Auto Reflection

Exploring the city of Vienna on foot last April, I spotted this squeaky clean car offering a funky view of the old buildings on this street. I just like the lines of the building design coupled with the bare trees.

Vienna, 2011

I prefer this scene in monochrome. My honey disagrees; he says the original color photo is almost black and white already and the blue sky adds to the story. Mouse over my image and you can see the color version. What do you think? Don't worry, you are not taking sides in any domestic dispute... this is a friendly discussion. Really... LOL!

Today I link with memes Weekend Reflections, Weekend in Black and White, and Walk in the Street.

Yellow and Red Fruits

When in season, farmers of Romania come into the cities to sell their fresh fruits. I especially relish fresh plump red (or white) cherries; so when at the start of my walk yesterday I saw this vendor selling them out of the back of her old yellow Dacia car, I took a mental note to get some on my way back home. Unfortunately, a couple of hours later I did not run into any more vendors.

 Bucharest, 2011

I got a kick out of how she was parked in the middle of the road, so I am also posting this longer view.

Plenty of yellows and reds here to link with Mellow Yellow Monday and Ruby Tuesday.

Forget Domani

Do you recognize this angel?

 Bucharest, 2011

My clue for you is the song Forget Domani sung by Katyna Ranieri. Listen to it, if you have a few minutes, it's so fun (right click on the title to open the link in a new tab).

Here is a longer view for the answer.

 

She is called Spirit of Ecstasy and has quite the romantic history. This hood ornament has adorned the RR since 1911. And the whole yellow car...

 

And what has that to do with Forget Domani? The song won Best Original Song at the 23rd Golden Globe Awards. It was for the movie The Yellow Rolls-Royce. It looks like a good film, but I've not seen it. Have you?

This post links with Macro Monday and Mellow Yellow Monday.

How Best to Change a Battery

The Dominos pizza chain made advertising history when in 1973 they announced their new 30-minute delivery guarantee. Of course the "...or it's free" part of the tagline has long been dropped, but that we don't remember. Fast pizza home delivery has been the standard ever since.

But have you ever had a new car battery delivered and installed in about an hour? Like this? Let me tell you...

Last week I went to a trade show and when I returned to my car, I turned the key and heard the dreaded click... try again... click... Battery deader than a door knob. Take a deep breath.

I went back inside to seek help from friends who were exhibiting. I was informed of this delivery service and was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it all went.

The order was placed by phone and after about 40 minutes of chatting with friends I received a message on my cell phone that the man had arrived. I went outside, we found each other easily, and we went to my car.

First he checked that the battery was indeed beyond boosting. Then within minutes he had the dead battery out and the new one in.

Here's what it looked like:

Manila, 2010

Top of the line battery, delivery and installation, less than $100. No fuss, no muss. Easy to stay mellow.

And this happy little story gets posted to Mellow Yellow Monday and Mosaic Monday. Check out the links for more fun takes on the themes.

Red Chinese Excalibur

For decades after the great red revolution of 1949, weddings in China were no grand affair. In fact, for many decades the state selected your spouse-to-be.

But when the doors opened to the world and Deng Xiaoping proclaimed to his people that "to be rich is glorious," that soon all changed. Today's weddings in China are as complicated and ostentatious as any in the West, no matter what the socio-economic class of the couple and their families.

Today I just want to share with you this red gem... a Chinese version of the neoclassic Excalibur dolled up to drive some new couple into their new-found marital bliss.

Guangdong, 2007

Posted for Mary's Ruby Tuesday where you'll find more links to people seeing RED.

A Diablo and A Flame

Paranaque City, Metro Manila, 2010

While we were running some errands in the commercial area of a nearby village (subdivision) today, I was drawn to this magnificent large flowering Flame Tree (Delonix regia) I spotted a few blocks down the street. I was then a bit amused to find this little Diablo!

In North America it is not that unusual to see a wreck of a car parked along the road, in a driveway, or on an empty lot, sometimes on blocks, but here in the Philippines it's a rare sight. We don't see that many rusty old jalopies driving on the streets either.

I'm no expert on the car industry, so I can only guess why this would be so. I don't think it's only because the anti-pollution laws are getting better applied here, which they are. There are far fewer cars emitting billowy black clouds of carbon dioxide in Metro Manila today than there were twenty years ago.

There may also be a cultural reason. Only the wealthier classes can afford to own a car, and for them the car is still very much the status symbol. An old car just doesn't make the grade.

But I think the main reason cars like the Diablo - sadly forgotten - are rare here is that it is a waste. Waste not, want not could be a mantra for the less well-heeled (although it should be for all). In developing countries, technicians and mechanics are masters at fixing anything and everything that consumers in richer countries easily discard.

Cars are meant to be driven, not parked. I'm amazed some guy is not all over it proudly getting it road-worthy.