Hi, Ninja!

Two weeks ago, I went to the International Motorcycle Show at Novi. I was very excited because I could finally get a closer look at the motorcycles. Every time I see a bike at a parking lot, I'm afraid to stay too close to the bike for people might think that I look suspicious.

There weren't as many bikes as I expect but the more popular ones were all there. There were some ATVs and off road vehicles as well. I walked around and looked at sports bike most of the time. After a while, I heard the motorcycle roaring sound and realized that the stunt show was about to begin. I hurried to the booth and was surprised that they were actually having the stunt show indoor. The choreographed free-style demonstration was performed by the Ducati Freestyle Team. I was impressed by the performance especially when the two bikes were making a close circle. I found a video of the same performance on a different day on YouTube.

After the show, I continue to look at bikes and finally I came to the Kawasaki booth. I couldn't take my eyes off the Kawasaki bikes after I saw them. I tried to ride on the bikes (although it was not moving) and I finally got some hope that I can actually ride a bike by myself. I used to think that a sports bike might be too big for me.

The bike that I tried to ride on was the Kawasaki Ninja 250R that has a lower seat and lighter weight. Although both of my feet still couldn't reach the ground at the same time but I think I might be able to handle this bike.

the Ninja 250R

I lingered at the Kawasaki booth for a very long time before moving on to the other booth. However, after I met the Ninjas, the other bikes did not look as good anymore. At the Honda booth, I saw this bike on display that is made for kids that might be an alternative for people of my height :P

Unfortunately, I think it is only meant for off road use

Before I left, I went to obtain some information regarding the motorcycle classes that are available around this area. I am not going to learn how to ride a bike now but I'll think about it after I'm done with my exams.

A New Beginning

I always say that I will chop off my hair if I fail an actuarial exam.

So I did

And this marks the end of my "grieving" and it's time to move on...

All I want for Christmas...

I finally scored over 100 for bowling last night
Dearborn is finally covered in snow

but my biggest Christmas wish did not come true...my number is not on the list of passing candidate numbers...

I knew I did not do well...yet I could not help but to feel disappointed...

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was not very eventful (no travelling)...yet it was a great one. I did some shopping online...had dinner with a few colleagues and their families...and also had some friends over my place for dinner.

For the thanksgiving dinner at my home, there were 12 people in total. It has been a while since the last time I cooked for so many people. I was very excited. I was torn between Western and Malaysian food, so I ended up having a mixture of both. It took me a while to research online and decide on what to include in the menu. Also, I was not sure if I should roast a turkey since it requires a lot of time and I don't really like turkey. Finally, I decided to roast a chicken as a substitute of the turkey. Together with the main dish, I eventually came up with my complete set of menu as below (click on the dish name for the recipe):

Starters

Thai-style Mango Salad

Chicken Satay

Entrees and Sides

Grilled Asparagus

Roast Chicken

Roast Potatoes (baked together with the chicken)

Jambalaya

Dessert

Kek Batik

That was the first time that I try cooking the dishes above. I am very happy that everything turned out well. A whole day of work was worth it because I enjoy cooking and eating a lot.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone for coming and hope you guys had a great time too :)

-

ps. Thanks for the feedbacks. I'll keep them in mind. Hopefully the next time, we'll have more satay and more games available :P

From A to Z

During Labor Day weekend (I know it was some time ago), Pei Ying, Keng Yang, Wei Ping, Jason and I decided to go for hiking and camping at Utah. It was a short but fun trip and the scenery was just breathtaking.

After the trip, I dove right back into my studies for Exam 6 (I'm so glad that it's over) and didn't have the mood to upload my pictures until now. Since it was a while ago, I could not remember some detail about the places that we have been to. However, I still have some pictures that I would like to share.

Arches National Park


At the park, we spent a night in the car before we hike to see the Delicate Arch. At night, there were not as many stars as I expected; however, there were more mosquitoes than anticipated and I had a tonne of mosquito bites from that night :(

Leaving that aside, the wait and hike were definitely worth it because the view was remarkable.

The Delicate Arch

Sunrise at Arches

Another view of the Delicate Arch

The usual "jump shot"

The Double Arch

Bryce's National Park

Bryce Canyon

Zion National Park

We spent most of our time at Zion National Park. We shared a campsite in the park with Wei Ping's friends. Although camping tent is not the most comfortable place to sleep, I still enjoyed sleeping out in the park and waking up to see the surrounding tan-colored sandstone.

Sandstone that can be seen everywhere in the park

Our biggest challenge in the trip was to hike the 2.5 miles Angel's Landing Trail. The trail begins with a paved path before we started to climb up the steep path of the canyon.

Looking up

Looking down

After a long hike, we finally reached the most thrilling part of the hike. About 1000 feet above the canyon floor, we will be walking along a steep and narrow ridge with only chains on the side to hold onto. Every now and then, I could look down from both side of the path to see the scenery below.

The last 1/2 mile

PY: "help!!!"

KY: (pretend not to hear anything)

View at the summit...doesn't look that impressive here...you need to experience it yourself

Spot the lizard

Another cute guy at the summit

After having lunch at the summit, we headed back. The hike down was not as tiring as going up and thus I took more pictures.

Layers and layers of rock

Another view

More random stuff that I spotted on the way down

After the hike, we were all exhausted and decided to pick some mini trail to hike. We trail up to the Emerald Pool and also took the Riverside walk.

A small waterfall on the way to the Emerald Pool

Before we knew it, it was time to go home. There are still some things that I wanted to do here in Zion (rock climbing, hike the Narrows...) but we didn't have enough time (or energy left). I guess I'll come back in the future.

On our way out, we stopped to take a picture of Mesa in Zion that reminds KY of excel spreadsheet

On the way to the airport, we stopped by a few places.

Sand dune (I can't remember the name)

The Valley of Fire

This trip was definitely a good break from studying. It brought up fond hiking and camping memories. I would definitely like to have more camping trips and also one day, go back to Zion.

My babies

During Spring Break 2006, I participated in the ASB program and went to Southern Pines, North Carolina to plant the Long Leave Pines. If I remember correctly, we planted about 1000 trees during the trip...knowing that not all of them are going to survive.

The size of the seedling in Spring 2006 (almost the size of a carrot)

Recently, one of our group member went back to Southern Pines to check out the trees and I can't believe how fast they have grown.

The relative size of the tree in 2009 (photo taken from facebook).

I am really glad that my babies are growing well and I really hope that one day, I can go back to Southern Pines for a visit...haha...and I am sure that by the time I go, they will definitely be taller than me :P

A glimpse of my new apartment

Can you put the puzzle together?