My very own car!!

"Achievement - Something accomplished successfully, especially by means of exertion, skill, practice, or perseverance"

(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

There are so many ways to define the word "achievement" in real life - getting A for exams, a pay increment/promotion, clinching a deal, running 100 marathons, successfully saved someone's life, winning a gold medal, etc.

It might sound kiddish but to me, buying my own car is very much an achievement too. I'm not gonna deny myself this credit. haha! To be earning enough and of course, saving enough to afford a car requires a fair bit of hardwork and discipline. Some ppl will say "oh! u're just like those superficial peops hankering over the 5C's - career, car, condominium, cash, credit card!" Think again, I think such monetary and tangible achievements actually provide that additional boost to the deeper intangible aspects of the soul like self-esteem, self-worth and motivation.

It was a great moment of my life when i penned down that signature on the dotted line and secured a black Corolla Altis of my own. Like jin exclaimed, "wah! u announced it like u just bought shoes!" Haha! It definitely didn't feel like that! The satisfaction of buying a car is 1000 times more? (the price is also 1000 times more of course!)

Having done lots of research on the net, i had narrowed down my choices to a few. Initially i wanted a hatchback just to match my current sporty self! haha! But i realized most hatchbacks are actually too small for my family of 5 +/- 1 (my aunt). Most comments from my uncles, cousins, aunts and anaesthesia colleagues generally pointed me towards japanese cars like toyota or honda. I suppose in the end, toyota offered the most in terms of affordability and fuel economy, even though i must agree the honda civics are soooo tempting!

I did a bit of math, realized i prob can get by if i scrimp and save up from now on and finally made that ultimate decision! Yeah... it's crazy to buy it now especially when everyone's raving in exasperation abt increased number of ERP ganteries and rising fuel prices. Well, i figured whatever la... it will just keep rising even more as time goes.

hurray! now i await in anticipation the day i can collect my dear car. Now i understand why fathers treat their cars like precious treasures! If u hafta go through so much to get it, u'll love it and protect it like mad!