great but busy weekend

Picked up the spark at the shop on Thursday evening with Grayson (thanks bro!) sending me and dad there in the works Toyota startlet. I had to pay $75 more for NTUC insurance since AXA insurance don't accept insurers from 60yrs and up and the shop only pay for the lowest insurance available. The best part was they needed a guarantor for sub rider as well. This is unheard of when I was still a mechanic in another shop. Had to trouble Jun long (Thanks bro!) to come down on Saturday to add in as guarantor.

Raj, my current ITE classmate, had some issues with his S4 spec3. He wanted to get it done and I suggested to bring it to bikewerks. He agreed to come in on saturday morning (Malaysian) but he couldn't wake up. Called me at 1230pm to tell me he is in woodland now and can meet me in Ubi. I proceeded to get the paperwork done at the shop while he looked around. The next thing I know, his bike was inside the shop doing servicing. I was shocked as I had wanted to bring him to bikewerks.

After spending half the day there, I went ahead to find Derren, whose brother's phantom was unable to start due to a suspected battery problem. I helped him remove the battery and brought it home to charge but it was to no avail. The battery was dead. After that, we went for some Macdonald and meet up with the birthday boy Vince and Chew boon for some rounding and talk cock session.

We ended up at Dam and were there till 2plus am when Bjorn joined us after his night shift. Got scanned by cops and it was quite funny as one guy pillion on Fazer mistook us for his friend and waved to us, which at the same point of time, we asked each other "your friend ah?". That was hilarious.

After that, we split to go home while Bjorn and I went to the usual place for some kopi before we went home.

On Sunday, I picked up Derren to go get his battery and also met Bjorn and Jeevan for some mee pok at Simpang bedok. Spotted a battery shop and got the battery instead of going to ah boy's. It was quite expensive at $40 but for the convenience, we could live with it. Fitted the battery in the bike and it was roaring to go again.

For the record, we had kopi at Adam road food centre on the rainy Thursday night with Grayson, Bjorn, Jeevan and Jaclyn. Grayson drove me there in the starlet and we had a great time talking cock. (with references made to commemorate Tau geh (bean sprout)!) We left for home at 2plus am and getting to work was quite a tough choice even though we have a short day at work on Fridays. I was so tired I dropped to the floor in my uniform and napped for an hour before bathing.

I felt that this week was well lived, with some discovery of myself and also the deep relationship with my friends. All agreed without delay or doubt to be my guarantor for the bike and sending me around. Plus, they are a great bunch to hangout.

Quote of the day: Love vanquishes time. To lovers, a moment can be eternity; eternity can be the tick of a clock, but friends are forever.

Finally!!!

So far, the past week of night shifts were boring as hell. The worst part of it was the weekend that ended up doing nothing much (after much planning).

Met Bjorn on Sunday night at 3am for a kopi after his night shift. He jogged to our usual hangout and I sent him home after the kopi session. We chatted till 5 plus before we went home amid the slight drizzling. Went to work without sleeping a wink. So did school.

Bjorn suggested we go out for makan in the evening and I agreed. Before the meet up time, i dozed off and woke up at 5am. Found out the next day he had actually called me and I mumbled some stuff to him and then hung up. The best part was I never recalled picking up the phone though the records say otherwise. (Sorry Bjorn!)

Today, I took leave to go view bike (with fatique from lack of sleep setting in also). There was a RVF for sale at a very good price and I was tempted to get it. After some slow response from the seller, he told me its sold. Glad it was. We popped by UBI to check out the wave I wanted to get for my dad and guess what, the bike was there in its koyak condition and we both agreed it was not such a good buy after all.

Went to AS phoon shop to look for wave. Ended up with a Yamaha spark Z 110cc at $2k OTR. The interest was a bit expensive though (heck, I am paying $80 a mth only) but I think it was worth the buy. Bike condition was quite stock and looking good with the engine not having funny noises. Going to pick it up this saturday and I hope my dad is going to like it.

After buying the bike, I am officially broke. The next payday is almost 3 weeks away and I am left with VERY little money now. So much for financial planning. Hopefully the phantom gets sold soon or I am gonna eat grass literally.

planning, planning and planning

Something caught my eye when I was wandering in this endless web of the internet. Financial planning and protection for the future. Its all about saving your money and buying insurance to safeguard the family when the rain starts falling.

Found out my SAFRA card which I have been paying for (the source of the missing $40 from ICT payout), offers an attractive plan to save money and be insured at the same time. Looking into it for more information feedback before I jump into it. Also looking into getting a life insurance policy from NTUC income, which seems to be quite alright from a friend's review.

The NTUC union card which I am applying now offers free insurance coverage (minimum), and also an insurance plan which is limited to members at a low premium, discounts at NTUC fairprice and also discounts on the insurances by NTUC income. They also subsidize heavily for upgrading courses too. Its a good deal for $9 a month.

Small money out here and there, hopefully one day when i look back, I am glad to have bought an umbrella before it rains.

The phantom 150 sale is quite slow. A potential buyer who pilots an A380 (meaning fly aeroplane) failed to turn up. The next potential buyer will be Oliver, my ex-contract agent, since he is interested also, but at a lower price. Hope I can get the wave this Saturday.

The night shift schedules are quite good for me. I have more time to think over stuff, break from school (as long as I can catch up) and learn new things while getting allowances for it. The only con is the breaking of the circadian rhythm, which make sleeping a more difficult task due to a change in sleep timing.

bike for sale

After 14 bikes and going strong, I am selling off my phantom 150. Its a great work horse nevertheless. but its time to move on to another bike. This time, the intention is to buy a honda wave 125.

Low fuel consumption and low maintenance is a plus point now that the petrol prices are soaring like crazy. The point in getting this bike is also for my dad, whose vespa's COE is coming to an end this September and he needed a transport. I personally feel that it is a much safer ride than the vespas due to the modern braking system and ease of use in the controls. It is also much easier to maintain and parts are real cheap for the wave.

The plan is to sell off the phantom, buy a wave and let him practice using it while I am home till he can use it freely. (He's been riding vespas for as long as I know and can't ride other makes) Then I'll let him use the wave while I use the vespa till it gets scrapped. After that, I probably will buy another bike to ride for fun. (May be getting a dirtbike!)

Tomorrow, a buyer interested in the phantom will be viewing bike. If everything goes well, I will go view the bikeshops for wave with intention to take up a short loan to ease the burden on my finances. Hopefully by this weekend, I can get the wave.

Within my short riding life, I have owned many bikes. I am not a fickle-minded person. I just want to be the spontaneous individual who does things on the fly (wait! this does sound like a fickle person). Life is too short to ride all the bikes made but I want to experience as many different bikes as possible. To try all discipline of bike riding and to find myself while indulging in this little bit of enjoyment.

I want to be a "been there, done that" person, than to be a "I should have done that" person. At most, you'll just die trying.

a lil' bored

Eugene was supposed to come over to do his bike in the afternoon but he had something on, so postpone till tomorrow. In the meantime, I got bored and decided to give the fans in my room a clean up.

The swivel type ceiling fan has been in use for many years. Probably more than ten years. The fan cover is rusting and paint is peeling off the blades. Decided to do a makeover for it and pulled it apart.

Didn't have much time, so I just scrapped off the peeling paint, sand it a little bit and proceeded to spray them. The covers were sprayed matt black and the fan blades were in white.

The covers turn out great but the fan blades were quite sucky. Given the fact that I didn't removed all the paint, the paint started to peel again once I sprayed over them.

At least it looks better than before. Will redo them when I have time for it again.

update on the new toys

Finally got time to really put some effort into the blog post. This is the long awaited one about

the new toys I have purchased recently with the help of Bjorn and also from mustafa centre.

First up is my now finished work station. Now complete with all the stuff I need to use for my DIY projects. Added the light for better lighting on the table. An old PSU is used to power up the light and fan at 12V.



















Next up is the RTX tool from Black & Decker. Its a rotary tool used for many applications, especially DIY work. From PC case modding to household refurbishing, this is the best tool made for the job. This was gotten from USA, so I had to get a AC to AC converter in order to use it locally. With it, the purchase is still way cheaper than to get it locally.

The RTX is highly recommended for its high torque and power. It fits dremel accessories and flex shaft too (which i got also). The noise level is a little bit on the high side but it is to be expected for such a high rpm tool. 3 settings allow you to adjust from 12000(L), 24000(M) and 30000(H) rpm.

The controls feel quite sturdy and easy to use. It also features a snap lock system to engage the shaft during changing of attachments. No more fumbling with the tools.

Next up would be the Black and Decker variable heat gun from Mustafa centre. At S$98, the heat gun comes in a solid plastic box with moulded interior to hold the accessories. The operating noise levels are again on the high side, but I could be sensitive to noise.

This model is only single speed. The heat range is controlled by a knob on the side, from 50 deg C to 600 deg C. The knob is a little loose though and heat control is only achieved if you can guess the temperature for the for the knob adjustments. The cheaper version at $68.90, with dual speed and single temperature setting for each speed seems to be a better choice for our usage.

all work and no play makes a dull bear

Coming back from reservist, there were many changes at work due to the recent fuel pricing. Although it isn't affecting me now, I wonder what will happen in the long run.

Currently on training now for flap peening(another form of shot peening). There will be a theory and practical test before we are issued the certificate. Its quite interesting to learn something new, especially when it brings up your value at work.

School has also started the second term, which is stretching my personal time apart from work. This time, there will be metrology, c++ programming(continued), maths(continued) and turning.

So far, the results seem to be on the safe side, except maths, which I am weak in. After 9 months of part-time studying and working, I am lucky to be able to catch up with schoolwork even though I have to work night-shifts every alternate week, meaning skipping school every alternate week.

Further more, I am also applying for the CAAS exams, which will be held in october. All this studying is stretching my abilities to the max and having minimum personal time for myself.

The next thing in line is to buy my dad a honda wave, since the vespa is reaching the coe run. Then its also time to take my car license, which has been stagnant since 5 years ago when I failed the TP test twice.

Its also time to rebuild my led tail light empire again. The new toys are up for work and I'll want to try doing case mods for my PC too. My project table is finally set up too.

From now till the end of the year, I will be financially tight and pressed for time but I am also feeling in control and things seem to be falling into their places.

Anyway, hope u peeps have a good time reading my blog and enjoy the up and coming life story of a legend. (Think Kungfu panda!)

Back!!!

Finally, I am back from in-camp training. Found out the service pay I was paid is short of $40. Gonna call up some people and get them to check it out. Also submitted the make up pay claims, since I think we are supposed to do it ourselves rather than my company itself.

The whole week went by slowly. It’s unusually long and slow when you are in camp, especially when you don’t have much to do everyday. The highlight of this ICT is the live firing which we did on Friday. It is the most relaxed ICT I have attended since we started. We were probably the only combat people who rested more than anyone in the battalion.

It also gave me time to think over a lot of stuff, like watching ourselves grow up from boys to men. Everyone seems to be more matured and work is done more efficiently, although the usual complains and stuff is still around. I also found a few guys who worked in my company in the battalion. Small world.

Once I got back home from camp, Grayson called me for help. He locked himself out of his car with the keys in the car at Jalan Kayu. I went down to Bikelab to pick up the spare keys from Joshua, the owner of the car, in order to send it to him and open the door.

After that, we had kopi at the prata shop there with two of his camp mates whom he was sending home. After he sent the guys home, I went down to pick him up from Sembawang after he returned the car to his friend.

The upgrading project at my place has completed. I still take the usual lift though, due to habit. It’s nice to have the lift come to your floor outside your doorstep. I can move stuff easily from my place to the car park and vice versa.

I will be taking leave on Monday to rest more and also to clear some admin stuff for the bikes. Lots of stuff coming up and I am still struggling to schedule the “to do list” for the year.