A True 2011 Tale

DEAR TWENTY ELEVEN - You helluva year! Yes, 2011: so sick you've been that I loathed and loved you at the same time. You're but an epic era of my life but I got to admit that I did nail you pretty well. (Fist pump! Fist pump!)


You started off as if the end of days were near. I went astray for a few years and invested in something which eventually blew up in a snap during your eve. I lived your first two weeks starving myself like an idiot and doing those silly Lorna Tolentino moves on our wet wall (or sometimes by the old staircase). Crap, it's so gross. Still, 2011, you knew me head on and the greater things which you dared me to unleash. However, do you remember that  third week of your dark January? This was when you let me pull off a complete 180 in my life.


And the rest was freaking history. WOOORD!


I registered for the Condura Skyway Marathon which almost didn't materialize because of an ankle injury. But yeah, beer was in between that so- called "training". I was so determined to run in the Ayala- Skyway- Buendia- Fort route. That was something BIG for me. The rush felt like it was a start of so many forthcoming displays of courage and longer distances where I had to prove that such pain could exist but can still be controlled by staying positive and focused.

Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City

For that period, I had an illusion that I was semi- infallible. I repeat that it was just an illusion which I had to use to motivate myself. I know the Pope is, but definitely not a dork like me. Shake up, ambitious kid. If such somewhat delusion of grandeur would help, proceed but remember to take a grand halt. Don't let that stuff stay in your head forever.


Adding up another form of relief was doing a bit of firing. And hey 2011, you know that it felt sooooo good that I had to do it again. And again. And again.

QCPD Camp Karingal Firing Range, Quezon City

Back in my old company, I was part of a bunch of hardcore punk friends that were sent to Hong Kong for dinner and a talent contest. We danced and bagged the first place. High five. Those who managed to find the video in Youtube, congratulations- but you will never see me dancing to Elvis, Backstreet Boys and to that KPop song again in a really short Japanese plaid skirt. FINE. Yes you'd still see me doing such but in one condition- you gotta get me drunk, which you know would be far out difficult. Too difficult.

Hong Kong

I had to squeeze in some trips between my hectic schedule to stay attuned with the cosmos.

Cagbalete Island, Quezon

And I was also one- third of those hospitalized in Iloilo for eating a pile of oysters. That's literally so sick. And full of crap. Again, literally. Here's a shout out to my two other friends who suffered in the hospital along with me. Let's do it again! Hooray for the karma brought about by the OYSTERS!

Iloilo City

2011. You made me party WAY. TOO. HARD! A pair of shades was always inside my bag which was intended to beat the rising of the sun while rushing to reach home. In the morning.

Spicy Fingers, Greenbelt 3, Makati City

Cable Car, Makati City

Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong

M Cafe, Greenbelt 4, Makati City

Subic, Zambales

Palladium, New World Hotel, Makati City

Corregidor Island

Central Emilia, Makati City

Il Ponticello, Makati City

Los Baños, Laguna

Red Box, Greenbelt 3, Makati City

Then your month of July instantly came in as a big shock. At that point, I got an offer to head the whole operations group of a consulting firm in Singapore. But hey, everything was so happy at that time! I didn't want to leave Manila. I had my groove going already! I spent a lot of time with crazy and beloved friends. I came home to a great family that I cooked for more often than the last years. I embraced my wellness and being, ran at 5:00 AM during Sundays, and I grabbed a whole lot of other opportunities (raket because I'm a raketeer). I was so back in the scene! Returning to what I thought of as rehab- I mean, Singapore- will pave for some longing and letting go of the fun I've been experiencing. Dammit 2011, I had to tell you to cut it out because honestly, I hated that you put me on the brink of such a life- defining situation wherein I had to choose.


Still, I accepted the blessing that was offered and the fate of working once again as an OFW with only one thing in mind: God gave me another chance and this time, I have no more damn right to screw it up. I came way too far for things to be blown apart. I knew I wasn't meant to just settle, that I was challenged to make the quick move, that I had to fly... and so I did. 


Dear 2011, those days of yours got me high on events that gave me a kind of thirst that only God can quench. I knew I had to fine tune my faith. After a few weeks of attending a series of talks, I became a part of a Catholic community based here in Singapore which I've always dreamed of joining. I will never be a saint and yes I'm still that cranked up and eccentric dude who respects individual choices and differences, but you know, I'm a work in progress. I really don't have to be self righteous. I will never run out of humour and the energy to go out, but I know I'd have a deeper relationship with Someone who I glorify and believe to be granting me with a good deal of grace.

I ran my first race event in Singapore, too! Eventually, I found myself falling in love with the place again. 

Changi, Singapore

2011's the year when I'm often found inside movie houses, caught eating, hosting, reading (The Hunger Games), watching downloaded flicks and shows (I never missed any episode!), singing, dancing, tweeting, putting make up on others, going out, writing and blogging, staring at the sky while thinking of idiosyncrasies, and telling people to MEYNTEYN. Also, I've been caught relaxing frequently. I'm like everywhere. Look beneath your skin and I'm there! I'm that Jedi warrior on a lucid state.


You're right, 2011. You were full of unbelievable experiences and happenings that were so humbling. I realized though that I could do more. You're the year that gave me a chance to meet several NFF's (New Found Friends). One more day's left on the calendar yet I know there'd be more NFF's by tomorrow as I kick you off and join the countdown. You're also that year which made me reunite with my old folks! And you knew how sorry I am for not being able to devote myself to everyone dear to me because of time constraints, resources, overlapped bookings, and the distance issue - or simply because sometimes, I just love chilling alone.


We had an amazing love- hate relationship, 2011. You opened with a tough releasing of an unthinkable blindfold and ended up with clear visions of what I really want in life so far. Either way, thanks to you and to those people who love me truly! They spiced up your twelve months! Most importantly, I ATE SO MANY GOOD FOOD with you, 2011! 


Goodbye now, you epic year. I may never list or practice those nasty resolutions for that's going to be so mediocre... I'd still give the same advice over and over again to friends, but probably I'll just have to be creative in the delivery so it'd make sense to them that in every lemon thrown at their faces, they need to hold on to their strong hearts all the way. All I could swear to you, 2011, is that on the year of 2012, I'd stay on the game, attempt giving amazing vibes on the worlds of many, and yes, I'd do a lot more of those fist pumps in the air. (Not in the face. Happy now?) Alright. LET'S ROLL!




WINNING THOUGHT OF THE YEAR: 


"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still..."          - Exodus 14:14

Happy Image # 02: Running In The Metro

I miss running along the streets of Manila. 


The photo below was taken during the last run I've joined before I flew back to Singapore. It was the second edition of the Takbo.ph Runfest which was held last 24th of July 2011. I should say that it was a hot morning that had me and a friend wildly ransacking the amazing tent of Mercato Centrale after my Pinas farewell run. We practically got so caught up with so much comfort food and desserts, leaving us happily bloated afterwards!

It was also during this race that I first wore my green Adidas Climacool running shoes. My first pair of Nike Lunaracer was actually devoured by my grandmother's cats. Woohoo! :D


This is my Happy Image #02. Yey!

Ume- Extrang Isyu Over Beer at Sisig

So hindi ka pa ba napupundi sa mga balita ukol sa impunity at GMA vs PNoy? Eh sa mga tsismis on KC vs Piolo at Mo vs Rhian? I know how much negativity are all around but please don't be instruments for its wildfire and publicity naman. December na guys, come on! Mabuti pa, isipin niyo na lang kung ano ang ireregalo niyo sa'kin.


There is much more to our beautiful and colorful world than to give a fuss about others' affairs which are supposed to be kept private and handled seriously (or smartly chosen to be read and talked about). Ngayon, kung related na ito sa advocacies at gobyerno, hindi ko naman sinasabing maging apathetic ka na lang. Help raise awareness nga dapat and stir a bit of concern on pressing issues, pero kasi, avoid the nonsensical ones. Read statistics. And did you even know that it was World AIDS Day last December 1?


E- extra lang: Medyo preno lang din sa pag- upload ng mga pictures mo ng iba't ibang anggulo sa Facebook (pero salamat talaga sa UNSUBSCRIBE button). Okay lang yan. Ibig sabihin ay wagas at mataas talaga ang self esteem mo. Kaso wag naman sana araw- arawin at gawing oras- oras, mga teh. O, ganito na lang: Go ka sa www.lookbook.nu or www.chictopia.com, and then post na ng mga appropriate images mo on these sites. You may be able to find some challenge and tips for good style and fashion sense for amateurs over there. :D


Oh, well, anyway --- here's what I could give to those who extended BV's, sought exaggerated attention and vanity, claimed self righteousness by passing a lot of judgement, at nag- bully ng mga oppressed ngayong week na ito: isang malupit na WOW! Diba nga, make love, not war??!


Now for that bizarre week,  I bring to you a cover of System of A Down's  Toxicity by Meytal Cohen. Astig ito, promise! Pwedeng pang- chill sa mga oddities ang mga rocking at amazingly sexy sights and sounds ng vid na ito.

TIP: Go heavy on the bottles of beer and plates of sizzling sisig with your good friends and family to cap your eventful work week. A happy, awesome, and blessed weekend to all of you, my good- looking padawans! Cheers!


Quotes of the Week: 


"There's so much more to life than watching these sordid events unfold. Sometimes, that TV is just a curse rather than a blessing." - Lea Salonga on Twitter


"May sakit ka? Punta ka sa parlor diyan. Magpagupit ka tapos palagay ka ng bangs." - My mother

Tsokolate at Takbo

I am beginning this blog by citing some common negative stuff when gorging on too much chocolate:


- BAD TEETH
- BAD WAISTLINE
- BAD SKIN


The thing is, I am a big chocolate fan. Absolutely! Make it dark and I'll love you. Make it a ROYCE Nama and I'm going to love you even more. Spoil me with these every week and hindi na kita pakakawalan ever! 


Imagine the happiness I got when I learned that dark chocolate actually has awesome health benefits for a meek runner like me. YES. Kailangan justified talaga. I did my research and found out that there's a long list of good things about dark chocolate which I don't want to bore you with right now. I just really want to excite you... 


OK pero dahil mapilit ka, sige na nga! Here you go:


- Helps lower blood pressure
- Helps lower cholesterol level
- Decreases the risk of heart disease
- Improves your brain's info processing
- Provides an energy boost
- BEST BENEFIT: Masarap at matamis. UPPER.


It's cool to know that chocolate is no longer a guilty pleasure especially for runners and athletes who are always out to get some energy. But as always, eat them in moderation. Drink lots of water after getting high with a few bars. If not, you may write something with a bad and unhappy ending. That's definitely going to suck. 


On my next race, I'd be eating about an inch of chocolate before and while running. Upon crossing the finish line, I'd surely take some to reward myself for enduring 21 kilometers. 


Uh huh. 


I will definitely run for chocolate. Well, no doubt, it's a good motivation. Diba?!

That Medieval Fantasy Sound of G.O.T.

My supposedly idle moments in bed during the past months were successfully spent in watching the Game of Thrones' first season which I downloaded. Whether it's from the raves about Peter Dinklage (film, tv, and theater actor who was born with some condition causing his dwarfism) winning in this year's Emmy's, or because I've always been in dire attempt to read A Song of Ice and Fire (its novels where the series is based from), I should say that there were some good reasons to get hooked on it. 


I'm really not into medieval fantasy storylines. Dun ako usually sa tipong Nikita, True Blood (urban fantasy naman 'to), Spartacus, and CSI. However, comedy shows are my breathers. Pang- feel good at pang- lighten up ng suspense- filled mood and imagination ko. 


During the course of watching the first season of GOT, I realized that the movement of the story in the TV series was slow. Parang, pagkatapos manood ng isang mahabang episode, I was like, "Ha? Tapos na? Anyare??!", and then I'd be playing the next one right away kasi nanggigigil na'ko malaman ang karugtong ng kuwento. 


Even if that's always been the case, I became one of those people waiting for the second season of the epic fantasy show to be released. I think it needed much action and that's what I've been waiting for. Kasi alam kong kahit mabagal siya, there's something astig pa rin to look forward to. Medyo mataas ang expectations ko sa upcoming seasons. Mas lalo na pala siguro kung nauna kong basahin ang mga libro bago panoorin 'to from its pilot. (Ganon? Kumi- critic? Hehe!)


Isa pa pala. I had a thing for its opening theme. Ang galing! Yung tipong ma- eexcite ka sa background music in every break while para mong ginu- google earth ang map ng Westeros. It's the fictional continent which is the setting of the series.

Map of Westeros

One of my friends posted the other day a link in Facebook where the young violinist Jayson Yang arranged an awesome acoustic and electric violin cover of the said opening music. Talagang goosebumps and rapid heart beat on the loose everytime I listen to that enhanced medieval fantasy sound. 


Winter is coming. Ramdam mo? Check out below and enjoy!

Happy Image # 01: Green Pencil

This morning, I decided to finally use my new, green pencil. When I first received the item from our Admin Department, I just put it inside the gray can in my desk, stashed alongside old and pointed office supplies. The unsharpened green pencil stayed there for two weeks until today, when I just felt like the blue pen I've been using recently actually made me too lazy to jot down simple notes. Weird as it may be, there's something about blue ink that makes me feel bored and yes, blue. Hence, I needed a fresher lift and all too suddenly, I caught my eyes fixated at this green tool that sports a cute (Break: I'm not so accustomed in using the word 'cute') green eraser on its butt.


I sharpened the pencil with so much joy until it reached its pointedness threshold in all its glory. Yeah, man. It's ready for some grand and hardcore scribbling.

Note to self: Avoid erasures and preserve its green end.


The same thing goes with life. We don't have to use its dullness and weakness as excuses. Such things have a function to erase (in my monster mode, the word I use is to 'annihilate') what we have drawn. We should be careful, though, on discerning which stays. It doesn't hurt if we start practicing to do things right this time and to face all those worries. Cans of worms should be lessened and must not be feared.


Literally, using pencils for a good cause is just a matter of saving the trees by writing only what we believe to be relevant. Metaphorically, we couldn't afford to live in this world by doodling rubbish and opting to use the eraser all the time. Sometimes, we have to stand up for what we have written.


Most of my friends and family members know that I love the color green to death, so I just feel like sharing this piece, in that no matter how simple this green pencil is, such an object has a cool purpose which is to lighten up my mood no matter how serious I could get with my work load.


The green pencil then deserves to be tagged as Happy Image #01. 

The Bill That Makes Me Want To Plank

Much to my dismay, I came across the issue of the Anti- Planking Act of 2011 this afternoon via Twitter. I made a bit of reading in the filer's website, that of Representative Winnie Castelo from Quezon City, Philippines. The proposed bill is actually:



AN  ACT PRESCRIBING A UNIVERSAL CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT WHEREBY PLANKING BY A STUDENT OR GROUP OF STUDENTS DURING STREET RALLIES OR SIMILAR PROTEST ACTIONS AS A FORM OF REDRESS OF GRIEVANCE BE STRICTLY PROHIBITED AND APPLYING APPROPRIATE SANCTIONS THEREOF.  

--- 20th of September 2011

Fine. I understand the safety risks and issues that rallyists must take heed of.


I am also not an advocate nor a practitioner of that weird act called planking and then doing it anywhere I want to--- unless I'd be able to lose a lot of calories by planking the Pilates- way.


But let me just say that filing this bill and further implementation with the use of Pinoy tax money is not even rational. Why so? I feel that there are far more relevant issues other than planking, owling, koalaing, or batmanning that should be prioritized when passing a bill. 


But if I were to melt myself on the hullabaloo of this mediocrity, why then is Mr. Castelo after the students alone? Taking the recent transport strike incident aside, how sure is he that older rallyists are not capable of planking? It won't be safe for, 'say my fifty-ish year old folks to plank around as well during their protests! If he is to talk about maturity, this bill should not marginalize groups of people, and to make the world a better place, the bill shouldn't even be proposed at all. Moreover, it should be renamed as the ANTI- IMBECILE BILL OF 2011 which will be applicable to those who repress self- expression of others and for those who express themselves in a planking manner during rallies.


For strike plankers, come on! Why planking? Justify how relevant this is when promoting your cause. With the mindset of some of our politicians, do you expect them to have the luxury of time or even the gift of analytical thinking to give some sense of what you mean as your beautiful faces are flat on the ground?


Safety is a measure that should be done at all times and at all costs. I totally have nothing against it. Now, planking is not as deadly as the abuse of human rights and the deprivation of basic needs.


If this is how shallow and stupid some of our leaders' ideas could get, aside from their corruption capabilities, then I present you three hilarious bills that the dumb ones could perhaps propose to waste the public's time among all other resources. Otherwise, these may give you a good giggle if you have been a victim:


1) Anti- EMO Facebook Status Updates: Negativity and bad vibes have a domino- effect!


2) Anti- DOTA: Guys have lesser time to spend with their partners by playing this game. Relationships are at stake. I couldn't relate to this though, because I might end up playing it. IMBA!

3) Anti- Big Bow Headbands: Ladies, I should be honest in telling you that this kind of style does not make you cute at all.


The politicians are a direct reflection of the decisions of the people who voted for them. There's still time, however, to avoid supporting these kinds of crap. Finally, I think that our country does not deserve corrupt idiots in power. It's really pathetic and embarrassing for our children.

Oh yeah. It's planking time!