visit to Digital Aquarium2 and Ocean Sea

was shopping for upcoming Kenyir trip last Saturday 26/5/2012
bought blue varivas PE2 casting line and FINS 15lb PRT braid (too bad it doesn't come in 300 yard-packing) - wanted something thin BUT strong, moving away from 20lb spiderwire camo
as it took on too much water - the 12lb Toray last used must have been a defective batch ... line kept snapping  
chose vanish 14lb casting fluorocarbon (rm26) for backing line instead of mono ... vanish fluoro leader is a wee bit steep at rm54
completed line purchase with yo-zuri HD Carbon fluorocarbon 40lb clear leader

contemplated getting the RM50+ lure box from them but purchased a used Plano Guide 4700 for rm20 from a friend ... one side tab has broke off and separators aren't all there, but hey, it's rm20 versus retail sticker price of rm61 for a new unit ... 'nuff said.

also bought some Johnson weedless (3.5g, 14g and 21g) and Kingfisher, Sweden Vass spoons

came across the following at Ocean Sea:

1. Storm rod - totally unexpected ... Storm is coming out with rods?!?!?!?! Beautiful piece of work ... reminds me of GM's Sabel Dance v1 (no longer produced) blue 

Looks kinda long but is comfy and quite ergonomical

1pc 6-footer PE0.4-1 ... light and nice ... nice detailing
might get it when pocket permits 

2. ABU Garcia Salty Stage Light Jigging (and no, that's NOT the price, just a sticker on the backdrop item used as support) rod

Light enough, nice blue, Fuji guides, detachable handle system (would it come loose after some use?), 100g max jig weight and max line PE2 ... sighhh ... too many nice rods ...

ABU fans, keep an eye out for their upcoming LPBCs and Volatile rod ... sexy and 'lish .. definitely gonna get the new inshore. Handle and drag star styling has fallen in line with PF Nippon style first seen in their BJ/LJ series except for the knobs. Hope it comes with the power handle, too, like its predecessor.

3. Megabass Pagani Therese multiplex rod

ITO engineering

Very light, quality craftsmanship, quality materials and of course, one's pocket will definitely be lightened by one ... sticker price of approx RM1680.

4. Rapala rods

Sand, Granite, Snow and Predator series

Apologies for the unclear pix ... without sounding too prejudicial, these rods feel and look ... run of the mill. Nice start up tackle investment.

5. Okuma Ergosense

Nice split handle, quite understated. For a PE1 rod, the Ergosense feels much heavier than the Storm or Salty Stage LJ (max jig weight 100g) rods, surprising indeed, but I believe it will feel the business when a fish is hooked up. 

visit to Digital Aquarium

popped by digital aquarium, puchong today 
was able to check out the daiwa t3 and t3b(allistic) side by side
t3b in hand feels double the weight of the t3 ... tackletour guys are on the ball as usual
t3 retrieve feels significantly smoother than its sibling
don't like the plasticky look and feel of the t3b's drag star and clutch control knob
its zaion frame makes the reel quite light which unfortunately, does not inspire confidence on my part (personal quirk) 
pop up hood feels flimsy


still unsure if i'd fork out rm800-900+ for it or +rm1000 for its higher end sibling just for the t-wing feature
for that amount of money, you're getting star drags and clutch control knobs with micro clickers and daiwa's proprietary magforce-z brakes
fwiw, the centri-braked ABU revo inshore feels much smoother and more solid (read confidence inspiring) than either with micro clickers for its star drag and clutch control knob for less than rm600.


found the zerek origin series sabetwitch 10-17lb 1 piece 6-foot and wondernow 8-17lb 1 piece 6-foot rods quite pleasing ... light, strong, with a sticker price that's higher than expected. in hand, it somehow feels that 6' 6" would feel much better. if i had to choose, sabetwitch would be my personal pick.


stock of st croix rods have increased


the ABU salty fighter light jigging rod reminds me of the viper venom rods ... white with blue markings ... sticker price of rm400+ ... thin, light, strong ... definitely a LIKE

how on earth did these get their driver's licence?

a total revamp of our driving curriculum is way overdue
it's a tired refrain but malaysian road etiquette remains neanderthal
NIL enforcement is the main catalyst


leave us count the ways malaysian drivers love their roads:
1. hog the middle lane doing 40-60km/h
2. hog the overtaking lane doing 40-60km/h
3. slowly exit junctions at the last minute, with total disregard for oncoming traffic and then proceed at a speed of 20-40km/h
4. the abovementioned self same hogs take extreme umbrage when honked at which is ironic given they came within a hair's breadth of causing an accident
5. hog the slow lane doing 20km/h like it's their inalienable, God-given right to their version of a Sunday drive on any day they choose
5. park indiscriminately ... utterly, totally indiscriminate - corners (where it IS illegal and inconsiderate and absolutely obtuse to do so); road shoulders; any space that accommodates their vehicle ... or not
6. take their sweet time exiting the parking bay even when they know another vehicle is waiting for that spot
7. litter at will ... cigarrette packs and packing, water bottles, tissue paper, cigarette butts, cans, plastic packs, food waste ... i'm sure the list is inexhaustible
8. double/triple park without any note with number to contact, take their sweet time to remove their vehicle, with nary a word of apology
9. park in reserved bays without a care in the world
10. take up two bays or block a vacant bay
11. park at an angle and be an inconvenient nuisance to others ... just because they're driving pick-ups
12. talk, access the net, sms, mms, chat, read, etc, their mobiles while driving and hog the road, change lanes without so much as a by your leave believing it is their absolute, inalienable right to do so - when honked at for nearly causing an accident, these are prone to argue, shake their(!) heads at you, or turn into road bullies
13. drive against the flow of traffic in no entry zones/one way streets and challenge you 
14. look for a spot, be it parking, a house or a commercial premise like that is all that matters and they're the only ones on the road
15. drive cross double lined areas like they're regular junctions
16. rush into yellow boxes to prevent others from entering/egressing junctions or turn offs
17. jump queues, squeeze into the bottleneck point three to five deep
18. speed along emergency lanes during grid lock
19. execute u-turns - successfully or not - without two hoots for approaching traffic
20. execute u-turns at roundabouts to avoid traversing the roundabout
21. chat with passengers and expect other road users to mind them 
22. beat the lights even when traffic is approaching from the green side
23. indiscriminate changing of lanes and squeezing other road users while negotiating roundabouts 
24. last minute turn offs at slip roads, some from the outermost right lane
25. access an adjacent slip road on the left, from the second outer most right lane at a stop light while all vehicles are at a standstill
26. rush to occupy a parking bay like it was a race instead of the driver whose indicator lights are switched on gets the spot
27. diminutive drivers (wonder how their legs reached the pedals during their road tests) who can't see over the steering tops of their lux vechicles - accident waiting to happen
28. improperly install non-legit after market HIDs to blind other road users 
29. hog the lanes in the rain 
30. indiscriminate braking regardless whether dry or wet - these drivers brake for no apparent reason at all 
31. brake to almost a dead stop while negotiating turns, be it a bend, traffic light junctions or roundabouts
32. totally blacked out vehicles can drive and park anyhow they like (wanna-bes)
33. blatantly force their way across no-cross lines from inside just before Leisure Commerce Sq out onto the D'sara-Puchong highway


i'm sure these are only the tip of the 'berg
i, for one, would be an invaluable asset to any local council's coffers, if suitably employed
i'd make sure those who park at corners regardless of hour or day get hauled, they and their vehicles
on-the-go mobile users would be next followed by inappropriate mods and HIDs
of course, the two-way drivers in one-way streets shan't be left out
that's just for starters .... ah, well .. so much for wishful thinking

double confirm ...

know what gets my goat, among many others? 
the state and decline of English in malaysia
i'm no degree holder in language or grammar, but this is horrible to say the least


1. double confirm
anyone out there heard this phrase? 
doesn't it make you literally cringe?
where on earth do these people come up with such phrases?
i hope this isn't what our schools are teaching our children


2. ... myriad of ... 
common mistake even in our local dailies ... as one will find (if one condescends to do so) when reading local English gazettes
one wonders if their editorial staff are a) actually working; b) up to par; c) lazy
methinks rushing deadlines is not sufficient reason
"of" is redundant ... sighhhh ... i could be stuck in a language time flux


anyone who wants to improve ... READ ... no two ways about it
get some First Aid in English (formerly by Preston and currently by TIMES) books and do the exercises
old copies of NatGeo are relatively cheap at rm2-rm5/copy
rent books from bookstores
subscribe to Readers' Digest or get old copies

2012 calcutta 100

was at digital aquarium, puchong today 1/5/2012
sticker price for the calcutta is rm1193
the more i look at it, the cuter and sexier it becomes ... bad news ... for the pocket that is

dropped by ocean sea again today 
the new calcutta is practically the size of the CQ50/51
but significantly heavier ... retail price around RM900+ onwards
(CD51 on the left and Calcutta D 100 on the right)

was at ocean sea sport fishing, sri kembangan today (having a promo sale now)
saw this reel after following it on plat.co.jp the past two months

first impressions
smaller than the daiwa ryoga 1016
figure it to be about the size of the shimano calcutta conquest (CQ50)
weighing in at 225g, based on stats from plat, it's 30g lighter than the ryoga (255g) and 20g lighter than the CQ50 (205g)
it's just 2-3mm wider than three fingers across ... ! a far cry from its long standing predecessor 
the star drag has been shifted outside and reduced in size
for fishos used to larger drag stars, this'll take some getting used to - takes some effort to turn, too
clean lines, nice finish
wish the line guide and star drag are metal like the conquest tho' - however, i could be wrong as they might be anodised metal
clicking star drag but no clicker for the clutch, unfortunately
rrp remains unknown as it's new stock and price remains unfinalised
very tempting but for the estimated rrp of approximately rm1200 (based on plat's pricing post conversion)