TCE Sports has lost its marbles ... ?

as of late 2011 into 2012, prices of daiwa products increased an average of 30%, +5%
and the kicker? old stock was subjected to the increase as well 

i've emailed tce sports but received no reply ... kinda like bn/umno
arbitrary price increases while the yen has fallen appreciatively, ie less than 3cents last week

buying tackle directly from Japan, with or without shipping, is definitely much cheaper than buying locally
dealers are complaining 
dealers are complaining about customers complaining

c'mon tce sports .. jangan jadi macam bn/umno
please (try to) justify your price increase

we're more than happy to source for our tackle online 
we don't really need you
if you choose to kill your own rice bowl, please go right ahead
you have been warned

sorrows OR joys of life .... ?

nothing happens by accident 
there is no (such thing as) coincidence ... today's message by pastor's wife touched many people

warning signs in life's journey: 
- friends and family
- conscience and the Holy Spirit
- prayers of loved ones
- sorrows/joys of life ... 

true friends care and share of their personal experiences and (advise) caution
family goes without saying 
we have friends and family members who choose, 'i must experience it for myself ...it's my life'

conscience makes one feel uncomfortable or guilty or unclean
the Holy Spirit convicts the heart 
should we choose to ignore still .... the prayers of friends and family is what keeps, supports and protects

even so, many of us chose paths that lead to sorrow instead of joy 
i have 
are we stubborn and/or unwise?
i have been 

is it better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all?
isn't it better to have loved (unwisely) and lost, than not to have loved at all?
nothing ventured, nothing gained?
no pain, no gain?

i used to think that way ... until I returned to Jesus 
wot a roundabout journey ... God knows how many more failed relationships I would've gone through
there, but for the grace of God, go I 

truly, in hurting ourselves, we hurt those who love us, too
Jesus and those who truly love us do not judge ... there's always hope, comfort, forgiveness
and renewal, with more of better things to come, in Jesus

one of our friends who made some wrong choices some years ago ...
shared how scared she was ... how her future became uncertain
today, she is blessed and continues to be blessed
a living testimony of encouragement

i gave up my all time fave, single malt 
i gave up my next all time fave, good blended whiskey
for Jesus
i gave up many other things for Jesus
no regrets
can't say I miss 'em much ... or at all
i am not perfect ... we remain a work in progress
and we testify that with obedience comes healing, peace, blessings, joy, happiness, providence
and that we desire ... may just come unexpectedly

Orchid Tackle, Klang ... update

the proprietor is either absent minded, insincere or the volume is too much for him
he needs a system proper to do business online and/or by phone
saw the premises undergoing renovation today
good for him and the business

made payment and informed the proprietor accordingly early April
proprietor replies almost a week later to inform
a) he has only one of the two reels i ordered
b) amount in hand is one third of the actual total 

sms-ed the proprietor some frank questions in hokkien 
was kind of worked up but decided to play it by ear when i dropped by today
again, they didn't have one of reels I'd ordered ... sighhhhh
the reel was either at home or somewhere else as their inventory didn't have it 
collected two reels, and left on cordial terms
he politely declined deposit for the outstanding reel 
we shall meet again 
i hope he implements a system where he doesn't get caught flat footed
kinda bad for business


popped by Orchid on Saturday 2/82/2013
kudos to my Klang friend who gave directions ... as good as any GPS if not better !

planned to pick up a reel since the proprietor "confirmed" i could swipe plastic at his shop
I browsed as customers were attended to.
finally got in a word and asked about the reel ... checked it out 
whines when reeled .... i wonder 
handle paddles looked like it was chewed by a miniature beaver, cockroach or rat 
and it was going for RM550!

when i prepped to pay, i was informed the card reader could not be used ... reason given was the lines have been out for a few days. iffy and dodgy at best. i reminded the proprietor of my prior request for confirmation as to whether plastic could be used. continued with the iffy line reason. 

if the line is generally unreliable, do tell upfront. instead, i had to find out when i'm there.
a polite 'we deal in cash terms' will suffice. or 'cash payment for used items' will do as well.
the female staff/assistant/family member lacks PR and is brusque. 

it's my first time communicating with them in person so i laid aside, albeit reluctantly, my suspicion they were taking me for a ride. should they yank my chain the next time i'm there, they'll get a good bawling in hokkien, even if i'm rusty.

res ipsa loquitor ... it is written, 'And that which is hidden shall be revealed ...'

shimano's NO different from daiwa ...

for shim fanboys ... 

reproduced from Tackletour forums courtesy of a Louisiana angler jpd0144 (credit must be given where rightfully due):

Shimano ...lets make a new reel = Core = New design.

Shimano ...lets make a JDM aluminum frame version from Core. Keep all bearings S- ARB but go from 9 to 7 bearings and use graphite side plates instead of Mg to cut cost and plastic drag star and use regular level winde insert oh and make main gear from brass in a diff ratio. paint it metallic maroon to keep with tradition of Scorpion = Scorpion 1000xt= New reel.

Shimano...leats make a USDM since alumin JDM is doing well. Well due to exchange rates we have to cut the cost some to bring it to US. Lets change the reel componet from S-ARB x 7 to S-ARB x 2 and 5 SS bearings and keep the rest the same paint it green = Curado 50E=New reel.

Shimano... we have to cut cost so we make a new Curado G and now need a new Chronarch. We already have a 50 Curado. Lets NOT change the frame, gear materials, bearing configuration, side plates or ANYTHING. Talk about save money ! All we do is send it to US with only repainting of the CU50 and anodize the handle/spool and put the big grips the Americans like already and we have a reel we just have to print Chronarch on it. Done deal ...its just the CU50 repainted. They didnt have to make a NEW reel from Core as you state. It was already created. They changed nothing but paint, anodizing andd grips. Nothing mechanical changed but grips. =Chronarch CH50E = Nothing changed ... just cosmetics=No new reel.

Unless im looking at this wrong but how will u get performance form no changes from reel componets but those I just listed. They didnt make a new reel from a Core from scratch. They took what the had already and just repainted it.


there are friends and acquaintances who swear by or wax lyrical 'bout shimano reels.
some of the same also diss daiwa for their blatant variant rehashes ... i wonder if they're aware their fave does the same ... or just blindly loyal to the point of ignorance or indifference?
i don't diss shimano or their reels though i have had less then inspiring experience with their reels.
fwiw, the curadoE does not inspire confidence in me. yes, i tried it and seen my friend go through repeated spool overruns or short casts before i saw one really long cast.
gimme consistency any day. angler shortcoming? mebbe.
what i do like is the 2012 JDM calcutta D. fits my hand comfortably, reasonable line capacity, fresh& salt friendly. priced too high.

and many rave about every shimano release.
i have ABU, daiwa and shimano reels be they spinning or baitcasters. 
i choose reels based on needs, followed by what the pocket can afford me, and finally ... wants.
obviously not all my wants can be met due to pocket restraints.

reels that meet my needs: 
1. possess higher drag, eg revos and their 20lb-24lb drags, or the SOL with 7kg drags 
2. dual purpose, ie fresh & salt compliance - i don't want to fork out anymore by buying a separate set for salt ... should I make it out to sea. if i don't, i know my gear can handle what i dish out, subject to proper maintenance.
3. preferably all metal, despite their weight .. .up to a point.
4. ergonomics - must fit my hands
5. medium ratios of 5.2:1 to 6.4:1 - i can crank faster if needed; the power that comes with a lower ratio compared slightly less power with higher ratios is preferable. relatively lower ratio reels appear to have slightly higher max drags compared with higher ratio reels. might need to get a 4.9:1 for cranking when i get out to the briny deep.

tho' i like daiwa reels very much, they're way overpriced. 
daiwa, do you want to kill your own market share? 
old stock is marked up overnight with an average 30-35% increase. 
and tackle prices increase every year .. what gives?
anglers are handed cheaper and/or increasingly inferior materials at higher prices ... it's about time the world angling community teach tackle manufacturers and retailers a lesson.

i'm one of those who find shimano reels ... less solid, for want of a better phrase. 
some reels feel hollow, too light, plasticky, too smooth ... yes, there's that.
their twinpower is very tempting but at more than RM1000 a pop ... it takes careful planning to acquire.
ABU & daiwa reels give me a solid and connected feel. 
to each their own. 

BBC News outttake

res ipsa loquitor .... tak malu langsung si munafeeq

infant/toddler life jackets ...

malaysia sucks when it comes to child safety ... among many other things
malaysia also sucks when it comes to infant or toddler friendly sunglasses, read readily available and SUITABLE stuff for their age group

Life jackets/life vests/bouyancy vests or devices or garments generally refer to items such this: 

They carry different ratings for different purposes: PFD1, PFD2, PFD3, etc. It helps to know what to look for when choosing or shopping for one. 
life jackets in S carried by local vendors don't come close to providing adequate safety and/or flotation for infants and toddlers.
mudah.com had some last quarter but stock ran out quickly. RM50/pc is quite good. 
unfortunately, the vendor has absolutely no idea when the next shipment is expected to arrive.


the Salus Baby Bijoux and Sub Zero are what's needed. they come with padded head/neck collar and are designed to turn the child face up in the water. neck opening is not too loose, where it may ride up and the child's head disappears into the jacket. not too tight either to constrict. comes with a handy single handed carry strap sewn behind for convenience. crotch strap does away the possibility of the jacket riding up and over the child to come loose. saw something like this worn by some children during my last Kenyir outing at Bewah Cave. 

finally found it at Ocean Sea for RM45; well worth it. proprietor says not to worry as he has stock. it has the padded collar, not all the way though; an adjustable torso belt and crotch strap - strangely, it comes with a whistle, too. guess it'll come in handy for the adult accompanying the infant/toddler.
glom this family that believes in infant life jackets. good on them.

as for children's shades ... sighhhhh ... NOT one vendor, opthalmologist or optician I know of carry anything remotely similar to Julbo. Not even Singapore, 's far as I know. Real Kids is another purveyor of children's shades. 
we have to make do with frames that offer extremely poor side protection and aren't infant or toddler friendly enough; read infant/toddler/child proof. should anyone wish to conduct product testing, submit it to children; you'll find out soon enough if your toughest is tough enough. Julbo has a wrap around that puts the Silhouette titanium to shame. Had, maybe, as it's been three to four years since I popped into their site.

much of the readily and cheaply available "sunglasses" could be landmines for our children's eyes as their lenses may not be up to requisite standards.

speaking of child safety, we continue to see an alarming rate, trend, percentage, number ... take your pick ... where parents do NOT seat their babies, toddlers and children in car seats. many continue to hold their newborns or toddlers in their arms, seated in the front passenger seat. others allow their children to stand on the front passenger seat, in the vacant slot between the two front seats, on the back seats, stand through sun roofs. some go as far as allow their child to lie sandwiched between the rear windscreen and headrests. ironically, most of these can afford a reasonably good car seat. some make do, understandably so.

they believe as slow and "safe" road hogs, nothing will happen. many of these drive without their seat belts and talk on their cells or text or surf on their smartphones. timebomb waiting to go off. yes, they are the kurang (bel)ajar trend setting example for their children and menace to other road users.

it's gonna take a concerted effort by many, IF they're willing, IF they care enough. Western and Singapore hospitals insist on a child carrier or car seat without which you ain't leavin' the hospital with your newborn. wish it was implemented here, too.

so far, we found The First Few Years forthcoming, upfront and reliable. there's usually something that'll fit one's budget. do not confuse them with the First Years brand.

good hunting.