door which is only RM78+. Meaning no transport delivery available as well. Installation is by their partner contractors sifu @ RM60. But with no delivery service it doesn't help at all.

End up need to go for solid door, which they can provide transport and since the installer is available today , i took up the deal offered.

Cost:

Solid wood door -cheapest quality  @ RM200
Transport cost @ RM30
Lock @ RM25
3x Hinge @ RM15
+GST of ~ RM16

Summary:

Adding up above material & transport damage is RM286.

Installation cost RM65 (paid him extra RM5 as he is pretty professional)

'Work pass/toll' cost RM30  - explained below.

Total damage is RM381. 

Now here is the unexpected part. Condo units i know they usually require paperwork for major reno. Went down to check with guard since Seng Kong shop guy called and ask whether they are allowed to work today. First guy said its fine since I'm owner.

When the transporter arrived, 2nd Indian guard appeared and said no. First dude is nowhere in sight now. Need paperwork and refused to let the lorry in. He had to drop the door at guard house and bring the door up to my unit, luckily not too far. Next the predictable issues follows when the installer arrives. He was not allowed to enter and work, again same guard causing issues. I came down and told him that it's only one door, still reluctant to budge saying he is doing his work only etc..

After some moments arguing, i asked him how we can settle this outside of management and he demanded RM50. Pretty outrageous, i refused and told him its too much. He replied that he has 4 guards to split to. This goes on for a while. I'm not going to send the installer home without getting anything done today. Eventually he settled for RM30 and asked me to drop it behind the guard house.

Not much i can do at the spur of moment, as i dont' have time to fool around with this bugger. So had to pay the RM30 'toll' fees from the security that we paid their salary for via management fees. Now for the post scenario thoughts, i will need to take some time and try to figure out how to take action. This is plain daylight robbery!

We as owners of the condo units being blackmailed and harassed by the guards entrusted to safe keep the residential.. There will be a retribution chapter soon, of that i can be quite sure of to make it happen with proper planning.

Not meaning to be racist but the transporter and installer both also commented that this kind of extortion happens everywhere in their daily work life when it's Indian guards others are okay, Chinese, Malay, Pakistani, Nepal or Bangladeshi.. That's pretty low and pariah man.

Anyway, today i get to accomplish all my objectives in a day.

7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey

Nice sharing below;

1. Be proactive - ok, they suck. but that doesn't help me
2. Begin with the end mind
3. Put first things first
4. Think win-win
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the saw

My Beloved Mum

This day revealed to me that she still care. Although i didn't say in details, but her reply surprised and touched me deeply. Without hesitation she provide. It's been years since i thought shedon't care anymore. But her words today, that i'm still herson and it is alright. These words are so strong. I will remember it for the rest of my life. Deeply touched till i burst into tears gradually as she pat me on my back and reminded me to come to her if i'm in deep shit- something that i have  not done for a really long time in my life so far. I've been staying out and away from home for years now and she reckon that it's tough for me which i admitted in between uncontrollable sobs, as life has given me a hell of a bitching time recently. Something that makes me keep wondering how long can i keep this going before i collapse. Thank you, i've probably whispered this quietly but would like to keep this post here and dedicate this song to all the awesome mums out there.

is this the end2?

this one today also, not really what i applied. very interesting position available, and the dude says i have most of the requirement. hopefully this one can be it?

EMx  is a government linked company under education field.

Is this the end?

This one is not applied by me lately, but one year ago. Got called for interview, and the hiring guy wanted to make it this week. So here I go today.

Good omen in the morning? Great pull in a while. Chow pls show me the light?

I can't see the light at the end already nowadays, in a very dangerous situation, which is losing passion in what I do.

Well who doesn't? A rape victim sure is unwilling yea..or can the so called victim of circumstances be passionate about what they are forced into?

What I feel after the 1.5 hr session... everything seems pretty ok. I forgot to ask one pretty important question, how this vacancy comes about. Anyway, it's another leap of faith, if fate allows it.


#update: looks like i got a VIP session ahead even of Jobstreet post. It pops up in my inbox this morning, same company same position @@ guess some waiting needs to be done.

#update2: now i know why its been quiet. coincidentally i went to a customer's farewell dinner. he took a job there, the gap i hope i can fill in. damn, the rival is too strong. what to do. at least i figured out more or less what happened.

Finding purpose in life - shared by ck5453

Again, a good article re-shared by ck5453. Relevant to me now, kind of know what i wanted but need some luck here and there, and a little push of fate to get to that.

1. Follow Your Heart Not Your Head

You may feel unfulfilled or unhappy if you are currently stuck doing a job that your heart just isn’t in. It’s likely that you spend a lot of time at work, so dragging yourself out of bed to do something that you don’t enjoy every day can feel like a real chore.

Your heart is your strongest indicator of your true purpose and passion. So ask yourself what it is that you’re really interested in and love doing. Landing a job in something that you’re passionate about and that excites you will mean you are naturally more joyful and motivated to perform to your full potential. If you’re unsure exactly what your calling is, a great place to start is to ask people close to you for their opinion.

It can be difficult and overwhelming to pinpoint our skills and qualities when we look at ourselves, but others can easily pick up on things that they notice. Be careful not to go in a specific direction purely down to what others think of you, but take note of what your friends and family believe that you’re good at, and use that as a starting point.

2. Make Memories Over Money

Many people live to work, when really we should all work to live. So it’s important that we don’t forget to do the living! Set time aside so that you’re able to do things for yourself, rather than focusing all of your efforts on your job. Get up early on your days off, so you can get out there and do you.

Ask yourself, what are the things that you really need to experience or accomplish before you die? Is there anything that you would hugely regret not doing before you die? If these questions do provoke answers, then gather them all together into a ‘bucket list’ or a to-do list, and make sure you do them! It may be that you want to travel a part of the world you’ve always dreamt of going, see your favourite artist in concert, climb a mountain, or run a marathon.

You may want to pick up a new hobby or learn a new skill, go scuba diving or skiing, or face your fears by going bungee jumping, cliff jumping, rock climbing or skydiving. You might want to go stargazing high up in the mountains, see the northern lights, trek through the amazon rain forest, or raft the Grand Canyon. The point is, if you don’t do all of these things while you can, then sooner or later it will be too late.

3. Build Relationships Over Possessions

You could have the latest smartphone, the flashiest car, the biggest mansion, and 10 holiday homes in the most exotic destinations, but unless you have family and friends to share them with, you will still end up being lonely and unhappy. You will live a far happier life if you invest time into building and maintaining relationships with your loved ones.

Stop watching so much TV, or allowing yourself to become consumed by social media, and focus on the real people in front of you. Always make time for those you care about, put your family first and forgive and forget. Although quality is sometimes better than quantity when it comes to friendship, you should make a substantial effort to nurture the relationships you currently have and always make rooms for new ones.

Many people believe that their purpose in life is to raise a family, and this could be something you want to do in order to fulfil your life. It could be that this doesn’t feel like an option for you, for example if you haven’t found the right life partner to have a family with yet, or it could be for medical reasons.

Instead of giving up if this is your dream, there are other options such as IVF treatment or you may choose to foster a child. Of course it could be that you simply don’t want children at all, in which case you will have a different life experience.

4. Don’t Forget to Give Back

Although it’s important to take from life what you can in order to try and fulfil it, it’s essential that you remember to give back too. Investing in yourself and your future to ensure all areas of your life are successful is key, but one of the best ways to seek happiness is actually through your service to others.

Perform kind deeds without expecting anything in return, and the rest will follow. You could think about letting others know how much they mean to you, by sending a letter or a text to one of your friends or family members. You could donate unwanted clothes or food to a homeless shelter, or buy a homeless person in the street a warm cup of tea or a meal.

You might want to volunteer at a charity, whether it’s walking the dogs at your local shelter, mentoring vulnerable children or reading to older people in care homes. You could also look at ways to fundraise for your favourite charity, be it a cake sale, a jumble sale, a sponsored walk or bag packing at your local supermarket.

Once you start to give back, you’ll feel a sense of achievement, knowing that you have helped others and made a difference which will make you feel valued and give you a purpose.

Source: https://addicted2success.com/life/4-things-you-can-do-to-help-you-find-a-purpose-in-life/

Beyond -hoi guo tin kong

Credit to whyqueue's original post here. Legendary song with much meaning for everyone. tag it here for myself.

hai kuo tian kong (cantonese pronounciation)

Hai Kuo Tian Kong
Beyond

kam tin ngo hon yeh lui hon syuit piew ko
(today,in a cold night, i see snow dropping)
y tziok lang kap liew tek sam wo piew yuen fong
(carrying a lonely soul travelling far away)
fung yue lui chui kon mou lui fan pat cheng yeng tzong
(running in the storm, cannot different shadow in the mist)
tin hong hoi fut lei yue ngo, ho wui pin
(sky and wide ocean, just me and u,it may change)


tho siew chi,ying chiok lang ngan yue tzau siew
(a few times, face with cold look and laughter)
chong mut yau fong hei ko sam zhong tek lei siong
(but never give up dream/hope in the heart)
yat sat na fong fatt yiok yau so sat tek kam kok
(suddenly feel like something missing)
pat tzi pat kok yi pin tam sam lui ngoi
(didnt realize the love has faded)


yuen leong ngo tze yat sang pat kei fong chung ngoi tzi yau
(forgive me this whole life never let go (love) freedom)
ya wui pa yau yat tin wui tit tou
(also scared that will fall one day)
bui hei liew lei seong sui yan tow ho yi
(ignoring the dreams everybody also can)
na wui pa yau yat tien tzi nei kong ngo
(but never scared that one day there will b only u and me)


ying yin tzi yau tzi ngo
(still going strong by myself)
weng yuen kou chiong ngo ko tzau pin cin lei
(will sing my song forever run across a thousand miles)

ATS Curry House Nasi Kandar Stall @ Kelana Jaya

It's good Friday, but no holiday here in Malaysia. Youngsters in group decided this place that's known for its mutton curry.

GPS location: 3.099204,101.6249611

Do a search via googlemap for PJ area ATS Curry..can't share map via mobile.

(updated below)

 The crowd tells me that it's pretty popular with locals at least. Serving is pretty fast. Just queue up wait till you reach the food counter, choose either briyani or white rice. Then by default the staff will give you taught cooked with yellow ginger. You get a choice of either fried fish, fried chicken and curry mutton.

Obviously went with mutton since this is what it's famous for. The portion served is pretty good. First taste of the curry reminds me of the same goodness of Mr Farrukh's stall back at PFS canteen. (Oops, he is one of our canteen legendary Nasi Kandar seller, retired just recently). Taste of curry is good, decently spiciness level and mutton is tender with no hint of milky taste nor any chewiness. No need hard chewing to be done, tender mutton meat is good. Thumbs up. But it's a made up stall so cleanliness and comfort level is to be expected - depends on weather.

 Goody food. Can fall asleep after lunch

 One of buddy's special ordered mutton. Nice, his order of this dish, drinks and rice with vegetables , egg and fried chicken costs about RM3x. Ouch..

A closer look at my order.

RM14 for the white rice, mutton, vegetable and fried egg. RM2 for the teh o ais limau.

Bye bye Streamyx, Hello Webe broadband

For TLDR scroll all the way to bottom.

About 2 months back, if my memory serves me right we got mail (yes actual real mail) from TM announcing discontinuation of all Streamyx broadband service from Nov17 this year.

Meaning that our cheapo Streamyx will be out of service soon late this year and either we go for Unifi at ~RM100 + more each month or find alternative broad band solution. For only light use, Unifi is a bit overkill as we spent >12 hours at work each day.

It so happens that one heavy rain day few days back, lighting​ struck and zapped out our modem...oh dear..so a quick decision needs to be made.

1. Sign up for webe broadband 10G bonus +20Gb limit currently online at RM 59 per month. Not bad but need to buy the Wifi Modem at ~RM20x++. No bonding contract , I like it and an advance payment that will be used to offset first month payment..can't really trust next day delivery as this is not US we are talking bout. (Updated: as of 1-June the 10Gb bonus offer is no longer available).

2. Terminate Streamyx and phone number by walk in to main TMpoints. (Kelana Jaya)

Long story: Terminate TM Streamyx + phone number. This one needs to walk in to main branch of TMpoints ,give their hotline a call at 100 be very patient in waiting to verify the branch that can process this. Have your TM Streamyx account in hand, they need to verify your IC once you fill in a simple form and submit. Pretty easy if you have no outstanding to pay. TM will take 14 days to process termination, charge you service of that period (ridiculous!) And mail back a check with your balance deposit paid during package sign up registration.

PS: I called 100 asking if I can terminate my line & Streamyx and the operator dumbly took my account number, check and after some ding dongs told me, sir you can't terminate via hotline. Oh dear, why you no say so when I first asked (my very first question?!?!)

3. Contact webe via online chat. Got delivery number and keep pestering for them to deliver within their 1-3 days promised time. Next day delivery my foot ha!

The courier line clear under packet one aka webe hotline is +603 5990 5990

Long story: Now webe doesn't have a hotline. They have this online support on web. Which gives you second thoughts on their support sincerity. Hi sir, how can I help you? :)...pls don't smiley face me if you don't mean it. First operator refused to give me a number to contact the delivery team , Line Clear. Was promised they will deliver the next day but didn't happen. Gave them another call luckily they do half day delivery on Saturdays. Please have Line clear tracking number ready, it's the 6 digit number that operators say starts with Webe word. Some operator can actually check by your application IC, so I guess that depends on their Intelligent check (sorry, fallout pun here haha)

4. Upon receiving setting up is really simple. Unbox, plug in sim and battery. Install Huawei Hilink app to update password and monitor usage if need to on your smartphone. Power on and use directly. This is probably the best part here. Fuss free from received to start using. For a small saving, subscribe to auto payment using credit card and get RM2 off each month.

TLDR, Streamyx modem get zapped by lighting. Ditched the plan for a webe broadband plan. Shared how to terminate streamyx and phone number, order and follow up webe broadband delivery. Now let's see how is webe broadband performance, so far it's pretty decent..hopefully not too congested in my area.

Withdrawal from kwsp/epf

First there are a few stages to withdraw. Here we only start withdrawal process after bank loan secured and paid 10% down payment for our secondary purchase.

1. Request a kwsp format loan statement at your bank by walk-in application. For Maybank we don't need to bring any specific doc except to verify with our ID. This one takes about 5-10 days processing time. Please make sure the statement has a bank seal (round chop).

2. Bring this document to kwsp branch, in my case I choose Kajang jln Reko branch. You can also print your latest statement and bring along. No need any form filling.

Link

At this point, I took number and went to counter. The bank statement check is the one that stumped me, as the lady in charge politely tells it needs a bank round seal stamping. There is no space or writing stating it's needed but it's what kwsp checked.

So I took a detour to nearest jalan tukang Maybank and luckily the person in charge helped out by stamping on behalf. Take another trip back, no need to take number this time, just approach the lady that served me just now and we are done after fingerprinting her receipt document and giving me a customer copy. I need to give Maybank a call on how to handle kwsp's dis bursement. Pretty strange huh...

Anyway, for first time epf withdrawal we just need kwsp format bank loan statement and current own kwsp statement. If you didn't print the statement, it's available at kwsp branch, just login to the kiosk machine and print a copy with help of a staff of course.

For second time withdrawal , we can apply it online via kwsp's i-akaun. So it's pretty convenient, but after this lump sum withdrawal my account 2 will be quite dry for a while..

Y u work so long?

Yesterday my 3yr 8mth old baby asked , 'Papa y u work so long?' meaning why you spend such long time working away from home. I rarely reach home earlier than 8.30pm. and to this I have no answer, except for a silent smile to my dear little gal.

 is this a wake up call, to FEAR?

Only god knows when my chance will come. It's definitely been some crazy times so frequent change of directions, under a mad warden, and after a mad king ascended the throne. Well as a friend used to tell me:

'He is crazy. We can never understand crazy people' - no use trying to figure out what he wants

Dr Sleep by SteveK review

It's been a while since i last posted. 2nd week since the last announcement to on hold the NFV project. Kind of glad and still sets chills on my back on how we are navigating blindly without proper knowledge of delivering it. Anyway it's all good now, at least will survive a week at a time. I can't sleep on weekends even with a long 3rd day public holiday. That's when i picked up Dr Sleep.

source: googleimage

Can't deny that I've loved the King's work all along. Never read the Shining, but this one is a page turner. Took me only 1 week of on and off reading to run through the novel of Dan T's adventure with Abra Stone and sidecasts like John Dalton,Billy Freeman, Halloran and of course them baddies True Knot. King's magic is always at how he managed to weave nightmares, those mentally and in shadows. Spooky type that keeps you awake like how Deenie & Tommy haunts Dan T. How the shining works against it's user. Apparently it's a sequel to the shining, so am looking forward to visit the time when Dan T is a kid.

source: googleimage

read in reverse as 'murder'

Now i'm floating in between broken dreams and just survive mode - don't drown for now. It's decided, this is no longer a sanctuary. It's my version of  Overlook Hotel. Let's put down all the pieces on the warmap slowly and once all is in place;

FEAR = fuck everything and run!

A gentler day

It's my birthday and it seems like God has a way of giving me a break. Or some sort of leeway...Not much trouble given in weekly meeting. Our r&d didnt ffk us. And in general I had a little less stressful day. Hope it turns out betterlike this more often, again I only have a birthday one day a year hahaha..Well hope a bridge not burnt off gives me a glimpse of light at the end...

I ranted on FB regarding what happened. About the blackmail by boss. About being unfairly reviewed based on my latest assignment. (Last year performance) about some crazy arrangement. Dual role that conflicts, one requiring most time at customer site while the other is a demanding internal job...So how? Work day time on project and come back to office at 6pm to start platform work? And to make it worst Saturday meeting n work seems compulsory...Oh goodness

Visit to HUKM KL

Baby E having fever, sore throat and coughing since 2pm yesterday. Early morning we decided it's to pay the hospital a visit. Coughing has been~3 weeks.

Upon arrival at emergency, we first show the birth cert to counter. Get a consultation with a nurse. We waited quite some time here and there due to some funny unclear process the hospital has..

The nurse will provide a slip with number.
Bring this to next registration counter. Yes the slip with number is useless to queue at doctor. Once registered again at registration counter, we were referred to payment counter. There wifey need to refer to Hermis # something that can waive the fee for government staff. Other than that it's pay up first.

Next ,we waited for x Ray result. Blood test result and then immediately got warded as it's suspected as TB infection. So many doctor, in trainingss whatever come by.

Fast forward one rough week. MIL follow me every morning , drop her to hospital with wifey staying there. And last Saturday staying overnight at hospital ...Finally we can discharge as it's just a normal lung infection. It's daily torture as baby E cries and is traumatized by the blood drawing each time.

Once TB test is negative they basically leave us alone. I met a high school mate here, SH Tan...Being a doctor is really taxing n rough. Sacrificed a lot, just like the doctor I spoke to briefly...'We are only human'

10 things to do for 35 to 55 years by ck5354

nice sharing by ck's blogpost. mostly chinese so then translation is a bit skewed to me.
Anyway, it's a good reminder to my (or your) busy daily struggle/drag whatever your situation is in. Be strong & keep going!

Excerpts from the blog - banana version

1、这个年龄已经不允许你不成熟 ( Be mature, let go)

2、储蓄友谊 ( Collect Friendship, this one need to keep it up)

3、播种善良 ( Charity - must do more)

4、懂得音乐 ( Enjoy music)

5、避开两种苦 ( Can't get and Love)

6、学会承受 ( Learn to be responsible, Okay)

7、保留感恩的心 ( Appreciate what you have, Okay)

8、热爱工作 ( Love your job, Okay)

9、善于学习 ( Learn, Okay)

10、享受运动 ( Enjoy Sport/Exercise, this one must keep it up)

KL to Bangkok -business trip (solo survival journey)

It's been a while since i travelled solo for business. This time to Bangkok via Malaysia Airline.

 Murtabak Ayam..just soso. Maybe nasi lemak is better. Met a dude working for Google, pretty young guy, but didn't manage to get his contacts to keep in touch. Well anyway.

 Get a new SIM +data. For DTAC it's 299 for unlimited data, valid for 7 days. Cause of the long queue, probably the best I guess, and didn't disappoint.

 Machine is coin operated, or queue at counter. This one is outside baggage collection, there are a few smaller stalls. Other choices is True Move and AIS. I saw somewhere AIS gave like 4G unlimited data , valid for 7 days @ 299 baht too.

As soon as I get data, I can call for Grab..It's fixed 500 baht + 75 baht toll fee. This fee is not included in his receipt unfortunately. :( So I kind of got cheated 50baht off my claim, only get the 25 baht toll receipt.

Journey took almost 1hour +, pretty jammed and the taxi driver said a little (niynoi?)

Hakka Lui Cha ,Unnamed stall @ Cheras batu 9 Alam Jaya

Main dish minus grounded tea soup.

Wife suddenly have a craving for Lui cha, an almost full vegetarian Hakka dish and she started scouring the internet, forums & facebook pages for a good place. We had before at Ho Por Puchong and Green Talk @ Mahkota Cheras which is still quite ok, but not really hit the 'yes' spot yet. Read more on lui cha here. She found a place not too far from where we stayed and off we go for it.

Snuck in between one row of malay stalls, this shop is pretty hard to locate if not for one forumer who share the GPS location. Google up for Serata Catering at Cheras Alam Jaya, the stall is right next to it. (Will see if my Google submission is approved to mark it for public).

GPS location: 3.081519,101.7656368

Parking is just right beside the malay stall at a small alley that leads to the main gate of a construction material shop. It's free or can try your luck on the shoprow next to these stalls.

It's a humble stall with very humble pair of husband and wife, very friendly and down to earth beside the main point that they serve authentic hakka lui cha. With all the original ingredients with almost no hint of MSG taste comparatively with all our experience of lui cha in KL/Selangor so far.

This area is a malay reserved land, thus the reason why the stall is sandwiched between so many Malay stalls. The owner even let my MIL cut the the leaf plant they have in front of the stall. It's not available for sale, so they need to grow their own to use it in lui cha recipe. The lady owner is very surprised that we managed to find the place since it's only locals at this area that knows this place, or for some is a customer's friend recommendation. Operating for >10 years and still surviving is a good signs of consistency and ultimately tells me at least the standard of food is above average for a stall specializing on in lui cha.

Today's menu, and any other day - lui cha. 

Closed on Wednesdays.

Price menu and their simple stall.

Sufficient balance of different types of vegetables, yes original lui cha recipe added with lightly fried peanuts and chopped choi poh (salty preserved radish) makes up the dish.

Unfortunately, whether this is really tasty depends on personal preference. I would say this stall serves less salty lui cha, but at a very balanced taste and a tinge bitterness from the pounded tea soup. Resulting in very satisfying meal that detox your body due to it's leafy ingredients.

The soup is thick and mixed with sesame, not too watery. To be honest, lui cha at this price is a steal nowadays. The effort spent to prepare all the ingredients, and time needed to cook, blend and grind the grounded tea soup makes it very worthy for those who knows how to appreciate the dish. Of course the soup don't look as appetizing as it tastes, try it out to find out =)

Mixing in progress. Overall it's really thumbs up, wifey loves it very much -must be a little piece of heaven at Batu9 Cheras. This is a hidden gem for lui cha lovers. Food is prepared in a very authentic way that doesn't deviates from its original recipe. On top of this, it's really cheap & taste is just ~so original, a very rare lui cha place in KL.

Verdict: Yup, it hit the 'yes' spot for wifey. She is lui cha lover since her Uni times @ Johor where lui cha is more common sight than up above regions.