another failed attempt on sleeping early

i was home early last night. i was eating dinner (out) by 9:15, and home by 10:00. 

and just as i looked forward to some actual waking minutes with the family, i find that the house lights are all still out: the family was not yet home ;-)

the intention was to sleep early, before midnight, but again i failed myself. i blame two things: 

1) loula

loula was home alone the whole day, so to make up for her loneliness, i spent about 10 minutes playing fetch, and another 10 resting with her in the 3rd floor sofa (me sitting, her lying down with head on my lap). afterwards, i had to start getting ready for bed so i let her just sleep some more, alternating sleeping positions on the couch and wooden floor.

2) glee

for a change, i turned on the TV and played the glee DVD episodes 1-8 that kristine gave me many weeks ago. i was already somewhere on episode 5, and i thought i'd play it while i took a bath -- just to at least listen to the singing. of course, once i hit play, i couldn't peel my eyes off the screen and ended up having my shower at 12:45am. my dad watched with me as he caught the last episode of the disc.

3) loula again

1am and i finally decided to hit the sack. i was already tucked into my bed when i hear the gates open. knowing how adorably loula can behave once she's sensed that my mom is home, i pull myself out of the bed just to witness her reaction. and indeed, the sound of my mom's voice as she entered the door makes loula jump to her feet and run, as if she wasn't sound asleep 1 minute ago.

i say hello, good night, and go to bed five minutes later.

tips for climbers this christmas!

One week before Christmas!!!! At ngayon pa lang, super kulang na ko sa exercise. Here are some tips from Mr. Horst, our most-read climbing training author ;) Reposted from the Nicros Training Center.

#1 sure is a toughie.....!!!!!!

5 Keys to Effective Offseason Training

As winter bears down on much of the nation, many of us will be limited to pulling down on plywood and plastic. No matter if you climb at a large commercial gym or on a small home wall, the crux of winter-time training is finding ways to elevate your game so that you can enter next season as a stronger, more-skilled climber.

When climbing indoors it is easy to fall into the trap of concentrating singly on max bouldering, lapping the same routes, or less effective yet, social climbing. Transforming yourself into a better climber demands a more intelligent approach in which you enter the gym each time with the intention to train most effectively.

Here are five keys for getting the most out of your indoor climbing sessions.

1. Commit to engaging in a real training program. 

Simply climbing until you get pumped isn’t much of a training program. A real training program has a greater breadth and depth of purpose. Leveraging your self-awareness and intelligence, you must design and engage in a comprehensive, synergistic sequence of warm-up activities, climbing drills, route/problem sends, and a number of specific exercises. It’s very helpful to maintain a training notebook. Plan your workouts, and then go to the gym and work your plan.

2. Identify and train your weaknesses.

The quickest way to improve in climbing is to train-up your weaknesses. Conversely, practicing things at which you already excel (or engaging in the same familiar types of climbs) is a pathway to slow—or no—improvement. Growth comes from challenging yourself, stretching your boundaries, and learning new moves. Most important, you must identify your weaknesses—mental, technical, and physical—and target these weak areas with specific exercises and drills. Ask yourself: What three things are most holding me back on the rock? Write them down, and then develop ways to target each area with training.

3. Strive to improve your technique.

Regardless of the grade you climb, I guarantee that you can climb harder if you strive to refine your technique and quality of movement. The goal is to constantly expand your skill set, reduce technical flaws, seal off energy leaks, and to climb with greater economy. Here’s an excellent technique-training drill that you can use on any indoor or outdoor climb. Pick a climb to ascend repeatedly (over the course of a few sessions, if necessary) with the intention of mastering every move as if it were an Olympic gymnastic routine. Work to discover more efficient moves/sequences, unlock subtle rest positions, and move more precisely and briskly. Strive to maximize use of your feet (visually spotting and feeling each hold), soften your grip, and develop a greater sense of proprioception (feel your center of gravity shift to the optimal position with each new move). Practicing to make perfect is the pathway to excellence, whereas thrashing up a route once, and then moving on to the next climb, is the road to mediocrity.

4. Strengthen the antagonist and rotator cuff muscles.

If you climb long enough or hard enough you will likely incur some sort of sport-specific injury. Fortunately there are exercises you can perform to reduce injury risk. While elbow and shoulder injuries sometimes occur acutely, they are more often the result of muscular imbalance in the arms and around the shoulders. Regular training of the antagonist (push) muscles will help prevent these imbalances. Reverse wrist curls with a 10- or 15-pound dumbbell is a must-do, thrice-a-week exercise for all climbers—if you are not doing these, you are at greater risk of elbow tendinitis. Similarly, performing a couple sets of push-ups, light shoulder presses (use 10- to 30-pound dumbbells), and a few rotator cuff exercises (more on this in a future article) will go a long way toward strengthening and stabilizing your shoulders.

5. Keep the program dynamic and progressive.

Mental burnout, a performance plateau, and injury are often the unintended consequences of engaging in a never-changing training program. Keeping your workouts effective and fun over the long-term demands that you find ways to keep the program fresh, progressive, and on track toward your goals. Consider that while your current modus operandi was successful at propelling you to your present ability level, it will fail to advance you to the next. Elevating your climbing demands that you constantly challenge your mind and body in new ways.

Copyright 2010 Eric J. Hörst. All rights reserved.

sunshine after the rain

two caravans down! and so far, both have proven to be extremely testing and tiring.

nonetheless, there remains a distinct feeling of satisfaction and pride as each one wraps up...

reminds me of TATAK production days back in high school, where everyone works together, suffers and strives together, staying in the campus til late in the evening for rehearsals, night after night after night...down to the actual play dates. the play itself would be nerve-racking, everyone serious and focused....the minutes alternately feeling slow and fast (slow pag easy scenenario, fast pag panic-mode)....until finally, it's curtain call....bow..encore....and we celebrate in the backstage with lots of photo ops (using instamatic cameras pa noon!) and thank Him for a successful event.

oh, getting back :)

here are a few photos from two side trips from Go Negosyo caravans, held November and December in Bataan and Davao, respectively. both series of sleepless nights is topped off by new experiences in new places.

in Bataan, i got to visit Mt. Samat for the first time, where there actually exists a humble museum on events leading to world war II, including of course the death march. there were really interesting articles, photos and artifacts which brought me back to kasaysayan 1 days. it was also only then that I learned that samat's cross actually housed an elevator and a viewing deck. (the photo below with me by the round window is in the cross!) it was a pleasant surprise, getting to go high up to take in the view, and get frozen by the extra cool November breeze. 

in Davao, i got to hang out with a friend who i haven't hung out with in at least 5 years. we started with a few drinks in the evening (hanggang nabawalan na ng alcohol due to the 2am curfew in the city), went back to our separate places to sleep, and met up again by noon to go to Samal Island -- also my first time there! Marja brought me to Aquafun Resort, popular for its 40 meter water slide made of tarpauline, taking one from the mountain slope to the sea.

after some sliding and swimming, we kayaked to take a peek at the Maxima Resort. and before going home, we also did the canopy walk (again, a first for me!) but out of everything, my favorite thing about this sidetrip was the actual chance to visit the island, complete with boat ride (via RORO bus on barge one-way, then actual ride on the ferrt the other way), habal-habal, and of course, the BRIGHT afternoon sun. i didn't know i'd get to ride so many forms of transportation on that one :)

in a few hours, i am heading to daet for the last out-of-town goneg event for the year. i don't think i'll have time to do any sidetrips on this one but....who knows....maybe i'm in for another surprise. ;-) life is good!

PS the photos don't do samal island water's justice. it was so so so nice. and linaw at ang linis niya. even as Marja and I kayaked, just along the coast, we already saw fish jumping in and out of the water. i saw crabs and starfish and LARGE schools of fish. have to go back to snorkle!!! (and get more sun, of course!)

*Waterslide photos not mine...just put them here for your appreciation. Sarap nung slide! I totally wouldn't mind going back. But something to go back for is the Maxima Resort: a 2-storey beach house on stilts, rentable by a group (friends or family), approximately P12,500 per night, good for ten people. Check out http://maxima.psdgroupph.com/ for more info!

**Mt. Samat photos care of Bennette :)

GREAT evening

TGIF. that must've been the parting thought as we wrapped up the go negosyo-pma 1st strategic marketing conference at AIM center. it was around 7pm, as two officemates and i were on our way out the building when lo and behold, i come across an old friend at the AIM center's lobby. 

it was a rather quick but packed chat with genteel. after all i haven't seen this high school friend in YEARS. isa sa mga highlight na lang, at gents pasensya na pero kakaiba talaga yung lebel ng pagka wala mo, ay hindi man lang niya alam na kinasal na si nina at yuklid. hahaha! that particular fact, just how utterly un-updated he was with HS friends, was just one of the things we laughed about. (considering i'm not one to regularly update myself on FB!!!) it was one of those short but sweet meetings, where you're suddenly filled with nostalgia and a grateful feeling that life is is truly filled with pleasant surprises.

as genteel had to rush out, we went separate ways. i walked out to benavidez st then left to paseo de roxas, planning to try my luck at a taxi queue in greenbelt (major challenge on a friday night!) my mind was still on a high on that fun chat i just had, when a girl was rejected by a taxi driver and closed the door on his face. quickly i waved at the driver and asked if he was willing to take me to power plant mall, to which he instantly agreed.

as i settled in the passenger's seat, i chatted the driver up and asked why he rejected the girl before me, and the reason was she needed to go somewhere in C5 which he said was a very dangerous place. checking to see if he was just some paranoid freak, i asked where exactly in C5, and he mentioned an unknown name. hmm. fair enough. 

we sat silent for a while as we cruised along paseo. i smiled looking at the christmas lights already installed on the islands, and my eyes immediately went wide seeing the revamped ayala triangle garden (is that what they call it?) syempre na-senti din naman ako kahit papaano as i used to walk paseo de roxas everyday...so i let the emotions sink in as the lights blurred by.

by the intersection of paseo and makati ave, i asked manong driver to turn on the radio so i could catch up on some news. that request prompted a lively kwetuhan between the driver and myself all the way from makati ave all the way to rockwell. it began with him answering that his radio wasn't working because it got flooded by ondoy. of course i had to ask "saan kayo gumagarahe?", to which he answered cainta. he first asked me where i lived. after finding out i wasn't affected by the typhoon, he went on to relay his amazing adventure on marcos highway: how he and a passenger got stuck on the road; how he called his boss to report that traffic wasn't moving and how his boss instructed him to leave the taxi there, tie it to a street light, and just go home to his family; how the water level reached as high as a highway overpass; how people were stranded on top of mall roofs; how he had to swim all the way masinag with students, office workers -- people of different social classes. 

He spoke of Filipinos' resiliency in times of crises (how some people managed to laugh amidst their long swim to masinag), of some positive outcome of the storm (he has a relative who was relocated in Laguna for a very good deal, being a resident of Tumana), of people being able to survive if they only had courage. We ended the chat when he dropped me off in Powerplant, him saying, "Ay ang kwentuhan natin...God bless!", and me, "Ingat po kayo!"

I arrived at Power Plant ahead of my friends, so I decided to walk around the mall. And though I didn't get to buy anything, I was satisfied by the sheer ability to have TIME to actually stroll around, spot some some possible christmas gifts, eye and feel some fabrics, and try on some shoes. By the end of 15 minutes I was able to list some items in my head to match my Excel matrix of christmas shopping list. :D

Dinner with friends was at Pepper Lunch. afterwards, in true pasyal style, we leisurely walked through the Baker's Fair and got a free taste of Ange's Frozen Brazo (my second one for the night!), did photo poses by the giant yellow christmas tree, and settled into a Starbucks. just chit chat, Lightning Tap, BlowFish, youtube, Toffee Nut Latte, honey glazed donut.

hay. TGIF indeed.

-----------------------

*Photo by Edwin Martinez, spotted here

GREAT morning

second day in a row of the MRT being unbelievably packed. $#*!!@!! what usually takes me 25 to 30 mins to do (go up the station stairs, pass through baggage "inspection", lineup for the turnstyle, wait on ramp, ride from north ave. to boni station) has taken me 45 minutes in the past two days. can someone tell me WHAT IS UP?!?!?!

i get to the office and attempt to accomplish an errand with cebu pacific. i google their contact number and find (+632) 70-20-888. hotline daw. DEYM. ang kapal ng mukha to call it a hotline. hotline kasi mapapaso ka sa asar at hinding-hindi mo na gugustuhing tumawag ulit sa tinding hirap na dadaanan mo para lang makausap ng isang operator. when i tried calling, either it was (a) busy, (b) "sorry, all circuits are busy now...", (c) napuputol pag pinipindot mo na yung number option na kailangan mo, or (d) kung hindi maputol, eh pagaantayin ka ng husto hanggang mandilim na ang paningin mo sa kahihintay. in my case 10 minutes lang yon. (fine, mainipin ako, eh ang expectation ko kasi pag hotline, CONVENIENT ang proseso eh!)

************

so enough of the morning rant. miel's first text to me this morning was pretty interesting.

"good morning. if my life was a song, what would it be?"

hanep sa pang-gising. ;) napaisip tuloy ako. ang hirap kaya nung tanong. ang unang pumasok sa isip ko, at ang sagot ko sa kanya, ay "Hand in my pocket" by Alanis Morissette.

hindi ko pa iniisip ko ano kaya yung sa'kin, pero parang pwedeng "All I Really Want" -- kasi reklamador nga ako, laging nagdedemand, hehe.

fun/random/spontaneous/organized/treasured find

why i enjoy theletter.co.uk:

- how the entries are seemingly not in any order (posted spontaneously/off of the author's whim)...

- but sorted by date (common) and very concisely tagged (unlike my messy blog tags, an utter frustration)...

- making them viewable by date...

- and searchable by key word...

- so properly labelled that the site was among the top results when i Googled "carabiner icon"

- and the content is simply interesting and unique, sometimes thought-provoking

- having categories such as: art, design, fun, music, web design (most popular) as well as bizarre, hardware, gift ideas, typography, well-designed, survey, real life and useful (not as popular but, well, useful)

some finds, but there are many many more to keep you browsing!

usb/flash drive carabiner

cassette tape business card

concept braille phone

inkjet cartridge lampshade (biz idea for our recyclers)

monopoly city streets (i wanna try this! monopoly based on Google maps!)

nintendo controller business card holder (for the gaming geek in you)

stamp map (stamps from around the world arranged in geographic order -- for the geek in ME)

The Flow

I miss the great outdoors. 

Specifically, the exposed cliffs, the wind in my ear, the crisp coldness on my fingers, the thumping of my heart, the delicate balance of push and pull as I move from one hold to the next.

I love how Jeff Jackson described it.....

...we continue to climb not because we’re scared, but because the sport provides an experience of energized focus and full involvement. When you’re in the zone you feel spontaneous joy. Rapture washes your mind and doubt, anxiety and depression are banished. In a word, climbing is a perfect way to access what the Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihaly termed “flow.”

Heart surgeons, improvisational musicians, Formula One racecar drivers and climbers all report experiences of flow. According to Csikszentmihaly, flow is induced by activities with clear goals—that require a high degree of concentration, balance ability and challenge, and provide a sense of control...

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