Updates from SLU
I am blogging to you from St. Lucia. It is a beautiful but very small island in the Caribbean. The population is about 160,000 which when compared to Jamaica is tiny.
The shocking thing that I find hard to get used to is seeing everyone everywhere. Therefore the same people I work with are the people I see at the clubs and also in the supermarkets or just generally in the town.
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I have more to say about my change in outlook. At first I was just going to save money for the next 2 years and try to eventually buy my own home. Sunday I missed my flight to St. Lucia while trying to do a presentation at school, which I didn’t do. After that experience I decided that I am going to get my own vehicle. I am looking at a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer (black) as my next move. The price is right and the condition should be good. I love Lancer- it has great features and fuel economy while being comfortable and attractive.
After making the flight the day after I stopped over in Barbados and missed my connecting flight to St. Lucia. Two missed flights to one destination. I was almost stranded in the airport but thanks to my VP and HOD I was able to sleep in a comfortable bed.
Something is trying to speak to me here. Yesterday I bought a shirt for 155EC. I usually don’t shop for myself. My girlfriend normally takes care of that stuff so I feel like I was tricked by the store clerk who I asked to pick something out that goes with Black and is semi-formal. I plan to return it today- we’ll see how that works out. I may have to employ my Jamaican/yard-man roots to get that done. That much money can buy breakfast and dinner for the rest of the week!
Prodigal Son
I had my first car accident on November 16, 2008. Insurance experts agree that based on the estimate of repairs for the damage I may have to get a total write-off. This means the accident was pretty bad. Without counting the cost of the airbag and associated parts (my airbag was deployed) the estimate is already at 508k. Bear in mind that the vehicle is valued at 670k, hence it is like buying another vehicle.
Front End at Purchase
In anticipation of the write-off I have already begun to make checks on varied other vehicles. I need to have a vehicle, it is practically a job requirement. My ideal vehicle would be a Suzuki Grand Vitara, perhaps 2004 or 2005. I don’t know if I can afford that. I don’t want to make any more monthly payments than I currently make. Perhaps I will end up buying a car but a man can dream.
Post Crash Front End
Other side of front end
Admittedly I have become more contemplative since the event. I have been agressively pursuing projects that I was only just thinking about. To be fair I don’t fear death. I am afraid of torture and suffering but not the finality of death. I normally believed that if I die that is the end but lately I have had a real longing to ensure that if I go my mom is in a better stead. More on this later.
Its been awhile
Here we are again.
Life has been extremely busy for me for the past couple months. I have moved from upstairs to downstairs- and had to bear all the costs of that migration. Work continues to be extremely hard and all engrossing and I continue to breathe- thankfully.
I now have a vga cable for my Xbox 360. This cable works pretty well. It delivers High Definition quality to my 19″ WXGA. At first I wanted to get a KVM switch but I set things up in a neat way that allows me to swap audio and video pretty quickly without any pain.
TK needs new shocks and new tyres. I am putting that down as an action item for the end of February. After paying off all my debts for the December migration I am just now rebuilding my finances so I am not going to be broke-flat-broke again. Nope, those days are done. Sadly though a new set of shocks will run me between 23k and 48k. Somewhere that claims to sell genuine Mitsubishi shocks (Berts Auto) charges 12k a pop while Universal Shocks sells for 5k-6k for one. Universal Shocks claims there is no ‘Mitsubishi factory made shocks’ and that instead the shocks are made by other companies. Sounds like aftermarket to me. However, who is really going to pay 48k for shocks when I need four new 15″ tyres? This car thing is serious. Atleast my belts are installed properly and I seemingly only have a problem with shocks and tyres and nothing else.
If you backup a lot of media you should know that knowing where to find it is key. For the past four or more months I have had everything on one of three large spindles. I emptied one of the spindles and found 20 blank dvds plus two copies of things I rearchived because I thought I had lost the former archive- and that is one spindle. I have one more major spindle left because the second spindle was mainly blank discs- closer to thirty.
I am selling the Nokia 9300 to my cousin- or atleast I intend to. I want to get the Blackberry Pearl. I have assessed my usage and I don’t use any killer apps on my phone. I use mainly the standard PIM features and especially email. My 9300 can’t deliver that email and I haven’t been able to find any local contacts to upgrade it. I am going to try to not pay for the Blackberry service but I think the Blackberry 8100 is where I should be right now.
I hope to post more regular updates.
Development plans for TK
It is all about TK.
List of things to do to TK:
1) Get a radio
2) Analyse and correct speaker system- add sub-woofer
3) Detail the inside and install a scented oil air-freshener dispenser.
4) Remove 4 dents.
That is all my baby needs. I already have pimp (ghetto-fab) lights on the side so I am thinking of installing a drop-down monitor that plays DVDs to the back seat. I know, I told Yatta that I wanted something else but thinking of it now… a pretty good development plan.
The back seat is huge and I imagine if I could have a 7″ or 12″ monitor dropping down just behind the line of the front seats it could be quite cool. The car speakers could make a nice surround sound system. It would be cool on trips or on late night outings in the middle of nowhere.
Options for radio:
Fancy, plays DVDs in all forms- can play straight from a jump drive, plays straight from my Zen. 
2) JVC KD-AR470
Low key/budget. Plays from the Zen. 
Cash-it or Borrow it?
Buying a car is a very technical exercise. Many people try to figure out which direction to go when you are buying a car. Here is my bit of advise: save your money in an interest bearing investment account and buy your car CASH.
I didn’t go that route with TK. My next car will be bought cash though. I went to NCB. I believe I applied at the end of September and even now (November) the loan isn’t completely approved. All I have to say is – WTF?!
Firstly they charge you 22.9% interest on the loan. Imagine with me- 650,000 + 22.9%. If I saved up most of my money for 13months I would have been able to buy my car cash. However, I will spend the next five years paying closer to a million dollars.
So the loan application is long. They sent me to the tax office (Spanish Town) about three times. I can understand the first time I went, and probably the second- but a third? Then I have sign, and re-sign and sign again at their offices. Luckily I know the car owner so I got the car prior to the closure of the loan (though he is now complaining like hell) but imagine if I were waiting on them. Loans suck. Banks are too darn inefficient and disorganized- and don’t let me start on credit unions.
So, this story has a moral- ban yuh belly, save your money- and buy your car cash. The banks take too long, and then they rape you with interest. When you buy it cash you don’t have to pay them any attention.
Thunder-K and the Mango Tree
I now officially own TK. She was insured yesterday (as in the one year) so I have all my papers in order.
The first thing I did with my baby is to get her serviced. I bought only genuine Mitsubishi parts and ended up spending about 13k. What annoyed me most about spending that type of money is that I listened to bad advice in the application of those parts. That means that I went to a mango-tree mechanic instead of the alpha-mechanic who I normally consult.
I now regret that decision. When you spend as much money on performance parts for your vehicle then you should simply continue the expenditure on the right person with the right tools. At the end of November I will have to see my real mechanic to have him do over the previous foolishness.
My brakes squeaked because the previous owner used non-genuine disc pads- or so I was told. My engine belts squealed because the belts were either non-genuine or frayed. My power steering belt was actually stitched together- as in sewn. How strange. I bought new belts and had them installed under the mango tree. I dont feel very confident about their installation. Shouldn’t there be tools to install those belts or is it okay to just try to force them on with your bare hands. Are the grooves supposed to fit in any order or is it that once it is on it is on?
