Mighty Hok Chronicles | Summer 2024
A report on life featuring recent news, reflections, and other odds and ends
A report on life featuring recent news, reflections, and other odds and ends
A lot has happened since the last update. It has been a good year with a mix of daily routines and travel. Here are some monthly updates starting from April 2023.
I initiated a JavaScript coding challenge with designers at work and wanted to experiment with p5.js to create a cityscape visualization. Using some bright paper, I designed a scene that I wanted to code with moving bikes, cars, and buildings. I didn't end up following through to the end. In reflection, I have continually aspired to work on programmatic visualizations over the years but prioritized other things instead. I have to accept that some side of desk things won't get finished and I shouldn't let the shame stop me from picking it back up again in the future.
I ran the Toronto Half Marathon. It was a season where I was just trying to maintain my mileage and not worry about improving speed. I signed up for this race because it was local and the route went by my place. I wore Saucony Endorphin Pros which were light, but gave me a black toe because the toe box was more narrow than I was used to.
I had the opportunity to visit Hong Kong for my grandmother's birthday. She turned 91! The Airbnb was very small and the weather was extremely humid. Still, it was a good trip and I got to see a few new places such as M+, the museum of modern and contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District. It had a great view of Victoria Harbour.
July was a homey summer month marked by post work walks, runs, and yummy lunch bentos prepared by Renato. I also tagged along on a trip to New York City for Renato's work.
During one long weekend, Renato and I took a trip to Niagara-on-the-lake. We took the Go Train from Toronto to Niagara Falls with our bikes. The train was completely full so we had to sit on the floor trapped behind parked bikes for the entire 2-hour trek. Once we arrived, it was a lovely bike ride. We passed by the Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Generating Station. On the way back, I had a flat tire but luckily it happened at the end of the trip.
Towards the end of September, I ran the Montreal Marathon. It was a good experience even though parts of the route felt long and stretched out without changes in scenery. Renato came along to cheer and we stayed in old Montreal to make it easier for me to get to the start. We got to explore a few different neighbourhoods during the trip as well. The photo is of the iconic buildings of Habitat 67.
I ran by an installation my sister-in-law worked on. It is located under an elevated expressway (the Gardiner Expressway) that is generally not pleasant to walk through so it's nice to have something interactive to brighten up the concrete.
This month I had the opportunity to meet my teammates in Portland, Oregon. We worked on a coding challenge for the Government of British Columbia. It felt like a hackathon because we had to stay up late to get it done. This was a memorable experience because we normally worked across different time zones, and the team has changed since, so the photo makes me feel nostalgic.
I visited Renato's parents in Brazil during the holidays. One day we went to a mall to watch Wonka (the only show playing in English). There was a santa fountain outside. I thought it was funny to see santa in t-shirt and shorts.
Time to fly back to Toronto. The local airport in Ribeirão Preto (Aeroporto Estadual de Ribeirão Preto Dr. Leite Lopes) is a small terminal where you walk right up to the plane in order to board. We said goodbye to Renato's family and made our way back to São Paulo en route home.
Another Sunday long run with the Longboat regulars: Jon, Mary, and Steve. We stopped by the new Terry Fox sculpture. I'm thankful for this group because having running friends motivated me to always show up and run. It's funny how running friends end up being the people you see most often.
Towards the end of February into early March, I had the opportunity to go to Geneva and help facilitate a workshop on urban heat with the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). The workshop was held at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) which had a beautiful cafeteria on the top floor with a picturesque view. After the workshop, I took the train to Paris with Renato and we spent the weekend sightseeing. We walked a lot despite the weekend rain. We also accidentally found ourselves in the finishing crowd of the Harmonie Mutuelle Semi-marathon de Paris at Place de la Bastille.
Back in New York City again for another one of Renato's work trips. I got to visit my friend Kaveri and do a few short runs in Central Park. On the last night, we decided to stay at the W in Hoboken on the Jersey side because we had never been there before and we were flying out of Newark anyway. We stumbled upon the Water's Soul sculpture while walking along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.
May was another travel month that had been planned a while back. This time it was a long one to Asia. I was mostly tagging along with Renato while he visited colleagues in India and attended a conference in Singapore. We then took a short trip to Bangkok for vacation. In Bengaluru, one of the places we ate at was Bheema's on Church Street serving Andhra food. The meal was served on a large banana leaf and the servers kept replenishing portions until I told them to stop because I was so full.
June was perhaps the most whirlwind month of the year. After coming back from travels, I packed up everything and prepared for a huge move to Japan (more on that in the 'Moving to Japan' write-up). I had a week between finishing work and moving to say goodbye. I flew out the last week of June.
The first bowl of ramen I ate was at "ramen alley" in Tokyo Station. It was a long wait but I eventually made it to the vending machine outside to order and pay. It was a mushroom ramen.