After 12 years

Hey guys. I'm really into hiatus mode as daily chores and work keeping me up quite busy recently. Anyway, I would like to jot down something you guys for an update.

Remember my post about 'Pasion' that I wrote about myself regarding what I'm interested to do in the past and future? Yeah, I got myself something.

Something expensive yet I have waited for the past 12 years to get one on my own.

See something black there? Yeah, I got it. My 2013 bonus just cut half for that price tag. Why I choose it? Actually it wasn't part of my plan for 2013 but my colleague mentioned that he bought something from a local music store. CK Music. In December 2012, they were making a promotional period where items were discounted and I checked out the piano section.

They sell Korg brand which I heard of but not that familiar. I've played digital piano from Yamaha, Casio and Roland but not Korg. I checked out forums and sites about this brand. It turns out there are some quite good review as they are well-known stage musical instrument provider.

I looked on the list of digital piano they offered and I came out with my decision. Actually two. SP170 and LP350.

Differences? SP170 is much more affordable but it's bulkier, lesser sound preferences and effects, hidden preset where we need to press the keys to access modes like changing sound and tuning and this piano offers sustain pedal. Somehow, it's portable as I tried to lift the piano. It's light.

On the other hand, LP350 is more sleeker, space savvy, 30 sounds with reverb, touch and chorus selection, built-in metronome and 3 pedals. The 3 pedals are quite important to me if I want to go for music class again. I can't deny I like its design and there's one little feature that really look cool. The hatch that enclose the keys has a soft closure, meaning that we just close it halfway and leave it close on its own smoothly. Can't get it, see the video here.

The keys were weighed as if they were keys from upright or grand piano, giving out the real expression of touching almost precise, feeling of a real hammered key from uprights or grand piano. They called it "Real Weighted Hammer Action 3".

From the super duper long description above, it's clearly that my decision would be LP350. At the first place, I want the white one but after a few looks from the piano in the showroom, the dust is much more visible. They offered other colour which is black. The other colors which are not offered in Malaysia is:-

Red. As if it was made from lipstick.

Ivory white. This one is interesting as it gives out wheat white colour with leather emboss. And it's limited edition.

Why I chose a digital piano? Well, I learnt to play piano using a digital one and I felt better. They are much lighter compares to an upright. Digital piano does not require tuning and maintenance from pest like termite and fungal growth due to high humidity in Malaysia. Electric doesn't eat your wallet much compares to its maintenance. One maintenance costs more than changing your engine oil. Other words, the price for upright, cheapest is about RM 6000 to 8000. Even for those refurbished piano, they cost at least RM 4000.

Digital piano? The decent and stylish looking like mine just cost me not more than RM 3000. And it smaller and can give performance just like an upright up to its par. The only one thing that I can say bad about digital piano is if there's not electricity, it won't function and the piano goes off when its electronic parts spoilt.

So, I got it about one month and so far, the piano is indeed a new companion in my life. After await for 12 years since my mom didn't bought me one because I didn't passed on her expectation, finally I got one on my own. Why I want to get  it one now, this time? My answer: I don't know but believe it or not, it's like a calling for me to get one and this decision that I need to fulfil in part of my life.

For the next one, I think I won't be using my money that often as I have another major plan. Planning to get a hybrid car in another 5 years time where my salary can afford a loan for a RM 95k to 130k as for the price of a current hybrids.

These are my options:-

Toyota Prius c TRD Sportivo 1.5cc. RM 103,990.

Honda Insight 1.3cc. RM 99,800.

Honda CR-Z (M) 1.5cc. RM 111,488.

(If I'm still single)

Toyota Prius 1.8cc. RM 129,000.

The highest end that I can afford.

Why my next plan on getting a hybrid? First, hydrid save petrol usage which greatly reducing my money in paying the tank. Second, these cars are environmental friendly as they emits lesser CO2 combustion. Third, they can work alone as an electric vehicle, EV where they move quietly and no petrol use at least 10 km. Great for short distance travelling without using a single drop of petrol.

If Malaysia plan to get an EV with affordable price tag, I'm hoping for Nissan LEAF.

A total EV vehicle without tailpipe. Zero combustion, zero emission. I hope that this car can take more than 160 km per charge and battery replacement from using lithium to sodium. This would make the battery price drop significantly hence the price of the car.

I would like a time travel machine to see my future decision leads me to. One step another step I presume. Just like I get a piano after 12 years. So, I would like to wrap up here peeps. Good night and good day ahead for tomorrows.

24th

It was my birthday. Yesterday.

The 24th.

I wish that I can do better and as I was intended to.

I wish that I treat people around me with more care and love.

I wish that I can find the person who is destined to be with me.

I wish for no more.

As birthday wishes are never ending.

Till the next 25th.

And the next.

Hoping that one wish among all will come true.

Pasion

Pasion  (pas · sion) noun - Meaning having deep emotion and willingness to achieve something like goal, dream and target with meaningful reason beneath it. 

Everyone has his/her own dreams and in order to achieve, passion comes to play the role. Dreams without passion are merely meaningless journey.

After a distance of my new journey, I began to release that I started to miss, or to say, forget my passion and they were recently came back into my consciousness whenever I see the world. It has been a very very long time that I immerse those also-forgotten passions that were burning in my soul which define and characterise me a lot since I was small.

Currently, my passion towards further studies still the main ones as I have made my next step ahead. Hopefully it turns out at least by next year or the other depending on my decision.

Music. The first long lost passion that I always remember. Since I was small, my mother enrolled my sister for music class to ease her children with healthy activities. I remembered that I was around 5 years old, still in the kindergarten sulking with rants when my mother decided to enroll her only.

To be fair, my mom finally put me into the music as well. Astonishingly, I like it very much. From there, I found my first talent in music. Frankly speaking, playing music is like doing lab practicals and therefore comes the test part: Theory.

It's not easy to do it as I was having bad time with my English and lazy to count (as those beats and some rhythmic notations requires simple maths). So, I always stranded myself in theory. Didn't take any test on theory so just took a few test on Organ test. By the way, I started to learn music using an Organ.

Due to time allocation, I told my mom to try piano lesson as well. Logically, once you know how to read the scripts and press the keys from Organ, it's a definite that you can do it as well in piano. Just remembering that the key pressed in piano has its own pressure which leads to the quality of the key hit. Loud, soft or crisps like staccato move.

As I was 12, my mom told me that if I got myself a full A's in my first major examination (UPSR for locals), she will buy me an digital piano which comes with expensive price tag. In the end, I didn't get it. And anyway, I save her money...

Too bad. Plus, I had my music class stopped in order to focus myself back into full time study.

For now, I'm working now and I can afford to have one as the price for a regular digital piano is quite affordable. So, if depends now this passion will decide my next move? Or not?

Photography. Another indeed a passion that I profound in secondary (high) school when I was 16. It started when some of my seniors invited me to join in the club. Hence, new things to be learnt and we have some photo-shooting jobs whenever the school held events. From there, the supervisor of the club taught me a few extra things and  my passion for photography started from there.

I own a digital camera which bought by my mother and it's a Kodak. I chose Kodak as its chip was kinda good back then and the camera is user-friendly. When I started to hold a DSLR, things change and I'm currently eyeing on Nikon and Sony Alphas. So, from photography this blog is kinda initially come with it as you can see I had quite a number of pictures taken by myself (mostly except those credited by their respective owner).

For time being, I have no investment in photography but hopefully I can do it in future time. It's not a cheap passion to be chased anyway, just an interest I had. Having a decent phone that has a good MP is good enough for me to take photo and share in my social networking.

Cooking. Perhaps I was being trained by my mum or the taste buds of mine prefers me to do it on my own, I enjoy cooking. Spicy, sour, sweet, salty. And I fond of herbs. They simply amazed eaters without additional flavoring. In fact, no salt or sugar is used. I began to cook when I saw my father prepared omelette himself. From there, I pick up pans, little bits of oil and an egg.

I keen to learn cooking from my mom whenever she cooks. Unless, those dishes were cooked repetitively. I tried several cooking by referring recipes from internet sites and book. There's a person who inspires me a lot in cooking:- Jamie Oliver. One word: Simple. He cook things with simple ingredients yet creating a meal that is marvellous. I haven't got enough money to buy all his cooking books as I intended to.

I'm also a person who likes to try at new places (eventhough I'm almost broke). I have a few buddies who like to test tasting from one place to another and rate the place. So, anytime (if my wallet still allows me to unfill it) I would be glad to taste and give my own personal opinion. And I'm serious when comes to good and bad in food.

Art. I do it whenever my mood kicks in. Erm, where should I start about my art. Oh yeah, I fond with art during my primary and secondary school. I think it was fun and a place to be creative and imaginative when our hand holds a pencil, crayon, paint or pastel and starts to dribble on a piece of white canvas. It was simply a calm situation for me to draw without guides but my thoughts.

Not much I can talk about my art as I kept my art brushes, pencil colors and pastel aside quite a long time. I should get a new ones if I intend to make an art in future. Perhaps, painting for  my own house.

---

Overall, you can see that I'm quite an artistic person, not a science geek. Just that, I need energy and time to do these things. For me, science stuff is my backbone in my 20s till 50s as I'm depending on it to earn my major income. I planned to stop doing things in science when I reach my pension years and wish to set up a cafe on my own.

So, do you have a passion that burns your heart to do it?

One year is up.

After the day on tomorrow, it will be a complete year for my first job. As a lab officer (aka Assistant Laboratory Manager) in UTAR. Believe it or not? I felt it was like just a month, or two. Felt so short yet I've step this far.

A year of full service meant I gotta be confirmed. Yes, I'm a confirmed staff. And I'm not showing off here (for a certain readers who thinks I'm showing off. Sorry for the late disclaimer). As I was confirmed, my first impression is either happy or sad. Feels like in the middle but more to the down mood.

When comes to doing my job, everyone will say,

"Nigel, we depend on you."

I don't know whether it was a compliment or merely just sending me a smirk. Taking higher steps mean having heavy responsibilities, I feel that but I need to take it slowly and have the obligation to ignore them if I still have unsettle business. I hope people will know everyone has a limit before going overboard.

Sigh...

Anyway, I try to take it positively when my feelings tell me the opposite. Try to climb higher still but remember my limits. Hope all of you understands. :) Currently, I'm trying to get back my track with something I've planned along.

Yeah, master studies.

Now, I'm preparing myself with some early discussion with my supervisor before determine the route for the study. Before that, I would like to deliver my gratitude to my FYP supervisor, Dr. Chee who still have a keen interest on me to become my MSc supervisor. I hope that we will collaborate and make something out from the research. So, up up the way and hope my plan can be carried forward as I was imagined.

Will I survive for another year before I do it with my part-time studies on Master? Hope so because I will have thoughts on the next level after the study. For time being, let's stick back the plan which I had in mind during my third year of undergraduate.

Before I miss out, I would like to thank my previous life that prep me with plans even though I need to go through pains and bitter moments. Just let my passion kept burning as it is but not fading away.

And I stay...

*Berkhidmat untuk UTAR*
(English: Ready to serve for UTAR)