Provincial Pleasures: Cabanatuan City

What: Second of twenty Negosyo Seminars ("NegoSems")

When: Friday, January 29, 2010

Where: Ma. Assumpta Seminary, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Region 3 (Central Luzon)

The surprising treat: Cheap, fresh oyster mushrooms. Just seeing them got me salivating, with scents and images of them pan-fried in olive oil, onion and garlic simmering in my head. Or smothered with butter. Or open grilled. Mmmmmm. In a sandwich with eggplants and zucchini. Or as a siding to meaty dish, mixed with carrots and asparagus.

Some were packed in portions styrofoam + plastic wrap. Sold for an amazing price of P25.

Then another kind was in a grow-able, harvest-able pack. Sold for another crazy price of P35. Just keep in place away from sunlight and wind, spray with water 3x a day. Harvest by hand-picking when fully grown. After 2-3 days, baby mushrooms will re-sprout and become fully grown in about a week. 

Of course I bought one for myself, but let's see if I can actually keep it alive til ready for harvest and consumption!

the ticklist

• laid-back skate fun: CHECK! 
• car trunk buffet of bihon, lumpiang shanghai and egg pan de sal: CHECK! 
• exercise ball from eika: CHECK!
• sewing kit from mitzi: CHECK!
• get out of bed at 4:45 am: CHECK!
• hot lugaw in cold montalban morning: CHECK!
• cold (by my standards) climbing weather: CHECK!
• roman holiday: CHECK CHECK!
• sun on my skin...even just a little bit: CHECK!
• shoulder exercises using makeshift weights: CHECK!
• loacker quadratinis: CHECK!
• quality time with loula: CHECK!
• mahimbing na siesta (kasi ang aga gumising): CHECK!
• good news from hk: CHECK!
• mom's stuffed pork chops and mashed potatoes: CHECK!
• reply sa mga nag-greet sa akin: CHECK!

good night!!! twas a fulfilling day. :-) 

sa lahat ng bumati, salamat ulit.

Me on Roman Holiday (V5), Wawa, Montalban

*Photo credit: Dennis Diaz (thanks for Sunday sessions! more more more!)

on my list

i like compiling pictures. they take up so much time, but i like it when you open a page, folder, or album, and they're all neatly, prettily laid out there....ahhh, instant pleasure.

or maybe i'm just a sucker for neatness, which is reflective of some items on the images below. these are things i'm planning to buy soon, in my quest for more effective time management. 

i do believe organization is key, at least for me. if i don't get myself and my stuff arranged physically, if i don't get my to-do lists in order, say goodbye to my efficiency. kind of anal and devoid of memory work, but i will admit that it's the only way i get by.

yung ibang items....they're just little temptations that i never give into. and i thought...maybe since my birthday is coming up, you'd like to buy them for me? hahaha.

there's only one socket beside my bed, while i have my laptop, phone and itouch to be regularly charged. add to that miel's gadgets when he's there. there's no question that i need to get myself one of these soon.

this year, i'm going to get my shoulder back in shape. it's been over 10 months since i aggravated my rotator cuff injury, so i vow to be disciplined this year in rehabilitating it. and i want to get back to proper climbing shape, and this exercise ball will be one of my key tools in strengthening my core and antagonist muscles.

i used to carry three flash drives in my pencil case. then two suddenly got corrupted (in a single night -- virus from an internet cafe) and my 1 gig one got lost. grabe, burara talaga ko last year, lost my phone too remember...nowadays, these things are must-haves, so, well, i MUST have one of these.

nothing like a fresh set of neatly-writing pens. like in the school days when you bought new ones every start of the school year, to replenish your pencil case, and to play with in between subjects. (bahay-bahayan using pens as the characters and the double-level pencil cases as two-storey houses?) i haven't been buying pens since i started working because the office always had steady and free supplies, but now, my new office doesn't....

i've been attempting to keep my underwear drawer arranged by using old boxes as dividers, but they remain unkempt because my boxes are too low. oh alright. i'm just looking for an excuse to buy myself these adjustable drawer organizers because it's been at least 10 years since i first spotted them, and i never let myself buy one out of practicality. maybe it's about time i actually doled out some cash?

never was a fan of HELE (remember home economics and livelihood education?) i was BAD and LAZY at sewing and resorted to all possible shortcuts and cheats to submit my class requirements. but now i'm all grown up, and i want to add some skills to my hand-made, crafty projects, and sewing is now calling to me. because aside from enabling me to create pretty stuff, it is certainly a useful skill to have, to mend and alter clothes and fashion emergencies. maybe one day i can even make my own quilts.

it's simple: my room's a mess, and there's way so much stuff in it that i don't know where to place them. these under-the-bed containers will surely do the trick. unfortunately my bed is not as high as in the photo, so i might have to look for thinner ones...

another space-saving tool: compression bags. ever since i started climbing, i've used ziplocks to make my clothes more compact for packing. but these compression bags can also be used for home storage, to flatten those thick, bulky sweaters that are only worn seasonally.

i think i've only bought quadratinis once in my life. but for the life of me, they're good!!!! and when i tasted the dark chocolate flavored ones in miel's house....i've fallen in love. still, i never bought myself a bag because it's clear in my hear that i can spend on more valuable things. yeah, i can be completely kuripot that way. so every time there's one in their house, count on my to steal a few squares. hehehe.

my mom has always said that it's better to invest in maintenance/prevention services than on repair ones, and in an effort to lengthen my laptop's aesthetic and functional life, i'd like one of these laptop cleaning tools. i especially hate it when grime builds up on and under the keypad....ugggh. though parang walang kasamang mini-vacuum cleaner itong kit na 'to....

my siblings and i (yes, including my brother) share headbands, and between the three of us, for the the past five years or so, we've been sharing around 3 headbands. but i think two got broken last year, and neither of us had spent on a new one. it's one of them small things that it's totally manageable to be without, but also great to have around. (especially when he's playing the guitar, or when she's cutting some paper, or when i'm giving loula a bath...it's a hassle to have your hair all over your face).

oh, this is a wallet. ;-) miel mentioned i needed a new one, which is pretty true, but since i never eyed a particular brand or style, i just posted a cute image of a simple and cute one. i like them small (yung isang fold lang), clean, and with only just about 3-5 slots for cards. para madaling isaksak kahit saan, and can stand my constant bag-switching. 

one of my most favorite childhood books. it was my cousins' so i never had a copy. but i super loved this book. i can still remember the opening lines, "Fred and Ted were friends. Fred was big, and Ted was little...." the book goes on to describe their opposite traits, and emphasizes how they remain the bestest of friends despite their differences.

ready for 2010

my holiday season was quiet, but i'm happy with just how relaxing it was. i loved the pace of each day. while miel worried about not knowing what to do with all the free time, i had no trouble at all filling them up with the things i loved to:

1. sleep - i got a good dose of sleep, the way i wanted it. long, uninterrupted, with no alarm clock to cut it short. and though i always insist that ten straight hours is my ideal sleeping time (and something i aspire for every weekend!), i never got it...nonetheless, felt satisfied with getting eight hours on some days. maybe because i only got out of bed to have breakfast/brunch, then returned to get 1-2 hours siesta.
   
2. eat - and i refer to the once-a-year christmas feasts that my mom so lovingly prepares. her morcon, pastel, embotido, chicken relleno, chinese ham, egg pan de sal + butter + more butter, canonigo...plus a few non-regular fares of steamed lapu-lapu and stuffed roast chicken. 
3. spend late night outs with friends - mix of planned and unplanned, with old friends and new acquaintances, with little or lots of alcohol, but always filled with good fun. whether it was a simple home-made dinner or a loud boys vs girls rock band contest, it packed my senses with things i never knew they've been missing so badly.
4. work out - i ran, and ran, and skated, and climbed. OHHHHH, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this one i knew i've been missing very badly, and after stuffing myself with all the good food, nothing feels more satisfying than sweating profusely and waking up all those sleeping muscles. thank you, UP, for welcoming the lone runner. thank you miel for always keeping those boards in the trunk. thank you, power-up for, well, being power-up.
5. be updated with friends' lives and see how much they're enjoying - i know. ang cheesy, even for my taste. pasensya na. but over the holidays, i was able to check my facebook and multiply accounts more frequently, and was moved to see how people were getting to do the things they loved to do over the break. friends were reunited, families bonded. some welcomed the new year up in cold, peaceful sagada, or by spending much-needed family quality time in the province, or by having a deep water solo adventure, or by going on a surfing road trip. oh, and one gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! 

so thanks for this rejuvenating holiday break, and to 2010: let's get it on!

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 :)