He-hey…. I finally received my new toy MIO 268+ today after all the hassle dealing with Parceline deliveries.

Also it was my first time buying stuffs over Ebay in UK which is quite cool actually with all the bidding fun; except that I missed both delivery attempts and had to pay extra to deliver on Saturday, bummer!

Anyway it’s a nice looking piece of toy, made in China (where else!). Satnav (or Satellite Navigator) has become increasingly common in UK. It is very common to see one of these gadgets sticks on the windscreen in moving cars on the street. It is so convenient whereby you will feel like you are travelling with a buddy who knows everywhere you want to go.

Since I arrived in the UK, I have been using www.theaa.com and maps.google.com to provide printed maps and directions for me. They are very reliable, accurate, but the main problem is that it is increasingly dangerous trying to read the instructions, reading road names, while at the same time looking out for driving hazards. Also if I miss a junction or turn, which I always do, I will have to work my way back to the same point and continue again. Adding to the pain is when driving in the city traffic especially in London city where you have bus lanes, congestion charge zones and one way streets. That’s why I usually decide to take the train or go for park and ride option.

Now, with this Mio 268+, if it is doing what it says on the review, it should solve all these problems. With the GPS capability, it will be in constant contact with satellites to get the current coordinates and produce all the directions I want to go. It will display instructions and speak out the direction as well so I can concentrate on driving and at the same time it will re-route to any new directions if I miss any turning/juctions. To be honest if I still miss turning/junctions even with the help of this gadget then I should book myself for a doctor’s appointment.

Do you know UK has a very well defined postcode system? Meaning a unique postcode is assigned to a very small area of addresses. Example is the flat where I am living has a postcode, while the opposite hospital (only 200 yards) has a different one. This allows satnavs to do a very precise destination search. Market leader Tom Tom provides full UK postcode search while this Mio 268+ only supports part of it. But I think it should be alright. Btw, I am going to test run this satnav tomorrow to Manchester and then to Preston hehe… Will kick it back to the seller if it turns out to be a lemon.

Also… it is my birthday present from my pregnant wife
Man don’t always get upset with age during birthdays if there are good toys to play with.

Simple and easy to prepare. It looks like roti-canai huh? As the weather gets colder, we need to feed ourselves with more warm food. This is best served with a hot glass of Cadbury chocolate drink - mel.

My second scan went well but just that I had to return to the ultrasound department 3 times. That was because the sonographer couldn’t scan the baby’s spine as it was in a breech position; resting on its butt. I had to take a few walks and had something sweet to eat/drink in order to trigger the baby to change position. We were successful only on the third time when the sonographer managed to scan the spine. She commented that the baby was not very cooperative and we also thought that it was pretty mischievous. Fair enough as the sonographer says it looks like a boy! Wahahaha little rascal. If it was a girl, we would have named her Valerie (yes, after my middle name) but since it’s a boy, so Cameron he is! (That’s how we came up with the nick Camberley=Cameron+Valerie, although Valerie doesn’t really fit in but it was just a pet name). Only my friend, Rachel managed to guess the name right. A prize for you Rachel and welcome to the UK once again! As I’m sitting still right now, he seems to be kicking a lot. Eng could even feel the movements by just resting his hand on my bump. Pretty strong kicks I must say. Unfortunately, I’m down with running nose and a little cough. Hopefully would recover soon. Got to go for now…Mel and Cameron signing off…..

This is my version of the dish; without dried chillies and oyster sauce. Well, I never use oyster sauce or MSG in my cooking coz it’s unhealthy. That’s why it tastes different from the famous "Kung Pao Chicken" at Esquires Kitchen, KL. oohhhh I do miss it though. Anyway, I made an unconscious move towards the end of cooking. I intended to turn off the fire but instead turned it on full blaze. While it was left boiling, I did some washing for 1-2 minutes. When I returned to the pan, I realized what I had done and quickly shut the fire. Fortunately it was not burned but instead, the high temperature brought out the aroma and taste of the cashew nuts in the chicken. Eng loved it! Should I have done according to my original plan, the dish would not have tasted the same.
So I guess it’s the same in life. Not trying to be philosophical but isn’t it true that some inadvertent decisions or actions are meant to prove something right or better? Not all “mistakes” bring agony in life, so we should look forward positively if things happened unplanned. In fact, some adhoc verdicts might even prove to be more prolific as human plans might not turn out right all the time. At the end of the day, I somehow believe that certain incidents are meant to be and planned in advance by the good Lord  – mel.

I sent my car to an Audi Specialist Fontain.co.uk for cam belt service yesterday and cost me a whopping £500 !

I could have had a £300 service from a local garage but it seems to be fully booked all the time. Out of no choice I resorted to Fontain as they were the only one who would book me in this Saturday. It’s really an arm and leg experience but I hope and pray that will not happen too often. Well, if I were to plan my Preston trip much earlier, I wouldn’t be in this desperate situation calling garages to book me in. An expensive lesson learnt.

In Malaysia, we have plenty of garages to choose from. A lot of them are willing to go the extra mile for you, fix bit and bobs for free, price is negotiable and it is cheap. Then again you will need to carefully choose which one you would go to as not all mechanics are capable of handling the advance electronic system in newer cars.
In UK, things are slightly different. Standard garages will need approximately 3 days in advance to book your car in while you may find some top garages won’t be able to book you in unless you call 1 or 2 weeks in advance. Also, I realise famous garages don’t open on Saturdays which annoys me.
Labour service is charged by hour. Different garages have different rates. Some dealership garages charge £80 to £100 per hour, while some standard garages charge £40 to £60 per hour. Say if you are sending your car for a major service which requires 3 hours in a standard garage of £50/h. Total labour would be £150 excluding parts and VAT. At the end of the service you would not be surprise to receive a bill of £200-300. Luckily, most of them know what they are doing even with newer electronics gadgets packed cars so I basically have plenty of choices but need heck lot of time for planning.
Another thing worth mentioning is that, under the new European’s fair trade ruling, new cars under manufacturing warranty are allowed to be serviced by non-dealership garages without voiding the warranty requirements as long as the service schedule and itinerary are well kept. Unlike in Malaysia, where we have to stick to manufacturer’s service centre within the warranty period which is expensive compare to other garages out there.

Next thing in my list is the major service, which I am very much looking forward to (not financially) while the vehicle is still under warranty from the insurance I’ve bought.

BTW, a piece of plastic cover at the back of driver’s seat has fallen off when I first got the car. I think I am quite close to claiming a new one from Car giant. It costs £100 including labour to fix it. No kidding! I don’t mind sticking it with a double sided tape if I were to fork out that much myself for a pitiful cover! -eng

**did you realise that i have created a new category ‘Car Talk’? As though I am going to write a lot about cars which I doubt. Mel reckons everything will ‘cool’ down in 2 months time, like the old saying ‘Chicken sh*t’. Let’s see…

Blink of an eye, it’s that time of the year again.

It was the same season last year when both Eng and I entered the UK together (though Eng was here much earlier than me).

It was the season when we both were so busy with business travels and at the same time had to cope with relocation matters.

It was the season when we had to look for a permanent residential location in less than a month (I was lucky as Eng did most of the findings as I was traveling).  

It was the season when we arrived quite empty handed whilst we waited for our 40 packs shipment to arrive from KL.  

It was the season when I was trying to adjust to the hot weather in Bangalore and cold weather in UK on alternate weeks till I developed some skin rash that impured me for 2 months!  

It was the season when I visited Microsoft in Redmond, Washington that totally changed my mind on career progression in IT. No offence to Microsoft fans, but the expressionless, technical geeks at work really freaked me out. I did not regret, on the other hand I am extremely glad that the opportunity had made me discover my true interest. Nevertheless, I love the colours of fall in Washington. Aren’t they lovely!  

After all the “fun and games”, it was miraculous that we managed to get through the trying times with endless constraints. It makes me believe that we as humans can always survive challenges when the time comes and should not let fear or doubts hinder us from progressing. Every encounter will definitely have its own risks and if we do not try, we would never know the outcome. Its just part of life, isn’t it? Most importantly, we get to cherish and learn from the process – mel.

I started to feel Camberley’s movements sometime last week; the 20th week. This week, the kicks are getting stronger and regular. I guess she/he is doing some summersaults, that’s what they normally do. It feels rather ticklish but nevertheless a truly sensational sentiment. I normally feel it towards the evening or when I’m sitting still. On numerous occasions, I experienced it when I was sitting at my desk in the office as well as during discussions. According to sources, baby in the womb sleeps when the mum is awake and active (walking about); and wakes up when the mum is asleep. This theory associates with the fact that babies like to be rocked to sleep at their early age. Makes sense? We will know Camberley’s gender after our visit to the sonographer next week. Hopefully, Camberley will be comfortable enough to reveal its sex to daddy and mummy. I do not want surprises nor wait for another 4 months! Knowing the gender would be very helpful, as I can’t wait to buy some cute infant clothes

I’ve successfully fried mee-hoon dozens of times but I made a blunder out of it last Friday. I soaked the new packet of mee-hoon in hot water for too long till it became too soft. I tried frying it for a longer time with the hope that it would dry up but in vain. It’s like the Malay idiom “Nasi Sudah Menjadi Bubur”. I felt defied by the silly mistake and thus had to prove to myself that I could manage it differently the second time. And……here it is! Hooray! But the accompanying dish which I truly miss is hokkein style sambal udang (sambal "hei bi") – mel.

We spent a night at Aunt Violet’s place in Wolverhampton, Birmingham. We’ve visited her several times since last year including Christmas. However, this time we managed to meet more relatives whom we’ve last seen since years ago. My grandaunt and granduncle are already over 80 and it was half a decade since they last visited Malaysia and met up with the Malaysian relations. These photos were taken with the grands and cousins. As you can see, my bump doesn’t show very much although I’m in my fifth month.

Ya, I bought myself an Audi A4! I had been dreaming about buying an A4 since I arrived in the UK and finally it is all becoming real!

It’s a 2.0L Petrol engine which comes with Manual gear and capable to deliver 120bph with 0-100km in 9.6 sec (it’s a heavy car anyway). I must say, Germans know what they are doing and the car didn’t fail to keep the promise of delivering high standard of comfort and quality.

It is however quite thirsty on fuel and I reckon it’s about twice the consumption compared with my previous Mazda. Talking about cost, I am going to send it for a timing belt change along with other important engine components. Did a price check with Audi dealer and was told that it would cost a jaw dropping £500! (Excluding service). Good things come with a price, don’t they.

We have just returned from our 250miles test drive from Birmingham, an overnight in Aunt Violet’s place. The journey has once again reaffirmed our right choice of car.

A 2-days car hunt has finally come to an end. I found the next car I am going to own from the Car Giant in White City and they were willing to part-ex the Mazda. Although it has been a mere 1 yr and 5 months, the Mazda has brought me through all sorts of unpredictable weather in UK. Strong gales on M40, Snow storm in Birmingham, 36C ovenly hot day with malfunctioned Aircon, heavy sprays on motorways, hail storms in Richmond and hazy rainy nights. It was 42K miles on the clock when it was in a garage in Liverpool, and now it is 69K miles, an impressive achievement of 27k miles mainly due to business trips. Most of the business trips were to and from Preston, Oxford, Hemel Hempstead, Feltham, Liverpool.

I would say, the most memorable experience with the car was the Snow storm in Birmingham when it was also my first experience driving back to the hotel from Dudley office where most of the road was covered with black ice. It was pitch dark, slippery and of course freezing. Exciting! Others were my Parent’s visits to Peak District, Windsor, Bath and Oxford, and also TienHow’s family’s (my x-classmate) trip to Windsor. My idea of changing the car grew stronger and stronger since a month ago and quite coincidentally, I had a cracked wind screen on my way to Preston last month.

Knew that I was going to change the car, I didn’t bother fixing it. Then what pissed me off last Friday Morning was on my way to Hemel, a lorry refused to let me into his lane and subsequently scratched and dented my rear. What a bummer! It was a Marks and Spencer’s truck ! I didn’t pursue any legal action nor tried to stop the truck. I was a coward because I knew I was partly at fault for going into his lane via the Malaysian way. Well, I wasn’t in a top mood the whole day and Mel very much supported me that it was time to get it sorted for good that weekend…. We spent the whole Saturday afternoon looking at a VW Bora and Nissan Primera. Came home thinking that I was going to pick 1 of them. But the night itself we changed our mind and decided to check out Car Giant – The biggest car supermarket in the Europe in White City London! It was totally unplanned, both of us spotted a car that we knew we would be feeling heart broken if we were to leave the place empty handed. The rest of the story was like a dream where we couldn’t recollect how many ppl we’ve spoken to sort out the sales transaction. At the end of it, I got what I wanted, a car that I have been thinking of owning and just couldn’t stop grinning. And obviously Mel didn’t miss her opportunity to earn her smile by requesting for her favourite Mui Choy Kao Yok in Bayswater. As I am writing this… I am waiting to leave for Mel’s doc appointment and to pickup my Insurance cover note for the car.

Then… my four rings experience will begin tonight… - eng

In my previous post, I did mention about pork belly with preserved vegetables (“mui choy kau yuk”) that I’ve had in Four Seasons Restaurant. Since then, I’ve been thinking about it and have been influencing Eng on how tasty it is and that he would regret not trying. When it comes to food, he says I’m out of control ha! Well, I can give all the excuses in the world as I’m eating for 2 these days. That’s the beauty of pregnancy. Finally, managed to persuade him to the restaurant for lunch and this is it! My mui choy kau yuk. Looks good doesn’t it? Not a healthy diet, so I would only allow myself to consume it irregularly. 

The portion was huge, so we "tau pau" the leftovers for dinner. This is the "evolution" of the original dish into Brussel Sprouts Stir-fry with Pork Belly. I believe the pork belly would basically goes well with anything - mel.