Wednesday, March 26, 2008

DIY Dry Box : Keep Your Gadgets Safe

Storing your camera or electronic gadgets properly is quite essential to avoid an unplanned trip to the servicing center. Your equipment is best stored in a cool and dry place to avoid:

1. Moisture – more often if your room is air-conditioned due to the condensations
2. Fungus - especially for camera lenses
3. Dust – if stored on an open shelve for example

The best place to avoid all these is to store your equipments in a dry box. There are many commercially available dry boxes in the market, but more often they are expensive.

A cheaper solution which I’m currently practicing is to use an air tight plastic container and put in a few silica gel inside which you can get from any good camera shop. The sachets type is quite hard to come by (unless you eat a lot of BinBin Rice Crackers; there's a small sachet inside), however the loose ones packed in a bigger bag is available at Photo Shangrila.

The container keeps the dusts away and silica gel acts as an agent that absorbs any moisture within the container. Now you’ve eliminated the 3 threats above and keep your equipments safe.

This plastic container has an air lock and a valve to withdraw air out once the lid is closed.
Inside: a few sachet type silica gels (these are not from BinBin :P). The blue padding is actually high density foam which you can get from a stationary store.

This plastic container on the other hand has a tray inside which is perfect to put the loose type silica gels.

There no step-by-step DIY guide here as it is fairly easy and mostly common sense. A good project to keep your gadgets safe and organized.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Prolong Your Youth and Enjoy Life

Erectile dysfunctional is a normal phase in a man’s life, when the age increases. Like everything in life, there is a cycle for us to follow. It’s either you accept and do nothing about it or you find a solution to prolong the fun.

Nowadays, there are many products available in the market to treat this problem; the most common and popular choice is Viagra. Tadalafil is a new and improved variant of the medication, and the improvement is reflected by the results; which is far more superior. In a simple comparison, Tadalafil takes half the time to be in affect and lasts 9 times longer than Viagra.

In other words you will have less time to wait and more time to get satisfied. Whether you are looking for a longer lasting fun, boost your self confidence or simply prolonging your youth, Tadalafil is the product for you. Visit www.tadalafil.org for further details.

This entry is written for http://www.tadalafil.org

Friday, March 21, 2008

Today's Breakfast

Today I had a special treat for breakfast; Pulut Durian! It's not so often I can have this meal as the durian fruit is seasonal and I have never come across food vendor selling this in Kuala Lumpur. In the northern states like Kedah and Perlis; yes, it is commonly available at pasar malam (night market). The closest I could find is, Pulut Mangga which is a Thai delicacy however its yumminess is a far cry from its original.

Anyhow, pulut durian consists of:
1. Pulut (steamed glutenous rice )
2. Durian fruit
3. Santan (coconut milk cooked with a pinch of salt)


Best eaten with the hands, the taste is creamy and sweet; best thing in the world. However beware; according to some the smell of the durian is not very pleasing. Yesterday, as I was making payment at a counter; the gurlfriend and the lady cashier thought they'd smelt propane gas!! Obviously it was not the case as it was only my durian. To me it smell sweet and yummy.

Oh well.. people has different opinion on that subject, but most of us love this fruit. Just take it like cheese, some frown and don't eat due to the smell or taste. I know most of you eat durian; why not try it in this combination, I assure it that you'd want more :D

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Break The Vault and Win Cash Prizes


Break The Vault is an online contests site that offers cash prizes to its winner. The contest or game is based on a trivia like game play whereby a player has to guess the answer based on a given set of clues. Contestants can try as many times as they wish as answering tries are unlimited. This will definitely increase your odds whether you’re a beginner or a pro at this kind of games.

One will be declared as the winner once the correct answer has been provided and will receive the pot cash prize. The value of the cash prize will vary according to the difficulty level of the game. Another best thing apart from the multiple tries and winning cash prizes; your money will be deposited into PayPal!! To me, it doesn’t come any better than this.

Why not give it a try? It’s free and the cash prizes are quite lucrative. Head over to Break The Vault to start cracking and earn some cash!

This entry is written for http://www.breakthevault.com

Singapore Bites

Whenever travelling, I always love to sample local food and Singapore is no exception. In this post I would like to share one of my all time favourite snacks over there which is Old Chang Kee. I love it so much that I look forward to have a bite every time I’m there and even put it in my to do list in my last trip :P

At Old Chang Kee, they sell various concoctions of fried seafood (mostly shrimp & squids), fishballs, nuggets, chicken, heck almost anything that could be pierced by the bamboo sticks. They also specializes in curry puffs, this is not your average 3 by 1 half inch that we’re used to; it is more like the size a slice of cheesecake. There are also many fillings to choose from the traditional potato chicken curry, beef and sardines.

My personal favourites are the squid head on stick and the sardine puff (pictured). These two are exceptionally delicious; I’m producing access saliva while writing this. You might say that we also have Old Chang Kee in Malaysia (Sungei Wang & One Utama), but we don’t have that extra enhancer which is the sambal (fried chilli paste), and we also don’t have the sardine puff.


If you don’t believe how delicious it is, just look at the number of people queuing up. If you’re ever heading over there, be sure to have a taste or feast! It won’t empty your wallet but filled your stomach instead. Old Chang Kee could be easily found on the Orchard Road stretch and throughout the island.


Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Find a Store Like a Local at @List.org

You’re new in town, looking for a hardware store and a garage to service your car. You can ask the neighbours, but they seem to be out on a vacation. Rather than wondering aimlessly around town and going to a premise without knowing its credibility, why don’t you head over to @List.org to find the service you are looking for?

@List is the most comprehensive, online business directory for both businesses & consumers. You can find business operators within your area as @List groups the listings by category and location. In this case, you can browse under Home & Garden category for that hardware store and Automotive for the servicing garage.

Furthermore, @List is not merely a directory of companies; when you find that specific store in the listing, you can also check on the rating of that company. The ratings are given by normal people like us, whom had used their service before. It is as good as getting a recommendation from a seasoned resident in that area.

Now you can arrange a good transport for Aunt Mary that is coming to visit by searching under the Travel & Transportation category. While you're there, you might also want to book a Hotel perhaps ;D Head over to @List.org to start exploring a business premise near you.



Business operators are also welcomed, find out more on how you can list your business in the directory and maximize your company exposure at @List.org

This entry is written for http://www.atlist.org

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Bad Luck or Statistics

Malaysian general election just went by and I am damn glad that I didn't vote. Don't give me that: "you're not practicing your rights speech". %#%$@!! For all I care they are all a bunch of clowns.

Why am I so furious? Well I've just recently serviced my car; it's a normal major service for 60,000 KM. They done everything to the book inclusive of alignment & balancing, the bill totaled to RM5XX. It's okay for me since it a major service.

However, yesterday as I was on my way back home; I hit a big pot hole in the middle of the MRR2. What the ^%$#@!! It was unavoidable; people couldn't see it as it was raining and the damn thing is filled with water. People pay road tax, income tax, service tax.. the lot to a lousy administrator $#@%$#!!

Today I discovered that when I corner, my right front tyre would hit the bodywork. %$@$#!! First ripping me off with taxes and now I have to pay more for the repairs and take time off to send the car. To me, this is not bad luck; just plain statistics. That hole for all I know has been there for weeks, and I'm one of the people so happen to dunk a tyre in it.


If you're the D*** F*** that maintains the road, please do your F****** job or go rot in hell for all I care. Do you want to pay for the damages incurred? Don't wait till a motorcyclist tumble and die to take action.

Drivers & motorcyclist; please be careful if you are using the MRR2 and heading towards Gombak. The pot hole is just before the Kampung Pasir flyover on the right most lane.

Note to other readers: I don't usually post these kind of entries, but I'm really pissed.

Recover Your Data

Ever experienced that "clicking" sound coming from your hard disk? Immediately followed by an error message on you computer screen or your system hanged. When you hit the reset button, Windows simply won't load. Guess what dude? Your hard disk just crashed.

I certainly had my fair share of crashes, just look at the photo of my hard disks. Inside it contains gigabytes of data on my music collections, research papers, e-mails and most cherished of all, my vacation photos.


All are unrecoverable till I found out about Flashback Data, a company that specializes in Computer Data Recovery & Restoration. These guys are the experts in their field, they can recover from almost any media such HDD, Optical Discs, Memory Keys and Floppy Disks just to name a few.

Flashback Data also practices a No Risks Data Recovery. Whereby if there are no data recovered from your damaged hard disk, you don't have to pay! To learn more on this, head over to their website for details.

This entry is written for http://www.flashbackdata.com

Friday, March 14, 2008

Singapore Flyer : Worlds Tallest Ferris Wheel

Ok some update from the Singapore trip. So what's new in Lion City you might ask.. well.. if you're at the Esplanade or Suntec City vicinity, its hard to miss a towering ferris wheel in between the building. They call it the Singapore Flyer.

Actually, I've seen it during my previous trips to Singapore however it is still in construction. This time round though; me, Aiza, Tini & Fariz got the chance to get on board this new landmark. We were amongst the earliest to get on as it only commence its service a week earlier on 1st March 2008. Even the taxi driver had to guess where exactly the Singapore Flyer is located on the road.

We bought our tickets online via Singapore Flyer website. Normal tickects without express boarding costs SG$29.50 each or approximately RM 68.00. Express boarding is where you can skip waiting inline and board direct into the capsule. However, I think the extra SG$20 for that isn't necessary if you are going during off-peaks; morning, office hours etc. We went on Saturday morning, there weren't many people and no queue.

As you get closer to the ferris wheel, you begin to awe over the scale and its engineering feats. Man!! this thing is really huge when you're up close to its base. The Flyer stand tall at 541 ft, currently the highest in the world till completion of Beijing Great Wheel in 2009. To assist you in imagining the height, just look at the KLCC skybridge; its only a few feet shy from that. Its very tall isn't it?

Note : Comparison image is adapted from PopularMechanics

On board, the capsule is spacious and comfortable (for those whom are not afraid of heights a presume). The view is magnificent when you higher on the altitude. On the South East bearing, you can see the wide open space of the ocean with lots of ships. 180 degrees back to North West, you can see Singapore's concrete jungle of skyscrapers. The ride will take on for 30 minutes, whereby you will have ample time to enjoy the scenery and take as much photos as you wish.

I'm not promoting for them, but I do recommend you to have a go on Singapore Flyer at least once. Its something to remember upon your trip. Here are some pics that I took, will have more in my Picasa as soon :)


Thursday, March 13, 2008

Pay Per Post

WohooOO!! My blog has been approved for payperpost. What a way to jumpstart my blog. First was on the new domain name and now Pay Per Post. This gives me more than a reason to update my blog frequently and keep it alive.

I first learned about payperpost from the *Gurlfriend* and I find it as an Interesting concept. She managed to convince me to join payperpost over the benefits not long after. Nothing is more pleasing than getting paid for doing something that you are already doing, which is blogging.

In payperpost you can select the categories relevant to your interest, and write in your entry. You just have to incorporate the advertising elements within your posts. It’s as simple as that.

I have also learned that a few of my friends has also joined payperpost and I am happy that I’m in the community as well. Now we have another conversation piece to talk about during parties and outings.

Another plus about payperpost is that; you will get paid via PayPal!! Duuh.. That’s like the gateway to the shopping paradise - eBay. With sufficient credit earned, perhaps it can supplement my purchase on a camera that I’ve been eyeing for quite some time. Come and join me in payperpost as well :)


Sunday, March 09, 2008

Singapore Rocks!!

Just came back today from Singapore, and all I can say is that; "Singapore Rocks!!" Me, Aiza, Tini & Fariz had a blast.. 85% of my shopping list cleared and so does my wallet! :P

To utilise our time, we've split into two; the girls went out for craft related items, while the boys went out to drool on gadgets :D Well more than drool actually. When we met again in the evening, we are equally matched with shopping bags like we're buying a week's worth of groceries and that unmistakable million dollar grin on everyone faces. Thats only day one!!

Well.. I'm actually pooped, so if you don't mind; I will update on the trip later-on with more details. Till then, consider this a preview (*_^) Goodnite and thank you Singapore.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

LHDN II : Save My Hard Earned Money

With the recent additional tax I had to pay, it prompted me to find ways to reduce or better still pay no income tax at all. Currently I only submit rebates for books, computers and life insurance and evidently it is not sufficient for me to be tax free.

I know there are lots of tips online on tax savings, but eureka!! I've found a local monthly publication "Personal Money" by the Edge that highlights on "26 Ways to Slash Taxes". Just what I've been looking for :)


I can't share all the 26 tips in respect of the publication. However to highlight a few from the article, I've just recently learned that tax rebate for books are now at RM 1000 instead of RM500. I also found out that we are entitled for RM300 rebate for sports equipment and the high 1 to 1 ratio of Zakat rebate. Others are on medical, life insurance, company car, EPF contribution and education to name a few more.

I find the article useful and its up to me now to keep track of all my receipts. For now, with the this first purchase of magazine for the year; I have another RM 991 to spend on books for full rebate :D

Note: For full details, check out "Personal Money" March edition.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

My First Star on eBay

An ebay member since December 2004, only recently I was quite active on buying & selling on ebay. This week I am happy to announce that I've received my first feedback star as I've accumulated 10 positive feedbacks :)

What ebay feedback stars mean :

On another note, I've also managed to sell my first item on ebay. YEAY!! However the guy didn't left a feedback on the purchase. Bummer. Nonetheless with these good news, I am now more motivated and looking forward for more transactions in ebay.

See the link under "Items for Sale" on the right hand side of this page for my recent listings on ebay. You can do it too, its easy; sell your unwanted item lying around the house for a start :)

Monday, March 03, 2008

Breakfast anyone?

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day". In my opinion it provides you with energy throughout the day, keeps you sharp and with the right food it promotes fat loss. Nowadays it difficult to get a good breakfast at the office; its either too oily or too fatty. There is simply no balance between protein and carbs, not to mention the cholesterol levels.

Few years back (when I'm in shape :P), I used to bring breakfast and sometimes lunch to office. That was when 7.30 is still ok to start the journey to office. Now its no later than 7.05 or my punch card will be red. To compensate for the time; sometimes I would prepare cut fruits the night before but mostly I would customise my breakfast at the cafeteria.

Fed up of having unhealthy breakfast at the cafeteria, recently I've decided to stock some food at my workstation. Nestum, Digestive biscuits, Milo, Toastlimo bread, peanut butter and etc. Here's my current favorite breakfast: Milo 3 in 1 + a hefty portion of Nestum!


However on weekends, when I'm at home; my all time favorite, my comfort food is poach egg on lightly buttered fresh toast + salt and coarse fresh ground peppers.. nyum!!!


Whats your favorite breakfast?

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Singapore IT Show 2008

Singapore IT Show 2008 is just around the corner, from 6th to 9th March 2008 to be more specific. The best thing is that; I am going for this event! WoohooOO!! I've missed this event a couple of times being a week too early or late in Singapore trips. This year I've managed to arrange the trip down south to coincide with the event.

Being a tech geek, I am hoping that this IT Show will showcase some of the latest gadgets & electronics instead of just selling stuffs. The official event website did highlight that they will showcase the Latest & Most Comprehensive electronic gadgets.

Who knows, maybe I could find some other inspiration for new product development (thats what I do at work - develop new communication products). Will update on how it goes once I'm back. Oh ya, its not too late to plan your trip. Give me a buzz if you are in the vicinity of the event :)