Saturday, April 22, 2006

Do I Have To Put The Title?

Captain’s Log Stardate 220406.11

It’s been a pretty busy weekend for me. I have to go to the office to finish up my work before I take that long break. But it won’t be a relaxing break as I need to help my mom in the kenduri preparations. Talk about kenduri, I wonder where in hey is my brother. He is taking an even longer leave but he has not returned to Kedah. When I SMS’d him, he said he’s in KL. I think that it is better for him to balik kampong and help our mum instead of melepak at his wife’s kampong. Ah well, newlyweds! Hahahaha…..

It’s been a slow week for me on the modeling front. I have assembled the F-5’s fuselage. Have a pretty hard time handling tiny PE parts for the cockpit – in the end, I have to leave off some bits…to small for me to handle! I wish I have the retractable repair hands of the Veritech Fighter! I may have to postpone the painting as I lack the proper colours and need to buy them at KL when I stop by next week. And last night I continued with my Scud launcher building programme. End up asleep most of the time and only managed to assemble the raising boom. Even that is incomplete.

OK…back to work!

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Strip and Search

Captain’s Log Stardate 200406.12

Painted the Fullback last week. I must have goofed up somewhere as the plane really looks funny. Well, it’s Kleen Glass time! I think I have used the glass cleaning liquid as paint stripper more than its actual intended use. In the meantime I have start building my F-5E. I might also want to strip the original decal from the other F-5E, which was originally intended to be a present to the former college principal, and replace it with VFA’s excellent decal. I want to make the earlier F-5E in its original, delivery markings.

I read in ScaleModelsMalaysia and Track-Link that Tamiya is coming out with a Char B1 tank. This is good news for me as it will (sort of) complete my collection, as there is still no French-built tanks in my collection (sure, there’s the Trumpeter’s Hotchkiss H39 – but I want the real heavy stuff). There is only one catch – there is no more space for any new tanks in the display cabinet! I might need to off-load some older stuff….like the old Tamiya StuG IV.

Elsewhere, I have to ‘tebalkan muka’ and asked for a wee bit of loan from my mum. Yeah, I know, I’m the one who should be sending money. I blame the 30 sen increase in petrol price and that stupid nyonya whose car my brother’s car collided with!

Hmmm I might need to patrol the college perimeter….’mating season’ is in full swing!

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

The Gathering

Captain’s Log Stardate 180406.16

It has been a pretty tiring weekend for me. On Thursday night, I drove down to KL for the preparation of my brother’s wedding. Started the journey at around 8pm and arrived at my aunty’s house at around 2am..well what can I say, I’m a ‘slow’ driver. My brother has even hilang akal…he wants to drive by himself, in his car with expired road-tax….and when I told him that his road-tax has expired, he said ‘Ye ke?’ Yeah…right! Road tax mati pun tak ingat ke?

On the following afternoon, I went to the mini-gathering of the Military board members of Cari.com. I was supposed to bring my family along but my daughter caught a cold and have to be left behind…along with her mother of course. Not many were there, just me, tin, Rainbow Six, mmc, jazim, frisky_mango, Yipun78 and her (or somebody else’s) sister….oh and also my cousin who tagged along. Well the discussion mainly revolve around what we normally discuss in the forums whilst the ladies mainly don’t understand what the guys are talking about. Foxey was unable to come as she had a meeting at that time….meeting, on a weekend? Poor lady! I then went up to MH to see the incoming entries for the modeling competition. Met DewaGanaz@Silantra who mistakes me for mmc. Oh yeah, mmc and me looks almost the same. I thought of buying something but decided not to. Nevertheless, I went to HHQ at get myself a 1/72 TUDM F-5 / A-4 decal. Now, that’s something…..I might need to buy two kits and bash it into TUDM’s A-4PTM. And then that night my missus got struck with allergic reaction, probably because of the prawns she ate before….there goes RM42 (not that I’m complaining)…..which I could get reimbursement from the Employer if I asked for a receipt…..

I’ll be back soon…..

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

April Rain

Captain's Log Stardate 110406.22
Had a very stuffy afternoon today...harbinger of rain afterwards. Rain is still falling, since 5pm. Power went out at 5.30 but was restored around 8.15pm. The Pengetua called just now, informing me that the scheduled spot-check is called off...haha, good! From the kids' POV that is! That reminds me about last night. I saw two couples still bertenyeh at the nearby cafeteria even though it's already 12.30 am. So I went down there, not saying anything but just jeling them. I guess my aura is pretty good since the two girls quickly pick up their stuff and belah! Oh...tunggu aku datang baru nak blah la ye?? That in turn reminds of my 'sermon' last year to a pair of 'lovers' at almost the same place, in which I asked them whether they would stay out until 1 am if they are at their kampung. Of course they will answer 'tak encik'....to which I replied 'tahu pun....kenapa? malu mak bapak? Abis kat sini mak bapak takde...sukahati korang la nak buat apa...blablabla'.
Painted the camo colors on my Fullback this morning. I must have goofed up somewhere, or the color call-out is wrong....the painted scheme looks weird.....Oh well.....who cares....
In today's Harian Metro, there is yet another story about Mawi *yawn* heck, even stories about Siti and Datuk K has wind down! Today the story is about how a sick kid got well after hearing his song....yeah, how about people who GOT sick hearing him? Watching re-runs of AF, his 'sumbangness' is clearer now...OK, he still manage to render a song or two, like Dewa's 'Pupus', well. But for the rest? I wonder what people see in him? Alim? Alim and being a commercial artiste do not go hand-in-hand, for me at least. Then there's this Resume Untuk Mawi...I know Astro has great income but to spend it on a programme merely to find Mawi's PA? I find it ridiculous, especially when Astro patterns the program after the The Appretice. At least in The Appretice, the winner is gonna be an executive, in a multi-millionaire's company...but RUM? Just being a PA...not even the Manager! yeah, I know it's not easy to become a PA....Well I don't know that an artiste's PA is required to organise a charity event?
Hmmm.....anyway, it's going to be a cool, if not cold night tonight.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Politically Correct Modeling?

Captain's Log Stardate 100406.17
Ah...the afternoon entry. I realised when I re-arranged my models in the display cabinets that there are a number of 1/72 planes and 1/35 tanks that can be bought to fill in the empty slots. As usual, I berangan first - which planes / tanks to get. A number of candidates came up...and I was thinking of getting an Israeli F-16D Sufa or the Kfir and the Merkava MBTs. But then a little version of me pops up alongside, asking this question - do you want to buy models of planes and tanks that are used to kill innocents? The second question asked by Mini-Me is that do I really want to have the emblem of the IDF-AF in my house, with people asking...why is this ^%*&^%% Israeli planes/ tanks in your collection? Well, it is time to ponder....
I do have a conscience at first, with Israel being the Muslim World's #1 enemy. And their weapons are used to suppress the Palestinians. However, after looking at a Gempur Wira member's collection which includes Kfirs, I thought - hey, why not? It is just a model anyway. I'm not making any political statement with my models and besides if I follow that line of thinking - weapons used to kill fellow Muslims, I might as well chuck off over 70% of my collection as they include US and Russian planes which are used over Iraq and Afghanistan! A model is just that....a scale representation of a military hardware, whoever their users are. Besides my collection of modern MBTs would not be complete without a Merkava. So anyway, it looks like there are 3 slots for 1/72 planes and 5 slots for 1/35 tanks...and also for one 1/350 ship and upwards to six 1/48 WW2 planes. My wishlist looks like this:
1/72
F-15E Eagle
F-16D Sufa / big spine...either Israeli or the Singaporean...I prefer the Israeli one...don't want another boring gray plane....
either the J-10 or J-8II fighter from PRC
1/35
Merkava - I prefer the Academy's Mk II - reviews said that it is better than the Mark III
Leopard 2A6
LeClerc
Challenger II
either the T-80 or the Ariete
1/350
HMS Hood
1/48
Hellcat
Spitfire late series, probably the Mark XIV
Ki-61 or Ki-100
Macchi 202 or 205
Ju 87 Stuka
P-40
Dauntless
Oh well...those are just berangan list...need to finish my current stash first! Besides my 'military' budget is severely cut for the next few months!
Tomorrow is a holiday....yippeee!

Dear Diary....

Captain's Log Stardate 100406.11

Monday! Well, doesn't make any difference here in kedah...weekday starts on Sunday...so no manic Monday...maybe boring Sunday. Anyway, had a good time last night....no not that! The other one! Yeah, I mean 2-0 for the Red Devils against the Gunners (or more appropriately Arse..nal). Watched the game with the missus's cousin. Noisy kid. Well one could be critical if Ronaldo keep bamboozling around when he could be putting beautiful crosses and Nistelrooy wasted a good chance. But dang! The Chelskis also won their game....darn and darn some more!

Managed to paint the overall blue for my Sukhoi last night...now it looks too dark! Nah, maybe it's my eyes kelabu again. Tonight, barring any interruptions I'm going to paint the green camo color. Hmmm also need to continue building my Scud launcher....nightmare kit that one. The driver and crew cabs fit miserably, so are a number of other parts. The clear parts for the windows are scratched - I'll pretend that it is because of terible sandstorms! I am going to paint it in Iraqi Army colors as there is the Iraqi option but the jawi writing looks funny...I can't decipher it. I was thinking of painting a slogan myself....something like 'Death To The Persians', making the model c. 1986 during the Battle Of The Cities. Photos? I'll re-edit these pages with photos after I get my hands on a digital camera.....Am I obsolete?

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Queue Jumpers!

Captain's log Stardate 090406.16
Read Afdlin's blog just now....he is a funny guy. Didn't manage to meet him during his A-level days....I was his junior. Anyway, I saw something about people jumping queues. Well that has got to be my pet peeve. Whether on the road or queing to 'tekan dinding' (that is, using the ATM), there are always somebody who wants to 'potong line'. While previously grumbling to myself (or my wife if she's around), I decided that enough is enough. Whilst still grumbling, I make it loud enough for that particular a-hole (that's what they are) to hear. Maybe next time I will ask him or her to get back to the end of the line. But sometimes I have doubts...especially if the offender is a makcik....should I tell her to buzz off or just smile? Argghhhhh who cares about sopan-santun if they have breached it first?
Another type of people who greatly pisses me off are those who tumpang friends withdrawing money from the ATM. Hellooooo.....hang tak reti nak beratur ka? Pemalas! I have seen a bunch of UUM kids at the Varsity Mall branch of the BCB in front of the ATM. Seemingly, only one of them is going to withdraw some money. But once that girl gets her turn, the other three, yes, three start passing their ATM cards to the former. To add anger to me, they did it whilst happily chit-chatting with each other. Well, a bit of some choice swear words (mild ones) hurries them! But the most annoying is the one where a single person, with no potential 'remoras' around him/her who withdraws on behalf of a number of friends. Aku penat2 beratur, korang bessstttt aje dok bilik suruh member keluarkan...aku sumpah hangpa punya duit kena curi lepas ni!!!
Captain's log supplemental
From now on, I will post my entries in mixed languages. I'll keep my proper English for my resume, official letters and whatnots only...haha!

Ramblings.....

Captain's Log Stardate 090406.14
A thought crossed my mind just now, about the recent fuel price hike. Well, as any other Malaysians who are pretty badly hit by the hike, my first reaction was "What the *$#&!". Another increase? And 30 sen to boot? The Government however gave a good job explaining to the people. Well some are OK, some cause raised eyebrows. Well personally, I really don't like it, especially considering I'm going back home at the end of this month. The massive increase means waaayyyy increase in the real spending. Well, one needs to ride the storm. Some people however thinks that this is a proof the Government's cruelty and stage weekly protests at the Petronas Twin Tower area. The ladies and gents who are mostly supporters of the Opposition are angry at the increase in oil and the consequent rise in other consumables. They do have a point....BUT.....
Why has nobody, I mean, no one except KPDNHEP and Consumer action groups protests against the increase in the price of consumables? Take the news that a roti canai has its price increased by 30 sen. Does the mamak use petrol instead of minyak sapi to make a piece of roti canai, or does he use a kilo of gas to fry one roti? Sure, the increase in petroleum products do affect the prices of almost everything, but surely not by 30 sen! Even certain stalls in Kedah have 'KL prices' for their kuih....why has nobody protest or boycott the actions of these traders? Why? Is it because that they are 'rakyat' too and people are tolerant if their peers raise the price of their services/products?

Good to be back

Captain's log Stardate 090406.10

Got back from Pahang early on Saturday morning. The driver drives the van like a Merc. While it makes the travelling time shorter, it is still a van, not a Merc! I only slept intermittently, and sometimes eyeing the speedometer. Oh well, at least using the Genting Highlands route saved 2 hours. Body aches...well what do you expect, sleeping in a sitting position, in a vibrating vehicle for close to 7 hours? And listening to Mawi?

Talk about Mawi....well as he and people say 'dah rezeki'. Indeed. But I remember seeing him as a shy guy, considering his background. Well a few weeks into AF, he makes a turn around. OK, I need to type in Malay for this section. Dia kira mat surau....tapi bila masuk AF sakan bermesra dengan aweks2 dalam akademi...camne tu? Aku ni bukan le alim sangat....tapi aku sedih le tengok orang yang kira OK jadi camtu...dan disokong dan disorak orang ramai. Dan kat web2 tertentu...ada dia mengaku ada la tinggal-tinggal semayang. Jadi lagi teruk? Dan sekarang dia dah jadi artis....wang berjuta. Ramai yang dok memuji dan mempertahankan idola mereka terutama kalau dibanding dengan Jaclyn Victor. Dan ramai VIP sakan minat dengan dia. Tu yang pelik tu.....

Kalau tengok, vokal dia biasa aje....mungkin sesuai sedikit untuk lagu berentak Arab atau nasyid. Tapi 'suara jantan' yang peminat sanjung tu kengkadang aku dengar macam suara aku...maknanya tak sedap le! Kat paper itu hari kata dah pandai melawak...tapi aku rasa tu lawak kategori Three Stooges la tu...yang selalu aku main2kan wife dengan adik aku.

Entah la...aku malas nak cakap-cakap....tapi teringat laporan paper tu lagi...masa persembahan tu Mawi ada nyanyi qasidah dari album akan datang. Lagu memuji Nabi gitu le....tapi ada gambar dia menyanyi dengan aweks2 penari yang bergelek2 sebelum2 tu...camne le.... dan pasal qasidah ni...dia kata dia nak buat album qasidah tu pasal bebudak sekarang dah lupakan....dan dia cadangkan kat Astro dan Astro setuju...sure wilbur, apa yang Mawi jual buat masa ni semua laku...hatta kalau dia nak jual spender yang dah seminggu tak basuh! Cuba Zahid cakap nak buat album qasidah...mesti Astro kata 'buang tebiat ke apa budak ni?'. Huh, semua nak tunggu Mawi, padahal album qasidah dan berzanji tu kira dah berlambak kat kedai2 jual kitab!

Anyway, back to my favorite topic...modeling. Didn't do anything last night because I wasn't in the mood...still tired from the travelling and.....nah, no need to tell! Still, a question lingers...should I buy something in KL this coming weekend? I was thinking of getting a 1/72 F-15 conversion set to turn the inaccurate 1/72 Hasegawa F-15E into the Israeli F-15I. Well, an F-15I is basically the same with the baseline F-15E so I could live with that. Mr Low of HHQ told me that he has one in his stocks. But thinking that a resin conversion set can cost between RM70 to RMxxx, I might have to wait, probably after my brother's wedding reception at Batu Pahat. Or maybe I should take a deep breath and try to finish my current stash before getting any new models. And that is contrary to what a regular modeller should do!

There's also going to be a gathering for us forumners from the Military Board of Cari.com. Should be interesting to meet those previously faceless guys and gals!

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Outstation! Oh bugger!

Captain’s log Stardate 050406.4

Got pretty pissed just now. I am required to go outstation with just 3 hours’ notice. Throw whatever’s been planned for the next few days into disarray. Well, that’s what happens to me sometimes. On another note, my first layer of basic paint has dried on my Italeri 1/72 Sukhoi Su-34 model. Oh, I forgot to tell that I am an avid modeler. Not very skilful though – as reflected in my Forum nickname of ‘kerastangan’ which poetically means – no skill!

Getting back to the model in hand. The Sukhoi was bought in 2004 but was only assembled earlier this month. I was thinking of getting a Neomega resin cockpit (which costs RM79.90) but I scrapped the idea because of maxed-out credit card –ha! Color call-out is pretty vague. Italeri instruction mentions that the blue is ‘light blue’. So I use my Tamiya XF-23….it turn out more greenish than blue. Probably because it has been stored for a long time. So I have to experiment using XF-14 Sky Blue plus a few drops of XF-8 Flat blue…looks close to the real thing. And aiyaakkkk!!! The left wing is a bit weak…probably not enough cement. Well, the rest of the work have to wait until I get back from outstation.

My little girl (and her mother of course!) are going to miss me tonight!

Rojak names!

Confused about the name and the title? They reflect my nicks in forums on the 'Net. Alphawolf is my nick on CARI.com and Forum Anak Melayu, kerastangan is my nick in ARC Aircraft Forum and Scalemodelsmalaysia Forum. khyron is my nick on SGForums. And that does not count 'Valkyrie' in armorama.com!

First Entry

This is my first entry.....well nothing much to say as this is more of a test post. Want to see it first!