5 Minutes

Opportunities don't come easily, 

They don't fall from the sky, 

You have to seek it mercifully, 

Sometimes you may even have to cry.

Life is not always bright and breezy, 

Time flies no matter where we look, 

At times it's sane to be crazy, 

But at times it's not pivotal to follow the book.

Our path is written even before we were born, 

It is up to us to paint the colours, 

We could aim high and we could be worn, 

But you don't rate your success just by looking at the dollars.

All rights reserved ®

Out of Le Mans

Since June 1st, my life has totally changed. My routine is not so routine anymore. I no longer take micro shots at life with my Canon instead, I'm taking micro shots of ME. I resolved to sticking to this new life routine for at least 3 years - or until I developed the capacity for extreme lethargy, whichever comes first - before taking someone to take it off of my hands. And that is a big IF I have the moolah. I do not even use my camera phone to snap still life that no matter how uninteresting the object is, I would however, manage to make it full of colours. My days are filled with coffee before work and milk at night with a magazine or book in my hands. Only at this moment that I decided to pen down my next blog.

Every morning I tool around the suburb with a four-seater powered by switchgrass and medidation (I wish!). There were 24 of us in the department currently undergoing training and another 20 plus in another department. Eventhough I am still in a classroom environment filled with computers, cables, mahagony tables, fellow colleagues, and a trainer, I need to see the whole picture with fresh eyes. It's no longer a mundane task with one-sided communication. It's a job that requires much input and related output. And I'm thinking what do I need to ask when the trainer pauses for air. It's a difficult task for the brain, eyes, ears and other sound sensory system and nerves when a listener is a slow-learner, like ME.

With lots of new things going on, I still have ample time at night. The dream of giving back to the society to protect the poor from genocide and from the ruthless from ethnic violence, it might come true. Am such a sluggish humanitarian? At least, I'm thinking of becoming one some day. What about helping Sri Lanka where the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is one of the world's cruelest terrorist groups and has often deployed child soldier and suicide bombers? (I'm thinkin of Jeff Dunham's Achmed at this moment.)

Or what about joining the space team to take the skies in 2014 floating at zero gravity in the Atlantis space shuttle? I certainly can't oblige to Sheldon's mode of preparation in The Big Bang Theory.

Oh! I learned something. This line would summarise it up, " Sometimes, it's what you don't say that hurts."

What about the recession? Under the new enforced policy in New York City, working families that live in the public shelter will have to turn over a portion of the earnings, in some cases as much as 50%, to cover cost. About 2000 of the 9000 families living in homeless shelter will be affected as the city grapples with a major budget crunch.

Now with so many things in mind and constructive opinions to offer, I just hope I do not need to reboot my core system everytime it went blue screen.

Cheers.

Le Mans

I feel like I'm one of those race track drivers zooming every morning and evening on the freeway. It is tiring at times when irresponssible drivers just cut in, in front of you without even signaling. Everything is so new to me, but I am getting the hang of it. Living in an alien place, Seri Kembangan, with alien housemates while working in another alien place, Cyberjaya, is oh-so-challenging. Every little itsy-bitsy thing, however mundane, is totally on my own. Waking up at 6.45am every morning and leave the house by 8am to get through another day only to reach home by 6.30pm is by far, the most interesting and exhilarating life I have ever live in. I feel like I'm one of those talk-about working adults going about their working life. Well, it is my TIME anyway. 

What is more saddening is that I have to leave my best friend, Anna, all alone in Malacca. It is not easy getting used to living the life around strangers. Getting to know new people is a whole new cycle of life. Without even saying a word, you are already being judged by the way you dress, walk, and other non-verbal signs. It just gets more interesting and shocking when you open your mouth to speak. Well, depends on whether the prior judgment is what as expected as after the mingling process. With loads of names to remember, plus a little more added information such as graduate universities and hometowns, I chose to only remember those who appear subtle yet interesting with a room left for the unexpected. So guys and girls, wow me. =)

I do not know when I will go back to Malacca to see my beloved and dearest and closest friend. But I hope it will happen very soon.

Cheers.

P/S: No pictures for now. Sorry for any delays caused. My rented place has no internet connection currently. Sigh..

Jeremy Clarkson Quotes from "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly"

"The reason American cars are cheap is because they are made from melted down Action Man." (He really hates American-made cars)

"In many ways, this car is like herpes. Great fun catching it, but not so fun to live with it everyday." - On the Corvette Z06

"It certainly isn't pretty. Honestly, I'd rather look at a baboon. In fact, come to think about it, I'd rather look at the back of a baboon." - On the Prius 2003 model

"So, it's not beautiful. It's not fast. It's not particularly economical. Not DESPERATELY safe. And now it turns out it isn't even bullet-proof. Sheesh." On the Prius 2003 model after a certain Billy Bob shoots it.

"Hmm.. this means the Americans have had the car for a hundred years and they are still going no faster when this whole place was cowboy-central." On the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang, 4.6 L, 300bhp

"This was built for straight lines." - On the 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT

"Sure, the Shelby has more horsepower. But trust me on this, it doesn't matter. It REALLY doesn't matter." - On the 2007 Ford Roush Mustang V8

"While this may look like a large executive saloon with enormous wheels, it's actually a modern-road-burning muscle car." - On the Chrysler 300 SRT (Street & Racing Technology) 8 based on the Mercedes E Class, 6.1 L V8 engine, 425 bhp

"The extraordinary thing is though, none of the noise it makes are NOISE. I mean, you thought that it got one of it right, by accident, but NO! Honestly, it's like farts. Loads of different types and I don't really wanna hear any of them." - On the Cadillac XLR V V8, 443bhp

"You would imagine then that the American motorists didn't care much for Jaguar's new XK 8. They'd probably find the 4.2 Litre V8 too small and they wouldn't care to hoot that it's made from aluminum. So it's light and agile. So what?" - On the Jaguar XK 8

"It has an 8.3 Litre V10 engine with 510bhp and you could use an engine like that to move a moon out of orbit." - On the Dodge Viper

"What I love most of all is that it's quite, civilised, and sophisticated. But you can sense, that the back end, wants to come out and play." On the 2008 Ford GT

Cheers.

In Perfect Denial

A Beautiful Lie by 30 Seconds to Mars.

Approved by my Audio Artist since June '07.

Cheers.

Mash-up, a MAJOR one

This arrangement sounds so good on my Audio Artist. Jon Schmidt has superb talent. Now, I can't help it, playing it over and over again.

Cheers,

Cinderella Man

The Korean producers of the Korean drama series, Cinderella Man, certainly played their cards right, with the Europeans. Only on the first episode, I have seen a 2007  snow white BMW M6 cabriolet. The German-produced car is said to be the World's Fastest 4-Seat Convertible. This 5.0 liter, V10 baby is a gem. Put the pedal to the floor and it wails a superb exhaust tone when you hit 8,250 rpm line.

Wald's side skirts body kit and Brembo GT 4 piston rear brake kit, 13-inch cross-drilled rear disc rotor.

Wald's rear Apron splitters body kit and quad-tip exhaust system.

With Wald front Apron spoiler body kits and Brembo GT8 piston front brake kit and 15-inch cross-drilled front dist rotor.

Next on the list, it is the BMW F01, or the 7 series. This baby is a 2008 production for the '09 model. I am not too sure whether the one in the Korean drama is the twin-turbo V12 or V8 engine, but it sure looks fine to me. It comes with a 8-speed transmission and either 4-square pipes for the V12 or 2-square pipes for the V8. The Germans always improve their iDrive Navigation System (which can be annoying at times when it does not work properly). It comes in 4 colours: Sophisto Grey, Cashmere Silver (the one from Cinderella Man), Imperial Blue and Mineral White.

Then we have the British Bentley. The producers certainly have high-class taste in cars when it comes to the 2007 black Arnage. This fine thang has a 6.8 liter Rolls Royce V8 engine (my mind just went somewhere else) churns out a bhp range of 450 to 500 depending on the version. Bentley will cease its operation in this year though. Bye bye beauty.

What can I expect more from this drama? You and I will just have to wait and see.

Cheers.

Tropicana City Mall Revisited

My Lady...

I went to Tropicana City Mall for the third time yesterday. I didn't buy anything, just snapped some pictures that I missed during my first 2 visits. My parents, brother and I didn't go anywhere else much because we were there for a purpose.

Here are the pictures:

Hyundai automobile exhibition. Vehicles include  Santa Fe, Tuscon, Genesis Coupe, and Getz.

I would love to try dining at this place. Love the classic bicycle.

Cheers.

A Day in Town

Fancy some chinese tea?

After all is said and done, Anna and me found some US time. Class ended circa 10am and we headed to MP. First thing we do is, have lunch at BK. We both have been wanting it for so long. =D One sad thing that had changed at BK is that, there are no more drink refills. The manual refill is only available till June. Oh well, everyone is cutting cost now. I want to find a white formal top from Padini so we headed to DP. I did not only bought a top, but I bought flats as well, from Vincci. =D I had a RM10 voucher from Vincci so I put it to a good use. Huhu..

Then we headed to Nichii where we both tried this tube dress. Being the girls we are, I took some pictures. On the way to Bear Hill, I spotted another Mark X while driving. We headed to Z-Hair to have our routine trim. Anna had her trim. I had a cut. Straight line back! Like in schooling days, only wayyyy better.. so as I say. Haha.. I took the before picture but I have forgotten to take the after. I will soon. So here are the said pictures.

We are twins in our own way.

The said Mark X

Before

Before

Afters.. well.. a little later.

Cheers.

Broken Prison

After 4 seasons to find out that Michael Scofield's mum is or rather was, working for The Company? And that Lincoln Burrows was adopted resulted from his parents who worked for The Company met with an accident? I always know something's fishy because of their different names. This isn't Prison Break anymore, after Season 1, the storyline gets complicated and dull although full of action. But anyway since I'm still following the series, I'm eager to know what Scylla really is apart from it beinf helpful in the future. I also want to know why Scofield and Burrow's mother, Christina Scofield's intention towards Scylla. Is she going to sell it to the highest buyer? And will happen to General Jonathan Krantz? What will happen to Michael and Linc? Will the early pregnancy test of Dr Sara Tancredi approves positive and will she be able to keep it? What will happen to Michael and Sara then, when this is all over? That is a lot of question unanswered. So much anticipation. 

All I could say is, stay tune. 3 episodes left. A 2-hour finale concludes Prison Break.

But one good thing is, this will be the season finale. (I know there are fans who would disagree with me.)

Cheers.

Labour Day

I started my day with finishing up my very last assignment given to me and that is my Decision Support Systems (DSS) report. It requires me to find a DSS software that either has one of these elements: data warehouse, data mining, business intelligence (BI), and of course decision support. So after a short research, I picked IBM Cognos 8 BI. The report was completed circa 9am and I proceeded to printing it.

Having a lunch date with Anna at 12.30pm, I set out early to bind and submit my report. Then I received a text message from Anna asking to push lunch to 1pm. I called her and I said I'm already in campus and I will drop by her apartment to spend the extra time.

I wanted to have my lunch at McD as I have not been consuming fast food for 2-3 weeks. But, since it was Labour Day, McD was full as a can or sardines. So we went to Nando's instead. Here are some pictures (blurry pictures for some because I only use my Z610i phone to snap, malas nak charge my canon camera).

Nando's (unpaid) model

Olympus (unpaid) model

Do these children mannequins look weird to you?

Later that day, I had dinner at OUB with my family and relatives who are back for the long weekend. Then at 11pm, I had Tandoori Chicken with my brother and cousins in Pak Putra, Kota Laksamana. Tak bole tahan makan jer.. adoi.

Cheers.

Not-so-lucky Day

Thursday (30th April), it was not a good day for me. It was the day for my Final Year Report (FYP) submission, but that was not the problem. You see, in the FYP guidelines, it is clearly stated that we need to submit TWO light blue cover report (hard copy) and ONE CD (soft copy). At 11am, my reports were ready to be submitted. But as soon as I went to the faculty office, they said I have to submit TWO (freaking) CDs AND bind my research papers together with the report. So, that was fine, as well, as I still have the time to rush home which is 13 minutes away, burn another CD, go to the binding shop to add the additional research paper, in time for my tutorial class at 12pm. I was Mika Häkkinen for a moment and the heat of the day does not help at all. Before I left the house, my mum asked me whether I have taken all that I need and I said with confidence, YES! But I soon learn later that, that was not the case.

So, I rushed back to the binding shop and as I got into the car to drive to campus to resubmit, I found myself searching high and low for the other copy of the CD. I said, "Sh*t! I left the other CD on my computer table! Sherilyn, you are in beyond the valley of forgetfullness." (Mumbling to myself, I hope no one saw me as they would think I had gone cuckoo.) At that instant, I dialled Mum on her mobile phone to ask her if she sees a CD on my table while I know well I left it there. And (cold) truth be told, my purple CD is resting peacefully, probably laughing like a devil at me. That time, it was close to 12pm. I told myself, I can't rush back now, I'll miss the class.

And guess what? I waited in the class for a (stupid) 10 minutes and no one turned up. The reason? You'll probably know. Class was cancelled, not that day itself, but apparently, the tutor told the whole class last week. I went furious but keep my cool. I must not be paying attention to him while he was talking crap in class. Well, crap claimed its victory that day. Smiling down wickedly at me saying, "HA! That's for not listening to ME!". I said, "CRAP!"

By that time, Anna was at the faculty office to submit hers. After that, we went lunch together and this was nearly 1pm. I poured out all my frustration (at myself) to Anna. Being the best bud that she is, Anna was a good listener, she always will be. *smiles*

I headed home after filling my tummy, took my CD and drove straight to campus to re-resubmit. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Roadrunner United - The End

This is my ultimate metal artist mash up. Enjoy. =)

Cheers.

Kentang oh kentang

I woke up early this morning to shop for groceries and vege at Tesco with mum. We went early to beat the ragging traffic and eager shoppers. And here's what I found...

Normal potatoes, RM1.19 per kg

US potatoes

Pink potatoes

Washed potatoes, RM7.99 per kg. Saper yang malas nak basuh kentang bole la beli cap nih.

Cheers.

Que sera sera

Embarking on another life, a working life, is scary for me. Come to think about it, you hold sole responsibility of your tasks. No one to share or take the blame. It is definitely not like internship I experienced last year.

These questions arise from my thoughts as I strolled worriedly at MMU's Career Fair 2009: coulda, woulda, shoulda.

1. Could I land a job?
2. And if I landed a job, would I accept it?
3. Should I accept it based on my interests in that job or just for the sake of owning a stable income?

I can say, this is so much like choosing a partner in life. But back to the issue at hand, I would be grateful if I could get a job in the wake of global recession. Females prefer to play safe. Get a job which promises steady salary. Find a partner that would provide her everything else that she could not (from monetary gains to happiness). But that was last time. Now, on the contrary, women prefer to be independent, which definitely screams ME. And when I say that, it means I will accept the challenges of achieving my goals, the obstacles to achieve my goals, the fear of failing to achieve my/company goals, the risks of uncertainties, and the gender competition.

Of course, with given time and experience, I could achieve all that. But time and experience are not the only factors that could guarantee success. The determination to excel, the will to push myself, and with the right opportunities, an optimal goal could be achieved.

Above all, no matter how strong you are, men and women, fear is still a number one factor. Emotion can take over anything.

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Career Fair is organised with Consumer Fair as well. So commerce businesses such as BodyShop, Air Asia, etc. participated in the event. For so long, I wanted my Lavender Body Mist from BodyShop but I was told that they stopped its production cause it is an old product. How can a product gets old when it is something that consumers adore?! *grrrr* I had no choice but to try a different scent. And my pick is Cassis Rose. It has this very sweet rosy smell. So, next time this scent comes into your nostrils, you'd know it is ME. Hahaha..

With my free 'Graduan 2009' book

In another ocassion, I found an aged van near Pantai Hospital. I am unable to detect what species it is. Might be Ford, but I'm not too sure. Pop the hood mister. (Taken with my Z610i)

When my brother went to Sepang International Circuit last 2 weeks to book the circuit for vehicles drive tests, he stopped at the souvenir shop and bought some stuff. He bought himself a polo shirt and a lanyard. Being the thoughtful brother that he is, he bought his lovely sister a polo shirt and a lanyard as well. Cost of the shirt? close to RM70 and Rm10 for the lanyard. Geez!

My brother said that the shirts are all small in sizes.  So, he picked 'L' for me, which is for major cuts, is not my size.  But this suits me perfectly well. Love it! Thank you Ko! =D

It sure is.

With racing stripes

Cheers.

Mystery Spots: Places Where Bizarre Forces Obscure Reality

Mystery Spots: Places Where Bizarre Forces Obscure Reality

This is definitely eerie, true or not.

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A Corner of North America That Is Forever France

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Ferrari Model Cars

Resting in solitary with my Reader's Digest collection

Here's my Ferrari Model Cars collection...

250 GTO built to race in the 60's

F40 coupe sports car ('87-'92)

360 Challange Stardale, a variant of 360 Modena introduced in 2003

360 GTC, race version of 360 produced in 2004

612 Scaglietti is a grand tourer introduced in 2004

F430 Challenge unveiled in 2005

599 GTB Fiorano gran turismo replaced 575 M Maranello, produced in 2007

430 Scuderia, successor of Challenge Stardale unveiled by Michael Schumacher at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show

F2008, used in the first season of 2008's Formula 1 unveiled in January 2008

So, there goes my whole, however, incomplete collection.

Cheers.