2007 will be remembered as the year I started a blog called Afif PLC. A lot of things happened in 2007. Some of them I'd like to cherish forever in my memory, others I'd rather forget. Lets take a look at what I've been through all this year.
January was my most prolific blogging period ever this year. I posted about 40 posts that month alone. Yeah I guess I was pretty excited with my brand new blog then and got so much to say. We moved from Sri Serdang to our current rented house in Taman Universiti also in January.
In February we welcomed Adam's cousin, Nur Shafy Hani into the world. Linda's sister went through a c-section for her delivery. I also had my first ever car accident in February when some dude accidentally reversed into my rear door. Fortunately we resolved that incident amicably and in a very civilized manner.
March 2007 was the month I'd rather forget. 2 computers went missing in our watch and we felt the full wrath of our boss. March was also Grease fever month and when I changed my blog template to plain white after much inspiration from Karen Cheng.
April went by without any incident while in May, Liverpool made it to their 2nd Champions League final in 3 years only to loose to Milan. We were devastated by the defeat. Later that month I caused a little stir in the local blogging scene for my comment on Lina Joy's court verdict.
In June Linda celebrated her 26th birthday and the boss decided that we (the Famous Five) suffered enough for our alleged wrongdoing. Bujal is really my friend indeed.
July, my brother in law Pak Tam continued his studies at KUITTHO in Johore. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows was released and I bought a Nikon L10 digital camera.
In August I passed the one year mark at my workplace. Still a long way to go and so much to learn. August also came bearing news of our second baby when Linda was confirmed 7 weeks pregnant. I took my GDL license test that month and passed. My mother performed her umrah and there was a little glint of hope for Malaysian football as we won the Merdeka Cup final against Myanmar.
My new sidekick Irwan came into the fray in September and I also got my first ever credit card this month. September also marked the beginning of the fasting month and does anybody remember the idiot who got cheated into buying a broken PDA? Hmm I don't know, beats me.
I had a jolly good time for Hari Raya this year because I get to celebrate the 1st of Syawal at my hometown in Pasir Mas. October was also the month Dr. S.M.S blasted into space.
In November we went for a weekend getaway at A Famosa Resort followed by a visit to historic Mallaca. My wife gave me the best present ever on my birthday this month.
December marks my first foray into the fun and exciting Linux world. Internet made the world so much smaller cause my little piece on Linux made a few people notice my humble blog. And oh yeah we bought a new washing machine this month (big deal!).
So long 2007 and say hola to 2008. I got a feeling that 2008 is gonna be a pretty exciting year for us. Happy New Year to everyone and thanks for visiting!
You'll never walk alone, cheers!
p.s: My new year resolution is 1280 x 1024 ha ha!
2007 Granny® Awards
The Granny® Awards (not to be mistaken with Grammy® Awards) or "Grannys" are presented annually by Afif PLC for outstanding achievements in the record industry, according to me that is. There will be no live telecasts or pomp award ceremonies for this Granny Awards. Just a simple list of winners and nominees here in 8 categories. And the Grannys goes to ...
Song Of The Year
Winner
'I'm like a lawyer with the way I'm always trying to get you off (me and you)' by Fallout Boy
Nominees
'I don't love you' by My Chemical Romance
'Hey there Delilah' by The Plain White Ts
'Look after you' by The Fray
'Give it to me' by Timbaland feat Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake
Album Of The Year
Winner
'The Black Parade' by My Chemical Romance
Nominees
'OST Spiderman 3' by Various Artistes
'How to save a life' by The Fray
'Infinity on high' by Fallout boy
Best New Artist
Winner
Rihanna
Nominees
Fergie
Fallout Boy
Colbie Collait
Best Pop Artist
Winner
Timbaland
Nominees
50 Cent
Black Eyed Peas
Justin Timberlake
Rihanna
Best Pop Song
Winner
'Wait for you' by Elliot Yamin
Nominees
'No one' by Alicia Keys
'Irreplaceable' by Beyonce
'Shortie like mine' by Bow Wow feat Chris Brown
'Like a star' by Corrine Bailey Rae
'Umbrella' by Rihanna feat Jay Z
Best Rock Artist
Winner
My Chemical Romance
Nominees
The Plain White Ts
Fallout Boy
Muse
Best Rock Song
Winner
'Hey there Delilah' by The Plain White Ts
Nominees
'I don't love you' by My Chemical Romance
'I'm like a lawyer with the way I'm always trying to get you off (me and you)' by Fall Out Boys
'Look after you' by The Fray
Best Music Video
Winner
'Signal fire' by Snow Patrol
Nominees
'I think that she knows/Lovestoned' by justin Timberlake
'Hey there Delilah' by The Plain White Ts
Wedding food of the year
Yesterday Linda, Adam and I went to my friend Dayangku Nurul Husna's wedding in K.L. Err I don't usually go to weddings unless it is truly absolutely necessary (my wife threaten made me go). Let's face it, I AM NOT the go to weddings and socialize type of person. But in this case it's my friend's wedding and she took the trouble to personally deliver the invitation card to me so I didn't have the heart not to go. Plus I go to her office almost every week so it wouldn't be polite (and pretty awkward) if I didn't go.
We went right after work yesterday around 2ish and the government quarters complex in Jalan Duta was real easy to find. Some wedding places I went to this year were so hard to find, I'd need to look them up on Google Earth first before I go. We were greeted by her office mates who quickly asked me to fix their computers, what the heck??
Of course they were just goofing around. The food served was mMMMMNMmmmm superb yesterday! The chicken was great, so was the meat and I can still taste the delicious curry as I'm writing this. I must say that's the best wedding food I've tasted this year and they didn't even hire any caterer to cook all those yummy food. Her neighbours and friends worked together to prepare for the feast. Too bad I was too shy to ask for a second serving, damn.
We waited some time for the bride to finally come down. Dayang looked simply stunning in her gold-coloured wedding dress.
The equally dashing bridegroom arrived a few minutes letter and the walked hand in hand to the pelamin (wedding dais). Well congratulations and all the best in your life ahead.
We went right after work yesterday around 2ish and the government quarters complex in Jalan Duta was real easy to find. Some wedding places I went to this year were so hard to find, I'd need to look them up on Google Earth first before I go. We were greeted by her office mates who quickly asked me to fix their computers, what the heck??
Of course they were just goofing around. The food served was mMMMMNMmmmm superb yesterday! The chicken was great, so was the meat and I can still taste the delicious curry as I'm writing this. I must say that's the best wedding food I've tasted this year and they didn't even hire any caterer to cook all those yummy food. Her neighbours and friends worked together to prepare for the feast. Too bad I was too shy to ask for a second serving, damn.
We waited some time for the bride to finally come down. Dayang looked simply stunning in her gold-coloured wedding dress.
The equally dashing bridegroom arrived a few minutes letter and the walked hand in hand to the pelamin (wedding dais). Well congratulations and all the best in your life ahead.
The circus is leaving
Yup the circus is leaving with everybody's favourite clown, Sahail Ilyasa (Acha). Earlier this month our jolly dispatch guy Acha was offered a job at UKM and he had duly accepted it.
Acha (right)
His departure will be acause for celebration* great loss to the company and we will surely miss his funny antics around the place. I'm sure glad that he's leaving* this office will be a lot quieter without Acha around.
The threestooges hot mamas having breakfast provided by Acha.
And like all good departing co-worker, Acha treat us with breakfast this morning. Thanks buddy, we wish you the best at your new workplace.
* just kidding man!
Acha (right)
His departure will be a
The three
And like all good departing co-worker, Acha treat us with breakfast this morning. Thanks buddy, we wish you the best at your new workplace.
* just kidding man!
Big boys don't whine
Today I went to Puncak Alam as usual doing technical support for the UiTM 2 university project. Today Irwan and I went to Satellite A, a site far away on top of the hill. It rained this morning so the road around the construction site was very muddy and slippery. I had to maneuver the 4WD very slowly as to avoid losing control of the vehicle. Usually I would avoid going into the construction site on rainy days but today I have no choice but to got there and do what I'm paid to do.
So we went in, finish our job and go to have our lunch around 2 o' clock. Back from lunch, our client - the HR/Admin guy in charge there told us to go to Satellite B next to fix up something there. Satellite B is nearer than Satellite A but the road leading there is still just as treacherous during rainy days. Usually I won't have any qualms about driving into the construction site two times in a row on the same day. I would just take the key to a 4WD and drive my ass in there. Maybe it's not my day today cause all the 4WDs available at the site office was used at that very moment. So the HR guy casually asks me to ride a motorcycle to get to Satellite B.
Now it is not uncommon for people to ride on motorcycles into a construction site in this country. The Indonesians do it all the time and some of the Bangladeshi workers even walk on foot in there when they miss their bus (lorry). Plus some of my colleague does ride them bikes occasionally into the site when they ran out of 4WDs to borrow. It's quite normal really. Me, I was very hesitant at first. But I did it anyway cause Mr. HR guy was rather persistent with the request. What do you expect me to do? Say no and look like some spoilt IT guy? Too good to ride a bike in there? Scared of the huge heavy trucks?
The ride to Satellite B was okay at first before I get to the muddy put. A few times I had to stop midway to maintain my balance and step on the muddy soil. And did I mention that I had to share the rugged road with huge lorries and trucks that could squash me like a bug with one wrong turn. That was some scary sheet. Thank God I survived the return journey in one piece.
Later Bujal told me I'm not even supposed to be inside the construction site since I didn't have the green safety card issued by the main con. Plus if they'd like me to do anything, they'd to drive me there themselves. Well, big boys don't whine. Next time they ask me to do that again I think I'll pass.
So we went in, finish our job and go to have our lunch around 2 o' clock. Back from lunch, our client - the HR/Admin guy in charge there told us to go to Satellite B next to fix up something there. Satellite B is nearer than Satellite A but the road leading there is still just as treacherous during rainy days. Usually I won't have any qualms about driving into the construction site two times in a row on the same day. I would just take the key to a 4WD and drive my ass in there. Maybe it's not my day today cause all the 4WDs available at the site office was used at that very moment. So the HR guy casually asks me to ride a motorcycle to get to Satellite B.
Now it is not uncommon for people to ride on motorcycles into a construction site in this country. The Indonesians do it all the time and some of the Bangladeshi workers even walk on foot in there when they miss their bus (lorry). Plus some of my colleague does ride them bikes occasionally into the site when they ran out of 4WDs to borrow. It's quite normal really. Me, I was very hesitant at first. But I did it anyway cause Mr. HR guy was rather persistent with the request. What do you expect me to do? Say no and look like some spoilt IT guy? Too good to ride a bike in there? Scared of the huge heavy trucks?
The ride to Satellite B was okay at first before I get to the muddy put. A few times I had to stop midway to maintain my balance and step on the muddy soil. And did I mention that I had to share the rugged road with huge lorries and trucks that could squash me like a bug with one wrong turn. That was some scary sheet. Thank God I survived the return journey in one piece.
Later Bujal told me I'm not even supposed to be inside the construction site since I didn't have the green safety card issued by the main con. Plus if they'd like me to do anything, they'd to drive me there themselves. Well, big boys don't whine. Next time they ask me to do that again I think I'll pass.
Tuxmachines.org rocks!
This morning as I check my blog traffic stats I saw that I got 99 page hits from all over the world! Holy shiite, where do all these people come from? Upon further inspection I found out that most of them were directed from Tuxmachines.org, a website about Linux news,reviews, distros, basically everything Linux. Apparently my article Linux for muggles was featured on the front page of the website yesterday hence the sudden influx of visitors.
Just when I thought nobody reads my blog :) Thanks srlinuxx, you and your site rawks woman!
Just when I thought nobody reads my blog :) Thanks srlinuxx, you and your site rawks woman!
Linux adventures with Afif (part 1)
In the past 5 weeks or so I have devoted most of my free time (after work, public holidays) trying and testing over a dozen Linux distributions (distro) in order to decide which Linux distro suits me best for work and for play. There are currently over 300 Linux distribution projects in active development, constantly revising and improving their respective distributions. They essentially divided between commercially backed distributions, such as Fedora (Red Hat), SUSE Linux (Novell), Ubuntu (Canonical Ltd.) and community distributions such as Debian and Gentoo and their derivatives (such as Knoppix, PCLinux OS, Linux Mint etc). Either backed by large corporation or entirely community driven, all these distros have one thing in common: to develop a Linux OS that's easy to use, user-friendly, reliable and most of all open source (free).
Distrowatch.com is a good place to learn about the most current and popular distros out there. They even have a Page Hit Ranking chart which lists the most accessed (popular) distros for the past 6 months. Besides that you can find a short description of each distro, reviews, screenshots, official links and download mirrors also at that site.
I was lucky enough to acquire two (old) new pcs at home that I have used extensively to try out all those Linux distros. One is a Pentium 4 1.7Ghz, 256MB RAM another is a Pentium III 450MHZ, 128MB RAM. Apart from that I also use my office pc, a Pentium III 800MHz, 384MB RAM and my main pc at home a Pentium 4 3GHz with 1Gb of RAM. So altogether I have tried 15 Linux system on 4 machines with varying results.
The minimum requirement to install Linux varies from one distro to another. So far I have successfully installed Ubuntu 7.10 'Gutsy Gibbon' on my 450Mhz Pentium III with only 128MB RAM. It is possible to install Linux on older / slower machine but I recommend you use at least a Pentium II with 128MB of RAM or greater. It is also recommended that you have a working Internet connection before installing Linux. While it is possible to install Linux without Internet connection, you won't be able to perform the necessary update and install all the latest (and the good) software form their rich software repositories. Without the Internet you'll be stuck with the same basic software bundled in the installation cd plus you won't be able to play certain audio/video format which requires certain codec download (especially so for Ubuntu). You can download the software package elsewhere and run it at your pc at home but it would be a real pain in the ass process. It is very likely that the package that you have downloaded will require several other libraries and codes installed as well (dependencies) so you'll need to access the Internet anyway in the end.
Ok enough of that. Without further ado, here are the Linux distros that I've tried so far in chronological order (well, sort of).
1. Kanotix
I got to know about Kanotix from my colleague Sapuang who used it as a proxy server for our leased line at work. Kanotix is a Linux distro based on Debian, which contains the newest packages and recognizes more modern hardware than any other operating system in use today. Kanotix is assembled for 32 Bit i586 (meaning Pentium III and above) and for AMD 64 using the most up-to-date kernel with unique patches. Kanotix is created by a German dude named Jörg Schirottke (aged 28) who used his nickname 'Kano' (from a character in Mortal Kombat) for his Linux system. Kanotix, like many other Linux distro is also based on Debian Linux.
Initial boot screen
Kanotix will run as a LIVE-CD on practically any computer -- automatically detecting and configuring virtually any piece of hardware. It is ideal for analysis, data rescue, forensic work, removal of viruses on Win-PCs - or simply for safe surfing and mailing in an internet cafe. It installs to your hard drive in just a few minutes and is ideal for use on your desktop workstation or notebook, or as a server.
Live CD desktop
After my Windows pc got infected by virus again, I decided to install Kanotix on my office pc. The installation process is pretty straight forward except for the partitioning part where I've got to be careful of which partition to use so that I don't accidentally delete my Windows partition. To begin I just insert the live cd which will load the entire Linux system from the cd into to computer's memory. To install Kanotix permanently on my hard drive I just click on the acritoxinstaller and follow to instructions given. Basically the installation process is just the same as Windows except for the partitioning part where you'll need to have some basic idea about hard disks and partitions. My Kanotix installation finishes in just 20 minutes on my Pentium III 800MHz, 384MB office pc which is very impressive indeed for my first experience with Linux.
Default KDE theme
One reason why Kanotix is so popular is it's superior hardware detection. It detects all my hardware, hard disk, sound, graphic, network automatically during the installation. I mean I can even install Kanotix even with my eyes closed. In my opinion Kanotix is one great and complete Linux distro to use at work and play. I would have chosen Kanotix as my favourite Linux system if not for the fact that it uses KDE as its default desktop environment. FYI I much prefer the GNOME desktop environment than KDE or Xfce because they looked much better for me. KDE kinda reminds me of the super-boring and dull Windows environment you know with the start button on the bottom left. Other than that Kanotix is one excellent Linux system.
Final verdict: 8/10
2. Knoppix
Knoppix is a Linux distribution based on Debian GNU/Linux designed to be run directly from a CD / DVD. Knoppix is one of the best-known live CDs. Knoppix was developed by a German Linux consultant Klaus Knopper (hence the name Knoppix). Although Knoppix is primarily designed to be used as a live CD, it can also be installed on a hard disk like a typical operating system. Actually Kanotix is a derivative from Knoppix which was improved by Jörg Schirottke (Kano) and re-released as Kanotix. Knoppix is essentially the same as Kanotix in almost every aspect except for the type and number of software installed and the KDE theme used.
I used the Knoppix live CD to boot my Pentium 4 1.7GHz pc and everything worked well except for the display which is a bit funny. Knoppix displayed a resolution of 1024 x 768 on my pc but I had to scroll up and down / left and right to see my entire desktop. Even after successfully installing Knoppix on my hard drive this particular problem still persist. Didn't Knoppix detect my screen resolution correctly? I thought Knoppix was supposed to be as good as Kanotix? Anyway like I said before I don't like the KDE desktop much so I tried to download the GNOME desktop but somehow I failed citing certain dependencies problem. I'm pretty sure I can find the solution to this problem at a forum somewhere but I just won't bother.
Overall, I think Knoppix is a decent Linux distro but not as good as its 'child product' Kanotix. To be honest I'd recommend the latter than the former.
Final verdict: 5/10
3. OpenSUSE
OpenSUSE, is a community project, sponsored by Novell (an American software giant), to develop and maintain a general purpose Linux distribution. OpenSUSE is available in both GNOME and KDE user interface and naturally I chose to download the GNOME version from their official website.
The lovely green theme looks very nice when I first boot the installation cd. OpenSUSE doesn't come with a Live cd so I'll have to use the graphical installation menu. Installation was a breeze on my Pentium 4 1.7Ghz pc but I failed to install OpenSUSE on both my other Pentium III pcs. Either OpenSUSE supports only newer hardware or there's a boot option that I need to enter to use my older pcs.
Like Kanotix, OpenSUSE detects all my hardware automatically including the DHCP setting for my network card. The entire installation process took nearly an hour to finish. I like the the default green theme so much that I decided to keep OpenSUSE for 4 days on my test machine.
OpenSUSE uses YaST as the control center which is rather foreign to me compared to Synaptic Package manager but work just as well. I also managed to create a connection between OpenSUSE and Windows but so far I can only see my Windows network folder but not read/write or modify anything inside. So I tweaked the network and network tools settings, downloaded and activates the Samba tools but it still wouldn't work. I can play my music files using VLC though but aside from that, there's not much networking I can do between OpenSUSE and my Windows XP pc. So after 4 days I decided to give another distro a try.
In the end I think OpenSUSE is a good distro to try out and tinker with. Again, I love the green 'chameleon' GNOME theme but I wish those people at Novell would improve on OpenSUSE's networking tools.
Final verdict: 8/10
Distrowatch.com is a good place to learn about the most current and popular distros out there. They even have a Page Hit Ranking chart which lists the most accessed (popular) distros for the past 6 months. Besides that you can find a short description of each distro, reviews, screenshots, official links and download mirrors also at that site.
I was lucky enough to acquire two (old) new pcs at home that I have used extensively to try out all those Linux distros. One is a Pentium 4 1.7Ghz, 256MB RAM another is a Pentium III 450MHZ, 128MB RAM. Apart from that I also use my office pc, a Pentium III 800MHz, 384MB RAM and my main pc at home a Pentium 4 3GHz with 1Gb of RAM. So altogether I have tried 15 Linux system on 4 machines with varying results.
The minimum requirement to install Linux varies from one distro to another. So far I have successfully installed Ubuntu 7.10 'Gutsy Gibbon' on my 450Mhz Pentium III with only 128MB RAM. It is possible to install Linux on older / slower machine but I recommend you use at least a Pentium II with 128MB of RAM or greater. It is also recommended that you have a working Internet connection before installing Linux. While it is possible to install Linux without Internet connection, you won't be able to perform the necessary update and install all the latest (and the good) software form their rich software repositories. Without the Internet you'll be stuck with the same basic software bundled in the installation cd plus you won't be able to play certain audio/video format which requires certain codec download (especially so for Ubuntu). You can download the software package elsewhere and run it at your pc at home but it would be a real pain in the ass process. It is very likely that the package that you have downloaded will require several other libraries and codes installed as well (dependencies) so you'll need to access the Internet anyway in the end.
Ok enough of that. Without further ado, here are the Linux distros that I've tried so far in chronological order (well, sort of).
1. Kanotix
I got to know about Kanotix from my colleague Sapuang who used it as a proxy server for our leased line at work. Kanotix is a Linux distro based on Debian, which contains the newest packages and recognizes more modern hardware than any other operating system in use today. Kanotix is assembled for 32 Bit i586 (meaning Pentium III and above) and for AMD 64 using the most up-to-date kernel with unique patches. Kanotix is created by a German dude named Jörg Schirottke (aged 28) who used his nickname 'Kano' (from a character in Mortal Kombat) for his Linux system. Kanotix, like many other Linux distro is also based on Debian Linux.
Initial boot screen
Kanotix will run as a LIVE-CD on practically any computer -- automatically detecting and configuring virtually any piece of hardware. It is ideal for analysis, data rescue, forensic work, removal of viruses on Win-PCs - or simply for safe surfing and mailing in an internet cafe. It installs to your hard drive in just a few minutes and is ideal for use on your desktop workstation or notebook, or as a server.
Live CD desktop
After my Windows pc got infected by virus again, I decided to install Kanotix on my office pc. The installation process is pretty straight forward except for the partitioning part where I've got to be careful of which partition to use so that I don't accidentally delete my Windows partition. To begin I just insert the live cd which will load the entire Linux system from the cd into to computer's memory. To install Kanotix permanently on my hard drive I just click on the acritoxinstaller and follow to instructions given. Basically the installation process is just the same as Windows except for the partitioning part where you'll need to have some basic idea about hard disks and partitions. My Kanotix installation finishes in just 20 minutes on my Pentium III 800MHz, 384MB office pc which is very impressive indeed for my first experience with Linux.
Default KDE theme
One reason why Kanotix is so popular is it's superior hardware detection. It detects all my hardware, hard disk, sound, graphic, network automatically during the installation. I mean I can even install Kanotix even with my eyes closed. In my opinion Kanotix is one great and complete Linux distro to use at work and play. I would have chosen Kanotix as my favourite Linux system if not for the fact that it uses KDE as its default desktop environment. FYI I much prefer the GNOME desktop environment than KDE or Xfce because they looked much better for me. KDE kinda reminds me of the super-boring and dull Windows environment you know with the start button on the bottom left. Other than that Kanotix is one excellent Linux system.
Final verdict: 8/10
2. Knoppix
Knoppix is a Linux distribution based on Debian GNU/Linux designed to be run directly from a CD / DVD. Knoppix is one of the best-known live CDs. Knoppix was developed by a German Linux consultant Klaus Knopper (hence the name Knoppix). Although Knoppix is primarily designed to be used as a live CD, it can also be installed on a hard disk like a typical operating system. Actually Kanotix is a derivative from Knoppix which was improved by Jörg Schirottke (Kano) and re-released as Kanotix. Knoppix is essentially the same as Kanotix in almost every aspect except for the type and number of software installed and the KDE theme used.
I used the Knoppix live CD to boot my Pentium 4 1.7GHz pc and everything worked well except for the display which is a bit funny. Knoppix displayed a resolution of 1024 x 768 on my pc but I had to scroll up and down / left and right to see my entire desktop. Even after successfully installing Knoppix on my hard drive this particular problem still persist. Didn't Knoppix detect my screen resolution correctly? I thought Knoppix was supposed to be as good as Kanotix? Anyway like I said before I don't like the KDE desktop much so I tried to download the GNOME desktop but somehow I failed citing certain dependencies problem. I'm pretty sure I can find the solution to this problem at a forum somewhere but I just won't bother.
Overall, I think Knoppix is a decent Linux distro but not as good as its 'child product' Kanotix. To be honest I'd recommend the latter than the former.
Final verdict: 5/10
3. OpenSUSE
OpenSUSE, is a community project, sponsored by Novell (an American software giant), to develop and maintain a general purpose Linux distribution. OpenSUSE is available in both GNOME and KDE user interface and naturally I chose to download the GNOME version from their official website.
The lovely green theme looks very nice when I first boot the installation cd. OpenSUSE doesn't come with a Live cd so I'll have to use the graphical installation menu. Installation was a breeze on my Pentium 4 1.7Ghz pc but I failed to install OpenSUSE on both my other Pentium III pcs. Either OpenSUSE supports only newer hardware or there's a boot option that I need to enter to use my older pcs.
Like Kanotix, OpenSUSE detects all my hardware automatically including the DHCP setting for my network card. The entire installation process took nearly an hour to finish. I like the the default green theme so much that I decided to keep OpenSUSE for 4 days on my test machine.
OpenSUSE uses YaST as the control center which is rather foreign to me compared to Synaptic Package manager but work just as well. I also managed to create a connection between OpenSUSE and Windows but so far I can only see my Windows network folder but not read/write or modify anything inside. So I tweaked the network and network tools settings, downloaded and activates the Samba tools but it still wouldn't work. I can play my music files using VLC though but aside from that, there's not much networking I can do between OpenSUSE and my Windows XP pc. So after 4 days I decided to give another distro a try.
In the end I think OpenSUSE is a good distro to try out and tinker with. Again, I love the green 'chameleon' GNOME theme but I wish those people at Novell would improve on OpenSUSE's networking tools.
Final verdict: 8/10
Linux for muggles
My first experience with Linux was 8 years ago, a few years after my Dad bought me my first ever computer. The first Linux OS that I tried was RedHat Linux. At that time the Internet in this country was still at its infancy so I didn't know much about other Linux distributions (distro). So I bought a RedHat cd for 5 bucks at the local computer store and attempted to install it on my PC before failing miserably. Back then I didn't know much about computers. I do know hot to format a hard drive and install windows on it but that's about it. I have no idea how to make partitions, set aside swap areas or where to put the root folder. Bear in mind Google didn't even exist yet back then and those cyber cafes are not as numerous as they are today so basically I didn't have anyone to turn to for help. So after a few tries I gave up and decided to stick to Windows until now.
It all started about a month ago when the PC that I use at my office got hit by a virus for the 3rd time already this year. I'm usually very careful when using my PC, staying clear of porn sites and being cautious whenever I download anything from the Internet. Nevertheless the PC that I use at my office is not really mine, it belongs to my company. So being a a public property anyone can use the PC in my presence and especially when I'm not around. And so one day I turn on my PC only to find it infected by a nasty virus which causes my PC to keep on restarting over and over again by itself. That's it, I've had it. From that moment on I've decided to give Linux another try and install it on my office PC. With some initial help from my friend Sapuang, the Linux expert / super power System Administrator I am now a full-fledged Linux user.
What is Linux? Linux is just another operating system for your computer just like Windows XP and Mac OS. If you compare the computer to a human, the operating system (OS) is like the brain for the computer. Without the OS, that expensive piece of hardware and peripheral that you call a computer is quite useless. Just like us human, without our brain, we're just the same as a monkey or a lamp post. That's why you have every right to be offended when people say “Why you do like that? Got no brain ah?”. Yes, it's the brain that make us different than inorganic stuff and other living things.
Tux the penguin, the official mascot for the Linux kernel.
So why Linux? Why not stick to the good ol' Windows? I can list a dozen reason why Linux is better than Windows or Mac OS but I'll just say one, Linux is absolutelyfree. You don't have to spend a penny to use Linux aside from the bandwidth that you use to download the cd image. The brain is probably God's greatest creation for the human being and we didn't have to pay anything for it. It's the same case with computers. Why pay Microsoft for an OS when we can get it for free? Had Linus Torvalds created Linux earlier than Windows I'm pretty sure the every computer in this world will be powered by Linux. Had somebody thought of Linux earlier people would be saying Bill who? Most popular Linux distributions today are not as good as Windows, they're even better in every aspect. They're safer, faster, more efficient and best of all free of charge. Every single computer on sale today would be a few hundred bucks cheaper had they used Linux.
Listed here is a few disadvantages of using Windows compared to Linux.
Higher cost
Commercial operating systems, especially server operating systems, like Windows Server 2003 and Novell IntraNetware, can can cost more than USD400 for a single copy and limited number of user licenses. Even the more modest USD100 for Windows 95 can be a problem for people in developing countries, as well as students and others. The price for commercial systems almost never includes development tools, which cost even more. Linux, on the other hand, includes free C, C++, FORTRAN, and other development tools.
Slow release pattern
Major upgrades to operating systems come very slowly. Windows XP came out three years after Windows 200; Windows Vista even longer. The major distributions of Linux, on the other hand, are releasing major updates every six months or so.
Minor upgrades also take longer to acknowledge and fix in commercial systems. Recent problems with Safari and Microsoft Internet Explorer are good examples of this. In the case of the "denial of service" TCP/IP bug, a Linux patch was posted for it mere hours after the problem was isolated. Anyone who is technically capable can fix the bugs, too, merely by changing the code in question and recompiling.
Lack of source code availability
The fact that the source code for Windows and other systems is a closely guarded secret keeps people from learning from it, tinkering with it, and (perhaps) improving it. It means that problems which are technically easy to fix, cannot be fixed by any user with the technical expertise, but everyone must wait until Microsoft publishes a patch. The availability of source code is a particularly useful thing for programmers and computer science students, which form a significant percentage of Linux users.
Planned obsolescence of hardware
A growing computer industry requires that people periodically get faster and more capable hardware to keep up with the advances the industry makes. Microsoft does not make it a priority to maintain backward-compatibility with older systems when it releases new operating systems. Many people do not have the money to upgrade every two or three years. So that old 486 or Pentium II PC will becomes a very expensive junk unless there is a platform which can run on it acceptably. Linux is such a platform.
On the other hand, here's a few reasons why I love Linux.
Safety and reliability
Built on the legendary reliability and safety of UNIX operating system, it is not far-fetched to say that Linux is at least ten times safer and more reliable than Windows. Linux systems are not easily hacked into and most established Linux distros are very stable and less prone to crashes or system freezes. The Linux operating system, along with Unix and other Unix-like computer operating systems, are generally regarded as well protected against computer viruses. Like other Unix systems, Linux implements a multi-user environment where users are granted specific privileges and there is some form of access control implemented. As such, viruses typically have less of an ability to change and impact the host system. That is why none of the viruses written for Linux, have ever propagated successfully to a large number of machines. The infection level depends on what user runs the binary. A binary run under the root account would be able to infect the entire system.
In addition, virus written for Windows are completely harmless in a Linux environment. That's why whenever I suspect my USB drive or floppy disk to be infected with viruses, I'll open them in Linux first where I can see each of and every one of those viruses and just delete them, just like that. But make sure you empty the trash bin first because when you press the delete key, the viruses is still kept in the trash bin and not completely deleted from your USB drive / floppy disk. So for a virus free computing, use Linux!
Customization
Since the source code for Linux is freely available for anyone to modify, copy and distribute, so does the Graphical User Interface (GUI) for Linux. While you're stuck with the same boring interface for Windows 98, Windows XP and soon Windows Vista, you can choose a great variety of Windows Manager / Desktop Environments for your Linux system. There's GNOME (my favourite), KDE, Xfce, Enlightenment, OpenBox, FluxBox and IceWM just to name a few. What's more, they're all much prettier and more pleasant to look at than Windows too, the fonts, graphic, themes, everything. Trust me, once you started using Linux, you'll notice how dull and boring Windows looks like.
Resource efficient
One of the main reason why I like Linux is because they're resource efficient. My 450Mhz Pentium III PC with only 128MB of RAM ran a lot faster using Ubuntu than it ever has using Windows 98. All Linux system have the ability to convert free hard disk space into a swap area to compensate the lack of memory so that your old PC will run considerably faster.
Compatibility and Interoperability
One reason why many Windows user shy away from migrating to Linux is because of the perceived lack of compatibility between Windows and Linux. The truth is, most Windows documents and file formats is accessible from Linux. You can open any Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents just as easily in Linux using OpenOffice.org. In fact most popular applications in Windows has it's free equivalent in Linux. For graphic and vector image editing there's the GIMP Image Editor, CinePaint, Hugin Panorama Creator, Inkscape Vector Illustrator, Scribus, StopMotion and Xsane Image Scanner. I can use Totem Movie Player or VLC media player to play dvds and all video format and I can listen to my audio cd or mp3 collection using XMMS, Amarouk or Kaffeine media player. Got a cd or dvd to burn? Use K3B or GnomeBaker. For Internet surfing I can use the reliable Mozilla Firefox (or IceWeasel), Opera or Konqueror and for Instant Messaging there's Pidgin Internet Messenger which support all major messeging account (Yahoo, MSN, AIM, Gtalk,ICQ etc).In a nutshell, everything you do in Windows you also can do it just as well in Linux.
Nothing beats Linux, in term of plug and play hardware support. While you have to find every single driver for every undetected hardware for Windows, Linux will do all the hard work for you. Every single Linux distro that I tried detects all the hardwares and automatically downloads and installs the appropriate drivers. They even support all major printers, scanners and a lot of digital camera brands out there like my Nikon L10.
So if you've got a PC or even a partition to spare why not give Linux a try? Although it's possible to install Linux in your existing Windows system, it is advisable to get another PC, a cheap 2nd hand one or that obsolete PC that your friend is about to throw away and convert it into a Linux machine. And contrary to popular believe, Linux is not as hard as some people claim it to be. For starters I highly recommend Ubuntu, one of the most popular and user-friendly Linux distro out there. If your PC comes with a lot of memory (512MB and above) I suggest you try out the Ubuntu Live cd (desktop version) which will load the entire Ubuntu system from the cd and you'll get a fully functional Linux system in a matter of minutes. Best of all, this Live CD method will not affect your existing Windows OS at all. If you like what you see (I bet you'll do!) you might want to install Ubuntu permanently on your hard disk so that you can fully experience the wonders of Ubuntu and Linux in general. Moreover you can ever ask the folks at Ubuntu to send you the Ubuntu CDS to you for free! Just fill up the application form and in 3 weeks or so, the CDs will be delivered right to your doorstep. So come on, give it a try today. You've got nothing to loose and lots of exciting new things to learn with Linux. Like they say, Linux is not just an Operating System, it's an adventure!
It all started about a month ago when the PC that I use at my office got hit by a virus for the 3rd time already this year. I'm usually very careful when using my PC, staying clear of porn sites and being cautious whenever I download anything from the Internet. Nevertheless the PC that I use at my office is not really mine, it belongs to my company. So being a a public property anyone can use the PC in my presence and especially when I'm not around. And so one day I turn on my PC only to find it infected by a nasty virus which causes my PC to keep on restarting over and over again by itself. That's it, I've had it. From that moment on I've decided to give Linux another try and install it on my office PC. With some initial help from my friend Sapuang, the Linux expert / super power System Administrator I am now a full-fledged Linux user.
What is Linux? Linux is just another operating system for your computer just like Windows XP and Mac OS. If you compare the computer to a human, the operating system (OS) is like the brain for the computer. Without the OS, that expensive piece of hardware and peripheral that you call a computer is quite useless. Just like us human, without our brain, we're just the same as a monkey or a lamp post. That's why you have every right to be offended when people say “Why you do like that? Got no brain ah?”. Yes, it's the brain that make us different than inorganic stuff and other living things.
Tux the penguin, the official mascot for the Linux kernel.
So why Linux? Why not stick to the good ol' Windows? I can list a dozen reason why Linux is better than Windows or Mac OS but I'll just say one, Linux is absolutelyfree. You don't have to spend a penny to use Linux aside from the bandwidth that you use to download the cd image. The brain is probably God's greatest creation for the human being and we didn't have to pay anything for it. It's the same case with computers. Why pay Microsoft for an OS when we can get it for free? Had Linus Torvalds created Linux earlier than Windows I'm pretty sure the every computer in this world will be powered by Linux. Had somebody thought of Linux earlier people would be saying Bill who? Most popular Linux distributions today are not as good as Windows, they're even better in every aspect. They're safer, faster, more efficient and best of all free of charge. Every single computer on sale today would be a few hundred bucks cheaper had they used Linux.
Listed here is a few disadvantages of using Windows compared to Linux.
Higher cost
Commercial operating systems, especially server operating systems, like Windows Server 2003 and Novell IntraNetware, can can cost more than USD400 for a single copy and limited number of user licenses. Even the more modest USD100 for Windows 95 can be a problem for people in developing countries, as well as students and others. The price for commercial systems almost never includes development tools, which cost even more. Linux, on the other hand, includes free C, C++, FORTRAN, and other development tools.
Slow release pattern
Major upgrades to operating systems come very slowly. Windows XP came out three years after Windows 200; Windows Vista even longer. The major distributions of Linux, on the other hand, are releasing major updates every six months or so.
Minor upgrades also take longer to acknowledge and fix in commercial systems. Recent problems with Safari and Microsoft Internet Explorer are good examples of this. In the case of the "denial of service" TCP/IP bug, a Linux patch was posted for it mere hours after the problem was isolated. Anyone who is technically capable can fix the bugs, too, merely by changing the code in question and recompiling.
Lack of source code availability
The fact that the source code for Windows and other systems is a closely guarded secret keeps people from learning from it, tinkering with it, and (perhaps) improving it. It means that problems which are technically easy to fix, cannot be fixed by any user with the technical expertise, but everyone must wait until Microsoft publishes a patch. The availability of source code is a particularly useful thing for programmers and computer science students, which form a significant percentage of Linux users.
Planned obsolescence of hardware
A growing computer industry requires that people periodically get faster and more capable hardware to keep up with the advances the industry makes. Microsoft does not make it a priority to maintain backward-compatibility with older systems when it releases new operating systems. Many people do not have the money to upgrade every two or three years. So that old 486 or Pentium II PC will becomes a very expensive junk unless there is a platform which can run on it acceptably. Linux is such a platform.
On the other hand, here's a few reasons why I love Linux.
Safety and reliability
Built on the legendary reliability and safety of UNIX operating system, it is not far-fetched to say that Linux is at least ten times safer and more reliable than Windows. Linux systems are not easily hacked into and most established Linux distros are very stable and less prone to crashes or system freezes. The Linux operating system, along with Unix and other Unix-like computer operating systems, are generally regarded as well protected against computer viruses. Like other Unix systems, Linux implements a multi-user environment where users are granted specific privileges and there is some form of access control implemented. As such, viruses typically have less of an ability to change and impact the host system. That is why none of the viruses written for Linux, have ever propagated successfully to a large number of machines. The infection level depends on what user runs the binary. A binary run under the root account would be able to infect the entire system.
In addition, virus written for Windows are completely harmless in a Linux environment. That's why whenever I suspect my USB drive or floppy disk to be infected with viruses, I'll open them in Linux first where I can see each of and every one of those viruses and just delete them, just like that. But make sure you empty the trash bin first because when you press the delete key, the viruses is still kept in the trash bin and not completely deleted from your USB drive / floppy disk. So for a virus free computing, use Linux!
Customization
Since the source code for Linux is freely available for anyone to modify, copy and distribute, so does the Graphical User Interface (GUI) for Linux. While you're stuck with the same boring interface for Windows 98, Windows XP and soon Windows Vista, you can choose a great variety of Windows Manager / Desktop Environments for your Linux system. There's GNOME (my favourite), KDE, Xfce, Enlightenment, OpenBox, FluxBox and IceWM just to name a few. What's more, they're all much prettier and more pleasant to look at than Windows too, the fonts, graphic, themes, everything. Trust me, once you started using Linux, you'll notice how dull and boring Windows looks like.
Resource efficient
One of the main reason why I like Linux is because they're resource efficient. My 450Mhz Pentium III PC with only 128MB of RAM ran a lot faster using Ubuntu than it ever has using Windows 98. All Linux system have the ability to convert free hard disk space into a swap area to compensate the lack of memory so that your old PC will run considerably faster.
Compatibility and Interoperability
One reason why many Windows user shy away from migrating to Linux is because of the perceived lack of compatibility between Windows and Linux. The truth is, most Windows documents and file formats is accessible from Linux. You can open any Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents just as easily in Linux using OpenOffice.org. In fact most popular applications in Windows has it's free equivalent in Linux. For graphic and vector image editing there's the GIMP Image Editor, CinePaint, Hugin Panorama Creator, Inkscape Vector Illustrator, Scribus, StopMotion and Xsane Image Scanner. I can use Totem Movie Player or VLC media player to play dvds and all video format and I can listen to my audio cd or mp3 collection using XMMS, Amarouk or Kaffeine media player. Got a cd or dvd to burn? Use K3B or GnomeBaker. For Internet surfing I can use the reliable Mozilla Firefox (or IceWeasel), Opera or Konqueror and for Instant Messaging there's Pidgin Internet Messenger which support all major messeging account (Yahoo, MSN, AIM, Gtalk,ICQ etc).In a nutshell, everything you do in Windows you also can do it just as well in Linux.
Nothing beats Linux, in term of plug and play hardware support. While you have to find every single driver for every undetected hardware for Windows, Linux will do all the hard work for you. Every single Linux distro that I tried detects all the hardwares and automatically downloads and installs the appropriate drivers. They even support all major printers, scanners and a lot of digital camera brands out there like my Nikon L10.
So if you've got a PC or even a partition to spare why not give Linux a try? Although it's possible to install Linux in your existing Windows system, it is advisable to get another PC, a cheap 2nd hand one or that obsolete PC that your friend is about to throw away and convert it into a Linux machine. And contrary to popular believe, Linux is not as hard as some people claim it to be. For starters I highly recommend Ubuntu, one of the most popular and user-friendly Linux distro out there. If your PC comes with a lot of memory (512MB and above) I suggest you try out the Ubuntu Live cd (desktop version) which will load the entire Ubuntu system from the cd and you'll get a fully functional Linux system in a matter of minutes. Best of all, this Live CD method will not affect your existing Windows OS at all. If you like what you see (I bet you'll do!) you might want to install Ubuntu permanently on your hard disk so that you can fully experience the wonders of Ubuntu and Linux in general. Moreover you can ever ask the folks at Ubuntu to send you the Ubuntu CDS to you for free! Just fill up the application form and in 3 weeks or so, the CDs will be delivered right to your doorstep. So come on, give it a try today. You've got nothing to loose and lots of exciting new things to learn with Linux. Like they say, Linux is not just an Operating System, it's an adventure!
Not good enough
Liverpool 0 - 1 Man Utd
Sorrow, agony, despair - that pretty much sums up my feelings at the moment. We can loose twenty times to Reading for all I care but to loose to United? That's too much to bear. After tonight's defeat I'd say forget about challenging for the title this season. You just have to beat the big boys to be champions not loose for the umpteenth time in a row (especially in you own backyard). We're just not good enough.
Sorrow, agony, despair - that pretty much sums up my feelings at the moment. We can loose twenty times to Reading for all I care but to loose to United? That's too much to bear. After tonight's defeat I'd say forget about challenging for the title this season. You just have to beat the big boys to be champions not loose for the umpteenth time in a row (especially in you own backyard). We're just not good enough.
Future millionaire geek
Meet Adam Farihin, future millionaire geek.
This is Adam playing Open Invaders (the open version of Space Invaders for Linux) on my Ubuntu 7.10 'Gutsy Gibbon' machine. So far he only managed to get to level 3 only but of course I'm not putting any unneccessary preasure on him for now. He's just 3 years old by the way what do you expect?
My son, your mission is to build a brand new operating system that will kick Windows and Mac assess become super rich and buy your dad a Mitsubishi Evo 9 (you can buy any Loreal products for your mom). Surely that's not too much to ask right son?
This is Adam playing Open Invaders (the open version of Space Invaders for Linux) on my Ubuntu 7.10 'Gutsy Gibbon' machine. So far he only managed to get to level 3 only but of course I'm not putting any unneccessary preasure on him for now. He's just 3 years old by the way what do you expect?
My son, your mission is to build a brand new operating system that will kick Windows and Mac assess become super rich and buy your dad a Mitsubishi Evo 9 (you can buy any Loreal products for your mom). Surely that's not too much to ask right son?
Latest addition to the family
Say hi to the latest member of our family...
This sexy beast rotates at 740 revolutions per minute even Didier Drogba cannot fall that fast in the penalty box.It's amazing what this automatic washing machine can do. You just press 'start' and 50 minutes later Alohamora, it's done! Totally wicked.
This sexy beast rotates at 740 revolutions per minute even Didier Drogba cannot fall that fast in the penalty box.It's amazing what this automatic washing machine can do. You just press 'start' and 50 minutes later Alohamora, it's done! Totally wicked.
財政年度末cimb自動ディナー
最終土曜日に行った私の妻の会社の年度末ディナーです。このイベントが開催されたkelab darul ehsanのどこかでampangです。私は本当に最初に行きたい行くしかし、すべてを入力し、リンダは彼女自身のもし私はありません。だから不本意なが ら幸せなフォーク50 freakingバックスに同行する彼女に、夕食のです。典型的なcimb自動車ファイナンス、すべてが1つを支払う。
私たちはビュッフェスタイルと、夕食の当世風分も遅れて到着したばかりのリンダを購入するための新しいドレスを事前にジャスコを細部の流星群があった付近 ampangその夜、私は本当に慎重にドライブを避けるために落下してくる岩です。私たちのスイミングプールと食べた食品がokaylahです。私はスパ ゲティbolognaise 、ベークドポテト、 otak - otak 、バーベキュー、鶏肉、イカとマトンプラス2つのプレートのケーキのデザートです。
そばを食べる私たちを楽しまされた約1ダースのリンダの同僚who彼らの才能を披露したその日の夕方に（何） 、カラオケを歌っています。私と言うのをカップルの人たちが本当に良いしかし、私からのアドバイスはそれらの残りの部分;はありません非常にして1日の仕 事はまだありません。私を意味していくつかの生活できませんでしたに依存していても歌っています。
このゲームをプレイ後には本当に楽しいかかわらずです。見られる場合には、それらdangdut歌＆ダンスしてほうきとトイレブラシと同調しており、通常のお尻をみんなの前で自身です。その瞬間にしなければならない作業を誇りに思うcimbです。
を食べたまで、もう食べられないしかし、決してできるだけ多くのリンダです。うんそうだけど、彼女のための食事2つです。誰よりも早く家に帰った私たちの原因それは私たちより良い上司電源を歌うと仕返しを開始する前に、雨ハハです。
私たちはビュッフェスタイルと、夕食の当世風分も遅れて到着したばかりのリンダを購入するための新しいドレスを事前にジャスコを細部の流星群があった付近 ampangその夜、私は本当に慎重にドライブを避けるために落下してくる岩です。私たちのスイミングプールと食べた食品がokaylahです。私はスパ ゲティbolognaise 、ベークドポテト、 otak - otak 、バーベキュー、鶏肉、イカとマトンプラス2つのプレートのケーキのデザートです。
そばを食べる私たちを楽しまされた約1ダースのリンダの同僚who彼らの才能を披露したその日の夕方に（何） 、カラオケを歌っています。私と言うのをカップルの人たちが本当に良いしかし、私からのアドバイスはそれらの残りの部分;はありません非常にして1日の仕 事はまだありません。私を意味していくつかの生活できませんでしたに依存していても歌っています。
このゲームをプレイ後には本当に楽しいかかわらずです。見られる場合には、それらdangdut歌＆ダンスしてほうきとトイレブラシと同調しており、通常のお尻をみんなの前で自身です。その瞬間にしなければならない作業を誇りに思うcimbです。
を食べたまで、もう食べられないしかし、決してできるだけ多くのリンダです。うんそうだけど、彼女のための食事2つです。誰よりも早く家に帰った私たちの原因それは私たちより良い上司電源を歌うと仕返しを開始する前に、雨ハハです。
Walk-Walk Find Food episode 1
Gerai no. 4 Kak Na
Today in our first episode of Walk-walk find food (Jalan-jalan cari makan) I'm gonna feature the place where I get my daily breakfast fix (Dude, I don't go to KFC everyday so gimme a break okay?).
Kak Na & husband operates this little kiosk in Sri Serdang since earlier this year and I've been frequenting their stall without fail almost every morning. Their business starts from as early as 6:30 in the morning up to 10:00 o' clock or until everything is sold out (whichever first) and they're open from Tuesday to Sunday. Kak No & co sold their world famous nasi berlauk, nasi dagang, nasi kerabu and nasi lemak plus a variety of local cakes at their stall.Their nasi dagang is to die for and the nasi berlauk is made just like they made it back home in Kelantan. It's not far-fetched to say that Kak Na is partly responsible for shaping myfat six-packs stomach.
And just like home, everything sold here is very cheap too. The regular nasi berlauk (with chicken or fish) is only RM2.50, the nasi kerabu also RM2.50 and the best nasi dagang in Selangor is sold for only RM3:00. Here's the map to get to No. 4 gerai Kak Na.
Ratings
Taste: 9/10
Value: 10/10
Location: 9/10
Hygiene: 7/10
Final verdict: 4 out of 5 stars
Today in our first episode of Walk-walk find food (Jalan-jalan cari makan) I'm gonna feature the place where I get my daily breakfast fix (Dude, I don't go to KFC everyday so gimme a break okay?).
Kak Na & husband operates this little kiosk in Sri Serdang since earlier this year and I've been frequenting their stall without fail almost every morning. Their business starts from as early as 6:30 in the morning up to 10:00 o' clock or until everything is sold out (whichever first) and they're open from Tuesday to Sunday. Kak No & co sold their world famous nasi berlauk, nasi dagang, nasi kerabu and nasi lemak plus a variety of local cakes at their stall.Their nasi dagang is to die for and the nasi berlauk is made just like they made it back home in Kelantan. It's not far-fetched to say that Kak Na is partly responsible for shaping my
And just like home, everything sold here is very cheap too. The regular nasi berlauk (with chicken or fish) is only RM2.50, the nasi kerabu also RM2.50 and the best nasi dagang in Selangor is sold for only RM3:00. Here's the map to get to No. 4 gerai Kak Na.
Ratings
Taste: 9/10
Value: 10/10
Location: 9/10
Hygiene: 7/10
Final verdict: 4 out of 5 stars
Girl, Interrupted
My job today requires me to travel to the UiTM 2 Puncak Alam site office regularly. In fact I go there at least once a week. The site office houses a few dozen people, engineers, architects, technician, clerks you know, the usual lot you find at every construction site.
Something funny happened to me yesterday.
I was at Puncak Alam yesterday doing my thing you know fixing stuff, generally minding my own business. Just when I was about to make my way back, this girl Ziela, a clerk there casually asked to see my Friendster's page. So I gave her the address, thinking what's the harm of adding one more friend right? Turn out she was rather surprised to learn that I'm already married with kids some more (I get that a few times). What's more, she even said it out loud so that everyone could hear. In no time at all the whole office is abuzz with news that I'm already married!
Everywhere I go I don't normally brag to everyone about my marital status. I mean whoever does that? "Hi, how may I help you? Oh I'm married by the way..". Usually only when people ask then I'll tell them stuff like that. Anyway the next day, Ziela is still not finished making a fuss about my marital status. She would like "Ehh tak sangka la abang Afif dah kawin rupanya..". Not only that, she literally informed everyone about me. By the end of the day I think the entire UiTM Puncak Alam site knows about me.
Not that I cared that people knows I'm married or anything. Even if I didn't tell, people are gonna found out sooner or later. It's not like I go around flirting and hitting out at girls anymore. I'm married and I know where to draw the line between friends and well, you know what. Why she had to make such a big deal about it, making an announcement to the entire office is still a mystery to me. Hmm, this is one really interrupted girl.
Something funny happened to me yesterday.
I was at Puncak Alam yesterday doing my thing you know fixing stuff, generally minding my own business. Just when I was about to make my way back, this girl Ziela, a clerk there casually asked to see my Friendster's page. So I gave her the address, thinking what's the harm of adding one more friend right? Turn out she was rather surprised to learn that I'm already married with kids some more (I get that a few times). What's more, she even said it out loud so that everyone could hear. In no time at all the whole office is abuzz with news that I'm already married!
Everywhere I go I don't normally brag to everyone about my marital status. I mean whoever does that? "Hi, how may I help you? Oh I'm married by the way..". Usually only when people ask then I'll tell them stuff like that. Anyway the next day, Ziela is still not finished making a fuss about my marital status. She would like "Ehh tak sangka la abang Afif dah kawin rupanya..". Not only that, she literally informed everyone about me. By the end of the day I think the entire UiTM Puncak Alam site knows about me.
Not that I cared that people knows I'm married or anything. Even if I didn't tell, people are gonna found out sooner or later. It's not like I go around flirting and hitting out at girls anymore. I'm married and I know where to draw the line between friends and well, you know what. Why she had to make such a big deal about it, making an announcement to the entire office is still a mystery to me. Hmm, this is one really interrupted girl.
Breakfast @ KFC
I'm sure everybody has eat at KFC before but how many of you have tried their breakfast menu? What's that? KFC also got breakfast leh? Yes, not many people know that thanks to their non existing ads or promotion.
So today we decided to give them a try. Breakfast is served only at their 24 hours restaurant from 5:00 a.m till 11:00 a.m. Every combo comes with choice of coffee or tea. I chose the KFC chicken platter for my breakfast today. Chicken patty, scrambled egg, mashed potato, bun and tea at RM7.10. The chicken patty was nice but the others were pretty ordinary.
Linda ordered the cheesy chicken muffin burger at RM5.30 per meal. Not as good as McD's McMuffin but okaylah.
Adam had the Junior breakfast meal. Sausage, scrambled egg and mashed potato plus free toy for RM6.95.
SinceI'm already fat I got plenty of room to spare in the stomach dept, I decided to try their Noodles O' chicken meal. It smells like Maggi, it tastes like one too, hey it is Maggi! At 5.00 ringgit a bowl, it's a pretty darn expensive Maggi too.
I'm so mad at buying that overpriced instant noodle, I bought the KFC egg wrap too. Egg + vegetables + pita bread for RM5.20.
So we literally bought everything off the menu today except for the chicken porridge (RM4.00) and the nasi lemak enak (RM3.60) which I suspect should taste just as bland as their Noodles o' chicken. A decent effort for starters in the breakfast business but I think KFC should stick to their fried chicken for the time being.
A nice change nevertheless for you guys out there who's hungry at 5 in the morning and tired of McD or mamak.
Final verdict: 2.5 out 5 stars.
So today we decided to give them a try. Breakfast is served only at their 24 hours restaurant from 5:00 a.m till 11:00 a.m. Every combo comes with choice of coffee or tea. I chose the KFC chicken platter for my breakfast today. Chicken patty, scrambled egg, mashed potato, bun and tea at RM7.10. The chicken patty was nice but the others were pretty ordinary.
Linda ordered the cheesy chicken muffin burger at RM5.30 per meal. Not as good as McD's McMuffin but okaylah.
Adam had the Junior breakfast meal. Sausage, scrambled egg and mashed potato plus free toy for RM6.95.
Since
I'm so mad at buying that overpriced instant noodle, I bought the KFC egg wrap too. Egg + vegetables + pita bread for RM5.20.
So we literally bought everything off the menu today except for the chicken porridge (RM4.00) and the nasi lemak enak (RM3.60) which I suspect should taste just as bland as their Noodles o' chicken. A decent effort for starters in the breakfast business but I think KFC should stick to their fried chicken for the time being.
A nice change nevertheless for you guys out there who's hungry at 5 in the morning and tired of McD or mamak.
Final verdict: 2.5 out 5 stars.