'07 Ford Shelby GT500: HW SM

Another Hot Wheels Speed Machines haul from the recent batch.

'07 Ford Shelby GT500

Red and black usually go well together. But not this time. Nevertheless, it is still a lovely car.

There's actually a bit of chipped paint on the boot. But it's not visible in this picture 'cause I've photoshopped the thing. Mattel should really do something about their quality control. I don't mind smudged or misaligned tampos, but chipped paint? Did the car went through some sort of rally course before being sold?

If you look carefully at the front grille, there's a speck of silver paint visible on the left side of the grille. Although it may not look like it, that's supposed to be the Shelby logo.

Lamborghini Gallardo: HW SM

I'm not a really big fan of Lamborghini, but this particular Speed Machines cast from Hot Wheels caught my eye:

Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 from Hot Wheels Speed Machines

Very few white cars with black hood could manage to look this good. Now if you look carefully, you'll notice that the black paint and the red stripes on the hood of the pictured car on the card extend to the upper portion of the front bumper. But in the cast itself, they're limited to the hood. But it looks just as good, if not better.

A closer look at the engine bay. I suppose the scribblings on the engine cover is supposed read 'Lamborghini'. Though it's not exactly detailed to the point where you could actually read the word 'Lamborghini', you gotta respect the extra effort they took to paint the engine cover. At least it's better than nothing.

Looks equally stunning from the back. It would be really great if they painted the exhaust tips as well. The Lamborghini tampo on the boot is slightly off-center, but it still looks acceptable.

And here's the 3D version in Need for Speed Shift. Hope you guys like it. :)

Birthday Cupcakes!

It was my girlfriend's birthday last week, and I got her cupcakes as her birthday cake, 'cos she had been asking for them ever since she saw the cupcakes at one of my friend's birthday. And this was the cake I ordered:

I just told the nice lady in the bakery to write Happy, 23, B'day, Sayang, I, Love, U, and XOXO on one cupcake each, and put them in the middle row. For the top and bottom row of cupcakes, I told her that she could design them however she likes, as long as they're pretty.

If you're getting bored of the usual one huge piece of cake as a birthday cake, you could try cupcakes for a change. I ordered mine from Kedai Kek Bukit Idaman in Bukit Idaman, Selayang. The price is reasonable, the cakes are pretty and tasty, and the staffs are very friendly. By the way, if you like sweet icings, you should ask for the royal icing. They cost a bit more, but in my opinion, they taste better, and they don't melt easily, in case you don't have a fridge. The one I ordered was the normal icing, and it tastes pretty much like the normal icing on a cake. Not as tasty as the royal icing, but still tasty nevertheless.

Kursus Pra Perkahwinan. Susah?

Salam sejahtera and salam satu Malaysia. Post kali ni dalam Bahasa Melayu rojak, sebab aku rase lebih sesuai. Senang sikit nak cite. Anyway, baru2 ni aku ade pegi satu kursus kat Shah Alam. Kursus bukan sebarang kursus, kursus pra perkahwinan beb. Ikutkan hati, aku malas nak pegi kursus2 camni. Bukannye ape, ilmu2 agama ni aku lemah sikit, especially bab2 tajwid nih, tunggang-langgang. So segan la nak pergi kursus2 ni, kang tak pasal2 die tanye soalan pelik2, mampus ternganga tak boleh nak jawab. Tapi dah awek ajak pegi, so kena la ikut sekali. Takkan die sorang je yang nak amik kursus kahwin, macam pelik la pulak. So fine, aku pegi je la... Tengok2, kursus pra perkahwinan ni punya la senang. Memang tak payah risau ape2 pun. Kalau korang fail pendidikan Islam pun, xde masalah. Pegi je. Konfem boleh pas kursus ni. So ape yang dorang actually buat kat kursus ni? Kepada para pembaca yang masih belum mengambil kursus pra perkahwinan, yang tertanya2 apa yg korang kena buat or patut tahu, meh sini aku briefing sikit.

Anyway, kursus yang aku ambil ni anjuran bersama UiTM dan JAIS (Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor), so maybe ade a few things yang lain sikit kalau berbanding dgn kursus2 kat tempat lain.

So mule2 nak kena buat ape? Kena la tunggu mana2 agensi atau pihak menganjurkan kursus pra perkahwinan. Die bukan tiap2 hari ade. So korang kena pandai2 la cari kat internet, bile tarikh2 kursus pra perkahwinan tu akan diadakan. Biasanya die akan buat 2 hari, Sabtu ngan Ahad, sebab senang org nak pergi. And bile dah confirm kursus mana nak join, kena la register and bayar yuran. Mase aku daftar tu, die kena daftar 3 minggu sebelum kursus, sebab lepas tu pendaftaran ditutup. So kalau cadang nak pegi kursus, kena la plan awal2. Kalau nak kursus bulan 5, register la dalam bulan 4. Jangan la sehari sebelum atau seminggu sebelum kursus baru nak daftar. Kalau nak selamat, maybe sebulan sebelum kursus tu kira ok la.

Bile dah register nanti, dapat la slip mcmni. Slip ni x gune pun, tapi simpan je la, in case diperlukan. Kalau korang tgk betul2, die ade cakap "yuran pendaftaran tidak dikembalikan", so kalau dah register, tak boleh nak cancel. Kalau cancel jugak, burn la duit yuran tu. Huhu...

Resit pun dapat jugak. Aku punye anjuran UiTM and JAIS, so yuran die murah sikit, RM50 je. Kalau kat luar, paling kurang RM80.

Bile korang pegi kursus tu pada hari yang ditetapkan, korang kena daftar kehadiran kat situ. Pakaian ape pun xpe, asalkan sopan. Tak payah la pakai baju melayu siap dgn songkok dan sampin, kang orang ingat VIP mane pulak nak merasmikan majlis. Aku pegi time tu pakai t-shirt ngan jeans je. Utk perempuan pun same, xyah baju kurung pun xpe, tapi make sure sopan la. Kalau nak freehair pun boleh gak, tapi aku nasihatkan pakai tudung la, sbb takut nanti penceramah tu perli pulak mase bagi lecture. Dah sampai kat tempat mendaftar, sign je nama, pastu dapat la "goodie bag" macamni. Ade ape dlm beg ni? Jom tgk.

Ade buku2. Buku "Memasuki Gerbang Perkahwinan" tu tebal la jugak, standard tebal mcm novel la. Ade ape lagi dlm beg tu?

Yes, buku lagi. Buku2 ni aku x bace pun. By the way, ade jugak borang feedback dlm beg tu, tapi xde gambar nk tunjuk sbb dah bagi balik.

Buku nota pun die bagi jugak, in case korang nak salin important points mase lecture ataupun conteng2 lukis kartun orang lidi untuk mengelakkan mengantuk mase lecture. Kalau malas nak salin pun xpe, sebab points2 yang penting semua ada dlm buku yang die bagi. Tapi die x bagi pen, so korang bawak la pen sendiri.

Selain tu ade jugak pamphlet2 ni dlm beg tu. Senarai pamphlet:

• Kursus Pra Perkahwinan Siri 2/2010
• Penjelasan Ringkas Berhubung Kedudukan Wali Dalam Pernikahan
• Prosedur Permohonan Poligami (Dalam Negeri Selangor) - yg ni budak laki kena simpan elok2 k.. hehe..
• Jenis-jenis Pernikahan Yang Disyaratkan Mendapat Kelulusan Mahkamah
• Perkahwinan Menyalahi Enakmen - Apakah Kesannya?
• Prosedur Mendapatkan Kebenaran / Kelulusan Bernikah Di Negeri Selangor
• 'Iddah - Menurut Pandangan Islam
• Menghadapi Masalah Dalam Kehidupan

Dalam pamphlet pertama tu ade tentatif program sekali.

Kalau korang tengok kat sini, yang ade ceramah, makan, ceramah, makan. Tu je. Tapi kat tempat lain, aku dengar ade exam sebelum dapat sijil. So kalau takut nak exam, ambik je la kursus kat dalam UiTM ni. Tapi kalau orang luar aku tak pasti la boleh ke tak. Kalau nak tahu tajuk2 ceramah tu, klik je gambar tu untuk tgk gambar yg lagi besar. Penceramah dorang ok je, especially Ustaz Suhaimi (kalau x silap), die mmg terer buat lawak. Aku jenis yg susah nak gelak ni pun gelak sampai sakit perut. Dah x mcm ceramah dah, mcm tgk Raja Lawak la pulak. Penceramah lain pun ok jugak, xde yang garang ke ape pun. Semua baik2 je. By the way, dorang sediakan makanan untuk breakfast, lunch, ngan tea break. Makanan memang sedap2. Lauk 2-3 jenis, semua best. Entah la dorang cater kat mana, semua masakan panas2. Or maybe sebab sejuk and lapar setelah dengar lecture berjam2 dlm dewan kuliah yg aircon kuat tu, sbb tu makan ape pun sedap. Oh, sebelum terlupa, kalau jenis yg x tahan sejuk tu, bawak la sweater. Aku first day tak bawak sweater, so mmg terketar2 la dlm lecture hall tu.

Aku ade dengar, yang kursus pra perkahwinan ni, sijil die tahan 3 tahun la, setahun la, sampai bile2 la, etc. Yg tu aku x boleh nak confirmkan. Tapi menurut sorang ustazah ni, sijil yg kitorang dapat mmg tahan sampai bile2. Dalam salah satu pamphlet tu pun ade cakap mcmtu:

Hopefully betul la...

Lepas dengar ceramah, gelak2, makan sedap2, akhirnya dapat la sijil pra perkahwinan macam di atas ni... Bukan sijil kahwin atau sijil nikah tau. Sijil pra perkahwinan baru.. Anyway, aku dengar dorang nak buat kursus pra perkahwinan ni lain sikit di masa hadapan... dorang nak buat 3 hari 2 malam. And ade bnyk practical, bukan lecture je. Hehe... So kalau xnak amik kursus 3 hari 2 malam, baik ambik awal2. Pegi pukul 8, balik pukul 5. So kesimpulannya, kursus pra perkahwinan ni teramat la senang. Tak seperti yang aku sangkakan... Ribuan terima kasih buat pihak Pusat Pemikiran dan Kefahaman Islam UiTM (CITU) dan Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS). Sekian.. :)

Twin Mill III, Acura NSX: HW

Just a few more updates...

Twin Mill III, Hot Wheels Track Stars 2010

This car looks fierce from every angle. And that's cool.

The only tampo on the car. Glad they didn't mess this one up. By the way, I love how the paint sparkles under bright light.

Acura NSX, Hot Wheels Racing 2009

Here it is, pictured with it's evil twin.

Scion xB, Paradigm Shift: HW

Just a quick update on my recent Hot Wheels haul.

Scion xB, Hot Wheels Race World Earth 2010

Found this one at Parkson Sungai Petani.

Looks pretty good. I'd say it's the best looking car among the Earth series casts. The shade of green is just perfect!

Paradigm Shift, Hot Wheels Race World Earth 2010

I got this one from a friend of mine. It's almost impossible to find one on the pegs now.

This one looks pretty as well. I really like the light shade of blue. The car looks as if it was made of ice. Mr. Freeze would loveee to have this... if he collects Hot Wheels. By the way, do note that the huge rear spoiler is actually an extension of the base, therefore it's actually made of metal. Most metal casts would have plastic rear spoilers, so I guess a plastic cast deserves a metal one.

Now I only need the Nerve Hammer to complete the Earth series.

Studying medicine

As per title, today I would like to rant about how much I hate studying medicine, and why do I feel that way. Currently I'm a 5th year medical student, studying at a local public university. If all goes well, I would become a doctor in about a year's time. Sounds fantastic, no? No, it's not. Graduating and becoming a house officer (HO) is just the beginning of the miserable life of a doctor. Why? Isn't being a doctor a noble profession? You'll have the chance to help people, you'll get a nice “Dr.” in front of your name, people everywhere will respect you, and most importantly, you will have a secure job with a handsome salary (this is the main reason for most students). The salary of a house officer, inclusive of on-calls and other allowances, could easily exceed RM4000, while the salary of a medical officer (MO) would be north of RM6000. With that amount of cash, you could buy a decent car, a decent house, and you could go shopping every weekend, you could buy the latest hand phones, the latest gadgets, branded clothes, branded shoes, and lots of other things. But the problem is, would you have the time to enjoy the things you buy, when you have on-calls on every other day, and you only have enough time at home to eat dinner and go to bed, and wake up early the next morning just to go through another miserable day? Are you even free on the weekends to go shopping and have fun? I don't think so. When you've worked non-stop for the past 36 hours, exhausted from taking care of hundreds of patients, each with a different disease that you need to diagnose and treat accordingly, and being scolded by the seniors, the sister in charge, the specialists, and pretty much everyone else in the hospital, does it matter whether you're driving home in a BMW or a Perodua Kancil? When you're all tired and sleepy and all you could think of is your cozy bed, does it matter whether you had the finest sirloin steak or just a bowl of instant noodles for dinner before going to bed? When you're busy in the ward and you have to call various departments to help you manage your patients, does it matter whether you're calling them using your iPhone or the hospital's telephone? When you don't even have time to enjoy music or watch TV, does it matter how expensive your home theater is or how big your LCD TV is? In other words, when you're doing the very thing you hate every single day for the rest of your life, what are you actually living for? Is that the life you have always dreamed of? Even if you’re driving a Mercedes, living in a bungalow, can you really say you’re living the life? You may say "Why don't you work in the private sector then? It won't be as hectic, and the pay would be much higher". It's not that simple. First you are bound to work with the government for at least 4 years (2 years HO + 2 years MO). And then you need to continue with your masters, 'cos no private hospital would take a medical officer with 2 years experience to work with them. Let's say you need 4 years to complete your masters, and now you're a specialist, among hundreds of other experienced specialists. What makes you think the private sector would choose you instead of the experienced ones? So let's say you'll need to work with the government for another 5 years before the private sector finally accepts you. By that time you're almost 40. Now you only have about 20 years left to enjoy your life (I don't think life after 60 is going to be that interesting. How often do you see a doctor in their 60s going to the club in a shiny red Ferrari with a freakin' hot chick besides him?). I know that other professions aren’t easy as well. I know it’s not easy being an engineer, I know it’s not easy being a photographer, or a journalist, or a graphic designer, or a gigolo, but at least you’re doing something that you like. Something that you have passion for. It’s like choosing between tackling Fasha Sandha and Sir Elton John. Both would be difficult to tackle, and you would be a lot richer and a lot more famous if you tackle the latter, but do you really want to be Lady John for the rest of your life? (Assuming you’re straight. I don't have anything against gays by the way.). So think about it, and think carefully. Forget what the others say about having a noble profession with a good income, and being respected by the community and all of those bullshits. It’s not like they actually have an experience being a doctor anyway. Think about what you really want to do for the rest of your life, regardless of the income, regardless of the title, regardless of the amount of respect people have for you. Remember that it’s your life, and you’re the one who’s going to live it. So you are the one who should make the choice, not your parents, not your friends, not your siblings.

 You make the choice.

A prize from Mattel!

I got a call this morning from Mattel Southeast Asia, and I was informed that I was one of the top 10 winners for the Hot Wheels Race World Challenge Contest! It's just a simple contest where all you had to do to qualify for an entry was to buy 2 basic Hot Wheels cars, fill up a form and answer a simple question which goes sort of like this: "Race World Challenge 2010 is brought to you by........?". The answer could be found on the other side of the form, which was printed in huge bold capital letters "RACE WORLD CHALLENGE 2010 BROUGHT TO YOU BY HOT WHEELS!!" There's no way you could've missed it. Anyway, I only submitted a single entry. Guess I was really lucky. And here's the prize I picked up from their HQ today!

TA-DAAAHH!!

Hot Wheels Toy Story 3 Claw Rescue Track Set. Maybe I'm a bit too old for this, but it sure looks like fun.

The back of the box

The car included: Little Green Speedster. "Oooohhh!"

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mattel Southeast Asia (Malaysia) for choosing me as one of the lucky winners. Thanks a lot for the awesome prize! :D