28.5 C
Singapore
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Home Blog Page 139

Earthquake tremors in Central Singapore

Shaun
-
0
Earthquake tremors in Central Singapore

It rocked today at work, well literally – Sumatra today was hit by earthquake measuring 6.3-6.6 on the Richter scale at about 12 noon today.

I recalled a moment when I suddenly felt dizzy, like desk started swaying, then I noticed the floor was swaying TOO! Then I thought: “Why am I so disorientated? Am I really stressing myself too much from work?”, but NO – Then the walls started swaying – Now I was really SEEING things! I turned and looked at my co-worker who did the same, staring in disbelief at each other that our office was rattering! It was like the our surroundings are contorting as such! It was when we got up on our feet from our desks that we can really feel the full sway of the building, considering my office is on the top floor penthouse of our office block, it made things even scarier.

Paintings started to drop from the walls. Then boss came out suggested everyone to leave the building. Taking only our belongings, we took like 10mins getting out considering the stairwell is all jam-packed with people doing the same and no idiot would use the lift. Everyone crowded at ground level and it’s there where you can see everywhere and across the street – people are all rushing out of buildings, painting curious faces from motorists passing by along the streets. Some felt nauseous and giddy who kept holding their hands to their foreheads. Otherwise all was orderly.

We had an early lunch at BK since it was lunchtime. The feeling was real, unlike those mock up fake earthquakes I’ve experienced in Hollywood. This one really gave the adrenaline rush, making us go: “Hey lets do that again!” Later do we know at about 2pm, came a lighter but longer after-tremor, but we all stayed in the building though admiring the swaying surroundings from our rooftop balcony. Even this time round, no one really bothered leaving the building. Really wondered how the people are doing at the source of the quake, do wish them the best.

The most interesting thing I remembered one of my Directors saying last week:

“It is because of Malaysia’s decision not to sell water to us, therefore Johor flooded with an excess of water…”

“Similarly with Indonesia’s ban on selling sand to us, they will have too much earth and will have eventual earthquake.”

How true…

Designo SHINGJI “Xavier” Pocket PC Phone

Shaun
-
0
Designo SHINGJI “Xavier” Pocket PC Phone
Designo Shingji Xavier Pocket PC Phone

The thing with almost all PDA device manufacturers out there, they just do not seem to get the recipe right or simply just do not listen to consumers. For me, the perfect phone is very hard to come by it’s always either this or that in terms of features. Never have there been a single phone with all the features I need. So what can I do but sit down and start thinking: what defines the phone I need. After some consideration, planning and evaluation, this is my interpretation of the “perfect phone” given the current technological limitations we have. This phone is also part of a new addition into my product design portfolio under my Design house DESIGNO SHINGJI. Here is a run through:

Can’t decide? Have them both!
The Xavier prototype is a clamshell/ candybar dual-form factor Pocket PC phone running Windows Mobile 6.0 crossbow. It supports Quad Band (GSM 800/900/ 1800/1900), UTMS 2100 & 3.5G HSDPA. The Xavier features an upper rotating screen, allowing it to be rotated and used like a PDA. In PDA form factor, 4 application keys still accessible above it’s internal screen.

Productivity at it’s finest
Running on an 520Mhz Xscale processor backed by 128MB RAM & 256MB onboard flash ROM (expandable with external MicroSD Cards including SDHC cards up to 32GB), the Xavier is your ultimate mobile warrior.

Close up of the rotating camera
3.2MP Rotating Camera
Front open perspective view
Flip mode with large screen and comfortable keypad
The phone in PDA form factor
PDA form.

Intuitive functions
A 320×240 main screen flaunts it’s main screen and all functions can be accessed with the side Jogdial on it’s left, followed by the locking switch & MicroSD Slot. The right side features dedicated Camera and Voice command buttons. Besides the 3 programmeable buttons above the internal keypad, there are 4 more above the main screen accessible in both modes. Below the Wireless/Phone/GPS indicator LEDs which both are viewable when the phone is open or closed.

One Camera, all functions
The phone also features a 3.2 Megapixel rotating camera with 4x digital zoom integrated into it’s central hinge. It records VGA (640×480) video at 30fps & can be rotated facing the user for video conferencing. Software marco-mode allow closeups & nightshots are luminated by a Mini Xeon flash mounted on the rotating lens body.

Never get lost
An onboard SPIR STAR III GPS chip and receiver integrated into the upper portion of the phone gives you direction anytime, anywhere. Perfect for traveling, driving or commuting.

Top LED indicators and side buttons
3.5mm Jack, LED indicators & SD slot
Landscape mode
Landscape mode
Clamshell closed with stylus silo & external OLED display
External OLED display with Music Controls

Extensive Connectivity
The phone supports dual-mode VOIP internet hotspot calling and internet surfing with in-built wi-fi a/b/g, allowing you to save on outgoing phone bills by calling out using VOIP, yet recieve incoming calls through GSM as well. Internet hotspot auto sniffing can be turn-on/off at a press of a button to conserve battery, continuous off or only when you are making a call.

Multimedia powerhouse
Supporting Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity with A2DP, the Xavier allows you to listen to music without bounded by wires, beside standard Bluetooth profiles and sync, Bluetooth Remote profile is also supported. Use your current external wired headphones with the Xavier’s 3.5mm audio external connector, which allows activation and use of the in-built FM radio. The flushed and discreet external OLED screen displays vital information such as Caller-id info, Music/Song Information or Time/Date in Standby. Music playback can be controlled through the external dedicated play buttons.

Long Battery Life
The Xavier is powered by a 1440mah removable Li-ion battery giving the best balance of battery life with it’s features without extensive power drain. The Xavier supports USB charging, host/client & sync through mini-USB.

Feature List:

  • Clamshell and PDA form factor
  • GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz (GPRS), UMTS 2100MHz & 3.5G HSDPA
  • Windows Mobile 6.0 Crossbow
  • 520Mhz Xscale Processor
  • Memory 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM
  • MicroSD SDHC expansion (Up to 32GB cards)
  • 105mm x 58mm x 21mm
  • Weight: 170g
  • 9 days standby time (GSM 4 hours talk time, UMTS 3 hours)
  • 2.8″ 16M color TFT, 240×320 res
  • MMS/EMS/SMS
  • POP/IMAP4/SMTP Email
  • 3.2 Megapixel Rotating Lens with Xeon Flash
  • Video Capture 640×480 @ 30fps
  • Bluetooth with A2DP
  • Wi-fi a/b/g
  • VOIP (Dual mode) Calling
  • SPIR STAR III GPS
  • Polyphonics & stereo speakers
  • MP3/OGG/AAC/W4A/WMA Music player
  • Dedicated Music buttons
  • Secondary External Music Player Controls
  • External OLED Display
  • Hardware FM radio
  • Dual Speakerphone
  • 3.5mm Audio Jack Output
  • 1440mah Li-ion Battery
  • USB Charging & Sync

Now to put it to production…

Car and Fuso Pancakes

Shaun
-
0
Car and Fuso Pancakes

After a breakdown last week, being fixed with a new solenoid our family car was up and running again, bringing my family for a hearty dinner yesterday at Goldenmile and safely back home. Glad to see it back and and running again. Little do I know it was short lived – received a call today in office from mum that our car had involved in an accident. Dad was having it during this work time and apparently it was rammed while parked by a prime mover which rolled down (brakes had failed). The first thing which flashed through my mind when I first heard “accident” was possible causality and injuries, driven by disbelief that Dad has always been a very safe driver with a rather spick and span driving record as my knowledge served me. Later do I know that it did not happen on the roads but rather, while the car was still parked. An accident at 0 kph, even with the parking brake on? Belief it.

As mentioned it was rear ended by a prime mover truck within my dad’s workplace which rolled down an incline after it’s “so called” brakes failed. The car really took some damage after being rammed from the back and pushed over a small monsoon drain with tons of pure Mitsubishi Fuso Trailer mass planted firmly into it’s back boot. So basically it’s reared-ended, pushed from the parking lot and smack in the face into over the drain, even the sedan is so “pancaked” it looks like a hatch now. Amazingly as claimed by Dad, the car can still be started, with the exception of too much fender in the way so it can’t be driven and have to be towed to the workshop. Great thing everything was ok and no one was hurt. I am really blessed that no one was hurt.

Linked up with my parents during dinner to discuss about the issue, especially insurance matters and things, apparently repairs could take weeks. Even if insurance were to be written off, strangely, many workshops are willing to buy over the car maybe as the engine is still all working, only just a body job, so don’t be con-ed by these workshop people. I always have a soft spot for that car considering it’s my first driven car. Now our poor little car is sitting beaten up in a dark carpark before it can be towed for repairs tomorrow.

Events leading up to 2007 National Vertical Marathon

Shaun
-
0
Events leading up to 2007 National Vertical Marathon

Internship
With that in a flash marks the end of the Chinese new year week and into week 3 into my internship, with my Liason officer coming to visit the my workplace the following workweek.

Yusheng Madness
Notable events would be YuSheng with my company on Thursday as Siam kitchen restaurant, at Cousin Gordon’s home (with both our families) and finally yesterday night at home with my family ourselves. So that’s almost one Yusheng every day for 3 consecutive days.

Indigestion
Went down with a little indigestion since yesterday, but that when down quite controllably with some off-the-shelf medication and the discomfort clearing up by evening. I always get bloating or stomach pains quite expectedly whenever I overeat the previous day or have a rich diet of flatulence inducing foods, such as nuts and cucumbers, resulting in some form of discomfort. Guess I have to control my intake or sleep with a full warm body in air conditioning to keep my “Qi” in. But that didn’t pretty much stop me from running the National Vertical Marathon today, contrary to possibility seeing myself skipping it this year with my given condition.

Murphy Law in Effect
Amazing despite yesterday’s discomfort, woke up this morning feeling much better and raring to run. But it seems that everything is against into running the event today or a typical case of the Murphy law in full effect- From yesterday’s indigestion to the morning alarm falling to ring (Thanks to my friend who woke me up through phone) to dad’s car breaking down at 6am in the dark morning on our way there to the venue at Republic Plaza (RP) – A typical case of a dead battery when the lights were accidentally left on overnight. It was so bad even the car alarm and central locking was not working. Despite able to push start the car it struggled even at the slightest incline prompting the need to drive the car back halfway while I commuted the rest of the journey to Raffles on MRT. That’s should be enough encounters for one day.

National Vertical Marathon 2007
Met up Ahlong, Elrick and Andre at Raffles MRT this morning for registrations, being only 6mins late despite all the mess ups. Also chanced upon Lonely Runner and rest of the SGRunners before my event and even the H5N1 Chicken guy on my way up around the finishing line at the top floor (who had to do like countless runs up the last flight of steps for a perfect media picture). I didn’t push for a good timing given my bad condition the last few days, prompting about 12mins overall time for the 60 floors up Singapore’s Tallest building, just a little longer than what I did for Swissotel’s 73 floors. Elrick and Ahlong did about 11mins and Andre about 13mins if I remembered. The goodie bag was quite wholesome with various tidbits, pasta and rather readable magazines of interest now, even the event Shirt is dry-fit this year. Left the event shortly thereafter to Delta Swimming complex my planned post vertical marathon 1hour continuous recovery swim.

Dad was repairing the car when I came back at Noon and my appetite found it’s way back me again! Lunch was on mum and it was great!

Mileage for the week (7 day period)
Tuesday – Tiong Bahru Park – 15 rounds (15km)
Wednesday – Tiong Bahru Park – 16 revised-rounds (18km)
Sunday Morning – National Vertical Marathon, Republic Plaza 60 Floors
Sunday Noon – 1 Hour Continuous swim 50m laps for 60mins
Total Running Mileage for 1 week: 33km
Total Accumulative Mileage for 2007: 115km

Shutdown Day 24th March 2007

Shaun
-
0
Shutdown Day 24th March 2007

24th March is shutdown day folks. Just like “don’t drive your car day” or “no smoking day” or “kill the girbills in the trash day”, try to do as the name suggests ya? Like not turning on your desktop/laptop without the mouth-foaming withdrawal symptoms.

24th march is the date to mark on the calendar falling on a Saturday (and one day before my birthday as well ba!). Now if only your boss will buy that on your 6th day work week…

Running update, Revised Tiong Bahru Park Runs

Shaun
-
4
Running update, Revised Tiong Bahru Park Runs

It’s 2007 a new running year and new resolutions to meet as well. With that, it’s time to revise the 2006 usual running patterns.

2007 Revised Tiong Bahru Running Route

My Revised Running Route Map

My usual favorite bi-weekly running route will have a revised distance, so not only make my lap and distance counts easier but it will be more accurate to do my timings and pacings based on the single kilometer instead of the 800m previously. One round is realistically 1.05km with an additional 50m to accommodate for my habit to occasionally take the insides of corners and bends, so give and take it’s 1km.

I though I might be crazy naming the corners of the run, like the “Delta Apex”, or the “GESS Figure 8”, but unlike that on the BBC Top Gear race track, it’s the basic thing I can have on my mind (besides playing music) for those extended repeated rounds I particularly love. Training runs will be 15 rounds for half-marathon training (present distance for my Amback KL Half-Marathon) and 20-30 rounds for a marathon (2007 SCM).

My Labrador Park Distance will still be fixed at 1.22km so is my other favorite Sunset way canal route capped at 5.18km per round.

Labrador Park 1.22km
Labrador Park 1.22km/Round
Sp Canal Route 5.18km
SP Canal Route 5.18km/Round

National Vertical Marathon 2007
Got a confirmation on the National Vertical Marathon 2007 this Sunday. This time it’s Republic Plaza (RP) with 60 floors to beat. I had not ran up RP before, contrary to Swissotel and Suntec, hope the stairwell layout is alternating and not so monotonous. Registrations starts at 6.30 – 9am for Men’s Open. Would be meeting my track and classmates at Raffles MRT at about 7am after breakfast around home. Then would be going for a short 1 hour continuous cardio swim after the event to sum up the coming Sunday morning.

Asics DS Trainer
I was looking the Asics DS Trainer 12 is out for $209 at the Marina Square Asics concept shop yesterday. Should be able to get it at about $129 from the running world warehouse. Otherwise, I still find my present Trainer 11 the best looking so far, which simply justify why the DS trainer 11 and 12 are sold for the same $209 price?

Last but not least, here is a little inspiration: Running The Sahara.

Would be going out for another 15km run again. Chaos!

Post 2007 CNY

Shaun
-
0
Post 2007 CNY

Chinese New Year is rather short this year, but very much more enjoyable than last year. Namely because it’s the first time in about 5 years where all our families come together under one roof at my grandma’s place, lunch and dinner included. Previously one of my Uncles kinda like went down in a family contractor business. Being in-debt and declared a bankrupt, he kept to himself and his family in isolation after having sold their Mercedes and rather overly large 3 floored landed semi-D for a Mitsubishi and smaller home presently. I guess it’s just human nature as my other chatty aunties would remark “No face, go Hide”. But I guess it’s time when the wounds are healed having been able to see our long lost cousins in person (besides catching up through random meet ups on the streets or irregular Friendster updates for almost 5 years since before I enlisted into the Army) – the undesirable expense of family avoidance, all over now? Well so did they say… “see you in 365 days time?”

I have not actually counted my Angbao Money yet, but based on what sis told me, she had collected an odd $200, a far cry from what we used to get previously when we were kids – going at least $300-$500 per new year. Looks like as the saying goes, as you get older you really receive less.

Work starts tomorrow for me!

Toshiba g900, Samsung f520, f700, i-Mate Ultimate at 3GSM

Shaun
-
2
Toshiba g900, Samsung f520, f700, i-Mate Ultimate at 3GSM

As part of the new phones announced at 3GSM in Barcelona, here are few of the few interesting phones which should be coming out within 1 or 2 quarters time. HTC and Nokia didn’t really steal the show though, as most the products on show are actually announced products ages ago. But Toshiba also came out with a heart-stopper with their 800×400 screen resolution Pocket PC called the G900 with almost everything the HTC Hermes (Aka Dopod 838Pro) has plus a larger screen and an integrated finger print reader (Video on fingerprint scrolling). Motorola is reliving up with the traditional 90s banana sliders with the Motorola RIZR Z8 in a hip trim of green as opposed to their age old MOTOROKR E6 which I was considering getting last month. Glad I didn’t purchase it then. With that I guess the stars of the show have to be from the Samsung booth with these 2 phones:

Samsung F520 Dual Slider
Samsung F700 Ultra Phone
Samsung F520

  • HSDPA, EDGE
  • 900/1800/1900 MHz + 2.1GHz
  • 3 Megapixel Camera with Flash
  • 262k TFT (3”, 480×272)
  • Full Touch Screen Dual Axis Slider
  • MPEG4/H.263/H.264/Real
  • MP3/AAC(+)/eAAC+/Real
  • Hot Launching Key (TV, Internet, Music)
  • MMS/E-mail/JAVA/WAP 2.0
  • Bluetooth® / USB
  • Flash UI, Document Viewer
  • Full HTML Browser
  • Offline Mode, BGM
  • microSD™ Expansion
  • 104.8 x 53.7 x 17.4 mm
Samsung F700

  • HSDPA 1.8Mbps/UMTS, EDGE/GPRS
  • 900/1800/1900 MHz + 2.1GHz
  • 5 Megapixel Camera w/Auto-Focus & Flash
  • 262k TFT (2.78”, 440×240) screen
  • Non-Stylus Full Touch Screen
  • MPEG4/H.263/H.264/Real
  • MP3/AAC(+)/eAAC+/Real
  • Slideout QWERTY Keypad
  • MMS/E-mail/JAVA/WAP 2.0
  • Bluetooth® / USB
  • Flash UI / Document Viewer
  • Full HTML Browsing
  • Offline Mode, BGM
  • microSD™ Expansion
  • 104 x 50 x 16.4 mm

Do note that both phones are Windows powered, but running Samsung’s Unique GUI Theme and Animated Menus (possibly their answer to Nokia’s 3rd Gen S60 and Nvidia phone interface?) instead of the chunky Standard Pocket PC interface, but you can still be able to run all your old Pocket PC software with it. Noticeably the specifications left out are the onboard RAM and ROM which is native for Windows Mobile based devices and there is no confirmed spec of Wi-Fi being included in both phones, besides the all standard bluetooth. Product specifications are subject to change without notice though, so expect alot of updates and news to come.

i-Mate Ultimate Series

I-mate Ultimate WM6.0 : 5150, 6150, 7150, 8150 and 9150
With i-Mate dunking HTC as an ODM manufacturer (with HTC strangely stating the desire for a merger with SE), i-Mate had came out with a new range of non-HTC devices for the 2007 lineup, dubbed the “Ultimate Series”, the specs raises eyebrows considerably too, with 262k VGA screens and Windows Mobile 6 “Crossbow” across the board for instance.

The higher end 7150 tablet comes with a 3.6″ LCD touch screen with the most compact 8150 candybar going at a mere 11.5mm. Even the 9150 flip phone variant has a touch screen, (which could be quite difficult to use as a clamshell). Otherwise last is a choice between a slider or a front integrated keypad for the 5150, 6150 and 8150. Here are the basic specifications across the board, with the exception of both the 8150 and 9150 spotting external sleek OLED screens.

i-Mate Phone specifications:

  • Intel Bulverde 520MHz
  • Quad-Band GSM/EDGE, Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA
  • WiFi 802.11B/G/E/I
  • 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM
  • Micro SD card slot
  • VGA 262K Colour LCD Touch Screen
  • Bluetooth v2.0 + EDR – up t 1.3 Mbps
  • Mini USB high speed – 480 Mbps
  • Direct Video Out XGA
  • Micro SD card slot
  • 2.0 mega pixel camera
  • FM Stereo Radio
  • Microsoft Direct Push email directly from MS Exchange 2003 SP2

Lastly, besides downing DRM, undoubtedly Jobs is planning an upgrade of the iPhone labeled the iPhone 2.0 mainly as it will be largely outdated by the time it’s released mid this year.

Happy 2007 Chinese New Year!

Shaun
-
0
Happy 2007 Chinese New Year!

Oinks going out to all celebrating the Lunar New Year Today! Wishing prosperity, success and good health this new year of the pig.

Now to eat the new year goodies in moderation…

Juggling work, play and Training, KL Marathon

Shaun
-
0
Juggling work, play and Training, KL Marathon
Kl Marathon 2007

Work had definitely eaten not only my personal time but much of my usual run and training schedules – I had not been running regularly, (clocking awfully low week millage in the process) nor attending track training in school last few weeks. Furthermore, if it’s not hitting my personal weekly distance requirement of 30km, it’s beating it off with weather blues given my fixed inflexible schedules – so it’s either “yes or no” with heavy rain yesterday evening canceling short my evening run. But a 11km run at MR today topped it up, which was rather cool with coach around, with the exception of him always talking all about the movie Apocalypto. Registered for the Ambank KL Marathon there (Running the Half-marathon event $10SGD early bird price) at the MR carpark, where the official registration team is located.

Besides National Vertical Marathon coming up in a fortnight, my basic plan now are mostly 15km runs after work on Tuesdays and Thursday/Fridays (with flexibly in case of chill out Friday nights) ending the week with 1 hour continuous cardio swim on Sunday mornings. This is particularly important for millage training relating to KL marathon. But I guess the schedule can only realistically start after CNY, when all our blood vessels are clogged with pineapple tarts, cashew nuts and Ba Kua oil – the time for health and weigh related guilts is coming!

Maybe eating a proportionate amount of mandarin oranges will have an antioxidant effect on the unhealthy foods…

Mileage for the week (14 day period)
* Previous Week
Tuesday – SP Gym 3 Light Sets Weight Training + Treadmill 5km
Wednesday – Tiong Bahru Park – 15 rounds (15km)
Friday – 1 Hour Continuous swim 50m laps for 60mins
* Current Week – Pre-CNY
Tuesday – Tiong Bahru Park Run – 12 rounds (12km)
Saturday – Macritchie Park Run (Golf Course Route – 11km)
Total Millage for 2 weeks: 43km
Total Accumulative Millage for 2007: 82km

First Week of Internshp (ITP)

Shaun
-
0
First Week of Internshp (ITP)
Life as an Intern in dilbert's comic strip

Hello I am Shaun, just like Assok the intern in the comic Dilbert, I am the lowest possible life form in the corporate ladder – having the profound ability to “not know anything” and the “noob-rights” to hang around like a complete idiot. ITP this holidays is a unique one, being only 9 weeks short, not many companies are actually accepting internship from SP (giving the department lots of headaches in the process) particularly because the usual ITP period is usually about 6 months and 9 weeks is technically a “holiday” as nothing short-mid term project can actually be done within such a short time, thus no justifying and company’s need for specialised training or intensive coaching to students. Mostly a “water-boy” role as proclaimed by many of my peers. We can see this coming given the SP MM ITP department sorting to desperate measures telling students to sign and accept disclaimers if they are posted to a job completely unrelated to their field of studies “just for work experience” as they claimed.

For me, being posted to a company of my recommendation, work is rather manageable. Moreover having worked there before on almost every semester holiday, I am already well versed with the practices and staff, with the exception of getting to know few new recruited staff since my last stay in office. Integrating is a piece of cake and I got a desk ready for work within 5mins on my first day of work.

With the exception of distractions within the Bugis area (such as shopping, Bugis street, Bugis Junction, Simlim square etc), I guess I am quite blessed with quite a centralised workplace location, contrary to some of my friends pooping up at dawn to factories Changi or Woodlands. Commuting is acceptable with one direct bus form home, with the exception of rather frequent long waits.

Pay is good too, way above the minimum wage (and SP recommended wage) of $440, and “high” enough for any student on ITP to drool for. But that is peanuts to anyone working in my current company though. My monthly pay is capped at a mere $640 so as not to “spoil market” as stated by my supervisor, so as not to invite any potential “head starches” to my school for paying an “inexperienced intern” the rate of a normal full time staff.

But being posted to a company recommended by yourself will guarantee higher pay too – many of my other SP peers recalled tormenting experiences of their company supervisors immediately quoting the minimum $440 wage at any given chance to cut costs, them cursing and swearing after leaving the HR office.

CNY is tomorrow thats fast! With the first week over, it will be a long holiday till the next work day, thursday for me (wednesday is and off day) till then I am free!

Is owning a car beneficial in Singapore? 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer

Shaun
-
7
Is owning a car beneficial in Singapore? 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer
Off to camp, off the camp one last time!

And yes, on Cars. Dad came around one day with mum asking about plans for our next new family car. Despite all his talk on Renaults previously, he was considering the 2006-2007 1.6L Mitsubishi Lancer which is going for a dirt cheap $43,000 with COE at C&C, which is close to half of how much we paid for our current 1.5GLi Toyota almost 10 year ago with it’s COE expiring in a few years time. To dad, “a car is a car which gets people from point A-B and B-A, any other questions asked? and no, we do not need a convertible….”

This decision came about after serious considerations whether into continuing maintaining our 9 year old car which will needs an expensive overhaul for inspection soon or just scrap it and get a new one after this Chinese New Year? I suggested the standard Subaru Impreza 1.6 going at around the same affordable price. But as dad as dad, who had previously worked for Subaru and always bragged about how good their flat fours are, amazingly did not want to own a Subaru this time! And neither would be a Toyota, Hyundai, Mini, Volkswagon, Ford, Datsun (and the list goes on…) as he had owned them all first hand before, even before I was born! and wanted something different this time. But didn’t he own a Mitsu before when I was a kid?, “”that previous one was a resale”, he said… *collapse*

New 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer

Another contender in the sub $43,000 priced car would be the 2nd most common car in Singapore – The Nissan Sunny 1.6L, (with the Lancer in Third and the Toyota Corolla in First). But if my eyes don’t fail me the new 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer is really pretty though, it’s like a cross between the old Mitsu Gallant and Volvo front styling, totally niffy. The thing I heard that variants starts at 1.8L up to the 2.4L in the 2008 Lancer EVO X. So the $43,000 price tag might not stay especially for a 1.8L.

However, realistically speaking, I actually do not need a car, it’s more of a want – something that almost all guys will spend on their first contact with big bucks. Even if one may argue driving a car allows you to take the shortest possible route to your destination (in my case most school and town), thus saving time. But if I get to drive one to school, the shortest route I will be taking is the exalt same route my bus takes me to school everyday. Same for town and such, it just IMPOSSIBLE to find a parking lot in the city – Let be wasting at least 30mins to even an hour waiting or trying to look for one, where all I need is a short bus trip from home to town and back.

Driver for the day

In the Singaporean context, the car functions more of a social status as our very commendable network of public transport fully substitutes it in terms of it’s basic function relating to personal transport, contrary to other larger countries. Furthermore, with bus lane rules are getting stricter with dedicated lanes as well & so are rising fuel prices & taxes, pollution & stricter emission controls, things don’t look good & does not justify the perceived “good”.

Furthermore, we can fully exploit the opportunity cost of the money saved from buying a car – we can do alot with it like investing it or use it to fund further studies, so as mum hinted occasionally.

Though one can argue that a car is an invaluable resource at times of critical need and emergencies, I guess that only comes out of the blue where the true value of owning a car really shines. But there are vehicles called “Taxis” as well. Mmmm

Well I can’t deny that if I can afford it, I would still buy a car, in fact I was torn between the support for green cars, namely the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid, but the price ($80,000-$100,000) cannot justify itself where I can get another equivalent sized saloon of the same capacity at even less than half the price.

Besides that, I always have a soft spot for convertibles as well. For the record, the 800,000th Mazda MX-5 ($90,000) has recently rolled out of the factory, maintaining in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest selling most affordable 2 seater convertible. For me, a 2007 BMW E93 Cabriolet Hardtop Convertible 325i ($200,000) is what I can realistically dream for.

1...138139140...194Page 139 of 194

Welcome to ShaunChng.com! My humble little home on the internet. Showcased here are various musings and works of interests I enjoy doing. Whether it is checking out foodie places in town, fun with technology, backpacking around the world or riding myself silly on themepark coasters, join me on my adventures in documenting the world, one blog post at a time. Feel free to wander around the site. Have a thought or question? Do reach me. Your say, your stay, enjoy yourself here.

Singapore Places

Column

© 1997 - 2024 Shaunchng.com