I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious – Albert Einstein

In “My Scooter Sunday”, I rode in Petaling Jaya, and Kuala Lumpur. I initially thought I would just ride around Petaling Jaya, but I love Kuala Lumpur too much! So, I extended my ride from Section 12, and rode out to Jalan Raja Chulan, Jalan Pudu, and Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur.

Today, I started off my playlist with “Start Me Up” (1981) by the Rolling Stones: Kick on the starter give it all you got, you got, you got, I can’t compete, With the riders in the other heats. This song was used to launch Windows 95, and “for a brief moment, Microsoft was almost cool” (McCarthy, 2020). 

I am getting “cool” too. Last Sunday, I fastened an action camera (GOPRO) onto JuJu (my Vespa Primavera) to record my travel from Petaling Jaya to Kuala Lumpur and back. I am happy to report that the GOPRO recorded most of the journey, except for the tail-end.

I have never been comfortable with technology. For a start, I usually do not install a new gadget using the instruction manual. I ask someone technologically inclined to install it for me, and to teach me how to use it too.

But in June 2022, I decided to take on a new challenge; the challenge is to expand my passion by embracing technology. This wisdom of passion and technology comes from my late father-in-law, Dr. M. Anandakrishnan, who would have been 94 on 12 July, 2022.

Speaking about his late father, my husband said, ”Many of you knew of his love of technology and gadgets, but this was not just for the sake of acquiring the latest toy; his real mission was in figuring out how to use these new technologies, gadgets, and software to power up his passion for teaching, and education”.

So, I now realise that my approach to technology has been wrong all along. Rather than viewing it as the enemy, I should view it as a friend. So, I asked myself, what new technologies, gadgets, and software can I use to power up my passion for riding and writing? I could use GOPRO to record scenes of my travels, Waze to explore new places, and a blog to host, and share my stories. 

But my first new friend, GOPRO, needed a mount, a SD card reader, and a hard drive. So, I purchased the mount from the Digital Mall for RM70, the SD card reader and hard drive from Shopee (East Asia’s Amazon) for RM40, and RM250 respectively. And my nephew installed the mount for me. 

As you know, I used the GOPRO on my last Sunday ride to Kuala Lumpur. So, today, I took a look at the footage of my ride. I removed the SD card from the camera, inserted it into the SD card reader, and inserted the SD card reader into the Mac. And voila! The GOPRO had recorded seven movies, each 10GBs and 10 minutes long. The recording was clear, and there was little shuddering. And the ride to the “Stubborn House” was interesting and beautiful, and I uploaded one file onto YouTube. https://youtu.be/kwAP8yhPW-Y

As for my second new friend, Waze, to start using it, I needed a cell phone mount for the Vespa. So, I ordered one from China for RM157. And again, my nephew installed it for me. 

But when I rode into the city last Sunday, I did not mount my phone because I was worried that someone would try to grab it, and that would derail my scooter. So, my ride within Kuala Lumpur was a mess. I tried to pick up Jalan Raja Laut after Dataran Merdeka but it was blocked off for some event. So, I could not go to my first destination, i.e., Jalan Chow Kit. 

Feeling dejected, I rode back to Petaling Jaya. But half way back, I changed my mind; I decided to at least give my second destination, i.e., Jalan Temerloh, a shot.   

So, I went back to Bangsar to Lebuhraya Sultan Iskandar to Jalan Tun Razak, and then onto Jalan Temerloh. When I pulled up at the “Stubborn House”, at the National Gallery of Art, a great sense of relief and joy washed over me;  I actually made it! 

I left the National Gallery of Art, made a U-turn on Jalan Tun Razak, and headed-out to Bulatan Pahang. At the roundabout, I took a 9 o'çlock and hoped to head back to Petaling Jaya via Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Bangsar. 

But Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman was also blocked, and the police rerouted the traffic to Jalan Ampang. Then I thought I would take Jalan Raja Chulan, but even that was blocked. The only other option I knew was Jalan Yap Kwan Seng. So, I took Jalan Yap Kwan Seng to Jalan Tun Razak, then to Lebuhraya Sultan Iskandar back to Petaling Jaya. 

If Jalan Yap Kwan Seng was not an option, I would have been really stuck. Had I used Waze, I would have found more than one way out. But my Waze was not activated, and my phone was tightly tucked in my suede jacket pocket. In retrospect, I think I would have just pulled over, activated Waze, and found my way out.

As for my third new friend, the blog: After the ride to Kuala Lumpur, I transferred the photos from my cell phone to the Mac, to the website media library, and to the blog. The text read fine, and the photographs were in place; so, I pressed update, and changed private to public, and the blog was published!   

So, out of my three new friends, it appears that I am most comfortable with the blog. I still need help with editing movies from GOPRO, and integrating music. As for Waze, I still have a fear of getting lost, and Waze’s rerouting agitates me. But I have to accept that Waze is not the problem, it is the solution!  

Today, I finished “My Scooter Sunday” by completing my ride in Petaling Jaya, and Kuala Lumpur using Waze. My roundtrip was 35 km, and one hour long. And what I enjoyed most was passionately embracing my father-in-law's wisdom, and riding to “Start Me Up” by the Rolling Stones. Happy Birthday, Daddy!