x[citation needed]

Fun-Static! (and a prank idea)

2009-05-02T06:38:00.002+01:00

Being one of the globally renowned oil company, Petronas practice strict rules and policy with regards to HSE – Health, Safety, Environment. Hence during morning meetings, attendees are encouraged to raise/notify any substandard act or condition.

Two days ago, the HLO (Helicopter Landing Officer) complained that while trying to open the door of a just-landed chopper, he received several static shock. Apparently they flew through stormy weather before arriving at Resak.

Later after the meeting a personnel approached me and asked (in a puzzle-riddle tone):

An airborne aircraft is bound to accumulate static charges while cutting through the air. How does this kept away from harming the passengers? Or how does the earthing of the charges work (while still flying)?

I thought it was time to Google the answer, but my ego won’t budge. He obviously knew that the answer and was testing me out. So I brainstormed a bit.

***

I remember last year while shopping at Carrefour with Azie. With 20 cent handy, I detached a shopping cart. The cart was rather aged; the wheels squeeked as they spin. The bearings must have really worn out. Holding the handle bar (of what material I don’t know), I pushed around for quite a distance.

Then I touched the steep body, and ‘Hadoi!’, a jab of electrostatic shock striked me.

Come to think of it, those friction at the wheels must have mounted up static charges on the metal body. Failing to earth through the wheels (what? was it rubber?), it chose an alternative available path, ME.

Damn trolleys… it occured several times even. But it gave me an idea to conduct an experiment/prank.

While pushing the cart around, I had one finger touching the steel frame. As the wheels generate charges, I store some of them in my body. Not only this prevented me from getting more shock, I have became a walking-human-capacitor, ready to strike!

Consequently…

Hehehe.. lawak2.. you should try that sometimes. ‘Unlike charges attract!’, so that’ll improve chemical bonding between you two.

***

So back to the aircraft situation. I could only speculate that as the aircraft build up static charge, the passengers store them too. Therefore there won’t be any electricity exchange between the bodies because they’re all of the same potential.

And that the charge will instantly be earthed once it lands. (And well, maybe extra charges accumulated during stormy weather did not discharge quick enough.). Make sense, kan?

But but…

Gile hape, this would spoil all the instrumentations in the aircraft, as they are highly sensitive to even a miniscule amount of static electricity.

And how bout those SWAT teams absailing down from a hovering chopper, mesti gila kene shock masa sampai tanah, as he is the only earthing path!

So what are the other options? Through the air?

Ok Mr, I give up. But I’m gonna Google it first, THEN tell you the answer.

***

Ooohhhhhh.. it’s called a wick.

PS: sorry eh yang… :P

Resak CCR

2009-04-25T16:08:00.001+01:00

There are times when I feel really really really bored on Resak, and being a relatively new platform, almost everything is automated, so less work for all of us. With limited internet connectivity and reading material, I knew I had to find something interesting to keep myself occupied (heh, don’t I always?).

I’m very much intended to take some pictures of the platform, but to comply to a photo-taking permit is such a hassle; no flash allowed, gas test required, bla bla bla. Leceh

Hence let me just present to you Resak main control room. Obviously I’m not in the pic; who else was gonna hold the camera?

Insyaallah I’ll come back later with more pictures.

Cryptography + Arithmatic = GeekyFun!

2009-04-20T09:31:00.001+01:00

A few years back (before the era of widespread Sudoku craze), I was hooked on a particular type of cryptarithm. Being a puzzle enthusiast that I always am, I had a book full of this puzzle which was almost completed.

Having nothing much to do, it sure feels sentimental if I can revisit those puzzles and re-evaluate my deduction capability.

***

A typical example of such puzzle is as follows. (created by this old dude)

    S E N D
+   M O R E
= M O N E Y

The goal is to identify the value of each letter, while abiding to the following rules:

Each letter must represent a different digit
The leading/leftmost digits must not be zero
The solution is unique (usually, unless otherwise stated)

If you’re willing and persistent enough to try, it is not difficult to discover the solution.

    9 5 6 7
+   1 0 8 5
= 1 0 6 5 2

Interested? More cryptarithms can be found here.

***

Also, try out below puzzles too. They took me a half-a-lunchtime to create and verify. (The solutions may not be unique)

    S A Y A
+   S U K A
= M A S A K

           K A U
+   B O L E H
=     B A L I K

    A Z I E
+     A N D
= H Y R E E

Do post your answers in the comments.

Force needed to tip a cow

2009-04-08T02:08:00.001+01:00

hahahaha. Found this on Digg.

Too lazy to verify the force calculation as my physics got really rusty (fadhli, aimran sila tolong). The only flaw I found is that the centre of mass should have been higher.

Get a partner, and lets go tip a cow!

Sources: 1, 2

Earth Hour may cause power surge...

2009-03-28T04:44:00.001Z

...if TNB isn't prepared, endangering the national grid and severely damage many generators.

In 1999, a short solar eclipse hit the UK. naturally everybody would turn off the lights to observe the rarely occurring phenomenon. Sudden drop in power demand was promptly handled.

But as soon as the sun reappeared, demand increased rapidly as people resumed normal life, causing the most significant power surge in the UK thus far.

(source: ni semua EES lecturer Tim Green yang cerita)

Lets hope every utility providers in the world has foreseen this and be fully prepared.

Hooray for Earth Hour!!

Your desktop = You

2009-03-12T08:35:00.001Z

How you arrange your desktop icons and your wallpaper of choice can represent what kind of person you are. According to psychologist Donna Dawson;

• Desktop with icons strewn across the screen - the owner is disorganised and tends to lose focus easily

• Even icons on each side - owner values balance and proportion and tend to keep a cool head in tricky situations. Likely to be organised and dislike clutter

• Desktop with many rows of icons - reflects a person who needs everything to hand, likes to feel in control and on top of their life, while at the same time revealing a tendency to be slightly disorganised

• Personal photos as wallpaper - indicates the kind of person you are and what priorities you have. Often a parent will have a photograph of their child, or a keen traveller will have a photo of an exotic location. Photos of friends shows popularity, useful in work environments where you need good people skills

• Plain blue wallpaper - suggests the kind of person who likes to keep their personal lives private

• Trophy photos as wallpaper - Choosing pictures of past successes can suggest a big ego and someone who glories in their past successes so choose carefully!

And here is my desktop as I'm posting this:

The layout of my icons is highly dependant on the image composition of the wallpaper I currently put up, and my wallpaper of choice revolves every month. So what does it says about me?

Source: Gizmodo UK

DIY car remote amplifier

2009-03-06T07:50:00.002Z

A few days ago I learned something new on the net: pressing your car remote against your cranium while pushing the unlock button boosts its signal and could get you a few extra meters than the maximum distance normally needed to unlock your car!

I was really skeptical. Can your skull really work as an antenna? The harder question is, can it conduct radio frequency, or even amplify it? My amateurish physics knowledge says it shouldn't.

So I put it to the test, Mythbuster-style, although control parameters and fixed condition are largely ignored. Azie was my witness.

Step 1: Approximately 30 meters away from her Myvi, I pressed the remote while holding it up high, trying to get the signal reach as far as it could. Car not unlocked.

Step 2: At the same position, I held the remote against my temple, surprisingly the car was unlocked!

Step 3: Retrying Step 1, I had to move in 5 meters closer to unlock the car.

Sigh. It worked (when I thought it shouldn't). I don't know what to believe now. Somebody please enlighten me.

Entah tak tau.

2009-02-15T12:09:00.002Z

I actually have a longer piece in writing so in the mean time, I'll just post this quick one.

It is easy to overlook through things.

For those who have just viewed above picture, you can be categorized into 2 groups:

People who immediately realized that there is a terrible mistake in the photo.
People who realized nothing the first time.

If you're in the 1st group, congratulations!

If you find yourself in the 2nd group, don't bother trying to figure out what's wrong with the picture, because you're very unlikely to identify the mistake. Step away from the computer for a minute, go wash your face, have a walk, and retry. Good luck!

ps: Azie just requested to have me mention her name in this post. so here goes

Azie Azie Azie Azie

hehe love u...

Viva la Pizza!!

2009-01-02T12:55:00.002Z

Things are starting to get a little hectic now. As I learn more about my job function, even more tasks are handed over to me.

What's more nerve pumping is that being someone of a position that requires a lot of decision making, and each decision has a great impact on the company as a whole. The challenge has always been epic: make the right decision, and fast.

So today I was again presented by some problem requiring quick answer.

Of valves, pumps, pipelines and miscellaneous.

I shall not share with you I had gone through, as that would sound so Petronas-ish.

***

Gambar hiasan: Tiada pizza sebenar dibuat

Instead, I shall present you with an everyday problem, that you may have or have not encounter. It is something I once discussed with my girlfriend (then fiancee, now my wife).

You and your partner went eating out in Pizza Hut, and ordered a regular 9" pizza. But then the waiter says that 9" pans are all in use, and offers you two small 6" pizza for the same price as a 9". Will you take the offer?

Most people would immediately say yes. It sounds like an attractive offer, that you-have-yours and I-have-mine. And don't forget to mention we even get more portions for ourselves!

Or do we?

A quick mental calculation reveals that:

9" pizza. Radius = 4.5". Area = π20.25 inch²
6" pizza. Radius = 3". Area = π9 inch². 2 pizzas: π18 inch²

I would stand by my rights and demand my 9"! Plus I get to share it with my beloved wife, and sharing is loving right?

So whenever you eat at a pizza place as a couple, always order a regular, in which the set menu will always be cheaper. Talk about getting more for less!

***

With Petronas (or any company for that matter), this kind of problem involves thousands of $$$.

Hairi & Azie Wedding Reception; 27 December 2008

2008-12-12T00:26:00.001Z

Assalamualaikum & Salam Sejahtera everyone,

We request the pleasure of your company to share with us a special moment as we celebrate the marriage between

Ahmad Zulhairi bin Mahadi

Noraziatie binti Yusoff

Date: 27 December 2008

Venue: Mini Stadium Bistari, Ayer Keroh Melaka

Time: 11.00 AM - 4.00 PM

Due to unprecedented constraints, I would also like to direct my apology to my close friends for not being able to hand out enough cards:

KYSM9701 buddies, and everyone attended KYSM between the year 1997-2001, including my beloved teachers. Korang nak buat gathering waktu ni pun memang dipersilakan. Lepas tu boleh pergi jenguk KYS.
KMB 02-04 buddies, and everyone attended KMB between the year 2002-2004. 'Termasuk cikgu2 kesayangan yang best'
Imperial College London and all UK graduates between the year 2004 and 2008. That is, IF you're in Malaysia during winter.
SRJK(C) Chung Hua Tampin buddies. 对不起 for my broken Mandarin now. But please, do come!
Petronas colleagues. Jangan jealous I'm getting 3 weeks of leave ek. hehe..

Actually, invitation is not opened only to my friends specified above. To put it better, EVERYONE WHO KNOWS ME, IS INVITED.

We appreciate your attendance to the wedding.

Craving & Deprived

2008-12-07T03:44:00.019Z

'Sensory deprivation is the deliberate reduction or removal of stimuli from one or more of the senses.' [wikipedia]

A number of psychological experiments were conducted to observe how human cope with not having any sensory input, for an extended period of time. A test subject is kept in a pitched-black, sound-proofed room, with maybe only a bed to sleep on, alone, but is free to move around within the confinement. The experiment proved to be a very effective TORTURE method, where subjects will experient 'extreme anxiety, hallucinations, bizarre thoughts, depression, and anti-social behavior'.

The premise is simple - take away all sources of stimuli - and see how one muddle through with absolute nothingness. In normal situation, sensory organs continuously carry information for the brain to process. But in the absence of information, the brain keeps on working and processing, and starts to create information itself. This explains why we sometimes hear 'ringing' in our heads in a silent room. Worse case may involve seeing 'things' or feel someone nearby when you you should be alone.

But don't worry. That's not exactly what I'm experiencing. I'm sure there isn't anybody looking over my shoulder. (or is there?)

***

For all of you who don't know yet, I am now a regular offshore personnel on Resak Gas Complex, approximately 120KM offshore Kerteh, as an operation supervisor. The nature of my job is to be onboard for 2 weeks, then 2 weeks off, consecutively and continuously. It is thought to be a great opportunity to accelerate my understanding of oil and gas operation, and a wonderful experience too worthwhile to be wasted.

I currently live on this thing (Resak Gas Complex)

IF I enjoyed it, that is.

It has only been a few days, and I'm suffering some kind of sensory deprivation. It was hard to adapt when everything that I normally do everyday is unavailable here. My brain was in a blank state, and in dire need of processing information other than work related material! These are what I don't find here:

Internet - is around 15 kbps! Therefore no Youtube, Loading a page on facebook takes forever. Not to mention several favourites websites that are blocked.
Game - Never really get a chance to play my newly-bought XBOX360 until now. Oh I should propose for the platform to get a few: just to keep my sanity. Ni nak beli PSP ni..
Gym - Well there is a gym, but with condition such that everything squeeks when you lift anything. Good thing they allow jogging on the helideck.
Constructive conversation, arguments and chatter I had with my friends..
Girls - or for that matter, ONE girl. (tak pasal2 kene lepuk kang)

***

Nevertheless, it's not all that bad. The people here are very nice. I got to admit it was a bit difficult for me to blend in with the crew initially. But after a while it starts to turn around, and I begin to crack my oh-so-lame jokes, or fabricate new conspiracies about the world being ruled by draconians or share my puzzles and riddles that sometimes unethically divert people away from their tasks. Well just to keep myself amused.

All in all, I am very grateful to be here. Deprivation no more!

I forgot my shaver

ps: Another type of deprivation is to be fulfilled this saturday, insyaallah. yayyyy!!!!

Everyday

2008-10-16T08:53:00.011+01:00

... is about waiting for the end of the day.

How boring. When can I do stuffs like everyone else?

I think I'm experiencing some kind of time dilation which prolongs every minute into twice as torturing.

Oh and why is 4 o'clock written as IV, when most other roman clocks are traditionally IIII?

Udara dan Air

2008-09-28T15:17:00.002+01:00

The compounds that make up a tree don't come from the soil it grows on. Instead, they're mainly CO₂and H₂O, which form up H-C-O hydrocarbon, organic material. But of course, traces of minerals are absorbed from the soil to catalyze growth.

Supporting facts: Burn a whole tree, or observe a dead animal biodegrade; you'll find CO₂ and H₂O get released. What's left are materials belong to the ground.

So: We eat plants. Animals eat plants. We eat animals and plants. Are we made up of mainly AIR and WATER?

The science of seating

2008-09-24T23:30:00.006+01:00

It is almost the same everytime.

When attending an educational talk: ucapan, ceramah, kursus, lectures; out of a very large number of seating arrangement possibilities, you could usually discover the same seating pattern. One thing for sure, it is NOT random, and definitely NOT very organized.

Whether you give a damn or not, here goes...

***

Figure 1 shows the heat map of participants' seating preferences during a Kursus Pra-Perkahwinan I attended last month. The two sexes are expected to sit separately; female on the left and male on the right.

The red area indicates the most preferred seats as participants enter the room. Note the different hotspot pattern between male and female.

Figure 1: Mini lecture hall in Jabatan Agama Teluk Intan

The seating arrangement will only segregate when the lecturer in charge prompts the participants "Koghang sumer ni.. Majlis ilmu gini suka nak duduk belakang2. Meh penuhkan krusi depan ni.", or when the seats are almost full.

Similarly, Figure 2 shows the seating distribution when I attended the Petronas Operating Performance Improvement (OPI) workshop yesterday.

Figure 2: Multipurpose hall in Petronas Carigali, Kerteh

Again, as presumed, the heat map covers mostly the rear section of the hall. The front seats are filled when everywhere else is full.

***

Conclusion: I don't know. You tell me.

PS: If you're courageous enough to pick a seat outside the hot area, please be prepared to be discreetly labelled 'poyo' or a dork. This behaviour is seen as breaking the typical habit of a Malaysian, a non-conformist who challenges the norm of the society. Consider yourself warned.

PPS: FOR INFORMATION PURPOSE ONLY. This study is highly inaccurate and absolutely unreliable. It shall not be used as a seating guide to all events, especially when the event in question is an Akademi Fantasia concert.

Dang. I'm just bored. I miss doing real courseworks.

Kerteh here I come!

2008-09-16T05:20:00.004+01:00

And so after a very long wait, the time has come for me to enter the working world. I will be departing to from KLIA to Kuantan this evening, and to Rumbia Hotel in Kerteh where I will be staying for 2 weeks before securing a permanent accommodation. Best part is: all sponsored by Petronas. My position? Executive Field Engineer.

I have null idea about what a person of that position does. Whatever it is, I hope to go offshore. Sparingly, if not regularly. Having forced to go to Kerteh, might as well let me really get my hands dirty (also literally). What's the point of going to such a liveless place but still do office work, kan?

~~Who am I to refuse? I'm officialy their bitch now.~~ No no no, that was wrong. I'm actually feeling pretty grateful now to get this opportunity. Field works do seem interesting, thanks to Discovery Channel @ Astro 551.

I just hope there's decent internet connection to keep me in touch with the world.

Now answer that, government!

2008-08-11T15:11:00.003+01:00

I too am wondering why is this happening.

People have the right to be so freakishly ignorant, but keep it to yourself.

Why is the world so imperfect? - I asked

2008-06-10T22:50:00.005+01:00

Then Ijah replied, on Live Messenger:

life would be boring if the world is perfect

but life would be chaotic with the world being imperfect

bukan chaotic la, but challenging and adventurous

but world can be perfect and still be challenging and adventurous...

Hahaha... who am I to challenge the wisdom of cik Hafizah. Sorry la ye. Of course I had it coming, that life is about taking up challenges, overcoming obstacles, dodging complications, fixing blunders in this imperfect world.

But just how much magnitude of aggravation can you get when something you've anticipated so much in, spent a lot of time on, even dreamt about it when you sleep, and that little something fails miserably? That is probably how I feel right now. (But in my case; spent a lot of time: NO. dreamt about it: YES)

How annoying can it be when a circuit works perfectly as expected on a computer simulation, then proved to be such an annoyance when physically assembled? Why can't the world be perfect!?

Damn. I just told you I had this coming, and such imperfections are everywhere and to be expected. Why do I keep complaining about this?

This is what engineers do. Model it, get the concepts right, insert any error parameters thinkable, simulate it, add error compensation, rerun, get everything right, build it. In fact, the whole process may well be presented by the diagram below:

Every so often I find myself in the yellow loop. Engineers do too. That's why they have all the prototypes before arriving at a release candidate. At this stage I make sure to steer clear of the red arrow. That would be nothing but back to square one. There is no time for that now.

How I wish I can quickly proceed to the blue direction. Time is little. Courage is depleting. Motivation is gradually losing pace.

Wish me luck.

Mahalnye minyak! Apa mau bikin?

2008-06-04T22:58:00.006+01:00

I honestly do not understand the oil business. I still cannot comprehend how the crude oil price per barrel is set, and fluctuating every freaking hour. I cannot grasp the concept of how increasing the oil price in Malaysia should help accommodate this price hike, when Malaysia itself is an oil-producing country.

Deep down in my immature thoughts, I believe that sometime, somewhere, some group of people are playing fool of us. While we are whining at how bad our lives will soon turn out, they are laughing maniacally, admiring their own smart-ass-ness at screwing others. While we have to fork out more money to cover out daily expenses, those people are cashing in more $$$.

As I post this, Malaysian petrol price has gone up 40% - from RM1.92 to RM2.70 per litre. Truly devastating. But some say it is still the lowest price in the whole South East Asia region. Oh did I mention we're an oil-producing country?

On the other hand, putting all the ranting aside, I believe (hope) that the government's move to reduce oil subsidy has some reasonable explanation. I don't know what it is, as I really suck at economy and finance. I'm simply reassuring myself that those great thinkers and high-minded people of Malaysia know what they are doing, and not for the filling of their own wallets.

So, if anyone has any great 'Complete Idiot's Guide to...' article or explanation to what's going on, please point me to them.

(Kesian Azie ye... baru beli kerete MyVi...)

Petrodollar warfare: Can switching to PetroEuro help fix this?

***

Meanwhile, at the other pole of my immature thoughts, I think we are partly to be blamed ourselves. This, however, may be quite different from all the common and mainstream tirades you have heard. So brace yourself while I'm putting the blame on YOU.

Being the Malaysians that we are, it becomes habitual we you need a car to go out. When a convenience store is just 200m away from home, what is wrong with going over ON FOOT? Panas? Alaa takpela dekat je. Bawak kereta/motor lagi menyumbang kepada kepanasan global.

Every time we shop at a supermarket, we insist on obtaining a sheet of plastic bag to go with anything we buy, even for a tiny piece of pencil sharpener. What were you going to do with so many plastic bags anyway? Buat bungkus cempedak? For all I know, manufacturing of plastic bags require petroleum.

Currently there are literally hundreds of Sainsbury's plastic bag at my home right now, where the prospect is to throw them away as we're moving out. They are not recyclable, not biodegradable, extremely high longevity which will remain in the landfill for staggering thousands of years. What should have been done was to reuse them every time we go shopping. Or not taking a new plastic bag at all for a packet of Walker's Sensation potato chips. It's far too late now hahahahhaa...

Despite vigorous campaign by the Malaysian government (and UK), and a lot of money wasted on educating citizen to RECYCLE, we still DON'T KNOW HOW TO. As in don't know HOW to recycle, what can be recycled, where are the recycle bins etc. It is always far more convenient to toss that Tongkat Ali Power Root can into the nearby garbage bin. Recycle bin tu jauh kan. dkat hujung jalan tu. nak kene kumpul banyak2 baru berbaloi. pastu nak kene naik kereta lagi. eh silap, jalan kaki.

The symbol that lost its meaning

Ultimately, my point is: In a situation where we never put any effort in caring our mother earth, lagi mau komplen harga minyak mahal!!!

But if you feel that you've done enough, and are severely affected by the price rise, feel free to rant about it, and allow me to join you.

Thorpe Park rocks! - 2

2008-06-02T10:52:00.007+01:00

By popular request, I shall now present you another entry regarding our Thorpe Park trip on Saturday 24th May. I meant to write down (hah, no i did not) a full long post about the entire event but Fadhli already did. So rather than shamelessly plagiarize his post and laugh about it, I have edited this video for you to enjoy.

(Quarter-way through the video editing, I regret started it at the first place. The process was taking quite a while, when I should be focusing on my FYP. Plus neither Sony Vegas nor Adobe Premiere worked smoothly on my laptop, so had to go back to Windows Movie Maker, and the result is dissatisfyingly poor. Oh well, once started, it had to be completed. A few hours won't do no harm I suppose/hope.)

Be sure to watch in high quality

Oh I've overheard some issues being raised about how unjustifiable it was for having 6 - 4 split on the Rumba Rapids boats, when some argue 5 - 5 should be more logical. In my own defense, I say

Lai Lai, salah Lai...

But this is obviously a non-issue. Neither was it a discrimination. Heh.

Amusement Park + Saturday = Long queues (up to 70 minutes for the signature ride). But hours upon hours of queuing weren't just filled with gossips and empty chatter. These future engineers - especially Hanafi Tony - took a closer look on most rides, examining the engineering wonders behind their mechanisms. Über geek indeed.

All in all, we had a great fun. However, that was in no way mean that we've put down all our books, preparing to enter lazy summer holiday. Despite finishing our exams weeks ago, there's still a long road ahead. Project works are to be resumed.

We are far from done.

Wonders of Hue

2008-05-26T18:06:00.003+01:00

Let's start off with an experiment. Below are 2 pictures of me in Legoland London, the first one being oddly coloured, the second one black & white (middle click each to enlarge in new tab). Now

In the first pic, stare at the centre dot for roughly 15-20 seconds.
Then immediately move to the black & white pic and focus on the centre dot.

Provided your focus do no wander away from the centre dot in the second pic, the photo will momentarily appear coloured!

So what's going on here?

To people who enjoyed the illusion, but not interested in what actually happened, this is where you get off. To those who has a little theory and want to compare with mine, read on.

Complementary Colour

Let's start by going through the concept of complementary colours (although we have all learned this somewhere, sometime at some point of our life). Conventionally, there are three basic colour components: Red, Green, Blue (abbreviated RGB). The mixture of two adjacent colours result in another set of colour components: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow (abbreviated CMY).

From the diagram, you should be able to tell which- colour-plus-which-colour-equals-which-colour.

Clearly, yellow is a product of red and green. Blue does not in anyway contribute to the production of yellow.

Here, blue/yellow are said to be complement. So do green/magenta and red/cyan pairs. In other words, these colour pairs are also said to be inverse or negative of each other.

Conversely, and interestingly, if CMY is taken to be the basis palette, the mixture result goes back to RGB.

Note also that C + M + Y = BLACK, as shown the middle of this image, as opposed to R + G + B = WHITE above.

Afterimage

The first question goes: What happens when you stare at something (colour) for too long?

The cone cells in your retina, which are responsible for interpreting colours, become over-stimulated and fatigue. Eventually, those sells will send along an inverted signal to the brain, in attempt to level or counter the received signal.

E.g. If a patch of retina is over-exposed to yellow, the excited cells will try adapt by inducing blue to mute down yellow.

The effect shall remain for a few seconds once it stops receiving yellow. This is the so-called afterimage or ghost image.

***

Therefore, the oddly coloured Legoland picture is simply the negative of the original. No special trick here.

By staring at the inverted pic for an extended period of time, your eyes develop an afterimage with the original colours.

Notice how the green Lego shirt becomes pink in the inverted version; negative indeed.

Now I'm not sure about this one, but I think (and as suggested by Fadhli) that traditional film negatives work the same way. It may have something to do with material properties used to make the negatives, that colours become inverted in the film imprints, and has to be re-inverted to make sense.

Oh, and if you're an art student who's wondering what's the complementary colour of red, just stare at that colour for half a minute, then close your eyes, and your desired colour may then appear immediately.

Thorpe Park Rocks!

2008-05-26T15:47:00.002+01:00

Thorpe Park rocks! Special thanks to Fadhli, Pear, Hanafi A, Hanafi S, Sofia (organizer), Hafizah, Baya, Lai & Syafa for the wonderful time we had. I intend to write a new entry regarding the trip, but it wouldn't be complete without some photos (which are yet to be scanned). Just wait, it's coming soon...

Meanwhile, I think I have a couple of backup drafts here, saved in Windows Live Writer weeks ago, patiently waiting to be published just when I'm running out of material, or time. Let me dig up some.

Sour 24 turns sweet

2008-05-20T21:15:00.004+01:00

17th May; I turned 24. That's almost a quarter-centennial. Quadruple that, I may be a part of one complete century. 80 times that, I may have lived since 0 AD. Now how old is that?

Although I always feel like a 16-year-old entrapped in this ever aging body, I must not resist nature's progress. I do notice my thoughts towards things becoming more matured as I age, albeit probably a bit slower than my peers. However, I see no harm in retaining this childishness. That being said, I still like toys like I always do, and that's what makes me me. Yayyay.

Life expectancy of a Malaysian male averaged at 70.05 years (female at 75.65 years, how unfair). Therefore statistically speaking, I now have 46 years left to live. There' still a lot to do, and the probability of those to-do's getting completed is decreasing year by year.

Above may be the reasons why I seldom celebrate birthdays. Well, partly because I never quite see the significance of celebrating one. Of course, I get birthday wishes here and there, but it still felt like every other day. Why do people make a big fuss about birthdays anyway?

Later, I realize that celebrating a person's birthday is not about celebrating him/her being a year older. It is about celebrating the person him/herself who came into being. This is what makes celebrating birthdays meaningful

The presence of my beloved fiancee Azie into my life somewhat spice up my birthdays a lot. Dining outs weren't just regular dinners, but dinners where I'm being celebrated. Too bad you weren't here this year Azie, I miss you so much.

A lovely card received from afar

Nonetheless, even without Azie being around, I still enjoy this year's birthday big time. Special thanks to all my coursemates/housemates for the wonderful eat-outs and jalan-jalan. And thanks for the 'surprise' birthday cake and present today. I didn't know my birthday could extend up to 4 days now.

Kek buah 'kurang kalori' yang sedap

Also a million thanks to every single person who messaged me on Friendster or Facebook saying 'Happy Birthday'. It is like election, when so many people vote, it matters a lot (and I'm NOT saying it doesn't matter if so few people vote).

All in all, had a great birthday this year! ありがとうございます!

***

Insyaallah, I'm getting my flight back to Malaysia on 07/07/08. 'Bile Uncle Heli balik?' asked my 3-yo nephew, calling me Uncle Heli as he always does. 7-7, that's when.

Some random chat on Yahoo! Pool

2008-05-13T00:01:00.007+01:00

These few days, there has been a sudden, unexpected craze towards the multiplayer Pool game on Yahoo! Games among a few of us. We usually play against each other, but sometimes I prefer wandering around looking for strangers to play against.

My avatar is this cute looking brunette . And yes I do intend to make my opponents think they're playing against a woman, just for the fun of it, but I never explicitly say that I am one.

So yesterday I met this guy (or is it?), we played a few rounds, won some lost some, but what I enjoyed most was the conversation. To protect the innocent, let his Yahoo nickname be concealed. Keep in mind that he thought I'm a woman.

He’s in blue and I’m in red.

hi gl

hi

where u from?

some country in asia

ni hao

speak chinese? (what, does everyone in asia speak chinese?)

wo hen hao (luckily I do)

xie xie

jiao richard

bu yong ke qi

where u from?

u s a

i was looking for a chinese wife

lol

really

its true

so

why?

i learn some chinese

cause

i think

chinese girls are nice

not like americans

why aren't american girls nice?

too independent

thanks

isn't independent good?

yes and no

so you're looking for someone who follow your every word?

hard to find a faithful woman

there is too much sex and violence

i see

too many disfunctional american women
(He won the game)

gg

ns

do u work?

still studying

ok

goodluck finding a spouse

xie xie

wo yao

lao po (means wife in chinese)

hahaha. jia you

whoa

hey

youre up kinda late right?
(He pocketed the black ball. I won)

ns

gg

yeah. got exam tomorrow

study hard

of course

what subject

elctronics

hey

i have associate degree

electrical engineering

cool!

but now

im just electrician

so

i forget most of it

haha

mind if i ask.. how old are you?

dian gong (means electrician)

53. you?

23

nu er (means girl. He was asking. I didn't answer)

lol

so

u will be engineer?

probably

depends

you choose for yourself?

ofcourse. y do u ask?

oh

just ignorant

of your ways

want some pizza?

no

so.. haven't you found any 'candidate' in the past?

yeah

one day

she love me forever

next day

she disappear

?
(I won)

gg

killin me

one of us is killing me

as an american

can i ask u something

yes ofcourse

what do you think of muslims

a random one eh.. hehe sorry

well

not sure

muslem itself is ok

depends on if they are radical

i am a christian

god loves all people and hopes they will be saved

yeah. they sure will

but

really

i think

they wish to take over the world

i dont

neither does anyone i know

still

no matter what

all people are important
(He won)

ns

gg

so

u want to become a muslem?

i am one

ok

well

nice to meet you

are you an eskimo?

nice to meet u too

no

k

so did u have any change in perception

once i told u im a muslim?

well

i don't really know any muslems

so

i think

all people have to be evaluated independently

thank you very much

were you born muslem

does it matter

well

just use your common sense

dont let anyone talk you into anything

that you wouldnt do

i know

as a christian

there are christians who are not right either

i chose for myself

but

that's why jesus gives us the holy spirit inside of use

to guide us

dont worry. i do believe in jesus

good

as a messenger that is

well

i really dont know muslem doctrin

but

jesus himself says he is god

and

this is proven in the bible

sorry

for talking into this

no really. im fine with it

i was the one who brought this up right
(I won)

gg

hey. my breaks over

gotta go back hit the books

maybe we can play again sometimes

ok

nice to meet u

actually

im 33

bye

The Perfect Metaphor

2008-05-11T22:29:00.002+01:00

Seems familiar... (click image to enlarge).

2 papers to go. A mild headache. Not a very nice combination. Going to sleep now.

The Black Stripes Effect

2008-05-04T11:21:00.002+01:00

I'm in the middle of exams now so this would be a quick one.

Examine the picture below. To most of us with non-freakish eyes, it seems like an ordinary square pics filled with senseless black stripes.

Now move a couple of metres away from your screen and you'll see something familiar: my profile pic.

The original picture was re-levelled to give really faint colour, still fairly noticeable without the stripes. But the presence of black stripes force your eyes to assume the unstriped area are of the same colour - white. When you look at it from further away, the original information starts to reassemble.

(Hint: you can cheat by tilting your laptop screen backwards. But this just has nothing to do with the illusion, just the behaviour of your LCD screen. )

Exam Time

2008-04-27T00:14:00.006+01:00

"Much good work is lost for the lack of a little more"

That is my favourite quote. Always has been. Probably always will.

I once experienced having lack a little more. Obviously it didn't turn out well. But then the work wasn't really good, neither was it much. There's only myself to be blamed for the lost. wasn't even

So here comes the moment of truth again. An epic battle between me and myself. How will it turn out? I can only hope for the best...

No. Wrong.

I must DO my best. Hope alone won't do any good. I believe I've put much good work in this one. There's only a little more.

Here goes. Good luck to myself. And to all my friends who are fighting the same battle. And to everyone who helped sharpening my sword and hardening my armor. And thanks to the loved ones who give continuous moral support.

がんばって!

***

Oh by the way we had this Leavers' Party in Hyde Park on 22nd April. View the video excerpt here.

***

Edit 1 28/4: Comms Sys so screwed up.

Edit 2 29/4: So is Power Elec.

The way I see it...

2008-04-16T23:03:00.003+01:00

The way I see it, the election is crafted in such way that it will still be Clinton VS McCain in the end. Obama stands no chance.

If it were to be Obama VS McCain, Clinton's supporters would go for McCain. Another loss for Democrats.

Meanwhile Obama's supporters will avoid McCain at all costs. So if its Clinton VS McCain, Obama's supporters will at least back Clinton. Yayy for Democrats.

The decision is in the hands of the super-delegates. Either way, you won't see Obama as the President.

Dah. Nak study.

Can cookies reduce stress?

2008-04-12T00:05:00.007+01:00

People say I look stressed out.

Although I would happily deny that. The 3 weeks continuous cold and flu might have caused by climate change. But I'm all good now - antivirus updated. Pimples? Err let's put the blame on my raging hormone. I do get them every now and then. Still a growing kid, you see?

Wait. I went to Sainsbury's last night to get some snacks, and was pretty surprised with what I got home with.

This is very unlikely of me. Never in my life had I purposedly go out there and buy in total 785g of cookies with the intention of eating them all by myself. But but it's 2 for £3.50! Great bargain right? Oh noes my judgement blurred.

Then I possibly AM stressed. Exams merely 2 weeks away.

***

And I certainly envy people who can study for 5 straight hours, get a half an hour break, and continue for another 3-5 hours. *you freaks*

While I have a very pitiable study endurance. Only the first 3 hours at full boost, then a crucial 30-minute break, then 2 hours study at 3/4 boost, then another 30-minute break, then 1 hour of so-so boost, then I'm fried. Fried - does not mean loss of focus/attention. Rather I suffer mental fatigue; a point when my brain's so cramped the next sentences I try to memorize will decay exponentially in half-life interval.

I seriously need to improve my study endurance. Will the cookies help xcite my brain cells so I can study longer? Or will they simply add more artery-clogging fat into my system? We have at least until 18/04/08 to find out. (That's the BEST BEFORE date for the gingerbread men)

Boom Chicka Wah Wah

2008-04-08T11:53:00.018+01:00

During summer 2007, me and my brother attended this Aerobic Instructors Workshop organized by the National Sports Council (MSN) in Johor. {Me¦¦aerobic} is mutually exclusive, let alone being an instructor. So what the heck was I doing there? I was back in Malaysia having nothing to do, and my brother just needed a company (plus the event was entirely free). It was indeed fun. Thanks bro!

The 4-day-3-night workshop ended up with a test on the last day. Out of 88 participants, 33 passed qualified for accreditation - me and my bro included. But to be become an MSN accredited instructor, one would need to voluntarily become a novice instructor in any public mass aerobic event, supervised by an already accredited instructor, for 20 hours within 3 months. Boohoo, I skipped that one. One reason being having to return to the London soon, another simply because I was too lazy. Pfff.

So guess what? Out of the blue, I can actually instruct a mass aerobic now. Albeit not and accredited one.

As mentioned, 3/8 participants passed the test. Why didn’t the other 5/8? Not because the lack of individual fitness, nor was it because doing all the moves wrong. It was simply that most people couldn’t dance to the BEAT. Unlike just bobbing your head to the rhythm at the dance clubs, there is a larger picture in aerobic music one needs to observe.

THAT, people, is the reason of this post. By the end of this, I’m sure you’ll go around, sub-consciously tapping your toes whenever you hear an aerobic-able groove in the air.

***

Unlike the usual funky dance music, aerobic-able music MUST have these requirements.

Beat: The rhythm you bob your head to.

Verse: = 8 Beats. (Sometimes accompanied by exactly one verse of lyric)

Block: = 4 Verses = 32 Beats. (Sometimes accompanied by a paragraph of lyric / chorus)

Bridge: = 1 or 2 Verse. A deformed Block. The real heckler. Can be a mess if you fail to detect them.

Here I tag along a catchy song - Un Monde Parfait by Ilona Mitrecey. There is a 2-verse Bridge at the intro, the rest are all in complete Blocks, starting from the first audible bass. Go ahead and play it. And as you listen, I encourage you to grab a pen and paper, mark down every single beat, group them into blocks like above, just so you know how to differentiate them.

Done? How many blocks are there? 12. Good.

Now let’s forget pen and paper. Replay the song and count the beat verbally. This is an important exercise. It’s hard to proceed if you don’t get this one right. For every block, this is how you count:

"1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8

2.2.3.4.5.6.7.8

3.2.3.4.5.6.7.8

4.2.3.4.5.6.7.8 "

Great job! Now challenge yourself with this Butterfly song. It has many Bridges to confuse you. Also try play either song mid-track, see if you can get back to the count easily.

Yep. This is essentially what you need to know about aerobic music. You will then assign a move to a whole Block e.g. knee-lift with biceps curl. Then advance to the next Block with another move. However keep the counting to yourself; you don’t want others to hear. Instead this is what you say:

" *wink*wink*

*smile*smile*

OK next we’ll move on to Grapevine.. Ready?

4..3..2... Grapevine! "

There. Practice makes perfect.

Time-Travelling, HyRee style

2008-04-06T18:35:00.008+01:00

6 subjects to study. 1 FYP background report to write up. 1 coursework to give final touch. 3 whole weeks to go.

Time is indeed little. But I can’t possibly do all, continuously, without rest. I need entertainment, some distraction to keep my brain from bloating. I can either go watch a movie, play my unfinished Half Life Episode 2, or do something at least constructive. So I’m gonna go ahead and talk about my own understanding regarding a topic I’ve given some thought for a few years.

***

I wish I can time travel.

There are many events in the past I wish I can revisit and correct to get a more desirable presence. As an avid gamer, I like the idea of having Save/Load checkpoints at major points in life. In The Sims, if you screw up a relationship by getting rejected in a premature marriage proposal, you can reload the point when everything was smooth sailing (although I'd rather or go hook up with someone else).

There are also events in the future I’d like to foresee. Needless to say, who doesn’t want to go to the future then come back then act accordingly then get rich?

Hence the desire to time travel.

But is it even feasible?

There are many models and theories for time-travelling. Some are fascinating, some are entirely absurd. Some are paradoxical, some are self-corrective (lame…). In short, new theories are proposed every now and then by eager physicist in understanding the time-space relationship and how it can be manipulated.

I hope that by now you have understood the Parallel Universe theory. Part of this post will be related to it (or attempt to debunk it). To me, it is the most interesting and appealing theory there is. If the theory is true, there shall be no paradox, and travelling in time will be as smooth as travelling in space, albeit having some restriction.

BUT it is untrue - to my belief at least. This is where religion plays it part. If there's a multi-universe, would there be multi-God? Okay okay, let say God is at the outside of the universe shell, where God is just one, mightily governing all concurrent universes. Wouldn't there still be multiple clones of his Messengers, multiple copies of the Holy Books, all with different content to accomodate a particular universe? Therefore my conclusion: One universe, One timeline. (Dont get me wrong, I still love the idea of having multiple universe! What's better than scaring the hell out of the parallel ME in another universe!?)

I see that some readers may scoff at me for involving God in this serious business. Science and religion don't go along, I hear you say. But please bear with me. I am about to present you the reason of this post.

***

I come up with 2 time-travelling models of my own. In other words, I do believe in time-travelling, but very limited to many constraints. I am aware that my proposed models may have vast similarity with the existing ones. Many may have thought about them far earlier than me. But I don’t care. Since I came up with them independently, I’m gonna go ahead and name them myself. Muahaha - no one can stop me now.

1. Bi-directional, passive past travelling

You can go to the past, then come back. As frequent as you want. As far back as you want (no further than t=0, of course).

But there is a catch.

Your presence in the past can’t, and won’t, affect anything. Not even air molecules having to curve around your body as it blows. You can see and hear, maybe smell the surrounding, but your presence is completely undetectable. Nobody can see nor hear you, no psychic can metaphysically sense you, nothing can! Great thing is you can come back to the present and tell people what you saw.

Clearly, this model does not change the one-timeline condition. At all. How convenient.

So what good would there be for this kind of travel? To learn history of course! If you’re unsure which came first – chicken or egg – then boot up that time machine, go back and come tell us what you find.

2. Forward-directional, active future travelling

Sure, you can travel ahead in time. Enter a time-warp and appear in 2030. Good news is now you ARE part of that time. People can now see you, hear you, push you down the nearby drain.

Bad news is… you can’t go back. You’re stuck there forever. My advice: Go update your technological knowledge so that you won’t feel awkward seeing people talking to themselves without any mobile device nor Bluetooth visible – they’re embedded in the teeth.

Nope. Does not change the one-timeline either.

***

So there you go. Two time-travelling method, with certain conditions you must abide to. In short:

Thou can't change the past
Thou can't predict the future

Damn. What good is time-traveling if I can't do either. Oh well.

Of Petronas and Webtoys

2008-04-01T22:24:00.007+01:00

Hish.. How silly of me. I was so engaged in various events in the past I week I have forgotten about this blog. Thanks Azie for reminding me.

Being a Petronas sponsored student, I am sure to get hired by Petronas anyway. But this must undergo a certain sort of formality to induce some sense of 'getting hired'. Having said so, a common recruitment process was held. Obviously, Petronas requires this as a guidance for placing new recruits is positions it thinks they fit most.

And hence we took two ability tests on wednesday 26/8, followed by a structered interview on the day after. The tests consist of a verbal test and a numerical test (calculators not allowed). The former was ok, while the latter made no sense at all. I refuse to say in details, but let me stress that the test must not be indicative of one's mathematical intelligence. By the way, I hoped there was a logical, inductive test too. Too bad Petronas did not see the need to measure one's IQ.

For the interview, I'd say it was OK in overall. Apart from the sudden question 'Are you interested in teaching?', the rest went through fine. Fingers crossed, just don't give me any routine-based work. That'll be dead boring.

Really, there's nothing much to say about. Instead I'd really like to present you with something else.

***

As a regular user of the internet, have you ever came across moments where there is absolutely NOTHING to do? No one to chat with, nothing interesting on the news, no new gossips on Facebook, and you're totally bored (that's why I started a blog). Let me present you 3 great webtoys you can waste your time with.

Webtoys aren't games. They do not have any particular objective nor do they have any level system to track your progress. They are simply... toys! But they sure are fun! Even more fun when you are adventurous enough to set up your own goal and achievements with these toys.

1. Falling Hillary

Hilarious! Watch her fall to the oblivion. If she got stuck, drag her around as you wish. Leave it to play as your screensaver for continuous amusement.

The ragdoll physics behind this is game is quite incredible. There are also Skeleton, Bush, Hillary In Bikini versions of the game. But considering it is Hillary Clinton we're talking about, so this version is the best.

2. 'Someone keeps stealing my letters'

Funny, enjoyable and addictive. Basically, there is a white board with lots of English alphabet letters on it that you can drag around to form words, drawings, sort into colours, or do whatever you like. Problem is, there are many others doing the same thing, gleefully interrupt whatever you're attemping to do. I warn you. Please be mentally prepared to play this. Annoy, or get annoyed.

Last time I played, we arrived to this:

3. Acrobots

Decently simple game. Acrobots are creatures with 3 magnetically sticky limbs. Let me not spoil the fun. Go ahead and click on the link to see what you can do in this playground.

There you have it. Player discretion advised. Don't blame me if you don't get your work done.

Introduction

2008-03-15T18:21:00.001Z

Greetings, and welcome to my blog.

I have always wanted to start up my own blog, since more than two years ago. No kidding! In fact this domain name has been registered for quite a while, but filled with nothing but complete blankness. Everytime I pull up a notepad to draft out my ideas, laziness kicks in, followed by 'Hey I still got work to do!' when most of the time were spent on watching movies, playing games or surfing Digg anyway. This is obviously identifiable as PROCRASTINATION. Work indeed is plenty, but it's Easter Break! So here I am, toes curled, typing out my first entry.

***

I consider myself a variety man. That means I probably am multi-talented and multi-skilled in various fields of whatever. Too dwelled upon miscellany that I'm never particularly good at anything.

Therefore this is a variety blog. Expect not a daily log of a 23yo's life, but the very random thoughts of a wacky, delirious man. There is so much tell, but the output capacity is too little it'll take some time to recall all and get posted here.

***

The first thing I noticed upon signing up with blogspot/blogger is the potential difficulty to customize the page. The layout designing relies solely on the template HTML editing, and no WYSIWYG methods. A complete noob I am, but I do possess some simple HTML knowledge to fiddle with them. So please bare with me. This blog will slowly transform if I have the time (I know I always do, but the question being what I do in those times).

As a teaser, I present you with this little stereogram I made. To the uninitiated, a stereogram is like those Magic Eye pictures where you should be able see variable depth 3D images if you look at it correctly. Go practice those first, then you will soon find hidden and meaningful message in this one. Tell me what you see in the comments.

cur bumi nk hancur bumi nk hancur bumi nk hancur bumi nk hancur bumi nk
kau gelak lagi kau gelak lagi kau gelak lagi kau gelak lagi kau gelak la
sudah la wei! sudah la wei! sudah la wei! sudah la wei! sudah la wei!
korang terukla korang terukla korang terukla korang terukla korang teruk
btul tak patut btul tak patut btul tak patut btul tak patut btul tak pa
kan x tahu tak kan x tahu tak kan x tahu tak kan x tahu tak kan x tahu t
Jangan Merokok Jangan Meroko Jangan kMeroko Jangan kMeroko Jangan kMerok
e buang duit aje buang duit aj buang eduit aj buang eduit aj buang eduit
xde masa sudah xde masa sudah xd masa esudah xd masa esudah xd masa esud
ar sume org lapar sume org lapar sume org lapar sume org lapar sume org
tidor je lebih tidor je lebih tidor je lebih tidor je lebih tidor je leb
kan mi Pergi makan mi Pergi makan mi Pergi makan m Pergi imakan m Pergi
buk buat apa sibuk buat apa sibuk buat apa sibu buat kapa sibu buat kapa
ap kerja dah siap kerja dah siap kerja dah sia kerja pdah sia kerja pdah
tapi betulkah? tapi betulkah? tapi betulkah? tapi betulkah? tapi betulka
lagi rase bnyk lagi rase bnyk lagi rase bnyk lagi rase bnyk lagi rase bn
skarang buatla skarang buatla skarang buatla skarang buatla skarang buat
pesanan ni dgr pesanan ni dg pesanan rni dg pesanan rni dg pesanan rni
u oleh sebab itu oleh sebab it oleh usebab it oleh usebab it oleh usebab
hyree sgt best hyree sgt bes hyree tsgt bes hyree tsgt bes hyree tsgt b
ory! hybrid theory! hybrid theory hybrid !theory hybrid !theory hybrid !

Fingers crossed. Hope to see you again soon. I really do. Come on... I need some xcitation here.