My Thanksgiving in Singapore

Suffice it to say i did not waste one single moment yesterday on my Thanksgiving in Singapore.







I started the day at the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Words won't even do this place justice. Especially when it comes to the orchid garden. There were thousands of different kinds there. Even a VIP section. It was amazing. Here are a few pics that don't even begin to explain the beauty in this place. (On a side note, when my parents used to come here for my dad's work, they used to run together in these gardens. And my mom swears that a friend saw a cobra just slithering around one day on a run. SO glad i know that now after i went there!)

And on to Chinatown. I spent several hours walking around and taking it all in. Got a few gifts and then went to eat at this Hawker Centre which is kind of like a big local food court. This lady who made a present i got recommended it. I figured i'd be the only blonde in there, but i was in fact the only WHITE person in there. But it was great. I got chicken and rice at stall 10 called Tian Tian. And i washed it down with a strawberry green tea. And a banana fritter that i was told to get from stall 62. SO good. And with that i was done in chinatown.

Next i headed to the Singapore Zoo. It was so great. They had these areas where you walked in and all the wildlife was around you. Monkeys above your head. There was this one place called the Fragile Forest. The zoo brochure says, "fluttering butterflies, amazing arboreal animals like tree kangaroos, lemurs and sloths." And they weren't kidding. There were butterfiies flying all around me. It was so cool. It was probably my favorite part along with all the monkeys.

Finally, i headed to one of things i was most excited about seeing in Singapore -- the Night Safari. It was pretty amazing. I started with the creatures of the night show. it was interesting, but i couldn't wait to get to the actual zoo part. I did the walking tour and the tram ride. The tram was okay, but the walking tour ROCKED! Mainly because of two things: the Giant Flying Squirrels and the Mangrove Bat Walk. Yes you heard me, giant FLYING squirrels and bats (and they FLY too). These were two "walk-through" exhibits. Like free-flying around you walk-through exhibits. And I can't lie, i was slightly scared entering both of them (seeing as you had to go through three doors to get inside-so they wouldn't get OUT.) I went to the squirrel one first. And it was fine at first, until this BIG squirrel flew literally right in front of me. Landed two feet away. I was so freaked, yet it was so cool at the same time. You'd think after that i'd think twice about the bat walk, especially when there were warning signs saying the bats were fruit eating bats and would not bite or anything. But i paid no heed to what the warnings said. And i walked right in, clutching my water bottle to my chest. Boy am i glad i had something to hold on to, because right when i entered a bat flew right in front of me, then one flew right behind me hitting my backpack. Thank the Good Lord Almighty that there were other people in there because i would have screamed SO loud that all that bats probably would have attacked me. But i held it in. My heart almost beat out of my chest. But somehow i was able walk forward to get to the other side and out. Of course, the people that walked in behind me kinda pushed me along. Otherwise, i might have just stayed frozen in place. It was funny. Scary. But funny. And i can honestly say that looking back it was one of the coolest experiences i've had in a long time. (note: the above picture of me at the safari sucks, i know. I mean, i had been on my feet for over 12 hours in the heat. Sweating like you wouldn't believe. But i had to post it because it was the night safari and it was the only pic that you could actually see!)

So that ended the day. I grabbed a taxi and headed back to the hotel. I know this is super long but i wanted to post one of my favorite signs i saw today. It's a little blurry, but i think you'll get the point. (And if we're all really honest, I think we can relate sometimes...HA!)

And with that, i'm out. On deck for today (and i am now late bc i was writing this): cable cars to sentosa island, little india, arab and bujis street and shopping on orchard road. oh yeah!
See ya.

although i am halfway across the world right now...i am still thankful.

although your thursday is just beginning, mine's about to end. so i wanted to wish everyone a happy thanksgiving before i hit the hay.

although i won't be eating turkey and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, i am still very thankful. thankful for my family. thankful for my friends. and thankful for all the blessings i've been given so far and for what is yet to come.

tomorrow i'll write about my day today in singapore. but i will say this for now...it was Ah-MAZING today! Chicken and Rice in Chinatown replaced the Turkey dinner i'm missing out on in a 5 or 6 hours back home.

and i'm off...

so i decided to take a "quick" little trip to singapore. quick...as in, i'll be on the ground for just a few days in singapore. and then i get a nice long layover in tokyo on the way back and yes i will explore there too.

i can't wait!! i'm on the plane now waiting for everyone to finish boarding so we can get this party started.

i have an itinerary chock-full of activities (and shopping!). it's going to be a whirlwind. but SO much fun.

be sure to check back for updates.

(oh, and to my peeps at work...Godspeed for the next two days.) :)

miami man mania. (really, just mania.)

as you know, last sunday i competed in the miami man half ironman. and perhaps some of you at this point may have thought that i didn't survive it since it's taken me so long to write about the results. i'm sorry...it's just our little h-chy got sick and ended up in the hospital so needless to say this week has been kinda crazy. she's fine now -- sans tonsils. and i am just getting my act together to write about my race. so here goes:

i finished the race 6:03:15 (that would be SIX hours. crazy, right?) and i am happy to report that time was 27 minutes ahead of my goal. here's how it all broke down:

Swim (1.2 Miles): i felt great on the swim. i didn't push too too hard because i had a long day ahead of me but finished with a time of 36:18 and i was very pleased. there were a lot of people in the water so i had to weave in and out at times.


Bike (56 miles): i've never ridden that far alone before so i wasn't sure how i was going to do. i figured it'd take me 3:15 - 3:30 but i finished in 2:56:14. i was stoked. the wind got crazy at some points so it was working my hamstrings and for some reason my groin was cramping about halfway through every time i'd get in my aerobars. but i just pushed on through.

i got three nice surprises on the actual ride. first, as i was heading out, i saw my friend guillermo who i haven't seen in months. he gave me a high five and his smile was just what i needed as i began my 56 mile journey. at mile 26, my friend rebecca was cheering me on. then kc was on the side of the road at about mile 44. (and he actually rode up next to me with about 10 miles to go. it was funny. he was filming me...i'll post a video montage later. oh yea...watch out!)

Run (13.1 miles): where to even begin here. UM, i realized quickly that 13.1 miles was really far. especially when you've already been going for more than 3 1/2 hours. i had a slight cramp in my side the first 5 miles and then my hamstrings and lower back kicked in. oh did they kick in. the last two miles were brutal (and i unfortunately had to walk several times). my time was 2:23. i missed my run goal by 3 minutes but i just physically couldn't get my body going any faster. ultimately...i finished so i guess i have nothing to complain about. and now i have a new goal for next time. (yes, i just said next time...i know, estoy loca!)

overall, the whole experience was amazing. a nice crisp swim, a good bike, and the whole running through the zoo thing was killer. i got to see all the animals -- giraffes, gorillas, elephants, tourists in "safari cycles" -- but let me tell you...i have never seen a finish line that looked so good. i have never been given a medal that meant so much. and to top it off, my parents were there to see me do the whole thing. it meant so much to me that they came and cheered me on. (thanks again mom and dad!)

this is me walking out of the finish area. (somehow i managed to put on a face that didn't look like i wanted to die...ha)

and this post wouldn't be complete if i didn't pay homage to my little training group. congrats carol, noemi and aileen. you ladies did awesome. you all continue to inspire me (well, maybe not inspire me to go 26.2 miles. ha ha.) and i look forward to, and enjoy, every time we train together. and kc, a huge thanks. none of us could have crossed the finish line without your help. :)

and with that, the 2008 triathlon season is over. it was a great year filled with lots of learning and most importantly tons O' fun.
so what now you ask? REST. and figuring out what 2009 will hold for me.

6 days and counting...Dear God help me!

i can't believe the time is almost here. i mean, it seems like yesterday that my two friends and training partners, aileen and noemi, somehow convinced me to sign up for the miami man half ironman. that's right, i said half ironman -- a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike followed by a 13.1 mile run. (clearly they got to me in a moment of weakness and/or psychosis.)

we've been training long and hard and it seems crazy that it now comes down to these last 6 days. i've been really nervous over the last few weeks, but now i am at a point where i am just excited and calm-ish. i mean, i am ready...i can to do this (i think - ha). i just want sunday to get here already so i can start this thing. and i can assure you, come hell or high water i WILL finish.

the three amigas last weekend before we took off on the homestead century ride -- we rode around the racetrack for the first lap. it was fun!