May 25, 2008
Malunya Malaysia
So we lost the Pedra Branca to the Singaporeans. Personally, I think they deserve the win. Their argument was great, and covered every single aspects to rebuttal what ever lame excuse for a claim presented by the Malaysian team.
Before ANYONE yells “Ini Malaysia, tak suka, keluar” to me, I’d appreciate if they take a look at the court proceedings again. I mean, who in the right mind would use an anonymous blog as evidence? Sure it’s from an independence source, which is made out of convenience by anyone with blue IC, or even red IC or no IC at all as long as they fight for Malaysia. Still, it’s a dirty trick. A con job if you ask me, and a bloody lousy one too.
So, should we be supporting these scammers? I don’t care if they are Malaysian, or even my relatives, they should be charged for fabricating evidence. And since there’s no punishment for humiliating the country’s pride, I’d like to suggest public spanking for those losers. Have their red bottoms exposed like the baboons they are.
source 1 : from a credible blog
source 2 : from a even more credible non-blog
May 22, 2008
Wide AND Deep
That was the main topic of discussion with my brother while doing our nightly chore, washing the dishes. It started out earlier that day at school as a mini debate between him and his ever egoistic English teacher (lets call him EET) during MUET lessons. EET asked for a presentation topic which Deep AND Wide in content. My brother argued that you can have Deep OR Wide, while taking a microscope function as a fine example (will elaborate on this later). At first I thought that it was possible to have Deep AND Wide topic, since the deepest oceanic trench is after all located at the pacific ocean the largest (also the widest) ocean body on earth. Then he explained that he wasn’t talking about geographic formations but more emphasis on content. Personally i think that talking about the Mariana Trench makes a good double whammy.
And then, I began to see his argument, with very valid points. Observe…
The image above (A) is that of a cell taken with an electron microscope at magnification X 6000. Lets call this Wide, since that it covers everything of a cell in a very general content as there are lack of details at such low magnification.
Then things start to get a little more specific.
The Image above (B) is taken from the same cell but at magnification X 21000 (more then 3 times the original) at the selected area of (A) note the white box. The individual sub cell structures are much more defined and detailed as compared to the first picture. This is called Deep. When a topic has lots of detail, it has depth.
Bravo for figuring that out at the spur of the moment in front of EET. It took me a while to digest the microscope terminology. So, EET having silenced momentarily with that explanation, gave the worst remark any academic professionals could ever give "microscope is man made, people is god made". I was like WTF!!?
No wonder Malaysian teachers are not regarded as academic professionals but the lame ass cikgu title. If I were there and then, I would have retorted "English language is man made too, henceforth the Width of the topic is limited to mortal creations" or if words fails me, I’ll just slap him silly with a bible until he passes out from the abuse or I passes out from exhaustion.
Now, back to the topic on Width AND Depth of topics and discussions. Yes, it is possible to have a topic which is both Wide AND Depth. (I’m not saying that EET is completely right. EET is just a nincompoop who can’t even teach and resorted to religion to save his sorry ass.) Listen to grandma talk about her life and she’ll talk and talk and talk and talk with no end. Is the topic Wide? yes it is, 80 years of experience is a wide topic to cover. Is the topic Deep? yes it is, when grandma recalls a favorite part, she’ll go into nitty gritty detail of the event.
Then at the end of the day you’ll feel that your brain is numb and grandma has lost her voice.
That is one very very bad way of cramming a very Wide AND Deep topic. Instead use a book (not for slapping). Wide areas of discussion are also categorized as summary or conclusion (normally used at the end of discussion). And then details are divided into chapters. So you’ll have:
Book Title: Grandma, My Life
Introduction: Who is Grandma (summary)
Chapter One: Year 1 - 6 (early childhood)
Chapter Two: Year 6 - 12 (late childhood)
Chapter Three: Year 12 - 14 (short teenage years)
Chapter Four: Year 15 (got married)
Chapter Five: Year 15.8 (first child)
Chapter Six: Year 16 - 26 (many more children)
Chapter Seven: Year 26 - 31 (Japanese Occupation)
Chapter Eight: Year 31 - 41 (Guai-lo came back)
Chapter Nine: Year 42 (Independence)
Chapter 10: Year 43 (First child got married)
Chapter 11: Year 43.8 (First grandchild)
Chapter 12: Year 44 - 55 (many more grandchild)
Chapter 13: Year 55 - 80 (many stuff happened but may not be in detail)
Conclusion (Summary)
So there you go, a comprehensive story of grandma’s life, a very Wide AND Deep topic.
May 21, 2008
ARGH, NO U DOTA!
Just when i thought that I’ve kicked the habit at 6.23
I got addicted again with the latest 6.52c
I want my life back >.<
no customary pictures to post for this short entry.
May 20, 2008
Jekyll and Hyde
In response to Wendy’s comment left on my profile page (dang, been a long time since I last checked it), yes, I can be a devil at times, most noticeably when I’m behind the wheel. In short I’m a road bully.
I tailgate whoever is blocking my lane, which includes two wheelers. Strangely enough, I’ve never tailgate any motorist who’s wearing religious headgear. I keep my distance from them and at a very safe speed. But 50 year old uncles riding along the dotted line, and soccer moms in SUV were not spared my wrath.
Side swipe road hogs. No body contact, just near misses. Sometimes when honking is just not enough, it needs a much bolder way to send a message to them.
Weaving through traffic like someone who’s going to shit his pants.
On a lighter note, my preference for cars has adopted such Jekyll and Hyde characteristics.
Favourite car for the moment is the Tesla Roadster electric sports car which I read in one of Top Gear Malaysia old issues. 100% torque 100% of the time, what more can I ask for. Plus, zero emission, cleaner then any hybrid or hydrogen cars out there. 200 miles per charge (about 312km) isn’t a bad figure, KL-Penang in one charge. And you can charge this car at the comfort of your own home. No more hunting for petrol stations when the needle drops. "And no more loud engine noise. The only noise will probably come from the humming of the electric motor and the tires on tarmac.
Last but not least, chassis design and suspension tuning by Lotus!
The dark side is, none other then brute force of all American muscle car the Ford Mustang GT500. The only influence of such brute cars I have are from games like Need For Speed Carbon, and movies like Dukes of Hazard. It’s probably a sick excuse for a car. All it does well is go straight and turns while there’s still traction on the tires. The mind blowing torque and horse power is enough to pull a caravan, or drift cars who graveled themselves. And it’s noisy, dirty and expensive (AP permit + import duty + tax for a 5L monster), plus no right hand drive. Still, I find myself admiring at pictures of the Mustang GT500. The low rumbling engine noise is like music to the ears. And there’s this magic in muscle cars that attracts me. Probably it’s the masculine design, which many modern Japanese cars are starting to adopt, for instance the GTR35.
Comparing price tag, the Mustang GT500 is marginally cheaper then the roadster, but buying the Mustang GT500 also means I have to take up a loan for fuel if i were to take it as my daily ride. Lets not forget the right hand drive issue.
May 14, 2008
That Modding Itch
It’s that time of the week again where I spend more time with the apple green Savvy (nicknamed Mellon) then my iridescent white Neo (oddly enough no nick name was given). Under direct orders from my dear sister, no modification can be done to the Mellon, until it’s fully paid off. Hmmm… 3+ more years to go. Doesn’t hurt if I do some planning now. XD
In case you are wondering, yes, i’m a power user. I get addicted to fast cars very fast. And having experienced the Neo’s handling capabilities at old Ulu Yam-Genting route and last Sunday night touge at UM Lover’s Hill, I was thinking of tweaking the Savvy to the performing standards of the Neo. It might sound insane making the Savvy like the Neo, but I do think it’s an effort well paid off. The Savvy has one thing the Neo does not, it’s small nimble built.
[Parental Advisory: Illegal Activities]
Last night (at about 10.30om), after a short visit at UM to see my sweetheart, I had a little impromptu street race with a turbocharged Toyota Caldina on the way back home via SS17. I was driving the Savvy.
As the green lights appeared I gunned down the cross section to make a right turn heading to SPRINT - NKVE highway. I was halted behind a really slow moving old junk blue wira and there’s where the challenger appears at my rear view mirror. The championship white turbocharged Caldina let off some boost through its high pitched after market blow off valve. And that bugger tailed me close enough for me to notice it’s racing stickers in contrasting black on it’s front fenders and hood which looks unmistakable for carbon fiber finish.
So, I did what I naturally do, tailgate the wira in front of me with my car jutting out to the right so that my headlights (on low beam mode) shines at his side mirror to say "get the fuck off my road".
As the 30km/h train of Wira, Savvy and Caldina finally reaches to the SPRINT - NKVE highway intersection at San Francisco’s Steak House, and the road widens from one late to two, I gun down the curve overtaking the Wira on the right while narrowly missing the curb/kerb. Looking back while my speed was drastically increasing, I noticed that the Cladina too mimic my maneuver and gave chase. Not wasting time looking back anymore, I planted my foot on the gas paddle and rocketed the Savvy on the near empty highway weaving through whatever vehicle that’s cruising on the road, until I got halted again with two slow moving vehicles blocking both lanes of the highways at the Up Town flyover, roughly 500-700 meters from where I overtook the crawling slow Wira near San Fransisco’s Steak House.
I waited a good three seconds before the Caldina narrowly kisses the back of the car as it finally caught up. Seconds of adrenaline rush got me thinking "Hey, this Savvy ain’t bad". I never expect to catapult from the Savvy from a constant cruising speed to way above legal limits in just seconds with its stock standard D4F 1149cc naturally aspirated engine. Top that up with a small frame and good suspension work, it could fair off as an ultra low budget Italian Job mini. And to outrun/out weave a turbocharged Caldina.
Having "Won" that impromptu race, I eased off the throttle and let the Caldina pass the moment the car in front of me made way. That guy speed off towards BU Centerpoint while I headed home with more thoughts in my head. How to make a Monster Mellon.
Recalling the articles and forum discussion on the Savvy, I’ve drafted out a few things which will help boosting the overall performance of my sister’s Mellon.
1) R3 After Market Springs
Made specially for the Savvy with great help from Proton motorsport engineering division (with the help of Lotus), no other after market springs comes close to match these set of red coil. Priced slightly above Rm400, It’s not that expensive for a "branded" item.
2) Better Rubbers
With the current odd size of 175/50/15 tires, I need more thought into finding the right size to fit without rubbing into the underside of the wheel arch and also something not too expensive. While the Michelin PP2 serves averagely well on my Neo, I am look at other alternatives. And this time, maintaining the profile of the tires. Having upped the profile on my Neo, high speed cruises are at times dangerously floaty, especially while taking corners.
New engine, and it’s French made, this modification will cost a bomb. Lets face it, the D4F no doubt is a good engine, but it’s naturally aspirated, and the amount of money spent in increasing its output (while maintaining NA) is not worth while. There’s this guy spending close to 20K to make a one-of-a-kind 170bhp campro. A MIVEC transplant cost half that price with the same output.
This mini monster produces 100bhp @ 5500RPM and 145 Nm of torque at 3000RPM. The D4FT emission control can be cinsidered "green" with CO2 emissions homologated at 140g/km (why do you think my exhaust system is left stock in my Neo? I’m a tree hugging hippie) Plus, the D4FT comes with over boost even in stock form, save the trouble of getting an after market boost controller. The biggest headache (other then being sooo expensive) is actually finding one in Malaysia. Finding a Clio III halfcut with a (D4FT/1.2 TCE/TCE 100) one engine, many names is hard since Clio III also comes in 2.0L NA.
And in case anyone ask, yes, I’ve taken the Savvy for the rear wheel hub check and nothing is wrong with it.
