Dissapointing Toyota

A short lived joy, that’s how I felt when I found out my car wasn’t properly QC-ed and repaired by Toyota.

I sent my car to be repaired after the accident at Toyota Sg. Rasah near Padang Jawa. Why so far? Apparently, that’s the place the car goes when it’s involved in an accident. Mr Chua, the personnel who took my case, isn’t the brightest of the lot but I didn’t aspect it to be anymore worse. Firstly, he had broken a few promises by not returning my phone call and didn’t give me an update or any notice before he went off for a week holiday (he told me that I could get back my car by CNY, bullshit). Secondly, he didn’t do a proper QC on the damage to my car. The obvious would be the dented bumper and broken left front arm. I remembered telling him to check for other damages, which he didn’t :(

He called me to collect my car last Wednesday. Since I was quite tied up with work, I told him I’ll collect in on Friday instead. So on Friday morning I took a train to Padang Jawa and a short 10 mins walk from the station later, I reached the place around 840am. He showed me my car and assured me everything was repaired. I left the place 30mins later, happy as a bee.

As I was cruising down the Federal Highway, I heard some noises coming from the wheel. Immediately, I drove the car back to the workshop and highlighted the problem to him. He said it must be the cover rubbing against the wheel. He called for a mechanic, Reza, to fix the problem. I took the car out for a spin after he had done the adjustment but the noise was still there. I asked Reza to sit in the car to listen to it as I drove the car around the workshop. He said the sound came from the back wheel.

Back wheel? WTF

After a thorough checking, we found out that the bearing and rim for the rear wheel were crooked and the car horn wasn’t working! I was surprised, not in a pleasant way. I didn’t vent my frustration on the mechanic but asked him who fixed my car. He told me he was instructed by Chua to fit in the spare parts for the front wheel on Monday. The mechanic who was doing it had been assigned to another car.

I confronted Chua with the problems and the bugger had the audacity to tell me that I told him the damage was just the front part. I said to him the obvious damage of course was the front part but I did remind him to check for other damages as well. I asked him why the car wasn’t QC-ed before handling back to me. He said he did. If he did then I would say he did a shitty job in doing the QC.

I was late for work, I was hungry (it was almost 1130am then) and I was pissed. I asked him whether I can drive the car to work because I really need to get into the office and told him I’ll send the car back next Monday. He said it should be safe but don’t drive too fast. I called the customer service to file a complaint after I reached my office. Late, hungry and pissed.

Toyota, I’m very disappointed.

Apparently I’m not the only one with a bad experience with Toyota Sg. Rasah.

Juk Juk Juk

Comical Thursday

I've been feeling a lil gloomy the whole day. It's time to cheer up.

Chip Chip Chip


*love the laugh :P

Heartbeat

to all my buddies,

thanks so much for your concern. i'm well and fine :)

i would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude for all your care, company, and love throughout the year. here's to a better and greater year ahead! cheers!

happy valentine's day!

hugs,
JL

A Beat

Flat

Pum um kish kish tak ke tak

Don't worry, i'm neither loosing my mind nor speaking in some funky new language.

I've discovered a new hobby, Beatboxing!

It has nothing to with boxing but a vocal imitation of percussion sounds.

Justin Timberlake has used it effectively in many of his songs.

My friend has sent me this clip of a contestant auditioning for France Pop Idol. This guy is quite good at it. When I ‘google’d beatboxing online, I found this website that teaches people how to beatboxing. The guy who is giving the tutorial is very good as well.

I’m trying to learn a few beats on my own now. So prepare for some beatboxing from me :P

Oh… bring your umbrella ella ella eh eh eh to protect yourself from my ‘hou sui’.

Okie dokie, need to go and practice my

pum um kish kish tak ke tak ke tak pum um kish kish…

toodles

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A very good article. A must read for everybody!

The Don't Divorce Me Club (taken from CNN)

In the corner of a small Japanese restaurant, a dozen dark-suited businessmen gathered at a large table. Smoke hovered over the dinner and beer disappeared as quickly as it was poured. At first glance, it looked like a typical Friday night post-work scene played out all over Tokyo’s taverns. But then your eye stops on a poster-sized sign propped up next to one of the middle-aged men. It reads:

Three Golden Rules of Love:

* Thank you (say it without hesitation)

* I am sorry (say it without fear)

* I love you (say it without embarrassment)

All the men at the table stood up. Equally spaced out and still wearing their stiff black suits, they chanted in unison: "I can’t win! I won’t win! I don’t want to win!" The chant was followed by a deep bow, a straightening of the backs, big smiles and a burst of applause. The meeting of the "National Chauvinistic Husbands Association" was under way.

If you're confused at this point, don't fret. The group is called the National Chauvinistic Husbands Association because it's a club for bossy husbands who need help (a little lost in translation effect here.)

So the title is appropriate for this group of men. In an abrupt about face from traditional Japanese relationships, the men are learning how to give their wives more respect.

More poster signs surrounded the men at this meeting:

Three Golden Rules of Renewing Family:

* Let's Listen

* Let's Write

* Let's Talk

Three Golden Rules for Extramarital Affairs:

* I don't do it

* I am not doing it

* I am not even thinking about it

And there's even a system of ranking your husbandry in the club:

Rank 1: Love your wife after three years of marriage

Rank 2: Help with the household work

Rank 3: No extramarital affairs or at least she doesn't know about it

Rank 4: Ladies first

Rank 5: Hold hands with your wife in public

Rank 6: Listen to what your wife has to say carefully and seriously

Rank 7: Solve issues between your wife and your mother

Rank 8: Say thank you without hesitation

Rank 9: Say I'm sorry without fear

Rank 10: Say I love you without embarrassment

The meeting was jovial and there was laughter at times. But the undercurrent was serious and taken to heart by the 4,700 members of this club in Japan. They're all acutely aware of a new law in Japan this year that entitles a wife filing for divorce to claim half her husband’s company pension.

That change led to a spike in divorces in the country, as some Japanese women, tired of their long-absent salarymen, decided they’re better off on their own. These men say they don't want to be alone so they'll change for their wives.

As the men talked in their support-group-setting, you quickly became aware of how rare it is to see men, especially businessmen, so emotionally intimate. One man confessed his typical Japanese workday (spanning 16 hours at times) was making his wife angry.

The group leader warned he’s on the highway to divorce and he needs to put his wife before work. Another man said he's too Japanese and can't seem to put his wife first. The group leader warned he's too old-fashioned. Another man, married 22 years, shared the fear that he'll be alone in old age because his wife complains about his snoring. Heads around the table nodded up and down in sympathy.

I couldn't help but ask: "As an American, it seems so easy to hold hands or say 'I love you.' What’s so hard about your rules or rankings?"

The group leader looked at me and said what's hard about the seemingly simple rules is following them fully and changing your behavior. He said it's easy saying it or doing it, but changing who you are and really believing it is quite another. He also pointed out to me that the divorce rate in America is over 50 percent. In Japan, the rate is still below 10 percent. Maybe, he suggested, some of the ways the Japanese approach love and marriage isn't so strange after all.

After the meeting, we followed a young man named Yohei Takayama home. He'd just been promoted to "Rank 4." He admitted that "Rank 5," holding hands with his wife in public, was not going to be natural or easy. He and his wife have been married for two years. His wife said he’s been a member of the club for a year and a half and it has changed their relationship dramatically.

Namely, she said, he helps more around the house, listens to her more, and understands she also has a career that exhausts her. What they’re growing into, she said, is a partnership. They went grocery shopping, and I noticed he carried the bags and helped her decide what to buy. As they left the store to go home, he took her hand in his. It didn't look like the most natural thing in the world for him, but he was trying. His wife smiled as they walked home.

Saola

Nope…

It’s not a name of a hot Latina singer/actress.

Neither it's a name of an exotic food.

It’s one of the world rarest mammals found only in Vietnam. This particular animal looks a bit like a deer, antelope and cow. Isn’t that fascinating! It has some cool white patches on the face which reminds me of the Tā moko from New Zealand

*hello people*

*hmmmmm....*

Well maybe not :P

The saola is now on the brink of extinction mainly due to hunting. WWF (not world wrestling federation :P) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Forestry are spearheading the conservation program to protect the saola from further threats of extinction. Let’s do our part to aid them in their commendable effort.

Save the Saola!

*Save me please...*

P.A.S

P.A.S (post accident syndromes)

1. Sleepless night. Wake up feeling like you've been up the whole night
2. Think a lot. Re prioritizing your life
3. Loss of appetite. You're hungry but you don't feel like eating
4. Change of behavior. Subtle changes like talk less, spending habit etc.
   
5. Day dreaming. At work, while driving, or having your meal

People said you'll have flashback in a near death experience but it didn't happen to me. Most probably because I was thinking how to control the situation to save myself.

The after shock came much later after I'd reached home. I was lying on my bed trying to get some sleep after staying up the whole night, but I couldn't.

All of a sudden, I started crying. It was not one of those uncontrollable sobbing but it did hit me hard. The thought that i might die had me in tears.

There are so many things in life i have not done.

My dream of studying abroad...
My dream of spending my life with the one i love...
My dream of giving my mum a better life...

So many regrets.

One day, we will eventually grow old and die. It's a fact.

But i wanted to go without regrets, knowing that i have lived life to the fullest. Now I'm chasing lost time.

If you are given a second chance at life, what would you do?

Sombong, Lambat dan Salah

*supposedly to do a summary on 2007 but that has to wait

Started my new year with a bang, literally, and thankfully I didn’t sustain any major injury. It’s hardly a week into the 2008 and I’ve already had my first accident, the most serious one so far. My car skidded on a highway while I was traveling home yesterday and it crashed onto the wall of the highway. Luckily, I had decelerated the car as I was approaching the sharp turn or else the impact would have been greater. It had rained earlier and the road was quite slippery but never had I expected that my car would skid.

When it started to loose control, my first reaction was to hit the break hard, which I shouldn’t have done, and pulled the handbrake. It is like one of those drifting scenes in 2fast 2furious but the difference is I ain’t a racer! Thankfully the wall was high enough to prevent my car from toppling over the edge because it was an elevated highway. The damage wasn’t as bad as I expected, just a dented bumper and a broken left wheel’s arm.

Made a called to a 24 hours road assist centre for help. The tow truck arrived an hour later to tow my car and the guy, Aqim, brought me to the police station at Jalan Tun Hs Lee to lodge a police report.

The officers on duty at the front desk were very professional and helpful, but the Sergeant that I had seen to discuss about my accident was an unprofessional worthless dick. This dick head is called Shamsuddin. It is such a disgrace that an ass hole like him is allowed to become a policeman, a law enforcer. He was sleeping when I went to see him, which he shouldn’t be because he was on night shift, and the first thing he did was to intimidate me and made sarcastic remarks.

Ass: Bagaimana kereta kamu terkandas?

JL: Saya tekan brek apabila mendekati selekoh dan kereta saya tergelongsor. Saya percaya ia adalah disebabkan jalan lincin kerana ada takungan air yang kecil dan grip tayar kereta saya kurang baik.

Ass: Kamu ada nampak kereta lain tergelongsor di sana ke tidak?

JL: Tiada Encik

Ass: Mengapa ia hanya berlaku pada kamu?

JL: Mungkin keadaan kereta saya tak sebaik yang lain dan juga jarang kereta menggunakan jalan itu pada masa tersebut

Ass: Tak baik? Kamu cuba beritahu kat Mahkamah nanti tengok.

After this he went to inspect my car and then we went back to his room again.

Ass: Kamu rasa kamu bersalah ke tidak?

JL: Maksud Encik?

Ass: Accident ini… apa lagi. Awal pagi masih lagi makan angin dengan kereta. Tahu tak ada orang sedang bekerja pada masa macam ini

(ASS… you’re freaking sleeping and the whole office was pitch black when I came in)

JL: Saya tidak dapat menafikan yang saya juga bersalah kerana saya sepatutnya memperlahankan kereta saya lebih awal lagi.

Ass: So kamu mengaku salah. Kalau salah, kena saman. RM300 saman.

JL: Maaf ya Encik. Memandangkan ini adalah kali pertama saya terlibat dalam kemalangan dan punca utama kemalangan ini adalah disebabkan keadaan jalan. Boleh Encik memberi saya peluang dan tidak menggeluarkan saman?

Ass: Kalau tak nak saman, kita boleh berbincang lagi dan kamu akan bayar kurang daripada kompaun saman.

JL: Apa maksud Encik? (you useless SOB. Are you tying to get me to bribe you!?)

Ass: *changed of expression, raised his voice a little* Jumpa officer dan bincang tapi kamu tunggu sampai pagi sehingga dia masuk.

JL: Siapa officer yang Encik maksudkan dan apa prosedurnya.

Ass: *agitated* Kamu nak ke tak nak? Tak apa kalau kamu mahu saman saya akan bagi saman, senang kerja saya nanti, tak perlu buat banyak

JL: Encik, sila berikan saman sahaja *agitated*

Ass: *mumbles to himself* Bila mahu bayar?

JL: Secepat mungkin. Ini bukan sesuatu yang susah untuk diselesaikan.

I walked off and didn’t even say anything to that ass after I got the summon. The police’s motto is ‘Mesra, Cepat & Betul’, I would say it’s more like ‘Sombong, Lambat & Salah’. It’s so frustrating to know that the government is trying so hard to combat bribery but it’s our law enforcers who are the criminal. Such disgrace…

Aqim towed my car to Shah Alam and then he sent me home. By the time I reached my apartment it’s already 645 in the morning and... do you know what… I still haven’t slept yet….

Cranky

What do you do when you’re feeling cranky?

Woke up at the wrong side of the bed yesterday and my foul mood tailed me like a shadow wherever I went. Slept around 1130pm the day before yesterday but was awaken at 1230am with no apparent reason. Woke up too early for my own good. Tried to drift back into sleep. After 3 hours of toss and turn, dreamland finally welcomed me into her bosom.

*Cranky Sushi anyone?*

I’m very sensitive when I’m cranky. Usually, I can take all sort verbal bombardments in my stride but when I’m cranky, I’ll always have the urge to snap back at people. Fortunately, my head is controlled by logic and my heart by love. These are the things that kept me calm and not going around biting people’s head off :P