13.1 miles -- because I can!

Running is a mental sport and all runners are insane. I joined 20,000 insane men and women run through the streets of San Francisco last Sunday, October 19th for the Nike Women's Half/Full Marathon. This was my second half marathon, the first being last year's Nike Women's Half Marathon.

This was probably the best run that I have ever had thus far in my life. I totally enjoyed myself and even if it was physically exhausting, I had a lot of fun and would do it again in a heartbeat.

I'm a slow runner. I clocked at 3:06 this year. I am so happy with my performance since I shaved 23 minutes off my time from last year and I even injured my right foot 2 weeks before the race.

I know, I know, I'm totally insane to be running a half marathon with an injured foot. However, I had put in a lot of time and effort in the past 3-4 months preparing for this race that I just could not let myself give up. I had very low expectations of my performance after my injury. It left me very frustrated since I really wanted to run this race. I have been looking forward to it since I found out that I got an entry this year. I had put in a lot of time and effort preparing for this race and I just knew I had to push myself or else I would be very upset at myself if I just gave up and didn't even try to run/walk it. Worse comes to worst, I was going to walk it the entire way.

I know that I was a lot more prepared running this race this year than last year. Going to yoga classes twice a week has tremendously helped in getting me ready for this race. I feel so much stronger and my breathing has definitely improved a lot.

I can't wait for next year's race! I am sooo totally running this race again if I can get an entry.

Running...

50% Physical
49% Mental
1% Insanity

It's the big running weekend I have been looking forward to all year long. I'm running the Nike Women's Half Marathon this Sunday. Well, it's more like I'd be shuffling my feet and burning the rubber off my running shoes for 13.1 miles (21 kilometers). This is my second half marathon. I ran last year's race and it was such an experience. I am soooo excited!

I wish I had a better reason for running the half marathon but the truth is, I run for the Tiffany necklace handed out by firemen in tuxedos once I cross the finish line! Wooohooo!!

Ouch...

I am hurting right now. I feel pretty stiff all over even after going to my yoga class tonight. My lower back hurts, my butt hurts, my knee hurts. Ouch.. ouch.. ouch...

Last Sunday, I did my longest run so far this year. 11 miles baby! Yep, I know, I am crazy. I've been running a lot more in preparation for the Nike Women's Half Marathon on October 19th.

Tiffany necklace number 2, here I come!

ESL

I think I have a good handle on grammar even though English is my second language. As a test the other day, I decide to leave Microsoft Word's grammar check just for the heck of it while I was writing up a document at work. I found out that I am using the passive voice a lot. It really made me stop and think about how I construct my sentences. Oh well... I have an excuse. I'm a non-native speaker and English IS my second language. ;)

Early Bird

If someone told me a few months ago that I would be at work by 6:45 AM, I would've told them that they are on crack. When I was working for B&B, I used to not accept any meeting invites before 9:30 AM because I'll never been in before that time and no one can ever get anything useful out of me before that time.

I could actually pick different hours at my new job but I decided to come in early so that I can leave work by 4:45 PM to go to my yoga classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and go running on Wednesdays and Fridays. I really don't want to give up my yoga classes and I want to get home at a decent time and spend quality time with Arvin so this is a sacrifice I am willing to make.

Namaste! :)

Philippine Vacation

No, I'm not blogging at the airport, Candy!  :P

I just came back from an 11 day vacation to the Philippines.  This has been the best vacation that I have ever had!  I'm currently unemployed -- well, I start my new job on Monday, September 15th so it has been the first time that I have gone on vacation without a work laptop with me.  No pressure, no stress, no worries about what's going on at work.  It's just awesome!  :)

Before I left SF, I was planning on doing 3 things in the Philippines -- eat, drink and take golf lessons.  By the time I got out of the airport in Manila at 4:30 in the morning and feeling sweat running down my pant legs, I figured, I needed to reconsider the golf lessons.  It was just way too hot and humid to stay outdoors for several hours hitting balls and looking for them.  Uhhh... not my kind of vacation.  Anyways, I ended up still doing 3 things -- eat, drink and go to the spa.

Ahhhhh... spa, spa, spa.  I've had 3 full body massages, gone for a hair spa, a manicure, a pedicure, foot spa, facial and a foot massage all in the span of 11 days while seeing all the friends that I cared to see.  Ok, yes, I am addicted to the spa!  I was running out of body parts to pamper by day 6!  

I finally got to meet Clarisse (Calay), my neice.  She is such a sweetheart.  She is so freakin smart.  Takes after her aunt.  ;)  For a kid who's a year and 7 months old, her vocabulary is just amazing.  She calls me Tita Mami (she can't pronounce Cami yet).  Ask her who's beautiful and sexy and she'll tell you that it's her Tita Mami!  Hey, kids don't know how to lie so it must be true!  :P

The past few months before I decided to quit my job has really been hell for me.  It has been the most stressful and frustrating time in my life.  My yoga classes have managed to keep me sane.  Anway, I am so glad that I decided to take the time off to completely de-stress myself before starting my new job.  Now I feel completely refreshed and ready to take on a new challenge.  Bring it on!  ;)

Move On

Stop worrying where you're going-
Move on
If you can know where you're going
You've gone
Just keep moving on

I chose, and my world was shaken-
So what?
The choice may have been mistaken,
The choosing was not
You have to move on

Look at what you want,
Not at where you are,
Not at what you'll be-
Look at all the things you've done for me

Opened up my eyes,
Taught me how to see,
Notice every tree-

Understand the light-

Concentrate on now-

I want to move on
I want to explore the light
I want to know how to get through,
Through to something new,
Something of my own-

Move on

-Move On, Sunday in the Park with George

So Long B&B!

I hate endings. There is nothing else that saddens me more than watching an 11 o'clock number in a musical. It signifies that the end of the show is near. The show must end or else the musical would not make any sense at all. Same goes in real life. All good things must come to an end to make way for new beginnings.

I am going through a major change in my life right now. After 8 wonderful years, I have decided to leave B&B to pursue a new challenge with another company. I am excited and really looking forward to the new challenge, however, I could not help but feel sad as well. I guess you really can't help it when you've been at a company for that length of time. You grow roots and meet a lot of people through the years.

"People come into our lives for a reason. Bringing something we must learn
and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them
in return. Because I knew you, I have been changed for good." -For Good (Wicked)

I am starting to feel like an emotional wreck going through the responses I got from work when I sent out my goodbye letter. I didn't think it would be this difficult and I really didn't think people cared this much regarding the service that I have provided for the company all these years.

I have always looked at working at B&B as a huge blessing. B&B has given me a lot of opportunities and experiences. It has prepared me for the next step in my career. I will always think of B&B as the place where I grew up. I am sad that it is going through difficult times right now and I really hope it pulls through and I do wish the company well.

I will be joining a new company soon. The job opportunity sounds very exciting. It felt like the perfect opportunity and I could not let it pass me by. I know that this next job will help me get to where I want to be in my career. I will be lying if I said that I am not scared. I don't know what the future holds for me but "it's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap!"

Idina Menzel

I finally got to see Idina Menzel perform live! Arvin and I went to see her perform last Thursday night at the Palace of Fine Arts.

OMG! She is amazing! I love how she interacts with the audience during the show and well, her voice is just wonderful.

I've been telling my co-workers that the reason I'm watching her concert is because I want to hear her sing Defying Gravity live. She did not disappoint at all! ;) She mostly sang songs from her new album. The songs are actually growing on me. For me, she really shined during the concert when she sang For Good (Wicked), No Day But Today (Wicked) and Defying Gravity (Wicked, well, it was her version on her album).

I stand for the power to change,
I live for the perfect day.
I love till it hurts like crazy,
I hope for a hero to save me.
I stand for the strange and lonely,
I believe there's a better place.
I don't know if the sky is heaven,
But I pray anyway.
- I Stand, Idina Menzel

Certifications

I really have no idea where I found the time to study and take the certification exams that I have taken lately. I was telling my former boss that I started taking my exams when were starting to set up the data center and I finished my exams when we finished the data center project. Well, i guess you could say that I was doing 2 parallel projects.

I'm now closer to my alphabet soup. I currently hold the following IT certifications:

• MCSE Security 2003
• MCSE Security 2000
• MCSA Security 2003
• MCSE Messaging 2003
• MCSE Messaging 2000
• MCSA Messaging 2003
• MCSA Messaging 2000
• MCSE 2003
• MCSE 2000
• MCP
• Security+
• GSEC
• GWAS
• ITIL

I'm planning to take my CISSP in the next few months. I have to start studying for it. I'm giving myself 2-3 months to study for it. After that, we'll see what suits my fancy.

Yoga

Since I had to give up my saltwater aquarium after it crashed -- I didn't have the time and energy to rebuild it so I gave it to a friend -- I figured I needed to find a new hobby and I have found one -- yoga!

I've been going to yoga classes for the past 2 months now. I really enjoy it a lot. I love the stretches. My back pain is gone. I feel so much stronger and it is helping me run faster (well.. whenever I feel like running).

My first classes were Iyengar yoga classes. I took a beginner class. There were only a few people in that class and the instructor was able to really look at your poses and adjust you.

I also took a Bikram yoga class. This is where they heat the room to 105 F and you do yoga in the heat. It was very challenging. You're doing 26 poses twice in a 90 minute period and in the heat. So far I have only gone once to this class since the studio I went to was a little bit far.

I'm currently taking Mellow Flow yoga classes at a really nice studio (Satori Yoga). It's close to my office so it's very convenient. I've been going every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon after work. I really enjoy this class because of the teacher (Alex Bradshaw). She's really really good. She kicks my butt in a good way with her classes.

Whoever said that yoga is easy is lying. It is very challenging. In some days, I am sore in places that I never thought I had muscles in!

Looks like I have found a new hobby. :)

It's been a while

Wow... it's been a while since I last wrote anything here. I've been so busy with work lately that I haven't really had the chance to really do anything else.

Let's see.. I haven't been running since I have no time. I've been taking my MCSE exams so whatever free time I have have been devoted to studying. Although it has paid off so far. I scored 100% on 2 exams already. I've been reading a bit -- yeah, all chick lit -- gotta love those steamy romance novels.

What else? Hmmm.... I've been to NY this month. That was my second trip of the year. Yes, I did go watch shows again. Duh! That's one thing I would not pass up.

So far I have seen 22 out of the 27 musicals that are currently running on Broadway. It's a lot easier for me to enumerate the ones I haven't seen. I'm at the bottom of my list now. Some of the shows, I'm just not too compelled to watch. Eh, maybe if I end up going to NY and no new shows are out then I'll go watch them.

Anyways, I got to see South Pacific, Gypsy, Passing Strange, The Little Mermaid (again), In the Heights and Chicago.

South Pacific
This was the show that had me almost in a panic. I was trying to find a single ticket and I could not believe I couldn't find a single ticket online during the duration of my trip. I was soooooo ready to get a ticket from a ticket broker because I really wanted to see it. Anyways, I tried the cancellation line and was able to get front row mezzanine seats. Wooohooo! The god seats!

I loved this show. The cast was just wonderful. This is definitely a must see. I wouldn't mind watching it again. If I had to pay more than face value for this show, it would've still been worth it. Kelli O'Hara, Paulo Szolt, Matthew Morrison, Danny Burnstein were a joy to watch.

Gypsy
This was the other show that I really wanted to see during my trip. The story and the score were okay but what made this show wonderful for me was because of the cast. This was the first show I have seen that the audience gave a standing ovation before the curtain call. Patti Lupone just blew the top off the theatre with her performance of Rose's turn. It was amazing. The rest of the cast was pretty good too especially Laura Benanti. This was my 4th Sondheim musical.

The Little Mermaid
What can I say? This is my favorite Disney musical. I love the story and I also love the show. My friend, Karen and I went for standing room tickets. Not bad for $26.50. Since I have seen it up close from the 9th row (or maybe closer), I didn't mind seeing it from the back of the orchestra. I didn't mind standing the entire time too since time just flew. It was worth hearing Shere Rene Scott as Ursula and Sierra Boggess as Ariel sing.

Oh yeah, regarding the standing room tickets, you can get them when the show is sold out. Ask for the lower wall. ;)

Yup, I'll probably watch this again in the future.

Passing Strange
I wasn't too sure if I really wanted to watch this show. Anyways, for lack of other shows to watch, what the heck, I went to see it.

It was okay. I wasn't really blown away with it. It's more of a rock concert than a musical. The story is so so although it made for an enjoyable evening. The set was very simplistic. Daniel Beaker who played the lead role was pretty good.

I doubt it if I'll watch this again. It was worth watching at least once. Did I like it, well, it was okay. Did I love it? Nah... Not my type of musical

In the Heights
I still cannot understand the hype for this musical. A lot of people are saying that it's a shoo in to win the Best Musical at the Tonys this year.

I only went to see this because my friend and I won the lottery. I'll watch any musical for $26.50.

The book was so so. I really didn't see the point. My friend was saying that it's very local. There's a lot of references that I really didn't get because I didn't live in Washington Heights. The music was okay. I guess I'd call it forgettable. I cannot remember a hummable song from the show. The lead, Lin-Manuel Miranda is definitely very talented. He pretty much wrote the show.

It was worth watching it once just to see what the hype is all about. I don't think I'll be watching this again.

Chicago
Since I didn't have anymore shows to see, I had to go down to the bottom of my list. Anyways, I was able to get rush seats for Chicago and again for $26.50, I will go wand watch any musical.

I almost fell asleep during act I. It was boooooring! I almost walked out of the theatre during the intermission. I decided to be persistent and actually stay for the second act. Thank goodness I didn't. It started picking up during the second act so it wasn't a complete waste.

Will I watch it again? Absolutely not. I'd rather stick a needle in my eye! I think I'm seeing a pattern. It seem that Kander and Ebb musicals are just not my thing. I'm 0 for 2 on Kander and Ebb musicals. The last one I saw, Lovemusik, eww... I didn't like it at all.

So there ya go... my latest set of shows.

You might wonder what I haven't seen so here's my list. I refuse to pay full price for these. Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, Grease, Cry Baby, A Catered Affair. Yeah, if you want to give me tickets for these, I'll go and watch them.

During my last trip, I decided that I should try to stay away from NYC for a few months. Well, tht was true until the other day when I read that Will Chase and Eden Espinosa are going to be in the final cast of Rent. I loved Will Chase in Miss Saigon. I've seen him several times in it with Lea Salonga. Well, for Eden, I'm a huge fan! I loooooved her in Wicked and I will watch any show that she's in. I gotta find a way to get my butt back to NYC before Rent closes for good in September.

What else? Oh yeah, I decided to start watching regional productions. I went to see Cinderella (Rodgers and Hammerstein) in Walnut Creek last weekend. I took a friend's daughter with me when I went to see it and she enjoyed it a lot. It was okay for me. The main characters were okay - good singers. The lighting felt a little off and didn't accentuate the charater that was singing that much so when there are a lot of characters on the stage, it was hard to tell who was singing. My biggest complaint is that there were too many ensemble members on stage! It felt too cluttered and too crowded. The costumes were pretty good though. Anyways, yeah, I am a theater snob......

Until next time... whenever that may be....

Sunday in the Park with George

Sunday in the Park with George was the last show I watched on this trip.

The story is a fictionalized story of George Seurat, a painter and his painting called A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.

The show is simply beautiful. I loved it. I'm familiar with the score since I picked up a copy of the London cast recording when I was going through my Sondheim phase sometime last year. It was a matter of me trying to fill in the blanks with what I know about the story based on listening to the recording. The songs are beautiful. This is actually my favorite out of all the Sondheim musicals.

The cast was very talented. The principal characters (Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell) were the ones who sang on the Original London Cast Recording so I was thrilled about it.

The show made extensive use of CGI animation for its set which I thought was pretty cool. It was tastefully done and worked very well.

Here's a video of It's Hot up Here (Act II). This is probably from the original production. This isn't from the Broadway revival that I saw.



I'm really pleased with the shows that I have seen on this trip. I really don't have anything else that I want to watch right now that I haven't seen yet on Broadway. I guess I will just have to wait until new shows open up before making my way back to New York. ;)

Wicked

Yes you read it right. Wicked. hehehehe.....

This was my Thursday show. My friend, Karen and I decided to do our usual Carmila is in town routine -- Wicked lottery and then if we don't win, we head to TKTS to get me a ticket to whatever is available and then we go out to dinner.

This time we skipped TKTS since we actually won the lottery! Woooohooooo!!!! After trying for the gazillionth time, my name finally got picked! We got front row seats for $26.25. Yay! I tell you once you have sat up close in the show, you don't want to sit elsewhere. I honestly cannot tell you how the show looks from a afar. The farthest I've sat on this show is the 14th row and I have no intentions of sitting further than that.

It's my 8th time watching Wicked. If you have not figured it out yet, let me spell it out to you. Yes, I am obsessed with Wicked. I am a member of the Wicked Addicts club and I have gone through the 12 step program but it never works. hehehe... I just love this show.

The Broadway production is in a pretty good shape right now. The cast is pretty good although my favorite duo is still Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty. It's the first time watching the show that I actually liked Glinda more than Elphaba. The actress playing Glinda (Annaleigh Ashford) was very young but she was pretty good. She added her own nuances to the character which I liked a lot.

Annaleigh's version of Popular:


In case you are wondering, yes I intend to watch the show again in the future. ;)

Young Frankenstein

Wednesday was a 2 show day for me. I had tickets to Young Frankenstein (oh excuse me.. Frahn-ken-steen) Wednesday night.

I don't recall ever seeing the movie so I didn't really know anything about the show. Its got mixed reviews but I really didn't care. I like forming my own opinions (well, most of the time).

The show was fun. Lots of jokes. Definitely has lost of talent. Roger Bart was great. It was a plus seeing Megan Mullally live -- she's Karen in Will & Grace. I had no idea that she could sing!

The songs were forgettable. Nothing really that struck my fancy and I'm not too compelled to get the cast recording for it although it was still worth seeing. I had lots of laughs during the show and I enjoyed the show and the performances which is what matters the most to me whenever I watch any of the shows.