Cycling and cyclists

Did not feel like posting anything yesterday although there were lots to post about.

I went to discuss the 'future' of my so-called career, my car almost got knocked from the back, the cats play Jurassic Park with me, but I was too tired to post. Until now.

Quite ready to make my exit from work but I am going to continue as a part-timer. The money is going to be way, way less than what I am earning now but I am trying to psycho myself to think that at least, there is some money coming in while I become the poor student.

Was msn-ing a friend last night and she sent me an MP3 file to sample some music. Now I do see it. I used to think that one has to buy original CDs and albums. I am a self-proclaimed advocator of respectiing intellectual property, but now that I am going to earn much less, I think that downloading from another friend's disc seems like a good idea now. Either that, or I will just have to make do with less...and listen more to mainstream radio.

After work, I gave my colleague a lift back to her place as we were given huge bags of organic food. This was all under the healthy living initiative done by our HR team. We get lots of goodies at the end of each FY. Suits me and my mum. She always feels that my company is good in that way. It is, but still, other aspects make me so tired that I want to say sayonara.

I stopped my car at a traffic junction when I heard tyre screeching and a horn and something slammed down on the road. I looked into my rear mirror and saw this motorbike just at the right hand side of my car boot and I wandered in bewilderment as to whether it would smash into my car. My stupid natural reaction was to give him two hoots on my car horn. This is really silly coz it looked like I was horning the car in front of me when I am not. Well, not really anyway, the horn could have acted as a signal for the car to move in front a little, but that silly small car just stayed put and I could see the driver waving his hands and probably telling his friend in the car that people nowadays horn for no rhyme or reason.

I did not see what had happened but my very good guess is that the motorbike was weaving in and out of traffic, trying to get to the start of the traffic lights. The other vehicle, which was a bicycle (that smashed to the ground) was probably thinking that he was King of the Road and the whole world must give way to him. For the position of his bicycle looked like he was going to cross the road at the entrance to an HDB car park.

As a driver, I side the motorcyclist. I respect all cyclists and all but only to those who are also mindful to traffic rules. In these parts of the island where we call heartlands (Bedok lah!), the 'Ah Peks' really think it is their grandfather's roads. Some have bicycles that are way too small for them to ride and they end up wobbling; weaving in and out in the middle of nowhere on the main roads.

There are those who ring their bells in a very rude manner (Haha Livvie! As if there was ever a polite way of ringing a bicycle bell!). Oh! And when they cycle pass you, give you the glare and stare that they feel can kill you. It does not kill me. It just makes me feel more contemptious towards them.

Then there are those who squeeze past you no matter what or whiz past and make you feel like you are going to lose balance. They seem to forget that it is a padestrian walkway that they are using and they should be more mindful of people (not trying to discriminate but sometimes they are just too much).

All this of course, is from the perspective of a padestrian. This morning, I was driving my car yet again and was quite pissed with this stupid cyclist. He was obviously a foreign worker, probably from Sri Lanka. I could have turned out from the car park as the coast was clear, except that he was cycling towards my direction and I should give way to him. But our dear friend was either awe-struck by my car or there must be gold on my face that he decided to ride real slow. In fact, he slowed down and I had half a mind to go down and whack him up. Did another Ally McBeal (mentally whacked him up but not really doing it) while waiting for him to pass my junction.

Back to the minor accident. My colleague in my car was so shaken by the whole thing coz she had ever seen a neighbour knocked down by a lorry and died on the spot. Not really witnessed it but she heard a loud bang and when she looked down from her block of flats, there was the old man lying there, lifeless. What was worse was that the lorry driver was also staying in the same neighbourhood. She had heard and seen too many 'horror' stories about cyclists that she has second thoughts about being one herself.

Well, for those who are my cycling friends, do take care if you are on the roads ok? Have a nice day!