Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Kajang Sizzling Taufu

Went to Kajang together with Han Ping on one night after the exam. That is one of his "ita" day, so it should be Wednesday of last week. At first we went to eat the spicy pan mee, which is basically pan mee with soup which taste spicy, not so special IMO... and then we called out Yee Yin who stays somewhere in a Kajang (she got a new house!), was expecting her to "belanja" us but being gentlemen end up we divide the bill equally.

It is kinda weird when you go to a restaurant and just ordered this Sizzling Taufu, so we decide to order 1 big plate of fried mee to share together.

Well, this Sizzling Taufu in one of the restaurant in Sungai Chua, Kajang, doesn't disappointed me at all, it is very delicious! The sauce is tasty, plus the minced meat and fried egg together with the taufu is just a perfect combination. The other important thing is that it is cheap which cost only RM 8. I hope to have another chance to go back there with my gang friends, this is highly recommended my me - Penang "Ho Chiak" blogger certified nice food.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

How to choose between LCD and Plasma TV?

For those who can read Chinese, but I had provide translation of the summary:

特点对比

1.对比度:等离子的对比度目前多为3000:1、4000:1和5000:1,甚至高达10000:1,而液晶电视的对比度基本在400:1— 1200:1之间。在卖场等照明等十分充足的环境中,液晶电视的画面会比等离子亮;但在家居相对较暗的环境中,液晶会比较刺眼,如调低亮度又会损失图像层 次感和暗画面时的细节。相比等离子的画面更为柔和、清晰透亮、层次分明。

2.视野角度:由于发光原理不同,等离子和液晶电视虽然可视角都可以达到170度,但是液晶电视在大偏角观看时,画面会有偏色现象,而等离子则无此问题。因此在全家一起观看或客厅面积较大时,等离子电视更为适合。

3.动态清晰度/响应速度:动态清晰度是指人眼观看运动画面时所感受到的视觉清晰度。响应速度是电视机电路对运动画面处理的反应时间。等离子具有优异的动 态清晰度和极快的响应速度(小于1ms),无论是静止的风景画面还是快速的体育画面,都能清晰地表现出来,没有拖尾现象。液晶的响应速度在8—25ms之 间,在播放低速移动的画面时,画质比等离子细腻,然而动态画面表现则远不如等离子,在播放快速移动画面时,容易产生拖尾现象、图像重叠,由此引起视觉疲劳 感,进而影响视力健康。

4.消耗电力:从产品数据来看,42英寸的等离子的功率一般在350W左右, 高于同尺寸液晶的一般功率。但由于发光原理不同,等离子和液晶在不同画面上的消耗功率也不同。等离子是屏幕像素自发光,随着画面的明暗变化耗电量也在变 化,350W是指它在峰值亮度时的功率。液晶不管画面如何变化,其背光始终发光,因此耗电量是固定的。如播放画面较亮的综艺节目时,等离子的功耗较大;而 普通亮度画面(新闻、体育赛事、电视剧等)下,等离子与液晶差不多;在画面比较暗,如播放电影时,等离子的功耗要低于液晶。

5.使用寿命:目前等离子和液晶电视都能达到60000小时的显示寿命(显示能力衰减50%),但实际上在16000小时时,等离子屏幕显示能力将衰减10%,而液晶则因需要采用背光源其衰减将高达40%。

笔者观点:在对比度、动态清晰度、响应速度等方面,液晶的表现均不如等离子,尤其在大画面时画质差异尤为明显。此外,由于制造工艺不同,随着屏幕尺寸的增大,液晶的制造成本也不断上升,而等离子的制造成本却会降低。因此,如购买40英寸以上的大屏幕平板电视,等离子将是最佳的选择。


Summary: Plasma TV performs better in contrast ratio, quick motion screenplay, and response time than LCD, especially with bigger screen display. Cost of a plasma TV decrease when the screen size increase, but is the opposite for LCD TV. Therefore, when you are going to purchase a TV above 40 inches, it is better to buy plasma TV.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Queensbay Mall's Car Park Rate

It used to be just RM 1 per entry, now as expected they followed Gurney Plaza - increase parking rate when they got steady flow of people coming... so greedy bunch of business man, how about me and other students who wanted to come for movie? I not yet working leh, although I will be able to get paid for the first time soon in a few months time (I hope so...)
Queensbay Mall’s current car park rates will be revised to new rates, effective 21 April 2008 and 28 April 2008 for Basement and Multi Level Car Park respectively.
Basement - LG & LM (effective April 21, 2008 onwards)
1st Three (3) Hours is RM1.00; Subsequent Hour is RM1.00
Multi Level - Level 3 to Level 8 Car Parks (effective April 28, onwards)
1st Five (5) Hours i RM1.00; Subsequent Hour is RM1.00
Open Car Parks remains at RM1.00 per entry

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Blog TV

Blog TV is a place on the internet where anyone can show off their talent, build a fan base and share one's opinion LIVE! All you need is just a camera and internet connection to get started.
Founded in June 2006, blogTV.com is a leader in online video and live broadcasting

The difference between a live shows and recorded shows is when you broadcast, you are making a live show. Once you press record during your live show, that recorded bit becomes a unique recorded show and available immediately on blogtv.com.

Due to the variety of broadcasting tools provided by the wonderful blogTV programming staff, any person with a lap top or PC and a webcam is only seconds away from having their very own live broadcasts, recorded videos and television style scheduled programming! Now everyone can feel like a star, create a fan base and tell the world who they are and what they are all about!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Perodua Kelisa RON

On the oil lid cover there was only a sticker stating "Use only unleaded petrol". Then I go to read the user manual, it advised Kelisa car to be filled with RON 90 or above.

I am thinking of trying to use RON 92 to see whether there is any difference in power and fuel consumption. Hope that it won't damage my car's engine because my CLK (Cute Little Kelisa) had been using RON 97 all the while. Although it is just RM 0.04 sen difference (RM 1.88 vs RM 1.92), if RON 92 can give me more saving, mileage and power I think why not give it a try?

Friday, April 11, 2008

Petrol RON and your car's engine

Over the weekend, the new Minister of Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs gave an overview of a new approach for the petroleum business which will see a change in the grades of petrol (referred to as RON, or Research Octane Number).

If the proposal is implemented, the present grades of RON92 (also referred to as 'Regular') and RON97 (Super), which have been at the pumps for decades, will be replaced by RON95 and RON99. It is likely that the increase in RON will justify an increase in the price per litre, unavoidable since oil prices are very high now and the government subsidies have become a heavier burden.

According to the minister, RON92 has been used 'mainly by motorcycles' but he is probably misinformed by his technical advisers. RON92 is also suitable for many modern engines and even the latest Honda models such as the Civic and CR-V sold in Malaysia are tuned to use RON91 so RON92 is not a problem (in fact, some Honda models sold in Indonesia are even tuned for RON88). All Perodua models are tuned to run on RON90 and that is a very large number of cars on the road. Those who can use RON92 can save a few sen per litre which, over the long term, still represents a saving in motoring costs (enough for one roti canai breakfast a week!)

Many motorists have not purchased cheaper RON92 even though their car engine may be able to use it either through ignorance, lack of understanding and even being discouraged by pump attendants who often call this grade of fuel 'Lama' (old). However, there are also valid reasons why some motorists have avoided RON92 even though it can be used for their car. This concerns the additives in RON92 petrol which vary from company to company. The additives are a vital part of the formulation and help to keep the inside of the engine (especially the fuel delivery system) clean so it runs efficiently. It is these additives, upgraded from time to time, which are often the subject of advertising claims of 'cleaner running', 'better fuel economy', etc.

The thing is that because it was perceived in earlier years that RON92 was used by 'low-tech' engine like marine engines, lawnmowers and motorcycles, the petroleum companies felt that it was unnecessary to spend extra money on additives and according to a source in one company, there is almost no additive in that company's RON92 petrol.

Companies like Chevron Malaysia do, however, provide an identical additive package (which the company calls 'Techron') for both grades of their Caltex fuel. As such, the superior benefits which are advertised are not limited only to the RON97 grade. The other company known to also adopt the same approach was ProJet, which is no longer in business here.

Statistically, it may be that the limited number of pumps offering RON92 has led decision-makers to conclude that this grade is 'not in great demand' when in fact, carmakers have been heading in the direction of lower RON for many years now.

The proposed new grade of RON95 is, nevertheless, a good compromise and should be fine for the majority of cars on Malaysian roads. This grade has been a popular one with Japanese manufacturers, possibly because in Japan, their Regular grade has been RON95 for a long time.

The other part of the proposal is to introduce a higher grade of RON99 in place of RON97, which does not make much sense. It will cost more to produce for one thing and less than 1% of all vehicles here would require such a high octane. Even high-performance engines like the Volkswagen/Audi/Skoda FSI engine, the 1.6-litre engine of the Suzuki Swift Sport and the 1.8-litre engine of the old Ford TX3 need only RON98 at most to run at optimum.

However, the interesting thing is that the government will provide a smaller subsidy for RON99 petrol because it is assumed that those who own cars which require such fuel can afford to pay more for their fuel. A larger proportion of the billions of RM in subsidies will be allocated for RON95 to keep its price down since a larger proportion of the rakyat will use it.

"The goal is to have subsidies targeted and more focused at those who need it, such as the lower income and middle income groups, and giving a choice to the rich on what petrol they want to fill in their tank," said Datuk Shahrir Samad, the minister.




High-performance models like the Civic Type-R, Swift Sport and Lancer Evo need high octane fuel (RON98) but such cars are sold in very small numbers in Malaysia

There are often misconceptions with regard to the technical aspects of high and low octane fuel so here's what it is all about. Firstly, if your car's engine is tuned and recommended by the manufacturer for a minimum of RON92, then you are not going to get increased performance using RON97 or RON99. Just because the octane is higher does not give you more 'power' because it does not work like that in combustion.

More on Motortrader...

I hope that the new proposal will not be implemented, as I am looking forward to buy a new Suzuki Swift Sport, and this vehicle is best run on RON98. It will be unfair to called this car as rich man's car and ask the owner to pay more for the petrol because it only cost RM 95k, unlike Honda Civic Type R and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo which cost RM 200k above.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Pharmacist dispensing right

Recently there is a debate on pharmacist dispensing right at New Straits Times:

Dispensing medicine: Let's conduct in-depth study first
Dispensing medicine: Address the central issue
Dispensing medicine: New system is too troublesome

I am very disappointed at the wrong statement made by Dr. Milton Lum, in his letter he stated that:
"The only healthcare providers who see and treat adverse drug reactions are doctors. Nurses also see adverse drug reactions and they assist doctors in treating them. However, pharmacists do not usually have practical knowledge about adverse drug reactions unless they are practising in hospitals, where they may see and assist doctors."
and
"Drugs are prescribed and dispensed by doctors. Some are branded drugs while others are generics. Many branded drugs do not have generic equivalents. Not all generics have the same efficacy as the branded drugs. It is a fact that the bioequivalence of most generics are unknown, unlike the branded drugs. "

The above 2 statement clearly shows that he is not fully aware of pharmacist capability and make absolute wrong statement which shows that he apparently don't know what is meant by bioequivalence, and the process of a generic getting approved by National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau (NPCB).

Those doctor who object pharmacist dispensing right are just afraid of losing their means of getting extra income from dispensing drugs. Sounds familiar ? It is just like those UMNO conies who are afraid of losing their contracts when people say want to start open tender system. They will give various excuses like no 24 hours pharmacy, troublesome etc… which is just plain nonsense, but I do agree that some people living in rural area will have difficulty in getting medication, thus I would say it is ok for those doctor serving in rural area to dispense, but not those in urban city!

Things like drugs can be get at a cheaper price in a clinic was due to the fact that doctors do get a better deal/discount on some drugs compared with pharmacist, reasons? Ask those pharmaceutical company. Moreover, a doctor can get earn through consultation fee, but there is no consultation fee for seeing a pharmacist, therefore pharmacist will need to earn through other way.

Doctor do study Pharmacology, but how much do they learn compared with a Pharmacist ? I know how to drive a car and M.Schumacher also know, but the difference is the driving skill he has got is more than me…that is the main point, both Dr and RPh have different specialized skills and they work together for the benefit of patients!

To all Malaysian, medication error can be very minor, but it can also be life-threatening. Pharmacist is your another barrier for preventing this from happening, pharmacist with dispensing right will be a win-win situation for all of us.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Shopping Cart Software

Ashop Commerce is a leading US provider of hosted shopping cart software. It offers various benefit for merchants who are willing to sell online, which include :

- Web based, no installation required
- Affordable e-commerce software
- Accept credit cards online
- Thousands of features, easy to use
- Start selling online right now
- Fully customizable design
- 10 day free trial


Without the requirement of installing any software, anyone can easily build and manage your online store from any computer. All you need is an internet connection. Even a 12 year old kid can do this !

Ashop Commerce shopping carts are simple to be managed and customized. You can have full control over its functionality, design your own personalized storefront using their unique award winning theme editor. If you still have any doubt or require technical assistance, you can even have live chat tech support directly from your admin panel, which is free and available 24/7.