Round island ride?

It's 5 am and I thought to myself. I will cycle round the island this morning. By the time I geared up and prepared for the ride, it was already 30 past 6. No matter, as I still wanted to make the ride. So I set off from my house and rode down along the JE and Gurney Drive. McD was beckoning to me with its breakfast spread but it wasn't the time yet to reward myself this way. So I plodded on up through Tg Tokong, Tg Bungah and finally Batu Ferringhi. The road was clear, thank God for that. This was about the only other time I had ridden on this route. The first was when I joined in the Ride with CM event held last year. Back then, we were flagged off from Esplanade or Padang Kota at about 7.30am and we (Ang, Sue & I) managed to complete the ride to Teluk Bahang village and back in about 5 hours. Not bad for a first timer right?

This time around, my times were much more improved. Upon reaching the village, the thought did cross my mind to load up on energy food...yeahhh it's breakfast time. I think it was about 8 when I slowed down at the roundabout but the thought of an oily char koay teow or spicy hokkien mee (har mee if u come from KL)changed my mind. I continued in the direction of Balik Pulau.

My deraileur began making squeeky noises each time i tried shifting into 2nd gear and the crank also kept making funny squishing sounds with each stride I took. The sight of a calm lake in the morning is priceless. Water level was severely low which left me wondering when the caretakers of the dam would sound the alarm? We take water for granted cos its in abundance, they are cheap but the next time before you let the water run, do ponder for a while..work with Mother Nature before she changes her mind and work against you.

I hadn't brought along my camera on this trip so no pictures this time..:( When it was time to head back, I reluctantly got on my bike to start the descent. Going downhill was simply great and within a matter of seconds I reached the base. Downhill is easy and I would love to do it all again and again but when you think of the long hard climb back up, you'll soon settle for that just one time experience hehehe.

Passing the roundabout reminded me that I hadn't had anything to eat yet but I decided not to stop and paddled on. One thing I realized from cycling is that often when we meet another cyclist on the road it is quite common to acknowledge each other with a simple nod or sometimes a thumbs up. And we do this not knowing who the other rider is. Cycling culture? I often wonder why we don't extend the same when we are back behind the wheel ya.

By the time I reached Island Plaza my stomach was growling, pleading for solid food. Soon my eyes were darting left to right and back for a road side coffee shop. One that I could be near my bike and yet serve decent food. I found none! Taking a left turn into Argyll Road (yeah..I broke the law by going into a one way street)I was hoping to dine at Yue Lai Cafe but aiyooooo....close laaa. No worries...I cycled into Hutton Lane and just when I was about to give up and head for home, I came across Kong Thai Lai "kopi tiam".

This must be that quaint coffee shop that was frequented by the late Tan Sri Loh. I've heard about this place many times but when you drive, you'd hardly give it a second thought and just drive by. This time I was on 2 wheels ..yayyy!...breakfast here I come. I found an empty table just on the sidewalk and I could just parked my bike next to it. Perfect! Before I could settle down, I was greeted my a lady. Yeah I said lady 'cos she was so polite and she exudes warmth as a mother would to a son. For a moment I had forgotten that I wasn't at home :).

I ordered my breakfast and guess what. I had a soft boiled egg which came in a tiny cute glass, you know the ones that usually come with gin or vodka shot? Then I had 2 fairly thick toasted bread with kaya and a cup of " Milo-O-mai-liao-juak" ... all for only RM3.30 only. I can't even get a decent cuppa with that price at Old Towns. The other patrons seemed like regulars...all men..retired I'm sure and were lamenting about the high prices of market produce these days. One of them held up a fish which he just bought from the wet market just to prove a point. Something fishy is going on there. Well, time for me to leave.

I snapped a few photos and I was off. With that nice warm breakfast in me, I felt totally energized. All along the way up and down, I came across motorcars, buses and bikes. I would dare say that I was quite fortunate the most of the drivers I encountered, actually gave way to me. There were no Rela members stationed at junctions to give us VIP passage this time around. Does this mean that drivers today are more considerate? maybe but sadly I was more fearful of motorcycles than bigger vehicles simply because the former would ride by close to me. Too close for comfort if you asked me.




I arrived back home at exactly 4 hours later and I'm already thinking about my next ride :)

I am ashamed....

I believe this article when it appeared in the local daily, ( I read it in The Star) would have caught the attention of most people. A young man of 27 years crippled by cancer, a deadly disease often overlook by many because it is unseen until it is too late. Melvin Tong is making his mission to fight, not for his own cause but for the cause of every child in this world, be they with or without parents.

And that he did. Melvin conquered Mt Kinabalu even with his disability but he didn't see it that way. Melvin saw it as a challenge. He saw it as just one of life's hurdles that he needed to clear...maybe one more than the guy next door.

I am ashamed as I reflect upon myself. I have been blessed with a healthy body by the Lord and yet I have not accomplish anything comparable to what Melvin has done. His selfless act has brought greater awareness to other people, people like me. It suddenly dawned on me that in my 43 years of existence, I have nothing real to show for in my life. Yeah, I have been always kind and compassionate for the weak, always, well more often looking out for my staff's interest to the best of my ability but yet really, nothing any ordinary guy would do. It is never too late to make something out of my life now. Thats when i received a special request in the mail (the real one, not the internet) appealing for donation, which brings me to my next entry....For Grace & ....