Éclectique

2012

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

It's that time of the year again, when we say goodbye to one year & join another. :)

So far, 2011 has been a good year. Alhamdulillah. Insyaallah this will keep up. Looking back at my new year's resolutions I realized that I have achieved 5/6 of them. The only one I didn't achieve was the last one; getting elbow/forearm guards, which as the year progressed just fell out. Guess that means that I achieved all my goals. 8D

Next year is poised to be another rocking year although I can see one or two potential speed bumps on the horizon. So, 2012 resolutions?

Maintain an absolute minimum of 3.0 CGPA. At the moment it's at 2.98 which is frustrating as I could've gotten 3.0
Start digging around to start applications to the States
Finish upgrading my bike

So, without a further ado,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wrapping Up the Second Round

2011-11-23T20:16:00.002+08:00

I've really been neglecting my blog. Even my journal is starting to become neglected. :/ Anyway, the Rugby World Cup has come and gone. It was a whirlwind tournament!! New Zealand went all the way to the finals undefeated AND won!!! Their first win since the World Cup's inception in 1985. O_O. Talk about a well-earned win.

My finals are next week. -Gulp-. Akid has finished his UPSR examinations so he's busy playing the PS3 night and day. Hehe. On top of that, he got straight A's too! Congrats lil bro!!! So we've gotten 4 new games. 2 of them came with more than one game. We got Batman: Arkham City, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection -- which consists of MGS3: Snake Eater, MGS2: Sons of Liberty, and MGS: Peace Walker. The games have been updated graphically as well as achievement-wise for the PS3. from the PS2 and PSP systems, respectively. The next game we got was Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Awesome awesome game. I love Uncharted!!! The latest game we got was Assassin's Creed: Revelations, which also came with Assassin's Creed. 8D. Always wanted the first one. So that's a total of like 7 full games. O_O. Ay carumba!!!

Phew. Oh, I got voted as best speaker for Public Speaking this sem. 8D Yaaaay!!! So happy!!! Muahaha!! I wonder what the margin is/was. Hmm. Need to ask Ms. Yati some day. This past Saturday, I went riding with some friends in PCP & did the full length of the DH (red) track. Next time I want to try Bukit Ramlee. B) Booyeah!!

?

2011-08-06T00:43:00.001+08:00

My blog is really really slowing down isn't it? :/ Not good. The worst part is that it's not just my blog. I've virtually stopped writing. Hmm.

I suppose now that I'm in college, I should have more things to blog about. Well, I do, but I haven't been dilligent. Did I blog about getting into the ADTP Committee? What about the 4th of July Pool Party we organized? I can't remember. The blogger app I'm using doesn't allow me to check a number of things, including past posts & tags.

Well, the IRB Rugby World Cup is coming soon. 8D. Quite excited. Yaay! I'll be rooting for a number of teams; namely the All Blacks (New Zealand), Wallabies (Australia), Eagles (USA), Tonga, Fiji, Japan, & Springboks (South Africa). Phew. Hehe!

Speaking of rugby, I'll be joining my college's rugby club this coming semester. I hope I'll make it to the team... Hmm. I'll need new boots. The cost of the parts needed to revive my F50i TUNiT will set me back considerably more than f I got a new pair. -Sigh-. I really hate to have to replace my F50i like that... :(

The Canterbury in The Curve was having a huge sale. Their boots were going for 40% on their Rampage models & 50% for the Wero. Sadly, they didn't have my size... I was havong mixed feelings of relief & disapppintment. Relief because I'm disheartened by the fact that I'm forced to get a new paor of boots, & disappointed because they didn't have my size -- c'mon, 50% on Canterbury boots. Who wouldn't grab the opportunity?

I think that's good. Hopefully my next post will be soon. :)

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Busy Weekend Recap

2011-07-04T11:44:00.003+08:00

Today is the 4th of July!!! The American Independence Day. In conjunction with this, the Sunway ADTP Student Committee is orgainizing a summer pool party called "An American Summer" this evening, from 6-10. It's going to be a blast!! Hehe!

Anyway, the weekend was busy for me. I went to my mom's Family Day in Taman Rimba Kiara, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, KL. Quite a nice place. Apparently, there's also some trails there so definitely worth a look.

I used my student ID to get a discount for the first time on Saturday!! Woohoo!! Hehe!!

On Sunday, I went to Bukit Bandaraya, Shah Alam for the 3rd leg of the Token Bikezooka MTB Series. The turn up was a bit less this time around. The track was a blast!! Phew. At the beginning, they give us this massive climb. 80. Everybody was cursing on their way up. I was humming. Hehe! A trick I learned from my mom. After the climb, there's a quick descent then some tarmac where you can regain your breath. Then more climbing. This time up some ridges. 0_0. That was daunting the first time around. Then some really wicked descents! Some parts made me wish I was riding my all-mountain Polygon rather than my dad's XC hardtail. But during the climbs, I was thankful to be riding my dad's Specialized.

1 loop was 5km but it sure didn't feel like 5km. Hehe! It was quite a compact track so I guess that reinforced that feeling. The start/finish line always felt nearby. The race was staggered so the riders in the 3rd & 4th categories went first, followed by the 1st, 2nd and new riders.

We saw the pro riders go off. Lightning fast. They were practically sprinting off the start line. Anuar Manan was there again. It's kinda cool that he's been to almost every other race I've participated in.

After the race, we went to collect my life saving Bronze Medallion. Finally!!

That's all for now.

Au revoir!

What A Dramatic Day!

2011-06-24T20:28:00.001+08:00

Today was full of ups & downs. The morning started innocently enough; I woke up on time, by 8:15 I was seated in class, waiting for the Precalculus class to start at 8:30. Graphs of Sine & Cosine was quite fun! Hehe! Then, Ms. Tan gave us the results for our Mid-Terms; I got 15/15! Booyah! Then we helped her rearrange the tables for her Calculus I class.

At Sunway Pyramid, Ajit & I browsed through the Focus Point promotion/exhibition thingy. Some nice glasses. It'll be cool to get some. Hehe! After some browsing, with Ajit enquiring about some of the prices, we headed for our cars. Before I climbed in, I took out my Season Parking Pass card. In the car, I noticed that it was gone! Huhu! I looked high & low for it before I spent the next 2 hours either running back & forth between Sunway Campus & Pyramid getting things sorted out or waiting around. -sigh-. Bummer. I ended up praying at the mosque in front of Sunway Pyramid, across NPE. Good thing there's a pedestrian bridge. I should be getting the new card around July.

I got home around 3:30 & left the house almost immediately with my dad to go to the Curve. On the way, a lady from the bank called & I referred to my dad as Dr. Sidek. She misheard me & said Dato'. O_O. After that everybody was laughing their head off. Hehe!

I had lunch at McDonald's The Curve. Their Grilled Chicken Burger isn't too bad, actually. My dad had a Chocolate Sundae while my brother had an Oreo McFlurry. Then it was off to Ikano, now called iPC (Ikano Power Centre). We went to their IT Store to buy a toner for our printer. We browsed a bit in there. I went through their selection of headphones. Quite a selection, actually; they had TDK, Audio-Technica, Jabra, Philips, Sonicgear, etc. I really liked their range of Philips' Sports headphones. Very nice. Hehe! Who knows, maybe one day. Hehe! 8)

In 2 das time is the Genting Ride! Booyah! Really excited about that!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.1

Australia-Malaysia Refugee Exchange Issue: What I Understand/Have Observed About It

2011-06-20T12:40:00.006+08:00

Recently, there has been some commotion regarding the refugee exchange deal between Australia & Malaysia. After reading up about it, hearing talks about it, I have noted the reasons this deal is opposed.

The entire act of the exchange is in breach of something called the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention in which a government has no right to forcibly deport asylum seekers. Note, asylum here does not mean the loony bin.
Australia being the instigator of the deal is technically merely transferring their international obligation & responsibilities to another country, especially since they are a signatory of the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
They have tried a similar move with East Timor and are currently in discussion with Papua New Guinea for a similar deal. Why is this a cause for disagreement? All 3 countries -- Malaysia, East Timor & Papua New Guinea -- are not signatories like Australia. This has something to do with international law and is apparently burdening Australia.
Malaysia has no legal status for refugees. They are parked under 'illegal migrants'.
These 'illegal migrants' in turn are then detained in notoriously poor conditions. Many detainees have died of poor living conditions, including poor sanitation, overcrowded conditions, insufficient bedding, low quality food, etc. If I remember correctly, 8 Burmese detainees recently succumbed to Leptospirosis (I believe transmitted via rodent urine).
The big payoff Malaysia is receiving is deemed inhumane & implying as though the two countries are dealing with trade-able goods rather than human beings.

Whew. Hehe! In my honest opinion, Malaysia is giving away about 4,000 refugees and receiving --or rather taking back-- about 800 Orang Laut who had landed on Australia's shores. On that standpoint alone, I would've said doesn't sound like such a bad proposition. But after hearing the issues regarding the Refugee Convention and such, I think Australia may need to suck it up and find another solution BESIDES unloading the refugees onto other countries. I stress that it is NOT the people of of Australia or even Malaysia that I am dissatisfied at, but rather the select few in charge of making such decisions, in both Malaysia AND Australia.

Summary;

Malaysia has roughly 90,000 refugees, and Australia is willing to take 3,200 of them off Malaysia's hands, scot-free? In fact, Australia is paying Malaysia RM1 billion. Hmm, must be something about that United Nations Refugee Convention.

Hmm. My opinions may be lopsided towards the downsides of the deal. I'm sure there must be very good reasons why both governments would go through with the deal despite pressure from activist groups and such negative feedback from the media. I certainly hope I can find out what they are. But for now, I'm going to go have lunch.

Au revoir!

College Life

2011-06-06T19:35:00.003+08:00

Wow. If blogs could be dusty, mine would be covered in a considerably thick layer of it. Hehe! I'm sorry I haven't been blogging in a while -- I noticed that a lot of people are writing that. College life has begun for me.

So far, so good. My primary worry? It isn't the heaping amount of homework that we don't have to hand in -- yaay! --, it isn't the onslaught of weekly quizzes & everything being practically rushed because it is a short semester, no. It is the fact that I got locked out of my student e-mail... -_-" Somehow, the servers were reset and so were our passwords. I didn't know that so I just kept trying and trying until I was locked out. Had to make 2 trips to the IT Helpdesk. Hopefully this one will work out. Otherwise, I'm quite good. Hehe! Tomorrow is going to be another long day, but at least it'll be spent learning, not waiting like today.

The Sunway Campus is quite nice. I don't think I'll be doing any extra-curricular activities this semester. Maybe next semester.

Liyana's birthday is this Friday... What should I get her? Hmm...

A Swim, Two Exams, and an Endurance Race.

2011-05-08T20:05:00.004+08:00

Finally the weekend is over. Time for me to recover and recuperate. On Friday, I had my Bronze Medal examinations. I passed so now I'm a qualified life guard! Hehe! It was actually a lot of fun! There were only 2 timed events. The first was to swim 50m (any stroke), rescue the victim and tow him back 50m with the assistance of an aid (a short rope). The time to beat was 00:03:00 minutes. I clocked in 00:02:48. Hehe! The other timed event was the rope toss. You have to gather the rope, roll it so that you can toss it well to the victim who is about 10-20m out in 'open' water. Time to beat; 00:01:00. My time: 00:0043. Muahahaha! I also did very good for the other events. My 'victim' -- a fellow exam taker -- said that my chin tow was very comfortable. Muahahaha! Luckily for me, the guy was a floater, despite being on the heavier side. Me? I sink. Heh heh. Sorry. He had a bit of trouble with me. Hehe!

Saturday was my SAT. Huh. Go figure, the first three letter of Saturday spell SAT... Oh well. Hehe! It was alright. Kind of fun. I like the way they handled things. Very efficient. And punctual. The test was 3 hours and 45 minutes, EXCLUDING breaks. 0_0. It was definitely a LONG day... & Sri KL's swim meet next door wasn't helping. The speakers were loud and quite frankly, distracting. After the test -- the math sections practically flew by! -- we went to Bangsar Village because we needed a couple of things. We had lunch at Subway along Jalan Telawi, then swung by Rodalink Bangsar -- one of my favorite bike stores -- for a bike pump. Hehe! A small one, something I could mount on the bike. We got a Topeak Turbo Morph G. It's a bit long but it does the job. Plus, it isn't too expensive. Hehe!

Today was the Token Bikezooka MTB Series #2. The 4-hour endurance. I reached the finish line after my 4th lap at 3 hours and 36 minutes. I could've gone for another lap and it would still be counted even though I finished after 4 hours. I didn't go because my legs were cramping up. My left calf had already given in & let me tell you, cramping unexpectedly like that hurts. Thank god I wasn't on a precarious ledge or anything, else I would have most definitely fallen down. Even then, it was essentially a collapse onto the ground. It really hurt. A helpful rider gave me a tip how to pedal with a cramp so thanks!! The riders were cool and fun to hang out with. Of course, I only made a bit of small talk but it was fun nevertheless. The track this time around was a bit longer, 9km per lap rather than the previous 6km. There were longer climbs and less technical descents which suited me. My only dissatisfaction was the fact that some parts of the track went through open spaces. The day was BLAZING HOT!! There's freaking lines on my thighs -- from the tights --, and on my wrists -- from the gloves. The trail was dusty and required a lot of pedaling but all in all. A ton of fun. Hehe!

After 3 days, I am now a qualified life guard, I have done a 4-hour endurance event -- and lived to tell the tale --, and I've done my SAT.

Next on the list -- besides college -- Fun Ride to Genting, 26 June 2011. 8D

A Night Around the Federal

2011-04-21T22:24:00.001+08:00

Went out w/ my dad to go to the MCOBA (Malay College Old Boys' Association) building but we got lost & traffic was hell so we turned back. I took this picture from Federal Highway approaching Lingkaran Syed Putra (Mid Valley area). Just felt like sharing... :)

Plus, it's my first post from my phone. 8D

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Human Perspective Is Such a Powerful Thing

2011-04-14T11:47:00.004+08:00

Recently, there's been some commotion from the States about the whole pat-down thing being performed by TSA (Transport Security Administration) staff. Many people feel that this move is very violating as the person being searched is groped and touched in very private areas. Man, this is actually quite hard to write about. I'm trying to be as objective as I can and I don't want to sound like some tabloid reporter. Yuck.

Back to the story, a family travelling back home from a vacation in New Orleans was selected from the line to go through the screening process. Now, there are 2 steps, you get scanned, then you get physically searched. Though it appears to be fairly random as to why you get searched. Selection from the crowd is also random, I think. I'm not following to closely. Anyway, this family was chosen and after everyone was scanned, their 6-year old daughter was chosen for the physical search. Imagine, you've been telling your daughter that it is wrong for someone to touch you in certain places and then to say "This person can touch you," and for them to do so in a public area. It's very stressful. In fact, afterwards, the little girl broke down, crying and confused.

Here's a video of the incident.

Anyway, that's just the event I'm using to bring my article today into perspective.

The message I want to put out is that I don't blame the TSA agents, they're just doing their job. I don't blame the US government for imposing such measures. Yes, it can be improved and needs to be reviewed but the motivations behind such measures is understandable. So who do I blame for putting that little girl through so much confusion? Terrorists. Muslim extremists, to be exact. I am a Muslim. And I have no shame in saying that. However, I despise, I loathe these people who claim to be doing the right thing. How is strapping yourselves with bombs and blowing up yourself along with countless other innocent people lead to martyrdom? In Islam, suicide is forbidden. In war ethics, only men who are in the war are to be harmed. Women and children must be left untouched. Here you go, screaming "JIHAAAD!!" and blowing yourself up, killing innocent men, women, and children.

These terrorists also make life for other honest, actual Muslims difficult. So much so, there's this phenomena called 'Islamophobia'. Geez, thank guys. Real smooth, assholes. Islam is NEVER about killing. It's about racial equality, judging on meritocracy, women's rights, being at peace, understanding others and appreciating their troubles, being patient, being kind, being forgiving, being fair. All religions preach this. Islam is no different. But when you say "I am a Muslim" and blow yourself up in front of millions of people who have little to no understanding about Islam, they think that's what Islam is about. You can hardly blame them. Sure, they should take the initiative to find out but when something is so overwhelming and so overpowering like that, that idea is permanently etched into their minds.

Just like when we look at drug addicts versus people who are depended on drugs for their very well-being. What's the difference? Awareness. We are aware, the latter group are being prescribed these drugs so they can lead normal lives, whereas the former abuse the drugs for their own pleasure. If we didn't have that awareness, we wouldn't see the difference even if we tried to.

It feels good to be able to write about something with good substance. It's been a while since I did that.

I hope that you found this article to be of some value. Thank you.

Small minds discuss people;

Average minds discuss events;

Great minds discuss ideas

- Eleanor Roosevelt.

Written by; Aqil

Happy 200th Birthday, Robert Bunsen!!

2011-03-31T22:28:00.005+08:00

Does the name 'Bunsen' sound familiar? No it's not the F1 driver. That one is Jensen Button.

Ah, the good old days in the high school science lab where we have to heat something up or set something on fire -- remember that peanut during Bio? The one where we measure the calories?

Those were the good days. And we were able to do all that thanks to our school syllabus, our school funds and a guy named Robert Bunsen, the inventor of the Bunsen burner. 8D. One of the most fun things to play with in the lab. Oh, I remember all those burnt pencil tips & ends, the lighted mechanical pencil leads, the pieces of paper, the occasional fireball from leaving the gas on for too long -- speaking of which, one such fireball almost took out a friend of mine, Faris Iylia & myself. Some of the girls left it on too long, finally got the electric lighter and while they were pointing it away from themselves -- and accidentally at us -- out of fear of it going BOOM in their faces, it went BOOM in our faces... Don't worry, everyone escaped unharmed. Though Faris & I were in stitches from laughing it off. Hehe!

So, to the guy who invented an apparatus that makes the high school science lab smell like burnt/burning wood & paper -- among a variety of other odors and scents, I might add --, thank you. 8D

Hello?

2011-03-30T23:30:00.003+08:00

Good thing this blog is digital... Otherwise I think my previous posts would've rotted away by now. Hehe! It's been quite a while since I last posted something here.

Um, just a random, pointless update... Wait, it's not pointless, then since it's an update... -_-"

I want to do triathlons someday.

OK, now at least it's still random. 8D

But seriously, I want to be able to do triathlons someday.

2011-03-22T19:53:00.001+08:00

SPM results tomorrow... 0_0

Token Bikezooka Series, Race #1

2011-03-07T11:57:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, I participated in the Token Bikezooka Series. It was the first of 4 races & was a XC Mass Start event. XC stands for Cross Country, just so you know. The race was 24km spread over 4 laps, meaning 6km/lap. I've ridden 24km on road before & let me assure you, 24km on road is NOTHING like 24km riding a mtb. A lot of climbs. Oh, before I talk about the race, the track, etc; the event was held in RRI or Rubber Research Institute. A lot of fun. Thankfully, the mosquitoes weren't so active. RRI is famous for it's mosquitoes... -_-

Anyway, the track was fun, and quite challenging. I rode my dad's Specialized Hardrock Pro instead of my Polygon Collossus AX1.0. My dad's bike is a hardtail -- only front suspension -- XC bike. My bike on the other hand is a full-suspenson all-mountain bike & heavy as hell. If you feel like it, feel free to revisit my old post where I explain the different forms of mountain biking.

The route took us to the peak of RRI & back down. We did this for 4 laps. There weren't that many flats. Those that were tended to be muddy. But not the wet, loose, messy kind. This was the kind of mud you get with well-worn ground. It's soggy, heavy, and the tires really stick to it. The mud itself doesn't catch on the tires. So there were a lot of tire thread marks on the ground. It was kind of interesting looking at all the different tires used by different riders. Hehe.

The track also had equal amounts of steep, short climbs -- really steep ones -- as well as long, arduous climbs. This applied to the descents as well. You know what they say, what goes up, must come down. Though some riders hold to the saying that what comes down must first go up. XD. On the first lap, I couldn't ride up some of the steep climbs because people had stopped and walked & when that happens, everyone else ends up stopping & when you stop, there's no way to continue pedaling up the hill. The later laps were smoother in that sense. Less crowd.

The climbs were really awesome. I was cursing and struggling, yeah, but that's XC. Sadistic little sport. The descents were a whole different story. The fast descents were fun! But when it came to the technical, steep ones, phew. Those were tough. I crashed twice. The 2nd was more serious than the first. After the 2nd crash, I was glad I could finish the race. My calf muscle hurt but thankfully, when cycling, we use our thigh muscles more often. Heh heh.

Despite me falling behind, crashing twice, taking breaks, and pushing the bike up a number of the hills, I still managed to get a placing! Hehe! I got 9th place for my category. Among the top 10 baby!!

I got a bottle cage & frame protector, both from Token. Hehehe! Next race is on 8th May. This one will be a 4-hour endurance. Yeeha. -Gulp-. I'm not sure if I'll join this one. Yeah, it's tempting... But at the same time... 4 hours? Whew. Need to train really hard for that one.

Hmm...

2011-02-28T16:47:00.004+08:00

I've said it before; once I'm bored, I start doing lists. So for today, I decided to make a list of cool things I found that would be neat to own. Hehe!

GoPro HD Hero. It's a camera for action sports. With an assortment of mounts, you can mount it anywhere to get that awesome footage. The HD Hero model shoots in 1080p videos and 5mp pictures. Impressive considering it's just this small little thing. P/S; the camera is mounted on the helmet. You don't get a free helmet (nor goggles) with the purchase of the camera. Hehe!
A cyclocross bike. Cyclocross is sometimes written/typed as CX. They look identical to road bikes with the drops bars and all but they're actually built to go off-road. Pretty neat concept. Hehe. If you notice the bike in the picture below has drop bars and rather thin tires, reminiscent of a road bike.
Some ring I found on this website called Novica and it looks like a Jaguar. The animal, not the car. It's a really nifty looking thing. I like that the ring has features all around. Not just on top. And also, it's not you standard band nor is it the standard one-stone-on-top-with-engravings-all-around-it kind of ring.

3 things that I think would be pretty cool to have. Hehe. Hmm. I wonder if I should squeeze another list here? What the heck, why not. I think this time I'll write about things I want to be able to do one day, and I'll work to it. Almost like a set of goals.

Build my own bike. As in buy the frame I want, the components I want and build it from the ground up. That would be awesome. Although, I would either need to learn how to assemble a bike first or find somewhere I can get it assembled. Though I really want to be able to participate actively in the assembly rather than just sit there and watch a bunch of bike technicians put together my dream steed.
Study engineering in the US. Mechanical engineering, specifically. I don't know why, but materials engineering really interests me.
Visit my foster-grandparents in Canada. Lue (my foster grandmom) visited us late last year and it would be really nice to be able to go visit them.
Ride the trails in Downieville, California, and in Whistler, British Columbia. Ah, mountain biking heaven. Oh, and Ray's Indoor Mountain biking Park in Milwaukee. Hehe! I know, you're thinking, "Indoors? I thought mountain biking was about being OUTdoors?", and you are correct up to that extent. You must remember, though, winter can be harsh. Besides, you gotta try everything once, eh? Well, almost everything.
Bungee jumping. Hehe!
Not forgetting the most important of all; enjoy life.

Hehe.

I think hat's all. Au revoir.

Why I Ride

2011-02-22T22:55:00.002+08:00

Looking back, mountain biking, particularly XC, is sadism at it's finest. During the race you feel your spirit breaking, you want to cry and give up yet you keep motivating yourself, "I want to finish this, I want to finish this," and you do. You don't win, but you did finish where many others pulled out. You're body is aching, and you feel like collapsing. At the same time, once you cross that finish line, you're like, "I actually did it," and you look at the expressions of those who didn't finish it and you feel a mix of joy and pain. Days after that, after you've recovered and gotten back in the saddle, you think, "I can't wait for the next race."

It's borderline stupid but it's addictive. That feeling when you're atop the hill and you know you pedalled and struggled your way up. You didn't take some big 4x4 and wreck the environment to get the view. You broke a sweat, you swore, you struggled, and when you make, it's that much sweeter. Pure, sweet hell. And you want to do it again.

Events like Downhill, Dirtjump, Freeride, etc take lots of guts, a pair of titanium balls and skill. The adrenaline rush is amazing. But it's not the same as the strange, addictive sadism of Cross Country riding.

On those crazy climbs, your legs are burning, your lungs are burning, your mouth is dry, you can feel your lips cracking & your heart is racing at a thousand miles an hour. As you approach the top, it just gets harder and you seem to be travelling at an increasingly slower pace. Once you've hit the top, however, that's when the rolling hills start and you look forward to that next climb.

It's that feeling of "I can do it" and the sense of triumph when you reach the top that makes XC riding so addictive.

Kencana-SIC Bikeathon

2011-02-22T20:57:00.006+08:00

Some of you may have read on Facebook that I participated in a race this past Sunday on February 20th, 2011. It was an all-day event consisting of one mountain bike event -- called the Jamboree --, and 3 road bike events -- called Criterium races. The Jamboree was the first event of the day and was scheduled to start and 10. Riders were to be at the starting grid by 9:45 a.m.

Alright, before you go on, I'm going to rant about the flaws of the event before the good part. So if you want to skip the bad, go to paragraph 7 (not counting this paragraph & the one above).

By 9:30, there were still around 30 people who hadn't received their race number and transponders. No, it's not that so many people showed up, overwhelming the organizers. It was the sheer inefficiency of the organizer's themselves. In short, the registration was an absolute mess. The counters weren't properly labelled, the chain of command was all over the place, there was hardly anyone in charge & the way they split the counters was ridiculous.

For example, there were 4 counters; 2 for registration (let's call them Counters #1 & #2), 1 for payment (Counter #3), 1 for collection of race number & transponder (Counter #4). Sounds simple? That part is. Now stay with me, Counters #1 & #2 were split such that Counter #1 handles group as well as individual registrations. Counter #2 handles individual registrations ONLY. And there was only a small label on the counter you could only see once it was your turn. So for those who wanted to do group registration but ended up in the individual registration line would've obediently waited until his/her turn came only to be told that he was in the wrong line.

Counter #3 was smooth, duh. All you did was pay up RM30 per event. Counter #4 is where the trouble begins. After standing in line for 10 minutes, only 3 people had collected their race number & transponder. There was another 7 people in front of us & about 20 behind us. And the line was growing almost literally by the minute. At 9, we still hadn't moved so the organizers asked those participating in the Jamboree to step aside & form a new line, presumably we would get priority because our event started in 45 minutes and there were A LOT of us. 2 minutes later, we're asked to go back in line. So everyone lost their spot. Nice going. That was still bearable, though.

They did it a 2nd time. This time, they left us standing there like idiots for 20 minutes. No one at the counter, NO ONE said ANYTHING. We were standing IN A LINE facing the bloody counter for 2o minutes & no one bothers asking, "Excuse me, why are you guys standing there?"

Not a fucking soul.

Everyone bitterly went back in line. Luckily for me, my dad was in line because he had to collect the race number & transponder for the Criterium races the rest of my family would be participating in. After talking to some of the regualr participants of the event, they said this was the case every year. That makes 3 years in a row. Nice going. The only reason some people bear with it & come back is because you get to win free F1 tickets if you win any event. As well as cash. The kids got RM300 for 1st place but I'm not sure how much the adults stand to win.

-Deep Sigh-. Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I can tell you about the fun part. Hehe!

The Jamboree was a 42km event broken into 3, 14km laps. Each lap starts at the start/finish line on the circuit, goes in the opposite direction than the F1 races, exits after the first bend behind the stands, goes into the ring road around Sepang International Circuit before leading up a climb into the oil palm estate. By the time you get there, your legs are already burning after the massive climb. The initial off road part allows you to regain your breath before dumping you into a steep & sketchy descent. You exit and reenter the plantation once. During the reentry, you're faced with this steep, straight climb. It must've been like a 45 degree incline. I never made it pedalling. Heh heh. That was a confidence bruiser. At least almost no one else did. After that is a fast, rough off double track till the ring road again where you reenter the circuit. In the circuit, you have to go all the way around, doing virtually the whole lap back to the start/finish line. Repeat another 2 times. Hehe!

Overall the off road part was a ton of fun. For me, it was the circuit that was the real killer. Fuh. Anuar Manan, local cycling hero was also there! I managed to take pictures with him! He also joined the jambore. That guy is fast. On the 3rd lap, me and several other riders were told that a winner was already crowned so if we wanted to, we can double back to the track or push on. About 6 of us decided to. For me, the final section on the circuit leading to the finish line was pure hell. Sweet, pure hell.

As I wrote earlier, Anuar Manan was there. He participated in the Jamboree as well as under the Men's Open category for the Criterium. He's one strong and fast rider. Clinched 6th place for Jamboree and 2nd for the Criterium. A friend of ours, Ijad also did both but he couldn't finish the Men's Open. It's exhausting.

Ijad, my brother, Anuar Manan, & myself

Halfway through the Men's Open Criterium, Tun Dr. Mahathir came to watch. He came and stood at the pit stop with everyone else to watch the riders zip by. It was amazing to see him. All of us managed to shake his hand. My mom even managed to take a picture with him.

All in all, I rate the event as average. The races are awesome but in terms of event management, a lot is left to be desired.

That's all for now, au revoir.

251st Post!!

2011-02-10T21:14:00.005+08:00

I would have done this one my 250th post but I didn't notice that it was the 250th. Heh heh. My bad.

Anyway, I recently bought a book. Finally, a book. Hehe. I'm an avid reader & as I was browsing through MPH Subang Parade last weekend, I realized it's been a while since I read a book that I wanted to. The latter part of last year many of us had our noses buried in reference books, text books, notes we took down during class, etc, gearing up for SPM. Now it was time I got something I wanted to read.

I've always been intrigued by mystery novels; the Hardy Boys, Famous Five, etc. So I got one. Want to guess what book I got? I'll give you a hint.

Look familiar? I'm sure it pretty is. Yep, I got myself a copy of 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Somehow, despite being a fan of mystery books, I had never read any of Sherlock Holmes' Adventures. Sure, I've heard of some of his stories but never actually read them. It's a nice book. I really like it. It's from Collins Classic and the language is old English. Really sounds nice. Kind of hampering my reading speed but hey, I have time. I'm taking my time reading it, enjoying the stories.

On a different note, I'm currently training & gearing up for 2 races. The first is going to be next Sunday -- 2oth February 2011 -- and is called the Kencana-SIC Bikeathon

I'll be racing in the Junior Open Category & it's 5 laps x 5++km. So roughly about 25km. For the F1 aficionados, they will know that SIC stands for Sepang International Circuit. Yes, the race will be held on the actual circuit. I think I'll enjoy this one very much.

The next race I'll be participating in is called the Token Bikezooka Series.

It's more like a tournament because there are 4 races & you will earn points for each race. What's unique about this event is that the riders are not sorted by age but by skill. Therefore, at the end of each leg, it will be decided which rider goes into which category. Throughout the series, it is possible to be promoted/demoted to higher/lower categories depending on how you perform. There is of course, certain criterion that needs to be fulfilled before that happens.

Like I said, there will be 4 races. 3 of which will be Cross Country or XC and the other one will be a 4-hour endurance! Woohoo! I know that this is your most likely expression;

O_O

Definitely need to train as well as get to know the track. Looking forward to all the races.

Tomorrow, Weii Syuen is having a gathering at Domino's D'Bayu. Glad my parents said I can go. Yaay!

Hmm. What else? Oh right, before I forget. This Saturday, I'll be picking up my 'L' license! Kind of nervous. Heh heh. Insyallah I'll be alright. My mom had booked for us to watch a performance by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra! It's going to be the night show thus very formal. Good thing I found my dad's old blazer hanging in one of the closets in my granddad's house. My granddad had it made for my dad when he -- my dad -- was my age. And it fits like it was tailored to me. I really take after my dad in terms of build.

That's all for now, au revoir.

Jules Verne's Birthday, Downhill at a Quarry, and a New Store in D'Bayu!

2011-02-08T23:57:00.000+08:00

Today is Jules Verne's birthday! Well, he was born on February 8th 1828 which means that if he was alive, he would be 183 years old. Whew. Who is Jules Verne? Probably, his most renowned work would be 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. A good book. Considering that at the time, submarines didn't exist, quite visionary. He is one of 3 people to be dubbed 'The Father of Science Fiction'. The other two authors are H.G. Wells and Hugo Gernsback.

But, why am I writing about this? Well, it's because Google came up with a really neat header for their search engine. They often do this in conjunction with important events & dates. I snipped it & here is the header;

Pretty nifty, no? Hehe.

Anyway, yesterday, my brother & I shot a video at the abandoned quarry near our house. The last time we did was a very short one, and it was only one clip. This time around, we took several videos & pictures & I made a short clip out of it. It's my first video, and I'm rather proud of it. Hehe. I think it's about a minute or so. Hope you enjoy!

Today, I swung by the new bike store in D'Bayu. It's called enDurance Cycles & Sport. Very nice store. I was surprised -- and ecstatic -- when I found out that they carry Polygon bikes! Hehehe! Not too many bikes just yet. They're only into their 2nd week of business. Hopefully one day, I'll be able to get both the front and rear mudguards. That would look so wicked on my bike. Or at least just the front. Hehehe! Tomorrow, I'm going to go get my bike fixed. While shooting the video above, my rear disc brake rotor clipped a rock and now it's kinda bent. Not outrightly noticeable visibly but yeah, bent. It's serious enough that I need to get it looked at pronto.

Sorry if you found this post uninteresting and not of any interest. Hehe.

I guess that's all for now. Au revoir.

No Longer Green.

2011-02-03T22:09:00.003+08:00

Flawless!!

Random? Not quite. Bear with me here for a while.

Today, we went to Alamanda, Putrajaya and got a Lowepro camera bag for Akid. It was a Flipside200. Awesome bag. Compact and sturdy. Not to mention perfect for cycling because it's a backpack.

After buying a few supplies at Cold Storage, including chips, pita bread, canned tuna, and mayonnaise -- among others -- we had lunch at Taman Warisan nearby. Awesome local food. They have a Satay Kajang Haji Samuri outlet there so we ate there. We had some daging (beef), ayam (chicken), arnab (rabbit), perut (stomach, which only my parents ate), and rusa (venison). Hehe! The venison was a bit tougher than beef and I couldn't really tell the rabbit apart from the chicken. Heh. I'm a horrible food critic.

Putrajaya Challenge Park was next on the agenda after lunch. 8D. At PCP, we changed into our shorts and jerseys, unloaded the bikes, put on our helmets and sunglasses, and started the warm up climb to the trail head. We only did the Core Green Loop because none of us had totally mastered it. Yet. After doing the loop, I told Akid to walk back into the trail and take pictures as I came down the downhill switchbacks. Hehe! Mama took some good pictures herself.

I had been itching to give my dad's bike a go on the XC loops of PCP so I did. I tackled all 4 legs in one go. It was a blast. My dad's Specialized Hardrock Pro climbs like a freaking mountain goat. All the climbs I had difficulty with on my bike, I could do on my dad's bike. Of course, being used to a full-suspension and my dad's being hardtail, it was a bumpy ride. But hey, that's mountain biking. I had a blast riding my dad's bike! The last leg for was the hardest part for me the last time I went to PCP. I had difficulty with the downhill switchbacks on the last leg. This time around, I was able to do them flawlessly. -cue applaud-. XD. Just kidding. It did feel good, though to be able to do those switchback descents without skidding or crashing.

Tomorrow we plan to ride GCE. Woohoo!

Please don't rain.

Au revoir.

...

2011-01-30T14:50:00.003+08:00

This morning, we wanted to go for a bike ride along the GCE -- Guthrie Corridor Expressway. Unfortunately, it started raining and it hasn't stopped since. So now I'm stuck at home, bored, with no idea what to do.

I just had a yummy lunch my mom cooked. Hehe. Hmm. If the weather doesn't let up, I might try and convince Mama & Abah to take me for a haircut. I need it badly. I don't like having long hair. I tried. Heh heh.

I also need to confirm with Mama whether I can go to Mid Valley with Liyana & Sofea tomorrow... Hmm. Suddenly there are things to do. Sort of. I think I'll curl up for a nap.

Au revoir.

Bittersweet, Nostalgic, and Chance

2011-01-27T23:23:00.005+08:00

Over the months and years, I have made lists and lists of all kind of things. I like to do lists, for some reason. Places to visit, things to do, things I want, etc. Well, 3 things I can cross of the list of "Things I Want" is a road bike, a DSLR and a pair of Converse/Puma/whateverelselookslikethat. Last year, I got a road bike Well, 2 actually -- each at half price. So for the price of one full bike, I got 2. A miracle, really that one. Finding even one road bike with 50% discount is a rarity. Let alone, 2. In the same store. If that fact alone wasn't enough, let's go over some details, shall we?

They were technically still the latest -- the 2011 versions were just about to roll out and they were 2010 models. They were brand new -- as in not second hand. And the cherry on the icing -- or rather, the final nail in the coffin -- is that they were both top end models. Even as we were making the payment, people were still ogling it. Hehe. I got them during the official opening of Rodalink's Putrajaya outlet.

The story behind the DSLR is bittersweet. Lue was still here at the time -- about 2-3 weeks ago -- and the Antipest guys came for the regular spray. I was downstairs, kind of busy compiling a CD to give Lue as a parting gift. Lue was outside reading. The guys weren't the regulars. Our still-new digital camera was upstairs. After that, we noticed it was gone. So, after that, Akid pushed for a DSLR and even paid for it out of his account. We're taking very good care of that one. Practically never out of our sights. I've taken some good pictures with it. I still miss the camera we lost. That was an awesome digital camera. Sometimes I still half-hope it'll turn up somewhere in the house, the battery dead but otherwise perfect. I had always wanted a DSLR myself but I never pushed for it because I knew I would have to pay for it myself and that didn't bother me but I was saving my money for college. In the end, I decided that, I would put off the DSLR until I could get it myself.

The Converse is rather interesting. This one is more nostalgic, really. Yet at the same time, bittersweet too. My dad used to have a pair of black leather, high top Chuck Taylor All Stars. He got it in the US and it meant a lot to him. He was living on his own, in college, and he saw this pair of lovely shoes. He bought it and even his classmates were saying "Nice shoes!". He is very careful with money and prizes what he does own. He and my mom moved back to Malaysia and one day, the shoes were stolen. So in part to help my dad get it back and in part because I've secretly always wanted something like that, I got a pair of brown, tumbled leather Chuck Taylor All Stars. Since both my dad and I wear the same shoe size; whenever he wants to, he can wear them as well.

I suppose, I kind of wait until the thing I want will have some sort of significance before I get them. The bikes were a once-in-a-lifetime deal, the camera was bittersweet and the Converse nostalgic.

Split Courses

2011-01-27T00:22:00.004+08:00

I passed my Computerized Test in one go! I'm glad I was able to. But you know what was weird? My score. Before I elaborate, the test is split into 2 'papers' with the first being a vision test and the 2nd the actual Law or Undang test. The 2nd part is split into 3 sections; the first 15 questions -- Part I --, the next 25 -- Part II --, and the final 10 -- Part III. The parts difficulty transition from easy, hard to medium. I scored 15/15 for Part I, 25/25 for Part II but 5/10 for Part III. Heh. Go figure, eh? Well, I was still able to get the passing mark so I'm happy. I got 45/50 which is 90%. Woohoo!!

After that, I decided to go straight for the 3-hour Theory course. Unfortunately, the classes were full for the 3-hour Practical course so I'm taking that one next week. A week after that, I'll get my 'L' license or Learning Driver's License -- LDL.

Hmm. What to do in that week before I get my LDL? Hehe. Hopefully I can hit PCP by myself or something. Hehe! That would be fun. Abah said if the office is empty-er, I can hang out at the office after PCP. We'll see how things go.

This Sunday, we're planning to ride the Guthrie Corridor Expressway -- GCE. Abah, Akid, and Mama want to ride their mountain bikes. I want to ride the road bike. I really want to do GCE on the road bike. Abah said that the TCR is so stiff. I kind of like it. Then again, I haven't really clocked that much time on the Defy. Oh, by the way, TCR and Defy are the two road bikes we have. Heh heh. Sorry for the confusion. Was kind of talking to myself.

That's all for now. A short post in comparison to my previous post. Hehe!

Listening to You've Got A Friend In Me by Randy Newman. What? Toy Story is one of my childhood Disney classics. I -- almost literally -- grew up with Toy Story. A lot of history with that movie...

Mountain Biking!

2011-01-24T20:49:00.012+08:00

As the title says, this post is going to be about mountain biking. Yes, I'm bored.

So just to introduce my fellow readers to the realm of mountain biking. I'll do my best to include photos so you kind of get the idea of the different bikes and objectives of each form. Before I start, let me introduce very briefly on what categories I will be elaborating on about below. First of all is Cross Country, the very roots of mountain biking. Afterwards I will explain on All-Mountain/Enduro. Following that will be Downhill. My personal favorite. Following up on that part will be Freeride/Slopestyle. And last but not least, Fourcross.

This is the most popular form; Cross Country or XC in short. XC mountain biking was one of the first forms of mountain biking. It was pioneered by a group of friends in the early to mid-80's. I could go into a long-winding talk about that alone but I think what I've written suffices. If you want to know more, just look it up. The internet is a HUGE library. XC bikes tend to be hardtail. A hardtail is a bicycle with only front suspension. There are of course full-suspension XC bikes. Full-suspension means it has both front and rear shock absorbers.

XC Riding

XC Hardtail

XC Full-suspension

If you notice, the 2nd bike has what appears to be a small piston located beneath the top part of the frame. That is the rear suspension. What sets apart mountain bikes really is the amount of travel the suspension has. For example, XC bikes typically have between 80-100mm of travel. The word 'travel' refers to how much the shock absorbers will compress. A sub-category of XC is known as Trail. These bikes tend to have between 120-150mm of travel. Otherwise, they're pretty similar in terms of geometry and purpose.

The next category of mountain biking is known as All-Mountain or Enduro. It's basically the same thing. Enduro is a relatively new segment of mountain biking and All-Mountain bikes -- as the name suggests -- can go all over the mountain. All-Mountain bikes are the most versatile of all mountain bikes because they can be adjusted to do virtually every form of mountain biking. Of course there are set backs such as weight and efficiency but getting a bike under this category is much cheaper than a bike for each category. Obviously. These bikes tend to have between 160-180mm of travel. Enduro events are similar to XC but they are faster and rougher, hence the longer amount of travel. Bikes under this category are always Full-suspension.

Enduro event. Note the knee guards.

All-Mountain/Enduro bike.

Ah, Downhill or DH. The roughest, wildest ride you'll ever have on a mountain bike. It's difficulty and danger is rivaled only by it's sister category, Freeride. Downhill bikes are ALWAYS full-suspension. A hardtail is practically suicide. Try riding any hardcore DH track with an XC hardtail and you're likely to break the frame. DH bikes typically have between 180-200mm of travel. DH riders have to suit up like motocross riders with all the guards, helmets and such. Here are the pictures. Going airborne in DH is expected. My parents aren't too keen on me participating in DH. Understandably, they're just worried for my safety.

Some of the guards worn by DH riders

DH rider

DH bike

Freeride/Slopestyle/Urban. The madman's sport. It's like BMX but on a mountain bike. Slopestyle is also abbreviated as SX. The guys who do it are nuts. This category is my little brother's favorite. He aspires to be able to ride like them. Freeride bikes tend to be slightly smaller and lighter than DH bikes. This allows them to be trick-able as the term goes. It allows the riders to do tricks. SX bikes come in both hardtail and full-suspension. They also tend to be single-speed though that is in not a definitive way to identify a Freeride bike. Some people setup their bikes to be brakeless, one rear brake, both brakes, etc. I notice that bikes in this category have the most variation in terms of geometry and set up. Despite the hard impact of this form of mountain biking, the bikes tend to have very little travel because the riders want maximum power transfer when jumping. Less shock absorbers means a higher jump. These bikes are also ridden in BMX bowls, vert ramps, etc because of their similarity to BMX.

Rider doing a backflip

Hardtail slopestyle bike. This one is more towards urban riding

Freeride bike. Designed to take big hits and pull of big tricks

The final form of mountain biking I will be talking about is Fourcross or 4X in short. This event is somewhat like a slalom event where multiple riders -- typically between 4 and 6 -- start off and race to cross the finish line first. Races under this category are similar to the BMX Supercross as well as the Motocross Supercross events. Riders in this event also pad-up similarly to DH riders due to the nature of the event. 4-6 riders racing side-by-side on a tight course and everyone is competing for the best line around corners and through obstacles. Crashes are common and the tendency is, when one rider goes down, at least one other rider behind him/her will go down.

Ladies 4X event

4X bike.

I know it's a lengthy post and probably quite boring to most of you but if you read it thoroughly and made it this far, my sincerest thanks for taking the time to read it. And if you skimmed through, I don't blame you. Hehe.

That's all for now.

P.S.

None of the bikes above are actually mine. I grabbed them off the net. Most are from the bike manufacturer, Specialized. The last 2 bikes are from KONA.

The Last Weekend

2011-01-17T17:26:00.004+08:00

Lue has left back for Canada. :(

This past Saturday, we went to watch Gulliver's Travels. It was a fun movie. Jack Black really likes his rock and roll. Hehehe! Of course, I'm not complaining, the guy can actually sing.

Before the movie, Akid was kind of hunting around for a camera. We had bought a Sony Cybershot TX-9 sometime back but about two weeks ago, it got stolen. :(. I won't delve into the details. Quite disheartened by that incident. So he was seriously considering a DSLR which is kind of unfair because I've always wanted one but I never pushed for it because it cost so much. I guess I can be a bit more careful with money than my little brother.

We woke up early the next day because we needed to send Lue to the airport. :(. It was fun having her around. Everyone was sad at the airport. Heh. We had so much fun and 3 weeks went by so quickly. Huhu. After she left, we had breakfast at McDonald's then we went hunting for cameras around KLIA because it's duty free. Hehe. They didn't have the model Akid wanted so we left for the Gardens.

In the Gardens we went to the Sony Store and after some consideration, Akid agreed to forgo his preferred model and get something 'lower'. Lower as in instead of the Alpha 55, he opted for the Alpha 33. Heh. Well, if they had that one in stock, we would have got an extra lens for only RM100 more. I'd say a pretty good deal. However, after they checked their stock, they were out. Heck, the Sony headquarters was out. So back to the Alpha 55.

Now it's sitting in Akid's room. I took some pictures while Akid was in school. Hehehe!

Viva la Inpendencia!

2011-01-13T23:34:00.003+08:00

That's the name of the performance that I attended at the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) yesterday. I know it's spelled Inpendencia and apparently, that's not a typo. It was a lot of fun. The entire performance was awesome. The whole reason behind it was because many South American countries had just celebrated their 200th year of independence. According to the maestro for the evening, those countries are Mexico, Argentina and Columbia. I think that's all. Although there were some music from Cuba and he apologized for that. I didn't mind. They were all very good. It was the first "happy hour" session meaning it wasn't too formal though you still had to dress smartly.

Akid and I were very excited for several reasons. Firstly, it would be our first time attending any of the MPO's performances, it would also be the first time we would get to go to take the public transport by ourselves and as it turned out, the first time just the two of us wandered around any mall.

After lunch, Akid, Lue -- my foster grandmom -- and I took the cab to the Kelana Jaya LRT station then proceeded to KLCC. It was a lot of fun! The show started at 6:30 and to avoid traffic, the three of us left for KLCC around 3 p.m. Lue suggested we split up so that Akid and I can do what we want and she can do what she wants. So Akid and I browsed through Adidas Originals, Adidas, Converse, Coolshades --an Oakley distributor --, Nike and Stadium -- a sports store like Studio R.

Mama and Abah joined us while we were having a snack at Burger King around 5:50 or so. The 1 hour performance felt so very short. Wish it was longer. :(

That's all for now. Au revoir!

Au Revoir 2010 and Bonjour 2011!

2011-01-01T00:02:00.009+08:00

I have been so busy!! I haven't had time to post anything for the new year. This has happened to me, what 2 years in a row? Huh. Go figure.

Well, a lot has come and passed in 2010. Debates, public speaking, having fun with friends -- QM, Lina, Alliya, Sharanya, Divya, and Letticia who make up the debate team! --, lots of laughter, lots of heartache -- Add Math, I'm looking at you --, did my first downhill mountain biking run, did my SPM/O-Levels, just to name a few. Looking back, many of my friends were kinda sad on the last day(s) of SPM but somehow I wasn't too bothered. Yeah, I knew I was going to miss all of them but I didn't feel sad. Call me a heartless creep but yeah, kinda. Huh. Anyway, I certainly hope that everyone keeps in touch!

Another year, another new year's resolution. Before that, however, I want to look back at this year's resolution and see what I've accomplished

As I've said in the post Custom Order New Year's Resolutions,

So, I can cancel out numbers 1, 2, 5, and 7. Most of the red I can only know after the SPM results come out. Hehe! Insyaallah they'll be good.

My new year's resolutions for this year are.... Uh... Hmm. Let's see shall we?

Stay fit. My 'workout regime' used to be quite integrated into my daily routine and I would say was rather rigorous for a daily routine. Now that I have stopped going to school I need to keep it up.
Driver's license. Very important. Why? Because I want to drive, is there any other reason?
Go to PCP more often. Complete the red DH track and do a lot more XC. Get very comfortable with the green loop. Not to forget the pumptrack. Tough little nut.
Visit Singapore. Seriously, I've never visited Singapore. I'm sure many people will be "What?! You've never been to S'pore?!" But yes, it is true. I have never been outside of Malaysia's borders for 14 straight years of my life.
Participate in a mountain bike event. Hopefully Fraser's Hill Urban DH. Hehehe!
Elbow+forearm guards. Hopefully FOX Launch. Yeah, I know I dedicated a whole post to this amazing substance called D30 but somehow I still want that FOX guard.

6 objectives. Slightly more than half of the previous year's. Well, considering the yet-to-be-determined future ahead -- look out world! I'm carving my path and I'm going to f****** love every moment of it!!! *Ahem*. Anyway back to the point, considering the fact that many things remain to be seen, I'd say the 6 objectives are good.

Tomorrow will be the first time in long while where I'll wake up on a school day and not have to go to school. Until I find college. It's sort of sad not having to put on the uniform, strap on my helmet and pant-tie, pedal my bike to school, lock, have a smile plastered across my face the moment I see Liyana, have fun with the debate team, and learn.

Hello? Anybody Home?

2010-12-19T23:02:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, we had cleaned the fishpond -- that was exhausting. Today, we planned to visit my grandfather -- or as my brother, my cousins and I call him, Atuk -- in Banting. Worrying that there wouldn't be any food, we swung by KFC at D'Pangkin to buy a bucket -- this is a rarity. We bought the one that can feed 5-6 people. Bloody expensive. RM75++.

So we officially hit the road around 11:45 or so. An hour's journey coupled with bad drivers -- there seem to be a lot of those in Malaysia -- and we were at Atuk's doorstep around 1:50-ish. Amazingly, no one was home. His car wasn't in the driveway. We swung by my cousin's house which was in the area and they too weren't home. We figured there must've been some kenduri somewhere and Atuk sort of forgot about us. Huhu. Well, he doesn't get guests too often. So for the heck of it, we swung by Pantai Morib. My first time. Hehe!

Before that, my dad said that if followed the sign to Pantai Kelanang, we could get to Morib. He said once he tried, overshot Pantain Kelanang and ended up at Morib. Taking his word for it, we agreed. On the way, there was a scene and this 3-junction. A truck had run down a public phone booth. Quite a scene. And the police officers looked lost and unsure of what to do. The area we were entering was near Jugra, essentially the birth place of Selangor. This is where the Selangor sultanate originally started. Bukit Jugra was where the kerabat -- royal family members -- were buried during the days of the Selangor sultanate.

Further on, we got a bit lost so we doubled back and took the more conventional route to Morib. Hehe. But during our detour, I saw some pretty kampung houses. They were well taken care of and the land area was quite impressive. But that's the typical kampung house. Wooden structure, often on stilts and quite a bit of land -- aside from build-up area.

Oh, and we passed by the late Haji Sidek's house. The family home of the Sidek brothers. Misbun, Rashid, etc. The Malaysian badminton heroes. They have quite a big compound. We saw a couple of kids playing badminton at the back of the house. The detour was almost a trip back in time. Not just because there was a lot of history and old houses and all but also because my dad kind of told us -- my brother and I -- things we previously hadn't known. Small things but you can be amazed how a small thing can give quite an insight into a person.

After some travelling and a funny banner, we got to Morib. It was quite nice. Pantai Morib, that is. According to my parents, a lot had improved. We didn't actually go to the beach but the nearby parking and waterfront area was kinda cool. We found a spot and started eating. Amazingly, we finished the whole bucket. Intended to feed 5-6 adults, it was finished by 2 adults -- who are sketchy around KFC -- one adolescent and one 11 year old. Not bad. I used to sort of like KFC's mash potato and coleslaw. But after eating the one we bought, yuck. I can make better mash and coleslaw. Way better.

Regarding the banner I mentioned earlier; it was regarding coconuts for sale and it said, "2 biji RM10, 3 biji RM10,". Everyone was laughing their heads off. I took some pictures but I haven't managed to upload them yet. Hopefully I'll be able to.

Back to the story, after finishing the KFC bucket, we washed our hands, prayed and my mom wanted some -- as my little cousin Aisyah would put it -- ayak nyiok. In proper Bahasa it can be written as air nyiur or air kelapa. In plain ol' English it's coconut water. Bloody expensive. The sotong bakar -- grilled squid -- was bloody expensive too. In total it was around 20 ringgit or so. And not all of us had the coconut. Akid and I don't like the coconut water. Is that term even accurate? Coconut water? Well, you get the general idea. According to my parents, the coconut water was so and so. I took a small break from typing this and googled coconut water and I was right; it IS coconut water. Huh. Go figure. Still sounds kind of weird.

Anyway, we left Morib and headed home after that. Got home around 6:30. Would have been 6 but we stopped by a local grocer for some supplies.

That's all for now. Au revoir.

SAT and TOEFL

2010-12-18T19:45:00.004+08:00

Right off the bat I'm sure you guys are wondering either;

(A) What on Earth do those acronyms mean?

(B) Aqil mentioned them before... But I can't remember...

Either way, I'll let you know. SAT stands for Scholastic Assessment Test -- formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test. TOEFL stands for Test Of English as A Foreign Language.

Right now, these two are my top priority. Preparing for and taking the tests. For the TOEFL, I'll be taking TOEFL iBT which means internet-based test. I recently bought a couple of books to help with preparations. The titles are; Cracking the SAT 2011 Edition and Cracking the TOEFL iBT 2011 Edition. Both are published by The Princeton Review.

Cracking the SAT 2011 Edition

by The Princeton Review

Cracking the TOEFL iBT 2011 Edition

by The Princeton Review

Insyaallah I'll be able to do it. SAT so far seems quite doable. Hehe!

That's all for now. Au revoir!

What? Where? How?

2010-12-17T09:48:00.002+08:00

There's so many questions! What do I want to do? where do I want to go? how am I going to afford it?

Let's start with the first question; what.

What do I want to do? I feel like taking engineering but I'm not sure I can carry it -- thanks to poor grades in Add Math so far. I really REALLY hope I did way better this time. Insyaallah. If I do go for engineering, what type of engineering? Not civil. You're not supposed to take that right away, I think. Mechanical? I like to tinker with stuff but I'm not too sure about job opportunities. -Sigh-.

Second question; where.

This is very much depended on what course/field I'll be taking. But I really really want to go to the US. Maybe Canada. Ivy League colleges are too expensive. The US and Canada have a lot of good colleges. I'm looking for a QUALITY education. Any good college should provide that. I'll just have to keep scouring. Right now, I'm just looking at application deadlines, entry requirements, tuition fees, location -- this translates almost directly to cost of living --, application steps, etc.

Third question; how.

How am I going to afford the tuition fees? Now, tuition fees here doesn't mean tutoring like here in Malaysia. Tuition fees is essentially how much it will cost to go to the said college. This doesn't include travelling, eating and boarding expenses. -Gulp-. I'm looking at some scholarships to help me with this.

Insyaallah things will work out fine.

The Final Hurdle

2010-12-13T22:40:00.003+08:00

Here it comes,

The most important,

Most challenging 4 weeks,

Of our illustrious high school lives.

It may only be 10 days,

But the days are placed,

Over a span of time,

22 days to be exact.

3 days,

Then 4 days,

Followed by 1 day,

Again and Again.

These 22 days are represented,

By the most feared 3-letter acronym,

Known to Malaysian high schoolers,

It is SPM.

It is our final set of hurdles,

That last stretch,

Witching hour,

Zero hour.

This is the leap,

We took our breaths during the trials,

Now we jump,

But we are yet to begin falling.

24th November 2010

Note: I wrote this on the second day of SPM, I think.

Putrajaya Challenge Park Core XC Loop ++

2010-12-12T16:58:00.008+08:00

Just got back. We woke up early and after getting everything ready, headed to Putrajaya Challenge Park. However, mom didn't come with us. She had other plans.

We missed the exit and had to sort of double back a bit after the toll. We arrived at PCP around 11 and unloaded the bikes, geared up, etc. When we got arrived, there were A LOT of people! We were both happy and cautious. It was nice to see the trails being used rather than falling into disarray but we were worried about the number of riders that would be on the trails. However, we realized pretty much everyone was leaving, at his/her own pace. Yes, there were a number of female riders too which was nice to see. Mountain biking is far too nice a sport not to be enjoyed by everyone.

Anyway, we headed up to the trail and started.

1st leg; Starts with a rapid but short descent leading straight into a set up ascending switchbacks. Get ready to drop gears quickly and pedal to the top. Stop, and you won't be able to regain the momentum needed to pedal to the top. Once at the top, it's a relatively easy and fun track all the way to the exit where you meet some tarmac. Follow the cul de sac to get to the second leg of the core loop.

The 2nd leg is the longest and rather straightforward. No switchbacks here but a lot of climbs. And one gnarly descent. For some reason, the ground is very loose. Particularly at the climbs. Strange. Anyway, about halfway or so, you'll run into a junction. If you're inexperienced or just looking for an easier run, follow the green sign that says "1". After the junction there's a really steep descent. Here, you need to feather the brakes. My dad fell down here. He kind of shot down the descent, caught the earthen barricade and slid, scraping his elbow and knee. Exiting the 2nd leg, you end up on a pavement with a hut just by the exit.

The third leg is the really tough one. You'll encounter 4 climbs, packed quite close to each other. I'm not sure if it's just the weather or the trail is meant to be like that but the ground is so loose. It's difficult to pedal. The uphills are particularly bad. Anyway, the trail starts across the pavement after exiting the 2nd leg. It starts with a slight descent and a tiny wooden 'bridge'. After that is a lot of weaving around trees, between trees and sheer cliffs, and trying not to be too awestruck by the view. Ah yes, the 3rd leg has the best view. Sorry I forgot to mention that. It's short but the ascents aren't that easy. That said, all of us had to walk our bikes most of the way. Heh heh. After the quad ascents, there's a quick and easy descent to a wooden bridge leading the the look-out tower. Awesome place to take photos of Putrjaya.

After you've filled up your camera's memory and had enjoyed the view, it's time to hit the last, most fun -- for me at least -- yet skill-demanding leg of the core XC loop; the 4th leg. This leg requires a lot of skill, some guts, and, if possible, slack -- well, slack-er -- head tube angle Head tube is where the handlebars are attached to the bike, for those wondering "what the hell is a head tube??". Back to the story; it starts with a descent -- is it me or does every leg seem to start with a descent? -- and leads to a lot of weaving between trees. A lot of fun. After a bit, you'll encounter something new -- if you're inexperienced like I am; a switchback descent. Yup, just like your good ol' switchback but this time, you're heading the other way. This is trickier than uphill switchbacks but once you've mastered it, a hell of a lot more fun!! My dad and Akid has trouble with this one and found it almost undoable.

After finishing the loop, my dad took a break at the dirt ju

mp section's hut and I took his bike for a spin on the dirt jumps. That bike jumps like a charm!! It's a hardtail Specialized Hardrock. Mehehe. It's supposed to be a cross-country (XC) bike but it sure can jump.

me catching some hang-time

We took a quick break, ate our granola bars, I swapped out my XC kit for my downhill (DH) kit and we headed to the trail head for the DH track. It was my first time doing DH and I had a blast!! The trail was short -- short-lived, rather -- , tough, crazy and I only managed to complete half of it. The trail was practically impossible to ride. My tires kept slipping and sliding and I crashed. It wasn't a bad crash but I didn't think it was too wise to continue on with a sore knee. So I packed my gear and headed back to the car. Talk about baptism by fire, eh?

me before hitting the DH track

After that, we went to Subang Parade to join my mom for lunch and headed back home. So here am I, submitting this post for publication.

I only took about 41 pictures. Most of them were burst images. Sorry about the small amount of pictures. I've uploaded them to my Flickr so feel free to drop by and take a look.

P/S;

I do have more than just mountain biking-related photos on my Flickr.

Of Dentists and Mountain Biking

2010-12-11T18:15:00.004+08:00

Tomorrow I'm going to Putrajaya Challenge Park!!! Woohoo!! It's been like 3 or months or so since I went there. There's a number of things I want to achieve/do there. But before day, an account of today's events. If you don't want to read through that, my fellow readers, scroll down until you start to see numberings. That should be the list of things I want to do at the Putrajaya Challenge Park.

Everyone woke up earlier than usual -- considering that it IS a Saturday -- and got ready to go to Mid Valley. After a quick breakfast of cereals and bananas. Yummy. Hehe! Anyway, we left the house around 9:45 and arrived at the Gardens at around 10. We made a beeline to the dentist for our regular check up and scaling. We had to take turns since we were all assigned to the same dentist.

After I had finished -- I was the first in -- I brought my VAIO to the Sony Store because I was having trouble uninstalling the trial version of Microsoft Office. Unfortunately, they could only tell me what to do since I hadn't brought the full version along.

After everyone was done, we swung by Studio R because I wanted to check out their selection of running shoes. Abah was still adamant in refusing to buy Nike shoes. Blame one too many bad experiences with their soles coming off -- not to mention finding them along jogging tracks, etc.

Anyway, after that we had lunch at Subway and then it was off to World of Outdoors in the Gardens. We're kind of remembered by a person there, either staff or manager -- I'm not sure -- there. I think it's because we have bought quite a few things there. I got a hydration bladder for my backpack.

The hydration bladder can store up to 2 litres of liquid. Either hot -- less than 60 degrees Celsius -- or cold, no liquors or liquids that contain fat -- I'm guessing soups, etc.

It's a really really neat package. Looks good and feels solid. I'm going to hit the trails at PCP tomorrow so I'll get to put it through its paces.

Now, for the things I want to do at PCP tomorrow:

Complete the green XC loop (core loop). By the way, XC stands for cross-country.
Take pictures and/or videos at the Dirt Jump and Freeride section.
Do the technical DH trail. DH stands for Downhill.

I'll take as many pictures as I can and upload them to Facebook, Flickr, etc.

That's all for now. Au revoir.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Last Round!

2010-12-08T20:19:00.002+08:00

I've finally finished the heaviest of 9 of the 10 subjects. Like I've written in my previous post(s), I'm taking 10 subjects totaling about 23 papers. O_O".

So I've done 21/23 papers! YEAAH!! The heaviest are over! Today was Biology. Next week is English for Science and Technology (EST). I'm not panicking too much because all I need to do is read through my National Geographic magazines. I have around 2 years worth of them. Hehe! Great pictures AND great articles. I guess you could say that National Geographic is what got me into amateur photography and writing. To top it off, I've always loved animals and the environment and issues that matter so it was a really natural fit. When I mean issues that matter, politics doesn't fall under it. Unless it's something really major and/or will affect me.

Speaking of which; in Malaysian newspapers and/or news networks there's too many of these things:

'Politics'. It's rarely about government bills, new legislations, etc. It's often about people cutting ribbons and fancy-schmancy ribbon cutting ceremonies. Big waste of taxpayers money.
Sports. I can open up the sports section in virtually any newspaper and find at least 3 articles on the same bloody thing; soccer in Europe. What about the development of our NATIONAL athletes? We're doing awesome in cycling, diving, rugby and swimming. I don't see these articles getting the top spots in the papers.
People. Well, these are most visible in tabloids that claim to be newspapers. Here is where you can find all the weird news. A headline I remember was "Ayah Masuk Kelambu Saya" which roughly translates as "Dad Climbed Into My Mosquito Net". Good god, is this what Malaysians love to read? -Shudders-. Scary. No substance at all.

Oops. I've strayed very far off topic. Hmm. Oh well. It feels good to be able to type seriously again. Hopefully more blogging and updating about what I see, hear and feel in the days and weeks to come!

Editor's note: Sorry to anyone who felt offended by what I've written in this post and at any point in this blog. I know some of the things I say and write can be a tad bit controversial and I know would upset some people.

That's all for now, au revoir!

Round 7 Over. 3 More To Go

2010-12-03T00:02:00.002+08:00

So I've made it through 7 subjects totalling 15 papers. Phew. 3 more subjects to go. That means another 8 more papers. O_O'.

I have 3 days to brush up my Chemistry then one day to memorize Biology then 1 week to pour over my NatGeo magazines for EST.

At least after Biology, I can hit PCP!! YEEAAH!!!

So far, SPM wasn't too bad. Insyaallah I will be OK.

I hope so.

P/S

I've managed to keep my promise of staying off Facebook for 3 weeks. I'll stay off until AFTER I sit for my EST papers. Why? Because I know I can do it.

SPM

2010-11-27T22:11:00.002+08:00

It's SPM season now. I've already finished the first 3 subjects. I have another 7 to go. Which means I'll be sitting for 23 papers in total. -choking sounds-. Oh well. I've already completed 6 papers so that's 17 papers left. Wish me luck!!

Tick Tock Tick Tock Time Is Ticking...

2010-11-08T19:29:00.004+08:00

Only 14 more days till SPM... Ouch. I'm not ready! Least of all for Add Math. I can barely pass, let alone scrape an A...

14 more days till the start of SPM. 10 days of exams -- not counting the breaks in between. So that makes... 13 days to go till I'm free! -Gulp-.

-Sigh-. Time to hunker down & give it my all. After that, once I'm done with SPM, I'm going to blank out and forget about everything I've learned and refuse to study. That's a fact. Even if I don't want to -- pfft as if -- I WILL. Especially the last part. After exams, I always have difficulty studying.

Things to do After SPM:

Driver's license!!
Putrajaya Challenge Park. No way is ANYBODY stopping me!
Triathlon. Which reminds me; I need running shoes.
S.A.T. This one is my parents request. :(

There's a lot more on that list but not enough time to write it all down here. Not yet anyway.

A Miracle Polymer With 1001 Uses? Myth of Fact?

2010-10-10T20:51:00.008+08:00

Alright, so maybe not exactly 1001 uses but you get the point. The polymer I'm referring to was developed recently; its called d30. Really nifty stuff. Under low impact, it reacts kind of like playdoh but under high impact, the molecules pack tightly together, causing it to harden up and hold its shape. The video below is demonstrates d30 so you can see it for yourself.

P.S.

As mentioned in the video, the form of d30 featured is not yet processed and formed.

Cool, eh?

Brands SixSixOne and Raceface have begun to apply it in their protective gear such as elbow/forearm and knee/shin guards, etc.

I thought that this thing wasn't 100% perfected yet so I wasn't expecting it to be available in at least 3-5 years. Yesterday, I went to the Specialized Concept Store in the Strand, Damansara and there it was; 2011 SixSixOne Evo Lite XC elbow AND knee guards as well as SixSixOne Evo elbow and knee guards! Sadly, they cost RM300++ a pair. Huhu.

But it's already here in Malaysia!! Here are some pictures

SixSixOne Evo Lite XC knee guard

This is the d30 tab, indicating that the item contains the polymer.

Finally!

2010-10-07T16:51:00.001+08:00

Trials are over! Phew. At last. But unfortunately, those are only the trials. The real SPM is yet to come. -Sigh-. At least I'll get a break, I hope. Hehe. I'm going to enjoy not studying right now.

Au revoir for now.

2010-10-03T13:15:00.001+08:00

TRIALS

-sigh-

studystudystudy

My Personal Opinion(s) On This Matter Is...

2010-09-08T00:16:00.005+08:00

It's nearly the end of Ramadhan and tomorrow, I'll be hitting the road heading back to my 'kampung' or village in Perak which is about 100+ kilometres up north. My father said to brace ourselves as traffic is bound to be heavy, especially with Eid il Fitri right around the corner.

I'm bored and I can't sleep. Lately, the state of our education system keeps playing on my mind.

Learning is supposed to be fun. That's the most efficient way to learn. Where you see it's application in daily life and you get the appreciation because you know how it works. Well, when the students despise going to school, something isn't right. I can tell you for a fact, I learn best when I know and understand it's application in daily life. That really helps me. Like history, it's facts regarding what has happened and I kind of like history so I'm sort of alright there. Modern math is fun to do because our teacher really walks us through it one by one, makes us do exercises in class, making sure we understand. That's another factor, by the way; teaching method. A teacher's teaching method really makes an impact on his/her students. Teachers should really bear that in mind. It will make not only learning more fun but also teaching more fun.

All in all, I say that our education system needs to be looked at and analysed very closely. Put in all the factors from the obvious question of how relevant the syllabus is right down to the students' AND teachers' psyche is being affected. How it affects teaching efficiency. Education is as much social science as it is pure academia.

One more thing the politicians need to get through their ultra-thick skulls; STOP CHANGING THE LANGUAGE FOR THE F****** SYLLABUS!! These people can't even make up their bloody minds. A language change is a massive overhaul. Yes, initially, maybe the students on the country may lag behind a bit but it was only what 5 years? If I'm not mistaken. 5 years is hardly enough time to see whether the move has borne fruit or hasn't brought about any positive change. Also, the government must look at why. Is it purely the lack of mastery of the scientific terms and so on? Or is their mastery of English in general. If so, why? Are the English Language teachers doing a good enough job? Or are there simply insufficient programs to help the majority of students cope with learning a new language?

Unfortunately, Bahasa is also losing its identity. We have words like erti, istilah, maksudnya and so on and so forth. But what word does the government and other related parties like to use? Definisi. Bluergh! Yuck! What the hell are you guys doing?! The government says "Kita mesti mengagungkan Bahasa Malaysia!" which generally means we must uphold Bahasa Malaysia (the national language). But instead of bringing back older words which are in effect, actual Bahasa, we 'malayanize' -- I know its not an actual word -- english words. That really bothers me. Sure, many people can relate better to the borrowed words but I thought upholding our national language means reminding and re-educating people that we DO have our own words for it. Our language is indeed complete and not full of loopholes in the vocabulary. It is a sad fate of our national language.

I know it's been a long post and if you've made it this far my fellow readers, I thank you and wish you a hearty congratulations. Some of what I have said may be a bit uneasy for some readers as I am slightly commenting on the government's actions but I sincerely hope the government will take the proper steps in upholding our national language.

To my friends who are reading this, I know this post may be a bit contradictory as you guys know me as being pro-English but I am sincerely bothered by the fact that Bahasa nowadays is borrowing so many words from English and forgetting its own words.

Thank you for reading.

Aqil

P/S

Pardon the harsh language in paragraph 5.

Raya Holidays Have Begun. But Not For Some of Us

2010-09-05T00:40:00.004+08:00

The 1 week semester break has been extended to 2 weeks due to Eid il Fitri. So once school reopens, it's 3 days of school and then on Thursday, TRIALS! Huhu. So for those of us in Form 3 & Form 5, these 2 weeks is not so much a holiday as it is a study-a-thon. I feel our exam-oriented system is stressful on students and actually limiting our opportunities to be all-rounders. Too few are scoring A+'s AND excelling in the co-curricular activities. Our syllabus is heavy and I think getting heavier. History is about to be incorporated into the primary school syllabus. The Standard 1 kids are already learning Science. It is literally back-breaking work. Those little kids in Primary school can't lift all those books without damaging the back posture. And when we consider leaving the heavy textbooks in class. It's not allowed. What the?

Anyway, I'm bored and having trouble sleeping. My birthday is in about 2 weeks and my family is asking me what I want for my birthday. The problem is, I don't know what I want. Sure, there are things I think would be cool to have but nothing I feel worth asking for. On top of that, Trials are already very close so right now, I'm just studying studying studying. So much so, my blog has become so very neglected.

I think... for my birthday, I don't want anything as in I don't want a present in the classic sense of the word. I think an outing somewhere, doing something I like would be very nice. Yes, I like the sound of that. Unfortunately, my birthday is the weekend before school reopens and less than a week away from trials so my parents will be reluctant, I imagine. At least, a 'regular' present, I can receive than it's back to my room to study. -Sigh-. I really hate SPM.

Just 2++ more months till SPM... Ouch.

RRI Sungai Buloh

2010-08-03T14:57:00.003+08:00

Last Sunday, my family & I went for a ride at the Rubber Research Institute (RRI) is Sungai Buloh. It's a really cool XC trail. A lot of loops. The week leading up to our trip was kind of stressful because information regarding RRI was hard to obtain.

Getting there is simple enough. Starting from Skypark Terminal, Subang Airport, keep going straight until you reach a Caltex gas station. From there, turn right and keep going, following the signs. The signs will lead you to the actual institute itself which is on your left. The entrance to the trail however, is right across the street, on your right. So turn right -- it's between two nurseries -- and park. There's a small plot of land perfect for parking and unloading the bikes. After that, start off.

Map from Subang Airport to Entrance of RRI

View Larger Map

The road going into the plantation is red soil road and it's a nice ride. You can do some pretty cool sprints there but I'd advise against that. Along the road, you'll come to a junction on your left. You can take this or go up ahead. I haven't been up ahead yet. Hehe. Anyway, if you DO turn left, it's a slight downward slope before a short, steep-ish climb. After that is a flatter strip of road before a winding, crazy uphill. I recommend using lightest everything -- weight & gear -- to save yourself. At the top, there's a hut with seats so you can plonk down and recover. The hut at this point shall be referred to as Hut 1 from hereon in.

From the hut, you'll notice the road forks into 3 junctions. The first one -- which is on the right-most choice -- is a real test of your stamina and endurance. Only try this if you are really fit. My family, unfortunately, did not know this so we did the first one and during one of the breaks, my father passed out for a second because his body wasn't used to the arduous climb. Me? I'm climbing hills back and forth from school with a heavy backpack so I guess that helped.

The first option however, also leads to some rewarding downhill. Pretty rough, bumpy road so you need to be comfortable on your bike and maintain a firm grip. Otherwise, the loose rock could easily 'de-track' your tires and make you a weak impersonation of Superman. There is another 3-option fork here but two of them is actually the same loop. The third leads you on another uphill.

Back at Hut 1, the second option -- middle lane -- is generally flat with a nice, shaded ride. This is definitely the most relaxing of the three main loops. This is the loop I recommend for those of you who are beginners to mountain biking.

Option 3, a gnarly downhill drop. It will give you enough momentum to keep rolling at high speed for the next two kilometres. Note; do not brake until the first corner you see. Doing so too early and you'll again impersonate Superman. Too late and you'll impersonate the Hulk by crashing into a rest hut at the end. After that the track is really nice. You come by a river and some factories -- which are on the other side of the river. After that, you'll pop out halfway up the crazy climb you first encountered before Hut 1.

Once your legs have stopped shaking, get ready for another wicked downhill as you descend back to the main 'road'.

At this point, my parents were too tired to continue so we headed back towards the car. Hence, my lack of knowledge on what lies ahead should you choose to go further.

Thank you!

P/S:

For questions regarding RRI such as directions, tips and the sort, pelase feel free and drop a comment.

National Service

2010-07-16T17:08:00.002+08:00

The draftees -- is that even a word? Well, the name list for selected or drafted to attend the Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN) or National Service is out! A number of my friends got selected. And I --finally! -- found out whether I was selected or not. Turns out I got picked! Hehe. I don't really care.

To me, the worst part is probably going to be having to share bathrooms and the haircut. Well, the hair will grow back so not really a problem there. Honestly, I don't really mind going. Last time, I wanted to go but that was because I didn't know what I would do during the long holiday after SPM. Now that I do, I'm kinda bummed but hey, better than sitting for Form 6. That I don't want to do. Sorry to those who want to attend Form 6, I don't mean to put you guys down.

Mama & Abah would probably want to talk about National Service when they get home.

I guess that's all for now.

Bringing Things Up to Speed

2010-07-15T16:26:00.002+08:00

So much has happened. Sad, happy and everything in between. A fast-forwarded version would be like this. Editor's note; most events listed below have happened whereas some have yet to happen.

I watched Toy Story 3. And I cried. Well, not sobbing crying but yeah, I shed tears. I really grew up with that movie. During the 1st movie, Andy was moving to a new house. Around the same time, I was moving back to Malaysia from the US. Sad times. In the third movie, Andy is 17 & about to go to college. So am I.
I got an invitation from a friend to participate in the Urban Downhill event of the King of Fraser's Hill mountain bike carnival/bash/event/wtv. But I can't go. Huhu.
I learned how to take out my back tire, take it apart (tube & tire only) and of course put it back. Another milestone in learning about bikes.
My grades are slowly climbing. Yaay! Except for Add Math and Chemistry. Huhu.
I'm paying more attention in class than ever before. Which is a good thing
Retirement is looming. -gasps!-. Retirement because I have to sit for a major exam and also because I'm a senior.
PLKN drafts are out. Wonder if I got it. Haven't checked yet. Hehe.
Trials are literally around the corner! -faints-. Haha. Drama queen much. Hopefully I'll do well.
SPM...

So many things... Huhu. I miss blogging. It's been so long. Hopefully my next post won't take as long to publish.

I Ask Of You

2010-05-01T17:44:00.004+08:00

I ask; what is personal belief? And at what point is your personal belief compromised?

Is personal belief something that you believe is right despite any doubts that you may have?

Is it compromised when you feel like going against your personal beliefs every time you run into the same situation?

Or is personal belief the very thing that prevents you from giving in to your emotions because deep down, you know that not giving in is the right move to do?

For example; my mother often makes rather hurtful remarks about the things. Destructive constructive criticism you may say. And for those of us in the Eastern culture in particular, it is very much unacceptable to talk back to your parents. Many a time in such situations, I feel like storming out of the room or shouting back at her.

So do I actually believe in my personal belief of not talking back no matter how much I want to? Or am I merely submitting myself painfully to the norms of society?

Slow Saturday...

2010-05-01T14:19:00.003+08:00

It's a slow Saturday afternoon but at least it's not stressful. I always feel stressed out when I have to study for extended periods of time in my room. Maybe it's because I'm really REALLY studying. Hehehe. I can hear some jazz music coming from one of the neighbours. Sets a nice ambiance.

I was hoping to go out with my family today but my mom decided not to. Huhu. She said we would go out tomorrow. So for the time being, I'm alternating between 'studying' and looking up places to ride. Provided I can get another mountain bike for my dad. And a car rack. Haha.

Oh well. Guess that's it for now.

Au revoir.

Quick Update...

2010-04-20T16:38:00.002+08:00

Sorry for not blogging lately! A lot has been happening and I just haven't had the time to blog.

Last weekend, I participated in a public speaking competition and naturally, blew it. Haha. A friend of mine, Mikhail entered too but he didn't make it to the semi-finals either. Kinda disappointed but I kinda saw it coming. This weekend I have a debate competition at HELP College. Excited and nervous at the same time.

Also, there's a downhill event coming up; The Kiara Rage. It's on 25th July. Unfortunately, I cannot participate. Huhu. Mainly because I need more practice, a new helmet & my parents' permission. Hehehe.

Um, just a short update for now.

Au revoir.

2010-03-26T21:32:00.003+08:00

It's been a while since I blogged. Quite a bit has happened. My dad went to Umrah and he is already safely back home. Though a bit under the weather -- mainly due to lack of rest. Other than that, the school holidays were a wee bit dull if not for the rather pricey -- though short -- shopping list. Hehe.

I got my first pair of goggles! No, not the swimming goggles. I'm talking bout MX-level goggles. The ones they use for motorcross (MX) & mountain biking. Oakley Proven MX. Hehe. They're really cool!

the goggles. Oakley Proven MX

Goggles + helmet

We Won the First TWO Rounds!!

2010-03-12T20:50:00.002+08:00

Today was the debate competition at KDU College in Damansara Utama. To my surprise, we won the first 2 rounds! Woohoo! Hehe. If we win 1 more round, we're moving to the octo-finals! Hehe.

That's all for now. Just a short post.

Au revoir!

Feels Good to Be Back

2010-03-08T19:14:00.006+08:00

It's been a while since I blogged. Quite a while, I know. I've just been so caught up with school, studying, recovering, etc. Yes, recovering. I know most of you already know what I mean by recovering but for those who don't know, it's because I crashed while mountain biking at Putrajaya Challenge Park.

I crashed about a week back on Saturday. Looked quite bad. But it wasn't as bad as it looked. Some of you may have noticed my walking around school with a mask the past week. It wasn't because I wasn't feeling well, it was because I was hiding my injuries. Didn't want to attract too much attention. Though the slash-like bruise on my forehead and love bite-like bruises on my neck -- that's what many people said -- attracted quite a bit of attention. Those were harder to cover up.

This was me just over a week ago. Now, my bruises are all gone and my lips & chin are completely healed, if not a bit pink because the scabs just fell off. OK, maybe a bit TMI but too late. Heh heh.

Anyway, debate is coming up this Friday. I'm torn between wanting my team to advance through the stages and slightly hoping that we don't. My father is leaving for Umrah that Sunday and I would absolutely love to be able to see him off. Which reminds me, I need to ask the teacher for the exact program. As in what is when during the debate.

Many people said I recovered very fast from my injuries. My parents said the same thing too. Hmm. Oh well.

Oh and one more thing. The debate is impromptu. We will get the topics and we will be quarantined for 20 minutes to prepare our speeches. What little of it that we can. I think it's going to be a LOT of fun! Of course, most of my team thinks otherwise. I'm excited about the upcoming debate. Nervous too at the same time.

Hmm. Considering that next week is a semester break... I'll ask Haziq if he wants to train in the morning. He'll like that. Hopefully, he'll be up for it. I think I can ask some of the other kids too if they're interested.

I really REALLY want to see Abah go off and judging by my teammates' reactions and expectations towards the idea of an impromptu debate, I might get to do just that. Unfortunately, life has a way of going upside down when you least want it. -Sigh-. Hopefully, that won't happen.

I just had a photojournalism seminar -- It's part of the 5-seminar Creative Writing thing -- and it was quite fun. One of my friends at the seminar kept wondering how I didn't feel hot wearing a jacket AND a hoody while under the hot sun during our 'photo shoot' session in Denai Alam. Seriously, I wasn't feeling that hot. It was very much bearable. Maybe it's the concept of insulation? Maybe. Oh well.

Winter Olympics Scare.

2010-02-25T17:23:00.002+08:00

I was reading an article on Yahoo! News and there's been another accident at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. This time involving a two-person bobsledding team. Neither members were seriously hurt but that's not the point. What's scary is that it happened on the same track the late Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili died.

The Olympic governing body had allegedly taken safety precautions to improve the safety of the track. Particularly since the tragic death of the luger had occured during a training session. I feel that either the governing body has either not taken sufficient precautions or that the entire track itself is not safe. I understand that many sports -- including luge and bobsledding -- have high risks but one death and one accident on the same track during the same Olympics? Something is amiss. Merely my point of view, here.

A short post this time, I'm afraid.

New Equipment!

2010-02-17T11:08:00.004+08:00

As I had published in one of my previous posts, I had gone to the Putrajaya Challenge Park on Monday and it was a blast!

I got a small cut on my knee and some parts of the track I did were risky so my parents decided that I needed knee and elbow guards. I expected to get them next weekend or maybe even next month. What I didn't expect is I would be getting them the following day! I was overjoyed! I found an open store in Shah Alam. Due Roda Extreme is the name of the store. It is a really cool store. The store itself is divided into two; one for mountain bikes and mountain bike related products, the other is for motorcycles. It was an interesting combination.

Another surprise when I bought the guards was that I also got a full face helmet. I was a bit taken aback when my parents subtly agreed to my gawking. Hehe.

I got a pair of FOX Racing Launch knee/shin guards and a Mongoose elbow + knee guard set. My full face helmet is a limited edition matte bronze FOX Rampage DH Helmet. DH means downhill, just so you know.

FOX Launch Knee/Shin guards

FOX Rampage DH Full Face helmet

And my dad told me something really cool last night. He noticed an eagle on the back of my helmet and told me that there's a Latin constellation named Aquila. Hehe. I did something digging around and Aquil is actually a variant of the name Achilles. Interesting. Hehe. So the helmet has some distant relation to my name. I like that. And I had no idea when I bought it. It caught my eye in the store and the rest is history. All the other helmets weren't as appealing.

I just thought it was really cool.

That's all for now.

Au revoir.

Putrajaya Challenge Park

2010-02-15T14:49:00.006+08:00

I finally managed to go to the Putrajaya Challenge Park today! WOOHOO! It is a nice place but it takes a teensy bit to get there. Just follow the signboards till you get there. The best place to start is in front of the Putrajaya International Convention Center with all the flags waving. From there, turn left, follow the directions and you'll get there. By the way, you'll pass by a cemetery which is a tad bit creepy, especially considering that you're going to do some extreme sports.

I had a blast. Crashed once and got a slight cut on my knee. I had to bail out on a few parts coz I didn't have enough momentum. Man. Those tracks are tricky. Especially the jumps. My feet keep lifting off the pedals. Phew. Haha. But it was wicked!

the cut on my knee

And the cut looks worse than it is. It's just one small cut but it bled out a bit, thus the gruesome effect. Sorry to any of my readers who find this image graphical and hard to digest.
Alright, now time for a quick walk-through. I promised to do this since I had difficulty looking for information on the Park prior to December 9 2009 (the date of their official opening) so here it is;

By the way, they now have their own website and blog so if you want to find out a bit more or contact them, etc, this should be the place for you to start.

However, since I already promised to this -- and I don't have anything better to do right now, I'll give basic instructions. For me, the best place to start is in front of the Putrajaya International Convention Center with all the flags waving. From there, turn left, follow the directions and you'll get there. By the way, you'll pass by a cemetery which is a tad bit creepy, especially considering that you're going to do some extreme sports. Once you get to the cemetery, go straight through and there's a roundabout there. Just follow the sign -- it's a two o'clock, just so you know.

Once there, there are two main buildings -- though not exactly side by side. One for rock climbing -- which is the first you'll encounter, the other for skateboarding/BMX/Mountain biking, etc. If you want to get to the latter, go straight and at a junction turning left, take a peek. You can't miss it. It's a a big, silvery-ish building. There were several roller bladers when I arrived so I suppose you could roller blade there. The facilities at the moment are a bit empty -- at least for the mountain bike building/center. Yeah, there are toilets but despite the signs, there are no cafeterias or pro shops. Yet. There's also a place for you to wash your mountain bike/BMX but no hoses so hopefully, those too are coming soon.

For those of you who do not have a bike or are unable to transport it, the center has bike rental services. For the mountain bikes it is RM20 for 3 hours which is dirt cheap! And you're renting Fuji bikes. Doesn't get much better than that. OK, maybe it could but where else can you rent BRANDED bikes for ONLY RM20 for 3 HOURS? The BMX bikes, I am unsure about the rates but it shouldn't vary too much. I think.

Other than that, bring lots of water, proper safety gear and enjoy!

That's all for now.

Au revoir.

P.S.
Sorry about the lack of pictures. I was so excited in finally being able to ride at a proper mountain bike course, I totally forgot to take pictures.

A Change of Tides

2010-02-13T19:54:00.007+08:00

Friday night, my parents had decided that this weekend, we would not be going out of the house except for necessities like groceries, Akid's swim class, family meetings, etc. So, naturally, I was prepared -- sort of -- for a weekend full of studying. I sort of guessed as much because next week is Akid's birthday. I'll put up a post when the time comes.

Anyway, as I had said earlier, I was sort of ready to face a weekend of studying and then another week of the same activity -- huhu. Then today, while having snack after Akid's swimming lesson, my mom decided that on Monday morning, we were going to swim in Putrajaya. A series of things came to mind in this order; Putrajaya-mountain bike-Putrajaya Challenge Park-IDEA! Inevitably, my dad caught the look on my face -- or he was thinking about it too -- and said we would check out the park since it was close by AND that we would bring my mountain bike along. WOOHOO!!

I only face two dilemmas; one of which is easily solved. The other; not so much. My first dilemma is that I don't have a full-face helmet or even pads for that matter so I have to stick to the cross-country tracks or the tamer freeride ones. No downhill for me. Huhu. The other problem is I would like to also go swimming with my family... Hmm. That one, I will deal with it when I get there. Hehe.

Really, really hope I get to ride there.

That's all for now.

Au revoir.

P.S.

None of the pictures above are me. Huhu.

Chinese New Year Break!

2010-02-12T19:52:00.004+08:00

The one week Chinese New Year holidays have started! That means... -building up to climatic reveal- more studying. Huhuhu. Talk about anti-climatic. I really, really hope I can get a full-face helmet, some padding and go hit the slopes at Putrajaya Challenge Park! Huhu.

-Sigh-. We'll see how that turns out.

To all my Chinese friends and/or my fellow bloggers & bloggerettes, regardless of race, age or gender, I wish you a very happy Chinese New Year!!

I Think Something Broke...

2010-02-07T19:58:00.006+08:00

I'm really strained for time lately. -Sigh-. Form 5 is getting more exhaustive as it goes by. The past 3-4 weekends have been so hectic!

This weekend, Akid entered a swim meet in the 50m breaststroke and 50m front crawl/freestyle. Unfortunately, he didn't win either. He was pretty bummed out about it but it's his first competition and he just started picking back up on the training/classes anyway. Today, I had to be the 'pembawa bunga manggar' during my coach's wedding and I had to borrow a pair of black baju melayu. Which reminds me, need to give it back. Hehe. Anyway, while changing, I dropped my phone and though it has suffered many a drop, this one was bad. My screen cracked. -Gasps!-. Haha. So much for melodrama. It's quite a crack but thankfully, it's on the extreme lower right side so it's not really a bother. I'm going to hold on to this phone 'till it goes kaput -- completely unusable. Or maybe until the price of the HTC HD2 drops below the 2500 mark? Hehehe. Like that's ever gonna happen. Well, a guy can wish can't he? There are actually a number of things I want. But that is a story for another time.

The crack on my screen. Huhu

Awakening the Leader In You

2010-01-31T18:29:00.003+08:00

That is the title of the seminar I went to this weekend. It's part of the 5-session thing organized by NST & sponsored by Sime Darby.

Yesterday, the activities were a tad bit boring because the activities were just the group carrying it out and then pasting it up on the wall. No presenting. It was fun, don't get me wrong. It just wasn't the most involving or challenging, that's all.

Today, the activities were less group-based and much more individual participation. We did some personality profiling on ourselves. There were 4 categories; Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy and Phlegmatic. I know some of the names are not so pleasant but that aside, the activity was quite fun. Everyone will get a combination of two personality groups except the following combinations; Sanguine-Melancholy or Melancholy-Sanguine and Choleric-Phlegmatic or Phlegmatic-Choleric

My combination was Sanguine-Choleric.

Sanguines are very talkative, cannot sit still, hyper-active and very fun to be around but sometimes don't know when to stop. While those who are Choleric like to take the lead, very objective in decision-making -- don't let emotion get in the way -- and have a competitive streak. However, they can be bossy and they are often labelled as laser-mouthed or short-tempered. But they cool down real quick. Phlegmatic tend to be rather indecisive and can't say 'no'. But, they are an easy-going bunch who are able to mingle in virtually all types of groups. Those in Melancholy are very much introverts or almost anti-social. And they don't express what they feel. They also tend to be moody. But they are very observant and most great thinkers are of the Melancholy group.

It was an awesome day. Next weekend should be the next session -- unless it gets postponed.

That's all for now. Au revoir.

A Wrap-Up of the Week

2010-01-29T22:04:00.003+08:00

It's been a while since I blogged. I don't think I've blogged at all this week. Nope, I haven't.

Soo... Hehe. Um. Wow. What's with all the damn one-word sentences. Wait, that last one wasn't. Hehe. Alright. To the actual point.

This week -- on Wednesday, I believe -- we dissected a frog in Biology. Guess that makes me 'eligible' for the AVATAR program. Hehe. In the movie, the main character is asked how much laboratory experience he has and he cheekily replied, "I dissected a frog in high school once."

It was kinda cool. I managed to use the scalpel and all. 5 Epsilon did it the next day, I think. In both classes, there were those who objected against the use of frogs -- or rather the killing of an animal -- for the sake of learning. Though they were a minority. I think.

Besides that, I signed up for debate & public speaking. While Sharanya & QM were going around the school getting names, some form 3 went to them and asked if he/she could be on my team. Hehe. I admire his/her bravado in asking it straight-forward like that. Kudos to you, whoever you may be. Keep up that self-confidence, and you'll be going places.

Tomorrow, I'll be attending the 3rd session in a series of NST Seminars sponsored by Sime Darby. Hopefully, it'll be a lot of fun, just like the previous sessions.

Hmm. What else? Oh right. We have to write a letter to the Prime Minister concerning importance of 'perpaduan' or unity and harmony. Well, along those lines. A bit lazy to do it. Oh well. I think that's all for now.

Au revoir.

They Only Tell You Half the Truth

2010-01-18T15:44:00.005+08:00

Recently, so many things I enjoy have been cut down. Among which include; my phone, my laptop, PS3 and TV. And though I admit, it is pretty much my only ticket to getting back to the US where I can see once more what the country of my birth looks like. Last time I was there was 13 years ago. I want to go back.

But then there's something my mom keeps saying; work hard now and enjoy success later. Problem is, first was UPSR, then was the constant monthly exams, then PMR and then SPM. Once all of that is done, you have 4 not-so-relaxing months applying for colleges that will accept your SPM Trial results. And when we finally do get into a college, we have to struggle -- again -- to stay in college, graduate with decent results and get a good job. And finally, we're done struggling.

AAANT (buzzer sound) WRONG ANSWER! Why? We have to work hard until we're seeing therapists to stay sane otherwise that 6-digit paycheck we worked so hard to earn, won't come in.

So, we spend a lifetime of struggling. If not for success in life -- and the afterlife --, then we struggle against bad drivers and bad people we are likely to encounter on a daily basis. Considering that, we should probably just give up, wouldn't you agree? Less hassle.

But then, we wouldn't be able to own that Lamborghini you've always wanted. Or that penthouse overlooking New York City. And you'd likely to be struggling to put food on your table. And you'd be bottling up all your frustrations and pain which is never a good thing.

So, given that which I have stated. How do you gauge the quality of life? How do you gauge success in life? Is it by your accomplishments? Or by what you accomplish? Is it by what you own? Or what you have?

The 4 questions I have put forth above carry different meanings. I hope you are able to understand and figure it out.

NST Seminar. And a Bit More

2010-01-16T19:23:00.002+08:00

Tomorrow & today there was supposed to be a seminar on leadership. It is part of the Creative Writing course. But there was an emergency cancellation so instead of cancelling the seminar itself, they went on with it but only for today. That means no seminar tomorrow.

Replacement will be on the 30th & 31st of January. I should be free. I don't want to enter anything for the school Sports Day & I don't want to go for Co-Curricular activities on a Saturday. Quite frankly, I'm not in the mood to participate in any of the Co-Curricular activities at the moment. Save maybe for debate through the English Literature Society & rugby but not really fond of going for Kadet Bomba. I guess maybe I feel that I have fulfilled my -- ah what the heck. Just say it. I feel lazy to go and that I have done my time with Bomba. There I said it.

-Sigh-. Why did they have to do it on a Saturday. So lazy...

I really want a full-face helmet and then to try out the course at the Extreme Park in Section 13 or to try out Taman Cabaran.

Anyway, I'm going to hit the showers now.

Au revoir

What's Next?

2010-01-13T16:33:00.002+08:00

The year just keeps getting better and better as the hours roll by.

Due to homework + studying -- honest, this time -- +tuition/tuition work, the time I spend online has significantly reduced. But I don't mind that.

Last night, my mom imposed a MEGA-curfew. No phone unless they're home or we're outside. Or rather, I have to go out. It's kind of frustrating. I know, I know, SPM is coming up, etc.

-Sigh-. But I'm adamant about trying out Taman Cabaran BEFORE the damn exam. Hehe.

1st Week of School

2010-01-08T21:52:00.002+08:00

It's only the first-week of school and already it's getting a wee bit complicating. First there's the upcoming sports day to contend with. In which I -- somehow -- ended up AJK Kawad Kaki for Earth. I don't want to be that! I pulled out of Kadet Bomba for that AND to focus on other things. Like studies, before anyone can say anything else.

Then there is fact that sports day is on 6th February, on which I also have the creative writing course. This situation could get a bit sticky... -Sigh-...

Oh, and the Honda Scholarship I want to check out.

Then there's the dilemma with the rugby team because the juniors are in the afternoon session.

And last, but most certainly not least, my academics. I hope their improving. And I'm not sure about EST... I think go for it first and see.

A Dilemma! And School Hasn't Even Started!

2010-01-03T19:41:00.002+08:00

Yes. I have a studies-related dilemma & school hasn't even freaking reopened! Wow. Looks like its going to be a rough year from here on in.

What is my dilemma?

My physics tuition is scheduled on Fridays. I know right now you are thinking, "alright, he's lost it. There's nothing wrong with physics tuition on Fridays,"

True, there shouldn't be. But wait just one moment. I also have rugby practice on Fridays. NOO! My head says drop rugby and focus on physics but my heart says drop physics & play rugby.

And given the past evidence, the new physics teacher isn't quite up to the mark. I mean, I managed to scrape 70% with my old teacher but barely passed with the new one.

I know, maybe it is me but I'm merely stating my inference and observation, respectively.

My dad too is undecided. I am yet to discuss with my mom. We shall see.

-Sigh-. Looks like a rough year ahead. -Gulp-.

Custom Order New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-02T16:44:00.003+08:00

I know it is already the 2nd of January and I know this should have been written the LATEST by 31st December but I finally got around to writing this -- and thinking about it. Hehe.

I've color-coded them by the way. Red means VERY important, Purple means preferable but optional and Green means it's just something I want that isn't important. Hehe.

So my New Year's Resolutions -- which are in no particular order of importance are;

A full-face MTB helmet. Preferrably -- or rather, hopefully -- from Specialized or SixSixOne but I don't mind any other brand. As long as I like it -- duh.
Elbow/forearm + knee/shin guards. This too I would prefer SixSixOne. Or maybe Fox Head but again, I'm just hoping.
10 A's for SPM -- duh.
Improve myself so that I study hard AND smart. A lot. Without burning out. That means minimum 1 SOLID hour a day. Then I can play, a bit.
Get Abah a bike and hit the trails one fine weekend.
Get a scholarship to M.I.T and do engineering
Get myself a road bike. It looks really cool and sporty. Hehe.
As much as I don't want to, slow down a bit with my girl... I'm sorry. I believe that this is the best step to be taken for the time being...
Improve -- and I mean REALLY improve. Especially Add Math & Chemistry. Biology too.
Get my own rugby ball.

10 goals. That seems fair. Not completely unachievable. Except maybe for #7. The minimal price of a road bike is 4 grand. -Whistles-.

Wish me luck in achieving this.

Happy New Year & good luck in achieving all your goals! And to my fellow form 5's, good luck in SPM! May we all do well.

The Last Day of 2009

2009-12-31T15:33:00.003+08:00

31st December 2009.

It is the last day of the year. I just got my bike tuned and now I'm -- literally -- waiting for and fearing the day school reopens. Why waiting? Because I want to cycle everyday on my mountain bike and see Liyana again and drag my feet to the bathroom every morning -- OK, maybe not quite -- and I want to see all of my friends again. That's a lot of 'and's... Phew. About fearing the school reopening, I fear it because it means the long yet short countdown -- does that make sense? -- to SPM has begun.

Recapping the year, it certainly has been eventful if not rickety. But then again, you're not living as a teenager if the roller-coaster ride that is life doesn't fly off the tracks every now and again. My birthday was certainly a momentous one. I got a new bike which was a big deal for me. My old bike was 6 years old and getting small. I was a bit sad when I knew I wasn't going to be using the old bike anymore because I've been through a lot with it. Literally. But I'm also happy that the old bike has a 'new' owner -- my little brother. He's not exactly a super-avid cyclist so it does the job.

Wow. Long post. Didn't expect it to be this long. A lot of changes -- good and bad -- this year and -- yet another 'and' -- I hope that next year -- which starts in less than 12 hours -- has much more in store. Preferably more good things. Hehe.

That's all for now.

Happy New Year!

Le Tour de BJ

2009-12-29T22:00:00.005+08:00

To my readers, I apologise if any of you were under the impression there really was an event. It's just a title -- which happens to have something to do with my post today. I'm sorry but there was no long-distance, endurance cycling competition in BJ during the duration of the school holidays. Nothing official, at least. My apologies.

Anyway, back to the reason I'm posting this;

I woke up 'early' today -- 9:30 a.m. Haha. So much for early, eh? Anyway, after a shower and breakfast, I went cycling. I went all over BJ alone on my Polygon Collossus AX1.0. Hehehehe. Just me, my bike, a bottle of water & my music. It was a fun -- and tiring -- ride.

The Route:

View Larger Map

Legends:

A/E - Home (I'm not going to put my address, duh)

B - School (SMK Bkt. Jelutong)

C - Lagenda (Jalan Teratak)

D - Jalan Adang

Checkpoints:

This one I think is a bit obvious but just in case I'll clarify it. The checkpoints are;

A-B, B-C, C-D and D-E.

Time(s):

Leg 1 (A-B); 00:11:55 (wow, all double numbers, what do you know? Hehe)

Leg 2 (B-C); 00:16:52 / +5 mins 37 sec

Leg 3 (C-D); 00:37:58 / +21mins 06 sec

Leg 4 (D-E); 00:49:33 / +12mins 15sec

Give or take the break times and the time it took to log down the data, I managed to clock in around 00:55:13 give or take for the entire course -- which I think is fair. Hehehe.

I was pretty beat when I got back -- not to mention very sweaty, hehe -- but I had a great time cycling. It was fun to just get around and cycle.

There was this one guy I saw twice. He was riding a road bike (a.k.a. racing bike) with a Ducati Corse frame. If you're reading this, I just wanted to say, "nice bike."

That's all for now. Au revoir

A Boxing Day Post

2009-12-26T21:20:00.004+08:00

It is 26th December 09 here in Malaysia, the day after Christmas, also known as Boxing Day. Typically, this is the day when people go to the stores to get the proper size for clothes they received as Christmas gifts -- if it didn't fit.

My family however, went to Signature GSC at the Gardens to watch James Cameron's Avatar! Better still, we watched it in 3D! Before entering the theater, we were given those square 3D glasses. It was cool. Even the advertisements about the upcoming movies were in 3D. It was awesome!

With the 3D glasses, everything seemed to come at you. When they were walking through the jungle, I felt like touching the leaves of the ferns as they 'passed by'. Some scenes make you recoil because it feels like the gun is really pointed at you and that the people are actually shooting at you. It was definitely a rush.

The movie was very good. Very deep. There is no, absolutely no, clear-cut good guy/bad guy. Everyone is caught up in trying to uphold their respective principles -- which by the way, change as time progresses due to multiple factors. The almost-3-hour movie went by so quickly. The movie itself was very pact and dense. But don't get excited. It is not so much of an action movie. It has a lot of conversations -- which I enjoy.

I was a bit sad when the movie ended. It was so good.

Rating; A solid 10/10. 5 stars out of 5 stars. The seamless special effects, breathtaking animation, the complex plot, character development and spectacular acting, all make for a simply stunning movie. Love it.

Aside from watching Avatar, my family found 16 baby koi in our pond! We're very excited. About 2-4 months ago, we found some fish fry but then they dissapeared. Now, apparently, they're bigger and there's 16 of them. We're very excited. Hehe.

By the way, this marks my 200th post! Woohoo! Blogger milestone, baby!

That's all for now. Au revoir.

P.S.

Watch Avatar. You won't regret it. And, if you can, go for 3D. An experience not to be missed.

Between Sun-bathing & Swimming

2009-12-23T11:40:00.003+08:00

It is a lovely morning and a thought hit me when I was in the shower. I notice at the pool & the beach, there are two main types of people. The first is the kind who goes for the pool/sea and start swimming and splashing. Enjoying the water and waves. Then there's the kind of people who will pounce on the nearest sun lounge and well, just lounge.

I've tried to just lounge before, at the beach. But I get way too damn bored and I jump into the water. Hehehe. I love swimming too much. Though I prefer the swimming pool over the sea. Well, save for snorkelling. Hehehe.

What about everyone else? Swimming in the pool/sea or lounging by the beach/deck?

An RM50 Million Blunder

2009-12-20T13:27:00.002+08:00

No, I didn't make a mistake that cost me RM50 mil -- thank god for that -- but the RMAF apparently did. It was a routine maintenance for their fighter jets and obviously, as with every inspection, everything must be in perfect order or rectified where required. And during the course of this maintenance, they lost RM50 mil. Why? Because someone walked out with the jet engine. HAH?!

Amazing. Simply spectacular. A routine maintenance and they lost a freakin' engine. Wow. RM50 mil, poof. Geez. There was also that blunder some years back where a terrorist group pretty much paraded out with a whole truck-load of guns. What's next, missing napalms? Certainly hope not.

Worst of all, it was lost last year and it was hushed up. Fine, they didn't want to spread panic or something but a missing jet engine? How did that happen. And they're right to assume it is already lost on the black market. These kind of things are not stolen and then people hope for a buyer. Whoever stole it just earned themselves a lot of money.

Swimming & Balik Kampung

2009-12-20T13:06:00.002+08:00

It's been sort of a while since I blogged. I have a lot I want to write but I on Thursday I forgot and on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, I didn't have a secure internet connection. Why? Because I went back to Taiping.

On Thursday, I forgot because I was exhausted. Hehe. That morning, my family and one of my cousins -- he slept over -- went to swimming in Putrajaya. No, not in the lake, but in a/the public swimming pool. I'm not sure how many there are. It was really empty so my family managed to do our laps in peace without people 'berendam' there. I mean, come on, it's a lap pool, not a jacuzzi. You're supposed to SWIM, not soak. Especially to those who REALLY need to lose those pounds.

There I go, straying off again.

So, back to the story, the pool being empty was a really great thing. But the best part was that it was Olympic sized! Woohoo! I know, there are probbably a lot of Olympic sized pools around but I hardly go to any of them and they are always full of people just floating and splashing around. Previously, my family always went to the one in Monterez but the pool is only 25m. Olympic is 50m.

Oh, one more thing about the pool; I did 10 laps back-to-back, non-stop in breast stroke -- a.k.a froggy. I don't like that term...

After that, we went to Alamanda for lunch and I had to wear my swimming shorts again -- good thing that material dries up pretty quick, hehe -- because I forgot to bring a change of pants. Well, not forgot, it just turned out that I had accidentally grabbed Akid's jeans which somehow ended up in my closet. Hmm.

We had lunch in Alamanda and Akid got a pair of finger-less gloves. Akid, Akid. What an Akid. I had to save my own money to buy mine and I had been planning on getting my gloves for a while. Akid just saw them and went "can I?" and )*POOF*( they're in his hands.

The next day, we went back to Taiping and I had a lot of fun. The evening before we left, Alang, Aiman, Akid, Abah & I went to play a bit of rugby -- I borrowed the ball from the coach, hehe -- by the field behind the library. Hehe. It was a lot of fun. It was the cousins & I who wanted to go play rugby but it was Abah who ended up the dirtiest. Hehehehe.

On the journey back, I slept pretty much the whole journey. We left at 7 and soon after, I dozed off. When I woke up, we had pulled over in Tapah for a toilet break and it was 8. After refuelling, I dozed off again and when I woke up, we were approaching KL -- I could already see the skyline -- and it was 9 o'clock. Yes, we made the journey from Taiping to KL in 2 hours. That's pretty standard for us. Well, when we always drive at 160 km/h, it's really no wonder.

We had breakfast at McDonald's Bangar and then did our grocery at TMC.

This is sort of a family tradition actually. Even since before I was small. We would leave Taiping very early -- 7 a.m. by the latest -- , have breakfast at McD then do the grocery at TMC before heading back home.

I wish I had snapped more photos but I didn't. Oh well.

That's all for now, au revoir.

I'm Bored...

2009-12-13T16:01:00.002+08:00

One of my cousins is over; Aiman. He is as old as Akid and the two of them are very close. It's too bad Alang can't stay over because then we cannot go back to Taiping on Friday. Let me elaborate on that. We are going back to Taiping this Friday & Aiman is coming with us. If one more cousin stayed with us, the car wouldn't fit. Well, it would, it just wouldn't be a comfortable 180km++, 2 hour journey to Taiping, Perak. Hehe.

But I'm bringing the rugby ball back to Taiping anyway so it's alright. Hehe.

I'm just really bored right now... What to do?

2 Kenduris & 1 Cousin

2009-12-12T22:48:00.002+08:00

Sounds like the title of a bad spoof but it isn't. Essentially, that's what today has been. A tiring day with 2 kenduris to attend, a brief grocery and a cousin tagging along.

It was really good seeing Liyana again. I've missed her so much. She looked gorgeous during Sofea's aunt Yasmin's wedding. Hehe

I'm afraid I hurt her a bit just now... I'm sorry you felt you were bothering. You weren't. I swear. I'm so sorry. I love you so much. I'm sorry if you felt that way. You weren't at all... There are no emotes or abbreviations that can fit how much I want to apologise to you right now...

Je t'aime sayang...

2009-12-09T22:19:00.002+08:00

Life seems to be OK now. Actually, I feel sort of happy. Mama & Abah are not too upset over my results, alhamdulillah. I'm essentially done with my BM folio. Just have the 'Plot' section to wrap up. Should be simple. I think of it as a simplified synopsis -- which on its own its a simplified version of the story. 0_o. Haha.

And my cousins are coming this Saturday! Woohoo! Hehe. It's been a while since I met them. Since... August or so. Just before PMR, during Eid il Fitr. Yep. It'll be nice to see them again. This year's Eid il Fitr was a lot of fun because my cousins from Canada came back! Hehe. It was cool being able to hang out with them again.

Christmas is around the corner. I'm afraid Akid might be getting it to his head he can get away with ordering another game. Abah is not going to be pleased if he does. Then again, maybe he just likes to browse through Amazon.com like I like to browse through all the sites related to mountain biking.

That's all for now. Au revoir et bonne nuit

Sounds

2009-11-30T18:05:00.004+08:00

Just thought I'd publish a post on sounds that I like. These sounds may or may not necessarily be relaxing. These are just sounds that I like.

Waves breaking and crashing against the beach. Cliche, I know. But its so rhythmic and relaxing.
Running water. No, not tap water. As in a stream or river. This one is not so rhythmic but still relaxing.
Car's engine revving. Haha. Yes, I'm somewhat of a diesel-head. But I'm not into the shrill cry of F1 engines. Something deep. Muscle car sort of deep. Almost roaring if you rev it. That sounds like power to me.
Keyboard being typed on. I know this sounds strange but I like it. To me, it sounds like inspiration being transferred and molded into a story.
Camera shutters. The 'click' that goes off when you snap a picture. I like that. Especially when you've managed to get a really good angle and create a very interesting snapshot.
Golf ball. When you take a nice, relaxed stance, swing that 7-iron and hits the ball with satisfying 'thup' and sends it sailing 100 metres before rolling another 3 metres. That's satisfying.
Piano. The sound of someone playing the piano is very nice. Very relaxing. It can't also be very dark. Though organ is unbeatable when it comes to playing dark tones.
Kenny G on saxophone. He is an amazing saxophone player. The tunes he plays are fantastic. They're so great to listen to.
Guitar solo/opening. This is especially great from 80's rock and/or 80's heavy metal. Judas Priest, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Van Halen, Guns'N'Roses, etc.
Applaud. Haha. I like to heard people applauding. Of course, its most fun when they're applauding me but it's also a great mood lifter, most of the time. Besides, what's more fun than hearing your team mates cheer when you've scored a try against the opponents?
Liyana's voice. Even a simple 'hi' immediately makes me grin like a moron. I'm serious. When she says 'hi', I go on high, sort of. I can't stop grinning and smiling. The moment I see her smile or wave at me, my day seems to brighten up.
A kick. No, not taekwando kick. When you release the rugby ball, it comes into contact with your swinging foot and it goes sailing perfectly with a 'thup', that's nice. Though I'm a horrible kicker and this doesn't sound good when you're getting tired, the people who catch it are kicking it back and forth and you have to chase the damn ball. Haha. Seriously, when that happens, its not fun.
The sound of my bicycle tire against the tarmac. I don't know how to explain this one. I just like it. Maybe because I know I'm moving? Haha. I guess so.

That's about it, I think. 13 things. Hmm. Yep.

That's all for now. Au revoir.

Late-Night Runabout.

2009-11-26T22:50:00.002+08:00

It's the eve before Eid il Adha and our washing area is flooded. A pipe connected to the washing machine completed broke off and the water was pouring all over the place. My mom came downstairs to find my maid practically soaked.

My mom was very upset because she didn't say anything despite the severity of the situation. My mom was going "if I didn't come down to check on the apple pie, things would be floating down here," and Abah tried to separate two components but the part that was originally part of the tap completely shattered when he put a plier around it. And it wasn't because my dad applied to much pressure, the metal was brittle. I could literally break it in two with my hands.

So, Abah & I went out to but the needed components. We rushed to Mydin and then to Giant because Mydin didn't have the tap head. That was tiring. Not to mention stressful. By the way, that is one of the few times you will see me outside wearing slippers -- besides to Friday prayers.

I have to wake up early tomorrow so I'm turning in now.

Bonsoir

Rugby World Cup 2011

2009-11-25T11:45:00.002+08:00

The next iRB World Cup is being held in New Zealand in 2011, the same year as the Olympics. Considering where it is being held, I really much rather go to New Zealand than England. If I could. Haha.

The first game kicks off in Eden Park, Auckland on September 7, just 10 days before my birthday. Woohoo! Hehe. On top of that; the first game is between New Zealand and Tonga! Both have their own war dances which would be really cool to watch! Hehe. If only I could go. Hehe.

And I've always wanted to visit New Zealand. Oh well.

Today's Wrap-Up

2009-11-24T19:39:00.003+08:00

Today hasn't been the most pleasant day for me.

The morning started out innocent enough with me being able to chat with my girl. Then I had breakfast and a small post-breakfast snack of brownies and raspberries. Yummy! I'll post pictures as soon as I can. Though the raspberries left a funny after taste. Oh well.

After that, I turned my laptop back on and it lagged like hell the whole day. It was really frustrating. Seems to be OK now. I hope so.

My brother and I watched Kung Fu Panda today. Haha.

I feel like buying some novels from MPH to read over the holidays. Hmm. We'll see.

That's all for now. Au revoir.

Emotions

2009-11-23T19:02:00.003+08:00

I used to wonder how people could live alone with only dozens of cats for company. I've discovered the reason why.

It's simple, really and almost profound. Cats don't betray you or hurt you. They may bite and scratch but physical injuries heal. The same cannot be said for emotional injuries. Such injuries leave behind deep scars that never totally heal. Scars that are ready to bleed all over again under the right -- or rather, wrong -- circumstance. The best thing about emotions however, is that it can be locked away just as easily as they can be hurt.

And with the right attitude, it need only undergo a certain trauma once to be mostly immune to it. Unlike the physical body which needs to go undergo the trauma multiple times before being able to endure it without significant damage.

And yet another miracle of emotional pain is that it can be cured as quickly as it can be inflicted. Amazing isn't it?

As we all know, humans can experience a vast degree of emotional fluctuations. What one may not realize is that which emotions we experience and when, is determined by our upbringing, further diversifying the context of human emotion. Simply spectacular.

What To Do?

2009-11-21T14:54:00.002+08:00

Its a lazy Saturday afternoon and I'm not sure what to do. I could play PS3. After all it IS the school holidays. I really don't want to study.

I feel like hitting the mall. The Gardens specifically. I want to just go through the serene environment, browse through the awesome -- though slightly more expensive -- things there. Somehow I want to go to the optical store there and browse through their Oakleys and also hit the outdoor store. Hehe. Don't ask me why. I just have that urge. Haha.

Hmm. Since I'm the area, I should drop my mountain bike off for tuning at Rodalink. I guess that's all for now.

Au revoir

Just An Update.

2009-11-20T20:01:00.002+08:00

Today we played rugby in the rain. It was a lot of fun! I managed to score a lot of tries. I'm very happy about that.

Just wanted to post that. Hehe.

That's all for now. Au revoir

Postcard from School

2009-11-19T12:32:00.002+08:00

This isn't really a postcard. I'm just publishing this post from school's Pusat Akses -- the only computers that have internet access which are accessible to students.

Liyana seems a bit dissapointed. I'm not sure why. She wouldn't tell... I wish she would.

There isn't much to write about. Today certainly has been interesting. Ayie & Fit are making ribbon-lapels for our class party later this afternoon.

I hope it rains AFTER the party. And tomorrow. Then at least the field will be wet again for rugby. Muahaha!

Aizat & Nadzirah are sharing a computer because there aren't enough internet-accessible computers here. Deliera & Timmy have their own computers while Erin is showing Liyana some online bartending game of some sort. She seems to be having fun. I wonder why Liyana is a bit gloomy. I want to know what's bothering her but she woulnd't let me in...

-dissapointed sigh-

A conversation between Marco Polo & Kublai Khan

2009-11-18T22:06:00.002+08:00

Marco Polo describes a bridge, stone by stone.

"But which is the stone that supports the bridge?" Kublai Khan asks.

"The bridge is not supported by one stone or another," Marco Polo answers, "but by the line of the arch that they form."

Kublai Khan remains silent, reflecting.

Then he adds, "Why do you speak to me of the stones? It is only the arch that matters to me,"

Marco Polo answers, "Without stones there is no arch."

This is just a something I found over the internet. DO NOT quote. I am unsure whether this conversation was actually documented or not but I thought it was pretty cool.

Quotes

2009-11-18T21:47:00.002+08:00

Just some of my favorite quotes.

"I did not tell half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed,"

-Marco Polo, 1324 (on his deathbed)

"There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory,"

-Sir Francis Drake, 1587

"Do just once what others say you can't do and you will never pay attention to their limitations again,"

-James Cook

"By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination,"

-Christopher Colombus

Promised Pictures

2009-11-17T16:42:00.006+08:00

What to write about? Hmm. I don't really have much to talk about but it's been so long since I blogged regularly I feel I must take advantage of this opportunity and write. Ahah! I haven't posted the pictures of the town my team & I -- The Frozen Ones -- built during the recent NIE NST Creative Writing Course.

I've already provided an explanation about our town on my previous post 'NIE NST Creative Writing Program'. So here are the promised pictures;

Beginning of construction -- Finally after a long discussion

Putting the final -- hurried -- touches

Voila! The finished product!

Quite honestly, this is the first time I've engaged in such a project. Be it individually or with a group and it was a lot of fun!

Things You Can Find At The Beach

2009-11-16T21:00:00.004+08:00

The past 3 days, my family and I have been on vacation in Port Dickson. I know, school hasn't quite ended yet but my mom already booked an apartment there. The apartment itself is owned by the company my mom works for and they rent it out at a much cheaper rate to company employees.

We left for PD around noon on Saturday so I managed to recover from the intensive rugby practice the previous day. The journey there was a bit gloomy, being rainy and all. When we got there, we had lunch, unpacked, watched a bit of TV, had snack and by 6 p.m., the rain had stopped so we swung by the beach. We didn't go into the water. Yet. Hehe. I took pictures of some things you can find on the beach. A few interesting things.

That night, Abah, Akid & I watched a rugby game. France against South Africa. It was an awesome game! Hehe. South Africa played rough but Chabal was awesome! Hehe. Once they put him on in the second half, he was tackling like crazy. It was fun watching him. I was a bit dissapointed to see Habana playing rough. But he was fast.

We woke up early the next morning to catch an All Blacks game. It was so awesome watching them play. Unfortunately, we only watched till half-time because we wanted to go to the beach. I took even more pictures this time. We sat in the water and 'caught' some waves. Hehe. It was a lot of fun! After that, Abah & I jogged a bit along the beach. Phew! That was tiring.

Then we went up, had lunch and cooled off a bit. Abah took a nap. Around 5 or so, we went out and drove around, looking for somewhere to visit. We finally found the entrance to Tanjung Rachado but found out we had to hike up to the lighthouse itself. Bummer. Afterwards, we bought a few supplies at a nearby store and retreated to our rented apartment for the day.

That night, we watched 'Mahathir' on the History Channel. It was a really interesting documentary. My whole family was glued to the the screen. Anybody else watched it? I really liked it.

The next day we checked out and got a haircut at Subang Parade. Hehe. I'm not sporting any new hairdo. Well, not really. Sorry to dissapoint.

By the way, I've uploaded the pictures on Facebook.

That's pretty much the story for today. Au revoir.

Just Some Blabber

2009-11-12T20:04:00.003+08:00

Just thought I'd blabber a bit. It's been a long time since I did a good, solid post. On a regular basis, at least. God it feels good to be able to blog freely again. This year has been one hell of a roller coaster. The new subjects are something new altogether. Chemistry and Add Math are my weak points. And history too. I used to be good at history but the recent topics aren't so interesting. And to make things worse, Form 4 topics WILL be asked in SPM. T-T.

Ah well, no pain no gain, eh? Away from the topic off school, I'm watching a show on Discovery Channel about Indian cuisine. It is kind of interesting. Making me hungry. Haha. I like pepper.

I had been waiting for this game since early this year. It was due out early-mid autumn this year called Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The best thing, it came out the day after my birthday. Even though I didn't get it then. Hehe. I already have it by the way and it is awesome! It's even better than the first game. There are a lot of new treasures and a far more interesting and absorbing storyline. The game itself is somewhat like Tomb Raider only you take control of a male character. Unfortunately, the game only comes on the PS3 as far as I know, at least.

Hmm. I wonder how much all the mountain bike gear would cost? I mean, the helmet, goggles, padding and armor. Maybe I can drop the goggles. I already have my Oakley Flak Jacket; they're cycling glasses anyway. Hehe. But still, the goggles are really cool! Hehe.

I think that's all for now.

Au revoir

NIE NST Creative Writing Program

2009-11-08T20:11:00.002+08:00

This weekend Liyana & I attended a 'Creative Problem Solving' course which is part of a 5-month creative writing course sponsored by Sime Darby Properties Sdn. Bhd. QM should have joined but her mom didn't let her. It really is a shame.

In total, 43 kids attended. Our group consisted of representatives from SMKBJ -- Liyana & I -- and kids from Bandar Melawati -- I think it's Bandar. We called ourselves 'The Frozen Ones' because we were right under the A/C and it was FREEZING.

The first day, we didn't do that many 'group activities' so to speak. Today, we had to built our dream town that also solved these problems

Pollution
Flood/Drainage
Weather/Greenhouse effect
Traffic
Crime
Social Problems

One of the girls; Amal immediately said 'no cars'. So in our town, everyone cycles, skates or rides electric vehicles. The houses are powered by solar energy and the town's facilities are powered by a turbine in the man-made lake. As a result, there are zero carbon emissions from our town. This approach also tackled traffic and the problems weather/greenhouse effect issues as there is no traffic and there are zero carbon emissions. All energy is generated locally and cleanly. We didn't even built a dam because we didn't want to flood any wildlife and such. At least, I didn't.

For the drainage, we put everything underground like in Paris -- much to Amal's pleasure.

To deter crime, our town has its own police station. Furthermore, we built a lot of street lights high off the ground so that people cannot damage them and this keeps the street and surrounding areas well lit To prevent theft, no vehicles are allowed in the town so thieves will have a hard time getting away.

To curb social problems during the weekdays, the school is built on one side of town with houses surrounding it. Then, there is an open space between the police station and the town center -- which is on the other end of town -- so that in case any delinquents try to cross, they'll be caught. At night, curfew is enforced.

We wanted to build a small housing lot, a school, police/firefighter station, hospital and a town center. Just a few things. The town center was the hardest to build. Mainly because it was tricky to decide on the design. In the end, Amal & Liyana went random and modeled it after a bee hive. It was actually a really cool design. Congrats to Amal & Liyana! Great job! Everyone did a fantastic job! I want to apologize to all members of The Frozen Ones for nearly wrecking the road.

Thanks to everyone's hardwork, we managed to come in tied for second with another group; Duck & Cover at 14 points. Monatwa Monkeys came in first with 15 points.

No More Exams! (Sort Of)

2009-11-01T16:18:00.009+08:00

The exams are finally over! Woohoo!!! Well, mostly. Next Monday is just EST & Civic.

This is just some post I've been working on. I recently got a mountain bike for my birthday -- apparently its a downhill bike -- and it really spurred my budding interest in mountain bikes. So my goal is to try out a mountain bike course. The one is Sek. 13 looks really cool. I heard there's one in Putrajaya. Oh well.

I've looked up videos of downhill mtb and it looks AWESOME!! Dangerous but I think I'd enjoy it. I did some digging around the internet and apparently these people wear some serious armor. Those things are going to be expensive... Ah well, people can dream, can't they?

So, here is my post-exam goal/wishlist. Haha.

Go mountain biking. Either downhill or just the regular trail, I'm fine either way but considering my lack of armor and the kind of falls downhill guys take, I'll stick to the trails.
Get a helmet. A full face helmet. Kinda like the MotoX helmets. Look it up. They're cool. If I do get to achieve #1, I'll have an excuse. Muahaha.
Get some armor. Or pads. Downhill racing stuff. Maybe FOX Racing. Pro-tec looks good too. This one however, is if I do manage to tryout some DH (downhill) courses.
Goggles! This isn't important either as I already have a really cool pair of Oakley Flak Jacket cycling shades anyway. But they look cool! And they'll look even cooler with the full face helmet and the full face helmet will make the goggles look even cooler! Haha. I need to cut down on the sugar, huh?
Upgrade forks -- forks are also referred to as front shocks. Go for the full blown DH forks. They look cool! But considering I'll be slicking around town, this isn't top priority and it's being pushed to the bottom of the wishlist. Sorry #4. Wait, why am I apologising? See? Exams fried my brain cells. Oh well. Now I can claim the 'disabled' status. Haha. Kidding.

Anyway, here are some pictures;

Today my mod math tuition class had a barbeque to celebrate both end of the exams and as a gathering as our class for the year has ended. It was FUN! We all took turns fanning the grill, putting the various food items on it, listening to music, joking around.

Everyone enjoyed themselves. Cleaning up was kind of fun too. I mean, it wasn't draggy and difficult so I guess that counts as fun. I liked grilling the various foods and after a while, the fire got really hard to control. We were fanning it like crazy to keep the flame down. Yati & I were like "soon we'll have biceps. Quick, change hands so that both arms will have biceps." We had a really good time.

Ooh! And the BluRay Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen & Ice Age 3: Dawn of the dinosaurs we ordered from Amazon are here! Haha.

Woohoo!

2009-10-24T14:47:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, I had a debate. Sharanya, QM & I represented 4 Beta. We went up against 4 Epsilon who were represented by Heikal, Haziq Shaharel & Aizat. We had a blast! The topic was "P.P.S.M.I. should be abolished. Science & Math should be taught in the mother tongue". We were the government team.

QM was quite good and so was Sharanya. Heikal had excellent points but his delivery style needs working on which is a shame. He had the best points. Aizat was good. He just lacked statistics. Haziq's delivery style was cool. Very calm, and relaxed.

I'm not sure about the marks but 4 Beta won. And I was named 'Best Debater'. I expected it to go to Sharanya so it was a pleasant surprise. Lina came over while the adjudicators were convening and when Aizat said only debaters were allowed to the tables, Lina claimed to be our coach. Haha. That was a good cover. Afterwards Lina was like "Woohoo. Free cert!". Haha.

Liyana was the Madam Speaker for the debate & Yati was time keeper. My girl claimed she was shaky every time she stood up to speak but her voice hid it well enough and I never noticed her shaking. I think she did well. Love her so much.

Guess that's all. Just a short post for now.

Oh, before I forget. I also entered the public speaking competition and this Monday we shall find out who won. Heikal was pretty good himself.

Now I'm done. Hehe.

Au revoir

A Tale of Eyewear & Toy Guns

2009-10-18T19:45:00.009+08:00

The thing about being on Cloud 9 is that a lot of things don't seem to affect you as they did anymore, don't you think? Well, at least for the time being until the effects wear off.

Anyway, just felt like writing that down even though its probably not going to have any correlation whatsoever with my post. Haha.

So, these past two weeks have been interesting, if not expensive. I told myself I wouldn't blog about these but then what the hell, it's my blog anyway.

So, first off, everyone in my family got a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Everyone. Including my brother. It started off during Haziq Shaharel's open house. That WAS two weeks ago, right? Anyway, it started then. My parents dropped me off and went to Giant to do the groceries. The day before we had a belated birthday celebration for my mom. We let her go wild in the Gardens. Hehe. Mama bought not too many items but all she had been eyeing for a while; flats, handbag, etc. She had also been wanting a pair of Oakley's for a while now but believe it or not, no Oakley distributor there.

So they went to Giant after dropping me off and did the groceries. Later on, when they picked me up, Akid was wearing a pair of Oakley 'Monster Dog' sunglasses. Mama didn't even get hers. What an Akid.

The next weekend, we went to SACC to do a quick grocery. Mama had yet to pray Zuhur so we went to the third floor while Mama went to the fourth. We went to the video store and met Mama on the way. So happens that the route to the video store would take us past the optometrist we collect our contact lenses from.

And whad'ya know, they carry Oakley. -- Gasps --.

Akid wasn't interested of course -- he already had his pair of Oakley. Abah & I said we'd catch up and took a quick look at the Oakley shades. A quick look turned to a few innocent trying on-s and Mama came back saying "Aha. So HERE'S where you guys are; trying on some Oakley's"

Mama said we could keep trying them on but refused to try on any. We all insisted and insisted and she finally gave in and tried on the pair of Oakley's she had been apparently been eyeing for a while now.

Mama had already made up her mind and knew which one she was getting. Abah decided shortly after. I took the longest time as not many of the models fit my facial structure and/or kept brushing my eyelashes.

I know some of you -- especially me female readers -- have thought "wow, a guy with long eyelashes," and I'm telling you, it can be quite tricky when choosing your eyewear. There I go, straying off topic again. Hehe.

Back to the topic, I finally settled on an Oakley Flak Jacket. My dad bought an Oakley Juliet while my mom bought an Oakley Liv.

my Oakley Flak Jacket

This weekend, after double tuition classes, we went to have lunch in Subang Parade. Nando's. Yummy. Hehe. Afterwards, Akid wanted to go to Toys'R'Us but Abah didn't want to so we sort of parted ways. Abah & I went to MPH while Akid & Mama went to Toys'R'Us upstairs.

I've always liked entering MPH. I like the browsing through rows and racks of books and books and reading all the amazing stories they tell. What a cliche, huh? During the school holidays, I can just sit down, read and often, finish a book in under 24 hours. Maybe I should camp in MPH, huh? That way, at least I'll always have something to read. Hehe. I keep straying off topic, don't I? Hehe. Back to Toys'R'Us.

While browsing, Akid called. He was looking at some Nerf toys and started asking a question with a lot of information to process. I told him I'd be up there and Abah reluctantly followed. Hehe.

Now, before I continue, many of you must be wondering; "What the hell is Nerf?!" -- OK, maybe not so dramatically, but yeah. Nerf is a brand of toys -- now owned by Hasbro -- that makes mostly toys for boys. Hey, that rhymes. Anyway, they make things like toy guns, toy swords, footballs -- American football, not soccer -- etc. Its a lot of fun and they use a lot of foam so it doesn't hurt.

So, my brother was looking at a Nerf gun -- Nerf N-Strike Recon CS-6 -- and my mom said to me "Choose one,". I was sort of taken off-guard. I ended up with a sniper rifle -- Nerf N-Strike Longshot CS-6. At home, Akid and I spent the whole afternoon shooting each other with the foam darts. Hehe. Akid is horrible at aiming. He keeps missing me -- though only be mere centimeters but he still keeps missing.

my Nerf N-Strike Longshot CS-6

(longest Nerf blaster on the market)

Wow. That has to be the longest post I've written in a while. Hehe. So sorry if you found it boring...

That's all for now,

Au revoir

I Need to Update More Often, Shouldn't I?

2009-10-09T15:02:00.005+08:00

Its been so long since I blogged. I've been caught up with studying and doing the Bio presentation and so many other things. I know, lame excuse, I used to be able to find time, etc.

Its just I can't seem to pass my Chemistry & Add Math papers. I swore I did so much better for Add Math. Yeah sure, my marks went up from 10% to 35% or 38% but its not enough. I need to PASS. *Sigh*. This year is almost up and next year I have SPM. NOOO!

So next year it's back to seminars, books, minimal TV & no PlayStation 3. ToT, The horror! Haha. I'm overreacting. Anyway, before zooming too far into the future, how to kick back during the holidays? Hmm.

If only kicking back was as simple as portrayed by this cute kitten. Hehe.

The rugby team is organizing a 3 day 2 night stay at Langkawi on December 15th but I'm not going. My dad isn't exactly screaming 'yes' and my mom gave a flat 'no' so I'll stay home. Kind of a bummer but it's OK. I'll get to play PS3 and go cycle and stuff. But it'd be neat if I get to go hang out with my friends at malls. Only Mama & Abah aren't too keen on the idea. Hmm.

They kept saying; hang out with the guys more often and all but it's difficult to be 'part of the clique' so to speak if I keep turning down offers to go out & hang. That's what all the guys do. The girls too actually but I'm rarely invited -- being a guy and all -- so it doesn't show.

I'm not complaining but it just feels that way. Sorry if you think my ranting is long-winding and pointless. Maybe you just find it confusing. I know I kinda do. Hehe.

Hmm. Should I wrap up? Maybe I should. But first, here's a picture of a lil something something...

Just thought I'd inject a little bit of humor. Hehe. Picture courtesy of D (Dayana Mustak). Thanks D! I had a good laugh over it!

I miss my girl so much. Here I go, going mushy. Haha. But I do miss her so. But its only been 3 days and I have another 4 until I get to see her again... *Sigh*

P.S.

This bike -- Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide -- is awesome. Hehehe. I know, I said I'd never ride a bike but somehow, my opinion has been changing recently. But I don't imagine my parents warming up to the idea, however. Hehehe.

That's all for now.

Au revoir.

Bad Morning

2009-09-30T17:19:00.002+08:00

This morning was NOT my morning. First it rained in the morning before I left for school. That would make the first leg (downhill) of my trip to school dangerous as the sidewalks would be slick. The sidewalk on the second leg (uphill) has better grip. Then near the end of the first leg, my tire slipped and I fell, sliding a short distance. Genius sidewalk-makers who used concrete instead of tiles. Thankfully my bike only took cosmetic damage.

Then on my second leg, it poured. Yahoo. So when I got to school, I was drenched. By recess I still wasn't completely dry. The gloomy weather didn't help. The rest of the day was OK. I enjoyed Mod Math. I really like a lot of the topics. Much to my girl's displeasure -- I know you weren't too happy with it. She also complained my bike was tall, needs a stand, etc. But I'm not changing anything about it. And its not 'just a bike'.

That's all for now. I might update again later but don't count on it.

Au revoir

Raya Wrap Up

2009-09-25T22:02:00.003+08:00

It has been a while since I blogged. Where should I start? Ah yes, my raya. Hmm. How should I start? Haha. So many questions. I'd say the beginning is a mighty fine place to start, what say you?

First day of raya. We woke up bright and early and went to the mosque in BJ. There was an announcement to raise funds for the new mosque to be built near the lake by Lagenda. The artist's impressions were quite nice. Unfortunately, I would have left for college by the time it is to be completed. Fortunately, I won't have to cycle there every Friday. Hehehe.

After prayers, we went home, ate a little, packed my parents' rendang and some ketupat then we hit the road for Banting. Atuk seems more livelier now. Everyone was there -- a rare occasion in Banting since at least one family won't be there at the same time -- and though it was quiet, it wasn't awkward. Jokes were being cracked, laughter was heard and people were munching. Hehe.

It was nice and relaxing. After praying Asar, we headed to the graveyard to pay respects to my arwah Mak Long, Pak Long and Nenek. Afterwards, we left for home. My family and I haven't packed our bags for Taiping yet. Hehehe.

Next morning, we didn't leave as early as we hoped so we swung by Tapah R&R (north side) for lunch. We had Dunkin' Donuts but unfortunately the doughnuts weren't fresh despite the rapid turnover rate. I guessed it was due to the racks being place smack under the A/C vent. When we arrived in Taiping, everyone was just about to leave to Beruas. We hurriedly put our bags in and rearranged cars. My Opah and Tukwan took our Accord because my Opah can't climb steps anymore and everyone is either driving a pickup or an MPV of some sort.

We were visiting my relatives from my Opah's side -- an apparent first in the family history. Not even my Mak Jang -- my mom's younger sister -- knew them. It was quite a ride away and we took a good 20 minutes just finding the house.

We de-boarded the cars and greeted everyone. It was cool to see the other side of the family. There were only two people or so in the house and the lady there was my grand... aunt? Yeah, my grandaunt. She is my Opah's older sister. Was it older or elder? Oh well, something like that. Then we -- me and my cousins Bancik & Haziq -- rode in the back of our Pak Jang's Ford Ranger pickup. It wasn't too far to the next house so the adults let us. Hehe. It was fun!

The next house was my Opah's younger sister. We took quite a lot of pictures there but all with my Kak Yong's camera. Hehe. So the camera kept swapping between me, Kak Yong & her siblings; Haziq & Bancik. Though much less to the later two. After Maghrib, we climbed back into the vehicles -- with a slight reshuffling among the cousins -- and left. Haziq and I ended up the pickup again. But this time in the cab -- the adults wouldn't let us ride in the bed as it was quite a distance. Haziq & I chatted a lot about Canada, rugby, his school, mine, etc. Oh and he went through my phone and found a photo of my girl. Hehe. He knew right away that that was Liyana. Hehe.

We arrived in Matang around dinner time -- 8:30 or so -- and had a free meal as it was my relatives' warung. Hehehe. The food was good! Nasi dagang. Yum!

The next two days in Taiping were not eventful and we came back to KL on Wednesday. I took Thursday to cool off and unpack, laze around, etc. Today I did something really fun with my dad! But that will be in my next post for tomorrow. Hehe. Its late and I'm settling down -- sorta.

That's all for now.

Au revoir

Salam Eid il Fitr

2009-09-20T23:06:00.004+08:00

Many visit the graves of those who have past,

But this is no sad day,

As we have been told to celebrate.

On this day,

The day when we have completed the Fast,

We celebrate,

Our triumph over our many lusts.

It is the first day of Syawal,

It is Hari Raya Aidilfitri,

It is a happy day,

For children and teenagers and adults a like.

And during the coming week,

The children and teenagers will go to their friends' houses,

To visit; and more importantly,

Collect the duit raya.

And everyone will enjoy the food,

Be it in the city,

Or in the countryside,

I myself look forward to eating lemang.

Ah,

The assortment of foods available after a long month of fasting,

Alhamdullillah,

We have made it through the month of Ramadan.

An on this day,

Everyone asks for forgiveness,

For past wrongdoings,

And to let go of old grudges.

I'm 16!!

2009-09-17T20:14:00.014+08:00

I'm officially 16! Woohoo! Hehehe. I know I should've posted this earlier but I didn't have the chance. Sorrysorrysorrysorry!

Anyway, it feels so good to finally be 16. Don't know why. Guess its just one of those milestone birthdays you can't help celebrating and enjoy. My parents got my birthday present yesterday but they had been planning it for a while now.

They contemplated between a new bicycle, a DSLR camera and a Hifi system. They decided to give me a new bike. I was so thrilled! I've been using my old bike since I was in standard 4. Its been 6 years. Hehehe.

Yesterday after school, my mom picked me up from school. My dad was already at home with Akid. We went to Pantai Hospital because Akid has his checkup appointment. While in the waiting lounge, Mama said she wanted to go to the Pasar Ramadan in Bangsar. While on the way, I dozed off in the car -- as always during bad traffic. I felt the car slow to a stop and Akid saying "Aqil's asleep" and I woke up.

We got out of the car and apparently it was quite a distance from the Pasar Ramadan. I wasn't complaining. I don't mind walking. Then we passed by Rodalink -- a bicylce store. Everytime we passed by Bangsar, I always looked at the store but we never went in it. Even my parents expressed interest in visiting it but we never got the chance. I must admit, it was a good looking store.

I was still a bit groggy but when my parents walked into the store, I felt myself perking up a bit. I was expecting them to ask me to pick a bike. To my surprise, my dad asked for a specific salesman -- Riduan, nice guy -- and he showed me a mountain bike. I was sold. Hook, line and sinker. It was a gorgeous bike. He asked me to take a spin on it and actually requested I climbed down the stairs in front of the store. It was AMAZING. Mama and Abah asked me to pick a helmet as it was part of the pre-arranged deal -- it seems they had gone to the store before to check it out -- and I bought an extra lock. My current lock is too short.

The model is a Polygon Collosus AX1.o -- yes, two L's. It isn't some expensive brand because Rodalink carries their own in-house frames -- Polygon -- but the quality is the same. They give each frame a 5 year warranty and 2 years free service. To top it off, their frames are super tough but made in Indonesia so they're very cost efficient, bringing the price of their bikes down significantly. But the frame is the only thing made in-house. Everything else is top of the range products. I'm very -- scratch that, extremely happy -- with my bike. Here's a picture;

My bike

Today, at school, everyone was wishing me 'Happy Birthday'. It was kind of fun. Hehe. My girl gave me a present. A leather bracelet. I've been looking at something like that for quite some time now. I just never found it. Hehehe. She got us matching bracelets. They vary in design but color-wise, they're identical. I love her so much. She's so thoughtful and caring. And she can very creative with gifts. Not to mention being able to guess very well what I like. Maybe she can read me as easily as I her. Either she doesn't realize it, or just doesn't want me to know... Hmm...

Anyways, thank you for the gift, Liyana! Love you so much.

The leather wristband

An Interesting Day In A Long Time

2009-09-15T20:16:00.003+08:00

There are two very important events coming up. One is Hari Raya Eid il Fitr. I know everyone is getting hyped up for it. Is it just me or do I feel more hype among my friends this year? Oh well.

The second important upcoming event is my birthday!! Its in two days' time so boys and girls, I expect you to break the bank getting me all kinds of expensive presents! Muahahaha. Just kidding. A sincere 'Happy Birthday' is sufficient. And please smile. In case some of you were planning on saying it half-heartedly. There's only one teeny problem. I don't know what to ask for my birthday! Is this normal? I don't know but I seem pretty content with my life. I mean, sure there are a few things I would like but I'm afraid of breaking the bank. Hmm...

Anyway, this morning took an interesting turn while I was getting ready. I was still in my towel and about to put on my contacts when all the lights in my room went out. I went to my parents room to check on them. My dad almost jumped out of bed thinking he had overslept and we were running late. He calmed down a bit when I said there was a blackout. I grabbed the flashlight and put my contacts on before getting dressed. The whole time I was walking around in a towel and one my contacts on my finger. Hehehe.

Our automatic gate has a little glitch; we can't change it from automatic to manual so my brother had to hitch a ride with our next door neighbour and I cycled. It was tiring. I probably wouldn't be so tired if I wasn't fasting but these are all tests from the Almighty. Despite leaving the house later than I'd like to make it to school on time but miraculously enough, I made it before 7:30. Muahaha! Not bad considering I left at 7:20 and I live in Tropika II.

The day got more and more interesting as it progressed. During Mod Math, Pn. Zaini asked us to draw the net drawings of polygons, cut them out and assemble them. It was fun. During Bahasa, we had a parliamentary debate. The topic was 'Wajarkah P.P.S.M.I. Diteruskan?' My team agreed with the title. Though we lost, it was tons of fun! Fitriyanna -- who was on the opposing team -- actually fought with the Speaker! Just like in the real Malaysian parliament. Hahaha. Everyone was having a good time laughing, clapping and arguing. I really liked it. We should do it again.

I cycled back and Mama was home. So after getting ready, she dropped me off at tuition. None of us brought our laptops. I thought the teacher was kidding when he told us too. But apparently, the last chapter was most easily taught using a 3D software of some sort. We all watched a funny video of Hang Tuah failing his SPM examinations. It was really hilarious!

I came home and took a nap. I was really beat. Now here I am, wrapping up my latest post. It feels good to be able to write another long post. Oh, after this I'm going to KLIA to see my cousin off. She's going to Mother Russia to pursue a medical course. Good luck to her!

Syawal is just around the corner

2009-09-12T21:25:00.002+08:00

Hello everyone. I'm so sorry I've neglecting this blog and its readers.

Anyway, Ramadan is almost over. It feels so short this year. Raya is coming up. But if things keep going the way they are, I won't be returning to Taiping this year for Raya. Then again, two of my cousins there are sitting for their PMR & SPM examinations, respectively.

Good luck to them!

Next week there is no rugby practice and no Add Math tuition. Speaking of Add Math, I still need to ask my teacher for my results. Hope I didn't do too bad.

My birthday is coming up. I haven't asked for anything -- nor am I expecting anything. All I hope for is that my Add Math results turn out OK. I've really been working hard at it.

Ms. Shereen -- our Add Math tuition teacher -- gave us all -- her class(es) -- duit raya! Haha. Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Hehe. Dah dapat 1st duit raya. Muahaha!

That's all for now.

Au revoir.

Two Pairs of Nice Shoes

2009-09-10T21:37:00.003+08:00

Vespa Casual (Special)

Vespa Gran Lusso Leather

Two pairs of nice Adidas Originals shoes. Both are from their Vespa collection. Both are very nice and I am sure they cost A LOT. Maybe a pair of shoes for my birthday? No. I don't know. I don't know what to ask for my birthday. Maybe I shouldn't?

*Sigh*. Previously, I used to have lists and lists of what I wanted and from there I would cancel them one at a time until I knew what I was gonna ask for based on how much I wanted it, whether it was practical and whether it was reasonably priced.

I'm sorry for the dull and melancholic post here guys -- and girls. Its just that I'm afraid it isn't normal not to ask for something for your birthday. Or is that something only 10 year olds do? Hmm. THAT is something to contemplate.

By the way, congratulations to QM & Lina for coming out. Congrats girls!

I'm Back!!

2009-09-07T14:07:00.002+08:00

My HP Mini is back up! Woohoo! We had a surge that blew my adapter. We've been going around looking for it but none of the stores we went to carried it so we got it from the HP Center in KL. Good thing it was still under warranty.

Alhamdulillah they had in stock at the time so I got a new one on the spot. The service center itself was quite nice. Afterwards, we went to drop something off at Taman Tun Dr Ismail -- I think. I remembered the clinic across the street where I once got my BCG shot.

It feels good to have my own laptop back. No more borrowing Akid's. But it was fun to use. Remind me to transfer whatever pictures I saved to my newly revived Mini.

School is starting tomorrow but I don't feel like going. *Sigh*. Oh well, what can I do? The most exhaustive/boring part of the school routine is waking up early. I think that's what bugs me the most.

Anyways, can't wait for my birthday!! 10 days to go...