Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Mission Accomplished, THANK YOU

2500 riders, 500 roadies, 545 miles, 7 days, 1 goal, we made it, together we raised over $11.6 million to help end AIDS! (this record breaking number making ALC the largest amount money raised event for HIV/AIDS)

That's right, I just completed AIDS/LifeCycle 7, my third ride. Despite 2 flats over the 7-day period, I rode every single mile from San Francisco to Los Angeles, with my own power (and your support of course). Personally I've risen over $6000 this year (you still can make online donation via my homepage). I could have not done this without your financially and emotionally supports. I want to share this success with all of you. THANK YOU.

This year 2500 cyclists from 12 countries, 42 states participated in ALC 7, the youngest ride was 18 and the oldest was 81, so if you think you were too young or too old to ride, think again. 500 people already registered in camp for ALC 8, which will be held May 31-June 6, 2009. Please check out www.aidslifecycle.org for more details, if you're interested in participating, either as cyclist or roadie, please let me know.

Just thought you like to know some fun facts, we rode through 55 towns/jurisdictions in 8 counties; drank 420 gallons of coffee, 660 gallons of milk, 16,800 gallons of water; ate 125 cases of bananas, 44,600 eggs, 1,200 lbs. of pasta, 4,400 lbs. of chicken, 6,200 lbs. of vegetables; used 1,055 portable toilets, 1,640 sleeping tents, 18,000 packages of "butt balm."

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Season Finale - Final Push

25 miles on the 25th. That's my final organize training ride and I felt great.

After a nearly 18-hour flight and a nice 7-hour sleep, I woke up at 5a.m. Sunday morning. While dealing with jet lag and adjusting to "new" time, I managed to finish the 25 miles ride from the Rose Bowl. Co-TRLs Pedro and Eric were there to lead the group of seven; Tommy who was unable to ride showed up with donuts and coffee to cheer us up; Fiona was out town for the long weekend.

AIDS/LifeCycle 7 is now only a week away, can you believe it? I have not been doing any serious training ride while I was gone for 3 weeks, I wasn't sure if I am ready for the Ride, but after this 25-mile ride, I felt great at the end. I will be shipping
Dragon (to San Francisco) on either Tuesday or Wednesday. I will fly to SF on Friday (30th) and all of us have to attend Orientation Day (known as Day-0) on Saturday (31st).

A few notes for all:

Fundraising
To date I've raised over $5000, still $3000 short from my goal. The deadline to mail in checks has passed, unless you can give me the check in person where I will bring it to orientation day on May 30th. However, online donation can be made through May 28th, so please sponsor me by donating any amount you can. My homepage is www.aidslifecycle.org/2602. (Thanks everyone who have donated and supported this great cause.)

Message of support
Beginning June 1st you can send your message of support via
http://experience.aidslifecycle.org/2008/support, I will be able to check them in the evening once I get into camp.

Gabcast
Want to hear the latest news from the road? While I'm riding down the California coast, I will try to record voice messages every day and you can hear them on my homepage (www.aidslifecycle.org/2602).

Closing ceremony
Everyone is invited! The closing ceremony for ALC 7 is scheduled for 4pm on June 7th (Saturday) at the Veteran's Administrative Center (11301 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025, near UCLA). Parking available on site, $8 per vehicle. Please car-pool (financially and environmental friendly) and come welcome home 2500 riders and 500 roadies.

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Journey for Family, Friends and Food

Apa Khabar? (what's new in Malay)
That's right, I'm writing to you from an internet cafe at my hometown.

It has been 5 years since I last visited my family and friends. It's nice to be home again, many things have changed, in a good way. I'm still trying to get use to the hot and humid weather, and driving on the left hand side!! I spent most of my time with my parents, besides that also making time for old friends, old colleagues, so many gatherings in town.

I visited Taipei for 2 days before coming back to Malaysia. My ex-colleague showed me around town and I loved their night markets. Foods are amazing, the only regret was I didn't have a bigger stomach for all the food.

The journey for food continue in Malaysia. A lot of local food, such as the coconut milk rice Nasi Lemak, Fish Head Rice Noodles, Fried Noodles, and our national fruit Durian! (Just to name a few)

Will meet more friends and family members in the next 2 weeks before I head back to LA. I will try to post photos whenever I have a chance.

While the training is temporary suspended, I hope that doesn't stop you from sponsoring my ride, which is only 3 weeks away!! Any amount is greatly appreciated. Please visit my homepage www.aidslifecycle.org/2602 for online updates and donation.

Greeting From Malaysia!

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Birthday Eve-Biggest Loser

It’s the end of training season and I lost 10 lbs after riding 74 miles under nearly hundred degree heat wave on Saturday! Oh yea, by the time you read this email, it’s my birthday!

I think the hot weather on this past weekend was beyond words can describe, you wouldn't know it unless you were under the sun for 7 hours like us. While most of you staying indoor with ac on, I continue riding my bike, hoping to put in more miles before the end of training season.

Saturday and Sunday was this year’s popular Santa Barbara ride, a lot of riders and training ride leaders participated in that event. I did it for the last two years but decided not to this year. So I end up leading a ride from the Rose Bowl, together with co-TRLs Pedro, Fiona and Alan, Steve, Mark & Alison who were also in town. To my surprised, we were the ONLY training ride in LA on that day, so I got over 30 RSVPs for the ride, the biggest ever turn out in our area.

We rode from Rose Bowl to the Claremont with 2 water stops at Goldstein’s Bagels and San Dimas Canyon Park before lunch in Claremont. It was really hot. By the time we made it to the half point, everyone was exhausted. No one could stand the heat. The fast riders turn around to complete the ride without stopping long, while I stayed with the slower rides at the back.

Third water stop was at Sierra Madre’s. That was when we came across all the fire engines rushing to the Santa Anita Canyon brush fire. We saw heavy smoke from the north. Our common goal was: get back to the Rose Bowl as soon as possible. However, our legs and bodies didn’t move as fast as we wish for.

About 10 of us at the last group decided to cut the ride short, skipping Altadena Drive climb, instead we took Orange Grove, the flat road. I was really tired because of the heat. After sending all the riders home, I drove home with empty-stomach, I was starved to dead.

When I got home, I weighted myself. I lost 10 lbs from this heat-ride. While it seems like the “biggest loser” I was more worried about my body. I kept eating and drinking and decided to take a quit nap. I woke up later, probably around 8pm, and ate more. By the end of the day, I gained back 5 lbs.

Never had such an experience. It was tough, it was hot. Together with the 50-mile ride I did with Fiona on Friday, I put on 124 miles this past weekend. Oh yea, ALC 7 is 4 weeks away, why my training ends so early? That’s because I will be out of the country visiting my family in Malaysia for 3 weeks. I will be back a week before the Ride. I will not have access to road bike while I am abroad, however, will try to stay fit and try not to eat too much food that I dearly missed (I know it will be very hard).

Last but not least, I turn 32 today (Monday). I hope everyone is happy and healthy, I pray for world peace, and I look forward for your sponsorship. I will have limited computer access in the next 3 weeks, but will try to send out updates whenever I can. Take good care of yourself.

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Is it hard to ride 80 miles? Oh Yea!

2 minimum goals met, the real challenge is still up.

Saturday was our “Day on The Ride” event, more than 400 riders showed up on the cloudy-overcast morning. DOTR let the riders, especially the newbies, experienced how the actual Ride would be, with fully support teams of pit stops, SAG vehicles, road signage and massage crews.

There were two routes to choose from, 40 miles and 80 miles. I chose 80 because I need the long distance training that I lacked so far in this training season. I rode with Suzann and George, another buddy Khoa is vacationing in South America (lucky him!). This was my 3rd DOTR and the route remained the same as previous years, from San Monica, we went down to PV and San Pedro.

I didn’t train as much compare with two previous years, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and I was right. I was doing well for the first 40 miles, where we stopped for lunch. CLICK HERE to see my happy face.

I wasn’t sure if it was the food or just my body, the next 20 miles was a disaster. A simple climb seemed like a mission impossible, the rolling hills seemed like endless. Thank to the support from Suzann and George, I was able to hang on. I kept telling my “ride on your own pace…this is a ride not a race…take one mile at a time…” I was really glad to make it to the 4th pit stops. How hard was it for me? CLICK HERE to see my painful face.

After some rest and stretches, some food, I told myself it was not a time to quit, so we hit the road to complete the last 20 miles. Luckily this part of the route is mostly flat, about 8 miles on the bike path along the beach. With the help of tailwind, I paddled as fast as I could, overcoming the pain, both physically and mentally. We finished the ride before 4pm. Our event sponsor Bike Attack hosted after ride party at the parking lot, pizza and energy drinks never tasted so good before.

This was the longest distance training ride of this season. I did a 40 miles ride with co-TRLs Eric and Fiona on Friday. We were supposed to meet at 8am at the Arcadia Park, but I overslept! I was late for 45 minutes and so we had to cut the ride short.

On the fundraising part, it’s getting a little better, donations are coming in, thanks to those who made their contribution. I’m now officially meet the minimum goal which is $2500 for all riders, but still a distance behind my $8080.80 actual goal. I hope you, your family and friends will sponsor me, any amount welcome, and if you donate at least $100, you will get a donor t-shirt. I’ve ordered 50 of them, I love the new design and hope you will be one of the new owners to wear them.

So, 2 goals met: minimum fundraising goal, long distance ride goal. Yet the real challenge is riding 7 days in a row, plus raising more money to help fight AIDS.

Oh yea, some of you have been sending best wishes for Richard, our rider who fell of his bike last week. He had a C1 vertebrae fracture, plus 3-4 fractured ribs, however no head or spinal injury. He’s in good spirit and will get daily home therapy. We all wish him speed recovery.

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Blood Beats Heat

OK, I’m physically and mentally exhausted.

Why? On the physical part because I co-lead the 45-mile ride on Saturday that went up to San Gabriel Mountain, of which about 15 miles of incline and climb.

While for the mentally part, one of our riders went down at the down hill and he was airlifted to the county hospital trauma center. The good news is he’s in stable condition now.

It was the beginning of the record breaking heat weekend. We started at Stan’s Bike Store in Monrovia, it was around 66’F. By the time we get to climb the mountain, the temperature went up to the 90s! We were toasted under the no shade mountain road.

There were many cyclists out there during the weekend, most of them belong to different cycling clubs or training groups. We were also joined by some motorcyclists who speed up the hill and left us plenty of polluted gas.

After catching our breathes on top of the mountain, we took off for the 10-mile down hill. While Eric and I were in the front, Fiona and Richard followed behind. We came across fire truck and ambulance right before we hit the bottom of the hill, something must have gone wrong.

We waited and waited, still no sign of Fiona and Richard. We started to hope that the ambulance was not for them. Eric’s phone rang and it was Fiona calling, “Richard went down.” We learn that he fell on his forehead but didn’t get more details. Richard was later airlifted to county hospital near downtown. We transported his bike back to Stan’s and waited for the police to contact his family. We’re still trying to find out how and why did he fell.

I went to the hospital in the evening hoping to see him. However, due to several hospital procedures I wasn’t able to do so. I left him a note with best wishes and pray for his speedy recovery. We were glad to learn that he’s in stable condition now. Richard did 11th AIDS Rides. He’s totally an inspiration to all.

Oh yea, while I was waiting at the emergency room, there was a lady accompanying her son to visit his girlfriend. According to her, the 15-year-old girl was hit by car while riding with her dad in the neighborhood. She was airlifted from Chino. I believed she’s doing OK with some broken bones.

That’s right, there’s always a risk when we ride on the road. I hope we all will ride safe, drive safe on the road, for the safety of our own and those we love.

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Chilly Chilly Pain Pain

Another lack-of-training weekend.

Three airlines went bankrupt this past week, I supposed I should be lucky "just" had to experience the delays and not having to find out flights were canceled in the last minutes. I flew with US Airways, on the way back to LA I had to transfer in Las Vegas. For an unknown reason, flight was delayed for an hour. So, I finally got home around 2.15am and went to bed at 3am (which is 6am eastern time!!!). I was really tired for the next two days and didn't train as hard.

I went to spinning class on Friday (instead of riding my bike) and kind of injured my back on the weight lifting machine (ouch!). I thought it would be a great excuse not to train on Saturday and I really did try hard. I slept till 9am. Not sure why, I told myself the ride is only 2 months away, I should train more or I will get more pain later. As a result, I rode by myself, started from my apartment and headed east to Arcadia/Monrovia/Duarte and did some climbs up Altadena and New York Dr. Under the cloudy sky and chilly wind, I did 43 miles in 3 hours.


I'm planning to do a century ride (mostly likely my ONLY century ride for this season before ALC 7 in June) on this coming Friday and will be co-leading a ride up to the San Gabriel Mountain (the one I did with fellow TRLs a few weeks ago). If you're up for these challenge, let me know.

By the way, I'm still in the process of uploading pictures from my DC trip. So if you haven't seen them, or if you would like to see what's new in the albums, CLICK HERE.

Last but not least, thanks for those who support my ride and hope the rest of you will be donating too (as you received your tax return/credit from uncle Sam). I've ordered special T-shirt for club 100 members (ie. those who donated $100 or more). Please help spread the words.

Have a nice day.

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Cherry Blossom @ the Potomac River

Greeting from the Potomac River! Cheering for the National Cherry Blossom Festival!

The weekend with no training rides. Not that I was lazy, I’m out of town attending the Association of Healthcare Journalists national conference in DC. I’ll extend my trip till Wednesday so I can do some sightseeing in the capital.

The conference ended on Sunday afternoon, so I’ve to check out the hotel and moved to a hostel (Hostelling International, pretty good). I usually choose a hostel when I travel alone, not just save cost (about $25-$35 a night, 4-8 people per room) but also get to know travelers from around the world.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C. commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift to the city of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo. Mayor Ozaki donated the trees in an effort to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan and also celebrate the continued close relationship between the two peoples.

The first festival was held in 1935, sponsored by civic groups in the nation's capital. Suspended during World War II because of hostilities between the United States and the Empire of Japan, the festival resumed in 1947 with the support of the Washington, DC Board of Trade and the DC Commissioners. In 1948, the cherry blossom princess and U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen program were started by the National Conference of State Societies.

This year the festival begins on the 29th with an opening ceremony at the National Buildings Museum. According to the organizer, about 8000 people went to the family fun day and ceremony.

After checking in at the hostel, I walked to the National Mall, which is about six blocks south, then headed west to the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. I walked for about four hours under the chilly spring weather in DC (luck you in the sunny southern California).

Pictures taken from today’s visit can be viewed at CLICK HERE. Hope you enjoy seeing them and don’t forget to sponsor me, have your friends and family sponsor me. The ride is just two months away!!!

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Century Easter Weekend, the Reservoirs and the State Prison

It was hot, it was long, lots of climbing, lots of fun. It was another milestone for the season, 114 miles for this weekend.

On Friday, the TRLs from the Rose Bowl group, Pedro, Eric, Fiona and I met at Stan’s Bike shop in Monrovia. We would like to try out something different, something more challenging, and something with spectacular view. So Fiona suggested we go up San Gabriel Canyon Road and come down Glendora Mountain Road, and we did.

These are roads that go into Angeles National Forest, you cannot imagine how nice the view is without actually seeing it yourself (well you’re lucky; I took some pictures to share with you). However, in order to enjoy the spectacular view, we had to do A LOT of climbing, the highest point happens to be 3406 feet above sea level.

We passed by the Morris and San Gabriel reservoirs on the way up. I’ve never seen such a nice view before. Maybe things do look better when you’re paying extra hard work, just like food tastes a lot better when you’re hungry. It was so peaceful, it was so nice to be closed to the natural, and it was so good to stay away from the busy life with cars and works. Believe it or not, there’s a state prison in the forest! We ran into some inmates, I supposed they’re not the hardcore criminals.

We stopped at Camp Williams Café for breakfast after about 20 miles of riding. This was the only spot to fill up our water bottles. In fact, a lot of cyclists stopped there for the same reason. The food was ok but we don’t have many choices. At this point, the café is only opened Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but will open daily after Memorial Day weekend.

The hardest part of the ride was the last 6 plus miles up to the top of East Fork Road before it gets to Glendora Mt. Road. It reminded me of the Mulholland Challenge that I did 2 years ago, a steady 7 miles climb at mile 80. After reaching the top, we stopped for few minutes to catch our breath and then enjoy the 10-mile downhill. We got back to Stan’s about 1.30pm.

Saturday was our regular training ride from the Rose Bowl. We had 20 people showed up for this flat to hilly ride. We did it last month, the day my car tire gets flat. The challenge of this ride came in the second part when we had to climb up New York Drive, Altadena Drive and the final one mile, the killer, Lake Avenue.

Due to the speed of different riders, everyone was kind of spread out after the first stop at Goldstein’s. While Pedro and Eric stayed in the front with the fast riders, Fiona and I were at the back. We also had Doreen, a 14th time riders plus TRL to join us. She’s great and helped the new riders a lot. I thought I was good at sweeping but she’s 10 times better.

When the heat kicked in, some riders decided to go to the short cut and finished the ride. Doreen and I end up being the last 2 riders at the back. We rode the last 10 miles together.

Since I will be out of town this coming week and miss the weekend training, so I decided to ride by myself on Sunday morning, to get over the century mark, and I did. I rode from home to the Rose Bowl plus a loop at the Linda Vista neighborhood, total about 21 miles.

As for the fundraising part, it’s going pretty slow. Is it because of the economy? Or just because I didn’t train hard enough to get your support? C’mon, every dollar counts, regardless it’s $10 or $100, it will help someone. So while you’re enjoying the pictures I took from the training rides, I hope you would consider sponsoring me as well. Also please spread the words and get more people to support this great cause.

Have a wonderful week ahead.

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Bike to Train, Sunshire to Rain

Another record for this season, 75 miles ride from Irvine to Solana Beach.

The sky was dark and the alarm went off at the most undesired time. At 5 a.m. to be exact. While most people were still in bed enjoying their beauty sleep, or maybe having wonderful dreams, I had to get up and get ready for a training ride.

The Saturday morning fun ride was organized by Team OC. In fact I first did this ride back in 2006 when I was training for ALC 5. They organize this ride twice a year. I forgot why I didn’t join them last year.

I arrived at the Irvine train station shortly after seven. Some early birds already left to catch their fun. I met with Suzann, Khoa and George, picked up the route slips, pre-ordered our pizzas, did some stretching and hit the road around 7.30 a.m.

It was a little cold but not too cold. That was when I realized I forgot to bring my gloves. Great! They were still in my laundry bag. We didn’t wear gloves just because they looked great, they helped protect the nerves on the palms. Of course it won’t kill if you didn’t wear them, but you’ll get those sexy tan lines like I do.

We made a few stops along the coast, Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, and at the beach near Oceanside. We had to detour and bike a few miles on the 5 freeway last time and we were lucky not to have to repeat that. Instead we went through Camp Pendleton Marine Co Base.

I felt great for the first 40 miles because we got tailwind for most part of it. However I started feeling tired and the legs just quit working with my mind. I started to fall apart from our group. It was ok, I always follow the “ride on your own pace” rule. I tried to concentrate, or should I say I tried not to pay too much attention on each stroke that I made, tried to forget the pain on my legs and hip. I keep telling myself, one mile at a time. That’s what helped me get through the last 10 miles.

We got to the pizza place across the street from the Solana Beach train station around 2p.m. It was crowded as usual. The pizza that we pre-ordered were ready, we just need to wait in line for 10-15minutes to pay! I am not a big pizza fan, yet the BBQ chicken pizza was so delicious.

Team OC rented a truck to ship our bikes back to Irvine, there’s only limited space on the train for bikes, and it definitely won’t fit all 53 bikes at once. After pizza and beers (for most of the riders, not me) we took the 3.33pm train heading to Irvine. The five tiring-hard working-sweating hours on the bike only takes an hour on the train. However, I have to admit those five hours were worth it.

I drove to my friend Catherine’s house in San Dimas after the ride. The clear sky turned into dark while I traveled north on the freeways. It rained by the time I got there. It was so refreshing. There were delicious food and snacks, plus wines and cheesecake. Of course everyone loves karaoke! It was nice to have a friends gathering after a day-long ride.

I got home before midnight and fell asleep in less than 30 minutes. I need more trainings so I will no be suffering during the June’s event.

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - 12 more weeks!

62 miles from Long Beach to Hacienda Heights!

Due to several reasons, my training didn’t go as well as last season, so far I have spent less miles on the wheels compare with the same period last time. The 62 miles ride I did on Saturday with my buddies Suzann and Khoa was the longest this year.

We met at the Marina in Long Beach, took the San Gabriel River bike path up to Whittier, then switched to the road and passed through some neighborhoods which I had no idea where we were.

The “fun” part of the day was climbing up Turnbull Canyon Road. It was about 2-3miles up hill, not the toughest but certainly made me realized I wasn’t in my top fitness level. The view from the top was nice despite covered by smog or air pollutant.

We didn’t get a map for this route, as a result we end up getting lost in Whittier. Thanks to the friendly people in the neighborhood, we were able to get back to the bike path after crossing a busy road with freeway entrances.

The last 10 miles of the ride was very hard for me, because we were heading towards the ocean, which mean headwind. My legs couldn’t go faster as I wished them would. I was very tired at the end of the ride and starving too, so we went to a restaurant on 2nd Street in Long Beach. I ordered a jambalaya crepes but it wasn’t as good as I thought.

Thank to day light saving time, I lost an hour sleep and Sunday’s training. Well, I guess I’ll train harder in the coming week. I did a spinning class and a yoga class too.

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - 2 hills Go-Go Ride

“Are we expecting the rain?”
“Err… I guess no!”

“It’s not raining, just drizzling, just different kind of training, you need to train under different weather conditions.”

That’s our training ride on Saturday. Around 55’F, more than 20 riders, almost 50 miles ride, 2 major hill climbs. We stopped at two Goldstein’s Bagels, the first one in La Canada and the second one in Arcadia, maybe we should name this the Go-Go ride?

Lida and Chevy Chase are the 2 hills that I trained on most of the time for ALC 5 & 6. I’ve not climbed both since last year, so I was a little worried before we get up to the first hill and GU upped in advance, hopefully I’ll be fined. I managed to finish these back-to-back hills without any major incidents, I guess I’m ready huh.

The weather was not as nice as the previous week. However, riding in wet condition is just as fun, just need to be extra careful on the down hill. I finished this 48-mile ride just before 2pm.

My legs were sore and I was so tired, end up taking a 3-hour POWER nap!

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - The Flats and The Stars

It was a weekend all about flat tires and Hollywood stars.

On this past Saturday, I leaded a ride with Pedro and Eric. It was the day before the conclusion of the Amgen 2008 Tour de California, a professional cycling competition, which ended at the Rose Bowl on Sunday.

About 10 riders showed up. The weather was nice and we finally got a break from the raining Oscar weekend. One of our riders, Leo, had 3 flats! We were not exactly sure what went wrong, it must be something to do with the wheel or spokes. He decided to take the bus after we stopped at Sierra Madre.

The route for the day was a revamp from previous rides. We took Huntington Drive instead of Longden Ave., to avoid most of the stop signs (according to ALC’s safety rules, and the California traffic laws, we have to stop at every stop signs, just like any other moving vehicles on the road). On the way back, instead of using the popular-steady incline Sierra Madre Blvd., we used the less traffic yet with nice rolling hills’ Grandview Ave. I received great feedback from the group, so most likely we’ll stay on this route for the future rides.

I added more hills for this ride by bringing the group going up New York Drive, Altadena Drive and Lake Ave., it was hard but doable, most of us enjoyed the hill climbing part.

The sky turned into dark before we were able to do the last part of the ride – a home tour to the nice Linda Vista neighborhood. We decided to go back to the Rose Bowl after finishing a 42 miles ride.

Then I noticed my rear left tire had a flat! I was worried for few seconds because I had no idea how to change a car tire. Luckily, our man of the day – Pedro volunteer to show his talent. In less than 15 minutes, he helped me put on the spare tire and I drove slowly to Costco to have my tire fixed.

I didn’t ride on Sunday. Not because of the Tour de California closing ceremony, but because of the Oscar! This year we were lucky enough to get the credentials to cover the actual event. My co-workers Nicole and Peter were at the red carpet while I was put at the press interview room where all the winners answered media questions while holding their golden statute.

This was my second time wearing a rented tuxedo, sitting at the press room with 200 other reporters from all over the world. The first time was 4 years ago when Lord of the Ring became the big winners. It was really interesting to see what’s behind the scene and meet all those A-list stars and directors and producers and writers up close and personal.

So that was my exciting weekend with flats and stars. Hope yours went well and have a great week ahead.

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Pros? Maybe Not

I may be good, but not THAT good.

Some of you saw the Amgen’s 2008 Tour de California and thought I was one of the cyclists. I wish I was! That in fact is a professional cycling competition, me however, is just an amateur bike rider.

Other than 4 spinning classes, I didn’t ride my bike this week because I was at a translation workshop on Saturday. I was supposed to ride from Arcadia to Claremont on Sunday but I overslept! Guess I will have to make it up the following week. On this coming Saturday, I will lead another ride from the Rose Bowl, a 45-mile mostly flat plus some rolling hills route. We’ll go up New York Drive and Altadena Drive, very good training. Hope you can join us.

Speaking of the Amgen’s Tour de California, it will end in Pasadena this Sunday. There will be festivity and ceremony at the Rose Bowl, for more information www.amgentourofcalifornia.com.

Bicycle Diaries the 3rd - Year of RAT-to-do-it Saddlebration

20 riders, 40 miles, 80 degrees. Our Year of RAT-to-do-it Saddlebration was a huge success!

After some raining weekends, the weather on this past Saturday was in fact, hot! With the help from co-trl Eric and Pedro, we leaded another training ride from the Rose Bowl to the San Gabriel Mission. This scenic tour brought us to some of the beautiful cities in the SGV, such as Pasadena, South Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Temple City, San Gabriel and Alhambra.

We had one of the biggest turn out, 20 riders in total. Some of them were on their first training ride, some of them traveled all the way from Hermosa Beach, some of them are returning riders. One of our riders, Miguel, had a few flats within 2 miles from the Rose Bowl, it was not his day. Regardless of each and everyone’s background, we all enjoyed the sunny southern California weather (and the bagels!).

Because it was the Chinese New Year weekend, I named the ride Year of RAT-to-do-it Saddlebration, and brought some New Year candies and almond cookies to share with all the riders. The food was not “too” attractive at the beginning, but by the end of the 40-mile ride, everything looks and tastes good, all of them were gone!

I did 3 spinning classes during the week and hope to get back to my yoga class soon.

The fundraising has been going slow-n-steady, I passed the $1K mark this week, thanks to all the donors. I’m still $7K away from reaching my goal, I need your help. Please share this email with all your friends and family. Together we can make a difference.

Bicycle Diaries The 3rd - Year of Mouse-Milestone

Dragon is 2 years old. We’ve ridden over 6000 miles!!! Yehhhhh~ So, how far is 6000 miles? That’s like from LA-New York City-back-2-LA plus LA-San Diego-back-2-LA and still have some extra miles left.

Although the weekend weather wasn’t perfect, I was able to do a 33-mile ride on Saturday with my buddies Suzann and Khoa. We met at the Marina in Long Beach and traveled along PCH all the way to Huntington Beach.

It was a mostly flat road but had very busy traffic, high speed cars and trucks, surfers and beach goers. Interestingly, both the Long Beach and Huntington Beach sides look familiar to me, I later found out, I have been to those areas. When we did the San Gabriel River bike trail, it ends at the border of Long Beach/Seal Beach; on another training ride, we did a Santa Ana River bike trail ride, and that ends in Huntington Beach.

Another fun part of this ride was at one of the traffic lights, a car stopped next to us. It has a huge dog in it that looks like the Hollywood star “Beethoven.” He was funny enough to pose for a picture!
















Didn’t ride on Sunday due to the rain. Instead I went to the temple (Dharma Seal Temple in Rosemead) and they’re just beginning their annual eight-day long New Year dharma function.



Speaking of Chinese New Year, the Year of Mouse/Rat is just around the corner. I will be leading a Year of RAT-to-do it Saddlebration Ride on this coming Saturday (Feb. 9th) from the Rose Bowl to Arcadia then to the San Gabriel Mission. 40 miles total, let me know if you’re interested in joining us.

If riding wasn’t your cup of tea but still want to enjoy some New Year fun, you can go to Chinatown or Monterey Park for their wonderful programs. In Chinatown, there will be Golden Dragon Parade on Saturday and Firecracker Run on Sunday, plus New Year Festival on both days. For more information, check out their websites www.lachinesechamber.org or www.chinatownla.com. On the other hand, there will be Floral Street Fair in Monterey Park on both the 9th and 10th. Their website is www.floralstreetfair.org

ALC 7 FUNdraising Materials

2x3












Fundraising Card (4x6)








Fundraising Postcard (4x6)

Fundraising Thank You Card (4x6)

CLICK for FUNdraising Video

Bicycle Diaries The 3rd - More Rain Less Train

Because of the heavy rain, I didn't ride my bike this week. Seriously, I missed riding!

We planned for a ride on Saturday to celebrate TRL Tommy's 29th (again) birthday. However, due the rain the city closed Griffith Park for safety reason. We had no choice but to cancel the ride.

The rains have stopped me from riding out door but didn't keep me from my regular spinning classes at the Y. I did 3 classes this week.

Speaking of spinning, I was shocked and sad to learn that one of our instructors, and my ex-trainer, Gloria, passed away recently due to complication from infection. When I joined the Y back in 2003, it was Gloria that showed me how to use all those weight lifting machines and guided me thru a 12-week fitness program.

She was not only a good trainer but also a friend. She later left the Y to become a private personal trainer but then came back as a spinning instructor. Most of us who know Gloria are still having difficult time accepting the fact that she's gone. I am sure she's in a better place now. My heart goes to her family.

At the meantime, I hope everyone take good care of yourself and your love ones.

Bicycle Diaries The 3rd - I Have a Dream

I've a dream, I wish there was a cure for HIV/AIDS, I wish we didn't have to do this ride anymore… but until my dream comes true, I've to keep riding and fundraising for this great cause.

Here are some exciting news to share with you:

Ø After hours of hard work (and no sleep), I've completed my first AIDS/LifeCycle video, it's about 6 minutes long and I hope you'll like it. There's a link on my home page, click on www.aidslifecycle.org/2602 now. (When the screen pops up, at the bottom right hand corner there's an inverted pyramid icon, click on that and select "original size" for best quality)

Ø For the first time in AIDS/LifeCycle history, they will put a cap on the total number of participants. SF already reached their cap and no longer accepting new registration and LA will fill its capacity soon. YES, that's right, if you're still thinking of joining this life-changing-wonderful-awesome event, you better act now! (why do they put a cap? It's for safety and maintain the quality of the ride, also, some of the camp grounds is limited to certain number of people )

Ø I'm back on my bike, riding more aggressively. I've put on about 100 miles for this past week. Besides that about 4 hours of spinning classes and 2 hours of yoga. I will lead more rides in the coming months, so if you would like to ride with us, please act and don't think twice, we're all very nice people.

Ø The donor incentive program is back, please join my Club 100 by donating at least $100 and receive an "official donor" t-shirt. Please also forward the link to your family and friends whom you think would like to sponsor my ride.

Thanks for reading and I hope your dreams will come true in 2008!

Bicycle Diaries The 3rd - I'm Back

Dear Friends,

Jan 7th 2008, the first clear sky I saw after the weekend winter storm, the day I breathed in fresh air, the day I decided to once again participating in this wonderful and meaningful fundraising event. Dragon and I will be cycling along the California coast for the third time this summer (June 1-7) and I need your support to make a world of difference in the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS.

As a news reporter, I have covered healthcare related news for several years and have always felt great compassion for people living with both chronic and acute illness, especially those battling HIV/AIDS. On World AIDS Day 2005, I had the chance to interview 2 Chinese men who are living with AIDS. As they shared with me their experiences and concerns, I found myself realizing the importance of educating the public about prevention and treatment of HIV related disease. Besides that, I did a special report about "25 years of API and AIDS."

In September 2007, I took another step and participated in a healthcare interpreter training course funded by The Office of AIDS Programs and Policy (OAPP), so I can help the limited English proficiency community to get better and equal healthcare access.

Why SFAF?
As some of you may notice, I'm registered as SF Rider this year. Why? For the past 2 years I've raised more than $12,000 for LAGLC, this year I would like to dedicate it to SF AIDS Foundation. Their Pangaea Globla AIDS Foundation, which assist the governments of China, South Africa, Rwanda, the Bahamas, and Ukraine in the development and/or implementation of countrywide plans for providing HIV/AIDS care and treatment.

In China, for example, Pangaea professionals are providing assistance in a number of areas, including the development of national treatment guidelines for use of antiretroviral therapies, clinical training of health professionals and planning for a national scale-up of training, implementation of provincial models of care, special programs targeted at HIV+ injection drug users, and development of systems for monitoring and evaluation.

Why $8080.80?
ALC 5: over $5500, ALC 6: over $6500, so I know we can do it! (OK, it's 2008 and 08.08.08 will be the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics. 8 means prosperity in Chinese, lets aim high and help me reach my goal) Help me reach my fundraising goal by giving any amount you can, either it is $10 or $1000 they all help and add up to a significant amount, we raised over $11 million last year.

Join my Club 100 by donating at least $100 and receive an "official donor t-shirt"And don't forget, all donations are 100% tax deductible. Donations can be made by logging onto my personal AIDS/LifeCycle homepage at www.aidslifecycle.org/2602 and clicking on the "Support Kar" button. From the homepage, you can also click on "watch video" to see a video that I made, something that you don't want to miss!!

Thank You
Reach One, Help OneThere will be an AIDS Ride until there is no AIDS