memoryloot

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.

As I was sitting on the train today I was staring out in darkness and began to reflect what’s been happening in my life the last couple of months. I’m at a completely different phase in my life right now compared to last year. First of all, I’m sitting on a train to work! I’m sure I never thought I’d be doing this a year ago. I’m actually happy that I am doing this to help be more green and not contribute in the demise of our environment.

Last year, I was playing poker on a weekly basis. Now we’re playing once every 3 months as it seems. I miss the face time to BS with the friends and catch up. I got to do that 2 weekends ago when all of our schedules allowed it.

I’m 10lbs lighter than I was a year ago. I’m more active and enjoy running and biking this year. Last year, my bike was sitting in the garage collecting dust. I was coming with all sorts of excuses not to go to the gym. It was not until the blood results that came in on my annual check-up to wake my lazy ass up. I’ve already run 2 5K back-to-back weekends. I will be participating in my first sprint triathlon relay this year and hopefully the LA marathon next year. I’ve added 2 more bicycles to encourage myself to ride them. And ride them, I do. This is one trend I don’t want to forget.

This year we’ve been actively searching for a new home for my family. Unfortunately nothing has turned up and I may have to look for property for myself. I can’t help it when my folks are so picky about all the places we’ve seen. My second offer to potentially the last house of our search has been submitted. It’ll take a miracle for the seller to accept the offer but I guess we’ll see.

I’m in this weird purging phase. My motorcycle is listed on Craigslist still. I’ve had people who were interested inquire about it but no formidable offers that I can entertain. Lots of people want to trade me for another bike and even a boat. That does nothing to someone who doesn’t know how to swim. I’m also playing with the idea of selling my trusty car and get a more fuel efficient Honda Fit. I love the fact that you can carry crap in such a compact vehicle. Maybe after I buy my first property.

I’ve lost interest in gaming from last year. Yes I still play my XBox but it’s still the same game, NBA 2K8. I love that game!

In the work front, things aren’t looking so good. I’ve inherited more applications to handle and it’s starting to stress me out. The overall company politics is making it harder and harder for me to do my job. It’s only a matter of time where grinning and bearing won’t work. Until that time, I can only keep my head up and work through this tough time.

Today I’m taking my first steps in being “Green”. I’ve completed my plan on commuting to work without the need of my car. Here’s how the plan will pan out: I will be riding my bike to Cal State Los Angeles. Leave my bike in a bike locker which I will rent from the school for $10 every quarter or 10 weeks. Take the Metro line 484 or 490 bus from the campus to Downtown LA. Transfer over to the Red Line train which stops directly across the street from work. This will cost about $50 a month.

It will probably take some getting use to following a schedule to leave from home and work, but I will have more time to enjoy some music or read. I’ll start on a Tuesday and Thursday only schedule. If I enjoy it, I’ll probably do it more frequently. The only problem is carrying stuff to go to the gym and my lunch. That is the only reason why I would drive. That can simply be rectify by adding a pannier. I can’t wait to put this plan into play. I’ll be saving money, helping the environment, and getting exercise (not that I don’t have enough).

If you’re interested in doing the same go check out the LA Metro site. They have a great trip planning tool to tell you what buses to take for your destination.

Not to toot my own horn again but I was featured once again in my affinity group’s newsletter across the company. Here is the article written by Mei-ling Andreen on December 21, 2007

Johnny Lam, NBC Universal, was presented with a distinguished honor in volunteerism by Ron Meyer, President and COO, Universal Studios, during NBCU’s Volunteer Day.

Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Johnny Lam, Project Manager (Publicity & Marketing Systems Group), NBC Universal, immigrated with his family at the age of three to Pomona, California. Raised in the San Gabriel Valley, primarily in Alhambra, Johnny watched his father, the “sole breadwinner” work full days as a mold-maker, while his mother stayed at home to care for Johnny and his younger sister. This upbringing led Johnny to one aspiration while growing up – to be the first in his family to graduate from college.

After graduating from Alhambra High in 1994, Johnny continued on his promise to himself and was accepted at the University of California, Irvine. Originally an Economics major he switched majors as the lure of the Internet fascinated him. Five years later, Johnny proudly earned his Bachelors of Science in Information and Computer Science.

Upon graduation, Johnny landed a job at Plutus Enterprises as a Systems Administrator and managed the entire company’s server systems and supported all consultant laptops – a big job for a new college graduate, but Johnny was up for the task. This was a clear indicator for what this self-proclaimed geek had in his future. After a year, Johnny left and joined a dot.com called Popcast, which led him to a Developer position at 10th Degree, an advertising company in Orange County. There, Johnny was able to work on projects closer to his personal passions, motorcycling – one of the company’s main clients was Mitsubishi and Johnny redeveloped their entire website while there. But it was landing at Universal that really impressed Johnny. “I remember coming to the theme park as a child and wondered how it would be to work here and here I am. It’s a dream come true and it’s awesome! He thanks a former co-worker at Plutus who asked if he was interested in working at Universal – that was October 2003 and Johnny’s been happy ever since.

As a Project Manager for the Publicity and Marketing Systems group, Johnny is the owner of three web applications for various businesses within NBC Universal, primarily extranet applications used by other business and internal groups (TV Distribution, NBC Casting and TV operations group.) His responsibilities include ensuring that the applications are up and running, rolling out improvements to the applications and those new applications are managed properly with the inclusion of all business partners.

In addition to enjoying being on the Universal Lot, Johnny agrees he not only gets to work with great people but he receives the support needed to succeed in his current role. One of those ways is his involvement with APAF and the SoCal Hub. “It’s refreshing to see a group of people who are dedicated to improving the involvement of all GE employees with their communities and with each other.” Johnny also added, “Without APAF, I would not have had opportunities to meet and become friends with individuals in various businesses of GE , as well as meeting members of upper management.” But it’s Johnny’s passion in helping others in need that has really made the biggest impact to the APAF family and community. Johnny’s tireless commitment to the website relaunch and redevelopment for the Asian Pacific Women’s Center (APWC), as featured in SCOOP, October/November 2007), earned him praise not only within the Hub but the company. During NBCU’s Volunteer Day, Ron Meyer, President and COO, Universal Studios presented Johnny with a distinguished honor in volunteerism.

Johnny continues to be a community leader within APAF and looks forward to becoming more active in various non-profits and to continue to bring awareness to APAF within other parts of the company. He also looks forward to bringing more to his team and in helping GE/NBCU and APAF to continue to attract quality people and continue to contribute positively to our communities and society.

Single, with no children yet, Johnny enjoys his spare time motorcycling, Moto GP races and talking bikes. He also works on various website projects for two APA non-profit organizations, APWC and Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA). For fun, he gets together with friends to play Texas Hold’em, eat, drink and laugh. “As a true geek, I’m always tinkering with computers and various gadgets.” When asked what his perfect weekend would be, Johnny answers simply, “To hop on my bike, ride up the coast, and stay overnight and stopping whenever I like.”

This down-to-earth, sincere, plain, old-fashioned nice guy is setting the standards for the SoCal Hub. And for the single ladies, he is definitely the kind of guy you would take home to meet your parents. With a continuous smile on his face, you can always find Johnny ready to help. And with that said, Johnny stands true to his favorite quote by Donald Trump, “If you’re interested in ‘balancing’ work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable.” For this self-proclaimed geek, he’s already achieved it.

Last Saturday, San and I went to volunteer for the Oliver Crest foster home at the CBS lot. It was my second year participating and we had a great time. We helped the kids create decorate popsicle frames so they can use it for their picture with Santa. And hand-full of people from APAF showed up. We grabbed a quick shot with Santa here:

Yesterday I was surprised with an offer to watch the Clippers play the Milwaukee Bucks. I finally got to experience the game in a box seat at a suite. The suite was rented out by NBC Universal. It was weird to see our company logo on the walls and on the furniture.

Nothing much going on these days except some weddings and Halloween at work.

*EDIT 11/06/2007: More pictures from Peuv’s camera.

This weekend was our 5th Annual Halloween Costume Party held at Boston restaurant in Long Beach. This year’s theme was A Child’s Tale. I was the The Man with The Yellow Hat from the popular Curious George children book. I took the Best Male Costume award while my dear San took the Best Female Costume. She was the adorable Gingerbread Man. She hand-made her costume. This year’s party included the following characters:

• Ursula from the Little Mermaid (also hand-made)
• Little Red Riding Hood (partially hand-made)
• The surviving little pig
• Count Dracula (yes he was a folklore character)
• Tinkerbell from Peter Pan
• Jack & Jill
• Dorothy & Scarecrow of The Wizard of Oz
• Rumplestiltskin
• Waldo from Where’s Waldo books
• Snow White of the Seven Dwarves
• Cruela Devil from 101 Dalmations
• Jack of All Trades (Jack be Nimble, Jack and the Bean Stock, and Jack of Jack & Jill)

Thanks to Peuv for organizing and setting up another successful outing. Next year’s theme will be Heroes & Villians.

On another note, I was also honored last week for a Volunteer Recognition Award for my company. People were congratulating me. In a way I felt guilty because I didn’t think what I did was that great compared to what others do. I mean on my off time I’m helping the non-profit Asian Pacific Women’s Center redo their website and improve anything IT related for them. I actually enjoyed doing that kind of stuff and it was more fun than work to me. But I suppose I should just accept what they gave me and not be unappreciative. Man I’m still on this weird winning streak for the year.

The organization that I’m part of, Asian Pacific American Forum (APAF) had their 1 year anniversary party last night. I spent my night talking to various members as well as to the non-profit, Asian Pacific Women Center. I’ve devoted my time for the last two months to change their website. I was rewarded tonight for the time I spent volunteering for our organization with the first ever Engagement Award for our SoCal hub.

Yay for me!

I don’t want to toot my own horn but here’s a note from my boss…

I am very pleased to announce that Johnny Lam has been promoted to Project Manager, B2B Systems. Over the past year, Johnny has already been playing the role of Project Manager and this is recognition of his work and role. Johnny has been the lead for various B2B and other apps.

Johnny has been a solid performer and a true asset to my team. Please join me in congratulating him.

Hip hip hooray!

For those who was in LA today, you may have seen the huge fire near Universal City. We came back from lunch and thought our studio was on fire. Here’s a couple of shots from within the lower lot of Universal Studios. I’m standing right outside a balcony at work with my camera phone.