The Coriolis Effect

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Sunburnt

9:45 PM

oh yes, it's been a really long while since i got the accursed sunburn and scratches to the supple palms. And after today, i feel glad that i have them, okay maybe not the cut to the palm. Seeing as to how i've been stuck in the urban jungle, protected from the harmful UV rays by layers of fabric every single time i turn out or from 9.30am - 12pm every duty. I must say that i miss being with the elements and doing things like kayaking, rock climbing, dragon boating.

But too much of a good thing is bad. So do everything in moderation.

Anyway, there's nothing much to do online really. Hmm. I'm missing someone at the moment, can you guess who it is?

Oh yeah, can someone please remind me to get that tantalizing game called Modern Warfare 2?
Thanks. I'll love you if you do. *hint hint*

"waiting for you"

Monday, November 09, 2009

The Only Exception

3:06 PM

As i told my girlfriend earlier today, that my plans today involve me being at home, and becoming rollie-pollie, which means getting fat. And yes, i did just that - switched on the computer, and watched 'The Ugly Truth'. Another nice love movie - something i would wanna watch with my girl or alone at home, of course, seeing as how i did not manage to watch it with her, the second option would be to watch it at home alone.

and the getting fat part - i opened a bag of sour cream chips, and was that close to finishing them. And guess what? i didnt eat lunch. I suppose they did their job of making me feel full. Sadly, as much as i wanted to stop, i couldnt. Oh you know, the dangers of snacking on junk food. Once you start, it's hard to stop.

apart from snacking on chips and watching movies that i wanted to, but couldnt, i did a lil review on the cars that i have my eye on, and when i do that, i find myself being that kid that is eager for that new toy, but doesnt have enough money for it.

Yeah, speaking about cars, i think lots of drivers need constant reminding that the road tax they are paying, is meant for the condition of the roads, and not for them to think that they OWN the roads.

Maybe we should learn from India - put up signs like the ones you're about to see.

Then, the more hilarious ones,

love the last one.

Anyway, i cant wait for my dearest to return, back here for the weekend, then i'll have a whole 2 months with her when she returns in december. Oh and that very first picture you saw at the start of this post? I just wanted to admit that i used to be like that - a liar. And the person that i am now, is mainly due to who else?

oh by the way nuzurath, dont forget to pack your smile with you when you leave for Singapore :)

I'll be waiting.

"if i sing this loud enough"

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

War is a drug

4:00 PM

it's been a while since i even went out for recreational purposes. lately it's either work, rest, or the driving school. Hey, i'm determined to get that bike license simply because it's something i've wanted, and worked for - having the license doesnt mean i'll own a bike.

Lockers, are something that i was only introduced to when i was in my late teens. 17 to be exact, when i first entered junior college. I had to have my own locker back then cause i was sick and tired of having to transport a bag full of books.

From days as a student cum school athlete, to days as a soldier, and eventually, a firefighter, lockers have been a constant comfort zone to return to after going through a hard day.

Relishing the chance before the movie, or rather the film, was no longer playing in cinemas, i took this opportunity to catch 'The Hurt Locker'. Here's the poster for it.

reviews were solid and reputable, backed up with solid trailers, it had to be a must watch, plus, it had been a while since i went out for a movie. Not to forget, that i have a thing for movies based on the real deal. So the story revolves around a team belonging to the elite Explosive Ordnance Defusal (EOD) unit, based in Iraq, tasked to defuse Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) made by Iraqi insurgents, and their erratic team leader who is seen as reckless and unfazed by the prospect of death everytime he suits up in the EOD9 suit.

Just like the film, Valkryie, the movie isnt choc full a block with action, because basically it's main motive is like as Khalid said, "not for entertainment value". And my 35 cents worth? it'll get a 4 out of 5. There were points of time in the movie where i felt it was quiet for too long. And also, the cameras werent the stable kind, most of them shaky.

anyway, time to tune in the tube. i'll end this post here.

"face it"

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Dear Agony

7:20 PM

"distance"

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Final Stage

6:27 PM

Like Michael Jackson's "this is it", practical lesson 8.01 is the last practical lesson for a learner 2B rider at Bukit Batok Driving Center.

Anyway, i have to blog about this cause i just wanna get it off my chest. I dont know how many times i've mentioned that since the birth of this blog, but here i go.

I started my morning at 8.30, dragged my sorry self out of bed and into the water closet. A solid 10 minutes in there, then breakfast, then out the door at 9.20. I had practical stage 7.01 at 9.50am.
We learnt how to execute a u-turn, and trust me, as a learner, the restrictions imposed on you can sometimes feel a little unreasonable - especially the 'footed' restriction, which means, your right leg can never touch the ground.

I honestly hate that rule - look at how many riders out there stop with their right foot on the ground!

So as the lesson progressed, the first few raindrops turned into needles that pierced into my face.
Stopping for a red light, cats and dogs fell from the sky. Got wet, and subsequently, the lesson ended. I passed that stage, thankfully.
Proceeded to book the final stage, and discovered that there was a slot available in half an hour's time. So i confirmed my booking, and dried my riding 'attire', while waiting for lesson to begin.

Prac 8.01 was a mock TP test. In short, i got an immediate failure mistake for putting my right leg down just before executing a u-turn. 16 points though, if i had not 'footed' i would have passed, and saved myself $33. Bleah, but that's past already.

Move on, must learn from mistakes, no one's perfect. Cliched, but true nonetheless.

Ah, but that aside, i've reasons to be happy. And they are as follows :
1. I've got the latest Breaking Benjamin album
2. I'm gonna watch a war movie soon.
3. Looking at recent pictures of dearest has had me smiling ear to ear.

Arguments are inevitable. But the most important thing is to take away the learning point.
I miss you.

Okay, time to crash. Out.

"Dear Agony"

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Two - Zero

9:49 PM

the big two - zero arrives, and i end my teenage years having never done anything really regretful that my other peers may have. One doesnt really need to crack the brain in order to figure what those are.

i'm not much of a celebratory person. I only spent my day at home, and that was it. of course, i rented a car, cause i was planning to go out during the weekend, and also to sharpen my driving skills. It was more than a month since i touched the steering wheel. The car this time wasnt much different from the very first car i rented. It was the Fiat Bravo T-jet.

Of course, khalid and me were curious as to the difference between this model and the normal Bravo. Other than the stereo system itself and controls on the steering wheel, the difference in power or overall control of the car wasnt obvious at all.

Was out with my family on saturday. We went to my cousin's open house, followed by a trip down to Brickworks hawker center to say hi to my dad's old friend who was selling satay. Dad bought a total of 40 sticks of satay - God knows how much that cost, cause dad paid for it. After that was a trip home.

The next day was a busy day for me. Went down to station in the morning to settle some work related matters, and that was followed up with a trip down to the driving center for my bike lesson. After that, drove down to Pasir Ris to begin the picking up of friends, then to Jurong, and finally to Redhill. While waiting for one of them to finish their hockey game at delta stadium. While waiting, Khalid had to run an errand. Which involved driving to Mustafa Center.

this was on the main road, beside Angulia Mosque - as you can see, people were already jaywalking when the light was green for vehicles.

Again, just take a closer look at the pavement, people were basically spilling onto the road.

Have you been to that part of Singapore? I'd be honest with you, on weekdays it's still Singapore, but try going there on a saturday and sunday. By God, it becomes Mumbai. It was tough to drive through a sea of humans - well, i think it's also because Deepavali's next week. Thankfully there was a police patrol car in that area so we followed behind the patrol car.

Half-clutch control is important here - i'd say you'll earn experience points navigating through here.

After having navigate through that horrid place, we went back to Redhill to pick up the two, then headed down to Simpang Bedok - for the first time in my life - for a makan session. And the recommended place by the 3 regulars down there, was partially filled up with patrons. We found a place to sit, which was much easier than finding a place to park. The menu kept me contemplating among the various and tantalizing choices. But i finally settled on having Black Pepper Crayfish. Sorry, I am a sucker for crustaceans, especially those which dont involve much effort in removing the meat.

the "Bullet Pepper Steak" for khalid.

"Lebanese Rotisserie Chicken" - for hazreen

zahir ordered lasagne which i didnt take a picture of,
and of course, the black pepper crayfish that cost me a whopping $18, but hey, it was worth the money.

After feeling full, we drove down to Arab Street for a sheesha session. And of course trying to get hazreen to smoke sheesha right. We were there by 9.45pm, everyone ordered mineral water, but me, being the special one, still wanted to satisfy a sweet craving, so i ordered a banana split. Time flew by even with just talking. and it was already 11.15 when i looked at my watch. At 11.30 we left for home. The smoke from the sheesha got to my head, but thankfully, the moment i started the engine, i was back to my alert self.

From Arab Street to Pasir Ris, and back to Harbour Front, then off to Woodlands before zooming back to Bukit Panjang - that was my favourite drive. Oh yes, and the tracks that kept playing from the radio (91.3 FM) were sensational for the night drive.

Returned the car today, and also went for my riding evaluation in the circuit. Weekend's been tiring, so i'm gonna hit the sack soon. Here ends this long post after a rather long hiatus - well that's because there was nothing much to talk about work.

"tango - jet"

Friday, September 18, 2009

Bravo

7:44 PM

Alrighty, it has been an awesome week so far, except for the one downer yesterday
Had to 'semula' a riding lesson - which i eased through this morning.

Anyway, as i already mentioned - this week has been pretty uplifting, basically cause i get to drive around a lot this week. Really, it's a nice feeling i cherish, then again, other road users gotta be courteous. The sucky part of course, was renting a car for the very first time, the agent, was understandably harsh towards me, seeing to how i was still a young and inexperienced driver.

Of course, this company didnt reject a paying customer, so my parents and i were made clear of the consequences should i be the one responsible for an accident.

So i finally drove off with a manual transmission Fiat Bravo. I clambered with the controls at first, seeing as how it was a continental car. Eventually, smoothed out throughout the rest of the day. Drove to CDA, to attend the CD day parade itself. I figured that it would be more convienient to drive there than to take public transport. Indeed it was. The parade itself was a smooth one, no cock ups this time. Sent a few friends off before hitting home.

Second day with the Bravo, i drove down from home to HQ SCDF to run an errand - one of my favourite journeys while renting the car, cause i was on the expressway alone most of the time. After that headed to another SCDF installation at alexandra, to pick up Khalid, once done, headed the car rental shop to register him as the second driver of the car. With that done, rushed down to BBDC for my riding lesson.

Once lesson was wrapped up, we headed off to orchard with an additional passenger, hazreen, to look for a professional massage parlour. Yes, professional - not those you see on porno sites. Eventually we ended up at arab street, for a javanese massage. The place was welcoming - in a firm manner. And i didnt feel skeptical when i entered it.

Invigorating was the word of the day after the massage, we went down to East Coast to have our buka puasa. 20 sticks of satay shared between the 3 of us, and an additional plate of food for the individual. Didnt felt full though, so we went for prayers first, then headed down to plaza singapura, for a night snack at starbucks.

When the time came, i sent the two of them off, before heading home.
Drove to work, got khalid to come down and return the car, then life resumed to normalcy.

As i blog this down, the whole muslim community in Singapore would have now received confirmation that Syawal is here. And rejoice! For those who have adhered the code of Ramadhan.

Of course, this year's Hari Raya is a little different for me and her. First of all, we're seperated by miles of sea. The second, is that she's spending raya shifting to a new place, when i, on the other hand, will miss out the festivities in early part of the day of raya, and will be driving instead of taking taxis this year.

"missing you"