Michelle had to go to this funeral cum get-together with friends (in this country, practically everything is a social event) so I had to drive and drop her off so she can go to the funeral while I then went on to take Jeanne to the in-laws. Would have been a breeze except that I got bitten by a nasty bug, probably during the holidays, and it’s rearing it’s ugly head. Normally colds would just be sniffles or a congested nose at worst but this one gave me a fever and a bad headache. When we got to the in-laws I had to babysit Jeanne for an hour or so before I got a chance to lie down. I didn’t know who’s been lying on the bed nor what they did but at that point I couldn’t care less. Lying down never felt so good!
We were on my Dad’s truck halfway on the way from Iligan to the airport in Cagayan De Oro when we smelled fuel fumes. James took a look at the engine temp gauge and it was high so we pulled over and opened the hood. The engine was smoking so we suspected a cooling system problem right away.
We opened the radiator cap (which was breaking apart) and found little water in the radiator. There was water in the overflow reservoir but it was muddy. We added water from James’ water bottle into the radiator and immediately it started trickling to the ground. We checked for a leak and found a 2-inch gash on the radiator hose!
My dad asked for some rubber strips from a nearby vulcanizing shop. He also learned that there’s an auto supply shop just a bit ahead. We patched up the gash best we could. We then asked for some clean water from a kind lady at a nearby house and filled up the radiator. The water seemed to be holding so we went off to look for the auto supply shop.
After a few minutes of driving, we still didn’t see the auto supply shop so we pulled over at a roadside store and asked for direction. A guy there said there’s indeed an auto supply shop a bit further along but since it is a Sunday, it is closed. He offered to take a look at the problem.
We found out our patch worked loose and the water was trickling down again. But it looked like the guy got some auto repair experience: He removed the hose with the intent of patching it up better. He found out that the leaking portion can actually be cut off and still be long enough. So that’s what he did, reinstalled the hose, off we went to the airport, and got there just in time.
Now that’s twice lucky!
It’s time for a new set of resolutions:
- Learn iPhone programming.
- Declutter, or attempt to, the house. I’ll need two shelves for starters.
- Swim more regularly.
- Read more books (or e-books). Specifically literary classics but maybe I’ll throw in a contemporary book. Maybe also one in French.
- Take cooking or dance classes maybe with Michelle.
- Take advanced photography classes.
- Go on another road trip. Revisiting Pagudpud would be nice but I’m open to another place.
- Go surfing in La Union. I’ve been to Zambales and I want to try another place.
- Go hiking and camping in one trip.
Hopefully I’ll do better this year.
We visited Maria Cristina Falls today. It is a landmark of Iligan City, which is actually nicknamed the City of Majestic Waterfalls, because of the presence of more than 20 waterfalls around it. I’ve been there only once previously and back then, the flow was a slow trickle compared to today. And it’s not even the rainy season. Awesome!
Okay so putting the gorgeous iPhone 4 inside a case generally fuglifies it. Nor is it recommended to put it in a case with a covered back due to spontaneous cracking issues. However, there are times when you need a measure of protection. Depending on how rough your destination is you can choose between a bumper to a heavy-duty case like the Otterbox Defender.