2008 in review

I was wondering whether I should write my year-in-review in a similar format like last year. However this year is different from last year as it wasn’t occupied with many interesting events. Instead it was overwhelmed by one single event (or person ;) which unraveled over a period of 8 months and culminating in

Lucas Niam Jun Kai

Yeah, the highlight of this year (and definitely for the rest of my life) is that I’m a father. Hmmn, father still sounds old or religious to me. I still haven’t got used to that title which I usually used to refer to my own father and our Father and Father FA, Father Henry, Father Fabian…

Lucas gave hint of his arrival way back in January and officially arrived on Merdeka Day – a patriotic baby you can say.

Everyone would agree that all babies are cute, but I never knew that they can be so cute, like my Cute Cute. He’s so cute that even when he cries he is cute! You will know the meaning of cute when you have your own kids J

On the serious side, having a baby taught me a deeper understanding of love. Unconditional love. No matter how much trouble they bring you, you’ll still love them. Definitely not something that you can find in 99% of the man-woman relationship but definitely something that is special to parental love. It’s a cliché, but I definitely understand much better know how much my parents toiled for me.

So pretty much from September onwards all I did is baby-sitting, a human-transporting, nappy changing and folding, feeding bla bla bla... and oh yeah Island Hospital is the most frequented place for the year hehe.

Time is already zooming by every single second and having a baby makes me realize how precious time is. The plus side it gives me pressure to be more efficient and less procrastination.

Other notable event this year

- Ran another full marathon – KLIM’08 at the end of March. Hopefully not my last.

and also did the 26K Malakoff run in August

- Bought Swedish beauty in April

- Only vacation of the year – Cameron Highlands revisited, after 20+ years

- Work-wise, it’s been a crazy busy and complicated year. After a few false starts (read: cancelled projects), we finally had a real one – with a lot of dependencies, a lot of demand (hopefully) and little resources. Most of all it’s complicated in the sense that I’ve to deal with so many different people. How did I fare so far? I’m still alive J

- Turned down a job oversea in October, from a very caring HR and Hiring Manager because I would like to complete my current project (which will last till 2010) as I relish the challenges, complexity and learning – hopefully without regret in the coming years

Other things that I must say for this year, not about myself but about my country and the world in general:

- Global economic meltdown

o Human race needs this. Otherwise we will continue our acceleration towards destruction. At least it puts a brake on the unbridled demand for natural resources. Everything is over-inflated. Like the salary of those in Goldman Sachs. Time for reset

- The US economic meltdown

o For too long they have been living above their means, productivity and innovation are not keeping up with salary. Financial derivatives are not innovation. It doesn’t do anything good for the human race.

- Politics in Malaysia

o The old system and policy has obviously failed – NEP.

o Anti-ISA: any different from the government crackdown in Burma?

o Ketuanan Melayu – no doubt the pendatang have to give up something to gain something but the real Tuan is God, not any particular race. Science has proven that we are all migrant from Africa. If it’s just a question of who arrived first then look, the Chinese were the first to reach America in 1421. It’s not Malay vs. Chinese vs. Indian, it’s Malaysian vs. China vs. India. Stop being a katak di bawah tempurung. The water is already slowly being boiled from outside.

o Time to look beyond not only individual or communal gain or short term gain. The usage of English in the teaching of Math and Science. I’m all for it. Maybe because I didn’t go to SRJK. But it doesn’t matter – just put a kid from any SRJK into the Singapore Asian Scholarship test and you will know how important English is. I know, cause I’ve been thru that

o The executive shall not be the politicians – learn from the US. All I heard from the Minister of HR is “we’ll monitor the retrenchment from a district to state to national level, on a weekly basis”. He made it sound like he’s working so hard. Yeah but what good can monitoring do?

That's about it for this year, see you again next year, and hopefully the world will be a better place next year - and that can only happen if we all become better people - and I wish all of us success in that in 2009

P/S: Can the Israelites and Palestinians stop fighting please?

Malaysian citizens, do you know your ministers pay?

http://www.harakahdaily.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15076&Itemid=1

Not sure how true this is

I ran to work

Due to the escalating gas price, I ran to work this morning. That's Sunday morning for those of you that are reading this later.

Well of course I don't work on Sunday. But I did ran to my workplace and back, about 16km :)

Feeling bored with lazy weekends, I decided to wake up at 6am and join my running clubmates (http://bdrc.blogspot.com) for their weekly long run from our base in Bukit Dumbar park to Intel and back.

We started in two groups - the speedsters and the crawlers. Yours truly of course is a crawler more so as I have not run this far ever since the KL International Marathon back in March. My sporadic runs were limited to 5km at most, until today. So it's definitely a big step up in distance for me. A gradual build-up in distance would have been better but I needed a jolt to my mundane life (10K/12 laps around Bukit Dumbar definitely doesn't help.)

3 of us - Janet, another member (shame on me for not knowing his name), and me started running at 645am. The coastal highway is their typical route. Lots of blue factory buses ferrying operators who have just finished their graveyard shift. So lots of exhaust fumes :( one of the main reason I don't usually join them for long run (excuses :P)

Our U-turn point was actually at the Queensbay Mall roundabout nearest to Intel PG9. So technically, I didn't make it to work which is probably another 100m away. After Putra Palace, I just couldn't keep up with Janet anymore. Soon after that Mr. Kind Uncle overtook me.

So I was on my own from E-park onwards, which is good as I can crawl at my own pace and enjoy the endormorphic euphoria. Distance wasn't a problem, but pace is. As I passed E-gate, Mr. Kind Uncle was there waiting for me. We took the overhead bridge, ran into Kg. Kastam and hit that crazy slope which even my Wira or Iswara would struggle. But thereafter, it was easy coasting downhill from Tesco. Towards the end Mr. Kind Uncle sped up and I gave it my all.

We finished close to 1:50. It was good to feel some knee pain, once again :D I'm alive!

Why did I buy a Volvo?

1. What comes to mind when you think of Volvo? Safety.

Besides its reputation, the 8 airbags are concrete proof. 2 front airbags for the front passsengers, 2 side airbags for the front passenger, and inflatable curtains (IC) for all 4 passengers :O Your typical Japanese car only comes with 2. If you want 4 or more, you've got to get the high-end version of Camry or Accord (2.4L) which would set you back nicely at at least RM168K. Even the BMW 3-series and Merc C or E-class don't have 8 airbags. The ICs are important - i've a family friend who passed away at a young age after his car turned turtle :(

The Volvo sales guy was showing me that Volvos won’t crumple as much in case of a frontal impact compared to BMW and Merc. That's obvious from the heft of the car; it looks big outside but not very spacious inside (a tradeoff).

And I can't remember who told me that Volvo produces the only car which engine will not tanked to the bottom in case of an accident. And I know at least 2 friends who survived a major accident because they are in a BMW.

2. Why not buy a BMW then? The Volvo doesn't suit your age

First, I can't afford one. The delta between a Volvo and a BMW and Merc that is in the same class and same year and in that order (S60 vs. 3-series vs. C-class) is at least RM20K.

Plus a BMW is not as reliable and long lasting.. More so after having heard from my unit trust agent who switched from a 3-series to an E-Class, instead of to a 5.

Maybe there's too many 3-series around...there's nothing special about the appearance of that car anymore (but I've to admit that the 5 is a stunner).

If you think the 320i can outrun the S60 2.0T, think again...the 2.0T stands for light turbo...(and I'm not even talking about the S60 T5)

3. Value for money:

Value is a bit subjective. If you want to compare based on pricing, my 4-year old car is still a better car than a brand new Altis or Civic which is RM20K more expensive! and in whichever way you may want to compare the specs - safety, power, speed, comfort, noise, handling etc.

If you want to compare based on category, personally, I think my S60 is equivalent, if not better to the new Camry or Accord 2.0, so why pay RM50K more???

But then you might accuse me of a non-apple-to-apple comparison. Let me tell u this, a 2nd hand Camry is the same price or slightly more expensive than a 2nd hand Volvo. Surprised?

It's just not worth it to buy a 2nd hand Japanese car. On the same note, it's worth it to buy a 2nd-hand Continental car as the depreciation rate is huge. Imagine this, a brand new S60 2.0T costs RM212K, 4 years later, it's down to RM92K

4. But maintenance is expensive

You pay what you get. But it's actually not that much more expensive. The service interval for the 2004 S60 is 15,000km (it's 20,000km for 2005 onwards). If you take it back to Federal Auto or Swedish Marque, it will costs you about RM1,000 per service. That works out to be about RM333 per 5000km. If I take my Wira back to EON or Proton for service every 5,000km, it will cost me at least RM200. Hence the Volvo is not that expensive lah. Of course the trick is not to take it back to FA or SM :) I take mine to Ah Guan near Komtar where it is well trusted among Volvo Owners Club of Malaysia (VOCM) members

5. But buying a 2nd-hand car is risky:

The bigger the risk, the higher is the return. If you are risk adverse, and rich, then mah go buy a new Japanese car lor. I was lucky that mine doesn't give much problem (or haven't start giving problems - fingers crossed). Test drive them before you buy. The first S60 I tested looks immaculate but the engine feels sluggish. The odometer shows 106,000km. I called FA and found out that indeed the last service was done there at 106,000km but in 2006. So, always call up the authorized workshop to see whether the odometer has been tampered, to find out the history of the car, and whether your salesman is telling the truth. Best still, bring your trusted mechanic a long, but I guess not many people have one, just like me.

6. Do you really need such a safe car when there are not many places in Penang that allows you to drive beyond 80km/h?

The last part of the question is true, but then the car is mainly for Hui and Lucas :) If a Humvee cost as much and guzzle gas just as much as the S60, I would buy it...if only it's available in Malaysia :D

7. Torque/Power Output:

The S60 2.0T has 180HP, that's the same as the new Accord 2.4. Here's where you have to pay attention. Most cars give you that power only at high RPM - 6500. How many times you will get to rev your car up to 6500RPM? Plus it's damaging to the car driving at such high RPM.

Thanks to the light turbo, my S60 torque curve is smooth, I get 180HP even at low rev ~2500 which is more useful for zigzagging in traffic jam (not that I do it much). Remember, it's important to have power or torque at low rev, not high rev.

8. Engine:

Volvo engines are rare in the sense that they come with 5 cylinders. Typical cars have 4. 5 cylinders give you a smoother ride. Imagine yourself in a bullock cart pulled by 5 bulls instead of 1 super bull. If your cart is being pulled by one super bull, there'll be more jerking whenever that one bull stops. In the case of the 5-bull bullock cart, at least when 1 bull stop, the others are still pulling :) The best of course is the 6-bull engine, like those in the M5 :)

9. Transmission:

5-speed auto with winter mode haha. The new Camry 2.0 has 4-speed only

10. Noise Insulation :

Here's what a Camry (not the latest generation) owner said after a ride on the S60 "It's quieter" :)

11. Air condition:

Passengers at the back get air condition too courtesy of the vent at the door pillar (instead of the usual center console vent). Plus automatic climate control i.e. you get to set the temperature and there is a feedback system to ensure that the temperature that you set is maintained. No more Proton-style cold gets colder and hot gets hotter. And dual-zone climate control too i.e. left and right. FYI, the E-class has a 4-zone climate control :)

12. Sound system:

9 speakers, here's the breakdown: 2 tweeters at the front door, 1 speaker at each of the 4 door, 2 at the back and 1 center speaker. CD player and a 10-disc changer at the back. Oh yeah, there's still a radio cassette player too on the console hehe. Coupled with the excellent noise insulation, now I’m hearing sounds of instruments that I've never heard before! Plus audio-control at the steering wheel. The only downside is that it doesn't play MP3 and doesn't have an aux. input for Ipod.

13. Volvo – boxy cars…no more

The S60 is probably the first non-boxy Volvo (or was that the S80?) To me, the S60 has the best looking butt! The front is very ordinary (the nicest front title goes to the 5 with its eagle eye headlamp and indicator). Overall, it has the shape of a bullet :)

14. Cruise control for the occasional long drive back to KL

15. Leather seats and interior:

My co-worker told me that leather seats are actually good when you have babies or kids in case of spills. But as usual, leather needs more maintenance. Oh yeah, the front seats come with leather pockets to hide your wallet when you get flagged down by the police :)

16. Look ma, no aerial:

At least you can't see them, it's built into the car body

17. Spaciousness.

I must admit that the S60 is not that spacious.

18. Lack of reverse sensor:

You can install after-market ones. You can get one as cheap as RM130 but then better go to a good workshop, you don't want them to mess up your Volvo wiring :) I paid Rm250 for mine

19. Why not other Volvos?

I've also considered the S40 2.4. It's more expensive as its newer, the S40 2.4 came out end of 2004. Expect to pay at least RM110K for the 2nd hand one, the new one sells for RM181k so it's not fully depreciated yet, don't buy it yet :) Plus since it’s a 2.4, you'll have to pay RM800 for the road tax, compared to RM300 or RM400 for the 2L S60. And the 2.4 only churns out 170HP compared to the 180HP from the S60. The S40 looks sportier but then I find it too small for a Volvo, plus the Ford Focus looks similar to it; they are built on a similar platform. Ford owns Volvo. The S80 is not sporty at all. The S60 has the perfect balance :)

Afterblow

Hui and I drove up to Ayer Itam dam this morning. But this time its not for long runs :) After ascending the steep winding road, we stopped and parked the car. Hui asked me whether my engine is off. I said yeah, must be another car. But when I checked again, it is indeed my car!

This reminded me of Lai Teng's car. Apparently the fan will still run even after the engine has been turned off. Googling confirmed this.

Question
I have a 2002 volvo s60. After the engine is shut off a fan will begin to run anywhere between 5-15 minutes after. And it does not do it every time the engine is shut off. I bought it in May 2006 and it just started doing this the end of July. The air blows out the vents into the car. I'm not sure if it is the a/c fan or the motor fan. Is there a fan that runs after the engine is shut off to cool it down?

Answer
Hello! That is a feature called "afterblow". The interior fan will can sontimes run depending on how long the a/c has been on or ambient temperature. This is to dry out any condensation in the climate system. This a feature that can be re-programmed or turned off. Only a dealer or a Volvo shop will have the right tools to re-program it.
Jimmy

Parents are the greatest

My parents were here in Penang last week. That means
- less housework
- no more asking Hui what's the dinner menu for the evening and telling each other, "You decide, I'm OK with anything"
- and yummy home-cooked food everyday, like these:

Suffice to say, mum is a great cook.

For those of you who live with your parents, perhaps you may envy the freedom that I have. Or perhaps you may say absence makes the heart grows fonder. I bet there must be times when you don't realize how lucky you are.

I realized how lucky and blessed I am for the past whole week. I'm forever grateful to have such great parents and family. Can I myself be such great parent?

Singapore vs. KL vs. Penang Full Marathon

Registration fee:

Singapore: SGD50, KL: RM50, Penang: RM50

This is the Finisher shirt for Singapore. Adidas Climalite

This is the Finisher shirt for KL.

There is no Finisher shirt for Penang

This is the running vest for Singapore. Adidas Climalite

This is the running vest for KL. Adidas

This is the running vest for Penang.

Need I say more?