The "Engaged Daydreamer" in Class

Yeah, I'm going back to class. Its novel this time round because the roles have changed. I'm returning as an engaged daydreamer and a student teacher. Debbie and I are officially engaged. In my previous post, I also withheld the fact that I joined the teaching profession. But the riding fraternity is a close-knit community. Someone just pmed me on the forum and talked about my engagement to Debbie. I realized then that censorship of my profession on this blog is futile. Either I shut it down, or blog cautiously in future. I can never speak freely again, because what I now write may be used against me. There are unwritten rules about how an English teacher should behave.

As for now, the word is out that Pplater is heading back to his daydreaming ways in class at NIE come January 2010. In case you didn't notice, an "engaged daydreamer" is an oxymoron, and so is a student teacher. Go figure.

PS: I poached Debbie's pic of her solitaire proposal ring :p

Ramblings

So the graduation trip was a blast; a ride through South East Asia with the girlfriend on 2 motorcycles is about as ridiculous as your 24 year old neighbours can dream up, i guess. Between unreplied applications and auto replies from phony companies the job search agencies dreamt up, yours truly successfully completed his job search with a grand tally of zero interviews. After a few weeks when no one called or replied, I started to wonder what that Bachelor of Arts was good for. Maybe I was applying for the wrong jobs. I would have considered being a taxi driver if not for the minimum age requirement of 30 years. After all, that Phd holder from A*Star said its the only industry thats still hring and he joined it right? So he can't be wrong. I read his blog and I think its funny.

So anyway, I did secure a job after all. It could have been better, but it wasn't too bad. At least I didn't have to deal with a bitch at work like Debbie. My poor girl is fighting a war in the office everyday. But hey, its still better than being jobless, and someday she'll move to a bigger and better company.

And by the way, don't ask what's my profession. Some things are best left unsaid. Someday when i retire and become part-time taxi driver, maybe I'll post about my funny passengers too.

Till the next rambling.

S4^dreamer & Pplater Laos-Cambodian Tour

In writing about our latest adventure, I break with tradition and posted on Singapore Bikes Forum. In the link below you will find Debbie (S4^dreamer) and me (Pplater) writing about our 18 day bike tour to Laos and Cambodia, along with comments posted by fellow motorcyclists.

http://www.singaporebikes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=240308

Singapore Motorcycling Safety Video

It was some 2 years ago when my shifu endlessloop, Mr Lau, Spectrum, TP Safety Branch CO Simon Ng and me (then riding a p-plate nsr beng bike at 21 years old) sat around a table at Ubi HQ discussing how we could raise safety awareness amongst bikers. I had popped the idea that we make a youtube video since there is no such production at the time, ads on tv potray bikers in poor light, and all the videos on youtube are made in europe with their nice bling bling bikes. Simon suggested we do it on our own. That idea was left at that. Dust.

It wasn't until 2 years later, about recently, that Debbie came along with the necessary eqquipment, video and audio editing skills that made this vid possible. If not for her, the idea of Singapore's very first motorcycling safety vid would still be left as it was-just an unfulfilled idea. So here we are, after much behind the scenes work and 3 months after the initial filming, we have the vid up. Thanks to endlessloop and THE BEAST for your time filming, and Miss Huppy for her excellent driving that made this vid possible.

Spread the word. Cheers.

HOV 2009

13 participants turned up for the first HOV class of the year, a good mix of class 2, 2A and 2B bikes.

Endlessloop giving his talk.

Me and the guys sorting out the radio sets

Moving off for practical riding session.

Its still only my second time giving commentary riding; while I've got used to operating the radio sets, I thought that I could have picked a better route with more traffic to better apply the commentary riding. I hope the 4 bikes I led out got a glimpse of the HOV riding concept in application. In any case, today was a much better result than the last convoy I led out which "horlan" to Orchard Rd.

Till the next HOV ride. Cheers riders!

First Valentine's With Debbie

Deb's at Mount Faber


Potter's Cafe at Safra Mt Faber. Probably my first and last time there. I wonder why people even consider holding banquet dinners there; they must be really very hard to save.


After ice-cream at Dempsey's.


Yours truly feeling rather blissful.