THE wedding

Nov 27 was a day to remember. It was Shawn & Pamela's wedding day and it was fantastic.

Shawn’s wedding from my point of view

Pre-event

Suren and I went around getting the clothing and hair cut to fit the occasion. A suit was needed for the dinner and I got a set from G2000. A grey shirt was gotten for the day event and another black shirt to go with the suit for dinner. I also bought a new belt and a pair of shoes to go with the outfit. Basically, the dress up was new from top to bottom.

We spent a lot time shopping for the stuff and Suren was a great help in advising me on the standards of formal wear since I never wore any in my life. He also brought me to his list of shops to get my haircut and contact lenses.

Suren had no shoes to wear for the wedding and we only managed to get them on the day before the wedding since it was hard to get a pair of shoes that fit him.

Being the wedding coordinator, Suren was under a tremendous amount of pressure to ensure everything goes like clockwork on the actual day. His phone was ringing nonstop and the never ending last minute changes made was a nightmare.

We gathered at Shawn's place two days before the event to discuss the event scope and schedule.

The actual event

After weeks of tedious preparation, it’s Showtime.

Waking up at 4.30am in the morning, I sent a mass sms to all the brothers (Contents: Commencing operation H.E.E (Operation Happily Ever After)). Yes, the H.E.E was a typo error on my part since I didn’t get much sleep the previous night and I was also excited to be able to participate in this joyous event of my good friend.

The brothers arrived at Shawn’s around 6am and we had breakfast prepared by his parents. We went though the checklist of things to bring and also run through the events again before we depart. After the customary rituals, we left his place to pickup the bride.

First major hiccup

On the way there, Shawn suddenly realized he had forgotten to shave but more importantly, the bouquet of flowers which he was supposed to carry was left behind at his place. The convoy stopped at a carpark and Alvin was sent back to get the bouquet while we waited. Lucky for us, we still had some spare time since we left early.

The gate crashing

We stopped at the bride’s place and were confronted by the sisters at the corridor for the trials. We had to put on a pair of disposable underwear with alphabets written on it by lipstick and got blindfolded also. The underwear was too small for me and I ended up tearing it. The groom had to arrange us to form a message by telling us where to go but not allowed to touch us. After that, we ate the customary items consisting of sour (toxic waste sweet), sweet (super thick Milo), bitter (herbal tea) and spicy (chili padi stuffed biscuits).

After a few angpaos were given and still not able to enter the house, Kelvin Tan, Kelvin Wong and me resorted to sneak from the rear window but it was locked and guarded. Samuel proceeded to use his shoe and hit the fire alarm bell to simulate the fire alarm.
Samuel and Kelvin Wong then proceeded to hide the sister’s shoes in the basement stairway to make things difficult for them when they want to leave but we returned them later since we were on a tight schedule.

After dancing to “nobody” and the final angpao, we were allowed into the house and Shawn had to read aloud a list of things they have prepared for him to the bride. After picking her up, we left for Shawn’s place.

At Shawn’s place

We had some refreshments prepared by his parents and wait for the couple to go through some rituals. Kelvin Tan, Benny and I left ahead of others for the church to help out with the carpark allocation.

At the church

After confirmation of all the cars’ arrival, we shut the rear gate and proceeded to guard the main door of the church as no one is suppose to open that door during service. We were waiting for some sisters to do the walk in and Amelia rushed over complaining about the locked rear gates which she had to get out of the car to open it and close it after coming in. We were actually waiting for the sisters in her car to start the walk in and I was the one who closed the gates after Suren and Kelvin Tan confirmed all the cars have arrived. After the buffet lunch, we proceeded to the hotel.

At the hotel

We unloaded tons of stuff and proceeded to check-in the rooms. Lau kau and I went over to the nearby 7-11 to get a six-pack of Heineken to relax in the room. Shawn’s laptop was apparently missing and we finally found it in Eric’s car after discovering the luggage was relocated to different cars when we were packing the stuff before we left Shawn’s place. His script for the speech and lyrics for the song he was supposed to sing was still missing though. Ansley was down with flu and was also nervous for the speech as he was the emcee for the night.

We got changed for the dinner and proceeded to help out in the reception area while the guests arrive. On a side note, Carolene and Thomas couldn't recognise me for a while when I appeared in the suit, with my new hairstyle and wearing contact lenses. We ushered in the guests when the ballroom opened. Here, we met Wanda who was alone and looking for company. Apparently she was an old riding friend of a few guys here also. She was complaining she didn’t have a table and I offered her a place at our table after consulting Freddy since he was supposed to be at the AV console to run the videos and music for the night. Being a gentleman, I accompanied her to go smoke a few times and this became a joke later.

Ansley started his speech in Teochew and made everyone laugh with his "kantan" accent and broken Teochew. After that, the couple proceeded with the first walk in. The dinner started and as we ate, Freddy came back and confusion started. In the end, our table had 11 people. We made a lot of noise singing loudly to “stand by me” when it played. Everyone was looking at us but we didn’t care. We were trying to induce the mood for everyone since we are the brothers and it was fun also. Even the sisters who were sitting next to us were stunned.

We had to do the second walk-in together so we left to go outside to prepare after the third dish. Here we walked in to “Shanghai tan” with the sisters in front posing, while we walked in like mafia with guns and the couple last. They were dressed in the big boss and big sister outfit with Shawn swinging a big bottle of liquor. The rest of us wore mask and carried toy guns.

Eric took the stage and proceeded to deliver his speech and brought everyone to their feet for the toast. Shawn sang “Tian mi mi” onstage and we had to sing along by the side as the script that Shawn was supposed to sing with went missing earlier on. After that, we were ushering at different tables to get them ready for the photo taking as there was almost 50 tables and we were running out of time. We accomplished the task in record time.

Whilst doing that, one of his uncle wanted to sing “yue liang dai biao wo de xin” for the couple but the hotel didn’t have a karaoke system. I tried downloading the karaoke version on my iphone and it was fast on 3G. We proceeded to link it to the main system and played it using my phone all the way for his uncle to sing. The Iphone saved the day.

After the dinner

We moved to the reception area for our own drinking session. Here, Shawn had many things to say to each of us personally. After that, we went back to the room for a gathering before we depart. While waiting for the couple, we had a talking cock session involving a drunk Suresh and lau kau about “then lang”. Suddenly, lau kau talked about the “chee hong” who will “fight against china for one girl” which was me due to having Wanda in our table and ousting Freddy from it. They also made fun of me for not getting her number and instead it was Suresh who got it.

I was arrowed for a while but didn’t want to explain too much since I was tired and they were drunk anyway. Explanations are useless when people already have a bad opinion of you and explaining probably make it worse anyway. I explained the situation to Shawn later anyway.

Shawn had his speech to the brothers, asking us to stick close together and help each other. He also gave out his angpaos for us and concluded the event.
I decided to leave for home with Thomas since he had to take a cab and also Benny who stayed the same area although I was thinking of staying for the night previously.

In the end, Suresh drove us back and we insisted on dropping off at his place even though he was insisting on sending all of us back home directly. The wave was at Shawn’s place so I sent Benny home on it while Thomas went over to 824 for the coffee he wanted.

The band of brothers
Suren (Ah Neh) Wedding coordinator
Kelvin Soong (Lau Kau) Bride car driver
Kelvin Tan (Short) Helper
Kelvin Wong (Sabbath) Helper
John (Mona) Photo and videographer
Freddy Foo Photographer
Ansley Jones Emcee
Weixiong (Bear) Helper
Eric Junkai Shawn’s parent’s driver
Alvin Lau (Ah Lau) Driver
Samuel Armstrong Driver
Benny Koh Helper

The brothers who have gathered, rose to the occasion even though we haven't seen each other for a very long time. I am glad we are still as tightly knitted as ever.

The wedding was a success as the brothers worked hard to make sure the event was running smoothly. We had a lot of fun during the event and I would like to thank Shawn and Pamela for giving us this opportunity to be a part of this important event in their lives.

Time flies

Attended Shawn's birthday party at his GF's place. I haven't seen him in year or two. We had a great time there enjoying the BBQ and the reunion of old riding kakis. I also just found out he is getting married end of this year. Congratulations!

Time really waits for nobody. It just feels like yesterday when we were just young kids riding our bicycles without a care in the world and then suddenly here we are.

That aside, my room makeover has kicked off. The room has been repainted in orchid white and Bjorn donated some shelves and table to me. Eugene drove his dad's lorry to help transport the stuff despite attending a BBQ halfway and also still recovering from his injuries. A big thanks to you guys! Dinner on me when I can afford it. :)

Loads of stuff needed to be cleared from my room before the shelves can be utilized. Hopefully this time, I can finally get rid of stuff that has been lying around for years.

I also need to work on my finances too. It seems like I have been overspending too much in the recent months and it is piling up too much.

At work, things are going smoothly. Recently got tasked to be temporary in-charge of the area I work in when the usual in-charge goes on 2nd shift. If all goes well, a promotion is in view at the end of the year. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Fun times

I went over to Bahar's birthday party at Goldkist chalet at east coast park last weekend. The BBQ was great and alcohol was limitless. Martell, Vodka, Black label, Chivas, Carlsberg, you name it, they have it.

We slacked around the place chatting, while the rest of them played card games throughout the night. Then we went to the beach since it was a warm and windless night. We left around 6.30am after being approached by a group of JC(assuming) girls asking us whether the eclipse was over.(I thought the eclipse was this week??)

As for RT, I decided to skip it as my studies were more important than that. I tried to contact the NS center for help but they turned me back to the FCC instead. Guess I will have to wait for the charge to come before I present my case.

School is going well, especially with one module down, three more to go for this term. Having a visual basic programming test next week but I guess that will be easy to clear.

After this term, I have one more module to complete before I finish my higher Nitec studies. Looking back, its been nearly two years since I took the plunge into continuing my studies. Time flies and I am glad to have done it. Next up would be a Diploma. hopefully with this, I can secure a better paying and more rewarding job when the time comes.

Ranting post

The way things have been going, I still stick to my observations about shit never happen once.

The road tax for the wave is expiring and I needed to extend my insurance to cover for the duration of it. Allianz is gonna charge me $96 to extend 50 plus days. I decided to cancel it even if it means I lose the remaining 4 months of premium. They have lost a customer for life.

At NTUC income, the service I received was excellent. At $206 per year and immediate renewal of road tax, I took the offer. All my bikes are insured with NTUC and the convenience in doing so is unbelievable.

At work, I am beginning to see the light. No point trying to prove yourself when the people who do nothing gets recognition. The frustration is wearing my limits and a change of environment is in view. The shit has hit the fan and reached the point of no return.

In the meantime, my RT schedule is getting to me. I am having robotics classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which clashes with RT. The RT cannot be deferred and I do not want to miss a module now. This is a big hurdle for me now.

Coping with my school project concurrently is also taxing me to the max. I have got to get over all this and renew my life.

Its been a while...

Its been a while since I updated here. Lots of things went on in life and I haven't got the time to do any updates.

The ST1100 is being constantly upgraded and lots of time and money was spent on it during the weekends. I am basically living on the edge of poverty due to that and I am stretched really thin with the road tax and insurance of the 3 bikes coming at once.

Adding to that, I discovered my wave125 is emitting white smoke from the exhaust again, just 6 months after the top overhaul. It really needs to undergo a full engine overhaul soon and I am stressing on that too.

Financial capability has never been my forte and probably never will be. I have always lived life hanging precariously in and out of debt. Life likes to get you when you are down.

At work, I am beginning to see things better now. For the work we do and the knowledge we possess, we are underpaid. Somehow, the industry is not like what everybody says, at least in my company. In this part of the world, blind paper chasing is a big race here. The more papers you got, the higher your salary goes and more chances of promotion, regardless of your skills and experience.

Rats, on the other hand, are just racing in their own rat race. To make matters worse, the rats squeal on each other in order to win and then deny it blindly when confronted. This underhanded practice just shows that it doesn't matter who wins in the end, they are still rats at the end of the day. These rats lived their whole lives looking at a tiny piece of the sky through the sewage cover hole, never knowing how vast the horizon is.

Thanks for reading through my rants.

The bike is back!!!

Guess what bike is this?
































Tata!!

Boring weekend arriving...

After the accident, I had to go through a lot of trouble to get things done and my bike is still not back yet. The good thing is, it will come back fast and furious style when it does. Hope it will be back next week since it is also a long weekend for me.

Spent the whole of last weekend hiding in my room fixing up leds for the tail and signal lights. Spent at least 25 hours on them and I do hope they turn out great when they are installed.

School has started and it will be a relaxing semester for me since there will not be any exams except for the class test.

More goodies to come on the ST and I am very excited over the new ideas. Lets keep our fingers crossed and wait patiently for the extreme version of the ST1100.

First time again!!!

After 8 years of riding, I got into my first accident. No injuries but the bike was damaged and of all things, it was the ST1100 that got hit.

Around 11am yesterday, I was on the way to do some shopping for my projects in town. Traveling on the PIE, the weather was really hot and stuff. The traffic had slowed to a crawl due to an accident after the Eunos exit. I rode in my lane since I don't squeeze traffic when on the ST.

After yet another stop on the expressway, I felt a hard bump on the rear. The fool driving behind me had hit my bike. I moved in front a little to get some space and felt something was dragging the bike. I got off the bike to inspect it and the driver got off too, apologizing the moment he got off.

The rear fender on my bike was bent inwards and got stuck with the wheel. The right hand pannier was scratched and tilted outwards and upwards. The pannier also cannot be removed since the clearance for the removal is nil. I am hoping the wheel alignment is not off also. The car got away with some black marks from my box and fender.

We exchanged contact information and took some photos of the scene and left. He insisted on private settlement and we agree to settle it after visiting the workshop. I drop by bikewerks immediately to get a quotation on the repairs and let the car owner know.

The owner couldn't agree on the repair cost and decided to let me claim from his insurance. I advised him against it as it would be a big hassle for me to wait for the claim and the repairs to be done. I do not need to go through all this trouble for somebody's fault. He insisted on the insurance claim and I suspect he is at the IDAC center while on the phone.

I had to go out again to IDAC center to get the vehicle inspected for damage and get the paper work done. According to the shop, I will have to pay for the repairs first and wait for the claims to come in without a specific time given.

At this point of time, I am super pissed. I haven't done anything to deserve this and I have to pay for the repairs upfront, not to mention I don't get to ride the bike while it is in the workshop. All my projects and upcoming ride for the bike have to be put on hold also.

I hope his insurance premium jump sky high after this incident. That will make him regret driving like a fool and making me go through all this trouble.

My first touring ride

Date: 11/4/09

Weather: Fine

Destination: Mersing

We decided to make a trip to Mersing for a day ride with other places in view, depending on the time consumption. This would be my first touring ride and also the first long trip on the ST11. The ST11 itself had probably seen more of Malaysia and Thailand than I do.

Before the ride, the ST11 was prepped with many accessories. This includes a 12V cigarette socket, a USB converter with cigarette socket adapter and a revolving amber light for breakdown warning. The charger proved itself when Eugene’s HTC diamond was low on power. HID headlamp and alarm system were also installed to light up the lightless highways and theft prevention.

We went on 2 bikes, the HONDA ST11 and the BMW 1100GS, with Eugene being pillion. The night before, we were busy checking the bikes, getting the money changed and doing last minute shopping for the trip. Bjorn had to work night shift

so we popped by over his place to check things out before we went back to rest before moving out. Eugene came over to my place so we can move out without wasting time. We ended up with Bjorn sleeping for 2+ hrs while we didn’t get any.

We met at Bjorn’s place around 7am although the agreed time was 6.30am. Bjorn was still preparing his stuff though. We proceeded to the usual to have breakfast and left for 2^nd link checkpoint at 8am.

Taking the long route to 2^nd link with Bjorn leading, we exited at the wrong exit and had to u-turn back. Once we were in, we went to fill up petrol at the Petronas station. Here, we meet an uncle on CBR fireblade.

We chatted for a while, learning that he is a longtime touring fanatic with extensive knowledge of the area. He offered some advice for our route and led us to where we can get to the start point also.

Once we parted, the ride was on our own pace and fairly easy to navigate since the route we used was one I used many times during the trail riding days. The familiar entrance points for the trails were by the roadside and memories of the rides were coming back to me.

It is also at this time when my helmet started to give me headaches. The poor fitment was a major turn off. We stopped at a petrol kiosk to rest my head, thinking on how to survive the ride since we are still very early into the ride. Luckily, Eugene’s HJC fitted me well and mine fitted him well, so we swapped helmets and rode on without helmet issues till later.

We rode fairly fast, overtaking vehicles and with Eugene being trigger happy with the camera. We reached Mersing around noon, which was within the planned time. Lunch here was some chicken rice with salted fish bean sprouts homemade barley water. It was delicious and the plates were cleaned out.

We then decided to go further north to Kuantan since we were doing good time. On the way there, we stopped at the roadside where we can access the beach and took some pictures here. Time here was 4pm. 3 Singapore cars also stopped to enjoy the beach. We are now 260km from JB.

As we went further, the ST11 rear shock was bottoming out with every small bump while in a corner and I had to ride slower to be safe. After some time, Bjorn offered to pillion Eugene and we could do better speed. The amount of curving roads in Malaysia is ridiculous. They were everywhere, even highways and expressways.

We came to a junction where we were not certain whether we should go ahead or turn right, so we asked a local motorist. He guided us in the right direction but it was a long way round with low speed areas. We were supposed to hit the expressway to KL.

Once Bjorn thought we were lost, we stopped at a roadside makan store to check the maps and for the much needed rest. Time here was nearing 6pm. Our backs were aching and we needed a cold drink. The store owner was kind enough to give us precise instructions on how to get to the expressway and we were on our way.

Once we hit the expressway, we were doing 160 to 170km/hr to cut some time. It started to drizzle and we stopped to put on our rain gear. Although we were not fazed by the rain, we were depressed when we saw the distance to KL. It was 260km away and we were well behind schedule. We intended to be back home by latest 1am.

We sped on, with some parts of the expressway doing 200km/hr and stopped at a petrol station to fill up and rest. Also, the HID kit on my bike couldn’t be turned on. Took some time here to check and finally found that the switch was faulty. Connected the wires manually and all was working fine.

We are in the centre of the Malaysia now. We went for some hot plate noodles and re-checked the maps. Left the place at 9pm with Eugene back on my bike, we continued to ride in the now unlit expressways. The HIDs were bright but due to the reflective lens on my headlight, the light throw was diffused and the contrasting light of on-coming vehicles was glaring. The curvy part of the expressway was here and it was difficult to see the road and ride fast. We stopped at the toll area to change back to my normal low beam and moved on. The usual low beam was very weak compared to the HIDs and it was still difficult to ride fast in the dark.

We came to the wet super curvy roads of Genting highlands and had to travel quite slowly, with Eugene freaking out behind me. This was a good point since we know we are near to KL. Time here was around 11 plus pm.

We proceed to cut through KL city with Eugene giving directions from the GPS on his phone and some asking around. We found the North-south highway entrance and all was well. At this time, fatigue was really setting in and we were really anxious to get home. I lead the ride here and consistently doing 160km/hr for the next hour or so in the dark with high beam on all the way. We stopped at an unknown R&R place when Eugene suddenly asked me to stop at Pagoh R&R.

Time now is 1am and we were doing good time. Eugene proceeded to curse the helmet he was wearing and that he was deaf from wearing it. He didn’t notice the deafening effect since he was napping behind. I passed him the ear plugs on the bike and we pushed on to Pagoh R&R to fill up.

We were relieved to reach here since we know we are now about 150km from Singapore. Time now is 2am. I asked Eugene to ride my bike and he was more than happy to do it. I rode Bjorn’s bike and pillion him. We rode slower at 130 -140km/hr since we were exhausted and we could better concentrate at lower speeds. Micro sleep was evident here, but luckily there wasn’t much traffic.

We reach GP R&R around 4am and we fill up petrol to head back. Bought some dried food for home and tallying the mileage we cleared. 944km was the total distance we traveled in Malaysia alone, not including the distance to and fro the customs from home, meaning we did more than 1000km in a day.

The ride home was really unsafe. We had to keep the speed limit down and the slow ride was wearing me off. Bjorn was too tired and speed off after we left the customs. I decided to speed up and get home fast since my eyes were so heavy and Eugene still have to ride his bike home.

The gear was left in the bike and I knocked out after taking my bath.

The entire route.

Click pic below to view photos.

100_1104

My ride

After 6.5 grueling hours of installation for the goodies, the bike is finally able to run all the new toys without problems. I had to work straight 6.5hrs with no access to drinking water, food, fan and toilet. Dehydration was setting in and I had to slog on to complete the work so that I would not need to remove everything again.

The amount of fairing and cowling on this bike is enough to piss any mechanic off. The access to all the needed components were blocked and either you remove them or have to work in a very awkward position. The good thing is they do contain a lot of space to hide the wiring and potential mods.

The HID kit was tested on the road and I say for illumination, HID wins hands down. The light is so intense it makes the normal low beam look like it wasn't there at all. The glaring part I have to agree though. The HID lamps are not suitable for DOT approved reflectors and the result is a very widely spread light which creates much glare to other road user even though its using a shielded bulb. A switch was added to switch off the HID in case of road block or during inspection time.

The alarm was fairly easy to connect. It is now well hidden in the bike and functioning very well.
The siren and voice modules were very loud and it is a bit annoying for the arming reminder to come on after 3 sec.

Let the pics do the talking:


How my bike looked like during the 6.5hrs of work to install the goodies.









The HID conversion kit










The bike alarm system


















My side panniers after the reflective stickers were on









Normal without light reflected









Rear view









My bike dashboard









Normal low beam before HID on









Front view









Note the color matching helmet









Rear view










Pics of the bike with HID installed will be uploaded later.

1997 Honda ST1100 Pan European bike review

The ST11 has proven itself to be a timeless classic. The power delivery is silky smooth and the bumpy roads are soaked up by the plush suspension provided. It feels like you are driving a car, albeit having only two wheels instead of four.

Showing off its torque from the unique longitudinal V4 engine, the bike cruises at 110km/h with the engine doing 3000rpm in 5th gear. In the same gear, 180km/h is easily achieved with just a twist of the wrist.

For such a heavy bike, the stability and handling is good, especially when doing high speed riding. The handlebars on my bike have been raised one inch to get a more comfortable riding posture for my tall build.

The giant fuel tank of 28L will easily do 400km or more in terms of mileage before it hits reserve which means less fuel stops between destinations. The reserve tank is 4L, giving you sufficient distance(60~80km) to reach a petrol kiosk anywhere.

The dashboard array is simple and easy to read, with a design similar to a car. There is also a "turbo adjuster" knob to adjust the headlight throw, for adapting to luggage loads so it will not glare other road users in front of you.

(28/3/09) I have added a digital voltmeter to keep track of the electrical usage and to inform me about charging failure before it happens.

The clock provided proved to be very useful whether you are running late or just keeping track of the day progression on a trip.

The well-placed mirrors provide an unobstructed view of the rear, although having additional blind spot mirrors would be a great help to minimize the blind spot areas.

Sporting a shaft driven rear wheel, the maintenance free factor is a major attraction. You can go on a long trip without worrying about the chain snapping or having to oil the chain every few hundred km.

The real estate on this bike is amazing. There are two glove compartments upfront. A lockable one for quick and easy access to your documents without getting off the bike and a rubber covered one, for your cleaning cloth and other not so important items.

The streamline hard case saddlebags may deceive you at first with their compactness. They have the ability to house a standard full face helmet in each of them. With an additional 52L rear top box, you will never run out of space again.

All this comes with a price though. Weighing in at 297kg in stock trim, this baby is definitely not a pushover. Getting the bike on main stand and pushing it around requires a fare bit of effort. It also requires a fairly large parking space due to the size of the bike (more when sporting a rear top box).

The clutch lever is non-adjustable and its a workout to use it. Working on the bike is also a chore, since it is fully covered in fairings which aid aerodynamics. The heat emitted from the engine is also quite substantial, especially when slow riding in the city or traffic jam. Once it hits the highway, the temperature drops significantly though.

Overall, the bike is well built. The quality of the bike is shown since the ST11 I own now is still in a very good condition despite the fact that it is an 11 year old bike with 197000km on the clock. It has proven itself to be a pioneer in the sport touring history and still a strong contender against the modern sport touring bikes.

New ride

Chronicling my life is fun. I get to relive the moments which were an important part of my life anytime I want.

For starters, I bought my first class 2 motorcycle. It is a Honda 1997 ST1100 Pan European touring bike. I had been looking around for a bike since I got my class 2 and I finally found something that I think is worth to buy. Although I do think I am still young enough to ride sport bikes, this is fun to ride as well. I had missed the first viewing session of this bike when I overslept. I was also skeptic of buying such a big bike, when most of the guys are riding sport bikes. The decision to go view the ST11 was renewed when Bjorn showed me some videos of people riding the ST11 like a madman, not to mention Eugene and Bahar who affirmed that the ST11 is a good bike and worthwhile investment which suits my size too.

The decision to buy the bike was made when I viewed the bike on Wednesday night. The owner was friendly and he was the kind of person I would be in 20 years time. He was well versed and experienced in touring and the ST1100 itself. The bike was well maintained and well used as well. Only the front tire was worn and steering cone bearings needed to be replaced. Another good thing was the bike was stock and I would be the 4^th owner only. This only proves that the bike was a stayer among the owners.

Prior to the purchase, I had to contest another buyer who came to view and in the end, I won. The owner was highly impressed with the way I deal with buying a motorcycle, deeming me suitable to own his machine. I got a discount off the bike price which I was satisfied and we dealt on Saturday. After that, I went to Bikewerkz to get the stuff changed and it was riding beautifully.

I almost couldn’t contain the excitement of getting the bike during the week. I was grinning to myself at work whenever the thought came up. I wanted to give Eugene a surprise, so I didn’t say anything to him yet. I met him for the usual hanging out at the dam after his night shift and I was trying really hard not to let the cat out of the box, especially when he asked me about the ST.

For the record, my mum had borrowed me the cash to pay for the bike. She knows and understands my need for bikes and riding. The goodwill was reciprocated. We all bought 4D on Saturday (day of transfer) and she won some money since she decided to “system” the bike number. The number opened twice in starters with different combinations. My dad and I bought straight numbers only and got nothing. This was a good way to kick off the relationship with the ST.

On Sunday, I went for the annual family tomb sweeping in the morning. The ST was very smooth to ride and had plenty of power. Distances meant nothing to it and I was very pleased with myself for securing a good bike.

After that, I went home and started working on the rear top box, which was quite old and plastered with old stickers. After spending a lot of time on removing the stickers and washing it out, I proceeded to do what I do best, leds.

The MAXIA 52L top box comes with red lens which apparently had light functions before. I took out the old ones and replaced them with the leds I made. For more visibility on the road at night, I had them functioning like the normal rear brake light. They would appear slightly dim when running, and brightens up when the brakes are on rather than the usual brake light on and running off. I also made some chevron reflective stickers with the black reflective stickers I had for the side panniers. The result was great, apart from the fact that a few were misaligned. These will not be visible on the bike in the day, but at night under bright lights, they will reflect a white base and be very visible.

I decided to add the above to make myself more visible at night since I had seen the bike in action when I followed the seller to withdraw money for the deposit. Since the bike is dark in color, the tail light failed to give road users early notice that it is a big bike and requires more clearance when being overtaken. With the rear box lights and the reflective stickers, it will be very visible, although this bike will hardly let anyone tailgate it for more than 2 seconds.

Last night, I met Bjorn for kopi at simpang bedok after his night shift to show off the ST. He was impressed with the condition of the bike and we swapped bikes on the way home. We rode to my place in a maniac fashion, he enjoying the ST and me getting impressed with the new pipe and the new handlebars on the GS. The GS was and is still a very nice bike to ride, not to mention the additional power gain and noise pollution from the newly fitted Leo Vince exhaust. The handlebars were also at the correct height and the bike makes you feel like you want to wheelie it.

Today, Eugene came over after work to get his rear box light repaired. A wire broke when the glue from the wiring melted under the sun and stuck to his helmet. We popped over to the store across my place to get the cloth tape before going back to remove the box from his bike, which was parked a few lots away from the ST. I proceeded to feign interest in looking the ST over and contemplating on whether I should get one too.

Eugene got a little suspicious by this act (my acting was a little bit off) and his suspicion were confirmed when I pulled out the keys to start the bike when I said I wanted to hear how the ST would sound like. He never gave much expression and proceeded to tell me that somehow, he had seen it coming.

He told me my pattern was easy to gauge and he was suspicious when he asked me about the ST the other day. Since I would usually ramble on about the faults found on the bikes I viewed, I simply said it was not too bad for the ST. That sort of gave it away. Also, he had seen pictures of the bike when I showed him, so it looked really familiar when he spotted it at my carpark.

All that said, I realized Eugene and I had grown to be very close friends from the time we met at AJI office as strangers. It has been a long way to reach here, and there is still a long way to go.

its over!!

Finally, all the exams are over and its time to relax. It felt good to be able to walk into the exam hall knowing that you will make it out with ease. So far I think I did pretty well for it. Just have to wait for the results to come in April.

Everything is coming together now. My studies are making good progress since I get to go to school without skipping lessons due to work. I have more confidence at work and I go to work without stress since I am getting proficient in all the products we have. The bikes have not been giving me trouble since I got them. (Except for the cold starting issue on the spark110 which my dad rides) Finances will be better after this coming Friday since bonus will be in. Friends who stick by you when you are in trouble. What more could one ask for?

1 down, 1 more to go

Finally, today is the day I dread when the school semester is ending. I burned the midnight oil last night to cover some important topics and took only 2 hrs of sleep before heading to school for the showdown. Luckily, the Applied Mechanics paper was in my expected range and I went about doing them furiously. Time flew passed really quickly and I managed to finish all the questions by the last 5 mins. I definitely wouldn't fail this subject but getting an A is more of my concern.

Tomorrow's paper will be Materials and Process Technology. I am fairly confident in this topic but I am still gonna mug my books tonight just in case. I am hoping to get As for both papers since my current GPA is 3.45 and I intend to graduate with a certificate of merit, which means getting more than 3.5 for GPA. Let's keep our fingers crossed till the results are announced in April.

Updates

Haven't had time to do some updating recently. (actually, I was lazy) So far, nothing interesting has caught my attention and life is getting really boring. Not to mention tomorrow and the day after will be my exam days for this semester. After this, one more year to completion.

Everything is starting to fall into place. Finances are stable now, which will free up even more when the wave125 is paid up in may. My studies are more than halfway through, which used to be like so far away when I start. My aunt who was staying with us finally moved out to another place. The only thing left is for me to find a really nice girl to fall in love with and get married.

Today, Eugene and I went to view a CBR600F4I in woodlands. Not to my expectation but it was within my financial limits. The only type of bike I have never owned is a sports bike, and a class 2 one at that. Lets see if there are better options out there when the bonus comes in.

At work, workload is low due to the recent recession, so no OT for now. Glad I worked OT during the CNY period, the extra cash helped pay for school and other unforeseen misc stuff along the way. Hopefully things get better soon, then I can buy my first class 2 bike.

over, but not really

Some views from the ward during my visits.



My dad is finally home after spending 4 days at the hospital. He needs a shot of insulin twice a day, but all is well as he is home. With a twist of bad luck, the blood sugar level tester we bought is faulty. I will have to make a trip to the hospital pharmacy to get it replaced. I cannot remember the amount of money we spent in the past few days but it was not little.

This incident has changed the history of aviation forever...... Just joking, but there are changes happening at home. I do think this is a wake up call for us personally.

First of all, we have been taking our health for granted. I now do watch what I eat more carefully and also strive to do more exercises if time permits. You should too.

Secondly, we have been taking our loved ones for granted. Not literally, but in the sense that we tend to forget that they will leave us one day. We always think, "we still have tomorrow". Truth be told, I was really afraid that my dad might leave us when the thing happened. It was a harrowing experience to be calling for an ambulance, going to A&E and arranging for hospital stay, without knowing the outcome of the event. All I did was just keep asking questions and following the flow of things. I am so glad its all over now.

As for now, I am now equipped with new knowledge. How to judge diabetic conditions, injecting insulin, use of blood sugar readers, some hospital procedures and tips for healthier eating.

To my surprise, this was not something new. At work, after I related the information to my colleagues regarding my urgent leave of absence, I found out that many of them have parents who were diabetic and were fully aware of the treatment and prevention.

After I told a colleague the restrictions on food for diabetics, he commented that this is a sickness for the wealthy, and that life is fair to all. Over-indulgence in sweet stuff earlier in life and you will have to cut back on them for the rest of your life once you get this condition. You have been warned.

Bad weekend

Came home yesterday to find out my dad was really sick. He was vomiting and in a daze. I had to skip school to bring him to visit the clinic near our place. The way he talked and acted was worrying me. After the doctor gave him a jab to stop the nausea, we headed home.

He was thirsty and asked me to get him a drink. While I was buying him a small bottle of mineral water, he vanished. I finally found him at the playground nearby. He wanted to sit down for a rest. Took him to my void deck table and we sat there for a while.

When I decided to bring him home, he started to pour water out of the bottle onto the table and acting like a kid being amused by the water flow. Brought him home and made him eat a little food before taking his medicine. He went to sleep after that.

Later, i heard some commotion in the room, so I went to take a look. He was trying to undress himself and almost ripping apart his undergarment while peeing uncontrollably beside his bed. We cleaned him up and put him back to sleep. At this point, I was suspecting a minor stroke since the symptoms were similar.(It was only after the diagnosis that we found out about the high sugar levels in his blood, which will cause the patient to be like in a drunken stupor and will lead to comatose and death if medical attention was not given) I called Bjorn for a second opinion and he came over in 10 mins to assess the situation. Jasmine came over to help out also when Bjorn informed her of the situation. If not for them, I would be at a lost, given that we do not encounter this kind of situation all the time.

After looking at him, we decided to send him to the hospital via ambulance for a check up since he was immobile. Called for a non-emergency ambulance and they were here in 45 mins. (Standard time for non-emergency) The medics proceeded to do some checks, found the blood pressure was way too low at 60 plus and immediately put on oxygen for him while preparing to stretcher him out. The good thing was, one of the medic used to be a doctor in Iran, who assessed the situation to be critical for the call. (He married a Singaporean and join the ambulance services not too long ago) My neighbors who saw the commotion helped to hold the lift while we brought him out of the house.

As the ambulance was on the way to Changi hospital, Bjorn took it on his own to help block traffic for the ambulance to get there in record time. A&E dept took over from there and we had a short chat with the medics. I think they have done a very fantastic job and with professionalism.

The tests showed that the sugar levels in his blood were at a dangerous high and they tried to keep it under control. He was warded and after the paperwork was done, we went to see him at the ward for a while before heading home. It was 2am then. Mum went home in a cab while I rode the bike home to check on them before I pop over to simpang bedok for some food with Eugene and co who were there. I was hungry and needed some time to slow down after the fast paced events.

The next morning around 9am, I visited him at his ward. I was really relieved to find him sitting on his bed, talking to a cute nurse. We had a short conversation and the nurse was telling us about diabetes and the measures to control it. Since the family is having two diabetics now (my mum is also diabetic), I asked if there was any kit we could buy so we can do the test at home. (Since we have a blood pressure monitor already) Since my dad was warded here, he can purchase the blood sugar monitor at a cheaper price which I went to get immediately. My uncle came and I left to do my stuff at home.

Fell asleep on my bed not too long after, which is probably due to fatigue and the relief. Visited him again in the evening and popped over Bjorn's place for some high level home cooked briyani by his mum. (The briyani was so good till we actually cleaned out the pot) After that, we went for some bike wash and kopi with Eugene and Jasmine.

I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the following:
Bjorn - for the prompt response, helping to block traffic and company
Jasmine - for the much needed help with the paperwork, procedures and company
The ambulance medics - for their professionalism and fast response
My next door neighbors - for extending their help and holding the lift
Eugene - for the much needed nasi lemak and company
The nurses at CGH ward 18 - for their friendly attitudes, professionalism and choosing this line

It is in times like this when you appreciate the friendships, which were fostered over the years, although hardened by time but will always be there for you.

the good and bad

Successfully completed the CNY OT. Now down with a cold due to working with a sick Bahar before he left for his holiday in Bali. Feeling super down with cough, running nose, dry throat, etc. Think I will have to give up this weekend OT to rest at home.Probably will take MC for tomorrow as I am feeling sickly. We'll see what happens tomorrow when I get up for work. Next up, the funny stuff.

On the first day of CNY after getting home from work, I recieved a call from my mum about my dad being drunk at my aunt's place. This is the first time I have heard of him drinking till drunk and I had to pop over to help out and bring a change of clothes as well. Once I found out what he drank, I wasn't surprised. They had finished the bottle of cordon bleu which my uncle brought over. We stayed till 9pm and got home while my dad was sobering up. I asked Bjorn to stand by at my place incase I couldn't cope with my dad. Luckily, my dad was quite sober to reach home and fell asleep. We cleaned up the mess at my front door and proceeded for some kopi session.

Happy CNY to everybody

Its a bit early but I want to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New year in advance since the net will probably be flooded at that time.

For me, I will be working overtime all the way. If there is money to be earned, let's not let it go to waste. With money in the pocket, everyday can be a new year's day. With the recession going into full swing, it is always better to keep some money for safety.

I took a hard knock to my head when I fell off a box I was standing on. My body was aching and my neck was real stiff. Saw a doctor and took the next day off from work. This could have been prevented but I guess I got careless. Nevertheless, I have come to realize that exercise really helps to reduce the damages from a hard knock.

In the past when I was cycling and riding off road bikes, taking a tumble seems to be an easy affair and walking away from it like nothing happened was the norm. Now, I get aches and muscle strains from the impact of the fall and not to mention the slower reaction time which is why I didn't break fall in time.

Putting the bad things aside, I attended Bjorn's birthday party on Tuesday evening. Many friends attended it and the food prepared by his mum was great. Jasmine brought her arsenal of vodka spirits and I loved the pear flavored one most. Too bad it was a weekday and we had work the next day. After watching the US president inauguration, we split for home.

Prior to the event, I met Joey to discuss the plans for the birthday present. After the discussion, we decided to buy him the china phone I was using since his phone is dying and boring. The cost was split between me, Joey and Jeevan. Bjorn was so ecstatic about it when I presented it to him that I had to demonstrate my phone to the crowd during the party.

boring week

A week went past with some small events happening at work which I do not want to comment anymore since its basically the same BS every time.

The shadow has been completed with minor touch-up to be done before returning to the owner. The bike is now much more fantastic than before and the term fast and furious is an under statement. The effort I have put in is shown throughout the bike and also appreciated by all who saw it. The write up and stuff on the bike can be viewed at http://tuniyama.blogspot.com.

Its that time of the year to clear up my room and get ready for Chinese New Year celebrations. Although I have already been doing some cleaning up in the past few weeks, much is left to be done and I am getting a little short of time.

I am also going to get my bicycle repaired and go do some cycling to get out of this boring system of work, school and sleep.

Happy new year!!!

First of all, a happy new year to everyone!

Since I took leave on both Fridays, I had 2 long weekends back to back. I am enjoying the time at home and trying to complete the remaining projects on hand. I am hoping to complete the shadow project phase one by tomorrow and I will be out of stress mode.

School is re-opening next week and I have got an assignment to complete also.

The wave had to be sent in for a top overhaul since the smoke emitting from the exhaust is getting bad. Had to pay for parts since the warranty period is over but the shop is covering the labour charges. It was quite cheap anyway and I had the super 4 to ride when the wave is down, so not much inconvenience was caused. Picking it up tomorrow in the morning. Thanks to Eugene for sending me home when I drop the bike at the shop and also sending me to get back the bike.

Spent the first night of 2009 with Eugene and Ben at the usual place till 6am before we went home. The amount of rubbish we could talk amazes me. Some how, I got this feeling there will come a time when we will be there talking from sun down to sun rise and then sun down again. This is getting out of hand.

The new year resolutions for 2009 will be scrapped since the news reported that stress is related to having resolutions in the first place. (Actually, the 2008 resolutions are not even completed half-way anyway.)

The motto for 2009 will be "The plan is to have no plans until it is done". Since doing it and planning it are two different things, why do more work than necessary? Just do it. Be a YES man.