No, there’s no typo. I mean to say Global Warning, not Global Warming. Being an avid car enthusiast I fear that we may never see a REAL car – a car that is worth driving and looking at!
From Bladerunner and 5th Element to Demolition Man and Minority Report; and recently depicted in I-Robot, you’ve seen it all in the movies – how the car will one day self-drive and look like a condom stuffed with your vibrating handphone – smooth, slippery shape with no adrenaline inducing sound to be heard except electricity murmur. That one day is not that far off.
Look at the current crop of cars around you. They don’t excite you, do they? Even if they do, they do only for a couple of weeks. Then they just blend in so much so that you don’t even notice you actually own them. The sad part is, mass public is accepting this change with open arms (and wallets). They just buy the latest one that they can afford out there without the slightest idea of what driving is all about, if they are at all driving to begin with.
It would be a relief if say, people choose reliability over aesthetics. But no. They actually buy a brand trusted for reliability and actually BELIEVE it looks good.
When was the last time you really stared at you car? Or spend hours just to look at it from different angles, under different lights?
I have always said this to my friends: that if you don’t turn around to catch a glimpse of your car after you have parked, locked and walked away from it, it’s not worth buying in the first place.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Scrap "Project Scrap"
You knew this was coming from me!
A proposal was forwarded (ultimately to all Malaysians) to scrap their 15-year old car for a RM5,000 voucher, which can be used as downpayment to purchase new Proton cars (see NST 23 April 2007 - "Used cars clamped by drop in sales"). The proposal, drafted by the Federation of Motor and Credit Companies Association of Malaysia said the move would improve sales of Proton cars in an effort to enhance our automotive industry.
Improve sales my foot!
I am not sure if the scraping of the car for the RM5,000 voucher is voluntary or mandatory, but either way, would you buy a car if you knew it was going to be scraped in 15 years time? Everybody wants to pay for something that they will eventually own. I admit, value of cars depreciates unlike properties, but like everything you have paid for, it must, to a certain extent belong to you. This proposal is taking away ownership from the car owner.
Also, I wouldn’t want to be tied down with car loans for the rest of my life. And how many people can actually afford the monthly payment of a brand new car? Most of us are on the banks’ black list anyway.
If you had bought a brand new car at age 28, you’d have no car by the time you reach 43 years old. You’d only have RM5,000 in a voucher. If you decide to use the voucher, you’d be car-less again by 58. You’d retire with no car but RM5,000 - this time in a useless voucher.
So much for enhancing the automotive industry!
I am only viewing this from a car-for-transport perspective. I could write another paragraph on “classic” cars alone. But enough to let you know that my 23-year old car is worth RM15,000.
A proposal was forwarded (ultimately to all Malaysians) to scrap their 15-year old car for a RM5,000 voucher, which can be used as downpayment to purchase new Proton cars (see NST 23 April 2007 - "Used cars clamped by drop in sales"). The proposal, drafted by the Federation of Motor and Credit Companies Association of Malaysia said the move would improve sales of Proton cars in an effort to enhance our automotive industry.
Improve sales my foot!
I am not sure if the scraping of the car for the RM5,000 voucher is voluntary or mandatory, but either way, would you buy a car if you knew it was going to be scraped in 15 years time? Everybody wants to pay for something that they will eventually own. I admit, value of cars depreciates unlike properties, but like everything you have paid for, it must, to a certain extent belong to you. This proposal is taking away ownership from the car owner.
Also, I wouldn’t want to be tied down with car loans for the rest of my life. And how many people can actually afford the monthly payment of a brand new car? Most of us are on the banks’ black list anyway.
If you had bought a brand new car at age 28, you’d have no car by the time you reach 43 years old. You’d only have RM5,000 in a voucher. If you decide to use the voucher, you’d be car-less again by 58. You’d retire with no car but RM5,000 - this time in a useless voucher.
So much for enhancing the automotive industry!
I am only viewing this from a car-for-transport perspective. I could write another paragraph on “classic” cars alone. But enough to let you know that my 23-year old car is worth RM15,000.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Good Wednesday Morning!
What a great day to wake up to! It rained all night, but the sky was so clear this morning I could smell the clouds.
The slightly misty morning was chilly too, but I wanted to feel the fog so I kept my windbreaker in my backpack and simply enjoyed the wind. I came across a few school boys on bicycles who, upon seeing me, saluted me with respect.
As I reached Hospital Tunku Ampuan Rahimah, another rider, complete with helmet, FOX jersey, gloves and cycling shoes came up fast from behind, then slowed down alongside me giving us both the chance to say “hi” to each other. After that, he accelerated so quickly, I didn’t quite keep up. But I realized he wasn’t sweating, so I figured he probably just started, while I had covered 10 km earlier. And besides, his bike looked like a lighter kind and he didn’t carry a backpack.
When I got to the Port Klang roundabout, the traffic policeman actually stopped the cars to allow me to make a 3-o’clock maneuver. THAT’s how much VIP treatment a bicycle rider gets compared to a car driver. Pedaling through the little Indian town, I ran into a flock of pigeons. Some flew off. Some just stayed to feel my wheels brushing by. Flying feathers, bird shit smell, I experienced them all.
I stopped to give a man directions to the train station, for otherwise he, who seemed so lost, would not have anyone around to ask, as everybody was fast in their cars and motorbikes trying to complete the rat race. As I cycled up the bridge crossing the river, I passed an elderly Sikh man on an old “Rolex” bicycle and greeted him, “Good morning”.
I think today my cycling boosted my “karma”, strengthened my “chi” and enhanced my personality somewhat.
The slightly misty morning was chilly too, but I wanted to feel the fog so I kept my windbreaker in my backpack and simply enjoyed the wind. I came across a few school boys on bicycles who, upon seeing me, saluted me with respect.
As I reached Hospital Tunku Ampuan Rahimah, another rider, complete with helmet, FOX jersey, gloves and cycling shoes came up fast from behind, then slowed down alongside me giving us both the chance to say “hi” to each other. After that, he accelerated so quickly, I didn’t quite keep up. But I realized he wasn’t sweating, so I figured he probably just started, while I had covered 10 km earlier. And besides, his bike looked like a lighter kind and he didn’t carry a backpack.
When I got to the Port Klang roundabout, the traffic policeman actually stopped the cars to allow me to make a 3-o’clock maneuver. THAT’s how much VIP treatment a bicycle rider gets compared to a car driver. Pedaling through the little Indian town, I ran into a flock of pigeons. Some flew off. Some just stayed to feel my wheels brushing by. Flying feathers, bird shit smell, I experienced them all.
I stopped to give a man directions to the train station, for otherwise he, who seemed so lost, would not have anyone around to ask, as everybody was fast in their cars and motorbikes trying to complete the rat race. As I cycled up the bridge crossing the river, I passed an elderly Sikh man on an old “Rolex” bicycle and greeted him, “Good morning”.
I think today my cycling boosted my “karma”, strengthened my “chi” and enhanced my personality somewhat.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Nothing really matters...but what if it does?
Here is a premise you don’t like to hear: You have paid RM3,000 for a downpayment of a brand new Kenari.
(Footnote: I have nothing against Kenari. This is just example. You could sample a Toyota Wish if you so wish, and just change the figures accordingly).
Since you don’t want high monthly installment, you stretch the loan up to 9 years. Now you have committed to a “lowly” RM535 per month. By the time you have finished the loan, you would have paid RM535 X 12months X 9years + RM3,000 = RM60,780.
The retail price of the Kenari is RM41,000. You have just wasted RM19,780 worth of retirement savings. And that’s not my only point.
In 9 years, you would have rotated and balanced your wheels 18 times, sent for oil service no fewer than 27 times, replaced all your belts twice, changed tyres twice, changed battery twice, renewed your insurance policy and paid your roadtax 8 times, and probably filled up your aircon gas 3 times. Rough calculation suggests that you would have spent about RM10,000 on all of the above. Again, that’s just point number 2.
All these cost factors of course, exclude other unforeseen maintenance costs .i.e parts breakdown, tow service, minor dents that you’d take care of. They also do not take into account your daily petrol, toll fee, parking fare and traffic summons, which, if you consider them all, you would have wasted more than RM100,000. And you pollute the air too, you, you, you freaking flat faced fanatic!
(Footnote: You don’t have to be flat faced in this article, but I just want to impress you with my alliteration. THAT and making fun of people without nose bridge is a surefire laugh!)
By the time you realize all these expenses, your Kenari is feeling tired, and you will start to think that…(Choose one of 2 options):
1. Commuting by bicycle makes sense
2. The MyVi Special Edition looks darn good.
If you choose Option 1 and start riding, you would save more than RM40,000 by the time you retire. More if you consider other more expensive cars. That’s more than what Takaful can give you in 9 years. And that’s not even an investment. That’s just savings.
If you choose Option 2, the whole premise begins again. When you retire, you are broke. And you end up with a car that has so much space but no passengers because all your children have grown up and they have their own cars to waste money on.
So my main point is this, if it doesn’t matter to you to waste RM100 grand or more, why blow it all on a stupid piece of crap? I’d say, get a sportscar. A Lotus Elise or something, you nugget nosed numbskull!
(Footnote no longer necessary)
(Footnote: I have nothing against Kenari. This is just example. You could sample a Toyota Wish if you so wish, and just change the figures accordingly).
Since you don’t want high monthly installment, you stretch the loan up to 9 years. Now you have committed to a “lowly” RM535 per month. By the time you have finished the loan, you would have paid RM535 X 12months X 9years + RM3,000 = RM60,780.
The retail price of the Kenari is RM41,000. You have just wasted RM19,780 worth of retirement savings. And that’s not my only point.
In 9 years, you would have rotated and balanced your wheels 18 times, sent for oil service no fewer than 27 times, replaced all your belts twice, changed tyres twice, changed battery twice, renewed your insurance policy and paid your roadtax 8 times, and probably filled up your aircon gas 3 times. Rough calculation suggests that you would have spent about RM10,000 on all of the above. Again, that’s just point number 2.
All these cost factors of course, exclude other unforeseen maintenance costs .i.e parts breakdown, tow service, minor dents that you’d take care of. They also do not take into account your daily petrol, toll fee, parking fare and traffic summons, which, if you consider them all, you would have wasted more than RM100,000. And you pollute the air too, you, you, you freaking flat faced fanatic!
(Footnote: You don’t have to be flat faced in this article, but I just want to impress you with my alliteration. THAT and making fun of people without nose bridge is a surefire laugh!)
By the time you realize all these expenses, your Kenari is feeling tired, and you will start to think that…(Choose one of 2 options):
1. Commuting by bicycle makes sense
2. The MyVi Special Edition looks darn good.
If you choose Option 1 and start riding, you would save more than RM40,000 by the time you retire. More if you consider other more expensive cars. That’s more than what Takaful can give you in 9 years. And that’s not even an investment. That’s just savings.
If you choose Option 2, the whole premise begins again. When you retire, you are broke. And you end up with a car that has so much space but no passengers because all your children have grown up and they have their own cars to waste money on.
So my main point is this, if it doesn’t matter to you to waste RM100 grand or more, why blow it all on a stupid piece of crap? I’d say, get a sportscar. A Lotus Elise or something, you nugget nosed numbskull!
(Footnote no longer necessary)
Monday, April 9, 2007
Let's not kid ourselves
We can’t afford a car. That includes the hire-purchased car you are driving now (if you are still hire-purchasing one).
Unless we can afford another car just like it, we are in no comfortable position to own it. That also means, if you plan to own 2 cars, you should be able to afford 4 in reality. And I don’t have to tell you why.
Have you missed an oil service? Do you wait until you can see ripped Kevlar canvas peeling from the tyres before you change them? And when you finally change your tyres, do you try to find the cheapest available? Do you send your car for a knock and paint job immediately if it has minor collision? Or do you wait until you find out how much it’ll cost and how much you have left after you’ve settled all your monthly bills? Or do you wait until there are other dents and scratches in other areas so that you could do a total makeover? Does the annual roadtax and insurance policy renewal affect your budget?
If you answer yes to all these, you belong to the majority of Malaysians who can’t afford their cars. The minority who can are either plain rich or smart financial planner. Or a bit of both. Smart financial planners aren’t necessarily rich. They can afford an Audi A6, but they buy the Toyota Camry. They deserve a Maserati Quattroporte, but they go for the Mercedes E-class. They like a Honda Jazz, but they settle for the Perodua MyVi. They can afford a RM1,000 monthly installment, but they go for the RM500 per month convenience. See the pattern? You have to have extra cash to be comfortable with your hire-purchase.
There’s more to owning a car than just driving it like it is the trendiest outfit. Take the front suspension for example. Shock absorbers usually last 5 years in average. If they are leaking and mess up their rebound, and you forget to inspect them, they will cause irregular wear on your tyres. Your tyres will lose their balance and alignment affecting the geometry of the steering rack. After a while the steering rack breaks and leaks out fluid, damaging the pump, hose and the rack. One thing leads to another, and before you know it, your repair bill can actually start another hire-purchase!
So if you earn RM1,500 monthly and think you can afford RM700 per month installment, find a car that lets you pay RM350 per month and save the other RM350. If you earn RM5,000 a month and think you can afford that sexy Alfa 147 at RM1,300 per month, don’t indulge. Instead, find a car that drains only RM650 from your wallet every month.
Please don’t tighten your belt and squeeze your budget only to buy the latest car you think you deserve and then run it on the cheapest tyre you can find.
Unless we can afford another car just like it, we are in no comfortable position to own it. That also means, if you plan to own 2 cars, you should be able to afford 4 in reality. And I don’t have to tell you why.
Have you missed an oil service? Do you wait until you can see ripped Kevlar canvas peeling from the tyres before you change them? And when you finally change your tyres, do you try to find the cheapest available? Do you send your car for a knock and paint job immediately if it has minor collision? Or do you wait until you find out how much it’ll cost and how much you have left after you’ve settled all your monthly bills? Or do you wait until there are other dents and scratches in other areas so that you could do a total makeover? Does the annual roadtax and insurance policy renewal affect your budget?
If you answer yes to all these, you belong to the majority of Malaysians who can’t afford their cars. The minority who can are either plain rich or smart financial planner. Or a bit of both. Smart financial planners aren’t necessarily rich. They can afford an Audi A6, but they buy the Toyota Camry. They deserve a Maserati Quattroporte, but they go for the Mercedes E-class. They like a Honda Jazz, but they settle for the Perodua MyVi. They can afford a RM1,000 monthly installment, but they go for the RM500 per month convenience. See the pattern? You have to have extra cash to be comfortable with your hire-purchase.
There’s more to owning a car than just driving it like it is the trendiest outfit. Take the front suspension for example. Shock absorbers usually last 5 years in average. If they are leaking and mess up their rebound, and you forget to inspect them, they will cause irregular wear on your tyres. Your tyres will lose their balance and alignment affecting the geometry of the steering rack. After a while the steering rack breaks and leaks out fluid, damaging the pump, hose and the rack. One thing leads to another, and before you know it, your repair bill can actually start another hire-purchase!
So if you earn RM1,500 monthly and think you can afford RM700 per month installment, find a car that lets you pay RM350 per month and save the other RM350. If you earn RM5,000 a month and think you can afford that sexy Alfa 147 at RM1,300 per month, don’t indulge. Instead, find a car that drains only RM650 from your wallet every month.
Please don’t tighten your belt and squeeze your budget only to buy the latest car you think you deserve and then run it on the cheapest tyre you can find.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Naza, for now.
I was born in 1971, when women actually smoked for flavour (not for socializing) and men didn’t wear hairgrip to swipe back their fringe.
Since childhood, my hobbies included smiling (which I have perfected) and growing moustache trying to look like Sam Elliot (which I have stopped doing recently).
I’m telling you this as a point of reference, which I hope makes sense. You see, I grew up around my dad’s Ford Escort, a car with a clutch so heavy you’d need your whole body weight to move it. And the gear synchromesh was so “challenging”, you’d need to acquire surgeon’s precision to select a gear. Over the weekend I had the chance to test drive the Naza Bestari (otherwise known as the rebadge of the outdated base Peugeot 206). It’s been a while since I last drove a brand new car. Knowing it’s actually a Peugeot, I was poised for an ambience of early ‘70s Malaysia where Peugeots, like old Fords were manly cars. Seated in the car, I tried to maintain a gentlemanly posture, wishing that at least my driving position along with the clutchless sequential gearbox would put a smile on my face and probably grow a hair or two downwards on my upper lip. If I didn’t feel as manly as Sam Elliot, Marcus Gronholm would have been good enough. My God! The car was so underpowered I felt a bit gay.
I suppose I shouldn’t blame anybody, because if you look at Naza cars, they seem to rebadge every single girly car out there. The Bestari, the Citra, and the Suria. The Sutera may not be a rebadge, but it was probably designed by men who, after watching BrokeBack Mountain, wonder why we men have nipples.
The Naza Bestari sells for RM68k. Thanks. But no thanks. I’ll take the Proton Gen2 MME anytime.
Since childhood, my hobbies included smiling (which I have perfected) and growing moustache trying to look like Sam Elliot (which I have stopped doing recently).
I’m telling you this as a point of reference, which I hope makes sense. You see, I grew up around my dad’s Ford Escort, a car with a clutch so heavy you’d need your whole body weight to move it. And the gear synchromesh was so “challenging”, you’d need to acquire surgeon’s precision to select a gear. Over the weekend I had the chance to test drive the Naza Bestari (otherwise known as the rebadge of the outdated base Peugeot 206). It’s been a while since I last drove a brand new car. Knowing it’s actually a Peugeot, I was poised for an ambience of early ‘70s Malaysia where Peugeots, like old Fords were manly cars. Seated in the car, I tried to maintain a gentlemanly posture, wishing that at least my driving position along with the clutchless sequential gearbox would put a smile on my face and probably grow a hair or two downwards on my upper lip. If I didn’t feel as manly as Sam Elliot, Marcus Gronholm would have been good enough. My God! The car was so underpowered I felt a bit gay.
I suppose I shouldn’t blame anybody, because if you look at Naza cars, they seem to rebadge every single girly car out there. The Bestari, the Citra, and the Suria. The Sutera may not be a rebadge, but it was probably designed by men who, after watching BrokeBack Mountain, wonder why we men have nipples.
The Naza Bestari sells for RM68k. Thanks. But no thanks. I’ll take the Proton Gen2 MME anytime.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
The Road Not Selfishly Chosen...
…is the Road Less Travelled. Unfortunately, we left the junction so far back, it is impossible to make a U-turn.
Do you watch Desperate Housewives? Do you watch it because it’s got good “foreign” reviews, or because everyone else is watching it? Do you really enjoy watching it, or do you just feel you should watch it? Do you feel you’d be left behind if you miss an episode? Are you left out if you don’t keep up with the vogue?
Here's the deal: Nobody is left behind. We are all, right now, traveling on the road that we choose. Sometimes selfishly. Things are exactly what they are supposed to be. No more. No less.
Of course, no one decides, "I'm going to leave school with just enough grades to get into college, be a successful professional who can afford a comfortable house, and then I shall wonder why, after being married for 10 years, I didn’t meet much earlier the man/woman I just got to know"
Or "I'm going to abandon college only to realize that I will not be successful in pursuing my dream job, and so I will earn my wage doing things I don’t like but at least I will be happily married and can afford a car with power window problems."
No. We never get to choose like that, because the choice is not single and a one-off event. The choices are made every day, every hour, every moment.
To dine in or to take away? To buy that dress now when it’s on discount or to wait until you really need it? To read a book or to switch on that TV? To pursue what we want or to make do with what we have? To stay or to leave?
And in the big scheme of things, most people think they can freely choose what to do with their lives. But things have always been, will always be what they were/are supposed to be. After a lifetime of choosing, we are not left behind. We are left with the road we currently have.
And it was all of our own selfish choosing.
Do you watch Desperate Housewives? Do you watch it because it’s got good “foreign” reviews, or because everyone else is watching it? Do you really enjoy watching it, or do you just feel you should watch it? Do you feel you’d be left behind if you miss an episode? Are you left out if you don’t keep up with the vogue?
Here's the deal: Nobody is left behind. We are all, right now, traveling on the road that we choose. Sometimes selfishly. Things are exactly what they are supposed to be. No more. No less.
Of course, no one decides, "I'm going to leave school with just enough grades to get into college, be a successful professional who can afford a comfortable house, and then I shall wonder why, after being married for 10 years, I didn’t meet much earlier the man/woman I just got to know"
Or "I'm going to abandon college only to realize that I will not be successful in pursuing my dream job, and so I will earn my wage doing things I don’t like but at least I will be happily married and can afford a car with power window problems."
No. We never get to choose like that, because the choice is not single and a one-off event. The choices are made every day, every hour, every moment.
To dine in or to take away? To buy that dress now when it’s on discount or to wait until you really need it? To read a book or to switch on that TV? To pursue what we want or to make do with what we have? To stay or to leave?
And in the big scheme of things, most people think they can freely choose what to do with their lives. But things have always been, will always be what they were/are supposed to be. After a lifetime of choosing, we are not left behind. We are left with the road we currently have.
And it was all of our own selfish choosing.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Is it me, or is it the society?
I have always wanted a job that would set my adrenaline racing and increase my pulse rates. But this job is about to give me a cardiac arrest!
My Annual Report deadline is near. I should be moving into colour separation next week, but my Final Artworks are no where near that stage. To add to the steam, I had to take the car to work yesterday because I had been cycling in the rain since Monday, and my cycling gears are all wet.
On my drive home yesterday, I decided to stop for a "teh tarik" at a "mamak" joint. Like it could not have been a better time, a young lad approached me and tried to sell me a raw and virgin Tongkat Ali root (scientifically known in the herbal industry as Longifolia Jack). He said it could give immediate results – about 5 times faster than Viagra.
I never needed Viagra.
But that’s not my point. I was approached once by a “Kunta Kinte” who had a briefcase of watches and tried to sell me one. I could understand because I wasn’t wearing a watch at that time. But I simply cannot come to grips what it is, for heaven’s sake, about my appearance that induced the boy to conclude that I needed the power root!
And what’s with the Malays and Tongkat Ali anyway?
My Annual Report deadline is near. I should be moving into colour separation next week, but my Final Artworks are no where near that stage. To add to the steam, I had to take the car to work yesterday because I had been cycling in the rain since Monday, and my cycling gears are all wet.
On my drive home yesterday, I decided to stop for a "teh tarik" at a "mamak" joint. Like it could not have been a better time, a young lad approached me and tried to sell me a raw and virgin Tongkat Ali root (scientifically known in the herbal industry as Longifolia Jack). He said it could give immediate results – about 5 times faster than Viagra.
I never needed Viagra.
But that’s not my point. I was approached once by a “Kunta Kinte” who had a briefcase of watches and tried to sell me one. I could understand because I wasn’t wearing a watch at that time. But I simply cannot come to grips what it is, for heaven’s sake, about my appearance that induced the boy to conclude that I needed the power root!
And what’s with the Malays and Tongkat Ali anyway?
Monday, April 2, 2007
Games I'll never play
Dart – the art of hitting a target with precision. If Ping pong is a miniature Tennis, then Dart is a miniature Archery. No proper attire needed. Dart players can play wearing a suit and tie, or jeans and leather jacket if they wish. Popular only in movies because it is very rare to bump into someone who is actually playing it. In spite of that, one may find dartboards mysteriously hung behind boys’ bedroom doors, at car workshops, at hangout bars and lounges, at music recording studios, at Disc Jockeys’ stations and in Snooker/Pool Club houses. While the idea of the game is to poke a “bullseye”, which is the middle part of the dartboard, one always finds a dartboard which is poked all over. Not recommended for children 10 years old and below, due to sharp objects with wings. Due to sharp objects too, it is not recommended for adults with mood swings.
Chess – perhaps the only way to exercise the brain after it has been drained of its juice by a hard day’s work. A very popular game with the young, the old, the poor and the rich. A chess set can be as simple as a piece of cardboard with plastic figurines, or as mind-boggling as an intricately designed set of pewter, silver or gold. The game is played extremely quietly as if the players are meditating, and silence is broken at the end of the game when the winner yells, “Checkmate!”. The yelling of “Checkmate” is usually preceded with a smile. No matter in which country the game is played, and what language the player speaks, the winner WILL yell “Checkmate!”. Chess is thought to be a game of the mind, and therefore, the winner is always thought to be of high I.Q. So if you are playing chess, you must win.
Chess – perhaps the only way to exercise the brain after it has been drained of its juice by a hard day’s work. A very popular game with the young, the old, the poor and the rich. A chess set can be as simple as a piece of cardboard with plastic figurines, or as mind-boggling as an intricately designed set of pewter, silver or gold. The game is played extremely quietly as if the players are meditating, and silence is broken at the end of the game when the winner yells, “Checkmate!”. The yelling of “Checkmate” is usually preceded with a smile. No matter in which country the game is played, and what language the player speaks, the winner WILL yell “Checkmate!”. Chess is thought to be a game of the mind, and therefore, the winner is always thought to be of high I.Q. So if you are playing chess, you must win.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Sports I'll never play
Bowling – the act of gracefully arching the spine to exercise only one side of the body by rolling a hard heavy ball-like object while trying to eliminate the risk of falling silly on a slippery polished wooden flooring. To create more fun and challenge, players have special slick shoes that do not have any traction. Very popular around the world, especially with people who have nothing to do at home. Most major towns now have at least one bowling center, and the centers are usually located near Karaoke lounge, so don’t be surprised that most bowlers are also Karaoke singers. Movie about bowling that is worth watching is King Pin, starring Bill Murray and Woody Harrelson.
Football – also known as Soccer. A good display of teamwork where each member of a team exercises all parts of the body except the hands by controlling the trajectory of a ball. Usually played on a grass field. For the ultimate heroic action, players are required to wear shorts to get grass cuts on the knees. The hair on the calves however, is saved by knee-high socks. Extremely popular. Thousands of books and enthusiasts’ magazines are published weekly, fortnightly, monthly, bi-monthly and annually. Even websites of the game’s clubs and personalities are uploaded by the hundreds. Plenty of Hollywood, Bollywood and Asian cinema products on this game including the one which starred Sly Stallone and Brazilian legend, Pele. But your best viewing would probably be Shaolin Soccer.
Football – also known as Soccer. A good display of teamwork where each member of a team exercises all parts of the body except the hands by controlling the trajectory of a ball. Usually played on a grass field. For the ultimate heroic action, players are required to wear shorts to get grass cuts on the knees. The hair on the calves however, is saved by knee-high socks. Extremely popular. Thousands of books and enthusiasts’ magazines are published weekly, fortnightly, monthly, bi-monthly and annually. Even websites of the game’s clubs and personalities are uploaded by the hundreds. Plenty of Hollywood, Bollywood and Asian cinema products on this game including the one which starred Sly Stallone and Brazilian legend, Pele. But your best viewing would probably be Shaolin Soccer.
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