Christmas Carols ringing out the meaning of Christmas....

'this the season to be jolly, falalalala, lalalala....
Why? To celebrate end of year? Possibly receiving presents from those who love you? Big feast? The Birth of Jesus Christ who was born this day and saved the world, or rather, Thanks to him we mortal beings have a good enough reason to remember our loved ones, cashing in on the opportunity, cos in our busy daily lives we never stop to reward ourselves?

Over the last few years, I've had a few rather different Christmases. In the bleak, mid winter,frosty wind made moan...Christmas orphans being adopted into others family celebrations, where life stops and we feast merrily, listening in on the Queen's speech, exchanging presents, watching time go by...Strolling in nature in the days after, to try to work off the effects of gluttony....quality once-off time spent with some...with only memories to imprint, and not always snapshots to retrieve. My love and Thinking of you all.

A contrast to the years spent in Asia, where buffets happen alongside family gatherings, Santa of all shapes and sizes greet with meaningless toys from bonbons, then it's off to shopping shopping and more shopping...

And this year, it will be a return to the warmth of sunny Australia, the chance to soak it all up outdoors, dodging the heavy Santa outfits...and time with new family members which will be a new experience..

A key element linking all this, are the Christmas music that one has to accompany the festive season. School years have come and gone with concerts and rehearsals of various hymns which brings together what it is all about. 'o little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie..'

In recent years, I have played with friends at their Christmas celebrations and have led some shy individuals to singalong, or kiddies with short attention spans to 'disrupt' the performance when it goes slow...requests along the lines of easy, cheerful 'Jingle Bells..Jingle All the Way!' I enjoyed it when my friend Fiona, who played keyboard and guitar whilst I played the sax, asked everyone why 'We Three Kings' was what it was, and what were the symbolism of the 'gifts that traversed afar' . An amazing lesson on why.

In the shops, there's always hurried songs that gets on my nerves, with an intention to speed us up on our purchases...examples include Mariah's "All I want for Christmas is you.." , or "聖誕老人來了" ( in tune of frosty the snow man) ..ie more of those about Santa, and gifts..at these times I get irritated about occasions when my workmates tell me about the stresses of locating a specific gift for their child, and running across London to secure it. the satisfaction of Santa 'getting it right' for the kids of today, and thus their motivation to earn decent wages to support that? Hmm...could be easier if Santa is only a myth and not one that kids can use to advance their uncontrollable stash of toys from everyone who has the expectation to keep up? And also, the limited luggage space for the long haul traveller to bring something for everyone...and probably feeling that it wouldn't be all that well-received on the other end...the perpetuality of not repeating gifts, or getting something that will bring a smile, in time, appreciated. Reinforcing the idea next year...good for retail but not everyone's best news ( esp on arrival of Jan's card statement!)

Or the Ever growing PC collection of cards for Xmas, for not just the typical parents, but mum and boyfriend, brother and boyfriend, dad and step mother, sister and fiancée, the list goes on..And which Charities cards to buy and why and how much? It is big business in itself.

Well, of course the company Xmas parties, a diversion for organisers and those who attend as a yardstick of whether this working year is better than the others, and the opportunity for corporates to thank spouses (or gate-crashing friends) of employees how they have patiently tolerated the peaks and troughs of their employees work this year...

It's only recently I've really paid attention to some of the lyrics in the non hymnal songs and have started to understand what it's all about, and liking them even more. Examples include:
I saw mummy kissing Santa Claus - why was daddy missing? I used to think broken families, but maybe Santa = daddy?
Winter wonderland - a beautiful song with a story throughout.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas - people on their own? Music with a sad tone (heard numerous times in my travels this weekend in Singapore!) about the joys of it all..

and for further reading, A recent article in the guardian about what is the best.


I sometimes can't wait for the calendar to flip over to the new year, when we can put 'The Christmas Industry' out of the way and begin afresh. In this regard I have a higher respect for Thanksgiving as a holiday and wished that my part of the world use it more than attach it to Christmas ( or Kissmas, I cringe when I hear that...it's not what it's all about!!!)

Almost time to head south, with our plastic sleigh of goodies, and jet lag still trailing along....Joy to the World! But one can't always make heaven and nature sing...!

- linking photo of mariah and Justin courtesy of Amanda talars blogpost which echoes mine....agh

A mentor, trusted advisor

As the year is slowly coming to an end, it's time for a review of all the meetings we have had, over coffee, breakfasts, over the phone, across the miles via skype,

and finally, one on couches overlooking the Thames.

We kept time by staring across the river to a clock of an organisation that we both have a passion for, past and future, in a venue that I do spend a lot of time in when I get the time, and did explore spending even more time there, but life didn't turn out that way.

It's been an interesting journey. A relationship I sought out to establish, via a network that opened new doors to meeting aspiring women. A first choice that didn't turn out, but a shared passion and stepping out to express my intentions made it happen.

A year of asking questions, and would I say, my actions mirrored hers? Coming out of my shell, asking for feedback, reaching out, yes, the pendulum has started to swing. It's good to know that there is someone who you can share and can prompt you to do more, even when you don't believe that you can.

The tools to make decisions, empowerment to own them, responsibility to take on the next challenge. Will we ever know whether the next step is the right step? But if we never try will we ever find out? How do we manage those that hold you back, or those that say go, for their various reasons?

It is you that knows best. Know Thyself. Take Action.

****

Bamboos, Temperate House, Kew Gardens

Just finished reading Aleph, by Paulo Coelho. Picked up this book from the library hoping to be inspired on new journeys. One of the most interesting things that I have picked up from the book was the author's skim-read of an article about the Chinese Bamboo. "once the seed has been sown, you see nothing for five years apart from a tiny shoot. All the growth takes place underground, where a complex root system reaching upwards and outwards is being established. Then at the end of the fifth year, the bamboo suddenly shoots up to a height of 25 metres.." Inspirational, thinking of the bamboo plants we once had in our backyard in Sydney when we were young. It didn't take them 5 years to spread like crazy. More about my late autumn visit to Kew Gardens to come..

Tea, Cake and Science of Hearing

Finally, a link between my marathon fundraising, the research it propels and understanding the hidden deficiencies of hearing loss!



I spent Thanksgiving evening at the UCL Ear Institute on an informative session organised by Deafness Research UK, about hearing deficiencies and their fundraising in securing radical improvements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of deafness and other hearing impairments over Tea, Cake and other refreshments.

Followers of this blog so far will know that I raised funds for Deafness Research UK whilst training for the Virgin London Marathon earlier this year, and have since returned to volunteer on a weekly basis in the last month.

My interest in the charity stemmed from being a sufferer of sensorineural hearing loss, a deficiency I largely denied throughout my childhood and only brought to my attention again more than 5 years ago during my PADI Open water diver medicals, which involved a hearing assessment.

I cannot hear high frequencies as well as the average person, and do struggle hearing in noisy environments. Although I don't live with a hearing aid, there has been times I have been told it is a worthwhile investment. I didn't understand the ways of the deaf, and never thought about it much until I saw a few ladies on the train into london, speaking in hushed tones, louder laughes and big gestures - it wasn't charades they were playing!

I nodded many times during this evening when presenters (such as the Chief Executive, Individual Giving Assistant) brought up common issues such as pretending to understand something when they didn't, a preference for restaurants and bars with carpet, requests to turn up the volume of the tv, processing a sound by lip reading rather than hearing it, and when in fact, every hearing disorder is different.

We got a taster of the Bionic Ear Show - which is a fun and interactive initiative roadshow the charity conducts in schools and workplaces free of charge to bring awareness to this delicate instruments of ours that sticks out on both sides of our heads. Sound clips of what people can hear with NHS sponsored hearing aids at different levels, really made me realise how lucky I am to have the hearing levels that I have got. Some people who have lost enough 'hairs' inside their cochlea - to them, they can't even make out the sound of trumpets. It will all sound like hushed drums!

The evening concluded with a final presentation by UCL scientist Sally Dawson of how the funds from the charity has allowed her team to get started on research examining the genetic effects of adult onset hearing loss. The link for me was that funding was often non-existent for specialised areas such as hearing, and in order to get research to a level where it would be supported by larger medical funding bodies such as Wellcome Trust, this is where funds for Deafness Research UK comes in. (and indeed, having visited the grand premises of Wellcome Trust, vs DRUK's offices, I am aware of the scale)

Over refreshments, I got to speak to more of the charity's staff and also seeing supporters purchase some of the Christmas cards to help raise more funds - this is something that I helped with over the last month - click link here for the online shop.

It is good seeing the results of hard work - and I wish the Best for Deafness Research UK and hope it can bring greater awareness to all about the importance of hearing as it has to me.

I now appreciate the ability to enjoy music as much as I can - and under circumstances, bringing my earplugs along to lower the possible damage it can cost. Because, once it's gone, it's not going to be ever as perfect as natural hearing.

The drums in a Jazz set - Duc des Lombards, Paris

Tax, Coffee, and all that Jazz...

Much of my past fortnight has been spent in attending CA CPE sessions,  jumping out of my comfort zone into the 'essentials' of accounting knowledge such as Topical Tax tips,coffee and meetings with people about future opportunities, attending assessment centres on all sorts of psychometric tests and presentations, exploring how various organisations work and playing a part to its potential success...

In short, a bit too busy to blog although there's much to give in bite size servings if I had stopped! My brain has been stretched to the limit and so has my body too...coming down with a cold! :(

In spite of all this, I did manage to catch a few performances at the London Jazz Festival this year and dragging a few friends along. Particularly enjoyed the Barbican Freestage on Sat 12th November with Samuel Jon Samuelsson's Big Band, which was followed by the amazing McCoy Tyner Trio - with tenor saxophonist Chris Potter.. and vocalist Jose James...a concert at the Barbican that lasted til 10:30 pm!

My last taste of the Festival was a Sunday afternoon at 606 club near Imperial Wharf , a once-neglected part to the west of Kings Road in Chelsea. Pressed the buzzer and I was led to the basement and over a rather hearty lamb rump and starters to accompany a quintet featuring Barnaby Dickinson (trombone), Mark Fletcher (drums), Graham Harvey(piano), Nigel Hitchcock (alto sax) and Lawrence (bass) - my friend and I explored what it's all about.

Maybe they've never played together, some of the music freshly off the printer in the morning,however, it was most enjoyable, the drums set the scene, and off they went , following a form, and then improvising , and coming back together again towards the end. a most entertaining sunday afternoon!

So how do they get there?

I'd like to quote from LJF's festival's venue newspaper from an article by Edward Randell:

" How do you move beyond learning scales to being able to express yourself emotionally through music? [says Parlato:] "Sometimes its a matter of stepping away from the music for a second and doing a little soul-searching and kind of figuring out who you are and what you want, what your triggers are, how you communicate and how you react."


"Music, is a conversation which is give and take, it's listening to sound and space".


[Adam Wilson agrees:] " To make that conversation occur, one of the first things you've got to do is have confidence. You can't be scared to speak to somebody, you have to be able to say your name, and say who you are and explain what you want to do and what you're all about. And you have to be able to say this in music....


So I tell kids not to have any fears. I even ask them, ' say your name to me- no, I can't hear you. Say it again, much stronger, support it.' And that's the kind of thing that you have to do when you're playing music."

and stronger, I say, not necessarily just louder.  I think about the Topical Tax tips lecture, the Musician who was disallowed his losses by being a teacher after being a performer with a reasonable income in the previous year as well as all those tax evasion cases knocked back due to businesses operating without an intention to profit? Why? In the artistic world, is it easy to be commercial and also communicate well? Definitely! But there are so many fish in the pond...one just needs to work harder.

A thought propped up by a plunger of coffee - one that awakens for the journey ahead in the darker and colder days that is to come.

Autumn Racing and medal bling tally for 2011

A Passion to Perform, in work and in my personal life, my medal tally for 2011, half of them, were Personal Bests , over 3 distances:
Half Marathon (Race your pace Dorney Lake), Marathon (Virgin London Marathon) and 10k (Capital Runners Bushy Park)

Been home for almost a month now, and I still recall AMSTERDAM Half -MARATHON weekend (14th - 16th October) being a rather lethargic one. Fresh off the plane from Houston on the morning of 14th October, we had only a few hours to be reacquainted with our home, and the cold weather, and then off again to Amsterdam.
A city visited many times, we were not too keen on the sightseeing. Friday night, a walk in the wrong direction in the cold, but keen to find some Indonesian food (but not keen enough to over-do and upset our stomachs) we feasted on Rijsttafel, and got basic provisions, and slept like babies in our spacious room. Saturday was spent bib-collecting, having a big indonesian lunch, playing 'hide-and-seek' with our other friends in town and trying to settle in early for the big day. I still remember the lady from the Chinese restaurant saying 'we support you'! But we couldn't sleep well at all that night...jet lag was affecting us more than probably our european counterparts (many travelling running teams from Italy, UK joining this race and staying in our hotel).

Sunday morning was windy with blue skies. Perfect weather but unprepared were we, no garbage bags, minimal warm clothing for the start. However, the start was spectacular. In the Olympic stadium, well rugged up, I waved to Seng and Cath as they set off on their 42.195kms..

then caught up with our other spectators, Leon and Serena. We didn't venture too far hoping to catch them quickly, saw Seng, and then waited for too long and no sign of Cath. Checked the iphone App (Roaming)...she's sped off way ahead! A cold day, poor transport links to other spectator points, I gave up on my spectating 'grand plan', took the train back to the hotel, relaxed and got going again for the 13:30pm Half Marathon start.

Serena and I met, got to the start line - we separated , leaning across to the other side, hoping to see our marathon friends come in...but no such luck. Off I went as the gun goes...slowish to start...at least it warmed up. The course itself was not the most exciting, but the crowds made up for it. and where were the pacers? I just knew that I couldnt stop, except for water, AA drink (after activity drink), sponge, and to take a gel. No walking though, but I couldn't pick up my legs and bolt. The best part of the run was the last 3kms through Vondelpark (all downhill? and not disillusioned like Hyde Park , or Bois du Bologne), and with the last kilometre...I saw people bolting, the 2 guys with 2:00 balloons also rushing ahead of me, but I cannot find my central governor (he has gone misisng). I just maintained my pace, said hello to Cath (all dressed now) and Leon, and race into the Stadium!
So glad it was over..2:05:31. Consolation for being the fastest time in an autumn half marathon, which has been for the last few years slower than the winter ones, when I was building up for a full. Oh well.

A few weeks later, and how else to celebrate the milestone, my birthday by entering the Capital Runners BUSHY PARK 10k  (the original intention was to enter another runbritain half marathon to improve my handicap and earn an extra badge on the site, but proximity precedes irrationalism - I'm glad!). Another cold morning, a reminder of the february windy long run where I took the bus to Hampton and ran home (3 hours +).
A paid race and hence, less daunting than the Bushy Park 5k Parkrun saturday (apparently 200 people + at the start), the set-up did feel like parkrun, well it was in a Park! A long wait...giving up my bag at the last minute, to start off at 10am along the paved path. I had a few 'friends' along with me all the way - a Mr Run-Walk, who walked even at 1km, but always seem to catch up, a Miss Pink, who would lift her legs high and run and catch up..and also the lone deer with lovely horns, spectating within close quarters, with other herds of deers spectating far away.
The trickiest part of the race was running through fallen leaves on soft ground. My focus was not to twist anything! Like the summer morning training, I tried hard not to get a stitch. 2 laps of the same, with marshals smiling at me as I approach the lake...the last few kilometres, and the final kilometre...faster than I thought, and did we cut corners? I wouldn't have thought but not too sure...the clock says 54:55. A PB, and knowing that I could do it, when my 10k split at amsterdam was around 55 mins and way too fast for the first half.

It wasn't a easy run, but I'm glad to hang up paid racing for the year (next goal, Parkrun) - and to celebrate with a lovely foodie lunch cooked by Petra
- worth the effort to walk across Bushy Park, my spring training ground, my summer biking playground and the first I've seen it in autumnal glory, with falling leaves. 


"Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all, my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall"

On birthday's eve

As I stand and watch the fireworks in front of my eyes,
with a heavily pregnant friend of mine
In the crowds, bonfires and smoke surrounding
I realised what it's all about.

Thirty something years ago
My own mother was in the hospital ward
Pushing, waiting for the moment her first born comes into the world.

The start of a lifetime of opportunities and fun experiences,
The dawn of new hope
Worrying if she would cope

Yes, celebrations, year upon year upon year.
Big, small, cakes, candles, the crowd comes and goes.
Some stay, and always will.
Not the ones because of what you have/don't have,
Not the ones because of where you live and whether they have better places to be seen at.
But the ones who brought you here, those truly grateful that you came into their world. Those precious few.

It's not about the presents -
Be it to brag a bag from Tiffany's or a star from Michelin
It's about presence - advancing another year with learnings from experiences past.
A new year for yourself, to advance and learn.
Of nuturing treasured relationships, less of those that slash and burn.

Deterioration being the inevitable criterion
Do we hasten its pace, or stop the race?
To enjoy at one's own pace
In real, nature or in virtual space.

Happy Birthday,
We age and reflect in time this time every year, but it's really just another day. ;)







- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Seek, and you shall find...

...something least expected. A modelling opportunity!

I found myself in the premises of an Old School campus in Clerkenwell, on a Thursday afternoon, for a 15 minute interview.
A volunteer opportunity for this year's London Jazz Festival at the Producers.

15 minute is short to tell 2 people a story about why you want a job for free, how to ace an interview with very little relevant experience (in hindsight, I could've listed lots more) , so I injected them with passion. My little mind ticking everytime I am in a theatre, what kind of shows will get bums on seats, whether modernisation of classical sets were the way to go, how much to pay artists, attract talent, marketing. The bottom line of my thoughts, I told them, is because I was trained as an accountant. I also said I played the saxophone, and that got their attention, and had their colleague to come in and let me in on their latest project...

Fast forward to Wednesday afternoon - 26th October, I found myself in the Portico rooms of Somerset House. In Concert Musician Black. With a room of other saxophonists. There were chatter, everyone was unloading boxes.

Real cool. We filled in the forms, got paid, and filed into the room which looked like a setting for a press conference - with London 2012 logo and many of the sponsors too. We were to pose, but not play. How to stop horn players from tooting away? Some chose to not insert a reed. Some had their mouthpiece covers on. I came prepared with earplugs from Deafness Research charity that I had been volunteering that morning, thinking there will be musicians letting loose. But it didn't happen.

in the drizzle, we went down into the courtyard - and were asked to form into a shape of the union jack. 'The Asian lady, stand here'...the photographer hollered from the balcony..yes, who else but me. I got into position, looked up, no one asked to smile. Tried to look natural. Same as everyone else.

There were a few other poses. inside, on the stairs. Photographers wanted to know how many girls were there - we were certainly in the minority and had to be mixed around to provide variety to the mix. Diversity as a theme of the Olympics I reckon.

the stairwell , im 3rd up on the left on the stairs. some saxophonists refused to dangle their horns over the railings - these were precious instruments.

We finished off with a final shot outside looking like we were playing behind water - being the River of Music theme.

We then were dismissed - back in the room, undid our mouthpieces, commented on the niceness of each other's horns, how they got into this photoshoot, and what they are going to do with the money. An assembly of players on a weekday afternoon, and who would be free to do this? Only when opportunity presents itself unexpectly.


A day later, some of these pictures were to appear in the press release and further photos. Spot me - pretty obvious I would think! :)

Andy Shepherd (front left) is going to hold an event with 200 saxophonists closer to the Olympics and we would be notified in due course...it would be interesting as it was absolute torture for almost 30 players to gather that day and not make music. It would've been a good jam session.

I didn't get the volunteer role at the London Jazz Festival this year. Which means I will now make my impact as the audience again, analytical mind ticking, wondering how many bums on seats and which ones would've emptied out halfway before the show is done. Perhaps this will free me up for better things that are coming this way?

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

This afternoon, we were in BestBuy
Trialling photobooth
Here, there, different backgrounds.
"Move away from the screen"
The screen says.
When we did, the rollercoaster moved
Ahh...a stroke of genius!
I picked up the MacBook air
Thinking, can I make my next laptop, an Apple?
Thinking of my shares in another laptop manufacturer
And incompatibility with the work of any conventional employer

But ....The lightness, the Smoothness.
Intuitive funky graphics,
The Apple of my eye
Has a higher price to buy

The Apple family that's changed my life, from Nike+, to Podcasts to FaceTime to iPad HDMI videos..as it has for many others too.

The news came that the founder today has died.
Goodbye Steve, hope you've had the time of your life. May you Rest in Peace.

Sent from Bonnie's iPhone4 (not quite waiting for an iPhone5, like many others, but the day will come)

Knife Skills 101

Knife skills, why need them?
Don't we already know from picking it up and using it, from home economics classes in high school, or from the amazing mandolin salespeople in department stores?

I spent a worthwhile saturday morning at Central Market Houston (our local for all fresh food) as a student again, back to the basics, Knife Skills 101.

Armed with my Messermeister knife bag and a few of the Wusthofs in our 'touring collection',

I set off onto the first floor of Central market, to a classroom with groups of tables and a demonstration bench. I always look out for the number of demonstration benches to get a feel for how hands on the class is, and this time, they had chopping boards lining up the front bench with chef's knife for everybody (we were encouraged to bring our own).

Our class started promptly at 10am. Chef explained to us that Knife Skills were essential to greater efficiency in the kitchen, and proceeded to give us some theoretical background on types of knives, safety, uses, maintenance, and then got us all to work at the benches.


We had good practice on slicing, dicing, julienne, supreme ( a technique to use only the soft bits in citrus fruits) on various vegetables - onions (no goggles required although some of us did get emotional), tomatoes, garlic (smash and mincing), potatoes (making fries was that easy?), basil, oranges, grapefruit and pineapple. I love it when instructors explain why we add salt onto garlic before mincing (to draw out the moisture) , or take seeds off tomatoes for pasta sauce (seeds were bitter), as the best way to learn is to know why and to proceed with it.




The fruits of our labor became dinner - was the line on the course description. I had wondered why, but found the answer at 12pm when we settled in our groups with a meal and glass of white to taste the products of our knife work - thanks to all the assistant chefs around.

The key to perfecting knife skills is practice, practice, practice. Equipped with refreshed skills, I can make myself more useful in the kitchen, with more efficient techniques in food preparation. Sharpening the Saw, Woodshedding.....practice makes perfect.


Another thing we were taught, if we drop a knife (even if it is worth $1000), let it drop. It is not worth losing 4 fingers over $1000). Glad to report that no fingers were lost during the class :)

Insightful, and essential. What a class. And with the perfect excuse to tour Central Market in its busy-ness on a saturday lunchtime, all the fruit/food tastings...the chef's world is more than an oyster, when it includes chopped fruits and vegetables.

I am looking forward to more kniving fun in the future.  :)

Killing time whilst on the road

Our journey home last night was delayed by around 4 hours (started driving around 4pm and only got home by 1130pm (incl a brief stop at Maccas to update ourselves via free wifi) due to this chemical spill on the I-10

It's the first time i've ever seen traffic come to a standstill on a freeway like this.No one knows what is really happening. local radios have proved themselves uninformative, stating only a diversion.

Stop. Start. Stop. Start.
 

How do people kill time on the roads  on these long commutes? 

STOP
You might see some get off, go to the back to their coolbox, grab some beers, and 'watch' the action (such as news reporters (as pictured). Truckies emptying plastic water bottles of yellow liquid out their windows, and then bottles of clear liquid afterwards..hmmm.

START
Whilst on the move, the roads are straight and pretty much uneventful (apart from the occasional rogue lane-changers, and the usual desire to overtake trucks, and then being overtaken by the huge 4WDs again).

Some drivers choose to slow down and talk on the phone (dangerous!) ......... but Podcasts are our answer.

In fact, we've almost exhausted our selection on yesterday's run (the time taken could've easily taken us from Louisiana to Atlanta and beyond). With a bit of preparation, they keep you awake, they are informative, amusing, and can bring you to anywhere in the world. Here are some of our favourites:

Freakonomics Radio (US) - the hidden side of everything, very well researched and a good hour's worth of

Restoring the Balance (Australia) - an extreme take on the Australian economic and political scene, views of young Liberal and young National personas , incredibly funny

Friday night Comedy (UK) - a satirical take on the week's news.


Marathon Talk  (UK) - keeping me motivated with news and celebrities from the running world.


and because they are free, and easy to subscribe to and update using iTunes, we're always trying new shows, and shut off those that make you go off to sleep (before you do). Lots better than the car radio, and good for when we've outgrown our music collection on the iPod.


The road ahead may be dark and lonely, but with more than just music in your ears while your hands and feet are preoccupied with driving, it might not be all too bad (with a bit of a laugh).

All done before sunrise!

Managed to get myself out of the door at 5am, the same time as my marathon training pacer, and glad to be back home, dipping my feet into the pool, all before sunrise (7:10am)!

Just short of 11 miles before sunrise, at times when it was still really dark, and we were seeing people running and cycling with headtorches/lights. Houston is a crazy place to train for sports, if one gets out at around 7:30 (like I did last week), it would be too hot, and too humid. On top of that, most people will be out and about, the roads will be dustier. My newly washed trainers have luckily escaped the dusty restoration by my early start this morning.

Saw this signpost on the home stretch of my run this morning, which echoes my last post on the LIFO/FIFO concept in God's books  :)

 

This can surely be applied to the need for speed in our daily lives.  The rogue drivers I see rushing about on the I-10 West every friday afternoon, cutting and chasing through from the slow lane across to the fastest without indicating, and some copycat 'chasers'....what's the point? Occasionally we see them pulled aside somewhere ahead of us by a cop.  In the distance running world, we are constantly reminded that we should start slow, to finish in good shape. True enough, from VLM 2011, I've encountered a few cases of 'hitting the wall' (myself included in the 'starting too fast' category). Is it worth blasting to pieces? and at the end of the day, does the record matter? This week, we've gathered that Paula Radcliffe's World record in the 2003 London Marathon has been scrapped. Similarly, I've written to RunBritain too as my sub-2 half-marathon PB @ Dorney Lake in Feb this year cannot be counted into my handicap as it was not an accredited course. All it matters at the end of the day, is that you have achieved a result that you have worked hard enough for. Recognition can only be external. 

Now waiting for my pacer to come back for breakfast. After all, he's going to be the last one in this morning as he's doing another loop round the bayou!

Matthew 20: 1-16

Hi from Starbucks in  Broussard, Louisiana. Trying to blog on a MacBook Pro whilst sipping a Pumpkin Spice Latte - just like the creative types do :P 

Finally finished reading the 48 days book (although it did take me longer than 48 days, at least I got there!) So here begins my 'Countdown to the Work I love' - (the name of the activity section after each chapter).

What I found interesting with one of the activities is 'read Matthew 20:1-16'. Not having touched the Bible too much since my school days, I turned to my rather less frequented Bible iPhone App.
What has it got to do with job searching? In a nutshell it refers to workers of the vineyard getting the same pay for a day's work regardless of the time of the day they were hired. The parable implies that in the Kingdom of God, everyone is treated the same regardless of when they chose to join. Or rather, the master of the house can choose to compensate the workers in whatever rate they think they are worth, or treat everyone all the same.

Is it the same in the real professional world?

The 48 days book provided examples of those who were able to negotiate for more than their worth, but at the end of the day, it is really up to the employer, and to the employee, whether they are being paid more than just can be measured by cold hard cash. The recipient can choose to be happy about it, or otherwise.

Food for thought for those seeking more, or having a love to boast the % raise they have had since they last signed onto something. It is all relative.

I've posted a link here of the parable for those who may be interested.

Counting down to Amsterdam! Worldwide Training update :)

A course close enough to home, that offers the possibility of 10k /Half Marathon/Full Marathon, in a country that is mainly below sea-level (read Flat), some of our friends have signed up...and we should be home by then, why not?

It's a month away from the next race - Amsterdam Half-Marathon (for me) and Marathon (for Seng).

and How is training going? Hmmm...after the hard work towards spring marathons in April/May in the last 3 years - I'm ready to conclude that Autumn races are not easy to train for. Especially when one is situated in places where there are REAL summers (unlike the UK, which 25 degrees celsius is a very hot day). However, I've tried to make the best that I can given my nomadic life. Some of the more interesting training sessions (very few of them serious unfortunately) are as below:

Paris (July 2011)- a motivating session (for Eleanor who initially thought she cannot do 30 mins of running!) from Galleries Lafayette area to Jardin Tuileries, glimpse of Avenue des Champs Elysees, then across the river along Rive Gauche, to Jardin Luxembourg , rewarding with purchases of Pain au Chocolats to take to the hotel via RER.

Hong Kong (August 2011) - in the heat and humidity of mid-summer, where the mercury climbs to 30 degrees celsius if one doesn't step out of the door before 8am. And where to run with all that traffic? My family's new home in central kowloon have put me very close to some very good athletic tracks managed by the Government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department (ie what used to be called Urban council (市政局)). I didn't mind so much having to share the tracks with people who were not using them properly (eg women holding a radio and taking strolls on the slower lane), and at times, I have had to overtake runners on Lane 1. Or having to ensure I don't 'run over' Tai Chi class participants outside the track, or wait until schools that have booked the track for their PE lessons finish, before I can go in. The quality of the track was very good, if one had spikes and wanted to train properly - these are the places where dreams can be realised :)

What was a milestone for me was revisiting Kowloon Tsai Park , an old favourite of my dad that we used to be taken there for jogging on sundays. In the mid 80's , I struggle to complete even the 550m loop outside the athletics tracks (back then the tracks were not available for general use), let along the greater '8 loop' that would roughly equate to 1 mile. Almost 25 years later, I am glad to report that this was no longer a problem - only that if the humidity was reduced, I could run faster.

[no wonder there are many who choose to run at 11pm in the evenings on the streets, not a desirable option for me at all]



Sydney (August/September) 2011 - going back to my second hometown where spring has just sprung, and with the access of a car, presented me with lots more options (and of course, more options than I have enough time to fit in!) Here's what I have managed to do:

Balmain Bay Run - a 7km loop around Iron Cove. One that I had probably not so seriously attempted in my training for the Sydney City to Surf years ago, however, I was ready to give it a good try. Gave myself a late start at around 9:30am and parked near the Leichhardht Rowing club. Thought I'd give myself some bonus miles by going along the canal, however, I couldn't find another crossing after one that was a new bridge being built! and to find that it was not all flat around the cove as one thought. Did try to go fast but then, I was interrupted by a phone call from a friend who wanted to meet up that day!! Oh well, that was a good hour spent around here. Reward: an Italian Doughnut from Sulfaro's on Ramsay street in Haberfield, as recommended by ex-local Louiza.

Centennial Park - the place where I go for a 'safe bicycle ride' and again a full 3.5km loop was virtually impossible to complete even in my uni days (running that is). This particular sunny monday morning I parked along Grand Drive near the baby cycle tracks to find a steady stream of prams passing by me. Eastern Suburbs Active Mothers galore! Glad to see although it meant I had to be careful overtaking some of them. Armed with a 'cross-country' map (yoohoo! Cross country sounds adventurous and unachieveable in my school days) downloaded from the website , I did the usual loop as well as attempting to do the lakes loop. Unfortunately I got lost and had to revert to the Grand Drive loop onto softer ground (another trial run to soften impact) to retrieve my car. What I manage to see in the middle of Centennial Park was rewarding - Black Swans! Along with Balmain Bay Run, this is all starting to remind me of Perth ...hmmm. I must admit that Perth has more of its share of great places to run, Sorry Sydney.

Across the Harbour Bridge to Crows Nest  - of course I cannot miss the opportunity of running across the famous Coathanger and the chance to catch up with my first 'coach' Calvin - a before lunch catchup from Wynyard across the bridge and up on Pacific Highway. This is just a stretch that I know so well but never ever thought of running the Pacific Highway as from driving, it was always uphill, and from the North Shore line - it's quite a few stations to get to St Leonards from North Sydney. But then Route 1 did provide a more direct alternative to one presented by City Rail. Again I wouldn't call that proper training and I was quickly running out of time on the cooler stretch of the round-the-world trip. What can you do but make do?

San Francisco Bay Area - September 2011 my first stop across the Pacific was the Bay Area, and we landed ourselves with hosts that basically has the best recreational area on their back door (we would suggest their boys get on their bikes as soon as they are old enough :P ). The initial suggestion was : there's a track behind where we live, it's pretty flat. The cooler Californian Fall morning enticed us to believe in all this, and started on a 'Ten Hills trail' around 10 mins away from where we were staying in Castro Valley. Hmm. one should believe that this name was descriptive. It was a very Hilly run, however it was rather run towards the end, when we met a guy with a dog who gave us good directions to head back onto the main road without negotiating 10 hills again. We then followed this Proctor trail running downhills (lots of fun!) and ended up near the driving range. Wow. that was my first 'non scary' attempt at Trail running.

Lake Chabot Loop The next day we came back for more - and better equipped, and got corrected instructions from our host - this time we parked at the Lake and started on the 'right hand side' of the trail. The whole trail was ups and downs (not as intense as 10 Hills), but we had very good views of the lake from all around, and it is lots more efficient than hiking when one was in running gear :) One also learnt a bit about Yema Po (wild horse slope), a chinese labor camp that was in the area when the dam was constructed. This all in all took us about 2 hours, was lovely!

Houston  September 2011 - well now, I'm back. no new pictures as I've done most of it before, except not as early as 7:30am and still feeling very humid and hot after being out for 2 hours! I cannot imagine that there are so many running groups out and about even way before then! I'm hoping that training in heat will leave us better prepared for racing conditions which hopefully will be another 10 degrees lower than what we currently experience over here. We can only hope.

Home Suite Home..

Another week,another new suite.

Having spent the bulk of my time in hotels and on the road during my time in the USA in the last few months, I'm curious about the size of this market, the types of people that stay there all the time and the incentives they use to reel you in, and keep you there, coming back to the same place for more.

Prior to my time here, I only know of the five-star hotel chains and few others that do serviced apartments (typically defined as a hotel room that are self-contained , ie more than just a bed, bath and bar fridge, and the gym facilities, the pool).



The attractiveness the extended stay apartment is those things that make a hotel room more like a home: the laundry and storage facilities, business centre with library, movie theatre, that extra microwave oven, kitchenette (depending on the location of the establishment - if it is merely for display, or functional.) For someone like me that have been in and out of these extended stay hotels for weeks, this makes a difference. With a stove, pot, microwave, and a decent set of pyrex crockery, one can have healthy meals away from home!

Not everyone, of course, has the luxury of working away from home and having a wife that stays at the hotel during the day to cook (from time to time). What keeps weekly workers coming back to these 'home away from home'? (Given there are so many choices on the same strip of the highway/part of town, and for all sorts of different budgets).  Some basic operators might do away with Kool-aid sachets, or mints on the counter. For limited service hotels such as Hampton Inn (operated by Hilton) , it could be cookies, or the takeaway breakfast for those on the go. Free wifi internet access is what draws us all the time. :) Or with extended stay establishments such as Staybridge (operated by Holiday Inn), during the summer we were given pansy seeds, biscuits, lollies, water, that little plastic bag on check-in will keep one slightly happier. :)

The little bit extra that premium chains try to draw people out of their rooms is the provision of breakfasts, and dinner (or sundowner). The menu is a simple buffet style dinner, with beer and perhaps dessert. On a nice day in the summer, one may choose to purchase some steaks (from a supermarket) and use the grill outside, complementing the meats with the salads and beer from the sundowner.

So who stays in these places? There are some who tend to live lives out of extended stay suites, as documented by my friend who runs lemonsuites, it could be a long term solution for those that work near the airport or their construction sites, etc. From my location near the Regional airport and centre for the oil and gas industries in Acadiana,  I've met young families that spend their days by the pool, or women who are staying here as their husband just been relocated into this town and they are looking for a house nearby to accomodate the family. Or groups of people in their work suits being briefed by their 'bosses' at the breakfast tables and then setting off to the offices, or chilling out at the bar after work into the late hours. Men with laptops and folders using the dining tables to discuss work, hmm....who says travelling for work is fun?

And why this suite compared to the other suite down the road? which home is 'suite-r'? The fresher softer towels, the occasional service, larger sinks, bigger pots, handier locations, better treadmill, better laundry, less casino-looking carpets, friendlier staff, these are all the things that make a difference. We've established a system of the few extra items of comfort we bring along from week to week, so that we could still enjoy a lifestyle as close to home as possible, whilst being away, and away..

If you ask me, I would still prefer to spend more time in (now) our weekend furnished apartment in H-town, again a huge market for these leased apartments for out-of-towners, that's a story for another day. :)

Further reading:
extended stay hotels (from Wikipedia)

Around the World...and Back

Time flies (and this is a phrase I commonly use) - it's September.
And I'm back in Southern USA - via London - Hong Kong - Sydney - California.
It's been a long way round, I'm glad I have done it, and had the chance to catch up with my family and friends who are still living life in places where I grew up, where I hold and shared memories with all of them.

It's been a holiday, but like all Bonnie-style holidays, they weren't really for resting. My schedule had been packed and only now, a chance to regroup and write up some of my adventures.

Stay tuned. A little bit of gumbo to share to start - from my Cajun cooking class in Lafayette Louisiana back in June - that now seems such a long time ago!

48 days to the work (life) you love...

Day 2 of 'power week' - of me spending time on my own during the day, hard at work.
Working from home with me as my own boss for generation of future income. haha.

I've been quite good I think in setting myself a schedule and working towards it. The excel gantt chart (how can the world function without excel!) and the little bits of paper that I use every day for the few things I am to achieve every day, at 6pm today, I have ticked all but one (and also fit in a few more). Freedom to have a siesta, not bound to the desk, by other people's schedules...Bliss!

I bought Dan Miller's book '48 days to the Work you love' at IAH at the end of my visit in January, and was thinking that the 48 days would pass quickly and disciplined enough for me to land something that I love by the end of it. Of course training for the London Marathon, as well as cancelled trips due to the tsunami, and many visitors, got in the way. Finally I have signed up to the community and have done an intense session (not recommended) to bring everything up to Day 10. I know I might not find my ideal job in another 38 days time, but hope that by then I would have a pretty good idea.

I borrow a picture from Dan Miller's Blog to start to pull together a little bit of my own brand statement (something for later on in the week) - this picture illustrates how lots of people define and let others define themselves, eg I work for [insert name of major bank]

Ironically, currently I'm quite proud of my 'job' - Lady of Leisure , LOL :P

Goodbye Spring (Gardens), and into a Proper Summer..

Time goes by so quickly, before I knew it - I had run out of time to write up a proper update before I was due to take the flight to Houston and had landed in Lafayette in Louisiana after a 4-hour drive east, watching the sunrise.
*****
I did spend a lot of my last week at work catching up with people, and a few had asked 'did you have a choice?' 'what made you take the leap?' after all, it has almost been 3 years since I have started my life at Spring gardens. A place to nuture, and I have had lots of opportunities, and now, Spring has turned into Summer - it is time to move on.
Glad to made some good friends and hope to keep in touch with a lot of you.
and some do say 'you'll be back here sooner than you know it!'
Hmmm, never say never, but I'll say not under the current setup, as I've learnt my lesson...

*****
The weather had stayed warm in the early part of the week when I was still in the UK, my schedule had been full to the brim with various catchups, home entertaining, accupuncture appointments (ouch!) and a good chance to walk around Richmond and Windsor, lovely Thameside towns, as well as of course, Staines. The highlight was probably the twilight cycle with hubby around the river, to Chertsey and back. The speed of the bike (compared to Boris's London variety) and being able to enjoy long and warm days in the English summer has been really nice. One of my wishes earlier on in the year was to get acquainted with my bike more and more over the summer, I wonder whether this will still happen?

*****
Meanwhile, its very warm here in Lafayette - the sun is shining and wearing anything longer than knee length is suffocating. Walks to the end of the strip mall (of course there seems like theres no end) - even if 15 minutes away - is a struggle. Good to have finally sought refuge on my first day at Barnes and Noble, a home away from home, with free wifi internet, and myriads of books to keep my mind well fed...flipping through the Royal Wedding special edition of People magazine, and wondering why people here like to read books about the Irish...I've now ordered a few books to get started on my grand Project Summer to launch next week.

It's a nice and relaxed start to my sabbatical by choice, to be close to the ones that I love, and to spring clean in summer a few things in life, for when the weather gets cooler again....

For now, I'm looking forward to jumping into the pool! :)

A Reverse Triathlete

Have to change the name of this blog now that the VLM is done and dusted, all charity donations in bar one (or should I just give up?) and I have been advised not to run.

Been treated by a new sports masseur (out of convenience/desperation, located in my gym) who was an ex-dancer and a fellow member (or veteran) of the PF Club. (Plantar Fasciitis for those who dont know it)

Perhaps there is a bit more weight on someone who has been there, done that.

you have to stretch! yes, the lower calf! (and everything related too)

you have to rest! stop running! (that was last week and so I thought, I'd start on the Barclays Bike, and go for a sunday bike ride around home...and then, I busted the fragile valve and have to wait for my mechanic to return to repair it for me. so it was the Spin class instead).

It wasn't getting better, I said this week. The advice: cycling although being low-impact, also mean I apply pressure to the pedals.

How else to stay active? Swimming , is the advice.

I feel like a reverse triathlete: instead of from running, to cycling and then to swimming as well...the first 2 sports have been crossed off. Despite the fact that I long to get back into my watersports, I find doing laps in a pool monotonous especially in a gym where you have to dodge other swimmers.

I've started accupuncture sessions again today, as this is the 2nd or 3rd person I've encountered so far who have told me this...and then, its the barefoot (technology) shoes.

Tonight my ankle feels tender after a session under the electric needle and cupping. Its normal, doctor says. Lets hope it will wake my PF and shock it to recovery.

I know Barefoot Ted is in town tomorrow, would a possible glimpse of him throw new light onto the situation?

Watch this space.

Prestissimo? Not quite..

East Indian rosewood finish
The only Steinway piece that I own, and it's free.
It's the iPod app metronome.

My lunchtime run was an experiment on the optimal cadence of 180 steps per minute, as per marathon nation's 29 ways to transform your run.

I thought I'd start off slower, 170. Presto! Off I go along the Mall.

Felt good to be on beat, something not as easy on 170 even on the piano! It forces me to do smaller steps. After a while the sound of the beats do get stressful.

After a mile, I'd wanna up this to 180, prestissimo! During the wait at the traffic lights. No! No sound.

Another case of how not to run with gadgets. The iPods done it again!

I then went back to my kelly chen's BPM on randoms. Perhaps today's not the day. The plantar fascia is hurting, even, or especially after much golf ball massaging. I hope nothings ruptured!

One day, I'll crank it up to 180.

VLM 2011 - as it happened..

April 17th is now a distant memory apart from the occasional tearing pain on my left plantar fascia.

They say, a day of rest required for every mile run...and its been, how many days? and how many times have I been running since?

Less than the number of fingers I can use on one hand. and it hasn't been 26 days yet.

Justification for not taking a complete break from running? To maximise photography time before the Royal Wedding, to lessen the guilt of having that extra brownie, or that big meal....hmmm.

The Marathon Blues? Yes.

On being questioned - when's the next race? My answer would be - I've signed up for the VLM 2012 ballot. (and honestly, I've missed the New York City marathon ballot, even looked into the package - which falls on my birthday this year! and also missed the deadline for my local 10k in a fortnight's time). I've been also frantically looking up another 10k to do in may or early june....after all, 10k compared to 42kms is a cinch....but read the first line of this post again.Am I ready to do this all again soon?

Anyway, the road doesnt end there (I know, and I hope). So to put VLM 2011 to rest for now (bar the purchase of MarathonFotos from the website - daylight robbery!) , here's an account as it happened...along the route.. on the Big Day.

[7ish am : on Twitter:]  On the Marathon express (from London Bridge) to Blackheath, then it's my legs express to the Mall via #VLM #MyVLM GoodLuckAll! (the train was just a direct train, which ended up being really, really slow). Laughed at those tweets of people declaring their Pen numbers to retweet to find starting partners.

[08:15] admired the tranquility of Blackheath on my first ever visit, the big hill and giant balloons approaching the Blue start.
[08:30] Picture was taken, picture was posted on flickr, emailed to hubby. Tried to look for a normal toilet but it didn't exist. Had to resort to the female urinal and the p-mate, 3 goes, 2 successful attempts. Not a pretty sight within the fenced area and lots of female chattering.
[09:00] Said Thank you to volunteers manning water stations and those lifting our luggage to the trucks, I made sure I didn't give them a hard time.
[09:20] Mozzied way into Pen 8 of Blue start. They really did check our bibs! No sight of the Timex Pacers initially, when I saw the Pink lollypops (10 min/mile pacer) I meandered as close as I could to the end of Pen 7.
[09:45] Helicopters flying overhead....we slowly moved forward...I got ready, saw Seng's message on the phone before I pressed Go on Runkeeper, tears in my eyes? I think there was a little....as I went across the start, Timex watch started...go!

[Miles 1-2] peaceful, trying to set an easy pace, in the slight coolness of that sunday morning, in an unfamiliar part of London....this almost felt like the Watford/Reading Half Marathon all over again. I left the pink lollipops behind, knowing this is only normal. I'll worry if I see them again - hopefully not too soon.

[Mile 3] the red and blue starts merge on this bit when the road goes downhill...its only Mile 3? I was still behind my target pace...although there were slight improvements, bit by bit. the music starts to pick up all around us...

[Mile 4/Mile 5] just saw the brown lollipop (9 minute mile) go past me. what? no way...I didn't feel I was going that fast...could this be my day? a sub-4 perhaps? I couldn't bear this thought..


[Mile 6] and it's only Greenwich! Finally starting to recognise the park and the sights. Another few miles till my first milestone...

[Mile 8/Mile 9] just went past surrey quays, my first visit to this new area, still in good time I think....I think I saw brown lollipop past me again? how can that be true?

[Mile 10] finally...my first milestone was approaching. Was Nicola and Nick going to be home? I recognise their balcony from last year's party. Oooh. Aussie flag on display, and the words GO BONNIE. I waved frantically, yay! They waved back! so Happy!

[Mile 11-12] Bermondsey. I remember trying to cross the road here last year, it was very busy. So many people cheering and would I be able to find anyone I know? I tried to look. No. There wasn't time for stopping...

[Mile 12] and very shortly after that, a very quick right turn, and I see THE TOWER BRIDGE! excited, and the tears started....I kept my eyes on the right hand side of the audience....everyone can see my vest with my name printed, heaps of people shouting GO BONNIE, Go BONNIE.... there were interviews of fun runners on the bridge but luckily, I didnt get stopped.

[Mile 13] My eyes were glued to the right side of the road...looking for Seng or the Virgin Money Giving sign (which hasn't been drawn up yet by the time I left the apartment in the morning) and then I saw him standing there with the sign 'BONNIE, looking good'...he wasn't fast enough to take that picture. I had to slow down...he got me on video, and then I went on. Went across halfway at 2:07:01 , not bad. An easy pace half-marathon. Unfortunately the race doesn't finish there, it was only halfway.


[Mile 14] entering the Isle of Dogs, The Pride, Westferry Road. Yes, I've been there all before when Coach Lau and gang, we used to train around there...as I started to slow due to only one lane available, a funny sharp pain start to emerge on my right bum. Ouch! No...I can't stop...I need to slow down, and I slowed...not ideal. At the drinks station, I got hold of a bottle of Nestle water....the spout providing pressure to the right glutes, or just below. I thought I was using the glutes? Maybe it was overuse?

[Mile 15] the tunnel in Westferry circus. Heaps of people used the darkness of the tunnel to relieve themselves, to stop and stretch. Not me, not I. I soldiered on, but my smile is slightly gone...again, I've been there before (London Bikeathon), and I've had my first gel...

[Mile 16-17] Mudchute/Crossharbour. I was expecting Cath and Leon to be there...but I didn't see them. Oh well....I adopted the run-walk strategy by then..and didnt have a look good enough for the cameras.

[Mile 18] Canary wharf - crowds, wow. Some people calling Bonnie, Bonnie...did they have a familiar face? I don't know. near one of the HQ of the major banks, I cracked another gel...and all of a sudden, a surge in energy on Churchill street when I picked up my legs and ran....the crowd cheered, the crowd roared. It didn't last long - I saw myself on the big screen, and then slowed down after turning that corner

[Mile 19] Runkeeper and my iPhone on its last voice."...Mile 19"...and then silence, unable to be resuscitated. Again, proof that one shouldn't rely on gadgets in Marathons! I pulled my headphones off and stored them in my pocket and relied on the cheering crowds, and my inner iPod with all its powertunes. The quietness of Poplar returned...the outskirts...like Bercy (in Paris)? Another water bottle for accupressure on my right. Plantar fascia on the left? I couldnt feel a thing. weird...

[Mile 21] approaching limehouse. My 2nd highlight before the finish...Mission buildings. The sea of red, I saw them! Khoi, Fi and Lena on the traffic island....I smiled for the cameras...and who else, maybe by Limehouse DLR? I saw a crazy Jacque and Alden...with a sign! Wow! Where was Aurelia and Rohan? I shall find out...(later via the photos)

[Mile 22] Seng's words echoing: if at Mile 21 you are feeling good, just go for it! Unfortunately...that wasnt the case. sob sob...it was already around noon time, the day was getting warmer and warmer...and would I see him again on the other side? I wasn't counting on it. Luckily I did! Wanted a hug and more support...but, time is everything. I must press on - half expecting him to now start running west with me, and with fresh legs, being able to beat me to the finish, as always.

[Mile 23] the city has come and gone, and I know, its the home stretch. I imagined those after work runs, its only half an hour away (from the gym, which is another 10 mins away from the office, another 5 mins away from buckingham palace). I only needed to press on....any time now would make this a PB. Unless I do something very stupid. which I didnt train and come here to do.

[Mile 24] I started walking a bit...didn't look the greatest. The crowds were amazing, more and more of them on the embankment. I tried to look for orange vests, and even supporters from other charities were shouting...BONNIE, KEEP GOING! I know I couldnt just walk...I said to myself, Mile 25, I shall run again..

[Mile 25] as the sign came up, I slowly started jogging again...this is all familar territory. British 10k, Royal Parks Half Marathon, my normal lunchtime runs, Big Ben. Yes....the Birdcage walk. Yes, I wrote a poem on this street...the street by St James's Park, shady....we're almost there...just maintain the pace, and ignore those that were collapsing before the final finish.

[Mile 26....26.2!] Finally, that historic moment. I see Buckingham Palace. I turn, into the Mall. In my mind I had really wanted to bolt, but my body wasn't able to do it. I ran as well as I could. Conscious of the cameras around. I lifted my arms....and crossed the finishing line...

4:36:32 - I made it! in one piece!

The slow walk down the mall, I collected the Gold Medal, chip removed, finishing picture taken, goody bag collected. Luggage collected without much hassle. Munched on the Pink Lady apple. I cannot stop and stretch...I cannot think of a type of food that can satisfy my craving. It was a warm day, my phone wasn't working. I headed towards Horses Guard Forecourt , at meeting point D, I met my greatest supporter, amongst a sea of faces, and Dan from Deafness Research.

A smile, hug...and chatter. The end of a journey, and I'm glad I made it.

PS. Proud to have raised so far £1027.31 (incl GiftAid) for Deafness Research UK. If you are reading this and said you were going to sponsor, its not too late! Please click here...Thanks!

Another (gold) medal!

It's been a great sunny sunday, April 17th - my 1st Virgin London Marathon conquered! Its now early tuesday morning, and I'm still craving for more sleep, more water and avoiding all steps or walking if possible. I know if I don't post something now I will never get around to it, here's some pictures - some courtesy of my supporters along the route and postings on Facebook. Thanks to all of you who were there physically or in spirit... and if you want to organise a donation to my charity Deafness Resesarch UK, its not too late! Please go to http://www.justgiving.com/Bonnie-Wong

I will write more when I have the chance, for now, beauty sleep calls!

At the start at Blackheath, a quiet part of Greenwich!

we had no choice - not the greatest for females under stress!

Bin 8 - minutes before the gun went, the helicopters were circling...almost in tears?!?! Finally!

Nick and Nicola's - last year I was at the party, this year my name's on their balcony

!

Mile 11

My supporter's sign both sides of the road near Tower Hill!

Just off Tower Bridge..near the halfway mark!

At Mile 21 near Limehouse...after the Isle of Dogs, my last chance to smile?

More crazy supporters at Limehouse - finishers of Paris Marathon!

Finally, its all over, Medal in hand, at the meeting point!

All well dressed for the cameras near my training ground by the Thames!

Official Chip Time - certainly a Personal Best by approx 16 minutes!

 ...a more detailed account to follow!