East Coast

"Those who races in life finish first"

What a quote Mr Lee J.R. I love racing. It was always the speed that gets you going, the precision, how late you're going to get on your brakes, how tight you're going to take that corner. Of course, failing to make the right moves at the right time and you could finish first.

So the day started out for me at 10am. I'm suppose to meet the rest of the people at East Coast for a slow and easy cycle. Getting there however, had to be fast and quick. When I was done preparing, and got my shoes on my feet and my helmet on my head, it was already 11:10am. I only had an hour and twenty minutes, oh, but not to worry, I was on a road bike.

I was rolling out of my HDB car park, turned out to the main road and then a thought came into my mind. 'Should I go by West Coast highway and then cut in through the city?' or 'Should I follow the MRT line and pass Chinatown and Bugis?'. By the time I made up my mind, the turn to West Coast Highway(the route I wanted to take) was blocked and I could not cut the lanes in time to make the turn. Straight was the only option. Straight I went then.

WHAT A MISTAKE. There was an unbelievable number of traffic lights! There was not a chance in hell that I could unleash the full fury of the bike. AHHHHH! Every single time I wanted to go into cruise I had to come all the way back up and gently squeeze on the brake levers. YES! It was VERY irritating. After a long and stop-filled journey, there I was in Chinatown. No time for pictures though, I was a man on a mission.

Chinatown, a place NOT for bicycles. Roads that was flatten by China made tools and drivers receive a point for every bike they knock down. I'm DEAD serious.(pun intended) There was this white hatchback, was on the second lane, me on the first. And it had to make a left turn. Swerve right in front of me to make the turn. ISH. HAVE PATIENCE MAN. YOUR CAR SO BLOODY SMALL. I NEVER SEE. Imagine if that pathetic machine stalled, ishhh.

Bugis was next. Although the roads were smoother, drivers still receive a point for every bike they knock down. Which is good, if you're driving. Fun even. East Coast Park was a few minutes away and soon I joined the group.

AHHHHH! FINALLY! Im off the bike. You had no idea how good it felt when my BALLS were raised of the saddle! YES! They were sore thanks to the sandblasted roads and the constant stop start motion of the whole journey. The ride around East Coast, well, been there done that ALOT of times. Nothing special ever happens unless somebody falls down.
Ahhh, yea. That's me, forever smiling even though my balls were still sore. Cycling back, whoo, that was a nightmare. A dump truck wanted to exit so the cycling lanes were temporarily closed and other bikes could go on the sandblasted pavement. I however was stuck. Once the truck had cleared, I sprinted and saw the rest, only one corner seperated me from the group, and there was only one girl in a purple shirt in the corner. She was taking the inside line, so I thought I could pass her on the outside. SHE DIDN'T! She took the WIDEST corner in the history of widest corners ever taken! That was OK, IF I WASNT ON THE OUTSIDE LINE! Since I am a gentleman, I gave way, went on the grass(keep in mind the bike I was riding) and as we all know it, I dont exactly have a state-of-the art brakes, which was bad, judging by the tree which I was quickly approaching. Thankfully however, my tires grinded on the roots and I slowled to a stop. Wanted to curse and swear at the girl who cause all of this until I saw her pretty face, so I let it go.

The evening was alot more fun then the day. People from architecture came down, and we played frisbee. For AWHILE. Our frisbee, (bought at Daiso, for guess how much) broke into 2 pieces! IT SPLIT INTO HALF! Built down to a price obviously. Captain's ball was next and that didn't last very long either when the girls got tired. So it was beach soccer! We used the 2 pieces of the frisbee to mark as our goal. Guess what happened next. A little girl came skipping up, took the piece of frisbee and used it to make her sandcastle. YEA! Soccer over. Filled our stomachs with BBQ food and took a walk down the lovely beach.

Walking on the sand with your feet gently caressed by the waves. Nothing else can be better, except for this.

Alone, if you did this you would look like an idiot. Do it with your friends however, and you all look like idiots. But it's always better in numbers.

Get my point?

Alrite, next, was a very smart idea. The smartess idea of all. We wanted to squat down and take a picture. So we bend out kness, and then a wave came in! AND OUR UNDERWEAR got wet! ARRRGGHHH! I hate that feeling!

Cycling home was the next task. With my wet underwear, I moved off. OUH, it's cold, damn cold. If my hands were not needed on the handlebar I would be rubbing myself to keep it warm. Fortunately for the conservative public, my hands were needed on the handlebar and that's where they were for the whole trip. Sadly however, I desperately needed to dispose of some unwanted bodily fluid. With the new sense of urgency and the cold temperature, I ran through almost all the lights I could. Yes yes, amber means slow down, by would you want to sit there in your soaked underwear and whilst trying not to get any more liquids on it?

Enough was enough. There was no way I could control it. Pulled onto a gas station and 'AHhhhh'. Pulled back out to the road and my oh my, what a roll. I was in Dover when my ever so familiar ringtone blasted through my earpiece. 5 seconds later the phone automatically picks up the call and it was DS, needed to get Fun's number. There was no way I could access my phone while riding, so I had to pull over, and I did. Gave him what he needed and continued on my way home. ANOTHER phone call! omg, I was on the road talking to someone about a business project. That is never a good combination any way you mix it. Blurred by the titanic number of things going on around me; Where's the road? What's the corporate profile? How close is that taxi? Where to meet tomorrow? What gear should I be in? What is the reasonable time to meet tomorrow? Is that taxi trying to turn in?. There was a lot, and to be honest, I was blur. The taxi gave a signal, turned and i FOLLOWED IT! WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!?!? AHHHH, I took the long way round.

Soon, I was home, took off my clothes a phew, what a smell. Morning to night in a sweat filled sea water soaked underwear. Yea, you get the picture. But to be honest, that was a day. No it was not the best rides of my life, but boy was it memorable, the day as itself.

"Those who races in life finish first"

~Callum