Saturday, September 26, 2009

Then There Were Twelve

Update: Parks Victoria has confirmed that the crumbled was not of The Twelve Apostles but of the Three Sisters. Whew...but then limestone formations won't last forever!

The news today brought me back to my previous post of The Twelve Apostles almost 2 years ago during the 50th Anniversary of The Great Ocean Road. Another limestone formation crumbled into the sea.

Perhaps it's another good excuse to have a drive down GOR once again but this is in my new ride. *wink*

Friday, September 25, 2009

Pics of My Golf GTI Pirelli

I have been putting this off for some time now and there have been a few requests...So, here they are:
It's been raining/drizzling every now and then for the past few weeks which can be frustrating since it could be just a day after I washed my ride! Oh well, Melbourne needs the rain anyway. So, it's for the greater good ;)

I did have a few shots of other VW Golfs too. The last of the Golf R32 AWD with 3.2L V6 naturally aspirated (NA) engine after the announcement of the 6th generation AWD Golf R with the 2.0L Turbo which is lighter but more powerful.
I think the only colour missing is the Sunflower Yellow of which only available on the GTI Pirelli variant.

Of course, I'll post some wedding shots in my next post. I have since covered 4 weddings over winter and early spring - two in June, one in July and one last week.

Cheerios...

Friday, September 4, 2009

An Awesome Experience with The Grand Illusionist

I attended the performance by the great David Copperfield about 3 weeks back, 15th August 2009. I've always been fascinated by what he has done in the past. When it was mentioned by a friend that David will be touring Australia, I decided that I would not want to miss this opportunity to see him perform live.

Oh yeah, Webster the duck made some appearances too....! He walked through concrete steel, reminiscence of the same feat through The Great Wall, "puppetted" a maroon-coloured tie of an audience, wound himself shorter, made a piece of "magic" paper levitates/skips then turned it into a rose for a lady, made a group of audience disappeared on stage and reappeared at least 30m away in the crowd and had audiences gave random some numbers similar to his grandpa's 2 license plates.

It was truly an experience forever etched in me. His feats, though may be illusions, are certainly a form of inspirations and motivations.

Oh yeah, David Copperfield has put on plenty of weight and no longer his skinny self in the 80s and 90s! I thought he was a double!

Another tick off from my bucket list.....!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Living My Dream Sensibly

Some say he eats bullet to fly while others say he chomps silvery matters for ferocity that piss him off. All I know is that he's the Silver Bullet.......!

Well, I will be living one of my dreams in 2 sleeps and in line with my AIM (Aspiration, Inspiration & Motivation). All these while I have been driving "boring" cars. By that, I didn't mean they are not good but just normal. However, the FIATs that I drove (drive whenever available when back in Pg) are interesting that they are rear-wheel and that has actually made me preferred rear-wheel-drive cars. Other cars I have driven are '79 Civic, Kelisa, small Chev, '85 Civic Shuttle and '06 Yaris YRS Sedan. While I'm having these cars, my friends have the lowered Civic, Type R, Skyline, 180SX, Silvias, AE86, Supra, WRX, EVO, Merc, BMW, Minis, Golf GTI and the likes.

If you're still wondering the car that ticks the item on my bucket list, think practical but fast; small but big; and gentle yet ferocious! Read on and I'll get to that.....

There have been a few options that I was looking at. BMW 120d was one for the same reason that my FIAT gave me. It's has 50:50 weight distribution, 7.6sec for naught to 100 and it's BMW. However, there is a premium to it with disadvantages like tight rear legroom and small boot capacity. Further to that, the 120d doesn't have the "cult/iconic" status like its elder siblings 135i, 335i, M3 and M5. Having said that, I almost ended getting it (thanks to a friend who was waiting for his M3 delivery)! Another friend also put me into perspective.

Then, there was the WRX. Subaru does make some wonderful cars. The all-wheel-drive (AWD) that gives symmetry, thus, safety. On the other hand, there have been saying that should one go to the AWD path there won't be a turn back. Another analogy would be "Once tasted black, won't go back"! Ultimately, Subaru is still a Japanese car which may not be as refined and luxurious.

So, what are my requirements? From the above description, you would have probably listed out the following:
- Cult status with a heritage of being a thoroughbred
- Practical but tamely fast when call upon
- Small but big in terms of boot space and legroom at the rear
- Luxury but affordable without paying through my nose

Lexus IS250 may just fill the spot but it's still a Jap.

Audi A3? Hmmm....compact, stylish and decently fast but not a cult/icon.

Golf GTI? It's close, very close.......! But it's not there yet.....!

How about Golf GTI Pirelli Limited Edition of which this is the 2nd time having a Pirelli edition with the 1st edition done in 1983, totaling 10,500 units worldwide! So, what are the differences between the P edition and the regular GTI?

1) Full leather with yellow stitching, P Zero tyre designs on the seats and electric lumbar support with seat warmer
2) Titanium-varnished 18" alloy wheels with the spokes representing Pirelli's P and P-zero tyres 225 60 ZR18!
3) Darkened rear lights
4) 4 disc brakes

The more interesting part:
5) 169kW translating into 229bhp and 300nm torque (147kW, 200bhp, 280nm)
6) Naught to 100 in blistering 6.6sec with the packaged P Zero tyres (6.9s), top speed 245kmph (233kmph) with the 6-speed DSG transmission which is automatic manual without clutch pedal!
7) Combined consumption of 8.1/100km (8.0/100km)
8) Bumpers with similar body colour while the regular GTI has black coloured bumpers

For your information, I didn't get the yellow though it is the colour available only to the Pirelli version. I don't want to look like a taxi, in this case a fast taxi!

With the specs, I'm very sure it smokes most cars on the road. I don't have to live with the agony of being "bullied" on the road like those friends during uni. [Frestyler, Calpo/Froggy, Johnny were some of them!]

Mom & dad, don't you worry about me going nuts without being sensible. Check out the image below. What's power without control? Or in Pirelli's version, Power Is Nothing Without Control.
Did I mention practicality? It's a 5-door with 330l boot space. It certainly can fit my parents' luggage and my dad can concentrate on the driving in unfamiliar circumstances without worrying about clutch pedal! Perhaps, the latter is an excuse!

On that note, I'll try to get some shut eyes after some days with the twitching of my fingers imagining the paddle shifts, the lurching of my shoulder from the car's pulling power and the humming of the acceleration with gear shifting as well as the combination of the three together!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Damages of My Apartment

I've been feeling frustrated and disappointed with the damages to my apartment. There have been 3 inspections with another test done today. The moisture reading of the kitchen walls is still high at some spots while the pressure test on the water pipe of my shower seems alright with no leak.

Apparently, the moist on my bedroom's wall is a result from the leaks from the base of the shower. It has 2 holes! What an incompetence to whoever done this!

Anyway, the ceiling and the walls cannot be painted still until it's drier, that is below 18%. There are spots over >70%! The cold weather doesn't help drying it. The next reading will be 10-12 weeks away!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Pure & Innocent


These are pics of friends' newborn who was bornt in early July. I love little kids as they are at their most innocent state, not to mention honest.