memoryloot

Some how during all my life changing events, the “feeling” of the holiday season isn’t here. Considering that I’m writing about this on Christmas I don’t think the feeling will be coming this year. To me, it seems like another day. Yes, I get to see more family, friends and have a 2 week vacation to help me usher in this holiday season. Unfortunately, purchasing this new home seem to have sucked the festive feeling right out of me.

I think the main reason for this lack of “feeling” is that I didn’t get to go Christmas shopping this year. Just alot of shopping for the new home. I didn’t feel I took part of the giving. I even tried to replicate by participating in volunteer events every weekend this December but still nothing.

I’m not the only one who’s feeling this way. My sister, who is also in the midst of her home remodeling is bitten by the scrooge bug. Gone is our annual Christmas tree. Gone is the presents under the tree. Gone is the annual tradition of staying up until Christmas morning to open our presents.

I’m hoping this is only a temporary setback only for this year. I’m hoping the same time next year, we both will be situated and will be fighting to have our traditions restored. Maybe then 2009 will give me back that “feeling” of the holiday season. But for now, here are some pictures from recent events in my life.

Anyway, I still wanted to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas. And if I don’t post again before the new year begins, Happy New Year!

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is upon us. I’ve been so wrapped up with this home thing that I lost sight of the holiday. I wish I could have enjoyed it more even though I took this week off. My sister and I agreed that this year, it doesn’t “feel” like Thanksgiving. I suppose in the previous year we focused more on the holiday. Not that owning a home is a bad thing but I need to sit back a bit and reflect upon what I’m thankful about. I’m thankful I have great family and friends in my life. I’m thankful I get along so well with my sister. We’ve been much closer in our adult years. I suppose it’s the fact that we have each other to lean on. We’re going through the same ordeal in buying our first house and have been bouncing ideas and recommendations off each other. I’m thankful that my friends are still my friends. Some of us don’t talk as much while others I see on a weekly basis. I’m so thankful I have friends regardless of how frequently I see them.

Anyhow, I think I’ve expressed myself enough and would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Hopefully next year I’ll have my own Thanksgiving feast at my place. But going to others would have to do this year. So let the gorging begin!

We first witness America’s first African-American President. And we as Americans made it happen. His acceptance speech was so moving. Finally after 8 years of blunders this is a refreshing change.

As some of you may know, I have been shopping for a new home for a few months now. After a long escrow period, I am finally a home owner! I officially closed escrow at noon today. My bank accounts were emptied in the process. I don’t officially move into the new place until the last week of November. The seller is renting back the place so that she can wait for her escrow to close as well. I was over at the house yesterday and could see that she’s already packed up many of her stuff in preparation for the move. The place should be all mine on November 8th. I will then need to paint 2 of the rooms and do some cleaning in preparation for my move. Needless to say, it’ll be a busy few months to get situated.

I spent several days now figuring how my cash flow will work. I should be okay if I don’t splurge. I am welcoming myself back to living frugally. Wisebread.com, here I come!

I did it! Finished my first triathlon. Well, actually a “duoathlon” for me. I woke up at 2:30AM last Sunday to begin my journey to the race. Luckily I packed all my gear and bike in the car the night before. My sis and gf came along for the ride. It was good that they were there to keep me awake while I twisted and turn through on a quiet PCH. We finally made it to the Zuma parking lot 5 minutes after 4:30. As expected the spaces were filling up quickly with participants of the race.

It was pitched dark still. The air was chilly but not very cold. I proceeded to take my bike out and prep it for the race. Pumped up the tires so that they were at 100 psi. Gathered all my gear and walked over to the race site. We were guided by the tiny LED light on my bike and another gentleman’s flashlight. My sis and gf kept it entertaining by chatting up a storm. It was good to have background noise because I started feeling nervous for some strange reason.

Upon arrival of registration, we find Deepak there. He was in the process of registering and had informed me that several folks from work was already at our company tent. I went over to the tent hoping that my partner was actually there early so we can register together. Fortunately, he was waiting on the wall bundled up in a hoodie. We then went to register. Registration was quite a fiasco. We didn’t know our bib number and was floating from one registration booth to another until we were finally redirected to a bulletin board which had our number, 873. With this information we both turned in our signed waiver and received a nice packet of race materials as well as our customary tshirt and hat. We were then tagged with our number on our left bicep and our age and the letter “R” to indicate that we were relay racers. And that was it with registration!

I went back to our tent and opened up our packet of race materials. We had to wear a yellow band in order to get into the transition area so we did that. We also divvy up the swim cap and RFID ankle monitor to my partner and I get the bike number plate, running bib, and a sticker for my helmet. We made our way into the transition area to look for our space in the “NBC Universal” rack. I racked up the bike and laid out my running shoe and pinned all the numbers to myself and bicycling gear. This probably took about half an hour to do. My partner familiarized himself with the path that he was going to take and pass the RFID to me and we were done prepping for the race.

The rest of my time was spent socializing with various co-workers and helping them out with setting up their transition spots. I was pumped with excitement and apparently fluid because I visited the porta-potty 3 times before the race even began. When 7:00AM rolled around, we were told to head over to the main stage to go over rules and introduction. 15 minutes after that, the race had begun! The relay teams was to go in the 2nd wave 5 minutes later. I made my way back to transition area to prepare for my transition. It took all but 13 minutes for my partner to make it out of the water and hand me the RFID strap.

I quickly strapped the wet monitor to my ankle, pulled my bike off the rack and ran out of the transition area. There was a designated area where we can mount the bikes and pedaled away. About a few yards later I hear a “clank-clank” sound coming from the front of my bike. I knew exactly what that was. It was my damn cyclometer receiver clanking on my bicycle spokes. I knew because of the cyclometer not tracking the mph. I had to adjust it twice in the first mile until I finally got it spaced appropriately where it didn’t hit the spoke and where I was able to keep track of my riding statistics.

The ride then finally went on through the parking lot to the under water bridge where the race organizers built a wooden plank for us to ride across. When we made it across, the road was so rough that it jarred all the joints in my body awake. We finally hit PCH to begin the 3rd mile. I was jazzed up. I was excited about this moment and exerted tremendous amount of energy to pull ahead as fast as I could. To my dismay, it was too early to do that. Right before I reached the first hill, I had to hold back a bit. I was able to power through the hill past a couple of folks. Unfortunately, when the second hill came, I was fading. The same people who I passed, easily pulled ahead. I couldn’t do anything about it. Huge mistake on my part to start out so eagerly.

I kept telling myself that it was okay to be passed. I just need to keep the cadence going and not exert too much energy. I was also worried that I was not flagged for drafting anybody. I was very conscious to either give space from the rider ahead or truly power pass them in a staggered formation. By the time I reached the turn-around, my leg started to cramp. I thought, “Oh crap! This isn’t good”. I slowed my pace even more and grinded out the longest and steepest hill of the race.

One by one, other racers passed me. I wasn’t so discouraged because I made it pass the hardest part of the race and kept my pace going. I checked my average speed and it was at 17.9. This was much better than my practice pace so I was feeling good. It was nice to have a whole lane dedicated to us that morning. We blew by the only signal lights since the cops was there to direct traffic. That was fun going so fast down the final hill with somewhat of a reckless abandonment and to be welcomed by a crowd of people standing on both sides of the road cheering us on. That was great! Probably my favorite part of the race.

I finally made it into the parking lot and quickly slurped my last GU packet to provide energy for my run next. My cyclometer read 1 hr and 43 seconds when I got off my bike and quickly slipped into my running shoes and dug in my bag for my mp3 player. The first steps I took out of the transition, my leg felt buttery. It was screaming with soreness and pain. This was never the case during training but I think I probably used up some adrenaline and was too eager too early. Oh well, pushed forward and eased into a jogging pace.

Several times, I thought I was going to stop and walk the race but my pride kept me from doing so because I never stopped running whenever I trained so I was not about to do the same here. I eventually made it through the 4 miles and crossed the finish line at 2hrs and some seconds. I was welcomed with a cold and wet towel on my shoulder and a medal, while everybody was herded in a single line to have their RFID ankle bracelet removed by a volunteer. I was beat! I quickly swallowed a bottle of water and walked back to our tent. I took a few moments to recover and received numerous congratulations. Went back into our transition area to grab my bag of crap. The race was still happening so we just stuck around and waited. We eventually went to get food from our brunch.

At the brunch we were surrounded with onlookers who were trying to get a glimpse of JLo and Mark Anthony. It was weird. I felt bad for them but it looked like they enjoy this kind of lifestyle. At least that’s what I thought. I was sore and limped back to the tent and waited for everyone from our team to finish. We finally got together for a few group shots. We left around 11:30 and I was exhausted. All I know is that I slept early and didn’t wake up until it was time to go to work!

The official race results are posted here. Our official times: Swim – 00:13:59.6 Transition 1 – 00:02:11.3 Bike – 01:00:49.1 Transition 2 – 00:02:29.1 Run – 00:35:58.5 Finish – 01:55:27.5.

I’d like to thank those who donated on my behalf to the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles. I was able to raise $1,040 from my network of friends and family with ease. The whole race raised about $950K and $17K was from the NBC Universal team. I was proud to be part of a rewarding effort to help raise this money and to participate in my first sprint triathlon. I will definitely do this again next but will make the proper adjustments for better time. Oh no. I’m hooked!

More action photos of me and other folks in the race (all the celebs) can be found by clicking here. Search by their bib # or name. I found J Lo and Mathew McConaughey by their name.

So this weekend marks the last weekend of training before the actual race. I think I’m ready for this race. On Saturday I witness my team mate be the first one out of the water after swimming .5 miles in the ocean. I got on my bike and rode the best I could. The last time I trained at Zuma, it took me about 1 hour and 12 minutes to finish 18 miles. This time I was able to get 18 in exactly 1 hour! My consistent pedaling these past 3 months has certainly paid off in huge dividends. I was able to run my 4 miles without stopping afterwards. I was able to catch up and keep up with my boss who by mile 2 broke away from me and was probably about 5 seconds ahead. I felt so great after it was all done. I was so hydrated that I had to pee 3 times on the way home. That should be a record of some sort.

Another good thing that happened this weekend was that I found 2 articles of my possession which I thought was long lost. Such a fulfilling feeling to have my stuff back. I’m bad for needing these items. I also got a new memory card for my new digital camera. Can’t wait to take better quality pictures.

I’ve been bad at keeping my “Album” section updated. Even though I’ve been posting pictures from my Flickr account, having complete albums is much easier on my own site. I decided to upload another album from last month’s visit to San Diego. We went to my first NFL preseason game as a spectator. I’ve worked at Raiders game before in high school but this was much better being there and enjoying the game.

Hopefully the next updates will have pictures of the race. Stay tuned.

I decided to do a few things as part of my adventure for this beautiful Los Angeles Saturday. I pedaled up to my favorite train stop in South Pasadena and took the North bound train towards Pasadena. It was my first time riding the Gold Line up to the last stop in Sierra Madre. From there I made my way down 4 stories of car parking and rode over to Harbor Freight, Pasadena location. For those who don’t know what Harbor Freight is, it’s a store where you can find all sorts of miscellaneous tools and items you wouldn’t find at your local hardware store or even at an auto parts store. It was great because they had so many tools for all sorts of things.

I then cruised over to Sears across the street and bought a 15mm wrench. I finally used a gift card that had $0.94 of credit! One less card to carry. I made my way out of Sears and took the train to the Bike Oven. At the Oven, I had some time to work on my bike. I had to tighten up the chain ring bolts and rewrapped my handlebar. By time everything was over it was 5PM. Me and one of the volunteers decided to go get smoothies in Chinatown. We rode our bikes from Highland Park area and chilled out and chatted for about 30 minutes and went our separate ways.

I took the Gold Line and then transferred to the Red Line and got off Hollywood and Vine. From there I proceeded to the theatre that was having the 2008 Bicycle Film Festival. I was greeted by Mr. Rollers, a very well known photographer for the Midnight Ridazz. He offered to valet my bike and so I allowed.

First time getting my bicycle valeted and I don’t mind it at all, unlike car valets. I waited in line until 7:30 rolled around and we all finally got to see some movies about bicycles. It was inspiring. When we got out, the line for the next program was long! I wanted to stay back and catch this last showing but I was hungry and tired so I bolted out to the train station.

The train was crowded with families who spent their day at Universal Studios and were heading back home. I know because they were holding souvenirs. I got off at the Civic Center stop hoping to catch a bus and try using the bike racks in front of a bus for the first time. I waited almost an hour and no bus came so I got fed up and road home from Downtown LA to Alhambra. Fueled by popcorn, a smoothie, and a power bar from earlier in the day, my head was pounding as I made my 7 mile journey at 11PM. I quickly stopped by Yoshinoya and picked up a chicken bowl with a cup of water. A well deserved meal that eased the headache and my sore legs.

Not bad for a 19 mile day (according to my cyclometer).

Who’s the virgin group rida here? That would be me. Last Saturday, I participated in my first bicycle group ride. It’s funny because I’ve done lots of group rides on the motorcycle but never on the bicycle. Definitely different to say the least.

Every 2nd Saturday of the month, there is a Spoke(n) Art Ride that is put on by Josef @ the Bike Oven. This month’s ride also had the dual benefit of helping some folks raise money to go to the Burning Man. Our ride started at the normal place in Highland Park at the corner of York and Figueroa. I was first to arrive and chilled out w/some local homeless people. Then a couple named Liz and Rob shows up on their bike. Got to chit-chat for a couple minutes with them until people started flowing in from various location. We had all sorts of folks from your hipster fixie rider to your yuppie riders decked out with bags, helmets, and nice bikes. We even had a guy hauling with a stereo trailer to provide a ride sound track.

Josef shows up late and had to make a run back to the Oven to deliver some cases of wine. He’s got a real nice cargo bike. I’ll have to take pictures of that when I see it next time. This delayed allowed more people to join us. By the time he got back, we were about 50+ strong. There were some familiar faces in the sea of bikers who I recognized from the Oven. We eventually made our way up to Eagle Rock on Figueroa. I don’t remember any of the names of the art locations but I do remember the ride. It was the most amazing feeling in the world to be on a bicycle with a pack of other bicycles occupying an entire lane of the road. Cars were not honking, they were patient and curious while they slowly cruised by us. We were constantly stopped by drivers asking who we are. During the ride I got to mingle with strangers and acquaintances alike by either slowing down or speeding up in the pack to catch up to someone. Wherever we ended up, we basically ate every “free” snacks and wine that was left out for us. Talk about vultures.

We rode through Colorado Blvd in Eagle Rock and headed south on Eagle Rock Blvd to York. Made a left to Avenue 50 and the went straight down Avenue 50 to Marmion Way. We eventually made it back on Figueroa to chill out at the Bike Oven. We made it through 5 art exhibits in total accident free. The after party was kinda lame so me and a group of other riders who lives near S. Pasadena decided to take the train back to S. Pasadena. We tried looking for food but all the places in So Pas was closed. Eventually it was just me and another person named Efren who also lived near me. We ended up eating at a Chinese Cafe restaurant called “Cafe Spot” since he said he knew the owner there. It turns out Efren was a councilman of the city of Alhambra. Very nice gentleman and very genuine in his efforts to make the city a better place. It was nice to bike somewhere local with someone else but myself.

By the time I got home, it was 1 AM. Total mileage was about 20 miles for the night. I was beat! Unfortunately I had to wake up early to go to the beach. Needless to say, I was knocked out by Sunday night. I’m still tired and need some time to rest up and sleep today. As for future rides, I’m going to make it a priority to make out to at least 1 ride a month. I can see how this can be addictive.

No time to post a detail rant but here are the photos. We made it back a week ago and was delayed once again.

I did my second 5K run this past weekend. Less hills and it showed in my time. Here are the results. I’m #118 on the list. I was a minute and a half faster than last week. It was still tough. I don’t know what it is but during these races I exert a bit more effort and try to run faster than I normally do. I think it’s that you get so competitive and think that you can beat that person or this person. But in reality, I should be running at my own pace. A fun experience nevertheless. Now that I have these races out of the way, I’m going to focus more on my triathlon training. Well, the bicycling and running portion of it at least. We’re racing in September so this should give me plenty of time to train. At the same time I’m going to train for next year’s LA Marathon.

Radiohead concert August 24th and 25th @ The Hollywood Bowl! Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10 AM. You know I’ll be going. Most likely to both shows. I can’t wait! It’s been too long since the last concert.