Test Drive Season

Been visiting alot of car showrooms lately, such as Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Citroen, Proton etc. I must say the new BMW 328i still tops the list with a superb turbo charged 2.0L engine and precise handling befitting the Ultimate Driving Machine catchline only to be let down by the price. At a blistering RM 450,000 tag, it is not for the general masses in Malaysia.

2012 BMW 328i

The launch of the new Polo Sedan by Volkswagen also marks the entry of a budget European car at a price tag of RM 99,888. Not exactly "budget" by Malaysian standards but its good to know the Wolfsburg based carmaker is doing its very best to bring Das Auto to the Malaysian crowd. Engine is a standard 1.6L MPI engine with 105PS / 153Nm coupled to a 6-speed Tiptronic automatic. Build quality is typical VW with excellent fit and finish.

Polo Sedan launched in Wearnes Bangsar

Let's not forget our national carmaker Proton, who recently launched the Proton Preve. At a glance the Proton Preve impresses with its strong bold lines and prominent front end. Keeping pace with the European standards for automotive lighting it also comes with Daylight Running LEDs. A first for the Malaysian carmaker. Also equally impressive is the new 1.6L turbocharged engine designed in collaboration with Lotus. While the engine shines with its low end torque and strong pull from start, the 7-speed Protronic CVT gearbox was a bummer. With hesistant shifts and slow response it isnot a car to be pushed or hurried along. Excellent chassis tuning and suspension setup makes this a fun and dynamic car to drive at the same time being forgiving as well when the going gets rough thanks to ESP and EBD assist. The only thing that will turn buyers away is its cheap interior with poor fit and finish. With a ceiling price of RM 72,000 it's hard to ignore the bells and whistles that Preve offers.

Proton Preve

That's about it for the month of April. Lots of test drives with cars being pushed to the edge for the thrill and adrenaline rush from yours truly.

"It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out, it's the grain of sand in your shoe" - Robert W. Service

March Madness o_O

Been busy with work. Get home feeling tired but satisfied. Haven't seen some friends for a long time now. Missing them a lil' bit. Most are busy with their jobs as well and girlfriends. New task includes color matching for Perodua.

Elcometer 456 - coating thickness gauge

New office is under construction and hope to move in by May.  New equipments like the Q-Sun Xenon Test Chamber is also on the way....XD

Q-Sun Xenon Test Chamber - accelerated weathering tester

Lately, I have also did some reflecting on the past 2 years of my work life. Told myself this time I will at least stay for 3 years minimum in this company. Made a pact with my colleagues and close friends on the duration, just to make sure I stay focused on the job. My manager have been really nice and helpful, although I always wanted to ask him this question. Out of 394 applicants how did he pick me out of the bunch on Jobstreet.....LOL!

Sailing.....X)

Also picked up sailing recently, trying to attend all trainings and races if possible. Interesting sport for me and I always look forward to it. Still picking it up at a slow pace and hope to learn more positions.

That's about it for now. Another inspirational quote before I sign off.

"In the hopes of reaching the moon men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet."
Albert Schweitzer

2012: End of the World

Another long hiatus. Been busy with parties, cars and a host of other misfortunes. Cycled through 4 jobs within 2 years and finally decided to settle down with the current company.

Sime Kansai Paints S/B

New job includes mixing paint, paint quality test and making new colours for new cars that are to be launched.

That's all for now. Until I can get my writing mood back, my posts are going to look like work reports as my friend mentioned.....*hmmmphh*

Beauty fades, dumb is forever.

Jobless Jingles!

I finally quit my job after working in GAB for 18 months. Many people would ask why I did it; things I hear are "ooohhh, Guinness Anchor shares are going up", "why do you want to quit?", "no good meh?" and stuff like that. Well, I pride myself in being honest and people have trusted me for the integrity that I took years to build. If tampering with Quality control documents is normal to you, sad to say you are an idiot. Many times I have witnessed it and as much as I try to change the way we work, things remained the same. Archaic practises continue and with the Union workers stirring crap up, it's hard to change anything. Everyday I go to work in the hopes that I could make a change to improve the quality of the line and the factory conditions only to be slapped in the face with work politics, lies and hanky panky.

In addition, there is always a "no budget" syndrome which is frustrating when you look at how much money the company makes. We are even in the newspapers and winning awards. I wonder how much the company paid to buy the awards back. There is always a lack of spare parts when you need them and we even had to borrow spares from F&N. To make things worst, the company is moving towards the direction of using operators to do quality control work. Sad to say some operators are incompetent when it comes to giving a Go or No-go clearance for quality. It is my belief that quality control should always be handled by competent people with proper education or experience; not by unionised staff who cant read or write and lack of understanding of the process.
Enough of rantings for today. I rest my case.

And you guys wondered why bottled beer taste better than canned beers.
*Facepalm*

"Arguing with a fool proves there are two."