my very first race

the night before the 5k run, i placed the chips on carl's and my shoes. this is it! we are really going to do our first run ever.



5 minutes to go... can you feel the anticipation in the air???







after the race, we were rewarded with the finisher's medal, bottle of water and lots of snacks to replenish and refresh.





i greatly appreciated the motivational cheer from the volunteers around the course. even though, i trained to run 5k for the last few months, running in the race was very different from when i was running on my own. the route was new to me and having other people run along with me also made a huge difference. i clocked in at 31.55 minutes. this is a little under average time according to the results they announced. yay! i wish i hadn't walked the uphill portion of the race though, then i could have made it just about 30 minutes. but for my very first run, i am really proud i finished the entire race. i really feel good about myself and i feel this is something i can do for the rest of my life.

there were lot of young participants (ages 15 and under) and older participants (even 70+) that have finished the race before me. ouch... this really mean i have to bring my game on next time. well, i don't want to tire myself out by overdoing it, but slowly i want to shorten my time and eventually participate 10k and half marathon in next couple of years. i was never a runner nor i was active in sports but running has become my latest obsession. the race became the catalyst. i made excuses not to go for a run while i was training but now i regret it. sure, i am really tired and my legs are sore, but i felt jolt of adrenalin running through every inch of my body after the race was done, total exhilaration!



yes, i look flushed and messy (do i look like i have no hair?)but so proud!


UPDATED!
i got some photos from the official photographer's website. they are proofs. i guess that's how i look when i run. i was kinda hoping for a ridiculously photogenic girl moment, but... maybe next time. i am smiling in my first photo though.... but what am i doing in the second one? weird...




this is the moment just before crossing the finish line. the little boy all of a sudden appeared from nowhere and ran incredibly fast the last ten seconds and finished just before me. aaaaahhhhh you stole my thunder little boy!!!



photos from here.
thanks team for amazing photographs.

board game to infinity and beyond

for carl's (belated) birthday present, i got him two boxes of (hopefully) endless fun: carcassonne and dominion. since our visit to snakes and lattes, he's been passively hinting that he wants couple of those games we had played. so, we took a trip to 401 games and got sweeeet deal on the prices. yipeeee!

we played played and played game after game.... time flies when you are having so much fun! he looked like a little boy who just won an amazing robot or some gift he's been dying to have. well, i'm happy that he's happy. this little geekiness i can live with. i've always had a thing for cute nerds anyways :-P

i personally like carcassonne, with five expansions, the game time can last up to 2.5 hours. i can't wait to invite my friends for some mapping challenges. i'm sure they will love it.

titanic and one hundred years

These spoons, salvaged from the wreckage of the Titanic on the ocean floor, were part of an exhibit at the Maritime Aquarium, in South Norwalk, Conn., Feb. 1, 2002. RMS Titanic, Inc. is the sole salvage company allowed to remove items from the ocean floor where the luxury liner sank in the North Atlantic. (Douglas Healey/Associated Press)

from bigpicture

back at harbourfront centre

it was first time visiting harbourfront centre since i got my new job. it felt weird coming back as a guest on their spring exhibition opening night. things are the same, people are the same but somehow it just felt so different.

1812 – 2012: a contemporary perspective

i got to take a photo of ryan and his cool shirt.... i used to follow him around taking photos of him during install week, because he loved being photographed (sarcasm here). ahhh i really miss the good ol' times.

it was good to see everyone at hfc, especially marek's little baby angel. she's just adorable. last time i saw  her, she was tiny (2 months old), but at 5 months she seemed so big all of a sudden. babies grow up so fast.

as usual, the food was amazing... and i was able to enjoy my stella right from the beginning. mmmm.....

and here are some photos of exhibits i really liked....

superspiroscribble by amanda mccavour

leaves by micah adams

dynastic portrait (jackie burroughs) by cole swanson

beacon by jennie suddick

hearts don't like to suffer....

Source: behance.net via Renée on Pinterest

"Why don't people's hearts tell them to continue to follow their dreams?" the boy asked the alchemist.
"Because that's what makes a heart suffer most, and hearts don't like to suffer."

-the alchemist

six hours of board games

carl and i were thinking of buying couple of board games and snakes and lattes is perfect place to try/learn the game beforehand. it's great because the friendly staffs will teach you how to play the game, save time reading through pages after pages of (sometimes confusing) instructions. yes, lazy, but this way, you can get more out of it, ask questions, etc. we played five games back to back.... carcassone castle, alhambra, dominion, agricola and san juan. in midst of dominion, earth hour hit, and we had to play in the dark. it was quite fun, and the staffs began to sing some tunes instead of the radio. awesome! i personally loved carcassonne and alhambra the best, though my building skill needs some sharpening. i love snakes and lattes, perfect place to spend some quality game time with your boyfriend!

the fault in our stars

"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you."

-Augustus, from the Fault in Our Stars by John Green

soy latte

my new recipe and addiction:
a cup of soy milk
a shot of espresso or starbucks via instant coffee

i'm just loving soy milk these days.

clearance papillon

cute papillon basking in the sun♥

modernweave

i work here now.... survived a month. phew!

change in line of work has been stressful and overwhelming for me, but i am slowly getting used to it.
remembering names are challenging though... some names are just.. wha??