So I finished my first 5K race! It felt great! The weather was perfect, governor's island was perfect, everything went well!
My only goal was to finish without walking and I accomplished that. I didn't know what to expect time-wise but I ended up finishing the 3.1 miles without pausing for a stroll! It was a wonderful feeling crossing that finish line. I look forward to the next race. Part of this whole lifestyle/exercise deal is to challenge myself so I suppose the thing to work on now is getting faster and shaving off some time in my run.
Never thought I'd say it but I think I've been bitten by the running bug!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Worker's World, Runner's World
It's been about four months since I last posted. Longest gap for my blog, ever.
During this hiatus, I've actually achieved a goal on that pseudo-bucket list I posted previously. I can't say that I am a runner, but I am officially running. My first 5K will be in September. I have a huge concern though - I haven't run the 3.1 miles outside yet! Cross-training and treadmill-running is one thing, but I know that running outdoors will be a challenge. I don't know why, but I'm slightly nervous about running outside. There's a part of me that is still not confident with what I'm able to do. I guess I will have to muster the courage to just do it!
It's amazing how God places certain events in your life, because He knows something bigger is around the corner. I think that if I hadn't started running or taking care of my health, this job that I am very grateful to have wouldn't have come my way. It's like He prepped me for it. I am positive my functionality at work and ability to get things done is directly correlated with improving my health.
So I'm experiencing somewhat of a full circle moment. The title of this blog has taken on a significant meaning in my life. Straddling work life with a lifestyle is a challenge but I am happy for the opportunity to balance the two. Growing up (or is it, coming of age?) isn't so bad sometimes.
During this hiatus, I've actually achieved a goal on that pseudo-bucket list I posted previously. I can't say that I am a runner, but I am officially running. My first 5K will be in September. I have a huge concern though - I haven't run the 3.1 miles outside yet! Cross-training and treadmill-running is one thing, but I know that running outdoors will be a challenge. I don't know why, but I'm slightly nervous about running outside. There's a part of me that is still not confident with what I'm able to do. I guess I will have to muster the courage to just do it!
It's amazing how God places certain events in your life, because He knows something bigger is around the corner. I think that if I hadn't started running or taking care of my health, this job that I am very grateful to have wouldn't have come my way. It's like He prepped me for it. I am positive my functionality at work and ability to get things done is directly correlated with improving my health.
So I'm experiencing somewhat of a full circle moment. The title of this blog has taken on a significant meaning in my life. Straddling work life with a lifestyle is a challenge but I am happy for the opportunity to balance the two. Growing up (or is it, coming of age?) isn't so bad sometimes.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Total Living
I used to think that living a regimented life meant boredom - wayward would go vision and creativity. I have found that with growing up, routine is necessary, and surprisingly, I don't mind it. Even with the current flexibility in my schedule, I am slowly gravitating towards doing things at specified hours of the day. This has been going on for less than a month so I don't know if its some phase I'm experiencing or a way of living I can keep up with. I hope it is the latter. I find myself more disciplined and focused. Negatives are replaced with positive reinforcements. My emotions are slightly more in control. I am not listless.
It is not an easy lifestyle to maintain but nothing great is accomplished easily. Yesterday, I met a woman who created a bucket list of things she wanted to do before turning 30. I've heard of people doing this before but couldn't bring myself to do something similar out of fear of failure. Incidentally, the goals I achieved in life were usually things I wrote down or vocalized.
So after speaking with this acquaintance, I started thinking about what I would include on my bucket list before I hit the big 30:
1. Run a 5K
2. Visit New Zealand
3. Learn how to swim
4. Get published in something, be it a journal, newspaper etc
I guess that's a start. They seem like tangible, realistic goals. And because they are goals, they give you direction and purpose. They place you on a routine. Maybe the reason why the bucket list works is that the goals are like promises to yourself, and who wants to break a promise?
If you are reading this, what would be the items on your list?
It is not an easy lifestyle to maintain but nothing great is accomplished easily. Yesterday, I met a woman who created a bucket list of things she wanted to do before turning 30. I've heard of people doing this before but couldn't bring myself to do something similar out of fear of failure. Incidentally, the goals I achieved in life were usually things I wrote down or vocalized.
So after speaking with this acquaintance, I started thinking about what I would include on my bucket list before I hit the big 30:
1. Run a 5K
2. Visit New Zealand
3. Learn how to swim
4. Get published in something, be it a journal, newspaper etc
I guess that's a start. They seem like tangible, realistic goals. And because they are goals, they give you direction and purpose. They place you on a routine. Maybe the reason why the bucket list works is that the goals are like promises to yourself, and who wants to break a promise?
If you are reading this, what would be the items on your list?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Invisible
Pick me! Pick me!
I was pondering upon some of the miracles of Christ, specifically the times where He stopped in His tracks and physically touched people. Christ was always so keen when interacting with others. There was nothing random about the people He selected to heal, or the parables He used to make a point.
_________________________________________________
Luke 13: 10-17
Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on a Sabbath, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her:
"Woman, you are set free from your infirmity."
Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
John 9: 1-7
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him,
"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.
"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
___________________________________________________
Why did He choose them? They didn't seek Him, but He found them. And when He touched them, it didn't just affect the surface of their skin and their physical infirmities. It reached out like a claw and clung to their souls so that the inevitable result was a total mind-body-spirit transformation.
As fortunate as I am to be living and doing the things I do, I see myself quite frequently as the crippled woman and the blind man; on the sidelines, going about another ordinary day, waiting to be noticed. It's easy to feel invisible by family, friends, supervisors, strangers you're crushing on (the list goes on). It's even worse when you are making an effort to be recognized. For example, for months, I have searched for full-time employment. While the market is not in my control, I still believed my background would help me find something meaningful. Watching others nab jobs started making me feel more and more insecure about myself. Just when I was completely hopeless, a legal services organization that I was excited about and applied to (but didn't raise my hopes with) contacted me about volunteering for them. I felt relieved for so many reasons. Although it is on a volunteering basis, some positive feedback from one of the attorneys made me feel the appreciation I was longing for, and made me hopeful for what could be in store ahead.
My work example could be applied to many areas of my life. But I would like to relish in the moment, and to believe that with patience, good things can happen.To be plucked from obscurity and noticed when you least expect but most desire it is an incredible feeling. It is comforting to know that no matter how overlooked I am, or how much I may overlook Him, the Great Invisible will always have my back.
I was pondering upon some of the miracles of Christ, specifically the times where He stopped in His tracks and physically touched people. Christ was always so keen when interacting with others. There was nothing random about the people He selected to heal, or the parables He used to make a point.
_________________________________________________
Luke 13: 10-17
Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on a Sabbath, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her:
"Woman, you are set free from your infirmity."
Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
John 9: 1-7
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him,
"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.
"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
___________________________________________________
Why did He choose them? They didn't seek Him, but He found them. And when He touched them, it didn't just affect the surface of their skin and their physical infirmities. It reached out like a claw and clung to their souls so that the inevitable result was a total mind-body-spirit transformation.
As fortunate as I am to be living and doing the things I do, I see myself quite frequently as the crippled woman and the blind man; on the sidelines, going about another ordinary day, waiting to be noticed. It's easy to feel invisible by family, friends, supervisors, strangers you're crushing on (the list goes on). It's even worse when you are making an effort to be recognized. For example, for months, I have searched for full-time employment. While the market is not in my control, I still believed my background would help me find something meaningful. Watching others nab jobs started making me feel more and more insecure about myself. Just when I was completely hopeless, a legal services organization that I was excited about and applied to (but didn't raise my hopes with) contacted me about volunteering for them. I felt relieved for so many reasons. Although it is on a volunteering basis, some positive feedback from one of the attorneys made me feel the appreciation I was longing for, and made me hopeful for what could be in store ahead.
My work example could be applied to many areas of my life. But I would like to relish in the moment, and to believe that with patience, good things can happen.To be plucked from obscurity and noticed when you least expect but most desire it is an incredible feeling. It is comforting to know that no matter how overlooked I am, or how much I may overlook Him, the Great Invisible will always have my back.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Snow Daze
March approaches, yet winter's ugly head appears uglier.
I can't believe how much snow we've gotten within a span of 3 months. So much so that NYC was compelled to close public schools twice within a month. Traveling through the city mess was extremely unpleasant. I stayed with T in Harlem yesterday and the scariest part of our trek home was walking down the steep, slushy hill to Broadway. A normally 10 minute walk doubled to 20 with the icy conditions.
I remember the excitement of getting a snow day. Back when we were in school, it was a RARE treat to wake up early and catch radio or tv announcing a school closing. Most of the time, NYC kept schools open during major snowstorms. I think we may have prided ourselves on the fact that we would courageously make it to school unlike our NJ counterparts, who shut down at the mere forecast of flurries. Ah, character building.
I must have been twelve or thirteen when probably the biggest blizzard I could remember kept us indoors for two whole days. When the snow stopped and my parents tried to open our garage, we were barricaded by over two feet of snow, possibly more due to the drift. The snow was so high, we were basically stepping into a snow coffin.
Today I thought about how we managed without our convenient snow blower. Granted, we still use our shovels but once a foot hits the ground, we pull out the Craftsman.
What did we even do on our snow days? Watch tv probably. That was really all there was to worry about anyway at that age. If only it were that simple now.
I can't believe how much snow we've gotten within a span of 3 months. So much so that NYC was compelled to close public schools twice within a month. Traveling through the city mess was extremely unpleasant. I stayed with T in Harlem yesterday and the scariest part of our trek home was walking down the steep, slushy hill to Broadway. A normally 10 minute walk doubled to 20 with the icy conditions.
I remember the excitement of getting a snow day. Back when we were in school, it was a RARE treat to wake up early and catch radio or tv announcing a school closing. Most of the time, NYC kept schools open during major snowstorms. I think we may have prided ourselves on the fact that we would courageously make it to school unlike our NJ counterparts, who shut down at the mere forecast of flurries. Ah, character building.
I must have been twelve or thirteen when probably the biggest blizzard I could remember kept us indoors for two whole days. When the snow stopped and my parents tried to open our garage, we were barricaded by over two feet of snow, possibly more due to the drift. The snow was so high, we were basically stepping into a snow coffin.
Today I thought about how we managed without our convenient snow blower. Granted, we still use our shovels but once a foot hits the ground, we pull out the Craftsman.
What did we even do on our snow days? Watch tv probably. That was really all there was to worry about anyway at that age. If only it were that simple now.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Quotables
There is a little Church by my house that features really simple, yet thought-provoking sayings on their outdoor bulletin. They are so clever that I look forward to driving by the Church just to see what the month's new message is.
And to preserve them in my memory, for the new year, here are some of my favorites:
"Does your life shed light, or cast shadows?"
"If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
"Wise men STILL seek him." This month's phrase. The cleverness of this one is that the Epiphany, the day where many commemorate the arrival of the Wise Men to Bethlehem, is on January 7th.
In other news, the weekend went swell. The girls came over for my "Bar Party." Passing the bar wouldn't have been possible without the support and encouragement of family and friends. Very grateful. And no better way to celebrate then with a good ol' sleepover! Although next time we celebrate a milestone, I hope we can muster up some more energy. We are not old and as they say, age is nothing but a number.
And to preserve them in my memory, for the new year, here are some of my favorites:
"Does your life shed light, or cast shadows?"
"If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
"Wise men STILL seek him." This month's phrase. The cleverness of this one is that the Epiphany, the day where many commemorate the arrival of the Wise Men to Bethlehem, is on January 7th.
In other news, the weekend went swell. The girls came over for my "Bar Party." Passing the bar wouldn't have been possible without the support and encouragement of family and friends. Very grateful. And no better way to celebrate then with a good ol' sleepover! Although next time we celebrate a milestone, I hope we can muster up some more energy. We are not old and as they say, age is nothing but a number.
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