15-FEB-2014
Feb 16, 2014 - Back from the death - First ride...
Today I took my 1st ride since Dec 2012. My 1st ride since coming back from death. Life is good and nothing is the same ever again, for the better.
Nov 2013 - Life After death...
It has been a while that I did not even come to my own pbase. More exactly, since before Xmas 2012.
It was almost a long year of despair, hopelessness, indifference, blank, darkness.
Now that I'm back. Life after death. My perspective changed, for the better. Thank God.
11-SEP-2012
Sept 11, 2012 - Vibram Trek LS fivefinger shoes
I recently found out about the Vibram fivefingers shoes (
http://vibramfivefingers.com/). After reading about them, I decided to order a pair of Vibram Trek LS in Kangaroo leather. These shoes are so much more comfortable to wear and walk and run than normal shoes as each toe is allowed to flex individually and naturally. They may look funny but they are so comfortable to wear, almost like walking on barefoot.
Sept 7, 2012 - Exercise with the Android...
I recently bought a bluetooth Zephyr HxM heart rate monitor to strap on my chest when I run and walk on the treadmill. It transmits my heart rate in real-time to the Android Samsung Galaxy player and the application saves all my exercise sessions. I love it! The Zephyr HxM has an internal accelerometer too but the application did not use it. I still haven't found a good app for treadmill exercise.
August 5, 2012 - 22:31 PDT - Touchdown is confirmed!
Curiosity landed perfectly on Mars! It was a spectacular engineering feat!
The President's science adviser, John Holdren said:
"if anyone had any doubts about American technological leadership,there's a one-ton, car-sized piece of American ingenuity, and it's sitting on the surface of Mars right now."
The director of JPL, Charles Elachi, said, as he paraphrased Teddy Roosevelt's quote:
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
August 5, 2012 - Landing day!
Finally, this is the moment: Mars Curiosity landing day! Go Curiosity!
Awaiting the Mars Curiosity landing on August 5, 2012
The Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) of NASA/JPL is going to land on Mars this coming August 5, 2012, on 22:31 Pacific time. Check out:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/
Watch the video "7 Minutes of Terror" and you will picture the complexity and the challenges of the engineering involved.
I'm so excited and proud to be part of it.
This is a picture of our team (among other teams) where all 3 generations of rovers were on display. I'm fortunate to work on 2 of them: the medium size Mars Exploration Rover (launched 2003) and the large size Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory, launched 2010). The smallest one is Sojouner (Mars Pathfinder, launched 1997).
10-JUN-2012
June 2012 - Copperplate Calligraphy
While using fountain pens and dip pens, I was naturally attracted to the beauty of writing in different kinds of ancient scripts. Being one who believes in books, instead of classes, I ordered a book called 'Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy' by Eleanor Winters. Let's see how far I can get with this book!
If you don't know what 'Copperplate' is, that's the type of script showed on the cover of this book.
Mars Science Laboratory rover
NASA/JPL's MSL was launched successfully on Nov 26, 2011. It was very excited as I was watching it live as the telemetry came down. It's now on its way to Mars, exploring the unknown. The Entry-Descent-Landing (EDL) in August 2012 will be especially exciting.
In this picture are the 3 generations of Mars rovers: the smallest one was Mars Pathfinder's Sojourner rover. The middle one was Mars Exploration Rover's Spirit and Opportunity rovers and the largest one is Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover and the rover weights 1984 lbs (900 kgs) and is the size of a Mini Cooper automobile.
July 30, 2011 - Fountain pens...
A fountain pen is a delicate writing instrument. Writing with one is a joy and requires special care and attention. One cannot drop a fountain pen or manhandling it. Treat it right and it will reward you. There is nothing better than to write and to let the thoughts flowed on the tip of a fountain pen nib...
http://www.pbase.com/motorcyclist/fountain_pens
12-JAN-2011
Jan 12, 2011 - Hit-Air airbag vest for motorcylist
Today I just received my Hit-Air airbag vest for motorcyclist from www.safermoto.com (a US distributor of Hit-Air airbag vests and jackets.) Hit-Air, www.hit-air.com, is a Japanese company specialized in airbag systems research for motorcyclists since 1995 and the products have been evolved for the last 15 years. While the airbag vest for motorcyclists is still fairly 'new' and 'unknown' in US, it has been widely used in Japan, Europe and motorcycle racing.
24-NOV-2010
Nov 24, 2010 - Riding the San Gabriel mountains...
The Rincon shortcut has been closed for several years and was recently reopened. I and my friend Vu decided to take a day off and do some dirt riding. The road and scenery were awesome. What we did not expect was to see snow at this time and the temperature was 34F, near freezing. It was a good day's ride.
23-OCT-2010
Saturday - Oct 23, 2010 - A desperate ride
It has been raining here in Southern California the whole week and today is the first day that the weather cleared. It's still cloudy but at least it had no sign of raining. So I and 2 friends were riding to Lancaster to have lunch, through some beautiful country roads, for a total of 200 miles.
07-OCT-2010
October 2010 - Locksport - the art of lockpicking
I recently picked up a new hobby: locksport (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locksport). Locks are something that we all use everyday but very few people understand the mechanics and the inner working of the lock. So I decided to study its different mechanism, its different designs and especially the art and challenge of lock picking.
The first rule of locksport is: "You may only pick locks that you own, or those to which you’ve been given expressed permission to pick by the rightful owner"
13-AUG-2010
Friday the 13th, August 13, 2010 - Ride to Palomar Mountains, California
Today is Friday the 13th, a bad day for a lot of people. Since I am an atheist and I'm not superstitious, what better day than today to go ride motorcycle solo?
I recently installed some friction pads on both sides of the tank so that I could hold on the tank better when cornering and braking. It was time for a test in the mountains, where lots of high speed cornering can take place.
I rode up to have lunch at the Pala Indian casino. They have free soft drinks 24 hours a day and the food is reasonable. Then I rode up to Palomar mountains. I was almost by myself on a Friday. Only saw a few cars and motorcycles. With the new friction pads, I was able to anchor myself to the tank when cornering so I could hang loose on the handle bars. It was so much better that I was able to use my tires up to about 1/8" from the edge, which I have never been able to accomplish before.
I rode for a total of 285 miles today. It was a great ride.
24-JUL-2010
July 24, 2010 - replaced the motorcycle tires...
If we want to do something right, do it ourselves. That was why I and my friend Vu got the Nomar Classic tire changer and balancer and changed the tires ourselves. My last set of Michelin Pilot Road lasted 11810 miles and I have a trip to Mammoth Lakes coming up so I replaced them with another set of Michelin Pilot Road. While it took a lot longer than the shop, but everything was checked and double-checked, cleaned and lubed properly.
18-JUL-2010
July 18, 2010 - Motorcycle, shock, and cbr1100xx internet web forum
My Honda CBR-1100XX Blackbird has 56000 miles (90000 km). The rear shock was pretty tired so I found one for sale on cbr1100xx forums by another XX rider, with only 3000 miles on it. I emailed the seller and he immediately packaged it and shipped it to my home in a few days, with only a note telling me to send him a check after I received it, installed it and tested it. I was truly surprised. Lesson learned? There are always good and trusting people everywhere and I promised myself to 'pay it forward'. Thanks Howard, you know who you are.
18-JUL-2010
July 16, 2010 - The quest for hearing protection...
It doesn't matter how good a helmet is, riding motorcycle at speed is an extremely noisy endeavor. Most people didn't realize that gradual hearing loss is unrecoverable. Once it's gone, it's gone forever. There is no such thing as "getting used to the noise" as the only reason that one can get used to noise is because the hearing was deteriorating and therefore a loud noise doesn't sound that loud anymore. That's not 'get used to noise', but 'hearing damage'.
I always wear earplugs when I ride motorcycle. Earplugs, or any hearing protection devices, are rated by 'noise reduction rating', or NRR. The higher the NRR is, the more noise it can block out. The highest NRR available on the market is 33 for passive earplugs. However, not all earplugs that bear the same NRR rating block the same level of noise, due to difference in testing, I assume, but it's also due to each person's ear canal shape and size. One company's NRR 33 earplugs therefore may block more or less noise than another company's NRR 33 earplugs for the same person.
To select a proper earplug for myself, I went to
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/foearpltrpa2.html and ordered a pack of 19 different earplugs, made by 10 different companies (as the same company may have different earplug models). I will try out all of them in the next several weeks and keep notes on them. Once I found the best one for me, I'm going to order it in larger quantity.
For the record, I am currently using Moldex's Purefit 6800 that doesn't list the NRR on the package, but they are listed as having NRR 33 on their web site. However, some recent Moldex Purafit 6800 with NRR 33 printed on the package didn't block the noise as well the older Purafit 6800. Therefore, I concluded that even the same company making the same model of earplugs don't behave the same.
The exercise begins...
June 10, 2012:
After using up all these earplugs, the winners are: EAR Classic Superfit (great noise blocking but the foam is hard), Howard Leight Max USA, Moldex Camo NRR 33 (great noise blocking, long, soft, smooth). I decided to order a 200-pair box of Moldex Camo from earplugstore.com. These will last me a lifetime.
08-MAY-2010
First Aid and Emergency - May 8, 2010
I recently took a Red Cross CPR and First Aid classes. I also volunteered to train for the Urban Search And Rescue. I learned a lot of things that I didn't know before. I also started to build up my own First Aid kit as I now think I know what I need in a kit. I hope that I will never need to use it, but if the need arises, at least I hope that I have what I need to do.
On the road again - May 1, 2010
Any motorcycle trip is a good trip. We ride to ride. A trip is long overdue. All of us stressed out at work, burdened by everyday life and commitments and we all need a ride. Any long ride is going to clear our head, refresh our mind and put things back into perspective. Any long ride is going to make us so much sharper and so much more energized. I can always find peace on the seat of a motorcycle and a long lonely road. Time to focus, reflect and think, where nothing else matters but me and my motorcycle.
03-APR-2010
Palomar Mountain, California - April 3, 2010
I was kind of down and needed to unwind so I and my buddy Vu did a 250-mile ride to Pala Casino. Had a great lunch then rode up to Palomar Mountain. It was the first time we rode up there and the twisty roads were awesome. There were 2 guys who took pictures of everybody who passed by and posted on their web site for sale. Here is one they took of me.
It was a great day. Great company. Great riding. I'm feeling better.
10-JAN-2010
Azusa, CA - Jan 10, 2010
It's another year. Time really went fast without us realizing it. I didn't have a chance to ride much since I came back from my motorcycling trip to Arizona in Oct 2009. The weather in Southern California is nice, about 65 degree F. Getting back into the seat of a motorcycle is always exciting and exhilarating. I went up to Azusa mountain roads and I always find peace when it was just me and the machine.
13-OCT-2009
Arizona revisited - Oct 9, 2009
In Oct 2007, we visited Arizona on our motorcycles. This Oct 2009, we revisited it and it was always as awesome as we left it back then. The people are nice and the Arizonian drivers are truly courteous. They always drove at a safe distance behind our motorcycles and waited patiently when we stopped at red lights, waiting to make a right turn. In California, if we ride at the speed limit, Californian drivers would drive right up to our rear fenders and make us to go faster or they would yell at us if we waited a few more seconds to make a right turn on red. They should learn from Arizonians and the roads will be a better place for all of us. I salute you, Arizonians. We all appreciate your courtesy and friendliness when we visited your home state and we'll be back again soon.
05-SEP-2009
Sept 5 - 2009
Today we decided to ride our motorcycle to Santa Barbara Stern's Wharf for lunch. It was almost the last ride for me and my friend Vu. The weather was great. The friendship was warm. The lunch was good. The ocean was calming. On our way back, while riding on the fast lane of the 2-lane 101 freeway at 75 mph, a car in front clipped a parked car on the right side emergency lane, spun out suddenly in front of Vu, blocking almost the whole lane, with enough room on the right side for Vu to sneak through, then I followed. If we went 5 seconds faster, I probably wouldn't be writing this. Life is always full of surprise and it gave us enough excitement of a day.
May be I should go back to decoding the Vigenere Cipher for fun, instead of riding my motorcycle? Le chiffre indéchiffrable, the unbreakable cipher of Blaise de Vigenere, is probably safer?
Again, I remember seeing the following quote on the web but nobody seemed to be able to identify the original author:
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly
proclaiming: "Wow, what a trip!
14-JUN-2009
June 14, 2009 - Home made sheepskin motorcycle seat cover...
I have a short hair Alaska Leather sheepskin seat cover (
http://www.alaskaleatheronline.com) on my motorcycle for a couple of years and it has been great in those long riding days to reduce butt fatigue and heat. I paid $40 back then. It was flattened and worn. I was looking at getting a long hair replacement and it was $70 + shipping. While it's a great product but it's just a piece of sheepskin with straps sewed on. I found a big piece of genuine New Zealand long hair sheepskin at my local Costco for $35. It has enough skin to make 3 seat covers so I bought it, cut it to size, sewed on 2 straps and now I have an excellent long hair sheepskin seat cover for $13 ($35 + tax / 3).
Function is always over form...
05-JUN-2009
June 5, 2009 - I played plumber today...
The faucet in the bathroom has been leaking for months and finally today I disconnected the water lines and removed it. Fortunately Home Depot is still carrying the part of a 17-year old Moen faucet! The picture is the Moen 1224 replacement cartridge inside the faucet. The hard part was crawling under the lavabo, laid on my back and tried to work in the confined space. Not fun but I got to play plumber.
May 25, 2009 - All good things came to an end...
We all had a great time and got back safe. Vu's personal satellite locator (SPOT,
http://www.findmespot.com) kept updating our positions on Jason Jonas' web page that we set up (
http://jasonjonas.org/spot) so that our friends and family could keep tracking of our trip and whereabouts, either out of curiosity or concerns. The SPOT uplinked our GPS positions to a system of low earth orbit satellites (GlobalStar) then downlinked to ground service centers.
The total trip was about 800 miles in 4 days so it was far from Ironbutt standard but we weren't out to set a record either. We just wanted to get away, ride in our own thoughts and solitude and at the same time enjoying the camaraderie. IT was a great success.
May 22, 2009 - Departure day
Woke up at 6am. Kick stand will be up between 8-8:30am at Starbucks in Monrovia, California. It'll be a 30-minute ride from my place to the meeting place. Everything is a GO!
May 21, 2009 - 1 day to departure...
One more day and we'll be out of here.
Everything was checked, packed, loaded. All systems are GO!
Every time we leave on a long motorcycle trip it puts our mind in a different state. A state where nothing else matters anymore, even it's only temporary.
For those who like to see where we are, here is a real-time map showing our progress:
http://jasonjonas.org/spot/tripViewer.do?id=1559
It was updated by a SPOT personal satellite locator as we move along. Pretty cool.
Still on schedule - Fresno/Yosemite May 22, 2009
All of us can't wait to get out of work, family and commitments to ride the open roads again. Time to breath and roam free, time to reflect and heal our souls. Ride, eat, sleep, repeat. We're going to ride 4 days this time. So far it's still on schedule and the weather will be hot at this time of the year. The reward of riding a motorcycle is the journey and the time we spend on the seat focusing and reflecting on our life, the destination is immaterial, just like death...
May 1, 2009 - Big Sur motorcycle trip canceled...
We are supposed to leave for Big Sur today for a 3-day motorcycle camping trip but the plan was canceled yesterday due to rain forecast along the Pacific coast...
We were all disappointed that the trip was forced to cancel by mother nature as everyone was eager for a long ride. However, we are not stupid. We take big risks in riding motorcycle but they are calculated risks. The cancellation decision was unanimous.
Our reserved campsite and Russ' cabin reservation were too late to cancel as they required 3-day advance notice. Well...
We all desperately need a ride. The trip is moved to May 22 and the destination will be Fresno, Yosemite, Little Dragon.
14-MAR-2009
March 15, 2009 - return from Death Valley, California
Just got back from a 3-day 800-mile trip to Death Valley. More pictures will follow. It was always good to get away from time to time on the seat of a motorcycle to keep myself sane...
12-MAR-2009
March 12, 2009 - Return to open roads...
It's time again to return to the open roads, on the seat of a motorcycle. I and 2 friends are leaving tomorrow for a 3-day motorcycle camping trip to Death Valley. Time to refresh the fond memories of the desolated roads and wide open throttle. Time to get away from work and family, time to be ourselves and ourselves alone...
Tomorrow will be Friday the 13th. Who cares?
March 11, 2009 - Stay sharp - Ride a motorcycle!
A recent article published in Tokyo Japan only confirmed what we, motorcyclists, have been feeling and sensing all these years: riding a motorcycle helps us to stay sharp and at the same time a great mental therapy. Here is the link:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5itCbTMj0ACqXppwLJqoe39s4d-Gg
and the text:
TOKYO (AFP) – Riding motorcycles helps keep drivers young by invigorating their brains, the scientist behind popular "Brain Training" computer software said Wednesday, citing a new scientific study.
"The driver's brain gets activated by riding motorbikes" in part because it requires heightened alertness, Ryuta Kawashima said after his research team and Yamaha Motor conducted a string of experiments involving middle-aged men.
"In a convenient and easy environment, the human mind and body get used to setting the hurdle low," he warned. "Our final conclusion is that riding motorcycles can lead to smart ageing."
Kawashima is the designer of "Brain Training" software, which incorporates quizzes and other games and is available on the Nintendo DS game console under the name "Brain Age" in North America.
A self-professed motorcycle fan, 49-year-old Kawashima cited a new study conducted jointly by Yamaha and Tohoku University, for which he works.
One experiment involved 22 men, all in their 40s and 50s, who held motorcycle licences but had not taken a ride for at least a decade.
They were randomly split into two groups -- one asked to resume riding motorcycles in everyday life for two months, and another that kept using bicycles or cars.
"The group that rode motorbikes posted higher marks in cognitive function tests," Kawashima said.
In one test, which required the men to remember a set of numbers in reverse order, the riders' scores jumped by more than 50 percent in two months, while the non-riders' marks deteriorated slightly, he said.
The riders also said they made fewer mistakes at work and felt happier.
"Mental care is a very big issue in modern society," said Kawashima. "I think we made an interesting stir here as data showed you can improve your mental condition simply by using motorbikes to commute."
01-FEB-2009
Sunday, Feb 1, 2009 - curry run
Today 4 of us (myself, Vu, Nu and Mike) decided to go ride motorcycle and had curry lunch at Lancaster, which is about 80 miles from Monrovia, CA. The weather was great at 70F, sunny. We met at the Starbucks in Monrovia at 10 am, had our coffee then rode the twisty roads of Little Tujunga to Lancaster. We had lunch at a small Indian restaurant then headed back through the Angeles Forest highway. The mountain roads demanded total concentration on a motorcycle. Brake, lean, accelerate. Repeat. It was exhilarating and at the same time required our complete focus and trust in our own motorcycle. Can't make mistake with cliffs on the curves at 3000 feet. It was time like this that we all seem to be able to shake off all burdens of life, even for a short moment that we all cherished...
New Year's day - Jan 1, 2009
Wow, it's another year! What could be better than to start a year with a motorcycle ride? I called up my friend Vu and we went on a short trip around town, together with Nu and Wynn. It felt great. Warm sun, fast roads, great authentic Mexican foods and friendship. I was so glad that I still felt so fascinated by the ride. This is not something I could force it onto myself, but rather something coming out naturally from my inner self. Life is good...
New Year's Eve - Dec 31, 2008
Today is New Year's Eve. Time goes fast without us realizing it. Is today the day we're supposed to reflect what we have and haven't accomplished during the year and set a new resolution for next year? Nah, screw it...let bygones be bygones, right?
California Winter motorcycle ride - Monday Dec 29, 2008
All of us haven't had a chance to go on a long motorcycle trip due to work commitment. So during our Christmas break, Vu suggested that we went on a 1-day 250-mile trip to Santa Barbara's Sterns Wharf pier to get some sun, ocean and seafood.
There were only 3 of us: myself, Vu and his brother Nu. Everybody else either lost interest or couldn't make it. It was about 45 degree F (7.2C) when I left my house to meet Vu at his home, which is about 10 miles away. It was cold but I felt so great riding.
We took 210 West to 134 West, then 2 South to 10 West to ride along the Pacific coast all the way to Santa Barbara. The weather was great. The sun was bright. The ocean was blue and the bike was smooth. Life is good. We don't need a lot to be happy, do we?
