New do

Making a radical change is a positive reinforcement in my life

Motorcycle Diary

Friend of mine recently got himself a bike and he planning on moving to California.

He asked how my bike is. 

Here is my response. 

"She just broke couple new records. Debating whether to get her shoes after our big trip of before. got her a raincoat. she tested it and she likes it. she is nervous if I wold dump her someday.... well it's just between you and me, she doesn't know this... from the moment we laid eyes on each other, we knew we would get along great but our relationship has an expiration date as I have with all things with wheels."


Friday, I took off work earlier than usual and went on a camping trip with Kari. Friday afternoon traffic was worse than I had anticipated so we had less time together in the day light. 

After we set up our tents, we got some groceries. As soon as we got back to our campsite, it started raining and it rained all night long. Thankfully, when we awoke, rain stopped and we enjoyed nice mountain curvy road. However, that did not last long. As we had expected from the weather report, 50% chance of rain caught up to us  and we stopped curvy road and headed home on the freeway. 

By the time we reached city limit, rain had stopped and we said our farewell. 

On my way back from the camping trip. I made my visit to 아름. She was extra affectionate and clingy. Also I got to see her bad manner side. It was not pretty. This was my first visiting her home. I noticed her energy doesn't last long and she needs frequent nap. She had a big bruise on her forehead from falling during her attempt to run. It seemed normal to me to cross boundaries, challenge and living on the edge. Bruise is quite natural. 

Upon leaving 아름 weather was warm and sunny once again. I got off the freeway and ventured to the path where I have not beaten on. As always, it is more fun. Scenic routes of green, yellow and red natures. Red and brown birds. Fellow riders. Old historic buildings and run down local homes. Reminded me of riding in Colombia. 

It was peaceful, calm and quiet. It's just me and the road with music in my ears. 

When I filled up the tank, I was surprised how little of gas I had to put in to fill her up. After calculation, it was 63 mpg. I couldn't believe my eyes that I ran it again. It made me very happy. What a drastic change when I just in motor's comfort zone?  

Kari tells me her bike is more stable than her old sportser even though I see her more struggle to maneuver her new bike. My sportster already feels light to me and I am definitely ready for something bigger and my eyes are on V-rod or Fat Boy.

Front tire is becoming bold and I don't know how much longer she can handle. Arriving close to home, I almost fell off and could have crashed very severely. I was turning corner bit wild but controlled, yet rear started falling off, bike started leaning too low and without thinking, my right leg reacted and stepped on the ground, of course due to the fast speed, my right foot was kicked off instantly and stopped by the saddle bag. It happened so quickly that I questioned how did I regain balance and not fall. Did I give more gas while pushing the bike off with the right foot all unconsciously only with muscle memory? Did God save me or was it his trick to remind me to stay humble? Could I have remembered that I used my right foot without feeling pain on right ankle after the impact? If I didn't feel any pain, I would not have noticed... Then again, my ankle should have been damaged yet it is completely fine. 

Prediction for this week weather seem wet. Good thing I bought that cover. I tested it today. Thick. big enough to cover the entire bike. Water proof. Yet. It's another addition to possession. This settled life is increasing things slowly, creeping upon me...

Had a long conversation with mother about my principle on minimalist life.

Why I ride a motorcycle

I have started working with Korean. I am living in rural area amongst Koreans. Korean society is something I have neglected to be part of over a decade.

Throughout my travel, I decided that my self discovery is never ending. I came across a quote 'life is not about living, it's about creating' myself.

Quotes always have been huge part of my life. They develop and teach me and become part of who I am. 

I know about this because when a quote inspire me, I remember it from reading it the first time and it never leaves me. I can feel and understand the person who said those words.

Right now I have two quotes withstand amongst all other quotes that are in me. 

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you've imagined" - Henry T.

"I can make a difference but together we can change the world"

I added these two quotes in my signature for my work email. 

Today I was asked a question, "Do you ever think about getting a car? Logistically it would make your life way easier"

Lately, this has been popular topic among my coworkers. Many of them are older than me and this means superiority in korean culture. They do not ask my opinion on why I ride. They just assume without telling me their assumption. I hear their underlying assumption when they tell me what they think about riding a motorcycle. This involves in their conversation of type of car they like, price, credit, payments, driving luxury car, appearance of the car, size of engine, top speed of the car and color.

Couple years ago, I was all about these and I understand, but now these are not the things I care about. It feels like smelling meat after not eating meat for a month. It feels like drinking water in LA, after drinking water in WA for a year. It feels breathing city pollution after living in rural area for a week. 

I understand it is difficult to feel the change in temperature of every exit you pass by on the freeway when you are in the car, I understand it is difficult to smell the flowers, subtle change of the engine roar when you give just tiny bit more gas, delicate balance of leaning at corners and curves, pulling the right to go left and I understand that these are only physical attribute that bike riding can offer.   

There are more. 

You feel the challenge to focus all your energy to be attentive when there is pouring rain, slippery road, metal plates on the ground, grooves on the road, dark night, foggy visibility, idiots coming onto my lane almost running over me, semi trucks blowing heavy wind pushing and pulling me, rocks flying hitting my body, bugs poking my hand at 90mph

Driving a car is like drinking diet coke instead of regular. It is like eating meat without seasoning, salad without dressing, working without loving work, getting from a to b without joy and excitement, tasteless life. 

Riding my bike represent freedom, living on the edge, unknown world where many people fear to live in, challenging status quo, collectivism vs individuality, independence.

Many people told me not to go to Mexico alone because it's too dangerous. In Mexico, people told me not to go to Guatemala because it's too dangerous. In Guatemala, they told me not to go to Honduras for same reason. In States, people tell me same thing about me riding motorcycle. 

One thing they all have in common is that they never gone to Mexico alone, they never ridden a motorcycle. 

They don't know what it's like to acknowledge a fellow rider when seeing them  on-coming traffic with simple nod or raise of left hand. This gesture explains why I ride a motorcycle and why I don't drive a car more than I can in words.. 

When I listen to them talk, it gives me motivation to keep on riding without a car, there is a fire starting in my heart to pull myself away from them and not be like them. I want to encourage challenge and I feel happy listening to those people. I do not want to live in fear and make decisions based on fear. I want to live with courage and make decisions based on inspiration. 

I could never tell these people this because they were all good people and they said those things because they cared and worried about me. At the same time I always hated that they tried to instill fear in me. When I tell them I understand the risks of riding a motorcycle because I have had fallen off bike few times with injuries. Yet, some still push their opinion on motorcycle rather than their experience. 

It almost feel like they are trying include me in their un-experienced world of fear and tell me to be like them and worry when I am trying so hard to be myself and myself alone. Sometimes, I gave in out of respect and I regretted those decisions for not leading my own exciting life. 

I just want them to understand that I mean no harm or disrespect to not lead my life like theirs. People believe their opinion is correct because many others do same.  This involves topics such as marriage, religion, jobs, family and money. 

Before you try to correct me wrong, please stop yourself and doubt that perhaps I am not wrong, I am just different and there are no good and bad ideas, just different ideas.  

I am just simply going direction of my dream and living the life I have imagined. Please inspire me to keep on. 

There are people who believe in same ideas as I do. We inspire each other. We acknowledge each other and we respect each other. There are my type of people out there. It is rare to find them but that makes it more precious and special for me. I am ok to not belong in majority. I am ok being an outlier. 

Today I am happy because I am able to connect dots between who I am today and why I ride motorcycle. 

Motorcycle diary 2

Motorcycle diary 2
Dec 23 2012

I am physically exhausted. Have sore throat. Slept in until 3pm. Feel cold.

So i have been in search for a permanent home. When I was in Albany Ga. I thought I found one in leesburg. But turned out to be not an ideal home. One mattress. Super cold room. Owner had nothing. He gave me Five sheets But don't fit to mattress. Nothing in the kitchen. Not even salt and pepper. Just owners pots and pans and few silverware. Normally when you are renting this is no big deal. People already own furnitures but I don't do I looked under room share section of the Craigslist for ready furnished place. Bottom line is I don't like this place. So I rent it for a week and search for new home again.

On 21st, I finally find two but its already 5pm. Houses are both close to each other but two hours away from me. Which forces me to ride in the dark in a cold night. The cold night part I underestimated it was one of the coldest night around here. My direction took me to toll high way. It was annoying to keep pulling over to pay, it's not as simple as driving a car and reaching over the cup holder for coins while still driving.

I visit the first house. It was beautiful. Nice neighborhood. Paying hundred more than what I am and makes huge difference. 25 guy who has landscaping business lives there and it's his fathers house. Second house was nice too. Owner does not live there 5 bed rooms three people living. He liked me I could tell GE just talked for an hour about house life money. But he was a control freak even told me his Myers Briggs letters INTJ then he told me he is extroverted.

Ride back was so cold. My hands and lower body felt numb. Upper body only I had multi layer. Under armor, two shirts, leather jacket and peacoat.

I got back home. Frozen up. Put the left over food on the stove and took a hot shower.

Yesterday. I got out of the house at 5:40am to go to west palm beach. Turns out my map direction took me to bunch of till roads. Yesterday annoying experience taught me not to get in those. There are plenty of good free roads. This got me way far behind schedule. This time I put on my rain gear for extra warmth. I just went east until I hit interstate 95. By the time I got there sun was about 45 angle up in the sky. I packed away my rain gear, had a coffee and sausage biscuit at McDonald and recalculated ETA. I was going to be forty min late. But that thought went away when I got on the freeway. Speed limit is 70. But everyone was going 80-85. I followed this car that was going 90. This was fastest I have been on this bike or on any motorcycle. It was windy, shaky, pushing me left and right. I had to look out for bumps and lines, pay attention to curves and any cars on the side may cut me, cars coming behind me, check for break lights for sudden stops, construction zone weird lanes and land marking and of course state patrol. Funny thing was two state patrol did not pull me or other speeding cars over. I saw two sheriffs pass me when I was going 80 at one point.

So I made it to my destination 20 min late, getting 45 mpg which is terrible, usual is 55-57mpg, only to be disappointed. Ugly messy house in ugly neighborhood. Room had refrigerator and microwave and bathroom but she just wanted me to use that and live the door to house locked while using other door to go in and outside. When I asked her about kitchen she said no and that was the deal breaker.

By this time I was warm and glad to be in southern Florida. I get a call from second house land lord saying she Misinterpreted message and now there won't be anyone to show me the house. I said I woke up 5am to look this house then she goes "but you were looking at houses right?" Manipulative. But I looked at the house anyway. Gated community. Ok looking small house. It did feel homey. Looked like they moved in yesterday and already their own way set up and I didn't like it. I assumed utility bill of $150 for a tiny house and then $120 for wifi a lie. I was disappointed. Found some leads. So I followed it. He was not home and did kit answer the phone. Later he called when I was about to enter freeway but I didn't answer.

By this time it's around
1:30pm had to decide whether to go to fabrizio s pot luck in st Petersburg which starts at 2pm and takes four hours to get there or go to Miami to check out another place. I chose Miami and rode another 1.5hrs. Funny thing happened. My phone is dead. Which it shouldn't have been. I had plenty of battery only thing u could think of was dropping it in McDonald. I plugged it in and waited and waited no response I was saying good bye to this phone. Luckily I remembered the address and by reading street signs and grid system found the house. Nobody was there. Ghetto neighborhood. Ghetto apartment. There were four I knocked on all of them nobody answered. I went to McDonald again to see if my phone would work but no. There everyone spoke Spanisg. Kids yelling in Spanish, lady making order and the guy taking the order all. There was even a girl with backpack selling music CDs for a dollar! Old man next to me playing with his new lap top talking in Spanish. Then I had to go to bathroom and I asked him."señor yo voy al bano puede ciudad Mia cosas?" He was surprised but understood everything. People around looked at me. I was not sure if it was because I was the only Asian there or because I spoke Spanish. It's the look I was exposed to for a year throughout travel. Outsider, foreigner, tourist, traveler, non local, etc. no luck. I checked out downtown but feared for cold weather ride back and rushed back north. I went fast on I-95 Witt lasting warmth and sun on my left hiding away leaving me with darkness and chill.

I stopped at gas station to get a coffee and put on my rain gear when I couldn't bear the cold no more.

With no phone, no map, I had to figure out my way back home. It's only been two days I lived there. I was not certain how to trace back. I relied on signs and my intuition and yes I made it back all in one piece getting better at dealing with cold and where and how to cover myself. Going to the bodies exhibit was very helpful because now I know where big arteries are and leaving them cold is fatal to maintenance of body temperature. My legs chills the blood and chest warns the blood.

I had a cold beer and had left over soup and passed out.


After 600+ miles ride and half in cold weather, a beer and chicken soup hit shower
When I awoke I had a sore throat and have not left bed for three hours.

MOtorcycle diary

Motorcycle diary

For the first time I went on a ride as a group. I was always curious and imagined what it would be like. This could only happen in US.

It all happened because I met Kari. Kari is a friend of terisa, my first couchsurfing host in USA. When I told terisa that I am going to buy a harley to travel across US, She immediately thought of Kari and introduced us on the phone. Kari rode her Harley and travels across US. she couchsurfered and pitched tent and rode her sportster 1200 for 14,000km. She faced near death situations, blown tired, snow storm and meeting many kind bikers.

When I arrived in Atlanta, I reached her it and drove to her house, she conversed about our travel stories and passion for bike. When she was telling her long detailed story about her road trip I was all ears, especially the part about failing to make it to yellow stone. There'd was so much snow that she was prohibited to enter, she showed me the picture of her bike surrounded by snow. This was most audacious, daring, adventuresome part of her story. As a girl traveling alone, pitching tents to sleep and majority of the time cold. She travels seven months across US and he trip began in sept.

I remember crossing mountains in Colombia and Ecuador and how freezing cold it was, feeling numbness in my legs and hands. Shivering my whole body for hours and hours, desperate for anything hot.

Before her journey she lost hundred pounds though dedicated weight loss program, diet and exercise.

So clearly she is a cool person and she promised to go on a ride together.

So after staying with Keary (CS host in Atlanta, real cool guy and we got along well) for a week, I packed my stuff in my two saddle bags and headed toward Kari's house to surf for couple days and hang out with her for Saturday and Sunday.

Today is Saturday. As soon as I arrived at her driveway, I unpacked my saddle bags and rode out to meet with her friend who rides fat boy. His bike was huge and fat. Fat tires, seats, frame, everything.

Kari s friend took a lead, Kari followed then me. We followed each other diagonally from each other. I watched way they handled corner, brake usage, clutch usage, posture and acceleration.

We went and I was cold. It's definitely my pants. I need two layers for my legs. They laughed when I put on my peacoat over my leather jacket. I liked it because I was not advertising harley Davison on my clothing and being not a typical biker all leathered out.

We stopped at the viewpoint top of the mountain. We stood there and conversed bout our travel stories, accidents and passion for bikes. There three bikers there. They were on BMW and Ducati. Enduring and touting bikes. We did not talk to them nor did they talk to us.

We ended our journey and Kari and I came back to her house. By the time we got back we were seriously cold and tired from the cold weather. But we still managed to hit up the cool house club/bar where keary and I went to.

Im looking forward to my road trip back to Florida.