Jinxed - The Sequel

For the long time followers of the aptly titled "Things That Fill My Head" blog, you would have read my entry last year titled Jinxed.

Here's my latest annual report.

• Our relatively new washing machine has conked out. On its first cycle, water flows into the machine normally. But on the second and subsequent cycles, the machine decides to take it easy and water just trickles in. So, it officially takes almost two hours to complete a load of laundry.
• My car refused to start this afternoon. Got the boys in yellow (AA) to come by and replace the battery. Car started but now, one of my electronic gauges says that the engine's oil pressure is too low. "A leaking oil line or a faulty oil pump", declared the technician. *sigh*
• The water pipe from the water heater in the bathroom near the kitchen is leaking badly. This is, of course, a new water heater with a new pipe.
• My bluetooth headset has decided, for some reason or other, not to work with my mobile phone anymore. Resetting and re-pairing it doesn't help. Talk about miscommunication!

It is still early in the month. I'm sure the list will get longer. *sigh*

Day At The Spa

Since my wife was at work and I had a few hours to kill today before heading to the office myself, I decided to bring my special girl to the spa for a little tender loving care.

Thought I'd take some shots of her getting pampered to share with everyone.

Here she is when we arrived at the spa at 2 pm. Since there were two other hotties getting the full spa treatment, she had to wait a little.

Finally, its her turn. Her "therapist" brings her into the shower area for a gentle bath in preparation for her "skin" treatment.

Here she is, getting hosed down. She's having a great time!

She's getting the spa special - a special soap and clay bar treatment. The clay bar is used with soap to get rid of "skin" blemishes.

She then goes behind the scene (no cameras allowed) to get her manicure, pedicure, a massage and the works. Ok, cameras are allowed but I went shopping at a nearby toy store instead. ;)

When I got back, she was all dolled up, like an elegant lady in black, waiting patiently for me to take her for a night on the town to be admired. Isn't she gorgeous?

Its a pity I could only take her to work. Oh well, guys there oogle at her too and I think she likes the attention.

Have a good weekend, all!

Ode To My Rides

To all the cars I've owned before

That travelled in and out my garage doors

I'm glad I drove them all

I dedicate this song

To all the cars I've owned before

1987 Honda Integra : Owned 1987 - 1997

1990 Mazda Astina : Owned 1997 - 1999

1990 Honda CRX : Owned 1997 - 1997

1982 Honda Accord : Owned 1999 - 2001

1991 Nissan Sunny : Owned 2001 - 2003

and...

2003 Subaru Impreza : Owned 2003 - Present

I've been thinking a lot about car ownership lately. The thing is, I turn 38 in about 6 months time and it dawned upon me that I don't have much time left to own all the cars I'd love to own. Add to the fact that the cost of car ownership in Singapore is ridiculous, it seems like by the time I can actually afford to own my next car (read: Mitsubishi Evolution), I might just be too old to drive it.

All things considered, I will have to think very carefully before I purchase my next car. It has to be something I really want (not a compromise) but most importantly, I must be able to afford it. I do have my little boy to think about. He's going to med school, you know. That's the only way I'm ever going to get my final car - a Porsche 911 - as a father's day present. *wink*

No pressure at all, son. No pressure at all....

So, it looks like my Subaru Impreza and I will remain united for a long time to come. Fortunately for me, I love "her" very much!

PS. The pictures above are not pictures of my actual cars. They depict the models that I've owned.

Black Beauty

Back in 1997, I bought my first car. We've always had a family car and as the description implies, I got to drive it only when no one else was using it. So, this was the FIRST car I've owned. It was a 1990 Honda CRX. I saw the car when it first reached our shores and I fell head over heels in love with it immediately. Back then, I had just been enlisted in the armed forces to perform my "tour of duty". So, I promised myself that when I started working and could afford to own one, I'd buy it. And I did.

Of course, it was already 7 years old when I signed on the dotted line and brought my dream car back home. It was jet black, had a sun-roof (I love sun-roofs) and could go 0 to 100 km/h in well under 7 seconds. It was fast and definitely furious. However, the condition of the car was not great and I made it my personal mission to restore the car to its original glory. Even though I was drawing a small salary since I only had worked for a couple of years just after graduation, I spent every cent I had on it. New exhaust system, new interior trims, new tyres and rims, new all-leather sports steering and a mind (and ear-drums) blowing sound system. It was my pride and joy. Even when it was not driven, seeing it parked at my apartment's carpark from my room window would put a smile on my face.

For me, it was not about owning a flashy car. It was the joy it brought me during a relatively difficult time in my life. After spending so much money on it, there wasn't enough left to take it out to paint the town red on a Saturday night - or any other night for that matter. So, I took it for long drives on all the major expressways in Singapore almost every Saturday - like a date. With cool tunes loaded into the CD changer, my car and I would cruise down the highways - occasionally crossing the speed limits, which was a piece of cake for a CRX. Whatever problems I had on my mind would vanish as I enjoyed the breeze through the open windows and sun-roof and music by The Eagles, Candy Dulfer and Chicago - just to name a few. By the time I got home, my problems did not seem so significant anymore.

I swore that I'd keep and treasure my car forever. However, my dream car and I parted sooner than I had expected - after only 7 months. My father had some financial problems which he kept quiet about, not wanting to burden me, but eventually became to difficult for him. So, to help him out, I sold my black beauty, my dream car, my friend. My father knew how much the car meant to me and it saddened him deeply that I let it go. I still remember the pain I felt as I watched the new owner drive my pride and joy away. Standing on the side of the road watching the car disappear into the distance, a grown man of 26 years fought a futile battle to hold back the tears.

Why rehash old memories now, you ask? Well, I found the exact same model (same colour, same modifications) on sale on one of the local online car marts. I am not sure if it was the same car I had sold about 10 years ago. The thing is, there aren't many of this model on the roads anymore. As such, I have been eyeing it since February when it was listed. Sadly, I logged in on Monday to find that it had been sold. Even though there was no real intention to acquire it as a second car, the same pain I felt when I watched my CRX drive off almost a decade ago came rushing back. Again, I had to fight the tears.

The car represented a lot of things. It was the first major purchase I had ever made, it brought me immense joy, it relieved me from my problems and worries and helped me nurse a broken heart. But most importantly, it saved my family during a crisis.

And though I have been blessed to own a beautiful car that I love today, I will never forget that two door sports car that meant the world to me.

Picture above is a Honda (known as Accura in the States) CRX. I will post a picture of my car sometime soon.

A Sad Farewell

Last week, I sold my father's car. It was one of the last few things my father bought and treasured deeply before he passed on and marked a milestone in his life. As such, the keys were handed over to the car dealer with a very heavy weight on my heart.

A milestone? Well, my father was a car enthusiast as a young man - much like his only son. At a point in his life where he was financially well-off, he owned up to seven cars at a go. Most of them were regular cars but the one that he truly treasured was his MG Triumph convertible. And when bad times hit him, he lost all of them - including his beloved MG. Since then, he never really showed much excitement for cars and because of his financial position, he never got to buy a new car. Whenever the topic of new cars came up, he'd say "Any used car is fine. It is just for transportation." But his eyes would light up when we talked about convertibles. I knew he loved them and now that I can probably afford to buy him one - a used one, that is - my father is no longer around to grant me the honour to bring that special smile to his face... the same smile that I saw as a little boy when he started the sporty sounding engine of his British-made silver sports car. This will haunt me forever.

My father worked very hard. At his age where many elderly men were retired and enjoying the fruits of their labour, my father was still labouring. And as a result of his years of hard work and facing many adversities, he rebuilt his business and was finally able to afford a new car. I recall in May of 2003 (a Saturday), my father asked me to drive him to the local Kia showroom "just to see" the new models. I thought it would be fun. When we got there, he opened the door to a Kia Spectra on display and said "This one is spacious" and without enquiring much else, he called for the sales agent to draw up the sales agreement! I felt my chest tighten. I asked him nervously "Can we afford another car? We have to pay a sizeable downpayment!". His casual response was "I'm not afraid of a few thousand dollars."

This was not the voice of pride or arrogance. He had lost more than half a million dollars as a result of unscrupulous partners and legal issues in the 70s - eventually losing his MG - so this did not worry him too much. However, I panicked... without fully understanding that he had carefully set aside a budget for his brand new Korean-made sedan.

He bought the car because firstly, it was something he always wanted to do for a long time. Secondly, he wanted to be independent and get around without waiting for me to come pick him up but most importantly, he wanted my wife and I to spend more time together on our own instead of scheduling our time so that we could ferry him to and from work. However, his "independence" was short-lived when I insisted that he stop driving about a year later after a couple of accidents. And not long before this, I too had bought a new car after selling my 13 year old Nissan. So, my father's pride and joy sat in our apartment's car park waiting anxiously to hit the roads.

The car wasn't always just a spare vehicle. It came in handy when my father became ill last year when my wife drove it between work and the hospital to visit my dad everyday while I worked at his office during the day and headed to my regular job at night. It tranported my dear wife and our baby boy in her "tummy" to work and back till the day he was born - faithfully - without her having to worry about jostling with peak hour human traffic trying to cram into trains or brave long queues for taxis. The car that seemed like my father's extravagant purchase became a boon to the both of us. All it needed in return was a tank of petrol and a good wash once every two weeks.

When we decided to sell the car, it felt like we were abandoning a faithful soul. It pained us both deeply. But emotions aside, it was a financial burden with petrol prices, road-tax and insurance premiums being what they are today. So, for the sake of our financial future, we let it go. Although I feel like I let my father down somewhat, I think the loss is most felt by my wife. But as sad as we were, we were happy to learn that the car will not end up in the scrap yard but will be de-registered and exported to another country to begin a new lease of life. I am sure it will make another owner somewhere very happy too.

It may seem silly but I'd like to say "thank you" to a car that meant a great deal to all of us. I wish it be blessed with a caring owner and many more good years. Goodbye, my friend. We will miss you.

Pimpin' My Ride

As if I didn't have enough to do already when we started massive renovation works at our new apartment, I decided to "renovate" my car as well. I am a gadget fanatic and the more tricked-out my car is, the happier I am. It is no wonder that I was a huge fan of Knight Rider back in the 80s. For a long time, I believed that KITT was real and more intelligent than his owner, Michael Knight, played by David Hasselhoff.

So, the project to upgrade my black 2003 Subaru Impreza began in May and is still on-going. The modifications will include :

• A new height and damping adjustable suspension system
• Electronic gauges that will monitor oil temperature, oil pressure and the intake manifold
• New 225/45/17 (17") rims
• A souped-up sound system
• Voltage regulator
• New twin-pipe exhaust
• Rev / Speed monitoring system

The project will be done in stages because I suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms if I am away from my car for more than 6 hours. So, I will not allow my car to be kept overnight at any workshop unless I am also allowed to stay over.

Here's a picture of my ride from June at a workshop getting the suspension system fitted on. More updates very soon!

Note : Poor picture quality inherent in lousy camera phone. Please do not adjust your internet browser. ;)