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Saturday, August 20, 2005
20 Aug 05 - Bike trip to Hatyai
Although blogs are suppose to be up to date and the latest stuff, I have to resort to recapping some of the more interesting events that had past, due to my hectic schedule and moral torment between updating this blog or watching Full Metal Alchemist, which I have just completed downloading 51 episodes of them over 20 days...
Anyhow, I joined a bike trip to Hatyai from 05 Aug till 09 Aug, taking advantage of the weekend and public holiday during National Day. The organiser target it for slow bikes, meaning 2B bikes and with a estimated average speed of 110km/h. A total of 8 bikes wents: 2 Honda Wave 125, 1 Honda Sonic 125, 1 Phantom 200, 3 CB400 Super Four and 3 scooters (an Atlantic, a X9 and a Majesty 250. 2 comes with stereo sound...) And of course me, on my trusty Honda Phantom 150cc. I'm the only 2 stroker though to try this crazy trip.
The ride was uneventful, though 1 bike got a puncture and the Sonic keeps overheating and thus slowed down the process. Not to mention the sleepiness factor after 10 hours of journey and 5 more to go. I got a puncture in Hatyai town itself but was well patched up. Pictures found at http://www.pbase.com/snowparang/hatyai here are some highlights:
 
 
Frankly, it was quite a boring place, except for the cheapo food (bird's nest, shark's fin are some delicacy common found there). The most interesting sight for me, at least, is the number of middle age Chinese looking man walking hand in hand with a young Thai lady, and what's the chance that the guy is NOT a Singaporean...
Well it's a bike trip, and half the pleasure is in the ride itself. Sort of a conquest, that both the rider and the bike can make it across the 900 km and back. Been there, done that...now really tempted to
upgrade my 2 stroker to a more dependent 4 stroker with a larger capacity. Until then, I will be looking forward to my next far journey: Bangkok!
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
16 Aug 05 - More interesting blogs
Well if you're kinda bored of waiting for me to update stuff, why not hop over to these interesting Singapore blogs?
SarongPartyGirl - Her blog got famous because of her nude photos AND publicity by our national newspaper. But that doesn't obscure the fact that she's a terribly lively person, with lots to tell and not even a little bit shy to talk about them. Nude photos are down but frankly they aren't very complimentary.... Personally I think she's a pretty good writer, though I do think the sex stuff is getting a bit overdose and could do with some more variety in writing it, rather than the usual "leathers and whips".
Talk Rock - Wah this one is an incidental find, and I highly recommend this to Singaporeans! Supposedly Ah Beng with a conscience, not only is the KNNCCB and fucking here fucking there language superbly anecdotal and remind me of fond NS times, it (in a weird and not entirely glorious way) truly talk the talk of Singaporeans. I 100% understand what he's saying, and the English professor from Oxford will most probably castrate himself and join the Ah Gua show in Thailand after reading it.
FiveToSpare - Well I won't say this is a fantastic blog, but it is from someone I know, which is rare enough. Chin Yuen was a slippers trotting, singlet donning high calibre student from NUS geography stream and later became a teacher to, of course, pass down his remarkable manners and enlightening way of life to his unfortunate secondary students. Well knowing him, he got bored soon enough and recently quitted to roam around the world, together with his partner (I don't know why this makes him sound gay but he isn't..I think... and this 'partner' is a she) and this blog chronicles his adventure.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Well good day my fellow loyal stalkers, I'm finally back, to show that a) I didn't die or fatally wounded in a motorcycle accident; b) I'm not tired of this nonsensical blog; although I've been neglecting Ranting Parang for a month or more. It's been so long that it actually felt kinda refreshing to reread my past entries!
Well it's all about time and space, and time I've little of it. Busy busy, and other priorities just kinda pushed my "Update blog at least weekly" schedule to the 967th least urgent matter, just slightly above "Tidying my room - dated 2003 Lunar New Year". Hey, not entirely my fault, cos my readers seldom respond. Where is the love? To show thy love for thy Parang, look at my Dream Bike for birthday on the left side of the screen..
But I've been thinking, and gathering info to populate this little space. But first up, a trip update: The Port Dickson trip to with the Phantom Knights (PKs). Well, they are a bunch of losers who rides or ridden Honda Phantoms before (my current bike), print T-shirts and stickers with the Honda Phoenix logo and sell away their 2B Phantoms for a totally uninspiring 2A bike known as Super 4 (it's so uninspiring the TP in Hatyai use it as a TP bike!). Yes, that's what you have, 'loyal' phantom riders. Anyway, the trip isn't really that interesting, but luckily I got my dear dear to accompany me. For few thousands words of more trip detail click here for photos! Of course i'll select some good ones to post it here:
 
The hut looks pretty quaint, and kinda nice with my bike in front!
Well, many many days later, AFTER pissing and getting ready to go to bed, this is what I saw!
Yes ladies an gentleman, a fish in the toilet bowl! Try and ignore the soggy paper and bubbles in the nauseating pool of water and you'll see it... I honestly (after taking the photo) did try and fish out the..fish. But it hide away on the other side of the water outlet... After 15 minutes, I weigh the importance of a life of a fish in a toilet bowl and flushing the bowl, and I flushed.
Well that's it for today. More to come later but tomorrow I'm going to seat in a room full of top brasses from my place to explain why I need to spend $3 million when it cost $3.2 million and why am I so incompetent that I can't do it in $2.5 million.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Spectacular animated GIFs! Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Well if anybody missed me, I'm kinda busy. WIth work (I'm the fucking Finance Officer, as prophecised...damn it!), with fixing up my 2nd bike. Did I mentioned I got a second bike? Well I'll keep it a mystery for now, since it's kinda in a bad shape and needs some major moola to be race ready.
Anyway, I think I may start a new hobby in this special branch of photography. Looks fun!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
06 Jun 2005 - Surprise flashback
I got an email today, not an unusual one for me. It's an mp3 request, because some years back when I'm surfing the internet using NUS dialup and Napster was the best thing I learnt in my undergraduate years, I set up my own homepage. It was a fad then, newly Singnet subscribers happily setting up their personal webpage using the generous 4 mb (yes dear, 4 mb) to put pictures, interest, etc. However, being one of the idealist, that the virtue of Internet is because everyone is so willing to share, I decided to post my mp3 collection (tks Napster, you'll always occupy a special place in my heart...) and even posted my email add.
Well, my free webhost closed down. Or so I thought! 2-3 years later, I began recieving emails for mp3 request. And it replied, unless their email cannot handle the 3-4 mb attachment. Well this is one of them:
My first homepage! At the now defunct xoom.
Then, as I mature and find that it isn't cool to keep posting uninteresting biography and personal opinions (how wrong I am!), I devoted myself to sharing files. And here it is, amazingly it's still online!
Saturday, May 28, 2005
28 May 05 - Finally a break!
Yesterday was the last day of my S'pore wide exercise. Been cooped up in my workplace from 6+ am till 9+ pm everyday! Almost everyday, when I have a slight breather, a tune comes to mind...
"Baam Baam Baam, Bah Pah Pum, Bah Pah Pum...."
If you can guess it, you must be as sick as me. Anyway, seeking solace and something more interesting than work, finally watched the last episode of the Star Wars sage - Revenge of the Sith at 11 pm. Note that I am not anywhere near a Star Wars fanatic. I think George Lucas suck big time as a director and could probably be a very good comic creator. I give credit to his story, his space concept... but surely any decent movie goer will rate a 1/5 for Star Wars in terms of plot, character development, acting and script??!?!
I vote best actor to R2D2. Followed by Yoda. Palpatine was ok but the sinister and foreboding darkness of the most powerful Sith Lord was not potrayed. He looked like Saruman gone lucky, desperate to befriend Anakin. Maybe in a galaxy far far away, Sith lords are gay?
Next up, after some intro from Michelle, found the most popular and infamous blogger on this sunny island:
I must admit she writes pretty well, and probably has a better grasp of English than I do. But what I think made her famous, in addition to all the literary fair, is her frankness. And her hordes of haters. She's not a coy, shy, virginal S'porean woman most claim to be. I'm not sure what's her rise to fame, but the following links will surely catches anyone attention. Especially if you're of S'porean roots:
Thursday, May 19, 2005
19 May 05 - 1st funeral of fellow rider
Today isn't really a good day. Was suppose to be my off day because of duty on Wednesday, but I gotta go some stuff urgently in the office... Then went for my orientation drive to get my LOA to drive MID vehicles....it's the first time I'm driving some other vehicle than a van! But unfortunately I'm driving a pickup, has a speed limit of 50 km/h too and worst, it has a over speed detector that actually log down if you went over 54 km/h for more than a few seconds! Stress xia...
Then came the bad news....recieved an SMS from one of the organizer of a previous bike trip to Cameron in March, saying a lady by the name of Grace had passed away and the location of the wake. 'Grace' sounds familiar....could it be the pretty one??? So I sms him back. And indeed it was. She died on AYE on Tuesday after a bike accident. No one knows what happen. Some sources say she skidded, fell and was ran over by a car, which was not found.
But it doesn't matter. She's not alive anymore.
She did kinda left an impression on my mind, though we only met briefly during the trip and did not exchange more than 10 words...I think it was "Can I borrow your chain lube?"... "Ok, can can". And the first time I met her was when she langah the back of my bike, causing the number plate to become slightly bent and the letter "S" cracked. Till now it's still cracked. But of course my heart soften when I see it's a lady rider, so say never mind lor (no dear! I wasn't staring at her!)... Actually if it's a male rider, also a bit hard to ask for damages lor...
Of course this does nothing for the impression of riding my parents have.
Was at the wake, when I realise, 1 year ago at about the same day, I was attending another wake, of another person of my same age (Grace was my age too). That was for my former BMT mate, Brandon, whom crashed in an F-16 in US.
I really don't wish this would be a trend....
I'm a bit ambivalent about death. Or rather funerals. Frankly, I don't know what is the wake, condolences, obituaries and wreaths are for. I'm sure some part of it is feeling good for the person actually giving or attending, as it surely does nothing for the dead. Perhaps a concentrated pint of remorse due to time that cannot be unwind, to have that last chat or fulfill the unkept promise to the forever departed, that somehow we wanna 'make up' by giving flowers, saying nice words and eating peanuts? Memories so strong that it tries to find their way into the real life?
Well, if there's anything 'good' things happening today I actually met Ruby (still as pretty) at the wake. Turn out she was JC mate with Grace. What a small world....
A last look at Grace. If she ever revisit me as a memory, I'm sure she'll be riding her bike.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
30 Apr 05 - Pasir Gudang with Subarus!
Today is my virgin trip to the nearest race track from S'pore: Pasir Gudang. However, instead of the biker group you would expect, I'm going in with my friend from the Subaru forum. Basically they booked the whole track. I'll be a passenger in my friend's SCV plate Impreza. Non turbo, 1.6 flat 4 engine. Slowest of them all, compared to the turbocharged WRX. However, as a biker I know speed and power is not everything, especially when it comes to a relatively small race track such as PG.
Pictures tells a thousands words...here's 6 thousands words...
  
  
It was a pretty good experience. I'm convinced now that car can corner better than even the best bikes. But I'll still prefer to burn the tarmac on a 2 wheeled machine, more fun, more challenging, more involving.
Oh yes, one observation: almost 60% of the cars comes with a pretty lady passenger. So is that a male ego thing, or just sums up what men really need - fast car, beautiful companion and a competition or stage to prove the size of his balls?
Friday, April 29, 2005
29 Apr 05 - Interesting comic I read
Finally after a few days, the download of Sandman - Endless Nights, was completed. Decided to put this in my blog cos I read something rather interesting....
But first of all, a short intro to Sandman. Created by Neil Gaiman, Sandman is one of the 7 Endless, also known more correclty as Dream. He is not God of Dream, neither is he lord of dreams. He IS Dream. Hence 7 Endless are not Gods or myths, they are personification of the 7 absolute. They are greater than Gods, and affect us humans in more ways than one.
The 7 Endless are, in chronological order: Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, Delirium. I can only relate to the Bible Genesis to explain the order: First it was Chaos, and Destiny was there to define Chaos. Death was there when there was Life. Dream was there when the life thinks, sleeps, feel, dreams... Destruction is most prob what happens next when something was created. Next, following the Devil-Apple-Adam-Eve thingy, Desire and Despair was there, both twin sisters, to...account for their actions. Lastly the youngest is Delirium (formerly Delight), a very confused Endless that may know more things than the rest of the 6 combined.
The interesting read I got was about Desire, it's an essay question style found in the comic story...here it is:
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