A one-live cat’s life

I ditched my Woodstock Saturday run this weekend because I scheduled to join a walk with CS friends to palm beach this Saturday. It was a good schedule i thought because i was meaning to do rest a day before i was suppose to do  the Sri Chimnoy half marathon the day after.

Even after a party the night before coming home past 1 in the morning, drunk, I managed to get up and be on time at our meeting point in Erskenville with Amy who volunteered to drive to the trip. It was raining when we started the trip, and the day was cloudy. It took us around more than an hour to drive up the Palm beach area. It was Amy, An-young, Alex and me and met Matt in the beach, where we walked towards the light house. We did cross over to the banks of Pitt water Basin before going up the light house.

Took us round 30 - 45 minutes to get there, according to Matt, who was a local in the area, it was the shorter but steeper route.

After which we had lunch picnic with the annoying cold breeze, and after we continued walking towards Avalon Beach. Along the way we passed Whale beach unfortunately we did not spot any whales that day.

Then it started to rain, and so we decided to just walk back to the car and go to the Arms Hotel where we were told that they do serve good cocktails. Inset is pink mojito which was yummy.

It was very windy that day that we did not do any sun basking, but we got whipped a lot by natural exfoliant combination of wind and sand a lot. We got back at the City by past 7pm. It was fun and tiring trip with lots of steep stairs to climb!

Two months has passed when the Spring season has started. Strange that it was still cold for me, specially withe the chilly breeze of Sydney, yet on day one, some people shed of their winter clothing and started wearing their singlets and shorts!

Aside from that, I did like the scenery as the trees went back from brown to green, and sidewalks filled with fallen flowers instead of dead brown leaves, and just flowers blooming everywhere, so colorful!

Locals say this Spring has a weird weather, one day we got 32 degrees and one day we get 19 and rainy. At least I haven’t not really placed my winter clothes away yet so it was convenient for me but have to be always ready to have an umbrella and shirt under a jumper in case the weather changes within the day (Melbourne weather they say-4 seasons in a day).

What I am enjoying most this Spring is the festivals. So far I went to 4 of them already. I thought it was a good time to go look for Christmas pressies and food!

Floriade - In Canberra
- flowers everywhere, very nice
- booths
- Shopped? - nothing

Balmain Arts and Craft show
- Nice display of paints, and crafts, and auction items from sports figures from footy to car racing
- Shopped: Christmas cards

The Newtown Music Festival
- crowded, lots of music going on and dancing and performances, with the midget ponies for the kids and jumping castle, more for grown up kind of festival

- Shopped - a small leather wallet for myself and food

The Glebe Street Fair
- crowded, lots of shops and food, performances
- Shopped - pendants, ring, jewelry hanger and food

The Drummoyne Family Fair
- not very crowded but the most kid-friendly festival i saw. Jumping castle, booths, trampoline, ride, slides, etc.

- Shopped: table runner for Christmas

This weekend no festivals going on, but i might be going to Palm beach.

Very rare do i watch news and read newspaper for the past 3 years.  Why is that? It depresses me.  although, reading the sheets during my lunchbreak at the pantry is one pastime that takes me off from work while eating.

So what’s in the news.

** Obama won n the US Presidency election.  A new president for the America.  the first black president, the president of the minorities.  He got more than half of the vote of the blacks, the youth, and the south American descents.  He is said to be pro-Muslim too.  I thought if I would vote, I’d choose him over McCain (although hearing from my uncle who has been staying US for most of his life they voted for McCain).

** In Somalia a 13 year old girl was raped by 3 men,  she brought it justice, not knowing that the Islamic Law will turn against her.  She was accused of adultery.  The “council” tied her hands, and feet, buried her till shoulder deep, head exposed and the crowd stoned her head to death.

** In Bali, the suspects in the Kuta, bombing incident that killed people are awaiting their penalty.  Death.

** There will be no Christmas decorations in some of the Australian Mall and not even in most of the common areas.  Filo people i knew were right.  Why? It is because some non-Christmas-denomination groups appeal not to put trimming because they say why would they get the mood if they don’t celebrate it? Australia is majorly Anglican and Anglican’s as i know celebrate Christmas.  I lived in Jakarta for 7 months covering the period of Christmas.  Jakarta is the home to the most Muslim population in the world.  Christmas is very well celebrated peacefully by the Christians who are the minorities.  trimmings are seen around.

I do not discriminate/hate the Muslims.  I do have a number of friends and colleagues who are Muslims.  What i do not like are the extremists and the HUMAN interpretation of the their book Koran.  (same goes to the so-called Christians who interpret the Bible literally) - taking into consideration these were written by human. Oh how I hate so much the hypocrisy of people.  And I do not like the human laws, the society norm.  what’s a norm?

belch :*p

Do you know the feeling when you are so toxic with work that you don’t know where to start you tend to slack? Well I think that’s what I am trying to avoid right now.

Since last week, I have been ignoring email requesting updates from me on issues at work.  not that I am deliberately ignoring it, but i am procrastinating it over some project i need to prioritize.  This project has been neglected and de-prioritized weeks before, because of the issues that they are now coming back with!

Sitting here, typing this blog, I am taking my break in cleaning and semi-organizing the emails in my inbox so i can prioritize and respond the the emails.  Wow, I did not imagine, time flies!  I am full on a month and a half of unread emails!

And this I missed or found interesting:

1. Boss was telling me to attend a course - good thing he still signed me up!
2. An HR email about Insurance at work! - the orientation dates are over
3. Some IT related stuff i need to do with my system and laptop which i haven’t done until now
4. Two letters I was needing to pick up from HR, incentive letter and the re-alignment of staff letter
5. Town Hall meetings (staff meeting, i was even a nominee for an award) - dates are over before I even opened the mail!
6. Ex-colleague, Jeff, email from Philippines of hello’s - 1 month no reply!
7. Ex-colleague, Reigner, asking me copies of the photos from Singapore last September - I havent replied yet!
8. Ex-Colleague, Jun sent me an email he already left Canada and took me a while to reply back!
9. Internal Photo Contest voting - i think i already missed it suppose to vote pics made by my Filo colleagues at Makati
10. reminder to complete my Time record! Its been 2 weeks - at least ive done it not knowing i was one of the staff who has not completed it AGAIN! (this administrative stuff, shuld be done b someone:-( )
11. I cant even believe i got 3 emails reminding us about WORK LIFE BALANCE!! omg! I should but this as email as template as my out of office reply until i cleaned up my inbox!
12.  Missed a team building because i was told to stay and work comes first! - and yea do you think point 11 affirms point 12?
13. Learned that i can not claim cash on all the work, sleep deprivation  and sacrifice on not goin on point 12! i was de-moivated!
14. 2 global meeting on where the company is (each month! Sept and October) - missed again
15. Swarmed that I did not have time to followup quality of service of the cal-center that’s handling our IT services!
16.Missed paying my Tax because i was prioritizing work!! i had my filing extended till December! - yes here in Oz, you do it yourself, we are so spoiled in Pinas!
17. Melbourne cup - when most of sydney slack to watch the horse racing eld in Melbourne.  Colleagues at work watched it at the telly, had some wine/beer and cocktails and i was at the customer lab testing!

I have no complaints or regrets moving to Oz office BUT is this because manpower/services is so dear that it just seem that there is not enough people to do work.  I was told initially to do a programming work on a project but looks like without any notice they are importing a colleague in Jakarta to do work.  Programming needs focus, im glad they realized that.  I can’t program if id be every now and then puled out to do other jobs!  I reckon some of my colleagues somewhere can choose and complain if they are given jobs to work on.  Pardon me I don’t have the right to say but, I do not know what are they still doing working for the company, and the company is wasting their time on them.

Its been annoying me as well when the customer calls me straight to do work as if they are my PM! They bypass the PM and they give commands as if they own me.

You’d think I’m alright, you see me still able to do my weekend races.  But hell! it is a juggle! Plus when my cousins were here, I think i have been a bad host since i was coming home late from work.

Its not surprising that even after a break from work, to just take days in lieu or off to re-energize, a week’s relaxation off get’s depleted in 2 days!  I am glad that the day light is extended as late until 8pmish that i can do my outdoor runs after work! (Lucky if i don’t get told to work late!)

It’s either, we do lack manpower, or resource management.  Okey im going back to cleaning up my mailbox!

What’s new? You’ll will hear me again saying i did not have enough runs last week because I do not have a life, and work did own my life. So i was hesitant for joining in the 16KM race having been an absentee for a long run (14KM++ x 2) a week I thought it would be punishing my body for something its not used to.

But then again, what’s new? It’s a stubborn leo talking! I did register myself for 16KMs for the Sri Chimnoy Race at the Iron Cove, its held in my domain so its a good reason to go.

Saturday morning, 4th weekend of missing out the Woodstock Saturday run, after a fun Halloween party on a Friday, I thought I also had leg work out there standing long hours and dancing till morning, means waking up late and no run and should rest before the 16KMs tomorrow. It was like battling a Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde convincing myself I should not go for a run, not even a slow run. I decided to

go cycle at the gym and do a “swim.” Good swimmers in the pool I backed out, so just 8KMs at the bike. I was bit not sure how I will go on the race since its going to be my first 16KM race. I’ll just follow my motto: “finish the race, no walking.”

6am, set my alarm, woke up at 630am, got ready, geared up (after checking the temperature outdoor 3 x if its warm or windy as clouds in Sydney can always deceive you if I should wear the long sleeved uniform or my singlet). I figured out there would be no baggage counters, so i got into my singlet, placed a Gu in my legging’s pocket, cash and keys plus one endura gel in my hand. After wich, I did my stretching and By 715am I was already out of the flat and just jogged to the event as my warm up.

No Woodstockians in sight, so i got my bib and signed the waiver. After a couple of minutes Brendan arrived then came 12 more. Kerry, Dot, John, Greg, Martin, Mark M, Mark O, Thalia, Belinda, Peter, Linda, (and um sorry Mr. Woodstock-i-forgot-your-name)!

Around 2 minutes after 8, the race started off with the 16KM runners first, followed by the 8KMs and 4KMs. Very perfect running condition, not windy, not chilly, not humid, not hot, cloudy not sunny! The route is majorly flat with few sections of few meters of inclines. I did try to pace with Thalia but oh boy, maybe quarter of the 1st kilometer I gave up! She was running fast, so I let go from her.

Photo Borrowed SriChimnoy race Photo Album. No Stopping!! @ the forground: Mark resting while pacing with me, we were trying to catch Thalia, Mark did.

First loop, I was told by Brendan 5th place. I got confused of what he meant, grab the fifth place, or I was running on 5th place. But as runners coming back from turnaround, I was counting the runners and I was at the 6th Place, so I understood what he was saying. But not long after that, another lady just caught up and managed to overtake the the female I was trying to catch. That pushed me to be 8th (female). I was pushing really harder to get her position but she was a bit few meters form me that in the second loop my legs are complaining and I was I trying to think should I Gu or not, which i did not.

During the race, knowing the bay area, its popular for runners, walkers, dog walker/runners, so it makes it easier if you are just cruising along you will not get worried getting cutoff as you can always just run with the runners. Speaking of which, i did encounter 2 undesirable incidents. A mother pushing a pram towards me! so I was not pleased, 2nd is a unmindful dog owner who was wrestling with his dog to stay at the grass, just crossed my path with him holding the leash and the dog! I almost tripped over! It took out my momentum, so a Sydney Striders male runner saw the opportunity and took advantage of that.

I still can see Thalia’s back and the lady who overtook me so I am still doing okey. Loop 2 was tough as my legs and my glutes are already complaining, which the brain over ruled and brain told me to breath normally and relax.

Two more kilometers and i forced to pace faster, seeing the finish chute and the banderitas tried to sprint, finishing 8th in my age category (50 and below). Too bad only Top 7 finishers gets awarded. Good thing, this motivates me to do better next time. I was happy that i was able to try more or less pace at 5 on a longer run in 10KMs. Performance wise it was better than of my 14KMs and 12KMs pace.

Learned that, if there is someone faster than you and try to put her as your goal you get pushed to run faster, otherwise you tend to slack (its like someone who is pacing you and pushing you harder). Not getting a place is good, that means wanting to get one next time.

It was fun having the Woodstock cheering for you at the end, that alone is very rewarding (and they were even thinking i made it to top 7).. lol! Greg, John, Martin, Brendan, Kerry, Linda and Thalia placed in the race, half of the club did place in the race, how cool is that?

Race wise, enough water stations, well marked paths in every two or three kilometer and the free pancakes, watermelon, oranges and bananas.

the woodies!(Dot, Mark,Me-enjoying the pancakes, Mark) and backdrop is the 7th Female and the 1st Female

Event: Sri Chimnoy Race Series, Iron Cove
Distance: 16KM
Time: 1:20:29 - 8th (u 50)

Results:
4KM
8KM
16KM

The event commenced with a coffee at Grumpy’s with the Woostockians.

Sri Chimnoy Race Series, next race at NSW will be at the Centennial Park, Cross Country( 21KM, 7KM, 4KM), November 23, 2008.