Making It Harder Than It Has to Be

I might be unconsciously manufacturing these situations, driven by a desire for excitement and adventure.

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Moments (Sep 30-Oct 7)

• Feris comes home and eagerly shares that her class is learning "A Perfect Winter Day". Yes, holiday songs already and it includes "sniffling". She timed her natural sniffling right on queue.

• After over a month of manually opening and closing the garage, my Dad came to the rescue and installed a new one. He's often bailing me out of these situations.

• In water polo, Jero had a two day tournament in Napa. The Wildcats went 3-2. The big news? Jero scored his first goal (vs Berkeley) and it was recorded on video. His reaction was priceless.

• Maricar isn't a great sleeper and on Saturday night, decided to run a 10k and change just after midnight. This isn't the first time.

• Have you had braces? I took Lea to the Orthodontist, and to fix her overbite, it would take 12-16 months and 6K. Maybe someday, but not today. I was surprised how “transactional” they made the process. Jero couldn’t help himself. Did you know the dentist admired my teeth and asked if I’ve had braces before?

• Lea spent the day at City Center Bishop Ranch, celebrating her new friend's birthday and doing teenager things. She came back smelling like Sephora and Maricar made her take two showers.

Thinking Out Loud

Making It Harder Than It Has To Be

On the trails, I'm in another world and was looking forward to going on a Sunday family hike. The Route? Purisima Creek (Clockwise). Just over 9 miles with the option of cutting it down to 6. It has been on my list since it was recommended by both Wing and Miriam. And with 100 degree temps inland, I thought this close to the coast and redwood shaded hike would be the perfect escape.

Recipe for Failure
1. I wanted to get an early start and projected an 8am departure. Because of my morning trail run, we didn't leave until after 9am. We hit 30 minutes of Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Patch Traffic.
2. Upcoming exams and two full tournament days gave Jero an out.
3. As we started our hike at 11, emergency vehicles greeted us at the trailhead. It was a rescue in progress.
4. Temperatures were comfortable on the descent and although we had calories, we carried limited water between the 4 of us (500ml water bottle, la Croix Can, Mountain Dew).
5. There was no drinkable water along the route.

All was good up until we got to the creek. The temperatures were cool, the water was refreshing and it was flat. This all changed when we found ourselves without water and we still had to hike back up to the car. Because of the route, we missed the "shortcut" long ago, but only had an estimated 3 miles.

It was 3,000 feet of steep climbing, parts of full exposure, and the hottest part of the day. My 3 mile estimate was off. It was closer to 5. We were also out of water.

Maricar took off and left me with Lea and Feris. Lea, fueled by her competitiveness, picked up her pace and was soon out of sight. I wondered if she would burn out and wait for us.

Feris, who started off strong, started to drag her feet. With so much climbing ahead and hotter temperatures to come, I worried.

We were completing a loop. Coming down, we took a longer trail with rolling hills. The return was one steep climb after another. Even for me, it was tough and demoralizing to push up a hill only to turn a corner to be confronted with another just as steep.

What was I thinking?
Would someone pass us and we can ask for water?
Would it make sense for me to leave Feris and return with water?
How far could I carry her?
If I called Maricar, would she run down with water?
I should have spent more time in the creek.

When running, I suck it up and push, knowing that the sooner I can finish, the less I'll be exposed. This didn't work in this situation. We weren't anywhere close to the finish and a push led to a mental and physical crash.

Feris broke down and cried three times. There were whole sections when she had tears streaming down her face and I thought, don’t waste your water. I learned to give her the space and to proceed when she was ready. We took small sections at a time and rested in the shade. Usually particular about dirt, she stopped carrying and plopped herself down when she needed a rest.

Even with just a quarter mile left, she rested. It took a lot for her to make that final push. And when we approached the final 100 meters to the car, she let out a huge cry of relief. It reminded me of the same cry after descending to Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida.

Afterwards, I spoke with Feris about where she was hurting and what was going through her mind?

Obviously, she was thirsty but her thighs and calves were so tired. She said it was from being on her feet at yesterday's water polo tournament.

1. Explored different ways of sending an SOS message to the planes flying overhead.
2. Imagined creating a parachute so she could glide down into the ocean.
3. Considered the benefits of passing out. If that happened, emergency vehicles would have to rescue her.
4. What if Daddy carried me? He would probably be able to only go only a few feet.

What about Lea? I was concerned she would get lost or dehydrated. Lea found her way back thirsty. When she crossed paths with another hiker (there were so few), she exaggerated her breathing and weezing hoping someone would offer her water. It never happened.

It felt similar to Oakland redwood regional, with the steep hillside, redwoods, and flat sections at the bottom of the valley. At the beginning, when we were fresh and had open landscape views, I thought to myself, why go to the Sierras when we have this so close. After cooling off in the airconditioned Safeway asiles and then rehydrating on watermelon, Arizona’s and water in the parking lot, we were all laughs and stories.

We didn't get to see any banana slugs and I’d like to go back, rested and prepared. Will it be harder to convice Maricar or the kids?

Beyond the American Dream (Memoir)

I've been invited to the San Francisco Filipino American International Book Festival this weekend. It's an opportunity to share my story and meet other community authors. I haven't given it much thought and it could be a really cool experience.

1. What impact do I aspire to make in the Filipino American community, and how can I leverage my skills and passions to achieve it?

2. What kind of relationships or connections do I hope to establish within the community, and how can I nurture them?

3. Are there specific individuals or organizations I'd like to connect with, and what value can I offer in return?

4. What tangible outcomes or takeaways would make this experience meaningful for me?

Last week, on a Friday, not a Thursday, I posted photos to accompany the last two chapters of Beyond the American Dream. My first post was 6 months ago and this coming week, I'll try and come up with something creative for the Epilogue.

Reposted from Instagram:

Throwback Photo Thursday (#18)

Chapter 26 Officially Day One
Hong Kong, August 2021 (Week 105)

Three weeks of quarantine is over, and we're ready to sink our teeth into a... pineapple bun. First impressions count, and Discovery Bay, our unreal new neighborhood, is making a stellar debut. But, as with all honeymoon phases, we can't help but wonder... how long will the magic last?

Chapter 27 Remember, You Signed Up For This
Hong Kong, March 2022 (Week 137)

Half a year in Hong Kong, and the 5th wave is crashing down on us. Panic mode activated! But then I remember why we started this journey in the first place... our 'why'.

On the Move

Run With Me on Strava - 71.28 mi, 5,036 ft (Year: 2,265 mi, 188,973 ft)

Notable Runs:

• 6 X (2min/1min) + 10 X (1min/1min) - Speed play. The first set is at a 10K pace and the latter is at 5K. Because I'm doing this on the road instead of a track or a set course, I go off effort. These shorter sprints help me focus on form and power.

• 19 mile trail run with 2,000 feet of climbing & a 30 min interval - Tough. I don't like carrying water and with the rising morning temperatures, I feel it in the last 5 miles.

Unintentionally I switch between being social and running with an audiobook. The latter is easier, when I have a book that hooks me. I finished The Diamond Eye (Quinn) early in the week and have been making my way through Pachinko (Lee). Two historical fiction novels, featuring female protaganists, navigating the complexities of motherhood admist pivotal political changes.

Because of the books, I've been extending my runs by a few miles.

Pacing opportunities are harder to come by and priority is given to last year's volunteers. I feel fortunate and that Maricar and I were invited to pace the Berkeley Half Marathon (November 2024) and Oakland Marathon (March 2025), both having a community. Oakland was my first marathon and the course has changed quite a bit over the years, now including a run over the Bay Bridge. I prefered the original hilly course that took runners through more of Oakland.