Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Info on the Turbozords

Happy Birthday to Darren Lim
Rest in peace, JB Jeyaretnam

To end off the F1 SingTel Grand Prix season, I have decided to put up an entry on the Turbozords that I have (and still possess obviously)... they may not speed as frequently as the F1 cars, but they are all unique in their own way. I do have other type of cars as well (such as the Micro Machines), but this is IMO the most unique set of cars I've ever had so far. :-)


The Power Rangers created the Turbozords during Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, along with their new Turbo Ranger powers, in order to combat the new evil threat of Divatox and her demonic domestic partner, Maligore. They were used in battle with Divatox'sSpace Priates throughout the television series Power Rangers: Turbo, though they were used less often after the Rangers aquired the more powerful Rescuezords. The Turbozords were the only Zords in which the Rangers created them, rather than finding them or have them built by someone else (eg Zordon or Alpha)
From L to R: Red Lightning, Mountain Blaster, Desert Thunder, Dune Star, Wind Chaser


Red Lightning Turbozord 1 (Pegasus)
Modelled after a race car, it was driven by Tommy Oliver and later T.J. Johnson. It forms the head and inner chest of the Turbo Megazord.


Mountain Blaster Turbozord 2 (Regulus)
Modelled after a 4X4 pickup truck, it was driven by Justin Stewart (so much for a young kid owning the largest Turbozord, hmph!!). It forms the main body of the Turbo Megazord.


Desert Thunder Turbozord 3 (Plaeides)
Modelled after a minivan, it was driven by Adam Park, and later Carlos Vallertes. It forms the right leg of the Turbo Megazord.


Dune Star Turbozord 4 (Mirages)
Modelled after an SUV, it was driven by Tanya Sloan, and later Ashley Hammond. It forms the left leg of the Turbo Megazord.


Wind Chaser Turbozord 5 (Sirius)
Modelled after a compact car, it was driven by Katherine Hillard, and later Cassie Chan. It splits up into half and forms the arms of the Turbo Megazord.


The Turbozords gathering in line...


Wind Chaser and Mountain Blaster form up as the arms and body...


Desert Thunder and Dune Star (both looking quite identical in terms of appearance) form the legs

Finally, Red Lightning enters drives into the rear hull of Mountain Blaster.


Turbo Megazord formation complete


Weapons are a Turbo Saber and a shield in the shape of a huge tyre.
The Turbo Rangers and the Turbo Megazord.

Monday, September 29, 2008

The winner of the F1 SingTel Grand Prix is...


Happy Birthday to Roiswandi and Ace Lim

Unbelievable!! Fernando Alonso overcame all the odds and won the first ever night race!! :-O

Spain's Fernando Alonso won his first race in a year at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, taking the chequered flag in a drama-filled inaugural night race as a comical error cost Felipe Massa dearly. Alonso claimed his 20th career triumph by 2.95 seconds over Germany's Nico Rosberg Williams and Britain's world championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

"It is fantastic, I am extremely happy. I can't believe it right now and it will take a few days to realise what we have done," said Alonso. "Winning had seemed impossible all season but we have been competitive all weekend. The car was super."

For the full report on Alonso's victory, go here... http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080928/tsp-auto-prix-sin-5820418.html

I'm actually glad that Alonso prevailed and never gave up, despite going through a very rough patch during the qualifying rounds on Sat night. Thank goodness Lewis Hamilton didn't win gthe top prize, though he did win 3rd place. I don't have anything against Hamilton, but I feel that he's a little 'overrated', somewhat reminds me of the former boxing champ Floyd Mayweather (who retired a few weeks ago),but minus the arrogance. When it comes to being the next Michael Schumacher, Alonso comes the closest.

Other links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Singapore_Grand_Prix
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Bay_Street_Circuit

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Stunt Performance at the Motorshow


Earlier today, I went to the S'pore Motorshow again... this time to watch the Stunt Performance by Russell Swift, an international renowned stunt car professional better known as the world's number 1 precision driver. He had been doing these stunts in different parts of the world, and this is his 5th year performing in Singapore (having performed for the Motorshows between 2000 to 2006).


Russ was joined by his young son Paul, and in the first time ever, father and son perform together in synchronized performances, and also pit their skills against each other in friendly competition. Outside drivers should not attempt any of the stunts!!

Stunts featured throughout the 30-minute show were...
  1. Reverse Spin
  2. Handbrake Parking
  3. Fastest Parallel Parking
  4. Drifting


Plus, about 6 spectators were chosen to sit next to Russ or Paul (3 per car) to experience the adrenalin rush during some of the stunts! Stay tuned for videos coming right up... ;-)


After the show ended, Russ and Paul headed down to the Subaru booth at the main exhibition hall to autograph postcards or fans (the type as seen in the pic above). After I got my fan autographed, I stayed around a little longer just for the fun of car-spotting and babe ogling (hehe). I was a little disappointed to learn that there was no Mazda sector within the Motorshow at all.


That was how the second day of the Motorshow went. The motorshow will continue till the 5th of October. And yep, there's a very likely chance that I may be going for the next Singapore Motorshow in 2010!! ;-)

Singapore Motorshow 2008 (ooh yeah!!)

Happy Birthday to Hazel and Edmund Leck
Rest in peace, Paul Newman


Finally, I got to go for the Singapore Motorshow!! I missed out on the Motorshow in 2006 due to studies and (shudder) work at that dreadful place in Shaw House. And since the F1 race was held this week, ticket admission for 27th and 28th of this month had been discounted!! And this time round, I got to see a few familiar faces... :-)

This was what happened yesterday...

I left the house at 12 plus, had lunch at Kovan area, and then took a bus to Beach Road, where I bought some earplugs from an army-themed stall, for safety purposes. Then I walked to Suntec City, where I decided to purchase a ticket for the Motorshow (which was held earlier to coincide with the F1 Grand Prix).


Upon entering the exhibition hall at Level 4 of Suntec Convention, first sector I got to see was the Honda sector. Got a few ang moh chicks, they look rather seductive.


Later on at 3 pm, Michelle Chia graced the stage for some upclose-and-personal segment. Even as I stood a few metres away from her, I could tell that she is rather short (abt 1.64 m I say). And even though Mich Chia is one of the more popular actresses these days (having started showbiz since young), I wasn't too keen on going up on stage to chat with her, simply cos she's not among my faves (and what's more, she's already got a boyfriend). If it were one of the princesses, I would definitely reconsider my options, hehe. ;-p


It was around this time that I discovered there was a very long queue for some Stunt Performance. Knowing that it would be too late for me to get a ticket for the stunt show, I opted to explore the place a bit more.


Trailer and truck types from Izusu


Bus types from Opel


Models from Subaru Motors. There were way too many cars under Subaru, so I decided to focus on the babes instead (though only some of them are passable IMO).


I instantly recognized one of the Subaru babes as Maggie Tan, a former DOND (Deal or No Deal) suitcase girl, the one who bears some resemblance to Fiona Xie. ;-)


Aha, so that's the Subaru Challenge! It's an annual event, where many people (mostly male) have to place their right hand on the hand symbol on any part of the car and hold it there for as long as possible (they need to have a high tolerance level if they are really in for the challenge, esp when it comes to holding their bladder). Even if you have to make a phone call (like what the guy in lime green shirt and white cap is doing), you still have to leave your hand on the car (so much for the car feeling 'violated' for many hours with so many hands on it, ha!!). The Subaru Challenge is usually held at Ngee Ann City, but this year it's held in the midst of the Motorshow at Suntec. The last man standing after 72 hours (I think) will get to take the car home, and win some cash as well!!


Don't you think this babe looks a bit like Lin Chi Ling? :-)


Sweet-looking models for Nissan Motors


Trailer types from Mitsubishi Fuso (a bus included). Ok lah, the babes look quite passable here, never mind if they may not be as slender as the others. :-)


Models for Stamford Cars. Some of them don't look so enthusiastic...


Race car simulator for kids



Mini-circuit for toy racing cars aimed for kids, though adults can also join in the fun. The downside: you have to pay 4 dollars for one game, in the form of 4 1-dollar coins. Ha!! As if I'm even willing to volunteer...


Cutie pie model sponsoring for Polygon mountain bikes


Smokin hot babe posing for a Honda type bike


These hotties sponsoring for Pioneer vans and products don't really look appealing IMO, but they sure can party for hours. :-)


Denso car models


Hey, that's Charlyene!! A sweetie pie whom I knew via Friendster, and she was recently crowned 2nd runner-up for Miss Singapore World. Man she looks innocent. She noticed me first before I did, and then told me something else which got me even more delighted... still, I'd never thought we would meet each other in person at a place like this :-)


Charlyene went on to pose with 2 models from Falken Motors. Don't you think the one on the right looks a bit like Jade Seah? :-)


Soon enough, I saw 2 babes (with hot legs) at the Sony X-plod booth, and I immediately recognised one of them... the one with the wavy hair is none other than... GERMAINE!! :-O I dunno the name of the other model though... or rather, I forgot to ask due to my shock and shyness. Still, I got to take pic with both of them!! :-p


Before leaving the place, I overcame my shyness and took picture with Charlyene, then I told her that she looks a bit like Felicia. She replied that many people had said the same thing about her (Damn!! And I'd thought I was the only one), but she didn't really think so (though she took it as a compliment of course).


Upon leaving Suntec, I spent the next 2 hours trying to find a suitable place to view the cars racing along the track for the F1 SingTel Grand Prix, but all efforts were in vain. I couldn't take picture of any of the cars cos they were going way too fast!! And the fences were sealed up with long banners to prevent the people at ground level from seeing the cars. Hmmm, the organising team sure is smart...


A group of Spanish people rooting for Fernando Alonso outside Gate 3, located a few metres from Raffles City. Little did they know that their beloved Renault champ would meet up with another case of deja vu during the qualifying rounds... his race car got a malfunction and he finished off at 15th place!!

A few minutes before 8 pm, I gave up on trying to get a good view on the race, opting to go back home and watch the F1 Qualifying rounds from TV instead. No pictures of the cars racing, but I did record the ear-piercing sound of the cars (that's 130 decibels, mind you!!) using the recorder function of my camera phone, with my earplugs on obviously.