I have been in conversation with him about folding bikes. He owned a mountain bike before but wanted to get a foldie. He researched Brompton, Dahon, Vert, Jazz and other foldable bikes and went to the bicycle shops to examine. His conclusion is that the Ubike is the best value bike in Singapore at the moment.
Brompton and its long tradition was certainly an attractive option. However he is one who is not into brands and will look at comparisons with an objective eye. He finally bought a Ubike citizen selling at SGD$980 for one main reason: it gives him the best value for the buck.
For one thing he found the Taiwan manufacturer is a tried and tested maker of durable bikes for many cities in Europe. This is their foray into foldable bikes and they won an award for design. The parts are Shimano and can be easily upgraded or replaced, unlike the proprietary Brompton. It came with mud guards and a rear rack. It has over 20 gear shifts. It’s frame is aluminium and when folded it can be pushed like a wheel barrow. Best of all you can actually buy 3 Ubikes for the price of one Brompton.
Sek Hong and me at the Promenade
So when Sek Hong bought the bike I was eager to have a look and try it out. He came over from Holland Road and from my place in Jurong we cycled to the Jurong Lake Park Connector. I showed him the promenade, the fountain, passed by the entrances to the Chinese Garden and the Japanese Garden, and passed the view of the Jurong Country Club golf course.
At the end of the one way route, I tried out his bike. The bike aesthetics were good: paint, colour, the frame, the handlebars and tyres. The ride was smooth, effortless and quiet. There is no suspension but for recreational riding on the park connectors this does not pose a problem at all.
He was bowled over by the scenic and breezy ride. “I don’t know why you bother to ride the Ulu Pandan PCN when you have such a pleasant ride here.” “Yes there is no need to, but I do it for variety and to eat at Ghim Moh or Teban Gardens.”
The Sabah earthquake and the tremble of mighty Mt Kinabalu shocked and struck many chords within me. I love trekking that mountain. As a pastor I have led three church groups (20-40 members each time), of young people and families mainly from eleven years old to over fifty. To hear of news of the Sabah quake and the deaths of young climbers aged 12, and teachers of Tanjong Katong Primary School is deeply sad and disturbing. I was a teacher before, and I am a parent too, and I understand to some extent a parent’s heartbreak for I have lost a child before.
The pointing of fingers have started. People blaming the “angmohs” for disrespectfully posing naked and peeing on the sacred mountain and invoking the wrath of the gods. People blaming the school, the Ministry of Education and impersonal policies and decision making processes. Parents blaming each other and themselves. This is not the time for all these. Not the time.
Writer Ovidia Yu posted this in her Facebook:
So long as we live, they too shall live,
For they are now a part of us,
As we remember them.
Poet, writer, artist, social commentator Gwee Li Sui posted a haiku on Facebook:
Haiku to the Sabah Quake Victims
———-
As you sought to reach
the sky, it rained down boulders.
Nature has wronged you.
A church member Cynthia Koe posted in her Facebook:
In times like this it is not about what to say but what should not be said.
A time like this is a feel moment not a word moment. A listening moment not an encouraging moment.
Mourning takes time and a hand to hold not a ” aww, it is ok” hug time. Let them share their loved ones’ stories and lets hear with tears as they say their last goodbyes.
What she said is true and it inspired me to write a Haiku on my Facebook account:
Not the time for blame
But for tears and holding hands
For grief to mend hearts
So it was good that the Tanjong Katong Primary School opened it grounds for its school community to grieve.
It was good that the Ministry of Education mobilized its counselors to help survivors and classmates of the departed to grieve and process the trauma.
It was good that the government declared a day of mourning today: flags flown at half-mast, a minute of silence at all South East Asia Games venue before the start of events.
We need to pray for TKGS and all the bereaved families. It will be very very painful for them in the coming months. No, years.
RIP: Fellow Singaporean hikers who lost their lives in Sabah quake
Pastor Richard Wong posing with his Brompton and with Chinese Garden in the background
It began with a dream. Pastor Richard Wong of Singapore Canaan Christian Church messaged me that he had a dream that both of us cycled together on 11 May when his wife was away on vacation. My reply to his interesting dream was, Why not? 11 May would be a Monday and I had my day off every Monday. We arranged to meet at 7am at the Chinese Garden MRT taxi stand.
From his home in Potong Pasir, he took a cab with his Brompton foldable bicycle in the boot. For him it was a journey to the west. He arrived too early at 6.30am and had to wait. On the other hand my home was a 5 minutes ride away. Once we met we were on our way to a whole day of riding under the sun, and fellowship in the Lord.
At jetty of Jurong Lake PCN
Since Richard came all the way at some cost, I felt I must show him all the lovely park connectors (PCN) linked with Jurong East. The first PCN I took him on was the Jurong Lake PCN, a return trip of about 10 kilometres. There were many scenic spots for nice photographs and we took time to pose and shoot. He was quite impressed.
Next in my plan was breakfast, and I led him to Teban Gardens, to a coffeeshop next to the hawker centre. This coffee shop served good coffee and had a Malay stall that sold fragrant nasi lemak and a popular 50 cents curry puff. The coffee shop also had an Indian stall popular for their roti prata and their nasi beriyani. We had a leisurely breakfast and chatted about things I now cannot recall. Thumbs up to the breakfast and we moved off to link up to the next park connector.
Enjoying breakfast at Teban gardens coffee shop
We rode up a beautiful and well designed bicycle overpass that connected the Teban Garden estate PCN to the Ulu Pandan PCN. The bitumen overpass was built with beautiful steel railings and with a comfortable gradual gradient without any bumps. No expense was spared to make it aesthetically impressive and functionally efficient. Richard remarked that the authorities built a lovely bicycle overpass. I agreed wholeheartedly.
Ulu Pandan PCN
The Ulu Pandan PCN was a straightforward bicycle and joggers trail and by the mid-morning time that we used it, we were under the hot sun. We rode hard and we rode fast most of the time until we reached the Ghim Moh temporary hawker centre. What relief it was to be out of the sun and to have a cold soya bean drink. Had a leisurely chat. Soon we were riding hard and fast to the Bukit Batok PCN with the objective of seeing Little Guilin.
This time we switched bikes. I rode his Brompton, the “BMW” of foldable bikes, and he rode my Cronus Earl 3.0. Bikes have their distinct voice as the wheels turned. The rider may not be able to hear it clearly, but is able to hear other riders’ bike humming by. My bike that he rode does not have a nice voice. It sounded cranky, like it had some loose nuts and bolts that needed tightening. Earlier when he rode the Brompton, I could hear the click click click of his wheels: the sound of British engineering.
At Little Guilin in Bukit GombakWaiting for the MRT at Gombak station
By the time we reached Little Guilin the sun was overhead and the sunlight was too harsh for photography but we managed to redeem our photos with editing tools.
Inside the first coach of MRT train with foldable
We were punctured by then and we decided to take the MRT from Gombak, which was next to Little Guilin, to the Jurong East MRT. Neither of us have used the MRT with our folding bikes. There are a few conditions for riding the MRT with a “foldie”. First, it must be outside peak hours, from 9.30am to 4.30am. Next, your foldie must be within the stipulated size. Next, you have to use the elevator and enter the first or last coach. This would be a first for us, and I entered in first, as my bike looked bulkier. If I was turned away, we could cycle back together. As it turned out it was no bother and we located the lift and used the first coach. What a liberating experience.
We ended in Jurong East MRT for lunch. Lunch was Redhill fishball noodles at the Isetan supermarket food porch. After that he visited my home for coffee. It was a satisfying day. We made Pastor Richard’s dream come true.
The view from across the barrage. Eric and me at the Marina barrageCentral business district in the background.On a bridge with the Merlion behind
It was 7.45 am. We folded the two bikes, one a Tern Link, the other a Cronus Earl 3.0 onto the Daihatsu. The back seat had to be folded to put the two foldies in. My neighbour drove to Marina Barrage. From there we rode off all around the Marina Barrage and the reservoir in front of the city skyline. It was a stunning, beautiful and pleasant ride. It was a sunny day but a light breeze made it pleasant and I got so caught up with the panoramic views and ease of biking around that I forgot about the sun. At the end of it all we ate roti prata at the hawker center near the barrage. It had been a good three hours and a half. What a stimulating day! For this reason, I bought foldable bicycles.
View of CDBMet other Christians and tried out a Brompton owned by one of them
On November 25th,2014 we took a train to Ogata station. From there we took a taxi to the Harajiri Falls. These waterfalls are known more to locals in the region. They are not a major tourist attraction, but Japanese people would be aware of it. Near the falls are restaurants and supermarkets and shops. There were no lockers so we rolled our luggage a hundred metres to the site. Susan volunteered to look after the luggage and it became picture taking galore at the falls. Lunch was tender and delicious beef at a reasonable price which I cannot recall.
Beautiful Harajiri waterfallsThe view from further awayCross over to the other sideA closer view from the west after crossing the bridgeLovely autumn foliage along the slopes and cliffsFather and daughter combo. Photo by KhoonBeef lunch. Photo by Khoon
We then had to return by taxi to the train station to Beppu, to Sun Valley Hotel. Dinner there was a 100 yen sushi restaurant that was again so cheap and good. The Singapore dollar has strengthened against (SGD$1 – 97yen) at that time and we rejoiced in it. You pay less there for better quality Japanese food than what you pay for in Singapore.
Filling up the tank, piling up the plates. Photo by KhoonNever ate so much delicious eel before
Volcanic sand baths and ponds
The next morning we went to the famous sand baths. We wanted to lie buried in the enriched volcanic sands and arise a few years younger and with smoother skin. However it was not to be. When we arrived at the place it was closed. They were soaking the sands for maintenance. So with time to spare we stumbled into a large second hand shop along the road on the way back. Everybody bought something: shoes, bags, jackets, handbags, belts, etc. Japanese people love to conform to the latest fashion. Their fashion changes so quickly that before their stuff were more than six months old they were already into the next new thing and they sold their still new “out-of-fashion stuff”, which landed in places like the one we entered.
Waiting for the second hand shop to open. Photo by Khoon.Routine security check. Photo by Khoon.
Then we used a one day bus pass to travel to Kannawa and Chinoike vocanic ponds. Nothing exciting in particular. Interesting but it was a wet day and we were beginning to feel tired. We later headed for the Yufuin hostel to retire for the night.
It was wet at the volcanic ponds - reddish brown hot water and mudNearer the bloody and steaming pondSoaking the feet in hot spring waterThe rainbow after the gentle rainThe night view from the homely hostelDaniel and Jacob relaxing before dinnerDinner at the hostelOutside the hostel in the morning
