How Far Can You Go?

phew...that was almost!

The following story that you are about to read is true. Even so, the author holds no responsibilty in any replication of the following story nor any implications that followed any failure to meet the same result on the replications. In other words: "Do it on your own risk".

Fully God's mercy, (I thank Thee, Lord!) vaguely BBC's Top Gear shows memory, and a smear chance of luck, I went incredibly far today. My car has shown its significance in fuel efficiency and reliability to the max that I've known so far. Yes, the manufacturer said that this car is efficient. Yet the manufacturer has never count the real traffic that each and every Jakartans need to battle out each and every day. Combined with the condition of rush hour, completely out of money and barely any fuel left, a potential disaster was spying right aroud the corner.

Though my love life, hypothetically speaking, would have been better off if I ride one of these 2,500 cc-engine-powered-macho-vehicle. My car proved to me that I would--in aggregate--better off with her instead.

Ok. So it's not the prettiest car on earth. It may not be the choice of celebrities, royals, and head-of-states. But holding the circumstance that I am this ever "bokek" undergraduate student, my car is perfect. It has a nice 1,500 cc engine with 110 horse power enough to hit 120 km/h without any problem. It has an automatic transmission that would be significantly helpful in times of traffic jam. And yet, it has all the convenience that you would expect from a Honda.

Back to the potential disaster. It all started this morning when my mother is still in her peaceful state of slumber when I woke her up and ask whether there were any fuel left in my car tank (my mother used my car the day before). She shortly confirmed that there were some fuel left. And so I went to the campus. Stupidily, I didn't check the fuel the whole journey to the campus. Long story short, I arrived at my campus and lived my another-so-so-campus-day once again.

I took a mock TOEFL test as a significant marking component in my subject today. It cost me Rp100,000 (which was all I have minus the parking fee I spared for the day). And the problem starts right when I turned my engine on. I noticed that my fuel indicator was not in the position that would rest me assured. Shocked, I was trying to find any money left in my pocket. None. All that were left in my wallet were some useless SG$20.

So I embraced myself and start my journey back home. It was 6 at that time, and the traffic is never good at those times. My short-minded brain tell me to hit the gas and reach home as fast as I can. But my logical memory told me to go slow. As I watched Top Gear months ago, one of the host actually went completely from one city to another in a limited fuel. The host held the rpm constant and reduce any sudden brakes or acceleration. And so I did. During the 17.31 km journey (as shown below), I held a constant 1,000-1,500 rpm and reduce the amount of brakes and unnecessary acceleration. It was not the velocity that counts, but the rpm that counts. And I made it. T_T Thank God I made it! I love you, car!