i crashed my dad's car yesterday, and still suffering a little post accident uneasinesss. no one was injured, and that's the most important part.
after dinner, my dad decided to take me out to practice stick shift. i've driven his stick a couple of times before, but i needed more practice. i was totally ready to master the stick shift, ready to finally say, 'i can do it'.
then it happened. my dad told me to make a right at the next turn, a small narrow street. i took the turn too fast, thought i was stepping on the brake, but it was only my left foot stepping on the clutch, and my right foot was just hovering over the petals in a moment of confusion. i drove into a parked car on the corner. the front driver side corner of our car hit the front corner of the other car. and then the family of the other car are uptight new yorkers that just kept yelling and yelling. i stayed quiet; i was sorry, but there wasn't anything i could do about the past.
the car isn't completely totaled, but probably not worth fixing. alas, the guilt. the guilt is what brings me down. the trouble that my dad puts up with, with me as a daughter.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
notes from the city
I had a surprising conversation with the other bike volunteers at recycle a bicycle yesterday. they were 2 guys, both lived in their city all their life. as i was discussing my x-country bike trip with them, they seemed unable to grasp why i thought meeting strangers was the greatest experience in the world. i said to them that people were so nice to us, and they gave us lots of free food, free shelter, free showers, and free laundry (but food is the most important part). one of them explained that he's encountered really nice people like that in the South, and he just got really weirded out, thinking: "whoa, why are they being so nice to me? is there an ulterior motive?" i grew up in the city, and i don't think like that. i think: FREE FOOD!
today i did the retarded thing of setting off the security alarm in my house. "shit, crap" i exclaimed, as the alarm blared across the neighborhood. the police called, and i embarrasingly muttered: "i'm sorry, i accidentily set off the alarm." (my facial expression of embarrassment was pretty great; luckily no one saw it.) then they asked their standard security questions, and i answered them compliantly . i suppose i simply need to get used to my house being a prison, but i don't think it will happen simply, or ever.
i was thoroughly impressed at the Subway inside the subway station at Rockefeller Center today. the space is rather small, just large enough to fit a long deli counter, a line of workers behind the counter, and a line of customers ordering on the other side. the line was out the door when i joined in, but WOW. there must have been twenty people in the line, and all twenty were out within 3 minutes. the first worker asked for your choice of bread and cheese. pretty much as soon as you were done answering, he had it done and asked the next customer. the second worker handled lettuce and tomatoes. the third worker handled the other condiments. the fourth handled the squirt bottles (mayo, dressing, vinegar). and the last was the cashier. Efficient is all i have to say.
i started on another book called Subwayland, a compilation of the articles that a New York Times columnist wrote about NYC subway life. It describes and tells the stories of people that contribute to our unique subway system: the regular commuters, the subway fanatics (aka buffs), the performers, the conductors, the emts, etc. the more i read, the more intrigued i am by the sheer diversity of people that make the nyc subway what it is. i am reminded once again about why i love living in NYC. (Seager and Ariel asked me repeatedly, how do you BEAR to live where there are so many people? and who all are rushing to go somewhere in suits and ties? and who don't ever stop to talk?)
New York City, my friends, is fascinating. look at the subway. The subway system is the most extensive in the nation. No where else do you get people who are so obsessed with the subway, they collect parts of subway trains, and put together their room like a conductor car. there are even kids who drag their parents to ride all over the place on the subway. and get this--there's a daycare inside the subway in Brooklyn. you would hardly notice the fact when you're inside the daycare, but there is only a small window wedged in an upper corner of the room where you can see trains pass. when the kids start to cry, they sit them on a table that looks out that window, and the kids calm down. watching the trains pass is mesmerizing. one of the kids saw a train stopped for a long time and blurted "its broke". i love that.
today i did the retarded thing of setting off the security alarm in my house. "shit, crap" i exclaimed, as the alarm blared across the neighborhood. the police called, and i embarrasingly muttered: "i'm sorry, i accidentily set off the alarm." (my facial expression of embarrassment was pretty great; luckily no one saw it.) then they asked their standard security questions, and i answered them compliantly . i suppose i simply need to get used to my house being a prison, but i don't think it will happen simply, or ever.
i was thoroughly impressed at the Subway inside the subway station at Rockefeller Center today. the space is rather small, just large enough to fit a long deli counter, a line of workers behind the counter, and a line of customers ordering on the other side. the line was out the door when i joined in, but WOW. there must have been twenty people in the line, and all twenty were out within 3 minutes. the first worker asked for your choice of bread and cheese. pretty much as soon as you were done answering, he had it done and asked the next customer. the second worker handled lettuce and tomatoes. the third worker handled the other condiments. the fourth handled the squirt bottles (mayo, dressing, vinegar). and the last was the cashier. Efficient is all i have to say.
i started on another book called Subwayland, a compilation of the articles that a New York Times columnist wrote about NYC subway life. It describes and tells the stories of people that contribute to our unique subway system: the regular commuters, the subway fanatics (aka buffs), the performers, the conductors, the emts, etc. the more i read, the more intrigued i am by the sheer diversity of people that make the nyc subway what it is. i am reminded once again about why i love living in NYC. (Seager and Ariel asked me repeatedly, how do you BEAR to live where there are so many people? and who all are rushing to go somewhere in suits and ties? and who don't ever stop to talk?)
New York City, my friends, is fascinating. look at the subway. The subway system is the most extensive in the nation. No where else do you get people who are so obsessed with the subway, they collect parts of subway trains, and put together their room like a conductor car. there are even kids who drag their parents to ride all over the place on the subway. and get this--there's a daycare inside the subway in Brooklyn. you would hardly notice the fact when you're inside the daycare, but there is only a small window wedged in an upper corner of the room where you can see trains pass. when the kids start to cry, they sit them on a table that looks out that window, and the kids calm down. watching the trains pass is mesmerizing. one of the kids saw a train stopped for a long time and blurted "its broke". i love that.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
wanderlust is so hard to overcome
i went to one bike mechanic volunteer session this week. i just showed up and the second i walked in the door, people were welcoming me to the new place. this further confirms that bikers are the greatest people on the face of the earth. bikes are the most amazing invention. who would've guessed that a bike could make people so nice and hospitable?
i read a book recently about a guy who cycled across the country in 1887, just when bikes started gaining popularity in the United States. he rode on a frickin' hi-wheeler x-country back when many roads were not paved. to illustrate my amazement, this is what a hi-wheeler looks like:
http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/marchandslides.bak/2000/images/ScanImage02851.jpg
imagine riding that across the country!
back in those days, people were really sketched out about these 'velocipedes'. the University of Michigan was one of the first learning centers for bicycle riding, and this is what students had to say about them: "it is only man who cares to mount these bycycles and perverting his legs into crank pins, to spin in dizzy mazes around a limited arena in concentric circles until machine and man come down in one chaotic mass"
as i said, who knew that the bike could become so much more than a stupid torturous mechanical machine? it's not just a mechanical machine now, it also has social powers...i'm amazed
i've been reading a lot lately, mostly to satisfy my wanderlust. i recommend Bill Bryson to anyone who's never read his books. he writes travel books, and he's simply hilarious. i completely relate to his inner thoughts. i was so entertained reading 'a walk in the woods' (him hiking the Appalachian Trail) that i am reading up on my Aussie culture with 'in a sunburned country'. lily, you would especially approve of his books.
for someone who doesn't have a routine schedule at the moment, i've been very busy. so much documentation to take care of ...finances, licenses, visas, plane tickets, medical exams (without insurance), previewing jobs. and of course, volunteering to fix bikes. it's nice to not be stuck at home all the time, especially when parents can get to be annoying...treating me as if I couldn't take care of myself.
i read a book recently about a guy who cycled across the country in 1887, just when bikes started gaining popularity in the United States. he rode on a frickin' hi-wheeler x-country back when many roads were not paved. to illustrate my amazement, this is what a hi-wheeler looks like:
http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/marchandslides.bak/2000/images/ScanImage02851.jpg
imagine riding that across the country!
back in those days, people were really sketched out about these 'velocipedes'. the University of Michigan was one of the first learning centers for bicycle riding, and this is what students had to say about them: "it is only man who cares to mount these bycycles and perverting his legs into crank pins, to spin in dizzy mazes around a limited arena in concentric circles until machine and man come down in one chaotic mass"
as i said, who knew that the bike could become so much more than a stupid torturous mechanical machine? it's not just a mechanical machine now, it also has social powers...i'm amazed
i've been reading a lot lately, mostly to satisfy my wanderlust. i recommend Bill Bryson to anyone who's never read his books. he writes travel books, and he's simply hilarious. i completely relate to his inner thoughts. i was so entertained reading 'a walk in the woods' (him hiking the Appalachian Trail) that i am reading up on my Aussie culture with 'in a sunburned country'. lily, you would especially approve of his books.
for someone who doesn't have a routine schedule at the moment, i've been very busy. so much documentation to take care of ...finances, licenses, visas, plane tickets, medical exams (without insurance), previewing jobs. and of course, volunteering to fix bikes. it's nice to not be stuck at home all the time, especially when parents can get to be annoying...treating me as if I couldn't take care of myself.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
where to next?
All of you are probably wondering what I am up to now; now that my bike trip is over. truth is, i've been very very sad. ariel and i had sobfests over the phone the first few days after we left each other.
two days after my trip, my dad drove up to Boston to pick me up. my dad wanted to do some biking with me, so we biked around Boston (to the Arnold Arboretum along the Emerald Necklace) on Saturday, then drove to Cape Cod. On Sunday, we biked the Cape Cod rail trail, and visited the beach. I didn't like the fact that Cape Cod was so populated with tourists, but the sight of the marshes and the ocean were still very beautiful; the vast grand view stretching toward the horizon was something no tourists can taint.
We got back to the good ol' NYC Sunday night. I've been hanging out here since, mostly going to the Manhattan library everday. My parents moved to Queens, blegh. I feel like I'm living in a prison here. My room is half the size it was at WILG, and I always have to mess with the security alarm system because breakins happen in this neighborhood. What a drastic change to go from never having to worry about leaving our bikes unlocked, to having to set the alarm system even to open a window. as i said, BLEGH!!
It seems that I am experiencing such extreme bicycle touring withdrawal that I can't seem to get away from my bike. On Labor Day, my family and I went with the Chinese Mountaineering Club of New York on a camping trip to Taconic State Park. During the day, some people went hiking, and others went biking. I went biking of course. Everyone was also excited to listen to my stories around the campfire, and I was excited to tell them. In the end, though, I found myself reminiscing even more about the last two wonderful months.
Next week, I'm going to fix bikes! I'm spending the next month volunteering for Recycle a Bike, an organization who look for volunteers that do precisely that. I was so elated when I found several environmental organizations looking for bike mechanices. I can't wait to meet more people who understand the magical wonders of bikes, and learn more about repairing and building bikes!! you might be able to tell, i'm SUPER excited.
So what next? i've applied for a working holiday visa in New Zealand and Australia. i am in the process of filling out my documents right now. if all goes well, i will be in New Zealand in mid-october, and hopefully with a job soon after. i am going under the sponsorship of the work and travel program called CCUSA (www.ccusa.com). i plan to stay in New Zealand for a year, and head on to Australia for another 4 months-1 year of work. the thought of all this overseas by myself is daunting, but at least they speak english there, and CCUSA is providing me with a lot of support in terms of finding a job. i do have to learn to fend for myself at some point, why not now?
two days after my trip, my dad drove up to Boston to pick me up. my dad wanted to do some biking with me, so we biked around Boston (to the Arnold Arboretum along the Emerald Necklace) on Saturday, then drove to Cape Cod. On Sunday, we biked the Cape Cod rail trail, and visited the beach. I didn't like the fact that Cape Cod was so populated with tourists, but the sight of the marshes and the ocean were still very beautiful; the vast grand view stretching toward the horizon was something no tourists can taint.
We got back to the good ol' NYC Sunday night. I've been hanging out here since, mostly going to the Manhattan library everday. My parents moved to Queens, blegh. I feel like I'm living in a prison here. My room is half the size it was at WILG, and I always have to mess with the security alarm system because breakins happen in this neighborhood. What a drastic change to go from never having to worry about leaving our bikes unlocked, to having to set the alarm system even to open a window. as i said, BLEGH!!
It seems that I am experiencing such extreme bicycle touring withdrawal that I can't seem to get away from my bike. On Labor Day, my family and I went with the Chinese Mountaineering Club of New York on a camping trip to Taconic State Park. During the day, some people went hiking, and others went biking. I went biking of course. Everyone was also excited to listen to my stories around the campfire, and I was excited to tell them. In the end, though, I found myself reminiscing even more about the last two wonderful months.
Next week, I'm going to fix bikes! I'm spending the next month volunteering for Recycle a Bike, an organization who look for volunteers that do precisely that. I was so elated when I found several environmental organizations looking for bike mechanices. I can't wait to meet more people who understand the magical wonders of bikes, and learn more about repairing and building bikes!! you might be able to tell, i'm SUPER excited.
So what next? i've applied for a working holiday visa in New Zealand and Australia. i am in the process of filling out my documents right now. if all goes well, i will be in New Zealand in mid-october, and hopefully with a job soon after. i am going under the sponsorship of the work and travel program called CCUSA (www.ccusa.com). i plan to stay in New Zealand for a year, and head on to Australia for another 4 months-1 year of work. the thought of all this overseas by myself is daunting, but at least they speak english there, and CCUSA is providing me with a lot of support in terms of finding a job. i do have to learn to fend for myself at some point, why not now?
Sunday, August 26, 2007
[bike] from sea to shining sea
Let's go back to where I left off in New York.
It was harder to find places to stay in New York. We ended up staying
in more less-than-ideal places such as patches of grass next to fire
stations. After Ithaca, we ditched our plans of going through the
Catskill Mountains, and instead went to Albany. We were surprised to
find ourselves in an extremely small town with a country kind of feel
about 15 miles from Albany. There, we asked the owner of an antique
store to stay in his backyard.
Donny Doin was an ex-marine and had lots of stories of how mischievous
a child he was. He built an open fire for us, and we shared stories
for the rest of the night. In the morning he cooked us a warm
breakfast: ham and cheddar quiche, home fries, and tea. He had also
experienced a time when he ate only peanut butter and jelly for a
month, so he felt sorry for us.
That day we climbed the Applachian Mountains and entered
Massachusetts. We passed through Williamstown. I thought back to the
last time I was there for a Purple Valley frisbee tournament in
October. I thought: I ate at that Dunkin' Donuts, and now I'm passing
it on my bike!
We stopped after only 50 miles in Plainfield, MA. It was a small town
up in the mountains. The town was so small and quiet that we heard
nothing but the sound of animals during the night, even the howl of
wolves.
On our last night of our trip, we ended up in Wilmington, MA. We were
worried that we would have to leave town because we were constantly
getting rejected for places to stay. Finally, Seager called a number
for a lodge on a telephone post, and reached Ed Torell. He was another
friendly man who offered us full services, and let us sleep in his
camper. Actually, he had phoned two of his friends to come over (as
backup in case we turned out to be bad people.) He almost couldn't
believe himself when he realized he invited three complete strangers
who saw his number on a telephone post, to come to his house. We were
very grateful for his faith in strangers.
The ride was only 20 miles from Wilmington to the Atlantic Ocean. We
ended our 2 and a half month journey in Beverly, a suburb just north
of Boston. Up to that point, we still couldn't be too sure that we'd
get to the end without any accidents or troubles. But alas, we dipped
our front tires into the big salty sea. WE MADE IT!
After some more adventures of picking up bike boxes at local bike
shops, and carrying them to FedEx, Seager and Ariel packed up their
gear and bikes. We nearly took over the entire sidewalk in front of
FedEx trying to sort everything out. But within 2 hours, they shipped
everything home. Off we went to the train that would take us to
Boston. That night, we had three dinners: first at Bartley's (famous
burger place), then Toscanini's (lots of ice cream), then the Asgard
(good beer and conversation).
Seager flew back to Eugene Friday morning. Ariel and I baked peach pie
to celebrate the end. This trip has made us all brothers and sisters.
I think we will continue to insult each other endearingly and have
pointless arguments for a long time.
Thanks for all the encouragement and support that you guys gave. It
really did help us keep going when those hills and traffic were bad. I
hope to see you all soon! Maybe even bike tour together someday!
THE END
MinWah
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
[bike] the East
Sorry I've left you guys left loose since Ohio. We are in fact in Massachusetts now, with only about 80 miles to go. :( It's so sad!!
There are full updates at teamroadshow.com/jour , but here are some highlights: At Oakwood, we met a wonderful couple that treated us to dinner, and let us sleep in their camper. I had fried shrimp and sweet potato fries for dinner, what a treat! They also offered their homemade ice cream, and their shower/laundry/bathroom facilities.
Further along Ohio, there were many storms. On one particular day, we got into town just in time, right before a tornado warning! We hid in the library for awhile, and got talking with the people there who were interested in our trip. We got in contact with a nice family that had biked from Hartville, OH to Boston. We were drenched by the time we reached their house, but it was all worth it. They cooked spaghetti for us, but they had all sorts of other homemade goodies. They canned their own tomato sauce, apple-blueberry and raspberry sauces. That morning, Rachel (one of the daughters) had also baked up soft peach muffins and chocolate chip cookies. They showed us the route that they had taken to Boston and we all exchanged adventures before heading to bed. We had a nice warm and dry house to sleep in for the night! In the morning, they cooked up pancakes and other warm breakfast foods for us before we braved the cold, wet rain again.
Our second night in Pennsylvania, we stopped at a small town called Polk. After asking for places to stay at the local grocery store, we were directed to the house of Jim Miller. He generously let us stay in his backyard. But in addition to that, he played in a local bluegrass band, and they were having a concert that night right in his backyard. We met lots of lovely small town folk at the concert, and enjoyed the music as we cooked and ate dinner. The band ended the concert with a tribute to us "the bikers": "I've Been Everywhere" originally by Johnny Cash.
In Pennsylvania, I also got to view the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. Amazing views of green. It's comforting to be back in the East, despite the high population density. The forests and hills are safe havens from the cities; there is just something quite different yet refreshing about nature in the East.
In New York, we decided to go through Ithaca to visit a friend of Ariel's at Cornell University. The gorges and waterfalls were majestic. We swam at one of the gorges all afternoon, before heading to the Commons for dinner. Just so happened that a music festival was happening there, making the evening quite enjoyable and relaxing. And having a shower never felt so good that night.
Love,
MinWah
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
[bike] from illinois to ohio
We were very happy to finally ride out of Illinois. The suburbs of Chicago were extremely busy and hectic. Once we got into Indiana, the roads were quieter and much more pleasant. We rode through small farm roads that meandered through many cornfields and meadows. It was the first time we experienced an abundance of colorful wild flowers. All the meadows and fields were bright and dandy, even when the weather was gloomy and wet. The air is starting to be heavy due to the humidity.
Orian (Karen's fiance) came to visit us in Akron, IN. He brought fresh vegetables from their garden at home...mmm, yum! Stir fry vegetables with fried rice, what a luxury. He only stayed for one night, and in the morning, it was especially unfortunate that he took Kaia and Anders with him. Kaia and Anders were planning to go all the way to the East Coast with us, but had to leave because of some family issues :(
Other than that, there wasn't any other free food. It's also getting harder to find places to stay at night because the people seem less open, and many of the parks prohibit camping. We seem to be having some luck by sweet-talking the policemen.
Today was our first day into Ohio. We got a tour of a seed production company, and the people there are giving us a place to stay in the town of Oakwood. Also, Karen's odometer hit 3000 miles!!
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