It’s human nature (kinda) to take things for granted.

The moment you think you are safe, life throws the worst case scenario at you, because as Murphy’s Law suggests, whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.

Granted, you can’t protect yourself from every unfortunate situation, but here are some of the more important things you should have, or could do, to prevent some of them.

Bringing an umbrella out

This might sound like basic advice, but a lot of us still don’t heed it, because we think the umbrella is bothersome to bring out.

It takes up space, and adds extra weight to the bag.

And if you’re the bag-less type who just stuffs everything into your pocket, bringing the umbrella out is probably the last thing on your mind.

But… Murphy’s Law: It rains on the day you have an interview for your dream job.

Heavily.

And as you run through the downpour with your freshly pomaded hair and pressed white shirt, you make a mental note to bring an umbrella out every day for the rest of your life.

Registering for CarouPay

For the uninitiated, CarouPay is an in-app feature on Carousell that allows buyers to pay within the app through DBS PayLah! or a credit/debit card.

From a buyer’s point of view, it allows him/her to hold money in the app until a purchase is deemed satisfactory, which means a transaction is only complete when both parties are happy.

You might think: Why do I need to go through this extra step? Why can’t I just transfer the money straight into the seller’s bank account? I’ve been doing this for all my past transactions and they turned out alright.

But… Murphy’s Law: The preloved Rimowa luggage you bought turns out to be from Riwawa.

The Unicorn cake you ordered turns out to be something from a child’s nightmare.

You get cheated of S$447 trying to buy Playstation 4.

You then find yourself in the next Mothership article about Carouhell.

Packing charcoal pills when travelling

Nowadays, it’s cooler to go backpacking in an unfamiliar foreign land than to enjoy a luxurious holiday in a fancy city. But the thing about backpacking is that you have to cut down on things to bring.

You could cut down on underwear (do laundry), on portable WiFi (don’t Instagram), but one thing you shouldn’t cut down on is a trusty bottle of charcoal pills.

But… Murphy’s Law: You’re halfway up some mountain when your lunch starts churning in your stomach. In a painful, I-cannot-climb-anymore-I-need-to-do-business-right-now way.

You then empty your backpack looking for some sort of miracle while wishing you had brought charcoal pills instead of the portable WiFi.

Travel Insurance

No, no, we’re not trying to sell you anything.

Let’s say you’re travelling to the aforementioned unfamiliar foreign land, and you (still) decide to live with the risk of having a stomachache on some mountain than to bring charcoal pills.

You might weigh your options like this: Medical bills for diarrhoea is $80, and chances of getting it is not thaaat high. Travel insurance is $20, and is money that you 100% will not get back.

Hmmm, easy peasy decision. No need for charcoal pills. No need for travel insurance.

But… Murphy’s Law: Instead of getting diarrhoea, you fall off the mountain.

Broken bones and blood aside, you wonder how on earth you’re going to pay for the hospitalisation bills you just chalked up.

The $20 travel insurance suddenly seems like nothing now.

Driving with a spare tire

Car tires are heavy. They typically weigh over 7kg, and like umbrellas, take up space.

Having it in your car boot means you have less space to store extra sets of clothes and shoes. Having it mounted at the back means it’s more difficult to do reverse parking (especially for amateurs).

Screw it, flat tires never happen right?

But… Murphy’s Law: You’re on the highway when the tires go flat, so you find yourself dragging your car to the road shoulder, and waiting for the tow truck to arrive under the sun.

--

Why be sorry when you can be safe? Life is short, minimise all the bad things that could potentially happen in yours.

Like… thinking you got a good ticket deal for Halloween Horror Nights, then finding out that the seller isn’t who you think she is.

So you should always bring an umbrella out, buy travel insurance if you go overseas, and use CarouPay for safer transactions. (Yes, they are all linked.)

And if you’re wondering, CarouPay isn’t just beneficial to buyers. It also helps sellers on Carousell filter out serious buyers, as the buyers would have to pay immediately to secure an order.

As a result, there would be less back-and-forth between both parties, and more chop-chop transactions.

&&& there’s no need to pay seller fees now.

This sponsored post in collaboration with Carousell makes the the people at Mothership.sg wonder if CarouPay will cause us to have less Carouhell stories.