Tuesday, March 17, 2020

[839] 2020

Today is "day 3" in my book of the quarantine in Metro Manila due to Covid-19. Last night an enhanced community quarantine was declared for the entire region of Luzon. Basically we're all supposed to stay at home, and if we need to buy groceries or medicine only one person may go out to drive to the store and buy food.

Whatever good vibes, hopes, and dreams I had coming into 2020 is now gone. I was looking forward to my 40th birthday this year. Now I just want this year to be over, and it's not even the end of the first quarter of the year.

I hate 2020. In fact I've been hating the past few years for whatever personal reasons I have. In case I ever felt positive and thought, "bring it 2020," I have this to say:

"I give up, 2020. You win. Thanks for nothing."

I am getting closer and closer to just giving up. I never imagined I would experience these things in my life, and I only wish I never did experience these things. Don't give me that bullshit about these things building character.

Out.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

[838] Covid-19

Well the entire world is reeling under the effects of Covid-19. Locally lots of cases are being confirmed both in Metro Manila and outside.

I can only hope that everyone takes the proper precautions like washing their hands properly and getting check ups if they show symptoms.

Hoarding also isn't cool, and it's sad and frustrating to see so much misinformation being spread on social media and people just believing what they want to believe. Covid-19 isn't a selective virus, it can affect everyone. So let's all stay safe, sane, and compassionate to one another.

Out.

Monday, March 02, 2020

[837] Revised Two Car Garage 2020 Edition

So I've blogged a few times already about my ideal two car garage, and now I'm revising it yet again. This is probably the best mix of practicality and looks I can think of, and it will probably be surprising to some of you (if anyone is actually bothering to read my blog posts).

For my updated ideal two car garage lineup I've decided to go with the Suzuki Ertiga and the Honda BR-V. Yes, two rides with similar seating capacities and purpose.

I'm sticking with the Suzuki Ertiga because it's the cheapest among it's peers (Avanza, Rush, XPander, Mobilio, BR-V, APV) but I honestly feel it has the best bang-for-the-buck. Not that I've ever driven one, but then again, most of my car related posts are purely speculative. Anyway, the Ertiga is relatively cheap and spacious and that's why I picked that car.

The Honda BR-V also serves the same purpose as the Ertiga except it has a more powerful engine with better torque figures, as well as more features included in the car itself. I've read that there's a fuel pump issue with the BR-V as well as the Mobilio but I'm guessing that's a problem that is easily addressed. I hope.

Ideally one of the two cars would have a plate number ending in an odd number, and the other in an even number. Also better if one car has it's coding day on a Monday and the other on a Friday.

The Ertiga would be my main ride with the BR-V serving as the coding car, as well as probably the car my folks would always use when they go to and from the province. They usually go mid-week and come back on the weekend so ideally they'd be bringing the car that has coding on Fridays. Plus I'm guessing they'll need the more powerful engine for overtaking slower vehicles and a taller ride height for bad roads.

You may be wondering why I didn't choose other similar vehicles to the two. I'm automatically ignoring the Rush and XPander because I honestly feel they're just both overpriced rides people buy to look rich. The APV isn't an option since there's no automatic variant being sold anymore, which leaves us with the Toyota Avanza.

The only reason why I didn't pick the Avanza is because the 1.5L automatic is over PhP1 million, but the engine has similar output to the Ertiga. It has the smallest external dimensions but has the tallest ride height. Plus I've driven a 1.3L manual 1st generation Avanza and I did enjoy driving it. While the Honda BR-V is rouhgly PhP150k more expensive the features included in the package, at least for me, gives it more bang for the buck than the Avanza.

So why didn't I just pick the 1.3L automatic Avanza? Well, the engine really is underpowered, not that I drive like a maniac. I'd still like a powerplant that can carry something big and heavy without getting taxed too much. Not sure how great a 1.3L Avanza will go traveling to the province and back, but I'm guessing having a slightly more powerful engine will be more fuel efficient.

Out.