Peace of Mind

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     Have you
ever wonder is there any food outlet
in Malaysia that can be categorized as “Cepat, Sedap dan Murah”? It’s a rare combination of
3 positive ingredients especially the place that I’m about to mention is a
Malay restaurant. I believe you guys surely have at least a name in your mind
about a place that can be categorized as cepat, sedap dan murah. I’ve been to a
lot of food outlet, be in expensive, cheap, or fine dining, thanks to my other half who is a keen food critic,
but nothing came down as close as the Village View Restaurant in Bandar Baru
Bangi.

     Firstly, I
don’t get paid for writing this blog, but in the spirit of justice, we have to
be prepared to give credit where it’s due likewise we condemn things that are
negative. Secondly, before I elaborate more about the food and stuff, let me
tell you the easiest way to get there, in case you got your hands itching to
come down here to have a taste of ikan
pari bakar berempah! (did I raised some eyebrows here?). Take the KL –
Seremban highway from Sg Besi toll, exit at Kajang exit which is the second
exit after the Serdang/UPM exit. The toll fare is RM1.80. After the Kajang
toll, look for the Bandar Baru Bangi signboard, which will lead you to the left
road (right is a flyover to Putrajaya), and there is a traffic light just ahead. Go straight after the
traffic light and you’ll see Shell, Esso and Petronas petrol station
respectively. Just after the Petronas
station, there’s a left junction, turn left. Drive a little bit of downhill,
than the place is on your right. Easy.

     The setting
of the place is nice for anybody and any occasion, be it family gathering,
romantic candle-light type dinner or office function. The space is ample and
clean, you’ll have no complain about it. There are 1 big fish pond welcomes you
at the entrance with scores of hungry Koi fish. You’ll head straight to the
cashier counter in the middle, and the tables are arranged in lines throughout
the place. The concept for the place is of course traditional Malay village
style, with dark wooden table and chairs. The roof is high as to free up the
smoke and better ventilation. The floor is cement render and the kitchen were
place at a roofed open area at the right top of the place looking from the
entrance. This makes it accessible for patrons to have a look at how the
cooking are being made and wonder why your dishes can be served below 10 minutes at best, or 15 minutes
at worst. It is very rare that your
food is served after the 20 minutes mark. That is fast (cepat) considering how
big the place is and how many customers are there at peak hours.

     But how
about the food quality? Is there any passion
in the cooking? You might ask. Hey, Penang char koay
teow are mode within 20 seconds, but it is still one of the best char koay teow
in the country if not the best. There
a wide range of Malay food, Thai food and a little bit of western. I’ve never
tried their ‘Siakap 3 rasa’ before, but try to order ‘ikan pari bakar berempah’
which is our all-time favourite. Priced at only RM12, it is well cooked and the
sauce is great too. Btw, I heard the 3-rasa range is great. The range of
tomyam; seafood, daging, ayam, campur is nice and quite hot, just nice I should
say. For those who like to spice up their ass a little bit more can always
request for extra hot. I recommend tomyam campur
as it combines all of the above in 1 bowl. For starters or snacks, you can try
the ayam pandan or chicken boxing,
which is priced at around RM4.5-5 p/plate of 6. The others are normal a-la
carte dishes, but don’t get me wrong, it does taste good, better than any other
places we’ve been through the years. I can say that every dish is unique in
taste and the ingredients are very well measured every time. The quantity in each serving is adequate for two
persons. The cooks never had a bad day in office I should say. Some people say
the food there are normal, but for me, considering the speed of their cooking,
it does taste better than most tomyam shops we’ve visited. Take a sip of the kailan ikan masin sauce and you’ll know
what kind of detail I’m talking about.

There are a wide variety of drinks
available, from normal drinks such as the
tarik, Nescafe tarik or orange juice, but my favouite is surely hot
Cappuccino. Priced at only RM2, you rarely get to drink cappuccino at tomyam restaurants.
Specialty drinks is called Combo or Combo Blended, a bigger cup for a mere
RM4-5. It is enough for you to get through the meal. For first timers, I
suggest you order the following;

1. Nasi
        putih x2
2. Tomyam
        campur x1
3. Ikan
        pari baker berempah x1
4. Kalian
        ikan masin x1
5. Ayam
        pandan x1
6. Combo
        drinks x2 (big glass)

 The above selection will probably cost you less than RM35
for two. Not a bad price to fork out for a ‘Cepat, Sedap & Murah’
restaurant, plus the relaxing environment, and friendly waiters. There are
hundreds of tomyam outlets in Bangi alone, but people keep coming back to this
place. Do you think they keep coming back just for the ‘normal’ food they offer?
In fact, there are 3 other restaurants in the 500 meters radius alone, but this
place draws the biggest crowd every dinner time. For all the combination
mentioned above, it’s worth the money, only at Village View Bandar Baru Bangi.

 

CEPAT, SEDAP & MURAH

After the shocking tsunami wave hit our west coast shores a
couple of weeks ago, it is time to put something back into perspective. I am
not a natural movie fan or film critic until about a year ago, but I’m a big
fan of music. What kind of music does not matter, as long as it has something
to do with rock, no matter how tiny the substance is. In saying that, I do
consider Gangsta Rap has a little bit of rock influence in it.

 

For some, music is life. Others say music is just a bunch of
different tunes put together. No matter how you define music, or how music
influences your life, we can never deny that music played a huge part in
controlling our emotions and sometimes our decisions making process. So, on my
part, I present to you my Top 10 All-Time Best Ever Album produced;

 

1. What’s
        The Story (Morning Glory) by Oasis (1995)

- Wonderwall

- Don’t Look Back in Anger

- Cast No Shadow

- Morning Glory

- Champagne Supernova

For me, this was the best album produced by Oasis and make
them what they are today; Legends. They
take Rock N Roll to a completely different level with their more dynamic
melodies and songwriting. To be honest, I never get bored listening to this
record especially the 5 songs above.

 

2. Hybrid
        Theory by Linkin Park (2000)

- One Step Closer

- Crawling

- In The End

- Papercut

 

What else can you say about them? This very album were sold
around 27 million copies worldwide as of 2007, making them the best selling
debut album in the 21^st century. The only reason I can think of as
why they’ve been receiving negative reviews for this album is because of
jealousy.

 

3. Californication
        by Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999)

- Scar Tissue

- Otherside

- Californication (best ever song)

- Road Trippin

- Parallel Universe

 

One of my all-time favourite band with their unique live
performance appearance (without clothing, sometimes naked), this album marks
the change of direction in their style of writing music, and indeed it was a
great move. Although not all tunes were completely different from its previous
albums, few songs made way to a more melodic oriented riff (Scar Tissue,
Otherside). Great Album

4. At The
        End of The Day by Disagree (2004)

- Crumbs

- Suicide Note

- Please

- Angel’s Orchestra

 

Although not as huge as Butterfingers in their heyday, this
debut album does set them apart from other local artiste. Very deep meaning
songs and touching melody, you can listen to Suicide Note 50 times a day
without getting bored at all, believe me. I really hope they will eventually
come out with new materials soon to fend off any ‘seberang laut’ invasion. If
you want to support Malaysian music, this is the band you should look for. Pure
music, original.

 

5. Transcendence
        by Butterfingers (1999)

- The Chemistry (Between Us)

- Stolen

- Faculties of the Mind

- Wet Blanket

- Mystery

 

This is not just ‘another’ local band trying to make a name
for themselves. They once define what local underground music is all about.
Butterfingers was the biggest thing to happen to local music scene (not
industry). People say they were just copying Nirvana’s song and mix it up with
a bit of Malaysian flavour, but who cares? That time, there were millions band
trying to be Nirvana, but how many did people remember eventually with some
degree of respect?

 

6. A Rush
        of Blood to The Head by Coldplay (2002)

- In My Place

- A Rush of Blood to the Head

- The Scientist

 

This band make me fell in love with slow rock/ alternative
rock if you like. The melancholic The Scientist really takes your heart as high
as the sky, beautiful melody and strong lyrics. Still the best Coldplay album
ever produced to date.

 

7. Nimrod
        by Greenday (1997)

- Hitchin’ a Ride

- Redundant

- Good Riddance

- Nice Guys Finish Last

 

May not be the best Greenday album, but in my book, the
combination of songs in this album bettered any of their other albums. I would
like to include Welcome to

Paradise

and When I Come
Around in this album, but it is not right, hehe.

 

8. Make
        Yourself by Incubus (1999)

- The Warmth

- Stellar

- Make Yourself

- Drive

- I Miss You

- Pardon Me

 

Probably the best Incubus album to date, I was lucky to
catch them live in action in Bukit Kiara in early March 2004. Their music we
basically alternative rock with some experimental element in it with a lot of
samplings, which was very good. Brandon Boyd mellow tone really suits the
band’s style of play and image. If you’re looking for some tension-breaker song,
try The Warmth.

 

9. Chocolate
        starfish and the Hotdog Flavoured Water by Limp Bizkit (2000)

- My Generation

- My Way

- Rollin’

- Take a Look Around

 

The best Limp Bizkit album in my opinion. Very raw but
experimental. Stylistically, the album is one of the most diverse the band has
ever produced, and one of the most melodic. My Way is clearly the best song in
this album.

 

10. Be
         Here Now by Oasis (1997)

- D’You Know What I Mean?

- Stand By Me

- Don’t Go Away

- Be Here Now

- All Around the World

 

This album features some of the best slow rock/ rock n roll
songs of all time in my book. Stand By Me was the theme of the youth back in my
school time, but Don’t Go Away is the best song in this album. Nothing beats
Oasis in this genre of song, and no it’s no wonder why they’re the closest to
be compared to the legendary The Beatles.

This is the summary of my Top 10 best ever album ever
produced by a Band.

ridhuan abubakar®

   Let’s face it; the 2008 General Election is the
talk of the nation at the moment. For the moment, the high profile Altantuya
murder trial, the controversial VK Lingham tape scandal and the wasteful Port
Klang Free Trade Zone case seems to be forgotten for a while to pave way for
the propaganda machine to do it’s duty, and were instructed to do it WELL,
meaning that 99.5% media coverage just for the Ruling Coalition. In this short
frame of time, the public were brainwashed to forget for a while about the ALLEGED
sinful acts (remember they’re not guilty until proven so. yeah right!) of some
actors in exchange of the (usual) promises for better future,
economy and development. But, 4 years later after we’d chosen the ‘clean chap’
to be our leader, what we got in return was rising petrol price, increased cost
of grocery goods, economic slowdown and 2 rusty submarines. How about the
increased scrutiny on public speeches and gathering? You answer that.

   I’m sure the opposition will not win over the current crop of
‘intellectual’ leaders (remember the infamous al-jazeera interview of the Info
Minister?) of now, but what I’m damn sure is that their seats will be less warm
then before, thanks to the presence of the so-called ‘liars’ and
The-person-who-will-bankrupt-Malaysia, although his function is merely just behind the
scene, at least for 2 months more, among others. Why they will continue to lead the
nation? My answer is simple. Forget the vote rigging, oppression, fraud,
Phantom Voters and money politics, the single biggest reason why they will win
this election is because of the 99.5% (0.5% being the news about the launching
of the opposition party’s manifestos) media coverage biased heavily on the
coalition. You name it, channel 1,2, 3,7 & 9, Messenger, Daily News, all
they do is to promote the propaganda, the ‘fake good deeds’ of a few selected
representative, the ‘rise’ of the economy, the continuous ‘development’ of the
nation, etc. In fact, the media are trying too hard it seems, that it looked
like a joke.

   Take this into perspective. The leader of the ESTABLISHMENT is
always the ‘Uhm-No’. The party is/used to be representing the majority Malays
in the country, which consist of roughly 60% of the Malaysian population. Well,
as we all know, majority of the Malays still lives in rural, sub-urban areas,
where media coverage like free TVs and mainstream newspapers are the only
source of info they can get for updates on current issues at the moment. They were indirectly
trained to listen and read the usual stuffs about the good deeds of the
establishment’s rep. everyday in these mainstream Medias. Access to the other
side of stories and left-wing materials are hard to get as it is a controlled
commodity, i.e. internet, alternative newspapers, flyers.

   Take that into account, the only
almost-free-of-political-influence media right now is the internet. This is the
new-age media for alternative news and info about the country and what has not
been showed in the mainstream media, which has been increasingly relevant
recently, like the ALLEGED miss-use of public funds, abuse of power, sex
scandals and so on. This is certainly what the majority of the rural Malays
don’t have access to. What they got is what they believe, i.e. channel 1, 2, 3,
Messenger, Daily News. So, IF YOU CONTROL THE MEDIA, YOU THEORETICALLY CONTROL
THE MALAYS.

   If the majority Malays in the rural areas keep voting Uhm-No, they
will continue to rule the country. The fact, Uhm-No have the most state and
parliament seats in the country. You do the math, simple as that. Until the
media ceased to be biased VERY heavily on the coalition, nothing is going to
change. And I believe they don’t ever considering to. Poor us. I know politics
are more complicated than this, but this is the single biggest reason why the
country is not going to change, in my opinion. Do we need a change? YES. Why? Read
the 2nd sentence in the 1st paragraph.

   Finally, it’s no fun ending my writing without having a go at the
authorities. This is my list of the Top 10 Worst Road in the 1st World Infrastructure State (I guess they forgot to note
that road is actually an infrastructure). Where are the funds? Don’t ask me!

1. Jalan Gombak (Worst of the worst)
2. Jalan Ipoh
3. Jalan Genting Klang
4. MRR2
5. Jalan Kepong-Jinjang
6. Jalan Ampang
7. Jalan Sentul
8. Jalan Sri Hartamas 1
9. Jalan Keramat AU3
10.Jalan Cheras

ridhuan abubakar2008

   Although I’m not a big Hip Hop fan, as a universal music listener, I can’t help but to admire some of the tunes, bits or whatever you want to call it created by the acts of this genre. People that are so much into this music genre are called ‘The Bling- Bling Culture’, or who wants to be associated in that culture, are called ‘Wannabes’. Sorry for my lack of knowledge in this ‘Baggy Pants’ business, here I presents to you my Top 10 Hip Hop/ R&B bits ever:

1. Eminem - Stan
2. The Game - How We Do
3. 2Pac - Changes
4. Dr. Dre feat. Eminem - Forgot About Dre
5. Snoop Dogg - What’s My Name
6. 2Pac - California
7. Baby Bash feat. Akon - Baby I’m Back
8. P. Diddy - I’ll Be Missing You
9. Mario Winan - I Don’t Wanna Know
10. Paula DeAnda feat. Bow Wow - Easy

   Special reservation for Souljah Boy with the song Crank That for being the Most Annoying Hip Hop Songs Ever, at least in my book. The bits and the yelling s**t really gets to my nerves every time it airs on local radio stations.

ridhuan.abubakar®

   Minat saya dalam bidang penulisan ni datang secara tak langsung, yang datang dari hobi saya yang suka membaca majalah- majalah dan melukis. Daripada membaca, saya mula berfikir, berfantasi, dan mula berjinak- jinak untuk menulis cerita sendiri. Menulis, seperti juga melukis, adalah cabang seni yang perlu dilakukan dengan teliti, berfikiran waras dan selalunya mengikut kata hati. Daripada kata hati, perkara tersebut akan dikembangkan dengan pemikiran waras, dan ditulis dengan tangan yang teliti. Maka, akan terhasillah satu penulisan yang amat bermakna, walaupun hanya pada diri sendiri. Blog saya kali ni akan ditulis dalam Bahasa Malaysia supaya lebih mudah difahami oleh ‘orang kebanyakan’ di Semenanjung dan cubaan memperkayakan bahasa ibunda kita yang semakin lama semakin dipinggirkan. Betul ke?

   Bercakap mengenai Bahasa Malaysia, saya masih teringat zaman sekolah rendah dahulu, dimana dalam matapelajaran Bahasa Malaysia kita akan disuruh memilih satu topik yang kita minati dan membuat penyampaian di hadapan kelas, dengan menghafal atau secara spontan. Ketika itu saya berada di darjah 6 Melati, Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Gelugor (1826), Pulau Pinang. Apabila cikgu Bahasa Malaysia (BM) menyuruh kami memilih topik yang kita minati dan membuat penyampaian, otak saya terus berfikir kepada satu perkara, secara spontan, Formula 1 dan mendiang Ayrton Senna. Disebabkan minat saya yang begitu mendalam terhadap Formula 1 dan terutamanya Ayrton Senna ketika itu, saya terus membuat keputusan untuk membuat penyampaian mengenai bekas Juara Dunia 3 kali itu, tetapi bukan mengenai kehebatannya, tetapi mengenai kematiannya yang dianggap ‘the darkest day of Formula 1’ sehingga ke hari ini, dimana seorang lagi pelumba telah mati pada hari sebelumnya. Berikut adalah transkrip penyampaian saya untuk hari tersebut (ketepatan ayat- ayat dan perkataan yang saya gunakan dibawah adalah lebih kurang 30% saja daripada apa yang saya sampaikan 14 tahun lalu, tetapi isi kandungannya hampir sama):

   

   “Selamat pagi diucapkan kepada cikgu Zaharah dan murid- murid sekalian. Hari ini saya akan menyampaikan kisah kematian pemandu Formula 1 yang terkenal dan juga idola saya, Ayrton Senna. Ayrton Senna adalah juara Dunia Formula 1 sebanyak 3 kali, tetapi pada 1 Mei 1994, dia telah menemui ajalnya. Pada perlumbaan di litar Imola, Italy, sedang dia mendahului perlumbaan, tiba- tiba keretanya terbabas di selekoh laju, lalu melanggar tembok batu pada kelajuan 178km/j. Setelah keretanya melanggar tembok batu, ia berpusing- pusing (sambil membuat isyarat tangan) 3 kali sampai ia berhenti beberapa meter dari tembok batu itu. Keretanya hancur, serpihan- serpihan besi berterbangan di kawasan kemalangan, dan Ayrton Senna tidak bergerak seperti sudah pengsan. Kemalangan tersebut disiarkan secara langsung di TV, dan disaksikan oleh jutaan peminat seluruh dunia. Ambulans datang untuk merawatnya, dan kemudian dia dibawa ke hospital menaiki helikopter. Darah berlumuran di tempat kemalangan. Tetapi tidak lama kemudian, berita mengatakan bahawa Ayrton Senna telah meninggal dunia akibat kecederaan teruk di dada dan kepala. Seluruh dunia bersedih dengan pemergian seorang wira, dan juga idola saya. Sekian terima kasih”

   

   Begitulah lebih kurang teks penyampaian saya pada hari tersebut yang masih segar di ingatan saya kerana:

   1. Pertama kali bercerita di depan kelas

   2. Bercerita mengenai topik yang amat saya minati, Formula 1.

   3. Saya berjaya bercerita tanpa merujuk kepada nota bertulis.

Betapa minatnya saya pada Formula 1 ketika itu, mak saya terpaksa menyembunyikan surat khabar yang melaporkan berita kematian Ayrton Senna daripada saya supaya saya tidak hilang ‘mood’ pada hari tersebut. Tetapi akhirnya saya tau jugak, itupun 2-3 hari selepas berita tersebut dilaporkan. Saya meminati sukan permotoran seawall dajah 4, terutamanya Formula 1 dan Motorcycle Grand Prix (sekarang MotoGP). Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Wayne Rainey (lumpuh pada 1993), Wayne Gardner, Eddie Lawson, Kevin Schwantz (juara dunia motosikal 1994) dan John Kocinski adalah sebilangan nama- nama besar pada awal 90an yang pernah menggegarkan dunia permotoran dan memberi inspirasi kepada generasi sekarang. Sifat- sifat yang boleh diambil daripada lagenda- lagenda tersebut untuk dijadikan panduan adalah keazaman untuk menjadi yang terbaik, tidak mudah mengaku kalah dan tidak takut bersaing dengan sesiapa sahaja.

   Kesimpulannya, membaca, melukis, bercerita, menulis dalam apa jua bahasa dan dialek bukanlah menjadi isu untuk didebatkan, tetapi yang penting sekali adalah isi kandungan perbuatan itu sendiri, minat kita terhadap perkara tersebut dan kejujuran kita untuk menyampaikannya kepada orang ramai, dengan niat untuk menimba ilmu dan memperbaiki kelemahan kita sebagai manusia, terutamanya diri saya sendiri. Utamakan bahasa ibunda, ya, tetapi utamakan ISI KANDUNGAN dahulu sebelum menyampaikan kepada orang lain.

   

Sekian, terima kasih…

   Goodbye 2007,
welcome 2008! What’s your goal for this year? Forget all the resolution and
stuffs like that, it’ll only last a few days, or a few weeks at best. Do not
think of resolution, but think of GOAL, ‘What you want to achieve in the coming
year’, instead of ‘What’s my new year resolution’. New Year is only 1 day…

   To begin the second
chapter of my so-called transition year, it’s better to start from July 2007
shall we? As I mentioned in the 1^st chapter, my wedding photography
journey kicked off around June-July, in somewhat grand manner; as a back-up
photographer for a ceremony at the famed Dewan Felda Perdana, one of the
biggest hall you can get in KL. It was a great experience for me, and from
there, everything just goes down smoothly, but with some hitch and glitch here
and there.

   Then came the
most-anticipated event for our PFS Batch 99 members, the inaugural PFS Batch 99
Reunion at Port Dickson. It was great fun with great activities being arranged
by the organizer himself, Mr. BOB the ‘boss’. Just tell him what you want to
do, and he’ll make the rest happens. Paintball, BBQ were some of the activities
we had. But in somewhat SUPER-DUPER coincidence, she was on a holiday at the
same location, same time, same weekend as me. At that point, we never met face to face. For many, it may means nothing, but
after being told of the story from her later this year, it was enough to make
me smile thinking about it till today. No sixth sense, not fate, just
super-duper coincidence. Hehe..

   As far as my
wedding photography journey is concerned, a trip to Felda Triang (a 1 hour
drive from Temerloh) and Rompin was and still a record for me in terms of the
furthest place I went for an assignment in a single weekend. Then came the
fateful first ‘date’, or better to call it first outing, in KLCC somewhere in
the middle of August. To be honest, it did not leave a long-lasting impression
on me, but it was a nice day out with somebody you just started to know. OK, I
remember the date, it was 11.08.07. There’s no harm remembering dates on the
calendar right? From that weekend, I can safely say that my weekend is not
complete without seeing each other, unless there are some matters that need
more attention than this. Why I said safe? Well, flirting on the phone at 5am on Hari Raya is not something the ‘average’
Malaysians will do with their friends very often am I right? HAHAHAHA! Now THAT
leaves a lasting impression on me. YOU got me right there!

   As year end looming
large, my workloads are getting thicker and thicker. All projects are rushed to
be completed on schedule, and it certainly getting to me at one point,
including my personal life, at the same period of time. This time, everything
needs to be put into perspective, to reflect and re-evaluate. Not to be too
emotional, but thoughtful. I don’t care what problems come my way, but I want
to see HOW I figure it out. That is more important. People make mistakes and
learn from it, but people don’t become perfect by learning, because life itself
is a learning process. That’s why nobody is perfect.

  I’m a bit shy to
say this, but this time of the year was the first time I send a BUNCH of
flowers to someone, and glad that the other party accepted it with a smile, full
stop From there on, everything else is history. But some cases are meant to
be highlighted. What about the 2km+ walk from the mosque to the palace, in the
thick of the night, beneath the perfect sky? What about the agony of cramping
to the fireworks competition but forgetting the tripod plate? What about the
TGIF incident? What about the memorable trip to the MCR concert at Stadium
Merdeka? The MCR concert was one of THE events of the year, no question. And
thanks for the company, it was worth all the wet shirt and hair,hehe. What
about me walking down Jalan TAR for a shopping spree, for the first time ever? Now
I know in order to be with someone, one needs to adapts to one’s needs, in
search for harmony. From a ‘kaki lepak’ to a movie-goer? How many movies I’d
watched this year alone compared to the last 5 years combined together? A
perfume worth of RM200 in my collection? You must be kidding me mate. These are
some of the things that made an impact on my life in the 2^nd part of
the year. But make no mistake, these are the things that comes in naturally for
me as a result of THE discovery, a discovery of a human being.
Some are little, some a BIG.

   While the 1^st
part of 2007 was more of a discovery of new things, the 2^nd part of
2007 was more of setting up the pace & keeping momentum of things in life,
on how you balanced it, and take into perspective about all the aspects. If
2007 wasn’t the best year for me, which I think is not, it was certainly a year
of transition of myself, a year where changes are inevitable for my own good, to
be better prepared and what to expect for 2008. Bring it on…

 Happy 2008 mates…

ridhuan abubakar®

 

 

 

 I remember a friend of mine said, "Buat
apa beli keta mahal2, modified sana
sini? Keta ni cuma untuk bawak kita dari point A ke point B." I
think most of the people out there might be sharing the same opinion. Well, I
can’t argue much of that statement though because it is somewhat true, given
the rising cost of petrol and other petty things as small as weed. But for me,
there is an additional element to this ‘from point A to point B thing’. I don’t
own an expensive car nor modified my car rather heavily, but other than just
merely driving, its how you drive from point A to point B that
what makes driving is a passion.

   I’m not telling illegal racing on the streets as a passion. I
spent most of my time in the week by driving to work, sites, meeting supplier,
hanging out, and meeting someone. For me, I always approach driving as
an opportunity to improve my driving skill, awareness, concentration and
reaction. These attributes not only applies on driving, but in
everyday life, at work, sporting activities, etc.. The more you understand the
basic skills of driving, the more you can respect other drivers, no
matter how bad their habits are (like most Malaysians drivers are). And other
aspect that we can improve while driving is, defensive driving. For road bullies out there, they may
laugh at this, but defensive driving is one of the most important
aspects of driving, if not the most. From my personal p.o.v,
defensive driving is when you can anticipate an event that may lead to
an accident before it happens, so you can take the appropriate measures to
avoid them. This is when all the attributes you gain by driving comes
in play. By anticipating a potential accident before it happens may be the key
to a safer road in our part of the world.

   Well, there is no harm applying a bit of racing technique
in your everyday driving tough. I’m not good at all in racing, except been to a
go-kart track once in a while, hehe. But my favourite technique has to bee
tip-toeing and racing line. What I mean by ‘racing line’ is entering a corner
by touching the apex, and exiting the corner by run over the exit ‘kerb’. I
know there is no such things as kerb at normal road, but just imagine that the
kerb is there. But make sure you don’t obstruct traffic in any way, because it can be very
dangerous. What ever you want to do, make sure you don’t harm other vehicle in
direct or indirect way, because it may lead to accidents. Actually, your car
balance is much better by using this technique while cornering than what we
normally do.

   The joy of cornering at the
optimum speed of your car is as close as you can get to the ultimate
stimulation. Some people say it’s better than sex, well I have yet to
find out the comparison, hahaha. If you take driving seriously, and willing to
learn the lessons of driving without anyone telling it, being humble on the
road, feel the improvement of your car control and steering input, plus being
able to anticipate a situation before it happens, then you can say Driving is My Passion. It is not just
about racing or dangerous driving; it is about learning the art of
driving. For me, driving was never ‘merely driving from point A to
point B’…

ridhuan
abubakar®