The last few hours of 2011. The year has flashed past. Many things have happened this year, but just like every other year, i do not feel as if anything as been accomplished.

i travelled a lot this year - Taiwan, China, Italy, Germany, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia and maybe a couple more that i don't recall now.

i got my driving licence in 5 months @ slightly below $1400. One-time pass for all theory and practical tests.

i went Laos on a self-supported bike touring trip alone. My first bicycle touring trip. My first bicycle touring trip alone. Although it's only 2 weeks, a start is better than nothing.

Time really flies.

i feel melancholic during this period. It's that empty feel in the mind/soul. i was out for a road ride just now and a new year resolution popped up in the mind - to save $30,000 next year. As for how to achieve that, it's really for me to work on it. i believe it's achievable - it's just whether i put enough effort into it.

If i want to buy an apartment so badly, i have to work for it. Flats don't just drop down from the sky like rain.

Bonus for me this year is better than i'd thought. But i know i'm already working at 99% of my capacity and it is going to be a problem of how to increase that to 105% to up the salary & bonus next year. i cannot stay at this level because it does not bring me near enough to my goal.

i so wish that i can die right now. Other than the apartment (which is more of a want than a need), i don't want anything else.

Is the world going to end in 2012? i really hope so. The future still looks bleak to me.

In peace, young men send the old. In war, old men send the young.

I thought these lines were pretty interesting...

And today, while having dinner with my insurance agent, I suddenly thought, only old(er) people drink during dinner. Young people drink after dinner. And so I'm old.

可愛いなたこ焼きキーチェーン

五年前、大阪から買いました。

On Saturday, I was riding along Jurong East when I noticed a new temporary bus interchange had been erected just beside the mrt station. It was up and all ready to function.

Immediately, I knew the existing interchange would be moved over within the next few days. (And sure it is - I saw the news on my news app today.)

This is a place where much of my schooltime memories take place. My secondary school and junior college were around the interchange and so many hours, days and years of my life were spent loitering the area. Ironically (or coincidentally, it depends on how you want to put it), both schools have shifted...

As I walk through the interchange, I feel as if a part of me died once again. Singapore seems no longer the place or home that I can call it. Every time I step out of Singapore and re-enter, a "memory" building turns into a grass patch, or a basketball court transforms into a housing estate, or more foreigners swarm the place I think i live in. (I think "infest" might be too strong/impolite a term here.)

I've often wondered how my parents' generation could live through so much change. I cannot imagine how different this place, our supposed home, looked like 40 years ago.

For sure, many will argue that this is change for the better, that Singapore is a fast-growing cosmopolitan country, that improvement is a necessity in the modern world, and that I'm just square and old and impossible to change.

I think I'm just highly melancholic.

Clubmed

First experience at Clubmed Bintan was pretty good. It's a good place for a company retreat coz it gives people enough space and activities to relax, yet at the same time provides many opportunities for bonding.

For all 4 days there, we were squeezing all sorts of activities into our schedule. We did archery, sail-boating, badminton, table tennis, squash, running on the beach, swimming, trapeze, yoga, pilates, aqua aerobics, pool, eating, and of course lots of drinking.

Boy, were we all aching from these activities. Sports people will like the place. I thought the beach walk/run was the best. In Singapore, there are no vast clean beaches. There is no way to enjoy the waves and sand as you bound around like a dog off its leash. That is a little taste of freedom.

Apart from all the activities, what made the place most memorable and fascinating were the people running the show. The G.O.s were the fellas who took charge of heading activities. They were the ones you see at archery + the beach + mingle with guests, or lifeguard + seasports + entertain kids at the pool. They were the ones who danced and performed every night. They were the ones who forever wore genuine smiles on their faces. And they were the ones who were the Energizer bunnies whose batteries never ran out.

You see them at breakfast. You see them during your activities. You might have lunch with them. You might see them in the comedy skit at night. You see them rehearsing for performances at 11.30pm. And you might see them in the morning once again, moving some furniture for an event.

Amazing bunch!!!!!!! The energy level!!!! And they are all multi-talented!!! And all can dance and shake their booties!!!

Anyway it was a good trip. I like the place but I'll go again (to other Clubmed places) only for group bonding trips. Shopping? Adventure? Exploration? Not here. :)

We met up yesterday at Novena Sq to share our travel pics. PG had her 2-month Turkey backpacking and 9-month South America trip pictures that made Mich and I drooooooooooool...

Even though I have not much desire to visit these places at the moment, I see the photos and I want to climb ALL the mountains. Unbelievably stunning shots. It's the place and the photographer.

Turkey was really beautiful and the architecture was nicely captured. She went off the beaten track and so many places were not the usual ones tourists would visit.

The mountains... She went on some 1-week treks and the scenery was so pure and heavenly. The sunrises and sunsets, the skies and clouds, the trees and wildlife, the snow...

Not fair not fair not fair!!!!! I protest!!! I also want to go!!!!

South America was gorgeous too. She travelled in this bus with a small group for most of the time. They would drive from country to country and camp at places.. She would deviate from the group for some treks and later re-join after. Lots of adventures, lots of hospitality from the locals.

Mich and I said to her, "No need to see Laos and Taiwan photos already. Ours is nothing compared to yours!!!!"

*sigh* It's the Monday blues now...

Sidenote: Novena Sq is a very dangerous place to meet at. It's the sports/camping/trekking equipment paradise and it was hard for us to move from foodcourt to cafe without passing by any of those shops. We are all quite broke already and were really happy to see the mall close by the time we finished reviewing our pix.

This 1984 thing is freaky...

Haruki Murakami's book titled 1984 was just available in bookstores a few weeks back and i was hunting for it when i was in Bangkok.

i wanted this book because i liked his literary writings. Although i'm bad at digesting literature, i find his ideas so random, it opens the mind to see things differently. Secondly, 1984 is the year i was born in.

i couldn't find it at the airport, but instead i found another 1984 by George Orwell. It's written in the 1950s, and i thought, why not try reading something a bit political just for a change? Moreover, how often do you find books with identical titles but written in totally different eras? i'm about halfway through the book and i thought it was somewhat prophetic.

There were so many points that were similar to another book i read recently. It was written by an American journalist who interviewed and followed a few North Korean defectors over a decade. It was great insight into the North Koreans' daily lives and also how the government was ruling the country.

Bearing in mind that 1984 by George Orwell was fictional and written about the same time or even before North Korea stood on its own, it's amazing how he created such details of people, daily lives and work in a system of totalitarianism and oligarchy.

Just a few minutes ago, i felt the compelling urge for Christmas songs. i did a search and opened links in 2 tabs.

First song: Do They Know It's Christmas by Band Aid, which was founded in 1984

Second song: Last Christmas by Wham! The song was produced in 1984

i don't know man... This 1984 thing is getting freaky!

After all the craziness of packing and worrying, I'm finally at the airport waiting for my flight.

I'm hoping the Bangkok airport doesn't flood when I return 2 weeks later. The situation is getting worse and it doesn't look like it's going to improve anytime soon. The Don Meung domestic airport is closed from yesterday because the runways were flooded. This airport is less than 40km from Suvarnabhumi airport, which I'm going to transit at.

At least I'm lucky to have borrowed the Evoc bike travel bag for my trip! It's really much easier to pack my bike and the rack and stuff the handlebar bag and other stuffs in, compared to using a carton box. I think it will hold up much more too.

Can't wait to touch down at Udon Thani and unpack my bike for tomorrow!

Over the past few days, I've had 2 encounters of people touching my hand on the mrt.

First one: Standing China guy tapped my hand. (I was sitting.) Looked up, he looked away and talked to friend.

Second: I was standing in front of 2 empty seats on the train (previous occupants alighted). Kid jostles through and rushes for a seat. Young grandmother taps my hand and jostles along with the kid. Chinanese too.

What is wrong with these chinanese???

I am still somewat (pun intended) unsure how my trip will turn out to be, but I'm excited at the prospect of staying away from the internet and work for 2 weeks. And it sounds so good to be living on the bare mininum an urbanite needs.

Read: NEEDS, not want :)

However, I am falling sick.. Throat's feeling sore, body lethargic, basically the feeling of getting down with a cold. I shall try not to ride this weekend and get some rest.

4 more days (excluding today) to Laos!

Unrestful Sleep

Last night I thought I would rest early so that I could ride in to office this morning. Who knows.. Got woken up by a mosquito that bit me. Decided to get the mopiko from my first aid kit to apply. At least I managed to get back to sleep, but it feels horrible to be interrupted like this.

And this morning I found a bug lying dead beside my pillow. Pretty sure it's not a mozzie but I wonder how it died.

And I'm feeling so drained now. To be honest, I'm somewhat worried about my trip. The floods. Setting my the rack on my bike. Getting a sleeping bag. The terrain. What to pack. I told myself I'll spend this weekend to get all these settled so that I can concentrate on more cycling next week.

This week, i've been feeling somewhat tired, perhaps because it was a packed weekend that passed. And somehow i'm feeling a bit lonely and down too. i don't usually crave for alcohol but tonight i did. If not for the fact that i was with KK for dinner at Pasta Fresca, i would probably have been drunk elsewhere.

The weekend is coming once more. I'm gonna sleep now.

First Times

There is always a first time to everything. The first time a child walks. The first time someone buys a pet. The first time you fall down.

The past 3 days had many first times for me. We (Mich, FS and myself) drove up to Melaka for the Burung Hantu night jamboree. I borrowed the company car, and obviously with less than 10 drives under my belt so far, it took a bit of persuasion and a little test on the M'sia highway last Thursday.

Had to work on Sat and I had to bring my bike to office, so I rode a 27km "warm-up" to office. We left at about 1.30pm. Reached there about 5+. No dinner coz there wasn't any eating place nearby. I gobbled a lot of bread, nuts, chocs and isotonic drinks.

1700+ people signed up and turned up for the ride. We missed the registration deadline so we were 3 ghost riders. Big traffic jam at the starting parts but I loved the rest of the ride. Very smooth and flowy, totally not technical, which made it so fun. 46km of trails around the UTeM campus.

The bike, the trail and the night just made me wanna go faster despite the fatigue from the long drive and the early waking up that morning.

I lost a lot of water and salt from perspiring too much but fortunately I had enough isotonic drinks to keep me going. Many riders were cramping up towards the end.

We finished 4 checkpoints out of 5 but what was most important was that we all had a lot of fun.

Bliss was when we washed up our muddy bikes and ourselves and jumped into bed. By then, it was about 3am.

So... What were the First Times we (or I) experienced?

1) Borrowing the company car
2) Borrowing the company car to drive into Malaysia
3) Driving on the highway with 3 bikes mounted on top
4) Going for night jamboree ride in Malaysia
5) Having no dinner prior to the ride
6) Driving back until we noticed petrol was getting waaaaay too little for comfort. And when we managed to reach a petrol kiosk, the metre turned 0km!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fortunately, we all got back sound and safe. We were glad not to have any issues with the height limit (of car+bikes on top) at the customs, tolls and rest points.

And this morning, my boss made me drive the van. It's my first time driving it and KK who was sitting beside me seemed to be sweating a lot... I find parking a van to be much easier than parking the car.

:D

i'm finally planning for my own holiday again! It's been a long while since i've gone for a long break (i.e. at least 2 weeks).

Leave settled. Location unknown yet. i've been wanting to go Japan since the last time i went, which was 5 years ago. This is the time to go, and yet NOT to go too. With the leaking nuclear plant and the typhoons and earthquakes, the currency is... oh jeez. i thought it's around 100 yen to sgd 1.54 but i just checked and it has jumped to 1.69!!!!! Maybe it's really not the time to go...

>.<'''

i was looking at the website of the aquarium in Osaka. It's really Japanese... with all the cute happy pictures and words. Makes me smile. i wanna go there again to see the whale shark and crabs and pufferfish and everything else.

Yesterday was dramatic and traumatic. The plane that was supposed to leave at 1155 was delayed to 1230, 1300, 1700, 1800, 1930 and then 2200, after which it left at 1017.

After 8 hours of waiting, everyone was running out of patience. There was no detailed information or assurance by Royal Brunei Airlines on how we would be dealt with. We all had spent the entire day lurking Changi Airport Terminal 2 and you could tell everyone was tired from all the waiting.

They couldn't confirm what time the engineers could get the technical problem settled.

I opted to take the same flight on the next day because I thought it wasn't fair to make my customer pick me up in the middle of the night. The airlines couldn't put me up at the airport hotel because I'm local.

Fortunately, this morning's flight was well on time. However, it's a day trip for me, so I was in Brunei (outside the airport) for only 2 hours 10 minutes.

But now, I'm sitting in the return flight, waiting for them to fix ANOTHER technical problem which would take at least 20-25 minutes. WHAT THE F*CK! RBA, just bloody change your planes!!!!!!

I thought I'd bring spare clothes just in case I would be delayed... Don't make it come true!!!!!!

My 11th stamp on my 7-month-old passport.

Off to Brunei-land

Back to the airport once more, just a couple of days of recovering from my jetlag and a super long Saturday ride.

The aim of this trip is to visit a customer, but I think my boss just wants me to take a break from office. He knows I haven't been to Brunei before and that I would love to hang out at unorthodox places.

As tired and worn as I feel, I want to enjoy this trip and explore a bit of the place. Of course I look forward just as much to meeting this customer whom I've been communicating with over emails and phone for the first time.

Time to board. Ciao!

Dreams

I overslept this morning. Wanted to ride to work but ended up snoozing and missing my alarm. I'm still jetlagged.

And I had some dream. Dreams take up a lot of energy, especially unpositive ones.

We're gonna have buffet for dinner at Senchi tonight. Hope it's good.

Meanwhile, I'm hoping to rest a bit. I feel really drained.

It was an experience yesterday morning. It was not very right but it wasn't wrong yet, plus it gave me some sort of thrill. i won't say what it was but i would like to do it again. :)

Frankfurt to Friedrichshafen

We are travelling by car on the autobahn from Frankfurt to Friedrichshafen. I'm enjoying the luxury of sitting at the back, snacking and snapping photos of the beautiful vast German landscape.

I love Germany for a couple of reasons. Things are fairly organised here. Lovely technology incorporated into the everyday things. Beautiful rurals. There's of course the cheap beer here, but that's secondary.

There was a petrol kiosk that we stopped at. It looked really neat and it felt cosy and comfortable. The toilet.. When you flushed, a rim-cleaning mechanism would extend out and the toilet bowl plastic rim would rotate to be cleaned. *jaw dropped*

Another public toilet... I couldn't find the flush. It turned out to be a touch function on one of the bricks on the wall. -.-'' sleeeek...

I hope this time round there'll be more Grohe taps around. Love those.

The weather is great now. It's around 16 deg C in the day (when we left Frankfurt just now) and I like it sunny at that temperature. The gentle baking in the sun is just so comfortable.

:)

Mich jio-ed me to watch Jump at Esplanade. 38 bucks. 1 hour 30 minutes of laughing. Loads of originality. Very exaggerated anime style. Amazing martial arts incorporated into the scenes. Absolute love. i think everyone walked out of the performance hall with a big satisfied smile on the face. i love the fact that there are no words involved. i love the energy of the group. i love the choreography and the coordination of the sound and lighting effects. This is all considering the fact that we were sitting on the second row from the last - those seats did not enjoy the powerful sound system that the hall had to offer; the performers looked really small too.

It's good to know that my first performance at the Durian was enjoyable!

Travelling Season

I think my travelling season for the year is starting soon. Mostly for business though. KL, Munich, Brunei, KL, Bintan. Hoping to do a lone backpacking trip or bicycle tour too but we shall see how it goes.

Buangs

It was a great ride today, blessed with sunny weather and dry trails. Unfortunately, I crashed again. As usual, it's at a place where I had least expected to crash. Fortunately, I got away with just a few scratches and the bruised ego.

My boss, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. He went for his road ride and landed up with a fractured femur that will put him in a wheelchair for a month, crutches for a month after that, and out of action for a long while.

His trip to Deutsche-land tomorrow will have to be cancelled. The trip to Eurobike will also be cancelled. He won't be sitting upstairs in the office for a while because we don't have a lift.

Poor thing.. My elbow suddenly feels okay already.

Seems like road riding is still one hell of a dangerous sport to me...

Or izzit just the crashing season now??

Having a lot of whiskey + life band + drag show + lots of girls around in a thai club makes me feel like riding my bike hard and fast!!!!!

Recently it's been particularly stressful at work. My desk, or rather me, has been relocated to "upstairs" which is the office on the mezzanine level of our unit. Now i'm officially sitting facing 2 bosses every day.

Sometimes when they are out-stationed or not around, i'm essentially hiding in a corner, almost staring at wall like the black kitty cat. Actually not. Still too busy to do that.

i'm still trying to get used to running up and down for files/products/cordless phone/people. My tasks have seemed to change significantly too. It's all for the better because we have a new colleague (who was my ex-colleague) who needs a desk downstairs. We are also embarking on some projects and the bosses figured they could better make use of me if i were sitting within the 2m radius of their desks.

i hope to get used to this arrangement soon and become more accurate and efficient in my work.

We had snails and beef for dinner today. K wanted to eat something non-Asian and he suggested snails and he thought it would be good to have company who ate snails, and so i was invited. The snails in garlic and butter were okay, other than what i thought the garlic was a bit too much. Unfortunately, i wasn't too impressed by the steak (ribeye medium rare). There was a slightly sweet taste in the sauce that i would prefer to go without. The texture could have been more tender and juicy.

It is raining now. i hope the wetness clears by the early morning. The guys are riding their road bikes tomorrow and they asked if i wanted to join. i can wake but to sacrifice my sleep and wake up at 4.15am for a road ride is totally absurd. If it's for a mtb ride, i wouldn't think so much. K keeps going on about road rides and stuffs. i can't understand nor feel anything for this whole road thing. It's like asking me to watch Transformers or read history. i just keep nodding and say nothing.

i'm going to bed now. i hope not to dream again that i accidentally drank a bottle of rotten drink. It was yellowish with noodle-like strands of yellow-green residue and it tasted foul. i almost got out of bed to puke in the toilet.

Yesterday morning on my way out to work, i saw the resident black cat downstairs staring hard at a pillar, with its nose just a couple of centimetres away from the white wall. My mum thought it could have been looking at some insect that could be on the wall but i didn't see any insect.

So why would a kitty cat be staring so hard at a peeling white wall?

Was he pondering about why the weather was so warm recently?

Or was he guessing if the next person to walk by would be wearing a pair of purple sneakers?

Or if the person would be carrying his second breakfast?

Or was he hoping really hard for a neighbour to throw out a nice comfy leather sofa?

Or whether Airasia would run a promo to Bali in the next few weeks?

Lying in bed, feeling stressed and vexed over nothing in particular, can't sleep.

Maybe just overwhelmed by something called Life.

Maybe the Monday blues.

Tired.

Cannondale Hooligan

This green little monster is a dear to ride! And it's just so flashy and cool... Love!

My first time taking sutures out! And also my first time taking sutures out myself! It's easier than thinking about it. All it took was my swiss army knife, lots of alcohol swabs, and a few minutes, and it's done!

Easy peasy... :) saves the time and bucks going to the clinic.

The other day i decided to open the envelope to read the letter for the GP who would take the sutures out. It didn't seem to state the number of sutures inside. i'm not sure if they are communicating in some coded language, but i didn't see any number 4 inside. It has to be stated somewhere... otherwise how would the fella know how many threads to remove?

i am listening to Yanni's beautiful compositions now and feeling some sort of sadness... His songs are so inspirational and i feel like a total loser because i'm not a person who is inspired easily.

i don't know what killed my fire for doing things. i never have the urge/motivation to race. Zero inspiration to stand on the podium. i've never wanted to get a car licence. Never wanted to be a zillionaire.

Nowadays i'm just living on impulse.

Perhaps just leave me in my own little world and let me rot away in piece(s)...

Our team clinched 3 National Championship titles at Kent Ridge today! :D

After the race support, i couldn't stand it anymore. i had to ride some trail today, so i headed to T15 for a slow loop on my own before heading back. Glad that the wound on my leg is on the way to recovery and also that my fitness hasn't dropped too much.

After riding very technical trails the past few times, it feels really fun to be on an easy track.

MY WOUND IS ITCHING LIKE MAD!!!!!!!!

A hungry bird is an angry bird.

Ouchie

This morning we went to ride at Kent Ridge. The trail was much more eroded and technical than the last time I rode it.

I fell at a place where I wouldn't have fallen if my standover on the bike was better.

The chainring sliced my lower shin. It left a splitting cut that was 3 times the original length by the time I finished the trail.

And so the bunch had to wait for me at the hospital while I got stitched up by a young good-looking doctor at the hospital.

4 stitches outside. 2 stitches inside. Abrasion on elbow. Bruised ego. Memorable 27th bird day.

Been commuting to work on my trusty ol' zaskar recently. I'm trying to get my body to feel used to the mileage and I hope to achieve riding to work and back everyday in the near future.

It's the time of stock-taking at work. We are changing over to a new system and I'm trying as far as possible to get every single item in the warehouse barcoded. It is a long and tedious task because it just takes so much time and I keep getting interrupted by calls/emails/people.

This will not be over in just a few days... There will be another count in the Malaysian office next month.

*frustrated*

i don't want to like a person whom i don't see a future with!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just when i thought everything was going well in my life, my brain hit rock-bottom. Somehow, on this lovely Monday of stock-counting at work, i suddenly felt hungry and depressed.

Road Bike

On Monday, I borrowed the company road bike to ride back just to have a feel of riding a road bike on the road.

It's my first time on a road bike. My suspicions are confirmed - riding road bike is boring. I don't feel the thrill like what all the roadie colleagues tell me.

I can't ride like a roadie, minding all the holes and stones and kerbs. Riding down 1 or 2 steps doesn't hurt.

The biggest advantage is that I use lesser energy to get to work. (Note: travelling time is almost the same because I take park connectors and pavements too)

Sadly the commonly-used sprocket was worn and skipping on that bike. I didn't dare to sprint on it. Plus road brakes suck, I lagi didn't dare to suck on buses or trailers.

I was supposed to return the bike the next morning - specific instructions from store manager. On that early morning, I jumped up in bed at the crash of thunder at 2+am.

"Oh man! How am I supposed to ride a road bike in a super downpour and thunderstorm?!" And I crossed my fingers for it to stop raining and get a bit drier within 4 hours...

And it did. Phew!

I was going to say maybe if the bike was fitted better to me, I might ride it again. But then I thought again and I can't find a reason to give up time riding my GT or Intense to ride that skinny thing.

I see the header of this bus number 187 that says "Gong Xi Fa Cai". Isn"t it a bit too early for that now????? It's more than 6 months away!

It is pouring now. It's been pouring on and off the past few days. Orchard Road got flooded a few days ago (and as i'm typing right now, i think it will flood again).

The bikes that raced during the weekend were all suffering from totally worn-out jockey wheels and botak brake pads. Someone's new XTR shifters were stuck. Another rider's gripshift almost couldn't shift.

i'm so tired once again from work. It's the school holidays and it's my colleagues' turns to travel with their families or for business. June is always the time for all the European meetings. And so i'm stuck here packing for shipments and trying to catch up with the infinite Mt. Paperwork. At the same time, i'm trying to at least commute to work to maintain my fitness. Plus secret project after work. Going nuts.

i'm looking forward to a break. i'm trying to keep this weekend totally free so i can do my own thing.

i'm looking into a holiday in the second half of the year. Extremely tempted to go Japan but not willing to part with my savings.

Time to sleep.

Endurance Race

Over the weekend, our team raced in this 12-hour night race (5pm to 5am). 3 of us were there as support for the 5 solo riders.

If you thought riding 12 hours was bad, supporting riders for 12 hours was equally bad, if not worse.

We had a place at the main tentage and another some 200m away along the feeding area. We had to make trips back and forth to fill the riders' bottles with their specific concoctions. 5 riders = 5 recipes.

At any time, we tried to have at least 1 support person at each point so the riders could get their drinks/food/bike wash/lube/wash/anything.

Honestly the race went pretty well. There were many areas that could have been improved greatly but for a start, it was decent. 2 podium finishers I think.

It's really encouraging and motivating to have appreciative riders too. It's a reciprocal thing, yeah?

During halfway the race, one of the riders Calvin was resting at the tent. He said "I don't feel like riding anymore..."

"NOOOO!!! How can!!? We burn our whole Saturday and Sunday and you say don't want to ride anymore????" :(

"Okay okay ya I ride faster!!!" And poof, he went off. :)

Amazing bunch of fellas with amazing positiveness... They were really tired but I could see the fire burning in them.

Nothing that I will ever have in me.

Will just stick to race support. Afterall, what's a team without the support?

Dreams...

Some nights ago, I slept late and had to get up really early to ride to a colleague's place. It was raining in the night and the thunder was so loud, it snapped me up from my sleep at 12.14am. "MCipollini!!!" was the first thing that flashed in my head.

Too much bike in my life...

A friend was just renovating his bike shop and doing up his POS system all over again. It's tedious with at least 6000 items to input. One night, he dreamt there was a guy standing beside his bed and there was a big barcode on his face.

Too much bike in his life too...

Been hanging out pretty often with a colleague recently. All he talks about is bikes/riding. I like it but sometimes it feels really too much - too much bike in my life.

Too much bike (or anything else) in anyone's life can get scary...

The weekend that passed was spent in the bike exhibition in Jakarta. It's been... 20 years since I went Jakarta?

The really positive thing was the super crowd at the show for all the 4 days. The hall was shared by the bikes and the tourism thing but the crowd was mostly at the bike area.

The hotel was nice... plus it's really good to be staying just a 5-minute walk from the exhibition hall. No jams, no rush in the mornings. The window of our room was facing a nice big pool but no time and no chance for a dip. :(

i like the food in Indonesia. Love the taste of different Asian foods. Love the way they cook their noodles/beef balls/minced meat noodles/shells/fish/etc.

Don't like the smog that's forever hanging in the air. Never got to see a clear blue sky.

On the last day, we had some time to shop and visit bike shops before our flight back. My boss insisted that i had to see this shop... OMG OMG OMG. All the fixies. All the very classic, retro fixies. All the antique bicycles and cars and motorbikes and furniture in a basement unit. Cars that looked like they would fly were outside the shop. Left-hand drive VW. Chill... really, really, really chill... There is no shop in Singapore that captures even 10% of that feel. Now i know where i should buy my fixie next time.

~~~

After all these work trips, i realise a work trip is still a work trip. It can never feel like a holiday.

Anyway no more trips in line so far... but i'm itching to go for a break on my own somewhere.

After a nice dinner of mee siam and lots of other delicious foods, plus a red wine, it's whiskey time! Best thing - I'm drinking "legally" and openly in front of my parents.

This is the first time I'm chewing a chilled carrot while sipping 30-year Macallan at the same time...
Life's short. Live it while you can.

It's been a really, really long time since i've hear beautiful, chilling music that brings a tear to the eye... i've been checking out Kenji Kawai's concert pieces and there were really inspiring but somewhat harrowing ones...

It's amazing how the strings and wind and keyboards and drums and so many other percussions and vocals all blend in beautifully together.

To be honest, i miss playing the electone. i'm even to the point of being envious of the musicians in the concert.

i can't appreciate classical music in its purest form but music that clearly represents certain feelings, i feel them strongly.

i think i've finally realised what music i really like... Thinking back, i've always loved the music in many movies. The music just makes everything else fall in place.

i want to buy all the movie/anime OSTs in the world... plus a super sound system... and soundproof my room. Don't know if many out there will understand how the music makes me feel so alive... :)

So early in the morning...

It's 6.15am and I'm sitting like a stone at the prata shop at Changi V 45km away from home.

Doesn't help that last night we went to watch Kumar's stand-up comedy and I reached home at 2.30am and slept at 3.15am.

It's a bit nuts if I were to do this often, but I don't mind doing this for the fun and enjoyment of both watching stand-up comedies and supporting our team at races.

But this time round, no slacking for the race support because we have 6 racers and 2 support (incl. myself) for a 4-hour race.

ZZZZ...
Life's short. Live it while you can.

France

Honestly, I thought my Italian experience would be much better than France, but it seems like the service in France is much better.

All the stories about the noses high up in the air...

The French service people and airport/airplane crew are polite and much more attentive and sincere! Surprise surprise... :D

Okay, just a few days in Italy and a few hours in France, maybe i shouldn't be making a judgement now...

Life's short. Live it while you can.

Our luggage finally arrived, so we will not be so underdressed for tonight's press conference.

I am now chilling in my room, getting ready for my nap.. Listening to Italian radio on my hp.. Book and me sprawled on the bed......


Life's short. Live it while you can.

Castello di Pavone

Life's short. Live it while you can.

The Italian Experience

We arrived in Torino yesterday morning (local time) after a 1 hour 25min running transit in Paris from a 13-hour long haul flight from Singapore.

Unfortunately, our luggage couldn't run with us. We are now living out of our small backpacks with only a plain white cotton tee and some basic toiletries from Air France.

For some reason, this time round, I took my hp chargers onboard with me. It is not my usual practice and it is as if my mind already anticipates this luggage delay. So at least I'm still very much contactable by colleagues and folks.

This morning 7.30am, my boss called the airlines only to find out that our bags are still in Paris. Why were they not transferred to Torino in the after flight yesterday? Lazy buggers? They promised 2-3pm yesterday, yet nothing done.

We have been wearing the same outfits (and underwear) for the past 2 days.

We are moving to the castle about an hour's train ride from the city centre where we stayed yesterday. The airlines asked, "How many days will you be staying there?".

This was not reassuring and we decided to shop for some clothes before going to the castle. We reckon there will not be shops around there.

And so we end up with 2 bags full of boutique clothes. I have 2 Kappa polo shirts, a pair of Hilfiger jeans and a Espirit shirt. Unfortunately, rushed and forced shopping is not very fun.

But anyway we are now on the train to Castello di Pavone. Do castles have Wifi?
Life's short. Live it while you can.

The weekend at Putrajaya was good. Got to ride the trail that I've long wanted to ride. Decided not to race on the Sunday because I just didn't feel up to it - both physically and mentally. Instead, I supported the team by feeding and taking photos. I got well sun-baked in the process.

It was fun to hang out with the group. It's an insight to the racers' habits and styles. Truly fighters in spirit too. Results were decent too, although could be better with more luck in the mechanical side.

Anyway, now I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my boss to arrive. We are going Italy for a meeting and at the same time catch a glimpse of the Giro d'Italia that starts this Saturday. I think we will be getting special passes into the Giro.

It's gonna be a long journey (13 hours) to Paris and then a short flight (1 hour 25 min) to Torino. I'm so gonna be bushed by then. Suddenly 13 hours seems very long compared to the flight to London last time.
Life's short. Live it while you can.

Just now i got my drivetrain washed up, cassette and chain changed, bent the rear d cage into decent alignment and changed my freewheel body to a ti one that my colleague saved from another hub some time back.

The "new" freewheel body just makes the rear wheel spin non-stop. Before this, i already thought my hub was about the best that i could ever have. Tonight, i get a taste of really top-notch stuff.

It really cut so much resistance and makes the ride so smooth, it's totally cheating.

But i'm loving my WI DJ hubs!!!

Now the drivetrain is clean and half new, there is no reason not to perform well in the race this Sunday.

Been feeling really tired and drained since coming back from China over the long weekend.

At work, it's the usual ops but with many loose ends to tie up because of the out-of-office period. Brought my bike in for servicing for the race on Sun but seems like there is no time for me nor my mechanic colleague to work on the bike.

At the same time, there is all the prep for the distributor meeting next week (almost back to back with my riding trip this wkend) and the Indo trade show end of May.

Have my secret agenda to settle too. This takes too much time and energy.

My cough is still existent from almost 2 weeks ago.

The worst thing is, the other day I met my neighbour who wanted to visit our place. She asked me for my unit number, and my mind totally blanked out. Then I told her a wrong unit number.. And then the correct number came along..

I really couldn't remember what's my unit. And I've been staying there for 20 years?

Hope it's just me tired and nothing else...
Life's short. Live it while you can.

Last week i was in China with my parents and relatives. We were in 汕头 province to visit our root and most of the time was just self-entertainment with my little shooter. i like this picture a lot. You can't find this sort of thing now in Singapore.

Now this is the wallpaper on my laptop. No more al fresco restaurant in Germany!

In case anyone's wondering, i didn't edit the picture other than up the exposure a bit. i like the camera's retro effect. i like most of the effects this camera has to offer. The colours are always so... correct. :)

Last night, I had a very vivid dream. I dreamt I was talking to someone (whom I supposedly know but don't know) about another friend from my secondary school. I can very clearly remember the features of the person I was talking to. We were sitting in her bmw talking. I cannot remember what her exact words were but it was all so clear in the dream.

She said my secondary school friend attempted suicide but failed. I don't know this person very well but I couldn't imagine that could happen.

I was upset. I was upset because just recently (in the dream), someone else attempted suicide too.

Some people say dreams have no colours. My dreams are in HD colours, with rich memories, thoughts and vivid feelings. Sometimes my dreams feel larger than life.
Life's short. Live it while you can.

Instructors

I can't quite understand why instructors can be impatient. Students are there to learn. Isn't it because they are not well-versed in a skill/knowledge, that's why they are there as students?

And so I was quite annoyed by the instructor this evening. He sounded too impatient and annoyed when I missed a couple of points.

And so I told him, "Jimmy, I'm not doing this on purpose."

That seemed to improve his tone a bit after that... I wonder why.
Life's short. Live it while you can.

At work today, I'm glad I cleared up many loose ends and lots of emails although I couldn't help unpack the shipment that arrived.

Recently, I've been feeling more impatient than usual. I keep getting the feeling that someone who can help alleviate my workload is not really helping enough. It feels like, to this person, helping out in operations is something out of the job scope - which is not.

I don't mind working doubly or triply hard to get things done. It's just that I only have 2 hands and 2 legs and 2 ears and 1 body at a time. Things that have to be completed simultaneously, I can't manage. I can't entertain a walk-in customer and entertain another customer on the phone at the same time!

My weakness is follow-up for customers. I'm trying to fix that so that they have no problems with their customers too.

Sometimes I wish I won't be taken for granted too often...

Life's short. Live it while you can.

It's the time of the year once more to visit the urns of our ancestors. It was crowded this time round, probably because it's the last weekend for the visiting.

My father was a bit strange. Usually it's a custom or rule to enter prayer halls bare-footed and leave your footwear outside. I usually don't enter the prayer halls but just wait outside. My father asked me to stand at the entrance to look after his shoes.

I thought this was quite odd because I have never been requested to do this in the past 26 years of my life. He says that it's because these shoes are expensive.

On another note, I wonder if small issues like this will ever create major mistrust among fellow worshippers?

I had a Muslim classmate last time who preferred to leave his bag in the empty classroom rather than bring it to the mosque on Fridays. He said that someone else had stolen his bag before while he was praying.

~~~

I'm officially on a quest to eat lots of spicy foods so that I'll be immune to it! :)
Life's short. Live it while you can.

i got duped for lunch today...

i was at the Muslim hawker centre at Joo Chiat and decided to order white fried bee hoon for lunch... i was very, very wrong to assume that white means not-so-spicy.

It was the most spicy plate of bee hoon i've ever eaten in my whole life!!!!! There was chopped chilli, possibly red chilli padi, fried together with everything else. i was dropping tears virtually throughout the whole sesson of stuffing myself with it... and the little girl sitting opposite me must have been busy wondering why. i'm not new to spicy food, but even in comparison to Thai food, Mexican food and Indian food..............

Was feeling very hollow today. Decided to take some B&W pictures just to represent my colourless feelings today.

Do a search for Mint Jam on youtube... i just got the shivers listening to the guitar... something that hasn't happened for a really long time.

Love the genre too...

Horror in the a.m.

As usual my mother and i were talking about property on the way to the mrt station. She told me someone just sold this 2-storey corner shophouse at Geylang Lor 20... I guessed S$1.1mil? Nope. S$2mil????

S$6.3 whooping millions horrr!!!!!!!!

What the fish????!! HOW TO BUY ALL MY DREAM SHOPHOUSES NEXT TIME??????

Wtfwtfwtf...
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

i'm feeling so contented... yet nostalgic...

at the age of (almost) 27, i feel contented and fortunate to have met all the people i have met and experienced what i've experienced so far.

i've had the best time ever holding a mini "ge tai" in the KTV with my colleagues last time. Singing all the bouncy, happy songs and jumping around without bothering about how we sound.

i've ever felt like the happiest kid on earth just doing the simplest day-to-day stuffs... like eating something that i really, really like.

Having to feel the tingle through my body listening to beautiful music from top-grade electone players.

having wonderful bosses at work and being able to really look up to them and learn how to be a better person.

swinging on a swing like a kid!!!!!!!!!!

it's so rare to find a group of friends with similar interests and can get along with. At least i've found them. cycling & travelling & fooding... (small problem is that everyone can't stop travelling, now it's so hard to get everyone together again.)

i've met such warm and friendly locals while travelling... of course there were nasty ones but i can't remember them any more.

etc etc etc...

most of all, i feel glad that i have friends who want to hang out with me. :)

the brain has been in a frenzy again recently. working on secret project which i have absolutely no interest in, and therefore it is a big pain in the ass. had a strange but contented dream the other night - i was dating a younger guy who was pretty cool and matured. been riding a fair bit - short rides but a good variety of road, mountain and urban.

i even spinned out drafting a bus on the way home just now...

i think i'm gaining a bit of weight, but i suppose if my fitness is okay and i can still fit into my clothes, i shouldn't bother too much about it.

as usual, i'm looking forward to my overseas trips. but... i realise i haven't been on a pure holiday (and no work) trip alone for a while. need to plan something and throw myself in some foreign land soon.

the itinerary to the shantou trip mid of this month looks so boring, i can't believe it. it's like some organised tour with what ancestral prayers and temple visits... gosh. what am i getting myself into... is it a trip of reminiscence of being a kid sleeping in the coach all day on tour groups?

how to try new food??? how to see new things??? how to orientate myself in the new environment??? how to wander around the town like a lost dog???

Horrible dream

Yesterday, we had a great ride on the trails and road. Although it wasn't my usual riding group, the 5 of us got along pretty crazy. 3 are our company's sponsored riders, so technically they were supposed to be training instead of riding with us mere mortals.

Fortunately, it was a familiar route so the faster guys could move ahead while we tottered along far behind.

At BT, B was attacking the rocks that led up to the trail while A was getting ready to attack behind. And just so suddenly, both of them suddenly fell synchronised! B had his crankset hit and A oversteered (I think). It was hilarious!!!!!! I was behind watching and laughing and almost rolling on the ground!! No bruises except for the ego. I think there were at least 10 over riders behind me watching too.. :P

We went to the few trails in the network and the other 3 went an extra loop in another trail nearby while we kept ourselves occupied with H2O and tea... :D. The general pace was good and the trails were fairly dry except for a few mud puddles. My bike was feeling 110% once more. Fine-tuned a bit on Saturday and now it's more alive. Love!

Then we headed to the zoo for KFC. And after that someone said,"Cannot, I need teh halia ah...". So we headed to Casuarina for tea. Relaxed ride on the pavement to there.

Honestly I'm quite surprised they like riding on the pavement... Because 2 of them are roadies. :)

I think the ride was really good. Good weather, fun riders, eye-candy calves...

And so I was sun-burnt and sleepy when I got back. Thought it would be a good night's rest but instead I spent most of the night dreaming I was on holiday sight-seeing and on the last day, I was still out and my flight details were in the hotel... So I didn't know my flight was at 4pm or 8pm?

Panic, manic, rush, crowded places, misplaced items, search for people...

I'm glad that is never gonna happen in real life.
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

Everyday I read the news on my blackberry or watch it on tv, I can't help wishing there's lesser news. The saying is right - no news is good news.

Everyday I see news on bombings, terror attacks, murders, floods, quakes, typhoons, abuse, famine, drought... I'm fortunate to be living my life although I hate it.

The calling is getting a bit louder. Perhaps I really want to go out there to make positive change to people's lives. Just like how I feel so helpless about the Japan situation now.. What can I do other than breaking my piggy bank and donating what I can?
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

the laphroaig 10 year single malt scotch whisky is too smokey for my taste. honestly, even though many people don't like jack daniels, it's still my favourite. macallan isn't to my taste too... it's too light.

a quiet evening all by myself in my room, putting up the wall decals i got in taiwan. it's a manic day so far - at least i think i was running on adrenaline half the time. a nice beer would be good to calm my fraying soul.

i hate being here, back at home. it just gives me some negative vibes. my soul never lasts long here before i drain out and wish i'm dead all over again.

there must be a monster lurking in the room. it's eating my soul. it's eating my mind out.

there are 2 sets of wall decals in my room.

first, it's something by william blake.

only after i put it up did i realise it's a beautiful but quite a sad piece... sigh. live with it for the next few years.

the next is better and more cheery.

i took quite a bit of time deciding how to arrange the layout because the tv and fish tank are there and i had to work around those. but it's all worked out! check out the mail-bird sending the love letter. the squirrel trying to catch its dropped acorn. the squirrel with its stash on the right. the squirrel with the acorn leaning against the tree. the biggie and smallie owls stoning.

it's a bit messy but at least a tad more lively than before.

Back to Reality

Yesterday's returning to Singapore was a big snap back to reality. Ouch.

Today, because of the roster we planned, I was back in office for half a day. Essentially my mind was in a big whirl with all the loose ends to tie up, invoices to prepare, 2 weeks of emails to respond to, meeting minutes to prepare, price lists to send out, etc.

I have tomorrow to recharge before I start to work on adrenaline again on Monday.

I'm missing Taiwan already.
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

Taking the Choo Choo Train up the West Coast of Taiwan

The view is mostly of farms, factories and small towns. I am going from Kaohsiung to Taipei on the zhi4 qiang2 express which takes 4 hours 50 minutes and costing NT845.

The scenery on the east coast was a vast contrast. From Taipei down to Hualien and further down to Fang Liao, I was spoilt for choice between looking out of the left side window to the Pacific Ocean, or the right side for the range of mountains (including all the Taroko things) peeking from behind clouds.

:D
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

2 days in Hengchun

Rented a bicycle today for NT250. Only when I rode out of the shop did I realise it's really very crap. Serves me right for not test-riding.

The bb or crank wasn't installed properly and it wobbled when I pedalled. The left brake barrel adjustor was not threaded in properly... about to drop off. Gears, index shifters, obviously are not the best shifters on earth and expectedly, were not much tuned at all. Seatpost was too short, it couldn't even give a short-legged person (i.e. me) a proper leg extension.

Right from the start of my ride, I knew I wasn't going to finish what I planned to cover for the day.

Apart from that, highlights of the ride included:
Beautiful seas throughout
White sand on Bai Sha Wan
Awesome view at Mao Bi Tou
A glimpse into Yoho Bike Hotel!!!!
Eating at food stalls just outside locals' homes
Getting lost countless times

I didn't get to see Eluanbi beacon... :'( Didn't want to take the risk of riding back in the dark coz there are really no street lamps.

It doesn't help that today there was a terrible 8.8 earthquake in Japan that will potentially cause major tsunamis to many countries around the pacific. Taiwan (and Eluanbi) is one of those countries... And I'm staying along the coast!!!!!!

Now I'm feeling a bit hungry coz I ate dinner too early. But I'm so reluctant to step out of my room coz... The corridor is a bit dim and deserted, the building is quite quiet, the small lane outside is dark, and I'm terrified that a tsunami will come pouring after me.

Hai... Let's just wait for breakfast tomorrow morning.

I'm left with NT1900. I have to get back to Taipei tomorrow. At least there will be more banks/money changers/places that accept card/backpacker's.
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

New Passport Cover!!!

With a new passport comes a new passport number and new passport cover!

Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

Ximending

Ximending - a place where everyone thinks we are students and 22 years old.

We were in this cute shop (shop that sells cute things) and started talking to the sales person. I couldn't decide which of the 4 colours of the iconic Shinkansen character socks to buy. Tempted to buy all 4 colours but it's just too much!

Then the sales girl asked us our age. And so we said, "Guess it right at the first try and I'll buy 4 pairs, otherwise it'll be 2 pairs."

*sales girl stressed*

22?
Nope.
Her colleague wanted to join in.
23?
Nope.
Up or down?
Can't tell you, no fun like this.
Okay, okay, up.
Huh? I was still going to guess down.

Finally, Biggie said,"She's 27, I'm 28."

Disappointed faces. :D

But I bought 4 pairs of Shinkansen socks nevertheless.

I love the friendliness and playfulness of the Taiwanese.

And just out of the shop, on the famous square of Ximending, this student approached us to sell something to raise funds for their school fees. He, too, thought we were students. His friend, this butch, was so funny. She leaned over and asked, "TB?".

??? What's that...

"Tomboy.."

Ah.. Yes yes, I said.

Such directness. How rare. Or is it because the Singapore flavour is rarer there? :)

So they are called Tomboys here. Biggie calls them Xiao B. I don't have any name for them. To me, it's guy or girl, or maybe mei nu, or lang zhai.
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

First night in Taipei

Lots of walking around, checking out shops and food and clothes. Many butches on the street, many giving us funny looks.

Time didn't pass so quickly while looking at clothes, but when we entered this Taiwanese-designed household product store, a good hour flew by, and so did a thousand NTD from my wallet. I'm really a sucker for those kitchen and bathroom accessories.

I nearly killed my ankle on the way to the hotel because of some uneven ground; fortunately it's still holding up and not twisted. But my wrist is aching like mad now. I don't know if it's the cold weather.

On the flight from HK to Taipei just now, a very amusing conversation happened:

Air-steward: (came to my seat, looking at the lady beside me) Miss Tan? You ordered vegetarian food?

Me: Yes, I did.

Steward: Okay. Are you travelling alone?

Me: Yes.

Steward: How old are you?

Me: (very proudly proclaimed) 27.

Steward: Pretend I never asked!!!

And we, including some eavesdropping passengers, were holding our stomachs and laughing like mad... :)
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

Aeroplane

Sitting comfortably in a corner of the plane, waiting to fly off. So sleepy from the 2-hour sleep last night. Hope I get to catch 400 winks on this flight. Then it will be party time tonight!!!

The very long-awaited Taiwan and the MMs... :D
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

My mind is tearing itself apart..

I'm on the train to work and I just saw one of the hawker centres from my childhood all closed up. It's also barricated up, which means it's gonna be gone in no time.

I already expected it because the govt wants to do something with this old estate, but to actually see it happen is heart-wrenching and shocking. Just a few months back I cycled there and took some photos and even had a sugarcane drink there. It will never happen again.

And if I wasn't even through with this shock in the early morning, I saw a new small road some stations away. When did that pop up!??!

Everything is changing too fast, my heart, mind and body can't catch up. With all the lack of sleep, manic work days, plus the flurry of getting all the loose ends tied up and bookings settled for my trip on Saturday, I feel as if I'm gonna break down.

I love travelling and I'm so looking forward to this long-awaited trip with Biggie, and I'm hoping I won't collapse before then.
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

The Beautiful Mind

I have an aunty who has some mental problem. I'm not exactly sure what she experiences but during the New Year that just passed, we went to visit my uncle (my father's bro) and her.

She doesn't like my dad for this particular reason that I shall not disclose, and she does not hide the fact that she doesn't like him.

First she asked what drinks we wanted. Hot tea it was. She went to the kitchen to make the tea and came out with 2 cups, presumably because she has only 2 hands to hold those.

No, she asked my father to get his tea from the kitchen himself. Erm... *awkwardness*

And the tea was unbelievably sweet. I'm not sure if it was meant to be this sweet?

We didn't speak much, her just sitting on the couch and the rest of us just having small talk and me sitting on the floor reading the papers.

When we were leaving, she suddenly decided to invite us to some occasion. I can't remember what the event was, but that's besides the point. She asked only my mum and I, specifically leaving my father out.

Ouch...

But as far as this bluntness (and comedy) goes, I find it all so beautiful. It's a classic example of how hypocrisy is totally non-existent. The mind, less a few screws, shows the true thoughts and feelings - a trait that is close to extinction in the modern society.
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

And so the weekend is over in a blink.

It was pretty funny how it all started. Just last Wednesday, we two were sitting somewhere having teh and suddenly, he said, "i want to take the ktm train!". We all know this has to be done really soon because the train tracks in Singapore will be removed (most probably) by mid year.

i've always been wanting to take the train again... Actually i love taking trains, except for the one to work every day.

And i said, "How about this weekend?".

We were already planning to check out the Natas fair on either Friday or Saturday and ride on either Saturday or Sunday. BUT... the train was very important too. It's really now or never.

He thought i was kidding... "No, really", i said.

Steady ah! We would hit the travel fair on Friday night and then head up to Malaysia on Saturday morning. After some thought, i proposed we take a bus to JB, grab a coach from Larkin terminal to either Butterworth, KL or somewhere in-between, stay a night, then take the train back on Sunday morning.

This plan... because it's the cheapest option i can think of. And then i suddenly thought of going to Kajang where it's famous for satay.

And so we went. Fairly impromptu. Fairly random.

i say, the feeling is good to have such sudden trips. It gives me some element of excitement and surprise, plus it's so rare to find someone you get along with who happens to be free on a trip like this. It's also very nice that both of us are not fussy about food and accommodation and itinerary (and we were both wearing the Vibram 5-toes shoes).

There wasn't much of a highlight in the 2 days, but it's just roaming around looking at small shops and supermarkets and taking things easy that was nice. Back in the clean room of Prescott Metro Inn, it's just snacking, tv, chatting and tasting a cigar. Ultimate shiokness...

It sucks that i couldn't sleep very well though... i seem to be having sleep problems recently. The coming week is going to be totally crazy again. My bosses will be out of town for 3 days. We are going to have a few big shipments going out. i have my driving theory class on Tuesday, driving theory test on Wednesday and practical lesson on Thursday. i have to meet a friend for belated dinner. AND... i'm flying on Saturday for Taiwan.

Manic... i'm going crazy just thinking about it.

Cigar

:D

There is always a first time.

~love from kajang~
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

We were talking about how my maid's chickens back in her home could go back at 5pm every day without fail...

Iis: The chickens will make all the sounds at 5+ in the morning to wake everyone up.

Mother: And then they (the chickens) go brush their teeth?

Iis & Me: ????????????? Chicken got teeth meh?!!

Frenzy busy day

This morning I was so grumpy and feeling shitty. Who knows, all the work and meetings made the day fly past and lifted my mood a little. :)
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

Friends

I realised friends are such wonderful people. They motivate you to do all good things in the world. Of course there are bad ones but that's besides my point.

Three examples off the top of my head on what friends have inspired me so far:

- Eat capsicum. I've always disliked the taste until this friend kept telling me to try the bbq-ed ones with a bit of salt sprinkled on.

- Take up driving. Just hang out with riders with licences but without vehicles, you will be so tempted to get a licence and use the company vehicle to transport us all to the trails overseas.

- Sleep early. By 10.30 or 11pm every night, they end the conversation on bbm or msn, saying they are going to bed. And they always say "sleep early!!!" or "go to bed now!!!!".

Lovely... :)
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

Void Deck

This morning I woke up in a small shock to know that I totally missed the alarm clock. I really badly wanted to ride to work...

And I can't get the Gummi Bears song out of my head. I really wish I can play it on the electone. The choice of instruments and the voice and the happy lyrics make the song so beautiful.
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

My snails can hop. How do snails hop, you'll ask.

In my tank, the pipes for the filter are not attached to the sidewall of the tank by those clips with suckers. i took those out because the lousy ones would just come off after a while and i'm not keen to stick my hand in every other day to stick it back.

In my tank, my snails are the ones in charge of cleaning (in the aspect of algae). But for a while, i had only 1 snail in that tank, and so i think it couldn't manage it very well, so the pipes are always brown with algae instead of their original green. i introduced the 5 other fellows and by the next day, voila (!), the pipes look so clean as new!

So how do they get across to the pipes if the pipes don't touch the wall? It only makes sense if they hop over...

i can't believe i'm awake at 6.30 in the morning (not by choice) and surfing the net and blogging and doing my thing. Recently, i try to force myself to bed early (i.e. by midnight) but i end up waking up at 6 in the morning, wondering what i'm doing waking up so early.

i have been communicating with friends who apparently are pretty early sleepers. So once our conversations end, they usually bug me to go to bed. i guess this is good influence. :)

Barney Saddle!!!

Oh mama... I absolutely LOVE this awesome purple on the Tundra2!!!!!!! One of these is gonna be mine!!! :P
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

We were on our way to Queensway to get some contact lenses and were waiting for the bus at Queenstown MRT. The HDB block just behind the bus stop... i thought only the flats were vacant waiting for the en bloc, but the coffeeshop, provision shop, hairdresser and pawnshop were all closed!!!!! i thought i passed by just a few days back and they were opened????

If that wasn't shocking enough, i wanted to chill at Villa Bali and we took a stroll there after dinner. The bridge across the big drain was "closed for maintenance" and the other end of the bridge where the bistro was was pitch dark. It was quiet. We could only hear the voices from the nearby bar, Handle Bar.

The single-storeyed blocks in the estate were mostly empty. The dilapidated brownish "Lock Road" sign stood quietly under a tree. As we ventured towards the dark place where Villa Bali used to stand, we could make out the dark silhouette of the big chute that held construction waste. The plants were all shifted to the side. The cane seats and tables were no longer there. Neither was the canopy...

i wish i went there a few weeks earlier. It's one of my favourite chill-out places. i love the food, the drinks and the atmosphere.

We ended up in Handle Bar. It was my first time there. The service crew didn't take any notice of us for at least the first 15-20 minutes. i occupied myself by looking around at all the motorbike-passion-inspired decoration. There were motorbike handlebars on display, lots of decals, event banners, blinkers, tattoo photos, thongs, a cruiser bicycle etc etc etc - basically very American style.

There was a sign that hanged high outside saying they would be close from 20th Feb onwards. (The whole estate there is going to be taken over and revamped.) Looks like my visit to Handle Bar will be the first and the last.

And now that i just finished listening to the theme song from Gummi Bears, i feel more nostalgic than ever.

What's my memory of all these beautiful things and places?

My wrist is starting to feel suan again before it rains... Looks like it might need some tuning by the Chinese chiropractor again soon.

It's so amusing today... My boss spent the first half of this week out-stationed with my colleague. And now that he's back in office, he's got a lot of issues to air. Or rather, he just needed to blab everything to someone... and that would be me.

Today's one-sided conversation consisted of too wide a range of vocabulary and words and alphabets and actions that are usually not in his dictionary. i sense a lot of frustration and perhaps some disappointment too.

As i listened, i didn't know whether to laugh or to cry... Hahahaa!!! These words were not targeted at myself, so it really seemed quite amusing.

Wish i can provide some ideas/solutions...

Travels

Travel agenda for the coming 3 months:
- Taiwan
- China
- Malaysia (tbc)
- Italy
- Indonesia

I'm glad the first stamp in the new passport won't be the Malaysian stamp! My previous passport has too many of those!!!!
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

Riding with colleagues

This afternoon, my colleague from the retail side called to ask about something... And he (Jun) also asked...

Jun: Eh, Juliana, when are you going to join me and Jer for mtb ride?

Me: Erm... Like that you need to bring picnic basket. You ride 5 minutes, wait for 30 minutes for me to catch up.

Jun: No la, don't have! My girlfriend also wants to try mtb-ing. The other day I rode with her, she said I was too fast, cannot catch up, wanted to take taxi back.

Me: Of course you fast la! You are one of the top riders in Singapore leh!!!!!! -_-''

(Yes, he's one of the top national riders here...)

So humble... I feel honoured to be asked out for a ride. Must train hard and build up the fitness and skill!!!
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

Currently i have 6 little snails in my big tank - 3 big fellas, 1 medium and 2 small. The other day, i shifted 1 big fella to my small tank (which is vacant at the moment), thinking that it will help to eat the algae.

The first few days, i occasionally saw it walking on the tank wall slightly above the water level. It would venture up towards the filter for all the brown stuff up there.

The night before, i thought something familiar was sitting on this decorative miniature sushi acrylic box just beside the tank. It was our dear snail-san, happily perched there. i thought i'd better put it back in case it was lost and not-so enjoying itself.

And yesterday, when i proudly wanted to show my friend this snail, i couldn't find it again. Hunted high and low, borrowed her eyes, my mum's eyes, flipped all my bags/mags/things nearby, but snail-san was nowhere in sight.

This morning, i was quite active when the alarm clock went off. Decided to do another hunt because time is so crucial in ensuring its survival out of water... i found it stucked on the wall below the tank.

That fella... is so resilient to conditions. Nevertheless, i sent it back to the big tank with all it's other little friends. i think it misses one of them. Now, i see them strolling around the tank together, probably having some snack along the way.

After all, it's Valentine's Day, isn't it?

happy valentine's day everyone!

These few days have been pretty good with lots of exercise and eating. Yesterday morning's ride at Tampines trail was so disappointing, we left the place under half an hour. Half the trail was closed. What was open was monotonous and boring. XC riders had to sign in at the security hut. BMX riders have to take a safety course ($30) and get a cert before riding the BMX track. The trail that we could ride was just winding bits on a small hill. It's really not my idea of mountain biking.

And yesterday, there was a PJC Odac gathering at Mrs Wee's place. This time they decided to have a steamboat lunch so people would stay there a bit longer. Great food, great company. The 2 kids Kai Bing and Kai Lun have really grown. They are 2 really great kids. Very close brothers, smart, with a sense of humour, yet retaining the child in them. When i whipped out my camera (the one with the flip-screen for my self-indulgent photography), they all (including adults) went berserk.

i'm usually not a fan of kids, but they were really fun and matured to interact with. :) It's pretty amazing what type of education their parents have been giving them. (Okay, i think we were all back to being kids too for those few hours.)

:)