diff --git a/lib/mod-sys.c b/lib/mod-sys.c
index 7bddf912..0d554013 100644
--- a/lib/mod-sys.c
+++ b/lib/mod-sys.c
@@ -2854,6 +2854,7 @@ done:
 /* ------------------------------------------------------------ */
 
 /*
+BEGIN {
 	if (sys::getnwifcfg("eth0", sys::NWIFCFG_IN6, x) >= 0)
 	{
 	    for (i in x) print i, x[i];
@@ -2862,6 +2863,7 @@ done:
 	{
 	    print "Error:", sys::errmsg();
 	}
+}
 */
 static int fnc_getifcfg (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, const hawk_fnc_info_t* fi)
 {
diff --git a/lib/val.c b/lib/val.c
index 3893d5df..da849816 100644
--- a/lib/val.c
+++ b/lib/val.c
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ BEGIN {
   for (i = 1; i < 10; i++) a[i] = i;
   a[11] = a;
   a[12] = a;
-  a = nil;
+  a = @nil;
   b[1] = a;
   c[1] = 0;
 } 
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ BEGIN {
    a[13] = "hello";
    j[3] = a;
    a[14] = j;
-   a = nil;
+   a = @nil;
    b[1] = a;
    c[1] = 0;
 }
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ BEGIN {
    a[13] = "hello";
    j[3] = a;
    a[14] = j;
-   a = nil;
+   a = @nil;
    b[1] = a;
    c[1] = 0;
 }
@@ -115,8 +115,8 @@ BEGIN {
    a[13] = "hello";
    j[3] = a;
    a[14] = j;
-   a = nil;
-   j = nil;
+   a = @nil;
+   j = @nil; hawk::gc();
    b[1] = a;
    c[1] = 0;
 }
@@ -1135,7 +1135,7 @@ retry:
 
 #if defined(HAWK_ENABLE_GC)
 	gc_chain_val (&rtx->gc.g[0], (hawk_val_t*)val);
-	val->v_gc = 1;
+	val->v_gc = 1; /* only array and map are to be garbaged collected as of now */
 	#if defined(DEBUG_GC)
 	hawk_logbfmt (hawk_rtx_gethawk(rtx), HAWK_LOG_STDERR, "[GC] MADE GCH %p VAL(ARR) %p\n", hawk_val_to_gch(val), val);
 	#endif
@@ -1242,7 +1242,7 @@ retry:
 
 #if defined(HAWK_ENABLE_GC)
 	gc_chain_val (&rtx->gc.g[0], (hawk_val_t*)val);
-	val->v_gc = 1;
+	val->v_gc = 1; /* only array and map are to be garbaged collected as of now */
 	#if defined(DEBUG_GC)
 	hawk_logbfmt (hawk_rtx_gethawk(rtx), HAWK_LOG_STDERR, "[GC] MADE GCH %p VAL(MAP) %p\n", hawk_val_to_gch(val), val);
 	#endif
@@ -1260,6 +1260,8 @@ hawk_val_t* hawk_rtx_makemapvalwithdata (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, hawk_val_map_data_t da
 	map = hawk_rtx_makemapval(rtx);
 	if (HAWK_UNLIKELY(!map)) return HAWK_NULL;
 
+	hawk_rtx_refupval (rtx, map);
+
 	for (i = 0; i < count; i++)
 	{
 		hawk_val_map_data_t* p;
@@ -1325,11 +1327,13 @@ hawk_val_t* hawk_rtx_makemapvalwithdata (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, hawk_val_map_data_t da
 		if (tmp == HAWK_NULL || hawk_rtx_setmapvalfld(rtx, map, p->key.ptr, p->key.len, tmp) == HAWK_NULL)
 		{
 			if (tmp) hawk_rtx_freeval (rtx, tmp, HAWK_RTX_FREEVAL_CACHE);
-			hawk_rtx_freeval (rtx, map, HAWK_RTX_FREEVAL_CACHE);
+			hawk_rtx_refdownval (rtx, map);
 			return HAWK_NULL;
 		}
 	}
 
+
+	hawk_rtx_refdownval_nofree (rtx, map);
 	return map;
 }
 
diff --git a/mod/mod-uci.c b/mod/mod-uci.c
index 014e7fd5..919d9e72 100644
--- a/mod/mod-uci.c
+++ b/mod/mod-uci.c
@@ -566,6 +566,8 @@ static int getoption_byid (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, uctx_list_t* list, hawk_int_t id, ha
 						if (map)
 						{
 							count = 1;
+							hawk_rtx_refupval (rtx, map);
+
 							uci_foreach_element(&uo->v.list, tmp)
 							{
 								const hawk_oocs_t* subsep;
@@ -577,13 +579,13 @@ static int getoption_byid (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, uctx_list_t* list, hawk_int_t id, ha
 								fld = hawk_rtx_makestrvalwithbcstr(rtx, tmp->name);
 								if (!fld)
 								{
-									hawk_rtx_refupval (rtx, map);
 									hawk_rtx_refdownval (rtx, map);
 									map = HAWK_NULL;
 									x = UCI_ERR_MEM;
 									break;
 								}
 
+								hawk_rtx_refupval (rtx, fld);
 								subsep = hawk_rtx_getsubsep(rtx);
 
 								k[0].ptr = HAWK_T("value");
@@ -599,9 +601,7 @@ static int getoption_byid (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, uctx_list_t* list, hawk_int_t id, ha
 								if (!kp || hawk_rtx_setmapvalfld(rtx, map, kp, kl, fld) == HAWK_NULL)
 								{
 									if (kp) hawk_rtx_freemem (rtx, kp);
-									hawk_rtx_refupval (rtx, fld);
 									hawk_rtx_refdownval (rtx, fld);
-									hawk_rtx_refupval (rtx, map);
 									hawk_rtx_refdownval (rtx, map);
 									map = HAWK_NULL;
 									x = UCI_ERR_MEM;
@@ -609,15 +609,17 @@ static int getoption_byid (hawk_rtx_t* rtx, uctx_list_t* list, hawk_int_t id, ha
 								}
 
 								hawk_rtx_freemem (rtx, kp);
+								hawk_rtx_refdownval (rtx, fld);
 								count++;
 							}
 
 							if (map)
 							{
-								if (hawk_rtx_setrefval(rtx, ref, map) <= -1)
+								int n;
+								n = hawk_rtx_setrefval(rtx, ref, map);
+								hawk_rtx_refdownval (rtx, map);
+								if (n <= -1)
 								{
-									hawk_rtx_refupval (rtx, map);
-									hawk_rtx_refdownval (rtx, map);
 									map = HAWK_NULL;
 									return -9999;
 								}