Return of the EPF computer scheme?

I read this article in The Star yesterday, Return of the EPF computer scheme?. I really hope EPF would bring this scheme. I need to buy a new computer but I am broke now. I am sure EPF can find a more fool proof scheme. EPF also needs to allow repeat withdrawals every 2 or 3 years since computer technology obsoletes pretty fast.

SJKC Yuk Chai Standard 1 Orientation

We bought John to his Standard 1 orientation at Yuk Chai today. John was sleepy as usual. The school hall was hot and humid. It was expected since the hall is not air-conditioned. So remember to bring some water if you need to accompany your kid the next time.

A teacher started the orientation by explaining the rules and the layout of the school compound. Then the school principal took over. I believe 2009 is Yuk Chai’s 70 years anniversary and they are planning to build a new school hall to replace the existing hall which is becoming too small.

A gentleman from the PIBG was the final speaker for the morning. He actually translated his speech which I am sure was helpful to some parents. The first two speakers spoke entirely in Mandarin.

Finally, the parents were allowed to go to their children classrooms. John is in Std 1K. There are 44 other students in his class. John has two of his kindy friends in the same class. So it should be easier for him to fit in. We were given more forms to fill and submit them on Monday. We also paid the school fees of RM 150.00. Later, we went to the canteen. We got John to start practising buying his own food and drink. A bowl of noodle is RM 2 plus a cup of drink is RM 0.60. So the minimum allowance for Std 1 is at least RM 3 nowadays. You can also cater food for your kids with the canteen operator.

This marks the end of John’s orientation today. And I can’t believe I am a dad to a Std 1 year old kid. The challenging journey would commence on Monday.

Family Holiday

The school holiday will be over soon. This year, the family went to Port Dickson and Langkawi Island for our annual getaway. Yes, the theme pretty much centred around the beach. Port Dickson is a quiet town. We visited an ostrich farm an an army museum. We even tried to visit a poultry farm but it is not open to visitors. The army museum was the most interesting throughout this journey.

We stayed at The Regency. The other highlight was the speed boat ride. It rained during the boat ride. As a result, the boat ride was cold and wet especially for the kids. Overall, this trip was simple fun and not too tiring.

We visited Pulau Langkawi a few weeks after the Port Dickson trip. We stayed at the same Holiday Villa Langkawi and rented the same Myvi car from Kasina. We started our holiday with the usual trip to the Underwater World Langkawi upon arrival. This time around, we managed to see the penguin feeding sessions. There was more foreigners in Langkawi compared to last year. Probably, they flocked to Langkawi due to the political instability that occurred in Thailand recently.

On the next day, we wanted to visit the crocodile farm but I missed the turning. That’s the problem with Malaysia tourism. Our signboards and signage pretty much suck big time. Anyway, the good thing came out of this was the visit to the Kilim Geoforest Park which required 2 hours by boat. The entire boat journey set us back by RM 200. Langkawi is definitely not a cheap tourist attraction for Malaysians.

We visited the bat cave, a crocodile cave (just a name sake), saw the eagle feeding session, a fish farm and a speed boat ride out to the sea. I actually received a Digi sms from Thailand. This was definitely the highlight of our holiday in Langkawi this year. If you are going to Langkawi, you have to visit this Kilim Geoforest Park.

The other “must” thing to do in Langkawi is the Langkawi Cable Car ride to Gunung Mat Chincang. We managed to walk to the other end of bridge this year. It started to rain when we walked half way last year. As usual, the weather was cooling. Even the kids managed to walk to the other end as well.

Basically, that is the end of our holidays this year. Besides Port Dickson and Langkawi Island, we have also visited Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary, Sg Klah Hot Springs, Sunway Lagoon, National Science Centre and Petrosains in KLCC. Wow, it has been a hectic year.

Well, 2008 is coming to an end. I will take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New 2009 Year!

Mamee Sllrrrp TVC

I saw the following tvc during my usual grocery shopping in Giant. It really caught my attention. Just hilarious.

As a result, I bought and tried Kari Berapi. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to use the fire extinguisher as shown in the tvc. As matter of fact, my tongue didn’t feel numb after eating Kari Berapi. So in terms of spicyness, Kari Berapi has lost to Maggi Kari Letup.

Sorry Mamee. Try to do better the next time.

Medical Leave

What a bummer. It appears that everyone in the family is suffering from a food poisoning virus at the moment. Everyone is taking turns to vomit and purge. I have just started to vomit today and now I am suffering from flu. What a weird virus. John and Matthew are still experiencing purging at the moment. It seems only Rose is not affected while Suzanne and Dan are recovering. Being sick sucks.

Garmin nüvi 205

After Suzanne has gotten lost twice in the Klang Valley, I have decided to get her a GPS device as an early birthday present. Alex, my uni housemate has recommended this brand called Garmin to me. He has also asked me to check out www.malsingmaps.com for more information.

I have settled on Garmin nüvi 205 based on my budget. I bought this unit from a guy called rafizi who has received many positive feedback from the visitors to www.malsingmaps.com.

Garmin nüvi 205 provides voice direction which can be a good thing. Being an US device, it likes to use the word “ramp”. US doesn’t have U-turns either, so the device will tell you to turn right and turn right again. Overall I believe it is a good buy. We can stress test the nüvi 205 during our trip to Port Dickson later.

Maybank2u.com

This is the new look for Maybank2u.com. Looks interesting, doesn’t it? But I have been trying to login since this morning. Extremely slow. Perhaps Maybank should not migrate to the new look until it is absolutely ready. Such a waste.

Lance Armstrong Comeback

So far, Lance’s confirmed races are as follow:

1. Tour Down Under – January

2. Tour of California – February

3. Giro D’Italia – May

4. Tour de France – July

Lance Armstrong is reunited with Johan Bruyneel

As expected, Lance is reunited with Johan Bruyneel at Team Astana. He is so keen to make a comeback that he is willing to ride for free with Team Astana. Will Alberto Contador leave Team Astana as a result? Surely Lance would be the new leader for Team Astana. Well Astana still has to get invited for 2009 Le Tour de France before Lance could try to win his 8th title. Next year should be an exciting year for cycling indeed, at least publicity wise.

Lance Armstrong is back

It started out as a rumour. Lance Armstrong has confirmed he is doing a Michael Jordan and Brett Favre. Yes, he is making a comeback and plan to race in Le Tour de France 2009. Not too sure if this is a right move. Not too sure how his comeback can create more awareness for cancer. Will Le Tour organizers allow Lance to race? Yes, there are more questions than answers at the moment. This posting will be updated as more news come my way.