Thursday, February 28, 2008

Just for Laughs (forwarded..)
No matter how many times i've seen this, i still never failed to burst out in laughter each time i read it... especially liked the last part... coz i've been getting it a lot. =p

ROMANCE MATHEMATICS

Smart man + smart woman = romance

Smart man + dumb woman = affair

Dumb man + smart woman = marriage

Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy

____________ _________ _________

OFFICE ARITHMETIC

Smart boss + smart employee = profit

Smart boss + dumb employee = production

Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion

Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime

____________ _________ ________

SHOPPING MATH

A man will pay $20 for a $10 item he needs.

A woman will pay $10 for a $20 item that she

doesn't need.

____________ _________ ________

GENERAL EQUATIONS & STATISTICS

A woman worries about the future until she

gets a husband.

A man never worries about the future until

he gets a wife.

A successful man is one who makes more money

than his wife can spend.

A successful woman is one who can find such

a man.

____________ _________ ________

HAPPINESS

To be happy with a man, you must understand

him a lot and love him a little.

To be happy with a woman, you must love her

a lot and not try to understand her at all.

____________ _________ _________

LONGEVITY

Married men live longer than single men do,

but married men are a lot more wil ling to die.

____________ _________ _________

PROPENSITY TO CHANGE

A woman marries a man expecting he will

change, but he doesn't.

A man marries a woman expecting that she

won't change, and she does.

____________ _________ ________

DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE

A woman has the last word in any argument.

Anything a man says after that is the

beginning of a new argument.

____________ _________ ________

HOW TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BUGGING YOU ABOUT

GETTING MARRIED

Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings,

poking me in the ribs and cack ling , tel ling

me, 'You're next.' They stopped after I

started doing the same thing to them at

funerals.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest


~ this is one of the more entertaining dunk contests i've seen in the recent years. An event which, has been the highlight of the annual All-Star Weekend (other than the All-Star Game) since the early 1980s (sans a couple of seasons in the late 90s?) have revolutionized the dunk from a high-percentage 2-point field goal scoring technique to a momentum shifting, game defining, crowd-WOWing flashy & explosive air walking fiasco. Kids from my generation would probably remember the amazing gravity defying feat by Michael "Air" Jordan's , that infamous from-the-free-throw-line clutch dunk & Dominique "the-Human-Highlight-Film' Wilkins throwing down his trademark thunderous windmill dunks. Over the years, we've been seeing similar dunks being improvised from dunk contest to dunk contest; creativity & inspiration seemed to be running dry, and the hype surrounding dunk contests were gradually dwindling in the recent years (notably late 90s?) to the point where there were even talks to scrap off the event.
Well, i find this year's edition fresh & entertainingly impressive to watch... so i just had to post it. Man, how i wished i could have serious hops like those fellas. All i could managed was reach of barely a brick away from the rim during my balling heydays...
In this year's edition ~ not so-over-the-top green socks's mama-look-no-shoes between the legs dunk, over-the-top blow-a-candle-on-cup-cake-on-the-rim dunk (where the hell did he get the idea??) & Superman layup dunk ???? a bit overrated & is technically NOT a dunk, but i'd still give it a 10/10. See to find out why... this guy never seems to fail to get the crowd pumped up & on their feet. The tallest best leaper i've seen. Graceful yet powerful at that too.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Random ramblings ~ well, when it comes to blogging, my mind always goes blank when thinking of an appropriate title ~ lacking poetic creativity or inspiration? Maybe… Its been on hiatus ever since CNY. It’s been work, work, work, OT, OT, OT & eat, eat, eat non-stop since. Thanks to all the feasting & drinking, I have gotten substantially flabbier around the middle. Strange considering I’ve hardly gained any weight at all. *to mrtoilet: yah, now that we’re even, are u happy now?!* Haih… merry making is like that wat…

I’ve got approximately 2 months to whip it back to shape & get into presentable mode before I jump on the beach party bandwagon to Phuket early April. Only 2 months of intensive gut-wrenching AB workout program to religiously adhere to. Yeay. -_-

Just returned to gym for the 1st time after nearly 3 weeks of absence. By the 2nd set of 4-routine combo, I was literally dead from the waist down. Yeay, keep it up. -_-

About work, I was grumbling about having to work on CNY for the 3rd consecutive year in a row. It SUCKS to be working when everyone else is partying & having a good time. Though, looking at the brighter side, those 3 dreadful days of OT may have probably earned me enough $$ to substantially cover my Phuket trip. Yeh, babeh!

On top of that, many of my colleagues coming back from their respective hometowns after CNY holidays brought along many goodies. Most notably the yummy chicken biscuit; the first time I had it was when a friend from Kampar brought along some after CNY 2004 during my internship stint far-far away.

Still as yummy, but as for the name revamp? CB biscuits….Hey, you a piece of my CB? It does that sound a bit vulgar in some local dialect…. ps no pun intended =p

To that dear friend: A Valentine’s romantic getaway in Bali… woa, I’m so envious of you ler… So I shall be expecting to hear good news from you soon! =p

Well, as for mine I’ve got nothing much special to blog about; did not celebrate Valentine’s with someone special, but I’ve got a bunch of good company to cheers with, to not feel so sad about not having a date on that Single Awareness Day.

Haven’t done much visiting this year & barely got to meet a few old buddies in a gathering or two; but got to meet up my oldman, buddy. What he’s up to lately? It seemed like he’s hooked up a major deal & released an MTV with his grandson or grandoter at the helm as the creative director. Kejap grandson, kejap grandoter.. I pun tak tau lah.

Presenting ah kong’s masterpiece… (ah kong is the canvas lah)



Lim peh ka lih kong, this ah kong very geng one. One evening he called me, got zzzzgg-zzzggg sound in the background, wah seh, steady leh. In the middle of getting tattoed also can talk steady like no sweat!
Btw, really nice piece ~ your burung turn into phoenix already; when is your carp fish turning into mermaid? hehe =p

Kudos to creative director ehon a.k.a. ah kong grandson.. grandoter.. whatever la… It’s been great knowing you. So when can I get my ride’s MTV done? *Ha, just kidding*. My car looks so crappy to be worth getting a shot. Not at least until the engine gets done right & she gets a fresh coat of paint.

I dream of building a bad-ass sleeper Civic ~ stock, no show but all go. 200hp NA B16 rojak street-able daily driver… possible?

Full engine rebuild & tuning is in the pipeline (very dependant on how deep my pocket is after April Phuket damage). Nothing beats the thrill of a high strung NA VTEC engine furiously screaming its way up to a stratospheric 10k rpm like this



Or this one if I get lucky enough to own a supercar, someday…



Oh, boy i'm drooling already... =)

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Auspicious Day to Start Work for 2008

Ever since i started working, taking off days for CNY has become a luxury that hardly attainable... ~ that's 24-7-365 semiconductor industry for you! For the 3rd consecutive year, i'll be covering the dreaded CNY holiday shift again, but with better timing than last year... at least it's not the graveyard shift.... Specifically, will be working on the 1st & 4th day ~ only 2 days off for me :(
On a more positive note, the predictions are reading out fine.... so cheers to a smooth-sailing-lack-of-man-power working day tomorrow! The OT $ will be injected into my vacation fund for the upcoming Phuket trip come April... yeh, babeh! =)
*damage already done = RM404 to pay to mrtoilet by midnight for the Kch-KL-Phuket return flight tickets.. *

Just wanna wish everyone Happy Prosperous CNY 2008, & to all working thru CNY, cheers as well! We shall all be smiling when we get our fatter pay checks by end of February! =p

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Fixing Alignment Woes ~ many moons ago after much tinkering with an ailing drive-shaft (& eventually going thru some major part replacement), I’ve sent my car for a computerized alignment check ~ and the report card came out looking dreadful, with lots of red marks which, shouldn’t mean any good.

Red markings indicate misalignment settings outside of the manufacturer’s recommended range which can hasten tire wear rate & adversely affect the car overall handling, braking & ride quality. ~ No wonder my car handles awkward with hints of severe understeer during hard cornering & feels unsettled during hard launches from standstill.

Being an enthusiast who enjoys occasional aggressive spirited driving, I’m not taking any chances by leaving this alignment problem un-addressed. Talk about taking calculated risk when pushing a car to its limits ~ on a badly setup car could be potentially fatal.

Here I’ll attempt to throw some light on the 3 basic parameters of the alignment process.

1. Toe ~ (in degrees) toe angle identifies the exact direction the tires are pointed relative to centerline of the car when viewed from above. A certain enthusiast recommended a slight toe-out setting for better directional stability & sharper turn-in response. Mine falls well within the recommended range.

2. Camber ~ (in degrees) the angle of the wheel relative to its vertical axis, when viewed from the front or the rear of the car. As with most lowered cars *mine’s got a 1&1/2 finger clearance from scraping the fenders (front tires)*, camber characteristics are inherently negative. Mine checks out at an averaged -1’30” (30” off spec) ~ gives better cornering grip but at expense of straight-line tracking & excessive tire wear & tear on the inner edge. Necessitates tire swapping from time to time… can’t be helped unless start investing in an aftermarket camber kit. Pricey $$

3. Caster ~ position of the wheel forward or rearward when viewed directly from side of the car. Mine was in a bad shape as both of my front wheels exhibit negative caster; wheel positioned toward the rear of the fender ~ attributing to poor straight line tracking, reduced high speed stability & cornering effectiveness. This one’s the source of my headache since it is likely the caused by a bent front wheel lower sub-frame ~ result of a collision or impact with a pothole or pavement; there no quick fix of adjusting it….

(HT VOL75 is a good read up source for the alignment lesson)

The only fix is to go the whole 9-yards & replace the whole god-damn sub-frame

Damage: 380bucks for a reconditioned replacement unit + more substantial $$ for the worn out bushing, driveshaft boots replacements, labor charges & 3 days of down time in the garage…

Left...

Right...

Gobbled up quite a chunk off my bonus, but it’s finally fixed now. At least I have the groundwork laid out for Resolution#2. My next trip to the workshop would involve major internal works on the power plant. No more untimely, costly repair/maintenance works, I hope. Or i'll never get to starting my quest for more POWER.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

ZGMF-X666S

Legend Gundam





American Muscle...






~ spotted at a friend's workshop. This is what the Americans call, a full-sized automobile; & i always thought of the 5-series or the newer Camrys/Accords as oversized saloons, but this ride just gives a new definition to the term 'over' sized. Seeing one in real flesh is a sight to behold ~ decked in all black & its low-strung stance gives it a menacing presence; its' sheer size almost unfathomable ~ can comfortably accomodate a full grown adult lying down across the seats... that's how wide it really is. It's a 1965 Chevrolet Impala running on a small block V8 ~ essentially a 5,400cc displacement engine... & they call that a small block?? *i can't even start to imagine how big the displacement for the big block V8s..* It says 327 on the side marker... which literally means it's 235 - 375bhp specced engine. You'll definitely need that kind of horsepower to haul one big mean ride as this one. It's got vintage interior & is a right hand drive; so it must be an export version. This is one ultra exotic ride that is hard to come by (at least in this part of the world), so seeing one in real life (in mint condition) is truly special =) *only regret is that i was not there to get to see it roar to life after its five-digit-costing overhaul job*