Day +1306 : Touch ‘n No Go :-(

I am fine today.

My Tuouch ‘n Go card was running out of balance. I went to Maybank Puchong Jaya Branch yesterday to reload it with an amount of RM500 through the cash-in machine. The machine accepted my money but the balance of the card was not updated.

I filed a report to Maybank this morning and faxed it the transaction-slip that bored a remark “transaction rejected”. The bank officer told me that she had to escalate the problem to head quarter and the refund would take months. Many customers who experienced the same and filed a report long time ago still haven’t get their refund back until now :-(

It is very difficult to comprehend how the reload facility can be so unreliable. The customer is required to touch the card on the machine and the correct information is captured automatically. With this, the transaction should not fail.

My friend asked me why I have to top up so much given that I am not a regular traveler. The answer is simple - to avoid hassle caused by unreliable system such as what I have just experienced.

See you next post :-)

Day +1305 : Blood Donation Campaign

I am fine today.

My church and UH are organizing the first blood donation campaign this year on this coming Saturday (6 Feb). The time is from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

As the hospital is always lacking of blood supply during festive season like Chinese New Year, you are encouraged to partipate. You can also invite your friends to participate.

As usual, the blood donation will be held at the church which is located at No. 43 & 45, Jalan Puteri 5/8, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong. Contact : Pastor Tan: 017-6728093/03-80607037.

The campaign poster. Click on the image to get a larger view.

See you next post :-)

Day +1304 : So sleepy...

I am fine today.

I have been coughing for many weeks. The situation is getting worse this morning with heavier cough producing green phlegm.

I went to see a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctor (中医师) practicing in a shop next to my church.

I was prescribed with three types of Chinese medicine: cough capsule, flu capsule and a black syrup to boost immune system. When I asked what the ingredients in the syrup are, I was just told that it was made of Chinese medicine. And we know that Chinese medicine can be anything ranging from herbs to insects. Hopefully, there is no something like scorpion or cockroach in it :-(

I felt so sleepy after taking the medicine; more sleepy than taking western machine :-( So I slept from 2pm to 6:30pm in the afternoon, and I found myself continue to be sleepy after that. I wonder what ingredient in the Chinese medicine that makes one so sleepy. Perhaps the TCM doctor added in some sedative powder and the amount must be too much for a sleepy person like me.

I rarely see a TCM doctor. My sister brought me to see one just before I was diagnosed with Leukaemia 4 years ago. And the diagnosis was wrong miserably.

This is the first time ever I see a TCM doctor after that. I hope it works this time.

The medicine - RM30 including consultancy fee

See you next post :-)

Day +1303 : Finally, I get my camera back

I am fine today.

Two days ago, the camera shop asked me to pick up the Canon Digital Ixus 870 IS camera which was sent for repair on the first day of 2010. I was told that it would normally take two months to service a camera. I am very fortunate that I could get it back in 26 days :-)

I asked for the service report to understand what was actually done to the camera but I was told that there was none :-( So what I could do is to perform a quick test; shooting about 20 photos continuously with flash. The camera didn’t give burning smell and no smoke appeared around the flash light. With this, I assume that it was repaired.

With the camera, I should be able to post more photos especially those delicious dishes :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +1302 : She collected 290 aluminium drink cans

I am fine today.

My mother-in-law walks to IOI mall and then walks home again every day. One way journey took her about 15 minutes. She is very persistent and we didn’t see a day which she didn’t visit IOI mall.

We are not very sure why she is so interested in visiting IOI mall. She did purchase something like bread and vegetable but we suspected that this should not be the main reason that she visits IOI mall every day.

When I spotted her selling aluminium drink cans to the recycle agents this afternoon, I only realized that the main purpose of her visiting IOI mall is to collect these aluminium cans along the way. I overhead that the total number of aluminium can collected is 290. She was paid 2.5 cents per can and the total income was about RM7. She then equally divided the amount of money earned and passed to Daniel and Joseph.

My wife and I don’t mind her doing this as long as she is happy.

See you next post :-)

Day +1301 : How am I going to find the owner?

I am fine today.

While I was “enjoying” my plain oat meal this morning, my mother-in-law passed me a camera that she picked up from pedestrian path a day earlier on the way back from IOI mall.

She was not sure what that was and asked me whether it was some kind of toy for the children. I found out that it was not a toy but a functioning camera worth more than a thousand ringgit.

I sent my camera for repair as mentioned on my blog Day +1282 : My camera is having problem. One might think that his camera could be a good replacement, better than the one that my brother Richard’s old Sony Cyber-shot. But the problem is that the camera is not belonged to me. I need to find a way to return it to its rightful owner.

I examined the memory of the camera and based on the photos, I had some idea what I should do. Many photos in the camera indicated that it might be belong to a member of a direct sales firm called Debao Biopanax Sdn Bhd which maintained a website at http://www.db2u.net/index.php. But fortunately, the telephone published on the website was not contactable. Further search also linked the company to a mobile phone which was not in servce :-(

The address on the website points the location of the company to Puchong One Business Centre. I will pay a visit to the company sometime this week and ask the company to direct the one who lost a camera to me.

I will return the camera to its rightful owner after some verification such proof of purchase.

I hope the search for the owner is successful; else I don’t know what to do with the camera. Perhaps pass it to a non-profit organization is an option if no one comes forward to claim the camera.

See you next post :-)

Day +1300 : “I like you!” is not enough

I am fine today.

Following what I mentioned in Day +1293 : “I like you so much!”, I also practise it on my wife by saying “I like you!” every day.

I expected her to be happy with this good practice but she told me otherwise.

“Not enough!” she said.

“You are good to everyone and like everyone in the church. There is nothing different!” she continued :-(

“I love you!” I said to her and she was very happy with this.

Now I understand that she likes me to treat her special among all and I believe so do your wife or your husband :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +1299 : Another visit to Setia Alam

I am fine today.

Following the night visit 8 days ago (Day +1291 : A night visit to Setia Alam), we made another visit to Setia Alam after the church service this afternoon.

We decided not to purchase the RM1.5 million 3-storey shop lot due to congestion on Saturday night market. The agent introduced us another lot in which the ground and first floor are for sale at RM0.9 million. The top floor belongs to another owner.

We were very interested even though it is not facing the main road. The purpose of this afternoon visit was to see the condition of the units and if we were satisfied, to pay the agent 2% deposit. But we were put off by the condition - extremely heavy leaking with plenty of green fungus :-( We decided on the spot that this one is not for us.

After seeing us having no interest to purchase this one, the agent introduced us to a corner lot where the first floor is for sale at RM0.6 million. And this one is located at a busier location that is next to EON Bank. It is also somehow facing the main road and the resident area. The ground floor is Kiwi X'press restaurant whereas the second floor is office. The third floor is a ballet centre.

Now we are deciding should we purchase this unit.

The 3-storey where the first and second floor are for sale at RM0.9 million


Opposite the shop lot

Ground floor looked fine

Sharing the staircase
The concrete cover is so thin! All this while we thought that Setia Group produces higher quality buildings but this one along tell us that it is not the case.
Another view that show how shallow the concrete cover
Fungus
Water leaked from the top floor
After we show no interest on the units, the sale agents brought us to the first floor of a corner lot.

This is the one. The residential area is just opposite.

A group photo in our future church?
View from outside - the one on top of the Kiwi X'press Restaurant

The location
What we have opposite the shop lot
Next to EON Bank
Another group photo in front of the shop lot
The restaurant
Having drinks and discussion in the restaurant

See you next post :-)

Day +1298 : “Is it the same?”

I am fine today.

Many mobile Satay Celup stalls gather at the car park in front of my office every evening. I planned to bring my family there for a Satay Celup dinner last night. But it rained and we ended up having dinner at Liong Ya Restaurant (梁雅茶餐室) - a restaurant famous of stuffed bean curd and paper wrapped chicken(纸包鸡).

Aaron would like to order Coca-cola. I told him that Coca-cola in restaurant is very expensive and he should refrain from drinking it. And I promised to get him one from TESCO which is much cheaper.

“Is it the same?” he questioned.

He must be thinking that the cheaper one is inferior and less delicious.

People’s perception towards the quality of a product might be affected by its price. Higher price might give an impression that the product is superior. This is an important factor that we need to consider when setting the price of a product.

See you next post :-)

Day +1297 : It’s just a point of difference

I am fine today.

A couple was late for an appointment in the morning.

When they just about to leave the house, the husband noticed that a pile of clothes that supposed to be hanged to dry under the sun was lying in the basket.

He volunteered to hang the clothes and in a rush, he broke his wife’s favourite flower pot.

What would be the reaction of the wife? There are two extreme possibilities that bring very different outcome.

A positive wife will appreciate what her husband did – hanging the clothes for her.

A negative wife will blame her husband for breaking the flower pot.

Positive and negative is separated by just a point but the outcome of which side she chooses to stand can be very different.

A negative wife will suffer because she loses a favourite flower pot.

A positive wife would be happy because her husband is so helpful and caring.

Which side would you prefer to stand?

See you next post :-)

Day +1296 : “Cannot come cell group, need work at India”

I am fine today.

Hi all,

I cannot attend this week friday cell group and sunday worship because require work oversea india (fly there 2day) and come back on monday.
By the way, the cell group location is wei show house this friday.
So, c you all next week!

A simple message from my nephew, Heng Chiek, that delighted me very much :-) He needed to work in India over the weekend and he didn’t just go “missing in action”. He informed us two things; he will be absent and the reason.

Heng Chiek was very introvert and he was once addicted to computer games. However, he stopped playing computer games just a few months before his STPM exam. And fortunately he managed to score quite good result for him to secure an electronic engineering course in UPM.

Not long before he graduated from his university study a few years ago, he had another breakthrough – became a lot less introvert. Before that, he always escapes from us whenever we met. I believe it was a tremendous pressure for him to greet us at that time due to his personality:-(

Now he not only “dares” to greet us but also active in the church. He is one of the cell group leaders and also takes up the role of praise and worship leader regularly.

I praise God for transforming his life. In God everything is possible :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +1295 : “Hey! I am not a piano!” (2)

I am fine today.

Continue from yesterday...

When I invited someone to attend an event or look into certain issues, I would get three types of responses:

1. no response
2. a simple response such as Yes or No
3. a response with some elaboration

A response with elaboration is the one that makes me very happy.

Similarly, if a husband doesn’t go back for dinner, he can do the following:

1. Do nothing
2. Inform his wife that he is not going home for dinner
3. Inform his wife that he is going home for dinner with reason

I believe his wife will be very happy if he can inform her on his absent for dinner with some reason.

Response with sufficient elaboration promotes understanding and good relationship :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +1294 : “Hey! I am not a piano!” (1)

I am fine today.

Adriel don’t like the maid to wake her up and dress her in the morning. She insisted that I should be the one who did it.

One day, while I was taking off her pyjamas, I started to get a little bit naughty and tickled her body. She was defenceless as her face was covered with pyjamas with both hands constrained inside it.

“Hey! I am not a piano!” she shouted in laughter.

“The piano is there!” she continued and pointed to the piano in the living room.

“The piano is long. I am tall” she elaborated.

I believe she is trying to teach me how to distinguish a piano from her :-)

Just a little bit of explanation or elaboration such as this made me very happy :-) And with this, I understand her better.

To be continued and see you next post :-)

Day +1293 : “I like you so much!”

I am fine today.

Peoples in Eastern culture are generally implicit in expressing their feeling. They tend to hide their feeling deep inside their heart. It is embarrassing for even husband and wife or parents and children to say “I love you” or “I like you” :-(

Adriel is very explicit is expressing his feeling towards us. Very often, she would say “Baba, I like you very much” and sometimes, she also said “I don’t like you anymore”. Aaron followed her and started to say “I like you” very often :-) And I also follow them to say “I like you” almost every day.

I found I am a happier person after saying “I like you” :-) If you are still embarrassed to say it, force yourself to say at least once, and once you say it once, it would be easier for you to say the rest. And I guarantee you will be a lot happier after that :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +1292 : “No Planta, no kaya, no peanut butter”

I am fine today.

My sisters know that we like native olive (Dabai) very much. They prepared a big plate of the fruit for us when we reached my second sister’s house in Sibu during the last holiday.

Native olive of Sarawak

Aaron never eats the fruit before. He picked up one and ate.

“No taste! No Planta, no kaya, no peanut butter,” he talked to himself.

He must be thinking of applying either Planta, kaya or peanbut butter at the native olive to make it tasty just like what we did for bread :-)

This gave me a new idea of how I should eat the native olive. I haven’t tried that but definitely will try it the next time I eat the fruit.

See you next post :-)

Day +1291 : A night visit to Setia Alam

I am fine today.

Our church would like to plant a church in Setia Alam. We are now considering purchasing a shop lot for the new church. The price of the 3-storey shop lot increases sharply over the last couple of months. The one that is facing the road with a launching price of RM0.8million is now selling at RM1.5 million :-( To make matter worse, most shop owners are reluctant to sell due to high demand, leaving us without much choice.

We were very interested at one shop lot that is facing the main road with a selling price of RM1.5 million. However, we have second thought when we were told that there was a night market on the street in front of it every Saturday. We worried that it will incur inconvenient to church members should we gather on Saturday as the street will be blocked from vehicle access to give way to the night market.

In order to understand the real situation, we pay a visit to the place this evening. We were surprised to find out that the night market was so crowded. It is very long, stretching from one end of the street to the other.

Parking can be a problem on Saturday night and traffic jam is another problem. We encountered traffic jam on the way back. As the population in Setia alam continues to increase, we foresee this problem will become more apparent in future.

There were a total of 70 adult and children visiting the place - a visit with the most number of church members participating. Before visiting the night market, we had dinner first at a restaurant nearby.

The restaurant where we had dinner - one with the best business along the street
Car park almost full
Church members arriving
We booked 7 tables - RM120 nett each
The dishes





Enjoying the meal


Homemade jelly by Rev. Lau


The night market - one of the shop lots is the one that I talked about earlier

See you next post :-)

Day +1290 : A great reason to have morning walk

I am fine today.

We discovered a shortcut to Daniel’s school on his first day at secondary school. I mentioned about this on Day +1280 : A surprise – Daniel’s school is so near.

Since then, I accompanied him to school every day. The whole journey – going and returning – took about 15 minutes. It is extremely difficult for me to jog anymore due to lung problem but walking 15 minutes in the early morning is definitely not a problem to me. At least I manage to do some exercise now :-)

Daniel is strong but I am weak. He can walk very fast even though he has to carry a heavy school bag on his back. I certainly can’t walk as fast as he is should I carry the same bag :-(

I like to walk with him as this is the time that we can have some personal talk. In addition to exercise, the walk allow me to foster a better relationship with him :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +1289 : Lunch at Shogun Japanese Buffet, Sunway Pyramid

I am fine today.

I had lunch with Rev. Lau and his family at Shogun Japanese Buffet, Sunway Pyramid. This was the first Japanese Buffet I had this year and also the first ever Japanese Buffet at Sunway Pyramid. I had it twice last year; one at 1 Utama Shopping Centre and the other one at Wisma UOA II, Jalan Pinang, KL.

So far, this Japanese Buffet remains the best buffet that I ever had. In fact, all of us enjoy the meal very much; so many varieties of food we can choose from. We started from 12:00pm and left at 3:00pm :-)

If you like to eat a lot, I highly recommend you to give it a try. They are still offering promotion currently. We paid RM37.1 each only after 25% discount :-)

Promotional leaflet. Click on any of the images to get a larger view.

Price list
Address and contact

See you next post :-)