*Classic Saudagar*

Classic, that's all I can say. There will always be funny signboards/billboards/shopnames around if you care enough to pay a wee bit more attention to your surroundings. Of course, avid fans of the treasure hunting in cars can always attest to this.

There will always be the funny and bizzare one's. You'll always wonder how the shop "Kedai Tak Un Toong" ever stays profitable or if you'll ever be able to have any peace when dining in the "Kedai Bee Sing" restaurant. Of course there are many more examples thanks to my treasure hunting trip days but I cant think of any at the moment.

Me and a good mate of almost 10 years headed down to Kajang to meet up with another friend (or at least we tried to) to sample some satay kajang as it has been awhile since we've had it. In our small kelisa (it does look extra small with two near 6 footers in it) we drove down from KL to have lunch at the famous Haji Samuri satay kajang shop.

As we drove around (of course we got lost intentionally :P) we stumbled upon a signage that had both of us bursting with laughter. It read something like "Majlis/Persatuan Saudagar-Saudagar Kajang". Now of course it does look familiar but what caught our attention was the word SAUDAGAR. It has been way too long since either of us have seen/read it of course. Even saying the word or the entire phrase had us laughing out loud.

SAUDAGAR would loosely translate to businessmen/traders but the current norm is to use either peniaga or peruncit or pemborong or penjual. The word saudagar we both agreed was what we commonly read in our history text books back in high school. Having said that, the term was of course used a lot in the great P.Ramlee's movies back in the day (I can recall all the funny movie lines made by him as I'm typing this post).

The building in which the signage was on is most definitely antique to say the least. I have a sneaky feeling that it has been around for as long as Kajang has been established as a township. Kajang is a small yet not so sleepy town and Kajang'ites feel very strongly indeed about their identity and association with the Kajang town.

I've always like road-trips away from KL. Driving in KL is just like driving in any other city, mundane, chocked and boring nevermind stressful. Maybe those are the very reasons why the whole car treasure-hunting that takes participants to different corners of the country has gained popularity not only as a corporate event but also as treasure-hunting clubs continue to grow in numbers and popularity.

Sadly we couldn't get a picture in time of the building (although we could just be ignorant and just stop suddenly thus creating a traffic jam behind us) but I'll definitely provide and update to this post once I've managed to get the picture of the building.

Maybe some of you are from Kajang and know what I'm referring to could share with me pictures of the said building ;)

Cheers!!! :D

*Pipe it down please*

I'm sure you've experienced it before. You're out for lunch during the weekday hoping to catch a break from work for food and also to catch up on some chit chat with your colleagues. And then, there he is, talking and laughing so loudly even though those around him are just an ear-shot away.

Suddenly your whole attention is attacted towards the obscenely loud and obnoxious guy across the restaurant. Everyone around you start to notice too and suddenly they're rushing to finish their food so that they can get away. The irritation is much worse than the slow service and the forgetful waiter that works the restaurant.

Such loud attention-seeking types are what I deemed as "poyo". I'm sorry I haven't got a translation for that and the best that wiki could come up with is here (scroll down or search for poyo). Surprisingly the movies always tend to associate such characteristics to girls but in this case, it seems guys are just the same if not worse.

Question is why? I posed the same question to friends of mine and most agree that they tend to have the pollar-opposite in their actual real life than what they "personify". They have a regular 9 to 5 deskjob which is rigidly routine everyday and they go home to a simple (yet happy) family who's life are equally mundane (but still happy) every single day. A typical life of a KL'lite indeed.

So, when the opportunity arises for one to be the the epicenter of an hour lunch chat, everything gets blown up out of proportion. Suddenly every move by the company that pays your wage diligently despite your mediocre productivity is wrong. The government is stupid, the politicions are useless and the boss is blind. The country's budget deficit is bad and the US is actually not in a recession. Everyday the "poyo-ness" grows as you are surround by people who seem to "admire" you.

Plans are afoot it seems to bring down the single-storey house and build a 2 1/2 storey on top of it. Suddenly the 3 year old new Proton that you're sturggling to pay the mortgage on is the subject of a trade-in for a second-hand European mark which you insist is a better bargain eventhough its already 5 years old. You're the typical one that slows down at minor fender-bender accidents on the roads and cant wait to tell everyone at work tomorrow on how you dropped 2 gears, pulled the handbrake and counter-steered from 120km/h to avoid the accident (which had already happened by the time you got there).

Everyone around you are impressed although I doubt the sincerity of each and every one of them. Probably some of them have the same thinking as me but are enjoying the clown that it is you so much that they couldn't care less. I bet they go back to their cubicles and share with their friends about your great "plans" and have an even bigger laugh.

Please stop. For the sake of whatever pride that you and your family may still have, please stop. Who are you trying to impress anyways? There's a saying that goes "the empty can rattles the most" or if you're that ignorant, "ikut-lah resmi padi, makin berisi makin tunduk".

Is this a rant? I think not. Obviously I would have preferred to walk over and say exactly what I just wrote but hey, why spoil what he's having (at least what he thinks he is) and the fun and banter that his so called "friends" are enjoying, all at his own expense.

If any of you reading this fall into the category, maybe you should abstain from being the obnoxious "poyo" and just be yourself. Having a life that's full is to me so much better than to have a life that's empty. Living life to the fullest doesn't mean living the biggest lie right ;)

Cheers!!! :D

PS: To "experience" this, head on over to the GS Cafe in Leisure Commerce Square, you wont miss it

*Golongan Orang Lemah Fikiran*

To some that is what people explain the true meaning of GOLF. In English it actually means mentally challenged group of people. But no, I'm not really here to talk about golf no matter how senseless it is to hit ball and than chase only to hit again. Hey, that's the same for soccer, rugby, NFL, hockey and a whole host of other sports.

No, this posts is about being too cool for the basics. Really, why are people so afraid of getting good at sports or even life in general by doing the simple and basics things right first? I guess this post is somewhat related to this post which I posted almost 4 years ago. (Wow, has it been that long?)

I've been trying to pick up golf for quite awhile now. Trust me, its not as easy as it seems. People might say all you have to do is swing at the ball but most people would strike instead of swinging at the golf ball. Believe me, I've seen some of my friends who thought it was a piece of blueberry cheesecake but found it hard to even hit the ball nevermind getting it to move more than 2 feet in front.

Trust me, you could spot me among the many golfers at the range from a mile away. Three quarter pants, jersey or a sleeveless jersey, Futsal shoes and a baseball cap. Now that is not your typical golfer dressing. But what's in an image? I'm surrounded by people who come with complete golf sets (thanks BIL for yours), Polo shirts with the collor pulled up, a golf cap with sunglasses on top of it (although its already 8pm), 3 pairs of gloves and full blown golfing shoes.

So I'd take a break to sit down and tell myself, "Wow, he looks the part. I'm sure I can pick up something from him". Sadly, its not the case. Yes RM10.00 for 100 balls is cheap but if one is too shy to do the basics for fear of people laughing at you or having been laughed at by some of the girls that also frequent the driving range, what's the point? Not only you'd be wasting your money but you're doing more harm to your body than good.

Basics are what made us good at what we do. Our basics of ABC's all those years ago allow you and me to read this blog. Basics are the fundemental blocks that trains us to do something properly and effectively. Believe me, I cannot imagine why doing basics to help a golf swing could be something that one could be ashamed off. I mean if you think running or atheletics was easy? It's not. It has even more ego bashing basic drills. The duck-walk/crawl anyone?

I've been used to contact sports for 20 years of my life and I had thought picking up this game would be easy. How I have been so wrong. I have to admit, I was kind of shy at doing the drills but after looking at people at the driving range every time I go there, I really don't want to look like a "sotong" trying to swing a golf club. Some of them if they play long enough, they could "cangkul" or dig a whole through the cement floor in no time.

Michael Jordan didn't become the best player ever to play the game of basketball without his basic drills. Tiger Woods has what many believe a perfect swing and yet he still spends a lot of time getting the basics right. Michael Schumacher didn't become a 7 time F1 champion by not doing the simple things well and nor did Lance Armstrong won 7 Le Tour de France titles thinking he's too good for the basics of body posture on his bike.

So why is it so hard for most of us? Why is it we haven't even jogged out the front door and yet spend hundreds of shringgit on running shoes and apparel. Why do most guys spend close to RM5k on golfing stuff only to give up on the game after a month and keep the golf set under the stairs to collect dust. Why? Why else do we have such poor drivers on our roads, thanks to the "lesen terbang" we have drivers who don't even know the basics yet they have driving licences!

Because most people want that "image" first and nothing else. Ooohh, I'm a golfer or oohh...she's a runner who wears matching shoes and socks and dress? I guess that is just human nature and there isn't much that anyone other than the person itself can do. We used to play basketball after school with no shirt on not because we're cool but because its freaking hot in the afternoon around here ya :P

So to the very few people that read my blog, all I wish for is don't be shy to do the basics. It doesn't matter if its golf, soccer, rugby, jogging, exercising, yoga, cooking or anything at all, basics still matter. It is people who don't care about the basics who are making the fitness centers rich because they pay for something that is supposed to be good for their health but most never bothered for as long as they're "seen" there.

I'm sure none of you are like that, right? ;)

Cheers!!! :D