Apa ni?

Bukan mcm ni training nak race! Makin dekat race training makin tunggang langgang. Hari tu bulan puasa dah OK dah. Ish apa la...

Tgk graf last week, total running distance, 6 km aje! Adeh...

Rajin la sikit woi! Karang tak qualify kat powerman larat ke nak tadah telinga kene kutuk ngan kengkawan? Ahahahaha!

BTW, sesapa yg nak track running progress, boleh register kat nikerunning.com. Free ajek. Very useful tool. Full URL: http://insidenikerunning.nike.com/category/training/

Death Magnetic

I'm back. It's been quite some time that I have not posted. Been very, very busy with BNM's internal futsal tournament. As I'm a team manager/captain/player, so had lots of things to do. The short announcement did not help either. More on that later.

This post is dedicated to all Metallica fans out there. I'm one, has been one since mid 90's when I was in uni and started learning the guitar. I guess, anybody who started playing guitar around that time just have to learn at least one Metallica song. It's compulsory I guess hehehe

For those who missed the release, they have a new album out! It's titled Death Magnetic. And for those who are still suffering from the trauma of something called 'St. Anger', fear not. That has been ditched into the drain and left behind to a slow death. Yeah!

This album is much, much better. Miles better. Not quite the return of Metallica to their roots, but close. And nobody wants to reverse back in time anyway? This album contains a compilation of all their music styles from Kill 'Em All right to St. Anger. Those who have followed them closely, can detect a hint of everything in this album.

But their music is so much more complex and matured now. With so many different riffs in each and every song. I'm still wondering how are we going to memorize the song progression for our jamming session. Kirk Hammet has shown that he has not forgotten how to shred fast solos. And Ullrich no longer play a marching band snare like he did in St Anger...

My current favourite is track 3, 'Broken, Beat and Scarred'. Try listening to it. A powerful song with the signature riff repeated in different octaves. The riffs are just amazing and very complex. That day I tried playing it, and failed miserably

If you go the music store, they may have two versions, one is the normal priced RM56.90 full album with free T-shirt and the other one is a RM29.90 Malaysian version. Just get the Malaysian edition. The full version has lyrics, but the disc sleeve have holes cut into it, so the printed lyrics are useless. And the T-shirt is just so-so. Locally printed, not official Metallica merchandise.

So for all Metallica fans, grab this album!

So sad...

What is that? Look closely, maybe you can see it's a tortoise, a very sad one :(

This is the tortoise at my house. Actually it's my sister's, she bought two a few months ago. But now there's just one. Before Sunday, we had two very active tortoise. You wouldn't believe it. They would push around the small rock in their container making ticking sound all day long. They even actively swim in their plastic container. Trying to get out I presume. Everytime we take them out by holding the sides of their shell, they will wiggle their short legs, tickling our finger. If I put my finger near the container, they will follow my finger. When I return home at night, they'll be sort of 'happy' to see me back and will extend their heads above the waterline, as if to make themselves seen.

But after Sunday, we only had one tortoise. My mom gave away the other one to a relative's children who came for Raya. I was sad & reluctant but since my mom already said that she's giving it, I can't say anything. I cannot even see the tortoise being taken away.
Now the one that's left is so sad. I can clearly see it in it's eyes. Like it's crying. It spends most of the time hiding inside its shell and no longer swimming around. When I put my finger, it'll turn away. It keeps mostly below the waterline. Even someone as cold as me can see it was sad!
Even my mom acknoweldges that and seems like regretting giving away one of it. Tomorrow I'm gonna think of how we can take back the tortoise. Maybe buy them another one and take back ours.

It also clearly shows that animals have feelings too. So please:

1. Be nice to all animals. Don't abuse them. Even if it's just stray cats on the streets, if you can't feed them, at least don't chase or kick them away.

2. Don't adopt an animal if you can't commit. My sis bought the tortoise, but my mom's taking care of them. Cleaning the container everyday. So maybe that explains why my mom wanted to give it away. So only adopt if you know you can take a good care of them. That explains why, even I really, really love cats, I never adopt one. I know I can't commit to them. Not with a 9 to 6 daily job & 8 hobbies to do.

Rustic and charming little town

I was in Sungai Petani over the Hari Raya. Went there to my uncle's place. And of course, took the chance to visit the town. I don't even remember going to the town, even though I spent a few years of my childhood there back during the time when my late-grandfather was still serving in the Police force. And from my mum's story, together with my Pak Su, we were the 'heroes' of the police barrack when we were young back then hehehe

But back to the town, I love this town. It's a small town with no congestion at all. But with some developments to keep it up with the time. Here's some snap shots that I found interesting:

It's been a while since I had to go past this kind of rail road crossing. My previous hometown, Kluang also had one.

This is the unique and very attractive HSBC Bank building.

And I saved the best for the last. This, McDota! I bet most of you don't even know this. But before the years of McD and KFC, this was THE fast food of the day, back in the 80's. We also had one in Kluang last time

Overall, this town really reminded me a lot of Kluang. I really to visit Kluang soon.

Selamat Hari Raya

Aku nak ucapkan Selamat Hari Raya pada semua. Maaf Zahir Batin.

Why dude, why?

At a Shell station tonight.

I was queuing behind this Iswara dude filling up his tank. There's another Waja at the pump just behind him, but the Waja's driver was still at the cashier. All other pumps are occupied. So I decided to wait behind the Iswara since the dude is already filling up. A few minutes passed by. The Waja driver has since then returned, fille up his tank and left. The Iswara due is still there, filling-up his tank...

A motorcycle took to the pump after the Waja. He also finished filling up his tank. So I then took that pump. The Iswara dude? Still filling his bloody tank! And now wildly shaking his car and trying all his might to squeeze that last few drops of RON97 into his tank. Even when I have done filling up my tank (all 51.8L of it and also cleaned my rear windscreen at it), left the station, the dude is still at the station. Nwo queuing at the cashier.

That made me thinking, WHY IN THE WORLD DUDE? Why do you need to squeeze that very last few drops into your bloody tank? Is the fuel price going up by 1,000,000% tomorrow? Last time, I check the news, no. In fact it went down. Even if it is going up, it's still not worth that 10 minutes or so pumping that last few drops in. Is he going outstation that he needs that very last few drops to be able to make it to the next station? Dude, if you actually gamble up to that extend, I think you'll do very, very well at Genting. And the last time I check also, petrol stations in Malaysia are quite widely available. And he can always schedule another stop on the way to re-fill if he really needs to. It just left me perplexed. I just can't find a reason for it. If any of you can think of a reason, please tell me why.

If you ask me, dude, you better use that few minutes of your life to pick up and read a non-fictional book or article. At least that'll enrich your knowledge and may be useful to you in the future, much more than you can save by trying to fill your petrol tank to the brim anyway.

Check your facts please!

I absolutely, ABSOLUTELY HATE when people publicly and openly criticize others when they themselves are not sure of what is actually going on. it just shows that

1. the person is not actually that smart, but want to be seen smarter than the person he's criticizing
2. the person just do not care to actually check the facts
3. the person is a WHINER and just blame the authority for his hardship

i saw this is thestar's blog section on their online page.
http://blog.thestar.com.my/permalink.asp?id=18189

>>Bank Negara Why Increase Interest Rate? Posted by: vijaysvk1 Dear Bank Negara
I always believe economic indicator cannot be real indicator....Economic indicator is based on certain formula and it will never represent the real situation on the ground.For example income per capita....
Ok....now lets go to the real issue?Hi Bank Negara Why you increase the interest rate when it will defintely burden the people and make the commercial banks richer...you have increased the interest rate for cars and we can see how it will burden the new buyer...soon you will increase the BLR and again people will suffer....
Dear educated governer..can you explain your action...or you cant as you are the guardian of commercial banks?
We need to fight this...........<<

Bro, Bank Negara DO NOT set the interest rate! The banks are running a BUSINESS, lending people THEIR MONEY. They have a say of how much interest rate they want to set. We, the central bank, regulates them making sure they're doing business in proper conduct, but we do not control how do they spend their money or how much profit they wanna make. We're not a communist country, in case you forgot.

We, more or less, determine the BLR. It's the overnight policy rate that we determine and from the last committee meeting, it was decided that it's NOT CHANGED. we only determine the high level rates, and not for each and every product the bank is offering.

your credit worthiness affects your loan interest rate. the amount, the car you're buying, all contributes to it. there is ASBOLUTELY NO WAY for bank negara to set all that. the change in the car loan interest rate is purely by the bank. if you don't like a bank's offer, find another one! that's why it's called shopping for a loan offer. u don't like one shop's price, find another lah.

so, before publicly blasting people like that, it'll be good to make sure that you have all the facts rather than simply blaming other people. it makes you look bad (and stupid)