MALAYSIANS KINI | Jordi Arip Rahman turned his passion for cycling into a dream job two years ago when he and several friends founded Velo Express, Malaysia's first modern bicycle messenger service.

It is tiring and challenging work, he admits, but the Terengganu native would not have it any other way.

"This is the best...I used to work for others and was really stressed.

"There is still stress in this job, but at least there is satisfaction," Jordi Arip told Malaysiakini when met after a day of running errands in Kuala Lumpur.

Dressed in khaki shorts, a white T-shirt matched with a red plaid shirt, and a cap, Jordi Arip said he first started cycling full-time back in 2007 when he first moved to the capital to look for a job.

Now he cycles everywhere he goes. This includes the hour-long trip he makes from his home in Uptown Damansara to the city centre every weekday morning to start his work.

Jordi Arip's choice to go completely petrol-free was inspired by a mix of economics and a love for the environment brought on by magazines he was exposed to in the punk scene.

But despite living the dream, Kuala Lumpur can be a quite a nightmare to navigate as a cyclist, the 32-year-old revealed.

"There are a lot of weaknesses (with KL roads). There is no bike lane, the roads are riddled with potholes, the drivers have bad attitudes and don't signal when they turn, things like that," he said....