2014 TOKYO MARATHON

Arriving glamorously late, it took me 19 minutes to get to the actual starting line. It was a very long and cold wait in 7 degrees with serious wind chill factor. Luckily I had the wind breaker on and ran with it on until km 38 where I removed it not because I was warm but because I knew there were going to be a lot of photographers on the last stretch of the run! A woman must always look good for the camera! 

With 36,000 people running, it was a constant weaving resulting in me running an extra km, giving a total of 43.2km (as if 42.195km was not long enough), with a finishing time of 4:09 (4:28-0:19) that I am very proud of. 

My first major marathon and hopefully it shall not be the last. Amin.

SUMO WRESTLER

I think a lot about Japan since the earthquake, wondering how the country is doing. Looking through the photos of the time we were there, I found one that deserved to be shared.

They are not the biggest there is but still worthy of attention!

FACES - SYRIA 2011

The best espresso - sold by the roadside from Serjaellah to Lattakia

The Dead City

FACES - LEBANON 2011

SKIING IN THE CEDARS, LEBANON

We stayed at La Cabane in The Cedars, the only hotel right at the foot of the ski lift. The hotel is new (only opened January 2011 and we were there a few weeks after), in fact when I first saw the hotel I thought that it was still under construction.

But as soon as I went in, I knew I would have a good time there. We spent a lot of time by the fire place, drinking hot chocolate while reading and surfing on the I pad.

The stay was made even more memorable when we met Mustaffa and his family who was so fun and so generous.

La Cabane and its people have a certain charm and warmth that despite a lot of "hardship" that we faced when we were there, it was difficult to be angry or not to fall in love with the place.

The very next day, we decide to hit the slope. It was a hot Sunday and there were oh so many people! (I thought their weekend would be on Friday and was expecting a quiet time on the slope. Turned out, they celebrate weekend like most countries around the world!)

The equipment rental was USD 10 per person and there were shops renting equipment everywhere but we opted for the one right at the foot of the slope. The ski pass was USD 40 per day on weekends. So, USD 150 poorer, we hit the slope and didn't stop until the sun came down and we enjoyed every penny of it...

35 ROOMS, BEIRUT, LEBANON

Everything about this hotel is purrfect....

THE CEDARS, LEBANON

The Lebanon Cedar is the national emblem of Lebanon, and is displayed on the Lebanese flag. It is also the logo of Middle East Airlines (MEA), which is Lebanon's national carrier. Beyond that, it is also the main symbol of Lebanon's "Cedar Revolution", along with many Lebanese political parties and movements, the Lebanses Forces, the National Liberal Party, and the Future Movement.

The Cedar of Lebanon was important to various ancient civilizations. The trees were used by the Phonecians for building commercial and military ships, as well as houses, palaces, and temples.

The ancient Egyptians used its resin in mummification, and its sawdust has been found in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs.

Hebrew priests were ordered by Moses to use the bark of the Lebanon Cedar in circumcision and the treatment of leprosy.

The Hebrew prophet Isaiah used the Lebanon Cedar as a metaphor for the pride of the world.

According to the Talmud, Jews once burned Lebanese cedar wood on the Mount of Olives to celebrate the new year. Foreign rulers from both near and far would order the wood for religious and civil constructs, the most famous of which are King Solomon's temple in Jerusalem and David's and Solomon's Palaces.

Because of its significance the word Cedar is mentioned 76 times in the Bible, and played a pivotal role in the cementing of the Phoenician-Hebrew relationship.

LEBANON & SYRIA ITINERARY

LEBANON

• Day 1 - Beirut, Lebanon
• Downtown, Corniche, Amercian University of Beirut, Pigeon's Rock, Hamra
• Overnight in Hotel Cavalier, Beirut

SYRIA

• Day 2 - Beirut to Damascus
• Damascus Old City - Souq Al Hammidiyya, Ummayad Mosque, Saladdin Musoleum, Azem Palace
• Overnight in Orient Gate Hotel, Damascus

• Day 3 - Damascus to to Homs via Palmyra
• Palmyra
• Overnight in The Safir, Homs

• Day 4 - Homs to Aleppo via Krak des Chevalier
• Krak des Chevalier
• Aleppo - Aleppo Citadel, Umayyad Mosque, Souq
• Overnight in Jyadde Hotel, Aleppo

• Day 5 - Aleppo to Lattakia via Dead City
• Dead City
• Overnight in Le Meridien, Lattakia

LEBANON

• Day 6 - Lattakia to The Cedars via Tripoli
• Tripoli
• Overnight in La Cabane, The Cedars
  Day 7 - The Cedars
• Ski
• Overnight in La Cabane, The Cedars

• Day 8 - The Cedars to Beirut
• Ski, Gibran's home @ Bcharre, Qadisha Valley
• Overnight in 35 Rooms, Beirut

• Day 9 - Beirut
• Day trip to Jeitta Grotto, Beirut Downtown, Corniche
• Overnight in 35 Rooms, Beirut

• Day 10 - Beirut to Mzaar Farraya
• Ski
• Overnight in 35 Rooms, Beirut

• Day 11 - Beirut to Baalbek
• Baalbek
• Overnight in 35 Rooms, Beirut

• Day 12 - Beirut to KL

THE LONDON WALK 2009

This account was written many years ago....

The best way to see London, in fact, the best way to see any city is by walking. And that was what we did on our Day 4 in the UK.

We started our journey from Bayswater through the park that led us to Hyde Park. The park was beautiful - the path was littered with golden leaves that kept falling from the trees and it was so tranquil despite being in the heart of London.

There was Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, so we walked from booth to booth trying to decide on the ride that looked the most appealing. After doing the round, none of us felt that we could stomach a ride, not even in a tea cup, right after breakfast. So we continued pass Mayfair and Knightsbridge to Buckingham Palace.

Tasha was disappointed that the Palace was only open to public in August and September and that the changing of guards was not due till the following day. Nevertheless, we spent some time in front of the Palace wondering what it would be like to live a life of a Queen. Tasha thought that since she doesn’t have to do any household chores, she would have a lot of time on facebook!

The highlight of the walk to the Big Ben was the horses. There were so many of them that it felt like being at a Spanish Riding School!

We got to Big Ben at the strike of noon and marveled at the intricate carvings that went into the building. We walked around Westminster Abbey where there was a huge line up of people trying to catch a glimpse of where the blue blood gets married!

From Big Ben we walked along the river all the way to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The walk was about 5 km on top of the 7 that we already did, so, we decided against crossing the Millenium Bridge to Tate Gallery. We stopped for lunch at Blackfriars after a recommendation from a very helpful man with the I Touch and we did a slight detour to Nuffield Health Club on Cannon Street to have our running shoes fitted.

We were so dead after the walk that we took a tube back to our hotel in Bayswater and fell asleep as soon as we got into the hotel. We were knocked out for 12 hours, from 6 pm to 6am the next day and when we woke up, we were so ready to conquer the rest of what London has to offer.

FAMILY MEETING ON LEBANON TRIP

In light of the Day of Rage in Lebanon yesterday, I sent the following message to the other two fellow council members of the Rende reign.

"there will be a Rende family meeting tonight at 8 to discuss about our trip to the Middle East. Your attendance is compulsory."

Franco's SMS exchanges:

FR: I'll be there. I have a conference call at 9. An hour should suffice, correct?

LK: better know your geography to expedite the discussion.

FR: we will unroll our big world map.

LK: do we still have it?

FR: I think so. I will check.

Tasha's SMS exchanges on the other hand:

TR: so proper!

TR: I accept the invitation!

LK: so cute and so official at the same time. You are ready to take my job at SKM!

TR: oh no!

LEBANON

The plan was for us to spend the CNY 2011 in Lebanon and Syria. After 4 years of peace, I thought Lebanon would be politically stable now. Well, at least they were until the unexpected happened two weeks ago.

the Lebanese parliament was dissolved, tension is now filling the Lebanese air and talks on civil war outbreak are mounting!

On the other hand, there are also a lot of comforting words from other camps who are confident that Lebanon will not go to war again since they have been doing so well, economically, with a growth of 9% last year and expected GDP of an additional 8% this year.

We are leaving in a week, the question is, do we still go?

JAPANESE TECHNOLOGY

Green Tea Kit Kat

Police on Wheels

We all have heard of the warm toilet seat. Now, you also have the options to deodorise the toilet and have a waterfall background sound while you are doing business.

Simple but elegant lock for the shoe cabinet at the entrance of the restaurant.



Portable bicycle. Can be folded and carried in the bus or train for the long leg of the journey.

In Japan, you never have to learn how to do a three point turn!

Travel while exercise in comfort.

Travellator for the bicycles

3 in 1 tap - soap, wash and dry

Impressed that all cab drivers wear a tie and a suit, but more impressed by the fact that the taxi doors close by themselves!

You will always be able to look in the mirror despite how steamy the toilet is!

Double decker parking

No need for enforcement. You don't pay parking, you can't get your vehicle out!

And of course the Japanese pride, the shinkansen (also known as the bullet train!)

JAPANESE HOSPITALITY

A few days before our Japan trip, I purposely planned to play golf with Emi (a newly found Japanese) so that I can take the opportunity to learn a few Japanese words and get some travel tips from her. She warned me that most Japanese will shy away when asked either for directions or information. Since it came from a Japanese, I took that quiet seriously and did a lot more research on transportation, places to go to etc. than I would normally have done before any other trip. Despite that, we still needed a lot of help when we got there.

TOKYO STATION

Upon arrival from Narita airport, with minimal Japanese (non-existent actually), we managed to get to Tokyo all by ourselves until we got to the metro stations. Tokyo metro stations are more complex than what I am used to - London, New York, even Moscow subway was easier to understand!

While trying to figure out how it all worked, a Japanese gentleman approached us and asked whether he could help us. We jumped at the opportunity but didn't expect him to spend more than 30 minutes helping us. But he did.

He managed to get us the refund for the tickets that we wrongly bought, showed us the office where we can get a day pass and even brought us to the platform where we were supposed to catch the train to our hotel in Hanzomon. What a guy! I couldn't help but request to take a photo with him for I could never repay his kindness, but I hope the photo will remind me of his hospitality so that I can offer him a prayer of good health and wealth.

KYOTO STATION

It was so big that we couldn't even figure out how best to get out of the station. I left Franco and Tasha with the luggage and started scouting for someone to assist us. Armed with just a smile and the name of the hotel, I spotted this young Japanese guy. He had no idea where the hotel was but he was with us good 15 minutes to help us figure out the direction to the hotel. When we parted ways, we wished him the best of luck in his boxing career.

MATCHING PYJAMAS

If you are planning to visit Japan, don't bother packing yout PJs. Most hotels provide either pyjamas or yukata (cotton summer version of kimono).

So there we were, in our matching pjs, ready to sleep off our sore legs after a full day of sight seeing!

Oyasumi nasai （おやすみなさい.........