Calamity Jane
So I stepped out of Road Transport Department's local branch office, where I'd just been to renew my driving licence for the next 5 years (can't believe it's valid till 2012, that sounds way too far in the future). It was raining kangaroos and giraffes, but I was prepared! I had an umbrella!
I made my way to my car and drove off, slowly, because visibility was poor. Lo and behold the road suddenly turned into a small stream. My car became unresponsive and began to jerk as if the engine was about to die. Uh-oh.
I stopped the car by the side of the road and then swore because, wouldn't you know it, my mobile phone was out of credit. No outgoing calls allowed. But -- but! -- I was right next to a shopping mall. Leaving my hazard lights on and praying that nobody would come plowing into my car from behind without realising that it was stationary (you never know... crazy KL/PJ drivers), I traipsed out to the shopping mall to go get my phone's credit topped up.
At the Digi specialist store, the guy looked at me apologetically and said, "Sorry, our system is offline. Maybe you can try again later."
I was like, "WHAT?! But my car broke down and I have to call for help!" Good grief.
Better luck at the newsstand, where they used the e-pay thing. Finally managed to top up the damn phone.
Then I went back out into the pouring rain to my car, and decided I would try to coax it further down the road, if possible, where I knew there was a bus stop in front of a hotel, which meant a bay by the side of the road where I could stop. At least then I wouldn't be blocking traffic and wouldn't worry that some crazy driver might zip out of nowhere and bang my butt.
Well, the car started, but was rather jerky, and I prayed and inched it along and we got to the hotel. Then I got out and sat under the bus stop and called AAM's 24-hour breakdown assistance service.
Sometime during the hour I waited for the mechanic to arrive, I noticed my front licence plate was missing. I don't know what happened to it coz I hadn't hit anything, and the thing was screwed on, not stuck with double-sided tape (as is common these days)!
By the time the mechanic got there, the car was fine. He said water had probably gotten in, but had already dried out. He tailed me for a bit, and when he saw that I had no problems, he went on his merry way. I, on the other hand, had to go get my numberplate fixed.
My housemate's day was more eventful, however. She got bitten by a cat.