Panjat Batu @ Taman Bayshore

It has been quite a long while since my last climbing activity. Thanks to my buddy, Roy (now a regular at Batman Wall) who invited me along to join our expat friends, Vincent & Thomas (owner of the house whom i've yet to meet, as he's currently away on business trip) for a bouldering session at their residence. It's not at any outdoor cliffs, caves or boulders this time, but at an upclass neighbourhood in Taman Bayshore nearby here, where most of the O&G expats residence are at...

From Miri

& it's indoor somemore; where one can climb in the comfort of an air-conditioned room! yeaps, no bugs, no sunburn & no need to get drenched in the rain outside... =p

'Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas. Emphasizing on power, strength, and dynamics, its focus is more on individual moves or short sequences of moves, unlike traditional climbing or sport climbing, which generally demand more endurance over longer stretches of rock where the difficulty of individual moves is not as great. Boulder routes are commonly referred to as problems (a British appellation) because the nature of the climb is often short, curious, and much like problem solving. Sometimes these problems are eliminates, meaning certain artificial restrictions are imposed. Bouldering is more focused on the technique of climbing instead of undertaking a full bodied climb.' ~ quoted from Wikipedia.

From Miri

That's the indoor artificial boulder i was talking about; it's only about 3 metres above the ground at the peak, so falling on the crash pad or bouldering mat below is easily survivable when your hand grips fail you on the way up... =p

From Miri

Vertical wall ~ that's just for warming up... degree of difficulty can be varied depending on the routes & the boulder pockets you choose to use; the tiniest would accommodate just about your fingertip's grip =)

From Miri

The main wall with negative overhang (between -30 to -45 degrees inclination from vertical, maybe?) ~ that's where most of the fun is to be had! You start in sitting position on the ground & slowly work your way up... looks quite impossible to hold on from this angle doesn't it? It's damned tough, but with the right techniques it's definitely possible. Only managed scale up this one using the easiest route (yellow boulder pockets), rated at the difficulty of 5c. (using Fontainebleau grading system *i think* which ranges from 1 to 8c+; increasing numbers and alphabet prefix indicating increasing difficulty) This is just the kind of physical activity i like to do; definitely looking forward to the next bouldering session! =)

In the past week...

I haven’t had much time to update since the past week, with my workload piling up most notably my gunpla WIP =p, & having to put up with the hassles of getting my ride up & operational again after a major brake failure.

From Miscellaneous

Early this week, my eneloop rechargeable batteries shipment from Sashinki finally arrived, but i’ve yet to start playing with my virgin speedlite =p

From Miscellaneous

Focus test chart ~ i guess this is how it’s supposed to work; checked OK!

From Gunpla

Yet another impulse purchase on an impromtu visit to one of the local toy shops, thanks to my gunpla-crazed housemate... 1/200 Speed Grade collection ~ worth every cent of its 39.90 tag. Reviews coming soon.

From Rides

Finally sent my car for its long awaited brake system upgrade in the form of brake pads change & OEM rubber brake hoses replacement with IMP stainless steel braided brake hose kit, for better braking efficiency & eliminate spongy pedal ‘feel’ under heavy braking.

From Rides

From Rides

From Rides

From Rides

OEM rubber brake hose kit Vs high performance stainless steel braided brake hose kit

OEM rubber hose kit generally have an average lifespan of about 3 years; in the case of my old ride, it could very well be a ticking time bomb on the countdown to burst. They tend to swell with age and this may restrict fluid flow thus, causing sponginess pedal ‘feel’ when braking.

In comparison, the stainless steel braided hose kit is of sturdier construction with Teflon inner lining & stainless steel overbraid which gives it added strength & flexibility, durability to handle extreme pressures & temperatures without fatigue or failure.

From Rides

From Rides

Faded brake pads Vs new pads from AFI

*claimed to bite stronger but at the expense of its slightly shorter than OEM lifespan; we’ll find out soon

From Rides

From Rides

From Rides

A friend’s car getting its wheels blinged with supercool & expensive TRD lugnut set

From Rides

From Rides

Other nice rides spotted at the establishment...

With weak Point A of the braking system eliminated, unfortunately it wasn’t happily ever after just yet, as the other remaining weak points, namely the brake master pump seal & brake separator valve seal, started to leak not long after (maybe due to the aging rubber components in those part’s inability to handle the pressure exerted by the newly topped up brakefluid couple with a now more efficient back-end of the brake system), rendering me car-less for a couple of days as the problem gets rectified at my friend’s workshop -_-

From Rides

From Rides

Once out, it’s back to Big Wheels again, to have 2 of the balding Advan Neovas at the rear replaced with another set of pricey semi-slicks; the Bridgestone Potenza RE001 Adrenalin; sized at 195/55R15, now for the 1^st time in about half-a-year since i replaced 2 of my front rubbers with Toyos, my car will have equal sized tires all around... (previously running AD07 195/55R15 on all fours before i replaced them with the thicker Toyos 2 piece at a time; unfortunately i’ve sourced the whole Miri for the same rubber, but without any success)

From Rides

Bumped into another fairly new Japanese exotic ~ the 370Z Fairlady with nice bolt-on mods...

From Rides

Checkout the its nice rear – more Porshe-like looking now...

From Rides

It’s in the process of getting brand new Volk GT-C 20” wheels fitted on. How much if you may ask? If i sell off my car for cash now, i could probably afford only 2 of those wheels. MYR25,000 for a set of bling-bling; shouldn’t be too much to ask for one who can afford a brand new 370Z. =)

New Camera Gears

From Miscellaneous

My newly acquired goodies from my recent KL trip:
1. EF50mm f/1.8 II
2. ES-62 lens hood
3. Sandisk Ultra 8Gb SD memory card
4. Sunpak PZ42X speedlite
5. Kata DR467 backpack

Purchased all of 'em except the SD card, 2nd hand from a friend of mine at affordable prices i couldn't resist. All in mint condition, even the Sunpak speedlite which, was not even used yet!

The gears would be more sufficient for my current photography needs =)

From Miscellaneous

& it couldn't come at a better timing. Needed the back to pack up my camera & 15" lappie for the trip itself; it's got ample padded storage enough for 2 camera bodies, 1 mounted, up to 3 lenses or more *standard zoom lens*, speedlite, maybe a small tripod plus accesories & a back compartment large enough for a 17" notebook. Have always laid my eyes on the 50mm f/1.8; and the speedlite would surely come in handy for the upcoming Studio23 Dinner & Dance on the 14th. =)

Excapade Sushi

Ever since i set foot in Miri, i've been hearing people singing praises about this little sushi place just across the border in Brunei. Finally had my chance to check it out only recently when i tagged along with my buddies for a trip to Kuala Belait, one of the towns nearer to the border. That was actually my 2nd trip only to Brunei,. the 1st being a biz trip to the adjacent town of Seria which, is also a mere 45 mins drive from Miri. This little sushi joint had actually spawned into a franchise; offering a huge variety of selection & generous serving portions ~ making it a food haven for sashimi lovers like me =p

From Travels

Here's the joint in KB; doesn't look all to grand from the outside, but the ambience inside is just great & the food offerings, heavenly =)

From Travels

From Travels

Catch my drift yet? =p
On our way there, we passed by a bush fire which, was still raging on, on our way back a good couple of hours later... *bush fires are a common sighting here, especially in Miri

From Travels

Also managed to do a bit of groceries shopping while we were there. Hauled back quite a bit of ration to fill up my fridge. In the supermarkets there, is easy to tell if you're from across the border; i.e Miri. Coz they'd haul back tons of a certain goodie, by the name of Redondo *like yours truly =p * ~ only costs a mere 1.75 to 3.30 Brunei dollars there; here? RM16 ++ ! wtf!!

From Travels

* As i'm typing, i'm also packing up & getting ready to go for another sushi brunch there, then head back straight for the airport to catch my flight to KL this evening... =)

Random Shots: EVO Wagon

From Rides

From Rides

From Rides

Not your average shopping cart wagon; a wide-bodied rare specimen indeed. Never knew the wagon version of the EVO VII existed at all...

The Black Box

From Miscellaneous

This is an investment, to protect my investment in photography i.e. camera gears. Since i bought my DSLR over a year ago, i’ve resorted to several methods of storage to keep it cool & dry ~ to prevent detrimental fungus growth on the delicate lense surface. From keeping it in airtight tupperware containers with silica gel to storing it together with thirsty-hippo in the camera bag to keep the humidity low; but there is no surer way than getting a proper dry-box / cabinet.

From Miscellaneous

Bought a 48L Sun-Dry dry cabinet with automatic humidity control on my recent home trip, coz i’d get to piggy-back on my mate’s car which, arrived here last night on a trailer, since he’s moving here to work as well. Thanks brada Roy for the transportation & CT for helping me get the discount kang tao on this black box. =)

From Miscellaneous

The dehumidification unit uses a dial knob control (is it analog?) with control precision of +/-6% (Aipos have better precision at +/- 1 to 2%) integrated into a feedbackloop for auto control; but that (precision) doesn’t really bother me as long as it is capable of maintaining the RH% of between 55 to 40% which, is the ideal reference humidity for storing camera lenses, magnetic tape, disk & film items. In operation mode, the unit performs silently & doesn’t generate much heat at all ~ claimed to be super low power consumption rated at less than 5 watts. The digital humidity gauge on the front panel however needs to run on a separate single AAA battery. It also features an airtight magnetic compartment door; like a fridge’s.

From Miscellaneous

It’s only as large as my 1/6 Kotobukiya Yoko... =p

As for the storage space, 48L in actual somehow doesn’t look as big as in the adverts, but is very sufficient for my current gears, coz i’ve yet to add extra gadgets. The storage features a 2-tier compartment that can be height configured. That’s 500 bucks for a black box to store 2 camera bodies, 3 – 6 lenses, speedlite + some additional accesories...

From Miscellaneous

Ample storage for future arsenal expansion... =p

The Power of Dreams: VTEC

From Rides

From Rides

From Rides

Had a chance to take a joyride in the highly coveted latest Civic Type-R a.k.a FD2R, courtesy of a friend of mine; this is one fine breed of a street / race machine straight off the factory ~ powered by the potent tuned K20A1, race prepped chassis, fine-tuned handling, close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission, significant reduction in weight compared to the base model, aero-effect parts, a set of light weight forged rims & rubber slicks ~ all in stock trim. But as with any true tuning enthusiast, stock is never good enough, since there is always more performance potential to be realized, even from a legendary R-breed. This particular example is anything but stock; she has been graciously endowed with quite a bit of bolt-on go-fast bits from reknowned brand names that would make any motorheads drool over. Modification list includes a full intake & exhaust system upgrade (J’s racing titanium muffler rocks big time!), oversized pistons?, Ogura racing clutch, 18” Mugen GP forged rims + Toyo 888 slicks, Hondata K-Pro ECU, electronic throttle controller, a host of Defi gauges & an ultra cool (& expansive) Gtech-Pro EGS (Expandable Gauge System) ~ basically a multi-display meter with in-built self-contained data logger that can be easily configured to tap into existing engine sensors to capture multiple engine parameters in real-time driving condition and then be played back to facilitate DIY fine-tuning of the K-Pro plug-n-play programmable ECU. Oh yea, did i mention he’s got the Sabelt 4-point harness installed on the bucket seats as well. I’ve yet to see another brand new 200K FD2R done up to this extent, in Kuching... This baby really runs, handles & sounds like a focussed track car; it’s f*cking loud! Even with the reasonably well insulated cabin of newer cars of such stature, it’s still deafening inside the cabin with the windows all rolled up when this baby runs on all cylinders with the VTEC orchestra on full song all the way to the redline! The handling of the stock suspension & brakes are pretty impressive, *i likey* though may be a tad too stiff for some. According to the owner, it’s nothing to shout about, just yet; he’s commission another race-built K20A engine with K24 block in progress.... now that’s going to be a monster engine once it’s complete!

From Rides

From Rides

This is his other race-built engine; of the B-series which i could relate to better, coz afterall i’m running a similar B16A currently. It’s a B16 / B20 hybrid stroked to 2.2L with *if i can recall correctly* Skunk2 Pro Stage 3 cams + valves + valve train, Toda adjustable cam gears, S2 Pro series intake manifold, Super90 70mm throttle body, ported & polished head, forged JE pistons, balanced crankshaft with ACL race bearings, lightened flywheels, upgraded fuel line & injectors, manual transmission with LSD + 3,4,5 Kaaz gear ratios, running on Hondata S300 ECU & the long list goes on & on...

From Rides

Yups, it’s been tuned to run on race fuel, which is equivalent to aviation fuel of octane 102 maybe?

From Rides

Not sure how much horsepower this monster engine makes, but the rough estimate in the region of 250 to 300 horses at the flywheel sounds reasonable conservative. On the quartermile run this engine had easily recorded a 12 second-ish mark on a 800 ++ kg stripped out 2nd generation Prelude engine on bald tires... That’s awesomely fast for an NA car. I wonder how it’ll perform if i were to plunk this monster engine into my car.... =D

From Rides

And then there’s also my mate’s auto EG9 B16/B20 hybrid. Though on different league compared to the earlier purpose-built race machines, due to the nature of the modification levels, this light-tune hybrid powered ride of my friend is also a force to reckon... Still retaining the stock head mated with the stock auto slush box with only the block modification, this ride can also pull hard all the way to the redline; it’s got tons of torque at the low end coz of the increased engine capacity, good for a strong launch. Pitting it against my mildly modded 1.6l, i think i’m going to have problems outrunning his car despite my gear ratio advantage. When it comes to making horsepower, there is no replacement for displacement (cc); or you can cheat by turbocharging or supercharging the engine... For the tuning path for NA B-series, B16/B20 combos are the way to go; people keep telling me i’d be wasting $$ putting more modifications into the torqueless B16 engine. Somehow, i’m stubbornly insisting on realizing 200-horses from my tiny NA 1.6L 4-cylinder screamer. Will see how it’s going to turn out to be in the near future. =)

Here’s a testament to why the days of the puny B16 ain’t over yet. I’ve posted this video before; just can’t get enough of the noise of VTECs on steroids!

Furnishing Our House

From Miri

From Miri

We got some furniture pieces from IKEA, 2 truck loads full of them!

From Miri

& an extra fridge and washing machine as well. Finally our rented place is looking like a proper house, for the 1st time. So we're gonna have a long weekend fun, unpacking those stuffs like an excited kid unwrapping his pressies on Christmas morning, eh?
Unfortunately not, as the stuffs actually belongs to our friend who'll be transferred to KL soon; our barren living room will serve as a temporary storage before they get shipped sometime soon as well.

From Miri

We've been hoping that he'll leave his big boy's toy in our hands for safekeeping as well, but unfortunately, that didn't happen coz we've run out of shaded parking as our place.

From Miri

This is truly an exotic ride that oozes class & elegance

From Miri

Clad in a befitting loud one-of-a-kind orange paintwork that only goes well with cars of this stature, this heads turner / chick magnet on wheels is not just another M3 wannabe.

From Miri

From Miri

This is the real deal ~ E36 M3! *just look at how that iconic inline-6 banger fills up the whole engine bay!*

From Miri

From Miri

From Miri

From Miri

Riding shotgun in this baby is simply an exhilarating experience; with close to 300 horses readily available at the prob of the accelerator; it just pulls away impressively despite its mammoth weight (over 1,500 kgs i'm sure); the mecha-tune grunt the iconic M3 owerplant makes is unmistakable & a dead giveaway of the power it harnesses ~ this masterpiece is the pinnacle of NA cars~! =)