Thursday, October 21, 2004
license plate
Yesterday I was driving back home during rush hour. To be more precise, I was the next city over from mine, and I was driving through town during their rush hour. I still had a 30 minute drive to get back to Pingtung City.
Suddenly, in the middle of a big intersection, as I was about to turn left, the car shudders, shakes and dies. I try to restart it three times, and the car doesn't respond. The light changes and a wave of scooters, bicycles, and cars are flying by me. The traffic cop is telling me to move- and he eventually helps me push the car to the side of the road.
The car lot, whose store front I'm in now, is yelling at me to move my car. I"m disrupting his business. The cop yells at him, and tells him that my car is dead. I ask to have a tow truck called for me. But to no avail.
At this same time, my cell phone has died. This gadget is the most indipsensible thing I own right at this point in time, and without it all hell breaks loose.
The car salesman tells me there is a Nissan dealer 10 minutes up the road, in which I walk there, leaving my poor Nissan on the side of the road.
I get there, the big glass doors open, and as I walk into the huge, brightly lit showroom, a computerized female voice says " WELCOME TO NISSAN MOTORS"
I'm almost tempted to test drive the new Nissan 350X while I"m there..
Anyways, back to the story. So then I explain to a salesman that I need some help. He's very helpful. Says, that they can check the car out, but they don't have a tow truck. I"d have to pay for a tow just 10 minutes to the dealer.
So then I remember that I have free emergency road side assurance on my credit card.
Actually it's Dallas' card, and I have an additional card. Plus the car is in Dallas' name. This leads to a 25 minute call to the bank. Actually, having to call 3 different numbers. Confirm everything from my birthdate to the last transaction made, to the make of the car. and then finally she asks" What is the license plate number of your vehicle." At this point, that is the one thing I cannot remember.
I ask them to just send the truck, match the information with the actual license plate when he arrives, and you will find that ; yes, it is really me and yes, it is MY CAR.
doesn't work.I hang up on the woman. She's aleady wasting almost 30 minutes of my time.
I've had to run to a payphone, call my secretary to find a substitute for me evening class, or cancel it. So at least that part is covered.
Ok, so then the salesman asks for me key. He manages to move the car down the street. I ask him how. " I put it into first, but it won't shift to 2nd or 3rd, so then I cranked it to 5th, and drove carefully."
I'm astounded. Never knew you could do that.
But, that leaves me car-less. he drives me to the train station, in which I get on a train into Pingtung. I walk another 10 minutes to my school, pick up my scooter, and then drive to the new school.
Ahh.. this is where fate kicks in.
So I walk in. My secretary says no one can cover, and she had to cancel the class. I go upstairs, and start doing damage control. You see, I had to work at the bar tonight. Not only that, I had my wine distrubuter bringing in some samples for me, and I invited my calligraphy teacher and a host of other people too. Because in ADDITION to that, I was having the new waitress training in the kitchen and so there would be free food for people.
Well... without me, they didn't want to come, so I had to call everyone, apologize, explain to my partner ( who was at home since it was his day off ) that everything is under control.. sort of. ( I had someone else in the bar who could work..)
After about an hour of phone calling, loss revenue at the bar, and school. I sit and think what to do next.
Secretary buzzes me.
"umm.. Summer called while you were busy.. she really needs to talk to you"
Summer. My friend, and also colleague at the school. Why would she be phoning? She was one of the people who was called, and couldn't sub tonight's class...
I call.
"Jason....I was hit by a car. .. I"m in the doctor's clinic down the street from you.. can't speak Chinese..umm can you help me?"
So I rush over there. She's ok, but her leg has accupunture needles in it, and she will be hobbling for awhile. But nothing too serious. I translate for her and the doctor, and help her back to our house. to relax a bit.
"It's lucky for you that my car broke down tonight" I said.
Suddenly, in the middle of a big intersection, as I was about to turn left, the car shudders, shakes and dies. I try to restart it three times, and the car doesn't respond. The light changes and a wave of scooters, bicycles, and cars are flying by me. The traffic cop is telling me to move- and he eventually helps me push the car to the side of the road.
The car lot, whose store front I'm in now, is yelling at me to move my car. I"m disrupting his business. The cop yells at him, and tells him that my car is dead. I ask to have a tow truck called for me. But to no avail.
At this same time, my cell phone has died. This gadget is the most indipsensible thing I own right at this point in time, and without it all hell breaks loose.
The car salesman tells me there is a Nissan dealer 10 minutes up the road, in which I walk there, leaving my poor Nissan on the side of the road.
I get there, the big glass doors open, and as I walk into the huge, brightly lit showroom, a computerized female voice says " WELCOME TO NISSAN MOTORS"
I'm almost tempted to test drive the new Nissan 350X while I"m there..
Anyways, back to the story. So then I explain to a salesman that I need some help. He's very helpful. Says, that they can check the car out, but they don't have a tow truck. I"d have to pay for a tow just 10 minutes to the dealer.
So then I remember that I have free emergency road side assurance on my credit card.
Actually it's Dallas' card, and I have an additional card. Plus the car is in Dallas' name. This leads to a 25 minute call to the bank. Actually, having to call 3 different numbers. Confirm everything from my birthdate to the last transaction made, to the make of the car. and then finally she asks" What is the license plate number of your vehicle." At this point, that is the one thing I cannot remember.
I ask them to just send the truck, match the information with the actual license plate when he arrives, and you will find that ; yes, it is really me and yes, it is MY CAR.
doesn't work.I hang up on the woman. She's aleady wasting almost 30 minutes of my time.
I've had to run to a payphone, call my secretary to find a substitute for me evening class, or cancel it. So at least that part is covered.
Ok, so then the salesman asks for me key. He manages to move the car down the street. I ask him how. " I put it into first, but it won't shift to 2nd or 3rd, so then I cranked it to 5th, and drove carefully."
I'm astounded. Never knew you could do that.
But, that leaves me car-less. he drives me to the train station, in which I get on a train into Pingtung. I walk another 10 minutes to my school, pick up my scooter, and then drive to the new school.
Ahh.. this is where fate kicks in.
So I walk in. My secretary says no one can cover, and she had to cancel the class. I go upstairs, and start doing damage control. You see, I had to work at the bar tonight. Not only that, I had my wine distrubuter bringing in some samples for me, and I invited my calligraphy teacher and a host of other people too. Because in ADDITION to that, I was having the new waitress training in the kitchen and so there would be free food for people.
Well... without me, they didn't want to come, so I had to call everyone, apologize, explain to my partner ( who was at home since it was his day off ) that everything is under control.. sort of. ( I had someone else in the bar who could work..)
After about an hour of phone calling, loss revenue at the bar, and school. I sit and think what to do next.
Secretary buzzes me.
"umm.. Summer called while you were busy.. she really needs to talk to you"
Summer. My friend, and also colleague at the school. Why would she be phoning? She was one of the people who was called, and couldn't sub tonight's class...
I call.
"Jason....I was hit by a car. .. I"m in the doctor's clinic down the street from you.. can't speak Chinese..umm can you help me?"
So I rush over there. She's ok, but her leg has accupunture needles in it, and she will be hobbling for awhile. But nothing too serious. I translate for her and the doctor, and help her back to our house. to relax a bit.
"It's lucky for you that my car broke down tonight" I said.
# posted by jason @ 9:32 AM 
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yeah, so the next day I went to check on the car, and they said they needed to keep it longer for more testing, and they listed a bunch of things they "thought could be wrong".
But somehow, that day, the car was driveable, so I risked it and drove it back to a mechanic I know in town.
He fixed it up for me, for cheap. Turns out, there was some part clogged up and was blocking the gasoline from flowing into the engine. ( which is why the car stalled )
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But somehow, that day, the car was driveable, so I risked it and drove it back to a mechanic I know in town.
He fixed it up for me, for cheap. Turns out, there was some part clogged up and was blocking the gasoline from flowing into the engine. ( which is why the car stalled )
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