Saturday, 31 July 2021

Month of July 2021


Years ago, as I made a right turn at a cross junction on regular speed, I experienced an uncontrolled wheel spun. Luckily traffic was light in the early morning and no cars were beside me as I reacted to steady the car on a three lane road. That was aquaplaning in effect and for a moment, I was shocked. In the aftermath, I examined the Kumho tyres and recalled they were only about a year old and didn't look that worn out. But from that moment on, I resolved not to buy "cheap" tyre brands.

The weather was rather rainy during mid month and it showed up the car's tyres were getting a little squeaky for comfort. These Bridgestone Turanzas had clocked 47000km and worked its dues. The search for replacement began a month ago and I was ready to commit to Michelin Primacy at $135 a piece. On a Saturday morning , perhaps the iphone heard me and showed up a Facebook ad on a grand opening promotion by Stamford Tyre at Serangoon Gardens. They were going at up to 50% discount. Excited, I texted to get a quotation and was given $77 for a Continental Ecocontact. Good deal, I thought and decided to follow with a purchase order. But the reply was slow and it was last day of promotion so I drove to the store instead, hoping for an on the spot fitting. Queues had formed as expected and the staff was swift enough to offer a later installation date provided payment was made. Of course, I went ahead and now enjoy a new set of tyres with a peace of mind.

What's a telltale sign of getting old? When you exert a little strength to lift and feel a muscle pull.
Well, there's always a first time as some would say. When I used to be an active sportsman, the worst that happened previously was muscle strain from kicking a ball after some time out of the game. Although that pain was instant, it quickly subsided after a bit of stretching and I could carry on. This time, I was in a wrong posture and had began to exert a little effort before the muscle pull was felt. Although not immediately painful, I knew something was wrong. So I quickly sat down and observed. For hours, my concern lessened as I was still rather mobile. The next morning, I struggled to get out of bed due to a stiff back. That's when I knew the injury was more serious than I thought and planned for a trip to TCM. After an hour of Tuina and Baguan, the pain was manageable but this condition would take at least two weeks to recover.

Tip: Leoville Poyferre 2014, one of my favourite vineyards

No comments:

Post a Comment