Motoring Lifestyle Of Malaysians

I was on medical leave for two days. Out of nowhere I was caught with an eye infection. Nothing nasty, but it was just unpleasant. I had difficulty opening my eyes when I woke up and my eyes just turned red. With a regular dose of eyedrops and antibiotics, my eyes turned out fine now.

Anyway, I’ve decided to write about something that I have observed almost everyday, how we treat our vehicles and how we put our motoring skills in our day to day chores. I shall list this in random order (the first four however are major, major annoying habits), according to how my train of thought is moving.

1) Cars having silly and ridiculous decals – I’m sure you guys have encountered this for gazillion times. A Myvi putting huge stickers and decals stating ‘TRD Racing Development’, a mere Proton Saga with a ‘Lancer’ logo at its rear, and a bunch of cars with the ‘Charming’ or any other names of an accessory shop. I don’t mean to be disrespect guys, but seriously what the heck is going on in your brains? First of all, A Myvi is and always be a Myvi. That sticker you guys put will not magically turn your ride into some smokin’ hot supercar! Do you guys even know what TRD stands for? It’s an acronym for Toyota Racing Development, and as the names suggest, it is meant for Toyotas! You don’t put Toyota stickers into a Perodua! People out there are damn smart enough to distinguish between a Toyota and a Perodua. If you can’t afford a Toyota, stop pretending and get over it! Stop being a wannabe. Instead, why don’t you start saving and maybe someday you’ll own a genuine Toyota. Please guys, that is just plain stupid! The same thing goes with the Lancer thing. You can spot from 2 miles away that it is in fact a Proton Saga! I don’t get it when people spent so much making their car look like a Lancer, but don’t sound like one. Why don’t you just save your precious money own from your hard work, and wait for a day that you’ll actually own a genuine Lancer. I mean seriously, do you guys actually feel proud driving a wannabe car? Does that make your ego sky rocketed to the stratosphere? And lastly with the car accessories shop sticker (I encountered this a lot in Malacca). What s the deal with these stickers? Are your rides being sponsored by these shops? If so, by all means stick it. If not, please oh please take it off. It’s just plain ugly.

2) Cars with simply so many stuffs hanging around their rear windshields (I think this concerns more of the female drivers). I know you ladies like all those pretty2 and cute2 stuffies and plush toys, but I think stuffing it so much that it blocks your rear view is just ridiculous. Stuff toys are meant to be at your bedrooms not your cars (unless you actually sleep in your car, then I rest my case)

3) One of my favourites (and one of which I am most annoyed off). Stupid drivers out there who can casually drive although they are in the right lane, or there is no vehicle in front of them. I’m not asking you to be revving your cars like crazy! But for God’s sakes show us some courtesy man! If you don’t feel like driving fast, stay on the left, or if there’s no car in front of you, could you care to drive a little bit quicker? Malaccan drivers especially, they always like to take their own sweet time driving at 30, 40km/h at any given day or time. Arghhhh, this behaviour just drives me nuts!

4) Drivers who switch their turn signals on at the very last minute before entering a junction. This is super annoying, not to mention freaking dangerous! Imagine what would happen if you were driving a bit too fast and haven’t got the chance to brake in time, you will certainly knock the butt of the front car. And the argument will then start ‘Mangkuk, tak nampak ke kereta depan ko? Bla bla bla. Can’t you guys just give a signal earlier like 10m earlier? I don’t really see anything wrong with doing that. But nowadays, I don’t really trust the vehicle in front of me, so I have sort of developed the anticipation skills to react when this happens.

Then there are the minor minor ones, like sprinting when the yellow lights are on, still driving even though the traffic lights already turned red, left lane overtaking (in highways especially), driving a 1.3 litre car as if driving a 2.0 turbocharged car, and just dangerous and reckless driving. Perhaps it is true. Malaysians are a polite, warm and welcoming race, but ask us to drive, and we’ll turn into a different kind of animal.

Seen And Heard: Eminem - We Made You

Guess who's back into the scene, the Slim Shady himself! It's been a while since we last saw him, and he'll be launching a new album soon entitled 'Relapse'. Here's the video of his upcoming latest single, 'We Made You'. The production of this video is just what you had expected from his top notch standards! Check it out!

Eminem - We Made You
Uploaded by Eminem

Let's Talk About Sex Baby...

This is not for your perverts out there. This is a serious concern which requires our attention as good citizens of Malaysia. The younger generations are getting more and more prone to....you know...stimulations. It seems that all hormone balance have break lose. More and more teens got sexually active at such a young age. An article in The Star triggered me to write about this. Due to lack of attention from the parents, teens decided to 'seek revenge' while enjoying themselves sexually. I mean at 16 years of age, that is such a ballsy move, not to mention fuckin' risky. I'm not a person to judge of what other people are doing, as long as they've got the brains dominating over emotions in this sort of affairs. I know we are promoting ourselves as Malaysia Boleh, but do we have to actually prove this? that we can also have sex at such a tender age?

Let us all think about it...More of this can be read here.

Seen And Heard: Ryan Cabrera - True

Another tune worthy of your collection (I hope). It's by Ryan Cabrera, titled 'True'. I happened to hear this on TV (MTV, I think) and I got caught by it's soothing, mellow tune. Enjoy!
Download


True - Ryan Cabrera Music Code

The Fine Line Between Caring And Annoying Your Family Member...Turns Out That The Line Is Only A Phone Call

Well, make that 49 calls...per day! I happened to hear about it on the radio yesterday, and later I read about it in The Star. There was a lawsuit filed against a mother in Austria; by her own son. Apparently the son was pissed off of what have happened for merely two years, that he then decides to take it to the court. To be honest, I am not sure who to root for in this case, whether it's the son or the mother. Personally, 49 times a day is just too much. What do you know, perhaps one time the mother will call and ask if he already had his dinner, and the next 10 minutes the mother will call again to ask if he had washed his hands! I mean, what do you expect to talk about? More about it can be found on the link below:

Article Link


p/s: I am writing this from my office PC. Apparently my office PC is a lil bit gila. There are times you can access Blogger, and there are times that you are blocked. Then I can't do any formatting at it...sighhh

There Is In Fact A Child Inside All Of Us

I went to OU this afternoon with Yaya. The plan is to look for presents for my nephew Enyel (next week will be his 3rd birthday). It's been a while since I last looked up for birthday present, let alone for a 3 year old. So we went to Toys R Us, and man it's hard! I thought buying presents for a kid will be such an easy peasy job. I was sooo wrong! Here's some reasons on why this turned out to be so difficult.

A lot has changed since I was a kid (I'm an 80's child). I mean the variety of toys...just..wowww. We were so rambang mata around the store. You can't help it but to feel like buying it for yourself! I kid you not. We were in the LEGO section, and there were tonnes of cool LEGOs to choose from. For the plush toy fans, there a wide range to choose from (my personal favourite, Tickle Me Elmo Extreme). It does not stop there. You can even sort of 'influenced' your child into some specific career of your choice so that your kid grows into it. We're talking toy stetoscope for young and aspiring doctors to be, toy hammers and screwdrivers for the keen-to-be-engineers, and so on. There's model vehicles, fantasy model aircrafts (Transformers, Star Wars, etc.). There's even a mini bowling alley for crying out loud! For a glimpse in that moment, I wish I was a kid...again...

And then there's the more...realistic issue of concern. The more interesting or cool the toy is, the expensive it is. A Cool LEGO set will cost you RM400 and above. And let's just face it, you are definitely eyeing for the best, biggest and sickest toys out there! I can actually buy something small within my budget, but I just can't accept the fact that my nephew got something small (I will be damn frustrated if I were him). Parents, expect to burn a large hole in your pocket. Haiyaaaa...welcome to the world we're leaving in.

In the end, we spent about 1 hour and 30 minutes (I think) inside Toys R Us. Managed to pick the toy of our choice, get it wrapped and head back home. It was fun visiting a toy store once in a while, and that visit definitely brings out sweet childhood memories of myself. Or maybe I am just still a child at heart....Jaane!

Lewis Hamilton: Up Close And Personal

Lewis Hamilton. For all f1 fans , you can either love him or just hate him to the core. At a tender age of 22, he is having a blast enjoying what most of us can only dream of; driving an extreme piece of machine called F1 car. He's got the looks, the money, and don't forget the fact that he's dating a Nicole Sherzinger of PCD (dammit!). To be honest, I don't really fancy him. Throughout his debut season, I kinda thought that he's overhyped as the rookie of the year and so on. But as the season goes on, I have to admit, he's got some sick talent in driving. And only later on I found out that he's among the individuals who rise up to the occasion from wrecks to riches. He was not born...privileged like some other people (and some people that I know of who proved to be lame posers, having the money and privilege to venture into expensive motoring sports such as karting). I found this video interesting, and I surely hoped that you will enjoy it as much as I did. Enjoy:)

Video Link

Picture Time!

More pictures have been added up in my Web Albums (Sunburst, Earth Hour, Putrajaya Hot Air Ballon Festival). Feel free to check it out!

If Your IM Buddy List Was Honest

Your IM buddy chat window is filled with pseudonyms for all of your friends, but when you read it, you know who you're really talking to. (hahaha, it may be out of the line for some, but what the heck, it's just plain funny!)

Who The Hell Is Ken Block?

Well, you might just know a little about him after the watching the video. Apparently he is one of the best at what he does (again, you'll know after watching the video). Enjoy watching, just...try not to get any ideas, please. I know how Malaysians can be very...easily influenced...

The Most Expensive Coffee In The World Tastes Like Crap...

Well well well, little that I know that one of the most luxurious coffee that we fancy to drink every morning (at least for the rich and famous, not us middle and low-income mere mortals) came from what turned out to be from some animals...let's just say..droppings. I was watching this movie on HBO, 'The Bucket List' (starring star performers Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman), which by the way is a great great movie to watch. If you had the chance, turn in to HBO. In that movie, the character played by Nicholson is a rich ass business mogul who fancies, well a certain type of coffee; the type they called 'Kopi Luwak'. According to the movie, it's the most expensive coffee in the world, and in the end of the movie, he has been told of the origins of the coffee. Check out the movie quote, courtesy of IMDB:

[Carter hands Edward an article about Kopi Luwak, Edward's favorite coffee.]

Carter Chambers: Read it.

Edward Cole: [reading] Kopi Luwak is the world's most expensive coffee. Though for some, it falls under the category of "too good to be true." In the Sumatran village, where the beans are grown, lives a breed of wild tree cat. These cats eat the beans, digest them and then... defecate.
[pauses]

Edward Cole: The villagers then collect and process the stools. It is the combination of the beans and the gastric juices of the tree cat that give Kopi Luwak...
[Carter starts laughing]

Edward Cole: ... its unique flavor... and aroma. You're shitting me!

Carter Chambers: [laughing] Cats beat me to it!
[Carter and Edward both laugh hysterically.]


I was laughing my ass off, hearing that quote. And today, I started digging out 'Kopi Luwak' in Wikipedia. Check this out.

'Kopi Luwak (pronounced [ˈkopi ˈluwak]) or Civet coffee is coffee made from coffee berries which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). The civets eat the berries, but the beans inside pass through their system undigested. This process takes place on the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi in the Indonesian Archipelago, in the Philippines (where the product is called Kape Alamid) and in East Timor (locally called kafé-laku). Vietnam has a similar type of coffee, called weasel coffee, which is made from coffee berries which have been regurgitated by local weasels. In actuality the "weasel" is just the local version of the Asian Palm Civet.

Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee, and luwak is a local name of the Asian Palm Civet. The raw, red coffee berries are part of its normal diet, along with insects, small mammals, small reptiles, eggs and nestlings of birds, and other fruit. The inner bean of the berry is not digested, but it has been proposed that enzymes in the stomach of the civet add to the coffee's flavor by breaking down the proteins that give coffee its bitter taste. The beans are defecated, still covered in some inner layers of the berry. The beans are washed, and given only a light roast so as to not destroy the complex flavors that develop through the process. Some sources claim that the beans may be regurgitated instead of defecated.

In early days, the beans would be collected in the wild from a "latrine," or a specific place where the civet would defecate as a means to mark its territory, and these latrines would be a predictable place for local gatherers to find the beans. More commonly today, captured civets are fed raw berries, the feces produced are then processed and the coffee beans offered for sale.

Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world, selling for between $120 and $600 per pound, and is sold mainly in Japan and the United States. It is increasingly becoming available elsewhere, though supplies are limited; only 1,000 pounds (450 kg) at most make it into the world market each year...'

Hmm, never thought cat's shit taste so good and cost so much, hahahaha...Well, let's just leave the story there. I don't have the balls to try it, now that I know where it came from...Till the next post, happy sipping you favourite cup!

Seen And Heard: David Cook - Come Back To Me

Here's a new single from the newly crowned American Idol, David Cook. I heard it from the latest episode of Idol, where he was there as a guest performer. It's a great single, and hope and you feel the same way too. Enjoy:)
Download

David Cook - Come Back To Me (Official Music Video) - The funniest videos clips are here

I Want I Want I Want! (LV Damier Graphite Canvas)

Call me vain, call me...whatever you want to call me, but I just can't resist the LV Damier Graphite Canvas series of luggages. The design and colour is just so...wowww. Check out the images below...I'll start saving now!

Malaysian F1 Grand Prix: Even The Bomohs Can't Act God...

So, have you guys watched the race yesterday? To the mat salehs, may we present you the Malaysian weather at it's best potential. If there's such heavy downpour which can stop races, this is it. And with the time shifted later in the evening, the visibility and light penetration is getting poorer by every minute. In the end, safety car was launched, and the race was red-flagged, and Jenson Button of Brawn GP went on his second consecutive victory of this season. Bravo Brawn! The underdogs have done it again! Boy oh boy will the favourites have another rivalry this year.

Well, I wish not to talk much about the race, you can just read it elsewhere. I'll be sharing some of my experience and my thoughts throughout yesterdays happenings. So, my brother and I, and a couple of his friends went together, car-pooling. We happened to have two parking stickers, and unsure of what to do with the second one, we decided to make ourselves an easy fortune; we'll sell it, haha. Upon arrival in the KLIA toll plaza, we begun our marketing strategy. With proper 'product positioning' (that is at the side windows of the car), we managed to attract some looks from fellow motorists. One Indian dude was staring so seriously even after his car went pass us. Looks like more and more people got interested. We then stopped our car at the area where parking tickets sold, and started offering. One by one cars asked for it. One Malay dude asked for a mere 30 bucks. I mean come on! The sticker alone costed 50! and the location is far from the main entrance. What we had is so much better; the sticker with 'SIC' on it, it is like the best parking spot! (after the paddock club, of course). About 10 minutes later, a group of interested Chinese started asking for it. 50 bucks! or you may queue at the line. Without further hesitation, a friend of his started pulling out 50 ringgit note. Ka-Ching! A sale was made! hahaha. Now we got ourselves a free dinner money. Now, off to the track.

One thing I realised this year is the traffic. I know that in the news report everywhere, the police force has given a guarantee that the traffic flow will be smooth. Judging from what I saw yesterday, it seems that nothing much has been done. Cutting queues were still there. And when there are policemen watching over, the motorist started switching to the right lane. And there's a group of ass clowns taking opportunity over police escorts passing to let the VVIPs through. Talk about Malaysian typical mentality. Sighhh, when are we gonna change ourselves eh?

Fortunately, all is not lost with the race stopped about halfway due to the rain. We were heavily entertained by the UK megastar by the name of Jamiroquai! Wooohoooo! He is truly a showman, 90 minutes of fast paced, pulsating tunes that surely rocked the stage and the crowd. And with some string pulled out, we got to party VIP style. There's free food, drinks, the lovely people dancing and enjoying themselves. What a crowd! The only downside is the slippery, muddy surface and the light drizzle. I wore white yesterday, and let's just say, it turned brown. It was that bad. We didn't Jay Kay's performance to be this long and awesome. We kinda expected it to be like a short 5,6 songs. He took the whole 90 minute; it was practically a Jamiroquai concert live in Malaysia, not just some entertainment for Formula 1. And guess what, should you purchase the cheapest ticket (50, I think?), you still got to enjoy the concert. I mean, it was like the cheapest gig ever! To the organizers, good job man! Hope to see more interesting acts next year. And Jay Kay, what can I say, you rock dude!

And after all that just happened, I'm just too tired to work today, so I took a day off! Hahaha...please please don't tell my boss (I kinda told him that I had a fever). Till the next post, Jaane!

Malaysian Taxi Drivers, Wannabe Posers & Brawn Domination: My Two Cents Worth

My internet connection back in my home in Malacca is not working, so I can only update my blog during the weekend. Anyway, a few things caught my attention throughout the week. One comes from a comment sent by a reader in The Star's webpage about the disgrace of our very own Malaysian taxi drivers. We have heard so much about them; about them overcharging their fares, not using their metres, being snobbish and rude, and picky about destinations. In a way, they have portrayed such a bad image towards Malaysia. The government has spent millions of ringgits in tourism, promoting Malaysia as 'truly Asia', yet the attitude does not represent Asia at all. According to the reader, even taxis in the Philipines and Thailand are better and more ahead than us, not to mention our closest neighbour, the Singaporeans. Are we too late or is there still something up on the Government's sleeves to solve this problem? All Malaysians ever want is a decent ride to get us from A to B with comfort, drove by a decent, well-mannered Malaysians. You may search in Google for answers, but may I suggest the search engine in The Star as a good start to understand to the core the frustrations faced by all of us. Dear CVLB (Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board), do something!

Thursday was the Malaysian premierre of the long awaited Fast and Furious. This time, it goes back old skool (yeah, just like the first movie). Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster (damn she's hot!) is back in action. I would not say it is as good as the original (nothing beats the original), but an entertaining action flick I must say. I would give it a 7 out of 10. Actually I'm not here to comment about the movie. You've got to see it for yourself! What I'm interested to write about is what happens after that. My friends and I were queuing up to pay the parking ticket, and there it was; a bunch of immature wannabe posers who suddenly acted as if the're in the movie. They started revving their not so powerful engines to the max, trying to create a scene with hope everyone starts to admire of their ride's 'potential'. I mean come on! it's not that you're riding a R-34, a Sylvia or even a Golf GTi!! You guys drove only a mere timid Proton Satria with some add-ons and mods. Big deal! If you asked me, I'm not at all impressed. You will get my attention and respect if you're in one of those real rides. And the funny thing is, those who are in this genuine rides did not show off at all. They acted all poised and cool. Not like them posers. God I hate them. At one them, I just wished them to bang at some lamp post or wall or something. That will teach them a lesson.

Anyway, today is the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Sepang. It's the tenth anniversary of Malaysia organising this prestigious event, and yours truly is going! Formula 1 has always been my regular staple in my life calendar. And looking at the qualifying yesterday, Brawn has done it again! Button has scored yet another pole. Wow, this underdog is a must watch. The favourites (Ferrari, McLaren & BMW) have not been impressive in the track. Well, today is the race day, and we'll see if Brawn can do it again! You know what, I'm gonna look up for a Brawn cap. I have 'switched' my allegiance to Brawn GP (Sorry Sauber!). To top things up, Jamiroquai will be performing in a post race concert. Hopefully the weather is on our favour, and we're promised to a top notch racing action.

Till the next post. Vroom Vroom!