Problematic background?

Been getting a little feedback about the background not loading and the whole page is white. Well I'm not sure if it's a Blogger or Imageshack (that's where the background comes from) problem but it loads just fine on my computer, so you might wanna refresh it once or twice. Do leave a lil message over on the chatbox on the left if the problem persists and I'll see what I can do~

New look, new name

Yeup, about time to freshen up my blog from something dark and dreary.

And for those who may not have noticed, now I type with my posts in the middle like this,

when I used to start from the side like this.

Come to think of it, I think it's high time I change the name of my blog as well. Life in The Fast Lane doesnt seem to suit the mood of my blog these days (in fact it doesnt suit my blog AT ALL. How did I pick this name in the first place...)

"Life is A Highway" sounds nice but not at all original,

"It's A Deric Life" is a teeny bit original, a lil' bit catchy maybe?

Cant think of other nice blog titles now... I think I'll stick to the first one until I get something better. Suggestions anyone? =]

National Service

Maaf! 930114xxxxxx anda tidak terpilih untuk menyertai PLKN Siri 8/2011. Terima kasih.

Originally, I never wanted to go for national service, especially when the goal is to promote racial unity and patriotism *koff*, and also when the selection of trainees is completely random. It doesnt matter if you're a president of a society or the most active member in the club or a national level competition entrant or some juvenile Mat Rempit or a gangster or just an Average Joe/Jane, it all boils down to L-U-C-K. Very unfair, and I was very against it (still am actually). I mean at least can they BASE it on certain criteria like co-curricular activities and school discipline records? If one is co-curricular-ly active, has good discipline, not racist and loves their country *koff*, why should they be chosen? It defeats the purpose when the good eggs have to go while thousands of no-lifers still freely roam about up to their mischievous ways. But now that I'm not chosen, I guess I should just shut my mouth.

But now that I'm not chosen, and seeing responses from friends that want to go but werent chosen, or those that were chosen, didnt take the news too well but were told that it's actually a great experience, is kind of making me feel bummed that I wasnt chosen to go. Its a once in a life time thing.You meet new friends, and get new experiences. And maybe, juuuuuust maybe, I couldve been going to the same camp as her. Probability is small, but who knows? But then again, after a few (actually VERY few) NS deaths, food poisoning, all that marching, I'm not too sure. Gosh I hope she'll be okay. Erm er anyway as I was saying, I could use those 3 months to help out my uncle (or maybe dad) at his workshop, where I could get a very healthy jump start to my automotive endeavours, FINALLY PROPERLY learn Cantonese/Mandarin (yes, wor zhe banana liao~) and spend some quality bonding time with dad/uncle.


Maybe I'll trade that M16 for some grease, oil, a toolbox and spare parts after all....

F1 Boring?

The amazing sights and sounds of the Formula 1 2000-2005 generation as shown by Michael Schumacher in 2003 around Albert Park in Australia. The screaming V10s, the cameras actually shaking trying to keep pace as they fly around the race track. That was what made F1 so exciting back then. Especially the noise. Man that was really the essence of F1, I.M.H.O. I mean, have a sample of last year's race at Australia:

They're nothing but dull, boring drones. They dont sound anything like the F1 cars of before. I could sleep listening to today's F1 racers, but I never get fed up of watching videos of F1 cars with those V10 engines up to 2005, or maybe even some V12s back in the 1980s and 1990s. Even 5 years after being replaced by smaller V8s with lower rev limiters, they will always own today's F1 engines.






Then there are the looks. Good, sleek looking F1 racers (used to) look like these:

But now, they look like silly toy cars:

They have that funny, odd-looking fin at the back,

and the front wing is waaaay too wide, the rear wing waaaay too narrow and too tall. It's very very un-proportional, and not what I'd call attractive.

And then they had to do away with refueling during pit stops. Now all they can do is change tires. Which isnt really that exciting to watch. At least with refueling, they could plan strategies, short refuels or filing the tank to the brim, the fans at home will be wondering if their favourite team's strategy would pay off or not, will the splash-and-dash get the driver out just ahead of their rivals, the element of suspense just made things all the more exciting. Not to mention the occasional pit stop fires. Now all that is gone. *poof*

And is it me, or are the domination-styled F1 seasons now Dullsville as well? I mean Michael Schumacher and Scuderia Ferrari winning 5 world championships from 2000-2004 didnt sound so boring, but with Brawn GP last year and Red Bull this year making clean sweeps each race weekend, the phrase "Ugh, again?" seems to be rather common.

Lastly, there are the races itself. There's barely any overtaking these days, let alone wheel-to-wheel battles that go on for several laps between 2 or maybe even more drivers. Now for the most part, with that boring droning, they just follow each other around and around and around. And when they finally DO try to overtake, and if they pass or not, there wont be any action from them for the next several laps, if not at all. And then there's the sense of speed - or lack thereof. As you could see in the first video, the cameras were actually shaking and swinging about trying to keep up with Michael. It really did sound and look like they were racing at really high speeds. Try watching F1 on the TV today, you wont get any of that sensation. Okay, maybe with super sharp HDTVs, better cameras and more skilled cameramen, images are much sharper and clearer, but really, watching F1 just isnt that thrilling as it used to be.

Boring sounds, uninteresting looks, lack of competition, lack of race action and sensation. That sums up F1 today pretty much, doesnt it?

Being automotively inclined....

I've always had a problem with saying or hearing the phrase "I like cars"/"You like cars"/"Liking cars"/etc. Or maybe even just saying "cars". Sounds kiddish. Something only little children holding toy Hot Wheels cars would say. To hear a little kid say "I like cars" is fine by me, but at this age, leaving our teen years soon, I just cant agree with that. Not that it's wrong, it just doesnt suit me. Being automotively inclined sounds (even if it isnt a real phrase) much more matured, shows that one is properly passionate and at the very least, somewhat respectable depth of knowledge about the automotive field.


And you know, being automotively inclined is not one hobby that I can easily relate with friends. There are so many technical terms, mechanical functions, the physics, technologies and histories about automobiles, it's very difficult for the average Joe to pick up and instantly get acquainted to. And then there are so many branches in the automotive field; manufacturers, key personalities, motor sports, makes and models, and all the various types from sedans to saloons to sports cars. Even after starting off this hobby at around 6-7 years old, there is still heaps to learn as each year new knowledge about new automobiles is unveiled, not to mention as I said earlier, the automotive field covers a very, very big scope.


Its very hard you know, finding friends that have a true, undying interest in automobiles. People that actually study how parts work, models and specifications, and the like. From the top of my head I can only think of 5 such friends; Imran, Aidil, Martin, Lau and Yusuf. Only 5. Out of the 250+ friends I have. One lives in Kedah, one lives in KL, and another lives in Singapore. That is how small the ratio is, and how uninterested the majority of my friends are with automobiles. It makes things especially difficult from a social perspective. If I were to walk up to any of the other 245+ friends and start blabbering about automobiles, they'll just go "Huhh??? Whaaa???? I dont understand!!!", that's because they just dont have any interest like I do. All my other friends can share more, should I say, common hobbies like playing the piano or dancing or just recently coming up, photography. These people are so fortunate they have parents providing money to fund these (for me) rather pricey activities. And they can spend their free time working on their hobbies, improving and sharing with their soooo many other friends and then they get the oohs and aaahs (that they deserve of course).


What about me then? How can I share my interest with friends and actually use it as a way to socialise with them? The simple answer is I cant, because the rest of them just arent interested, neither do they actually admire or take notice!! As a result, I sometimes feel that this hobby-incompatibility makes me a sort of social dud.. I dont get friends admiring how great I play the guitar or how professional my photography skills are. All I get from them asking about my hobby is, (even if they do ask, which I cant remember in a while they have) "What car is this?". And at the very best, the reply I'll ever get is "oo, looks nice leh". That's all. Even if that's not the case, what activity on earth can I join that will make me feel at home with other automotive enthusiasts? And more so, how can I afford them??

Being automotively inclined is a very difficult hobby to share indeed. People can instantly admire a beautiful piece of music or art, but they'll need a thorough explanation on how an engine works. It's all technical and understanding the way things work. Which, in the automotive field, can get very complex. Unlike say somebody playing the piano, you just close your eyes and let your ears enjoy the melody, and praise how good he/she is. Anybody can do that. But not anybody can listen to a Ferrari engine and want to learn more about the Ferrari itself. The most they'll comment on are the looks and the sound. Full stop. It's also hard to find people who really really have that keen interest, to learn about revolutionary technologies, ground-breaking new models, the glorious history of some certain car models and/or their feats in motor sports, or even how different setups of different parts affects performance. Maybe what I know is only a teeny weeny little speck compared to how much there is to learn, but I think it's quite safe to say I know quite a lot more about the automotive sector than my other friends, except for the 5 automotive-inclined ones I mentioned. You dont meet these kinds of people (at least at this age) easily. They arent a dime a dozen like photographers and musicians. Some may say we're a unique batch of people, I think we're simply lacking in numbers. For the most part, people will just slap on a picture of a car they like, say that "they like cars" and elaborate by saying "ooh, this car is nice.... oh, I oso like that car.... eh this car oso is good leh". Way amateurish. I really hope one day to break free from this secluded social enclosure and get to really enjoy my passion with other people.

The end of a beginning

How many of you remember this moment in history?

Tun Mahathir Mohamad announcing his retirement from UMNO, Barisan Nasional and role as the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia. As you can see, he's more than sad to announce his stepping down; and who could blame him? For one, he was Malaysia's longest serving Prime Minister from 16 July 1981 to 31 October 2003, and had contributed immensely to Malaysia's economic and technological growth; thus earning him the title of Bapa Pemodenan (Father of Modernization). His blood, sweat and tears for the country had paid dividends, and any leader who may have left such a mark on Malaysia's development would be just as sad to resign from all his positions.

And today, after a full 5 year membership with PBSM/BSMM ACS Sitiawan, it was my turn to step down from my year's service as president. The journey to the top was nothing short of fulfilling. I remember the very first time I attended PBSM's meeting in Form 1, I had no idea what on earth to wear. I came wearing a casual shirt, short pants and slippers, instead of, say, PJ shirt, track suit and school shoes. Genius, wasn't I? So from then, I met a bunch of friends, learnt all sorts of vital first aid techniques, learnt to work with new people during first aid services, and working with fellow board members in running the show. Of course, this is all normal. We all go through it. But you know, after 5 years of loyally attending meetings, 2 years on the board, 3 years of camping, and numerous first aid services, helping those in need, I came to love BSMM. Sure, overall quality has declined compared to several years ago, but nonetheless I took in everything that BSMM had to offer, even some rough times. And I learnt to appreciate how important, and how noble BSMM is. It was just within this past week it dawned on me that, to have been chosen to lead this important and noble uniform body, was such an honour and privilege. And that I've put in so much effort along with my AJKs to keep BSMM running, if not improving it. But that was what mattered the most - our effort.

I had much inspiration from the past board members, and even my own brother who was the vice president when he was in Form 5. So from them, I took the motivation to be as strict as I could possibly be; no joking around, always with a loud, authoritative voice, sending out the clear message that I was not going to be some push over. And yet, at the same time, carefully managing the society and making sure nothing went awry. Okay, maybe I'm not the best president to have stepped in and take charge, but what is assured is that I've done everything I could and carried out my duty to the best of my abilities, even bringing in new changes. Last year was the first time we had McDonald's food for any occasion. Our annual camp had a complete overhaul (even though it didnt quite receive the response we had hoped). I actually dared to change. Not just monotonously follow obligations and not trying something different. We had put in A LOT to make those changes work. And all that made me realise how much I actually cared for BSMM. I just cant help but feel that way, after joining for 5 years and ending on this note. 

BSMM meant a lot to me. Part of my life has been shaped around BSMM. That's how special it has been. I've truly appreciated every experience I've gained, even if there were some bad ones. But nothing can be perfect right? I might not be having a Mahathir Moment like in the video, but nonetheless bidding farewell to BSMM really saddens me. But the show must go on. This is only the beginning of many more things to come.

This little life of mine.... thus far~

Look around me... Look at these friends (and maybe a few friends of  friends) of mine... Maybe it's just jealousy. Yeah, most likely it is. When I look back on these 4 1/2 years of secondary school, I open my eyes to realise what high-achievers, what big-players, what great lives they get to live, and how they get to develop themselves to be such capable, talented, noteworthy people and get to take part in big scale events only most people can dream of.

They get to take part in the Citrawarna cultural concert-display-thingamajig

They get to take part in royal concert performances

They get to take part in national level camps and conferences

They get to reach national level competitions (be it sports or quizzes or whatever)

They get their names in the newspapers

They have mouth-dropping vocabulary and fluency

They get to be the top student in school, and then those who are top students in the country

They get to have ang-mo-langs to asses their piano exams

They get to wow people with their musical and artistic talent

Et cetera, et cetera, et ce-te-ra......

And what do I have?

Err, I play badminton, but didn't even get to enter MSSD.

Err, I went for a state level science competition but made a mess of ourselves (and by the way the following year's school representative went all the way to wining national level)

Err, I went for national debate (Pfft I didn't even win the round I entered), and even that, was just a one time thing. And I actually went just as a reserve.
Music? Err.............................

Camps? Errr............. Do school-level camps count?

And that's about all.

So apart from 2 competitions, most of my teen/school life has been quite blank. I suppose that's living in a small town. Even a nationwide BSMM body doesnt have any events for us in this teeny weeny little Sitiawan. Haiz~

Study study study. Homework homework homework. I mean yeah sure at least I got hobbies, but I've never been able to put them to good use other than just playing with friends and working up a sweat. And oogling on the internet about cars.

And seeing how mum and dad dont earn big wads of cash, even if I wanted to start a a new hobby like say music, how could I possibly put the extra burden on them for the instruments and lessons?

Speaking of mum and dad, they never earned much in their working days. And now with dad retired except for part time work in his Puchong workshop, mum a housewife, we have to live on dad's EPF funds (excluding my brother with his own job now). So that means we have to stretch our ringgits as far as we can. No overseas vacations, no Iphones and Ipads and ipods, no DSLRs like what the kids have these days, no 1080p HD Sony Vaio or Blu Ray player, we dont have Nokia Xs or Blackberries for handphones, we dont have Beemers and Mercs, and just taking a tour of our house clearly would show that we live in the lower-middle class. Everything around here goes on the basis of "Dont need it? Dont spend on it". So yeah, if your parents have RM100 notes spilling out from their pockets, never take them for granted. Be thankful and grateful for the social status head start you already have. But of course, dont get carried away and be stuck-up, show-offy arrogant either~

I know, I know, "It's only school. You still have so much of life ahead waiting for you" and "Work hard, later on when you get a big job you'll earn lots of money". But c'mon, seeing how other friends get to make such good use of their time, and already developing themselves and their talents or skills, and from a young age already living such a posh life, I just feel...... haiz~

But what's the point right? 4 1/2 years have already passed by. I didnt get to really make the most of it. And its not the most grand of lives I've lived as a teenager. What else can I do? No matter, ahead of me, with a giant lump of effort and determination, I sure do hope that:

If I become a mechanic, I'd be wearing a shirt, snazzy black pants and shiny leather black shoes, working for some professional race team and the garage is spotless

If I were to work in an office, this would be the working attire

I'd get to experience the joy of victory, not necessarily as the driver, but just being a part of the team.

If I were to work in a factory, it'll be like this one.

Of course, it's not the posh and luxurious life I'm after, however I do suppose that working in the automotive/motorsports sector should be rather, I suppose, rewarding.

But most importantly, above all, the one thing which was lacking throughout my schooling life, I'd get to share the automotive passion with lots of other people just like me. Although there wouldnt be that many girls and ladies....

Supercars Vs. SUVs

Initially, this was meant to be an entry entirely to bombard SUVs and their sheer wastefulness and polluting traits. But then it struck me, many people reading would be asking me:

What about your beloved supercars? Aren't they wasteful and polluting too?

Admittedly, yes they are and in fact, far worse than SUVs and 4x4s. For example, http://www.carpages.co.uk/co2/ shows that the UK's 5 worst CO2 emitters  includes 2 Ferraris and a Bentley GTC. These 3 are supercars. And guess what, no SUVs.

And the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, it has a fuel mileage of around 8-10 miles per gallon. A Toyota Hilux does 30 miles per gallon. That's 3 times the fuel economy of an LP640.

Things dont look good for supercars then. And as such, I can't possibly slam SUVs without getting even worse criticism about our favourite Enzo or Carrera GT. But after I gave it deep thought, there is actually something relating to this issue that I can aim at:
 

SUV owners.


As we know, supercars cost a bomb to buy and maintain. 4x4s however, are not, as you can see on Malaysian roads alone be it in my hometown here or in the big city the roads are teeming with these behemoths. You see, if your job site looks something like this

or if your hobby is going to places like this

or you go to places where your car would usually look like this

then yes, owning a 4x4 is perfectly understandable.



However, that's not what most people (Malaysians at least) use these for. They're always clean, parked outside office buildings, driven alone without carrying anything and worst of all, used to send children to school. I mean, there are good reasons why these things are equipped with all wheel drive, have big fat tires and the space at the back to put stuff that otherwise wont fit in your normal family car. But I must say, I'm nothing but appalled when I see these things on the road, driven by men in office suits and with their cute little 12-year-old daughter alone in the passenger seat. I mean, where's the common sense in this? I have a friend you see, her parents are doctors, and undeniably, she's filthy stinking rich. And yet, she only goes to school or tuition or whatever in this:

A Perodua Kelisa






or this

A Chevrolet Aveo



See? Even though her parents are loaded with cash they can think sensibly when buying a car and not waste the money on a truck because they never go off road in the first place. That's what I'm trying to stress here. You may have the monetary rights to buy as you please, but if you have the money to buy a Toyota Hilux or a Mitsubishi Triton, why not at least spend it on something more sensible like a Toyota Vios or a Honda City if you never need to go off road anyway? It's pure retarded-ness. Why is it that you need a freaking truck or a Honda CRV just to transport a human being no more than 1.6 meters tall and not weighing more than 50 kilograms? Why is it you need to drive an Isuzu D-Max when your job only requires you to sit in an air-conditioned office? And more so when your commute to work is nothing but smoothly paved roads which any normal family car could handle. It's uber retardation I say. It's not only Malaysians however, as you can see:

Hilary Duff and her Mercedes G Class SUV

Denise Richards and her Mercedes GL SUV

Brooke Shields and her Mercedes G Class

Matthew McConaughey and his GMC Yukon Denali

Will Smith with another Merc GL






*smacks forehead*




And mind you, people dont use Lamborghinis and Ferraris to go to work or send their kids to school or go to the shops on a daily basis. Take that.

Need For Speed World Update 2

This "Disconnected from server" issue really is not doing me any favours at all with playing this game. I can never play for more than 10 minutes before I get cut off.... Hopefully the guys from EA have a solution to this. But anyways today I've managed to try out pursuit chases. In NFSW you engage in one by hitting any police car that might be patrolling around the game, and the rest is pretty much the same as in Undercover, Carbon and Most Wanted. No glitches at all so far, runs well on windowed mood, is stable with Firefox in the background and the recording tool I used to take these photos (as well as a sample video) which is FRAPS does not seem to interfere with the game at all. Vinyl editing has also become extremely easy and I'm sure the easiest since Carbon. So in a nutshell, it's a good, visually impressive game, simple to use interface, but the main drawback thus far is the unstable connection...

Need For Speed World Update 1

I'll be effectively be in Twitter mode with this game, keep your eyes peeled for the updates to pile on as I make my way through the game (that is if you bother). So here's my first update batch:



After a few times of being unable to connect to the servers to start last night, I finally managed to log in. Controls are smooth, overall appearance looks nice. Nice collection of cars to start with (Me choosing the Nissan Silvia S15. Other cars in higher classes include the Cayman S, GTR and Gallardo LP560.)  I had to set my resolution to 800 x 600 and medium graphics details if to play smoothly, with the default 1024 x 768 and High details being slightly choppy for my Nvidia GeForce 8400GS @ 512MB to handle. After trying my first race in Single Player mode, I (again) got disconnected from the server and the game closed. Tried again, this time with a Multiplayer Race, but I get a network error (see the last pic). So I decided to customise my Nissan Silvia and (again......) disconnected from server. Wait, before you point the finger at Streamyx, I'd clarify that other players around the world are having this issue too. Well, I'll just keep playing and giving feedback to EA so that this game runs better.

Note the error message in the box at bottom left

Need For Speed World

*aherm* Did anyone see that last entry on Sunday?  No? Ok good. *sweeps under the rug*


Aaaaanyway  I'm back after having finished exams today (actually Friday but who cares about Sivik and PJ?) and to start off.... Jeng jeng jeng....

As any Need For Speed fan would know, the gaming series is currently developing its next release called World for the PC, and is the first Massive Multiplayer Online Racing Game (MMORG) since Motor City Online (which frankly I never knew existed), but for me, this will be my first time playing any online game of any sort (Oh wow I'm coming out of my entertainment shell, yay). Having missed out on Shift (now when I think about it, I dont know why I didnt buy the game), I couldnt wait to rejoin the series since Undercover (which wasnt exactly a wow game, but not bad either) and after following each game starting from the Playstation 1with NFS 2:

NFS III, 

NFS 4 (High Stakes),

NFS 5 aka Porsche Unleashed, 

then on the PS2 with NFS Hot Pursuit 2, 

Underground, 

Underground 2,

Most Wanted, 

Carbon,

and Prostreet (which frankly was a letdown)

Okay fine, I didnt play the very first NFS game (boo) but hey, 11 out of 12 isnt bad right? And now with NFS World on the way, make that 12 out of 13. Wooo~ =D

Anyways back to NFS:W, so the guys at EA decided to let the public be the ones to test the beta version of the game (you can too, its not too late) by signing up at http://world.needforspeed.com/, apply for the beta, follow some procedures which are pretty simple, and just wait. Myself, I've been waiting for 1 1/2 months, and finally today (such great timing) I got the confirmation email from EA notifying I've been picked for this beta testing session which runs till Sunday, 13th June. Now I got SOMETHING really worth doing for the first half of the holidays~ *squeals* Of course, being a loyal follower of the series I am, I was euphoric, since out of the (probable) millions who applied, this beta consists of only over 150,000 people. That's a freaking small chance of actually getting chosen, and I'm one of them! *Light shines form above* But not to worry, with each beta the number of participants increases as well so that more and more people will have a chance of testing this brand new game. And when NFS World IS released, and it (very hopefully) becomes a major success (hopefully knocking DoTa or WoW or Maple off their thrones, although unlikely) there wont be any better feeling than being part of the contribution in developing this game. *Light shines down again* Buuuuuut of course before I can start.....

I'll try to get pictures and maybe even a video or two, so stick around if you don't wanna miss those~