Bank Scam

Hi folks. Haven’t been writing much lately. But I want to highlight something that people should know.

This is my second post about scam and fraud. And yes, it has all got to do with money because that’s what the dirty perpetrators get for doing it. See the first post here.

As the banks are trying to tighten security by introducing new internet security policies, some nasty people are using banks’ names to trick people via emails.

This is one of the many similar emails that I received recently, allegedly from CIMB bank, telling my to validate my personal information.

No letter header, no logo…nothing. But the message was straightforward and prompt.

It even mentions about the new security measures being implemented which was happening at that time to create a seemingly persuasive email.

But  when I hovered my mouse pointer over the underlined hyperlink, I can truly see where the link is going to bring me. So always always do that. See where the link will bring you before clicking on it. Just observe the bottom left of your screen (which is my case) when you hover over any link.

That would show you whether the link is real or fake.

If you don’t proceed with caution, you might just lose a fortune because the link will bring you to a replica of the actual website of the bank that’s so alike that you’ll think it’s real.

So be smart. The best thing to do is not to click any links in emails from “banks” or any finance based entity as they would never ever ask for your confidential information online or through phone for that matter.

Whenever you find yourself in doubt, just call the bank to ask about this email that you received, and you’ll know for sure whether it’s authentic or not.

All these despicable people. There are plenty of ways to make money so don’t resort to doing illegal stuff. May you fellows rot lovely in hell.

Chao Tao Fu (Stinky Tofu)

It’s been a while since I last posted. You might be thinking that something might have happened to me after I posted “Say No To Bersih 2.0 Rally”.

Nope I’m doing just fine. The bottom parts of my feet are recovering. I’m starting to go out again after staying so long at home. It’s a bit like physiotherapy, going out of the house and walking on the streets again.

I actually felt weird going out and seeing so many people again. It produced an almost dizzying effect on me. Crossing the road didn’t seem as natural as before too.

Man, 1 week of dormancy can really affect the body. So be sure to stay active and don’t just stay at home. Move that arse more often!

That day I went to Pasar Malam (Night market) with some of my buddies in Cheras. It was a Friday. The Pasar Malam was just beside Leisuremall. I think it’s called the Taman Putra Pasar Malam.

Anyway, we sat down to order food for dinner in the midst of the Pasar Malam, and suddenly I could make of this stench that smelled like nothing but shit. Seriously, I thought that the yellowish curry stain on the table was the source of that rank.

It was as though an invisible shit was right in front of me. No kidding man. And I was just about to have my dinner…

I was told that the smell was the trademark smell of Chao Tao Foo or Stinky Tofu. So I was determined to give it a try. Challenge accepted!

The stall was located at the far end of the Pasar Malam, about 200 or 300 meters away from my dinner spot. Wow. How overwhelmingly powerful is the stench of the mighty stinky tofu. Distance is not an obstacle.

Amazingly, the closer I got to the fermented tofu, the milder the smell. Maybe it’s just me? I don’t know for sure. But one thing is for sure, it’s a hot item on sale.

This thing was so popular that I had to wait in line to get a taste of this piece of shitty smell tofu.

RM 2.50 for 4 pieces of fried stinky tofu topped with pickled vege and chili sauce for the taste. Without the supplements, the tofu would have tasted a bit blend. I decided to ta pao and bring home to eat, and spread the omnipresent smell of the one and only tofu.

In the car, I placed the styrofoam packed tofu in front of the air-cond, in the process creating the most powerful Ambipure air freshener ever created in mankind. Almost instantaneously, the tofu conquered the air in the car and made it its territory. OHMYGOD. S.T.I.N.K.S.

At home, I faced the battle alone after rejections from family members to take on the stinky challenge. One stinky tofu by one stinky tofu made its way into the organ called the mouth. The smell was tolerable at point blanc. As I ate the shit away, I could feel the squishiness of the tofu laminating my mouth with its distinctive scent.

So yeah. If you haven’t tried it. Go try it and let me know your experience. Just a reminder, when you’re eating something that smells like shit, make sure you open your eyes so that you don’t mistaken it for a shit. You never know. Sometimes, shit happens. : []

Condominium

Condominium. What about it?


It’s the place people stay; it’s a high rise building.


Say it fast and you’ll never know what’s so funny about it.


But say it slow and you’ll notice that you’re obscene.


The picture below captures the essence of this pun.




See. This is a good way to be infamous and attract business…

Somebody must have taken out the “in”.

*The author believes that if one pays enough attention to one's surrounding, there are a lot of funny things around you to keep more than one laughing for an eternity. : ]

Say No to Bersih 2.0 Rally

Good afternoon people. It’s only a few days left till July the 9th – the big day. But I (and I think the majority of fellow Malaysians) dread the day. We don’t want to see a Saturday that’s different than any other Saturdays.

This morning I was going through the daily and there’s good news brewing in the headlines. Now the groups involved in the planning of the rally are rethinking on marching on after the advices of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong and the Sultan of Pahang came through with their wise interference.

Thank goodness. This is great news.

UMNO and Malay rights group PERKASA vowed to do the same if Bersih 2.0 doesn’t go on with the rally.

Yes, we all have the freedom of expression and speech, assemble in peace and without arms as well as form associations. According to article 10(1) in the Malaysian Constitution, all those above are our rights.

That may be true, but other citizens have their rights to have a peaceful environment too. That’s where article 10(2) comes in because most people only read the first few lines of the article, but if one continues to read article 10(2), then everything would be clear.

Okay so yeah go ahead if you want to have an assembly of people. The question to ask is: does it disrupt public order? If so, then it should be held. As easy as that.

Who can guarantee that the thousand-man rally would not disrupt peace? Having the rally itself is already challenging the peace in the country by having a Saturday turned into a rally day.

If people really want to assemble and express themselves, they should gather in a stadium, as suggested by our PM in today’s newspaper. But then again, what’s the point of having a bunch of people in a stadium demonstrating without any onlookers right? However, that’s the correct means of doing it if people are really adamant on doing it.

UMNO and PERKASA would still oppose Bersih 2.0 if Bersih pursued on with the rally. That’s fighting fire with fire or like adding oil to fire. If the rally really goes on, the last thing the public wants are multiple rallies opposing one another. But it could just be a mind game of the opposing parties.

They really want to make their point through big numbers, the Bersih Organization. They were legitimately formed but now deemed illegal. Political motivation plays a vital role. Just look at the top people in Bersih and you can see a politician in there. Hmm….

If you’re thinking of joining the rally, don’t. It’s illegal, that’s all you have to know. Don’t do illegal stuff or you’ll just end up in trouble. We don’t want trouble; we just want a normal life.

It just causes more harm than good. Let’s compare shall we…

The cons:

• Disrupts the peace that is the very fabric of our multifaceted society.
• Inflicts major losses in tourism income worth like 1 billion a week (money which can be used instead for reducing the tax of imported cars?)
• Threatens lives of the people in the rally as well as people not involved in the rally. (Who can really tell what’s going to happen?)
• Forces local business premises to close shop so that they cannot make money.
• Gives a bad impression to tourists from other countries. (Imagine them going back to their countries and telling people “hey, I got unlucky to be caught in a rally in Malaysia, it was really scary and the kids were crying etc.)
• Waste of resources – the police force, ambulance, water-canon vehicles (imagine the amount of water), crowd control measures.
• Troubles the lives of pedestrians. People cannot go shopping, cannot go hospitals in an emergency, cannot get help in time etc. This is an endless list.

The pros:

• Shows that Malaysians can practice their rights to express themselves and gather peacefully.
• Enables certain parties to get the message across to the public efficiently.
• Gets people more interested in matters pertaining the government, politics and the country.
• Encourages younger people to get in the know of politics and sign up as a voter for the coming election.

So there are definitely more cons than pros…

I should also remind everyone that demonstration is becoming a trend in South East Asia and now Malaysia. The rather good thing to know from my friends from East Malaysia is that things like this don’t happen there. So it’s good if we can be a bit like our friends from the East.

Just say no to Bersih 2.0 rally.

Never walk barefooted at public places: A report of plantar warts

No image is displayed in this post to protect the virginity of your eyes.

Hello. How are you doing? Fine? Good to hear that. What about me, you ask? Well, not as fine.

Do you usually wear shoes, slippers or anything that covers your feet when you’re not in your house? If you don’t, there is a chance of you contracting a range of diseases which can cause some trouble to your feet.

Outside of your house, on that dirty grey cement floor, on the grassy plane of field, on that basketball court, on that swimming pool compound, on that toilet floor (the most likely place to breed bacteria) or on that whatever outdoor ground that you step, thousands of bacteria and microorganisms thrive. Some are good while others are just plain mean, like the ones that can cause Plantar Warts.

I believe that I got those warts when I went to a camp. I was barefooted in the dorm and several times outside of the dorm. In the middle of the camp, I suddenly felt something under my left sole.

No pain at first. It just felt like a small tiny stone got into my left shoe. When I checked, I see no stone. Instead, I found that there’s a small white circular area on my sole with a discernable tiny black spot at the back of the flesh. Didn’t look to me as a big deal, so I just ignored it. But every time I walk, I felt like something got embedded into my sole.

After a week of getting the mysterious thing on my left sole, I found the same thing on my right sole. Wah, I think one foot wasn’t enough for the virus. It wanted to conquer both my feet.

I did some research online and concluded that they were plantar warts. To the doctor I went, and was given an acidic solution to put on the warts every night. After a week or so, there wasn’t much improvement, and I didn’t go back to the doc.

However, after more than 1 month, the warts have succeeded in increasing their sizes. The warts weren’t that big as you might think, it’s had grown to a size of a small mole. But because plantar warts are located in the worst location on the body (the soles of the feet), they would be constantly stepped on no matter what and it would be harder for them to come out. That’s what I opine.

One thing that you should know about this kind of wart is that it’s plantar, meaning that it can only exist on your soles and not anywhere else on your body. For those warts on other parts of the body, they have different names to live by.

So after doing a medical checkup last week, I decided to just consult the doctor on the fate of my infected feet. And last Saturday, I underwent a procedure to burn off the warts. Die warts…die!! I could even smell the burning smell of flesh as the doctor did his stuff.

Now I’m just recuperating at home and I try to minimize any movements that need the use of my feet which includes walking. No more sports, no more going out for the moment now.

With the small volcano holes on each of my sole, for now I’m contented to just sit and lie back in my house and becoming a recluse for a while. It’s not easy though, not moving around is difficult for me. And everyday I have to rendam my feet in salt water followed by applying antiseptic cream on it.

For my feet, I forwent a trip to Port Dickson, forgo a trip to East Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Sibu), which I confirmed months ago, possibly forgo a frisbee tournament coming up soon and forgo every opportunity to go out. :[

Health is ultimately the most important thing in our life.

So don’t overlook small things in your life like going barefoot outdoors. Just DON’t do it. You have no idea how much you have to go through and how much suffering you would have to endure.

If you’re thinking, “I’ve done it as long as I have lived and nothing has happened so far,” you can consider yourself lucky. You may never know when aral will melintang. Put simply, if it’s your bad day then you’ll kena la.

So take care. Health comes first.

Jack ’n Jill Roller Coaster: X-treme Challenge @ SkyTrex

Pictures courtesy of Lawrence Ling.

“Life is a rollercoaster just gotta ride it” – Lyrics from the song of Ronan Keating.

To sum the whole experience at SkyTrex, like what the poster says – It was dirty, it was wild, it was whacked-out! Whoohoo. I can still feel the adrenaline when I think about it.

Totally AWEsome experience I tell you. Thanks Jack ‘n Jill Roller Coaster for putting that awe into the -some.

It was about more than 1 month ago when I got the invitation to participate in this extremely extreme event. Via Says.my, I filled up a survey and was so elated to hear that I was one of the lucky ones to get chosen. I even get to bring 1 friend along for the X-treme challenge and 2 other pals to participate in the on-ground activities. How cool is that?

This wacky experience I had was dated 28th May 2010. (I should’ve blogged earlier. Ah, procrastination!!)

Getting There

The bunch of us on our way to Taman Pertanian Malaysia, Shah Alam where therein lies SkyTrex. By far, Taman Pertanian or Botanical Park is the BIGGEST park I’ve ever been in my life. Seriously it’s so big that one day may not be enough to explore the whole place thoroughly.

The place is just fabulous and grandiose.

Misai Kucing (correct me if I’m wrong) basking in the morning dews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magnificent sunrise at Taman Pertanian Malaysia. Look, it’s as if an angel is unraveling herself.

 

 

 

Yeah, I was totally X-ed out and hyped out to do the challenge.

A Funny Thing

A funny thing happened that day. So after getting ourselves registered and gotten our Roller Coaster T-shirts in bright yellow and light blue, we (the ones doing the Extreme challenges) were brought into the inner compound of the park.

 

They had mini vans chauffeuring participants inside. Then things started to get confusing when these mini van drivers started making a U-turn after a good 10, 15 minutes of driving.

Wo oh, only then did the thought of being lost occurred to me. We were technically sesat in the park. And these drivers were just confidently driving blindly, and leading the other drivers as well.

The funny thing is, there are an abundance of maps literally everywhere in the park, but incredulously the drivers can’t see them! We even stopped once and I thought “Okay, he finally saw that big map over there and he’s gonna take a look at it."

*Faints. Can somebody punch me in the face?

Nope. He didn’t do that. Instead he went to the back of the vehicle and held some discussion with the other drivers. Hahahaha. How peculiar…

Thankfully, with a bit of luck, we eventually got to our destination. : ]

Just look at how humongous the map is. And they’re like everywhere, ubiquitous, and in bright striking yellow too.

Bring on the challenge!

Thereafter, all fun broke loose as my friend Rouffino and I take on the challenge!

Because I’m chose the yellow one, I got to do the Extreme Challenge and my friend wearing blue got to do the Big Thrill. The Big Thrill would cost RM 45 and the Extreme one would be an extra RM 5.

I don’t have pictures to show you, but let me just describe the experience of the Extreme Challenge in a few words – Intimidating, Challenging, Exhilarating.

There were vertical obstacles, horizontal obstacles and so flying fox obstacles. I’m not gonna exaggerate, I went through the flying fox obstacles so many times that I lost count. Yep. It’s like a flying fox heaven up there. Some are long and some are shorter, and the long ones are really long!

It took me more than an hour to complete the whole thing because the whole course is quite long and tiring as well, taking into account the safety harness and accessories. And most of the time, you’re really by yourself so you’re in charge of your own safety at all times. If you pay attention during the safety briefing, most likely you’ll be fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left: A female participant getting ready to get launched into the other side by means of flying fox.

Right: A daunting vertical obstacle.

I should also mention that all these obstacles stations are ALL built on trees. Sing for the might of tree trunks! Praise the strength of mother nature.

The Big Thrill is somewhat similar with the Extreme Challenge. I speculate that the only difference lie in the height and scariness of the obstacles, though some people even say that the Big Thrill is more thrilling than the Extreme Challenge.

The Others’ Journey

Meanwhile, my 2 other friends Thaya and Lawrence (the photographer) got the chance to roam the park. They rented a bicycle each and starting exploring every nook and cranny of the park, turning every stone along the road, so to say.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On-ground Activities

Well, if you think the fun is over, it ain’t. The organizers really got things planned out.

After a fatiguing exercise, participants relaxed and unwind. There are also game booths set up to suck the boredom out of the participants. We played the Guitar Heroes (full set with a singer, 2 guitarists and a drummer, wow!), PS3 game (Fifa 2011), foosball and a couple of other game booths.

Damn, it was FUN! The foosball was especially addictive. I played it for so long that I eventually got fed up and a bit of headache. It significantly improved my foosball skills. Any challengers?

At the same time, other participants who are not so into these kind of entertainment were entertained by a professional DJ. People were just chilling out and having a good time participating in quizzes and trivia.

And guess what is the prizes for the small informal quizzes? Roller Coaster rings of course.

Some of the participants playing a round of foosball after all the action.

The latest version of Guitar Heroes. Now 4 people can play at once. This booth was always full.

Look at those faces concentrating on a game of PS3 FIFA 2011! By the way, I lost all the matches. Haha, I really sucked.

The ole electrified wire game. Finish without sounding the buzzer and walk away with goodie bags full of Jack ‘n Jill goodness.

At the event, we also met some really cool people and made new friends all sharing the common interest of going extreme.

The Winners

By evening, the prize giving ceremony was in due course as participants waited eagerly to hear their numbers coming out from the speakers. The 1st prize was a brand new iPhone 4!

If I’m not mistaken, there were 5 prizes and 10 or 20 consolation prizes. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my share of prizes. :[

But still, the whole point wasn’t about winning anyway. It was about enjoying the moment and sharing good times with some friends and also meeting new people and making new friends. Well, that’s as worth it as however big a prize.

There’s More

According to the organizers, there will be more action pack events coming in the near future. So keep your eyes on Jack ‘n Jill and stay tune for more extreme activities, if it’s your cup of tea.

Some information about SkyTrex

Address:

SKYTREX ADVENTURE PARK
Taman Pertanian Malaysia
Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam
40000 Shah Alam
Selangor Darul Ehsan

Contact them at:

SKYTREX SDN BHD
Management & Administration Office
C33-2-7 Block C Jaya One
No. 72A Jalan Universiti
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel: +601 3276 9841 (Please call only from 9am - 6pm)
Fax: +603 7960 8290
Email: skytrex@skytrex-adventure.com
Website: http://www.skytrex-adventure.com

That’s it. Go experience it yourself.

Stay active.