Jubilee Perak Park

 

Hello? Telephone…

Have you ever called a company or an institution, where the first few lines you heard when the person on the other side of the line answered, “Hello, company name”.

Here are some instances where I’ve experienced, and perhaps you should try.

Call UTAR, and you hear this first line, “Hello, UTAR”

Call Dell, and you hear, “Thank you for calling Dell.”

So you may ask, what’s the difference?

The both of them are grammatically sound, but they mean different things. How are they different?

How would you greet your friend? Say, “Hello Peter.” or “Hello Jane”. So if the person answering your call said “Hello UTAR”, it means that your name is UTAR, not Peter or Jane.

A lecturer once pointed this out to us during an English class and this funny line never failed to entertain me throughout the day. “The next time you call UTAR and the person answered ‘Hello, UTAR’, you should reply this instead, ‘I’m sorry, my name is not UTAR. I am Mike.’”

So I hope that the next time you’re answering calls, try to say something like “Thank you for calling company name, how can I assist you?” or “This is company name support/hotline, how can I help you?”

Happy calling.

Technology Update

Sometimes when you get old, you need a boost of technology update.

I’m not asking anyone to buy anything here, but at least update yourself about the latest technologies available on the market.

I went to PIKOM fair today, didn’t see much new stuffs, but would like to share some info with everyone.

**If you find this article a bit bias towards certain brands, my apologies; cause I didn’t have enough time to explore all the things. Hey, knowledge is everywhere! You’ve got to keep learning.

1. Super LED by LG

Saw this high energy savings Super LED from LG. Save some extra 25% energy compared to LED, and some 45% compared to conventional LCD. (Not sure about how true it is, but worth to know.)

2. Flicker-Free 3D display by LG

Coming out soon, perhaps next month. So much better than the active shutter 3D glasses you have to wear. This flicker-free 3D display has larger viewing angles and better light penetration. Best of all, no batteries on the glasses = less weight on the glasses.

Take a look at LG Cinema 3D USA for more info.

3. HD+ and High Gamut Range Professional LCD Display by Asus

This stunning LCD Display by Asus produces some beautiful colours on the screen. HD+ because it displays image beyond HD (conventional HD : 1920 x 1080) and the High Gamut Range ensures that the colour representation is as accurate as possible. In short, more natural photographs with HD+ quality. Visit site: PA246Q

4. Docking Tablets.

Instead of just getting a tablet, get one with docks enabled. Like the one from Asus Eee Pad.

Unlike other tablets in the market (including iPad), this one yields a higher resolution screen, with support of HD video. Best of all, the extra docking is included with the whole package, and you can get up to 16 hours* of battery with the dock.

Take a look at the video. Loved it very much!

And according to many posts on Facebook, everyone can’t wait to get their hands on this Transformer. A charmer indeed! Visit site: Eee Pad Transformer TF101

5. Sandy Bridge: 2nd Generation Intel i3/i5/i7 processors.

I know this news has been here for quite some time, several months ago, still worth a share for those out there looking for a new laptop or computer soon. The Sandy Bridge processors has got a higher memory bandwidth and they come with built in graphics on (processor) die. Better graphics performance? Definitely. However, discrete graphics is always better than built in. =D

6. P1 WiMAX upgrading to LTE-TDD

Very new news update, where WiMAX would be launching LTE-TDD (long-term evolution-time division duplex) network by the end of 2010, (hopefully no delays). This technology would enhance wireless access speeds, with top speed reaching 120Mbps (equivalent to 30MB/s or approx. 3000 KB/s). The best thing is, you can simply upgrade your existing P1 WiMAX network by a software update. Read the news on The Star Tech Central.

The Spear River – Sungai Lembing

The most interesting fact about this small little town - it floods every December, every single year. And the worst floor ever recorded was in the year 2001.

This small little town also contains other wonders. You will need at least 3 days to complete the tour around. By the time you're done, you'll want to come back here again.

This town, which has never failed to mesmerise everyone, is better known as Sungai Lembing, just a few kilometres away from Kuantan, Pahang.

The growth of this town some one century ago was due to the mining of our rich minerals, especially the tin ore. A visit through the local museum will reveal much of the history of this town.

Some of the remains can still be found located around town and most of them are preserved in the museum. A few sites to visit include the place where the refinery of the mineral ore took place and the underground cave entrance.

So why 3 days to complete a visit? Because on the first morning, you'd most likely be interested to see the beautiful Mount Panorama, and on the second morning, an early trip to the Rainbow Waterfalls is worth every second spent. Sadly, I did not take the latter trip.

When you're done with all these activities, you can enjoy some famous Sungai Lembing noodles, especially the tomato sauce noodles. Their local biscuits tastes great as well. I find their sesame biscuits tastier than the coconut biscuits though.

This local bakery also sold some very nice Kaya puff.

Other attractions include crossing one of the many hanging bridges, visiting the crystal house, buying your freshly made noodles from the local factory, and if you're bored at night, talking a stroll around town at night.

Road signs in English are certainly new in Malaysia.

About 10 kilometres away from this peaceful town, there is a cave – Charas Cave (Gua Charas).

My dad told me that he came some 20 years ago, he had to pay RM 2 for the Indian guy down the cave to start up a electric generator for the lights. So much has improved, and people can be seen coming here to pray.

A grand Taoist temple located not far away from the Kuantan Toll exit is the Temple of the Golden Dragon (太子金龙). It is a grand temple with the dragon as the main theme. I find the place is a bit lavish though, somehow felt that the money should go somewhere else better use.

This short journey to Sungai Lembing certainly brought much joy and peacefulness. See the kampung people around, old shop lots, and people riding bikes without helmets.

In short, I would come back to Sungai Lembing again. And if you love nature, you'd definitely love to explore this place.

A friendship built in 5 months that lasts forever…

Time is short. This short 5 months has been so much fun and I certainly learned so much from each other.

I’ll let the photos do the talking.

It’s great to know these friends who could help each other when in need. They are willing to tell you your faults and let you grow and learn.

Thanks. I’ve learned so much from all of you.

A Universal Studios Experience

The infamous Universal Studios, produced many many great movies, from action and comedy to romance to thrillers. Now, your favourite movies are closer to you with their Universal Studios Experience.

Get the rush of sound room at Lights, Camera, ACTION! with the help of Steven Spielberg. Enjoy the action packed live performances of actors in Water world and Broadway productions. Walk along the classic New York streets, under the glowing neon lights. Soak yourself on rapids thrill of the Jurassic Park. Get yourself haunted by the mummies in Ancient Egypt. And soon, you’ll find yourself wanting for more.

Under the hot sun and evening rain, we toured along 7 main sections – Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi, Ancient Egypt, Jurassic Park, Far Far Away, and Madagascar. They are equally enjoyable and some sections, you’ll get the opportunity to get splashes, and in some cases, soaking wet. So don’t forget your umbrella or rain coats if you want to stay dry, but you’ll regret later for missing the joy of getting wet.

Along the New York Street, experience Broadway theatre at the Pantages Hollywood Theatre. See the classic monsters of Universal Studies come to live and dance! Sit as close as possible to the stage for a better view.

Another not to be missed is the Lights, Camera, ACTION! hosted by Steven Spielberg. See how many movie studios transform a light room into an action filled room, where you can feel and see the action for yourself.

 

Walking along, the Sci-Fi section was basically quiet as compared to the other zones.

Two main attractions – Battlestar Galactica CYLON and HUMAN roller coaster rides were non-operational. Rumour has it that the field test for the roller coaster ride failed. After a vigorous field test, the engineers decided that it’s not ready to be opened for the public just yet.

Transport yourself back to 65 million years ago, where dinosaurs once roam freely on earth. Take the Canopy Ride and soar above the sky, look at the breath-taking view from sky high. Get yourself wet on the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, a raft ride through the research facility of Jurassic Park.

Next water fun on list is the Waterworld live action theatre, where a war to find dry land on earth has begun. Filled with pyrotechnics, loud explosions, and adrenaline-rushed survivors, definitely not to be missed!

Come to Far Far Away and you will be enchanted by prince charming Shrek and princess Shrek. A Shrek 4D movie theatre is a real attraction, with over 500 people in the cinema screaming and laughing at the crazy 4D effects, you’ll definitely find yourself wanting to try it again. Best seat in the house? Of course the middle seat!

A lot more to see here – Ogre house, Enchanted Airways junior rollercoaster and Magic Potion Spin. They’re all mainly for kids and adults alike.

Look at this crowd in the Fairy Godmother’s Potion Shop.

 

“I like to move it move it! MOVE IT!” You’ll never forget this crazy song of Madagascar, with Alex the lion and his friends, they danced along the street and have others go crazy with them.

Basically, you’ll find much joy and fun in Universal Studios. Although there were some glitches while I was there (my sister and I had to queue up for the Revenge of the Mummy Roller Coaster ride 3 times just to find that the ride failed to operate properly during our first 2 queues) and some of the rides were still not completely open to the public, there were still much to see. At the end of the day, you’ll probably start complaining that why this great park closes at 7pm and not midnight. Well, let’s hope that in near future, they’re going to extend their operating hours from the current 10am to 7pm.

When the time is right again, I’ll be heading back there for a second time, and along with a few extra T-shirts!

Tips and Tricks when visiting:

Wear a raincoat or bring an umbrella if you don’t wish to get wet.

Jump the long queues by getting into ‘Single Rides’ zone.

Perhaps an early lunch would help you avoid crowded cafeteria. Vegetarian Meals are available at all restaurants.

Some lockers are for free of charge, look for those.

Water dispensers are available around the park.

One whole day is not enough, you might want to consider coming back!