Asian Tiger

It is now probably well known that Klang sells the cheapest tyres anywhere in Malaysia. Not many people know why Klang tyre shops are able to sell their goods so cheaply. From what I’ve heard, it’s probably because of the close proximity to Port Klang where tyres are offloaded from ships and immediately end up in their store. That cuts out the middleman and transportation cost - therefore, the much cheaper tyres.

How much cheaper, you ask. Take an example of my tyres. I bought the Michelin XM1 205/65/R15 at RM228 each. Compared the the same tyre in Kuala Lumpur or Petaling Jaya, it can be anywhere between RM260 and RM280. The price difference of changing just one piece of tyre justifies the trip down to Klang. Since I change my tyres in either Hing Leong a.k.a Hin Leong and Hock Li, I’ll provide the driving directions there.

1. Start off at Federal Highway driving towards Subang, Shah Alam or Klang
2. You will come to a toll that costs you RM1.10. Pay it and don’t ask for a discount.
3. Drive on and you will reach another toll that costs RM1.00
4. After paying the toll, you can see a flyover in front of you. Don’t take that flyover. Keep left and ease off the road. You will come to a junction with a set of traffic lights.
5. Turn right at the traffic light junction and drive on. You will notice Jaya Jusco on your left.
6. You will come to a third toll. Pay the attendant RM0.60
7. After the toll, keep right and drive towards Kapar. Drive on until you reach a junction with traffic lights.
8. Turn left at the traffic lights and look out for Caltex petrol station on your left.
9. Turn left into the row of shops just after Caltex.
10. You are now in front of Hing Leong and Hock Li is just beside. With 2 shops next to each other, it’ll probably bring down the prices more.

If you think that the word Merlot is one of King Arthur’s aide, you need lots of help; about wines that it.  In fact, many of us need wine education simply because we were not exposed to wine until recently.

In Malaysia, as far as I can remember, wine drinking was not a norm about 8 to 10 years back. In those days, brandy and whiskey bottles filled dinner tables and adorned family closets.  These days, wine has found themselves a more popular choice as the occasional drink.  However, many of us including moi, need help in terms of wine appreciation.

If you have watched some documentary, you will see wine connoisseurs testing the wine through sight, smell and taste.  They inspect the wine in the light, swirl the glass, smell the wine and sip the wine.  After all that, they will be able to provide a rating.  Given the chance that I do all that, I will not know what I’m doing.

To really know wine, it is best to check into a wine class and start learning.  It will cost you some money but it’ll be worth it in the long run.  Besides wine classes, you can join wine tasting events where wine experts are there to advise you. After all the learning, you’ll definitely appreciate wines better and you will discover that Chardonnay is not a celebrity’s name.

If you are wondering what WWTBAM stands for, it is Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. WWTBAM is a television game show offering the smartest contestants a chance to be millionaire if anyone of them can answer 15 questions correctly in a row; failing which, they go home empty-handed. Each country plays it in their currency, so, contestants in the UK stand to win a million British Pounds while contestants in Malaysia stand to win a million Ringgit Malaysia; that’s equivalent to 143,000 British Pounds - puny.

If you have watched this game show before, you will notice that contestants are given a chance to ask the audience what the correct answer might be. Here you are, having a couple of hundred live audiences, all answering you at the same time. How do they collect and poll the answers? Well, I found out that there is actually a ready solution called the Audience Response System (ARS).

I never thought solutions such as ARS existed - all the while thinking that such technology is proprietary to WWTBAM. Friends, this technology is cool; too cool in fact. This is because with technology like ARS, you can now have interactive sessions with an audience. If you are one of those who frequently stand on stage, behind the podium and seeks live, real time feedback from your audience, this is the tool you will cherish.

Another instance where ARS is going to be useful is public voting. Remember how the last time you were asked to vote by raising your hands? Believe it or not, humans tend to follow majority. It’s simply psychology. Can you imagine if you were the odd one out? Everyone will be eyeballing you in no time. Can you see how ARS can help in obtaining the actual voters’ sentiments/preference? Cool tech, eh?