I had to think about this one.
I think people know better than to even offer me something like this, so I can’t say I’ve ever had any gastronomy experiments passed off as food lol.
But it sounds immediately offensive.
2 Likes
Henninger Flats Trail
Time at Start: 5:55 AM
Time at Destination: 7:05 AM
Time at End: 8:05 AM
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
Generic Scenery Photos:
I friggin’ love hot running water. 
Saturday morning was cold and rainy. Coming back to a hot, clean shower was 
.
3 Likes
I guess if exercise routes count…
The area around my apartment has a lot of sidewalks and pathways to jog down. Needless to say, I’ve been taking advantage of it.
Cold running sessions are really nice, to be honest. I need to remember to wear some running tights next time I jog in the day, as shorts are just a little too cold for this weather right now…
2 Likes
Henninger Flats Trail
Time at Start: 5:55 AM
Time at Destination: 7:05 AM
Time at End: 8:05 AM
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
Generic Scenery Photo:
5 Likes
Henninger Flats Trail
Time at Start: 6:00 AM
Time at Destination: 7:10 AM
Time at Return: 8:10 AM
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
Brief 'Chew Updates
- Roommate 1 and Roommate 2 may be moving out in the next month(s). Roommate 1 says it’s family-related (unplanned, seems like), Roommate 2 hasn’t said a reason but I’m guessing she’s either moving in with her sister eastwards or her BF in Texas.
- Parks and Recreation is freaking hilarious. April and Ron are my favorites, I love how deadpan they are.
- 2024 Mini-Resolution: Try to use less profanity in my speech. It’s been ramped up a lot since late 2023, and it’s not a habit I’m enthusiastic about. Being savage with words is fine. Swearing is just banal.
2 Likes
Correct.
2 Likes
Henninger Flats Trail
Time at Start: 5:55 AM
Time at Destination: 7:05 AM
Time at Return: 8:00 AM
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
Have this photo of a random wind chime that appeared on this trail last weekend:
Was decently windy and it made a very light and pleasant chime during the early morning. 
Update to Last Week’s Updates
- Roommate 1 may not be moving out after all?
- 'Chew was hilariously freaking out over cookware for the entire week because Roommate 1 kinda owns most of it (mostly by default, since his friends / previous tenants moved out and left them here).
- 'Chew now has 5-6 cookware things on her wishlist. Fuack.
2 Likes
Henninger Flats Trail
Weekends: 2/10 & 2/17
AllTrails Route : Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
Hadn’t seen one of the regular hikers-friend-acquaintance-person for a while (since maybe Nov/Dec 2023?), but I saw her again last Sat! Super happy to see her again. Apparently she changed her hiking schedules to accommodate for family / life things. Asked me to pray for her and her son – personally not religious, but it wouldn’t hurt to hope / think of her wellbeing IMO.
And also one of the other regular faces stopped to talk to me for more than 5 secs and now I feel the need to remember his name (that’s my antisocial talking – he seemed like a decently amicable, socially healthy sorta fellow).
So, an update to mental notes:
+ An
Thank fheck for mental notes, I stared at that list for a good minute and was almost on the verge of forgetting names. 
2 Likes
Henninger Flats Trail
Time at Start: 5:55 AM
Time at Destination: 7:05 AM
Time at Return: 7:55 AM
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
Generic Scenery Photos
2 Likes
Henninger Flats Trail
Weekends: 3/2 & 3/9
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
Generic Flower Photo
Hiking friend-acquaintance gave me flowers (again).
Gesture is appreciated. Sometimes I forget how to not dislike people.
I think they look a lot less droopy compared to when I first put them in the water jar 7 hours ago?
I’ma (attempt to) extend its lifespan for 7-10 days before it eventually dies and I dispose of it.
I’ve entertained the idea of growing herbs on this windowsill (for uh, 5 seconds), but a gardening-savvy friendo says they attract bugs, and I’m not confident I have much of a green thumb TBH.
Oh, and new hobbies are expensive and my disposable funds are tight this month. Urgh.
3 Likes
I see you didn’t throw them away this time
2 Likes
Henninger Flats Trail
Time at Start: 6:50 AM
Time at Destination: 7:00 AM
Time at Return: 7:50 AM
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
Fun Image:
(Eh, it’s actually a video.)
Source: Meet the man who… from LA Times.
3 Likes
Henninger Flats Trail
Weekends: 3/23 & 3/30
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
(Erm, ignore the route trailing southwards on the map, I forgot to end the tracking session after the hike, lmao. 
)
Weighed myself today, and discovered I shaved off 5 lbs since the last time I weighed myself! 
My weight’s been a constant 138 lbs since the start of university 'til a few years ago. So… 6 - 9 years?
But body weight isn’t the main point, IMO.
Regular hiking and rowing machine exercises have definitely had a tangible effect on my body. Compared to 2021 (when I first started hiking), I’ve slimmed down quite a bit. Muscle growth wasn’t noticeable until after I threw rowing into the weekly schedule in late 2023.
Still have some body fat / flabby parts around my arms, abdomen, and thighs (MY THIGHS, UGH).
Working at it. 
Extremely glad I found the motivation and have the equipment / environment to exercise regularly now.
Back in Malaysia, P.E. was hella not my favorite class. In fact, I’d argue it was my third worst class, only trumped by Drama and Music. Always dreaded Sports Day, always the slowest runner / swimmer, always picked last or was the odd one out in groups. The only thing keeping my weight relatively in-check (still “normal” though very close to “overweight” BMI) was probably my diet – never indulged too heavily in sodas and junk food. Also, I somehow had decently good reaction times and excelled at badminton, lol. Was a pretty good basketball shooter too, back then.
Outlook changed when I moved to the U.S., and I was a fresh face. Track day was once every week, students were to go around the mile-long track. Running or jogging was encouraged, but – surprise, surprise – most slowed to a walk when the teachers were out of sight / earshot. And of course, if others weren’t running, I ran. Because putting in the effort when others don’t bother tickles my contrarian hubris, and I oddly found the activity extremely refreshing. Exhausting myself also made water taste amazing.
[w0ter.mp3]
Sometimes I still think about running around that track.
Anyway, now I’m a strong proponent for exercise.
[Insert old n’ dusty JUST DO IT meme.]
Tips / Opinions:
- Don’t have to invest in any fancy equipment. Cheapest would probably to walk / run around your nearby parks, or to hike nearby trails. I hesitate to recommend running / walking around the neighborhood, because Malaysia’s conditioned me to be paranoid AF in populated areas, but YMMV.
- For me, I like morning hikes. There’s fewer people, and temps are usually cooler. Evening hikes are not my favorite thing because the evening sun gives me a headache. Nighttime hikes definitely have very few people and are also colder, but can sometimes be spooky – bring a friendo or notify someone if going on a solo hike beforehand.
- IDK if I’d recommend gyms, mostly because of their membership fees, and the alleged difficulty in cancelling those membership subscriptions (LA Fitness’ cancellation process is a scam - Louis Rossmann).
- MUSIC. Exercise with some good beats. Adds a lot more enjoyment to the activity, regardless if it’s running, rowing, hiking, or walking. If swimming is your chosen activity, uh… Ripperoni, IDK.
- If exercising from home, do it in front of a TV. Exercising from home is incredibly, incredibly boring without any visual or auditory stimulation. I usually cast YouTube from the PC to the TV (bonus: ad-free), in addition to putting a song on loop. Even then, I can’t last more than 1 - 2 hours before the ennui sets in.
- If you have roommates, I recommend being considerate and using IEMs / headphones.
- If you have roommates, I recommend being considerate and using IEMs / headphones.
3 Likes
Backbone Trail / Mishe Mokwa Trail Loop
Time at Start: 7:00 AM
Time at Return: 11:00 AM
AllTrails Route: Backbone Trail to Sandstone Peak and Mishe Mokwa Trail Loop
Total Distance: 7.9 mi
Elevation Gain: 2,000 ft
Generic Scenery Photos
Hiked with a friend!
We were gonna go the weekend prior to this one, but there was heavy rainfall, yadda yadda yadda.
Waiting for good weather was hella worth it, tho! Incredibly gorgeous area, up in the middle of nowhere mountains of Malibu.
Photos really don’t do it any justice. It’s the type of landscape peeps only see in a Jurassic Park movie, or an uncharted world in Mass Effect. Ridiculously expansive and completely unurbanized valley (in California, say what?!), plenty of healthy green flora and tiny flowers, and dotted with huge rocks that we used as landmarks. Weather was a picture-perfect springtime: cool temps, pleasantly bright sunlight, and skies sooo blue and clear.
IT WAS AMAZING.
Friend was also great company.
Only briefly acquainted with him before (as the roommate’s friend), but we got to talk a lot more during the hike. Shared some common and uncommon interests, relatable childhood / cultural things, light humor.
Went to Little Tokyo for food afterwards.
I think this was also the first time I felt weirdly energized after an extended social interaction (or it might be Tegan and Sara pre-concert excitement). Could almost be convinced I’m not as socially inept as I think I am. 
4 Likes
Henninger Flats
Time at Start: 5:50 AM
Time at Destination: 6:50 AM
Time at Return: 8:00 AM
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
Generic Scenery Photo
Took this shot from a slightly higher vantage point compared to where I usually stop.
Interesting News Articles
- Doctors warn of cosmetic surgery’s ‘Wild West’… from the LA Times.
- ‘Miracle’ weight-loss drugs could… from the LA Times.
Note that I’m speaking from the slightly privileged position of an able-bodied, able-minded (I think, haha) person with a humble but fairly sustainable lifestyle.
I generally do not agree with liposuction and weight-loss drugs, in the same way I don’t agree with a coffee habit or recreational drug use. Not entirely comfortable with the idea of being dependent on / developing an addiction to something that dramatically alters my physical body or neural health.
Certainly, people could argue there are use cases for plastic surgery and weight-loss drugs, but there’ll be divisions in what we might consider reasonable and legitimate criteria. It’ll take a lot of evidence to convince me that forking out several thousands of dollars for a cosmetic procedure / neverending prescription is justified, especially if the alternative is a simple change to a healthier diet, lifestyle, or mentality.
3 Likes
Shut up.
3 Likes
Henninger Flats
Time at Start: 5:50 AM
Time at Destination: 6:50 AM
Time at Return: 7:30 AM
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
Speedier hike, 'cos 'Chew was running downhill.
Got a sling bag (CamelBak Arete 8) the other day, and was test driving it.
Didn’t take a photo for Shiny Things Thread, 'cos I struggled to take a nice pic of a floppy bag. 
Blah blah blah, gonna use it for concert and short hikes, blah blah.
Oh, but realistically speaking, I’d recommend getting a two-strap bag rather than a sling for lightweight packs, especially for running or lots of upper body jostling. Still a-okay for less intense activities like hikes, IMO. Personally went for the sling 'cos it looks less nerdy for a social setting, lmao.
3 Likes
Henninger Flats
Time at Start: 5:55 AM
Time at Destination: 7:00 AM
Time at Return: 7:40 AM
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
Latest 'Chew News:
- Lazy fuckass of a coworker left my workplace. My work mood and productivity has increased.
- Got a raise!
- Job searching has gotten a couple of responses, it’s putting me in a hopeful mood.
- Friendo’s birthday coming up! Also my birthday, but shhh you’ll embarass me. Gonna be baking stuff for both birthdays, and I’m finding I’m really enjoying time in the kitchen.
- Looking forward to the upcoming Tegan and Sara concert!!!
May is starting off pretty well for me.
Do have an excellent day and rest of the month, please and thank you.
Unrelated:
If peeps have recommendations for pull up racks (freestanding – not bars, not wall-mounted), hit me up? Bonus points if portable.
- Not a fitness / bodybuilding enthusiast. Not interested in upgrading or adding more accessories to the rack. Not interested in accompanying apps and promises of one million extra exercise routines.
- Has to be a freestanding rack. Rented house, so I’m not comfortable with door-mounted bars that may damage frames (and also can’t be placed in front of the TV), and wall-mounted bars are utterly out of the question.
- Big Bar looks interesting. Concerned about the 2" bar diameter, tho, seems to be made for larger hands?
- Fit! Home Gym also seems interesting, but it’s pricier than Big Bar.
- Gravity Fitness Pull Up Rack also looks interesting, but it’s not available from U.S. sellers, and Reddit reports there have been shipping, delivery, and customer support issues.
- Den keeps tapping into my search history? Help???
3 Likes
Henninger Flats
Time at Start: 5:50 AM
Time at Destination: 7:00 AM
Time at Return: 7:40 AM
AllTrails Route: Henninger Flats Trail
Total Distance: 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,400 ft
La Vie Bohèeeeeeeeeeme
In a Rent mood.
3 Likes
Zuma Ridge Trail
Time at Start: 7:00 AM
Time at Destination: 8:10 AM
Time at Return: 9:15 AM
AllTrails Route: Zuma Ridge Trail
Total Distance: 5.7 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,500 ft
Generic Scenery Photos:
Might re-tackle this route sometime later in the future. Hiking buddy was talking about needing his closure for the hike.
Then we went down to the beach area by Point Dume:
Good hike and good company. 
3 Likes