F1 or Effing One?

Dear Friends,

For those who knows me, will know that Motorsports is one of my passions. Fiery motorsports blood flows in my family. In the early 1970s, my dad was attached to Nissan. In his capacity, he was instrumental in developing the potency of a famed car racer at that time, Harvey Yap.

My brother, Eric Yeo is an occurrent champion in several saloon cars racing classes since the early 1990s.(Pictured above - Second from left) He has emerged champion in races for Proton cars, Malaysian Super Saloon Championship - racing a Honda Integra, Merdeka Millenium Races - racing a Nissan Skyline, Porsche Carrera Cup races in China and was also the champ at the Asian Festival of Speed in 2008 - racing in various Asian cities completing a full racing season. He also represented Malaysia at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix in 2008. Personally, I was also involved in varied rallying competitions in the mid 1990s and won second place, as co-driver for Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Malaysia, competing in the Singapore Rally in 1998.

In Formula One, I have always be a fervent supporter of the McLaren Mercedes team of Mika Hakkinen and David Coultard. During those years, it was real Formula One supremacy. The domination was so competitive between McLaren Mercedes and Ferrari's Michael Shumacher and Ruebens Barrichelo.

When I got word that Malaysia will be featuring our own F1 team to compete in the 2010 Formula One Championships, I was dumbfounded. Our own F1 team? 'Made in Malaysia'? The team will incorporate Proton who will be Lotus boosted, Air Asia and the Naza Group. This team will be based at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) which makes it the first to be located outside Europe. I am still dumbfounded. Proton? "Get out of town"!! With difficulties like overheating, which consequence in damaged gearboxes for their Perdana V6 and prevailing distorted power windows in their Waja models, I guess basic fundamentals for real customer's satisfaction has taken a step back. Until that be addressed correctly, I could only imagine our 'Made in Malaysia' F1 car be classified as 'DNF' (Did Not Finish - in racing terminology) in most if not all the races telecast 'live' on Star Sports. Can we really compete alongside the giants of Ferrari, McLaren Mercedes or even Renault? As the saying goes, "Tepuk dada tanya selera".

It was also cited, that the intent of boasting our very own team in the coming F1 Championship is to raise our country's profile on the world stage.

Didn't this man on the far left of this picture try to do that?

Pitiful and wretched Alex Yoong, he had no sustenance at all for his drives with Minardi in 2001/2002. He had to personally raise funds for his racing passage into Formula One. (And, I thought racing drivers were paid to race?) But, we got 'partially' famous anyway; for the wrong reasons of either causing accidents in the races or the many of Alex's DNFs.

Our featured team at the F1 Championship for 2010, will be known as '1 Malaysia F1 Team'. A stimulating name. If I decode that correctly, it means that all will have equal opportunities. Now, we have the financial support of 'RAJU' of Air Asia and the technical support of 'AHMAD' of Proton; so it means we could have an 'AH MENG' as the driver. That being the case, why don't we consider this bloke? He is young, fast and has got guts to manoeuvre corners. Allow me to list down three reasons why I think TIMOTHY YEO should be considered as Malaysia's 'potential' F1 driver.

One: He is the current National Cadet Karting Champion in the 2008 Micromax Championships

Two: He is my nephew and he takes after his uncle's good looks (racing drivers are supposed to be good looking).

Three: He has rubbed shoulders with former F1 champion, Mika Hakkinen.

With that alliance, it will truly be a '1 Malaysia F1 Team'. I am so looking forward to cheering for my own 'Made in Malaysia' F1 team next year. Let us truly make this a proud moment for Malaysia and the F1 fraternity. The worse it can get, if nothing goes right will be; 'We really made it an EFFING ONE'.

'SERUMPUN'?

Dear Friends,

In recent weeks, much has been said between Malaysia and Indonesia. On the current tension, on Malaysian and Indonesian relations, following an outrage by some Indonesians accusing Malaysia of ‘stealing’ Indonesian culture, a sweep against Malaysian nationals done by a certain group of people in Jakarta was pathetic. The security of Malaysian nationals in Indonesia is at risk. A group of Indonesians who carried sharpened bamboo sticks and sought out Malaysians along Jalan Diponegoro, Jakarta, last September 8 in a “Sweep Malaysia” activity was uncalled for. The group claimed they were dissatisfied over the Indonesian government’s so-called soft stand against Malaysia over the alleged Malaysian ‘theft’ of the Balinese Pendet dance.

This was somewhat nostalgic. What happened recently happened to me back in 1997. I was an expatriate in Jakarta. I remember travelling in the car chauffeured by my then driver, Pak Suminta. We were driving along Jl. Gadjah Mada when suddenly we were stranded in a 'macet' or traffic jam. This was during the impending fall of the then President, Suharto. A group of unruly men and young boys had barricades on the two lane road narrowing it into one. Every car that passed their 'sentry' had to chant some religious verses before they would let through. I was anxious in the car as I was not their 'own kind'. Now I understand why most, if not all cars in Indonesia have fully tinted windows. This is to prevent outsiders from viewing the inside occupants, in case you may not be their 'own kind'. When our turn came, Pak Suminta alighted from the car and chanted the 'password' for clearance.

The ‘cultural’ disputes perhaps are unnecessary given the historical fact that Indonesia and Malaysia are two nations that share the same cultural roots. During those times, my colleagues and friends would always agree that between them and me, we were 'SERUMPUN'. We spoke 'Bahasa' even though most of the words that I used they didn't quite understand at times. I remember travelling in a Bluebird taxi. I was constantly telling the driver to 'pusing kiri' or 'pusing kanan' and he would chuckle. I was not amused only to be told later that 'pusing' (turn in Malaysian) in the Indonesian language is having a headache (kepala pusing). The correct saying was to 'belok'. So, even though we were 'SERUMPUN', we had our differences.

One of the 'cultures' of Indonesia that was 'acceptable' was most things were 'ATURABLE'. The word 'ATUR' means arranged; when put together, it literally means to be 'Arranged under the TABLE'. I remember that my drivers' license was 'arranged' for me by my employer without me having to even go to the Road Transport Department. I remember that when driving and if I was stopped by the cops, all I had to do was to flash my 'authority card' which was signed by a retired four star general in the Army. Thanks to my employer again. The card states, 'To allow the bearer to pass safely and without any hindrances'. It was like a 'license to kill' so to speak. I remember upon my arrival at the airport from any of my travels, I would be escorted from the aircraft right through immigration, through customs, all in a jiffy. No need to queue, no hassles with my passport and luggages brought to me at the arrival hall. This is what 'ATURABLE' means, all arranged under the table; for a small fee of course. I had employers who ensured that we were protected against bureaucracy from the authorities.

Where I used to work - Omni Batavia Hotel, Jakarta

Life as an expatriate in Indonesia was exhilarating. I enjoyed weekends in Bali. I enjoyed Sundanese meals at the Pondok Laguna restaurant. I enjoyed chilling out at the Pit Stop, Sari Pan Pacific. I enjoyed golfing at the Karawaci Golf and Country Club. I enjoyed karaoking at the Hai Lai Executive Club. I enjoyed grocery shopping at Sogo. I enjoyed having a haircut at Rudy Hardisuwarno. I enjoyed the cool air at the peak of Punchak. I enjoyed buying designer wear at Plaza Indonesia. I enjoyed drinking 'Bir Itam' with 'Kraeteng Daeng'. I enjoyed eating 'Nasi Padang' at Sari Ratu. I enjoyed 'Mie Bakso' at Bakmi Gadjah Mada. What more is there not to enjoy?

I was also toughened by an earthquake there. I was in my office when I suddenly felt nausea. My desk slided a little to the side and everyone was evacuating. This naive Malaysian joined them in the evacuation, only having to run up again realising that I left my mobile phone in the office. When I asked them what was the commotion about, they replied with much cheer, 'Gempa Pak' (Earthquake, Sir).

'Gempa'? We are blessed from that here in Malaysia. And no, I don't agree in paying maids the suggested wage of a minimum RM 800 by your government. We maybe 'SERUMPUN' but we really do have a lot of differences.

Boobie Traps

Dear Friends,

Kiwi researchers have found that 80 per cent of men glance at a woman's chest before looking anywhere else and they look at breasts longer than any other body part.

Researchers at the University of Wellington believe men look at breasts because they are physically pleasing on the eye, regardless of the size.

Amazingly, less than 20 per cent of men look at the female face before scanning other areas of her body.

The study also found that guys began to gaze at the “components of the hourglass figure” within 0.2 seconds and there were only a few glances directed at the arms, face, lower legs and feet.

Subjects tested were presented with six images of the same woman, digitally altered to increase or decrease the size of her bust, waist and hips.

What part of the body do you look at first?

It Was Never Them But YOU!

Dear Friends,

The video you have just watched says it all.

Why is is never ourselves but it is always "the others"? Today is a reflection Sunday. Following my previous post, I started to ponder on individual habits on why certain people are the way they are.

When shit hits the ceiling, it will always be "the others' " fault. Not vividly, I can still remember all the quaint of her. When the budget is not met, it will always be, "It is the sales people, they are not doing enough". When group arrivals are not produced despite all the overseas travelling, it will always be, "Our overseas sales agents are sleeping". Mind you, if those are genuine reasons, then what are you doing about it? You are the Shepherd of the flock, for crying out loud! Another one I 'like', is how our Creator is always brought into the discussions; "GOD will guide me and help me from hereon, whatever I do is done for His glory"..."I always do them for the company and not for me"..."I have always worked from the heart and not the head". Wow, if these are anything to live by, then I proclaim you the working SAINT. The next 'National Workers Day' event on May 1, an award of excellence must be bestowed upon you.

People who behave like this have only themselves to blame. It could be due to their upbringing, experiences in life - bitter or sweet which have moulded them to their being. They like to be portrayed as experienced, perfect, over glorified and indispensable. The truth is they are living in a pretentious shell, constantly hiding behind a wall of shame - camouflaged in the name of 'perfectionism'. Their negative consequences of perfectionism could be seen in these signs:

Low Self Esteem - Because they never feel good enough about their own personal performances.

Pessimism - Since they are convinced that it will be extremely difficult to achieve an ideal goal, they can easily become discouraged.

Rigidity - Needing to have everything in their life perfect can lead them to an extreme case of being inflexible, non-spontaneous and rigid.

Obsessiveness - Being in need of an excessive amount of order, pattern or structure in life can lead them to become finicky or obsessive in an effort to maintain a certain order.

Lack of motivation - Believing that the goal of change will never be able to be ideally or perfectly achieved can often give them a lack of motivation to attempt change in the first place, or to persevere if change has already begun.

Lack of belief in self - Knowing that one will never be able to achieve an idyllic goal can lead them to lose the belief that they will ever be able to improve their life significantly.

Sounds like someone we know already? How do we help them? We can only encourage them to be open to the idea that they will be successful in their efforts to change, even if they are not "first," "the best," "the model," "the star pupil," "the exemplar" or "the finest". An example would be, "Why feel inferior if the house you are staying in is not as posh as your colleague's?" They must learn to love themselves and to believe that they deserve good things.

The truth about personal change could be summed up by these mighty words of wisdom.

Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye - THE BIBLE - Matthew 7:5

To conquer others need strength; To conquer oneself is harder - TAO TE CHING, Chapter 33

Conquer your own mind and you conquer the world - GURU NANAK (SGGS, page 6)

Verily never will GOD change the fate of a people until they change it themselves. QURAN 13:11

Though one should conquer a million men in battlefield, yet he, indeed, is the noblest victor who has conquered himself - THE BUDDHA (Dhammapada 103)

All our actions come from within. The external forces may have an effect on our thinking and feelings. But, the willingness to respond comes from ourselves.

It was never 'Them' but YOU!

Miss World - Malaysia vs Singapore

Dear Friends,

A few weeks back, I was personally introduced to the current Miss World Malaysia 2008/09. Her name is Soo Wincci. This beauty queen is not as 'bimbo' as you may think. She read Law at the University of Reading, United Kingdom . She also holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Sunshine Coast in Australia. She is conversant in English, the Malay language and various Chinese dialects. She gets away in conversational Japanese, Korean and French too.



A beauty contest or beauty pageant is a competition based mainly though not always entirely; on the physical beauty of its contestants and often incorporates personality, talent demonstration, and question responses as judged criteria.

If that is the case, then what happened to this one?


I feel that she is in need of major speech therapy or a good 'Singlish' teacher. Take a gun and shoot me dead, she sounds so robotic and rehearsed.

In instances like this, I am so proud to be Malaysian. And, if you were wondering what Soo Wincci was thanking me for in the picture above, I am so not telling you :)

As the Singaporeans would say, "Walau eh, kanasai!"

Blog or Blocked?

Dear Friends,

Did you know that Malaysia has about 500,000 active bloggers, ranking the country among the highest in the world after Indonesia and the European Union? Today is exactly a year, 'WILYEO OR WILYEO NOT' is into its' blogging being. My inaugural blog, 'Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka?', (meaning Independence for my international readers - it is Malaysia's Independence Day today) was somehow nostalgic. In that post, I mull over my younger schooling years, of landing a crush on a Malay girlfriend in school. A Petronas, 'Tan Hong Ming' commercial, if you may.

People blog for various reasons. I blog for my love for linguistics. I blog to express my opinions, have them contested and allow it to be responded in an orderly manner. There are no limits to what I can and can’t blog about. No matter what, I will always love what I am writing about because I get to decide. However, I do not blog about delicate issues which may spark debates and disputes.

If you would observe on the right of this page, I have a bloglist of people whom I follow. I have always had respects for people who can write. The pen is mightier than the sword, if you may. I have a special admiration for KENNY SIA http://www.kennysia.com/ Kenny hails from Kuching, Sarawak in East Malaysia. He is very health conscious and runs marathons. He does not look it as he appears plump in most of his pictures. He spent close to 8 years of his youth growing up in Perth, Australia. Apart from the similarities that I possess with Kenny (being health conscious and being in Perth), I am nowhere near his blogging fame. (todate, he has close to 18 million visitors to his blog) His blogging style is humorous and original.

Another blogger who is impulsive, takes risks, unpredictable and a daredevil is Poh Huai Bin http://www.sixthseal.com/ Huai Bin is probably the first blogger in the world who publicly admits to taking drugs. He has photos and videos to attest to this in his blog doing them. He marvels at why he was never caught, especially when all his personal particulars were open to all and sunder to view on his blog. He was a safe drug user and he always encouraged existing users to practice safer drug use. He has been in and out of rehab and he has been clean for the past two years. By blogging, he is making a difference by bringing harm reduction and knowledge to the masses for dubious knowledge of the substances.

Last week I was invited to the press conference of 'Project Alpha', Malaysia's first online TV show about bloggers. It is a fast paced, fast cut, lifestyle driven online TV show featuring the real faces and lives of Malaysia's top bloggers. This show will take a sneak peek into their lives, who they are, where they live, how they tick and how they derive inspiration to capture the attention of so many online readers to their blogs on a daily basis. Every blogger is unique and they are opinion leaders on celebrity news, fashion trends, travel, entertainment and etc. Every episode will be 3 minutes in length and will air daily for seven weeks on http://www.hitz.fm/ (Hitz Radio Station's website), http://www.nuffnang.com.my/ (Asia Pacific's First Blog Advertising Community) and also YouTube. This will commence September 18, 2009. This project taps into the massive potential of the online market, at a time when the world has become increasingly familiar with YouTube videos and social media networks like Facebook and Twitter.

At the press conference, a question was posed and I addressed the issue on how quickly brands are evolving in the present. I further reiterated that it is not enough to just rely on above-the-line advertising these days. I was asked if it was risky to have bloggers write about a brand when we are not in control of their writings. The answer is this. Every business decision is a risky decision. In this era of blogosphere, can a brand not afford to flow with the bandwagon? With the emergence of digital communications, blogging denotes not just a fun activity for some but also a significant potential marketing solution. Apart from revealing the lifestyles and real faces behind these top bloggers, the purpose of this show is also to inspire up and coming bloggers and encourage them to start their own blog.

If you observed the top and bottom right of this blog, you would realise that I subscribed to Nuffnang and GoogleAds. I recognized that blogging has some income opportunities. Chances are I won’t make millions, or even thousands of dollars blogging. In all likelihood, with real resolve and desire I will make some money to pay for some of my bowling games.

By the way, it was really nice meeting Jojo Struys http://www.jojostruys.com/ , the Producer for Project Alpha and Timothy Tiah http://www.timothytiah.blogspot.com/ , the Co-founder of Nuffnang.

Happy Blogging :)

P/S: It is 1.20am now as I am posting this blog. I started blogging at 9.1opm. For no apparent reason, my entire posting was erased and wiped out as I was loading the pictures. Just imagine the anger and frustration. Such is a life of a blogger, sometimes.

I need to Fart!

Dear Friends,

I am one of those who is real careful with what I eat and drink. A little 'over the top' sometimes with restrictions to better things in life; I don't even drink Coke, for crying out loud! I decided to break rules yesterday morning and decided on a 'cheat day'. I gobbled down three glorious 'Roti Canai Empat Segi' with Dhall curry almost instantly. The taste was just beyond description, kind of like a mouthful orgasm.

As I was facebooking on my laptop in the afternoon, my daughter Charmaine went, "Dad, is that you...AGAIN? - Disgusting!". I love it when I irritate her - 'farting in her face', so to speak. This is my home for goodness sake. I can fart wherever and whenever I want. I find it unnatural if I have to go, "Charmaine, excuse me ar, Daddy is going to fart". Having to 'request for permission' from the few around me, I would have needed to shit by then. In the office, it is similar. Whenever the 'Mamas' are told to stand outside my door to speak to me, they understand and appreciate the 'punishment' of standing at the door.

It is funny that farting has become such a part of our lives that we take this practice for granted. I bet you that when asked why do you fart, you wouldn't have an answer. Did you know that the average person farts 14 times every day? The amount of actual gas released ranges from as little as one cup to as much as one half gallon per day. Gas is made primarily of odorless vapors such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and sometimes methane. The unpleasant noxious odor of flatulence comes from bacteria in the large intestine that release small amounts of gases that contain hydrogen sulfide.(smells like sulphur) Contrary to popular belief, women have just as many passages as men, and older people, have no more gas than younger individuals. As much as 80 to 90 percent of rectal gas (flatulence) is formed by bacteria. Eventually these gases exit through the rectum. (arsehole to some:D) Certain foods produce more flatulence than others because they contain more indigestible carbohydrates. Beans are well known gas producers. (Damn, the lentils I ate!) The beans pass through the small intestine and arrive in the large intestine without being digested, which causes flatulence to occur.

Fart - we all have it, and it is a normal part of life. It is a natural result of good digestion. Farting is a more familiar term to many people.(flatulence to the refined educated ones) Most of us try to make light of it so as to not be embarrassed by its occurrence.

So, it is alright to fart. If you have to do it the next time, don't be shy. Among family in your house, you just fart and don't even bother explaining. Around friends, you tell them you just farted and ask, "Why, you don't fart meh?". In the company of strangers, be polite and ask, "Do you mind excusing me, for I need to break wind, as I can feel some intestinal gas aka flatus coming through my rectum? Please don't mind the sound and smell that is coming your way without any sight."

Farting is Embarrassing, but it doesn't have to be!

Long live the sounds of life..."POOOOOOT....!!!"