Car.. to buy or not to buy?

... although it's kindda late for me LOL! Currently I have 2 car - a salon car and a SUV. Don't be suprised. It's normal for Bruneians to have more than 1 car per person/ per family. Shocking? Nah! As I said, it's normal here in Brunei. 1 household, here in Brunei, has ATLEAST 3-4 cars per family.. that's the minimum, mind you! My family? Hmm... in this house, there are 7 of us; my parents, myself and 4 brothers. Well, let's just say that each of us has a car... haha!

Truthfully, I had no intention to buy a car. But when my baby Ford kept on giving me problems; I had no choice but to think of buying another. Why no fix it, you would say? The Ford agent here, I can say from experience weren't that helpful. Their spareparts are always not available and to make it available, they have to order it for you. The procedure, you have to deposit 50% of the total amount of the sparepart and wait for 3 weeks - 2 months. What? Isn't agent suppose to have spareparts in hand? And when they queried about my car, you know what they said? "Oh! that car considered ICU already" ICU? SERIOUSLY? Urrggghhh... remind me not to buy an European car. Or was it just not my luck to have a good car.

Anyways, there are pros and cons having a car. In Brunei, you MUST have a car coz honestly, our public transportation ain't that great. Yes, we do have buses. Yes, we do have taxis. No, we don't have trains. No, we don't have MRTs. All I can say that, our public transportations are limited.

You rarely (or almost to never) see any Bruneians chasing after a bus. Unlike moi... khehe.. Yes! I did chase after a bus back when I was living in Singapore. Here? No way! LOL!! See how different environments make different perspectives.

We all know why having a car is an essential but are you ready to buy a car? and maintain them?

If I have a choice, I wouldn't buy a car. Why? Here are my experiences...

1. Installments
Unless you have enough cash with you, then it's ok. But like most of us, we are seeking loans from the banks to buy a car. Installment can be very messy. A car worth B$30K and if you are doing loan from the bank for 7 years, it would cost you B$45K-$50K.. yikes!

2. Insurances and road tax
Ford is now 8 years old and the insurance is getting lower by the year. But now with the SUV, fewwhhh.. and when both cars are 2000cc, you can just imagine the insurances and the road taxes...

3. Maintenance
The servicing, the tyres, the fuel, the oil... all those stuffs. The bigger the car, the bigger the maintenance. Bigger tyre size, the more expensive it be. 2000cc SUV full tank can cost you $30+ of the unleaded fuel. Service is at every 5000KM or 10000KM. Eventhough my car service is every 5000KM or 10000KM, at least it ain't that freaking expensive. My bf's car service is every 15000KM and trust me man, it ain't that cheap. Yikes!

4. Engine knowledge
Living with my baby Ford for the last 8 years, you can say that I'm a bit expert on engines (ford engines) for a woman. LOL! When a warning lights on, I have the feeling what's the problem and I hate to say this but I'm always right.. LOL!

5. Tyre punctures
Oh! Been there... to date, I experienced 4 tyre mishaps. And up till now, I couldn't change the tyre by myself (yes! i'm not ashamed to admit it..)

6. Car wash
I wash and clean the car myself... most of the times. When laziness kicks in, I just 'hire' one of my brothers. For a petite person like me, giving a SUV a bath is a challenge. To reach the roof, I have to use a small ladder or a chair.. imagine that. Manicures are useless at this stage. I can give Ford a bath for 30 minutes to 40 minutes top but it took me an hour to properly clean an SUV.

Hmm... still thinking to buy a car? LOL!! I didn't mean to stop anyonw from buying a car. I'm just merely sharing my experiences...

　

Caught in the rain....

Yesterday, I was hyper!

I planned to give both my German and Japanese babies a bath each LOL ;D

And another reason was, dad kept on nagging me on neglecting my babies for so long.... too long I guess..

weeehhhh.... shiny man! LOL! as if...

but it was far more better than before

 Unfortunately, rain poured down on me while giving my Japanese baby a shower

hence I had to cancel a date with my German baby

Oh! No worries baby...

Next time will be yours, definitely...

But I can't promise when... LOL 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Reality Kicks In...

... too soon, i guess... *yawn*

school reopens last tuesday,

everyone's back from their december leave last tuesday

and it was the first working day of the year (the government sector)

no more holidays!!! *another BIG yawn*

back to work...

back facing the usual traffic morning and afternoon *big sigh*

...gone the diet... lol!

 chocolates taste 10x more yummy-licious when you are stress...

why am i stress?

first week of every year = drug usage reports!

and lots of it!

so many reports need to be done, which i dislike doing...

... sometimes i feel like an accountant; 

which sounds very very horrible coz i'm lousy with numbers =D

i think i'm in need of a 'happy pills' lol!!

p.s cross any ideas that comes to your mind when you read 'happy pills'

and saw these pink tablets coz it ain't the real happy 'happy pills', if you get what i meant.

the above tablets are just vitamins =D in pink!!

oh well, the bright side of today....

a senior from college came by and gave me 2 harrods ballpens with the gold casing =D

a gift from UK...

thank you jus!!

apart from that,

wishing the days would pass by quickly so that saturday will come soon... can't hardly wait to see the boyfriend lol!

and of course, my leave would also start soon.... very soon if the days would just pass by =D

Last Monday vs Yesterday Monday

I would like to mind readers and fellow bloggers that I don't specifically hate Monday nor I have the so-called Monday Blues but I had to say last week Monday was not a very good day for me.

It started to be a good day; it was raining and for those who don't know me (yet!), I love rain and it was my first day of a course at the Islamic Da'wah Center. Everything went well tha morning until I was on my way home that lunch hour. My car's battery indicator was flashing and I knew, something was wrong. I can 'feel' it! But Alhamdulillah, I managed to arrive home safe. Dad came home and I told him the problem. Just as I guessed - it's the alternator! O! Not again! This would be the second time!!

The first time, I spent $600+ to fix the alternator. Fix it, mind you? Dad said, this time maybe I should replace it with a new one!! So. Dad asked around. Agent price = $1400! Yikes! Workshop price (brand new) = $900+, secondhand = $600+! Fewwhhh! But in the end, Dad found a workshop that can fix the alternator for about $200!

-that's an alternator, btw... LOL-

For the following days, I had to car pool with my brother; which was troublesome! But by Saturday, I'm a free driver again and with that, I finished my course with a satisfying certificate =)

Yesterday Monday, it promised to be a beautiful day!

After a week of not coming in to the office, work was hectic but managable! And everytime I feel down, I just look at this picture! Awesome-ness!

-3 in 1 (the rainbow, the cloud and the brilliant blue blue sky)-

~~fheewwwiit~~

O!

I couldn't resist!

Saw this baby beside me and my boyfriend aka my car this afternoon on my way home

and my heart just melt ^_^

We were stuck in the afternoon traffic together hence I can't see his performance but man, this car is a beaut!

Mr KR1010, if you happened to read this blog of mine, do you mind giving me a ride? LOL!

p.s. didn't manage to take the real picture as so many other drivers around me were also looking at him and his awesome car!

Brunei's 1st TechExpo 2010

Inside the Tomorrow Land

Dear God, if you are reading my blog and if you want to grant me 'materialistic' stuff,

please 'drop' me one of these babies!

THANK YOU!

Lexus RX450 Hybrid

Lexus LS600 Hybrid

.... or if both are too much, I don't mind settling with Lexus LX570 =)

A backseat filled with....

.... bags!

Now, let's see!

The pink 1 is my 'homework' bag where every work I have to bring home I stuff in that bag. I should get a smaller bag instead a big one (so less 'homework' to bring home! LOL!)

The blue bag is my lunch bag.

Infront of my blue bag is my 'telkong' (prayer attire) bag.

The cream sling bag is my laptop bag.

And that colourful bag is my handbag/shoulder bag.

Too much?

Nah!

There is no such word as 'too much' when it comes to bags and lady ;)

A day at the car agent....

I went to the car agent this morning to bring in my dad's car and while waiting, this is what I did..

And yes, I'm drooling all over these babies..

A5 *drools*

R8's engine

A5 - A4 - R8 - Q7

Note: Pictures are taken using my new Samsung HP camera ;)

Today's Activities

In the office

After receiving and checking the stocks received yesterday, time to hit the paperworks!
The SIV (stock inventory voucher), the bin cards, the e-pharmacy and the list goes on and on...

After office

Went to RIPAS H for CE after work and after the CE, saw this rugged, handsome-looking Jeep Wrangler parked beside me.
One of my dream cars (along with some other cars! LOL!)
Couldn't help but to snap some pictures

At home

Came home and Mum was nagging how "messy, careless, disorganize bla bla bla" I am with my footwears.

The cluttering footwears.
These were the shoes, sandals and slippers that I had been used for the last 2 weeks!

So lazy to put them back the in closet (on the left hand side), so this is what I did to stop my mum's nagging! =D

M not lazy but everytime I came home, I am so mentally and physically exhausted that I couldn't be bother with 'minor' stuffs.. hehe

"Sexy Inside The Car"

"Sexy Inside The Car"

Imagine this scenario:

One morning, on your way to work, you are stuck in the traffic jam (alone in you car) and a car with this car sticker was infront of you. What do you do?

a. do nothing and ignore it (plainly it shows how un'creative' you are. LOL!)
b. check out the driver
c. make a snickering comment
d. move to the other lane
e. none of the above

Well, that's what happened to me one morning. This car was infront of me, I read the sign for fun and I check out the driver.

My comment: let's just say that the driver gives me a new definition of 'sexy'. The driver is a guy so it's either it's not his car or that's his definition of sexy. Haha! If you are clever enough, you will get what I meant!

Dilemma of a 8 years old car!

Note: This is not the real picture of my car but the colour is the same and instead of that sports rim, mine is a lot more nicer LOL! But I think you got the idea.

My beloved boyfriend aka my car celebrated his birthday this 6th June. It would be his 8th year with me. It's the time of the year where I have to buy the car insurance and road tax but this year, 1 additional task.

For every cars that managed to reach their 8th years, the owner has to bring him/her to the Land Transport for the car inspection to ensure the safety and reliability of the car on road. The hassle thing about car inspection is that:

1. you have to q-up very very early or you would end up waiting in the line under the hot sun (eventhough you are in the comfort of our car still the outside is hot!)

2. your car must pass the inspection before you can go and buy the road tax.

3. if your car fail, you have to fix whatever is wrong with your car, q-up (again!) for another inspection and pay double of the amount of the inspection (which is quiet cheap here in Brunei) and hopefully your car pass after that.

My boyfriend aka my boyfriend that is (if you still haven't got the hint), well, basically he is okay. There is nothing wrong with him - after so many complains and all - let's just say that he's been behaving nice lately.

But the problem came with his rugged look (LOL!). Rules of Brunei's Land Transport, no modified and bodykit car unless it is stated in your car's bluecard. Luckily for me, my sport rims are stated in the bluecard but not the tinted front screen, not the shades (all sides of shades) and definitly not my plate number.

So, can you imagine what I gotta do to get rid of all those before the inspection? A lot, I gotta say. And while doing it, I was saying to myself, why did I do all these stuffs to my car? Well, the answer is simple... coz I love my car so much that I wanna him to look nice ;)

Anyway, I managed to ask my eldest brother, Wadi to bring my car for the inspection and he loves his sister so much, he doesn't mind doing it ;)

At first, my brother said that the inspector couldn't find anything wrong with my car until he inspected my tyres. Turn out, my tyres are an inch wider than the 1 stated in the bluecard. But thank God, my brother managed to settle that problem. Thanx bro!

My New Love.... LOL!

Well, let's just say that as the year passed by, my interest in SUV car is also growing BIG! Haha!

This Lexus LX570 is one of the most kicking-ass SUV I dream of having! Definitly on top of my list IF I can afford it.... *big sigh* So far, only saw 2 of these baby on the road, a white and a black...

My Weekend...Car Maintenance

I had quiet a buzy weekend with special attention to my car.

Yup...my car is my 'boyfriend' coz my car is the closest thing I had in a boyfriend *how sad* haha! Anyway, my plan for today was to change my 2 rear tyres but when I arrived at TyreMart in Gadong, I ended up changing all the 4 tyres! Don't bother to ask how much everything cost coz it sure made a dent on my last paycheck and bonus *kccciiinnnggg* I can just hear the dollar sign gone *big sigh* Oh well, safety before others! And sport tyres cost more than the ordinary tyres. Maybe I should switch back my tyre rims to its original...hmmmmm

After tyre changing, I went for wheel alignment. Hmmm...sometimes being a lady in a man's domain could be quiet difficult. One obvious thing was that there were no women in sight while I was changing my tyres. Oh wait! There was one woman inside the waiting area. I was there for a couple of minutes before I was called by the guys - the mechanics. The woman was reading a paper and there was another guy also waiting inside. No bad looking and he was reading a book....wow! I just a sucker for a guy who reads! hahaha!

Well, considering that my 'list' is not done yet so I can't flirt openly with the guy...whaha! Now, it makes you wonder what my 'list' would consist? I don't know yet either coz as I said, it's not done yet!

Okay, back to the origin of this post : the tyre-changing and wheel alignment took me half of the morning already and this afternoon, if the weather permits, m gonna wash my car and vacuum the interior. I think it's time I take a good care of my baby.

Don't get me wrong. I always take good care of my baby but somehow, for the last few months, m getting lazy but now, time to get back to it....

Happy weekend people!

*OohHHLaLaLa*

*When ever will I manage to buy this baby?*

Not really a big fan of sport cars but 2 cars in particular I couldn't resist - this Skyline GTR and Aston Martin! I used to like (and even dreamt of buying) Mazda RX8 but now it no longer interest me..hehe!

Ready for a Change?

M thinking of changing my car! I had been driving the Mondeo for the last 7 years and I guess it's time for a change. But now I got 2 dilemma - am I ready to change to a new car with a new bank loan? and which car?? I got so many options but I learnt from my lesson not to choose the European expensive car, not that I can afford it that much...haha!

The All- New Ford Mondeo Wagon

I'm not a big fan of a wagon but I have to say, this new Ford Mondeo wagon is handsome (the word that I use for cars!) The rear end of this wagon reminds me of Subaru Impreza STI wagon which was recently launched here in Brunei but the OTR price is freakingly alarming! The STI wagon cost like $60K+ and somewhat $1K+/month....feewwwhhh..talk about flashier car and flashier money *keeeccchhhiiinnngggg*