Crack my brain open...what's cooking inside?....

I just woke up. Had a terrible dream. I'm starving (but fortunately sober from last night's shisha fume)and i need a clean break. I think this is the first entry with sumthing about myself. I hope it'll be the last one, coz i dont really like writing about what's going on with me and what's playing in my mind. Yeah right izzy, then who asked you to create this blog at the first place ay? One smack on the back of my head please.

Anyway, i visited my frenster page just now after a very long time. Got some msges and even testimonials. Talking about testimonials, i really dont understand why ppl give ridiculous testimonials to each other? Ok there are some who write poetry and funny stories as testimonials, and there are the type that love to create "beautiful" drawings using symbols and finally those who use the testimonial column as a "tag board" or shout out box where they leave messages to their friends. Heck!!! What's wrong with these ppl? i mean dont get me wrong, i have nothing against u guys and some of the things that were sent to me were actually nice, but it totally defeat the purpose of that testimonial column la.

So the next time you log on to your frenster and u wanna msg someone, just use the send msg function. If u wanna share funny stories or other kind of article (poetry etc) use the bulletin board and if u wanna send thoughtful pictures or drawing, just email it to your fren. There easy. And please, spare the testimonial column to its own function; to tell others what you think of that fren of yours.

Ouh btw, the picture actually depicts my passion for cooking and creating my own recipes. Muahaha. What a fag.....

The launch of the new 1 and 3 series have said it all - BMW is moving slowly to the younger and more average, fashion-victimised middle class drivers with limited income (yeah you can say 'kiasu'). While positioning their two mentioned products to such market segment, they are aware of the stupidity that hovers around those ppl's minds.

Bearing that in mind, they opt for the economy of scales and sales by installing cheap 2nd-rate-material car parts, esp the interior. On top of that, the engines have been downgraded, having less power and 'kick'. But the real blow is, they maintain their high premium price tag to the cars, making them the most expensive family hatchback (1 series) and mini saloon (3 series) around (as far i know, i might be wrong).

So why are these people soo eager to buy these cars? i mean if its the 5 or 7 series, and maybe the M and z4 roadster, i can understand, coz their quality is top notch. But the 1 and 3 series? Bah! there are many other better cars in the same range out there, much better in terms of quality and value for money.

There are 2 resons for this: (1)The sculptic body and exclusive look of the 1 series and the stylish, sporty and edgy look of the new 3 series. (2)The prestigious BMW badge.

Ok so they have the look and the brand... so what. To me, the new Volkswagen Golf and Golf Plus are more 'Handsome' ( the most handsome car for me) and they are super powerful for such a compact car with excellent car parts quality, similar to Lexus cars. The price is almost the same as the 1 series but still resoanably competitive and a bargain is u ask me (its either a 1.8 or a 2.0 litres!).

So, think twice before you buy those cars yeah!! (X3 and X5 are another examples of bad cars: offroads that can never quite go off the road.)

But BMW does produce some very cool action short films though. Watch them, they are really cool, esp if u are a Z roadster and Clive Owen (King Arthur, Sin City) fan.

Wilko-Rista Coffee Shop
Wilkinson St's Own Barista Station....




Days can be long in Sheffield. The weather is unforgiving and streets are always congested. And for the entire city’s bustling streetway allure, for all of its history and motion, sometimes it can be just too overwhelming, too much to take without a few moments of calm. And for students eager to regroup and reflect after a long day of lectures without retreating to their halls of residents, such moments can be had at the closest coffee shop – for free.

Located at 15 Wilkinson Street, Wilko-Rista is a simple coffee shop that provides free coffee drinks to the local student community. Set up under a modest and serene environment, this coffee shop is the first of its kind to be built along the street and have been operated for 2 weeks, where I happen to be one of the founders.

The history of Wilko-Rista dates back to the time when me, my new flatmate Ahmad Khairuddin Abdullah (we call him Mr M), and the rest of my new flatmates were spring cleaning the house in June 2005. It came to cleaning the kitchen when we stumbled upon this awesome looking ‘Morphy Richards’ espresso machine hidden deep inside a cabinet. It was believed that the machine was once owned and left by the previous tenant 2 years ago. Me, being a very keen coffee drinker, along with Mr M who is an absolute coffee enthusiast excitedly took the machine for inspection and testing (while ignoring sceptical and dubious glances from the other guys).

To our delight, it brews coffee perfectly well, producing somewhat authentic, thick and savoury espresso with full flavour end. Despite its age, the machine didn’t require any work, apart from a thorough cleaning. It is a pump driven espresso and cappuccino coffee machine, with swivel steam-jet milk frother. Given its specification, the machine is perfect for making a wide range of espressos, café lattes and cappuccinos based coffee beverages.

But the excitement didn’t end there. It took a while before Mr M modestly revealed that he was professionally trained in the art of coffee making, and used to be a ‘Barista’ at Gloria Jean’s, Mount Kiara. We were all impressed. Well, that explains his talent and ability to brew and pour excellent coffee using the machine, not to mention having an outstanding knowledge in the field. No wonder.

Having the same passion for coffee, Mr M and I simultaneously came up with a coherent idea of providing quality coffee to our friends using a ‘coffee shop’ concept. We charge our customers nothing for the service; after all, we got the machine for free. Both of us are more motivated by the lust and madness for coffee – Mr M is addicted to making coffee drinks and can never stop until he can pull the perfect pour, while me, I can never get enough of coffee to drink and always in the pursuit of trying out all sorts of coffee blend. Hence, with a little capital invested from our own pockets for the coffee beans, Wilko-Rista was born.

Wilko-Rista offers espressos, café lattes and cappuccinos made from a wide range of coffee beans and blends. Currently the shop has a small stock of Pure Arabica Beans (Sumatran, Guatemalan Maragogype, Dark Roasted Italian, Continental Blend), flavoured coffee blends (Kenyan Cinnamon, South American Hazelnut, French Chicory) and a limited supply of cocoa powder for mocha lovers.

So far, customers have given good feedbacks and support to the shop. On average, the shop consumes up to 150grm of coffee beans a day, yielding around 15- 20 servings of regular espresso. One of the most regular customers, Mr Najmi, when asked why he likes the shop so much, replied: “Well, its all because of its friendly staff, unmatched drink quality and a service style that is casual and welcoming. But above all, it’s free!” Another customer, Juweng, said “I don’t really drink coffee, but since I live nearby, it’s really hard to resist the aroma from the ambient air. Besides, I really like to hang out there and socialise.”

At a very young age, Wilko-Rista has gained much popularity around the neighbourhood, and therefore we are expecting a very significant increase in “sales” by next semester. With the vision we have, it is hoped that the shop will continuously evolve and develop by introducing new products and customer services. Mr M and I have drawn out plans to acquire additional equipment and soon customers may enjoy chill-brewed coffee and ice blended coffee.

But will the coffee still be free by then? ……I seriously doubt it. But hey, its gonna be worth it!


**Some of you might think this is a joke and that we are poyo. But try visit our shop first, and see it for yourself....

Somebody went to..... and all i got was.....

nmnm
Somebody went to Amsterdam, and all i got was......


.........This super awesome joint!........................And 1 minute later.........

Somebody also went to Belgium, and all i got was......


........This posh box of chocolates!.......................And 1 minute later......


** Thank you wani for those wonderful gifts!!! (but one joint ain't enough la!)

Give and ye shall receive!!!

Been more than a week since this blog was last updated and people have been complaining, some even called me "poyo". Give me a break please, the truth is, i just came back from a very long and tiresome vacation and the first thing in my list is to have a good night sleep on my own bed. Gosh i was soo homesick only god knows. Maybe if u guys leave some comments on my previous postings, i'd be more motivated to write. Ok ok. The next posting is due in a few hours, if nothing happens by then, somebody please kill me.

Youngest police officer in the world maybe?

I think india is the only country that recruits a 5 years old police officer and put him to full-scale duty. Saurabh, 5, has to feed a family of five. At an age when children are learning how to write, Saurabh now knows how to sign his name when he receives his monthly salary. Read more here.

Farewell Mr.Rossman Paya Kumbuh

Last monday, me, mushi, jon, rossman and mate went to Cha Cha Buffet together for a farewell dinner. It was held to bid farewell to rossman, who is going to leave us this July (coz apparently he forgot to extend his visa, otherwise he could have stayed till october).
Rossman (the one in grey sweatshirt) is the only one from the 5 of us who did a 3 years BEng Degree instead of 4 years. Rossman, despite his shy and quiet appearance, is a very rajin and power student. He hardly misses any lectures and completed most of his tutorials (betul ka rossman?) Anyway, his final result came out yesterday, what do you know, he nailed a first class!
Me? haha, it was written there "Result allows for 4th year continuation". What a waste.

Farrago Fardel: My mundane ego dispense place....

Today is the official launching of Farrago Fardel, my very own blog at last. It took me many months and a butt-load of effort to put things together; learning everything about blogging, HTML, and the works.

Yes, of course, it's a bit too much for sumthing really that simple, but then again, i dont really have that much time, and above all, the determination. But i got there at last alrite. One thing about me, if i am bound to construct sumthing, i tend to have everything well covered and planned before actually submitting into execution. Oh well, i'm just slow, that's all.

To be square with myself, it is not at all that bad. I mean, the blog has been here for ages already actually, but was never open to public till now. Its the learning and adding the add-ons part that took me such a long time. Plus i wont start sumthing unless i am ready to be totally committed. I mean, what's the point of having a blog if u just post one or two posts in the first 2 months or so, and stop right beyond that. So as for me, right now it seems that i am ready to submit atleast one post a forthnight. Hence the public announcement and launching of this blog today. Job well done izzy!

Farrago Fardel is basically a place where i share my daily-life experiences, my thoughts and ideas, and reviews on almost anything that i come across. Pretty lame ay? hell yeah it is. That's the whole idea. I mean afterall, this blog is called "Farrago Fardel", a literal description indeed. You have to admit that not many people know the meaning of those two words i.e. farrago and fardel, and the meaning when they are put together. But i won't indulge myself into writing more about that now.

Lastly, and definitely the most important of all, i want to address much credit and gratitude to Nur Hazwani Abdul Razak for all the help and tutoring she offered me in the making of this blog. Without her helping hands, this blog will never come close to being in existance. She taught me everything she knew and endlessly jabbing me with the drive and motivation till this very moment; the lauching of Farrago Fardel.

Applause!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!