Dear Diary,
I have been thinking of you a lot lately. I wanted to write so much to you but the more I tried the busier I have become. The stories I have wanted to tell you are all here in my mind waiting to be released. I have held so many stories until I do not know which one to tell you first. If I were a film director, I am pretty sure that I will not be running out of ideas for plots and story lines for my films.
I have turned thirty-two on 1st May and Diary, it was the worst birthday I have ever experienced. Despite the worst birthday experience, I had received the biggest birthday gift of all from my parents. Now, what do you call that Diary, Ironic? Call it what you want but I am going to make sure that I will not experience such birthday ever again.
I shall not let you know why the birthday was a terrible one but I will let you know what the birthday gift was. I got a car Diary, yes a car that I have always had an eye for. It was nothing fancy but I was in need of a bigger car with bigger capacity than my previous car. I need it for my stall to transport the stocks and I also need it to get me to places. It was unplanned Diary. I had in mind to get a new car but on the day I got one, I didn’t plan to. I was to meet my family in Tangkak and so I drove there. Upon reaching there, I noticed that my parents had their eyes fixed on my car. Their focus was not diverted to anything else except on my car. The minute I parked my car, I knew I would be bombarded with questions like ‘Don’t you wash your car?’, ‘Don’t you take care of your car?’. You know Diary, those typical questions from parents when they feel that they have the right to ask. Those questions seemed to come out of their mouth so naturally like they have practiced to ask them. Practice makes perfect, right Diary?
I let out a small laugh when I was attacked with those questions. I was saying to myself that I used the car mainly to transport goods for my stall. It was like a car meant for goods and not for passengers. The seats were dirty and dusty and the floorboards were littered with sands and little torn pieces of paper from the cartons boxes. They were even littered with sugar, mind you Diary. I had to ferry at least two to three dozens of sugar per week to the stall. My car was my partner at that time. I solely depended on her and she did a good job despite her size and age. Frankly, I still miss her and I hope that the new owner will treat her good.
After digesting enough not so nice comments about my car, we decided to go motorcycle viewing because dad wants to have one in Tangkak. He believes that it’s essential since he couldn’t drive a car and if he has a motorcycle parked at the porch, he can easily ride on it to run errands for himself. I find some logic in his reason because I realize it to be rather stressful when my parents become so dependent on me to get anywhere in Tangkak. I really do not mind Diary but I wish that my parents would be able to drive a car someday and believe me Diary, I might be buying them a car soon after that. If i could, I would be at their beck and call anytime they need me to get them to places but Diary, I need to make money and I have commitments to fulfill in the hope to be successful someday somehow for the benefits of my parents and for our own betterment. I hope you get what I mean Diary.
The motorcycle viewing didn’t turn out well. The motorcycle dad had an interest at was not able to perform well and we decided to abandon the idea totally. That’s when dad asked me if I wanted to go for car viewing. I reluctantly agreed because I wasn’t really sure if I was prepared for it financially. It was like this Diary, I knew I needed a bigger car and I had some cash in hand ready for the deposit but I wasn’t really sure if it was the right time to get a new car. I needed the money for the stall since we had to pay about rm1k monthly extra for four months on top of the current rental rate as the deposit for the renewal of contract. My savings was to be used as a cash flow for the stall, but at the same time I also couldn’t resist dad’s offer because I knew, if he had made such offer, it means he was willing to participate in my plan to buying a new car.
You see Diary, I have my own income but I do not have the necessary documents to show. I do not even have a visa entitling me to live in Malaysia for more than 30 days. It was so difficult for me to own anything on hire purchase even if I can afford it. My problems were made known to dad and automatically mom and bro came to light about it. So it was agreed that the car I am going to get will be under mom’s name and we just have to find one local guarantor to secure the loan. Coincidentally, we have relatives scattered all over Tangkak and one of them happens to be an agent for a car dealer. That’s where I got my car only that, the loan cannot be made under mom’s name because she is already reaching 60 years old and thus it was unanimously decided that the car is to be registered under bro’s name and since I am a foreigner, I needed one local guarantor for the loan application. My aunt, mom’s youngest sister residing in Shah Alam is the guarantor. Those are the reasons why I couldn’t refuse dad’s offer to view the car on that day Diary. My process to get a car was long winded and needed the help from family and relative. If I had the support of my family, I would be able to do anything anywhere and I knew it then, I already had the support of my family and relatives, I just needed to have faith and dare to make a decision.
The car was selected, the hirer was decided and the guarantor was chosen. It was tiring Diary to get all the signatures on one document. Hirer is in Singapore, guarantor is in Shah Alam, the car is in Tangkak and I am in Subang Jaya. Can you imagine with your heart how it was like for me to get the signatures? I did extensive traveling and driving and I have never become so tired like how I became. After all the effort and the hard work, I got the key to my car and it was worth it Diary. It felt good to be behind that wheel, driving away with something that you rightfully own with your own sweat. It just feels different. I still consider it as a gift for my birthday because I traded in the old car for rm6k. The old car was bought cash by dad for me and he chipped in a certain percentage more for cash deposit for the new car although I didn’t need to pay anymore deposit since I have already traded in the old car. Dad insisted and I obliged like a good daughter. I settled for the insurance and transfer fees and the monthly installment.
You know Diary, I kind of feel afraid of this new financial commitment that I put myself into but I know this is what I want. With this new financial commitment added to my priorities list, I hope it will turn me into money making machine for myself and family because I am going to make it my motivations. Having used to driving the old car without having to worry about the monthly installment, I kind of get a little over contented thus making me a little unproductive. With a new car to ride, lots of good friends, my internet business and a whole lot of other stuffs for the future for me to conquer, I am pretty sure I will turn into the iron lady like how Flying Babe had always thought me of.
I have been thinking of you a lot lately. I wanted to write so much to you but the more I tried the busier I have become. The stories I have wanted to tell you are all here in my mind waiting to be released. I have held so many stories until I do not know which one to tell you first. If I were a film director, I am pretty sure that I will not be running out of ideas for plots and story lines for my films.
I have turned thirty-two on 1st May and Diary, it was the worst birthday I have ever experienced. Despite the worst birthday experience, I had received the biggest birthday gift of all from my parents. Now, what do you call that Diary, Ironic? Call it what you want but I am going to make sure that I will not experience such birthday ever again.
I shall not let you know why the birthday was a terrible one but I will let you know what the birthday gift was. I got a car Diary, yes a car that I have always had an eye for. It was nothing fancy but I was in need of a bigger car with bigger capacity than my previous car. I need it for my stall to transport the stocks and I also need it to get me to places. It was unplanned Diary. I had in mind to get a new car but on the day I got one, I didn’t plan to. I was to meet my family in Tangkak and so I drove there. Upon reaching there, I noticed that my parents had their eyes fixed on my car. Their focus was not diverted to anything else except on my car. The minute I parked my car, I knew I would be bombarded with questions like ‘Don’t you wash your car?’, ‘Don’t you take care of your car?’. You know Diary, those typical questions from parents when they feel that they have the right to ask. Those questions seemed to come out of their mouth so naturally like they have practiced to ask them. Practice makes perfect, right Diary?
I let out a small laugh when I was attacked with those questions. I was saying to myself that I used the car mainly to transport goods for my stall. It was like a car meant for goods and not for passengers. The seats were dirty and dusty and the floorboards were littered with sands and little torn pieces of paper from the cartons boxes. They were even littered with sugar, mind you Diary. I had to ferry at least two to three dozens of sugar per week to the stall. My car was my partner at that time. I solely depended on her and she did a good job despite her size and age. Frankly, I still miss her and I hope that the new owner will treat her good.
After digesting enough not so nice comments about my car, we decided to go motorcycle viewing because dad wants to have one in Tangkak. He believes that it’s essential since he couldn’t drive a car and if he has a motorcycle parked at the porch, he can easily ride on it to run errands for himself. I find some logic in his reason because I realize it to be rather stressful when my parents become so dependent on me to get anywhere in Tangkak. I really do not mind Diary but I wish that my parents would be able to drive a car someday and believe me Diary, I might be buying them a car soon after that. If i could, I would be at their beck and call anytime they need me to get them to places but Diary, I need to make money and I have commitments to fulfill in the hope to be successful someday somehow for the benefits of my parents and for our own betterment. I hope you get what I mean Diary.
The motorcycle viewing didn’t turn out well. The motorcycle dad had an interest at was not able to perform well and we decided to abandon the idea totally. That’s when dad asked me if I wanted to go for car viewing. I reluctantly agreed because I wasn’t really sure if I was prepared for it financially. It was like this Diary, I knew I needed a bigger car and I had some cash in hand ready for the deposit but I wasn’t really sure if it was the right time to get a new car. I needed the money for the stall since we had to pay about rm1k monthly extra for four months on top of the current rental rate as the deposit for the renewal of contract. My savings was to be used as a cash flow for the stall, but at the same time I also couldn’t resist dad’s offer because I knew, if he had made such offer, it means he was willing to participate in my plan to buying a new car.
You see Diary, I have my own income but I do not have the necessary documents to show. I do not even have a visa entitling me to live in Malaysia for more than 30 days. It was so difficult for me to own anything on hire purchase even if I can afford it. My problems were made known to dad and automatically mom and bro came to light about it. So it was agreed that the car I am going to get will be under mom’s name and we just have to find one local guarantor to secure the loan. Coincidentally, we have relatives scattered all over Tangkak and one of them happens to be an agent for a car dealer. That’s where I got my car only that, the loan cannot be made under mom’s name because she is already reaching 60 years old and thus it was unanimously decided that the car is to be registered under bro’s name and since I am a foreigner, I needed one local guarantor for the loan application. My aunt, mom’s youngest sister residing in Shah Alam is the guarantor. Those are the reasons why I couldn’t refuse dad’s offer to view the car on that day Diary. My process to get a car was long winded and needed the help from family and relative. If I had the support of my family, I would be able to do anything anywhere and I knew it then, I already had the support of my family and relatives, I just needed to have faith and dare to make a decision.
The car was selected, the hirer was decided and the guarantor was chosen. It was tiring Diary to get all the signatures on one document. Hirer is in Singapore, guarantor is in Shah Alam, the car is in Tangkak and I am in Subang Jaya. Can you imagine with your heart how it was like for me to get the signatures? I did extensive traveling and driving and I have never become so tired like how I became. After all the effort and the hard work, I got the key to my car and it was worth it Diary. It felt good to be behind that wheel, driving away with something that you rightfully own with your own sweat. It just feels different. I still consider it as a gift for my birthday because I traded in the old car for rm6k. The old car was bought cash by dad for me and he chipped in a certain percentage more for cash deposit for the new car although I didn’t need to pay anymore deposit since I have already traded in the old car. Dad insisted and I obliged like a good daughter. I settled for the insurance and transfer fees and the monthly installment.
You know Diary, I kind of feel afraid of this new financial commitment that I put myself into but I know this is what I want. With this new financial commitment added to my priorities list, I hope it will turn me into money making machine for myself and family because I am going to make it my motivations. Having used to driving the old car without having to worry about the monthly installment, I kind of get a little over contented thus making me a little unproductive. With a new car to ride, lots of good friends, my internet business and a whole lot of other stuffs for the future for me to conquer, I am pretty sure I will turn into the iron lady like how Flying Babe had always thought me of.
The car is dedicate to you Baby…I’ve earned it…!
