Most likely, will start with a summary of 2014 before moving on with 2015. Hopefully, the brain still works to pen down the moments... Happy New Year!!!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Back to Writing...
It has been quite awhile since I last wrote anything other than work related letters etc... My last post was dated back in May 2011. With 2014 behind us, I hope to get back to writing and expressing and documenting as life throw its challenges onto me.
Monday, May 2, 2011
IDE Ride 2011 - Leg 1 & 2
Leg 1 - KL/Changloon/Durian Burung/Prakop/Sadao/Phatthalung - 730km
Highlights of Leg 1:
- Cool to Cold ride along PLUS hiway
- New border checkpoint of Durian Burung/Prakop
- sunset @ Great plains of Phatthalung
its going to be a long ride ahead, 500km of it will be on PLUS hiway. will be rolling as early as 0400hrs from R&R Sg Buloh. We should be in Changloon by 0930hrs after 3 stops (Simpang Pulai, Juru & Gurun).
will get insurance at Changloon and head for Durian Burung checkpoint via UUM route. was told the checkpoint is spanking new and very nice. however, thailand side is operating from container office.
after Prakop, we should expect a smooth nice hilly roads towards Sadao with minimal traffic. will travel 170km to Phatthalung, targeting to stay at Lampam Resort. ETA 1400hrs. Will shower and nap. will visit Phatthalung greatest attraction, thale noi lake and the great plains to watch sunset.. dinner at a nearby restaurant on stilts before retiring to recharge for Leg 2.
Leg 2 - Phatthalung/Surat Thani/Chumphon/Hua Hin - 670km
Highlights of Leg 2:
- unusual passengers in local pick-up trucks
- u-turns at every 5km along thai 'hiway'
- passing the narrowest part of thailand bordering Myanmar
- the holiday town of Hua Hin
another long ride ahead, 670km with an estimate of total time of 8 hours. we will leave Phatthalung after breakfast at 0930 and should arrive Hua Hin at 1730hrs to look for a place to put up for the night.
along this route, look out for lots of interesting passengers on local trucks, and will be passing familiar names like Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani & Chumphon. will be stopping every 1.5hrs to refresh ourselves... :)
Highlights of Leg 1:
- Cool to Cold ride along PLUS hiway
- New border checkpoint of Durian Burung/Prakop
- sunset @ Great plains of Phatthalung
its going to be a long ride ahead, 500km of it will be on PLUS hiway. will be rolling as early as 0400hrs from R&R Sg Buloh. We should be in Changloon by 0930hrs after 3 stops (Simpang Pulai, Juru & Gurun).
will get insurance at Changloon and head for Durian Burung checkpoint via UUM route. was told the checkpoint is spanking new and very nice. however, thailand side is operating from container office.
after Prakop, we should expect a smooth nice hilly roads towards Sadao with minimal traffic. will travel 170km to Phatthalung, targeting to stay at Lampam Resort. ETA 1400hrs. Will shower and nap. will visit Phatthalung greatest attraction, thale noi lake and the great plains to watch sunset.. dinner at a nearby restaurant on stilts before retiring to recharge for Leg 2.
Leg 2 - Phatthalung/Surat Thani/Chumphon/Hua Hin - 670km
Highlights of Leg 2:
- unusual passengers in local pick-up trucks
- u-turns at every 5km along thai 'hiway'
- passing the narrowest part of thailand bordering Myanmar
- the holiday town of Hua Hin
another long ride ahead, 670km with an estimate of total time of 8 hours. we will leave Phatthalung after breakfast at 0930 and should arrive Hua Hin at 1730hrs to look for a place to put up for the night.
along this route, look out for lots of interesting passengers on local trucks, and will be passing familiar names like Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani & Chumphon. will be stopping every 1.5hrs to refresh ourselves... :)
trip planning - IDE Ride May 2011
planning a trip is my all time fav... tis time a trip to Pattaya, Thailand.
Aras & I met on Sat, have a meeting on the objectives of the ride, the route, understanding each other better, and general expectations. am very glad we are very much on the same frequency.
here's the plan...
5th : KL~Phatthalung (700km)
6th : Phatthalung~Hua Hin (670km straight Hiway)
7th : Hua Hin~Pattaya (350km meet JWs)
8th : R&R Pattaya
9th : Pattaya~Hua Hin (350km)
10th : R&R Hua Hin
11th : Hua Hin~Ranong (385km)
12th : R&R Ranong/Myanmar
13th : Ranong~Trang (425km)
14th : Trang~KL (163km + 530km Plus Hiway)
we are calling this trip the "IDE Ride May '11", you will be wondering what is this IDE, well... it stand for "Indian-chinese Duo Expedition" :)
I have always like to name my rides for easy reference in the future.
here's how the overall map looks like...
and this is the southern portion of IDE 2011...
and the northern portion and greater Bangkok/Pattaya...
coming up next... detailed highlights of individual leg of the 10 days trip... :)
Aras & I met on Sat, have a meeting on the objectives of the ride, the route, understanding each other better, and general expectations. am very glad we are very much on the same frequency.
here's the plan...
5th : KL~Phatthalung (700km)
6th : Phatthalung~Hua Hin (670km straight Hiway)
7th : Hua Hin~Pattaya (350km meet JWs)
8th : R&R Pattaya
9th : Pattaya~Hua Hin (350km)
10th : R&R Hua Hin
11th : Hua Hin~Ranong (385km)
12th : R&R Ranong/Myanmar
13th : Ranong~Trang (425km)
14th : Trang~KL (163km + 530km Plus Hiway)
we are calling this trip the "IDE Ride May '11", you will be wondering what is this IDE, well... it stand for "Indian-chinese Duo Expedition" :)
I have always like to name my rides for easy reference in the future.
here's how the overall map looks like...
and this is the southern portion of IDE 2011...
and the northern portion and greater Bangkok/Pattaya...
coming up next... detailed highlights of individual leg of the 10 days trip... :)
Friday, April 29, 2011
frustrations & disappointment
ever change your plans to accommodate others but it doesn't turn out as planned?
we changed the date of a major event to accommodate a "VVIP" and later was informed that he cant be present due to "important" meeting. traditionally, an evening event would best be on mid week (tues-thurs) where people look for places to go and relax. harvesting on this mentality, we had planned for our event on a thursday evening. initial date was rejected by our "VVIP" due to meetings. subsequently, a 2nd date was chosen and endorsed by our "VVIP". then, a phone call came and we were asked to postpone to one day later i.e. Friday!!
friday is a nightmare for event organizers as traffic will be bad, people will have own plans, travelling etc
anyway, invitations were printed and all plannings underway for friday. then... 10 days to D-day, a phone call changed the already reluctant planning into a confused situation.. "VVIP" cant make it for the date he asked us to have the event!!! should we proceed or should we change? Decision to proceed...
its really frustration & disappointment in one... now, i hope, i wish... the traffic is kind, turn out will be good, weather holds and the wanted success is in place tomorrow... damn u "VVIP"...
As if, work related frustration & disappointment is not enough, a much anticipated ride faces the same...
changes were made to accommodate some friends in a ride planning, routes changed, additional days, arguements with loved ones, all in the spirit of brotherhood and riding.
during planning, all is good, swell and agreed. and then... the news of "changes" didnt come direct from those friends... we had to probe and ask to finally get the answer "no, won't be doing it with you". haizz...
and to rub salt into the wound... the changes were made with price to pay especially the major debate with loved ones... now, its for nothing!!! anyway, Decision to proceed as planned with or without meeting our friends.
again, i wish, i hope this trip will make it worthwhile for all the frustrations & disappointments that i have gone through...
we changed the date of a major event to accommodate a "VVIP" and later was informed that he cant be present due to "important" meeting. traditionally, an evening event would best be on mid week (tues-thurs) where people look for places to go and relax. harvesting on this mentality, we had planned for our event on a thursday evening. initial date was rejected by our "VVIP" due to meetings. subsequently, a 2nd date was chosen and endorsed by our "VVIP". then, a phone call came and we were asked to postpone to one day later i.e. Friday!!
friday is a nightmare for event organizers as traffic will be bad, people will have own plans, travelling etc
anyway, invitations were printed and all plannings underway for friday. then... 10 days to D-day, a phone call changed the already reluctant planning into a confused situation.. "VVIP" cant make it for the date he asked us to have the event!!! should we proceed or should we change? Decision to proceed...
its really frustration & disappointment in one... now, i hope, i wish... the traffic is kind, turn out will be good, weather holds and the wanted success is in place tomorrow... damn u "VVIP"...
As if, work related frustration & disappointment is not enough, a much anticipated ride faces the same...
changes were made to accommodate some friends in a ride planning, routes changed, additional days, arguements with loved ones, all in the spirit of brotherhood and riding.
during planning, all is good, swell and agreed. and then... the news of "changes" didnt come direct from those friends... we had to probe and ask to finally get the answer "no, won't be doing it with you". haizz...
and to rub salt into the wound... the changes were made with price to pay especially the major debate with loved ones... now, its for nothing!!! anyway, Decision to proceed as planned with or without meeting our friends.
again, i wish, i hope this trip will make it worthwhile for all the frustrations & disappointments that i have gone through...
Thursday, April 21, 2011
decisions...
have you ever gets disoriented by the decision you have to make?
today's world is so complicated and full of options that making a decision is no longer easy as A or B. to make 1 decision, you have to weight the pros & cons of it, people's reaction to it, people's acceptance to it, consequences that follows your decision, good or bad, etc.
whatever the problem is... i do tend to make rational decision rather than an emotional one (although have to admit that occasionally emotional ones are made too). however, i would like to use logic as a guide.
logically... if conditions are not favorable to decision A for many reasons, then maybe its time to "stop/look/go" and decide on other options, rather than to stay in the decision and suffer the consequences for an even longer time...
maybe its my thinking and people may not agree... nevertheless, i guess i have to accept whatever that comes after i decided... if the decision is wrong, i will stop/look/go again... and learn from the experience that i have gone thru.
today's world is so complicated and full of options that making a decision is no longer easy as A or B. to make 1 decision, you have to weight the pros & cons of it, people's reaction to it, people's acceptance to it, consequences that follows your decision, good or bad, etc.
whatever the problem is... i do tend to make rational decision rather than an emotional one (although have to admit that occasionally emotional ones are made too). however, i would like to use logic as a guide.
logically... if conditions are not favorable to decision A for many reasons, then maybe its time to "stop/look/go" and decide on other options, rather than to stay in the decision and suffer the consequences for an even longer time...
maybe its my thinking and people may not agree... nevertheless, i guess i have to accept whatever that comes after i decided... if the decision is wrong, i will stop/look/go again... and learn from the experience that i have gone thru.
grown up??
i was surprised to be removed from my "kiddo"'s friend list in facebook...
is he grown up and it's uncool to have your dad in your fb friend list? or is it that there are things he doesn't want his old man to see? many questions, only he knows the real answer...
asked him about it... he said accidentally deleted!! ya, right... how can removing someone from list be accidental? you have to go to the person's profile, scroll down to bottom, click on a small word "unfriend" that's on the bottom left of the page. so how to accidentally???
well, i guess there comes a time, when someone gains the age or experience, you are no longer cool to them... and unwanted too... sad, why cant people be humble and modest... a friend once say and i would like to quote "always modest. Some times, some things are best kept under the carpet. Then we will value your friendship more..."
well, life goes on....
Friday, April 15, 2011
Riding Buddies
on a long ride, riding buddies are your companion, entertainer, helper... thru good and bad times, we will always laugh about it afterwards... it's always best to travel with buddies that understand each other, doesn't pre-judge and have the same objectives in the ride..
for me, i am not political and always prefers to be neutral in situations that require me to choose sides... :)
the bond with your ride buddy is important to ensure a safe ride... a simple and clear example is... are you comfortable to ride side by side another rider on a clear road? if the answer is no, then there's no bond between you and him/her...
another discipline in a convoy, if another rider is following behind you, do you worry that he might hit you if you swerve to avoid a pothole? if you do, again.. no bond..
you should be able to ride without such worries in mind... focus on the front rider and don't give him the same worry you have about the rider behind.. :)
here are some of my ride buddies that i have faith in... (many other but just haven't had the opportunity to do long rides with) kekeke....
for me, i am not political and always prefers to be neutral in situations that require me to choose sides... :)
the bond with your ride buddy is important to ensure a safe ride... a simple and clear example is... are you comfortable to ride side by side another rider on a clear road? if the answer is no, then there's no bond between you and him/her...
another discipline in a convoy, if another rider is following behind you, do you worry that he might hit you if you swerve to avoid a pothole? if you do, again.. no bond..
you should be able to ride without such worries in mind... focus on the front rider and don't give him the same worry you have about the rider behind.. :)
here are some of my ride buddies that i have faith in... (many other but just haven't had the opportunity to do long rides with) kekeke....
Ivan Slowee
Jeffrey Teh
Capt Nik
Chang
Daryl
Kai
Lionel
Andy
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