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As we couldn’t take our own cameras along during the race, all photos shown here in this entry except for the last two - were taken using the N82 itself. During the race, we could only use one phone for uploading photos (SIM card provided by the organizers), so a little bit of strategy had to kick in here. Two in-car phone chargers were also provided for obvious reasons. The topics for the race were announced only around 5 minutes before the actual flag-off.

There were 8 Nissan Cefiros that were used as race vehicles - one for each team. We had to get back to 1U (our finish-line) in 5 and 1/2 hours’ time, and we wanted to cover 5 locations! In each car, there would be a driver, a cameraguy, a race marshal, and the two team members. Our cameraguy’s name was Desmond, our race marshal Eve, and our driver was Mr Ibrahim! Mr Ibrahim was an excellent driver because he knew almost the whole Klang Valley, including short cuts and all.
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The announcement of team members was made shortly before the phone handover ceremony at the Hibiscus function room in One World Hotel. I was indeed very lucky to be paired with Pinkpau, cuz I knew she could write very well! She could come up with just the right descriptions for our photos during the race.

You can say that I had it easy - I practically skipped the whole description-writing part and left that to her. She also went around interviewing people (-.-”) in order to get more background info and stuff. We’ll come to that later…
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The Nokia Wireless Adventure II race was fun. It really was. I remember how panicky it felt when we thought we couldn’t upload all our photos onto the website (via 3G) on time. Damn stress ok. Anyway, it’s over now and a very big congratulations to the winners, Suanie and Frankie who each won a trip for two to Hong Kong!

On top of that, they also get RM1500 bux for pocket money! And don’t forget that brand new Nokia N82 which was given to everyone the night before. I think it was a close race. Everyone was really good, and I believe that must’ve had given the judges a hard time determining the winner. I have lots of photos so I’ll do this in parts. First up, show you my roommate.
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I stood under the hot afternoon sun, ran in the rain, had my ass (almost) baked while taking shelter right next to a BBQ pit - all for the love of music. Twelve freaking hours of live music, at that. I was at the Sunburst KL International Music Festival in Bukit Kiara, last weekend.

When we arrived, the sky was still clear and there was good sunlight. We were made to stand outside the entrance while the officials checked bags and stuff. It was also clearly stated that no recording devices were permissible but it turned out that nobody actually gave a damn.
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I got up early to a peacefully beautiful, serene Saturday morning. It was an important day not only for the country, but me, my family, and my friends. It also marks the first time I’m exercising my right as a citizen. This is where I was born, where I grew up, and was thoroughly bred. This is my home, so there’s no reason why I should not bother. As I was approaching the school where I would be casting my vote, I noticed a group of BN supporters near the entrance. They had banners, posters and a canopy set up there. No booths or canopies belonging to any other parties was in sight though.

A few policemen were standing outside the school gate and the parking area had its perimeter secured with yellow tapes that read “Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia” (Election Commission of Malaysia). While driving past the school looking for a parking, I couldn’t help but notice other voters walking towards and out of the school. Most men came in slacks and jeans. I began to wonder if I was being a tad too under-dressed for this solemn occasion. Looking for a parking was a breeze, as voters normally left immediately after they were done voting anyway. I parked further up the road, next to a field which I knew very well.

The booth to check voters’ particulars was located just opposite the guard house in the school compound. I thought it was compulsory to line up there so I joined the queue. I later realized that I already had all the information I needed when I checked my status online last week. An usher directed me to my polling station and I quickly shuffled across the hallway after thanking him. I tried to grasp the entire process flow - from the entrance into the classroom until the exit - by observing others. There were also guidelines put up near where we were queuing. After presenting my IC, its number and my full name were read out loud by an EC official so that they could be heard by other officials on duty in the room.

With my IC and voting slips in hand, I proceeded to one of the two designated tables to mark my votes. I carefully walked past in front of the first table because someone was already there. A pencil sharpener was prepared on each table for convenience when needed. Once finished, I made my way to the ballot boxes and dropped my slips accordingly. The whole process was smoothly over within 2 minutes. While on my way out I saw familiar faces, one of whom was my schoolmate. We smiled as I walked past the policemen at the entrance. More and more people were coming then, many with their children tagging along.

Anyway, I am glad to have fulfilled one of my biggest responsibilities as a Rakyat on this day. Our votes may not necessarily be significant individually, but they certainly are collectively.

Have a good weekend guys :)

P/s. I heard that it’s best to stay home tonight and tomorrow. Coming from the older folks, I am sure they have a valid concern…

[Update@9th March: Wow… The results are telling, aren’t they? My family and I were following the developments since last night. I’m curious if BN - in particular, our PM - is getting the People’s message. It’s a wake up call, so buck up!]

[Warning: In an atypically-narrowband fashion, this post is going to be a long Proton-rant.] So, the new Saga a.k.a. BLM is supposed to be Proton’s best offering yet. *Clap clap*. Coupled with ultra-low pricing - a luxury that the national carmaker has long enjoyed (with no end in sight), no wonder the waiting period for the new car has now stretched to as long as 6 months. I’ve seen the car in flesh several times and I must admit it does not look too bad at all. Crash tests have shown that the car’s pretty safe. Sounds like a perfect combination - safe, good-looking, cheap. Would I consider buying one? Nope. I’ll tell you why.

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His leading role in Brokeback Mountain earned him an Oscar nomination. One of his most recent movies was Casanova, I remember I watched that. He was also to appear as The Joker in the upcoming Batman installment, The Dark Knight. But one cannot forget his role as Patrick Verona in 10 Things I Hate About You…

What a tragic loss, indeed. Farewell, Heath Ledger.

For some reason, I find the race results (hence the championship results) a little too unbelievable… I even suspect that it was conspiracy-laden. I watched the whole race and went like “What the hell” a couple of times. I just don’t believe it.

I really hope the race was clean. Congratulations to Kimi, nonetheless. He’s a true racer since his days at McLaren.

*Yawns* Feel like skipping work tomorrow……

I once mentioned that I would not be able to update my blog so often anymore since taking up employment. Like I predicted, I have little time for writing or reading blogs now. Luckily tomorrow is an off-day. I don’t feel like writing about anything in particular today. It’s been a while since I rambled aimlessly.

I’d like start with a quick health report - Narrowband.org’s traffic health report. Haha. I am absolutely thrilled beyond words that the graphs show an upwardly trend, despite the lack of updates. But as much as I’m happy with the graphs, I am utterly disgusted at how some of the hits got here. Hundreds of hits were via search engines with keywords like ‘nurin’, ‘jazlin’, ‘email’, ‘photo’, ‘nurin’s operation’ (!!), ‘picture’, etc.

Since the news reported that Nurin’s autopsy photos have been leaked on to the Internet, people have been searching high and low for them. I haven’t seen or received any of the photos - I’m not interested. It’s disturbing to know that people *do* want to see them. If I had my way, I’d bar all incoming hits from these sicktards because my site does not welcome them.

Let’s move on to something less depressing now. Did you watch the blast-off of Bolehland’s first Angkasawan? You know, despite the rising crime rates, mismanagement of public funds, and unequal economic opportunity that are not uncommon in Malaysia, I still stood and watched the lift-off in admiration and support for Dr Sheikh Muszaphar. I came out of the gym, went to a nearby HSL electrical store and picked my favorite LCD TV just in time for the launch. I resumed my workout shortly after the rocket disappeared into outer atmosphere.

I used to be among those who opposed the idea of sending a Bolehan into space. I didn’t think it was a good idea. In fact, I still believe that the money could have been better spent on something more practical and ’socially-relevant’. Some people even say it’s not Malaysia Boleh, but rather, Malaysia Ringgit Boleh! Nevertheless, watching the live telecast of a fellow countryman being launched into space was an amazing experience. I felt an unusually strong sense of belonging - I felt ‘connected’. I felt Malaysian. After all, I’m a Malaysian by any other name.

In the same vein, and true to the muhibbah spirit, I’d like to wish all my Muslim readers and friends Selamat Hari Raya, and to the rest of you, happy holidays!

P/s: I’ll be flying across the causeway for a 3-week assignment, so expect erratic updates. (LOL… not like it hasn’t been erratic already…)

Having seen so many photos and reviews on the newly-opened Pavilion in KL, I am pleased to say that I have now, finally, been there myself. What a shopping paradise it is. But the highlight of my visit to the mall today has nothing to do with shopping… it’s something much more mouth-watering than that. I bought these J.Co donuts…:

There were about 15 people in the queue when I decided to join in. It took me more than half an hour to buy them, would you believe it? By the time I reached the counter, the length of the queue had already doubled. Amazing!!!

Now excuse me while I go grab a bite…

Happy Sunday, everyone! ;)

P/s: Lewis Hamilton will take this year’s Drivers’ title… almost surely…

Edit @ 1206hrs: To view photos of the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, feel free to check out these Narrowband.org-endorsed links:-
1. Pavilion Kuala Lumpur (Undebug.org)
2. The Pavilion Jump (Smashpop.net)

There’re possibly hundreds or even thousands of related entries and photos on the Internet but these links are abit more special. They are taken from my Blogroll! Now who says it doesn’t pay to be blogrolled by Narrowband… lol!