Took out a present from the wishlist.

 

A friend of mine already got me this. So it’s no longer on the wish list. Thank a wholelottabunchlots Ai may!

Wish list – UPDATED

A friend of mine asked whether i actually have a wishlist for my upcoming birthday that has items that would not cost him an arm, a leg, and possibly a kindey (maybe even both). To honor his wish,  I am putting up a birthday wishlist.  Mind you, the things on the list are things that I want to have, but will not get around to buying (with the exception of item 5) as I consider them a luxury (i.e. my world will not end if i don’t go out and get them myself). Thus, it’s with shamelessness that I pass the buck to my friends to get me these luxuries in life…. here it goes, in no particular order.

GNC shaker bottle – to be used for my creatine and protein shakes.

Boyz II Men II CD (their second CD) – my copy’s been scratched to hell since it’s over 10 yrs old.

 

Lab series for men power wash

Lab series for men oil control daily hydrator

Jeffrey Archer’s Cat O Nine Tales

Aztech BC1000 Bluetooth Car Kit

There you have it, my list. Vern, hope this helps!

-nuff said-

Crackalacking!

I was perusing GNC’s Malaysian website today to look for shaker bottles when lo and behold i found the following info on their site.

 

Check out item 5. Bring a whole new meaing to the phrase “Horny Old Goat”.

-nuff said-

Potential t-shirts

I just don’t understand

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Monday/National/20070305091219/Article/index_html 

 I just read this article in NST.com.my which talked about ragging that goes on in Malaysia (and in one instance, Singapore). My response to the article is OH MY GOOD GOD! I cannot believe that there are still people who believe ragging will build character if done properly, or it’s ok so long  there’s no physical abuse done.

Firstly, what the F**K does being done properly mean? Does it mean:

a) Done with the consent of the relevant folks in charge. If that’s the case, then let all the parents who send their kids to Malaysian universities (Army/Naval/Airforce academies included) be VERY afraid. Why? Because the folks in charge (I hesitate from using the word authority here as it implied some sort of moral responsibility) are most likely the seniors who are either doing the ragging or are turning a blind eye on the basis of “I had to go through it as a freshmen, so now it’s their turn”.

b) Done in good spirit. Whose good spirit? The person who’s doing the ragging or the poor sod who’s being ragged? Who the hell are we kidding. It’s a good example of the paradoxial state Malaysians are in. Bullying is bad, but ragging is good. Ragging is bad, but “orientation is good”. Let me ask, where’s the line that separates the two? When does oreintation go from acceptable to deplorable? Whose moral standards should we adopt? The seniors? The university official? If yes, then please refer to item a.

c) Done to help the freshies build better friendship, get acclimated, bla bla bla… Another load of crap. I am sorry, I do not believe this. It’s a fallacious belief that by belittling and humiliating someone you will grow to love either the person who’s doing the belittling or the place the humiliation is happening. It’s basic human conditioning: bad actions do not create positive outcomes.

 To tackle the idea that it’s ok so long as there’s no physical harm, I would urge folks to remember that you can heal most physical wounds (and see them heal), but mental would might never heal and will most likely fester. We are moving more and more into a world where violence and killing is the norm. Why put more fuel into the fire. I put for a scenario to illustrate my point.

Imagine a normal looking kid who went to a university in malaysia with a pretty good SPM score. He has never been to a boarding school, thus fortunate enough to be spare the agony of ragging during his formative years. He’s been thought by his parents that his self-worth is priceless and worth fighting for. He goes to university X, in malaysia, where he’s ridiculed by his ‘well intention’ seniors. they make him do things he does not want to do, belittle his self-worth, all in the name of ‘orientation’. Now, this freshman tries his best, but after the end of the first week, he can’t take it anymore. He goes back for a weekened to his hometown, brings back a sharpened parang and attacks his seniors while they were asleep, killing 2 and seriously injuring 3. After the attack, he goes to the warden and surrenders. At his trial, when asked why he did it, he simply said “I couldn’t take it anymore’.

This kind of thing is already happening in high schools in the US and UK. Do we want it to happen here?

Ragging is bad, not matter what guise it happens or what labels we deign to give it. It is never nice to humiliate people, and we should not condone it, EVER.

FYI, I went to a boarding school where ragging was rampant. Humiliation, man-handling, you name it, it happened. You know what i’ve realized looking back? The smart ones, the straight A students, never ragged. Why? Because they’ve got better things to do.

Choices

I wrote this piece when i was struggling with the decision to leave my last employer (refer to my other posts to find out who they are).

Faced with a choice,

A hard one at that,

What am I to do?

Feel like a battered spouse,

Too scared to leave for fear of the unknown,

Yet too filled with hurt and pain of the present.

Always falling for sweet promises,

That last as long as the next changing priority.

Believing in half truths and clouded uncertainties.

Faced with a choice,

A hard one I think,

Leaving a place of known uncomfortable pain,

for a place of unknown potential gain?

Better to go or to stay?

Better to matter or to keep my head down and keep plugging away?

A decision’s made i believe,

Sprouting from a seed of doubt.

Brought to life in the bosom of corporate clout

Apathy to be replaced with energy,

Smoke and mirrors to be replaced by integrity.

From swallowing pride to doing what’s right.

Faced with a choice,

A difficult one you see,

But a choice I’ve made,

One that’s the best for me.

8 down, 5 to go!

I am down to 78 kilos! Yay Faeez.

Last Saturday, I had my fourth assessment since I started gym. I’m down to 78 kilos from the 84 kgs that i was last August. That mean’s i’ve lost about 6 kgs in total. The breakdown : i’ve lost 8 kgs of fat and gained 2 kgs of muscle mass. I’ve dropped about 10% of body fat, which averaged about 1% a month. Now, I’ve got about 5 kgs of loss to go to reach my target weight of 73 kgs, and body fat target of 15 kg (which is around 20% body fat). How do i do this?

 Well, since my target is to lose the weight in about a month, it’s a combo of proper eating and continued cardio + weight training. My PT has drawn up a meal plan for me for the next one month, which consists of museli cereal for breakfast, dry roast beef or roast chicken sandwiches for lunch, and roast/grilled fish or chicken for dinner. And for lunch and dinner i have to make sure i eat as much veges as possible. I’ve started on the new diet since Saturday, and i gotta say, though it’s hard, it’s definitely doable. On the workout front, i’ve got to maintain my minimum 30 mins a day cardio (which i burn about 500 kcal) plus weight training to build muscle mass. But, between the workout and eating, I have to say, the eating part is a lot harder because it’s a whole day thing (versus the few hours I spend at the gym for the workout).

My next assessment is 7th April. It’ll be the litmus test for my one month eating challenge. As my trainer puts it “It will tell whether you cheated or not”.

 -toodles-

Can’t wait for it…but have to.

There’s a movie that I am currently waiting for.

  

It’s called 300 and it’s coming out in about a week. I’m gonna have to go watch it…

here’s a link to the movie trailer’s website… http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/300/hd/

Check it out, i think it’s gonna be awesome. Now, should i go buy the graphic novel (the one the movie’s based on)?

Pictures of my family… yay!

I think it’s time for me to share with you photos of my family… these selection of photos are among the best I have. Enjoy!

 This is my son, Firdaus, in his baju melayu. Cute ain’t he? (Click on photo to see bigger pic)

My son with my lovely wife, Lin. On the ERL heading to KLIA for our trip to Sabah last August.

 

That’s me and my son on the same ERL. The other cute boy in the picture is Akmal, my nephew.

My son out cold after a full day of frolicking in the sun.

Cousin being cousins. Nuff said

They just loved to be photograhped, what can i say?

An earlier photo of Firdaus. See that cheeky smile. Beware!

I want one!!!!!

My birthday’s coming up in about three weeks and I’m salivating over a watch that I’ve been dreaming about. It’s the Mark XVI (that’s sixteeen for those not in the know) from IWC (International Watch Company). I think it’ll continue to be a dream as the watch costs almost 12K, hence effectively outside my budget! Argh, the agony!!!!

Here’s what it looks like…

  – Click on it to see the full size pic

Sweet is it not? Beautiful! A few of my friends asked “What’s beautiful about it?”. I can only say… beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I wonder if can convince my friends to get me this thing of beauty for my coming birthday. No harm in wishful thinking i guess!

-fin-