[899] Stress

It has been a relatively stressful start to the year 2022. Too many things happening out of my control, and despite the fact that I consciously try to not worry about these things, I always end up finding ways to connect these things to my own life.

I won't be giving examples of it of course, this is too public a forum. Let's just say that I'm challenging myself to start worrying less and acting more. We shall see where this goes.

Also, obligatory I just need two more posts to reach 900 posts for this blog.

Out.

[898] Bug Post

I can't believe I'm still curious about classic VW Beetles. It seems like a nice hobby to learn how to take care of one, simply because it's a very analog car. The biggest downside I can see is the lack of safety features. Then the lack of air conditioning.

I've already posted countless times about it so I guess this is just another filler post. Or more likely I'm just rambling here to let out some stress and/or anxiety, I honestly don't know.

I have my priorities straight on my Beetle plan, if I ever do get to own one. First is to have the engine overhauled so it runs reliably. Have the body work fixed to get rid of dents and rust at the same time. It would also be a good idea to install modern three-point seat belts and update the sound system during this time as well. That should ideally take care of reliability and basic safety concerns.

Once all those are done a front wheel disc brake upgrade is up next just to make the car stop better. That would be followed up by a complete wiring harness upgrade. These things would probably take a few years to achieve since I'd have to save up for each upgrade, but these are the non-negotiables I see in owning a Beetle. It has to be reliable and safer than before.

Lately I've been reading again about single and dual carb setups. Maybe if I do learn to take care of the car myself, only going to shops as a last resort, I can see myself using a dual carb setup even on a stock engine. I've read that they help improve the performance of the engine if tuned properly.

Then again, it's not as if I actually own a Beetle at the moment, nor can I afford one as a hobby. All honesty it would be more practical to just find a more modern second-hand car with better safety features and air conditioning.

Out.

[897] Shoe Game

I'm not saying I need these shoes now, since I honestly think I still have enough shoes that I can use at the moment, but in the event that I need to replace my shoes I'll probably be going for these shoes I'll be blogging about.

First off, let's start with my requirements for my shoes. I need them to be relatively inexpensive, durable, practical, and they would have to also look good for my standards. Basically I plan to use them when I go out, I need to be able to drive with them, ride my bike with them, and if the weather is bad they should at least have decent grip on the pavement.

So my first choice would be Merrell's Tideriser Lace. It looks nice, I can probably get it really wet and it wouldn't break, and I've been hearing good things about Merrell as a brand. I can probably go walking with this as well, but if I really need a dedicated running shoe I'm probably picking Merrell's Agility Synthesis Flex.

Now you're probably wondering why I need a shoe that I can accidentally submerge in water. Well I've experienced times when it suddenly rained so hard that relatively deep puddles form on the ground and there are times you have no choice but to take the plunge. How deep is relatively deep? Enough to soak the inside of your foot.

My next choice isn't as weather-ready as the first one but I like it for aesthetic purposes. It's the New Balance 574. Why this pair? Initial D. Yep, I've read some stuff online saying that the 574s are one of the pairs of shoes Takumi wore in the series. Now I'm not saying I drive as well as Takumi, I just like the shoes.

Actually that's it. I just need two pairs of casual shoes I can use most of the time. Ideally I should also have a pair of black leather shoes I can use for casual and formal occasions. Plus I think I'm too old to play basketball seriously so I don't think I need a dedicated pair of basketball shoes.

Oh and I also want a pair of all-around sandals similar to what I have now. I used to like Birkenstock sandals, I still do. Unfortunately they're very limited in purpose and getting them really wet usually guarantees they break sooner than later. Meanwhile the Sandugo SD1201 sandals I have are still going strong. I probably just need to get either a smaller size or a different model because I'm not as comfortable using it when I drive. The only other Sandugo sandal is the Sinai Adventure Sandal, that has a toe loop which might be what I'm looking for. The only problem is the sandals are so durable that I don't think I need to replace mine anytime soon, and I've had them for well over a decade already.

Out.

[896] Random Car Thoughts

I'd rather not think about stuff happening in the real world so I'll just ramble about a daily driver. Let's talk about the 2001 Toyota Rav4 I've been using all these years.

It's still pretty reliable. It does need work done and it does consume gas at a relatively alarming rate but it still gets the job done. Given the opportunity to have it fixed at a good, reliable, and honest service center I would have the following done.

1. Engine overhaul. It's nearing 150,000 kilometers. I'm not sure if what I read online was that it would need an overhaul at 150k kilometers or miles so just to play it safe might as well have the engine checked. Seal any leaks, clean any carbon deposits, replace any worn out parts that need replacing. I did also read that the timing chain is a pretty crucial piece of the engine.
2. Repaint the car. At best the whole car, at worst just the hood. Full disclosure that a tree fell on the car and smashed the hood during one storm, and we had it fixed at a body shop. Sadly the paint has faded and it's pretty obvious the hood needs work done. At the least. It also has its fair share of dings and dents from over twenty years of being driven around Luzon. Yes, Luzon. Our loyal Rav4 has been as far south as Naga in Camarines Sur and as far north as Aparri in Cagayan.
3. Replace the headlights. And fog lamps. They're really yellow and no amount of headlight restoration kits I use will bring it back to its original look.
4. Replace small electrical/mechanical stuff that needs replacing. Auto door lock doesn't work for the driver side door, you need to lock it manually. The side mirror switches don't work so I have to push the mirrors on my own. The air circulator button needs to have paper jammed on the side so it'll stay in re-circulate mode. The latch that covers the extra power outlet near the handbrake doesn't auto-close anymore. Replace the driver side seatbelt because the thing is frayed already. Small stuff like that.
5. Clean the interior. Freshen up the seats with whatever deep clean service can do. Vacuum the nooks and crannies. Maybe get the steering wheel wrapped in leather, because that leather wrap I got may work now but having a pro do it will make it look 100 times better.
6. A new head unit. With bluetooth, Android Auto/Apple Car Play or whatever they're called. Maybe a rear camera. Still have CD and cassette capabilities if possible.
7. Dash cam. Yeah I still haven't gotten one.
8. LED light bulbs for turn signals, brake lights, and interior lights. I'm keeping the headlights and fog lamps halogen because I don't know if replacing them with LEDs will just blind incoming traffic.
9. Roof mounts for the roof rails. This is so I can put bike racks and car top carriers on the roof. Maybe Thule WingBar Evo for the mounts, a Thule ProRide for the bike carrier, and a Thule Force XT Sport for the top carrier. That setup looks like it can all be mounted on the roof at the same time.

While I'd love to write more I'd rather keep it at that. I'd be spending so much for just the overhaul and I honestly don't know where I could have that done. That is priority number 1 and once that's done then I can probably worry about the other stuff. I'd like to try to make the Rav4 last way longer and considering all the things it's done for us I'd like to take care of the car as well.

Out.

[895] The New Year

To say farewell to 2021 and hello to 2022 I drank red wine last night. It was a cabernet sauvignon given to my wife and I by my best friend. I drank half of the bottle and was pretty hammered.

It was a good kind of hammered though, not the drunk-pick-a-fight-with-anyone type or stumbling-around-the-block drunk. It was the I'm-so-hammered-I'm-going-to-take-a-nap-on-the-sofa-sitting-down type.

So basically after recovering a bit last night I took a bath and went to sleep. I was mildly awaken by my daughter when new year rolled in here in the Philippines, I can't remember if I greeted them back before I feel asleep again.

Then I woke up this morning and find out Betty White passed away. Sheesh.

Anyway this morning I woke up and took a quick bike ride around the subdivision. I barely did 5km before going home, simply because I drank a mug of black coffee before riding and was really thirsty during the whole ride. I drank water before leaving but apparently that wasn't enough. Plus I was also nursing myself from the drinking I did last night.

Anyway it's 2022 and I wanted to welcome the new year with a blog post. No resolutions from me since I never get around to accomplishing them, or even remembering them. I'll just continue on my journey of self-improvement.

Good luck everyone.

Out.