"Art In Motion"

Car modding, car customization. modified cars, noisy cars, "ah-beng", rice boy.. call it what you may, but the truth of the matter is the aftermarket car accessories/parts market is a multi-billion dollar industry. The automotive aftermarket industry is fueled by the fact that ALL factory production-line vehicles built can be improved upon and tailored to suit each individual human being. No two humans are alike... each individual has their own characteristics, their own personality, personal preferences, likes and dislikes, etc etc. Profit drives vehicle manufacturers, and it would be totally non profitable for manufacturers to custom make each individual car/vehicle to suit each individual driver (of course you could always order a custom made Ferrari, Lambo, etc etc to suit your personal taste and driving style, but we are talking about the other 95% of the population who can't afford it.).

Do you wear the exact same shirt and pants as your co-worker or boss? Unless you live in communist North Korea or work in a job that requires uniformity, the answer would be a resounding NO. You dread it everytime you notice someone wearing the same item of clothing as you are.. don't you? Your co-workers, boss, and you would be wearing shirts and pants but they'd all be in different colours with different designs, different materials, etc. Simply because you each have your own preference, and don't wanna look exactly like the dude or dudette sitting next to you. That same theory is what drives giant corporations to create products and services to cater for your vehicle, offering vehicle owners the CHOICE to make their vehicles more suited to their personal driving style, taste and preference. There are styling & performance parts for almost every car make and model in the market.(yes, real car driver's have their Porsches, Ferraris and Merc S600's modified as well). From subtle hints to outlandish custom creations are a reflection of the vehicle's owner. From a little bumper sticker, one fluffy dice hanging on the rear view mirror, choice of vehicle colour, to crazy vehicle body/engine modifications, all reflect our individualism.

Vehicle customization/modding isn't just about personal taste preference and styling, but largely about safety as well... anything off a production line can be improved upon.. installation of proper lowered sports suspension provides better and safer handling and stopping distance for example. there are many more upgrades that a vehicle owner can do to improve his/her ride.

"The aftermarket parts segment isn’t limited by the crush of production deadlines or the need to be practical, which are constant issues for manufacturers today. A chassis engineer at a major automaker may be able to spend only a couple weeks on a new suspension design, while an aftermarket suspension specialist can spend a year testing different spring rates and wheel and tire combinations in order to get the maximum cornering grip possible for the car."
- CARS.COM

Having said all of the above... lets us not judge how a person chooses to customize his ride, for it is his personal preference. Instead, do as i do.. although i may dislike their choice of accessories and colours, i still respect them for their passion in indulging in the art of car customization. The only ones that deserve our sneers and looks of disgust are the irresponsible drivers that disregard their own safety and the safety of others.

My personal views on car customization/modding? To me, its an art, an extension of the owner's personality and character, a form of expression... "Art In Motion".

Happy Driving!

Some pictures of variations in car owner's personal preference.

Local Flavours - The Humble Proton gone extreme

A popular vehicle modding sub-culture in Japan.

An all chrome BMW

HAMMAN modded Ferrari F430 [Pic courtesy of Motor Authority]

Tak erti kaum cina, melayu atau india, hanya erti Kaum Kereta

Tak erti kaum cina, melayu ataupun india, hanya erti Kaum Malaysia.

Spread the love. Racial Unity. Malaysians.

Malaysian Artiste For Unity

Take a minute and look back to your high school/primary school days.... Didn't you have a whole lot more friends from other races?
For the Chinese: Didn't you have more Malay friends back then?
For the Malays: Where is that Chinese good friend of yours?
Does the racial divide get greater as we age? Does our different cultural backgrounds become more prominent as we get wiser?

Many a time i've been commended for my command of our national language... and i have my group of very close (once) Malay friends to thank. People always ask why i speak the language so well, and my automated response every time is "I have many Malay friends..." then comes the next question; "When ah?, during School or what?"... and it takes me a few seconds to recollect and i sadly reply..."yeah, during school...". Everytime i'm asked that question, i can't help but wonder why we've lost touch with one another. Only a handful of friends (of another race) still keep in touch.
I guess back in school, everyone was equal and everyone had common interests. When we step out of school, social circles change, activities change, people start to discover their own unique interests and i guess if nobody puts in an effort to maintain the friendship, friends start to drift apart... and its only natural for humans to seek and foster new friendships with people of similar backgrounds, i.e: cultural, language, income, etc etc.

It doesn't take a whole lot of effort to stay in touch, a phone call every now and then, a 'mamak-session' once a week or so to catch up would easily contribute to fostering closer relations and rekindle old friendships.

I miss my old friends from high school and all the great times we had together.. we should all put in that little extra effort to forge the friendship that once was.

Bridge the racial divide. Malaysia.. One Race.

Bangkok [Part 2]

Chaophraya & Bangkok city skyline view from ThreeSixty

Lounging in the hotel's pool

The room window

Breakfast!

Road side orange juice is awesome!

On the BTS Skytrain

A sign at Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant

I absolutely love the "kow men kai" (chicken rice) here at this stall in Pratunam

Chatuchak Market

For more pictures & write-up of our Bangkok 2008 trip, feel free to visit:

BANGKOK ALBUM 1

BANGKOK ALBUM 2

Sawadee Report
or click on the labels

Shout out to Vince Koh!

Much love and appreciation to THREESIXTY's Mr.Vince Koh for the awesome blog header. Love you mate! its spot on!

Bangkok Trip [Intermission]

An interruption to the Bangkok holiday report.

After a 2 and-a-half month hiatus, my ride is finally back on the road! Facelifted with new custom designed front bumper (influenced by a customized US Honda civic), Projector angel-eye headlamps, smoothed out side skirts, ZAP aluminum radiator, new stainless i/c pipes, eyelids and carbon fibre hood pins. It can be seen cruising the streets of Petaling Jaya at night and on weekends, if spotted, holla at me! Hard to miss, as i'll most likely be the dude you're cursing at.... holding up traffic cruising along at 40km/h.

I absolutely adore the car now, and it is no longer for sale. Hopefully (god-willing) it'll soon be retired to be a pure show-pony cruiser. To those of you in the know, the search for a new ride is still in the works. And same question still beckons my response; Jap-powa or German-stylin'? The months ahead will tell..

Back to the grine stone : Bangkok PART 1

I was engulfed in a surreal atmosphere this morning as i awoke in my own bedroom after spending the last 4-days in Bangkok... somehow it felt as though i was away from home for a much longer period of time. Sigh......
Reality check:back to work.

it was a fun-tastic trip this time round to Bangkok (BKK), lots and lots of shopping accompanied by even more walking...
We put up at the ultra-chic LeFenix Sukhumvit for 3-nights, which was sorta conveniently located near the nana BTS skytrain station. By the way, the BTS skytrain was our main mode of transportation around Bangkok city... though it wasn't convenient anymore after our 2 trips to Platinum Fashion Mall in Pratunam, cause the Missus went on a shopping frenzy and bought enough clothes to last the next one year or so. We did soo much walking that i was practically limping at the end of the day, the purchase of a pair of crocs only provided momentarily walking relief, though they are a whole lot more comfy than my flip-flops.

Day 1: We spent our first day and a good half of our money on shopping in Platinum Fashion Mall. For those not in the know, this is the mall where most if not all the women's boutiques here in KL/PJ get their stash from. Walking around the narrow corridors, you'd see loads of Malaysians & Singaporeans trudging along with oversized roller bags filled to the brim with clothes. For those of you who've spent your hard earned salary on fashion wear here in KL/PJ, you'd be dumbfounded by the wholesale price of the clothes on your backs now...
Dinner on day 1 was at a popular local chicken rice shop in Pratunam. The last time i was in BKK, we dined at this local eatery almost every other night of our 13day stay in bangkok... the chicken rice isn't awesome, but it is mighty tasty and highly affordable.
Day one came to end with me hitting the sack as soon as my head touched the pillow,much to the dismay of Emily...

Day 2: Thanks to my girlfriend living in Malaysian time, her phone alarm went off one hour early. After breakfast, it was off to more shopping at the now overly touristy Chatuchak Weekend Market. Prices of things here no longer warrants this place a "MARKET" anymore... it seriously wasn't that bad when i last visited the market in 2005.
After unloading our purchases in the hotel, we headed out to MBK and the other major shopping malls in the bangkok city golden triangle area for some airconditioned shopping. My net-addict girlfriend wanted to sample the Mango Sticky Rice at the MBK foodcourt, which not surprisingly she read about in a blog.. but i also have her to thank for her net-addiction did pay off.. the mango sticky rice was yummy!.
You can't come to Thailand without getting a Thai massage, so a 1-hr pit stop at a Spa en route back to the hotel was a requirement... relaxing as it was, the massage did some damage to Emily's back and she had to nurse a sore back for the next coupla days.
Before knocking off to bed, we decided to check out the chic rooftop bar atop our hotel called The Nest. Lovely ambience and decor i must say, but unfortunately it was packed and we couldn't get a nice seat..

Day 3: The super low prices of Platinum fashion mall beckoned us to head back there again, and it was another day of excessive shopping for us. Prior to hitting the 6-floors of wholesale outlets, we did make a pit stop at the famed Erawan Shrine to say a prayer (cause everyone knows i need more spiritual intervention in my life!). Word of advice for folks wishing to visit this 4-face Buddha shrine though.... DO NOT BUY INCENSE OR EVEN SPEAK TO THE STREET SIDE VENDORS! God/Buddha did not stipulate that you have to burn incense or stick gold leaves to show your faith... contribute to the donation box and say your prayers, cause i got ripped off by the vendors (possible for the 2nd time if i remember correctly...urgh!). Well... i think they need that extra few bucks more than i do, plus items were used for prayer (so it's on them for conning me! haha).. doesn't make me feel that bad after all.
A quick refresher stop at the hotel where we got dolled up for our lovely night out in town. first stop was dinner at The Cabbages & Condoms restaurant on Soi 12 in Sukhumvit (which was recommended by my dad).. food wasn't much to shout about, but the restaurant did have some pretty unique decor; lamps made out of condoms, and super hero mannequins decked out in condoms and contraceptive pills. Check pics in the coming post for a glimpse.
With me now limping from 3-days of excessive walking, we made our way to the Chaophraya river jetty via BTS to catch a river taxi to the super stylish Millennium Hilton Hotel. The Hilton is home to THREESIXTY (which is why it was a must see! gettit? ThreeSixty?), a bar/lounge ranked number #3 on Bangkok's must visit rooftop clubs/bars. (information obtained by net-addict girlfriend of course). The view of the Chaophraya river and Bangkok city skyline is absolutely magnificent from here, coupled with the cool sombre atmosphere of the venue makes for the ultimate place to chill and enjoy a quiet romantic evening... sipping on a ThreeSixty Martini.

Day 4: MORE EXCESSIVE WALKING. we walked from soi 11 all the way to soi 55 along Sukhumvit road. Nuff said.
Damn i miss bangkok already... foot-aches, shopping and all.

BKK Shopping Spoils:
- 4 pairs of shorts
- 3 collared tees
- 11 round necks
- 9 long sleeved shirts
- 1 blouse (for mum!)
- 1 dress (for mum!)
- 2 bling bling "J" key chains
- 1 dog leash
- 10 doggie snacks
- 1 crocs
- 2 pairs of sunnies

Pictures in the coming posts.

disgust

It was an utter disgusting sight last night. Malaysian's clearly reflecting their intellectual level when the fuel price hike was made public. Ridiculous gridlocks nationwide caused by the typical kiasu malaysian. Queing for hours to fill ONE tank of petrol before the midnight price increase... lacking in grey-matter, they didnt stop to think that the hours wasted in the jam, the inconvenience caused to the more sensible Malaysians, and the amount of fuel wasted while queing to fill up cost more than the tiny amount they save on that ONE tank of petrol!! if the fuel could last them a month or more, than i'd understand their need to go stock up prior to price hike... but it doesn't! these idiots will have to visit the petrol station in the next few days to fill up again.... urgh!.

I don't have a problem with the fuel price hike honestly.. but i have a feeling that its going to affect the lower income group quite badly... let us all monitor the statistics of snatch thefts, robberies, break-ins etc etc to see if there's an increase in the next few months. the domino effect...

oh well.... thats it for today. i'm off to Bangkok with the Missus tomorrow for 4-days of shopping, back again on the 9th of June 2008.. have a great weekend everyone!!