[884] Daydreaming of Cars

I've been reading a lot about cars again lately, not that I can afford one. I was looking at what kind of cars would be practical in our current situation and two cars come to mind. The Toyota Rush E A/T and the Kia Picanto EX A/T.

Let's explain why first. The Toyota Rush has decent ground clearance, can seat 5 to 7 people, and has decent cargo room. Sure some people might probably complain about it being underpowered, having only a 1.5L engine. To be honest the way my dad and I drive we don't really feel the need for speed anymore. We can just go with the flow. This car would be great not only for driving around Metro Manila but also for going to the province while bringing along a lot of stuff. Worst case scenario you can spend extra money, add roof rails and a roof cargo basket or roof cargo carrier for even more storage.

For the Picanto, it's small enough to be able to fit in most parking spaces in Metro Manila. The rear seats are 60/40 folding so you can still have 3 passengers and carry some luggage. Sure it has a relatively lower ground clearance versus the Rush, but then again you would be smart enough to consider your routes to avoid either big potholes or flood prone areas when you do drive around. Plus the engine is decent enough that you can still confidently bring this car on long distance road trips. Similar to my idea with the Rush, you can spend extra to add roof rails, and either roof storage or roof mounted bike racks.

What happened to the Suzuki Ertiga? I still like it because it is cheaper than the Rush and similarly sized. However it does have a slightly lower ground clearance and the Rush has more air bags compared to it. And if you regularly go on road trips then having more safety measures will always be the better option.

So what's my point in this post? Well my preferences for a two car garage have changed. It would be a Rush and a Picanto so you have a smaller car to use daily when just driving around Metro Manila and the Rush for coding days and when you need to transport more people. If it becomes a three car garage, then it would definitely be a Picanto, a Rush, and an Ertiga. So you still have two haulers and one city car.

Out.

[883] Pandemic Musings

Today marks the last day of our ECQ (extended community quarantine) I believe this was done to help curb the rising rates of infection because of the Delta Variant of Covid-19. We spent about two weeks in this stricter version of our community quarantine.

Times have been really tough. I do feel bad for my daughter having to go through this pandemic. She hasn't been out of the house that often and I think she hasn't physically seen her friends in over a year.

Now I do know the line, "what does not kill you only makes you stronger," and while I try to be optimistic, it is still personally very draining for me to go through life as it has been happening. I am more than willing to admit that the pandemic has taken its toll on me mentally and emotionally, and no matter how I try to keep things together there are times that I just want to give up.

And to quote Metallica, "... that soothing light at the end of the tunnel is just a freight train coming your way." So while I try to remain optimistic about the future, I can't help but live in dread and anxiety about what's going on right now.

Everyone get vaccinated, stay safe, and be careful and hope for the best because that's all we can do now.

Out.

[882] Belated Birthday Wishlist

I've been pretty busy these past few weeks dealing with personal and work stuff that I totally forgot to write my annual birthday wishlist. So here's a belated one, that we can probably also consider as my Christmas gift wishlist. So here we go.

1. GoPro Standard Grill Mount 2.0 - I found out about this from one of the cycling youtubers I watch, Dustin Klein. Plus I also someone else using the same mount, if not another similar mount. I got my dad's old GoPro Hero (yes, the very first version) and I can use this while I cycle. If I can actually get the stamina and guts to cycle outside of my village.
2. A gravel bike that's actually a real gravel bike. I've noticed some budget gravel bikes being sold locally and while they are indeed affordable, I have a bad feeling they're just ordinary road bikes fitted with the thickest tires the frame and fork can allow. I'd rather bide my time to find the right gravel bike frame for myself rather than buying cheap, getting used to them, then replacing them.
3. A new gaming desktop (or laptop). Ideally a desktop since I can build it and if problems happen parts can be easily replaceable. Worst case scenario would be a gaming laptop but after everything I've experienced with my current gaming laptop, I'd rather have a desktop despite power consumption being higher and portability being an issue.
4. A new car! I'm not even wishing for really expensive cars. I just want a nice car that can have a roof-mounted bike rack. If you want really affordable it can be the Suzuki S-Presso, the bigger yet practical Suzuki Ertiga, or the Kia Stonic that would be the closest to look to the Rav4 I currently drive. Or if we're talking about any car then make it the Audi RS4 Avant.
5. Power tools. We can start with two basic power tools. A good friend of mine sent me that link and it seems like a good idea to start with a cordless drill and a circular saw. I'd probably be able to do a couple of DIY cabinets for the house.

That's it for now. I can't think of anything else I'd want right now.

Out.