Week 48 in a glance…

1.0 Deathnote

Halfway thru the series & I’m really digging it now… It’s been awhile since I’ve seen one with such a brilliant & intricate plot; can’t hardly wait to watch the remaining episodes til the end. Now I’ll just have to keep pestering Snoopy to burn me copy of the rest of ‘em…

2.0 Dude meets RX8

The blazing red baby gets delivered, finally….

Captivating interior with that oh-so-sweet 6-speed short shift stick…

Dude, I’m so envious of your new ride…. So when can I get a ride? =D

3.0 Fab Race V

This is THE annual event of my co. that I’ve somehow managed to miss for the past 2 consecutive years, due to OT ~ made a resolution to give it a shot this year, with the Litho gang in full force, for the first time in history & a chance at living out our very own ‘Amazing Race’…. =)

This year, they’ve added a unique touch to the race by incorporating a team T-shirt design contest which calls for late night toiling….

we’ve decided to DIY our own tees coz it turned out to be the most cost effective & probably the only way get our designs printed right without any ‘misprocess’…

One fine example ~ the Bum-Blur-Bs

Our own revamped Gundam ‘X’

‘Souping’ up my ride with decals…. Putting them on is turning out to be a whole lot easier than the taking off process… (1 sticker = + 5 hp) hahah!

This one’s staying put… even after the race, coz it’ll legitimize slow lane hogging. =p

24^th ~ actual day… assembly starts at an ungodly 5:30am…

A congregation of blurry half-awake ppl before flag-off + blurrier pics…

The not-to-be-missed all-important food/snacks rations…

It’s been an exciting & grueling 1/2 day race with mind numbing clues & riddles to crack to get from one point to another; this really feels like amazing race, local version…. Cool. Started out strong, but gradually started to lose steam when we lost our pole position somewhere in the middle or the race… it turned out be a lot tougher than we anticipated; despite being one of the first top 5 teams to finish, we slipped to a low of 12^th position when the total points were tallied.

Capping off with scrumptious buffet dinner at Holiday Inn poolside…

Nevertheless, our other 2 teams successfully clinched the top 5 spots; so it turned out to be quite a fruitful outing for Litho, as a whole…. Not bad at all, for first timers. Til the next one… =) *Why the report format? coz it's monday & report submitting day... monday blues at work got cut short ... thanks to the MC =p ; in dire need of one to recuperate ~ past weeks; gruelling schedule had taken it's toll on me...

i'll never be lonely now that i know her she fills my heart with joy, she makes my day she just has to smile to blow my cares away she just has to touch my hand, to make me stay...

When i first laid my eyes on her, i knew i got to have her right away... on my desktop ~ coz she's so good to look at... =p

Presenting 1/6 Saber swimsuit figurine by Alter

~ from the anime series Fate/stay night. Well, i'm one of those out there who have yet to catch the series; not that i need to know anything about Fate to get my hands on this coz she's such a cutie! Impressively shot by Danny using a pretty trick DSLR

Multi-angle view ~ much less impressively shot by me using W810i (i need a DSLR!!). Pristine & mint (even the box), very beautifully & all round appeallingly crafted... full glory to be viewed in the box only... still reluctant to bring her out, unless i've got a proper display case =)

Have always wanted to get one of these, but due to the low availability locally plus tons of bootlegged ripoffs versions around town. Typically costing up to hundreds of bucks for the genuine stuff, it's always wise to do some research before hand. So i figured the best way to get them is to check with the avid collectors at the hobby forums, checkout the garage sales thread within, or order directly from Japan (& boot the shipping + tax costs) if your passion for figurines overwhelms the depth of your pocket... A stroke of luck when i stumbled unto this thread, who happens to have just what i wanted reasonably priced, & the better part, based in Kuching. Amias a.k.a Spurious; an avid anime fan & figurine collector, who's gladly enthusiastic about sharing his passion; it' been great dealing with you! =)

*opening excerpts from robert palmer's hit: she makes my day

Haven't had much to post about lately, & finally it's back to blogging about some robots... =p .Just some updated photos on my Gundams shot with my W810. Kind of sub-par in quality (the photographs),. maybe it's just lousy room lighting... or maybe it's about time i added a REAL SLR camera on my wishlist. If i were to get anymore serious on Gunpla-ing, it's about time for me to get one, just so i could snap photos of 'em Gundams in full glory. I might want to add a proper display showcase as well, as the meticulously constructed specimens of mine are already starting to collect dust on display stands perched on my desktop. Now that i'm done with both, my hands are already itching to get busy on another new project.... MG Destiny?

That's one very FEASIBLE project to own *hint* b'day wish =p

GAT-X105 Strike Gundam + I.W.S.P

ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Full Burst Mode

Test Drive ~ nothing excites a petrol-head like me as much as this. After nearly 2 years of driving fun & excitement with my lil’ VTEC toy, I’ve decided it’s about time for an upgrade to a bigger league. So out with my aging Civic & in with the new.

Had been meticulously hunting for a prospective ‘new family member’ at every major car dealership in town over the weekend. When it comes to getting a new ride, what most people have in mind is a mode of private transport that gets them from point A to point B, comfort & practicality appeal, economicality ~ maintenance ease & how much to the gallon?, whether it’s got good resale value, whether your in-laws would like it…. Etc. Well, I’m not most people. How fast it can get me from point A to point B is also equally important, as much as street credibility presence... I need a ride with an attitude, man…

Been looking at performance rides along the lines of EVOs, WRXs, Skylines & 350Zs. Checked out a couple of Skyline GT-Ts, an R34 GTR, Scooby WRX STis & an odd 350Z or two ~ generally belonging to the upper echelons of the Jap supercars with super inflated price tags attached coz of the hefty import duties imposed… though it’s something I’ll try to live with =p

The finalists:

A white Scooby WRX ~ AWD packing serious powah, that distinctive & addictive boxer throaty rumble…. but maintenance wise not an easy daily driver to live with

The legendary Integra DC5 Type R ~ I’d gladly stick to the Honda stable, but I’ve really wanted to explore a different kind of ride, preferably an RWD or with a siput turbo.

It finally came down to a tie between

The sleek & sexy Toyota MRS ~ light as a feather & handles sweeter. Definitely a head turner & chick magnet….

The revolutionary Mazda RX-8 ~ a rotary dream packing much more power & looks no less imposing in presence… & it's RWD babeh!

Seeing a Mazdaspeed kitted version in presence just makes me drool…. But sadly this one’s got no STICK! Most examples available or running around town are semi-autos (same case with the MRS & etc) = potong stim… ~ auto trannies & paddle shifters are for SISSIES. Real men ride with their STICKs. Damn those automakers, why can’t they make cars old school style & give them real STICKs.

It’s becoming apparent that my affection for the rotary dream is gradually shining through & finally, like an answer to my prayers…. I’ve hit home run! A pristine Type-S 6-speed manual 255hp RX-8 showed up right before my eyes… freshly out from the port! This is it! I’ve got to have this baby!

A recond ’04 model with fairly low mileage & engine bay so squeaky clean you could almost lick it!

This baby is mine to take home for RM160,000++

OKIE, SO THIS IS WHEN I SHOULD SNAP OUT OF MY AUTO FETISH FANTASY & GET BACK TO REALITY. THIS AIN’T MY RIDE TO BE… JUST YET.

Ha, actually a lucky pair of colleagues of mine would be realizing their Rotary Dream soon, & I just can’t hardly contain myself from sharing their excitement! =) *grin*grin*

These ‘stolen photos’ are courtesy of Fei-Fei, co-pilot of the soon-to-be owner. *I’m already glowing green with envy* I WANT! I WANT!

Personally, I’d go with the gun metal grey color scheme… but I can’t afford one well enough… just yet. So I’ll have to be contented dreaming & fantasizing about it. Period.

Like MrToilet put it: We can afford oso wat, we just share-share among the 3 of us lar

RM 155/3 = 51.7K

Full loan only RM700 – 800 per person for like 7 years?

1 week / 3 = one person drives an average of 2 times / day a week

What the heck! 1 kaki handbrake drifter + 2 kaki heavy-foot syndrome drivers, the car sure is going to be taking a lot of abuse ~ that’s the whole point of getting a performance ride in the first place! Just before going over enthusiastic throwing the car around the bends ~ got to bear in mind that those massive 18” inch rubbers can fetch up to a whooping RM1K+ a piece…. & I though my 15” Advan Neovas were pricey. So, still having 2^nd thoughts to go drifting with it?

To be continued in my dream tonight… hehe =p

Need a Speed Fix?

A WHOOPING 283km/h @ 9826rpm ~ clocked at Kuching-Serian highway...One has got to have balls of steel (& outta his mind) to be pushing it this extreme at any place other venue not named SIC (Sepang International Circuit)...

The suspect: A 4G93T powered Mitsu Lancer GSR boosting @ 1.2bar. What's with the stratospheric near 10K rpm shifting point?? (near god-like for turbocharged machines) ~ attainable with upgraded valve springs + retuned ECU (speed & rev cut removed) + properly sorted intake & exhaust system according to the owner.... That puny sized stock intercooler has got to go to make way for a more appropriate massive one to effectively sort out the frequent overheat problem.

No big kahuna fart cannon exhaust in sight??? Those massive twin 3.5" genuine Kakimoto mufflers had just recently been removed ~ so damned low that they could hardly clear the car porch ramp.... So a civilised stock back box is fitted snugly in place, till the owner decides to have another Sunday Cup weekend...

The other badass ride... TR Monster Satria

The w-i-d-e-s-t & nicest looking one in town. One you would hate to meet at any Autoshow if you're a competitor, coz this baby just sweeps the competition away!

A massive 19" bling-blings would do this baby justice.... believe me, it's already in the pipeline for the insane owner..

Meet the other personalities at home...

My quest for more power / powerful rides is always met with a typical response from the elders a.k.a mom/dad:

Siao ah? Kuching where got highwaty to drive that fast?? I tend to get that a lot... -_- ... though, have done:

190+km/h along Bako expressway in my humble civic

180km/h along Samajaya FIZ highway again in my daily ride

180km/h (maxing out 3rd gear) along a deserted lorong somewhere in Sejingkat industrial area in a 3SGTE MR2

170+km/h in a crazy buddy's auto civic EG9

Another crazy fella just did 280+km/h... whoa, i just hope he'll take me along for a ride when he goes on another spirited drive! =p

On an endnote: i hereby declare that i do not condone dangerous driving or street racing... one should seek to understand one's ride & one's driving abilities, well enough before starting pushing the limits. Be a responsible driver on the road =)