Upgraded e-Connect online service for Great Eastern Life Assurance Malaysia

I just noticed that the website of Great Eastern Life Assurance Malaysia at http://www.lifeisgreat.com.my/ has a new look and feel now. Their e-Connect service which allows policy holders to view their policy information on-line has also been upgraded.

Now, more information is displayed to the policy holders, the dollars and cents are more transparent. The upgraded system shows the break down of all the benefit details, how much installment premium was charged to each of the benefit and rider. Detailed investment link fund information including the units possessed and fund value. It also shows the break down of the current surrender value and policy loan value of the policy.

Good job! Great Eastern Life Assurance Malaysia. Your effort in getting closer connection with policy holders is very much appreciated. And yes, I also appreciate on the special bonus that you've credited into my policy account recently.

Tun Dr Mahathir enjoys the freedom of speech in Internet

It is not a secret that Malaysia has a long history of state censorship and tight media controls. All the local major newspapers, television and radio channels, of all languages, have censored and restrictive reporting. As a result, all the information from these formal channels are pretty uniformed. Many happenings were not even reported due to particular reasons.

As a result, more and more Malaysian opt to get more information and 2nd opinions from the foreign media and the Internet, which are beyond the control and censorship of the Government.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had made a wise and correct decision for pledging not to censor the Internet when he officiated the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project as the Prime Minister then in 1996. Today, he also enjoys the freedom of speech in the Internet by blogging and expressing his political points of view, which might not have chances to appear in the local media. Because of this, now people can still read his concerns and views to the nation, in the same way as we read Lim Kit Siang, Jeff Ooi, Ahirudin Attan and others.

Click here to go to the blog of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Zaptor performance voltage stabilizer Acoustic Gold III v.2008

I heard a lot about this Zaptor performance voltage stabilizer from AOCM, and have seen it installed in the Toyota Avanza of most AOCM members. It is a proven product which able to boost the performance of Toyota Avanza, and I have it installed today during the AOCM TT session. It comes with double sided tape and I sticked it on one of the leg of my Ultra Racing strut bar near the battery.



Today's car is functioned by many electrical and electronic components, the most important being the Engine Control Unit (ECU) which is a computer controlling the engine operations of the car. The ECU is highly dependent on all the sensors that provide accurate data and signals to coordinate various parts in different places of the car. This ECU can give the best judgement if and only if the signal received is accurate, which is affected by the electrical flow of the system. Therefore, a stable and powerful electrical system in the car will ensure best torque and response at all times.

The function of the voltage stabilizer is to stabilized the electrical current generated by the alternator, by storing some electrical energy in capacitors so that stable and constant electrical energy can be maintained all times even if there is voltage drop or surge across the car electrical system. It can also filter out electrical noise and eliminate irregular current flow in the car electrical system. Its working concept is similar to the Power Saver unit in my home.

Zaptor performance voltage stabilizer is developed by a member of Volvo Owners' Club of Malaysia (VOCM). The Acoustic Gold III version is waterproof, fuse protected, has voltage tolerance of up to 25 volts and operating temperature up to 105 degree Celcius. It has a compact size with a 7-colour battery status LED indicator. Most importantly, it functions in par with the branded voltage stabilizer made in Japan, and is distributed in AOCM at a much more affordable price. It is probably the lowest price voltage stabilizer product in Malaysia that can function effectively.

My feelings to the car after installation:

• engine starts immediately when ignited, there is no delay.
• engine respond faster and the fuel pedal is felt a little bit lighter. Probably this will improve in fuel economy.
• car accelerate smoother with increased torque as ECU works better.
  
• the RPM is very stable during idling, not so affected by air-cond condenser kick-in.
• cabin lights and headlights seems to be brighter.
• car audio sounds better.

I was told that the car battery water level will drop faster after the installation of this voltage stabilizer due to the charging effect. As such, using maintenance free battery is more convenient when voltage stabilizer is installed, to eliminate the need of frequent checking and top up of battery water.