speaking of crushes. i just went and saw blue crush. i know, i know. it's pretty bad. BUT, what you don't know is that i'm hawaiian. part hawaiian. hapa. i was born in hawaii. i grew up in hawaii. i have an hawaiian name. so anyway. i saw blue crush. i won't comment on the movie but i would like to talk alittle about surfing.
growing up in hawaii i have had my share of surfing. i was never very good, but i could understand the beauty behind it. the life. the emotion. the water. the waves. its all very fluid. surfing is very natural. its an extension of your body and your bodies movements. so watching this movie brought a little of that back to me. now what i find somewhat amazing is how much motorcycle riding is similar to surfing. riding is such a fluid motion. its also an extension of the body.
this all came clear to me as i pulled up to the bay bridge. how similar bumper to bumper traffic on the bay bridge is like sufing at pipeline. it's feirce. its tuff. its fucking crazy. all the cars are against you they form the traffic. and the traffic is the wave. you are not a commuter, you are not part of the traffic. you are the motorcycle rider, you are like the surfer you are riding the wave. pulling up after the bridge toll, you get a good view of whats ahead. there isn't any traffic yet, but you can see it all. it's like pulling up to the beach and getting a view of the beautiful deadly waves.
now i have this silly theory that our concious brain can only think of one thing at a time. like if you are talking. or figuring out a math problem. or what ever. only one thing. now motorcycle riding or surfing, there is soo much going on. the cars. the traffic, the people in the cars. the road. the bumps in the road. your bike, you, your speed. hundreds of things. too much to think about. but here is the secret. your brain is powerful and it can compute hundreds of things every second. breathing, moving, your blood pumping, your hair growing. and you can use this to your advantage. your brain can compute all the cars, the traffic, the holes in the traffic the wind the road everything. you just CAN'T think about it. the second you even think about riding a motorcycle or surfing, you are fucked. so just fill your mind. what i do is constantly talk to myself. over and over again. i tell myself things i let go. and it's beautiful. you ride that wave, its fluid. you move through the traffic. you know when the traffic is going to turn on you, so you turn with it. you know exactly what to do.
but like with surfing. there is the crush. and it's painful. its not fluid. its loud, its sudden. its horrible. you are lost into it. it controls everything about you until it lets you go. same with surfing, as with riding. and it happens to everyone.
on a side note. i have been driving way to fucking fast again. it is not a good thing. i used to have to commute from oakland to san francisco every work day during rush hour traffic. lane splitting is a way of life. a way of thinking. i didnt need coffee. i just needed to hit the waves and get to work. every morning. i would pull up to the bridge and see the ocean. and i would hit it. full on. any other riders on that bridge would get a run for their money. i think i only lost one race. once. in the whole 2 years that i rode to work. i took on anyone. everyone. i'm talking 5 lanes bumper to bumper on a bridge. 2 bikes going 60, 70, 80+mph through it. that's a fucking rush. its fucking stupid. but you feel it. you feel the traffic. you are part of it. you are part of the ocean. you don't think about it. you just know.
anyway...i should slow down.
growing up in hawaii i have had my share of surfing. i was never very good, but i could understand the beauty behind it. the life. the emotion. the water. the waves. its all very fluid. surfing is very natural. its an extension of your body and your bodies movements. so watching this movie brought a little of that back to me. now what i find somewhat amazing is how much motorcycle riding is similar to surfing. riding is such a fluid motion. its also an extension of the body.
this all came clear to me as i pulled up to the bay bridge. how similar bumper to bumper traffic on the bay bridge is like sufing at pipeline. it's feirce. its tuff. its fucking crazy. all the cars are against you they form the traffic. and the traffic is the wave. you are not a commuter, you are not part of the traffic. you are the motorcycle rider, you are like the surfer you are riding the wave. pulling up after the bridge toll, you get a good view of whats ahead. there isn't any traffic yet, but you can see it all. it's like pulling up to the beach and getting a view of the beautiful deadly waves.
now i have this silly theory that our concious brain can only think of one thing at a time. like if you are talking. or figuring out a math problem. or what ever. only one thing. now motorcycle riding or surfing, there is soo much going on. the cars. the traffic, the people in the cars. the road. the bumps in the road. your bike, you, your speed. hundreds of things. too much to think about. but here is the secret. your brain is powerful and it can compute hundreds of things every second. breathing, moving, your blood pumping, your hair growing. and you can use this to your advantage. your brain can compute all the cars, the traffic, the holes in the traffic the wind the road everything. you just CAN'T think about it. the second you even think about riding a motorcycle or surfing, you are fucked. so just fill your mind. what i do is constantly talk to myself. over and over again. i tell myself things i let go. and it's beautiful. you ride that wave, its fluid. you move through the traffic. you know when the traffic is going to turn on you, so you turn with it. you know exactly what to do.
but like with surfing. there is the crush. and it's painful. its not fluid. its loud, its sudden. its horrible. you are lost into it. it controls everything about you until it lets you go. same with surfing, as with riding. and it happens to everyone.
on a side note. i have been driving way to fucking fast again. it is not a good thing. i used to have to commute from oakland to san francisco every work day during rush hour traffic. lane splitting is a way of life. a way of thinking. i didnt need coffee. i just needed to hit the waves and get to work. every morning. i would pull up to the bridge and see the ocean. and i would hit it. full on. any other riders on that bridge would get a run for their money. i think i only lost one race. once. in the whole 2 years that i rode to work. i took on anyone. everyone. i'm talking 5 lanes bumper to bumper on a bridge. 2 bikes going 60, 70, 80+mph through it. that's a fucking rush. its fucking stupid. but you feel it. you feel the traffic. you are part of it. you are part of the ocean. you don't think about it. you just know.
anyway...i should slow down.