Sunday Morning Rides

Sunday Morning Rides -29th Edition

2011-07-10T22:30:00.001+08:00

Siniawan Old Town Bazaar - Sun 10th July 2011

Road turning off from the highway to Siniawan

A prelude for better things to come, Siniawan Old Town Bazaar was a 43.5km ride to & fro from my house. Nestled between Kuching and Bau, it is a stepping stone for me to eventually reach Bau one fine day.

Bau is another major town in the Kuching Division famous for it’s gold mine, lake and limestone formations such as wind cave, fairy cave and limestone cliffs which dotted the countryside. But consider this; Bau is 10km from Siniawan. A round trip would add 20km to the 43.5km ride. That adds up (yes I can count) to a staggering 63.5km. Hmmmm… I need more carbohydrates.

As it turns out, the ride to Siniawan via the old Bau road was up to my expectation. Positive expectations always allow me to enjoy things more. Rather than expecting nothing, in the end, it might be all we will get. So I saw a lot of little, little things which will never be seen by most people.

Two rows of wooden shop houses

Road kills; Fascinating as it seems they represent the fallen wildlife of the local area. I saw flatten reptiles such frogs, snakes & lizards and mammals such as rats, cats & dogs. Some were fresh but most of them were dried & enticing.

Road blocks; I came across a Police road block on the old Bau road. I was wearing yellow representing the Bersih movement, my palms became sweaty. Just yesterday, those poor buggers were hit by water cannons and tear gas while rallying for Electoral Reform in Malaysia. I did not carry my Identity Card either. I was doomed. But then again this is Sarawak; Land of the Hornbills where everything is relaxed and impossible is nothing. Even our 75 year old Chief Minister is able to remarry a young Lebanese flight attendant less than 20 months after the death of his wife. Do you think he use Viagra? Anyway, armed with an innocent smile, I rode past the road block pretentiously waving to the Police. They smiled back amused without stopping me. Sucker!

Path to the river

Hills; I hate those hills. There were 2 major ones on this hilly & bendy old Bau road going into Siniawan. I wonder how any more pose to torture me if I ride down to Bau town. Sigh!

Part time farmers; I past quite a few working on their vege patch early in the morning. I doubt they own the land but mostly borrowed Gov’t gazetted land under Section 42 of the land title act.

The same old ferry/boat

As I arrive at the old town bazaar of Siniawan, the 2 rows of wooden shop houses were still the same as when I last saw them during my teenage years. Frozen in time, there was hardly any development to the wooden shop houses. In this classic cowboy town, I could see coffee shops thriving with their brisk business during breakfast hour and was tempted to stop & have breakfast. Nearby, a pork butcher chopping spare ribs out in the 5 footway amidst eager customers. I got off my bike & took a stroll down to the river and was met with the ferry/boat which plies across the river. This was the same ferry/boat which I saw earlier but then I was on the other side of the river (see SMR 27^th Edition). I retraced my journey back after soaking some countryside rejuvenating ambiance, ready for the crazy week ahead at work.

Sunday Morning Rides -28th Edition

2011-07-03T21:21:00.008+08:00

Matang Jaya - Sun 3rd July 2011

It was almost a month since my last ride. I caught the flu, the kids- chicken pox and the wife flew away to Chiang Mai for a holiday. Luckily everything is back to normal now; the pox left scars which could be connected with a marker pen, the wife came back with lots of Chiang Mai souvenir T-shirts (yes, all i got was the bloody...) and my flu bugs died a miserable death. But really why did Dr.Chong give me antibiotics if the flu is viral? Hoping for a placebo effect, Dr.Chong? %#@#!!!!.

My route to Fabian's turf and back

Anyway, I was happy to be up & riding again. Without much thinking, I headed straight towards the direction of Batu Kawa bridge as soon as I got out of the house earlier this morning. Destination cousin Fabian's house in Matang Jaya.

22 km to Fabian's turf via Batu Kawa

Have any of you guys tasted warm nasi lemak before? The nasi lemak packets that you get off the normal breakfast stalls are usually cold and soggy. They taste great but lack the smell of freshly steamed coconut milk rice and the aroma of crispy fried salted anchovies. Today my 22km ride to my cousin, Fabian’s house at Matang Jaya, paid off with warm freshly made nasi lemak. My cousin’s wife, Nik also makes the best tasting chili sambal to go with the nasi lemak. I must admit, it is the best tasting condiment in this part of the country.

Freshly cooked nasi lemak with anchovies & chili sambal

With two servings of nasi lemak in my tummy, my ride back was a major challenge. For obvious reason, I took the shortest possible route home passing under & over the Satok bridge instead of Batu Kawa bridge.

View of the old Satok Suspension Bridge tower

In the end, I clocked in a miserable 33 km on this Sunday morning. It felt good to be out on the road again but as a dear friend of mine puts it; “Let's see...22k bike ride = 1000 calories, 1 nasi lemak = 700 calories. Nett 300 calories. Could have lost this just watching TV dude!”. Obviously he didn’t know I need to do another 10km back and…(Drum rolls pls) …. I did two servings of Nasi Lemak & the anchovies, roasted peanuts & boiled eggs were on buffet. Hahahaha……

View from underneath Satok Bridge

Sunday Morning Rides -27th Edition

2011-05-08T18:31:00.000+08:00

Kampung Siniawan - Sun 8th May 2011

Today I woke up around quarter past six to another beautiful Sunday morning. Not a single rain cloud in the sky and the sun was already up shining. After some gearing up and making some loud noises in the toilet, I left my house around half past six. I decided to ride down to Kpg Siniawan in the Bau district, some 20km away. Of course I did some Google Earth the night before, like I usually do before any inaugural rides.

My route to Kpg Siniawan

The first 15km was on open highway, so it was quite challenging with huge trucks passing me by at speeds in excess of 100kph. I fingered a few for passing me with inches to spare. Others just have to turn into the highway in front of me from dusty construction sites. Eat my dirt why don’t you.

Kampung Melayu Siniawan

Waiting for the "Ferry"

The "Ferry"

The last 5km was a rather pleasant one as I turned left, off from the highway and into Jalan Sungai Pinang. I felt a sudden step function change of atmosphere from Anxiety to Serenity, from Singapore to Kuching, from Def Leppard to Lionel Richie, from Dan Brown to Mills & Boons, from…. What the hell, I guess you got the picture. After a few minutes of blissful riding, savoring the tranquil & equanimity of it all, I arrived at my destination, Kampung Melayu Siniawan.

Ferry arrives at Siniawan Bazaar

A scenic spot

A scenic spot with my bike

Most of the village people (no,… don’t do the YMCA please!) were still asleep or beginning to wake up from their slumber as I arrived. Free range chicken scurried everyway or was it? Never mind. At the end of the road was a jetty. A wooden “ferry” plies the span across the river. An old man told me in their local Malay dialect, RM0.30 for one person or RM1 for one person inclusive of motorcycle/bicycle. No wonder there were a lot of motorcycles parked along the jetty. I was debating with myself whether to take the boat ride or not. On the other side lies Siniawan Bazaar, which really are 2 rows of wooden shophouses. Breakfast was beaconing and I was sure that there were Kolo Mee or Laksa stalls. After breakfast I could take Jalan Bau out to Kota Sentosa and subsequently Jalan Penrissen back to my place. Naaahhh… I am no Ironman doing the triathlon thingie. After about 15 mins rest and exploring the river bank, I retraced my path back home.

Carvery at Abell Hotel in the city

The mummies & kid

Me Dad & kids

Today is Mother’s Day. We did lunch at the new Carvery Restaurant @ Abell Hotel in the city with me Mum & family.

To all the mothers in this world… Happy Mother’s Day!

Sunday Morning Rides - 26th Edition

2011-05-01T23:28:00.002+08:00

Sinar Serapi Eco Theme Park - Sun 1st May 2011

Plagued with a series of disappointments the past few Sundays, today was an exception. My ride earlier this morning was as smooth as a baby’s bottom.

It was hardly the case two weeks ago when I suffered a tyre puncture 18km into my ride. I had to walk like a duck (stupid cycling shoes) out to the main road before calling my wife to pick me up. She was still asleep when I called. I must have dialed her number 10 times before she picked up. She gave me that stare of death as she drove me home that morning. I am just thankful to be still alive. Last weekend then was another major disappointment. I was all geared up, opened the main door of the house and the thunder said hello. I was furious when it rained a few minutes later.

My route to Sinar Serapi Eco Theme Park

Various Activities Available

Entrance of the Theme Park

This morning was beautiful so I decided to be adventurous. Spiked my drinking water with glucose and I was off for a 2hr ride. I ended up at Sinar Serapi Eco Theme Park at the foothills of Gunung Serapi. The park was not opened yet when I arrived. But from the main entrance I observed that it was a rather "budget" theme park. Personally I think the place looks half done. I was quickly on my way after a few minutes of rest as it was starting to drizzle. Fortunately it was just a passing cloud. I reached home and clocked another 43km to my odometer.

View of Gunung Serapi from the Theme Park

Sunday Morning Rides - 25th Edition

2011-03-22T23:20:00.005+08:00

Live Your Children’s Childhood

Somehow I still remember the first time when I saw a road bike. A shining blue contraption on two wheels. It was my uncle Bernard’s new toy. Knowing my uncle, he must have been raving about it day and night. I told myself then, how could anyone ride this thing? It was so tall and flimsy and if I sat on it, my legs could hardly reach the pedals and the handle bar looked weird as if somebody made a mistake in fixing it the wrong way round. And then there was the pressing question of why only two wheels and not three? I clearly remember my uncle “B” lifting me up onto the saddle. I felt like 10ft off the ground, teetering like a spinning coin as it comes to the end of its uncertain outcome. I was as young as my son then.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Check. Never put off happiness for the sake of achievement. Check. Live your children’s childhood. Errrr… this one, I am still learning but it does not require an MBA, right? I will definitely miss my son’s inquisitiveness, my eldest daughter’s tit-for-tat temperament & my youngest daughter’s giggle. Very soon they all will inevitably be off building lives and families of their own. My children’s childhood will soon be a thing of the past and I will one day without a doubt, look back and feel melancholy, but I still have the time to vow never to regret.

I remember when I was young, my dad, sister & I would occasionally sneak off early Saturday mornings to go jogging just before the sun was above the horizon. The street lamp in front of our old house would still be shining. When I was young, I used to benchmark whether it is early or late in the day just by looking at that street lamp. Lights on, go to bed. Lights off, time to get up and out of bed. Most mornings when we start our jogging escapade, that street lamp would still be shining. It gave me a sense of mystique to be able to be up and about when that lamp was still shining. Anyway, we would savor the morning freshness as we jogged and walked through the neighbourhood. It’s amazing what you can discover early in the morning which could hardly be seen later in the day. Flightless birds walking briskly across the road only to scurry off into the bushes with our presence. Dew collecting on spider webs during the night, only to be seen sparkling like diamonds on a rolling stretch of grass as the sun’s rays were refracted onto them, giving false hopes to the unaware. Unfortunately, this experience, I have no recollection with my children, yet.

Maybe I should have at least helped my son onto the saddle of my bike instead of telling him off, every time he comes near. He loves to fiddle with the pedals. Crank the pedals, wheel will spin. Fun. More and more I realize that we have been conditioned by our past experiences that we fail to see the NOW of living our children’s childhood but jumped straight into the negative of what the future holds. In this case, fiddling with pedals, bike collapse, boy injured. No fun. But really I could hardly imagine the lifestyle of the person who created the expression “better to be safe than sorry”. Might as well die, right? Such irony. Have you ever wondered how when we were young, the sky was our limit; we dreamt of going to the moon and the funny thing was that, we actually believe we can. Then we grew up. Society tells us that this cannot be done, that cannot be done, this is not the right way, that is not the right way and then ultimately some idiot came in and created ISO. So now we have standards to conform to and if there were no standards how on earth do we know how or what to improve upon…. but that is another story. Sometimes it takes an eccentric to change society. If every one conforms to society, then there will be no progress. But I have digressed and my point is really, we need to get back to the NOW. The NOW that is telling us that happiness is a journey and the destination is secondary. The NOW that is telling us never to put off happiness for the sake of achievement. My happiness is living my children’s childhood (and of course to own a Ferrari). What is yours?

I feel like I am going bald soon, like Stephen Covey or Robin Sharma so I better stop this gibberish and leave it to the bald people. I leave you now with the story of Peter & the Magic Thread. I read this in one of Robin the bald Sharma’s books. Here goes.

Peter was a very lively little boy. Everybody loved him but he did have one weakness. Peter could never live in the moment. He had not learned to enjoy the process of life. When he was in school, he dreamed of being outside playing. When he was outside playing, he dreamed of his summer vacation. Peter constantly daydreamed, never taking the time to savor the special moments that filled his days. One morning Peter was walking in a forest (why does it always have to be a forest) near his home. Feeling tired, he decided to rest on a patch of grass and eventually dozed off. After only a few minutes of deep sleep, he heard someone calling his name. “Peter! Peter!” came the shrill voice from above. As he slowly opened his eyes, he was startled to see a striking woman standing above him. She must have been over a hundred yrs old and her snow-white hair (typical fairy tale) dangled well below her shoulders like a matted blanket of wool. In this woman’s wrinkled hand was a magical little ball with a hole in the center and out of the hole dangled a long, golden thread. “Peter” she said, “this is the thread of your life. If you pull the thread just a bit, an hr will pass in seconds. If you pull a little harder, whole days will pass in minutes. And if you pull with all your might, months – even years will pass by in days”. Peter grew very excited at this discovery. “I’d like to have it if I may?” he asked. The elderly woman quickly reached down and gave the ball with the magic thread to the young boy.

The next day, Peter was sitting in the classroom feeling restless and bored. Suddenly, he remembered his new toy. As he pulled a little bit of the golden thread, he quickly found himself at home, playing in his garden. Realizing the power of the magic thread, Peter soon grew tired of being a schoolboy and longed to be a teenager, with all the excitement that phase of life would bring. So again he pulled out the ball and pulled hard on the golden thread. Suddenly he was a teenager with a very pretty young girlfriend named Elise. But Peter still wasn’t content. He had never learned to enjoy the moment and to explore the simple wonders of the every stage of his life. Instead, he dreamed of being an adult. So again he pulled on the thread and many years whizzed by in an instant. Now he found he had been transformed into a middle-aged adult. Elise was now his wife and Peter was surrounded with a houseful of kids (Idiot! He missed the fun part). But Peter also noticed something else. His once jet black hair had started to turn gray. And his once youthful mother whom he loved so dearly had grown old & frail. Yet Peter still could not live in the moment. He had never learned to ‘live in the now’. So once again, he pulled on the magic thread and waited for the changes to appear. Peter now found that he was a ninety year old man. His thick dark hair had turned white as snow and his beautiful young wife Elise had also grown old and had passed away a few years earlier. His wonderful children had grown up and left home to lead lives of their own. For the first time in his entire life, Peter realized that he had not taken the time to embrace the wonders of living. He had never gone fishing with his kids or taken a moonlight stroll with Elise. He had never planted a garden or read those wonderful books his mother had loved to read. Instead, he had hurried through life, never resting to see all that was good along the way.

Peter became very sad at this discovery. He decided to go out to the forest where he used to walk as a boy to clear his head and warm his spirit. As he entered the forest, he noticed that the little saplings of his childhood had grown into mighty oaks. The forest itself had matured into a paradise of nature. He lay down on a small patch of grass and fell into a deep slumber. After only a minute, he heard someone calling out to him. “Peter! Peter!” cried the voice. He looked up in astonishment to see that it was none other than the old woman who had given him the ball with the magic golden thread many years earlier.

“How have you enjoyed my special gift?” she asked. Peter was direct in his reply. “At first it was fun but now I hate it. My whole life has passed before my eyes without giving me the chance to enjoy it. Sure, there would have been sad times as well as great times but I haven’t had the chance to experience either. I feel empty inside. I have missed the gift of living”. “You are very ungrateful,” said the old woman. “Still, I will give you one last wish”. Peter thought for an instant and then answered hastily. “I’d like to go back to being a schoolboy and live my life over again” (Not fair! We here will never get a second chance in life). He then returned to his deep sleep.

Again he heard someone calling his name and opened his eyes. “Who could it be this time?” he wondered. When he opened his eyes, he was absolutely delighted to see his mother standing over his bedside. She looked young, healthy and radiant. Peter realized that the strange woman of the forest had indeed granted his wish and he had returned to his former life. “Hurry up Peter. You sleep too much. Your dreams will make you late for school if you don’t get up right this minute,” his mother admonished. Needless to say, Peter dashed out of bed on this morning and began to live the way he had hoped. Peter went on to live a full life, one rich with delights, joys and triumphs, but it all started when he stopped sacrificing the present for the future and began to live for the moment.

Sunday Morning Rides -24th Edition

2011-03-06T16:59:00.004+08:00

Lijiang & Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Continues.....

What do you do when you wake up at 6am on a Sunday Morning eager to go for a ride when, as you step out of your house in full cycling gear, it started to rain? The Law of Attraction tells us to keep a positive mind and think sunny skies….. That was like 2 hrs ago, it is still bloody raining & I am still in full cycling gear. FML.

While waiting for me family to wake up from their great slumber, I am bored to death. I picture myself having breakfast at the Spring (shopping mall in Kuching) as soon as they wake up. Dragging myself window shopping would definitely be my only form of exercise for the day. Such is the weekend life when one is staying in sleepy Kuching (especially when it rains). Let’s escape back to Suhe Old town in Lijiang where life is simple and carefree.

An alley leading to Lijiang Palace

My encounter with Suhe Old town that summer afternoon was a rather pleasant one. Earlier in the day we visited the Lijiang Palace. To get to the palace it was a long walk from the road side through a maze of back alleys.

Shops with profound names littered the narrow alleys. The best of which, and I love this one…. “Wait For Self’s Lover In The Night”. Profound or what? Well, where does your mind takes you?

Profound Signages

We had to climb up a steep hill. Nestled on top lies a temple with a majestic view of Lijiang. Grey roof tops stretched to the horizon which was surrounded by a mountain range encircling the town. It was a natural wall which fortified the town in ancient times.

View of Lijiang from the hill top temple

After the palace visit we were mostly exhausted especially from the climb and so we were looking for a place to chill out & have lunch. We found our Utopia in Suhe Old Town. A cozy outdoor restaurant next to the “water supply system” (frankly, I would call it a D-R-A-I-N) was a welcoming beacon nevertheless.

Horse Cart Ride through Suhe Old Town

To reach this Utopia, we had a horse-cart ride…. or was it, cart before the horse. Errrr… I stand corrected; it is still possible to put the cart before the horse. I guess that in itself is another story (….if you are still following me, great. If not, never mind).

View from Horse Cart Ride

Chow-Chows which I met along the way; Love them!

Le Petit Paris

We had of all things, western food for lunch at Le Petit Paris in Suhe Old Town. Another establishment with another cranky name. The food was good but the Chinese beer was better.

Le Petit Paris

Tsingtao Beer : Taste better in China

Ham sandwich

Onion Soup

Above all, the tranquil environment was just perfect. Imagine this, it was a sunny afternoon, sun was overhead and yet it was cooling, having western for lunch, outdoors next to a “stream” (I said imagine OK), with live music soothingly blending into the calm of the midday siesta. With your eyes closed, it is not difficult to imagine that you are in a European country. Well, ya…. except that the soothing music was in mandarin and not forgetting the alcohol which helped with the translation.

I can hear footsteps of people getting out of bed. Back to reality folks. Cheers mate! Ta!

Sunday Morning Rides -23rd Edition

2011-02-15T23:49:00.000+08:00

Lijiang & Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Treasure Harbour International Hotel

One of the more exotic places that i have visited last year (without my push bike) was to Lijiang and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in China. Another of UNESCO's World Heritage Site, the world famous Old Town of Lijiang is situated in the Yunnan Province. Famous for its old town architecture & ancient water supply system it is fast becoming commercialized. I saw Pullman Hotel under construction when I was there. We stayed at Treasure Harbour International Hotel which was quite nice but is not within walking distance to the touristy old town area.

Dayan Old Town

I quickly learned that there were two, not one but two "Old Town"s in this place namely, Dayan Old Town & Suhe Old Town. What is the difference? Well, one is newer than the other. Dayan is older and i guess, more genuine. We visited Dayan Old Town in the evening and it was just beautiful. A lot of things to see, buy, eat & of course drink. It was an experience like no other to be able to walk through a town whose streets were made of cobblestones which were centuries old. Alongside those narrow streets where ancient water supply system which could easily be mistaken for drains. I saw people brushing their teeth in them which i thought was weird and somewhere downstream next to a pub, they put bottles of beer into the "drain" to chill them.

Dayan Old Town

After a late dinner, we went pub crawling. And this was really weird... out in the sticks, in an ancient town, pubs were sprawling with their loud music drowning the sound of the natural night. We were like spoilt for choices in settling down to a more happening pub. We did eventually but as we got settled in, the music stopped. It was a minute past midnight and what do you know, closing time. Unbelievable! If I were in another part of the world, at this time of the night, the party just started but here, its the end. Police started to flood into the pubs one by one tell people to go home after finishing what was on their table. I was flabbergasted.

Dayan Old Town

One of many eating places at Dayan Old Town

Dayan Old Town

One of the many pubs in Dayan Old Town

Water Supply System or Drain? (Dayan Old Town)

Those are all tourist. (Dayan Old Town)

Dayan Old Town

We went to Suhe Old Town the next day after going back to the hotel feeling very very sober the previous night, but that is another story.

Sunday Morning Rides -22nd Edition

2011-02-14T00:28:00.013+08:00

Kuching - Sun 13th Feb 2011

I just realized that I did not post any blogs in 2010.

More than a year have past and changes were the only norm.

First of all, most of my riding buddies have gone AWOL. Time is what they do not have. But really, if we sleep just an hr less everyday, we would have lived an additional 3yrs. Such irony to say we have no time and yet if we created time, time would have given us more.

Secondly, I have switched back to my initial biking

passion of riding a road bike. Whoever created the mountain bike did not educate and let the world know that mountain bikes were meant for the mountains. Downhills are what mountain bikes were built for, giving the rider that much needed adrenalin rush without killing him. Stupid but hey, let me tell you what is more stupid.... putting a full suspension mountain bike on the asphalt. People get wise after figuring out that they quickly loose momentum with the full
suspension as it is hard work riding them on a straight road. Believe me, they look funny as they try to speed up on asphalt with the full suspension.... copulate the bike why don't you. So then there is the hard tail mountain bike (no more copulating) but still heavy with those bulky wheels. Some riders then change those tyres to slicks but.... hello, why not get a Road Bike instead? You get the speed, you get the distance and you don't get mud in your face. So now I am a born again road biker and enjoying every minute of it.... Woooooo Haaaaa!

Sunday Morning Rides -21st Edition

2009-11-01T13:18:00.008+08:00

Disiniland - Sun 1st November 2009

Today we did a 23km ride to Disiniland, Kuching's version of Disneyland. It is nothing compared to the original... Not even close. We can only ponder on the wittiness of the proprietor in coming up with such a name for his establishment. "Di sini" means "Here" in the Malay language. Nestled roughly 8km from MJC at the end of Jalan Field Force, lies Disiniland.

On our way to Disiniland. Signboards clearly pointing the way.

Past its glory days when Kuching was without a shopping mall such as tHe spring. today Disinland stands dilapidated. I wonder if we were the only 2 visitors to this place on this sleepy Sunday morning.

Riding past main street in Disinland. We saw a lot of Mickey Mouse @ Rats and Donald Ducks @ Ducks in the pond. And not forgetting the Rats that the fairy godmother turned into Horses. Yes, they are still there waiting for the flying godmother to do a fly by.

For me, I guess the main attraction were the horses... errr... ponies, awaiting for a miracle to happen.

We further explored the surrounding countryside around Kampung Stapok before heading to one of the kopitiams in MJC for our morning breakfast. Thus ending another adventurous Sunday Morning Ride.

Cheers.... J

Sunday Morning Rides -20th Edition

2009-10-18T16:13:00.005+08:00

Kampung Sejijak - Sun 18th October 2009

Mark (my cuz) and I have been riding consistently every Sunday morning for the past month now. Today we did a 32km ride to Kampung Sejijak, another Malay Kampung located about 5km past Batu Kawa Old town. Mark is on training to gain his stamina for his ultimate Chiang Mai downhill trip next month. He recently bought a RM3000 odd, "Giant" (brand name) mountain bike to add to his collection of now, 4 bicycles. I love it when people spend money, it helps to stop the recession.

Photo above shows Mark by the river in Kampung Sejijak with his new Giant bike. It has hydraulic disks brakes and michelin tyres. Wooo Haaaa!

Another river view at Kampung Sejijak. We ended up at Batu Kawa old town for Meat Ball mee before realizing that it was hard to cycle back on a full stomach. Thus ending another pleasant morning ride for another perfect Sunday. Cheers!

Sunday Morning Rides -19th Edition

2009-09-22T21:50:00.007+08:00

Kampung Sungai Maong - Tue 22nd September 2009

I have been riding solo for the past few months now. The beauty of biking is that you do not need to rely on anyone but yourself. Unlike tennis, you do not need anyone to play with you. You just jump on your bike and go. Today is no exception, the last day of the Raya long weekend holidays, not a Sunday but it sure felt like one.

I did the usual run off the mill, Semaba route but with a twist at the end. With the Semaba route, I usually end up with only 20 odd kilometers. Inferior complex sets in and I needed more. I ended up in Kampung Sungai Maong, a Malay village. A small road that branched off the main road caught my eye. Made the turn and a jewel awaited me. As I ride the road leading to the village, I felt young again (something that we treasure as we past over the hill in age). Flashback to the time when Mark (my cousin in crime) and I used used to cycle the roads in our childhood neighbourhood. My mum would always scorned us for that because she claimed that we were measuring the road for the multiple council. Alis for my mum, we were actually discovering new territory, like a dog marking his territory every time he lifts up his leg. That is what I felt this morning, like a kid discovering something new.

Picture which I took as I past the bridge leading to Kampung Sungai Maong.

Another picture from the bridge.

Picture which I took at a small jetty at the village.

Another picture from the jetty.

Cheers and until next time, to all my muslim friends, here's wishing you all a Selamat Hari Raya..... J

Sunday Morning Rides -18th Edition

2009-06-10T21:42:00.003+08:00

It has been 8 months since I last wrote. My sister reminded me; my close friends reminded me and even my dogs. Well, I currently I don't keep any more dogs but I missed my Dalmatians dearly. I remembered holding little Sam in the palm of my hands.... and that was like bloody 13yrs ago. How time flies and we don't even realize it; we see things passing us by like a germinating flower in a time lapse motion video speeding through life from a hopeful seed to withered compost. We are getting old amidst the humdrums of our daily routine and we don't even know it until something drastic happens and we start to question the reason for our very existence. This past 8 months or so has been just that, a rather trying & turbulent time for me and my fellow colleagues at Western Digital, Kuching. The plant was schedule to be closed down before the first quarter of the year is through. The employees were supposed to be laid off in stages and my number was supposed to be on 20th Feb.

I guess now is also a good time for me to share will you all, my goodbye e-mail which was drafted but never sent till this day. Read and feel how distorted I was, with hope and yet hopeless, sad but yet happy.

----------------------------------------

Fellow colleagues & friends,

Yes, it is yet another goodbye e-mail; I will keep it short to preserve our sanity. Today SPI and I will part company from the rest of you. We will stop our journey here today and venture into the real world earlier, where nothing is for free, not even a pen. For those who will be continuing on till the end, I wish u all, best of luck and perseverance.

Thinking back it has been a rather enjoyable & exciting 12.5 yrs filled with laughter, sadness and the occasional goofing around. To me, leaving this place is nothing more than another event in history of my life. Significant or not, God only knows but it saddens me to see the people, the relationships, the sentiments & the teams that we have built up over the years slowly crumbling into bits and pieces over these few weeks since that dreaded announcement. A page in a power point presentation which otherwise would be but a normal business update but flashing across the silver screen that day, John Coyne made a rather obtrude decision that would change the very livelihood of the people in Kuching. I was not spared this time. In fact everyone in SO1 was not spared. Life as we know it, goes on. We need to pick up the bits and pieces and slowly rebuild again to be stronger and better than ever before, if not with Hitachi or with Uncle George, with whichever place we go. This we owe to ourselves… will do.

I’d always believe Great Leaders have Great Followers. Thank you to all the Great Followers and Great Leaders of SO1. You have inspired me and made my days in SO1 an enriching & fulfilling one. I will always remember u all in my prayers, maybe forgetting your names as time passes, but what the heck….. Wishing u all the best in your future undertakings and hopefully our paths might cross again one fine day.

I will part you with an abstract from President Barack Obama's inaugural address and this has touched me truely:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Do keep in touch. I am in Facebook. For those who have not joined, do try as it is great for keeping in touch with old friends.

Hakuna Matata… J

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The retrenchment was then postponed as instead of closing down the plant, WD found a potential buyer who would take over the plant here in Kuching. So it was a rollercoaster ride and the reporters for the local newspapers were having a field day, well a lot of field days. And now the journey is nearly coming to a close, like a death in the night and the joy of a newborn baby cry....... so gratifying and yet remorseful. BTW it is not that we are slackers and have developed a healthy beer gut during the past 8 months but we have been religiously doing our Sunday Morning Rituals of hitting the asphalt on our bikes and I have lost 4kgs (Thanks Mom - she bought a new bathroom scale recently and we all had a go at it). It is just me; too mentally disturb to be finding the inspiration to write. Anyway, I leave you now with 2 press releases which u might have already read;

WD AGREES TO SELL ITS SARAWAK, MALAYSIA, SUBSTRATE MANUFACTURING FACILITY TO HITACHI GLOBAL STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES

WD Maintains Substrate and Media Manufacturing and Development Operations in Penang and Johor, Malaysia, and San Jose, California

LAKE FOREST, Calif. - May 20, 2009 - Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) today announced that it has agreed to sell the assets of its media substrate manufacturing facility in Sarawak, Malaysia, to a subsidiary of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, the hard drive manufacturing unit of Hitachi, Ltd. The employees of WD at the facility will become employees of the purchaser. The transaction is expected to close in the current quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

WD announced in December that it was taking actions to realign its cost structure to match a softer demand environment. This divestiture is one of those steps. The Sarawak facility, at which WD manufactured aluminum substrates for hard drive magnetic media, was acquired by WD as part of its acquisition of Komag, Inc. in September 2007. WD is consolidating substrate operations from the Sarawak facility into its other substrate facility in Johor, Malaysia. WD will continue to manufacture the majority of its magnetic media requirements at existing facilities in Malaysia and source the balance of its media needs through its strategic external partners.

"We are very pleased that, rather than closing this plant, which was surplus to our needs, we have identified a qualified buyer who will continue to operate the facility," said John Coyne, president and chief executive officer of WD. "WD worked closely with Hitachi GST, the government of Sarawak and its local agencies to create a solution that preserves operations at the Kuching location, as well as the jobs of the employees and those in supporting industries, which have a large impact on the local community."

About WD
WD, one of the storage industry's pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state storage that keep users' data accessible and secure from loss. WD applies its storage expertise to consumer products for external, portable and shared storage applications.

WD was founded in 1970. The company's storage products are marketed to leading systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company's Web site (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.

Hitachi GST to Acquire Substrate Manufacturing Facility from Western Digital
Wed 20 May, 2009

SAN JOSE, Calif. – May 20, 2009 – Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced that it has agreed to acquire a substrate manufacturing facility located in Sarawak, Malaysia from Western Digital. The facility currently produces aluminum substrates used in hard disk drives. WD originally acquired the Sarawak facility through its purchase of Komag in 2007.

“This acquisition further strengthens Hitachi GST and is the next step in our business transformation,” said Steve Milligan, president, Hitachi GST. “The Sarawak facility is located in close proximity to existing Hitachi GST suppliers and drive assembly operations, which will enable us to realize increased operational efficiencies and other long-term benefits.”

“The Malaysian and Sarawak governments have been instrumental in Hitachi GST efforts to develop a local manufacturing presence. We thank them for their ongoing support and look forward to growing our employee base in Malaysia,” said Ian Sanders, vice president, Components Group, Hitachi GST. “Sarawak has a highly-skilled workforce with a worldwide reputation for manufacturing and technology excellence. Our goal is to have the Sarawak team play an important role in strengthening our product competitiveness by providing Hitachi GST with greater access to world-class components.”

Closing of the acquisition is subject to customary conditions.

About Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) develops advanced hard disk drives, enterprise-class solid state drives, and innovative external storage solutions and services used to store, preserve and manage the world’s most valued data. Founded by the pioneers of hard drives, Hitachi GST provides high-value storage for a broad range of market segments, including Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, Consumer Electronics and Personal Storage. Hitachi GST was established in 2003 and is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachigst.com.

Sunday Morning Rides - 17th Edition

2008-10-18T16:37:00.012+08:00

Juizhaigou - Sun 12th October 2008

Didn't managed to jump on my bike this morning but was in Juizhaigou, China doing hiking out in the sticks, 4000m above sea level. It snowed on us as well so it was like freezing cold. Don't worry my balls are still there. The scenery was beautiful beyond words. I shall not even try to express the beauty of it all as mere words will not do it justice. I urge you all to experience what I have experienced by visiting Juizhaigou at least once in a life time.

Snowed out on the way to Huanglong

At Huanglong

Mirror Lake

Pearl Waterfall

Blue Lake

More Blue Lake (left) & Panda Lake (Right)

It was so beautiful that my sore feet and sprained leg from my bicycle accident was all but forgotten. After the hike, reality kicked in and we were scurrying off to find a good massage to relief the agonizing pain.

My Tibetan massage.

Cheers.... J

Sunday Morning Rides – 16th Edition

2008-10-01T22:34:00.006+08:00

Kampung Stapok (at home lah) - Sun 28^th September 2008

I was left for dead, left to tend to my own bloody miseries. The Sunday Morning Ride (SMR) team was out on their second Sunday ride without me. Last weekend they did a Tondong round trip and more recently they did a Puncak Borneo trip passing through Mambong. All 43km of it and so I heard from the many ravings and pedestal framing at the office after their trip. Sitting here, I am drowned with sorrow, feeling melancholy and dejected for not being there. I vow to come back with a greater vengeance. My two weeks incarceration is up guys. I can walk again… and who says Jesus died long ago. I recall my eldest daughter telling my son, “If you go blind ah, no one can help you. It is not like way back then, they have Jesus”. I was in tears. So folks, see you this coming Sunday. I am back! Not 100% but can do lah…

On this day Sun 28^th September, Mark made a name for himself. After 13km he made a turn and headed back without completing the ride. He shall thus be named, “The Turn-Around King”. Anyone who wants to challenge him for the title, (is easy) will just have to make a u-turn less than 13km into the ride. Again, on behalf of all the members of SMR, I would like to congratulate Mark for his rather daring feat. Mark, this time I think you seriously need to consider getting the ultimate “Giant” composite bike.

The XtC Alliance is a lightweight chassis packing real heavyweight performance. Pure efficiency and the most supple, controlled ride Giant’s engineers can coax out of composite and aluminum alike. It’s go-fast technology, stripped to its trail-pounding essence.

So what did I do this Sunday morning? I did a bit of domestic as well as spiritual rejuvenation. It’s my youngest daughter, Amelia’s Baptism.

Yes, I renounced Satan again for the third time in 6 yrs (other than during Easter) and inherited another god-wife, err… I mean god-mother. Well actually, if the person is my daughter’s god-mother, won’t she be my god-wife? So meaning to say, I have in total, 2 god-wives and a god-husband who happens to be my sister’s husband. Okay… let’s drop the subject, getting revolting.

Cheers… J

Sunday Morning Rides - 15th Edition

2008-09-16T17:38:00.012+08:00

Kampung Semaba AGAIN! - Sun 14th September 2008

It was another normal Sunday Morning ride to the neighbouring Kampung Semaba just to make up the miles and keeping ourselves fit for the next big ride, but this time it went all tragic. Firstly, Mark had to make a quick exit in the middle of the ride to… of all things, crap! We wished him well. Then later, as the rest of us were heading home…. Shit happens. I guess Mark's early exit was a sign of the shit that was about to happen. Andrew of all reasons beyond my comprehension, braked hard at the traffic lights resulting in a rather death defying rear wheelie stoppage. Then behold the sucker of all ages, the moron of all morons… I had to slam hard into Andrew from behind. I guess he liked it that way but hey… it happened so fast that the next thing that I remembered was that the both of us were faced down, kissing the asphalt. My left leg was like tangled in the mess. My handle bar was slightly bent and Andrew’s brakes were never gonna brake in that manner anymore, unless he spend a couple of ringgit. We picked ourselves up unaware of the growing numbers of eyes staring down at us, most probably also laughing at us. Checking our bikes, they were still functional and so we rode home.

It was not until I reached home that the pain in my left leg became apparent. I felt like a kid as I told my wife of the incident, flash back of all the bicycle accidents that I was involved in when I was young and the agony of looking at my mothers face when I broke the news to her, time and time again. Hit by a motorcycle on the way home from school, hit by another bike during a organized bicycle race and fell, slipped on sandy road on the way to Cheshire Home and nearly got ran over by a car - I believe God saved me here, got my hands caught in the front wheel of my bike and fell….. and not forgetting all the dog bites that were inherited as you own a bicycle in this part of the world.

Monday came along and everyone at work was like asking why I was limping. I was tempted to tell them of how we had to cross this rather challenging mountain valley on a fallen log spanning between the two mountains but the better of me kept me from going there. For heaven sack, how would you tell someone that you ran into another bicycle from behind? Yip had a field day laughing. It was in pain and Andrew got away with a sprained wrist. Went to the in-house doctor and he bloody gave me some pain killer, lotion to rub off the pain, 2 days of MC and told me to stay off my feet. Sigh…. How do you propose I do that? Duh! Turns out, I had strained my ligament and had to sit out the pain. And the doctor ordered not to do any cycling for the next 2 wks. Bummer!

My wife of 8 years, as I learned over the years…. was a firm believer of Chinese Medicine. So it was apparent what happened next as I got home that evening. What would a western doctor know about muscle problems, she exclaimed? I was eventually dragged to see a Chinese physician. This physician turned out to be a she and so I thought… safe. But she went straight to rub and fumigate me leg with something that resembled an over sized ciggie. I was like, what the heck are you trying to do? Giving me a double dosage of leg cancer and agonizing pain all at once? Then she started burning some paste and with some heavy duty, industrial grade tape, she proceed to stick the paste to me leg. Later she charged me 60 ringgit for the pleasure of causing me pain and forcing me to eat medicine that looks like goat’s poo-poo. Am I stupid or what? I think it was a major rip off.

So here I am today as I vegetate at home sitting out my MC and licking my wounds. Luckily me wife got me a cool gadget to combat the humdrums of boredom city. Tinkering with this GPS contraption, I quickly realized that this device could be fixed onto our mountain bikes as well. Google earth, eat your heart out. We now have the real thing! No more scrappily drawn maps from Nic! Lost no more!

Not to be left out from the Malaysian Political Bandwagon as I vegetate at home, I tend to realize that the Procreation of BN/UMNO and the Malaysian Politics has deteriorated into Recreation for the Malaysian public. Today is 16^th September and it is supposed to be the D-day for Malaysian Politics. The transfer of power from the ruling BN/UMNO to the leadership of Datuk Anwar Ibrahim from opposition party. I am stranded at home and here we have history in the making. Or is it going to happen? But one thing is for sure….

Bukit Bendera Umno Division Chief, Datuk Ahmad Ismail surely has a big nose.... which means he is really a big d---. Seriously, he was suspended by UMNO for 3 years for his remarks that states the Chinese communities are immigrants in the country and are not entitled to equal rights as the Bumiputera. I always thought that I am a Malaysian regardless of race until now. I was born in Malaysia, so were my parents, how is it possible that I am an immigrant? Are these words of a racist or an idiot? You’ll be the judge. How can we have this kind of imbecile leading the nation? How many more are there? Be it in the ruling or opposition party? I raise my case. Cheers!

Sunday Morning Rides - 14th Edition

2008-09-02T23:08:00.032+08:00

Destination Annah Rais Hot Springs - Sun 31st August 2008

Thinking back, there is no better word to describe our endeavor on this Independence Day but “Extreme”. We had again challenged ourselves to an even higher level of accomplishment with our Merdeka Ride - Destination Annah Rais Hot Springs. To show our act of patriotism, we sat down after the ride, in a make-shift kopitam by the roadside, mesmerized in watching the Merdeka Parade live on TV and at the same time counting our laurels of the day. This was the toughest ride since the formation of the SMR (Sunday Morning Ride) team and we were all mentally prepared for the eventual torment, but naively forgetting about our physical flabbiness. The amount of time and effort spent by the folks in preparation for this morning’s ride was astounding. Nic spent to a total of…..drum roll pls…. RM5 to get his rear wheels aligned. Just imagine that, I could have easily bought a big bowl of Laska with that kind of money. Yip must have KY gel-ed his squeaky brakes and Andrew bought a lot of kinky fruits and vegetables….bananas and cucumbers lah. Must have left some for the wife to use… ooops…. I meant eat. As for me, I had a pear and 2 packets of Ribena spiked with glucose apart from the usual bottle of diamond water. Mark, my cousin was nowhere to be seen, I guess he is still in China playing with those beautiful China girls with armpit hair. The recent olympics games might have educated them a bit to shave but hey, Mark likes furry animals. The journey started off at 5:50am with a 30min car ride to Kampung Karu.

Here we parked our cars and started relieving ourselves, the first of many occasions. Yes, I am documenting the number of times these buggers took out their willies and contribute however little to welfare of the environment. I am simply fascinated and flabbergasted with the amount of fluids that the human being can expel, even after vigorous sweating and yet still having the urge to pee. The winner of the Golden Shower Awards goes to Mr. Andrew Chai, followed closely behind by Mr. Yip Kai Ung. Frankly, I think u guys have bladder problems. Signs of getting old, folks! I bet when you guys are like 70, the loo would be your second home.

It was a hilly 42km round trip. The SHP (Severe Hill Phobia) syndrome, developed from our previous ride to Kampung Danu (See Sunday Morning Rides 5^th Edition) still haunts most of us. Andrew has no context of this and was unperturbed. He was not a member of SMR then and was still chauffeuring his kids to Sunday school. Now he is free from domestic chores and free to endure the torture that we throw at him.

The Torture, the Challenge, call it whatever you wish, is a hilly road that weaves through mountains and is not for the faint of heart, not even for some of the seasoned mountain bikers. But in this case, the challengers were driven by sheer stupidity, peer pressure and the occasional Singaporean “Kia Su” attitude.

The road to Annah Rais past through the gateway to Borneo Highland Resort. In reaching there, we experienced climatic changes as we ascended deeper into the mountainous region of Puncak Borneo.... until we reached the clouds.

It is as cool as Cameron Highlands. Water droplets quickly condensated on our sunglasses as we cut through clouds. Blurring our vision in this dream like world, we savour the fresh cool air. I reckon that most people of Kuching could hardly imagine that such as place exist and it is just an hrs' drive away from Kuching city.

Occasionally during long rides like this one, we would stop for short rests at strategic locations. This time we simply stopped along the roadside and it was out with the bananas. Andrew took his and Yip did the same.

Andrew stored his cucumbers on his saddle. Could not get it out and had to chew on it. No wonder he was smiling all the way from Kampung Karu. Bloody hell…. and we thought he was just happy.

Finally we arrived at the gateway to Borneo Highland Resort. It was bustling with people trying to hitch a ride up the mountain to the resort. Later we learned that it was the last day for the “Colours of Nature” exhibition. It was a floral exhibition up at the resort and the friendly guard told us that Dr. Mahathir would be coming in his helicopter later in the day. Ya Rite! So the “Sua Ku” people of Kuching were easily swayed to join in.

In the spirit of “Kia Su”, we soldiered on to Annah Rais, attracted by the hot springs that we could find out there. I would be damn surprised if it turned out to be anything like in Rotorua, NZ. I guess a mud patch with some bubbles would do for Kuching people to be amazed.

About four kilometers and one huge hill down the road, we discovered hills upon hills of vegetation, desecrated by open burning. Deforestation at our own backyard and year upon year during the dry season, we thought the haze was from Kalimantan. Andrew did his best to save the environment and tried to put out the fire with his willy. Go Andrew go…. pressure man… eh, how come still nothing lae?

We waved a passing motorcyclist down to ask for direction but only to find that the freaking road leads to Tebedok, a border town to the neighbouring country of Indonesian. Somewhere down the gravel road, somebody forgot to make a bloody turn. Fingers started pointing, mouths started swearing and Stephen Covey’s habits? What habits? Even Zinger Miller would flip in his grave if he was dead. Blame Nic, he was supposed to be the Iban guide. Basically, the rest of us were FBI. Think about this acronym for a while. Let me know if u need help.

It was already way, way past 9 o’clock and the curfew our wives imposed on us immediately came into effect. Suddenly we were but transformed from the SMRC (Sunday Morning Rides Club) to the KKBC (Kuching Kia Bo Club). Time to turn back regardless, Hot Spring or no Hot Spring. Screaming past the now congested gateway to the Borneo Highland Resort, we retraced our route back to Kampung Karu to collect our other more reliable form of transportation. But not before stopping by the roadside kopitam for our dose of patriotism.

I ended up with a leg cramp and a vow to come back as we failed to reach our intended destination. As Yip put it, the failure to reach our destination this time, is an incentive for us to come back to ride in this area next time.

Sunday Morning Rides - 13th Edition

2008-08-17T23:29:00.007+08:00

Kampung Satau - Sun 17th August 2008

Mark Hon is my cousin and “drain fishing” buddy from days gone by. After countless persuasion to join our Sunday Morning Rides, he decided to follow starting last weekend. Vunderba! The deciding factor must have been the Tigers and Johnny Walker Blue Labels that we had the night before. Last weekend was the normal, breaking-the-ice Semaba route. This weekend on his second session with us, our newest member endured a 33 km feat. What started out as the normal Tondong - Singai run off the mill route ended up with a rather pleasantly surprising ride through Kampung Satau to the waterfalls nearby. As usual, we started off at Tondong around 6:30am with our GPS in hand. See photo below.

This time, it turned out that we failed to update our GPS map with the latest version and we had to use the traditional way of opening our mouth and asking the kampung folks for directions. Something which made me realized, as a gadget freak, all those technology that we hold dear to our hearts, have utterly made a recluse out of us. It is time to return to human kindness. And it was in the kampung that we see people greeting us for the sack of seeing us with no string attached. Every smile was returned with an even bigger smile. And that, as I apprehend, was one of the reasons why we keep riding in the rural areas, week after week. Now I truly understand why I turned down a ride with another team who invited me to join them every Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are riding through the urban areas of Petra Jaya. That…. and also because their bikes were like two generations ahead of mine. Apart from my humble aluminum frame which I thought was inferior enough compared to their carbon fiber frame, I looked at my brakes and I thought they were quite modest, except that they were not disc brakes but the normal type. Then I took a hard look at their brakes and what do you know, they were not even playing with cables. Hydraulic man! Something which I thought only existed in cars. So quietly I turned down their invitation citing timing issues.

The ride through Kampung Satau was truly memorable and above all, relaxing. The road weaves through the kampung with houses dotting up next to the roadside which were surrounded by trees with low hanging branches. With the early sun trying to shine it rays through the dense leaves of the surrounding trees and sometimes successful with the help of the passing breeze, our agonizing biking endurance was all but forgotten and quickly assimilated into a slow motion ritual from one of John Woo’s movie clips. We made a few wrong turns and had to ask for directions. Finally we arrived and had to walk another 5 mins or so, by foot, to reach the waterfalls. Our persistence was rewarded with a 20ft waterfall surrounded by tall trees of what seemed to be a primary forest. Slippery green fungus covered rocks were plentiful. Curse! I slipped on one and if not for my super duper, double padded with improvised wife’s monthly pad, cycling pants, it would have been much worst.

We ended our excursion at around 9:00 am back at Tondong bazaar. Yip came in a minute behind Nic and I. Leg pain my arse. Mark came in 8 minutes behind and needs to quit smoking.

This is Mark. If you are interested, pay Choice Daily or Choice Super Mall a visit. He will be the one trying to sell you whatever he can sell.

(Left Photo) : Mark showing the true meaning of “push bike” as we climb the highest hill of the day.
(Right Photo) : Mark and Nic. Gay couple holding hands?

Another odd couple on the relaxing journey into Kampung Satau. Ladies, like their sexy arses?

(Left Photo) : Showed this photo to me wife and she said, how come Nic is so fit without the beer belly. Bloody hell! This guy spoils the market!
(Right Photo) : Yip of the Jungle.

(Left Photo) : That’s me trying to imitate Yip doing his porn thing.
(Right Photo) : Yip against the waterfall.

Yip the Power Ranger! Look closer and tell me where is the power?

View of the waterfall from various angles.

Sunday Morning Rides - 12th Edition

2008-08-17T23:12:00.007+08:00

Anis Daun Revisited - Sun 3rd August 2008

Yet another trip to Anis Daun but this time with Andrew. Go Andrew.

Sunday Morning Rides - 11th Edition

2008-07-19T14:23:00.008+08:00

Kampung Singai Revisited - Sun 13th July 2008

This was yet another round trip from our Tondong base camp. Another training session for Andrew. We made a round trip to Kampung Singai and stopped by the Mount Singai Catholic pilgrimage center passing by St Peter’s Church, Singai.

Andrew leading the way and then overtook by Nic with no hands on the handle bar. How cool is that?

Andrew to infinity and beyond.

Taking a leak with a view.

(Left Photo) : Andrew with sheer determination, ascending the steepest hill on this route. (Right Photo) : Andrew at St.Peter, Singai. Yip in the foreground.

That's me at a sculpture of Jesus at the base of the Mount Singai pilgrimage center. And no that is not my car.

Sunday Morning Rides – 10th Edition

2008-07-06T17:20:00.004+08:00

Kampung Semaba Revisited - Sun 6th July 2008

The paradox of our time, the refusing to accept the status quo, is the route of all progress. George Bernard Shaw once said, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you all to the unreasonable man, our latest addition to the “Sunday Morning forget about the wife” Club, he is non other than Mr. Andrew Chai. For his initiation, we were rather merciful, forgiving and rather REASONABLE. He survived our default Kampung Semaba Route. Kudos and welcome.

Andrew and the open road. Viva Andrew!

Andrew, enjoying his Laksa after the trip. By the way, you still owe me RM3.00 for the Laksa.

Sunday Morning Rides - 9th Edition

2008-05-31T11:38:00.001+08:00

Adis Daun – Sun 11th May 2008

Finally! Adis Daun! Second try at Adis Daun and we arrived with dignity. Actually Yip had something in his eye. Ya rite. Given a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say this ride was an 8. Unsealed road going up and down hill. Wheels spinning, graves flying as we ascend and down hill on grave roads were no fun either. But we survived to tell the tale.

Sunday Morning Rides - 8th Edition

2008-05-31T11:09:00.001+08:00

Kampung Sejijak /Taman Malihah – Sun 4th May 2008

An uneventful Sunday ride to Kampung Sejijak and Taman Malihah from Batu Kawa Old town. Pleasant ride , nothing porn.

River View from Batu Kawa Old Town.

On the way and at Taman Malihah.

River view from Kampung Sejijak.

Sunday Morning Rides - Seventh Edition

2008-04-26T10:59:00.000+08:00

Destination Adis Daun Resort, Bau – Sun 20th April 2008

It was just a 29km ride which took 1hr 20mins but we were plagued with issues. This ride was filled with more drama, suspense, clashes and controversy than the Malaysian Politics. Firstly one of our members, who shall remain anonymous, considering the fact that I have been threaten if I revealed his identity, had too much fun with the wife the night before and was well…. without stamina. Secondly, this was the first time in all of our biking trips, that we did not reach our targeted destination. We all blamed our faulty GPS.

Read out from our GPS as shown above. What did you expect? Low cost WD way bah. Adis Daun, a destination whose main attraction would be the clear water stream, knee high in depth and without noticeable water current. It is a perfect place for a family excursion on a budget. We were told by one of our colleagues at WD, Charles that the resort provides basic amenities such as Longhouse and Malay styled lodging, picnic site and BBQ facilities. His father-in-law runs the place.

We started out early and reached Tondong Bazaar around 6:30am. Tondong is a rather tiny commercial town with 2 rows of wooden shop lots. From here we parked our cars, assembled our bikes and ride off in the direction of Kampung Segong road. The view was again, simply exhilarating along this road at dawn, passing by mountains and deep valleys. Hardly any other vehicles were traveling on this rather deserted road except us and we can breathe the fresh cool countryside air.

Unfortunately after just 5km into the ride, one of our members was utterly exhausted and had to stop. His face was literally filled with sweat and I was flabbergasted. Because of him, I got this great shot of the sun behind the mountain at our rest area. See below.

Peer pressure got the better of our troubled friend and we moved on. Climbed one steep hill and was rewarded with the downhill experience. The next two photos below were taken one, on the top of the hill and the other, as we arrived down at the bottom of the hill.

It was then we realized something was amiss and took out our GPS which was not in full form. It finally managed to tell us that we missed a turning, had climbed up a bloody hill, enjoyed our trip down the bloody hill and ended up on a road which leads to Matang! Matang would take another day to arrive if we have not changed course.

Embattled by the daunting task of retracing our ride back up the bloody hill and with consideration to our overly amorous friend from the night before, we soldiered on but back to Tondong Bazaar on a different route passing Mt Singai, a centre where Catholics make their pilgrimage and hike up the Mountain. Along the way we passed by many other Catholic Churches. This area is a Bidayuh area who are mostly Catholics. Next two photos are of two Catholic Churches, St. John and St. Peter.

We had to sustain the agony of defeat and count our laurels as we arrived back at Tondong Bazaar without reaching our planned destination. Maybe next time….

Maybe next time…. Next time….

Suckers! I have been to Adis Daun Resort…. Photos below for you to view….

Sunday Morning Rides - Sixth Edition

2008-04-15T16:48:00.000+08:00

Kampung Stakan – Sun 13th April 2008

Another Sunday, another much anticipated ride to the great outdoors. This time a 33km ride to Kampung Stakan located somewhere off Kota Sentosa or previously known as 7 mile bazaar. It was a pleasant ride without the SHP (Severe Hill Phobia) syndrome of the previous Kampung Danu / Borneo Highland ride which was still haunting us. The highlight of our ride was when we came across a small wooden suspension bridge which was just big enough for motorbikes to pass. Dilapidated as it was, but in the bygone days, it would have been a majestic wonder and a triumph of engineering feat. The river which the bridge spanned was calm, under the light of the early misty morning, punctured by the occasional ripples of frolicking fishes. Otherwise the river reflected a picture perfect mirror of the horizon above. Past the bridge and it was as if we stepped back into civilization again when we reached Kampung Stakan, a Malay village. More modern development dotted the countryside as we past Kampung Stakan and reached Abeng’s house at Stakan Jaya. Abeng, our colleague was rudely awakened by Yip as he could not resist taking out his mobile. From there we retraced our route and headed home but not before stopping by yet another of our colleagues, Henry Ong’s country side home. His cousin is breeding pedigree dogs nearby, so there were no shortages of barks and whistles as we approach. Nice doggie, doggie…. Hey, hey, hey… not the bike! Oh man!

#1 : We’re on our way to misery & happiness....

#2 : A pleasant surprise

#3 : Yip doing his porn thing again

#4 : Our own Mirror “Lake”

#5 : What is that in the river... looks like a biawak

#6 : Nic discovering fishes in the river... wah

#7 : Abeng's establishment

#8 : Nice doggie, doggie.... at Henry's place

Sunday Morning Rides - Fifth Edition

2008-03-22T18:12:00.000+08:00

Kampung Danu – Thu 20th March 2008

Today is not Sunday but a public holiday and most people, let’s be frank, couldn’t give a flying one what the public holiday is for but another day without the distress of work. For us, one week of planning materialized today as we embarked on an excursion to Borneo Highlands on our push bikes. Our destination is a small Bidayuh village named, kampung Danu along the foothills of Borneo Highlands. Suggested by our newest member to our cycling team, Nichelas to the effect, “It is an easy 8km ride from my wife’s kampung. It has got a wooden hanging bridge spanning across the beautiful Sarawak River. When it is not raining and the river level is low, we can also walk across the river without using the bridge. We will drive down to my wife’s kampung and start our ride from there. It will probably not be challenging enough for you guys”. Try and suggest another route and you can expect to be called a faggot or words to that effect. So we all agreed.

Turns out this route was a difficult one. Not for the uninitiated and Leslie, you can count your lucky stars for not following. We were completely fooled by Nichelas. I ended up clocking 36km on my odometer for the 2hr ride and we all suffered from a condition which we called SHP or Severe Hill Phobia. Normally I enjoyed the distress of people unable to climb hills on their push bikes, but this was hill after hill after hill… what Yip and I completely miss in our overly zealous aspiration… trust the novice to plan your course! As Yip would put it... Sux!

# In our cars driving towards Nichelas’s wife kampung, somewhere past the Semonggok Orang-utan wildlife centre

# On the road with our push bikes feeling the freedom of the great outdoors...

# ....until we encounter the first steep hill. Yip with chain/gear issues after the climb

# This is Nichelas; Never trust a sneering guy

# Riding into the clouds

# Unsealed road on the home stretch to kampung Danu

# Nic & I at our final destination

# Yip doing his porn thing by the hanging bridge

# Scene of the Sarawak River at kampung Danu taken from the hanging bridge

Sunday Morning Rides - Fourth Edition

2008-01-14T00:03:00.000+08:00

The Spring

Today Yip and I finally made that much contemplated trip to the Spring on our push bikes. The Spring is the talk of the town. You see it in the newspapers, websites, facebooks and finally here onto my blog page.

This early Sunday morning, the place was calm but littered with pieces of history from the night before. Obviously there was a huge crowd. Come ten o’clock this place will again be alive with all walks of life, curious as to what a lifestyle shopping center is all about. Officially opened to the general public three days back on the 10th of January, the Spring was swamped beyond imagination with people from far and near. As Aristotle suggested, the infinite has a potential existence here… however there will not be an actual infinite.

2007-12-30T23:10:00.000+08:00

Sunday Morning Rides - Third Edition

Prelude
The trepidation is finally over…. A sunny Sunday morning in many weeks and I get the much needed exercise. I cleared the cobwebs around my push bike and found my odometer not working. Probably ran out of batteries and I have to make do without it and to manually estimate the distance I travel diligently so as not to overstrain myself. My tyres were slightly deflated as well. Has it been that long since my last ride? No wonder my BP was on the high side. First stop was to the Shell station and get those tyres inflated. A lot of new shopping centers are coming up in Kuching. The Spring which is going to be open on the 10th of January, is going to the largest in Kuching. Then there is the Boulevard which opened its doors to the general public just before Christmas and caused a major traffic jam going back to the 3rd mile interchange. That shows how deprived Kuching people are.

The Boulevard

My next stop was after the Shell station was to the Boulevard. Surprise, surprise… how could this thing be opened to the public when it is not even fully completed. Duh….

Cold Storage

The green heights shopping mall or better known as “Cold Storage” was my next destination this sunny Sunday morning. Colloquially know as “Cold Storage” because it is here that Cold Storage, a retail company is going to open up its first store in Kuching. This mall is expected to be opened in April.

I was meaning to continue my journey to the Spring but my tummy got the better of me. Was bloody hungry and sped off home for breakfast leaving the Spring for next weekend.

Sunday Morning Rides - Second Edition

2007-10-23T21:59:00.000+08:00

Milestone

On October 15th 2007, I have achieved a major milestone with my mountain bike, - above 1000km on my odometer reading. Cheers!

Art's Place

Yep! Art was still sleeping when I past by his house behind Hui Sing Garden this Sunday Morning.

Kuching Airport Runway Extension

The scale of this project is amazing. Scores upon scores of dump trucks, dumping soil and aggregates along the stretch of land to the left of the road that is still under construction (see photo). It stretches right up to the horizon where the Kuching International Airport is situated. Yip & I had our fun with the “off-road” experience in the heart of the city.

Houses for Sell

I guess I am a real estate freak. Part of my interest is to explore new houses, in and around Kuching. So occasionally during my Sunday morning rides, i would explore new housing estates or any new housing development which would be of potential investment.

Lee Onn Houses at Stampin Tengah.

Another housing development at Stampin Tengah in front of Lee Ping's House.

This one is still under construction at Stampin Tengah as well.

More new houses for sell at Stampin Tengah.

This one is at Jalan Stapok Selatan somewhere near my place.

I found these houses under construction behind a Chung Hua school around four and a half mile area.

Sunday Morning Rides - First Edition

2007-10-04T14:30:00.000+08:00

Overview

Sunday morning is a perfect time for cycling in Kuching. A perfect time, as there are hardly any traffic on the road. Everyone with the right frame of mind, would still be in their slumber counting imaginary sheeps as they jump across the ever so lowly wooden fence. Others contemplating their youth would rather stay in bed with their ever relentless quest to preserve their youth with the misnomer of beauty sleep. Unperturbed that it is a quest which will be an eventual doom to failure. I get the much needed solitude of riding my bike with the wind gently blowing on my face as the waking sun slowly takes command of the dawning sky. Like clockwork, I wake half past six in the morning, jump into my riding gear and out the door in a jiffy. Freedom of the the great outdoors and the challenge ahead excites me.

In this blog, I will post photos of all the places I have been with my bike. Mostly to houses of my colleagues at Western Digital (WD). My partner in crime is Mr. Yip, who happens to be my colleague. You will mostly see him in the photo shots as I am the one with the camera. New membership to join our cycling group is open to all our fellow colleagues at WD. Pls contact Yip or myself during office hours.

The Journey Starts Here

This is my place at Jalan Stapok Selatan. Been staying here since 2002. It is about 4 miles from Kuching City.

At DS's Place

Yip with a bad knee in front of his boss's house at Stampin Tengah. Note the new Toyota Vios - never see Ding Sing (DS) driving that to office. Hmmm... DS is out marketing every sunday morning..... alone.

At Nic's Place

This was a 28km ride for me, to & fro to Nic's house. Nic's house is located at mile 10 Kuching-Serian road. Yip's house is 8km from my house. The %$#@#* waits for me at his house, so I always end up with 16km more on the dial everytime.

At Yip's Place

This photo was taken one fine Sunday morning before Yip started riding with me. His house is just a stone throw away from the Kuching Airport. Notice the absence of his new flashy Honda Civic? Would you believe he goes out early Sunday mornings for marketing as well? I ended that, to the dismay of his wife.

Silvia's Place

I will always have a special place for Silvia in my heart. A dear friend and ex-colleague, through thick & thin, through pride & prejudice of the corporate world. We endured for yrs climbing the corporate ladder which was on the wrong wall... we had our laughs. But she left us all of a sudden, bewildered as to what happened, I guess for a better life. She stays with her parents at Stampin Tengah and is usually out early every Sunday morning for Church, so no breakfast here for me.

Lollita's Place

Yip & I were hoping to get free breakfast here but we were just dreaming. Lollita's house is somewhere near Hui Sing, probably an 8km ride from my place and she sleeps in every Sunday morning. Do not disturb!

Kuching Airport

The majestic splendor of Kuching International Airport in all its glory on one cloudy Sunday morning. The weather held and I was not drenched. Do u know that there is a season for cycling? It ends when it starts raining cats and dogs at the end of the year.

At Taman San Chin

This was a 40km round trip. Taman San Chin is located 5km past the Batu Kawa Old town on the way to Bau/Lundu. Batu Kawa old town is an interesting place to vist and have breakfast. This is the place where u can eat the famous fish ball beehoon soup.

Kampung Semaba

The trip to Kampung Semaba was a rather pleasant ride for me as well as for Yip. A 27km round trip from my place. The journey cuts through serene evergreens of the tropical rainforest. Passing across a small tranquil stream before reaching the Bidayuh Kampung. A Catholic Church beacons parishioners as we past by that Sunday Morning.

Past the Bidayuh kampung, we stumble upon a Chinese temple and a chicken farm where we rested and took some photos. Travelling further down the road we reached Kampung Haji Baki, a Malay Kampung before ending our trip to the "brave new world" as we returned to civilization again as we reach 7 mile bazaar.

Kota Sentosa Chinese Temple

Yip in front of the magnificently crafted arch of the Chinese Temple at Kota Sentosa.

Federick's Place

My friend at QA Dept is staying with the "In-Laws" somewhere behind Sunny Hill. Cheers and good luck!