diff --git a/pregelix-example/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/pregelix/example/io/VLongWritable.java b/pregelix-example/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/pregelix/example/io/VLongWritable.java
index 1c5f629..ffbbff4 100644
--- a/pregelix-example/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/pregelix/example/io/VLongWritable.java
+++ b/pregelix-example/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/pregelix/example/io/VLongWritable.java
@@ -16,14 +16,12 @@
 package edu.uci.ics.pregelix.example.io;
 
 import java.io.DataInput;
-import java.io.DataInputStream;
 
 import org.apache.hadoop.io.WritableComparable;
 import org.apache.hadoop.io.WritableComparator;
-import org.apache.hadoop.io.WritableUtils;
 
 import edu.uci.ics.pregelix.api.io.WritableSizable;
-import edu.uci.ics.pregelix.api.util.ResetableByteArrayInputStream;
+import edu.uci.ics.pregelix.example.utils.SerDeUtils;
 
 /**
  * A WritableComparable for longs in a variable-length format. Such values take
@@ -65,8 +63,6 @@
 
     /** A Comparator optimized for LongWritable. */
     public static class Comparator extends WritableComparator {
-        private ResetableByteArrayInputStream bis = new ResetableByteArrayInputStream();
-        private DataInput dis = new DataInputStream(bis);
 
         public Comparator() {
             super(VLongWritable.class);
@@ -74,10 +70,8 @@
 
         public int compare(byte[] b1, int s1, int l1, byte[] b2, int s2, int l2) {
             try {
-                bis.setByteArray(b1, s1);
-                long thisValue = WritableUtils.readVLong(dis);
-                bis.setByteArray(b2, s2);
-                long thatValue = WritableUtils.readVLong(dis);
+                long thisValue = SerDeUtils.readVLong(b1, s1, l1);
+                long thatValue = SerDeUtils.readVLong(b2, s2, l2);
                 return (thisValue < thatValue ? -1 : (thisValue == thatValue ? 0 : 1));
             } catch (Exception e) {
                 throw new IllegalStateException(e);
diff --git a/pregelix-example/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/pregelix/example/utils/SerDeUtils.java b/pregelix-example/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/pregelix/example/utils/SerDeUtils.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2800187
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pregelix-example/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/pregelix/example/utils/SerDeUtils.java
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+package edu.uci.ics.pregelix.example.utils;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+
+public class SerDeUtils {
+
+    /**
+     * Reads a zero-compressed encoded long from input stream and returns it.
+     * 
+     * @param stream
+     *            Binary input stream
+     * @throws java.io.IOException
+     * @return deserialized long from stream.
+     */
+    public static long readVLong(byte[] data, int start, int length) throws IOException {
+        byte firstByte = data[start];
+        int len = decodeVIntSize(firstByte);
+        if (len == 1) {
+            return firstByte;
+        }
+        long i = 0;
+        for (int idx = 0; idx < len - 1; idx++) {
+            i = i << 8;
+            i = i | (data[++start] & 0xFF);
+        }
+        return (isNegativeVInt(firstByte) ? (i ^ -1L) : i);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Parse the first byte of a vint/vlong to determine the number of bytes
+     * 
+     * @param value
+     *            the first byte of the vint/vlong
+     * @return the total number of bytes (1 to 9)
+     */
+    public static int decodeVIntSize(byte value) {
+        if (value >= -112) {
+            return 1;
+        } else if (value < -120) {
+            return -119 - value;
+        }
+        return -111 - value;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Given the first byte of a vint/vlong, determine the sign
+     * 
+     * @param value
+     *            the first byte
+     * @return is the value negative
+     */
+    public static boolean isNegativeVInt(byte value) {
+        return value < -120 || (value >= -112 && value < 0);
+    }
+
+}