THE DESMOGIRL HAS FINALLY ARRIVED...

Alya Fatini, approx 15 minutes after delivery

How can i forget to post this latest addition of DesmoKids? Its not too late, is it? I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the latest member of our family, Alya Fatini, born December 17th 2008. Our first princess, your Ummi and Abah welcomes you to this whole new challenging world. May you be a virtuos muslimah, insya Allah.

Al Fatihah...

It's been a while since i did my last blogging session. And this post is not an attempt to re-blog just yet. It's just that i've been very busy with my post-grad studies for the past few months. And there's still few papers that i have to sit in the exam this November. So, pray for my success ok?

Talking about success, there will be none coming for my younger sister. Not anymore. She just passed away on October 13, 2008. And she's only 31 years young. She's one of the brightest student during her studies (also in our family) and got the Vice Chancellor Award during her graduation in UITM Shah Alam. And she's on course for a fast track career promotion in one of the department in Putrajaya. She's a dedicated worker and well liked by her colleagues and peers alike, judging from huge numbers of them visiting in the hospital and also during the funeral. Even the Director General came all the way to our hometown in Batu Pahat to pay her last respect.

Her death came exactly 40 days after i lost my grandma and less than a year after my dad passed away on November 14, 2007. It's been a very trying time for our family, especially for my mum. Whatever the reason, we have to accept that Allah loves them more. May their soul rest in peace and be among the members of Jannah. Al Fatihah......

MY SPANKING NEW BIKE

Hi. This is my new 12-inch bike, bought for my 3rd birthday by my lovely dad (he literally persuaded me to write the word 'lovely'). Dad says these bike are the best bets for preschoolers with small inseams of 15 to 20 inches, whatever that means. That was what the shopkeepeer tell him anyway.

My new bike have 12-inch wheels, coaster brakes, a very small frame and come standard with removable training wheels. They also have kid-pleasing features like decorative frills on the handlebars. The best thing is, it also comes with a passenger carrier and a free 'helmet' (but not for me to wear) because it's just a basket for me to put in my Hot Wheels and Maistos collections.

The two tone blue & yellow color is my favourite cause it matches the color of both James Toseland's Yamaha Tech 3 bike (picture below) and my favourite feeding bottle. What's more, it's sturdy enough to be passed to my younger sibling. 12-inch bikes are appropriate for two to four year olds, adds the auntie shopkeepeer at the bike shop.

My next bike.....same livery, plus an engine!

What's Hot: Cute, colorful and lots of fun stickers attached. Free 'helmet'.

What's Not: Not fond of the bike's name 'Puppy'.

*review by Ammar Haziq

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER HITS PEDESTRIAN while overtaking elderly driver

He might have been a whizz on the Formula One circuit, but the back roads of Kent proved more taxing for motor racing legend Michael Schumacher.

The seven-time world champion was on his way back from an event at Silverstone on Sunday when he was overtaking an elderly woman driver and accidentally clipped a pedestrian.
The 38-year-old German, who was behind the wheel of a Fiat Ducato van (picture), was not injured in the prang.

Martin Kingham told how he was knocked to the ground by the Formula One ace’s van as he rounded a corner and overtook another car before ploughing into him. ”The last thing you expect on a quiet afternoon is to be run over by Michael Schumacher - it was unbelievable,’ Mr Kingham, 39, told the Daily Mirror:

‘He came from behind me to overtake two old ladies in a little Fiat. The first thing I knew I was flat on my face after the collision. Martin Kingham was clipped by Schumacher as he was closing his garage. ‘When I realised who had hit me I thought I had concussion.’

Schumacher, who has a sponsorship deal with Fiat, was on his way to a private jet at a nearby airfield when he accident happened in Lydd, Kent. When you are used driving a Formula 1 car at very high speeds, an average car like a Fiat van should be no problem. But it seems the 7 time F1 champion isn’t perfect.

Backseat lovers survive plunge

Two lovers ended up in hospital - and one could be heading for divorce - after their car plunged 46m down a cliff as they had sex in the back seat.

Police said Lin Gu, 25, and lover Lee Shin, 29, suffered broken bones when their car tipped over the edge of the hill in XinDian, Taiwan. “They had parked up close to the edge of the mountain and had left the handbrake off,” a spokesman said . “When they started having sex the rocking motion started the car moving and it rolled off the hill. They were lucky they were not more seriously hurt.” Despite their injuries - and being covered with mud and grass - the couple managed to clamber back up to the road.

The woman headed to Chen Chenggang’s nearby house for help, begging him not to reveal how the accident happened as her husband “would definitely sue for divorce”.

Tips for the day

My friends asked me the other day on the best way to save fuel. Well, my logical answer to that (without asking him to read any of the internet resources or buying the overhyped fuel saving gadgets) : DRIVE SLOWLY BUT SENSIBLY. There’s no way you’re going to actually save fuel by going faster. You need more power to go faster but at the same time you demanded your car to save fuel. How illogical is that. It’s against the Energy Conservation Theory (or whatever they call it) and many other related laws (on physics, that is). But I’m not going to talk about that theories and I’m not and expert on fuel burning mechanism either.

If you want to practice hypermiling driving techniques or be and ecomodder, there’s a few tips before you even try to attempt few of them. These tips are purely based from my own experience, typically for Malaysian roads.

1. You have to be a very (i mean very) patient and tolerant person. Some motorist will honk you cause they just think you’re not fast enough to their likings or ‘makan angin’. Let those a**h**e pass. Plus many will try to jump of the queue in front of you, after noticing you seemed to get up to speed slower than their 'Wiralution 'or 'Wajalution'.

2. You must be able to resist any temptations to go faster than you should (which may make you suffer, seeing a standard Kancil driven by an auntie overtake your shiny 2.0 car effortlessly, after ‘cucuk’ing from behind few times since the last traffic light). This is very hard to do, i know.

3. As a start, try to practice during weekends cause the traffic is not that heavy compared to weekdays. If you attempt to do it while going to work, the usual traffic jams routines may be frustrating and you may end up getting more stressed. Not good.

4. Track Your Mileage in Real Time. Knowing what mileage you're getting in real time i.e being able to compare it to what you got yesterday or even 10 minutes ago—is the new way to drive these days. What you need to do is invest in a fuel-economy computer like the Pivot E-drive or Scangauge; and you're instantly instrumented. Either way, a conscious mind combined with instant feedback should get you that instant 10 percent.

5. Do not add any other ‘fuel saving’ gadgets. This is to proof that you yourself are the one who contributed to the hypermiling success, not the gadget.

6. Practice at your own risk and discretion. This will be my escape clause, heheh.

He pays for sex with $100 fuel card

Talking about taking fuel saving practices to the extreme.This one taken from nydailynews.com.

It's the newest way to pay for the oldest profession. A man has admitted exchanging a $100 fuel card for sex with a hooker.
Court records uncovered by The Smoking Gun Web site show Kenneth Nowak was busted after an undercover cop caught him having sex with the call girl last Friday at a Days Inn in Fort Wright, Ky.
The 50-year-old Indiana man told cops he paid for the action with a card good for fuel at Speedway gas stations, along with other unspecified "gifts."
"A local prosecutor noted that it was sad to see someone selling their body for fuel," the Web site reported.
Angela Eversole, 34, who sold her body for just 25 gallons of juice, was hit with a prostitution rap and also charged with doing business without an occupational license. Nowak was charged with promoting prostitution.

Picture of the day

New Chevrolet Beat

Mitsubishi i MiEV police car

Chevrolet Aveo Penny. Everyone wants one (not the car)

My First Ecomodder Resolutions

I've decided to become an ecomodder. What and why? Ecomodding is not just hypermiling practice. People are drawn to ecomodding for many reasons. The "eco" in ecomodder suggests concern for the environment & conservation;but "eco" also points to the economic factor - the desire to save money through reduced energy consumption.

In true gearhead fashion, ecomodder enjoy the considerable technical/mechanical challenge of improving a machine & its driver, and some revel in the sheer sport of it! Squeezing the greatest distance from the least amount of fuel is an ongoing game against ourselves and other like-minded efficiency enthusiasts. Of course, no two ecomodders are alike. People bring different combinations of interests & motivation.

Ecomodding is not the unquestioned adoption of dubious additives or magic bullet add-ons. Ecomodders value the experimental method, and are skeptical of those who make claims and draw conclusions from observations made in uncontrolled conditions

"Wrench smart - drive smarter - save fuel"

As a novice ecomodder, these are my resolutions:

1. Use the lowest recommended octane. The lower octane gas is cheaper (read my previous posting on using lower RON)

2. Stay away from newly refill tanks. If i know that a station has just been filled by tanker, steer clear of it for a day or two. When the tanker dumps its thousands of litres of fuel into the containers below the station, the sediment and old fuel get stirred up. This sediment and bad fuel gets sucked into the cars that fill up first, and can cause a decrease in fuel efficiency, as well as wear and corrosion of the spark plugs in my vehicle.

3. Fill the tank full. If I need to fill up, fill up all the way. The more money i try to save by adding RM50 today and then RM30 tomorrow will be wasted since each time i will have to travel to the station and wait for a pump. Instead, i do it all at once to save time and money.

4. Stop at first click and don't top off the tank. It is wasted money and bad for the environment since the extra gas evaporates in 10 minutes of driving.

5. Throw...err..clean out any unnecessary items in the car. If my car is lighter, it will use less fuel to get where I’m going (spare your passenger, ok?).

6. Avoid idling. While idling, my car gets exactly 0 km, while starting the car uses the same amount as idling for 6 seconds.

7. Reduce speed. Aerodynamic drag increases exponentially with speed. The most efficient speed is my car's minimum speed in it's highest gear, since this provides the best "speed per RPM" ratio.

8. Take off slowly from a full stop. This is one adjustment that will have dramatic effects on my gas mileage. (Refer to step 12 afterwards)

9. Stay away from shops where i will spend significantly more time idling and waiting for parkings, pedestrians and other vehicles to move.(e.g Tesco Ampang during weekends..hehe).

10. Increase tyre pressure from in the manual which are for comfort rather than fuel efficiency. Generally speaking, a slightly higher pressure will improve fuel mileage and handling, but too high will degrade traction and wear the tires rapidly, as well as being unsafe.

11. Listen to slower music. Leave the speed metal at home. Fast paced music can make me more impatient, more agressive and likely to speed. At the same time, slower paced music is more relaxing and tends to promote a more sensible driving style while also reducing stress.

12. Constant throttle position cruising. Once up to speed, pick a throttle position and hold it.

13. Make fuel economy a game/challenge. Competing against myself (or others) to get the best possible fuel economy can do wonders for increasing motivation to learn more, refine my skills, and try harder.

14. Adjust my automatic transmission practice:

• key off, then Park. Save a few drops of fuel by modifying shutdown procedure: when parking, turn off the key *before* shifting to Park and setting the parking brake.
• highest gear/lowest RPM for posted speed. When cruising, drive the the speed that allows the lowest RPM for the speed zone we are in.
  EG. if the posted speed is 60 kmh and your car shifts into 3rd at 65, you may be able to achieve the 3rd gear shift, then reduce and hold 60 without causing a downshift.
• torque converter (TC) lockup. Drive at the speed that allows the TC (torque converter) to lock up. This is often around 75-80 kmh. Speeds just above this typically return the higest cruising fuel economy.
• neutral when stopped. Shift automatic transmissions to neutral when stopped (assuming i'm going to leave the engine running). Remaining in drive wastes fuel as the engine continues to try to creep the car forward while being held back by the brakes.
• upshift coaxing. Some automatic transmissions can be coaxed to upshift sooner when accelerating by briefly releasing some throttle pressure, then re-applying to continue accelerating.
• use OD (overdrive). If my transmission has an "OD" (overdrive) button or position, leave it engaged to ensure the transmission will shift into its highest gear as soon as possible.
• use economy mode. If my automatic transmission has a "power/economy" button, leave it in economy mode. This usually results in earlier upshifts and later downshifts, saving fuel.
  
• to be continued...
  

Picture of the day

Look at these pictures. Oopps, where's the kid's head? This kid must be an AC Milan fan judging from his attire. If not mistaken, the number 22 means he's wearing Kaka's number. The truth is, that's not the main concern here. But you wonder what the kid’s doing heh? Let's find out..

Standing in an awkward yet suspicious manner…

Let's close up a bit, shall we..there's the head

Mystery solved...

Classic case of 'sleep while you're standing'...many thanks to Ammar Haziq for providing the action.

Ubah gaya hidup: Part 1

Semalam, anaks (plural) nak minum cendol dan ABC combo (bunyi mcm gi KFC la pulak). So, aku pun pegi la beli. Tengok2 sekali harga dah naik daa. Tak tergezut aku (tapi aku buat2 tergezut la. Mana tau mamak tu silap letak harga). Average dah naik 30 sen semua variety (kosong, tambah jagung, kacang, pulut, etc..). Kat sebelah tu ada jual rojak…perggghhh..naik jugak…50 sen semua variety.

Walaupun kerajaan cakap harga minyak ikut pasaran, harga makanan lain pulak. Sekali dah naik, mana pulak nak turun. Contoh dulu harga ayam naik. Akibatnya harga nasi ayam pun naik dari RM3.00 ke RM3.50. Yg heran (kalu tak heran pun buat2 heran la ya) tu, bila harga ayam turun, nasi ayam tadi tak turun harga pulak ye. So lepas ni kalu harga minyak turun pun jangan harap la harga2 makanan ni nak turun.

Nampak gayanya kena ubah gaya hidup lagi….ubah dari cendol kacang kepada cendol kosong je. Pastu rojak telur ubah kepada rojak regular je. Sebelum ni keta wife aku dah switch fuel dari RON97 ke RON92. Jimat le 400 sen every full tank…(saja letak dlm sen supaya nampak banyak)..duit save tu boleh simpan, sikit2 lama2 jadi bukit..ehhh…taknak la duit jadi bukit.

Aku pun heran macamana kita nak ubah gaya hidup lagi ...bagi org2 kaya ( no offence) tak payah pun ubah gaya hidup. Sebabnya memang gaya hidup diaorang dah macam tu. Bagi yang kurang kaya ni, tak tau la apa lagi nak diubah. Bagi yg mmg dah sedia daif pulak, apa lagi yang nak diubah? Sebelum minyak naik pun mmg dah tak cukup makan. Mmg susah kita nak paham org susah kalau kita sendiri tak susah. Dalam masa rakyat bersusah payah, pemimpin masih ada ribuan ringgit utk elaun hiburan ?? (walaupun dipotong 10% cuma) Terhiburkah mereka melihat kemarahan dan kesusahan orang lain. Talk is cheap…

Surat utk Pak Lah

Again, extracted from my mailbox for us to share....

"Kepado pak lah... PM paling sey sayang...I lap u...

Namo sey ni KARIM...pengundi bedaftar DUN CHOMBUNG, PARLIMEN ROMBAU...alaaaa tompek si KERY yg abah'eh JAMALUDIN tuuu...tak kona'????menantu PAK LAH tu laaaaa....suko bona' sey ngan dio tu...ghaso nak buek menantu lak...sey nulih surat ni bukan apo...sajo yor nak ucap'an timo kasih kek pak lah sobab naik'an hargo minyak ari tu..lopeh ini bilo hargo minyak naik..hargo barang lain pun naik gak laaaa...banggo boto' sey ghaso...mcm duduk kek LAS VEGAS lak...HIDUP PAKLAH!!!!!!!

Sey janji ngan pak lah yg sey akan ubah tebiat sey dari makan ikan kombung yg dah merah menyalo mato'eh & pocah bedorai porut ikan tu pado ikan koring yor...sey sanggup bekoban untuk UMNO dan bn..anak sey yg 7 org tu yg dh buleh buek team futsal tu boleh la bekojo lopeh sekolah buek bantu mak ayah diorang ni haaa...kok tak bekojo pun buleh la jadi mat rompit kek SENAWANG tu...dapek gak la duit sesikit...buleh gak la menoruskan tradisi keluargo sey ni yg nyokong UMNO dan bn....

Ghaso2 sey ni nk ubahsuai bilik bilik yg ado kek ghumah sey...nk buek tompek bolo ikan & tanam sayur cagho hidroponik (apo binchek'eh ni???) sey tepakso tanam kek dalam bilik sobab sey tingga' kek umah flat...rebet yg pak lah bagi kek sey memang melampuh2 lobeh'eh dari keperluan sey..bilo sey congak2.. sey cumo guno 20 sen yor duit minyak moto sehari.. ado la untung 21 sen...bak kato si SAIDA AF6 "ok la tuuuu"

Sey tak pakai pon keto... sobab bilo minyak naik hargo.. sey kono jual datsun kotak mancis sey tu.. dapek gak la duit....tokih2 pun ado la hasil'eh..team futsal sey tu, sey nak suruh eksesais hari2 berjalan kaki tak pun naik beska' poie sekolah...ado la 5 km...dokek yor tuuuuu...

walaupon gaji sey ni rm 1000..sbona'eh terlobih cukup untuk keluargo sey...buek permulaan nak ngubah kehidupan sey..sey tak akan guno'an gulo bilo buek kopi... tak akan guno'an topung untuk buek kodok..sey nak ganti'an bogheh ngan ubi... tiap hari sey ngan keluargo akan berposo (kecuali pado hari hari yg dilarang beposo)..sey akan buek minyak masak sendiri..itu antaro caro sey ngubah caro hidup..ade banyak laie caro..semuo kerano UMNO dan bn...dan sey mintak bona' pak lah naik'an laie hargo minyak yg ado..bukan tu yorrr.. sey mintak bona' naik'an laie hargo tol sobab org sbolah rumah sey nih org pembangkang...dio slalu guno highway, biar padan muko dio...tu la...suko bona' nyokong pembangkang...PAKATAN RAKYAT konon.....

Nanti pak lah buleh la melawat sey dan sedokah pado sey solai kain pelikat bilo dah nak dokek2 pilihanraya nanti...insyaallah kain pelikat tu sey nak bubuh dlm frame dah tu gantung kek rumah...tapi jangan lupo lak.. pak lah sain otogeraf yor kek kain tu....jgn lupo pak lah.. naik'an laie hargo minyak..jgn la diturun'an gaji mentori2 tuuu..siannn diorang...kang apo lak anak bini'eh nak mentodarah....sey totap nyokong pak lah..akhir kato biar pak lah sonang, janji kami papo kedano.. hidup UMNO, hidup bn..sekian timo kasih..

ps/ sampai'an salam sey kek si KERY samo PATRICK BADAWI tu yor..tak lupo gak tuan punyo syarikat SCOMI...sapo tah namo'eh...lupo lak...pocah kaco, pocah golas,sudah baco, harap baleh.

*hasil nukilan Hamba Allah yg tidak dikenali

Apa itu politik?

I don't want to touch on political issues in this weblog. The reason is, there's hundreds, maybe thousands of blogs out there on politics. Many of them (bloggers) are qualified political analyst or critics. Even Tun Dr Mahathir have his own blog now. I've listed some of the blogs i frequently visit in the "Blogs I Visited List" at the right hand of this blog. Bottom line, yang baik jadi tauladan yg buruk jadi sempadan. Bak kata Nabil "Lu pikir la sendiri" . Tapi, apakah itu politik? I got this "classic" example few months back, forwarded by my friend. Obviously, the email was forwarded before so many times that the originator identity himself was lost in the process. Credit to him.

"Sebuah keluarga dari golongan pertengahan, dimana suami dan isteri bekerja. Mereka mempunyai dua orang anak. Seorang lelaki berusia 9 tahun dan seorang perempuan berusia setahun. Segala urusan rumah dikendalikan oleh seorang pembantu rumah Indonesia .

Pada suatu malam, ketika sedang makan malam sekeluarga, si anak sulung yangberusia 9 tahun itu bertanya pada si ayah, "Ayah, apa itu politik?". Tersedak si ayah mendengar persoalan anaknya itu. Jawab ayah, "Politik itu macam keluarga kita. Ayah dapatkan wang untuk keluarga kita, ayah adalah kapitalis, Mama gunakan wang itu untuk menguruskan keluarga kita, jadi mama adalah kerajaan. Kakak pembantu rumah kita adalah golongan pekerja. Kamu adalah rakyat dan adik kamu adalah generasi masadepan. Faham? Kelipok-kelipok mata si anak kejam celik. Memang tidak faham. Lantas si ibu mencelah, "Tak apa, malam ini waktu hendak tidur,kamu fikirkan apa yang ayah cakap dan cuba faham okay.

Jadi semalaman si anak berusia 9 tahun itu tidak dapat lelapkan matanya berfikir tentang politik. Sehingga akhir sekali dia menjadi jemu dan hampir terlelap. Pada waktu itulah, si adik buat perangai. Meraung tengah-tengah malam pulak. Si anak itu pergi ke bilik ibu dan ayahnya hendak memberitahu bahawa adiknya yang bernama Abdullah (bukan nama sebenar) itu sedang meraung kerana pampersnya sudah penuh najis. Sampai di bilik dia lihat si ibu sedang lena tidur.Walau berkali-kali dipanggil, si ibu tetap tidur. Dilihat si ayah pula tiada di sebelah ibu. Jemu mengejutkan ibu yang tak bangun-bangun, dia mengambil keputusan ke bilik pembantu rumah. Bila dibuka bilik pembantu rumah, dia lihat si ayah sedang 'bermain' dengan si pembantu Indonesia itu. Akhir sekali si anak terpaksa menyalin pampers adiknya sendiri.

Sewaktu bersarapan esok pagi, si ayah bertanya, "Dah faham apa itu politik? Si anak yang sedang selera makan selamba menjawab, "Dah!". Si ayah dan ibu terkejut dengan jawapan selamba itu. Lantas si ibu mencelah, "jadi apa dia politik tu?" Si anak tanpa mengangkat muka melihat ayah dan ibunya, dengan tenang menjawab. "sewaktu kerajaan sedang asyik tidur, golongan kapitalis menodai golongan pekerja. Akibatnya rakyat di abaikan dan masa depan bergelumang najis! Itulah politik"