Why I Write ...

Purely as a form of expression to the emotions that run riot in my life at different junctures. This blog has seen several title revisions that also reflect the state of being and evolution I am constantly in. If one were to remain stagnant in hope of never changing their temporal present, one will awaken someday to much regret. Life is about living, evolving and adapting to the constant changes all around us.

My spot on the web is essentially a journey along with my monologue ramblings of my coherent mind accompanied by the incoherent thing called life. Read me if you like ... if you don't it is not the end of the world. I am at the very least a believer in humility lifts us further than pride.

Happy trails

19 April 2008

Charles Impending Separation Apr 18, 2008

Charles odometer reads a staggering 203879kms done in under 5 years ... he turns 5 in September. Charles is aging and well starting to show the signs atypical to the male specie :) after a given period of time males need to move on (this is from solely from my own experience - so it's open to debate to which I am not interested to enter)

In the month of March and April this year I have spent RM 3000 in repairs.

Timing belt - inevitable. Skimming of brake discs, changing of brake pads, changing of wheel bearings, changing of one something or other nugger. Brake pump - eeeeks ... WTF am I doing revving up to 160km/hour everyday if all the problems are brake related .. well like I said some posts ago ... God's hand is on Charles everyday ...

Well this morning, I was meant to be at work. In a client meeting. But yesterday morning while driving to work, I realised that my car was beginning to sound like a lorry ... I thought I was being paranoid.

Apparently NOT. It was worse at night all the way in the dark and rain. I drove slowly (by my terms slowly is anything below 120kms/hr) .... and got home in one piece. I thought it would be the wheel again and yes I was right only didn't expect such a huge dent in the wallet.

It seems that for now Charles is more a liability than an asset. I owe still quite a bit to the bank in terms of Hire Purchase. He fetches some 60% on the road value and is costing me holes on repairs. My bank account is begging to be saved from Charles induced expenses.

A good friend who is very car savvy said to me "Ani you need a car that's not going to let you down in the middle of the road at some unGodly hour. So push it till the year end but start looking around for something new and how you might be able to trade in and get a good value for the car"

Sound advice no doubt. I've been driving Charles now close to 5 years, I love the way we work as a team. And I like my hatchback car with the road hugging feeling he has. I love how comfy he feels around corners and bends.

But me thinks, yes I better start looking for another set of wheels. Charles has been good but he's beginning to show wear and tear and with the kind of distance I cover daily, he needs to take a break.

Anybody with any suggestions? What sort of car might be a worthy replacement for my Kia Rio 1.3(A). I love hatchbacks. I love space in my car.

But I better not talk about replacement within hearing range of Charles, he's going to get upset and cost me more repairs for sure - the chap might be a heap of metal but he has feelings too.