Random Thoughts

1. Here's an interesting way to advertise your services (by having anyone be able to see what's going on inside):

On one hand, one might think that business is poor as nothing is going on. On the other hand, an empty clinic is one where you might not have to wait for services. The other day I could actually see a patient being attended to while driving.

2. I'm getting used to simply walking back home. I find that if I walk briskly, I can get home in just 30 minutes, which is exactly the same as taking the LRT. But I won't be doing that going to work, as I don't have any intention of being drenched in sweat on arrival to the hospital. I'm a person who wears a single layer of clothing in a cold operating theater, so I don't tolerate heat well. On another note, today was the first day that a "homeless guy" greeted me below Bulatan Pahang. Any homeless person (unfortunate as their fate is) with some sense I'd assume would prefer to stay and the next door Pusat Gelandangan (homeless shelter). I wouldn't approach anyone who decided to sleep outside and suddenly decide to greet me. I'm sorry, but a hefty dose of skepticism is needed.

3. The Boost (and any other cashless mobile system) app is useless without an Internet connection. And at the LG floor of Quill City Mall (where I go to get Dunkin Donuts coffee), the only way of getting internet is by sometimes getting to the WiFi networks of other nearby shops; DiGi has a piss poor connection there. That's a problem.

4. A good cut of ribeye or other expensive steak cuts cost in the region of RM 25 per piece at AEON Mid Valley (at a size that satisfies me, after those 30% discounts on "almost expiring pieces"; in the freezer, the so called expiry date can be disregarded completely). This might sound expensive, but consider this: eating 2 ala carte "ayam penyet" sets without rice (that gets me a 1/2 chicken that's actually not that big) at a joint I regularly frequent cost RM 21. A Fuel Shack Mini-Tower (my preferred choice of quick proteins and huge amounts of calories) costs RM 26. And that gets me only I guess 300 g of burger patties (processed meat, not the pure steak goodness). 2 ala carte sets of "ayam tandoori" (the minimum that can make me feel satisfied) costs around RM 15. Food is expensive nowadays. Gone are the days during childhood where RM 5 could get you rice + 2 large pieces of chicken (with good taste) at a mamak restaurant. If not for convenience, I do not want to eat out until I die; I'll just cook whenever I can. And I will always eat the anemic chicken (with a Hb of 4) served at the hospital if every else does not want them; free protein is free protein. Anywhere else and nitrogen is god-damned expensive. Modern money is more and more useless.

oBike

I was up for some thrill-seeking behavior  yesterday, so I decided to try out the oBike  service. I’ve seen the bikes strewn out all over KL, but I didn’t want to try it out with full-blown KL traffic or with a recent rain.

In my quest to become healthy, wealthy, and wise (and failing miserably), I’m always looking for ways to increase my NEAT in an efficient manner. So I try to climb up the stairs and use public transport whenever possible. 

With me working in the PICU the past month,  it has become more convenient for me to simply walk to Quill City Mall from the hospital, go to the gym, and then go back. My usual option of going back home would be to take the monorail  followed by the LRT.  But efficiency is also important for me; I heard that cycling is faster than walking and riding the trains. As my gym session finished at 10:30 pm with no preceding rain, I felt that this was a reasonable opportunity to try out the service as the heavy KL traffic would be much lighter (but I’ll talk more about this). 

On the way to the gym earlier, I did see a bike  available near the Quill City Mall entrance. So when I left the mall, I went back to the place where I saw the bike earlier.  I then opened up the app:

So I opened up the app, and that’s the first alert to come up. I’ll talk more about these designated parking zones later. 

The app then displays locations of potential bikes and how to get there if you want to use/reserve it. 

Parking  areas are also displayed .

You may choose to go directly to an available bike, or reserve one instead; you’ll have 10 minutes to reach the bike and unlock it for your use. 

Once you choose to unlock a bike, you will need to scan the QR code of the bike (present at the handle or the mud guard) to finally unlock the bike. 

QR code at the handle. 

Bike locked. After a few seconds..

...Bike unlocked. You can adjust the seat height but not much else. It is a single gear bike, at a relatively low gear (I’m guessing only 3rd gear). It is relatively at a better gear when going slightly uphill (for those who are not semipro cyclists), but definitely makes it a struggle when trying to cycle really fast alongside motorcycles and cars along Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Pahang.

Once the ride is over, you press the “End Now” button and ride ends. 

When you end the ride, the app will lock the bike (via Bluetooth) and calculate the charges (I presume partially retroactively). 

On the oBike map this area (near the Sentul Timur LRT station) is not marked as a designated parking area, but why not? 

For the past 2 weeks I’ve used the bike to either go homefrom Quill City Mall (where I lift) or from the hospital. From Quill City Mall, the ride time is about 30 minutes, taking me through Kampung Baru, Jalan Tun Razak, Bulatan Pahang, then finally Bandar Baru Sentul. This is relatively comparable to the travel time by Medan Tuanku Monorail station to Sentul Timur LRT, or walking a few more minutes then take the LRT from the Sultan Ismail station; both take around 30-40 minutes. 

So how do I find it?

Pros: 

1) My usual travel fare is cut from RM 3.20 (I think) to 50 cents. Any form of savings is okay depending on your point of view.

2) It definitely increases my NEAT. With this, cardio is naturally incorporated. 

3) The service is available 24/7. Even when there are no more trains. This especially important as I like to go to the gym as late as possible (when the gym is as empty as possible). 

Cons: 

1) With the route I travel, biking during the safest times are paramount. It’s safe only if the traffic is light (midnight) or unusually very heavy (usually from nighttime construction work with the MRT); during other traffic conditions, you are at the mercy of the other motorists whizzing beside you.  The single gear is a real disadvantage when entering Jalan Tun Razak and further on as it’s really difficult to speed up.

2) There are too few designated parking areas (and you’re penalized if you don’t park in one). This is especially true near my apartment; there are none, not even near the LRT station which has dedicated bicycle parking areas. But the service is too cheap to make the penalties hurt anyway.

3) We Malaysians are just pricks; too many of the bikes have been vandalized. I see the service heavily used near the construction areas (where I presume mainly foreigners use them to get around). If you’re not keen on using the service, leave the bikes alone!

Overall, I think I will be using this service whenever it is available. Cycling as a different stimulus makes my thighs hurt (I do have a 34 BMI) in a way that deadlifts and squats never have...