Trendy Boys

The Citroen DS3 is an options galore that will strike a cord with the boys for it's fashionable with all the hip options sans the pissy-ness.

The 2nd Gen Volvo C30, brought the older version's manic pace to the Prada crowd with fiercer design and a ton of fancy accessory-options inside out. I love the floating dash board with optional electric guitar 'flame-surfaces.' Coolness.

MINI: More iconic than pretty but You've got to drive to believe why its worth the designer price tag. I love the quirky Clubman.

The Peugeot 1007 is for the high-heeled retail-therapied fashionista who's got too much bags to tote around and concerns herself with stepping in and out in style and little hassle via the big auto sliding doors. Who said anything about the boys?

The retro-dazzled Fiat 500 is undoubtedly a thing of beauty and its fashion-accessories options list is looooong and matches the DS3. A very nice toy for its agility. Yes, that's lingo understood only by the boys.

The New Beetle was the icon that introduced the word 'chic' to the boring car engineers. It's very cute, great build quality and brand, and that's it. You want an exciting drive? Get the Scirrocco instead. Or a designer pony.

Who says the girls are the trendy wheelers? Yes, they know the brands and the goods.

But The boys know better. The story, behind the label.

Q

Pretty Big Mini Rival

Aston wants a piece of Mini.

>>> First up, lemme give you a brief preview write up:
Yuu can see the traditional and familiar Aston face : The vertically-stacked lights and the wide-gaping low grille.

The rear also has familiar cues from traditional models albeit less so than the original concept of last year. Now , the production version you see here , has a VW Golf-ish rear lamp clusters.

The designers cum sculptors have done their very best with 'surface flaming' and swages to render the side profile as swoopy as a short-stubby car could possibly be.

Any car with as Aston badge needs to pop-it-like-its-hot on the inside. It has to scream sporty, exclusive and expensive. And so here , it doesn't disappoint (too much). With high-quality hide stiched over everywhere (possibly many cows died here of claustrophobia), edgy and exclusive embossed materials on the seats and door panels, and polished piano-finish for the dash. Of course, while most Aston's have more traditional interiors, this here is meant for the younger and trendier-than-thou set so you'd expect hyper modern luxuries and amenities and an overall, more modern-take on things.

Drive-wise, no one has the inside story as yet, but ,this is an Aston, so expect sharp and precise hot-hatch/roadster-like hustling around the bends. (Which no Toyota ever was; so good luck with that).

>>>Now let's get on with general snipes at this car;

When I first came across the initial pictures of the Aston Martin Cygnet still on the design facility being chamfered away by its modellers ( you could almost sense their frustration going " More off! More off! Not sleek enough.. never sleek enough!" .) .

I was thinking " WTH. "

At that time, Aston claimed it was but a design study and a potential small car and should it ever come out, will be meant nothing more than a good-will gift to existing customers who just need a smaller ride to the nearest hypermart.

Totak bubbish right?

Until when I kinda stumbled upon a picture of one on the opposite page of an auto publication featuring a Fiat 500C(which by the way has a price tag so steep it's even more a joke than the Cygnet.)

Now , we all know that the Fiat 500 range was conceived to be that retro cart-like car to compete with the very successful BMW-owned MINI.

There. Got my drift? Aston Martin wants a piece of the MINI-clientele was well.

No chicken pie here . Only Baby-swan pie.

Only time'll tell if Aston Martin can indeed bring its sporting heritage to this end of the market.

Q... what a very expensive little bird it's gonna be.

Magic Book of Tricks ....

.... allows me to be Everything. Anytime. Anywhere.

This couple of weeks had been totally crazy and I realised there's so much to do and time's running out.

So I began to realise how I missed those days where I could multi task and still hang wherever I want or the very least , still watch my fav. TV!

Yes, I am talking about having a lappie.

But I also realised that if I ever wanted another one, it had better be so so so small because I hate bulk. Period.

I can never understand why people are obsessed with size even when it comes to lappies.

I mean, if i ever wanted a big screen with a ton of functionaly (and happen to drive a Hummer to conveniently lug it all), , I'd tow a desk top computer every where then.

But what I want is it small. Danty. Petite. Convenient to run a marathon with (almost). And you get the idea.

Yes, so I want a Netbook.

Those super tiny ones. ^^)

Here's a bit of trivia I stumbbled upon on the net:

JK On The Run writes that Google will no longer accept ads that use the term "netbook." Psion asserts its trademark on the term, adopted by Intel and others to refer generically to the latest generation of cheap subnotebooks.

Psion let us know that Google has investigated the trademark claim and determined that “netbook” is indeed a protected trademark. Google does these investigations as they are impacted when they run ads on their network. The determination by Google that the term “netbook” is duly registered and protected has prompted them to inform their ad customers that the term can no longer be used in Google ads.

It's easy to assume that the term, already in wide currency by people who never even heard of the Psion Netbook, is already doomed to genericide. But unlike patent trolls and other IP scum, Prion did make a netbook called The Netbook and still sells parts for it. It put money (and manufacturing) where its mouth was.

You'll notice how all along, many netbook makers never called their netbook a netbook. Dell never calls the Mini 9 a netbook.

AMD calls them "mini-notebooks," and an exec there told me that it expects most analysts will do likewise.

Asus folks will refer to Eee PCs as netbooks, but only casually, in person: it even has a defined strategy of trying to make "Eee PC" a popular term for netbooks in general.

So every cent Intel spent marketing "netbooks" might soon have been spent marketing someone else's netbook... assuming Psion-Teklogic is ready to actually release an update ... to its 5 year old Netbook!~

Q ... phuking stooooopid !!!

KA-ricature

Not showing it's age even after 12 long years.

The old model was an international best seller having sold over 1.4 million units.

So successful and ahead of its time that the car needed little upgrades in its astounding 12 year model run .

Edgy and go-kart like, was a formula that redefined what a life-style super compact ought to be. Stylish city-chic.

In your dreams will you ever have a four-door fudly dudly 'family hatch'. Hell no!

So outstanding it was this masterpiece that, even today, has few peers anywhere in the entire industry.

Being one of the very rare few dedicated style-doyens in what is essentially a mass-market driven segment.

Well, if its a formula that ain't broke, why fix it?

Indeed. The current one could still be shouldering on and still be right up ahead of the pack.

But, anything good is worth getting even better.

So here it is. The ALL -NEW

Ford Ka.

Quite a monumental moment in car history for the original captured the attention of so many growing up.

Mine included.

So arguably , though percievably not as ahead of its competition like its predecessor was, but still the elements that made it so appealling remains, very compact , stylish, edgy and fun.

There. Or be prepared to pay nearly 3 times as much for the Fiat 500 or Mini.

Q

Size doesn't Matter

Since my old lappie which journeyed with me through my years in university finally died on me last year, I've not had another personal one since.

But I've always appreciated the connectivity and convenience a lappie brings.

I could get work done on the go. I could check my mails. Check on my Facebook. Chat online. Shop.... lol .

Yeah. On the go but still on the ball.

But I could never understand the mentality that so many still have.

If a lappie is meant to be of convenience and portability , how does one explain the obsession with getting 'the one with the largest screen' and 'the most features?

If I wanted those , I'd lug my entire PC with me. Nothing beats that.

Otherwise, all I need are the basic functionalities. No need to play complex video games or run complex programs or top notch sound systems.

Just being able to be quick and efficient in the bare necessities that we only need while on the move.

So , for me, a lappie has to be small. REALLY small so that I'd almost carry next to nothing in my normal bag. Anywhere. Everywhere.

So, it's no surprise that even in this economic down turn , while desk tops and standard-sized lappies, see sales taking a dip, the mini lappie had actually seen growth, according to a recent newspaper report.

More people are wising up.

About time.

Q ... yes and i want one!!

Hot Chocolate

The 'Hot Chocolate' color is lustrous. And exclusive to the Clubman.(But will it get too common? Soon?)



Ok, by now you'd have realized that I'm head-over-heels for the MINI Cooper Clubman.

I have to admit that I am a MINI-Convert.

I used to think : " What's the Big deal with a Car so Small?" " Why would any one want to pay so much of their hard-earned money on a tiny car like this?" " Am I the only one who thinks that the MINI is hella expensive?" " Is an Icon worth that much (I mean a VW New Beetle; arguably the only other real market-equivalent, cost only half as much to put on the drive way)? "


And then you swallow your ego and take it out for a spin at a dealership near you.

And you'd be smitten.

The MINI has probably the most engaging drive you'd ever experienced this side of an ultimate sports car.

Magnifique!!!

The go-cart like grip and feel is impossible to fathom in dramatic adjectives.

This car fits like a glove.

But of course, the size part was still an issue.

I've nothing against small cars. But to pay THAT MUCH for SO LITTLE is still asking too much me thinks.

Until the Clubman came along, that is.

The extra length makes sense. And Cents.

The boot and rear seat space are now way more usable.

I personally prefer its looks more so too.

And best of all, the gimmicky doors do their best to make the extra space more special to access.

And yes, the car still handles like a dream; fits like glove.

Only more comfortable. Wee !!!

There, I said it. ^^

Q

Expensive Taste: You're Worth it

I like my cars Premium.

It's the best money can buy. It shows that One's arrived.

It's a gift for someone who's worked hard and earned it.

Mini Clubman? VW Beetle? Audi A3 Sportback? BMW 1-Series?

Indulgent is the Luxury for those who Can.

Q

MINI Limo

Still grieving. But life goes on.

Was at the award winning Mini Habitat this late afternoon, after a long day in bed to sleep away the blues and in constant denial and in-out hallucinations (Yes, my Little Sister , Foxxxy is a huge loss and blow to my fam.)

I'm definitely considering the VW Beetle but I had to explore other options. (Just for the sake of it?)

Honestly, I always loathed at the MINI for being a small and over priced car. So what if it drives like a dream? So what if it is stylish in side and out?

It's so darn expensive!

(It still is, BTW.)

But when the MINI Clubman came about, I realised that I could have a change of heart.

Essentially, the Clubman is like an Estate/station Wagon version of the bog standard Mini.

It's altogether a longer car which means the longer wheel base will equate to a more relaxed and comfortable ride over bumps.

It also means the boot is bigger. And most importantly, the rear passengers don't feel like they have drawn the shorter straw.

A full 8 cm longer. That's a lot.

But no, it's not a simple graft on job but an all-out effort to make the revised rear cohesive and still very retro-chic.

The most striking thing about it the split tail gate , opening smack in the middle.

And then on the driver's side, there is the Suicide doors for the rear for easier ingress and egress. And what greets you is a lot more space than a MINI ever had.

Perrrrfect.

Just like a Mazda RX8 or the Rolls Royce Phantom. Lopsided; it may be.

Yes, inside and out, the attention to detail is awe inspiring. (WOW)

The quality is top notch. (And did I tell you that I am absolutely in Luuuurrrrve with the Hot Chocolate color scheme inside out? Wooo. Faint.)

The drive is addictive. Amazing even. I always knew this was to be it's biggest draw. But didn't think it would be THIS BIG. ^^




It's still hella expensive, though.


Q



> Now, back to grieving...