Hello, First Post

recent affairs and goals to end the 2024 strong

I always like reading with music. Take a listen and let me know what you think.

Running

I started running this month.

This all started when a co-worker, Sushanth, asked if I wanted to do a Triathlon. Hmm, I wouldn’t say asked—more like taunted me, saying I couldn’t do it. I read this text as I went to reheat my Costco hotdog. What makes him think I couldn’t do it?

After some back and forth, we decided on signing up for a Sprint Triathlon next year, and I went out and bought a bike and running shoes shortly thereafter.

I initially attempted to work on all three disciplines every week, but with zero cardio experience in me and poor willpower, I found this to be a challenging feat. My rationality finally kicked in after a week, and I settled on starting out with running since I conveniently lived near the Cheshiahud Trail.

Trail in SF. Not centered for the aesthetic

The first week of running was straight ass cheeks. There’s no sugarcoating it. Ass. Cheeks. I suffered from periodic resting, heavy panting, painful everything. You name it I have it. In this first week I pretty much ran on pure stubbornness and spite over a petty squabble. You’ve probably heard this a million times from other runners, but it does get better over time, and gradually I started to increase my mileage throughout the weeks.

Reading

Real books. Not manga, not manhua, not webtoons, real books. If anyone knows me, they would not expect this section to even exist. Well, me neither. Here we are, I guess. My goal is to start slow and read one book a month.

• October: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

• November: A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

Alex is a really big fan of Haruki Murakami and recommended these books. Generally, his recs never miss, so I’m pretty excited.

Language(s)

Mandarin lessons once a week are still pretty fun. I hope by the end of the year I can start prepping for HSK 4/5/6.

Japanese is looking like a disaster though. After Japan in June, I’ve probably touched Wanikani like three times. I will get back to it eventually...