Friday, January 09, 2009

Geraldine's Farewell Dinner...

By Frank

Running isn't all about putting on our shoes and going out to run alone of with friends. It's about sharing and getting together too. And today, the "Platinum Runners" group had organised a farewell dinner for Geraldine who will be migrating to Melbourne, Australia in a couple of weeks time. I do admit that it's really sad that she is leaving us, but one thing for sure is that we didn't have that written all over our face during the dinner. After all, it's a happy get-together event.

The dinner was held at California Pizza Kitchen, KLCC which was booked by Jamie in advance. I arrived together with Geraldine and Lynn as we car pooled together. Due to work commitments and also having to travel from Petaling Jaya, 15 minutes late was all it takes for us to make a grand entrance as the rest were already there. Settled down and began ordering. Luck wasn't on our side thought as the pizza oven broke down. How do you call a pizza restaurant without serving pizza? Hmm... Therefore, we ordered pasta instead which can be regarded as carbo loading for next morning's long run. Sounds like a pretty good choice.

We started with some Miso salad and chicken caesar salad ordered by Choi and Geraldine . Both are very unique but I have to say I enjoyed the chicken caesar salad a bit more due to the crispy romaine lettuce. Then came the main course. The guys all ordered pasta and mine was called Chicken Tequila Fettucine. Taste like some Chinese noodle dish to me, but it was prety good. Only Geraldine and and Lynn had something else which was in the form of Portobello Mushroom Ravioli. Next was dessert and I certainly made the wrong choice of ordering the hot fudge. Thinking it was like the mud pie served at TGIF, I gave no hesistation ordering it. Upon arrival, I was shocked that it was HUGE and certainly not hot. It's cold. Hahaha... Shared with the others and we all sin together. Well, at least there's a long run the next morning.

The super huge hot fudge...

After filling our hungry stomach, it was time to present Geradline with her farewell gift. We bought her a pink Oakley Half Jacket sunglass. Even the lenses were in pink! We asked her to try it on and it certainly looks good on her. And I'm glad it fits her nicely. Then came the suprise from the lady herself. She presented each of us with gifts too. Now it really feels like Chrismas gift exchange.

Before leaving, we took a group photo together, probably our last one before she leaves. And with that, we called it a night as most of us are running early the next morning.

We all going to miss Geraldine (2nd from left)...

The dinner was good but the company was excellent. It's always nice to take some time off running and spending the time together although most of the topics we talked about are still about running. Hey... We are runners after all.

We all are going to miss Geraldine dearly. Weekend runs are going to be so different without her. From her hard breathing to her speeding off with her relentless pace, that's something that we will all remember of. And with this entry, we all wish Geraldine and her family the very best. May we see each other again soon!

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