GM and Ford Copy Hyundai, with Minor Edits

No surprise today that GM and Ford followed Hyundai's Assurance program by making payments for new car buyers who may lose their job within 12 or 24 months of purchase. The one big difference is that Hyundai's program lets you return the car to the manufacturer without impacting your credit rating. Fortunately for Hyundai no one has had to use the program yet.

GM even created a whole new website for their campaign - GM Total Confidence. I'm really holding back on ripping on the 'total confidence' language from the company suffering a major lack of confidence, because I really like GM.

Ford did their own site too; though, the Ford Advantage Plan doesn't have the same absurd appeal of the GM program name.

To see a full breakdown of the three programs checkout Autoblog's coverage.

Rarely Does an iPhone Application Rival the Car

BMW’s new Z4 iPhone application An Expression of Joy is definitely an expression. A joy? There are some moments. Mostly though the application is BMW speaking to itself, not to us.

The application is a very literal interpretation of the Z4’s campaign that features South-African artist Robin Rhode who used the car as a brush driven across a giant canvas. This was BMW’s role reversal concept where instead of BMW cars becoming art cars painted on by famous artists, the Z4 became the brush that drew the painting. It’s an interesting concept but I think the whole campaign is a bit esoteric, oh wait, that’s right BMWs are German, so maybe that is to be expected.

So taking this esoteric concept to the iPhone is rather boring. Guess what you can do in the application? You can drive a Z4 across a canvas using a gas pedal, brakes, change paint colors on tires, and using the iPhone’s accelerometer you can turn the car to drive around the white canvas. Okay, that was fun for one second.

Users stop using iPhone applications pretty quickly, with only about 1% of downloads resulting in long-term audiences according to Pinch Media. When do they become effective? When they meet the needs of the user. Granted, most branded automotive applications are an extension of the campaign website and that’s all. At least with the Z4 application, you can create art and even save it to your photo gallery on the phone to use as wallpaper (see my example to the right. I'm quite the artist, don't you agree?) After you’ve done that you are very likely to delete it like most iPhone automotive applications.

At least it’s nowhere near as bad as the Kia Soul application that only lets you change the car’s color. You shake your phone and the car changes color. Neato!

The issue with branded iPhone applications is making the applications relevant to the user, not the automotive company. BMW tried with this literal interpretation of their campaign and tried to make it playful and savable for later use through the game, but it really is all about the campaign finding a home on the iPhone and less about BMW finding long-term a home on your iPhone.

/test...

Food and interviews and illustration of how I bruised my ankle.

I am the expanded belly talking.

Tonight I had steamboat with YKent, after that came home and observed Earth Hour (was 15 minutes late, so I started at 8:45 and ended at 9:45), had a pack of roda crackers, discovered that my mum had bought a box of snacks for me (weee!) and upon ransacking the box I had two mango flavoured jellies and a packet of garlic peas. Mum and dad came back and mum made me drink some bitter herbal stuff, which warranted another mango jelly. Sister came back with boyfriend, who brought some tubs of soya jelly topped with lychees, which I wolfed down because I wanted to be polite to the sister's boyfriend and also because I like jellies.

I am the expanded belly filled with jelly talking.

Interviews today went very well, I went to the Putra World Trade Centre where the Umno General Assembly was held and talked to two more editors. Bound by research ethics I can't reveal who I've talked to, but I've enjoyed every single interview that I have done for the past two days. Yeah transcribing's a bitch (why else would I be blogging now?) but meeting the people in the game, listening to their perspectives on the political situation in Malaysia and what it's like to be making editorial decisions, it's really fascinating. Also got the taste of the hustle and bustle in the Media Centre during the Umno General Assembly.

Tomorrow's Talentime Day! I am going with YJ. Super can't wait.

I also hurt my ankle today. I had the most engaging talk with one of the editors hence I was late for the appointment with YKent, so I had to run, and

----trolley---►
██████████ ▲
██████████ |
██████████ |
██████████ Me

ran full speed into a trolley which was also running full speed and we couldn't see each other because of the corner, as depicted in the above illustration. Ankle now has a fierce bruise, I don't think I twisted it or anything but it hurts. I am currently limping around the house.

OK tired already going to bed.

The thing about Earth Hour.

It's always the same argument, isn't it. Why should I vote? Not like I'm going to make a difference. Why should I throw garbage in a can when there is so much litter lying around? Why should I change my lifestyle when other people won't?

For me, I don't care what other people do. I do my bit. I reject plastic bags as much as I can. I bring my own utensils to the canteen that only uses polystyrene utensils, or boycott it when I don't feel like eating crappy food and washing my own utensils. I try to use power conscientiously. I've got loads of room for improvement, I know that, but at least I try.

Earth Hour is a world-wide PR stunt, not hippie-run, and loads of people are capitalizing on it. So what? Somewhere, it might inspire people to change their lifestyles. To turn off their appliances when they're not using them. To talk about what they can do, with like-minded people. To explain to their children why the national landmark was blacked out for an hour. To make a symbolic gesture that LOOK CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING, what can we do about it?

Look I know there's a lot of crap happening in this world. I know a lot of people are disillusioned. I agree that climate change will not be reversed by a one-hour world-wide publicity stunt. But whinging about it, taking a stand against it because you don't want to be seen as a follower of fads, will bring positive change? We keep harping about "people's attitudes", forgetting that we are the people. We are the attitudes that need to be changed.

The other day, I met a prof on my floor who beckoned to me and banged a tin thingy that he was holding. "Look," he said. I looked. "I brought my own utensils too!" he said, proudly. I had met him in the canteen once, quite some time ago, and he saw me using my container. "Just wanted to let you know that you're inspiring people around you!" he beamed. I wasn't even trying.

Just because you don't see the difference that you're making, does not mean that you did not make a difference.

And that's my stand on Earth Hour.

I am not procrastinating.

After a long and fruitful day I am finally back in my room, in KL, sipping green tea after a good oily dinner, seated in front of my 19-inch monitor. Ahh. The simple pleasures of being home.

Long day because yesterday I didn't sleep too well on the train. I was reading The Kite Runner lent to me by Kukui, who, upon my rejection to read it, sneakily left it with me, so when I was hard pressed for loo reading I picked it up and since then I took extra time every morning to be on the loo and to get depressed even before breakfast. Looking back it wasn't that the book was that depressing, but because I was expecting to get depressed, it kinda became a self-fulfilling prophecy. So anyway I decided to end the madness once and for all and finished the book on the train, bawling my eyes out on upper berth #27, carriage L1, silently because I didn't want to freak out the ill kid sleeping at lower berth #28. Was about 2am when I finally slept, woke up 3 something, went back to sleep and woke up at 6am when the KTM folks walked around waking everybody up to get ready to alight. It wasn't till 6:35am till we reached KL Sentral.

Breakfast with mum and dad, good char kuey tiao at Damansara, got home about 8 something, gawked at sister's new boyfriend with interest, had a quick nap, took a shower and went for my first interview of the day - I am doing a term paper on editorial decisions on the reporting of ethnic issues - got good material, had lunch with mum and dad, nailed my second interview of the day to be held at 4pm, went to do the interview at 4pm, finished interview at 5 something, got back home, went out for dinner, nailed my third and fourth interviews to be held tomorrow hence meeting my quota of at least three interviewees, and I got a diverse set of English, Malay and Chinese dailies, so I am happy.

If you look carefully the above paragraph only has one period.

If you look carefully again, the above paragraph only has one period as well. And no commas.

Yeah so now I have two interviews to transcribe, the material is quite rich and I'm pretty satisfied how things turned out, and that I did not waste this weekend coming home. Not that I don't want to come home, but I am quite up to my neck with work, and travelling home always disorients me badly. Two term papers due next next week. Term Paper #1 I have been trying to complete since ever, and I have only succeeded in coming up with a bee analogy to what I feel about it, which is I am the bee stuck in a glass jar in a beautiful meadow and I keep knocking my head on the glass to get out.

*knock*
*knock*
*knock*
*knock*
*knock*
*knock* are we out yet?
*knock*

Yeah the bee in the analogy is not very bright. But we'll get there. Out in the meadows among the daisies and the pesky butterflies.

Oh and I have yet another insult that I learnt in class. If a person is libel-proof, it means that he has such a low reputation, that he is not defamable. It's just not possible. He's at the lowest rung of the Loser Ladder, that if you threw an indestructible rock down a well that houses the Loser Ladder in an island off Greenland it would travel through the centre of the earth and pop out through another well in the Antarctica where the last rung of the Loser Ladder is at. And strike the libel-proof person clinging onto it.

I hope it is not apparent that I am actually procrastinating from doing any real work by blogging, yet again. Data collection for Term Paper #2 is making progress but I still have a fair bit of work to transcribe and analyze all the findings that I've got, and that is something that I don't fancy doing right now, although my conscience says that I should, since I am sitting in front of my 19-inch monitor, sipping green tea and entirely poised to work.

I think I shall go to bed instead.

/int

Nissan Rogue's Marketing Success Maze

I always love hearing case studies. Really. Must be a sickness, but there is something very cool about seeing how effective or ineffective things are within the business world, that’s why I was very intrigued when I received an email from MediaPost featuring an article entitled, Nissan's Agency Details Online Branding Success.

The article discusses some great strides by one of Nissan’s ad agencies, Tequila USA, made with a very limited budget to promote the Nissan Rogue SUV. They went the viral video route along with a video game featured on the Nissan USA website.

Two viral videos were done called “Maze Master” that featured the use of a wooden tilt-board game that was also turned into an online video game.

What’s interesting about the MediaPost article are the success claims by Kristi Vandenbosch, president at Tequila USA. The numbers just don’t ad up.

The campaign's results were so successful they even surprised Vandenbosch, she said. In four weeks, the YouTube videos were viewed more than 200,000 times.

I went on YouTube this afternoon and both videos had about 25,000 views each, putting the combined total 75% less than the claimed 200,000 views. I’m guessing the 200,000 number includes views of the videos on Nissan’s own website which really isn’t that surprising when you consider their web site has traffic going to it from all of their spend on media and search engine optimization.

"Many car dealerships were starting to see waiting lists to buy the car, which they hadn't seen in quite some time," Vandenbosch said.

Really? The sales numbers reflect a pretty steady sales volume for the Nissan Rogue. This is a good thing in a down economy where a lot of products were taking double-digit year-over-year sales hits (the Rogue only had one negative month in November with a –2.8% sales that month.) So, it looks like the car was beating the industry trend, but waiting lists? That’s pretty hard to believe based on the sales numbers and no significant jumps in sales.

Sales numbers not matching up with marketing success claims certainly isn’t news. I remember a good friend of mine at the Michigan MBA program who once told our marketing class that marketers just round to the nearest million. I just wish marketing case studies given at conferences were more reliable with their results. I’m always suspicious just as I was reading the MediaPost article today. Oh well, at least I learned something about Nissan’s marketing efforts with the Rogue and played a decent automotive video game that wasn't your atypical car race game.

EARTH HOUR!!!

Rooarrrrr!!!!

Don't know what Earth Hour is? To make it simple for you, on March 28th 2009, whereever on earth you are, at 8:30pm, you're supposed to turn off your lights. For one hour. That's Earth Hour.



Let me illustrate for you the magnitude of this event. On this day,
Malaysians! It's lights off for Putrajaya. Petronas Twin Towers. Penang Bridge. Dataran Merdeka.

Elsewhere, but no less important! Great Pyramids of Giza is going to turn off. Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral in France, the Sydney Opera House, the London Eye, Niagara Falls, Hong Kong's Symphony of Lights, Stockholm Castle, Acropolis, will all be dark as well.

To a smaller scale! NTU Graduate Hall (where I'm staying in) is turning off corridor lights of alternate floors.



Even extreme cynics agree.

WHY?

THIS IS THE WORLD’S FIRST GLOBAL ELECTION, BETWEEN EARTH AND GLOBAL WARMING.

On March 28 you can VOTE EARTH by switching off your lights for one hour.
Or you can vote global warming by leaving your lights on.

The results of the election are being presented at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. We want one billion votes for Earth, to tell world leaders that we have to take action against global warming. [source]

Do you want to vote for global warming?? Do you?? Think about the children!



However you do it. Do it. Sign up and be counted.

Isi terpesong.

What do you do when you have written about 70% of a paper and find out that er... it... kinda... went out of topic

T_T

Change title? Try to gloss it over? Die die argue - what we say, cure the dead horse like it's alive?

No. You procrastinate and hope that the paper will rewrite itself while you blog.

I had a great night of sleep yesterday. Slept at 10:30pm and was knocked out till about 6:30am. Then woke up, turned to the other side, and slept some more till 8am. Then stared at the wall map until about 8:30am. Then got my lazy ass to school when I reaffirmed the nagging feeling I had all weekend - isi terpesong... now trying to figure out the next course of action.

I think I have a twisted pinky which makes it rather irritating to type. *flexes fingers* *gets irritated* *flexes fingers some more*

May be going back to KL this weekend to do some interviews for another term paper. This semester is flying by with record speed... My exams are less than a month away (!!) but I still have tons of coursework left, but I'm really glad that after this sem I will not have any more compulsory classes, but can choose to sit in and just learn without the pressure, damn it.

Intermission rant - I still don't get it why finals are weighted at 50% of the total marks. Why would they base 50% of my marks on a mere 3 hours when I spend at least ten times more hours on my term paper??

Oh yeah, I went for the Red Cross charity concert in our school last Saturday with Apurva, an undergrad from India whom I met during the Toy Museum outing. Most of the performances were quite high-school-ish - reminded me so much of Chong Hwa! Complete with the totally kayu emcees and badly rehearsed on-stage humour.

They had 二十四节令鼓 (played by like 8 people) and it was nowhere near Chong Hwa's standard ok... super miss Chong Hwa 二十四节令鼓, the people performing the other day just didn't possess the kind of collective energy and the war-like stance which is what I really liked about 二十四节令鼓 in Chong Hwa, really powerful stuff. Instead theirs was quite lethargic and was scattered sometimes *narrow eyes in disapproval*

And then there was this performance by an acclaimed pianist (according to the kayu emcees). Pianists play the piano. Singers sing. Some pianists may be blessed with good voices and hence can sing as they play. Mr. Acclaimed Pianist was not blessed as such. I don't understand why he chose to play two Chinese pop songs and to overpower his acclaimed piano skills with his lacklustre voice and weird pronunciation. He did make me miss YJ though - not because I associated YJ with his crappy performance, but because he was singing this song 一首简单的歌 by 王力宏.

His pronunciation and slightly off key tones made this progression:
一首简单的歌 ==> 一首煎蛋的歌 ==> 一首Zyan Tan 的歌

So yes. I missed Zyan Tan (YJ).

I know a lot of effort is put into organizing stuff like these, especially a charity concert with noble intentions, and they raised like 7k for the Red Cross Disabled Home. I just can't resist to make mean comments about crappy performances however noble the intentions were.

But! All is not lost! There was one performance that saved it all - and that was The Strikeforce, a drum team which was so uplifting, so passionate, so crazily fun that all my grouses were wiped out and I was thankful that I went to this concert instead of just throwing the ticket away. Good performances like these - they just make you want to laugh and to clap and to whoop (Weeeee!) and to revel in the raw energy. You could see that the performers had fun. They were dancing to their beat and laughing, like they weren't performing but just a bunch of crazy kids enjoying making synchronized noise.

Some idea of how The Strikeforce is like:


The passive crowd went wild from being all glazed from tolerating the previous acts. I couldn't stop smiling. Then a local celebrity came in to perform as the last act and it was all =_= again. OMG the stupid jokes (if you can't execute humour with finesse, then just pretend to be cool and not talk) and he was like "Careful with my guitar" when the emcees came to pretend to fawn over him (really badly rehearsed) after his first performance. Snooty kid.

OK I am gratified with all the mean comments. Back to the real world where I shall... figure out what to do with my terpesong piece. Joy.

/X-road_Havy41

Hahahahahahaha.

OK I was bored (something that happens when you are trying desperately to fit words into a 35-page paper as fast as you can) and I was looking at some blogs and Urban Dictionary came up.

I've been laughing really hard at some of the definitions that came up when I put in random people's names into the search engine - don't be offended if you're not included into the list, either I didn't find anything interesting under your name or I don't care much for you.

Look at some of these!

Asa:
Definition 1:

Tagalog(Philippines) word meaning "hope". Mostly used as an offensive expression - by people who think they are winners to those they think are losers. Used as a pun, a joke, an excuse and a common expression. Gamer's lingo: You wish.

Foreigner: Where do I find this place? (points to the map that he is holding)
Pinoy: Asa!
-
Gamer: Hahaha, you lose!
Pinoy: Noob! Asa!

Definition 2:

A very cool and smart person. Asa describes the very few who can stay up all night studying, ace the test, and still be very respected by his peers, and an overall awesome guy.

boy 1: dude, i totally got an F in English
boy 2: you serious!? i got an A PLUS PLUS PLUS PLUS PLUS
boy 1: wow, you are such an Asa

HAHAHAHHAHA A PLUS PLUS PLUS PLUS PLUS

Definition 3:

Awkward Sexual Advances

Drunken girl w/ hand on your knee: Im having a party for 2 at my place. You are invited.
You: Um.... your drunk.
Drunk Girl: Your Sexy. Lets have sex. I like sexy time time with you.
You avoid eye contact and try to escape her ASA

Ling:

The noise one makes when stabbing a knife into the air.

Oh my balls Dick! The killer is after us! ::From behind them:: LING! LING! LING!

HAHAHAHAHAHA LING! LING! LING!

Yuen:

a term that has absolutely no meaning, therefore say it whenever you want

man: wtf does yuen mean?
woman: it has no meaning, say it again!

Totally random but true =_=

Val:

1. A person with dominatrix qualities, wants to always be in control when having sex.
2. A girl who is always horny, 24/7 and wants to do it on weird surfaces.

"omg im so horny, what are you, a val ? "

Erm. What kind of weird surfaces?

Kukui:

Hard brown nuts, sometimes white, turns gray after 40, pungent smell.

I wanted to have some kukui but I threw up as soon as the smell hit my nose.

I had no idea. Wow.

OK have to run back to my work, got another madcap scheme budding in my head, I bow to my innate craziness. But first, have to finish the paper. LING! LING! LING!

Mega Used Car Dealership Offers Financing to Potentially Unemployeed

The nation’s largest used car dealer, AutoNation, is adopting a Hyundai Assurance like program that alleviates some of the uncertainty people are having about their jobs. Hyundai pioneered a program that would let laid off consumers to return a car back to the manufacturer within the first 12 months of ownership, provided three months of payments were made first and a maximum of $7,500 in losses were covered.

The AutoNation program will do something similar. Under their program, monthly car payments up to $500 will be covered for six months if the buyer becomes unemployed. The buyer must at least make the first three payments; the offer expires within 12 months of purchase, and the insurance only covers up to $3,000 in losses. The other big difference is that the Hyundai program doesn’t hurt one’s credit. The AutoNation program can negatively affect one’s credit if, after six months, the person still cannot make payments.

What’s interesting about all of this is that even used car dealers are realizing the impact the original idea from Hyundai is having on the American psyche. So, why not help used car shoppers by easing their confidence issues?

I’m beginning to wonder if this isn’t the new way to buy any car? Also, the bigger question is does this type of program bring more buyers into market? Or is it just helping usurp buyers from other brands in the existing market? My guess is that it is bringing more buyers into the market, as there are probably a lot of potential sales sitting on the sidelines as people assess how severe the downturn will be.

The good news is that the stock market is thinking it may have hit bottom last week and Ben Bernanke’s recent interview on 60 Minutes gave the nation a relief when he said the recession would end in 2009. All of this is helping to build confidence and programs like Hyundai’s and AutoNations’s are just helping bringing people back into market earlier as they are able to worry less about job security in the near term.

Chevy Camaro Launch Site Fails on Many Levels

Chevy launched the new Camaro web site today. Unfortunately, the cost cutting at GM is crippling assets as the team had to recycle videos from the upcoming Transformers film so they would have more than one video in their gallery. The one original video for the launch also suffers from some poor computer graphics (CG) development. Too bad, because the Camaros are showing up on the roads here in Michigan and the car looks amazing.

There is also a link called "Global Development" that lets you see where in Japan the body seal testing occurred. What?! Huh? Yes, if you care, you can learn how the car is a global development effort. Seems like an odd thing to share when GM is doing its best to say it is an American car company that needs to be saved. Not that global manufacturing is any secret, it just seems very disconnected to the brand of the Camaro -- a classic American muscle car. I'm just going to assume the inclusion of this content was not strategic, but rather an attempt to get some content added when budget is scarce.

The best part of the site is the well executed Compare page. It gives you a list of various direct and indirect competitors and lets you see how the Camaro is a better choice. Of course, it is your typical compare from an OEM website. So, the 0-60 times compare the Camaro against a model with the less powerful engine (eg BMW 328i instead of the twin-turbo 335i.) Comparison cherry-picking aside, it is well executed and also continues Chevy's tradition of adding credibility to the compares by including the Polk Automotive (third-party) logo.

The biggest gap in the execution is a lack of sharing. There is no way to share photos, tell a friend, all types of content extension are missing from the site, which is very odd for a passion product like Camaro. Though I did, after looking at the site a third time, notice you can share the videos but it is not very intuitive.

Chevrolet Volt Concept

Chevrolet Volt is scheduled to launch on 2011, this cool car is able to travel 40 miles on a single charge without using any gasoline or emissions. Chevrolet Volt also has an electric motor powered by a 1.4-liter four-cylinder flex-fuel engine as a backup, this motor will take over when the car goes beyond the 40 mile range.

Chevrolet Volt concept has a sophisticated design, the design and engineering is a result from collaboration between GM designer and GE Plastics. Their technology make the exterior appearance of the Volt become more bold and futuristic. The Interior of this concept car is ergonomic and futuristic.

Chevrolet Volt Concept Specifications :

Dimensions :

Length ; Width ; Height : 4,318 [mm] ; 1,791 [mm] ; 1,336 [mm]

Front and Rear Tracks : 64 inches / 163 mm

Body style / driveline: 4-5-passenger sedan, unitized frame, electric propulsion, front wheel drive

Construction: body-frame-integral structure with composite exterior panels and roof

Drive System :

Description : electrically driven system with on board range extender, plug-in recharge capability

Type : lithium-ion

Energy : 16 kWh (minimum)

Peak power : 130 to 140 kW

Voltage : 320 to 350

100% Recharge 110-volt outlet : 6 to 6.5 hours

Max. electrical power : 130 to 140 kW

Max. mechanical power : 120 kW

Continuous electrical power : 45 kW

Continuous mechanical power : 40 kW

Power : 53 kW peak power

Drive : direct

Type : 3-cylinder, turbocharged engine

Size : 1L

Fuel : gas or E85

Nominal speed : 1500 to 1800 rpm

Max speed : 3200 rpm

Fuel tank (gal / L) : 12 / 54.5

Type : plug-in

Voltage / amp : 110 / 15

Horsepower (hp / kW) : 160 / 120

Torque (lb-ft / Nm) : 236 / 320

Electric mode range : 40 miles – full electric vehicle (EV) range

Estimated fuel economy @ constant state of charge : 50 mpg during charge sustaining operation

0 to 60 mph : 8 to 8.5 seconds

Top speed (mph) : 120 (limited duration)

Chassis/Suspension :

Front : independent, strut-type

Rear : semi-independent torsion beam

Steering type : electric, speed-sensitive, variable assist rack-and-pinion

Turning circle, curb-to-curb (ft / m) : 37 to 38 / 11.2 to 11.5

Brakes Type : electro-hydraulic power assisted; front disc, rear drum

Wheel size (in) : 21 x 6.5

Tires : 195/55R21, low-rolling resistance

Interior :

Seating capacity (front / rear) : 2 / 2

Peacefully contented.

Sitting in my unlit office, listening to the soundtrack of Okuribito (Departures) amidst rain pounding on the windows while writing a report with half-closed eyes.

So I'm really high now.

I have loads of work to do, truckloads, but I can't really focus right now because I'm so bloody high.

Reason for me being high is because I might have some good news soon but I won't tell it here before it's confirmed for fear that I would jinx it. I have cleared the first two levels and am in the process of clearing the third one, to get to my ultimate goal. I want it really badly and I am trying to not think so much about it because I don't really know how jinxes work. I might jinx it just by thinking of it. Or, will being afraid of jinxes actually induce jinxes? *flails arms in the air frantically to get rid of any potential jinxes*

I am blasting music in my ears so that I can drown out all the commotion in my head from random voices in it. I think there's a whole chattering stadium in there. My body's just too pumped up right now, heart beating extra fast, fingers positively breaking the keyboard, mind moving gazillion miles an hour with no intention of stopping to actually return to my readings where my work lies. I was supposed to finish this paper today or treat KF to a movie. Yeah so I'm gonna lose the bet which is hard to take but I do not care because I'm high and all that.

I still have a lot of work to do to clear Level 3 and beyond, but now it is attainable *feverishly thumping my wooden desk*, it is concrete now that I've talked to some people involved, what I have to do now is to make it happen.

*deep breath*

OK back to work.

I Can Only Hope Kia Laid Down Newspaper in the New Soul

Kia lanched their new Scion xB and Nissan Cube competitor with a cutesy TV spot -- complete with furry little creatures and a hip-hop dance track. While everyone else is rolling along in their hamster cages, Kia Soul drivers are bouncing along in their shiny metal box.

My apologies to Sting and The Police, but all I can think about watching the new Kia Soul commercial is a line from Synchronicity II:

Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes
Contestants in a suicidal race...

Catchy Sting lyrics aside, the Soul campaign -- "A New Way to Roll" -- is a nice lighthearted spot that appeals to people who love furry animals and cute babies in ads. The Kia TV ad doesn't go after the mod happy Scion xB consumers who are all about customizing their Scions.

The website takes a more direct shot at the Scion consumers. Included is a Design Your Own Artistic Soul" showroom that let's the user customize their Soul with aftermarket looking wheels, body kits, or steel pedals.

At the Detroit Auto Show in January, I saw how cheap looking this car is making it a tough sale for Kia. The Soul will ultimately be a bargain basement xB or Cube. Though neither the xB or Cube are pricey cars, so it makes you wonder how many shiny metal boxes the market can handle, especially a depressed market? For now, Kia is debuting the Soul with a whimsical, likable TV spot that people are enjoying, provided the comments left on YouTube are representative of the general population's impression of the commercial.

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travel, tour, tourism, world, travel packages, travel guide, travel tips, travel agency, travel information, world travel guide, world travel ticket, world map

http://www.rmutphysics.com/CHARUD/OLDNEWS/92/index92.htm

สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย ตุรกี

ฮาเยียโซเฟีย หรือ ฮาเจียโซเฟีย (ภาษาตุรกี: Ayasofya, ภาษาละติน: Sancta Sapientia, ภาษากรีก: Ἁγία Σοφία) หรือชื่อในปัจจุบัน พิพิธภัณฑ์อะยาโซเฟีย (Ayasofya Museum) เดิมเคยเป็นโบสถ์ของคริสต์ศาสนานิกายออร์โธดอกส์ ต่อมาถูกเปลี่ยนเป็นสุเหร่า ปัจจุบันเป็นพิพิธภัณฑ์ ตั้งอยู่ที่นครอิสตันบูล ประเทศตุรกี ถือเป็นสิ่งก่อสร้างที่ยิ่งใหญ่ที่สุดแห่งหนึ่งและมักถูกจัดให้อยู่ในรายการสิ่งมหัศจรรย์ของโลกในยุคกลาง[1] จุดเด่นอยู่ที่ยอดโดมขนาดมหึมากลางวิหาร และนับเป็นตัวอย่างที่ดีที่สุดของสถาปัตยกรรมไบแซนไทน์ ฮาเจียโซเฟียเคยเป็นโบสถ์ที่ใหญ่ที่สุดในโลกมานานเกือบพันปี จนกระทั่งโบสถ์เซบียาสร้างเสร็จในปี 1520

สิ่งก่อสร้างที่ปรากฏอยู่ในปัจจุบันถูกสร้างให้เป็นโบสถ์ในระหว่างปี ค.ศ. 532-537 โดยจักรพรรดิจัสติเนียนแห่งจักรวรรดิไบแซนไทน์ และเป็นโบสถ์หลังที่สามถูกสร้างขึ้นในสถานที่เดียวกันนี้ (โบสถ์สองหลังแรกถูกทำลายในระหว่างการจลาจล) โบสถ์นี้เป็นศูนย์กลางของนิกายอีสเติร์นออร์โธด็อกซ์ เป็นเวลาเกือบ 1,000 ปี

ในปี 1453 หลังจากที่จักรวรรดิออตโตมันพิชิตจักรวรรดิไบแซนไทน์ สุลต่านเมห์เหม็ดที่ 2 จึงดัดแปลงโบสถ์ให้กลายเป็นสุเหร่า เช่นย้ายระฆัง แท่นบูชา รูปปั้นต่าง ๆ ออก และสร้างสัญลักษณ์ทางอิสลาม เช่นเสามินาเรต แทน สุเหร่าโซเฟียเป็นสุเหร่าหลักของอิสตันบูลมากว่า 500 ปี และเป็นต้นแบบของสุเหร่าออตโตมันอีกหลายแห่ง เช่นสุเหร่าสุลต่านอาเหม็ด (สุเหร่าสีน้ำเงิน), สุเหร่าเซห์ซาเด, สุเหร่าซือเลย์มานิเย และสุเหร่ารืสเตม ปาชา ในปี 1935 ฮาเจียโซเฟียก็ถูกเปลี่ยนเป็นพิพิธภัณฑ์โดยสาธารณรัฐตุรกีจนถึงปัจจุบัน

อีกชื่อหนึ่งของ ฮาเจียโซเฟีย คือเซนต์โซเฟีย ซึ่งมาจากชื่อเต็มในภาษากรีก "Ναός τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας" แปลว่า โบสถ์แห่งปัญญาอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ โดยคำว่า "โซเฟีย" มาจากภาษาละติน ที่เปลี่ยนมาจากคำในภาษากรีกที่แปลว่า "ปัญญา" อีกทีหนึ่ง จึงไม่มีความเกี่ยวข้องกับเซนต์ที่ชื่อโซเฟียแต่อย่างใด

http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย

รายละเอียด ที่เกี่ยวข้อง จากการค้นหา :

สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย : Mosque of Hagia Sophia (Istanbul)
สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย(Saint Sophia) หรือ โบสถ์ฮาเจีย โซเฟีย ปัจจุบันเป็นที่ประชุมสวดมนต์ของชาวมุสลิม ในอดีตเป็นโบสถ์ทางศาสนาคริสต์ ...
www.wonder7th.com/2hagia_sophia.htm

Wallpaper ภาพสิ่งมหัศจรรย์ - Wonder7th.com : Do you feel the wonders ?
สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย. Nationalgeographic.com. Webshots.com. -. ภาพไม่ปรากฎ คลิกขวาที่เมาส์ เลือก Show Picture. ภาพไม่ปรากฎ คลิกขวาที่เมาส์ เลือก Show Picture.
www.wonder7th.com/wonder.../w_hagia_sophia.htm

0207 สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย | ThaiGoodView.com
สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย. สุเหร่าแห่งนี้ นอกจากจะเป็นสิ่งมหัศจรรย์ของโลกสมัยกลางแล้ว ยังเป็นสุเหร่าแห่งแรกที่มีความแปลกพิสดารกว่าสุเหร่าทั้งหลาย กล่าว ...
www.thaigoodview.com/node/11876

สุเหร่าเซ็นต์โซเฟีย
11 ก.ย. 2002 ... สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย เป็นที่ประชุมสวดมนต์ของชาวมุสลิม ตั้งอยู่ที่เมืองคอนสแตนติโนเปิล(เมืองฮิสตันบูล ประเทศตุรกีในปัจจุบัน) สร้างเมื่อ ค.ศ. ...
www.thaigoodview.com/library/studentshow/.../sofia.html

วิหารศักดิ์สิทธิ์...โบสถ์เซนต์โซเฟีย | Bangkok Today
23 ต.ค. 2009 ... "โบสถ์เซนต์โซเฟีย" หรือปัจจุบันเรียกกันอีกชื่อหนึ่งว่า "สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย" ตั้งอยู่ในกรุงคอนสแตนติโนเปิล ประเทศตุรกี ...
www.bangkok-today.com/node/653

สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย - Dek-D.com > Board
Dek-D.com > Board >สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย-ชื่อสถานที่สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย: Mosque of Hagia Sophia (Istanbul)สถานที่ตั้ง เมืองคอนสแตนดิโนเปิล ...
dek-d.com › Board › 1.มีสาระ › 1.1 ความรู้รอบตัว

พิพิธภัณฑ์อะยาโซเฟีย - วิกิพีเดีย
ฮาเยีย โซเฟีย หรือ ฮาเจีย โซเฟีย (ภาษาตุรกี: Ayasofya, ภาษาละติน: Sancta Sapientia ... เช่นเสามินาเรต แทน สุเหร่าโซเฟียเป็นสุเหร่าหลักของอิสตันบูลมากว่า 500 ปี ... อีกชื่อหนึ่งของ ฮาเจีย โซเฟีย คือเซนต์โซเฟีย ซึ่งมาจากชื่อเต็มในภาษากรีก ...
th.wikipedia.org/wiki/พิพิธภัณฑ์อะยาโซเฟีย

Album อัลบั้ม สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย Photo Gallery รูปภาพ อัลบั้มรูป ...
27 ม.ค. 2008 ... รวมรูปภาพ อัลบั้มสุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย คลิปวีดีโอ ภาพหลุดดารา นักศึกษา สาวสวย sexy นายแบบ นักเรียน แหล่งรวม รูปถ่าย รูปดารา ธรรมชาติ วิว สัตว์ ...
album.sanook.com/files/747534/

ท่องเที่ยว : สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย ประเทศตุรกี
สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย มีเนื้อที่ 700 ตารางเมตร ภายในมีเสางามค้ำที่สลักอย่างวิจิตร และ ประดับไว้งดงาม 108 ต้น (ชั้นบนขนาดเล็ก 68 ต้น ชั้นล่างขนาดใหญ่ 40 ต้น) ...
travel.thaiza.com/สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย%20ประเทศตุรกี_1212_137972_1212_.html

เด็กดีดอทคอม > Writer > ที่สุดของโลกๆๆ > ตอนที่ 4 : สุเหร่าเซนต์ ...
ที่สุดของโลกๆๆ, สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย: Mosque of Hagia Sophia (Istanbul) ... สุเหร่าเซนต์โซเฟีย(Saint Sophia) หรือ โบสถ์ฮาเจีย โซเฟีย ...
writer.dek-d.com/Writer/story/viewlongc.php?id=326722&chapter...

travel, tour, tourism, world, travel packages, travel guide, travel tips, travel agency, travel information, travel advice, world travel guide, worldwide travel, world travel ticket, world ventures, world map, travel destinations

/audi

Mosque of Hagia Sophia Istanbul Turkey

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http://www.ancienthouse.net/?p=38

Mosque of Hagia Sophia Istanbul Turkey

Hagia Sophia (Turkish: Ayasofya, from the Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, "Holy Wisdom"; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia) is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and to have "changed the history of architecture."[1] It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the completion of the Seville Cathedral in 1520. The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 A.D. on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, and was in fact the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site (the previous two had both been destroyed by riots). It was designed by Isidore of Miletus, a physicist, and Anthemius of Tralles, a mathematician.[2] The Church contained a large collection of holy relics and featured, among other things, a 15 m (49 foot) silver iconostasis. It was the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the religious focal point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly one thousand years. It was the church in which Cardinal Humbert in 1054 marched up to the altar and excommunicated Michael I Cerularius, which is commonly considered the start of the Great Schism.

In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks and Sultan Mehmed II ordered the building to be converted into a mosque.[3] The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over. The Islamic features — such as the mihrab, the minbar, and the four minarets outside — were added over the course of its history under the Ottomans. It remained as a mosque until 1935, when it was converted into a museum by the Republic of Turkey.

For almost 500 years the principal mosque of Istanbul, Hagia Sophia served as a model for many of the Ottoman mosques such as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque of Istanbul), the Şehzade Mosque, the Süleymaniye Mosque, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, and the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque.

Although it is sometimes referred to as Santa Sophia, as though it were named after a saint named Sophia ("Sophia" being the phonetic spelling in Latin of the Greek word for wisdom), the full name in Greek is Ναός τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας, Church of the Holy Wisdom of God, the Church being dedicated to Jesus Christ, in Eastern Orthodox theology, the Holy Wisdom of God.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia

Details from the search :

Hagia Sophia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For almost 500 years the principal mosque of Istanbul, Hagia Sophia served as a model for many of the Ottoman mosques such as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue ...
History - Architecture - Mosaics - Minarets
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia

Little Hagia Sophia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
5 Oct 2009 ... Due to its strong external resemblance to the Hagia Sophia, it is believed that the .... Churches-Mosques (Kilise-Camiler) in Istanbul ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Hagia_Sophia

Hagia Sophia - Istanbul, Turkey
19 Sep 2009 ... Hagia Sophia served as the principal mosque of Istanbul for almost 500 years. It became a model for many of the Ottoman mosques of Istanbul ...
www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-hagia-sophia

Istanbul - Hagia Sophia Mosque
This site may harm your computer.
View of Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. These impressive structures dominate the Istanbul skyline. This view is from the Galata Tower.
www.jellesen.dk/webcrea/places/istanbul/aya.html

Hagia Sophia
Known then on as the Ayasofya Mosque, the Hagia Sophia remained the Great .... Die Hagia Sophia in Istanbul : Bilder aus sechs Jahrhunderten und Gaspare ...
www.archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2966

Istanbul: Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque Photo Gallery ...
There were three things we wanted to see in Istanbul besides the Bosphorus: the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, and Topkapi Palace. Evidently none of my photos of ...
www.pbase.com/mcampbell/istanbul

Hagia Sophia Mosque - Hutchinson encyclopedia article about Hagia ...
The mosque of Aya Sofia, also called the Hagia Sophia or Church of Holy Wisdom, Istanbul, Turkey. This Christian cathedral was built under the Byzantine ...
encyclopedia.farlex.com/Hagia+Sophia+Mosque

Mosque - Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia in istanbul Aphrodisias. Hagia Sophia in istanbul Didyma. Hagia Sophia in istanbul Priene · Mosque. Mosque - Hagia Sophia ...
www.hagiasophia.com/listingview.php?listingID=7

Istanbul's Blue Sultan Ahmed Mosque and Hagia Sophia Ayasofya ...
15 Sep 2009 ... The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, located at Istanbul's old city and within walking distance from one another, are gorgeous landmarks of ...
www.filination.com/.../istanbul-blue-sultan-ahmed-mosque-hagia-sophia-ayasofya/

The Blue Mosque And Hagia Sophia Istanbul Turkey Photographic ...
The Blue Mosque And Hagia Sophia Istanbul Turkey Photographic Print by Rebecca Erol - at AllPosters.com. Choose from over 500000 Posters & Art Prints.
www.allposters.com/-.../The-Blue-Mosque-And-Hagia-Sophia-Istanbul-Turkey-Posters_i4073804_.htm

travel, tour, tourism, world, travel packages, travel guide, travel tips, travel agency, travel information, travel advice, world travel guide, worldwide travel, world travel ticket, world ventures, world map, travel destinations

/sketchs

Who has the Biggest Stimulus Package?

Now that the word bailout has been replaced with the friendlier stimulus word, marketers are ramping up on their messaging to work stimulus into their ads. Hyundai and Volvo are the first automakers to adopt the term.

Volvo is running Tier 2 TV spots for regional dealerships with the language “Stimulate Your Stimulus”. Not sure what that means since no one is really getting a stimulus unless you are AIG or a major financial institution, that issue aside, it does seem like a very weak message. They are also using the phrase in their email marketing efforts.

Hyundai is simply adding some stimulus language within their online media efforts to promote their well-received Assurance program.

Unfortunately, there is a logic issue with the stimulus language for marketing purposes. The stimulus effort is a policy effort to help stave off unemployment and foreclosures. Adding a car payment to one’s financial situation is counterintuitive to the whole concept of a stimulus. Of course, I understand the language in the ads is to promote cost savings by putting money on the hood and reducing financing rates, but with so much contempt for buying big ticket items it seems attaching the word “stimulus” to your message to get people to spend $20,000-$40,000 is not a compatible concept.

RAGE

Feel like pushing someone's face to the wall and holding it there. For a long time. Or maybe I'll just get duct tape. Almost 11pm and I'm still in office for no good reason. OK stomping off now and I'll be sticking out my middle finger all the way home.

2009 Eco-Spa Wellness Maya Retreats

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These 2009 Yucatan Mayan Spa Vacation and Holistic Mayan Eco-Spa Retreats were designed to bring you a unique mystical Mayan Spa experience with holistic purification Mayan Spa rituals and ceremonies, organic gourmet menus, group meditation; plus, personal Mayan Spa holistic care, Mayan herbal therapies, Zumpul-che, and Mayan healthy cooking classes included.

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or Travel Yucatan Today online.

So Hindi songs are awesome.

Why did no one tell me before? Do you people not like me?

I am currently listening to soundtracks of two Hindi movies, Aaja Nachle and Lagaan. I found Aaja Nachle through the song O Re Piya, which is featured in Yasmin Ahmad's new movie Talentime (showing on March 26!! Jump jump jump!!!)

O Re Piya - Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

And here are the trailers of Talentime, the first one gave me goosebumps, and the second one made me laugh, Yasmin Ahmad is seriously the greatest.




I read somewhere that Talentime is going to show in Singapore one month later than in Malaysia (where it premieres on March 26), you lucky bastards, go watch the movie go watch the movie go watch the movie!!! But DON'T tell me the plot or I will freaking kill you.

Since Fridays are my gym days I am not to be blamed for dishing out death threats. Or doing the Indian head bob. Or looking like I'm nodding vigorously when I'm actually doing the Indian head bob. Damn them flexible Indian heads. Gosh that sounded racist. Oh well, while we're at it, damn us Chinese sepet eyes as well. I can't think of any Malay body parts to damn. Damn Malay perfection!

Click play if you haven't already. Three times. Up there. *points*

Nothing's Shocking

General Motors is considering a Hyundai-like Assurance program. After watching Hyundai keep their sales from falling through the floor, GM is the first automaker to smartly follow Hyundai’s lead.

I’ve been a big fan of Hyundai’s Assurance program from day one. To me, it was a compelling, unique idea that squarely deals with the elephant in the room – confidence.

The problem with the program is that it will attract copycats which will eventually lessen the benefit for Hyundai as other automakers follow suit. It is a classic temporary first mover advantage, because the concept is easily replicable by competitors. GM is the first to announce their copycat strategy. I’m sure others are not far behind.

Hyundai will eventually stop bucking the trend of drastically down sales, as they are currently acquiring customers from brands currently not doing an assurance program. But once others do the same program, the impact of the program lessens for all brands, since fewer people will defect to competitors for the reason Hyundai is now getting conquests. It no longer becomes a competitive advantage for anyone if all automakers end up doing an assurance insurance.

For example, if Chevrolet is willing to pay my payments, if I'm worried about losing my job and I wanted a Chevrolet to begin with, I won’t consider Hyundai as the only alternative. Eventually the conquests Hyundai is getting today from a very nervous, confidence-stricken auto buyers will decrease the huge boost Hyundai is getting from the assurance program.

The great news is that Hyundai Assurance is working. The bad news is that everyone else in the industry can copy the idea with little effort.

/reno logan new

Newsflash

Yeah probably by now everybody knows that yesterday at 10:30am a student stabbed a prof in the back (with a knife) in NTU and jumped off a building after that. The prof survived but the student died. The building's nearby my office o_O But when the crime happened I was still happily cruising along the highway at Johor.

Why I assume everybody knows, is because when I called my mum yesterday and mentioned it, she said that my aunt from NZ actually called her up and told her about it. Begitulah globalisasi.

But - I bet you didn't know this. At 4:30pm on Sunday, the national icon of Singapore, the Merlion, while happily minding its own business, dutifully spurting water from its mouth because that's what it does, was struck by a bolt of lightning. The poor creature "lost part of its top left mane and is believed to have its right ear chipped".

There it is, the third most read from this list of most popular stories in The Straits Times Online, among all the violence and sex which is what all people care about nowadays anyway. Loving the neon green underwear in Story 2! At least some of the stories are entertaining in the Singaporean news. The Malaysian ones are downright depressing.

1	Student stabs prof, falls
2	Too skimpy for the beach?
3	Merlion hit by lightning
4	Enraged by leaked sex pix
5	Boss faces molest charges
6	Cabbie charged with molest
7	Peeping Tom jailed
8	HSBC to axe 6,100 jobs
9	Investing in S'pore's daughters
10	Billionaire eyes presidency