This Is Oh So Last Minute

Time is a peculiar thing. It is like a storeroom or a common bedroom. Regardless how much space we have, we always manage to fill it up in no time. Like my 120GB disk space that has grown to 360GB and now more than 600GB over a couple of years. But yet, my disks are now close to full packed with the pictures I have taken, videos I am working on, songs I have recorded, games I have installed, and etc. And like my disk space, my time is so filled up with actions that one day, my buddy RC joked that I am busier than him – who is working and I am not.

And because of all these activities that occupied all my free time, my preparation to my next week’s expedition to Mount Kinabalu was closed to non-existence. I have lots of stuffs to buy and if that is not enough, my Canon camera has (once again) broken down on me in the second most untimely fashion. The most untimely fashion would have been having it to break down on me after I proudly plant the little Singapore flag on top of the mountain of course.

Two nights ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and realized that I needed to renew my road tax before my trip. Guess what? I have not even renewed my car insurance (it is a prerequisite here)! I searched through my pile of junk mails and could not find the renewal notice. Called up the car insurance company and they referred me back to the agent I got the insurance from. I did not know that it was through an agency (I bought the car with the insurance as a package). No wonder I missed their mail. Called up my insurance agent and she gave me a quotation. If I had more time, I would have shopped around for new car insurance like I always do. So I asked for a discount and she said she would email to the car insurance company for one. Sweet. I did not know that it was as simple as that.

To cut the long story short, I got a 10% discount on premium and in return, I nearly missed all the operating hours of outlets that renew road tax (the agency is from Potong Pasir and where on earth is Pontong Pasir?!). I ended up renewing my road tax at a vehicle inspection center at Ayer Rajah. I knew that all those days of lunching with Mark at his out-of-nowhere client place that reads “Ayer Rajah” will pay off one day. I knew the way to the inspection center at the back of my head.

Back to the preparation to Mount Kinabalu, since our mountaineering buddy Tong Kiat is not going to get himself a camera, I have to find one to replace my Canon camera. Since an easy-to-use budget camera has been in Cynthia’s wish list for as long as … we are together? … it is a high time to get one. The catch is that I have less than an hour to research for one. To be fair, I have been looking out for a camera for Cynthia. Weeks ago, my buddy Mark and his buddy F have bought a Canon PowerShot G7 and a Nikon D80 respectively. How envious I was (too expensive for the poor me)! On the next day, my buddy Kwang Fei – after accompanying us for that camera shopping trip – has bought a Canon PowerShot G7 as well. A few days later, another friend of mine from my ex-company has gotten himself a DSLR. What has the world become? Everyone needs a camera these days?

Since I vow not to buy another Canon product (and I do keep my words!), since my buddy AT has been telling me how good Fijifilm is, I made a decision after placing a call to AT. Okay, I wa sold. He pointed me to one of the shops in AMK Hub that runs a promotion on Fijifilm cameras. From S$499, I got it down to S$490. I took the offer to Sim Lim (that initially quoted me the same with no free gifts) and they matched it for S$485 and then S$480. Had the negotiation process been shorten by a mere 15 minutes, SingPost at Orchard would still be open and I would not have to drive to Ayer Rajah to renew my road tax. Sigh.

Getting gears for Mount Kinabalu can be really scary. There I was inside this pretty nice shop selling items for outdoor activities and the only thing I can afford inside is a freeze dried package of food (serves two) selling at S$18. The jacket is like S$800. The cheapest pair of pants is like S$98. A pair of scandals that they have casually packed inside the brown paper boxes chucked at the back of the shop is selling at S$185 a pair. S$185 for a pair of scandals?! Even a hat is like S$100 each. I am telling you, outdoor activities are not cheap hobbies. They are for the riches.

Tong Kiat, Cynthia and I walked from shops to shops and in the end gotten something cheap and basic. We still have stuffs we need to buy but we were too tired to continue. I do hope that when the time comes, we will be able to summon the stamina we need and conquer that mountain. The best set of people who has the highest chance to reach the top of the mountain are the Singapore shoppers who can spend the whole day Saturday and Sunday “trekking” Orchard. I am not kidding you.