I’m standing under one of the big trees in front of the TNB building in Taipan, USJ Subang Jaya…beginning the first few lines of this essay.

The weather is cool, with a constant light breeze blowing.  The traffic along the road is heavy as usual, synonymous with Taipan. A couple of crows are cawing nearby above, in the trees. I have to admit, I am a bit apprehensive standing right under the tree for fear of being “white bombed”. There are quite a lot of flies, here; too.

So, why am I here, soaking in nature’s beauty and all that it has to offer? The “blastid” (as Popeye the Sailor Man would say) car broke down…something about a defective fuel pump, according to Affendi, my regular mechanic, over the phone. The car starts and the engine dies off soon after.

I called the motor insurance assist to arrange for a tow truck to the workshop nearby. It has been 50 minutes. The tow-truck operator called me nearly 1/2 hour ago for my location. In case you are wondering,  his name is not Mater, Tow Mater or Sir Mater.

When he arrived, he certainly was not Mater from “The Cars”. This guy was rougher than the corsest sand paper. He shouted something like, “Your luck kereta (car)”. “Say what?” I  asked. He shouted even louder,  “your luck kereta”, while motioning me to push the car. Ooohhh…”tolak kereta” (Malay for “push car”).

This guy certainly looked prosperous. He had an overhung belly 2.0. He seemed the type to always get up on the wrong side of the bed, no matter which side it was. I think he was cheesed off when earlier on, I asked him where he was, since he had not showed up after half hour.

He took a bunch of pictures and made me fill up a form and sign it before he even proceeded to hook up and crane my car to his truck. His truck was a Mitsudiesel.

I think he may not have liked the idea that I was going to ride navigator, to the workshop. No way was I going to leave the car alone with Friar Tuck, here.

The ride to the workshop was a short one. Thank goodness my regular workshop was nearby. Was I glad to see the last of F.T. (Friar Tuck).

Now, in the workshop, being intoxicated with the fumes of petrol. An initial diagnosis of the problem was right – the fuel pump which is slightly less than 2 years old when I replaced it last; was faulty.

Working on the Samsung Galaxy Z-Fold 3. Off and on, in between writing, ok ok, tapping on the screen keyboard, dozing off 💤💤💤 for a much needed shuteye. Few minutes at a time. When I wake up, I feel so refreshed. Then, a while later, I slip into a lull, back to my sleep mode💤💤💤. Must be the petrol fumes for sure, as I am sitting…dozing off, wake up, dozing off again in the car.

I get tired when I sit too l long. I prefer to move around and keep busy. I decided to take a stroll around the surrounding area to looksie looksie to see if there was anything interesting in a predominantly motor workshop area. There is a Speedmart grocery, three, four or five restaurants all looking rather quiet – no customers.

There is an interesting restaurant there that serves Italian food. But it is only opened from 11.00am to 7.00pm on weekdays. It is closed on weekends. From the pictures on the menu which was stuck on one of the glass panels, the offerings look good but it is pricey especially when you look at the location where this restaurant is situated. This is a restaurant started up by 3 college students. That explains their business operating hours. I am guessing that these students are hands on with this business.

The replacement fuel pump accessory was delivered to the workshop by the parts shop’s runner. In no time at all, the part was fitted to the car. Now, the car is as good as new…figurative speaking. almost. I am happy that Affendi and his younger brothers are professionals in what they do, and are very reasonable in their charges. That is why my late brother, Nigel; and I, have been using Affendi’s services for over 10 years now. We have become very good friends, too.

Should I trade in the Green Hornet (my trusty steed) for one of those new vehicles that have a “Hybrid” badge stuck to it? Will the replacement make financial sense?

Have you noticed that almost every brand of “Hybrid” vehicle, no matter how high on the price or status the spectrum range they maybe, has exactly the same “Hybrid” badge affixed to it. The vehicle can come from the Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, BMW, Maserati stables – if that model is a hybrid model, it will almost certainly sport the same “Hybrid” badge as all other vehicles.

I believe in times of economic uncertainty, where the central bank here in Malaysia has raised interest rates for the third time with the theme, “There’s no stopping us now”, it would be more prudent to hang on to the “old burner” since it is fully paid for. Monthly installments with interest charge, will not make much financial sense.

So, I will continue to flog…er use the Green Hornet. It may have a bit of the bumper sticking out at one end, a scratch or two on most parts of the car and make various sounds that put a good fusion jazz band to shame. It does almost the same thing as a Rolls Royce, Lambo, Toyota, Mahindra, Kia, Geely, Bugatti, Dongfeng – transport me from A to B.

By spending less, we will be able to keep our exposure to loans and interest at its minimum. Happy weekend!😁🎉