Ready, Set, RUN!!!

It's official - I’m a registered runner for the Rock ‘n Roll half-marathon! Big day is Saturday, June 25.

I hope you'll cheer me on as I train for this race. I promise to keep you posted on my progress through blogs, e-mail and Facebook. Many of you supported me as I scaled Columbia Towers' 69 floors in 2009. I very much appreciated your support then, and would appreciate it again now!

Why I'm running

My friend Courtney signed up for the Rock 'n Roll half-marathon months before I did. When she told me about it, I thought she was nuts. Who would want to run 13.1 miles, much less all at once? It seemed insane, but her bold move both impressed me and piqued my curiosity: Could I take on such a challenge? Was it within the universe of (athletic) possibility for me?

As I toyed with the idea, I put myself through a 3-week preliminary trial to gauge my endurance. I surprised myself by running 2.7 miles around Greenlake NON-STOP in 33 minutes. I’ve never done that before! Usually, I get halfway around the lake before I slow to a defeated trudge, then debate the fastest way back to my car. Never in the history of Liz Fong and Greenlake have I run it non-stop before. Sad, I know – but it was an amazing first accomplishment, one that pushed me to wonder, "What else could I do?"

Our weary feet after a run around South Lake Union.

My goal

My goal for this race is simple: I want to finish. Ideally, I’ll run/walk the 13.1-mile stretch in three hours or less; but I’ll be happy just to cross that finish-line. Considering my lack of physical stamina, I’m stacking up on mental grit. I rock out to teenage angst music with a good beat; I practice my fist-pump finale; and, I even made dim sum reservations for exactly 4 hours after the race start time. I WILL NOT MISS DIM SUM! Clearly, I'm committed.

I’m also very committed to a greater, more important effort. I plan to funnel my energy and enthusiasm for this race into raising money for the American Cancer Society. This is a small gesture, but it makes 13.1 miles seem like a breeze compared to the marathons others face.

My plea

So, with nine weeks left to train, I humbly ask for your support. Whether through a donation or just a friendly fist pump, please help push me across that finish line! This runner is full-speed ahead!

To support me and my fundraising goal, please visit my ACS DetermiNation Fundraising Page!

To read more about my training pursuits and follies, check out my "Running" label.

A Fong Farewell!

After several years of neglect, I decided to revamp my blogspot.  Bidding a Fong farewell to the old look! 

David's Visit to Seattle

David flew to Seattle last week determined to see his beloved Trojans shut down my Huskies. But to his shock and my amusement, UW turned out a huge upset on the slick Husky field that cold, rainy day. Check out the pics to see our weekend fun:

On Friday, we went to see the salmon run in Ballard. Only a handful of steelheads struggled up-current, and no sea lions to report (but there were lots of wacky seagulls!).




We taste-tested cacao from bean to bar at Theo Chocolates, then wandered south to International District, where we had lunch at Fort St George, my favorite Tokyo-style Japanese restaurant.



You can never go wrong with the curry at Fort St George. There's a host of options -- pork, chicken, hamburger steak, croquette -- and you can eat it over rice or "noodle." The restaurant's latest dish is "fried rice with ketchup flavor and omelette." Japanese "omelettes" are merely scrambled eggs in an omelette form -- there's nothing inside, and the eggs are fluffy from milk whipped into the egg. While the ketchup flavored fried rice was new and different, the curry's better.

In my boldest move yet at Fort St George, I ordered the daily special which included an unappetizing green sauce smothered over pork. Best eaten with eyes closed!

Saturday started bright and early with David, Chris and I running to catch the bus to Husky stadium. We had a few pre-game beers at the Ram, then climbed up to the very top of Husky stadium, where our 50-yard line seats were.  We literally sat in the top row!  Pillars partially blocked our view during the game, but it was a sweet spot to capture husky fans rush the field!

One more time on the bus, this time to Fremonth Oktoberfest, where we guzzled beer from little tasting mugs.  David still had on Trojan gear, so it was entertaining to hear drunk Husky fans take teasing jabs at him for the USC loss.

As the night wore on, so did our sobriety. We decided the tasting cups were best used as frames for pictures!  Prost!!

Hawaii Weddings

Fortunately, I had enough vacation and resources this year to fly back to Hawaii for several very important weddings! Congrats Naomi & Brandon, and congrats Brenda & Brad!!

Even though I claim indifference about vacationing "in Hawaii, yet again," I can't help but get excited when circling the islands. Always a gorgeous view.




Brandon and Naomi had a beautiful sunset wedding at the classic Moana Surfrider hotel. The only odd part about it were the random tourists in bikinis who stopped to watch from the beach.

Below is the picture that went smack-dab on the ceiling over the bed of the honeymoon suite. Glad to have been part of the decorating crew! :)

Brenda and Brad had an equally beautiful wedding, with Diamond Head and the ocean as the backdrop for the ceremony. Surfers and bodyboarders coasted in on smooth, long-cresting waves while the couple said their "I do's." Incredibly beautiful Hawaii ceremony.

On my last trip home, I learned how to use the Color Accent feature on my camera, thanks to Amy. Check out my koi fish!!

I always try to spend time with family when I'm back home, which usually includes a lunch with Grandma at Tsukiji, where Mom, Grandma, Auntie Sharon folks and I wait in line with a mob of senior citizens, anxiously anticipating the restaurant to open at 11am...for the early bird special.

There's usually never enough time to go to the beach, but the the girls and I made time to kayak on the windward side after chowing down on some Curry House yumminess in the car! We kayaked from Kailua Beach to Flat Island, where we chased down sea turtles, then yelled "abunai!!" ("danger" in japanese) to a family of Chinese tourists who had kayaked way too far into choppy waters.

All I need to do to see everyone I miss in Hawaii is drink at one key place...this time it was Kanpai, where everyone and their cousin went on Friday night. I was reminded yet again of my own humility, when the humidity got to be too much, and I had to fan myself all night with a menu while holding cold beers up to my neck. Yuck.

And finally...nothing beats walking down the street in Chinatown and getting stopped by photographers to have your picture taken. Thanks, Hawaii Red! http://hawaiiredmagazine.com/?p=1559

Can't wait for the next trip home!!!!!

I Heart Twilight, so BITE ME!

I’VE JUMPED -- more like sniffed out, crouched down and leaped -- onto the Twilight vampire bandwagon for tweens. Now I'm one of them. Not a vampire, but a believer. A FROTHING fanatic. A 27-year-old female with a 13-year-old heart pumping blood I wish a handsome, blood-sucking soul-mate thirsted for.

I'm waving wildly from the figurative bandwagon with my fake fangs and a “BITE ME” button amid a gaggle of shrieking teenage girls ADDICTED to the literary crack that is the Twilight series. This is as big as American Idol. Or boy bands back in the day. Or maybe even Britney Spears(!).

THE OBSESSION started simply for me. I picked up a copy of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight to read on the plane. I casually chose the book because, 1) I wanted in on all the fuss and, 2) I figured I'd support a book that takes place in Washington (even though the author has never been to Forks).

The series is made up of four books: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I knew I was obsessed when Chris sarcastically added "Crescent" to the list, and I pounced on his insider knowledge of a fifth book, (which existed only in his playful mocking). I just recently finished all four books and am salivating for the fifth.

The story begins with an average Jane named Bella Swan, who moves to the dreary, small town of Forks, where she almost immediately falls in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen, whose eternal fate lies in the cruel irony that he loves her too, but thirsts for her blood more than anyone else's. He loves most dearly what he craves to kill. This is a classic tale about requited, but forbidden love.

The story meanders through predictable, romantic cliches – all-nighter conversations, the build-up to first kisses, and jealous rivals; but, it is interlaid with a fun, feverish twist – bloodsuckers. First kisses are venomously nerve-wracking; all-nighter conversations dive deep into topics like favorite color and preferred prey – bears or lions? The story is addicting and thrilling in that swirly, girlish way that makes me join the collective squeal sweeping the world.

If books were like food, Twilight would be like a Hot Pocket - fast, easy, melty and oozing with cheese, but also delightfully and undeniably satisfying. I’ve given in this to this smut craving, and even recruited friends, but I still can’t explain the obsession.

Maybe we all just want to be devoured.

Nothing says cheesy and WONDERFUL like the following excerpts from Twilight:

“His face startled me — his expression was torn, almost pained, and so fiercely beautiful that the ache to touch him flared as strong as before. My goodbye stuck in my throat. He raised his hand, hesitant, conflict raging in his eyes, and then swiftly brushed the length of my cheekbone with his fingertips. His skin was as icy as ever, but the trail his fingers left on my skin was alarmingly warm — like I’d been burned, but didn’t feel the pain of it yet.”
- Bella Swan, Twilight, Chapter 11, p.220

“Edward in the sunlight was shocking. I couldn’t get used to it, though I’d been staring at him all afternoon. His skin, white despite the faint flush from yesterday’s hunting trip, literally sparkled, like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface.”
- Bella Swan, Twilight, Chapter 13, p.260

“I sat without moving, more frightened of him than I had ever been. I’d never seen him so completely freed of that carefully cultivated facade. He’d never been less human… or more beautiful.”
- Bella Swan, Twilight, Chapter 13, p.264

The Big Climb!!

Friends,

After much anticipation, support and training, I'm proud to say that I completed my first Big Climb!

I scaled Columbia Center's 69 floors in just under 22 minutes! Although it sounds like I breezed on up, the climb tested me both physically and mentally. At times, the climb felt relentless, like the winding path up the tiny, dark stairwell would never end, but I pushed hard and kept going. Breathing became laborious -- I had to remind myself to do it. My heart pounded through my chest, the beat pulsating through my palms, the tips of my fingers, and even the spot directly between my eyes. I started to sweat at floor 15. At floor 23, I started pulling myself up the railing. At the half-way point, instead of relief, I felt pangs of fear. "I have to do THAT all over again?!?" I thought to myself. I got dizzy at floor 37. Cross-eyed at floor 40. At floor 53, it was comforting/frightening to see paramedics hand out water and inspect approaching climbers for signs of fatigue and heart failure. By the time I reached the last stretch, just 10 more floors, I was ready to collapse, catch my breath and give up.

But, then I heard Queen.

"We are the champions" echoed faintly down the stairwell. I'm not a huge fan of the song, but being within earshot of victory music kept me going. What gave me that final push TO THE TOP was the idea of "light at the end of the stairwell." Now, I won't pretend to understand what people living with cancer go through, but I imagine that their journey, to some degree, is similar to climbing a long, winding, dark staircase. Within that stairwell are other climbers, but no one really walks in their shoes or takes the same steps. I imagine their climb often has bursts of light, like the supporters who hand out water every 10 floors. But their journey is constant and relentless. Maybe it's silly, but that's what pushed me up those final 10 flights of stairs. Everyone should reach that light and hear that victory music, (even if it is "We are the champions.")

The view from the top of Columbia Center was spectacular. Even more spectacular than that was the effervescent spirit that seemed to unite the crowd. Climbers and volunteers buzzed with excitement. A large Indian family in matching baby blue t-shirts stood together, monitoring their pulse; even the youngest one, who couldn't have been older than six, held her fingers to her neck. A teenage boy boasted a silk-screened image of his father proudly on his T-shirt. Next to him, his dad wore a t-shirt that said "SURVIVOR." A group of friends lingered at the top of the stairs, then erupted into cheers when their furry friend with a bear-like build emerged from the stairwell, panting, sweating, but smiling brightly.

Our team fared well overall. It was an arduous challenge, but we each made it to the top, which was all we had hoped for! Collectively, we raised $2,995 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I beat my personal goal of $750 and raised a total of $970.

Thank you to Amy, Breia, Chontelle and Melissa for being fantastic teammates -- we literally pushed each other up!! Can't wait til next year, ladies!

Thank you also to everyone who supported my climb through donations and well wishes. It takes time and effort to make a difference, and you certainly played your part.

To Mom, Dad, Cecile, Chris, Jenna, Jamie, Aunty Kathy, Rhone, Meagan, Kari, Naomi, Melinda, Peter, Terri, Courtney, Cassie, Mark, Vijay, Jeff, Neil, Audrey, Layah and Kim:

From the bottom of my (back-to-normal beating) heart, THANK YOU!!!!

Scarves up! Go Sounders!!

Chris, Mike, Matt and I scored last minute tickets to the inaugural Sounders game on Thursday. We joined thousands of cheering Seattlelites welcome the new team and sport to the city. Welcome, Sounders!


After a 1.5 mile jog from Westlake Center to Qwest Field, we arrived right on time for the game.

White doves were released during the dress rehearsal as a sign of peace and good luck for the new team, but a hungry Seattle falcon swooped in and clawed one of the poor birds. The crowd buzzed with excitement during the opening ceremony until Governor Gregoire walked out and collective boos echoed through the stadium.

We sat in the lofty MLS suite so we weren't very close to the field action, BUT we were able to catch highlights of college hoops.

For the post-game celebration, we hit up New Orleans in Pioneer Square for drinks, jazz and swing-dancing!