KERUI biometric fingerprint padlock

Traditional padlocks typically work by unlocking using a matching key or password.

The drawbacks of a key padlock including:

• It is inconvenient to have to carry the key along with you.
• If you forgot to bring the key, or your key is lost, then you will have trouble unlocking the padlock.
• If your key is broken, you will also have trouble unlocking the padlock.
• The key can be easily duplicated.
• The padlock can be prey open without using the key.
• It takes quite some effort and time to unlock the padlock.

The drawbacks of a password padlock including:

• Password can be forgotten, especially when long time not using.
• It takes quite some effort and time to unlock the padlock.

Now, with a cost of less than RM50, you can actually get a biometric fingerprint padlock from online shop.

The biometric fingerprint padlock just looks like other ordinary padlocks. The different parts are that it has a fingerprint scanner on it, it operates with a rechargeable Li-ion battery inside, and it has a micro-USB charging port.

The padlock also has a small triple-colour LED indicator light. When the battery level is low, the light will be flashing in red. When the battery level is extremely low, it will also produce beeping sound to provide alert for recharging need.

When charging, the LED light stays in red. When recharging is completed, the light will turn off by itself.

The padlock has a standby time of at least a few months before the need of recharging again. It can go through up to 9,000 times of unlock cycle for a full charge.

This padlock can register up to 10 fingerprints. 2 of them will be "administrator" fingerprint which can be used to initiate registering of new fingerprints and also to delete stored fingerprints. The other 8 normal fingerprints can only be used to unlock the padlock.

For new lock without any stored fingerprint, it can be unlocked with any human fingerprint. Once registered with one or more fingerprints, only the registered fingerprint(s) can be used to unlock it.

One thing I like about this padlock is its super fast unlocking speed of less than a second with matching fingerprint.

By using this biometric fingerprint padlock, I no longer need to carry padlock key or remember padlock password. It is really very convenient and easy to use.

Can you park at reserved roadside parking bay after business hours?

Vacant roadside parking is very difficult to be found nowadays. Sometimes when you are able to find a vacant one, the parking bay is marked in red paint instead of yellow or white, indicating that it is a rented as reserved parking space by the city council to possibly the shop right in front of the bay.

If you arrived there after business hours (early in the morning or late at night), or during weekends or public holidays, you might wonder can you park your car at that "reserved" parking bay as legally allowed by the city council?

The answer is YES because the reserved parking bays are rented during specific working hours only, and is free for any car parking outside the rental hours.

The reserved parking time slot of those parking bays marked in red paint is usually following the same time slot which the city council is collecting parking fee for the other roadside parking bays.

For Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the reserved time is from 7.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Saturday, except public holidays.

For Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), the reserved time is from 8.00am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.

For Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ), the reserved time is from 8.00am to 10.00pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays. However, MBSJ is also renting out a kind of reserved parking at higher rental price, which include reserved time during weekends and public holidays.

Normally, when you see the shop in front of the reserved parking bay is closed, and the time is outside the reserved hours, it is safe for you to park at that parking lot.

Anybody who illegally blocking a public parking bay, including those "reserved" parking bays outside their rental hours, is an act against the law and can be fined for penalty by the city council.

Anyhow, if there is any argument, normal citizens should not take the law into your own hands, and should report the case to the city council instead.

A family day trip to Pulau Ketam (Island of Crabs), Selangor

Pulau Ketam is an island located near to Port Klang, one of the busiest container ports in the world.

There are 2 Chinese villages on Pulau Ketam :- the main Pulau Ketam village and a smaller Sungai Lima village. Although both the villages are quite near to each other, there is currently no road access between them. They are connected with water traffic.

Pulau Ketam is accessible by cruises or speed boats available daily at the South Port Passenger Terminal (Terminal Penumpang South Port) of Klang. It is within walking distance from Port Klang KTM station.

There is a huge golden crab sculpture at the South Port, a good photo-shooting location.

Hourly traffic is available from 9am to 6pm. Tickets are available for to-and-fro or single trip, and the price is pretty affordable. The price of cruises ticket is slightly more expensive than speed boats, selling at RM18 for adults and RM10 for children for to-and-fro trip by Alibaba Pulau Ketam Cruises Services Sdn Bhd.

While the travelling time of speed boats is slightly faster, the cruises are more relaxing with air-cond, large screen TV, comfortable seats, and roofed open air upper deck. It takes about 40 minutes for the cruise to travel between South Port and Pulau Ketam.

The infrastructure in Pulau Ketam main village is pretty well established. It has a nice jetty, free public toilet near the jetty, police station, fire brigade, surau, etc. There is a "pork free" restaurant called Restoran Po Seng next to the surau on the island.

As you can see from the photo above, there are telco towers on the island. You need not worry about getting phone signal and mobile data there.

The village is built on top of a swampy area. All the houses in the village are stilt houses. Even the roads are built on top of the land. This forms a unique scene in Pulau Ketam.

AS its name suggested, you can find plenty of crabs in this island. The crab species in the village is of small size, colourful (blue, orange, red, yellow, ...), and only has one plier. The villagers say edible crabs are located at the other side of the islands, some distance away from the village.

The village is not too large, most of the places are within 1km radius from the main street located near the jetty. Everywhere are within walking distance. The villagers also travel by electric bicycles and bikes on the island. The electric vehicles are available for rent to tourists too.

Quite a number of villagers have converted their house into homestay for tourists who come and visit the island. There are also a few hotels with room rate of around RM100 per night. Anyhow, Pulau Ketam is still a fishermen village, and you can find fishing boats cruising around.

Pulau Ketam is a nice relaxing place for sight seeing and listening to stories about the village from the villagers there.

There are quite a number of wall paintings for photo shooting.

And the village has quite a number of Chinese temples too.

While a day trip is sufficient to explore the village, and one night stay at one of the homestay on the island will bring a more amazing experience.