Rain...

For the whole of last week, without fail I will get drenched. Managed to avoid the rain on weekends but I'm wet again today. Yes, this is the life of a biker. Given a choice, I will still choose to ride (without my delicate delicacy should it rain, that is). Even though it is dangerous to ride in the rain, I personally feel that it is even more so when the rain stops but the road is still wet. Because that is the time when cars start speeding. Most drivers will be more cautious when it's raining but not so when the sky is clear.

Sad to say, plenty of Singapore drivers are inconsiderate & incorrigible to the core. Not that it is mandatory for them to give way to bikers, but shouldn't they just be a little more patient & forgiving towards us riders? It is only natural that two wheelers will tend to travel a little slower while negotiating a bend on wet road conditions. Is there really a need to tailgate & flash headlights? And don't even get me started on the Premier taxis. They are the true road bullies! Our neighbouring country produces better quality drivers. At the very least they will give way.

Post Anniversary Day

Although we did not plan a full day's activity but we had decided to start our outdoor day by having lunch at Soup Restaurant in Compass Point with some pals of hers. Heaven decided otherwise as it started pouring heavily from early noon all the way till 5pm in the evening. Yes, another day of practically rotting at home again.

Finally left home before 6pm & decided to ride instead of driving. Wise choice I should say as parking lots were much more difficult to locate than dinosaur bones.

We had our dinner at Outback Steakhouse. For starters we had Blooming Onion. It sure looked like a huge sunflower or chrysanthemum flower. My other half abstains from beef so she had the Catch Of The Day while I had Prime Minister's Prime Rib. I couldn't resist having it medium rare. It was great! 2 thumbs up! Beverage wise, as I was riding so we only had non-alcoholic drinks. Cranberry juice for the lady & Virgin Colada for me.

Walked about Suntec City & found out many outlets were opened till 1am for the day so at abt 10pm we headed home to change our mode of transport. Heavy duty shopping required a vehicle with a trunk. We visited various outlets before heading to our final destination, Carrefour.

Without anything in mind, we just shopped aimlessly with a cart & by the end of the day we had clocked $90! There was this counter with a huge poster stating for purchases above $80 in a single receipt, customers could redeem vouchers. My lady signed up for it & we got a $20 voucher! Of course not forgetting to read the fine print, the voucher could only be used for purchases not less than $100 & it is only valid from 28th Dec 2006 onwards. How great it is, we cannot use it for our Christmas shopping...

Anniversary Day

15th Dec 2006 marks the 5th yr anniversary being with my better half. We had originally planned to have dinner together but due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to work till abt 1030pm. Even supper was a little too late by then. Sure as hell I was pissed but what choices do I have?

Picked her up at abt 1130pm & headed home but decided to stop by at Ponggol Nasi Lemak to have a bite. She had a bowl of 香菇肉挫面 (minced meat mushroom noodles) while I preferred 鱼圆面 (fishball noodles).

I was out cold at abt 1am, perhaps due to my work while she continued on her lappy & cable tv. A rather disappointing anniversary I would say. But nonetheless we still got to spend the final 30mins of the day together.

I'm a blur fug...

The dumbest thing just happened to me. I locked my car keys in the car and my car was in the west while i'm living in the east! Damn it!

Took a cab back home to collect the spare keys & another taxi ride back there just so I can drive the car back home. This is just not my day. How stupid can I be.

Born to be a pilot

Today a friend jio my gf & I to a pub at Central Mall after dinner. But no news from him after dinner. Can guess as much, he fly my kite again. Fri, Sat & Sun. All 3 days. Marvellous!

Friday I sms him once during the day regarding some purchases & sms him again in the evening about my mp3 player. Both times he did not reply. Instead, he responded to my gf's sms. Hmm...

Saturday evening I contacted him about attending the wake. He said will call me after he knock off & we'll go together. No need to guess. I went alone.

Both sat & sun he went TNN. What a disappointment...

Departure

I received a shocking piece of news just this evening. 1 of my secondary school friend's sweetheart lost her battle to cancer. I have not met up with them for almost 4 years. Just a few weeks ago, we were supposed to meet up for a gathering as 1 of our friend came back from Vietnam. But they did not turn up due to their busy schedule. Never would I expect that I will not get to see her again.

I attended the wake & was rather disheartened to see the state my friend was in. I could tell he was trying hard not to let his emotions have the better of him. They have been a couple for 7 years & were planning to get married next year. That plan has to be aborted now. She was only in her mid twenties. Life still has to go on, as he said to me.

I will try to be there for him now that you are not around but I know you will be looking after him from where you are now. Rest in peace my dear friend.

For the better?

It's been slightly over a month since I've again acquired my driving license. I made a trip down to Wisma Atrium @ Orchard Road earlier on to fetch my better half together with her sister & 2 nieces. Getting a cab at 10pm around that area is a killer! There must be at least 25 ppl or more queuing at every taxi stand I passed by.

During the journey back home, she posed a question which left me rather stumped. "Do you regret getting back your driving license?"

Well, what am I supposed to say? "Hey! I'm always more than willing to give you a ride! Remember that most of the time I'm the one offering, only tonight are you the one requesting for it."

I hope that sounded convincing. Haha!

Surprise surprise!

What a surprise to receive my pay cheque on the 28th Nov, SIGNED by that asshole my boss. The only pleasant feeling came at 2pm today, after the cheque was cleared. How great it feels to receive payment when due. I feel rich again!

Little lamb grows up to become a big cow

14th Nov 2006 was probably my happiest day in this entire year. Yes! It is the day my engine size has been legally upgraded from 200cc to 400cc! Taking the bike test was a breeze. In fact, the toughest was the 1st practical lesson.

No need to guess, I failed my 1st practical lesson. During the whole session, I would depress the left lever whenever I wanted to slow down or stop. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, left lever on a manual bike is the clutch while on an automatic bike it is the rear brake.

After the lesson, the instructor would debrief us all whether we passed or failed & advised us why we failed & how to overcome. When it was my turn, the 1st thing the instructor said was "What bike you riding?". I said an automatic scooter & he went "No wonder lah! Nevermind lah, just come back a few more times & you will pass"

I tell myself no way am I going to repeat another lesson, ever again! All I have to do is constantly remind myself that left hand clutch, right leg brake. I did that & I passed! But I did get 2 demerit points for the test. I was penalised for "Incorrect technique" during the Emergency Stop obstacle. Whatever it is for, I did stop before the stop line with ease. Not that I care about why I was penalised. The important issue is that I've passed the test & I don't have to spend a single cent nor another 100 minutes for a retest!

It is time to scout for a new & bigger ride!

It's all about the money... again...

Tomorrow is the 28th. Yes, it is pay day again. Now what are my chances of collecting a SIGNED pay cheque before noon? My dad seems to think rather highly of that asshole. Personally? Not a chance at all!

For once, I hope he proves me wrong...

The money is in the bank!

Today is officially the 1st time I am late for work. I overslept. I wonder why too. Reached office at 930am when I should start work 1 hour before. I told myself to give my boss till noon. Should I still not receive my salary, then I shall go straight home. No money, no work done.

My admin came up to me with a cash cheque instead of the usual crossed cheque. Instead of making a quick cheque deposit, I went over to the payer's bank & withdrew cash. I'm not gona let that money sit in his account for a minute more!

Anyway, my bank was just opposite. So I cashed out the cheque, crossed the street & bank it in again. I know, it sounds stupid but I've got to do what I've got to do. Finally, the money is in the bank of the right account!

It's all about the money

28th Oct 2006 was supposed to be the day I receive my 3rd pay cheque. As I'm on a 5 day work week & that particular day happens to be a saturday, we're supposed to receive it on friday, 27th Oct. My fellow colleagues and I were unable to receive it personally, thus our admin did us a favour by banking it in for us. I did not check up on it anymore until yesterday, 4th Nov 2006 when I was making a withdrawal from an ATM machine. My account balance did not reflect the correct amount.

Alarmed as I should be, I checked my transaction history thru the Internet & found out that my pay was credited on 30th Oct but was debited on 31st Oct. The transaction code was CHR, meaning cheque returned. What the fuck was that all about? I immediately called my colleague & checked with him on his pay. He had received his share & advised me to check my mailbox for any letters from the bank. I did as advised & indeed there was a mail for me from my bank. I was dumbfounded when I realised the reason the cheque was returned. It was not signed...

I do not know if it was my admin's duty to check if the pay cheque was signed, I do not know if my boss bothers about what he signs but I do know that I did not receive my salary on the day I was supposed to be paid!

Should I laugh it off or get pissed by it? The last thing I could tolerate was to not receive payment when due. What had I been working so hard for when I'm not paid? Hey, forgetting to sign 1 particular cheque does not even contribute as an excuse, much less a valid reason. Do not make your mistake into my fault!

I already had qualms about this company when my 2nd pay cheque was late for 1 day. It is only my 3rd pay cheque & I had to encounter this kind of absolute stupidity. Or was it intentional?

Driving in Singapore

Driving in this lovely little city we call Singapore is like kayaking in white waters. Everybody seems to be in such a rush, or are the vehicles overpowered? Then again there's this saying, "with great powers, lies great responsibilities". I feel we should all take things easy & drive at a moderate pace instead of flooring the accelerator, cutting lanes excessively, failing to signal intentions early & etc etc. Relax & enjoy the time spent in our expensive cars.

Last night was the 1st time I pumped petrol. It was a whopping $63.89 AFTER DISCOUNT for a mere 45 litres of Esso Synergy 8000. That was enough to pay a whole month's worth of petrol for my bike!

I tell you, the amount of money we spend on private transport is enough to travel around the world not just once. I think we will all do just fine if we revert back to the primitive ways. Life would serve more meaning. Making ends meet, putting 3 meals on the table, paying utility bills are not exactly my idea of living life to the fullest.

Finally I'm licensed to drive again!

23rd Oct 2006 is a day to be reckoned. Why do I say so? Because it is the day I'm a qualified driver again! After almost 10 yrs, finally I'm allowed behind the wheel. Well, not exactly that I enjoy driving. My passion is still with the 2 wheeler! Live to ride, ride to live! Bad boys forever! Hahaha!

Anyway, circuit driving was an ease. The only problem was the asshole who had to walk in front of my car instead of behind it when I was about to exit the circuit.

As I was taking the 1st time slot for the test, it was already 915am by the time I was out on the main road. I entered the bus lane as I filtered left preparing to return to the driving centre. The tester suddenly jumped!

Tester : "Bus lane leh!"
Me : "Bus lane until 9am only lah!"
Tester : "Is it?"
Me : "No meh?"
Tester : "(mumbling to himself)730 to 9... hmm..."

Nothing more was said until I parked the car & followed him into a room where he said my driving was alright & he passed me, except for that asshole who cost me 8 points! I thought nothing more of the bus lane issue until I went home. I checked the Internet for information regarding bus lane hours & was shocked to find out that indeed the operating hours are from 730 to 930am!

I should have been penalised with an immediate failure but I escaped with a pass instead! I would like to think that the tester himself was not very sure of the operating hours but somehow I believe he let me off with a pass as I did not make any mistakes while driving in the circuit & out on the main road. Other than the bus lane issue that is.

It was my lucky day indeed! I never had much luck with winning lotteries but now I know I'm lucky in other aspects!

& The World Cup Finale....

I guess this is 1 way to mark the end of Zinedine Zidane's international career. Instead of heading the soccer ball, he decides to put his head to better use by headbutting Materazzi in the chest. Marvellous!

Since he can't have the World Cup trophy, a red card at the final stage is as worth remembering, if not more. Well done again!

Not forgetting the other star should be Camaronesi for having a haircut in the middle of the field after winning the cup.

It was indeed a great finals. 90 mins of soccer play, another 30 mins of extra time & ending the game in pee-nut-tee shootouts. What more can we ask for?

That's all folks!

And there you have it, the end of the full 15 days of Chinese New Year. What's next to look forward to? End of the world? Haha!

I'm a real clumsy ass...

The dumbest thing just happened to me. I sent my Delicious Delicacy home & rode all the way back to my place only to find out that I had lost my house keys! Hurriedly, I SMSed my girl requesting her to check her place if my keys were there while at the same time I back tracked the route I took on my way back, hoping to find my keys.

As I have a tendency to leave my keys hanging on my box after accessing it, the thought of my keys lying on the highway was a huge possibility.

After reaching her place, I called her to double check the toilet & kitchen area but to no avail. Lastly, she reminded me to check the lift lobby. I was quite skeptical about dropping my keys there & was about to move off from there in search of my keys on the road when I decided to give it a try.

Guess what? I found the damn keys lying at the lift lobby! Ridiculous! How could I possibly NOT know I had dropped it right outside the lift? Whatever it is, my lady has proven time & again that she knows better than I do. What will I do without her?

The weird things that only japanese minds can come up with...

I have no idea what kind of pleasure the wearer is suppose to feel...

*UPDATED*



My goodness... & I thought only our female counterparts wear such revealing costumes...




Are they so sexually deprived or simply attempting to create a new breed of whatever? Only whatever's up there knows best...



Hmm... somehow this seems mighty familiar...

Hair Trouble?

This is how long my ponytail was yesterday before my Delicious Delicacy snipped it off. Frankly speaking, I had no idea my hair was that long until this picture was taken.



Damn! It's even longer than a 30cm ruler!

Anyway I've cut my hair real short this time round. It's been abt 9 yrs since I've had such short hair. Don't really care whether I look better now or before. The main issue is I won't be spending as much money on shampoo in the near future & definitely I won't be visiting any hair salon in the next 2 years!

Planning ahead?

Nobody plans to fail, we only fail to plan. But what's the point in planning ahead when nothing ever goes according to plan? Unless you have a plan B option, but not every scenario allows that. So the moral of the story? Just live for today & not bother about coming attractions because most probably it won't be that attractive. Instead, it's usually a big disappointment...