Almost Kissed Another

I was driving to work one day. In front of me was a Saga BLM and further front was a huge bus. The bus signalled left and stopped to take in passengers. The Saga overtook the bus and I followed suit.

It was a three lane from then onwards with two lanes favouring the other side of the road. Because the road is winding and an accident prone area, double lines were drawn to ensure that we stick to our own lanes.

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So there I was, cruising at about 70kmph when the Saga suddenly stopped and wanted to make an illegal u-turn.
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I hit the brakes. Hard.

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The tires screeched. I closed my eyes, anticipating a loud crash. And my heart? It almost flew out of my body. I was dangerously close to getting a heart attack.

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My car stopped. I didn't hear a bang. And I opened my eyes, slowly.

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I was just inches away from the Saga.

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Phew!!!!!

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It took me a few seconds to collect my thoughts and mentally cursed the Saga for being so inconsiderate. The car was taking up 1/4 of the narrow road and there was no way I could've overtaken it without crossing onto the on-coming car lane.

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After what seemed like a full minute, I realised that there might be other cars at the back of me ... which thankfully, there was none.

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I moved on ahead, veering to the right to avoid hitting the Saga. And no, I didn't give the driver any dirty looks. I kept my cool and looked straight ahead.

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Had it not been my new and powerful car brakes (and also my driving skills), I might've rear-ended the Saga.

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Thank God for His protection.

Further on ahead, there is a lot of space for anyone who wants to make a u-turn, although it's still illegal as it's just around a very sharp bend.

Stoplock

I've always never bothered much about extra safety where my car is concerned - even when once, someone broke into my car to steal my handbag (which was hidden somewhere).

A few weeks ago, we were on a mini shopping spree in KL. MinChee had the honour of driving my car. One of the places we went to was Lau Yat Plaza. MinChee, being MinChee, always wanted a cheaper, if not free, parking spot. After getting a FREE, legal parking spot, she realised that I didn't have anything to lock the steering wheel ... and lectured me on how I should keep my car safe, etc, etc, etc.

Two weeks ago, we went to Jusco because of the "member's" sale.

Because MinChee was there, and I was in a very long queue at the cashier's, I asked her to grab a steering lock. I wasn't even bothered if she got a good one or not. But MinChee, being Minchee, knew exactly which brand I should buy.

She got me a STOPLOCK brand.

Well, me, being a procastinater, it took me about 10 days before I even attempt to test it out.

Being so ignorant, I tried this (above pic) first, then after a while, realised that something looked wrong.

I slid one part of it under the steering wheel. It still didn't look right. I tried to steer and found that the stoplock would only hit the side door when I steered to the right. If I steered to the left, there would not be any problems. It didn't make any sense because the "thief" would still be able to steal it with little difficulty.

I decided to ask MinChee to demonstrate. And she taught me how it was supposed to be done. Silly me!!!

And oh yeah, this is part of my Valentine's Day gift. Dear hubby gave me $$ to get whatever I wanted..... I'm just so practical, ya?

The Squashed Water Container

I was peacefully driving to work this morning, keeping to the speed limit (I hope!), listening to the radio, when suddenly, there was this weird sound coming from one of the tires of my car. It sounded like I skidded on sand but the road seemed perfectly fine. The man on the motorcycle in front of me looked back at the weird sound.

I was at a stretch where I couldn't stop to check. So I went about 500m before I saw a small place to pull over. By then, the noise got louder and I was worried that my tire was punctured. I got down, checked all the tires .... all were fine. So I went back into the car and continued driving. The sound was louder this time and once again, I pulled over.

I began looking deeper, searching for things (like nails, or anything sticking out of the tire) that I might've missed earlier.... and then I saw it. Wedged between the tire and the upper rim was a 5.5 liter water container which was empty. I tugged at it but it didn't really budge. So I pulled it with all my strength. It moved a little. I was begining to fear that I might not be strong enough to get it out. I gritted my teeth and pulled harder. I tried to flatten the container and pulled some more...... and lo and behold, it came off.

The drive was so much smoother after that. :) I thank God it was nothing major.