The reality I live in

2010-12-08T10:10:00.005+08:00

Everytime you feel like you cannot go on
You feel so lost
That your so alone
All you is see is night
And darkness all around
You feel so helpless
You can’t see which way to go
Don’t despair and never loose hope
Cause Allah is always by your side

Insya Allah you’ll find your way

Everytime you commit one more mistake
You feel you can’t repent
And that its way too late
Your’re so confused, wrong decisions you have made
Haunt your mind and your heart is full of shame

Don’t despair and never loose hope
Cause Allah is always by your side
Insya Allah you’ll find your way

Turn to Allah
Allah never far away
Put your trust in Allah
Raise your hands and pray

Ya Allah
Guide my steps don’t let me go astray
You’re the only one that showed me the way,
Insya Allah we’ll find the way

Journal - KD BADEK

2010-06-10T11:52:00.008+08:00

The list finally came, i was to be attached on board KD BADEK, a patrol craft destined for transfer to Kuantan Naval Base to join the 14th Patrol Craft Squadron. This attachment was for my midshipman's final sea training for half a year. Midshipman Abdul Razak Salleh, a good friend of mine was also assigned on board KD BADEK. She is a Patrol Craft built by Vosper Thornycraft UK, armed with two 40L70 guns and uses basic navigational aid like radar and Satellite Navigation.

We later realized, Syed Noh and Hazle were to report with the same squadron on board KD PANAH. Waiting our arrival in Kuantan are 12 other Midshipman from Royal Malaysian Navy Officers Intake 34 attached to the same squadron

Our first day was the usual reporting on board routine. Once on board we soon we found our self inside the Captain's cabin talking to Lt Yusri Yunus, Commanding Officer of KD PANAH at that time.

His brief was short and sharp, i was appointed as the NO, Navigation Officer and Razak the CORRO, Correspondence officer. I was awed and excited about it until Lt Yusri said "NO, tomorrow you're to take the ship out of Lumut to Kuantan, prepare the passage plan, I gasp and anxiety swarms all over. We quickly unpacked our gears, i bunked in the Officers Mess with Sub Lt Sazali Zakaria the XO, Executive officer.

Without wasting much time, i made my way to the bridge and took out the Charts folios and as i expected the passage plan to Kuantan had never been made. I gathered all the passage planning tools and prepare the charts for safe navigation to Kuantan and wrote all details in the Officer of the Watch Notebook. We are to stop over Woodlands Naval base for resupply and fueling during the passage. My navigation skills were tested that day, with no one to guide and no one to refer, I relied totally on all the knowledge learnt from Cadet School and the few sea training we had before, I struggled a bit but manage to prepare a comprehensive passage plan.

The captain came along later and inspected my work. He asked a few questions which i managed to answer, he seemed happy. I could hardly sleep that night. The Navy practices accuracy in everything it does and the standard sets are very high to uphold such standard I went through my plan again and again and recalculate every details to ensure the arrivals timing and everything else are perfect.

The next morning we set sail just after Colors, a flag and ensign hoisting ceremony done every 0800 am daily. Lt Yusri a Cat 1 Hydrographer by specialization took the ship out of berth gracefully and as soon as we aligned the first course he gave me a pat and said "all yours Pilot take us to Kuantan in one piece" .

I navigate the ship with confidence that day, making sure all traffic and turns are made timely, all conning, navigation safety reports and lookout sightings are answered too, there is no instance in moment where i took away my focus and brought her safely out of Lumut harbor. Clearing Pulau Sembilan the captain gave me the honor to stand watch alone. I stood over my first ever bridge watch so proudly and made promise to myself that i would never gain any distrust from the captain and my ship's mates that day.

I went through my first test, I took BADEK safely to Kuantan through the busy one Fathom Bank and Singapore Straights and in and out the Singapore Channels. My watch keeping and calculations were all ok.

We sailed into Kuantan with full welcoming ceremony, the 14th Squadron hoisted up the ships with full dressing, a simple parade on the jetty in our ceremonial dress and soon we are then the members of the gracious 14th Squadron Patrol Vessel, tasked to undertake one of the most challenging tasks in safeguarding our territorial waters and Economic Exclusive Zones.

The following week was Self Maintenance Period for KD BADEK, a normal practice to prepare the ship for oncoming operations. We soon found ourself at sea again and set sail North East of Tg Gelang where our oil rigs are, as night sets the horizon fills with lights from kerosene lights scattering as far as we could see, the lights marks locations were traps are set, it attracts fish of every kind esp the the type that dwells in schools. There are some boats sighted near the lights as well, i was told that they lure cuttlefish which are abundance in these waters.

Past midnight as we near the oil rigs we spotted some boats, it was our first encounter with the Illegal Trawlers fishing in our Economic Exclusive Zone, the alarm went and we close up for boarding. I assisted the captain to maneuver close to a target, she was about six nautical miles away making way at about 6 knots, KD BADEK easily close her up as I rev up the Maybach Mercedes Engine pushing BADEK to speed up to 18 knot, within 20 minute we were merely few yards away from the first target.

As we get closer, the trawler went into total darkness shutting every light she has, a typical tactic trawlers use to confuse and deter enforcers, we were equipped with the TM 1226 Navigation Radar, i used it to make the approach safer, turning down the radar scale to 1.5 Nautical miles the boat movement is confidently tracked. We ease up on the rev to slow down and pace up with the trawler, soon as she is faintly sighted and as we turned on the beamers to shine, there she was, an Illegal Fishing Trawler of a foreign origin.

At about 10 meters in length the boat is made from very strong wood normally Merbau, strong yet very buoyant wood. We began the chase and she starts to flee, we hail out on the loudspeakers attempting to ask her to stop, the boat simply ignored the warnings, we shot several flares to warn her further but again she simply ignored, tear gas were also thrown but of no avail to stop her, when finally we open up with the 7.62 mm machine gun, that gave her a scare and she slowed down, pouncing on the opportunity we close up right next to her broadside and our boarding party jumped to take over the boat, soon the boat were successfully apprehended, our very first apprehension of an illegal fishing trawler. The whole process of taking over is long as we need to ensure all evidence is well kept and recorded, it was till the first morning light till we finish with the evidence muster.

The trawler crew were taken on board and kept guarded at the forecastle with armed sentries, the engine man and a helmsman of the trawler remained on board together with some of the boarding crew, we escorted it all the way towards Chendering for the handing over to the Fisheries, she was safely handed over and will be charged with the National Fisheries act.

More to follow

FRIM Dream revisit

2010-03-18T19:52:00.002+08:00

One of my first MTB Video

Old age catching - Progress

2009-12-07T13:06:00.004+08:00

Kept it as simplistic as can be. My diet program sort of a balanced diet and occasional self consenting indulgence to the four letter word F**d.

Well the later is unimportant, just i must learn to socialise without being a glut, lets put it this way if there is such thing as social smoker and whatsoever, then there should be a social glut...ha ha ha. For the record its 100.6 kg since my last post of the topic where i clocked 107 kgs. Yep its 7 kgs to date.

Unfortunately exercises depletes along with the food intake, that's bad huh...hmmmm must i blame time or for real I've been busy focusing on something else? Let me recall....since last week, two occasions @ Langkawi: a. one hour walk along Chenang main street b. An hour beach walk at chenang as well before hitched a hike from JJ back to the hotel.

Lets see more progress in the next postings....if i kept silence or changed topic suddenly then you'll know I've been cheating : )

p/s saw some cyclist in Langkawi parading on the isle, damm i'm so jealous of them. Need a ride soon!!

Old age catching

2009-11-12T11:13:00.003+08:00

Me 2007 42 years old and 85 kilos

I'm into the period of life where health starts to weary, nothing serious but its catching. My MBR is doing a syndrome beyond normal, exercise and food transaction of the bod is hay wire...Eat a bit burn little, the books have no explanation to this. Perhaps its hereditary cos my old man is quite sizey as well.

Some evolutiv pics of my self here to benchmark my growth in two years. I'm building up spirit to commence a de-grow campaign ; ). Its self motivational and it has to be realised. Some says get a young girl to live it on, he he. Young girl these days does not love for love you know.

I have to cos i need to live on and support my children. They need have some best in life and i must provide my best until they are independent. My darling wife is also growing and I'm worried for her.. Some says KL hectic lifestyle owes to this i say bullshit! I must get to learn to kill bad eatin habits and have a balanced diet. Exercise regularly and keep a healthy lifestyle..

Exaggerated exercise does not work by itself, I've been toughly induced but were never athletic. So my model will be simple lets call it KISS - Keep It Simply Simple. Balanced Diet (Tabulated) exercise regularly and adequate sleep. De-Stressed Regularly too - MTBiking and Country sides rides will help, fresh air dosage is important as well.

I rode again

2009-11-04T15:31:00.003+08:00

I rode again today, done 40 minutes at a slow pace. Don't want to cause more damage to the impeachment. I did traditional treatment, releiving. I'm feeling pain but not as bad as before.

If this goes well i hope to plan for more trips, must do more i hope.

Seing her again

2009-09-16T15:59:00.011+08:00

Met an old friend....her name is Langkawi formerly known as Musytari before her migration, she was my Baby ; )

Slim, Slender, Fast and Friendly

My Favourite Space

My Working Desk. Function? Well it controls a surveillance Radar, Search Radar, Fire Control Radar, Control and Activate Fire Control Solution, Fires a 100 mm (4 inch) Gun at a rate of fire of 90 rounds per minute, a twin 30 mm Guns with a rate of fire about 300 rounds per minute per barrel, Support the Electronic Support Measure System (A system that listen for for Electromagnetic Signals from enemy Radars). In brief, I orchestrated the Weapon System On board as a Gunnery Officer. Have i gone into war? Never but i safeguarded the Nation's Maritime interest for a couple of years

What are my contributions? How much the Oil rigs worth? Somebody gotta take care of them right? Not forgetting to mention the 270 ++ Illegal Fishing Trawlers we've boarded day and night, the ones that caused billions ringgit losses annually to our fishing industry and if that's not enough, whilst most Malaysians work or sleeps in peace, we toil day and night safeguarding our waters and protected our sovereignty.

Difficult to audit such claims? Think again !!!! What if some people decides to come and haunt Malaysians from the sea? Wouldn't you want some deterrence? Put them into difficulties before they could achieve their objective?

I ended being a salesman that sells stuff back to the people who operates these ships. I'm not dully proud!! Only if my Baby Langkawi knows what is like now.....

I love jungle SPA

2009-07-22T11:01:00.007+08:00

One of Malaysian wonders, its serene Recreational Forest

So close to nature, perhaps existed since the beginning of time

I am head over heels over crystal clear stream and the sight and sound of gushing water

So tranquil

1st Grade fresh air for free

Free SPA

Let me take you to another dimension

Going

Still going

We have arrived!

I can't explain the feeling of being underwater. Golden sandy floorbed of this crystal clear stream is mesmerizing

Allah creation on earth is only so little compared to the whole universe and yet we are so awed

I see mermaid, very cute one!

So good a feeling even my feet is giving a "Thumbs Up!"

I'm also lucky! Found this TAG, finders keepers!

Makan time!

Whats left after

Wish i could build a home next to this kind of place one day

Time to go! Insyallah we will return

Pedaller Extraordinaire

2009-07-06T09:44:00.009+08:00

Meet Abang An of Manong Perak, he now resides in Manjung where he ran a grocery shop. Local folks refer him as Yeop. Abang An is a familiar sight to us Manjungites. Straddling on the highways of Manjung on his colorful and highly decorated bicycle. He is indeed a friendly old chap, reciprocates public gestures with honks of his mamak roti horn. Give him a "Yo Abang An" and he'll Honk!

During Le tour de Langkawi Stage Race in Lumut he exchanged bicycles with a Credit Agricole cyclist. Together they paraded along the starting line. I believe this old chap had done thousands of kilometres on the bike and still going strong. Keep on Honking old friend " Honk Honk "

Tutty Fruitti

2009-06-16T13:11:00.006+08:00

Fruits galore!!

Its that time of the year, Musim Buah says orang Malaysia, almost every type of fruits bears and in abundance too. We had the chance to savour on durians mangosteens, rambutan and mangga fresh from the trees during recent mid term school holidays. Venue Nadia's hometown, Muar.

These picks of Mangga are about a kilo each fruit

Pulasan, not quite ripe yet

Nangka, these ones can weigh up to 40 kilos when they are fully grown. The fruit is yellowish tasty and sweet

Belimbing Besi, very good for diabetic

The sweetest Manggoes in Muar

Kedondong or a.k.a buah amra, the juice is refreshing

The Fruit King

These ones are very special, Original Durian Tembaga, the meat is thick and creamy, exotic, not found or sold in the streets. Only for the privileged. I waited for the fruit to drop for days.

After the fruits, whats for dinner? You can't guess wrong obviously, chemical free too! Don't worry they survived.... until Raya Puasa that is

Its felt so good to Balik Kampung!

FRIM - Feverish Restless Impossible Man

2009-05-16T15:00:00.004+08:00

Rode FRIM today with Masri, Wan Zul and a neighbour of theirs. Feeling a liltle feverish and don't think i could do the ride initially. Anyhow i rode very slowly and manage to complete the loop Dream then Rover.

Max and Wan Zul first time too....gosh! They are fit! They coped very very well. I knew if we go slowly and enjoys the sight and nature, Technical Trail could be enjoyable as well.

Note the bulge!

See anything edible SEAL?

Wan Zul and errr...

Why when people goes to FRIM they always take the picture of the bridge?

My Jalopy (Some people I know call their BMW M5 Jalopy) Check out Masri's Jalopy but I'm yet to see someone carry a bicycle on their Ferrari , hmmmm...

Temasek - Pictorial

2009-05-14T20:10:00.012+08:00

Vector South, Alt 36, Sp .8

Flaps down, LG down, Ya Kah?

MH 602 procced for docking at Gate e 32

Where the #$%@ is Docking Bay e 32?

Taxi Orang Melaka

Cabin view

Cabin

Bussuroh Rd = Basra Rd

Where Masjid Sultan is

Ya its Masjid Sultan

Sin Lane now Shopping Street

MRT STN Three tingkat wo!

He he... my teenage lepak place

The new Atria ! wow those days look like museum only

Where the Fakawi?

Near Maybank Tower

Mak long use to torture me by watching these awful Orchestra

Meet...The Singapore Soup Tulang Kambing Slurppp! Near Golden Mile

My Cabin view by night

Here it is again nice

Time to go

I lost my GPS signal on flight

Navigating by eye now... eeerr approaching PD, i think

Home Sweet Home , erk where all the people gone HN N1 ah?

Olympus is a mountain

2009-05-08T10:54:00.004+08:00

Got a new camera at last, to replace the Canon i bought few years ago. Hopefully this Olympus will last better compared to the latter. It should be, this one swim and skydive too. Never a camera savvy person so i opt to get a point and shoot solution. The picture above inaugurates the service life of the contraption. The white light between the towers is a full moon. Along with some Indian tourists, i stayed a while to enjoy the sight.

Green Tiara in a concrete jungle

2009-04-27T12:13:00.007+08:00

I went to Kota Damansara Community Forest yesterday and my oh my very serene indeed. Lush greenery and there's a magnificent "man caused" lake. My intend was to attend a charity event but when i came at 5 o'clock everyone has left, ahaks!! Well someone told me its 8 am to 6 pm but when I looked again, it was 8 am to 4 pm and dear oh dear, I missed the whole lot...me bad ; ).

I thought of walking the trail but was mesmerized by the lake instead. Quite sizable really, about two football field more or less and i was informed the water is not stagnant as there is a creek that supplies, I didn't get to explore where the discharges are but it is notable that water had receded perhaps due to the dry spell. Must attempt to explore it more.

The lake reminds me of Kiara as it looked exactly like it when there was a lake near Kiara, dead trees stumps in the middle but unlike Kiara which water was rather brackish this one is greenish maybe due to the livings organisms. Today, the lake at Kiara is still there but very much a man fabricated kolam, bah!!

Met an angler, whose tales about a giant snake head that dwells in the lake, feeds on small primates drinking from the lake. Snake head or Toman okay! Giant?! Naaah!! Can't even be a Tapah (family of a large catfish) cause this species lives in running water. I gather there are Toman, Haruan, Sepat, Kelisa, Tiger and Ikan Kayu of which i use to catch in nearby lakes (lombong) like kayu ara, sg rumput and off course Kiara itself.

The angler told there are crayfish in the lake as well. They are being hunted by night. Crustacean gives away their presence easily becos their eyes react to direct light, making them vulnerable, poor fish they'll soon be extinct from the lake, they aren't even edible why can't people leave them alone? Let it live for sake!!

Beautiful place this Kota Damansara Community Forest, no wonder some value it so much. Treasure it with all your care.

Riding in Bukit Kiara

2009-02-01T17:05:00.008+08:00

Bukit Kiara a MTB Haven is actually a rubber estate. I remembered every bit of this place very well. Cos as a teenager, i used to come by here and fish in a pond now a well developed park, the rubber estate was then an excellent place to look for spiders. Those days, the bicycles that rode the estate was old Basikal Jaguar used by rubber tappers. There was also a stream, now its tunneled into a huge monsoon drain which runs along Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Back then some friends use to challenge each other to swim downstream during heavy downpour. It was really horrifying and crazy, I wonder how did they survived. Wanna know whose crazy idea it was? : )

Today, I returned to this place not to swim the monsoon drain but to ride on the hills of Kiara with my buddy, an over sized TREK Hard tail. I started from my mothers place into the village and stopped by for Nasik Lemak at Bayuns before continuing to Kiara Park. The on road uphill climb is a good kick start for my cardio exercise, i could hear my heart thumping. At the top i continued slightly downhill to stop at a split. I began the off road part by turning right at the split and entered the estate near a resting pondok.

The ride wasn't a smooth one, a lot of things trying to stop you dead on your track. Trees, vines, roots, stumps, drops, rocks, boulders and slits on the muddy trail! One mistake and you're going to hurt bad, i envy those fullsus bike, those fellas rode their machines on the slope almost effortlessly, like floating on air. I even saw other contraptions built by ardent MTBikers. My Trek is too big to ride here, need one of those Full Sus.....hmmmmm

See you soon folks, FRIM ride coming up!

Home Sweet Home

2009-01-25T20:24:00.004+08:00

The Segari Sungai Cross Country Trail 35 km To and Fro Teluk Senangin to Sungai Baru,

Forest Fringes, The Seaside and a river mouth crossing, the lakes and the sea side cliffs

are simply wonderful

Perhaps the best in Manjung, Perak

Development is slowly catching up destroying this wonderful place on earth

I came, I rode another journey in life

Gopeng Best Bash

2009-01-11T16:10:00.005+08:00

The Gopeng Bash 11th Jan 2009

Present - Manjung Cycling Team, Ipoh Cyclist, Pak Abu of Simpang Pulai, Seri Iskandar Guys, Kulim MKH, Cyclist Extraordinaies from all over and Pot Bellies Cycling Team Malaysia

26.6km, 500 metres above sea level Uphill to Downhill fro

Dave Chelvam and a Navy Diver

Ipoh Fella and Chris Wee

Manjung Cyling Team Hobbits

Syaiful Manjung Cycling Team

Rolling Sharp 0830H!

On Road into the trailhead

Chris lesser by 23 kilos, superb achievement Bro!

A nice shack along the trail

Man and Machine

My buddy sunbathing by the River Kelah

Me crossing the River Kelah at top speed! well almost!

Lt Chris Wee Crossing a pre war Bridge of River Kelah

This bridge is four 4 wheel drive crossing

Water everywhere

Super cool Toki of Manjung

ACTION TIME!

Demonstration
How to recover if you fall in a gushing river!

Kids the pictures you're about to see is done by professional MTBikers.

Please repeat do not do this at Home!

Don't worry folks this action was done deliberately to cool a very warm body after a gruelling uphill ride ; )

End of Demo

2nd Leg After the sunken bridge

Make and Mend time

Champions from Ipoh

Final Leg

Kg Orang Asli

We arrived the broken bridge

Dave, Chris and Me, Potbellies Cycling Team

Water Catchment Area marks the end of the trail

I came

I rode

Another Journey in Life

Till we ride again

Empangan Batu Trail

2008-12-21T18:42:00.008+08:00

We rode Batu Dam Trail today.

Dave and Zahari gearing up their machines

Chris is on a joyous mood

Ina & Ismail

Bob the Stunt Master

Captain Zee the Pirates Buster

Lt (B) Christopher, Kept Zahari, Lt (B) Davendran, Bob, Khairul, Ismail, Ina and me gathered at the doors of the Dam Entrance and we rolled out 8.30 sharp, with exception of Bob it was everybody else first time at Batu Dam. Navigation is purely on our reading of the trails published in many MTB sites plus GPS, i only have two way points as reference, luckily the dotted line on the topo map base, is actually MTB Trail of Batu Dam.

Buddy!

Nice Ride eh!

Shadow Art

En Arrivo

Greetings

A hill greeted us on the very beginning of the ride up to the wall of the Dam itself, at the peak a beautiful scenery awaits us, as told in many MTB sites, this is a must ride place for all MTBikers. It is enchanting from the beginning till the end.

Batu Reservoir

Rolled Out 08.30 sharp!

I don't have much idea for a write up right now, because there were so many too see and endure, i truly enjoyed every moment of this ride, yeah i did fell once and got suck by leeches, whatever, one word describe this ride experience, i vote the word "perfect", a little bit of everything in MTB fun packaged in one trail.

My dear friends, we accomplish great today actually, finished 14 km of trail in 3 hours. Shall continue writing later later ok, need to rest. For this time just enjoy the pics ok, thanks

Garmin Vista E-Trex HCX

Sweetheart of the Ride ; )

Putrajaya Critical Mass

2008-12-20T09:49:00.004+08:00

Putrajaya year end Critical Mass Ride done safely last night, the intermittent rain contemplates organiser to commence the event, I could sense Daohs worries and predicament to flag off prior to the ride. Maybe, due to Chris mentioning he came all the way from Ipoh for the ride prompted Daoh to start, we finally rolled out at 2230. Some cars followed, perhaps wives of riders and organisers, they acted their "marshaling job" very well, thank you ladies and kids.

It was also time to hook up with old friends. Lt (B) Davendran Thirucelvam and Lt (B) Christopher Wee old my time navy buddies, also came Bob a friend of Dave seasoned looking cyclist, learned later that he was actually a trained stunt artist, and had done many stints in commercials and movies, wow! Chris looked a lot trimmer than before, he's coping well in efforts to keep fit and trim, Dave is still as tough as ever with his tough Schwarzenegger but with a good heart.... me? the same perut "kuali belly".

I rode weakly as I was recovering from flu, antibiotic are just getting better these days. I haven't took any of them in years but the Batu Dam ride on Sunday encourages me to take them so that i wouldn't miss the ride and lets my friends down. I successfully finishes PCM final ride 2008, may we Critical Massers ride again gracefully in 2009. Daoh congratulations for the years ride well done, be well and Cyclos Rules!

I've been facebooking

2008-12-15T22:11:00.002+08:00

In case you wonder why i don't much post here, blame it to Facebook!! Anyway some rides are brewing up and it looks like Putrajaya year end Critical Mass and a first time attmpt at Batu Dam, Sungai Tua for me! Catch up with ya, folks!

Good Morning Yesteryears

2008-11-20T22:14:00.006+08:00

Last weekend trip with Christopher is still fresh in my mind, a visit long due. The drive down from KL arriving JB Immigration and Woodlands Check point were some tasks i use to encounter during my childhood days and even when i was in the Navy.

S'pore has changed, a lot more than i expected, developed as ever. Advantage if one's country is small and rich.

Boarded at Chris's sister, Jaqleen Wee place for the night, Jaq & Col and Ryan greeted us, poor folks it was way past midnight when we arrived. Nevertheless the welcoming was warm. I didn't waste much time, after being shown the resting pod, after a soothing cold shower I blacked out zzzzzz.

The next morning was breakfast, roti Canai or popularly known as prata in Singapore hmmm tasty, filled the ever hungry sachets of mine. Soon after we got into Audre's car, Jaq & Colls family fren and began the long awaited shopping run for bicycles shops in Singapore. Our first stop Cannondale Asia, my oh my, the best bicycle shops I've seen after Joo Ngans, simply super! Next was Treknology now known as T3 bicycles. Hmmmm only if i have a lot of $$$$.

The guys dropped me of Uncle Adams place in later in the afternoon, where another adventure began. After inviting Auntie Piah at her place, an exclusive tour of Singapore City began. Soon it all came back to me. The memoirs of Orchard Road, Bugis Street, Arab Street, Geylang, Kallang Stadium and too many places to mentioned. Surely the landscape has changed very very much. We stop some where near Fatima Mosque where we had Sup Tulang or more popularly known as Bone Steak. Good stuff but eerie colour, blood red.

Uncle Adam drove us around past the S'pore Formula 1 route and the city centre itself. We even go through the new 12 km tunnel like our smart tunnel but this one could fit in a Fokker f 50 aircraft easily.

Uncle Adam and Auntie Jun must thank you all for this very special treat, Arigato Gonzaidamash!

The next morning was a cycling escapade from Pasir Ris to East Coast Park using the park connectors. Total ride was about 30 km we did in two and a half hours. The ride was fun and must be the most modern trail and scenic route I've ridden in my life. We passed through housing estates and even the S'pore Air force Changi Base. They got three layered electric fencing man! Be careful when crossing the Park Connectors there are S$1000 fine if you failed to push your bike whilst crossing it.

We hugged the Eastern Coast of S'pore and straddled along Changi International Airport even saw few aircraft took off and landing. The ride along the airport is straight and very long, tiring and boring. As soon as we reached East Coast Park the ambiance changed where by you see a lot of people and those ships waiting in anchorage at sea. There is a makan place where you can get halal chicken rice and freshly squeezed air tebu dip in lemon, this place is next to a lake where they have a water ski park, you ski without the boat pulling but a contraption brings you around the lake really interesting! Our ride finally ended near T3 bike shops just before the city centre.

Thank you Jaq, Col n family, Audre. Thank you Uncle Adam and Family may Allah Bless you all.

Riding Kiara-MTB Trail

2008-11-01T14:16:00.002+08:00

I finally did it, i rode........pushed my bike as well on Kiara MTB trail. Best giler....I tell you

I'm riding Damar Laut again

2008-10-26T10:56:00.003+08:00

Rode 44 km. Hj Wan and HJ Rahman company as usual to and fro Damar Laut. Did not take the ferry today but i planned to do it tomorrow instead. Ride was smooth and surprisingly i hardly gasped for air. Maybe previous KL rides has improvised my hill climbing skills. I saw a lot of small animals killed on the roads from birds to rodents, has it got to do with the rainy days?

The beautiful sights of the route never failed to amaze me, the canopied path towards Damar Laut jetty was filled with the sweet scent of the forest air so free for pollution.

Besides the lifeless squashed animals on the road, we saw a huge monitor lizard (about 8 feet long) scavenging over a carcass of a dead cat and for the first time two large monkeys (beruk) were sighted very briefly. There Beruks are known to live in Manjung and Segari but sightings are rare. These animal's features are similar to the African baboons and can be as aggressive.

Looking forward for tomorrow boat ride across the dinding river..

Escapade - Phillipines

2008-10-25T23:46:00.004+08:00

Mabuhay - Subic Bay

Manila Rizal Park with Kept Zulkifli

Merchant Marine Training Centre - Ship Handling Simulator

Hotel Subic Bay

Escapade - Germany

2008-10-25T23:39:00.002+08:00

Bremen with Mummy

Hamburg with Mummy

Mummy anf Fify

Hauptbanhof Hamburg

Bremen Day Market

Escapade - France

2008-10-25T23:21:00.005+08:00

My Mother and Me

Walking in the city

It took us hours to find this place

The Arc

Foot of Eifel Tower

View from our apartment Citadennes

At auntie Halimah's Place Suburb of Paris

Me, Emak, Auntie Halimah n Uncle Pete

Escapade - Melbourne Australia

2008-10-25T23:07:00.005+08:00

Yara River Melbourne

Melbourne City

Motel at Hastings, Melbourne

HMS Cereberus Boat House

HMS Cereberus Boat House

Makan Time, Fish and Chips Lah, what else

Hastings Water Front

Storks at Hastings

Time to go home after 10 days of work and leisure

Janamanjung Fun Ride 2008

2008-08-06T17:45:00.007+08:00

Macamana ni bro boleh ikut ke dia orang ni?

Apa takut carbong power daaa!!!

Tok Ki The Organiser

Tepi tepi rider berut boroi nak lumba

Ride Completed 117 k, 25 kmh average, max speed 60 kmh, 4 hours 55 minutes and an awful sore few days after, wait a minute 117 km? how come other riders completed the ride at 130 km...?????????

7 Star Holiday Resort - Bruas Range

2008-07-29T18:11:00.005+08:00

Pristine Forest of Perak

Crystal Clear Water

Serene View

Lush of Green

Fauna

Flora

Tranquil

Ambiance

Breathtaking

Man and Nature

Child and Future

I adore mi amore Perak

Putrajaya Critival Mass 25 Jul 2008

2008-07-26T09:53:00.015+08:00

Another fabulous round of Critical Mass ride happened in Putrajaya last night. Good turn up again by cycling folks from all over Klang Valley. It actually drizzled prior to the start but only as a false warning. The weather maintained its vapor posture as it passes by the night sky of Putrajaya, helped to cool the air as well. Thank you almighty. Shortly before 10.00 pm. We rolled out into the night, painting the roads of PJ like a stream of red fireflies with our blinkers, quite a pretty sight.

To me what is so special about this ride is the ambiance of riding in mass along the well lighted streets of Putrajaya in the night is just simply funtastic! Hmmmm.. I wish I'll ride alongside one pretty amoi like some luck blokes the next time he he he...pretty fast indeed.

Congratulations for a ride well done! Thank you organisers, Daoh and friends, I like your new hooter bro....."Whooooop! Whoooop! guys check out the route flyer's, ride safely please" he he he....a commendable effort bro! I look forward for the merdeka ride version of Putrajaya Critical Mass.
See you cyclists extraordinaire next month, Insyallah.

Route Map Putrajaya Critical Mass Jul 2008 by Bro Daoh

A dash in the evening

2008-07-20T15:37:00.005+08:00

Went out for a quick (not really that quick) dash finally, a long overdue week end ride. Have cut down on carbs intake for two days now. "Zerorice" and having problems to adjust on a diet menu, need to established a good diet plan, been wearing this Pot Belly line for sometime now and i miss my six pack or a trimmed waist will at least do.

The ride went on into Pencala Link Exp Way and I entered the North South Highway briefly, phew what a climb, my calves seemed to tear apart half way, my ex military gung ho pride broke into pieces before some left over zen finally came to the rescue to clear the hill (more like a hump actually), a left turn soon find me on the exit at Kota Damansara.

I was riding along a busy Kota Damansara stretch, yucks the air sucks! A left turn at The Curve brought me back to Pencala Link to finish.

Did 27k @ 1 hr 18 minutes, averaged 20.6 km/h. Nice ride trail will make this my routine track around Sg Pencala. Long undulation to sustain, nice, rideable at night as well but mind the traffic.

No pic this time, camera out of action. Jeez. Plan to ride RRI next week found the Trail at last, Its along Kota Damansara as well. I'm back!

Putrajaya Critival Mass 27 June 2008

2008-06-28T18:15:00.002+08:00

I rode again finally, this time the Putrajaya critical Mass 27 June 08

Au Revoir - Manjung

2008-04-26T15:39:00.007+08:00

Assalamualaikum. It's has been a while since i last pen down a few words here, I've got no excuse. However there has been some shift in my direction in life, business and career. I've decided to migrate to KL perhaps for good. There is much to do indeed. Ya Allah, please guide and bless us with strength, courage and your Rahmah to endure the rest of our journey in life..Amin.

Sadly, today is also my "farewell ride" along the route to Kg Kayan which was our inauguration ride this year. Thank you Hj wan and Hj Rahman for joining, it was indeed a great pleasure to have your company. I am going to miss the serenity of Manjung and off course my other cycling buddies like Hj Fauzi and Co, Zaki (Tok Ki) and his merry men, Zainuddin Merida Carbong (Tambah satu lagi material = Habuk) he he jgn marah brader.., Fadzil the off road pathfinder, Syaiful (c u in kl), Rehan and Co, Azhar Gu, Raja and many others......

Down the road are fond memories of those rides, Nasional Berhad's Janamanjung organised rides to Hulu Kernas, Sg Kelah and Cameroon Highland. Organised events like Manjung Merdeka ride, Ipoh Fun Ride and Century Ride. Of course the best of all are our own rides in the district of Manjung skirmishing every back route and off road tracks we knew of. Thank you Allah for protecting us throughout the journey and nothing bad had happened, protect my friends on their effort for a healthy life and foster our relationship in this Silatulrahim we have build.

KL, I am back and gargantuan of the cycling sports lies ahead. Wonder what will it be like?

Well here goes, Bismillah hirahmannirahim.

Ana AlAbd - Meshary Rashid AlAfasy

2008-02-19T21:32:00.001+08:00

Heart Small nasheed Mishary Rashid Efasy

2008-02-19T21:29:00.001+08:00

MTB Banjaran Keledang, Kg Lengkuas Parit Perak 16 Feb 2008

2008-02-17T11:00:00.006+08:00

Pukul 0715 dah kumpul out of seven riders only four turn up

Breakfast Roti Canai Mamak Pekan Parit

Election fever is on, war of the party banners

Man and Machine

All set and ready to go???!!!

A Parit local, Abdullah joins the fun, strong rider

Let roll out

Navigating throug hthe town of Parit, once bustling with activities before the Govt offices moved to Seri Iskandar

Start time 0905, 33 km of MTB into Palm, Rubber, Dusun Buah and forest fringes a moderate trail with not much hills but plenty of undulation

The route I once rode during Century ride 2007, the road to Kuala Kangsar from here are rollings hills, very huge hills

The action begins

Nice dual track for starters

Toki strolling by a cooling looking stream, crystal clear water

Apek tengah toreh getah

Berehat selepas menakluk puncak bukit, trails of wild hogs can be seen clearly here, surprisingly its about 1030 am now but the air is still cool

Rehat tepi hutan, hutan dah terang kena tebang

Layan downhill

Half way point, ada mata air bukit, refreshing sungguh

Mengantuk sungguh ride hari ni

At last sampai rumah Hamdan, pekena air kelapa yang paling sedap dalam daerah Parit

Ahh.. peace and tranquility

Our ever friendly host

Toki senyum meleret pekena roti canai kampung

The best roti Cnai in the Parit district

End of ride Pekan Parit tepat masuk waktu Zohor

No ride during CNY

2008-02-05T21:46:00.000+08:00

Esok nak balik Muar, My eldest son Syahrul (Pic Above) who just came back from Bukit Besar, Kulim today is also on liberty from PLKN Training, he and my Syaiful will be staying home, liberty for both of them.

Dr. (2B) Suhaimi (Left) and Harun old Buddy New Neighbour at Pangkor 2006

No plans to ride but i have this urge to visit Treknology bicycle shop in S'pore who has a complete suite of bikes and assessories, heck i've got a tight budget for this trip. Insyallah one day perhaps....So guys enjoy your leave period and "drive smartly" (nice road safety jargon coutesy of Hj Fauzi) Thanks bang Hj. Oh yeah Harun my old cycling buddy just moved next door and still unpacking, geez i feel bad for not lending him a hand. Nice to have him nearby.

Bukit Teluk Muruh (Pic-Coutesy of Hj Fauzi) Left to Right Me, Hj Fauzi and Zaki Sunday test trail Teluk Muruh n Teluk Batik

Recche ride Teluk Batik Trails

2008-02-02T20:27:00.000+08:00

Today, inevitably was a poor reponse for a riding recce, initially i SMSed for a menebas session and as i guessed no interested parties, there is also an organised ride to Cameroon Highlands with the Navy folks as well contributing to the poor response. I began riding at 0730, Hj Fauzi join later near the Teluk Muruh Primary School.

We entered a road just after the school, and soon found ourselves exploring a palm plantation trail. The road leads next to the school's field and at the back of some houses is the entrance into the plantation border, a very huge Beruk crossed our path and he actually trailed us from a distance. it even gave us a warning call, "don't close my territory" i guess, he must have warned, we ended up at a top of a hill, where the view of Pulau Pangkor extend from North to South in the midst of the morning clouds, you'll see the whole of the straits, Lumut Naval Base spans as far as the eyes can see. Down the hill we soon find an exit to the main road to Teluk Batik from the Teluk Muruh junction, nearby Bekalan Air Perak pump house. We continued to search for other trails. Lets leave that story for another day

Surah Mulk recitated by Sheikh Mishary Al Afasy part 1

2008-02-01T21:41:00.003+08:00

Surah Mulk recitated by Sheikh Mishary Al Afasy part 2

2008-02-01T21:41:00.001+08:00

AKU NAK BESKAL NI!!!

2008-02-01T09:21:00.001+08:00

Cannondale Super Six frame = RM 8000, siapa lah baik hati nak bagi ako b'day presnt ni hah?

80 km road event

2008-01-27T15:18:00.000+08:00

80 k clocked on speedo today @ three hours. Ride synopsis, route Manjung - Lekir - Seberang Perak padi fields up to the first rice mill before making a turn - Kg Kayan - Sungai Tiram for a Laksa treat prior heading back to Manjung. Fourteen riders turn up initially, two turned back due to commitments, unfortunate for Nasran who had splintered his spokes, he too had to turn back, myself and Hj wan planned to cycle only half way initially. Zaki later SMSed to inform remaining 9 riders arrived home safely by 1230, they clocked 4 hrs distance 104 km. Well done folks.

2008-01-24T23:34:00.000+08:00

Omigosh!!!!! I've breached the 110 kg border line. Times Up!!!! Its trim that waistline "do or die" thing you know. Program 2008 is going to be tough, watch out guys its Paradigm Shift of the pot belly rider

Step No 1 cycle a Lot

Step No 2 do that gut trimming exercise

Step No 3 DIET!!!!!!!!!

If everything fails then you'll belong to the pot belly rider club for life - Yikes!!

Manjung - Teluk Senangin Exploratory ride

2008-01-10T20:19:00.000+08:00

Marhaban ya 1429 hijri marhaban!

Pukul 0715, tak seramai last ride but adalah sepuluh orang turn up

Bro, Syaiful decide to join a lil bit further

Terserempak dengan pembalak! Habis lah hutan kalau macam ni, aduh tak best! tak best!

Ambience?

Speechless!

I gave my mornings for this serenity and tranquility, never once I had remorse

The entrance!

To a long

long

very long

beach walk?

No! Its only about 2km, but have you ever tried walking on a beach on a very warm day! Try it!

At the end of the walk, we had to deal with this...

We made it through!

Siap ada tempat cuci kasut dan basikal yang berlumpur

Posisi aerodinamik untuk pengayuh buncit yang sakit pinggang akibat tolak basikal tepi pantai dan seberang sungai

Kayuhan ke Sungai Batu terpaksa dibatalkan - hampir kesemua pengayuh kehabisan tenaga

Yang sebenornya!!!

Cepat ambik meja tu nanti orang curi, lepaih ni hangpa angkat warong ni sekali masuk dalam hutan, tak payah kayuh jauh jauh cari gerai makan

Wei mana order aku ni, owang dah lapor nie!!

Yumm yumm the best things in life sometimes are not free

Burp!!!

KAYUHAN KALI INI AMATLAH MEMENATKAN SAMPAI TRIP BALIK DARI TELUK SENANGIN TAK ADA SESIAPA PUN SEMPAT MENGAMBIL GAMBAR, WALAUBAGAIMANAPUN ALHAMDULILLAH SEMUA SELAMAT SAMPAI KERUMAH

Teman tak larat dah kepanasan ni yeop, mandi depan rhomah jeer!!

Ride One 2008 - Manjung Kayan loop

2008-01-05T18:13:00.001+08:00

Selamat Datang 2008

Manjung's inauguration upjadik ride, 16 cyclists and 70 km of riding pleasure along the Manjung Kayan route.

Muka Baru dan Muka lama

Good turn up signs of a good riding start for the year 2008, well done folks

TNB's Extraordinaire

Yang seluar "Api Hijau"tu, peh laju!!! Tok Ki with Kayuh Lasak 2007 Jersey

First Check Point - Pak Fauzi, Somedi, Zaman and his patriotic Jalur Gemilang jersey

Eh!!! Satu dunia tengok ker!!! WAH!!! Nak kena caj ni!!!! berapa !! Tak pe lah kawan punya pasal sekali tengok RM 5000 sudah le boleh eden beli beskal baru, don't worry friend invoice menyusul, mana boleh free (macam pernah dengar ya tapi kat mana ya??), nak buat blog ni manhours jalan yob!! tak pelah kan untuk kemajuan bangsa negara dan tanah air, hidup UMNO!!!! Lihat lah dunia!!!!! gua naik gerek tua!!!!

Kepada sesiapa yang jengok blog ni mari lah join untuk menjadi fit! tak pe yob join dulu kita boleh physcho korang sampai jadi fit gila!!!!! Kalau tak fit tentu korang yang gila kah!! kah!!

Kalau tak gila gerenti sakit punggul, macam brader Rehan

Kiri Ka kanan ka?

Ketibaan Raja Asyok dan bodyguardnya, salah seorang dah jadi bisu sorang lagi dah tak leh ....

So.... Sultan nak pakai jari mana pulak eh?

Aku lah terrer, tak aku lagi terrer, tak tak aku lagi terrer dari yang paling terrer

Aku pulak nak jadik terrorist!!!!

Manjung - Kg Kayan Loop Dec 2007

2007-12-29T22:48:00.000+08:00

It has been a while since my solo ride to Seberang Perak a few weeks ago and finally we managed to gather for a superb day out riding 72 km on flat trail by the Malacca Straits up to the mouth of Sungai Perak. Its also a ride marking the end of my 2007 cycling journey and a revisit to the trail i once rode during a Navy cadet officer's night marching many years ago.

Early morning gathering - Taman Paya Bakau for the start - 0700 am. Kdr Sazali and Son waited for us at Petronas Manjung near the Stadium. Mr Somedi excused himself due to a back injury. Another friend continued to Szleepzz but called later only to be pardoned miss his company though. The others were too bz with their year end program and some has to work. We rode from Manjung along Dato Seri. Kdr Sazali and company said goodbye at Titi Panjang Pass to attend another program that afternoon. We continued to ride from Lekir Batu 9 and dove in the fringes of the Malacca Straits towards Kayan.

A bridge crossing one of the many rivers along the trail between Batu 9 Lekir and the mouth of River Perak. There are also many fisherman's boats berthed here. Fresh fish for the go folks!

The sea side view we all breathtaking, riding along fine sands by the sea on a cool morning is surely not to missed by all patrons of Mountain Biking. I never enjoyed a ride this much for a long long time. Despite the depleting mangrove trees taken over by efforts of agriculture, the flora and fauna remains somehow flourished. I am definite there were abundance of those when this place were very much in it's indigenous form.

This big fella is maybe sick or sleeping cause when i approach right beneath it, it remained perched without even flinching. Magnificent sea eagles or Lang Laut like these were sighted almost everywhere amongst other bird species. Definitely more types of birds than those sighted near Segari during my previous ride. En Rahman was commenting that this has to be a regular riding trail, I couldn't agree with him less. I even saw a stealthy looking bird like the ones seen near the Damai Laut Golf Resort. Wow fantastic!

The endless sandy trail furls for miles and miles along the Straits of Malacca, you'll definitely need water reserve as there are no shops to be sighted nearby, but if you're thirsty there are many irrigation channel to dive into. Somewhere half way towards the end before turning East, there are prawn ponds everywhere which extends as far as the eyes can see. Its huge! very very huge! Guarded by plenty of canine which are mostly noise makers. BEWARE i thought I saw a Rottweiler and luckily the owner was around to control him when we pass by! Damm, I don't mind those pariah dingos but a Rottweiler could invite trouble, perhaps need to bring weapons of some kind the next time.

When we finally reached the end of the sea side route, the town of Bagan Dato greets us but on the other side of the river, the jetty and the marine department building were conspicuous enough. This marks our turn towards east heading Kg Kayan. I've actually got disorientate with regards over the river flow topology and doubted Hj Wan who was adamant that we are at the mouth of Sungai Perak. In order words I've got really confused! Man! this was the biggest river mouth I've ever seen in my life. It even looked like a bay (Check out the Satellite image at the bottom).

We finally reached the bend where this picture were taken very near Kg Kayan. Cellular phones worked very well here despite the feeling that you're in the nowhere land. Road starts to change from fine sands to gravel, my! oh my! It's like riding on an Osim massage chair on vibration mode, very ticklish especially on the very sore bump! By this time its "goodbye cool morning" and say "hello warm sun" Phew!

The Cheapest Air Tebu in Country - RM 0.60

Cheapest Stall in Manjung district - Three of us ate a feast fit for a King, drank a lot and Paid RM 10 !!! Yup RM 10!

Only found here in the back roads of the country - Hey whats with the Wau?? this is not Kelate???!!!

Satellite Image of the Trail route - The light blue sea color seemed like a bay but its actually a unique form of a river's mouth. The coastline of Lekir is clearly seen being curved by the tidal and waves erosion over many many years.

LIMA 2007 At Pulau Lagenda Mahsuri

2007-12-12T22:37:00.000+08:00

Lima 2007 was held 4 - 8 th Dec 2007 this year. The first Lima where i finally came to see the aerospace show almost in full for the first time. Scrutinising the Airport layout many days earlier, i saw this nice elevated space just behind the runway at the southern side, drove right there and saw the Civil Aviation Department quarters located on a hill just next to the runway. Soon the show began with the Indian Aeronautical team show. Lots of smoke but not many fancy maneuvers, the airplane they used were rather sluggish, other than that, they do deserve some credit.

Then out of nowhere.....whoosh!!!!!! It came fast and low, it's wing fully swept back, a typical posture for swept back bombers when maneuvering low, attempting to reduce its radar signature to the lowest possible. It was the RAAF F111 bombers. I've actually worked with these guys from Australian Air force in a Five Power Defence Arrangement Exercise off east coast of peninsular Malaysia. During this exercise, one of these bomber accidentally ran against a hill in Pulau Aur of Johor. Seen in the picture here is the aircraft releasing some aviation turpentine on purpose just for the show, in real time its a feature of the aircraft to release some oil before an emergency landing, for real it is also a welcoming note for heat seekers. Nice jets. Its huge very very noisy!

Then it was the turn of the show stealer's, the UK's aeronautical acrobatic team the red arrow. I have only one comment, "This guys are very very good". Teamwork precisely impeccable. The 20 minutes of show was all worth while to wait for, even under a Blazing sun. Flawless stunts which get into your guts most of the times, one slight mistake and it certainly would be disastrous.

Red Arrow's Swan formation. Nine aircraft took off to present a dazzling aeronautical acrobatic performance and it is my first air show despite having been here in almost all the LIMA exhibition.

Baba, Wawan and Nina having at the best seats in the house, the Petronas Placards. Next time remember your umbrella or hat, those high forehead were actually burnt to crisp!!! Yikes!!!! Wawan enjoyed the show most his eyes was glittering watching those planes, tanks and other millitary stuff. Nina wanted to take pictures with Syed MUzaffar the "Cosmonaut" but the line was for miles long, next time Nina.

A red arrow stunt video Nadia took

Rainy Season

2007-11-09T08:00:00.001+08:00

It has been raining a lot nowadays, especially in the mornings. So much rain that it's difficult to squeeze some time to ride. I'll be departing for Subic Bay this Sunday. Hope i'll be able to catch some good distance and sweat tommorow. Otherwise it will be another week before i can ride again and then it will be December, where i'll have to be in Langkawi for Langkawi International Maritime Exhibition from the 1st till the 10th. I hope to be able to bring the bike along and tour Langkawi island during some free time. Perhaps that will the closing ride for the year's cycling diary

Ferry Damar Laut

2007-10-31T22:36:00.000+08:00

Fisherman's Pontoon Damar Laut

Damar Laut Ferries runs from Lumut town to Damar Laut, crossing the Dindings river for about a nautical mile. Departing daily as early as 0730 am the ferries runs hourly to and fro until five o'clock in the evening. Operations stops during lunch hours and service halts after five o'clock.

There are no ticket booths, sale of tickets are done on board. Tickets are priced at RM 1.30 per person. If you need to travel daily there are monthly passes available for sale. The folks living in Damar Laut patrons the ferry service but since the completion of the Tuanku Bainun Bridge connecting Manjung and Segari passengers have declined.

The ferries are rather small but sits 12 passenger plus 2 crew quite comfortably. Its wooden hulled and propelled by diesel engine. She runs about 12 knots efficiently. Life jackets are stowed on board but there is no life raft. Passengers mostly sits inside the cabin. There is a bench at the stern in case you're claustrophobic or because you prefer the fresh air.

At Damar Laut Jetty ferry arrival coincides a bus arrival from the Pantai Remis - Damar Laut route. Meaning, if you catch a bus from Pantai Remis you should have a ferry waiting for you at the jetty upon arrival Damar Laut. Bus tickets are sold separately.

You can't take a motorcycle onboard but you can take a bicycle instead, it cost you 1 ringgit but no tickets will be issued for the bicycle. On an organised trip cycling groups can also pre book the ferry provided you give them ample notice. call 012- 5031899 for bookings.

View of Lumut town from the ferry

Coxswain's helm and Passenger seat. The dark blue compartment is the engine room.

Arrival Lumut Jetty

Damar Laut Ferry Jetty in Lumut

Kerabat Diraja

2007-10-29T11:32:00.001+08:00

Pinarello Prince, a two wheeled speed machine, rumored to be a powerful bike. Has some Malay design influence sebab fork dia ada lok macam keris ha ha ha The manufacturer's marketing jargon claimed it's Japanese Material coupled with Italian Engineering. Anyway it's priced at Arrr eeemm 20 k +. Waduh !

Kota Ngah Ibrahim - Matang Perak

2007-09-30T11:25:00.000+08:00

Kota Ngah Ibrahim

Warisan Sejarah Kegemilangan Pentadbiran Melayu dan Islam Sebelum Penjajahan British

Saki baki tembok lama pertahanan kota yang rosak teruk dimakan usia

Pemerintah

Setiausaha Warga Asing yang juga merupakan dalang kejatuhan Sang Pemerintah

Semadinya Seorang Laksamana
Yang hanya tinggal nama

Takkan Melayu Hilang Di dunia

Tetapi dimana letaknya darjat bangsa

Adakah Sejarah Bakal Berulang

Di manakah sebenarnya martabat bangsa

Masih lagi kita bertelagah untuk yang remeh

Hingga si asing mengambil kesempatan memamah mamah

Dan si pendatang meraut kesempatan

Sekadar tinggi berkata kata tetapi tidak gah

Zahir lawa batin nya hina

Gempak bergaya tetapi papa

Kita bersatu kerana Agama

Bukan nya kerana nama

My Boys r now Men

2007-09-29T23:06:00.000+08:00

Manjung to Dama Laut 2007. Cycling day out with my sons

Muhammad Syahrul Nizam bin Zamrady 16 years old

Muhammad Syaiful Nizam bin Zamrady 15 years old

Music - Buat Sang Puteri by Spider

Woke my teenage boys early and as usual Syaiful was last to wake up. We set off from home and head towards the Taman Paya Bakau where the guys were already waiting. En Zai looked fresh enough despite sending me a sms at 1 am last night. I couldn't sleep after that.

The guys disappeared as soon as we start. Syahrul, Syaiful and me steered away towards Damar Laut. No point to follow them. Hj Wan Ghafaar joined us after the Tungku Bainun Bridge.
Should be doing this more frequently with my sons, they were actually very fit. They rode superbly like they've been riding daily. I wonder if they take up this liking of mine one day? We crossed the river to Lumut where Nadia, my darling babies Wawan and Nina joined us for breakfast. We set for home after that.

Muhammad Syahzuan Nizam bin Zamrady 9 yars old and Nurfarah Qistina 8 years old

Syaiful and Nadia

Mishary Rashid Alafasy - Tala al Badr

2007-09-18T23:35:00.001+08:00

Alafasy - Surat AlMulk

2007-09-17T17:05:00.001+08:00

Ramadhan Buffet - Ala Kampung

2007-09-16T17:16:00.001+08:00

Three days of Ramadhan had passed . Shukur Alhamdullilah, the Almighty continues to reward the people of Manjung with another beautiful day. This morning the cloud base was low, perhaps only a few hundreds feet from sea level. High precipitation in the air coupled with oxygen releases from the nearby forest was surely to cool the air. A must to venture the outdoors. A place came to my mind, Dama Laut, where the flora and fauna should be bustling in this beautiful morning like always, esp in the cool mornings.

Clouds seen here almost engulfed Bukit Ungku Busu, Temperature is about 22 degrees Celsius well below the normal 27 - 29 we usually have. Can't wait to be out in the fields. Neighbours even commented my early morning frantic with a camera..hehe

Nadia and Qistina accompanied me to Dama Laut. As it is Sunday there were very little traffic hence taking pictures of this signage was least dangerous and with little effort. The thoughts of catching pictures of the exotic birds in Damar Laut really excites me.

We usually pass the vegetable farm and had always ignored them. Today we were lucky enough to catch the farmers harvesting. Nadia asked whether they does direct selling. Hmmmm maybe they do....fresh yummy vegetables for the go...

Kobis, Bayam Merah, Kailan, Bayam, Kuchai, Sawi, Kangkong and all the vegetables fresh from farm. Suddenly there was an arid smell of.... oh my god it's oink! oink!... it must be close... The thought of organic supplement being used for the vegetation here... yucks! Fresh vegetables from here. Another day or never!

Well if you're expecting to see the pictures of the birds in the wild here, lets just wait till i get one of those fancy high end camera. It is impossible to photograph with my conventional automatic. Not to let you down, just imagine a place in the fields, plenty birds, hundreds of different species. As small as swallows as huge and elegant as the eagles. Blue kingfisher, the yellow merbah, green bayan and all the birds I have known, this time the rare green tiong, punai tanah and hornbills were not seen. The sounds and the sight was simply MESMERIZING!!

After sending Nadia and Qistina home, I went to SKTLDM Sitiawan to send Syaiful's Thomson ride t shirt. Heard that he is going to get a roadbike to replace his POLYGON..he also has nice budget allocation. Must admit, I envy the thoughts.......Well my Blue Weapon is still going good isn't??

Called Kept Reza next, he was doing his usual chores. Had to send his camel pack soon before it became a harta yang tak sah dimiliki. Manage to drop it at his house anyhow. Before heading home a thought of some things which I always does during Ramadhan sprung. A quick swerve arround to En Fadhils's place to fetch him found us next in the fringes of the Perak River......

Local call it Buah Kantau, I call it buah Kabung. My first ever taste of it was when Emak introduced me to Lee Chee Kang. Whatever you call it, this is a fruit from a palm like tree normally found abundantly by the rivers and the forest fringe. The fruit have a white jelly like meat inside. The meat is extracted from the green fruits through boiling in hot water to remove resin which could cause itchiness and irritation.

A packet cost me 1 ringgit. Bought 6 of them. Can't wait for tommorow's "ramadhan buffet" at home. A secret recipe, buah kantau mixed with selasih in sweet cold syrup...slurppeeee bestnya. One of the best from Malaysia.

More pictures from the river banks of Sungai Perak

Look at this Lady's Finger

A giant Lady's Finger

I dream of having a nice little wooded weekend chalet like this
By a tranquil river like this.....maybe one day

Asam keping prepared traditionally in Kg Aur Bota Kanan...bestnya

The kid pushing the toy car reminds me of a picture of me during my childhood days

Lembah Bertam 45km Offroad Ride

2007-09-10T12:46:00.000+08:00

Sunset snapshot taken near Kg Raja during the climb from Spg Pulai a day before the ride

I was really reluctant to go to the ride initially. So many fiasco had happened and I was adamant to forgo this ride. The bike riding condition wasn't pleasant as well. Arriving Tanah Rata, Nadia called to inform that our eldest son was advised to get a blood count test because of the rashes he has. Even though he wasn't feverish we are taking no chance due to the prominent dengue cases in Manjung. I called the doctor and she told me that she experienced cases where there were no fever symptom which turn out to be dengue fever. If not of Nadia advising me to stay I would have drove back down to Manjung the same night, by that time, all the cheap hotels were fully booked, luckily the TNB fellas did have a spare bunk.

The night was longer than I thought, being disturbed from not knowing the blood test results until much later and those orchestrated symphony of snoring kept me awake. It must be at least 2.30 am before I finally managed to dozed of. The morning starts as early as 0530 am, yeah barely 3 hours of precious rest and sleep. Detrimental from the mental challenges I was prepared to alter my riding plans if not because of Hj Rahman's encouragement. After breakfast, I decided to follow them to the starting point.

The drive down to Habu start point 0715 am

Start point Photo Shot 0745 am

Right to Left : Zaman, Khalid (Ride Marshall), Hj Rahman, Kamarulzaman, Zaki, Azhar, Raja, Myself and Azlan

The flag off was rather haphazard. There were some whistles and shouts..."ten minutes to start" and riders were everywhere in fragments of what i believe teams or groups from Penang, Kedah, Ipoh, Pahang, KL, Taiping and off course Manjung (dominated by the TNB fells). At least 100 turn ups or so. Then, in all of a sudden, everybody began to roll out in the coolness of the morning towards Ringlet.

The ride began uphill towards Ringlet, then downhill from ringlet towards Lembah Bertam, pass the Kg orang asli before some undulation. The road condition were terrible, blistered with mud poles and silt. A sight of a lorry laden with flowers is contrary to the sight of the brown muddy surroundings. And there were the 4 wheelers buzzing around like crazy race car drivers of the highland tribe. You certainly do not want to brush pass against one.

Passing by all that, adorable scene starts to fill the ambiances of the ride, the sight of the hills from where I am and far on the horizon warns me of what we are going to sustain. I told myself, I have come this far and this is the point of no return. It felt good and soon my worries of home and other things were over. I kept on riding and riding and riding. I kept my mind off what is going to come and I prayed that i could finish even with lack of sleep, rest and a poor bike condition, I kept rolling.

Trying hard to compose a mental state to counter physical condition, an effective solution is to enjoy the ride, very soon the uphills were over. I have always enjoyed downhill and its complementary adrenalin dosage. Speeding downhill with sustained braking, a technique I applied to avoid a fall which would be very bad as there were jagged stones and kepala plus bone breaking rocks everywhere. An orang asli village came into sight down the valley and its time to clown around with some photo sessions again. I wonder where that infamous bamboo bridge was.

I'm on my way where sky is the limit..........yeah right!

Now you see us! Can still see us! Can you still see us?.......

The folks from the north called it BUKIT MELUAT. In the northern dialect, meluat means something like "sickening to look at". Well guys you just don't look at them hills! You have to CLIMB THEM!!!!! ha ha ha ha ha. Hills until you go bonkers!!!! 80 percent of the hills which totalled 26 km in distance were really challenging.

If it were to be hot and sunny like my previous rides, I would definitely come out from here in a stretcher......mak oi! Shukur Alhamdullilah, the elevation and the forest was very cooling, its like cycling in air condition or more likely bicycle pushing in air condition....kah kah kah!! Mak oi!

I heard many gunshots as well. Judging by the time, weather and location of where it came from, I guessed those must be hunters trying to catch deers, mouse deer or boars. I also saw some four wheel drive nearby an orang asli village, must belong to those hunters frolicking in the forest hunting for food they don't really need.

Bukit Meluat Orang Asli boys........... guess which ones???????????

Canopy part was enjoyable, very cooling, vivid forest smell, waterfall gushing and hilly as well

A pictures tells you a thousand stories......so does a facial expression

Earlier part of the ride I heard this bloke cursed his bike " god dammed". The almighty heard his wishes which was dully granted. He felled like nangka busuk, twice!! with a loud thud and his pedal clips intact! Ouch! Ouch!

Youngest rider of the ride, 10 year old handsome Salihin, my uphill riding partner

and Salihin's father Syaiful from Malaysian Airlines. My other uphill riding partner

This is the way i wash my socks, i wash my socks, i wash my socks, this is the way i wash my socks, early in the morning

After a brief dip in a water fall along those endless hills

Exit bukit meluat came the tea plantation, this is where i kept on hearing people saying "hah dah dekat dah ni" and they kept on saying that for almost every.... 100 meters whilst stopping for a break the same distance as well. Nothing here but lush green pasture of hills after hills full of tea. Unfortunately there is no teh tarik stall here.

Sight to relish & ponder. Nature blended with man made beauty all in all creation of the Almighty.

Subhanallah Walhamdullilah Allahuakhbar

0810 am Habu - Ringlet - Lembah Bertam - Pos Meason - Bukit Meluat - Boh Plantation - Habu 1700 pm

Veni Vidi Vici - I came, I saw, I conquer

As I really don't expect to start what more do I expect to finish the ride, with blessing and rahmah from the Almighty, I only suffered pain and cramps which turns out to be quiet bad. Thank you Allah, for the pain i endured is for misdeed and misdoing in life. I know, it is still not enough. A ride that thought me a lot about my own self and us, humans.

Kelab Basikal Manjung

2007-09-02T22:02:00.000+08:00

Some parts of the trail we conquered, correction to the distance covered, it was 83 km not 90 km with reference to HJ Fauzi's Speedometer.

The guys met today talking about inaugurating a club meant for the Manjung die hard cycling folks. It is indeed a splendid idea. I foresee some tasks ahead to ensure good management of the club. Lets see firstly we need the local authority support, the local community council should help. Then we need a supportive patroniser, wonder who it would be. Next is the club house, alamak mana nak host meeting ni! Lepas tu budget pulak, jersey lagi and macam macam lagi. Sincerely if the club members is a.o.k i see a good future. Guys, you have my undying support.

Cross Country ride Manjung to Sg Batu 1St Sept 2007

2007-09-02T08:03:00.000+08:00

Start Point - Taman Paya Bakau Seri Manjung

I am not the first to arrive this time, there was Lt Hasan & Jasmi at the park. Well....so much for the 7.00 o'clock sharp promises. One by one came looking a little bit nervous. I guess it must be the thought of the long haul offroad, he.. he.. he... some didn't even know what to expect. Finally 15 riders turned up, some with brand new wheels and gears.

Arrival of Tn Hj Fauzi and Son

We skipped the ferry ride to straddle the highway to Pantai Remis. Took the left turn to Teluk Senangin before I decide to endure some Palm oil trail and got them lost in the midst of the palm trees. Lost my Speedometer somewhere here, some Indon bloke must be riding with it by now. We exit the palm oil and head back to the main road. Halim took over and guided us into the Tok Sakah khidmat negara route. We pedalled along the sandy beach of Camp Tok Sakah and stopped over at Teluk Senangin to make sure the bikes are ok before the off road.

The off road began into Teluk Senangin, there was a brief uphill before the downhill rewards, got them lost again in the palm before i manage to navigate them back to the fringe of the forest. Smooth fringe ride brought us to the end of teluk senangin trail, Hasan was already cursing by now he he he. We continued to hug the fringe but this time by the sea side of Batu Hilail and the Turtle Santuary.

It was 1100 o'clock when we begin the ride into Malakoff trail to Sungai Batu, gone are the luxury of the forest canopy and where we endures the sun in an open space. The morning coolness began to fade and it was blazing hot all the way home. I punctured my rear wheel twice this time, with the first having a slow release of air, causing me to pedal with a bad rear pressure. That ordeal took my glycogen reserve fast, very very fast.

From Sg Batu we took the main road back to Damar Laut before calling for the ferry. One by one began to slows down. The sun drain really effected almost everyone. We took take the ferry at 1500 and finally arrives Lumut town before splitting.

I believe most of us enjoyed this day out.

Start time - 0730

Finish Time 1530

Distance Covered 90 km

Road, Offroad & River

See you in our next epilogue

Mountain Biking Cross Country - Manjung Sg Batu trial

2007-08-25T23:31:00.000+08:00

Left home near 7.00 am this morning. When I arrived there was no one. I don't expect much turn up as the response to my SMSs was poor. Hmmm...

Soon azhar came looking a little gloomy, did not bother to ask him whats wrong, must be the early morning blues, Wan came later and we rode straight towards Lumut hoping to catch the 0730 ferry.

The 0730 Ferry was gone......

We decided to have breakfast first and wait for the 0845 ferry to Damar Laut

It was already there at the jetty at 0845, we board it to cross the river and began the trial cross country trail the rest was just simply wonderful

I can do this ?

Jom Panjat Bukit Botak tu!

Azhar layan downhill...Anak Downhill

Then came BAPAK UPHILL!!

he he he lain kali tak naik lagi dah!!

The hill we conquered

Kayuhan Jalur Gemilang Sambutan Hari Kebangsaan ke 50

2007-08-25T23:23:00.000+08:00

Stopover for breakfast!

With some of the guys...

Good old friend...

Ipoh Century Ride 2007

2007-08-25T23:00:00.000+08:00

YEEEEEEZZZZ! I did it . Triumphant over Malaysia very own Century Ride, an ultimate endurance test of cycling 100 miles/160 km. A notable event marked history as the country's very first Century Ride. I am now officially a centurion with a record of 8 hours and 50 minutes. One hour and ten minutes under the ten hours timeline .

Sped non stop through the first half of 83 km in 3 hours, made good speed of 27 kmh. Breezed through hilly terrain of the Parit - Kuala Kangsar country road within two hours. Endured the Blazing Sun from Kuala Kangsar to Sungai Siput effortlessly. Well... Almost! The last 30 km was TOOOOORTUREEEE. Both to the mind and body!!! No Joke!!!!

At start time I had no problem to maintain position within the leading pelotone up to Chemor. Backed off a bit caused I thought they are going a bit too fast, got 160 k to finish you know. Need to ensure enough supply of muscle glycogen (Yeah I've got a big tummy too). Maintained position with some other slowing riders when WHOOOSHHH came the team from Kedah, KL and Penang. They were making so much noise and sounded like they were having so much fun, this fat belly bloke got so excited, tempted and rode with them .

They were doing constantly 33 kmh and it was a first time feeling for me to draft in a big pelotone, it felt so nice I tell you!!! . When the hills came near seputeh, they soon disappeared .

I rode solo almost all the way after. A very lonely 120 km . Gone are the pelotone along with my buddies whom we had a meeting together to strategise a team finish the night before . Then suddenly after the town of Parit I heard this familliar engine sound, it was the motorised calvary! My dear wife Nadia, my eldest Syahrul and a family friend Kak Ros came to provide moral support.

Yeap, it was booo!!! at some parts of the ride with comments like. Apalah Abang ni slow sangat, laju lah sikit & Ha ha ha !!! baba kena potong dengan basikal kecik!!!! (One joker actually rode on a tiny weeny bike). My only comment to those "cheering" was .

I had my first stop at the second checkpoint. After that I can't remember how many times i need to stop to ease muscle tense which was building up. Then at 144 km it came, this time both legs. YUP!....Ouch a trillion. The merciless cramp, I was crying silly. When a sweeper van came from nowhere and asked me to hop on, the pain suddenly was gone!!!! Mind over matter !!!!!! NO WAY you guys gonna get me on that van and take away my medal and certificate!!! .

I managed to pick up loose pieces of energy to finish in style and glory, cheered by my buddies who we had a meeting especially to team finish the night before . Guys this sentence was repeated purposely .

Only one thing didn't look right!!! How come the car park is already empty . Where are all other cyclist?? Well it was during the dinner and prize giving ceremony when i realised that the first group of riders came in to finish about 5 five hours after starting. Thank god I didn't ask the newspaper and TV people to take my photo finish. Otherwise people will think that I came in to finish so fast and no one was behind me.

Actualy there was only two riders behind me at finish line. So, lets calculate, third person in front of the last rider means I am rightfully THIRD.....................................................LAST . Well, what do you aspect of a fat belly rider .

Thank You Allah Almighty. I shall not be able to even start the race of a lifetime and finish it safely without your protection and blessing. . To share this glory with my wife Nadia and my eldest boy Muhamad Syahrul Nizam the champion and not to forget Kak Ros. They was there all the time to cheer, booo, accompany and cared for me .

Got my certificate and medal, my suffering and agony are now gone and cured ..

A day ride with friends - Manjung Bagan Dato'

2007-08-24T08:20:00.000+08:00

"A tough long haul" perhaps is the best way to describe this 6 hrs 20 min, 155 km ride to Bagan Dato'. Average speed? 24.3 kmh. Well below average speed of our other rides. How come? This time around there was no support vehicle. Only Marshall Fadhil aboard his Yahama Nouvo to carry very light refreshments. So no bananas, roti cream, 100 Plus, Excel isotonic or Power bars for rejuvenation.

Nine riders started at 0725 am. The strong ones darted @ 30 + kmh leaving me behind, far far behind . Well.. I've got 155 km to go don't I. Leaving by Lekir Batu 15, it's time to enjoy the route passing Seberang Perak padi fields. Hmmmmm......the perfect occasion, my way of getting indulged....riding on my bike, being caressed by the cool soothing breeze whilst enjoying the beautiful serene sight of the fields..... compliments and blessing from the Almighty. They have replanted again. Its just amazing to see how fast they can harvest padi today, I remembered those days when it took almost a year for padi to be fully grown for harvesting. Can they make people to reproduce like that in the near future .

First stop was restoran Gulam Rasul about 38 km from starting point, five riders said their good bye leaving behind me self, Zainudin, Wan Ghafar and Zaki. No wonder they dare to go so fast!!!!. He he he sorry guys the glory is for those who finishes the ride . Zaki and Zainudin rode strongly towards Teluk Intan Bridge leaving behind myself and Wan Ghafar for more than 1 km. We finally regroup after the bridge and continued towards the Hutan Melintang Bagan Dato junction.

We reached the junction at half past 10, meaning 60 k covered in 2 hrs, including the half hour break at Gulam Rasul. Well not bad ha . From there The milestone to Bagan Dato' read 28k to go. Just like the weekend ride to Damar Laut lah! Plus minus 1 hour to finish this part, what is that lah! nothing maaaa I said to myself trying hard to instill confidence but what waited for us were very challenging. The morning coolness was gone, the sun began to scorch and began to evaporate the rain puddles on the road, you could sense the hot humid air blowing upwards as you ride, it was like riding in an open air sauna! GASP!!!

It was bloody Hot! energy began to drain quickly. The milestone seemed to deplete very slowly. The long straight road seemed has no end . The sight of the water canal by the side of the road looked like gushing waterfalls, was I going bonkers , well almost. The final kilometer was the longest kilometer in my life. I was like a lost in the dessert who found a water hole upon reaching Bagan Dato' town . The sight of a fruit stall almost made me jump off my bike and grab a huge bite on those sweet water melons.. but i striked gold at the end of the ride. A Stall!! AIR TEBU STALL!!!! It was like your very first buka puasa...Thank You Allah, Thank You.

Soon Zaki, Wan Ghafar and Zainudin joined in. Nobody said much amongst us we were soooo tired but we were entertained by curious onlookers, they must be pensioners, chatting away about the great history of the forgotten Bagan Dato town. Poor folks they claimed the Batu 5 bridge killed the once lively and booming town of Bagan. Cheer up guys, at least you still can be proud of your local famous celebrity, yesss sirrrreee, M Daud Kilau. Hmmm perhaps that explain why some fellas walks a little strange here..... Hey no offence orang Bagan! I couldn't stand the sight of some very rude blokes who kept staring at us as if we were some kind of a runaway fugitives or they are just envious of our fat bellies. After lunch it was mandi, prayers and at the local Masjid. 1 million winks to be exact.

Exactly 2 30 pm we were on the move again this time to Sg Dulang for the river crossing. We reached the river side in half an hour. The sight of the strong river current actually scared me who is supposed to be a fairly seasoned sailor . The crossing confirms the strength of the river current. The boatsman were actually making a course made good about 60 degrees off from the course to steer and still misses the point of arrival. Anyhow, who cares old chap! Bravo Zulu (Navy's jargon for "Well Done") to you. Alhamdullillah, not for long we were on the other side of the river. The boat trip cost RM 10 for five persons + one motorbike and four bicycles. Cheap! Boat's Condition? Well, it has a draft of maybe two feet and a water line of errr lets say, 6 inches .

Hj Fauzi, Zaman and Somedi from Janamanjung were already waiting for us on the other side of the river when we arrived. They also brought refreshments bananas and cool water. We continued from Hujung Rintis to Kota Setia without going through the padi fields again which by now is congested with heavy traffic and cut short the ride back distance almost 30 km. I enjoyed this route as the breeze blew cooling the warm air and enjoyed the scenery again. We stopped frequently to avoid cramps to bulid up. We finally reached home at 1900h and everybody made their way home. Hmmmm although the total ride was in 6 hrs but our resting time was more than 5 hrs . I wonder if we could do much better during Ipoh Century ride.

Manjung Sungai Kelah2 days Ride

2007-08-24T07:48:00.000+08:00

This time i wanna share with you the Manjung - Sg Kelah 261 KM two days ride.

Serene scenery of the padi fields and the wetlands in Seberang Perak all the way to Tapah Road was a common sight upon leaving Kg Lekir. We had to endure fairly strong headwind this part of the journey whilst the fair weather in the morning turned really hot till late afternoon. Lead the group initially but have to ease out to the rear to accompany a dear friend lacking behind after he suffers from a knee pain. I attempted a dash to cope up with the pelotone on the hilly terrains towards Bidor from Tapah but it quickly ended with me having severe cramp in both legs. Here, severe means pain, like the muscle is gonna part off forcefully. Yup! "Ouch a zillion" . Lessons learnt, get yur dose of Oral Re hydration Salt (ORS) before any long haul ride.

The injury took 30 km off my total odometer reading. Well, at least I've finished as the unofficial cameraman for the rest of the ride to Sg Kelah . Sg Kelah Camping session was fun, fun n fun . Good meals including Wan Azri's hot springs boiled eggs treat which was succulent, dipping in the warm soothing hot springs pools till late evening. Not forgetting to mention the free entertainment from the local Felda folks karaokeing like Mawi wannabe until gasp!! 1 am. Managed to SLEEP much much later anyhow....

Detrimental over the cramps I suffered from the day before, I was unsure that I am able to complete the ride home, I've even thought of retiring from the ride early if needed be. The ride home began with manouvers of undulating Sg Kelah exit road until the junction of the old Sungkai-Bidor trunkroad. It was not that bad, sprint on the way down and maintain casual cadance on the way up, soon the hills was over. Hitched on a slipstream behind Hj Wan and Rahman all the way to Bidor. The guys even stopped over to buy some Jambus of which Bidor is famous for. At Bidor my rear wheel struck a nail , soon after mending the puncture I was making way again.

Between Bidor and Teluk Intan, I realised that I was riding alone somewhere between the leading pack and those not far behind. It was really boring and fatigue quickly catches up . Urghhh forcing my mind that I need to catch up with those guys in front I continued to pedal until I finally arrived Teluk Intan. Thank you, Almighty for the cooling weather that had shelthered us up to this point. After the Bridge on the way to Kg Lekir I was in "tandem" with Hj Wan as the sun began to blaze. The sound of the support vehicle moving closely behind tempted me occasionally but my alter ego managed to rule over such thoughts. No! vehicle cuddling this time Zam .

Stopping over Sg Rubanna Mosque I had a good shower and after prayers we had lunch, team spirit began to decay as a few riders went ahead perhaps not wanting to rest for too long or couldn't wait to finish the ride home. Any how some of us managed to regroup and we steadily finished up the remaining ride home in style and no Cramps!! he he he . Thank You Allah for your blessing, protection, safe ride and above all, for everything. Thank you people esp. from Tenaga Nasional Janamanjung, Boustead Naval Shipyard and Royal Malaysian Navy for the company. Sweet and bitter memories to cherish and most importantly the friendship and comradeship we've built. Assalamualaikum.

Cameron Highlands 24 Feb 2007

2007-08-20T22:33:00.000+08:00

A sheer torture. Five hours of pedalling up on the highlands of Cameron. We started not so early on the 24 Feb 2007. The gruelling climb were pitted with hot sun and agony of the groins (x cuse me) not forgetting to mention the short of breath due to the thin air as the elevation rose. My personal achievement was not to board the ever ready TNB rescue lorry up to Tanah Rata but i must admit that I've cuddled it once a while on the very steep slopes.

Thanx also to Che Zainuddin who voluntarily covered a few kilos on my odometer, actually i tahu dia pun dah tak tahan tengok this chubby guy kayuh macam Le Tua racer.... keh keh keh. Giving up at Tanah Rata I had no remorse to see fellow riders dwell on the remaining climb to Brincang a 9000 meters run uphill non stop. The fun doesn't end at Brincang the downhill was maddening and exhilarating. Kata orang "Macam Koling jo... turun bukit pun Kayuh" itu dulu bang, bangsa kita pun dah maju macam depa......... 70 Kmh bro.....Hilang akal ke apa?

It was a memorable ride, fun and I am going to do it again sometime. This time all the to Brincang hopefully. Anybody wants some advice on cycling from Sg Pulai to Tanah Rata or Brincang of Cameron Drop me a line