2020 - A quick recap

It's the last day of 2020, the year that COULD have been the greatest year of my life. Indeed for all of us, this year brings a unique experience to all of us - and for sure, things will probably never be the same ever again. Managed to find some quiet self-therapy time to reflect on the good, bad and ugly:

The Good (a.k.a. things that actually turned out right)

- D.I.Y. level up : with more than half of 2020 (March onwards) in lock-down mode (xMCO, or Movement Control Order, with various phases of implementation), all of the sudden you start to notice things starting to break down, possibly due to higher usage (since we're stuck at home). Thanks to online shopping services like Shopee and Lazada, replacement parts, tools and material were easily available. If instructions weren't good enough, there was always Youtube - either way, this year I managed to level up my Do-It-Yourself skills (or should it be Do-It-Myself instead?) from Noob level (changing light bulb, faucet diffuser) to more challenging (floor tile repair, spark plug replacement, car seat stitching). As an R&D person, I really like to do new things or do things differently, so this is the time where we have all sorts of new things to explore.

- Mastery of WFH and WIO + SOP : Sorry, more 3 letter acronyms. Quite simple and standard actually, but for those who are not familiar, that's Working From Home, Working In Office and Standard Operating Procedure. Now, WFH-ing is highly dependent on the nature of the job. Fortunately for me, WFH-ing can be done almost as effectively from home or any other location as we're typically dialing in to virtual meetings even from the office anyway. Of course, depending on the quality of the internet connection (which has made it challenging at times, I must admit) and the degree of isolation from disturbances. Working in Office during these times are also different, as we have to adhere to the strict SOP for everybody's sake. Not that I am complaining, but still having to keep your facemask on at all times from 8am+ to 5pm+ takes some getting used to. The biggest complaint for me is the facemask strings cutting into my ears - which was solved by purchasing cheap silicone liners. Also, due to more flexible hours while WFH-ing, since we don't have to commute, and lunch was just a short excursion to the kitchen, wasted less time each day. The next level will be to do this efficiently, and to manage time well to ensure the right amount of time is available for other important things (other than work).

- (Unintentional) weight-loss : A few years ago, I took part in a mandatory executive health program by my ever-so-caring-about-employees company, and to no surprise, my BMI rating was "overweight". Again, another 3 letter acronym, BMI = Body Mass Index, or mathematically, is simply your weight (kg) / [ your height (m) x your height (m) ]. Based on my current weight at that time, I had to shed at least 4-5 kgs in order to fall below the upper spec limit of "healthy". Somehow, in spite of paying more attention to my diet and exercise, could never really achieve this. Until this year, somehow managed to lose 10+ kgs simply by eating at home and doing light exercises. A great contributor here is my wife, who's cooking style is biased towards healthy. Which is a change to the usual outside food that we find at the company cafeteria or nearby eateries. I'm glad to have finally managed to achieve my weight loss target. Of course, getting lighter does not necessarily mean being more healthy, so in the next health check-up I hope this does not come at a great "cost"!

The Bad (or, things that really should not have happened, to stop happening or should never happen again)

- Lack of physical exercise : Almost like a contraction of the point mentioned above, since the MCO, my number of active hours / steps has dropped from roughly 1 hour or ~5000 steps per day to less than 10 minutes / 500 steps per day.  This is because most of the time is spent sitting in front of my laptop, versus a typical day where I would walk from my car park to my office, getting food during lunch / break and face-to-face meetings with colleagues at other floors / other buildings. Really need to find a way to achieve an elevated heartbeat for cardio, other than getting into a heated online argument! :)

- Keeping cars running : Cars are a basic need, given that public transportation does not really work well for me here in Melaka (other than ride hailing apps like Grab). Of course, this is when you have some place to go. During the MCO, the other interesting problem is keeping my cars running - after a couple of days the battery starts to discharge to a point where the car is not able to start. A real life-saver product I got online is the power-bank jump-starter, which enabled me to start my car without the hassle of connecting jumper cables and of course, requiring another car. Though this means I had to start and run my car for 15-20 minutes each week, and this does not go well for fuel economy (fortunately, fuel prices were coincidentally low during these months). Starting the cars and letting them idle wasn't sufficient, as you still should drive around a bit to ensure the moving parts are lubricated. Ended up driving up and down my street each time. Really inefficient activity.

- Eroding inter-personal engagement : I'm basically a people manager, so besides being in meetings with other people, I have my team to support as well. To me, the best engagement is in person, though given these times, we all need to stay apart and just contact online. As people are not quite used to video-calls, this means we're doing things via audio-only. Not everything is about work - and to build up strong inter-personal relations I feel we really need to be physically present. Before this, we could have gatherings and events on special occasions which was very helpful in getting the team to gel together. In my function, I used to have frequent business trips to engage partners off-site. With travel restrictions which would likely continue until end of 2021 or even through 2022, have to find a workaround to this. Anyone out there have any similar experience to share?

- Noisy office / home office : Ever since everyone is spending more time online, the office can be quite noisy when everyone is talking at max volume. Unfortunately, there are some colleagues who talk like the person they are talking to are at the other end of a football field. To circumvent this, I got myself a pair of Sony ANC (active noise cancellation) headphones, which helped out quite a lot. Still, I wish everyone would be more considerate in the office - though some wishes would never come true. At home, noise from the surroundings (garbage truck, gardener mowing the field, etc.) had the same effect, but at least here I could shut the windows and doors to block out some of the noise. On my side, definitely put in effort to be conscious about my own "volume" to make sure I don't speak louder than necessary, especially in the office.

- "Office hours" : With the flexibility of working at home, somehow this has been misinterpreted as being available at any time. While most of the colleagues are considerate, sometimes out of necessity, the only time where all parties are "available" is way out of office hours for that given time zone. Working in a multi-national company with locations all across the globe make this an unfortunate reality. Someone might be dialing in at 5.30am while another colleague might be in at 9.30pm. If only the company were really flexible - but alas on top of this, we're still required to be "at work" during standard office hours. From my side, I make sure to invite for meetings during the standard office hours (excluding typical lunch break) or even proposing more reasonable meeting times when receiving invitations.

- "Annual Leave" : Two issues here - first, there is not much to do other than work and second, since there was no where to go, we end up working even while on annual leave anyway. Thus, as one of my friends has bluntly put it - annual leave is one of the most useless commodities of 2020. In the end, it boils down to planning and execution - planning when to take some time off and making sure I'm actually off when that happens.

The Ugly (making the best out of bad situations)

- Grateful to still have a job : In these times, I'm really grateful to be still employed, which keeps food on the table for me and my family. Though we have to adapt our personal and working life, we need to accept this is the price to pay. 

- New look : Avoiding unnecessary external contact - I have decided to defer my regular trips to the barber. Never had it this long before, even during those days before starting work, so this is somewhat of a new experience. For now, my hair is longer than it has every been, but it's important to keep it neat and avoid looking unprofessional. 

- Further studies : I started my post-graduate studies before the MCO. This was at UTeM, so we had to attend classes after work (typically, 6.30pm to 10pm) several days during the week, which was a good experience for me as got to interact with other students from different backgrounds, and was preferred compared to distanced learning. Like I mentioned above, I like face-to-face engagement. Unfortunately, with the MCO in effect, learning now has transformed into a hybrid mode learning, where the classes were done online, even the exams. A new experience to learning for everyone, even those in the kindie and schools, but in the end, need to push through.

- Breaking out of routine : My life during the MCO is monotonously routine. Telco, eat, sleep. Of course, to break the routine, I engaged in some mini-DIY projects or repairs. The challenge really is keeping the work-life balance, as during this time the tendency (expectation) is to spend more time at "work", thus leaving little time to do something other than routine. There are many things to learn and to try - just a matter of setting aside the time and determination to do so.

Well, that's my take on 2020 - the most unique year of my life (you should also be feeling the same too). At the rate that things are going (or not going), I foresee that the situation will not drastically change any time soon - and in the end, it might never revert to pre-Covid-19. As they say, this is now the "New Normal". We need to accept reality and to adapt to the times as best as we can. With these thoughts, I bid a fond farewell to 2020 and look forward to a great new year ahead!

Bullshit jobs exist - and what I did to get out of one

Before starting, a short disclaimer - some strong language here, beyond what I normally write in my blog posts. However, if it's OK to appear uncensored in a local Malaysian news portal (more than once), then I guess it should OK for general consumption....

It's a typical weekend afternoon in mid October. Nothing to do, actually, little that can be done, other than to stay at home and wait out the RMCO (Recovery Movement Control Order) that is in effect throughout the whole country. As I recalled an article I read recently in a local online news portal, I thought it would be a good idea for a blog post, given my own personal experience.

In the above-mentioned article(which you can read HERE), the author compared job usefulness during today's Covid-19 situation with the concept of "bullshit jobs" coined in a book published by the recently-deceased David Graeber, former professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics. Now, this was someone who seems to have much in common with Scott Adams (author of Dilbert). There is an uncanny amount of truth in their stories - take it from me.

Aptly put, such a job is one where there is little or no perceived value add, and yet seem to exist in an organization. Example of this include being tied up in too many unnecessary meetings, official documentation (the bigger and more formal an organization, the higher the risk of this happening).

Apparently, this is quite a popular topic, as just a month before, K. Kathirgugan shared his thoughts on the subject matter as well. The quote from the book that really connected with me was "Those who work bullshit jobs are often surrounded by honour and prestige; they are respected as professionals, well paid, and treated as high achievers – as the sort of people who can be justly proud of what they do. Yet secretly they are aware that they have achieved nothing; they feel they have done nothing to earn the consumer toys with which they fill their lives; they feel it’s all based on a lie – as, indeed, it is.”

All this is data driven, as a 2015 survey by YouGov found that 37% of British workers think that their job is "not making a meaningful contribution to the world". That's a little over one-third of the workforce, who either are excess baggage supported by the remaining 63% of the organization or who are only perceived at doing meaningless jobs.

The key word here is "perception", which is linked to job satisfaction. As those who are stuck with these jobs or roles as still paid and typically hold high ranking titles (at least from sound), knowing that one makes no difference is enough to put many of us into the mindset of change. I said "us" as I was among one of "lucky" ones myself a couple of years ago.

Now begins my story....

A couple of years ago, I somehow got reassigned to such a job. Naturally, I was not happy. For some time. Anger clouds the mind. Really. I was fortunate enough to have an unofficial advisor / mentor / friend, who was truthfully part of the reason for this mess, but in the end was part of the solution as well (more on this towards the end).

When faced with such bad luck, the first step (hardest and I feel the one that took the most time) is to ACCEPT THE CHANGE. There was no turning back, no options, as this was not even my choice or with my consent. Somehow being part of an organization, the employer does have a final say in assigning jobs to the employees. Being stuck in this situation came with a flood of negative emotions (which would lead to self-destruct / downward spiral / self-fulfilling prophecy of doom, so the quicker one accepts the situation, the quicker one can move on to the next phase.

The next phase here is to ANALYSE THE SITUATION. Being an technical R&D person for 20+ years in the semiconductor industry by profession, by choice and by nature, strategic thinking and data-driven solution are part of our everyday life. Once I toned down my emotions (there was still strong drive within me, but at least now I could think straight, sort of like the Hulk in Avengers:Endgame), I could then piece together the facts:

- Is this new position really that bad?

- Why am I unhappy?

- What do I really want?

- What to do next?

That last bit was the part where I brainstormed a dozen ideas, from the unthinkable to the impossible, and after doing so, allowed me to sort and plan out scenarios that could work out. Of course, these could work, or they could fail. Important is to BELIEVE that if you keep trying, you will eventually succeed. Even if it means trying the same idea more than once, unlike the cartoon where Willie Coyote, who has many, many ideas (sponsored by ACME?) but never could catch the Roadrunner. If I had given up even before trying, the situation could never have gotten better (after all, I'm a strong believer in making my own luck).

One thing to remember, if you are not the most unfortunate person alive, chances are YOU ARE NOT ALONE. In my then-current bullshit job role, I was not the one one, nor was I the first. Scanning the organization and taking a note of who was in this role before and who were my new peers enabled me to delve deeper into how the past colleagues managed to move onwards, and how my new buddies were handling the situation. As it turns out, there were only 4 of us in the local site (few others at various global locations), and we had much in common in terms of our thinking. In our small circle, we exchanged ideas, collaborated on work (though it didn't seeming add value, but doesn't mean it was easy), and supported each other through the hard times. To this day, we remain good friends - this is the only silver lining to the otherwise disaster story.

Last thing to do, was to form a game plan and ACT. Visibly. I felt that people need to see that I existed and to hear my side of the story. Having the will and right mindset to change. I spoke to my unofficial advisor / mentor / friend mentioned earlier, to align that we are on the right frequency, and that my plan was to understand what this job was about, do it reasonably well, while doing all that was possible to transfer to another role in the company. That was a good plan, and it wasn't mine - glad to have had good advice, as otherwise who knows how much worse the situation could have gotten....

In the end, I did the following:

- Figured out the bare minimum expectation to remain employed and do what has to be done (doing extra is meaningless and thus extra resources would be best spent elsewhere).

- Further studies (night classes). Thanks to one of my new peers - better spend the energy to increase my skills and market value. At least for now, staying back late after office hours for the company's sake is a thing of the past.

- Considered what job I would rather be doing instead - otherwise, blindly applying for internal transfers I end up with yet another bullshit job.

- Actively pursue prospective new positions until successful. Good things will not come on their own.

For that last part - I made many attempts - some with no response from the hiring managers, others with informal interviews (but in the jobs went to someone else). Just as I was about to broaden my reach to external companies, a friend alerted me to an opening posted on the company intranet (I had been looking here weekly, not sure how I missed it), which was a 100% match to what I would rather be doing. Just didn't believe that such an opening would suddenly appear. Immediately, I applied and also made a few calls, and asked for details, support and recommendation. In the next few weeks, my application received a response, and following a series of interviews, I finally learned that my application was successful!

Today, in my new job, there is much more work to do, much more pressure from work - but, hey, at least now I have a real job! Some may call me crazy or stupid, but now I have the motivation to work at my very best once again!

I'm grateful that during this time, I made some new best friends, finally started my post-graduate studies. To sum up my short recap, I'm glad I could recognize my unfortunate predicament, set the right mindset and change. Hope there won't be another such disaster in my career, but if by chance it does happen again, at least I know I've made it out once, so I'll definitely make it out again if I have to!

Note: I've used some graphics I found on the internet to help illustrate some of my key points. None of this is for profit. If anyone holds any copyright and would like me to remove, do let me know.

DIY leather car seat stitching repair [FIXED]

Most of the times, DIY is a faster, cheaper alternative, provided you know what you are doing.

As the country is still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, it's a good time to learn new skills and do things yourself, in order to avoid unnecessary travelling and contact with external parties.

Thus, I decided to take care of a long-time outstanding issue with my car - a torn leather seat. This tear was on the driver's side - the side where I sit, so when I'm in the car I don't see it, and when I'm not in the car I definitely can't see it. Still, the adage "a stitch in time saves nine" keeps tugging my thoughts back to this, as I fear one day I will be left with an ugly gaping gash.

Last year, when I was in KL, I asked if anything could be done to fix it. The seat cover "expert" (subcontractor of Desmond @ KL Auto) said it was too risky to repair, as the leather was old and thin, likely to tear and thus the entire seat cover should be replaced. And since there was no way to match the passenger's side, he recommended to change both driver and passenger seat covers. Now, this would cost somewhere above RM2K, and even that, with a lower-quality leather material. Given that option, I reluctantly deferred the repair, and hope it would not get worse.

Now, having done a series of DIY's at home over the last couple of months, including replacing my own spark plugs, I thought I'd have a go at sewing back the seat cover. The first thing that came to mind was to use the standard needle and thread from my sewing kit. However, on second thought, I doubted that it could be THAT easy. So, thankfully we have YouTube! :)

I looked up a couple of videos on what actually needed to be done, and figured out I needed the right tools and equipment. My seat cover was not actually torn - it's just that the thread had broken and come undone. For this kind of sewing, a standard straight needle would not be able to loop through the leather (definitely not thin as described by the seat cover expert), hence I needed a hooked needle. And the standard thread for sewing cloth would not do either, hence I needed thick, waxed thread. Once again, I placed an order on Shopee and waited for the parts to arrive. As usual, delivery services are fortunately still working amidst the MCO (Movement Control Order) lock-down.

Looking at the seat cover, on the plus side, the material was still thick, especially at the edges where the material was folded. The holes left by the original stitching were still intact - thus I concluded that the existing thread likely snapped, and thus left this gap. Therefore, I would sew through the existing holes in the seat cover - this made it easier as I didn't have to make new holes (which would likely weaken the material) and also the holes on both sides would be lined up.

In spite of using the existing holes and waxed thread, the needle did not exactly glide through like a knife through hot butter. It was impossible for me to push it through with my fingers, hence, I had to use a pair of grip pliers (couldn't find any smaller one) to push the needle through. Slowly but surely, I got the job done, just like what I saw on YouTube....

I made sure that each insertion went in and out of the right holes, and after an intense 30 minutes or so, I finally finished the last stitch. The interesting thing about this technique is that we only use a single thread through instead of dual threads, and we tie the new thread to the old threads on both ends.

Here's what the final outcome of my latest DIY repair project turned out:

The tweezers here is what I THOUGHT might work for pushing the needle through. Ended up it was too weak and had no grip on the needle, so I had to use the pliers instead. Lucky it looked OK, and was sturdy enough that it didn't unravel or turn out looking worse. Otherwise it would be a classic case of tikus membaiki labu (a Malay proverb that literally means "Mouse fixing a pumpkin"). Well, only time will tell if this will hold (and since I don't drive around that much these days, this will take some time to find out for sure).

Now, not shown here, on the right side of the driver's seat, the cushioning was worn out due to excessive rubbing getting into and out of the car. Yes, that is on my list of D.I.Y. TO DO. But that will be a story for another time....

MCO Phase 4 - May the 4th be with you

Today is not only Star Wars Day, but also marks the start of the ambiguous CMCO (Conditional MCO) as declared by the Malaysian authorities.

Starting off on a lighter note, Star Wars Day was coined as a result of "May the 4th" sounding very much like the common phrase most spoken by Jedi and non-Jedi alike in the Star Wars Universe. It's the equivalent of "Live Long and Prosper" which is most spoken by Vulcan and non-Vulcan alike in the the Star Trek Universe.... Let's not get started on the Star Wars vs Star Trek thing! Star Wars Day was first celebrated officially in 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Toronto Underground Cinema. Why in Canada and not US? Go figure....

Now, back to more pressing matters. As we are midway through the 4th phase of the Movement Control Order (or rather, the 3rd extension), due to immense pressure coming from businesses and certain quarters to "cut some slack" and open up the country one again.

There are two main driving factors behind this:
1) Economic pressure: Loss of income from businesses and employment
2) Health consciousness: Interesting how many people get caught flaunting the MCO by jogging, playing golf, badminton, etc.. Who says Malaysians do not care about health and exercise...?

Hence, in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, the Federal Government has generally initiated a Conditional MCO with some relaxed conditions from today onwards. With this, there are certain relaxations, such as the number of passengers in a car, and the allowance to go out for non-contact sports. However, Ramadan Bazaars and balik kampung (going back to home town to celebrate Hari Raya) are strictly forbidden.

Now, generally, businesses are allowed to restart, not requiring approval, but subject to certain conditions. This includes spacing out of tables and registration of dine-in customers for restaurants. Air con repairs and plumbers do not need MITI approval. To its credit, the Majlis Keselamatan Negara (National Security Council) has published official SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures) on it's official website, which you can find over here. SOP's for 26 ministries (including Petronas and the NSC itself) are listed, along with the date of update.

The local governments on the other hand (remember, Malaysia has 13 states (Negeri) and 3 federal territories (Wilayah Persekutuan - Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya), have each their own interpretations of what can and cannot be done. Hence, you should check carefully with your local authorities before leaving the safe confines of your home.

Well, the entire nation is now divided into two camps - one looking forward to restarting ASAP, and another preferring to err on the side of caution. After all, symptoms of Covid-19 only appear after ~14 days, and its still possible for asymptomatic patients to exist (carriers who themselves show no signs of infection). With the number of daily cases in the double to low tripled digit figures, the decision to open up the country now could go either way. What's your opinion? In any case, let's hope for the best, and May the 4th be with you!

DIY spark plug replacement

They say "Necessity is the mother of all invention", perhaps Necessity had another child named "DIY"!

In spite of being somewhat of a "car-guy", I must admit I don't have much actual hands-on experience up to now, as most of the tinkering and mods are done by the professionals, of who I make a quick shout out below:-

- Desmond's team @ KL Auto (and various subcontractors) - just about everything else

- Leon's team @ Quicksave - tires and rims

- David Low @ Melaka - our trusted family mechanic for standard services and repairs

- GS Tay Honda Muar - where my Honda Civic gets preventive maintenance work done (in spite of being well over the warranty period)

Now, back to the story....

I noticed that one of my cars was getting harder and harder to start, and lately, the engine sputters and dies off. This was happening at an increasing frequency (which was alarming and down-right dangerous). The first time this happened, I checked my ignition cables, and found that one of them was badly damaged, to the point where the inner copper core was visible. At this point, I would not risk driving any long distance until I fixed the problem. Not good - but fortunately, Desmond has a spare set and DHL-ed it to me. Changing the cables was fairly easy and straight forward. Of course, in order to avoid connecting the wrong cable to the wrong spark plug, do change one cable at a time, as I did.

Now, this time round, the cables were still good, but the familiar symptoms began to recur. As it was again risky to drive up to KL Auto for a check, plus we're in the middle of the MCO (Movement Control Order) lock-down, I figured out that it could be the spark plugs instead. Hopefully....

This time round, I tried something different. After extensive checking on spark plugs (believe me, there are many variations out there depending on your car, so getting the wrong ones would be disastrous), I ordered some through Shopee and waited patiently for them to arrive. A good thing that online shopping still worked, though the courier service was a little slow given the current circumstances.

When the parts finally arrived, I got out my tools and popped the hood. Though the procedure was easy, this was the first time I ever did it myself. Having taken out the first plug, I noticed 2 things. Firstly, the tip of the spark plug electrode was almost worn out completely. Instead of a cylindrical shape, the old plug was now resembling a concave cone (like the back side of a Herschey's Kisses chocolate). Secondly, from the screw threads right to the tip, the plug was blackened. This indicated that there could be something else wrong besides the plugs. Take a look at the photo below - the old one is on the left, next to the new one on the right.

Anyway, I managed to swap the old plugs out and screw in the new ones in under 15 minutes - being very careful to screw in the plugs so I won't damage the threads and also risk under / over tightening them.

Once done, I turned the key to on and then fired her up. I was extremely relieved that the engine came on and idled smoothly once again. My first DIY spark plug replacement successfully executed!

Though I knew there's more to fix than I could DIY, at least I got her up and running again. Will plan a trip down to KL Auto as soon as this MCO is lifted so the experts could take a look.

MCO Phase 4 (3rd extension) - holding on for a little while longer

The end of the Movement Control Order (MCO) was in sight, and, unsurprisingly, once again, the finish line has been moved back by another 2 weeks. The 3rd extension brings into effect MCO Phase 4 from 29 April 2020 to 12 May 2020. Yesterday, the Phillipines has also followed suite and extended the lockdown of Manila until 15 May 2020. Quite similar to Singapore's extension of the "circuit breaker" ending from 4 May 2020 to 1 Jun 2020.

As i blogged my thoughts two weeks ago, businesses were already getting restless due to the long stretch of inactivity, with running costs to upkeep it's dormant workforce eating into their reserves. This further extension further aggravates the situation, though many manufacturers (particularly those from the automotive manufacturing industry) have quickly converted their production lines to manufacture face masks, ventilators, and other relevant health equipment. This has a two-fold benefit of both generating income and keeping their workforce productive.

Unfortunately, this latest extension crosses into Ramadan, the fasting month for Muslims which started yesterday (24 April 2020). Life just got one level tougher for our Muslim brothers and sisters, though most of them are very positive and take this as form of divine challenge to strengthen their resolve. In order to ensure social distancing, the usual Pasar Ramadans (food bazaar) are not allowed this year, and the government is working hard to enable and online solution for the traditional food sellers.

Now, this is somewhat of a relief to me and my family. Prior to the announcement, we were thinking of how to handle going back to work when schools were to remain closed (the government would make a separate announcement when schools would resume, 2 weeks ahead of the starting date). This meant that while parents like us go back to work, the kids would have to be at home, as day care and baby sitter functions are not likely to resume. My company had already planned to split the workforce into 2 alternative shifts rotating weekly between working from home and being in the office. This extension buys us some time, though ultimately the day will come when we have to face this issue and find a solution.

Somehow, we have gotten used to the life staying at home, and also working from home (WFH)as well. Can't say the same for others, as I still observe some people taking regular morning and evening walks around my housing estate. I hope that they do not get arrested by the Police, a real risk as there have been many cases in Malaysia daily. Having limited detention space, the authorities also consider a fine of RM1000 for those violating the MCO rules.

Speaking of WFH, just to add to my recent thoughts which you can read over here, as long as the telcos are kind enough to stick to their commitment of daily free data (which is sufficient to carry out teleconferences and file access online), working from home is "manageable". I use this term, as in my own experience the quality of the connection is intermittent - sometimes, impossible to do anything in real-time (like voice and desktop sharing). I'm using the wireless broadband from my phone as a WIFI hotspot. Especially challenging when you present your desktop, and try to speak and scroll around all at the same time. Your own mileage might vary, and if you have a wired connection, I guess you should be luckier than me. I use roughly 1 Gb of data per day, so for a typical 4-week month, that comes up to ~20 Gb. Soyacincau.com has put up a good comparison of the free data + extras offered by the major telcos in Malaysia over here. On the bare minimum, all of them offer 1 Gb of free data per day from 8am to 6pm (enough for doing work during regular office hours). For most of them, either it's automatically given or a one-off request through their app or SMS. Maxis is the most troublesome, as you have to use the app to apply each day after midnight. For those with kids in school, YTL has a good offer of a 40 Gb / month free data plan for 60 days (check it out here). And for those "big kids", Telekom is offering a good deal (RM59/month for unlimited data) to those pursuing tertiary education at selected institutes of higher learning (read more over here).

In any case, with everyone using the Internet, I guess this is somewhat expected. All the more reason for the world to speed up on the adoption of 5G technology (US and Huawei better get their act together and align once this is over). In the mean time, entertainment companies such as Netflix are reducing their bitrates of their streaming services, since the "width of the pipe" is not going to get bigger any time soon. Youtube has also followed this move, though I'm not sure if Europe alone is sufficient since America and Asia are also likely to consume high volumes of data.

As businesses become more restless, people are also becoming increasingly uncomfortable, as it looks like Hari Raya this year will be a anti-climax of a celebration after a month of fasting. The government is also working to restart the economy by gradually relaxing the controls that are in place. For several days now, the number of new confirmed cases in Malaysia has been in dual digit figures, though it is still to early to lift the MCO completely.

Even after this is done, it is certain that we will not go back to the life as before - there will definitely be long-lasting or even permanent changes to our social and travel aspects of life!

"No connection dinosaur" - new high score

Ironically, after my telco shortly before lunch today, my internet connection suddenly went spotty. Instead of giving up and going downstairs to eat (still at home during this MCO phase 3, after all), I tried my luck again at another game with the monochrome T-rex on my Chrome browser.

This is not the first time playing this game, but only since these few weeks do I see this very often (due to the intermittently poor connection to the Internet via wireless hotspot connection). Not sure if this is due to the telco infrastructure (both Digi and Maxis give similar results) or if my house is poorly located.

Today, I managed to break my old record from 2 weeks ago, and reached a new high score of 4162! 😀

Yep, a cactus in the face ended my run (again). Haha, either I am getting more patient, or getting better with more practice. Maybe I have to find some different hobbies to get through this lengthy home-isolation due to MCO. Any recommendations?

Well, for any of you out there who are in the same boat as me, perhaps you too have become increasingly proficient in this game...! 😁

MCO Phase 3 - Businesses getting restless

It's 15 April 2020 - Melaka Historical City Day! It's a public holiday for us in Melaka, to commemorate the declaration of Melaka as a historical city by UNESCO in 2008. Interestingly, this was inscribed together with George Town, Penang, but somehow it's only a holiday in Melaka. For the rest of Malaysia, instead of going back out into the world (and into the office, for most of us), instead today marks the start of MCO (Movement Control Order) Phase 3. This extension is from 15 April to 28 April 2020, and is expected to be a step up in terms of measures and controls implemented during the month long "Stay at Home" initiative.

For businesses, in principle only "essential" supplies and services are allowed to operate (this itself with some degree of ambiguity) with the approval of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Ironically, MITI takes care of the approval of "Internal"/local business activities too. As businesses are not allowed to cut pay, force staff to take unpaid leave, retrench / lay off staff, there is increasing financial pressure to remain in business through this MCO period.

For my company, being a multi-national semiconductor manufacturer, some of the departments which are not limited to that in Malaysia are able to operate (sometimes with reduced activities) by "Working from Home" (WFH). Of course, we have a manufacturing plant here, which I just realised also supplies parts for ventilators! So, for the respective production staff, work goes on....

However, many businesses in Malaysia are not in such a situation. From the start, there have been concerns from businesses on how to stay afloat. The key focus points / grouses:-

1. Cost-avoidance: Appealing to defer rental, loan repayments and other costs during this period
Coming from: Most SME's, typically in hand to mouth situation

2. Continued payment: Argument here is that the monthly payments are in fact a division of cost across the entire year, hence should be paid even during this time
Coming from: School bus operators (though they are open for negotiations), day care centers

3. Allowed to work: The strict requirements, including limited workforce and measures (sanitizing, social distancing) are no deterrent to several businesses who seek to restart activities to offset fixed costs
Coming from: Manufacturing, Agricultural sector

4. Government bail-out: Citing loss of income, appealing to the government for aid
Coming from: Taxi Association

As the prolonged MCO has shifted the economy back to first gear, it is crucial to have a plan to restart the businesses as soon as possible to minimize the effects of recession. Of course, the challenge is to clearly define which business could resume operations, and how to enforce this effectively.

Our company management has already drawn up some elaborate plans to ensure social distancing and the necessary precautions can be taken once the MCO is lifted. Still too early to deploy, as the end of the MCO series is not yet in sight, but good to know we have a very proactive management team!

Initially, MITI did announce that barbers, hair saloons would be allowed to operate, much to the surprise of the community. Unsurprisingly, most Malaysians did not understand how this sector of business could qualify as essential, and also how social distancing could be maintained (eg, while having a hair cut). Even the association of barbers themselves refused to go back into business, even though it was apparently allowed. Better to stay safe and healthy rather than take the risk! Eventually, this was retracted by the government.

On the other hand, there are many, many businesses that seek to restart, as there were so many applications to the MITI website over HERE that it crashed shortly after opening on Monday (13 April 2020). I don't have a breakdown of the applicants, so it could be a mixture of essential businesses which still needed MITI approval, or simply those who wished to try their luck.

Not everything is bleak and disastrous. For certain businesses, namely e-commerce (Lazada, Shopee) and logistics (DHL, FedEx, Grabfood, Food Panda), the MCO has temporarily put competition on hold and causes a surge in clients. Some are even adapting and evolving their businesses to the current situation, such as Lazada, which has started to sell produce from Cameron Highlands which would otherwise go to waste. With Hari Raya just around the corner, the annual Pasar Ramadans are no longer allowed to operate this year due to the CoVid-19 situation, however, the authorities are offering support to business owners to go online so that they can continue to sell food during the Puasa month - a yearly phase where there is a significant potential for income.

The only risks now are running out of inventory, hitting bottlenecks in the supply chain (ie, not enough delivery channels) and compromising quality of service. For now, people are switching because they have no choice - whether or not these business make a lasting positive impression and experience to permanently secure their new customer base is entirely up to how they perform in these times.

For us, I would say our manufacturing is somewhat affected, but we still manage to continue where our business partners, situated in other countries, are allowed to resume operations. Example, those in China are cautiously back to work, while on the other hand those in Philippines are basically in the same boat as us.

Are you a business owner who would like to share your experience in these troubled times, or perhaps you are a wage-earner like me who is dependent on the employer to bring us through?

Movement Control Order - 2nd extension

As officially announced yesterday at 4pm, the nation-wide MCO (Movement Control Order) here in Malaysia has been extended for a second time for an additional 2 weeks. This means the end of the MCO has been extended from 14 April to 28 April.

Even before the announcement, judging from the daily new confirmed cases alone, it would be a real surprise if the MCO would be ended as planned.

Extending into the 3rd phase of MCO will not be a case of "more of the same", as this state of economic stasis cannot be sustained indefinitely. As essential supply chains are disrupted, its only a matter of time before food, medical supplies and other consumables run out.

The definition of "essential" remains somewhat ambiguous. The government has published a list of permitted industries, and those that were not listed would be allowed to appeal from Monday (13 April). However, this then opens up a can of worms, as there is little transparency of how such appeals are handled. Also there will be some bad-hearted parties who will object that approval is given to some. Thus, I expect this list to be somewhat dynamic (not counting exceptions) so do check the official government websites and sources for the latest info.

The key problem statement is how to resume daily functions with adequate controls without compromising the social distancing and other necessary measures. Besides restarting essential supply chains, businesses cannot afford to continue paying their staff for doing nothing. As they are not allowed to take any measures such as terminating staff, closure remains the only realistic option, which will then leave people jobless instead of just short of income. This sadly would be a real case of killing the goose that lays the golden egg. On the other hand, businesses like day care and school buses are insisting that they still be paid in full throughout the MCO period. So, everyone is being pressed and doing their best to stay afloat in these difficult times.

As of today, this is a tough challenge which no country has a clear solution. With the reopening of Wuhan, China today is taking the first steps into uncharted waters, and I hope China will be successful and that we can all learn from the experience.

One thing is clear - everyone, from the leaders down to the common folk like us, has to do their part and act responsibly, if we are to overcome this global pandemic.

Every day, there is still news of people arrested and fined (as space in detention is fast becoming a bottleneck), their numbers far exceeding the confirmed cases. I also observe inconsiderate people in the neighbourhood still going for morning and evening walks, and even stopping to chat with anyone they bump into. No doubt they share the same shallow thinking with the doctor and engineer who was jogging in Penang as well as the Shah Alam City Council member and friends who were playing badminton. Perhaps the police should start patrolling rather than just set up static road blocks...?

Back home, how does the news of extension bode for us? Well, the kids are getting started with their online lessons, though the teachers are the ones with the most challenges - having to master online teaching tools. Most of the lessons are a form of watching online video lessons followed by questions. Haha, for now, the videos are not of the teachers themselves, but some 3rd party. Not like what I've seen on social media for China, where some videos are starring the teachers themselves. But I don't blame them - even for me, presenting a Powerpoint slide online is no problem, but live (or even recorded) video feed is a completely different and new experience. Unless you are a seasoned vlogger on youtube, you'd probably keep comfortably off-screen....

For me, life during MCO is quite routine, occasionally starting my car to break the monotony. Working from home is still possible, and major telcos like Digi and Maxis are kind enough to offer free data daily from 8am to 6pm, which is sufficient to get a day's work done. The network speed can get slow at time, making teleconferencing a choppy affair. With the extension of the MCO to 28 April, I hope the free data plan offer would also be extended accordingly - otherwise, will have to incur a bit of cost. It would be interesting to calculate the daily cost of working from home versus the usual working at office (factoring in costs such as refueling and parking)....

Well, the first MCO clamped down on our daily lives and started us working from home. The second MCO (14 day extension) limited our movement to within 10km of our homes and with valid reason only. Let's see how the next two weeks go along in the 3rd episode of the MCO trilogy - hope we start to see the light the end of the tunnel (as Donald Trump aptly puts it) or maybe we'll see yet another extension - but even then, life after this pandemic will unlikely to be the same as before!

Red alert for Melaka (Covid-19 situation)

Just as news of the MCO (Movement Control Order) extension by an additional 2 weeks hit us (a bitter pill to swallow, but not completely unexpected), today the number of cases in our district of Melaka Tengah exceeded 40 cases, effectively putting us into the Red Zone.

The zone classifications are as follows:

• Green - No detection
• Yellow - Between 1 to 19 detections
• Orange - Between 20 to 40 detections
• Red - 41 detections and above

There are 3 districts in Melaka - prior to this Jasin had already gone into Red, and Alor Gajah was edging closer to the upper limit of Orange too, as reported on the FreeMalaysiaToday website. If you look at the map of Peninsular Malaysia below sourced from the KKM (Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia), this generally means the overall situation in Melaka (which is a relatively small state compared to its immediate neighbours Negeri Sembilan and Johor) is quite alarming!

As you can see, the central and southern states are quite badly affected. There are 4 green zones where there are no detections so far - let's hope it stays that way.

For us, this means definitely having to be extra careful when going out for the essentials (food and other supplies)!

Having a bit of fun with "No connection dinosaur"

As almost everyone is on the Internet, it's no surprise that the line quality and connectivity can be intermittent at times. For Chrome browser users, when this happens, you will see the familiar game in your browser window (sorry IE users).

My daughter coined the name "no connection dinosaur", for obvious reasons, but upon digging further, found out that the monochrome T-rex is officially known as the Chrome dinosaur offline game, and even got the nickname “Project Bolan” in honor of Marc Bolan, the frontman of “T-Rex’, a legendary rock band of the 1970s.

It's one of those overly simplistic but addictive games with only two buttons to control. Space bar to jump and down arrow to duck - I only recently found out about the duck move today while researching further, but honestly never found a need to use it. If you hit the cactus or pterodactyl, game over (as shown below when my T-rex decided to kiss the cactus):

Well, today, managed to get my highest score yet: 01633. May not be a great achievement for some of you, but haha, I guess this is the highest I would ever score. Hopefully, either my Internet connection improves, or I run out of patience....

How about all of you out there - do you have any better luck (or skill) playing this game? If you do, feel free to drop a comment down below.

MCO-ing for a a bit longer

It's Day 9 of the MCO (Movement Control Order) here in Melaka (and for that matter the rest of Malaysia). Posting my thoughts here while waiting for my upcoming Skype meeting (still WFH-ing, remember?).

Yesterday, it was announced that the MCO that started on 18 Mar 2020 would be further extended by an additional 14 days, meaning until 14 April 2020. For us in Melaka, 15 April is a local public holiday (Melaka Historical City Day), so we'd be back to office on 16 April. Assuming there will be no further extensions....

This was more more less what I estimated, as mentioned in my earlier posts on MCO+Water Rationing in Melaka HERE and also WFH (Working from Home) HERE.

Speaking of water rationing, I'm happy to say that it has been raining quite frequently in the past few days, mostly in the late evenings and at night. The situation has somewhat improved, because as of late, we have not had water disruptions. So, I guess it has been raining in the right places, which is most important.

While this is a welcomed relief, no reason to go complacent and start washing car or soak in the hot tub. It's actually a reminder of our scarce resource, and that we should practice a sustainable lifestyle instead of just temporary measures.

Well, back to MCO, instead of crossing the 50% "milestone", looks like now the finishing line has been moved further back - more like only 25% of the journey now completed. From the news, there are still many people in defiance or ignorance of the MCO, which is aimed at effective social isolation (and not just "staying at home", which has become a popular catch-phrase). But some of these people appear to be not so clean (and have some reason to evade the cops). Others seem to have all sorts of reasons as to why they go out. Finally, we have the innovative people like this gentleman, who has left nothing to chance and designed his own HAZMAT suit from garbage bags (Macgyver would surely salute this guy!).

Until next time - Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay at Home! 😁

Practical Working from Home (WFH) in 2020

It's Day 5 of the MCO (Movement Control Order) here in Melaka, from 18 Mar 2020 to 31 Mar 2020 (as of today). This measure is drastic but necessary in order to "break the chain" of highly contagious Covid-19 Coronavirus, by social isolation. We're still allowed to go out to buy food and other essential supplies, but with some guidelines (like only one person in the car, for example). The short and simple rule is - "Stay At Home" (you'd be surprised how many people do NOT comply with this, either through ignorance or defiance). More info can be found over here (FAQ is in Bahasa Malaysia, though) and also in my previous post. For most of us, this means staying at home doing nothing, but (un?)fortunately for me and my team, we need to Work From Home (WFH hereon for short). Thanks to the nature of our job and this day and age of technology.

I'm no stranger to this mode of working, having started nearly a decade ago. However, with the advancements in technology, specifically in telecommunication and also IT, working from home has become more practical and do-able. Provided the necessary infrastructure is in place (more on this later).

Working from Home (WFH hereon for short) is also known as telecommuting, is we perform our daily job functions from an external location instead of the usual location. This is not the same as working in the field, where one still has to be on-site, wherever that may be. WFH is not a standard working mode - it varies across job functions, companies, industries and even regions.

Not every job or function is suitable for WFH. For instance:
- Service industry: Waiter, Hairdresser, etc.
- Manufacturing: Production Operators, Technicians (At least until IR4.0 is here)
- Field-work: Home Delivery and Repair Services
- Highly confidential: Finance, R&D (Bring your top secret stuff home and leave it lying around? I don't think so....)

In principle, there's a tendency for developed countries having higher adoption of WFH due to the nature of work and also the culture. Especially in Asia, where there is a concern from the top that people might abuse the system or only some people might be lucky enough (or cursed, more on this coming) to be able to WFH. Strangely, the same people do not have any concerns when we work our rear-ends off across international time zones and outside office hours....

Why do people take WFH (under normal, non-MCO days)? Sometimes, there is a need to be at home to take care of kids, elderly or sick - not full-time, but at least on standby or to have their presence at home. Sometimes, awaiting an urgent delivery or home repair. Whatever the reason, the expectation is that the employee will not compromise on their usual functionality - so if their immediate surroundings demand too much attention, the employee is better off taking leave rather than WFH. And sometimes, there's the controversial "not that sick, but contagious" zone where it's better to work in isolation, but not flat out go on medical leave. I've had to do so several times in the past during the school holidays.

While some employees may lament that they do not have sufficient entitlement for WFH (limited number of days per month or even none at all), actual WFH requires certain pre-requisites to be effective. Below are some steps I have taken in my own experience in order to function optimally:

1. Location

   I've fortunate enough to have some space to set up a desk in the corner of my bedroom to function as my primary home office. Not a fancy manager / glass desk - actually it's an old Mahjong table which I inherited from my late grandparents.... My family is understanding enough to know that when I am in working mode (the closed door being a subtle hint). Of course, it's not completely soundproof, but still better than being in the office when EVERYONE is in their own telco! Of course, if you live in a studio / apartment with your wife, four kids two cats and pet gold fish, you would probably WANT to go to office to get any real work done....

2. Workstation / Equipment

   Like I said, I have my ancestral Mahjong table, and hijacked a chair from my dining table. Not completely ergonomic, but will do for now. Who would have guessed I'd have to spend 2 weeks of full-time WFH? We've been trying to go paperless for ages now, so most of the work is done through the company-issued laptop and company servers (which, judging from the speed, could be located in another continent). I'm using my own USB headset, a fairly old model (Logitech H390). Unfortunately, I don't have a printer, photocopier, scanner, etc. at home. So in a pinch, I'll use my cellphone camera to "scan" something.

3. Network Infrastructure

   To WFH requires massive amounts of online data transfer, with a high-bandwidth, stable Internet connection. Unfortunately, I don't have a Unifi connection so I use the hotspot from my company-issued phone. With some forward-planning, I copy large files to my company-issue laptop to work "offline" at home, and upload them once I'm back in the office again. Of course, I'm actively practicing good data security and keep all devices, portable drives, etc. secure.

4. Minimize / Eliminate Distractions

   This is the hard one, especially when the whole kampung is at home too. That is why, I really consider the reason for WFH-ing in the first place. If it's not possible to do so effectively, I would rather go to the office or take leave.

5. Personal Health / Well-being

   Actually, while at the office, there's better opportunity for social interaction and taking breaks to detract from the monotony of the situation. Even commuting to and from work, getting up for a stretch, walking to the coffee machine or meeting room is better than sitting at home. When WFH, I can actually sit through the entire day at my Mahjong table-cum-workstation, and this can lead to poor posture (due to the mismatch in height of my chair), lack of physical activity and other problems (unless you have anti-social tendencies and actually enjoy working alone without interacting with your colleagues). Some of my colleagues have also pointed out that WFH is not all a bed of roses like it appears to be.

WFH is still counted as work - the idea is to be fully functioning during this time. I do my part to set a good example for my team (who are in a similar predicament now expecially during this MCO). Hopefully, this Covid-19 pandemic gets under control ASAP. Depending on how the next two weeks go, there may be a possibility to extend - if you ask me, I think it should be extended at least until mid Apr 2020. Great care needs to be exercised when the MCO is lifted, as I can imagine everyone would rush out after 2 weeks of staying at home - it would be disasterous if there were a "backdraft", like glowing embers under a smoking pile of burnt peat....

In conclusion - for those of you who have the option to WFH - don't misuse this to the point where the employer would be forced to revise its policy!

MCO and Water Rationing in Melaka - a double whammy

Unless you have been in deep meditation somewhere in the middle of the desert, or have somehow managed to decouple from the world, you should all be well aware of the Covid-19 global pandemic that is (as of the time of this post) bringing the entire planet to a grinding halt. For us here in Melaka, this unfortunately overlaps with an extremely long dry spell that has left our taps running dry. Alas, two negatives do not make a positive....

Regarding the latter, Melaka historically has always had troubles with water - either too much (flooding) or too little - like we are currently experiencing. While past incidences were sometimes triggered due man-made mishaps (contamination of the water supply), the current predicament seems to be mainly due to the prolonged dry spell. It has not rained consistently for months now, save for the occasional downpour which a) may not be in the right place where the water catchment areas are located and b) may be heavy but too brief - only sufficient to make the dust stick to your car.

There are currently 3 water catchment areas in Melaka: Empangan Durian Tunggal, Empangan Jus and Empangan Asahan. There is a 4th Empangan (Malay for Dam) project at Jernih that is still far from completion, having been put off since 2018 but recently rejuvenated - which is too late to remedy the current situation. The malay proverb "sediakan payung sebelum hujan" or "prepare an umbrella before it rains" aptly describes the situation. Of course, there is another saying involving lavatories and certain bodily functions which I choose not to use, but more or less implies the same meaning....

As a result of this shortage of rain, the water levels at the dams have been decreasing rapidly. It was forecasted by the state authorities that the dams might be completely empty by April 2020! Thus, two months ago (from 29 Jan 2020), water rationing was implemented in Melaka, with water supply turned on and off on alternate week days (extended to include weekends as well in the later stages).

Now, as if life weren't challenging enough, over the past few weeks, Malaysia has seen an alarming increase of Covid-19 confirmed cases and even deaths. There is a lot of material online regarding this as well as preventive measures, so I shall not repeat here. Though a words of caution - do not blindly believe everything you read on the Internet and Social Media, as there is a lot of Fake News in circulation. In response, the Malaysian Government has issued an MCO (Movement Control Order) from 18 Mar to 31 Mar 2020. This has been done in order to impose social isolation in order to effectively break the chain of virus propagation, given the highly contagious nature of Covid-19. This essentially means everyone is to stay at home and only go out to purchase food and other important business.

My own humble opinion - 2 weeks is definitely not enough. The virus has an incubation period of 14 days (so they say) - but our detection is also not 100%. There should be additional time given for any more cases to be detected and isolated beyond the weeks, also since it will take a while before we have everyone fully adhering to social isolation guidelines. I'd say, at least until mid of April 2020 (but again, this is just my gut feeling).

So far so good through Day 3 of MCO, but believe me, being stuck at home is not as good as it sounds - at least to me. As the situation is quickly escalating on a global scale, more and more countries are forced to implement such measures, so chances are you know EXACTLY what I am talking about....

Well, for humanity's sake, I hope we can all put aside our differences and do our part to save ourselves!

Ailing Alternator on my Honda Civic FD2 [FIXED]

The moment I released the key after cranking the ignition, I instantly sensed that something was amiss - oh, no! What a time to have an unscheduled car problem...!

Two things struck me simultaneously - couldn't remember which sense triggered first. But it was either sight or sound. My eyes registered 2 warning indicators on the dashboard - the amber power steering indicator and the red battery indicator (as above). My ears registered a humming sound not unlike the supercharger on my dad's old C200K (which would have been good if I actually had a blower under the hood). At first, I thought it was due to the heat - it was, after all, high noon with blazing sun beating down on my car (which was parked right out in the open under a cloudless blue sky). So, I switched the engine off and started it again after a brief moment. No luck, as these telltale signs persisted. Proof that in "real life", CTRL-ALT-DEL-ing something does not really banish the problem.

I tried turning the wheel - and yes, it was as I thought - power steering was gone. Thinking about my options, I concluded that since I only lost power steering, it would be possible to limp back home (through some hard work). My Honda Civic FD2 had an electric power steering (an advancement over previous hydraulic power steering technology), and any interruption to the power system meant it would not function. It did take me some effort to reverse out of the parking space and turn 90 degrees to the right in order to drive down the road. Didn't realize how difficult it was. Can only imagine what driving was like way back before the invention of power steering....

At first, I avoided the main road, noting the humming sound was linked to my throttle. After driving some distance, I noticed the indicators going on and off intermittently. Pulling over and restarting one more time, at least the power steering light went out, and my steering assistance was restored. For how long, there was no way to know, but I did not want to find out. Along the drive back, the red battery light came on and off occasionally. I remembered my Scangauge, and toggled to the battery voltage display. I saw that the reading was fluctuating between 10~12V, which was too low. Did not go higher as I revved, so it definitely had to be the alternator.

I made it back home, and parked in my usual spot (thankfully power steering continued to function). Popping the hood, I checked to see if there were any unusual signs (rats gnawing at the wires, broken belt, and so on), but there was no visual cues that indicated that there was a problem. Just the faint humming sound (which somehow sounded louder from inside the car).

The next morning, the car was a bit harder to start while cranking, which was expected as the alternator could not charge up the battery anymore. Thus, it was risky to drive as this could mean total loss of electrical systems once the battery was depleted. Among other things, this would disable the ignition system, leaving her dead in the middle of the road.

Thinking about it, I consider myself lucky as my alternator/battery did not fail immediately (which would have been dangerous if I were driving through a corner). Just a reminder to keep a keen eye (and ear) out for any abnormalities and have it checked out before something serious boils down!

David, my trusty car guy, came to collect my Honda Civic FD2 for repairs. Either we'll have a new alternator, or rework it (if possible). Estimate a quick fix within a day. Well, will update here again once things are patched up. Till then, hope this does not happen to any of you!

[Update: 27 Feb 2020] Well, what do you know? My car's all fixed up! Basically, they took out my alternator and replaced some of the internal components, instead of swapping in a brand new one. Total downtime ~1 day, and cost just under RM500. Let's see in the long run, if this would be the wiser choice or false economy.... (keeping fingers crossed)

A speedy drivers' license renewal at JPJ Melaka

In the blink of an eye, 5 whole years have passed since I last renewed my driver's license. With the expiry date coming up, and lots of things to do (Chinese New Year's just around the corner), it was going to be hard to find some time to get it done.

While it was possible to renew the driver's license at the Post Office or UTC, today I had some time in the morning, so I decided to test the efficiency of the Melaka JPJ staff (and also my luck). The Melaka JPJ officially opens at 7.45am, and I have absolutely have no reason to doubt it. I arrived at the JPJ (Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan) Melaka, (https://goo.gl/maps/WXmxMxbTPynFxmhG6) at Bukit Katil roughly around 8.40am. It wasn't too crowded, with roughly 50% occupancy of the seats. I do note that the space between seats was too narrow - worse than the economy seats in AirAsia....

I got a number, and looks like i was 16th in line (for driver's license renewal). There were dedicated counters for other functions, so in actuality there were more people in line, but they would be routed to other counters and hence did not impact the waiting time.

Having not brought along any photo, fortunately they could scan my identification card (which was taken quite some time ago, luckily still looks like me). The cost of renewal is RM30 per year, up to a maximum of 5 years. Plus RM2 for the scanning. After confirming my address and paying, I dropped off the documents at Counter A to get it processed. This took less than 5 minutes, so all in all I was done by 9.30am. Renewal date is from today until my birthday 5 years from now (so I got some extra days free 😃 ).

I'm happy to say that the staff here is friendly (from the reception, to the counter, to the collection) and very fast / efficient! Definitely commendable and a good place to get JPJ-related things done if you are living close by.

Weather-worn rear diffuser on my Honda Civic FD2

Years of exposure to the elements, almost daily baking under the hot sun (it's practically a land of eternal summer here in Melaka) and lack of shaded parking has taken its toll on the paint job of my Honda Civic FD2. Unlike corrosion, which is the biggest problem faced by cars in four-season countries like Germany (due to the use of salt to melt the snow and ice on the roads during winter), here we basically have to deal with the slow destruction of paint and plastics due to the effects of sunlight.

My rear diffuser is in quite bad shape. While it's structurally intact, the paint, or rather the clear coating has started to delaminate and peel off in large patchy areas. I've taken a photo below and did some photo contrast enhancement so it shows up better, but otherwise this is what it looks like.

The diffuser is not made of metal, so rusting is not a concern. However, once the upper clear coat is gone I worry the UV light may start to cause the plastic (possibly PU, but I'm not sure) to become brittle and crack. Well, since I'm getting my front windscreen repaired (due to the recent mishap which you can read more about over here), I'll take the opportunity to have it repainted. Now comes the question, should I repaint the entire car or just the diffuser? Given that it's hard to get exactly the same shade each time for metallic paint, it will definitely look odd and contrasting to the rest of the car. Of course, a full paint job will cost much more and take much longer - something to consider this close to Chinese New Year. Hmm, decisions, decisions....😟