A Christmas Fable

Well Christmas has come and gone. So how as it? TBH was hard to actually believe it was Christmas as my host country isn't really down with things J.C. related. So no lights or decorations in the streets. No carols playing in shopping malls. Not much of anything Christmassy really. Add to that having to go to work. Was supposed to be a quiet day but I jinxed it by bringing in my laptop to pass the time. Last minute an A330 came in for a maintenance check. But evening after work was nice. Went for dinner (xmas dinner?) with "L"s family. Lots of excellent stalls with equally excellent food. Wish we were told bout this place earlier. Can see us popping back soon.

Boxing day was cool thou, was let off at midday. Spent the remainder of it debating what game to shove in the XBOX next. As I had completed Gears of War 2 couple days back. Started off by shoving in Dead Space. Played thru the 1st few mins of it but ended up spitting it out. Good game and all. Everything you expect of a 9/10 game but it simply wasn't matching my mood. Stuffed in Fable 2. Much more palatable. So much so I'm hooked again.

As usual, playing a female character. Really paranoid of doing too much physical attacks in the game. Cos your character changes appearance based on your actions and what you make them do. Not keen on having a big hairy burly rugby player of a girl for a character. So sticking to lots of shooting people and casting spells. Sadly all the magic usage is giving me weird rune like marks appear all over my beautiful skin... Being boring thou and playing a goody-2-shoes... If I ever get round to a 2nd play thru. I'm defo gonna be a huge, repulsive, arsehole, bastard, ape of a man. Oh yeah... so much fun being a complete and utter bastard.

Once a fortnight

I remember making a comment while at work today, while I was re accounting the exploits of my car with the snapped suspension strut. The comment was "I'm averaging a car every 2 weeks at the moment. Nearly had this car for 2 weeks wonder how much longer I'll have it?"

The answer was, not too long at all. Fate was nice enough to ensure my average remained true. As driving home from work that evening The following happened...

Stopped at a red light, shame guy behind didn't. Shunted me a good 8 or so meters into the car in front of me. More thru momentum than speed I reckon as his car had 7 occupants! The driver, his sister and her 2 kids, their friend and her 2 kids. His car was a Perodua Myvi. Hardly a big car. Don't think it was designed for 7 people that's for sure. Not to mention the guy was big enough to count as 2 people. Throw into it all rain soaked tarmac and the fact he had just started learner driver probation 2mths ago.

Guy in front had walked over to check on me. Said I was ok and asked how was he. He was ok and his car just had a dent in the bumper as I had suffered the brunt. He asked how I could be so cheerful in the midst of it all. Told him it was easy seeing as I was "A" ok after the smash and more the point, it weren't my car LOL!

Worrying thing was, soon after that the drivers sister rushed over to my car to see if I was alraight. After I told her I was, I asked how was her car's occupants faired. She said her daughter had a bit of a bump but was ok. After a good few minutes, her daughter started balling, so she slowly made her way over to see wat the fuss was about. Carrying the lil girl (5 yrs old) in her arms kissing her forehead. I asked again if everything was ok, she again assured me it was fine, just a bump it'll go down in a while. When I looked, the kid's head had a lump size of a golf ball. Looking at the cars windscreen I could see where her head had obviously hit, as the glass had a very clear impact point and spider web like cracks emanating from it. I kept telling her it wasn't really something to leave be and to get her to a hospital. Eventually she listened and got the guy I shunted to send her to her mums down the road.

When the cops finally arrived, so had my car rental company with the new car. Only real worrying thing was when we all went to the cop shop for the police report I had to sign the report which was in the native language, ie not English. The guy I shunted explained it all to me. Didn't really have much option so I signed it, lucky I now know thru guys at work it was all kosher. Was worried at the time as the copper doing the report couldn't work out my age by subtracting my birth year from this year. He got it wrong 4 times... He also totally messed up copying(COPYING!!!!!) my name and insisted my drivers license had expired as it said date of expirey 07 11 48. He had a tough time understanding it was 2048 and not 1948... not even the fact it was issued in 07 11 97 would dissuade him...

Anyhow water's under the bridge now and true enough it's been a car dead every 2 weeks... I'm on car 9 now... How long before this 1 goes, bonus points if you nail how it gets wasted.

Time off

Well been 6 days since I was last working. Initially had grand plans to tour the country. Go places I have never been before. Experience new sights and sounds. Guess for those that know me, I didn't really get very far. Not to say I didn't get out at all. Visited a forest reserve near me but that was about it as far as touring went. Can't blame the Xbox cos it died (again) long before my days off started.

But that is not to say it wasn't an enjoyable and productive 6 days. Managed to get alot of things done around the home. Fixed the kitchen taps, toilet cistern, the patio & kitchen lights, the hallway emergency lights. Sand down and varnish the knife holder. Set up the home network and port forwarding settings. Install Norton & clean up on all 3 laptops. Weed the garden. Buy and setup a printer. Transfer cash to mums account in the UK. Change my bank statement delivery address. Set up a new handphone line. Repair the parquet flooring. Repair Wifeys shoes.

Also started doing cooking again. Realised precisely how out of practice I am on it all. Spent a good deal of time just relaxing around at home. Was nice to simply be able to take time out and enjoy the home.

Had a call today telling me I had actually passed the local aviation law exam. Meaning I can actually hold the local engineer's license in addition to my European license. Was pretty stunned as even thou I studied hard initially. I soon got bored and didn't touch the books for over a month. Then 2 days before the exam I tired to study but I was either too tired from work or just had no interest. Even during the exam I totally balls-ed up the written paper by messing up 2 of the 4 questions.

Would like to believe I am a total genius but honestly I feel still that the government set exam papers here are a total sham. As I know of several people who have a good track record of passing exams, studying like hell and failing. Ton the flip side. I also know of several people like me, doing jack but still passing. Its all down to your luck on which batch of papers you are put in. Either the pass tray or the fail tray. I spoke to 1 of the guys who took the exams with me. He had an insider in the examination body who informed him, he had infact passed despite being sent a letter of failure.

But hey, what am I complaining about. I got thru. Won't have to fork out more money on a retake. And having the local license clears up alot of headaches that arise with me working on the back of my European license. Smiles all round.

Crap Cars 'R' Us

Out here there is a car manufacturing company. They used to sell cars internationally but they have all but ceased selling overseas because... well... they are pretty shit. Recently thou with foreign investment and expertise they have started selling overseas again but still doing pretty badly. Its only the rock bottom prices that shift any of them from the forecourts.

Here thou they are number 1. Number 1 cos the government slaps a big fat tax on all non domestically made cars. Other than being voted international 2nd worst car of the year by Top Gear few years back what exactly makes them so bad that the government has to intervene to make these cars sell?

Well Being here has allowed me to solve that puzzle. Been here 3 mths now and in that time I have been thru 7 of their cars. 1st car suffered a high speed tyre blow out. 2nd car road tax ran out, so that 1 was mechanically ok... well... engine was very sluggish for a 1.5... but anyway, 3rd car dead alternator, 4th car blown gearbox, 5th car ECU problems, 6th car... see below...

Driving home from work suddenly the front left of the car went all wobbly, unstable, clunky and noisy. Initially suspected it could be a blown tyre again so I pulled over to the side of the road. Got out of the car and had a look. Only to see the damage as shown below. Picture 1 is of how a suspension strut should look when installed. Picture 2 shows the view I got.

The strut had snapped off from its mounting (1) The now snapped off strut (2) only staying in place by butting up against the ring like bracket. Also the strut bushing (3) and upper bearing (4) completely detached. YAY for domestic quality.

Knowing that calling for the car rental company road side assistance could mean me waiting hours to be rescued. I decided as I was just 20km from home, if I took it easy, avoided the potholes & bumps and stuck to the slow lane I should fine. After all after being in a car crash where you've rolled onto your roof, losing a wheel doesn't seem so bad. Besides... pfffrtttt, ain't my car.

Sure enough made it home fine. But now the challenge of getting the rental company to replace the car. 1st the girl on the line said no one was available to deliver the car and could I wait till tomorrow. The after some grilling it changed to no one was available till 2 hours later & could it wait till tomorrow. Then it was if they left now they would be stuck in rush hour traffic & could it wait till tomorrow. Felt so much like I was talking to my mechanics at work. Work shy lazy MoFos. Guess I shouldn't be that hard on em as the work shy lazy MoFo-ness is a national thing, the norm basically. Gotta remember the saying "When in Rome..."

Anyway guy turns up with my replacement car. Which is now car number 7. Wonder how long this will last. Am getting pretty sick of changing cars so often. Plus its getting a killer on the fone bill calling those guys all the time.