Beetle Mania

I was going through a friend's blog and suddenly I saw this photo that made me grin

It brought back a childhood memory. Dad used to be an ardent fan of the beetle car.

He changed his car 3 times when I was little and each time he still chose a Volswagen! Only the color changed. Others may love to change curtains in their house or change the sofa when the Raya festival arrived. Dad didn't care much about 'trivial' things.


Raya festival would meant that the VW gets a new coat of paint. From white to red and to orange. Don't play play :). A speck of dirt means washing the car again from top to bottom. I remember one thing especially about the car : all VW has the engine at the back instead of in front.

The VW beetle was first introduced in 1938 and the last of this model was fabricated in 2003. After 2003, there's no more 'beetles' mostly because there were so much competition from Japanese car manufactures which came out with cheaper types equipped with the latest technology in the automobile market. The VW were hit rather hard as next came the Americans into the car business in the 1970s. In an effort to attract a high-tech and more demanding clientele, VW next came out with the "Rabbit". So cute but also so expensive:

Now, it's hard to see the older 'beetle' except when there's a VW road tour/competition or the VW Malaysian Club decided to do a fan's club gathering. Sure miss the old days :) and..sure miss Dad a lot.

The VW Story

It's the return of the Bug/Beetle mania!
Yes, this is about the Volkswagon or VW Summit that was held in Subang Jaya recently. The 'Bug O Rama Summit was jointly organised by The Summit Subang USJ and Kelab Volkswagen Beetle Malaysia (KVBM). Lots of Volkswagen enthusiasts from various club all over the states and also from Thailand as well as Singapore attended the said event on Sunday, 25th July 2010.

We were certain that there were more than 300 Volkswagen (including vans), each uniquely added with various accessories as well as colorfully painted designs. Some even modified their VW's engines, decorated the interiors and put their own personal touches. But my preference falls on those beetles with solid and not so bright color (florescence & pink... ewww... just so not good for the eyes).

Below are some of the beetles that managed to attract attention:

This one is the bug van :) ... owned by a Thailand participant. The van looks small from the outside but was surprisingly very large inside. A bit like those vans during the 'flower power' era or the one in 'Scooby Doo' cartoon. It can hold a minibar, cabinets and a bed in it! Very convenient!


This one reminds me of 'Herbie' :)


Looks like a flying beetle:) An unusual sight for a beetle to have doors that open upwards. Still, it looks cute.

See the hub cab in the photo? They say that the rounder and fuller the hub cap is, older the model of the beetle. The older it gets, the more expensive it will be.

A VW with a moving fan inside. :) Just how many of these can you see nowadays? :)


The star ornament functions not only as a deco but it serves also as an emergency light. They told me that the star has to be imported from Germany as you can't get it from any accessory shop here, in Malaysia.



Last and not least.. my favorite choice of VY. Well, if you can't afford to buy a real beetle, a mini VW would serve the same purpose! Just fit in nicely beside the teddy bear on my work table.

You can view more bugs and beetles at http://vwclubselangor.webs.com/

Signing off,
Hana with her small mini bug :)

P/S : Do you know that a VW does not use water any water in it's engine compartment? The engine actually has a kind of fan that keeps it from overheating. Am learning a lot :)

The Bugs Are Back

What a way to start the new year. :)
Sneezing, coughing and fever. Yet, a promise is a promise. The handphone was full with missed calls and messages from Jaja reminding Cat to meet her at 8am for breakfast and then on to the Bug Fest. Come on, Cat. 2 of those Hurix's pills and a big spoonful of the yucky and sticky cough syrup and you'll be ok.



We were at the Bug Fest in Dataran Ayer Keroh at 9.30am. The hot sun might have been one of the factor that there were only few vw beetles at that time. Around 20 vw vehicles only, a small number compare to the number of policemen on standby. (Might be because of the New Year's countdown the night before, people are not awake yet).



The hot sun did nothing to relieve Cat's burning head, but it was certainly worth it. The VW on exhibition were impeccably polished and a delight to look at.



The beetle is actually holding the record for the longest single car production run with more than 21 million units being fabricated since it's creation in 1938. The red car on top is a 1963 VW Beetle Ragtop. The rooftop is made of leather than can last for years. However, the sport rims on the wheels are from a different year as those from 1963 has rounded hubcaps. Still, it's a beauty.

Dinner Plates

A friend was telling of a visit to her relatives house just the other day. A thing that captured her eyes were the collection of pfaltzgraff dinnerware that were arranged nicely on the shelves in the living room.

Among them was a white dinner plate with pastel blue flowers decorated around the rim. It was exactly the double of the dinner plate that she saw when she was surfing Yahoo Food site in search of dinnerwareset. It was more exquisite to look at than the phto that she saw in the internet. She was quite happy to know that her choice of gift for Sarah's coming wedding was correct.

As per the friend, whether you're cooking dinner for family, or a gourmet meal for guests, the dinner plate is an essential part of the dinnerware collection. The important thing is to choose a dinnerware collection that is unique so that it can catch people eyes when they look at it.
I was a bit perplexed. Dinnerware are dinnerware, isn't it? You would have your food put on it and what was the fuss in finding the perfect dinnerware? Guests would appreciate the design but they would concentrate more on the food. Why spend a fortune in dinnerware or dinner plate?

Then the friend started laughing. 'Look, dinnerware in Malaysia is like awards or rare coin collections. They are for exhibition. Folks don't use them for normal everyday meals. For that, they can just use normal plates.'

'Ohh. There are normal plates and abnormal plates, then..'
'Of course. :) Where have you been all this while?

Costume Jewellery

Real gold might be priceless, but costume jewelery has much more appeal to the eyes and imagination.

Amanyx's blog just captured the attention and just like to share with you on one of the posting titled 'Coke Bottle Cap Jewelery'.

Thanks again for sharing, Amanyx.



This is my favorite photo. Look at how the Coca Cola caps were made into shell like shapes and painted in gold. Creative :)


Hmm.. just think of all the attention you'll get when people see you wearing them.. priceless.. :)

Sky Above..

Sometimes you feel like being on top of the world. Nothing can stop or hold you back. Running with hair blowing in the wind and leaves kissing the face. Smiling, laughing.

At other times, you feel as if you are at the bottom. Things seems rather heavy on the shoulders. Doubts rushing inside the head. Lost amidst the worries. Sad and moody.

Everything, things change. Except for the sky.
Wherever and whenever you feel sad, look up at the sky high above. Whether it's day or night. Clear blue sky or dark night sky, the sky would always look the same anywhere you are.

*******
Standing at the balcony of the 22nd floor.
For someone who's not too brave, there are times when you don't think, you just do it. The view was and has always been spectacular from here. This was also where the guy had jumped off years ago..after having written down a letter to his family overseas. Hmm..wonder what was he thinking? What had pushed him to resort to that last option..? It takes either courage... or despair to do that.. Taking a deep breath..and slowly letting it out again.. looking up at the blue sky...

Salute To Every Malaysian

FROM PERODUA :

A Salute to Every Malaysian

For the ones who mix their coffee with tea..
Who look for Nasi Lemak when they are overseas..
And the ones who finish their meals with an ABC..

For those who speak more than 2 languages
Who ride with their jackets on backwards
And the ones who cannot wake up
Without a Super 'Kau' kopi-o first..

For the ones who call everyone 'bro'
Who 'Lat-Tali-Lat to decide who gets to go
And the ones who bargain hunting
Best Price finding pros...

For the ones that stay up late for matches
Who island hop on our beautiful beaches
And the ones who would never
Ever trade durians for peaches..

For the ones who gave their lives for merdeka
Who laid the foundations in the days of Malaya
And the ones who proudly
Call themselves Malaysians

For the ones on the east and west coast
Who call Sabah and Sarawak home
And for every Malaysian
Because you matter most...