Chambering

 Meet En. Rizal :)

After almost half a year of break, I thought I needed to do something good instead of being a log at home. I applied for several chambering positions and was called for an interview. So the interview was scary and I seriously thought I screwed up. Surprisingly the next day, I received a call from one of the partners, which eventually became my master, asking when I would like to start. :)

The view from the 22nd floor

So chambering began soon after that. Now, a month plus into it and its no way near fun. It seems that never-ending workload and stress is the norm of the 'legal' line. Of course there's the good and bad about having a office in the middle of busy KL. The good part: its easy to meet clients, to go to the court, and I have a nice view out of the office (minus the traffic), but the bad part: parking charges are exorbitant, heavy after work traffic and the distance of my office from home. I have to travel around more than 80km a day to and back from work, unless on days which I take the LRT, which still need a 25km drive to Bukit Jalil. Besides that, my alarm clock rings at 5.30 every morning and only be back at home around 9pm (if there's no last minute work, that is).

My 'temporary workplace' for about a month

We had a Christmas and farewell lunch for Peter, who had just left 2 weeks ago (and I got his room! :D)

But the positive thing about this place is: the staff and other chambies are nice and we get along very quick and well. The LA may have been torturing me non-stop, but hey, its still a learning process for me, albeit quite a steep one. Most of my friends are finishing their pupilage soon, and I still have many many months to go.. :(

Craft Crews Detailers' Studio review

I bought my first Groupon coupon a couple of months back, and finally got to redeem it last week. It was a promotion for a full car detailing package at Craft Crews Detailers' Studio Puchong inclusive of claying, tar removal, polishing, 2-layer waxing, window cleaning, dashboard treatment, engine bay detailing and quick detailer worth RM575 (ya ke?) for RM98. I thought it was a steal and decided to give it a try.

I added 2 other treatment: a 4-door handle coating (RM25) and interior sterilising and deodorising treatment (RM25). The interior sterilising is a nice addition, as it eliminates nasty smell and germs.

My appointment was at 9am and i arrived there just before they opened for business. Lucky me, i was the first they attended to and the whole process took 2 hours, but the keys were returned in slightly over an hour and half. Quite quick i must say! There were several workers on duty, and the boss in charge was a friendly chap, making the visit a pleasant one.

The result:

When my car's clean, I'm happy! :D

I love how water beads after waxing.

Location: Bandar Puteri Puchong.
Address: No.10-G, Jalan Puteri 2/6, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Malaysia.
Operating hours: 9.00am to 8.00pm.

Verdict: Satisfied customer, I am. Definitely going to return as a full paying customer and give my ride a full wax treatment soon, when my next pay goes in.. :D

Proton Saga FLX SE first impression

I was with my brother around Puchong Jaya the other day and we passed by a Proton showroom where this shining red Saga FLX SE caught our attention. So we decided to drop by and check it out.

 

 

 The 'fire red' FLX SE test drive unit

The red on the new FLX SE is brighter and of a redder tone compared to the pre-FL SE's brilliant red which looks more like maroon. The red car in brochures looks awful, but in real life, it looks pretty good (maybe because the test drive unit comes with those stripes?). There was another unit in solid white in the showroom. Touched here and there, noticed that the build quality and fittings feel notably a little better compared to my car. The main differences of the FLX SE compared to the standard FLX is the 1.6 IAFM engine mated to a CVT transmission, two-toned bodykit, and leather seats.

I own a pre-FL Saga SE and i could spot several differences between the new and my old SE. The new one has a darker interior tone (tempest grey) which gives the interior a more classy feeling, darker coloured aircond vents, leather wrapped handbrake lever (pre-FL SE doesn't have this), and two features i would love to have on my car: radio unit with USB and steering radio controls and rear powered windows. On the outside, side mirrors now comes with turn indicators, 15-inch rims (nice!) with 195/50 Continental rubbers and smoked rear LED combi lights which complement the looks. The two-toned bodykit is more like a love-or-hate thingy, but it seriously didn't look that bad in flesh. Quality of the leather hide feels of a higher grade too, compared to the old SE.

  
 

 

Another white unit in the showroom. Looks clean.

The SA at the Puchong branch was friendly, and gave a short test drive to see how the 1.6 CVT delivers. I've never driven a car with a CVT before, so the drive was interesting to me. At low RPM range, the transmission feels a little jerky, but once pushed along a straight empty road, it accelerates effortlessly. But honestly it didn't have much of a punch, I would have expected the 1.6 would feel more powerful compared to my 1.3 Saga with a slushbox. Perhaps the test drive unit's engine and transmission is still tight until a couple of regular service intervals. The SAT feature is interesting too (at least to me), as it mimics a conventional auto gear changes but it still feels smoother compared to a torque-converter autobox.

The 15-inchers with lower profile tyres didn't feel any rougher compared to the standard Saga's 14-inchers. I went through several small potholes and humps along the brief drive and it feels as comfortable compared to my pre-FL SE. I heard that the suspension system had been revised to match the new shoes (not too sure about that), so expect a more enjoyable uphill run up to Genting mated with its new 1.6 engine and CVT. :)

My bro gave it a thumbs up! haha

My verdict: 7.5/10 stars. It is so far the best Proton Saga you can buy today but i would love it to have more power. It comes only with CVT (there's no manual FLX SE) and retails OTR for RM49,499 (white) and RM49,849 (fire red). Waiting list is expected to be around 1 month, but knowing SAs, they will promise a short delivery time to lure customers and you will have to wait for ages until it actually arrives.

What are we to be?

Its almost 5 months since I stepped out of campus life. Nothing really interesting happened after that and life's been pretty dull ever since. Oh, I signed up for a gym membership, with hopes to be fitter in say.... 6 months? Or is it too ambitious? Time will tell..

Early this month we had our graduation ceremony, and it was nice to see familiar faces again. So there we were at Dewan MAS, everyone in their blue robes looking their best and ready to collect our scrolls from the Sultan. Instead of sitting down politely in front of the VIPs, we cracked jokes non-stop with the guys around us. We were definitely noisy, happy and excited. The ceremony was indeed a big milestone for all of us. To me, the most touching moment was when we had to sing 'Biru Warna' for the final time. I seriously felt like crying, I felt really sad. Everybody sang their hearts out and obviously, we sounded damn good! The song marks the end of our journey as students, and we are now adults entering working life. 

Its also sad because that would be the last time I would step into UUM. I'll miss that place. But my mum said its not the place that I'll actually miss, its the people you met and spend time with there. True enough. My course mates, my seniors, my juniors, that person who made me feel important, people who still owe me money, and those people who hated me for God knows what reason. I'll definitely miss them all. And I'm glad I spent an extra day to spend time with the guys before we parted our ways. It made me happy because I have awesome friends! :)

It was pretty tiring trip as I drove back and forth twice in 2 weeks thanks the the cumbersome process of the collection of the convocation robe. As I reached home, I was down with flu and sore throat. Soon enough I had the whole package, coughing, headache, fever and so on.. I was sick for at least 10 days. :(

Most of my friends are already working by now, and I'm still happily slacking at home. It kinda sucks when your parents have that certain expectation for you to do certain things, and I think its my duty as a son to keep them happy. Well, the A-G Chambers doesnt seem to be responding my application anytime soon, so I'll have to look for a firm to chamber then. What other choices do I have? Its sad being a law graduate, really.

Initially, studying law wasn't really my cup of tea and now I'm starting to think what other career I could look forward to if I had taken another course instead. Before I entered KDU College in early 2006, my aim was to do business, or even engineering, but somehow I went for law instead. Parents expectations, again? *sigh*.. That doesnt matter now as I am a law graduate, with a law degree and I am proud of my accomplishment after 4 years of torture up there in the north. But I dont feel excited at all about working life. Again, what other options do I have? There's only three I can think of. Firstly, to join the AGC. I applied, but they don't seem to want me, yet. Second, to do chambering. Well, am looking for firms now. But the problem is, those good firms are all in KL, but i don't want to that travel far. Listening to my mum and bro's complaints being stuck in traffic jams for hours everyday made me think twice. Third, to continue with masters, which is already too late as the intake was held last month. The idea of furthering my studies seems insteresting to me, too.

Its time to hunt for a firm then. But I feel sooooo lazy to hunt around.. hahaha!

Feeling heaven

Menu for tonight:

Kurma, nasi putih, telur masak buah ayam bulat, salmon teriyaki, kangkung belacan, udang goreng tempura, ulam, mango konyaku jelly & air kosong dgn lemon. Lepas tu kurma lagi.

And there's still free bubur lambuk in the fridge..

Aahh.. kenyang giler.. :D

Reunited

The infamous KL traffic jam. Because of this I had to buka puasa in the car just now... With absolutely no food or water. -__-"

Can I choose not to work in KL? The thought of having to go through all this is making me having second thoughts about finding a job here. Can I just sit at home, stay unemployed, be the son of some millionaire and sleep all day long? Nah...

Anyway, tonight we had a small iftar gathering in Mid Valley with Raja, Julian, the Mr. Raj gang (Dena, Ranpreet, Parisha) and Vicki as well. It felt good to see them, some of which I haven't met since leaving school. So that's like 5-6 years long? Time surely passed very fast. Julian has started working for a couple of months now, some of them have just graduated and some of them still have a year or two of studying to go. Raja's returning to the UK this Sunday, so we may have another meet-up this Friday, just before he leaves.

Its time to sleep. Sweet dreams. :)

Blessed

I'm proud of my mum. I know it has been her lifelong dream to go this far, and yes she did it. A High Court judge at last! The work is hard and its never been an easy journey for her, but I know she's a strong woman. :)

So I was there to witness the ceremony, with my bros and grandma in the Palace of Justice. Family members were not allowed to enter the Istana for the perlantikan watikah from the Agong though.

To celebrate the promotion as well as my bro's 28th birthday, my mum treated us to a 8-course dinner at the Oriental Pearl together with grandma, my uncle and aunt. Super yummy!!! :D

Oh, those prawns were super delicious! :D

Live - Heaven

  

This has always been one of my favourite songs. Since 2003. :)

Last couple of weeks in pictures

Since i'm too lazy to type and update this blog, i'm just going to fill it up with pictures. :)

Met with the working guys, Ijai, Sophy, Raymond, Barong, Shukor and also Wan for dinner at KLCC and some teh tarik near the guys' new habitat.

It turns out my name was never unique. Someone with the same name tried to add me. I refused to accept!! hahaha :D

During this fasting month, when your stomach growls, all you think about is food, food and food!

And ended up making more food! My cheese swirl cupcakes which turn out hard as rock as I overbaked them. But they still tasted good! hehe

When you cant eat, you go shopping. I like.

 

My ears deserved something new too as the old trusty ones broke.

And of course, some pics at the POJ. I just love the architecture. :)

Reasons.

I knew it would happen one day, sooner or later.

I knew he would take you away from me one day.

I knew you were gonna fall for him.

Who am I after all to say anything?

All i can do is sit here and watch helplessly.

Something beautiful

You analyze everyone you meet
But get no sign, love ain't kind
every night you admit defeat
and cry yourself blind

If you can't wake up in the morning

Cause your bed lies vacant at night

If you're lost, hurt, tired or lonely

Can't control it, try as you might

May you find that love that won't leave you

May you find it by the end of the day

You won't be lost, hurt, tired and lonely

Something beautiful will come your way ;)

Unwell

I know, right now you don't care.

But soon enough you're gonna think of me;

And how I used to be.

Letting Go Takes Love

To let go does not mean to stop caring,
   it means I can't do it for someone else.
To let go is not to cut myself off,
   it's the realization I can't control another.
To let go is not to enable,
   but allow learning from natural consequences.
To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means
   the outcome is not in my hands.
To let go is not to try to change or blame another,
   it's to make the most of myself.
To let go is not to care for,
   but to care about.
To let go is not to fix,
   but to be supportive.
To let go is not to judge,
   but to allow another to be a human being.
To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes,
   but to allow others to affect their destinies.
To let go is not to be protective,
   it's to permit another to face reality.
To let go is not to deny,
   but to accept.
To let go is not to nag, scold or argue,
   but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires,
   but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.
To let go is not to criticize or regulate anybody,
   but to try to become what I dream I can be.
To let go is not to regret the past,
   but to grow and live for the future.

To let go is to fear less and love more
       and
To let go and to let God, is to find peace!

Remember: The time to love is short.
 - author unknown

source 

C'mon.

It’s getting late, and I
Cannot seem to find my way home tonight
Feels like I am falling down a rabbit hole
Falling for forever, wonderfully wandering alone
What would my head be like
If not for my shoulders
Or without your smile
May it follow you forever
May it never leave you
To sleep in the stone,
May we stay lost on our way home

 

If I should die tonight
May I first just say I’m sorry
For I, never felt like anybody
I am a man of many hats although I
Never mastered anything
When I am ten feet tall
I’ve never felt this tall since the fall
Nobody seems to know my name
So don’t leave me to sleep all alone
May we stay lost on our way home?

 

C’mon, c’mon, with everything falling down around me
I’d like to believe in all the possibilities.

 

Holidays.. :D

Its been almost 3 weeks since the holidays started. So many things i've wanted to do since stepping out from uni life, but almost none done yet. I am sooo procrastinating.... Everyday's the same routine at home. Wake up, makan and tido.

So what else i've been doing at home? Nothing really. Oh yeah, i bought myself something expensive 2 weeks back..hehe. The advantage of being single. You'll have all the money to spend on yourself. :p

 My snow white.. :D

And i've been treating my car nicely lately and gave it a thorough wash and wax for its first birthday. Another advantage of being at home..

The satisfaction you get after spending an evening cleaning and waxing your car with your own hands. The car's happy too.

Other than the Gold Coast trip, nothing can be said to be interesting. Everybody seems to be getting a place for chambering, but i guess im gonna wait until my results to come out first and decide what to do then. I dont know if its just me, but i just dont see myself being a lawyer, yet. I need to browse around for other 'alternatives'..

Gold Coast trip pictures will be uploaded soon.. I am just to lazy to process them right now... Pemalas me.

Dannii Minogue, Brian McFadden, and who?

Bye UUM, hey roadtrip!

With just 4 hours of sleep, stuff packed into the car boot, a heavy heart but feeling happy at the same time, I officially left UUM at 10.45am on last Thursday. Before that, we had a little breakfast at Kg Darat '2' with the guys for the final time.

So I headed down to Sungai Petani to meet my old friends Zahirah and Nabilah for our last minute but long planned roadtrip. We roamed around Penang aimlessly, stopping by places we think they're interesting, walked around Batu Ferringhi till our legs hurt, sneaked into the Hard Rock Hotel lobby, watched a midnight Pirates movie and slept at the airport.

I am glad that we decided to make the trip happen as that was something i really needed after all the stress and exams. :D