how on earth did these get their driver's licence?

a total revamp of our driving curriculum is way overdue
it's a tired refrain but malaysian road etiquette remains neanderthal
NIL enforcement is the main catalyst


leave us count the ways malaysian drivers love their roads:
1. hog the middle lane doing 40-60km/h
2. hog the overtaking lane doing 40-60km/h
3. slowly exit junctions at the last minute, with total disregard for oncoming traffic and then proceed at a speed of 20-40km/h
4. the abovementioned self same hogs take extreme umbrage when honked at which is ironic given they came within a hair's breadth of causing an accident
5. hog the slow lane doing 20km/h like it's their inalienable, God-given right to their version of a Sunday drive on any day they choose
5. park indiscriminately ... utterly, totally indiscriminate - corners (where it IS illegal and inconsiderate and absolutely obtuse to do so); road shoulders; any space that accommodates their vehicle ... or not
6. take their sweet time exiting the parking bay even when they know another vehicle is waiting for that spot
7. litter at will ... cigarrette packs and packing, water bottles, tissue paper, cigarette butts, cans, plastic packs, food waste ... i'm sure the list is inexhaustible
8. double/triple park without any note with number to contact, take their sweet time to remove their vehicle, with nary a word of apology
9. park in reserved bays without a care in the world
10. take up two bays or block a vacant bay
11. park at an angle and be an inconvenient nuisance to others ... just because they're driving pick-ups
12. talk, access the net, sms, mms, chat, read, etc, their mobiles while driving and hog the road, change lanes without so much as a by your leave believing it is their absolute, inalienable right to do so - when honked at for nearly causing an accident, these are prone to argue, shake their(!) heads at you, or turn into road bullies
13. drive against the flow of traffic in no entry zones/one way streets and challenge you 
14. look for a spot, be it parking, a house or a commercial premise like that is all that matters and they're the only ones on the road
15. drive cross double lined areas like they're regular junctions
16. rush into yellow boxes to prevent others from entering/egressing junctions or turn offs
17. jump queues, squeeze into the bottleneck point three to five deep
18. speed along emergency lanes during grid lock
19. execute u-turns - successfully or not - without two hoots for approaching traffic
20. execute u-turns at roundabouts to avoid traversing the roundabout
21. chat with passengers and expect other road users to mind them 
22. beat the lights even when traffic is approaching from the green side
23. indiscriminate changing of lanes and squeezing other road users while negotiating roundabouts 
24. last minute turn offs at slip roads, some from the outermost right lane
25. access an adjacent slip road on the left, from the second outer most right lane at a stop light while all vehicles are at a standstill
26. rush to occupy a parking bay like it was a race instead of the driver whose indicator lights are switched on gets the spot
27. diminutive drivers (wonder how their legs reached the pedals during their road tests) who can't see over the steering tops of their lux vechicles - accident waiting to happen
28. improperly install non-legit after market HIDs to blind other road users 
29. hog the lanes in the rain 
30. indiscriminate braking regardless whether dry or wet - these drivers brake for no apparent reason at all 
31. brake to almost a dead stop while negotiating turns, be it a bend, traffic light junctions or roundabouts
32. totally blacked out vehicles can drive and park anyhow they like (wanna-bes)
33. blatantly force their way across no-cross lines from inside just before Leisure Commerce Sq out onto the D'sara-Puchong highway


i'm sure these are only the tip of the 'berg
i, for one, would be an invaluable asset to any local council's coffers, if suitably employed
i'd make sure those who park at corners regardless of hour or day get hauled, they and their vehicles
on-the-go mobile users would be next followed by inappropriate mods and HIDs
of course, the two-way drivers in one-way streets shan't be left out
that's just for starters .... ah, well .. so much for wishful thinking

double confirm ...

know what gets my goat, among many others? 
the state and decline of English in malaysia
i'm no degree holder in language or grammar, but this is horrible to say the least


1. double confirm
anyone out there heard this phrase? 
doesn't it make you literally cringe?
where on earth do these people come up with such phrases?
i hope this isn't what our schools are teaching our children


2. ... myriad of ... 
common mistake even in our local dailies ... as one will find (if one condescends to do so) when reading local English gazettes
one wonders if their editorial staff are a) actually working; b) up to par; c) lazy
methinks rushing deadlines is not sufficient reason
"of" is redundant ... sighhhh ... i could be stuck in a language time flux


anyone who wants to improve ... READ ... no two ways about it
get some First Aid in English (formerly by Preston and currently by TIMES) books and do the exercises
old copies of NatGeo are relatively cheap at rm2-rm5/copy
rent books from bookstores
subscribe to Readers' Digest or get old copies

2012 calcutta 100

was at digital aquarium, puchong today 1/5/2012
sticker price for the calcutta is rm1193
the more i look at it, the cuter and sexier it becomes ... bad news ... for the pocket that is

dropped by ocean sea again today 
the new calcutta is practically the size of the CQ50/51
but significantly heavier ... retail price around RM900+ onwards
(CD51 on the left and Calcutta D 100 on the right)

was at ocean sea sport fishing, sri kembangan today (having a promo sale now)
saw this reel after following it on plat.co.jp the past two months

first impressions
smaller than the daiwa ryoga 1016
figure it to be about the size of the shimano calcutta conquest (CQ50)
weighing in at 225g, based on stats from plat, it's 30g lighter than the ryoga (255g) and 20g lighter than the CQ50 (205g)
it's just 2-3mm wider than three fingers across ... ! a far cry from its long standing predecessor 
the star drag has been shifted outside and reduced in size
for fishos used to larger drag stars, this'll take some getting used to - takes some effort to turn, too
clean lines, nice finish
wish the line guide and star drag are metal like the conquest tho' - however, i could be wrong as they might be anodised metal
clicking star drag but no clicker for the clutch, unfortunately
rrp remains unknown as it's new stock and price remains unfinalised
very tempting but for the estimated rrp of approximately rm1200 (based on plat's pricing post conversion)