ninewhiskysixvictorxray

It's been far too long!

2008-07-07T13:55:00.002+08:00

I was contemplating deleting the whole blog since I do not post anymore.

However, I have decided to keep the blog and post regularly whenever time permits.

I have been really busy since my last post about a year ago and have not been cycling regularly with my trusted Stumpjumper. sigh.............

I really must get off my butt and start again.

73's

Renewal of Friendship Part 2.5

2007-04-27T23:55:00.000+08:00

Aha........... another one in the bag!

Met up with some of my former classmates in Tawau a few days back. Haven't seen some of them for 23 years!

Too long...... but I should have made effort to touch base with them but did not for various reasons. Now that we have met up again, we have promised to keep in touch with each other.

Really enjoyed myself that night. We had dinner and then went for some booze. Got very intoxicated that evening.

Hopefully, we will be able to do a big bang in Tawau again with a much larger reunion next time round.

On another note, I will be starting my cycling regimen again starting from May onwards. Will be on the road again and will start with Kingfisher-Karambunai and progress to Rasa Ria followed by Tuaran. Hopefully I will be able to do the Kingfisher-Tuaran route again within 4-6 weeks.

We'll just have to see how strong my will is. The will is strong but the body is weak....... ha..ha....

Also managed to get my Icom V8000 mobile radio repaired. The speaker went kaput leaving me with intermittent audio only. It was frustrating to say the least when you want to use the radio and there was no audio at all from the speaker.
With a new speaker, she's as good as new. Perfect five nine RST report in our ham radio lingo.

Short vacation in Singapore

2007-03-29T23:58:00.000+08:00

Came back yesterday evening from KL on business and prior to that spent a few days in Singapore taking a short R&R.

Got from Singapore my new toy which is a Treo 680 smartphone running on the Palm OS. She will replace my HP PDA running on WM5 which I don't particularly fancy. The Treo 680 sure looks sexy and I guess I'll be wasting lots of time in the evenings looking for new software for her. It's much cheaper to get a smartphone in Singapore than KL as smartphones are taxable in Malaysia.

Also got a Canon A550 digital camera to supplement the Sony camcorder. 7.1 MP, 4x optical zoom and runs on AA batteries. She's not top of the line but sufficient for my needs as I just need a point and shoot. I've had enough of SLR's and the like as they are just too bulky 99% of the time. When I took the family to Hong Kong/Macau last year, I did not bother to bring the Nikon SLR.
I bought the digital camera in KL though as the prices of cameras are dearer in Singapore.

The last time I was in Singapore was more than a decade ago and it's still as clean as ever if not even cleaner! The local food sure has improved a lot and it tastes much better! I couldn't last long in Orchard Road though as there were just too many people shopping and the shopping complexes were too spotlessly clean for my taste!

Met up with Dav, Lily and kids who took me out for a wonderful dinner and also to the Singapore Zoo which was absolutely outstanding. Thanks for the hospitality guys. Dav, please don't forget to email me the pictures we took together. Please send my regards to your little ones and Claudia .............. they were great to have around and I honestly enjoyed the Sunday outing.

Amanda thanks Auntie Lily for her little present. It was awfully nice of you Lily.

World's Shortest Personality Test

2007-03-15T18:59:00.000+08:00

Your Personality Profile

You are elegant, withdrawn, and brilliant.
Your mind is a weapon, able to solve any puzzle.
You are also great at poking holes in arguments and common beliefs.

For you, comfort and calm are very important.
You tend to thrive on your own and shrug off most affection.
You prefer to protect your emotions and stay strong.

The World's Shortest Personality Test

LUX accessories

2007-03-11T19:12:00.000+08:00

Got my LUX in July 06 and to date I have added the following:

Thule, Sweden roof load bars
Thule, Sweden roof fairing to reduce the bloody wind noise which was driving me nuts. Had to order the Thule fairing all the way from the US as it was only available there.
FlatTop, Aussie hard tonneau cover
Aussie dashboard cover
VDO turbo boost and pyrometer EGT gauges
Philips H4 60/55w +15 halogen bulbs
Aussie floor mats
DPChip, Aussie diesel tuning chip
EGR, Aussie bug deflector
Icom V-8000 VHF mobile rig with Diamond SG7500 Super Gainer or M150 1/4 wave antennas
Permacool ATF oil cooler
K&N air filter
Nippon tint film

Many more bits to come but it will be a long term project to gradually transform her!

2007-03-11T15:57:00.000+08:00

2007-03-11T15:47:00.000+08:00

My LUX

2007-03-11T15:44:00.000+08:00

I'm back!

2007-03-11T01:58:00.000+08:00

Was just reading my own blog and I know I have not updated my blog for almost a year!

It's just that I didn't feel I had much to post anyway in my mundane and unexciting life....... LOL!

Anyway, after reading my blog I found it fascinating that I actually had a collection of my thoughts and events recorded ............................

Anyway, a very nice event happened today. I met up with about 10 of my classmates from my secondary school in Tawau today whom some I have not seen or heard from since 1984. That's 23 years.............

Yep, 23 years is a bloody long time........... It was fantastic to share and chat after all these years. We are planning to meet again in Tawau in May 2007 for a even bigger reunion and I'm looking forward to meet some more class mates of mine.

The circle is almost complete and as I look back in life, I wish I had done more in life and had been even more adventurous.

To my schoolmates whom I met today, it was definitely fun to meet all of you again.

Cheers mates.

Books galore!

2006-05-03T00:33:00.000+08:00

Forgot to mention that I've been doing lots of reading especially before going to bed.

I read until the wee hours of the morning......

Current books are:

Jefrey Archer 3 volumes (Volume I - Hell, Volume II - Purgatory & Volume III - Heaven) about his life in prison after he was incarcerated for perjury. Very interesting but makes me wonder if he is as innocent as he seems? I've actually finished reading Volume I & II. Volume III is at my study table waiting tantalizingly!

Arsene Wenger - The Professor by Myles Palmer. Being a hardcore Arsenal (Gooner) fan since my early teens this was too good a book to miss about the manager of my beloved Arsenal.

Combat - a collection of short war stories. Can't remember the author as I'm just too lazy to go upstairs to my bedroom to check. Still not finished yet. Some of the stories suck........

One Day in September - Simon Reeve. Haven't read this book yet. It's about terrorists in 1972 which massacred Israeli athletes in Munich, Germany.

As you will notice, I'm a war buff and unfortunately Tom Clancy has not got any new books worth mentioning. My all time favourite is still 'The Hunt for Red October'.

Besides that, I've still got some cycling training books which I have not finished yet.

Only problem though is that when you've got a good book, you don't want to put it down. I read in the bedroom until 3 or 4 am before retiring. Not good........ But can't help it...... ha..ha....

Good night mates.

2006-05-02T21:50:00.000+08:00

2006-05-02T21:48:00.000+08:00

2006-05-02T21:46:00.000+08:00

Minoura bike trainer! (Yeeha.....!!!!!!)

2006-05-02T21:28:00.000+08:00

Hmmm......have not posted here for some time. Actually, been quite busy with work and was running up & down for a seminar we organized recently at Beverly Hotel.

Furthermore, the weather sucks and have not been cycling for about 2-3 weeks.

But, I did manage to get a stationary bike trainer from KL while on holiday. The brand is Minoura and i have managed to get some mileage on the trainer. Unfortunately it's not as good as the actual riding experience and you can get bored easily. I watched a DVD movie on my laptop while on the trainer and that makes it bearable. The movie was about 90 minutes so I managed to spin at about 70rpm cadence for some light workout. Without the movie, I think I can only last about 30 minutes or so.

Unfortunately, I can't make use of my Vetta cyclo-computer to get a cadence read out and heart rate reading on the trainer. I'm making use of Dav's Kona Stinky hardtail for training purposes. The stupid thing is, I can't use my own Stumpy on the trainer as my Shimano XTR wheels's spokes are not the typical spoke setup! Should have used Mavic Crossmax wheels instead of Shitmano! ha..ha....

Picutres of the trainer are attached.

That's a short update and got to go to shower.....mandi bah.......very smelly.......???!!!!!!!!*******

Welcome to my blog Jane Hamre aka Jane Chen

2006-03-22T00:39:00.000+08:00

Hi sweetie,

Thanks for dropping by to my humble blog........

I hope you do post from time to time. ha..ha....

I'm going to dig our old emails and post a picture of you and Neil here! ha..ha...

Folks, Jane is a very old friend of mine who loves Canada. She's in Burnaby near Vancouver and we've been friends since 1984. Yes, 22 years of friendship.......... We lost contact in between for a few years but managed to keep in regular contact now.

I last saw her in 2004 if I am not mistaken and she's planning to come back in 2008.

I've always wanted to visit her all this while but never got around to doing it for one reason or another. Anyway, if I'm going it will have to be Montana, USA and Burnaby, Canada together.

On top of that I also have a friend called Jackson Wong originally from Sipitang who currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. I haven't seen Jack for about five years now.

I got to know Jane when I was working for Teck Guan Trading in Tawau and we became good friends and colleagues. She was always so helpful and ever ready to lend me her ears (a good listener). She is truely one of my true friends and our platonic relationship has really withstood the test of time.

I remember sending her an email last year telling her how much I missed her and wished that she was nearby so that I could pop in to see her and her hubby Neil with my family and have a BBQ together and chat. The thing about her was that I could relate to her and still be my natural self. No bull shit and she was the sister I never had.

She's happy in Canada and I'm really happy that she found her life partner, Neil. He's one big hunk........ ha..ha......

Take care sweetie and cheers.

Bike Touring?

2006-03-12T20:57:00.000+08:00

Well, it seems that I'm in the mood to post in my blog................ LOL!

Anyway, I've this burning dream to do a bike tour with some buddies. This project was conceived in October 2005 while taking the KLIA Express train from the airport to KL Sentral. I called Nick while on the train and he was interested too.

My idea was to fly to KLIA with our bikes and from there either proceed north to Thailand or south to Singapore. In the end we decided to head for Singapore and the tour was planned for March 2006. The group was supposed to be about 6 or 7 people and the only persons that I talked to about this was Nick and Eric from Singapore. Dav, you were included in my original list but I did not mention it you as I called off this project since I had to look after my own business after leaving my former company. Nick even got the maps for me and since I was the chief architect for this adventure, I was supposed to do all the logistics planning etc etc........ I never got around to doing it for reason mentioned above.

My original idea was stay at el-cheapo hotels along the way and it would probably take about a week to arrive at Singapore for some R&R (rest & recreation). Eric had other ideas though...... driver to support us all the way from KLIA so that we could toss our bags into the car and just cycle without a backpack and luxury hotels at each night stop! ha..ha....

It's now March and I realized that I have not fulfilled this dream yet.
Nevertheless, once things at my end have stabilized I will pursue and make this dream a reality. I've always been fascinated by bike touring and roughing it out. Ideally, with just one compatible riding partner.

This ride from KLIA to Singapore was supposed to be my springboard for bigger things to come. Dreams like flying to Bangkok and riding in a foreign country seems most appealing to me. No luxury...........

In the meantime, I'll just let my passion for cycling continue unimpeded .............................

Training regimen

2006-03-12T13:52:00.000+08:00

Hi everybody.

It's been some time since I posted on my blog. I know people like Lily, Dav, Shan check my blog regularly. To you I say thank you even though I have not posted anything recently.

I'm not as open as Shan so in order not to tread on other people's toes, I can't be too vocal. There's so much inequality in this world that if I start whining about everything, I would be really spent! ha..ha... If you guys want to know who Shan is, check out her blog www.polarbearshan.blogspot.com . Her language is very colourful and it's one of my favourite blogs. So, mind the language and check out her blog. I've never met her before but I do post in her blog from time to time. She calls me the Whiskey Dude! I don't drink whiskey at all so it must be my ham radio call sign.

By the way, as I'm drafting this, I'm listening to the soundtrack Flashdance. It's got hits like What a Feeeling by Irene Cara, Maniac by Michael Sembello, Helen St. John - the love theme from Flashdance and many others. Refreshing................... it's always nice to hear old songs that I used to hear in my younger days. Now, if only I still had my Tannoy floor stander speakers, Audiolab amplifier and my JVC CD player hifi system....................(the house would rock!) Now, I mainly listen to music on my Dell laptop. I've got a Denon integrated CD player in the family hall upstairs but I hardly listen to it as I hardly sit there even though I have wireless network (wi-fi) at home. I like to spend my time in my study room downstairs.

I've started keeping records my my rides again after stopping in March 2005. I stopped as my Vetta cycling computer does not have infrared (IR) to beam the data to my laptop. I'm now doing about 80 to 100 kms per week and my average heart rate is 135-144 beats per minute (bpm) and my maximum HR is about 170 bpm on the hill climbs.

I'm mostly in the aerobic zone which is 65% - 85% of max HR. I need to improve my pedaling stroke (push/pull technique) and improve my cadence. I'm comfortable at 80 revolutions per minute (rpm) and I want to be comfortable at about 85-90 rpm cadence in order to raise myaverage speed using higher gears.

My cyclo-computer is a handlebar mounted Vetta V100HR which has on top of the normal speed, average speed, ride time, total time has also additional functions like heart rate monitor, cadence. In order to get the hear rate reading I have to wear a chest strap device. I call it my BRA (battle ready armour)! You wear the BRA just below your nipples! ha..ha..... The term 'battle ready armour' came from one of the cartoons that my kids love to watch!

I want to lose some weight this year but I still continue to take supper and smoke ciggies. I need to lose about 5 kgs for health reasons and also to make me a fitter cyclist.

BTW, I'm now listening to Chicago, one of my all time favourites. Fantastic music....especially the song "Hard To Say I'm Sorry".

I've increased the intensity of my rides, by pushing myself a little more harder and trying to break the pain barrier at the anaerobic zone which is 85% of max heart rate and higher where lactic acid buils up in the muscles. No pain no gain!

I have also increased the distance of my rides now that the weather seems much more favourable to us cyclists. My personal target is 100 kms per week over Tuesday and Thursday evenings (group rides) and weekend (Sat or Sun) individual solo ride.

I woke up at 0600 hrs this morning and took a slow ride to Likas Square to meet Dr. Fiona Lim a triathlon athlete. She's a superb athlete and excels in running, cycling and swimming. Super fit and also super healthy! We went for a 40km ride and she left me trailing when she put on a burst of speed at the straights and she also blew me on the hill climbs! ha..ha... Hopefully by riding with her more often, I can force myself with the pain barrier to keep pace with her and improve my stamina.

And lastly, I've been reading a lot on cycling books. Finished Lance Armstrong, seven times Tour de France champion book, It's Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life how he over came testicular cancer and survived. The other book is 23 Days In July by John Wilcockson. I'm currently reading The Ultimate Ride by Chris Carmichael and Lance Armstrong Performance Program:Seven Weeks to the Perfect Ride. Thanks to Fiona for graciously borrowing the books.

So, that's it. A long post...................Cheerio and have a great Sunday.

73's and I'll be signing off here.

2006-02-09T20:15:00.001+08:00

2006-02-09T20:15:00.000+08:00

2006-02-09T20:14:00.000+08:00

2006-02-09T20:13:00.000+08:00

2006-02-09T20:12:00.001+08:00

2006-02-09T20:12:00.000+08:00

2006-02-09T20:10:00.000+08:00

2006-02-09T20:07:00.001+08:00

2006-02-09T20:07:00.000+08:00

Some more off-road pictures

2006-02-09T20:05:00.001+08:00

Hmmm.....

Here are some more pictures of my Isuzu Bighorn in all it's glory and mud!

ha...ha.. Enjoy!

2006-02-09T20:05:00.000+08:00

My radio pictures

2006-02-09T20:01:00.000+08:00

2006-02-09T19:55:00.000+08:00

2006-02-09T19:54:00.000+08:00

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2006-02-09T19:52:00.000+08:00

2006-02-09T19:51:00.000+08:00

My other passion.

2006-02-09T17:39:00.000+08:00

Well, I've shared my current passion for cycling (MTB mountain bike) and also my previous passion 4 wheel drive off-road.

This time I'll share another of my current hobby, amateur radio. I'm a licenced ham radio operator Class B with privileges on the 2 metre VHF (very high frequency 144-148Mhz) band, 70 cm UHF (ultra high frequency 430-440Mhz) band, 6 metre 50-54Mhz and HF 28-29.7 Mhz.

At the present moment I do not have full privileges on all HF bands which will allow me to talk to like minded hams all over the world as my licence is not a Class A. To upgrade to Class A licence, I will have to sit for the CW morse code test of which I have totally no interest at all. Hopefully by 2007, the Malaysian government will abolish the morse code requirement. Then, I can get myself an all-band radio and talk to the world! As for the Class B, I had to sit for the RAE exam conducted by MCMC, a federal government department. I got my licence is 2002.

I'm mainly active on the 2 metre VHF band and rag-chew/QSO while mobile in the car. Basically, I can now talk to hams as far as Brunei and whole of Sabah with some blind spots here and there.

Attached are some pictures of the radios that I used to own/still own. There's also a picture showing my base antenna at home which is a Diamond F23 mounted approximately 50 feet above ground.

It's actually quite fun talking to fellow hams whom you do not know. You get to make new friends and when one has full HF privileges, you can then talk to the world anytime anywhere.

So, I'm actually waiting for the government to abolish the morse code requirement like other countries in the world who have done so.

Whenever you fly on board a plane, look at the plane's body and tail, you will see a call sign. Example, all Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia planes carry the call sign 9M???. The 9M indicates it's from Malaysia and the other suffixes indicates it's individual call sign. So, mine is 9W6VX. The 9W indicates I'm from Malaysia, the 6 indicates I'm from Sabah and VX is my invidual call sign.

Other examples are Singapore 9V, Australia VK, Brunei V8, Thailand HS, New Zealand ZL etc. etc.. Each country has a individual prefix designated by the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) based in Switzerland.

Renewal of friendship Part 2.3

2006-02-06T22:49:00.000+08:00

Dav came back to KK last week for a few days to clear up his condo as he's going to rent it out. Unfortunately, Lily did not make it as Dav said that the kids are back at school in Singapore unlike my children's school which gave them a week off.

We met up and I helped Dav to move his personal effects to his parents place. His Japanese tenant was quite picky but everthing worked out at the end. I did however manage to practice my horribly broken Japanese...........

Dav left his Kona Blast MTB bike at my place and I am now officially the guardian for his baby. He even left his pair of dirty clipless MTB shoes at my place. Hmmm..... his shoes were really dirty and being the guy that I am, I washed his shoes and they are now clean........ Dav, I will have to charge you for cleaning your dirty Louis Garneau shoes!!!! ha..ha... By the way, I also pumped up the tyres of the poor Kona as she was deflated.

Not to worry my man, your Kona and shoes are safe in my home. We'll go riding together anytime you are back here. I'll give her some loving and I'm sure she'll be happy to stay with me until you come back to ride her! yeeha....!!!

Lily, looks like we will have to take another raincheque for our dinner! Not to worry, I look forward to meet you again and renew our friendship....... when there's a will, there's a way..... REAL friendship has no time limits and I only wish that we had met up earlier before you and family moved to Singapore. I'm sure that your two lovely daughters would have got along fine with Amanda who will turn 9 by June.

So, Dav, when is our next "ngiew chap (beef noodles)" session at Menggatal?

I did not realize that Dav almost became my neighbour as he was interested in the house just behind mine. Somebody else beat him to it before he could purchase it. Now, it would be great if Dav was my neighbour as I would not have to tolerate the idiot who purchased the house but were so stingy that there have no fencing lighting at all and totally screwed up my garden which was initially planted with carpet grass but is now sundal grass due to them planting all kinds of fruit trees and not cutting the grass regularly..............!!!!!! Alas, the grass in my garden is all shit now..... sigh.......oh well........

Cheerio.

Happy New Year mates!

2006-01-04T00:52:00.000+08:00

First of all, a very Happy New Year 2006 to all near and far away.

I had a very mundane new year, really nothing to shout about! Went to the Tg. Lipat beach near Yayasan Sabah and the family (spouse, kids) dipped our legs into the sea at the stroke of midnight. There wasn't much fireworks to be seen and to be honest the air horns of the ships berthed at the port could hardly be heard! Or did the ships blare their air horns but I could not hear them?

Prior to that, we went to Pizza Hut for dinner and tried their Mediteranean pizza set. Hmmm... no big deal to be honest...... It was a wee too spicy for the kids and we had to take away the balance. Normally, any pizza we order is finished off clean! ha...ha....

In the afternoon, I was at Karamunsing Complex with a client for a drink. After the drink I decided to go home. Went to the car and as I drove off, I felt the steering pull to one side. Aha.....should be a puncture........Stopped the car and went down to have a look. After confirming that I indeed had a puncture, I decided to drive another 10 metres away so as not to block traffic and allow the other parked cars to move. By doing that I tore the bloody sidewall of the stupid tyre and there goes RM300 bucks! In hindsight I shouldn't have tried to be so polite. Grrr......

That's not the end of it. I start looking for the tools to remove the spare tyre and start looking at them with question marks in my mind. Now, how the heck do I use these tools. I am more used to the real 4 wheel drive jack used by real off roaders, the HI-LIFT JACK from Canada. In my previous 4x4 I could change a tyre in 1o minutes without any real problems. In the end I had to call for a buddy, 9W6YY to come and help me out. ha...ha.... The standard bottle jack and tyre wrench provided by most manufacturers suck! Give me a cross tyre wrench and a real hi-lift jack! Of course, to use a hi-lift jack you need to reinforce your side steps so that the side steps can take the weight of the vehicle. Furthermore, hi-lift jacks are really heavy and bulky. I fabricated a special holder in my previous Isuzu Bighorn to keep the hi-lift jack ever ready for action.

It's been one month since I went full time in my business and I'm pleased that December 2005 was a good month. Bringing to bear my experience and management, I intend to improve further for 2006.

Till then, cheers mates.

Merry Christmas folks

2005-12-24T00:26:00.000+08:00

It's been almost a month since my last post in my blog but I've been pretty busy lately.

I made one of my biggest decisions in my life recently by leaving employment and concentrate full time on my own business. This happenned in early December. I turned my back on the MNC (multi-national company) that I was formerly with because my boss was a prick and a first class ASSHOLE.

It was not easy to bite the bullet but I just could not take the fucking racist, egoistic, unreasonable bastard anymore! On one occassion he flew in from KL and I picked him up at the KK airport.While in the car on the way to the hotel, he got into a rage over the fact that he had to produce his passport at KK immigration to enter Sabah. And vice versa that we Sabahans only need to show our IC to enter Peninsular Malaysia. I almost punched him there and then! When we joined Malaysia in 1963, East Malaysians were accorded certain concessions such as immigration which is under the jurisdiction of the state government and not federal. And here he was taking it out on me........... I'm not into bashing West Malaysians whatmore my other significant half is from there. And that's just one little example of what an asshole boss he was. He is the worst boss I've ever worked with ever since I started working and I wonder how on earth I managed to stay on and listen to his crap/abuse for almost four years!

I will have to take a drastic dip financially but I console myself that life is not all about money! Yeah, moolah is important but I will not be a slave to all the materialistic things in life. If money was that important, I would have taken up the job offers in KL and Singapore a long time ago and settled down there. I like the pace of life here and it suits me well. Just the right pace!

So, I've said my piece and just want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas.

Renewal of friendship Part 2.2

2005-11-19T15:11:00.000+08:00

Picked up Alexander and family at KK airport this morning. They are on a flight to Singapore at 2pm and will stay one night before flying to Narita and then direct to Seattle followed by another flight to Great Falls, Montana.

We went for breakfast (rice wine noodles at Lintas) and then we ended up at Tg. Aru for some drinks and the Lim family got to know the Chung family. ha....ha......

Time just passed too fast and we had to send them back to the airport at 1pm. Alexander gave me a bear hug at the airport and I don't normally hug my friends. Hopefully, we will be able to meet up again soon and my children would love to go to Montana. The order has been given......I must now save more pennies to bring the whole Lim family to North America as my bosses (children) have given me a direct order!

If I'm going to the states, I will also visit my other old friend Jane Chen from Vancouver, Canada. Better to kill two birds with one stone........... but now I've got to find the magical stone!!!! ha..ha...

I feel kinda sad that after renewing our friendship we have to part again so soon but I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to track him down.

Till we meet again, cheerio Alexander, Tracy, Devon and Daniel and have a safe and pleasant journey back home to Montana.

73's old buddy.

[ONE OF MY LITTLE GOALS IN LIFE HAS BEEN FULFILLED AND FOR THAT I AM GRATEFUL TO THE ONE ABOVE.]

Renewal of old friendship Part 2.1

2005-11-18T00:04:00.000+08:00

Met up with Dr. Alexander, my old school mate in Tawau yesterday at the Tawau Recreation Club (TRC). I have not seen him for 25 years! He's based in Montana, USA.

There was no problems at all recognizing him as he has not changed much except in height! ha..ha.... Met his spouse Tracy and their two lovely children. We hit off instantly and updated each other on our respective journey in life. We had a few beers in the afternoon and and I felt very comfortable with his company even though it has been so many years. We used to sit next to each other in class and we were quite close because we were the only persons who spoke English in class and that made us outcasts in the eyes of the other students. What more neither of us spoke much Hakka at that time....... ha...ha.....

We met up again in the evening for more beers at the same place and he showed me some pictures and a short movie clip of his hobby. He loves cars and is a weekend racer. His rig is a Subaru Impreza STI WRX with more than 300 horses under the hood. Very impressive mate. We talked about the moron idiot Bush (you know, the guy who runs the USA) and also about our ass hole politicians who talk cock only. Sigh....I guess politics are the same all over the world! He seems to know quite a fair bit about military stuff and I'm happy to chat on that subject as I'm a military buff myself !

Life was not a bed of roses for both of us in one way or another. Life has a funny way of giving you challenges and obstacles in our journey from adolescence to adulthood and the journey still continues to the day that we leave this mortal world. But I'm very happy for him after working his balls off in medical school and doing his residency and is now enjoying the fruits of his hard labour.

And the funny thing is that even though we have not been in touch for quarter of a century, we are still able to connect. One of his father's friends in the club commented that I am a true friend and I would like to think that I am very loyal to my genuine friends but then again you have those that only want to make friends to curry favours or have ulterior motives and are non genuine. Well, that's life ............

We agreed not to let another quarter of a century pass again as we'll probably be senile by then.......ha...ha... Hopefully, we will be able to meet up again in the next few years either in KK or in Montana. Hmmm..... got to save me pennies in order to bring my family to visit him in North America.

Renewal of old friendships Part II

2005-11-14T16:23:00.000+08:00

Hi everybody.

Last week an asshole stole the CD player in my car while it was parked at home in the car porch. That fucker even took my collection of CD's which are more than 10 years old and also took my favourite torchlight, a Petzl Duo halogen unit which has seen action with me in Mount Kinabalu since 2000. Fortunately there was no damage to my dashboard or windows. In fact it's as if I took out the CD player to be repaired! I'm still pissed as I feel like I have been violated! And, I think I forgot to lock the car..................

Now, I make sure to double check that all my cars are locked before I retire for the night.

Now for some good news, I have gradually expanded the circle of friends who know about my blog. I would like to welcome one of my old friend, Jane Chen from Burnaby, British Colombia, Canada. We go back 21 years in Tawau. ha...ha...... Wow, has it been that long?????? It's been amazing how we have managed to keep in touch all these years. Dear, we look forward to see you again in 2007 and this time make sure you stay a night ot two in KK before going back to Tawau. You are most welcome to put up at my humble home. Yeah, I got air-conditioning in the other rooms so your other half, Neil will feel much more comfortable!!! ha..ha....

And today, I spoke on the phone to another old friend, Alexander Chung whom I have not seen since 1980! Yeah....25 years......And to be honest I do think of him once in a while and wonder how the hell he's getting on. He was my classmate in Holy Trinity in Tawau and we sat next to each other. Unfortunately, he left for KK in 1981 and I lost contact with him ever since.

It's amazing.....we spoke on the phone for about 30 minutes and he is now a fooking orthepedic surgeon in USA. Fooking A man! We are meeting up again in Tawau this Wednesday as I will be in Tawau for a business trip. It will be wonderful to meet up with one of my old buddies after 25 years....... Unfortunately, he will be leaving on Saturday and will not be stopping over in KK before flying back to the states. We talked about the girl that we both had a crush on and I remembered saying something like, Buddy if you want her, she's all yours! ha...ha....... My memory is kinda vague on that but I do remember saying something like that.

To my old mate, Alexander, it's been my utmost pleasure to hear from you again after 25 focking years. You've done good and I look forward to meet up on Wednesday and see how the fuck you look like now!!!!!!!

Well, that's all folks and I've got a very warm and nice feeling today even though it's a Monday as nothing beats talking to a friend you have not spoken to for 25 years!!!!

Hmmm.....unless I do meet up with some of my old school and football buddies representing our school Sri Petaling circa late 1970's. Now that would also be great.........................

Cheers everybody and have a nice day.

You got a puppy to give away?

2005-10-25T17:35:00.000+08:00

Hmmm.....want a puppy as a family pet and at the same time act as my home guard dog and maybe my personal buddy when I go cycling off road as the little fella grows up. The idea of a dog going with me off road on a bike was taken from www.mtbr.com forums where many riders in the States bring their dogs for companionship and also to exercise their dogs when they go riding.

But first of all, I'm still feeling like shit...... My flu is not getting better and neither is my cough. It's one of my trademarks, when I get the cough, it takes a long time for me to recover.......

Early this morning while I was sleeping I heard a dog barking downstairs. Since I do not have a dog I was semi-consiously thinking and contemplating whether to wake up and have a look what was going on. But decided to go and sleep.................. Anyway, went to work as usual. Later, my other half called and told me that there was a little black puppy who was very cute and chubby under her car in the porch. She brought it to the backyard and gave it some milk and a little towel for it to sleep. That little fella even wanted to enter the house and check it out!

I had been thinking about getting a puppy for the past few weeks and discussed it with the kids but Amanda's not sure if she wants a puppy whereas Austin coudn't be bothered about having a pet. Anyway, I wanted one for the reasons mentioned earlier.

So, I told myself, that's nice. Me want a puppy and puppy comes to my home by itself....... So, I tell my other half, that I'm going back home during lunch time to check out the little fella.

Unfortunately, when I reach home, the maid says that the little fella has done the Houdini act and dissapeared leaving the bowl of milk unfinished! And, I did not even have a chance to see her/him!

Well, if he/she comes running in to my home again, I'm going to keep it unless the owner comes to claim it..........

So, if you have a spare pup that you want to give away, please give me a shout. I would love to get a puppy as a friend. I'm not too particular about pedigree as I'm not too knowledgeable about dogs but of course it would be nice to get something lovable, intelligent, good with kids and at the same time double up as a family guard dog.

It's still raining. Yucks......no cycling again tonight........

Cough cough & sniff sniff......

2005-10-20T13:52:00.000+08:00

Well, must have got the flu bug as fell sick on Monday and started coughing, developed a fever and kept on blowing my nose....... ugh..........

The medication that the doc prescribed was quite strong. The cough syrup makes me feel very drowsy and lethargic. How I wish I could just drop everything and go home and get some rest.

When I went to see the doc, I was carrying my Targus notebook backpack with me as I did not want to leave the notebook in the car. As I walked in the receptionist asked me if I was a patient or a medical rep. Hello........ I look half dead as I walk in with my coughing and yet she asks me this question. [????] Anyway, I had a good laugh with the doc later when I told him what his receptionist asked me.

The doc checked my vitals, confirmed that my blood pressure is as good as ever (can't remember what the figures were). While chatting with him, I asked him about the latest developments on stopping smoking. He told me to forget about the patches as they are too expensive and doesn't really work as it still gives one the nicotine fix that we smokers require. He mentioned one new medical product that I can't recall (why must they give it funny and unpronouncable names) and said that it was in the process of being patented. Claims that it's bloody good and it does not give you your daily fix.......... Hmmmm.....point to ponder.......

Oh well, I must try to at least cut down on my smoking from a packet a day to say about 10 sticks per day.

As I type and fire away at the keyboard, I feel groggy and a little dizzy.......

The weather really sucks over here as it's raining...............................did not cycle on Tuesday evening and still can't cycle tonight with me still in this condition. Must make up for it on Saturday or Sunday by going for a long ride.

I finally hopped on to the BitTorrent bandwagon and it's fantastic. Making full use of my Streamyx or is it Screwmix broadband bandwidth. Thanks to Nick for showing me and encouraging me to go for it. There, you get credit where it's due.......ha..ha.....

And as a final thought, I'm contemplating getting a robust all weather digital still camera so that I can carry it with me wherever I go especially on my bike rides. That way, I can share more pics of my rides. Dav, you hear me???......I go into estacy and get lustful when you showed me the pics of your off-road rides in JB.

Well, that's all for now folks.

BTW - Lil, you have not updated your blog for some time. Go and update it! I know life in Singapore is hectic but you've got to chill out mate.................. As for Dav, I know you are just too lazy to update your blog................. excpet for the links to the albums of your off road rides.

Cheers mates and take care.

Best regards or 73's all round.

Link to my ex-4x4 off road rigs in offroad.com

2005-10-07T13:51:00.000+08:00

Thought that you folks might like to see my link in the website of www.offroad.com

They are:

www.off-road.com/vw/features/trooper/trooper.html

www.off-road.com/4x4web/features/nov96/nov96.html

There's some write up about my rigs with specifications etc...........

I totally forgot all about it.

I still do at times get email from folks all over the world who have seen my link in www.off-road.com and want to know more about my rigs like my custom snorkel on my Troopy which was actually for the Land Rover Discovery 300 Tdi or Disco as we call it.

Things like my TLC (Toyota Land Cruiser II not Tender Loving Care) diff gears which were 4.875 on the front and rear axles instead of the standard 4.300. You need to lower your gearing to compensate for bigger tyres in order to equalize the power curve or thereabout. The standard tyres on the TLC were 29". I put in monster 35" Silverstone MT 117 on them. These tyres are pure off road tyres. I later switched over to BF (not porno blue film) Goodrich Radial Mud Terrain T/A tri guard sidewall tyres. They were no match for the Silverstone MT117's for mud shedding.

Cheers mates and I'm off for a late lunch.

73's all round..................

4x4 off road pics

2005-10-07T02:41:00.000+08:00

How do I put the text and pics together?

2005-10-07T01:48:00.000+08:00

Hmmm...... sorry about that mates. Can't figure out how to get the pics and text together.

As promised, here are more pics of my Stumpy and yours truly.

She's running Maxxis Detonators 26 x 1.25 semi slick road tyres now. I have a close up of the tyre and you can see that it's tiny which is not what you normally see on a MTB. These skinny tyres look more at home on a roadie bike.

I normally run 26 x 2.1's Continental Explorer Supersonic. Yeah, these tyres are made in Germany! I've never used German made tyres on my vehicles. Mostly Malaysian, Japanese and at one time used American made BF Goodrich Mud Terrains on my old Toyota Land Cruiser II. My friends shake their heads and say, WTF.....German made tyres on a bicycle?????? These Conti tyres cost RM120 each and for that price you can buy Kancil tyres!

I'm also going to post some pics of a 4 wheel drive training program that we did for the DOE (Department of Environment), KK if I'm not mistaken about 5 years back before I more or less semi-retired from the 4x4 scene. We did it in Kimanis and camped overnight in the secondary jungle with my good buddies. We used Ah Yin's Toyota Land Cruiser BJ46 as the training vehicle. We basically taught those fellas from the DOE methods of self recovery using winch and basic off road driving techniques.

We had real fun and I cherish those sweet memories of all my off road experiences when I first picked up the 4x4 bug in 1993 until 2000.

Memories like the first outing to Long Pasia which was not accessible by road at that time. We had a convoy of 40 four wheel drive vehicles and the journey took us a few days and we even had to camp next to our vehicles in mud and rain beacuse the convoy was bogged down in knee deep mud! Cooking rice from the deck of a Toyota Land Cruiser HJ75 pick up for dinner................ in the darkness of the jungle..........

Memories of going away on a week end with my buddies and went camping in the interior of Keningau/Nabawan. The adventure of going off road and locking the hubs in anticipation of adventure and using our winches and testing our driving skills aided by differential lockers such as the ARB air locker, Detroit, Lock-Right and the factory Toyota electric lockers. Setting up base camp in the jungle next to a river and enjoying the serenity and solitude of the jungle sounds.........waking up in the morning in my tent to the sound of water from the river......and the birds chirping.................... It was so peaceful. I felt at ease.........

Memories of rain water getting into my tent in the middle of the night while camping somewhere which I can't recall the place because we set up tent at the bottom of a slope and all the rain water was pouring down in buckets. We arrived at base camp way behind schedule and late at night and were too tired to check out the surrounding and just set up camp to get some rest.

Memories of our convoy crossing a stream in the middle of the night where the water was about 3-4 feet deep and we had to rely on our snorkel air intake to keep our engine from sucking in water. Now, that was real adventure.

I drifted away being disillusioned with all the politicking within our 4x4 club (Kinabalu Four Wheel Drive Club or better known as KFWDC). I'm proud to say that I served the club for many years in the committee and have done my share. I would love to pick up the hobby again but it's real expensive to mantain a real off road 4 wheel drive with all the knocks and bashes the rig gets. Furthermore, you will spend a lot of time out in the jungle and being a father and a husband I've got to be fair to my family.

Maybe, when I'm in my late fourties ...................I would love to do it all over again..............

Next update on my ham radio hobby.............

Cheers mates.

More pics of me and Stumpy!

2005-10-07T01:39:00.000+08:00

Pics of my previous 4 wheel drive rigs!

2005-09-30T23:11:00.000+08:00

These are old pictures of my previous hobby..............ahh.........brings back memories.................

Hmmmm.....pics are about 9 years back IIANM............

Enjoy mates!

She's a real beauty!

2005-09-30T22:33:00.000+08:00

Aiyah, suppose to write a few words proclaiming her beauty but don't know how to put text and pics together.

Anyway, hope you like the pics. Will post more later once I read the fooking manual for the all in one printer which can scan, copy, print.

Wait a minute, got some old pictures from my old hobby during my younger days when I was still very active in the 4 wheel drive scene.

Enjoy mates!

Pics of my Stumpy!

2005-09-30T22:25:00.000+08:00

New shoes!

2005-09-28T00:32:00.000+08:00

Put on new shoes for my Stumpy today!

Running Maxxis Detonator 26x1.25 road semi slick tyres. They are SKINNY though and looks out of place on a MTB full suspension bike. Like the acceleration but taking it cautiously on the corners and turns as I'm still not used to the tyres.

Just came back from a night 38km ride. Feels great!

Hmmm.....to think of it I've got too many tyres.

1) Continental Explorer Supersonic 26 x 2.1
2) Ritchey WCS ZED Race 26 x 2.1
3) Specialized Roll X Pro 26 x 2.0
4) Maxxis Detonator 26 x 1.25 road tyres

Even thinking of trying the Continental Twister Supersonic 26 x 1.95 and Panaracer T-Serv 26 x 1.25. Yeah, I'm a weight weenie.....every gram counts when your engine is your body!

Think of it, I have never posted pictures of my Stumpy and myself. Will get the camera out this weekend and shoot some pics.

Got to ask Dave in Singapore to get me some bike stuff when he comes back here in December. Or is that next year mate????? Where's my helmet light??????

Have a good week mates. This week will be a turning point for me personally. Will post more details when the time's right.

Chow!

Renewal of old friendship

2005-09-16T16:26:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since my last update but I've been up to my balls so to speak with work and business! Furthermore there was nothing significant to put in here anyway.

But I did manage to clean up my Stumpy and she's looks absolutely SEXY in her flat black!! And as far as my cycling is concerned, I have not been riding regularly and have suffered in terms of stamina etc. I rode last Tuesday with the gang and I opted to sprint up Signal Hill even though I knew my fitness level was way outttttttttttt.............. I almost fell unconsious at the top and had to lie down for about 15 minutes to get my breath back! I should have taken it easy and pedaled up steadily......am no Lance Armstrong..........! After that I took it easy throughtout the rest of the ride and even managed to develop a cramp at the end of the ride even though I was already cycling at a leisurely pace. I really suck and I knew it. High time for me to stop feeling sorry for myself and re-develop my fitness levels by riding regularly. Fuck the weather and the excuse of no time!

And yes, I managed to meet up with an old friend from my hometown, Tawau whom I have not seen for the past 13 years. He's currently working in Singapore for an aviation firm and doing pretty well too to boot. He was here in KK a few days back and we met up at a drinking hole in Lintas and we chatted and cracked our vulgar jokes till 2 am. It was really nice to meet up again after all these years! Many thanks to Jane Chen my mate from Burnaby, Canada for passing me Nick's email address in Singapore!

It leaves me with a nice warm feeling catching up with old friends from all over the world especially those that I have not met or communicated for donkey years.

Cheerio and 73's...........

de 9W6VX

Real Pissed!

2005-08-03T01:41:00.000+08:00

I'm real pissed with my computer dealer. He got me an accounting package software for my other company and told me to use the trial version first which was suppose to be good for 500 invoices. Licence to be arranged later.

Only problem was I have printed less than 120 invoices and the bloody software flashes to me on my monitor, your trial version has expired! Now, that was on a Friday evening. I called him and said that he would settle it for me on the following day which is a Saturday. Not wanting to make a fuss I just said OK.

I called him on Saturday morning and he says that his supplier from KL is on a 5 day week and I just bear with it. Monday then................

On Monday I try to call the bastard the whole fucking day and his mobile is conveniently switched off! I must have called him at least 50 times! I must have cursed him at least a few hundred times in my mind! I keep my cool and call my other partner to try to sort it out. As it is I have tonnes of paperwork to do in the office.

Finally on Tuesday morning he calls me and asks me to send my PC over to his office. He did not even offer an apology! I count to ten and tell myself it's not worth it to lose my temper and give him a piece of my fucking mind! I sent the desktop PC over in the afternoon and left it at his office.

I call him at 6pm and he says should be ready by 7pm. Called at 7pm and he says I'm good to go. Wonderful! Left my office and collected the PC and went home for dinner.

Went to my other office at about 10.30 pm and the fucking software still doesn't work properly. I practically lost my cool......................... Now I have to hand write all the bloody invoices item by item. Contemplated calling him right away and screw that bloody bastard. But deep inside me, i knew that if I called I would not be rational anymore and would probably turn into a shouting match over the phone with all the vulgar words in the English and Hakka vocabulary in my arsenal! Mind you my command of vulgar words is to say, excellent.......!

I'm going to eat him tomorrow for breakfast. BUT I will not lose my temper and start shouting. I have more class than that........ I will be firm but polite. What really pisses me off is his attitude......If he's having problems with his supplier in KL, say so.................

Why is it that when we are nice, people seem to take advantage of my kindness, friendship...........?????

I've experienced so called friends taking advantage but that's another story for another time........... duh......................

Thank you MAS****####!!!!

2005-08-02T00:14:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Lily who reminded me to update my blog! ha...ha....

I've had lousy luck with MAS. Last week I flew over to Tawau for a business trip. Stayed at Hotel Emas. My normal hotel, Marco Polo was running full. Was upgraded to a junior suite room.......very nice. Compliments of a business associate.

Then the shit hits the fan...............I'm suppose to take the 4pm flight back to KK the next day. Arrive at the airport at 3pm and am told that flight is delayed. Oh well...not another delay again. Back to bird watching again but as usual chickened out when a beautiful babe strolled by. duh..... Where's my courage? Don't know to be exact!

Ok. No off-topic here. Then they announce that the bloody flight is cancelled at 5pm. Hello....I've been sitting at the fcuking plastic chairs for 2 blooming hours................!!!!!!! Everybody scrams to the nearest check in counter for alternative flight arrangment. I opt for the 1st flight out the the next morning. Then there's the mad rush to get the taxi and hotel voucher from MAS. About 130 passengers or so scamper again and behold............ONLY 2 fcuking counters are manned. The MAS counter staff take an average of 15 minutes to issue each passenger a taxi voucher + hotel voucher.

I finally get my vouchers at 6.30 pm and tired, walk over to the nearest cab with a Mild 7 ciggie in my mouth and said, Buddy, Hotel Emas please. He asks me for my taxi coupon and I showed him my voucher but he says that I need a bloody coupon. Back to the queque again and luckily there were not that many people. I finally hopped onto the cab at 6.45pm and by the time I reached Hotel Emas it was already dark.

Checked in again and since it was a MAS hotel voucher, they allocated me a standard room only. sigh.........The room was banyak kecil bah................and to make things worse, there were little coakroaches in the wardrobe and i had no more spare undies or clothes. LOL!What the heck....pakai balik bah.................Hmmmm...smells nice mate! Called my mates and they picked me up for dinner.

Thinking that the worse was over I decided to retire early and get some zzzzzzzzzzz. Woke up at about 1am in a bloody sweat. The fcuking air con has given up the ghost....kaput.....finito......SHIT! I called the ass oles at reception for SOS/Mayday. They duly come up and find me totally stark naked and sweating as if I just has a orgy with Angelina Jolie! They advise to switch rooms.....Can you believe it......??? At 1am.....I put on my undies and carry my bag/clothes /shoes and walk over to the lift to my other room. I looked like a zombie carrying all my stuff in my undies only.

Finally I settle in at about 1.45am and I have to wake up at 5.30 as the cab was coming at 6am to pick me up for my flight home. So, did not manage to get actual zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........

That's it. What a fcuking day! Thank you Malaysia Airlines.

What an experience. I guess there's always a first time for everything.

Cheers.

Overdue update!

2005-07-11T16:38:00.000+08:00

Hmmmmm......it's been some time since I updated my blog.

OK. Have been real busy recently with the bloody month end reports to complete and then went over to KL for business meeting. Phew.............

Also got myself a new toy, a Dell Inspiron 510m Centrino notebook to replace my trusty 5 year old Compaq Armada E500. Being the prefectionist I am, spent lots of time setting her up nicely........... Got a very good deal for it from Dell........... She's not fully setup yet as I have not completed transfering data from the Compaq to the Dell. Oh well.............

Managed to clock in some mileage too recently in the mornings.........basically cycled from Kingfisher to the roundabout where you can make a right turn to Rasa Ria and go straight to Karambunai or Sepangar Bay. From the roundabout made a u-turn back to base. Distance 24kms. Normally leave at about 0700 hours and back by 0815 hours. Noticed that the Stumpy is rather dirty and greasy. Have not washed her for the past few months! Luckily she does not smell......!!!! ha..ha....
Must make it a point to clean and wash her up this week.

Will be going over to Sandakan and Tawau sometime next week. So, it's the normal work routine for me........Nothing to shout about as I go about my monotonous existence..........

I really liked the email that Lily sent me about 'IMAGINE'! Very touching.......I forwarded it to my mailing list buddies and hope they enjoyed it too......... No, guys it was NOT porno! I never do that! ahem.....ahem....clears throat!

You know sometimes, I think to myself what it would be like to live in the early 1900's where you had no modern technology etc and life is simple and uncomplicated....... Our lives are so complicated nowadays........ I believe I would be more happy in that era ............... Wishful thinking......???? duh............

As for the bombing in London, I'm glad that a friend who lives in London is alive and kicking. He sent me a sms saying that he took that bus route 2 days before the bomb blast. Oh well........Why can't we all live in peace with each other? It doesn't matter what colour, creed, religion you practice....we are all human beings........... I just cannot understand why we just want to wipe each other out of the face of this earth. The victims were non-combatants (civilians) and not soldiers.....Even soldiers have the Geneva Convention rules to adhere............. I'm not especially religious but I pray for the lost innocent souls..................

Oh yeah, one more thing. The news that a former CM of our state being sued by the London casinos for debts unpaid really pisses me off. This has really been going on far too long............ They should make an example and prosecute him. Where did he get all that monies? Mind boggling and absolutely shameful................. Disgusting is the word!

OK. Enough ranting for now and as usual to my mates who read my blog, 73's to all and have a wonderful week. Yeah, I know it's a bloody Monday..................

Take care and cheerio.

Tired but satisfied!

2005-06-25T02:34:00.000+08:00

Managed to clock in or is that cock in (???) some miles on Thursday.

0630 hrs -
Left for Indah Permai and return in 1 circuit. Distance 18kms. Nick was suppose to join me but the poor fella woke up late............ In the end, I cycled alone.

1945 hrs -
The weather looked fine for change and Nick and myself cycled from home to our normal group meeting point at Dr. Philip Lyn's clinic. Boy, there were about 8 other enthusiastic bikers who also needed the mileage just like me! ha.....ha...

Headed for Signal Hill for then for The Peak for some hill climbing. Puff....puff.........felt the strain as have not been cycling regularly recently. Must swear off the ciggies (Mild 7 for your info) Bad for health. BUT, how do you stop smoking if you've ben at it for 2 decades or so? Fook!

From The Peak to Sembulan and then to QEH and then Lido, Penampang followed by Cottage Pub and then the gang went back to station while Nick and myself went back via the Lintas highway and then back home. Total distance 45 kms............. Phew.......................

Went to Labuan this morning. The fooking flight was at 0720 hrs so I had to wake up at 0530 hrs. Groggy like shit.............. Met up with some customers and also met up with Eric for lunch who just bought a fooking brand new car! Only two units in Sabah!

Don't normally buy beer but made an exception to the rule this trip and got a six pack of Fosters and VB.

Flew back on the 1540 hrs flight and luckily there was no delay. Unfortunately there weren't much birds to view. Must make it a point to muster my long lost courage to chat some birds up! ahem......clears throat...... ha..ha.....

Happy weekend everybody and have a good one. Cheers!

Duh.....thanks to the weather......

2005-06-22T18:28:00.000+08:00

Boy, am I feeling pissed!

I can't seem to get a ride with the bloody freakin wet weather we are experiencing now! It's been raining almost every evening............ I have not cycled for at least 2 weeks if my memory serves me right.

In fact last night being a Tuesday night where the gang normally gather to ride in the evenings was a total wash out. I was pumping air into the Continental Explorer Supersonics and checking the batteries in the lights and was about to change into my sexy tights and jersey when all hell breaks loose! Shit........................................?????*********** Thanks a lot Mr. Weather......you've been a great help.........duh.....

Anyway, I am going to wake up at 0600 hours tomorrow morning and go for a 16km ride to Indah Permai and back. I hope the weather will be kinder to me............... Thinking about doing another epic ride but when one has not cycled regularly and consistently, you will get not only a headache but also balls ache at your groin...........ha..ha..LOL!!!!!

And by the way Shan, if you are reading this, how do I invite you to my blog as a contibutor?

That's it. Leaving the office in 10 minutes.

73's everybody.................................

Back home!

2005-06-17T21:48:00.000+08:00

Just came back from business trip in the East Coast.

Bloody flight was delayed for about 3 hours! Thanks a lot Malaysia Airlines! Was bored like shit and I did not feel like whipping out the notebook or files to get some work done. TGIF weekend blues mates!

Decided on a better way to pass time. Bird watching! Ahem......there were lots of chicks around.....and well there's no harm in admiring them from a distance right.?????..........!!!!!! ha...ha........ LOL!

In the end got bored woth the birds as the birds were not in the mood to play.......so to speak..... Tried to catch some zzzzzzzzzzzz..... but the airport departure lounge chairs weren't comfortable at all. In fact after doing some maneuvering with my body postures, I had a back ache!!!!!!

That's my update for now.

As usual looking forward to the weekend to unwind........... Hmmmm... have not cycled for the whole week.......my Stumpy misses me and vice versa......Must make it a point to ride this weekend..... I need the exercise.......................... ha....ha.......

Happy weekend David, Lily and you too Shan.........

In memory................

2005-06-15T23:03:00.000+08:00

Am currently travelling out of town on business.

Just got the news this afternoon while having lunch with a close friend that his 15 year old daughter left us last month due to illness. Out of respect for my bereaved friend's privacy, n0 names will be mentioned.

I am deeply troubled and sad for his loss and it got me wondering.......why......why........she had her whole life to look forward to...................................???

I fervently hope my friend will remain strong and cherish the memories that she left..... Life goes on but it is easy for me to say so........................Tears came to my friend's eyes and mine too when he shared his pain with me............................. It was very difficult for me to see my friend break down.......................

It's difficult to describe in words how I feel presently.....

Rest in peace dear .....................................

Frustration!

2005-06-12T01:04:00.000+08:00

Been trying to put a link in the side bar but just can't seem to find it. The help pages do NOT help at all. duh...................

Time to get some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......If the weather holds and IF I can wake up early tomorrow, will take my girlfriend Stumpy out for a ride. Minimum 20kms. I need the bloody exercise!

Stumpy is my lovely and sexy flat black full suspension bicycle. She's called Stumpy for short but her full name is Specialized Stumpjumper Pro. She's from the 2004 model line up and she's wonderful. What more can one ask from a gal like her? She cost me a bomb and it makes me wonder if I'm trying to relive my childhood days! Carefree and without worries.........

Ok that's it folks.

Signing off and 73's all round.

OK! Play mode is ON!

2005-06-11T16:54:00.000+08:00

Ok. managed to send the invitation to Lily and David.

We'll see if this blog actually takes off! ha..ha...

Today was a beautiful Saturday. Great for biking but gots some loose ends to tie and if the weather holds tomorrow will try to bike to Rasa Ria Resort. That's about 50kms in total from Kingfisher.

That's it. Signing off...........73's to all. (73 in ham radio speak is best regards. If I were to say 88, that's for love and kisses. This is an international code used worldwide in ham radio lingo. To those dirty minded fellas like me.........69 is not acceptable in ham radio lingo.......ha....ha.....)

Chow for now.

2005-06-11T10:27:00.000+08:00

Learning the ropes.

My first blog!

Not even sure what I'm doing right now........ha...ha....

Thanks David for the invitation to your blog and now....my own blog?! duh......