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People come and people go

This month of Syawal is not too festive for me and my family as we had 2 people whom we loved passed away.

My grandma passed away on the 3rd day of Hari Raya at a very ripe old age, very close to 100 if not passing that age already.  She died due to a bout of viral flu which she was just to weak to recover unlike other times that she had it before.  My late grandma, who was my mum's mom, was well taken care of by her children who brought her to PJ to stay so that we could take care of her health.  Staying in the kampung and all alone (my grandpa passed away before I was born) had much problems for us to keep track of her health because she was always busy upkeeping the kampung surroundings (she had a large land to take care of).

On Hari Raya eve, my mum told me to visit my grandma, as they have already anticipated that she won't be around much longer.  I went to my aunty's house, coz thats where she stayed and saw her.  She was very very weak from the viral flu which she caught a week ago, but was on the verge of recuperating.  I was told that my late grandma refused to eat anything, only sipping liquids from time to time.  She was extremely frail and was sitting down on the carpeted floor after spending days lying down.  She looked at me with an adoring look.  The kind of look that you know, would be the last.  I knew then, that it may be the last time I see her alive.  I was right.  The funeral was on the 3rd day of Hari Raya itself and tahlil followed thru 3 days in a row and weekly now.

Then last Monday we had another great shock.  My brother in law's father too had passed away in Jakarta in his sleep, most prolly due to heart attack.  Colonel (R) Zain was a small and loud fellow.  He had whittish silver hair and loves to play golf.  Though he had a heart bypass onced, it never detered him from continuing his golf games with his buddies.  He was in Jakarta to play around of golf with his buddies when he passed away.  Since he passed away in Jakarta, the body had to be brought back to KL for burials and the arrangements were done by a relative who is staying in Jakarta.  After the 'mandi and sembahyang jenazah' - prayers for the deceased had been done, the body was put in a coffin and boxed up to be sent to KL.  The body arrived on Monday night at KLIA MASCargo at 2130hrs.  My brother in law was hectic arranging for all the paperwork to be done and the procedures were a lot.  I arrived with my family to receive the body at KLIA MASCargo and the procedures were like this.

1.  Go to the main entrance gate of the cargo area.  Leave your MyKard and get a pass to get thru the custom's complex.  Each person entering the cargo complex needs to surrender their MyKard and get a pass.  You then drive your car to the cargo complex.  Go straight, take a right corner till you see a blinking amber traffic light and turn left into the underpass. 

2.  From there you will reach another security checkpoint to enter the cargo complex.  Since we didn't have transponders to open the automatic gates, unlike the cargo lorry trailers, we had to stop at the checkpoint, get down, produce a valid driving license and you will be given a car pass.  They will open the autogate for you and find your appropriate cargo hanger.  One thing I noticed, anything short of driving a small lorry, you will feel very much dwarfed in there.  The atmosphere was a systematic chaos.  There were forklifts busy buzzing around lifting boxes of good in and out of trailers.  There were huge 18 wheeler trailers everywhere, small cargo pullers pulling all the cargo stuff, smal vans, big vans, small lorries and huge trailers going everywhere with a crescendo of beeping sounds as the forklifts and lorries reversed and loads of flashing amber and red lights.  It was a sight to behold at 2200hrs.

3.  After making your way to the cargo complex where you need to be, and in my case it was Core 2 MASCargo complex (there are many many cargo companies there) we had to go up to Mezzanine floor to do the paperwork to release the body from the cargo complex.  Documentation purposes needs at least 2 family members to produce documents to show that they are families of the deceased and to pay for the cargo charges.  Onced that has been done, then you can collect the body at the cargo area.  It was a very sad sight, to see someone you loved in a normal wooden box on a trailer pellet.  It was the first for me to see such a sight that you are sent home, as a cargo in the cargo hold of a plane.  Onced the box was identified, we opened it up since there was a coffin inside the box and to transport the coffin with the box wasn't that appropriate.  Brought the coffin into the hearse and we said our doa (prayers) at the cargo area before bringing it out.

4.  Onced the hearse is brought back out pass the 1st check point, where you took your pass, in which you need to return the pass back and retrieve your MyKard, another set of paperwork needs to be carried out and this is at the Custom's checkpoint to declare that you are bringing a body out of the cargo complex.   By then my brother in law's younger sister who was outside the security area at the parking lot taking care of my nephew walked to the hearse, opened it and broke down into tears.  She was the closest child to her late father.

5.  Now that everything  has been done, the deceased will be driven to Kelantan where he will be buried in his hometown.  Before that is done, a stop at Sepang Police Station is needed to declare the death and that a death certificate be produced.

It was a long and tiring night for us as we arrived back home at 1am.  This passed 2 years I am starting to see people in the family starting to go and that makes me feel distrubed.  First was my brother in law's brother last year, who passed away due to heart attack.  Then my uncle earlier this year due to complications, then my grandma and now this.  How I wish someone can invent a device or drug that can prolong people's lives or come out with replacement parts for heart, lungs, liver and kidneys just like how we can change parts from a car like engine, radiator, injectors, carburrator, batteries and other things.  I believe we are at the stage where we have the ability to produce synthetic parts for replacement purposes.  Why can't cigarette companies dump in money to research and develop artifical replacement lungs so that people who smoke don't die of lung cancer or beer companies who rake in billions of dollars every year R&D on artifical replacement liver.  Well whatever it is, those of us who are still alive and reading this, well take care of your health because you only have 1 body and 1 life.  Hope you had a good read.

Raya SMS Part Deux

Now that Hari Raya frenzy is starting to slow down, and what I meant by that is all the SMS-es that people usually send just a few minutes before midnite before Hari Raya.  A bit odd though that this year, I received very little sms compared to last year.  Prolly because I didn't reply to many of those who sent me Raya SMS last year but I have also noticed an influx of Hari Raya e-card surfacing again.  Those sent to Friendster or e-mails which have flashplayer graphics and music.  Imagine several years ago, when you received Hari Raya cards, it was just a piece of card with some writings.  Nowdays you get moving graphics, animated cartoons with Hari Raya songs.

This year, I did not receive many creative Hari Raya SMS-es.  Many chose to write mundane things like Selamat Hari Raya dari Abu dan keluarga kinda stuff.  There are a few worthed mentioning and here it is in random order.

1. BeTiK iS PaPaYa, RoCk Is BaTu, SkRg Da RaYe, SoRy ByK2 ye u...tHiS iS kUlIt KeRaNg, FiSh ThE iKaN pUyU, i CkP TrUs TrAnG, i Nk DuIt RaYa dr U...! Hehe - Linda GTi (very very original.  Haven't read anything like this coz it sorta rhymes but it doesn't)
2. Selamat Hari Raya, enjoy ureself tanpa gangguan dari canna - Mike Tay (straight to the point and I can't appreciate more)
3. Di pagi syawal yang mulia ini, kususun jari tanda kemaafan.."selamat hari raya dan maaf zahir batin" - Nazreen (okaylah, very slightly better than the standard Hari Raya SMS. actually shouldn't even be in here but heck..just to fill the empty spaces)
4. KATAK PISANG KATAK PURU, sembang bwh pokok kasturi, Jgn PErasAN ATau tERharu, Bukan nak UcAP Kata RinDU, cUMa nak uCap "Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri". - Wan & Siti (starts off really well and thought the ending would be better but...well Selamat Hari Raya to you too)
5. For things I did wrong, For words which might hurt, For jokes you can't take, For advise you can't accept & For all e madness + lame jokes + sarcasm, 1001 apologies..hope you have a gr8 hari raya!SALAM AIDILFITRI MAAF ZAHIR BATIN - Jihan (awwww...)
6. Pelita dpasang pnarik seri, ramadhan dignti c aidilfitri, msej pndek pganti diri, tnda erti sntiasa d ingati. Salam aidilfitri. Maaf zahir batin - Azlin (this one surely lazy to type the full word, either that or the handphone can only text 40 words max)

Okay those are some the Hari Raya SMS which are worthy of being mentioned.  The standard ones well, are just standard.  The best Hari Raya SMS for 2007 goes to...

No fancy poems and no funky pics, but just a simple 'Selamat Hari Raya' from me, the one and only Maharedza. (very original, direct and so him.  appreciate the SMS bro)

And to all those who have SMS-ed me and I never reply...thank you.  All your SMS-es are treasured and thank you for making Maxis, Celcom, Digi richer by the day so that they give us better call and SMS packages.  Hopefully next year MMS with video will be FOC so we can send Video MMS-es with Raya Greetings.  Cool idea huh?  Hope you had a pleasant read and Selamat Hari Raya to all!

Why the haze?

Everyone is talking about the haze again.  I mean, it happens every year and I knew that the haze is bound to happen again since last week and I have proof how it started.  I was at one of the hotspots of the cause of the haze.  Check it out:
I was in section 14 Petaling Jaya a week ago.  I was walking minding my own business when I suddenly realized that the horizon was getting more and more opaque.  I can hardly see the tall buildings nor the trees nearby.  I knew that haze is coming back and for sure, my gut feeling was right again.  From this picture, you can clearly see that the tall building was about to be obstructed by the haze.

As I walked closer to the area, I noticed I was in the midsts of one of the hotspots, the cause of the haze.  I mean, it clearly shows where the haze which everyone is complaining is coming from.  For years and years, we have blamed our neighbouring country Indonesia for indiscriminately burning their crops and soil which will make for better earth for next year's crops or the runaway bush fires in Sumatera and Kalimantan.  Now the truth has been exposed and it is the fact.

As I approached closer to the scene, yes, you can clearly see, where all the haze is coming from.  It comes from this fella grilling fish with sambal on it.  As you can see, the haze is pretty thick as you get close to it.  People run away from or take the longer route from the delicious smoke that he is emitting.

Just look at his face.  Grimacing from the clouds of smoke coming out from his grill.  So just imagine, you have 1 pasar Ramadhan that sells grill fish, ayam percik, satay and other lovely dishes.  1 pasar Ramadhan can emit such smoke and haze.  Now I ask you, how many pasar Ramadhans do you know that is within your area?  Just in Petaling Jaya alone, less than 2 kilometers away is another pasar Ramadhan in Section 16, near the International Islamic University.  That area too, emits so much smoke from the cooking and grilling of satay, grill fish, grill chicken, honey bbq chicken wings, otak-otak and ayam percik.  Not only that, just 3 kilometers from there in Taman Tun Dr Ismail is another Pasar Ramadhan that also has the same items which emit smoke and haze.  Now that is 3 pasar Ramadhans within a 10km radius.

There you go.  This picture details that even the cook couldn't take the smoke thats coming out from this deliciously grilled sambal squids and fish.  So there you go, with hundreds of pasar Ramadhans spewing smoke from bbq pits and grills, no wonder we are having the haze.  Don't believe me?  Go head towards Taman Melawati in Ulu Kelang and I can guarantee that you won't miss one stall that emits the most smoke - Ikan Bakar Nelayan.  If you can stand there near the stall while you wait for your fish to get cooked, I salute you!  Hope you had a pleasant read.

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

All pictures were taken in Section 14 Petaling Jaya pasar Ramadhan with Samsung SGH-D600 Mobile Phone.

Hrmm what do you think this is?

Read between the lines in these excerpts I took from a website.

Aaron Carter is engaged

Aaron Carter is engaged to Playboy Playmate Kari Ann Peniche - who previously dated his brother Nick (me -hrmm now how did he do that?) - after proposing to her Saturday in Las Vegas while they were onstage in front of 200 people during the Playboy Comedy Tour at the Palms Casino Resort. "I'm very excited about it," Peniche tells People. "Aaron is the most genuine person I know. He's kind, loving, and I love him so much. I don't remember it happening. It was such a blur," says Peniche about the surprise proposal. "I had no idea he was going to do this, but I'm glad he did." Call me a prude but I don't think I'd ever marry somebody knowing my brother has already screwed them.(me - sure aah?)  Then again I'd also never 'frost my tips' or sing pop ballads to 12-year-old girls. I would, however, talk like a pirate today. All day. Because that just makes sense. Yarr!

Scarlett Johansson loves her boobies

In the latest issue of InStyle Scarlett Johansson says she's in love with her breasts (me - if you see her pics, I too am love with her boobies) Actually she doesn't say that at all, but she's not totally disgusted by the way she looks. And that's practically like saying she's in love with her breasts. And even if it isn't, I think I've said it enough times to at least have her covered.

Victoria's Beckham slips her nipple

A more accurate title might be "Victoria's Beckham slips whatever the heck is on her chest" because I'm not actually sure if Victoria Beckham's nipple is condsidered a nipple anymore (me - man, what the hell is that then?) . If you want your breasts to look that incredibly fake why bother with surgery at all? You might as well just stuff your bra with Legos.(me - man, it must looked very boxy and squarerish.  How does a square nipple look like?) I drew two concentric circles onto a grapefruit using a permanent marker and it still looks more human than whatever she has going on. So does my niece's Barbie doll. And maybe even the fire hydrant outside my apartment.

Man, what stuff goes around nowdays in the scene.  Hope you had a pleasant read.

Source: www.chicchannel.com

A woman's frosting

I was in a shopping complex in Bangsar a few weeks back with my friend.  As we headed towards Starbucks, my friend veered to her favourite shop just a couple of metres away from our intended destination which was a jewelery store- Habib Jewels.  "Okay, here we go again", as I said to myself.

They were having a promotion - on diamonds.  Hearts On Fire diamonds to be exact.  The sales person showed us these Hearts On Fire diamonds.  I know there is a Love Diamond popularly sold by Carat Club, but what is Hearts On Fire diamond?  Now, I know a bit or two about diamonds because when I was a small kid, my mom used to drag me to the jewelery store whenever she wanted an opinion to buy something.  I vaguely remembered some words like 4C, VVS something something.  But now, if I were to buy diamonds for someone, I know my 4C's.  Different diamonds are priced differently although they are of the same weight.  I would like to explain to you a little bit about diamonds so that you can look more educated when you happen to visit the jewelery store sometime.

Why are diamonds so precious and expensive?
Diamonds are precious and expensive because of several reasons:

1. Diamonds are actually crystals.  It is the only gem that is formed from only 1 element and that is carbon, which is put under tremendous heat and pressure for thousands if not millions of years.
2. Diamond is the hardest naturally formed substance known to man.
3. Diamonds are very rare, and that is what makes it expensive.  Although the basic carbon is commonly found in coal and and graphite, the crystaline form is very rare which is 99.9% pure carbon.  In South Africa where famed diamonds and the largest diamond mining quarries are found, to find a yield of 1 carat polished diamond would require the mining and processing of 250 tonnes of ore.
4. Diamonds have been worned and adored by the noble classes since the 1st century.  The ancient people associates the unique properties of diamonds as the power of invincibility.  Eversince the Archduke of Austria in the mid 1400's presented his bride to be, the daughter of the Duke of Burgundy with a diamond as an engagement ring, the diamond have been the symbol of love.
5. Diamond mines are usually harsh and desolate places and to mine in such a place and condition is extremely hard.  In 'Skeleton Coast', Namibia where 2% of the world's diamonds are from, the 25 meter wide sand embankment on top are repaired daily to hold back the brutal surfs that has claimed so many seafarers lives.  In Yakutia, the coldest province in Siberia where diamonds are mined, the conditions are so cold and extreme that steel poles could snap like matchsticks and engine oil could just freeze in the engines.  That is how harsh some diamond mine environments get.

So how to choose a diamond?

For those of you who only know how to wear diamonds and do not know how to appreciate it, a diamond's price is directly related to the basic of knowing a diamond which is the 4C's.  The first time I heard the word 4C's when I was a kid, I thought the salesperson said Four Seas.  Wow, this must be precious as you need to know the four different seas!

Okay so now since I'm all grown up (yea rite) the 4C's actually meant Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat.  Let me give you a crash course on diamond appreciation so you would know, how precious the diamond that your love ones has given to you.

Color
Diamonds in the natural form is not colorless.  That is right.  Through the glimmer of it, if you look closely, diamonds usually have a slight hint of color, which usually is yellowish.  Colorless diamonds are extremely rare (as if diamonds aren't rare enough), colorless ones are rarrer than rare.  There are tho colored diamonds and these are extremely rare too.  They have blue, red and pink (I know you loikee...) but these are in very rare cases.  So the commercial ones do look colorless but it has a slight tinge of yellowness to it.  So how do we look or rate this color and how does it effect the price?

The above is the Gemological Institute of America's color scale.  It starts off at D to Z+.  D color is to signify that it is colorless and Z+ is the fancy diamonds (the colorful ones that I talked about).  Most diamonds that you see at the jewelery store is usually F or G onwards.  It looks colorless to the naked amateur untrained eye but to gemologists or after looking at several diamonds, you can actually see the color of it like on the right.  Of course these look a little bit exeggerated but D color would be the bottom right and G would be the top left corner diamond.  Given the same exact carat, cut and clarity, a diamond's color would affect its price.  Why does it start with D to Z and not from A to Z?  Well, back before there were any standard form of identifying diamond colors, a lot of diamond merchants used their own symbols such as numeric or alphabets.  A to C have been used to signify that the diamond is colorless or have a very slight yellowish tinge while others used other forms including the words clear loupe.  With the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) scale, it has been standardized even with IGI (International Gemological Institute), so it starts with D to ensure that everything starts fresh.

Clarity
A diamond's price is also affected by its clarity which means, how clear the diamond is.  Diamonds in its raw form is dull on the surface.  It needs to be cut and polished to bring out the shine in it.  The clarity would take into account how well it was polished and if there are any inclusions or blemishes in and on the surface of the diamond.  There is also a scale to verify the clarity of diamonds.

 

So basically, the chart tells it all.  FL also known as Flawless diamond is extremely rare.  There are 2 types of imperfections in and on the diamond, they are called Inclusions and Blemishes.  Inclusions are imprefections inside the diamond itself such as formations of other crystaline or feathering ( a whitish cloud of gas trapped when in the process it being made ).  Blemishes on the other hand, are surface imprefections such as little cracks or imprefect polishing of the diamond.  Each and every diamond in fact, has some sort of inclusion or blemish.  This is actually the fingerprint of the diamond itself as no two diamonds are a like in their inclusions and blemishes. A gemologist can tell you whether a group of diamonds came from the same mine as the inclusions may be unique to that certain mine.  Synthetic made diamonds or other wise known as industrial diamonds like cubic zirconia do not have such fingerprints.  These inclusions or blemishes is what tells you whether the diamond is real or not, just like pearls, when you grind it between your teeth.  If it feels unsmooth and course, then the pearl is real but if its smooth and silky then its most prolly be fake pearls.  Inclusions are formed inside the diamond itself while it is being formed.  Sometimes gasses other than carbon gets trapped and other crystaline compound appears inside the diamond.  There have been garnet or ruby crystals found formed inside a diamond.  So basically, its good to have some inclusions to let you know that its a real diamond but not too much as it will be devalued.  Given several diamonds that has the same carat, cut and color, the difference in clarity will effect the pricing of the diamond.

Cut
Cutting the diamond properly to reflect the most amount of light is, I would say the most important thing in the diamond, other than the weight.  A diamond can be cut into many ways.  When you talk about a diamond's cut, its not about the shape but its symmetry, proportion and polish. When a rough or often called raw diamond is brought in, it has to be cut into the desired shape to ensure the maximum shine.  This is what gives the diamond its brilliance and glitter.  This part is the hardest part to explain because there are just too many aspects of it.  It would be better for me to explain it verbally than to type it, because it would just take too long.  Essentially, the cut of the diamond, must be able to reflect the light back to the wearer, then only can you appreciate its dazzle.

If the diamond is cut too deep, then the light will not reflect back up.  The diamond will not dazzle.

If the diamond is cut to shallow, then the light will escape thru the bottom thus making the diamond look 'dark' in the middle when viewed from above.

The ideal cut is when the light entering the diamond from the top, is reflected back to the top, thus giving the brilliance, dispersion and scintillation.  This is when the diamond is said to be twinkling like stars.

The diamond is can be segmented into different sections when you talk about its cut.  The top portion of the diamond is known as the crown.  This is where the facets are located.  The bottom layer of the diamond is known as the pavillion and the middle layer in between the crown and the pavillion is the girdle.  Having a thicker girdle will make the overall height of the diamond 'higher' and may not be the 'ideal cut'.  The dillema for most diamond cutters is either to maximise the raw diamond by cutting it higher but by doing so, the ideal cut is not met thus you won't get a glittering twinkling diamond.  To get the ideal cut, a lot of sides and top of the raw diamond is wasted in the cutting process.  This cutting process is also the reason you get 'Hearts On Fire' and 'Love Diamond'.  The hand cutting process is so meticulous and tedious, but it is cut to perfection because if any of the facet is not the same angle, height or space, the heart shape or arrows will not appear symmetrical and the diamond is considered to be spoiled to become 'Hearts On Fire' or 'Love Diamond'.

Carat
The last and most important characteristic that depends the price of the diamond is carat or weight of the diamond.  Basically the diamond is measured in the units of carat.  A carat is about 0.2grams.  Smaller than a carat can also be known as a point.  So a 1.34 carat diamond is called "One carat thirty four points" or if you would want to purchase smaller than a carat ie 0.56 is called "Fifty six points".  The larger the carat the more expensive the diamond gets because of its rarity.  Large raw diamonds are extremely rare thus making it very expensive.

This chart basically shows a rough estimate of how large the diameter of the diamond would be following the carat weight.  Please remember that carat weight DOES NOT follow the diameter of the diamond.  Again, by having a thicker girdle, the weight of the diamond can be increased without increasing the diameter or table of the diamond.  One 2 carat diamond is more expensive than 8 x 0.5 carat diamonds.  Reason is that a 2 carat diamond is very rare compared to 0.5 carat diamonds.  So combined weight will not be equavalent to one piece of diamond.

So now that I have explained to you how to choose a diamond, for the guys, hopefully you can choose well for your partners.  To me, diamonds are rare and unique.  I am certified to be able to choose the right diamond for the right woman in my life.  I even have a certificate to prove it..hehe.  I will not give a solitare diamond ring to any woman unless she is unique, rare and would be forever in my life.  The woman to wear the diamond that I give must be as brilliant and dazzling to me as the diamond that I will give her.  I already have the perfect diamond to be made into a ring for the woman of my choice. It is very unique, rare and perfect. The only problem is finding the perfect woman for me to give it to. Hope you had a pleasant read.


-For Everything She Is And Will Be -....she deserves the perfect diamond.

Sources:
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
International Gemological Institute (IGI)
The Hearts On Fire diamond
The Love Diamond
The Carat Club

Reminisce

I haven't posted an entry for sometime.  This was due to the reason that was busy going around that I didn't have time to sit down and write.  I was in Bangkok last couple of weeks for training, for which I will write a travelogue of that.  Just 1 week in Bangkok and I have semi mastered the routes either by foot, taxi, tuk tuk or skytrain or MRT subway.  Bangkok is indeed a very fine city of Thailand.

A week after that, and a few days ago, I just came back from Phuket.  No, not because of work but for recce for our Satria GTi Getaway in September (which is next month..Yahoo!)  It was dead tiring.  Direct drive from KL - Phuket, stayed there for 2 nights and drove straight back down to KL from Phuket.  A direct drive with 3 fuel stopovers, 3 pit stops and 1 lunch takes 14 ~ 16 hours!!  No joke!  We took turns driving but even that, was taxing to our already exhausted bodies.  But our strength was rejuvenated when we met some familiar faces in Banthai Beach Resort on Patong beach, namely Buck, Hisyam, Onny, Asrul, Bangau and some other Proton fellas who were there for the Satria Neo 2,000km Challenge.  Well in my opinion, I had a more challenging trip...non stop from KL - Phuket and back..BEAT THAT!  Okay, so they were there to give some anal-lysts and media peeps a test drive of the new Proton Satria Neo, especially with the challenging and gruelling 2,000km drive. 

I still remember the look on Buck's face when he saw us as we got out of the car in Banthai.  "Heey..heeyy brooo..!!" he quipped with that usual extra grin on his face.  We were as delighted to see him too, especially the person he had on his bike..hehehe.  So anyway, we had a fun time in Phuket, going around having traditional Thai massage (you really need that after a long 16 hour drive) and following the entourage to go-go bars and clubbing.  So basically due to that plus I haven't really recuperated from my 1 week Bangkok excursion, the day we left Phuket, I felt the all too familar throat itch and true enough, the next day I lay flat on my back in bed.  I had cough, runny nose and a slight fever.  Went to work the next day tho but decided to go see the doctor around 3pm and got an MC for the day after.  So here I am, wondering what to do while resting (I know I got that thing to write Buck, no worries ok) and downloading some old Malay songs from Limewire.

To those who were die hard Malay rock fans of the 80's would remember groups such as CRK, Bumiputera Rockers (BPR), Febians, Mega, Search, Wings, Lestari, XPDC etc.  Yes, those were the days of skin tight leather pants which I know brings up several more octaves in their male vocalists (thats how they reach those high notes) and long fuzzy hair.  Those days were before our Information Minister had some glue aka gam.  Gam was the popular word for these rock stars if they had their hair length passed their shoulders.  Bsaically, the radio stations weren given strict orders not to play their songs hence they have been 'gam' or glued (I really wonder who thought of such a word).  I have now a nice small collection of all these songs which I remembered listening to while studying for my SRP exams at 2 ~ 3 in the morning.  I have had some before but I have added a whole lot more (don't worry yewww, nanti I bagi kat yeww okayyy?)

So one of the groups I downloded was Feminin.  Aahh..the most sought after popular all girl group back in the early 90's.  It was mid 93 to be exact and they started as the first all female teen group.  Consisting of 5 teens which spots the same hair cut, dressing and dance steps.  It was a first for the  Malaysian music scene.

                Feminin from L-R : Along, Deq Nor, Asfarina, Yatie, Watie.
This was my first photo of Feminin taken at UKM Bangi in 1993, also their first public appearance.

The Feminin groups consisted of Asfarina (the head of the group also the most bitchy of the lot), Along was the cutest and my friend had this big crush on her because she had this chinese look, Deq Nor, a girl who is more matured than she looks.  Quiet and shy.  Watie, the youngest of the group also the the one with the most character and 'manja'.  Watie is Asfarina's younger sister.  Also quiet and very loyal to the group.  These girls became instant hit with their song Untukmu and other popular songs back then.  No one knew that a young group of girls can take over the music scene and be the pioneer to several other similar wannabe groups like M'steen and..and..aiyahh..I forgot the other group.  They were popular with that song "Kepastian..." and has that girl Baby something..  Anyone of you remember please comment ya?  I don't want to dig up my old tape collection.  Anyway, Feminin took the Malaysian music by storm and I was their sort of 'unoffical Photographer".  Wherever they went, I was there to cover for their pics from Bangi, Port Dickson, Slim River or somewhere.  Heck it was fun, it was entertaining and it opened my doors to taking videos for KRU after that too.  Infact, I had taken pics of KRU since their early shows in Taman Tasik Perdana.  Back then they were just a bunch of talented kids who wore raincoats.

So after about a year later with many, many pictures taken from their stage shows and TV3's Muzik-Muzik, the group started to deteriorate.  I mean its tough taking care of a bunch of kids who are still in school (well some of them were then).  I remember their manager Ed which I used to hang around a bit of time with, was a nice...chap.  Very humble, very polite and very patient with the girls.  I stopped taking their pics soon after and worked on KRU instead on their videos.  Just some very simple stuff.  Just like fashiom and hair do's, nothing lasts.  After Along left and Deq Nor got married, the group fell apart.  So did other all teen girl groups then.  Not until they produced one more album called Kini which I found their videoclip to be very, very matured.  I think I still have a copy of their videoclip somewhere.  Now I don't know where they are, only rumours I hear of As being here and there but the rest was no where to be known.  Well, at least they were there to brighten some of our lives back then with their hip hop teen music, and gave some color to the Malaysian Music Industry.  Hope you had a pleasant read.

Espcially for abg Saiful - but missing one signature

The truth about girls....

   
<=== Would this one day

<======Replace this?                                                          

I guess not.  Women would still want those glitzy glittering diamonds.  Heck, diamonds are forever right?  I already have the diamond but no ring size yet but then again, would a girl prefer an iPod over a diamond ring?  Hrmm knowing them, they want BOTH..hahaha.

By Reuters , NEW YORK - Diamonds are no longer a girl's best friend, according to a new U.S. study that found three of four women would prefer a new plasma TV to a diamond necklace. The survey, commissioned by cable television's Oxygen Network, which is owned and operated by women, found the technology gender gap has virtually closed with the majority of women snapping up new technology and using it easily. Women were found on average to own 6.6 technology devices while men own 6.9, and four out of every five women felt comfortable using technology with 46 percent doing their own computer trouble-shooting. "People make the assumption that women are not as advanced as men when it comes to technology and I was surprised at the parity men and women now have in terms of technology," Geraldine Laybourne, chairman and chief executive of Oxygen Network, told Reuters. The Girls Gone Wired survey of 1,400 women and 700 men aged 15 to 49, which was conducted by market researcher TRU, found that given the choice, women would opt for tech items rather than luxury items like jewelry or vacations. The study found 77 percent of women surveyed would prefer a new plasma television to a diamond solitaire necklace and 56 percent would opt for a new plasma TV over a weekend vacation in Florida. Even shoes lost out. The study found 86 percent would prefer a new digital video camera to a pair of designer shoes. The study found over the next five years women see themselves increasing their activities in six tech areas: digital cameras, cell phones, e-mail, camera phones, text messaging and instant messaging. Laybourne said this increasing use of technology among women was expected to continue--with advertisers needing to ensure they addressed women's increased usage and knowledge. "Women don't feel like they have been given credit for what they know and they are condescended to," Laybourne said.

Copyright 2006 Reuters.

Pictures taken from www.ipod.com and www.heartsonfire.com

Hope you head a pleasant read. 

How much does it take?

I'm in one of my crazy thinking moods when I wondered, how many calories do you actually lose when you have sex?  I know of many who have sex often and gotten fatter than thinner but there are those who remained the same.  Some say when you have sex, you're happy, thus you gain more weight.  Guess thats true for women.  I can always tell if they've had 'some' or 'plenty'.  Hahha.  Well I Googled to find out and came across this very useful statistics.  Great if you think you can lose weight by having sex.

The Act of Insertion

• If the man is ready (same vice-versa) 1/4 calories
• If the woman is not (same vice-versa) 274 calories

 

Satisfying Partner (organ size)
Most experts agree that size means nothing. Shape is what counts, and the man with a shaped organ can write his own ticket. In those rare instances where a man has a genuinely small member, he may have to compensate by working slightly harder, but this is good for weight loss. A man with a really large organ, while he might not have to work as hard once inside, may exhaust himself just trying to convince his partner to let him put it inside.

• Normal size 22 calories
• Oversize 15 calories
• Tremendous 8 calories
• Teensy-weensy 163 calories

 

Positions

• Man on top, woman on bottom (facing each other) 20 calories
• Woman on top, man on bottom (Many women find that in addition to its inherent sexual possibilities, this position affords a better view of the clock.) 25 calories
• From the rear (Mysterious variation) 40 1/2 calories
• Standing: Both partners of equal height 18 calories
• Standing: Woman 1 foot taller than a man 90 calories
• While in traction (very useful during ski season) 124 calories

Locations

• On a bar stool 20 calories
• Rear of a Honda Civic 38 calories
• In a phone booth, standing 14 calories
• In a phone booth, lying down 274 calories
• On an airliner, aisle seat 24 calories
• On an airliner, middle seat 42 calories
• On an airliner, window seat 30 calories
• On an airliner, in the lavatory 100 calories

Possible Side Effects of Intercourse

• Bouncing 7 calories
• Sliding around 9 calories
• Serious Skidding 12 calories
• Full cartwheel 20 calories
• Whiplash 27 calories
• Knee burn 6 calories
• Chafed elbows 5 calories
• Chafed nose 11 calories

Sex Related Noises

• Short gasps (per gasp) 3 calories
• Wheezing 5 calories
• Squeals 4 calories
• Ecstatic moaning 11 calories
• Low growling 8 calories
• Squishing 10 calories
• Shouting 16 calories
• Screaming 18 calories
• Urgent begging 22 calories
• Any short speech giving partner directions ("Please don't stop," "Faster," "Just a little more" are common examples.) 25 calories

Approaching Orgasm

• Letting go 5.5 calories
• Controlling yourself 79 calories
• Digging nails into your partner's back 11 calories
• Trembling 15 calories
• Shaking 20 calories
• Shuddering 25 calories
• Trying to keep eyes open 33 calories
• Orgasm Real 27 calories
• Faked 160 calories

Orgasmic Intensity Scale

• Expression didn't change 1/2 calorie
• Face turned purple 15 calories
• Orchestra swelled 6 calories
• Magical explosions 10 calories
• Blazing Sheets 25 calories
• Earth moved 30 calories
• Vesuvius erupted 47 calories
• You began moaning in Latin 60 calories

Pulling Out

• After orgasm 1/4 calorie
• A few moments before orgasm 500 calories

Multiple Orgasms For women:

• 2 times 14 calories
• 5 times 30 calories
• 8 times 47 calories (Depending on greed her rate of recovery a woman can enjoy around 8 orgasms within an hour period without losing consciousness or disarranging her hair. As the number increases, however, she may begin to experience a form of "reduced sanity" that will temporarily interfere with her ability to cook, worship ,and ride a Moped.)

For Men:

• 2 times 21 calories
• 3 times 39 calories
• 4 times 57 calories (For a man, its a different situation, perhaps due to physiological and biological reasons. Many men can enjoy up to 4 orgasms in an hour with little discomfort except for the slight ringing in the ears. With few exceptions, however, a man who tries to achieve more than 10 orgasms within that same period is flirting with irreversible brain damage.)

Special Orgasms

• Clitoral. 15 calories
• Vaginal 21 calories
• Penile 21 calories
• Scrotile 15 calories
• Rectal 25 calories
• Oral (can also occur during an especially good meal) 30 calories <--- I know someone who usually have this with good meals...hehehe.

Premature Ejaculation*

• During insertion 2 calories
• During intercourse (Approximately. 2 sec's or 3 thrusts after insertion, whichever comes first.) 5 calories
• During foreplay 3 calories
  
  • Immature ejaculation (Similar to premature ejaculation except male acts childish and throws a tantrum.) 4 calories

Consequences of Premature Ejaculation
Even if you have a good heart, it takes much understanding not to feel like a victim when your partner climaxes after 3 sec's of intensive sex, especially if he immediately sits up to watch the football on tv.

For Women

• Frustration 8 calories
• Anger 15 calories
• Violent mood swing 20 calories
• Surpressing rage 25 calories
• Not surpressing anger (In extreme cases, this can include cursing, nose tweaks, and gently massaging partner's head with a tire iron.) 65 calories

For Men:

• Cursing 10 calories
• Apologising 3 calories
• Snivelling 5 calories
• Pleading for mercy 8 calories
• Begging for another chance (Note how unfair: Men never seem to mind if a woman has an orgasm after 3 seconds of sex.) 15 calories

Possible Side Effects of Good Sex
The first indication that sex was a positive experience will be a buzzing in the pelvic area and a clear complexion. You might also feel pleasantly light, as though you were dozing in a vat of cream cheese. If sex was really terrific, you feel dangerously drained, as though your body had been connected to a large milking machine for several days.
Additional reactions include:

• Swooning 6 calories
• Palpitations 10 calories
• Shortness of breath 5 calories
• Perspiring 8 calories

Possible Side Effects of Bad Sex

• A less-than-sunny desposition 1 calorie
• Recovering Un-entwining 3 calories
• Regaining motor control of pevis (After especially tiring sex, you may feel numb from below the waist to the opposite wall. The result will be an inability to walk [put one foot in front of the other], which will seriously impair your chances of going to the bathroom or getting some juice.) 7 calories Standing up 9 calories
• Getting some juice 11 calories

Rolling Over and Going to Sleep

• After intercourse (Classic behavior for shiftiness men who believe they've done their job and are now entilted to a rest. This "rest" may include snoring.) 18 calories
• During intercourse (Women find this to be a subtle, yet direct way of suggesting dissatisfaction.) 32 calories
• During foreplay (Indicates either an advance case of fatigue or a serious lack of interest.) 12 calories
• Avoiding the wet spot 80 calories
• Trying Again If the woman is ready 5 calories
• If the man is not 156 calories
  
  

Dreaming

• Regular dream 2 calories
• Wet Dream Add 5 calories if it occurs while in bed with your partner; Add 20 calories if your partner notices 16 calories
• Wet Trance (Usually occurs in the presence of a sensual hypnotist.) 20 calories

Group Sex

• Introducing yourself 3 calories
• Overcoming shyness 8 calories
• Swapping partners, willingly 4 calories
• Swapping partners, unwillingly 62 calories
• Jealousy (Partner having more fun than you are) 16 calories
• Mixed doubles 26 calories
• Being nice to everyone 100 calories
• Anger (You suddenly realize that you're wanted for you body and not your mind. Difficult to cope with, especially if you have a Ph.D.) 10 calories
• Finding your clothes 5 calories

Masturbation

• For pleasure only 6 calories
• For exercise, too 10 calories
• For relief from tension 12 calories
• To pass the time 7 calories
• To avoid overeating 16 calories
• To get in touch with inner self 10 calories
• To get in touch with outter self 10.5 calories
• To avoid insanity 24 calories
• To avoid spending money on a date (In addition to being a viable alternative to television, shopping, and binges, masturbation is a quick and inexpensive way to get warm.) 9 calories
• Using your hand(s) 11 calories
• Using your finger(s) 9 calories
• Using tweezers 2 calories
• Using an inflatable doll 24 calories
• Using Any fruit or vegetable (Except watermelon or a sprig of parsley) 19 calories
• Using a vibrator, hand-operated 12 calories
• Using a vibrator, windup 9 calories
• Using a vibrator, electric 5 calories
• Using anything not mentioned here 50 calories

In a pornographic movie theater - purchasing the ticket 2.5 calories
In a pornographic movie theater - finding isolated seat 78 calories
In a pornographic movie theater - adjusting raincoat 3 calories

Typical Sex-Related Fears

• Partner hates me for what I did 4 calories
• Partner hates me for what I didn't do 8 calories
• Forgetting the instructions in the sex manual 10 calories
• Climaxing too soon 5 calories
• Climaxing too late 6 calories
• Not climaxing 20 calories

Partner thinks of me as a sex object 9 calories
Partner doesn't think of me as a sex object 47 calories
Partner will neglect to adminster last rites should I not recover from orgasm 88 calories

 

Personal Fears

• Gigantic cellulite that shake and ripple during orgasm 6 calories
• Stretch marks that look like a plowed field 8 calories
• Penis envy 72 calories
• Body odor of a disgruntled yak 25 calories

Getting Caught

• By partner's spouse 60 calories
• By your spouse 60.5 calories
• Trying to explain 165 calories
• Stuttering 28 calories
• Throwing up (Calorie counts here are flexible, depending on type of spouse-whether understanding and open-minded, or narrow-minded and armed) 40 calories

Almost Getting Caught

• Trying to remain calm 100 calories
• Fright (includes trembling) 66 calories
• Leaping out of bed 25 calories
• Getting dressed in one large motion 300 calories
• Thanking partner quickly 2 calories
• Jumping out of window add 5 calories if window wasn't open 15 calories
• Landing 1 calorie
• Running very fast 50 calories

Hope you had a pleasant read

-

http://www.c4vct.com/kym/humor/csex.htm

What's Love All About?

Be mine and I shall radish you forever

I have just finished watching a lovey dovey movie that is quite realistic.  'The Truth About Love - 2004' starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Dougray Scott (the fella who played the bad guy in MI-2).  As this is one of those nice feely girly chic flicks that involves feelings and relationships, I would highly recommend this movie to those who have watched and liked Love Actually.

This movie is about cheating men (as always) and there is a lot to learn from it...for women that is.  If you can catch your man red handed, that is having an affair, this couldn't be the better movie, but that is not what I want to talk about today.  What I want to talk about is that mystical word.  To many of us, its non existent, to some it is what they hold on to no matter what.  To me, it exists but its not easy to find.  What is it?  Its L-O-V-E !! 

Thats right, LOVE!! The magical word that people all around the world know and have used since the dawn of time.  It is what makes the world go round.  It is the very basic foundation, that men and women fall and get hurt.  It is love...  One would wonder, what is love and what is it all about?  Is it when you feel all warm and fuzzy inside when you think of that someone special?  Does it make you lose your appetite when you think about him or her?  Will it make you feel like nothing is impossible when his/her arms are around your body or would it make you sleep soundly and contented when you're in their arms snuggled up at night?  Yes, love can do all those.  Those who say that they will never love again is utterly crap.  You will love again only if you open up your eyes and heart, will you realise who the person is.  I have thought before many times that I would never love again, after being loved and lost too many times.  I know its tiring, I know its boring and I know its hard.  To fall in love is easy, to maintain the fall is the hard part.  Many fall out of love after awhile when the attraction dies but you have to realise than, why did you fall for that person in the first place?

Now that goes back to the fundamental question, why did you fall in love in the first place with that person?  Is it because of beauty or wealth?  Is it because he is tall and handsome or that she is blonde, fair and have beautiful skin?  What if you were blind and you can't see whether that person is beautiful or handsome, does that mean you can't fall in love?  Of course you can.  Then what is the fundamental thing which makes you fall in love with the person?  Its compassion, truth, honesty, caring and how well you jive with each other...well for me that is, or would you rather prefer someone who is tall, handsome, wealthy but a cheating and lying bastard?  Something to consider ain't it?  Well I can choose a very beautiful woman to be my soul mate or my life partner but then again I need to consider, what if she got involved in an accident and suddenly, she has lost all her beauty, would I then consider to divorce her and find another?  Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.  If I would say that my mate is beautiful, there will be others who are MORE beautiful than her.  Why do you think they change Miss Universe and Miss World every year?  If that person is the most beautiful person in the world, then why change her every year right?

Love is the most single most profound element in a relationship.  It is what keeps people together and happy, it binds us and surrounds us (sounds like a line from Star Wars).  If love doesn't exist, then why are there many love songs and movies being made?  Titanic didn't run for 3 months in Malaysia because we wanted to see a sinking ship. We wanted to see the couple, who were destined to meet and but not be together.  Did you cry when you saw that movie?  Well according to statistics 80% cried and the other 20% lied.

So how do we identify who we should love or who we shouldn't?  So many of us made so many mistakes in the path of choosing 'The One'.  I must admit, so did I.  Does that mean I keep on making the same mistakes?  Well, I guess I have rectified some of the problems and am more matured in 'finding' the suitable one for moi but have you?  Sometimes, our wants are different from our needs.  That is why, many people make the mistake of finding the life partner.  You can't have something you want to be the priority to what you need.  That is why our fore fathers before us have a good marriage till death did they part.  Why?  Well because choice was less than prolly but my main guess would be, is because of what they need.  C'mon, be with me here.  If you could tell me 3 things...just 3 things deep in your heart, nothing superficial here...that is MOST important to you..in a marriage or finding the right partner.  Be realistic now.  Just feel, don't think and don't substitute it for something else, like, if he/she doesn't have bla bla bla...then..bla bla bla.  No!  The basic foundation of it.  Chances are, if you say wealth, one day with God's will, someone who is poor and works hard can be wealthy, good looks..well there is always plastic surgery.  What about a person who is compassionate..caring and loving?  How do you ... eer.. buy that with money.  There women I know who are like that but she doesn't care for you anymore if you're no longer rich nor would guys who picked women solely due to her beauty when she's not longer pretty or gets old correct?  So what is it?  Close your eyes, open your heart and feel what do you really need most in them, and you will find the person that fits closely to that description.  Many of us nowdays are blinded by superficial things.  Flashy cars, attractive clothes, fantastic make-up and accessories all those are just temporary and is just icing on the cake.  Strip it all down and what do you get..a normal human being.  A soul that longs to be cared for and loved.  Everybody in this world, will need someone at some point of time.  If not now, surely later.  You love a person for whom he/she is, not what he/she is because that is from one person's heart to another.   

So, how do we find the truth about love and who has the truthful feeling?  I can answer that for myself but for YOU, well, you have to search for it deep inside yourself.  Nobody wants to be cheated or lied to again I'm sure. I know I don't because I'm tired of building a relationship and see it being ruined by a lying, cheating, conniving, manipulative or unfaithful person.  I'm tired of that.  Some say, that those who are honest, caring, loving and compassionate are boring people.  Well they are only if you want to make it that way.  I would always use this metaphore.  Relationships such as marriages is like having rice everyday.  Imagine you have to eat rice day in day out.  You are stuck with it.  Like it or not, rice is the thing you must have daily.  Sounds boring doesn't it, but rice can also be interesting if you cook it differently.  You can cook it plainly, various types of fried rice, you can have it vinegered and make it into a sushi, buttered to make nasi minyak, add tomatoe to make it tomatoe rice and many many more.  So who says, a relationship is boring?  Just cook it differently every now and then.  Face it, you are going to be with that girl/guy for the rest of your life!!  Make it interesting.  Instead of watching movies every weekend do something different.  Go to the zoo, science centre, the Aquaria, KL Motor Show, drive outstation and have a feast or watch the sun go down in Port Dickson hand in hand while you walk on the beach.  It doesn't have to be far, it just has to be different.  A walk on the greens of a padi field in Tanjong Karang can also make a vast difference.

Back again to how do you know who is the right one?  Hard to say but guess what, at most times, its the person you can really trust with every little secret (well not all), someone you can share not just your thoughts, but also your feelings, someone who has seen you cry or sick and not be ashamed of it, someone you think is boring or you never thought that person can be your life partner.  So back to my question, are those things what you need in your life partner or what you want?  Open up your eyes and your heart.  Do not look for love as it will find you, often when you least expect it.  It is sometimes there, right under your nose but you choose to neglect it, scared of being hurt but yearn not to be lonely at the same time.  Take a risk, but a calculated one and I guarantee you, you will find 'the one'.  One way I always hold to the truth, is looking into the eyes because the eyes is the doorway to the heart.  Stare into it long enough and you would know whether they are truthful or not or whether they love you or not.  Hope you had a pleasant read.

"Setapak melangkah meninggalkan mu,
Dua tapak hatiku dekat padamu"
( A step further you are from me, my heart is two steps closer to yours )

- Puteri Gunung Ledang -

Coming out of the dark

Yes I am back.  After a short break, to find myself and to find the meaning of life (as though I have found it lah) I decide to come back and start writing.   So many things happened to me the past 1 month..so many things.  I was getting used to new people in the office, new responsibilities with tons of work that came with it, new friends (more like I'm getting back some old faces into my life again) and of course, renewed vigor, life and a new perspective on things.

I seriously can't say how long this is going to last and hopefully that this half of the year is going to get much better...I hope.  Signs of things getting better is slowly starting to show, and hopefully it wouldn't be with the cost of others.

I went for a short trip with some friends and I guess that did the trick.  It made me forget about everything...and I do mean EVERYTHING!  No phone calls received, no sms-es (coz I didn't activate my roaming..hehehe), just pure adventure and relaxation.  Tho it was only for a week but it surely did the trick.  Seeing new things, driving to familiar territory but new roads was a relaxing adventure.  I do long for someone to follow me on these trips, y'know sometimes its nice to have someone by the side to share all these experiences with coz I was the only single person in the group while others brought their other halves.  It was refreshing staying in the hotel room alone (even tho I had the choice to be 'accompanied' but opted not to) and that was when the longing happened.  I didn't want a one night stand nor a short term (3day 2 night kinda stint) but someone 'there' to share my adventures with and to show all the new experiences for a longer duration.

Anyway back to me (who else is there to talk about eh?), things certainly are looking up.  I've got the corner office in my company, yup a bigger room next to the GM but that doesn't make me Asst GM, new staff coming in, hopefully a bigger paycheck too and I'm going to Bangkok at the end of the month for a whole week of training and when I come back, a few days after that, I'm going back up for recce to a place I just went a few weeks back!!  Now isn't life great!  I've met some new people whom I was delighted to have met and hopefully they would follow on our next Getaway trip.  There are still a few things which needs to be ironed out but then again, whose life is perfect right?

So whats in the pipeline for my blog?  More reviews on food, food and more food and one great travel log to where.....someplace north..again!  So stay tuned.

"The rain has stopped, the storm has passed,
  Look at all the colors now the sun's here at last,
  I know that you'll be leaving but I want you to know,
  Part of you stays with me even after you go,
  Like an actor playing someone else scene,
  This could not be happening to me.

  But you were there, you were everything I've never seen,
  You woke me up from this long and endless sleep,
  I was alone....I opened my eyes and you were there..."

Fucking Shit

Late last night, while I was driving around alone which I seem to do more and more recently, I realised that its already June, which means its the middle of the year.  I pondered to myself, what has really happened in my life in 6 months and what have I achieved.  Guss what?  What I saw, I do not like.

Within 6 months, so much shit has happened to me and the people around me, that I can almost catagorize it as unreal.  Serious shit happened to so many people I know including myself, and here I am trapped in the middle of it.  Let's not even TRY and discuss what hapenned to me okay coz I don't fucking care anymore, but I do wonder why so many shitty things happened to so many people whom I am close with this past 6 months.  Is it just purely coincedence?  Is it bad feng shui that so many freaking person I know is having their worst 6 months of their lives or is it some cosmic event ie passing comet, re-alignment of Saturn into the 6th house of Pluto and Jupiter is on the ascending phase crap!  I freakingly don't know okay!!  What the hell is happening here??

I strangely cannot understand why so many bad things can happen to those who are good.  Good people always gets it and the bad ones get away with it.  Good guys finish last and nice guys finish 10 yards behind them.  The fuckers are the ones that get away with everything and I don't seem to understand how and why.  What is it that these bastards have?  Let me paint you a picture here of whats going on and why I am feeling so crappy like that ooze you see almost sticking at the bottom of your shoes.

These past 6 months, I have seen how people made use of other people right before my eyes.  Don't care whether its men or women, BOTH are the same.  I have seen people getting divorced, people die...people that I am close with is dying okay, people who got cheated on and those who cheat, those who got stabbed at the back...EVERYTHING!!!.  A close friend of mine can't even talk to me anymore because her stupid boyfriend which she doesn't want anyway, is mad jealous of me.  I mean what the fuck??!!  I have known her since she was schooling and am still friends with her but her boyfriend is such a wuss and am scared that I will have a relationship with her.  HeLLo!!  We had something going on many years back but it didnt work out so we remained as friends, although she did say that someday she wants to marry someone like me..but not me lah coz we had something together but didn't turn up to both expectations.  Now, her crazy bf is stopping her from talking to me on the phone, least even go out and see me.  Why is he so insecure of me?  I mean he has a lot more to offer.  He's rich that I know, the rest I don't fucking care coz whatever my friend tells me, thats what I know.  She has been trying to dump the guy for ages, but as thick skinned and thick skulled, he never sees it, thinking that one day she will like her and be able to 'change her'.  Fucklah, go ahead and try.  Last conversation I had with her, he threw something at her direction missing her by inches...and it was something sharp!!  I heard the crashing of glassware in the background through her handphone.  What kinda sick person is her boyfriend lah?

Then someone I am so close with just found out that her trust with her hubby has been betrayed.  How?  Her hubby married another person when she wasn't around and it was done across border.  Imagine, being married for so many years, even having kids and her hubby can quietly start an affair and married a new girl behind everyone's back.  What kinda crap is that and it just happened lately, within this 6 months.

My childhood friend, found out that his business is ruined by his own family members, namely his wicked stepmother and his own dad who has been charmed by this evil woman.  He lost ALL his fortune and hard work which he has put in the past 3 years and not only that, his name and reputation.  All spoilt because his evil stepmother wanted all the money to herself.  He lost a canteen and a restaurant which was making easy peasy 40k a month and his stepmom took all the money away.  He had to take care of the canteen which his evil stepmom and dad was taking care of before, until management of the premises started to complain to him about numerous things regarding his step mom's behaviour.  Thinking that he wanted to solve the problem, he left the care of his restaurant to his evil stepmom and his day unbeknownst to him that, it was the last fatal mistake he did.  Now he has lost both and the father disowned him.  Having to take care of 3 children and his wife, he came to me asking for help.

Another girl I was closed with, is now in the process of getting divorced.  Her hubby left her to tend to her own needs after sometime last year, she got beaten up by him...pretty badly.  She is the 2nd wife to this strong authority figure.  They got married properly in his hometown in Malaysia and she only knew his status a week before marriage.  I mean c'monlah, that guy is 15 years older than her and she too is in her late 20's and he's rich and powerful.  Surely there is something wrong but seeing that she's materialistic, I guess she didn't mind being a 2nd wife.  Now she regrets everything and just wants to be alone again and her hubby is granting that wish.  She's not divorced yet but she's being left to fend for herself for now because her mad hubby wants to find out which guy she's talking to or going out with so that he can bash the guy senseless which he has been known to do that.  Love someone and hurt them...yeah good strategy.

Then the story of my ex, which you all have read previously, who now has lost everything that she can cling to all the deaths that has been going on around her ...2 in the past 6 months.  Perhaps the next one is me maybe??

Another person I know is close to being axed because of something which she didn't do and another person perceives it as her wrong doing.  Just because she can't prove it, the other party single handedly passed judgement and threw the noose at her neck.  What kind of a deranged minded fool would take such a small prank set out by someone else to be judged as someone else has done it.  Just because you found a gun, doesn't mean you pulled the trigger or found

All this is excluding the fucking shitty things that has been happening to me in MY LIFE, my work, fucking relationships that never work.  I just can't tolerate  being around imbeciles anymore.  A waste of my time and grey matter.  People who just know how to tai-chi things around and the end of the day get everyone else to do the job and be responsible for it so that if someone goes wrong, your head is on the chopping board.  I am fedup with all these crap and shit.  I know everyone else has their problems but hey...TOO BAD!!  Its been so bad with me, that I am starting to lose sleep.  A LOT! Losing my appetite and I can go thru a day without eating a single bite easily nowdays.  At times I start to 'see' things.  I don't know what they are (no not scary things) but I sometimes thru the corner of my vision see things moving slightly or flashes of light or something.  I don't know that the fuck it is and I don't freaking care. 

I try to spend my free time with friends who can keep me sane in this insane world.  So many people are tired and I am tired.  I am tired of why so many people are BLIND to see the people they are with.  Well I admit guilty to that coz I too was blind to see so many things that happened to me the past 6 months.  I was blind being the niceguy and knowing fairly well that niceguys, always ended last.  Those who cheated, conned and scummed always ended up infront taking their prizes, flaunt with it and when they're bored, throw it away.  I have decided to stop being nice to anyone anymore and am starting to turn on my mean streak.  Many people see me as a niceguy. "Ooh, he's so nice.  Look at that nice guy.  He's so nice.  Hey he's a very nice guy" but guess what, nice guys never last. I am a nice person by nature because that is how I was brought up in a good family environment. I am caring towards other people and most times, what I do is selfless and never selfish with an intention in mind.  Problem is, everyone think that nice people are just a myth, a legend told by their forefathers.  There are no free lunches and there is always a catch.  Not for me.  I can go and spend for other people because I see it fit and they deserve to get what they are getting and never ask or hoped for something in return. They are worth receiving such gifts.  Well I'm being 'nice' because you will never want to see the nasty and mean side of me which I can be, if you want me to.  Only a few people have seen me get mad and turn nasty, and they regretted what they have done to me...seriously.  I am a different person.  I can say throughout my life I have only shouted at a handfull of people but the worse isn't that...theres more to come.  No, I never use physical strength or hurt anyone physically.  I don't need because what I say, will leave a deeper cut and impact.  You don't want to mess with me when I turn mean, because you will regret...but am slowly turning into one now after seeing and realizing all the shit thats being going around is not worth any effort anymore.

Sometimes you get so tired of it and tired of everything and I am losing hope and direction of everything.  I have seen and had enough....thank you.  Already bordering the edge of insanity.

Searching for the ray of light and hope

FOCUS-ing on something new

In my latest futile bid to change my image and lifestyle, I went to test drive a new car.  The Ford Focus 2.0L Hatchback.  Now don't get me wrong, its not that I don't like my current ride, the Proton Satria GTi.  I just love it to death.  No other car had so much impact on me than the GTi.  Seriously, when I got her some 5 years back, it was like being in heaven (loosely speaking).  I just couldn't stop smiling and the feeling was just oh-so-bliss.  I too am not where I am now and with so many friends that I got to know along the way owning the GTi.  Many of the experiences that I share with you, the places that I have been through is because of the GTi.  But 5 years and 220,000 odd kilometres later, and many many memories of good and bad, I am deciding to change my car.  Initially I wanted to wait for the next Proton GTi variant to come out, after being involved for a short period of time in its development stages, I knew it was well worth the wait but after knowing that the project was scrapped by those who know nuts about cars but know so much about financial standings, I decided to look around for something else.  So I turned my views to other makes and just flirting around to look at other cars, my eye caught a picture of the Ford Focus hatchback and here is the review.  For those of you who don't like cars or couldn't care less about cars, then you can just skip this review.  Am not forcing a gun to your head to read it.

What really caught my interest in this car is its rare shape.  The very distinctive rear of a Ford Focus.  I mean, you just can't miss it.  It made headwaves in the World Rally scene (but of course not this version la), so I made way to Jalan Ipoh to Ford Concessionaires and saw the car last week, just before I caught the flu.  The sales person really know nuts about the car.  Everytime she wanted to say something she had to refer to his little itsy bitsy notebook that she had written on, all the catchy terminologies of the vehicle and its abbreviations and the way she tried to present the car to me, made me remember of someone in my office "i-r0b0t".  Ok, so no worries about that.  Looking at the car, it didn't give me that "I-am-falling-in-love, love at first sight" feeling, unlike what I had with my GTi.  More like a wait till it blossoms kinda relationship.  So I arranged an appointment to test drive it on Saturday morning because there should be less cars on the road compared to after work weekday times.  News about test driving the car went around my office and others wanted to follow on Saturday.  I thought, what the heck, if I don't buy it, perhaps someone else will and I can at least share a ride sometime or another...hehe.

So come Saturday after staggering out of bed still recuperating from my bout of flu, I made haste to Nirvana's in Bangsar for breakfast first before test drive.  Maine with Ponchoman made their way there to be joined by my other office colleague Hakim and wifey.  After a nice breakfast of roti canai, teh tariks and the odd chicken curry on banana leaf (yummy), all of us eagerly trotted to Jalan Ipoh.  Upon arrival, the sales person as I suspected, didn't remember about my test drive appointment (bad sales person).  So after I had jogged her memory, quickly she arranged the test drive car out of the holding area and brought it up front and centre.  Alright, the test drive car someohow due its Navy Ship grey color made it look like..... a Gen2....at a glance of course.  So off I went with the sales person, Maine and Ponchoman riding rear while Hakim and wifey stayed back at the showroom.  A quick petrol fill up and tyre pressure top up, I took the helm of the Ford Focus 2.0L.

The Car
The car to me is nicely compact for its size.  Nice dark colored layout with simple dash meters complement the interior. The dashboard is lined with Kevlar Grain black (don't know whether its bullet proof or not) but I do like the feel of it, course and grainy. Centre console cluster where the ICE and air vents are has the same similar Proton Satria GTi 1001 Dalmation polka dot CF look alike feel.  I like the steering wheel though, small and has a nice grip to it but the stocky indicator and radio control sticks are a bit annoying.  There are ample stowage recepticles for your nitty gritty items like cups/cans/bottled drinks, handphones, sunglasses, CD's and the likes, but hardly any empty ones large enough for me to transfer my mobile rig and other necessities.  Oh well, that can be thought over.  Seating wise, the 2.0L Sport Hatchback version has semi leather and cloth seats and the seats manually adjusted as opposed to the 1.8L Ghia spec which is full leather and electrically adjustable seats.  Seating is comfy for 4 people and the front seats are comfy but a little too soft lumbar support for my driving style.  The rear seats are close to 90 degree incline and to some rear passengers, it may not be a whole lot comfortable on long journeys, but again, since this is the 'Sport' edition, who needs comfort right?  Rear seats can be fully folded down to open up to a bigger boot space, not that it is not big enough already. I like the way the rear seats have some storage area just below the sides of the seats.  Not your everday compartment but it would hold snugly your handphone and a bottle of water there.  Just remember that the items are there because it is out of sight and out of way.  The Ford Focus comes with standard Dual Electronic Climate Control air conditioners so your passenger doesn't have to freeze their asses off just because you had 5 durians for lunch.  It also comes with standard 6-in dash CD changer with 6 speakers In Car Entertainment system.  Well the sound is ok-lah, nothing to shout about.  Nothing an extra amp and a subwoofer couldn't help but there is an external hole in the glove box where you can plug in your Apple iPod player and enjoy it being played in your ICE.  There are also seperated front rear cabin lights and left right driver/passenger map lights. 

So after taking the wheel, off we went and got ourselves stuck in a short traffic jam before hitting the open roads of Jalan Duta towards Sri Hartamas.  I had the chance to get accustomed with both the automatic and Sportshift gears. 

The Engine
The Ford Focus is powered by a 1998cc Duratec VICS 16valve motor producing (supposedly) 146ps @ 6000rpm and is rather quiet (prolly because its new) until you push it above 5,000rpm.  Torque seems abundant from nought till 3,500rpm on 1st and 2nd gears.  After that, there seems to be an empty space where the rpm needle crawls up to 5,000rpm and then continues to climb steadily till 6,000rpm where it redlines.  In order to accelerate in between gears, the Sportshift gearing is highly recommended to keep the rpm within range of acceleration, else you'll find the engine twiddling its cams until your desired speed.  Didn't have enough legroom to try the top speed but I had more than enough to reach the high midrange speed.  Overtaking on D however is another story.  Due its 4-speed only gearing, the duration for each gear is extremely tall.  That means you are in between this and that gear which can be very irritating especially if you are in 3rd gear.  Flooring the accelerator didn't make the engine kick back due to the gear ratios so the car is perceived to be lacking in power and sluggish.  The century sprint on a normal stretch of road which I use to take is more or less my GTi with the same amount of people in it.  Infact, I could achieve an additional 10 ~ 15km/h more on my GTi given the same conditions.  Well, the Duratec 2.0L engine is actually lacking in power.  It needs a lot more oomph to make it stand out more within the 2.0L market segment.  Due to its engine performance not being too peppy, the Ford Focus losses out to other makes like Honda and Mazda.

The Handling Dept
Most of the time I was trying hard to push the Focus into corners as fast and as safe whenever I can.  Setting the Focus into 3rd gear at 5,000rpm into a corner, there wasn't any drama to be seen.  Not even a squeal from the 20% worn out Goodyear NCT5 rubbers wrapping the 16" wheels.  A slight roll and that was it.  Only at extreme duress, like when I overtook a vehicle when getting into a corner and another while exiting, did the understeer peeked itself out at me, but it wasn't pronounced enough to give a whimper from any of my passengers.  Infact, the sales person was calm and collect when I took all the corners.  Handling feels taught and sturdy due to the stiffness of the chassis and I was quite suprised by the way the Focus handles.  The steering feedback though was a wee bit poor for my taste.  Hard to detect if the Focus is 'on or off' the lines.  When Ponchoman took the Focus for an off road excursion through a housing area and me sitting at the rear, my extra sensitive buttisimo detected every bump and undulations but it wasn't anything harsh nor jarring.  It was nicely subdued by the front McPharson struts and rear Blade SLA suspension (sounds like a computer server).  This is one point which I liked about the Focus.

The Summary
Well I have mixed feelings about this Focus.  Yes, it has won several awards for Best Car of The Year and seeing (and feeling) that its built tough does have its safety aspects up to my level.  I kinda like the design of the Focus. It is sleek and smooth.  Get the one in black and it sorta looks like a Puma (also by Ford).  I have no issues with the interior, nor the humongous boot space it has to offer (compared to what I'm having now).  Nor do I have issues with its styling.  Infact the front when you look at the side does look a wee bit like the Audi TT ( I likeee..hehe) and the rear slanted tail lights is just to sexy for the car.  The only 2 things I don't like is that the engine performance is not up to the mark for a 2litre motor and the 4 speed gearbox.  I mean like hell-o...like everyone else has a 5 speed or 6 speed auto trannies.  Heck, even the Proton Savvy has 5 speed AMT.  This would mean that fuel consumption would be rather high for the Ford Focus.  About the engine's lacklustre performance, well, that can be solved by going to www.focussport.com.  Tons of stuff that can be thrown in with go-faster-bits to the Focus so I have no issues with that, and it would look extremely yummy with the rally rear wing and 17" Compomotive wheels or Sparco Cordoba's...yum yum..ahem.  Ok back to reality.  Price wise to me, its extremely affordable, it would definitely get the girls (need some work done) and its a four door (easier for me to carry more girls!!..hahaha.)  So should I or shouldn't I get the Ford Focus 2.0L Sport?  Decisions decisions..tsk tsk.  Hope you had a pleasant read.

Peek-chures by Samsung D600 Mobile Phone

The Bug

After eluding it for many weeks applying endless evading techniques, the bug finally caught up to me.  I was surrounded by people having the flu, from my office colleagues to my friends.  I hardly get the flu but onced I've caught it, I'll be down minimum of 2 days and maximum of a week, depending on the severity of the bug.

Even taking my daily dose of multivitamin with high dosage did not prevent me from getting the flu bug.  Prevention is better than cure and I guess all these while taking those preventions only prolonged the period of actually contracting the flu bug.  That is why I managed to play hide and seek with it until it found me.    It started with a minor scratchy throat last couple of days.  I thought for sure I'm going to get it.  I mean lets be realistic, I got close to many who had the flu last week and there is only so much that my body can take to defend itself before surrendering to bacteria or virus.  Thank God its just the bacteria kind flu where a dose of antibiotics can take care of it.  The viral flu is the worse kind.  You get body aches, cold sweats when your body is actually over heated.  You have difficulty in eating and you throw up quite consistently.  No antibiotics can help you with that one, just take Paracetemols or Aspiring, drink plenty of fluids and rest.  It would just go away but you have to endure riding the viral roller-coaster ride.  One minute you're okay, the next hour you're shivering cold and your fever shoots up.  Thats the way it is.

If you had a lot of flu spells when you're younger, chances are that when you get older, you get less and less bacteria induced flu.  That is because, with each and every influenza you catch, your body will automatically create the immunity for it, so that the next time if someone else has that certain influenza virus strain, it would not affect you as your antibodies for that strain is already in you.  That is why I hardly get flu nowdays because when I was a child, I had so many bouts of it.  I can even be around those who have flu and prolly only contract from one source, the one which I do not have the antibodies for it.  With each flu you get, the next one will never be of the same strain as influenza bacteria or virus nowdays can mutate into stronger ones.  Why do you think your doctor tells you to finish the dose of antiobiotics when ever you contract the flu.  If the dose is not finished and all the bacteria that causes the flu in you is not totally eradicated, some if it can survive and mutate into a different strain which is more resistant to the antibiotics which you had taken but did not finish.  Pharmaceutical companies are having a hard time developing newer and stronger antibiotics to combat the new strain of influenza bacteria and viruses.  One day, when a new strong strain of inluenza comes out which no one has the antibody nor the antibiotics for it, then a new epidemic will start, example - Avian Influenza or Bird Flu.

So what do you do when you get the flu?  I mean the normal type?  Get plenty of rest and drink plenty of water to rehydrate the body from the loss of water through sweating and overheating of your body.  The blood vessels in your body act as a radiator to carry water and heat.  Drinking a lot of water will cool down your body temperature.  Why do you get fever in the first place?  Well, imagine your antibodies doing battle with the germs in this case, the flu virus.  When ever your body does battle with an intruder, your body temprature rises because of the battle that is being waged.  That is why if you are admitted in a ward in a hospital, whenever you have a slight fever, the doctors are very concerned because you have an infection somewhere and they need to curtail that problem before the doctor gives you a clean bill of health and you can be discharged.  So now, I am taking my doctor's advice to stay at home and rest and drink plenty of liquids.  Now you know why when people have a cold, they would reccommend chicken soup.

So anyway, here I am, on my bed typing and trying hard to get well soon enough because I got a test drive to do on Saturday morning.  Have a good weekend people and I hope you had a pleasant read.

In memory

Today we mourn the loss of a friend.  Cheng Jing Liang or otherwise known as Cheng or Frankie to his friends, fell from a platform 10 feet high onto the building basement as he was working on on the 19th of May.  He landed on his head and shoulder and was immediately brought to Kuala Lumpur General Hospital where they did an emergency operation on his cranial.  He suffered a fractured cranial, internal injuries and damage to his brain tissues.  Doctors tried their best to ease the swelling in his brain but he never recovered from the comatose state he was in and succumbed to his injuries at 1630hrs Malaysian Time May 31st 2006.  He was a dear friend to many of us. 

I first met Cheng or Jing Liang when I joined the Satria GTi Club in 2001.  Driving a GTi himself, he was one of our senior members.  One of the pioneers of the club and was a very active member then.  He participated in many of the activities including our Getaway Drives up to Thailand.  I still remember our first Getaway together which was Pearl Of The Orient in 2002 to Penang.  Spotting a Penang plate on his GTi, he brought the other group which got seperated on the Penang bridge due to heavy traffic through the other route and ended up at the hotel just in time.

It was the next day which I really got to know him.  Apart from speaking fluent Bahasa Malaysia, Cheng could also speak Tamil.  That was when he spoke Tamil to one of our Indian members and the Indian member spoke Cantonese back at him.  It really was a sight.   Other than that, he too was a good driver.  Always trying to chase me in the track everytime we had a track day, but at most times, failed.  I keep telling him, adding performance handling bits does not make one a better driver.  It is the one that knows how to use those items will benefit greatly from it.

Cheng is also a licensed PADI diver.  An outgoing an active person, Cheng just loves to indulge in outdoor activities as and when he can.  From driving his GTi to go kart, Cheng hardly missed an event.  Later he got involved in Amateur Radio like many of us from the club as we opened the opportunity to learn HAM radio.  I still remember the time when we sat for the Radio Amateur Examination classes back in December 2002.  He passed with the rest of us and got himself the callsign 9W2ACE.  An ace himself, Cheng was proud to own that callsign and he started transmitting as soon as he got himself a set.  It was a nerve wrecking experience having to QSO for the first time but Cheng taught me a lot.  We purposely QSO (talk on the Amateur Radio repeater) very late at night when not many stations monitoring so that if I made any mistakes, not many people were up to listen to it.  Due to his work commitments, Cheng sold off his GTi for a 4 wheel drive vehicle to complement his working needs as a contractor.

He stopped joining our activities but was there whenever we needed him.  Also known as part of the 'morning crew' to the HAM community in the Klang Valley, his travel from Klang to his workplace in KL made him more popular as the bordom of commuting just while away with him chatting on the radio.  Last I saw him was at one of our committee member's house warming party and I can't remember when was the last time I had a QSO with him.  He was always joyful and a happy go lucky person to chat with.  Filled with laughter, there wasn't anytime that we didn't laugh our heads off when he was around.

This shows how fragile life can be.  One minute you are fine and the next, God only knows what will happen to you or the person you care about.  That is why I never fail to show the people whom I care for, that I care for them.  Never wait till the last minute to tell someone you like, that you like them or the person you love, that you love them.  Most of us take for granted that there will be another day to tell but when something like this happens, its just too late.  What if you decide to tell someone you like, that you love them or appreciate them or say sorry for the things you have wrongly done to them the next day but then (touch wood) something bad happens to you or that person and you had no chance to say it.  Life is short, never ever regret saying you love a person or like a person or forgive a person when you or that other person still have the chance.  Don't care whether the other person actually returns the feeling or not.  The main thing is that you have said what you wanted to say before something happens or you will live to regret it.  Live life to the fullest, before you can't do it anymore.  Never regret what you have done, only regret what you haven't done and for Cheng, may God rest his soul.

Whylaa wei?

Pursuant to my previous 2 postings, I have decided to write another one regarding relationships.  Bear with me on this one.  I suddenly found out that, there are more and more people out there who are tired of relationships, love, life and people.  Yes,  not only 1 but I found 2 more people who are just in the same boat.  My ex called me up the other night, and she too is very very tired of everything.  Infact, I would say, her's would take the cake.

After we broke up last year, I knew she was in good care by her best friend (we broke up due to mutual reasons) and so I decided to leave it be.  Last month, she called me up after being silent for almost a year and almost in tears and in denial, she told me that her dear father had just passed away.  Now I was sorry for her as her dad was her pillar of strength all this while.  She told me many times before when we were together at that time, that she just couldn't imagine how her life would be without him.  Now her dad had passed away due to heart complications which he suffered since 2 years ago.  It was a tormenting and trying time for her.  I thought nothing much of it as I knew there was still someone who would take care of her which is her best friend.  I knew he would be there to keep her company and comfort her.  Little did I know, that her best friend died in a road accident 2 months prior to her father's passing.  That would have been a double blow to her.  She lost someone whom she could hang on to, and clung to her dad for strength.  Now he dad too is gone and she has no one to cling to for emotional support except her siblings.  I didn't know her best friend passed away, until I met her brother just recently and he told me about it.  There wasn't much I could do.  I can't go back to her just because I feel sorry for her.  No, that's not the way.  At this time when she feels very vurnerable,