To Play, or Not to Play?

Magic the Gathering, a game that has sucked up most of my disposable income. A game which was the most geeky thing next to Dungeon & Dragon. Thought to be played in a dimly lit room by pimpled faced teenagers with squeaky voices and health problems, the game has evolved in many ways but still holds on to its geeky stereotype.

Yet if you break it down, you’ll find out that its exactly the same as playing any other sort of card game. But you don’t see poker players being considered geeky and nerds. But play this version and you definitely will be. During my brief stay in Malaysia I picked up the money sucking game again (mostly thanks to my step brother playing the latest edition). I on the other hand, start playing unhinged.

Now if you don’t play Magic, you won’t understand ANY of the cards. As much as Magic is made to be a simple game to play, it is one of the most confusing games when you start talking technicalities. So to confuse my readers even more, Unhinged (Unglued 2) is a comedy version of the real game. …. Blah …. Never mind. I’m just here to boast about the amount of packets I have hehe. So just enjoy because I have nothing productive to post.

If you wanna be driven in something, This is it (The Toyota Alphard)

I know I probbaly should be talking about things that are happening in the UK (so that I can stay true to my blog's mission) but besides me handing up essays and working at Tesco, there really isn't much to say. So I'll tell you guys about a car (well more of a house on wheels) that I had the pleasure of driving in Malaysia.


Sorry for the bad picture, the Alphard was scary up close

The Toyota Alphard is an amazing car. It was made for the Japanese and Hong Kong market as Toyota's ultimate MPV. It had stiff competition, with Nissan Highway Star already a popular choice with Hong Kong singers, it had a lot to live up to. But within a few months, it had managed to get a firm grip on the market. While on my trip to Hong Kong just 4 months ago, I can confirm that eventhough the amount of cars are puny compared to Malaysia, the Alphard is a very common sight.

Now it has been so popular that Naza and other grey importers decided to ship the model here. I tested the G model with has all the gizmo's and nick naks that would make the biggest computer geek wet his pants. I'll start off with just how it looks. Its HUGE. Nothing can describe how big it is. The only thing bigger would be either a bus or a truck. Well that may not be true, its just slightly smaller than the Mercedes Vito (Which I would call a Commercial People Carrier).

The engine is a 3.0 litre V6 that doesn't have a lot of top end speed eventhough it is said to have VVTI (Toyota talk for Variable Valve Timing with Inteligence), but it sure does have a lot of torque. 0-100kmph? probbaly less than 10 seconds, fantastic considering how heavy this car is.

But the main features are of cause the leg room in this car. Buyers would probbaly have their own drivers and they'll spend the rest of their time in the back seat reading, listening to music, or .... (I'll let your imagination do the rest)



Fantastic legroom, you could stuff 3 families in there

Toyota has definately designed one of the best rear spaces in a car. Every single person at the back gets their own individual seats (No more brother and sister fights). The rear passenger also has their own climate control, wireless headphones to watch movies, and access to power points to plug in their laptops, or even a fridge.

The front ain't too shabby either, with huge comfy seats and a GPS system. To help the driver see around this huge monstrousity, Toyota has kindly given front and rear camera's to help the drive judge. That and sonar to detect if your too close to and object and you'll find it almost impossible to scratch this car.


Two Tv's playing the same movie, the front TV is also a GPS whiles the car is moving

Front dash holes the controls for the automatic doors, curtains and tv and radio, but
passengers have their own set as well

Front view camera's, for those who don't know how to park



Rearview Camera has to be best cause it makes 3-point parking a peice of cake
Now don't you wish you had that on your Kancil?


But the most important thing about the Toyota Alphard has to be the ride. I can say without a doubt that travelling on the KLIA highway has never been better. The suspension absorbs all the bumps and dips in the road. In most cases the passenger doesn't feel anything, and if he does it feels like a 0.01mm dip. With huge amounts of low end torque, the Alphard is suprisingly hard to drive smoothly. You'll have to feather the trottle till you hit second gear, and even then you've gotta take it slow because the ratios between the first and second gear are really small.

All in all it is a fantastic car to have and a pleasure to be driven in. Also, if you're planning to buy one, you don't have to bother with the fancy frills of the G model. Although you do get those added extras like sonar and rear view camera's you really don't need them. You could even get individual tv's installed at a cheaper price. But if you seriously want to get a G model, go ahead you won't regreat it. (Just remember to get it in Black)