A Date With Destiny!

(click on it for a readable version)

Bwahahahah! Flygja's first 4-panel comic strip. Since I can't draw for nuts, had to use pictures that I've taken. These were those of my recent fishing trip with some colleagues. Fonts were downloaded from Blambot, a site with tons of free fonts (click on fonts at the top then look through the left sidebar, the free fonts are those without blue or red dots). I used AnimeAce 2.0.

If you are geek enough to play lots of video and PC games, go check out VG Cats, freakin' funny stuff!

Fishing trip

I went for my first "deep sea" fishing trip on Saturday. The organiser promised 90% confidence on getting 2kg groupers and tons of kerapu. So I also went to promise the CEO lah. She said her mum wants to cook those fresh fish that I caught. I said no problem! My only concern is that your mum's pot will not be big enough to steam the fish! After one whole day of tiring fishing and baking in the sun..

Project Aquarium - Stage 3

Two weekends ago I went to poison central aka CTY to get some more fish and plants. A few bucks only mar! But in the end I bought...

CO2 system! Shit. RM450 bucks down the drain. Consists of nitrous oxide-style 1 litre liquid CO2 tank, manual regulator (to control the rate of release), bubble counter (to measure the rate of release), CO2 diffuser (goes into the tank), some filter/valve thingy and tubing. Dare I say... one of my plants is actually growing after its installed and another one got greener all of a sudden. Hahahah.

And if I decide to get rid of it later, I can use the tank and regulator as nitrous oxide for my car or mini scuba tank for catching abalone. Bwahahahh!

How to make a quick buck

By spending US$599 on a PS3 pre-order unit or lined up to buy it, then hawk it off on eBay for 5 times the price!

Wonder which suckers are gonna buy it. I mean, if you're serious enough to spend 5 times the amount, I'm guessing you'd be serious enough to plonk down some money on a pre-order or wait in line a day before! Oh OK, you were on a holiday to Mars when they launched it. Go right ahead then!

*checks unit trust prices* Damn! Maybe I should've gone to line up and get one and do this eBay thing...

Nov 17... PS3... mmm....

88,000. Not the amount paid by some rich dude for the vehicle number plate of the same digits. Not the number of idiotic drivers living in Penang. 88,000 is the number of Playstation 3 units sold in Japan on the first day of its Nov 11 launch. And apparently the 60GB premium version made up 62% of that amount.

Perhaps I should explain. The PS3 will come in 2 different versions, a "basic" 20GB hard drive version and a "premium" 60GB hard drive version. The 60GB version will also come with flash memory (memory stick, compact flash and SD) slots and built in 802.11b/g WiFi. Both units will have the same Cell processor running at 3.2GHz, the same Nvidia RSX graphics engine with HDMI output up to 1080p, the same 256MB XDR system memory and the same 256MB DDR3 graphics memory. Think of the 60GB as the 20GB with chrome trim, a bigger fuel tank and extra cup holders.

The colaboration between Sony, IBM and Toshiba resulted in the Cell processor, a 3.2GHz PowerPC-based core with 7 additional synergistic processing units, unlike the XBOX360's triple PowerPC dual-cores for a total of 6 logical processors. I don't know much about processor technology, but I guess Sony has always favoured parallel processing while the XBOX360 is more closely related to a normal PC type of processing. If you want to know how advanced it is, I highly recommend that you download the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots HD Trailer from Gametrailers.com.

The new controller on the PS3 looks like the trusty Dual-Shock of the PS2 without an umbilical. Thats right, the new PS3 controller is wireless, connected by Bluetooth to the main unit, just like the Nintento Wii. Up to 4 controllers can be connected to a single main unit. The controller is recharged using a USB cable connected back to the main unit and the controller will remain operational during charging. Battery life is expected to be about 30 hours, which isn't that bad considering I can play through Final Fantasy X with only 2 full charges. As with iPods, the battery is not user replaceable and needs to be sent back to Sony.

The reason why its no longer called Dual-Shock is because... it doesn't vibrate anymore! Sony took out the rumble to make way for the motion sensing capabilities. The controller is capable of sensing motion in 6 different axes: up, down, left, right, forward and backward. So now, the controller is more aptly named the sixaxis controller. Personally I think I'd miss the vibration feature. Who can forget the torture chamber scene in Metal Gear Solid for the PS1 where Naomi gives Snake a massage by asking him to put the Dual-Shock on his shoulder? Classic! But then again, motion sensing will open the floodgates of interesting usage models. Maybe Metal Gear Solid 4 will have the player aiming a sniper rifle by attaching an included scope to the sixaxis and waving it aorund. Or Para-para Sakura with 1 sixaxis on each hand. Hahahah.

Here's something that caught me off guard. The PS3 will no longer use the PS2's memory card. There's no slot for it. If you want to use your old cards, you'll need to get an extra adapter. Strange at first but logical I guess, since it comes with a built-in hard drive now. Plus I've never played any PS1 games on my PS2, so I don't expect to play PS2 games on a PS3 either. I wonder... would PS2 games save on a PS3 go into the hard drive or still need the memory card?

The MSRP of 20GB PS3 is $499 and the 60GB PS3 is $599 which makes it the most expensive out of the next-gen consoles. XBOX360's MSRP is $299 and $399 while the Nintendo Wii will go for $249.

So the next-gen console war will start in earnest on Nov 17, which is the official PS3 international launch date. Adding to that, Nintendo will launch the Wii on Nov 16. These are interesting times for console gamers. I think I'd still go for a PS3 because all my favourite franchises such as Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo are all PS only. I doubt the PS3 will be here at an acceptable price point until maybe end next year though. So gamers, choose your console, engage I-have-no-life-mode and game on!

Litchfield Type 25 Impreza

If you had an extra £39,995 in your pocket somewhere, what would you do with it? Assuming you're in England, you can probably buy 2 nice family cars for you and your wife, or for both your parents. Or you could take your family on nice holiday to France and Italy and Germany and Austria. Or you could you could renovate your home and add a jacuzzi and a 2-lane bowling alley and a badminton court. Me? I'd blow it all on THIS:

At £13,500 more than the standard 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Type UK (what a mouthful), this version has been tuned by Litchfield. £13,500 gets you a 12L intercooler spray bottle, lightweight panels, rear strut brace, funky badges and improved bits all around. But since Cosworth helped on the engine while Litchfield tinkled with everything including the interior and bodywork, what £13,500 *really* gets you is 415 bhp and 420 lbft directly connected to your right foot. That translates to a face-ripping a 0-60mph time of 3.7 seconds and all the way to 175 mph. Whats that you said? Your Ferrari F340 also does it in 3.7 seconds? Have you been eating cream crackers and drinking rainwater since you blew £130,000 on it?

Litchfield claims that it now outlaps a Porsche 911 (996) GT3 RS (the race-prepared stripped down version) and said Ferrari F340 around a race track. All in a practical 4-door sedan body that is also comfortable to drive around everyday. The GT3 RS probably costs a billion pounds and doesn't even come with a radio. Talk about lousy kit!

The interior is not much changed from the original Impreza. Which is good and bad depending on how you look at it. Its good because they haven't removed the air conditioning and electric windows. Its bad because on the whole, the interior of the Impreza is bland... typical of Jap cars I think.

The exterior is pretty much stock-looking too, though there are little bits and pieces that improve aerodynamics. They've re-used the proven lightweight STi wheels and rear wing, with the addition of a roof spoiler and re-worked front lip.

There's a lot more technical info at Litchfield. Do also read the review on EVO, who said it isn’t the ferocious pace that distinguishes the Type 25 from its peers. What stands out a mile is its polish and cohesion.

So it's a practical 4-door car that you can keep till your kids turn 30 that so happens to pull your face off when you floor the happy pedal. I really want one... really... dammit!!

Just upgraded my seats

After the long long trip to Kuala Terengganu, I came home with an arse-ache... because of sitting too long in my car seat and driving. Since my back ain't exactly the healthiest in the world, I decided that I should do something about it. So I went shopping for new seats. It's gotta be comfortable and supportive. If possible sporty also lar. I did manage to find a pair of seats at a good bargain. Comfortable enough to sit for hours, and its from a reknown brand so it should be safe and reliable too. It even comes in a colour that the CEO would agree! Forked over the cash and got it installed in my ride.

Check it out...


BWAHAHAHAH!!! Anyone wanna test drive?

Heat problems

Remember in my previous post I mentioned about there being heat problems with the fluorescent lights' chokes in my aquarium's hood? A few nights ago I found out just how hot it was...

Fulamak! And to think I was gonna leave both lights on 24 hours a day to encourage plant growth! So I went to the local lights shop and asked for alternatives. And the friendly dude introduced me to the electronic ballast *swoooon*. In some brands, the casings were made of plastic, so it had to run cool. Grabbed two and off home I went.

And the result:Ahhh...

Now grow already you stupid plants!!

Back to nature

That is, after 7 hours of driving to get there. I decided to take the CEO to Kuala Terengganu for a vacation since it was her birthday. After 7 hours of trunk roads through small kampungs and the whole freakin Banjaran Titiwangsa, we finally arrived and checked into the Primula Beach Resort Kuala Terengganu. Interestingly, I only slepy 6.5 hours the previous night, so I drove more than I slept...

That is the view out of the balcony. Hard to imagine this kinda view only 1km from the city centre. All the rooms have a view of the sea too, not like some hotels that suprise you by saying "Oh sir, the promotion is for hill/garden/pool/jamban view only, sea view is not include sir, sorry sir". Hmph!

We decided to go to Rantau Abang to visit the turtle sanctuary. Should be nice to see baby turtles. Drove there and found out it was CLOSED. Where got tourist attraction closed one??! The islands off the coast like Redang, Perhentian and Kapas were all closed because of the monsoon. At least they have a reason for closing lar!

So we just drove along the coast on our way back to Tasik Kenyir. The beaches are nice and clean! The coastal roads really remind of The Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. With the sea barely 50m away from the road and kampung houses on both sides (of the road that is).

We stayed at the Kenyir Lake View Resort. It was damn quiet, no one there but the two of us. You'd think service would be good, well... it was good, but there were some liberties taken by the hotel since there wasn't anyone around, like stuff outta stock and not turning on the aircond.

There really isn't much to do unless you go for boat rides, hikes and fishing. All which costs money. Come on, even canoening and cycling costs money. They should lend it out for free mah. I decided to wake up in the morning during sunrise hoping to catch the famous mist-rolling-over-the-lake-with-trees trunks-terpacak-pacak-out-of-the-lake photos. Mana tau, there was mist all around and there were no dead trees terpacak out of the water. To add insult to injury, I realised the "mist" was mostly caused by my camera lens fogging up... hahahah!

The included lake cruise did take us a waterfall they call Saok Waterfall. Pristine and untouched, it is probably the best one I've seen in Malaysia.

So after 2 nights in Kenyir, we headed back to civilisation. On the way we bumped into this little fella by the side of the road:
Bwahahah! Caught him in the act of taking a royal dump by the side of the road. Story is that this baby elephant got hit by a truck while crossing the road at night. They've tied him to a tree to wait for him to heal up before he goes back into the woods. How would he survive out of his herd I have no idea. Anyway, people have been feeding him bananas and guavas while he's camping by the side of the road.

So after 1200km of driving, the holiday was over. Kuala Terengganu - highly recommended. Tasik Kenyir - only for adventurous/fisherman/rich people types.