Miss/Mr. Universe?

This should be my shortest post so far, but I just had to write about this. I just read on CNN that the Miss Universe pageant will no longer ban transsexual competitors.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/10/showbiz/miss-universe-transgender/index.
Hey I am all for women's  rights and all but then again this is not a woman is 'it'? 'Its' a plastic surgery freak. Can you imagine that the supposedly most beautiful woman in the world is not actually a woman? But leaving the 'reassignment' part aside, 'its' not that different from the other competitors is 'it'? All other competitors are surgically and cosmetically enhanced too.

This brings me to the topic of transgender. I am generally liberal in my views and support most freaks and geeks (like gay people, I mean whatever makes you happy right?) but this is something I can't stand. Also I should say that don't have problems with gay people as long as they aren't all in your face about it. My friend was once telling me how a girl (who was lesbian) compared the discrimination against gay people to the discrimination faced by blacks in the recent past. This is beyond in your face. That is an outright wrong comparison. But then again I am assuming not all gay and transsexual people are like that.

What I have a problem is that when gay or transsexual people want everyone to just overlook the fact that they are different. Its like wanting people not to notice that Obama is black. I mean you see it right in front of you. You can't not see it. I am straight, I am going to be naturally creeped out if I feel a guy who is gay is hitting on me or even being 'overly gay' around me. I am sorry gay people, I can't help it. And I am not just saying this.

There is this incident that happened at the cue club bar I go to almost every weekend (FYI, I love playing pool). I was with my friend and we were minding out own business playing some good games. Then some 'girls' started playing on the table next to us. Which is fine because they were playing and keeping to their own. Still I couldn't help noticing that their Adam's apples were bigger than mine and their voices were not unlike Howlin' Wolf (i.e deep and raspy). Nevertheless, we ignored them until they stopped playing and started sitting on the pool table and laughing deeply and loudly. Now I don't want to go into more detail but I can tell you their behavior was enough to start thinking about ending my favorite game quickly and get the hell out. See now this is what I am talking about. Fine you used to be guys and now your 'girls', but can't you just behave like other girls do. Also unlike in the case real girls, no one wants to see up your skirt, so don't raise your legs up in public places.
How can you be expected to be seen as normal if you behave in a loud and brash manner? If you make a spectacle of yourself and be generally unpleasant, people are not going to like it even if you are normal. You want society to accept you? Then try to behave like normal people do and keep your sexuality in the bedroom.

About 2 decades of Nostalgia

     First off this post isn't about cars as I plan to make most of my posts from now on. This is just a generic reminiscence of the years past. I just turned 22 this last Sunday. I was telling someone how I never thought beyond 21 when I was a kid. In fact even when I was 21, I never thought, ok 22 is coming up. Since 21 is a landmark year when u are officially an adult, if you know what I mean. When society decides you have enough sense to afford to lose a bit of it with alcohol, that's something right? Not that most people wait until then (I didn't either, for that matter). The reason I got a bit nostalgic today because I was listening to some music from my early teen years. Now some will say thats not too long ago. It isn't but even during that time, things have changed. I was listening to some electronic music that all people seem to be listening to these days, aka dubstep. 

     Now when it comes to music, my iPod playlist dwells quite a bit in the 70s and 80s. It ranges from old AC/DC to Iron Maiden to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, and then goes on to Metallica and Megadeth (yes both are good but if pressed I would now go for Megadeth). But then again, its not all music from before I was born. There's some relatively modern heavy metal, bands which came about in the late 90s and early 2000s. There's Opeth, Children of Bodom, among others and most recently a Swiss band called Eluveitie. But this is all well and good when I am at home or if my iPod is pumping this old school music down my ears. But when I go to clubs or talk to people, I notice that I am on an entirely different page. Despite the occasional freak, with ear studs that look like he had an accident with the nail gun and neck tattoos, burps out the words, "Kewl shirt, maaaan." pointing at my Children of Bodom shirt, for the most part there's no common point between my music and what's well known. This dubstep stuff seems to have been around since almost a decade. But these days everyone is listening to it. So I thought I would give it a listen. Other than the fact that all songs sound the same, which sounds like a computer having a seizure, its not too bad. Its actually quite catchy I admit.

     But eventually I went back to rock and metal during my Youtube surfing. Then I found this old song by the Rasmus, a band I liked when I was 13. That's almost a decade ago. And that's what made me nostalgic. The comments underneath were almost as if I had made them. Most people were apparently around my age and listening to it for old time's sake. One comment was saying how this song is older than Youtube itself and said how Youtube came about in 2005. I couldn't believe it. I used to be under the impression that the most popular websites on the internet today have been around at least since the mid 90s. But I Wiki'd the launch dates of Facebook, Orkut, Youtube and then Wikipedia itself. All these things came around when I was around 12 or 14. Now I know why old people find computers so incredibly undecipherable. Most of the stuff everyone uses today hasn't been around long. And when you have been around so much longer than it has you feel old. And that's the reason, at 22, today I am reminiscing like an 80 year old.

One Way

     The couple posts I put in yesterday about cars, I quite enjoyed writing. I am now thinking of turning the blog into a automotive discussion blog. I have been advised often that a blog cannot be general. It has to have a direction. It has to be about something. Well the thing that has interested me most in recent years is cars. So why not write specifically about them?
     I think since I don't have anything particular to discuss today, let me write about my standpoints on certain companies. As I mentioned in the last two posts, I am definitely a Japanese car fan. Today pretty much three 'nationalities' of cars exist. American, German and Japanese. Yes there's car companies from Italy, Britain, France, Korea (South, of course, the North has bigger problems to worry about), India, etc. You might be surprised that I didnt mention Italy as one of the main nationalities of cars. But lets be frank, how many Ferraris do you see running around? How many Paganis, Alfa Romeos or Fiats do you see? Well the last ones a weak example. Fiats are in fact averagely common. But when you compare it to the popularity of Japanese or German cars, it pales. Another thing is that the Germans are taking over everything. Volkswagen own dozens of the brands that were originally from other countries. You might know that Audi own Lamborghini now (and VW own Audi in turn). I mean one of the original Italian super car brand is now German. Same thing with British cars. All of the best known British cars, with the exception of Aston Martin, are owned by other countries. Rolls Royce, Bentley, Rover and Jaguar are all bought out by foreign companies. The last two, I am quite proud to say, are owned by an Indian company (Tata).
     So the three nationalities of cars are exactly as different as each of the nations that make them. American cars are often thirsty, extremely powerful, enormous in size but crude, not very well engineered, and in general simplistic when it comes to build and performance. This is fine in America where many cities have straight big roads. But not elsewhere. German cars are generally luxurious, refined, expensive and carry a certain aristocratic image with them. Japanese cars are quite cheap, economical, light and small. You get a lot of bang for your buck. They are built with incredible attention to (engine) detail, reliable and overall easy to own.
     Jeremy Clarkson describes the American (muscle) car as similar to a killer whale, "striking to look at but you wouldn't want to own one." German cars make you look twice and fill you with awe and amazement. But that comes at a price. And often when you look at a BMW or a Merc, you don't really get actual visible things for the money you pay. You are paying about a quarter of the money for feeling elite and for the satisfaction of driving something refined. But then when something goes wrong, your wallets going to get much lighter. Also if you want to sell it off after a few years you are going to get much much lesser than what you spent. Japanese cars are quite unassuming. But you get a lot for your money. They'll be surprisingly comfortable, at least decently reliable, and with plenty of power for the roads you'll generally drive on. They'll be light on your pocket too.
     That being said, there are several American and German cars I absolutely adore. I smile and nod when I see a classic muscle car, because it is indeed a thing of menacing beauty. I turn and look at a Mercedes or a BMW and feel awed at it refinement and class. But if I see a classic Honda Civic or a Nissan Z, I just feel happy. Its something thats actually within anyone's reach and it can potentially deliver lots of adrenaline surges while not causing you to go bankrupt or breaking down after a few wheelspins.

Car Reviews (?) Part 2

     The reason I divided this into two parts is that people told me that long posts are tiring to read. Thats funny because I can't wait to write more! But thats okay, before you read this part, go have a glass of water or something. GO, NOW!
     Alright now that you're back, let me continue whining:
2011 Mazda 3: This was the first Zipcar I drove when I got my membership. Generally, I don't think of Mazda as one of the Jap Giants; Honda, Toyota and Nissan. Mazda's experiments with the Wankel engine and their happy and cute styling in the recent years, don't make them seem a formidable sporty company. But that being said, Toyota and Honda have almost completely backed out of the sporty everyday car market in my opinion. But that's a rant for another time. Remind me to tell you why. The Mazda 3, like almost all other Mazdas look like a little puppy dog which makes girls go "awww" or whatever. The gentle curves of its wheel arches and smiling front grill give it a 'gay and friendly look'. But under that hood hides a 2.5L 4 cylinder engine. That may not sound like much but team that with a semi auto transmission and you can make this puppy morph into a Rottweiler. That being said, unlike the Ford Focus, the Mazda won't be overly eager to flex its muscles by revving unnecessarily. A girl, charmed about its looks, can drive it to the store or salon or wherever it is that girls drive to usually, without worrying about what happens if you shift the gear lever into manual. Now I would be much more specific about how fast this car can go if I had access to a track. But I did notice how quickly I can get off from a Stop sign if I want to. The car will be at 60 mph without you really trying. and if your windows are up you will have to look at the speedometer to realize that. It handles like a champ too. So do I have a complaint about the Mazda? It would have to be the styling. Mazda needs to decide. Sporty or cute? It can go down the Toyota path and get rid of all their excellent sports cars and cater to hippies by bringing out a overrated hybrid, or it can use the last few drops of petroleum left on the planet to raise some hair and race some hearts!

A happy little puppy that can deliver quite a bite!

2011 Nissan Sentra: This was the car I drove most recently and boy I was not expecting what I got. As a company, I think of Nissan as the last remaining Japanese car company who can take on German and American cars. It keeps making the Z bigger and bigger. While Honda and Toyota were selling out disgracefully and discontinuing the NSX and the Supra respectively, Nissan brought out a car that would shake the world. The GT-R. Godzilla. Easily the greatest car of recent times. Thats not just me saying it; Google and you'll know. So you can imagine what I was expecting when I got behind the wheel of the Sentra. Of course I knew that this wasn't a Z or a GT-R. I also knew that this costs about half of that of a Z and about 1/6th of that of a GT-R. But as soon as I got in, all the cheap plastic knobs and vents jumped at me. I can safely say that a 14 year older Honda had better craftsmanship than this almost brand new car. The air vents were almost nonadjustable. The stereo display looked like a bedside alarm clock (although this could be Zipcar being cheap). The gear lever looked like it came from an over sized toy car. All this I could have lived with. After all Nissan made a car which accelerates faster than a Lamborghini from 0-60, and costs less than a third of the price of a Lambo. But this one time I turned right on red (as Clarkson says, America's only contribution to the civilized world), and a car was coming down behind me. He wasn't very close but I would hate to make him slow down. What I do at this point step hard on the gas which makes an automatic transmission downshift and give you a burst of acceleration. But nope. Nothing. The Nissan just groaned on at the 20mph accelerating at about 1mph a minute. The guy behind me came right up to my rear bumper expecting I would move faster soon. But nothing so he just changed lanes and overtook me probably thinking I was an old lady. Okay so maybe the Nissan doesn't have that much a sensitive throttle response. But then the gaps between gears are also massive. As James May once spoke of an old BMW Z4 he drove in the middle east, "the gaps between the gears are so big, I could fit an entire gearbox in them." It literally took 4 seconds to change from 2nd to 3rd at 4000 revs. "Change already!", I snapped and my roommate in the passenger seat who was changing the radio stations, looked at me like I was bipolar. "Not you, man, the car!", I explained. I have to say I was thoroughly disappointed. I have never waited so eagerly to stop driving a car as I did with this one!

I would rather have an auto rickshaw. well maybe not/

Car reviews (?) Part 1

As I have mentioned before Top Gear is one of my favorite shows on TV. And I can't imagine any guy in the world who wouldn't want Jeremy Clarkson's job! I was reading somewhere how he got started of in this line of automotive journalism (or whatever its called). Apparently he tested a car when he was in journalism school and it went from there. I was just watching an interview where he quite directly admits as to not having really aimed to be what he is today. Well then, being a anthropology student who until a couple years ago used to wonder that how come a car with a 2 liter displacement doesn't use 2 liters of gas with every cycle, I am going to be as bold as to think that I can speak about some cars that I have driven. I mean, 'how hard can it be?' Until recently pretty much the only car I ever drove was my first car, a 14 year old Honda Accord. But when circumstances took that car to the scrapyard earlier this year, I had the opportunity to drive various cars from various sources. I'll admit that its not much more than half a dozen cars, but that means I can just put some them together in a short blog post.

So here goes, starting with my Honda Accord.
'97 Honda Accord LX: Now I'll admit I'll be heavily biased to this car since it was my first car. But judging by the number of same generation Accords I see running around everyday, I can assume its not just me. This cars a trooper. As with most if not all Japanese cars, little ever goes wrong with this one. You keep up regular oil changes and servicing, and the car will keep going. You want to take an impromptu trip to Las Vegas at 8pm, It'll take you there in about 35$ of gas. That's a good 300+ miles in 10 gallons. Now there may be cars with better gas economy, But then consider that the Accord has a 2.2 L engine, unlike a Prius which has a 1.3L one connected to half a ton of batteries and a ceiling fan motor that takes you around at about 20miles an hour on its own. Plus the Accord was spacious, very comfortable and very well equipped for its time and price range. The console is simple and straightforward. All buttons and levers are at the right places. Brilliant brilliant car. It'll be sorely missed.

Always the best, until I get a new one :)

2011 Ford Focus: I had driven this car a little back in 2009, back when I used to be completely clueless about how cars work, and I had kept my doubts back due to that. But when after 3 years I drove 2 different Ford Focuses and felt exactly the same way I knew that it wasn't me. If I had to describe the Ford Focus in one word, it would have to be "confused". The car is a everyday driving car. Agreed its been modified and turbocharged for Ken Block to use. But because they did that, they felt they need to make a road car that has the gear ratios and gear changes like the rally car. The car won't change up until it reaches about 5000 revs. Now of course in motor sport this could be brilliant, but this is a road car. It whines to 4000 revs in first when you are setting off at a green light. Now you might say that I can control it if I know how to use a throttle pedal. Ok. Then check this out. I was driving along at around 35mph. I did not move my foot by a millimeter, but suddenly the car is revving to 5000. For no apparent reason. You can either press it down a little and get no response from the engine or press down about half an inch more and have the engine blasting to ridiculous revs. Its like there's a little troll sitting between the pedal and the engine instead of an ECU. If you want to show off, this car tries it for you. But then you might have someone with a Camaro pull up next to you and his idling will drown out your pedal to the floor noise. If you want to feel like you are riding a unstable bull while driving to the store at 40 mph, this car will be perfect for you. But if you want a car which behaves normally look elsewhere.

Just because you roar, it doesn't make you a lion!

Lazy Arizona Summers

     I love Arizona. Despite most people giving me a surprised look when I say this, I have a good explanation for this. Firstly, I grew up in Pune. Now if you have taken any geography in school you might know what a rain-shadow region is. Both Pune and Arizona have a mountain region between them and the sea. These block the rain clouds for the most part. Except in the case of Arizona, these the much taller Sierra Nevada Mountains. This generates a rain shadow in Nevada mostly but also in Arizona to some extent. Also Phoenix itself is in a valley with plenty of mountains in Arizona. The end result is a very dry climate like Pune, except much drier. So climate wise its something I have grown up in, although here I have become used to having air-conditioning. Secondly, snow sounds like fun to most people from India, because of the 'grass is greener on the other side' principle. But snow brings with it a set of problems of its own. You don't have to worry about that in Phoenix. But what about middle grounds? Like California, Oregon, etc. Where it doesn't snow but is still cool throughout the year? Yes, I admit I love California's climate and natural beauty. But so do millions of other people. The result is that its the state with the most people, in the US. Coming from India that's the last thing I want. Also a higher population means a higher cost of living. That was one of the reasons I enrolled in Arizona State University. When I came here four years ago I had no idea what Arizona was like. The only reason I chose this place was because my aunt told me it was the most affordable yet accessible alternative compared to my other admits which were Philadelphia (very expensive) and Idaho (which I only know because they grow potatoes). So the three options I had were literally a spectrum of potential lifestyle. Idaho is probably pretty rural not to mention I wasn't sure how good the university was. Philly was the other end; too urban. Phoenix is a major city yet its people are not really what you would call metropolitan. I can live a few hours from Los Angeles and Las Vegas, yet not pay through the nose to live there. The roads are wide and empty. Not to mention Arizona has some amazing desert beauty. There's probably not too many places in the world where every sunset is worth a photo!

     But then again, of course no place can be perfect. I am used to blazing afternoons in Pune, but Arizona summers are a different story altogether. Let me put it this way, from May to August, if you step out of the house anytime between 10.30am and 5.30pm, you will have the pleasure of being torched alive. I have literally returned a shade darker after going out for an hour if I don't have sunscreen. Its not just hot, it is the kind of hot that sucks out the moisture from you and leaves you like that guy eaten by scarabs from the Mummy. The wind is like having a furnace exhaust in your face. There's dust storms too. Four out of twelve months it will be hell unless you have a car; which I don't this summer. However after August, it will get increasingly pleasant and from November to about March every other day is beautiful enough to make you wanna go for a walk or bike ride.

     That being said, there's few places in the world where you can have the solitude that you get in Arizona. Drive an hour or so in the right direction and you can find yourself being the only person for miles surrounded by a vast desert with a tumbleweeds, giant saguaros and maybe a few rabbits. You're in the Wild West!

Low price + Craigslist = Hilarity

     As some of my friends might know, I had an accident a couple months ago which resulted in a shit-storm in my life. Well that might be an exaggeration, but still it was hard. After having a reliable Honda to haul my lazy butt around anywhere and anytime for 3 years, life in the US for me was seen only in the context of a car. Ergo with that gone I can't think straight. Phoenix is a massive city and as reliable as the public transport system is the sheer distance between things results in about an hour of travel even to nearby places if you use the bus. Cars and trucks are everywhere here and life without them is difficult. Still I could have lived with that. Except that the insurance claim is still open and could possibly go on for several months. Now I don't have to do anything here, except that I still have to keep paying insurance on a car I no longer own. So I have tentatively decided to buy a cheap (and nasty) car. Kind of a horse for a horseshoe sort of deal going on here.
     My friend has had an interesting history with craigslist. He first got a pretty expensive Beemer. That ran for about a year. Alright bad luck there. Now this friend loves his Deutsche Autos. Next he got a Merc 190E, 1989 I believe, for an incredible 1800$. That ran for about a week before taking up permanent residence in a repair shop. But he didnt give up. He got another 190E this time a '93, for 1400$ which is surprisingly still running albeit a constant check engine light.
     So I figured maybe craigslist should be given a shot. After all, there's so few expectations I have this time. I just need a car that will run for about a year and which has an A/C and a decently working engine. I have already spent hours in the past browsing craigslist for motorcycles. I know how entertaining it can be. And today morning I found no lack in its humorous potentials. There are cars for 500$!! Except that they are missing a few bits. Like a roof. And a hood. Or rear windshield. Or a motor. Or...funnily enough, an ENGINE! Another hilarious instance is claims that, "the car ran fine when it was parked...wait for it...3 YEARS AGO!!" So this guy parks his car and goes about his life and suddenly he remembers, "wait a minute...I have a car here I could sell to some noob on craigslist!" Maybe he's hoping to get some extra cash for some meth or crack.
     Some people will be frank enough to admit that they have no idea why the car doesn't work. Sometimes there will be no title. I found this guy who was selling a car which was in impound. So you were supposed to pay impound fees AND pay him. Shit, I should have done that with my Accord. Here's how the ad would look like:
"Slightly smashed car for sale. Very reliable. May have a smashed coolant tank. Otherwise runs fine. This car is in a tow company's yard. I will assist you in stealing it since they wont release it to anyone. Asking 1000$ OBO.
PS: I will buy the wire cutters to get through the fence and will carry a few raw steaks for any guard dogs that might be present."

Oh wait, just found this one! I can only imagine the poor bastard who buys this:
1993 Geo Metro
runs fine great on gas. Only problems: Drivers door does not open from inside.
Rear driver side door does not open from outside.

Can you imagine how you'll exit this car. The rear passenger will step out and open the door for the driver! Now that I think could be called chauffeur service on opposite day!

     Also since this is Arizona, and its summer now. People love emphasizing a good A/C. Some will put it in the title itself; eg. "Nissan Maxima COLD AIR!!!". Like its the freaking trim level above LX and EX or something. You'll see all sorts of adjectives for it. Ice Cold, freezing cold, super cold. I even saw this Pontiac which claimed to be "supercharged with cold air"! Wow so not only will you be cool, your engine will be pumped with cold air from the supercharger. Beat that Vin Diesel! I bet your Dodge Charger can't do that!

     Buying used cars is almost like a blackjack game. You never know what the dealer is hiding and you can only hope to get your cards higher than him. But you'll never know until you place your bets. Fortunately Craigslist is like a nice Vegas casino which uses unintentional humor instead of free alcohol to numb you to the risk you are taking!