Bigger is not Better... for cars...

I confess to being a huge fan of Japan's Kei -cars.

They are limited by law, in physical size (read: really small) , engine size (659cc) and engine output (not more that 60hps) . But, BIG in style and technology. Not to be mistaken for bottom--of -the- range models, this category of cars was made to fill a niche that the Japanese government had created to ease the impact on the environment and urban-congestion. Therefore, in itself , the kei-class is in fact rather high-end in price and positioning since the manufacturers try their best to lure customers away from conventional cars using boutique style and fancy technology.

Favourable examples include the Subaru R1/2, Mitsubishi i , Daihatsu Copen, Suzuki Cappuchino and Honda Beat. And Germany's Smart 4Two, too.

They are niche: small, edgy and fancy. And they ain't cheap to buy.

So why then am I waving the banner in its favour here?

Now, that's because, although these cars may not be cheap to buy ( not to mention there are tons of other cars out there at least twice as big but half as expensive!), they are definitely cheap to run (sips fuel) and certainly easy to live with (tight parking spaces, nippy handling, lower taxes and insurance premiums) .

And we can still be proud to call ourselves less of a nuisance to the environment compared to the other road-hog users.

Let's face it, even if one's a family man with kids and parents in tow during the weekends, most of the time , they are really just driving themselves from point A to B.

So why the need to lug around approx. 2 tons of metal (think fuel consumption) and so many other seats at the back? Why the need to visit the gas station ever so often? Why suffer the higher insurance premiums, the higher taxes etc... when in fact.. most of the time, you're the only passenger on board?
On top of that, bigger cars are harder to park and drive around in congested areas.

So, for cars, smaller is indeed better... for me. ;-)

(Otherwise, it's all-out indulgence for me... gimme a RR Phantom/Lambo Murcielago/Ferrari F430, Hummer/Porshe Cayenne etc.. you get the idea ...otherwise , gimme a Kei, any time. ) Wink.

Madeleine McCann .... Poor little rich kid which I DON'T CARE ABOUT.

Last month, the whole world went hoopla-frenzy over Little Miss Madeleine McCann .

Lost in Portugal... 'how tragic'. LIKE I CARE. Honestly, I don't give a damn.

Before you bombard me as to why, let me explain.

Her parents set up a donations website www.bringmadeleienhome.com , it "The Official Website to find Madeleine McCann: Leaving no stone Unturned" .

Whateverrrrr.

Firstly, I would like to caution all those angel-hearts out there wanting to dig deep into your pockets right now, with the swiftness that her story spread throughout the world last month, there is a high chance that all this is just a big scam.... a hyped-up and elaborate money spinning scam. So BEWARE.

Possibly, it could even be more sinister. Her parents could well be the real 'kidnappers' and 'murderers' of Madeleine. Or she did indeed fell off a cliff/got lost in the jungle/drowned off the shore (you get the idea) and her parents decided to profit from it ... dark opportunists.

Secondly, every year, THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of children around the world get blownup by mines, shot dead in the face by civil-corrupts, lose both parents to the ravages of war/HIV/Drugs/natural disasters/terrorism etc.

Children who don't necessarily want to see the next sunrise because it brings not hope but sorrow and more pain; spreading light on everything terrible that is happening around them.

I don't see many people getting all flusttered, worried and concerned about these kids. I don't see millions of dollars raised by everyday people wanting to change the world and making it a better place. Or at the very least, shed a tear.

I don't see celebrities like Ronaldo talking about these kids instead....

Besides, if these people are genuinely as 'sincerely' concerned about her whereabouts as they claim they are, why are they charging to get off their butts to look for her? Should'nt it be FOC , then?

So, why should any one get all soft-hearted and willingly-charitable over a poor little Rich White girl who decided to get lost on her expensive summer holiday to Portugal, who misteriously went 'missing' from her million-dollar summer villa? For all you know she got lost simply because she threw a tantrum over getting a Ballerina Barbie instead of a Malibu Barbie for her birthday or something. Sheesh !

And it's not like she'd grow up to become the next Mother Theresa or something. More likely another Paris Hilton.

As the sayin' goes "Hundreds of Black people get shot everyday and the whole world's gotta stop for a whitey girl down the hoe. "

You know what, save the freakin donations.
Your younger brother/sister/cousin/niece/nephew (in the plural even) probably needs it more for their college education fund than Little Miss McCann ever needed for another fancy poodle bag with matching frocks.

Because even if this all is for real, and my heart goes out to her enterprising parents, I'm not paying others to 'turn any stones'. You can leave the pebbles in my garden alone, thank you very much.

Subaru RONE ..... Femme or Homme?

I drive a Subaru... a chic little coupe called the R1 ... nic-named the RONE by my R-Club Sg. My dear Lady Bunifa... ( go ahead chuckle all you want damn it)

For the last couple of months, I've noticed that the local media has incessantly painted the car as one for the ladies.... a ' Corporate higher flyer with the heart of a young girl whose always on the go, independent, confident and having urban fun.." Or along those lines.

But I seriously beg to differ .

I'm a founding member of my car club and I know for sure that over 95% of my fellow car owner-members are MALE . True-blooded males.

The RONE is a sporty and 'selfish' car (anti-social because you basically don't want to squeeze any poor soul in the back seat AT ALL... sheesh! I found out that one of my best pals is claustrophobic! ). The aggressive 'aeropsace' grille , steeply raked A-pillars , stout C-pillars and striking Alfa-esque rear .. and let's not mention the gorgoeus 0ff-red and black interior with the electro-luminescent gauges... swoon.

Gals don't prefer cars like the RONE , mostly, ... at least in sight of the more smiley and sublte R2 (nic-named the R2D2 by me and the club) . It has a simpler and genteel chrome nose treatment, less dramatic overall shape and last, but not least, longer body with 4 doors and a deeper boot. Ride and steering are also more comfort-based.

Such qualities are more appealing to the 'nurturing' nature of females; they who constantly prioritise friends and family above all else. Where shopping and groceries and 'together-outings' top their list of weekly must-dos.

So, sure enough, all my female members in my club drive the R2D2.

But then again, most of those driver-owners are also ...STILL... males...

Moot point all over again.

Happy .... & Less-Happy

You know, there has been increasing hoopla over a small but (at least when compared to the size of the general populace) thriving 'Happy' communitee ... yeah you know wht I mean.

And I made some very interesting discoveries.

Just last night , I chain-clubbed two very popular clubbers'-haunts . First it was at Play . Then it was down to Ministry Of Sound.

At Play, when I was there to catch the musical musings of world-reknowned Grammy Award winning DJ/Remixer Hex Hector, I realised that these men ARE happy. Not in the pun-slanged way mind you...but they trully are ...festive. As awkward as I was being there.... I was seriously feeling light-hearted about the whole atmosphere at the same time. It all seemed... more relaxed...these people were there to have fun and, most importantly, no pretense. As though once the doors are shut behind them, the ruthless world outside is locked out and they are safe there. Totally palpable.

Then, it was down to MOS later in the night . All I saw there were ego-trips. Slut-girls and trannies (or trannys; sorry I'm just trying to make a point here and not trying to provoke or discriminate) trying to out-dress each other by wearing the least and see who had the hook-ups. Shufflers doing their best to out pace each other and to stand out from the crowd. Boyfriends fiercely defending their girlfriends like those girls grew up in boxes and knew nothing about being the wee-bit independent or capable enough to stand on their own. There were simplying more people checking each other out and standing around with drinks in hand doing little more than tapping their feet or bopping their heads. I enjoyed myself little there.

Another thing that stroke me most, was that, other than what's mentioned above,ultimately, the crowd in MOS seemed little different from those at Play. They could well have switched places or to see anyone of those clubbers in the context of their daily lives, and you wouldn't tell the difference.

Yeash, say what ever you like , who ever is reading this, but well, I do have one thing to say :

It was indeed an eye-opener for me. And it only serves to further reinforce my notion and stand that whether a person is straight or not should hardly be an issue in today's context.

Gone with the naysayers and haters out there... ponder this... " If straight people aren't necessarily good people (such as killers, robbers, murderers etc.) , then why should g*y people be seen as bad?"

There is just no basis for let-downs and put-downs.

Enlightened and reassured.

Because men were not created equal but should at least be treated as such. That's justice. That's dignity.

P.Tioman.... Salang Complex ...ewww

WHAT AN EYE SORE.... Salang Village's Salang Complex.

Alright, here goes my Tioman trip-Bashing Part 2.... LOL . (Don't get the wrong impression... Tioman is a must-go-in-a-life-time island. Seriously)

Alighting the ferry .... walking gleefully along the jetty and gawking at the beautiful waters and stunning hills in the back drop,thinking you've arrived in a plave where heaven's on earth.... then as you reach the shore line and look to the immediate right, like playing a broken vinyl, the island presents you ... tah-dah !!! The AWFUL looking Salang Complex.

It , a cheap no-one-goes-to food court thinking its some central building-cum-landmark to the village... No architect nor business man will swear by it as their brain-child 'less they have decided to drown off the shore the next moment.

Like so so so so many Malaysian projects, Salang Complex is yet another glorious example of modernisation with nary a direction nor purpose. Itl ooks like crap and houses even more of it.

The rest of the idllylic village, with its dive centres, pubs, restaurants and chalets, is dreamy and
definitely worth a look-see at each corner.

Then you walk right past THE BACK of the Salang Complex ( what kind of lousy building has its visage and its entrances facing ONLY the sea while its dirty pipes face the road which every body walks right past while strolling along the sea-side village??) ... bleah .

This building is sorely out-of-place and out-of-purpose and ... certainly out of sync with the rest of the village.

Except for the seaside chalets, all the buildings face inwards towards that one central road that links the entire shore-line village . So it irks me when this ugly looking pile of bricks faces the other direction.... what a joke.

Tear it down pronto.

The Lure of BOOZE

Recently, when I had my short break from work-work-work and pleasantly stranded on a beautiful island with strangers (ok , we're no longer), me and my pals were boozing till the wee hours of the morning, EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.
Shoo, the pubs closed before we were anywhere done!

We drank PURE vodka and tequilas ... not mixed-concoctions mind you... in their hardest form right out of the bottles... (damn those duty-free shops)

My buddies were so zoned-out that they could barely find their way back to our chalet-room.

I was high too (hmmm maybe that's why I found everyone sexy LOL)... but being the massive control -freak which I am, I refused to indulge... refused to get too involved in the card games (Heart Attack! and Bluff .. whatever) 'less I lost and had to down another cup (which I admittedly do suck at card games so ...) ... I was their 'guiding light' back night after night.

Still, the sense of 'losing it' , the blood shot eyes, the palor skin, the terrible nausea and the throbbing head ache... it was horrendous.

Plonking into bed and within 3-4 hours....be up early every single morning to catch the dives and all the other action under the sun.

I mean.... do people really enjoy being like this?????

The exhaustion, the hang-overs, the bad skin (my pals didnt bathe for days!! I wouldn't want them to anyway 'less they drowned in the shower...), the irregular meals... the stress of trying to stay cool and sober... scuba diving in deep waters half awake...the worst part was that they obviously didn't even get laid.... (like duh? Hotties attract, not Cold Fish ....)

My friend went clubbing again as I'm typing this... an unrepentant ALCOHOLIC.

The other dudes which went as well... fared not much better when they were there...

Every single excuse such as birthdays, new found freedom from whoever 0r wherever or whatever etc.... the damn BOOZE comes in ...

What ever happened to fresh water and Juice? :-p

No offence but I only have one life and one body and one shot at a successful future for me and my loved ones and so I seriously intend to be able to get through it all being able to see and think clearly, to live and react with vitality and vigor. Not zoned-out, dillusional and ...compromised.

I did ask that endearing question to my pals while on the trip... " So, did you honestly enjoyed it?"

Guess what their answer was??

So, why (are so many)still at it ?

I do not believe in 'drowning' sorrows either because if you 're compromised and disadvantaged due to all the alcohol, I don't think the nauseas, headaches and disorientation will help solve anything...so good luck with that.

Tioman.... an Island of Dreamzzzz

A long week end on Pulau Tioman.... an island off Peninsular Malaysia... in the South China Sea.

An island of bright sun, clear blue waters, coral reefs, thriving marine life, friendly locals,happenin pubs , welcoming resort-chalets,sexy tourists and yummy sea-food... yeah.... had a whale of a time.

One long-weekend.... Endured the long and nauseating van and boat rides, the heaving hang-overs night after night, the sun burns, the insect bites..... all seemed worth it.

The dives, the snorklings, the sun-tanning, the hikes up the hill-forests, the exploration of an abandoned-but-beautiful resort facing the waters...wow.

It was the break I needed. All the months of schooling, attachments and work commitments... have paled to my couple of days on Tioman.

I'll be back surely. Soon even.