Adventures in London: Issue 19

What a week this has been. It is quite late here and I have a bunch to type so I am going to jump right in. 

This week was (as most of you know), Thanksgiving. I realised that for the first time in 28 years I was away from my family. The great thing about Thanksgiving is that it is not centered around gift giving ad receiving. It is centered around the most important thing in the world - food....I mean family, but really people it is all about the food. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday in the US as it marks a time to hang out with your family and eat your weight in delicious autumn foods. I was thankful that on Thanksgiving Thursday I did have the chance to see my family over Skype. While catching up with family, I got to see the enormous turkey, the pies, the table and of course the large pot of Bhai's mashed potatoes in the oven. I will admit, I was rather sad that I did not choose to go home for TG break, but all was not lost. I still had the pleasure to have my own TG dinner in London - only catch was I had to wait until Saturday. 

On Saturday, the "Americans" gathered in Borough for a traditional TG dinner. For the majority of us at the table, this marked the first time we all were away from our families. Contrary to the common  belief that there are no turkeys in the UK, we will very pleased to find a 16lb turkey. If you were at our dinner table (seated for 8),  you would not have known that you were in London. 

Our 3 course meal included a fine selection of cheese canapes (made by yours truly - pic to the left), an 9 entree dinner (mashed potatoes, candied yams, 2 styles of stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffed mushrooms, green bean casserole, and roasted potatoes) and for dessert homemade pumpkin and apple pie!! We even had the football games on to make it truly authentic!  

Granted it does not replace being with the family and nothing ever will, but when you are 6000 miles away from your loved ones this certainly satisfied the craving :-) Today we all went back for Thanksgiving leftovers with a few additions to the menu!! Have discovered a new found love for Chinese Turkey hash - YUMMY! Come on you cannot beat that!!! All the delights of Thanksgiving dinner without having to answer "when are you getting married?" - jk

Other than that, it has been a pretty low key week. On Tuesday, I went for a run outside. 

Rather than running towards Hyde park, I decided to run along the Thames towards Tower Bridge. I am still in awe of all the history and attractions that are just a stone throw away from the office. On my 5 mile circle, I ran by Tower Hill (sorry KU, I have yet to go inside), City Hall, HMS Belfast, the BFI, the National Gallery, etc. This run was exactly what I needed to clear my head. 

I have drawn up a training program and just like 2004, I am going to be very OCD about following it this year.  As of right now, I have a half marathon in March and the marathon in 2009 that I am focusing on. Rather than just having the goal of finishing, I want to focus on time. For the half in March, I would like to break the 2hr marker. For the Marathon - I have a number of goals. The main is to run a sub-4hr marathon - ideal would be to run a 3h48min marathon, but given it is my first I need to be a little realistic.  Man, these times seem so slow especially while reading "A Race Like No Other".... 

This afternoon while on my 9 mile run (up and around Battersea Park and back around Clapham Common), my iPod died. Any other week I probably would have turned around and gone back, but I was rather determined to run my full 9 miles today - it was the only way I was going to make it through round 2 of TG dinner ;-) I realised while running that I am thankful for you all and this blog. For the remainder of my run I spoke my thoughts to you all, took some photos and enjoyed a music free run. The sliver lining to the run was the lack of music forced me to focus on my form and breathing. I am still adjusting to the notion of running outdoors and have yet to break my "treadmill" form of short strides and heavy foot-strikes. It was nice to be able to open up and be lighter on the feet. Running through the mud, although messy and slippery, reminded me why I enjoyed running. I had flashback to a race when I was 14 in Rochester. The course was 3 laps through a mud pit park. We were sliding everywhere, but it was one of my fastest races. My knees and hips appreciated it - they sent me a dozen flowers to show there gratitude. 

This weekend I will be in Vienna for the Christmas market, so I will post the update on Monday. In the meantime, you can enjoy the video recap from the last 10 weeks of adventures! 

As always, if you use Skype, please let me know what your ID is and we can arrange a date to catch up. 

xxx

Adventures in London: Issue 18

There is an old running trick that teaches runners to finish strong. The idea is that if you finish a run on a strong note and with negative splits (i.e. running the last mile faster than you ran the previous), you leave your body wanting more. It is a mental trick really. You never want to finish a run completing depleting your body of all its resources and unable to run another step - if you do then taking the first step of your next run becomes much more difficult.

This week I tried applying that logic to my work week. Like any run, it had its easy hours, its taxing hours, and it certainly had those hours when I did not think I go anymore. The important thing was not how I started Monday morning, but how I ended Friday evening :-)

This week has required me to leave my comfort zone at work. The team here is quite focused on creating a teaching/learning environment. It is weird for me to take the step back and realise that I have been working in this industry for 5 years (well a few months shy) and can no longer call myself an entry-level employee. Not only am I checking the 25-30 age box, but I am about to check the 5-9 years of experience box. As hard as it may be at times, I need to learn to take a back-seat and allow the team to learn. I feel like I am still straight out of college and have so much to learn from the people around me - and I know I do. I am going through that stage where I feel like I am treading water pretending that I know what I am doing, but instead of keeping afloat my head keeps going underwater. I am constantly learning from the team each day, but I have also realised that there are things to that I can "teach". It is almost the ideal situation for me. This week I was putting together a "lesson plan" for these sessions that we have implemented here to expose the team to coding in a statistical software that we use globally. While writing this up, I could not help but think back to college. I remembered re-writing econ 101 chapters my senior year in high school for a friend in terms that she would understand - supply and demand for shoes, dating, etc. I remembered helping my roommate through the torture that was financial accounting - even if it was just making Smores for every problem she completed. I remembered studying with Kevin over the phone while in the bath (yes I had a strange obsession while in grad school of studying in the bath). I always had a desire to become a teacher, but when I was at BU I decided that would be one of my life goals. That was one of the main reasons why I pursued my Masters. I wanted to become a college economics professor cause it frustrated me that BU had the No. 7 economic program, but if you were in it, you would not have a clue given the lack of passion from the professors. I am far off the path of becoming a professor right now, but long story short, I have come to the conclusion given the right environment there is always a way to make evolve your dreams into something new.

On Wednesday while in Milton Keynes for a client meeting I found something that I lost over a year ago - actually probably longer.

After last week and the beginning of this week, it was just what I need to turn the tone of the week around. I used to carry around with me a sleeve of wallet size photos of my dad, my brother, family and friends. Most of them where printouts, but I had two originals that meant a lot to me - the one of my dad (photo on the left) and one of my brother from law school. The inscription on the back made me smile as it reminded me that he has always been the silent force behind me that has always supported me to do what I wanted.

On Thursday, a friend of mine from MS NY sent me "A Race Like No Other" by Liz Robbins. The book with its 26.2 chapters tells the story behind and experience of running the NYC marathon. Specifically it is about the 2007 marathon, which was probably my favorite year to cheer and photograph. I am only on chapter 6, but it is already pumped me up to run next year with my "Race 'N Brunch" ladies. I have found myself smiling while I read this book cause there are stories and paragraphs that I am so excited to experience. It is not just about the elite runners, it is about the everyday runner like me and what has driven them to run the marathon. How they caught the running bug and what keeps them going. At a time when I was starting to question whether I would be able to fulfill my dream of running a marathon due to the extremely annoying knee and hip pains that I get after running. Just when I was thinking "maybe my body is just not cut out to be a runner", this book snapped me out of that nonsense.

With that said, this weekend I got back on the road and started training again. I have signed up for the Aidias Silverstone half marathon in March 2009 so now I have a goal to work towards. I have not had a good run since B left (and that is largely due to a lack of trying - only went running once and it was not fun). This weekend, rather than into London Central, I thought I would venture through my own neighborhood. The main reason why I decided to move to Clapham was because they had a park. Sadly it took me 3 months to finally run in it. I did not time yesterday's run well, I initially wanted to go for 60 minutes, but while I was on my run the sun set, thus dropping the temperature dramatically. I also did not gauge the park well and miss-estimated the length and time that it would take me to do a full loop.

Clapham Common is not the most beautiful of London's parks, but it is nice to have an open area to run around. They have a dirt path which is nice to run on as it takes some of the pressure off the knees and ankles.

Today I thought I would take my blackberry along so I could capture some of the run. Nothing like Brightroom, but at least I can control when my photo is being taken :-) I left the flat early today in efforts to avoid the sunset. I did however get to enjoy twilight in the park - got the orange glow from behind the trees. The reflection of the sky in the puddles and ponds. The course may have been muddy today, but it was a joy to be out running again.

While reading my friend TK's blog, I started thinking about the marathon. This past year's experience was not my favorite. I was disappointed to think that the last NYC marathon that I would be able to photograph for a couple of years did not turn out as good I wished. But then while reading TK's entry, I realised that there is always the London Marathon! Being apart of the World Marathon Majors the London marathon attracts some of the world's elite runners: male and female. This year it will allow me to redeem myself and cheer for TK while she runs the streets of London.

Well I am sure I have bored most of you this week with my tales of running, but it was just what I needed to clear my head. Have had too many thoughts running through my mind lately. This weekend was all about getting my feet to run rather than my mind. Thinking doesn't get you anywhere, if anything it will only make situations worse if to dwell on the topic too much.

I hope you all are well. It is always a pleasure hearing from you so please continue to write/ comment. For those in the States, have a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. There are many things to be thankful for and right now I am very thankful to have friends and family like you in my life who have loved and supported me throughout this adventure.

xxx

T

Adventures in London Issue 17

Has another week really come and gone?! Sadly there is not much to report this week. It has just been a normal work week and thus no real adventures to share.  I got my first London cold - not as exciting as I thought it was going to be. Friday morning I woke up and started getting ready for work, but ultimately called in sick cause I was in no shape to go into the office. I think the past several weeks of traveling, visitors and exploring London caught up to me a bit. I still do not feel a 100%, but after a relaxing weekend I feel much better. 

Yesterday a couple of us finally went to see Quantum of Solace in Hampstead. We went to the Everyman theatre which consists of velvet sofas, table service and a snack menu. It was definitely the ideal way to watch QoS! I HIGHLY suggest going to see that movie (but I would recommend seeing Casino Royale first). 

Today a few of us went to Elephant & Castle for Dim Sum. All I have to saw is they had Char Siu Bao (steamed bun with bbq pork) :-)

Really wish there was more to share. I have absolutely fallen for Skype! I think that is by far the coolest software out there. This morning, I got to see my nephew this morning which was a sincere delight. I cried a bit when I ended the session - cannot believe he is changing so much. He got his first haircut and looks like a grown man! Last night I got to catch up with a "cousin" of mine and all the news on the girl which was great to hear. I definitely been missing my core group of girls this week. Although I am happy to have moved, I am sad that I have moved so far from them. I was able to deal with the move cause I knew I had my 2 trip home. Now, I have no idea when I will be back stateside - my next trip is not scheduled until Nov 2009 for the NYC marathon. That is just too long to wait!

Switching topics - 

I do have some things to look forward to. Next weekend, the Americans are going to throw Thanksgiving here. Nothing like going home and watching my brother dance with the turkey before he cooks it - but that is what I get for moving 6000 miles away :-( Maybe missing out on the Thanksgiving fun, but on the other hand, I am going to Vienna in December for the Christmas Market!! I am looking forward to the holidays now as my mom is going to be here for a visit! I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to her visit (my friends here are looking forward to her visit as they cannot wait for home cooked Indian food). Should be fun touring and exploring the city together - we have not done that since Boston!!

On that note, I am quite hungry so I am going to prepare myself dinner. 

Miss you all

xoxo

T

Adventures in London: Issue 16

Me again...

This week has been filled with meetings, celebration and a dear friend from NYC! Some of you may have heard, the States have elected themselves a new president. I tried to stay up as late as I could to watch the election coverage, but the red-eye flight got the best of me. I went to be around 0100 and woke up at 0630 to tune in for the results. I had to pinch myself to make sure that I was reading the screen correctly...I will admit, I wish I stayed in the NY to properly watch the election coverage.  It was amazing to discover how many Londoners followed the US election and how they were in awe of the the turnout in the US. I guess a good election turnout here is 40%... 

Enough about politics...

For the first time since moving here I have not looked forward to writing this email. This email signifies that it is Sunday and with that the end of the weekend. I normally don't mind this, as it means that with Monday I get to see my friends and return to my body beautiful regime. But this Sunday means that B leaves tomorrow. My work husband came for a visit on Friday for the weekend. It has been an absolute pleasure having him here. 

Friday evening after work, we went

 to the National Portrait Gallery to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibit. I rather enjoyed this exhibit.  The exhibit was a showcase of her life as a photographer, so it displayed her photos from her well-known works from Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair along side with her personal photos of her family and dear friends. While looking at some of the personal photos, especially the ones of her daughters being born, you cannot help but think, "I have that same photo (different person of course), I should have an exhibit." Then you see the Demi Moore Vantiy Fair cover and you realize why it is that you don't. 

On Saturday, we sadly had typical London weather - rain! Rather than going for the Lord Mayor's procession between Embankment and the Mansion House, we went to Borough market for raclette, mulled wine, burgers and oysters. Thankfully the rain seized momentarily for us to walk across tower bridge and around tower hill. We wanted to go inside, but we missed the last tour by 10 minutes. That started a theme for the rest of the evening - doors to St Paul's Cathedral shut pretty much in our faces, Gordon's was packed the 2 times we tried to get a table, favorite restaurant in Chinatown was closed for decoration....but we managed somehow to have fun :-) The interesting thing about having B Mak here was that he had already been to London numerous times so rather than racing from site to site we just got to spend time together. Definitely made me realize how much I missed having him around in NYC. 

In the evening, we made our way to Blackfriars bridge for the Lord Mayor's firework display. We ended up watching them from the center of the bridge itself, which turned out to be really cool. The website said that they were going to usher people off the bridge and it was not a spot to view the fireworks, but they allowed everyone to stay - guess that was just there way of controlling traffic.  Clever folks!  After the show, we met up with the rest of the American crew and had an evening of food, drinks and laughter. 

Today B Mak and I went for a run around London - what was intended to just be a 8 mile run turned into a 10 mile grand tour of London. We discovered 5 minutes into our run that there was a special event taking place in London and as such many of the streets were blocked - thus throwing off our route. We still managed to have a lovely route through London. We ran across Westminster bridge, along the south end of the Thames and then back across Lambeth bridge. We weaved through the streets and made it to Buckingham Palace which...yup...was closed off because of whatever was going on. Rather than running through the front of the Palace, we ran along the back of it and made our way to Hyde Park. We ran around Hyde Park and then ran across Vauxhall bridge toward Brixton for a traditional English breakfast with the American guys. Was the "quickest" 10 mile run that I have done in a long time. Time just seem to fly by and I was rather pleased that cardio wise I felt fine - my knees and ankles on the other hand were in a tremendous amount of pain. 

After not being able to buy tickets to Quantum of Solace at the Picture House, B and I went to the War Museum to see the Ian Fleming exhibit. It was not quite what I was I expecting, but really eye opening in regards to who Ian Fleming was and how James Bond came about. It has been so nice having B Mak here....glad that we got the chance to spend the weekend together and just catch up. 

Other than that, not much else to report. Hope you all are well. Miss you dearly!! I am off to bed

xoxo

T

Adventures in London: Issue 15

Sorry for the delay on posting this - and thank you to those who inquired about Issue 15. I was
in NYC for the weekend - who would have thought that NYC would be a weekend trip?! I flew in on Friday and flew back to London Monday night. It was nice to be home and to see my family and friends, which made it quite hard to come back to London. I thoroughly enjoyed my time living in NYC, I have some great memories and experiences that I will always cherish, but this trip made me realize that I am pleased to have moved to London. Don't get me wrong, I will always miss my family and my friends and I will continue to wish that they were here by my side experiencing this all with me - I just don't miss the city itself. NYC seemed quite foreign to me and rather exhausting. May help if I try not to squeeze in a week's visit in a matter of 3 days.
Anyway, onto the adventures of the week - well really the weekend.

For the 4th year in a row, my camera and I travelled to the UES to watch and support the NYC marathon. Everyone has a sport that they are passionate about - I have discovered that mine is definitely the women's marathon. I cannot wait to make my marathon debut at the 40th ING NYC Marathon next year!! It is a year away - yet I am quite nervous. Too early to be nervous and stress I know, but just want to make this dream happen. And really trying not to injure myself in the process. The 2008 NYC marathon was quite a pleasure to watch (even if it was for a short while). Paula Radcliffe can definitely go down in the books as the greatest marathoner of our time. Paula became the second person to be a 3-time NYC marathon winner with her back to back wins. I almost missed taking a photo of her as I froze when they ran by. Just could not believe my eyes. For starters, was in complete awe when I saw that Kara Goucher (USA Olympian for the 5K & 10K in Beijing) was running right on Paula's side. I later discovered that Kara beat Paula in her half-marathon debut in England by nearly a minute. Kara, a native to Queens, became the fastest women in New York with her marathon debut time of 2:25:53. Does the USA have a new women's marathoner for the 2012 games? Not that I am biased, but I quite liked the team we had this year - shame you cannot have 4 people.

Speaking of US Olympians, Magda Lewy-Boulet returned to the streets of NYC. In a year of repeats, I got to repeat a number of photos of runners (elite and non)...including one of Magda. My friend TK noticed that I had a photo of her running 4 years ago and now after meeting her I got to photograph her running again (took a better photo this year). She ran by with complete ease - guiding along as if she had just started the race. Wonder in what shape I will be in at mile 17. Doubt I will make it look so effortless, but hope to have good form.

The experience of taking photos this year was rather different. I came to the realization that I am not going to be able to photograph the marathon next year. Was a bit bummed about that notion, but have entrusted Granny with my camera to do the job for me. Will be sure to make a cheat sheet of the runners to look for, but she already knows the cheering spots (yes spots - I have two). Hopefully she will do a better job than I did this year. I was distracted and not fully focused on the marathon. Who would thought that taking photos was a head game too!?! After having my running photographs taken from me - I wanted to retake the photos. Sadly I am not pleased with the photo overall from this year :-(


After watching the top 10 women run by, I raced home to change for dear Kadin's 1st birthday party. I cannot believe that he is 1 already. Feels like yesterday I was writing to you all announcing his arrival. I have been going through photos from the past year and it is amazing to see how much he has changed - even in the last 6 weeks he has changed. 12 months ago he fit in the palm of your hand and now it is a struggle to make him sits still - unless you have bubbles. I was very pleased to be greeted by a hug this time (rather than the screaming tears that I received last year). I don't even want to think about how much he is going to change and grow over the next 6 days - weeks - months... He will be walking and talking for sure the next time I see him. How scary is that concept?! He is growing up so much and I am 6000 miles away. Hmmm that just put me in a mood, so I am going to go to bed. Plus it is 01:30 and I am exhausted from the red-eye trip back and election watching.

Blogging is great, but uploading photos has been annoying and time consuming.


I am looking forward to this weekend and my dear B visiting!

xoxo

T