Hawaii (part 1)

As a last family vacation before I head off to college, we all decided on Hawaii! What could be a more beautiful place? Especially when running. Every day was different :)

beach by our Maui resort!

Luckily for jet lag and the 5-hour time difference (!) the first few days, waking up at Hawaiian time 6 am (home time 11 am) was super easy. It's so green here and there is more scenery than houses :) The first few times I ran on the golf course which was tough because they were like rolling hills. The last day, on my long run, I found the trail that connected all the beach-side resorts. It was beautiful! Unfortunately I forgot to bring my phone. 

I also forgot to bring my camera USB so I can't show any epic pics yet :( luckily i thought of taking some with my phone! 

At the Deli of a Saveway

 I have to confess.... I'm obsessed with POKE. Pronounced like "Poké" from Pokémon. Don't hate the reference. For those of you that don't know what it is... It's basically sushi and some veggies in a soy sauce/sesame oil mixture. Mmm... soo good! I need to find out how to make this back home. I don't think I'll have time to make anything once I'm in college though :( 

New resort on Kona Island

Today's run was hard because I couldn't find any trails! It seemed like the only place I could run was on the highway... I probably ran a slower pace today because I had no idea where I was. And because of the huuuuge hills!

Those are not dogs... they're goats!

On vacation, I don't care about the mileage or if I had a good workout or not. I just love waking up to enjoy the scenery and the feeling of being the only one awake :) Speaking of not minding... I'm probably shoving in a few more unhealthy things in my mouth than I should. Especially when my family likes to treat itself daily on vacation!


How do you deal when your family encourages unhealthy eating?

Outlander - Diana Gabaldon

Yes, that's right. I finally caved and read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I was putting this off since it seemed like such a big commitment: 850 pages! Anyways, I figured since I will be on vacation in Hawaii with a 5-hour difference jetlag, why shouldn't I be able to finish? 

I was quite right and wrong in a way. At first I started out with A Million Little Pieces by James Frey because I always feel guilty when reading romance after romance (does that happen to you?). But I eventually turned to Outlander and it did not disappoint! 

I don't know if I would even call it a romance. It was so well-rounded with action/adventure, historical, and romantic elements! 

And Jamie Fraser, the hero, was so... I don't know what to call it... he had his faults (which definitely made him more realistic) but Diana put it in a way that emphasized his perfection as the ultimate hero. I usually don't go for time-travel or even historical things because of the apparent sexism. Not that this book didn't have any of that. But it wasn't glaringly obvious to me...and maybe I was so engrossed in the book that I didn't care!

The book at times was very painful to read--not because it was boring, but because I was so involved as a reader. I cringed at the scenes that made me want to cry my eyes out. I cried because I was so moved by Claire and Jamie's dedication to each other. I hungered for more even after I zoomed past the last page, unable to believe that those 850 pages had passed by so quickly! Anyways, I'm definitely going to finish up the rest of the series. I heard there were 7 so far! Hopefully the 7th book is the end... I don't know what I'd do with such a long time without the next in line!

All in all, Outlander was definitely worth the read! I believe this is a true keeper that will satisfy all the genre cravings you have. The book didn't get repetitive as some people claim it did and it is a great escapism book. You know that feeling you get when you finish a book... and it's left you empty and sad that you've finished it? That's how I feel right now. And the only cure will be the next book in the series. I sincerely hope it can live up to this one.

People who have read Outlander before: how did you find another book outside the series to satisfy your booklust? 

Introductions

I guess I've tried blogging before but it's never really worked out. Being me, however, I will always try once more.

I guess introductions are also necessary. Instead of introducing myself, I will introduce my thoughts. Sometimes I believe I think too much... that I analyze too much of what happens in my life or how I feel. Sometimes I don't understand what I feel, which is why I need to write. I need to write to discover what lies behind my actions, my thoughts, and my feelings.

I will write about... becoming a vegetarian--I decision that I recently made. I will write about... life and what I've learned through my experiences.

But I've sounded way too serious so far. I also love fashion, I love makeup, I love dressing up and being a girl... I worry about weight, I obsess about exercising...

Which just goes to say... I'm not exactly sure what this blog is... all I know is that it's a journey within itself.