It seems that whenever we wanted to end something, gush of nostalgia would suddenly filled this tiny gray matter of ours. I made some wonderful trips, had some memorable fixes, sometimes fun but often tiring & trying. But these were exactly the bits & pieces that slowly built up my experiences & appetite for more challenges ahead.

Some have been blogged, some not - too numerous recount. Still I hope to share snippets of these wonderful experiences before I embarked on another new journey.

For those who have previously expressed interest in my new journey, I will be informing you of this new place soon (Probably early Apr 2008)

THANK YOU & ADIEU!!!………..
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A friend recently asked me to suggest a nice destination for her upcoming holiday. I told her Hokkaido. She got a green light from her hubby, but I’m not too sure if they will change their mind again ;P

I was in Hokkaido briefly back in 1999. Took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Morioka - switching to ordinary train onwards - going via the undersea tunnel that connects Honshu to Hokkaido.

Hakodate was the first stop on Hokkaido island. I only stay a night, enough time for me to visit the spectacular night view on top of Hakodate-yama and gorging some seafood at their morning market.

Back then, Hakodate was just a small train station. I remembered fondly how I was taking naps on their old wooden bench while waiting for train onwards to Sapporo and Morioka (when I was heading back to Tokyo).

Today, Hakodate Station has become an ultra modern building. I still missed the old quaint station that it once was. *sighz*
Wikipedia: Hakodate Station

It’ve been 8++ long years, I think I ought to pay a visit again.

Should I switch to new blog or continue with my current one? Sometimes, being a Libran is never easy. Always performing the act of balancing & rebalancing. Taking forever to reach a decision *sighz*. And so I baik kampung “go back village” in search of inspiration, and some may even for say - “enlightenment”
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Usually I kept a standard Travel packing list for various kind of travels. You may have one list for long trip oversea and another for day trip to nearby location. I find that it really handy & helps you to pack quickly. You just need to add extras item when you think you may need to cover special activities.

So for typically Motorbike day trip, a daytrip backpack, basic first aid kit, sunblock & GPS are my essential. Not shown in photo are the extra T-shirt, water bag, energy snacks). I only need to thrown in extras like insect repellent since i anticipate I may trek a little.

One of the more useful gadget I acquire is this portable GPS. While I may not have use them frequently for short trips & familiar routes, I still find them useful in helping to remember POI (Point of Interests) as well as occasion location verification just to ensure I’m right on track. Previously, I have relied on map & compass. But after my driving trip around North Thailand (Mae Hong Son Loop), I find the compass & map to be difficult to use especially on winding terrains / roads.

So there, just sharing some of my travel experiences … have a good weekend!

Tires, being your only contacts with the tarmac, are absolutely the most important components on the whole automotive system. Without them, you can’t move & control your vehicle. And when you can’t control, you & your vehicle becomes with a road hazard to others around you. This is downright irresponsible to other road users & your family (since you are endangering yourself as well)

Hence, always sadden me when I see such irresponsible drivers / riders on the road. Just look at the worn-out tires! Besides, this is a huge commercial truck, it would be disastrous in event of mishaps due to tires.

And to add salt to the wound, their spare tires weren’t in good condition as well too. I sincerely hope Johor authorities do something so control this situation.

Sometimes, it’s good to just get away to other places and not think about work & other issues. It been my routine to travel to other country, few times a year just to get away from hustle & bustle of daily life - get recharged, refreshed, rejuvenated and hopefully to come back with new perspectives.

However, sometimes, you just couldn’t get away to very far. Fortunately, Malaysia Johor is just a bridge away, perfect for quick day trip. Usually I would have plan my route & place to visit, but this time, i decides to forgo with any trip planning. Just hit the road and let my silliness decides where to go next.
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Chatuchak weekend market is the largest market in Thailand. It’s often known as JJ since it’s JatuJak in Thai. As a weekend market, most of the shop only opens on Saturday & Sunday. However, a different kind of market operates during Wed & Thu ……
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Down in the South-East of Bangkok at Samut Prakan, an eccentric Thai millionaire by the name of Lek Viriyaphant (Khun Lek) ordered the construction of monumental building sculpted in the shape of the three-headed elephant, Airavata. The magnificent monumental building becomes a spiritual museum for holding Khun Lek’s priceless collections of scared religious objects and also as a center where ceremonies and festivals of Thai traditions could be held. This post will be about my first visit to Erawan Museum.

Coincidentally, this cute graffiti already got me a pleasant start just when I was getting ready to visit this magnificent structure of 3 head elephant.

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Aside from goal settings & resolutions, beginning of year is also a good time to reflect and plan where to travel. My last trip to Japan Kyushu during 2006 left me with plentiful of sweet memories. I really do hope to make another trip soon!
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I missed the last sunset on 31 Jan 2007! Oh well, I wasn’t expecting any good sunset considering that it been raining daily for past few days. But it seems 31 Dec 2007 was special, unfortunately, I was still at work. I tried to rush to Kent Ridge Park hoping for good last glimpse of sunset and that all I could catch *sighz*

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