Movie : TRON Legacy

Loved the trailer and the movie was excellent! I suggest you go watch this, visual effects and storyline is superb and top notch. No wonder Tron fans have been waiting for this movie to hit the big screen.

2010 cars, my choices are....

Quite a few of my friends ask me, what car is best to get? But the real question is, how much are you willing to spend for one?

As 2011 is approaching, I will list down a few cars that I wouldn't mind paying for if I had the cash. Note that the choices below are not a comparison with my Subaru Impreza, it is true that I love speed and performance, but the choices below are mostly based on what I'd own as a daily driver.

1) Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSi - RM155,888

If you're going, 1.4L engine? Is it really worth the price tag? My answer is yes. Although it is a hatchback, it's just the perfect car to drive around the city. Boot space isn't one of it's best features but the seats still fold down so you get alot of space if you need to transport something bigger. The moment you get in the driver seat you'll be greeted with a whole load of buttons, but I assure you that they are all positioned in the proper place for ease of use. Material of the dashboard and everything else in the car is superb, a true continental feel. Driving on highways isn't a problem as the sound proofing is excellent, although the standard tires might be a little noisy, but I can live with that.

Alot of people don't believe that the 1.4 liter engine would be powerful enough for the 1361kg weight of the car. Yes that is true, but the people at VW added a super and turbo charger to assist the small little engine to propel the car from 0-100km/h in 8+ seconds. So does this mean the engine will drink more petrol? Well that depends on how you drive the car, a heavy foot on the accelerator pedal isn't going to help with that right? If you were to drive the car within the engine's full capability you'd be doing something like 6.0 l/100km (this is based on specs from VW). So yes it's quite a fuel economical car, couple this with the new 7-speed DSG gearbox driving on the highway is super smooth and you have power when you need it. Just to shed a little light on the Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) gearbox, this 7-speed version is a dry gearbox which means it does not use any lubrication at all. Google DSG gearbox if you would like to learn more. In term of the performance, top speed of 225km/h and being able to run away or keep up with bigger cars blew me away. Overall handling was good and I liked the comfort level of the suspension.

2) Peugeot 308 1.6L Turbo - RM118,888

Looks and performance alone sells this car. Interior comes with a panoramic roof which is impressive and gives the car an even more classy look. All I can say is that this car is an alternative to owning a Mini Cooper S and much much cheaper too. Although it is a hatchback, the boot space is big enough to fit in what you'd need for a family road trip.

Powered by a 1.6L turbocharged engine and a 6-speed gearbox is enough for spirited driving and driving around. For it's price, it's a really good deal.

3) Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TSi - RM108,888

Here's a car which I think is the perfect for driving around with ease. But take everything that I mentioned on the VW Golf and drop it 1 level down and you get the Polo. Let me just warn you that once you drive a Golf you'd think the Polo is such a cheap car with cheaper materials. So let's NOT compare this with the Golf, just because you can't compare them side by side. For instance, some of the buttons found in the Golf won't be in the Polo, like the pedal shifters or even the steering buttons for the dashboard information isn't available on the Polo. I'd love this car as a daily driver just because it is so so sooo easy to drive and not to mention parking! Still it is a hatchback, so boot space, isn't impressive.

Engine performance isn't as impressive as the 1.4L twincharger, but it still packs a punch! Let's just say that it can keep up with my Subaru Impreza in short drag, now that's something. With a top speed of 215km/h it is a fast car and doing 5.3 l/100km is impressive. Coupled with a 7-speed DSG dry gearbox this gives the Polo a little more oomph when changing gears. Handling is superb for such a small and compact car. The Polo is nothing short on performance and looks.

4) Mazda 3 2.0L Hatchback - RM135,999

Getting into the drivers seat in the Mazda 3 is comparison to getting in an F1 car, with the amount of buttons on the steering it is enough for the average consumer to go bonkers. But it isn't as bad as it sounds, ergonomics of all the buttons are well placed for ease of use which I think is a superb point. Interior is good and looks sleek, seats are sporty but comfy.

One thing that I didn't really like is how Mazda decided to have the Thumb and Finger pedal shifters, which means, to shift up you use your fingers and to shift down you use your thumb. Maybe it's just me but I am more used to using my fingers to do all the pedal shifting.

5) Kia Forte 1.6L - Rm75,800

A Korean car? Yup indeed....don't be surprised if you like the car after you test drive one. Looks alone is sleek and nice. Interior is huge! Lots of head room and leg room. Nothing much to shout about on the dashboard but everything looks good where it is.

One of the downsides I'd say is the car only comes with a 4-speed gearbox. Driving around town and short distances with a 4-speed gearbox is just enough, but I still feel that a 5-speed would have made better impression. But then again, if you're skeptical of the brand you should go check it out.

R.I.P Leslie Nielson

I remember watching and laughing hysterically at all the jokes and sillyness from Leslie's movie, Naked Gun, Dracula and other comedies. We shall remember you for all the laughter and sillyness you showed through your movies. Rest well Lt. Frank Drebin.

Driving and Traveling

I've been on a few weekend and some day drives with loads of different cars, there was one week that I drove 11-12 different car models in 2 days! Lol. Some people would say, "that's good, you're doing something that you like". Yup and that pretty true! More details on this later on when it's safe to release the news to the public. I'm working on reviewing some cars that I've had the opportunity to drive around.

But apart from that I've been pretty busy with work, traveling and moving around alot due to back to back events.

Stay tuned... :)

Been busy...

To my readers, apologies for the lack of updates. It just been a hectic 1+ month, with events flying in and taking up my time, weekends and energy. I'm working on some updates and will be posted soon :)

Birthday Shout out to...

My one and only love...Sweetie!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

We had an early pre-birthday with Gideon, Lisa, Andrea, Mum, Gideon's Parents and Amos. It ended with slices of different cakes! Thanks everyone.

That cute small girl is Andrea, she loves to cut cakes and couldn't help but to help her Aunt out on that part.

Zoey's First Swim Experience!

The idea of taking Zoey for a swim has been discussed before time and time again. When I found out that homeapet.com was organizing a swimming event I jumped to the opportunity to bring Zoey there for a swim.

This was held at TERRACE @ Hock Choon in Jalan Ampang, KL. Thanks for the organizers and the hosts to allow dogs to have a swim in their private pool and the restaurant was dog friendly! When we arrived there were a couple of dogs in the pool, alot of them 1st timers like Zoey and others were pro swimmers who could retrieve their toys from the deep end.

I got in the pool with Zoey and Sweetie took videos and photos. To our surprise Zoey was a fantastic swimmer! We're proud that she could swim so gracefully.

www.ilovelabels.my

Do you like to bid on items?? Well there are plenty of sites out there that offer good bid prices for gadgets and all, but how about lifestyle items?

Here's where ilovelabels.my comes in, providing some very interesting products for dirt cheap prices. So how does it work? It's pretty simple, all items have a timer that counts down to zero, if you are the last bidder when the counter hits zero you win that item for whatever price is listed. If you can't afford to be in front of your computer then you have BOB which is an automated bidding bot that helps you bid while you're AFK (Away From Keyboard). I've been to other sites before but ilovelabels.my has something different for everyone.

Pretty simple stuff! With 3 easy steps you can start bidding :

Step 1 : Register an account

Step 2 : Buy Bids

Step 3 : Start Bidding

What are you waiting for?! Head on over there and start bidding on your favorite item! I saw a PS3 sold for RM12 or something like that.

Astro Beyond

We've been exposed to all the hype and commercials before and during the World Cup 2010 about Astro Beyond which brings HD quality TV programs. Is it worth it? Well for an additional RM20 per month it's pretty cheap. How about the quality? Excellent! If you have a Full HD ready LCD TV then the upgrade is worth it.

Although there are just a handful of HD channels, there will be more added over time. Watching NASCAR in HD is just simply super duper clear, you can read out the smallest sponsor sticker on the car believe it or not. As for other programs like HBO HD and AXN HD, movies and sitcoms never looked better! You can see every single detail on the actor's face expressions.

Current packages have a 1 year contract after you sign up before you can jump ship, so if you sign up you have to stick to the Beyond package for 1 year, minimum. Takes about 3-4 days to process before they call you to set an appointment to get the dish and unit replaced. The interface has also been updated for the Beyond package, which looks nicer.

WPPM Conference

I was asked to help out as an organizer with the WPPM team. Special thanks to Jack who thought of me and gave me an opportunity to help out at the event.

First of if you don't know what WPPM stands for, Wedding & Portrait Photographers Malaysia. This is a body that has been established to provide a platform for all Wedding & Portrait Photographers in Malaysia to advance in their arts & crafts by sharing knowledge and experiences to develop good and professional business ethics.

Day 1 saw some of Malaysia's top leading photographers giving a talk at the conference, on 3 separate platforms and even a live shoot workshop. Day 2 saw International award winning photographers sharing their knowledge, Lito Sy, Chrlie Lim & Jerry Ghionis. Awards were given out at the end of the day for some photos that were submitted for Canon Print Competition.

Congratulations to all the winners and Thank You WPPM for making this happen!!

Here are some photos from the event : LINK

Find out more on WPPM :

Thank You - Michael Jackson R.I.P

I don't believe it has been 1 year since the passing of the king of pop. But as I was listening to Hitz.fm play all his hit songs on the radio all day long it reminds me of the entertainment he has given to our generation.

Rest well Michael and Thank You.

Driving JOY - The BMW Z4M

Driving a 540,000RM car is rare. What made it even more rare is that I got to drive it for the 1st time in an Autocross! The car? BMW Z4M. For those of you who don't know what this car is like check out the photo at the top of this post, to make things even sweeter it's not a normal Z4. Notice the 'M' trademark, yup M-Power which means this model is the top of the line performance package from the factory in Germany. I've always seen this car in action, what it can do and the power and precision that it has, never have I ever thought I could drive one...in an autocross.

Where and when? Last weekend during GRA. The reason for me jumping into the Z4M owned by Ruoh Chiew Peng is because my car is in the workshop getting some pipes fixed. After loaning Sifu Ivan's car, his radiator decided to crack under all his donut smoking run, I needed a car in the same class to continue. I was afraid to ask, but I had to try. As I asked Peng he looked a little worried, well who wouldn't be, heck if I owned this the Z4M I'd be thinking 10 times before I loaned it out to someone. He then said okay after a short pause.

So it was my turn to go, I told Peng to leave the electronics on so that I can get used to the car and as I imagined, the electronics did all the work to keep the car in a straight line. I finished with no drama. Just to learn how the car reacts. Then my 2nd run came up, this time I looked to Peng and asked, "can I turn off the electronics for my 2nd run?". Peng said "sure, no problem....just be carefulll..and take it easy, save some tires for me". DSC off, green light, time to go. This time I felt what everyone have been telling me about the car...with DSC OFF the car is totally different. Indeed it did feel different, all that power down to the 2 rear wheels of the car pushed me against my seat and this was in 1st gear, off the line. My goal now was to see how the car reacted on the throttle and how the hand brake works. Slight nudge of the throttle made the car jump as if all 330bhp was trying to power the entire car all at once. On the straights the car was perfect, the purr of the engine at 6000rpm at 3rd gear and the brakes, yes the brakes were outstanding. Nearing the finish I screwed up and lost some time.

During a break, I took some time to think about the Z4M's drive, learn from your mistakes. The night runs began. As I lined up Peng help me turn on the lights and check everything to make sure it is all okay. I started the same way I started earlier, this time the car felt good, familiar. As I made my way through the course I took time to feel the car, gently apply more power and the car slides a little, a quick counter steer and lifting off the throttle got the car straighten out, then reapply power again. I got through the course without any drama, feeling that I accomplished all that is necessary to complete the course with the car. Then Peng asks, "how did you do that? it's only your 3rd time in the car!". I had no answer, I just told him exactly what I did for each run, learning each mistake, every corner and feeling what the Z4M could do. I finished the 4th run the same as the 3rd, 1 second faster. Checking the live timing on the screens, I was actually 23seconds faster from my first run.

Looking back at the experience, it was awesome. A Normal Aspirated car that feels like a turbo charged beast. Overall I didn't win anything in the event, but I will never forget this event.....for a very very long time.

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU!!! to Peng and Ivan for sharing their cars with me.

Nokia C5

I've been using my Motorola E398 mobile phone for about roughly 5-6 years and it still works, as a phone. There are limitations on the E398 when it comes to multimedia content and storage and some things. But what I like about the phone is the "Stereo Speakers" they are still nice and clear with good bass power, even after all this time and abuse. It survived a few drops on the ground with no problems.

In this time, information is what everyone wants and with all sorts of mobile plans from the networks you can get anything easily. Yea you can carry you laptop around but what if you can't? Surfing the net is now possible on mobile phones that is almost as powerful as a laptop or netbook.

Some friends ask, why not an iPhone? I'd say, it isn't practical for me, sure it's nice but just not for me. So after doing some research I stumbled across the Nokia C5 which had all the features that I needed. What impressed me more is that it has a built in GPS! and the price! for RM600 it was a deal. Well it doesn't have a super camera but 3.2mp is just enough for a decent snapshot when you need one.

So I'd say if you need a simple "candybar" phone with the extra options like GPS and software to surf the net then I'd recommend the C5. So good that Sweetie got it too :)

Here are some photos taken by me:

Old & New

Comes with Charger & Handsfree kit

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus

I'd take my hat off to the Producer & Director for this movie. It was sad to hear of Heath Ledger's death, worst still for the team who was filming this movie 1/2 way. But Heath's departure didn't stop this show from being finished. Johnny Depp, Jude Law & Colin Farrell stepped in to help finish the movie as a tribute to Heath. I was impressed with the way it was all put together.

Andy's Movie-O-Meter : 8/10

Ip Man 2

When it comes to 'Kung-Fu' movies, Ip Man made it more interesting when the world was introduced to 'Wing Chun'. But I found that Ip Man 2 just lacked a little something. Still, the movie was a good watch and interesting. Good to see other different types of martial arts going up against Ip Man.

Andy's Movie-O-Meter : 7/10

Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time

I remember when I first played Prince of Persia back in the 80', I'm pretty sure you already know that this movie is an adaption from a video game. What caught my eye is the main character played by Jake Gyllenhaal, they made him look like the Price in the current games.

Action and special are excellent and top notch. Plus the storyline is interesting.

Andy's Movie-O-Meter : 9/10

Clash Of The Titans

A movie about the Greek gods, I found it interesting. It was a good movie, lots of superb animation which made the movie even better. But I found the ending a little disappointing. Go watch and find out why.

Andy's Movie-O-Meter : 7.5/10

Australia - Perth Day 7 & 8/9

Day 7 : We decided to make a 1 1/2 hour drive up north to the Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Center. The center usually get visit from a few dolphins which swim up to the shorelines. Unfortunately we didn't get to see any dolphins because they left quite early. So sweetie and myself decided to make a sand castle which after a few minutes of trying didn't really work out, but we managed to morph whatever we had into a turtle!. We also checked out all the details and information that were available in the center.

After hanging out on the beach for about an hour we headed back all the way south to Cape Lee Uwin. Weather was getting colder, but it was just a nice breeze. Took some photos at the rocky shoreline since the light house was already closed.

Day 8/9 : This was our last day in Perth, so we checked out from the apartment and headed back to Perth. After a couple of hours we checked into a hotel and walked to Murray St. Mall to get some souvenirs. We then drove to pick Edwin up for dinner at Dome Cafe. Everyone headed back to pack and headed to sleep early.

Our flight for Singapore was at 7:30am, so everyone was up around 4am. One last drive around town and we headed towards the airport.

I liked Perth and I'd love to visit Australia again.

Australia - Perth Day 6

Dad and myself got out of the apartment a little early, headed to the tourist info center to see what tours were available. We decided to go for the local wine tour, a company called Wine For Dudes. The tour started around 11:30am from the tourist center and stopped over in 4 winery's, cheese factory and a chocolate factory. By the end of the day we were tired from tasting all that wine. I had to stop tasting after the 3rd winery cause I was getting sick from the alcohol. But overall there were some local wines that were very nice. Sweetie loved the chocolate factory, cause it had free chocolates in small servings, eat all you can. We also had the chance to mix our own wine and I know now that I'm not cut out for that cause it tasted dry and horrible!

Finished the day just resting in the apartment.

Australia - Perth Day 5

Started the day early heading south towards Cohunu Park. We read about this park in a brochure and they have a lot of animals there and it's about 30-40 minutes from Perth. What really caught our attention about this park is that they have Koalas and sweetie really wanted to see them. We decided to pay a fee to carry them and take some photos. There was more to see around the park, as most of their livestock is allowed to roam around freely. Checked out some Kangaroos as they were laying down lazily in the shade, llamas roamed around too. There was this bird that could talk and do a trick by shoving its head into an empty can and walk around. After walking the entire park we continued our journey south.

We stopped to have lunch in Pinjarra, mum took this opportunity to check out the local bakery to inspect their bread. After anothe 3 hours of driving we arrived at our destination, a small town called Margaret River, Western Australia's Wine country. Picked up our keys to the apartment and did some shopping at the local grocer. I can understand why this part is wine country, it's cold at night, about 8-11 degrees Celsius is just nice for the vineyards. Town center is small, everything is just walking distance and across the road. Alot of surfers come here, the beach is just about 10 minutes drive, but during this time of the year the swells aren't big.

The apartment that dad booked was excellent! big and spacious with 2 rooms. It has everything, so we did our laundry and also cooked dinner here too. We did some research on what to check out here before heading to bed.

Australia - Perth Day 4

Day 4 started with a short trip to drop Edwin off at his apartment. We headed North East towards Whiteman Park hoping to get to see some wildlife at a reserve. But when we arrived it was near closing time so we decided to skip that and walk around the park.

With some time left we headed back to Perth and straight to Kings Park. Evening weather is cool and windy which was great! Took some nice photos around the park and managed to learn some good facts on plants.

After a good day driving and walking around we headed back to the apartment and started packing and got some good sleep for a long trip.

Australia - Perth Day 3

Started the day helping to prepare some half boiled eggs with toast as dad worked the frying pan and cooked sammor ham. Today we decided to head to Fremantle to check out some goodies at the local market. Thanks to the GPS phone that I brought along we managed to get there in about 30 minutes, parked the car and started taking photos as we headed to EShed Market. This is where we spent most of the afternoon as we checked out almost every store. We did spend more time checking out the souvenir shop and the hat shop. Had a late lunch in the cafeteria before hitting the road again, on the way we stopped at supermarket called IGA to get more stuff for dinner. The meat section looks so good, dad decided to get rolled rib roast that will be oven cooked.

Got back around 6ish, once again our chef started preparing dinner, smoking up the entire apartment. Oven cooked rib roast with salad, mushrooms, carrots...yummy.

Australia - Perth Day 2

Got a wake up call around 9am to go across the street to get breakfast. Dad cooks, so he and mum bought a whole lot of things. I was in charge of choosing all the junk foods and drinks. This Asian store was operated by a family of Vietnamese people, typical asian stuff, but I think you wouldn't find all these stuff in a local store. Frozen durian anyone?

After spending about 30-40 minutes purchasing stuff we went back to the apartment and dad started preparing breakfast. Eggs, toast, cherry tomatos and ham, yummy, not long after that cousin Lily came by with her family. We all went out for lunch at a Chinese restaurant for some Dim Sum and as expected everything there was exactly like what we have back home. Once lunch was over, we decided to walk to the mall. On the way we stopped to have a look around, stepped in the Western Australia Museum to take some photos. Kept on walking till we got to Murray St. Mall, this entire strip was full of shops and street performances. Spent most of our time in the Target store looking for some things to buy. There were lots of people in this area, no surprise since we were in the heart of the city.

We decided to head back after walking for about 3 hours, went to get additional supplies for dinner. Watched more TV before heading to bed.

Happy CNY to ALL!!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

There isn't much happening here in Perth but the weather is good...hehe.
Photo will be uploaded later :)

Australia - Perth Day 1

Started the day heading to the office after gettin' a call saying that there was no IT people around to assist on a Video Conference setup. After setting it up and completing everything 1 hour later I was home and did some final packing checks. Packed the car and it was time to head out to drop lil' Zoey off at Verginia's place, where she will be staying for the entire CNY week. Thanks to Verginia for taking Zoey in!. We're going to miss the small one, sweetie is missing her even before we left her with the other furry kids.

Hopped on the Ranger with sifu Ivan who drove us to the airport and we arrived with lots of time to spare. So we just walked around the entire airport till it was time to check in our luggage. Boarded the flight and just after 30 minutes and 1 multiplayer mahjong gave we were in Singapore Airport. Decided to have late dinner at a small Thai Restaurant. Later on we met up with my family who was already at the gate waiting for the plane.

6 hours on board a plane is my longest yet and I must say that I didn't really enjoy it and I think I managed to only get like 20 minutes of sleep. Watched Surrogates on the in flight entertainment and had breakfast around 5am. Another hour later we touched down in Perth, took us another 20 to get off and through customs, another 10 minutes to get our luggage and another 20 minutes to get through the boarder check. We lined up for another 30 minutes to get our rental car and after that we finally got moving, well after we sorted out how to put all the suitcases in our Toyota Camry. Seems the rental company ran out of Falcons so they gave us the next best thing. It would have been nice to drive something different around, oh well you can't have everything I guess. Driving around I noticed that the roads were paved nicely, smooth and signboards were pretty easy to follow, but we still depended on the GPS I brought along just to make sure we don't get lost too long. You might think that the Camry is big, but among the other cars here in Perth the Camry is small. There are lots of Subaru's running around and tons of Ford Falcons and Holdens.

Drove Edwin to his university to get registered before heading to his rented room in Millpoint Rd. which I must say is super expensive for such a small place. Skipping ahead a couple of hours we finally headed to our rented apartment called Veranda Apt. located just at the outskirts of town. We all decided to take a short nap before heading out to look for dinner. Just down the road we found lots to eat, Italian, Chinese, Western, you name it, you'll find it on that street. We settled for Kebabs after walking till the end of the road.

After a long day, we just slept for the rest of the night after watching some TV. Will update more when I have the chance.

American Idol : Kris Allen

I heard on the radio that Kris Allen will be in town and he will be performing around my office block area. So I couldn't pass up an opportunity to do some shooting. Although I knew it would be a tough fight to get a good shot at him with all those screaming teenagers I still did it.

So I walked from my office to the autograph session which started around 6pm. Sat down on a bench, unzipped my bag and put the big gun on. I felt like I was installing a rifle. Made my way into the crowd and planted myself somewhere close enough so that I could get some good shots. After about 30 minutes of holding my 3 kilo camera up in the air I was sweating like I just did a full workout. Screaming and jumping fans all around me, it was just crazy! Like a swarm of bees the fans followed Kris and his band to the car. These people are seriously crazy, people started to line up for autographs at 10am in the morning. But I'd do the same if Metallica or Armin Van Buuren did an autograph session.

Adidas Rava MB

I've been wanting a new pair of shoes since I found my current pair of walking shoes were starting to show signs of tearing at the sole. So before Christmas I was shopping around and taking my time to choose a pair of shoes.

I tried on these Adidas Rava Micro Bounce, a similar design which Sifu Yoda has been using for all his events. Supposedly the most expensive pair of shoes but you do get what you pay for. These shoes have superb cushioning all round and I love them :)

photography by Andy Kow

photography by Andy Kow

Congratulations to Ray & Verginia

I'd like to wish Ray & Verginia, Congratulations and best wishes!

What The Duck....

Diesel powered cars

As of late I've been hearing about diesel powered cars. Now I know that some diesel powered trucks have awesome torque capabilities, it almost feels like the power is endless. I was really impressed by the Nissan Navara and it's power to weight ratio, that didn't feel like a truck anymore. A couple of months back I had a chance to ride in a BMW 320d, yup a straight 4 cylinder diesel engine which is able to do 0-100km/h at 7.9 seconds and uses only 5 liters per 100km.

I wouldn't mind owning one of these....

Happy New YEAR!!!!!!!

It's another year already! Gosh how time passes, sometimes I'm left wondering where the time went...? 2009 has been a good year for me and now I wonder what 2010 has stored for me. But I'd like to thank all my readers for taking time to read my small blog of rants and all. I hope to post more interesting stuff soon :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!