Red Telephone Box in snow, London

 

The recent news of severe snow weather disruption in Europe reminded me of some of the snow photographs I took while in UK.

The most memorable one should be the one above where I shot it while crossing the road in Bayswater Road to the nearby park in search of that “amazing” shot. But opportunity came knocking on my door while crossing the road, so I took a quick shot while walking towards the walkway with my old trusty Canon Powershot A85 (yes, a 4 Megapixels camera!) and I have that golden shot!

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Romance in Flying

Flying to me is always a romantic affair, with an aura of adventure and enthusiasm.

Just like a stunning woman in the red dress that walked passed me wearing the mesmerising smile with such elegant moves and a flair of long beautiful hairs; there is always something about flying that gets my attention, without fail every single time.

FLYING IN THE EVENING

Who could have forgotten the view of the flickering  moonlights reflected off the calm ocean in the evening flight, the romance of being able to fly at 10,000 ft across the virgin clouds, have your mind dozing off in a blanket of stars and the pillow of the moon?

The minor air turbulence that gently rocks you like a baby in the cradle to sleep, where the great dreams are made of. And let’s not forget the occasional pilot announcement in a cool, deep and calm voice that adds the gest of the romantic setting in the flight.

FLYING IN THE LATE AFTERNOON

Flying in the late afternoon offers another great perspective when sunray comes out to play and evokes the romantism in me.

With the cold white wine in one hand, Stacey Kent’s What a Wonderful World playing in my mind while I look out of the window counting clouds, admiring the amazing geographical shape on earth, making me falling into that melancholic mood, thinking of love with a great sigh.

In some of these flights, surely I will  see the people happy faces and shimmering glow in their eyes when talk about rekindling with the loves one. The marvelous metal bird makes the distance between the loves one closer than before. Ah… how such romantic occasion made possible by flights.

It is unquestionable that amid the tired security lines, the distraction of the duty free shops, the crowded and sterile looking departure halls have diluted the sparks of the romance in flying.

Nonetheless, try to look beyond all those huddles, slow your pace and sit at a quiet corner in the café with your earphones start playing the romantic tunes of your own. Anticipate the amazing painting-like view from the plane window, the butterfly in the stomach feel when think of the the loves one you are going to meet, the great experience of being cut off from the connected mobile world while content with your thoughts… Look closer, and you will still be able to find the quintessence of the romance in flying. :)

Side note: Some of the photos in this post are shot from an old mobile phone camera, hence the quality is not on par.

Audi Experience– Audi A5 Sportback, Audi Q3, Audi Q5 & Audi Q7

With it’s motto advancement through technology (Vorsprung durch Technik), Audi has never fail to amuse anyone that drove one.

It’s simple, functional, yet elegant lines from the exterior to the interior of the cars. Many thousands man hours are spent into making sure every single parts of the cars are properly designed, in place, and logical in use. From Audi’s simplicity approach in the dashboard design, to the satisfying clicks of every single buttons in the cars; all those meticulously executed buildmanship evoked a sense or regal and matured vehicle for a grown up.

The love for an Audi might not be a love on first sight for many due to the simplicity in the exterior. But it will grow on you and the love will build over time especially when you drive one.

I am very privileged to be given a chance to fall in love with an Audi, courtesy of Audi Malaysia. I walked around the showroom and chat up, errr, snapped some gorgeous shots of the cars. And to add an icing to the cake, an extensive test drive was warranted and sealed my attention to the Audi – Especially the Quattro technology which is extremely unique in the car industry. With Quattro, optimal power is distributed to each wheel (4 of them), resulting in confidence and inspiring handling even in less than perfect driving conditions.

For those technically inclined readers, see video below for the explanation on why this technology is extremely powerful in aiding the handling of the car (one of the best I have experienced).

For those that prefer the awesome advertisement, see below.

For the purpose of demonstration of this technology prowess, Audi Malaysia has arranged the Q3, Q5 and Q7 at my disposal to go through a series of designed obstacles.

To add to the excitement and challenge, the heaven opened up, thunder storm ensured and I rub my hands in glee. This is the best time to put the quattro claims to the test!

The rain stopped when I reached the test area. I put the Q family of cars to swerve and brake around the traffic cones at 80 km/h with slippery road surface. Not a sweat from the cars. Well composed and I am fully in control, I am impressed by the lack of rolling of the cabins while swerving the cars. 

A series of other tests includes 25 degrees tilt, 30 degree gradient hill climb and seesaw further inked my impression on these remarkable human engineering pieces.

True and behold, Audi has lived up its motto for pushing advancement through technology. I have never enjoyed any drives so immensely engaged and at the same time pampered by the luxury touch of the car cabin. Well done Audi!

Scroll down for more photos of the test drive. Oh and one more thing, if you are interested to experience the amazing Audi, quickly contact the friendly personnal at the Audi Malaysia. Click here to arrange a test drive with Audi. Enjoy!