In the song, Michael Stipe sings the lines “That’s me in the corner/That’s me in the spotlight/Losing my religion”. The phrase “losing my religion” is an expression from the southern region of the United States that means losing one’s temper or civility, or “being at the end of one’s rope.” Stipe told The New York Times the song was about romantic expression. He told Q that “Losing My Religion” is about “someone who pines for someone else. It’s unrequited love, what have you.”
(via Wikipedia)
It’s getting quite troublesome to own and maintain a scooter.
The breakdowns are getting more frequent; the roads are getting more dangerous; and to top it off, it’s becoming harder to get spare parts when I need to replace stuff.
I had to travel all the way down to Bukit Batok today to order a front tyre – a front tyre – for Pooters. I have to go back again on Fri to get it fixed on.
Mind you, this is in the context of having failed an annual roadworthiness inspection – Pooters’s first failure – because the front tyre was worn out (unbeknownst to me), and having to return for another inspection after replacing the tyre.
In Singapore, the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) policy effectively endow your vehicles with 10-year lifespans.
Most people sell sell/change their vehicles when their COEs expire, because it’s the most cost-effective thing to do.
COEs can be renewed – at a price pegged to prevailing rates.
That may not be the most sensible thing to do if you look at the numbers alone; the price of a renewed COE may be more than what the machine itself is worth.
This Monday will mark Pooters’s ninth year of existence. It has one more year to go before circumstances dictate whether I hang on to it – or I send it to the knackery.
I’m leaning toward the latter because, frankly, I’m losing my religion.
On one hand, having your own personal transport in Singapore – regardless of how many wheels it has – really makes you more mobile: a boon in a country with a ‘developing’ (for want of a better word) transport network.
On the other hand, what exactly am I conserving when I hang on to Pooters? Memories? Experiences? An out-of-production scooter?
But at what cost? Shouldn’t I save all the trouble and hassle – the lengths I have to go to – by getting a new scooter?
Should I even get a new scooter at all?
I’m still trying to figure that out.
