El Cheapo El Router

My 3yr old D-Link Wireless Router finally gave up on me and decided to go blinkers. I bought it at a so-called dealer's price of RM290. Money well spent. So, off I go in search for a new w'less router, and to my suprise, even now, in the era of wi-fi everywhere, the cheapest 'branded' router is at RM245. And that's D-Link at PC Depot. Anyway, cut the chase, I finally found a cheaper router. And it's even backed with a lightning-proof lifetime warranty with a one-to-one exchange policy. The installation was easy, and best of all, it's a Belkin! Yup, from the people who brings you lots of iPod accessories, I got myself a "Designed in California, Made in China" Belkin router, for only RM188! Works flawlessly, recommended!

Ban Grey Colored Cars

I met an accident yesterday as I was coming out of a corner. A car in his rightfully path banged me at 50km/h. Sigh. Legally, it was all my fault, I know, but I kept on thinking - how did I NOT see that car coming?? I really thought that the road was clear. So, my conclusion is: as I was in a hurry, I just took quick glances of the road and vroom away. And the fact that it was drizzling and the car that hit me was grey colored, that car was virtually INVISIBLE on an tarmac road. So there it is. All of this COULD be avoided if the car was not an asphalt camouflage.

Ironically, the car that hit me had accident bruises all over and just got out of a workshop a week ago. There. My point is valid. Grey colored car spells "you can't seeee me".

Putrajaya

It's a horsie, Marsha!
The main reason for me getting a car with a sunroof... Very "boulevardish", don't you think?

Imagine this: A housing community without any fences or gates. Wide pedestrian walk. Super clean streets. Lushes of green along the roads. Clean playgrounds at every few blocks. No crazy dogs nor stray cats. Benches along the walkways. Howdy-doo friendly neighborhood.

Nope. It’s not Wisteria Lane.

Though it may sound just like another neighborhood in the US, but actually… believe it or not, this is a housing community in Malaysia. And nope, it’s not another ‘gated” community in Malaysia where dwellers pay a premium price to enjoy the “open” life under an invisible shield where your mom and dad needs to surrender their IDs to the security post at the entrance. Nor it’s another kampong, where in addition to lush greens and no gates to speak of – could very well be infested with menopausal chicken and goats with attitude.

I’m talking about Putrajaya. To actualize a Wisteria Lane wannabe in Malaysia is probably not impossible, but to put it up in such a humongous scale such as Putrajaya is simply awesome. Strange (for Malaysian) it may feel to be living in a house that does not have a fortress-like features like a 6inch thick wall and steel gate surrounding it, Putrajaya succeeded in making the dwellers feel safe, warm and not-naked. Of course, having the whole town swarmed with CCTVs and well guarded by the local police instead of Bangladeshi security guards, do help a little in securing some confidence.

Anyway, I really do encourage people to visit Putrajaya. It’s as astonishing as the Twin Tower is to Swedish. It’s very well-planned (at least we can rest assure that there ARE some people in the Government who are good in planning). Google it up and learn more. It’s incredibly wow. In fact, why not spare a few hundred grand and live there!

Well, best wishes to my big brother and his family on their new home. I'm sure the kids will miss Bangsar. But, nothing beats a kampung... opss, I mean, Putrajaya life. We're just happy to be able to celebrate Azim's birthday. Azim, Raisa and Nadia: thanks for taking Marsha to the playground at 3pm. She is now shiningly tanned :-) I'll see you guys again early April.

Ipoh was great!

We went to Ipoh last weekend for my nephew's wedding. And of course, that gave us a good reason to spend the weekend there and support the "cuti-cuti Malaysia" thingy. And, as usual, hotel stay NEVER fail to boost Marsha's adrenalin. Here she is doing pole dancing :-)

Be All You Can Be!

Are you a "role model" or a "case study"?

Joker of the Month

Believe it or not, this picture was choreographed
by our funny-gal... Miss Marsha. Joker!

Self Reflection

I am, by all means, not perfect... by 53.6 gazillion light-years away, to be exact. But, it's a relief to know that I'm not alone. But ironically, I can't help but noticing that there are some people who actually thought that they ARE perfect. More ironic, some of these people, they are just wayyy OUT of the scale that it's just impossible to plan a salvation. In short, these are the ego-centric people. A common trait for these type of people is that, they don't really practice 'self-reflection'. Instead, they adore criticising others. Other's imperfection glimmers like a diamond to them, and how they love talking about it. But as I try to understand this group of people, I notice that most of them DO NOT have good friends. Yes... they might think that they have, but the sad truth is, no of them are true friends. Which brings us to the fact that, without true friends, you can't perform "self-reflections". There's no one to criticize you. Or to correct your mistakes. Or to give feedbacks or inputs when you ask (or do not ask) for one. Do you notice that when ego-centric talks, nobody will say anything or debate the topic? The reason is mainly because, ego-centrics are emotionally-based and often talk bad of others. People keeping quiet while they talk is just a way to past time until they stop talking or leave.

Anyway, self-reflection is a sure way of improving yourself. We must all know where we stand in this world and keep improving our position. And a quick way of doing this, is to perform daily self-reflection with your best friend. Of course, by default, if you're married, your best friend is your spouse. Talk about annoying things you see, and try to understand why it happens. And of course, ask if you are as annoying as that. Your spouse will give you an honest answer. And you'll improve from there on.

One reason ego-centric drifts further away is that their ego is too big that they do not want to expose their imperfections - especially to their 'supposedly' best friend - their spouse or partner. And, really... that's just fundamentally wrong. Think about it. Anyway, in short, if you do an environmental scan and realizes that you don't have a good friend that can give you an honest answer or finds it difficult to 'open-up' to your partner or spouse, then it's time to check that "ego-meter" and step off the "ego-pedal". Worry not... nobody's perfect... and it's never too late.