Fireworks, firecrackers, etc.

It is the custom in MU to set off fireworks or firecrackers for celebrations like Christmas, New Year's, Divali, Chinese New Year.....bah, any festival or celebration in fact.
So, in this season of holidays, it is very common to see/hear fireworks around the island...EXCEPT I never expected to see what I saw last night.

I was driving down the motorway after work when, lo and behold, I saw fireworks being set off from a GAS STATION! It is to believe that Mauritians from Roche-bois have no clue whatsoever of the danger of lighting up fireworks in a highly inflammable area like a gas station. I had no time to check if they were being set off by kids or by "responsible" adults, but in any case, the gas station was open, so there must have been the said responsible adults around. An accident could so easily happen and the sad story would be on the headlines the following day claiming that nobody thought such an awful thing could happen.

In CA, the law prevents citizens to set off fireworks or firecrackers if it is not during the Victoria Day week-end (the w/end preceding May 25), Canada Day (July 1st) or New Year's Eve. Some provinces allow fireworks for Divali, but I haven't seen any on Divali during the 5 yrs I was there. It is justifiable why Canada would have such restrictions on fireworks: people do not realize until it is too late that what they are doing could put other people in danger. If such a law was to be implemented in MU, I bet a lot of Mauritians would be outraged that their kids do not know the pleasure of setting off firecrackers and fireworks. Safety comes first though, so I wish there could be something to be done about this....Right now, all I can think of is maybe stop by Roche-bois and kick some uneducated @ss over there. I must say that this particular region in MU could give me unlimited inspiration for blog entries. :P

It is on this happy note that I wish y'all a Happy New Year 2007.

Viva fireworks!

Mon père, ce héros...

I drive an automatic car....
I agree, it's not the best when you want to accelerate because you cannot just shift gears and accelerate. Although you might have your foot down to the floor, the car will only accelerate at its own pace and (automatically) shift gears when it needs to, you cannot force it to do so faster. This has its own implications, for example, I cannot race at start because hell, it takes time for my car to reach 100Km/hr. But that is not the topic today.

So I drove to work this morning and I set off a bit early because my dad used the car during the w/end and the tank was half full -- or half empty (whichever way u see it). I have the odd habit of filling up on gas every time the gauge reaches mid tank, so I thought I'd stop by that gas station on my way to work. I'm a creature of habit, I'd admit, and I always fill up on gas at the same gas station near my home. Today though, it was easier for me to go to that other gas station on my way to work, coz it's on the motorway and it's easy access and exit, far from the traffic jams.

So there I was, driving in, stopping and here comes the attendant, all smiles and merry and he asked me even before I had time to stop the engine, how much gas I'd like. As far as I know, there is only a limited number of self-service gas stations in MU, so having someone serve you is quite normal around here (not the case in CA!). I told him to fill it up, and I stopped the engine, and looked for my wallet, while the attendant was busy....what was he doing? ... He was wiping my windshield! Oh wow, I thought, that's service! I didn't think more of it than that coz I was eager to set off again, it was 7:25 and in 5 mins, one of the lanes on the motorway would close so I'd be stuck on a one-lane motorway (don't ask!). When the tank was full, it amounted to Rs. 1056....Hell, where would I find that Rs. 6 now? Guys at MY usual gas station would round it off! Anyway, when he was paid and I was ready to set off again, MY CAR WOULDN'T START!!..

BUGGER...AND ON A MONDAY MORNING!!!
So first thing I think of is: I gotta call my dad. My dad goes the same way 3 days a week, and we talked about it this morning, so he knew I was stopping at that gas station. Cellphone, speed dial 3, "Dad, the car won't start, I'm at that gas station, did you pass yet?". THANK GOD, my dad was just behind me, he was there in 20 seconds flat. He didn't even stop, just passed me on the right, shouted through the window to shift the gear to "P" and drove off. So that is just what I did, I shifted the gear from D3 to P ( don't ask me how it got there, I have no idea since I would drive on "D" and not on "D2" anyway) and set off. I made it before the lane closed, got to work 5 mins later all safe.

So now, I don't know how to feel, if I should feel happy about the car being ok and that I made it to work early or if I should feel sad that I passed for a dumbass so bright and early on a Monday morning....Mind you, it was my dad and he's seen the worst and the best of me, but still.....That's not the best way to start the week....IS IT? Let's just hope the day goes on improving....