happy new year 2010!

happy new year everyone! updates since my last blog:

-finished the macau half marathon in a disappointing 2:45. needless to say, i didn't make it on the records and did not get a finisher's medal. my biggest complaint about the entire event was that i was not permitted to cross the finish line. i still feel like i didn't finish the race. after the race i was in total pain. my hips, knees, ankles, you name it felt like they were gonna give up. after more than a month now i still feel the pain in my hips. i've officially retired from running. i say that now but i might register for the nike women's half marathon to take place on oct 17, 2010 in SF. my cousin from london said she'll run it with me if we are selected through random lottery. i'll let fate decide if i shall run again.

-hong kong was fun. not my favorite vacation destination but it was my first time to Asia and i was with my siblings. i felt like king there because i was considered "above average" in the financial ladder. i thought everything was a steal! $10 for a sweater dress! also discovered G2000 where i can get a full work attire for under $50 USD! dim sum was out of this world. peking duck was a disappointment though, you can get the same quality in berkeley, ca. hong kong people are still rude but we met a few nice ones.

(congrats to ying and tim on their recent engagement! i couldn't attend their engagement party because I was still in Asia)

-christmas was nice at home with my family in elk grove. i also got to see my family in london via cam so that was very nice. i can't wait until our next cam session on chinese new year. another highlight was seeing my friends at van and samson's new place. it's always comforting to see my friends make the first plunge into moving in with the significant other. i wish them all the best.

-thomas' family visited us in turns so we spent a good few days with his parents and sisters in mid dec and his bro + wife on new years. we went to a friend's house party and crashed in her living room. met a really sweet gay couple. i love when total strangers can have a good time together.

-i recently hosted a post holiday dinner at my place and it went better than expected. i was so touched that friends from all over came by. we finally watched amara and scott's wedding videos and pics. man the videos were mad C-H-E-E-S-Y but they gave us some good laughs. what i really liked about that night was that all of the bf's were bonding. awwwww...ended the night watching food, inc. never looking at beef the same way!!!

-for 2010 i vow to eat healthier and exercise more. today is jan 13 and i've only exercised 3 times this year. thomas bought me jillian michaels' workout dvds. the kickboxing set was very much like tae-bo. it wasn't really challenging for me. i've only watched the "front" strength training dvd and yet to participate. i have the "back" too and i'm going to watch that now.

wishing everyone a fruitful 2010!

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