I have recently completed acquisition of my Nissan Skyline R34 GT-T (GF-ER34). Will be restarting this blog and share some of my journeys with this wonderful dream car of mine.
I first saw the car on sale at Mudah.com for a very attractive price. After some photo viewing and testing at Selangor OUG (where the car owner stays), we sealed the deal and the ownership transfer is completed. Thanks Kenny for taking care of the car! The condition was close to perfect, although inspection reveals some engine oil marks from the valve covers, engine sump and the crankshaft area.
The modifications on the car were extensive. It is a year 2001 manufacturered car and bought in by the first owner via import. The car has already been modified to do 302 wHP dynoed at GT-Auto in Sunway:
Listed by owner:
- eManage Ultimate
- Greddy Profec b Spec II electronic boost controller
- Tein Superstreet Adjustable suspensions
- Japan Volk racing TE37 18" rims with GT-R offset in Gold color
- Walbro 255 fuel pump
Other mods discovered by myself along the way:
- Custom ventilated carbon fibre hood
- Front-mounted DD charge air intercooler
- Apexi air intake
- Yellowjacket Coilpacks replacing stock coilpacks for added spark plug current
- Heavy duty gounding cables replacing stock grounding straps
- Silicon hoses
- HKS SSQV Blow-off valve (vent to atmosphere) for the signature high pitch boost release sound
- 3" exhaust from custom downpipe till mufflers
- HKS Super Drager mufflers
- Carrozzeria amp, Kenwood audio system
- Pivot meter
The first impressions upon driving the car was of course the amount of raw power. The boost kicks in to a healthy 0.98 bar at wide open throttle from 3000 rpm onwards and slams you into the seat. Acceleration from 2nd gear registers a maximum of 0.53G on the Pivot Meter and takes you all the way to 100km/h at the redline before shifting is required at 7000 rpm. The power is addictive on the highway where acceleration from 100km/h cruising speed in 5th gear (approx 3000 rpm) is effortless, pulling away easily to give you overtaking finesse at any point you require it.
The only complaint is the shocks were way too hard. I have the spring preload released and adjusted the settings to full soft, about 16 clicks on the top. Adjusting the rear shocks required removing the rear passenger seats, for those who were wondering and dicking around the rear bonnet (like me).
Unfortunately like all used cars, some problems have developed, and I will detail them more in the next post.
Taylor Swift Concert in Singapore 9-2-2011
Yup! I was lucky enough to watch her perform LIVE! Her presence and her energy is unrivaled. It's no wonder Taylor has adoring fans, willing to do anything for her. I've never seen fans so mesmerized by a single icon. True, it was my first concert but still... up to date I've attended 3 and none of the fans were as devoted as Taylor's. Trust me. I.... was sucked into the moment as well.
The tickets were compliments of my dearest darling, Howard Khor.
We went early, 2 hours before showtime but we were already behind some 1000 screaming teenagers and kids. Half her fans are below 15. So many people from different walks of life attended. There were 5 screaming girls all below the age of 12 with one chaperone mother. There were a family of 5 chingko looking ppl, parents and 3 boys who through the entire show, never got up, never screamed, never sang along, never had a reaction. There was a couple behind us, who, instead of the girl screaming, it was the guy screaming "AHHH!!!!! TAYLOR I LOVE YOU! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!". Lmao. It was so interesting. I can see the mothers all are also drawn into the hype, getting excited and having fun. The fathers are... either have never heard of Taylor Swift up til then or are just there for the sake of... being dragged I suppose. It was all a sight to see.
We went for dinner first at Brewerks. Good food, good beer, affordable pricing.
When we finally got to our seats, we were shocked at the amount of people who attended. The Singapore stadium is so huge! It was a full house.
They started with a local band I think. I didn;t recognize them but apparently the locals do. Then Taylor came out.
Taylor must have one of the best showmanship in the business. She seems to know what her fans are like, what pulls the enjoyment factor to the hilt and she just maximizes the experience. Her intentions were clear: She wanted us to have an unforgettable night.
And we did. Oh boy we did.
The background instead of a normal curtain, she has a screen. The screen is so big, even someone at the last door at the back can see her. at the sides, there were 2 3x3 screens, each is about 50 inches easy. that is already 150x150 inches!
Her vocals were spotless, she had so many wardrobe changes, she came down and interact with all those at the bottom and she didn't forget about us at the back. For her songs from the previous albums, she came to the middle and sang those songs, without the band, just her and her guitar. She even did a few mix and match versions of her songs, the ones we have never heard before. Halfway thru her song, she would switch to Jason Mraz's Im Yours. Little thoughtful gestures like that shows that she genuinely wants to give us the best time for our hard earned money. She even took off her skirt, revealing a shiny dress when she sang Enchanted. She sang all the songs I wanted her to sing except Never Grow Up.
The show ended with Long Live. As I suspected, the song is about her fans, its a tribute song, and she played it very well. It was wonderful.
I went home that night, the happiest Taylor fan. So was Howard =)
Wow it has been so long since I added something here. *Dusts off the inches of dust*
*cough cough*
Oh well. Since my last post, I have now left my life in Malacca and moved on to the biggest city in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Somehow, the semi urban in me decides to continue what I was doing in Penang. To have my life in a city but live in the outskirts of the city.
That's all fine and dandy, when the city is but 10km away. What happens now when I live 30km from any city life?
I moved to Rawang, a sleepy town, to live with my best friend Perly Peh and her family while we both interned in Damansara,30km from Rawang. Everyday we would wake up early, travel and reach home late, long after everyone else from the office is at home, fed, bathed and resting.
Life was difficult to adjust to but soon we found our rhythm. Weekdays were filled with longings for weekends and weekends were engulfed in the bliss of having the day off, wishing for more.
The Peh family are a wonderful bunch. I have been so lucky to have ever been a guest. I exposed myself to a different type of family, learning new traditions and habits, discovering different palate. Uncle Peh could cook anything and I would love. Even things I swore I would never touch haha.
I couldn't be luckier.
Work was proving to be a challenge but soon I got the hang of it and found the one thing I could do for life haha. KL was starting to show its appeal to a suburban diehard like me, Life was good.
But of course, life is never a bed of roses.
By december 2011 I was transferred to another project where, again, it was a new environment, new people, new job, new everything. The adjustment period was horrible but I still had the Peh family to lean on so it wasn't so bad. When it got good though, I left to seek a different paths.
I left Rawang, left KL with a heavy heart but I left a changed person, learnt many a few more lessons in life and a few more friends for life =)
So, then, being joblesss, began a very tiring but exciting and fun 2 months of my life so far ^^
It's already 3.24am and I can't sleep... Hmm...
I've had a horrible night but that is not what I keep thinking about. I am at a crossroad in my life and whichever path I take,it will change my life forever. Dramatic right?
Well.. some decisions don't make much difference, like where we are having lunch today. Others make a whole lot of difference. For example, taking the 4pm bus back to kl today was a huge mistake which ends with me being home 9.5hrs later tired, fatigued and plain pissed off while if I had taken then 8pm bus and ended up arriving earlier at 1230, I would've had a chance to catch up with my very faraway friend, Ping Ping!
I would've also had dinner in penang..instead of in rawang at 230am =.=
see?life changing because I now have banned Plusliner from my life
Sigh
Think think think
Super sien
I had dragging things out. I hate dragging my feet. I feel so tired playing games by myself. Self inflict torture.
Ugh
This post is going nowhere. I have so many things to say but I can't find the strength to write or even where to begin.
I think the new song by Taylor Swift entitled Never Grow Up says it all...
Things and the way the world works
Posted by 1n$aTiab13 Adventurer at 1:01 PM | Wednesday, September 15, 2010Things just don't turn out the way we plan them. They never do, do they?
In every phase of my life, I keep wanting to move faster. I want to quickly finish with this hurdle, ready to face the next. No, I'm not in war. I just could never wait to grow up. Even now, when I wish for nothing more than to turn back time and relive my childhood and have my innocence back, I can't wait to be at a point in my life where I have already established myself. I am happily in a rut and just going through a steady pace. I often wonder if I ever appear as uncertain, as panicky and as ruffled as I was feeling then. I often wondered if I really had a poker face whenever I wanted to put on one... It's interesting where ones mind tend to wonder about when left unattended haha.
So many things happen in our daily lives. I am already at my last semester of my degree. It feels as if I just started my degree!
3years feels short and somesay it is, compared to a lifespan but when you sit down and think about it, a lot happens, even if we are talking about a month.
Life is like the English weather. Out of the blue, it starts pouring. Or the wind picks up and starts hurling shit at you. Like all weathers though, the wind has to die down someday, the cloud will have to giveway to the Sun and each will have to take turns being the current weather.
Just like life, no one really remembers what weather we had last Wednesday. It was just another day
Yesterday the love of my life got on a plane and moved to a little island 300km away from me. Growing Up STINKS!
But what can you do? Each person has their own dream, their own goals in life, their own path to follow. Being in a relationship means somehow, your paths crossed and have been parallel for awhile haha.
Sometimes the two paths continue to be parallel,sometimes they divert again. Paths constantly change. New ones pop up everywhere everyday. Some are worth to be extended back to being parallel, some are not even worth a bridge.
What were we talking about again?Haha. Too many metaphors spoils the soup. Or was it cooks?
I have always seen my life in terms of chapters. Like a book. *im such a geek...i cant be helped*
Im currently in my 4th chapter. A very long chapter. It ends when I retire from work. Everything else is just progress.*Love that line from Lost*
Its going to be a longgggg chapter. When it ends,means Im in my Conclusion chapter d..... that chapter can wait. I haven't lived my life yet.
I realize that we can redefine ourselves 100 times over and still we would be able to redefine ourselves again. Not just as individuals but also as a society.
Did anyone esle notice the shift in sequence of life stages?
It is becoming clearer and clearer to me. It used to be after being teenagers, offsprings get paired up for marriage, have kids, then career comes along, then car, then house followed by the next generation.
Nowadays, it is dating, then career,buy car, buy house then marriage followed by kids. Having kids is now optional lols.
The shift is so subtle you dont really notice it....
things change.....times change....
I read an article saying that the shift of power is going strong for Women to be the dominant race.... I have been saying that that is just logical because we are 75% of the population but as we can see, in Malaysia most women are confined to being a wife and mother role. Career is just something to keep us "occupied".
After reading the article, the facts are there but I feel that the change is progressing too slow.. Feminist? Im nt trying to say that women should rule the world while the men stay at home *wouldnt that be nice haha* but if we look at the history of the sexes, men were empowered simply cos they outnumbered us... and now...
as they say, majority rules....
Seriously, what was the topic I wanted to blog about? Oh well..ramblings of a lost soul I guess haha
Well, last week was a very interesting week. It contained many of my first times haha. First time experiences lah.
Started with my mummy coming down to KL for 3days. I went to stay with her for 2 nights in Puduraya. Now I know that hehe, Puduraya only jams when Pudu is in business! Else, the roads are SOOOO empty. WOOHOO!
Went to eat at Petaling Street. Interesting food they have there. Also, the prices arent that expensive. Ancasa Hotel is not a bad hotel. Kinda nice except that the shower is from the ceiling. =.= Who places a shower on the ceiling? I wasnt taking a shower, it was more like raining on me! Sometimes, I dont know what these designers are thinking.
Work was exhausting. Nowadays my life is basically wake up, drive an hour, work 12hrs, drive an hour, eat, shower, then sleep 8hours. Rinse and repeat. Sigh.
I am learning something new which is actually very interesting. Everyday I go to work and learn something new. I am the last batch of interns to start work so I am the newbie. Honestly, being the lost lamb isnt a nice feeling but warm helpful collegues sure make a vast difference.
My dearest Wee Nee Chan so happened came into town too! for the week =)
We had some fun, didnt we?
She came down on Tuesday but I couldnt meet her cos I work in Damansara Uptown and was heading to Puduraya while she was living in Sunway Tower Hotel. Nono...... damn far, wrong direction and JAM!!!!!! So she had to go kai kai on her own for the first nighr here. Sorry sayang!!!
Wednesday was the first time I drove to Cheras. The plan was for Howard to pick Wee Nee up from work,come pick me up then head for Cheras where we will meet Tricia for the longest pasar malam! Sounds simple and interesting eh? Well....
The first mistake was NOT to lock urself out of a car while waiting for someone. In the middle of nowhere. With the car's spare key miles away. Mistake no1. So my sweet coworker was kind enough to take me to them where my car was locked and the key in the ignition so that i can open d car with my spare.Whew.
Mistake no2: NEVER NEVER NEVER go to Cheras after work. Never head toward Subang either. Avoid ALTOGETHER. Oh my gawd the traffic was brutal on my nerves and my clutch stepping leg. Really. By the time we got to Cheras, frankly, all mood has evaporated. Still, twas great to see Tricia *who gave us BIG HUGS and bought us Stinky Tofu* The Stinky Tofu actually taste not bad...haha. Ya ya it smells like the sewage. and yes your mouth smells like it after you eat. Honestly speaking, I didnt notice that it reminds me of the sewage til people keep saying it. So, shhhh..... enjoy and lets not gross one another out.
Despite being so excited about the longest pasar malam and etc, we managed to only walk 1/5th of the entire length haha. I was very tired. Sorry guys! After that, we drove back to Sunway. Instead of just dropping Wee Nee off, we ended up crashing with her haha cos it was so late and I was so tired. My sweet collegue ended up fetching me to work 2 days in a row because she lives somewhere near Sunway.
Wee Nee got a free upgrade from the hotel into a studio room and wasnt it luxurious!
I have never seen a hotel room which provides an roomy bathroom equipped with all sorts of toiletries. It also comes with a full size fridge, oven, wine glasses, brandy glasses,pots and pans, rice cooker, hotpan stove,plates and cutleries. LOL.
If i paid so much for a room, I certainly would not be those who would buy raw ingredients to cook my meals in the room but there you go.
Thursday was much better day. Plan was like the day before but this time we were heading for The Curve. Wee Nee wanted to see Ikea haha. We ended up buying a few items but thanks to our carelessness, I think we overpaid certain items. Oh well..... lesson learnt. Wee Nee was leaving on friday tho... =( so we bought some junk food then went back to the hotel to hangout haha. Ended up watching The Proposal. We didnt know Thursday night was ladies night else we wudve went to MOS!!! Ive been wanting to go.... smokefree club sounds like an idea very appealing to me. Those who know me knows how much I detest that cancer causing smoke!
At long last, Friday was here!
Howard found a nice little place at Singapore which he thought would be a good place to rent. He even paid the deposit on the spot because he liked the owner so much! The only snag is that the owner is only available that weekend for him to move in. So Saturday bright and early we had to drive down to Singapore from Rawang. Too bright, too early. haha. Saturdays are for sleeping!
Anyhoo, we drove down and it was a pleasant ride. About an hour into the ride, the sun went into hiding and never came out til the next day. I could not be more grateful. Met up with Ahma and my uncle,untie and my cousin for dinner. Ahma recently had some swelling on her hand. I supppose old age comes with many 'gifts'.
His landlord wasnt in the whole day so we had to wait til he was at home before we could go over and get the key to move in. Around 10 plus he finally called and said that he was home. Jurong East is not hard to find. In fact, I find the Singapore roads easy to drive but Howard did mention something which I've noticed for awhile now but didnt mention: Singapore roads are all curvy. Hahaha. U may still be going straight, but actually u have to turn almost at a 90 degree turn haha. Can be quite confusing if it is your first time. Howard read the map wrong a couple of times because when he goes straight, he is actually turning left haha. I didnt know he did not understand until after a few mistakes hehe. We also realized something else... Singaporeans only abide by the Speedlimit when they know there is a speed camera waiting for them. HAHAHAHA. More often than not, we are d only car which is driving below speed limit while cars zoom pass us at F1 speed hahaha.
After unpacking (bringing essential things from the car to the house) both of us crash til morning. Howard again, ignored my deathly threats and woke me up before 11 =.=
He proceeded to carry half the things up from the car, dragged me out of bed to carry the big box.
He needed some stuff so we went to the nearest Ikea to get his table haha. We saw it in KL but it was quite silly to be carrying something 300km when we could buy it at the same price 10km away...
After setting the table and desktop up, we left for Rawang!
A word of advice:
Anyone who in the future wants to drive down to Singapore, PLEASE TAKE THE SECOND LINK! I had to pay an extra rm4 but it was smooth all the way. On our way back, Howard decided that nothing is better than traffic so he tried Woodlands. OMG we were stuck for an hour, moving only across the bridge! Dont even get me started on the queue at both customs, before and after the customs, and the horrible and long road acros JB. The rm4 was a very very good investment.
Travelling on the Highway was an interesting experience. Its also very fatiguing. I wont do it again if I can help it but it was an unexpected touch to the end of a very busy week. An interesting week nonetheless
