Standard Chartered Half 2025

The original plan was to set a new PB in January and enjoy the Standard Chartered run. However, things don't always go to plan. Given the fact that I had missed that PB, I decided to give this course a proper crack. More gels, decent prep. Final time 1:44:20 - new PB! 

The day was perfect. Cool in the morning. Still crowded, but being in the challenge pack meant things cleared up around the 3 km mark, and got busy again around the 18 km market. Great course, could have gone faster and felt good at the finish line. Sneak peak of pre and post eating.

Year of the Snake

It's nice having something to look forward to. Despite only being back a month earlier, I was excited to returning to Sydney once again. Namely, seeing family, seeing friends, catching up on sleep and hopefully experience a little more of the amazing summer. Thankful that my job isn't that important where I need to co-ordinate leave with other members of the team, and to date haven't had major push back to any of my scheduled annual leave. I return to Sydney with a large suitcase full of snacks. The flight back has me carrying a near-empty suitcase.

The 9 days, as expected went by rather fast. A 100 day celebration, Australia Day BBQ, 40th Birthday, 39th Birthday. Chinese New Year, long run, more Chinese New Year all featuring a healthy amount of eating. It was also an excuse to renew my passport. Which expires in July, but actually is really only valid up to 6 months prior to the expiry. Note, express passport, via Rapid + 2 day processing 712 AUD. Processed on the same day, pick up in Central. Not cheap, but not bad.

Left the house hold with non urgent whooping cough scare. Back to Hong Kong.

Macao Bridge Half Marathon

First run of the year. Really enjoyable race, along the 55 km Macao-Zhuhai Bridge, this Half Marathon takes you 11 km across the border and then brings you back. Fun course, not oversubscribed, long declines, challenging climbs. Sunrise, and airplanes. Only issue, it's an early start. Get to Asia World Expo by 6 to get a bus out to the start line. What more could you want?

Mis-timed my fuelling, was on PB time until I bonked around the 18 km mark, 4 gels not enough. Official time 1:45:25. Happy with that all things considered.

 

Taipei

Pseudo Tokyo, because well, traveling to Japan for New Years was just way too expensive. Ended up traveling to Taipei, for some hot springs in Beitou, hiking in Yangmingshan, night markets in Taipei and New Years around 101. Icing on the cake, a nice upgrade on the return flight home. Not a bad plan B. 

Sydney

MBL. Mandatory Block Leave. 10 days where an employee is forced to be out of the office and removed from operations. The idea being that the employee is forced to take a break, and from a risk management and compliance perspective, removes any single point of failure from operations. It's been a while since I've been "forced" to take 10 days of annual leave from work. Sydney would be the destination. Christmas and end of year would be the occasion. 

Jam, jam, jam. Quite a busy time of the year. Catching up with people, health check ups, errands. Blessed with an amazing summer, although there were some stinkers (read 40 degrees).

KL

I've been thinking more and more about the concept of cousins. The idea that the person closest to you (at least from a genetic sense) is your siblings, your brothers or sisters. So when these siblings have kids, the concept of genetic overlap exists. Maybe obvious, but has been something I've been thinking about more and more. In my head, siblings want to have their kids, continue being part of their siblings kids (ie. cousins) but in reality this may not always happen due to circumstance. More so than when friends, want their kids to be friends with the parents kids. 

On that note, I have cousins that I am close with, and cousins that I am not so close with. I don't think it's a result of any conscious decision, but it is due to circumstance and interactions. So one of my cousins, that I'm not close with is getting married. It makes me wonder if it's ever possible to move from 'not so close' to 'close', but again unless those circumstances change, I'm not sure?

In any case, they are still my cousin. Decided to head to Petaling Jaya for the wedding. Lots of fun, seeing relatives, and so many faces from times when I was kid. I forgot how good Malaysian food is.