happy thanksgiving!

happy thanksgiving everyone! i hope everyone is having a wonderful time with their family and friends. today i am mostly home alone. went to mr.fong's and picked up chicken wings and noodles for lunch with my friend cuong. after dropping him off at SFO, i went home to complete solitude. i am not sad however, i love to get my yentime every now and then. today i need to pack for my trip to HK. i'm leaving tomorrow for 10 days and i'm running a half marathon in macau on dec. 6. oh right, i forgot to tell you that i finished the US half marathon in SF at 2:46. that is a very disappointing time but i should have expected it since i didn't train. oh well...moving along to the next race. i recently ran the folsom winter trail series #3 at folsom point on nov 22. my time was much better, 7 miles in 1:14:49. i almost beat my running competitor, mr. vay phung, but trailed him 54 seconds. if i keep up that pace then i won't get the boot in macau, there is a 2.5 hour limit. i hope my brother chester finishes under, he hasn't beat me in a single race yet. :D

anyway, have a safe travel and happy eating! dim sum and seafood here i come!

asics kayano 15

today thomas and i went to road runner sports and got professionally fitted for running shoes. i have normal arch feet so i tried on stability shoes. thomas has flat feet so he tried on motion control shoes. we both ended up getting a pair of asics (mine was the kayano 15). we couldn't wait to test run them and so we ran 4 miles around the block. we both love our new shoes. they are lightweight and comfy. we have no foot pain at all. the price tag is a bit steep but well worth every penny! mine was $115 after signing up for membership and lucky for us we dropped in during their annual sale so we got additional discounts!

US half marathon on november 1 should be blister-free and smooth sailing. bring it on!

summer updates

so much has changed since my last blog. first of all, i am no longer training for a full marathon. my cousin quangii decided that it was too expensive for her to fly all the way from london to new york just to run a marathon. what i have accomplished in this dept is that i 1) ran 10k in london with my family (july 5) and 2) ran 12k on angel island with my brother chester (august 22).

another significant change is that i no longer live in south san francisco. i have moved back to san leandro with my sister and brother as of mid-may. i really disliked east bay. i could never get a seat on the BART! errrr...in general this part of the Bay is ghetto! after a few months now, i am starting to settle in. i have been hiking every week at mission peaks in fremont with my siblings. i am training for the bryce/zion hike during labor day weekend.

thomas and i took our first trip as a couple to italy and london where he met my uncles, aunts, and cousins. they all like him so i'm happy. rome and venice were so amazing, i want to finish our italy adventure this autumn - florence, cinque terre, and maybe sicily!

i want to register for a half marathon in november but do not know if i'm ready. there's the ushalf on nov 1 in SF or the monterey half on nov 15. i'll have to post a follow-up blog with the answer.

day 3 of training

workout:
-walked 1/2 mile (15 mins) then ran 3.1 miles or 5k (45 mins) on the treadmill

meals:
-lunch at 12pm: sushi (yes, 3 days in a row - not by choice, i eat whatever they serve at work), teriyaki chicken with rice, salad, dinner roll
-dinner at 9pm: 1 bowl of pineapple fried rice with shrimp, 1 bowl of tomato rice with 2 pieces of bbq ribs, 1/2 of an orange

weight: 115.5 lbs

day 2 of training

workout:
-ran 1.1 miles with brother cuong

meals:
-breakfast at 10am: 1 pineapple bao, 1 slice of mocha nut bread
-lunch at 2:30pm: sushi buffet at fuji's in elk grove (yes, the same meal as yesterday's dinner minus the ice cream and $5)
-dinner at 6:15pm: 1 bowl of shark fin soup, half of an orange
-after dinner munch at 10:30pm: 3 eggrolls (this is why you should not skip a real dinner)

weight: 116.5 lbs

first day of training

first day of training for my marathon in NY on Nov 1, 2009.

workout:
-ran 1 mile
-played 30 mins of tennis

meals:
-breakfast at 9am: 1 bowl of congee with pork and other stuff that i can't mention to the world
-lunch at 1pm: half of a viet sandwich with ham, carrots, cucumber, and pate; 1 eggroll
-afternoon munch at 3pm: the other half of the viet sandwich
-dinner at 8pm: sushi buffet at fuji in elk grove, sushi, tempura (shrimp and oyster), grapes, ice cream

weight: 116.5 lbs

high school reunion

this year would be my 10 year high school reunion. whether there is going to be one or not is another story. my thoughts on this age old celebration...i think it is a reason for people to come together and brag about themselves or gossip about others. do these people that i haven't kept in touch with for over 10 years have an effect on my daily life? no. the ones that do play a factor in my life are still actively involved. i would be happy enough to hear through the grapevine that my fellow ex-classmates are doing well. plus who needs a reunion when there's facebook? as you may already have guessed, i do not plan on attending my 10 yr high school reunion if there were to be one. i really do hope everyone is healthy and happy.

this week's weight: 113.5 lbs
weight loss: 0, still haven't learned to eat less

human surroundings

ever think about the types of people that you surround yourself with? you know that friend that always complains about her boyfriend? how about that friend that is always cheerful when you see her? wouldn't you rather be around the latter? it's true that attitudes rub off.

this week's weight: 113.5 lbs
weight loss: 0 lb, need to exercise more and eat less

size 24

i bought these jeans about 2 years ago that i've never worn, actually it's hanging in my closet with the tag attached! i have no idea why i bought a size 24 when i'm clearly a size 25! i have been back to the regular workout routine. come home from work at roughly 7pm, workout for 45 mins, shower, then dinner. i've gone to the gym monday, tuesday, and today! i weigh 113.5 lbs currently and my goal is 100. i think it's attainable if i keep this up. my real motivation is my upcoming trip to cancun in may. i've never worn a bikini in my lifetime because i was always insecure with my body. i gotta start living life and quit wasting my youth! i will keep a weekly post of my progress and mark my weight here. i will fit into those size 24 AND look good in them!

update on may 11th: i gave away this pair of jeans to karen on may 3rd. i'm happy that it fits her perfectly. the cut just wasn't for my body type.

updates

wow, i've neglected blogger! life's been pretty WONDERFUL! for christmas i went to s. cali and did the whole highway 1 experience. thanks to my friends, van and ying, i tried one of the best clam chowder at splash city at pismo beach, thanks girls! new year was pretty eventful in that we moved the furnitures from our old house to the new. now my parents are more lonely in a bigger space, how sad. that's why i am going to visit them every weekend of january! chinese new year is around the corner and we're all (significant others and partners) celebrating at my parents'. what i hope to accomplish that day is to see my family in london on cam and say happy new year in person, well, almost in person.

to answer my concern from my previous blog, i'm still very much employed. :)