Empathy

Salam,

I think empathy is a great thing. When you open yourself towards others, the more you can understand and finally rationalized with them. Its often I saw during meeting there will always be one or two person who cannot accept others opinion.

I think this is not good. Because only when you can hear from others first and do the judgement later or provide better solution, then it was a sign that one have matured.

Being sellfish and hot headed just show that the person is still not matured and cannot make good decision.

This is my 2 cents. Also reminder for myself to be more open towards others when speaking...

-LB-

Salesman Chinese VS Salesman Melayu

Salam All,

I think there is typical thinking when you relate chinese and malay in economy. And one thing that everyone agrees is that Chinese hold our economy. That can be true also. But What I want to express in this post is the difference between chinese and malay salesman - car salesman to be precise.

See, my family have experience this few times already.

First story: My late father is a regular postman. Wearing blue uniform, riding kapcai motorcycle, come to a Proton Showroom decided few days ago that he wanted to buy a Waja. Arriving to the showroom on EX5 and wearing the uniform, at the moment it was the malay salesman entertained him. With typical look in the eyes like my father have no money, he merely there for him to show him more of the car. With frustated and feeling like he was looked down for make my father leave at ONCE - which is a lost for the MALAY salesguy.

Second story: With same attire and kapcai my father went to another Proton showroom. He really determined as it was a supprise gift for my mother. Its not like we do not have any car at the moment. This time it was a Chinese salesman. He explain the car with full enthusiasm, explaining full feature, choices can be made, option car and many more. After satisfied my father did book the car. Together with quite high amount of deposit because my father do not like have too many loan. We got the car few weeks later.

What I want to point out is, this is the current condition. The mentality for Malays. Most of them are not honest in doing business. Only looking for first impression to judge others. Only entertain high class people and have money. Choosy in doing business or work. This negative thinking. We should all get rid of it. Its like every Malay is typical.

Few years ago same thing happened to my mother when she went to buy Saga BLM. Since I was at Pahang, she went with her friend. With typical makcik appearance no one will bother to attend to her. But there was this Chinese salesman and I really thanked him a LOT because he is willing to help her and make the process went smooth and easy. We still contact to this day. Yesterday we contact him again. Even though he already quit from Proton, he still willing to come and show us. With previous experience, we are happy to have his service again. We decided to take new since my brother will finish college soon.

There was once my mother tell me, when she went to workshop to repair her car - Indian owned workshop (see, my family do not have any issue with races. haha) We've been customer for this workshop for a very long time already. While waiting for her car to finish, there was two malay - wearing smart attire (again...sorry. but what to do? most of shameless things are done by my own race) and their car is finished. But when the boss quote them the price they went like "Eh..mahal nye. 40 ringgit dah lah. Apalah kau ni mahal-mahal." - and drove off. The mechanics dealing with them with shock in his eyes just stand there speechless. This workshop is known for their honesty and cheap service charge. I feel ashamed things like this happened. If I was there I would just yell back "KALAU TAK ADA DUIT TAK PAYAH NAK PAKAI KERETA LAAA!!!! KONON PAKAI SMART2 TAPI DUIT TAKDAK BAIK TAK PAYAAHHH!!"

With good rapport with customer, any salesman will surely be remembered and the customer will return for them. I just hope that the malay one will realize someday, not everyone with smart appearance have money and people with normal appearance don't have money. Hope this is lesson learned by those salesman. I also really hoping that any Malay reading this will change their attitude and mentality to be more positive towards others.

Adios...

-LB-

Metal

Salam,

For those following my blog since the beginning might notice that my interest is on Japanese female idols. But now has changed to Korea pop music. Well, at least not to specifically enjoying one girl group and ignore the rest. Actually k-pop industry is much more than that. Even their boyband is enjoying to hear and watch. My personal favorite is SNSD, Kara, After School, 2PM. Others I just listen to so-so.

But still, I really cannot leave my original music genre which I knew since secondary school. METAL!!! Slipknot is my all time favorite. Followed by Children of Bodom, Avenged Sevenfold, Deicide, Godsmack, Disturbed, Cromok, Stone Sour and many more which I almost forgot. 

Today I went to work with my mp5 player fully loaded with many songs not just metal, but also korean, japanese and many more. But from start of work, I select the menu "Artist" and not "All Songs" like I usually do, and selected - Slipknot. From morning till night, finish work, driving, back at home...still repeating the playlist again and again.

Man...I just love how slipknot sounds. For those who say slipknot is overrated band probably need to restate their opinion. They are not GREAT for their individual abilities, but they are GREAT with their abilities to play as one unit. Their songs are all masterpiece for me. The sound they make is just-very addicting. Just as John Otto of Limp Bizkit drum beats.

p/s: heck...I do miss Limp Bizkit. The whole band is talented. John Otto with great drum lines, heavy riff from Wes Borland, tight bass from Sam Rivers, Dj Lethal and also Fred Durst. But I think the main attraction of Limp Bizkit is also their sound as a team. The sound is so addicting which makes one to play the record again and again...just like slipknot did :D

-LB-

Heck..its so dusty in here..woohooo

Salam...

Yeah, its been a looooooooooonnnggggggggg time since my last update. And I already passed through a few phase of my life. Knowing new people, meeting new friends, getting stable in my current job etv2 (used whenever dont know what else to add..guahaha)

I've been active in a local social internet forum, well actually its main topic is FOREX but since it was sponsored by FXOPEN, we managed to organized quite few events like bowling tournament, paintball, fishing and many more which is too much to list. 

Just log on to www.nogold.com and register yourself there. It was worth it as everyone is there to make friends, hanging out..heck, I feel we've done a LOT better than Kementerian Belia dan Sukan in promoting healthy lifestyle. Futsal, football, snooker, paintball, fishing, we do it ALL!! Made quite a number of new friends there. Although most are older than me, they are experienced and their knowledge really do me good. 

About my job at SONY, few months back I handed my resignation letter. I just lost all my motivation to go to work and heck...I clock in for I dont know why. As soon as I clock in, I keep on watching the clock waiting for time to go back. Everyone is just soooo sellfish there. Office politics is something I cannot handle. I like to be judge by performance, and in my opinion I did well but it was not appreciated. 

With Automount plant is combined (all three plant - video, tv and north plant), my workload has skyrocketed. No additional manpower given yet I have to handle monthly maintenance, quarterly maintenance and breakdown. It still does not include all pending items, special projects, new machine installation and many2 more. At last I made my final decision to resign and look for another job. I did look for advice from my more experienced friend from the online forum (well, we kinda good friends since we always hang out together for activities) and most of them advice me to stay and try to settle down. Hmm...I guess its really not working when I handed my resignation letter. 

Fortunately my boss is someone who can be tolerated. He did advice me on few things, we did some discussion and I got my manpower needed when the Orga is announced. I feel a huge burden is lifted off my shoulder as I got an experienced member to support me. 

Plus to help me advance, I got to takeover other machine. Means a lot more machine under my care. For some maybe giving me another extra job on my resignation day is not a good decision, but in someway it does help me to settle more. I am a workaholic perhaps. or maybe just plain Gila Kuasa case. Now the new machine is under me for nearly 2 months and there is still many problems to be settled regarding operation, programs and many more. 

Hopefully I can settle the probems in near future, and after that maybe I am ready to takeover other type of machine. I have so many ideas on what to improve, if only I have all the time and chances...

Ok lah...type quite a lot today. But still I have so much story to tell. After not blogging and keep my life journal updated makes me kept everything inside and somehow this feeling make my heart get rotten every day.

I'll just update in next post then :D

haha...nite!

-LB-

"HDTV vs LCD vs DLP vs CRT vs Plasma"

I like CRT, myself.

Actually, it depends on your needs. What  criteria you make when you buy your television.

I found this article discussing about various kind of technology used for television. 

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Here is some information so you can make your own decision:

With all of the various TV display technologies on the market today (Plasma, DLP, LCD, etc.), it is important to understand the basic pro’s and con’s of the display technologies used in manufacturing High Definition TVs. First, here are the dominant types of displays available today:

- Direct view tube CRT
- Flat panel LCD
- Plasma
- Rear projection LCD
- Rear projection DLP
- Rear projection CRT
- Rear projection LCoS

What makes a plasma TV better than a direct tube CRT? Why would I choose a rear-projection TV over an LCD? Each type of display has inherent advantages and disadvantages associated with the technology used in manufacturing the display. The following guide provides a synopsis which should help you understand relevant points to consider when deciding which HDTV display type is right for you.

Direct-view CRT HDTV Displays

CRT stands for “cathode ray tube" and is the type of TV we are all most familiar with. Chances are, if you have a TV that is 5 or more years old, you have a CRT TV. Despite their age, CRT displays still offer a lot of bang for your buck.

The main advantages of CRT’s include:
- Flat screen – which provides wide viewing angles (most new CRT’s built today have flat screens, but you will still find a few that have are manufactured with curved screens)
- Outstanding picture quality
- Relatively inexpensive in all sizes
- No danger of burn-in
- Capable of producing true blacks

Sounds great, so why are CRT displays losing market share new display technology like plasmas and LCD’s?
- Bulky size and very heavy weight
- Maximum screen size is limited to approximately 36"

To give you an idea of what is meant by “bulky" and “very heavy", a typical 27" flat screen CRT will weigh around 100-120 lbs, a typical 30" flat screen CRT will weigh about 150 lbs and a typical 36" flat screen CRT will tip the scales at about 200-225 lbs. At over 200 lbs., that kind of weight is going to require at least 2 strong people to lift it up onto the TV stand.

CRT’s are also much larger in terms of depth. A typical 27" CRT measures 20" deep, a typical 34" CRT measures 24" deep, and a typical 36" CRT measures 26" deep.

Why should I choose a flat screen CRT over a curved screen CRT?

The answer is two-fold:
1) Having a flat-screen will allow for wider viewing angles, so that you can those people sitting on the left and right sides of the TV also have a good view of the images being displayed.
2) Having a flat screen will allow you to view the picture as it was meant to be seen, without any of the stretching in images that is associated with a curved tube. A curved tube has inherent flaws that cause the image to be “stretched" as it reaches the edges of the screen. While this may not be an important feature for you, I would encourage you to look at a flat screen and a curved screen side-by-side. The difference in image quality will be much more apparent.

Flat panel LCD HDTV Displays

LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display and is the type of TV you will be familiar with if you have seen the flat-panel LCD monitors used with many newer computers. The same technology is also used in LCD TV’s.

The main advantages of LCD’s include:
- Flat screen – but see below for note on the viewing angles- Thin, lightweight and stylish looking
- High resolution and excellent picture quality
- No danger of burn-in

Flat panel LCD’s main disadvantages: - Relatively narrow viewing angles- Expensive in sizes over 30" - Incapable of producing true blacks

To give you an idea of what “thin" and “lightweight" means, a typical 27" to 30" LCD will weigh about 40-50 lbs, a 32" LCD will weigh about 50-55 lbs, a 37" LCD will weigh about 60-65 lbs. These types of TV’s are thin and light enough to be hung on a wall.

Plasma HDTV Displays

While plasma displays used to be much too expensive for the average Sunday football fan, they have come down in price enough to become a very attractive choice for many HDTV shoppers. Having said that, you will more than likely still pay more for a big-screen plasma TV than a similarly sized rear-projection display. What makes plasma TV’s so attractive?
- Flat screen with very wide viewing angles
- Very thin and lightweight
- High resolution with deep, saturated colors
- Excellent picture quality (especially for home theater)

Plasma’s main disadvantages:
- Fairly expensive compared to other HDTV display types
- Slight potential for burn-in
- Limited lifespan

To clarify “thin" and “lightweight", a typical 42" plasma will weigh between 50-90 lbs, a 50" plasma will weigh about 80-110 lbs. These types of TV’s are thin and light enough to be hung on a wall.

Rear projection HDTV Displays

Rear projection TV’s are an economical choice for a large sized TV and they still offer excellent picture quality. They are, however, too large to be hung on a wall and work best when placed on a TV stand (or on the floor in the case of rear projection CRT’s). The most economical type of rear projection display is the rear projection CRT.

Rear projection CRT HDTV's offer:
- Flat screen
- Relatively low cost
- Excellent picture quality (especially for home theater)

Rear projection CRT’s main disadvantages:
- Very heavy and very bulky
- Narrow viewing angles
- Image visibility suffers in brightly lit rooms

Very heavy and bulky is a nice way of saying that rear projection CRT’s are HUGE. A typical 48" rear projection CRT weighs 150 lbs. and is a little less than 24" deep, a typical 56" rear projection CRT weighs almost 200 lbs. and is over 2 feet deep, a typical 65" rear projection CRT weighs 300 lbs. and is over 2 feet deep, and a typical 73" rear projection CRT weighs over 400 lbs. – now THAT is a huge TV!

Rear projection LCD, DLP and LCoS HDTV Displays

These types of rear projection HDTV displays are also referred to as microdisplays. They work by using a lamp that bounces light off of or through a tiny pixel-filled microchip and onto the screen.

Rear projection LCD’s offer these advantages:
- Flat screen with good viewing angles
- Thin and lightweight compared to CRT
- Not susceptible to image burn-in
- No “rainbow effect" artifacts that are sometimes found in rear-projection DLP TV’s
- Excellent picture quality (especially for home theater)

Rear projection LCD’s main disadvantages:
- Fairly expensive
- Slight delay when powering up
- Lamp replacement required periodically
- Possibility for “screen door effect" artifacts

Rear projection DLP’s offer these advantages:
- Flat screen with good viewing angles
- Thin and lightweight compared to rear projection CRT
- Not susceptible to image burn-in
- No “screen door effect" artifacts that are sometimes found in rear-projection LCD TV’s
- Excellent picture quality (especially for home theater)

Rear projection DLP’s main disadvantages:
- Fairly expensive
- Slight delay when powering up
- Lamp replacement required periodically
- Possibility for “rainbow effect" artifacts

LCoS, D-ILA and SXRD
These technologies are all variations on the same manufacturing process that utilizes liquid crystal on silicon (hence the acronym LCoS). However, implementation of this display technology differs significantly from one manufacturer to the next, so it is impossible to lay out common pro’s and con’s of the technology itself. Each TV with this type of technology will have different characteristics for image quality, viewing angle and cost. I recommend researching each manufacturer and their specific models featuring LCoS in order to compare their benefits and drawbacks to other display types.

Conclusion
There are lots and lots of choices online and in stores today for new TV’s. Enter into the television section of any Best Buy or Circuit City and you’ll get bombarded with a myriad of options for plasma, LCD, direct-view tube and rear-projection TV’s. What you choose for your new TV will either brings you hundreds of hours of enjoyment watching movies, sports and news or will bring you many hours of frustration by not choosing the best type of TV for your needs. My hope is that this information will give you the knowledge, and the confidence, to make the right decision for your next TV purchase. 

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My note: For me, CRT does have best quality, and still do. Unless every channel is broadcasting in Full HD format, CRT wins in picture quality. Because for me, I use my TV only to watch Astro. Not playing PS3 or Blu ray movie. Seems like LCD is a failure, unable to reach its best quality with competitive price range. Resulting introdution of new technology, LED panel, with longer lifespan, better picture quality and better frame refresh rate. Seems like the LED panel is capable to view normal broadcast channel with its quality, unlike LCD which make the image less bright, not sharp and some other effect.

I WAS JUST POSTING MY OPINION. DONT JUDGE ME BY SAYING LCD IMAGE IS BETTER, BECAUSE ITS NOT!! New technology is introduced, since they can no longer improve LCD image for lower cost. High end LCD can price up to tenth of thousands ringgit. New 7 series Samsung LED seems promising. Image is very beautiful. hopefully after few other maker introduce their model the price will go down. 

-LB-

Choosing your gadget ^_^

I was known for someone who is not up to date with technology. Not because I hate it. Indeed I love technology. But I dont feel the need for me to go for it.

I look for technology when i find it was necessary in my life. Not just because I root for it.

Some people just too confuse on what to get from the market with sooo many selection of gadget and stuff, all with their own pros n cons.. Hopefully this guide will help in choosing the right one fit your style, and your budget

First of all, think what do you want..what is your needs. Do you want it for style, fashion, trend follower, u use it frequently and so on. Some people dont really know about the gadget they bought, since they bought it because everyone else have it. Getting the idea of your perfect gadget will really help.

Ok, for me I look for practicality. I like to be efficient and practical. For me, I would go for all-in-one type.

Usually, everything which is available in a decent smartphone.

My criteria will be:

1. Ease of use - Sony ericson is a pain in the ass for me
2. GPS - mainly because I dont really know places
3. WiFi - to access free internet whenever I went outside/emergncy
4. Multimedia Player - mp3, videos, movie..everything in one while traveling or working alone
5. Decent camera - to snap sudden event
6. Tough - I'm not too good with handling

For me, this whole stuff was readily available in Nokia N95. Unfortunately the GPS is too weak and hardly get any signal, forcing me to look for another model.

One perfect gadget for me would be OMNIA II, but since my budget too tight and price still high, I have to change my ideal phone no ExpressMusic 5730.

Among all Nokia release, I think this one fits me most. it has GPS, wifi, 3.2 MP carl zeiss camera, multimedia player. Plus it also has qwerty keyboard with good feel when using (since my hand is quite large), and also dedicated game button to play games..which i found very convenient

N-gage game pre-installed and they were very exciting. Plus they gave 1 free activation key to any of the games.

QWERTY keyboard is really useful especially when surfing the net. you can easily navigate using the D-pad and also type easily.

GPS respond is very fast too. The receiver is strong enough to capture signal eventhough during rainy or cloudy days. 

For me, this handphone fits me very well. I dont have to buy another mp3 player, gps unit, small laptop or portable game console since i have it in this one compact gadget. 

Let say I choose to spend on all these item separately:

PSP: RM600

GPS: RM700

MP3 player: RM200

Small laptop: RM1200

Total: RM2700

But with xpressmusic 5730, i spend RM1050 for all the stuff i need. Yeah...its worth it.

-LB-