Outliers

Outliers is defined as a statistical observation that is markedly different in value from the others of the sample.

In statistic, outliers should not be considered in data analysis.

Well, this entry is not about statistical analysis but about a book titled "Outliers" written by Malcolm Gladwell.

I just finished reading the book. This book discusses on why certain people are extraordinary and what make them so successful.

Briefly, this book enlighten us on the knowledge of the existence of extraordinary and successful people and unravelling the logic behind their success.

Stuck at a Roundabout

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Originally uploaded by wanhashim

Happen to pass through this roundabout yesterday morning and there is a passenger car got stranded on top of a roundabout.

Luckily the car is not one of the toyota car that was claimed to have problem with its accelerator.

Previously, there was a fatal accident at the same roundabout.

As can be seen by traces of vehicles' debris on the roundabout, there were several of similar incidents at the roundabout.

One of the reason for the accident is due to speeding especially at the approach of the roundabout.

Next time, need to be extra careful especially when approaching the roundabout since we don't know what other drivers are thinking at the same moment. If they are in hurry or DUI, accident can happen anywhere.

Kuala Lumpur Sightseeing Package

This is another great strategies to promote Kuala Lumpur to visitors especially for international airline travellers. If you are on transit for at least five hours, you can now take the tour package of sightseeing Kuala Lumpur at a price of between RM28 (USD7) and RM95 (roughly USD25) per head.

The package "Showcase KL" were launched by the Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin recently. The package included a KLIA Express train journey and a "KL Hop On Hop Off" bus tour of Kuala Lumpur.

Visitors can have a closer look at tourists spots of their choice along the route of the KL Hop on Hop off bus tour. This is a great way of boosting the tourism industry in the country.

Where can you get the package offer?
At the Visit KL Counter at the KLIA satellite building between 6am and 10pm daily, including on public holidays.

The cost of the package:

18-year-old and above: RM95
7 to 12-year-old: RM84
5 - 11-year-old: RM46
below 4 years: RM28
free of charge for below one-year-old.

International transit passengers interested to try the package will have to  undergo Immigration screening before leaving KLIA and upon rejoining their flight.

Among the interesting attractions along the KL Hop on Hop off bus tour are Aquaria KLCC, National Museum, KL Towers and Bird Park where the participants can have a discount to visit those places.

Read HERE for more stories about this package.

Finally Charged for Reckless Driving

A magistrate court in NIBONG TEBAL, Penang finally charged Hamood Sheehab Hamid, 45 from Iraq, a postgraduate student at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in electronics engineering, with reckless driving and causing the death of a student at the university, Fadillah Abdul Halim, 27.


He was charged with committing the offence driving in a reckless and dangerous manner, under section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, at the traffic light exit to USM, at Jalan Transkrian.

Condolence to the family of Fadillah and may Allah bless her soul.

Flood Level Markers

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Originally uploaded by wanhashim

If you travel toward Kuching along the Federal Road just several kilometres before Serian's bridge, you will notice several flood level markers located besides the road.

The markers reminded me that the stretched of road is prone to flooding. Whenever the stretch of road is flooded, the main access from major cities in Sarawak to Kuching will be cut off.

During flood, the water level is very high since the existing elevation of the road is already quite high relative to the water level of the nearby river.

It should be a high priority for the related authority to upgrade the stretch of road to prevent future flood and to provide continuous access throughout the year to Kuching.

Traffic Jam After the Chinese New Year Break

The trip from Sri Aman to Kota Semarahan usually takes around two and a half hours drive. However, last Tuesday, the trip was around three and a half hours drive due to severe traffic congestion from Bukit Genting to Serian Roundabout.






The distance between Bukit Genting and Serian Roundabout is less than 10 kilometers but the traffic jam on that stretch alone lasted almost one hour.


You will not believe that the traffic jam is not due to traffic accident. The traffic jam is also not due to any vehicle break down. Also, the traffic jam is not due to too many vehicles on the road on that particular day.

As a law-abiding citizen, we had to endure the traffic jam due to police road block just before the Serian bridge leading to the roundabout. On that particular day, the policemen checked each individual driving license of every drivers. If you still remember how to do math, if the policemen takes about 2 minutes to scrutinize one driving license of one driver, just imagine how much time that was needed for the other drivers waiting in the queue for his turn to be checked his driving license. Keep in mind that the number of vehicles plying the road on that day was just too many since most of the traffic users are returning from their CNY break.

So on that particular day, if you multiply the number of vehicles on the road by about one hour lost time, that is the amount of useless total time spend on the road due to traffic delays. If there are 2000 vehicles using the road at that particular time, the total lost time is about 2000 hours.

That is the reason why I had to travel for almost one hour for that short distance of road during that particular day.






Another view of vehicles queueing due to traffic incident on the road.

For Res-Q Only

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Originally uploaded by wanhashim

These items are not meant for display or for rentals. These items are sets of buoys, canoes, etc. use in case of emergencies.

Due to the popularity of the beach front, it is commended to the resort to have these items on stand-by.

I do hope that their staffs also are being trained properly on the proper usage of the items.

I think all of the beach front resorts should have these items plus several bay watch on stand-by in case there are emergencies.

Traffic Jam During Festive Season

It is the time of the year again when there are a lot of traffic on major highways due to the upcoming Chinese New Year Festive season. Wish all drivers have a safe and pleasant trips.

Due to the unusually high number of traffic during all festive sesoans, some minor accidents do occur which can cause massive traffic jam along the way.

The latest traffic situation along major highway is as reported by this news article. Wish Happy Chinese New Year.

Fatal Accident at Traffic Light Junction

My previous student at Universiti Sains Malaysia(USM), Fadillah Abdul Halim, passed away around 11:30 am 11 Feb 2010 due to traffic accident at the traffic light junction in front of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Engineering Campus, Nibong Tebal.

Picture is the courtesy of Hasrul Hassan.

She was riding her motorcycle and was making a right turn into USM campus when she was ran over by a vehicle that was believed to be beating the red light. Takziah and Al-Fatihah to her. Related posting about the incident: Perginya kawan dan rakan Jurnal Lensa oleh Hasrul Hassan

Turn Left When Exit is Clear

This is a signage allowing drivers to turn left only when exit is clear. The purpose of this directive is to ensure the efficient use of the traffic light junction.

The following picture also indicate the directive to turn left when exit is clear.

However, this type of directive is only available in Kuching as compared to other cities in Malaysia. In exception for Johor Bahru, similar directive is available but the background color of the signage is red.

There seems to be no proper effort to make the signage uniform in term of design and application throughout Malaysia.

Drivers should be more careful and attentive when maneuvering through the junction when the exit is clear to ensure that there is no pedestrian using the same approach of the junction. In Western Countries where the usage of the particular signage is nationwide, there are occurrences where fatalities involving pedestrians occur at the junction.

Sri Aman's Fish Market

This is a typical early morning scenario at Sri Aman's fish market. Traders will entertain their customers throughtout the morning whereas local will certainly bargain with them to get the cheapest price.

Almost all type of seafood is available at a very cheap price at this market. As compared to some other places in Malaysia, the prices of seafood at this particular market is still cheap and reasonable.

Fire Hydrant

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Originally uploaded by wanhashim

This fire hydrant is located at the vicinity of the Petronas Twin Tower. The fire hydrant is equipped with two different sizes of fire hose nozzle. May be the larger one is used for any emergencies occurring at the highest level of the building whereas the smaller nozzle is used for lower level.

It seems that the fire hydrant is not the typical fire hydrant that you always see around housing estates or any other buildings in Malaysia.

The Importance of Proper Planning

The cause of traffic congestion is partly due to poor planning. As pointed by this article, the relevant authorities should look into the overall picture of the development area and ensure that all infrastructures are provided adequately to the areas ahead of all of the new developments within and surrounding the areas. 

If the new development is allowed without improving the accessibility to the areas, traffic congestion will occur during peak period. The congestion will become worst during rainy season. 

Small Incident can be a Big Issue

It is just a 9 year old boy playing with a plastic 2-inch-long toy gun in the school compound. Trouble ensured when the boy was yanked into the Principal's office to discuss about the tiny weapon. The mother of the children got a phone call from the principal of the school informing her about the fate of her son for possessing the teeny-weeny plastic weapon.

The mother is upset about the whole event because of the lack of common sense about the situation is an issue.

For more story about the incident, please read Laura Timoney fumes after son Patrick, 9, is busted for bringing 2-inch-long toy gun to Public School 52

Well, the small size toy can cause a very big issue. Well, the mother insist that it is not about the small size of the toy, it is about the lack of common sense that is an issue.