Faster Than An F1 Car

The world's fastest production car, the Bugatti Veyron wowed Jeremy Clarkson when he drove it to race with a plane, yes a plane from Italy to London. Back then, the sheer power and speed of the Veyron already contorted Jeremy's face beyond recognition. Now, as in last month, Top Gear's James May took the Bugatti Veyron on Audi's test track near the East German border to see if the car can hit it's claimed top speed of 407 km/h. Thanks Jeff Orr for this piece of gem. Go see it The Veyron

A New Season Starts Today

The greatest F1 driver, Michael Schumacher has retired at 37.
Kimi Raikonnen has moved from McLaren to Ferrari to fill Schumacher's shoes.
The champion for the last 2 seasons, Fernando Alonso has moved from Renault to Team McLaren. The team has never won since 1999.
There are many new rookie drivers this season.
Looks like an interesting season ahead for F1 enthusiasts.
The playing field looks pretty flat and it starts today at 11am in Albert Park Melbourne with the first instalment- the F1 Australian GP.

At the starting grid this morning;

1. Kimi is on pole -Ferrari
   
2. Alonso in second -McLaren
   
3. Nick Heidfeld is third -BMW
   
4. Lewis Hamilton -Mclaren rookie make up the second row.

Who's your champion?

Bloggers are cheats and liars...*

I don't like politics and I don't like to write about politics but I'm very well informed about the politics of this country only because it's a country I love. But when such mindless slander is uttered by no less than a Minister of the cabinet, these wrongs must be righted.
We must stand up against such bigotry and not be some frog under some coconut shell.
All the more it becomes our responsibility to be more informed about what's happening around us and our environment.
Yes folks, it is our individual responsibility or we be like the honourable Tourism minister.

Yes. A Minister and he starts by incurring the wrath of female bloggers by accusing them of the following quoted in Chinese daily Sin Chew;

Bloggers are liars. They use all sort of ways to cheat others. From what I know, out of 10,000 unemployed bloggers, 8,000 are women.

Bloggers like to spread rumours, they don’t like national unity. Today our country has achievements because we are tolerant and compromising. Otherwise we will have civil war.

Malays will kill Chinese, Chinese will kill Malays, Indians will kill everybody else."

Strong words huh? Read what some strong women have to say here
and here
If the phrase be true, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" there's more to come.

* Headline from movie 'Hot Chicks' featuring a limerick that starts;

Boys are cheats and liars, they're such a big disgrace
They will tell you anything to get to second base....ball
Baseball. He thinks he's gonna score
If you let them go all the way, then you are a whore..ticulturist...
..........

Post comment if you want the full lyrics to limerick.

Well, it was sweet victory for the reds on aggregate on the return leg at home. We will clinch the Champion's League. We will. We will

Steven Gerrard declared Rafa Benitez "one of the best managers in the world" as Liverpool reached the last eight of the Champions League. Full story here

Liverpool fans will never forget the night their boys knocked the best side in Europe out of the Champions League.

So just be abit more aggressive and let Benitez the tactician bring it in.
Liverpool Live.

We're hosts this weekend.

Liverpool 1-0 Man Utd
FA Cup fifth round – February 2006

Peter Crouch directed a Steve Finnan cross into the bottom right-hand corner of Edwin van der Sar's net on 18 minutes to leave the Mancs with just the League Cup to play for. Afterwards Alex Ferguson suggested Rafa's side produced just five minutes of football - in reality the Reds overpowered his limp midfield and thoroughly deserved their first FA Cup win over United in 85 years.

I blogged on that victory here last year. And what a sweet victory it was. And we shall carry that victory of ours in mind when we play them again this weekend. Here's more titbits to munch as we await the clash;

• Last week against Sheffield United, Liverpool set a new club record of nine consecutive clean sheets in league games at Anfield. They had achieved eight on five previous occasions including last season.

• Liverpool, United and Chelsea have all conceded 19 goals this season – the best record in the Premiership.

Have a good weekend Reds!

The 7th Day Memorial

Last Chinese New Year, I blogged here about how the 6th day dragged into the 7th day and how my hero, my father fought bravely till the end at the emergency room of the KLGH.

This picture came to mind after the memorial lunch, when I sat in the dining room of our ancestral home where Papa spent alot of his years, growing up and growing old. I gazed around the simple room, it's walls filled with old photos of grandfather and Papa in various portraits, poses and official events when I spotted this one featuring Indiana Jones in The Temple of Doom but photoshopped in place of his face was my father's. He had gotten it done when he visited Universal Studios in California. He loved it enough to hang in on the wall and as I reflect on my Papa on the first anniversary of his death, he was sort of an Indy in our lives.

Apart from wrestling armadilloes, snakes, and other wildlife, he was much of a 'throat dog' when it came to affairs of principle and morals. He showed me how to stand for things that matters and how he tenaciously held on to things and people he believed in.

Being the eldest of 14 brothers, he had to stand firm to keep the rest in line. He always displayed the stern side alongside his gentle side to put his point across and it almost always worked to ensure respect and order in the large family. Save for one time, when I was witness to his youngest brother who got rowdy and hurled a chair at him over a misunderstanding. My father, although had to be restrained, displayed a level of composure that can only be described as cool, and he never retaliated physically.
Yes, he was my Indy alright and it's no wonder he feels so comfortable in that leather fedora and that whip, just like Indy. I will always remember you Papa.

New Year's Day

All dressed up and nowhere to go.

This being a different kind of New Year, we felt less hurried like in previous years when we made the annual pilgrimage back to kampung. We would almost, always be frenetic, rushing out the door to pack the bus with pillows and goodies for the journey. This time, there was a certain calmness, of inactivity, of nowhere to go. I was in control. I felt good...
But we were all dressed up in our CNY best and had to have some place to go.
So we drove to the city and almost everywhere we turned, we were met with empty roads and clear green lights to breeze through...whee.....It's an eerie feeling, seeing KL like this. It also gives you an idea about the composition of the people of KL, they're from elsewhere.

All the driving around made us hungry again, and we ended up tucking in hi-tea at The Regent KL.

Reunion Dinner

This Chinese New Year would mark the first without my father, who taught me the beauty of upholding family values and tradition especially during CNY. He would be the beacon of family unity, always emphasizing on the importance of the reunion dinner. And this New Year also celebrates the first absence of Jon who in dying, taught me how to live. With the passage of time, and the even more certain passing on of loved ones, it is really up to us how we get on with milestones and events in our lives. For me, it is with these changes that enable, and cause new things, and new experiences, to happen in our lives. For it is also the wish of our dearly departed for us to really 'live'. I believe. This CNY, we had a wonderful change in having the Levers over for reunion dinner. It started with Johnny,Karen & Aunty bringing over bags of CNY goodies like beef rendang, sambal udang galah and Aunty's famous rice cakes for the dinner spread. Then the Godmas came over, one to cook her 'Double Happiness Chicken' dish, the other to take Zane & Summer out to town for lunch and abit of R&R. After doing the mandatory house clean up, hanging the red curtains, and changing the light bulb bit, I went to the florist to get New Year flowers while mum slaved over a hot stove with godma, preparing the reunion feast. As the evening neared, the carrot cake and brownies arrived, as did the children with Hanim, from their afternoon binge at Bintang Walk. A little later, Nigel and Peggy, with their bounty of dark vinegared trotters and more goodies also arrived. Then PoPo showed up, albeit briefly, to deliver her contribution of abundance to the feast. Mum's abalone mushroom with fatt choy began to materialize with the 'hee hee' 'haa haa' prawns. The whiff of 'double happiness terragon chicken' from the oven filled the house like a huge dose of well, 'double happiness'. With the house filling up as such, it was time to break open that delectable bottle of white wine I had chilling in the fridge- a 2005 New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. A real fine vintage and a refreshing start to a nice evening. Our wine glasses practically runneth over as the evening progressed, so we promptly switched to the Rioja that was brought from Spain and was waiting patiently in Jakarta until this auspicious occasion. The bright, ruby red Spanish 1998 vintage, made it's appearance most fittingly. Full round, ripe body with the characteristically dry Rioja taste and a bit of edge to it. Spunky, I'd describe it. Which was necessary to compliment the wide ranging taste sensations available for the night. Everyone had their fill of the sumptuous spread at our round table. For me, the taste was sweetness. The sweet taste of having our closest and dearest share our reunion dinner. The sweetness was heightened with dessert comprising happy fruits like; pistachios, cashew nuts, and very, very, sweet coconut candy complimenting the cakes on the table.

Change is a wonderful thing if you embrace it and make the best of it. "Xin Nian Kuai Le " everyone.

Happy New Year

Make big fortune

Happy New Year

Chinese New Year

Fortune in Year of Pig

Swimming Results

About one month ago, round about end December 06, when I was in personal audit mode, (when I subsequently got just about everyone who cared to listen, to list their ten things past and future as well) I audited the Sunday swimming classes Summer went at the Club, and found that Summer's been attending swim lessons for almost three years and she still can't swim, to save her life. That particular Sunday, I approached her coach, an affable Mr. Gan and gave him one month to get my daughter swimming the length of the pool unassisted. 

He said it was possible and agreed to do it. 

I also got Summer to agree to the same goal set. 

 Since I was in the mood, I promptly got onto Zane's case and urged him to take proper swimming lessons so he can really enjoy swimming using proper swimming strokes. 

Now Zane's a natural at sports, he literally took to swimming like duck to water way back when he was ten but the only stroke he knew was the doggie paddle. So I had to make that a very strong urge to get him to agree. He finally did, begrudgingly. 

Today is that day to check swimming results for the both of them. 

And the verdict? The three of them passed with flying colours;

Summer was a joy to watch as her slender body sliced the water like a dolphin, her arms rigid and firm as they took turns to propel her body forward in the freestyle stroke as she made laps up and down the pool.

 

Zane moved so fast I almost couldn't recognise him in the water. His powerful arms and legs work in stylish combination with his lithe body as he glides effortlessly in the water. He strokes powerfully and purposely in the pool and I smile.

 

Mr. Gan, the swim coach has been trying to get my attention with his gleeful gaze all morning but I feign acknowledgement as I sit back and enjoy the children splash in the pool, give them the thumbs up and reflect on events just a month ago at the same venue.

 

How true the saying now; 'Dreams are goals with deadlines' I should know, I just had my dream come true.

When they finally finished the morning's session, I slowly walked over to Mr. Gan shook his hand and acknowledged him for keeping his promise. He was beaming and grinning like a chesire cat. I suspect he was more relieved that it was accomplished. Then I turned to him and asked; 'So what's next Mr. Gan?' I saw that worried look, form on his brow again...

Blogger freedom on trial

Two of my most respected bloggers are being sued by the New Straits Times for defamation. This unprecedented move by the media giant has a 'chilling effect' on blogger freedom because the high cost of litigation would cripple the individual blogger.

Both Rocky and Jeff Ooi has this to say:

I thought nothing could express better my heartfelt gratitude of your showering of kindness while we tread in these unchartered waters than to borrow Rocky's thoughts -- wholesale but not plagiarising him (as I give Rocky full acknowledgement by attributing to him) -- for we are made to walk together in these legal suites The NSTP et.al. instituted against us.

Walk with us. I've been quiet but I haven't been idle. The young men who are going to represent me in court had given me quite a bit of homework for the fight ahead. I am going through the documents that lawyers from the NSTP and its 3 top operatives claimed to have defamed them in their suit against me. I am taking a breather now and dropping a few lines here to say Thank You for all the support that has come my way since Rocky and I posted on our blogs on the legal suit, here and here.

Many of you asked me for my bank account number because you wanted to send money to help finance the legal fees. We have decided that it will serve bloggers well if we set up a fund NOT in our names but in the name of blogger solidarity and Freedom of Expression to defend our rights in the court of law. We should be announcing the formation of the fund this week.

Bloggers Unite should also meet up soon to discuss the future of blogging, the new threat that we face, the steps that we will need to take.

It's going to be a long journey but we'll walk the distance.

Walk with us.

I'm walking with them for they are the ones who still take the risk to bring us the real news everyday. That's responsible journalism.
I believe, what the powers that be, seek to suppress will only blow up in their faces as more people turn to blogs for clarification or simply out of curiosity to see what the brouhaha is all about. And more will turn to blogging themselves because of this. Time Magazine said it right- The person of the year is us-the people.
Walk on Bros.

The Mystical Steppes

First you taste the food, then you see the dances and hear their songs. What timing, I got an overdose of sight and sound of XinJiang culture last night at the plenary hall of the KL Convention Center. Save for the wriggily hips of the Arabian dance at the start, the rest was a saturation of colours, movements, festivities, melon harvests, tasting melons, and songs of the vast steppes. And I gather the steppes must be really vast for them to shout or sing so loud.It is also a melting pot of diverse cultures as XinJIang in the North West of China shares the border with Russia, Mongolia, Tibet, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan,Afghanistan, and Pakistan. 47 ethnic groups in total. Not only the food taste so middle eastern, the dances and dancers have middle eastern roots although they all are unified by the single language of Mandarin. I must have dreamt in full colour that night. Mystical indeed.

Ming Ren

Was at Genting as usual last weekend in my leathers but this time for a food sampling session at a place that exhorts flavours of China's new frontier - Xin Jiang. The relocated and refurbished lamb specialty restaurant has a modern contemporary new look but even better, the location is unassailable for high traffic. It's when you turn the corner of good friends restaurant from either side. The soup called 'Catch a lamb' is highly recommended as it can virtually 'put hair on your chest'. simply because the lamb is imported from the steppes of western China (lots of happy grazing grounds makes very healthy, happy lamb) as are the spices used in the next dish, barbequed ribs. It has very strong middle eastern flavours in most its offerings. Exotic new tastes indeed from new frontiers bordering Mongolia. Ming Ren is the name of the restaurant which literally means "famous people". Well, I think there were a few famous ones spotted there last Sunday.

Hideo Kojima

Stumbled upon one of my heroes on digg.com
The king of stealth based games. The creator of Metal Gear Solid, the only PlayStation game I immerse myself into. It is a RPG that can form a deep emotional link with the gamer. Mr Kojima understands brand building very well or he just simply has the honest to goodness streak to design one of the best damn video games around that is enjoyed by many and has since created a cult following among hard core gamers.
Most geniuses are also natural brand builders.

Wikipedia puts justification to my point;

"His trademark style is to address and approach a multitude of important, large issues and aspects of human life in a philosophical, verbose fashion. He also is sometimes interpreted as one of the few postmodern game designers; the Metal Gear series contains magical realism and often breaks the fourth wall. His love of movies is also noticeable in his games, where he pays homage through his stories and characters, often to the point of pastiche. He is also well known for a quirky and somewhat irreverent sense of humor, and his frequently disarming and powerful plot twists".

The large issues he addresses are mainly; nuclear proliferation and genetic engineering.
He talks about his latest MGS4 in this interview here

Stuck

Summer queried me today: "Papa, why don't you post something new in your blog?"
She drew a blank look from me and I slowly reply; " I don't know what to write darling"

And it's not that I'm not trying, my blog dashboard is full of drafts and they might as well be in the trash.

I might as well admit it. I'm stuck.

Change before you're forced to.

My dear old friend Dato' Junid sends me just about everything under the sun and I love it. He has got to be the most switched on , if not the most well connected person I know. Some days ago, a piece he sent very timely coincided with my thoughts and I think it's time I give it some air. Not only is it timely but very appropriate depiction of things to come as we progress on the journey of life. What do you think?

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Wow. Never knew I could post from flickr. Now I do. Well as they say; it's a fancy photo sharing thing. Try it. It works.

Hujan DiTengah Hari

I first heard 'Hujan ditengah hari' when PRamlee sang it god knows how long ago. When I heard it again, it was last September at KLPAC right after the second staging of Dramalab's first play,"Gold Rain and Hailstones" held after thirteen years. We were also there at the first staging of the play with the same original players- Jit Murad and Lin Jaafar. This song came on just after curtains at the last performance of the season .
The richness of voice and appropriateness of the lyrics to the play was a fitting finale to round off a most enjoyable evening and it overwhelmed me. I had wondered if they had remastered the P Ramlee song. I never got to find out who the singer was, that night. But I had an inkling that Sean Ghazi could be involved. So Christmas came and on my wish list was Sean Ghazi's new album, Semalam. Ann & Hanim's Xmas present to me was the album, who quite appropriately was also our host at the play.
From the first track onwards, the album is pure 24K gold. Throughout hi-tea on Christmas day with our closest and dearest, everyone had no choice but to listen to my favourite Christmas present. And they agreed it was sheer delight. I especially liked it because it rekindled my love for the beauty of the Malay language, especially when it comes to love songs. And Sean, is a Malaysian a long time coming, to take up the slack left for too long by the late great PRamlee who doesn't even sing in English. Sean comes with very accomplished credentials having played Broadway and West End theatres. He appeared in Miss Saigon, stage and screen appearances for The King and I.
Zane's especially obsessed with the album being the romantic that he is, Summer's ok but Mum's getting overdosed on his songs. And I? I just like the big band, jazz treatment he has given to some of the best Malay classics available. Semalam is sheer pleasure.
Go take a listen here Semalam

UNITE@Xmas

Click here to see Xmas Flash 

My annual Xmas&New Year address this year deals with unity for my fellow countrymen and my country.It goes like this; Christmas time is here again, as is the end of another year. It's a season to reflect on the achievements and tribulations of months past, and also a time for new goals and new resolve as we approach the dawning of a brand new year. As you celebrate the present and dwell on the future, our Christmas wish to you is to Unite@X'mas in this blessed country of ours, one that is built on our unique cultural diversity. This is, of course, nothing new, but with many short-sighted and small-minded individuals stirring up racial sentiments in a bid to threaten the nation's stability, it is perhaps necessary for us to be constantly reminded so as to not take our peace and prosperity for granted. On that note, we hope that this joyous season brings you tidings of forgiveness, fellowship and love, as we, not just set aside, but celebrate our differences. Have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. Cheers! Have A Happy New Year all of you dear to me near and far.

HappyXmas06

This is our first Christmas without Jon. When we agreed to host the annual family gathering we knew there would be mixed feelings as to how we 'celebrate' this year's Xmas. So to set the tone and to celebrate Jon's present absence, we started proceedings by acknowledging Jon's absence and presence with a prayer and a slide show of Jon's images at last Christmas. 

The silent procedure was accompanied by Sting's 'Fragile'. 

Then after, as with all Christmasses past, we had the traditional turkey and the sumptuous food spread contributed by family who we share the happy season with. 

 It was comforting for me to revisit images of Jon and it made celebrating X'mas this year justifiable, also only because Jon wouldn't have it any other way. 

I think his familiar boyish grin brought relief to all of us, even if tears were freely flowing.

95% goes to Medan

Went to Medan for the first time with 95% to conduct two trainings for a group of very young, very switched on individuals who were on fire when we left. The city unlike Jakarta is less congested more languid in pace and well laid out, abit like Penang. 

We conducted the first part of the training in Brastagi, a highlands resort about 2 hours from the city of Medan. The harrowing drive up the narrow and winding trunk road revealed the edgy, underdeveloped countryside of North Sumatra. The Bataks live in these parts, their favourite cuisine- pig burnt in an open wood fire and sweet corn barbequed pretty much the same way. 

The hotel Sibayak was adequate and the helpful staff pretty much made up for any shortcoming. Training went like clockwork and I had the benefit of getting the very power and goodness of our trainers up close and very gruelling. I have never been more tired from a day's work and never happier. 

But the true happiness came from seeing the faces and the 'being' of the participants at the end of the second day. Awesome.

Cameron Highlands

My biker buddies from BMW Motorrad invited me, a non BMW bike owner, to join them on a weekend ride to Camerons. Apprehensive at first, but then I thought; what the heck! How often does a Ducati owner get invited to ride with the Beemer boys? Besides, I'll stick out like dogs balls and that's what 'living' purposefully is all about.
So off I went on Saturday morning, after a hectic, congested, work filled week, I was off, like the wind, to join 30+ other BMW bikers on a ride up the deliciously winding slopes of Camerons. The virtually mishap free ride took about 2 hours with petrol stop at Tapah rest. Quaint little streams and spectacular waterfalls still dot the route up the highlands but the tight and sometimes long corners make the ride worthwhile.Of course the large acreages of vegetable farms and tea plantations make a grand vista.
The spanking new Century Pines Hotel we stayed in was small enought to be personal yet big enough to accomodate all of the bikers and bikes in the front courtyard. There was a karaoke cum sports bar that we bikers ended up drinking when we were not admiring each other bikes in the courtyard. Oh. Did I also mention that it was also a trip to celebrate Oktoberfest? Yes the German beers were flowing all right. And the German MD of Auto Bavaria I was with, Mathias Heimann was scintillating company as we conversed and connected on a level that transcended 'time and space'. A man who enjoys his beers as much as he enjoys biking and the business of 'not selling cars'. It was indeed a memorable night, even with all the beers in my head, what was on top of my mind as I turned in, at way past 3am that night, was a question that will almost always be a mystery posed to me by Mathias;
Where are you when you are travelling? Cue music (twilight zone)

I am eagerly awaiting the ride photos from fellow biker/photographer Norizan. Watch this space.