Got my dose of karaoke over the weekend. So much fun and addictive. When I was back in Penang, I asked a few friends if they were interested to go but no one actually wanted. As much as I like karaoke I still haven't gotten a chance to do it in Penang. Can't blame them though, it's not something we used to do in high school. In fact I picked up this "asian" culture here in the US. Strange isn't it?

Weather is getting warmer these days. 2 weekend ago I rode up the mountain roads with 2 of my colleagues who are both the proud s2000 owners. That was actually my first time hitting up the twisties with my SV650. Led by my colleagues, we started from Fremont, went through twisties to Castro Valley and then Berkeley. It was a hot day and after a round trip of about 100 miles, my ABC friend who top-downed his S2000 actually got burnt pretty bad.

Anyhow, it was a great experience to ride uphill through the winding roads. So many riders, bikers and drivers along the way. It's a lifestyle thing. Americans really enjoy doing this when the weather is warm and nice out there.



My SV650, though not performance-oriented, is still powerful enough to keep up with my friends' sports car. In fact there's more room for me to push. I just don't have the skill. Seeing how other bikers ease through the winding turns, I definitely need to work on my shifting and cornering. Leaning through the corners looks really cool (and it's the correct way to go) but one does need courage to try it out. I don't:) In terms of safety, I wouldn't say riding up the twisties is super dangerous. As long as I ride within my ability, conditioning on other drivers/riders to do the same, the risk should be low. Having said that, drivers/riders in the US are in general well-behaved. This is something we malaysian should learn. Until that day, riding in Malaysia is still pretty much risky.