CHOICE!

OLA! OHLINS!

2012-02-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

No, not a bad word. A few friends have been asking me, why keep OHLINS OHLINS OHLINS in twitter, why the bad words? I don't blame em, OH LIN can sound quite bad, especially among the Malaysian Chinese, Hokkien in particular. Ironically, OHLINS is actually quite a well known brand among the car enthusiasts community, to some, it's the best suspension maker. Unfortunately, it is a myth yet to be debunked.

There are plenty of other brands in the market, perhaps not as well known in Malaysia, examples: MOTON from the Netherlands, Nitron from the UK, Aragosta from Japan, etc. Price can go up to as high as more than MYR30k per set (4 pieces of absorbers + 4 springs) for the top of the range model. Note that even the basic model may set you back MYR10k.

OHLINS is among them, but to call them the best? I don't blame you if you have that kind of perception. After all, they build suspensions for Ferraris and some other super cars, OEM that is.(Google it if you are curious, I'm lazy) The engineers must be impressed by their work in order to get them in to build one of the most important aspects of the car. THE ORIGINAL GOLD sentence perhaps played a bit of a role to our eyes as well I guess.

For the FD2R, (The 2007 Civic Type R, FD2 is the chassis and R, erm, just R) the stock suspension are track tuned, twin tubed, manufactured by Japanese company, SHOWA, which also builds aircraft suspensions. Reliability has never been an issue, the car's height? A little bit depending on how race car like you want the car to look, many people are willing to settle for the 2 fingers height between the tyre and the fenders, but for certain people, who wants the car to look like a track car, we would like to see less as well as lower the centre of gravity, even though the drivability may be sacrificed, especially on Malaysian roads and speed humps.

Other than that, another reason why people swap to aftermarket suspensions is because of the harshness of the car on the road. For me, I have no problems, I have experienced rougher experience with my previous car, HWL(Locally made suspension) with super high spring rates. Passengers however, kept complaining. My ex had no problems though since the rocky feeling made her sleepy and she enjoyed that. :P

It took me a few months of research about aftermarket suspensions and a recent impact in life to make this decision. The research was because, there were too many in the market, J's Racing Showa(about MYR4k), Tein Monoflex(about MYR8k), BC(about MYR6k), RCS(about MYR4k), etc. None of the above mentioned were OHLINS, as I wasn't prepared to splash MYR13k on something which could depreciate by at least 30% as soon as I drive it on the road, plus the YEN was and is still high, moreover I will have to buy a pair of rear camber kit so that I can adjust the "KANGKANG-ness" of the car to reduce the tendency to understeer.

When my 8 year girlfriend decided to be my ex, I whatsapp-ed Chris of Pentagon Enterprise later that week, wrote, "If I get 2.42 in this week's CTA time attack event, I will order OHLINS from you." And I DID IT...........

In 2.43 per lap, which is considered a huge improvement from the 2.46 I did previously and my car is relatively stock, as some people would say. (Honda Malaysia Racing Team drivers apparently did 2.41 in a bone stock car, 185kph speed limiter still intact) So I told Chris that day, never mind, 1 second difference only, I honour my word, give me a quotation. And so, after he gave me the price, I placed my deposit later that week.

Did not do much research on OHLINS before I placed the deposit, only some brief knowledge of the experience from some existing users. I read it online, I read about some superficial reviews such as the built quality, the weight, blah blah blah. Important too, just that I wasn't too bothered by those at first, just bonus points, I guess the brand name OHLINS actually gave me confidence and a reasonably high expectation.

About 3 weeks later, Chris wrote on my facebook wall, "The big boy toy is here!". Monday was a public holiday so Pentagon Enterprise wasn't open, but Chris was kind enough to come all the way to his office just to show me the suspension as well as take in my car. I was working despite of the public holidays(Monday and Tuesday) so I had to leave my car with him.

Unboxing presents is always one of the best feelings, the anticipation, wanting to know what is it, etc. I knew what is inside but yet I'm excited, I was not paying attention to the high price that is to be paid to him, there was no heartache of spending so much cash, only EXCITEMENT.

The first box was opened, there I saw, two pieces of perfectly built monotube rear absorbers beneath the OHLINS stickers(And no, I'm not gonna give it away!). Held it up, FUCK, it's freaking light! Made fully out of aluminum, this was what Chris told me, the new and improved OHLINS DFV, Street and Track version is made entirely out of aluminum! Then it is the front two, inverted monotube suspensions, slightly heavier but bear in mind, they are also much bigger than the two. I looked at it and even though I expected it to be well built, but I have never expected such beauty when it comes to their workmanship, the colour and the metals, flawless.

The next box, SPRINGS, rated at 8kg front, linear and 6.3kg rear, progressive. Made by EIBACH. You know nothing about EIBACH? Expensive and I mean real expensive springs. As it goes on, there is this small box, Chris opened, showed me, gold colour plated(Sorry, I'm not good at colours) pillow ball mounts, immediately, it felt unreal, I am finally getting those two things on my car. Pillow ball mounts enables one to adjust the "KANGKANG-ness" of the car without having the need to go underneath the car and it gives you a wider degree of adjustment. Last but not least, the rear camber kit, made by J's Racing. Okay, I'm not too good at explaining this one but all I can say is, I did make a huge amount of research on this, reliability that is and so far, the J's Racing's one is the only one that can be plug and play to the car without having to leave any headlight sensors behind unattached and for other brands, let's just say that I have heard stories, bad ones, thus it's pointless for me to save those cash and endanger myself.

Okay, I am getting a little bit blur after writing this, please pardon me for any grammatical errors as I have stopped bothering after a while

To be continued....

Working?

2009-04-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

It has been 2 months since I last blog.....been lazy and the internet connection at home err....sucks?

Ironically, I am now typing this at 8.33 a.m. in the office, yeah I have finally found a job, at Metropolitan College, SS15.

Boring job, still job hunting by the way, mindset and personality differences among us in the marketing department made me want to leave this institution, though I like the people here as well as the working environment(Eye Candies....).

Will elaborate more when I have the time.

Last day in Windy Welly and New Zealand

2009-02-05T23:18:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I fly....back to somewhere I originally came from, a small part of our mother earth, Malaysia.

Strangely, a few months ago, I was excited about going home, literally homesick everyday.

Things that I'm gonna miss:

- The friendly people around
- Though I'm no coffee addict, I'll still definitely miss the coffees here
- My flat
- My flatmates
- My friends here
- Vic Uni
- The fresh air
- The lively town
- Drinking on Friday and Saturday nights

And most of all, the bucket fountain in Cuba Street.

Hopefully I won't be too emotional tomorrow at the Airport.

I will be back WELLINGTON!

My Short Fling in NZ

2009-01-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

TADA!!!!!

Sadly we are going to part real soon, a nostalgic short summer fling for a couple of months.

Wanted to learn drifting with it, but not many places with large space here. However the experience of driving a non turbocharged B8 engine, balance convertible....priceless. Moreover, I now have the rights to brag about the enjoyment of driving a six gear transmission car....

Honestly, I have not pushed this car to its limit, not even 70% of its potential. Nevertherless, uphill and downhill driving with such half arsed driving effort has already made my heart pump quicker than usual. The feeling of throttling while exiting corners is no longer only exciting, but with fear of oversteering and bang into other cars parked outside. This is one real naughty car I must say, but fun naughty car. :D

Surprisingly, with this car, I have only spun out once, and that is also because of my itchiness, drove into a corner at a mid range speed, kicked the clutch, wanted to upset the rear traction. It did happen, but I did not throttle, was immediately stunned....:P Don't blame me, I'm too used to driving a front wheeler.

Oh well, will sell this car as I'm heading home early next month for good, hopefully it will find a good owner soon and once I get back, I will have to save my own cash in order to get one of these Mazda sisters since my parents are planning to give me one of their automatic transmission cars, damn!!!!

Nice driving you MX5, will definitely miss driving you out with the top down and occasional drives up to Mount Vic.

:P

2009-01-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't been updating my blog, but I've got no inspiration to write anything, so I'm sorry.

Miss this movie, a lot, downloaded one with very good quality, but English dubbed....diu

Definitely one of my favourite Jackie Chan movies, ever! Much better than the so-called racing movies, Initial D or the Fast and Furious series.

Even though I am no fan of the Mitsubishi FTO or the GTO, only the Evolution 3 appeals to me, I must say that this is one hell of a bad ass movie, however, there's one part that bothers me, a race between the FTO and the GTR? Other than that, I'm fine.

Not much lovey dovey scenes, only fight and race scenes with a great theme song, AWESOME I TELL YA AWESOME!!!!

PS: Do you all know that they raced in the old Batu Tiga Race Track in the movie? If Shah Ruk Khan(I don't know if I spelled it correctly or not) can get a datukship, why can't Jackie Chan? Not that I support the idea, but why not him first?

Officially a graduate!

2008-12-16T20:01:00.001-08:00

My mum, brother, uncle and aunt came to visit, attended my graduation ceremony....it was great, can now officially call myself a graduate!!!! A little gutted though, time for me to look for a job.

Prospect of me working in NZ? Nah....fat hopes....

Just came back from the South Island, yesterday. Flight delayed, from 9.40a.m. to 11a.m. and the plane is a fuckin Q300, fit only 50 passengers, I must say that the journey back is a scary one, especially when nearing the Welly's airport....screw the wind....

Da Q300

South Island is beautiful, the route to Milford Sound, Queenstown, etc. Even Christchurch looks beautiful despite all the skinheads.

Will post some photos soon, if not get it at facebook.

Rejuvenated but homesick....may head home earlier than expected. Haha

Choice!!!!

2008-12-02T04:39:00.001-08:00

Ever wonder why the title is "Choice"?

Well, if you are familiar with the New Zealand culture, then you'd probably understand.

The word "Choice" to us means decision, selection, option, etc. But only recently, I found out that there's actually a more in-depth meaning to the word. According to a certain dictionary, it can mean something of very good quality.

Either I am ignorant or the word is uncommon, I have yet to hear anybody using that word other than the New Zealanders.

A Kiwi girl once told me that the word "Choice" is "Cool" to them Kiwis. Which explains why a flatmate of mine often use that word, even though to me it sounds wrong.

Regardless, I'm amazed by the amount of slang the Kiwis have. I must admit that it took me a while to get used to their accent, moreover, different ethnic groups here have different kinds of accent. For example, the Islanders here, such as the Maori, Tongans and Samoans have a little bit of them African American accent and uses the word "Nigga" excessively, though sometimes it can be a little hard to understand these people, their accent is really cool. Even some of the Kiwis are finding it hard to understand them, LOL. Ironically, I am treated as one of the "niggas" and one of them even say that he treats me like a Black person. *No offence, I'm not being racist, my brother and I have always aspire to speak like you guys, you know what I'm sayin?

Who says adding "lah, mah, etc" in our sentences is wrong? Kiwis have "Ay" most of the time at the end of their sentences, just like our "eh" back home. But to be honest, I seriously can't stand some of the Malaysians here, who act like them Pakehas, immitating their accent and slang, which sounds so wrong. Worst of all, they can't even speak decent English. Damn those white people with their superiority.

Oh yea, I'm going to have a choice week next week! Heading to the South Island with my family....still contemplating whether to visit the Nevis Bungy or not, at Queenstown. I'm just stoked about this coming week.

Rose-tinted glasses officially off

2008-12-02T00:29:00.001-08:00

Stalemate against West Ham. But we are still on top of the table right? With 1 point clear.

Realistically, this season is officially over, I don't see us challenging Chelsea or the Scums. Let's face it, the squad is nowhere near the quality of them. I hate to admit it, but when Gerrard's not playing well and neither is Torres, who can we rely on? Robbie Keane? The 20 million quid forward who can't score goal? Kuyt? The choker? N'Gog? The unproven striker?

What if Riera's injured too? Yossi? He looked jaded and flat during a few matches now, but for a player who just came back to the Premiership since playing in Manchester City a few seasons ago, who can blame him for that?

Unless Liverpool starts showing results for these few weeks, I don't see us challenging for the title this season. Chelsea drew against the Scums, lost against us and Arsenal but are only 1 point beneath us, the Scums had a slow start but is only 6 points behind us.

Also, thanks to our American owners, we are literally broke, thus, we can only dream of buying more players to add to our squad depth.

DARN!!!!

One of my favourite quotes

2008-11-15T23:46:00.000-08:00

"It is not about the age of players, it is about quality" by Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez

It doesn't matter if you are 30 or 20, as long as you can deliver quality results, you will stand out.

What? 8.30am? What?

2008-11-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

What am I doing getting up at 8.30am this morning? Slept at 3 something in the morning, I should be waking up at somewhere around midday, there goes my beauty sleep. But somebody's gotta do it, else Miss Senorita and I will have to sleep on cold hard floor after this week.

Bed hunting is never a difficult task for most of us Malaysians, parents will always get us a new bed once the old one reaches the end of its life cycle. Only a handful of people will consider getting a used bed. Beds are cheaper back home, so fair enough.

Finding for cheap used beds is never an easy task. I missed out on a few decent auctions a few days ago, thinking that I might be able to strike a better deal if I remain patient and calm. But now, it's only 3 days away from moving out.

Argh, just finish bidding, it's 131 NZD now, plus freight would cost me another 20-25 dollars, crap! It's only around 15 minutes away now, hopefully I get it, I won't want to pay another 10 dollars here, it's not exactly at its best condition but it's my last resort. :(

Anyhow, wish me luck guys! Else I'm gonna bang my head against the wall! Off to bed.....

Decisions Decisions Decisions Part 2

2008-11-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

MR2, Integra DC2, Celica, etc....? Decided not to get a bike eventually, too scary.

After doing some intensive research on the internet as well as seeking advices and opinions from some of my car enthusiast friends, I have decided to go for something "really really really selfish, unpractical but fun" or something that "drives fast on the straight road, not so selfish and is tail happy".

So what are my choices?

The Mazda MX5 Miata NB version (6 speed manual)
2 door, 2 seats = very very very selfish and unpractical
front engine rear wheel drive = fun car
can learn to drift factor = very very very fun car!

The second car

The Honda Integra DC2 Type R
B18CR engine = when VTEC opens, fucking fast car
22mm anti roll bar = tail happy front engine front wheel drive car (quoted by Sarukun, who is coincidentally one of the craziest car enthusiasts I have ever met, same age but fucking knowledgeable)
2 door 5 seats = not so selfish car

Both are equally good cars to be honest, both have good fuel consumption and both are really nice looking cars. The fact that the MX5 is rated as one of the best cars ever made, made me have more preference towards the MX5. However, the MX5's cost a bit more than the DC2 Type R and I can easily get one problem free DC2 Type R in the market, it might be a little bit harder to sell though as the only people who are interested with the DC2 Type R are teenage boy racers wannabe.

Although I must admit that I have always wanted to try the VTEC because Honda drivers around me usually brag about the power of VTEC and some even go overboard by comparing it with Turbo. A bit too much la, but again, I have heard of some credible reviews about the engine and sat on a Honda Civic eg6 with a B16A engine during a track day in the Sepang International Circuit and honestly it was really really great despite the fact that I did not really feel any VTEC pull at all. Thus, my conclusion, to compare an Evo to an Integra, too much la some Honda fanboys back home.

To be continued....

Finished!!!!

2008-10-31T23:06:00.001-07:00

I am official done with uni! Hopefully....but yeah!!!!!

Stamford Bridge, fell....Lucky?

2008-10-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

Hell yeah we were lucky, we were lucky that we did not land on Gareth Barry, which then got us Albert Riera, for less money too. Bosingwa, I feel for you.

We were lucky when Xabi Alonso scored because it was a deflected shot. Oh well, thank you Bosingwa and again, I feel for you.

We were lucky because Xabi Alonso was not sold to Juventus or Arsenal. Apparently, Claudio Ranieri decided not to buy the player because he thought that Alonso was too slow. Nevermind, we keep the slow one or should I say, thank you. By the way, I heard that Juventus are not doing very well nowadays in the Serie A, hopefully you will not get the boot.

We were also lucky because Scolari decided to play Malouda.....again! Oh yea, we were lucky because we missed out on him.

We were lucky because Ashley Cole ain't no striker, yo....

We were lucky that Gerrard only got a yellow......wait! Wasn't that a legitimate tackle? Damn you Bosingwa, so much for my sympathy, but I was impressed at your ability to do a side way summersault after Gerrard's tackle.

Some of news articles were right, we were indeed lucky to win at Stamford Bridge.

*Apparently, there were more newspaper articles about Tottenham getting their first league win of the season than Liverpool winning against Chelsea. Of course la, lucky win, no need report so much la.

To Chelsea fans, I have no intention to offend any of you guys, I was a much happier man when we won against Man Utd, even though we broke your unbreakable record. If only I had no assignments during that time, I would have written more about our victory against them.

Nevertherless, I am still HAPPY!

Pompey up next!

Decisions Decisions Decisions

2008-10-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, in my previous few post, I said that I wanted to get a Suzuki FXR150 and am finding for a place to stay. Now I have another decision to make, to get the bike or a car, which is an Integra DC2 Type R, an EG hatchback, a CRX, just a Honda, reliable mar, and VTEC mar.

I know I might spend quite an amount on purchasing a car, but come to think of it, the prices of these cars in Malaysia. Scary....I might not be able to have any chance to own any of these cars, especially the Integra DC2 Type R, which is said as one of the best handling front wheel drive car, and according to some sources, it is a tail happy car.

Anymore choices? No idea. Unless I'm getting senile, I'm definitely not getting a turbocharged vehicle. Not the petrol, but the maintenance of the car. The fact that I have not owned any turbocharged cars before may cause me problems if I decided to purchase one, such as looking at the conditions of the turbine and stuffs. Moreover, not to mention the ever annoying turbo lags. Unless it's an RX7, which I doubt I'd take it anyway, too pricey and it drinks petrol quicker than any other cars.

A rear wheel drive? Maybe, but again, lack of experience and the better Silvias are usually SR20DETs, where the T stands for Turbo. I might get a natural aspirated MR2 though, cheap and reliable too, Toyota mar.

Last but never least, I will never get an automatic transmission. I can even live with manual tranny in KL, what more New Zealand, where the country's population is even lower than Singapore's. Cheaper on petrol and not to mention, fun!

Looking to get the car to toy a little bit on the road, haven't drove for a while now, but that's just what I'm thinking. Any choices that you guys can name me? Other than the Hondas, MR2 and Mirage MIVEC? Doesn't matter if it's cheap and old, as long as it fits into all my criteria.

Mucho Gracias

15 random facts

2008-10-18T04:15:00.000-07:00

Was forced to do this by Cik Senorita

1. I like things which are usually not popular among others, which explains why I chose Liverpool instead of joining the scums.

2. I secretly took out my dad's motorcycle once to the town for 3 hours without the knowledge of my parents when I was only 15.

3. I had my first motorcycle accident when I was 14.

4. Inspired by JonC, I saw the first porn mag when I was 8/9 and when I was 13, I watched my first porn movie.

5. I love gambling, from football to casino, very very bad habit, I know.

6. I have never picked any sides against Liverpool, except for once where I almost took Singapore instead of Liverpool.

7. I find males who shop a lot, wear perfumes.....err.....have less testosterone or have more estrogen

8. I HATE glory hunters

9. I am very money conscious but I still spend a lot of money on things like gadgets, cars, etc.

10. I want to get a tattoo, but my parents will kick me out of the house. *Still hoping to get one before I go home.

11. I fucking hate Jay "I am a homo" Chou.

12. Despite all the sexist and gay-discriminatory remarks, I am a very gay friendly guy and a firm supporter of gender equality. And I hate people who discriminate gays, have huge male ego, feminists as well as racists.

13. I am an extremely uptight and shy guy.

14. I love to race cars instead of modify cars. Thus, my knowledge about cars may not be as deep as some of my car loving friends.

15. Although Senorita and I are together for more than 5 years now, I still see girls behind her as well as beside her.

Random

2008-10-17T02:03:00.000-07:00

Looking to move, but can't find any suitable ones.

Should I get the Suzuki FXR? erm....

The Sun in Kiwi Land!

2008-10-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have never appreciated the nice and hot weather back in Malaysia. Not since I moved from Penang to Malacca at the age of 6. All the time, I complained about the weather and yearned for rainy days. MAN! How much have I missed out.

Here in the Kiwi land however, I have always longed for sunny days, so that I can walk out without any jackets or raincoats, and there will be lots of hot chicks with less clothes covering them around the streets :P. At this place, when Miss Senorita and I go out, we would be walking right under the sun instead of covering ourselves beneath the sheds.

During sunny days, there will be lots of people walking around Queens Wharf, reading books, jogging, walking, eating lunch, etc. There are also plenty of people playing rugby, skateboarding, playing sports under the sun.

Unlike back home, one can hardly spot children in Wellington playing computer games in cyber cafes. They will normally be outside, skating, BMX-ing or playing in the playground. Which explains why most Asians here are 4 eyed homo sapiens whereas one can hardly find a New Zealand teenager or young adult wearing spectacles.

I guess that too pretty much explains how I gained so much weight during my days in KL. The convenience of having a car to travel around contributed a lot too. Imagine driving to college every single day even though I can easily walk there in 20 minutes. Under the sun, hot la, but so what, can save petrol, exercise and the sun back there will never give me skin cancer, whereas in NZ, one can easily get sun burnt, which explains the large number of skin cancer victims in the country.

IF only Malaysians can resist playing video games or computer games and enjoy more outdoor activities, how good would that be, but with the improvements of technology nowadays and most parents spoiling their children, I doubt that would ever happen.

English VS Foreign Players

2008-10-07T23:48:00.000-07:00

I was checking the RAWK* forum today and realised that there are actually 5 Liverpool players in the Spain national team: Torres, Alonso, Riera, Reina and Arbeloa.To think, we have 5 European Champions in our team and only 1 in the England team.

*RAWK = www.redandwhitekop.com

Before any of you guys start bashing Liverpool for not being able to keep the British culture, let's look at the amount of transfer fees compared to England's.

Torres
Liverpool broke the club's transfer record to sign the lad from Atletico Madrid for 25 million pounds. Though many skeptics questioned Rafa Benitez's move to sign the striker, who although possess great technical ability, but has never had the finishing that Liverpool needs badly. In his first season however, scored more than 30 goals in all competitions.

Gareth Barry
Did not get the move he wanted during summer unfortunately, but mainly due to the fact that Martin O'Neill wanted 18 million pounds for him. I must admit that I have not seen him played much to be impressed. Nevertherless, statistically, he has been one of the top midfielders in the league for the past 2 seasons. Mainly, Rafa Benitez only wanted him because he is English, he has the left foot that the team needs as well as his consistency. But, at the age of 28, is it worth it to pay that much just because of all those factors? He isn't even a guaranteed starter for the England team. Although I must say that Alonso has been performing well this season to justify the board's decision to not buy the English midfielder.

Albert Riera
An answer to the gaffer's failure to get Gareth Barry and costs 10 million pounds less. Was tested in the Premiership before with City, but did not do much to impress the public. Many of us thought that we paid too much for a City reject, but according to a recent article, Stuart Pearce wanted to keep him but Man City did not have to resources to finance his transfer. Albert is a completely different player compared to Gareth. In spite of the fact that he does not possess the passing ability as well as the presence in midfield, he brought flair and width to the team, something that Barry doesn't own. He is comfortable with the ball as well as brings balance to the team, this is the type of player that Liverpool has been missing since Harry "sicknote" Kewell.

Darren Bent
16.5 million pounds, not even on the bench of the England squad. Had a great record when he was with Charlton Athletic, but could not even squeeze into the Spurs first team last season. Do not know much about the player other than his stunning season with Charlton a few seasons ago.

And people are complaining that the top teams are not buying English, is it really worth it to spend that much on English players?

2:32:15 AM's post

2008-10-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

What am doing? Staying up till so late?

No classes tomorrow and is chatting with Li Wen. (Oi, I am writing an entry while chatting with you wei!) What should I do tomorrow? Hmm, depending on the weather, if it's good, might go for a walk along Queens Wharf as well as to Oriental Bay, the small beach in Wellington. *man! I love it when summer's coming!

Queens Wharf

Oriental Bay

Am thinking of going kayaking or rowing soon. Wanna get more involved with all these activities.

Okay, finally, sleepy d, boleh tidur!

BYE BYE! GOODNIGHT! MUAKS!

Skip meals? Diet? Think again

2008-10-03T02:54:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I've last submitted an entry. Too busy with assignments and did not (and still do not) have any inspiration to write anything.

Just thought of sharing something that I recently found out in the university gym. Though some of you may have already know about this.

It is extremely irritating to see some people often complaining about themselves being fat, when in fact they are not. And usually, these are the group of people who always want to as well as influence others eat less or skip meals to "slim" down. It is indeed true to a certain extent, but it could be misleading too.

I am neither a biology expert nor have taken biology as a subject. But I do know one thing, an individual's metabolism rate affects the calorie burning rate.

Skipping meals may be effective for a while, but in the long run, because of your body's insufficient energy, your metabolism rate will gradually go down. Other than that, skipping meals such as lunch may make you eat more during dinner, which is not a good thing for people who wants to lose weight.

Note: Taking 6 small meals a day is one of the best ways to boost your metabolism.

Ironic isn't it?

Short post, no mood to write too much and too freaking tired. Forgive me bad England k?

Oh yea, LIVERPOOL WON! FUCK OFF BLUENOSE!

Procrastinating again - RANT

2008-09-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

Cold today....too windy....

Want to do homework, but no mood....Why?

Liverpool drew with Stoke City....

Not enough sleep....

Homesick....

Cold....

Too many assignments.... 2 due this week and one of them....is fooking hard!!!!

Backache....due to? Aiya....me old d lor....or....the lancau deadlifts I did yesterday???? Fooking 80kgs only la....damn paiseh....

Sick also here....

Darn!!!! Rant over....I love four dots....

No pictures yet....no time to upload....but be prepared....to meet....my new toy....soon....

It's black....not white....and I name him....GUESS?

Busy period....special post

2008-09-18T02:52:00.000-07:00

3 assignments, 2 weeks of horror! STRESS STRESS STRESS!!!!

Guess it pretty much sums up why haven't I been updating me blog

NOT gonna abandon this blog....NO!!!!

I have promised to put some pictures....just to spice up me blog....but not now....still busy....and lack of internet data....damn the Kiwi's....

Just realised....I love to use the dots....SEE? And if you are observant....you would've noticed that there will be four dots....no more....no less....NO! Did not do it on purpose....just comes naturally....Oh well....

Last but not least....LIVERPOOL WON!!!! WAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Don't mind me....don't get offended ManUre fans....it's been a while since we won against you....hence the reaction....

p/s: Next blog topic....iPhone 3G??? Or something else??? Still thinking....

Malay, Chinese, Indians. Not Malaysians

2008-09-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Browsing through the internet, facebook.com, curiously, I went in to an UMNO Supporters Group, just to look at some of the comments made by the members in the group, especially since the Ahmad Ismail's incident, that has created so much racial tension between the Malays and the "Pendatangs", or is it just between the racist bastard and Gerakan?

I was not at all surprised and was deeply saddened after seeing the replies of some members, where most if not all are government funded scholarship students. Replies such as the NEP does benefit the Malays and improve the Malays or the non-bumis should not take away the Malays' "hak istimewa", etc. It is year 2008 now, I expect most people in Malaysia to be at least more mature, what more scholarship students, who are highly educated and yet they are giving immature statements like that, well done! Apparently 3 or 4 years of overseas education did not help these people to be more open minded or mature. In terms of education, are the Malays that weak that most of them need not only the Malays' but also CHINESE's, INDIANS' as well as the others' tax money to fund them to pursue their degree overseas? I view that as discrimination from your own kind as even the government had to view you guys as the weaker race and to support you monetarily. How pathetic.

To my surprise, there are even statements like, "When Wee Meng Chee ridiculed the national anthem and Islam, we kept quiet, when Ahmad Ismail came out with such statement, all make noise." FUCK OFF to both you silly bastards as well as our beloved Dr. M! Don't kid me, you guys are comparing a politician to a non-politician? Moreover, he is only in his 20s and is an undergraduate from Taiwan, tell me how old is Ahmad Ismail? A perfect comparison indeed. What are you UMNO supporters gonna tell me now? He is too old and he is senile, thus the unintended racist remarks? To be honest, I was no supporter of Wee Meng Chee and was hugely critical over his lyrics and the way he altered the national anthem, so don't come here and accuse me of defending my own race.

As I've said earlier, I was deeply saddened by the reactions of these particular people. I do love my own country, but when even my own countrymen do not accept me as a Malaysian and have equal rights, I was beginning to think, whether is it worth it to go back or to remain at New Zealand where although racism is worse, at least we as immigrants have equal rights as the local Kiwis. I even suffered discrimination in New Zealand by some Malays. I shall not elaborate too much on that. One of my friends from the States once said to Senorita, "I do not judge a person by his/her skin colour", that makes me wonder, what happened to us Malaysians? Are we no longer Malaysians? But Malays, Indians and Chinese? Living in poverty? Tell that to the Malacca Portuguese too, why aren't the government doing anything to help them?

It really makes one's blood boil

Why choose NZ la?

2008-09-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

My first ever blogspot entry!!!

It has been around 6 months now since I landed in the Kiwi land, even so, I can 100% guarantee that when I talk to somebody, there will still be people asking me, "Why la choose New Zealand, so boring"

Boring, dull, drab, I can accept la, I must admit that this country isn't the best place for people who wants to go out and find something interesting to do or visit. However, I was shocked to hear some people telling me that NZ's education is not as good as the other countries(Not too shocked la, just an expression), but I chose to study at NZ wor, bagi muka sikit la.

Not popular or as good, yes. Australian education and other countries' education outshine NZ's in many ways.

But it's not entirely the universities' fault is it? Okay, I am actually currently doing an assignment about international students and NZ education, therefore able to say more about this. Based on my observation, people tend to go to Australia mainly because NZ is being stereotyped as a boring, dull place and Malaysians, where most of the people are from the city may not like or enjoy the scenic beauty of NZ. But what they do not know is that NZ is far beyond that. Some of my friends chose Perth, Hobart instead of NZ because of that factor too, but how much research have they done? University of Auckland, AUT and Victoria University of Wellington are all located in the central business district, unless you count in postcards and souvenirs, I can hardly find anything that represents NZ's symbol,i.e the fern. I had to travel to the local Botanical Garden to look at the NZ ferns.

I found out that the number of students in the university also affects the RANKINGS of the university in the world. Which is why Lincoln University from Christchurch is often perceived as the least popular university in NZ and NZ universities are generally unpopular in the world, not forgetting Otago's slightly inferior ranking to University of Auckland's. Moreover, the population of NZ is slightly lesser than Singapore's, based on the CIA world fact book. Some of the rumours where I heard about Kiwis rather go to OZ to study is completely unfounded. The Kiwis rather go to Auckland than to Australia as some of my Kiwis friends told me that only a very very very small portion of people go to Australia to study, mainly because of inevitable factors such as family reasons.

Selset Malaysia isn't doing well in terms of promoting New Zealand education is it not? Try comparing both the Selset and the IDP Malaysia websites, which one provides more information and promotes more? And generally speaking, Malaysians are anal when it comes to promoting something new that has yet to appeal to the current market. If you pay more attention to all the education agents around the nation, most of them would only approach you about studying in Australia, the UK or the USA but not mention anything about New Zealand or even Canada. Why don't they try? Mainly due to the mindset that Malaysians no matter what will never choose NZ as their destination and will be wasting effort and time if they do. What could actually happen if only they try?

I myself may not fancy New Zealand very much, but mainly due to homesickness, the fucking cold weather and the drabness of the country. But so are some of my friends from Melbourne, Australia. Our lifestyle is very different from the Caucasians, racism is very bad over there based on what some of them said, but I have yet to suffer as much in Wellington, where the people are generally friendly and are more willing to hang out with Asians. The only thing about them settling better there in Melbourne is because of the amount of Malaysian and Singaporean friends they have there, where they share similar lifestyles, similar accents, slangs and mentalities. Whereas Caucasians drink almost everyday. I do, but not all the time. What if there are less number of Malaysians or Singaporeans there, would it still be the same? In New Zealand, other than the government JPA scholarship students, there are not as many Malaysian friends. Fuck, I even have more Kiwi buddies, and 3 of them are from Auckland. And I had a good time in Auckland during my 2-week break.

Pursuing my Bachelors degree in Victoria University is undoubtedly one of the best decisions I have made in my life, I have learnt a lot about the Kiwi culture, the Maori and Kiwi accent, their slang, their lifestyle and not forgetting their mentality. Although there are some discrimination around NZ, but very minimal. I do get discriminated at times when I am around the university, but definitely less than when I was in Malaysia. I even got discriminated by some of the Malay students here in Wellington, by saying that the Malays are the stronger race and not picking me into the Bersatu Games just because I'm not Malay.

Some of my more Chinaman mentality friends are more critical towards the Kiwi culture, therefore unable to settle here. For example, they cannot accept the fact that the Kiwis here value their family more than the Asians. Fair enough, they don't really fancy any other ethnics other than Chinese and even admitted that they too discriminate the Caucasians when back in Malaysia. There are also people who can't accept the fact that New Zealanders are generally more open minded and are more willing to learn new things and ideas than the Asians. The Kiwis are very diligent and creative when it comes to completing assignment and studies too. So where does this education in New Zealand is not as good as other countries come from?

All being said, New Zealand is overall a nice place, where people here value family, friendship, lifestyle and most importantly the environment. I'm surprised at some of the political parties over here, saying that environment is more important than money and development, which explains the reason why some parts of New Zealand is being developed slowly. Just because some people, me included do not fancy staying here long term, doesn't mean that New Zealand is a bad place to study or to stay.