Ismael Chang Ghalimi – 2008 December

Posts from December 2008

Posted
25 December 2008 @ 4pm

Concord C1 Tourbillon Gravity

A watch is essentially useless. In today’s modern world, everyone is carrying a cellphone, which does everything a watch can do, and more. Therefore, a watch can be considered the ultimate luxury, and a luxury watch the most luxurious possession one could own. I’m not really into luxury, but the pointlessness of luxury watches sometimes captures my imagination. Recently, I came across the Concord C1 Tourbillon Gravity, and I must say that the visible vertical tourbillon mechanism is quite nice.

Posted
17 December 2008 @ 11pm

Tagged
Flying

IFR Currency

Today, I renewed my IFR currency with Eliot. Back in the clouds!

Posted
17 December 2008 @ 10am

Tagged
Listening

KPFA

For the past few weeks, I’ve been tuning to KPFA, the first community supported radio station in the USA. It was founded in 1949 by Lewis Hill, a pacifist, poet, and journalist. Listening to its programs has been a breath of fresh air, putting things in perspective. Highly recommended!

Posted
16 December 2008 @ 3pm

Tagged
Flying, Road

Trip Around the World

Before we turn 40, May and I intend to take one year off and travel around the world, on a Pilatus PC-12 NG. This trip would take us to well over 100 destinations, flying along the coast of most continents. Here is the map of our itinerary as it is currently planned. Make sure to click on the ‘Next’ link at the bottom of the left column in order to get the trip’s last waypoints. You can also view the trip using Google Earth. If you’ve been to some of these places, please let us know the sites we should not miss there.

Posted
4 December 2008 @ 6pm

Tagged
Gastronomy, Sports

New Diet

A year and a half ago, I started working on my diet, reducing carbs and meat consumption, and taking a handful of dietary supplements, while developing a fairly aggressive workout plan. A few months into it, I began traveling extensively, and did not find the discipline required for keeping it together. This week, I started exercising again, and came back to a much healthier diet. I updated my list of dietary supplements, and stopped eating meat altogether. My daily intake of proteins comes from fish, peas, rice, and soy. In order to keep the pace while traveling extensively, I decided to stay only in hotels that have a fitness center, and to spice travels to foreign locations by making strictly localized and temporary exceptions to my diet: from now on, I will eat beef in Japan only, poultry in France only, and lamb in Arabic-speaking countries only. Next trip abroad: Tokyo, for a good serving of shabu-shabu.

Posted
3 December 2008 @ 5pm

Tagged
Flying

First Pilatus PC-12 NG Flight

Yesterday night, I got to fly on the brand new Pilatus PC-12 NG. I flew my first hour on PC-12 a year ago, but it was on a PC-12/47, equipped with more traditional instruments. The PC-12 Next Generation is fitted with Honeywell Primus Apex, a simplified version of the instrument panels found on the Boeing 777 and the Falcon 7X. Eliot and I flew N935NG from San Carlos (KSQL), and did three touch-and-go’s in Half Moon Bay (KHAF). I flew on the left seat, for a total of 45 minutes, which unfortunately could not be logged, for the chief pilot who was on the right seat was not a CFI. But quite frankly, I did not really care, for getting to fly this amazing aircraft was enough to make me plenty happy. I’m loving it…

Posted
2 December 2008 @ 5pm

Tagged
Watching

Cidade dos Homens

Yesterday, May and I watched Cidade dos Homens (City of Men), the sequel to Cidade de Deus (City of God). It’s quite a bit more violent, and gave me the feeling of innocence being lost. Nevertheless, it’s a gripping and fascinating depiction of life in the favelas. Highy recommended.