The Pleasure of Giving

Let me encourage you to get up every day and focus on what you do have in life. Be thankful for the blessings of the little things, even when you don't get what you expect.

~Victoria Osteen

We have been planning for this trip for months and finally on Saturday 20th May 2017, we were ready to roll our tires.I arrived at 7:15 at our meeting point and another rider, Tuan Syed was already there. After   a short while, the party got bigger when Yus, Bob, Ustaz and Pidot joined in. We rolled off just after 7:30 and Foozi joined in about 500m down the road.

Pidot left the party after less than 10km for a futsal championship. Depending on where we started off, we arrived at the destination, Kg Budi Kubur Panjang after riding more than 30km. Akmal later arrived from Gurun after a solo ride of more than 40km. A brief handover of RM4150 to the needy in that area, and we set off home to Jitra. Tuan Syed split at Kebun 500 as he was due to pick up his car in Kuala Kedah. The remaining six of us continued our journey home with Akmal adding another 20km to Padang Sera.

The point I’m trying to make here is not just about the ride. The pleasure of seeing the happiness on the faces of the people there are priceless. Giving is more joyous than receiving, not because it is a deprivation, but because in the act of giving lies the expression of our aliveness. The more we give, the more we experience the world as the creation of our efforts and as a reflection of our aliveness. When we do kind things, we feel happier; when we hear about others’ kind deeds, we also feel happier. We are wired to be inspired by hearing the good acts of others.


The ride was meaningful and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was one of my memorable trip and looking forward to have more rides like that.


*Photos and videos from whatsapp group chat*

Having fun with 26 x 1.5

I have replaced the wide Maxxis Crossmark MTB tires with smaller Schwalbe Marathon Plus recently. To test out the tires, I took the bike out for a spin on gravel roads for more than 30km. The ride was rather smooth with not much to complain about on a dry day.

Thanks for viewing.

Slow Weekend Rider

Friday morning was blessed with beautiful weather. I was nice to ride around Pendang in a quiet season as most of the paddy have been harvested. The isolated golden plots are add up to the beautiful landscape. Thanks Achik for being a good company.

Pendang District

A planned ride across three districts on Saturday was pleasurable. A few hills and shady areas alongside the river was cool, quiet and peaceful. Thanks Foozi and Hasim for keeping company.

 Derang

As for today, I am back riding to work :-)
Thanks for dropping by.

Picture stop on the way to work

Exploring Bukit Ayer, Sungai Batu Pahat, Perlis

Fri 18th Nov 2016

The Ride

Komplek Basikal Lasak

Taman Primat (Abandoned)

Taman Eko Rimba

Dusun

Kitchen (Abandoned)

Road ahead

Rimba Herba

Thanks for viewing

Fun with Foldie

My cycling has always been strictly for leisure and to commute. I have little reason to suffer discomfort while I am riding. Folding bike is a good option because of its portability and ability to carry necessary stuff like tools and spares easily. Back streets and country paths will make the ride so much more pleasant with stops for bad-boy all day breakfast.

I like pimping my ride and it is a great feeling when all is running smoothly again after a mild state of disrepair. Here are some pictures of my folding bike from hills to the sea side. 

Thanks for viewing!

Eid Al-Fitr

A quick satisfying Raya, maybe a perfect launchpad till another Ramadhan. Not surprisingly, I’m just being lazy on the second day. No grand misunderstanding and subsequent fallout set the stage right without the mix of anger and lust for a better day. High on the steam scale - as far as I’m concerned -  I look forward to seeing what is coming until the next Ramadhan.

 

Penyu Menangis (Siapa Tahu)

Anak muda berlagu sayang
Di Batu Remis melepas rindu
Adik ketawa di Rantau Abang
Penyu menangis siapalah tahu
Penyu menangis siapalah tahu

Sesak nafasnya sesak
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)
Sebak dadanya sebak
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)

Bengkak jantungnya bengkak
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)
Retak hatinya retak
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)

Lenyap ditelan derauan ombak
Telur penawar hatinya lebur
Tumpah airmatanya melimpah ruah
Agar terhibur adik terhibur

Anak muda berlagu sayang
Di Batu Remis melepas rindu
Adik ketawa di Rantau Abang
Penyu menangis siapalah tahu
Penyu menangis siapalah tahu

Kelabu matanya kelabu
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)
Sendu tangisnya sendu
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)
Sayu jiwanya sayu
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)
Layu langkahnya layu
(Tak tahu abang pun tak tahu)

Sesak nafasnya sesak
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)
Sebak dadanya sebak
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)

Bengkak jantungnya bengkak
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)
Retak hatinya retak
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)

Kelabu matanya kelabu
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)
Sendu tangisnya sendu
(Tak tahu adik tak tahu)
Sayu jiwanya sayu

My Riding Videos

Apart from photography, my passion is riding bicycles. Here are some of the videos from my previous rides.

With my children Kodiang - Megat Dewa - Bukit Hantu - Kodiang
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrjWHqvELq0


With my children Kuala Jerlun - Kuala Kuar - Kuala Jerlun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5by_ram5J4


Saturday Morning Ride behind Kedah Sukma Team during training (9/1/2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yz182mueKs


Kuala Besut - Cherating Coast to Coast Monsoon Ride  (Dec 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17NDhGHJToQ

Out of my depth of field

I was brought up to tackle problems head on - not to bury my head in the sand - instead power on and face obstacles. This is pretty much how I’ve always lived my life. There were times when I felt that I was faced with more obstacles than I could cope with. I felt so out of my depth, I didn’t know which way to turn. That has always been the time to be kind to myself, I am probably doing better than l realized.

Following my dreams

I am following my dreams and passions around me. I don't need to worry about what I need to follow in life to become happy. If I like the look of nature in the morning, I'll go for a walk. Seriously, it is that simple.
I am moving  right now. It doesn't matter which direction I go, just pick one and start moving that way. If I want to lose weight then I pick up a tennis racket and a ball and start wrecking the wall.

All images were registered this morning with 7D | 50mm

Crying out for some soothing rain

High and dry in a long hot day
Crying out for some soothing rain

The weather remains hot in Kedah

It is late February and we only had brief rainfall this year. NST reported that The Kedah Education Department has instructed all schools in the state to stop co-curricular and outdoor activities effective today due to the current hot and dry spell that has hit the country.
State Education director Datin Azuyah Hassan said following the directive, headmasters and principals in Kedah will be issued a notice on when to resume the outdoor activities.
“Hot weather with high temperatures can pose a danger to the health of students, therefore, all schools need to ensure all co-curricular and outdoor activities are not held in open areas,” she said in a statement, here today.
The Meteorological Department director-general Datuk Che Gayah Ismail today said the hot and dry spell in many areas was in the final phase of the monsoon season which is expected to abate by the end of March.

 March is just around the corner :-)

A different kind of boredom

With my wife at work and children in school, I was somewhat bored and started tweaking with my dusty lappy.  I had a short time before getting down with hardcore working stuff and there are snaps in my camera needing some attention. 

The happy faces of the children during 2014  KUMON Advanced Students Honor Roll (ASHR) are irresistible and I have ended up making making 100 over prints of their shots.

I took all the shots without having to stand up from my seat with one fixed lens but their faces made my day. I was so happy , I even made a web-album of the occasion.

It has been raining almost every day here up north but yesterday's morning was blessed with a bit of sunshine. I was all over the small state of Perlis, from the highland to the shore with my friends driving around doing nothing with occasional stops for pictures.

This dead-wood fungus was captured in Bukit Bintang, Bintong, Perlis. If the boredom continues - who knows, I might want to capture the world tomorrow.