Dinie - The Transportation Maniac

Back to blogging!

2010-04-16T15:45:00.002+08:00

Welcome back Dinie, after almost 6 months missing in action..

I have to say, time really pass by very fast. The last post I made in my blog was regarding the N levels and now, I am already in Secondary 5 facing my O Levels very soon. Let's recap from the Month of October 2009 to the Month of March 2010 on some of the things I did:

October 2009:

N Levels roughly ended at the beginning of this month.
I had my very first cabride in the Class 29 Dalian from Bukit Timah to Stagmont Ring.
Short trainspotting trip to Kempas Baru, Johor.
The last time I attended school as a 4NA student.

November 2009:

Celebrated Man Wen's birthday at Sakura Restaurant.
The sighting of a Merc Citaro Bus in Singapore.
I started working at ISS-CDCS Catering as a Part-time Catering Assistant.
I had my first cabride onboard a Class 26 Blue Tiger Locomotive from Kempas Bahru to Pasir Gudang then to Kluang, Johor.

December 2009:

My father finally bought me a new camera.
I had my KL & Penang Trip 2009 on 8th December.
I attended the KTM's event of receiving the ETS at Kuala Lumpur on Dec 15th. (The photo header above was the one I took during the event.)
Celebrated Afiq's birthday at his house with train and bus fans.
I received my N Level results which made me able to go to Sec 5 in 2010.
I finally resigned from my job after 1 month hidious work.

January 2010:

Happy New Year!
School have started. I am in 5c!
Nothing much though.

February 2010:

Celebrated Chinese New Year.
Can't remember much though.

March 2010:

Common Test 1 finally started and ended in 1 weeks time. Results was satisfactory.
Term 1 ends with a short 1 week break. I had 2 days of lessons.
I travelled to Gemas, Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia for a short trainspotting trip there. It turned out to be the best outing as I finally got to see the Class 22 for the first and last time. I also met some locomotive drivers and definitely had loads of fun that day.
5C organised a Makan-Makan Gathering during the March holidays at Sakura Restaurant just for a get together session.
Parent-Teacher Meeting during this month.

That's all folks. Now is already April 2010 and I will be sitting for Prelims 1A very soon. Oh yes! Did I mention that O Level Mother Tongue will be on 31st May? Again, time passes by very fast and it will not be long before Semester 1 ends. Hehe! Tomorrow shall be heading to Marina Barrage with Joel to take some photos for his Art. See you guys..

A busy week ahead!

2009-09-18T16:43:00.005+08:00

Ok finally back to blogging after being MIA for quite sometime.

Well, the Prelims for the N Level finished about one month ago. Soon, N Level came along during the September Holidays. Ok let's see, we are done with English, Malay and SS Papers. So i'm left with Science Physics and Biology, Mathematics, Geography and Design & Technology. For the first time however, I managed to finish my Social Studies Paper which was good. Luckily, I revised the correct topic and that was Diplomacy and Detterance. Although I did studied Conflict in Countries, that did not came out. Almost 90% of the NA students revised for D&D. Quite suprisingly, Globalisation did came out for SEQ. SBQ was saitsfactory altough I did not quite understood the toic given out. I had to read the background information a few times before managed to get the ball rolling. Malay and English Paper were fairly ok. I'm expecting an A1 for Malay and a B3 for English. I think now my focus has to be on Science and Geography.

Week 1 of Term4 for School has ended. Basically, we were the only Sec 4NA class to occupy the 4th Level. The 4 Express and 5 NA are out for their prelims. Hmm, so it's not suprising that we are the only one using the 4th level which is good actually. We are able to move freely, go to another class freely and use which toilets are available on the 4th Level. English, Malay and SS are already free periods which we make use for self-study periods. Sometimes, we make use to these periods to chit chat and not to do work. Hahaha!

Ok so, Ramadhan is leaving soon and Hari Raya is coming. Preparations are well under way at my home. Rooms are kept clean, curtains are washed, new Hari Raya outfit is being purchased and etc, etc.. It's kinda fast that one month of fasting is about to end soon. You don't feel the time moving at all. I still remember the 1st day of fasting. Azmee and myself went to Yishun to catch the SMRT Yutong ZK6126HGC Bus registered as SMB135E. Oh yes, there were many temptations all around us but we managed to survive. Hahaha! I had a break-fast gathering with my family, my friends and railwayfans from SGRailway. Of course, Ramadhan is a month never to forget. Oh yes, I'm going out later to iftar and have our last Terawih prayers at Ba'alwie Mosque.

Finally, let me wish all readers a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Minal Aidil Wal Faizin. May the month of Syawal bring blessings to all of us.

Pictures time!

The Yutong Bus bought by SMRT. Registered as SMB135E. This bus was on Service 854.

My favourite bus with my favourite advertisement. This is a Mercedes Benz OC500LE Bus registered as SMB67T with a Berri Juice ad. It was on Service 172.

KTM Komuter

2009-07-31T18:58:00.004+08:00

Seem this blogger is not working that well lah.. I have been trying to upload pictures here but seems to fail. But this time, it seems fine to me.

The picture above is taken during my recent to trip to Kuala Lumpur on the 21st June. That's a KTM Komuter Class 83 3-car EMU trainset at Rawang Station. It is similar to our MRTs here but only it is a 3-car and the trains come at a 20 mins frequency. These trains were recently refurbished by Malaysian-Korean Rail Consortium (MKRC). The seats are changed to a horizontal direction and are provided by Vogelsitze of Germany. Overall, the ride on these trains was satisfactory and it's advisable to buy the "Tour Ticket" when you are taking KTM Komuter the whole day. I bought it for RM12 because I moved around KL by the Komuter so it's much more easier and convenient then queing up to buy single journey tickets.

Saturday's Bus Outing

2009-07-04T22:03:00.007+08:00

What a tiring day it was, but every second was worth it..

I met up with Azmee around 3pm today at his void deck. Passed him the KTM Komuter Marketing Video and KL Monorail cd and made our way to the bus stop near his house. We waited for 307 and there came SMB43L. We were hoping for a Batch II OC500LE to come but it was Batch I. It was until when we reached at CCK Interchange when we saw SMB69M on 188. We hurried and immediately took the bus. Our intention was to take a Batch II OC either on 172 or 307 around the CCK Area but we landed ourselves at Bukit Batok after a joyride on SMB69M on 188.

We alighted near Bukit Batok before making our way to Bukit Batok Interchange to get onboard the Hino Demonstrater, TIB905Y on 941. It was my 2nd time taking it and Azmee's 1st time. We joyride for one round before alighting at Bt Batok Central to take 985 back to CCK Interchange. TIB1018B came rolling down slowly on 985. The bus driver drove quite slow all the way to CCK Interchange. From there, we transfered to 172 and made our way to Boon Lay Interchange for dinner and to take pictures of buses.

After the bus-spotting outside Boon Lay Interchange, we then proceeded back to the interchange and thought of taking a Scania K230UB Euro V for a joyride. But we changed plans to take SMB1H when we saw it coming in Boon Lay Interchange. We waited around 15mins before SMB1H came for its return journey back to Choa Chu Kang. The bus was quite packed until Jalan Bahar where those foreign workers alighted. We drop off at CCK Ave 1 to wait for SMB71E on 307. While waiting, we took pictures of SMB1H after making one round and finally, SMB71E came but it was 307E. We boarded and alighted at CCK Interchange. While walking at the interchange, I saw SMB72C on 307 coming to its berth. Azmee and myself immediately ran to catch that bus. We managed and drop off at Yew Tee MRT to take pictures of SMB72C and SMB71E which was coming in quite soon. We ended our day finally around 8:30pm. Although tiring, but it was fun!

SMB71E on 307 - Batch II of SMRT's Mercedes Bez OC500LE. Although looking similar to the 1st Batch, it has different colour interior, CCTV installed and more bus stopping pressing buttons.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn141/dinie_razin/P7040121.jpg

Garuda Indonesia New Livery

2009-06-25T16:06:00.004+08:00

Here's a tribute to one of my favourite Airline, Garuda Indonesia. After 22 years wearing the old livery, GA decided to change their image by introducing brand new aircrafts and showing off a brand new livery. The change in colour at the tail and the new font makes GA a brand new airline itself. This livery is currently painted on their brand new Airbus A330-243 and this aircraft will start commercial service on the 3rd July from Jakarta to Seoul, South Korea. They have also introduced their new Executive Class offering a 180 degrees flat bed and new entertainment system. Their Economy Class are not spared either. Both classes are given refurbishments with new Enterainment system as well as spacious seats. These products are available on the Airbus A330s, the Boeing 747 and the upcoming Boeing 777-300ER.

They are hoping with new aircrafts being rolled out, the EU will lift its ban from granting rights to Indonesian Carriers from flying into the European States. Photos are taken from the internet and Jetphotos.net. Copyrights infringement to its owners.

Henry Wee Cartoon Collection

2009-05-21T22:34:00.002+08:00

This is Hong Zhou doing his masterpiece again. He is very good in drawing and in Arts especially. This time, he decided to draw figurines of Henry in various scenes..

Hong Zhou focusing in the drawing of the "Fat Beauty" of Henry.

The finished artpiece.

The finished "Fat Beauty".

Doesn't Henry looks cute?

My favourite so far. Henry becoming Spiderman with his stomach..

A busy week ahead

2009-05-16T12:34:00.003+08:00

Taken at Marina Barrage with Singapore Flyer in the background. Starting from left is myself, Kelvin and Azmee.

I think I have to prepare myself for the busy week ahead. Let me list down what I have for the upcoming week.

Monday the 18th - I will be heading to Republic Polytechnic Theather so see the venue for the upcoming SYFiesta held on 5th June. Since I am the Assistant Technical Director for the operations side, I must get myself used to the venue itself because I will be running up and down during the event.

Wednesday the 20th - We will hold our first rehearsal for the SYFiesta at the school hall. We intro ourselves to the performing arts who is in-charge of what before each Performing Arts will peform infront of each other. They consist of the modern dance, choir, band and the ELDDS. We have to set up the external system by 1 hour.

Friday the 22nd - Another rehearsal will be held in the school hall. Not sure what will happen though.

Saturday the 23rd - A day I have been waiting. Kelvin from KL will coming down to Singapore to attend the Circle Line Discivery Open House. I am also eager to attend as there will be free rides on the Circle Line itself. I must wake up in the morning and must be at Tanjung Pagar Railway Stn to greet Kelvin and his group.

Haizz.. Look at the schedule. So busy running up and down but hey after 5th June, I'm free. Also might be going to Changi Airport on the 1st week of June to send off Miss Tan to Bangkok. She will be leaving Singapore soon so yeah, looking forward to the holidays..

The Circle Line Trip

2009-05-03T19:06:00.005+08:00

Myself with the CCL Trainset on 1st Of May.

On Labour Day, I treated myself with a trip to Kim Chuan Depot and rides on the Circle Line. Although not open to public yet, I got a chance to ride on the CCL and a trip to inside the depot which happens only in special occasions. SMRT oragnised a small Open House to its depot specially for Staff and Family Members. I was lucky to know one Staff and thus, got this rare opportunity. The depot is said to be the World's Largest Underground Train Depot and truly, it is! We got the chance to take upclose pictures of the trains, locomotive and the OCC Centre whcih controls almost everything on the Circle Line.

23rd of May is another day for me to wait as I get to ride the CCL again once more. Just can't wait for that day. =)

Why Choose Trainspotting?

2009-04-24T21:28:00.011+08:00

A Blue Tiger Locomotive hauling a Freight Train to Singapore. Taken on the 24th of April at 1846 Hours. The guy posing is my friend who is on duty.

Some of you might wonder, why I choose Trainspotting as my hobby when there are actually much more better hobbies in this world. Well for some it might be boring just seeing a train passing by but for some, it's more than what you think then a piece of scrap metal passing in front of your eyes. Let me list down the few reasons why I like pursuing in this hobby..

1) The Passion Since Young - Since small, I had a very deep interest in trains. Everytime when I pass by the Gate Crossing at Stagmont Ring, I will always hope that a train would pass by. These thoughts finally came true when I first rode my train ride from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore back in 2002. The passion really started to grow when I travelled to Kuala Lumpur again via Train back in 2007. In 3rd February 2008, I started my first ever trainspotting experience.

2) The Experience I Get - Taking a ride on KTM and SMRT is really different! When you ride on SMRT, everything is enclosed and you can only see the scenary from the windows but in KTM, you get to stand at the door or better, sit at the door! That is the experience I get when tavelling onboard KTM Trains. Back in 2007, I rode the Night Express from Kuala Lumpur and the train reached Johor early morning. I remembered the cooling breeze air you could smell and you popped ot of the door. Absolutely priceless! Until today, whenever I take a ride on KTM Trains, I will always spend my time standing at the door area and make sure I make full use of my journey.

3) The People You Get To Meet - Of course, railfanning is not alone. You get to meet railwayfans from all ober the world sharing the same hobby. You get to exchange knowledge and better, travel together with them. Another thing is that you get to meet KTM Staffs and Gatekeepers. A few of them I have met them here in Singapore and the experience you get is way beyond words. You get to meet Station Masters, Signal Cabin Assisstance, Gatekeepers and the best, Locomotive Drivers. If you know them, then the ticket awaits you as you get to ride onboard the locomotive.

4) Seeing Your Favourite Locomotive - So far, I love the Class 29 Locomotive which are made in China. Introduced in 2005, this is the most powerful KTM's locomotive in the whole fleet with 3450 HP. Although it was famous for its poor performance, today, they are back in service and I just love their shape. Also, this is the only Loco to be in Blue Colour livery unlike the rest of the other Locomotives. Truly, this is indeed a unique locomotive.

With this, I hope you get a clearer picture of what Trainspotting means to me and other railfans.

It's the Exams already..

2009-04-21T16:59:00.004+08:00

An AirAsia A340-313X lines up the runway for its take-off to its destination. Copyrights to its owner.

Oh my! It's the end of April and soon, I'll be sitting for my Mid-Year Examinations or what we like to call it as the Prelims 1. How far am I ready? Parctically not there yet. I still have a long way to go. My English has been wobbly since the strat of this year together with my Maths. Malay, Physics, D&T are still okay. My Biology and Humanities are subjects that I am still struggling. Oh dear.. Well, this blog will not be updated for quite sometime until the end of the Prelims 1.

The Only Volvo B7RLE Bus

2009-04-09T18:15:00.004+08:00

This is the 1st time I will be talking about buses in my blog. Basically, this Volvo B7RLE bus is the only unit in Singapore. It is brought in as an demonstrater for SBS Transit to evaluate the bus before purchasing more units of the buses. Unfortunately, SBS has not made the decision yet so this bus is the only ranger in Singapore Roads. Assembled by a local firm, Soon Chow Bodywork, this bus can carry up to 2 Wheelchair bound passengers. It's emmision of CO2 is rated at Euro IV. Basically, I've taken this bus 3 times and the rides are smooth. This bus is currently on Svc 174. Also famous, this bus has a "garang" look or a ferociuos look at the front which akes a trademark for this bus.

Quick facts on this bus:

Registration No. : SBS8030L
Make : Volvo
Model : B7RLE
Body Builder : Soon Chow
Length : 12m
Year : 2007
Passenger Capacity :
Seating : 28
Standing :
Wheelchairs : 2
Engine Model : Volvo D7E290 (Euro 4, 290bhp, rear-mounted, turbocharged)
Manufacturer :
Engine Capacity : 7,148 cc
Transmission Model : ZF 6HP592C
Air-Con Model : Denso
EDS : CoolAir
Additional Features:
-Wheelchair-Accessible Bus
-Euro 4 Compliant Engine
-Outswing Plug-Doors (Exit)
-Low-Floor Step-Free (Entrance to Exit)
-Electronically Controlled Air Suspension

Info from http://www.sgwiki.com/wiki/Volvo_B7R_Low_Entry

Goodbye B747s! Hello A380s!

2009-04-05T17:06:00.009+08:00

Boeing 747-412 (9V-SMU) rotating from Sydney International Airport. Copyrights to the owner of this picture.

Airbus A380-841 (9V-SKE) coming into Singapore Changi Airport. Copyrights to the owner of this picture.

The 747s will soon be gone in SQ colours. SQ has decided to remove all of the remaining 747s from the fleet. It will be a sad moment as the number of 747s decrease and are now operating for other carriers or maybe, scrapped. Some are even converted into a Cargo/Freight Plane from the passenger ones. Whatever it is, these old workhorses will be remebered. The 747s were introduced in late July 1973 with its first variant, the Boeing 747-200 series. Eventually, the number of 747s grew with the introduction of the -300 series "Big Top" and -400 series "Mega Top". For a moment, SQ was the World's Largest Operator of the Boeing 747-400. But now, all of these seem to fade as more technological advanced aircraft are introduced from its rival, Airbus.

The Airbus A380 project started back in 1996 when they, too wanted to produce the biggest aircraft. At that time, their largest aircraft was the Airbus A340-600 version or the "Flying Pencil". SQ made its first purchase for the 380s back in 2000 with 10 firm orders and 15 on options. SQ then decided to order more with 19 on firm and 6 on options as Airbus improved its technology in the A380 was SQ was very satisfied with it. SQ finally received its first A380 on 15th October, 2007 after 2 years of delay. The aircraft registered as F-WWSA and finally 9V-SKA (MSN003) was handed over to SQ at Toulouse, France. It went into commercial service on 25th of October, 2007 from Singapore to Sydney. SQ was also the first airline in the world to operate the A380 eventhough Emirates was the first to order the A380.

Today, SQ has 6 A380s and will be receiving their next soon. The 747 still has around 11 and will exit from service on March 2010. The old work horses will be remembered as the growth of the biggest airplane today.

Garuda Indonesia Domestic Flight Review

2009-04-02T19:05:00.006+08:00

Ok, some of you are fascinated about the planes I talk here so I shall continue. Today, I shall talk about a Flight Review on-board, Garuda Indonesia. It was a short Domestic Flight from SRG - CGK. Time of flying was around 1 Hour.

This was my ticket just prior to boarding. We had to pay Airport Tax at Rp25,000 and that is around SGD3.50. I was happy this time as I got a window seat. Guessing where my seat was very easy as my seat code 18F. Codes "A" and "F" are window seats.

After clearing the security checks, I decided to proceed to the Gate earlier and was the 1st few to board the aircraft. Here, a Boeing 737-300 (PK-GHS) was waiting to ferry us back to CGK. This plane just finished its 1st leg from CGK to SRG and now will be finishing the last leg and that is from SRG - CGK. Since there is no aerobridges at the Airport, I had to walk on the tarmac and thus, got to take the picture. I went immediately went to the back door to board from there since my seat is be located near to the door.

The aiport was roughly the size of Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange. The Indonesian title denotes, "Ahmad Yani International Airport, Semarang'.

The plane now makes its way to the Runway. Here is the video as the plane takes-off from SRG and climbs to at an altitude of 35000ft.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5CHaaOqEj8

Shortly after take-off, here comes the fun part. The seat-belt sign was switched off and I started to read the newspaper given out by the air-stewardess. After passing me the paper, she even turned on my reading light so that I could read much clearer! Very good service!!

Since Garuda Indonesia is the Airline of Indonesia and not a budget flight, meal-box were served to every passenger. Each meal-box contained a Bun, a small Cake and a Kit-Kat. We even had choice of drinks during that flight. Passengers could choose from a wide-range of drinks such as Orange Juice, Coke, Apple Juice and Beer. Although there was no TV on-board or Personal Entertainment, there was much more for me to do.

This was taken when we were cruising at 35,000ft. What a pretty sight it was! After finishing my on-board meal, the 2 stewardess started to collect back the boxes.

After around 45 Minutes, we started descending down. That means we are approaching CGK or Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport. We fastened our seat-belts and waited patiently as the plane descent down smoothly. Here is a video while it decended down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rEEagf4HnM

The plane touched down smoothly. Announcements were then made welcoming us to Jakarta. We then arrived at Terminal 2 of the airport. Overall it was a very good flight and very good services on-board especially the air-stewardesses and the ground crew.

Ratings: 4/5

Currently Injured

2009-03-24T23:19:00.004+08:00

Some of you might be wondering what's up with me today.. But actually, I just undergo an operation and that is to remove the toe nail from my foot completely. It has been infected with another in-growth inside it and that's why I feel pain wearing a shoe. The operation was done immediately I reached the clinic at Jurong Medical Centre located just beside Jurong Point. 4 Injections were injected into my big toe so that I would feel numb as the nail is being pulled out. That's it for today. I am still enduring pain and thus, would like some rest.

Small RailwayFan Gathering @ Gemas (Part 2)

2009-03-22T15:42:00.008+08:00

Continued here..

We received info that Eks. Rakyat 2Up will be crossing with Eks. Sinaran Pagi 5Dn from KL soon.

Minutes later, Train 5Dn arrived punctually at the station. This train also carried the northern members who are meeting us.

This train also carried a Dead YDM4 Locomotive 6561. It was later used for the Night Express to KL later that day.

After meeting all the members, we decided to have lunch at the famous Chicken Rice Stall. We soon found ourselves lost and decided to call oter members about the place. We then noticed that the stall was just 400m walk from the station but we walked for 2km already!

This was taken while we were lost. This is a preserved 17 Class Shunter kept at Gemas Yard.

Finally we found it! A plate of Chicken Rice cost RM5 and it was sure cheap and delicious!

Members relaxing after the lunch.

That's me and Abg Kelvin. He's from KL and did came to S'pore before.

This is the Steam Locomotive which is stored at Gemas Railway Station. What makes this loco special was that it was the last loco used for service. It was refurbished in the early 90's for the Peninsular Line Service from Gemas to Tampin. But soon, the service was stopped due to the Asian Economical Crisis in 1997 and the service declared bankruptcy. Thus, this loco didn't ran anymore and the drivers soon retired.

Also, this loco uses Diesel and not Coal. This is the tank located behind the engine.

Another angle of the loco. I just love the wheels!

Abg Kelvin explaining us the brochuers he brought for us.

This is a Maintainance Trolley from China. There were track works when we were at Gemas.

Soon, our train back to Singapore has arrived. We bid our final goodbyes to the other members before starting our 200KM journey back to Singapore.

Small RailwayFan Gathering @ Gemas (Part 1)

2009-03-22T15:03:00.007+08:00

On the 18th of March, Azmee and myself travelled to Gemas for a short and small gathering for railwayfans. I will illustrate by posting photos instead.

YDM4 Locomotive 6352 with Eks. Lambaian Timur 26Up. This train will take both of us to Gemas. Note that this was 5:35am in the morning.

We were lucky. A non-airconditioned canteen coach was attached. This means we could enjoy the fresh air in the morning.

Myself on my seat 15B.

After clearing S'pore immigration, the train crossed the Causeway slowly.

Soon the train reached Layang-Layang, Johor.

This was at Rengam Railway Station.

Passengers eagerly boarding the train as it was leaving soon. This was at Kluang Railway Station.

Various scenaries along the way.

This was at Segamat Railway Station.

The train leaving Segamat for the next station, Gemas.

After reaching Gemas, there will be a crew change. Here, drivers for the next leg settle in for their duty.

Moments before it blew its horn and left for Gua Musang, Kelantan.

This Tiger arrived when we were waiting for the northern members to arrive.

Moments later, Eks. Rakyat 2Up arrived from S'pore. Again, we were lucky as we were able to spot a 24 Class after months not seeing it.

To be continued..

A Week To Remember

2009-03-16T12:34:00.002+08:00

Let me just recall what happened during the past few days:

Thursday (12/03/09): That morning, I accidentally threw Dion's water bottle through the window. Ironically, the window pane dropped too. PRRANGG!!! Teachers who were waiting for the lift were suprised and immediately instructed me to pick up the bottle and window pane. Miss Low said I had to reprt the matter to Mr Lau but what for? The window is still in good condition so as Dion's water bottle! It did not broke but had a few scratches! Remember, it fell from the 4th floor.

Friday The 13th: It was Achievements Day 2009 a.k.a Prize Giving Ceremony. Nothing much actually. I was on duty for PA as Stage Manager. Although some cock-ups did happened, there was one that I wish to highlight. One of the slides has spelling error and showed, "Badminton B Grils Team" What a blunder.. Furthermore, it was the English Teachers who checked on those slides.. :P

Saturday (14/03/09): Met with Shek Ngai that day. We took the NEL specially to take some videos and recordings for Mr Kelvin from KL. He loves the NEL very much! We then headed to Stagmont Ring for some trainspotting before I head back home at around 7:30pm.

That should be it after 1 week of not updating! Do stay tuned on this Thursday. I will be posting something special!

SilkAir 185: Pilot Suicide?

2009-03-09T20:33:00.004+08:00

SilkAir Boeing 737-36N (9V-TRF) 3 Months before the crash.

Recently, I watched Air Crash Investigation on YouTube reagrding the crash of SilkAir. On the 19th December, 1997, a Boeing 737 (9V-TRF) crashed on the Musi River of Palembang in Indonesia while on a routine flight from Jakarta to Singapore. Until today, Air Crash Investigators could not find the real cause of the crash. Many factors contributed to the crash such as the Rudder (which makes the plane turn) had problems and therefore lead to the crash. But one of the most interesting factor was the Pilot Suicide Theory.. Listed below are why I still believe that Pilot Suicide might have caused the crash:

1) The Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recoder (found in the Black Box) stopped recording just 8 minutes prior to the crash. Investigators revealed that it was not the normal power outage failure but it was intentionally and purposely switched off. I believed that the Pilot is trying to cover his actions in the cockpit and this will make the job of the investigators much more difficult to find the real story in the cockpit. The last recorded sound was the Captain leaving his seat after a short coversation with the First Officer.

2) Both engines were set to full speed at the time of the crash! Investigators founded out that the plane nose-dived and engines were on full speed. The plane was approaching the Speed Of Sound as it nose-dived into the river. It was later revealed that both Pilots were no trying to pull away the plane from its deadly dive.

3) The Captain actually went into financial difficulties just prior to the crash. He was living on the brink. He might had problems surrounding him therefore pressurising him to go with the Suicide Theory.

Until today, we will not know what really happened in the Cockpit of SilkAir Flight MI185 and the 104 people aboard the aircraft. After the crash, SilkAir decided to ceased operations to Jakarta and since then, Singapore Airlines continue to fly there. SilkAir also replaced all Boeing 737 with new Airbus A319s and Airbus A320s. For sure, it is a reminder on how stress could bring us to the edge.

Tiger Airways Flight Review

2009-03-06T20:34:00.009+08:00

Tiger Airways Flight TR492 to Kuching, Sarawak. (9V-TAE, Airbus A320-232)

On the 12th of December last year, my family had a holiday to Kuching, Sarawak as we were attending a Wedding Reception by some relatives who are staying there. This was my first time I am stepping my feet to the Borneo Island.

I left my house at around 11am and went straight to Changi Airport T2 to have lunch first. After we had a sumptious lunch, we left for Budget Terminal (BT) as Tiger Airways operates from that terminal together with Cebu Pacific. I went to the basement of T2 to catch the shuttle bus to the BT. The bus should be made a low-floor or the ones without steps so that travellers had easier time to board and alight. This happened to me as I had difficulties putting up the luggage belonging to my Grandpa. As soon as we reached BT, the queue to check-in for Flight TR492 was so long!! We queued for at least 40 Mins!! We finally managed to check-in our luggages and we immediately went to the Gate as our flight will be leaving in 20 Mins due to the long queue.

My flight ticket for Flight TR492

The queue at Gate No. 9. Passengers waiting anxiously to board the Aircraft.

Finally, I made it at the gate just on time. Phew!! Another queue emerged again as there were crowd control to make sure that passengers enter the aircraft in an orderly manner. There, I saw 9V-TAE waiting to carry passengers and myself to Sarawak. I managed board the aircraft and was greeted by 2 beautiful stewardess. "Welcome to Tiger Airways," as they greeted every passengers who stepped into the aircraft. For me, it was my 2nd time on-board the Airbus A320. My 1st was on SilkAir (9V-SLD) to Langkawi.

The interior of 9V-TAE. It could take up to 180 Economy Class passengers. Since this is a Budget Carrier, no Business or First Class is offered.

I managed to find my seat with the help of a male steward. He was ensuring passengers was sitting at their correct seat. Since Tiger Airways is a budget carrier, they fitted their A320 with 180 seats so that they can carry more passengers at one time. The seat pitch is rather quite little and the legroom wasn't that much. How much could I get from a $60 flight? Although long queues were everywhere prior to boarding, the aircraft was like 3/4 full. There was still some seats empty. After emergency briefing was done, the captain then made an announcement, "Flight crew, take-off position please." This meant tht the aircraft is getting prepared to take-off. Then, the IAE V2500 Engines roared and soon, we were airborne! After the seat belt sign was switched off, I inclined my seat back and settled for the 1hr and 6 mins flight.

This can of Coca-Cola with a cup with ice-cube cost $3. My inflight-meal onboard TR492.

Soon, the stewardess started thier routine and started to sell stuffs on-board. Since this is a budget carrier, no free inflight meal is available. I decided to purchase a can Coca-Cola and cost $3! Since I was thirsty, I had no choice but to purchase it. After I finished the drink, the stewardess took away my cup with a smile. The air-con was a blast too! I took my jacket because it was cold!! For the next 30 Mins, I kept staring to the surroundings in the cabin. Soon, we reached Kuching and it was time to land. The landing was okay and the aircrft settled at Gate 9 of Kuching International Airport. What suprised me was the passengers had to walk down and into the Terminal Building even though there were aerobridges. Tiger Airways is really budget!!

Ratings: 3/5 (For the good service onboard. Otherwise it would be 2 because of the budget services!!)

Happy Birthday Azmee!!

2009-03-04T21:22:00.003+08:00

Pictured at Kluang Railway Station on 22nd November 2008 just before heading home onboard Mail Train Kembara 29Dn.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AZMEE!!

Although I'm abit early, I'm scared that tomorrow I do not have time to wish you.

Kawanku, semoga umur anda dipanjangkan dan dimurahkan rezeki selalu. Semoga lulus dengan cemerlang pada peperiksaan 'N' nanti, insyaAllah.

We have been friends since Primary School and to be honest, we have been close friends since Primary 1. We share the same hobby and interest from Primary 4 up until today. I am very thankful to have a friend just like you as I get to learn such new skills from him especially Photography. Therefore, I hope our long-last friendship will last long and we do not get separated when we turn adults later on. Again, Happy Birthday Friend!

The Airline Industry

2009-03-04T14:50:00.003+08:00

Photo grabbed from www.airliners.net Copyrights to the owner.

If you noticed these few days in the newspaper, many airline companies have made their advertisements offering you great prices to regional destinations. One of the them is Budget Carrier, AirAsia. AirAsia is one of the most fastest growing Budget Airline in Asia. They offer cheap flights to regional destionations such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Jakarta etc using their Airbus 320 aircrafts. Recently, Indonesia AirAsia was granted rights to fly into Singapore from Indonesia. They started out with giving free seats to Jakarta, Bali and other Major Indonesian Citieswhich was snapped up very fast! They even stated that they will expand their destinations to Semarang (my favourite city) and Balikpapan.

In this economy recession times, Budget Carriers such as AirAsia, Tiger Airways, Jetstar etc are booming from the high demand of Budget Travellers. They decided to opt for cheaper flights as they are now much more thrifty in money spending. Singapore Airlines for example, has seen a major drop in passengers as SQ usually pay much more attention to Premium Passengers who use their First or Business Class. When these products become much more expansive, these travellers will opt for either Economy Class or Budget Carriers. This has forced SQ to store their airplanes such as the Boeing 747 and the older Boeing 777 and ask their staff to take vluntary leave without pay. But no matter what, SQ remain competitive such as introducing new fleets such as the Airbus A330 which offers the new Regional Business Class Product and the Airbus A380 which offers the Suites.

Therefore, the airline industry will always remain competitve. Usually, Budget Airlines are the ones who would stay ahead in the Airline Competition.

Oh Finally!!

2009-02-26T18:12:00.004+08:00

So yes, finally. The internet has already been fixed. That's why I did not update the blog for quite sometime because my modem was down. Anyway let's rewind some important events that happened during the past few days:

Saturday (21/2/09): Azmee and myself went to the Pioneer & Joo Koon MRT Stations Open House. I woke up around 8:15am and met Azmee around 8:45am. We took SMB41S on 307 before rushing for SMB56A on 172. Met up with STN and Icemoon at Boon Lay Interchange. We managed to get into the opne house around 10:30am. Took pictures and took the shuttle between Pioneer and Joo Koon countless times. Then we trainspotted Train 6Up at Rifle Range Rd under the heavy downpour. Luckily, one kind stranger ioffered us his umbrella. We then proceeded to the Land Transport Gallery to see how transportation is managed in this small red dot island. Blah blah blah. Reached home at around 7:30pm..

Sunday - Thursday: Nothing much actually. Just continuing the earlier week with no internet. Finally today, internet was managed to be restored. Will be going to tuition later tonight.

Pioneer Station looking towards Boon Lay. The left side is being covered up to protect privacy for residents.

Been Busy

2009-02-18T21:06:00.003+08:00

Ok people. Will not post much lah this week because it's Common Test week. I just finished revising Maths and a little of Physics. So that should be it for today.

Oh yah! Do stay tuned this weekend. I will be attending the Open House at the 2 new MRT Stations and that is "Pioneer" and "Joo Koon". So I will be posting photos here.

Trainspotting!

2009-02-15T19:09:00.008+08:00

Ok will not post much today. I have been busy preparing for the upcoming Common Test starting this coming Tuesday. Will post photos instead to show some illustrations:

Featuring the "Ekspres Sinaran Pagi 5DN" from Ipoh, Perak.

Gatekeeper waves the Green Flag on the Upcoming Train.

The Train passes by the crossing. A Class 26 "26120" is the Locomotive for the service.

30 Minutes later, the "Ekspres Timuran 14UP" passes by the crossing on its way to Tumpat, Kelantan

Gatekeeper waves the Green Flag to the upcoming Train.

Train passes by crossing. A "YDM4 6663" is the locomotive for the service today.

The Air-Conditioned Second Class Carriages.

Do post your comments on the Tag Board. Thanks.

Fire! Fire!

2009-02-13T21:40:00.006+08:00

Although today was "Friday the 13th", my school commemorated Total Defence Day. Struck 11:40am, the fire bell rang and everybody made their way to the field as an Emergency Exercise. Hhmm, everything went smoothly lah.. No complaints. So after that, had friday prayers and CCA as per usual. Today's blog will be short lah, lazy to update actually. Anyway, will show you the Classes available onboard KTM.

Air-Conditioned First Class (Premier) Coach.

Air-Conditioned Second Class (Superior) Coach

Both Classes are usually found on-board trains between SG - KL, IPOH and BUTTERWORTH.

Blue Tiger

2009-02-12T18:20:00.003+08:00

Ok so today woke up late and ended up in school late. Reached around 0715 Hours.. Lesson were normal and went smoothly. Had lunch and continued with D&T. Finally went back home at around 1530 Hours. Walked al the way with Wayne. Met him again at around 1630 Hours to do some trainspotting. He said he wanted to take a picture of the train passing by for his Art. Anyway, a Blue Tiger "26110" was caught hauling Shuttle Train Tebrau 64Up to Kluang today. Was a suprise to me and the gatekeeper. Usually a Class 23 would do the service. Tonight there will be tuition so decided to blogging a little early.

For you Wayne..

Hand Cramp

2009-02-11T18:40:00.002+08:00

Ok so I decided to do a little blogging while having a little rest after completing English. Let's just flashback what happened today:

Woke up as per normal. Did the usual things and ended up in school just on time. Lessons were okay. I had lunch at Limbang with Rifdi and Zaki before heading back for Geog IP. During the lesson, I did Maths, so Maths is now settled. Went back home with Deryck and Wayne. Walked the long way just to talk longer with Deryck. Before heading back home, bought myslef a little drink. Reached home and decided to remove all the worksheets and transfer into the old one. Not comfortable using the new one lah.. Ok so, will finish up SS before watching "Cucuku Sayang" later tonight.

Finally!

2009-02-10T18:53:00.001+08:00

Aahh! Back to blogging. Will be busy this week actually. Just got back from Nanyang Polytechinc today. There's a D&T Course held there and it was good actually. Anyway, later tonight, I will try my best to 'chiong' to do my Maths Homework. I have been owing homework since Monday!!

PS: Edits coming in!

Hello!

2009-02-07T23:33:00.006+08:00

I'm new to this blogging. Please bear for a moment while the updates are coming in really soon. Meanwhile, here is a catch from my trainspotting last week:

29120 'Kledang' on the Ekspres Timuran 14Up to Kelantan, Malaysia