I don't even know today is how many days since CNY but I am still getting lai see, so it must be a GOOD DAY!!!

SCM 2013

The once a year Standard Chartered Marathon is over again!

I felt that the "running" atmosphere is so high this year because of all the devoted runner friends around. Everybody has worked so hard over the last 6 months (sometimes even a year!) to train for this! And it so happens that the annual Tokyo marathon is on the same day, so the spirit is even higher than normal.

As usual, i was shitting my pants because I 膽粗粗地 enrolled into the half
marathon!!

Judging by my 年初四's 4K performance & the UNICEF experience, the more reasons
i was shittin' my pants, but as it turns out, i've outdone myself! I gave myself 
2:30:00 to finish and turns out i only need 2:06:11!!

Good 1 - I managed to run the first 12-13K without stopping (except for a sip of water)
Good 2 - I was able to breath normally throughout the whole journey
Good 3 - No muscle fatigue at all (thank god for the 2XU tights!)

Though having said that, my kneecaps were absolutely taking a battering. Have to start
skip/hop/jog from 16K onwards, and i spent the rest of the day looking like a 100 year-old
grannie who have hip problem. I was slightly worry because my knees felt very wobbly.
I tried to sprint the last 100m but my legs just won't and can't do it...

Still, i'm proud of myself!! 

Thanks but no thanks - I'm not brave enough to do full marathon yet. The faces i saw 
at the junction of Marsh Road & Lockhart last sunday made me rethink like 10 times,
and the answer is still NO!!! lol

I aim to do a faster time at 10K & 21K next!

CNY

Our family and the year of snake have set on the wrong foot on the very first day. Granddad passed away all of a sudden.

I was pretty sad and in utter shock when i "read" the news on FB that my mom posted. I knew she wouldn't joke about something like that on FB and especially not on the first day of CNY. Not funny.

But after all, he is 94 year old and i really feel sad for him everytime i go home. My mom would complain about him this and that and start talking very loudly to him as if he's a kid who's hasn't done what he was told.

Frankly speaking, i have thought about this day for a couple of times. What happens if granddad pass away? How's mom going to feel for everything she's said to him? I wouldn't want to be pushed to speak like that to my parents when they're as old as he was. 

Now i know, my mom was shattered. The news almost killed her, as i expected, she started questioning if it was the right decision to put him in old-ppl's home, whether he was unhappy, if she hasn't looked after him good enough.

I am certainly guilty for not having speak to him as often as i can, and not caring about him the way he did when i was a kid. I'm not proud of it. 

These days - the phrase - "Life Happens" keeps wandering in my head. This is life - people die, people you love dies, there is not a single thing you can do to prevent this from happening. Thats when "you only live once" comes in - life no regrets, live everyday as if it's the last day. 

Despite the positive thinking (which i honestly believe in) - I knew i still feel really sad inside, deep inside. I stopped crying on the second day but i can feel the emotions surfacing whenever i see things that may trigger my soft side, my eyes swells up and i need to swallow hard and make it go away. It could be as simple as a sad song or seeing old people picking trash on the street. 

I planned to be at work two days but i took them off at the end. I need my me time. With Tai Hau, i tried not to be too sad because I know if i'm sad, it puts him in a weird mood too. 

Life goes on, we all have to move on one way or another, but honestly this feels odd. I can't wondering, as much as i don't want to, my own mother will eventually leave me one day and how heartbroken will i be? So many things happened all these years, resentments, arguments, disagreements but still we manage to have a relation with each other. Not that she is here to help me when i needed or pamper me when i'm heartbroken but she's my mother, as much as i may not have understood why she does certain thing, she raise me (at least for 15 out of my 3x yrs), who am i going to call if i want to gossip about my step brother? Who am i going to call if i want to find out how to clean the bathroom effectively? Who am i going to call if i ended up having a broken marriage (if i'll ever have one)?

So much sorrow inside, i wish it'll go away soon. 

年廿八

未到新年, my two bosses (CEO & soon to be ex-boss) has already given us red pocket! Woohoo!

Having dinner with my soon-to-be ex-boss on Wed...it better be good!

Bad news

I was given a piece of bad news on Monday, financially related.

As happy as i was, being given a tiny raise this year, it's all been taken away by this piece of news.

Friends - I am going to be financially crippled for the coming 3-4 months, meaning i won't be able to go to any gatherings :(

As much of a bad news as it is, the good side of it, is that things should be back to normal after May - fingers crossed.

If I would've encountered this a year ago, i would be absolutely stressed my nuts off. While this is by no means not stressful, but it's by no means end of the world either. Yes, i won't be spend ANY extra cash other than daily food, and yes i hate that but this will still be better than worrying when the debt is going to come back and haunt you. 

Also read an article in a website called - Mind, Body, Green

Ten things to remind yourself on daily basis

I tell myself that these are the things that i should keep in mind everyday. Whether life is good or bad, it all depends on the way you choose to see it. 

Fifty shades of

Need i say more? 

This is one TRULY pornographic novel, even I am a bit embarrassed while reading it.

Running shoes

The shopping bug has not stopped bugging me since christmas. In the light of overspending in December and just paid 80% of my tax bill, i still cannot resist -

Bought this on Saturday -


I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT
The yellow may look a bit too loud in the photos but it is actually quite subtle when you have them on... 

I've always wanted to get this minimus when it first came out (I still want it!- only racing the planet sells them now and they're pricier than buying in the NB shop when they're available :() -

But it happen so i just bought the Nike Free 3.0...which was still a great pair of running shoes, but there's something about new balance's shoes which i really like - anyway, who cares as long as it looks good right?!

I tried wearing this in BC class on Sunday - they're SUPERB! They're better than my nike 3 because it has a sturdy heel cover, hence my feet doesn't move around when i tried to jump or shuffle. 

My lunar glide was suppose to be my combat shoes but they're just too big, con by the salesman, saying that my feet is bigger than i thought and i should do one size up - TOTAL mistake, wasted :( and they're more expensive!

This new balance cost me only $556!!! "C lai" like me would definitely think it's a bargin!!! MUST BUY!! lol

Vibram HK100

19th - 20th  was the Vibram HK 100 event. 

1200 people have registered to run 100K on the Maclehose trail section 1- 10. Whilst I was too late (thank god!) for registration, i volunteered myself as a volunteer to help out these courageous individuals!

Me and Tai Hau was assigned as a race marshal at the Shing Mun BBQ site, where trail 6 ends and trail 7 begins. That's where people get confused because you can either turn right or left and only one route will take you to the finish line!

I had a great time even tho i've only seen about 50+ runners passing our spot before our shifts end - now i regret that i didn't take pics of the writings i did on the floor! I stole one signage tho :P hehe

Whilst we were there for over 6 hours and we clapped everytime a person comes down the hill, it sort of affects the families at the BBQ pits too. They were clapping with us, saying "add oil" to the runners. I find that very heart warming!

And bonus of the day was that there was a family who came to the site about 5:30 kept feeding us with grill shrimp/chicken wings/sweet potatoes! We were about to head to the check point to get some food but the little girl (bout 8-9 yr old) chase us down the road to give us food!! I feel awful that i have nothing to give in return except a few glowing sticks!! 

 Me @ CP8 with goodies bag!

 Up on trail section 6 checking signage - amazing weather!

Me in bright florescent orange! I feel like a construction worker in that LOL 

This is the family who kept giving us food!






The only thing was that we didn't manage to stay long enough to watch bubble pass, such a shame - but she finished the race below 18 hours!!! Two 100K race in 5 months' time!! Can't help to give her 100 thumbs up!

Fast & Furious

I was furious last night while I realised that people I worked with are slightly racist and utterly stubborn.

Long story short is that expat group is ganging up on one of the locals, not in ways that you can see but they're "typing little reports" at boss's (the other boss) face.

I tried to be as neutral as i can as an office manager but the more the topic was discussed, the more i realised that they resent her purely because she gets paid more and more benefits and the fact that her duties aren't as hectic as theirs.

These resentment should be directed to the senior management team who hired her and plan her work. Not directly to that person i suppose?

Ok, there are things she does that i don't agree with, but that was being talked about already in her appraisal, all other reasons for resentment is only because they're fuckin jealous?! What's wrong with her negotiating a higher salary and more holidays? I always standby a motto - "you don't ask, you don't get". Don't resent people just because they have the guts to ask for what they want and to say that they're "milking" the company is just strictly unfair. Funny enough that they company gave it to her. And if it was soooo unreasonable, then why not speak up?

I really really really really don't like people who behaves and act like that. If i have a problem that i can no longer live with, I speak up. Situation may or may not change but at least i've done something and not just sit there and moan. 

Lucky enough I am not at the same level eh?! otherwise i'll be the target?? Maybe i'm just not smart enough and i hate office politics with 1000% of my heart. 

I'm gonna combat my heart out/ ass off tonight to release all the anger in me. No good for health holding it in.

Jokes

My boss just made a joke which i'm not quite sure if it's entirely appropriate but i'm loving it LOL

Conversation (in Cantonese) was about him attending a model making class - 

J: I am just a bit nosy but what's that model class on your schedule about? model as in learning to catwalk? lol?

B: Haha no, just an advance model making class that me and my friend have talked about for years. I could retire now and i still wouldn't be able to put all the models that i've bought!

J: Waaa..and how many is that?!

B: About 500 maybe. It's probably an obsession of mine.

J: OOoooo...(starts to be speechless cos i know no sh** about models)

B: Whilst actual model making is a hobby of mine, i have a friend whose hobby is actually "切 model" - haha if you know what i mean

J: Hohohoho....ok (drop a sweat -.- Hah! )

Definitely not harassing me but i just love it that he is so down to earth, not cocky and having that nasty bossy attitude. I'll be sad when he's gone.


** in case i'm not 100% clear - his "切 model" means sleeping with models that actually does runway catwalks.