A Blip On The Line

It didn't take more than about 30 seconds after I sent out a text barrage for last night's ride that a knock came at the glass door of the office. It just so happened to be one of the guy's I sent out an invitation to, and I was finally able to meet Dante, the ghost who I only catch a glimpse of zipping in front of our office now and then. Thanks for the visit brutha. Sorry you couldn't stay longer to meet Cicero, who was by the way ripping through south to meet up as we spoke. I'll see what I can come up with regarding the brass blings and finally do some serious riding like we've always wished, and yeah you can throw in some longboard sessions too. That'd be nice going back to my roots. Advance greetings on the baby man :)

Returning to our old haunt was a welcome break from the usual flatline. Haven't had real time away from the monitor lately coz I'm swamped to my airbox shuffling work and family. Getting updates from lives outside mine gives me a different perspective on what I should be thankful for. Went home after a short noise barrage around Makati. Too tired to even change out of my clothes and just slept on the floor. Leaving 5am for Ateneo to assist with the mat transfers for today's Dominacao at SM Marikina with my old jiujitsu teammates. Thanks for keeping me busy :)

Must Have This In Your Stash

Finally the long sought for memo is released. Brutha Spike from PhilMC was only too kind enough to let the fan fly on this one. Section 7 is one of your defense. Click. Print. Ride. Distribute.

Some Serious Shiet..

After coming from my steel supplier this big humongous truck was parked in front of my house. Turns out Maynilad had scheduled me for a free sucking off. So this big big hose was snaking through the shop floor going to the dining and out the back where the septic was. Cool. Haven't seen this nice contraption, was used to this dilapidated and rusty truck with an oval tank that says "Shit Sucker". It was done in about a good hour, and I can go on with the plan for the day. Seems the weather had this nasty habit of sucking you into thinking its a nice and sunny day. Well it rained heavy this afternoon, just like it did yesterday at more or less the same hour. Blessed rain for the earth. With Helmet blasting in the background, I laid out some lean beads. Some sucked, some were fine. Did some minor tests before moving on to the real thing. At least the bead aesthetics is progressing. Welding TIG takes time to really get used to. I had to go through countless sucky beads before finding my pulse.

Hope to complete this one by end of this month. I only lack a few minor parts and holders and finally, I'm off to start some serious shit. Incidentally, how many times did I use the word "suck"? A few pointers I learned from welding less than 2mms: stainless tend to warp when heated, so its best to, starting from the rear post, weld beginning from both edges about half an inch, then do the front side to let the rear part cool. Alternating between sections as opposed to welding in a straight line will save you trouble. Weld, check center, hammer if you must, let cool, and weld again. Hah! Now if I could only redo my mistake. Thank goodness for adjustable casters.

The 250 On A Saturday

Apart from occasional rides around the metro it's been a while since our last long ride. This memorable one took us a humble 250 miles from our launch off point and back and ended in the usual drizzle. 3 other bros rode along with us. The more the merrier. Rode out to C5 and met up with Cicero, and on we went. Brutus sits in my garage all muddied up and waiting for a hose-down after I finish this. Take off at 545A.M. - got back 5:30P.M. up Sierra Madre and exit at south.

Stop over at a famous landmark before proceeding to the peak. Riding has opened up the chance to become a "tourist" for everyone who dared put their hands on the grip. Had it not been for the proliferation of bikes in the country nowadays, everyone else would've led the same monotonous life we had 10 years ago. A handful of sporties whizzed by waving.

Touchdown at breakfast point. And boy, did it take long for the food to get done. Anyhoo, the boys were pretty occupied having fun not to mind the delay, not to mention molesting the hapless bear. Tapang Usa, eggs and fried rice galore.

There were so many great photo ops when we were in transit. The early morning sun was soooo gorgeous, mixing a little bit with cold fog. From time to time I'd take a shot since I slung my camera around my neck so I can snap whenever I wanted to but heck, better safe than sorry. Didn't want the twisties to get the best of me. I just tried my best to sink everything in.

photos by Cynthia

So what's a road trip without a little bit of danger eh? One of the riders who rode with us just thought it best to stop and smell the roses - and grass, in this case. NOS hams it up and sees the fun in every occasion. Locals were too kind and offered a hand. They probably weren't strangers to this sight.

photos by Cynthia

Having fish meals overlooking the lake at Caliraya.

Last stop overlooking the other end of Laguna.
Gassing up before entering Batangas on to Los Baños, Laguna.

photos by Cynthia

Entering the tail end of SLEX gave us the reason to burn rubber some good ground before our last stop at Total gas station. Sighting dark clouds in the distance we said adeius and went on home, pushing into the traffic of Alabang. You just know you're back when you find yourself staring into the chrome of the car's bumper in front of you. And what better way to end a ride than with blessings of rain? Did a quick stop under Sucat exit and talked about the next invitation for a free meal and lodging in an overnight Pampanga ride. Ah, yes..

Although the usual flood entering my street was da bomb.