My first week in KL

I hated the idea when my bro suggested to me that I work in KL doing SAP(a field in IT). I loved Penang so much as there was always things to do and being with the people closest to me. There was Ruby, mummy and daddy,my comfortable home, all my precious stuff(PS2,my LG flat screen tv), my pets (dogs and fish), my friends and the list just goes on.

The economy took a turn for the worst and started to slump in September 2008. When I was back in Penang, I did try hard with the help of my dad to get a job in Bayan Lepas, Butterworth or Kulim but there was no luck. I spent 2 months looking. For the fun of it and as it was going no where, I applied in KL with the help of my bro and I got a job in 2 days.

It has been a week working in Infocubed. It is located at Seksyen 20/ 70A Seri Hartamas. Sorry but I am still confused with the name Desa Seri Hartamas and just Seri Hartamas. It is like 9 km away from my uncle's house in Seksyen 22/ 40 Petaling Jaya. The company develops SAP Business Intelligence related software. Basically, it does all the stages of the development. I work with a team of 5 people who like me, still beginning to learn about SAP. My office hours are 9 am to 6 pm and I say that proudly compared to the odd working hours in Dell those days. Haha! The salary is great for starters like me and I am pleased overall. Nonetheless, I still have to put in effort to equip myself with the knowledge of SAP. Wish me luck!

Me on the way to work in my Myvi:

I have settled in well to my uncle's lovely home here. He has a spare room and it was vacant. My couz and her husband live in the other room. We have dinner once a while together or I just go out on my own. I have tried to make my room here as comfy as possible and sufficient with all my basic needs. I do the chores here like it is in my own home as my relatives have been most kind to let me stay with them. I even have a car park!

Below is a photo of my room:

Should my uncle go to his other home in Bangkok or my couz back to UK, I have the house to myself and I shall be the captain during their absence. The house is mostly vacant throughout the year so I will live alone. It's a big house so I pray that God will be with me at all times guarding my safety. I do all my washing of clothes at home and ironing so I save money there. I feel my relatives are happy I am staying with them to 'jaga' the place during their absence so it is a good thing.

Lunch(mix rice) at my working area is reasonable for KL standards costing an average of RM 5 with drink. Dinner mostly I have around Petaling Jaya side at coffee shops and they cost about the same.

I don't plan to venture very far out as KL is a huge place and I am unfamilliar with the roads. For me, the further I drive and getting myself into jams is going to freak me out and dread I moved to KL. So I try to avoid all of this as much as I can. Being here, I still have yet to go to Subang where my bro lives coz it is like 16 km from PJ. Yeah, I may sound thrifty but if you consider the distance, it is far. So I keep my life simple and don't stress myself out. I just travel short distances as of now, getting used to my new surroundings. Basically, PJ has almost everything you need.

Motorist here are more courteous and less crazy compared to Penang and this even includes motorcyclist. So far so good and I try not to be like my 'kiasu' self back in Penang. I am aware of 'mat rempits' and those 'racing-driver wannabes' so I try to avoid such roads that they normally use.

I went once to Tesco, Mutiara Damansara in the middle of the week as I had to get some stuff. It was ok and I didn't bother walking around to the adjacent Ikano or The Curve as it will just waste my time. Maybe when Ruby comes then I will go. Otherwise, there was no reason to go. From Hartamas, that shopping area is the nearest to me.

Planning and time-management here is crucial. There are traffic jams and peak times when shopping complexes get crowded with people. I hate crowded places. It is unlike Penang, where you can get out and drive. Here, you need to consider the time before going. Well, it is hard in a way but I am getting used to it.

I will be back in Penang only for Chinese New Year. I am trying to get myself comfortable here in PJ and learning more about the place. My parents will be coming down next weekend.

Argh... I hope Ruby comes too! Miss her sooo much! Thank God for the free calls,SMS and MMS from Digi that we communicate often. Long distance is ok for now with modern day technology.

Some times in life, one has to make sacrifices that is never easy to accept. I certainly hope my endeavour is for a greater cause that I can share with my loved ones. :)

Happy New Year 2009!

I am so glad it is a new year because it gives me a fresh start or a continuation with optimism in the things I endeavour.

Jumping into SAP is the biggest leap and change in career I have made. Looking for a job in Penang after my training in Kuala Lumpur was difficult as the economy had gone into a slump. Most companies had frozen their recruitment. Thank God for my bro who had fixed me up in his friend's company in Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur. I am thankful that I finally got a job after resigning from Dell, 4 months ago. I am happy with the renumerations and experience that I am about to receive.

However, the 4 months were the best 4 months as I got to chill and lepak. Most importantly in these months, I took to reflect on where I am heading to as an individual and it has helped strengthen me. :D Reading was the best thing I did. Mostly online and there is this one book I have been reading which is Speaking with Confidence by Dale Carnegie. I just love inspirational books because it does deffinitely impact me.

As a partner in a loving relationship, I set forth to deepen my relationship with my partner. Growing with your partner is very important to sustain a lifetime of happiness together. There is never a right or wrong or a manual on how to be right. It is all about learning and experience. Some of my friends may not have had smooth sailing in this field. Sometimes maybe the best one is yet to come. Pray and have faith in God and never give up!

In preparation of getting through this year with regards to the economy, it is best to thread softly. The situation now is bad with recession and people losing their jobs. You can read news all around the world of people being impacted. It is difficult to forecast on how things are going to go for 2009. For those that have heard rumors that it will get worse, be patient and be optimistic. It may be dreadful but it is going to bounce back(hopefully soon). Only time will tell. Be grateful with what you have now. Try to save as much as one can and spend moderately. It is nice to enjoy life every once in a while and it should not stop. Life would be boring otherwise. We need to treat ourselves sometimes to help boost our morale!

As a Christian, I continue growing with God. I hope to learn more from God who speaks to me in so many ways; even from the actions of people around me. Sometimes the lessons are hurtful but it is through this lessons that make us better and wiser. One of my sources of inspiration is from Charismatic that is held in Immaculate Conception Church in Pulau Tikus. I may have to miss the sessions as I will be in KL but I am sure God will be with me and speak to me wherever I am. There is Charismatic in Assumption Petaling Jaya on Friday nights so that is something I can try to attend. That would be the time when I wanna come back Penang for the weekend so I need to juggle this. :D I hope this year, I will be able to inspire and share God's teachings with others. My biggest pleasure in my spiritual life is to introduce a stranger to Christianity! That would be the best thing to happen to me! I look forward. :D

Staying healthy is the typical New Year resolution but this is a must for me. I really want to try to keep fit and healthy. Ruby is my biggest supporter and motivator towards achieving my goal. I can never be like her but be a bit like her is good enough. I really admire her priority for healthy living.

Other than physical health, our mental health needs to be looked into. Our mental determines our actions and what we do physically. One thing I have learnt is try to stay as positive as possible. You may feel crappy at times when things don't go your way but looking positive and optimistic to the future for good things can happen. I believe the ride in life is always bumpy. We just gotta learn how to deal with it and handle it one at a time. One tip is to learn to smile a lot! It makes you feel positive and helps to give you a boost! Try to be happy as much as you can, every moment if possible. Do not set high expectations because you will get hurt.

Friends are very important in my life. I love making friends and I look forward to make more friends in 2009. My friends have been a big support to me in whatever I set out to do. Yes, sometimes I get offended or pissed off by them but they are just being sincere and because they care. Friends -> Happy -> Successful! Unfortunately, I do apologise to some of my friends if I could not have spent more time but the little moments we shared together are the best moments of my life! OMG, am I breaking into song for 2009! Lol!

For people that know me well, one of the physical or material things that I have been yearning for quite sometime is that modern classic Volvo 240. I just got tempted few days ago with an attractive offer. But considering the economy and my new job, I have postponed it indefinitely. Who knows I may celebrate 2010 with it! Rusdi, I bet your going to coax me more into getting it soon regadless of anything! Haha!

Let us all grow together as individuals. Make the best of life. Be happy! Happiness can never be bought. It is the sheer feeling within a person.

I wish all of you a Happy New Year 2009 and may God always watch over you regardless of who you are!

Wear your helmet!

As I write this post on the importance of wearing a motorcycle helmet, an accident has just happened at the junction near my house ( junction of Kelawei Road and College Lane), in front of Gurney Plaza. There was a loud bang and we are pretty used to hearing accidents along that stretch.

I first saw this white guy on his Malaysian made scooter stopping at the Pulau Tikus traffic lights at the junction of Burmah Road and Cantoment Road. He was kinda old and plum. I figured he must be a tourist and not familiar with our road regulations as he did not wear a helmet. He could have forgotten to wear his helmet or he could have been too ignorant / blur to notice that other motorcyclist had their helmets on. We Malaysians gave him that stare like are you mad as he was doing it in broad daylight without fear of the police.

The second incident(also at the same junction), two guys who work for Kim Gary Restaurant(they were wearing Kim Gary T's) stopped on motorbike at the junction. The rider had a helmet but the pillion was not wearing. I figured he must have just lost it or it was an emergency. I was on the way to Ruby's house using Codrington Avenue and a man stopped these two guys on motorbike. I was not sure if he was a plain clothes police man but he was giving them a lecture / warning on the dangers of riding without a helmet as he was pointing at the pillion.

I do not understand how people could be so ignorant of their safety as a motorist by not wearing a helmet. Trust me, I drive a car and also I fear of being hit by other vehicles although that is the risk we have to take on the road.

With the active clubbing scenes here in Penang, there is a high possibility of drunk drivers or driving under the influence. There are some who forget fear and drive really fast and others like me who keep a low profile and drive slow after a few drinks to not create any attention. I ensure my Myvi spotlights are even off! Haha! I guess driving slow if you had some liquor is a good idea as our reflexes tend to be slower.

I try hard to drive safe especially at nights. I hate to drive late nights especially weekends and I do it only if I must(I never like Ruby to drive home late so I prefer to send).

What more than the safety of a motorbike during late nights and rainy days? I am not saying accidents could be avoided if you wear a helmet but it certainly provides some minimal protection to your head rather than nothing.

My fear for motorcyclist being a former cyclist is being rammed from behind. Riding a motorcycle in Penang is a wise thing considering how near things are, narrower roads and it's cheaper to operate a motorbike. However, we should not jeapordise our safety.

Remember, we can be as careful as we want but are others as careful as us?

Recent landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa

Living in Malaysia, we are lucky that we are not exposed to natural disasters; i.e. earthquakes(not to be confused with tremors) and volcanoes that disrupt our livelihood and have potential to take lives. Yes, we do have floods, droughts and the only worst natural disaster experienced most recently was the tsunami in 2004 that hit Penang. God forbid for things to change and to anticipate natural disasters to occur on our lands. Indeed, Malaysia is also being a victim of climate change but let's hope the situaton doesn't worsen. People say it could be that the times have changed and we may be going into a whole new evolution like when the dinosours perished.





The recent landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa in Kuala Lumpur was not natural and was a man-made aftermath. Heavy development on the hills led to soil erosion and underground streams that moved the earth in the area.


So sad to see lives perished and to see people losing their homes. Our homes are our havens where we go to seek peace and comfort from the outside world. It's a place that we call our own, customizing it to our tastes and functionality. Losing our home is like losing a big part of our lives. Lost are the good times and memories of that place we called home. Lost are also our personal physical belongings that we adore and we find happiness possessing. I certainly would not want anyone to take away my home.


The councils, government bodies and preservation committees should have looked into the development of hillsides before approving them. Developers are trying to make every effort to develop anything that is available especially in places like KL and Penang where land is scarce. That is their rice-bowl so they are certainly putting in effort and hoping to make a lot of money from developments regardless of where they are.


I am sure there are strict laws and requlations that govern land development. However, possibly due to bribery, such laws are overlooked and development continues with a gamble that nothing major will happen that may affect the security and protection of consumers who buy such properties. It is because of mens greed for what had recently happened in Bukit Antarabangsa.


We have certainly forgot about the past tragedy of the Highland Towers back in 1993 that claimed 48 lives. Maybe the lost was so painful that we forced oursleves to forget and be optimistic and continue with development of the hillsides. After all, it is all about "takdir Tuhan" as the excuse.


My aunt did almost buy one of the units in the Highland Towers project plan when it was first introduced in the mid 1980s. Thankfully she didn't. The developers promised a luxurious and comfortable living to entice customers to live on the hill. Many well to do people ceased the opportunity thinking that it would be the most hippest and glamourous thing to do. Many of them were so blinded by the idea, not considering the safety of themselves that led to their death and the death of their loved ones.


If we want to start / "continue" development of hills, let us learn from the pioneers in Hong Kong or Los Angelas who have accomplished it. With developments of science and technology today, I am sure there are ways of safely developing the hills without endangering safety. Better drainage systems on hills should be also high priority to quickly disperse water from catching on hills as it naturally wood.

However, it is hard to play with mother nature, we may fix the problems on the hills but it could create problems at the foot of the hills and affect people living there.

It would be best to leave our hills as virgin forest functioning as a green-lung and leaving them untouched as part of the preservation of nature. They should instead be utilized as parks where people can go hiking and jungle trekking to promote healthy lifestyle.

In the spirit of the game!

I was watching the tennis match last night; Showdown of the Champions. Indeed they were champions. I am not much of a tennis person myself but it was the spirit of the game that intrigued me to watch it.

The younger players are obviously in their prime years with more agility and stamina. But the older ones were not very far off themselves. Deffinitely age is a factor and people's reflexes tend to be a little slower. However, I could see all of them giving their best shot. It could be because of their spirit and passion for the game regardless of whose winning.

It is very hard to see such scenarios like this in Malaysia. We are too busy worrying about getting Rm 1 million, Datukship or a free Proton Perdana from EON. This was also evident that our Malaysian culture is very much different as during the games last night, spectators were shouting like some 'sepak takraw' match. If you see tennis matches held overseas, the ambience is strictly silent. There was a moment when John McEnroe paused and looked behind him as to where the shout came from.

I was watching the match with my father on the telly. Both my parents are die-hard tennis fans! He was really excited and had fun watching. I guess, he saw the older players in his time when they were younger and when they were like the no. 1’s we see today. It surely brings back memories of the heroes from yesterday.

It also struck me that we are all getting older or changing physically but our spirit within us should remain burning strongly. I guess the same could also be said about love! ;)

King's of Tennis 2008 cancelled!

(This photo was taken by The Star last Sunday)

It was only last Saturday that Ruby and I went on our ussual dating escapade and we ventured unto the grounds of the Esplanade.

We were so surprised to see the massive structure which WAS to be a tennis court for the King's of Tennis event. I did hear about it on Astro a couple of weeks back. As most people know, I ain't much of a TV guy even with my extra spare time these days. I totally forgot about it but Astro was my only source in coming to know of this events existance.

I did hear rumors on Facebook that the event was cancelled. To my disbelief the rumor came true as Ruby's uncle read the article in the latest Chinese newspaper. I even checked it online at it further reinforced the fact that the event was cancelled:

http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2008/11/12/sports/2521235&sec=sports

This event is organized by local organizers led by Arianna Teoh and together with King's of Tennis based in Sweden. Arianna Teoh has had many successful events before; bringing in international artist to perform.

This one could be a major blow to her and her team. I trully feel sorry for them. Errors and slip-ups have the possibility of occuring, it cannot be denied. However, as the King's of Tennis is an international event, it just makes it worse for the reputation of these local organizers.

Why cancelled?

The Penang government has no part in promoting this event as it was not part of the arrangement agreed upon with the local organizers. They offered the venue and a reasonable rate to be leased for the event. For more information:

http://hcfoo.com/2008/11/local-organizer-confirmed-kings-of.html

As per The Star, the local organizers did not pay the management of King's of Tennis to come and play in Penang. For more information:

http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2008/11/12/sports/2521235&sec=sports

It is trully sad that this magnificent event had to be cancelled. I bet lots of people might have been looking forward to it including some of my friends whom are now disappointed.

I am not in the position to comment on the fundamental reason and whose fault it was that the event was cancelled. All I can say is that maybe the organizers can learn something valuable from this. :)

Heroes welcome for a racist?

Just see how the wrong people get appreciated in modern society:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/10/nation/2504507&sec=nation

Back then, in the late 19th century, there existed many Malay warriors that fought to defend the independence of their community which consist of people of their own race. There was Hang Tuah, Datuk Bahaman, Mat Kilau, Dol Said, Tok Janggut, Mat Salleh, Datuk Maharaja Lela, Tok Gajah, Datuk Bentara Luar Johor, Rentap and Tun Perak.

But, that was back then and we are living in current times, the 21st century to be exact, almost 150 years since that time in history of the Malay warriors. The reason why I am emphasizing on how long ago that event in history had hapened is because there exist such people now, who are still fighting for the same cause that is fighting for their own race rather than for all Malaysians which I label as being racist!

Malaysia is now a result of the merger of multiple races; Malays, Chinese, Indians and Others. Times have changed and so should the people have changed but sadly it has not been realized.
Malaysia will not be what it is today if not for all Malaysians who played a part in nurturing it.

Deffinitely in the years of the Malay Warriors, such a person would be considered a hero for fighting for his / her race. But in todays world, if the same were to apply, they are nothing but racist!

From the Constitution of Malaysia:

Article 8

Article 8 by clause (1) provides that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to its equal protection.

Clause 2 states: “Except as expressly authorised by this Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent, gender or place of birth in any law or in the appointment to any office or employment under a public authority or in the administration of any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment.”

I wonder why the person who made such racist remarks is not caught under ISA as a threat to Malaysia?

Obama Won!

Ruby told me that in her office, there lay an idiot who ask "Who is Obama?". Dumb ass!

Obama will be the 44th president of USA and the first African-American president! :D

Anyway, I am happy because base on his speeches he seems to have many goals to achieve with the people in mind and looks pretty down to earth coming from humble beginnings. His figures and facts are rather concrete so it gives people confidence in what he says.

But wait, people are concern his black? Black, brown, green, yellow or red, what the hell is the difference as his a human! If he can do a good job for a better change then why emphasize so much on what race he is.

Yes, his predecessors may have all been white. Perhaps, it is now time for change in the year 2008 in the presidential post and to give more Americans the chance of living the American dream. Afterall, people say that America is all about freedom and opportunities for those that are in seek. Please Google or Wiki "American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man" to learn more on freedom in America.

On a less important note, I do not feel the national anthem will have a hip-hop twist or the official residence, the White house will be changed to the Black house now. Meaning to say, the American culture will not change just because the new president is of different race compared to predecessors. Obama has more important roles to play with a mission for America and also the world.

As he has been chosen by the majority, the majority of Americans show a liking in him over McCain. I do hope the support for Obama will remain and that he will be proven worthy of his word. If not 1 term, let's give him two terms if there is no better candidate in the next election or there has been no mismanagement under the Obama administration should there be.

America or the world so to speak is not for just one race but for all races.

No stopping from visiting Penang!

Check this article out from The Star Online:
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/25/nation/2371947&sec=nation

I could not disagree with them at all! Penang is indeed much more unique compared to other states in Malaysia in terms of tourist attractions, culture, food, shopping and loads more.

People would do anything just to come here. Such obstacles like the rain and traffic jams is not going to stop them from visiting majestic Penang. People from "abroad" like KL live in such horrible conditions; traffic jams, packed commuter trains, expensive but lousy food. I have nothing nice to say about living in KL permanently.

Penang on the other hand has so much more value to offer that despite all the chaos and rush to come to Penang, people are willing to for go them and come back time and time again.

As a Penangite, I am trully proud of what I have here in Penang. It just never gets sick. Seriously! There is always something new happening to do. Also there are events that are organized by the various societies and organizations here with the green light and support from our state government led by YB Lim Guan Eng. His a great Chief Minister is so real!

Arts, history and culture fusion here is so rich and ever growing as old meets new. I just love the performances at Actor's Studio, Green Hall. I could call them a representation of Penang art and theater as the organizers and actors are mostly of Penang breed. It goes to show how great Penang people! The monthly Little Penang held at Upper Penang Road also attracts a large number of tourist and locals to bask in the rich herritage and culture of Penang. From the things sold to the events held, I find to be authentic Penang!

I guess despite the rain and whatever external factors that are probably a hinderance to coming to Penang, one thing that attracts people here is that Penang feeling. I feel it's the Penangites that create this feeling of warmth and no barriers amongst people. Everyone gets along with anyone be it locals or tourist, rich or poor. Nothing can stop you from flashing a smile at someone. The races here (Malays, Chinese, Indians, Seranis etc) are more integrated. People mix openly. Also, Malay food stalls that sell halal food can co-exist together with non-halal food stalls. Their motto is everyone also wanna cari- makan (find money to source food). This is also far smarter and intelligent in tackling competition than oppening another Malay stall in a row of 10 Malay stall that are selling the same thing if you know where I am coming from.

This is one way for cross-culture to be bred and form a truely Penang culture. We are the example of the Malaysian dream(depicted from the American dream) of being trully Malaysian; united as one culture, living harmoniously.

I can't deny that my post here depicts me as gloating over Penang. What can I say? I am trully all about Penang! Haha!

Eagle Eye

It was such an amazing show to start with! Incredible how complex the database stucture can be created with artificial intelligence capabilities. The rules of the database being so logical that the results can be blindly followed without the human touch and feel of compassion and empathy.

I am not going to tell you about the story and will leave it to you readers to go and watch it. :)

Without us realizing, our mobile phones, PDAs, computers, satelite navigation, passports, Astro, banking transactions, personal data etc. stored on servers could be all connected. All of it can be accessed from a central repository and potentially accessed by people who have the powers to legal or illegally.

I wonder, can anyone really go into hidding and lost from the outer world without any trace in this era of technology? Could it be possible for us to still get lost in the middle of the desserts of Saudi Arabia or Africa?

I guess there is still some possibility. Steve Fosset, the American tycoon and adventurer who went missing near the Nevada dessert in 2007 as an example. There was totally no way that he could have been found at that time with intelligent tracking equipment and even conventional methods of search parties. He was declared dead in Feb 2008 by the American court.

Only recently that a bunch of hikers found his flight license and some money that he was carrying while he went missing. This was further pursued with the finding of his wrecked small plane. As for the human remains it is still being analyzed as per Wikipedia. But, with these supporting facts, it it highly possible that the remains are of Steve Fosset.

On a complimentary note, I feel that Shia LaBeouf has really outdone himself in his acting. Within this year, I have watched him in Wanted, Transformers and now Eagle Eye. This dude got a bright future ahead as his only 22 this year. I bet his gonna win lots of awards. Beware of his award winnings and also new movies that are about to come out from him.

Thanks to my baby for taking me to the cinema to watch it although she has already watched it with her aunt before. ;)

Balik kampung exodus!

As you know, the festive Hari Raya season came and went.

For the first time this year, I was caught in the race back home. The exodus as they call it adds to the style and sounds sexy about this phenomenon of returning home to celebrate the festive season with family and friends.

I left KL on Saturday before Hari Raya. I anticipated that the roads would be swamming with cars as most people would want to get out of the city at that time to prepare for Raya. It was true. A rather heavy and unussual traffic flow could be seen heading out of town with mostly cars.

I left Subang, where my brother lives, at around 5.30 am that day.

It was still very dark at that time. With the heavier traffic than ussual, I took a slower but still fun drive in my Myvi heading back to Penang.

It was very interesting to see how people packed their cars with families and I bet their excitement of getting to their destinations.

I saw cars like Kancils and Proton Sagas that were packed with like 6 family members, drivers with the 'kopiah', rear dashboard of cars filled with plastic bags, pillows, biscuit tins and kids. I bet it was a struggle for the drivers to keep awake to drive as they could not drink, eat or smoke to keep them awake as it was the last few days of the fasting month.

In contrary, I saw this huge Mercedes S-Class speed by followed by a Toyota Estima in pursuit cruising together. It must have been a wealthy family going back home to celebrate Hari Raya.

What a big difference in terms of ways on how people return home to celebrate something that they believe in together.

I guess for some, Hari Raya will be celebrated on a low scale, while others go way out to outdo themselves with a feast. This time around considering the economy and fluctuating petrol price, Hari Raya would be a little simpler for some. It cannot be denied that the rakyat is feeling the pinch of this. Nonetheless, it is indeed a celebration and certain levels of happiness should be felt by all. :)

An interesting comment by a close friend, going back home is a chance to show to your family members and your friends on how well you did in life in the big city. One way would be to drive back home in new cars. I felt that this was true as I noticed so many newly registered W plate cars @ Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur registered cars. My friend did say that for some who were less fortunate this year, they would rent nice cars from their friends or second hand dealers for the holidays season to take back home to show them off as a symbol of wealth attaintment.

This balik kampung exodus is also a time to be careful on all roads due to the high volume of traffic. Everyone is going somewhere and wants to get there in time so there could be a feeling of rush. The amount of deaths due to road accidents during this time is pretty high although the police have launched their annual nationwide special operations to cripple this influx.

Safety of passengers should always be a priority. Drivers should be well prepared before sitting at the wheel. Cars also should be thoroughly checked to ensure they are road-worthy and safe on roads.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Muslim readers Selamat Hari Raya and maaf zahir dan batin.

Khas buat budak2 MMU and member2 lame especially budak2 Putat, tiap2 Raya is a time for me to remember you guys and to treasure our friendships together. ;)

Unite as one!

The recent proposal to make Barisan Nasional a single multi-racial party should be applauded.

This would unite the Malays, Chinese and Indians and minority races as one. After all, we are all citizens of one country and should not be divided by race anymore. We are the rakyat that functions as a catalyst to sustain harmony, economic growth, technological advancement and social diversity amongst races. We are the perfect example to the world on how people of different races can live together and work hand in hand towards bringing Malaysia to higher standards as a growing nation.

When our country was first established, our leaders of different races gathered and came out with a plan that is fair and suitable for all. We all speak Malay, honour our king and respect Islam as our national religion for it is the main religion on this land. If you go back to history, the Malay archipelago was the centre for Islamic studies and development from the the days of Parameswara, the founder of Malacca. So I guess we cannot sweep this part of history under our carpert.

As per The Star, national unity would be the biggest challenge for Najib, once he takes over the premiership from Abdullah in March 2009.

I feel that the solution is right in front of him with this proposal to have a single party. We do not have to wait till March for this to happen but maybe now would be the best solution considering what is happening to us in our country. We are lucky in a way that the global economy is being hit badly so it is kind of like diverting our attention to the bigger powers coming out with their bailout plans to bring back the peak of the global economy and to prevent any nasty effects of a recession.

The British devided us in the past to maintain the peace and to avoid racial conflicts. It wanted each of the races to grow stronger on their own independently and to cultivate unity within the party.

This was the past and Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds to be at a new era right now with Malaysians of various races who have a strong relationship and with one another. Our Malaysian culture is so rich as a result of this fusion of people and different cultures of different races. There exist a dependency on each other to sustain national economic growth and enhanced quality of life. It wasn't yesterday that we became an independent nation and it has already been 51 years we have celebrated this feat.

In the streets, it is quite evident that there is a lack of confidence amongst Malaysians who are deeply troubled by the current political situation that is affecting our country and the feeling of beeing marginalised by the majority race. I am NOT intending to bring up any racist sentiments here but I feel it is something that most of us feel and are in doubt. We are deffinitely troubled by politicians who make racial remarks and gestures or hurtful statements for starters.

Some are suggesting that this is the time to escape this turmoil by migrating overseas. This is the worst thing that could happen and I so dread this if it has to happen to me. Some have already gone ahead in seeking permanent residentship overseas.

It is indeed difficult to leave our birth place and a place that we call home where we grew up. Somehow or rather, each of us Malaysians have contributed in some way to the nation. How will I survive without my curry mee, nasi kandar, sambal belacan and thosai? Haha!

The power of love

I am a Catholic since I was born and my understanding and seriousness towards the religion has grown these past 2 years. As part of my journey of finding meaning in my religion, I have stumbled upon so many beautiful things that I feel thankful to have been created in this world. One of the fundamentals of my religion is love. The application of it would be "love thy neighbour".

I am now captivated and amazed about the feeling of being "romantically in love". It has given new meaning in my life and I am happy with it. It is such a magical feeling really when you wake up in the morning no matter what time it is, you think of that loved one.

When your alone, all you can do is think of being hugged or holding the hands of that loved one. The worst part of being alone is that silence that you can only imagine your partner is sitting next to you like in the car. However, when you turn to the co-drivers seat, it is just empty. That is sad. :(

There are even moments of being lost or losing your sanity in the absence of your partner. It is something that I trully dislike but try to cope while I am alone. The feeling is simmilar to being blur or dreaming. That whole decision making process that your partner is always included in now depends on a single person now, yourself be it the simple decisions of life like where to eat.

It is really not much of idolizing other couples as they hold hands when you can't. The reason is because your relationship should be much deeper and meaningful than the influence of your peers.

You have loads of good memories that you remember that the holes of the not so happy memories are erased. It cannot be denied, that in any relationship there are always good and bad times. It will be waste to remember the bad. It will be even better to proactively work on how you can avoid such undesirable situations in the future. Men and women will never understand each other. However, there is always a way to overcome this and the answer to this for your relationship lies within you to make it happen.

The beauty about those bad times is when you fix things with your partner when both come together and realize it's time to put those inequalities in the past and move on with what the future has to offer. :) It is quite a sweet moment!

Love did not come to me on a plate. When the time was right, sometimes when less predicted, love happens. So wonderful! Trust me, I never went out searching initially! At the time before finding love, I was so busy with being single; classic car hunting, beer drinking, shopping, reading, a little bit of travelling. I really enjoyed those times. I felt those times were a preparation for falling in love and learning to share. I never regret those times being single because the time I have now is fantastic because as for me I can share those good times with my partner. It is so cute to see her now telling you about how beautiful Volvos are for example. Even the 1968 Volvo 164! Haha!

I trully feel that it was an act of God. Based on Catholic teachings, a mature Catholic can choose either sacraments(milestones for a Catholic); the sacrament of matrimony or the sacrament of offering your service to God either as a priest, brother or nun depending on gender. Either of this sacraments are God's calling unto you. Naturally, you cannot choose it on your own, spiritually speaking.

Whatever it is, I am happy being in love and I thank God for it. I pray that my relationship will continue to grow with my partner and that our love will blossom! :) As for me, yes I am in a relationship with that special one person but I always feel that God is with us in spirit guiding us.

Penang forever!

There is no place like Penang!

Living in KL for 3 weeks was horrible.

I have to admit that I appreciate the kind hospitatlity of my bro and sis. My bro has a nice place in Subang and there was always dinner thanks to the maid. It was great spending time with him and the family.

My training starts at 9 am to 5 pm only during weekdays. The venue is 3rd floor of Kompleks Antarabangsa along Jalan Sultan Ismail I think, right in front of the Raja Chulan Monorail station.

My day starts at around 6 am every weekday. I had to leave my bro's house at 6.20 am (serious shit!) to get to the Subang KTM commuter station to catch the 6.36 am train to KL sentral. Thankfully the station is like 10 minutes away minus the traffic being so freaking early! I park the car at the station for RM 2 per day.

This train begins it's journey from Port Kelang and the last stop is Sentul. KL Sentral would be on it's way. The fare of my ticket is RM 1.60 one way. The reason I go early is to beat the crowdedness of the commuter. People start crowding it already from Port Kelang as they work in town.

The commuter car is normally pack like sardines, shoulder to shoulder, groin to butt or whatever you wanna call it. Haha! The worst stop is Pantai Dalam because of the high density of people living there so they mostly fill up the train.

I reach KL Sentral at around 7.05am. I walk to the entrance that faces KL Hilton for my puff, light reading of notes or FHM and to call Ruby to wish her good morning.

At 8 am, I walk to the monorail station in Brickfields about 100 m away to catch the monorail to Raja Chulan. It is freaking weird as to why the KL Monorail station is not built into KL Sentral. I think somebody never gave money to somebody so no go. Haha!

On my route, I see beggars, drug addicts and only yesterday prostitutues. It's a bit dodgy but I keep to myself and becareful of the people around me. I sometimes have teh tarik at the coffee shop near to the monorail station.

The journey to Raja Chulan station takes approximately 10 minutes. The fare one way is RM 2.10 which is expensive for public transport. The monorail also gets jam packed with ppl that jump on at Tun Sambathan, Maharajalela, Hang Tuah, Imbi and Bukit Bintang station before reaching Raja Chulan.

The reliability of the KTM commuter is so far good except for 2 occasions when the air-conditioning broke down and left passengers sweating all the way home.

The KL monorail has broken down or has been not reliable on 3 occasions. First case, the whole monorail network standstill due to technical issue and caused delay in getting to destinations. Second case, at 30 feet in the sky, monorail car(I was on board) hit the side of the Bukit Bintang station damaging the railing. That was so freaking scary man happening up in the sky! I don't know how the hell that happen. Thirdly, only yesterday, the monorail train could not go into gear once all on board. All had to come out of train and caused huge jam of people at KL Sentral Monorail station and delay to destination.

The cycle Subang - KL Sentral - Raja Chulan is reversed when I go home.

From 5 pm, it takes about 2 hours to get home because sometimes you just have to take the next train because of the volume of people. It is a tiring and stressful procedure even after you had a stressful time at training!

When you get on trains during evenings, there is always body odour or people sweating. However, the smell of fart or "kentut" is always available during morning or evening trips. Especially when crowded, the smell is terrible!

Lunch can easily fetch RM 9 inclusive of drink and the food is plain simple. Those people back home in Penang better stop complaining about food being expensive. Trust me live in KL , can die man! Initially I tried to skip lunch because I felt the cost was unjustifiable but had gastric so decided to just screw it and eat. I know the saying, "Of course, it's KL".

I have to apologise to my friends in KL for not calling them because I really kept my training and my stay there this time on low profile. I hardly went out much. Normally just to Subang Parade or my uncle's house in PJ. That's it.

I will apply for jobs both in Penang and KL after the training and see what is the package. I am not making any decisions as of now.

Happy 10th birthday Google!

I hated reading! I just could not understand how my sister when I was young busy reading Archie comics, Sweet Valley and Enid Blyton. I did read but I did not read as much as my sis because I felt it was boring. Haha! If I remember correctly, I stuggled to learn how to read and had difficult times in early primary school be it in Bahasa Malaysia or English.

When I went to uni, I was so impressed with my friends using search engines like Yahoo! and Google. You could find out about almost anything. It was even more interesting with addition of picture content. I think this was what started my craze in the WWW.

As most people know me, I am so in love with Volvos that I went and really deep dive into the product lineage, all via these search engines. I think at that time I was using Google because it had that Image tab where you can view thousands of photos of the car from all over the world.

From then on, because I found it so easy and interesting with the rich multimedia format, I grew into wanting to know more about technology, religion, politics and news. Typical of the internet, is the latest updates in news from around the world. I was eager to keep myself abreath with what was going on and I was eager to share the latest findings with my friends at that time.

I am really thankful to Google! It has changed a person who once hated reading books because of the format but now I am a better reader (I humbly admit!). However, I still hate reading books! Haha!

Ruby's trip to KL

I was so delighted that Ruby visited me over the weekend. She came last Friday by NICE Bus and I fetched her from the old KTM station in KL. I really missed her and I was overcome with tears of joy although I don't think she saw. Haha!

That night I took her for great Chinese Food at the Park Way restaurant in Subang SS 19.
We ordered Bawal fish steam, butter chicken and vege.

Then we went home to bath all before leaving for Starbucks at The Curve.

A photo of us with a red cow in front of one of the restaurants at The Street, The Curve.

We sat there talking about my new life and we shared about how things were back home in Penang.

The next day, we went to One-Utama. To even my amazement, there were loads of shops. Was not very crowded maybe due to the "puasa" month. I bought my shoe padding for my office shoe as I have been doing loads of walking. To cure my boredom, I got the latest FHM mag and I got Ruby the latest CLEO.

For lunch, Ruby took me to this fancy but cozy place called Dave's. Kinda pricey but the food was great and the experience was positively memorable. Just me and my babe! :D

Me and Ruby on the cozy sofa.

At night, we had dinner at my bro's home as my bro, Hans organized a get together with my couzs; Lynn's family and St. John's family. It was the first time St. John's family met Ruby and they were happy to meet her. It's hard to join our "club"! Muahaha!

Rubz had "Bombay Saphire gin with Sprite" and I had "Jack Daniel's whisky with Coke". I had a couple of them and got pretty high! My couz's kids just loved Rubz and kinda reminded me of how her mom, Aunt Caroline, was great with kids.

The next morning, we went to Krishna's Curry house for breakfast. I had thosai and Rubz had roti bawang.

We then went to the Church of Assumption nearby. Had to double park on the road ala 'sembahyang Jumaat'. The church was full so we sat outside with the other parishners. Father Phillip Muthu celebrated mass and we did pray for the detainees under ISA. Thank God the reporter has been released!

Then we went for a drive at the Sunday Car motor and took a glimpse at the second-hand cars, my ussual routine on Sunday mornings in KL. So happy to share my routine with Rubz and she now knows a thing or two about cars!

We then went to my godparents house in seksyen 3 PJ where they waited to take us for lunch at the Royal Selangor Club in Mont Kiara with Uncle Musa. We all had the "Banana Leaf" spread by the patio overlooking the field.

Rubz and I then went home and spent time together. It was very sad for us to part again but we will meet this coming weekend in Penang as Hans wants to visit my aunt.

I cried so much because I realized that I am trully blessed to have Rubz in my life! I really miss her during the times when we are apart although we are connected through Digi for free calls, SMS and MMS.

I guess behind all my strength, I depend on my source that is Ruby. I love you honey! :D Can't wait to see you in Penang this coming weekend. Muakzzzzzzzzz! ;)

Remembering Aunt Caroline

Today is almost a month that Aunt Caroline left us.

As I sipped my beer at a coffee shop in Subang SS19 at the time close to the time she passed away a month ago, I felt the sadness and became teary.

I very much understand how difficult it is to lose a mom as my mom means so much to me. I don't know what will I do without my mom.

My first encounter with Aunt Caroline was when Ruby invited me up to her apartment on a Friday afternoon to meet her mom. I was so scared for so many reasons. Firstly, what her reaction would be to me. It also meant a lot to me because I finally got to meet her.

As I stepped into her home, she sat on her chair and extended her hand to me and said "Nice to meet you". I was so releaved that Aunt Caroline was welcoming. Ruby prepared the "hor fun" that her mom requested for from Pulau Tikus market. I sat there beside her mom watching AFC(a TV channel on Astro about food). I knew that poor Aunt Caroline could only dream and imagine eating them as I understand that she was loosing her appetite and also there was pain within her.

Ruby and I were leaving for Queenie's 21st birthday in Butterworth, the weekend of the St Anne's feast. I said my good bye to her and she said bye back. She thanked me for the "hor fun".

Days went by and Aunt Caroline was at Ah Poh's (Ruby's mom's mom's house) which is near to her home. I sent Ruby back one Thursday and I told Ruby that I wanted to meet her mom.

We went to Ah Poh's place and I saw Aunt Caroline lie on the sofa. As I entered the home she sat up and let me seat beside her. I was quite scared to seat next to her because I still could not believe that I finally met her. Ala, u know me a bit sensitive to this kinda stuff. Haha!

She was telling me she could not eat much and there was pain.

She touched my right hand suddenly and told me about Ruby's uncle who was also seated at the living room, that he had just returned from an opperation because of blood clot in his stomach. It was a surprise to me that she touched my arm in her condition but it just made me feel comfortable and welcomed to be with her.

When I left the home I told her I will see her again.

I came back that night and the following 2 days I was there. Poor Aunt Caroline was vommitting and did not have much to eat. She just drank water. She hardly slept also and she did say she never slept for 24 hours when I met her that week on a Sunday.

I just felt so concerned for her that I made a point to be there although I could not do anything.

When she wanted to go toilet, we had to put her on her wheelchair. First time she went, she stood up and tried to reach for my hand but I was a bit scared to get involved in family affairs so I called Ruby cousin come and help. The next time she wanted to go toilet and we had to get her on the wheelchair, she stood up and this time I extend my hand. She caught my hand and gripped it firmly.

I am a guy who is very sensitive to people's body language. Her respond to me, I felt was positive from my encounters with her.

That same week, on a Sunday, my mom wanted to visit her so I took her. I felt so sorry to my mom coz I delayed the process of meeting Ruby's mom. My dad did not know her condition and before my mom left our house, he told my mom to call Ruby's mom for dinner at our place one day. My dad never got to meet Aunt Caroline. I guess some thing's in life we have to accept and they are just not meant to happen.

My mom got teary when met Rubz mom because from a medical person point of view (my mom is retired matron), Aunt Caroline was thin and it was not a good sign.

We sat for a while and we left.

Before leaving, I handed my hand out again and she reached out and held it tight. I told her I am going home and I will come again to see her. She nodded. That time she was really week already.

The next morning, her condition worsened and she was taken to Hospice. I went early morning to be with the family. It was a hard time for all of us.

At 9.08 pm 11/8/2008, she breathed her last breath surrounded by all of us. I held back my feelings trying to be macho as ussual.

At that time, we could only do what was needed that was to make arrangements for the funeral.

On the night before the funeral, I went through the slides Ruby prepared of her mom for the funeral. I cried. I honestly felt sad. I broke down again in the car when Ruby was in it after the funeral mass on the way to crematorioum telling Ruby I am sooooo sorry and I told her I don't know why this had to happen to Aunt Caroline. I guess I had a problem accepting it and until now I still wonder why and trying to come to terms with my loss.

I guess I had a lot of respect for Aunt Caroline being Ruby's mom and I was so touched by her kindness towards me.

Corinne Baum, a close family friend, did tell me that Aunt Caroline was a great person, kind and very good with kids.

I am sad that I could not have spent more time with Aunt Caroline for us to get to know each other better and enjoy each other's company. I always wanted to take her to Gurney Drive with Ruby's as my aunt did tell me that the sea is good for people who are recovering from illness but I guess time was not on my side.



Aunt Caroline,

I pray that your soul may rest in peace with the choirs of angels and souls in heaven. May you always be with us in spirit and help guide us in our lives. As what Aunt Cindy (Ruby's aunt said), make Aunt Caroline proud of us. It was a pleasure to meet you in this lifetime but hope we can meet up again in the next. I hope you are looking down on us from above and smilling. :D

Love,
Trevor.

Racist against pendatang!

After we joyfully celebrate over 50 years of independence, united as a nation comprising of people of different races, this is the outcome.

Please visit this link from The Star Online:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/4/nation/20080904143325&sec=nation

This guy is a reflection of a low standard Malaysian or should I add politician, a leader from the community representing us Malaysians to supposedly look after our well-being. I personally find him as a fat ass, scum bag, racist, arrogant, immoral, his mother never taught him manners piece of shit from a dead horse!

As a non-bumi, I fully respect the rights and realize the respect we need to show to the bumiputras of this country. Knowingly, there are somethings that you cannot question about the rights these bumiputeras have but this does not affect the freedom and happiness that I appreciate as a Malaysian. I mean each of us have certain perks too if you really think about it and we should count ourselves lucky! Fine by me, as by the constitution of Malaysia, we non-bumiputeras (now known as pendatang) will be protected regardless of race and religion.

I think we pendatang have been very good and have adhered to the rule.

I personally have a lot of bumi friends whom I respect and appreciate their friendship. We may be different but we are united as Malaysians and we have successfully cultivated prosperity and harmony between people of different races.

Now by hearing this remark, it is very hurting and I find it totally unacceptable.

What is that something that we have less that you have so much more?

OR should I rephrase that sentence and say that what we have so much more that you envy while you have so much less? ;)

We have done a lot for this country in terms of economic growth which is fundamental to the strength of any country regardless if the government supported us or not. We have managed to bridge our contacts with partners from foreign countries, pulling in investors from abroad and doing the extra work on the job while our friends enjoyed sitting at the warung drinking tea and talking emptily like the wind blowing by, screwing their own sister or daughters, illegal racing to show there keberanian or sleeping as what they are known for doing best!

I mean this is something we all Malaysians know but may not talk about it because it is not nice.

However, emerging out of no where comes a dog who discriminates us and forgets about the basis of what our nation is built from. It is a reflection of how narrow his knowledge and lack of appreciation for Malaysian history where there exist a generation of people from different races that fought for our freedom from the British.

This will severely affect our confidence in the political party that this ass is from and I am sure it is going to be even worse for this party to prove it's worthiness to it's citizens when the focus and support is already becoming more for the opposition.

I mean come on lah people. I am saying something that is right here and is in the minds of most of us. I am not creating any cerita dongeng for your entertaintment pleasure.

Is it wrong what I am saying here considering what this politician has said about us pendatang?

Is he God enough to say that we humans are any different from one another?

No English, no golf!

LPGA is an American ladies golf association. They have the annual LPGA tour (competition)which also takes in international female golfers from all around the world to compete for the top ladies position in the world ranking.

Golf like any other sport is about the game. It is primarily about the talent and performance that an athelete has to excel and to be their best in the sport. It is wonderful for any sport to be participated at an international level bringing in participants from different countries.

The recent announcement by the LPGA committee to have all participants be judged on a verbal English test in order to be effective in the English command.

There are many good golfers out there like from Thailand, Korea and Mexico that may not be as competent as their American competitors who are great in English. However, they participate with high spirits to compete and look forward for the reason they are coming together that is for the game.

This just takes the fun and enthusiam about the game itself. I feel it is kinda discriminative as only the well speaking ones get selected. It feels like America is looking to the east specifically us here and is only prioritizing on the "bukan pendatang". I guess we do influence other countries in a way with our creativity and innovation!

I am sorry that I could not give more...

In life sometimes we really give our best towards others but we still have not done enough.
I am not talking giving monetary but giving ourselves wholely towards caring for others.
I know we are faced with such humanly limitations and sometimes environmental limitations but that is the best we can do.

No one is perfect and we are bound to hit a speed-bump every now and then. I just don't understand why people don't realize our good intentions and realize that is much as we can do to help.

Whatever I have done good, I hope people see that and not ridicule me. For when I am no longer around, you gonna feel the difference and it will be a big loss. Trust me as this has happened before to the others who have come accross me. We cannot stop time but it's good to stop and appreciate what we have now. When tommorrow comes, we can only remember the good moments, now history.

Whatever I have done bad, I am humble enough to apologise. I can clarify that the reason to my mistakes is because of limitations of my capability and also to human nature which is complicated. We are all different and we have to live with each others differences as it is the only human thing to do.

I have so much pressure from my critics. All are looking down on me and hope to see me fail! They think it will be a bad ending but a good one for them to reap the reward. My failure will be a good time for them to cease the moment and act as the good guy to repair the brokeness.

As a guy, I know where u coming from lah joe! Haha! I am in this game also myself. I may not have the same game plan as you but I can foresee the strategy you are planning.

Then there are others who have threatened me so much that if anything goes wrong they will punish me. Some have told me they would kill me and others have told me they will kick my butt. Mother f*cker you think I some small kampung boy equipped with my sarung and my jamban slipper u can smack. Trust me, you hit me, you better make sure you ready to get hit by me I tell u. U will be freaking sorry man.

I may look innocent and harmless. But I leave my "weapons" at home and they are always ready! My silence all this while has finally been broken. Broken because I have realized that I can no longer be manipulated!

You guys think you are all so darn perfect. But I can challenge you that you got NOTHING.
REALLY GOT NOTHING!

Already at an initial stage people do not have faith in me and are anticipating things to turn out ugly. Automatically I will be the bad person and they can take their chance to have their way with me.

These b*stards do not realize it takes two to tango and not just me. If it was just me I rather live a selfish and self-pity life alone! Then if anything were to go wrong, you can rightfully blame me.
It goes to show how narrow minded you are to think that I am the only bad guy here. I guess this is a reflection on how your own relationship exist or struggles to exist. If you can take swipes at me, now is the time to take swipes at you all.

I have been to nice to you all. But sometimes being nice to people is of no use. I am Catholic and I know it is wrong and I beg God for mercy. However, in order to survive in this "dog eat dog world" I have to adapt to this worldly nature of dealing with such complicated people and sinners. You can burn as much jossticks as you want or pray 5 times a day but you are hypocrites to your belief as all religions teach good things.

Many people for years have told me I am too nice. These people who actually told me this, cared for me and did not want to see me get bullied because I cared for them. No they were not family or blood relation but lay people on the street that were civic contious. They were just normal people who did not need to go overseas to get education and some who did not have education. But they had good emotions and good intentions and just gave me that advise.

I have not created any fictional story here for your pleasure but have brought out the truth base on my experience without any baseless findings. The past that has brought me to the man I am today has taught me so many things and thankfully has given me the experience to cope with what I currently have. Trust me, living away from home for almost 6 years has deffinitely been a turning point in my life where I have learnt so many things and be thankful for.