I'm all carbonised

May I introduce you to my ex-GTS M5 Expert Racing mountainbike, the very bike that appeared with me in the Star newspaper. Made of 7005 series aluminium alloy, the frame was painted in the famous blue and white BMW F1 colour – the official BMW livery, which became complete when I bought Michelin tyres and Michelin-sponsored drink bottle. But of course, this is all history. I sold the bike to a deserving young lad who was looking for a decent mtb to participate in the next Eco-Challenge.

Am I without a bike now? No, ‘coz I just bought a new one as a Father’s Day gift. I didn’t have to, but the new bike is too sexy to ignore. I am not sure whether it was the high tech look or the light weightiness of the material, but my normally quite restrained mindset seemed to metamorphose as soon as I laid my eyes upon the carbon mtb.

Allow me to introduce you to my new SARS Demon mtb. Made entirely of carbon fibre – the exact material that shapes Formula One cars, the Demon is so light it goes uphill like it has wings. Look under the fine lacquer finish and ogle at that sexy fibre weave. The frame joints are so smooth without a trace of weld. Carbon fibre is not all about beauty and strength. I figured…if I must buy my last bike, it has to be the one that really stands the test of time. And yes, carbon fibre doesn’t rust, dent or bend.


Expensive? Well, let’s just say I had to sell off my ‘ol skool choppers, all three of them, just to help fund the purchase of my carbon queen.

Names die hard

Two things that inspired my blog post today. One is Bruce Willis' latest movie, Die Hard 4.0. Two, I was spring cleaning (any idea how the expression “spring cleaning” came about?) when I found an AutoCAD software CD which I thought was useful for my friend who is studying industrial design.

He said the software is Version 4.1 and therefore obsolete because currently AutoCAD’s software is Version 6.5 Release 4.

(Pause)

Ok, let’s assess this. If there’s a Release 4, there must be 3 releases before it. Why can’t they call it Version 6.9? Or simply Version 9.0?

I remember playing the Street Fighter arcade game long time ago. It was followed by Street Fighter 2, which was an updated version with more characters and “cooler” moves. Then came Street Fighter 2 Turbo, which had smoother actions and movements that were probably choreographed by Jean Claude Van Damme. Nice. Tekken was just beginning but the Street Fighter series continued with Street Fighter 2 Turbo Special Edition. Nicer. But somehow, for some strange reasons, the game makers refused to call it Street Fighter 3.

I read about a guy who had money to spend on cars and could not decide between Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo Prodrive P1 (rally specific) and Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo STi Spec-C (tuned for circuit racing, hence “Spec-C”). Of course, that was after he crossed out the Subaru Impreza 22B Coupe and the Subaru Impreza RB (Richard Burns) Signature Model from the list.

If you are considering buying the latest Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (a rally-bred version of the Lancer family saloon), you know you won’t be asking for an Evo 8 (labeled as Evo VIII). Instead, you would be asking for an Evo 9 (labeled as Evo IX), which apparently is no longer available as it was replaced by the Evo 9 Tommy Makinen Edition. THAT too is out of production because the latest one is called the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 MR FQ 360.

If you can wait, perhaps you may see the Evo 10 (labeled as Evo X) in showrooms late this year. Unless of course, the people at Mitsubishi decide to call their latest creation the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Tommy Makinen Edition FQ 360 GTi Type-R Spec-C Version 2 Release 4 Special Anniversary Model.

If you must buy a brand new car for transportation

You are not looked at as well off if you drive a Nissan Sentra. You are not considered cool if you drive a Honda City. You are not deemed successful if you own a Toyota Vios. You are not of any higher class if you bought a Chevrolet. I’m speaking as a true car enthusiast, so my opinion may not count to you. But in the real world of all things automotive, driving those cars I mention are some of the ways to demonstrate anybody’s lack of interest in cars. Why we buy them anyway? For the vogue? For practicality? Give me a break! No. Better, give me a Proton Juara. Now that’s practical!

Cars in vogue are like teenage pop music. At worst, they are Tommy Page’s songs. They help you socialize, then they suck out your self-esteem so bad you wish you had no association with them in the first place. On the other hand, practical cars are like Wilson Phillips’ songs (note: this has got nothing to do with Chynna Phillips’ buxom chest. I KNEW you would relate me to THAT!). The songs are easy to listen to and don’t hurt your ego when you grow old. You could listen to them now like an old shoe that still has the ability to take you places of fresh perspectives and emotions. Adult contemporary. That’s the kind of cars you should be driving. Adult contemporary. Don’t waste your time on vogue.

Although I am now campaigning cycle-to-work, I acknowledge the fact that most of us still need the car. When deciding on a brand new car, car magazine reviews are not valid in this country. Your bank account is. So in order to save the economy of our country and ourselves, here are my Top Four cars you can consider if you must buy a car. Only if you must.

Toyota Avanza – This car sits 7 people, yet compact. Mini MPV works, and this one goes up a notch because it has aircon vents for rear passengers and the reliable Toyota DVVT engine.

Any Proton – except the Wira (unless you want to turn it into a taxi) and the Iswara sedan (even if you want to turn it into a taxi).

Any Perodua – except the Kancil. Yes I love the Kancil, but against quality, it is overpriced now.

Any BMW – except the Z3 (unless it is a coupe), the X3 (unless you are as ugly) and the 1-series (unless you are a woman). The other number Series, Z series and M series are ok. Just don’t get the convertible versions (unless you’re metro-sexual).

Of course you know, our kids are going to pay for our car-culture.

p/s. 1

BMWs are not Wilson Phillips though. They are more like Joni Mitchell meets Pearl Jam - they excite your endorphin and tease your testosterone.

p/s. 2
I think I’ll drop by Tower Records today and pick up Wilson Phillips’ first album just for old time sake. After all, one CD only costs half of my gas tank, which I already saved by 2-days of cycling to work.

I am a star

I am featured in the Star newspaper today!

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2007/6/13/central/17949987&sec=central

And since morning I have been receiving complimentary phone calls, SMSs and e-mails. Some even thought I was a fitness freak and that cycling in town is dangerous.

Let me tell you something – I am NOT a fitness freak, although it is a fact that cycling keeps my tummy tucked. I suggest you cycle too - you know I know that you know how good it feels to be able to wear again that pair of Levi’s you bought 5 years ago!

Cycling is a naturally romantic thing to do - feeling the breeze, experiencing the sunrise and the sunset and occasionally tasting the rain. And I am just being what I am – romantic!

And it’s not any more dangerous than being in a car. Only when you stop in the middle of traffic do you breathe in noxious vehicle fumes. As long as you keep moving, your lungs are clean. Studies have also shown that drivers stuck in traffic are more likely to inhale dangerous gases, even when the windows are all up. On the other hand, the cyclist, being higher that exhaust pipes, is free from dirty air including his own fart.

And how can a light vehicle powered by the rider’s own feet be more dangerous that the heavy and environmentally unfriendly motorcar with an engine run by flammable fuel and brought to life via spark ignition?

Back to being a star…I also appeared in Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Jit Poh 2 days ago and prior to that, in NSTonline and Bernama.com.

Ok, I’m ready to sign autographs. Who’s first?

Proton: The Endless Saga & The Legacy

Proton registered a pre-tax loss of RM620 million for the financial year ended 31 March 2007. Now THAT is the most annoying and disturbing thing next to the Sembilu movie series.

RM620 million is an obscene amount of money. We are not talking RM6 million. Not RM20 million. Not even RM100 million. But RM620 miilion of Khazanah’s money, which belongs to YOU when you pay your taxes!

Proton gave the 38% decrease in sales as reason for this huge loss. Accepted, but I believe there is more than that. With build quality being the endless issue, I believe there are people in Proton making extra income.

Of course, Khazanah is in talks, as we speak, with VW to find a strategic partner. Question is, does Proton really need a partner? What happened to Mitsubishi? And why VW? The last time Proton tried with Citroen, they ended up with the cheap Tiara with expensive maintenance that went obsolete the moment it left the showroom.

What a shame, because Proton, as proven by the Gen2 and Satria Neo, can stand alone without a partner, provided they solve all internal problems and quality issues. And stop making commercial mistakes. The Waja was a decent car, but they made a mistake by comparing it to BMW. Get this into your head, Proton – you can never beat BMW. It’s a fact even the Japanese have accepted. Swallow it and move on. Vary your designs, so that I am not driving the same car as the taxi driver beside me. Be humble in your statements. Keep a low profile in your tag lines. Don’t swell your head making advertisement claims. Be a more responsible corporate citizen!

As for end users, I am calling everybody to consider Proton for their next purchase of a brand new car. Don’t put your money on foreign cars no matter how tempting they may be. Our economy is not getting any better, and you know it. Don’t make it worse by punishing Proton. As Malaysians, let us be more responsible. It’s a legacy we leave for future generations of Malaysians, if not our own children.

Remember the ad series for Patek Philippe watches which read, "You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation." While we may not speak the same of the cars’ longevity, timeless beauty, and value as a family heirloom in the case of Proton, we do speak of the country’s well-being. This emotive approach is bolstered by another wise saying about preserving the environment, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”.

Burn Fat; Not Fuel

It’s World Environment Day today. I remember back in the mid to late ‘70s where the weather forecast could tell what we were going to experience the next day up to the minute detail. If the weatherman said it would rain tomorrow evening at 4.00pm, it would rain at 4.00pm. Nowadays, it is just “morning showers/clear evenings/thunderstorms expected elsewhere”.

Everybody’s talking about planting trees and saving energy. You know as well as I do that one of the biggest culprits to pollution is the motorcar.

Therefore, the only solution is to NOT use the car, or use it LESS.
The more we drive, the more we pollute. The less we drive, the less we produce greenhouse gas.

Don’t get me wrong. I love cars. But environmental conditions do not encourage the use of motor vehicles.

Let’s campaign Cycle2Work.

Maybe employers can play their part by giving incentives:
1. Company pays cash “meal” allowance of RM10 per cyclist per cycling day. The more days an employee cycles, the more he/she earns.

2. Company provides hire-purchase plan for bicycles, so everybody can afford a good quality bike.

3. Company’s Sports Club organizes bicycle-related events. This will promote bike purchase.

4. Company installs shower facilities and bike racks at the covered parking lot.

5. Company holds short courses on how to cycle in traffic, simple bike maintenance and minor bike repair.

The reason why companies should support this campaign is because it is a clear CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). By promoting Cycle2Work, we can prove to the stakeholders, and public at large, and much to the satisfaction of NGOs like Greenpeace etc that we ARE a company that cares for the environment, safety and health. Cycle2Work will be our contribution to sustainability.

Employees don’t need to cycle “everyday” if they don’t want to. Once a week is a good start. Three times a week is a good practice, so you can bring pre-ironed clothes on days you take the car. To run the campaign, there are several period options:
1. Campaign it all year round

2. Pick a day of the month. Eg. Every first Wednesday of every month

3. Choose a good week, perhaps in conjunction with New York Cycle to Work Week etc.

4. Find a health-related day. Eg in conjunction with World Health Day/ World Diabetes Day/ World Heart Day etc.

5. Select an environment-related day. Eg World Water Day/ World Environment Day/ other global warming initiatives.

Trust me. Cycling to work is possible. And if at least half of the employees ride their bicycles to work, can you imagine how much cleaner, cooler, safer, quieter and healthier our environment would be? Imagine the effect of a car-less world. Imagine!

Sustainability. Think about it.