Squeaky suspension, aircon NG, wiper fail - Toyota Prado J90

Toyotas (at least those manufactured before 2000) have a reputation of having legendary reliability. For my 1997 Toyota Prado J90 Land Cruiser, I can very much vouch for this, as we have been been through much together, without ever breaking down in the middle of nowhere. Though I don't exactly go off-road (yet to take her out for an adventure with the Puma 4x4 Malaysia Club), we quite frequently take trips to the orchard / farm, hauling heavy stuff (furniture and large home appliances, stuff for recycling, bags of fertilizer) and occasionally driving to office. Especially useful if need to take many people, as the foldable 3rd row seats allow for flexibility. Not bad, so far at 420,000+ km, still going strong...!

Having said that, there are things that breakdown, as nothing is completely indestructible. Let's play a game - based on the observations / symptoms, try to guess what could the problem, and later I update once it's fixed. See how accurate (or totally way off) my estimates are....

Issue #1: Aircon system.
Symptoms: This didn't really stop working all of the sudden. Rather, over time, the cooling diminished, until today, it's just blowing air. It's hard to say exactly when, as when driving to office it's either early in the morning before 8am, or in the evening, so you never notice if its not working, unless its a hot, sunny afternoon during a lunch outing. The Prado actually has 2 independent aircon systems - the front vents taking care for the driver and co-driver, and the rear system for the middle and rear passengers. The one at the back could be working, but never really got around to checking.
My guess: There is a leak somewhere. Based on past experience, I believe the aircon guy uses a florescent dye with UV light to detect the leak. Depending on where and what needs to be changed, if is the piping then not so bad, otherwise the compressor or condenser will be costly.
Actual: To be updated....

Issue #2: High-pitch squeaky sound as the car is moving.
Symptoms: As the noise seems proportional to the bumpiness of the road.
My guess: I reckon it's the bushing. Again, in a multi-link suspension system, there are many, many bushes, and it's not so easy to see which ones are worn out. Replacing them is another story, as they can be stuck firm in place and take a lot of manual effort to push out.
Actual: To be updated....

Issue #3: The forward wipers.
Symptoms: As I understand it, one day, as my wife was driving, the wipers suddenly started and wouldn't stop. Stopping at a workshop, they make a quick fix by disabling all settings except high-speed. So, on rainy days, it's a bit of a chore, to turn on the wipers manually, then have to get the timing right to stop just as it's in the right position, with the wipers either fully stopped or at full speed.
My guess: The rear wiper is working fine, so most likely an issue with the front wiper stalk switch. At least its working, so driving on rainy days is still do-able.
Actual: To be updated....

Called up my trusty mechanic, David, who collected the car just yesterday. No hurry to fix, as it's after the annual harvest season, but good to get done as soon as possible. Will update here once done, and then let's co-relate my guessing and the actual.

Ad hoc day trip for dana at the BMSM Pa-Auk Dhammavijaya Meditation Center

One fine random Saturday morning (as things usually are with my family), we decided to take a day trip down to Dengkil for dana (food offering) to the Buddhist monks and Yogis at the BMSM Pa-Auk Dhammavijaya Meditation Center, Dengkil, Selangor.

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It had been more than 2 years since our last visit here - as you might well know (unless you were away on another planet), due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Usually, as Dengkil was nearly 2 hours from our home by car (subject to traffic conditions), we usually only came here on special occasions, such as the Kathina festival which marks the end of the 3 month Vassa (monsoon season retreat), usually around October or November each year.

The Dhammavijaya Meditation Center is located a short distance off the main road, along the Langat River. There is a large area beside the meditation center allocated for parking, though during festivals it can get filled up quite fast. There is some construction going on further up the river, as there are many trucks and lorries driving past - need to take care when parking your car.

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I'm happy to note that the place was well taken care of. The devotees and volunteers made sure that everything was clean and maintained. Even during "off-peak" times like these, there were as usual some yogis on site in the middle of their meditation retreat. The caretakers were mostly local volunteers and foreigners from Myanmar, who ensured at least the there was enough to eat every day. Typically, there were only two meals per day - one early in the morning and one at ~11am. No food after lunch, though no prohibition on drinks. In general, the place is always open to public who wish to bring food offerings. Though there is no actual prohibition of meat, food is usually vegetarian and fruits with seesd removed.

After the chanting and short dhamma talk, devotees would line up to take the food prepared to the monks. Don't have to worry about offering what you brought or to offer to a specific monk - it's a gesture of offering from the common pool to the Sangha (Buddhist practitioners, i.e., monks).

Once the food offering is done, and after a quick blessing, the devotees and yogis adjourn to the common mess hall for a meal - pot-luck style. So, a good practice is to bring at least enough food in proportion to the people in your group (a little extra never hurts), so everything balances out in the end.

It's good to be back here after so long, though there are many new faces - even the monks rotate from time to time. Well, in a few months, it will be time for the Kathina festival once again, so my family and I will surely be back for our (almost) annual dana.

Inflation - paying more for the same cup of coffee

 

The 2-year nightmare that is Covid-19 is slowly thawing, as society gradually returns to normality. Over here in Malaysia, at least we're starting to go back to office. Just like vault-dwellers emerging from the nuclear shelters into a post-apocalyptic world (a bit far-fetched, but you can tell I'm a fan of the timeless classic PC game Wasteland and subsequent Fallout series). One of the glaring, distressing differences is that anything that isn't free or subsidized has gone up significantly in price.

Today's the first time I went out with some office buddies for lunch since coming back to office. Just a short walk from the main entrance of the company, to one of the usual joints patronized by many of the colleagues working here.

It turns out, a plate of fried rice with fried egg and large cup of kopi-o kosong (black coffee, no sugar, no cream), was RM7.00 and RM1.90 respectively. Hmm, can't recall the exact cost from pre-covid times, but I definitely know I'm literally paying more for the same cup of coffee.

To be fair, this is the one and only sample so far, so I definitely need to go out more often to collect more data.

Elsewhere, in the news, prices of food like chicken meat are also going up against the ceiling prices, until the government can't make up its mind to raise / remove the cap or not. For fuel that is not subsidized, RON97 is now at RM4.84 per liter. Almost no one uses that, as RON95 is still fixed at RM2.05 per liter (imagine how much taxpayers' ringgit are being used here). Subsidies do tend to distort and mask the true severity of the economic situation, so have to take note of the actual cost of living.

Unfortunately, the price hikes are unlikely to stop here. Though the prices of raw material like meat and vegetables are also on the rise, home cooked meals keep value-added costs to a minimum. Luckily I have a good wife / good cook, so meals at home are not only cheaper, tasty but also healthier than what one might typically get from outside. Ah, the advantages of working from home....

For those out there, are you having a similar experience and how are you adapting to the "new normality"?