okay guys.. the answer as i meant it to be is... a Triumph Speed Four... (GASP joseph, it's british!!)  and Gabe, though i like the speed triple 1050 even better, its probably too much of a beast and definitely too expensive for me for now (like the daytona 675, the roadstar warrior , the v-max, etc. (though i may still take the speed4 over the yamaha's))...

and yes, some of you might be saying..  haven't you learned your lesson??  why sure i have!  1) learn to ride better (such as stopping abruptly in a short distance), 2) avoid riding when it's wet, 3) keep a big gap between me and the vehicle in front, 4) keep my mind and attention on riding, rather than singing, the sunset, clouds, license plates, and whatnot, 5) get frame mounted sliders, not engine mounted ones, 6) never get too complacent with riding...

and finally, NO, i did not get it because it's green (i actually like this one better in black).  i got it because it's a good bike, i got a a tremendously good deal on it, it's rare and unique, and a special inclination toward the Triumph brand...  often when we were checking out motorcycles in past years, my dad tells us that when he and his siblings were little, my grandpa had a Triumph motorcycle..  and he always described how it sounded very different from all the other bikes..  now i carry on the legacy.. 

(to be completely honest, i can't be sure if the bike pictured here is the triumph my dad told us about)

i do miss my 919 though...  hopefully the new owner is able to fix it up into a track bike like he planned to..

So about "other news"..  here's a teaser

Gabe, can you guess what it is?  =D

 So the Ikea around my house had real christmas trees for "rent".  You pay them $20 now, and they pay you back $10 when you return them in January.  I got one for myself, and asked my friends whethe rhtey might want one as well (I live the closest to Ikea out of us all).  5 of them said yes..   so...

And then

Since we only have a month with them, most of us started decorating already.  I had been a slacker and let my tree sit in waste for almost a whole week.  Then yesterday I decided to follow through with an idea that started out as a joke, mainly because my tree happened to be the shortest and very chubby..

With a pair of gardening scissors:

Finally, cleaned up and with some temporary features:

I have other news that I'll post about later..

  Here you go..  its name was 919 (Gabe I just call it like it is.. just like how i call my EP si.. =P

And here it is with a much more skillful rider, with whom the bike definitely would not have gone down under identical circumstances...

It's been a while, lots have happened...  but i'm not going to talk about too much now..  let me post an entry on something interesting..

one of the things i looked forward to very much on my way back was the cold temperature.  as soon as i stepped off the plane, even as i was walking in the skybridge, i was excited and my spirit uplifted by the cold air that greeted my senses..  what joy!!

then i find that it was going to snow that day, and sure enough it did.  i live about 20 minutes south of seattle, and the amount of snow usually increases as you go further north.  so after church service (located north of seattle) i went even further north to go to costco in lynnwood, and there it was as if i was back in rochester, w. lafayette, or chicago..  i mean there was proper heavy snow, pouring down on everything!!  i was jumping with glee.

i guess this "storm" was worse than usual, and by monday night, when i returned home, even at that latitude, there was a respectable amount of snow..  see here:

That night I went to the airport to pick up a coworker.  cars were travelling between 15mph to 20mph on the highway, every single one of them!!!  i could hardly believe it..  i mean yes there was slush on the road, but it being a highway, the surface was plowed and salted...  i finally went passed a horde of them and then went on to drive safely at 40mph...  at that moment i felt such a sense of smugness..  more on this later..

Then the next morning:

How refreshing!  you guys remember I said before that when it snows, often they cancel school?  well i laughed at that then..  and as i drove smugly the night before, i couldn't help but think.. don't you people know how to drive?  start in a higher gear.. brake on the threshold of traction.. countersteer..  utlize abs...blah blah blah..  well.. as much as i may be tempted to feel superior.. i quickly realized that they really don't have a robust snow removal program..  with less plow trucks going around.. most roads really are just awful to drive on even after just a few inches of snow frozen over..

As i drove down the hill leading to my house on my way to work..  i saw this:

Yes those are cars parked on the side of the road.. abandoned the night before.. because the bad road condition + drivers' inexperience = that it's better to not drive than to drive..   i was amazed..  and wondered how people got home...  (and yes i was foolishly taking pictures as i drove.. i guess i was still a tiny bit smug.. =P)

regardless.. snow and cold weather still cheer me up..

(lyris i'll find and post a picture of my motorcycle soon)..