Back to Gombak

The packing was done, and it was time to shift again. Raya would be the day after tomorrow. I plan to spent some time today doing a bit of shopping with Anita. Will then be stopping by at my Mum to see what was going on. Anita and the kids had gone earlier with our driver, and I had to stop at the apartment to bring over some tit bits to bring home as well.

Anita also left for a couple of bags for me to carry home as well as my boys' pillows.

All tidied upBut the balcony needs a mop. The haze was not kind ...And it was hazy today ...Something I wouldn't miss. Idlan's easy room ...

Some shopping needed to be done later in the day, and Anita would be joining me for that. Looked like it was going to be a long day. Hopefully the traffic would be kind ....

Walk at Sungai Wang

Anita got her wish yesterday. I took the afternoon off to drive her to Sungai Wang. She wanted to buy some clothes there, as well as having a walk at Metrojaya there.

The place was surprisingly quiet even though the drive into the area was terrible. Combination of heavy traffic and roadwork was not kind.

Anita managed to get her stuff, while I walked around at Low Yat having a quick look around. Items of interest? The Sony RX100 mk 3 and the Samsung Note Pro. The Note had a very high resolution and the combination of portability, a slick keyboard cover as well as LTE as an option did strike my fancy. But my main issue was it running Android. For some reason, I wouldn't trust it for word processor as yet - yes, I use my iPad for word processing nowadays, with my trusty Logitech folio keyboard cover. And my iPad ran at LTE speed - most of the time.

Suffice to say, I didn't buy anything. I didn't plan to shop any way and I was not in the mood for clothes.

Maybe I should was until the Surface 3 Pro arrived before giving portable computing another look. It would be from Microsoft after all. But rumour had it that the version in Malaysia would be all wifi only. A shame.

Broken

But it had served me well. Very well. But it looked like I would have to buy another one.

Not exactly talking about a new phone here, but the power pack for my iPhone. The one I had been using since September last year had finally had it after one too many drops. So, I the bottom part of my phone was left exposed, and it needed replacing.

The pack I had been using - since my iPhone 4 days, had been the Mophie Juice Pack Plus. It had the biggest capacity - but the bulkiest - and able to give an extra full charge at the flip of a switch. The other advantage was it allowed me to charge my phone using a Micro USB connector, which was the same as my BlackBerry and Nexus 7. Made carrying a charger for trips that much easier.

What was left ...It also gave a decent all round protection for my phone - as you could tell, it needed protection. I had been very happy with it.

So, I would endeavour to head to a Mac accessory shop later and see what I can pick up. Maybe I would by the Air or Helium variety. Smaller but less capacity.

It Was Getting Quiet

I finally felt it today after a whole week of heavy traffic. The traffic had been relentless, and I was lucky that we stayed at the apartment since Monday. I didn't think I was able to cope driving in and out of Gombak to Subang everyday other wise.

It was jammed up morning, afternoon and even at night. It was non-stop. But after the Friday prayers today, things had gone rather quiet. Maybe people had started trickling back to kampung. I was able to get to Bangsar VIllage to buy stuff for berbuka without much hassle today.

It was jammed in the morning.... and the afternoonTonight, we decided to stay in. We would be moving back to Gombak tomorrow for Raya. Then the Penang trip before coming back to the apartment the week after. And the quiet won't stay the same for long ....

Not Your Normal Light

I have been reading about Hue for a while now but never came across it in Malaysia. I told Idlan during our trip back to Penang the other day about the light system, where we can change colour using the computer, phone or iPad. He was naturally interested.

Last weekend, while Anita was doing a bit of shopping after we went to the school exhibition at Mid Valley, Idlan and I walked into Machines, the shop which sells Apple stuffs. Then, Idlan spotted it. The starter pack for Hue lights!

It didn't take much to convince me to buy one. The next step would be to get a light stand for the bulbs, which we did at Jaya Jusco next door.

The starter pack came with three bulbs and the base unit. Once at home, I connected the base unit to my Wifi base station and after some configuration and button pushing - there was only one button on the base unit - plus a quick app download on my iPhone, I was up and running.

It certainly is fun, but not exactly for use as a main light. We got the three lights installed at the lounge at my apartment now, set into candle light mode while we were watching TV. I have since downloaded an app on my Mac Pro which became the main controller. The base unit can control up to 50 bulbs, so there was plenty of room for manoeuvre. I was still trying to figure out a way of making the lights flick when I receive emails. That would require another app I think. More on that later ...