Port Dickson Methodist Centre

was there a couple of weeks back
nice place, new, clean and well equipped
airy, all corridors and walkways well lit at night; torches not needed
the beach is about 10-15 minutes away on foot 

plenty of meeting rooms and halls 
canteen area is large, capable of seating a few hundred easily 
flies, however, are a problem - fly paper or tea lights may come in handy during meals

food was pretty good 
a testament to the chefs 

there are ramps and washrooms for the disabled 
washroom facilities are clean and well taken care of 

accommodation ranges from dorms to singles to twins to two room apartments
apartment bathrooms come with showers 

that glass shelf is NOT practical

what i like most are the halls where partitions can be removed to enlarge the area as needed
sound dampening panels work well despite initial looks
what caught my eye was the small 3-in-1 EV line array speaker system hanging from the ceiling
it was more than capable of meeting the sound needs in the hall 
bass, trebles, mids, highs, lows .. whatever or however you may wish to label it 
the ensuing sound was well blended, well mixed, clear, crisp ... different parts were clear and distinct 
no overkills of bass or clashes of instruments competing to be heard
voices were clear yet not overwhelming 
the single EV subwoofer on the floor near the back wall more than did its job  
the sound room ... elevated about 1-1.5 feet, received all "information" through a single person-wide narrow door quite clearly ... with very little loss of "data" - a soundman could do his/her job quite well and efficiently
the PD Methodist Centre set-up reinforces the conviction of my ears that "less is more"

cute ... small yet powerful

 

 that 3-in-1 line array speaker at left more than met the needs of this hall 

forgot to get a shot of the mixer but it looked normal enough 
not exceptionally big nor complicated looking LOL

the single sub-woofer towards the rear wall

















it makes me wonder all the more about a 6-8 speakers with large woofers set up monitored by an open and sunken sound station instead of the norm 
resulting(?) in bass overkill, instruments clashing and competing to heard,
voices overwhelmingly loud and clashing 
too much reverb or echo or delay .. or whatever you may call it since i don't know music and am not a sound engineer  :P

one the other hand, it may not be the hardware but the person or people using or trying to use the hardware ... just like in photography ;)

more answers ...

"take My hand .... " - such a beautiful answer ... the best answer anyone could wish or ask for

awesome God .... who knows everything and is omniscient
who knows His creation best
cried out unto You this morning and ....

'You're here on purpose, weaknesses included. You're all God's fault.
But guess what? He knows what He's doing.

God doesn't call extroverts to be introverts or vice versa. He doesn't call creative people to handle church calendars, and He doesn't call detail oriented people to write dramas.
He made you totally on purpose.

God also knits your personality for whatever He's called you to do. But He uses the Holy Spirit to work the you out of you. He always works on your rough edges, but God does not want you to be someone you are not. God can use you just where you are - your gifts, talents and strengths - but in using you, He will change you and conform you to look more like Christ. 

Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all for the glory of the Lord. When you work, do it as though working for the Lord. Use your gifts. Pour into others. Listen to that inner tug. See the hole you're supposed to fill. Get busy thriving."

after last night's service, "take My hand ..." is all i'm hanging onto 
Father, please complete the good work You've begun in me, according to Your will and purpose
despite my circumstances, despite my situation, despite my snafus ... please, for Your glory 
all my yearnings, desires, wishes and dreams, and love for the Sea beautiful ... into Your hands i surrender, Father 
please continue to carry me and my heart, Father 

an answer ... a progressive answer ... progressive answers

months of struggle
finally coming to a decision .. more or less 
i do not fear deciding nor acting on a decision
but i fear the Lord who can destroy both body and spirit
i fear losing the Lord's grace, mercies, compassion, love, protection and blessings

the Lord knows us, his creation ... knows me ... like no one ever does or ever could 
the constant support and comfort ... encouragement 
these past months 
all glory be unto Thee O Sovereign One of Israel 
these past months ... crying ... crying out unto You
asking ... wanting to know ... yearning .. desiring 
yet wanting to be right with You in You 
thank You for Your faithfulness and mercies and grace 
thank You for speaking to me 
thank You for Your Holy Spirit
thank You 
i'm usually all for the now and here 
but have gotten used about thinking and planning for the future  
worrying about the future 

"We’re all guilty of living in anticipation of a fork in the road. 
But there is no fork in your road. 
God didn’t ask you to make any huge decisions. 
All he said was “Lean on me, see like I see, and realize your past is gone and your future is mine. 
All I ask is that you get to know me and make me known.”

been struggling these past months to decide
and when i'm on the verge of acting
here's the answer : 
You did not ask me to make any decisions ... because everything is in Your hands 
what a relief, Father and yet ... just waiting ... i chafe at the bit 
was that all white wedding just a dream ... or a sign ? 
was our sitting together to discuss unknown matters a future reality or 
... just wishful dreaming ?

yes, Father, the past is gone and the future is Yours
please make use of me ... if only a little 
not even a potsherd ... but potsherd dust  
but You formed me from dust 
and therefore Thou art able to use me, even as dust 
... surrender ...

spiral wrapped rods ....

you either get it and dig it ... 

or you do but can't wrap your head around it 

... or you don't and can't and don't really bother, ie you're part of the herd :P

some believe it reduces casting distance ... 

marginal % if any, according to some

distance reduced by much, according to others and ... interestingly, many of these 'others' have not cast a spiral wrapped rod but voiced their 'experience' or 'belief' vociferously

interestingly, again, some of 'these' are in the business .. yes, they're tackle retailers and rod builders

hey, you're hearing this from the horse's mouth so to speak ... i approached many and spoke with them 

the idea intrigued me and i did research .... weeks and months of reading ... on rods, spiral wrapped rods and baitcasting reels

thanks to Uncle Thomas of JDArtac ... who advised and made recommendations ... yours truly have a handful of spiral wrapped rods :D

Thomas Lee , Fisher Fango , Kokming Tan, Extreme Anglers and many others build spiral wrap rods on order

Tackletour covered a wee bit with a nice pic

Rod and Reel Pictures has two nice pix  

Thomas Stroker 

Extreme Anglers

  eupro BC blue salty fighter rod (top left) refitted by Extreme Anglers into a spiral wrap

yellow rod (middle) is the Thomas Stroker

black at bottom right is Extreme Angler's ... bought off a friend precisely because it is a spiral wrap

close up of the refitted salty fighter

recent additions ... a 6' 8-17lb made in china Daiwa Strikeforce refitted into a spiral wrap by Kokming

and a Vicious Anglers rod done by a friend who built a bunch of rods for a group of friends as an experiment ... 's right :D

done with Fuji SK2 split seat ... comfy, light

for those who have never seen or are unacquainted ... they initially thought the rod was twisted round lolololol some were reported to have attempted to set the rod right lolololol

why spiral wrap ? why indeed ... with the final third or two thirds of guides aligned as on a spinning rod, there is little to no twist - compared with a conventional casting rod - when one is fighting a strong fish.

conventional rod users share how their hands or wrists are strained when a hardfighting fish is on the line. some claim the resultant repeated torque or torsional force on the upper sections of the rod gradually weaken it, resulting in eventual breakage.

can't really say since i started off with Unc Thomas' spiral wrapped Thomas Stroker .. have yet to use a conventional rod till today 

as for distance, i achieve better distance with a longer rod ... less brakes ... loosened spool tension ... heavier lures or bait .. lighter lines 

can't say i've seen or experienced line slap ... then again my eyes aren't on outgoing line when casting ... 

feels normal when fighting fish ... whether hooked on a cast or bottom fishing 

yes ... i use low profile and round BCs for bottom fishing as well ... i try to set the rod upright on the rod holder to avoid the rod bending against its own backbone should a fish take the line 

a new friend, Daniel, claims there is immediate and significant difference using a spiral wrapped set up ... "memang tak rasa dia punya pressure" - pacu on the spiral wrapped salty fighter with a starion RBC. Daniel also liked how the drag performed on the starion and plans to get a spiral wrap in the near future. 

there are tons of references and sources online that explain the advantages of spiral wrapped rods quite well ... look 'em up and decide for yourself :)

but be warned ... some can be quite technical

cost depends more on materials than workmanship

some rod builders don't charge much to do up a new blank OR to refit a rod 

some re-use existing guides

some may suggest changing the guides as the different positions may necessitate it

cheap blanks or cheap rods + cheaper guides (as long as can handle braid) + standard TCS/ECS reel seats won't set one back much 

buying pre-loved spiral wrapped BC rods is an alternative ... you spend less or you invest less in a 'branded' SpWr rod ;)

tight lines

P.S. primer reading :P

http://www.newenglandkayakfishing.com/index.php/content/articles/99-spiral-wrapped-rods-no-longer-a-skeptic 

http://www.acidrod.com/acidrods.html 

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewmegabassfx71181x4pg3.html 

http://forums.tackletour.com/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=43522 

http://www.rodbuilding.org/library/SpiralWrapDemo.pdf 

http://www.thehulltruth.com/sportfishing-charters-forum/506068-anyone-using-these-spiral-wrap-jigging-rods.html#b 

anglers' central Aug2014

finally able to spend some leisure time at Anglers Central today 

checked out their rods, some light jigs and assist hooks as well their Jap lures 
some are value buys 
some are investment buys, ie good thing not cheap, pay peanuts get monkeys  
some are for feel good gearheads who wish to have something higher end even though may not fish as much or often or fish well ... like me ! LOLOLOLOL

nice range of MajorCraft (MC) rods catering for both spinning and casting 
a handful of Jackalls, Megabass (MB) and Dobyns rods ... nice selection overall 
i like their UL selection ... trapara and finetail are very nice, light, strong yet flexible enough to launch light/UL lures .. nice backbone 2-4lb, 3-7lb, 2-6lb, 1-4lb ... unfortunately for me or fortunately for my pocket, most are 2-piece rods 

Volkeys are in the RM600+ range while the GoEmotions are in the RM400-RM500+ range depending on rod poundage ... like their L/ML range, 6-14lb ... wish it were longer though   

impressive array of lures to choose from ... MB, Jackall Mudsuckers and Lake Police and myriad other Japanese brands we seldom see 

Evergreen Kaleido Combat Stick Designo Stingray 66

                                                    

Japanese attention to detail ... carbon weave, gold highlights, thoughtful rubber butt cap ... the triggerless handle caught my eye since it is a casting rod with micro guides ... light in hand ... feels strong .... but imagine paying around RM2,000 for a 5-10lb rod @_@


the Dobyns ...


 

nice touch but unusual hookkeeper .. wonder how it stands up to prolonged usage ... the cork butt is a nice touch but not quite practical

love the two tone paint and carbon weave 
well ... for about RM700+ ... i think it's either a love it or hate it :D

the Jackall tranpo comes in two versions one with a cork handle+gold highlights and another with EVA+orange highlights ... most probably to differentiate their poundages

 

just love the attention to detail ... picture does not do the workmanship justice ... nor the pricing lol ... RM1100+ onwards 

and of course it will not be complete without the MB .... 

 super criffhanger .. dat's right ... factory's intentional typo :P 6-12lb

whereas the super eiger is a 6-14lb rod 

just love the carbon cross wrap weave ... pattern is barely discernible in this pic 

both rods about RM1,300-RM1,700

the micro guide trend continues with most of these rods ... aiding in weight reduction and sensitivity but one needs to either be a good knot tier (for those who use leaders) or you're pretty much a mainliner with no leaders

what i'd like to see are factory produced spiral wrap rods ... weight will definitely be reduced with the reduced number of guides used unlike the conventional method which uses more guides

i heard from old timers Daiwa produced spiral wrap rods way back in the 1980s .. wish i could my hands on some. due to extremely poor sales, they stopped production and followed the crowd. only rod builders and anglers do spiral wraps now in addition to other custom jobs.

unfortunately not all rod builders agree on the degree and number of guides from stripper to the first fully right angled guide at the bottom of the rod ... some prefer three, some prefer four; some prefer to angle the guides left and others right. to each their own  

another topic for another day ....