Interesting – Page 15 – sixthseal.com

Bang! Bang! You’re dead!

May 24, 2005 by HB

popgun super cap gun

Remember the pop cap gun toys that we used to play with as a kid? I
found one of them at a friend’s shop yesterday and decided to go for a
trip down nostalgia lane. The toy is named Super Cap Gun with Real Bullet Shooting Action and it retails for just a couple of dollars.

popgun contents

The contents of the package consist of a pink revolver type handgun
with a container full of plastic bullets. The firing caps are not
included so I got a couple of kids that were hanging around to go buy
some for me at a shop nearby and told them to keep the change.

popgun shot discs

They came back with a stack of the 72 shot packets containing 8 shot
plastic disc caps. I remember these things fondly from my childhood
days, when I used to shoot my sister with these pop cap guns. I
probably triggered some massive synapse linkage coz she’s now
practicing medicine at Christchurch Hospital and I’m here in Kuching
doing…fuck all? 😉

popgun shot rounds

Anyway, the shot caps are detachable from a large sheet of
prefabricated 8-shot firing caps. You’ll notice that some of the caps
do not have a proper amount of gunpowder (or whatever they use in these
things to propel the bullets)…it’s made in China, no quality control,
so there you go. In fact, some of the shot cap rounds do not have any
firing chemical at all…

popgun revolver canister

Well, back to the pop cap gun, the front of the gun has a release
mechanism that allows the revolver load to be detached. The back of the
canister has metal studs embedded into it to allow the firing pin to
hit the metal studs against the shot caps (the opposite action of real
handguns) and the front has loading bays for the plastic bullets
included in the package.

popgun loading

The loading of the plastic toy gun is done by manually inserting the
white plastic bullets into the chambers. There are 8 chambers, the
standard size in toy guns that uses the 8-shot firing caps. The first
time I loaded the pop cap gun, I didn’t push the “bullets” in fully,
which resulted in less-than-stellar discharges.

popgun correct load

I later found out that pushing in the plastic bullets until
they come into contact with the back metal studs resulted in a much
more satisfactory discharge, in terms of distance and power. The
picture above shows the correct load of this plastic pop cap gun.

popgun firing cap

The firing cap is put above the metal studs at the back of the plastic revolver…

popgun lock and load

…and the canister is put back into the gun frame. Lock and load! 😉

popcap

Download: Pop gun firing action [sixthseal.com]

Here’s a video of me playing with the pop cap gun at my friend’s
store. I used my hand as a target, just to see if it hurts. It doesn’t.

popgun welts

It gives you welts where the plastic bullets come into contact with your skin though…

popgun firing cap spent

This is what the firing cap looks like when it’s spent.

popgun residue

The pop can gun has visible residue in the chamber after its being
fired for a couple of times…it’s made in China, it’s not supposed to
last. :p

popgun hands up

Hands up! Or I’ll give you welts! 😉

LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader Transformation

May 18, 2005 by HB

LEGO came out with a Star Wars Darth Vader Transformation kit (7251)
for RM 44.90. I saw it at Jusco before I came back and couldn’t resist
buying it. I haven’t assembled LEGO sets in a long, long time.

I brought the Lego Star Wars Darth Vader Transformation box to the
office today to assemble during my lunch break. The back of the kit
shows how Anakin Skywalker can be transformed into Darth Vader using a
twisting movement. I just found the kit interesting, so I decided to
give it a go.

I opened up the box and pulled out several LEGO pieces inside a plastic bag. It didn’t look like it would be hard to assemble…

…until I noticed that there’s another packet of Lego pieces in the
box, a flat LEGO mounting board and an instructions manual. That’s the
problem with LEGO pieces, there’s always more than you think. 😉

This is the assorted LEGO Star Wars pieces from the first packet.
You can see an Anakin Skywalker LEGO man piece in there as well as an
unmasked Darth Vader LEGO man. There’s something about the characters
having a LEGO man head that cracks me up to no end. 🙂

This is the other (smaller) packet, which mostly contains the LEGO
pieces necessary to build the torture device/transformation thingy. The
instructions manual (a thinly disguised promotional brochure) is at the
back.

The LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader Transformation manual has the same flame-licking-the-fringes design as the box.

I must admit, I’ll be lost without the step-by-step instructions to build the contraption. Seriously.

I started with the base LEGO mounting board and started building up
the back towers (they’re actually LEGO pieces, but I’m trying to lose
myself in the illusion here, dammit ;)).

The side swing away multiple armed transformation machine came was
starting to bear some resemblance to the image on the box after a
couple of minutes.

It’s starting to look more and more like the LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader Transformation kit now…

Behold! The LEGO pieces are finally assembled! I present to you – The LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader Transformation!

This is the “Darth Vader” side – the previous photo shows the “Anakin Skywalker” side.

Download: LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader Transformation [sixthseal.com].

Here’s a video to show how the LEGO swivels to “transform” Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader.

There are also two other possible permutations with the existing
LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader transformation kit – there’s no instructions
for those, but it can be done with a bit of experimentation. One of
them depicts Darth Vader standing beside the machine and the other
shows Darth Vader with this huge ass phallic looking weapon.

I like it in the original form though, so the LEGO Star Wars Darth Vader Transformation set is sitting on my desk at work now.

Everybody Loves Kung Fu Fighting!

May 11, 2005 by HB

kung fu rat

The Kung Fu Rat is a soft toy that sings and dances to a theme song that’s so catchy, you just can’t get it out of your head!

kungfu rat

Download: Kungfu Rat [sixthseal.com]

It’s hooked up to one of the video servers in our network. It’s just too funny for words…so just download the video. 🙂

Anyway, I’ll be flying to KL early tomorrow morning for a business
trip. I’ll be there the whole weekend, staying at the same place
(Cititel, Mid Valley).

The bird nesting outside my window

May 6, 2005 by HB

bird nesting

I had noticed an increase in birds chirping recently, as well as a
perceived closeness of the said chirping sounds. I didn’t really think
much of it until I happened to see a birds nest in the window just
outside my place.

bird nest window

It was unusual as birds usually nest earlier in the year (when the
weather is drier) and also due to the fact that I live on the third
floor, and the outcropping afforded by the struts supporting my window
wasn’t all that comfortable to roost in (in a human’s eyes).

bird run away

I found the bird to be quite adorable but it turned rather anxious
when our proximity closed, which was strange, considering I sleep under
her every night. It soon flew off to roost in the street light opposite
my place, where she anxiously kept one eye on her beloved nest.

bird nest take

I wanted to take a look at the nest, so I tenderly squeezed it in
through the bars of my window…and I found two (2) eggs inside the
nest! Bird eggs! The nest was made out of straw and other material the
bird managed to painstakingly gather throughout the nest building days.

bird nest closer

Here’s a closer look at the bird’s nest…

bird egg closer

…and the two eggs that it contained. The eggs are slightly
translucent and it seems like one can peek inside, if only the lighting
was right.

I managed to take a video of the bird eggs to show how it looks like:

bird egg splash

Download: Bird’s eggs [sixthseal.com]

However, I inadvertently used too much pressure on the eggs coz one
of it burst and splashed yolk and bird fetal matter. OMG! I killed a
bird-to-be! I also managed to soil the lens of the Nikon 5700 that I just repaired at a cost of RM 750. I don’t know which one made me feel worse. :p

bird egg broken

Well, since the egg was already destroyed, here’s another photo of it.

bird egg pristine

This is the pristine egg that wasn’t destroyed…

bird nest

Download: Lonely mother bird [sixthseal.com]

bird plaintive

…and this is the sad mother of the eggs. The bird is seen
plaintively roosting at the place where the nest used to be, looking
for her yet-to-be-born children that was so cruelly snatched from her…

The Curve @ Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya

March 30, 2005 by HB

the curve

The Curve is the latest concept shopping mall that opened up in Mutiara Damansara, completing the Holy Trinity (IKEA-Ikano Power Center – 1 Utama – The Curve)
of consumerism. The Curve is located right opposite Ikano Power Center
and the architecture of the place is dominated by…well, curves, so to
speak.

the curve tenent

The anchor tenant at the main entrance of The Curve is The Coffee
Bean and Tea Leaf. Despite the prime real estate space, it seems that
this coffee chain does not attract as much patrons as the Medusa
figurehead located further in The Curve. Personally, I’m partial to
Starbucks too, so I didn’t linger here.

the curve curving

The Curve is being promoted as a different designer shopping center
and it just opened recently so I decided to spend an afternoon there to
check it out. Please don’t let this photo of the rounded interior fool
you – the tenancy rates at The Curve is still relatively low, which is
understandable, considering it’s new.

the curve escalators

The escalators at The Curve are also subtly curved…I half expected
the toilets to be curved as well, but I can report with authority that
the washrooms at The Curve are perfectly conventional. The Curve
implements a very interesting concept of segregating the fashion
outlets from the eating establishments. The Fashion Mall covers the
interior of The Curve and The Street Mall twists and bends around the
exterior of the entire three storey shopping mall.

the curve aisle

I found the architecture to be very novel and charming…each floor
is logically partitioned into two sections – The Walk and The Street.
It gave me the feeling that The Curve is half a shopping mall, albeit a
very artistically designed one. The Walk refers to the air-conditioned
interior of the mall and it leads out to The Terrace.

the curve in out transition

The Street takes up all the outdoor space around and inside the
mall. It’s an open aired path lined with shops. The right side of The
Street is dubbed the Western Courtyard, while the left flank is called
the Asian Courtyard. The Street is almost as big as The Walk and each
of the five floors follows the same The Street-The Walk partitioning,
including the two basement car parks. I’m just as confused as you are
regarding the architectural decisions and would in fact like to have
whatever he/she was taking when this concept mall was drawn up.

the curve walk

The Ground Floor, First Floor and Second Floor all leads out to The
Street at various points. It’s meant to be a mall that embraces the air
conditioned comfort of modern shopping malls on one side and an al
fresco open air retail space on the other half. It’s not as bad as it
sounds though; The Curve is just a three storey mall, so it would take
a lot of effort just to get lost. The balcony lining The Street is
densely packed with ceiling fans, which is a really good idea in our
climate.

the curve water feature

The Street leads to The Piazza at the end of the shopping mall and
the same segmented design is replicated across all the floors so it’s
actually pretty nice to walk around inside before stepping out to
stroll around in the fresh air. There are also several decorative
structures interspaced outside, like this water feature (a pretentious
name for a fountain) and gazebos. That’s a T.G.I. Fridays behind the
fountain.

the curve walkway

The palm tree lined street is a refreshing change from the usual
enclosed shopping centers around here. There are also transparent glass
walkways interconnecting the two courtyards at the upper floors of The
Street. I had lunch at the excellent The Bakery Moments (review
tomorrow) – a Norwegian bakery concept store that just opened its first
establishment here.

The Curve seems to have the potential to become a great specialty
mall like bsc in Bangsar. It’s small but cozy, and while it’s true that
The Curve can’t compete in size or secure mega anchor tenants unlike
the two massive neighboring shopping malls, it makes up for it with
quality specialty cafes, bistros and other eating establishments. I
like The Curve – it exudes a certain charm that large commercialized
shopping malls lack…

Turkey, anyone? (or the great Christmas prank)

December 24, 2004 by HB

There’s this thing about two of our office lines – one of them
apparently belonged to a pharmacy before and the other one to a
supermarket. Usually, we just tell them it’s the wrong number and that
is that.

Well, today one of them called to the line that used to belong to
the supermarket. Penny answered it the first time and said they had the
wrong number. It rang again two seconds later (the guy probably thought
he misdialed) and I decided to pick it up.

Now, the thing is, I didn’t know whether this was the previous guy
who thought he had the supermarket or a caller to our company. It was
50/50 either way. But I thought, what the heck, we’re in a holiday
mood, let’s have a bit of fun. 😉

I picked the phone up…and I said:

Me: Hello, (*beep*) Supermarket.
Caller: Hello. Is this the supermarket?
Me: Yes, it is. How can I be of service?

(My coworkers were all laughing in the front office)

Caller: I’m looking for a turkey, does your supermarket carry them.
Me: Yes, we carry 2 kg turkeys, all frozen.

(The laughter gets louder at this point, now this is just egging me on ;))

Caller: Hmm…2 kg is a little too small. Don’t you have any larger ones? Like 5 kg turkeys?
Me: Unfortunately, we only have 2 kg frozen turkeys at this time…but we can order a 5 kg frozen turkey for you by 12 o clock.
Caller: That’s a little late for a frozen turkey…
Me: Not to worry, we can thaw it out and have it ready by 12 o clock for you. Can you leave your name and number please?

(This is the coup de grace – everyone was laughing so hard and I’m barely able to suppress the laughter that’s bursting out from me at this point)

Caller: My name is Mr. Mo. My number is xxxxxx.
Me: Thank you for shopping with us. We’ll get your turkey ready by then Mr. Mo.

I quickly hanged up before I succumbed to all that pent up laughter…it was unbearable! 🙂

We need a 5 kg thawed turkey ready for Mr. Mo by 12 pm…except, he thought he ordered with the supermarket. Haha!

Mr. Mo! I’m sorry for the prank. I couldn’t help it. It was just too funny. Hahaha!

Merry Christmas everyone! 🙂

The accident at Permata Carpark and Jaws of Life in action

December 9, 2004 by HB

man accident

There was an elderly man who ran into one of the supporting pillars
on Level 5 in Permata Carpark, not 10 meters from where our booth was.
It was one of the people from the catering service and apparently, he
had a bit of an argument with his coworkers, drove off in a huff, and
crashed into the pillar while navigating a turn.

cutting man free

Bomba (Fire Department) had to be called to extract the man coz he
couldn’t move from his seat after he crashed. One of the fireman went
into the cabin to support the structure, while the others used the Jaws
of Life to get the injured man out.

jaws of life

The contraption, if you’re not familiar with it, is a hydraulic
device that’s used to pry through tough steel (like in automobiles) to
free the trapped people in the car.

jaws of life pry

The man was finally freed after 15 minutes of prying through the
steel of the vehicle. It’s surprisingly able, that contraption, bending
and cutting through steel. He was bleeding from injuries when he was
freed though. I took heaps of photos and also shot a video and I called
Borneo Post after that to sell the photos. Well, one of the reporters
rushed here to meet me and he said he was impressed with the photos.
Sourced: https://1800injured.care/car-accident/

man free

Civil Defense personnel were also there and helped move the man to a
waiting ambulance when he was finally freed. Back to the reporter, he
came to meet me at the booth and he was interested in purchasing the
photos. However, I had expected a minimum of RM 200 to part with the
copyrights. Unfortunately, he told me that Borneo Post only pays RM 20
– 30 to photos submitted by people who are not affiliated with the
paper, so I said I’m sorry to have wasted his time coz I wanted to keep
the copyrights unless the amount could convince me to relinquish it. 😉

It’s all good though, he says he understands and shook hands with me
and asked me more details about the accident. It was only after he left
that I remembered something I should have asked him…I would have
given him the photos for free if he would credit me i.e. put my name
and URL in the papers. It didn’t occur to me then. Oh well. 🙂

Spanish Fly experience report

November 15, 2004 by HB

spanish fly pillow

This is a cinnamon flavoured pillow of the infamous Spanish fly,
which is supposedly an aphrodisiac that will send people into throes of
orgasmic pleasure. Authentic Spanish fly preparations contains cantharides (also known as cantarides, which is made from the crushed wings of the Cantharis vesicatoria beetle, otherwise known as the Spanish fly.

spanish fly twist off

I bought a “pillow” (twist off pack) of this for RM 25 and the
proprietor told me that it’ll “make the girl feel hot all over”. I told
him I intended to consume this myself, in my never ending quest for
experience of potentially recreational substances. 😉 Well, he told me
I’ll basically feel the same effects, but I did a bit of research
beforehand to see what it actually is.

Spanish fly is supposed to “work” as an aphrodisiac by irritating
the urogenital tract, which would simulate arousal. This is where the
legendary aphrodisiac properties comes from – cantharides is used in
breeding farm animals by making them “feel” like they’re sexually
stimulated due to the irritation of the genitals.

spanish fly experiment

I decided to experiment with this substance and twisted open the top
and consumed the thick syrup consistency Spanish Fly liquid. It tasted
sickly sweet, but it’s not that bad and I emptied the whole pillow in a
swallow. Here’s the experience report:

spanish fly consume

T+ 0:45 – I felt slightly “hot” at around T +0:45 but the feeling is
not “hot” as in sexually stimulated, but “hot” as in hyperthermia.
There seems to be some weak stimulant inside, probably caffeine or
ephedra.

T+ 1:00 – I feel itchy “down there”. :p No, don’t get me wrong, it’s not sexual arousal, but a real itch.

T+ 1:30 – Facial flushing is present, as well as a general burning
sensation on the face. Still no evidence of the Spanish Fly working.

T+ 3:30 – I had forgotten that I took the Spanish Fly preparation until I took a piss. It felt slightly uncomfortable.

T+ 6:00 – I’m filing this under “Bunk”. There’s no evidence of
aphrodisiac action at all, but it does seem to have a little
cantharides in it. I just said it’s bunk coz I refute its supposed
aphrodisiac qualities.

This particular product does seems to have a little
cantharides (the active ingredient of Spanish Fly preparations) from
the qualitative itch, and a slight discomfort during the two times I
took a piss during the 6 hour period. Since this is an isolated
experiment, I cannot state whether this is a “reverse placebo” effect
or otherwise. There are no after effects on the second day (this
morning) except I do remember having a sleep erection (the ones you get
when you’re sleeping) that won’t go down. *cough*

However, I must make it clear that my experience with this particular “Spanish Fly” product leads me to state that it has no recreational potential
whatsoever. The initial mild “hot flushing” effect is quite enjoyable,
but you can emulate that with any old weak stimulant, like phentermine.

P/S – Beware priapism – it seems that this can cause it. :p

Fogging Aedes

October 23, 2004 by HB

fogging aedes

Mosquito season is here again and fogging operations are being done
to counter the threat of Aedes mosquitoes which is a vector for dengue
fever. I remember the fogging operators going into my house when I was
young and I simply loved the smell of the chemicals. It’s a sickly
sweet smell and it’s like walking in a fog dream.

fogging aedes man

I saw fogging operations being done again just now. They still use
the phallic looking fogging devices but the Malathion trucks were gone.
It used to be a double whammy last time, fogging operations followed
quickly by a truck dispensing Malathion through a specialized exhaust.
I think they scrapped the Malathion truck coz of the toxicity…

I miss those trucks…

The girls from China fiasco

September 27, 2004 by HB

kch china girls flash

I was in Parkson with my friends X and Y (names changed to protect
the guilty ;)) when we saw this group of girls sitting at Giant. I took
a photo and unfortunately, the flash went off…

kch china girls away

The girls looked at me and I smiled at them and shrugged and when I
took the second shot (without flash – better skin tone), they giggled
and turned away. One of them jokingly said to the other girl that I was
interested in her. Nothing of that sort, of course, I just like street
photography.

Anyway, by sheer coincidence, we bumped into them again, this time
upstairs. I approached them and got them to pose for a photo. I’m not a
big fan of posed photos, I much prefer candid shots of people doing
what they do. I asked them where they were from, and they said they
were from the Guangzhou province of The People’s Republic of China.

kch china girls next

Well, after that, one of the girls asked if they could have a copy
of the photos. I said sure, and gave them my number. X and Y, who were
standing at the sidelines (they’re kinda embarrassed when I pull shit
like this ;)) was harassing me to get their numbers. They were
interested in the girls, but I wasn’t, but hey, they are my friends, so
I got their numbers.

I also took a photo with them, got Y to take the photos. X was the
most interested party and I gave him the number and he got Y to call
the girl. I’m not interested in anything beyond this point, I just like
to take photos and that’s it. It’s for the XX Chromosomes category,
see. 😉

kch china girls me

Well, Y called up the girl and the girls asked us to take them to
another shopping center and walk around with them. I’m not falling for
that shit, so I said I’m going to bail, but X insisted that I stay
around a bit. Well, I told X that I’ll just stay till the duration it
took to get me home, and the girls talked to us a bit.

Classic dodgy stuff, standard modus operandi, but X was interested,
so hey, wtf, I talked to them until I got home. X and Y later went out
with the girls to the shopping center, and later that night, they
called me and told me about what happened. It’s the characteristic ruse
that these girls pull; I know coz I asked them about their line of work
and why they’re here while in the car. I laughed so much I was in tears.

Somehow, “I told you so”, just wasn’t quite enough. 😉