Review - 2010 Fiat Bravo 1.4 T-Jet 150hp | Italian Obsession

Troy Kennedy Martin should have used Fiat Bravos for the four million dollar gold heist when he wrote The Italian Job because he wouldn’t have needed that many of the three Minis to fit in those bullion. But being British, he had to let the Minis in.

Bad mistake.

You can’t let an English flag mess around in Italy. They tried that with football and the English got glass bottles flying at them. It almost happens to any Brit who tries to be funny with them on their turf. It is even worse when you get Minis shoving their way out of the Italian traffic and frolicking around the Lingotto factory building in Turin where the Fiats were made. No wonder the Mafia’s annoyed.

Two Fiat Bravos would have made it through the streets undetected with all that gold but because it wasn’t even built in 1969 (back then when The Italian Job was filmed), the movie had a legitimate excuse to roll that climactic screen time of car chases with all that Minis and losing the loot in the end.

The thing is, the Italians are obsessed with Italian cars and they’ll give it a “thumbs-up-and-go” for nearly every car that is Italian. They are not Italians for nothing and they don’t make Italian cars for nothing. They did the same thing with the Ferraris and Alfas and you know instantly that it is an Italian trait.

And then they built a car with a 16-valve engine capacitating 1.4 litres, turbo-charged it so that it can produce 150 brake horsepower and accelerate split-seconds faster than a German Golf. They threw in a six-speed manual gearbox so that it is more entertaining than fidgeting with arcade shifts behind the steering wheel. They ensured that the 5-Star Euro NCAP safety ratings are met with their dual stage airbag system and included a Fire Prevention System (FPS) to obviate fuel contact with the engine in crash accidents, probably because they trust the car more than the drivers.

Traction control is provided by the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and even adaptive fog lights are installed for your night cornering. These are ostensibly insufficient for them simply because the list does not end here. They just keep going on and on, tossing all their technologies at you to justify your money’s worth.

The 150bhp Fiat Bravo 1.4M T-Jet Dynamic is such an Italian.

Review - 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI | Floor it

Floor it.

This was the first voice which rang in my head when I eased into the driver’s seat of a Subaru. Turbo-charged.

The car came to life with a bellowing yawn, and my attention turned to the “STI” emblems on the meter cluster and the steering helm.

I do not have a very good impression of turbo-charged Subarus. My experiences were horrid because they tend to overtake you effortlessly with the drivers giving you a smug grin on their faces. They have a reason to be, because I was already trying to rock my car forward with my body weight. Alright, that was a desperate attempt.

Years later I upgraded to a Euro R boosting nearly 300hp. I managed to meet one unit on the road and thought revenge would be easy this time. There was no clear winner, but my understanding of the car deepened. Over thirty thousand dollars were spent on my car trying to prove one point. That the naturally-aspirated engine performs better than forced induction.

The problem here is, there is no clear comparison to that. Both are different set-ups and you really have to look at them separately. Enough of the bickering, turbo cars should keep to playing with turbo counterparts and the same goes for the naturally-aspirated. Which is why eventually, I’ve finally accepted that sitting in a Subaru Impreza WRX STI is nothing humiliating.

This is a compliant looking STI that has undeclared horsepower of well over 300 under its bonnet. The exhaust growls heavily because it is a Fujitsubo and it roars even louder with the TD06 attached to its heart. You can’t slouch because the seats are pulling at your back when you floor it. You can feel the velocity in your toes. You are keeping both your hands on the steering wheel because it is trying to tame you. It is faster, it is pushy, and you are capable of bullying someone else with this beast.

Review - 2007 Mazda 3 1.6 SP Auto | Chic Romanticism

The Mazdas are getting prettier nowadays, thanks to Laurens van den Acker and his predecessor Moray Callum. The success of the black interiors and red-lighted instruments has been a contributory factor in the evolvement of modern day automotive blueprint. All of their designs are significantly bold and stylish.

Take a Mazda from any era and you will know what I mean. The themes are made to last and this is hugely the reason why you don’t see a Mazda make-over every year. This is particularly impressive because that’s when you know that the Mazda designers do not get sick of their own creation. Hardly the case for some other manufacturers though.

The 2007 Mazda 3 cuts across as chic and smart. It represents a clique of car-owners with an eye for sleek details and augments that with an air of sophistication. The clever design makes you feel like bathing the car yourself. How you would love to slide your fingers along those wet contours and projected frames!

A well-groomed Mazda 3 is brilliant. The two-toned paintwork intensifies the vibrance of grey and Corian shades of azure. The driving balance is typically Mazda and you feel a notion of romanticism when you get in there.

The interior gadgets and instruments are caressable. You know that you are not driving a Ferrari or a Lamborghini but it doesn’t matter. The condition is immaculate and you cosies up to it effortlessly.

A good sound entertainment system would be absolutely perfect.

 

Review - 2008 Honda Civic VTI 1.6 Auto | Making Logic and Cents

It does make a lot of a difference in being logical with dollars and cents when it comes to buying a car of your choice. Before you spend that 30% of your monthly pay cheque, check again. What's in the car for you? Firstly, we make sure that we are able to afford it. Next, the possible costs that comes along after purchasing the car in the form of road taxes and getting a decent insurance coverage. And of course, paying the right price for what you need.

If you are looking for some good leg room and space for your passengers, the Honda Civic would make a reasonable choice. The interior room has a cooling effect on its driver and passengers. The lack of bright colors ensure that the cabin is kept cosy and comfortable, and at the same time it edges out the aging factor of most cars. It can be said that this car actually makes you look years younger.

Taking this car out for a short drive is easy. All the panels are in clear motion and as soon as you get yourself in the cockpit, you are both the driver and the navigator. For this particular unit, handling and overall control is impressive. It is stock, so you can ensure a hassle-free trip to the inspection centre. There's actually nothing much you can upgrade unless you are a budding street-racer. But if you were, you shouldn't be driving a single cam in the first place...

And so it boils down to this: You are not a boy-racer, and you are probably a grown-up who desires the traditional lines of the Civic. You just want good space without paying more for road tax and insurance, which is true if you agree with me that you should not be spending five to ten thousand dollars more for that additional 200cc. You don't need to tear your counterparts on the roads and you value a comfortable and quiet drive so this is probably what you should choose for reliability.

The 'H' bearers are becoming a classy act and I don't feel like getting out of the seat at all.

Hypnotic Complications

It affects and modify cognitive and behavioral traits of a person. It is highly capable of creating criminal intent. We banned drugs isn't it? Why this now?

This is no longer one of those magic performances that has been practiced by illusionists all over the world. "Hypnos" comes across as something Greek, referring to "sleep". Hypnotherapy was popularized in the mid-1900s as a form of psychological treatment. It has the ability of altering our mental capacity and reaching beyond, into our subconscious minds and tweaking us out.

Forget about the therapeutic lexicons. I am talking about someone knocking you out (not literally) and starts a conversation with the other half of your mind. You are on the verge of losing control, and you respond to whatever questions that are posed to you. If you are a smoker, you are likely to be told that smoking smells big time. You will regain conscious and would probably not smoke again.

It was recently reported that such therapies are becoming a trend in Singapore. Practitioners say that it helps the young to cope with their studies and aids in stress management. In psychological healings, it extracts undesirable memories and reflashes those collection with new and healthy ones.

Of course, a salubrious remedy is good news after all. But that is not all.

There are however, psychotic implications amidst hypnotic complications. Messages which are inadvertently suggested might stay with you months after you regain awareness. The uncertainties in the professionalism of the therapists remain a question. Any deficiency in training or knowledge would conspicuously impair the judgement and aptitude on the part of the therapist. How would that sound if you were the patient?

Have you tried looking up the various applications of hallucinogen and nootropics? One of the distinctive difference between drugs and hypnosis is that you are fed through your mouth with the former and latter goes into your head.

A psychiatrist would be able to tell you more about hypnotic conditioning and its criminal ramifications. You could either use it to quit your smoking habits, satisfy your logic for petty crimes or seek solace for your child pornographic acts.

Morally speaking, I'll rather leave it to the imagination of the individual reader.

The Interview

I received an email from Citroen regarding a job application which I had sent out to them recently:

"Hi David

We refer to your job application for the position of Sales Consultant - Citroen.

Thank you for taking the time to attend the interview at our premise. After due consideration, we regret to inform that your credentials do not best match with our requirements.

We appreciate your keen interest in pursuing a career with ......"

From the looks of it nothing seemed to be incorrect, unless I realised that I did not attend any interview session with them at all. Most people might think different of it, but I saw an issue with it and replied to that particular department on this matter.

The issue was not because I was rejected, but due to the reason behind it. There is a great difference between your application being rejected via static examination of your resume submitted, and the company rejecting you after they have had a fruitful conversation with you.

The typical CV offers an overview of your previous job experiences and your probable potential. It renders a brief background about yourself to the would-be employers. On the contrary, an interview session is interactive. It visualizes your potential beyond words. It impresses dramatically. It is what you make out of it. It is a performance. It can be anything.

Now the interesting thing is, I was not given the opportunity to speak for myself. No one interviewed me. Thus, I am of the opinion that the company did not talk to me and therefore turned away my application based on what they had perceived on paper. This was the wrong fact which they stated in their reply to me. They claimed to have interviewed me and claimed my credentials, not up to their requirements.

I followed that up with an email reply regarding this matter and attempted to correct this aspect. I told them that I am not dismissing any future possibilities of working with them and therefore I would prefer a more truthful and appropriate account of this job application. They have to state that they rejected my application without even talking to me, or giving me a chance to speak.

Imagine the scenario where some guy from the management reaches for your file, reads it and go,"Oh, our guy has shortlisted him, spoken to him personally and found him unsuitable for the job." That would seriously murder any chances of you getting that job again in that department again, at least for a good few years.

Job-seekers should understand that regardless of all those perfect pictures about corporate interviewers or guru-fed instructions on how to capture that great job you have always wanted, it is not flawless.

Similarly, there are interviewers who don't take you seriously enough. They don't bother to reply, and adopt the "Treat your application as unsuccessfully if you don't receive our reply" policy just to ease off their morning workload of email maintenance. Some make you wait for half an hour before asking you irrelevant questions that have no significance on the job that you are applying for.

In all fairness, efforts were invested in our resume and we should ask for a fair deal.

Mutiny or Harmony?

Mutiny Or Harmony? (August 14, 2010)

A friend of mine spoke of how the ritual and wake of the unfortunate demise of his grandmother were handled by foreign talents. His question was that lack of locals willing to take up these admirable jobs of taking care of the departed.

These are the effects of so-called society recognition and cultural education that has been propagated by present-day Singapore. Even much of our younger generation cringes in reply over this topic.

With the influx of foreign talents, Singaporeans need not have to do the work themselves. It's much more feasible to pay someone else cheaper salaries and free yourself up for other commitments.

This is an unhealthy sight that our country created when we diverted our responsibilities to surge forward globally.

We became professionals who are in command of a vast number of workers whose allegiance lies not with us, but to their own homelands. Just as how human created the computer decades ago and are now slaves to it, let's see where present Singapore would bring us.

Mutiny or Harmony?

The sad truth is nobody bothers about it.