I don’t think there is a single person in Australia who has been duped into signing up with Vodafone who hasn’t experienced terrible network coverage (dropped calls, delayed SMS, laggy data transfer etc).

I chose to ignore all the stuff in the media and really give them a go, signing up for a fresh contract about a year ago despite Vodafone being in the media almost daily for bad service.  I’ve been regretting it ever since, denial was probably what stopped me from doing something earlier.

Anyways, a quick online complaint to the TIO  (skipping the step where you’re suppose to call Vodafone and TRY to have thing sorted), a short discussion with Vodafone where you refuse their offers of free phones/reduced rates and hey presto, you’re free from your contract that has 13 months left on it.

Telstra here I come…

An awesome video, an even better office – if only I could do something about my voice (it’s always so weird hearing yourself speak)

Check it out and start getting envious, one seriously cool office fitout!

This will be my 2nd order of tees from Import Bible (http://www.importbible.com) so I already know I’m in for a treat

Haters will hate, but I dig it…

Source: http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/vw-delivery-van-drives-itself-20111121-1nqc0.html

907km according to Google  Maps, should make for a quality drive!

To fix this, the first point of call was to do some surgery on the left and right corners, getting rid of the old double-sided tape and inserting some new bits, double the width.  This worked well and now the corners are rock-solid.  What I was left with though was 1.0-1.5mm gaps between the spoiler and the boot-lid so I brainstormed some ways to fill them.

I didn’t want to resort to permanent items like Sikaflex or any other type of adhesive-based agent so I turned to the world of modelling and picked up some modelling clay ($1.48 from my local arts and craft store).  The stuff is oil-based (meaning water proof) and moulds to any shape you want very easily.  It doesn’t set hard or stick permanently to the surface so is easily removed when I want it to be.

So I hit the edges with generous amounts of the stuff, applying it with this tool  Because it doesn’t set, I could take my sweet ass time and really get the gaps filled properly.

Once I was happy with the amount of filling done, I used the tool to scrape off the bulk excess and then a cloth to smooth it all out so it looks the same as items bonded from factory.  Personally I think it looks very neat and for $2, a very worthwhile way to perfecting the look of the CF rear spoiler.

As with all other parts added to my cars, they were scheduled for installation at Mitch’s place on the weekend (yesterday).  But first, some pre-modification photos, been a little while since I’ve posted any photos of the car.

Installation of the grilles was about a 10 minute job, simple snap-off and snap-on affair.  As a reminder, the stock OEM items carry chrome edges (photos above), a look that I’m not particularly fond of at all.  The matte black version, while having less of a ‘visual effect’ gives the front-end a much meaner look not to mention significantly adding to my black & white Stormtrooper theme.

The installation of the rear spoiler was a bit more involved, requiring the use of fishing wire, rags, cleaning agents, and of course industrial strength double-sided tape.  Being the noobs (or anally-retentive perfectionists) that we are, we repeated the process twice as we weren’t 100% happy with the initial placement of the spoiler.  In the end, it’s worth it and I’m very, very happy with the outcomes – the rear wing, dramatically changes the look of the rear-end while keeping things looking very subtle and well-packaged.

Next up… 135i receives black ears!

I wish Courtney & Ben all the best in their future together~

I don’t think anyone could have asked for a nicer day to have an outdoor wedding…

The bride and groom, part way through the ceremony.

Vintage style umbrellas were a very nice touch.

Been a very long time since I’ve seen (or heard) a harp in real life!

Reception venue was nice and close, just up the road actually at The Pavilion.

I blame the US Dollar being so low, and all nice BMW parts being from the USA!

Ever since I’ve heard of Tetsuya’s, I’ve wanted to eat there… not just for the food, but to experience what one of the world’s best restaurants has to offer (at one stage being #5).

Tonight Roxy and I got to experience this restaurant and I’m pleased to say it lived up to the hype, we were thoroughly impressed

November 1 marks a few events, Roxy’s birthday, a new month, and oh yes – the Melbourne Cup, one of the world’s most talked about horse races, and definitely one that stops a nation.

Like every other year, there was a lot of people talking about bets, lots of people displaying their taste in head-wear, and of course no shortage of office sweeps taking place.

Not knowing the first thing about horses and definitely not having paid attention to the media hype about the cup – I took part in the office $2 sweeps for some fun and walked away with 2nd and 3rd place

The American Classic dog from the Snag Stand in Pitt Street Mall Westfield.  It was good, but I’d say it’s only 80% like the ones you’d get from say New York – missing that ‘street’ food character.

For $6.90 though, you can’t go wrong

Coke seems to have hit the jackpot with its latest marketing ploy, personalised cans and bottles containing what could be the world’s favourite soft drink.  From the amount of exposure the project is getting on social media like Facebook, I’m sure the marketing executives of Coca-Cola Amatil are in for a big year.

There was a kiosk set up in the Pitt Street Mall Westfield today and as you can see from the crowds, it was a huge success.  Asking one of the attendants, the wait was between 1-2hours, with a limit of one can per person.

All gimmicks aside though, cool initiative, but seriously – 2 hours for a sticker?

With the AUD once at near-record highs again (above rate as at 29 October 2011), it’s very hard not to indulge in some online shopping to take advantage the situation.

The irony is that speaking to some of my American friends the other day, they still think their economy is doing just fine… God bless America~

More details to follow, but here’s a little preview.

Daiso was founded by Hirotake Yano in Japan on 1977 and has become a major brand in Japan, famous for its massive number of items all priced at 105YEN.

It seems that the Diaso corporation has expanded abroad and landed in Australia.

Took a stroll through the Chatswood store today, and even though the price of each item was $2.80, it was still immediately obvious that the days of many Australian bargain stores were numbered.  In fact, I would even so far to say that many stores selling similar ‘home wares’ would be feeling quite threatened.

Similar to the items in the Japan branches, some items were rubbish while others were very decent – suppose you can’t be overly choosy if you’re only forking out $2.80 per item.

A very interesting concept, and one that I hope does well in the Australian market (if the crowd was anything to go by, it shouldn’t have a problem).  My only complaint is the lack of JDM food / drink goodies!

Since my days back at school when a bunch of us would frequent internet cafes to play multi-player first person shooters, the Battlefield franchise has been a favorite of mine.  The immense worlds, large number of players, and vehicles made for a hugely immersive experience which simply cannot be beaten by any other FPS (sorry COD fans).

My last hit of Battlefield goodness was with BF:BC2 – many hours spent ranking up

All the hype around Battlefield 3, and today being the launch day, I just could not resist… how convenient that EA has released “Origin” which allows you to purchase it without leaving the comforts of your home.

11.4GB download at around 1.0MB/sec, guess my first glimpse of gameplay will have to wait till after work tomorrow.

Went to the see Contagion today, not just to satisfy my level of curiosity raised by the over-the-top hype built by all the comments online and on the radio, but also to quench my thirst for a quality ‘end of the world’ flick.

There is something about seeing a cast of many interact with each other, and go through the motions as the world around them gets destroyed.  I believe it takes a visionary of a director to pull it off because more often than not, there are multiple plots going on and without a properly thought out script, some mini-plots sometimes seem to just freeze in time.

Contagion follows the formula of most other ‘end of the world’ movies… the catalyst scene identifying the at-first silent problem which through a series of unfortunate (or fortunate) events makes it to the public arena.  Cue a crack team of scientists, politicians, army dudes, and oh yes the trouble maker and soon you’re making your way towards the solution.  Add some  insight into one particular family, a hint of ethical / moral dilemma, and of course a few deaths among our initial group of heroes to arrive at the climax of the film.  The rest is pretty straight forward as we see the ‘cure’ roll out and set things back to normal much faster than it ever could in reality to take us of course to the end credits.

Contagion doesn’t try to step too far outside this formula, if at all.  And were it not for the all-star cast and the global locations, it would have gone down as any other B-grade attempt in this genre.  This is rather disappointing because there was so much potential here for the film to step outside the realms of what we’re used to seeing…

My ideal ending?  Virus mutates so viciously that mortality rates accelerate past all efforts to find the cure.  Social and economic systems fall apart to nothing, and we see human nature adopt Darwinism to the extreme.  The percentage of survivors globally would be reduced to single digits and isolated to those who have lived outside of the ‘normal’ world.  All of this resultant from a single ‘bad’ event, legitimized by our modern-day tolerances for corporate greed, lack of morality etc. etc.

I’m so hard to please…