During WWII, the Japanese invaded Malaya using bicycles. Bicycles was a important war machines for the invading army as they can cycled through the tracks and narrow paths of the Malayan rain forests. The Japanese was unstoppable for the allied forces defending the island. They surprised the defenders with the quietness and swiftness of their attacks and they conquered the whole of Malaya peninsula from Kota Baru up in the North and then 500 miles down South to their prized possession, Singapore in a short span of 70 days. The Japanese Bicycle Infantry just cycled and cycled on despite the many resistances. They were the Mighty soldiers on wheels. Some of the bicycles were looted from the locals along the way to add to their war machines and arsenal. According to historians, the capture of Singapore was supposed to be a birthday present for the Japanese Emperor, Hirohito. It was a resounding success for the invading armies and a humiliating defeat for the British. Today, you can find the famed WWII bicycles on display at the museums. That was a reminder of the awesome power of bicycles and their versatility of use.
As for me, I am not a conqueror and neither am I fighting anybody on bicycle. The bicycle is a unique household helper cum workout machine. I do not race but I enjoyed cycling for leisure. It gave me a good workout besides the relaxation and the bliss of having a nice breeze in the face. I think constant cycling really helps one to perfect the art of cycling. I think I can handle the bicycle well enough in all weather conditions. The advantage of constant cycling is that it can helps build stronger legs and a firmer butt in you. As you are constantly working out your butt muscles, you can "Bike your butt off". Just look at professional cyclists. You rarely find a big chubby fellow riding on competitive circuits. However, sitting on a improper bicycle seat for a constant long period of time may affects one's fertility especially if you are a man. Hence, you may look solid on the outside with a firm butt and strong legs muscles. Whatever is inside is another matter of concern.
As a family man, I am involved with the purchase of household groceries. And especially for the bigger items. I would list some of the common purchases as:
10kilograms rice bags,
2.5kilos washing powder and 2 liters liquid detergents in plastic bottles,
2kilos frozen chicken parts,
1.4kilos Milo in tin cans,
toilet rolls by the dozens and huge melons, papayas, durians fruits, fish, vegetables,
2 liters cooking oil,
crate of 30 eggs and etc.
I mainly use the bicycle to carry out all these chores. All I need is to load them up in my basket at the shop and the weights are then taken care of by the two wheels of the bicycle on the way home. Straight into the lift and direct to the main door entrance. It's simple transferring of workloads. Bicycles can really make light of heavy work. The only thing you may need to do is to pedal a little harder with the extra load.
"Life's short, paddle hard".. that's a common slogan we see in tee shirts worn by boaters. Amusingly, some of these funky fellows looks chubby and fat with a paddle in hand, some are real hunks and gorgeous iron maiden with huge arm muscles. For me, I chose to "pedal hard, live strong". Bicycles can be your good workhorses. It works well for me. Let's go bike and Go Green.
