Four Season House @ Taman Pertanian Malaysia

Actually before we went to the Skytrex Adventure (please scroll down for the post), we took some time and have a quick tour around Taman Pertanian Malaysia.

Located in Shah Alam, Malaysia's first agriculture park was opened to the public since 1986. The 1,295 hectare of tropical rain forest and agriculture park is one of the largest in the world. Visitors come here to explore the many agricultural plants that are grown here. Paddy field is found here, so are cocoa trees, oil palm, rubber trees, coffee, coconut and other fruit trees.

There are many gardens in this park amongst which are the Spice Garden, Ornamental Garden, Orchid Garden, Cactus Garden, Bamboo Garden and Mushroom Garden. Bicycles are available for rent at the park while free bus service is provided to ferry visitors to various spots within the park.

Heaven for joggers

Immerse yourself in tranquility here

Beautiful nature reflections

Lush scenery good for de-stress

Since our motive is Skytrex, we only visited the Four Season House and walked around the surrounding area.

The four season house at the Shah Alam Agriculture Park is one of the top attraction here. The entrance fee is RM3 per adult (12 years and above) and RM1 per child (4 to 11 years old). We took the coach provided by the park and ask the driver to drop us at the entrance to the four season house.

We thought the house got 4 seasons scenery inside at one go but only realized at the entrance that it occurs as follow:
Winter season garden is exhibited from December to February.
Spring season garden is exhibited from March to May.
Summer season garden is exhibited from June to August.
Autumn season garden is exhibited from September to November.

Autumn sonata!

This cottage setting almost like a painting

The season where leaves fall

Spendid!

The right side is the cage like room for taking photos

Colourful surroundings

Flowers everywhere!

The temperature inside was 7-12° C and inside was a tube like tunnel where there was 3 entrance to the exhibition. It was interconnected and quite small. We only spend around 15 minutes there because it was quite small. Although the scenery was nice, it was spoilt by the lighting which I think is too yellowish. I have to manually adjust the photos' colour balance using ACDSee to get the most acceptable finishing.

So, how to get to Taman Pertanian Malaysia?

Please click here for the quick map

Skytrex Adventures

Last weekend went to Taman Pertanian Malaysia at Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam, Shah Alam to participate in Skytrex Adventures. Skytrex Adventure have created an unusual high ropes adventure located in Shah Alam.


This brand new activity revitalises the park's long forgotten attraction as the Malaysia's first agricultural park (built 1986) and quite possibly the world's largest at 1290 hectares. This adventure will have you standing, climbing, walking, swinging and zipping as high as 22meters off the ground!

Tropical rainforest provides the ideal place for the challenge

The entrance fee to Taman Pertanian Malaysia is RM3 and then we boarded a free bus ride to the Skytrex site. Before we proceed to the adventure, we were given a indemnity form to fill in our particulars and we have to agree to the term and conditions stated. One of the most important is the organiser will not be responsible for any injuries and death sustained by participants.. sounds scary huh?

The registration and equipment site

The hook and pulley that your life depends on

Bring a pair of gloves to protect your hands or it can be rented there

Then we each got our equipments and the instructor briefed us the correct way to use it and kept on scaring us that we will be dead meat if do not follow instructions properly. First, we went some training 1st which is a bit lower to the ground to learn the basic handling of equipment.

Training site

Thinking of Spiderman?

There are 23 challenges with names like 'Bermuda Triangle', 'Happy Hopper', 'Wobble Trouble' and 'Wild Revenge' which you may find humorous, that is, until you stand before them!

Now, the real challenge begins! Its about 22 metres above the ground!

Climbing it makes me dizzy..I don't dare to look down

The most annoying part is when those instructors stationed there will yelled at you to go faster even when you are half dying hanging up there. And there is no turning back.

The rope for the Flying Fox

Whee...Its the most enjoyable challenge..A bit scary at first, but once you try it, you will become addicted

This is the most challenging part where you have to grab those ropes hanging in the middle there and swing to the next platform and repeat it. Its not cool being a Tarzan!

The chicken hole exit for those who gave up!

Easy challenge

Walking inside a net is pretty hard

Its tiring to become a Spiderman

One of the hard challenges

There are a few challenges that's very hard to complete and I just glide through using the ropes.
I only took a few photos on top of the trees because it is difficult to hold a camera with the equipment in such a high place. And my previous incident with my camera also remind me to be careful with it.

Sore hands after completed the challenges

Finally, I completed all the challenges with full body ache after that. It reminds me to exercise regularly.

The fees is RM 35 per person while a group with 10 people and above will get a 10% discount.
For more info, please log on to Skytrex

How to Install Creative Sound Card

Steps

• Before starting, uninstall the default audio driver in your PC, it should be Realtek if you are using motherboard sound card.
• After that depending on your motherboard manufacturer, go to the BIOS (press DEL when your PC boot up) and deactivate the sound hardware. Please read your motherboard's manual.
• Touch the computer case to remove static electricity before continuing.
• Power down PC and remove the AC power cord.
• Open the computer case.
• Locate the PCI slot in your motherboard. It is used to connect the old 56k dial-up internal modem. It is usually on the bottom left hand corner. Some may have more than 2 slots, use either 1. (refer to diagram)

See my new Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer sound card at the bottom left hand corner of my PC. Above it is my Nvidia Geforce 7600GT graphic card.

A close-up view

Insert the new Creative sound card to the PCI slot as shown above

• Remove the 56k modem (if any) from the PCI slot on the motherboard by pulling it straight out and unscrewing it.
• It may be easier to rock the card back and forth a little to pry it loose. Use caution when removing so you don't damage the motherboard.
• Insert the new sound card in the same slot. Make sure it connects at the right connector. Use some pressure to slot in the card but do not damage the motherboard.
• Snugly, screw the sound card to the computer frame, but do not over tighten.
• Connect the speakers and all other peripheral cables to the appropriate slot depending on your speaker setup.
• Close the computer case.
• Plug your computer in and power it up. Your computer should recognize the new card.
• The Windows will ask whether you want to obtain the suitable drivers. Click Cancel.
• Insert the provided driver CD. The new driver should install from it. Restart when it prompts.

Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer (Review)

Finally got myself a sound card. What? Isn't most motherboard already has an integrated sound card? Well, yes of course.

According to Wikipedia. A sound card (also known as an audio card) is a computer expansion card that facilitates the input and output of audio signals to/from a computer under control of computer programs. Typical uses of sound cards include providing the audio component for multimedia applications such as music composition, editing video or audio, presentation/education, and entertainment (games). Many computers have sound capabilities built in, while others require additional expansion cards to provide for audio capability.

An on board sound card only provide the basic sound quality for normal day to day usage while a dedicated expansion sound card provide a fully enriching and customizable sound output to those who demand more.

There is no competition in the sound card industry and the only reputable brand which produce excellent sound card is Creative Technology. Bought this Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer at Low Yat for RM 340. Saw the same product at PC DEPOT but the selling price is RM 450! Such a huge difference. That's why it is not advisable to buy computer hardware at Ipoh unless it is really urgent.

Now, lets analyze the product itself..

In the box you don't get much, just the

• Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI card
• Quick Start leaflet
• Installation and Applications CD containing:
• Drivers for Windows^® XP & Vista
  
• Creative Software Suite
• User's Guide

Sporting a black PCB, it does look cool and steady. This sound card has been in the market for more than a year and the reason I bought it was because the price has dropped drastically since then. There is a Fatal1ty version of this card pumping full of steroids but the price is more than triple.

How about the software provided?

The Creative Audio console lets you tweak the settings and is the place to select between the major modes, Entertainment, Game and Audio Creation, supported by the card. In Windows XP there is a task bar icon and a quick way of selecting between the modes.

Entertainment mode for enjoying music and movie

Game mode for extreme gaming, what else?

The X-Fi Crystalizer is a hardware up-sampling engine that converts the audio into a 24-bit stream that claims to improve the fidelity. It makes the sound crispier and u can slide it to ur own preference.

CMSS-3D is an audio expanding engine that separates stereo or simple multichannel audio into more virtual channels, so if you have basic headphones, a set of stereo speakers or anything up to 5.1 audio, you can experience a virtual 7.1 surround. Since I have only a 2.1 speaker system, it does make some difference but not that fully surround.

In addition there's also Smart Volume Management, or SVM, that monitor the dynamic range of the audio and adjusts the sound volume accordingly, this way you won't get huge differences between massive explosions and quiet whispers in movies for example.

For detailed specifications, please visit creative's site

Verdict:

Thumbs up
Definitely sounds better than on board sound with much tweaking as desired. Supports EAX which is the gold standard in gaming

Thumbs down:
To me, the software provided is quite confusing as the console it is not easily accessible. The installation is also quite slow.

Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer is a very capable card for entertainment, gaming and audio creation. Some people would argue that on-board sound does the job just fine but the sound quality of the XtremeGamer is just head and shoulders over anything on-board.

Think most people do not know where or how they install the sound card. I'll make it into the next posting.

Next on my grocery list.. A 5.1 speaker system!

Image courtesy of boomtown

Wind of Change

"The only permanent thing is change" - Lao Tzu

Tomorrow, September 16th is a date to remember!
Its a day where a new fully democratic nation is born and an old regime falls!
Together we embrace the new future free from oppression and injustice!
Its an arduous journey that took so long, and it will finally arrive..
The wind of change blowing so hard that cannot be resisted..

Scorpions - Wind of Change



Music :Klaus Meine
Lyrics:Klaus Meine

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change

The world is closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close, like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
in the wind of change

Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever
I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
in the wind of change

The wind of change
Blows straight into the face of time
Like a storm wind that will ring the freedom bell
For peace of mind
Let your balalaika sing
What my guitar wants to say

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow share their dreams
With you and me
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
in the wind of change

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is the upcoming sequel to F.E.A.R. in development by Monolith Productions.


The sequel to F.E.A.R. continues the supernatural suspense story of a powerful psychic child named Alma, whose rage against those who wronged her caused her to begin an escalating paranormal crisis that threatens to devour and replace reality with her own. Instead of playing as the Point Man, the game's protagonist is Michael Becket, a Delta Force operator whose squad is sent in to arrest Genevieve Aristide approximately thirty minutes before the ending of F.E.A.R. At some point in the game, the player character, via surgery, will receive reflex powers exhibiting the same slow-motion ability like the Point Man.



This game will follow the original concept of horror and combat just like the original F.E.A.R.
It will roll out on Feb 2009. For more info , please visit here

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

Like with the previous games in the series, Red Alert 3 will take place during the extended Cold War--in this case, just after the Soviet assassination of one Albert Einstein by means of the recently discovered technology of limited time travel.

This is a world in which the so-called Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States never ended, and in which all the potential of experimental technology from that era, from the Manhattan Project to Tesla coils, was actually realized as devastating (and in some cases, fantastical) weapons on the battlefield.
The conflict will no longer be confined to a two-sided war between the armies of the Allies and the Soviet forces. Red Alert will now have a third playable faction: the Empire of the Rising Sun, a faction inspired by World War II Japan

This game will come with more than an hour's worth of full-motion video cinematics featuring the kind of Hollywood talent you might expect from a C&C game.

It is built on the modern Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars engine, but with all the over-the-top enthusiasm of a summer blockbuster popcorn movie.
Expect it to released on Oct 2008




Source: gamespot

How to Download Youtube Video

(This is a post containing further explanation for KeepCharmingAlwiz and others who may find it useful)

There are many many methods of downloading video from youtube. One of the ways that I found quite easy and useful is by using Youtube Downloader.

This is a simple freeware application that works very well, given how basic the interface is.
Just go to the youtube and play any video that you like, then copy the address from the web address bar above. Then, open this little application and it will automatically paste it for you when u click the dialog box.

Then, there are 2 options:

1. to download FLV files from YouTube, or
2. to convert them to most major file formats which supports iPhone, iPod, PSP, cell phone, AVI, MP3, WMV, and Xvid

From there, just hit OK and the downloading will commence. Surprisingly, there's also a basic video editor for cropping videos by time stamp. You can also cut out the sound when converting.

To download this freeware, please click here

Google Chrome

The battle for Internet domination has reached new heights with the launching of Chrome by Google. Thanks to Jayce for the breaking news. Chrome was still in beta so expect some minor problems before the final version is out. Chrome is based on the open-source project Webkit, the same rendering engine used by Apple's Safari.

Market share of the top browsers

Chrome has taken the minimalist approach with the browser design. There are 2 words to describe Chrome "Slick and simple". It put tabs on top of the browser itself thus saving much space and enables a larger viewing area. Moreover, the tabs are detachable from the top and can be dragged out to form a new window itself. New tab pages display your nine most visited Web pages, as well as the searches you perform most, and your most recent bookmarks. This advancement benefit is that if 1 of the tab freezes, u can terminate the tab itself without restarting Chrome. Neat!

Chrome has a Omnibox address bar, sort of the awesome bar from Firefox. It searches the web as u type as well as the history and bookmarks. This means there is no search box in Chrome as u already has the hybrid bar. In addition, the root address of the webpage that you visit is being stressed bold in the Omnibox to notify you if u have accidentally visited harmful sites.

Omnibox

There is also an incognito mode whereby u can search the web without leaving any trace in the history. A good feature for those who surfs at other people's PC or porn lovers at work.

The most striking feature is the speed of course. Google claims that it is faster than the current IE and Firefox. But separate study by Firefox and IE8 beta yield different results.

Higher means faster

For general surfing, I did not encountered problems but there was a nagging problem with blogspot when I tried to copy the images in my draft blog but failed. Some ads also did not rendered correctly as it was in my blog. As it is still in beta, this is expected. There is also a drawback with Chrome where u can't recover back the tabs if it is closed unexpectedly.

If you are addicted to web application and want to try out cool things, this is what most people are waiting for now. It seems Google has everything to compete with Microsoft now. It is only a matter of time before Google launches its own operating system.

Please visit here to try out the beta.

Mobile Number Portability (MNP)

Mobile number portability (MNP) is the freedom to move from one mobile operator to another within the same market, while retaining your mobile number. It allows the customer to change his/her mobile service provider without losing his/her mobile number.

MNP is a government directive and regulatory requirement. There will be a Limited Live Trial from 29 August, to early October 2008. MNP will officially be launched in Malaysia from early October 2008 onwards.

The maximum that a mobile service provider can charge for a port is RM25 but the fees might vary downwards from one service provider to another. These fees will cover the administrative charges, issuance of your new SIM card and all other costs in relation to your port.

Some may said the main beneficiary of this new regulation will be Digi. But, I am sure the other telcos will be offering more attractive and economical packages to customers from now on. That's the benefit of opening the monopoly of telco services. For me, I just signed up for the Maxis Postpaid 2 months ago. I will adopt a wait and see approach first before decide to change mobile service provider.

For more info, please visit http://www.skmm.gov.my/