- Race pics. It took the organizers almost a week to share. I didn’t get the solo pics as leading runner as expected but love these… when we started out, see how excited and happy I was
Sofia leading my colleague friend
and Lizzy chatting with her walking buddy K. K is probably my favorite colleague friend in the office. He’s funny, reliable (work wise), and smart. And he’s super friendly with Lizzy.
2. Lizzy is so creative. She made new “dresses” for the toys. Honestly, I don’t know where she got the gene for creativity. Daddy says it’s from grandpa š
3. I had a super chill Friday. It was a non-work day for me. I had a great steady run at target 8:40min/mile pace for 3 miles, which I exceeded by far and yet felt easy to sustain it. The 5k fast pace pain really taught me what’s real pain, and what’s tolerable/enjoyable pain. I guess that’s precisely the purpose of having the speed segment of the training cycle. Then I spent an hour at the groceries store browsing aisles leisurely as it is quite empty these days (more below) and asked husband to pick me when I was done. When I go to store with the family, I always feel rushed, so I like to go there alone sometimes. Once home, I made these banana coconut muffins, either for breakfast or snacks for me. I’ve been hungrier than before and need nutritious snacks on the go.
4. It is the Ramadan month here. This means all local people are doing the month long fasting. They can only eat when sun is out, which means they get up 3 or 4am to eat, go back to sleep, and fast until sunset, which is 5:30-6pm. Fasting not only food but also water. I really admire their discipline. I am entertaining the idea to do one day with them to experiment it, but afraid that I’ll fail right away. Streets, stores, are no longer crowded, it’s the month of low productivity as some colleagues tell me.
5. Ambition. I’ve been thinking a lot about lack of ambition to progress career wise. I am not sure if it’s because the work here is less challenging/interesting than in the Philippines, or is this a structural change. what I know for sure is that I don’t feel bad/envy when I see my peers getting promoted anymore. I am happy for them. I don’t feel sorry for me. I am content where I am (genuinely, not just I am telling myself to be content), cherishing the freedom to pursue my hobbies (running, traveling) and have more time and mental space to bond with my family, which is ultimately what I value the most. I can’t decide if this is a temporary or permanent shift of mindset, and it doesn’t need to be. Maybe when circumstances change, I’ll gear up for more interesting work again. Meanwhile, enjoy this stage of life.
Saturday plan:
- rest day: doing gentle stretching yoga
- start with 2022 photo album
- make a pumpkin lentil soup
- spend afternoon with Lizzy alone as Sofia is going to a birthday party
- read a novel? watch a movie?
Our New Journey 
Yes, I love how happy you look in that first photo!
About the career thing… our careers don’t have to be the most important thing in our lives! Family, running and traveling are all excellent things to put your energy into. As long as you’re happy, and
have enough money, then you should live life the way you want. As you said, maybe later on you’ll shift back to a career-focused life, or maybe not. Now that my kids are older I’m starting to put more emphasis on my career- but it will never be my main passion in life.
Ramadan- yes, it’s impressive that people fast like that. I’ve fasted, but always WITH WATER. Obviously it can be done, but it seems really hard. If you do a day, I want to hear all about it!
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