archive of June, 2009
I felt that I was king of the hill after I hiked up Penang Hill/Bukit Bendera again in 57 minutes, because I’d never seen anyone else going as fast as me. As far as I knew, everyone else walks slowly up, even backward, or four-abreast. Many people wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants and towels around their necks, and some hold umbrellas aloft. So I’d thought that I was the fastest, as no one passes me, and I pass everyone. »→
My little motorbike’s front tire was deflating after I rode to Air Itam Dam in Penang and back. So I rode the bike to KH Tyre and Auto, where one of the three teenage sons of the proprietor replaced the innertube for only 14 ringgit ($3.97). What a deal! As when I had the rear tire’s inner tube replaced months ago, the shop owner asked whether I wanted a standard inner tube, which requires reinflation almost weekly, or the best, which will maintain air pressure for at least a month. Again I opted for the better-quality inner tube. I wonder what the cheaper inner tube costs (installed). Motorcycle maintenance is so affordable in Malaysia. †
Today I hiked up to the fountain and police station on Bukit Bendera (Flagstaff Hill) in 57 minutes. That’s three minutes faster than the last time. I didn’t march uphill faster, but I jogged further. I didn’t amble; I strode quickly on the inclines. I just didn’t hike faster than the last time. But jogging on more sections, and farther on the obvious ones, made the difference. In April and May, whenever I reached the mostly-level portions of the road after climbing a steep grade, I wanted to rest my legs by just walking. It’s only natural. And last time, when I hiked purposefully, nonstop, up the steep portions, I certainly wanted to ‘rest’ by ambling when reaching some of the easy segments. But I jogged according to my legs’ ability. »→
I hiked and jogged up the north side of Bukit Bendera (Flagstaff Hill) in exactly one hour. I’d intended to ascend non-stop as fast as I reasonably could. In previous hikes and descents I’d stopped one-to-three times to rest or to watch monkeys. One time I carried a camera. So I spent about an hour and a half -or more- each trip, if I stopped once for ten minutes and again for five minutes — or twice for five minutes — or once for ten minutes. I never timed my ascents. »→
Business trip? Family vacation?
Long trips are actually easier on your car than day-to-day driving — but a breakdown far from home can ruin your day -and a vacation or business trip. Extra phone calls, delay of plans, towing charges, rental car cost and a repair bill may be avoided by inspection and preparation of your vehicle, by you or a qualified automotive technician. »→
January 2009 Readers Digest magazine reads, “Facebook, the online networking phenomenon, has 100,000 million users with pages full of photos…”
Earth has less than seven billion people, most of whom don’t have personal computers linked to the World-Wide Web and Facebook. I’m surprised that 100 billion people use Facebook. Either 93 billion people on other planets have accounts or Earthlings have multiple accounts.
Today I slept late after watching the first several hours of the 24 Hueres du Mans on Eurosport TV last night and this morning. I went out walking and jogging briefly, bought a loaf of bread, returned home then resumed watching the 24 Hours until its conclusion. Then I swam in a pool at The OceanView. Now I’m on the internet for a few minutes, but I’m hungry.
The 3000 megabits/second (3 gigabits/second) broadband internet access in Malaysia is painfully slow when accessing websites outside Malaysia and neighboring Singapore. Data transfer across oceans and seas via cables is slow. Accessing U.S. websites from the U.S. with a broadband is so much faster than trying to reach the U.S. from here. And this is the fastest service that is offered by TM Net. I shudder to think how slow the cheaper services from TM Net –and the cellular phone companies– are. This is slow enough.
Household water in Malaysia is so cheap –even free from rivers for Malaysians in the boondocks– that some residents spray water on their homes’ roofs via hoses and lawn sprinklers to alleviate heat in the summer.