A few days R&R out of town.

Decided that I needed to get away for a few days, and also wanted to pop across to Singapore for some tattoo touch-ups, so I rode down on the freshly serviced Flying Banana at speeds that we won’t mention - KL to JB in 2 1/2 hours *cough - and stayed at the Sofitel golfing resort that I mentioned in an earlier post.

So relaxing in fact that I ended up extending and staying 5 days, just chilling and watching inept golfers swinging clubs and hitting balls into trees.

Nice place, recommended for a peaceful well run hotel/resort, and reasonably priced, especially if you book through Expedia (which I use for booking everything, worldwide - simply the best and most convenient service on the web IMHO) and a damn sight cheaper than staying anywhere in Singapore itself.

Relaxing view whilst chilling with the morning paper

Nice, spacious rooms

Looking for the balls, LOL!

I am Kurious, Oranj.

Some people assume that I have a favourite colour. I’m not sure what they mean when they say that.

All that glistens is not gold.

Back in the old days, I used to “dabble” in the bullion market, in a small hobbyist way, and was fortunate enough to make a little money. Although when I think of what I was holding at one time, and the prices of gold and platinum today, I could still weep!

I kept a few mementoes though (some under lock and key - not all the gold was liquidated ) and here is one of them - this a one kilogram block of 99.9% pure silver, made in Neuchatel, Switzerland and intended for the jewellery trade. I though of melting it down and minting my own coins, but as that is illegal everywhere except for, probably, the Cayman Islands, I keep it as a reminder, and it makes a damn fine paperweight.

 

On the steps of the cathedral….

I’m so sorry
I know exactly what you mean
Tired of being devilish
Sick of being wicked
Habitual, and untrue
Another starting over
Although it is the ending
I send regards to you
Standing on the steps
Steps of the cathedral
Watch the summer fade
Just trying to get to somewhere
Trying to get just anywhere
And I know it ain’t my day

Mark Lanegan.

Suzi being worked on, whilst owner drools over…

Naza showroom today. Suzi getting an annual service, and a little tweaking.

Owner getting wallet itch and machine envy.

I love orange, even though not really into retro, I could give this a go:

 

 

 

 
Ready for last minute cockpit check: Largactil 5mg, Valium 10mg, Haloperidol 5mg, glass of water:

These are called brakes, and with suspension to match

Next year, next year, I promise - me, if no-one else! *Dreams.

We don’t need no stinkin’ helmets

After my, regrettably brief, trip to JB recently - lots of activities closed due to weather, nature rules all unfortunately - I got back to KL after a blistering ride (hope I didn’t leave you TOO far behind, M - and after disrobing (OK, painfully peeling off the layers of body armour and wetgear, not nice) I realised that my primary motorcycle helmet was, shall we say politely, less than entirely fresh inside.

Fortunately it has a removable lining, so what I usually do is remove all the “coolmax” padding, and wash in the machine. However, this morning, I decided to be more extreme, and wrapped the whole helmet in it’s neat carrying bag and stuck the whole thing into the washing machine. Cue horrors from Mrs. S. - “Are you sure that’s wise, won’t it scratch, break or get damaged?” - Fah, I replied, worth taking the risk. Set the machine to gentle Eco cycle anyway (same as I use for her bras which are equally sensitive to extreme washes, LOL) - and came back 30 minutes later to find a perfectly polished helmet (stop laughing in the back there, please!) with a fresh, and freshly conditioned, interior, all ready for my next road trip which will be in a few weeks, I hope.

Technology = wonderful sometimes.

Wonder if I can sell the slogan to Samsung - “Doesn’t just freshen your clothes, polishes your helmet to a gleaming finish at the same time?”

Perhaps not. But saves me doing it manually in the future.

I *hate* golf.

I bow to no-one, no-one, in my utter despair at those that either play golf endlessly, thinking that it is a sport, or those that watch the “game” on TV for hour after endless hour, or, as in most people I know who are hooked by the addiction of smacking little white balls into the bush, and then driving round in dinky electric carts looking for them, doing both.

I have people that I would still call friends, despite their obviously incurable affliction (fortunately not contagious, however hard they try to convert you - and they do!) who will rise early, “get a few rounds in” before it gets too hot/rains, then spend the evening watching some asinine contest of similarly minded, but professionally overpaid, people do the same, whilst totally absorbed in the minutiae of whether that stroke was “a bit off” or “curving over to the left” or whatever nonsense they utter. This does not make for socially entertaining evenings, friends. I don’t give a fuck if it is the “Masters” or whatever Tiger is doing (which seems to be winning, mainly - so…what, exactly?)

Therefore I offer this link (Ha, so subtle pun….lol) for those like minded souls.

Oh, and if anyone needs me over the next few days, I will be staying at a *golf resort* for reasons that escape even me. What I do to accommodate others….

How much can you hate golf on TV? 

I can walk away from the TV for an hour, do something constructive, return, and the scoremight have changed by one shot (it’s actually called a “stroke” but I don’t want to go out of my way to invite crass comments). 

But this weekend it’s Tiger Woods (#1) vs. Vijay Singh (#2). As of the end of the day on Friday Tiger led Vijay by one shot. This is the one on one matchup we have waited for all year. 

And as far as it being a boring sport, if you don’t play it don’t bother reading any further. Seriously, just stop right now. If you read any more I assume you want to hear my opinion on why golf is exciting. 

Take a high scoring game like basketball. Two or three hours, maybe 100 points scored on each side, and if you’re lucky it goes into overtime and one team wins by one or two points. 

Now look at golf. Four 18 hole rounds over four days. Each round takes four hours to play - sixteen hours of play for each player. 

Of course you don’t watch all sixteen hours (I don’t even watch sixteen hours), but then you come down to the final round on Sunday. By the time it comes on TV there are only two or three hours left (much like a basketball game, except that someone already has a two or three shot lead). 

Now let’s translate basketball “points” into golf “strokes”. A basketball game, as we observed, is won with about 100 points with a margin of victory of about 5 points. A golf tournament is won with about 270 shots with a margin of victory of 1-3 shots. The margin of victory often comes down to the last two or three holes. And it’s not just two teams, its 70 individuals. 

If you don’t like golf you should have taken my advice and stopped reading when I told you to. If you read this far you know why I think golf is more exciting than chess or watching paint dry. 

I should have mentioned, televised golf is much better if you have an ample supply of alcoholic beverages. 

Next installment - Golf playoffs! Extra holes equals more liquor!

We’ll move to Australia, because you are too stupid….

Taken, unashamedly, from Patrick Teoh’s blog - click the title if you want to read it in the original. And you should, which is why I have left it in small type, Teoh deserves the hits for raising this, but at least everyone who has an interest MUST read it, here or there.

Disclosure: I am married to a Malaysian. A *Malay* Malaysian, and she will be the first one to move to Australia or even back to England if this kind of stupidity persists. As Teoh says WTF? - one can only hope that this is a isolated, if maladroit, publicity attempt, and not the beginning of some thing sinister. Because if it is anything else, then to misquote a phrase “goodbye, and thanks for all the Nasi Lemak.” Fucking Morons. We British should have never given you the place back, or “protected” you from the so-called communists, if you are going to be this retarded

Saturday, 12 April 2008

Tengku Faris: Non-Malays should not seek equality       (Malaysiakini) Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra said today that Malays had been coerced into giving non-Malays citizenship and the latter should therefore not seek equality or special treatment. He said this during his keynote speech at a forum titled “Malay unity is the core of national unity” organised by the newly formed Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu in Kuala Lumpur today.       Speaking to a crowd of about 1,000 people, Tengku Faris said the Malay rulers would be an umbrella to foster unity among all Malaysians, based on the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara. “Therefore, the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for the giving in of citizenship (beri-paksa kerakyatan) to 2.7 million non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation. “Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges,” said Tengku Faris, who read from a 11-page prepared text. However, the crown prince stressed that in an effort to unite the Malays, non-Malays also have rights that must be protected, such as in areas of religion. As an example, Tengku Faris said non-Malays are allowed to practice their respective religions in peace. They must however do so in accordance with the law and “not be provocative towards Islam”. “The Malay rulers are the head of the Islamic religion and Malaysia is a Islamic country (negara Islam), not secular. We have our own formula (as a country) which is different from others,” he added, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd. ‘Dominance’ He added that the effort to instil Malay unity and defend Malay special rights does not mean that other races would be ignored. “In fact, if Malay rights and special privileges are taken care of and is not disturbed, it would ensure national harmony. It does not just benefit the Malays but all ethnic groups,” he said. In his speech, Tengku Raris said the 12th General Election results have shown that the Malays are being “challenged” and thus Malays unity is of the outmost priority. “The election results have shown that the Malays are disunited and facing other ethnic groups who are more dominant politically and economically,” he said. As the constitution provides that the Malays are the natives (penduduk asal) of Malaysia, Tengku Faris said every Malay must defend the constitution and Islam and this can only be achieved through Malay unity. “We have to make an effort to unite. Don’t spilt up. Avoid polemics that can distance us. Ideology (and) having different interpretations does not contribute to Malay unity. “Discussing about polemics such as Islamic state, secular state, welfare state… Confuses the people… Resulting from this confusion, Malays are becoming more disillusioned,” he added. Somebody please tell me that this a belated April Fool’s joke. Tell me that I am stupid and have completely misread the Crown Prince’s meaning. Tell me that this is just a nightmare. Tell me anything except that the speech was actually made in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, my country, my homeland. Tell me that the people there didn’t actually cheer when the prince said “The Malay rulers are the head of the Islamic religion and Malaysia is a Islamic country (negara Islam), not secular. We have our own formula (as a country) which is different from others.” I am only comforted by the knowledge that the crowd numbered maybe 1 thousand only and that this is another UMNO/BN spin. I am appalled by how the prince could be made use of in such a way. In a calmer moment I know this is planned trickery by sore losers. Stir up the other races against the Muslim Malays. Then come out and champion the Muslim Malay “cause”. We, the Malaysian Rakyat of 2008 are not stupid! BE STRONG. DO NOT LET THEM PULL US INTO THIS OBVIOUS TRAP. WE ARE NOT MALAYS AND NON-MALAYS. MUSLIMS. CHRISTIANS, HINDUS, BUDDHISTS. WE ARE MALAYSIANS ONE AND ALL.

Go here and read the original Malaysia Today post and comments.

NIAMAH!!! ISN’T STRONG ENOUGH TODAY…

WHAT THE FUCK!!!!

The most boring place on Earth?

This goes back to an old survey done by the BBC back in 2001. Can’t think where I found the link, but some of the comments are amusing. I seem to think somewhere in Canada (Edmonton?) came first, closely followed by Singapore. Heh!

Singapore is the most boring place on earth. No life, no individuality, no fun… BORING!!! 
David Thomas, Australia

Singapore is ok. Australia is boring, big and empty 
Stephen Bradley, UK

Most people in Singapore have no real political or social opinions, and some even require the government’s assistance in getting a date for a Saturday night, let alone just trying to meet someone. Everyone is too busy worrying (or scared) about what everyone else thinks about them, and neglect their own unique individuality and their expressions. Although it’s great that crime is under control and the country is very pretty and litter-free, it just feels like the citizens are living within a sterile and clinical bubble-dome. 
Alyssa-Ann, Australia

I’ve been to Basingstoke, Bracknell, Luton, Bedford and Milton Keynes in the past few years (what does that say about my life?!). Having moved to Malaysia, I expected Kuala Lumpur to be a bit more cosmopolitan. Nope. Kuala Lumpur could be twinned with Milton Keynes. There are hardly any buildings here that are more than 10 years old (with more being built every day), an incomprehensible road network, and countless numbers of soulless shopping complexes. Come back Bedford et al - all is forgiven! 
Steve Scott,Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -  ( LOL@this. My Mother comes from Luton, I have relatives in Bedford, and friends that I used to visit regularly in Milton Keynes. There is more than a grain of truth in this comment, on many levels. Grant S. )

If Singapore is as boring as some people think, why are there more than a million foreigners from all over the world working in this small country of only 3 million people? In contrast, Darwin attracts no foreigners because it is such a boring, boring place. 
Freddie Tan, Singapore

Nothing wrong with Singapore - plenty of fun to be had if you know where to look. Try Brunei or Kuwait if you’re after real boredom! 
Richard Bottomley,UK

Singapore most definitely. Its citizens need to be reminded to ’smile’ from government campaigns. 
Zac, Singapore

I’m surprised that a few people have named Singapore as being boring. I lived in Singapore for over five years and found it quite the opposite. It has an abundance of 24 hour night-clubs and live bands. The only thing, which I found boring apart from the political aspect of the country, were some of the expats, who refused to mix with the local people and experience the different cultures of S.E.A. I think that these expats might be the ones who are inclined to say Singapore is boring. There is life outside your condominiums and expat clubs, you just need to participate in the real world! 
Julian, Australia (Welsh expat)

Our (Singapore) fair country rates lowly among the courteous cities of this world (bottom ten leh!) only because in our First World nation with First World amenities, doors open and close themselves and most public toilets have automatic flushes.

We don’t need to be courteous! We have machines to be courteous on our behalf! Serious! You’ve been spoken to by those very courteous talking lifts which very kindly not only tell you what floor your lift has stopped at, they also tell you if the door is opening or closing.

So misleading, these surveys.

The Most Courteous Cities
1 New York, USA 80 per cent
2 Zurich, Switzerland 77 per cent
3 Toronto, Canada 70 per cent
4 Berlin, Germany 68 per cent
San Paulo, Brazil 68 per cent
Zagreb, Croatia 68 per cent
7 Auckland, New Zealand 67 per cent
Warsaw, Poland 67 per cent
9 Mexico City, Mexico 65 per cent
10 Stockholm, Sweden 63 per cent
11 Budapest, Hungary 60 per cent
Madrid, Spain 60 per cent
Prague, Czech Republic 60 per cent
Vienna, Austria 60 per cent
15 Buenos Aires, Argentina 57 per cent
Johannesburg, SA 57 per cent
Lisbon, Portugal 57 per cent
London, UK 57 per cent
Paris, France 57 per cent

The Least Courteous Cities
20 Amsterdam, Netherlands 52 per cent
21 Helsinki, Finland 48 per cent
Manila, Philippines 48 per cent
23 Milan, Italy 47 per cent
Sydney, Australia 47 per cent
25 Bangkok, Thailand 45 per cent
Hong Kong 45 per cent
Ljubljana, Slovenia 45 per cent
28 Jakarta, Indonesia 43 per cent
29 Taipei, Taiwan 43 per cent
30 Moscow, Russia 42 per cent
31 Singapore 42 per cent
32 Seoul, South Korea 40 per cent
33 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 37 per cent
34 Bucharest, Romania 35 per cent
35 Mumbai, India 32 per cent

Well, it still beat KL, which comes as no surprise to some of us

 

Random pics number 45

Sunday Roast Lamb. Cafe Libre.