the fantastic weekend that I never have time to blog about...
After the STLVW drive on saturday, I was all geared up and ready to go come sunday. The newly wed couple and I headed out to St. Charles Family Arena (ooh the twilight zone for us city people) to take part in the Mercedes C-Spot Drive Event.

I've signed up over the net for three of us for the 2-4pm session a couple of days earlier, and once we got there we signed in again at the entrance, and after showing only our valid drivers license, we were given an access pass and turned us loose.

It was nice and cool inside the tent, the interior was decorated with Design Within Reach's chairs and couches, walls were white and decked out with projection TV and huge posters. Exposed beams added some more solid feel to the ambience. On display is the new 2005 C230 Kompressor in bling bling silver. the car looked GOOD! We sat in the car, popped the hood, and walked around checking out the new stylin C230.

Beyond the display vehicle, hors d'oeuvres were served on both sides. Gooood and tasty hors d'oeuvres. Across the food on one side there are 3 Saks 5th Ave hand massage booth. On the other side there are four massage chairs with headphones and music provided by Sirius, as well as a big screen TV showing some of the races.

Making our way through the glass double door, we saw the display of some fine driving machine, the new S and it's convertible counterpart, the E, and the M. Lines to test drive the C-Classes were short, 10 mins at the most for the wait. I think the C230 coupe and the new 2005 Kompressor (yes they have one there for us to test drive!!!) were the most popular items, and sad to say, the wagon has no love! I almost want to walk up to the wagon and hug it... so I took it out for the test drive. It handles surprisingly well. I remember when I was at the GM Autoshow In Motion I was pretty impressed by the Saab 9-5 wagon, but this completely blows Saab out of the water in terms of handling and fun-to-drive.

And then there was the HOT LAPS in the AMGs. Mmmm. We rode in the C32 AMG driven by a pro driver going at breakneck speed - but first we had to put on a helmet. It was exhilirating!

At the exit tent there were about 15 mini dell laptops setup to solicit feedback, in exchange, they gave us a goody bag.

Overall I was very impressed with this event, especially when compared to the GM's AutoShowInMotion. Here at the MB event you're allowed to drive the car the way you want it to, the way these cars SHOULD be driven, amongst many reason why it was better than the GM event.

I think Mercedes-Benz did a good job in terms of branding their new car for the younger generation, and hence the shift in marketing them as well. Like Don said, the MBs still have to woo me away from Audis, but I was certainly impressed.

lunch
I gave in and decided to have omelettes today for breakfast. These are by far the greasiest omelette i have had in my entire life. there were puddles of grease on the plate where the eggs once sat. Ugh.

Now I can't eat anything for lunch. I'm irked out. The only thing I really really want, is one scoop of rocky road on a sugar cone upside down in a cup (thanks to erin for introducing me to that concept) and sit outside coffee cartel for the rest of the afternoon.

buried deep
I was blowing off work by surfing on some ad agencies' websites. I am continuously amazed by the creative work these agencies churned out, and it made me yearn for the good old days.

I interned at DDB Needham for couple of months, the pay sucked, but I had a blast and it was worth every minute of it. I don't mind working till midnight during the weekdays and weekends as well.

Everytime I read adcritic and the creativity magazine I want to slap myself for not pursuing my dream career. But my prime has now passed, I can no longer get back in the ad industry, and all i can do is reminiscene.

But it's okay, I believe my sanity is still intact, I have enough time to spend on myself, and maybe a slower pace life is my destiny after all...

Absolute Bliss
Yesterday was the NOT TO BE MISSED STLVW event: the 2004 annual Spring Drive.

Erin and I decided to join in the fun. We took her clean and shiny candy white golf and zoomed off at 10am, with a cooler, two-way radios, and digital/film cameras.

Pulling into the Kohl's parking lot at Gravois Bluffs, I felt the tingle of excitement, and to see two rows full of VWs and Audis was just too amazing to put into words.

And then we set out to do this: a 240 miles 6 hours round trip through the foothills of Ozark.

Erin and I were the second to last car, and in front of us was the most magnificent view of 40+ VWs:

At our first pit stop, Erin, who's driving, turned around and threw me the keys, "Here angeline, you drive from now on!!" Then she proceed to mumble to herself, "breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out..."

So naturally, I had fun with the golf. In fact, I have so much fun that I had one "white knuckle" moment when the rear end of the car slipped a little, I'm glad I didn't panic, I just downshifted, regained control, and drove on after that.

It was one of the most awesome weekend I've had for a long time, and I couldn't believe Erin actually let me take her golf for such an intense workout, but most important of all, it was a confident boost for my own self-esteem. I know I can drive a stick, but to have the ability to keep up with the pack of VWs on the twisty roads was totally another skill set on its own, and I am so proud I managed to hang on and have such a blast!!

It was a perfect day, the weather was right at 70 degrees, the turn out was great, I had so much fun with Erin, Don, Colleen and the rest of the STLVW members.

As I was telling Ryan, I now have this perma-smile tattoed on my face that I just can't wipe off ;)

online shopping
Being an online shopping addict in the US, I find myself desperately craving the power of the internet here in Malaysia. I am so proud to announce the first store that I've found that has pretty similar terms to Malaysia. Best of all -- shipping is free, and the prices are great! Clothes are pretty nice too. Once I start work, I'm gonna give this a shot. Anyone who knows me knows I can be pretty lethal when it comes to online shopping. (Ahem, A & P, re: BR)

Check it out: www.padini.com