Wedding Traditions, Tweaks and Twists

My Favorite Wedding Tradition

Having attended five weddings on the first five weeks of the year, I can't help but think about the wedding traditions that have evolved through time.  You've probably heard of the wedding day custom of having "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue."  Until now the part where you wear something blue still fascinates me.  It might be worth the research.

Then you have the traditional parts of the wedding party: the couple's first dance, the slicing of the cake, the white doves (which I actually haven't seen in awhile), the speeches, the toasts, the father-bride dance, the thank-you's.

But for me, the most important part of a wedding is the ceremony.  And my favorite part is the exchange of personal vows...when two people, with so much love, declares their life-long promises to each other.  It is also during the ceremony when the scripture from 1 Corinthians about love is read:

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.

Someone once told me that this is the best affirmation you can give yourself and to your relationships...if you replace LOVE with I AM.

I am patient, I am kind.  I do not envy, I do not boast, I am not proud.  I honor others, I am not self-seeking, I am not easily angered, I keep no record of wrongs.  I do not delight in evil but I rejoice with the truth.  I always protect, I always trust, I always hope, I always persevere.  I never fail.

Now that is some promise! When couples exchange vows...to experience so much unconditional love between two people, this is when I become really teary-eyed. I think this captures the true essence of a life-long marriage.

So to my friends who are about to get married or have yet to get married, you know I'll be there to witness this and know that in this way, you touch my heart.

Bucket List: Juliet Capulet's House, Verona, Italy

As we close the month of love, I remember one of the classic love stories written, staged, filmed-- Romeo and Juliet.  As I watched its modern twist, Letters to Juliet, I felt nostalgic of my favorite country, Italy.

I'll let the photos do the story telling...

What not to miss in Italy would be Verona--home of Romeo and Juliet!

First day in Verona in my classic Korus pusod...

from the movie Letters to Juliet

What not to miss in Verona--Casa di Giuletta!

Here I am ready to write and leave my love note...

My artistic shot...after ten years of waiting for the crowd to disappear...

And what better way to visit Juliet's house but with my twenty something single girlfriends!

Exploring the house with Camille, Kaye and Michelle

Rubbing her boob for good luck with EJ and Keilah...harharhar...

According to seeitalia.com, though its origins cannot be determined, the most popular thing to do when visiting the statue is to rub its right breast, which will bring good luck. So don’t be surprised if the right side of the bronze Juliet seems to be shinier than the rest of her!

Obviously, one visit to Casa di Giulietta wasn't enough so we had to go back.

My housemates with our Verona host: Lolo Giuseppe

I miss already...three days in Verona was too short.

Running is More Mental than Physical

Last Saturday, I experienced a major breakthrough...physically, emotionally, mentally.  For the first time, I finished running (and walking) a whopping 30k at Nuvali.  This is the longest "long run" we had to undergo as part of TBR's Dream Marathon Training.  This was Bull Session 4.

Every time I join a race, there's always a combined anxious-excited feeling.  Well isn't this what breakthroughs are about anyway? You want to do it so much, at the same time you're so afraid to do it.  This particular bull session was all about pushing our WALL further. According to Galloway, "The wall hits you quickly as you reach your limits. Within a few meters, you go from feeling tired but capable of going on to feeling as if you can't go more than a few steps." Boy was this so true! After the 25k mark, I thought I couldn't make another step.  I asked the worst question I could ever ask while running: "Why am I doing this?" So I started thinking about all the reasons why I'm actually doing this...why I'm actually running.  


There was trying to break through my self-limitation that I am not sporty.  There was winning over my asthmatic lungs.  There was my desire to lose weight and to get those tight and firm leg muscles. And when it really got so tough, I remembered all those dreams I dared not to do before cause I thought I wasn't good enough.  I remembered all those people who...and circumstances which told me I can't.  And of course, there was Coach Jim Lafferty's 26.2 reasons to run a marathon:


1. The best way to remove the words, “I can’t” from your vocabulary.
2. Need a dose of self-confidence? Comes in a handy 26.2 mile/42.2 km package!
3. Do something unique and special. Only 0.01% of the world ever finds the motivation and discipline. Be one of the chosen few.
4. Lose weight. There is no better way to lose the weight, and keep it off, than by training for and completing the marathon. It’s like free liposuction!
5. Want to look good in front of the mirror? Less “jiggling” and firmed and toned lines? A marathon is the ticket!
6. The crowds. Nothing is more motivating than the people who line the course, yelling encouragement as they stand in awe of what you are doing.
7. There is no rationale reason to run a marathon. Pretty cool, eh?
8. You get better with age. Most sports mean a slow decline with the forces of age. Marathoning is one of the few sports where you can and do improve with age as base mileage increases. It feels GREAT to be faster at 40 than at 20.
9. The joy you get of being able to take steps 2 at a time, go up 4 flights, and you aren’t standing out of breath at the top.
10. Inspiration in life. Marathoning brings out the best of humankind. You’ll see people from all walks of life and situations in a marathon—in wheelchairs, with amputated limbs, blind. You become inspired by seeing what the power of will and human spirit can achieve, and overcome.
11. Camaraderie. Being able to say, “I am a marathoner” provides a unique bond to those you meet who have done one as well. It is a special linkage, forged through the grit and strain of reaching deep into yourself.
12. Long life. The data is clear—marathoners live longer and healthier than less sedentary folks. Who wants to check out early?
13. Do you wanna find out what you are truly made of? Run a marathon!14. The post-marathon dinner. One of the greatest eating moments of your life! Sit around and swap “war stories” of the race with fellow marathoners, and eat all you want, whatever you want. You earned it!
15. Personal energy. Marathoning has you sleeping fitfully like a baby at night, and awakening invigorated to go about your day. You’ll have never felt better!
16. What a great way to see a city! Run London, or New York or Chicago or Paris or Geneva and see the whole of a great city from a perspective few ever have—from the streets.
17. Be a part of history. Marathoning is based upon events in Ancient Greece, and a messenger running to Athens with news of the battle. It is a race, and distance, based from legends and history. How cool is that!?
18. The finishers’ medal. Remember how your first award as a small child meant so much? How you slept with it under your pillow? Recapture the magic. It is one great feeling to get that finishers medal placed around your neck!
19. Family pride. The look on mom and dad’s faces; sisters and brothers. Wives and husbands and children. Friends. Is absolutely priceless. You can sense their pride in what you have done, all of the sacrifice and motivation to run in the rain, snow, in the darkness. Makes it all worth it.
20. Help others. Most marathons now cater to fund raising for every mile or KM run, to help a good cause. Not only good for you, but good for those less fortunate than ourselves.
21. The muscle on the front of your shin. Only marathoning seems to build up this muscle on the front of your shin, which forms a sharp and firm edge along the shin bone. It is the “mark” of a marathoner you can see in anyone in short pants. And it is definitely one neat muscle to have!
22. The start. There is nothing like it. All the adrenaline, the electricity in the air, the anticipation of the journey to come. All those butterflies in your stomach. And then the gun, and off you go.
23. Learning about life. Life is a marathon. It is not short. It has its ups and downs. It is all about having goals, taking it one step at a time. The parallels are downright amazing. You’ll be better in life having run a marathon.
24. The tears. Finishing often brings a tear to the eyes of the toughest of competitors. And tears of joy and self pride taste GREAT.
25. The Queen of England. The original distance in the first Olympics was 25 miles based upon distances from city of Marathon to Athens in Greece. When the Olympic Games moved to London, Her Majesty asked to extend the distance so she could view the finishers from the Royal Palace. This is how the extra 1.2 miles got added on and making the official distance 26.2 miles/42.2 KMs. In honor of this change and out of tradition, at mile 25 (kilometer 40) many marathoners sing, “God save the Queen” (true story!).
26. George Bush and Puff Daddy. Never thought you’d see these 2 names in the same sentence? Well, both are marathoners! Don’t let them have this “leg up” on you!!
26.2. The last 0.2. When you can see the finish line in sight and you know you have made it, and the crowds are 5 and 10 people deep, screaming at the tops of their lungs? Let me just say it is one of the greatest 100 seconds in life. No matter how tired you are, you will float to the finish line!


The last 0.2 being my favorite. You don't have an idea how many times last Saturday I saw this picture in my mind.  I realized that running is more mental than physical.  I already proved to myself that I can do it physically but the last stretch was all mental. I was literally telling my brain to go on and that it's almost over. That was something I've never experienced before.  Good thing, my brain listened after so much struggling and haggling.


Three weeks from now, I'll be running my first marathon together with 399 beginners alike.  I will come prepared physically, emotionally and mentally putting into mind all the reasons why I'm doing this and of course, it wouldn't hurt to include the picture of the Finishers' Medal I'm getting.

42.2k Finish Line--see you in three weeks!

Bucket List: Hollywood Roadtrip, Disney and Vegas

Five weeks into 2011. Five weddings already.  Well, actually, I'm on my way to the fifth wedding. But five days before that happens, I want to let the bride-to-be remember how crazy, fun and awesome we were back then.  Now we only have photos to bring us back five amazing years ago...

HOLLYWOOD

with JP, Anj (who's tying the knot in 5 days), Oly (who's getting married too on April)

Hooters

Grauman's Chinese Theater 

Rodeo Drive

 

Kodak Theater

DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA

with Anj and Oly

VEGAS 

with Anj

I'm sooooo glad we did all these at our twenties and while we're single.  Even if both of you are tying the knot this year, I shall continue creating and adding to my twenty something single's bucket list.

Running into Jeff Galloway

First question. How do you call someone who is a Running Expert, a Marathon Coach, an Olympic Athlete, an Author-- all rolled into one? Jeff Galloway!

Second question. Did I mention that he's the Creator of the Run-Walk-Run method which I'm following for my marathon training?  Well, last night I met "the" Jeff Galloway and listened to him talk for 3 hours.

Third question. What could be more awesome than that? Attending his talk for FREE...thanks to TBR, all Dream Marathoners get a free ticket each to meet Jeff.

Three months into his famous run-walk-run program and I get to meet him in person.  And he gets to sign my one-month-old-Kris-Kringle-gift Galloway book: Marathon You Can Do It.  How amazing!

Tonight, I learned a lot but to share a few...I learned that:

you can add Water Running to your Cross Training options
and I will definitely try it this weekend

as much as I don't have a time goal for the Dream Marathon,
as much as I want to just finish all 42k,
as much as I expected that the Walk Breaks can slow one's time goal,
taking walk breaks in between runs can actually make you finish faster

it is very possible to run a marathon every 4 weeks
if you bring the 4 run/1 walk further to 30 sec run/30 sec walk

Water running, as the name implies, is practicing running while your legs are underwater.  Jeff said to have a floating device where your feet won't touch the ground and then you run.  The water's resistance strengthens muscles.  By alternating off and on, the main running muscles will retain their resilience longer.  Do this for 15 minutes every week.

Walk breaks work because on each successive walk, most or all of the fatigue is erased, giving you strength at the end.  And because of less fatigue, walk breaks eliminate injury.  Walk breaks can change a bad run into a regular one and sometimes a great one.  Less fatigue and less injury lead to running faster.  Because of his innovation, Jeff has been running without injury for 32 years.

I could keep on running through my mental notes from Jeff but for now, I write about the run-walk method to encourage my friends out there to start running cause Jeff has definitely stirred a twist in marathon training putting smiles on beginners' faces upon finishing their first marathon through his ideation of the walk breaks. As for me, I'll follow what Jeff wrote on my book...

Clarissa, keep running!

5, 10, 15...All in Three Months

If you haven't figured that out...i meant 5k, 10k and 15k...the distances I've covered since I started running. And say I must..they are indeed doable in a matter of 3 months of training.  This is such a cliche but... I never thought it can be done...more so, I never thought I can do it but I DID! Thanks to the Galloway Run-Walk method we're following under the Dream Marathon training.  It's simple...you don't have to run all the way. You run for 4 minutes then walk for 1 minute. Then run again then walk. 4/1 style! Walk breaks help minimize fatigue and injury. Also, you don't need to overtrain yourself.  Even if you're a busy person (like me), all you have to commit to are the Long Runs every weekend (with increasing time goal) and Two Maintenance Runs (45-60 minutes) during weekdays. That's pretty much my training program.

It's only after I registered for the Dream Marathon that I started training. The first Bull Session (the term for training Dream Marathoners) commenced last October 23 with a short talk by Coach Lit Onrubia.  Afterwhich, we dream marathoners got our first taste of Chi Walking and Chi Running.

A month after that, on November 21, I ran my first race...my first 5k in Unilab's Run United 2.  Here's my first running victory moment (courtesy of PhotoVendo)...

After one more 5k race (Nike Run), I already ran my first 10k during the Mighty Bond Xtreme Run in Ortigas last December and another 10k during the Run for Love, Run for Life Race in Alabang last January 8.  Here's my friend Trish, who, like me, never ran before registering for the Dream Marathon.  But we did register and together we'll cross our first marathon finish line on March...

It was only last Saturday, January 22, did I run my first 15k at the Bull Session's training.  It felt sooo good, not to mention, empowering.  Now, I still can't imagine I'm running 42k on March but hey, this was the same feeling I had when I ran my first 5k.  I can't imagine two more 5k loops then but now, I've reached that goal...running 15k.  So really, even if it still sounds unimaginable for me now, I'll run that 42k anyway.

Don’t Just Count Them…Write Them Down

This is not a Starbucks ad. These are my blessings notebooks. In December of 2007, I started writing my blessings everyday. Sure, I would count them before that…only when I am reminded by other people, when I feel bad and need a quick fix, when I literally read “Count your blessings” on a car sticker.  But seriously, there’s an entire different feeling when you make it a habit as (first) you allot time for it, (second) you write them down, (third) you do it everyday.  It’s as simple as that.

Honestly, I started doing this because I was undergoing my quarter life crisis—a time when I doubted myself: Have I accomplished enough for my age? Am I successful for my age? Am I worthy? Hah! Those were the days (which I laugh about now) and having read articles and books on how to stay positive…it hit me: BE GRATEFUL.

So for three years now, I’ve learned these.

1. It’s a habit you need to develop.  It’s when you do it repeatedly that you get the point. I mean, at first, I would only acknowledge the “big” blessings that would come my way such as a bonus at work, a concert we did, a party I attended, a birthday surprise. But then as I continue to think about how blessed I am day by day, I started taking note of the SMALLEST and MOST TRIVIAL of things. Smallest such as a “free mint candy from an officemate” or “a really long hard tummy-aching laugh” or “finding a parking slot in 30 seconds”.  The most trivial of things like a “good and loving family” or “fun and supportive friends” or “having quality education”.  And so from the biggest most obvious blessings to the simplest taken-for-granted things…I wrote them all.
2. The ratio of positive-happy-awesome-days to low-energy-bad-vibes days is 360:5.  Of course I still have those tremendously miserable days where a series of unfortunate events coupled with Murphy’s law happens.  But with my blessings notebook, I realized that it’s ok to have those ^%$!*@ days because out of 365 days, 360 brought me smiles, laughter, peace and fun.  So who cares? The five days don’t matter after all.
3. This ritual makes me a better person everyday. I never thought that this is an exercise for your mind to focus on positive things instead of making a big fuss out of an issue.  As I take on this journal journey, it has become so effortless to switch your mind on to the brighter side of things.  Logging my blessings have brought me benefits more than expected.

So I challenge myself now to magnify this blessings journal even more by committing to my FIFTH GOAL this year…TO FILL UP THE ENTIRE SPACE ALLOTED EACH DAY WITH BLESSINGS BIG AND SMALL.

Now start writing yours. If you start a blessings journal after reading this, you allow me to be a blessing too.  I thank you for that; and I might as well end up writing your name on my journal today.

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.  ~G.K. Chesterton