Thursday, October 04, 2007

Rides

The rainy season is back in full force here in Manila. And once again seeing all the flash floods and bad roads it got me thinking again about modes of transporation.

Used to be I had eyes on the Honda Jazz or Toyota Yaris as a perfect car for Manila. But then the rains came and I realized that while those two cars would be good city cars which you can take on out-of-town excursions it still wouldn't do that well once the rains came coming down. Not that I pass by any flooded roads on the way home or to work, thank God. But still. You never know when the route you pass by gets flooded.

So, while I still wouldn't mind owning a Honda Jazz or Toyota Yaris (in that order, of course - the Jazz is still more practical in my eyes) I have a new vehicle which I would think would be the best option for Metro Manila.

The Toyota Avanza. Top of the line. Sure its' base model is being sold as a replacement to the FX but think about it. It's pretty high off the ground, perfect for flash flooded areas. It has a modern 1.5L engine. Some people may say having a 1.5L engine on a vehicle of that size makes it underpowered, but come on. With the advances in today's technology that 1.5L engine can do the job. Besides where do you plan on running your Avanza at over 120kph consistently here in the Philippines? Not even in the expressways can you do that. You'd be suicidal (or most likely an idiot) to run your car that fast in the city streets, be it C5 or some other long stretch of road.

Come to think of it there are a lot of idiots on the roads driving and cutting people off like they were racing for Ferrari in the Formula 1 championships. Twits. But I digress.

Yes, I've realized owning the humble Avanza would be perfect for Manila. Good size and space, enough ride height to tackle floods and not have the bottom scrape the roads on really bad roads. Plus you can carry more gear on road trips.

Out.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Random Thoughts on a Slow Day

When I die I want the album Takk by the band Sigur Ros to be played in my funeral. And the moment when I finally get buried or interred (I prefer to be cremated) I want the song Hoppipolla to be played. Lovely. Just lovely.

* * *

Colin McRae passed away a few weeks ago in a helicopter crash. His son, another child, and Colin's friend also perished in the crash. Condolences go out to them.

McRae was the reason i watched WRC. He was why I stuck around and enjoyed the races. Then came Tommi Makkinen. Then Petter Solberg.

* * *

On a tangent, Marcus Gronholm and his co-driver have decided that this will be their last year racing in the WRC. Last I checked, Marcus was leading the driver's championship.

* * *

Sucks to be in McLaren right now. From what I've been hearing the two drivers aren't on good terms with each other, they lost all their Constructor's Championship points due to a spy scandal, and Fernando Alonso is trying to find a way out of his contract with the team.

* * *

Greg Oden's out with season ending microfracture knee surgery. Hope he comes back in good shape. He's still young.

* * *

It's hard trying to gain momentum back at the gym. I am going regularly but my workouts are worse now than before. I lift less weight and my stamina is shot.

* * *

Can't think of anything else so far.

Out.