Adventures in London: Issues 40

This has been quite the week. On one hand it started with a  dear friend from NYC visiting and ended with a best friend from Scotland (they are not Scottish, but they are living there now) :-) On the other hand it started with cheering the Boston marathon and ended with cheering the London marathon. 

Either way golly good week if you ask me.

So...from the top shall we?! 

Monday (aka Patriot's Day) was the 113th running of the Boston Marathon. Thanks to universal sports online, I was able to follow one of the most engrossing marathons from start to finish. I cheered (quietly at my desk and over email with my friend TK who was on watching live in Boston) as Kara Goucher gave her best to be the first American to win the Boston marathon in over 20 years. For her second marathon she ran a brilliant and inspiring race; I am sure there must have been points of the race when she believed that the hope and dream of winning Boston could have been possible. I sat anxiously and nervously as I watched Kara, Dire and Salina battle it out on the streets of Boston. It was a struggle not to scream out loud at my desk, but I managed. I did not manage to hold back the tears when Dire Tune collapsed after finishing 1 second behind the lead and when Kara crossed the finish line with a look of achievement /devastation/pain (couldn't quite tell to be honest) . 

Ryan Hall on the men's side ran a completely different race - leading for a good majority of the race. This is not a running blog, so I will not bore you with the details. I will say, the Boston marathon was a great day for Americans who finished third in both races. 

Watching the Boston marathon made me reminisce about the 4 years that I spent in Boston cheering the race live as they ran along Beacon street, Kenmore Square and Copley Square.  I would not have thought 11 years ago when I started watching the marathon that I would one day be running one. Believe me when I say, I cannot wait to run NYC later this year. A friend asked me what is was about the marathon that I enjoyed so much (afterall it is not the most popular sport to follow). I could not come up with an answer, but later that night I read it...

"It is the challenge of running a 26-mile race that I find intriguing. It is like life itself. There are good moments and tough moments; you've got to enjoy the good parts and survive the bad ones. Along the way, you learn about yourself and how you respond to pressure and difficulty. You can't know for certain how you will be until you are faced with the question... in the difficult times you fight the feelings, try to calm and distract your body, while never letting the mental focus slip" 

- P.Radcliffe

Somewhere in-between visits from friends, marathon watching and training - I took some time out to celebrate the 114th day of the year. Also known as the day the Greeks invaded Troy on the Trojan horse, Winston Churchill getting knighted, and the birthdays for Shirley MacClaine, Barbara Streissand, Kelly Clarkson and yours truly ;-) We celebrated in London with a small gathering at the Gordon's/Corner Store with fine wine, delicious cheese and great friends xx 

Thank you for all your birthday wishes!! I will properly respond to your emails, messages, telegrams this week. 

The next day I had the delightful pleasure to spend the day with a best friend of mine from Boston University. She and her husband were in town from London and we met up so they could pass on some knowledge regarding the last years of your twenties. 

What was just supposed to a lunch in Borough market turned into a LOVELY day of tasting new things in Borough market, walking around in the great sunny weather, answering life's big questions of "would you rather eat a spoonful of mustard or a spoonful of salt & pepper" and other life puzzling questions. 

It was such a GOLLY GOOD day exploring new parts of London and catching up with good friends that know you through various life stages. I remember a time when you would say, "oh I know so and so for 3 years" and that seemed like a lifetime.  

And now, I just wrote a note to someone saying that we saw a concert together 19 years ago...OYE!!! 

Over 35,000 runners took the streets to run the 2009 London marathon. Course records were broken, titles were defended and London came alive with enthusiasm, spirit and greatness. If this is any inclination of the 2012 games....I can tell you this - London is going to throw a party that the world will not forget.  For 4 years I watched the Boston marathon and I spent another 4 years watching the NYC marathon. I am truly excited for the next 4 years here.

I went over to Tower Bridge to watch the half-way point and mile 22 of the race. To say that I was excited to see/photograph my first London marathon is an understatement. My body woke up at 0630 and could not wait to get out of bed to cheer the dedication,  perseverance,  and  commitment embodied by not only the elite runners,  but especially by the "mass heard" of runners who balance full time jobs, meetings, social engagements, along with training. I was taken back by how diverse the crowd of runners were (you had the serious runners mixed in with the runners in fancy dress at all the pace groups, even the sub-7 min mile ones) and how the spirit of the race and spectators differed from that of Boston and NYC.  

Today was deemed "The Rematch" between the top 3 runners from the Beijing Olympics - Dite, Ndereba, and Chunxiu. Also within the pack would be Irina Mikitenko the 2008 winner and the WMM Champion, Gete Wami (former WMM Champion) and Mara Yamauchi (GB hopeful who finisehd sixth at the Olympics missing a medal by only 22 seconds). 

Due to the time of the day, I was sadly unable to follow the race with TK. It would have been helpful to know how the race was going and where the runners were. Tomorrow I will catch up with the race as it was definitely another energized and truly impressive race to watch (TK, I will be sure to write you with my thoughts on the race so we can compare thoughts).

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

With Paula Radcliffe out of the race due to a foot injury, it was anyone's race. Irina Mikitenko, defended her title of FLM winner finishing in 2:21:11. She ran a great race breaking away somewhere between files 13 and 22 (sorry without seeing the race I don't know the exact details). The story of the race was Mara Yamauchi who finished second breaking her personal record by 2 minutes. 

On the men's side, Lel was not there to defend his title and course record (withdrawing on Saturday due to a hip-injury). Both were taken from him by the 22 year old Olympic Champion Sammy Wanjiru who ran the race in 2:05:10. He was followed by Kebede (Paris marathon winner) and Gharib (Beijing sliver medalist) who all ran sub-2hr06min marathons. 

Well I am certain that I have bored you with the recaps on the marathon. TK, that was for you. Sorry I could not cheer you on the streets of London. I hope the hamstrings feels better soon. Best of luck training for Baltimore (that was my first half in 2003). 

Miss you all and love you tons

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issues 30-39

Hi All - Please find the video recap from weeks 30-39 :-) The song is an interesting choice, but it does have meaning. It is a remix song that is quite fitting for this recap.  After the last video, I figured I would use a song that was upbeat in nature. Reality is, for over 11 years - I've always had a soft spot for this song. 

"Pour que tu m'aimes encore" et ma cheri, tu as fait. Je t'aimes toujours. 

Miss you all dearly! xx

Adventures in London: Issue 39

I definitely should have written this HOURS ago, but as usual I got caught up with a random project in the flat. This week, weekend, and especially today has been absolutely top notch. I don't know how to describe it, but something just clicked this week. I went for a run on Wednesday and it dawned on me that I live in LONDON! Before you start thinking that I have lost the plot, let me rephrase a bit.....it was during that run that I appreciated the fact that I live in London.  Who knows if it's because of the spring weather, the sunshine, the long days or what, but I took a moment to stop and smell the roses. 

Looking back on the last 28 years, I am sure I could look back and question some of the decisions that I have made - - the direction that I decided to take. I could focus on things that I did not have, wonder "what-if", hold grudges, sulk on the friendships lost...but what good does any of that do? When I look back on the last 28 years, I appreciate all the things that I have been fortunate to experience: the family trip at the age of 4 to India, getting your face smashed in a chocolate cake in Austin, the chance to go to any university I wanted, the opportunity to make mistakes and have a family that would be there for me. I have come to learn just how lucky I am for those experiences and am thankful for all the people that have supported me along the way. For the people who pushed me to take risks, to venture beyond my comfort zone, and the ones that have been there for me every step of the way...thank you!!

On Saturday, I went for a long run from Clapham into London and eastward (is that a word) to Tower Hill. It was perfect running weather - the sun was out, the flowers were blooming and not a cloud in the sky. That also meant that the streets of London were populated with every person imaginable! I thought it would have been a good idea to run along the Thames, but clearly I was not the only person with that line of thought. I was (to my dismay) joined by a crowd of tourist, street performers and annoyingly slow walkers who insist on walking 8 across on a narrow path!!! REALLY people!! I did manage to escape the crowds by taking advantage of the low tide and taking the stairs down to the river bank. I ran along the river for a couple of kilometers and then decided to take the next staircase back up.  As nice as it was to run along the riverbank, the rocks and the slope made me too nervous. I am really trying NOT to mess anything up this time around with training. 

During my run (well while waiting for a light to change), I had the spontaneous idea to meet up with a couple of friends who live in the area. Thankfully they were home, so I finished my run over in their neighborhood. Dressed in my "long" running shorts, we had the grand idea to go for lunch. There is nothing like chicken katsu curry and chili chicken ramen at the end of a long run to make everything well worth it. If there is one thing I love about training it is the fact that my stomach can keep up with my eyes when it comes to eating. My legs may have been really sore and stiff, but that luncheon was definitely well worth it. 

Today was another picture perfect day in London. I woke early so I could fit in a training session before heading over to Hammersmith to meet up with NA for lunch and shopping at Westfields. It had been awhile since NA and I were able to meet 

up on a weekend, so it was definitely nice to catch up over a refreshing salad, fine conversation, and shopping in the largest mall in England. The notion of being in a mall was rather grand and made me think of the weekends that Mom and I would spend roaming Cross Gates back home. 

I did not anticipate actually buying anything. To be honest, I thought this would be a typical trip of spending a full day shopping with my only purchases being a DVD, some sort of running gear and a cup of coffee.  It was not too far fetched, I haven't really shopped here. It is not because I don't know where to (although that does play somewhat of a factor), but I have NO concept of what size I am here. That all changed today... after learning what my shoe, dress, and shirt size was, I had no issues shopping. In addition to a cup of coffee I did my part to stimulate the British economy today with a couple collar shirts, a dress, a top for next weekend and a couple of pairs of heels. Yes you heard me correct... I own and wear uncomfortable shoes. In fact I like wearing them and have discovered that they serve multiple purposes. In addition to boosting my height, they also help stretch my calves (I am a dork). Thank you NA for today!! I love my purchases and cannot wait to wear some of them into the office this week :-)

Hope you all are enjoying the fine Spring weather! It is late, so I am off to bed. Don't know it always gets to be stupid-o-clock when I finally decide to go to bed. 

Miss you all

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 38

So you are probably wondering why I did not post yesterday...well I have good reason. I was at the most amazing Easter dinner EVER! Plus, blogging marks the end of my weekend and well technically my weekend ended tonight. For the last 4 days I have been enjoying my Easter break with chilled afternoons and loads of eating in the evening. 

On Wednesday we participated in our first Seder marking the beginning of Passover. Nat had cooked a full seder dinner for all of us while we relived and retold the story of Exodus from an abridged Haggadah. For those that are unaware, Passover celebrates the journey of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.   We all took turns reading the story...I read the "4 questions" which apparently the youngest member of the team is traditionally supposed to read. While we read we ate plenty of maztoh, horseradish, wine, gefilte fish, liverwurst, brisket, chicken, potatoes, and stuffing (not to worry the stuffing did not include any leaven bread). 

Passover dinner made me realize how lucky we are to have our group here. We get some slack from people (in and out of Mindshare) about the fact that we do everything (well almost everything) together. The truth is we are all just making the most of the time that we have here. We are all aware that we have left our family and friends to pursue a life over here. That doesn't diminish the fact that on holidays, birthday and special occasions when your family cannot be there, we all make sure that we are there for each other. 

On Friday, we all went to Pat's house for a taste of his traditional family Good Friday feast! For 40+ years his family has been gathering on Good Friday for beer, wine and TONS of food. If Pat's dinner was the cliff notes version I cannot even dream what the dinner back in Brooklyn was like. Pat indulged us with fresh tomato and mozzarella salad, homemade ricotta calzone, eggplant parm, pizza, pasta with calamari sauce, and....I know I am forgetting something.  We had such a great night of laughing, playing games (do remind me -- will have to show you this game the next time I am around. It is good fun), catching up, dancing and eating cookies until the early hours of the morning.  

On Sunday, I ran over to the London Peace Pagoda in Battersea park. It is nothing compared to Grafton, but there is a sense of peace that you get there. I did not get to relish in the serenity of the view, but did take a few minutes to take some photos, pay my respect and say a little prayer. 

I did not intend on running over there. My initial plan was just to run around the neighborhood, but my feet just took me there. I guess that is what I get for thinking about my mom while running...It was my way of being with my family on Easter. 

It helped to Skype later so I could catch up with the full family while I made sheera (I am becoming such a homely girl - haha). As good as it was to see the full family, it hurt that they were behind the laptop screen. To say that I cannot wait the 2 months until they are here in London is an understatement. It has been 8 years since my big brother came for an overnight visit...and now I get not only him, but his whole family for 2 full weeks. 

After a nice catch up with the family, it was off to another massive gathering of food to celebrate Easter. Si prepared a heavenly feast for us all: salmon smoked on a cedar plank, lamb that had been marinated for two days, potatoes, haring dip, beet salad, "saag", cucumber and dill salad....you know I am going to stop. There are good 6 more dishes, but the thought of them is making me REALLY hungry (even after the 2 black n blue burger that I "grilled" for dinner). 

It has been a lovely week of eating, running and spending time with friends (new & old).  A special congrats to my dear Terriers on capturing the NCAA men's hockey championship!! Was not how I expected to follow along, but I did follow your journey online! 

I am happy now that it is baseball season I will be able to watch some of the games on TV or at the local pub (granted there may be no sound, but there wasn't any when I watched in NYC)!! The online games are not bad either, but the timing is going to be brutal :-)

I hope you all had a lovely Easter break with your families!! 

Miss you dearly

xx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 37

I started another book this week and I had an "ah ha" moment. The author talks about the fact that life is about juggling 5 balls: health, family, friends, integrity, and career. The important thing to keep in mind is that each of these balls are not the same and that the career ball is made of rubber. You can take risks with this ball, throw it high in the air, and if it falls - it will bounce back. That was the "ah-ha" moment for me this week. For the longest time I focused too much on that career/achievement ball, afraid to drop it, to loose it. With the way things are going, we should all be thankful for the careers that we have, but it is worth jeopardizing your relationships, integrity and especially your health over? Over the last few years, I have lived to work...that is all I knew. In the last couple of weeks, I have come to realize not to put all my eggs in one basket...one's career cannot be the definition of happiness.  Life is for living and you need to have a handle on the 5 balls that you are juggling. 

Moving on to other topics...

This week was the G20 summit in London. The summit brought together the 19 largest  economies plus the EU to discuss and tackle the financial crisis. It also brought together tens of thousands of protesters with insightful suggestions for the crisis, "Capitalism isn't working", "Hang the Bankers", "Get rid of money", "Storm the banks", etc. What was even more productive was the grand idea to launch missile and force their way into the RSB bank in The City. Come on people, what does that do? The majority of the protests were in The City (about 20 min from work). Yes I had the desire to travel over there, but figured if employees in that area were asked not to come in, or avoid the area that traveling in just to take a photo would be rather stupid on my part. So I stayed away and finished my idea to bring the nations together. 

Yesterday, I hosted "Festival of Nations", where everyone brought a dish/ beverage to represent a country. Risky theme, but with our crew any excuse to cook is a good one. You would think I would have learned my lesson from the Champagne and Cheese party, but clearly I did not. We had about 14 people come representing over 11 countries. I decided to represent India and make a series of Bombay street foods: pani puri (with the pani made from scratch), bhel, mint chutney and cucumber sandwiches and paneer mirch.  We also had home-made American mac n cheese, Polish perogies, Chinese roast pork and tea eggs, Italian eggplant parm, stromboli and cheese calzones, Mexican guacamole, yummy VB from Australia...the list keeps going. 

The party made me realize that growing up, those indian snacks were the foods that we ate. I really did not know the world of hot dogs and easy mac until high school. Some could look back on that and say that I missed out. And yes at the time I probably thought that too. Years later I can look back on my experiences growing up with so much pride and gratitude. I am proud of everything my mom went through for my brother and I to give us a fulfilled life. Having a parent was there for you after school to feed you and rock you to sleep (I am talking about grade school now, not high school) is priceless. Words cannot say how lucky I am to have had that. Thank you!!

I am looking forward to this week: my first Seder dinner, Good Friday and Easter Sunday dinners!!! If you are thinking, "wow the people Tini hangs out with love to eat", you would be correct! 

Until next week! 

xx

T