Thoughtless Tuesday.

My bedsheet and pillow cases got changed while I was away, the new ones are so nice and soft. Can’t wait to go to sleep.

This is Lucky, my pet poodle.
Her name can be quite misleading.

Interesting problems.

I’ve had a good 7 hours of sleep, brushed my teeth and combed my hair. And as soon as I hit “Publish”, I’ll be on my way to KL for a fried chicken franchise meeting. I’ll be buying dozens of donuts back!

Last friday, I signed the tenancy agreement for a 4200 sqft commercial lot along one of Penang’s busiest roads. I then commisioned 2 super-banglas to clear off whatever that was left by the previous tenant. 5 lorry-loads worth of rotten furniture, partitions and carpet. They finished work on Saturday night.

Being a stingy self-employed with an IT background, I try to do everything myself. I’m the lousy autoCAD designer, lousy contractor and the lousy technician but I really enjoy playing all these roles. I feel that every new venture gives me plenty of learning opportunities. And when I have one else to blame and it’s my own money on the line, die-die must do my best.

I returned yesterday to take measurements and pictures. However, this new place have some interesting “new” problems…

The floor is uneven and has an empty patch in the middle.

Suspended ceiling is too low and the sanitation pipes leak!

The walls at the back are moldy. Water seeps through when it rains.

Toilet is too small and totally “uninviting”.

Every problem has at least 2 solutions, cheap or expensive. I always go for the cheap one. I have some ideas now and I look forward to blogging about my cheap solutions in 6 weeks. In the mean time, you got anything to suggest?

Sunday showtime.

We went up Genting Highlands to claim a Black Eyes Peas infused free holiday. In between meals, we decided to make 2 videos. Sasi as the reporter, Mogg as the sick stuntman and myself as the cameraman. Quite informative and educational clips. Watch them la…

Genting Gamble.

I finally have the chance to use the lip balm I bought several months ago. Genting’s dry air gives me chapped lips. Btw, I have a LOT of RM1 notes!!

I use to gamble a lot, but only when I go against the house. I’m casual when it comes to gambling among friends. Baccarat is my favorite game and I’ve made a lot of money from it.

When one gambles over a long period of time, it is the house that mostly wins in the end. Maybe it’s because the house has a slight mathematical advantage or maybe because it has unlimited funds. But I believe the main reason is because the house has no emotional attachment to the money at stake.

Back when I was an aggressive gambler, I gambled as if I am the house. I’ll increase and decrease the stakes, emulating how a panicked player would bet against the house. I set goals, limits, and always move around tables. With discipline, I always manage to multiply my “seed” money by tens of folds. And even when I lose that “final” bet of say RM10,000, I’ve only effectively lost RM500 of my own money.

Who in the world would give up that 50% chance to win RM20,000. But the process of slowly inching towards that chance troubled me. It took up too much of my time and it consumed my brain. I became lazy and unimaginative. And I didn’t look at it as something “healthy” to keep on doing. That is when I decided to quit using the casino as a tool to gain money.

BUT… Whenever I go up Genting Highlands, I never fail to reuse the “formula” to earn myself a free trip. An elaborated trip might cost me RM500. But it’s an amount I feel is a non-brainer to win back – if I go prepared with RM5,000 worth of “seed” money.

Going up Genting Highlands for Hitam Mata Kacang-Hijau concert, next update will be on Sunday.

My first digicam.

I was stuck somewhere in Prai for most of yesterday because I had to send my car in for a warranty claim. LC, on her last day being a slacker, (Grats to her btw, she starts work today!) was kind enough to rescue me. She bought me somewhere and introduced to me to my first bowl of dry Hokkien Mee.

After that, we went to her new house somewhere. Her father was overseeing the renovations works. Uncle really had plenty to tell about cast irons, zen ponds, cheap marbles, escaping tortoises, mango trees and stupid doctors.

The next destination was an orange mall somewhere where I bought my Sony DSC-T100. I like it because it’s stylish, lighter and slimmer than most brands. The salesperson was attentive and it made the sales very fast and easy for her.

I then directed LC to somewhere I know to have mixed rice. Dunno what happened to the auntie, but the lunch bill was cheaper than usual. Reduced to only RM4.50 RM4.00 per person.

MMK rejoined LC for dinner and bought me somewhere where we had nice authentic Thai dishes. I know there are a lot of “somewhere’s” but don’t blame me, I’m not from around Prai.

I just know how sit in the car and be driven around. And to open my mouth when it’s time to eat.