Me, Myself and I

Salam.

Hi everyone. It have been quite a while since my last post. I am very busy at the moment and i rarely have time to sit down and get my blog done. So I'm here. Again. This time I will not talk about gadgets or technology stuff. Just about me. Once in a while.

I'm back being alone again. Though surrounded by friends, it feels empty. Felt sorry for my friends. I've been quite sensitive and quiet these days. Maybe its just a different situation for me. Please stop giving me lectures of advice. I've heard them all too much.

I really want to get married. I want to be normal. Get a wife. Get some kids. Own a house and a car. But my so-called normal life may be impossible. Let's not indulge in the past. What happened before is a lesson to be learnt.

Well, things in the present is quite boring for me. I went to school, eat & sleep. That's all the boring stuff I did. My family? They're doing fine. But I'm not going back anymore. I guess. I'll just bring them over to Borneo. Planning to get a house in Sabah. Regardless of the location. As long as I can call it home.

I'm being very confuse and tense nowadays. Even the content and paragraphing of this blog went haywire. I don't know which one to tell first or later. I just spill it all out. I played DOTA again after a few years. Luckily my skill is still there. Guess I must be pretty tense.

"Jodoh bukan urusan kita tapi usaha urusan kita."

Such words have been in my mind for so long I couldn't tell when. It basically means that we need to put it effort as well and not just relying on fate and destiny.

I'm lucky to have some crazy friends. I love them as much as myself.

Right now I'm putting on effort. Effort in which I might've known the result. Well, maybe because I've never come across such an honest person. The result might not be what I was wishing for but I will still put in the effort.

I am not wishing for the stars or the world. I never wished for everything. Because human have something called LUST and it is very difficult to contain. I only wished for a normal life. Like I've mentioned before. I might look like someone who would lust for gadgets, cameras and all those toys but actually it is not. I wished for a normal life. Period.

The quest to find the right one is very challenging. It's even more challenging with a heart full of scars. But sometimes in the quest for the right one, we never realized that the right one is always at our side. Being supportive in silent.

I hope things will turn out okay. I will try my best. Giving everything. Maybe I've been reading too much stuff until my brain got corrupted with information. I apologize.

Thanks for those who understands me.

Salam.

New Things

7th January 2013

"Sejenis buah mata kucing". Locals called it "buah isau"

Waiting for our ride in the middle of the jungle

Yesterday, on our way to school, one of the hilux's types were punctured. we had to fix it before continuing our journey to school. We were delayed for two hours due to the incident.
Back to school, the first day was hazy. I'm not sure what to do. So I got the textbooks for my year 6 and carried out my lesson according to the timetable given. There's 4 students in my year 6; Juna, Sara, Jeshua and Linsa. Also, in my year 5 there's Geloria, John, Sabrina, Eliana & Gebrella. Gebrella is a new girl in SKOT. Last time she was in SK Lepong Gaat. After my first encounter with her, i find her to be quite good in English compared to the others in her class. Well, that's a good sign. I hope for the best.

Apuuuuu...

Mr. Irwan fixing the wheel

p/s: Its one in the morning and I couldn't sleep! Damn! Nescafe and afternoon nap might be the cause for this! However, being unable to sleep, I tried to be productive by typing out my lesson plan. And yeah. I've made a macro diffuser for my flash so I will be able to take macro shots easier.



8th January

My macro diffuser was put into test in the morning. I never would have thought that it would work great. I thought my custom made diffuser was as shitty as hell. But since I've made it based on my Tokina 100 macro length, it carried out its job perfectly. Class? My macro session was done after my class of 0820-0920. I got another one (1040-1140) and a little photoshoot won't hurt. Got some great shots of several bugs around the school. There's also a ginormous spider under one of the houses here but I wouldn't dare going near it. A bite would kill. It was quite gloomy here during the day. Nearly the same as London but not as cold. There's also a lot of keringit (blood-sucking insect) in the afternoon. Its hot and humid so i guess those little guys really enjoy my blood as their lunch.

My macro setup. D7000, Tokina 100 Macro, YN560

After using Tokina 100 Macro, I realised that there are some issue concerning it. Some lens such as the Nikon 50mm 1.8D were quite able to maintain its sharpness even while using an extension tube to achieve greater magnification. However, the Tokina 100 Macro doesn't. The sharpness decreases after using extension tube which also hampers the user's vision. Therefore, I have to use the lens without any help of the extension tube. The results were quite amazing. Maybe I can try applying Raynox DCR-250 on Tokina 100 Macro and see if greater magnification can be achieve.

While taking macro shots around the school, I came across several dangerous types of spiders. According to one of the teachers here, the one that has a yellow butt is poisonous. But according to National Geographic, if the spider is big, it can kill.



10th January

My school got a new batch of table for teachers and its really big (I mean it). Everyone get the table into place and poof! A meeting up next. Got a meeting up today. I'm currently a year 6 teacher and in charge of the SBOA (School Based Oral Assessment). I'm not sure about the other stuff but these 2 are my mains concerns right now. Done with the documents regarding the curriculum and now waiting for the subjects' files.

Tomorrow I'm going out to get all the stuff needed for my school. And yeah. Its going to be the day I post this blog as well.

p/s: Now I'm stuck in Kapit. Missed the boat to Sibu.

Something Different

Salam.

 I decided to do something different for my blog starting this year. Since I will only be getting out once a week/month, I would spend my time writing about whats happening around me in the extreme environment.

2nd day at school - (3rd Jan 2013) - 1259

I woke up late today. Everything seems boring a usual. Thought of going for some shooting but realised that i got tonnes of work up my sleeves. Yes. I'm the year 6 homeroom teacher. I guess i was assign to this as some might find me annoying. Last year i got a lot of chance to get out of school for stuff like PSKPP, courses and much more. Maybe some envy me and try to keep me in school. I don't mind being a homeroom teacher. Feels like i'm having my own kid. Got up cleared everything and getting the timetable done. Realised that i'm missing so many groceries especially foodstuff. Gonna get them next week because i'm not going out this week. currently, i'm watching Yakitate Japan! for the...i dont know how many times. There's no students in my school except for a few. Thierry, Sabrina, Jeshua and Geloria are some that made it. There's no sign of others. Maybe they'll reach here next week. I printed a lot of pictures . Just to ensure that my printer in is good working conditions. The ink is still 3/4 so i guess it will last for a while. I'm a homeroom teacher so I hope that my students will behave or I'll smash their heads again (just kidding :p). There's nothing to be done here except formal duties. However, being a homeroom teacher will be tiresome. Well, i'm in my second year of teaching. I guess there's no turning back. It will be a year before i head back to my hometown. Wish me luck.

Update at 2245:

I realised that at one time while waiting at KRV Inn in Kapit, i was stung by something at the near end of my spine. But when i check everything in my shirt, there was exactly nothing. The pain is nearly the same as a bee sting but i really can't be sure of anything (i hope its not one of those black magic shit). Up until now, that part is swelling up and the pain is still there. I've been stung by most of the insect and i can differentiate each of them  based on the pain it delivered. But i couldn't identify this one. Its still a mystery and horrific experience for me..

Salam.

Internet of Schools in the Jungle

Salam.

Another computer company had sent me another letter regarding their offer. I have to decline as being in the States requires me to leave behind my family, friends and my students. I did inquire them regarding the offer as I would like to serve within Malaysia. I am yet to receive news on the issue.

Internet connection had worsened day by day as I cannot update my blog as well as carrying out my role as one of the developers on **a. Most of the time, I would engage myself in standalone programming or development.

BTW, this time I am going to blog about satellite internet in schools in the jungle. Currently, the schools are using Schoolnet which uses a satellite dish to upload and download data. After carrying out research, test and analysis on the system, I have found out a few issues that have constantly being misinterpreted by those using it. Some issues are basically raised due to lack of knowledge in the field and it is believed that by following the norm, one will be able to solve the riddle. But it is not easy to change the norm that has taken place for a long time.

Internet Speed

"I'm having full bars on my laptop yet I couldn't surf the net."

Well, being said that, there's not much you can do. Many factors contribute to the speed of satellite connection. Some would be the humidity level around the satellite dish, alignment of the satellite, which way the dish is facing, server limitations by the ISP and so on. Therefore, it is better to be patient as in the jungle; internet (or maybe satellite phone) is your only mean of communication. Getting full bars on the laptop basically means that you’re near the router. It’s very simple yet most would prefer to believe that the server is having problem.

Using cable or wireless

"A colleague is using LAN cables to get connected. It is unfair for us who uses wireless. He's definitely getting better connection than any of us!"

The statement is wrong on so many levels. There's numerous explanation for this issue. It is believed (and not proven) that those using CAT5 or CAT6 cables will end up having better connection than those using wireless. To clarify things up, here is the explanations as well as results of the test. Routers will divide the connection evenly across all connected device be it laptop or mobile phones (even tablets). From the table below, we can see that the upload and download speed remains nearly the same between all connected device be it connected using cables or wirelessly.

Device	CAT5 Cable (UL/DL)	Wireless (UL/DL)
Laptop 1	10.5kbps / 73.4kbps	10.1kbps / 72.1kbps
Laptop 2	11.1kbps / 80.5kbps	10.9kbps / 76.7kbps
Laptop 3	10.1kbps / 70.1kbps	9.8kbps / 70.5kbps
Mobile Phone 1	-	9.6kbps / 72.2kbps
Mobile Phone 2	-	9.5kbps / 73.1kbps

*Results are based on the average within 30 minutes connected time.

Other variables that need to consider is range and whether it will affect the connection. But after the test, I find it unreliable as the result is the same except when you are situated at the long end of the range where connection will drop to 40% - 20% of normal speed.

Therefore, it is unacceptable for those who know nothing about computer and networking to brag something beyond his or her knowledge. The one thing that differentiates between the two methods is consistency. As we are all know that wireless devices would allow us to move around within the range of the router to get connected. Some would even bring along their device to the toilet and still get connected to the internet. However, those using cables are not allowed to do so as they have to remain still in one spot. The most they can move around while still getting connected is a small fraction of what others can do.

Turning on/off to get connected

"I couldn't connect to the internet. Its time to turn it off."

This is true for the satellite receiving server and not the router. Most of us believe that by turning it off, it will solve the situation but it is strictly for the satellite receiving server. The one that couldn't connect you is the router. So, the router is at fault, not the server. Therefore, it would be wise to turn off the router and not the server. The router might have reached the limit of maximum client allowed. When the satellite receiving server's alarm (red light) is not blinking, it means that the internet connection is present. It would be unwise to turn the server off because it is practically very difficult to get connected again to the ISP server due to the environment such as humidity and temperature level. So, once you get connected, it’s better to leave it as it is. Turn off the router only and not the whole system. I used to tell this to my colleagues but none of them really believe in what I've said. Maybe it’s because I'm new here and they thought I know nothing about it.

The router’s so-called antennae

I think this is the most foolish thing to be taken into account as one of the internet connection issue. You know that on some routers, there are so called “antennae” sticking out of them. For me, it is unbelievably ridiculous to assume that by moving the antennae towards your direction, you will get a better signal. I found that incident to be very childish in the networking world. The antennae will spread the signal in the form of sphere and not direct. If it really does, nobody would get internet connection when the antenna is facing the sky. So it will be clever if we stop assuming what we see is what we perceive. In science, there are a lot of things you cannot see like atoms, wireless signals and even your own fart.

These are some issues that I'm addressing regarding internet connection of schools in the jungle. I may not be socially good person but as an expert on this, I'm talking based on hard evidence and research and its definitely not some empty talk to boast about my ability. I did not take on programming or any networking courses but guess why companies would pay a lot just to have me in their team? I would love to work with them but going overseas again? Not in a million years. It’s nice to spend a holiday abroad but definitely not staying there.

I hope that my post this time would help clear things up for everyone using satellite internet. Such issues should not be brought up as it would portray one inability to analyze the situation critically. I hope that this post would not offend those who don’t know anything about networking. My intention of posting about this is to inform as well as to educate those who don’t know.

I will carry out further research and study on this matter to improve the situation as well as giving a clearer picture to everyone.

That's all for now. Thank you for reading.

Salam.

International Kinabalu Climbathon

Salam.

For those out there who would love to challenge themselves to the max, be my guest. Because INTERNATIONAL KINABALU CLIMBATHON is here!! Its not literally here but it will take place in a month time.

The race will be taking place in Mount Kinabalu, Kundasang, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo. Its actually a race to select rapid rescue squad to aid people who are having difficulties on the mountain but it turned out to be a spectacular race between world-class athletes.

The race will be a half-marathon event where there will be about 8km to reach the summit, 8km down and another 4km on the road.

For more information about the race, click here to head for the official website.

If you're thinking of joining, don't forget to train yourself as it won't be as easy as running on the road.

And another one, get yourself a flight ticket too.

Salam.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Salam.

(taken from diba)

Sorry for not updating for a couple of weeks since I'm busy preparing myself with Eid.
 
I guess its not too late to wish everyone

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Maaf Zahir Batin

I would like to ask forgiveness from everyone

Let bygones be bygones

Now is not the time to cry over yesterday's pain.

Now is the time to strive for a better tomorrow.

Well. Here are some shots before and during the celebration.

Honey Cornflakes

 Vitamins?

 Duck Rendang

 Preparing the chicken coop

 Eid Prayers at Kampong Ketoyong

Family Shot at Proton City Lake

Salam

Malaysia's 54th Independence Day

Salam.

Yes. August is celebrated as the Independence Month as Malaysia celebrate its Independence Day on the 31st of August. But since Ramadhan took over August, it is appropriate to move it to the later date which is on the 16th of September where a significant event also took place on the same day. The establishment of Malaysia. Previously known as Malaya, Malaysia now consists of 13 states and 3 federal territory and is divided into Peninsula and Borneo.

Every year, the theme for our Independence Day is different and this time, its

1Malaysia: Transformasi Berjaya, Rakyat Sejahtera

(1Malaysia: Successful Transformation, Prosperous Citizen)

I'm looking forward this 16th of September for our Independence Day so I can shoot some nice picts.

Salam.

Putrajaya Outing

Salam.

Head out to Putrajaya yesterday for some photoshoot and braking fast with Bazzryana, Diba and Nina (Diba's sista). Well, at first was me alone, travelling across Putrajaya from one precinct to the other and mind you, I've reach all the presint (up to 20) on my motorcycle within 1 and a half hours. Its nice over there and I've gotten some great shots too. Here they are.

Salam.

Ramadhan Bazaar - Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur

Salam.

Today I head out to Ramadhan Bazaar in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur with a couple of friends for some outing and shootout. Its quite different compared to other bazaars as they offer quite a few new cuisine such as Roti Tempayan, Tauhu Bunga and Oblong. Well, enjoy the shots below.

Salam.