JuNeO

2011-12-06T16:55:00.002+08:00

2011-11-10T09:25:00.000+08:00

WTF?

2011-11-01T09:44:00.002+08:00

Red Velvet Cake

2011-09-06T17:06:00.008+08:00

Buttermilk 1 cup
(or 1 cup of fresh milk + 1 table spoon apple/white vinegar)
Cake Flour 2 1/2 cup
(or 5 tsp corn flour + the rest with all purpose flour)
Cocoa Powder 2tbsp
Baking powder 1tsp

Butter 1/2 cup
Sugar 1 1/2 cup
Eggs 2
Baking soda 1 tsp

Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Red colouring 2 oz

1. mix milk with vinegar and set aside.
2. sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and set aside
3. mix butter and sugar till smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time. Do not over beat.
4. add baking soda making sure there are no lumps.
5. add in milk and fold in the flour alternatively. Milk Flour Milk Flour Milk
6. add vanilla essence and red coloring. I prefer just 1 to 1.5 oz of colouring. But if too little coloring added the cake will turn brownish.

Bake at 170degrees for 40 minutes and check every few minutes after this to see if knife comes out clean. Important not to over bake this one.

Banana Cake

2011-05-21T18:23:00.002+08:00

This recipe was taken from Susannah Blake 500 Cakes.
For the secret ingredient, you need to buy the recipe book!

All the best!

New York Classic Cheesecake

2011-04-24T13:27:00.002+08:00

Recipe taken from Susannah Black 500 Cakes.
Get it today!

Ricotta Honey Cheesecake

2011-04-13T14:39:00.004+08:00

Recipe taken from Susannah Black 500 Cakes.
Get it today!

Ok seriously, does my forehead say "ABUSE" to you?

2010-09-26T11:21:00.001+08:00

So this morning I was at Pavillion and wanted a Mint Oreo Milkshake.
Here goes:

Me: Mint Oreo Milkshake please.
Guy at Counter: yes sir.

Me: (waiting, then Paid)
Guy: (hands me my shake)

Me: What flavour is this?
Guy: Oh vanilla sir

Me; I ordered Mint.
Guy: Oh the Mint is finished. But the vanilla costs the same sir.

Me: ????? Why didnt you tell me?
Guy: Oh, sorry sir.

WTFF?????????????

Birthday wishes

2010-06-26T00:37:00.002+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEI NG!!!

THE MOST AWESOME YOGA INSTRUCTOR EVER (in Malaysia)

may you have many awesome backbends, clickings and poppings!

Queen Street Auckland

2010-04-20T13:52:00.003+08:00

*Just at the turn of the century*

*What Auckland looked like in 1853. Picture was painted in 1928. See the windmill in the background on the hill? Thats now a hotel.*

*These days? Banks at every corner. You'd be forgiven thinking you were walking in Seoul? Hong Kong? Taipei? *

*Every Christmas Santa never fails to get himself up there. I swear its the creepiest Santa I've ever seen.ho ho ho*

*Sometimes it gets weird*

*Popular spot Friday and Saturday nites. Its movie time!*

*View from the North Shore bridge. Cloudy days are normal.*

Wheel cleaner Duragloss 821

2010-04-11T00:15:00.004+08:00

I have been searching for a good wheel cleaner thats affective on all kinds of wheels. Here is why:

Most wheel cleaners you buy off the counter are either not suitable or too weak.
I take wheel cleaning very seriously and dirty wheels make the entire shiny car lose its appeal.

Wheel cleaners are often alkaline in nature but stronger ones are acidic. Here comes the problem:

There are 2 common kinds of wheels, steel and alloy.
I shall discuss the alloys:

1.Clear coated (a layer of colourless paint)
2. Metal coated (a layer of metal paint i.e. chrome, aluminium)

Clear paints are more resistant to acid stains as in the effects are not as apparent with Metal coats. As you can imagine, metal gets "eaten" up by acid albeit slowly. And the effects are very visible when you spray acidic wheel cleaners on metal paint because you immediately see these stains or what material chemists call "Etching".

Wheel cleaners you buy off the counter (or off the shelf) are aimed at the average joe who want to get their wheels cleaned as easy and as quick as possible. Most manufacturers state that the cleaners use "phosphoric acid" as a substance and I'm inclined to believe them after conducting a few pH tests. You should note what type of wheels you own so you know to stay clear of Acid based cleaners.

Other cleaners that are alkaline in form are not very strong so they dont work very well. But you can be sure they are safe and not stain your wheels. I've tried several "all" wheel cleaners and they just dont perform very well. Then I found Duragloss 821.

Manufacturer Claims: Duragloss All Wheel Cleaner is formulated to clean all wheels. Duragloss #821 removes brake dust, road film, oil and grease. Safe to use on all types of wheels including clear coated, painted and highly polished.

Lo and behold, its cleans up really nicely. I tested it on my wheels as well as my moms Hyundai matrix Wheels. Dirt slips right off and the more stubborn dirt is removed with light agitation with a paintbrush. The Matrix wheels have an aluminium lip and previous wheel cleaners i've used have stained these wheels unfortunately.

The bottle comes in a simple 22oz trigger spray bottle. You get to adjust the spray nozzle to mist or squirt. I'd say mist would be more appropriate.

821 is not very friendly on the nose. I wouldnt say its pungeant but its a little irritating.

Its safe to say, I'll go back for the 821 the next round.

Pics:

Before pics

During

After
A few more stubborn stains I didnt brush off.

Earth Hour

2010-03-27T21:28:00.002+08:00

See I dont get what the big deal is about earth hour.

My neighbours next door have turned off all their lights, but I'm assuming they're home because all their cars are there.

So 1 hour / 8760 hours (1 year) they have turned off the lights.

But 364 days a year they keep the main chandelier with its 300 bulbs, perimeter lamps, front door light on all nite.

if you ask me,
they're just a bunch of posers.

Car Shampoo review

2010-03-25T22:02:00.002+08:00

A simple quick review on various car shampoos I've tried and tested.

First up is Kit Car Shampoo.

The bottle instructions say
1 cap + 6 L water.
1 cap = 8.5 ml

therefore you only need
17 ml per 12 L water.

17 ml!!!!

thats a dilution ratio of 1:700
amazing!

the bottle only costs Rm 10

Then I mixed it with the water.
Then I found the reason why its so cheap,
it doesnt work.

I tried washing the bike and it felt like I was just using plain water, something you should never do.
Seriously the water feels rough and dry. A good shampoo has to be wet and slippery.
Bubbles? There were some bubbles but they are not really important.
the verdict

Dilution Ratio 1:700
Price: Rm 10 /16 oz

bubbles: 6/10
smell: 4/10 (smells like Glo)
lubricity: 1/10
price: 7/10
overall: 4.5/10

Next

Duragloss 901

This one was purchased for Rm 40
Much more expensive but that is expected for such a small packaging.
The bottle instructions says
add 1 oz to 1 gallon of water
or
60 ml: 7.68 L

The shampoo in the bottle was nice and thick like AnW golden syrup.
I mixed it with the water and OMG

1. it instantly made the water all red like blood. haha
2. it was slippery and very gentle to the fingers.
3. it simply let the washing mitt glide over the surface of my car.
4. it was a bit difficult to rinse off as it was really slippery.
5. but it worked really well and blows Meguiars shampoo out of the water (so to speak)

Dilution Ratio 1:128
Price: Rm 40 / 16 oz

bubbles: 8/10
smell: 9/10 (smells like cherries)
lubricity: 8/10
price: 5/10
overall: 7.5/10

Next

Meguiars NXT generation shampoo

This one has been my fav for a long time. It cleans, it bubbles, it smells awesome and its reasonably priced.
But there was just something about that lacked the qualities of the Duragloss.

The shampoo in the bottle had the consistency of Honey and was really thick. When I added the water it bubbled up nicely. But the bubbles will die down a little bit.

It was also really gentle on my wash mitt and carried away the dirt nicely.

I would say this one needs a gallon bottle to make it worth the money. But for now it only comes in half gallon.

[b]Dilution Ratio 1:128[/b]
Price: Rm 60 / 64 oz

bubbles: 6/10
smell: 10/10 (smells like high tech stuff)
lubricity: 8/10
price: 4/10
[b]overall: 7.0/10[/b]

So overall winner for this round is the Duragloss 901.
Superb lubricity and cleaning power.

The Kit shampoo could be good only if were more slippery and can actually clean. But at Rm 10, I didnt expect it to do much. I might save that Rm 10 for good nasi kandar and teh o ais.

I work at a german tyre maker

2010-03-06T17:46:00.003+08:00

I thought people who work in german companies would at least have the brain to park correctly. Guess not. Because of them 1 parking spot is rendered useless. Oh and look they drive honda's and Toyotas. Goes to show money cant buy brains.

No Idea what to write

2010-03-03T22:37:00.002+08:00

hello there,

Its been a long while since I've written a proper post. It sucks to not be able to update at work because sime_employee network have blocked of signing into Blogspot. I can view blogs but I cant sign in.

several happenings:

1. I'm no longer a scientist as I'm now a full fledged administrator at work. You may have noticed the description of myself at the side of my blog different. So you cant go around telling your friends that you have a friend who's a scientist hurhuhrhruhur whateva wasnt all what it was cracked up to be.

2. Plans for my office to relocate to Dengkil (thats near LCC Terminal for those geographically challenged) has gone down the drain. Ah well, that means I wont be travelling 130 km per day post completion of building.

3. Office will remain where it is for the time being.

4. Meanwhile big Brother just offered me Rm 55k for his 4 year old superbike. Hmmm tempting tempting.

5. Made some friends lost some friends. Ah well cest la vie.

6. Interestingly I lost 3 kilos since I started yoga 5 months ago although my eating habits havent actually changed much. During the first 2 months my weight fluctuated like mad due to water loss and uptake. But so far so good.
The thing I'm pleased most with after 5 months of sweating it out:

You know how you drive and when at a junction or to change lanes you turn your head and look back to see if theres anything coming
(well I know most of you Malaysians dont, oooOOooo score 1 for me booyah!) sometimes I'll sprain a muscle near my neck and my whole day would be ru-ined. These days I can turn my neck safely and I can feel a muscle along the side of the neck supporting it. I also feel alot better around the shoulder area and dont need them "massaged" back into place so much.

Well thats all for today's updates.

Catcha soon

2010-02-21T01:48:00.000+08:00

Fucking chinese retarded old man in junk mercedes. Go fuck your moms ass. happy Chinese new year.

My fav wild animal. Well the one I petted seemed tame to me.

2010-02-15T20:36:00.005+08:00

This is Indira.
This is Indira's sister, Khali. She's happily perched up there, goodness knows how she balanced herself to get there.

Dont let the photo perspective deceive you, she's huge!
Sisters Indira and Khali heard food coming (er...no I'm not the food)

The super adorable Khan. When we arrived at his den he chuffed. A chuff is a tiger's way of greeting someone or another friendly tiger.

He just drank and drank the milk that we gave him. Khan is a Royal White tiger. Notice how his stripes are coffee coloured and not black? That distiguishes him from non-royalty. LOL. If you touch a tigers fur, its really soft unlike the fur on a lion.
He let out a massive burp.
*aaah so full*

White tigers are not albinos contrary to some beliefs. They are simply blondes of the tiger world. As you may know, the blond hair gene is a mutation in humans and likewise with tigers, if a white mates with an orange, the resulting offspring will most likely be orange. Almost all white tigers have blue eyes.

This is Shikana, she's a gorgeous Bengal tiger
She's yawning, not roaring.

This is Tygo. Hunky.

2010-02-14T21:26:00.004+08:00

2010-02-06T15:19:00.004+08:00

2010-01-31T22:58:00.005+08:00

2010-01-31T16:21:00.004+08:00

Macau

2010-01-30T12:56:00.006+08:00

Spirit Bar - HK City

2010-01-26T22:04:00.004+08:00

2010-01-21T17:12:00.004+08:00

HK City

2010-01-17T12:24:00.002+08:00

Whats the big deal with Tweeting?

2010-01-11T12:08:00.002+08:00

Michael Jackson did it in 1958.

Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee, Tweedily deedily dee,
Tweet, tweet, tweet tweet

He rocks in the treetops all day long,
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and a-singin' his song.
All the little birds on J-Bird Street,
Love to hear the robin go tweet, tweet, tweet.

CHORUS: Rockin' robin (tweet, tweet, tweet);
Rock, rock, rockin' robin (tweet, tweedle-dee);
Go rockin' robin, we're really gonna rock tonight.

Every little swallow, every chickadee,
Every little bird in the tall oak tree,
The wise old owl, the big black crow,
Flappin' their wings singin' go bird, go.

CHORUS:.
The pretty little raven at the bird man stand
Taught him how to do the bop and it was grand,
He started goin' steady and "bless my soul,"
He out-bopped the buzzard and the oriole.

CHORUS
He rocks in the treetops all day long,
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and a-singin' his song.
All the little birds on J-Bird Street,
Love to hear the robin go tweet, tweet, tweet.

CHORUS REPEAT LAST TWO VERSES CHORUS

Go rockin' robin, we're really gonna rock tonight.

Ground floor

2010-01-09T20:29:00.002+08:00

If my phone is downstairs, i.e. possibly in the kitchen i.e.
The phone will have either zero or 1 bar of signal.

But most of the time, no signal.

Due to unavailable coverage, If anyone tries to ring my phone when it is downstairs, I will not hear it as all phone calls will go straight to voice mail.

Only when there is 1 bar will I get a message saying 1 have 1 voice message. Then when I do open voice message the person on the other end didnt leave a message!!

So please try to understand that I will not know about the call till later.

-----------------------------------------

I ride a bike to work and back. If you do ring and I cant pick up its because I cant possibly answer my phone on the bike, do I look like your typical malaysian?

When I do answer my phone, dont yell and ask "WOI, why you never pick up your phone waaan?"

I also take yoga lessons, most of the time 8-9.30 pm. If you do ring during those times, I will not be able to answer because phones are not allowed in class.
Please leave a text message and I will reply as soon as I've finished class and showered.

My new years resolution....

2010-01-09T01:26:00.004+08:00

Lets see,
year after year, I find ways to celebrate New years with my friends. Same old preparations. Same old scene.
But do I really want something new?

I realise that 2009 went by really quickly. We waved goodbye to Ohnine and welcomed Ten.
I think back, was 2009 really that eventful?
Did I achieve anything in my life that was significant.
I suppose,
Surviving was one achievement.

We usher in a new year, with fireworks. To me, the fireworks are symbolic.
The bright sparkles of red, green, yellow and blue die out as soon as the crackers shrapnel decend.
They fade into the night as though nothing happened.
Just like the new year, 2010, starts with a bang,
then nothing.
Its another year,
thats most likely routine and with nothing achieved.

My new years resolution:

To not celebrate New years.

Korean BBQ HK

2010-01-02T21:45:00.002+08:00

This was at a korean bbq restaurant. We had to wait nearly 20 minutes for a table because the line was seriously long. Interestingly they separate the lines into groups. 1st group = table for 2, 2nd group=table for 3 etc etc, you get it.

We spent many hours walking at Ocean Park so we built up an appetite. And boy did we really eat that nite. unfortunately I didnt take that many photos.

But here is what we ate

Salmon Sushi
Beef Striploin
Chicken wings
Beef Marinade
Kimchi
Rice
Tau Fu Fa
Vanila Ice Cream
Grass Jelly
more but I cant remember.

Ocean Park HK 4

2010-01-02T21:35:00.006+08:00

Ocean Park HK 3

2009-12-28T13:03:00.003+08:00

Ocean Park HK 2

2009-12-27T21:44:00.005+08:00

This was taken at the top of Ocean Park. You get an awesome view of...er....these two islands looking over the harbour. It was quite foggy that day too.

The stillness in the photo is quite the opposite to whats going on on the streets and marina.
heh, managed to take a photo with this sexy VW Passat.
Dolphin and Seal show.

The dolphins were extremely intelligent.

Ocean Park HK

2009-12-27T20:21:00.006+08:00

We both liked this little reindeer who wore a red dress reading a book. So cute.

She was nice and we asked her for directions.
For some reason I like taking photos of flowers. I guess I know which mode produces a good shot and lighting.

This little red panda is just the cutest.

The main star attraction. The Giant Panda. We dont know its name but we do know he/she is a real show off. LOL such a diva too.

Ashley Greene

2009-12-25T00:29:00.000+08:00

Dayum.
This is one hot vampire.

She can suck my blood anytime.

Its natural

2009-12-09T08:59:00.003+08:00

You know how I always gripe about the attitude of Malaysian motorists? The very way they cut queue at traffic lights, the way they dont use their indicators when turning into a junction let alone when switching lanes on the highway,
the way they make a 2 lane roundabout into 3 lanes,
the way they park at the side of the road thats not an actual parking space,with half the car sticking out.
The way they follow from behind so closely when its clear there is ample space to overtake yet they choose to just tailgate you...

okay this could go on all day,

but I happened to be in this persons car last week because I needed their favour to take me to pick up my car.
Needless to say his driving was all over the place.

I always gripe about Malaysians being rude, arrogant, inconsiderate, but then it dawned on me that they arent at all.

They are driving that way like its the most natural thing on earth.
I turned to look at this face while he was driving, no emotion at all.

I realised that this was the way he was brought up.

So drivers in Malaysia, when you see someone driving inconsiderately, please be patient, for,

they dont know any better.

2009-12-08T21:50:00.001+08:00

Happy Birthday Nicole Ng Jing Fei!!

2009-12-04T11:48:00.002+08:00

oooohohohoh
Hot architect came over just a moment ago.

Legs shaky

"She hit the floor and make the club ignite,
She's like a sexy little fire.
She keep on begging for more if you play it right,
She fulfill your every desire"

The Alfa Romeo GTV6

2009-12-03T10:45:00.009+08:00

This is pure car porn.
Filthy thats what.

This is an Alfa Romeo GTV6
2.5 L V6.
A classic car of the 70s and 80s. Most of you will probably not appreciate the older cars, but here cars are not made with fancy gadgets, sound systems, silly folding tops, clutter all around the dashboard but pure cars for a pure driving experience.

If you havent heard how the car sounds, then you've never heard a true V6.

There are only two V6's that echo the sounds of heaven in this world. The other V6 is a Honda. A very fast Honda (no more are produced)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaZKeFRL3Vw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_uxqyBlDiE&feature=PlayList&p=A48F55E334497137&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=43

Honda NSX (discontinued, now a classic supercar of the early 90s)
3.0 V6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkQvHAtCS5s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mmhj26JxOM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtDuxrItuyU

Please note that I did not mention such engine sounds from BMW's as well as Porsche's.
BMW's traditionally in the 70s to 90s use straight-6 engines.
This means all 6 cylinders are lined up like this :

If the Alfa V6 sounds like the song of heavens then the BMW straight-6 is the sound of satan's cruise missiles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK-Vs5yK8sE&feature=fvw

A traditional manly Porsche uses a Flat-6 boxer engine.

At the bottom of the pic see how the cylinders are 3 each on each side. The cylinders move side to side not up and down like other cars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TaYqD5r8U

These are found in the:

Boxter
Boxter S
Cayman
Cayman S
All Carrera's
The sounds made by these engines are more like gods personal orchestra of thunder.

Porsches such as the Cheyenne and Panamera use V8's and do not count as they are meant for posers and sissy yuppies.

Shoes

2009-11-26T11:46:00.003+08:00

I've worked at this company for 3 years and have gone through 4 pairs of working shoes.

And guess what, all of them break apart really easily. Whats the deal here?

The 1st pair simply died after heavy use and heavy walking for 1 whole year (I took the train then and walked at least 2-3 km a day)

The 2nd pair started to have holes at the top. This is because when I rode my bike, I have to change gears and to do that you have to flick the gear upwards with the left foot. Hence the constant flicking up damaged the shoe.

The 3rd pair rotted at the sole (rotten soul? HAH!). I'm guessing because I used to wear the shoes while biking so when it rained the water helped the rotting process.

My 4th pair has a heel and the rubber padding under the heel started to peel off. I took it to the cobler in Subang Parade and they resealed it and reinforced it with nails. (hope they dont poke into my feet)

Is it because I buy cheap shoes?
Each pair that I bought dont cost more than 150 ringgit. (some have cost 250 ringgit but I buy them during sales, does that count?)

Or should I invest in leather shoes and keep them only for important functions?

need some advice here as I'm not really up to date on brands, style etc etc, I just know if I dont need it, I dont buy it.

...

2009-11-23T14:27:00.003+08:00

(While having lunch with 9 other work mates)

T = is sitting furthest from me.

Me= I ordered Korean beef bulgogi.

Heres how it went:

Me: *Eating happily with chopsticks and spoon lovely korean beef bbq.*

T: Wah! You know how to use chopsticks? You dont have to you know, you can just use your fork, its okay waaan.

Me: -__- but I'm eating korean.

T: Oh? You are learning?

Me: *ignores and continues eating*

Tell me how does

"I'm eating korean" sound like "I am learning"

And for that matter, can I just use my chopsticks happily? I might not be perfect at it but I can. And no I'm not chinese does that mean I'm not allowed to use chopsticks? Seriously which kampung are you from?

If I go to italy and eat pasta do I use my hands?

If I eat soup at a turkish restaurant will I use chopsticks or knives?

Jeesh some people seriously need to see the world more.

BioMalaysia 2009

2009-11-20T11:04:00.001+08:00

-I just got back from a 3 day exhibition at KLCC.

-my company set up a booth to showcase our RnD. I was incharge of public relations with minimal technical knowledge of ALL the Sime darby reasearch centres and projects.

-event was organised by Biotech Corp Malaysia with the aid of Protemp.

-1001 visitors came in and most did not ask about our RnD but prefered to ask whether they can have a JV providing their land for us to plant our palm oil trees *slaps forhead*

-next to my booth were biotech companies from Korea *faints*

-too tired to even form a proper paragraph

Nice. This is Malaysia

2009-11-07T13:02:00.002+08:00

This is a pool club in Subang Jaya, near my old college.
It is 1.30 am in the morning.
AND
clubs here allow smoking indoors.
Yes, indoor smoking is allowed in Malaysia.

This is a man with his kid.
yes he brought his daughter to the pool club. Behind him, (you cant see) he brought his pregnant wife.
I repeat
Its 1.30 am,
smokey
pregnant wife
3 year old kid.

Well done!

And thats how we get retards.

yay

2009-11-06T19:25:00.001+08:00

Bike chain and sprockets wore out after 20000 km - cost to replace Rm 330

but yay, I found ciplak version so I had to pay only Rm 100.

THEN

:(

my rear tyres burst thanks to some nails on the road. I heard a loud POM!
and I knew I was about to fork out more money.
Cost of new rear tyre= Rm 170

LOL

2009-10-31T21:37:00.002+08:00

this is hillarious.
Basically the 1st line is my name,
The 2nd line is my title, translated into English, it reads "Manager Sime Darby Technology"

.
.
.
.
.
I am not the manager.

=(

2009-10-29T23:13:00.001+08:00

Its a sad day.

Sad after a 3 year relationship.

But its over.

Goodbye Sony

Serious serious seduction

2009-10-28T22:36:00.001+08:00

Manage to paparazi some of these hotties all around the klang valley

8,9,10,11 Postures in Bikram Yoga

2009-10-21T21:44:00.003+08:00

*Standing separate leg* This one is tricky. I cant reach the floor with my forehead. But I am doing my best to lock both knees as well as stretching my arms and pulling onmy feet.

*Triangle pose* Self explaining. Here the front thigh has to be parallel with the ground. A REAL cruncher for a 92 kilo person like me. My right leg is stronger naturally and to make things worse after the accident, my left leg is much much weaker.

*Standing separate leg head to knee* This pose you MUST have your forehead on the knee. The back knee is locked. The front knee can be bent but try to lock it. Stomach in and look at your stomach not the floor.

*Tree Pose* Well...looks like a tree. This one is a little tough as my leg doesnt go as high as hers does. Not only that, my leg will slip off because I'm all sweaty. But sweat will build strength.

Continuation of the yoga postures. Posture 4,5,6,7

2009-10-17T11:04:00.003+08:00

*Eagle Pose - Garurasana* I have troubles curling my leg over the other in the pose. My thighs are gigantic so its going to take some time.

*Standing head to knee Pose - Dandayamana - JanuShirasana* In this posture I lose balance if I'm standing on my left knee. I had an accident that made me weaker on the left.

*Standing bow pulling pose -Dandayamana - Dhanurasana* This posture I fall out really easily but find if I lower my body I gain balance. The problem with that is, again, left knee suffers.

*Balancing stick pose- Tuladandasana* Er...its called balancing stick because it looks like you're making a balancing stick of yourself. Your body from the side should look like a perfect T not a broken umbrella. This one I can do but again, left knee hurts. Trick is to go forward and stretch.

2009-10-12T12:01:00.003+08:00

So I went for Yoga on Sunday, and there was this lady of about 35-37. I tell you at her age her body was SOLID and will put most 20-22 year olds to shame. I was going to ask her how long she had been practicing, apparently she missed the chance to go for teacher training in Vegas.

But she had to leave quickly.

Standing Bow Pulling.

Imagine right leg on the ground. Right arm up. Left hand grab left leg.
Charge forward with the right arm while left leg kicks up in the air.

picture here ------> [Standing bow pulling]

I swear if her left leg kicked up even more, she would be touching the ceiling if she were my height. Amazing.

Ugh..bleeding money.

2009-10-12T10:16:00.002+08:00

Okay this year is definitely not a good year for an Ox like me.

This year alone:

1. Broke a customers bumper - cost of fixing Rm 450
2. Helmet stolen - worth Rm 400
3. Accident that would require surgery - cost (dont need to say, its alot)
4. Bike chain and sprockets wore out after 20000 km - cost Rm 330
5. Bike tyres needed changing since I'm so heavy the tyres wore out too quickly - cost Rm 220
6. Car needs servicing at the end of this year, mileage is 36000 km as I'm typing this.
- gear box oil - Rm 180
-MOTUL engine oil -Rm 150
-brake pads - Rm 250
-timing belt - Rm 80
-service charge - Rm 80

owning a vehicle is not cheap especially since we get minimal pay but cost of vehicles are exorbitant so its a double fucked in the ass.

Postures (Asana) in Bikram Yoga

2009-10-09T17:36:00.005+08:00

( pictures courtesy of www.bikramyoga.com)
Bikram Yoga isnt just a place on [google it]

But its more like a brand of yoga practice requiring the methods to follow procedures.

You dont work at McDonalds and say "hey, today I'll make a new dish, just for this branch"

You will be sacked.

So for those practicing Bikram Yoga as beginners, there are 26 postures in class to follow. They were not just plucked out of the air. Er...names in yellow are the sanskrit names of each posture.
Pics later.

1. Standing deep breathing - Pranayama

2. Half moon and hands to feet pose - Ardha Chandrasana and Pada-hastasana

3. Awkward pose - Utkatasana

4. - Eagle pose -Garurasana

5. Standing head to knee pose - Dandayamana - JanuShirasana

6. Standing bow pulling Dandayamana - Dhanurasana

7. Balancing stick Tuladandasana

8. Standing separate leg Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Paschimottanasana

9. Triangle pose Trikanasana

10. Standing separate leg head to knee Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Janushirasana

11. Tree pose - Tadasana

12. Toe stand -Padangustasana

13. Dead body -Savasana

14. Wind removing pose- Pavanamuktasana

15. Sit up

16. Cobra-Bhujangasana

17. Locust -Salabhasana

18. Full locust Poorna - Salabhasana

19. Bow -Dhanurasana

20. Fixed firm Supta - Vajrasana

21. Half tortoise Ardha - Kurmasana

22. Camel Ustrasana

23. Rabbit -Sasangasana

24. Head to knee Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana

25. Spine twisting Ardha - Matsyendrasana

26. Blowing in firm Khapalbhati

Bikram Yoga @ True Fitness

2009-10-08T17:17:00.004+08:00

A few months ago (gosh is it October already) I went for a few Bikram Yoga trial classes at True Fitness Taipan Subang Jaya.
No I did not join because a friend ( Ng Hui Mei ) bugged me to join so she could get a new floor mat or towel or duffel bag.
I joined simply to try and see what it was like. And I had a fat belly.

LOL I tried to squeeze about 5 trial classes in the span of a month or two. But I knew the gym management would dissaprove if I continued any longer coming in as Mei's guest. Time to join as a fully paid member? yes. But not quite.

You see, I had to pay for the full 1 year. At the time I did not have the financial means.

So I stopped going for a few months.

Till July, I had a rather horrible accident leaving my left knee with a little problem. I knew it was an internal problem because the knee wasnt broken, and I hadnt dislocated anything. So I waited for it to heal a bit and at the same time save some money.

Come October (after Ramadhan, the month of fasting) I joined and paid up. So now I'm attending classes once every 2 days.

You can find me at the studio at 6.15 pm or 8 pm, and on the weekends at 4 pm.

Just to summarise what its like at the studio:

1. The showers and locker rooms play elevator music. Not daft funk or daft punk or grunge. (blast! what the devil do teens listen to these days?)

2. The shower pressures are AMAZING! I tell you while at Celebrity fitness some 3 years ago I did not have the same experience.
(more popular gyms means more people means more use the showers at a given time)

3. Just outside the studio there are sitting areas where you can opt to weigh yourself before class. Or simply sit and chat under cold air conditioning.

4. Walk into the studio and you are greeted with intense heat and humidity. It takes alot of mind to conquer the temperature (actually you shouldnt be thinking at all, just let it go). And its not like you'll get sun burnt indoors anyway.
Bare with the heat, dont wipe up your sweat, just relax and wait for guru to arrive.

2009-09-29T14:57:00.002+08:00

Okay I'm sitting in a meeting with the architects for my company's new building. One of them is from a company called BOB. Okay its not BOB but I cant reveal the name bla bla bla whatever.

One of the architects (from University of Curtin) is smokin! Do all lady architects look like her??? I can tell you she looks waaaaaay hotter than the hags doing Chemistry and Biotech.

5 feet 8
5 feet 9 with heels

dark hair
gold yellow skin
big black eyes.

wtf weh!!!

My headlamp....

2009-09-19T19:58:00.002+08:00

...blew 2 days before Hari Raya. This is the right headlamp bulb...as you can see from the pic,

This is what a good bulb looks like.
This is what a blown bulb looks like.

I have to go and replace them, but you cant just replace one bulb, coz they wont be even. So I took out both.

hari raya Shopping list

2009-09-10T21:22:00.005+08:00

-done!-

$&#&#^

2009-09-08T11:24:00.004+08:00

Okay so I had an uneventful 3 day weekend.

Monday saw me waking up early to take my mom to the airport. On the way home I stopped by Sunway pyramid hoping to find some new clothes.
.
.
.
Okay I fail at shopping. Seriously, my family has no shopping gene.

News

2009-09-08T09:03:00.002+08:00

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

http://www.zerotohundred.com/2009/auto-news/top-gear-to-end-soon/comment-page-1/#comment-12250

It would be a crime against petrol heads should this show come to an end.

____________________________

When 570 bhp isnt enough, you need double that amount.
http://www.zerotohundred.com/2009/auto-news/impressively-insane-1100hp-twin-turbo-lamborghini-murcielago-by-heffner-performance/

Not to be confused with Hugh Heffners legacy.

_____________________________

hmmm Audi or Alfa

2009-09-02T21:43:00.004+08:00

The german Audi R8

or the Italian Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

I'll take the Italian anyday. Germans are too...serious.

Alfa Romeo 159 : A review

2009-09-02T14:08:00.001+08:00

Part 1:

http://junneo.blogspot.com/2009/08/alfa-romeo-159.html

Part 2:

http://junneo.blogspot.com/2009/08/you-know-youre-sitting-in-italian.html

Part 3:
http://junneo.blogspot.com/2009/08/question-is-how-does-it-go.html

Part 4:
http://junneo.blogspot.com/2009/09/alfa-romeo-159-finale.html

The Alfa Romeo 159 : Finale

2009-09-02T11:26:00.008+08:00

So, now that we've decided that it looks simply stunning, the car goes like stick, how does it feel to drive and how does it feel in the handling department?

The car weighs 1550 kg dry and has a 2.2 L powerplant putting out maximum of 185 bhp. Its a little low for the size of the beast at only 119 bhp/tonne and thats all the way at the 6500 rpm range. Not unusual for a natural aspirated car but japanese rivals particularly the "H" brand have achieved far greater numbers, in particular a certain Type-R.

Torque figures however are far more competitive. At only 4500 rpm, the car produces its peak torque at 230 Nm. Making it easier to drive compared to the track-purpose Type-R. I found that in Automatic mode the car simply wants to relax and not bother what goes on around it. The steering is responsive and will happily take bends with ease.

Tap/hold the gearlever to the left for 2 seconds and the car shifts into Manual selespeed mode. This is where it gets fun. The 159 is a front drive format (for those that dont know, this means that the front 2 wheels are being powered by the engine) and as a result handles impecably well around bends and quick turns of the wheel.

You dont feel like your sitting on a spongy cotton candy cloud nor do you feel like you are sitting on concrete with a bare backside. The car simply sits lower to the ground at higher speeds, maintaining comfort as you ride, but with a bonus of feeling much more planted.

Overtaking is a breeze as you dont feel that you strain the engine like in a much smaller 1300 cc car nor does it punch you in the guts and pull your head back like in a turbocharged Golf Gti or WRX.

However I do find there is a slight niggle when it comes to changing gears at low speeds. You try to expect the response to be like in a regular manual but it doesnt come. Instead changing gears downwards or upwards is kind of like playing chess with a computer. You know its fast and accurate but it still decides to think first. Forgivable really but frustrating if your right foot isnt used to the timing.

The trick with the Selespeed is to NOT lift up your right foot as you change gears with the shifter. Maintain position of the rightfoot so you dont confuse the computer.

Fantastic little Italian bella really.

Coming to a halt I check the usual essentials of a car, glove compartment, boot etc etc and find that everything is what you'd want from a sedan but with added excitement of a sports car.

Press the start button to turn the engine off, pull out the key card and you walk way smiling as you turn around to look at it over and over.

...the question is, how does it go?

2009-08-26T13:19:00.005+08:00

Step 1.

Insert the key card into its slot. The card is more like a thick slab of packaged butter you get at a hotel restaurant.

Step 2.

Step on the brakes and press the start button on the left of the steering wheel.
The engine instantly roars to life then dies down into a low hum. Weird.
Not like an Alfa at all.

Step 3.

Drive like you're insane.

Well no, not really. You see the 2.2 JTS uses a Selespeed gearbox. The Alfa Selespeed system patented by Magneti Marelli is both an automatic and a manual.
In Manual mode, you push the lever up to change to lower gears. Push the lever down to change to upper gears. Your left foot will be happy because there is no clutch to work with!

To go into automatic mode you have to pull the gear lever to the right and hold for 2 seconds. The electronics will then set the car into D.
Drive as usuall, however, Alfa's do not behave like your typical German or Japanese car. In order for the gear to shift up, you need to let go of the accelerator from time to time.

It takes practice because you have to time your right foot in order to synchronise with your gear changes.

At low speeds the car is happy enough to trundle along and not spur you on to go faster. But secretly wishes that you make it run a little when you see a straight empty road ahead by flooring the throttle. 8 seconds is all it takes to get to 100 kmph and should you have a heavy foot, run all 6 gears and you'll find the speedometer reaching 220kmph very quickly. All in a car that weighs 1.6 tonnes!

2009-08-24T16:41:00.001+08:00

...you know you're sitting in an italian.

2009-08-23T21:34:00.005+08:00

..when the car completely envelopes you in supple napa leather, the dashboard isn't a plethora of buttons and doodackies. There are no satnavs or in your face LCD monitors to take away the driving pleasure. Your legs somehow manage to squeeze in and your knees within a fraction of an inch to touching the dash.
Sitting in the back offers less legroom and headroom particularly for the 6 footers. You see, Italians aren't a very tall bunch of people so Malaysians would feel quite at home in this car.

The centre console is angled towards the driver in typical Italian style. The turning indicators levers and cruise control sticks exude more class than a bowl of caviar in a posh French restaurant. The gear lever looks at you inviting you to take the car to its limits while shouting out the window at the man driving a Japanese car "You've boughta de wrong car!".

Overall the cabin is certainly a warm place to be in and you would use just about any excuse to drive it, even to the local ~~pub~~ 7-11.

more later...

German vs Italian

2009-08-23T11:59:00.002+08:00

The simple ol German,

(Audi TT Quattro)

or the hot Italian.

(Alfa Romeo Brera)

I'll go for the Italian any day. (lol even the Audi's name has an Italian word in it)

The Alfa Romeo 159

2009-08-20T21:27:00.007+08:00

You may have noticed my sudden affection towards the Alfa Romeo brand. I didnt know used Alfa's were affordable till a few weeks ago.

In 1998 there was a teacher in school who drove an Alfa Romeo Spyder. She was beautiful. (I'm referring to the car!....although the teacher wasnt bad looking herself)

I decided to have a looksee as well as test drive the new AR 159.

Now readers from Singapore may have noticed some of these driving about but thats because the car was lauched there 2 years ago. But north of Temasik, the new Alfa Romeo models have finally arrived thanks to Sime Darby Auto Connexion.

The first thing that you may notice is its proportions. Long sweeping bonnet and low shoulder line creates the illusion that this is a sports car. Well you wont be wrong in thinking so.

This model replaces the highly popular 156 (1999-2006) and immediately drops the hairy chested machismo image of the 156 for a more classy grown up Peirce Brosnan in James Bond look.

The dimensions and pricing of the car look to compete with the Honda Civics, BMW 3 series, Toyota Corolla and Mercedes C class. But should you put the car next to its Japanese and German rivals, the car looks much much smaller.

Peer to the front of the car and you'll notice the front lights have 3 lamps on each side. The Alfa "heart" sits more "upright" now emphasizing the car is now for the more serious of users. The back end of the car retains the solid look of a sporty sedan.

Now onto more interesting bits. The model I tried is the 2.2 JTS Selespeed. The only model available in Malaysia but Sime Darby may decide to bring in the more powerful 3.2 L petrol model if sales go well. It is unlikely they will bring in the 1.9 L diesel as the model requires Euro 4 grade diesel, not available in Malaysia.

Opening the car door activates the selespeed gearbox, you can hear a faint whir and hum, my heart skips a beat but not for the obvious reasons. You see the Selespeed system is notorious for....breaking down. But I certainly the hope changes have been made to improve the overal system.

I sit inside and instantly I know I'm in an Italian car. More later....

You dont look so good yourself...

2009-08-17T10:09:00.003+08:00

If I am fatter than before, I know.

If I am carrying a 12 kilo baby, I know.

If my face is rounder than it was 2 years ago, I fucking know!

I dont need YOU to tell me I'm fatter than before.
I dont need YOU to tell me that I am happy and work is good to me.
Because it certainly is NOT. Stress will only make me gain weight. Stress makes me eat more.

If you think I'm one of those chauvenistic men who assume they are in shape, big belly and unkept hair and that I demand that my ladies and girlfriends MUST NOT WEIGH MORE THAN 45 kilos, then you are WRONG.
If I think they look great, i tell them.
If I think they look shabby and fat and bloated from water retention, its not for me to say. I freaking shut the hell up.

If you really need my opinion, you could do with a few minutes on the treadmill everyday yourself. Then throw out a couple of toxins in Bikram Yoga's Hot room (hurhurhurhur direct plugging here). Then you can put down that freaking fork.
IN. YOUR. FACE.

RROOWWW

2009-08-15T13:47:00.009+08:00

an AR 75

the venerable AR 155

the sexy AR 145

fast and furious Twinspark AR 146
the monstrous AR 156 GTA
delightful AR 147

majestic AR 166
AR 159, up and coming legend

the awe inspiring, ferrari killing Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

He almost lost his face...

2009-08-09T19:14:00.002+08:00

though masked by sheer amount of blood, I couldnt tell if I was looking at his face, or just muscle underneath.

I helped a man who was lying unconscious at the side of the road.Acoording to witnesses his face was dragged on the road for about 10 metres after his motorcycle slipped and fell. I took him to the hospital in my mothers car.

Now I cant remove the blood from the car seats.

Sometimes being kind doesnt pay.

Just like it didnt pay to trust those Kelings who stole my helmet.

Puki poyo

2009-08-07T10:10:00.002+08:00

Jangan nak poyo sangat la you fucking bitch. Just because you have a Masters degree doesnt make you so great.
Masters from South Australia pun nak hidung tinggi macam babi hutan.
Poodah

BOB AMIN

2009-07-30T10:33:00.002+08:00

That will be my name from now own.
Email name that is

Bob.Amin@simewxyz.com

Is it so hard to spell my name Junaidi Aminuddin?
Dah 20 tahun lebih dok kat Malaysia pun tak tau eja ke?
I understand if you think my name is spelt Junaidy Aminudin

I will then correct you.

But each and every letter also have to correct??? NIA MAH!!

To you we pledge our loyalty!

2009-07-27T10:12:00.002+08:00

~Sekolah Sri Acmar, your name we'll ever hold up high,
Acmar Sri Acmar, as we soar towards the sky,
you shall our bastian be, midst all adversity,
Acmar! Sri Acmar! To you we pledge our loyalty,
Acmar! Sri Acmar! To you we pledge our LO- YAL- TY!

Pearls of wisdom, you to us impart,
to care, to share, to dare,
embedded in each heart.
The best within us, we'll bring out to the fore,
In the battle of life, through success we shall score,
In the battle of life, through success we shall score!~

What the hell is that smell?

2009-07-21T18:31:00.001+08:00

Fuck you kelings. fuck you and go fuck your sisters ass.

Macam anjing.

Just cannot take it

2009-07-21T00:48:00.001+08:00

I want to leave Malaysia for good.

Someday,

till I work my way out of this shithole.

its never really been my home.

I want to leave Malaysia for good.

Glory Glory Man United

2009-07-20T09:54:00.003+08:00

As the Reds go marching ON ON ON!

Superb!
Fantastic!
Amazing

.....Are some of the words I could use to sum up the game involving Manchester United and Malaysia XI on Saturday. To say I am a fan of Man Utd would be an understatement. To say I am a die hard fan would be more appropriate.

In 1996 my father took to me to see my first Manchester United Game. Back then I was only 11 and guess what, the Bukit Jalil National Stadium was not yet built. Red Devils opted to play against Red Giants. I was a Selangor Dharul Ehsan fan and I didnt even know the English played football! LOL

A month or so later the English Premier league started and Manchester United were to play against Liverpool. Some infamous player by the name of Eric Cantona made a return after being suspended for 2 years for kicking a person of the audience. The game ended in a 2-2 draw but from that day I knew which team I would be supporting for many more years to come.

On another note....

2009-07-16T15:16:00.004+08:00

I spent last weekend at my brothers house as he was away in Kuching and no one was there to look after the 200 cars he has.
He bought me this in return!
hurhurhurhuhurhur!

$#&$%*

2009-07-16T15:02:00.003+08:00

To the scurvy dog who scratched my dads car on the left back door, may you be chewed to death by rhino beetles and your dried up bones grounded and made into a paste to serve cannabalictic Cambodians.

FUUUUUUUCCKK YOU!

@^@$&#$&#@%^*

2009-07-15T15:52:00.002+08:00

Kenape??? KENAPE??? KENAPEE????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dah tau aku tengah bawak kereta paham paham je la. Aku bingung. Kalau kol aku, kenape diam diri?

Dulu masa aku kecik sampai skang mak aku cakap phone utk emergency aje. Kalau kol, 2-3 minit je. BUKAN UNTUK BORAK!
So sampai skang aku rasa tak selesa borak kat hp/public phone/phone rumah (eh ade lagi ke bendi ni?).

Pastu bila kol aku dia diam diri je. Baik tak yah call. Tolonglah wahai kaum Hawa, tolonglah bercakap kalau dah hasrat nak berborak.
Aku tak suka orang call aku pastu tak cakap ape ape.

GERAAAAAAAAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet escape 4

2009-07-09T12:40:00.002+08:00

After exploring Sentosa Island, we had no choice but to proceed back to Kuala Lumpur as we were running out of time.
The drive back was pleasant, hot as expected and passing only 1 minor shower. Instead of going straight to our hotel, we had a scrumptious Thai dinner at Chakri Palace KLCC. The food is so good there you can only define Chakri Palace as exquisite.

What was served?
Pad Thai,
Maeang Kam (condiments you choose yourself and wrap them around a leaf , cant remember what tree the leaf is from)
Pandan wrapped chicken
Yellow Curry chicken
Red ruby for dessert.

After dinner we walked around KLCC but regretted not taking photos at the park.
Driving back to the hotel was tiring (but the hotel was chosen due to its proximity to the LCCT airport) and after checking in, I practically passed out from all the driving that day.

Just how close was the airport from the hotel? Semi-walking distance. LOL
Think about it, the flight was at 8.15am. I woke up at 6.30am.

Shower, get ready, walk, check-in. WWAKAKAKAKAK. If I had stayed at home I would need to have woken up at 5am to get all the way to the airport on time.
Boarded flight but disappointed as local Air Asia flights don’t have as many SYT’s as their international flights. MUAHAHAHAHAH.

Next destination

Langkawi.

Tinggal Seminggu

2009-07-06T10:46:00.003+08:00

2 tahun 6 bulan masa berlalu, tiada pula aku sangka 7 hari akan rasa begitu singkat. Tetapi itulah hakikatnya.

18 bulan tak lama kan? Pejam celik pejam celik ko dah balik. Elok elok lah jaga diri kat negara orang. Huhuhuhu ko jangan balik cakap cam orang Down Under eh, ish, aku tau diri aku sendiri separuh cam diorang, tapi ngilu gigi aku tau kalau dengar diorang cakap.

hahahha wtf.

Woi tak sampai sebulan nanti aku rindu tau. Update banyak banyak tau. Kat sini siapa nak pukul aku? Siapa nak usik aku? Siapa yang senyum sampai nampak gigi macam orang baru dapat bonus Rm 10000?

Dah aku tak nak cakap banyak plak, nanti aku plak yang emo.

Tiu

2009-06-29T18:46:00.003+08:00

Sick and tired of fucking pieces of shit on the road.
This time fucking retarted malay boys on the motorcycle lanes are what are really grinding my gears.

Imagine a small motorcycle lane. Right hand side motorcycles are about to exit to go to Sunway. Since the exit is even more narrow, the bikes naturally slow down and we get a "queue". The crowding makes it difficult to see what are beyond those motorbikes. But what does it matter, all you need to do is stick to the left to keep going right? Read on.

A motorcycle (..malay retard rider with his minah girlfriend) ENTERS the motorcycle lane. YOU CANNOT ENTER AN EXIT!

Fine

HE ENTERS NOT PARALLEL TO US, BUT OPPOSITE. So obviously to go the right way he was to turn. Yes, he does so, ignoring me. Cutting off my left lane and giving me no space.

1. Its wet
2. I'm going at 60 kmph.
3. I am going to die or at least break my neck falling into the drain from skidding.

But did not as you can already tell.

FUCKING ASSHOLE. I turned my head around giving him the "WHAT THE FUCK? gesture" (no not the middle finger but the 5 fingers shaped like "i wanna eat" gesture.

I saw his face and all he could afford was a grin like a retarded donkey on crack.

???

2009-06-29T10:41:00.000+08:00

Shit, I forgot what I wanted to type.

lalala

2009-06-23T14:53:00.005+08:00

The failed Lady Gaga look

(Lady Gaga if you read this please dont sue me or anything. Its not meant to be taken seriously. But I would love tickets to go to your next concert.)

The foreigner and Expatriate guide to driving in Malaysia

2009-06-18T13:43:00.004+08:00

A couple of friends from overseas have emailed me to ask where they can rent cars and perhaps have a copy of the Malaysian Road Rules book. This stumped me as I searched high and low but seems that said book does not exist. However I have heard from a few villagers that the legendary book is around but has not been sighted since 1904.

Hence for the benefit of those interested in driving in Malaysia for the first time I have come up with a short FAQ to make your experience a pleasurable one. These set of rules have been adopted since 1901. No that is not a typo.

Q. What is the number one rule to observe?
A. The most important rule to observe is that you must be ahead of all cars regardless of your destination. All other rules subservient to this rule.

Q. Does Malaysia follow the UK (left side of the road) or US (right side of the road) to drive on?
A. Drivers drive on the left side. However only 99% follow this rule. 0.8% of drivers drive on the right side. And the remaining 0.2% are on the left most side, reversing because they missed their turning.

Q. What are the white lines painted on the road for?
A. These back during British colonial days were to help drivers stay in a straight line. Today in modern Malaysia, these lines are decorations because Malaysia is pretty and the government gladly uses up millions of Ringgit each year to decorate Malaysia Truly Asia.

Q. What are double lines painted on the road for?
A. These indicate that you may overtake when you are getting impatient because the car in front of you is too slow. Hence you can achieve the number 1 rule: Drivers must be infront at all times.

Q. I see Malaysia also have Emergency lanes on highways. What are they for?
A. This lane is only to be used during an emergency. Example you are late for work, late for class, your wife is about to give birth but is already safely at the hospital, you need to go to the toilet because of all that curry chicken you had for lunch. Driving on this lane permits you to drive at double the speed of other cars.

Q. Do traffic lights follow the rules in other countries?
A. Almost.
Green light means you can go.
Yellow/Amber means you must step on the pedal to accelerate.
Red means you must stop but only if there are other cars or a suspicious looking white vehicle parked near the lights. If not you may zoom as though the lights are green.

Q. What does "Dilarang masuk mean" ?
A. In Malay in means No Entry. It simply translates to "short-cut". Use this route to get to a parking spot the quickest way.

Q. On the highway, what does "pandu cermat" mean?
A. It translates to drive smart. You must drive as close as possible to the car infront so that other cars may not slip in. This also gives you an advantage because you will be close enough to overtake so you can achieve rule no 1. If you cannot see the drivers face, no if you cannot see the chili stuck between the drivers teeth in their rear view mirror you are not driving close enough.

Q. What is the speed limit on Malaysian highways?
A. The what?

Q. What are the road signs with the numbers 60, 80, 110 on your highways?
A. Those indicate the amount of money you have to pay a police officer in case they stop you. If you ask the police officer what was your offense, he or she may not know because no one really does. But just in case, slip that amount of money towards them give or take a few ringgit. This fine is then declared paid on the spot.

Q. Is that not a bribe?
A. No it is not. That is all. Now shooh! or "Jalan" as they say in Malaysia.

Q. Does a car need some form of WOF/COF roadworthy certificate to be able to drive it?
A. No a car does not need a WOF or COF or WTF or some type of certificate to drive it. As long as you have a valid drivers licence and valid road tax sticker you can drive the vehicle in any condition it is in. You must place as many cushions and plush toys at the back as you can to block your view outside the rear window.

Q. At some junctions, there are yellow boxes filled with diagonal lines. What are these for?
A .When traffic is building up, you cannot leave this box empty. You must drive your car onto this box and not allow any car to turn into the junction because if you are not able to be infront of others you must not allow other cars to reach their destination.

Q. Are handsfree headsets required when you need to asnwer phone calls while driving?
A. No. Handsfree sets are not required. You must answer the call to discuss with your kerlig (colleague) the limitations of the GXXS system because it cannot tally with the YXVVR system other companies use because your boss did not approve of the signing of the SSATP form 4 years ago. You were not able to voice out your concerns because your boss was a big fat tyrant and will have had you terminated if you did not go and pick up his children from their triangle music class.

Q. At a junction, is there a queue system?
A. No. It is optional to queue up. If you see any space avaible infront of that car, you may proceed to the very front of the queue because hey, you have to be at the front (see rule 1)

Sweet Escape part 1.5

2009-06-18T11:32:00.003+08:00

I just realised I lost a day while posting my Sweet Escape series.

My gf and I woke up early on a Sunday morning (ppftt well, early enough for me anyway)
and we drove to Sime Darby Convention Centre Mount Kiara.
Here I gave my Gf her first lesson in driving a manual car.

The convention centre has a fairly empty car park particularly on a Sunday. hey, if you were there that day and you saw a red car with stripes going round and round that was me! *wavess*

I tought her how to use the manual transmission because over in New Zealand, you can use any car you like to take the drivers test. Ideally, Malaysians if given a choice would surely use an automatic but no, in Malaysia we have to use silly manual Perodua's for the examination.

Okay okay mission successful although we only had time to use 1st and 2nd gear and no time to go on the real road. (hehehe I think i was too terrified anyway)

My gf was starving after about 1 hour of lessons and we plonked ourselves in Sri Hartamas for breakfast. Delicious Tosai, bryani with honey chicken and maggi goreng. I swear we were eating for 3 people.

How to speak Malaysian

2009-06-15T12:13:00.003+08:00

Here is a short summary on how to speak the Malaysian language. Now as there is no such thing, Malaysian is really a mix and match of the dialects and languages spoken in Malaysia.

For the benefit of foreigners, you may use these tips while you're on holiday here. I know there's that phrase "be your self" yada yada bullshit, but its always nice to blend in and mix with other cultures. Say you're in Kiwiland, say "aye" at the end of your sentence.
If you're in Australia raise your voice at the end of your sentence to make it sound like you're asking question.

In England just lift your heels while having a standing conversation from time to time.

In Japan just bow as much as possible you should get by.

Here in Malaysia:

1. Dont over pronounce each word. Eg.
To say : I need to speak with the person in charge of this operation.
Malaysian : I nid to spik wit de person in chage of dis opratn.

The words sound the same only you pronounce them as quick as possible like you're tap dancing with your mouth.

2. When you're at a mamak stall ( a malaysian style outdoorsy cafe mostly serving southern indian food) and to grab the attention of a waiter:
make smooching sounds with your lips. He'll then take your order.

3. At a supermarket, don bother saying hello to the cashier, just snap your fingers and say "eh, count"
If you so much as greet them by saying hello and smile, they might cower behind the counter and all of sudden get the fits. Of course you might be lucky and they will smile back.

4. if you need to drive the point home , use LAH at the end of your sentence.

To say: I'm hungry.
Malaysian: I'm hungry LAH.

To say: Now why did you go and do that for?
Malaysian: Whaaaat LAH you.

To say: Lend you some money my big fat aunt!
Malaysian: Lend you money your head LAH.

To say: Pardon me, I need to use the ladies/gents/lavoratory.
Malaysian: wait ah, toilet.

5. You can call any guy Joe or Mat (not like Matt or Pat, but like Bart). If he's fat or a little bit chubby, you can call him Bob.
If he's chinese you can call him, leng chai which means handsome dude. He wont think you're gay.

6.
Fried =Goreng
Rice =Nasi
Ice = Ais

Chicken Rice = Nasi Ayam
Fried Rice = Nasi Goreng
Iced tea = Teh Ais
Iced Milo = Milo Ais
Sickly sweet hot white tea with foam = Teh Tarik (Tah-rick)
Iced tea with no milk = teh O Ais
iced milo with no milk = Milo O Ais
Souther Indian pancakes = roti chanai
dhall sauce or curry sauce = dhall or kari
Fried noodles = mee goreng

Thats only scratching the surface of speaking Malaysian. Some of these tips work when you visit Singapore too. However drop the LAH at the end of your sentences, but use LEH or MEH from time to time. If you are unsure how to use them, listen how the locals speak. You will get it in no time.

Right now its lunch time.
I'd like to have the fried noodles with a cup of iced tea and I will have it takeaway as I shall eat it at my table.
Malaysian: Lunch! I wan mee goreng wit teh ais. Tarpau ah!

Yup, its a woman.

2009-06-15T11:47:00.001+08:00

Still cant park for shit. How difficult it is to turn your handlebar to the right, and park between the yellow lines?

Sweet Escape Part 3.2

2009-06-13T19:39:00.005+08:00

Some of these photos are not in order. But it doesnt matter as the backdrop is still Sentosa Island. Here we are in the garden area.You can probably tell which flowers are fake.

*my favourite photo*

Sweet Escape Part 3

2009-06-10T21:00:00.005+08:00

The next day we decided to walk a little and find the majestic Merlion on the Island of Sentosa. Err....Sentosa is a little bit far from our hotel so we took the MRT but turns out the harbour was just 2 stops away. Aiya.

Someone had fun watching the office ladies go by.
No photos for that.

We found the cable car building that takes us out onto Sentosa Island. The view would have been great if not for the hidious construction taking place on the Island.

[pic to go here]

Once again we didnt have much time to spend so we made the most of it by taking photos near the fountains, the flowers (as well as the fake flowers). There were rides to go on, no not real ones but simulations. One of the rides however, broke down 3 times before it finally decided to run properly!

a) The ride will not work if someone had taken off their seatbelt. (hmmm more cars should have this technology)

b) the ride will not work as one of the "cars" was faulty and must not have any passengers on board.

All in all it was a good day. My favourite bit was taking candid shots of The Gf doing silly things. Of course those photos are tucked away in my computer as I will be killed on sight if I even think of posting them here. =p

Here I am goofing around outside the steps to the Merlion.

This will be my facebook profile photo

More photos when I have more time.

Birthday Wishes

2009-06-10T08:46:00.001+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
MAY THANG YIN MEE!!!!

Sweet Escape Part 2

2009-06-09T10:18:00.005+08:00

1st June

Off to Singapore

The day started early although trying to pack extremely large suitcases into my car is no easy feat. Its a blistering hot day and I hadnt even started the car my sweat glands began gushing torrents of amoniacal beads onto my forehead, tummy, neck and underarms.

Started the car and I didnt care if turning on the air-con immediately is bad for health I just wanted to drive in comfort. The car quickly cooled down thanks to protons new batch of over eager air conditioning freezing us over in a matter of minutes.

The drive south was pleasant although I would prefered if it looked like the drive up North. Southbound you drive along a boring 3 lane expressway occasionally passing an orchard but otherwise oil palms are all you see.

We turned off the E2 expressway and entered the E3. This route (rhymes with spout) takes you to Gelang Patah (Malaysia side) and then onto Tuas checkpoint (Singapore side).

Alas! My spanking new laptop failed on me. I downloaded the map of singapore but I couldnt view it off line. We ended up reaching our hotel very late and did not have time to watch the Magic Show at The Arena @ Clarke Quay.

Still, we managed to call a taxi from our hotel and it sped off to our 2nd item on the agenda the Night Safari.

Its quite pricey for the average Malaysian but its very worth it. We were only there for about 4 hours but I'd say add another 90 minutes and you can explore the entire park at a nice pace. The food there was delicious too AND they have Ben n Jerry's!!

Sorry about the poor night photos. I didnt want to turn on the flash.

The highlight of the nite for me was when the indian wolves made a lot of noise howling and barking at one point. Something might have spooked them or perhaps the full moon was out.
All of a sudden we heard really loud thunder but the sky wasnt cloudy! Turns out the lions were rudely awakened at started roaring back at the wolves to shut them up. LOL
It worked, the lions went back to sleep after that.

Went back to our hotel and I fell fast asleep after many hours of driving.

Sweet Escape

2009-06-08T11:16:00.004+08:00

As I didnt really escape from the cold of winter or the heat of summer
(Malaysia is hot all year round so I'm hopping from hot place to any other basically)
this post will feature my little holiday away from the schedule of my hectic job (har.har.har.har)

29th May

I dashed off to the airport after work (no actually after I had my shower coz I cant go out till I've had my shower) to pick up Ty. oooops I expected the flight to be a little later at touching down, but turns out it was on time. I got whacked in the arm many many times for this. Something I'm quite used to. Reached my brothers house early and fell asleep straight away.
I was so tired from my trip to Taiping the previous day.

30th May

Spent the day at One Utama for a little spot of shopping. Actually I didnt buy anything as shopping for clothes is not my thing. I only shop for what I need. I dont need 24 pairs of pants nor 24 pairs of black shoes.

After walking around the mall we worked up an appetite and where better to go than to feast on Korean Bbq.
The restaurant called Seoul Garden is really really cheap for the amount of food you get (its buffet) so for people like me who can really eat, head to Seoul Garden for bbq chicken, bbq beef, szechuan style, lemon sauce style, kimchi soup with free refils, Ice kacang, ice cream I trust you wont need dinner after that.

In the evening we headed to Kuala Selangor to see the fireflies at Kampung Kuantan. The bike ride from Klang town to Kg. Kuantan took roughly 70 minutes. The fireflies are said to die out in the next 12 months or so but I do have reasons to doubt this as fireflies dont simply extinguish out if their habitats and food do not get taken away.

Its possible that the fireflies would move deeper into the bush rather than stay by the river. Nevertheless, the trees along the river were covered in little sparkles kinda like those you see on ppls trees during Hari Raya or Christmas.

(getting there from Klang town: head onto Jalan Kapar. This is highway 5 and it takes you all the way to K. Selangor. Dont turn off anywhere. Once you reach Kuala Selangor look for Kampung Kuantan sign board. Turn into kampung kuantan, and follow the signs showing "Kelip Kelip" which means firefly. Admission is Rm 40 per boat max of 4 ppl. So fill up that boat and it will only cost you Rm 10)

Headed back home but stopped by my fav mamak stall for roti chanai banjir, maggi goreng, roti kertas and milo ais.

Say Cheese

2009-05-28T13:44:00.003+08:00

its Mascarpone!

MAS- carr- poe- nay!!

OMG
Please la you dont know much about baking so dont talk as though you do.

And Parmesan is not pronounced

Par- may- zhon!

Its not a french word so why say it that way?

GAAH
Its easy to pronounce Thomas or Nadia hence white people will have no trouble with these names,
but come on
Junaidi is

Ju- nai - dee

not

Jun- nai- die

-_________________________-

P/S: the inspiration for this blog post came from here
http://chingwuen.blogspot.com/

Sime Darby Gedung Model Rice Farm - Taiping

2009-05-28T13:15:00.003+08:00

*waves from Taiping*

Stayed the nite at the Legend Inn. Nothing much to shout about although the rooms were really spacious and reasonably priced and clean!
Rates are between Rm 80 -120.
I didnt take any photos of the hotel,
but did take photos of this really nice Kopitiam. The food tasted so good although I drove for 3 hours before and was simply famished.

Paint codes for old and new Hondas

2009-05-26T15:27:00.004+08:00

Dear readers,
I thought I'd post some of the paint codes use on some hondas from past till present.
A friend of mine posted something similar for Proton paint. http://ali-baizuri.blogspot.com/

Good luck with your new paint job.

B-74P Adriatic Blue Pearl
B-90P Supersonic Blue Pearl
G-82P Cypress Green Pearl
NH-0 Championship White
NH-583M Vouge Silver Metallic
NH-538M New Vouge Silver Metallic
NH-592P Flamenco Black Pearl
Y-56 Phoenix Yellow
B-92P NIGHTHAWK BLACK PEARL
NH-592P (CAN) Starlight Black Pearl
NH-597M Citrus Silver Metallic
R-505p Cyan Red Pearl
R-81 Milano Red
B-97M Voltage Blue Metallic Clearcoat
G-95P Clover Green Pearl Clearcoat
BG-33P Paradise Blue-green Pearl
G-71P Isle Green Pearl
NH-503P Granada Black Pearl Pearl
YR-506M Desert Mist Metallic
RP-24P Stealth Grey Pearl
NH-538 Frost White
R-72P Torino Red Pearl
R-93P Matador Red Pearl
NH-575M Thunder Gray Metallic

thanks to RagingSPAM
here http://www.civicforums.com/forums/3-general-automotive-discussion/225699-jdm-paint-codes.html

Bits and bobs

2009-05-21T11:57:00.003+08:00

HAHAHAHAH WTF???!!!!

Sunderland, Middlesboro and Newcastle threaten to sue united if they play a weaker side against Hull this weekend.
(source: The Star newspaper)

Why are these teams being sore losers? If the whole season you've been playing like crap, dont take it out on the big guns. Man united are just 6 days away from the Champions League final, they cannot afford to injure rooney, ronaldo and gang.

who are they to judge who are Man U's weaker side? If Rooney and Ronaldo play upfront but still lose? You still go down.

_________________________________________________________________

Aaaanyway
In other news

there is a really fat cat hanging around my house lately. It sleeps under the cars huhuhuhu and if you awaken it, it'll run as quick as its legs can carry its fat ass. heheheh so cute.

_________________________________________________________________

I have decided not to change cars as not many cars are as good as my Satria Neo. You read that properly. Give me a new car (same category) thats better than the Satria Neo and I can tell you you chose a Mini Cooper (base line model). Sure it costs Rm 140 000. Go ahead and buy one if you have the money.

_________________________________________________________________

To change or not to change....

2009-05-18T08:57:00.003+08:00

...that is the question.

Some of you may know that I detail cars part time. Click here for some of my work.

Detailing cars require that I travel with a lot of tools and solutions to carry out the job. I use to detail by riding my bike to the customers house. This worked to a certain extent as I didnt need much equipment for the task I was carrying out.

However a full detail job requires lots more tools and a motorbike simply would not suffice. So in the weekends I load up either my mom's car or my own with all the bits and bobs of the trade.

Something doesnt add up.

You see, I am a automobile enthusiast and car detailer therefore I try to keep my car and moms car as clean as possible. Unless of course the weather has been a bitch therefore I simply do not have the time to be detailing both our cars AND customers cars.

Carrying bottles, buckets, brushes, pressure washers is not easy when you have small cars. They also get dirty from being outdoors therefore, I would need some kind of large vehicle to suit the purpose.

Hence I have been thinking of getting a larger vehicle such as a Mitsubishi Triton, Toyota Hilux or a Isuzu D-Max.

Honestly I cannot afford those cars. They come with a 5 person seating capacity AND a flat bed at the back capable of carrying all my equipment needed for detailing sans an electric generator.
To afford one, I will need to get a used version. In Malaysia, Japanese vehicles depreciate really slowly, and to buy one thats close to my budget, I would need to get one close to 6-7 years old. On top of that, the miles on the car would be about 50-60 000 km.

I dont want to dish out Rm 50k, just for a 6 year old car with thousands of kilometers on the clock.

Come to think of it,
I dont really want to part with my car. For as long as I'm still in the country, she belongs to me and no other.

O_O

2009-05-14T04:28:00.002+08:00

What am I having for lunch today?

2009-05-09T22:24:00.002+08:00

Begitu banyak cerita
Ada suka ada duka
Cinta yang inginku tulis
Bukanlah cinta biasa
Dua keyakinan beza
Masalah pun tak sama
Ku tak ingin dia ragu
Mengapa mereka selalu bertanya
Cintaku bukan diatas kertas
Cintaku getaran yang sama
Tak perlu dipaksa
Tak perlu dicari
Kerna kuyakin ada jawabnya
oh...Andai ku bisa merubah semua
Hingga tiada orang terluka
Tapi tak mungkinKu tak berdaya
Hanya yakin menunggu jawapnya
Janji terikat setia
Masa merubah segala
Mungkin dia kan berlalu
Ku tak mahu mereka tertawa
Diriku hanya insan biasa
Miliki naluri yang sama
Tak ingin berpaling
Tak ingin berganti
Jiwa ku sering saja berkata
Andai ku mampu ulang semula
Ku pasti tiada yang curiga
Kasih kan hadir tiada terduga
Hanya yakin menunggu jawapan

2009-05-05T21:48:00.001+08:00

The birthday Girl

2009-04-29T22:25:00.001+08:00

XOXOXOXOX
Love you nads,
this is how we picture you everytime your name comes up.