trying out G.O.L.F

been a few times back that I have been lured into trying out golf, finally I got my chance today. getting out of office sharply at 5pm. I headed home quickly to change and to prepare my camera and my bike. the destination - Pandan Perdana Driving range. some 6km of flat pedaling south towards Cheras area.
back home, golf is a game for those on the upper echelon of society. it feels a bit awkward at first upon entering the place but i got over it quickly. here's a view of the driving range (the war zone)


the weapon, a whole array of deadly golf clubs...
and our target... 100 golf balls

this was going to be a very informal type of lesson. my purpose is just to experience holding the golf club and try out swinging. checking my body's reaction if this game is for me.. hmmmn we'll find out.. let's see how the experts do it... here's joni showing his wares


another expert..


looks easy... lemme try.. no balls first.. just swing..


i dunno.. seems ok without the ball..
maybe i can give it a go now? hehehe.. here's mike and mike getting a feel too..

oki let's take a look at the amateurs..

ala-una..
alas-dosalas-TRES!!! hmnn me potensyal..
si mr.m kaya..

ala-una
sipat.. kung kaya paabutin ng 250m...alas -dosalas-tres!!!kakaibang follow-through ??? nyahahaha peace mr.mspent almost 3 hours in the driving range... learning tips from the masters... its actually fun.. but you really have to pay attention to proper way of doing it.
at may humabol na natraffic..
si don bebot...

group shot..
ano next time sama kayo!!!

the more merrier

DIY cellphone map

"necessity is the mother of all inventions"

no doubt, i want a GPS unit. the sleek Garmin Edge 705 would be a superb companion on the road. but since i am still broke, i have to devise something to help me during my weekend road trips. let me list down my options;

Option 1: dive head first and buy the GPS on installement basis. Possible. but I promised myself not to indulge in this bad habit for the mean time(grin). the verdict - not feasible for now.
Option 2: the cheaper option, buy a secondhand PDA with GPS function. good idea. but then again, I am very happy with my dual-sim Samsung D780 so it will be redundant. and some more, i am sure that continuous GPS usage will deplete the PDA battery in no time. i wouldn't want to spend something which would give mediocre results. when time comes that i have the budget, i will rethink this option. but not for now.
Option 3: just be happy with the old school maps. hmnnnn during my last outing, i opened my map a few times and the folds stated to tear off. i will need to tape it off. beggars can't be choosers? live with it!! lols
Option 4: a wondeful idea came to mind. why not load digital maps to my existing handphone. PERFECT!

i googled - "map viewer for java phones". after several hit and miss, i grew tired.

next idea, maps are basically pictures. with that in mind, i grabbed map images from google maps, saved as JPEG and copied to my phone. after several tries, managed to get the best resolution that my phone's image viewer would accept(1600 x 1200). the result.. instant digital map!
i tried zooming in and out, panning up and down, side to side.. imagining i am actually navigating, hmnnn it works!

now next step is to grab as much map as i need. i will also have to devise an intuitive filenaming convention to make it easier to find the adjascent maps but thats piece of cake now.

Biking 02: Putrajaya 1st Dragon Boat Festival

i was itching the whole week for another road trip. and so when I learned that the 1st Putrajaya Dragon boat festival will be held over the weekend at Putrajaya Water Sports Complex, i immediately started plans on making the trip. here's where the folding bike comes really handy.. my itinerary will include a train ride from KL Sentral to Putrajaya via KLIA transit(ERL). with a regular bike, taking a train is almost automatically out of the option not unless you are willing to disassemble/reassemble your bike. thanks to to whoever designed folding bikes hehehe

Part 1 - the travel itinerary
destination: Putrajaya Water Sports Complex
distance: house to KL Sentral terminal (6.5km)
Putrajaya ERL station to Water Sports Complex (9km)
6:00am
wake up and take a quick bfast
6:50am
rolled my bike going to KL sentral. it is very familiar to me now as i am using the same route going to brickfields where i play basketball every weekends.
7:15am
reached KL Sentral, no sweat hehehe. before the trip, i researched online about ERL route. it is said there are 2 train services. KLIA Express which goes directly to KL International Airport and the other one is KLIA Transit which stops at 3 other stations including Putrajaya/Cyberjaya. bought a roundtrip ticket for 19RM. i was a bit worried on how they would react to me carrying a folded bike. the lady at the counter was polite enough to explain to me that the bike would have to go to the baggage compartment. oki, no problem as long as it reach there in one piece but as i was about to go inside, the manager on duty told me i can carry it with me on the coach as long as i seat at the back portion of the train. wooohooo!
7:35am
i asked directions where the platform for KLIA Transit was and the guard gave me directions. just head down using the escalator. after waiting for 5 mins, the train arrived. but oops, the logo says KLIA EXPRESS.. wtf! did i not make myself clear. hmnn confused i asked the other passengers and they said this particular train goes directly non-stop to KLIA. i left my bike in one corner, raced upstairs to ask the guard which train stops at Putrajaya, and in broken in english he managed to say it is the same train. (wait a minute)... digital clock says train will leave in 5 minutes. thinking that i have a roundtrip ticket anyway, i bit the bullet and got in. found a portion for luggage and sat next to my bike. a Malay guy in his 40s sat next to me, and since i was a bit doubtful, i asked him again. same answer - the train goes to KLIA non-stop. huhu!!! train leaves in 2 minutes. hauled my bike in one hand and got off. then luckily a porter came to collect the trolleys. i asked immediately if the train will stop at Putrajaya and in very good english heanswered "KLIA Express and KLIA Transit are now combined service". train leaves in 1 minute.. raced back in and found the same seat still vacant. talk about buzzer beater.(sigh) here's my bike sitting in one corner
another view of my bike folded together with the luggage
7:41am
train left the station, stopping at Bandar Tasik Selatan and in exactly 23 minutes, i was in Putrajaya. rolled my bike outside, unfolded and i was ready to go. i took out my Putrajaya map which i bought the day before and oriented myself for my general direction. how i wish i can have the Garmin Edge 705(drooling) it will surely make travelling a LOT easier. oh well...

Part 2 - biking in Putrajaya
biking in putrajaya on a sunday morning is very easy. i almost have the road to myself. with the exception of maintenance guys watering the plants at the roadside. checking my route, i will be passing 3 bridges(Putrajaya id known for its world class structures and bridges). first stop is the ship looking, cable-suspended Seri Wawasan bridge

along the way i stopped at to take pic of this building(need to read what is this building)
next stop is the Seri Saujana bridge which has parabolic arcs to support the structure.
third bridge is the Seri Gemilang which leads to Putrajaya Convention Center

Part 3 - Dragon Boat race
as i was biking towards the Water Sports Complex, i was already hearing drums beating. today is the final race day and i was immediately excited.
it was my first time to see a dragon boat race in actual and i only knew bits of info about this race.. boat is almost similar to a canoe with heads and tails designed as a dragon.
normally the team is composed of a drum beater
paddlers sitting side by side
and a steerer
i just mixed with the crowd and snapped some photos. this the water sports complex stadium
this tower looks suspended in the air! a team from Macau doing stretching excercise..
not only physical preparations, mental training is very important in this sport specially in final stretches where you need to be mentally tough and focused to go faster albeit being tired. if in car races there is Nitro to boost your speed in the last 50 mters or so(fast and the furious?), in dragon boat race there is also an equivalent. this team from singapore is visualizing the race from start up to finish.
i can hear their coach instructing them to imagine they are on the final 100m - body tired but the race is close and everyone must push harder... harder paddling, not faster.. that's the key!

dragon boat race is almost similar to car drag racing (at least the events that i watched). the teams will paddle to the starting lane. around 500meters away. the finish line is located near the stands to give more drama. this team is paddling on the way to the starting line

upon reaching the final 100 meters, the drum beats will grow faster and faster with the paddlers pushing harder up to finish line. you have to be there to really feel the adrenaline rush (even while watching!). look at the following sequence, the boat at the bottom will overtake and will finish first place in this race.



it was really fun watching. too bad it is too hazy so i only got few clear shots. not to mentioned my kitlens will only zoom to 135mm =(

Part 4 - me and my bike

for this trip i bought my tripod hehehe i would never want to be left out in the photos. (kahit nakakapagod mag setup just for a few snaps)

first pose @ Seri Wawasan Bridge
nicebackground eh?

Putrajaya has bike lanes! hehehe.. but i prefer to use the road, wala naman masyado sasakyan elook no hands driving ^_^

for my lunch, i bought a 2 piece KFC chicken from rolling KFC-on-the-go and biked further from the race area. i found this quiet spot and enjoyed my lunch.
again a very nice trip.. looking forward to the next one already!
total distance: approx 40km
expenses: 19RM - ERL roundtrip, 9RM - KFC lunch, 1.80RM - 100Plus