Orangeous Dailies

Been busy over the past 2 weeks but I’ll catch up on the posts this weekend.

Fastest shoe on the planet unveiled by the MFCEO of K-Swiss.

Met up with Alvin and Marie for dinner at Thai Accent.

This time, we received a wedding invitation card. Congratulations Alvin and Marie!

(From left) Marie, Alvin, me and Jessie.

Jessie sitting on it.

The new motorcycle didn’t come with the girl. The girl came before the motorcycle. :)

Bought a 2nd-hand SYM GTS 200 today. 9 months old and the mileage was only 4000 km. The owner was a really nice guy who was going overseas for a long-term project and had to let it go very fast. The only condition was a cash-only transaction.

There were a couple of modifications which were made to the motorcycle, which he explained and I forgot about it shortly after because I was too excited about bringing it out for a spin. I guess I’ll ask a mechanic when I see one.

Nolan N103 helmet.

Bought the Nolan N103 modular helmet for $320 from Powerstar Motor. Apparently the lady there ripped me off a good $60. Found out after I bumped into a salesman from Regina Specialties (opposite Powerstar Motor) who was selling the exact same model for only $260. I should have asked around before making a hasty purchase. Nevertheless, I won’t go back there again to get Jessie’s helmet.

Been riding around wearing N103 for a while now. Can’t really feel the air going into the helmet and it gets really hot inside. The N103 is really heavy for a helmet (i.e. 1.8 to 1.9kg) and the strain gets to the neck after long rides. Despite the heat and the weight, the helmet is surprisingly comfortable and fits perfectly.

I think I probably do not need a modular helmet since I rarely flip the chin guard up. I either wear it or take it off. Not really worth the excess weight for the modular type.

Still, I find comfort in wearing any full-face helmet. Don’t really want to risk smashing my jaw into the ground during an accident.

Braun Buffel key holder from Jessie.

Thank you my dear Jessie for the key holder! Happy Valentines Day and many more to come!

BBQ at Dakota Residences.

Jessie, Katherine and Florida.

(From left) Katherine, Jun Wee, Florida, June and Jessie.

Jun Wee and June.

June brought along prawns which he drowned in undiluted vodka.

Prawns soaked in undiluted vodka.

I managed to obtain my Class 2B motorcycle license today morning at Comfort Driving Centre. Barely, with 18 demerit points and no more mistakes to spare. Here’s a short write-up of my journey to obtain a Class 2B motorcycle license.

The Journey

23 May 2011: Signed up for Class 2B lessons at Comfort Driving Centre. Obtained my Training Record Book. Bought my knee and elbow pads over the counter, and gloves somewhere else. These items were compulsory for every lesson.

23 July 2011: Practical Orientation.

23 July, 30 July, 6 August 2011: Practical 1.

13 August, 14 August 2011: Practical 2.

20 August, 21 August, 28 August 2011: Practical 3.

3 September, 4 September 2011: Practical 4.

Practical Lesson 5: Circuit Evaluation
10,17 September 2011: Revision.
19 September 2011: 28 Demerit Points, 1 Immediate Failure (Failed)
24 September 2011: 20 Demerit Points (Failed)
25 September 2011: 16 Demerit Points, 1 Immediate Failure (Failed)
1 October 2011: 18 Demerit Points, 2 Immediate Failures (Failed)
2 October 2011: 6 Demerit Points (Passed)

7 October, 8 October 2011: Practical 6.

15 October, 22 October 2011: Practical 7.

Practical Lesson 8: Final Evaluation (Both circuit and road)
5 November 2011: Circuit Revision.
12 November 2011: Road revision
12 November 2011: 16 Demerit Points (Passed)

Booked Traffic Police test date immediately, which was on 8 February 2011. An astonishing three months away!

Somewhere in between: Defensive Riding Theory. 6 hours of sitting there watching motorcycle safety videos, instructors reading presentation slides and sharing horror stories about accidents.

8,14,20 January, 4 February 2012: Road revision.
5 February 2012: Circuit Revision.

8 February 2012: Traffic Police Test Day.

Arrived at 7.15am for warmup. Assembled at the motorcycle training area. There were 49 participants in total. Each person was assigned a grey numbered vest. The numbering sequence was foreigners first, followed by age in descending order. Mine was “20 – ON TEST”. We were allowed to for one round of the circuit as a warm up. After which we were briefed at the training shed on the circuit and route (e.g. where to check your blind spot and where to turn). Once we were in the training shed, we were not allowed to bring our vest along to us when we needed to use the toilet. We had to hang the vests on railings. When the test started at 9.30 a.m., which was after bus-lane timings, permission from the tester was required for toilet breaks.

One by one, our numbers were called out and we walked to our motorcycles and rode it to the starting point. Only one person will be released at a time (probably at 2 minute intervals), hence there was no need to worry about having to queue for each station. I cleared the circuit and proceeded to route no. 1 before heading back to the training shed. After parking our motorcycles, we were told to report in a room on the third floor at 11.15 a.m. By 11.40 a.m., everyone was in the room. The testers started announcing numbers in batches of five. The people tagged to the numbers had to leave the room, which meant they had failed.

It was pretty nerve wrecking. Everyone kept quiet and there was serious tension in the air. The tester walked into the room, yelled “16,17,18,19″ and left the room immediately. While four got up to leave, I smiled to myself because my number, 20, was not amongst the batch of five.

At the end of the session, 32 had failed and there were 17 of us in the room. Everyone in the room burst out into loud cheers and high fives. We watched a short video on motorcycle safety, took our pledge and collected our test assessment forms. The remaining balance in our account was refunded to us and we had the option to sign up for the Expressway Familiarization Course held the immediate weekend. We were told that if we attended this free course, we would be eligible for an earlier Traffic Police test date for our upcoming Class 2A motorcycle license. An Ace Insurance salesperson was there to give a short talk about their products.

After which we were released and we headed to the 2nd floor to collect our licenses.

I passed with 18 demerit points. Another minor mistake and I would have failed. Here’s my checklist:

Class 2B Motorcycle Test Assessment Checklist.

Expenses

In total, I spent about $1,200.

Tips

I don’t really have much tips for the practical test. But I still believe that if you get a badly maintained motorcycle with a horrible clutch, it will affect your performance. Even the height of the motorcycle will affect your stability. So choose a motorcycle which you feel comfortable on and don’t be afraid to switch to another motorcycle before the test starts. Traffic on the road was heavy and there were some kind souls who slowed down because they saw my vest and allowed me to pass. Pedestrians can ruin your practical test. Some nice ones may be hesitant to cross your path, and they just stand there. Some are in a hurry and dash across the road. Either way, watch out for them. When you meet the nice ones, stop and wave for them to cross, just to be safe.

To be honest, being a driver myself, I find a motorcycle license more challenging to obtain due to the long process involved. The balance, as well, which I absolutely suck at. Even if you fail the practicals, persevere on, keep on retaking them, eventually you’ll pass. The oldest person today who passed was 65 years old. If he can do it, I don’t see why you can’t.

All the best!

Not much visiting on my end to be done because most of my relatives are either in Medan or Penang. So the rest of the time was spent catching up with friends!

We had quite a number of visitors this year…

(Seated, from left) Me, Tshin, Sabrina, Michelle, Yunxin, Mum, Yee Jie and Minn. (Front) Jessie and Ching.

(From left) Jessie, Errol, Sylwyn and Wen Jie.

(Seated, from left) Me, Pang, Wen Bin, Trisha, Carol and Elgene. (Front) Jessie.

(Back row, from left) Auntie Mary, Uncle William, me, Jessie, Dad, Kah Hao and Kah Kit. (Front row) Kah Mun, Mum and Michelle.

Visited a few friends and had a few dinners as well…

Jessie’s place. (From left) Me, Jessie, Dad (holding Carlos), Mum (holding Gabbie), Michelle and Jessie’s Mum (holding Dexter).

Wen Bin’s place. (Back row) Pang, Wen Bin and his Mum. (Seated, from left) Carol, Elgene, me and Jessie.

Elgene’s place. (From left) Pang, Carol, Elgene, me, Jessie, Trisha and Wen Bin.

Pang’s place. (From left) Pang, Elgene, Carol, Trisha, Wen Bin, Jessie and I.

Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine. (From left) Jessie, Chee Nin, me and Edmund.

The Coffee Connoisseur. (From left) Me, Jessie, Chee Nin and Edmund.

Ichiban Boshi. (From left) Sylwyn, Wen Jie, me, Jessie and Errol.

That pretty much sums up Chinese New Year 2012 for me :)

Photo album: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sukianto/sets/72157629171846639

Jessie and I went down to HDB Hub today afternoon to sign the Agreement for Lease document for our new flat in Fernvale Riverbow. It is expected to be completed by December 2014. At the same time, we forked out the 5% down payment via CPF. Another 5% to be paid upon collection of keys.

We chose our unit a couple of months ago. 19th floor, unit no. 68. #19-68.

And for the second time (the first was during flat selection), we were informed that we must be legally married by December 2014, otherwise we’ll lose the 5% down payment.

I said something which surprised the customer service officer.

Customer Service Officer: This is a joint tenancy agreement. Chris, please sign here, and Jessie, over here.
Me: So if we get a divorce later on. It’s 50/50?
Jessie: *silence*
Customer Service Officer: *stares at me for a moment* Urm… yes. It’s 50/50.
Me: Ok. Thanks.
Customer Service Officer: I’m sorry but this is the first time anyone has asked me this question.
Me: It is an uncertain world out there. Just got to be aware of the… different scenarios.
Customer Service Officer: I understand.

I will never regret asking that question, even though it shocked the both of them. It will never be my intention to get divorced, but I just had to know what WILL happen.

On the other hand, Jessie no longer has to wonder when I will get down on my knees. It will definitely be between now and 2014. The question is… when?