The big 15th SC gathering.

Years since SRJC ended : 4 years
Time since the last SC gathering: > 1.5 years
Period of time kent took to organise: 3 weeks
Time taken for me to get down to Heerens : 1 hour (horrible jams)
Cost of dinner on that table : $12

Having almost everyone which you havent seen for a long time on the same table :
Priceless & un-measurable.

This is the 15th Student council gathering, after a long break. Last night, 28dec 07, at Orchard Heerens Vila'ge.




Was really glad to be there, just sadly I was tired before it and had to rush back earlier than my normal timing.


Still, many Kudos once again to Kent for making it happen! To have more than half of total 25 SCs to attend is really good. 

Hope the next one comes soon!

Great little chalet + SF Drive of life

I always like chalet with good friends. Not only there's unlimited time for the night and no need to rush back, you can just spend all the time talking, playing, and achieving stuff that you cant do normally. Cue in the recent SIM og11 Chalet and you tick all box above.

Held on wed 19th dec at Costa Sands, it was not a big place. But as the first ever chalet with the guys, it was great fun. 1 hour plus after check in and we were on the road: first for dinner at Old airport road, next the surprise birthday for guan hui (kelvin's famous line to Guan: "we bring the chalet to you", to send liwen back and lastly CCK for supper for that famous Kou Loh Yok Rice.

There was 2,3 cars all the time, that's why such trips was possible. And such was what i always been looking forward (and hoping) for... a parade of cars to bring the entire group all around to many places which is normally inaccessible and activities normally not possible.

And Guan hui & raymond birthday cake too; guess it was really a surprise for both of them. Imagine stepping out of your house at 11pm to see 12 friends in 3 cars (aka wedding day) at your doorstep. Plus when earlier you gave unit number cos someone told you you got a job..that's a white lie.

And the process on the road when wenling have to follow my car (cos she unfamiliar with east) . The excitment of trying to make sure she can follow me, and same time think of the route, and them following and thinking why i went by the wrong way. (which happens again en route to Bukit batok, that i really screwed the route ;p)

And finally finding the Roy's much anticipated pork rice at CCK. A really very malaysia old style restaurant by the road side ( somewhere which i didnt even know it existed) we tasted the rice + lime juice ....to find that it was, well, not too bad.

And later back in chalet, all the PS2 games they played, the exciting poker card games that made them high (i was bathing, damn) and lastly them waking up to watch sun rise that didnt appear that morning (i was too tiredly asleep ;p )

All the little things sum up to a great and memorable event, to him (gh raymond roy), me and others i believe.

Really, my stable life never had been so happening, all in a night. That's why i like chalets.

When's next?



The wedding aka birthday surprise team.



------------------------------------------------------------

Next day there's more for me. Having passed her licence, the car keys was handed over to Shufang and I became the driving instructor with great responsibility: To train up this new green horn.

But hey, i'm really proud. Months of encouragement and anticipation and now your own guided girlfriend is driving you...this feeling is indescribable.

Yes it's an Auto, but it wasnt easy to manage the traffic too, especially having to learn to move from the L-plate 40kmh to the normal driving 70kmh on roads. I got an Auto so there's no clutching to distract in this learning stage.

Overall, she's good. Warmed up fast, minus some steer guide at tricky parts she can do it...as long as it's not night. Well, cos she did not had any lessons during night previously. And parking wise...i better not mention it first ;p

But no worries, cos this is certainly not the last! More cars are coming up whenever time and finance are ok, and me this instructor will have more to be busy with ;)





This is my salary: Joy.



----------------------------------------------------------

The hardworked car. Honda Fit 1.3A



Why i had gotten this Fit this time is for 2 reasons: Emotional attachment, and fuel.

Emotion because this is a car which was closely associated with shufang, so as her virgin drive, there's not other better alternative. And since i cant get a diesel during this season of historial high petrol price, this perceived most fuel efficient car, fits (no punning intended) the bill.

So how was Honda fit like?
1) Got to mention first this wasnt in the best condition. Suspected been abused thus engine bearing was loose, the engine rattle like a Washing Machine whenever it moved off....So performance and our ears suffered.

2) But that aside, the handling is good. Having driven the Honda City (sedan version) which was happily sailing and lifting on motor way, this hatchback is so much more stable on motorway. Steering is light and precise, plus the excellent visibility, this is a very relaxing car to drive.
But steering been short of feel and slightly light on motorway took away the perfect feel for handling.

3) Performance wise, the 980kg weight does it merit. It has a rapid pick up from rest and power was there through out accelerating. But having a CVT gearbox, it doesnt like sudden accelerator input, else it just doesnt "bite".

4) ....which means for the auto-box, drive it smoothly and you will be rewarded with quick and very smooth gear change. (much smoother than the Fiat Punto!) Hooliegen driving is not for here.
Which ease of driving around town with this auto box did really sway me towards favouring auto car...damn.

5) And as a city car it really does it job well. Space is perfect inside. Leg room and head room are surprising in abundants, and the flexible seats made it the one of the most unique cars around. Flat fold rear seats as standard, you can even lift the rear bench upwards to throw in tall vertical items. You can also single handed-ly push the front seats forward from rear...very smart and convenient.
Storage space are perfect...I must mention it is really rare to find a hatchback (and even some bigger car) that can fit in my 0.8l bottle in the dashboard...There's accomdation for parking coupons display on dashboard, and even a slot on the door to fit in an entire a4 plastic box file. Tested and tried.

6) But sadly, the fuel consumption did not live up to expectation...The commonly accepted figure is around 18km/l, i expect 15km/l, but in the end it was....almost 12, only.
I could thought of the few explanation:
a) The car is on thicker aftermarket tyres + rims.
b) The car is aged and abused. See how the engine rattles?
c) The car is carrying 4 passengers at many times.
d) The driver is useless (that's me). Only found how to drive it smoother and slower on the day of return to rental shop.


Despite all, it's still a desirable car. Very easy to live with, Honda reliability and resale value, good looks, and (i still believe) the low fuel cost. The Fit/Jazz is having a high turnover rate on the re-sale market, being snatched up faster as compared to other makes; a Manual one is even more rare. (i visited Sgcarmart.com.sg)

So it's gonna live on my dream list as a even stronger competitor to the fiat punto now...rather, it had always been there.

.

Be clear with Clarity...yummy.

It's been raining...and raining non stop recently, we got gloomy skies and gloomy guys (& gals). But here's a cafe in town, which the name does fit in... to "clear" and cheer people up with good food... and it is? Ms CLARity cafe.

Found through magazine reviews that gave good ratings, we decided to try it out. Located in 3 locations (all shophouses) of SG, this cafe does take some effort to find initially; but once found it's easy to go.

So how do they differentiate? As stated, they hope to bring Restaurant standard of dine in affordable prices. So certainly, the items are nothing but bland. Just like the item i got, the Chicken Cordon Bleu.



Cripsy chicken breast meat, stuffed with melted cheese and ham, and clothed with a sause. Being chicken breast, it will not get very XXXX NI as you eat, and yet it's not that hard as expected. And what I really like is the Kou Gan...as you bite the melted cheese lands right onto the centre of your tougue...complemented with the chewy chicken on the side. Splendid.
By the way it served with healthier roasted potato and veggies...although you can request to swap it with fries if you want.



The other dish my partner tried is this, the Red wine risotto with scallops. Cooked with abundance (almost) of Sallops, the rice is cooked in red wine...Which smells came rushing to you the moment the dish is served. And scallop is very fresh too. Certainly a dish that can fill you up, if that red wine didnt overwhelm you first.
 

Ambience? Simple yet cheerful and colourful. Evening time it will be filled by candle lights, with gives a nice warm glow, as you seen in the pix. Seats are not that abundant, so do go slightly earlier to avoid disappointment.

Price? Earlier you read the word "affordable", and it's really is. My item is $8.80 and all prices are NETT, that is no GST nor Service charge. Other ala carte meal course on the menu starts from $6+,7 , and you can add on $3 to make it a set with drinks dessert and starter. (there's even option of Ben and Jerry ice cream with additional fee) And if you do commonly find yourself asking for more plain water in cafes always, good news here cos they serve you one big jar of iced water right from the start...


In a nutshell, worth going. Try it.


No. 5 Purvis Street, #01-04 (Next to National  Library)

Possibly the most unbelievable thing on earth

Alright, the title is misleading of course. Most likely you might just say "Chey" at the end of this, but it's still unbelievable to me...but then, it's true...


Shufang had passed her driving. On the infamous Ubi circuit (as congested as India), with Manual car, Private Instructor, FIRST attempt. Oh yes, it's test route 7 (for those who knew it, the longest and toughest possibly)

And add on to anyone's insult, it's 12 points.  Passing is 18, lower the better. I got 14, the others i knew is around this figure, or even 18 too.

Her instructor? Latest figures shows out of 31 students he took.....6 passed. Down from previous year's 7.

Further more she comes from a car-less family and no contact of motoring before...As matter of fact, just before she starts learning she still ignorant about the gear ratios....

Still, she done it.

After the entire morning of pacing up and down, the months and guiding and advicing and motivating,  the joy of getting such results is really indescribable for both of us.... better than lottery.

But i still do hope lottery will come, coz as the start of a new phrase.....rental cars will be coming in. Now there's really more things to look forward to in life, for this considerably near future.


Yeah.


Now, who says we should seal one's fate before the test took place?

.