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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.
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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.
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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.
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