Clean Water

The water that comes into the house isn't super clean, so I bought a Panasonic TK-CS20 water filter. With the help of Apok, the water filter was installed at the kitchen sink. I bought it at AEON Midvalley Megamall for RM214.

Juicing Around

Seeing that I liked to drink fruit juices, which I tended to buy in those juice boxes, I decided to buy a fruit juice extractor. I could then make whatever mixed juice drink I wanted from fresh fruits at the comfort of my home. This worked marvelously, and it is so easy to use. The results are delicious and very healthy!

Yet Another Water Pipe Burst

I had to get the local water supply company to repair a water pipe burst that occurred in front on my house, just beside the drain along the roadside. They brought in the tractor and started work around midnight and it took them 3-4 hours to replace the leaked pipe. 

4K TV

After more than nine years of using a 42" HDTV that had been deteriorating with signs of fungus-like blemishes on the surface of its screen, I finally bought a new 65" 4K UHD LED TV from Samsung. It costs me only RM4,197 and since they were having sales, I can redeem a free microwave oven worth RM369. Not bad, considering my old TV cost almost RM3,000. I actually underestimated the size of this thing, as it is almost as wide as the cupboard it is sitting on!

You can view a few pics of it being installed....

New Game - Horizon Zero Dawn

I just started playing this new game which has been ported to the PC platform - Horizon New Dawn. So far, it really is good, with a storyline that is captivating and having superb graphics. The gameplay is also enjoyable but I haven't gone very far yet, so I'm not sure how challenging it would be. 

You can read more about it here.

VW Golf GTi Performance Upgrade

I had recently upgraded the turbo in my 13-year old Golf GTi to an APR K04 and also did an engine overhaul and rebuild. This has resulted in an increase in power from 211 PS to 281 PS, and a boost in torque from 314 Nm to 412 Nm! You can see the power curves in the dyno test I did today.

Now my car feels very responsive and more powerful!

Renewal of Driver’s License

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we were allowed to delay the renewal of our driver’s license. Nevertheless, since I was near the Post Office, I thought I’d drop by... It seems I didn’t need to bring along a photograph of myself as they reused the latest they had of me from my IC / myKad... Service was very quick as there was hardly a queue...

A trip to the Zoo

It seems I have been on a very long hiatus, and I'm not sure why, as I cannot remember what was the reason I stopped updating my blog. Somehow, I happened to stopover my blog recently and realised it had been neglected for so long. Anyway, last month I made a trip to Melaka Zoo for a photowalk and snapped a couple of animal pics. It was also a good exercise for me just walking in the outdoors under the tropical sun.

You can view more animal pics here.

Watches Galore

I wanted a new watch especially for evening wear. After hunting for suitable models on the Internet, I came to the conclusion that I couldn't afford Tag Heuer, Omega and not even Seiko. So, it was back to Tissot, which was my original brand. Anyhow, to cut a long story short, it was the V8 model that appealed to me most. It had a classic design with brown leather strap and a dial of ivory colour. However, while perusing the Tissot website, I was attracted to the Seastar, a diver's watch with a beautiful blue-coloured dial and very clean, uncluttered layout. So, off I went to Midvalley Megamall, and dropped in the Tissot shop, and quickly walked away with the two timepieces, costing RM997 and RM2,295 respectively. This purchase rewarded me with a free gift - a Bohemia crystal bowl that I gave to my mum :D

You can view the watches in more detail here...

The One

After more than three years, I finally bought a new mobile phone - the HTC One - to replace my workhorse, the HTC HD2. Apart from the obvious advances in technology, such as faster processor, brilliant display, awesome camera and running on the latest Android Jelly Bean, I'm now, for the very first time, connected to the Internet via mobile broadband...yup, before that, I had only Wifi to depend on...So, with my new toy, it's so connected to all my social media, from email to Facebook and Twitter, that it can be quite bewildering! The thing is, at RM2,299 the HTC One is actually cheaper than when I purchased the HD2!

You can view more pics of it here...and see a comparison of photos taken with it and the older HD2...

An Apple a Day...

Well, Apple finally managed to convince me to acquire one of its product - the new iPad. I've always been a Microsoft Windows user, and didn't quite clique with the Apple way...but over the last one or two years, I've admired how Apple has matured and strengthened in terms of making its innovation business friendly. One of the important criteria for me was that the iPad had to integrate with my work environment, and at our office, we use the MS-Exchange platform. To cut a long story short, it was very easy to get it to sync with Outlook's email and calendar as well as our corporate Wifi.

I also wanted to use the iPad as a note-taking app, to capture meeting notes and ideas. Initially, I used a rubber-tipped stylus, but this felt too spongy and the tip became loose after a few weeks use...so I decided on the Adonit Jot that had a unique hard disc tip, which not only felt like a real pen and was very accurate and natural to write with, but became a talking point as my workmates' curiosity discovered its clever design. Btw, the cover is by Targus which comes with a neat stylus holder.

All in all, I'm very happy the new iPad. Having used it since April 2012, I found it very useful both at a personal as well as at a working level for me :-)

Take a closer look at my new iPad...

Still going strong..

My mobile phone, the HTC HD2 running Mobile Windows v6.5, is working perfectly after 2 years since I bought it..it helps me thru my day's appointments with syncing to my office's Exhange's calendar, contacts and todo...I can view updates of Facebook and surf the web via wifi..plus I managed to read the whole Quran translation on it while doing my Hajj pilgrimage in Mekah :)

You can see more photos here...

Still Shining

Even after 4 1/2 years, my VW GTi still looks good, thanks to it's Shine & Shield polish treatment. I only wash my car every now and again with normal 'wash & wax' liquid cleaner. Also, it performs even better with the slight modification I did to bring it up to Stage II using APR upgrades. Hope it last for another 10 or more years!

Upgraded to Windows 7

I bought Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit and did a clean install to my Dell XPS 730. It actually runs noticeably faster and has nice improvements in many places. It cost me RM739...

VW GTi Power Booster

I've just installed the APR 3" downpipe and remapped the ECU to Stage 2. This brings the power upto approx. 270hp at the crank (from a base of 200bhp) and torque upto approx. 320lb-ft (from a measly 207lb-ft)!

Follow the installation of the power boosters.....

VW GTi Mods

I am doing some performance upgrades to my car, the first being installation of a cold air intake by Carbonio and an APR ECU remap to Stage 1. This boosts power by 50hp!

See the GTi mods being done....

Seaside Mosque

On a trip down to Melaka, I stopped by this mosque built on reclaimed land by the sea.

Look at more pictures of the seaside mosque....

Power Boost

My car was due for service, and I thought why not go for an extra boost of speed by remapping the car's ECU. I chose APR and concidentally it was on sale, so for RM3,980 I got a fully-loaded program, saving almost RM2,000 off normal prices. With that, my VW GTi jumped from a stock 200bhp to a blazing 250bhp! Quite noticeable improvement even in normal driving.

View the powering up of a pocket rocket.....

Batu Caves

As part of a recce, I did a quick trip to Batu Caves. Needless to say, the giant golden statue is a must-see, but there are also many other sights of interest. I didn't climb up into the caves, just wandered around the compound.

Take a peek at Batu Caves.....

New Cat on the Block

A grey cat appeared out of nowhere and decided to make our house her home. Must be a neighbour's cat becos she is quite domesticated. At the same time, I have joined Facebook, and am drowning in a tsunami of info....

More catty pictures.....