National Geographic's Big Blue Whale Exhibit in Manila

I had a chance to see last night in Trinoma, National Geographic's Big Blue Whale Exhibit. Manila is the last leg of the Aisa tour, and they partnered with the Ayala Malls to make their rounds. National Geographic aims to disseminate information about big blue whales which are now considered endangered species. The sculpture on display is a life sized  2 month old big blue whale crafted magnificently in Australia.

Big blue whales are the largest breed of species in this planet. They are bigger than dinosaurs, weighing more than 200 tons! They can measure up to 30 meters wide.

Featured in the big screens around the sculpture is a documentary about big blue whales being "tagged" to better track their progress in the wild.

Catch the National Geographic Big Blue Whale Exhibit for a limited period. Here are the schedules:

Glorietta 5: November 17 - 26, 2009
Trinoma: November 28 - December 11, 2009
Alabang Town Center: January 4 - 17, 2010
Market! Market!: January 18 - February 2, 2010
Greenbelt Mall: February 3 - 17, 2010

Mall of Asia Globe Lights Attraction

We went to SM Mall of Asia specifically to check out this globe lights attraction. It's said to be the first in Asia. We thought it was a spherical LCD screen. We were curious as to how it could be done without distorting the view. But as you can see from the video we took, it is NOT an LCD screen but a series of light bulbs programmed to produce those animated effects. Nonetheless, it was really cool! Simple joys. We went there basically just to get a glimpse of this globe lights attraction and take pictures. SM Mall of Asia is still the same. Super big and super crowded.

Men's Health Urbanathlon 2009 and Race Results

The Men's Health Urbanathlon 2009 was held in McKinley Hills last November 22, 2009. I had anxiety attacks the past two weeks while waiting for this day, but I'm so glad it's finally over. The anxiety attacks were for nothing because it turned out that this is by far the most exciting race event I've ever experienced. Unlike the usual races, Urbanathlon 2009 has obstacles that participants must overcome to finish either 5K or 10K distances. I joined the 5K category only because I was intimidated at the obstacles. But it turned out the race was easier than how it was advertised.

For this year, the Urbanathlon 2009 had 5 obstacles. First off was the 30 pieces hurdles cum MMDA orange barricades we see on the road. But what they didn't tell us was that these 30 pieces would be arranged in 4 rows of 5 hurdles per row. Therefore, I only had to overcome 4 hurdles to pass through. Whew! And all the while I thought my stamina will be challenged by jumping over 30 hurdles.
(Photo courtesy of urbanathlon.menshealth.com.sg)

The second obstacle was the 20ft weaver. It is a triangular setup with parallel steel bars. The racers must weave themselves in and out of the bars alternately up to the tip of the triangle then weave their way down to the base on the other side. It sounds quite difficult but the race marshalls were very lenient especially to us ladies :)

The third barrier was the 16-floor stairs. We went inside a building and ran 8 floors up then 8 floors down. This was kinda easy since participants were clogged in a narrow stairway such that I could hardly get my momentum.
(Photo courtesy of urbanathlon.menshealth.com.sg)

The fourth barrier was the 20ft by 20ft low crawl. This was cool! It really felt like commando in action for a while there. I had to go down on fours and crawl to the other end of the barrier. Race marshalls were reminding us to stay low and wait til we reach the end before we raise our heads and stand up. Otherwise, we might get injured if we get stuck in the wires (which were really just straws for our sake). It was the only obstacle that dirtied the participants. It rained the night before and the grass was moist.
(Photo courtesy of urbanathlon.menshealth.com.sg) 


The fifth barrier was what feared me the most -- the 8ft wall barrier. My bf and some race marshalls helped me or I wouldn't be able to climb to the other side. It wasn't that difficult really but my initial fears caused my knees to shake a bit. I had to compose myself so I could steady my legs, lift myself up finally and make it to the other side.




Kudos to Coach Rio and Finish Line for a well-organized race. The P450 registration fee was so worth it. We were given Kenny's Roast sandwich for breakfast and a finisher's shirt after the race. It rained with other freebies also from sponsors. We'll definitely join 10K next time in Men's Health Urbanathlon 2010!

Results are in! You can view results HERE.

Freddie Roach Was a Child Star!

 
Do you know that Freddie Roach used to be a child star? 

Many years ago before Freddie Roach found his niche as a legendary boxing trainer, he was a cute li'l blond head who starred in Jerry Maguire as the lovable son of Renee Zellweger. :D

Does Friday the 13th Bring Bad Luck?

Does Friday the 13th bring bad luck?

I texted him first thing in the morning to prepare for a hot lovin' date. I didn't believe that bad luck encircles a Friday the 13th. I dressed up chicer than usual to prep up for the night. We will have dinner together then watch Law Abiding Citizen. Rendezvous was slated in Trinoma. I was warned early on that the mall was holding a mall-wide sale but I didn't mind. True enough, as I stepped foot on the entrance, I was immediately greeted with a large crowd. And I hate crowds! I knew then I was ushered in to the first string of bad lucks that will continue so for the rest of the night.

I went up to the theaters and was met with very long and winding queues. Three theaters were initially allotted for the 2012 movie but the seats were filling up fast.Then I learned that the Law Abiding Citizen was scrapped to give room for a fourth theater for the 2012 movie. Sucks.

I wouldn't be beaten by the jinx that Friday the 13th supposedly brings. We transferred to nearby SM The Block instead. But lo and behold, the line to the ticket counter was so long it was almost spilling to the exit doors. We made our way to the old building where the rest of the theaters are located. Surely, the ticket lines there should be shorter. Indeed, when we got there, the lines were not only shorter, but there were no lines at all. Apparently, the electricity in the mall was busted and the regular movie screening had to be stopped. The escalators were also shut off due to electricity disruption. We had to climb up and down several escalators turned stairs instead.

We would have gone window shopping instead but the stores were closing earlier than usual also because of the brownout. We were gradually feeling the heat also as the air-conditioners were turned off. Shoppers were heading to the exit one by one. Our last recourse was just to have dinner as we were really hungry already by that time.

At the very least, my stomach was filled with chicken and spaghetti from Peri-Peri. But I went home with sore thighs and feet, and a bag of frustration.

Does Friday the 13th really bring bad luck? Maybe so.

Adidas KOTR 2009 Race, Official Results and Boo-boos!

Adidas KOTR (King of the Road) 2009 will go down in history as the worst running event ever held in the Philippines! From pre-race, to race day, to post-race, it was filled with many boo-boos that runners could hardly ignore. I paid Php500 not just to get a very cool singlet, but to have a wonderful running experience. But as it sadly turned out, Adidas KOTR 2009 became one big flop. They hired Mr. Rudy Biscocho to organize the race. Rudy is well known in the running scene for always coming up with well-organized races all the time. But whatever happened to Adidas KOTR 2009? They can't give us the excuse that they've taken in more running events than they could handle. We all paid to experience a very memorable running event, and they are responsible to make this happen at all costs.

I speak for myself while knowing that most other participants echo my disappointments and complaints. We were eager to join Adidas KOTR and registered on the very first day (Sep 21, 2009). We waited excitedly for about three weeks to get the race packets. My boyfriend went to SM Megamall early to claim our race packets only to find himself in the middle of a very long queue. He had to wait for two hours (that's 120 minutes!) before he had his turn. That's more than the time it takes for us to finish our 10K runs. We were lucky that they found our race packets easily. Some suffered a worse fate. After falling in line for more than an hour, they were told that their race packets were missing or were not yet available.

Come the race day on Oct 25, 2009, Adidas KOTR still were consistent in their boo-boos. I was dismayed with the water stations. The runners had to huddle at the booths to get a cup of water. I was very particular on beating my personal record and so opted to keep running instead of hustling my way inside just to get a cup. In the other races I participated on, I would see marshals lined in the race path while extending cups to the runners, such that a runner is not disrupted of his momentum as he reaches for a cup while running.

The finish line greeted me with another queue because the race marshal was having a difficult time peeling off the barcodes from our race bibs. I knew then that it would affect the official results. There were more queues in claiming the finisher certificates and complimentary Gatorade drinks.

The week after the race was an agony of waiting for the official results to come out. Around 9 days after, Adidas finally released the results in their Facebook page. But their page instantly rained more complaints as they only disclosed the top 50 runners from the 5K and 10K distances while revealing the complete list of the 21K event. I had a bad feeling that they botched up the results and so decided not to release it.

But the participants would not stop ranting, and so maybe out of pressure, Adidas finally released the full list 2 days after, albeit filled with inaccuracies as I correctly surmised. Their Facebook page is further bombarded with complaints which Adidas was quick to delete to save face. However, deleting comments they don't like doesn't delete the frustration from their participants who paid them to have a good time.

My official result was 1hr 1 min. I should be happy with it, only that I know it's not right. I finished 10K in 1hr 2min instead. I have friends who complained they finished faster than the official times posted. My boyfriend was not in the list at all!! And to think he was one of the early registrants!

Perhaps, we are reaching our boiling points because Adidas is keeping their mum. I expect them to issue an official statement of apology although I doubt it will pacify the runners. It will not change the things that already happened but it is naturally expected from them. If they respect the runners enough who paid their hard-earned money to join this race, then Adidas should at least issue a formal statement to explain their side.

But then I think... Adidas KOTR 2009 garnered 7,000 participants. Multiply that by Php500. What do you get? We are talking about Php3.5M!! And so I think if they are keeping mum about all this, and refuse to apologize, maybe it's because they have already pocketed this much money, and don't care about what the rest of us rant about. And so what does it make Adidas look like??? =)

I'm so glad I wore this bib at my back during the race =) :

Adidas King of the Road 2009

Participating in last Sunday's Adidas King of the Road race was my second time to run a distance of 10km. My unofficial time is 1hr 2min 20sec based on the big clock flashed at the finish line. However, I was stalled at the finish line because the runners were forced to slow down as the barcodes were being peeled off our race bibs. It doesn't matter for as long as I know I beat my own record by 2 minutes.

Much thanks to the organizers of the Adidas KOTR! I know they've been bombarded with complaints. Many participants had to line up for more than an hour just to get their race packets. Others had the misfortune of having to wait until the last minute to get their singlets. Some even received the wrong sizes. But for what it's worth, Adidas was humble enough to admit their misgivings, and they tried to make amends the best they could. Adidas has been holding their King of the Road races for many years now, so I'm certain this year's glitch is a lesson learned for them. I will still join next year and hope that the Adidas KOTR 2010 will more than make up for what happened this year.

The singlet is really something to rave about. I so love it! Bonifacio High Street, where the race was held, seemed like a sea of yellow as thousands of runners donned their bright yellow singlets. For a while there, it looked like a Noynoy Aquino for President movement!

My friends and I enjoyed thinking of what to put on our blank bibs. Here's what we wrote:

You can click on the image to enlarge.

My sister decided to advertise her cartoon website. That's literally a running advertisement, LOL!  That's my bib in the middle pic, and my friend's on the third pic. :D

I was able to take a pic of Gilbert Remulla who ran 21km:

Other celebrities I saw (but wasn't able to take a pic) were BB Gandanghari (he looked every bit a male without makeup but with flawless skin!), Rovilson Fernandez, and Coach Rio (LOL, he's quite a celeb already). I heard Christine Jacob-Sandejas also joined Adidas KOTR, but I didn't see her.

Breakfast buffet followed at Something Fishy in Eastwood!

Special shoutout to my GT online running buddies! Hope to really meet you soon. :)

Typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng - Wrath of Nature and the Resiliency of the Filipinos

In a matter of ten days, two typhoons wreaked havoc to northern Philippines. First, it was Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) on September 26, 2009. Its heavy rainfall drowned Metro Manila in under six hours. Floods rose at an unusually fast rate, taking only thirty minutes to reach six feet deep. It sent many Filipinos on their rooftops for refuge where they remained for twenty hours at least before rescue came their way. Meanwhile, floods slowly receded, if not at all, and destroyed many properties. Some homes and other means of livelihood were left beyond repair or recovery. Those rescued were given temporary shelter in evacuation centers.

A week later, although it seemed unbelievable, Typhoon Pepeng (Parma) threatened to cause further destruction as it headed for northern Philippines once more. Although it spared Metro Manila this time, the residents of the northern provinces like Cagayan and Catanduanes were not as lucky. The fierce winds uprooted many trees and likewise destroyed major infrastructures and means of livelihood. As if it were not enough yet, Typhoon Pepeng lingered still for a few days and caused serious flooding and landslides in La Union, Benguet and especially Pangasinan.

The aftermath is a vision of not just devastated areas but also devastated spirits. Many people died;  thousands of families left homeless. The next kind of flooding that occurred is a flooding outpour of help from various sectors that came in the form of relief goods and monetary donations to help rebuild lives. This contagious and electrifying social current spread like wildfire to the whole nation who suddenly took it upon themselves to extend assistance even in the smallest way possible.

The next scene we saw is a series of non-stop operations from different groups that sent relief goods to various affected areas. Thousands of volunteers piled up in these centers to help repack loot bags. Pangasinan suffered one of the most pitiable plights as heavy flooding rendered their major roads impassable. Relief goods rained on them instead from helicopters. It is a most welcome downpour for the victims after their trauma from the typhoon.

The Philippines has experienced to date one of the biggest blows of nature's fury. Practically the whole of Luzon region is now submerged in murky water. However, if there is any positive light that came out of this phenomenon, it is the fact that the Filipinos were once again given the warm invitation to unite and help the thousands of victims of these calamities. The overflowing generosity and act of kindness of many individuals from all over the country are truly heartwarming and moving. These are enough to give hope once more to the victims of a monstrous casualty.

If there is one thing mightier than the wrath of nature, it is the resiliency of the Filipino people. Northern Philippines shall rise again after this debacle and will stand stronger than ever before.

This article was accepted and can be viewed at Ezine.

Shopping at Greenhills Tiangge

I'm not really into shopping but last Sunday I had the urge to go to Greenhills Shopping Center just to look at what I could buy to add to my scant wardrobe. The tiangges in Greenhills are the next best thing to Divisoria and the 168 Mall. Although commodities in the latter two are really much cheaper, the tiangges in Greenhills also sell pretty cheap items, of course, coupled with your haggling and bargaining prowess.

I realized then, as I weaved through the throngs of shoppers, why I didn't shop that much. First, I hate crowds! I want to be able to walk at my preferred pace without any hindrances. That's impossible given a very eager Sunday crowd, narrow aisles, and commodities spilling out of the stalls and thrown in your path. Second, I was reminded that tiangges come with limitations, the most glaring of which is the lack of fitting rooms. The saleslady spread a blanket on one corner instead as a makeshift fitting room while I tried on one of their blouses. Afterwards, I had to settle at a handheld mirror to see how the blouse looked on me.

I would have wanted to buy a one-piece casual dress but I didn't want the inconvenience of fitting. I wasn't comfortable with removing my shirt and pants given the vulnerability of their fitting rooms LOL. So I bought one red blouse with embroidery which I was able to haggle for P350 (from P600, tsk tsk!). And then I bought a casual pair of slip-ons that's a clone of the Crocs Santa Cruz model, for P250. Not bad. That was all my shopping money could afford me. Methinks impulsive buying is fun sometimes. :)

Shopping in tiangges is very inviting because of the cheap finds and the thrill of bargaining. It is no different in Greenhills tiangge. I suddenly missed a friend of mine who was very good in bargaining but now resides in the States. I'm not an expert at it, but I can relay here what friends advise me. It might help you with your Christmas shopping soon.

First, don't haggle if you don't intend to buy. You will only irritate the saleslady if she gives in to your price but you are not wont to take it.

Second, expect tag prices to be steep offhand since they really give allowances for cheapskates like us :)  You could try your luck at bargaining for half the price but for sure they won't give it. But try to bargain for as low as you can and don't settle for the first discounted price they tell you. Chances are, there's still room to go lower.

And last, of course good social skills will really go a long way. The salesladies warm up to buyers who are pleasant to deal with. A little cajoling will help so that asking for a discount is not being a too serious conversation.

Happy shopping!

Spring Awakening in Manila

Finally, Spring Awakening comes to Manila, thanks to Atlantis Production (courtesy of Bobby Garcia) for getting its rights. I had a chance to watch it with friends last Sunday. We are cheapos, and could only settle for balcony seats at P700 each. But later on in the show (read: after the frontal nudity!), I realized that we, at the balcony, were in a much privileged position after all. Harhar! We really couldn't tell if the flash-show was for real or if prosthetics were used, but definitely, the nipple show was best viewed from the top. And definitely, the butt was for real!

Anyways, nudities aside, Spring Awakening was really superb. I'm so glad it was staged here in Manila, and I'm glad I got to watch it. The cast did a very good job, led by Joaquin Valdes (as Melchior) and Kelly Frances Lati (as Wendla). I've seen Joaquin Valdes before in Into the Woods in Music Museum wherein he portrayed a more animated character. This time, in Spring Awakening, he was in for a more serious role, complete with some graphical adult scenes. That was tough. And he is very cute!

I want to give special mention to Miguel Mendoza who played a supporting role. I was able to follow him in Pinoy Dream Academy. Spring Awakening is his debut to professional theater acting yet he showed so much promise with his raw talent. I think he is more cut out for the theater than in television. Sitti, on the other hand, only gave a mediocre performance, in my opinion. Maybe she should just go back to her bossa nova music :). As for Jett Pangan, he was awesome! I've seen him in several stage productions already, most recent in the Spelling Bee. He can really project.

It's sad that Spring Awakening will run for only 3 weeks. But I'm sure there will be a rerun if it gets a good response from the audience. Go watch it! I will not spoil the details here, but it's a must-see! Although the play goes way back in 1891, I find its theme still very timely after over a hundred years to this day. Sex may not be so much taboo now, but the teens surely need proper sexual guidance in the middle of all the misinformation they get from the media.

Photohunt: Words (Help for Victims of Typhoon Ondoy/Ketsana)

My Photohunt entry for this Saturday is very special and personal. I wrote the words in my notebook and took a picture of it for all of you to read. It's been seven days today since Metro Manila and nearby provinces were hit by Typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana). Ondoy's heavy rainfall severely flooded 90% of Metro Manila. It destroyed many properties and displaced many Filipinos from their homes.

The Filipinos today stand united in our efforts to help the thousands of victims of this calamity. Many of them are given temporary shelter in different evacuation centers. Please help these victims. Distribution of relief goods are ongoing, and should you wish to donate in cash or in kind, you could visit THIS SITE to learn more about how and where to course your donations.

And at the very least, your prayers will be very comforting.

Olympics 2016 in Rio de Janeiro!

The votes have been counted! And Rio de Janeiro wins it as the next home of the Olympics 2016! Paulo Coelho earlier plurked that he's going to Copenhagen to join the Brazilian Delegation. He must be so happy right now. I've only first heard about Rio de Janeiro while playing the computer game Where in The World is Carmen Sandiego, LOL. Can you guess my age? But of course the city is worth more than that. Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil. The Brazilians have good reasons to be proud as they become the first South Americans to host the prestigious Olympics games! Meanwhile, let's all gear up for Olympics 2012 in London. :)

The Ugly Truth Review

Well, the ugly truth is that, this movie relied more on crude and sexual humor for it to sell. If you are just after a good laugh, especially in this difficult time of recovering from the Typhoon Ondoy calamity, the Ugly Truth will definitely send you sliding down your seats in laughter. It's a good thing because you can relax and relieve yourself from stress for a change. But then, another ugly truth is that this movie is really very stereotypical. There was nothing new to see, nothing new to expect from it, and no different ending that you couldn't guess from the start. The plot is downright predictable. The only new learning for me is that there is such a thing as vibrating panties. I never heard of it before. Or is that an ugly lie? Maybe guys are drawn to watch the Ugly Truth because of Katherine Heigl. See her reveal more flesh than ever before. Whatever sells, you know. ;-) Eric Winter was hot, but I'll prefer rougher guys like Gerard Butler at anytime. Yum!

New Balance Power Run Postponed to Nov 29

Typhoon Onyong is flooding many areas in and outside of Metro Manila. This forces the organizers of the New Balance Power Run to postpone their event to Nov 29 instead. Please be advised. The race is originally set for tomorrow (Sep 27).

Note to self: Must look for another running event to join before the Adidas KOTR on Oct 25. Meanwhile, be safe folks! Stay at home as much as possible! A lot of my friends are already stranded outside. Floods everywhere. Some areas are already experiencing power failures, including NAIA! Let's all hope the rains stop soonest.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (Book Review)

I grabbed this book on a whim when I saw it. The title immediately caught my interest because I'm into running lately. It was so wonderful to learn that one of my favorite authors, Haruki Murakami, is into running as well. I'll shun the bad review written by the New York Times as it mainly attacked the "laidback" and sub-mediocre prose of the book. Yes, there were a lot of pretty redundant and tiring phrases from this pretty much short memoir and that makes the NY Times pretty much right about it.

But What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is non-fiction after all, and I delved more on the personal account of Murakami on his passion for running, while at the same time revealing the parallelisms of running and writing. I consider myself a serious runner in the sense that I always aim to beat my own PR (personal record) and try to run regularly, but I am nothing compared to the passion of Murakami. He discovered his love for running at age 33, and has since geared up himself to run one full marathon a year (that's equivalent to 42 kilometers or 26.2 miles). He runs six days a week at an average of six miles per day. And for once in his life, he completed an ultra-marathon in Japan that covered a distance of no less than 62 miles! That took him 11 hours to complete!! Wow. I feel tired just saying that.

As for me, I only joined 5km events in the last 2 years. It's only now that I had the guts to level up to 10km. I will only be attempting my second 10km run this Sunday while hoping to beat my 1:04 time. Surely this is nothing compared to Murakami's feat, determination and love for the sport. In his book, he said that though he feels older now (60 this year) and his muscles getting tired, he will continue to run full marathons once a year even if he could not train as rigorously anymore and even if he could not beat his own PR anymore.

I could relate to Murakami as he described how it really feels like while joining a race (albeit with my 5km and 10km runs in contrast to his full marathons). As your legs step in rhythm from one foot to the next, there comes a time when your legs feel it has a mind of its own already and you are running mechanically. You could look up to the sky for sympathy but it will stare back at you with indifference. You are on your own. And that's the best feeling at the finish line as you absorb the idea of your own feat.

I am not bound to compare myself with Murakami (I will fail in every aspect). But he has inspired me to be the best I can in my pursuit of long distance running. I could someday finish at least a half-marathon before my legs give up on me. I have written once in my blog how I consider running my personal prayer. It's that solitary moment when I take it one step at a time to the finish line, stay attuned to my breathing and listen to my heart pump. If only for this, maybe I will also be able to sustain running until in my 60s.