Defining what “zoom-zoom” really means.

According to Wikipedia, zoom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoom) is an onomatopoeiac sound that indicates swiftness. It’s that thing that tells our senses that we are going fast. Japanese carmaker Mazda used the word and multiplied it by two to give us a word (or two) that defines “emotion of motion” that is inherent in its cars. The Japanese carmaker wants to stir our emotions through motion, and only their vehicles can induce that.

In 2002, Mazda launched the Mazda 6 (or Atenza in the Japanese market) and gave us a feel of what “zoom-zoom” is all about. As reviewed in the very famous motoring show “Top Gear”, the car is the Japanese BMW; a far more affordable one at that. Mazda didn’t stop with that car and started to apply the same philosophy in designing their upcoming cars. This paved the way for the birth of its biggest hit, the compact car contender, Mazda 3.

 

After it was launched in 2004, the 3 has been praised for its great performance, styling, and interior. In a highly competitive compact car market and 8 years down the road, is the first-generation Mazda 3 still relevant?

Our family has been looking for a great compact car, and we’ve picked the base model Mazda 3 1.6S as one. But is it really any good? In the looks department, the car is just as breathtaking as when I’ve first laid my eyes on it when it was launched. The BMW-esque body shell is stylish, the cool Lexus-inspired clear headlamps and tail lamps are a marvel to look at.

  

Even the sloping rear door window design can leave you staring at the car and wanting to get your hands in it. The interior is still funky and modern despite the car’s age. As for the looks department alone, the car can very much still get it on with the cars of today. You get power everything—door locks, windows, side mirrors, and steering. You even get steering wheel-mounted audio controls that you can use to play with the decent-sounding 4-speaker car audio unit.

The trims surprisingly don’t feel too plasticky, something you don’t expect from the cheapest model. It had combinations of black, gray, silver and piano black accents here and there. The seats are rather comfortable and simple.

In the performance side of things, it isn’t really something that’s rave worthy. The engine, despite it having twin cams, 16-valves, and Mazda’s Sequential Valve Timing or SVT—only manages to produce 103 horses and 144 newton-meters of torque. 

It also is still equipped with a 4-speed triptronic automatic transmission, worlds away from the 5-speed and 6-speed automatics offered today. (UPDATE: A Ford pick-up now has 10 forward gears in its transmission; makes the 4-speed even jurassic)

 The car’s fuel consumption isn’t the best in its class. Most people actually found its 7-8 km/liter consumption, rather thirsty.

So other than it's great looks inside and out, is there really anything that's really good about this car? Apparently there is, and this is what made owners and pundits fall deeply in love with it.

Despite all of those figures miserably failing to excite enthusiasts, the car still doesn’t disappoint at all. Mazda’s been known for engineering cars that handles well and the 3 is no exception. The first time I drove the 3 and took the Ortigas Flyover going to the Greenhills area at 60kph didn’t disappoint me. There was very minimal body roll despite the car being heavy. Whenever you’d move the steering wheel, you’d feel the car response instantaneously and change directions. The steering wheel has great feel compared to electronic power steering systems employed in other cars. The manu-matic function of the transmission also feels quite good despite suffering from lag whenever you use it. The brakes feel reassuring, the engine pulls and just builds up speed without you noticing it. The car feels planted and stable even in the highway at speeds over 100 kph.

While it doesn’t have all of the bells and the whistles the other compact cars have. Even though the performance figures of the vehicle aren’t really exciting, it does one thing that other cars in the same price point fail to provide: It is one great-handling car. The car offers better driving feel, compensating for its rather unimpressive performance figures. It gives you the feeling that you are actually running faster than you really are. It gives you that different feeling of being on the move and it gives off that sporty vibe that you won’t get anywhere else. Other than high maintenance costs (casa charges a premium for preventive maintenance) and not so impressive fuel consumption, the car really lives up to its promise. It is a good car for its price. Now who says you have to break speed records just to feel fast? The 3 gives you the feeling that you’re on the move fast when you’re actually not. Despite its old age, the great feeling that only the Mazda 3 is something that you won’t get somewhere else. And if only for that, Mazda’s promise of Zoom-zoom is achieved and realized.

A spare. Nothing more, nothing less.

You’d definitely need a spare tire, unless you have those that run flat. Whenever one of the tires on your ride goes flat, you need this to help you get by. This helps you get to the nearest vulcanizing shop to have that flat tire repaired and reinstalled on your ride.

For most people, that is what a spare tire is. Nothing more than a quick fix to your woes. And as soon as the problem gets remedied, that spare tire goes back to where most car owners think it should be, in the trunk or the spare tire holder.

I can only imagine a spare tire’s frustration. Come to think about it, of all the wheels that come with your ride, this is the most overlooked. People would usually install their worn out tires in this and keep it tucked in. It is almost never cleaned, never properly taken care of. But this wheel and tire combo is the one that keeps the vehicle running well in the most difficult of times. If only the tires can speak, I bet It’d curse us the next time we pop the trunk open or look at them. We car owners can be really ungrateful about spare tires. Maybe because we’ve only seen them as what they are, spares. Something that you can pull out when the need arises; not something that is a part of your vehicle. No matter if the spare rim has the same design and specifications as the other four, (or in some vehicle more) wheels and tires, we never thought of them as a valuable part of our vehicle. We let them get beat up, dusty, and dirty. We put them on when we need them the most and we uninstall them as soon as the original wheels and tires are okay.

I guess feeling what a spare tire does has to be one of the most, if not the most painful experience one could have.  No matter how handy we are when somebody needs us, those people will never see us as more than a spare. We are only something that people use when they don’t have any option left. And after our dutiful service, we can never be real thing.

Doesn’t it suck?

That is why more and more carmakers equip their cars with doughnut tires that are narrower than the original. Why put a wheel and tire combo like the ones that our vehicles use when we would never ever use them are regular tires? It’s just a waste of valuable resources.

But is the spare tire really nothing more than an extra one? Couldn’t it ever be a real, hardcore wheel and tire that we can use?

Others may get worn out and feel terribly bad about being a spare. This happens to everyone and it is just a matter of time. There are some though who believe that they are needed, and won’t give up and stop being a spare. No matter how stupid it might sound like, these true-blue spares will not just give in. They’d do what they do best, be there in times of need, filling a temporary void that something left. A space that they’d never, ever fill up; just because they’re nothing, but a spare.

Test

This, ladies and gentlemen is my first attempt to write after two weeks of not composing anything “creative”. Heck, I haven’t even seen Microsoft Word’s interface for almost two and a half weeks now.  I have been writing since 2005; writing different stuff for differing purposes. After living, eating, and breathing by writing, I have just been through a two-week hiatus from something that I love doing the most. I have always been a writer (or pretended to be one). In my almost 7 years of having writing as a job, it is quite bothering that I have never mastered my craft. Yes, I have been probably improving but I am in no way good with what I do. I always believed that I was good, until ssomething came out and slammed my ego down the ground. Still, I believe that I am a great writer, only that I haven’t reached my full potential yet. I swear though, I will be back. And when I do, I promise to be a lot better than what I am now. Better than what people thought I was. I am just taking a breather. A break. I will be back. I will be. :D

Affirmation. Realization.

Life is more complicated than we actually expected.

Love is not all fun and elation; at times it lets you down and might lead you to frustration.

Fuel pump prices will rise and hit all-new record-highs, but this remains true, no matter how expensive it gets, there’s no way you can survive without shelling that hard-earned moolah to get some of this power-bearing liquid.

Boys gossip way more than girls do and girls talk about sex more than guys do.

No matter how hard you’d fall, nobody can really pick you up but yourself. 

Happiness is a choice but when it happens is not.

You’ll never be good enough for anybody because they’re too preoccupied with the thought of their own greatness.

You can complain all you want but in the end, you have no choice but to live with what you have. 

You will never be completely happy with your life for you’d always want more than what you’ve already have.

Resistance and suppression in things don’t get you anywhere and can even end up bad and backfiring right in your face.

Now matter how deeply, truly and madly you love someone, it’ll never be enough to make them love you back, cause they’d just love you if they do and they just won’t if they don’t.

Long day.

2:45 in the AM and we just got home. What I thought was a short day turned out to be one of the longest and most tiring days of my life. Earlier, I was not able to report to work because I got sick. I was feverish so I’ve just decided the first of my two WFH days and rest. But office pal Dave celebrated his birthday earlier and incidentally, it is also Rye’s last day in the office so we have to celebrate. We were busy bullying each other earlier but we all definitely enjoyed the night. Fast forward 10:30 PM, I headed back to Project 4 to pick up my mom, dad and sister for we had a despedida dinner for Dete who leaves for Dubai this Saturday. It was a long fun night and we’ve decided to call it a night around 11 PM. When we got out of the Francisco Compound to say our goodbyes, a random guy with a motorbike almost hit me and Zoom with his bike. Good thing he had the presence of mind, he stopped at the right time and maneuvered to a Fortuner’s right side. When I’ve let the Fortuner pass, I suddenly head a loud banging noise. Next thing I knew, my brother-in-law’s 4-door Civic EK 1.6 VTi got smacked in its backside. The impact was so strong, the left-side clips of the bumper got broken and there’s a rather deep (like primer paint deep) scratch in the car’s rear bumpers. The a-hole dude tried to run away. Good thing my bro-in-law had him in his arms and stopped him from leaving.  The damage wasn’t really that big of a deal. What freaking irritates my bro is that the guy has no plans of accepting his mistake and even tried to run away at the very last minute. To make matters worst, the guy’s companion (the ones whom he called thru Ate Lily’s phone) we’re messing up the rather good conversation between the aggrieved party and they guy’s mom.  The 19-year old (allegedly) guy was too drunk for his own good that he can’t stand straight for a long while and that he slurs so bad while speaking, you’d barely understand the words he say. We were almost finished with the negotiations when the guy’s friends started to challenge my brother in law and his brother in law for a square off. The most matured way of handling the situation. As if they were the ones that are aggrieved. The 19-year old guy got himself into deep shit. First, he only has a Student’s permit which means he can’t drive a motor vehicle on his own yet without the presence of a licensed driver. Secondly, he is intoxicated and was driving under the influence of alcohol. Finally, his motorcycle who’s registration expired last January (it had a #1 ending plate). In the end, the bike was impounded and the guy would be facing jailtime. Good thing my brother in law decided to let him go. There were planned attacks by the same group of guys by Mon, my brother in law’s brother in law and his wife Lily that the guys almost got them. Good thing, QC’s BPSO officers caught the guys and made them retreat on their plans on getting back at the sick Mon.

Funny how the aggressors seem to have their way around the law. Like they feel they’re above the law. Funny how people use the stupidest reasons to justify their wrong doings. Man, the nerve. Now we just got home and it got me thinking how in hell would I be able to report for work on time later. Well, Im’ma sleep now guys! See you tomorrow!

Thanks

It's 34 minutes past the hour of 2 in the morning and I am still up. I'm not sleepy yet and I'm trying to be productive by trying to work. I have my iTunes library on shuffle and it played this great song by one of the best soul singers in the country, Julianne Trajona. There is this one person that I've recently met. She was simple, quiet. She caught my attention. At first, I was more of intrigued about this chick. Unlike the other newbies, she just sits on her workstation and can barely hear nothing from her. I don't know how, and I can't remember when. Suddenly, I just found myself longing to see her. Wanting to know more about her. There were a couple of times when we'd see each other, and I could only flash her a smile to say "hi" or "hello". A strange feeling grew stronger. I started following her on Twitter and adding her up on Facebook. Not long after, the strange feeling got me worried. For it grew faster than I could imagine. I tiptoed at the brink of the cliff of love and playfully dared and toyed on my emotions. Before I knew it, here I am, suffering from a lot of sleepless nights. I could enumerate reasons why I found her attractive and why I'm falling for her. But after thinking hard enough and probing for answers, my heart gave me no responses, and instead flashed a smile.

Being away from her, I mean not seeing her for almost 2 weeks almost got me crazy. I'd oftentimes find myself lost in thoughts of her. Sitting or lying in a corner, wondering if I even cross her mind. At times I'd feel bad because she's committed, but most of the times, I feel happy--happy for her presence. Now, just like my old, 'chope' self, I get uneasy talking to her. I would try to be cool but me blushing and my ear getting reddish betrays that "composed" facade. I'd try to cut the conversation short before I drown with her overwhelming presence.



Now, somehow, I think she knows, or at least have a hint of what's going on. My fear is that if she finds out, she might act differently when I'm around or just stop talking to me altogether. Sometimes, I'd think about how to get her attention. Sometimes, I just shy away and avoid her. Man, things are getting crazier by the day just as I'm falling for her more and deeper day-by-day. I'm afraid that I might find myself in a deep ravine that I can't get out of. And that I'd be eaten up, chewed on and spat out by these emotions. Its like a part of me wants to let myself fall and the other move on because she's happily in love with someone and I don't see them breaking-up anytime soon.

What should I do now? Should I wait? Should I suppress these feelings? Should I avoid her? Should I act differently when she's around? Do I tell her how I really feel? Should I make a move on her?

All of these questions are still left unanswered. All of these worries keep on bugging me. But amidst all of these, this great, weird feeling envelops me--seems to take control of me.

I'm confused. All messed up. But still, grateful.

"I've been in places where I couldn't even see the light of day... and then, you came..."

"Now I'm stronger than before, stronger than I'll ever be. And I raise my eyes to the one--the one who made me see..."

"I'm grateful. You've shown me my way back to my beautiful..."

Tinamaan na nga yata ako. To you, that one reason for this inexplicable happiness and contentment. Salamat. And see you on Tuesday. :D

What happened to the Philippine sports' commentators and analysts?

At nagdiriwang na ang tropa. That is really what's happening out there as the Talk N Text Tropang Texters have finally won the 2012 PBA All-Filipino Cup championship after beating the hell out of the Powerade Tigers, 110-101 in Game 5 of their finals match. For the lack of other options, I finished this match and the experience was more fun than I expected. Except for the controversial officiating and the episode late second quarter where Jimmy Alapag almost literally throwing Rommel Adducul out of the playing court, the game was well fought. I wanted Powerade to win but given TnT's deep and skilled bench plus their championship experience, the inevitable just happened. I am happy for the Tropang Texters but what I was not happy about is the clear bias of the commentators of the Pangilinan-owned coveror for, surprise-- Talk N Text. The game was exciting even though the scores say otherwise. Though TnT was leading by double digits for most of the time, the efforts of JV Casio, Sean Anthony and Gary "El Granada" David kept Powerade within reach. But Ryan Gregorio, one of the co-anchors of the game (which is incidentally a Pangilinan employee, for he coaches the earlier-eliminated Meralco Bolts) clearly shows his bias towards TnT. One time, while Alapag was taking free throws after he split his charities, Gregorio was saying (or something to this effect) "Jimmy has split his earlier charities but this time, he'll... ahh...". Gregorio wasn't able to finish what he was talking about for Alapag did split his charities again. Also, at the time when David was making crucial and impossible shots, the panel was talking as if nothing's happening. If Quinito Henson was there, or Mico Halili, they would probably be singing praises and Hallelujahs with David's great shots. I may sound like a sourgraping Powerade fan but in reality, I am a B-MEG follower which the Tigers have beaten in the quarter finals (I do admit though that I am all for the Tigers in this series). David, the conference's MVP, averages 30+ points a game that's why I can't reconcile why David's 37-point production was not really highlighted by the panel.

Times like these makes me miss the days when the team of Sev Sermenta, Quinito Henson, Ed Picson and the great Joe Cantada among others who are covering the games for us. When will Philippine basketball get some good commentators and analysts again?

Mighty Talk ‘N Text defeats gallant Powerade to retain Philippine Cup

The best and worst PBA commentators

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I love communicating. In fact, I hate dull moments. If you're a new acquaintance, you'd probably think I'm a snob. Just like a Diesel Engine though, I'd usually need to heat up before I get real chatty. And when I get real chatty, you'd probably find yourself wanting an interruption to stop me from talking. It's no surprise that even though I took up a computer course, I ended up having jobs that are quite unrelated from what I studied back in college. From Marketing Toyotas to writing 'news catalogs' (whatever that is) to making and editing on-air television playlist for a music channel (that plays either song from a band or K-Pop songs) to rendering the lyrics on music videos for the same music channel, to being a sales agent in a call center, to writing product descriptions for various car parts to finally, writing marketing copies for an BPO company. I've put up a blog before but unfortunately, I had a hard time maintaining it.

Fast-forward to now and here I am, trying to put up my own journal again. This journal, like my blogs in Multiply and Facebook would be tackling everything under the sun. So let me think aloud and let you in on what's in my mind and in the process, I hope that I'd be able to give you a different perspective about things and more importantly, entertain you.

Thanks for taking time friend. See you in my next entry!