My Scale Models

One of my longest lasting hobbies is scale model collecting. I can still remember what was the first scale model I had, a military Land Rover from Corgi. I was just a kid then and that land rover belongs to my cousin. When we visited them, I just kept on playing with it because I really like it. When it was pushed it made a noise like just like a Land Rover with off road tyres. No it did not have a sound generator but the sound is just natural to it. They gave it to me because they knew I really like it and I really clocked plenty of fun mileage on it. Hmmmm …….. wonder where it is now.

The next piece is a Sky Hawk fighter jet when I was in primary four, off course there were many other stuffs in between which is not worth mentioning like plastic figurines, vehicles and others. The Sky Hawk fighter jet was a self assembly plastic model kit. One of the rich kid in my class brought it to school to show off and it instantly caught my attention. After all the “huu haa” my classmate offered to buy me one if I can come up with the cash. Well after a month or so I managed to save enough from my pocket money without spending a single cent for that whole period. It cost me just below RM5.00 I think and that long to save for it. Later on I found out that a shop in then Newcome Road called CY Chang were selling these models.

Every time whenever I passed by that shop I would spend time admiring at all the models that were on display to lure people like me. I can still remember those state of the art train models by Hornby, they all look so real with a whooping price tag to go with it. Well I guess I can only dream about it because not only because of the price but also the space needed. Anyway it was much later in my life that I was able to realise this hobby after the Sky Hawk.

Most of the models I had - only a few - then were war aircraft including the famous B52 and Mustang. I had a couple of battle ships and an aircraft carrier too. The B52 was really large and when there is a breeze, the propellers would turn. It fell a couple of times from its stand because of strong breeze and I had to repair it a couple of times.

Then came the Japanese Model kits, mostly of automobiles and some are even powered by battery. One of the model that I really spend lots of hours detailing was a Datsun 240Z by Fujimi. It was like the 240Z was THE car at that time and the model is really detail with engine. Then came the motorbikes by Tamiya and I had a real big collection of it but the one I like best is the Honda Super Cup or commonly known as "cup chai".

Most of these plastic scale model kit cannot last long because they are very flimsy and our weather here is not kind to them. As of today only a few of the plastics models that are still with me, most of them needed repair and still in the box when I transported them back to Malacca. Maybe one of these fine day I might just take a look at them.

Not long ago, actually about 10 years ago while I was killing time in the Atria Shopping Centre in Damansara Jaya, a display model shop caught my interest. I was really impressed by the collection of highly detail metal die cast model they had. By the time I left the shop, I was sure I would like to start my own little collection. Yes, yes, yes, I know I can only stare at it, push it around and make some engine noise by myself – V-R-O-O-M-Mmmmm……I was happy with my buy and I guess this is the part of human nature that is not logical only understood by capitalist.

One fine day like 10years or so ago, I decided that the time was right because there was a sale in Metro Sungei Wang Plaza and I got my very first die cast model, a Ferrari 550 Maranello 1/18 scale by Bburago. Slowly and surely one after another started rolling in.

Metal die cast model are much more robust and so far all those that I acquired are still with me almost in the same condition when I got it, never driven on the road before …… hehehe!!! A little dusty though.

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Want to go for a spin? You chose the ride and I’ll push, you make the sound ya!!! …….. Vrooommmmmm ……………..

Mini Farm Up-Date

Today my mini farm is almost two years old and it is maturing but is still very much an infant. In my first year of planting everything just seems to be easy except for the bout with sciatica which resulted from excessive extreme digging with the hoe which I broke the hoe stem. The mini farm then was like a mini jungle!!
After getting the mini farm back to looking like a farm, I started to get uninvited guest to feast on my produce, yes those damn pest of all kinds. Being a first time farmer, I just tried to cope with manual power to get rid of those pesky varmints. I had to destroy my angled luffa plant because it was infested with some kind of creepy hairy caterpillars …. yucks!!!!
In desperation I started googling for solutions and joined this very friendly and helpful forum web site “Garden Stew”. It is indeed a real nice gardening and social web site with lots of friendly and helpful members. I have benefitted a lot since becoming a member of Garden Stew and is happy to say that I have also contributed some to the www. This really make farming/gardening more meaningful. Just last week,  Frank the founder of Garden Stew drop by for a short visit and I was really honoured. I was the first member he visited since he set up the Garden Stew.
Last year towards end December till late February this year the weather was really hot and dry making it very difficult to plant anything. The produce from the mini farm was minimal and it wasn’t really tasty. This phenomena is not normal and some experts have labelled it as El Nino/La Nina. Well I guess if capitalist just keep on raping the earth, then ……… your guess is as good as mine as to which direction we are heading to.
Now the mini farm is aging nicely but have yet to attain a balance. Hmmm!! It is mini I hope it can establish a mini balanced eco-system so that those varmints can become food for the friendly inhabitants of the mini farm. Currently those varmints are more or less under control the very organic way and those delicious veggies are starting to fill up the kitchen and our tummies too!!!

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Clocks

Clocks are indeed a timeless piece of machine and time stop when they stop working ............ craps eh! .......... hehehe!!!!

I like pendulum clocks and I have quite a number of them in my home but none are antique clocks because I don't believe in buying them ............ if you want to give me one thank you!! The pendulum wall clocks are really a pleasing sight and they will never be outdated, yes timeless.

A couple of days ago I just got two of my pendulum wall clocks working again with new quartz electronic clock work. The first one was from Germany which I bought when I was there in the nineties and hand carried it back all the way home. The original clock work was quartz electronic and I had to replaced it once before because it died ............ so now it is the third time.
The second clock is a fully mechanically pendulum wall clock and it was the first mechanical pendulum clock that I bought. It was made in China, a replica of some kind of antique clock ......... I think it is the Lipizzaner Horse Clock which was made in Germany. The escapement gear was worn out unevenly and thus it was not able to keep accurate time. I tried to adjust the rocker to keep the time right but ........... no result and I guess the only option was to change the escapement gear or change the mechanical clock work to quartz electronic ........... I decided on a quartz electronic since it is much easier to replace.
Now I have three quartz electronic pendulum wall clock and the third one is a replica of a classic school house long drop regulator "a" clock made by Citizen. This one has been with us for quite a long time now and it is still keeping good time. It did gave some trouble like stop working but I managed to get it started again .......... I don't know how but I did it ...... hehe!!
Another four pendulum wall clocks are mechanical and they are running perfectly. Three were China made, antique replicas and another is Japanese .......... Seiko I think. It is really an old boring mechanical pendulum wall clock and it had been around for more than thirty years I think. Actually it had already stop working when I got it and I managed to revive it.

Other than pendulum wall clocks there are also other types of clocks in the house including one in the upstairs toilet. One day I think the pendulum wall clocks are going to be worth quite a fair bit ............ don't you think so?