07 January 2016

Gated communities and Nepali guards

Right outside our front gate we have 2 Nepali security guards manning a temporary gate. There is another one patrolling the neighbourhood on a motorbike. And right across the road, there is another security guard, from another company, also Nepali, guarding a shop lot which is currently under renovation.

The security guard were hired by neighbourhood security committee with most families in the neighbourhood contributing to a fund. We are not unique and it looks like the whole Petaling Jaya in Selangor is full of gated communities.

To be honest, I do feel much safer and feel that we made the right choice to rent this house. However, I wonder what happened to Malaysia while we were away for nearly 8 years. It was not like this back then before we left for the UK. There were a few gated communities but they were rare and meant for guys in a different social class altogether.

Is the security situation so bad that we need to have guards in every neighbourhood? Isn't it the role of the police to take care of public security?

Looking at the bright side, reports of crime has reduced and the situation has led to the growth of a massive industry in Malaysia - the security firms. 

10 November 2015

10 October 2015

Advice on buying watches below $500

As some of my close friends and family members are aware, I am a big fan of watches - mechanical or battery powered, analog or digital, it does not matter. A lot of people also come to me for advice on buying watches and most are interested in good quality affordable watches. And of course I depend on the various watch blogs and forums out there, besides advice from some knowledgeable friends who are also watch fanatics. Some of the sites I frequent includes the famous A blog to watch, Hodinkee and the Watchuseek forums.

Recently I found out about another watch blog called Watchjudge.com. Rob has written a post called 'Best Watch Brands under $500: Affordable Timepieces Made with Actual Craftsmanship'. I found the article to be well written and quite balanced. Some actual good advice. So if you are looking for an affordable watch, I suggest you go through the article before buying one. 

02 September 2015

KLIA 2 vs Sydney airport

Just got back from Sydney. I had gone there to attend my youngest sister's wedding. It was a tiring but really fantastic experience and our family is now bigger. It was fantastic that our family was finally together again after decades literally.

Anyway, I was comparing my experience flying in and out of Sydney with that of KLIA 2 (I flew with Air Asia X) and I realised that Malaysian Airports delivered a much more satisfying experience.

Getting through customs and immigration was a breeze, not just because I have a Malaysian IC but queues were much less and the process was quite efficient. Maybe it was because I was flying in the evening when there are less flights. In Sydney, they require you to take off your jacket, belt and remove the laptop (if you have one). I am not sure but wonder whether Malaysia has better scanners.

Once I went through immigration controls, there were ample places to sit down comfortably and have an affordable bite. Duty free shopping is much more cheaper in KL as compared to Sydney on most of the items as well. Wifi signals are strong with relatively fast connections. The wifi in Sydney was dismal. I could not even surf the net properly let alone chat via Skype.

And then there is the paperwork. I had to fill in 2 documents when I flew into Sydney and one while flying out. There were none to and from KLIA2.

Overall, a lot of things that Sydney can learn from KLIA 2.




20 August 2015

Classics - Love Hurts - Nazareth with Munich Philharmonic Orchestra

One of my old time favs.



Love hurts, love scars, love wounds
And mars, any heart
Not tough or strong enough
To take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain
Love is like a cloud
Holds a lot of rain
Love hurts......ooh, ooh love hurts

I'm young, I know, but even so
I know a thing or two
And I learned from you
I really learned a lot, really learned a lot
Love is like a flame
It burns you when it's hot
Love hurts......ooh, ooh love hurts

Some fools think of happiness
Blissfulness, togetherness
Some fools fool themselves I guess
They're not foolin' me

[1] I know it isn't true, I know it isn't true
Love is just a lie
Made to make you blue
Love hurts......ooh, ooh love hurts
ooh, ooh love hurts

[lead:]

[repeat 1]

20 May 2015

Water quality

Everyone we know here in Malaysia has water filters installed in their houses - normally a big one outside and another one inside. In fact the water quality situation has given rise to a huge industry here in Malaysia with several companies offering a range of water purifiers and filters - I guess the most popular ones are the reverse osmosis machines costing thousands of dollars.

Soon after we got back from the UK and moved into our rented house, we too realised that we needed to install water filters. It was costly but it was absolutely necessary considering the terrible quality of water. 

It was not this bad when we left the country nearly 9 years ago. Moreover, the water supply was privatised and theoretically the service and quality ought to be better. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The quality of water has literally gone down the drain. Not sure what the problem is due to - is it due to old rusted pipes?

Look at the backwash of our external filter just after one week. It looks like black coffee.


The authorities seriously need to do something about this. 

21 April 2015

New upcoming movies I am looking forward to

Quite excited with all these fantastic movies coming out soon. At least the trailers are fantastic and I hope they do not disappoint. Just realised that most of them are action movies and are adaptations of popular comics.


Aurora


Ant-Man


Fanstastic Four


Avengers: Age of Ultron


Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice


And of course:

Star Wars: Episode 7 - The Force Awakens

This is the movie I have to watch on the big screen when it comes out.

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