that means "unlucky" for you folk who don't know better, and that's exactly how my last couple of days have been. to be fair, that's looking at the situation from the "glass half empty" position, and i know that contrary to everything i am going to write, that i've actually been pretty fortunate.
let's start with my reverse midas touch. i have no idea how i did it, but just pressing the power button on my
home entertainment system was enough to cause a short circuit and blow the power converter. now i'd like to think it was my electrifying personality, but i know otherwise.
yesterday was the icing on the cake of bad luck though. less than a kilometer away from my second assignment of the day in yishun, i stop at the red light at the junction of yishun ring road and yishun avenue 4.
the sudden grinding sound associated with the slipping of tires on a wet road made me look down to confirm that my
bike had indeed fully come to a stop, when all of a sudden, i was thrust forward and up. not to say that great presence of mind is a constant companion of mine, but in this case, i had the good sense to hit the brakes.
with the engine still running, i turned around and came to the realization that i was just rear-ended by a taxi.
fucking taxi drivers!
bastard had the cheek to accuse me of being in the wrong, going as far as saying "but it was a yellow light!! means you must go faster, not stop!" and "i thought you were turning right!" it wasn't till i silenced him with a "it was a red light, i was stationary, and you hit me. case closed" argument that he sullenly asked me to push my bike to the side of the road where we could settle this.
it wasn't a pretty sight.
while it doesn't look too bad in that picture, my bike was in pretty bad shape. indicator lights smashed, rear bumper cracked, license plate housing folded UNDER the bike, rear battery cover cracked, and when i opened the trunk, the whole chassis was out of alignment. have to say my bike gave as good as it got though, when it was my turn to look at his cab, it was hard to stifle my grin.
ouch.
while he initially wanted to settle, i refused and insisted on going through our insurance companies, something he grudgingly agreed to, muttering "but tomorrow i going to malaysia for a week you know?" over and over again.
suffice to say, the rest of the afternoon was spent towing the bike to the shop, then to the
independent damage assessment centre to report the accident, THEN back to the bike shop. logistical nightmare.
so now i am bikeless for at least a week and a half, and contrary to what you might expect, i am really going to miss riding. i also know that i am fortunate enough to have a car to drive during this period, and that i am even more fortunate to escape this encounter unhurt and without a scratch.
maybe the glass is half full after all.
