R.I.P Raisa 1991-2010

You know the saying that goes “No parent should ever have to bury their child”? Well today I felt something very similar.

Today, June 15th, 2010 at 5.35pm, while I was at work, I got a call from my sister that shattered my world…..

My baby girl, my lover, my sweetness, my precious, my life of 19 (yes, nineteen) years was found dead by my mom at 5.30pm under a coffee table at home. She died of natural causes due to her age.

She has had chronic renal (kidney) failure since December. She was doing so well at first, up to a point where Dr. Netto of UPM PJ even doubted her renal failure, but about a month ago she started getting worse. We were told in December by a doctor at UPM Serdang veterinary that it’s common for chronic renal failures to be stable, and suddenly start to take a turn for the worse. That means the end is coming soon and all we could do is keep her as comfortable as possible.

Raisa has been the most precious and most loyal cat anyone has ever met. She has been my life for 19 years. And I thank Allah for giving me the opportunity to have her. I thank Allah even more for the fact that she loved me most and was most loyal to me. She was MY cat, and I am proud to admit that I am her human.

I also thank the vets at UPM PJ, especially Dr. Netto, and Dr. Loh and Dr. Vijay of Healing Rooms, Subang for taking great care of her whenever we came to visit.

The past month has been heartbreaking to see her slowly degrade on a day to day basis. But in the end, it can’t be helped. Her age has caught up to her. And her age caught up to her all in one go. Early December, she was healthy, cheerful, playful and full of energy. And when she got sick, her age just came crashing down on her. She lost a whole lot of weight, her senility was so obvious, and we also think she turned deaf. She was lethargic and moved slowly and could barely balance herself on her legs. Just like an old person.

Vets said she wasn’t in pain. She wasn’t suffering. So we did the best we could for her to keep her comfortable, to ensure she eats, to give her medication etc etc.

I am grateful that she died at home. Her home. A place where she knew everyone cared and loved her. Its so much better than her disappearing to some dark corner somewhere and dying without anyone ever knowing.

I buried her in a nice hidden corner in the garden under some shady flowers and trees. My mom is planning to plant flowers on her grave. Something unique and different coz she deserves it.

You, Raisa, have given me the best time of my life. I am happiest when I’m with you. Even when my life was in turmoil, your presence alone brought me peace. You were my guardian angel, you watched over my sleep, and even used to wake me up when its time to go to work. I don’t know what I’ll do without you as you are the most important thing to me. Thank you love, for 19 wonderful years. You are irreplaceable.

Rest In Peace my precious. I love you so very much. And I miss you so much already.

My LONG Satria Neo CPS review

Last night i met a friend who had just recently bought a black Neo CPS Manual about 1-2 months ago.....and since im seriously considering buying this car, he let me test drive the car and we went around kota damansara for a short whacking and cruising session...test run was done with aircond off and both windows down.

The car has only 2000km on it and has not gone for the first service yet....car is also 100% stock

My take on the car...take note that i drove this car more towards looking for negatives...so ill seem to be nitpicking....but at the same time im taking point of the positives as well.


First the pros...

For normal cruising the car actually feels good...comfortable. Low-mid range power is there.i was expecting the car to be a little heavy especially with the 16" rims. But it didnt feel heavy at all...the car moved as much as ud expect it to. Which is good. Acceleration was decent.

Suspension wise is comfortable too...some say its firm...but to me its pretty comfortable...especially considering that my current kelisa's adjustables are stiffer. Even then...the handling was quite good. Steering response was pretty sharp and accurate. The chassis also felt pretty solid during corners..

The nice leather seats..i like these seats...for normal cruising. But for spirited driving, they dont really hold u that well and u feel as if ur sliding off the seats. But they are really comfortable...feels like my butt was being caressed :D

I was skeptical about the steering wheel...but after awhile it felt good. Holding it was nice and comfortable...but of course its no match for my momo evo3...it also felt a little thick....but for a stock factory fitted steering wheel (wrapped in leather!)...nice!

Another thing i really liked about the car is the quality of the interior. Yes its still low quality plastics....but compared to the very first neo...believe me, its such an improvement. The darker tone really helped to make the interio looks of better quality and the leather interior gives it that luxury feel.

I also really liked the shifter. Felt like using quickshift...it was a little stiff...firm and yet the throw is only a short distance. Going up and down the gears were easy...no miss-shifts even though it was only my 2nd time driving the car....and 1st time driving it aggressively.




Now comes the cons...

My friends car unfortunately has the jerky issues on 2nd gear.not sure about 3rd...didnt test it for 3rd. But for 2nd..its definitely there. Didnt check out the wiper issue though...was focussing more on the drive itself.

The steering wheel is wrapped in leather, making it a little thicker...and my main issue with the steering wheel would be the stitches on the steering wheel are a little too thick and rough imho. When i make u-turns and the like, i tend to turn the wheel using 1 finger (my thumb) resting on the spokes...and when i do that i feel that the stitches are biting into my skin. The steering itself is also a little thick. But thats something u need to get used to. Diameter of the steering is smaller than usual for a stock car so it has that sporty feel to it when ur driving. Would have second thoughts about changing it to my momo though..considering the fact that its pretty comfortable, wrapped in leather, and has audio controls heheheheh...but if i change my HU then the momo is definitely going in

The side mirrors...i find it a little small. Maybe coz of how my friend adjusted it...i didnt adjust the side mirrors...other peoples car...so not nice la. But it did feel a little small..mebbe after adjusting it to wat i like my point of view would change.

As mentioned above the seats dont really hold u during corners...feel like sliding out. Mebbe coz of the leather material..if it was cloth, i dunno how well itll hold u...for spirited driving...i think bucket seats are definitely needed. Just those reclinable ones are fine...maybe those old school seats from the CRX, EF9 Civic, Levin, Prelude and the likes would be just nice...u can still retain the "memory functions" for people to get in and out the back seat..and they look pretty good and more importantly, theyre also cheap.

Also another thing about the seats is that theyre pretty high..which contributes to most people's complains about the roof being low. While sitting normally is not much of an issue...but if i straighten up my back...my hair (which is combed down btw, and not those spiky hair type) is touching the roof. Can really feel the lowness of the roof (im about 5' 9" in case ur wondering). Again, bucket seats will probably give u a little more headroom as they tend to be mounted lower than normal. Another thing is..my kelisa is lowered by a few inches with the adjustables and are fitted with SSCUS NSI buckets...so when i got into the Neo which was parked next to my kelisa...i felt like the car was so super high LOL

The gearknob i felt a little uncomfortable. If it was a little bigger then ok i guess...

Handling. Even though i mentioned above that the handling is good....i meant for a stock car. I took this car to my favourite 2 corners and its pretty decent...though a lil bumpy at the wavy corner. There was only minor body roll...and the car still feels somewhat planted on flat corners....on very wavy corners it wasnt that bumpy...still bumpy...but not as bad as most cars...im sure this can be easily rectified with a good set of adjustables heh heh heh

Brakes are alright... Though abit spongy. Bites decently enough. Wish it was better though... My kelisa which has aftermarket myvi maxtech rotors+calipers (vented,crossdrilles,slotted) with dot 4 fluid going through PRO RS hoses feels MUCH better than the CPS. And bites better too. Im sure this can also be rectified (though warranty may be an issue…so just stick to stock 1st I guess)

Next would be the engine, aside from the jerky issues (which from my search on the internet has shown that an ECU change/retune RMA at the service center may be able to fix) i find the low-mid range to be impressive. Car didnt feel heavy even with its heavy chassis and 16" wheels. BUT after 5k rpm. I feel a significant power drop..and not only that, the engine was screaming before i even reached 6krpm. So i didnt dare to redline it (which is at 6.5krpm) and shifted at 6krpm. The low mileage and no servicing may have contributed to this...so we'll see. The top end is somewhat lacking....so i guess a decent 4-1 header might be good? Also a nice loud exhaust would be good to hide the screaming from the engine so that u wont feel bad about redlining it hahhahaha

Coming from B16A VTEC...i have to say i find the 6.5k rpm redline to be a little disappointing and low since im used to 8k. But the fact that its NOT a VTEC kinda makes me accept that as it is....so 6.5k it is. Another thing, with my experience with vtecs, at top end, it gets better... But like i said...the CPS power drops after about 5k. Like its struggling. Again could be down to the servicing thing. Again, a 4-1 header might help i guess. Though u might be sacrificing ur low-mid a little, but since the low-mid is pretty impressive, a little sacrifice might be worth it to gain back the top end.

The drive by wire system...some say that theres no lag....bleh...there was lag..n lots of it. I had to change my driving style to not let the revs shoot up when I shift…I had to consciously release throttle first then step on the clutch instead of doing them simultaneously as u normally would on a throttle cable system. I couldnt even do proper heel n toe...i even stopped by the side of the road...put the gears in neutral...stepped on the brake pedal and "simulated" heel n toe... A quick simulation with a quick blip to the throttle and theres lag. My foot is already back at the normal position then only the revs shoot up. I really hope someone comes up with the e-throttle controller thing for protons asap. As of now theyre only available for non-local cars. sigh...

EDIT: just found out theres one available from D1 Spec. Its for Proton's CAMPRO engines so I assume it would work with CPS as well since its basically the same engine with only a headjob for the CPS (with the necessary electronics as well). I trust this brand as I've been using their adjustable suspension for about 3 years with no issues on my Kelisa and also their lug nuts for about half a year.

you can view this item HERE


Lastly...the bodykit...i do not like that bodykit... The spoiler...well, ive never really liked that kinda spoiler design...so even the imprezza's stock spoiler i dont like...but my main issue is with the arches...those damn arches...imho, its really stupid. If u wanna use extended arches u BETTER FILL OUT THE DAMN ARCHES PROPERLY and not leave the rims sunk in like that...sheesh. Im also from a classic mini background (1st car) and extended arches are common for minis..and yes..they get filled out...

Anyway...the bodykit is also rectifiable...can anyone say "R3"



Even though ive got alot more to say about the cons than the pros...take note that i mentioned that i tested the car LOOKING for negatives.

And would i still consider buying the car? Yes i would...even with all those cons..i still would.

Why? Coz the positives of the car are VERY good imho...and negatives can be rectified like some of the methods ive mentined above (4-1, buckets, adjustables etc etc)....yes u have to spend MORE money to rectify the cons...but im more into modding so these gives me reasons to mod…so I don’t really mind…and if i get this car....im definitely gonna start hunting for an original Border 304

Hell..even if I get fedup with the engine one day… theres always the 4G93T

R.I.P Louis 2008-2010

This early morning, March 26th 2010...sometime during the AM, my fiancée’s cat, Louis passed away. He was 2 years old. Vet suspected he was hit by a car and when we brought him to the vet, they saw that the chances were very slim.

Even with his back legs broken, and a possibly fractured spine, Louis tried his best to come home…he literally dragged himself. He was found in the neighbor’s backyard in a very sorry state. At least he died knowing that we loved him. And we knowing that he loved us. And he died on a Malam Jumaat.

Louis was a free roaming cat who was very loyal to my fiancée. Pictured above is Louis sitting in my fiancée’s lap. When we first went to pick him up, I remembered that my fiancée didn’t choose the cat out of the many choices available. But instead it was Louis who chose her. All the other cats couldn’t be bothered with our presence. But Louis was the only one that came to her and rubbed up against her. So she chose him, brought him home and we both agree that Louis was the best choice.



We love you Louis and we will definitely miss you very much. May you rest in peace.

Update on Raisa

a long delayed update on my baby girl raisa....this is gonna be long but simple.

she has been classified as chronic renal failure...so her kidneys can be considered as kaput-ed...

shes lost alot of weight....now only weighing 2.4kg and shes so boney...no signs of it going back up.

also...theres an organ above the kidneys that produces red blood cells....and its very common that when the kidney fails...that tends to go as well....sadly thats the case with raisa....although not too bad....that organ is still producing red blood cells...but below the normal range...just a lil bit only....0.1 below the normal range.

theres also another toxic thing in her blood....forgot the name...i remember the max of the normal range is 194....when she was first admitted, it was 1001....yes one thousand and one. after 2 weeks of admission and drips and pills etc etc....it has now dropped to +/- 350 and has stabilized there. which confirms her kidney failure.

so now, she has to be injected with sodium chloride (or something like that) twice or 3 times a week. 100-120ml under the skin on her body per side...near her back legs....which totals up to 200-240ml. she gets bloated after the injections, but its alright...goes off within 5-6 hours. :D anyway, these injections are a form of dialysis for cats...since they cant really be hooked up to a normal dialysis machine. this can be done at home...but im still pretty freaked about poking her with a needle so i take her to the vet for her injections...cost is about RM25 per round at the UPM (serdang and PJ) veterinary and its also the same in healing rooms subang.

another unfortunate result of the renal failure is that she pees alot...and i mean ALOT...worst still...she almost has no control of her bladder...and practically pees everywhere... shes peed on my bed several times already :x she pees even more right after the injections...coz the injections cleans the blood, picks up the toxins, dirt or watever u wanna call it and throws it out through the pee...

shes also barely eating... 3-5 pieces of her dry food per day...which is way better than when she first came back...that time it was 0. but we still have to continue force feeding her. vets has prescribed vitamin b complex to help with her appetite....its been almost a month of 2 pills a day and not much improvement. but at least she doesnt spit out whatever we're force feeding her. she swallows it like the good girl that she is...

force feeding was initially with soft a/d diet because cats tend to like it. but in the long run this aint good for the kidneys and we have to move to soft k/d diet...unfortunately, cats tend to NOT like food thats good for their kidneys....which means they dont like the soft k/d and dry renal food. currently raisa is on a mix of both dry renal and soft a/d. wat i do is crush the renal and mix it with some water to make it smushy...then add a lil bit of soft a/d for flavouring and put it in the syringe...we usually feed her about 1 or 2 syringe (25ml syringe) fulls 3 times a day. she also is slightly dehydrated... i overheard the vets saying her dehydration level is at 5% which is not too bad.

vets has also prescribed another pill called azodyl. these pills are really good. when we first got raisa back from the vet, vets gave us some of these pills...but after it finished, it was pretty hard to find....and she was not alert at all...and she looked very weak...close to the point where we thought she was giving up and dying....luckily, my fiancee managed to find some last stock of the pills at some vet .... so we quickly bought it, and started giving it to her again twice a day....and she looks so much better now....MUCH more active, running all over the place...climbing up the stairs, and also more alert. almost like the way she was before she got sick. the unfortunate part about these pills is that theyre really hard to find...almost every vet we went to told us that theyre hard to find...and that theyre really expensive...RM170 per bottle of 60 pills. another unfortunate thing about them is that theyre HUGE! so ur gonna need skill to feed it to ur cat...which i dont have but my sister does fortunately :D

for the moment, my baby girl is doing alright...vet gave her a year mebbe less. so...im gonna have to prepare myself i guess. but still hoping for the best as we heard a story from the vet of a 10 year old cat with renal failure.. who survived to be as old as my baby girl...19. that cat has had 9 years of SC fluids injected and still surviving last i heard....unfortunately my kitty was diagnosed when shes 19...so its pretty slim that shes gonna live for more than a year :cry:...still thats what hoping for the best is for...


also, if anyone knows where i can get more azodyl around pj,subang,shah alam/mid valley area pls email me at kzijen@gmail.com ..im rarely here....and i have abt half a bottle left...