happy holidays!

as the year comes to a close
it becomes a good time to reflect
on what made our year good.
our efforts, our successes,
our memories, our learnings,
our times that have now passed.

and while one year might be a small fraction of time,
in the grandest scheme of things such as a lifetime,
it might also be a great chapter of our lives.
no matter how significant or unnoticed it may have seemed,
we have hopefully still given all those hours to some pursuit.
hopefully.

so as time moves forward and our lives live on
it becomes important to make our time important.
to live each day well so all our days are well.
this i wish for you in the coming year
and all years onward.

change has come

congratulations to the american people.
let us have a champion once again.
i can be a proud patriot.

nice editing

different styles of street riding.

mike aitken

mike aitken is one of the most influential and inspiring bmx riders of our generation. his style, courage, and positive attitude are unquestionably pure, and his skill and prowess are so legendary that his signature frame (or frames; he's up to 3.5 of them at this point) may be the most-ridden frame currently on the streets today.

i remember one of the earliest photos that had an impact on me when i first started riding bmx: it was mike aitken throwing a clicked turndown off a tiny transition on a sidewalk. it proved to me that you could have fun on the smallest terrain if you worked on your skills.


Mike Aitken Retrospective from Fitbikeco. on Vimeo.

so the tragedy is that he has been seriously injured. he crashed while riding and damaged his brain. being a professional bmx rider, he has been unable to get health insurance. given his current condition and need for treatment and care, he and his family could definitely use some aid. you can read more here: mikeaitken.com, and make donations as well. i've already made mine.

i wish mike and his family the best. my hopes are with them.

winter is coming, things are good

the low temperature in oakland hit the 40s yesterday. today it's windy and it didn't go over 70. the chill is here so my next question is when the rain arrives. but i shouldn't fret. it is only early october after all.

in the meantime i've begun teaching martial arts at the elementary after-school program i worked at last year, and thus far it's been a very positive, challenging, and rewarding experience. i'm encouraged by the children's progress, and my sustained enthusiasm is merely reflective of theirs. the program runs semiweekly and will run through the rest of the school year. i am confident that at the end of the year these children will have learned a solid foundation of martial arts skills.

i'm decidedly conclusive that this transfer to the west coast has provided me with ample life opportunities. not even mentioning the clear benefit that i've been riding my bike almost every day for the last year; i've worked a whole year in construction management that has given me loads of experience, and am beginning my second term at this elementary school where i can make a living sharing my love for martial arts with the future of the world. can it get better?

yes it can! i'm also incredibly grateful for all the wonderful people i've met out here and the network they make up for me. there are dinner parties, and bike rides, and bar gatherings, and art shows, and all these great fun things that i can just jump on my bike to shoot over to enjoy with good company. i really can't beat that.

or can i? i haven't even mentioned the new girl who, in so few weeks, has made a distinctly strong and positive impression on my life. oops, well now i've mentioned her. ;)

to good things; make them happen for yourselves.

bicycle-talk: bmx progression

i remember when i first got into bmx, something like 10 years ago, and for months the big word in all the bmx magazines was "progression". every issue had a segment, a spotlight, a feature on the next step, the higher level, the further progression. the longer an activity is pursued, the greater the amount of possibilities come into existence.



when i see an image (sequence, to be specific) like this, my mind kicks open another door..

bicycle-talk: macaframa premiere

Macaframa SF Track Bike Promo from MACAFRAMA on Vimeo.


MACAFRAMA Trailer from MACAFRAMA on Vimeo.

the trailers for this film created a turning point (or rather, exposed to me a new style to explore) in my riding career. after seeing them, it became clear to me that there were riders out there really pushing and refining a fixed gear street-style that took serious skill and innate grace.

soon after moving to the bay area, i was riding with a few fixed gear street riders. i was riding my brooklyn park bike. they rode their style, i rode mine. we cruised all around oakland. one of the riders, james, asked me if i'd ever ridden a track bike. i told him i hadn't. he said i should try it out; it's fun.

a while later i was commuting fixed on my cross bike. within a month i was looking for parts to build up a dedicated street fix. the bike came together cleanly. the fit was perfect. the style stuck, the motivation to progress grew, and now i'm absolutely a true believer.

bicycle-talk: bmx cruisers back in a big way

sunday is working on these, and they look really good.
sunday bikes.

i want to fly

i never truly considered the possibility until now.
and it terrifies and inspires me.

i am bicoastal

so it's been kind of crazy.

i was in new york for two weeks.
it was amazing; wonderful; home.
spent time with family, friends, and the landscape.
rode my bmx bike the whole time; that was ill.

but i was having a hard time with bicoastal pulls.

on one hand new york was the hometown
where i felt like i knew everyone and everything.
faces and streets familiar, pure comfort.
all the things i've grown up with.

on the other hand the bay has been treating me well.
the weather is great and the opportunities abound.
i ride my bike everyday and have met awesome people.

a good friend gave me some insight.
rather than feeling sad about the people and places
that i inevitably miss when i'm here or there,
i will feel happy that there are so many i treasure.
there are so many good people in my life,
that my thoughts are filled and pleasant.

sidehacks

so dope.

anyways head's up i'm back on the left coast.
update from the past two weeks to come.
i hope things have been well.

bomb down broadway

i love new york.

finding peace

and i pull back

reconsidering all my considerations
all that which i feel, here, and with you, him, and her
left alone to slip away

when a soft voice sings and a quiet melody plays

and all i want to see is the sun through the clouds
and all i want to hear is the wind through the trees
and all i want is to be stripped bare of it all

to feel everything and think nothing

a moment or two

taken to remember 9/11/01.

i'm back in the city on the day.
as far as i travel, as much time i spend elsewhere,
more of my heart will remain here.

today i love:

riding with good people all sunday.
this included:
-thai breakfast at the temple in berkeley
-claremont dmv farmers market
-bike church at manifesto
-katrina rozelle cake samples on college
-the ethiopian cultural festival at lake merritt

getting over sickness.
flying tonight to spend two weeks in new york.

today i love today and days to come.

green car

the future is here!
www.aptera.com

bicycle-talk: helmets

i know that there are some people in my life i only know through bikes and bike riding. but it was made apparent to me the other day, when i ran into a friend that i hadn't seen in a while, that some of these people may have a hard time recognizing me when i don't have my helmet on (and am off my bike). this confirmed that i do in fact wear my helmet every time i ride my bike (barring extraordinarily unforeseen circumstances). it also brought to attention once more the fact that there are a good number of riders in this local area that don't habitually rock a lid.

now. i recognize the fact that riders will ride as they will; many of my friends and family still do not wear helmets even after several years to more than a decade of riding bikes. i mean i grew up riding bmx on the streets of new york, with very, very sporadic helmet donning. but i will thank, personally, a specific someone i recently went to visit in portland for making my helmet-wearing a second nature. it's gotten to the point where i feel strange when not wearing my helmet, rather than when i am wearing it. and this is only within the past few years.

so i might as well just have out my spiel. if you've read this far you're not so sensitive that you'll get into an argument about helmet wearing, and you should know by now that whatever you wear while you ride is fine with me.

i don't think they are the be-all, end-all in safety equipment; they just provide a decent degree of protection for your brain. you can fall down on your side, break a bone or two, break your helmet, and you might avoid a concussion. whereas that same situation without a helmet may result in a plate in your skull along with the pins in your collarbone. you can still be mortally injured while wearing a helmet. just as you could without.

i do think they will provide, if not you, the people who care about you a degree of relief. they might not rest, but they can at least be assured that you're a little protected from the elemental forces of the road. in the least you can wear a helmet for them; your family and friends. you don't want to have to call them from the hospital getting your head wrapped when you could have just told them you broke your arm. i know that's what i would prefer. (though of course i would prefer over that not having to visit a hospital at all.)

anyways enough with the patternless rant; here's me in my helmet looking silly, but safe.



my favorite helmet companies:
giro for the light, vented race lids.
bern for the light, better-coverage bucket lids.
troy lee designs for the light, fancy, full-coverage full-face lids.

insomnia findings

ok.



why in the heck is urban outfitters selling my home subway sign on the internet?

i didn't realize things like this were so novel. are people buying BART or muni signage? like this?



wow. that's really unexciting.

night riding

10-something pm. tuesday night.

i felt restless so i grabbed my bike and went out. it seemed almost like a mission; i packed my bag light, attached my lights, tied my hair up, zipped my windbreaker, and threw on my gloves. rolling into the night alone.

the first stop was an empty garage i'd been to once before. maybe ten blocks away. the streets are quiet. there sits one parked car. the floor is dirty, slick, dark concrete that handles you firmly if you slip up. i'm learning to be ambidextrous; i spent a handful of moments skidding, sharpening my bike skills.

the second stop was a cafe a little farther and took a bit longer. it gave me an endpoint and a reason to breathe hard. it's a slight uphill for a few miles but you can carry your momentum through the dips to conserve energy. by the time i got there my shirt was damp and i was thoroughly warmed up. so i took my time and slowed down for a bit. got a tea, sat, thought, and wrote. i asked myself many questions, trying my perceptions, challenging my tendencies. somewhere along the way i found a moment of clarity, an edge through the haze that broadened to become a clearing. i immediately stood up and left. i found what i needed; it was time to go home.

resetting myself in my accoutrements, i set back onto the pavement. it took less than one minute to gather my rhythm, and i was off. i arrived at each light just as they turned green, threading between the cars just as they began to move. i gained speed. the pavement that was smooth, i savored. the pavement that was rough, i floated over with no effort. i pulled left and right for the few cars that passed me, spotting their headlights and hearing their engines well before they pulled forward. i caught and passed them later, at the next lights. i maintained my speed, adjusted my rhythm to the flow of the lights. i never had to stop.

after the last light turned green before my block, i let the muscles in my legs go loose and free. the momentum pulled me the rest of the way. i needed nothing but understanding.

travel-talk: portland recap

people keep asking me, "how was portland?", and the most frequent response turns out to be, "pretty mellow. really mellow." i think that about sums it up.

now i'm not really trying to talk it down or anything like that; i was certainly occupied, entertained, and having a good time. i got to ride my bike around new streets, paths, and around a brand-new-to-me landscape. i ate at many good vegan-friendly joints. i played at a couple arcades, watched a couple movies, and hung out in a bunch of parks (they're everywhere!!). i spent time with good people.

but it definitely felt small. and slow. very slow. and shallow. i don't mean superficial, but that it was not densely populated like the cities i'm used to. it was a strange composition of urban and suburban that i couldn't quite feel natural in. i was there for a week and still not acclimated.. even if by then i was familiar. i rode a lot, and covered a lot of ground in those days. but i covered less ground in less days when i was in vancouver, and still feel more comfortable with that city. maybe.

in any case there is one thing i came to realize about portland, whether it was the geographical location or weather or interpersonal conditions, is that i thought, reflected, and introspected a lot out there. my mind was catalyzed towards understanding myself and my position on this earth. i wrote a lot. i made decisions about my perceptions. it was meditative; and completely unintentionally so. it is just the way it turned out to be.

i shot some photos, but not many. of the 75 taken, i only chose to post 15. that's only one out of five. i'm not sure if it was the shooting conditions or my state of mind, but it almost felt like shooting with film. i was very choosy about what i shot. some just didn't come through for me, while a few really felt right. so here are some, and this is where i leave you. i don't have much more to say about portland. even if i will probably return there sometime for sometime. oh to realize the importance of some people.









a few more on my flickr.
oh i must note that the sky was amazing almost every day while i was there. i could sit and watch the clouds go by forever.

back in the mix - holy crap it's september

after a botched attempt to check my bag (15 minutes too late?)
onto saturday evening's 6pm flight from portland to oakland,
i stayed one more night in the other cool port city of the west coast.
it's funny how tripped out one could get over something as small,
insignificant as missing a flight. well at least in this recent context.
maybe i'm just lucky i didn't need to be anywhere fast.
and had a place to continue staying until my next flight.
so i kept my cool and went with the circumstances.

but sunday morning came through for me!
and here i am back in the bay area,
back rolling on my bike almost immediately.
back in the mix with all them bike people.
back to the local spots and familiar streets.

but yeah, i'm tired from everything,
so i'll do a proper portland recap in the morning.

on the move

i'm heading up to portland oregon tomorrow morning to visit a good friend.
i will be bringing my bicycle (thank goodness for generous friends with bike boxes).
i also hope to shoot some photographs worth sharing.
i'm very thankful i can take time to go on trips like these.
hopefully these travels will give me good energy to share with others.
i'll be back in the bay in a week, and back to the usual foolishness.

music means a lot to me

i listen to music every day.
it inspires me, energizes me,
calms me down, brings me back,
and helps me live well.

so i have a lot of respect for this guy.


The Archive from Sean Dunne on Vimeo.

this weekend was great

saturday:
fix without dix had a fabulous vegan bake sale at montano velo!
they're raising money for a portland FW/OD summit.
i stayed there for hours nom-noming on goodies!
they even provided the soymilk, music, and good vibes!
i ended up picking up a new cycling cap too,
from local clothing designer and darling victoria jarvis! sweet!
(who will actually be moving to portland this week! lucky northwest.)
later on bbqing it up at my friend jason's house was chill too.

sunday:
lazy wake up, roll over to bike church at manifesto! so easy..
congregate for a minute over coffee and generously provided breakfast;
this morning was donuts, apple cobbler, and even waffles!!
oakland folks are some special kind of rad, that's definite.
and then cruise out to the city for the bike swap!
it was huge! there will be pictures up later i'm sure.
such a great event with a super fun, friendly turn-out.
i won a reload messenger mini bag off $2 worth of raffle tickets!
then back to the oaklandish radio regatta at lake merritt.
a beer with the fellas and filles and it transitions to a good evening.

here's a snap from outside the bakesale. a crop from a maribeth image.



being on my bike everyday really makes my life extra enjoyable.

up in the sky

from my doorstep.
thursday afternoon.
were these clouds.



i wonder what clouds you saw where you were.

art-talk: kathleen lolley

kathleen lolley's work is about to go out at giant robot sf.
it's really nice stuff.
view/buy some here.

martial-talk: live blades

in other news i'm also stoked that i waited until now to pick up real swords. while it had been a long time coming, having trained with them in the past, the blades i recently purchased arrived at such an opportune time.

i'd been in sparse touch with my guro back in new york,
and having been also too caught up with work and bike riding,
i'd slacked a bit with my martial arts training.
i mean i always pick up my sticks,
and run through drills here and there,
but when you don't have to fight someone else's energy
you have to be careful that your own energy doesn't stagnate.
solo training is good training, but it requires much diligence.

so when my espada y daga set arrived this weekend,
it was a wonderful jump-start to revitalized training.
i'm very excited to be able to switch, at will,
between rattan and sharpened steel.
my edge awareness will improve considerably,
as will my live hand awareness.
your body knows it does not want to be cut!

anyways keep tapping!

bicycle-talk: fbm sword

man i'm glad i waited out on picking up an fbm sword.
new updates: much nicer dropouts and a seat-binder in the seat-stays!!





okay so they're just pieces of metal to some people.
to bike people these are beautiful, usable works of art.

and it may be a while until these both hit production,
but i have no doubt it will be worth the wait.

(in case you didn't know, fbm is one of the most respected bmx companies in the business. the sword is their foray into the fixed gear field, and it's certainly a good one.)

bicycle-talk: bashguards

i never realized how much i paid attention to the bicycle industry until i began to see trends crossing over. i can probably attribute this to the fact that i ride so many different kinds of bikes. from bmx, to mountain, to cyclocross, to fixed gear. (road is a whole different story.) when you ride bikes to shred on them, there are certain things you need to consider. strong wheels (36h!!), a solid cockpit (1 1/8"!!), etcetera. anyways i'm likely to go on a tangent if i don't focus so here's what i was thinking about recently.

if you ride a fix in any sort of freestyle manner, and check up on the progress of the such crews as mash, maca, bootleg, peel sesh, and rat cult ripping it up across the country, you may have seen this guard pop up in the east.


this is the milwaukee "crusher". the first of a few iterations to come from milwaukee bicycle co/ben's cycle.

now here's a rather new (in the past few years) concept: let's throw a bashguard on track cranks so we can grind on the chainring. without the guard you're likely to trash your chain and/or fuck your chainring. and good god why would you grind on an $85 track chainring that would get mutilated on the third attempt? let's protect that with a $120 bashguard that you can't even rotate once the side you grind on is worn down to the chain. ok. sorry.

i don't even work in the bike industry but i can tell you bmx (kink, fbm, standard, s&m, macneil, tree, etcetera) and mtb (blackspire, mrp, e. thirteen) have been working on bashguards for years and years. my favorites of recent are:


animal's for bmx. simple, small, inexpensive, durable.


and e. thirteen's for mtb. light, inexpensive, and close to indestructable. (tom lamarche runs one of these. smart fellow.)

so yeah, other companies have made similar and successful products already. what's your point? my point is: they've pioneered and then evolved the concept over much trial and error; the footwork has already been done! why not look to the experienced? do-it-yourself ethics are great, but don't waste money or resources. the bike-shredding precursors have shredded the way. bmxers ran those 3/16" chains for a while, mtbers smashed through many a paper-thin bashguard before figuring what was the best way to protect your drivetrain from ledges and rails, rocks and tree trunks (respectively).

milwaukee's newer stout guard and polo guard are decent second and third introductions to the fix-freestyle market. so check those out if you really want to smash up your track drivetrain.

times goes by

and i've been kept busy.

with what?
so much has gone on,
it gets to be hard to say.

besides the work,
and all the monthly, weekly, daily, hourly,
little things that make up ones life
and yet are so unnoticeably minute,
it takes some effort to pick out
those extraordinary moments.

i will report soon.

night and day

night
Originally uploaded by mo yun

the view from the hotel in downtown vancouver.

and day
Originally uploaded by mo yun

click them for more in my photostream.
or i'll just post some more from there. heehee.

what to do, what to do

there's been so much going on i have trouble keeping up.
even though the school program is out for summer,
and my other job is a bit slow right now,
it seems that there's always some happening.
which is great, don't get me wrong.
but in an effort to record,
where do i start?

highlights have been for sure:

1.
attending my friend and student's
(from the after-school program)
martial arts tournament last week.
he competed in karate kata,
weapons kata, and sparring.
he won two trophies!


here's him kicking stomach!
he's only 7 years old!

2.
spending an entire day up in point reyes
with my uncle and auntie and
a handful of their family friends.
we hiked out to the beach,
and then back up and out
to a ridge where we could see elk.


it still amazes me just how easy
it is to get out to places like these.
if you have a car, that is..

3.
well i've been riding my bike a ton.
that should come as no surprise.
i've finally found a few riders
that i can always hit up
for all sorts of sessioning.

and i've also been racing a bit,
and feeling pretty good about it.
i'm excited for when i return home,
when i can race my home streets.
i really can't say why i haven't before..

4.
i've also found truly interested
potential students to teach kali.
this possibility brings me much hope.
as i may be teaching a program
next year at the elementary school,
i need to make this summer
very productive and progressive.
i am hopeful i can make that happen.

5.
i'm going to vancouver next week!!!
the last time i visited was 3 years ago,
and i'm still psyched on the place.
i'm bring a bike; it's going to be ill.

6.
oops, almost forgot nick and inner sunset.
a friend and i went bike riding,
met up with another friend,
continued bike riding,
and then chilled at the second friend's house,
where we played with music all evening.
i am sparked to learn an instrument again.
and just to get into music again. yes!

7.
damn there's a bunch of stuff huh!?
sorry not too many pictures..
but yeah there's a bunch of stuff
going on this weekend in oakland!
music events, community parties,
bike riding and food eating, etcetera.

i seriously hate leaving oakland these days.
it's warmer, cooler, and cheaper.
forget about the city! east bay! haha..

anyways i guess i can say life is good.
in short.

riding a lot

this weekend is going to take its toll i'm sure.
i rode almost all day today!!

this early afternoon i hit up joaquin miller park with my friend james. we went fixed gear trail riding and it was fun as hell! i thought that simply riding a hardtail helped you with your line, but on a cross bike (i took the tricross out today) that whole perception is magnified. you've gotta be on your TOES when descending rock gardens on thin tires and carbon parts. definitely not what i'm used to.

and then we returned to oakland and continued on with our track bikes! i dunno how many cumulative miles we rolled but it was a few. and tomorrow i ride again! to thai brunch in berkeley. and then street sessioning with photos. fun fun fun, i will admit. i just can't make time for anything else but riding my bike. and maybe i'm happy that way.

the oakland scrape 08

okay so i raced my first alleycat this past weekend!
it was a fundraiser for the SF bicycle messenger association,
or more specifically their broken bones fund
that helps out messengers that have been injured on the job.
i mean shit; i give props to (and envy) those who are able to ride all day for work.
but considering how many hours and miles you spend on the road on that job,
and the potential for disaster is much much higher and more serious.
so this was a good opportunity to show respect, help out, and also have fun!

the race started at lake merritt and spanned a good bit north and west of oakland.
super hilly, super fun, with a great turnout (180 registered racers!!).
anyways i don't really have that much more to say about it;
i had a great time, made a few new friends,
placed in the top third of the field,
and took home a few t-shirts.

here are photos of the racers from one of the checkpoints.
(shot with a phase one p25!!!)
here is the flickr photopool as well.

postscript:
i admit, i never thought i'd ever race an alleycat.
i mean i never thought i'd ever ride a fixed gear either!
after years of dismissing it and sticking to bmx,
and being convinced that i was real fast on my brooklyn.
i just can't deny its simplicity and smoothness.
and how effortlessly fast they go.
yes; i am loving it.

the new colors of bmx?

forget the neon/hypebeast bmx colorways of yesteryear.
will the new trend be uni-color bikes (that aren't blacked out)?

from the fit site:


from the kink site:


not that it matters all that much to me,
i'll still build my bikes rather conventionally toned,
but i saw both these bikes with a day of each other. wild.

the beat goes on

the beat of my feet on pavement (rare)
the thump of my knees pushing through revolutions
the hop of my back wheel through traffic

time is running
and with each step something happens
and something changes

i may have more to say
just not today

capabilities

it was the tour de cure.
a national fundraising bicycle ride
for the american diabetes association.
i registered in february
and rode yesterday.
on team lanesplitter.

the numbers:
i rode 50 miles.
on a fixed gear of 70.9 gear inches.
meaning i spun 44,682 revolutions
in sometime over 3 hours.
...i slept 13 hours last night.

it was a beautiful ride through napa.
the morning was foggy and overcast and cold,
and i was freezing in a short-sleeve jersey,
but i rode hard enough from the start
that i stopped feeling anything
until the sun came out later.

the trees and fields in the valley were pretty
when i had the chance to look at them.
(my focus was on pace and safe riding.)
the slight hills crested over the warm green
and under the bright, clear, blue sky.
one early pass had lush, arching tree cover
from both sides of the road.
that was a beautiful minute.

by the last third of the 50 the muscles in my elbows
were sorer than they had been in the morning.
(i slept in a hammock the night before,
and woke with strange tensions in my limbs.)
my knees, calves, and hamstrings began
taking turns telling me how they felt.
my back and butt were fine though;
an affirming feeling.

on the last mile i pulled a sprint out of me
and it was about all i had left.
it was a happy completion.

time flies!!!

holy crap it's already mid-april!
i sent in my taxes yesterday (yay?)!

situation normal, business as usual.

newish photos on flickr from heading up to marin this past weekend,
a day off the bike and on the beach,
much needed.

and now i'm back to riding my bikes.
took my brooklyn to work yesterday,
remembered how much fun freewheel flying is.
especially downhill on that bike. sweet!

snuck into high-level parking garages last night with daniel and our bikes.
fun like a scene out of carnival street life. fun on bikes!



have a good mid-day of the mid-week!

days go on

apologies to the readers for the recent ebb of entries.. the past weeks have seen a great high and a sorrowful low; such that compose the reality of living, and teach you to uphold your strength and still embrace your vulnerability.

---

things in the bay have been well. i now work two part-time jobs like one full-time job;. they are both quite different and across the city from each other, so i get a nice little bike ride in between them during lunchtime.

i've met my fund-raising goal for the tour de cure i'll be riding in may. training rides have gone well. riding in general is great and i'm feeling stronger every day.

carrying my camera more often means shooting more photos, so check out my flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatkidnate/ and there might be something new.

that's about it for now.
be well.

life passing

and i don't have words for it
because for life's passing
language is meaningless

in itself it is simply a part of the cycle
yet its repercussions are felt through every branch of the tree
we will hurt, then pull together and draw strength from each other

in the least, i will remember his strength and spirit that always will be

new life

this photo is for my brother and his wife and their first daughter.
she was born on february 20th, 2008.

pics of house

entrance hall/bike alcove



my bigass room



my housemate daniel and his lady jennifer

developments

all right i guess it's time for another update!
time's been ambling along at its own pace and i'm doing my best to keep in a good rhythym.

first thing's first; i fixed my bike!
i had finally got around to proper (high) seat heights, tall skinny wheels and drop bars that it would get to this at some point or another. having been a street singlespeeder for so many years i wasn't about to get more complicated with gears... anyways, i love it it's great fun! it also makes sense since i'm training for that long ride in may: my friend dan had brought up the notion that, since i was already going to ride it singlespeed, i should consider fixing it as it's better for longer rides because your legs don't have a chance to build up lactic acid and cramp. good call. i tell you what i've been riding miles and miles everyday with some new friends and i'm certainly getting my spin on and beginning to understand cadence much better.

unbikerelated? not too much.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
GONG HAY FAT CHOY!
the new year in the bay was pretty understated. i can't really complain because i came from one of the best chinatowns in the world; chinatown nyc represent for all my days. haha. but yeah i took thursday off and went to chinatown. relaxed and spent some time during the weekend with the family out here. not too bad. but not new york, where my homies danced as lions and sold chinese new year tees. and i'm sure all my immediate family got together and ate REAL well, and spent some good times yelling together and at each other. ah new york. i'll be home soon.

oh i've been shooting photos more.
you can wet your toes (maybe) in what little photostream i have on flickr that i will attempt to deepen as the year goes on. you can view it at http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatkidnate/

anyways i hope your mid-february is giving you positive feeling toward the rest of the year. that's all i got.

how we chinese guys ride bikes

a month already?

i guess it has been.
how quickly it passed.
yet how long it seemed..

unknowingly, i had quite an eventful month!

i moved on the first to a new room in a cool apartment in north oakland/temescal. i'm right by a bike shop, a pizza spot i frequented even before the move, and tons of korean restaurants. not to mention quick riding distance from downtown oakland, berkeley, and the macarthur BART station and bike shuttle. my life definitely got a lot easier.

an interesting note on the move though: i shared the room for the first week with ellie, the girl who previously rented it. she hadn't a new place yet and i couldn't possibly put anyone out, especially someone who seemed (and proved to be) pretty cool and nice. so we hung out a bunch and got to know each other. she eventually found a place in berkeley and seems to be doing well. the funny thing is, we met legitimately in the evening of january first, having already had an exchange earlier that day when my cousins (who helped me move) and i went for pizza at the aforementioned spot where it turns out she works.

i went to a gun show with a bunch of friends. we were among the few minorities in the place, sticking out like so many sore thumbs. they had old guns and new guns and knives and antiques and swords and really just all sorts of junk. it was pretty neat. especially how the NRA was at the entrance proposing to buy our ticket if we signed up with them. to do what? i'm not quite sure. i was impressed they even approached us, a chinese guy, five latins, and one half black half japanese fellow.

i worked a shift at a bingo parlor. my friend frank works there one evening a week and last week they were shorthanded, so i came through. oh my goodness was this an experience. selling tickets to all these intense gamblers of all races, backgrounds, and generations with all their good luck buddhas and teddy bears.. what a sight. within a few hours i had the splittingest headache, and i can't remember the last time i'd gotten a headache. i doubt i'll ever do that again.

donut shop robbers were apprehended a block away from my house!! okay this story is nutters. so late last week a couple guys robbed a donut shop about half a mile from here. they were tailed back to a house where they holed up, but the police showed up, shut down eight square blocks and were able to get him out. my housemate daniel and i were talking about the situation and heard the POP POP shots that we later found out were the bean bag rounds they used to subdue the guy. oh oakland, you make a brooklyn boy feel right at home.

i joined a team for the tour de cure, a bike ride fundraiser to fight diabetes. this is going to be cool! it's a ride through napa valley in may. i'm doing the 50 mile route, unless i man up by then and push for the century. we'll see how long rides on my ss cx bike go in the next months. you can donate/sponsor me here: http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/TDC557228030?pg=personal&fr_id=5065&fr_id=5065&px=4027477 i'm on team lanesplitter! (the lanesplitter is the pizza spot mentioned twice already. daniel my housemate also works there and is captain of the team. woah!) i'm gonna rock a lanesplitter jersey! sweet! but i'm still doing the ride in baggy shorts.

for my job i am beginning to do work at other sites, and feeling like a real construction management rep. with my own master key and everything. i also applied to another job at a fabrication studio. but i don't want to jinx anything so i won't say more.

and lastly, for my art i am shooting more, and working on images more, and i picked up a printer so i can hopefully print some good images for a portfolio or something of that nature.

okay i'm hitting the mental wall now, and i feel like i've said enough anyways. like my life is really that interesting? the most important thing is having the right attitude and spending your time well. that is the purpose. if i can be so convicted..

lack

sorry for no posting.
things in transition, in limbo, in development.
i'll fill it all in soon. and add photos too.
in the meantime watch my brother's big head.
and me and my wonderful sis-in-law.

this is just another day

days like these, in between years,
how are you looking back?
and how are you looking forward?
it feels like the time to reflect.
accepting the tribulations,
learning from the mistakes,
priding the accomplishments,
cherishing the good times,
and most importantly:
planning the new ones.

this is just another day.
that happens to be the new year.
full of opportunity. and potential. and promise.
will you make this year what it could be?
for yourself and those around you;
do well and you will be well.