Travel Tips

It's almost 2 a.m. (haven't stayed up this late in awhile...I know, I'm lame now) and we are finally packed and set for our trip to Riviera Maya tomorrow morning! Being in such close proximity to Mexico, this trip is not a new country to add to our list but I really wanted to go to Tulum after seeing K.L.'s postcard-perfect photos on Facebook of the crystal blue beach and the lure of the Mayan ruins was just too much to resist.[1] In August I saw an amazing deal on Travelzoo at for an all-inclusive resort and here we are now, ready to go!  We’ve never done the all-inclusive thing, as we are typically adventure-in-a-backpack travelers, so we’ll see just how much lounging around we can stomach =)

Here are some tips I have learned (usually through my own tribulations) and come to live by from my many travels:

1)    Always pack a sarong – it hardly takes up any space and has multiple uses…[obviously] as a coverup, makeshift pillowcase/bedsheets if the ones the hotel provides look questionable, towel, rolled up pillow, etc.

2)    Make a photocopy of your passport photo page and drivers license all on one sheet.  I have used the photocopy to cash travelers cheques and even get on board domestic flights abroad in lieu of showing my actual passport, which I usually have hidden (see #3.)  I [almost] learned the hard way just how valuable a U.S. Passport really is when mine turned up missing just before docking in Cuba.  Lucky for me, my passport got stuck in someone else’s…but those sinking couple of hours in fear before it was found were NO FUN at all!  On a side note, if a cop in a Latin American country pulls you over and asks for ID, give him the copy and NOT your original…tell him it’s locked up at your hotel.  Or else be prepared to pay a bribe.  (Happened to my friend S, not me.)

3)    Carry your passport, money, valuables, etc. in an under-the-clothes wallet.  I personally like the one that hangs on a long string (like a purse) rather than the one you wear around your waist.  It’s especially convenient for the ladies wearing dresses when traveling in humid destinations (i.e., South East Asia) because you can strap it around one shoulder, across your chest, and basically let it dangle between your legs.  If you have on a skirt—so long as it’s not skin tight—the undercover wallet doesn’t get in your way at all!

4)    Call your credit card companies before you go to let them know where you are going and for how long.  Duh.

5)    Photocopy the fronts and backs of all credit cards you are taking (preferably on one sheet) so you have all the pertinent info, including credit card number and international phone number to reach your CC company on one sheet.

6)      Roll your clothes, don’t fold, to save space.  I like to sort first by article of clothing.  For example, I roll all the tops together by laying out the biggest one (usually a long sleeved shirt), then piling up each next article by size so that the smallest article is on the top.  Then you roll ‘em up like a cigar.

7)    Pack a few extra plastic grocery bags.  They take up almost no space and come in surprisingly useful for dirty laundry or wet clothes, etc.

8)    Scan all the above mentioned 1-pagers (passport/drivers license and credit card info) and save as pdf.  Keep the pdf in your email account…if you somehow end up with no originals and no copyies, you can rest assured knowing that you have an electronic copy somewhere in cyberspace.  I haven’t run into the situation to need the pdf version ever but still…

9)    For multi-day or destination trips,keep clothes in luggage separated into clean/never-worn,  worn-before-but-not-dirty, and dirty-cannot-wear piles.  Makes it easier when you’re on the go and when you get back home and unpack!

---

[1] I seem to have an excessive number of people with K names in my life!

Week 7

Not much running at all b/c I'm still ridiculously congested.  I did go to yoga though -- not the best idea.  Hopefully our jaunt to the Mexican Riviera will make my cold go away?

Gotta Love the Fob Relatives :)

When K and I went to AZ this Thanksgiving, putting all the text-book displays of family dysfunctional-ality aside, this funny thing did happen: my uncle (Mom’s 2^nd brother) congratulated me on passing the bar last year and being gainfully employed.  He then asked me in Korean if “lawyer” is the correct English word for byunosa (lawyer in Korean).  After I confirmed that he was correct, he paused and said in Korean, “Wait, so since you’re a woman lawyer, do I call you a lawyerette?

Weeks 5 and 6

Not much working out/running -- not because of the holidays but b/c K and I are both sick :(  Boo, we've both had a cold for more than a week now (I guess the autumn detox only kept us illness-free for a couple months.)  Last week I ran just 3.5 miles and this week 5.0 miles.

Yum?

I heard about these cranberry sauce variations on NPR a couple weeks ago and finally googled them...I will have to try making them next year!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4176014

Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish

2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed
1 small onion
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar ("red is a bit milder than white")

1. Grind the raw berries and onion together. ("I use an old-fashioned meat grinder," says Stamberg. "I'm sure there's a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind — not a puree.")
2. Add everything else and mix.
3. Put in a plastic container and freeze.
4. Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. ("It should still have some little icy slivers left.")
5. The relish will be thick, creamy, and shocking pink. ("OK, Pepto Bismol pink. It has a tangy taste that cuts through and perks up the turkey and gravy. Its also good on next-day turkey sandwiches, and with roast beef.")

Makes 1 1/2 pints.


Garlicky Cranberry Chutney

Susan Stamberg calls this recipe "my truly favorite cranberry side dish." It's from Madhur Jaffrey's cookbook East/West Menus for Family and Friends (Harper & Row, 1987).

1-inch piece fresh ginger
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1-pound can cranberry sauce with berries
1/2 teaspoon salt (or less)
ground black pepper

1. Cut ginger into paperthin slices, stack them together and cut into really thin slivers.
2. Combine ginger, garlic, vinegar, sugar and cayenne in a small pot. Bring to a simmer, simmer on medium flame about 15 minutes or until there are about four tablespoons of liquid left.
3. Add can of cranberry sauce, salt and pepper. Mix and bring to a simmer. Lumps are ok. Simmer on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes.
4. Cool, store and refrigerate. ("It will keep for several days, if you don't finish it all after first taste!")

 K's goofy nephew, Y, eats almost an entire plate of just cranberry sauce...I wonder how he'll react if we have either/both of these concoctions rather than the standard cranberry sauce?

Week 4

I am getting bored blogging about my 1/2 marathon training since I'm taking it so easy for this race.  Last week I did yoga, cardio/weights, 3 miles at the gym and 5.5 miles on the weekend.  I will post something more interesting soon!

Week 3

Last week was the third week of 1/2 training.  Since I've been running without shin pain with my easier training program that only involves two days of running each week, I'm not as motivated to journal my training.  Last week was busy anyway with S.C.'s bday and K.C.'s going away happy hour.  I also did yoga on Tuesday, 3.0 mile run on Wednesday, cross training and weights on Friday, and 5.0 miles at De Anza on Saturday.  Feeling good for now :)

Week 2

To finish off week 2 of training I ran another 4.0 miles at De Anza this weekend on the grass...my shoes are all grassy now, ick.  Also did yoga, but had a nice rest day on Friday to have a small dinner party with K&S and S&B, yum!

How to be a Cactus

+

 +

 

(small army of pipe cleaner "needles")

+

needle, thread and Forrest Gump on TNT

+

  felt to make flower and lizard  

two happy cacti!

Happy Halloween!

(you can't really see the felt flower on my hoodie or the felt lizard on K's chest, booooo!)

Still Trucking

Wednesday, November 4 - Ran 3.50 miles on treadmill.  I know, treadmill training = bad, but it's already dark by 5:30 pm nowadays and I don't feel comfortable running outside alone when it's dark.

Tuesday - Yoga

Monday - 25 minutes of cardio + weights.

Trucking Along

Saturday, October 31, 2009 - Ran 4.0 miles at De Anza Cove on the grass.  No pain!

Pain-Free for Now!

A whole mess of us are confirmed for the Carlsbad half-marathon at the end of January!  Yay!  I ran three pain-free miles on the treadmill today...I haven't been running since the AIDS Run at the end of September which was a shin pain disaster, even with the Kiniseo tape.  Baby steps I guess...must work back up to 13.1 miles.

That's What He Said -- His Version of Our Engagement

Here is K's side of our engagement story.  And this concludes my experiment in the difference between the way men v. women, and engineers v. attorneys tell stories :) 

Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Why hasn’t Don (the jeweler) contacted me about the ring being on schedule to be delivered to me tomorrow?  I just called him at 7PM and he didn’t pick up so I left a voicemail explaining that I needed the ring before S- and I head up to Orange County Thursday night.

Thursday, October 8, 2009
Don hasn’t responded to any emails and any of my phone calls.  I still haven’t planned anything to propose since I haven’t gotten confirmation from Don that the ring will be ready later this afternoon. At 11AM, Don finally contacted me, explaining that the ring will not be ready.  I responded immediately that the ring being ready on Friday afternoon was not an option.  On Friday, S- and I would already be up in LA to take care of family business.  

Don eventually called back and I asked him if there was any possibility that I get the ring today so that I could propose to S- this weekend as I had planned.  I asked him to find out why the ring was delayed and figure out what options I had.  I threw several ideas out there for him.  He could complete the ring on Friday and meet me somewhere between Orange County and San Diego, but I would have to come up with an elaborate story explaining why we would have to drive somewhere and not have S- become suspicious.  There were some complications with the ring but I eventually convinced Don to let me take the ring as is for the weekend to use for the proposal and have the complications changed a week later.  He agreed and dropped it off at my work.  The ring looked amazing!!!!  It was exactly as he promised!  I just needed to be able to hide the ring from S- and keep all my excitement inside without tipping her off that it was coming.

Friday, October 18, 2009
Dang A-, my cousin’s daughter, had to ask both S- and me when we were planning on getting married.  I tried to play it off and claimed that it would just happen when the time was right.  Luckily S- still didn’t suspect a thing,  Later that night we had to try to plan something for the weekend.  I tried to find any vacancies in Solvang, our special escape from the world, but every hotel was completely booked.  Solvang was our first option for the weekend since that’s where we went for our first road trip when we started dating and it's also where we got our stuffed animal kids.  I kept looking online and could not find anything in Solvang, Santa Barbara, or even Buellton which is a only a few miles west of Solvang.  I made reservations to Parker’s Lighthouse, which is where we went on our first date.  Our first date was a trip to Disneyland and dinner at Parker’s Lighthouse in Long Beach.  This reservation was more of a safety blanket than set plans.  I kept looking for hotels and could not find anything until I finally fell asleep on the floor in front of the computer.

Saturday, October 19, 2009
I asked S- immediately after waking up if she was interested in still going to Disneyland.  She responded with, “I don’t know hun….I’m pretty tired and I don’t know if I can stay on my feet all day.” I panicked and immediately began searching for a plan B.  I kept trying to convince S- that we needed to get another stuffed animal from Wishing Bear.  I knew that there was only one location left in Santa Maria, which is about 20 minutes south of San Luis Obispo.  So we agreed on SLO and I began looking for vacancies.  I had always wanted to stay at The Madonna Inn.  The Madonna Inn has 110 rooms, each with its own unique theme.  I called to book a room and apparently there was only one room left.  The room that was still available was the “Vintage Room” and according to the hotel employee the room has a private patio with a fireplace.  This would be perfect for the proposal; the patio would give us privacy while the fireplace would make the atmosphere romantic.

The whole drive up I kept trying to come up with the line/proposal and decide whether I would propose in the private patio, outside the restaurant where we were going to eat dinner, or at the table during dinner.  Nothing came to mind, just a whole jumble of thoughts.  I had so many thoughts, but I couldn’t find a way to put them into coherent sentences.  I eventually gave up and decided to come up with the proposal either on the fly or right before actually doing it.

We made it to the Madonna Inn around 5PM decided to relax a bit after the long drive.  I tried to make reservations at the Steakhouse at the hotel, but they were completely booked until about 900PM.  I told them I would talk to S- and get back to them.  After unpacking we decided to eat at the steakhouse at 9PM.  I called to make a reservation at 9PM.  Unfortunately the earliest reservation they had was 930PM at that point, so we decided to go out to eat.  On the way out, I worked with the Front Desk and we made reservations at Steamers located in Pismo Beach.

I quickly got ready and waited for S- to finish getting ready. The Florida versus LSU game was on TV, but I was way too nervous to even worry about the game even though I had been looking forward to watching this game for weeks.  I could tell she was a bit suspicious in my lack of interest in the game, so I made a quick excuse that I wanted to enjoy our private fireplace and relax to some music.  I brought my laptop outside, turned on some slow jams, and watched the flames in the fireplace all while trying to come up with the right words to ask S- to be my life partner.  I nervously paced around trying to figure how I was going to convince S- to come outside and what I was going to say.  I hadn’t been this nervous since I first asked her out; it was so bad that I couldn’t even choose a song to play when proposing.   

S- kept peeking into the patio to see what I was up to and luckily when she did peek I didn’t have the ring out in the open.  I must have checked the ring box a hundred times to make sure it hadn’t fallen out.  She poked her head outside and told me to come inside to watch the game since the game was close to the end.  I came inside and saw that there was only a few minutes left.  I couldn’t concentrate on the game, so I made an excuse that the game was stressing me out and that I needed to relax in the patio until we were ready to leave.  She finally was ready and I asked her for a dance with me out in the patio.  I know most couples don’t do this normally but we do.  She agreed to dance and came outside.  Wow was she beautiful!!! I almost forgot that I was about to propose to her and couldn’t believe that she could be mine forever!

On several occasions S- came so close to accidentally touching the ring in my suit pocket, so I had to keep pushing her arms back onto my shoulders.  I took a deeeeeeeppppp breath and took a step back and dropped to one knee.  S- looked down at me and immediately began tearing.  I could see straight into her ’s eyes and it was obvious that she knew what I was doing.  Tears were rolling down her face.  I prepared way too loooong to not say anything and said “S- we’ve been through a lot together.  I have known that I want to be together with you forever and I am committing myself to you forever.  < a whole bunch of words that I don’t remember since I was so caught up in the moment >  Let's travel the world together and be with each other forever.  Will you marry me?"

S- paused for a few seconds and said, “Of course…..I will.”  I had a big sigh of relief and asked her if she wanted me to put the ring on.  Her first response was “I can’t see the ring.” Doh!  I was so sad that she couldn’t see the ring.  I didn’t think it was small at all.  Good thing she immediately clarified her statement saying “I can’t see the ring since I have so many tears in my eyes.”  I wiped away her tears and put the ring on her.  She gave me a huge hug and we danced to one song before we headed out to dinner.  This was one of the happiest moments in my life…the proposal worked our perfectly.  Her two lil sisses, A- and J-, both knew but never clued her in that it was coming even though I had shown both of them the ring while it was being finalized.

Now onto the wedding planning…

We're Engaged -- My Side of the Story

K- and I headed up the California central coast on the morning of Saturday, October 10, 2009 on a spur of the moment road trip.  The trip was spur of the moment because we only just decided that morning what our weekend plans would be, in spite of the fact that K- had been insisting for a few weeks that we do something special on that particular weekend.  All the hotels in Solvang (our favorite nook in the Santa Ynez Valley) did not have vacancy so K- booked us the Vintage Room at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.  On our way up, we did some wine tasting in Los Olivos and stopped by our beloved Wishing Bear Workshop in Santa Maria.  K- made dinner reservations at Steamer’s in Pismo Beach based on the concierge’s recommendation.  That night, K-put on the Florida v. LSU game while we got ready for dinner.  As usual, he was ready much faster than me, so he said he was going to test out the fireplace in the private patio out back.  I could hear K- shuffling through his sappy love songs playlist while I finished getting ready.  At one point I told him to come back inside after LSU made it to the 5-yard line so he could finally see them score (Florida was up 10-3) but he claimed the game was making him too nervous.  I finished getting ready and opened the patio door to tell K- “Let’s go!” but he asked me for a quick slow dance before leaving for our dinner date.   We often slow dance together at home so his request did not really strike me as out of the ordinary.  I tried to get K- to come inside to dance because the air was pretty chilly but he claimed the fire place would keep us warm.  As we swayed around together, I remember chatting about the cold weather and recent family events.  K- started to turn the conversation more serious about commitment to one another --- also not out of the ordinary because we have been together for over 5 ½ years --- but then he dropped down on one knee and my heart started pounding like crazy!  I do not actually remember the entirety of his proposal speech because of the aforementioned heart-pounding and the fact that my eyes were already watering up, but I do remember his promise that we will always still travel the world together and make new adventures for ourselves.  He pulled out the ring box and my words immediately after saying “Of course I’ll marry you!” were “I can’t see it,” meaning that my tears completely blurred my vision and all I could see was K-’ big smile and the fuzzy outline of a ring...I know, typical me!  We had a wonderful dinner at Steamer’s, dessert at Denny’s (haha, yup!), and then came back to our room to reenact our engagement and take some photos using the self-timer...I know, typical us!  K- later confessed to me that the he used the whole no-plans/spur-of-the-moment thing to throw me off – I must say it totally worked!  

  

Reenactment of K- proposing.

The ring!  After taking a few photos of the ring on my hand, I came to the inevitable conclusion that hand skin is weird.

Franklin, our teddy bear kid, helping model a better picture.

Carpe Diem!

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time
     by Robert Herrick

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
     Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
     To-morrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
     The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
     And nearer he's to setting.

That age is best which is the first,
     When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
     Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,
     And while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
     You may for ever tarry.




I love this poem.  Seize the day!  Grab life by the balls!  Live like there's no tomorrow!  Call it what you will...at this past Women of Color in Law, Inc. luncheon, the fabulous & spunky Beth Kransberger (Dean of Student Affairs at TJSL) reminded us to be good to ourselves and good to others...after all, we're among the upper echelon of those blessed with health, education, and opportunity.  That is awesome advice --- to live each day with purpose.

To Run or Not to Run?

I used the kiniseo (spelling?) tape at the AIDS Run 10K this weekend and it made my shins hurt worse!  Usually it hurts for only the first couple of miles but this time it took 5 miles to get rid of the burning.  Boo.  At least my shins stopped hurting at the uphill parts so I ran past tons of people who were tired at that point.  So...do I sign up for the Carlsbad 1/2?  Eck.

Autumn Cleansing

"Detox, detox, detox...I hope it makes me strong like an ox!" -- Actual g-chat status profile of my dorky sig-o :)

Being prone to catching colds that last for almost an entire month at a time, my ears perked up when my fantastic and knowledgeable yoga instructor, Susan, suggested that we all engage in an autumn cleansing/detox before the equinox to ward off potential illnesses as we shift from summer to fall. As Susan explained it, in the summer time, we do and eat a lot of things to keep cool (i.e., foods consumed, sunscreen, etc.) but we need to warm up our bodies to prepare for the chillier fall temperatures. I pulled information together based on suggestions from Susan (she's an Ayurveda practitioner), articles in Yoga Journal, and good ole' google searching, and I came up with this plan for a 3-day detox:

Daily/General Principles
+ Squeeze the juice of 1 whole lemon into a glass of lukewarm water. Drink 3 glasses of lemon water each day, and drink the first glass upon waking up in the morning.

+ Scrub the skin with a dry loofah as hard as you can stand it, as there are many contaminents built up on the skin after a summer of sweating and applying various lotions/sunscreens.

+ Drink 4-6 cups of Yogi DeTox Tea (no worries of weird poop, this tea is for detoxing the liver and kidneys, not a diet/laxative tea...) A box with 16 teabags is less than $5 at Henry's!

+ Abstain from processed sugars, alcohol, processed meats, and refined flour.

+ Eat warm autumn foods.


Prepared Foods & Snacks
I'm a working woman so I relied on a combination of home cooked foods as well as premade store-bought ones...sigh, I know...but I did get everything from my favorite grocery store, Henry's.
+ Brown rice crackers.
+ Organic fruits and vegetables.
+ Organic soy yogurts.
+ Warm organic soups with reduced or no sodium.



Meals
No photos :( I was always hungry when cooking so in my haste to eat I kept forgetting to take any photos of the dishes I cooked.

+ Quinoa: 1 part quinoa, 1 part water, 1 part reduced sodium organic chicken broth. Put all ingredients in a pot with lid on. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Let sit for 3-5 minutes, then fluff up with a fork.

+ Steamed Butternut Squash: Place chopped squash pieces on a steamer in boiling water. Steam for 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

+ Sauteed Organic Red Dandelion Stems (our least favorite dish): Blanch cleaned and chopped red dandelion stems. Sautee in a pan with melted unsalted organic butter. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

+ Braised Chicken: Sprinkle sea salt and pepper on chicken (I used organic free range boneless skinless thighs.) Melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted organic butter on medium-high heat. Cook both sides of chicken for 3-5 minutes each. Pour in organic low sodium chicken broth, reduce heat, and allow to braise for approx. 15 minutes. This chicken was actually really tasty! I was getting irritated with cooking using so little spice and flavor, but this was very good and the chicken turned out nice and tender.

+ Sauteed Kale: Add cleaned and chopped kale to a pan with 1-2 tablespoons of heated olive oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Add 1/2 cup or so of the organic low sodium chicken broth and cover with lid. Reduce heat and cook for another 4-5 minutes depending on how crisp you want the kale. Add fresh squeezed lemon juice to taste (not too much.)

+ Brown Basmati Rice: Cook 1 part brown basmati rice, 1 part water, 1 part organic low sodium chicken broth and 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted organic butter. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

+ Spaghetti Squash: Cut squash in half, lengthwise. Put cut-side down in a baking tray filled with about half an inch of water, then bake in a 375-degree preheated oven for approx. 45 minutes. Scoop out the meat (or spaghetti) with a fork. Toss lightly with olive oil and sea salt.

+ Sweet Potato French Fries: Toss peeled and chopped sweet potatoes in mixture of 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon water. Sprinkle lightly with salt and bake for 30 minutes in a 425-degree preheated oven, turning once.

+ Sesame Cilantro Salmon: Salt and pepper salmon, then cook skin side down in pan with sesame oil for 5-6 minutes so the skin gets nice and crispy. Put in a 375-preheated oven for another 7-10 minutes, until salmon is cooked through to your liking. While salmon is in the oven, use some reserved seseame oil to sautee chopped garlic, cilantro, ginger, and green onions; use this as a topping on the salmon!

***
We both actually feel really good post-detox, but we'll see if it actually does help fend off the cold & flu season! If nothing else, we ate super healthy for 3 days!

First Look at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Teaser "first look webcast": http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/first_look_uo2.html

"First look" website sent via email today: http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/index.html

The website confirms Flight of the Hippogriff, Dragon Challenge, and yes, there will be butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks!

First 1/2 Marathon - done!

K and I ran the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon (aka, "The Happiest Race on Earth") last Sunday, September 6, 2009. He finished in 2:02 and I finished in 2:28. It was a fun race with loads of runners in costume (Minnie Mouses...Mice?, Mickeys, Huey/Duey/Louie, and even Elvis) and definitely with the Disney touch. Every mile was jam packed with high school marching bands, cheerleaders, hula dancers, ballet folkorico troupes, boy scouts, etc., to cheer us on -- it really helped! This is the first race I've done where there was never a wait to use a port-a-potty (thank you, Disney) and the finish line had all kinds of amenities including a station with ice packs and cool towels to wipe off the salty sweat. I am already feeling the itch to sign up for another race even in spite of all my shin splints problems...


Here we are, happy to have finished the race :) K's entire family came out to support us, including his parents, his brother/sis-in-law/niece, and his sister/bro-in-law/niece/2 nephews. It was so cute, K's dad was so excited for our race, he made us signs and even accidentally woke up in a tizzy on Saturday morning thinking he had missed the race only to realize as he was frantically getting ready that the race is Sunday. So now K and I have completed one of our joint New Years Resolutions -- to run at least 3 races together...though this was actually our fourth since we have now done the Mission Bay St. Patty's Day 10K, Coronado Bay Bridge Run (4 miles), and Coronado 4th of July 5K/15K. Next up, AIDS Run/Walk with the Women of Color in Law, Inc. team!

I am such a sucker

The other night I bought a heinously overpriced box of gummy bears in the parking lot of Target. Two young boys, maybe 11 or 12 years old, approached me with friendly smiles. Each of them lugged a duffel bag, aged to two varying shades of worn out gray. "Hello, Miss may I just have a minute of your time?" I tried to ignore the polite greeting and go my own way, but I detected a note of desperation in this kid's voice that reminded me of my own youth and the traces of desperation that would escape my lips as I trudged around with my own little sack containing magazines, Girl Scout cookies, and useless trinkets to peddle for various fundraising purposes. I sighed and stopped to listen as the kid rattled off his list of sweet treats, hazelnut brittle, chocolate chip cookies, gummy bears, and green-tea-with-antioxidants-good-for-the-health (this kid was good!) I then remembered just how much I dreaded the times of year when our troop or classroom would gear up for the annual ___-sale fundraiser since I was almost certain to end up with the least amount of sales. I could only buy so much for myself using my small allowance and the notion of buying fundraising goodies was somewhat bizarre my Korean relatives who did not really have a taste for American sweets or periodicals; and even though my parents owned their own restaurant, they couldn't really hock my wares because well, my parents are immigrants and they were always busy running the show. And so every now and then, when my desire to not-be-last would overtake my childhood shyness, I would opt for the door to door route and feel bitter that my parents did not work in offices with many cubicles filled with co-workers bursting at the seams to buy one another's unnecessary items. Feel bitter when I should have felt grateful that my parents worked all day, every day. So there I was, in the parking lot at Target, lost in a reverie of youth and holding a $7 box of gummy bears.

Mysterious Bruising

For my last long training run, I had planned an easy 8 mile run along De Anza. On Friday night though, as I was using the Stick on the outer part of my right shin, I felt a weird aching on the front part of my shin that is over the bone. I noticed a tiny pin-head sized knot poking out of my skin too. It hurt when I rubbed it with my finger. Curious indeed. I woke up on Saturday morning with a 3-4 inch long bruise on the front of my right shin (the part that was hurting the night before but that I did not even use the stick on...) and it glowed an unflattering shade of red. Sigh. After 12 weeks of adjusting my training, paying out of pocket for a sports chiropractor, diligently doing PT exercises and stretches and eating various foods and taking supplements to reduce muscle inflamation...and I end up with a large, unexplained bruise on my right leg. I felt like my body was slapping me in my own face (err, leg?) and trying to tell me that I am not meant to be a distance runner. So I ran a very uncomfortable, painful, slow, and sweaty (omg hottest weekend in SD in ages) 5.00 mile run at my favorite spot, De Anza Cove. I asked a few of my friends that are more experienced runners about my shin bruise...and I think I busted some capillaries in my leg. I'm going to just do runs on the Elliptical machine and yoga this week and see what happens at the race...

13+ Miles

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - Ran over 13 miles doing the Mission Bay "snowman" loop that started at De Anza, looped through Crown Point, around Sail Bay, across the Sea World parking lot, past Fiesta Island, and back through De Anza Cove. My shins burned so much. I'm pretty frustrated.

Boo

Wednesday, August 19, 2009 - 5.00 miles at De Anza Cove. My shins hurt even when I ran on the grass. I was hoping for a pain-free run today since I went to the chiropractor yesterday. This is frustrating.

Sigh

Monday, August 17, 2009 - 5.00 miles at De Anza Cove, just under 11:00/mile. I got ahead of myself and just started running the first couple miles on the cement and by mile 2.25, I had to stop a few times to stretch; it was all grass running from there. I'm glad though that 5 miles is starting to feel like an easy run (sans shin pain.)

Run Run Run

Saturday, August 15, 2009 - Ran 11.5 miles at De Anza/Mission Bay. I was able to run the entire 11.5 nonstop without stopping once :) It took me (again) the first 3 miles or so to get my shins fully warmed up so I ran off and on the grass until I could stay on the cement without the burning feeling in my legs. I went fairly slow from miles 1-3, picked it up a bit for miles 4-6, got my second wind for miles 7-8, and was really struggling by miles 9-11...my knees and right hip even started to feel tight and plain out worn and tired. I tried to sprint (as much as my aching knees/hip would allow) the last half mile. Total time? Somewhere between 2 hours and 12 or 13 minutes, which is around 11:30/mile for pacing. Not that great but I'm just glad I was able to run this without stopping!

It was a weekend full of run junk; K ran the America's Finest City 1/2 Marathon and finished in an impressive 2:05:31 (9:35/mile pace); I am so proud of him...that's a good time for his first 1/2 marathon! We all got up at the butt crack of dawn to drop off the runners at Balboa Park before 5:30 am, then took a meandering "tour" through Bankers Hill and Hillcrest in desperate search of coffee & breakfast at 6 am. B, B and I got an awesome breakfast at Cafe on Park and made it back to the finish line in time to see K and S! Somehow we missed V, G, N, R, and most everyone else from runsandiego.org :( We hung out, took photos, got free stuff at the vendor booths, and then V and G came over and well enjoyed some beer and sunshine at our pool and jacuzzi. Then B, K and I went to go see Yorkie puppies! Omg, so cute!

I <3 De Anza Cove

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - Another 4.50 miler at De Anza Cove. It's become my favorite spot because you can run on grass for most of the strip. No shin pain. Just under 11:00/mile pace. Let's see how I hold up for my 11.50 miler this weekend!

Is the pattern that there is no pattern?

Monday, August 10, 2009 - Ran 4.50 miles at De Anza Cove today without any pain. I am getting really confused because I can't figure out any sort of pattern for things to do to avoid shin pain. Granted, I ran 80% of my run today on the grassy part of the boardwalk that follows the coast, but not only did I not have pain today, but I also 1) did not use Salonpas the night before 2) nor did I do any of my PT exercises or stretches and 3) I only used the stick for about 2-3 minutes the night prior when I usually spend 10+ minutes using the stick on my legs. Is the key to shin-splints-free running to run exclusively on soft surfaces (i.e, grass, dirt trails)? Or is inaction the real action to running without pain?

10 Miles!

Saturday, August 8, 2009 - 10 miles at Lake Miramar. This time it took the first 3.5 miles for my shins to get warmed up enough that the burning pain went away. Both my right and left shins hurt...the right one now has 2 knots on it and the left one has one giant one. End result - it took me about 1 hour and 13 minutes to do the first lap/5 miles and just less than 55 minutes to run the second lap.

I went to court today!

I had my first court appearance as an esquire (licensed attorney) this morning. It was a very easy proceeding -- a case management conference -- but I must admit I was a bit nervous beforehand since I only covered criminal matters in court as a law student. When I was interning for the DA's office back then, the first time I appeared in front of Judge S. for a criminal arraignment in the downtown courthouse, he totally drilled me with numerous questions because he thought I sounded really young by my voice...and since Judge S. has heightened aural senses (he is blind) I became concerned about sounding young on top of looking young, and so began my journey into "adult voice," i.e., trying to speak in a lower tone. Boo! Today though, I think things went really smoothly...it didn't seem like anyone could tell this was my first court proceeding as an attorney :) My mentor, Judge L. told me I should contact the court reporter in that department and try and get the transcript...maybe I'll look into it!

Most Boring Run Ever

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 - Ran 4.00 miles around the neighborhood, up through Mesa College, and around and around to get in a full run. My left shin tightened up a bit and I had to stop once to stretch it out. Later that night my left shin started to hurt/throb inside the muscle so I had to ice it.

Hilarious!

Gotta love the google auto-suggest feature when typing in a search query...

In case that's too small to be readable, it says "orly taitz is bats**t insane" when you type in ORLY.

Hmm, becoming somewhat superstitious...

Monday, August 3, 2009 - Ran 4.00 miles at an 11:30 pace without any pain whatsoever! I admittedly slept on Sunday night with a salonpas patch on each shin, right where my shin knots usually form when I run. Also, I stretched for a good 25 minutes and did two sets of pigeon-toe raises (25 reps each set) before running because I was waiting for K to meet me up at De Anza Cove. I'm not sure if any of those things are to credit for my pain-free run, but I'll do it again next time!

Da-da-da-da-da-da, Meet me at the Hotel

Saturday, August 1, 2009 - 8.50 miles starting at Shelter Island, running along Harbor Drive and into downtown. My shins were really painful for the first couple of miles but after a few stop-and-stretch breaks, I did the last 6 miles without any pain. I couldn't run any faster than 11:30/mile...if I did, my shins would start to tighten up again...but that's okay, I'm happy I was able to do an entire 8.50 today! Afterwards, we all had a big fatty breakfast at the Broken Yolk. Dave S. kept singing the Pitbull "Hotel Room" song and it's stuck in all our heads now :P

More "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" News

Sometimes with the advent of the Internet-era, the inability to maintain any sort of privacy or anonymity really sorta freaks me out. At other times, like this, when someone far more resourceful and expedient than myself can hunt down so many details about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter through patent/trademark and public records searches, the Harry Potter geek in me gets [for lack of better phraseology] super-duper excited!

Some newly uncovered details about the WWHP:

• A state-of-the-art ride called "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey"
• A kiddie coaster made from an already existing attraction called "The Flight of the Hippogriff"
• An already existing roller coaster being transformed into "Dragon Challenge"
• Restaurants - Three Broomsticks, Magic Neep, and Butterbeer
• Stores - Dervish and Banges, Zonko's, Owl Post, Ollivanders, and Honeydukes

I hope they sell butterbeer...I like to speculate what it tastes like :) In my mind, butterbeer is liquid Werther's original hard candies with a splash of vodka.

Source: http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/wizarding-world-of-h-4993/

Aging with Grace

Why are so many women afraid to allow themselves to age naturally? Today I saw this article about Kim Cattrall's refusal to get plastic surgery for a more youthful appearance. In her own words, she'd rather look like a beautiful older woman rather than The Joker...no offense, Heath Ledger, RIP, or Jack Nicholson. She's gorgeous at 52 and if I were a man (or a lesbian, I guess), her confident, fearless attitude toward aging would make her even more attractive! While we're at it, Diane Lane is also absolutely beautiful and I love her outlook on it all; she is all the more beautiful because she is not scared of some stinking crows feet, which by the way, happen to all people! Her hubby, Josh Brolin--aka, Brandon Walsh of 'The Goonies' fame, and as of late 'The Dubya'--is lucky to be with her.

I find both of them to be preferrable to pretty much every single person featured on Awful Plastic Surgery (which was one of my favorite guilty past time blogs in law school...hey word twist can only keep you occupied for so long in an hour and fifty minute long Wills lecture...)

Granted, I am only in my late 20s (and Asian), but I think aging is a blessing! I am thankful for each day that passes by.

Grrrrrrrr

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - barely ran 4.50 miles at Crown Point :( My shins were killing me. I couldn't run more than a quarter mile at a time before the burning feeling got to be too much. I wonder if it's from wearing stilletos two nights out this weekend?

Perhaps I shall start baking once again?

My buddy just sent me this recipe and I thought it was too cute not to share: PANDA-BREAD!


Click here for the recipe: http://perfectpandas.com/2008/01/08/panda-bread/

I haven't baked anything lately other than S.W.'s recipe for kahulua cupcakes--which are surprisingly easy to make yet always a hit--so maybe I'll try this bread out on my next baking kick!

It's pretty when the sun sets over the beach...

...but sorta scary when it starts getting dark!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - 7.0 miles at De Anza Cove / Fiesta Island at an 11:00 pace. Dealt with shin pain during the first 1.50-2.00 miles and had to stop and stretch 'em out a few times. After that, miles 2.00-7.00 were smooth sailing :) We started running around 7:30 so I saw the sun set over the Pacific Ocean...so pretty! It got fairly dark by the last mile though and sorta scary. Luckily, Kris runs much faster than I, so he (actually did an 8 miler tonight) doubled back and ran the last mile with me so I felt safe!

Hogwarts/Hogsmeade-Love!

I just signed up for newsletter updates from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, Florida. I know Kris and I decided we probably will not go back to Orlando (we spent 5 fun-filled days at the Magic Kingdom back in 2005 before I started law school) until we have kids later on, but I can't resist the urge to check out WWHP once it opens next year b/c it looks pretty awesome:

And they're back :(

Monday, July 20, 2009 - Ran 5.25 miles at De Anza Cove today (again at a nice & easy 11:30 pace.) Had to stop a couple times (at the 1 mile and 1.75 mile marker) to stretch out my shins b/c they started to burn a bit. Grrrrrrr. Luckily after the second stop to rub out and stretch my shins, I was able to run the entire 5.25!

Hottest Run Ever

July 18, 2009 - 5.0 mile run at Lake Miramar at 9:30 a.m. at an easy 11:30 pace, gross sweaty day...my sunscreen was dripping off my skin :( My quads were a bit sore from running on Thursday night after the nearly 2-week break, but no pain once again in my shins! Yay!

Pain-Free!

Yay, so yesterday was my first day back to running after taking a nearly 2 week break, and I finally ran withou any shin pain! I had to stop running after my disastrous 5K time at the 4th of July Coronado 5K (45 minutes b/c I ended up walking the last 2 miles due to shin splints) because of the intense pain from the shin splints and a nasty little cold that made my coworkers send me home from work for an entire week. I'll write another post later about everything I've learned about shin splints, but for now I'll use blogger to help track my 1/2 marathon training progress and shin splints recovery/pain journal, per the recommendation of Chi Running.

Thursday, June 16 - 3.0 miles at a relaxed 11:30 to 12:00 pace. No shin pain! Felt slightly winded when running and tummy felt off (probably b/c the lasagna I ate for lunch, boo.)

Sigh, time to re-formulate my 1/2 marathon training plan, now that I only have 7 weeks to train.

The Bucket List

Places to travel to in the near future:

1. ANTARCTICA - maybe this will have to wait as a cruise ship destination once I'm retired?
2. ARGENTINA - Iguazu Falls, hike Patagonia
3. AUSTRALIA
4. BRASIL - Rio de Janiero
5. CANADA - British Columbia, Montreal, Nova Scotia, & Toronto
6. DUBAI
7. EGYPT - Cairo, Luxor, pyramids!
8. EUROPE - everywhere!!!!! Especially Eastern Europe!
9. FIJI
10. GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
11. GHANA
12. INDONESIA - Bali, etc.
13. JAMAICA
14. KAZAKHSTAN - just because...
15. KENYA - safari!
16. MADAGASCAR
17. MEXICO - Maya Tulum
18. MOROCCO - Casablanca, etc.
19. NEPAL - Kathmandu
20. NEW ZEALAND
21. PERU - Machu Picchu
22. PHILIPPINES
23. RUSSIA - St. Petersburg
24. TAHITI
25. USA - Alaska (glacier park), Havasupai Falls, Big Island, Seattle, the Narrows
    

Places I want to go back to:

1. CUBA
2. INDIA - this time to see the Taj Mahal
3. JAPAN - this time, with money to spend at nicer restaurants/hotels :)
4. KOREA - visit family
5. SOUTH AFRICA - Jberg, Cape Town
6. VIETNAM - to see the beaches

That's all doable in the next decade, right? :)

Coping in the Digital Era

'Twas the summer of '07. My first real taste at law firm life, another summer away from the significant other, and the time when I realized that as much as I love the Arizona desert, it had ceased feeling like home to me years before. It was also the first time in my extremely blessed life that I had to deal with the passing of a friend (my sorority Sister) and understand death and loss in the 21st century.

It was Friday night and I was elated to be back in San Diego for the weekend to see my significant other, K. On the nice breezy drive from the airport to his house, I got the text message: "ARP was in a car accident, it's pretty bad." A couple hours later, another ominous message: "There's very little brain activity, she might not make it until the morning." Odd as it sounds, my first inclination was to jump on Facebook and Myspace. No news of a horrific car accident...it couldn't be true, could it? I held on to the rather naive belief to get myself to bed that night that if it was not broadcast on the virtual world, maybe it was a mistake...a gross exaggeration...

ARP and I had not been all that close. She pledged into the sorority after I already graduated and I could probably count the number of times we met in person on one hand. Still though, in my memory, she was beautiful, smart, funny, spunky, and committed to God, her family, and her Sisters. How could someone this amazing and talented be taken at such a young age?

By the next day, mid-morning, she was gone. This time, her Facebook and Myspace were already filled with tributes to ARP and how she had touched so many lives with her kindness, zest for life, and nonjudgmental willingness to accept people. I couldn't find the words to leave my own tribute, so I took the passive aggressive approach to virtual coping; I hugged her using Facebook's SuperPoke application.

Within a couple of days, a Facebook group created to honor her memory and disseminate information about her memorial service already had over 500 members. The service itself was a testament to the fact that with her genuine niceness, ARP had left a profound impression on most everyone who had the privilege to encounter her. There were hundreds of people that day, clad in orange t-shirts and blue jeans, standing under the hot oven-like rays of the Arizona sun, waiting for the chance to pay our respects and wish her a fond good-bye. Even in her passing, she had the ability to bring people together—to laugh, to tell stupid jokes, to cry, to weep, to mourn, and to be thankful for meaningful relationships.

Over the last two years, her pages still fill up with messages to let her know that her presence and impact are still very real. Maybe it’s because it’s a tangible way to feel close to her once again, to communicate our thoughts and feelings to her in a way that feels real…that she’s gone but not forgotten? Or maybe it’s just to let her know, ARP, you’re missed.

Hello!

I finally decided to make a blogspot to make it easier to keep up with all the other blogspots I read, and maybe to write a little here and there to get away from my recent trend of, "Wow, how is it already [insert current month]? What have I been doing for all of [insert current year]?"

The meaning behind the name of my blog is pretty simple: I love to travel and I love to see the sunset. I especially love to travel and see beautiful sunsets around the world :) Though in my mind, there's still nothing like an Arizona sunset!

On a side note, has xanga gone completely and utterly defunct or what?