This weekend is a marked difference from what I experienced last week.
Last week, I spent a good half of Saturday morning mourning the fate of my car (and my wallet. However, the insurance people have since stepped in to bear the bulk of the costs involved. Phew!). With a car that's stuck in the repair centre for a good (minimum) 1 month, it really dampened my weekend. Not even the fantastic Germany-Argentina match could save my rotten mood. Perhaps it was also caused by me having to attend a wedding the same night and missing the first half of the game. No matter what others say, watching a replay is not the same thing as experiencing the heart attacks in real time!
Today's Saturday saw me doing something which I never thought I would be doing and one which I think confirms that I'm no Spiderman. With a few colleagues and their friends, we went to the Bukit Seri Cahaya Shah Alam for Sky Trex. I confirmed my attendance a long time ago despite my reservations against physical activities (don't blame me. I'm never one for all those keep-fit programmes) and despite several ffks from others, I proceeded nonetheless.
When a colleague first mooted the idea, I was actually hoping for the 'Little Adventure' route. Little did I know that that route is meant for adventurous kids and so, I got an adamant 'No!' from colleagues. They persuaded me (and it's my fault that I did not bother to surf the website to see what is exactly in store) to join them for the 'Big Thrill' which they promised is a leisurely enjoyable ride. To convince me further, they even said that it's nothing compared to 'Extreme Adventure' which is really a test to separate the men from boys (please excuse the gender reference. It applies to the fairer sex as well).
There were 23 of us. While I was dressed in the usual bermudas and a tee, the other girls looked as if they had stepped out of a fitness promotion. More importantly, most of them looked damn fit with not an ounce of body fat! The guys were more into the casual look that belies their physical prowess (or lack of it for some). Anyway, I was stuck and had no way of turning back.
Before we started with our route, we were given some sort of hands-on tutorial where we were taught to wear the safety harness. That was when I learned about the carabiners and the pullys (I don't even know if that's how they're spelled as. Anyway, they instructed us to always have one carabiner (we are equipped with 2 carabiners each) attached to the safety line and that we must never put our hands in front of the pullys. Well, the tutorial didn't seem to be that bad...
I changed my mind when I saw the 'Big Thrill' departure point. For starters, we had to climb this one really really long string ladder. By the time I completed the climb, I felt my heart has left my body. And why shouldn't I feel that way? Because with every attempt of dragging my feet up another rung, my arms were left gripping the higher rungs for dear life. From there on, it was one physical activity to another. I walked on planks perched high-up between the trees (thank god I did not have a fear of heights), found my balance while maneuvering my way through the netted paths and wondered what part of my brain caused me to agree to this outing as I struggled through the 'Balance' escapade. Only the 'Flying Fox' was enjoyable and even then, I did have moments of trepidation when I was flying through the forest at a fast speed and I either didn't manage to reach the next station.
And I think some of my colleagues are worried that I may not be able to complete the course. One friend in particular who remained behind me kept asking me if I'm alright or whether I need any help. Well, his cheers and advice for me to take my time really worked although I feel bad that he had to wait a long time. It was funny at times because from the way my friends shouted my name out in the forest as we make our way from one station to another station, everyone would know my name as well!
It was with a sense of relief that I finally completed the course around 12 noon. By that time, I was drenched with sweat and my bottle of water left empty. We left Shah Alam and settled for a leisurely lunch at Subang's Asia Cafe (which by the way, is a first time for me. That's rather ironic as I've lived in Subang all this while and yet, Asia Cafe never seem attractive.) before we decided to part ways at 3 p.m.
The next plan the group has in mind is playing paint-balls. Should I push myself again for another adventure or play safe and decline? Perhaps this question is better decided after tonight's sleep. With aching arms and fatigue, I need to sleep real bad.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
If my car could talk
After being done with my writing commitment, I thought I'll continue blogging on my thoughts of the many things that have happened since June. And seriously, there were many issues that crossed my mind.
Yet, what happened to me today kinda puts everything else in a different perspective.
I was driving to work (yes, it is a weekend and yes, I need to enter office to ease the backlog) when it began to drizzle. I took the normal route, expecting that I'll reach my office within minutes after entering Jalan Duta. What I didn't expect was this. Just as I was driving past CIMB on Jalan Semantan and turned into Jalan Duta, the most terrifying minutes of my life happened.
My hands were on the steering wheel and suddenly, I felt as if the car had a life of its own. To my horror, I heard a crunching sound and my car's power steering wheel was jammed. I tried gripping the steering wheel in a desperate bid to keep the car on course as it makes its way into the main highway but it was to no avail.
The car was no longer 'listening' to me and it zig-zagged across the highway. At that point, I did not even notice whether there were oncoming cars or whether I'm to survive. I could only hold the steering wheel as the car swerved violently from left to right and back to left for a few times. I heard a 'Bang!' sound as the car hits a road divider and thankfully, the impact caused the car to be less violent. It did make a final swerve before settling by the road side.
Throughout the time, I did not know what I was thinking or whether I even had the time to pray for a painless end. My hands may be on the steering wheel but honestly, I felt like I was an unwilling passenger on a nightmarish roller-coaster ride. The whole episode might not have lasted more than minutes but to me, it felt like years have passed.
As I was trying to calm myself by the roadside (I did not even want to consider the extent of damage done to the car. I was just thankful that I did not hit anyone and nobody hit my car), I viewed my rear mirror and it was then that I saw a sudden stream of cars rushing past me. I also noticed a taxi stopping behind me and the Indian driver came out and approached my car.
Even if I managed to escape death seconds ago, I was still in a rational mind not to leave my car and became weary as the Indian driver knocked on my window. I lowered the window slightly and he immediately asked whether I was alright. I nodded and he said in somewhat utter disbelief that I was 'very lucky'.
Apparently, he was driving behind me and he saw how my car became 'alive' and 'danced' on the highway which has a high number of cars. He also asked me whether my car uses a 'power steering wheel' and I said yes. He explained that he has encountered many episodes when car drivers are caught by surprise when their steering wheels suddenly became jammed. He then told me that it's a miracle that oncoming cars actually stopped or else, I could have been killed. Seeing that I was not leaving my car anytime soon, he offered to look around my car to see the damage done. He came back to my side and yet again, he said I was very lucky that only my back tyre suffered some scratches and that the car's body is intact. He told me to calm down for a few minutes and before he left, he once again said 'Miss, you're very lucky. I'll pray for you'.
Well, I was numb from that near-death experience and yet, something in me caused me to continue driving the car to my office. I switched on the hazard light and drove at a very slow speed with a steering wheel that goes left while the car was going straight. At my office's basement, I inspected my car and true enough, nothing was wrong save for my back tyre which looked pretty 'funny'. In fact, the tyre now looked like a disjointed limb.
Perhaps I was still in a state of shock that I continued to work at my office for a good one hour or two. Only when flashes of the episode came that I realised the gravity and called my parents. They advised me to call a tow truck to bring my car to the brand's nearest service centre and they said they'll come to fetch me.
I may have been killed but nothing surprised me more than what my mother said as we drove behind the tow truck. With my car staring back at me, she suddenly said 'Could it be a coincidence that this happened after you're thinking about buying a new car?'. Flabbergasted, I recalled that we did go to a showroom sometime last week to check out new models but then again, it was a mere fascination and not serious interest.
My father then jokingly said that my car must be a jealous male who had feel slighted at the thought of me checking out other 'guys'. I laughed but at the same time, I wondered whether I actually have to 'apologize' to my car lest I've offended 'him' without realising it...
My car is now at the service centre for repairs. As for me, I wonder what my car might be saying to me if my car could talk. It's just scary.
Yet, what happened to me today kinda puts everything else in a different perspective.
I was driving to work (yes, it is a weekend and yes, I need to enter office to ease the backlog) when it began to drizzle. I took the normal route, expecting that I'll reach my office within minutes after entering Jalan Duta. What I didn't expect was this. Just as I was driving past CIMB on Jalan Semantan and turned into Jalan Duta, the most terrifying minutes of my life happened.
My hands were on the steering wheel and suddenly, I felt as if the car had a life of its own. To my horror, I heard a crunching sound and my car's power steering wheel was jammed. I tried gripping the steering wheel in a desperate bid to keep the car on course as it makes its way into the main highway but it was to no avail.
The car was no longer 'listening' to me and it zig-zagged across the highway. At that point, I did not even notice whether there were oncoming cars or whether I'm to survive. I could only hold the steering wheel as the car swerved violently from left to right and back to left for a few times. I heard a 'Bang!' sound as the car hits a road divider and thankfully, the impact caused the car to be less violent. It did make a final swerve before settling by the road side.
Throughout the time, I did not know what I was thinking or whether I even had the time to pray for a painless end. My hands may be on the steering wheel but honestly, I felt like I was an unwilling passenger on a nightmarish roller-coaster ride. The whole episode might not have lasted more than minutes but to me, it felt like years have passed.
As I was trying to calm myself by the roadside (I did not even want to consider the extent of damage done to the car. I was just thankful that I did not hit anyone and nobody hit my car), I viewed my rear mirror and it was then that I saw a sudden stream of cars rushing past me. I also noticed a taxi stopping behind me and the Indian driver came out and approached my car.
Even if I managed to escape death seconds ago, I was still in a rational mind not to leave my car and became weary as the Indian driver knocked on my window. I lowered the window slightly and he immediately asked whether I was alright. I nodded and he said in somewhat utter disbelief that I was 'very lucky'.
Apparently, he was driving behind me and he saw how my car became 'alive' and 'danced' on the highway which has a high number of cars. He also asked me whether my car uses a 'power steering wheel' and I said yes. He explained that he has encountered many episodes when car drivers are caught by surprise when their steering wheels suddenly became jammed. He then told me that it's a miracle that oncoming cars actually stopped or else, I could have been killed. Seeing that I was not leaving my car anytime soon, he offered to look around my car to see the damage done. He came back to my side and yet again, he said I was very lucky that only my back tyre suffered some scratches and that the car's body is intact. He told me to calm down for a few minutes and before he left, he once again said 'Miss, you're very lucky. I'll pray for you'.
Well, I was numb from that near-death experience and yet, something in me caused me to continue driving the car to my office. I switched on the hazard light and drove at a very slow speed with a steering wheel that goes left while the car was going straight. At my office's basement, I inspected my car and true enough, nothing was wrong save for my back tyre which looked pretty 'funny'. In fact, the tyre now looked like a disjointed limb.
Perhaps I was still in a state of shock that I continued to work at my office for a good one hour or two. Only when flashes of the episode came that I realised the gravity and called my parents. They advised me to call a tow truck to bring my car to the brand's nearest service centre and they said they'll come to fetch me.
I may have been killed but nothing surprised me more than what my mother said as we drove behind the tow truck. With my car staring back at me, she suddenly said 'Could it be a coincidence that this happened after you're thinking about buying a new car?'. Flabbergasted, I recalled that we did go to a showroom sometime last week to check out new models but then again, it was a mere fascination and not serious interest.
My father then jokingly said that my car must be a jealous male who had feel slighted at the thought of me checking out other 'guys'. I laughed but at the same time, I wondered whether I actually have to 'apologize' to my car lest I've offended 'him' without realising it...
My car is now at the service centre for repairs. As for me, I wonder what my car might be saying to me if my car could talk. It's just scary.
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