Finally, after the feeding his almost 4-year old son, Bani gets his chance to have his own brunch. Eating another canned food, which has been his usual diet for about two months already, he glances at the calendar right across his table.
“So it’s now April Fools’ day,” Bani talks to himself, his son occupied with the Tom and Jerry show on TV. Life has been tough lately. Thoughts of cancelled weekend to a hot air balloon fiesta replaced by frequent trips to clinics and hospitals – with him behind the wheel and either his wife or kid waiting for their turn to see their respective doctors – race across his mind. He snaps back, he’s on his last spoonful of rice. Meal done, laundry next. Few more hours and Bani will be driving back to his in-laws where his wife’s been recovering.
It’s April Fools’ day and Bani is obviously not amused
If only Krispy Kreme-fueled cars exist then a price hike won’t be such a burden.
Latest news has it that the possibility of a P60/liter unleaded gas price is high and we all know this is not good news. Not everyone knows, however, that there are more ways than one to beat this almost unstoppable fuel price hike. For example, parking the car longer than before – that is, use it less by carpooling or taking public transportation. Switching to more fuel-efficient cars such as newer models or the more expensive hybrids is also an option that other lucky individuals might have. Or lastly, and the most practical, is becoming more aware of things most of us used to ignore yet could actually affect how one can make fewer trips to the gas station. To achieve this last alternative, I now offer my top 5 tips to beat the fuel price hike:
The lesser pullback, the better. Whether one comes from a full stop or shifting gears from second to third, that feeling of being pulled back to the car seat during acceleration is a sign that the car (and driver) is exerting too much effort which translates to inefficient use of fuel. To avoid this, keep in mind the simple tip I’ve read years ago: imagine an egg is underneath the gas pedal – step on it as light possible as a centimeter-deep (or even less) depression of the gas pedal is already enough to pump gas necessary to keep the car rolling. Always remember that in daily commute, pedal to the metal isn’t the way to go.
Don’t get squeezed. The exact opposite of acceleration is deceleration but the effect is somehow similar which is demonstrated during braking. Any driver has likely experienced that feeling of being squeezed by the seatbelt (assuming he wears one) after applying the brake hard. Hard stoppage means “aborted” use of fuel and this is because gas that was pumped into the engine’s cylinder is supposed to make the car travel at a particular distance and by braking hard the dispensed fuel’s purpose is suppressed and wasted–unless the car has KERS or Kinetic Energy Recovery System such as one that is used by Formula 1 cars and hybrid automobiles.
Avoid leaning hard sideways. Drivers executing a turn or maneuvering curved roads use a combination of the brake and gas pedal to control the car so both tip numbers 1 and 2 above apply in this scenario. In curved roads, the driver will experience countering centripetal force by leaning sideways at an apex. The harder one leans to one side, the likelihood of fuel wastage is high. To achieve a smoother drive, anticipating the curve is important as well as knowing when to brake and to accelerate. In normal condition, brake (as gently as possible) before entry to the curve (and/or switch to lower gear for better traction during the turn) and then accelerate upon exit.
Gravity is your friend (and foe). Navigating through a downhill is an opportunity to save gas as this is when it is less stressful to the engine. Be aware, however, that turning the engine off (or even coasting) is a big no- no – for most cars, a turned off engine means zero vacuum which in turn disables the brake master and power steering. Go figure. Going up is of course more demanding to the car’s power source and it would be helpful if its load is lessened. If possible, turn the air conditioner off when driving uphill.
Too cold isn’t cool. Speaking of air conditioners, one should use this wisely and sparingly when driving. A car that is too cold uses more fuel than it is supposed to be and that is why thermostats control knobs are there20 – lower the temperature whenever possible. One should also read their car owner’s manual to learn how the fan vents settings work to optimize the temperature inside the car especially if only the driver is inside.
The tips I have listed here, by the way, are with the assumption that the car is in good condition and keep in mind never to compromise safety over savings: ensure that car is maintained regularly, brake hard if needed, and follow the speed limits all the time. Drive safely everyone!
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Mood: 6/10 Honks! (Writing to relieve the 2nd week of anxiety. Wifey still not well.)
Well, guess what? Barely a month after I posted my last blog about mama Berns who conquered the airwaves just to promote her son’s Anna Banana song on youtube.com, her relentless effort somehow paid off. As of this writing, the then lousy homemade video took off from just around 2,000 to almost a million hits.
But this is not because the video reached viral status on its own but it is because some crazy PLDT marketing guys took the risk of using Anna Banana as a radio ad to capture more potential PLDT myDSL subscribers. And while I can’t help but loathe whoever it was behind this gimmick (and pity other unsuspecting listeners who got “hypnotized” to check out this anna bananaDSL video) I on the other hand agree that this is such a genius move. It is one of those effective campaign that was used by people behind American Idol’s William Hung, our very own Manny Pacquiao, and the versatile and beautiful actress Anne Curtis Smith. All these personalities became successful record artists despite their lack of singing skills.
Image from web.
We also know by now that both mama Berns and her son possess star features as well. It is just matter of time when these mother-and-son team would be seen on TV waving and smiling and getting more than the attention that they once wish they will achieve when mama Berns dialed her way to different FM stations and radio programs all the day long (probably with the goal of just getting youtube views). But of course I am still among those who believe that this boy behind the Anna Banana song will grow up hating himself for this youtube video but at the very least he would have one hell of a story to tell to everyone about the day when his original composition (and his mother’s persistence) got popular more than they expected it to be.
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Grabbing the opportunity to write while my in-laws and their kids are here to visit us especially wifey who is still recovering from a bad infection.
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Mood: 2/10 Honks! (Pizza and pasta and coke. Typical Sunday diet. Will regret it tomorrow.)
Marcus Can Blog 