so i finally got my new car! (a black base RSX if you're wondering). i picked it up tuesday night and it's already so shamefully dirty that Singapore Adrian asked me if whether i got it used or new. of course he was only joking but the truth was painfully evident: you could play a game of tic-tac-toe on the trunk lid. (by the way, i think if mention either Adrian I'm going to distinguish them as "Singapore Adrian" and "Cello Adrian". "Rapper Adrian" and "Speedo Adrian" just didn't make the cut. Don't ask about the Speedo thing, but apparently its the male swimwear of choice in Singapore.)

Anyway, I let both Adrians try out my car today after worship team practice. And both test drives ended with me clenching the seat in white-knuckled terror, my heart palpitating at an alarming rate. Cello Adrian tried it out first, with Tim sitting in the front and me, wanting to be able empathize with my future passengers, sitting in the cramped rear.

"Can I try manual?" asked Adrian.

"Uhhh...sure" I replied hesitantly. "Um, you know how to drive stick, right?"

"Not really," he replied cheerfully, and away we went.

Actually, it wasn't that bad, but for some reason, I had it mistakenly stuck in my head that Adrian doesn't really how to drive, so I kept yelling "UPSHIFT!!" and "DOWNSHIFT!!" throughout the whole 5 minute ride, during which we probably reached a maximum speed of 35 km/h. As we returned to the church Adrian asked if he should parallel park.

"NO," said Tim and I firmly, in unison.

Next up, it was Singapore Adrian's turn at the wheel. I should have known I was in for it when he gleefully rubbed his hands after I said he could drive back to his place and asking the requisite question "So, people drive in Singapore, right?". He redlined it almost all the way back to his apartment and I was pinned back to my bucket seat, screaming shrilly into the night.

"I can't believe you redlined it!" I complained when he finally switched it back to automatic. "I mean, even I haven't done that yet!"

"Well, you shouldn't," he said calmly. "For a new car, you shouldn't push it until you're past 1000 km." (Note: my odometer read 328 km). "And besides, I wouldn't normally wouldn't do that anyway, it uses up SO much gas." Yeah, thanks Adrian.