4 October 2009 ride report - Turut track...finally!

I was blogging this morning about finding a remedy for boredom and was writing how being on a motorcycle was so much fun. With each word I wrote, I felt more and more compelled to ride. Hahahaha! So I put on my gear and headed out before the weather decided to take a turn for the worse.

I don't know about you...but I have this thing about roads. It is a little like the thing I had with eggs when I was younger...well actually...even now. Hahaha! You see, I simply never get tired of having eggs. I love them hard boiled, soft boiled, half boiled, fried sunny side up, fried once over easy, steamed smooth, steamed rigid, made into an omelette, cut into strips as garnish...you get the idea. In fact, I could have an entire plate of rice mixed with nothing but a raw egg and some condiments!

So back to this thing I have about roads. I never get tired of them. To be more precise, I enjoy exploring roads. All sorts of roads. And I can go back to the same road over and over again without getting tired of it. I have been riding on Neo Tiew Road quite a lot in the last two months. There isn't a week that would go by without me being on that road. I like that there are so many smaller roads to explore around there. I noticed a track there during one of my rides and made a note to return some day. So this morning I decided to go see what that track had to offer.

Before anyone thinks that there is a race track in Lim Chu Kang, let me clarify that when I use the word "track", I am referring to a "small road that leads to a place that looks remote and quiet". With that out of the way, let me return to my morning adventure.

I made my way out as quickly as I could since I only had an hour for today's ride. Uncharacteristically, I decided to take the expressway. The ride on the expressway felt shorter than usual. I was thinking about the track the entire time, wondering what I would discover. I remembered how the track looked like when I last rode pass it the other night. It looked inviting, with gently meanders and lit with elegantly arranged road lamps lining the sides. At night, it looked a little mysterious, like the kind of roads that smugglers would use to get to their hideouts. I was getting more excited by the minute!

Eventually, I was riding along Neo Tiew Road and saw a road sign that read "Turut Track". Happily, I turned my bike onto the track and started exploring the place. To my left was dense vegetation, to my right was a huge field, sparsely populated with metal structures used for relaying radio waves. I could see what looked like the end of the track before long and wondered if that was all it had to offer. When I got closer, I realized that it was a sharp S-shaped bend which led to another section!

In this second section, the vegetation and field swapped sides. I decided to stop my and take a picture.

Just in case you are wondering, yes, that is my bike. I had it repainted recently...hehehe...will tell you more about that experience in another article. Look at that view! It was breathtaking! I just loved those clouds, the tall towers, the open space, the trees...being here made the expressway ride more than worthwhile!

I rode on soon after taking this photography and the scene changed again. There were several more bends and the track was surrounded on both sides by trees. I have always liked roads that cut through dense vegetation and forests. This one was no exception!

Can you see the track? It is almost perfect. Not too wide and not too narrow. There is enough tree cover to keep it cool, and just enough of clearing to let in some light. I spent quite awhile just taking it all in.

All too soon, it was time to go. Reluctantly, I got onto my bike and headed further in, partly hoping to get to the end of the track (so I know how it ended), and partly hoping I won't see it (so there would be more to explore). Well, I did get to the end of the track quickly. I made a U-turn and headed for home.

The ride home was uneventful...except that I noticed yet another trail that I saw before.

I can't wait for my next ride!

*see more pictures of my newly painted bike in my gallery.

21 September 2009 ride report - Skid, crash, putt!

A public holiday is always nice to have. Especially when it falls on Friday or Monday and makes a nice long weekend. Today is just one of those special long weekends. This weekend was also extra special as I had several rides planned spanning over the few days. I had one on Friday night, one on Sunday early morning, and one more this morning. Is there a better way to spend a long weekend?

I woke up nice and early this morning, ready and excited for the ride. The weather was perfect. The sky was clear and blue. Even the three hour weather nowcast said the entire island would have fair weather. Now this is really something you hardly see, especially at this time of the year.

I took my time getting ready since I had hours to spare. I had installed a set of side boxes for my TW200 on Saturday and had them in the apartment with me so I could pack my camera gear properly. I packed my D2HS body with a AF35DF2 lens on the mount, plus my favourite wide angle lens (AF-S17-35GF2.8), my portrait lens (AF85DF1.8) and my trusty flash guns (SB800 & SB600). I also packed my table-top tripod which has proven handy in many past rides. I was really happy about how all the gear fit into one of the side bags (the one that would ride on my left) while my rain gear went into the other one. I was all set for my ride!

The meeting point was the Esso station at Jalan Kayu. I had planned to explore the Seletar Airport area as I haven't been back there for more than a month...followed by a jaunt to Changi and maybe Punggol too. I could already picture in my head all the photographs that I was going to end up with. EXCITING!!!

As usual, I got to the meeting place early and filled up. The riders started showing up soon after and we hit the road. There were four of us again today...and for the very first time...we had both the TA150 and TA200 Phantom bikes represented in one ride! How cool was that!? We explored the place around Seletar East Camp and rode all along Seletar West as well. After that, we took a ride down the new Seletar West Link Road. This was a new road that opened just a couple months ago and was relatively empty...except for the trucks.

We took an easy ride out along the link road. I liked how the bridge looked on the way out and thought it would make for a nice spot for photographs on the way back...and a nice water break too! The road was a long and wide one with sweeping bends the seemed to go on forever. The only problem was the huge trucks! On our way out towards the bridge, I was traveling at 60kph along on of the sweeping left bends when right in front of me as a truck trying to overtake a car...along the bend! Now we were a convoy of four bikes...the good news is that I started riding to the far left of my lane to make space...the truck driver saw me and panicked! He jammed his brakes and turned his wheel hard left. Now those of you who drive must know that this kind of maneuver in high speed will result in a skid...and skid he did! The rear of the truck slid out towards me while the front of the truck turned towards my right...he almost crashed the car that was in front of him...I could see the rubber on the tires leaving dark tracks on the road...the loud screeching sound of tires trying hard to hold the truck true to course...after what seemed to be a lifetime of slow-mo action, the truck managed to steer true and passed us safely. That was enough excitement for any ride, I thought to myself.

Soon after this incident, I saw the bridge coming up and prepared to stop the convoy in the bay just before the bridge. Signaling and slowing down, I moved my bike towards the left side of the road. I checked my blind spot and started filtering into the bay...just then, I realized that the bay was actually raised about two inches off the road! Too late...as the sidewall of my front wheel made contact with the bay and my bike pitched...and crashed onto the road!

I remember clearly someone saying in the bike forum that you are not a biker if you haven't crashed. Wonder why I thought of that! At that time, all I could do was brace for the fall. My bike went down on the left side...and I fell off the bike and slammed onto the road ahead of it...slid a short distance (thank god I had slowed down) and I felt my right calf being poked by some part of the bike...probably the handle bars. The good news here is that I was fine. I got up almost immediately and started to right the bike. I remember Ethan saying: "Good thing you had your gear on or you would be 'Bak-Gua' by now!"

When everyone had parked their bikes, we started assessing the damage to my bike. My brand new side box is now badly scratched...and I mean BADLY scratched. My camera gear (which was on the left side box which took the brunt of the fall) was completely undamaged. Kudos to Kappa boxes! You have my support for the future! My TrailwayCafe windshield which I ordered from the US cracked as the front of my bike took the brunt of the fall. My headlamp cowling is badly scratched and the signal lights were bent somehow. I did not take any pictures because I just could not bear seeing my bike (or anything that is dear to me) in a damaged condition. So no pictures for you guys out there...save to say...everything works...except I could not start the bike. Maybe the engine is flooded due to the fall...I will check it later to see.

Mike came to my rescue! I suppose that is why he called himself Bike Rescue. Hahaha! Seriously though, he came within 30 minutes. I was glad because it was one of those "FAIR" days with the sun beating down hard on us while we waited. We decided that we would have lunch since we were forced to take a break, and continue the ride after that, with me leading with another bike. I will not bore you with details of what we had for lunch...but I assure you it was one of the BEST dishes around.

So we set off again after lunch. The plan was to head towards Changi as originally intended. We were traveling along Yio Chu Kang Road in the direction of Seletar....and behold...my bike stalled at the traffic light...and my battery (my BRAND NEW battery) was FLAT! Hmmm...I wonder what it is with Yio Chu Kang Road and me....seems my batteries like to die there...

Now I remembered clearly that I blogged about Murphy last night. I bragged about how he seemed to be my best friend. What I didn't say (and didn't realize till now) was that I was best friends with his dad, uncles and grand father too! And they all wanted to visit at the same time.

I gotta hand it to my biking buddies though...they were a peach! They stuck around when I fell...and they continued to stick around when my battery was dead. In fact, they helped push my bike up a slope (that was the only safe spot to try a push start) so I could restart my bike...which I did after 3 attempts in the bleaching hot sun...and to top it off...they were STILL eager to ride...albeit on a much shortened route.

I was deeply touched...and thought a short ride was a good way for us to try and gain back some sanity (me at least) from the events of the day. So off we went back along Yio Chu Kang Road and turned into Old Upper Thomson Road, into Upper Peirce Reservoir, then back on Old Upper Thomson Road. Turning left at Upper Thomson Road, we headed towards Mandai Road, into the place where the Executive Golf Course is, then up the rest of Mandai Road and turning right into Mandai Avenue. Stopped at the traffic lights for the turning back onto Upper Thomson Road...and my bike stalled again.

I was, by then, an expert in handling a stalled and HEAVY bike on a busy traffic junction. I pushed my bike across two streets and up along Upper Thomson Road to where the others were waiting for me. At that point, I had enough riding for the day and decided I would break off there. I did manage to push start the bike and get home without further incident...maybe someone up there thought I needed the exercise?

As I sit here writing about the day, I cannot help but feel a huge sense of gratitude. Sure, my bikes may be out of action for awhile. Sure, my brand new boxes are now badly scratched and various other parts may need replacing. But the fact that I am able to sit here and write this means I am fine, protected by my gear, and supported by my riding buddies. In fact, part of me is pleased as peach because now I am a real biker!

See you on the next ride!!!

Update (21 September 2009 7pm):
I went down to down to check on the bikes just now and to bring my camera gear up so I could load them back into my camera bag. Since I was down I decided to see if I could start my TW200. So I inserted the key, turned the bike on, set it to neutral and pressed the starter...and...it STARTED!!! I rode it around the car park and it seems to be working fine. Good to know that I only have to do up the bike mechanically and that the engine (at least) is working! My side box is still badly scratched though...I guess the healing did not translate well to plastic. Hahahaha!!!

20 September 2009 ride report - Murphy shows up!

Fail to plan and you plan to fail. That's what they say. What they do not tell you is that even if you do plan, you might not succeed. After all, Murphy is always trying to crash the party. Oh yes. I am very familiar with Murphy. He seems to have taken a liking to me. I wonder why....

I planned this morning's ride a number of days earlier. The idea was to set off at 5:30am in order to catch the sunrise. I guess everyone should know by now that I do this quite a bit. Anyway, it was to be a group of four bikers and we were going to explore the sunrise at the Lim Chu Kang cemetery. You see, someone told me that the Muslim cemetery there was very beautiful at the crack of dawn. So I was really eager to see for myself!

The meeting place was the usual Esso station along Upper Thomson Road. This is a really good place to start off because everyone could fill up with the petrol of their choice. There are three stations lined up side-by-side (Shell, Esso and Caltex) and another station (SPC) across the road. I do not think you will find another place in Singapore with so many options within a stone's throw of each other. Unfortunately, one of the guys could not make it at the last minute because of a minor emergency...and another guy...well...let's just say he was not contactable. Hahaha! Murphy struck again! Interestingly, somebody (whom I did not expect at all) turned up at the station to join the ride. So that made three of us! Oh yes, Murphy struck last night too because one of the riders also had a problem with his bike and could not ride with us...so he turned up with two additional wheels!

So off we went at 5:40am. As usual, I started the group off along Old Upper Thomson Road. Everything went smoothly. I led the way to Mandai Road, BKE, Turf Club Road, Kranji Road, across the Kranji Dam, through Neo Tiew Road, Lim Chu Kang Road, and eventually we arrived at the Muslim cemetery while the sky was still dark. It was immediately clear to me that it would not work out at this place because the tree cover was pretty dense. So we headed over to the Chinese cemetery instead. The place held much more promise!

We stopped here for quite awhile waiting for dawn to break...and eventually it did. Unfortunately, the sun never quite showed up because there was heavy cloud cover at the horizon. Almost half the sky was covered with thick and heavy clouds! Despite this, I captured as many images as I could possibly capture...hoping for the best. Eventually, I decided it was time to move on with our ride and headed off towards Tuas.

Along the way, I managed to spot a few areas with good promise. We stopped along the side of the road a few times to take pictures. These were new stops that I have never tried before and I was pleased as a peach that I found them!

Another place we had wanted to visit was the beautiful beach that many spoke about in Tuas. We found the place alright! And the light was beautiful! However, there was no space for parking and the place looked all fenced up. So we rode around to find an alternative place to park, hoping also to find an access point. Eventually, we found a road leading up to the beach area but was told that we could not park there, and that the entire place is out of bounds due to road contruction! We decided to head back to the original spot where we saw the beautiful light. When we got back there, the light was no longer beautiful...it was glaring...flaring...and the entire scene had lost all of its beauty and charm. It looked flat and boring in this strong and direct light. Ten minutes was all it took for the light to disappear! Oh well, its simply not to be, I suppose.

Soon, I realized I was running on empty - my tummy, that is - and decided it was a good time to have some breakfast! And so we had some at Jurong West. After breakfast, we continued back to Lim Chu Kang for more riding, eventually ending the ride at the car park at the Kranji Dam. At this point we stopped to take a group picture and some pictures of Andy's bike. That marked the end of the ride!

Fast forward to photo editing...and I realized Murphy was one sneaky fella! Although I captured some images at the cemetery and the other spots, I found that the pictures were unusable! There were many dust spots, funny looking pieces of hair, bad colour balance and impossible exposures. I've never had such a huge batch of photographs go to waste due to these things. Argh!

All is not lost though. I did manage to get some pictures...hehehe!

Remember I was at the Mobil Refinery area one night? Well, we were back there again today. I could not take any pictures in the first spot that I scouted out. This place has guards looking out on elevated guard posts much like the prisons! AMAZING! And there were "No Photography" signs posted all along the perimeter fence! I suppose this prompted me to simply take the scene all in without being distracted by the photography. And it was a BEAUTIFUL scene! What with the industrial pipes and drums and lights dressed up by the beautifully lit morning sky!

I did manage to grab a photograph as we were leaving the area though. After turning out, I looked back to see this scene.

While it isn't quite as dramatic as the one I saw earlier, you can clearly see the beautiful colours in the sky and how the clouds accentuated the beauty!

A little further on, I spotted a little road just off the right side and saw a bridge over a waterway. I decided to give this spot a try as well. So we parked right on the bridge and started clicking away.

I liked the reflections on the water. I have always liked reflections on water - of light, of buildings, of clouds, of the sun, the moon - they all fascinate me! Don't you think the reflections looked grand?

And just to show you that I am a little crazy when it comes to reflections...here's another one.

If you look carefully, I am sure you will realize that you have seen this boat before! Where though? Hahaha!

Well, that's about all the pictures I took today of the places that we were at. Interestingly, I have gotten really fond of taking pictures of the people who went on the ride. So I took a few shots to give you a better sense of who was on the ride today.

So that's me on the left with my faithful TW200, Andy is next to me with his Phantom, and Ethan next to him with his sporty Civic. Now you're probably saying...this picture doesn't give you any better idea of the folks who were on the ride...hahahaha! So here are two more pictures that, I guarantee, will give you a better idea.

This is Ethan with his sporty Civic...

...and this is Andy...

...on his super relaxing Phantom.

So that's the way it was this morning...Murphy, my best friend, did not fail me after all. He showed up and did a swell job of changing the plans. But in the end, I am convinced it was the best way to have spent the morning...riding along...solving problems...enjoying the company...and just being alive!

Come join in the next ride!

18 September 2009 ride report - R6!!!

Now and then I come across a photograph and will be completely compelled by it. I simply cannot take my eyes off it. I look at every part of the image and marvel at the skill of the photographer, wishing that I was there at the scene when it happened. After awhile, I too start noticing similar images occurring around me. By studying the original image I have somehow trained myself to see in a new way and my vision is expanded.

While I was never a professional photographer, I have always been fascinated with capturing images. I return to the same places multiple times looking to surprise myself with a fresh angle...and when it happens...it is MAGIC! People asked me many times if I ever get bored riding around the same roads in Singapore. Well, I have been driving these roads for more than 20 years and I am not yet bored...now that I am riding...brand new angles are surfacing with each ride...how can I be bored?

I went riding tonight with Jason around town, looking for nice places to photograph motorcycles. I am sure many of you have seen photographs of motorcycles (and cars for the matter) on the internet. They all look rather similar, don't they? Somehow, most people take pictures of their bikes in the car park or in the porch. I suppose that is the most convenient way to get a picture taken. Tonight's quest was to find a better backdrop for the motorcycle...something that will bring out the bike in a new way...a new angle...a new vision!

As we were riding along the stretch of Alexandra Road between Delta Road and Tanglin Road, I noticed the bright lights of what looked like a stadium. I thought the quality of the light looked very unique so it could be a possible place for a nice picture. So we turned in and rode right up to the gate and parked Jason's bike (a beautiful Yamaha R6) right next to it. Then we started experimenting with the camera. After a few attempts, I saw the stadium lights striking the motorcycle in a dramatic way and decided to capture it.

I like the way the lines of the gate made the stadium lights so much more spectacular. The lights also cast a nice shadow on the road. I especially liked the way the tail of the bike is accentuated (almost looks embossed) by the backlighting. The first few attempts at this angle did not bring out the engine of the bike because of the severe backlighting. So I used a flash light to light up the engine so it is more visible. This way the bike looks more complete.

After that, I was getting ready to go. As I turned, I saw the wall just to the right of the bike. I asked Jason to reposition his bike and then took this picture.

What captivated me was the way the stadium lights cast shadows of the trees and the gate on the wall. The multiple lights in the stadium made the shadow look like a Chinese painting. I think it looks really pretty. The colour of the wall contrasted nicely with the bike as well...I really liked how this turned out.

It was time to move on. I remember that there were some railway tracks visible from Kampung Bahru Road and headed over there. Unfortunately, the place did not look one bit like how I had remembered it. Well, that's how it is with this kind of ride...its hit and miss. Sometimes I find something really cool...other times...disappointment!

Next stop then...I wanted to capture the lights on the shophouses along Telok Ayer. Unfortunately, the street did not look all that conducive for photography tonight. So I decided to go back to the red building that I was at before. I have always liked this building - the old Traffic Police building - especially since it was painted a bold red! I already had the image in mind so Jason parked his bike and off I went to capture the image.

This looks like an easy picture to capture, doesn't it? But would you believe it took me almost 20 minutes before I got a satisfactory image? Well, my original vision was to capture this with an 85mm lens from across the road. Unfortunately, I could not quite get the lighting right. So after many tries, I gave up and used my wide angle instead. Still, I love the way the red building interacts with the blue bike. This is a classic image and I simply LOVE it!

Next stop...something a little different. I wanted to do something with the bridge at the Esplanade. When we got there, I realized it looked completely different from my imagination again...but this time its because of the Formula One preparations. As we rode through the roads there, I felt like I was riding in bright daylight! The roads were beautifully lit. There was no glare. It was crystal clear and super bright. No wonder they can have such a high powered race there at night!

Eventually, I decided to give this little monument the opportunity to be photographed with a sexy sportsbike. Again, the lighting was tough here because of those street lamps backlighting the bike. Plus the sky wasn't cooperating as there was too thick a cloud cover which made it completely featureless. Undeterred, I pressed on and finally got this picture.

As you can see, I had to play with the flash light a little more creatively to get the bike illuminated in just the right way, and to have the shadow dance across the steps menacingly. I liked how this turned out though...pity the sky is featureless, isn't it?

I was hungry by this time and really wanted to have supper. So we packed up and decided to head for some food at Chong Pang. Along the way, we took some of the nicer riding roads - Orange Grove Road, Gymkhana Road, Old Upper Thomson Road - you know these, right? It was really fun. I could not resist stopping in the middle of Old Upper Thomson Road for a picture.

I didn't realize that Jason had these cool LEDs running under his seat there at the back until now! When those lights were switched on, they made the bike look more prominent in the picture. I don't know why but I do love these lonely roads. They do make for such a thought provoking picture, don't you think?

At this point, Jason's camera started to act up (he got some really nice shots in his point-and-shoot compact camera tonight) and we decided it was a sign that supper was calling. So we rode the rest of the road and made our way for supper!!!

Tonight's ride surprised me. I always knew that I enjoyed photography...tonight I realized that I enjoyed sharing my photography with others. I felt more alive when we were talking about the pictures we wanted to capture. One thing is for sure though...I will be doing more of these photography sharing rides in the near future...don't miss it!!

15 September 2009 ride report - Riding roads

Roads. We cannot live without them in the modern world. Roads connect communities together in a way that nothing else can. The earliest paved roads were built in Ur back around 4000 BC. Notably, the Greeks built a 50km road linking Knossos (in the northern part of Creta) to Gortlyn and Lebena (a port on the southern coast of Creta) through the mountains around 2000 BC. The earliest roads are made from bricks, stones, or just flattened earth. Regardless of their construction, roads enabled higher traveling speeds and shorter transit times. Road building technology has come a long way. The roads that we use today are constructed out of asphalt or concrete. They are wider, smoother and better regulated. But not all roads are created equal - some are special!

I watched an episode of Top Gear some time ago where they were searching for driving heaven. They were basically looking for a stretch of road that was pure bliss to drive on in Europe. I have found some great driving roads in Singapore over the years. Now that I have my bike, I have been looking for riding roads too! You see, some places are not really that fun by car...but is extremely fun by bike! So drivers out there...you might wanna consider learning to ride so you can have a more complete experience. Hahaha!

I have found some very fun and interesting roads to ride on over the last six weeks (yes, I have only had my license for slightly more than a month, thank you). I decided that it was a good idea to string together some of these roads and ride them late in the night when traffic is lighter and air is cooler. That is exactly what I did tonight with three other biker friends.

We met at the usual spot (the Esso station along Upper Thomson Road) and set off at 10:30pm. The mix of bikes was interesting.

There was me on a trail bike with super fat tires, Jackson on a super cub with clutch-operated gears, Najib on his huge Varadero that looks so imposing, and Warren on his sexy red Ducati Monster. Of course, my bike was the slowest of the lot...and I was leading...so while I am certain I will enjoy the ride...I was not so sure about Warren on his Monster...I simply hoped he would not get a cramp! Can you figure out which bike is which? Don't worry if you can't...just read on and I'm sure you'll find the answer.

The route tonight would include some great riding roads around the island. Starting with old faithful (Old Upper Thomson Road). For those we are not familiar, this is a good road for beginners. There are enough bends to thrill and they are not sharp enough to scare. The combination of longer sweepers and tighter corners make it ideal to start off the journey of great riding roads.

A relaxing ride followed that as I headed for Kheam Hock Road. This is a road that many are not familiar with. However, it is a nice way to beat the traffic getting from Lornie Road to Dunearn Road. A detour into Lorong Halwa might be fun but I did not go there due to time constraints.

After another relaxing ride, I got to two of my favourite roads for riding and driving in Singapore. I call them the Dynamic Duo of  Portsdown Road and South Buona Vista Road (aka 99 Bends). It was here that we made a stop for a break and some photography. I wanted to capture the bikes (you already saw that picture) and the bikers (you'll see that at the end). It was nice to stop and chat and check out the different bikes!

From here, I went on to Mount Faber. This is my absolute favourite riding road in Singapore. Some people like 99 Bends more but I feel there isn't another road on the island that offers such a spectacular view AND amazingly tight turns! I was very tempted to stop here and make a little detour (by foot) onto the Henderson Waves for a spot of photography...but I decided not to because we were tight on time. I will make a trip there one day to see the sunrise (yes, another sunrise).

From here, I headed off towards another duo of roads: Jervois Road and Orange Grove Road. The riding on these roads were much easier, especially coming from Mount Faber and the 99 Bends. It was very nice to cruise down Orange Grove Road at this time of the night when there was hardly any traffic!

The final riding road for the night was also one that is least known by the group: Gymkhana Road. The only way to access this road is to head into Mount Pleasant Road. I think most people would not elect to travel into Gymkhana Road because of how it looks from the outside. But once inside, it became a very pleasant and fun road to ride on. This is an example of a road that I wouldn't want to drive on very much. While there are bends and it made for great fun on a bike, it wouldn't (I feel) translate to a car.

Obviously, getting from one good riding road to another along a route that spanned close to 50km meant that we would encounter interesting situations along the way. Two of them stood out for me. The scooter rider who decided to turn into Seah Im in order to beat the traffic light and ended up stuck at the next one as I rode up; and the fella on the Phantom that was lit up like a "getai stage" complete with neon blinking lights and alien headlamps. These folks made me chuckle in my helmet...sorry I can't describe this more...you had to be there to know what I mean! Oh yes, there was also this lady rider on a Suzuki GSR (I got it wrong, it seems. It was a Suzuki Bandit 400. Thanks, Warren for clearing this up!) along Upper Thomson Road. I thought it was a Monster and couldn't believe my eyes...seeing two up close on the same night...what were the odds?

As usual, this ride ended with supper...this time round, it was at one of the Indian shops along Sembawang Road. I had prata, mutton soup, mutton curry AND chicken curry. I was starving by then and simply could not resist ordering for everyone to share. Hahaha!

For those who could not figure out which bike was which earlier on, here's another picture of the bikes and the bikers.

I am on the extreme left with my trusty trail bike. To my left was Warren and his Monster, Jackson and his X-1R super cub and Najib with his Varadero.

I remember a thread in the Singapore Bikes forum where some people said Singapore was a boring place. I cannot help but disagree with that view. After all, with so many good riding roads around yet to be discovered, how can this island be boring? Go try these roads and let me know when you find others...and let's go ride together one day!

13 September 2009 ride report - Daybreak!

I have been getting quite a number of people asking me the question "Where do you get the energy?" over the last few days. It seems I have been out riding a lot, many times till very late in the night (or rather the wee hours of the morning), just to do it all over again the next day. I have often wondered myself why my two boys are so energetic...chip of the old block maybe?

Anyway, I got up early this morning because I wanted to capture the sunrise. Yeah, I do have a fascination with the sunrise...and now you know I wasn't lying...hahaha! There is something special about it that keeps me going back for more. It doesn't matter how many times I've seen it before, each new sunrise brings back the same feelings of awe, rejuvenation and hope.

I took my bike out, as usual, on my little morning adventure. I took the shortest route to the Marina Barrage, praying that I would  make it on time...and for beautiful cloud cover. You see, I always check the weather forecast before I leave and this morning's forecast was "partly cloudy"...perfect for sunrise photography IF the the right kind of cloud decides to show up. I got there just before the sky started to brighten and quickly scouted out a location for my shoot.

I decided that I would station myself on the roof garden and capture the sunrise from here. I had one of my favourite lenses on my camera this morning (AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm 1:4G ED DX) and I was looking forward to some beautiful wide-angle shots. After awhile on the roof garden, it was clear to me that this was the best I could get...because the cloud was not covering the right part of the sky.

Can you see how the bottom and top parts of the sky is brightening up in a bluish hue while the middle part is starting to get a little orange? This is caused by the low and thick cloud cover at the horizon, blocking the sun's rays. The cloud cover thinned out the higher up you look at the sky. That is why the orange part began in the middle and not right at the bottom. Still, I loved the way the lit structure contrasts with the (still dark) sky. It looked pretty to me and I was pleased as a peach!

I decided then to move down to the ground level for some other angles since I wasn't going to get what I originally envisioned up on the roof garden. Once on the ground level, I scouted out another location near the water side and practically camped there waiting for the colours to unfold. I did not have to wait long (well, only about 30 minutes or so) before this showed up.

I would normally have slapped on a telephoto lens on my camera to capture the perfectly formed sun. Fortunately, I managed to improvise with my only lens (which happened to be a super wide-angle lens) to capture this scene. I sat there for a long while just watching the day break...it was spectacular!

When the sun got higher up in the sky, I decided it was time for another photograph of my bike (haven't done those for awhile)...so I rode out to a place nearer the Marina South Pier and found this spot!

Don't ask me why I like this dark photograph where you can hardly see my bike...I just like it. After all, while I wanted to show my bike in the picture, the bike isn't the point of the picture. Yup, it was the sunrise I was after and I wanted my bike there because this will fit into my "bike landscape" collection later. Hahaha! Anyway, isn't it grand that I can get the bike so close to water? No way I can do that with my car!

I found this gem of a spot where people come to fish in the evenings, I think. There weren't many people there at this time of the morning so it made for a perfect spot for some light trail riding. I did not want to disturb the folks who were there to fish so I did not ride long at all...just five minutes...and I parked my bike to walk around and take pictures.

Many boats were going and coming to the pier while I was there. I realized suddenly that this pier replaces the original Clifford Pier! All the boats that used to dock there are now docking here instead. I even saw the Cheng Ho junk boat coming into the pier! Cool!

I was going to call it a morning but I suddenly had the urge to go to Mount Faber. I haven't been there for awhile and thought I should take the opportunity while I was within the vicinity (kinda). Riding up Mount Faber was fantastic! The roads were winding and the air was fresh. I took a slow ride up this morning...enjoying the start of this brand new Sunday. As I rode around the hill, I saw this off to the left side of the road.

I just love how that big cloud added so much drama to the otherwise plain looking sky. The entire city looks to be bathed in golden light. I felt that the drama unfolding in the sky reflected the life that was beating within the city below. I was thankful that I captured this shot quickly as this particular scene only lasted a minute...phew!

Daybreak. My favourite part of the day. Though the light show moves fast, the effects of it remains with me long after...and I believe that I am far better off having witnessed the splendour of it all. My hope is that more would experience the inspiration that daybreak has in store for us, everyday, without fail. I made a little promise to myself, then, that I would bring this to as many as I could...and that I would return...many times over!

11 September 2009 ride report - A piece of peace

Ask somebody to think of the first word that comes to their mind when they think of Singapore and inevitably words like crowded, built up, noisy, fast paced and boring will show up. It isn't surprising since this little island nation houses over four million residents in just over 700 square kilometers of land.

I took to riding a motorcycle in July this year and got myself a good set of protective gear and a nice little bike. I decided to ride around the island as much as I could on this new form of transportation. It is amazing how different it is from riding. The same places look and feel completely different!

I was on a ride tonight together with two biker friends and decided to seek out the lights that were put up for Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. The best place to catch this display would be Kampung Glam and Malay enclave of Geylang Serai.

As usual, the ride to Kampung Glam was filled with the expected motorcycling excitement of taxis changing lanes abruptly, cars forcing the rider off the lane by budging in when there isn't space, and fumes from trucks and busses that - miraculously - passed the LTA inspection! Still, the lights beckoned and we finally parked out bikes at Jalan Klapa.

I had to capture the image of the main arch because it looked grand next to the rows of shops.

I really liked how this picture reminded me of Melaka. You know, the part where the rows of red shops are? Sometimes, during festive holidays, they would put up lights and arches there and it feels exactly the same as this. I like this "small town" feel. It is very pleasant...almost like going back to the kampung.

No visit to Kampung Glam is complete without taking in the Masjid Sultan! It is a spectacular and historic mosque located at Muscat street and a sight to behold...during the day time...because it is pretty dark at night.

 The consolation was this gate which was decorated and lit up for Hari Raya. Here, you can have a glimpse of the mosque...I suppose I would have to return another day to capture the mosque and do it justice.

It was getting late and almost all the shops around the area were closed, I decided it was time to head to Geylang Serai. As I was walking back towards Jalan Klapa, I saw this neat looking little building. It reminded quite a bit of the FCC Angkor (FCC used to stand for the Foreign Correspondents Club but is now a commercial concern in Cambodia) in Siem Reap.

Of course, this is nothing compared to the real thing. Still, the simple and neat design of the building, the lights, and the general feel of the place really brought me back.

We stopped by Little India along the way to Geyland Serai. I wanted to catch the Deepavali light up that usually happens along the main street of Serangoon Road. Unfortunately, while the arch was already up, the lights were not switched on. There were some lights along Race Course Road though.

Geylang Serai was a completely different scene. For one, it was PACKED with people. The pavements were lined with bikes, every available space along the sidewalks were filled with stalls selling all sorts of stuff. People were walking everywhere. There were auctions going on for charity as well. It was fantastic!

Since there was no space to park along the main street of Sims Avenue, we parked our bikes along Changi Road instead. The light up was extensive here, covering all sides of the enclave.

I wanted to show how different this place was compared to Kampung Glam. See how much larger the light arch is? Also, there was traffic on the roads almost constantly! It really felt festive!

I got hungry at that point (and now too as I am typing this) and decided to have some Fried Hokkien Mee at the junction of Jalan Eunos and Jalan Kechot. I wanted to take a picture of the dish to show here. Unfortunately, we were so hungry we started digging in before I even remembered that I wanted to take a photograph! Hahahaha! So no pictures for you...go try it yourself and let me know what you think.

Having had enough of crowded sidewalks and streets full of traffic, it was time to head out towards Kranji and Lim Chu Kang for a more quiet and relaxing ride. I led the way there going by the smaller roads, as usual. The ride was nice and cool as the weather was perfect and the streets were practically empty. Neo Tiew Road was blanketed by a dense mist that hung in the air. It was a beautiful sight! So beautiful that I just wanted to enjoy it and not capture it. I did eventually stop along Lim Chu Kang Road  though because I simply cannot resist taking pictures of lovely and empty roads!

I just love the feeling of being in a place like this with nothing to do but ride. It is a feeling of complete freedom. The only thing to focus on is the feeling of the wind as it blows past...and the beautiful scenes that were in front of my eyes. It was pure bliss!

The end of Lim Chu Kang Road looks different from the last time I was here early in the morning. Tonight it was almost deserted...the place was quiet...and...well...you know.

You know, everytime I ride, I get a feeling that I am doing what I was meant to do. There is no doubt that riding brings me back to myself. There is no room for pretense. I can simply be me. The places that unfold before me when I ride takes on a special hue and creates in me feelings that I find difficult to describe. I keep running out of adjectives. I wish I could impart that feeling of peace to you by writing about my journeys. But you know, you just gotta be there in order to experience a piece of the peace.