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HYPERJUMP
Tuesday, 26 January 1999 ...and now the Sea-Truck! I had the opportunity to take a "Dynaglass Sea-Truck" for a spin this afternoon. The Sea-Truck is an unorthodox union of cabin-cruiser features with house-boat living space and speedboat-like handling. Equipped with deck space for a BBQ and folding tables for 12, a stand-up toilet, air-conditioning, full A/C service, refridgerator and a massive retractable swim platform, the Sea-truck's list of features reads like a cabin-cruisers' but has a profile of a landing-craft!
Given its chunky appearance, I thought the Sea-Truck would chug along like a tugboat but I was pleasantly surprised to find it planing when the throttles were opened albeit with a whole lot of engine noise and vibration from the stern-drives. Fortunately, the noise level drops quickly as you move forward from the helm.
Handling this twin 300hp turbo-diesel was a treat after a long morning of photography for the nautical school--we went tromping around the harbour to get new images for the principal's teaching material. I look forward to surprising my family and friends with this strange looking but amiable vessel.
Sunday, January 24 1999 I got to fire-up the BBQ again today--this time with succulent squid, pouty prawns and bursting sausages! Meng Hwa came over with her 6 month old wiry-haired Jack Russell, Samantha for a hang-out. The dogs seemed a bit bewildered at first, but soon became good friends. I agree with Meng Hwa--we ought to do this again!
Poor Samantha just got shaved yesterday
Saturday, January 23 1999 My weekend rushes by in a blurr--I'm not immediately aware of what day it is, nor what others should be doing... but it's okay. I took it easy yesterday, trying to cook a curryfor lunch. But the beef that went into it was a tad dubious, and I think I suffered for it... but I was fine by dinner--good thing because I wasn't gonna let a whining tummy get in the way of some festive Malay food! I was invited (along with half the crew of our nautical school) to Hardi's house to celebrate the end of the Muslim Fast. I got to catch up with some friends that night... just couldn't resist making the detour to our former night-haunts! Then, I didn't get to teach today--my Powerboat Course scheduled for this afternoon was cancelled, so I went to lunch with my grand-aunt and her close friend. They were good fun--I ordered what I knew they'd like eating, and finished what they couldn't! After stuffing ourselves silly, I decided that it would be prudent to do some household chores. But it started raining as I washed dad's car, and the dogs kept attacking the hissing vacuum cleaner! But I still managed to make dinner of pork-loin fillets Hainanese Style and green leafy vegetables fried in oyster-flavoured sauce. As full as the auntys were, they chose to eat some of what I cooked. *grin*
Thursday, January 21 1999 I learned quite a bit today. First, to check phone cords for corrosion before reporting a faulty telephone. I received exceptionally cordial service from a pair of simple but jovial repair-men this morning, who chose to arrive at my place well within the requested time. They didn't charge me for finding the faulty, corroded cord! Then I brought Wes over to clean off a virus that was plaguing this PC. I have now learned the art of virus blasting--awesome stuff! I also got a few tips and leads that may produce more work through odd jobs with him as a photo-gaffer and or PC trouble-shooter. Then I got whisked off at a moment's notice by Meng Hwa (yet again). But I enjoyed the diversion from the day's calender to follow her to dinner, and I've now returned to complete this entry before the next episode of "Star Trek; Next Generation" begins.
Wednesday, January 20 1999 The rain didn't let up for long today--we tried trolling tiny, rattling lures while the tidal stream brought in the fish, but as soon as the sky went overcast, we brought out little 20 foot speedboat to the oil-rig to catch more fish. At times, we were actually under the jack-up oil-rig taking shelter from the incessant rain. We bagged 5 kgs of sorted fish (all keepers) in just an hour. Good stuff!
Tuesday, January 19 1999 larger (60k) pictures in blue, bolded text It began raining even before we got to the marina. I was running late, a situation exacerbated by my friends attending to their last minute work commitments. Nevertheless, we left the marina at about 3:45pm for a rather relaxed cruise. The rain sprinkled down intermittently--just enough to get you cold and wet, allowing the Sun to play peek-a-boo. Everyone in this picture is drenched, but only in body! Each time we cruised into a dry patch, we played...
Jodie & Wes trying the infamous "Titanic"
"Hey! If they can do it, so can we!!!"
Yen Leng & Lai Yi casting themselves in the part...
But when the rain intensified, we took shelter in the large cabin with plenty of headroom and amused ourselves.
Since we were wet, we decided to jump into the water to drift alongside the boat for awhile...
It was a great afternoon to meet new friends, and catch up with old ones...
Lai Yi & Yen Leng Finally, with engine murmurring and radio tuned to a classical station, ornamental oil-lamps were lit to frame the ambience cast by the setting Sun. Another day slides by, but not before it was savoured...
Monday, January 18 1999 I spent most of today at the marina doing boat maintenance and pre-checks for tomorrow's boating trip. Some of you might not know that a lot of pre-planning goes into every trip--ranging from engine maintence (topping off fluids and looking for leaks) to route selection (chart-work and GPS programming) to data gathering (weather reports, tidal activity, crew/passenger lists (in my case, just making sure that they come on-time). I didn't even receive permission to use the boat until just now--I was about to implement back-up plans! But I am on schedule now. The boat is ready, passengers gathered, food and logistics briefed, weather reports read, day-bag packed. I look forward to a holiday-cruise with some fun picture for all of you tomorrow...
Sunday, January 17 1999 I had forgotten what fun it is to catch loads of little fish on very light rods. How much? About a bucket full--8 at a time on a string of hooks. I had so much fun that I have decided to explore small-game fishing around the marina. I shall go to the tackle shop tomorrow to rummage for a new outfit. Dinner was awesome--I tried out my new BBQ pit... very nice on the balcony. Even starting the fire is a breeze when you have a gas stove top... I think I've made my throat hoarse by gorging on chicken wings and farm sausages!
Saturday, January 16 1999 Finally, I have a BBQ pit! After rumaging through several locations, I located the one I was looking for at the SEIYU department store. And now I can continue my experiments on charred flesh! (play sinister, maniacal music). But, I didn't spend the entire day in search of fire... I got to attend a lovely dinner party hosted by Bernd and Patricia Harnisch who celebrated their 10th Wedding Anniversary tonight.
Happy 10th and here's to MANY more!!! Must have been an auspicious occasion, 'coz I was invited to a couple more engagements for tomorrow while I was there. So, I'm going fishing with the owner of a local boat manufacturer onboard his latest evolution in his line of speedboats... maybe I ought to tell him that it's no longer fashionable to go after large fish... *grin*
Friday, January 15, 1999 Aigh! I just realised that after cooking it yesterday, I finished the rest of the tray of casserole tonight!!! So much for the thing lasting through the weekend! To quote Keith (my best friend in the U.S.) "Shien, I can't believe you ate the whole thing!" But, I guess being at sea fishing today got my appetite going... while many fisherman go out for a trophy, we were quite focused in gathering only large portions of yummy fish--which meant that they had to be easy to find and in massive quantities. To paraphrase William, my mentor--"Why go after large, exotic fish like Snappers or Garoupas when you can catch hundreds of yummy baitfish?!!"
Fish'men on the transom, waiting for their ransom
Caught much at the Tower...
...were home before Rush Hour! Well, the rhyme's a fishy-tale alright, but we did fill the blue-bucket in just 35 minutes with 3 anglers angling... (hmmm... that would sound good in the 12 days of Fishmas... aigh, don't mind me--it's the exposure to radiation talking)
Thursday, January 14 1999 What began as an unprecedented attempt at making Lasagne has evolved into a casserole-like apparition--succulent chunks of stew-beef, eggplant, Debrecini Sausage, slathered in mushroom marinara and drizzled with Ramona, Parmesian and Mozzarella Cheese (I even spiked it with loads of hot chili-peppers--shoot, what Shien creation would be complete without the kick, eh?). But as the mystery dish cools down on the rack, the smells wafting from the kitchen suggest that whatever it is, it ought to be quite yummy!
Lean in closer; can't you smell it?!! Mmm... yum! :Þ A recent (munch, smack) taste-test (slurp, mumble) confirms that though the thing looks like road-kill, it tastes 'vunderful!!'
Wednesday, January 13 1999 The lethargy continued today. I thought I was getting lazy, so I vacuumed the house, and completed other household chores. But perhaps I over-exerted myself, or I succumbed to the dust, I took ill in the late afternoon. Sleep seemed to do the trick, and I woke ravenous. It was fortunate that good TV shows were showing tonight. Now, as I write this entry, I look forward to curling up with the latest edition of National Geographic, and catching a bit more sleep before my dogs wake me in the morning...
Jack Russell "Tess" & Pennbrook Corgi "Brooke" But before I retire... a couple of tangents for the insomniacs--ever wonder why people can be so mean to each other, especially just before they get closer? I was pondering that for the last couple of hours, and think it could be a case of testing the strength of a relationship before commiting to more. And what of people giddy in love--they can be such a pain in the tuckus (especially when you're in a funk). There they flit--hither and yon, lilting of people of whom they're fond... phhfft. Now guess who was in a funk today. Bleah.
Tuesday, January 12 1999 I don't know what it was today--I slept a full 8 hours, but I still dragged my heels throughout the day. Maybe the excesses of the weekend were catching up with me... But, I did make the time to run some errands and cook myself a scrummy round-steak dinner marinated in zesty teriyaki sauce and dressed in a pretty salad of sweet lettuces. (I think my dogs glared at me through the entire dinner)
Monday, January 11 1999 What a pain in the neck! I went around with the aftermath of a long night of head banging much better suited to the teens... but at last I hauled my sorry butt out of bed before lunch time--my two ravenous doggies ensured that! I spent the afternoon at the Nautical School's exhibition in NTU, a local university. It was rather quiet when I arrived because the lunch hour was over. Aw well. But I gathered quite a few ideas on how to improve the school's web page (after all I'm Webmaster of that page as well). So I went off for dinner and bought groceries... I've got two massive steaks hiding in the fridge marinating in Teriyaki sauce! Hmmm... now all I have to do is consider which bottle of wine I shall open tomorrow evening, and if I should ask anyone over for dinner...
Sunday, January 10 1999 Hmm... that sounded a lot more risque than true. After a long, dreary day (again) on the water, I went to a club on the invitation of a university student. She was in my powerboat class some time ago, when we threw a watersports day for the entire faculty. Anyway, I was feeling a bit tired from an arduous day of teaching the 4 guys how to sail--they are very good, but the weather didn't cooperate. But I couldn't help going quite nuts in the smallish, packed club--I guess I made myself quite at home head-banging even when the rest were a bit too self-conscious to do so!
Saturday, January 9 1999 The rain kept falling, chilling me to the bone. Teaching the practical for the powerboat class today was a trial for me. Nevertheless, my trainees were cooperative and made the experience worthwhile! So I was rather pensive this evening until Meng Hwa jumped into my tedium (as she often does with great randomness) and yanked me to the nearby Cafe Cartel hang-out. Here she is with her mellow friend Albert (Daniel is chortling nearby)
Now, can you guess what they are smirking about... hmm? *grinning mischieviously*
Friday January 8 1999 I enjoyed myself immensely today. I spent the morning doing chores like laundry and cleaning up the house. Then I took the afternoon off to see a movie with a friend--"A Bug's Life" by Walt Disney's Pixar Films. Loads of fun, that movie! Then I worked on the nautical school's WWW site. Re-formatted using MS-Frontpage so that multiple Webmasters can work on it. Still, I spent about 8 hours on the project, and I have new appreciation of how much time this sort of thing can take out of you... Am looking forward to bathing my two dogs tomorrow--my wiry-haired Jack Russell and fuzzy Pennbrooke Corgi. Then I'll go to the Marina to conduct powerboat courses. Should be a full-day. Even got invited to a party on Sunday night!!! :)
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