Walk the Last Mile

First impressions of Them Crooked Vultures.

2010-01-14T03:26:00.003+08:00

They sound like they should! Grohl's heavy thumping of the bass pedal and its timing within Bandoliers sounds likes its a riff by itself. I'm already sold on New Fang. So I am more towards looking at whether the whole album has the same strength as the much played single. Lets see if this is a grower or a teaser.

So you wanna buy a car in Bolehland?

2009-10-29T13:21:00.007+08:00

What's in it for me, the man on the street (who doesn't own a chop shop, doesn't have open APs, and is not in the business of manufacturing car parts), based on the recently reviewed National Auto Policy (NAP)?

The bad news first..lots if you are a continental car lover like me.

Maintaining the import and sales tax, and excise duty. So Alfo Mito will still be RM150k++ and a Golf GTI will still be RM200k+ in the near future.

No more import of used car parts by 2011. The source of many continental car parts from Japan or Singapore. Mana nak cari parts untuk 145 boxer? Engine parts are still manageable as it shares with 146, but body parts? I probably gotta get a whole second car if I intend to keep it for long. Also parts price will skyrocket as it'll be scarce.

No more open AP after 2015. So better get the GT-R, STI, EVO, Silvia grey imports before then.

Any goodies?

As NAP allows assembling of autos >1.8L and costing >RM150,000, a VW GTI might cost cheaper due to the difference between CBU import duty and sales tax vs CKD import duty & sales tax by about 20%. For this to happen, either one of the assembly plants owned by DRB-Hicom (Pekan) or PROTON will have to tie up with major automakers. Malaysia being the biggest passenger car market in ASEAN is an attractive market, while the assembly plant owners would benefit by the higher utilisation of their plants, which some sources have quoted between 50-80% capacity utilisation.

A VW TDI will also be a possibility as the announced road map for petrol and diesel to comply with Euro 4M by 2011. The high sulphur content of current diesel Euro 2M has been a deterrent as most modern engines are designed to run on Euro 3. I once drove an Audi A4 Avant diesel with 1.9TDi. Love the pick up, 20-30% better consumption compared to a petrol, but looses breath early (5k rpm). But a killer in city traffic if you ask me.

Well both of these are big ifs, as it'll require a tie-up between automakers, which as of now, only VW seems interested, or to a certain extent, Renault.

This coupled with new fuel mechanism thats gonna track the oil price, things will not get any rosier for a continental car lover in the next few years.

Of health care reforms, election manifesto and Alfa MiTo.

2009-09-11T12:34:00.007+08:00

Its been awhile since I blogged anything. As some of you may know, I'm kinda unemployed, but not short of things to do. Reverting to my past time of being a couch potato, I have been following the health care reform issues in the United States rather closely.

Rather than going into details of the reform, I have been more interested by the relentless pursuit of President Obama on getting a bill sorted out for the reform to work. Why has he been so relentless and determined? It was his election pledge. It has been around 9 months since his presidency, and with issues i.e Iraq, Afghan war, economic recession, piling like the office inbox I used to have, well not really, otherwise it would've been 'kacang' for him, he has been pursuing full throttle with NOS to boot. The past 2 months have been filled with public debate, wide media coverage, pros and cons of choices offered of the various issues related to health care reform.

Other than being a full time TVer, I log on to theStar every few hours or so. Lets just say I don't get a sense of urgency from either state or federal government and our lawmakers doing the same. I don't even remember what was the election manifesto of both PR and BN. Now why is that? Well one because I did not vote, since I did not manage to get on the electoral roll. Maybe the rakyat has not put a concerted effort to push for this. To let them know you guys suck. We should have a regular poll to tell these menteris, MPs, and ADUNs you guys better buck up..fast!

Maybe the silent majority has just been that, silent. But if we continue to be silent, come GE 13, who should I vote? Neither seem interested to work for a better Malaysia. Neither seem to be pushing for a better public transport. The cost of vehicle ownership is still expensive, that I cry everytime I look at car prices in the UK or US. Alfa MiTo cost RM150k in Malaysia while in the UK its £15k (convert should be ~RM90k). We still pay toll just to get stuck in jams.

Something for you and I to think about and hopefully act rather than just rant.

Of bulan puasa and raya

2008-10-19T12:06:00.003+08:00

I love Ramadhan and Syawal.

Well of course apart from being holy months of restraint, submission and forgiveness, I get to save alot of money.

Ramadhan..through less eating and free buka puasa. It helps that i've learnt to discipline my self this year to not over buy on foods at pasar Ramadhan.

Syawal..through open houses. I stuff myself silly in each of them, while hardly eating outside.
"Kurus pun boleh makan banyak ke", a friend remarked on my 4th trip of the roti jala servings.

You know where these savings will go to :)

Tepung Pelita Ramadhan

2008-10-06T23:11:00.004+08:00

Yummy..sweetness

On my annual quest in finding the perfect tepung pelita, I asked myself, what makes a tepung pelita THE tepung pelita?

Its the gebuness of the texture. Not too soft..otherwise it'll spoil the first touch.
Its how it presents itself, not too watery. Thats just a turn off.
Its the sweetness, not bland, and not too much sugar that sometimes you can still taste and feel that it is not fully dissolved.
Its the perfect proportion of the whitish and the greenish parts, that makes it pleasing to the eye.
Its the how the daun pisang wraps around it, causing the sweet aroma emanating from it.

But, I take exception to the last criteria. As I have tasted the best tepung pelita this Ramadhan during the last days of puasa. It is a modernised version, macam Mk II ala VW Golf Mk II, V etc, wrap in plastic cup, but still taste fantastic. Yummm.

Bas Sekolah kaler Amber

2008-09-24T23:17:00.005+08:00

Never mess with a Bas Sekolah

Aku gi sekolah dulu naik Bas Mini kaler kuning. Erm..bukan sekolah la..but pegi kolej. KDU. The whole lot of us..10-12 kot..were always amazed by the stunts pulled by the driver. Which happened to be a chinese aunty. Macho gila la. Kadang2 visit kitaorg kat umah naik motor Harley dia. Well..maybe not a Harley..something similar. If you have been around KDU, you will think it is next to impossible to maneuver a car without dislodging the parked cars side mirror. Its located in the middle of housing area, and cars parked by both side of the road. Well I tell you..this aunty drives the bus daily around that area...and hardly ever hit anything.

But there was this one day, finally, the aunty needed our help. This bugger parked his Wira by the side, blocking the road, making it impossible for the bus to pass. Aunty tu pun jerit, "Angkat itu kereta". So there were we, under the hot afternoon sun, after classes. 10 skinny college boys selalu tak cukup makan, angkat kereta Wira tu, tolak tepi sikit. Priceless.

I noticed...how come most of the van sekolah and bas sekolah are driven by aunties or makcik2? Apa2 pun..R.E.S.P.E.C.T to these makciks and aunties. They are real mean lady drivers.

UBAH GAYA HIDUP. Dump your Astro

2008-09-06T22:52:00.003+08:00

Yep..I dumped my Astro. I was so blardy pissed off with them. See..I recently moved house, so had to remove the satellite dish, and later decided that I will not need the Astro anymore.
So I called to disconnect, and what did they told me?
They will need one month to DC. WTF?? Why one freakin month man? So with this one month, I will need to further pay for the coming months monthly subscription, which I am not goin to watch anyway, since the dish is down on my living room. Kalau nak connect and bayar, cepat je. Dah la charge RM10 for a single day of late payment. Rip offs. Pastu hujan takleh nak tgk. Stupid la.

So up yours Astro! Consumer power...I'm sticking to 6 free to air channels. Take you RM70 subscription fees and shove it up yours.

The upside to all this is I'm appreciating how hot Intan Ladyana is in Sutera Maya and how cute Liyana Jasmay is in Sari Maya :)

Side ways is the ONLY way

2008-01-19T09:46:00.000+08:00

Cheapest way to go sideways? Go kart, absolutely.

Wow..what a thrill. Though for only 10 minutes, it was fun fun fun from the get go. Especially everytime on taking an S-bend, and also taking the big corners ala parabolica flat out. Now I understand the thrill when Mark Webber talked about taking the 'parabolica' in Monza. Haha.

Apart from that, I've always wanted to do an opposite lock , the one when you have to steer the car the opposite way after an oversteer. Well I got to do it, in a kart la. The experience left me salivating driving a RWD on a track.

Its actually my third time karting. Set a decent time, but took 4 laps before I gained confidence to take corners, pedal to the metal. Looking forward for the next time.

Scrap your car for RM400?

2008-01-18T14:34:00.001+08:00

Well not quite.

For every one successful project car (the one where one restores an old, rusty, non-drivable condition car to one thats pristine, perfect and showroom condition car), there'll be easily eight other failed project cars (berkarat, terbiar, and with the car tepi jalan, all four tyres gone, supported by bricks, even the bricks have started to crumble). Its a sight for sore eyes, and being an car nut, it hurts to see it. Even if its a first generation Honda Accord. I feel for it. I know how hard it is to keep a car going at tip top condish. The emotional anguish, the financial committment, and the experience of fixing one thing, with another one failing the week after. So if you can't commit to it, what should you do with it?

The government should go ahead and implement the option to scrap these cars. Scrap owners sell their scrap at a price fixed by scrap yards, based on how much the yards can sell the besi buruks to the kilang besi. The kilang besi will buy these scrap at a price, which could be factored in to their production cost of a steel. I'm not from the steel industry, so I have no idea how much it is. Of course along the way, everyone will find a way to make profit. Not realistic? Maybe. But if we can find incentives for everyone, then it'll definitely work.

As for me, there's one project car thats on its way to greatness :)

Heartbreak

2007-08-14T22:36:00.000+08:00

What you love most, hurts you most. Hehe.

My head gasket went south last week.

Before taking the plunge into the Alfa ownership, I have prepared myself for worst case scenarios. Emotionally and of course, financially. Hence my frustration was not to the point where the food don't taste, or did I experienced any sleepless nights. I took a risk a year ago, and it took the same time for me to fall flat on my face, or at least that's the reason I think the gasket blew up on me.

It started by me driving a bunch of friends home to Kuantan, from KL.Four of them to be precise. Hitting Karak, I immediately floored the accelerator. Switching my right foot between brakes and the accelerator, making the boxer run its 129 horses relentlessly. 80% of the time, keeping the revs +5000 rpm to steer the bella around uphill corners. It was such joy.

2 days later, during idling, the Alfa lost power and sounded like running on 3 cylinders, as opposed to 4. I decided to take it to the pits. More of a workshop actually. On my way, the temperature went all to way to 110deg C, so I stopped to let it cool. Popping the hood, there were no water in the reservoir. Shit. Cranked the engine. Stuck. Sounded like the piston seized, which later I found out was quite right. Tow it is then.

Opening up the cylinder heads, found that one of the gasket had a water/coolant leak, causing water to mix with oil in the cylinder where I had work done before. We speculated that it could have either been poor quality gasket installed on my last timing belt 'putus' episode, or just improper installation. I didn't send the car to an Alfa specialist then, since I needed the car quick.

Now its all systems go. Better get some mods before it starts to 'merajuk' again. Maybe a pair of disc brakes, a squadra chip, and ICE. Worth to mention that I didn't send the car for washing for 3 weeks before the gasket failed. Heh.

You gotta have a little faith bro

2007-08-07T23:11:00.000+08:00

I'm gonna start using these phrases. Though not sure it'll sound just as cool in Bahasa Malaysia.

"You've gotta have a little faith bro" -> "Kau kena la tawakkal sikit"

"There 3 things that are certain in life..death, taxes and (insert anything appropriate for the occasion you are talking about)" -> "Ada 3 benda yang pasti dalam hidup...kematian, cukai dan..."

"Get away from our women"

2007-07-29T23:28:00.000+08:00

Why am I such a car nut?
Easy. A perfect family weekend for me would be going for test drives with my dad and my brother. Let me list down some of the more memorable ones.

1. V50 - We got flagged by the traffic cops for speeding at Kerinchi link (150 at a 90km/h zone), but was let off due to my dad's legendary trickery.

2. Fiat Coupe - Approaching the sharp right hander from Subang entering the Federal Highway, our sales advisor remarked, "Tuan haji, corner depan tu". Haha.

3. Saab 9-3 - Emergency braking, and immediately saying, "Just wanted to test the ABS".

Now I have to plan for our next 'get away from our women' day and test some really mean machines.

DSG

2007-07-29T22:58:00.000+08:00

I've experienced the future.
Its in the form of DSG, Direct Shift Gearbox. A genius innovation on the vehicle transmission or gearbox.

I'm still reeling with excitement after test driving the Golf GTI Mk 5. Incredible, incredible experience. All cars in the next 5 years must be fitted with DSG. The shift is instantaneous, almost game like feel. Reminds me of pushing the R1 button to upshift and the L1 button to downshift on my PS2 controller, when playing Grand Turismo 3. The paddle shift on the steering wheel will need time to get use to, since if follows steering movement. I think I 'arcaded' the DSG more than I should, what with the burning clutch smell, after stepping out of the GTI at the end of the test drive.

Next to the 156 GTA (the aural experience), the GTI test drive was one of the most memorable test drives I've been on.

Any car with a DSG, deserves to be in my dream garage one day, next to the 156,E39,145 and E30.

IA run Kuala Kelawang 1.7.07

2007-07-04T00:15:00.000+08:00

Spot my car!

Fire triangle

2007-07-02T00:35:00.000+08:00

What ever you do, please don't smoke and chuck your cigarette near a crash or accident site.
There might just be a fuel leak..and you know what's gonna happen when ignition source meets fuel eh.
Idiot.

Wishlist Pt. 2

2007-06-30T02:26:00.000+08:00

I'm striking off number 7 off my list. Hehe.

Long and winding road

2007-06-18T12:37:00.002+08:00

Everytime I watch a car show i.e Top Gear, Fifth Gear, Best Motoring, I drool about the roads they take the cars for review. The Autobahn, the Alps, Nordschleife, Isle of Man. Then I thought, wait a sec, the ones we have back here are not too bad either. Actually pretty fun. Here's a list of twisties that I've been fortunate enough to drive on:

1. Batang Kali - Gohtong Jaya - Genting Sempah
Love the uphill climb from Batang Kali. 2 out of 5 times I'm on this stretch, there'll be a vehicle 'tersadai' in the big ditch, most likely drivers not familiar and micalculating the corners. This is almost like my weekend drive, since its my drive back to Kuantan. Chasing the ever famous Genting taxis are always a joy, especially during wet! My most memorable drive was when I 'accompanied' an Unser on the downhill drive to Genting Sempah. Boy the Unser driver has got titanium balls.

2. Karak - Gombak
I eat this for dinner every Friday! The wide downhill section after Genting Sempah, towards Gombak is the most rewarding for me. Once I felt the car twitch on the rear, had to throttle on, to play catch up with an E39 525i. Was doing 5-6k rpm on 4th then, adrenaline pumping, palms sweating. Scary stuff.

3. Ampang - Hulu Langat - Kuala Kelawang
Only been on it once. But very memorable. My only drive with the ItaliaAuto guys. Plenty of switchbacks, tight, unpredictable twisters. Of course I got run by Coupes, 156s, 147s throughout the run. When I got back to Kuantan, my shocks were dead, and my lower arms were making noises.

4. Simpang Pulai - Kampung Raja (Cameron Highlands) - Gua Musang
Our balik kampung drive. The view is a sight to behold, with green, lush and flat top mountains. The corners are fun and predictable, so pretty safe drive when going downhill. The drive involves lots of tyre screeching, and for a less durable vehicle, smell of burning clutch. Sweet.

5. Jabor - Jerangau (Inland road Kuantan - Kuala Terengganu)
I had 3 near misses in one stint. Very very dangerous stretch. Never fail to claim lives on every raya holidays. There's hazards all over e.g animals, reckless drivers, heavy vehicles, potholes, blind corners, lots of 'ikan emas', you name it, its there. Respect it to get fulfilling returns.

Pretty much sums up the wonder drive I've had on Malaysian roads. Now I'm dying to give the boxer a go again.

Wishlist

2007-05-12T17:09:00.000+08:00

Everyone blogs about their wishlist. Which often includes the typical dream gadgets i.e ipods, uber-cool multi feature but oft unused mobile/smart phones, or a gigazillion pixel digicam. Here's mine for now:
1. A pair of new tie/track rod - to tighten the handling
2. performance brake pads - better stopping power, less fade

3. Pro RS steel braided hose - improve brake feel
4. strut braces - improve chassis stiffness, better handling

5. Squadra chip - add 10bhp!

6. valeo clutch - the ones i'm on now has started to squek
7. QV facelift or alessio monte carlo 15" rims - how can you not love that

8. repaint to Alfa red - love red!
9. leather interior, black with red stitches - red again!
10. PU powerflex suspension bush - improved handling

September can't come sooner.

Squeellley

2007-05-12T01:25:00.000+08:00

You know you are really nuts about your car when you identify the squeeling sound of your operating stand fan with the sound of the air cond compressor pulley or steering pump pulley.

Decktable's got a webby!

2007-05-11T00:12:00.000+08:00

My dearest sister got herself a webby.
Go go and check it out.
http://www.freewebs.com/decktable

Leen, the reason I don't update much, is to project the appearance that I lead a very busy and hectic work schedule. Believe me?

Being unique

2007-05-10T23:53:00.000+08:00

I'm a sucker for music. Really good music. I strongly believe that to enjoy it, you have to listen using a pair of headphones. Really good ones. Senheiser, Bose..you those kinda headphones. But all my good mate got me for my 22nd birthday was a crappy JVC. Haha. (tak appreciate hadiah langsung).

Anyway, I like to be different with my taste in music. I once went to a TOOL concert alone, cos I can't find anyone to go with me. Who the hell listen to Gomez anyway? Ada la kan..but not as many as lets say..Good Charlotte or Black Eyed Peas. To some, Gomez might just be a classical guitar maestro who strums classical riffs endlessly. Some of my common exchanges whenever I have friends in my car:

1.
Friend : Lagu apa ni Shaw?
Me : Erm..kau tak tau kot.
Friend : La bagi tau la..cam ok je.
Me : Gomez.
Friend : ohh..erm..ok

2.
Friend : Ganas la lagu kau.
Me : *Thinking to my self..its just TOOL..belum swedish/scandinavian black metal yang minum darah kambing, and pakai seluar PVC yang ketat gila sampai boleh melecet. Melecet kat mana tu, you just have to find out for yourself.

That explains why I own an Alfa Romeo. Its the weird sense of being different, something which stands out, but doesn't. Friends often joked that I will be better off with a Bimmer, since at least people know and recognise the brand. If you were to look at my car, you would think that its the funniest looking breadvan. Albeit a very fast one. Especially with me in it. In the drivers seat of course. "Shaw ni nampak je cool and selamba, bila bawa kereta, bawa cam cilaka", a passenger once remarked.

Haha.

Heel and toe

2007-04-23T00:25:00.000+08:00

I was driving the Alfa, packed to the brim with 4 passangers along the zig zag back roads in the middle of nowhere in Terengganu.

Savin: Kalau Shaw bawa kereta, aku rasa safe.
Yam : Tengok dia tukar gear tu, cekap la.
Noy : Amik corner boleh maintain rev kat 5 ribu tu. Buat lagi sekali..

Performing heel and toe is not only for better car control and safety, its also for bragging rights. Hehe.

Chemerong

2007-04-22T23:59:00.000+08:00

It was the most beautiful waterfall I've visited.
Well actually its been sometime since my last visit to any waterfall.
Nonetheless, the water was clearer than a crystal, and there were only us at the spot we chose.
Which was about 5 mins walk from the entrance and parking space. Enjoying the dips in the clear water in the middle of no where, with BBQ and bi hun to devour in between was such a bliss.
There's a spot where you can stand, and feel the rushing water hitting you from above. The water pressure was so strong, it was as if dozen of hands were massaging me all over my back and shoulders. A mate of mine coined it 'The OSIM'.

Its located about 150km north of Kuantan, about 1 1/2 hrs to get there, through the Jerangau-Jabor road.

Boy I think I have sunburn. Pedih gila belakang. I need a back rub.
And Shayna Zaid is SO hot.

Cita-cita saya

2007-04-14T01:14:00.000+08:00

I'm back! After a long hiatus. I was off on holidays in UK, and I will blog about that, whenever that will be.
Brings me to this popular question during primary school:
Apakah cita-cita awak?
Mine was:
1. Pilot (Inspired by Take Off magazines and Top Gun)
2. Pengurus ladang
3. Polis (Who doesn't? Must be the guns. If only I have known that I could be as cool as Vic Mackey, I could've ended up as one)

Well, I ended up an Electrical Engineer. Blurghh.

Love your girlfriend or wife? Think again.

2007-03-18T20:14:00.000+08:00

Love this ad. It speaks for itself..and of me. Hehehe.

Click on the picture to view the prints.

Its warm down here

2007-03-12T23:18:00.000+08:00

There's a research saying that the warmth from a laptop, through frequent use on men's lap, could be harmful to the 'sack', killing sperms, reducing fertility.

Been using my laptop plenty these days while lounging on the sofa, albeit with a pillow as buffer between the laptop to 'you know where'.

I have to rethink this.

Never a coincidence.

2007-03-11T21:48:00.000+08:00

How come on TV or in movies, the guy will always get himself tangled up in some kind of unfortunate event, and coincidentally meets a hot and gorgeous girl, later getting her to fall for him. Or to sleep with him. Its bullshit. It never happened to me. I bet it never happened you. Thats the reason millions of dollar are dumped into making an industry out of it. And you and me, are ever willing pay to watch it happen. Only in movies, or in dreams.

On another note, somebody needs to invent a clothes ironer. A gadget that irons clothes. Make it good at it, especially on the pleats of pants, and back of shirts. He/she will make millions. Not to mention that I'm badly in need of it now.

Hai yai!

2007-03-05T19:09:00.000+08:00

Coolant level, check. After a bit of topping up.
Oil level, check.
Brake fluid level, check.
Ok, go.

Whoaaa...what a drive.
The drive back from Kuantan to KL was an absolute bliss. The bella was doing well over 180km/h most of the time. The boxer (not the shorts la, its the engine) response was surprisingly perky. No hesitation that day. On other days, there's a sense of hesitation whenever I hit 4000 rpm. But not that day. As soon as I shot off Gambang R&R after a fuel fill up, the bella never let up. Its as if she's been leashed, and waiting, looking forward towards pounding the tarmac. Freeing the leash, she pounded the straights and the winding Karak road relentlessly. All the while singing an angry tune that makes you scream 'bongiorno', 'bongiorno', 'bongiorno' all the way till the next braking point, to stab on the brakes to tailgate the idiot City who thinks he's fast to run on the right lane. I can almost imagine, Pavarotti driving the bella, singing in tandem with the engine note, arms swinging like a conductor, leading the arrays of flat four pistons and valves in synchronism. 129 ponies working overtime. Pedal to the metal, I was redlining her even on fifth gear!

As Clarkson once remarked, given a good road, there'll be no challenging the Alfa. However, you'll have to Walk the Last Mile to your destination, given the infamous reliability issues. She's given me heart aches, and she's given me tremendous joy. I'll always be in denial too of its 'issues'.

So yeah, its all good.

My mighty, mighty Alfa Romeo 145 1.7L boxer.

Ang Pow. Hong Pow. Duit Raya.

2007-03-02T20:43:00.000+08:00

Its a new record.
I opened my new years ang pow a week after getting them. Even then, its coz I was running out of cold hard cash. It used to be right after receiving it, I would sneak into my family's default room in Poh Poh's house, to have a peek into who gave how much. Hehe. Cheeky. Who says money can't buy happiness?

My parents instilled good money savings practice. Immediately after getting back home from kampung, my brother, my sister and I would have to open up all the ang pows, in front of my parents, and count the total. Then its to the bank the next day. To our chagrin, all of our Tuanku Abdul Rahman will have to go to our savings account. Since we'll be getting roughly the same amount, there's not much room of siphoning out the ang pow money, for our own use i.e beli cikedis etc. Well those days, the amount was big deal. Now, as Todek remarked, 'duit cukup untuk bayar tol, minyak'. So whats left of my ang pow this year, are the ones in Sing dollars only.

On another note, the usual question popped out from my San Yi. Thats 3rd auntie.
San Yi : When want to get married?
Me : Hehehe.
San Yi : Why laugh?

Its not funny anymore. Geez, and I'm 6th on the seniority list, on my mama's side of family. The horror, the horror.

So yeah, its all good.

'Legends'

2007-02-26T10:29:00.000+08:00

Pyan mentioned this. I find it terribly funny.

Jalaluddin Hassan - Richard Gere of Malaysia
Mustapha Kamal - Slyvester Stallone of Malaysia

As long as Mr. Jalal is able to keep housewives glued to Astana Impian, then I'll give him that.

There's rattling sound in my Alfa and its coz of those damn pothholes

2007-02-20T18:10:00.000+08:00

Drivers who drive at 40km/h on a federal roads, typically with speed limits of 90-80km/h, should be shot. Or better their cars could be lined up side by side at Stadium Negara, and have those big, huge monster truck roll over them, with their owners forced to watch in horror. Thats a pretty good business plan. At the same time, the gate collection from the show, can be channelled to the Ops Sikap (my brorther speculated that Sikap is actually 'kasi' + 'tangkap') conducted every year.

The police head honco was quoted as saying that he's saddened that the tireless effort by the police force for Ops Sikap this year has still been unable to reduce the death toll. I don't know bout you, but hell boy, speed ain't gonna kill nobody, its the sudden change in speed / direction thats getting people in statistics. There's 3 factors that contribute to road accidents. They are human error, vehicle, and the environmental conditions. I think there's much less emphasis being put on the 2nd and the last factor.

Take vehicle. How many of us do regular maintenance on our cars? Simple basic ones such as check tyre pressure / thread / balancing / alignment / rotate. Tyre is the only part of the car thats holding our cars to the road. Imagine the stress that it has to go through, the heat, the flexing of the sidewalls through corners, the braking, the acceleration of our cars and so much more. Ignoring their maintenance, means we're a step closer to losing our NCB, best case scenario or worst, a ticket to six feet under.

I'm so pissed by the endless road constructions / repairs going on at Karak highway and at the Kuantan - Kemaman bypass road. Maintenance, as neccessary as they are, induces human error, leading to accidents, even death. I remember there's this bridge and junction construction near Gebeng, which was never completed, until a van carrying a family, met their untimely death there. Then voila, a couple months later, work started to pick up, and the work was completed in no time. So that's what it takes? Fuck man, even if the roads are repaired, after a monsoon season, pothholes will flourish, like 'cendawan yang tumbuh selepas hujan'. Its killing my Alfa. Well, my Sachs Super Touring absorbers certainly aren't much of help on these treacherous roads. I don't know what kind of engineering standards being used for road construction, but my common sense tells me that any repair / construction work, should take into consideration what ever environmental challenges it has to be put through.

Back to Ops Sikap. Are we addressing the right root causes? Are we even doing root cause analysis on what are the root causes, contributing causes to road accidents? It certainly don't look like it. The numbers don't lie. I'm guessing better road conditions, better signages will help. Poor road conditions, filled with hazards, lead to drivers having to brake and accelerate whenever approaching danger zones, leading to higher wear on tyres, coupled with poor maintenance awareness or practice, leads to uneven thread wear, hence a higher risk in the vehicle not going where the driver wants it to go to. Sooner or later, bang! Another statistic. Another death. Another spare part for kereta potong.

Hmm...it might just be a Hella spot light that'll fit into my Alfa.

Mask

2007-02-19T00:13:00.000+08:00

Its difficult for anyone to guess whats going on in my head.
Even when I'm feeling absolutely devastated, gutted to the point of throwing up, I'll still be able to go about doing my job, as if everything's alrite. I'm really really good at masking my emotions.
But, I'm not too sure whether its good or bad.

Of KLIA, hot stewardess and caffe mocha

2007-02-17T17:52:00.000+08:00

The WiFi in KLIA is blardy slow.
At least I get to see hot stewardess passing by every few minutes or so. Wonder how going out with a stewardess is like. Never had the opportunity, unlike a mate of mine, who went to Florence for a training programme, on business class, and at the end of the flight, got the stewardess to ask for his number. What are the odds of that happening to anyone??

Selamat Tahun Baru Cina

2007-02-14T00:03:00.000+08:00

Gong xi fa cai. Sin nien khuai le'. Quan xi lu i'.
Have a prosperous and joyful new year.

My uncle once told me, when eating mandarin orange, don't peel the 'urat-urat'. The more you eat, the more money you'll make.

Happy holidays and stay safe ya!

Goreng-goreng Pekan Peramu

2007-02-11T23:12:00.000+08:00

If you are planning to drop by Kuantan, make sure dine in at this Goreng-goreng stall beside the Peramu police station. Its the road on the way to Pekan.

Man..they've good the best and most assorted selection of east coast foods.
Imagine heaven...filled with cholesterol. All sorts of goreng-goreng i.e sotong, ikang, udang, ketam balls, fish balls. Other wicked foodies include satar, otak-otak, laksam, lompat tikam, kuih pelita, pulut panggang, popiah, nasi minyak, nasi dagang, nasil lauk, laksa.

So gimme a buzz when you're around town, I'll take you there, and gladly welcome you to buy me lunch.

Drives.

2007-02-11T19:16:00.000+08:00

Give me the keys to your car, and I'll give you a piece of my mind on it. Some that I've driven:

Alfa Romeo GT 2.0 JTS - "Ekzos bunyi macam ada air"
Alfa Romeo 156 GTA 3.2 - Amazing. Just amazing.
Alfa Romeo 166 3.0 - Never really liked how it looks.
Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 Selespeed - The clutchless manual is tricky to operate at first.
Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 Selespeed - Love the classic looking speedometer dashboard.
Alfa Romeo 145 1.8 TS - Better torque, hence better throttle response than my ride.
Alfa Romeo 146 1.6 Boxer - Laborious drive.

BMW E30 318i M- Quick and nimble.
BMW E36 316Ci A- Have you seen the hideous analog clock at the center console?

Toyota Vios 1.5E - If its not a McLaren F1, then its a sacrilege to have speedometer at the center.

Proton Satria Neo 1.6 M- Pulls nicely at high rpm, but engine note not very encouraging.
Proton Gen2 1.6 M - Good all round suspension set up, not too harsh, not too soft.

Perodua Kelisa A - Nippy, not a bad highway cruiser.

Will you hand me the keys to yours?

Hotel Melia

2007-02-08T23:45:00.000+08:00

Its a privilege to be employed by an MNC, though all of my peers complain that our pay aren't the most competitive. Nevertheless, we get to stay in 5 star hotels in KL every now and then. On a recent overnight trip to attend a dinner in Berjaya Times Square, I stayed in Hotel Melia.

The access to Hotel Melia was straight forward, driving from Jalan Kuching.
Parking was a bitch, it was full when I arrived. So parked at the reserved spot.

A colleague of mine told me that apart from Maya, Melia provides free internet connection. Bummer, I thought, since I left my laptop back in Kuantan, sensing that I wouldn't have the time to utilise it. To my surprise, this was what greeted me in my room.There was a bloody PC in the room! But the connection speed was such a turn off. It hanged a couple of times, apart from the crawling speed I was browsing at.

Other parts of the room was standard, nothing impressive. All run of the mill convenience that a 4 star (I'm just guessing that its a 4 star) must have i.e in room iron and iron board, complete set of toiletries, Astro channels (ESPN, Star World).

The plus point for Melia would definitely be its' location. It is situated at the heart of the golden triangle, surrounded by Berjaya Times Square, Low Yat Plaza, BB Plaza and Sungai Wang Plaza. Unfortunately due to time constraint, was not able to capitalise on that. Or rather I couldn't think of anything to get. Also if I enter Low Yat, there's a high possibility that I'll swipe for an iPod, and regretting it 10 minutes later.

So all in all, I'm giving Melia 3 stars.
Pros: Location, oh..love the big switchesCons: Slow internet, slow check out service

Here are other pictures I took while staying there.

Albums I wasted my money on Pt. 1

2007-02-07T19:10:00.001+08:00

I am an album guy. I don't do singles. A rare breed. Proud of it too. That's the reason why I still waste my money buying cds, rather than downloading it off the net. These are some notable ones, for various reasons.

Radiohead - The Bends

I was on a 'Lawatan sambil belajar' trip and had a stop over at Subang Parade back in 95. As always, stopped by the record shop and saw this weird, yet compelling album cover. That was good enough reason for me to buy it.

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

Allmusic.com 'ed about prog rock when I was into Pink Floyd. Bumped into a review with a 5 star on this album. For the next 1 year after that, I ended up buying Discipline, Red, Beat, THRAK and The Power to Believe.

Gomez - Liquid Skin

Farouq, my music 'guru' recommended this. The only track I continuously listen to after I got it was the beautifuly written 'We Haven't Turned Around'. This album deserve a special mention for being the 'lambatest' album for me to 'get' into. I only really listened to it about a year after buying it. As soon as I 'got' it, it was untouchable from my playlist for a year afterwards.

Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire

This is special. My first CD. RM50 from Yik Foong!
I can 't recall how I 'discovered' RATM. Its either through Guitar World tabbing Morello's DJ scratching solo on Bulls on Parade or me waking up to Zack de la Rocha's fanatical ravings on what I think was Amir Shazlan's radio when I was hanging out at Overfloor in 95. Contrary to most people, I still believe that its their best, darkest, and tightest record.

6000, shift!

2007-02-04T16:19:00.000+08:00

I always tell friends that my 145 is more prone to breakdown if driven slowly. She just loves climbing the revs. Of course the glorious growl of the flat four pots helped further in ensuring a constantly heavy right foot. Being a boxer, she just hates the low revs i.e <4000rpm. She's crawling when driven at those revs, I've been smoked by quite a number of kancil miras, Wiralutions, West Wiras, on traffic lights.

A few months after I got my bella, a friend wanted to test drive it, as he had never driven an Alfa before. So there we were, on the Bukit Setongkol straight, puttering away at cruising speed. 1st gear, ok, 2nd, 3000rpm, shift to 3rd, and 3000rpm, shift to 4th. I can't help but coaxing him to hold the revs longer.

"An Alfa have to be driven hard. Hold at least till 5000rpm, then shift up".

Trusting my words, that was what he did. At the end of it, with a big grin, clearly displaying the adrenaline rush he just had, he summarised the drive.
"Tak penah dalam hidup aku, aku bawa kereta macam ni".

Connecting...

2007-02-04T16:05:00.000+08:00

So what do you do when you get online?
My routine:

1. Login msn messenger and check who's online.
2. Check my emails.
3. Open Firefox and tab out italiaauto.net to check out discussion threads and any parts for sale. Currently looking for a set of 15" QV rims.
4. Tab out NBA news to check out Lakers news and whether Kobe scores 80+ points again.
5. Browse paultan.org and autoblog on the latest car news, releases and anything related.
6. Check out my blog for any comments :)
7. Check out other blogs e.g screenshots, rocky's bru, decktable (my sisters' blog) etc.

Tell me yours!

Around the Nordschleife

2007-01-28T19:52:00.000+08:00

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

2007-01-28T15:40:00.000+08:00

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

2007-01-28T11:12:00.000+08:00

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.

"Because it stirs the soul"

2007-01-25T00:06:00.000+08:00

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......

Konquering Kinabalu

2007-01-23T20:19:00.000+08:00

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*

John Legend scored a goal?!

2007-01-20T21:35:00.000+08:00

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

2007-01-20T21:00:00.000+08:00

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

205/50/17

2006-12-30T17:42:00.000+08:00

Was driving around Melawati searching for very odd sized tyres for a ride.

Me : Ini size tyre ada ka..dua kosong lima, lima puluh, tujuh belas (Its the tyre size, if you notice looking at a tyre's sidewall, 205/50/17).
Tyre man : Ada ada.
Me : Sure ka? Sudah banyak kedai pergi, semua cakap tak ada.
Tyre man : Ada ada, sama size. Tapi kecik sikit la.

Pfftt...