October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month...

...and I hate Martha Stewart. Yet I'm watching Martha Stewart. Because today, her whole show is about buying things supporting breast cancer research and awareness. I'm feeling a little sick. Not because I don't support the cause, but because still--I'm watching Martha Stewart. It just happened to be on after Days of Our Lives, which I was watching while falling asleep. Then I heard Martha Stewart come on and was about to shut it off, but....cannot. I'm stuck.

It's kind of weird to suddenly be immersed and so directly involved in a cause--an awareness month. It's not like Asian American heritage month in May, during which Canada and the U.S. encourage me to be an angry and proud Asian American/Canadian, celebrating my heritage and saying a big F-You to racist bastards, like racist (and imperialist) bastards give a crap about Asian American heritage month. It's just...different. A different type of validation, encouragement, and propaganda. [Omg, the woman on Martha is talking about how to fashion a natural looking nipple and areola after surgery.--Martha is clearly uncomfortable and changes the subject. Funny.]

Anyway, I don't know where I'm going with this. I just feel like I don't know what to do with myself. I feel crappy enough to stay in bed, yet I feel like if I don't get out of bed and out of the house, I'll never feel better. The sun is semi-out, it's raining on and off, I haven't given myself my bone marrow injection yet and have an irrational fear of doing so (even though I've already given myself the injection two times). No one is in the house except for me. Lame.

But here's a picture. It's another one from the Run for the Cure yesterday. It's from my pal Judy, who's been leaving comments promising me pitchers of Caesars. So thanks to Judy for her picture, and for her Caesar recipe experimentation (J--you can try out batches right here in my kitchen!).

Brandy's Babes Take Vancouver by (& in a) Storm!

My hands are still thawing out as I type this. We couldn't have asked for shittier weather today--torrential downpour, windy & cold. But Brandy's Babes were still troopers and warriors, who braved the elements in support of breast cancer research. Not all of Brandy's Babes are pictured here. Among those missing (due to the weather and the crowd, we didn't quite stay together as planned all that well) are: Shirley and Steve (who walked with me for a good deal of the 5k); Heidy, Greg, Quintin and Gryphen (poor little Quintin got all wet and so they had to bow out); my sister-in-law, her husband and daughter; my parents-in-law; and Dude, who took the picture. Those who were MIA--which means they either were there and I didn't get to see them, or they were home sick or afraid of the rain--were Mary and Janice; Grace; Shirley Raibmon; Lawrence; my mom; and May. All told, 30 people were on the team, and together we raised around $3,500! Amazing.

So I'd like to thank everyone who participated in whatever way they could--and I hope everyone gets all cozy, snug, and dry today!

If anyone would still like to donate to the cause, visit CIBC Run for the Cure where in the middle of the page, you can make a donation.

Run for the Cure Update

Hello, runners and walkers! So far, we have 17 people signed up for "Brandy's Babes" on September 30th! How freakin' awesome is that? If you want to join us and want an official CIBC team t-shirt, you have until Friday to register. If you register after Friday, your shirt won't say "Brandy's Babes" on it, and then you'll feel left out and uncool.

So I'm scheduling a practice walk/run for this Sunday, Sept. 16th, meeting outside BC Place. Here's the route map that I stole from the CIBC website:



We're meeting at BC Place--looks like the corner of Abbott and Pacific--at 1pm and go from there.

Info on team kit pick-up (this is your shirt, your time chip, etc.):

Date: September 27 & 28 
Time: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM 
Location: BC Place, 777 Pacific Blvd (Enter at East Airlock street level off of Griffith Way)

Hopefully, it will be sunny on Sunday. If not, we're still walking, maybe just not as far! :D So mark your calendars. And also say yay! because we've far surpassed the humble fundraising goal I set of $250. So far, you've all raised over $1,000! Bravo!

So anyway, if you'd like to do a practice run/walk, see you on Sunday! If not, see you on race day! Our pre- and post-race meeting places are TBA, but I'll let you know closer to the date.

Invitation to Join Brandy's Babes--in Vancouver!

[This is the official spiel from CIBC, so if it sounds super perky, it's cuz i didn't write it!]

Let's do something about breast cancer and have fun together on Sunday, September 30th!

Join our Brandy's Babes team. Registration is easy! Click on this link to register online and join our Team.

Click to Register

Team leader: Brandy Worrall
Team name: Brandy's Babes
Run location: Vancouver
Personal message from Brandy Worrall:
Come walk with me and the gang on Sept. 30th, rain (likely) or shine (hopefully!).

Want to sign up? Registration is easy!
Once you register, you can set up a personal donation page where friends, family and co-workers can support you. Online donations are quick, easy and secure!

Join the team today and reap the rewards as an individual participant and team member. For information about prizes, fundraising, your Run site and Run kit pick-up, visit www.cbcf.org often. Thank you for your support.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday, September 30th!