Illegible Receipts. Does it have a purpose?

Greetings lovely readers on this gloomy day.

Don’t get me wrong, it is a wonderfully pleasant day, I just commented “gloomy” due to the rain. Forecast states that monsoon season is reaching and we may be faced with more downfall as it is La Nina. So buckle up and take all the required precautions. 

Coming to our topic for today. On the issue of gloomy let me voice out my grievance on receipts printed out nowadays. 

Have you ever noticed that nowadays, even receipts printed out in the petrol station, shops and etc are barely legible? I am taking about not receipts that you have stored for years but even receipts just printed upon purchase. Why is this so? 

Well, it is printed on thermal paper and permanent ink is not used. It is sensitive to many things, exposure to light, heat , moisture and etc will cause the print to fade. 

I have many receipts from Shell petrol station, Popular Bookstore, Becon stationary, Mr. DIY and the list goes on, months down the road, most of the print are not legible. 

According to Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri Malaysia, Public Ruling No. 5/2000, all records for claiming Income Tax needs to be kept for 7 years. So how? Show them stack of blank receipts?

That is my gripe. I was sorting out receipts for purchases made for Income Tax and 90% of my receipts are not legible. Even I could not decipher what was purchased. 

Remember the saying old is gold? The bygone era where things were made to last. I have ONE receipt that survived out of the bunch of failed receipts. 

What is your Food for thought on this receipt dilemma?

These are a tiny fraction of my failed receipts. 

Did the Britpop band Blur get the name from such illegible receipts? 

Notice the receipt on the left is upside down? You can tell from the stapler holes on the bottom right. Never noticed right that I purposely placed in upside down. 

The reverse of the paper where the company name is printed is clearly visible on the receipt on the right. But the details of items purchased is not visible. Are receipts supposed to be for advertising company or reviewing details of items purchased? 

The only sole survivor

Think I'd crumble?

You think I'd lay down and die?

No, not I, I will survive

Long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive

I've got my life to live

And all my love to give and

I will survive

I, I, I will survive  

LEGO Desk Calendar 2025

Cost of this calendar is less than RM60 as it is now April 2025, almost halfway through the year. Online search, the price varies RM40 to RM50+.

My wife received as a gift from a colleague. 

My personal thoughts, it is in no way a replacement for a physical calendar. 

It is mainly a novelty for lego fans. 

Why?

• It is too small to read (unless you place it close to you, within a feet or two).  
• As the calendar date and month is in white, the background colour for the calendar may not be contrasting enough read it clearly (unless you place it close to you, within a feet or two). 
• There is no place to properly write on dates for important events (unless you write on the back of the calendars which defeats the purpose as you want to see everything in the front clearly). 
• There are worthless small figure cuttings to decorate your calendar by month, which you end up throwing as not only is it pointless but it has no purpose unless you intend it to be used for some other purpose like decorating your diary or etc. 

So inclusion, this is my personal opinion, which may differ from yours. Get a proper physical calendar that you can view from a reasonable distance that you can write your important agenda on the relevant dates. It probably will cost less than RM10 for a proper calendar and just like lego desk calendar, you will end up throwing it once you welcome the new year.

Jobless Man Murder his Mom in Taman OUG

Reports were obtained from Harian Metro, Malay Mail, The Star, The Sun, CNA, TV9 and Astro Awani.

It was alleged that at 9.00am on 12 November 2024, Deanesh Narayanan Nair, 53, had called police informing on murdering his mother, to surrender himself after depleting his savings and suffering from chronic illness.

N. Deanesh, who claims to be a church pastor, is accused of murdering his 77-year-old mother, Catherine Daniel, at their home in Jalan Hujan Abu 6, Taman OUG.

He allegedly committed the offence between March 21 and March 26, 2021 over a dispute over religious belief to “send her to heaven”.

The charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the death sentence or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years, and a minimum of 12 strokes of the rotan, upon conviction.

The mother was punched to death before her body was wrapped in a towel and plastic sheets and stuffed in a freezer. N. Deanesh was standing next to the freezer when the police arrived at his home in Kuala Lumpur. His mother’s body was sent to the University of Malaya Medical Centre for an autopsy.

Early findings from a post-mortem revealed she had suffered “chest injuries due to blunt trauma”.

Following his arrest, neighbours stated that they had not seen the victim since the first MCO. Neighbours stressed that  the victim had her own house but would visit her son as he lived alone and was unmarried. N. Deanesh rarely went out of the house and his door was usually closed, they added.

“He was always friendly with the neighbours. If I saw him outside, he would greet me and ask how I was doing,” one of the neighbours said, adding that Deanesh had also suffered a stroke. 

Imagine if N. Deanesh had never called the police, would this alleged criminal had got off Scott free?

Check out my YouTube video on my drive to the premise Hyde1234 - Alleged pastor murders mother Tmn OUG

Muji Aluminium Fountain Pen

The simplest of pens and also one of the more elusive for me. 

I had seen it raging from RM30 to over RM200 the internet. Anything on the internet, the saying is buyer beware. Unless it is from a trusted seller. As it is mostly shipped from overseas, review varies and the knockoffs (if any), I was not willing to take the plunge.  

We have local Muji stores here in Malaysia but for some strange reason they do not carry it. They have the plastic versions but the aluminium ones, no where in sight.  

So when my lovely wife went to Japan, I pounced on the opportunity. As the currency of the Japanese Yen is as bad as us, my wife told me it would cost RM40.00.

Generally everyone felt in love with this pen, cheap, durable, minimalist and functions well, what more could you ask for. Figboot on Pens and Peter Draws gave to glowing reviews, so it seal the deal.

Here is it in all its glory. I must say I am indeed surprised that something so cheap can be so good. It even puts some of my other pens to shame.

By the way I just received it yesterday, 8/9/24.

Packaging is bare basic, which is what I wanted. I have enough of the fancy packaging and boxes, which most of the time ended up being in the recycling bin. Simple packaging means cost is kept down.

This is it. No! Not the Michael Jackson 2009 film. I mean the pen. As simple as it gets. This fountain pen would be a good EDC.

Comes with a single cartridge. Mine was a type of almost blackish dark green.

Only qualm was the treads were a bit industrialised in noise. Was a bit rough and had that construction noise when screwing the cap. But the treads were smooth to the touch and I believe the "noice" would go after some usage as the pen was bran new.

The Schmidt nib is only available in Fine. But it is super smooth. I have a few other Fine nibs on my more expensive FP's but none of them as smooths as this. It is indeed a delight to write.

The step-down to the nib from the barrel is quite pronounced but my writing style fits it perfectly as I write resting my finger tips on the treaded section of the barrel. 

No insignia or logo anywhere, so people may wonder what is the branding. But those who know, know.

Top (above) and bottom. Simple to say the least.

The pen can be posted for those requiring to do so. The pen fits my hand nicely as I am not big in stature. But those with larger hands may find it cumbersome to use and write.

One of the best purchase I have ever made. Thanks to my lovely wife.

Enamelware

Enamel is widely used throughout the world without us realising it.

We may only be privy to the cookware or cutlery that we use or are accustomed to on a daily basis but enamelware has been used since 1870's in the US.

In fact enamel came around existence in 1230 BC in Cyprus. 

Being in Malaysia and seeing them being used when I was a kid patronise Chinese coffee shops, I was always of the view that it originated from China.  

Enamel which was once loosing its popularity is now back in demand due to nostalgia and the internet. It is now more easier than ever to access or obtain enamelware online.

It is not only durable, retains heat well but if it is properly looked after, it turns into a heirloom to be handed down to the next generation.  

Heat retention is most important when you are camping or having outdoor activities. You want your coffee piping hot and to remain hot for longer periods. Which is why you see lots of cowboy adds using enamel cups sipping piping, smoking hot coffee.

Enamel cups or mugs are basically cast iron or steel, coated in liquid enamel glaze. They are not only durable but the coating prevents the iron from rusting. Available in an assortment of beautiful colours.

This I purchased when we had our dinner at Bungkus Kaw Kaw @ Pavilion Bukit Jalil on 26 August 2024. RM39.90 promotion subject to purchase of meal. They had a beautiful pink version that my daughter wanted but it was sold out. So I got the traditional colour. 

The inside is well coated 

I noticed that the joints need better welding process

Picture from the internet (Malaysian Chinese Kitchen). This is how I remember eggs were being served back in the old days in the authentic Chinese Kopitiam.

Do not confuse enamel ware with Porcelain products. Porcelain products command a premium and it is formed out of ceramic material out of clay.     

I will share in future post on some other enamel cups that we are using. 

M & W Grooming Products

26 August 2024 my daughter has a 1 day school holiday and wanted to explore Pavilion Bukit Jalil. 

I came across this grooming outlet on the 4th floor, lot P2.24, Pink Zone.

The sales personnel Ah Keong was very professional, patient and not only explained but demonstrated the products diligently. A mere intention to make a short stop to enquire about personal grooming products, turned up to becoming a half hour stop and spending more than RM1.5K sales for him.

These are the items I purchased.

The products were excellent and great. Compared to Zwilling, Victorinox and some other brands out there that I had personally tried, in my personal opinion, this is the best by far.

Price wise they are on the higher side but considering the quality and most important, I saw the results for myself, it was indeed a calculated purchase.

So what did I get?

Let's start with the Nano Crystal Hair Removal Device. This product with over 10,000 micro abrasive grains scrapes against your skin removing not only dead cells but more important it removes your body hair. I will upload a video on YouTube for readers to see the results for themselves. A word of caution, rub it on your skin gently and not roughly or vagariously. I ended up brushing one side of my arm due to this. But other than that incident due to my negligence, overall, the product did its job well. The hair was removed after a few gentle rubs. The skin was smooth after the hair removal and unlike using a razor, it did not leave behind micro stubs that made the skin rough to the touch. 

The business end of the product

Unscrewed the cap to see how the product was assembled 

Nano Crystal File. Same material as hair removal product above but the business end here is a darker shade of grey and not white. This file is not so much for dulling the edges of your freshly cut nails but more for bringing shine and buffing your nails. So instead of having various products to buff and shine your nails, you only have 1.

Nose hair trimer. Wonderful and smooth. Did not cut the inside of my nostrils even once.

Heel File. Also made of the same material as the hair remover and file. The business end is also the same colour as the file. Works great. Very gently on the sole of the foot to remove harden skin. This product was so much more gentle that the hair remover and no matter how hard and how much I scrubbed it on the sole of my feet, there was no bruises or cuts. Only smooth feet surface. Nice. Caution ya. This alone cost RM499. 

Closer look of the grains for the Nano Crystal 

After the vagarious scrubbing with the above product, use the Ceramide Foot cream with 40% glycerine. Per tube at RM88. I got 2 as it really soothes and moisturisers the skin.

The Claw Clipper and nail clippers worked brilliantly. The file that came with the clippers (covered in blue) worked flawlessly. As depicted in the final picture. Like I said above. So far the best clippers I had tried.

Other products I did not provide close up pictures are the Dead Skin Fork and 360° ear pick. The pictures are located in the first picture with all the other products in the pouch. The worked as intended and I did not face any issues with it.

Overall, all products worked well. M & W is a Sarawak based company selling their products that are designed and made in Korea.

Pelikan M600 Art Collection Special Edition Glauco Cambon Fountain Pen

It has been months since I had updated anything even my other social media platforms. 

Why? Busy, well yes. Business has its ups and downs. Busy with family too. 

But there was another reason. Not being grateful.

Everyone has their own issues in this life. Some may walk through life with a gold spoon in their mouth without a care in the world. Whilst, at the exact moment a small kid may be in a war torn country. Their life lies at the very end of a barrel. 

Even today, 21 August 2024, 8.30am, as I was attempting to buy nasi lemak from a road side stall, I saw a guy just about to climb onto his motorcycle accidentally dropped his plastic containing the breakfast he just bought. it fell on the dirty, sandy, muddy and pebbly road side and his curry puff popped out hitting the ground. I'm sure he felt devastated, maybe even defeated. Life is not fair and maybe even unjust, he might had felt. But, he brushed off the dirt and popped it back into the plastic, back on his way to the office. 

As for me, I could not purchase the nasi lemak as the supplier had not brought it there. 

That is life as we know it. But whatever it is, never loose faith. God answers all prayers.

Although I am always wanting for more, my life generally has been paved and taken care by god. I can get some of the things I want but not all, without much ado. Hence, I should be utterly grateful. But was I? No, I was not.

Let me explain. 

Sometime towards the end of January 2024, I purchased a Pelikan M600 Art Collection Glaucoma Cambon. I have been ogling and drooling over this pen since it was shared over the internet a few months back. Hence, when Mr. Lai from PenGallery managed to obtain 1 piece for me, I was somewhere over the rainbow. Filled with joy and felt blessed. I ignored the steep price as for that price I could have got a Pelikan M1000. Bigger barrel and much, much larger nib size.

Anyhow this was my first Pelikan. So it was even more that GREAT!

When I received it, my heart was pounding with excitement to see how it actually looked like, in the flesh. From the pictures I had previously seen on the internet it was stunning. The design and colours of the pen barrel just sparkled and popped. It was breathtaking. The only thing in my opinion that top its beauty was an Arco Celluloid.

So did my excitement last? Did the pen live up to the hype?

No. I was rather disappointed. I felt although the quality and craftsmanship was there but my particular pen barrel did not have enough red and blue and thus, in my opinion lacked the glitter and sparkle. So I question my purchase but I rubbed it off as the piece was hard to get and it was my first Pelikan.

The box, poster insert and pamphlet on the other hand were spectacular.

Writing wise it did not disappoint. It wrote flawlessly. 

But I just could not get over the fact of its lack lustre barrel. Hence, I did not use it as much.

Every time I looked at it, I thought Ahhhhh! Crap! Not joking at all. That was what I thought.

This is what I was talking about being ungrateful.

So as life would have it. It went missing sometime in March 2024. I searched everywhere. All over the place, like a headless chicken. But to no avail. 

Things pretty much was the same. Search and search but nothing. Zilch. Nada. Zip. Whatever soothes your fancy. It was no where to be seen. 

I asked my wife and kids, just in case you find it let me know. I will reward. But as one could expect, nothing turned up. 

To preserve my life only my kids knew the cost of the pen. Not my wife.

Heartbroken to say the least. It was akin to throwing money into the rubbish bin. Money just gone like that.

It affected me in more ways that I would like to admit. But the gist was, I felt wow! All at once! Why?! I know I'm not the most humblest, honest, thoughtful and holiest person but I am relatively good, sincere and honest. So this had to happen to me? We had already previously lost a Porsche 944 to fire, W202 Mercedes in the flood, Zippo Def Leppard lighter, Pilot mechanical pencil, gold locket with pink gem stone and gold pendant, damaged an M1 iPad Pro 2021 (ongoing repairs now - the replacement screen alone is RM2K) and etc. 

I think you get what I mean. 

Felt pissed and lost a little. Even stopped looking at pens, knives, antiques and even one of my favourite YouTube channel Figbooth on pens. I just didn't have the heart. Heck, I even forgo my intentions of getting a turntable to play LP's. By the way, I only have 1 LP. The soundtrack for Miami Vice. 

To say the least, things were not looking good of me.  

Anyhow, fast forward to today at roughly, 6.30am, my kids had left to school by bus and I was busy looking for my daughter's school locker key. She said she misplaced it and I offered to look for it. I saw her brown fluffy pencil box underneath her study desk and looked inside to see if her key is there. 

The key was not there but what did I find? The said missing Pelikan.

A sudden relief came over me and first thing I did was thank God. God is great. Thank You God.

Now that the mystery had been solved. I had a word with her when she got back from school. Her answer was I want to take to school then I forgot it was in my pencil box. Mind you she is only in standard 6, making her 12 years old.   

The moral of the story although the pen may not be my cup of tea but be grateful of what you have. Everything is a blessing. You will miss it once it is gone.