Former F1 driver Schumacher to race in Touring Cars

Former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher looks set to continue his career with Mercedes-Benz in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), according to reports here.
The 32-year-old had his second test drive for Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday at Estoril, Portugal, and was positive about his experience. "I wouldn't be driving here if the DTM car wasn't a great deal of fun for me," Schumacher told German tabloid Bild on Wednesday. "And, it goes without saying, if I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't seriously consider racing in DTM."
Having won six Grand Prix in his 11 years in Formula One, Schumacher had his first test drive for Mercedes in mid-January and now wants to make sure he puts the experience to good use. "Now, I want to use every minute for getting to know the car," said Schumacher, whose Toyota contract expired at the end of last season. "After all, I'm new to the DTM business and would have to get to know everything and used to racing the car."
And after such a positive start, Mercedes bosses in Stuttgart are expecting an answer by the end of the month.

rat race: even if you win the race, you’re still a rat.

accordingly to wikipedia, rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit. it is just like a rat trying to escape whilst running around a maze or in a wheel.

in an analogy to the modern city, many rats in a single maze run around making a lot of noise bumping into each other, but ultimately achieve nothing (meaningful) either collectively or individually.

it is a term often used to describe work or excessive work in particular. if one works, one is in the rat race. this terminology contains implications that many people see work as a seemingly endless pursuit with little reward or purpose.

the increased image of work as a rat race in modern world has led many to question their own attitudes towards work and seek a more harmonious work-life balance. many believe that long work hours, unpaid overtime, stressful jobs, time spent commuting, less time for traditional family life, has led to a generally unhappier workforce to enjoy the benefits of increased economic prosperity and a higher standard of living.

are you stuck in the rat race? if you work minimum 8 hours a day and trade your time for paycheck in order to pay bills, there is a high possibility that you are caught in the treadmill.

escape from the rat wheel? why? don’t get me wrong that rat race is something very bad that you must escape from it. it is your choice whether you are happy to stay on the treadmill or not. the only challenge that I see in rat race is that even if you win the race, you are still a rat.

source: http://www.inspiringjourneytofinancialfreedom.com/RatRace.html

p/s: gong xi fa cai

BN confident of winning polls

PUTRAJAYA: Barisan Nasional is confident of winning a two-thirds majority in the upcoming general election, its deputy chairman, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said yesterday. The deputy prime minister, who is also Umno deputy president, said despite the current issues being played up by the opposition, BN was confident of achieving it.

"Yes, of course. We are positive (about winning) and we must have that positive attitude," he said after chairing the National Social Council meeting at the Implementation and Co-ordination Unit in the Prime Minister's Department.

"Obviously, we are hoping to get more than that (two-thirds)," Najib said, adding that voters would not be easily swayed by accusations hurled against the BN by the opposition.

He said the opposition would make all sorts of promises to entice voters.

"In the first place, do we need to respond to their antics? Their promises are nothing and unrealistic."

The latest gimmick by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) was that it would pay allowances to housewives if the party won in the general election.

Najib said voters knew BN's track record and appreciated what it had done to improve the quality of life of the people.

© Copyright 2008 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.

Expats go to court over 'dream homes'

An expatriate, who bought what he thought was his beach-front dream house, is taking his nightmare to court.

Roger Crowhurst, a 65-year-old journalist for a four-wheel-drive magazine, his wife from Sabah, Nyuk Ling@Semenanjit, and four other expatriate couples filed an application for judicial review against the Papar district council and the Local Government and Housing Ministry.

They are looking to have the respondents take responsibility for their homes in the Palm Beach Villas in Kinarut, which have been left in a dilapidated state. "We have been trying to get our developer to look into various aspects of our living conditions such as general maintenance, safety and common facilities servicing these villas, but they have declared themselves free of responsibility," said Crowhurst.

He said basic facilities such as lighting, road, drainage, security, garbage disposal, sea defence, and common facilities of the residential area had not been taken care of. The judicial review seeks to get the two respondents to take up the duties in respect to all the safety and administrative functions of the housing residence.

It also seeks to get the ministry to replace the management of the Papar district council and appoint a party to repair or demolish the boardwalk servicing the housing residence which had become dilapidated and hazardous. "When we bought the place, we were promised a paradise, but now it is not even decent living. "The boardwalk is damaged from coastal erosion, the beams are falling apart, the lights are out, no one is sweeping the debris on the road or collecting the rubbish, and no one is taking responsibility for all this.

"Everyone we approach says they are not responsible for our problems. We feel abandoned and after spending our hard-earned cash on these properties, we are getting a very raw deal," said Crowhurst. Rodney Parsons, a 60-year-old helicopter engineer who in here under the Malaysia My Second Home programme said that he was disappointed with the shoddy treatment from the authorities.

"We have asked several people to help with the repairs for six months, but nothing is being done," he said.

Source: http://www.emedia.com.my/detailnews.php?nid=918&cid=N01