desperate for change

(This post has been brought to you by Nissan and the hypercube contest. Please visit my canvas page and give me a vote. Thanks!)

In my previous post, I mentioned that I bought a used car. The timing was such that it coincided with the start of the hypercube contest. I actually didn’t mention what kind of car it was.

AlfredMobile the Second – aka Da Cherry Bomb – aka a red 1998 Honda Prelude (not exactly as pictured; mine is sans mags and sans spoiler.) The major selling point was that it had pretty low kilometres. The draw for me was obviously the bad boy/ricer image associated with driving one of these. The previous owner took good care of it – the only mod on the vehicle was having it lowered. (Heaven forbid the things people do in the name of moding a car.)

The positives: it is red; it has kick when I need it.

The negatives: it only can take premium gasoline which is a whole 12 cents more than regular; it is lowered so i feel every single manhole that I drive over; there is really not much room in the back so this is really a two seater.

You might say – surely Alfred, you’ve considered the consequences of owning this vehicle before you bought it right? Yes, most certainly. It is fun to dress up differently and pretend to be someone else for a while. But at some point you have to realize that you are you. Nothing more, nothing less. If someone is going to judge you based on your ride (or lack thereof), then so be it.

So at this point you might ask: so Alfred, who are you, really? What kind of ride is your kind of ride?

I know for sure that a boring plain vehicle isn’t me; my first car was a plain silver Honda Civic. It is the default ride of choice in Vancouver. I am someone that likes to stand out.

I know that a flashy vehicle isn’t me either; I am a quirky kinda of guy and a beamer doesn’t fit my image.

Shocking to say, but I was having a serious debate about whether I really want to win a Cube or not. This decision will be in the hands of the judges soon – should I win a Cube, I will gladly be selling off the Prelude to a more fitting owner. If I don’t win a Cube, that is fine also – I shall have different kinds of adventures with Cherry Bomb.

But deep deep down, I really want to win a Cube – so that I have a chance to really show off my dance moves at the awards ceremony. Life’s been pretty busy for me during the past month so I haven’t had a chance to do a better dance video; but I definitely haven’t slacked off with the classes taught by the best salsa teacher in Vancouver.

I’ve got something else to say about this contest: I am an introvert, through and through. While I am able to talk to random strangers (as seen in my hypercube promo video), it really is out of character for me. I am more at ease browsing books at the library than mingling at a party. For the sake of the contest, I thought about just flipping over to being a “crazy” extrovert, running down streets harassing random people but you know what? That just isn’t me at all. Or minimally it would take about three drinks before that happens. (PS don’t drink and drive.)

I merely will give you, the hypercube judges, plain old Alfred: likes to read, likes to dance (but hates to ask girls to the dance floor), probably more quirky than cool, is friendly but tend to enjoy peace and quiet, has some computer skills but not the kind you can use to make groovy graphics. I think that trying to pretend to be someone else for the last while has been fun, but I am just me and I am cool with that.

(This post has been brought to you by Nissan and the hypercube contest. Please visit my canvas page and give me a vote. Thanks!)

“Hi, John. This is Alfred.”

“Hey how are you doing? Did you get the car inspection report from BCAA?”

“Yes, it looks good. There are some items but they are pretty minor.”

“So are you still interested in the car? People have been calling me up and and I told them that it’s already been sold. And also, you paid for the car inspection – so you are committed right?”

“Well, about that – listen. I like the car, but I can’t buy it.”

“What? Why?”

“I’m in this car give away contest and right now I have a 1 in 10 chance at winning a car for free.”

“What is this?”

<Insert explanation of hypercube contest, about how I made it into the top 500.>

“Are you f-king with me? You serious?”

“Yep. I’m real sorry about taking up your time.”

“Your loss buddy. Let me know if you change your mind.”

(Rest of this entry…)

In case you haven’t heard the news, Nissan is giving away 50 Cube cars for free.

Actually, it is quite likely you haven’t heard the news because the car company is eschewing mainstream media advertising (billboards, TV, full page spreads) and instead trying to use social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to promote the Cube. From the March 20, 2009 article in the Globe and Mail:

The winning 50 … will be those judged to be “the most aligned with the brand.”

The contest has two phases. An “open casting call” was initially done whereby anyone can enter. From this batch of entries, the contestants were narrowed down to 500 people. At which point (if you are in), you have a 1 in 10 chance to win a Cube.

And yes, I managed to score a coveted spot in the final 500.

At this point in the contest, the final 500 will be asked to create a profile/MySpace-like page to showcase themselves and let the judges and voting public know why they should be worthy of a Cube.

I feel like I am filling out a profile for an online dating website. Mildly awkward but you just do it anyways, hoping to catch some fishies.

There is a voting component to this contest – so I also need to pimp myself appropriately – and hope no one remembers any negative karmic deeds of the past.

This contest is a piece of cake to participate – but not so easy to win. I seem to be taking on the likes of this dude – who managed to get himself on the local radio station. Or how about a chick that’s totally oozing personality out of her pores. Introverts are at a serious disadvantage in this contest – I’m not complaining – it is just the nature of this contest.

So – I am representing the nerdy introverted guys out there. You know – just a little bit awkward because sitting all day at a computer deteriorates your ability to talk to people. A small price to pay for a software greatness – but we’ll save that for another post.

Please vote for me when the polls open tomorrow (I’ll put up a link once I figure out how they’re setup). You are allowed to vote once per day. A BIG thanks in advance!

While I wouldn’t mind winning a free Cube car (http://hypercube.ca/), I think that I should have a mildly realistic list of alternatives.

My old car was a ’99 Honda Civic. While I do have fond memories of AlfredMobile 1, I do remember the ghetto-ness of manually operated windows. It was a reliable vehicle but it wasn’t a something that evoked any emotions that I seem to get when compared to other vehicles.

The current top non-Cube choice is a used Honda Accord Coupe of some kind. Leather seats if possible. This is the sportiest mid-life crisis car I can responsibly consider these days. Then, I’ll pretty much have no excuses to be home so much. Things to do. People to see. Salsa to dance. The internets will have to do without me for a while.

(I am guessing that I can’t buy any used Nissan Cubes at this point in time.)