QB Bday Movie Treat

27 Nov - 10days after my 'the day' and 20 aft Phaik's 'the day....

Both Phaik and I are Novembies, so we went for free movie treat courtesy of GSC. There weren't much choices of asterisk marked movie this time but we made the correct decision to settle with Madagascar- Escape 2 Africa. This was such a good movie treat...just too great for us to relax and laugh out loud...



Have always thought that it was a waste of money to watch cartoon in the cinema but at times, it was worth it...for the environment, sound system, crowd and the laughter of others...really enjoyed it...




before the movie time, we went to the Tbowl Restaurant for our 'super' dinner...yes...T here was refering to the 'TOILET'...

Tbowl...the toilet bowl concept restaurant

Everything in this restaurant revolves around the bathroom and toilet...the seats, table, wall deco and etc...

Tbowl menu...and their mascot

our table

...reminds me...it's time for shower

oups...except for the food....they were average in taste...but has a cute and fresh serving method....they were in mini toiletbowl...

my creamy toiletbowl rice

一 'tok' 屎

really different...great concept

nice deco

thanks Phaik for the company and Happy Belated Birthday!

旧的不去,新的不来

yup...I am saying if the old ones don't go, the new ones won't come.

After a week since the robbery, I started to get all the replacement unit. First I got my IC from JPN and license from JPJ on that very day. Then some other replacements of membership cards. Then dig into my drawers for my new and unused unit MP4 to replace my companing MP3...

so next time when I travel, I can watch some movies as well.

Lost 2 thumb drive of 1GB each but in return got 5 unit of 2GB thumb drive from my aunt...and these are very small and best of all, they were Lenovo made in conjunction of Beijing 2008 Olympic...I have all BeiBei, JingJing, HuanHuan, YingYing and NiNi to myself...they are all very handy and best for me to get my P copies of dramas and movies.

Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni...thanks to my aunt!

so which is missing here?...these 4 are my aunt's...I am now her source of P....haha

As for my company laptop, I have already applied for it last Wednesday and was informed that it was approved and the unit was ready for collection on Friday but...I postponed the collection to the coming Monday for 3 reasons...1.) I am still worry to carry it around...moreover it's Friday and I was heading home. 2.) I don't want to work over this weekend. 3.) I still have yet to buy a new laptop bag....anyway I will still have to take it coz I have lots to do in these few coming weeks...am expected to make an API for some parser in my software and expected to increase my modules' code coverage to 100% on functional and 80% on conditional which was at 60~70% and 50~60% now...all due by the end of this quater which was like 4 weeks from now.... :-(

Am expecting to get a new laptop bag on my own budget this time. I am going to get it in this coming week after I get the replacement laptop so that I can be sure of the size...I wish that they can give me HP2510p instead of 6910p..I understand that the 2510p is less powerful compared to my previous 6910p...I have no concern about performance as the laptop is used solely for remote login into my workstation at office and surfing at times...no heavy processing needed on it...my concern is more on the size and weight.

And my work badge has yet been issued due to duo superior level approval needed...so troublesome...need to get a temporary badge every morning.

Bad ending for my 23rd year

My 24th birthday was just days before they happened.

Nov 14, 2008 - I woke up early as usual for work and was looking forward to finish my work and high with Friday night fever. By 6.45am, I was walking down the stairs, wore my shoe and headed to my SLK (have been driving my sis's SLKenari recently but not today as her car needed a service). So the usual habitual action...1st pressed the car alarm, opened the car door on the driver seat, swung over my laptop from my back to the seat next to my seat, bent my legs and got up the car sideway...And right at this moment, the moment which I was half into the car, I just saw 4 Malay men on 2 motorcycles speeding in my direction and the next moment I saw, 2 guys hopped down from the motors.

I sensed something was wrong and my natural reflex kicked off. 1^st strike on my mind, ‘they are coming for me…dangerous!’. Shouted out very very very loud and high pitch. I did consider speeding off but...what could I do? My sister was still out, locking our house door....so the speeding off was not possible at that time. The 2 men, 1 ran up to me while the other headed to the door next to the driver seat, opened it and grabbed my laptop...

At the same time the guy that came to me, tried to pull me out of my car...and again...my reflex system kicked off...I resisted, trying to swing his hand off my arm. He raised his leg and gave me few kicks...I returned some kicks as well...until that kick, that very one kick that hit me on my chest, chin and lips. Suddenly, the 2^nd strike...’I must give up my SLK…nothing matters now.’ Right away I shouted out loud to him "Saya bagi! Saya bagi!", trying to leave my car asap....forcing myself forward and surrendering my car to him....but I guessed he was panic as well....1st he wanted the car but I refused, then suddenly I gave up...I tried to get out of my car and that stupid fella tried to push me back into the car. Then the 3^rd strike, 'I must leave the car or else he ll abduct me along and god knows if I could ever come back and see my family again'. So I used my full force to push him away. After seconds, he finally gave up and turned his back and ran up to his 3 other colonies. Very quickly, he hoped up to his friend’s motor and me still chasing after him.

Meanwhile, my sis was still trying to pull my laptop bag back from the other fella. By then we was like next to each other with the 4 robbers right infront of us…my sis had a tug of war with him and suddenly the one that I have fought with actually wanted to hop off his motor again to help his friend to win my laptop. Then, I got the 4^th strike, ‘there are 4 of them…man…and we 2 girls…’. This time, I shouted again “给他,给他!我不要!给他!” My sister let go my bag and they sped off leaving both my sister and I almost stoned there.

My 5^th strike said “It’s not safe here…run!”. I shouted my sis to run…run back to our car. And we did. I didn’t know how fast we were but it was certainly very fast. We got up our car and immediately locked the door, started the engine and checked them out at my back mirror. Well…you wouldn’t believe…they actually stopped at the end of the junction, and turned and looked at us for a moment.(guess they were thinking of coming back for the car again).

I was about to drive off when my family members came rushing down and the 4 fellas quickly speed off. Spotting my family’s presence, I actually took out my hp from my pocket and dialed 999…yes how stupid was I? 999 from a hp…that was the stupidest action I have in the hold day.

My 1^st shout was so loud until, my mum who was sleeping in the front room on the 2^nd floor was awakened. She woke up and looked out from the windows and saw my sister and I were struggling with 4 guys. She woke my dad and my brothers and rushed down to save us…

After the whole incident, I was all pale and my mind was blur…I just didn’t know what happened and how to deal with them. My emotion then was ...indescribable. I told my family members and we acted very quickly. We cut all my cards transactions. My dad drove me to the Bukit Tengah police station. I didn’t want to describe too much about the situation in PS but seriously I was very nervous and upset and ‘pek chek’ especially when the officer interviewed while puffing his cigarette that he tugged between his fingers while doing his typing with 1 finger on each hand…like the Chinese kungfu “蟷蜋拳”. He reminded me on my birthday after learning my IC no.

Fine…then we were ordered to go to the PS in Bandar Perda to meet another worse Inspector. We was there at 8.15am but was told that the inspector was not back yet. “Inspektor X belum datang lagi. Pergi jogging atau ke kelas…Tahulah…orang atasan selalu nak sihat”…I asked what time he would be back. “Hmm…sebentar lagi…lebih kurang 8.30 kut atau 9.00. Kamu boleh duduk dulu atau pergi ke kafe dan minum dulu”. What? I didn’t go to police station for breakfast.

Fine…he was finally there before 8.30am. I went into his room alone at first…he asked few questions. These was our conversation.

Insp X : “Tahu serial nombor laptop?”

Me : “Tak tahu tapi company I ada. I kena balik dan check dengan company dulu”.

Silence for a moment.

Me : “Jadi, inspector perlukah? Kalau perlu saya boleh check tapi macam mana saya nak bagi inspector and bila?”

Insp X : “Kamu apa pun tak ada. Main main saja! Sekarang ini, sudah dalam soal siasat”

Damn him! He was lucky as I was already in shock at that moment…or else he ll surely kena shoot by me!

After a while when my dad joined us in the room, his attitude and intonation changed…slight better than before.

Else than the shit questions and words used, another shit thing bout the whole investigation was, how it was carried out. 1^st I have a computerized report from Bukit Tengah PS, then in Bandar Perda, it was hand written. Hand written was still ok but worst of all was looking at how he actually wrote it down. His handwriting was so nice and neat…better than many of us girls. And he actually written down every single words….i mean he has this format :

S : Bagaimanakah kejadian itu berlaku and di mana?

J : Ia berlaku di hadapan rumah saya. Saya sedang menaiki kereta….and bla bla bla

Every sentence written must have complied to the grammar rules of Bahasa Melayu…If I were to write such a report, I would not write such a long Q and A. And would surely get do of those Ss and Js, replaced them with a à and spacing. So this was my 2^nd report of the day.

After all those ridiculous reports, I dropped my dad at home and headed back to office. I have called my buddy and manager earlier informing them what had happen to me but I have word lost when talking to them just now. So I went back to office.

On my way to office, I felt my leg shivering….I was still trembling and scared…luckily I called ah Phaik and she has been very helpful and talking to her managed to calm me down.

So at Intel, I reported to security counter about what happened….got a form to fill and went to my manager and colleague and told them what happened. I looked fine in front of them but I knew I was actually not in good shape. I asked my manager for off on that day and the following Monday.

I insisted on completing my urgent HSD…perhaps because I was just so committed to my work…however as I was very blur at that moment, I got my colleague to assist me in completing it. They were very helpful.

Before I left for home, I was interviewed by 1 security officer and 1 investigator. So these were my 3^rd and 4^th questioning sessions excluding those non official ones by colleagues, friends and family members.

I was traumatized for the whole day but luckily I got back up very fast. I managed to rush to JPN to get my replacement IC and JPJ for my license…

15^th Nov, decided to move over to Penang. Went for room hunt and house visit. For at least we need not leave our house so in the dark and can avoid being stalked by those fellas again for now that they knew that I would have a laptop.

16^th Nov, packed up and moved over to Penang.

17^th Nov, packing and cleaning…celebrated my bday with few close friends at Tao...my SLK broke down...problem with the door look system...suprisingly, toggling the door lock actually triggers the engine startup...yes my SLK's up down door lock = turning key from on to start position...so dont be suprise if it happened to your SLK...

18^th Nov, back to office…lots of emails and works to clear…L. And read the email from HK GGA dated 17^th Nov that my initial accommodation booking with them has to be cancelled due to emergency repair needed in their premise…so out of sudden, I have no place to put up in during my trip to HK and Macau in Christmas and New Year…more worries and problems haunting me…

19^th Nov, communicate the accommodation cancellation news to my friends. We tried to make booking online and again we had made mistake…we made booking for Nov instead of Dec. It was Dec in our initial selection but after few next and back clicked, information lost…so we ended up paying much more than our initial budget.

With all these things happening to me in shortly few days, I could not believe that I am in good shape and good luck. I am having bad luck but not that bad after all since, the robber only manage to get my laptop and wallet and few other accessories in it only. And the kicked by the robber of almost double my size didn’t really hurt me badly…perhaps he was too fat to give me a hard kick or perhaps he was wearing a rubber slipper. And lucky for those 2 robbers whom my sister and I have physical contact with were not armed.

So with all these, I hope for a better year and years ahead like in our Chinese believe the good will come after the evil and the principle of karma …Happy Birthday to me!

UPM 32nd Convocation

Lessons from uni

After 4 years in UPM, I could only conclude that UPM was and is and will be super racist...I bet many would agree with me...my past experience and encounter with the university authorities for numerous clubs and societies best describe how unfair and injustice it was....and what politics were about....yes...I was saying 'politic'...how we were forced to act to their wish and how corrupted the e-system could be...well it may not be true as propagated by some students saying that the e-undi result was 'diubah-ubah dan diprogram' but it was surely manipulated by them...not sure if how many UPM students realized that clubs and societies leaders were in ways forced to attend those crappy camps which intended to brain wash us...these camps have been on for years and have always been classified as secret...and to the extend that, there were times that students were blindfolded on the journey....the venue had been kept secret...we were only told to be on standby...departure date and time announced only days before...

Besides having have to attend those camps, we were treated that if we were found engaged in any ways with those pro-mahasiswa activities, then our clubs' activities approval would be jeopardized....and due to the passion we had towards our own societies, we have to keep away from those pro-mahasiswa movements...due to my position here, I have to refrained myself from voicing my thoughts to the public and including my friends especially those that worked so hard and placed their future in big risk just to fight for our rights. I supported them and gave my moral supports to all our 'heroes'.

I bet many could still recalled back on the gangterism act issue among the MPP in UPM...it was really a 'berita gempar' to all Malaysians...my parents called asking if the situation was under control and asked me to take a week or 2 off if the university compound was unsafe...

The most unbelievable thing in this case was my course mate, Simon Ooi who was actually being victimized in this incident was charged with 7 sentences where else the barbarians were running wild freely with warnings...no hearing and no tribunals formed...And for poor Simon, he was charged in the tribunal but was not allowed to have his lawyers to represent him...so was this fair? AUKU sucked!

Luckily, thanks to the media power, his case was postponed indefinitely...guessed the university authorities could not figured out ways to shut their mouths so they chose to keep silent and let the time past....So congratulation to Simon for he has finally managed to work out of his hell in his mortar and red robe!

Finally my advice to the younger ones are do not choose UPM if all that you wanted from your university years is freedom...local public universities are not the right choice for you! But however if you want to try out my challenging experiences and brushes up your 变脸神功(meet people speak people language, meet ghost speak ghostly language)...then UPM welcomes you! Or in the case you are those apathy ones, then UPM may be fine for you!

Apart from the crappy administration, UPM was still fine for me... :P excluding the encounter with that Dr 羊咩咩...who actually said this...."Ini Melayu punya, ini Cina punya" while pointing to 2 stacks of examination sheets when I visited him in his office to remark my paper...don't worry for he has been fired....

*All these were true and based on my personal experience….I am free and not liable for any trouble caused by this article...so if you feel uneasy with those remarks, ignore them!...And just for the info of those unwelcomed personnel....I am no longer an undergraduate...so AUKU doesn't work on me...haha!

Petrol Pump Myth

I have seen a lot of emails circulating around discussing about this with the recent price increment. There are lots of myth about when, where and what are the best petrol pumping practise.

1. Do not pump full tank of petrol

True. Many of us are not aware that the petrol kiosk pump has a return pipe-line (in black ). When the petrol tank (in the car) reaches full level, there is a mechanism to trigger off the pump latch and at the same time a return-valve is opened (at the top of the pump station) to allow excess petrol to flow back into the sump. But the return petrol has already pass through the meter, meaning you are donating the petrol back to SHELL/ PETRONAS/ CALTEX/MOBIL..........

2. Fill up in cool weather - Don’t fill up in the heat of the day. Refuel in the early morning or late evening. When the temperature is lower, petrol will be denser and last longer.

True in Malaysia. Fuel is denser during cooler conditions. The fuel pump measures the volume of petrol and not the density of the fuel concentration. This would not be the case in some foreign country like Australia as fuel density is now regulated by the modern pumps used at the petrol station. However the effect is very minimal for the temperature effect on petrol is only about 1% per 15F degree approximately 8.33C degree. So basically your fuel saving on cold day wouldnt be more than 2% I guess.

3. Air conditioning vs. open windows - The temperature’s soaring and you're driving on the highway. However, you don’t use the air conditioning because it uses more petrol. Driving with the windows down is the answer.

False. Believe it or not, you won’t be able to cut down on petrol usage by turning off the air conditioning in this highway scenario. The action of opening the windows may create drag and reduce the car’s normal fuel economy. Consumer Reports tested the theory, and found that choosing air or windows didn't make a justifiable difference when driving on the highway. Urban driving is where you can reduce fuel consumption by up to 10% by switching off the air conditioning and opening the windows when the weather is fine.

4. To idle, or not - After you’ve started your car at home, you realise you’ve left something in the house. It’s best to turn the engine off to conserve fuel, while you run inside for a minute. You’re also better off to turn the engine off rather than leave it idle while sitting in traffic.

True. Restarting today’s modern engines when already warm is more fuel efficient. According to website Zero Waste Australia, idling can waste fuel. Switch to ‘park’ if you drive an automatic, suggests the NRMA, or when you are stuck in traffic turn the key to the ‘accessory’ position (not to ‘off’). Vehicles fitted with engine-off as standard typically reduce fuel consumption in urban areas by up to 15%.

5. Over-inflate your tyres - Going on the more-is-better theory, pumping up your types over the suggested pressure will make your car petrol efficient. This can only improve on the fuel economy you’re currently getting.

False. Aside from giving you a rocky ride, over-inflated tyres negatively affect the resistance between tyre and road so this theory holds no weight. There is a difference however when flat tyres are pumped up to their recommended levels. In this case, your fuel mileage could improve by 3.3%

6. Pump slowly - If you pump your petrol as slow as possible, you will get more petrol and less air and vapors filling up your tank.

False. Petrol stations are designed to minimize air and fumes going through the pipes and into your car’s petrol tank. If you fill your tank slowly you will still get a full tank, as the same cost as one pumped at a faster speed. However no studied done in Malaysia on this myth.

7. Put your car into 5th - You can optimize your fuel economy on the highway by putting your car into the transmission’s highest gear. This will allow your engine to run at a lower level of revolutions per minute, and use less energy.

True. When your car is driven at the highest gear, your car’s engine speed goes down. This saves petrol and reduces engine wear.

8. Higher grade of petrol, better the fuel economy - Buying premium unleaded gives you better fuel mileage, even though your car manual recommends regular unleaded.

False. While it’s true that premium unleaded is a higher-quality fuel, it doesn’t mean your car needs it to achieve good fuel economy. Read your car’s manual first before shelling out a premium for premium that you may not need. With petrol prices going through the roof, it helps to know exactly what is fact and what is fiction with commonly-held beliefs. That way, we can target real savings in day-to-day motoring.

1st Teambuilding with VTS-M

This was my first teambuilding with my department as well as my first in Intel. I have missed them last year during my internship.

This time it has been more meaningful for me as I was part of the organizing committee. Lots of preparation has been done for this event. Many unforeseen problems occurred and changed our program 180° straight, from the initial plan of outing to Pulau Jerejak to Treasure Hunt in the Heritage City of Georgetown to this Paintball aka War Game. Lots of meeting and brainstorming session.

Warning! Mask On at all time within the war compound

Anyway, it was really fun. Fun with all the shooting, sharing and winning moments minus the pain and bruises.

this is why we warned for mask on at all time...

The game was run by Promedia Paintball and our war ground was situated at Level 5, Multistory Car Park, PISA, Bukit Jambul. There were 6 groups, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo and Foxtrot. I was in Delta team. The game was run in round robin style where each of the group would play for 3 games and the best 2 would play for the championship. The highest scoring team was Echo while Foxtrot and my team Delta tied with 19 points….however the play went to Foxtrot for having better play time compared to my group…hmm sad...missed another chance to play

Delta warrior...San San, SB, SH, David, Hong and me

hmmm....3rd place only

We began our game after briefing at about 2.30pm. My first game against Alpha was super embarrassing. I was kicked out the field even before I could fire my first shot…It was a random shots from the land across…they were tens of meters away...

Delta warriors masked on

Then my second game, I scored fairly well. I managed to kill 2 opponents and survived till the end while in the 3rd game, I killed 1 opponent and be the last survivor on the ground….yes!

All in the war ground...getting ready for the game

Foong in action

Really enjoyed the game and happy to work with my group…we tried 3 different war ploy in our 3 games….very creative and tacticful

So the winning team was Echo, 2nd place went to Foxtrot and 3rd place went to Delta…

Am looking forward to our next TB event…it would be annual Lunch for this quarter and treasure hunt in next quarter.

VTS-M rocks!