PTPTN Discount (Budget 2013)

Just a random photo showing my PTPTN load account.
So the government still owe me R\MYR172.53, is it?

Back to the topic, PTPTN budget discount. With the Budget 2013 announcement, our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak introduced a lucrative plan to encourage repayments of PTPTN loan. Although everybody knows that this government need money desperately. 

Now, here are the options:

1) A discount of 20% from the total loan will be given to borrowers who settle their loans in one lump sum within 1 year from Oct 1st 2012 until Sept 30 2013.

2) For those repaying their loan consistently according to schedule from Oct 1st 2012, a discount of 10% annually would be given.

(from NST papers)

Having graduated 1-2 years back with a PTPTN loan amounting to RM24,170, this offer has gotten be thinking which would be the smarter option or choose to stay with my existing plan - to ignore the loan. I know it might sound irresponsible but with the current salary bracket, i believed it is still a burden to start paying back the loan. 

Needless to say too much, we'll do a simple calculation here. Let's assume that your monthly salary is MYR3,000.

• Electricity Bill + water bill = MYR100
• Internet access = MYR100
• Daily meals (let's assume MYR15/day) = MYR450
• Petrol (assume the average usage) = MYR250
• Car loan (minimum) = MYR300
• Miscellaneous (daily producst) = MYR100
• Ciggs (for those who smoke) = MYR300
• Insurance (if any) = MYR500
• House (just assume renting just a room) = MYR200
• Allowance (for your parents) = MYR300
• Mobile phone bills = MYR100

Wait ! It's already amounted MYR2,700. We have not deducted the EPF, Socso & also the income tax. What else? What about Astro? McDonald's? KFC? GSC? Or just assumed we do not spend on those entertainment, but how about the car maintenance? Any medical charges when you're sick? So this also ends the dream of those who wish to have saving for a new car, new house or even those who are planning to start building their new family. Wait a minute!! Not most of the people's salary is MYR3,000! Toughness seems overloaded.

Do you know what the salary range is for Malaysian?

Fresh Graduate : 

from MYR1,500 to MYR2,500 (In compensation for the time you spent to get a piece of paper that thicker and harder than toilet paper)

Teacher: 

from MYR2,500 to MYR3,000 (exclusive of illegal part-time tuition)

IT Engineer : 

from MYR2,500 to MYR3,500 (if you are Mark Zuckerberg - Facebook's founder, then your salary should be more than this)

Postman :

 MYR700 to MYR1,000 (Next time please do not let your dog bites a postman, they might not able to cover back their medical fees for that range of salary)

Driver:

 MYR1,000 to MYR 1,500 (exclusive of Formula 1 drivers & Mat Rempit)

Doctor: 

MYR6,000 to MYR10,000 (that's why people said it is okey to die, not okey to be sick)

Factory Operator: 

MYR900 (should thank god the oxygen is still FOC at the moment)

Loan Shark (Ah Long) :

Minimum MYR5,000 for illegal operating ( may earn up to billions for big shark that has finance company or bank license )

Well to be honest, i am quite a lucky person. I am currently driving the third car in my life which is under my name (ownership) now without paying a penny. So carrying the burden of car loan is not necessary for me at the near future. On top of that, my parents have just cleared my PTPTN loan in order to entitled for the 20% discount which the promotion will be expired by end of this month. But of course i would need to pay back my parents slowly for this. 

Not a bad idea to take this lucrative plan offer by our Prime Minister. Not because mind settled, but thinking for a bit further you will realize something. I have found an interesting calculation comparing 3% fixed FD with the PTPTN. Take a look of this example :

Loan: RM 37,500
Duration of repayment: 15 years
Interest rate: 1% flat rate. (This means no matter how much I repay, the interest rate will be calculated based on the initial amount that I borrowed and NOT the balance loan).

Year	Loan	3% FD interest	Total	Payback
1	37500.00	1312.50	38812.50	2875
2	35937.50	1078.13	37015.63	2875
3	34140.63	1024.22	35164.84	2875
4	32289.84	968.70	33258.54	2875
5	30383.54	911.51	31295.05	2875
6	28420.05	852.60	29272.65	2875
7	26397.65	791.93	27189.58	2875
8	24314.58	729.44	25044.01	2875
9	22169.01	665.07	22834.08	2875
10	19959.08	598.77	20557.86	2875
11	17682.86	530.49	18213.34	2875
12	15338.34	460.15	15798.49	2875
13	12923.49	387.70	13311.20	2875
14	10436.20	313.09	10749.28	2875
15	7874.28	236.23	8110.51	2875

Note: 

1. FD rate is assumed to be 3% per annum.
2. Payback is RM 2875 per year (RM 2500 + RM 375). RM 2500 is calculated from RM 37500 / 15 years while RM 375 is the interest rate (1% x RM 37500)

Based on the calculated figure above, the total amount of nett interest I could gain from FD while repaying PTPTN monthly or yearly (up to you) is RM 5235.51 (at Year 16 after repaying off all loan).

The amount of 20% discount given is 20% x RM 37,500 is RM 7,500. By simply comparing, it is obvious that going for the 20% is worth it as that's a saving of RM 7,500 compared to RM 5235.51 that may be generated in 15 years time. 

It's just a simple comparison. Whether to take it or leave it is still your own call. You can always refer to the details in the PTPTN website. But remember, 30th September 2013 is the last day for this promotion. Better hurry up if you want it! :

http://www.ptptn.gov.my/web/guest/bajet2013

Cheers reader.

Asahi Miami

Here's my bunch of girlfriends.

We were attending Asahi Miami event @ Soju Room earlier last Friday.

It's been ages since i last went clubbing with such huge group of friends. Night clubs are primarily made to be a safe venue for people to come in and enjoy themselves together with their loved ones. Many young people find themselves in much stress after a busy week and they decide to attend night clubs so as to release themselves from the stress. I guess we are one of them ! Due to this, night clubs in one way or the other becomes a stress releasing tool for most young people and that becomes a great advantage. Most people go to the night clubs with the aim of cerebrating well and releasing stress but when they enter in the all they just find themselves imitating what others are doing regardless of whether it is wrong or bad. 

You will hear others say that it's life, let's enjoy, what kind of a talk it thus really? You went to a night club with a positive mind but when you get there and see or hear what others are saying or doing you change your mind and intention of being there. Most night club would use a nationwide security company to provide doormen.For instance if you follow the negative thought of night clubs people or friend this will now end up bringing up violence. Remember that excessive drinking may lead to intoxification which cab in turn lead you in acting violently. 

Excessive drinking in night clubs is one of the most dangerous things you should do. It makes you see other people like beast. And do you know what? To some extend, you may just lose your dignity and did things that embarassing you and friends along.

Remember readers! Be wise and minimize drinking in night club parties. Practice self control and you will enjoy yourself while having night club parties. Practice peace and love to your friends while celebrating and you will not encounter any complication or accident that may occur from fighting dues to excessive drinking

Why am i writing all these? Well, bad things happened. One of my friend meet an accident on his way back home. How much i hated excessive drinking now. People losing control of themselves. This is how alcohol can caused you. Please dont drink and drive.

Thank god that he survived and only broke his jaw.

He is such of a lucky guy.

*praying*

Cheers readers.

Nitez.

A Girl's Guide

Kinda a blur photo taken by my stalker friend who gets too excited to attend the Hennessy Artisty party yesterday night, 25th May 2013.

Nothing much for it but just a girl's guide i would like to share.


There is a thin line between tipsy and sloshed and this boundary is very important for a girl’s reputation.Society expects what some would call classier behaviour from its women than its men. For example, people are generally not really affected when they see a man staggering, talking jibber jabber (to himself) and very drunk. As long as he is not a nuisance and he stays away from others that is fine. Even then they will just say ‘Ndo zvaari’(That’s just how he is).


However the moment a woman is seen doing that, her dignity goes down the drain. I know ladies. It’s hard being one of us.We have all seen that one girl being carried out of the club. This is most likely because her friends are tired of her walking into walls, dancing with strange men and even vomiting on the floor.So to still have fun and get free drinks galore this is what you need to do, without turning into that girl who everybody thinks has no mother.When it comes to your behaviour, have a mantra “I will not act like a slut, I am here to have fun”.


We have all seen the girl who takes alcohol as if it’s a sexual stimulant. All of a sudden she is doing sex dances and her bisexual alter ego comes out. When a guy asks you to make-out with your friend; remember that the Zimbabwean society is very homophobic and you might find your ass in jail. When a guy invites you to escort him to anywhere like the bathroom or carpark, he is trying to get it on with you. By all means, be a lady in the streets and a freak in the bed not in public.


Also that drunken 30-something year old woman with leopard print, fake lashes, cleavage galore with the blonde weave, leave the drunken behaviour to the little girls and settle down. Please leave the Chaka Demus and Shabba Ranks skanky Jamaican 1990s dances in the 1990s. Perverted bending over dances are meant for the bedroom not the dance floor. Obscene dancing may also expose your crack, boobs popping out or your very tight jeans ripping. In the day an age of police raids trying to arrest prostitutes; please do not dance, dress and act like one.


So yes, I think one or more of these things has actually happened to all of us. It is a bit hard to avoid these problems that come with this. Maybe you should stay away from the club scene for a bit, alternate the place you go to club and join Alcoholics Anonymous to solve your drinking problem. If those suggestions are a bit extreme, I suggest you just put a beautiful smile on your face and ignore the judgemental eyes.After all you should live for you, to be old and wise one needs to be young and stupid.




Well, just a girl's guide to share.


Nightz readers.
Cheers.

Quote of the Day

"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."

I'm being who i am. So are you?

This is lifestyle.

Cheers readers.

Shirley Q

-updated from my mobile-

Be Wise

Well time flies, and it's May of 2013. Looking back, it's been months i haven't updated a single post in here.

Pretty busy with my life lately. Have moved on a step ahead in my life. I'm back in Perai starting a brand new life with him. When hoping everything could went well, unknowing that i'm 25 years old this year. And who said age is the biggest secret of a woman? I'm glad to tell that i had grown a year older. I certainly do not know am i wiser, but do hope for maturity.

Maturity? I found some interesting articles to share.

What You Need To Know?? Maturity comes from living your life with deliberateness.Give back to your family and friends. Don't just float alongside them.Above all, know yourself. Work on your weaknesses and know your strengths.

"Accept blame as readily as you do credit."
Every family has one: a perpetually young, meandering soul who refuses to grow up and get his or her life together. In the new comedy My Idiot Brother, the man-child is embodied by Paul Rudd, who plays a naive, nonconformist hippie recently released from jail for selling pot to an undercover officer. Rudd’s sometimes maddening but always endearing character is thrust into the Manhattan lives of his three more successful sisters. They can barely tolerate his freewheeling ways, but end up learning a lot about themselves and each other by the time the lights come on and the curtain descends. But this is the movies. In real life, immature men aren’t looked so kindly upon, especially by their family, who eventually grow weary of supporting someone who should have had their life together long, long ago.

If you happen to find yourself still crashing at mom and dad’s, and asking your siblings for munchie money, here are 17 steps for becoming a mature man and leaving the ranks of idiot brothers worldwide.

Social Factors

1- Accept Responsibility

Responsibility is the foundation of character and integrity. Learn to accept responsibility for your actions, without any excuses. Accept blame as readily as you do credit. Be prepared for the consequences of your decisions and make the right ones so as to minimize those occasions where you must shoulder responsibility. For instance, cut out potentially dangerous behavior such as speeding, or driving after a few drinks.

2- Control Your Emotions

An inability to rein your emotions can produce problems in both your personal and professional life. Rather than suppressing your feelings, work on venting them while controlling your words and actions. For example, if someone lashes out at you in anger, don't respond in kind. Instead, remain calm and cool -- you'll be the better man for it.

3- Give Back

Your successes have a lot to do with help you received along the way. So return the favor and help out others. If you can afford to, donate money to a charity, church or any other worthwhile organization. If money is short, donate your time by volunteering for a charity or mentoring a child.

4- Spend Time With Family & Friends

Be sure to visit your relatives often. If you can't, then keep in touch with them. Call them and catch up. The same applies to your buddies. Even if you're all hitched, try to get together every week. Go for a few beers or play a round of golf. Remember that you probably knew your friends before your girl came into the picture.

Know Thyself

5- Overcome Character Flaws

Each one of us has character flaws. Make a sincere effort to become aware of your habits, traits and overall personality. Listen to what your friends and family say about your behavior. Work on eliminating character weaknesses and enhancing your strong traits; for example, if your work ethic is lacking, resolve to put in a greater effort at work every day.

6- Mind Your Manners

The way you treat others through your words or actions reflects directly on you. You're a walking, talking billboard for yourself. So advertise your good manners. If you don't, people won't like you, won't want to hire you and won't want to date you. Practice the good manners that your parents (hopefully) instilled in you.

7- Do Your Own Thing

Do what you think is right for yourself, not what others think is right for you. In other words, follow your bliss. And don't compare yourself with others, especially in regards to material gain, or you'll likely feel inadequate. Take a chance on a career path you've always dreamed of, but never followed.

8- Operate With Integrity

A man of integrity puts his principles and moral ethics in front of pleasure and personal gain. Employers, colleagues and women all respect people of integrity. Practice keeping your word and doing what's right, instead of just what you want.

Set Your Sights

9- Meet Your Goals

From CEOs of companies to professional athletes, successful people all share a single powerful habit: The ability to set and accomplish goals. Without defined goals and a solid plan, your life will become a daily grind that provides little happiness and even less fulfillment. Start by writing down daily, weekly and monthly goals for yourself. Then resolve to meet them.

10- Kick Bad Habits

All of us have bad habits to varying degrees. Sooner or later, you'll suffer the consequences of them. Make a commitment to reduce and eliminate your bad habits. Pick one of your worst tendencies, like swearing or persistent tardiness, and tell your family and friends that you're working on cutting it out of your life. With them acting as watchdogs, you're more likely to kick it.

11- Keep A Youthful Outlook

Remember that you're only as old as you think you are. Maintain a youthful and fun lifestyle that stimulates your body and mind. Pursue fun and wild activities like white water rafting or parachuting. As long as you're feeling younger, why not get yourself a younger girlfriend?

12- Take Advantage Of Opportunities

Opportunities abound in life, but taking advantage of them often involves risk. Nothing great has ever been accomplished without great risk. Whether you have an opportunity to start your own business or date a girl who you think is out of your league, believe in yourself and strike while the iron is hot. Don't live with regret.

13- Master Patience

Patience and persistence breed success. Most great people fail more times than they succeed. So, learn to pause and relax when you feel impatient. Practice patience by babysitting for a friend or relative's child.

The Well-Rounded Man

14- Diversify Your Interests

Take up a new hobby or interest in order to expand your horizons and become a more well-rounded man. Make the effort to challenge yourself by developing a new skill, such as learning to speak a foreign language. Once you've done so, reward yourself with a trip to a foreign country to test your fluency.

15- Read More

Reading is the key to expanding your vocabulary and knowledge. Turn off the TV for an hour each day and pick up a book instead. Read inspirational books related to self-improvement or your career interest. Or read an entertaining book just for fun.

16- Exercise

Exercise is the key to looking and feeling younger. What you do is not as important as how much you do it. So make a commitment to incorporate some form of physical activity into your daily routine.

17- Get A Pet

Having a pet has been shown to greatly reduce stress and improve happiness. Furthermore, a pet is one of the best ways to learn about responsibility and commitment. This will help you prepare for marriage and eventual children.

Be Wise, Young Man

As you continue on your journey toward becoming a mature man, remember that one of the keys is to always maintain a positive outlook. A positive mental attitude about everything in your life will allow you to succeed where others have failed.

Well said and i believe it should not be just applied on men, instead women as well. Like i said, maturity is what i want from myself, i dont get to enjoy the age of 25 every year. Time wont stop, what's stopping you is yourself.

Nice blogging again.

Regards readers!!
SQ

*posted on my mobile*

Trapezius Muscle Pain

I've been having this for years, it's something torturing and suffering.

The trapezius muscle pain.

I've been to doctor and what he said was it could not be cured and i can only slow down the pain, but not cut off the pain. Years, for years it torturing me. Well, what should i said about it. Nothing. Just share an article i found and let readers understands about it more.

Cheers readers. =)

Your trapezius muscles are some of the first to bother you when you are under stress. They ache and burn from the base of your skull to between your shoulder blades. The good news is that they are relatively easy to massage.

When we are under stress, one of the first muscles to cause us pain is our trap muscles, and part of that reason is because of the nifty role they play in our movement. If you are in pain now, skip to the “How to Massage your Trapezius” section. If you want tips on relieving trapezius muscle pain through better movement and posture, go to Trapezius Exercises.

The trapezius is a broad triangular muscle which attaches to the base of the skull, and lies at the back of the neck, over the upper shoulders and extends down your upper back to your mid back. It is one of the most likely muscles to get sore knots or “trigger points”.

The trap muscles are the only muscles which can lift the outside of your shoulders to create a “shrug”. They move the head and neck toward the shoulder of the other side. The middle of the muscles pull the shoulder blades together, while the lower draw the shoulder blades downward. They support the weight of the arms.

Often these movements are at play when we are under stress, and doing the activities that cause stress.

Where do Trapezius Muscles cause Pain?

   

Trap pain is classic stress pain. Your shoulders ache, your neck hurts and it is often deep and achy. You may have a headache, especially in the temples or behind your eyes or at the base of your skull. You may feel burning between your shoulder blades after sitting at your computer without elbow support.

What causes Trapezius Muscle Pain?

• Stress. Stress. Stress. Relax those shoulders!One of the first, primary causes of trapezius strain is carrying your shoulders up near your ears. Remember to relax your shoulders.
• Head forward posture. Often people, particularly people in the west, people in charge, forward-thinking people, or people who are planning/worrying about the future stand and sit with a head forward position. Remember to sit up straight, lower your shoulders and bring your head back. This relieves strain on the trapezius. You can also try some online yoga to improve your posture.
• Holding a phone between your ear and shoulder. Get a headset.
• Carrying a heavy purse or backpack. Ask yourself if everything you have is really necessary. Switch your purse from one shoulder to the next frequently. Carry your important stuff in a fanny pack. And don’t forget to do your stretches.
• Bra straps that are too tight or the weight of heavy breasts pulling on your straps. Have your bra fit by a person trained to get a good fit. And remember to do your trap stretches.
• Breastfeeding a baby with your shoulders hunched forward and the weight of the baby in your arms can cause trapezius muscle pain. Check your posture and bring your shoulders back. Do side-lying whenever possible. Support the baby on a pillow on your lap. Remind yourself to take a small break from gazing at your sweetie once in a while, to bring your head up and relax your shoulders.
• Sleeping on your back or stomach with your head turned to one side. Change your sleeping position (easier said than done).
• Any position where you head is turned to one side for a long time. Are you a teacher and you turn to look at the student next to you? Do you turn to see your computer screen?
• Bending forward while working. Do you bend forward to work at a sewing machine or look down at your knitting? Do you bend forward when you type at the computer? Do you do beading? Sit up!
• Too high keyboard. Get a keyboard shelf for your desk.
• Working with no arm rests and the weight of your arms hang from your shoulders. Get a chair with arm rests. Put your hands in your pockets if you are standing for a long time. Support your arms to prevent trapezius muscle pain.
• Whip lash. This just takes recovery time.
• Playing violin, piano, backpacking, bike riding, or other activities which heavily rely on the trapezius muscles. Remember to stretch. Watch your posture. Take a break when you need your trap muscles to recover.

Trapezius Exercises

You can prevent and relieve pain in your trapezius muscles by exercising them. Exercise brings circulation to the muscles, and it relaxes them. Most importantly, if done correctly exercise will strengthen supporting muscles that support good posture. You can relieve a lot of muscle strain by using many muscles groups in a relaxed with, without overworking your traps.

[iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IB94jLxn4HU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>  My Yoga Online (affiliate link) is an excellent way to get instruction on using your back correctly. They offer classes in Pilates, Yoga, and Meditation. For more information on how My Yoga Online works, go to Online Yoga Workout with My Yoga Online.

Massaging your Trapezius Muscles

It’s easy to find your trapezius muscles.

The top of your trapezius muscle is one of the most common locations for shoulder tension.

This is the most likely place someone will massage you when they give you a neck massage, and it often needs it. It can be tender and sore and have spots which “hurt so good” to be pressed. It is not hard to find knots and ropes in this muscle.

How to Massage your Trapezius

The trapezius muscles are very likely to have tender knots or trigger points. Pressing on these points can help release the muscle and ease the pain from its strain. Use your good judgment–do not press so hard or long that you hurt yourself! This is about stress relief and not injury,

When you press on any of the areas shown in red, you are likely to find a tender area. Apply firm but gentle pressure for 10-30 seconds. Sometimes you will feel the muscle relax under your fingers.

These areas can be difficult to reach if you are trying to massage your own back. Here are some tricks to get to the sore spots!

Lying Down

When you lie down, your trapezius muscle relaxes because it doesn’t need to hold the weight of your arms. Be sure to use a pillow that keeps your neck exactly in line with your spine, otherwise the trap may get stressed in this position.

Once you are lying down, just knead your muscles and press on any sore spots.

Tennis Ball

   

Place a tennis ball (or hard rubber ball) under your trapezius one of the tender areas and lie on it.

You can control the location and pressure by moving your body.

   

Another nice way to reach your trap muscles is to use the tennis ball against a door frame. This looks more awkward than it feels. It is really a very nice way to massage the tops of your shoulders.

Body Back Buddy

   

The Body Back Buddy is a handy tool which can help you reach many unreachable pressure points. You can use it easily on any of the areas of trapezius muscle pain.

I also recommend online yoga classes to help correct your posture, stretch your muscles and relieve your back pain.

Fantasy Premier League 2012/13

Hell yeah, i'm playing this Fantasy Premier League 2012/13 now. To be frank, it's quite addictive. I felt like a gambler sitting in front of the screen watching football live while holding my mobile just to check the points of players i've choosen. lol. It turns out that i've got myself a not-bad result as ranking 3rd among my friends. Do you think that i'm kind of sexualism to said that i'm proud of being on the top 3 as the only female in the league? Just say. *smile*

Here's my team for Gameweek 2:

*apologize for the photo appears to be kind of blur*

 Goalkeeper :

Hart (Man. City)

Szczesny (Arsenal)

Strikers:

Welbeck (Man. United)

Tevez (Man. City)

Mackie (QPR)

Midfielders:

Nasri (Man. City)

Mikel (Chelsea)

Lennon (Totteham)

Hazard (Chelsea)

Park (QPR)

Defenders:

Kelly (Liverpool)

Vermaelen (Arsenal)

Ashley Cole (Chelsea)

Gibbs (Arsenal)

McCartney (West Ham)

Well, this weekend Chelsea's not playing, and i'm in real big trouble for having 3 players from Chelsea. It's quite fun having to figure and evaluate which player's skilss & trustworthiness. lol. Gonna figure my way out on solving this situation for Gameweek3. Have a nice game. =)

>>Fantasy Premier League<<

Cheers Readers.

Love We Put Into Giving

We were on the newspaper, me and him. We went performing some songs at this Anning old folks home & orphan's home. We bought some foods & snacks, got some sponsorship from U & Me Bany Land donated boxes of adult diaper & Qi Yuan dimsum restaurant donated some foods for those poor grandpa grandma and kids. The youngest is only 2 1/2 years old. Pitiful. 

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, week out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, 

you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, 

one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.

No one has ever become poor by giving. It's not how much we give, it's how much love we put into giving. Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it yourself. In giving it, you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible.


Cheers readers.
Love life.

Super GT 3 Malaysia

Posing @ Super GT 3 Malaysia Sepang F1 Circuit.

Yes, i'm standing on the racing track Sepang F1 circuit. And i'm posing like a boss. *evil laugh* I've realized many photographers went there for girls and models, no offence, there are some who went there not for models, just like me! I went there for cars. I love cars as you can see. Gene from my daddy. My friend claimed that my dad changes car just like changing clothes, and i will reply :" Where got??!!" . But i know my dad loves cars, and so do i. I felt lucky and blissful for at the age of 24 i've already having to drive a Saga, then changed to Honda City Type Z and now changed to Toyota Vios which is under my name. *LOL* Tho i know it's kind of ashamed for not capable to buy my own car yet, but i do believe that one day i will, definitely i will!

Anyhow, back to the topic, the Super GT 3 at Sepang Malaysia, it's quite a nice experience. For being able to see so many types of luxury sports cars, it was damn awesome. I've been like yelling inside my mind , i said :"please let me sit inside the car! Please give me a ride! Just 1 lap!" *LOL* Owh yea, before i've forget, the supporting race before the real GT race. It was damn nice. All those Toyota Yaris and Toyota Vios. Oooppss, did i just mentioned Toyota Vios? YES! It was on the track that day. But this is not the climate, the most amazed part was we realized there is a FEMALE racer in a Toyota Vios, on the track. Oh my, she is so my idol now.

There are they !

Now here's the news reported about them! :

SEPANG: Ask most people, and it's likely that they would agree with the popularly-held belief that men drive better than women.

However, three plucky women who competed at the Asia GT series say otherwise.

Pimpun Hongsapan, who at 20 is among the youngest women drivers currently on the roster, proved that the fairer sex could handle speed as well if not better than the guys.

In her debut race in the Vios VOC category last month, where practically all her competitors were male, she took pole position and sped her way to first place.

“There is a bit of pressure racing against all guys, but women can beat men. It's practice,” said the Chulalongkorn University economics major undergraduate yesterday.

Two of her peers, Nathalia Davies, 24, and Somhatai Reanthong, 23, could not agree more.

Davies, who first made her name in Thailand as a television starlet with her roles in the series Wai Rai High School and Wai Rai Freshy, noted that one reason there were not as many women drivers as men was not about skills, but rather mindset.

“In Thailand, women are shy. They are not active in sports compared to in Europe or the United States. I ask my friends if they want to join motor sports and they say it's dangerous and they're scared.

“But it's more dangerous driving on the road than on the track, because on the road you don't know what kind of drunk or crazy people are there, while on the track everybody is concentrating on the same thing,” she said.

Somhatai, who goes by the nickname Bonus, echoed Davies' view that women did not believe they could go up against the boys.

“The bad thing is that the girls think they can't do it. They say it's too hard or too dangerous, so they simply don't try.

“I'd say just do it! Don't hesitate, and do anything if you want to, because opportunity never waits for anyone,” said the English and International Relations graduate.

As for the difference between a men's and women's race, Davies said nothing could compare to an all-girl race.

“The drivers tend to be more courteous in a men's race. A women's race is quite different, because there aren't so many drivers and everyone is hungry for victory.

“We're all friends off the track, but the race can get very intense it's been described as a cat-fight,” she said with a laugh.

Awwwww, she is just so my idol now!

Happy weekend everyone =)

Cheers readers

Divination - chinese fortune sticks

I got this from a temple last weekend. For those who do not know what is this, this is the result i get from the chinese fortune sticks (kau cim). The prediction begins with the cup storing a number of the sticks. After the querent has finished their denotions to the main deity, the querent kneels and thinks silently or whispers it to the deity about thier question while holding the cup between their palms. This part needs to be done decisely as one should not shift questions or hesitate on the question in the middle of the rite. The shaking of the cylinder, which is usually tipped slightly downwards, results in at least one stick leaving the cylinder and being dropped onto the floor. In most cases, if multiple sticks leave the cylinder, those fortunes would not count and must be shaken again. Each stick, with its designated number, represents one answer. When a single stick falls out, the number will correspond to the 100 written oracles with an answer on it. The writing on the piece of paper will provide an answer to the question.

Well this is what i've got last weekend. If you understood chinese words, you may know what it's talking about. For those who don't, this is quite a nice fortune telling. It says i would able to get what i've wanted all along, as long as i have got the passion and heart, everything is hopeful enough. It says it's time to get engaged, from then on my family will have changes. And it says something about children. LOL. After June any deal and business will be smoother. But the only bad thing it says is my family. 

Anyhow, just came into my mind. Should i believe this? Or am i superstitious? LOL. Well i found one article showing that superstitious actually can boost one's confidence. Sharing with all of you about the article. 

Superstitions run rampant in our daily lives. Sportsmen wear lucky clothes that they refuse to wash during tournaments. Actors refer to Shakespeare’s Macbeth as “The Scottish Play” within the confines of a theatre, because the name is said to be cursed.  Everywhere, people knock on wood, cross their fingers and carry lucky mascots.

It’s easy enough to dismiss these beliefs as the silly by-products of irrational minds, but Lysann Damisch from the University of Cologne has found an upside to superstition – they can improve our performance in a variety of tasks, from physical challenges to memory games. It’s all to do with self-confidence. Pandering to luck-related superstitions, by crossing your fingers in hope or saying “break a leg”, can boost a person’s faith in their own abilities, giving them the edge they need to excel.

First, Damisch asked 51 students to complete a dexterity challenge: get 36 ball bearings into a grid of 36 holes as quickly as possible, by tilting the cube they sat in. If she told them to start by saying either “On ‘go’, you go” or “I press the watch for you”, they took between 5 and 6 minutes to finish. But if she said “I press the thumb for you” (the German equivalent of crossing your fingers), they took around 3 minutes.

In another study, Jamisch asked 41 students to come with a lucky charm, which she took away to photograph. In some cases, she brought it back and in others, she left it in the other room, citing problems with the camera. The students then completed a seemingly unrelated memory game, where they had to match 18 pairs of face-down cards by turning over two at a time. The volunteers who had their lucky charms did much better than those who were bereft of theirs.

Before they started on the game, the recruits all completed a questionnaire. Their answers later revealed that those who were given back their charms didn’t feel any less anxious about the game. But they did feel more confident and their degree of extra optimism accounted for much of their extra success at the memory game.

In a final experiment, Jamisch repeated the lucky charm set-up with a couple of tweaked details. This time they had to make as many words as possible from a set of 8 letters and, crucially, they had to set themselves a goal to aim for.  As before, those who held their lucky charms felt more confident and scored better, identifying an average of 46 words compared to the mere 31 deciphered by their mascot-less peers. Their goals revealed why – not only did they set themselves loftier targets, but they stuck at the problem for much longer.

These experiments are remarkably consistent in showing that a variety of superstitious beliefs have a positive effect on a variety of tasks, both physical and mental. They work whether the superstition is activated by someone else (as in the case of the crossed fingers) or if it’s something unique to the individual (as in the case of the lucky charms). And they work because superstitions, by prompting feelings of good luck, can make people more confident in themselves, prompting them to try harder and aim higher at the things they do.

The fact that superstitions can lead to tangible improvements in physical and mental performance could help to explain why they’re so commonplace and closely held. But before we conclude that they are a force for good (and I can sense the bristling from the skeptic community already), it is worth discussing the study’s narrow scope.

Jamisch certainly does that – she acknowledges that she deliberately focused on positive superstitions associated with good luck, because these are far more common. She might find a different effect altogether if she considered events linked to misfortune, like crossing the path of a wrongly coloured cat, doing the same tasks on Friday 13^th, or stepping under an open ladder.

Nor did Jamisch study the negative side of superstitions, the psychological drawbacks that could hinder performance rather than help it. Previously on this blog, I’ve written about how people tend to spot false connections in unrelated events and accept superstitious rituals in the first place if they lack a sense of control in their lives.

As I noted then, the big worry is that superstitions, while potentially providing temporary benefits, could prevent people from taking responsibility for changing their own fates or even form the basis of catastrophic decisions. Clearly, the effects described by Jamisch’s study need to be considered as part of a bigger psychological canvas. The effects of crossed fingers on anagram tasks is one thing, but the effects of conspiracy theories or religious traditions on our ability to understand the world around us and to make decisions in our lives is another matter entirely.

Reference: Psychological Science http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0956797610372631 orhttp://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/05/27/0956797610372631

Well, believe it or not, i will still keeping that piece of paper which had my divination.

It's not called LIFE if there ain't any ups and downs.

Cheers readers.