Hap-py... New Year...!!!

Looking spiffy I must admit. Especially in that color combo. I don't mind me one of that as a retirement car. 

But that grille tho', just when I thought a Lexus grille couldn't grow any bigger, this is massive! Incorporate it straight away into the plethora of ducts & whatnot. 

I love the darkened wheels, reminds me of the optional 19"s on the VW golf R. 

MODES

As in multiple "mode" for sexylexy's ride & performance, not the female panty liner thing.

Four in total: Eco, Normal, Sport & Sport+. I'm hard pressed to tell any major differences in the ride & performance. However, in eco, it certainly is the most comfortable & smoothest gear changes. Penchant to change up at the earliest moment for the sake of economy. In normal mode, it feels almost the same. I can only assume the ride is made less cushier, but the gear changes is noticeably more responsive & more willing to change down after trundling in cruising gears. In sport & Sport+ I can't tell the difference between the two. For sure it is stiffer than eco but the difference between normal is not huge. However the tendency to down change gears is more responsive. More so in Sport+ down changing to bring revs closer to the redline for optimal performance & control.

Which brings me to this car's forte or Achilles heel, depending on where you sit on the fence when it comes to performance, at revs above 4000 rpm the character of the engine changes from smooth & docile to snarling & well, to be honest, still fairly unruffled. Ultimately the 2.5L V6 creamy smooth engine is a adequate for brisk & borderline fast progress. Complete with the adaptive damping & Interior, it's more a comfortable sporty sedan as opposed to a focused Sports sedan. Unlike the 3.5L V6 in the GS350, which even with its greater girth, is still frighteningly fast in comparison. More ample grunt & needs 1000 revs less to get the same level of progress, yet still has more on Tap & the snarl sounds more "angry"... OK the snarl has more bass.

Therein lies the true essence of the IS250 F-sport, Sporty sedan. It's looks promises more than it can deliver (complete opposite to the GS350), more refined than you'd expect. Not surprising that most motoring scribes fall for the driver focused BMW's, albeit in my opinion, drab looking inside & out. For me the IS250 F-sport is not a bad proposition for the daily traffic grind. I've come to my senses too much power might be wasteful especially in this "demerit points" days. I think the IS250 has just enough poke to get you out of trouble if & when you need it, and 9 times out of 10 you'll be cruising along, merging at a comfortable pace... and yes an IS350 would hit the spot too! 

The obsession

Washing sexylexy... More implements for the quest to keep sexylexy shiny & spiffy after getting it Tribosed a few weeks ago. 

Implements courtesy of Low San hardware & soft fluffy micro fibre cloth from Hua Ho supermarket Gadong. Russian made no less. The red pail increases my pail count from two to three. Which also meets the criteria for obsessive compulsive. Now I just need an extra large bucket to dunk my car cover to remove all the build up of grime & such. No point getting sexylexy clean then the cover gets it dusty all over again.  Maybe I need an additional cover as spare whilst the other is being cleaned. Yeah...

The look of pain

Taken over a month ago when kambomambo took over Mindie & decided to send me home. This is on a manual with his bum leg by the way. Although he denied any pain whatsoever at the time & the picture was more of him reluctantly bring photographed hence the blurred image. I guess it was fun driving a manual after all those years. It was after the long back & forth trip that did him in. Never drove the car since. 

I must admit, it's kind of nice being driven around in Mindie for a change. Finally get to enjoy it's spacious interior from the passenger seat. Feels like big shots being dropped off & picked up at the mosque during Friday prayers. No more long walks & long waits. Driver just needs to hone his clutch balancing technique between shifts & from standstill. Currently lacks finesse. Previous profession as a truck driver may be the root cause. Seems to like over revving a diesel engine too, for no apparent reason. At least Mindie's always shiny!

Lexus LF-C2 concept

If you thought the LF-A's design is out of this world... The color is called "goldenrod", ooo errr. To call it striking is an understatement. It's supposed to celebrate Lexus's 25th birthday. It was also informed during the LA Auto Show that the new exaggerated spindle grille & sharply angled front bumper gives clues to future designs. 

As much as the spindle grille is starting to grow on me, especially with the mesh design, how much bigger do they need it to grow?! It might as well line up with the head lamp & lower ducts, let alone the whole bumper. This seems to be the trend with western manufacturers too. Expect to see more in 2015, radiator grilles harking back to the monstrous frontage of yesteryear.

On an unrelated note, VW announced a Golf R Variant (estate/wagon body style). Same engine, transmission & adaptive damping that has "race mode"! Truly for the boy racer that really doesn't want to grow up, even with children. Then again, Audi has been doing that with the RS Avants & less prominently so by Volvos plethora of sporty estates.

I digress.

Lexy's 1st Service & Tribose

First service booked for Wed, 19th afternoon and Tribose scheduled on Monday, 24th morning.

That is all.

It's all about making you feel special

In the papers yesterday & also got texted by one of the usual sales Consultant this morning.

Opted not to go as I felt unappreciated enough already after the Golf R debacle. Had they given me the car in the exact spec I wanted, had they treated a loyal repeat customer the way other establishments does, had they not lied about the blue R & the optional rims, and finally they went back on their word saying the $72k offer was low already but they reduced it to $70k anyway after I decided not to take their offer, they would've gotten my hard earned. I'm sure they don't really care if I don't as some other lemming would've jumped at the opportunity to get the ultimate hatchback. However, they didn't realize the damage they have created by destroying the loyal relationship that was fostered since 1997 when I bought an Alfa Romeo spider twin spark, my first vehicle from them. I've made numerous referrals since then, plus the addition of the Mk6 GTI. 

Be as it may, I see this as a blessing in disguise. I'm no longer locked into a compromised situation. Customer appreciation day aside, it's more of a marketing ploy to show they're spending money on you, but it's more opportunistic in nature. I'd rather see that invested in better after sales and making owners feel they are special all the time. Irrespective of how much money they spend, family background & status.

Swissvax shampoo

Today is Lexy's 1st shop Carwash, after delivery. Treating it to a Swissvax shampoo wash which is $8 extra over the normal wash. 

I splurged on the same wash for Mindie before I said goodbye to it and that cost $12 extra. What's the difference? Supposed to give it a more lustrous shine & gloss than normal shampoo. Think of it like those two in one wash & wax jobbies but glorified by Swissvax. I saw the actual shampoo, it's a very viscous transparent solution. Must be some soft carnuba wax combined with it. It took much longer to finish nearly an hour when normally it would take half that time. 

For Lexy this is to get rid of the horrible job trillium did on it. The water beading on it was as if there was hardly any wax on it. Need to complain at Lexus when Lexy goes in for its inaugural 1st service which is coming soon in the next few days. At the moment it has covered about 850 kms. This is flying compared to the GTI I think it took a month to cover that mileage. 

This expensive Swissvax wash is as interim before I get the whole car Tribos-ed. Planning to get it done while the missus is abroad at the end of the month. That way I have a car to use during the few days Lexy is off the road.

For now at least Lexy looks good after the premium wash. Can't wait till after the 1st service is done so I can finally get to hear the resonator enhancing the snarl of the smooth V6 engine.

Lex Luthor aka Sexy Lexy

I have succumb to Sexy Lexy's charms. When was the last time I actually washed my own cars? Eons ago. Not only did I have to give it a hose down on the evening of the 1st day I took delivery, because it rained in the way home, the following Sunday I hosed it down again because it got a little dirty during lunchtime. I eventually washed it in the afternoon as I couldn't stand the rims looking slightly matte. 

I've used it daily since Monday with nary a though for rain. I'm more concerned about it being left in the heat of the day. If the car gets rained on you can wash it. If the bits get dried out there's not much you can do about it. Even after using it during the day I still use it in the evening. Throwing caution into the wind from any impending rain. The mileage has creeped over 500 kms in exactly a week as of tonight. Technically that should be about 350 kms. So you can't blame me for babying it, except for the numerous washing & wipe downs. I draw the line on waxing for the moment but the urge is growing because the job done by Trillium was not up to zymol standards. I'd rather it gets the "Tribose" treatment. Basically a flexible nano polymer coating for vehicle exterior & interior (sans tyres or leather parts). But I don't think I can endure the 3 days away from the car to have the treatment done. The cost is not even an issue at the moment. It needs it pronto for protection and super duper shine. I might get it done next week.

Getting back to the frequent use, at least for my standard, I should hit 1k mileage by another week's time. Meaning for its first initial service as stipulated by the agent. It has not been a hardship restraining revs up to 3,000 rpms & max speed up to 120 kph. It's been a joy to putt about & is able to keep up with the flow of traffic. It's been palatial, the long trudge to & fro work seems no longer a chore. Dare I even say, it's not long enough! I just don't seem to feel the tiresome journey any more. Especially if you drive like a typical Lexus driver. Serene, never rushed or aggressive. Generally of course, there are exceptions to the rule. He knows who he is... Mr Kambo. The fuel histogram does not lie! I don't blame you though, this is why I want to get the initial service over & done with. To hear that V6 snarl in conjunction with the 'resonator' at 4,000 rpms and above. Kinda funny when I think about it, Mondie & Mindie the 'gyrators' didn't need it. Painful crescendo & seat massaging for no extra cost option.

So there you have it, stark lack of updates on the blog due to me enjoying driving as opposed to talking about it. It has been a journey of discovery particularly in the techy bits. I only just found out, the navigation screen changes background color to show if it's day or night, i can set speed & rev limits which indicates in the Speedo binnacle, there is a microSD card installed just under the Mark Levinson logo. Eat your heart out for those on Premium HiFi, that's Lexus speak for 'standard', Mark Levinson HiFi, that's where it's at.

Not for me

There's too many of this sort of thing going on nowadays. Gatherings at public areas occupying space doing nothing productive & causing inconvenience to others. For some reason it actually discourages me form getting the same car as everyone else. They're not clubs per say but more like like minded friends or acquaintances gathering together. There's a Toyota GT86 group, at one time beetle but I don't see that anymore. Plethora of ricers, civics, skyline, sirion, Suzuki swift et al. It's enough seeing bikers riding in force during weekend, we don't need a line of posers slowing other road users just because they want to drive around wasting fuel just to be seen.

I certainly hope I don't see more proliferating like this like a Camry club or worse still, some premium marque. This needs to be confined to the car shows only. I'm getting old. Nag nag nag. Young whipper snappers! You might wonder what's the big deal, they're not harming anyone they're just loitering outside Starbucks. Maybe but apparently the group in this pic has been there since this morning and was already there when I arrived before lunchtime & they didn't look ready to leave when I left around 1.30 pm. Imagine if this was at your establishment and this sort of activity causes nuisance & interrupts your business by preventing other legitimate customers to gain easy access. It's a different story if your "bapak" owns these establishment, then you can do whatever you like.

The waiting game

One for three. Sell off three cars to get one. One sweet ride to be exact. I think I'm 99% sure on the decision. There are always minor niggles on the back of my mind but the decision is final. I won't mention here what I'll be getting, just in case...

However, I'll mention what I won't be getting. Shock of the day is, after all the hoo haa in this blog, I won't be getting the hot rod VW Golf R. Even after being enticed to get it in the exact spec as the blue one I posted here. Why the sudden change of heart? Well, after many years of enduring stiffly sprung cars & mediocre after sales service, I've had enough. Time to enjoy being pampered even if the cost of the new purchase will be expensive. As long as it's still within means then it should spell years of enjoyment. Well you already know the lengthy story about the R. What could have been, the sinking power, horny design & image to boot. Had they allowed me to have a test drive, I might have given in. Your loss.

Next, the seminal Toyota Camry. In high spec 2.5 with free body kit & 3.5% pa. Which would've made for affordable stress free motoring & ownership. It makes the best logical sense to get it. It has almost all the bits I need. Comfort, reliability, decent handling, quiet cruising ability, reasonable luxury, decent warranty & piece of mind. Surprisingly it has seat air conditioning through the perforated leather, this was a big plus for me. Not to mention the immediate availability in the color I want & at a price I could repay in a shorter period. Just one small niggle, it is a handsome & smart looking design but all said and done, a Camry cannot escape the stigma of being an old man's car. 

A more palatable preceived image marque would be an Audi A4 Avant. Practical, handsome, well built in the usual Germanic bank vault vein, with a long warranty period. But that piece of mind cannot be complimented with its appearance because TCY the distributor is not renowned for after sales satisfaction. As I'm consolidating vehicles, it's imperative I am afforded this criteria. Even the enticement of a discounted price on the well specced Avant in a delectable dark chestnut brown leather seats doesn't wisp away this major concern. 

I didn't bother considering a BMW, dealer is too snobbish. It may be the best handling cars in the world, but if after sales is going to be a pain... nuff said.

Mercedes Benz, entry level cars are too expensive & has an identity crisis in my opinion. What's up with that large open mouth grille? I guess the design is not commensurate with the rear wheel driven models. C class upwards fares better but the price of admission is prohibitive spec for spec with its direct competitors, especially the sharply dressed E class.

I'm not returning to my beloved workhorse marque, Ford. The eco turbo petrol engine has staggering on paper power & torque figures. Makes a GTI look ordinary. However, it's time for me to move on to a marque that more suits the class I believe I should be situated at. As snobbish as that may sound, coming to the tail end of my working service, it's time for me to pamper myself (and the family too I guess). Enjoy it while you still can, without causing yourself hardship. But I'm not ready for a Camry yet! Maybe after that. He says. 

Ok so what will I be getting? That will be disclosed in all its glory once the actual vehicle is delivered to me. Its not a Peugeot, nor a citeron. Nay to Kia or Hyundai. Gosh not a Honda or a Nissan. Let alone a Mazda or a Volvo. It's narrowing down... Honestly, I can't wait. I wish it could be tomorrow. They say the anticipation will greatly heighten the pleasure, ooo err! In this case, it's agony.

Cars cars & more cars

There goes my intended purchase of a new iPhone 6 plus... After replacing the rims & two new tyres for the pocket rocket, the battery dies on me. Then the service indicator tells me to do an oil service. $538 smackeroos was the damage later.

I did manage to see what an iPhone 6 plus looks like in silver 16GB. Boy was I shocked to see the massive size. I think it didn't help just before that I was fondling with a Note 4. For a slightly larger screen size the Note 4 looked more compact even with its large proportions. You'd think what's the big deal right? Bigger is always better right? No it isn't, all that hoo haa online is substantiated. It's massive man! It definitely will need time to get used to using it one handed and if you use jeans a lot or have small pockets, Good luck with that.  You'd probably can still slide it in but you certainly can't sit comfortably with it inside your pants pocket let alone your back pocket, unless you want to experience "bendgate" for yourself.

Anyway I digress. Back to the second portion of girls, girls, girls... I mean cars, cars, cars! Holiday mood got the brain in neutral. We all enjoy ogling at cars at the show room right? Well, I dislike it, especially the aftertaste or sudden realization that you want to get one. You start salivating over if not the latest & greatest, a spanking offer to offload the current generation to make way for the new model. Ignorance is bliss I tells yah. It's a good thing car makers don't change models as often as smartphones. Otherwise I'll be screwed, changing cars every year. 

Sooo... New impromptu development. Managed to sell off both the pocket rocket & the gyrator. How did I do that?  All in one day even. Now I have no ride. Gyrator has been snapped up by none other than kambomambo tonight after he defied all odds by driving a manual on his bum left leg. I was in awe, nay, in shock as he performed this miracle. It was probably two decades since he last drove a stick shift in the legendary flying red pug. A marvel of a vehicle which literally took flight before meeting its untimely demise. Meanwhile, the dental fillings removing, stiffly sprung pocket rocket will officially be off my hands tomorrow morning. After which will begin the, to buy or not to buy, a single new car to replace the workhorse & the weekend warrior rolled into one.

I told you it was cars, cars & more cars.

Mindie needs new shoes

The recent spell of downpours has me worried about driving Mindie around with rear tyres on its thread wear indicators already. So this Saturday's activity was to get that done & remove the layer of crud from its sexy body too. She's such a dirty dirty femme fatale. I woke up early on the start off my weekend just for you.

Since I was just here at iWax not so long ago to do the same routine for the pocket rocket, why not do the same convenient process all over again and have a satisfying seria kwey teaw while waiting. 

By the time they were done with alignment I only just finished my satisfying brekkie. Now it's waiting for the queue at the carwash. Mine was 5th in line. By the looks of it they are just completing the 2nd car & starting in the 3rd. Whoooppeee! I estimate this will take at least another 1 1/2 hours till my car's done our worse case, it's turn. I can wait, I've waited longer than that but as my digestive system does its business on the seria kwey teaw, I may need to do my business soon too. Erk! I spoke too soon... 

Uuuu... One of the privileges of coming to this place for so long, you gain a good rapport with the staff. Especially my time at the carwash since this place was opened. The'senior' guy just approached me & offered to polish my car at home over Sunday since he noticed I haven't been back to do it in years. I might take up the offer since for obvious reasons it will be cheaper than getting it done at the shop. 

Getting back to Mindie's new shoes, it came to a total of $260 inclusive of 4 wheel alignment. Cheap! Compared with GTI's $500. Mind you, the Goodyears this time are made in Thailand instead of Germany. I'm sure, made in the land of smiles is decent enough for Mindie which normally travels an average top speed of around 100kph only nowadays, to adhere to the max speed regulations. As long as these tyres have good comfort, not noisy & have good wet performance, there shouldn't be any issues. 

Happy Eid ul Adha ya'll

"Freedom! I live to fight another day!"

The poor humble bovine, has now become the source of humor. At least once a year. I believe this poor feller was trying to escape to India. Its dream land. 

Miri Musings

II write this as I stand outside MS Read waiting for the missus. Not ready to wander around by myself yet & something to keep me occupied. One interesting thing to note now is that there is no longer any money changer in Bintang Mega Mall. No reasons given. Everyone here doesn't know why. "Saya tida tau" is the standard answer. Although Miri has developed drastically compared with us infrastructurally. It still lags behind in terms of the service industry (unless you're in a major hotel), and free public internet is super super slow here, even by our standards. Now, we have to go back to the stone ages & stop by the money changer as our first stop upon arrival. This was like 20 years ago, what gives Miri? This must have been recent as last week people were thronging here & no one complained about it when they got back. 

Three hours later... I now sit at a reflexology joint, not to get a massage but to sit & wait for... Yes you've guessed it, the missus. I'm done going round the mall. In fact done going round aimlessly after getting kambomambo's skin care products. You sissy boy! I managed to use your membership card & they even have a freebie pack thrown in.'Nice' lady even tried to convince me to get some product for myself. Unfortunately she wasn't convincing enough or she only rub rub the product on my arm via a cotton pad. That's not gonna cut it.

Now I've convened to Starbucks for the remainder of the day. I'm seated at the corridor entrance because I felt too cold in the main area. The only drawback is my iPong can't latch on the free WiFi long enough to run internet. Tried the iPad mini & still no go. Boo! I did bring an Android device with me which might work, but since I've already started composing on my iPong with no connection to save it online, I might as well continue here for now, since I've got a few things to get off my chest about this trip. Remember I mentioned earlier about the lack of currency exchange? Well, apparently there is an enterprising individual at this shop who is taking advantage of the demand. I'm not sure how much he is getting from this but he's charging a decent rate at 1 ~ 2.52 exchange rate. I didn't take advantage of this service opting to go plastic all the way but as I watched the ensuing throng of people desperate to start spending, I couldn't help but wonder if this is all legal. It is after all a tiny shop selling watches & knick knacks. Where is he getting his money from to cater for all the demand? Apologies for the poor quality of the image as it was taken in the fly on my camera phone. I know, I know, an ipong6 plus with OIS would've produced a better result. 

Here Starbucks has decided, like Mabohai, to give me a new name. Btw the red velvet cake is a little hard & the coffee is so so, our beribi branch is better. It is extremely annoying sitting here right now, on the table opposite of me, the guy is breathing like he's snoring. Maybe he's asleep with his eyes open because he appears to be doing his assignment on a laptop with his lady friend. Then there's the family in front of me with the screaming baby. It doesn't help with my headache right now. The initial loveliness of the streak brunch at Kenny Rogers roasters earlier is but a fleeting memory now. Oops making a move now.

Just arrived back home. Now at Neptune seafood restaurant for dinner. Short trip? No, I've been on shorter trips before just to collect prescription glasses & coffee. Incidentally, I "carpet tripped" & got a new pair of prescription glasses. This old man now has to use multi-focals & they're not cheap if made back home. I wasn't intending to get anything but this offer was too good to refuse. A pair of Red Bull Racing frames with Nikon lenses for the princely sum of RM1.6K (reduced from nearly 2K). Seems pricey till you consider the frames are the latest design & the Nikon lenses are multi-focals. Back home that price is for the lenses alone! This is an unplanned purchase which eats into the ipong6 fund but in my defence, this was my only purchase made other than the cost for brunch & the obligatory coffee. Will have to return in a few weeks time, bodes well with my approved 4 day leave in 2 weeks time.

Amirica!

TGIF! Brain core is shutting down. Mong mode is a go for 100%.

I'm off to Miri tomorrow for a day trip, so I won't be posting anything unless I have oodles of time while sat in Starbucks & have something to write home about. It's been a while since I'm back there. Always more than the 3 month approval period. So I have to keep applying every time I'm there. What an annoyance. At least less of my hard earned gets splashed out over there. Not that there's much of it at the moment. Still saving up for the impending iPong present to myself. Scheduled service of the little red pocket pocket & a pair of new Nangkangs for the black work horse.

Maybe when I return I might even get to see & read about about the E250 AMG debacle in all its gory details. Hint hint. Also maybe even get to hear about Vaperine who seemed to have fallen from the face of the earth since last week. Must be holed up in a cave somewhere, doing good knows what with his extremities. We miss your ramblings bruh! 

Thank you & enjoy your long weekend people. In the case for Kambomambo, no difference there! Probably doesn't even know what day it is today. Funny guy.

10 Things You Didn't Know about...

No judging please, this is useful knowledge for the metrosexual male of the 21st century.

So why are we always horny? Maybe males talk about it more openly than females? We all know how frisky they can be right? Those who are gettin' some that is! :8P Petwaaang!!

New code word, "Sharky" instead of the feline word.

How many can YOU do in an hour? Answers in the comments box please!

Uuuwow!! What a gadget to have! That's like our water boiler at the office, I will never look at it the same way ever again!

 Umbrella? Yoghurt? This is getting too much for me to take.

Speculum defined: a metal or plastic instrument that is used to dilate an orifice or canal in the body to allow inspection. Sounds painful yet arousing at the same time!

Did you know, in our "perambahan" it is also called "sarung keris"? Don't say you never learn anything new from this blog.

DRROOOP...!!

Above quote from the Beastie Boys, applies to the daily decent of the iPhone 6 & 6 Plus prices. Retail prices of the iPhone 6 has come down to more sensible levels after nearly 2 weeks in the unofficial market. Although, 64G & 128GB 6 Plus are still fairly lofty.  

Courtesy mobilesquare.com as of 01 October 2014

I'm sure the price will drop again tomorrow. To quote Mr T, "I pity the fool!", who bought their iPongs at $500 to $1K premium. My birthday is coming up soon, a new iPong 6 Plus would certainly hit the spot, nudge-nudge wink-wink.

On an unrelated note, 8 posts on, Kambomambo & Vaperine have not posted in the blog yet! Comments doesn't count. Come on you mongsters! 

The Handsome Gentleman's Hatch

 These are the newly launched Volkswagen Golf Mk7 1.4 TSI, $35K... 

... and 1.2 TSI, $29.5K, OTR respectively.

Both engines are Turbo Charged & should be gutsy enough particularly the 1.4 with 250Nm of peak torque (as much as a Camry!) delivered between 1,500-3,500rpm. Consider that the outgoing Mk6 GTI has a peak torque of 280Nm, this should make for brisk acceleration. On paper performance of the 1.4 also looks impressive too, 25 years ago this was the performance of a typical GTI. Yet it is also frugal. 

What is equally impressive is the standard level of equipment. Touch screen entertainment display, 7 speed DSG automatic transmission, 17" alloy wheels, Keyless entry & Stop/Start system.

I'm also beginning to warm up to the design of the Mk7, I wouldn't be surprised to see much more Golfs on the road after this. No, I still want an R! 

Rim Job

So this happened last week on Thursday. The left rear tyre of my GTI blew up spectacularly for no apparent reason. I didn't notice running over anything, nor was I driving hard at the time. I was driving in a straight line at just under 100kph (being wary of speed traps on that particular evening). The ensuing damage on the wheel rim appears like a bullet hole about the size of a thumb. Did someone put out a "hit" on me? Contract not renewed izzit?

Anyway, I'm glad the incident only damaged the tyres & rim and not more than that, especially yours truly. Blessings counted, the next agenda was to get the wheel replaced. Much to my shock it cost a hefty $1,530 of our currency. That's before factoring in the cost of tyres which has to be replaced in pairs. Even after a 25% discount it is still a hefty sum but it is VW's original 18" rims. Ordering myself is not an option as the shipping cost would have been prohibitive. Then there's import taxes to contend with. No, not going there. 

Having instructed the local distributor to get the replacement wheel, it would take a leisurely 3 weeks for the replacement part to arrive our shores. Imagine having to wait that long? After a week it was already a pain watching my 'baby' crippled with the space saver wheel still attached on it left at the VW workshop. 

My impetuousness ended up with me acquiring a set of used but still new mk7 gti wheels from a friend who replaced the originals with a set of aggressive looking black multi spokes to suit the mean looking black exterior. $1.3k exchanged hands later & I acquired a set of shiny mk7 wheels which seems like a bargain compared with getting one new rim. So Saturday was a busy day for me. I even managed to get the GTI washed at the same time & avoided the rain! Ooo happy daaay... It's called "every cloud has a silver lining". You have to be positive about these things. Otherwise you'll be a grouchy old geezer. 

A wider view of the 'new boots'. I did have to purchase a pair of new Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetricos to replace the damaged & opposite tyre, it's always prudent to replace in pairs. I went with Goodyears because I just replaced the fronts with the same set earlier this year & found them much more gripper in both dry & wet performance. Plus they are cheaper than the Continental by $80 each. The only drawbacks are the original fitment tyres are marginally but noticeably quieter and possibly slightly more comfortable. The tyre that blew was the Continental so psychologically I'm wary of reusing the same brand again for now. To be fair, I've only done 22,000kms on them but it lasted over 3 years on the rear & still had a little life in the tread which is why I haven't got round to replacing them. 

This is what the original Mk6 with the original "Teddy Bear" wheels looks like (ask kambomambo, I don't see it either!). I personally think it suits the overall package. Maybe I'm so used to the look of this combination after 3 1/2 years of ownership. It suits the pert rounded design compared to the more angular Mk7. I only drove it once with the new rims so I can't really tell the difference yet. I did however noted that the mk7 rims seemed lighter when I lifted it, presumably with the less surface area of the 'pick axe' design. For the moment, it feels like having a new car because of the slightly different look & quells my fantasy to get a mk7 R even though I saw one on the road today in white. It looked much more plain than a GTI. The one I saw in red, at VW when I took back my GTI, on the other hand, looks very very tasty indeed! 😈

Initial thoughts on the Blackberry Passport

Vaperine & myself are ex-Blackberry users. In my case, a user & abuser, from the original Bold 9000, 9500 & 9900. That's where I ended the whirlwind relationship mostly because of the antiquated operating system & lack of popular apps found in other major operating systems. Even the lacklustre OS10 & Z devices wasn't compelling enough to entice me to stay on. Plus (and I hate having to admit this to Kambomambo!) an iPhone or Android device was already able do the same thing as the Blackberry sans the secure email encryption. BUT, the Blackberry system is significantly more frugal on Data usage. It has to be, our service provider loads a further $25 on top of the monthly subscription to justify usage on it.

I must say, I did enjoy the original Bold's form factor much more than the following iterations. The 9900 came close but I never got to terms with the tiny touch pad. The little scroll ball was where it was at. It epitomised what a typical blackberry with a physical keypad should be. It was however not enough, you had to have a kosher BB system fully operational to get the full BB experience. That's where the 9500 came in, offered together with a 2 year contract package. You never realize how tiny that screen is until you own a smartphone. The 9900 came in to marginally address that plus an increase in hardware muscle. As it was a device bought outside of DST it just didn't play nice with our system every time I updated the OS. The technical team at DST couldn't even troubleshoot the issues I was experiencing, citing they were only trained in the older OS5. So what's my incentive to stay on? Deactivated. 

In comes the newly announced Passport. It's as big as a standard passport. Looking unmistakably a Blackberry with the synonymous keypad. On first glance it looks... bland, like a tablet with its top & bottom severed. Look deeper & the specs sheet start to pique your interest. It's still missing a scroll ball but a keypad with gesture capability? That caught my attention. The somewhat largish size doesn't detract but rather welcome since a BB device should be still pocketable but large enough to be truly productive. 

It looks the business, but wether it can hook me in into becoming a multi-platform user again is another question altogether. BB should bring back the little scroll wheel as a nod to its popular legacy. Maybe then I'd consider carrying around another device to separate personal & work lines. <sarcasm/>Assuming it works in our system</sarcasm>. 

iPong 6 (Plus)

It's not a matter of if I'm going to buy one, but when...

As of now, it's still going for ridiculous money. Especially the Plus flavours. This time round I'd like to get the Space Grey. Personally, the Plus in white doesn't look that great. I guess the design now is too reminiscent of a Samsung Galaxy smartphone albeit a more substantial looking device. Even Samsung is getting worried about the Plus that they are accelerating the release date of the new Note 4. Which is a good thing, more new gadgets!

(Courtesy of Mobilesquare.com)

When we look back before the new iPhone was officially announced, it was interesting to see what the rumour mill was churning out... 

Some even down right ridiculous. 

I did find this particular concept quite intriguing.

So what will the next iPhone look like? I don't foresee a transparent device so soon yet but it would be interesting to see manufacturers pushing the envelope even further. Remember during GSM days when all we wanted was either a tiny, smaller than palm sized, Nokia or Motorola StarTac/Wings? Then along came Data & we all clambered for the Communicators. Now smartphones are getting larger & larger. Is it doing a 360 too?! 

2015 VW Golf R - 296bhp, 350Nm, AWD, Pocket Rocket

There is something seriously wrong with these pictures...

... I'm not in it & driving the car. Words fail me, bodily function takes over.

Understated yet aggressive at the same time, want! Just look at those sexy 19 inchers, quad pipes & low stance. Phowarrr!!!

 Photos courtesy of the net.

The three cool cats

This is probably the best, if not the only representation of the three cool cats you're going to get on the world wide Web. Anonymity has its benefits. The caption is probably not flattering but that's too be expected. 

Photo courtesy of zvok.fr

Welcome!

It has befallen upon me to commerce with this newly crafted blog. A revival experimentation of three ex-blogger extraordinaires, emphasis on the ordinaire, to encapsulate the trifecta of lyrical "genious" that eminates from the hot air that culminates from these three rare individuals. This genious idea had a long gestation period. It was the spontaneity of this very evening, just before midnight where my productivity seems to swell forth from dormant stasis, this blog would rise forth like a Phoenix from the underbelly of my iPad mini. It has to because it is a nightmare to create this blog let alone type fiendishly on a virtual keypad. My ageing IBM Thinkpad X60 is well beyond its sell by date & is an even worse endeavour to even make the attempt. I literally stood in front of the ancient abomination of the last 1/2 decade, wasting precious minutes for the browser to load the blog. Minutes of my life that could be productively used to craft this penultimate post or better yet, lay my weary body on the bed to float away into dreamland. Having said that I bid you adieu, and I pass the proverbial mic to Kambomambo & Vaperine to introduce themselves and/or continue on with their musings.