Sunday 28 January 2007

Around the Nordschleife

My dream holiday to Europe would involve going around the Nordschleife in an M5.
Its the old school Nurburgring track which is 20km long with hundreds of corners.

Well, actually wouldn't mind if I'm driven around in a Ford Transit, as long as its Sabine behind the wheels. If you have broadband, you should check this video out. You'll get a kick even if you aren't a petrol head. Definitely worth the wait.

THUD.....THUD.....THUD

Now whats that sound?

A couple of months back, I was attempting to sell my 'eventful' Wira at the weekend car sale at old town PJ. The crowd was slow, coz i parked at a bad spot, 3rd floor, where not many people would tend to venture. So I took a stroll to check out other pre-owned cars.

And there it was, the new Proton Satria Neo, at that time. Huge crowd was having a look, of course, being our proud national car, and a new model at it. Everyone, i mean everyone, was doing something, that I reckon should have its own star when doing a car review i.e stars for handling or comfort or safety.

Ahmads, Ravis, and Ah Chongs were opening, closing, opening and closing the doors to the Neo. Repeatedly. The sight was terribly funny. I stayed to watch a bit later than I planned, not to admire the beauty of the curves, but to see whether the doors will fall off. It didn't. A testament to the fact that Proton have at least improved on one thing. But at the rate of door opening and closing, the dealers would have to fit new door hinges everyday.

On a different note, the Waja facelift looks ugly. Savvy, I wouldn't buying it for my daily car. A car that I can thrash daily to work, what with the pothholes all around Kuantan.

Oh...I didn't manage to sell my car that day.

2 hours 51 minutes

Time taken to:

Ascent
Timpohon Gate - Laban Rata : 5 hrs
Laban Rata - Low's Peak : 3 hrs 20 mins

Descent
Low's Peak - Laban Rata : 3 hrs
Laban Rata - Timpohon Gate : 4 hr 15 mins

Thats a total of 15 hrs 35 mins.

Not too shabby. But..the mexican dude who won the Kinabalu climb-a-thon did it in
2 hrs 51 mins.
Maybe I should consider fitting bionic limbs.

Thursday 25 January 2007

"Because it stirs the soul"

That was what I said replying to why I own my current ride when asked by a friend.
Some say its impractical, some would wonder what was I thinking.
I say its passion.

And it takes a certain amount of courage and a little stupidity to sell a good condition 2 year car for a 10 year old with no service record car. But boy it feels really good redlining it everyday.

Oh did I say the 10 year old car is an Alfa Romeo.

Alfa being an Alfa...wonder whats wrong with my ABS. The hazard indicator for it keeps appearing. Maybe its the speed sensor, maybe its the relay, maybe its the......

Tuesday 23 January 2007

Konquering Kinabalu

Kinabalu was cool. Literally. It was freezing and my hands and feet were wet when I was at Low's Peak.

Apparently its Grade C type of mountain, one of the easier mountains to climb. If that was Grade C, then I'll just pass on chances for any other climbs.

Oh, and we've agreed to tell anyone who intend to embark on Kinabalu climbs in the future, "Its easy peasy. No need any special gears, shoes etc". Hehe *evil grin*

Saturday 20 January 2007

John Legend scored a goal?!

I was watching the Liverpool - Chelsea game on tele.
Hmm..its 2 up to Liverpool..and John Legend just scored a goal.
WTF?!
I reckon Jermain Pennant looks like John Legend, the piano playing soul singing dude.
Other notable look alikes on EPL:
Thierry Henry - Warrick Brown CSI
Robert Pires - Brandon Boyd Incubus
John Arne Riise - Matt Damon..hahaha..someone suggested this, though I disagree.

Top 3 'Balik Kampung' vehicle

My requirementes for a balik kampung vehicle are:
  • Decent space for my 3 kids to pillow fight at the back
  • Superb handling for zig zagging cross country and b roads
  • Good acceleration off the blocks..for overtaking at emergency lane during traffic jams on the highway
  • Boot space to fill up on ketupat, kuih raya, kuih chang etc that my mom or in law would give
So, on to the list.

1. BMW E39 M5.

It lacks the gizmos and grunt of the E60, but it looks waayy better. None of the Bangle influenced styling. Of course its a V8 with 400bhp.







2. Volvo XC90 T6.

Built like a tank, but drives like a rocket.Well..not exactly. But man..being tailgated by a XC90 must be scary.





3. Alfa Romeo 164 3.0
I had to put an Alfa in, so for a decent sized sedan, it has to be the classic 164. V6, those beautiful chrome intake manifolds, and the zinging tune of the V6. I'll switch off my radio and teach my kids to hum the glorious tune of the 3.0 V6