Wednesday, September 27, 2006
currently reading: Team Schumacher: the men who painted F1 red again 
this book is certainly ain't not for everyone to read. if you aren't a F1 fan, Schumi fan, it wouldn't interest you in the first place.
anyway, this book isn't about michael schumacher alone. Team Schumacher. so, other than michael, it mentions about ross brawn, jean todt, rory bryne, willi weber and etc who are part of team schumacher. i have yet to finish the book, coz i'm taking my own sweet time to read..
it's interesting to read about each of their lives. note: interesting but not inspiring. coz the times are different. as what ross brawn and rory bryne said, if their resumes were given to Ferrari now, they had no chance at all. so, the methods they use to become what they are now are not feasible for us.
i am fascinated by all the stories i read from the book, of course most fascinated by michael's story of coz. but i am amazed also by a chapter in the book which mentions about Enzo Ferrari - creator of Ferrari who passed away in 1988. i must say, some of his words made me scratch my head, coz my language skills are not up to the standard aka i dun understand.
"We live in a vast prison, like Kafka's. The world is penitentiary, and we are the inmates caught in an instinctive egotism, we have to depend on our own force and nothing else. Whatever we pretend, we value others not for the good they can do us, but for the evil they might. The man who might kill us receives our full attention. He requires it, for we live in a cruel world where violence has taken the place of reason, a world where the only positive element is fear, the chief instrument of power."
"Suicide is an act of courage. No man who takes a journey into the unknown is cowardly or vile. A man is nothing until he is dead. It is death that puts a stamp on his personality. Death has led me to constant self-examination, but I know life is an illusion, mainly the illusion that we are something. So when people talk about my fame, I know better than to be taken in by it. I am a man who has pursued an adventure. But it is probably an error to say who I am; if I am unable to see the defects in the machines I build, how can someone else judge me?"
"The modern world creates idols, which is cruel, when the intent is then to destroy them."
shall end this entry with words from the others...talking about michael's passion for racing when he's young and the active dad/husband michael is.
"I just could not continue if I did not have a sponsor. At that time he was in a good business, and he said, 'Ok, I will do it, and the only thing I want to have is your trophies.' So I said, 'That's fine for me - I can drive and you get the trophies..." -michael talking about Jurgen Dilk (i guess without Jurgen, there might not be michael in F1)
"He was so small then, just a little boy. He weighed less than 50 kilos - but he drove the karts so fast! He was interested only in them. He would go to school, he had some friends, some girlfriends too, and he would go to the cinema or play football, or sometimes go to a party, but most of his time he was at the kart track or he was training. That was his life." -Udo Irnich who grew up with michael at the Kerpen kart track
"Michael was leading. Then on the second lap, he knew he had a problem. He put his hand on the engine, where he felt he had a carburettor problem. He left his hand there for eighteen laps, driving with one hand on the wheel. He won the race. Afterwards he told me what was wrong: apparently there were two small screws loose on the fixing of the carburettor. That victory helped him win the German championship, when he was about fifteen or sixteen, I think." -Jurgen Dilk recalls the German championship for juniors, one of the many kart events he went with michael
"Michael is such a family man. One of the reasons why I love him is the way he is with our children. He always has time for them and it is wonderful to see how much he enjoys it. He is never happier than when he is playing around with Gina and Mick. He is always thinking of things to do with them: climbing, trampolining, playing around - those sort of things rather than singing or reading with them. That's where I come in. Michael is the more active one. He can hardly sit still. We never spend the day on the sofa together or simply hanging around. Never. He is incapable of it. Obviously, we sometimes watch a film together, but afterwards we get on with things again. He is unstoppable. He always has o do things, and always he finds something. he has a go a t everything. And, above all, he can do everything." -Corinna on michael
Saturday, September 23, 2006
gonna keep this entry short coz bro is watching full house and i'm using his bathing time to pen down an entry.
one more month, and i shall embrace sch life @ tp. i thought that i would have kl joining me, but she decided not to. oh well. it's ok. each people has their own decisions to make. feeling excited and fear. well, i haven't been studying for months...hopefully i can manage. all my education life, i've nv travel far, except for rv, which is relatively ok. TP is like FAR! haha. but, i can sleep on the train, think bout stuff...yar. one more month to a new life, the other side of Sing which i rarely have the chance to go.
have been reading this book, "Team Schumacher: the men who painted F1 Red Again" by Timothy Collings. still halfway to go. am trying to read quite slowly. hehe. next time then pen down my thoughts bout it. hehe.
sis's god-sis cldn't enter Sing, coz of the passport needs to have 6 months validation, hers only got 3 months. the customs forbid her to enter, but she's back at m'sia. well, next time den i pen down my thoughts. bro's coming out!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
i've just finished watching the 1st episode of The Amazing Race 10 on somewhere. hehez. anyway, it still is an awesome show! very nice!!! why don't ch5 air it?? they air reality programmes like project runway, america's next top model...*sob* come on man. TAR is entertaining and educational - we can see other parts of the world without leaving our homes! gee.
well, i hope my source continues providing it...
i was surprised when halfway thru a leg (means it's not a pitstop), 1 team got eliminated! no one saw that coming. i think that was great thinking by the TAR team. 10 seasons, people would have thought they know EVERYTHING about the show. ah-ha! u are wrong! there are surprises! i wonder what other surprises will there be. hmm...
oh! oh! the roadblock was kinda icky, in my opinion. haha. each racer from each team have to eat FISH EYES! fyi, fish eyes is a chinese delicacy. ACK! and i never eaten fish eyes in my entire life! maybe because i don't live in China where fish eyes is a common food. goodness. EAT FISH EYES! =X
but still, TAR's a cool show and is simply fantastic! haha. i love The Amazing Race!
Saturday, September 16, 2006
life has been relaxing...slacking...for me
staying at home watching tv, online, youtube-ing, eating junkies, doing a bit of housework, watching tv...
sounds boring? ok lah. not exercising too, so i'm basically eat-sleep-grow fat! hehez. i'm turning FAT! hahahaha
anyway, been watching videos mostly on schumi on youtube. he's retiring, so there are quite a few tribute videos about/for him. a few good ones, but i can't understand why the music they use are sad songs/tunes. he's retiring not dying! come on people. use happier tune!! =X
i like the mv from jay chou. quite cool for a mv, like a mini movie. but i kinda dun get the end. watch if you are free... it lasts 9min++. if u get the end, pls tell me! heh.
my lappy shiba died. dunno if i'm goin to get new one or repairing shiba. but for now, i'm back sharing the comp with my bro. and so, coz my bro's having his prelims, i'm goin to be online less often till nxt fri. this is done to minimise his urge to use the com. see! i'm such a good sister! =P
today's my mum bday! nxt fri my sis's god-sis coming to sing! nxt month i'm starting sch! michael will be driving his last race the night before i start sch. gee. =(
Sunday, September 10, 2006
summary of Monza race and Michael Schumacher Tribute.
months of anticipating, it is finally announced.MICHAEL SCHUMACHER TO RETIRE AT THE END OF 2006 SEASON.
Ferrari's 2007 line-up will be Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.
i'm sad upon hearing this news. when Michael was announcing his decision, it brought me close to tears. note. close to tears.
i first heard the commentators saying that they heard that Michael radioed in to his team on his lap back to the parc ferme, telling the whole team he was going to retire. hence, it explains Jean Todt's reddened eyes. anyway, after parking his car at the parc ferme, Michael hugs his Ferrari mates - his mechanics, Jean Todt, Corinna, and the Ferrari President. it took much longer time than it usually takes. while they were still waiting for Michael to appear on the podium, the commentator announces, "It's official! Michael Schumacher to retire." no usual leap of his on the podium upon him stepping on it. but he did jumped twice after receiving the trophy. at the press conference, the man announced. from what i got, one of his reasons of retiring is that his retirement would be fair to Massa who was performing okay and had no idea what his future will be. I guess Michael could have stayed on, if Ferrari hadn't sign Kimi but Ferrari need a strong driver to replace Michael in time to come and Kimi was the one the team decided on. If they did not sign Kimi, Kimi will go to Renault which will not be good news.
anyway, my thoughts and feelings about Michael.
i started watching F1 in year 2000, if i didn't remember wrongly. i wasn't such into F1 at the beginning. it was my siblings who were into it and i just watched along with them. if you ask me then, seeing the drivers go round and round nice meh? i would reply no, but i still continue to watch coz i didn't want to be like the others who are into soccer. now, my reply will be yes, don't underestimate wat's in that rounds that those drivers undergo. it's rounds of teamwork, hardwork and money. that's something that i understood while i watch F1. even though in the F1 car, there's only a driver in the cockpit driving the car, but he can't do it alone to win the race without the help from his race engineer and his mechanics. what made me see that teamwork was Michael Schumacher and the Ferrari team.
the drive he has, the passion he shows, his fighting spirit is a motivation for me. i was at my lowest point in life for the second quarter of this year. it may sound absurb but Michael Schumacher was my motivation power then. Ferrari didn't do that well, but was improving at that point of time. their race performance was so so and Michael had a few retirements. in spite of that, Michael continued staying positive, the positive mind that things will go well eventually for them. and i used the same positivity he has to keep me going. his words and actions are motivation, encouragement for me - to never give up, nothing is lost, hardwork does pay off.
i don't go out often because i don't want to or no one asks me. but anyway, F1 is one of the thing i look forward to. it's not just watching the qualifying and/or the race on the TV only. i now look at the relevant news of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari, their practice timings, the post press conference. when the race starts, i also look at the timings while watching the ongoing race on TV. my mum says i'm as though part of the team. haha. anyway, a race weekend for me means i have got somthing to pass my time. do i sound loser-ish? maybe. but this has become a habit. my parents know that if we go out on a race day, i have to be home 30min before the race starts coz i will not want to miss any F1 race, seeing Michael racing. it's quite fascinating how i became so into F1 or Michael actually. no idea. i even have no recollection when i started support him. interesting...
it never crossed my mind that Michael has such an impact on me. i always thought he was only a F1 driver who i supported and that was it. nothing else more. but it's until today, when the news he's retiring broke, i felt a tinge of sadness due to some thoughts. it's then i finally realise his influence on me other than a mere F1 driver. with his retirement announced, i'll have one wish unfulfilled, which is to watch Michael Schumacher race in a F1 car live in action. although i have to say, maybe it won't be something that i'll regret in time to come, but still, unfulfilled wish. i'll still support Ferrari, with Kimi as my favourite driver after Michael retires. but, i know the Flying Finn won't have the same influence power Schumi has on me and F1 for me won't feel the same without Michael racing in it.
I wasn't watching at the era when Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell, or the late Aryton Senna rule. I started watching at the era when Michael Schumacher rules. For that, he will always be the greatest F1 driver i known so far. This blogskin, from being a mere support for Michael Schumacher, is now my little tribute to him for his years in F1. Thank you Michael, for what you have taught me unknowingly. Teamwork. Passion. Fighting Spirit.
some links.
Michael's Press Speech
Official Ferrari Statement
Michael Schumacher - the end of an era
Michael overwhelmed by emotions
James Allen on Michael Schumacher
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Ferrari's line-up for 2007 will be announced after sunday's Monza race!
i'm feeling actually abit excited and nervous. it's like a milder feeling when i was waiting for A's results.
there are a few possible outcomes for drivers line-up i can think of:-
-michael and massa. kimi stays in mclaren.
-michael and kimi. massa becomes test driver.
-massa and kimi. michael retires.
i desire to see the 1st outcome happening. the combination of michael and massa is good. in my opinion, michael is like an older brother and massa is like the little brother. one of the best moments i saw on tv is the one michael winning the race and massa finishing 3rd. at the parc ferme, michael carries massa with joy. if i'm not wrong, i think it was massa's first podium then and michael is very happy that he won the race and massa has his maiden podium.
as wat people say, if one like michael is to retire, he should retire at his prime. but i think this year is not his prime. even though i have no idea if next year will be his but with his enthusiasim and fighting spirit, maybe another year isn't much to ask for.
whatever it is, the announcement as wat michael says, "is more of a distraction for you than me". i totally agree. he has reached his own decision last week, according to his manager, willi weber. he knows wat he's going to do while people like me are just wondering and guessing. anyway, as a fan of his, i'm supportive of him regardless wat decision he has made, staying or retiring.
Michael Schumacher is the best F1 driver i've ever seen so far. Forza Schumi!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
fragile life. gone. just like that.
to the old lady, a neighbour of mine who passed away 2 weeks back in her sleep
and to Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter who was killed by a stingray's barb while filming -
RIP.
that is why people say, treasure every moment. even though, the next moment we'll forget about it.
anyway, you'll never know if you'll sleep and never wake up or pass away in the midst of work or something else. you'll never know.
and this is life.
Thanks to all the blogs i referred to(countless) for html code help :) (esp. cyn' and sixseven)
Adobe Photoshop Elements for supernatural abilities
