Back from Nippon, Off To Kallang

Wah. Japan rocks.

Its a clean and beautiful city with lots of pretty cute things to see, and buy, along with lots of pretty people to watch, as they mull about their daily lives.

Unfortunately, with 2 kids in tow, plus all their kiddish necessities, plus a pram, Japan can become a bit daunting. (Lack of disability access) Not to mention its impossible to take pictures when you have your niece glued to your hand.

All in all, Japan was interesting and lovely, but somewhat uneventful. If i were to go there again, I would go with friends, cos my nieces were hard to manage, especially since they missed their dad, who was there with us, but on business.

But there was one redeeming quality about Japan. Bicycles and their parts are cheaper than what's found locally!!!

Hoho. I bought a hand-made carbon fiber handlebar, a Specialized Pinner 2.3' Kevlar tyre, a Specialized Instinct helmet and a Scott MTB lightweight saddle.

Ahh. I was in heaven when I saw this sports shopping complex that devoted an entire level to bikes. Wooot!

Yes, I'm still obsessed with my bike. The first thing i did when I came back was to check on it.... and to see whether my newly acquired upgrades could fit the bike.

Thereafter, it was labour day... I went to Tamp MTB park. Yep, just before I went to Japan, I scraped my knee damn badly, and it was a pain in the arse to heal, cos I had to walk a lot and get into all the Disneyland rides with my nieces, so the scabby healing layer kept tearing everytime I bent my knee.

But back to the park. I went there with the usual kakis. Isyraf and Muhd. Isyraf graciously gave me his elbow and knee guards he used for his motorbike lessons. I think the main reason why I've been falling so much is because I'm scared of falling even more. And guess what, the pads, plus my helmet made me feel so secure I was back to my previous self, with even more confidence and speed than ever before.

I think from now on, I'm going to wear full protective gear. I won't get hurt as badly if I do fall, and its given me my confidence that I've cumutively lost throughout my many many falls.

Then on sat morning, I went cycling with Audrey. It was shiok to be back on the flat terrain of tarmac. We had a great time, we cycled from Loyang Point to Kallang Leisure park. It was my first time there, and wow, that place was cool. It wasn't crowded, and there's a nice tenant mix to choose from after a long bike ride. We went for a pitstop at coffee bean... And I must say, after nearly a year of not going there to chill out, (since the time Siu Sing and Isyraf were crazy about the limted honeydew ice blended) coffee bean hasn't lost its laidback, pleasant corporate Starbucks-y charm.

We took a few pics (blogger's giving me problems, so no pics) and we swapped bikes. Audrey's bike was a full-suspension bike. But it was a heartland bike, so it was heavy. I think my legs got one heck of a workout just from the journey back. Haha.

Then, we HAD to make a stop at White Sands cos somebody punctured Audrey's bike tyre with his riding. (Don't look at me. Ok la, its me.) lol.

While the guy was fixing Aud's bike, we went to eat KFC. Its something every growing cyclist needs after a long bike ride. Haha. Then, out of the blue, she decided to get a bike.

Hoho. There's nothing I love more than to haggle with Mr Tay, the bike shop owner. We got a good price for it, and now Aud's the proud new owner of a GT Outpost 2008. I'm sure my old Aggressor would be happy to meet her.

After that, we went back, and I prepared for the next day. Go see Audrey's blog, she posted a pic of her new bike.

UBIN!!!

To put things simply, cos I'm getting sleepy, I conquered the stupid slope that made me flip over and nearly break a rib. Haha. I went the whole trail with my Elbow and knee guards, plus my helmet and backpack. I looked like I was going for some rescue mission. lol. Rescue mission not to fall and break a rib.

After that. I met up with Aud to collect her Outpost. Man, witnessing her expression was so heartwarming. The bond between man (or woman, in this case) and bike is simply touching. I too remember the feeling I had when I got my Aggressor. Simply indescribable, like McGriddles, which are sinfully delicious... MMMMM. But I digress.

To end this post off, I just want to tell you readers that I am going to do the impossible. I'm joining a sports event!! Haha. Never in my life would I have thought that I would be joining a sports event out of my own free will.

I'm joining the NTU bike rally 2008 with Audrey and her Outpost. The route is from East Coast to NTU and back. So it'll be around 128km excluding the return journey from home to east coast.

At first, I thought the event would be a disaster for me. The distance is not that bad la, considering that on Sunday alone, I covered 38km just from the few hours at Ubin. The terrain is not as bad as Ubin, so its alright, but I cannot stand roadies and their 5kg bikes.. Their thin tyres and carbon fiber frames are a disgrace to bikes. Yes, they go fast, but they can't even go down a road curb without breaking into a million pieces.

Haha. But thankfully, according to one road biker's blog, last year's event average speed was about 20km/h. Which is very doable, and highly sustainable.

Ah, I have more to update, but I'm too sleepy. So goodnight folks, and if any of you want to join me on the trail or on the pavements, just give me a call.