mount kinabalu.

went to visit haji lane with the beautiful
had our little pre trekking ritual
and i bought my boots

pictures here

a very tyco shot of the gf
the bus was passing her just at the right time
to produce this cool moment
of her staring at shooting stars.

first day of post exam.

spent a long quiet day at home
ok not really quiet
i got to do plenty of the things i've neglected
like finally fix up the clothing stands for mom
fix the new hook brackets on the room windows
so the windows dont have to open the whole way
and after that mom brought me out for dinner
ate at this jap buffet place
quite cheap 15 bucks only


but the food a bit crappy
the photos do it too much justice


but who cares
we went to central to walk a bit
we stopped to see this new candy shop
its got rolled candy where you can see cool shapes from the side

the owner apparently brought in the franchise
from australia just recently
he claims they're the only handmade candy shop in singapore
dunno if thats true though

funny enough
he asked me if i was a blogger
cuz i kept taking shots of the place
so he sorta asked if i could blog bout his place
so here u go mr candyman
the wonders of free advertising and testimonials
i tried the goods
they're quite unique
and you should check out the way they make em
its like those kind of novelty handmade concepts
where u have to see the process then u'll think its cool

then we went to see this cool jap shop
that sells all the jap candies and snacks
and household stuff
so that was cool
i saw like grape flavoured kit-kat


then i went to meet the best friend to pick up wheels
they're gonna go onto the gf's bike
gonna set them up tom before ft probably
its ft dine in tom
and im contemplating bringing my camera
anyway
all that matters is attendance
its going to be at charcoal, the shatec reataurant
simple enough
last thing for this sem

dad just came back from israel
im super jealous
cuz they invited me and i said i didnt wanna go
cuz need to prepare for exams
but looking at his photos
(of course i did a bit of editing)
i really could've come back with like a thousand pictures
but of course if i did
i'd spend the next few days sorting
and probably flunk my exams
and plus
i wouldn't get to spend time with my rabbit
i really need to get down to studying
it seems that during exams
my blog activity will increase
probably cuz its the easiest thing i can access
to change something in this world
to say my piece
to scream from the studying
i really cant wait for this to be over
but
i do wanna maximize the time i have left

its really been too long since i had my last post
and i guess my blog seems to be stagnating just a little bit

but oh well
its come to the end of a term again
and exam time
its always during exams that
i always get so reminiscent of the term that passed

this term was
significant
it represented a step which i have taken
which was not in my past nature to
i guess in a sense
its a commitment not just to the organisation
but also to myself
to do the best i can
in all areas
to not think about slacking
to work hard in the areas i choose to go into
to have purpose and direction

i am just grateful to everyone for being
so wonderful this term
i really hope that we could build on success
and go on to become
that which we have envisioned to ourselves

and to you
my sweetest
without you i dont think
that i could've found the courage
to take steps
to grow in ways i've never considered
i can say that you've really come in
and changed my life
for the better
thank you so much for
supporting me endlessly
for always reaching out to me
brown
polar
grizzly
black
panda
koala
teddy
love.

hello dear
happy 5.
=)

bounce bounce*
right now my baby is sick
and sleeping
so this is for you,
when you wake up tomorrow morning.
get well soon my dear.
happy fourth!

if there was a single thing
that i took away from last night
it would be precisely this
the comments and sharing we had
all pointed back to this one big intangible
the family spirit.
something which we should never forget
no matter how far we wanna take this
i just really hope that one year from now
we can all look back and say yes
ive contributed to the family
i've kept the family together
yes we're bound to have our ups and downs
but family is about the long run
that in the end
far away
whether we would still care for each other.
as friends
as brothers and sisters.
yes yes, cheesy i know..
there are so many issues
i just wish we could all be patient with the process
and grow from there.

thnks for the mmrs.

its been a long while since summer
and we've finally come to the end of our
biggest show of the year for the biking team
the pressure to deliver has been immense
and everyone has been looking at this event
and working really hard to make it work
that is not to say that we didnt have our fair share
of screw ups
of disagreements
of tension
of nail biting
but ultimately i really hope we can walk away from this
knowing that on our end
no matter how screwed it sometimes looked
but in the end, how was it like from a participant's pov
i just really hope that they enjoyed themselves
i'm just really glad that most of them were really really sporting
so yeah
just glad that i had this experience with everyone.

mess.

the effects of nightbike preparations going on in my room
my whole floor is full of plastic wrappers
that were from gl recce
nightbike is this weekend
i really hope we all pull through
and give it our all
its been a long accumulation process
i dont wanna get it over and done with
i want it to be done with patience and to savour every moment
and give it my all for the whole of 24 hours.

tommorrow there will be light.

bursting rays of light
tomorrow i will be picking up my flash
i really hope to improve with a better flash
than the built in one
i realised that even with decent lighting
its quite hard to take shots with high shutter speed
without sufficient light
so i got someone to sell me
a second hand 420ex
so i can play around with flash functions for a while
before i sell it off for better stuff
can't wait.
this coming week is going to be quite busy
im having a much better year than last
i feel generally more prepared
and slightly more hardworking
no small part because of my wonderful classmates
who are my inspiration
and really kick me when i feel lazy
thanks, you.

speed issues.

i miss riding
its really been a while since i took the bike out
or went for a ride
actually, more specifically,
its been a long time since i took the roadie out
plus i need to get a speedo for my bike
after my last one had some cable issues
i was wondering if i should get cadence back again
or if i should even get one at all
i felt the speedometer while useful
was a limiting factor
psychologically,
we're used to traveling at different speeds
so when we cross our own personal boundary
we find it weird and self control starts to set in
but if you just go all out
there's nothing to worry about
you just worry bout holding the person's wheel
keeping tight
and just exploding when the time is right
which is the essence of riding
so should i just screw the speedometer?
the new white strada cateye is very tempting
plus they have a new 2.4ghz wireless model
wonder how much that will cost
im guessing around 200 bucks
oh well, maybe the strada will do
no more ugly wires around the frame.

for the most beautiful girl in the world.

happy 3rd month my dearest.

just want you to know
that although we have our ups
and downs
and that sometimes I exasperate you to no end
but I just thought you’d like to know
that I’ve fallen in deep with you
head over heels
rolling over in the flowers
diving head first
leaping with your eyes closed
taking the step off
right on the edge
(well you get the idea.)

so here’s to many more of these.
and lets do lunch tomorrow.
love.

uvibe ivibe everybodyvibe.

oh joy,

smu challenge is offering the
u-vibe
(ie. ur very own vibrator)
the fucking sex toy invented by osim
just read their ad
i dont think its just me
curved handle
multiple speed
"high speed vibration gives that extra oomph"
flexible rubber head
the girl innocently prancing around in her undergarments
its full to the brim with innuendo

for a low low price
every single promiscuous
sex crazed smu student
can find some sort of relief
because school doesnt afford you the time or the energy
or the libido.

triple t madness redux.

here are the results for the team time trial
(we're ridefromtheheart btw)
(click to enlarge)
held at changi coastal road today
we decided to have some fun on the weekend and join a race
i realised its damn gay to post a fifth place
haha but who cares, it was fun.

divine footwear.

if angels rodes bikes,
they'd be wearing these.

my potential new shoe
and the features i like about it
i went down to swiss valley to try it out today
it feels comfortable
but with a little pressure around the sides
but taking into account that the material will stretch it should be ok

finally back
after an extremely long hiatus
off the blog
i must say that it has become a sort of chore
to spend time blogging
the last few weeks have been insane
with the thailand ride and all
i just havent had time for much else
and now im back here
with nightbike
and a whole lot of new activities to look forward to in the new term
lets not forget the books and the studying
that will come with everything as well
i shall post stuff about my trip soon
but im extremely busy now
still sorting photos
and getting ready for a photo exhibition for the 21st
what a busy period
im blogging to destress

the new nightbike shirt design
this is actually one of the few times im experimenting
with splatter patterns
but i quite like the turnout

had an amazing day out with you today
although it was something pretty weird
it was still cool and really fun
im just glad to get to take you out
and spend quality time together
this was a shot taken from the new camera
its my baby..
with her companion.
(its a device btw.)

smux camp logo.

my work for logos for SMUX Camp
on top was the one rejected by mr woody
and below is the new
and revised
and totally revamped
and toned down
censored
cut off
trimmed
euphemised
redone
remade
rehashed
and complete
new logo for SMUX Camp 08.

Operation: SMUXeLand , SMUX Camp 08

havent had much time to blog lately
been caught up with ever so many things
it looks like it will be a busy week before i leave
i just really hope we can fill up the spaces for smux camp
its been quite a bummer year for everyone
ah well
i shall stop blaming external factors
i honestly think we couldve done a million and one things better
oh well
two days to get this up and running
lets do this.

thin crust pizzas
prego brunch buffet
raffles city

went for prego's brunch buffet with mom yest
the spread and the food was very very decent as usual
you have your HUGE line of antipastis
and your carving station, pasta station
pizzas, soup station, dessert spread
and free flow of juice thats squeezed in front of u
all for fifty one bucks per pax
i always hit the beef carpaccios
and add my own extra arugula
from the caesar section
which has the whole bunch of fresh veggies
from your buttercup to your romaine lettuce
everything is cool and crunchy
so its damn good to eat
i always tend to overeat whenever i find myself there
i didnt eat dinner afterwards
but its strange how prego on sundays
turns into some family outing restaurant
so you have all sorts of kids running around
well after all children between 2 - 12 pay only 18 bucks
and they have a super cute section with play area and cushions
with a tv and lots of gourmet finger food
sometimes im tempted to take food from there
i havent had the chance to sit down at lunch for really long
so it was very very pleasant.

and so it begins..

today was just supposed to be the collection of tables and chairs
but it turns out we had to start preparing
for the matric booth much much earlier
so today we managed to finish up most of the main foundation decor work
now its on to the details and the rest of the setup process
its going to be exciting
been working hard on this small lil project
i hope it all comes together nicely
this year seems much bigger than the previous year
every club and society is really pulling out all the stops to make this event look good
very aptly
another race is also starting
the 95th tour de france
so in our own little way
we're climbing up our own little alp' de huez's
and decending our own mount ventoux's
but it'll be one hell of a ride.

viva le tour.

the ultimate bike.

my new bike
i feel like getting one of these babies
flying pigeon bicycle
from the people's republic of china
the ultimate market bike
to end the reign of all market bikes
the best part about this bike
single speed
no cables
steel
ridden by chinamen everywhere
need i say more?

teochew mutton soup
new world mutton soup
berseh food centre
jalan besar

the fragrant soup full of herbs
just masked the smell of mutton
it has a very nice herbal taste
which goes well with the yam rice
they give plenty of the soup
which is the most important part of this dish
its perfect if u dont want to eat something too heavy.

mango with milk shaved ice & ice cream
ice monster
180 Bencoolen Street

officially the best shaved ice mango ive eaten
there isnt too much ice
the mango is pre chilled
there's enough milk to make it creamy
and the ice cream is not too sweet
havent had it for about a year though
but still just as good
i wanna go back and try their durian with mango.

just got back from desaru
it was an insanely hot day
i carried my water bag today
so that made for five litres of water that i was carrying on me
not really used to carrying load on my road bike
that really put plenty of strain on my back
the heat today was a bit crazy
i was really feeling the burn today
i came back today feeling dehydrated
gonna throw back like a gallon of water tonight
i need to rehydrate
tomorrow is another long day in the saddle
with filming going on i need to have a clear mind
oh well
i better get some work done and go to sleep
dont know if i can make it for training tom
really tired.

category: before & after

after moving and fixing for about a week
the house is almost just about but not really done
at least the living room is all sorted out
but we still have no tv
because incredibly
scv doesnt run cable here
we have to pay to get them to install
genius right
but thats ok
i dont watch much tv anyway
the room you see in the photo is the living room
i dont know how we did it
but finally everything is in its proper place in the cupboards
moving is nostalgic
it lets you dig up old stuff that you havent seen in years
and you wondered why you never threw some stuff away
and you wonder why you didnt take better care of other stuff
oh well
glad its almost just about but not really over.

happy anniversary my dear.

its been a month
and i'm happier than i've been in a long time
we've had our ups and downs
and our fair share of misunderstandings
but its been wonderful all the time
and i really hope
that i am what you want
because you are to me.
so here's to us,
(i'm purposely not finishing this sentence)

another bike shirt.

another biking tshirt
this was the design we talked about tonight at meeting
it didnt really occur to me then
but when i finished
i thought it looked like one of those
"singapore is a fine city"
tshirts.
which cynthia happily pointed out to me also.
oh well, time to be more decisive lah
we have like tons of options
at least we're steadily accumulating
i suppose we might shortlist some of the better ones ourselves first
then we open to the floor for more comments and ideas?
not sure whats gonna happen
so im just gonna keep contributing to the ever
growing pool.

our first photo together
for u. till we meet again.

smux camp teaser.

edited version
you can play
"spot the difference"

09 tcr advanced sl

giant's 09 tcr advanced sl
the ones we've been seeing highroad race
is finally available to us mortals
it features a square downtube
much like cervelo's R3
i really think giant have outdone themselves this time
they've taken some very nice features from some
purebred racing machines
such as the downtube, the press cup bottom bracket
and the tapered integrated headtube
flared top tube
to make this one hell of a stiff ride
this model seems to have the new mechanical dura-ace
fitted on
the new crankset looks super fierce on this steed
im looking forward to check out and
grope the new shifters
they look freakin awesome

you've only been gone for three plus hours
and i already feel like
im short of something
like there's something not done
like i haven't said goodnight
like i haven't talked about my day
like im just going to bed without words
plus just after you scared me to death today
when you told me what happened
with that
i realise that the next few days
arent going to be easy
and that it must've been crazy for you to wait for me
when i went to thailand
and now i can't imagine going away for two weeks
can i bring you along?
just like how im wishin i could fit in ur suitcase
but i really hope you have fun
you finally have that holiday you wanted!
have a blast
i'll be right here.
with much forced patience.

living in a red light district.

finally moved into my new place
first night spent in the new house
i must admit i cant believe im here
after that long and tedious process of moving everything
but its all still not over
oh, useless trivia time
this place used to be a red light
in fact, there're still plenty of lupsup places here
and desker road is down the street
oh well,
should be fun
and i can take plenty of pictures around here.

teochew muay
near balestier/lavender

this was one of the many food places
around my new house
you really wont be afraid
to not be able to find food around here
i've already found two 24hr establishments
and this was some of the best porridge dishes i've eaten
maybe it was cuz i was hungry from a day at the house
i loved the sauce they gave with it
it wasnt salty and it tasted like chicken essence
mom was convinced some special ingredient was involved
anyway, the quality was consistent and high
nice haybeehiam also.

moving & shifting & transiting.

my new street.
its going to be a new life
a new start here
more nooks and crannies to explore
more good food to sample
finally
im out of the ulu part of singapore
and into a more central place
so i dont have to ride so freakin far
just to meet up with people
i move tomorrow.
who knows whats nice to eat in the Jln Besar area?

the moon reflected off the water at lower pierce
an incredible view
with the horizon glowing red
at 3 in the morning
once again our supposed haunted places recce
dug up more
"top-10-make-out-spots"
but im glad the route is finally settled on
im just gonna be incredibly busy this week
i move to my new place on wed
im going to be living in serangoon
10mins away from school
im going to love my new house
anyway
moving plus all my other stuff is gonna be one hell of a ride

my work for the biking team t shirt
it was really easy to do
each person has a bike in a matching colour
i was thinking if i could do a connect the dots thing
oh well
start with this basic one first lah

truly an amazing malaysia & thailand.

ben is back from his recce trip
it was an endless road trip
after 7 days of nodding off in the car
we're finally home
i'm too tired and lazy to blog so much about it
the panorama was taken in krabi
on this really amazing looking beach
which during low tide
you can walk to the islands
if its too small to see here click on it
i uploaded in quite a huge resolution
trip pictures here, here & here.

ride from the hut.

this marks the end of another
successful roadshow by the
ride from the hut (beach hut)
people.
i really think this whole thing is gonna work out
just fine
this thing is really the biggest thing im doing for summer
i leave this tuesday for the recce trip
i hope all goes well
im really tired.
took the 1am to 6am slot for the cyclethon
im totally like drained now

beef noodle
thaksin beef noodle
seah im food centre

the texture of the beef is nice
and the soup stock is pretty ok
my only gripe is the price
3.50 for a foam bowl
the presentation was totally sucky
and a real turn off from the start
so no matter how tasty the product
its kinda disgusting to eat it from foam
i have this thing against this kinda packaging
i get irritated when i scratch the bottom of it
it makes this scratching noise that
just gets on my nerves