Christina Perri - A Thousand Years

Saddle, Squirrel, Club and Bike

Today I was supposed to do an epic 43miles ride in the mountains. But there was 'severe' weather warning stating that there is snow above 4500ft. I'm scared of slipping by just walking on ice, let alone cycling on ice. So I went to Rose Bowl (again) instead. I'm not very happy about it but given my track record, I may have avoided another accident.

I've been gradually raising my saddle, and now it has come to the point where I'm leaning forward so much that the most sensitive part is hurting. It's true that the saddle is now level, so I think it might help if I point the nose slightly downwards. This is so unfair. Men have greater physical strength and stamina than women, they don't have annoying periods, don't need to go through painful child birth and now, even cycling doesn't hurt as much for them! In the olden days, men are the bread winner and had to hunt food and be hunted. But now they no longer need to risk their lives to support their family. And with machinery to do most of the labor, with raise in jobs which only involve mental work, women are equally capable in the outside world as men. Yet, it's unfortunate that the physical inequalities defined by nature remain.

As I was cycling, I saw a squirrel who was crossing the road as me and a car were approaching. It stopped in the middle of the road upon seeing or hearing the car and was debating whether to turn back or finish the crossing. The car saw it and slowed down, the front tire avoided it but the rear tire run it over with the squirrel flying a feet or so into the air - it died instantly. With a snap of a finger, a life is gone. If the squirrel had not decided to cross the road, if the car did not come, if the car did not slow down, then it may have lived. Such are the unpredictable consequences of the conscious and subconscious choices we make in life.

I was also invited to join a cycling club (which was free to join). I actually enjoy cycling by myself now, going at my own pace and choosing to talk to or not talk to other cyclists. If I'm to join a club then I have to talk to everyone. One thing that I'm not fond about America is the general low standard of sense of humor. People laugh at the most trivial thing and they also try hard to be funny. I find this to be quite contrived and it's tiring to fake smiles in order to be polite. I'd much prefer to talk to someone who is classified as boring than to someone who is a try hard. Yet them trying to get me join their club reminds me of when I was super excited in organizing rides myself (but without much success). So I'll probably join this club for some of their Rose Bowl rides after I get back from my holiday.

I finally convinced my mum to let me rent a bike instead of buying one during my time home. If I was to buy a bike, I will also need to get pedals, pumps and maintain it. I only go home about 2 weeks per year so the rest of the year it would be sitting there collecting dust. As well, a year later after I graduate, I'd have money to buy a better bike. Then I'd have in total 3 bikes, 2 with me and 1 at home - this would be quite wasteful and unnecessary. For some reason, my mum has assumed that I'd be just cycling around the neighborhood instead of going to further places, and even so she is going to buy my little brother a mountain bike and has assigned him to protect me when I go out cycling. I couldn't help but lol when I heard this plan but it's very sweet and flattering at the same time :)

Pressure, Ego and Holiday Spirits

I'm a little embarrassed to report that for the past couple of weeks, I've only been to Rose Bowl. And even more so since I've been driving instead of cycling there. The reasons being I'm getting a little lazy in the cold weather as well as the fact that I want to avoid cycling on the road since I want to live till my golden years (still in the bronze stage).

Anyway, I changed my saddle to my new Selle Italia one. At 240g, it's so much lighter and is slim and sleek - aka pro looking. Initially I set the nose pointed too high. Hence it was pretty uncomfortable, or shall I say very uncomfortable. Yesterday I made it level and went for a ride at Rose Bowl. It was much better phew...but I can still feel the pressure. I will play with it a bit more. It would be a shame if the saddle that has saved thousands of women cannot fully save me :(

As I was cycling, 2 cyclists turned into the Bowl and rode to my left. Then a car came and they squeezed in front of me. I was quite annoyed at them for cutting me off and for assuming that I'd be slower than them. I could have told them off, but actions speak louder than words. So I simply effortlessly overtook them, leaving them behind eating my dust :)

It's quite funny when cyclists overtake me and then couldn't keep up with the speed. So I end up slowing down and tailgating them feeling bad to overtake knowing that their ego would be bruised. But most often they are at their optimum pace already, so I had to overtake. And of course, a couple of times they had to prove a point by overtaking me again before quickly leaving the Bowl exhausted - so stupid. I'm thinking that if I'm averaging 20mph now, then I'd be about 25mph if I'm drafting (very rough uneducated guess). Hence, before soon I could join the peloton at Rose Bowl....:D I think that'd at least a year from now.

I'm looking forward to going back home and giving out presents. I'll wrap them up before my flight since I arrive on Christmas day. The wrapping would most likely be battered by the time I arrive but then again, they are all the way from the other side of the world! I love the holiday season and I'm high on holiday spirits now - perhaps more so than I have ever been.

Cycling, More Cycling and My Doubt

Yesterday morning I went for a ride at Rose Bowl. I drove there since I got up pretty late and I didn't want to be squashed in the traffic. After a week of not cycling due to the weather I was pretty happy to get back on the bike. There were tonnes of cyclists there and I was surprised that I was passing everyone. Looking at my speedometer I was doing 17mph on the ascent part whereas before I did 13mph. In total I averaged 20mph without much effort whereas my previous time was 17.5mph. I wonder why?!! I think it's due to a combination of the following

1. My pedal stroke is getting better (I realized that I was ankling before)
2. My new awesome tires with low rolling resistance (they are also super grippy such that they grip up bits of gravel which in turn splatters all over the place including onto my body ahh)
3. I increased my saddle height
4. What can I say? I'm just getting fitter :P

5. I've been working out in the gym the past week

The last time that I went to Rose Bowl I was already aware and was changing my pedal stroke, as well I've already had my new tires. Hence it's not due strongly to reasons 1 or 2. 3 and 4 are continuing in the background. The only difference is thus reason 5. I think the reason that I was able to do GMR on my first ride was because of my gym training. I remember some cyclists were so curious and thought that I have a secret formula - well, the formula is - gym, specifically the elliptical machine. In any case, it's always nice to spice things up a bit, if you just ride then you will always be using the same muscles, whereas if you incorporate other activities then you will strengthen other muscles. And since muscles are interlinked, then strengthening the other muscles will indirectly strengthen and support the muscles used for cycling - it's quite logical :)

Ok, enough blabbing, now that winter is coming in, I will be riding less and most probably do Rose Bowl during weekdays (I'll drive there since I have no intention of competing with rush hour traffic) and maybe the mountains on the weekend if weather is good. I'll also go to Chantry once in awhile to see how I'm progressing. In between, I will be going to my beloved and trustworthy gym.

This morning, I drove up to Glendora and did the GMR-39 loop. I wore my new Campagnolo outfit which looks quite nice :) The ascent was easier than I remembered from last time (around 1 month ago). I bumped into a cyclist whom I met before and we chatted a bit. I'm actually faster than him, it's probably because he doesn't get out often and age is catching up with him. But I really like him, he is very humble, nice and is softly spoken. I think life would have been quite different if I had someone like him for a father...

During the ride, I've been hearing a clicking sound when I'm on the lowest gear. My biggest fear is that my bike may break apart while I'm riding it so I'm pretty paranoid about its maintenance. Hence after the ride, I dropped by my LBS. Everyone there remembers me since I've been there 3 times or so in the past month. They made me look quite stupid because the clicking sound simply comes from the pedal hitting an 'extension cord' (not sure the proper name). I also asked them to help me fix the shifting because it was getting stiff (apparently the derailleur was slightly bent inwards most probably due to my multiple crashes), replace a missing bolt on my rear brakes and exchange the worn out saddle bolt. And all this - for free! It's not really the money (although I'm always short on money) but more the generosity that I'm thankful for.

On a different topic, I should never have doubted whether my mum cares about me or not. She is a very busy mum to my three younger siblings and need to take care of the house and also the business when dad is away. She places a lot of responsibility on herself and overly stresses about things which is bad for her health :( But sometimes I get quite lonely and I focus on myself rather than thinking in other peoples shoes. It's true that my mum can be quite quick tempered and is stubbornly conservative but no one is perfect and she is my mother. When I get home, I will try to take care of things so that my mum can relax and take it easy. I got her some bath bombs (amongst other things) so that she could relax in the spa. And I will try to find some baking recipes for diabetics and bake for my mum since she loves sweet things but can never enjoy them :)

Let's All Feel Superior - by David Brooks (NY Times)

First came the atrocity, then came the vanity. The atrocity is what Jerry Sandusky has been accused of doing at Penn State. The vanity is the outraged reaction of a zillion commentators over the past week, whose indignation is based on the assumption that if they had been in Joe Paterno’s shoes, or assistant coach Mike McQueary’s shoes, they would have behaved better. They would have taken action and stopped any sexual assaults.

Unfortunately, none of us can safely make that assumption. Over the course of history — during the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide or the street beatings that happen in American neighborhoods — the same pattern has emerged. Many people do not intervene. Very often they see but they don’t see.

Some people simply can’t process the horror in front of them. Some people suffer from what the psychologists call Normalcy Bias. When they find themselves in some unsettling circumstance, they shut down and pretend everything is normal.

Some people suffer from Motivated Blindness; they don’t see what is not in their interest to see. Some people don’t look at the things that make them uncomfortable. In one experiment, people were shown pictures, some of which contained sexual imagery. Machines tracked their eye movements. The people who were uncomfortable with sex never let their eyes dart over to the uncomfortable parts of the pictures.

As Daniel Goleman wrote in his book “Vital Lies, Simple Truths,” “In order to avoid looking, some element of the mind must have known first what the picture contained, so that it knew what to avoid. The mind somehow grasps what is going on and rushes a protective filter into place, thus steering awareness away from what threatens.”

Even in cases where people consciously register some offense, they still often don’t intervene. In research done at Penn State and published in 1999, students were asked if they would make a stink if someone made a sexist remark in their presence. Half said yes. When researchers arranged for that to happen, only 16 percent protested.

In another experiment at a different school, 68 percent of students insisted they would refuse to answer if they were asked offensive questions during a job interview. But none actually objected when asked questions like, “Do you think it is appropriate for women to wear bras to work?”

So many people do nothing while witnessing ongoing crimes, psychologists have a name for it: the Bystander Effect. The more people are around to witness the crime, the less likely they are to intervene.

Online you can find videos of savage beatings, with dozens of people watching blandly. The Kitty Genovese case from the ’60s is mostly apocryphal, but hundreds of other cases are not. A woman was recently murdered at a yoga clothing store in Maryland while employees at the Apple Store next door heard the disturbing noises but did not investigate. Ilan Halimi, a French Jew, was tortured for 24 days by 20 anti-Semitic kidnappers, with the full knowledge of neighbors. Nobody did anything, and Halimi eventually was murdered.

People are really good at self-deception. We attend to the facts we like and suppress the ones we don’t. We inflate our own virtues and predict we will behave more nobly than we actually do. As Max H. Bazerman and Ann E. Tenbrunsel write in their book, “Blind Spots,” “When it comes time to make a decision, our thoughts are dominated by thoughts of how we want to behave; thoughts of how we should behave disappear.”

In centuries past, people built moral systems that acknowledged this weakness. These systems emphasized our sinfulness. They reminded people of the evil within themselves. Life was seen as an inner struggle against the selfish forces inside. These vocabularies made people aware of how their weaknesses manifested themselves and how to exercise discipline over them. These systems gave people categories with which to process savagery and scripts to follow when they confronted it. They helped people make moral judgments and hold people responsible amidst our frailties.

But we’re not Puritans anymore. We live in a society oriented around our inner wonderfulness. So when something atrocious happens, people look for some artificial, outside force that must have caused it — like the culture of college football, or some other favorite bogey. People look for laws that can be changed so it never happens again.

Commentators ruthlessly vilify all involved from the island of their own innocence. Everyone gets to proudly ask: “How could they have let this happen?”

The proper question is: How can we ourselves overcome our natural tendency to evade and self-deceive. That was the proper question after Abu Ghraib, Madoff, the Wall Street follies and a thousand other scandals. But it’s a question this society has a hard time asking because the most seductive evasion is the one that leads us to deny the underside of our own nature.

At least 8 children have lost their innocence, their childhood and if they are not strong-willed, the rest of their lives. Yet nothing was done to stop the perpetrator. Finally it's been investigated and by also punishing these who held back, Penn State is helping to promote a more transparent school and workplace. The two research experiments that Brooks gave in support of his view are hardly relevant, how can 'sexist remarks' and 'offensive questions during a job interview' compare in intensity with the rape of young boys?! What has happened, has happened, and what we can do now is learn from the past and hopefully improve for the future. To suggest that it is in human nature to turn a blind eye is no more than an excuse to help these people to sleep better at night. And to say 'let's all feel superior' because we think that we would have done something about it, is a major and misconstrued generalization. I for one would have intervened and stopped it before it went any further. Yes, I most likely would be scared to take on a man but I can recruit help, yes, I may loose my job but I can find another one (but the children can not find another life). And no, I wouldn't feel the least superior for intervening because it's in my nature to defend a defenseless child, and I'm quite certain that it is in the nature of many fellow human beings. This article should instead be titled 'Sleep pills for bystanders'.

Conferences, Location Choices, Bike Tires and Home

I've been thinking for awhile of going to conferences. Last week I decided that I really need to go to a conference, on the same day I found one and asked for approval and now I'm writing my abstract for my first conference! I'm stoked - I can't wait to go to my first conference and I will see if I can give a talk.

My plan is to also find a conference in Germany, so that I will get a chance to visit the country and decide if I want to stay there. If I choose to move to Germany, then I would have lived in 4 countries, China (9 years), Australia (13 years), USA (5 years) and then Germany (perhaps till the end of time). Life is full of surprises and I can't help but wonder what life would be like 5, 10 or 20 years from now.

I just changed my tires from Schwalbe Lugano to Michelin Krylion Carbon - I know, I know, I most likely put on less than 500miles on my old pair and it's a waste to change so soon. But I already had 3 flats and my tires are SO hard to change. Plus I just can't resist buying (and changing to) these new ones. I'm amazed at how smooth they look, but they do feel grippy and I will test out how they ride soon. When I say that I changed my tires, I should clarify that I tried to change them. I spent 20min removing the old tire and 30min trying to put on the new one to the point where my hands felt pretty bruised. I finally had enough and went to a LBS and gosh, he changed the pair of tires in 20min! But he did admit that they were very tight and we think that it's my wheels which are causing the problem and not the tires. I just know that if I ever get into the racing scene having a flat on my current wheels would equal a loss.

Ahhh I hate the coldness, before I didn't really care and I liked the the rain because it's refreshing but now that I do cycling, it's hard to get out in the cold and I'm never going to ride in the rain. So I've been thinking of getting a trainer for my bike. I'm looking forward to going back home to Perth, where it's warm and sunny and that's perfect for cycling (I may even not be too unhappy about getting tan-lines because I'm aching for some sun). Apparently, there are many nice places for road cycling in Perth. I will rent a road bike since it costs a fortune to ship mine over (such that I may as well buy a new one there)! :)

My first German essay (after 6 weeks of study) :)

Ich heiße Han. Meine Adresse ist 130 Michigan Straße. Ich bin 26 Jahre alt. Ich komme aus Australien. Meine Telefonnummer ist 626-818-xxxx. Ich studiere Chemieingenieurwesen als Hauptfach, Chemie als Nebenfach. Ich bin 1,68 Meter groß und Ich wiege 55 Kilo. Ich bin aufgescholossen, fröhlich und spontan. Ich fahre gern Rad und Auto. Auch, Ich interessiere mich für Natur und Musik.

Es gibt 7 Personen in meiner Familie. Ich habe eine Zwillingsschwester, eine jünger Schwester und 2 jünger Brüder. Mein Vater heißt Jian, er ist 57 Jahre alt. Meine Mutter heißt Yu, sie ist 50 Jahre alt. Meine Mutter ist zuverlässig, gut und konservativ. Sie ist interessiert mich für koch. Meine Vater ist konsequent und unorganisiert. Meine Zwillingsschwester ist Advokat. Sie ist hilfsbereit und reich, aber unsportlich. Meine jünger Schwester und Brüder sind humorvoll und laut.

A Chilly Ride

This morning I went up Angeles Crest with a couple of cyclists. They are quite experienced and have been in some races. As we were nearing the 2, I realized that it had become harder to push than before...I had a flat damn! I told the others to go ahead without me while I change the tube because I feel bad for them to wait on me, but they stayed to help. My tire is notoriously tight and they each tried but had a hard time removing it. I tried and I took it off the wheel quite fast - don't know why, must be because I've done it twice before and/or because of my strong hand muscles :)

Now that I have a speedometer and cadence meter I can keep track of how I am doing. During the initial climb, my cadence was around 70rpm, then after Clear Creek it had decreased to 60rpm. Apparently the optimum cadence is 80-100rpm. I will shift to lower gear next time and try to build up my cadence.

It was a cool day and going up I wasn't particularly tired but I was still quite slow compared to the other cyclists. At Red Box, we decided that we weren't go up Wilson cos it was too cold. I was ok either way, I'd like to finally do Wilson but I know that the descent would literally freeze my fingers. It would have been so true, because the descent from Red Box was already super chilly and my hands felt like cold water has been splashed on them and left there to freeze. Thankfully, it warmed up soon. We didn't descend as fast as I had liked, we were doing around 30mph (I did 32mph last time). Based on their experience I'd think that they would go faster, maybe they were going slower to accomodate me which was thoughtful of them.

Although I felt that I did badly in the climb, they said that I was very good at cycling for doing it for just 4 months. One guy said that I have good form and have great potential in cycling. All I have to do is adjust my seat and get professionally fitted. He also recommended me to later get a cycling coach! I'm surprised that experienced cyclists think that I am good at cycling, I've been told that I must be a natural at endurance sports, that I must be very fit to ride up GMR etc. Of course, being new at this I can't really tell how good or bad I am myself. I'm happy that I am good at cycling and I'm not sure where this comes from because I've always been terrible at sports growing up. I guess it was because they were mostly or actually exclusively sports involving balls. I never get the big deal about chasing around after a ball - it's all so futile and pretend to me. So I was never motivated to do the chasing game and I have been known to score for the other team. Along with cycling, I've also been told that I am natural at horse riding. So it seems that I'm good at what I like doing - which is always nice!

When I got home, I went for a hot shower and it felt so nice after the chilly descent that I didn't want to come out :)

Happiness

They say that happiness is 50% determined by genetics and the rest is how you perceive your situation. I have always viewed the glass as half full and I've generally been a happy and carefree person. I have learnt to appreciate what I have, the situation that I'm in and the simple things in life. And when things don't go my way or how I'd like them to turn out, I try to think in other peoples shoes and think positively. But there are of course things that make me sad. Some things that I know are out of my control and some things which I have done that I wish I could take back. Regret is the worst thing to have in life and it's being so true for me :(....Yet it's also true that when happiness comes after a period of sadness it would be that much stronger, so maybe it's ok to be sad and sadness is perhaps an integral and necessary part of life. I wonder if there would be happiness if there is no sadness?

Another Record Breaker

Yes again! Today up Chantry I decreased my time down to 29min!! :D Setting records all the time now....I know, I know, I get proud of myself very easily :) I went up Chantry with a very good cyclist. We approached Chantry very fast and I was already tired before going on Santa Anita. I rested a bit for the ascent up Chantry while he went up first. I did 14min at the 2miles point and I never really understand this, but if I have done 2miles and have 1.7miles left, then my total time should be below 28min. But I guess the second half always takes longer because I'm already tired. I was looking at my watch and realized that I might set a record today. Then my cyclist friend came down and encouraged me to go faster. He stated that I wasn't breathing hard enough (when I thought that I was already breathless) and that I needed to push harder (when I thought that I was pushing my hardest). This encouragement in the form of criticism really helped - I'm surprised that I could go from my heart feeling like it's nearly going to burst to seconds later feeling all normal again. I cannot deny that it was very hard but it's well worth it cos my time is now 29min. Still far from my goal of 24min by the end of the year - not sure how realistic that goal is now :P I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am in love...with cycling! It gives me so much pleasure and makes me so happy :) Sure, it can be dangerous - but one cannot live inside a bubble!

GMR-39 Loop

Last Sunday I did the GMR-39 loop. I parked my car at the bottom of 39 and began the ride from Sierra Madre, onto GMR then E Folk and finishing on 39. This was a 34miles ride, so not very long. From the start of the ride, I already wanted to use the bathroom :( I thought I would go behind the building at the top of GMR. So I tried to not drink too much water as well I was hoping that the water can be reabsorbed. Which was rather stupid cos I became quite dehydrated. Anyway, going up GMR, I was huffing and panting since the beginning, but I was able to keep a sustained pace without feeling that my heart would burst. I stopped a couple of times to have some water - I really need to learn to ride with one hand on the bar! Before long I arrived at the top of GMR. I rested there for a bit and chatted with a cyclist who told me some crazy cycling stories and shared with me some bike maintenance tips.

I then continued on my way onto E Folk, I like this part with the descents and the gusty wind. Once I wasn't careful and nearly went into the unpaved side road - that would have been bad! I was then caught up by a cyclist who asked if we could ride together. He was training for an Ironman challenge and had already ridden 65miles. We soon came to the reservoir at the junction of E Folk and 39. It was completely dry! Might be the rumored man-induced global warming effect or perhaps they were just rebuilding it. The ride on E Folk and 39 was easy with some nice descents. In total I did about 3hours on the bike and I wasn't too tired. Ok, I was tired but not exhausted :)

I have to say that sometimes I like to ride by myself. This gives me an opportunity to focus on cycling. As well, when I ride by myself - I get to meet and chat with random cyclists. It's a lot of fun hearing about their cycling experiences and telling them about my own humble beginnings in cycling and I always learn SO much from talking to others.

Secret Garden - Sleepsong

May you sail fair to the far fields of fortune...May you find kindness in all that you meet...May there always be angels to watch over you...May you bring love and may you bring happiness, be loved in return to the end of your days... :)

Chantry Ride and Ankle Sprain

Yes! I did 29.5 minutes up Chantry today, the fastest since my horse fall. I discovered that before I was slow because I was on heavier gears and they were often too heavy that my cadence was low. Now I have my gears on easy and I can maintain a high cadence. I'm pretty happy because my time had remained stagnant at 30.5min for quite some time. At the gates of Chantry as I was starting the ascent, I was going uphill and was taking too long to clip in and no surprise I fell off my bike. I landed on my back (or on my ankle) and sprained my ankle. My back didn't hurt - I think it was protected by the bunch of accessories that I keep in my cycling jersey back pockets. I got up and began the Chantry ride with no pain anywhere. However, when I got to work, I felt something wrong with my ankle, so I tried to move it around. And after that, the pain became progressively worse :(

Being the ever health conscious person that I am, I went to the health center. The nurse said that it's a sprain. She put on ointments to relieve the pain, wrapped me in compression dressing, gave me an ice pack along with plenty of caring advice. The nurses there always take great care of me and they certainly go beyond their job in doing so - but I like to be taken care of :) It amazes me how there are people in the world who are so caring and considerate yet others who are the exact opposite.....I hope my ankle will be ok for the ride this Thursday!!

Cycling and Fitness

I didn't do much cycling last week. This was because I went to rose bowl last last Sunday but was SO tired that I only did 1 lap and left. I thought it must be you know what was coming, but I waited for 5 days and still nothing. Then I realized that I must have been tired that morning from having had a bad nights sleep. I felt so groggy and like a chocolate factory (I eat a lot of chocolates) from not exercising for 5 days. So last Saturday even though it was the first day I went to rose bowl and surprisingly I had a lot of energy and felt that I could do more. I've been reading Joe Friel's cyclist's training bible and taking training strategies from there - you should go away from a workout feeling that you could do more, putting too much stress on your body and feeling exhausted from workouts is counterproductive. This is easy to achieve! I like the adrenaline rush after the ride not the exhausted feeling.

It says in the book that it's important to keep track of your progress, so I am getting a cycling log book. I wonder what I will write in there? Perhaps heart rates, speed and miles. I think I'll need a GPS and heart rate monitor. But these things are expensive and bulky to wear. Or I could get a speedometer but I don't want to add extra weight on the bike. So for the time being, I may just record how I FEEL during and after each ride instead (since 'training shall be based solely on feel' :P)

In any case, I am more interested in becoming healthier due to cycling and being fast is a way of proving that I am getting fitter (but of course being fast alone is always nice). So I decided to get a BMI scale to keep track of my body changes. The scale records your weight, % body fat, % total body water, % muscle mass and bone mass. I have the option of selecting either female or athletic female (+10h strenuous/aerobic exercise per week). I measured everything just then, 56.1kg, 17.7% body fat, 60% TBW, 40.9% muscle mass, and 2.3kg bone mass if I select female. However if I select athletic female it becomes 12.7% body fat, 67.2% TBW, 43.2% muscle mass and 2.4kg bone mass. Not sure which body fat I should read but both measurements are below the healthy limit for women. Yet for female athletes body fat is 14-20%. So perhaps I can call myself an athlete?! Wow...

First Time Up Angeles Crest

Last Sunday I went up Red Box on Angeles Crest for my very first time. It was a 46miles ride - the longest I've done and by myself. I thought since this would be a day of firsts, I should seize the moment and use my clipless for the first time too. I put on my leg warmers to protect myself from the chilly morning, but more importantly from the many expected inevitable falls.

Going to Angeles Crest from my place requires lots of turns and with a memory such as mine I was quite proud that I remembered the route. Soon I reached the base of Angeles Crest highway. To Red Box it was going to be a 13miles climb. Thankfully, unlike Chantry this was not steep and in fact had some sections that were quite flat. During the ascent, I passed an old lady cyclist who was slow but going methodically and steadily which was very admirable (she was also the only lady cyclist I'd see the whole day).

In total, from my place to Red Box I stopped 3 times to have some energy bars and water. During the last time, I lost balance with one foot in the clips and fell - it hurt a little but my leg warmers protected me quite well. However, when I started pedaling I realized that the saddle was now off centered by about 30 degrees. I brought everything with me, spare tube, lever etc but did not bring the bike tool. So I had to borrow. Unfortunately, there were no other cyclists going up. Fortunately, I only have about 2miles left to go to Red Box where I'm sure lots of cyclists would be taking a break. Yet the 2miles seemed like eons long when I had to sit and pedal in a very awkward position.

Finally I arrived at Red Box where I fixed my saddle, refilled my water bottles and used the bathroom (or rather hole in the ground). Then I started the much anticipated descent. When I was going up, I saw that cyclists going down were pedaling to increase speed so I thought I'd give that a try. I descended on the heaviest gear and pedaled hard. Soon I passed a section which was foggy and misty - that was awesome! I felt like I was in an untouched land exploring it to my hearts content :). Before long I reached the base of the 2. I thought I did it in 15min, that's 52mph! hm probably not right. I was thinking about this and was supposed to make a left, but I saw the turn rather late and a car was behind me going slowly unsure of what I wanted to do. Of course, I could not signal cos I still cannot ride with one hand on the wheel (I most likely can, but what can I say, I'm a chicken) so I decided to double back at the next intersection. However, I cornered too tightly and didn't have time to clip out and hence, the second inevitable fall happened. After I released myself from the tangled mess I saw that my bike chain had fallen off. Oops...I had absolutely no clue how to put the chain back on. It was just way too tight. There were no other cyclists going down so I couldn't ask them for help, nor do I want to call for help unless it's absolutely necessary - it's simply silly to not know how to put on a bike chain. So I laid the bike on it's side and inspected everything, suddenly something moved which released the tension (the derailleur). Phew, I got the chain back on and tested the shifting before beginning my ride home.

I was exhausted when I got home. I showered, relaxed on my bed and unknowingly fell asleep. But I'm so happy to have done many firsts in one day, to have accomplished what I had planned to do and to have learnt by myself how to put a chain back on. :)

I really enjoy cycling, not just for the outdoor fun, the exercise, or the speed but also the culture where cyclists can naturally struck up conversations and are willing to help each other. I'm always happy and humbled when I meet people who are considerate and open even if they don't know me. I'd like to live in a place with more of such people where I'd feel that I am a part of the community. To think if more people are considerate of others, then wouldn't the world be a better place to live in!?

Everclear - Wonderful

'...close my eyes and I count to ten...make everything be wonderful again'

Yellowstone

Over the labor day weekend I went on a 5 day camping trip in Yellowstone NP. We left Pasadena early in the morning to fly to Salt Lake City. On the way to the Long Beach airport, I unwittingly avoided a car accident. We were on the freeway when I overtook a red beetle, moments later the cars in front of me suddenly stopped. I stepped on the brakes hard (to it's limit) and narrowly missed the car in front of me. Then I heard a bump at the back. Did I just get hit?! Thankfully not, the beetle stopped in time but the car behind him did not. If I had not overtaken the beetle than I would have been rear ended - phew!

After we landed at SLC, we went to get our rental car. The compact car that we have booked wasn't available, so the sales person said that we could rent a mini van instead at the same rate. Driving a mini van?! That's high fuel consumption and bulkiness without the power, do I look that stupid?! I told him that we cannot take that one, what are the other options. Then he decided to show us the Mitsubishi Endeavor which we gladly agreed to take at $20/day. It only has 5000miles on it - practically new! In terms of handling it's quite smooth but for sure less powerful than my Saab.

The drive from SLC to Yellowstone took around 6hours and we crossed the state borders from Utah to Idaho and then to Wyoming. We camped at Grant Village Lodge campground. Each campsite was huge with it's own car park, picnic bench and fire place. They have showers there too which was an absolute necessity given that I cannot seem to go a day without showering. At an average elevation of 8000 feet, it was freezing at night and in the early mornings (below 0oC), my +20oF sleeping bag has helped me a lot.

We hiked around 8miles each day. During these hikes and car drives, we saw countless geysers of different shades of green and blue and tinges of yellow and orange. After seeing so many I got quite bored of them - ok, I wasn't super excited on seeing them in the first place. But such cannot be said about animals. We were lucky enough to see 7 different kinds of wildlife. We saw bison, elk, moose, marmot, canadian geese, a huge snake and wolves. The one that I liked the most was the bison. Bisons are so cute with their huge unblinking beady eyes. As well, the fact that they wander slowly on the road without giving a damn about traffic just make them appear so ignorant and hence more adorable (I can't exactly explain the correlation here). We saw a huge snake in the middle of a trail during a hike, I was really excited to see one - it was the largest I've seen in the wild! On the last day, while hiking in Teton NP, we saw some movement off the trail. On closer examination, it was a moose with her calf! They were very close to us at perhaps 5m away. Their huge ears were pointed in our direction and they remained alert yet motionless. My friend stepped closer to take a photo, to the point where the calf ran away. Apparently mother moose with calves are aggressive and can attack humans - oops...

West Thumb Geyser - Yellowstone

Bison wandering on the road

Moose with calf

I really wanted to see a bear. There are two species of bears in Yellowstone, Grizzly and Black bear. Completely different techniques should be employed when one encounters each species. If a Grizzly becomes 'interested' in you, you should back away slowly while speaking calmly to it, if it attacks, then you should use your bear pepper spray, if it continues to attack, then you should get down into a fetal postion and play dead. However, if you get challenged by a Black bear, you should make yourself seem bigger and shout at it. Yet it's hard to distinguish between them because unlike it's name, Black bears are not always black and in fact come in all colors. The determining factor is the presence or absence of shoulder humps (Grizzlies have them, Black bears do not). I suggested that we get bear pepper sprays since our lives may well depend on it. The plan was to carry one each in case the person carrying the spray looses their mind upon seeing a bear and runs away leaving the rest of us defenseless. So we went to the general store to hunt some down - it costs $50 each! At this price I'd rather take my chances against the bear! In any case, we didn't get to see a bear which was rather unfortunate or perhaps fortunate depending on the outcome.

A couple of mornings I got up early and drove to see the sunrise against the Yellowstone lake, the view was majestic and the colors were nothing short of amazing.

Sunrise over Yellowstone lake

Admittedly during the time there, I missed the comfort of home especially when it came to using the communal showers and the freezing nights and mornings. But I knew that all would be worth it in the end since it's the experience and the fond memories that we keep. And looking back - I was right :)

Chantry Mission Update 01

This morning we went up Chantry and I'm glad to say that I have accomplished my goal of reducing my time down to 30.5min. I'm starting to control my breathing a bit during the climb. As well I've realized that being on the smallest gear to being on several gears harder really does not make too much difference in cycling difficulty yet a noticeable difference in speed! As I was descending Chantry, I felt so carefree which makes me very happy - I haven't felt this way in a very long time :)

Next mission, down to 28min by the end of the month.

The Cars - Drive

This is such a beautiful song - and perhaps the saddest I've heard.

3 Months Anniversary

The past couple of weeks I haven't been working well, for some reason I'm not particularly motivated. Actually make that the past 3 months since my horse riding accident. If I'm to graduate in 1.5 years, I really need to get my act together and do work! Get results, write up papers, publish them and go to conferences. My research is going well. I've been very lucky so far (ok I did put in quite a bit of thought and sweat). Now all I have to do is finish up. I think the main reason in my lack of motivation is that I can never seem to be able to get up early! When I get up at 7.30am, I'd arrive at work at 9am and every time this happens, my whole day would be ruined. If I get in earlier then I have much more motivation for work. There is something special about mornings :D

It's been 3 months since my horse fall, my back is getting better and better and I've been walking around without my back brace. My posture is SO good now - very straight with chest forward. That's one good thing coming out of this accident!

I've been anticipating on going up Chantry for some time now to see how good or bad I've become. This morning, to mark the 3 months anniversary of my accident (just a coincidence :D) I got up at 5am and left the house at 6am for Chantry. It was still rather dark outside and there were only a couple of cars on the road. I was so excited to get back into the game and going alone made me quite anxious but also thrilled at the same time. In addition, it's so nice to head out early in the morning!!

The climb up to Chantry was a test in itself. I met two middle aged cyclists who were going at the same pace as me - slow. Finally we arrived at the gate, they did stretches while I drunk some water and cleared my nose. Going up, I dropped these two guys pretty fast and I felt that I was doing very well. However, I do need to control my breathing as often times I don't feel tired from cycling but more tired from having to take breathes so often. My lower back also started to hurt... Anyway, I thought I could narrow down my previous record of 28min and 32sec because I was pushing hard from the beginning (started hyperventilating :P) but I looked at my watch, it had been 28min and the end was not in sight, then at 29, 30, 31...I cannot believe this but I took 32min WTH?!!! I felt cheated, defeated and frustrated in myself. In short, I was very disappointed. Descending my hands nearly went numb from using the brakes (this is the first time I went on a long descent like this and by myself so I was quite tense). I was still thinking about why I was so slow and mustn't have been paying attention and missed the turn at Sierra Madre and got all the way to Foothill. I rode on Foothill for a bit and realized that the traffic was just too crazy and doubled back.

During the ride, my lower back hurt, but my neck area and shoulder blades also hurt. I think I was too crammed on my bike. This was because in my attempt to decrease the pain from you know where, I moved my saddle forward so that I could rest myself in the groove. But clearly that just made me sit more forward resulting in a crammed and awkward sitting position. Actually today it didn't hurt very much, I think it was because I applied the lubricant not just on the chamois but also on myself (very important). When I got home, I was exhausted. I took a shower and collapsed on my bed - which was really nice :)

I'm going up Chantry again next week before my Yellowstone trip - mission 31min. Hopefully before soon I'll get back down to 28min and increase speed from there. By the end of the year I'd like to go down to 24min - 4 months to achieve this (the clipless pedals will help me)!!!

Back Progress and Such

My back is getting better and better everyday. I went on two 45min rides in the past week. The first was exhausting, I practically passed out when I got home (also due to the fact that I was doing or at least attempting to do some 'racing'), the second ride was less tiring. It felt very natural to get back on the saddle and I'm extremely excited for more rides soon :)

Let me recount what has happened...After learning about my horse riding accident my sister booked the next flight to come all the way from Australia to take care of me. Bix cooked, prepared things for me and cleaned up the apartment while I laid on my bed. I also convinced her to take me on driving trips because I couldn't take staying indoors any longer. It was very sweet and loving of bix to take care of me, although her efforts in caring for someone was put to the limit :P I rested at home for 2 weeks before going back to work. At work, a friend gave me an inflatable mattress which I laid on in my office for about a week before the supposedly un-puncturable mattress was somehow punctured. Since then I've been laying on my sleeping pad (from camping). I also asked people to help carry my bag or anything heavy for me since it seemed that my back would hurt if I lift anything heavier than 2 pounds. In the start it also hurt if I stood for perhaps more than 10min, so I was either in the lab or laying on the ground. As well, I got tired very easily and often took naps on the floor lol. I saw the ortho-surgeon again 5 weeks after the accident hoping that my back was nearly healed. Instead, from the x-ray the doctor concluded that it would take a total of 3 months to heal! Apparently because it was such a major fracture. I was quite down hearing that because having gone through over a month of not doing any outdoor activity it was getting too much, on top of this I think the muscles which I slowly built up over the past 2 years are degenerating :( But then again, I do need to give time for my back to heal properly because otherwise it would just be trouble in the future.

Now, 8 weeks have passed and I will be seeing the ortho-surgeon again next week. I think from the x-ray my back should be nearly fully healed. During the past two months, my two caring friends helped me with grocery, with laundry, cheered me up when I was down and kept me company - I couldn't have asked for more :) It's during times of need when you get a chance to know who truly cares about you.

Chantry Flat and Fishing!!

These events happened more than a month ago, but they were both quite monumental (especially the fishing) to me and so I want to note them down for future trips down memory lane.

On May 19th we rode up Chantry Flat. I was very excited to do this because I could time myself and set an initial bar. The ride up to the gates of Chantry Flat towards the end was exhausting in itself, I had to catch my breath and blow my nose to prep for the timed ride up. My predicted time was 30min. I started off slowly thinking that I should reserve my energy otherwise I'd blow up on this 'long' ride. So I was taking my sweet time going up and was enjoying the view, I saw a rabbit and the breathtaking scenery and wanted to fish out my camera and take some photos. But thought I'd better not since every second counts. When I arrived at the 2miles point, 15min has already passed - I thought damn! I have to hurry. At this point I wasn't tired and regretted going up slowly so I finally decided to pick up speed. At the last stretch it was quite flat and I changed the gear to harder and pedaled faster - but I lost my pedals and had to slow down to get them back on. In total I did 28min and 32sec. I would have done much better if I had went full out from the start (paced myself better) and if I had clipless shoes. Hence I was looking extra forward to the ride up Chantry Flat on May 26th, but that was the day after I fell off the horse and this record breaker has to be pushed back :(.....maybe not long from now :)

That same week we went fishing in San Gabriel Mountains. We drove through the mountains and then cycled to a fishing spot along the river. There were many different baits to choose from, I wanted to use the largest bait (to catch the largest fish) but it was perhaps too big for the fish in the river so I settled on a red feather. Now I know how to fish, you are meant to cast out the fishing line and slowly reel it in to pretend that the bait is swimming so that fish can be lured. My casting has yet to be perfected and currently it's quite random and dangerous to myself and those around me...but can you believe it?! I got my first fish! It's the smallest trout I've ever seen but I was super proud of myself :D I am so happy to have learnt how to fish - it was my first real fishing experience!! I hope next time we can fish something that's big enough to keep :)

Random thought

I'm working while imagining all the things that I could be doing if I had money. Not just some money, but A LOT of money so that I could do what I've always dreamt of - travel the world while helping people. I want to travel to all corners of the Earth and do what I can to make life better for others, eg build schools for children so that they could grew up and contribute back to the world themselves. Wouldn't life be exciting?! Seeing all the wonderful places, experiencing the different cultures and meeting people whose backgrounds and views in life are distinct from my own. To top this off, knowing that I would somehow contribute in making the world a better place would be such a fulfilling and satisfying feeling. Yet since I don't have a lot of money, or some money for that matter, I made my career in helping people through trying to find a cure for cancer and in my vacations I can live out my dream of traveling the world.

There are many wealthy people out there who spend excessive money on themselves and have seemingly no other goal in life than to make more money. I think when people spend money for momentary self-pleasure, the excitement soon wears off and they are left searching for the next fleeting pleasure, and this pattern goes on...I believe real and long-lasting pleasure and happiness in life can be achieved in helping others, in appreciating what you have and in what life has to offer as well as not taking things for granted.

Horse Riding Accident

I went horse riding this Wednesday as I do every Wednesday night. I was assigned to ride New Jersey whom I haven't ridden before. My instructor said that he is quite bouncy and that we probably won't get to canter today. The trot was indeed bouncy but I soon got the hang of it. I must have done a pretty good job cos my instructor said that we can try the canter. I cantered him around one corner, the canter was fine albeit a bit fast. I then cantered in the opposite direction. The canter started off good but all of a sudden, New Jersey just took off. He looked extremely scared as if he's been chased by a pack of wolves. He galloped into an adjacent arena (Yes! I've galloped!) with me trying desperately to stop him calmly. That didn't work. We were fast approaching a fence with him still galloping at full speed so I turned him (or maybe it was he himself) to avoid the fence...At the turn I begun to loose balance and fall. I may have hang onto his neck for a millisecond and then I crashed my head on the fence and fell on my butt. The impact on my back was quite severe. I tried to get up but I couldn't. Everyone came over and asked me questions to see if I suffered a concussion. All I could think of was what if I'm paralyzed. I tried to move my legs, feet, arms and hands - thankfully I could move them all! But my back hurt so much...I was lead to the office and given an icepack and told to relax. It was then that I overheard people saying how they just found that part of New Jersey's hoof fell off - perhaps this was why he just took off? My instructor did say that it wasn't my fault and these things can happen without any reason. Then more people came and asked me what date it was? Who were you riding? Which horse do you hate the most now? I answered New Jersey. Which is the correct answer to give but honestly, even if I was paralyzed (and have to suicide) I still wouldn't hate him. Horses are not in this world just so that humans can have the pleasure of riding them!

I painfully drove home, at home I felt and saw a bump on the middle of my back. It didn't hurt at all...hm, perhaps it was always there? I wasn't too concerned since it was far from my lower back which hurt like hell. So off I went to have dinner with a friend. It was he who practically forced me to go to the hospital. I didn't really want to make a big deal out of it but admitted myself to the ER. After taking X-rays and CT scans it was concluded that I have a compression fracture on my L1 vertebra - compressed by 50% ouch! The doctor and nurse gave me crutches. I didn't want anything to do with crutches but was made to try them out - it hurt more than not using them. I told the doctor that I don't want them, the argument went back and forth for awhile, then I realized it was clearly not going anywhere and gave in. When I got home I left the crutches outside my apartment cos I didn't want to see them.

The next day, my two caring friends took me to see the orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon told me that this is a serious fracture and that the bump I can feel on my back will probably stay there forever :( He said the best chance for full recovery is if I'm immobilized in bed for 2 weeks. I was fitted with a back brace and there is no use for the crutches - so I happily ditched them. The following day I went to take an MRI, I had to stay in a tunnel for 30min with my eyes covered and ear plugs to block some of the loud noise (thankfully I had some music to listen to). Before starting this, the person taking the MRI kept on touching me with the apparent excuse of comforting me. I don't understand how does excessively stroking and squeezing others arms and hands gives the person any pleasure? But then again, there are many strange people out there.

I won't continue horse riding, to do so would just be plain stupid. If by any chance I fall off a horse in the next few months, then any injury compounded with this current one could be extremely serious. Fortunately for me my life does not revolve around horses, there are a lot of other wonderful and fun things for me to do - for instance cycling!! I can't wait to try out my clipless shoes and my new cycling gear. LG :D

Cycling Update

I've been riding around pretty much lately. With my two awesome friends who are great at cycling and patient enough with me a newbie to ride with them. I just came back from a 2.5hours long 27mile ride around LA area with lots of climbs and pretty steep descents. I'm so tired now I may fall asleep any second lol.

Let's see where we have been, I'll just list them: GMR (16miles), Big Tujunga Canyon Rd (26miles), GMR-39 loop (30miles), 2 local rides including Rose Bowl, 3 training sessions with my personal coach and today a local ride around LA (27miles).

Next week, we are going up Chantry Flats and I'm going to try to go for 30min - my heart may explode on the way, we will see....

I was sad to see that I have slight tan-lines on my arms and legs. I'll have to make sure to apply more sunscreen and I'm going to wear different length jerseys and shorts so that the tan can be gradual (my master plan). Another sad fact is the saddle pain :( But it's worth it because cycling is SO much fun - I wish I had realized this sooner!!!

My first road bike!

I got my new Cannondale Synapse Women's Alloy 6 51cm road bike from REI last Sunday and I couldn't be happier. I never thought I'd say this for something manmade - but this bike is absolutely beautiful! Every time I look at it I can't help but smile! I took it for a spin around the block this morning. Got up at 6am (there are not many things that can motivate me to get up 'so' early). I was riding on the pedestrian pavement which was a good practice cos it was bumpy and uneven. And so I nearly crashed a few times (ok I did actually crash into some bushes). I will try out shifting the gears tomorrow morning on the road.

My Cannondale Synapse bike! (with it's oh so reflective reflectors which I was encouraged to remove - otherwise the 'pro' cyclists will have more reason to be snobby towards a newbie lol)

The gears (Shimano Tiagra)

A Fun Filled Weekend

Last weekend I went for my first road bike ride and my second horse riding competition.

In preparation for the bike ride and future rides, I got a pair of cycling shorts, helmet and cycling gloves. The pair of Pearl Izumi Attack shorts I got are a good fit but wth, at the back it looks like I'm wearing an incontinence pad! And it sure feels like carrying a huge diaper when I walk around in it. But compared to others it is the most comfortable shorts which made up for its more padded appearance. I picked up a rental road bike, Specialized Ruby at Incycle which cost around 3.5k. The service person helped me adjust the seat and taught me how to take off and on the wheel for loading into the car. It seems that each time I go there the cutest guy in the shop is happily helping me which I'm not complaining about.

Early Saturday morning I met up with two long-time and very fit cyclists and we drove up to Glendora Mountain Road for my first time road biking. I was so excited but also a little apprehensive in that I didn't want to be too much of a burden for them. Also I didn't want to embarrass myself too much because I have problem getting on and off the bike (similar problem with mountain biking). It just doesn't feel comfortable with the seat so high such that my feet can bearly touch the ground without me leaning to the side.

We went up Glendora Mountain Road which is 8miles long. I was surprised when we got to the top - I thought we'd have a lot longer to go. It was even more surprising when everyone kept on saying how fit I must be for my first time road cycling and already going up GMR!

The descent in a sense was more tiring than going up. I was braking throughout in case I pick up too much speed and do a flying dismount. Everything I do is hindered by my rather unfounded EXTREME fear of falling - hell, I even had nightmares about falling off cliffs. So we went down at 10mph initially and reached around 20mph at the end. It felt good going down, I can imagine it must feel like flying descending at 40mph!

This cycling experience was so much fun! Now I know why people love it so much - I'm already getting addicted to it! You get to see the scenery while working out while feeling that you are getting out more than you put in (on a nice road bike) not to mention the amazing speed.

The next day I had my second horse riding competition. This time it was Walk/Trot/Canter. There were 6 people competing and I was surprised to see some of them there cos I know that they've been riding forever! So I was nervous and it didn't help that I was late for the show (no surprise there!) and we had to quickly tack up the horse. It also didn't help that Virginia the horse that I'm riding has trouble picking up the correct lead when she's tracking right. I just learnt how to tell leads in my last lesson and my instructor told me that if she picks up the wrong lead when tracking right (which is 100% of the time) I should slow down to a trot and try again such that the judge knows that I know that I'm on the wrong lead and I'm trying to correct it. That was exactly what I planned to do in the competition.

The competition was divided into 2 sections, Equitation and Pleasure. In the first section, when we cantered tracking right I tried several times to correct the lead but to no avail. At the end of the competition, the judge said to me that I have trouble picking up the canter. I explained to her that this horse always picks up the wrong canter when she tracks right and so I had to slow her down to a trot and start again. You know how some people just look like bitches - well she was one of them and she certainly didn't disappoint. Anyway the results came back and I was pronounced last - f%#@. So in the next section of the competition, I totally ignored whether my horse was on the correct lead or not and just went with it. I knew I wouldn't be last this time round - I came 5th, second last which was still bad!

It's not a good feeling to not come first and an even worse one to come so behind! Yet the people that I'm competing with has been riding much longer than me. The person with the least experience has 3x the experience as me. Still I can't help but to feel disappointed...On the bright side, this motivates me to improve.

I just got back from the gym, when I started working out on the cycling machine, next to me came an extremely fit looking guy dressed in full cycling gear. As we were cycling he kept on looking at my display to see how many calories I'm loosing. Is he trying to compete with me?! He should pick someone his own size. In 35min I lost 350 calories and he lost 580 calories. I don't think I can compare with him, but the fact that he is so interested in what I'm loosing perhaps means I'm doing pretty well. During the cycling he was sweating profusely and at the end he proceeded to rest on the floor of the gym. Anyway, in summary I lost 457 calories in 45min on level 15. I should up my game next time.

Things to do Before I Turn 30

Here goes my list of things to accomplish before I turn 30. I'm sure I'll think of more things I want to do in a few months if not a few days from now!

1. Backpack in Europe (after I graduate)

2. Sleep under the stars without a tent

3. Get scuba diving license (this summer IF I have the money)

4. Swim with giant turtles/sharks/whales

5. Truly help someone (eg turn their life around for the better)

6. Live in the jungle for 48hours (sounds feral I know)

7. Go hunting, prepare and eat my catch (getting more feral)

8. Aggravate the Queen's guard and get in trouble for it

9. Get arrested and spend a night in prison (very easy to achieve)

10. Go fishing and actually catch something

11. Ski without fear of crashing into some random tree 10m away

12. Get my resting heart rate to below 50bpm (currently it's around 58)

13. Gallop in the wilderness with jumps across rocks and creeks

14. Get a tattoo without regretting it

15. Fall in love (hardest to do on the list)

Major Earthquake Imminent for California

If the observations are indeed triggers for and caused by upcoming earthquakes as Jim Berkland believes then it does sound convincing - let's see how it all pans out the next few days.

A Random Wednesday

Yesterday I had to revise for and take an exam at home. Normally when I'm at home, I'd turn on the radio or play something on my laptop so that I'd feel less bored and isolated. But I couldn't concentrate with the radio on when I was revising and taking such a boring exam. So it was utterly quiet in my apartment with me counting down each question as I go along and imagining the things I'd rather be doing. It was boring beyond my tolerance! I thought I may have died (I admit I do have a rather low tolerance for boredom).

It was finally over and I got to go horse riding at night which was a whole world of difference! I rode a huge Paint horse called Oklahoma, 16.1hands, okay so he's similar in height to some thoroughbreds I have ridden but he is just plain bulky and oh so adorable (orange with white patches). He is very gentle and rather lazy but I got him going with my ever increasing leg muscles and I cantered on him. The canter was nice - his strides were big so my feet flew around in the stirrups and got into wrong positions. I need to work on keeping my heels down while cantering. Last time I cantered on New Mexico and to start the canter I kicked him instead of just squeezing (in order of 'strength': a squeeze, a kick and then use of crop) which I shouldn't have done cos he went into a very fast canter (or a gallop?) so I pulled on the reins for him to slow down but nothing happened - we were still going at full speed even while turning on a tight corner. I thought shoot I'm gonna fall, I wondered how I should do it so I won't get hurt badly. The acceptance that I'd fall made me more relaxed and when I pulled on the reins he listened to me and slowed down to a trot and that was how I avoided the fall. It may seem counter initiative and hard to do in practice but in 'out of control' situations like this the rider should be relaxed so that the horse would in turn be relaxed otherwise he'd become nervous as well and keep going! Horses are extremely sensitive. I explained to my instructor that I had to cancel my lesson last week cos I had a little accident while mountain biking. She said how she's envious of me that I do all the dangerous sports like horse riding, climbing and mountain biking. I guess I'm really lucky to be able to do what I'm interested in!

Speaking of mountain biking, the wound on my leg is healing great but the wound on my arm not so much. I develped a yellow scab on my arm and a couple of days ago in the shower it fell off which may not sound like a big deal but the skin beneath it was white with numerous red spots. Upon closer examination the red dots were blood vessels! I freaked out and would have fainted except I've never fainted in my entire life. Soon I will decide whether to get into mountain biking or road biking. I will make that choice once I try out road biking. I'll then buy a bike which reminds me I'm spending over 2k on replacing my dying turbo engine in my Saab! Arghh with 2k I could get a really good bike!

Japan Earthquake & Tsunami 2011

The magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck off-shore Japan at 2.46pm on March 11th local time. It is the largest quake in Japan's recorded history and strong tremors could be felt in Tokyo 230miles away from the epicenter. The seismic activity triggered a massive tsunami which swept into the east coast of Japan. As of now the combination of shocks and flooding has resulted in a death toll of over 1,000. The entire Pacific region is expected to be effected by the tsunami. Indeed, here in the US, states on the west coast, Oregon and California have issued tsunami warnings, evacuations are carried out and beaches are closed in response.

Where the tsunami is expected to travel across the Pacific Ocean. The dark black and purple indicate the highest rise in sea level (NOAA)

Mon premier fais du VTT en Californie

Samedi dernier, j’ai fait du vélo tout terrain avec des nouveaux amis à Mont Wilson.

J’ai loué mon vélo à Incycle pour $35 par jour. Apparemment, on a coûté près de $4000! C’était très fantaisie et il y avait beaucoup de fonctions que je ne savais pas utiliser. Donc, le vendeur m’a aidé avec le vélo. Il était très doux et patient avec moi et il a pris une heure pour m’apprendre de faire du VTT.

Alors j’étais prêt pour mon premier fais du VTT en Californie et j’ai rencontré avec trois étudiants de Caltech. Nous sommes allés au debut de la piste au canyon de Eaton.

Il faut avoir de siège haut du vélo pour grimper une colline, mais c’était trop haut pour moi de monter et donc je passais trop de temps jusque pour le monter! Aussi, il était tout en montée et c’était plus faitigant que je croyais. Je pensais que mon coeur allait s’arrêter de batter chaque seconde! Donc j’ai décidé faire du vélo à mi-chemin et le pousser à mi-chemin. Les autres étaient attendre pour moi mais je leur ai dit aller d’avant sans moi parce que je leur voulais du plaisir. Finalement, je suis arrivée à Hennigner Flats mais les autres étaient loin devant sur la route Toll du Mont Wilson, alors je continuais.

A Hennigner Flats avec mon VTT

Je les ai rencontré et quand nous descendions je pensais que je peux aller vite, mais soudainement, j’ai perdu l’équilibre et je suis tombée sur mon vélo. Mon corps a glissé sur le terrain pendant longtemps avant que je me suis arrêté. Quand je me suis levée, j’ai pu voir du sang suintement de partout. C’était peut-être le jour le plus embarrassant de ma vie, d’abord j’étais mauvais à vélo, aussi j’ai été lente et maintenant je suis tombée de mon vélo!

Pourtant, j’ai eu un grand temps et il n’y avait pas de regrets! J’ai aimé les gens et ils m’ont aidé beaucoup. A la fin de la journée, nous avons dîné à l’une de leurs maisons que j’ai vraiment aimé!

Séisme de Christchurch

Quand j'ai entendu du séisme à Christchurch sur la radio dans le matin 23 février, j'ai pensé le femme de Christchurch qui a aidé bix pendant notre vacances en Nouvelle-Zélande, elle était bien? Après, je me suis rendu compte que nous avon eu de la chance pendant notre vacances parce que il y a beaucoup du séisme en Nouvelle-Zélande. Enfin, je suis très désolé pour les victimes du séisme. Et donc, je dois quitter Californie bientôt parce que nous sommes en retard pour un grand séisme!! Suivante est la dernières nouvelles de séisme...

''The death toll continues to rise in New Zealand, as search and rescue operations continue following the Christchurch earthquake.

The death toll stood at 145 on Saturday, and more than 200 people were still reported missing as emergency crews continued to sift through rubble armed with flashlights and other equipment. The last survivor of Tuesday’s 6.3 magnitude earthquake was found on Wednesday, and the lull in rescues seems to be accompanied by dwindling hope that those still missing will be found alive. Nationals from more than 20 countries are reported to be among the missing.

One site feared to be a mass burial ground is the crumbled CTV building, where authorities fear up to 120 people are dead. On Saturday, crews worked to stabilize the area around the Hotel Grand Chancellor to begin searching the for victims. Officials say a third of the buildings in central Christchurch may have to be demolished due to damage sustained by the earthquake, which New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said “may be New Zealand's single most tragic event.” (Extrait de ABC, 26 février)

Plan

Before I went home last Christmas my advisor said that I can finish my PhD in 4 years - so in less than 1.5 years I'll be out of LA and moving on. I'm not sure to where at the moment. But there is really nothing keeping me in the US so I've been thinking for a few months now that I may go to Europe. Like US, Europe has beautiful scenery but it's also composed of many small countries and it would be really interesting to experience the different cultures that each has to offer. And in terms of practicability, education and health care systems are way better in for example Switzerland and Denmark than it is here. So I may do my rotations in Europe and decide if I want to end up staying there. Although I have been anticipating my road trip of moving from LA to where ever my job is for some time now! :P

No matter what, I'd like to do some backpacking in Europe after I graduate. Seriously, I don't know if I'll get another chance to go backpacking. When I start my job it will be very hard to take time off and even harder for when I become attached for both of us to get time off together. So it's basically now (ie 1.5 years later) or never. And isn't life about having adventures and having no regrets?! It would be nice if I can backpack for 3 months. I want to go across Morocco, Spain, France (I'll probably spend a significant amount of time in rural France and also put my French to the test), Luxembourg (see what one of the richest country has to offer), Germany, Denmark (sunrise at 4am and set at 10pm in summer!), Switzerland (the Alps), Italy etc etc I think having both English and French should set me off pretty well in most countries... :) A good starting point SoYouWanna backpack through Europe?

Robyn - Dancing On My Own

Another awesome song. I'm sure everyone has felt this way at some point (at least metaphorically)!

Kevin Rudolf - Let It Rock

Love this beat! Can't help but to move to this! :D

Forever Young

Do you want to live forever? Do you want to be forever young? I would have eagerly said yes two decades ago (along with the promise that my family would also be 'forever young'). But now that I think about it, I'd be watching everything around me wither away, along with long forgotten memories as generations of human race come and go. And as millenniums pass by, the Earth itself would change, lakes turning into deserts, mountains into flatlands. I think the mystic and value of life would be lost if one was to be immortal.

Shine Down - Second Chance

Another one of my fav songs :) damn the singer is super creepy...

Mt Baldy - Revisited

I just came back from my second Mt Baldy summit trip with a club from school. We started hiking the trail at around 8.30pm and 2 hours later we were at our stop for the night and where we set up our tents. I didn't have a tent and ended up sleeping in a tent with a guy who seemed particularly eager to share with me which was kinda dodgy. I'm a light sleeper and there were many people around so I knew I'd be fine. We were woken up at 4.45am. I had a really bad night sleep, in total perhaps less than 3 hours. It wasn't cold but it was windy, uncomfortable to sleep on the ground and I like to move around a bit when I sleep instead of being squashed.

In the morning, we climbed a couple of hundred meters up Baldy and practiced some self arrests, this is where you basically fall and stop yourself from falling by using an ice axe. I'm extremely scared of height and of falling so this wasn't pleasant. But I was pretty good at stopping myself from falling with self arrest.

Then we hiked up to Baldy summit. This involved climbing up through the Girly Man chute which is at about 50 degrees (I wonder what would a Manly Man chute be)! I wasn't really tired. In fact, I was always the last one to leave (taking photos etc) but end up catching up with many other hikers. Some were surprised at how much better I am compared to them - well, all thanks to the gym workouts and horse riding as well as hikes in NZ! I have to say it felt a lot easier than last year. During the ascent up, I met a middle aged man who's training to climb Mt Everest and I was wondering if this challenge is more for personal experience or for bragging rights.

Girly Man chute - looking down

Baldy summit

After the summit, we practiced some rappelling and rappelling back up. All the while we were standing on very steep mountain side which wasn't very comfortable for me. Then we glissaded down, this is where you sit on your butt and slide down the snow covered mountain side. I enjoyed it at first cos I was in control of how fast I was going. Then I speed up, lost control and tried to self arrest but it didn't work in the soft snow so I just kept on falling. Luckily a really nice guy who I would have crashed into caught me and I was able to stop. Then I glissaded again, and no surprise I was going too fast again and couldn't stop by self arrest. I kept on self arresting by which time my arm muscles were aching and I was thinking this is futile, I will only stop if I crash into some rocks which I did eventually and I fell over the rock ledge and landed feet up (like how I jump off from a horse after a lesson). So now I was in front of all the people who was doing it 'properly' lol. I guess this is one of the reasons why I'm afraid of height and falling cos I can't stop myself from falling in crucial situations!

Then it was time for the drive back, I sat at the back of the car but driving skills were pretty bad with sharp turns and sudden stops. And compounded with the gross smell from everyone I soon developed a headache. And I was thinking, WTF am I doing this for? I was planning on climbing Mt Whitney, but apparently we have to carry our own personal waste which means that there won't be contained toilets and I'd likely be the only girl there so this would be extremely awkward. As well, 3 days without showering is just too much. I love hikes but from now on I think I'll only do one day hikes.

NZ Trip - Day 7 to 10

Here we are the final installment of the NZ trip blog trilogy

Day 7

The plan today was to go horse riding, trotting and cantering in the wild over hills and mountains, seeing the beautiful green countryside and breathing in the fresh air...However, if you remember from Day 6th I noted it was a particularly sunny day. Well both bix and I got sunburnt. Especially bix who was so badly sunburnt that she couldn't even walk. And so we had to cancel our horse riding plan :( It's okay, there is always next time!

We took a leisure drive down to Wellington. When I say ‘leisure’ it’s more in terms of we have no planned activities to be in time for, the ride itself was pretty horrible. The Getz shook at around 100km/hr, there was also loud noise coming from the engine/tire friction on the road/wind. Not a nice drive and we should perhaps invest on better rentals for roadtrips!

Day 8

In the morning we went to have Mojo coffee, supposedly the best coffee in Wellington. I wouldn’t know cos coffee tastes pretty much the same to me. But I think bix enjoyed it. We then went to Te Papa museum (the largest museum in NZ). I was pleasantly surprised and learnt a lot of things there. There was a Colossal Squid from deep ocean which was ‘fished’ out. The story goes, fishermen were fishing for deep water toothfish off the coast of Antarctica, then out came a squid! The fish after being hooked then became prey to the squid, and this squid did not let go of it's prey. It’s eyes were as big as soccer balls while squid rings from it would be larger than tires! I also learnt that Lake Taupo is actually a volcano! It’s one with very slow flowing magma (very sticky) which slowly piles up forming a caldera shape. While Mount Ruapehu the tallest mountain in North Island is an active volcano formed by medium flowing magma (slightly sticky). There were also some galleries showing painting and artworks which I tried hard to appreciate to their reputable levels.

Day 9

Today we hiked in Egmont National Park on the Waingongoro track. It was a much easier hike compared to what we have done before. There was a couple dressed in complete hiking gear with hiking poles and looking especially pro. Yet they ended up been behind us! During the hike, there were lots of rock scrambling and steep steps, some with small streams of water flowing past. We then back tracked to Dawson Falls. It wasn't really huge but water was rushing so fast! When we stood next to it to take photos we were splashed with water!

Bix looking like a true mountaineer

Some rock scrambling

Dawson Falls

During our time in NZ, we have seen ‘Tui’ signs with a kiwi bird outside many food places. At first, I thought it was welcome in Maori. We finally found out that it was the name of a beer produced in NZ lol. We sampled some Tui at a restaurant. I have to say it’s perhaps the best beer I have tasted, it was refreshingly clear and had a sweet after taste.

Bix with Tui

The seared lamb (love lamb) salad that we ordered at the same restaurant came as it was described, seared, only the surface was slightly cooked, you can smell the blood on the inside and it can’t even be cut using a knife! So we had to return it for further cooking. Our waiter was servicing another table and girls were flirting heavily with him, they appeared completely head over heels with him and he was beaming with boasted ego. So naturally when he came to our table he expected the same treatment. But do not expect that because 1. Bix has no interest in guys 2. I have no interest in guys who use their looks to get things. Which reminds me, the first night in Auckland when I was walking back from buying dinner at night, a guy with his friends sitting in front of their balcony asked me if I was around there, I said no. I was stunned - he has to be the best looking guy I’ve seen, period. As I was walking away, he said rather awkwardly ‘I was asking because I wanted to know if you know any places to go out tonight.’ I think he was asking me if I know any bars or clubs, but whether because of the jet lag, or me subconsciously teasing him in front of his mates or a combination of both. I answered ‘well, I just came back from a sushi place but I think they are closed now.’ That was true but totally irrelevant to the question at hand, it’s suffice to say he wasn’t pleased. I NEED to stop doing this! Actually, there was someone I was interested in. When I was waiting for bix to catch up with me at Tongariro Crossing, in the NZ tradition of greeting people who passes by, I smiled and said hi to an approaching guy. He smiled slowly and greeted me back shyly, he was unsure of himself which I found really cute. I can’t really place it but he was intriguingly different. We did cross paths several times but he was shy and I’m shy when it comes to those things so we simply looked at each other curiously lol. So bix, in line with your search for the Christchurch girl, here goes mine ‘he was last seen at Tongariro Crossing on Jan 1st 2011, he was wearing a black jacket with black shorts and carrying a dslr camera, he has medium length dark blonde/brown hair tied up in ridiculously looking bulbs.’

Day 10

All great things come to a close, it was time to say goodbye to bix and NZ. I was sad and quite nostalgic. I felt that I didn’t fully appreciate this experience during it, but it’s also the fond memories that we keep - is it not?! I’ll be back to NZ for sure, perhaps skiing or hiking in the South Island! I’d also like to do the Tongariro Crossing again this time including an ascent up Mount Ngauruhoe :D And I've been thinking about how to stay in NZ longer, although it may not be good for professional growth, it would be a wonderful place for retirement!