My main mode of transportation is a japanese-made K-Car, locally assembled and branded.  I love that car. It is small, zippy and cute too.  Just nice for my own personal use.

The Malaysian government introduces a new type of petrol/gasoline a few months ago – RON95 and phases out the RON92.  At the same time, the price for RON97 was raised to RM2.05 per litre and RON95 was priced at RM1.80 per litre, the old price for RON97.

Just like sheep, I too committed and tried this new type of fuel. After all, the one which we’re used to are now more expensive, litre-wise. Soon after, I noticed some significant differences when using the RON95 fuel. On one hand, I seem to be missing somewhere about 50KM total of mileage out of a full gas-tank. On the other, my trusty, zippy car now seems to lost it’s pickup and responsiveness.

In response to this new development in my car driving experience, I decided to do a little test -

On a full gas-tank of RON95, I decided to the risk of really pushing the distance. With a sharp-eye on the fuel indicator, waiting until the needle went past ‘Empty’, only then I pull into a gas station for a refill. Usually, it was 430KM, this time, I managed to squeeze 450KM!

The refill was at 35 litres! Thus if I am to refill with RON95 at RM1.80 per litre for 35 litres, with a mileage of about 12.85KM per litre, it will set me back by RM63.

This time, I tried refilling with RON97 fuel at RM2.05 per litre for 35 litres. A full tank of RON97 costs me RM71.75

Now with RON97, I really drove my car almost like a maniac!  Mind you, almost!! I am not a total maniac.  But the responsiveness returned!! I really love it!  The car was so speedy that on the way back home from work on one fine day causes a hatchback german-made luxury car said to be imported from the state of Bavaria felt it’s ego challenged.  No dispute that he’s the emperor of the roads and a K-Car is not your class of competition but some people really do wants to show-off like kids!

Enough digressing, I am sure everyone’s more interested in the mileage distance. Bear in mind, while on Ron95, I drove normally.  On RON97, let’s just say – I enjoyed driving.  This time the distance is 515KM.  I am sure I can go further.  But when I refill the gas-tank again, with RON97, it’s 35 litres!

Let’s calculate – RON97 at 35 litres at RM2.05 per litres, I achieved 515KM.  That gives me 14.71KM per litre! It sets me back by RM71.75 for the 35litres.

If I am to achieve 515KM on RON95 at 12.85KM per litre, I have to put in 40 litres of fuel  which will cost me RM72. Now the difference is so slight here!  But I believe I can achieve better results if I did not substitute a brick for my foot on the accelerator and if I drive more like sane people like everyone else. (No! I believe I am sane, everyone else are maniacs!)

Furthermore, the response that I get from my car is simply fantastic!.  The difference where it counts might be insignificant, but just count how many cars are out there in the streets! Imagine the amount of profit that they rake!  I am driving a car with a fairly efficient engine.  How about those who drove cars with really bad fuel consumption technology? Those on Carburetors instead of Fuel Injections – Uh! disclaimer, I don’t even know what those words means!

Anyhow, enjoy!!

I present the Centos Public Mirror hosted on http://centos.maulvi.net

Basically, I’ve been installing and re-installing centos over and over and over..  Also, at any one time, I have a bunch of centos boxes running both physically and virtually.  This prompts me to run my own centos mirror.  It’s twofold – it saves time and make it easier for me to simply grab any packages.

Then I had a revelation – after leeching from the community, it’s time to give back something… This mirror is one small way I could do to give back and with a big THANK YOU to the wonderful centos linux community.

Enjoy!

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman (1903) “Maxims for Revolutionists”
Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 – 1950)

Let’s greet the new year with hope of progress for a better future..

Enjoy!

Well, I did some and eventually, it appears in the local daily’s tech section! 

I am nowhere really an expert, but that was something that I really strive for, with the grace of god, and assistance from friends and colleagues alike – god-willing..

Below are part of the article which appears in full here -

Resolutions made, kept, and broken

A system engineer with XyBase Sdn Bhd, Maulviridha Abu Bakar, is the resident Linux expert at work. Maulviridha is also into self-initiated awareness programs on Linux.
Last year, his resolution was to enhance his personal knowledge of Linux and Free and Open Source software. He had also intended to migrate all internal servers at work to Linux and Free and Open Source Software.
He had initiated the process last year at work and had been successful with some recognition from his employers.
They even let him conduct training internally and for customers, and Maulviridha intends to accomplish more this year.
He had also wanted to make Linux as the main operating system on his desktop for everyday use but to this day, he has only Linux installed on his desktop on a dual-boot configuration with Windows.
There appears to be a snag in the plan to go totally Linux both at work and home, says Maulviridha. “I seem to go back to Windows for some crucial usage and applications. For example, in the case of Microsoft Visio, there seems to be no quality alternative.”

Nonetheless, there’s much for me still to learn..  “Life is a lifelong learning experience”

Enjoy!

Simply put, I was very much disturbed by this event. It really affects me deeply as I went through two days thinking about Lau Jun Wei. Looking at his picture, I can hear his cries vividly. It seems very real, as I have to only imagine my nephew or niece whom are about the same age to imagine the poor child, alone and abused.

Whoever’s responsible, I sincerely hoped that they’ll be punished to the maximum extent of the law.

Sexually-abused child dies, couple held

06 Oct 2006
Jassmine Shadiqe

JOHOR BARU: He must have gone through hell before he died. And he was just three.

Lau Jun Wei is believed to have been tied up for hours and sexually abused until his private parts turned blue and his anus was bleeding.

There were also signs on his buttocks that he had been repeatedly whipped.

The abrasions on his little body were unbelievable: He even had bruises on his head.

A private doctor took one look at the dead child and the extent of injuries on Wednesday, and called in the police.

A 29-year-old relative and her 23-year-old boyfriend, who had brought Jun Wei’s battered body to the clinic about 3.50pm, were detained.

Their explanation to the doctor that the child had become unconscious after a fall won’t stand up to scrutiny as a post-mortem in a day or two will reveal the sordid truth.

What is sure is this: Jun Wei died after being methodically abused in the two rooms that his relative and her boyfriend had rented at a house in Jalan Kebudayaan, Taman University, here.

It is learnt Jun Wei’s parents are separated and that his father’s whereabouts are unknown.

Hours after the couple was detained, it emerged from their housemates that although they appeared normal, there had been signs that something was amiss.

A housemate, a primary school teacher who only wanted to be identified as Theen, said he sometimes heard thumping noises from the couple’s rooms after midnight.

“They maintained a quiet profile and there was nothing openly suspicious about them, except for the thumping noises,” said Theen, 26, who lived downstairs.

He said when he saw the couple about 3.30pm on Wednesday, “the boy’s relative was looking very pale and in a state of panic”.

“The boyfriend was waiting outside in a taxi. There was no sign of the boy.”

Theen said the boy seldom left his room, having been seen only about three times in the living room since his relative and her boyfriend moved in three months ago.

He said another strange thing was that the couple sometimes left Jun Wei alone in his room when they went out.

“I used to hear him weeping inside his room. People just don’t leave their three-year-old alone at home.”

Another housemate, who wanted to be known only as Tan, 29, said although her room was next to the couple’s, she seldom saw or heard the child. Jun Wei was unusually quiet for a boy of his age, she said.

It is learnt that the boyfriend works in a handphone shop at the housing estate and is related to the house owner.

Skudai district police chief Assistant Commissioner Johari Yahya, who confirmed the incident, said the case was being investigated as murder.