Irresponsible Chinese driver runs away from accident he created

This happened on the 5th January 2009 at about 1pm along Shennan Road in Shenzhen (深圳深南路) just outside the Overseas Chinese Town (华侨城). The driver in front pictured driving away stopped abruptly in the middle of the main road to read a road sign (he claims) and the taxi (pictured along with the taxi driver) rear-ends him lightly causing little visible damage to the dark blue Buick Excelle and cracking the taxi's front bumper. The driver gets off his car looks at the damage to the taxi, proclaims it minor and drives off immediately, fleeing the scene.



Meanwhile, I was driving behind the taxi and following a bit too closely I must admit and I bumped the taxi, sandwiching the poor taxi. The taxi driver and I resolved the matter but I am appalled at the total lack of irresponsibility of the driver who caused the entire thing in the first place. So, if you know this driver, he's an ass and an irresponsible one at that. The photo is taken off my camera phone. I whipped out my phone and snapped a photo when I saw the blue Buick driver making the run.

This is where it happened.

View Larger Map

More on cars Read more...

Great ad from Audi on the new S4

I love the way it talks about the car without actually boring you with commentary, words, or showing the car till the very last moment. Cinematography is excellent and movie quality and it is interesting enough for me to consider it as a great clutter breaking commercial.

And, oh by the way, great car! Most drool-worthy.

More on cars Read more...

Spicy Sichuan Food @ Baguobuyi 巴国布衣

Baguobuyi Restaurant (巴国布衣餐馆) is a traditional Sichuan restaurant serving authentic Sichuan cuisine. The decor of the place was brilliant. Clearly a lot of thought had gone into the renovation of the restaurant which featured plenty of photo opportunities as well as traditional art and craft. Unfortunately, I was caught without my camera which meant I could only use my Nokia e71's camera to do what is hopefully a half-decent job of showing off the place.



Even the restaurant's bar-cum-cashier's counter was brilliantly decorated with ancient Chinese motifs lining the top and a pair of stone statues below.



This is a poor shot but I love the lanterns lining the ceiling as well as the motifs covering the flourescent lighting on the ceiling.




The attention to detail in decor extended even to the tissue boxes and the toothpick boxes on each dining table.





And on to the food. As there was just three adults eating, we picked a small number of dishes representative of classic Sichuan cuisine.

First off, the pork belly friend with chillis and leek accompanied by pan fried buns (回锅肉). The dish was excellently done with the right amount of spicyness and yet I could appreciate the texture of the meat as it was cooked twice to give it a bit more chewiness, hence the name 回锅肉 which means twice cooked meat. I would consider this dish to be medium spicy and the spicyness can always be countered with a generous bite of the pan fried buns.



The next dish was sour fish soup (酸汤鱼) which is fish slices cooked in a sour soup made using a form of pickled vegetables. My main complaint about this sort of dish is why do they always have to pick the fish that has so many miniscule bones embedded in the flesh. Having this dish then becomes an exercise in patience and total concentration as any careless swallowing of the food could lead to a painful and bloody end with a pointy fish bone embedded inside your throat. Otherwise, the sour soup was average and I have had far better than this. Worth a try and only if you have nothing else you can order in the menu.



The next dish was a new one for me - vegetables in bean paste (青菜豆渣). The dish came with a small saucer with chopped chilli. Call me a Philistine but this dish tastes strange. It was dry and the taste of finely chopped beans that appeared to have gone through a Moulinex food processer interlaced with diced vegetables bits. I couldn't figure out whether to mix it into my rice or to eat it on its own. I did not bother to ask the serving staff as I did not like the taste. Next.



No sichuan meal could be without the dandan noodles (担担面) to finish it off and I certainly love a good bowl of noodles. The noodles are fragrantly seasoned and this would rank as mild-medium spicy. This is a decent sized serving unlike most other sichuan restaurants that serve you the noodles in the smallest bowl that money can buy. Granted, this isn't much better, but in comparison to other sichuan restaurants I have been to, this is fairly generous. I will admit, however, I still had another bowl of rice as well. And I have another admission to make. I was so eager to tuck into it, I had mixed up the noodles before realizing "oops, I have not done the photographs yet". In two words, above average.



In summary, this restaurant offers great decor and an excellent environment but mixed bag of goodies food-wise. Some hits and some misses. Still worth a go.

The address:
Kingkey Banner Plaza on the fourth floor opposite the cinema, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 深圳南山区京基百纳广场四楼（电影院对面）




View Larger Map



More on food
Read more...

MPV Search: My Options

Having done a quick scout of the internet, I have narrowed my search for an MPV to a few choices to check out and get test drives. The MPV market in China is relatively new but as the market grew, more and more choices have appeared. The following graph shows the sales of MPVs in 2008.

Source: Gasgoo


The mid-market is dominated mainly by the GM Buick GL8 and in the last four years, challenges have been made by the Honda Odyssey and the Kia Carnival. The Buick GL8 has traditionally appealed to corporate use and given the more car-like look of the Honda Odyssey, Honda has wisely decided to appeal to family use. The Kia Carnival is more of an in-between, being able to serve both. More recent newcomers include the Dodge Caravan, Mitsubishi Grandis, and a number of vehicles made by local companies including the Hyundai powered JAC Refine, the Brilliance Grace which is a licensed local version of the Toyota Granvia and a host of other choices. Priced at 500,000 RMB and above, there are also the imported Toyota Previa and the Mercedes Benz Viano. There are also mini-sized MPVs such as the Honda Stream, the Volkswagen Touran and the Nissan Livina Geniss which I currently have but this category of vehicles are not being considered as they tend to be way too cramped for my liking.

So, having scanned through the internet and various car magazines, in my shortlist are:

1. Buick GL8
2. Kia Carnival
3. Dodge Caravan
4. Toyota Previa
5. Mazda MPV
   

While the Honda Odyssey and the Mitsubishi Grandis are arguably fine cars, they did not meet my critera for having sliding doors. Other brands were similarly removed from consideration for various other reasons such as documented reliability, room for improvement and modification and poor interior appointments and these included the Brilliance Grace and the JAC Refine.

On to the showrooms next.

More on cars
Read more...

Unification Wars guide - 1. System Structure

This article has now been moved to Tinker's Web Games. Thank you. Read more...

Unification Wars - A guide to getting started

This article has now been moved to Tinker's Web Games. Thank you. Read more...

Touch typists only

This is awesome.The author took a Mac keyboard and sprayed off all the letterings on the keyboard to create a mimimalist look that is absolutely fabulous. Only touch typists need apply.


Source: Essell.org

More on gadgets Read more...

World Car of the Year 2009 Finalists

The 2009 World Car finalists are:

Audi A4 / Avant
BMW 7 Series
Citroen C5 Sedan / C5 Tourer
Fiat 500
Ford Fiesta
Honda Fit / Jazz
Jaguar XF
Mazda Atenza / Mazda6
Nissan GT-R
Toyota iQ
Volkswagen Golf VI

A great list but where's the new Porsche Cayman? Or the Lexus LX570?

Source: Autoblog

More on cars Read more...

Great tasty claypot porridge in Shenzhen

Today I tried a new place with great Teochew claypot porridge (潮州沙锅粥). 80RMB bought a roe crab and 500g of fresh prawns serving 3 adults and the porridge came flavoured with shredded squid, ginger and mushroom. I couldn't quite taste what seasonings were used but the end result was excellent. Definitely worth returning for more.


It's not a great shot but as much as can be expected from a camera phone taken under poor light conditions.

The address: Shahe Street, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 深圳市南山区沙河街

View Larger Map

More on food Read more...

Happy Chinese New Year!

心情牛，万事不愁
身体牛，健康长留
事业牛，更近一筹
股票牛，重上高楼

祝你迈入牛年牛牛牛！

Here's a snippet from last night's CCTV Chinese New Year's programme for a good laugh.


More Read more...

Monty Python DVD sales jump after going on Youtube

Seems that most people don't know about Monty Python, a classic British TV comedy that's a riot to view. So in case no one knows, here is the link: Youtube Monty Python channel

Here's a video of several American stars talking about how they came to appreciate Monty Python.


More Read more...

The search for an MPV begins

I personally dislike large MPVs and horror of horrors, I am actually considering the purchase of one. Well it has come to a point where I do need one to ferry my family around and thankfully, it involves little of my actually having to drive it. However, on the rare occasion where I may have to step into the driver's seat, I'd best be careful in my choice.

My criteria for Noah's ark are:

1. Comes with a sliding door at both passenger sides. So that effectively rules out all the car-like MPVs notably the Honda Odyssey (they don't sell the US version which does come with sliding doors).
2. Good crash test ratings. Its my family in there, after all. Though I must say this is quite humourous since I am in the land where crash test ratings mean nothing.
   
3. Well appointed interiors with bias towards the passengers. Passenger comfort and convenience is of utmost priority and this is where I am aghast at most MPV manufacturers. You're manufacturing the MPV primarily for the comfort of the passengers and yet I see heated seating for the driver and front passenger and usually none for the passengers. If lucky, middle row passengers get passenger heating and perish the thought that third row passengers need to have any rights. Duh.
4. Have some modification potential to increase ride comfort. One thing I intensely dislike about MPV is that the common thinking is to put super soft springs so that the entire vehicle wallows around like a boat being tossed around in a tidal wave whenever you go round a corner or hit a road hump. There are many road humps where I live and I get seasick. So what I'd like is to be able to firm up the suspension so that it retains a decent level of comfort and reduce the bounce.
   

So it's not not a very demanding list of criteria. Nothing too challenging like fuel economy, etc. Time to hit the car showrooms and the internet to do some research.

More on cars Read more...

A Business Lesson from Calvin and Hobbes 15 years ago

More Read more...

On cars and the environment

When it comes to driving, popular opinion about being kind to the environment seems to gravitate to the hybrid or electric cars. Personally, I think being kind to the environment begins with all road users. It's not about being seen to be environmentally friendly like the Hollywood set running around showing off in their Toyota Prius and shouting out the the world, "Oh look! I'm doing my bit for the environment!" What people need to forget hypocrisy and to really act to be kind to the environment. This means EVERYONE who uses the road or is involved in the road need to be aware and walk the walk rather than just talk the talk.

Drivers:

1. Drive smoothly - take it easy on the gas pedal and focus on staying at the same speed as traffic
2. Minimize braking - try anticipating in advance rather than brake abruptly and than have to accelerate again to filter into traffic.
3. Observe service intervals - a well-maintained car consumes less fuel and ultimately, minimizes the inconvenience of breakdowns and the subsequent jam it may create.

Pedestrians:

1. Obey traffic rules - do not disrupt traffic by jaywalking or using the road instead of the pedestrian path. When the drivers brake to avoid hitting you, they use more gas to get back to cruising speed and apart from the drivers' pocket, the environment suffers too. You pay the price too.
   
2. Be visible to drivers and one major no-no is to run around in the middle of the night wearing dark clothing.

Government:

1. Traffic lights - my pet peeve. These need to be optimized to ensure minimal waiting time at traffic lights for all. Cars that are idling consume more gas than cars moving along.
   
2. Road works - plan road works to avoid minimal disruption to traffic.

More on cars Read more...

My first love - cars

Cars have always been a passion for me but I've never had the chance nor the time to explore it fully till the last few years in China when I finally settled down. My current rides are a 2006 Audi A6L and a 2007 Nissan Livina Geniss.

The Audi A6L is a long wheelbase version of the C6 A6 designed for China and produced in the joint venture factory in Changchun, China. I have the 4.2l version which is fully optioned as I feel it is the only engine in the line-up that actually does justice and has enough power to run a very heavy car. The car currently has 95,000 km on the odometer and so far I've made the following modifications to the car:

• Evans NPG+ coolant
  
• EBC Red Stuff ceramic brake pads
• lLumar tints on the windows
• Aluminium custom pedals set
• Custom-made two-piece slotted rotors for front and rear in OEM sizing
• Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tyres in OEM sizing (245/45R17)
  

Future modifications include H&R anti-sway bars, 19 inch forged rims and tyres, upgraded DVD system and Sat Nav, and maybe a sports exhaust.


The Nissan Livina Geniss is a small 7 seater that was developed in China. It serves as a great runabout in city driving. I didn't care too much for the handling of the car when I bought it and most of my modifications were to enhance ride comfort and handling. With 32,000 km driven, the following modifications have been made:

• Monroe shocks and Espelir springs for front and rear, resulting in a drop of about 1 inch
• Michelin Energy XM1+ tyres
• Strut brace
• Lower tie bars
• Soundproofing
• Vifa speakers
• V-cool window tints
• Evans NPG+ coolant

More on cars
Read more...