001/365 - It Begins

Meet my family.

Yesterday I turned 33 years old. I was supposed to start this project yesterday. I will try to take photos and upload the most memorable one everyday for a whole year. Already I'm a day late, not a good sign.

Meet my family. I took this photo on my birthday.

Out.

The Land Rover Defender

The Land Rover Defender has been around for quite some time. It's always flown under my radar because these vehicles are too pricey. It only started grabbing my attention last 2012, when I saw a Defender Station Wagon 90 in Ilocos.

It was at the parking lot of Kapuluan Vista Resort. One of the guests owned it, and it was parked beside our van. It looked nice. It had a rugged, indestructible feel. It had decent ride height, and it looked like it fit my categories for an ideal city vehicle. Practical, spacious, high ride height, and nice to look at.

from Land Rover's official site

There is a longer, five-door version of the Defender. But I quite like this one. It's not that long so it can still fit decently in parking areas. And you can still seat four to five people in it. As for accommodating groceries, well with some good packing you can most likely fit it in easily also.

So what's the biggest downside of this vehicle? For me it's the fact that it doesn't have an automatic transmission. I'm 'lazy' when it comes to shifting gears, but I still know how to drive a stick shift. I'll probably need some practice to get the hang of manual transmissions again, but it's a price I'm willing to pay.

(In fact, there are only three vehicles I wouldn't mind driving stick if someone gave me one for free. The first is the classic Volkswagen Beetle, the second is this Defender 90, and the last is... any stick shift vehicle. I mean, come on, would you really say NO to a free ride?)

For the price of one of these you can easily purchase a diesel Kia Sportage or the newest Toyota Rav4 and still have change to buy a nice set of rims. So why would I choose this over them? To be honest, I'm not sure. All I know is I wouldn't mind owning one of these.

The Land Rover Defender is slowly making its way up my list of family car vehicles I want to own. But to be honest, the order is still:

1. Diesel Kia Sportage A/T
2. Diesel Toyota Innova A/T
3. Toyota Rav4 A/T
4. Land Rover Defender 90
5. Toyota Avanza A/T

Notice a pattern? Yes, I still prefer automatic transmissions. But that doesn't mean I will completely shut the door on manuals.

Out.

My Final Birthday Wishlist

This is it! The last iteration of my birthday wishlist. These are the things that I would really love to receive for my birthday.

• Sid Meier's Civilization 5. I started playing the original Civilizaation in high school, got Civ 2, then when I stopped upgrading my PCs I stopped playing it. I tried a copy of Civ 5 a few years ago and absolutely loved it. Now I realize I wouldn't mind owning my own.
• 1 terabyte external hard drive. So I can back up pictures from all computers in the house.
• A 40-inch belt. My weight stabilized at 97kg. Last year, around September I was at 102kg, got to my lowest during December at 95kg. The belts I have here are either a bit too tight or really loose. I prefer the belts similar to the ones we used in ROTC, the ones that don't need eyeholes. So that you can adjust them to any tightness or looseness.
• All-around basketball goggles with graded lenses. So I have a spare set of eyewear, and in the event I choose to play basketball I'll be able to see clearly.

And that's it! Those are the four things I really would love to receive this birthday.

Out.

When Enough is Enough

There will come a time when you realize that you are just forcing yourself to do something. When you realize that all the efforts, all the hope you've been clinging on to aren't worth it. That you've been living a lie, or that your time has come.

I have reached that point right now. I realized this about a week ago, during one fateful conversation. I was expecting help and support, instead I got a rude awakening. It was a dose of the truth, I know. It was for my own good, and I acknowledge this fact. I understood the purpose of finding out the truth, but that conversation was not the appropriate time for me to know it. 

People are wired differently, some people can take it on the chin, stagger, then fight back. I am not one of those people. When the going gets tough, or when I fall, it takes me a while before I can get back up. But I always do.

I needed help, instead I got salt rubbed on my wounds. And because of that, I realized that enough was enough. And since then, when I fell, I've stood up. But it doesn't end there. Now that I'm standing again, I'm clawing my way up even more. Because I know I am not where I should be. I am in a hole I dug myself in, and the only way out is for me to climb up.

It reminds me of the scene in The Dark Knight Rises, when Bruce Wayne climbs up the pit and tries to escape. That's me now. I'm trying to escape. I'm trying to shed the rope so that I can achieve the success that I desire. It may come sooner, it may come later, but I will achieve my goals.

Out.

2013 Birthday Wishlist 2.0 - The Automotive Edition

So I've already written a v1.0 of my 2013 birthday wishlist. Now it's time for another wishlist, this time an automotive edition. No, I won't be asking for cars. I'll be asking for stuff to upgrade and fix my current daily driver - my mother's 2001 Rav4. And I'll be as generic as possible. I may like cars, but I haven't done enough research to be very specific with this wishlist.

So here we go, starting with what I really want the most to what I "least" want.

1. Brighter, all-weather headlamp bulbs and fog lamps. You know what I mean. Instead of your standard halogen beams you'll be getting a more yellow beam. They say it improves contrast at night. Our old Lite Ace originally had yellow bulbs but either the wattage was too low or I wasn't that good a driver yet. But I always, always had a hard time at night with it. Hence my request for brighter bulbs. Instead of your standard 50/60 watt bulbs, I want something a bit brighter. But not 90/100 watt bulbs. That would be too bright and blinding to oncoming traffic.
2. Clear tint for all windows. I want the clear tint that blocks out heat but keeps visibility great.
3. New head unit for the sound system. And a new antenna. No more of those "gimmicky" rubber antennas. I'd rather go back to the classic metal antennas that you can pull up or push down.
4. New power window motor. One of the power windows in the rear isn't working anymore. I'd love to have it fixed again just because I hate having anything broken in the car.

And that's it. I could start posting about outrageous things I'd want for the car (like a hood scoop from a diesel Rav4 of same make, or nice 18" rims, new big brake kits, or even improved intake and exhaust systems) but really, with the way I drive and my practicality, I'll be happy if I get one of those things above.

Out.