bvc100 e-LiFe

Thank You~!

2010-01-06T08:01:00.000+08:00

Alhamdulillah~
My akad nikah and both wedding reception went well. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came, and those involved in all of the events.
Just got back in the office a few days ago after a long, long break.

In any case may Allah bless all of our lives.
Thanks again

Quickie - 15/11/2009

2009-11-15T02:01:00.003+08:00

The wedding invitation card is ready. Yay!

As promised, well... promised or not I'm inviting you, my blog readers to my wedding reception.
Details are as on the card. Click for the bigger version

Hope that you guys can make it. On behalf of my soon-to-be wife (current status; fiance), thanks for all of your support, prayers and blessings so far. May Allah bless us and everyone forever~~~

Quickie - 12/11/2009

2009-11-12T07:43:00.000+08:00

1 month to go... in case any one of you who do read this blog ever forget, i'm getting married in December.
The wedding invitation card is ready, but it seems i can't find the time nor can i remember names of everyone whom i should invite over. Luckily for me, since the evolution of internet has made information easily accessible to everyone, i guess that for those that can access it i better be sending them an e-invitation.

so for you guys out there, the reader of this blog, you're invited. i'll try to post the invitation card here by the end of the week. if i can get the scanner up and running. My office scanner can only give B/W scans. Crud

Anyway, nothing much happened. A couple of bent rims on Aoi-chan (fixed), 1/2 consumption campaign (eat 1/2 of what i usually consume in a day, food that is), hectic work schedule, the lot.

And of course, the reason as to almost 1 month of non-posting... the connection to the net in the office sucks bad.
The end

Quickie - 20/10/2009; Deepavali, UPM, Jenson Button, Malaysia Day and condense

2009-10-20T07:42:00.000+08:00

As usual, got cought up in the real world that i soon forgot to update the blog. Oh well... i guess i have to face the fact that i'm not able to do it so often now...
Onwards then with the posting this time around;

First and foremost, i'd like to wish all of our Hindu friends a very happy (belated) Deepavali~ Hope your celebration of lights will shine upon everyone around you~

Secondly, got invited to give a talk at UPM (Universiti Putra Malaysia) at their Engineering Faculty. The topic was; Mass Engineering - Cheaper but superior. I guess i had a good time although since it's my first time in giving out such seminar, there's room for improvement. Would like to thank and congratulate Acap and his team members for their invitation and effort on staging the event.

Third, and i guess i got this news late, a big big congratulations for Jenson Button on becoming an F1 world champion. I believed can become one when i saw him and how he showed his passion when he came to one of Top Gear's shows. And now, he is. I guess only he knows that all the ups and downs was worth it. Congrats again.

Fourth, Malaysia Day. Nice, another public holiday to be added on the long list of Malaysia's other public holidays. But i think this one is correct and can't be seen as a political stunt. Merdeka Day is on the day we became an independent country, but Malaysia Day is when our home soil became as it's known today. Thanks to the government for acknowledging this fact.

Last but not least, i plan to condense the 3 blogs i have right now into one. It seems that one is almost defunct, whilst the other have no coverage. And at least i'll be able to manage it properly... i think.

Nice, all of the entries completed. Have a good day~

Quickie - 29/9/2009; Furnitures and OPS

2009-09-29T07:38:00.000+08:00

Will be getting the first batch of newly purchased furnitures this evening, bought in preparation of the house for my soon to be wife after our marriage... and because of the price surprise. Rather astonished that given a bit of effort, you can save a lot and still get good deals on them. I'd suggest that anyone out there thinking of buying new or replacing their current crop of furnitures have a snoop around the Cavenzi furtniture outlet. You'll be as staggered as me, i can bet you. Of course, by default, do also take a peek at IKEA. They sometimes provide quite a lot of quality and design for a decent price.

OPS Sikap 20 ended recently and thank God, although the death toll have gone up by 53 over the OPS Sikap 17... none of the deaths were due to accidents involving the public transportation. A pat on the back for the people of JPJ and also the bus companies. The highest death count was from the motorcylist, which seems logic since they have no protection whatsoever against any form of accident... guess my children will know later that the soon to be established household is an anti-motorcyle one. Cars... well here i must say that although they're safer than the bikes, but should a big accident occur, the death count will be higher per case as they carry more passengers on board. So likewise, the summary can be read like this; Don't ride a bike to "balik kampung", take a bus instead. If you are driving, don't be a stupid driver and put everyone who is ferrying with you at risk.

Oh, one more thing... none of the incident reported on TV had anything to do with speeding. It was always a case of some idiot just wanting to get there faster than everyone else or another idiot falling asleep behind the wheel. Idiots. Case closed

BIG Quickie - 23/9/2009

2009-09-23T01:08:00.003+08:00

Phew~ Just got hold of a proper internet connection.
Some people say that wise people say less. Then i'll let my artwork do the talking~

*Please click for bigger view. Nicer~

Enjoy your holidays with your loved ones~~~

Quickie - 9/9/2009; Timing, McBlog, Fireworks and Road Safety

2009-09-09T13:27:00.001+08:00

Dunno if some of you realized that the entries i put in my blog are rather random (both in terms of date and topic). Last week was rather busy, so no blogs there. Why suddenly today? Found a new route to work and although it cost me RM0.60 more in terms of toll... the time and energy saved outweigh it. Will be looking to see if it's a possible fixed alternative to my usual route.

Oh, by the way, just for this entry... i shall rebrand my blog to bvc100's McBlog. No no no... this has nothing to do with the fact that McD just lost a battle for exclusivity to use the "Mc" trademark over a curry house which rebranded itself as McCurry 8 years ago. It's odd really that they had thought the use of "Mc" is for themselves. Maybe i should bring some people into the court for having my name... and then lose the battle completely

Firecrackers or fireworks. Can't live with them, can't live without them. But then again, i think i'm on the government's side on this one. Yes, fireworks should be enjoyed by everyone but it should ONLY be handled by pros. To parents; DON'T BUY THEM FOR YOUR KIDS! THEY'RE NOT TOYS AND ARE NOT STUFF THAT CAN BE HANDLED BY KIDS. KIDS ARE NOT PROS!!! I still can't believe that some parents are still thickheaded. "Oh, tak raya la kalau takde bunga api (Oh, it's not fun without fireworks)", a parent i asked answered. Believe me, some things are banned for a reason. You don't want your kid to lose their arm/finger/eye/life just for that milisecond of fun, do you? But then again, like i said, some are just thickheaded.

Road safety... hmmmm... i think i've been banging on this topic for way too much. But then again, as a good samaritan i'll just remind whoever is bothered to read this blog on what to do before you set out on your journey, especially in this festive season;
1. Do some pre-drive checks; the engine oil and coolant level, tyre air pressure, lights (all) and brakes
2. Fill your car up before moving. You never know how long that traffic jam will be
3. Wear your ##@!@!$$%#@$ seatbelt! And that means your children as well! Tak selesa (Uncomfortable)? Tell that to God if you die in an accident only because you didn't wear your seatbelt (i say those that doesn't wear theirs whilst on the move are just trying to commit suicide)
4. Be committed to your driving. A lot of us are competent (some aren't), but almost all of us aren't committed to our driving; SMS, calls, put on makeups, etc... while driving. Nice~ NOT!
5. Think of the rest. I'm tired of typing. If you can drive, that means you should be able to think and differenciate what's safe to do and what's not. If you can't... then sod off

Quickie - 26/8/2009; Ratio, current issues and signalling

2009-08-26T07:42:00.000+08:00

First and foremost i'd like to congratulate PAS on their win. And for the losing party, good luck on the next election. In any case, although the media has reported that the number of the majority that PAS won over BN is lower, i wonder how it is in terms of ratios? Usually, although the number in it's base form (in this case the number of votes counted) seems lower, but if you put it in terms of ratio (let's say, votes over the actual turnout) it could tell a different story.
For instance, if the number of voters are 1000 (selected for ease of understanding) and you won since you got 70% of the votes (700 vs. 300), then your ratio is 70%. If the outcome is slightly lower (say 500 people voted), then a 80% win over the other party means that you got 400 votes (vs. 100 for your opposition). Thus is you compare the base values, you're winning by a smaller margin (300 votes majority with 500 number of voters vs. 400 votes majority with 1000 voters) but the ratio say otherwise (80% vs. 70%).
That's what we usually do in engineering since the ratio gives you a more correct look of a situation you're looking into. Perhaps it should be used here as well.

Wouldn't want to discuss anymore regarding the Kartika issue, although it's very tempting to do so. I'll leave it to the 'proper' poeple for them to solve since i think the issue is getting a wee bit too much attention from everyone. As the saying goes (correct me if i'm wrong); "You can satisfy a person most of the time, but you can't satisfy everyone all of the time". In any case, i've stated my stand in this on the previous post.

Signalling... where do i begin. Let's cut it short; Malaysians! I plead to you! Use your indicator stalks more and tell the other road users where you intend to go by signalling left or right! And for heaven's sake don't put on your emergency/hazard signal unnecessarily! I haven't crashed into anyone not doing so yet (but a million times near misses... including a few this morning, THANKS A LOT!!!) and i don't intend to. Use it or you might end up killing someone or your beloved ones in a bad accident someday!

Quickie - 25/8/2009; Traffic jam, TNG & equality

2009-08-25T07:40:00.001+08:00

Went back as per the temporary work schedule for the month of Ramadhan and regretted it. Should've stayed back a bit longer (which i will today) and let the congestion fade off a bit before making my move. Ended up making a usually 20mins (maximum) journey a 45mins one, mostly being static.

One thing which i rather found amusing is how we Malaysians use the TNG system, in specific the Smart Tag. I wonder why most of the people in front of my wave their Tags as they approach the dedicated lanes. Of which 50% will fail causing everybody to slam their brakes to avoid a collision. Those sensors are supposed to pick up your Tag's signal at a certain distance and angle; as specified with the diagram given with the thing when you bought it. I confess that even i don't stick it in place as suggested, but i leave it on my dashboard in the middle and close to the windscreen since it works just as well. The reason being for safety, as with those who waves the thing about. And that method hasn't skipped a beat yet. So people with the Tags, don't wave the thing like an idiot when you get to the lanes and cause an accident if the sensors don't pick up your Tag's signal. Put it on the dashboard (it works, trust me) and store it somewhere safe afterwards. I don't want to be in one (the accident of course).

I know everyone is aware of the Kartika issue currently hot on the news. Let's face the fact, in any law syariah or not, women and men are to be treated equally. Some feminist movement are asking for equality in everything, so being treated equally in the judicial system is part and parcel of the package. One more thing, those who do any sort of wrong are to be given their judgement. Since the issue of Kartika is related to the Islamic religion (i'm sure every religion has it's own rules, regulations, laws, etc.), then her punishment is equal to that of a male of the similar wrong-doing. In any case, Kartika, i salute you for being honest and facing the fact like a true Muslim.

Quickie - 24/8/2009; Despair, hope & Ramadhan

2009-08-24T07:36:00.001+08:00

Had a very jumbled up time last week. Had to do this and that, whilst preparing myself for the month of Ramadhan... and made a very2 big mistake in sending Aoi-chan for a wash. I have to admit that it was entirely my fault that Aoi-chan looked screwed up (full of scratches all over) after the wash. I gave them the order to remove the dirt (which was actually cement, darn that construction site!) and... i think you get the idea. Adding insult to my already bad injury, i had a go myself at removing the rest (they stopped once they realized that if they didn't, it'll only make matters worse) but... again, you get the idea (i screwed up... even more). Despair! AAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!
Three options were laid before me (hope); leave it as it is (rejected point blank; am i mad to leave it like that?) or gamble on a full body polish or get a respray... in which i chose the second option. Largely because it's cheaper (although it's a gamble) and partially because i need to use Aoi-chan since my sister had already taken the spare car to IIUM. Alhamdulillah... although some of the scratches are still there, at least Aoi-chan looked better than before the treatment. And more sparkling too. Money well spent then, for now. Here's hoping that those remaining scratches will not do harm later on... gulp!

Oh, lest i forget, i'd like to wish every Muslim out there

Ramadhan Kareem~~~!
Happy fasting! And may Allah bless and protect us all throughout the month!

Quickie - 13/8/2009; Headlines, Schumi and words

2009-08-13T07:45:00.000+08:00

Noticed that the H1N1 is slowly losing it's grip somewhere; the headlines in the free Sun newspaper i read every morning. It seems that either the news does not sell anymore or it's just not attention grabbing? Either way, if suddenly there's a spike in the number of deaths it'll sure to come out as a front page. As usual; good news sells fast, bad news even faster. Add to that commonplace news doesn't sell, hot saucy ones do. The end.

Also read the other day and today regarding Schumi cancelling his comeback (temporarily or not) to F1. As sad as his fans are (me included), i'm quite sure that he's having it even worse. All i can say to Schumi is that it's ok. Everyone will say this and that, it's natural. In any case, do what's best for you, within our limited powers as human beings. Me and the other fans will always support you. As for the other people out there, remember this; Accidents do happen, but just stick to 4 wheels and not 2.

Found it interesting to read about new and usually unused words in the papers from time to time. The words are often introduced (or popularized) by our fellow people leading or running the country. The hot words right now? One of it is "sedition". And no, it has nothing to do with being sedate. Go look up the meaning somewhere. Wonder what's the next word to eb popularized? Here's hoping it's one with a good meaning...

Quickie - 11/8/2009; Opened, haze and current issues

2009-08-11T07:38:00.001+08:00

Found out yesterday that the new Masjid (Mosque) near my apartment have opened recently. The design of the building is rather simple and elegant. And rather big too. Dunno why there wasn't any ceremony to officialize it's opening; either i missed it, it hasn't happended yet or not going to happen at all. Seeing the fact that i'm going to be there for quite some time, guess i'll pop-in regularly (whenever possible that is) and get involved with the Muslim community of the area. Nice!

The hazy condition that used to spoil my mornings over the few weeks have been reduced significantly this morning thanks in part to the heavy downpour of yesterday evening and wuite possibly some more last night. Taking a breath of air this morning seemed clearer and fresher. Should thank God for that and hopefully no idiot will spoil this again (here's hoping). Another nice!

Still in a daze of why the health ministry is letting people loose in this H1N1 pandemic. I would rather have had the schools, institutions or anything that have the suspected H1N1 infected people quarantine everyone in the place rather than having them go home. Think about it; a week of quarantine at home? If you're a kid and both of your parents are working, isn't this like a special long holiday for you to play around? If you're a University student, this is the chance for you to enjoy and go on dates... the result? More intense and severe local transmissions. Good work whoever thought of that one. "GOOD WORK!"
Funnily enough, it seems that some Malaysians are rather, clueless shall we say that even though they know that the pandemic is still not settled, they're banging on about something else that only flocks loads and loads of people together and quite possibly make more local transmission of the darn thing in the process. One i can point out is the by-election at Permatang Pasir slated for Aug 17. Can't they consider doing it at a later date? If they still need to do it (guess that one place can't be run without a politician eh?), can they somehow modify the process of coming over to a particular place to vote? Just this once. Don't want to have a hooo-haaa election, but kill some people accidentally along the way. Again, here's hoping.

Quickie - 5/8/2009; Fear

2009-08-05T07:52:00.000+08:00

Being human, i think this feeling or part of us is truly unique. For instance, i fear of the speed camera. One click and a summon is coming your way. Hahahaha~

But one of the thing i feared happeing in the current pandaemic appeared in the free Sun newspaper this morning; Tamiflu resistant Flu was found. Although it's in US, in time if were not careful, could be found worldwide. Ouch. Everbody needs to play their role in this thing. Nobody's a winner right now.

Another thing which i don't fear but don't like is the state of the smog in our air here. This morning is worse than yeasterday, which in turn was worse than the day before. Not good. My nose is sensitive, but with the recovery from my sickness has become even more sensitive than ever.
Hope it rains soon... *Cough cough cough!

Quickie - 3/8/2009; Sickness and Muhassabah

2009-08-03T13:08:00.000+08:00

Been sick since Wednesday last week. Thank God it's not H1N1. I haven't fully recovered up to this point, but well enough to get back in the office. Only the occasional cough and the still sore throat bugging me from time to time.

Being sick has it's wonders for me. For a person whose immune system is odd to the extent that it's hard for me to get sick but it's worse than others if i did, i see it as a time for me to Muhassabah myself. It seems that i haven't been taking good care of myself the past weeks, more importantly i haven't been taking care of my conduct at all. Seems that God is only fair in giving me His warning. In any case, i'd like to apologize to anyone whom i've taken some stick to lately. I'm only human afterall.

Blog to continue as usual~~~

Quickie - 28/7/2009; Amused and frustrated

2009-07-28T08:00:00.000+08:00

I'm amused that this time around, i had cleaned up Aoi-chan after about 4 weeks since the last one. I'm also amused with the fact that after 10 years since my first self-initiated hair-do, i'm still sticking with the local barber rather than following the trend and shifting myself to the salons. Maybe it's because of the price? (i'm a cheapskate after all?) or maybe it's because of convenience? (my middle name perhaps?) or maybe it's because of the rather warm and friendly atmosphere? or maybe it's because of the free mini-massage you get at the end?
In either case, i'm still sticking to it.

In another tone though, my frustration. I'm rather shocked that some lorries on our roads were found to be using the second-hand winter tyres. FYI, as the name says, those tyres are to be used only in 4 season countries. They just couldn't stand the operating conditions of the Malaysian road and weather combo. People out there who're only interested in making quick profit are literally sending out mega-tonne bombs on our roads. Tell that to the relatives of the dead caused by freak accidents.
Also adding to my frustration is Aoi-chan's newly found out problem. Read about it in my other blog on Aoi-chan, link at the sides as usual.
Oh... and the Rm280++ bill for the washing machine at home also has made me frustrated. It needed fixing... and that's the price. Cruddy fish.

Quickie - 16/7/2009; Of Parking, Security and Death

2009-07-16T07:45:00.001+08:00

Noticed that the management of the apartment i bought recently put up a signage board telling us to park our vehicles within the apartment compound at our own risk. Odd. Then what pupose does the hired security guards have? Toll booth / Gate controller? i also remembered that most shopping malls are the same. Park at your own risk.
Look, the sole purpose of the security guard is to guard our security. This in turn encapsulates our personal belonggings and stuff (house and car). If we are to park at our own risk, ensure that we take good care of our house's security and the management aren't responsible for the loss of our stuff within the compound... then the security guard isn't necessary at all. A total waste of the residents'/shopper's money.

Read in today's free copy of The Sun that a well known guy and his wife had undergone 'assisted suicide'. Read more on the net or something. The point i'd like to make here is that, assisted or not, suicide is a definite no-no. If you believe in God (i believe in Him), then you should know that only He is allowed to take your life. For He created you and He knows where He set your end. We don't know and we're not given the privellege to do so. So please people, believe in Him. All that happens in life is due to His will. We as human can only try, but is He who will determine everything.

p/s: The quickie will now come with a short title as to give a glimpse of what i'm blogging about. Helps you to avoid reading boring stuff that i put up. Hahahaha~~~

Quickie - 15/7/2009

2009-07-15T07:52:00.001+08:00

Whoa... mid month already. That was fast.
Started my routine of excercise that i left for a long time a few days ago. One of the key elements that pushed me to restart it again was the health checks made by various exhibitioners at our HR weeks' booths.
All i can say is that... i'm not that healthy. Funny, since i am in terms of EQ... but the figures say otherwise for my FQ (Fat Quotient... i made this up myself). Oh well, gotta keep this body in good shape. Need to use it for another 60 or so years...

Speaking of good shape, ever felt like punching someone in the face (change their shape) for answering a serious question in a very2 dumb way? I had a slight urge to do so last week during a seminar that i attended. The representatives from our 'beloved' government agencies gave some of the worst answers ever to the questions thrown at them during a panel discussion session in the seminar. It's either bad manners or pure idiocy. What seminar? Go find out yourself. i'm too ashamed to say... that way i can spare them from embarassment.

Quickie 6/7/2009

2009-07-06T13:37:00.002+08:00

News Strait Times featured on their front page a pic of a smashed up Toyota Hilux pickup truck and it's equally smasehd up driver... in the drain with her arm torn off. Again, this is just another rather unfriendly and horrific reminder that we should always wear our seatbelt whilst on the move. Flying out of your car in an accident only to have part of you torn off along the way or get run over by another vehicle or hitting the static object your car had smashed into isn't funny...

On another note, the shocking exposure by The Star (also on the weekend) of the welfare home was indeed disturbing. As usual, some claim that it isn't true... but how true can you get than seeing it by yourself? C'mon, don't turn away from something that is the truth only because you are afraid of it (who told you to get involved in the first place?)
Now, all i can say is true or not. Get your acts up and do what you're suuposed to do...
Do the right thing right!

Quickie - 29/6/2009

2009-06-29T07:46:00.002+08:00

It's getting close to the end of the month and frankly, that just means that the big day is coming soon (as in another 5 months time that is). Good~ Two more months and quite possibly all hell breaks loose; a lot (and i do mean a lot) of things need to be settled.

Strangely, i came into the office this morning and lo and behold... the office looks bigger. Literally... The wall/barrier that once separated the ED and CAE department have been removed for use somewhere else and the effect is nice. Refreshing to say the least. Now it doesn't feel like we are isolated anymore~

Suddenly remembered watching MJ's thriller video on the TV a few nights ago and can't help to laugh. Not at the dead King of Pop, but at another clip 'trying' to copy it... badly. Go to Youtube and try to search for "Girly-man" and see what i mean (it's sort of Indian/Tamil song clip, if you get something else... it's not my fault). What a laugh. Seems that i can agree with the statement in today's copy of my free The Sun newspaper; The legend is dead, but will live on through his music.

Biggie - 21/6/2009

2009-06-18T07:42:00.006+08:00

People, the pics have been uploaded.... at long last.

The texts here should be shorter than my usual quickie, but the contents (via the links) should be long (or lots in this case)

Enjoy~

1. Majlis Pertunangan Pics (Engagement Ceremony Pics)

~Link to ceremony pics~

2. Figurines for sale pics - Offered price and status will be put up tomorrow~

Link to figurine pics

Quickie - 17/6/2009

2009-06-17T07:42:00.003+08:00

Read in The Sun this morning that helpers (that's amah/bibik/maid to us Malaysians) are to be given a day off per week starting from next year. Seems fair, until you actually give it a real thought; The helpers are there to help you. So you need them 24/7, even on the weekends. Thankfully whoever thought of this might have one (or more) and thus gave the option of no day off but pay as usual (pay 7 days wage instead of 6). I know that some 'troubled' (or troublesome or scrupulous) employer will not give them any day off and pay them only 6 days wage, but then shame on them since there level of thinking is as low as the deepest sea (that low, you'd better not call them human...). All in all, i think this is fair (we're humans right? Humanitarian approach lah). The rest is down to the deal between the employer and the employed.

Another thing i found interesting in the papers this morning is regarding Saab being taken over by Koenigsegg (or as Jeremy Clarkson spells it; Koenigsegsonfiajbakikzazzdafhoaf...). Wow! Imagine having a really mad Saab. As i see it now, although Saab utilizes some of the older platforms of the old GM group, their cars are rather atractive and interesteing but as sensible as Volvo (which means very sensible). If Koe-whatever do take them up, the first thing i'd suggest is to put one of their powerful engines into the Saab cars and give them that madness that isn't there. That'll sure spruce up the brand~~~ or they could be even more mad and make that concept-X or sumthing (the one with the fighter jet like entry system)

Go on Koe-whatever. Take up Saab and make it proud!

Quickie - 16/6/2009

2009-06-16T07:44:00.002+08:00

Still got this feeling of unbalance and loss of accuracy / sense of distance this morning. Yesterday, as i was walking back from the office to the car i somehow almost lost conciousness. Knowing very well it's really dangerous to faint on the busy delivery roads in Proton, i kept myself awake and stumbled slowly to Aoi-chan. There, things got worse with me losing that sense of distance thingy... and to add more, everything sounded like they're amplified 10x to my ears (5x this morning... this key tapping noise is beginning to bug me. Help!). Since i can't do much while sitting in Aoi-chan at the parking lot, i bravely drove (albeit slower than usual) back to Puchong and rested. Heck, i even gave in before 10pm when everything became worse.

Thank God it's a bit better this morning though. If i ever feel as dizzy again... i'll just stumble to the clinic at the front. Hope that there's nothing immensely wrong though...

And just to update on my stats, i've moved up one step on the ladder of marriage by finishing the Pre-marriage course last weekend with Nurul. Strangely, it seems that nothing can be done for the next few months as most of the documents and tests needed to be made or carried out only have a lifespan of 3 months. So say goodbye to early preparation and hello to final-minute preparation (typical of us Malaysians, wouldn't you agree?). Very nice whoever thought of this... VERY 'NICE'!

Urrrgh..... i feel sick. Doctor~~~

Quickie - 10/6/2009

2009-06-10T07:40:00.003+08:00

Alhamdulillah~ My engagement with now my fiance went well last weekend. Thinking back, i did imagine that i'll one day be engaged with someone, and here i am.

Thank you Nurul... I love you so much.

Pics? i'll see whether i can make it to the cc tonite and upload it. Got tons of good ones, by virtue of an UNDeR gang member and one of our good friend. Here's hoping to share it too~~~

Anyhow, let's get back to reality. Another maid took refuge from her country's embassy. Reason? Abuse. How bad? Look at today's newspaper and see for yourself. i'm gutted.
What's up with Malaysians taking up a maid and then treating them like.... *tuuuuut? i mean, my family had a few in the past and frankly i've never seen the maid beat up like this. Heck, we never even laid a finger on them. And now, it's like we hear on the news occasionally that one is badly beaten up, not paid their promised salaray, denied of their religious faith and treated like *tuuuut.

Malaysians, please realise that even though that they are maids, they're never slaves. Slavery is only during the period when civilization haven't existed, and we are not in that period now. Grow up. If they don't do their work well, coach them or if you're lazy... chenge for another one. Don't be stupid and say "I am you master! Kneel before me and get punished for your (sometimes minute) errors!!!".

I know i'm being one sided here, but to the maids... please do play your role as well. You aren't paid to lounge around and do mistakes all of the time. But at the very least, please do let your "masters" know that you're human too... and you do slip up sometimes adn will try to improve as you go along.

Hm.... maybe some of us still live in the dark ages. Master and slave? Let's just leave that in the past.
bvc100 in support of better relationships between maids and employers.

Quickie - 4/5/2009

2009-06-04T07:41:00.002+08:00

On the motorway; Glance around, open window, throw out rubbish, close window and look smug...
Everywhere else; Glance around, throw rubbish anywhere, look smug...

We Malaysians are generally rubbish, and by that i mean we create a lot and throw them away as we like. Just this morning i saw one idiot walking casually out of his house (a nearby flat to my apartment), glanced around, and threw his rubbish (one red medium sized plastic bag, full with whatever) into a drain, and popped back into his house... looking smug. Yesterday night as i walked by the community board of my aparment, there was a notice for us dwellers to throw away our rubbish at the designated rubbish room (that's what they called it) and not leave it in front of our doors. And guess what i found? My next door neighbour placing his/hers in front of their door.

What is it with us that we can't bother to throw away rubbish in a rubbish bin or at the designated place? Are we that bad and sad? i mean, c'mon! It's not like it takes a gazillion of energy for us to do it properly. Or maybe i can sum it up in one word; lazy. That's right, we are lazy. We're too lazy to do anything, so we're also lazy to dispose of our rubbish properly. Sickening.

And let's not start with the motorist. This is even worse. The most common sight would be the smoking idiot in front leisurely holding his cheap cigarette out whilst smoking it... and then throwing it away... again looking smug. Worse still, i once was following behind a van whose passenger suddenly threw out, and i'm not joking, a plastic bag full of rubbish whilst on the highway at about 100km/h. What a ###### (i ran out of words)!!!

Malaysians, i plead you. We're proud of our clean homes, we love clean surroundings, we love clean stuff. But are we really clean if we keep mucking up one simple task? Damn, i know i sometimes do throw small bits into the drain but that's it. Maybe the odd candy wrapper or two. Nothing else. Please do dispose of your rubbish properly. Do yourself some justice.
Don't be an idiot!

BVC100 Special Announcement

2009-06-03T07:43:00.002+08:00

Err.... God i'm late in informing you guys about this. But it's better now nonetheless.

I'm getting engaged. It'll be on this Saturday, 6/6/2009

... coinciding with Agong's Birthday.

With whom? Well... it's a long story. To cut it short, i met my soon to be fiance in PROTON, but she's in a different department. Somehow or another, she seemed like the person i've longed to find for so long. And here we are.

Date for marriage? Well... that one i'll announce later. But whenever it is, i'll be sure to put it here as a special invitation for you all.

Would also like to take the opportunity to say Happy Birthday to our beloved Agong, congratulation to KE (my now former housemate), Izad, Pakya, Zayd and the others (forgive me if i miss out your names) who got married last weekend or getting married this weekend. May Allah bless our lives~~~

Quickie - 3/6/2009

2009-06-03T07:31:00.002+08:00

Another RM few million in the dust, literally. The news that the still new-ish (1 year old if i'm not mistaked) sports complex (the main stadium) at Terengganu losing it's roof is rather embarassing. And a bit of a shocker. You see, last week we were shocked with the news of a building soon to be demolished crashing down and killing 7 in the process. Before, we heard of newly completed buildings cracking here and there, bursting it's water supply pipes, yada yada yada... the list goes on.

What bothers me is the fact that these buildings are made under the government with people's money (bar the one last week. Dunno why the don't do the controlled demolishing via explosives though, seemed like a better choice). And it doesn't come cheap. So if the buildings made are as strudy as cornflakes, where does the money spend on making them go? For heavens sake guys, if anyone out there reading this is involved in another project of making a public/government building and is currently choosing a contractor for it, please please please avoid the cheapest one AT ALL COST. We know it's good to save, but sometimes by spending more you get a whole whole lot more. And if by spending the extra money makes the buildings not detonate itself, leak or have any other embarrasing faults, then the people's money is better and well spent.

Quickie - 26/5/2009

2009-05-26T07:43:00.002+08:00

Phew. What a weekend. Though the crowd wasn't interested in whatever that we're doing at CAE or ED, the Karnival PROTON Bersama Rakyat was a fun experience. Partially due to the uniqueness of the crowd (non-Metropolitan types; different background and interest), but mostly what i experienced. Which brings me neatly on to the reason of why i dread travelling by bus. Sorry but i can't hold it in, i hate busses and i personally dislike the egoistic and insanely dangerous way the bus driver (we travelled by bus. Why? Don't ask me) drove with us and our stuff in it. Which begs the question; Haven't these people realized that the mercy of the passengers' lives are in their hands? Don't they know that even if they went into hiding from the authorities should their stupidity cause a fatal accident, will hunt them for the rest of their lives?

I could go on, but i don't want to remember it. This is the last. That's it. No more busses for me. Why this today and not yesterday? The DJs on the radio this morning plucked this topic for discussion (though their focus was on the public transportation system) and somehow, i got ticked. Again, i state my stand; i hate busses.

Oh, and i hate whoever is proposing that Chin Peng and his communist friends from the black Malaysian history be given the right to return 'home'. What home? They've got none here in Malaysia. And if they did in the past, then there's no more then, now adn forever. Politics or not, it just isn't right. Don't want to comment further, but i'm in the camp of against for this issue. Nobody in their right of mind would, and if someone did... then their mind isn't straight.

Quickie - 21/5/2009

2009-05-21T07:45:00.002+08:00

Alhamdulillah.... we're almost H1N1 free. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who was involved; the people who could've been infected, the medics who was monitoring them, the authorities that covered everything else. Thank you.

I'll be heading to Jeli today along with a few colleagues from R&D PROTON. We're having a mini carnival there on the 23rd of May. But i've yet to know exactly where... Anyway, yours truly is representing the department as usual. i'm looking forward to the event, but not so to the journey... by bus. i'm sorry but the last time i was on one, it was the journey back to KL from Kelantan. The driver happily watched the movie on his telly (offset for the viewer's convenience and not to be seen from the driver's seat, which he did) and slept halfway through the movie whilst still 'driving' the bus. Thank God i'm still here... Hope this one doesn't do any of the things i mentioned, yet doesn't do anything at all.

Insya-Allah.... Amiin. Gulp!

Quickie - 19/5/2009

2009-05-19T07:33:00.004+08:00

Hmmmm... still early. Got in the office very very early today. Odd, but good since i can put something up here~

Heard on the radio this morning that 69 of all of the passengers aboard the AirAsia plane to Penang with the Influenza A suspect have yet to come up and surrender themselves to the authorities for monitoring. And as usual, being Malaysians, i'm quite sure there out there somewhere in hiding. Too scared to face the truth and too selfish to care.

I wonder what they're thinking? Could it be; A. "I'm scared. I don't want to know if I've been infected and what they'll do to me if I am...", or (which i think is more, shall we say, realistic?) B. " I don't care if I'm infected or not. If I am, then I don't care if the other people of Malaysia suffers as well".

Look guys, don't turn this into a big issue. Why the authorities are doing so is to protect you and everyone around. Even if you are infected, they'll do their best to heal you. That's it. Why is it so hard for you to surrender yourselves? Look at the people around you, your loved ones. If you ARE infected, do you want them to be the first to get it from you??? C'mon! As Russel Peters said in one of his stage acts; Be a man! (or woman)

Please, i beg you to go. Get the medical attention you deserve and if you do fall in the process, people will recognise your bravery to avoid the other Malaysians from getting it. And to those that have done so.... i thank and salute you~

Quickie - 18/5/2009

2009-05-18T07:45:00.003+08:00

What gives? Just heard the radio on the way to the office this morning and was shocked to hear that the authorities will want to negotiate and 'assist' cabbies (that's taxi drivers lah~) that wants to apply for PSV (or their licensing or whatever) that isn't competent in the Bahasa Melayu. I'm sorry, but this is all another stupid move from our very 'clever' people who thinks that by this method, they're 'helping' everyone.

Why? Look at it this way. We've been an independent country for quite some time now and, although i'm writing this blog in English (coz i want to share with everyone around the world about whatever), i'm quite sure that all Malaysians should at least know to communicate and use the Bahasa Melayu (One Malaysia anyone???). Second, which for me is much2 more important, if the cabbies are only fluent in their mother tounge (English? Forget it... if they don't know the Bahasa, do you think they'll know this?), it'll affect the nation in terms of both efficiency of the public transportation system and of course the tourism industry. Picture this, a cabbie who's not competent in the Bahasa or English will go straight past a potential passenger who isn't their race for reasons that they can't communicate with them. So now people will miss their ride to work and the economy of the nation is crippled... along with the cabbies as well (it affects them in the long run you know...). The same can be said with the foreign tourist. "Can you bring us to the #### (place)?", the tourist said, " No understand, no understand!", the errant cabbie said and left the tourist in the dust.

Helping 'everyone' out? I don't think so.

Quickie - 14/5/2009

2009-05-14T07:44:00.002+08:00

Mat Rempit.... illegal street racers on modified 'kapcai' bikes. What are we going to do with them...? I don't want to comment much but as the saying goes; Prevention is better than cure. For me, i wouldn't put the blame on the authorities. But i'd rather point my fingers to the parents and the individual themselves. Why them? Parents: Don;t bluff me by saying that it's because you care for your kids that you provide them with a motorcycle. You just aren't. One; you risk them by putting them on a bike instead of a car (if you can't afford the latter, what's wrong with the public transport?). Two; If you love them, you won;t lend them yours if they're underage. Three; .... this could go on and on...
Let's just leave it there and move on. I know that everyone knows how to get over this. But as usual, we just couldn't care.

On the brighter side, now that RON92 is going to be replaced with RON95, i'd like to say to all motorist that we should go for it. RON is actually the octane number for petrol (diesel has their own rating number). The higher, the better but not in terms of performance but in terms of overall. You can read more about RON and how it works at wikipedia or sumthing but as far as i'm concerned, with RON95 selling at almost RON92 price and having the option to shift to it from RON97... i'd say that's a bargain on the long run~

Aoi-chan~~~ It's RON95 for you from now on~~~ (unless if the price difference isn't that big. Then i'll just stick to RON97. Huhuhu)

Quickie - 4/5/2009

2009-05-04T18:06:00.002+08:00

My dad just came back from NY this morning and Al-hamdulillah~ he hasn't been infected with the pig flu virus thingy.
Gotta meet him tonite in any case. Got loads to discuss with him, especially on the preparation of purchasing the current house i'm renting (i told you guys rite?) and a few other things. Speaking of which, expect some good and really unexpected news from me within the next month or so. Gotta admit that it'll be more shocking than me selling off my precious collection. Ahahaha~!
All things said, i'm currently happier than before. Hope this clue will help~~~

Quickie - 28/4/2009

2009-04-29T07:45:00.002+08:00

Didn't include this one yesterday, but what the....

It seems that i made a hash of this, but as per usual... it's nobody's and everybody's fault. It's now the Income Tax season and the best bit is the deadline is tomorrow. Nice.

Since this is my first time, i didn't know of this very very VERY short deadline. I just had my EA a few weeks ago (not months, so there), and didn't know what to do with it next. Had done my registration earlier, but didn't do the so called e-filing. Now, as we Malaysians love to do (yes, me included), there's this mad dash to meet the deadline as we are all afraid of the consequences if we didn't (which again... i don't know of). Anyhow, i'd just like to comment that the system is rather flawed (got an idea on improving it, will put it up here later) and the worst bit is that although the e-filing can be done from home or work via the internet, these poeple seem to forget that during these times (the mad dash), their servers need to be able to perform (or at least work properly). Which it doesn't...

Oh well, i could just fret on and on. But i think i'd better get it done.... Hey presto! It's done! Wahahaha~~~! I beat everyone.... not

Quickie - 28/4/2009

2009-04-28T07:45:00.003+08:00

Heard on the radio this morning that only 15% of the Bumis and the rest the non-Bumis have a Halal certificate for the products. Now, i dunno about the others but for me this whole Halal thing is important. Especially when it comes to food.

Now, correct me if i'm wrong but the Halal certification process is divided into 3 portions, of which all 3 must be passed before considered as Halal. Focusing on food it is the material (raw ingredients), preparation (place, tools, etc.) and personnel (cook, baker, mixer, etc.). Anyhow, seeing that the above isn't that hard to do since all of the items are easily obtained in Malaysia, i wonder how this situation occured in the first place. And by the way, especially to my Muslim friends out there, not all things in Malaysia is Halal... and that includes some of your popular eating outlets/restaurants.

Speaking of outlets, Krispy Kreme opened their first outlet at Berjaya Times Square yesterday (or was it on Sunday?). Looks tempting, but from the various ads i've seen in the newspapers so far, i can't seem to find one with the Halal logo as a proof to their Halal-ness... and that also includes Dunkin Donuts.

I wonder if all the mainstream donuts makers are actually producing non-Halal products? Hmmm...

Special Quikie - The death of a great man

2009-04-22T07:48:00.000+08:00

This was supposed to be posted earlier, but having seen that the proper people were informed beforehand, i guess now is a good time to inform everyone...

My grand-dad by the name of Hj. Abdul Samad bin Hj. Salleh passed away peacefully on the night of 18/4/2009 at 10:35pm. He died of old age.

Wouldn't want to make a blog of all the good and bad times i had with him, but glad to share it when you meet me somewhere later.

In any case, may Allah bless his soul and may He bless us all. Amiin~

Alfatihah...

Special Quickie - The New Proton Exora

2009-04-16T07:48:00.004+08:00

An there you are, ladies and gentleman...
The new Proton Exora~

I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate my colleagues, managements and all staffs in Proton. And i'd like to also thank you, our customers for your support and drive that fuels us to make products that better serves you.

Won't say much, please head over to Proton Edar's Official Website or any of our Showrooms to view our latest offfering~~~

Enjoy~~~

p/s: I'd say, if you're looking for a very affordable, very Malaysian MPV (big, good lloks and affordable), this will fit the bill perfectly

Quickie - 13/4/2009

2009-04-13T07:51:00.004+08:00

Don't ask me why, but this what you're reading is true...

Attention my dear friends!

All (yes All) of my collections (figurines only) are now put up for sale. If you're interested in any one (bar Kureha, someone booked that already), please contact me via my hp (016-2205357, sms only!) to discuss the details (price, conditon, yada yada yada).

There. A very quick one. Why?
Don't ask. Hehehe~~~

Quickie - 6/4/2009

2009-04-06T13:51:00.003+08:00

Mazui~!
It's almost one month since my last post. Thanks in part the extra task that required me to be on my tippy toes all of the time. Thank god the weekend wasn't affected.
One thing that i learned throughout the project that i can share; Everything isn't as it seems.
Why? Well... there's the non-supportive support, non-effective effect, non-anything everything. But hey, i've learned a lot and that alone is enough to cover up all that i just mentioned. Speaking of learning, you guys ever heard of Russel Peters? The Canadian-Indian stand up comedian? If you don't mind some rather abrasive language and do enjoy some poke in the eye fun, go google it somwhere. It's that good.
Will have more frequent update now that i'm back to normal mode. Hope to put something interesting soon. Hehahu~!

Quickie - 21/3/2009

2009-03-21T09:47:00.002+08:00

17 days since last blog... and thank God for it. Not that i've given up blogging or anything. The fact of the matter is that the days un-blogged is a testament to how things have gone about for the past 2 weeks or so.
Got this special task assigned to myself and a team of some freshie like me by a special person. After two weeks of trying to find the solution, all i can say is this; Prevention is better than cure. Full stop.
I can't share much regarding the actual task we have in our hands, but the fact of the matter is that it's trying to fix a sinking ship with some gaffer-tape. Yeah it might work, but it'll be slightly less bad if not just as worse. But still, what we found out so far is something beyond belief and begs us to ask this question to everything; WHY???
Oh well, to do something about that sinking ship is still better in a way than just leaving it as it is. The task is due in a few days time, and somehow or another the progress of our team is almost spot-on. Good.

Quickie - 04/03/2009

2009-03-04T07:45:00.003+08:00

As you can see that there's a bit of a gap since last i posted an update here. Factor (or alasan as some people call it); Been busy with things and trying to make ends meet. And the latter has nothing to do with the financial crisis bugging me. It's something else that i find more complicated, i'll share when it's settled.

In any case, last week was a rather hectic week due to me being the representative of my department in a roadshow at the UTM Skudai. Some of you might've noticed since the media did cover the event... albeit for a few seconds or with some texts.

But, just to share, on the last day we did find some spare time to go and have a peek at Singapore and boy was it a surprise. Now, i'm not gonna say that what i'm stating here implies on everyone, but for me apart from the huu-haa wowweee side of Singapore (the main bit and it's tourist attractions) everything else seems rather... dull and sedate. There's that Britishness feel at the things that you see and it's atmosphere, but i'd rather enjoy that at Britain. Adding to the fact that unnecessary restrictions (go there to find out) and some rather unfriendly customs/immigration officers ruined the journey there, i'm not bought over.

February Artworks

2009-02-15T12:05:00.004+08:00

Haven't posted any of my artworks for a while. Slipped of my mind, and because there's no internet within my grasp (that's why i'm in this CC today. Thank god)

Anyways, below are the artworks for the month (and January for that matter). The calendar for January was scrapped mainly due to the file being corrupted before i can finish it. Nuts. Anyhow, as per usual, enjoy the artworks~~~

February calendar V2.0

February calendar v1.0

This is the base artwork for the February calendar (coloured version)

This was another artwork which i made for the calendar, but ditched it because the colouring for the clothes is a bit off...
Candidate artwork for March, original version...

... and the coloured one. Not good. Will have to re-colour it again
Compilation of all for this blog entry~~~

Quickie - 3/2/2009

2009-02-03T07:47:00.004+08:00

Yesterday was my first anniversary (anniversary???) of my life in Proton. What better way to celebrate than... Aoi-chan having one of her headlamp bulb burn out. It's as if i was blowing out a candle or something to commemorate this milestone. Crud. Last time she became ill when it was my birdthday (see previous blog). Another RM30 spent on her...

Anyhow, let's not make this sour. Looking back, it seems that i've hit quite a few highs and lows. The low in particular should be seen as falling into a hole of unknown depth. All in accumulation of my stupidity for not listening to others and my quite bad state of health. But due to that experience, i've reached the highs. i think i'm more mature now in my way of thinking and in dealing with stress, people, time and life. Guess that whatever my parents always raved about at me when i was younger makes more sense now than ever before.
Mature huh? i'm talking like i'm an old man... oh wait. i am old... not too old, but still older than before... oh wait, that's not true right? Er....(sign of an old man???)

Quickie - 29/1/2009

2009-01-29T07:38:00.002+08:00

I've failed to post/upload anything to the net yet again. Nuts. I just can't seem to get myself near a cc or some computer which i can upload/download stuff. i'm still eager to show the pics i promised with the previous post along with some new ones taken just recently.

Speaking of recent, my housemate got into an accident. Again. It's not like he's a dangerous rider or something, but like me, it seems that we both attract unnecesary hazards which sometimes leads to an accident (hopefully small... all the way). So, this dude was on his way home yesterday and was hit by a Perodua car. It seems that the driver of the car wasn't so sure of which road they were going to take and hence their last minute decision to turn into a particular road resulted in them hitting my friend. And worse still, the driver sped off after that incident. This is hit and run and for me by far the worst sort of sin a driver can do. Luckily the guy only sustained minor injuries and some good samaritans helped him back on his feet.

Oh yeah, here's a message to the driver of that Perodua car from me and my friend:

SOD OFF! GO RETAKE YOUR DRIVING EXAM AND LEARN TO USE THE INDICATOR SIGNALS! AND WE HOPE GOD REPAYS YOUR STUPID SINS BACK!!!

Nuff said...

Quickie - 25/1/2009

2009-01-25T09:03:00.002+08:00

Seems that my hunches are now justified. As i type this, i'm currently lounging around in the Golden Club lounge of the MAS, whilst waiting for the 10 o'clock flight to Kota Bharu. Now i'm watching A1 GP, Fairuz just passed someone.

Yesterday, i had a very hectic evening trying to debug something related to my work. Thinking that was it, i was then bombarded with another task. In other words, my weekend was robbed.

But thankfully, that was it. Since Monday and Tuesday are public holidays (in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration) so i can now enjoy the company of my family. Oh yes, this is a family trip. Don't get me wrong that i suddenly decided to splurge some dough unnecessarily... unless if it was a road trip.

Anyways, hope everyone will enjoy the remaining holidays as how i expect to enjoy mine... oh wait, i can't. That's why i brought my laptop. Still got work to finish off. Rats

One more thing, to all our Chinese friends out there

Gong Xi Fa Cai

and may you have a prosperous year ahead~~~

Quickie - 19/1/2009

2009-01-19T07:41:00.003+08:00

"What the .... (fill in the blanks accodingly)!!!!"

That were the words i shouted out in Aoi-chan throughout the track-day event yesterday at Sepang. Yes, i wasn't supposed to take Aoi-chan in any hard-driving event (stopped going to Genting already) before her 60,000km major maintenance, but having been poisoned by a few friends of SAVOC and seeing that i've done quite a few upgrades to Aoi-chan and wanted to test it badly, i jumped at the opportunity. As a bonus, the weather was nice throughout the event.

Going back at the sentence, as much as i try to enjoy it, i still find it hard to go through the session without having to shout and wave my fist at some idiotic drivers for either driving blatantly or just trying to kill me and others whilst showing off their machine's prowess. To those of you rading this and find it insulting... Sod off. Go and learn back track day ethics and things like racing lines and braking points. Maybe then you'll be fit to drive, enjoy your car and the session plus gain respect from other drivers on the track. This specially applies to some type-Rs, a GTR with a W plate and all Satrias and Scoobies of yesterday's session.

Apart from that, everything went well. Regarding Aoi-chan, i'll put up the photos and some extra comments at her blog...

'Not so' Quickie - 15/1/2009

2009-01-08T07:40:00.006+08:00

Though this is kinda outdated, but i think its good that i share this bit of experience for your info.

Went to a couple of car showrooms a few weeks back to assist a mate in looking at possible candidates for him to buy later this year. First on his list was the new City, which he liked the design so much especially with the modulo bodykit. i however find it... challenging. Exterior wise, quality seems to be okay, up to par with the previous Cities. But inside, dare i say i find it quite... dismal. OMG! what sort of manufacturer gives this kind of sh#tty plastics on a RM80k car? Heck, the plastics are just as good (or bad) as Aoi-chan's. I was hoping some better, softer plastics were used, kind of moving upmarket from the rather okay previous generation. Nope. If you think i'm just bluffing, the car was totally removed from my friend's list (he too found the interior to be totally unacceptable) and if you've spare time... go to a Honda showroom and see for yourself.

After this encounter, the next manufacturer fared better. Volkswagen is kinda known for the vastness of the group and their model lineup. But somehow they've small presence here in Malaysia. No wonder then since their cheapest car that we looked into; the Cross Polo, was priced at RM108++k. Ouch. But, the car itself justified the price. A rather handsome exterior (don't go for the bright colours, darker ones make the car look grown up), an interior made like it was hand-crafted (read as OMG high quality plastics), an array of airbags and a host of safety features (EURONCAP 5 star rating, no doubt about safety here). But since the price is above the friend's upper limit, he had to take it off the list as well... sad.

Next, we stumbled upon a Mazda showroom. Knowing very well that their baby was the 3, i didn't expect it to cost as much as the VW. Nope, wrong again. Although dealer said that it was CBU (completely built up; the car was shipped to Malaysia in one peice... not pieces) and after the bar for cheap (okay, not so cheap) CBU car was set by the VW, this one was scored off the list as well.

Another showroom that we went was Suzuki's at Damansara and no, we weren't there to see possible two wheel alternatives. Although Suzuki cars aer typically well made and reliable, we both find it hard to remember what we liked about the car in general and it's interior in specific. Though a special offer was made to us for the last unit of the hot Suzuki Swift Sport, seeing that the friend is looking at their SX4 Sedan and how mundane it's interior design was. Another car was scored of the list. Gaaahhh!!!

Okay, i had to admit that i did persuade him into looking at Proton cars as well, but guess what? He was glad that he did. And more surprising was that he even considered the latest Persona (SE or not) and the facelifted Gen.2 as nice to drive (he did have a short test-drive of the latter), well built and designed (and i'm not making this up). Considering the price, he found this as more than acceptable. Truth to be told, the Gen.2 FL with CPS manual is currently on the top of his list and that in a way is an honour to me and all fellow colleagues of Proton. Who says we can't build good cars?

Again, let me remind you that this is our experience from my perspective. If you do have the time, go and visit these mentioned manufacturer's dealerships and maybe... just maybe, you'll be surprised as well.

Too long! End here! Tatata~

2009! Let's start it with a bang!!!

2009-01-01T10:44:00.003+08:00

... more like let's start it with some updates of my artworks. Please click for larger image.
Enjoy~~~

Another quickie - 1429H/2008M review

2008-12-31T07:48:00.004+08:00

It's that time of the year again to review the past year and get ready for the next. Uncannily, the year's new year almost coincide with the Ma'al Hijrah (New year for the Muslim calendar) so, i'll make a quick review for both.

On the Hijrah side, all have been fairly good, especially for the Ramadhan and Syawal months. Since now i'm in the working force, these two months have been challenging and interesting at the same time. For the first time ever, i paid my own Zakat Fitrah and gave out duit raya (angpows) to family members and close relatives.

On the normal calendar's side, as mentioned i got into the working force. And with that all the great challenges and learning experience that comes as a bonus. The only downer... well 2 downer, was when i found about my health (prone to high blood pressure, especially when stressed) and when Aoi-chan acted up on my birthday. The rest is as they say; spice of life.

Anyhow, would like to take this opportunity to wish:

Salam Maal Hijrah 1430 to all Muslims (sorry it's belated) and a very Happy New Year to all~~~

Quickie - 24/12/2005

2008-12-24T07:29:00.003+08:00

Gotta admit that luck isn't on my side right now, but looking on the bright side it could've been worse still.

Anyhow, i'm finishing up a bumper collection of my artworks for the past month or so. Expect to see it here (scaled) and other places (full size @ deviantart and minitokyo. Links on the right). Here's hoping that it'll be just as good or better than previous works. You guys decide.

Went to dinner with my parents last night at a good western food stall at Pandan Indah (thanks to Arul for showing me the place). Whilst digging in the food, we were watching (read as forced to watch) a drama series on TV3; Ku Milik Mu. I noticed that the sound engineers were using Hayate no Gotoku's soundtracks in the drama. It seemed odd for me since i just finished watching the anime yesterday evening. Truth to be told, it didn't blend in the drama at all (read as used too extensively). Kinda weird and sort of nice at the same time knowing that there's otaku out there running the Malaysian media industry; found some other drama/telemovie/advertisements (radio, tv, printed) using anime soundtracks or modified anime characters. Nice!

2 Kenduris Pics~~~

2008-12-23T07:48:00.000+08:00

Okay, here it is (at long last...). Below are links to the respective pics of weddings of good friends of mine. Can't post it all here on the blog (it'll be as long as the UK trip thing; which is very hard to read/follow).

Enjoy~~~

Syifa' Kenduri Pics

Pejal (Faizal) Kenduri Pics

Quickie - 9/12/2008

2008-12-09T07:38:00.002+08:00

What a disaster! The landslide that occured at the Bukit Antarabangsa here had affected some of my relatives. Thankfully they weren't directly involved... But those who were, my condolences and deepest regret for them.

The Eidul-Adha was yesterday and since it was raining all day long, no further activities were done after the sunat prayers. Usually, i will go to the nearest Surau or Masjid to join the Qurban activities. Seeing how wet it was, i doubt that they did it in the morning... or the evening. Maybe they'll do it today.

And since the celebration isn't as big or lively as Eid-Mubarak, here i am typing this at my desk in the office. Most of the Muslim collegues opted to take an extended leave, but me... i totally forgot to apply for mine and hence this situation. i can just cry... and to top it off my grandparents from Muar are now at my parent's house. How i wish i could be there instead and enjoy their company.

Oh well... to all of my fellow Muslim friends and are on their extended leave; Happy (belated?) Eidul-Adha and lucky sods...

p/s: Haven't posted any new artworks anywhere on the net for about a month. Will be posting loads for the Xmas~

Car for sale! Noooooooo!!!!

2008-11-30T10:31:00.006+08:00

This is gonna hurt me more than anyone else... and no, i'm not selling off Aoi-chan.

The car i'm trying to sell here is in fact my dad's. Here it goes...

CAR FOR SALE
VOLVO 740 GL (IMPORTED from U.K.)

Careful owner. Acceptable mileage. Good working condition.
16" Sports-rim with Continental tyres.
Newly added dvd-system with visor-lcd screen.
View to appreciate.

Price: RM 7,000 (PRICE REVISED, negotiable upon viewing)
DEALERS NOT WELCOME
Any enquiries, please contact:
017-8705620; Mr. Abd.Rahman (my dad)

There... i've done it. I've always wanted to maintain that Volvo. But since Aoi-chan is here, i can't find enough time or fund to hold on to it.
By the way, we're not selling it off because we can't afford to maintain it. It's because another car will be coming in and we need the space...

I want to punch people, but punch people i shall not...

2008-11-30T01:02:00.005+08:00

In my desperate attempt to kill off this sense of wanting to punch some people in their face for some reason, i got myself these neat items.

First is this figurine you see here; Riannon from Tales (or tears, forgot which) to Tiara. I don't actually know this character, but i was amazed at the level of quality and detail such that this particular mass production model had... and ended up buying it. Good. 1/2 of my tense swiped away... with some cash flying out of my pocket.

Riannon-chan. The more i look at her, the more i find it a worthy buy.

Next up are these new stickers you see here, already placed on Aoi-chan. The stickers were custom made; i designed the thing and went to Tom's Stickers to get the rest done. Neat huh? Anyone interested in any of the stickers you see here or want to ask my help in designing one, get in touch with me via email (bvc100@gmail.com) or sms me at 016-2205357

Otaku and Rei Ayanami at the sides...

... Otaku and Rei Ayanami (again) with I am the Stig
NICE!!!

Quickie - 20/11/2008

2008-11-20T07:43:00.003+08:00

Ever wondered what people mean when they say that they've eaten something so good, it gave them a 'melt-in-the-mouth' sensation? i've always wondered how it felt like, until yesterday.

So okay, it's not something that exquisite, nor was it expensive. Currently Sushi King are making promotions (somesort of the seasonal type thing, beats me) on their fresh and raw salmon and tuna sushis. Having eaten my regular dose of favourites, i tried the fresh and raw salmon first. WHAM! That melt-in-your-mouth sensation occured for the first time. Nice!!! And so, i got brave with my pocket and decided to try the other promotion sushis. Next up, fresh and raw salmon belly. The thing was glistening in the shop's light, and by the time it popped into my mouth... OMG! A second level melt-in-your-mouth sensation. What next? Fresh and raw (yet again) tuna. This one is special because they claim it was flown in fresh from the source (how true, i don't know), and again... ahhh..... talk about eating nice stuff once in a while.

This morning, i got stupid and called a local radio station to give my opinion on the topic they were talking about; the management of PLUS (One of Malaysia's highways, google it) offered a 10%/10sen (can't remember which) discount on tolls for users travelling the highway between 12midnight to 7am. Somehow or another, my turn was up and i gave them a piece of my mind. What did i say? Well, if you weren't tuned into the station you'll never know... and i couldn't be bothered mentioning it here. Huhuhu~~~

Another quickie + bvc100 artworks on the net

2008-11-17T20:24:00.005+08:00

Gotta admit that i forgot to publicize my own artworks. Those of you who are interested can view my artworks at the links below;

bvc100 artworks @ dA.com

bvc100 artworks @ minitokyo.net

Links are also at the right side of this page, under the bvc100 endorsed links section~~~
I'd also like to announce that the pics of a good friend of mine's (Shamir) wedding is also posted on the net, click link below;

Shamir's wedding photo~~~

Not all of the pics taken are posted. For those who want the complete set and the hi-res version of any of the pics there, get it directly from me. Thanks

Last but not least, below are some pics of the ACF@Times Square, BAKUC and the Rei i just bought. Enjoy~~~

The newly bought Rei. Gotta love the fact that she's tanned and got that killer school-swimsuit tan lines~~~

This was the black paper anyone can draw on during the ACF event. The Keroro you see here was drawn by another good friend of mine, Eric. Go see his artworks at deviantart.com

... and this is mine, the gold colour one. Quite nice eh? Free publicity rules~~~

Ladies posing at their booth during the event. Can't remember who's booth this is, but they were selling figurines... which none interest me (Rei was bought at another booth...)

Models posing with two of the latest Gundam models at BAKUC...

Quickie - 17/11/2008

2008-11-17T07:41:00.004+08:00

Had a wonderful time throughout the weekend. First, one of my cousin just got married (Congrats to her). The Kenduri (wedding reception) was done at my uncle's house at Pahang on Saturday. Food was in abundant and thankfully tasted as good as it looked. Most of the other relatives were able to come since it's now the school holidays period. Again, congrats to her and may Allah bless her marriage with his Rahmah~~~

ON Sunday, me and a couple of friends went to see the BAKUC challenge and ACF (Anime-Comic Fiesta... correct me if i'm wrong). Another congrats to the guys and gals who won the challenge, hope you guys can win big when representing Malaysia in the internationals. For the ACF, although the event area was small, yet the displays were good. Had a chance to talk to other artist or the doujin people and talk about artworks and stuff. Also had the opportunity to buy a quite rare figurine of Rei-chan. Why rare? One, it's one of the earlier figures of Rei and so it's rare, and two because she wasn't sold in bundle with Asuka. Thank God. Oh yeah, lest i forget, there was a special spot at the event area where we can scribble anything we want. Took the opportunity to 'publicize' this very blog along with a very rough sketch to draw attention. Nice.

As usual pics to come later, but for the first time visitors a very warm welcome to you and have fun reading whatever i post here~~~

Bored? No worries, get a marker in one hand and...

2008-11-09T11:25:00.003+08:00

Well, not that i'm bored though. The things i do for killing boredom, as most of you might have noticed already, is by driving Aoi-chan without a particular destination (though i usually end up at Genting) or drawing or just gazing at my figurine collection... or i'll just doze off.

Wanted to buy a new full-face helmet to complement the new gloves and seat i bought for Aoi-chan, but due to some complications i might not be able to buy one for the time being. Oh well, with a market in one hand and the white helmet on the other, i started sketching on it whilst admiring my recently bought Haruhi Metamo Figure.

The result is really inspiring, but on the Haruhi case not so. It seems that her costume will change colour at 16degrees celsius; below that black and above it white. In the pic below you can see that the costume is still white meaning that the temperature is still above 16, despite the pic taken at 2:30am. Rats! And i don't even have aircon.

Going back on the helmet, it seems that with the marker i can basically draw on anything i like, or dislike for that matter. Which is good; as soon as i get bored (naturally) or bored with something, i can 'enhance' it using a marker pen. Nice!

...but, i'll avoid rubbing this new frenzy on Aoi-chan. Don't want her to get 'enhanced'!!! Yikes!

The helmet, enhanced by yours truly~

...and the forever going to be in white costume Haruhi Metamo Figure

Quickie - 06/11/2008

2008-11-06T07:41:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since i last posted anything here. Most probably it was due to some maintenance work made on the servers here at my workplace adn the fact that i didn't visit the CC nor did i log on to the net at home.

Anyhow, first and foremost, a big congrats to Mr. Obama for winning the presidential election of US. me and fellow Malaysians hope the change he's been promoting ever since time started will benefit everyone in the world as whole.

Regarding my health, based on the blood test result it seemed that i'm a little bit unhealthy (easily fixed, so no worries there) but i'm really reactive to stress and haven't been getting proper rest. Odd, i've been sleeping enough but the fact remains a fact. Darn.

Changed my eating habits to suit the current health standings; bolied cabbage everyday for supper, less salt and kicap (ouch) in foods, juice as a replacement to isotonic drink and etc. Thankfully, i've found interest in eating fruits again which helps.

Went to Genting again last week with the oldies of Savoc. Quite a drive. We stared with a small TT at Les Copaque production's cafe (the people who makes the Upin and Ipin show). Then we drove to Genting via the Ulu Yam, again eat at Genting before blasting down the hill. Obviously the guy with the better car and skill led the pack uphill, but yours truly was the only one fast downhill. Not that the others were slow though... anyhow, thanks a lot mr. Contidrifter for organizing the event and thanks to the others for participating. Oldies rocks!

Update end here. Sayonara~~~

Quickie - 21/10/2008

2008-10-20T20:51:00.003+08:00

Woke up with a dreadful headache. Got to the doctor only to find out that i'm overstressed and could possibly have high blood pressure. Got under observation and will have to go to the clinic for the next three days to see whether the high blood pressure is due to the stress or due to something else. Not nice at all.

Anyhow, gotta admit that today have been quite relaxing. Dunno if i'm able to go to work tomorrow or if i need another day to ease everything off (the headache still remains up to now; 2128hrs).
But still, now that i've no pics about anything to post, let's put something up.

Below is one of my latest artwork, albeit not that different from previous ones except that my inking have improved. After that is just some low class editing (read as paste a background) of the pic and a photo of my trial (still practicing) on making extra size artwork (in this case, on whiteboard seminar paper)

Eh? Oh, this is supposed to be a quickie. Err... ah, let's end with some real quick updates;
1. Got another figurine added to my collection; Suzumiya Haruhi in a bunny suit that changes colour (the suit, not her) according to the ambient temperature. Nice buy.

2. Got loads of old animes completed thanks to mr. Heero, a good friend of mine. Now all i need is to find time to watch it all.

3. Also being watched are some great new ones, particularly Toradora, Index, Yozakura Quartet, A Tale of Melodies, etc. In other words, most of the new series are quite superb.

Nuff said.

bvc100 seeing lights! (what a bad joke)

Quickie - 12/10/2008

2008-10-12T22:48:00.002+08:00

God, this pressure...

Moved quite a lot for the past weeks and only able to update on the other sub-blogs i'm managing. Got some pics uploaded to the net, but only as an album in my photobucket account.

Enjoy the updates. Links to other blogs are on your right (Aoi-chan mileage blogs and UNDeR blog), and links to pics are below;

bvc100 2008 Eidulfitri pics

Savoc 2008 Raya Gathering

Quickie - 7/10/2008

2008-10-07T10:33:00.001+08:00

Took a day off yesterday to help clear items up at the KL and Puchong houses. Well, it was the festive period of Eidul-fitri last week.

Got to the office with Aoi-chan's new seat for the first time today and the uniform didn't scrunch up as badly as i thought it would've been having being confined to the restricted dimensions of the seat. Once in the office, bad news plagued my morning... again.

Looks like another tough week for me.
BRING IT ON! Wahahaha!!!

UK Work Trip, Part 3 - The finale

2008-09-27T21:38:00.015+08:00

Alhamdulillah... at long last. The finale of this very long and colourful pics posting of my short trip to UK. Accompanying text will be placed later (gotta get other things settled as well).

Thanks for your support. Hope you'll enjoy these ones as you might have enjoyed the others (Part 1 & 2).

These pics were taken near my lodging; The Bedford Swan Hotel and the lake beside it~

The Bedford Swan Hotel parking entrance... why swan? You're about to find out in the upcoming pics

I'll be walking down this road/path along the lake (yes it's a lake, but made to look like a river. Nice) throughout this collection of pics

This is the lake itself. There's dozens of swans floating about this lake. Bedford Swan Hotel, lake with swans... get it?

Some of the locals enjoy their evening walking around the park along the lake or some water based activities, like these people here

Hmmm... nice weather. Good for some great photos~

This park runs along the lake itself. Although beautiful and enticing, i didn't have the spirit to walk from end to end. Way2 too long...

Look mommy! Swans! These swans were following me. Maybe they thought i was going to feed them or something...

See how far the one end of the park/lake is? The hotel was somewhere in the middle of the long stretch...

A tribute made in memory of the past Bedfordians. Wonder what's the history behind it...

Ok, that's it. The lake's too long. I'm heading back via the path on the other side. Will cross the lake on this bridge, one of the many bridges on the lake.

Got arty (read as stupid; you'll find out why in pics below) and snapped this great photo of the sunset in Bedford from above the bridge. Nice.

Tried my luck to make another arty pic but failed. The colour's somewhat off in this one. Darn, shouldn't have messed about with the camera setting. Now i've to use auto mode... not nice at all.

One of the many paths you can walk in the park

Noticed that the locals put up contributions like this one on the benches around the park to remember people or event.

Seems that digital cameras are becoming intelligent. Although now i'm shooting the pics in auto-mode, good pics do come about once in a while...

...or maybe not. Still, need to capture pics for momento~

A canal thingy. This is used to elevate or lower down a boat to suit the water level (height) from one lake/river to another.

Ah yes... a rowing club. That explains the people in the earlier pic rowing about in the evening

One last try on using manual setting... and yes! I've got it!

Man crosses bridge with sunset at the back. Gotta admit that the lake, parka and the surrounding buildings are just... awe inspiring~

bvc100 ponders on the last time he was in UK... and it's no wonder why he likes it.

The other entrance of the Bedford Swan Hotel. This one goes straight into the bar.

Now that work is done, we'll be having our flight back to Malaysia in the night. So, a quick tour of the town centre is a must before we head to London/Heathrow.
Now are some pics of the Bedford town centre itself~

One of the streets of the city centre. Since the town isn't that big, the roads actually goes around the town centre and you'l' have to walk within it to get to where you want. Nice! Eco friendly and no congestion.

Although that may look like a church (i think it was... previously), that is actually a shopping mall.

Locals with family enjoying this interactive piece of art.

Poundland? All items at 1 pound each? What a bargain. *SPOILER ALERT*; To those of you who did manage to get some British chocs from me, it was all bought here at 1 pound a pack. Hahahaha!

One of the older churches in Bedford which is still in use. They really love and appreciate things with historical value these people...

Now that we've arrived at Heathrow and have some hours to burn before the flight, we got adventurous and went to see the newly opened Terminal 5. Next are the pics of Heathrow airport's new Terminal 5

Like all modern airports, this one is freakishly huge. But somehow, i didn't find the design to be interesting. To be honest, i found it dead boring.

Some of the people either waiting to get on a flight or greeting someone from one at Terminal 5

Took this one while munching a vegetarian sandwich bought at one of the outlets there. See, no interesting design features whatsoever... and a burnt lightbulb to match (middle of pic)

One of the thing that occured to me is that the environment seemed calm, just like KLIA. Does this mean that both KLIA and this place aren't utilized to the max?

No, those are not cooling towers. Those are actually the lifts for the car park behind it.

Right. 3 more hours before the flight. Let's get some last photos before we go home. These ones are taken at Terminal 3.

Quickie - 25/9/2008

2008-09-25T07:29:00.003+08:00

Darn internet explorer. This is the second time i'm doing this entry and i've forgot to save the texts i've typed in earlier.

Anyway, let me condense it into some short sentences. Here goes;

Hurray, fuel price have been reduced in Malaysia by Rm0.10 per litre starting today. Good. More money saved = more possile ways to store or spend it.

Part3 of UK pics will be uploaded this Friday night. Gotta settle it before the Eidul-fitr celebration. That'll be posted later as well.

There. 4 sentences in total. I'm not doing this again if the browser fails...

Quickie - 23/9/2008

2008-09-23T07:23:00.003+08:00

Odd... Woke up this morning earlier than expected and found the sunrise to be... well, moody. Was Lailatulqadr last night? Speaking of last night, didn't go to the CC to update things. Got no one to go with and was busy tidying up the room and settling stuffs to be posted later. Sad.

Odd yet again. Checked my account balance this morning in ancticaption to see the current balance to be higher than yesterday (well, today's pay day after all). But no. Instead i found the same numbers to be displayed as yesterday. What's going on? it's not that i don't have any money on me or anything, i just want to have a peace of mind knowing that the dough is there if anything arises... and i need to settle Aio-chan's loan... and i need to settle some bills... and i need to settle the rent... and i need to buy some stuffs... and etc2

Yikes! Someone tell me what's going on???

Quickie - 22/9/2008

2008-09-22T07:24:00.003+08:00

Rats! I totally forgot to update the blog on the weekend. Gotta admit i was busy buying stuffs in preparation for the upcoming Eidulfitri celebration. Oh well, i can always do it tonight at the CC...

Speaking of which, still hesitant on making the leap for Izzi wireless broadband. Have heard/read the plus and minus points of the service. As of now, it's still on 'yes' rather than a 'no'. i've only up to the end of the week to find more info and make the decision.

Apart from all this, nothing beyond the ordinary has happened... or maybe i've just wasted another week.

UK Work trip; Part 2 - Here, there & everywhere~ (the ending)

2008-09-18T21:41:00.015+08:00

Okay, let's continue this very5 long Part2. Be sure to read the Part1 and the intial part of Part2 before reading this one (confused?)...

Again, the newer buildings of London sharing the same space and scenery of the old London

Another visitor adimirng the city. At the back there is a hot air-balloon set-up by BT in conjuction with London becoming the 2012 Olympics host.

This thing's huge! The closer you get, the more massive and enchanted it becomes...

The new side...

...and the... aaaa... old... no, wait. Aha! And the hybrid side of London. And the Thames in the middle of it all~

Here i am, on one side of the bridge. Let's get moving

An artistic pic. Quick! Make this into a postcard or something.

Another artistic pic. God, this place is photographer's heaven.

That's where the bridge splits... and pics of the bridge ends.

This is the London Towers. Google it for more info.

An interesting gate which i found on one side of the building; Traitor's Gate. Surely there must've been a lot of traitors back then up to the point where they had to make a gate...

Looks kinda eerie... people used to say that there are still ghosts living in there somewhere... don't know about now though.

The main entrance of the building. Tickets will need to be puchased at another building close by

Some street artists making a living selling their artworks. Quite nice, but didn't have the dough... darn again (budget traveller... huhuhu)

The Big Ben! Luckily we got to hear the chime before we left.

Eye of London as seen from afar. Didn't dare to go there on this weekend. There'll be such a huge crowd and we've got one at home...

bvc100 ponders which is taller...

What's with the congestion charge they've put up in London? I don't see no congestion

Another artistic (sort of) pic. The Westminister Bridge close to Big Ben.

Last stop for the London trip, the Chelsea Stadium. I'm so dead tired by now, i've forgotten the name of it.

Hmmm... since i like any shades of blue, this stadium does look nice withe the blue theme (well, they are the Blues, right?)

Looks more modern and contemporary than the ones i've seen in Malaysia these football stadiums...

At long last, i'm tired, want to head to Bedford fast and get some rest. Thank you Manchester, thank you Liverpool, thank you London.

Next up; Part3 - Bedford, the town and the journey home...

UK Work trip; Part 2 - Here, there & everywhere~ (Still in progress)

2008-09-14T11:40:00.014+08:00

On with the show. Seeing that i've ton's of pics and can only upload so much pics, i've decided to only upload some of the nicer ones only (lazy lah, 760++pics taken). For the rest... it's better if you guys come over for a visit and i'll happily show you, or go there when you have the opportunity. BTW, this entry will be updated continously... up to a point where the 'still in progress' in the title is deleted.

Okay, 'nuff said. Pics please~~~

Gotta get to Bedford fast. Since we need to travel some distance from the hotel to the work location, a car is ideal. Hence this application form...

We also added a Satnav system to assist us in our commute to Bedford. But alas... the thing died halfway; seemed that the car-charger cable was faulty. Luckily i've dowloaded some maps into my laptop. SAFE~~~

Saturday 23/8 trip:

Didn't capture anything in between our arrival to this day. Like said, i can't. Anyhow, this pic was taken at their RNR (or services according to the locals). Unlike in Malaysia, the services are managed by a company (this one is by Marks n Spencer).

The universal problem of driving; TRAFFIC JAMS (they call it congestion). Same as Malaysian jams, but strangely relaxing. No honking and sudden change of lanes by idiots.

First stop of the day; Old Trafford!

Nice architectural design this...

bvc100 ponders whether he should apply as the team's player... or cleaner...

Wow! The whole team was posing for the visitors that day! Not. Just a big2 poster in their official merchandise shop.

Grabbed something for myself and now waiting in line to pay. Hadn't got the money to buy more expensive stuff... huhuhu

What's this? We accidentally stumbled upon this local community mosque not far from Old Trafford. They utilized and old storage bulding and wasa quite nice inside

This is the new building of the mosque, still in construction. And that's the rented car there...

Oh, didn't cover anything on food yet. Food-wise, there are ample of halal food outlets run by muslims everywhere (Bedford included). You just have to know the street they're on; it's all on the same street...

OKay, onto the next location! Hmm.... nice car. Citroen C2V

We've arrived at our 2nd location for the day; Liverpool's stadium (The Kop). This was what greeted us, local fans after a match. They won it...

Hmm... nope. I still prefer the design of Old Trafford (no offense)

I didn't stay in the shop for long. Too crowded... what would you expect after a match?

Paisley Gates of the stadium

Oh yes, it was wet there... almost forgot to mention it.

That's the day done. We're now heading back to Bedford for the trip to London tomorrow. By the way, it was legal to drive fast on their motorway; i drove 140km/h.

Sunday 24/8 trip:

Today, only London and it's close districts are covered. First up is the new Malaysian Hall...

... and from the looks of it, it is really smaller than the last one (as i can remember lah)

This particular staircase leads to the cafe. Non-Malaysians are required to be accompanied by a Malaysian, but who cares if they want to enjoy some Malaysian food?

The most expensive nasi-elmak i've consumed; RM36++ (It was GBP6+). Didn't taste as good as the Malaysian original one we get at home...

This is the view of the cafe itself

After the meal, we started off with the Queensway Underground station just a few metres away. Since the Underground network covers such a vast area of London n the neighbouring districts, you need not own a car.

First stop; The Marble Arch in which we stumbled upon these headless pigeons... okay, they're not. But it seems like it.

And now, the Marble Arch itself. Since i am no historian, Google it up if you want to know more.

As we left to head to the next stop, found this guy close to the Underground entrance. He had shared his lunch with the birds and isn't making a mess of it.

Next stop; the London Bridge. Don't be fooled by the name though. The one you want to see is the Tower Bridge, not this. This (hidden actually) is the London Bridge. Someone needs to re-write the London Bridge song...

To avoid getting lost, the map was pulled out. Thank God that we're actually near the thing but it's gonna be a walk there. Oh well...

A friend i met at the workplace in Bedford had mentioned that in London you can see a fusion of old and new buildings, sometimes side-by-side. He isn't joking. This was on my right...

...and this was on my left as we walked to the Tower Bridge. Mind boggling!

The slanted building there is London's City Hall building. Nice.

Owh? What's this? It's the Tower Bridge! At last!

...and what's this on my left? why, it's the London Towers!

p/s: Pics will be continued in a new post later~~~

Quickie - 12/9/08

2008-09-12T07:34:00.002+08:00

What a great start to the day.

I woke up 1/2 an hour earlier than expected (had time to nibble around for my sahur), adn now in deep pain; stomach-ache. Now i remember why i always skip having a bite in the morning. Darn.

The weather this morning is okay, but since it was raining last night the roads are still wet. This made my journey slightly longer than normal; everyone had to be extra careful at the crossing into Proton.

Hope that today is as good or even better than yesterday. Already found a solution to yesterday's task.

Tatata~~~

Quickie - 11/9/08

2008-09-11T10:35:00.004+08:00

Hurgh.

The thing i dreaded most whilst trying to finish the task i have in my hands right now had happenned. Gotta find a solution fast!

Speaking of which, Aoi-chan's current sluggish start from stop might be the clutch wearing out... it's nearing the suggested 60,000km mark for clutch plate life, under normal usage. My usage isn't normal though; 2 track sessions + Aggresive driving style (when chasing someone or going downhill) = a 'very not normal' usage condition. Sorry Aoi-chan...

Anyway, i've fully recovered from the little dizzyness i've had for the past few days. The culprit; the super strong toilet cleaner stuff i was using last week. Must've inhaled way too much of the vapour (smells like super thick chlorine)

Oh yes, last but not least. The pics of the trip will be updated again this weekend. Don't expect too much though. i'll continue the rest whenever possible.

Tatata~~~

UK Work trip; Part 1 - The flight to UK

2008-09-07T10:37:00.008+08:00

Right. The UK work trip. I'm stating work here because that was the main purpose of the trip. What sort of work? Company secret.

Anyhow, this first part revolves around the activities and flight to UK. The flight back will only be covered briefly in the last part of this long blog entry. A whole lot of pics that i took at certain 'areas' are omitted because it wasn't supposed to be taken anyway and it's for you to experience yourself when you have the chance. Some areas were a no-pics zone, so naturally no pics there.

Enough with the text, let the pics begin~
Enjoy~~~

My luggage. The maximum allowable mass for an economy passenger is 20kg. I wonder how heavy mine is...

...The moment of truth @ the check-in counter. 13.6kg! Safe. Guess i can take a lot more stuff to bring back~ Oh, on the right was Hasan RXZ. He sent me to KLIA and was given the task of taking care of Aoi-chan whilst i'm gone (Can he???????)

bvc100 showing the way to go to enter the "Forbidden Kingdom"... or the International Departures area to you and me

Found this near the check-in counter whilst waiting for my travel mate to check-in. It seems that we're not allowed to bring all these stuff for safety purposes. Makes sense to me...

Further proof that you're travelling in the 'cheap' cabin; your hand carry luggage will be tagged like this.

Here we are, at the security checkpoint before boarding the train connecting the Main Building (local departures) to the Satellite Building (international departures). I've passed through the Immigration Dept counters by now. No pics allowed there...

People waiting to board the train. I think it was called the Aero-train or something. Anyway, all is well up to this point.

Inside of the train. The journey wasn't that long; about a couple of minutes. Limited seats though.

Approaching the Satellite Building...

...and here i am in the building.

The forest in an airport, the airport in a forest - KLIA. Let's just hope that they don't let lose a tiger or something to make that claim worthwhile. Nicely designed building though.

Now heading to our Gate at the far end of this building. Quite a walk...
At long last, the entrance to the lounge area of our designated Gate. A quick ticket check by MAS staff and another quickie check by the Immigration dept officers and we're cleared to fly~

Welcome to 13hrs of 'cheap' cabin hell. Okay, it isn't as bad as i'm putting it here...

...but i've to say, it is rather cramped. i've a hard time getting comfortable.

The flight attendant. When one of these is moving about...

...and the screen in front of you can be manipulated to your heart's content, then you're somewhere above the clouds travelling at an average of 800-900km/h ground speed. Oh, on the screen was Iron Man. Had to watch that again.

One of the meals served during the flight to UK. I chose all of the non-Malaysian meals from the choice of menu given. Had to take up all of the opportunity available.

At long last, after 12+hrs of flight we've arrived at the London Heathrow Airport around about 5++pm UK time. This was our airplane; MAS' Boeing 747 'Pangkor'.

After clearing the UK Immigration gates and taking our bags from the ever cruel bags-carousel, this was what greeted us; Arrival area of Terminal 3. God was it full of people.
And the adventure has just begun...

To be continued...

OMG! A short update to be followed by...

2008-09-07T00:55:00.002+08:00

Oh heck! I just noticed that my last blog entry was... ages ago. Darn. And here i thought i can make this blog interesting. Guess i failed... again.

But fear not as i have a whopping load of stuff to be posted here tomorrow; My 'mini'-convo, My UK work trip and some other stuff.

So, if you're reading this, be prepared for some rather nice pics and stories.

Till tomorrow morning. Tata~~~

What a load of load… what am I saying?

2008-08-21T19:02:00.001+08:00

A few weeks ago I was baffled over the preparation of my department for the Proton Tech Week. Alhamdulillah, with assistance from fellow representatives and God’s blessings, things turned out better than expected. In the end, everyone had put their best foot forward and as thousands agree, the program achieved its objectives.

Not so good was Aoi-chan acting up during the preparation stage. After spending countless hours (plus some hard earned and loaned cash), she’s back on track… literally. After fixing her up, I attended one of Sepang’s track day session. And my God, was Sepang great. I had only been there thrice (one for HPC event, other two for a free entrance session for the A1GP and something else), and haven’t been around the track in full. Now I can agree with people that it has to be one of the best track in the world… just ask Michael Schumacher.

After all that, I just gotta get some rest. Which I did take, just a couple of days ago. And what better way was it for me to relax than a short blast up and down some good mountain roads. This time; Fraser’s Hill. Surprisingly, the roads were well maintained (the connecting roads, the one-way road at the hill was faultlessly maintained) and dare I say, more ‘interesting’ than the ones at Cameron Highlands. The only precaution; make sure to fill up at any petrol station (yes, any!) you find on the way there. There’s basically nowhere to fill up once you reach the peak. Apart from this little crazy adventure, the remaining hours of the holidays were spent on sleep and sketching stuff.

And so, what better way to restart my normal work life than getting news on my next assignment. The venue; UK. Yep, UK as in United Kigdomland (as Jeremy Clarkson put it). The only drawback? My convo is smack right in the middle of the assignment period. After some discussion with my parents and advice from colleagues, I decided to take chance and just go on with the assignment. The reason? SECRET. Guess that those of you who are expecting to see me in person during the convo can just dream on… sad isn’t it? However, as a consolation to both you and me, Hassan RXZ will be bringing Aoi-chan to the ceremony. Assume Aoi-chan as my representative. If you have flowers to give me, you can just pass it to her. You are permitted to take pics with her as a momento of my absence… (isk, isk, iskk…)

Well got nothing else to put here, all the related pics should be below, with the usual tasteless captions. In any case;

HAPPY CONVOCATION TO ALL MEMBERS OF G13 FROM THE KULLIYYAH OF ENGINEERING AND OTHER IIUM STUDENTS WHO’LL BE HAVING THEIR CONVO THIS TIME AS WELL!!!

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING AND SORRY THAT I COULDN’T MAKE IT

p/s: Pics to be uploaded later...

PROTON TECHNOLOGY WEEK

2008-08-03T07:36:00.005+08:00

Hahahaha!
i nearly forgot to post this one, but what the heck...

You are all cordially invited to:

PROTON TECHNOLOGY WEEK
Date (public session):
1. 2/8/2008=> 2:00pm-5:00pm
2. 3/8/2008=> 9:00am-5:00pm

Venue: Proton Main Plant and RND, Shah Alam Admission:
Free Highlights: 1
. Carnival Area (Like a mini Sure Heboh)
2. Technology Vehicles display - Autonomous car, Saga Red, MSX Concept
3. Proton MPV peek-a-boo
4. Technology exhibitions @ RND office/lab areas (A must visit!!!)

... and lots more

Coincidence or discrimination?

2008-07-26T20:50:00.002+08:00

Went to the shop today to find a pair of sneakers for use on the track day tomorrow. Strangely enough, i found myself in a deja-vu. I can't seem to find one that fits me. The strange thing is, they have sizes for smaller feet (up to 9 or 10) and they have big ones (13 upwards), but the never seem to have for the middle bit (11&12), the size i'm using.
For heavens sake, is this a coincide AGAIN or is it a matter of discrimination against us lot with the 'somewhere in the middle' sized feet?
Guess it's time to find out...

Bon Odori Festival pics~~~

2008-07-26T12:39:00.007+08:00

These are the pics as promised. Sorry it was a bit on the late side, but still, its better than not posting any at all.
Enjoy~~~

p/s: The pics aren't placed in the order they were taken. There were some videos taken, but i couldn't be bothered to post it here...

The drum beaters ready for action... hold on. One of 'em got a broken arm! Talk about dedication to work!!!

Some VIP making the opening speech; "Aaa... Good morning..", he said. Odd

More ladies in Kimonos...

And the crowd goes wild! Not. This is the main stage and all of the visitors/participants as seen from the main building of the sports complex...

Some of the visitors chilling out

A tribute to the photographers (Amateurs and Pros). The event must've been a slice of heaven for them...

A shot of the evening sky before the event

A Japanese kid playing with the water-balloon-yoyo-thing

Some of the crowds which turned up in a Kimono or Yukata

Dancers and drummers getting ready for the event.

A tribute to the RELA officers. Without them, who knows how ugly the event could've turned out to be...

Some of the Malay ladies with kimonos posing with a Japanese lady and her daughters.

The main stage in the middle of the sports complex field.

Kawaii~~~ 4 Japanese girls striking a pose with their Kimonos. If any of you are reading this, please contact me...

More girls running around with their Kimonos

Another group of Malay ladies striking a pose with their Kimonos

The scene of the food-stalls area

Woah... more Malay ladies with Kimonos

Some old guy trying to attract customers to his stall...

Someone's balloon in the sky...

Bon Odori Festival (12/7/2008)

2008-07-13T09:04:00.005+08:00

Had a visit to the Bon Odori festival at the Matsushita (or now Panasonic) Sports Complex yesterday. What’s Bon Odori? Go google or Wiki it. I don’t want to do some documentary here since I want to post as many pics as possible.

So here are the pics... Oh wait. Darn, I forgot to upload it to this laptop! DARN!
(I’ll hook it up later, but for the sake of things, please google it. I know there’ll be tons of pics of the event all over the net.)

By the way though, I didn’t join in the dance. Why? Well… one of the reason was i was too busy filming and taking pics of *ahem* KAWAI~~~ ladies in kimonos. Another reason was that we (yes, I didn’t attend it alone and no, I’m still a loser and the others we all male) had a discussion. Since no fact can be referred to for a concrete answer, we left and went home. But I did get a sort of souvenir, just for the sake of event. What is it? Find out when I upload the pics.

In case any of you are wondering why i don't update as regularly as you thought, well... in my current condition i just can't. I'll tell you about it later.

Bye.

100th Image posted on the net

2008-06-10T01:17:00.003+08:00

Ahahaha... okay, this might be a crappy blog entry, but it's a feat worth celebrating nonetheless~
At last, my first milestone is achieved; the 100th image i've posted since going active in the net.

So, how to celebrate it? Err... well... for starters, i've posted the 100th image below, so feel free to look it up. It is one of my rather recent artwork. As you can see, i've also changed the image on the right side of this blog to this image. Err... what else?
Oh heck! Okay, fine, it's not that much of a celebration...

Darn.

The 100th image posted by bvc100 on the net. Banzai3~!

Seatbelt for life

2008-06-08T08:55:00.006+08:00

Right. I've posted this thing at Friendster's bulletin board, but i'll go over this again as a reminder to all of us.
As we know, as of June 2008 it is a law for rear seat passengers to wear seatbelt. As a reminder, the seatbelt placed in your cars are not meant as a cosmetic item and isn't supposed to be hidden (some of us tuck the belt anchorage away under the seats, what sort of an idiot are these people?).
Okay, based on some comments and reactions i had from others, i can say that some do realize the importance of the seatbelt while others just don't give a damn. Look, enough with the again 'Government' thing and the so called plot/scheme some psycho have put to suck money out of your wallet. The bottom line is this: Seatbelts are there as a measure to reduce the risk of having a severe injury that can cause death. Ask yourself this: " Am i stupid enough to end my life if i get involved in an accident because i don't want to wear the seatbelt?". Some of the interesting reply i got from asking around (and i'm not joking) is:
1- Tak selesa-lah pakai seatbelt (i'm not comfortable wearing a seatbelt)
2- Perlu ke? Aku tak bawak laju pon (Do i need to? I'm not traveling that fast)
3- Alah... pakai ke, tak pakai ke, same aje (Well, it doesn't make any difference whether i wear it or not)

Very amusing. So amusing in fact that these people will either die in vain in an accident or get flung out of the car and... imagine it yourself what the outcome will be. I might not be qualified enough to say this but, for all i know, every single car that has a seatbelt have been engineered properly. Regardless whether it's installed in a Rolls-Royce, Proton, Perodua or other car makes, it was placed there with one goal: Reduce the risk of having a severe injury in an accident.
Here, i'm begging you the reader to buckle up everytime you drive. Heck with the stupid reasonings on not wearing it, it's much harder to justify why you died after being flung out of the car(front seat and rear seat passengers) or crushing the person in front of you (for rear seat passengers). Remember, if God were to ask you "Why did you neglect your safety and not wear the seatbelt?" when you die in an accident, what sort of answer can you give Him?
Think about it...

Your choice; either buckle up and minimize the risk of serious injury or simply choose between:
a. Smashing your face on the steering wheel
b. Crack your head on the A-pillar
c. Get ejected outside and hit a tree or something...

New animes not to be missed

2008-06-08T08:32:00.004+08:00

And now, for an otaku blog.
There are some rather interesting new animes going around currently. Mentioned here are some of the more notable:
1. Nabari - This story revolves around Rokujo Miharu, a boy who has the Shinrabansho inside of him. Shinrabansho is like the greatest knowledge of the Nabari (ninja) world and can grant anything that the user wishes. Currently, the plot is on their (himself and a few other characters which i forgot their names) effort in either sealing or extracting the Shinrabansho from his body. Overall (up till ep07), the animation, sound, music and presentation makes this a worthwhile anime to watch, especially after the 'normal' and 'boring' Naruto. Sorry Naruto fans...

2. Mnemosyne - This anime isn't for the faint hearted or those who watch anime on a leisure basis. Try watching the first episode, and you'll get what i mean. A solid effort from a new anime studio (new here refers to one i've never heard of) with very nice and detailed artwork and out-of-the-ordinary storyline. By the way, i can't tell much here since it'll spoil the anime. It's one of those anime where it's better watched rather than talked...

3. Code Geass, Lelouch of the rebellion R2 - The second season of a similarly titled anime, the plot now continues as Zero is 'resurrected' and continues his rebellion against the Brittanian government. As expected, they continued the first season's wonderful artwork and improved on the overall presentation. A must watch for mecha and Clamp-work based freaks (i'm of the latter).

4. Misc: Others which kinda interest me which needs to be mentioned are Kanokon and Ayakashi. The former is a ecchi type of anime (those who digs nekomimi, inumimi n stuff will surely like this one) and the latter... i'm still watching the first few episodes and haven't deleted it yet (which means it's quite okay).

Some other new animes not mentioned here are either:
1- I don't recommend watching
2-i haven't watched yet
3-Both of the above
Any good anime titles you'd like to share? Just post a comment.

And now, for some screenshots~~~
First up, Nabari no Ou

Characters are (from left): Miharu, Thobari-sensei, Kouichi and Raimei. All are from the Banten area/village

Next up, Mnemosyne

In this scene from Ep01, Rin (the lady doing the stunt move) is saving Maeno (some guy she found whom... wait. I'm putting no spoilers here. Go watch it)

Last but not least, Code Geass R2

Zero (Lelouch masked character) and C.C. Both are allies. Geass power obtained by Lelouch was given by C.C.
Great friends, but also worst enemies. Lelouch (left) and Suzaku. On Lelouch's left eye is the side-effect of overusing his Geass.
A scene from EP07, showing the clean and detailed work of the anime studio. A round of applause please~~~ *Clapx3

Fuel price hike

2008-06-08T07:44:00.004+08:00

Yup. The most talked about issue for the past few days. The fuel price hike of Rm0.78 for petrol and RM1.oo for diesel.
I can make this entry very very very very very (very of the very very) long, which can put you off from reading it and waste my time to type and go through it. So, it'll be as brief (yay) as i can make it (me, brief? Nooooo)
Let's face it, the hike was a bit steep. This "up-ping" process will gradually flow into other things as well. Go and pick an item today and see how the price of it change in a few days. You know some of the facts on fuell prices and subsidies better than i do, so i'll leave it as it is.
However, though some of us believe (me too) that a price hike is unavoidable for the benefit of our future, the gap which we just filled was way too much for many. This will induce a similar jump in prices of everyday requirements, which is much much important for any individual. We don't drink petrol, do we not? At the current condition, the higher income people couldn't care less, the almost zero income will die in vain (and a whole-lotta-pain) and the rest of us (lower and middle income people) stuck in between with nowhere to run and hanging by our throats.
Personally, i feel that the best way to solve this was a gradual hike. For instance, the people above should announce (with facts, figures and evidence that can be made public; government need to keep some secret too) that a price hike was required and make a gradual increase as not to catch us all by surprise. The hike would be 10sen per 3 months, or something like that. That way, people can use one month to adjust themselves, another to grow and the last month to prepare for the next hike. With this, the rather mediocre compensation given to motorist and motorcyclist won't be necessary and the money can be used for other things.
One more thing though, just ban or create a system that shuns foreign motorist from having a cheaper-than-my-place fuel. Just because some 'makcik' is losing an amount of money at her fuel station somewhere near the border that the rest of the nation just watch as our still cheaper fuel is siphoned out of the country. Oh yes, you're limiting them to top up RM20 maximum, but they're not that stupid. Just fill up Rm20 at 5 different fuel stations and hey presto, full tank of our cheaper-than-my-place juice. Try this: The have to have a full tank of fuel coming in our country and leave with only a 1/4 remaining. If not, tax/charge/fine them the difference. That way, it'll ensure them buying their more expensive fuel coming in and bringing out as little as possible of our cheap fuel. Oh yes, and it's enforced on all non-locally registered vehicles. Human can lie, evidence (that's the registration plate) doesn't. Shame on them who says they're Malaysians but only for their benefit.
i'm quite sure that some of you have your own ideas on this thing, so feel free to give your comment.
Funnily enough, i quite like the idea of reducing the allowance of the top officials that was mentioned in the news a few days ago. Whatever the details was, the basic thing is this: We have to be more efficient in our life. So, enough with the extra-mextra stuff that only promotes wastage and inefficiency. Go make your life more efficient and reduce wastage wherever possible. And this includes myself, you the reader and everyone on this planet. God didn't place us as vicegerents on earth for nothing. Think about that...

The queue i was in at one of the fuel station near Proton Shah Alam. Yes3, i was daft enough to try get my hand on some supply of the cheaper-at-that-time petrol.

Thank God i came just in the nick of time. Look at the queue behind me...

Re-intro, rebrand, restart...

2008-06-08T07:29:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum wth and a happy wet Sunday morning.

If you're reading this, then you've probably noticed some changes and tweaks made to my blog, most notable is the new background/template. Why, might you ask? Well, humans constantly make changes and adjustments in their life to retain the spark/interest that one might just lose if one were to be static towards life.
So here it is, a basic re-introduction to my blog, the rebranding and of course a restart.
Again, this blog does not contain any specific matter. Well, you can say that it'll include anything of my interest which i'd like to share. The things put here might either interest you (which is good) or put you off (like i care anyway).
The old tagline: "On life's occurrences and a bit of otaku" have changed to "On anything, from someone's perspective". This is because, let's face it, i'm an otaku (sort of), i have loads of things to comment on of life(not just mine, those who know me personally will know of this), and this is a blog. So why have a restriction from the first place?
And for a restart, just read the next posting (usually it appears above this one)

So, thank you for those who reads this blog of mine and an extra thank you to those who gives comments. I'll be replying to anyone's comment starting from now, just to make this be more interactive... enjoy~

Bugger...

2008-04-20T07:24:00.002+08:00

What a strange turn of event. One week i was suffering like all hell's broke loose, and the week after spring arrives with all of the sweet smelling and comfy atmosphere. By the way, i'm referring to the past two week.
The inactivity (have i ever been active?) of me in the usual spots on the internet some might notice was largely due to 2 things; one is the 'all hell breaks loose' week, and the other because some lucky fella just sold his wireless broadband to someone, and now i can't get on the net at home, or at work, or at my convenience. Darn.
Likewise, this blog is just a filler of what i can report of this week's 'springtime' like events, like my crazy trip of Penang and Cameron Highlands done yesterday. I can't bear waiting for the pictures to be uploaded anymore on this hideously slow connection which i've to use at home. hope to find a well priced and balanced solution in the form of a new connection.
Anyway, thanks to you who's reading this. Your support is my strength. Bye~

2 recalls; One needed, one seriously needed...

2008-03-30T10:06:00.003+08:00

Darn! The two previous post is long! I'm gonna make this as simple as possible, so here goes...

1. Had myself weighed last week and surprised by the amount i've gained in 2 months. Recalled the days when i played basketball and how much i weighed back then. With that as a goal, i restarted my old room exercise routine... about 15mins per day. Couple that with the puasa sunat (fasting), i've lost 3kg so far. Pretty good start huh? But things are going to be harder after this... dunno why, but i just feel like saying that.

2. Heard some news that Proton might be doing a recall on Savvy to replace some parts. It is said to be the spindle parts for the rear wheels. It is also said to be free and covered under warranty. When? Sometime this week or next week. The affected cars are all that is made before December 2007. The December 2007 and upwards Savvy have those new components installed from the factory. Seems like Aoi-chan is going to meet the 'doctors' again...

Hani and Syazwan playing with the scales at Genting. This got me thinking... "When was the last time i weighed myself???"...

... and this got me thinking "I don't want to look like Genting's fat mascots!!!". Oh dear...

A crazy world needs a crazy mind

2008-03-30T08:59:00.004+08:00

Following the theme for this week's blog; craziness abound, a crazy world will need a crazy mind. And if they need someone to lead this world, i can nominate myself for that.

I have this crazy ability (and i'm not joking) on going about in life on a whim. Feel like bowling? Get the car keys and just go. Feel like playing the arcades? get the car keys and just go. Feel like dying? Don't be an idiot and just calm down.

And so, to prove this crazy ability of mine, i had 3 unnecessary trips (okay, one was semi-unnecessary...) to Genting Highlands (again) and Pantai Morib (Morib beach). The Genting Higlands trip was done with housemates Hani and Soldierboy this time around. You can see from their faces that the drive up and down Genting scared them off, or was it the driver that scared them? Oh well. We didn't plan on anything except to admire the view of KL at night, so had long walks and did some crazy experiments to kill off time as we enjoy the cool air.

The trip to Morib was done on two separate cases; one because Aziim wanted to go there for an interview and needed a co-pilot to decode the stupidly drawn map. The other was (again) on a whim, but only Soldierboy tagged along this time. On, the trip with Aziim, we managed to catch the sunset and by God, it was beautiful. A city slicker like me could do with more of this. On the other hand, the next visit was done purely since i wanted to see Morib at night... and apart from the refreshing silence, nothing special was to be seen. Maybe because it was 2AM at that time... i dunno, just a hunch.

So, what next? Well, i'm planning on visiting Bagan Lalang this coming Friday night, but... who knows. Maybe i might end up at Cameron Higlands instead. Talk about being crazy~

A view at Pantai Morib. I can get used to this...

The guy on the right caught this small stingray (ikan pari daa...) before we left Morib

Another view inside First World Plaza, and no that's not the real KLCC at the back there...

3 stooges. The good (middle), bad (right) and just plain dumb (left). Sorry Hani...

The official bvc100 mark left at Morib at 3AM...

'tis a crazy, crazy world

2008-03-30T08:09:00.003+08:00

It really is a crazy world out there. As Pakya once said; "Crazier than ever...", though that has nothing to do with this.

Why crazy? Last week, had a quick run to Aziim's for my dosage of anime update. As laptops usually do, the battery went flat really2 fast. Had to hook it up to the electrical point, only to find that i've left one part of the power cable/adapter system at home. bvc100-0, Stupidity-1.

Next, in 4 weeks time (this was supposed to be blogged in last week, but the extra week proved to be... painful) after changing Aoi-chan's rims, i found another 3 cars having the exact same rim. One which i don't mind (a Proton Waja/Impian), and two which i would rather burn (a stupid Prod Myvi and a stupidly customized Kelisa, pic below). All of which i saw very2 close to my workplace. Thankfully we don't work at the same place, or someone will be walking home (2 cars burnt, and one with it's wheels missing) the score now is bvc100-0, Stupidity-2, not good

And i thought that was the end of this craziness. Had a late nite movie outing with Soldierboy on Friday night. Thankfully the movie was more than acceptable (the movie itself was crazy, forgot the title though). On the way to get the car in the basement car park, we found that the Sunway Pyramid structure is supported by thin air. Proof? See pic below, you'll get what i mean. If the collapse of Sunway Pyramid is in the news tomorrow, you'll know what caused it already. And if that did happen, then the score would be, by default, bvc100-0, Stupidity-Infinity
Now that's crazy~

Merz? What Merz (red circle). It's no wonder we can't see a Merc-Benz near the shop...

One of the culprit (culprit???), that yellow Kelisa there...

Oh? What's this? It's not thin air... it's a piece of plywood that's supporting the structure... now THAT's a relief (not).

One stupid way of getting into an accident, blank-off your indicators. Usually people only smoke the lights to make the car look sporty, but this one had it covered... with stickers.

Two for the album... The two artworks at the back is made on a super-size drawing paper i found from my schooldays. The one in-front is done on a standard A4 sized paper... Wait, the scanner can only scan up to A4 size... Nooooooo!!! Whotta waste!

2 kenduri kahwin and a result

2008-03-16T21:58:00.003+08:00

Another week had passed by without any significant occurence, which is quite tiring actually. Why? Well, i'm the sort of person that (not that anybody knows though) wants to live everyday to the fullest. So, even though my daily job requires me to sit at my desk most of the time, i can actually have fun whilst completing tasks (yes, although stressing at times, the job is fun to learn and do).Anyhow, the highlight of the whole week was Tuesday and yesterday (Saturday). On Tuesday, my imoutou got her SPM results (which i'm not going to tell by the way). Whatever that she got, as predicted, she's still better than me in learning school stuffs. So, a big round of applause to her then... *Clap, clap, clap.....*Next, for Saturday, me and a couple of old mates went to 2 houses for a 'kenduri kahwin' (wedding reception). One of which was of a good ol' friend, Maru. There's a special pic i took of him and his wife which can be found at the end of this blog entry. Another one was of one of my housemate's bro and sis. No, his bro didn't marry his sis, but they made their kenduri together. You know, kinda one of those mega things where everyone does the same stuff together. Whatever it is, it's nice to see your friends and people you know getting married. Got me wondering when my turn is going to come. Any good looking ladies with a charming personality looking for a guy out there? Hahahaha...
A big congratulations to them, may Allah bless their lives with good and happy marriage that will last forever.

...i hope Aoi-chan could also last forever. Just in case i don't get married... erk!

Maru with his wife. Sorry Pian, i forgot to take a special pic of your bro n sis with their spouse...

Had a whopping 8 games of bowling yesterday and set a personal best score in the very last one (159)

Found this on the box of Syazwan's wardrobe. Brown was spelt as drown. I guess now people have the option if they want to drown with their stuffs... The dialog:
Buyer: I'd like to buy a wardrobe that i can 'drown' in
Seller: Sir, have i got the thing for you~
Dumb...

An artwork i drew a couple of hours ago and another made earlier in the week. Guess that all that clicking at work and the bowling game have taken a bit of a toll on my wrist.

Bored with a place to go...

2008-03-09T14:24:00.008+08:00

Got bored last night. After setting out with a mate to find a suitable present for another mate who will be having his kenduri kahwin next week at his house(he got married this recent Friday. Congrats Maru!), i tried to kill some time at our favourite lepak spot. Funnily enough, we all (another mate joined us) opened the topic of "What to do?".
In the end, after shoving some typical ideas aside, we agreed to go on a fun-drive. Where? Genting Highlands, a personal favourite drive. On Aoi-chan, all i can say is that the new rims are really good. It helped me in the corners as i can now adjust the steering angle more correctly due to the way that the suspension now modulates without having to crash all of the time (very technical... i'm sure some of you doesn't understand a single word). Anyhow, the absense of that front lip spoiler does crate a tremendous difference. Even the mates can tell that the car understeers more in the faster corners and the front bobs quite easily.
As for the place, well, it is Genting we're talking about here. And of course it was cold. Especially when there's the killer combination of wind and thick fog. The visibility was so poor that at one point, i can't even read the number plate of a car... about 5meters in front of me. One advice though: Don't go there without thick clothing, especially in last night's condition. Not that i can't bear it though~~~
So, here are some pics we took at Genting. Unfortunately, the pda's camera was so useless at night, i can only manage to take pics at illumiated places, like the First World Hotel.

Enjoy!

The sticker that was on the box of the present. We couldn't leave it there before it was wrapped, couldn't we?

First World Hotel... you can see the thick fog even from here.

One of the mate who followed; Arul...

... and the other mate; Amir.

Info counter at First World Hotel. The dialog:

bvc100: "Excuse me. Can i have you guys close the roads so that i can go down faster without the other slower drivers obstructing me?"

person behind counter: "??????"

Two weeks, all rolled into one... post

2008-03-09T13:23:00.003+08:00

And that's the truth. Nope, i'm not dead yet so bwahaha to all of you who expected something bad had happenned to me.
Anyhow, the fact that not a lot of thing happenned these past weeks kinda made me fumbled. What to post? If there's no material to post, can i at least make a lite update?Well... truth to be told, there were some good ones last week. But for the love of God, i did not record the event aka i was stupid enough not to capture the event with my pda's camera... silly me~
Onwards and upwards, let's recap some of the more decent and recent occurences. First of all, it seems that i'm now officially hooked to bowling. Seems that my game have improved quite dramatically with the new custom ball from the last post. There's a pic below showing one of my best scores so far (but the rest... let's just say it's inconsistent).
Oh yeah, bfore i forget, a warm welcome please to our 4th and last member of the apartment, mr Syazwan of Auto Eng IIUM aka Soldier Boy to some of the WPS people. He joined us last week and had provided me with TG's latest season... in full. So, a round of applause please~ *Clap3*
Err... what else? Oh! Last week's stuff. Had a one week training on using CATIA V5 at PROTON. The training was fun, and the food was great. Too bad it was quite short. The lecturer said that it should've been extended to cover the topics in depth. I quite agree to that.
Apart from the training, i joined the SAVOC's TT on Friday night, had a game or two of bowling with them and went for a late night nasi lemak. On the way back, i met with 3 accidents (which i think 2 of it were fatal) that was not reported in the next day's newspaper. Strange huh? The car's involved? The two fatal ones (separate incidents, single vehicle accident) were a Kia Sportage (the new one) and a Prod Kelisa which turned turtle... the othe one was a Honda CRX.
Right. i think that's sufficient. Errr.... hope to have my camera primed and ready for next week. Or not, i'll be updating this... later.

Aoi-chan posing with dignity whilst admiring her new rims~~~

Some of the members of savoc.net. We played 2 games at Sunway Pyramid's bowling alley. My group was 2nd best (Thanks in part to batterisya, bob and ultra)

One of my best score so far (top one). Seemed that i really needed that new ball~

bvc100 power up!

2008-02-24T18:55:00.005+08:00

Yessss!!!
I got my first paycheck yesterday. Can you smeeeellllll... what the paycheck, smells like.
So, what to do eh? Har3. Most of you would be thinking: This guy is sure gonna spend it on buying another figurine/anime stuff and blow the rest at the arcades. But no.
I've decided to help myself to some less useful but more meaningful things to commemorate the first paycheck:
1. Treat my family to dinner
2. Give some pocket money to my parents and lil' sis.
3. Get myself a brand spanking new bowling ball
4. Replace Aoi-chan's rims

Truth to be told, no 3 and 4 was a bit of a nutter, but like i said, more meaningful. The fact that i'll be playing bowling more often than before made me treat myself to a personal ball. Mind you, it does make a whole lot of difference to the game. The feel of the ball is just superb.
Speaking of superb, check out Aoi-chan's new rims~ Cool huh? Thanks in part to Mr. Gustav of savoc.net for assisting me in choosing and buying the rims. Now Aoi-chan looks meaner than ever (damn i have to get that front lip spoiler back!).

Righto. Since i'm tired and nothing much had happened in the past 7 days, this will be the only post for the week. Expect more update next week. Tatata~ Wahahahaha~~~

So many to chose from... so little time and budget

Aoi-chan looking tense before the change

Aoi-chan, midway thru the change...

Out with the old...

In with the new

Aoi-chan makes a dignified exit for a test-run.

The end result~

The new bowling ball (Tornado). Check out the colour scheme~

An artwork i couldn't scan. The scanner can only scan A4 max. Darn...

Trial by fire and water

2008-02-17T02:02:00.003+08:00

i'm quite sure that most of you out there have watched Captain Planet (yes, the cartoon and no, not Mr. Planet/Universe). There were 5 elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Heart or something or another... oh well.
Today, i had a glimpse of people (other people were involved, luckily it wasn't me) facing trials by two of the mentioned element: Fire and Water.
For the fire, some unlucky fellow had their car torched on the Federal Highway this morning, and yes i was there to witness the event and again no, it wasn't a locally made or local brand car. The cause of a sudden detonation of a car is either a fuel leak, faulty cooling system or some idiotic mistake the owner made by not maintaining the vehicle properly. Tough luck...
On the water side, there was a sudden heavy downpour today and some part of KL had flash flood (as usual). Strangely, in one stretch of the Federal Highway (the exit to Kelana Jaya/Sunway, from Shah Alam) the water rose to a depth that a car couldn't wade through. But, since humans weren't made equal, some stupid drivers decided to try going through (and mind you, it's standard cars we're talking about, not the 4x4 which will have no problem wading through such depth), only to find their car cough and sputter a few meters in or after the flood. If they're lucky, once the engine is dry, the can move on. If not, hahahahaha... a long bill is comin' their way~ Again, i was there to witness everything... 'cause i was stuck in the traffic jam anyway.
Speaking of which, the pictures below isn't exactly photo perfect, but they sure paint the image. My word of advice? Don't play with fire... and don't play with water... errr, that doesn't sound right. Oh heck.

Trial by fire. Car is a Fiat Punto (one of the newer model, not the HGT). Picture distorted due to PDA's camera lag

Trial by water. One of the 'wet' spot on Federal Highway. Three cars were stranded (foolish owners); Merc Benz 200, Prod Kelisa and another i couldn't recognize in time. Seems to me that those living in KL need amphibious cars...

Doujin Update plus bonus stuff~

2008-02-17T01:25:00.005+08:00

Noooooo!!!!
What in the world happened to warungpakseman.com's server? Now, apart from here n minitokyo.net, people will never be able to see my artwork. Darn! Dareka~! Somebody, fix it!!!
But hey, life must go on. So here's the update this week. Though there's only 2 artwork, they are of the completed type aka "i did have some spare time to sketch, clean n ink it plus do a bit more editing and cleaning up in the computer before posting it". The theme is nekomimi. One was inspired by the recent Valentino Rossi's day (Valentine's day to the other's who DO celebrate it. i don't... can't... darn again...), and the other is just another test of a different pose.
And here they are~~~ *clap3...

And since i had a grrreat week, here's some bonus stuff for all of you~ Wallies by your's truly~~~

Wallie of the two nekomimis from the above images

Char from T2's artwork, "Reflectia" is the tite of the OP in True Tears. Didn't find any True Tears scans on the net yet.

Char from Onegai Twins anime, one of my all time favourites

Blog time!

2008-02-17T01:08:00.003+08:00

And here it is~ The long awaited first blog to be posted from my new apartment~~~
So... what to start with? A lil' bit of doujin perhaps? Nope. Let's get some update on what's happening around my life first...
On my adaptation to working life schedule, i think i'm gettin' the hang of it. Did my first OT (overtime, but i'm not paid for it) today. The office doesn't seem to eerie without the others though since most of the time the office is supposed to be quiet anyway. (What do you expect to happen in an office type job? A samba party????). Other than that, my life boredom level had gone down with the introduction of tasks. Thank goodness for that. Oh yeah, first paycheck is due next week (HAHAHAHAHA!). So don't bother calling me if you're thinking of getting a taste of it... i know whom i want to treat first~~~
Oh yeah, this internet connection. The internet is courtesy of Hani (Aero student, IIUM daaa... not 'honey') through his broadband thingy, So thanks to him for this.
Hmmm... what else? Oh yeah, thanks also to the macha by the side of the road to work every morning for providing me with the daily dose of the Star newspaper...
Ok, this one is acceptably long already. This is the last one: To all fellow Malaysians, don't forget to vote.
Right. The end. Let's go to the next one...

Drive-thru toilet?

2008-02-08T12:05:00.000+08:00

Had a drive to an orphanage last week. On the way back, we (me, my mom n lil' sis) dropped by a McD outlet at a Petronas service station somewhere near the Technology Park at Bukit Jalil. Since we were in a bit of hurry, i decided to go through the drive-thru counter. And look what we have here... the ordering section was placed in front of..... the ladies' toilet.

Oh my God. What the heck were they thinking when they set up the place. It's like you're ordering something from the toilet. To make matters worse, the front door of the toilet wasn't even closed. Guess public peeking (that voyeurism to some of you) is allowed here. Darn.

I will never go there again! (# ~ #)@

The scene as viewed from Aoi-chan. The dialog:
McD Kid: "Hi Sir. What would like to order for today?"
Customer: "Do you sell toilet rolls? I need a couple..."
McD Kid: ??????

Doujin mega update

2008-02-08T11:31:00.000+08:00

Hi hi hi~

Alhamdulillah, i just managed to secure a job recently. Although it is due to the contract made in part of my scholarship, i'm just as happy and proud to serve Proton.

Anyway, not much has happened in the past two weeks. The main highlight of course was that job, and one very2 bad cough which up to this point of time is driving me up the wall (i'm still coughing, even while blogging this). Let's just hope it's nothing critical...

Anyway, since i didn't visit my good friend last week for anime updates, i can't tell my anime of the week, let alone put something new up as a recommendation. What i can post is some of my more recent artworks, which is just a jumble of sketches. i will not finish my artworks properly for a while, due in part that i need to adapt to my work-life schedule first.

So, here they are for you to enjoy. i'm open to comments as usual. Bye2~

Quickie update

2008-02-04T22:15:00.000+08:00

Just landed my first job at Proton. I'll be starting from 01/02/2008, nice huh? After this, i'll oly be blogging on weekends when i'm free. For the artworks... that'll be reduced, most of the later posts will be sketches. Fully completed artworks will be posted when i feel like it...

Anyway, Happy Chinese New Year to all our Chinese friends out there.
~~~

Driving through the night

2008-01-26T13:00:00.001+08:00

Any of you know Move's song with this title? It was used as the opening song for the anime Ikkitousen (not the Dragon Destiny one). Well, what happened to me last night had something to do with the title of the song, but not the song (or lyric for that matter) itself.

Had to do a quickie to J.B. to assist my dad. So, by 5:30pm yesterday, i departed from K.L. and had a quick stop to pray at RNR Pagoh before reaching J.B. at 9pm. After the task was done, i headed back to K.L. non-stop at around 2:30am and reached home by 5:30am. So that's roughly 700km in a night. Although the trip wasn't made with Aoi-chan, it gave me the opportunity to re-evaluate my dad's Wira and i must say that with the stiffer shock absorbers and Bridgestone Potenza RE001 tyres... the whole journey was a riot.

But i still wished that i had drove Aoi-chan. It would have made the journey far more pleasurable... Gomenne Aoi-chan.

bvc100 endorsed anime: True Tears

2008-01-26T11:58:00.000+08:00

There's a whole range of new animes on the internet. Got to see some of them and by God there are some worth mentioning. One anime in particular is True Tears. It's kind of those drama types, based on a high school kid's life. Although you can predict the plot as it goes along, i must say that i got hooked to it for some reasons.

One of it is the quality of the artwork. I'm not sure which anime-studio made it, but a pat on the back for them for making a series that doesn't look out of place in a movie. You can see from some of the screenshots below, the background and attention to detail is marvelous. By the way, you can hardly differentiate which part or object is made entirely by CG and which are drawn. It is that good!

Secondly, i've got a soft spot for well designed characters, and this one has it in bucket load. The three main bishoujo characters are simply... beautiful and kawaii at the same time. Of course, i do have a favourite: Isurugi Noe (and she's featured in most of the screenshots below~~~). Oh yeah, the design of the male characters is just as good.

And last but not least, the overall presentation. The music (especially the opening song by Eufonius), sound effects and seiyuu voices are well matched to the anime to give it that extra something over other animes. As a result, i fully endorse this anime to anyone who love this sort of genre.

-Screenshots from opening-

-Screenshots from ep3-

Jeng3... who is Isurugi Noe?

Introducing... Isurugi Noe~~~

Kawaii~~~

A basketball scene. This is one of the proof that their artwork is tops~

Huh? What's this? Who is she supporting??? Noooo!!!!

p/s: The last anime that swept me off my feet was Kanon. That was good...

Anime of the week

2008-01-25T16:13:00.001+08:00

My personal anime of the week is Hayate no Gotoku Ep. 40. In this episode, a parody of one of my old favourite tv series, The Knight Rider is featured. Some screenshot of the episode is shown below.

Enjoy~

Figures affected by fatigue?

2008-01-25T15:19:00.000+08:00

Some of the figures in my collection are starting to show signs of fatigue. To all of you engineers out there, you should know what fatigue is. To those of you not with engineering background, ask your engineering friends since i couldn't be bothered to type it here. (Nice!)

Anyway, the worst affected figure is my Tohsaka Rin in maid uniform. Okay2, it isn't as bad as it sounds but having seen the change from when it was first bought up till now, it's worrying me a bit. Shown below is the effect of fatigue on it. When brand new, the skirt/apron was properly positioned in her hands. Now, it isn't.

There are two factors which i think are contributing to this:
1. Gravity and design: She has too much weight being offset due to the selected pose.
2. Heat: Since my apartment isn't air-conditioned, the pvc soften up when it gets warm and made her deform.

I do hope i can find a way to manage this. If not, then i'll have to pack her back into her box... or put her in the fridge.

Doujin, again

2008-01-25T14:58:00.000+08:00

2 Sisters

Yes3... what better way to start this week's installment of blogs by presenting to you one of my latest artwork.

Unlike the previous one, this one is one of the more usual theme that i use. The difference is that instead of only one character doing a sort of a pose, there are two in this one. Okay, i must admit it does look odd at certain places, but what the heck.

By the way, i've submitted this to the Star newspaper to be published in their weekly otaku column/page. This is my 3rd attempt. Hope this one gets through.

Wish me luck~~~