It has been 14 months since the last time I came down with flu. I caught the bug
on Sat Feb 27, ran up Mission Peak regardless the next day, and it remained mild
until Wed. I took Thu off from work and stopped training.

I sneezed in bouts but did not cough. The right adductors ached (but the rest of the body did not) which hurt in
squats and certain yoga positions. The gum above the upper-right second 
molar swelled up (probably from the waterless trail-run). The eyelids twitched
often, especially in the evening. My appetite suffered little and bodyweight
stayed 153.0 lbs. I had no fever and my head felt clear. Engery was low and I
sometimes had to take a nap late afternoon. Thanks to regular training and
stretching, I moved well and did not feel as weak as last year.

Aside from the flu, life has been quiet. I stayed faithful to the AHD, finished
listening again to Yuval Harari's "Sapiens" while hiking or roaming around
in the sunny neighborhood, and by the weekend, the 25th anniversary edition
of "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott arrived.

Bad news wouldn't leave me alone, however. Hate crimes against Asians, from
knocking down defenseless elders in Chinatown to a disgusting letter proclaiming
to kill all Chinese to an Australian city councilor made headlines on WXC. One
Mr. Zheng, confronting robbers, was stabbed to death. His last words urged his
compatriots to unite and fight the bullies. To top it off, Ms. Elaine Chao's alleged
corruption didn't help.

I had to act. Let's look at what I need to do.

I must continue reading and writing in English to be able to communicate well
and to hopefully persuade.

I must continue stretching and lifting weight. Short-term goals include a side-split,
a full Asian squat, 10 pullups, 48kg single-arm swings, and 24kg presses.

I need to resume training in martial arts and practice striking.

Work is a necessity and a privilege and builds a moat to keep my family away
from daily terror. OK. Let's keep working. Chasing money, however, curbs
neither hate nor crime. In fact, it hurts by taking time that should be spent
elsewhere. So let's limit this activity to a bare minimum.

Ultra-marathon training takes time and seems a luxury for an Asian immigrant
like me. My friend L's whole family could enjoy it but they are white. Not many
white guys walking around in SF get mugged. They voted Trump but I cannot--
Trump would call me a Chinese virus. They even called Jeremy Lin a Chinese
virus. Besides, the muscles for a 100-miler help little in a 100-yard dash or a
roundhouse kick. I need to practice more sprints than marathons.