A Busy Month

I've had a pretty busy month. Well, pretty in the sense that I've managed to meet some famous Malaysian personalities! :P

First up: Goodyear Malaysia Drift Team's Ariff Johanis and Azrina Jane

Then I finally managed to meet my favourite drift racer who is also Malaysia's "Drift King", Tengku Djan Ley!

In the process, I also managed to get Abang Djan's (as I'd call him) autograph as well! Thanks Abang Djan! :D By the way, the car in the drawing is Abang Djan's car. :)

And finally, we have Felixia Yeap, Malaysia's first Playboy Bunny whom I met at the Falken Roadshow 2011 in 1 Utama.

The Passing Of A Great Man

Apple Inc. co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs has passed away on 5th October 2011 at the age of 56, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Mr. Jobs was a visionary man, as he was one of the few people who saw into the future of the I.T world and almost single-handedly changed the landscape of it. His visions has seen Apple rolling out game-changing and iconic electronic devices such as the portable music player iPod and tablet computer iPad. There's no denying that these products have changed the way many people lived and communicate. It is an irony that Steve Jobs passing came a day after Apple launched the new iPhone 4S smartphone. Some people reckoned that Jobs lived to see that the company is now in the right hands and is going strong. Eventhough I am not a fan of the Apple iPhone, the iPod is one of my dream gadgets that I wished to own one day.

R.I.P Steve Jobs. You truly are a genius.

Waiting For A Beginning

How long has it been since I last blogged here? I have no idea. Looking back at my last post, it has been nearly 3 months already. Looks like my blog is being abandoned day by day. I really don't know what to blog about actually, plus all my college days are getting in my way. I can't believe the amount of work being piled on everyday for every single subject. College has been such fun! I realized that what my Uncle David told me last year was true, that art and design students think differently from the common crowd. This was somehow proven when I managed to click with so many new people on my first day and already made best friends with a few people. Compared back to my high school that would've taken me days. Indeed, me and my newfound friends are constantly agreeing on a lot of things and we rarely criticize each other. Indeed, a new era has begun. Anyways, one of my best friends will be leaving Malaysia at the end of this month, migrating to Australia with her mother. Hopefully I will be able to go to the airport and bid her my final farewell. While there is a light illuminating my path forward, there is one thing that I can never leave behind: regrets.

An Outing With A Best Friend

Back on Saturday, 16th July I had an outing with my best friend. It was a deal between me and her that I'd treat her to lunch if she gets better result than me during SPM (I placed the bet on her intentionally, because I know very well that she'd beat me at the end of the day and because I wanted to treat her to a meal before to migrates to Australia at the end of the year). After many months of delays due to her busy schedule, she was finally free on Saturday. I had only intend to treat her to lunch and then go shopping, but she then decided to treat me back to a movie as well because I had got my driving license a few weeks ago. So it was a fun-filled day for the both of us, going to Pizza Hut for our meal and watching 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2'. The movie was kinda good, and she kept telling me how she sad she feels that the whole Harry Potter movie series has come to an end because "it has been part of my life since 10 years ago". As for me, I'm just gonna miss the characters themselves, but both of us agree that the ending is kinda too simple to our liking. After the movie we went to the arcade, where she first-handedly see my driving skills in a game. She commented on the amount of seriousness I put into the game, to which I replied "it's just my concentration that makes me look serious". Later when it was time to part ways, I felt so reluctant to say farewell to her. Who knows it might be the last time we'll ever meet face-to-face?

History Made

July 9th 2011 was the day another story was added into Malaysian history. What am I talking about? It's the Bersih 2.0 march, an event created to call on the government for a fair and clean General Election. Supported by various NGOs and Opposition parties, the march saw people taking part going around town to create awareness of the campaign and later hand over a memorandum to the King. This caused downtown KL to become a deserted ghost town and motorist heading to town were caught in massive traffic jam due to police road blocks. Just by the severity of the gridlock can you already imagine how big the event was.

Back on my personal front and rewinding back to 4 days earlier, I had finally passed my driving test! Now if anyone asks if I have got a driving license, I can proudly answer them "yes". Too bad I won't be having my own car any sooner though (which also meant that my plans to buy that junked Datsun 240Z near my house and turn it into the "Devil Z" has gone up in smoke)... :(

Guilty - The Rasmus

I feel guilty
My words are empty
No signs to give you
Don't have the time for you
You say I'm heartless
And you say I don't care
I used to be there for you
And you've said I seem so dead
That I have changed but so have you

Guilty wohooooo...
Guilty I feel so
Empty yeaaaaaah...
Empty you know how to make me feel

I put a shield upon you
Didn't mean to hurt you
I would have only poisoned your mind
Never meant to make you cry
You've been so thoughtless
I can see right through you
You used to be there for me
Don't you leave say goodbye
Cause you have changed but so have I

Guilty wohooooo...
Guilty I feel so
Empty yeaaaaaah...
Empty you know how to make me feel

I never thought that the time and the distance between us made you so much colder
I'll carry the world on my shoulders

(Guilty) Wohooooo...
(Empty) Yeaaaaaah...
(Guilty) Guilty wohooooo...
Empty yeaaaaaah...

Guilty wohooooo...
Guilty I feel so
Empty yeaaaaaah...
Empty you know how to make me feel

Guilty wohooooo...
Empty yeaaaaaah...
You know how to make me feel

Guilty... (wohooooo...)
So guilty...
Empty (wohooooo...)
So empty

You know how to make me feel

In The Shadows - The Rasmus

No sleep... no sleep until I'm done with finding the answer
Won't stop... won't stop before I find a cure for this cancer
Sometimes... I feel like I went down and so disconnected
Somehow... I like I am haunted to be wanted

I've been watching, I've been waiting
In the shadows, for my time
I've been searching, I've been living
In the shadows, all my life...

In the shadows...

They say... that I must learn to kill before I can feel safe
But I... I'd rather kill myself than turn into their slaves
Sometimes... I feel like I should go and play with the thunder
Somehow... I just don’t wanna stay and wait for a wonder

I've been watching, I've been waiting
In the shadows, for my time
I've been searching, I've been living
In the shadows, all my life...

Lately,
I’ve been walking, walking in circles, watching, waiting for something
Feel me, touch me, heal me, come take me higher

I've been watching, I've been waiting
In the shadows, for my time
I've been searching, I've been living
In the shadows, all my life...

I've been watching.....
I've been waiting....
I've watching....
I've been living... for tomorrow...

In the shadows...

I've been watching.....

Back To December

It seems like it was only last month that I finished high school. Finishing high schools gives us more freedom to express our true selves through our appearances. Going to college opens up a new chapter in my life. Even then, some things just cannot change, and will not change. Forever.



I'm so glad you made time to see me
How's life? Tell me, how's your family
I haven't seen them in a while...
You've been good, busier than ever
We small talk, work and the weather
Your guard is up and I know why...
Because the last time you saw me
Is still burning in the back of your mind
You gave me roses, and I left them there to die...

So this is me swallowing my pride
Standing in front of you
Saying I'm sorry for that night...
And I go back to December all the time
It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you
Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine
I go back to December turn around and make it all right
I go back to December all the time

These days, I haven't been sleeping
Staying up playing back myself leaving
When your birthday passed and I didn't call...
Then I think about summer, all the beautiful times
I watched you laughing from the passenger side
And realized I loved you in the fall...
And then the cold came, the dark days
When fear crept into my mind
You gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye...

So this is me swallowing my pride
Standing in front of you
Saying I'm sorry for that night...
And I go back to December all the time
It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you
Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine...
I go back to December, turn around and change my own mind
I go back to December all the time

I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile
So good to me, so right
And how you held me in your arms that September night
The first time you ever saw me cry
Maybe this is wishful thinking
Probably mindless dreaming
But if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right

I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't
So if the chain is on your door, I understand

This is me swallowing my pride
Standing in front of you
Saying I'm sorry for that night...
And I go back to December...

It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you
Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine
I go back to December, turn around and make it all right
I go back to December, turn around and change my own mind
I go back to December all the time

All the time...

Team Lotus Launches Their 2011 Formula 1 Car

Team Lotus, formerly known as Lotus Racing F1 Team, unveiled their latest F1 car online on January 31st 2011. Christened the T128, the new machine was completely new, with a split airbox design similar to the one seen on the Mercedes Petronas GP's 2010 car. The Lotus T128 will be the one of only two teams this year to use this airbox design (the other is Force India. Mercedes Petronas GP has reverted back to the conventional design for this season). It is also interesting to note that the T128 will run on Renault engines with Red Bull Technology gearboxes, which should boost their chances to achieve the team's aim to get around 50 points this year. Here is a sampling of what the people involved in the build of this project has to say:-

“I think that basically this car looks like a front-running car in every area. We said very clearly that we want to start challenging the established teams and I think that’s very achievable. The 2011 challenger is almost a totally new car.” – Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer.

“We’re definitely going to take a step forward with this car. Quite how much we’ll close the gap to the teams in front of us we’ll see, but my hope is we’ll be competing with the teams that were a second or two ahead of us last season.” – Elliot Dason-Barber, head of R&D and vehicle dynamics.

“You can just see that this car will be faster than last year’s. It’s got the right sweeps and curves on it – it’s the very latest iteration of what an F1 car should be.” – Keith Saunt, chief operating officer.

“The biggest design challenge was trying to package everything a bit smaller. We were trying to get that area around the driver really tight so the aerodynamicists were happy with it.” – Lewis Butler, chief designer.

“I think the front half of the car is quite a big step away from the 2010 car. Last year’s car was a bit blocky in the sidepod area, but this one looks a lot racier – it’s a lot smoother and curvier around the sidepods.” – Marianne Hinson, head of aerodynamics

“T128 takes Team Lotus in exactly the right direction. We have said since day one of the Team Lotus dream that the plan for our second year was to take the fight to the midfield, and with this car we are all confident that is what we will be able to do.” – Riad Asmat, chief executive officer.

And of course, let’s not forget the man.

“There has been so much focus off-track, it’s a thrill to be able to get back to talking about racing. The launch of the T128 is a big step forward for Team Lotus and I want to thank the whole team for the amount of hard work that has already gone into the car, and I want to thank Renault and Red Bull Technology for their tremendous support in helping us make this step forward and for being such great team partners.” – Tony Fernandes, team principal.

An Incredible Journey

Every Chinese New Year spells the need for my family and relatives from my mother's side to return to Ipoh, Perak for the reunion dinner. This year's edition was more special than I could remember in my memory. Here's a recap of the events.

January 3rd
Drove up to Mentakab, Pahang to my 2nd uncle's house for lunch. What was supposed to be a three car convoy trip with my 3rd and 8th aunt's family became 2 when my 8th aunt's husband couldn't catch up with my dad's car, got lost and pulled out of the journey. Upon arrival, we were greeted by my 2nd uncle's loud, cheerful voice and my cousins as well. We had a good lunch served up by one of my cousins who works as a cook, but little did I know this meal would be the start of a nightmare for the next few days. Later in the night, after returning from KL, my youngest uncle came back from Sabah and stayed with us overnight.

January 4th
Our 2nd day started with the journey to Ipoh as early as 8.15 a.m. My family travelled with my youngest uncle, who drove the car graciously loaned to him by my 3rd uncle the night before. For the first time in my life, my dad had to drive at around 90-100 km/h on the highway so that my youngest uncle could keep up with us. Halfway through the journey, we caught up with my 3rd uncle and his family. It was quite surprising to see them actually, as we didn't expect to catch up with him because he started off earlier than us. Arriving at my eldest aunt's (who is also my godmother) house at Chemor two-and-a half hours later, me and my dad got sleepy because we slept quite late last night. We quickly grabbed fourty winks and by evening we went over to my grand-aunt's house in Sungai Siput for dinner. There I also learned to play some card games, but I still stand with my 'no gambling' rules.

January 5th
This day saw my family and a few of my relatives going to Taiping in the afternoon to visit another relativeand return to Chemor by evening for a big dinner. Everything was pretty fine until the journey back came. There was massive jam everywhere and just when I thought my family were the latest to arrive, some of my other relatives weren't even there yet! That proves that the jam was MASSIVE! Food for dinner includes yee sang, Thai-style fried chicken, shark's fin soup, steamed fish and then some. Remember I mentioned the word 'nightmare' ealier? Well, my nightmare meant that for the 3rd successive day I've been eating lots of chicken and fish. To make matters worse, I had to finish almost the whole chicken dish myself. Dinner was finished near 10 p.m and we returned to my aunt's house. Later at almost midnight one of my cousins suggested that we go and have a drink or two at the coffeeshop nearby. We had a cup of herbal tea to clear the oil accumulated in our stomach from all the food we had for the past few days, but then one of them wanted to eat burger and we walked over to a nearby burger stall for a burger and two. After buying, we headed over to the area's recreational park to feast on their food. The park was pretty dark by that time (there was a lack of lighting facility) and we just sat there eating, joking and talking about lots of things before heading back to the house at nearly 2 a.m.

January 6th
This day was my last day at Ipoh. Had to wake up pretty early to start the journey to avoid traffic jam. The way back was greeted early by a leaking left rear tyre on my dad's car. The journey home was a pretty boring affair, with traffic jam right not far from the exit to the highway to Ipoh. To avoid fuel wastage, we turned off at Bidor to use the trunk road right up to Tanjung Malim before turning down to the highway again. We arrived home in KL at 1 p.m. and had chicken rice (sigh! gasp!) for lunch.

As a summary, this year's Chinese New Year journey doesn't look like a repeat of every other years, perhaps due to the fact that I am no longer studying as of now. But this time I've had my fair share of bad and good experience, mixed emotions and inheritance of more knowledge, this year's journey is more akin to one of premier automotive show Top Gear's challenges: a road trip.

Seeing Green

I set a personal new record of watching a new movie a few days after it's released. "The Green Hornet" was just brilliant! Seeing Jay Chou speaking English for the first time was the main reason I wanted to catch the movie. The story of "The Green Hornet" revolves around playboy Britt Reid (Seth Rogen), whose hard-partying life disgusts his newspaper publishing father (Tom Wilkinson). However, when his father was found dead from an allergic reaction to a bee sting, Britt inherits the newspaper publishing company and decides to change for the better. In the process, he also gains the services of this father's most inventive and industrious employee Kato (Jay Chou). After befriending Kato and knows of his impressive technical knowledge and martial arts expertise, Britt proposes to the Asian manservant that they go fight crime in the city. When they learn of a Russian mobster (Christoph Waltz) that intends to take full control of the city's crime network, they established the identity of The Green Hornet and began driving around in their heavily customised 1965 Chrysler Imperial Crown called the Black Beauty to stop the villain's big plans. On a whole, I'd give this movie a 8/10 rating. Rogen's acting as the main man is just a little over-the-top. Jay, on the other hand did impressively in his Hollywood debut, although his English could use a little more polish. When he needs to speak very quickly, you can't really hear a word he says. The movie should be viewed from an entartaining approach, rather than serious. The are many jokes and funny moments to enjoy, but some effects are just way too fake.

A New Era

With 2010 gone, here comes 2011. And with 2011 arriving it spells the end of secondary school life for me. 2010 has been a year full of ups and downs to me. I had never imagined myself playing such a big role in my friend's life. Nor had I imagined how fast the year just went by. When the "King Of Pop" Michael Jackson's first anniversary of his death arrived, it felt like it was only 6 months ago that he passed away. But by any means, 2011 is a great year to look forward to in terms of the movie industry is to go. Big titles with big stars are the theme for this year, as well as being 'green'! With movies like "The Green Hornet", "The Green Lantern", "Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon", "Pirates of the Carribbean: On Stranger Tides", "Captain America" and "Thor", the cinemas are bound to be jam-packed. While I cannot expect to see myself this year to be in any great situation as of now, all I can hope for (and also one of my New Year's resolution) is to get my driving license by March. With this I hereby attach the music video of Jay Chou's song "The Era" as a reference to this post's title.