I had originally planned to be in Los Angeles the entire weekend, from Friday until Monday morning, spending quality time with quality people while listening to beautiful music.

I saw a dear friend of mine, my Twin, who I haven’t seen in at least two years. It was just like old times. Great conversation, wonderful insight, heart-warming laughs.

But last night, I realized that I miss the comfort of home.

I don’t have much time left to spend with my parents in San Diego since I’m moving out to Washington, DC on August 10.

The East Coast isn’t new to me.

I spent last August to December there, “enjoying” the humidity of summer, the color-changes of fall, and the blasted snowstorm of winter that left me stranded a few days before Christmas.

But this time, it’s a different, more bittersweet feeling.

I won’t be coming back as often, and when I do, it’ll probably only be for short breaks. When law school starts, it’s time to start growing up.

For some reason, I really missed my bed last night.
I really missed my house.
I really missed home.

So instead of staying in Los Angeles, like I originally had planned, I drove home in the middle of the night. It was tiring. I didn’t get home until 3 in the morning, but it was worth it.

Sleeping in my bed, under the covers, with the wind blowing ever so lightly through an open window, makes me feel comfortable and safe.

I’m glad to be home.

 

Have you ever missed the comfort of home?

How do you handle being away?

 

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHTS

John is trying to get sponsored by Stride Gum. Go vote for him here!

Aletheia just bought her first pair of Vibrams!

MizFit finally ran in her Vibram FiveFingers!

Mary is now engaged. Read about the proposal. It’s really cute and sweet!

As if one engagement wasn’t enough to celebrate about, Mara also got engaged to her dear Cookie.

Related posts:

1. Sit in a Chair Challenge: Complete!
2. Temporary Hiatus
3. Weigh-in #15

June 21, 2010, happened to be my mom’s Chinese lunar birthday. Her driver’s license birth date was actually a week ago, but because the Chinese (lunisolar) calendar is calculated differently than the Western (Gregorian) calendar, she was able to have two birthdays this year. Party time!

Chinese calendar birthdays land on different Gregorian calendar dates every year. So just because my mom’s Chinese birthday is on June 21 this year doesn’t mean that it will be on June 21 next year.

And you thought remembering birthdays was difficult…

The Chinese calendar has twelve months, but it follows the moon’s cycle instead of the sun’s cycle. In the Gregorian calendar, New Year’s Day is always on January 1. Chinese New Year, on the other hand, changes every year. In 2010, it happened to fall on Valentine’s Day, February 14, but in 2011, it will be on February 3.

Sounds awesome (and slightly complicated), no?

My Gregorian birth date is July 2, 1986. My Chinese birth date is the 26th day of the 5th lunar month in the lunisolar year 1986. My driver’s license birthday will always fall on July 2, but the 26th day of the 5th lunar month of 2010 happens to be on July 7 this year. I get to celebrate twice!

TO CALCULATE YOUR LUNAR BIRTHDAY…

Go to this site and enter your birth date. Click Gregorian Calendar when you’re done.

After you click, a page will come up displaying the Western calendar date with the corresponding Chinese lunar date. You want to look for the lunar month, see if it is a leap month or not, and the day of the month.

Now that you know what lunar month and day you were born on, you can figure out what date that happens to fall on on the Gregorian calendar.

Go to this site to complete your conversion.

Select convert lunar to solar. In the lunar year box, scroll down to 2010. In the month box, enter your lunar month. In the day box, enter your lunar date. Check the little box if you happen to be a leap month baby. For me, my month would be 5 and day would be 26. Hit submit.

After you hit submit, you will see the solar (Gregorian) month and day in 2010 that corresponds with the 2010 lunar month and day.

My Chinese lunar birthday happens to be five days after (July 7) my Gregorian solar birthday (July 2). Cool, huh?

THE CHINESE ZODIAC

I was born in the Year of the Tiger. When I was born, my parents put a gold tiger necklace around my neck to protect me and bring good luck. Apparently, I added some teeth marks to that necklace.

2010 happens to be the Year of the Tiger. According to my mom, this means that big things are supposed to and will happen. I guess they have already!

When I was growing up, my parents told me the Chinese Zodiac story that explained how the animals ended up in the order that they’re in. The unlikely gathering story is the one I’ve been told, with a slight difference. The version that my parents told me had the Jade Emperor inviting all the animals, not Buddha.

TO FIND YOUR ZODIAC SIGN…

Go to this site and enter your Gregorian calendar birthday (your birth certificate date).

I happen to be a Fire Tiger. I think the personality analysis is actually quite accurate.

Tigers love to be challenged and will accept any challenge if it means protecting a loved one or protecting their honor.

They don’t worry about the outcome because they know they’ll always land on their feet.

Expressive, vibrant and a bit eccentric, Fire Tigers are always looking at the positive side of every situation.

 

NOW YOUR TURN…

When is your Gregorian birthday?
When is your Chinese Lunar birthday?
What day does your Chinese birthday fall on in 2010?
What is your Chinese Zodiac sign?
Is the personality description accurate? Why or why not?

Related posts:

1. Day 64: A Chinese Holiday with Taiwanese Food
2. Let the Countdown Begin!
3. Happy New Year!

Thank you.

For life. Yours and mine.
For love. Unconditional and unwavering.
For happiness. Genuine and true.
For laughter. Loud and joyous.
For tears. At my worst and at my best.
For belief. In me and everything I do.
For forgiveness. Without question and without doubt.
For pride. In my college graduation and my progress.
For dedication. Endless and limitless.
For support. My number one fan.
For sacrifice. Countless numbers.
For hope. Continuous.
For faith. Unquestioning.
For me.
For everything.

Happy Mother’s Day. I love you.

Black Bean Pizza – Lunch: flatbread topped with tomato paste, ground black beans, black beans, onions, red bell pepper, Colby Jack cheese, jalapenos and cumin.

Asparagus, Tomato & Mushroom Pizza – Lunch: flatbread topped with Swiss cheese, asparagus, mushrooms, slices of cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and thyme.

Consumption: 1643 calories, 40.85g of fat.

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Workout: Chest. Bench press.

Related posts:

1. Day 90: A Trader Joe’s Outing
2. Day 109: Don’t Be THAT Guy (or Girl)
3. Day 98: The Ten-Miler

I was supposed to be in Indiana today. I was supposed to be visiting my best friend, spending this crazy weekend known as Little 500 and then going to her graduation in May. I was supposed to be going on a three-week holiday. I was supposed to use the plane ticket that I bought back in January.

But I didn’t.

Next week, my parents are leaving for China for awhile, and they aren’t comfortable with leaving my grandma alone in San Diego. Their insecurity leaves me burdened. They really did not want me to go to Indiana for so long, and I didn’t have the funds to change my return date. I really wanted to go, not so much to Indiana, but to spend time with my best friend and see her graduate. But I know that if I had gone, I would’ve spent every waking moment feeling guilty – guilty about leaving my grandma, about letting my family down, about not doing my duty as a daughter.

So in the end, I picked my family.

Do I feel guilty about not going to see my best friend? Yes. But somehow, I feel less regret. I hope she understands. I hope she realizes that I had every intention of going until a bomb was dropped on my shoulders. I know she’ll understand. After all, she is my best friend.

But I still feel like I let somebody down. This was not a win-win situation, but I’m trying to make the best of it. I’ll see my best friend when she comes home for the summer.

No regrets.

What would you have done? Family or friends first?

Consumption: 1565 calories, 27.3g of fat. Total steps: 10,260 (pedometer not worn on run)

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Workout: Treadmill. Assisted Pull-ups. Smith machine squats.

Ran 4.2 miles in 50 minutes in my Vibrams. I’m slowly starting to work my way up to a 10K. I’m determined to run the 10K without shoes.

Related posts:

1. Weigh-in #12
2. Weigh-in #17
3. Day 79: 99 Minutes of Solidarity

Although my battle for weight loss and quest for healthy living is primarily a solo one, I believe that this journey would be impossible without support from family, friends and even strangers. Even though I am the only one who can alter my eating habits and keep my mind and body in check, I rely on the people around me to constantly energize and motivate me, to push me forward.

There’s the people who always have positive things to say, the endless words of encouragement, and I love them for it. They’re the sugar-coating, the stuff that gives you instant gratification, the sugar high that tastes delicious but may not always be good for you. Then, there’s the people who will criticize you, tell you you could be doing better, slap you in the face with a dose of reality. They’re the spinach, the stuff that doesn’t taste good at first but is actually quite good for you. In order to succeed, you need both sugar-coating and spinach.

Just like people, support comes in all different shapes and sizes. Sometimes, it’s that trainer at the gym who pats you on the back and tells you you’re looking good. Sometimes, it might be that close friend offering to run a 10K with you. Other times, it’s a Google Chat message telling you you’re inspirational. Hold on to those moments. Remember them. Cherish them. And let them fuel you. They’re your sugar. Feel the rush and enjoy the high.

Sometimes, support doesn’t come in the most acceptable or beautiful form. They’re hard to hear. It might even hurt and make you feel like crap. But sometimes, you really do need that crap, just like spinach. You need that additional shove in order to get your butt into gear. Sometimes, you need that person who is willing to remove the sugar coating and tell you that you really aren’t working as hard as you could be. Sometimes, you need somebody to be the unappealing spinach.

My parents are the brave souls who remove the sugar-coating from my world. They tell me the truth, and when need be, put me in my place. They are my spinach, the good for me stuff that I don’t love as much as I should.

My parents are the type who keep words of encouragement to a minimum. Maybe it’s the culture, the Chinese way. Maybe it’s because Chinese people eat a lot of bitter vegetables. Either way, I have learned to look beyond their words and see their true intentions. They use actions instead of words to support me. Even though I only cook for myself, my parents help me out with my dishes. They take hour-long walks with me even though there’s other things they could be doing. My dad reads my blog on Google Buzz (Hey Dad!), and my mom tells her friends about it. My dad tries running with me even though he can’t keep up. My mom helps me brainstorm possible recipe ideas even though she’d rather be watching some Chinese soap opera. They both try to do their best, but nobody is perfect.

However, when they are unintentionally putting me down, I tell them to stop, letting them know that they are pushing my limits. When I told my mom I wanted to run a marathon, she said that it would be impossible. “You can’t run 26 miles!” I told her that I can do it, that I will do it, and that it would mean a lot to me if she would start saying CAN and stop saying CAN’T. I tell her that I refuse to listen to her when she tells me what my body can or can not do, when she sets my limitations for me instead of realizing that I have no limitations (I am secretly a Superhero). It’s my body. I know its strength and what it is capable of. Since the marathon talk, my mom has been improving. She’s trying really hard to stop using the word CAN’T because she knows that I HATE that word.

Not even the people who love you unconditionally are perfect, even though we normally hold them to those standards. Sometimes, they might not support you in the way you want them to. Sometimes, it requires more effort on your part to see what their true intentions are. And sometimes, it requires you to stand up for yourself, to tell them what kind of support you need from them. Like spinach, you might not enjoy it at first. You might have to try it a few times in order to find a happy medium.

You can get all sugar-coating and then wonder what you’re doing wrong when you aren’t seeing results. You can get all spinach and then wonder why you even bother trying. So you have to have both, the good and the bad, the sweet and the bitter, in order to appreciate them for what they are.

In the end, you’ll need all the support you can get. You can’t walk this long journey alone. You’ll have to do most of it by yourself, that’s true, but you’ll fall. And when you fall, you’ll need somebody there to pick you up. You’ll need some sugar-coating. When you’re having a bad day, a bad week, a bad month, you’ll need somebody to whip you back into shape. You’ll need some spinach.

Maybe the support isn’t always positive, maybe it’s not always pleasant to hear, but you’ll need it. You’ll need a balance. Too much sugar-coating or too much spinach can be disastrous. You’ll need both to succeed, even if one is harder to swallow than the other.

Who is your sugar-coating? Who is your spinach?

 

Stir-fried Green Beans – Dinner: green beans stir-fried with lean ground beef, soy sauce, garlic and Sichuan pickled mustard greens.

Veggie Chow Mein – Dinner: egg noodles stir-fried with garlic, onions, mushrooms, cabbage, scallions and soy sauce.

 

Consumption: 1426 calories, 24.85g of fat. Total steps: 15,301

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Workout: Upper back. Shoulders. Triceps.

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Got to nine 17-ounce bottles of water today for the weekly challenge.

How’d you do on Thirsty Thursday?

Related posts:

1. Day Eight
2. Day 29
3. Day 17

I knew yesterday was Easter Sunday, but I had no clue that Monday, April 5, 2010 was a very important Chinese holiday. At least not until my parents woke me up and hurried me out the door. The Chinese holiday is known as Qingming Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day. The purpose is for the entire family to gather together and head to the grave site in order to honor the ancestors.

I’m first-generation American-born Chinese, so we still celebrate Chinese holidays quite regularly. I know of the holiday, but the lunar calendar confuses me. My grandmother, however, functions predominately on the lunar calendar. She only knows her lunar birth date, so her birthday changes every year which is frustrating since I can never keep track of it.

Anyway, we headed to the cemetery in LA where my grandfather is buried. Although the holiday is meant for honoring the dead, it is also meant for families to spend time with each other. We trimmed the grass around the tomb while my grandmother told stories about the past and made us all realize that it has already been eighteen years since my grandfather passed. Time really does fly. After some quality reminiscing, we headed over to my other grandparents’ house to take them out to dinner.

Because we were in LA for the entire day, my usual “cook for myself” plan couldn’t happen. But I still managed.

HOW I SURVIVED A DAY IN THE WILD:

Breakfast. I made a sandwich topped with pumpkin butter and apricot jam and brought it along for the car ride. I also threw my go-to snacks into a bag: pretzels and a Fiber One bar. And since I recently went to Ikea and picked up the best Swedish cookies ever, I brought those along too.

Lunch. There’s a Japanese restaurant in Irvine that we always go to because it USED to be cheap and delicious. Not so much any more. Before getting out of the car, I ate some pretzels and drank a bottle of water. By the time I sat down for lunch, I wasn’t that hungry. I had a small bowl of miso soup. Note to self: make miso soup. My parents ordered a baked scallops appetizer as well as three platters of sashimi and tempura. Note to self: make baked scallops. I had one scallop but it wasn’t delicious enough for me to eat more. It was sort of bland. I did, however, eat all the lettuce and green peas on my grandmother’s and dad’s plate. Some dressing got on it, I counted it, no big deal.

Snack time. Fiber One bar and pretzels. One Singoalla cookie.

Snack time #2. There’s a Taiwanese dessert called shaved ice. Note to self: MUST MAKE. My mom ordered one bowl for us to share. I had 10 bites of it before I threw my spoon away. I threw it into the trash so I couldn’t eat more. I could have easily finished the entire plate, but it wasn’t worth it. Plus, I am way more excited to make my own! IT IS SO GOOD.

Dinner. We went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner, the kind where the menu is in Chinese and the waitress asks for your order in Chinese. I’ll do my best to translate the dishes into English. My parents ordered salt water duck, which I had a small bite of, skin removed. Not good at all. The duck was overcooked.

We also had a dish of fried pork cutlets. Too much batter.

For veggies, we had stir-fried morning glory. Now this was decent, so I had a few bites.

We also had clam soup, and it was great! I had a bowl with just soup because the soup is the best part. So fresh and yummy. It hit the spot.

The last dish was stinky tofu soup. Brace yourselves now. Chinese people really do eat everything. In the soup, there’s pig’s blood, intestines, and of course, stinky tofu. I have a soft spot for pig’s blood. I absolutely love it. Yes, it sounds gross, but it tastes great. And I’m always down for stinky tofu. It’s a Taiwanese thing. I had two small chunks of pig’s blood and one piece of tofu. The tofu wasn’t stinky enough but thumbs up to blood. By the way, I just discovered from Google that pig’s blood is extremely low in calories and fat. Why, hello…

Dessert. One Singoalla cookie.

And that’s how I survived. I wish I had brought my camera, but in my haste to pack food, I forgot it. Food links courtesy of Google and Google images.

I successfully ate out by means of nibbling and trying stuff here and there. Unless it was something I hadn’t had in a LONG time (cue my vampire tendencies), I didn’t eat much of it since most of the dishes weren’t THAT tasty, making them not worth it.

 

I also managed to run my fastest 5K yet:

All in all, it was a good day with family. There was a lot of potty time due to the weekly challenge.

I had seven 17-ounce bottles of water (refilled, reused) and 4 huge glasses of tea. I feel like I need a diaper.

How much water did you drink?

 

Consumption: 1365 calories, 27g of fat. Total steps: 15,145

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Related posts:

1. Eating Soon Tofu and Biking Venice Beach
2. Lunar Birthdays in the Year of the Tiger
3. Day 16

My mom and I have been switching up places to walk. Instead of just walking in our community, we’ve hit up the beach and I must say, San Diego is simply gorgeous. The sunset on the horizon makes for the perfect stroll time. Plus, you see all these surfers out there, toughing out the cold and trying to ride some serious waves. It’s amazing all the details you notice when you walk too. I’ve driven down that stretch of road so many times but never saw the houses in the back street, the alleyways, the crazy dogs, the beach front properties.

I pretty much talk about life with my mom. What her aspirations were, what her life was like when she was growing up, what it was like after marrying my dad, and all these sacrifices she’s made. It almost makes me not want to be a mother because of everything she’s had to give up just to have the family she has now. It seems so self-less. I’m in the “me” phase of my life. I’m working on what I want, what I need, what I hope to achieve. The only person in this equation is me. It’s hard to imagine being married and having to factor in somebody else into my life decisions.

The one promising thing about my family is that they have been supportive about my weight loss. They don’t eat what I make (though they do try some) but my mom helps me with dishes, chopping, and recipe ideas. They’re pretty good with not forcing me to eat what they’re eating. It’s helpful to have friends and loved ones tell you what a good job you’re doing. I can’t stress the importance of encouragement. Sometimes, everyone just has a bad day and you need that one phrase, one comment, one smile to push you through so you can continue forward.

What does your family and loved ones do to encourage you?

Consumption: 1673 calories. 7.4g of fat. Total steps: 15,589

Data for February 24.

I made a quesadilla and I must say it turned out pretty well. Peanut butter and pretzels for snack. Yum. I love peanut butter. I’m thinking about making a peanut butter caramel brownie. Healthy styled. Recipe coming soon. Dinner was potato and leek soup. I’ve never cooked with leek before but it’s pretty similar to green onions. It has a stronger flavor though which only adds to the potato soup. I liked it. Will try to experiment more with leek.

Workout: Treadmill. Quads. Hamstring. Lunges. Deltoids. Bicep.

I can do more lunges! That means my legs are getting stronger, and muscular quads equals more calories burned! I think the quads and lats are the two biggest muscle groups in the body. Correct me if I’m wrong. I’m aiming to be able to do real push-ups soon!

Related posts:

1. Day 32
2. Adios, Gym Membership
3. Eating Soon Tofu and Biking Venice Beach

The Daily Bite: Spicy Chicken with Scallions and Chicken, Corn & Egg Drop Soup

So I’ve been going on walks with my mom almost every day. The fact that it feels like summer already and it’s only the middle of February is something I will appreciate while I’m still in San Diego. Heading back to DC in the fall will not be appealing, especially with all the snow they’ve gotten. After experiencing 2 snow storms in DC, I don’t think I’ll ever admire those folks that get snow during the winter. Hell, I’m no longer envious of people who get changing seasons. I’m happy with summer all year round. That’s the way to go.

Anyway, my mom is a tiny woman. She’s about 4’11, maybe 5-foot even, and maybe 115 pounds but she’s pretty out of shape. When we first started walking, she would be out of breath and extremely tired before we even walked for 30 minutes. Now, she’s able to handle an hour long walk and climbing uphill. It’s amazing how much the human body can condition even with an aging factor.

This only goes to emphasize the point that daily exercise routines need to be altered and changed in order to prevent adaptation. The second the body adapts, the less efficient the workout. It’s an unfortunate fact, but it forces you to train harder in order to achieve the desired results. I can feel myself getting stronger and better every day, and I really do need to tackle that Stairmaster. I hate that thing. That’ll be a mini-goal for next week.

Consumption: 1603 calories, 14.45g of fat.

Lunch has gotten repetitive but still remains delicious. I’ve perfected the art of making a ham turkey melt. The trick is to cover the pan with a lid while on medium heat. Recipe tomorrow, I promise. For dinner, I made Chinese Chicken Corn Soup with a spicy Chicken and Scallions Stir-fry. Yummy!

Workout: Elliptical. Treadmill. Chest.

Ran an 11:20 mile. Goal for end of February is a 10-minute mile. Should be able to do it. I was at a 12-minute mile last week and I took 40 seconds off already. My chest is getting stronger too but I don’t think I can bench a full bar yet. I’m also getting better at intervals. The low setting was set at incline 6 resistance 8 with a high at incline 10 resistance 12. I think I might bump up the resistance soon. Overall, great workout.

Total steps: 19,477

Related posts:

1. Day 12
2. Day Five
3. Day Three