The Convenient Truth About Bicycle

Blame it on the government, the authorities, or even the United Nations. The truth is, many of the world's problems are because there are not enough people riding their bicycles. Take any 3G (Gebu, Gempal, Gemuk) Malaysian out of his/her 4-ton SUVs/MPVs (vehicles that aren’t even supposed to be on Malaysian roads) and put them on a bicycle and what do you get? A healthier cardiovascular and respiratory system, firmed up legs, tight bums, more blood flowing to the groin, younger looks, reduced risk of heart disease, reduced traffic congestion, less road rage, less stress, safer streets for your kids to play in, better air quality, some serious reduction in your personal transportation costs, opportunities for improved public transportation, no war on middle-eastern countries and so on and so forth.

Obviously I'm complicating the subject. The fact remains that we are responsible for the oil we buy. Just be romantic and ride a bicycle!

The bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets. ~Christopher Morley

It would not be at all strange if history came to the conclusion that the perfection of the bicycle was the greatest incident of the nineteenth century. ~Author Unknown

Tens of thousands who could never afford to own, feed and stable a horse, had by this bright invention enjoyed the swiftness of motion which is perhaps the most fascinating feature of material life. ~Frances Willard, How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle

The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart. ~Iris Murdoch, The Red and the Green

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments. Here was a machine of precision and balance for the convenience of man. And (unlike subsequent inventions for man's convenience) the more he used it, the fitter his body became. Here, for once, was a product of man's brain that was entirely beneficial to those who used it, and of no harm or irritation to others. Progress should have stopped when man invented the bicycle. ~Elizabeth West, Hovel in the Hills

Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling. ~James E. Starrs

Happy Tip #2

When there’s wind in your stomach, and no one’s around in the office, have you any idea how good it feels to really fart?

More Than Meets The Eye

This is my son Adam when he was 1, then 2, then 3.

Staring at these progressive pictures of my son makes me think, how he transforms! I have forgotten most of what happened during the transformation period.

Staring at the mirror now, I believe I'm losing pigments - hair getting fairer and skin getting darker. Or is the pigmentation going down with gravity?

Either way, I am a transformer. We all are. And this very moment of transformation is a critical time for us (me at least) to accomplish anything is in the here and now. Do we marvel at the transformed results, or should we instead enjoy every second the transforming takes place? Do we enjoy the price of success or pay for it?

Picture Perfect: Part 2

If we meet a financier for a loan in a brand new luxury car because we think the car might increase the chance of getting the loan, we probably don’t need the loan in the first place. Similarly, the next time a finance consultant meets average wage-earners with all the riches he/she has with the idea that the riches might motivate or inspire others…be careful, the consultant may be insulting them even more. Unless, that’s what consultants do – they con and insult.

There’s a fine line between what we need and what we want. Most of the time, we can’t diff the two. We need shoes, but we want Prada. We need a pen, but we want Mont Blanc. We need a watch, but an Alba just doesn’t cut it. The humble Datuk A Samad Said, a poet who owns no car and gets around by public transportation is probably a millionaire. Not because he has a million bucks in his possession. But because he doesn’t need it.

You see, you already ARE a millionaire, when you don’t need a million bucks.

Better cars, better drivers?

Better cars make drivers drive better. But that doesn’t mean they become better drivers.

In modern times, cars are thought to be “better” when they have Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Traction Control (TC), and God-knows-what acronyms out there. These so-called driver-aids are believed to make driving safer. And so we have this modern generation ticking all the boxes in the options list when purchasing their cars. The more the gadget, the safer they are, they think.

The number of accidents, however, went up from 341,000 to 363,000 within one year (2006 – 2007) according to a recent report by NST:

http://www.nst.com.my/Monday/Frontpage/2125950/Article/index_html

Of course, that’s not the only numbers we want to know. We want to know, what type of drivers (age, gender), what type of cars, what sort of driver-aids are involved in these accidents.

But if I may generalize that the accidents involved modern cars, then why is it that despite cars getting safer to drive, the number of accidents is increasing? I’ll tell you why. You don’t brake any sooner than you should because you rely on your ABS, You brake later than you should because you think your EBD will take care of it. And you don’t take a corner in the right gear because you are banking on your TC to hold the line for you. I'm not saying those electronics don't work. But the fact that you rely on it so much is killing your skills. You have no feel of your stopping power, no sense of how much steering or throttle input you should put in, and definitely not the slightest idea of when the car is going to snap out of line.

The current trend now is to buy cars that will do everything for the driver. Sad. This is the same case as people who would rather listen to bright and un-buffered deafening sound of their iPod because it’s more convenient than switching on amplifiers and ejecting CD drawers just to listen to high fidelity sound.

Another example – take the hand placement on the steering wheel. The greatest drivers in the world all learned to cross their arm when making a turn. But because of the stupid airbag, we have to relearn to place our hands at the outer rim of the steering wheel in order to avoid our arms turn sandwich between the airbag and our face during a collision.

If airbags are really useful, how come they are not in Formula One or Rally cars? Seatbelts are enough.

Go back to basics – learn how to drive. Hone your skill. Buckle up and enjoy the drive.

Top 5 Coolest Cars BMW has ever made

It's the new Hijrah, I thought I write something automotive for a change. The new Toyota Vios is getting uglier. The yet to be unveiled Proton Saga replacement (BLM) will look very Korean. And yes, you buy cars to get to work so that you can pay for the car. Or in other words, you go to work to pay for the car so that you can drive to work.

Oh well, as the saying goes, they don’t make ‘em like they used to. I love ‘ol skool Bimmers. These are the coolest, sexiest and most provoking driving machines you’ll ever encounter. Bear in mind that these cars were born when rock n roll was pure and not contaminated by hip-hop and rap. Much like the music, these cars were not contaminated by unnecessary driver’s aids (Airbags, ABS, EBD, Traction Control, Stability Control etc). They were serious machines demanding serious involvement from serious drivers.

In no particular order, they are:

The 2002 Turbo

Unveiled at the ’73 Frankfurt autoshow, the 2002 was an evolution of the 2000 that began production in January 1966. Some say it was the beginning of the popular 3-series. Whatever it was, the 2002 helped BMW become the undisputed champion of sports sedan. The 2002 Turbo was the model to have, but with only 1,672 made, it would only remain a dream to some. The car was fast, mean and offensive. When your grand dad was dreaming of Triumph and MG sportcars, the 2002 Turbo whacked them all off the streets. If Jimi Hendrix was a car, he would be the BMW 2002 Turbo.

The 3.0 CSL

Dubbed the batmobile, those spoilers and wings were actually necessary to keep the car planted on earth, unlike present boyracers who have wings only for show. But that didn’t stop the CSL from flying. The nickname “sharknose” had never been so aptly given. Yes it looked like a shark. It behaved like one too. It attacked corners like it preyed on them. If the CSL was a rock band, it would be Led Zeppelin.

The E30 M3

That legendary go-kart-like handling…nobody knew how it was achieved. Even BMW is still puzzled how the car became the best handling and most enjoyable car, something BMW failed to re-create with the E36 and the E46 M3. Approach a corner. Brake. Downshift. Turn into the apex. Throttle it. The back end snaps out. Rear tyres scratching and struggling for traction. Counter steer and keep your right foot down. The back end straightens by itself. Traction regained. Upshift. Upshift. Look at the speedometer – 240 km/h! If the E30 M3 was a guitar player, it would be Edward Van Halen. Scratching for notes. Struggling to stay in tune, but always get back in control. Melodious, nonetheless. Only 2 units spotted in this country.

The E28 M5

Also known as the 4-door sports car, the E28 M5 was the art of deception. It looked like a normal 520i, but wait until it passed you by at 250km/h. Its engine too was a work of art. It was showroom-standard, but it looked as if it came direct from a race-car. It actually did. Hand-assembled, only 2180 were built. Out of those, only 1235 came to the US, and none into this country. Would you drive a Porsche only to be beaten by a four door saloon? Some racers would swear blind they could lap the Nurburgring track faster in one of these than in the new more powerful M5. If this car was a rock song, it would be Sultan of Swing – relaxed melody but with the ability to launch into a blistering guitar solo.

The M635CSi

This car marked the end of the “sharknose” era. Shared the same racing engine as the E28 M5, but embodied in what was probably the most elegant shape of the Eighties. When this car came out, it became the direct contender for the likes of Porsche 928, Mercedes SL and Jaguar XJS. The XJS just rusted and died. Nobody remembers how the 928 looked like. And the SL was outdated by its own successors. But the M625CSi was pampered with tender, love & care and simply became a desirable classic that stood the test of time. If it was an electric guitar, it would be a Gibson Les Paul – at home playing blues and jazz, yet appropriate to churn out a rock solo piece when the need arose.