Fingers Crossed

"Rather than just feeling frustrated and keeping on complaining, how about you do something about it?" I thought to myself in one of those times I sat feeling really exasperated. I have grown really weary of feeling helpless about the electricity problems I face every now and then and also talking about them. So I decided to do the unthinkable.

I have been job-hunting for a while, ever since I completed my national service year. It hasn't been forthcoming so far, so I am mostly doing things from home and working too. What I like the most about home is that it is, you know, our home. And what that means is that I can basically do what I have to and not worry about it being temporary.

I might be here at home for a long time, until the right job comes along, and so I thought to just make a workspace out of what I have and keep on being productive somehow. Looking around, I think I like what I have done with my place. What's missing is stable electricity and internet, but I couldn't do anything about it and kept nagging.

For context, I haven't had electricity from the grid in over two weeks now. I've had to run on petrol, but that is so unsustainable with how inflated the cost is now. The only viable option is to run on renewable energy. And so I started contemplating solar power systems.

Solar power is rapidly becoming popular, as people are thinking the same way I am. And that has caused many businesses to come forth. Being in high demand, the cost of the components can be a little overpriced, and most people don't know how they work or how to build them.

Thankfully, I have knowledge from my years in school studying electrical and electronics engineering as part of my course of study, as well as from a factory automation academy I attended some years ago. Then I started to move the pieces of my puzzle together while doing my research.

Fast forward to the present: I was in the market buying the components that I needed to build a solar power system for myself. I could only afford a minimal setup that would enable me to power my PC and other gadgets for a good number of hours, based on my calculations.

All through my time purchasing, the sellers kept saying things like, "Don't worry yourself; the technician who'd install it will know what to do." Of course, I didn't disclose that I was running the project myself. I didn't want unnecessary conversations, belittlement, or confusion. I knew what I wanted, but I only remained discreet so I could also learn from them. It's my first time, so I had to be tactful and careful.

Striking a good bargain and getting good products was the tricky part. But I had a trick up my sleeve that I learned from my mother. I went to different vendors all around and tried to bargain with them all. That gave me a sense of the good products and their actual prices.

Now that they are all with me and the necessary components, what's left is to install them. I haven't had the strength to do that yet, as I am still convalescing, but I have run a check and everything seems to be going as planned.

I have been able to spend way less than I would have if I had bought from vendors around and not been to the market myself. I am not sure by what percentage, though, but I am confident that I can move on to my next project just as planned. Let's see how it goes, and I'll give more details soon, hopefully.

Fingers crossed...