A Wedding with Fairies

3w, TE, 50free: There was a little commotion at the pool today. Looks like the vacuum cleaner was having some problems. But the workers soon left and the new pool guy resumed his cleaning so I think it was fixed.

Last Saturday we attended the wedding of one of DH's nieces, Reyvel. The wedding was to start at 4pm. We arrived at the church early so as we waited, I took some shots of Renz and Sandra at the church's garden. Sandra was one of the flower girls while Renz was the bible bearer. Getting Renz to smile correctly was a challenge. His smile is a cross between a pout and an evil grin. Sandra's much easier to "direct". The church is old but still beautiful. On the outside, it looks like a massive fort.

The usual entourage except the bride entered. Renz was very much well behaved and smartly did his march. Sandra was like a fairy princess. And then the main church door was closed. A violinist played a stirring yet solemn rendition of Enya's "Only Time". When the church door was opened, it was just the bride outside waiting to come in. Her silhouette with the afternoon setting behind her was dramatic. Everybody was enthralled at her sight and promptly gave an applause! I spent most of the time inside the church walking around and taking some shots and video here and there. Inside, Renz was still well-behaved. I was impressed.

The reception was at the Makati Park. There seem to be new customs nowadays like how they proceed when dinner is served. Guests from each table go to the couple's table to have their picture taken instead of the couple going around. Then, they go queue at the food table after the pictorial. Neat, huh? After dinner, there was a brief program and some butterflies were released. There was the customary bridal dance with some folks pinning money on the bridal gown. Finally, a short footage of the couple's photos was presented. The whole event was very much well-organized and Aiza did a pretty good job. Great work!

The following evening, we had a pictorial! With the flowers (head dress and flower basket) still fresh, I got Sandra and Renz to rest and prepare for more nighttime picture taking in our small garden at home. I've toyed with the idea of some fantasy shots so I've asked DH to prepare the background green foliage beforehand in the morning. She painstakingly put together some bushy plants in a corner of the garden. Thanx DH! Also, I'm so happy with Sandra's patience with me as I set up the camera, tripod and lighting. She also has this uncanny ability to easily assume a pose that I just verbally describe. Thanx Da!

Wow, just putting altogether the lights was a huge chore! Corz I'm no professional photographer with no real photography equipment other than my camera and tripod, so I had to make do with improvised lighting stuff (mostly desklamps and colored plastic sheets and extension cords). I was afraid that I may not have enough lighting. But after the 4 desklamps were positioned and colored, I was clicking away! I even experimented on different colors. I love improvisation! Definitely, the pics will tell more. Some of the pics may appear redundant and that's coz I've added some photo effects via Picasa. So for more pics, click here.

Crowded Pool - Not !

No swim today: Woke up late at 6:45am. Sandra and Karen had no classes while Che had Math Day and Math Camp.

Maybe the following observation could be an addendum to my previous entry my home, the pool. When I read blogs and discussion fora about swimming in US pools, the phrases "circle swimming" and "swimming etiquette" invariably comes up. These concepts are practiced because of many people swimming and the limited space in pools. Sometimes due to overcrowding and other swimmers' inconsideration, tempers flare up like the familiar "road rage" on limited roads. Pool rage?

In contrast, over here, I have the pool pretty much all to myself, except when P decides to swim too. So, am I lucky? In a way, coz I don't have problems on space and availability. Unfortunately, this reflects how swimming is relatively unpopular or unappreciated in this country. This is ironic considering the circumstances so clearly explained in this article. With so few people interested and effectively participating in this activity, the downside is that swimming as a sport does not grow.

I'm changing the look of my blog. My entries sometimes get too wordy and I hate scrolling up and down the page. So I chose a template that has a wider column for the text. Like it?

Late Morning and 2nd Toastmasters Speech

4W, TE 50frees: Sky's gloomy and I just learned that Reymond's leaving to work in a resto. Good luck!

Today, we woke up really late - 6:30am! The school service was honking outside when we just woke up! Ay caramba. I guess we were just tired yesterday. DH was processing the biz permit while I drove for the extinguishers and prepared my speech.

Yesterday I delivered my 2nd Toastmasters Speech (Organize your Speech) entitled the Devil's Gardens. This is a long-overdue speech that I was ready to give since last October. Too much dilly-dallying pushed back the next session. With the delay, the topic lost much of its novelty to me (it's now the Withered Gardens). You can google for the Devil's Gardens on the 'net to find out what it's all about. Anyway, I'm glad the second speech is over. And I'm very happy. Here are the comments from ATM-G (that's Advanced Toastmaster - Gold) Elaine Aviola who evaluated my speech:

Good Points:
  • "Introduction was intriguing" Well, it ought to be. It talks about a mystery and the devil.
  • "Organized Intro, Body and Conclusion"
  • "Good transitions. Seamless between intro, body and conclusion"
  • "Build up of the story is good - slow and mysterious"
  • "Vivid graphic description of the rainforest. It's like I was there... looking." Yeah, I KNEW they'd love that.
  • "Like a jigsaw puzzle that was solved"
  • "Beautifully written, good delivery of a story" See, that's where preparation in writing is important.
  • "Captured the audience, and gripped them while maintaining the eerieness of the story" I guess telling it like a ghost story helped create the eerie feeling. I loved it!
Opportunities:
  • "Conclusion was abrupt". And yes, rightly so. I forgot 3 damned good lines in the conclusion! Arrgh.
  • "To conclude, refer back to intro". As in "full circle". I love this one. Start with a mystery question, end with a mystery question. Fact or Fiction? Believe it or Not!
From the ah-counter - "No ahs". Wow!
From the timer - "8 mins and 10 secs". Grrr, I overshot again. Gotta learn to shorten my speeches more.

See all my Toastmasters Speeches online here!

Couple of Tips

3W SEasy 75frees: No swim yesterday. I attended the school foundation day of Karen and Sandra. Today I dropped Irene at the barangay hall for clearance for the biz permit.

I chanced upon this exchange in a swimming forum:
Micheal Artindale wrote:
> I am not sure what you mean by reaching 6 inches. Please explain. Thanks.
Your hand enters and pulls, bends somewhat and keeps pulling, then you hold all the water you can with your whole arm and start pushing until your arm is almost straight
......
(here's where you go the six inches)
......
just snap your hand back the extra inches, then you remove your arm from the water and recover and enter your hand again.

Re: the 8 x 25 twice.
Remember you take eight breaths and go one length over and over. If 8 breaths aren't enough, you go anyhow. You're supposed to feel like it's not a long enough rest. That's how you get better. Minds and bodies don't know the same thing. Your mind will say "Not enough rest!" But your body will answer "Enough rest!" So let your body do what it can do even if your mind thinks differently.

-rtk
The above attempts to explain a couple of ways to go faster and increase stamina.

  1. To go faster, push the water backwards farther by 6 inches.
  2. To increase stamina, limit the rest (to 8 breaths) every length. Mental tenacity is required here.

They both make sense though I don't understand where the 6 inches came from.

Inside my Swimbag

3W, SEasy, 75frees: P was there after a long hiatus. I finally did a successful Elemback to Tread switch, and again, it is using sidestroke as transition. Timing is critical though so the face doesn't submerge. The trick is from a horizontal position in the transitioning sidestroke, slightly incline the body by lowering the legs and do a frog kick. I'll do this fun routine for my warmups from now on.

When I started swimming, my first days (and weeks even) were a little chaotic as far as changing after the swim is concerned. I'd bring a plastic bag (supot) and put all wet stuff there. I'd have another smaller plastic bag to put in the shampoo and soap. I'd also bring a bulky cotton towel to pack. This was what I (and I guess many others) would typically do when going swimming.

Now, my swimming has come to a point where I have a routine and go on "auto" mode when I shower and change clothes. And this is mostly due to the way I pack stuff in the swimbag. Here's what I have: (hey, note the really nice banana leaf background!)


RashGuard, Swimcap, Goggles

This is a big tube and takes in the rashguard which I wear for cold mornings. The red mesh pouch holds the folded swimcaps and a comb. I bring two swimcaps. One to use and the other is a spare or just in case the kids want one. Would you believe the red pouch used to be a pencil case? It's made of plastic mesh and the contents inside dry up easily.


Ear Drops, Cologne, Roll-on, Sunscreen

The white and the small clear plastic bottles have ear drops (to prevent ear infection). One bottle is an old eye drop bottle. Of course, I took the old label off and relabeled the bottle. They're all encased in a sealable box. I just love these sealable boxes.


Soap and Shampoo

Another sealable box and these two always go together. Yah, the soapbox looks GROSS. All is clean though, and that seeming scum really comes from old soap bits. This box is the dumping place for all unusable soap scraps from home. The small plastic bottle is for shampoo. It's like the tiny plastic shampoo bottle that you find in hotel rooms. I just replenish the contents as needed.


Swim Trunks and Sports Towel

The yellow tube contains the swim trunks. The yellow tube used to be a storage tube for an auto chamois washcloth. Even when wet, the trunks stays safe inside the tube. Same with the chamois towel. It stays damp but safe inside its own tube. The one on the far right is my sports towel. I always buy the Body Dry sports towel by Arena. When it's on sale, it's the cheapest I could find - and it does the job.

Swim Bag with Contents

Here's where a big bag with a zip-around dual zipper is a big plus. With the huge opening afforded by the zipper, I can see EVERYTHING inside. I don't need to yank the opening to peer in and rummage for stuff as with a normal zipper.

With a big bag, there's plenty of room where I could leave my dry clothes as I swim. When I'm all done, I just toss all my swim gear packed in their respective tubes/ boxes inside with no fear that something else will get wet.

Neat, huh?


That's all the gear I have and with it I'm ready to go swimming anywhere, anytime. Occasionally, I'd bring a pair of fins (flippers) to add a little variety, but that's basically it. How about you? What's in YOUR swimbag?

Tread to Elemback Switch

3W, TE, 75frees: Got little time for pool today. Che's having exams (so are Sandra and Karen) so we don't have to leave the house early. I mentioned in an earlier entry about the sights and sounds around the pool I go to.

I failed to mention that being an outdoor pool, there are other critters that you swim with. Today, I saw an insect that walks on the water. It's thin, presumably light, and has long thin legs. 4 legs props up the body while the middle 2 legs "paddle" the water to keep it moving. It doesn't seem disturbed no matter how I splash the water. Quite interesting. So, yup, an outside pool offers some interaction too even if there's no other swimmers around.

I learned later that the insect is called a water strider and it walks on water with the help of surface tension and some microscopic hairs on the tip of the legs that repel water. Pic at left is of a water strider and was taken off the web courtesy of livescience.

This morning I heard some guy shout "Taho!!!" Wow, a taho vendor right here at the resort - first time! His strategy to sell there really sucks coz there aren't many people there. I suddenly remembered that at weekend overnight swims in Pansol, there'll be surely taho and buko pie vendors bright early in the morning. That's because Pansol is packed during weekends. But here, at my pool, on a weekday? Anyway, as I saw the guy coming closer, I realized it was Raymond the pool cleaner! He had a mop across his shoulder with a tin pail hanging at the end. Funny.

I've been experimenting a move recently that's cool (to me, at least). It's switching from a treading stroke (breaststroke with head up) to the elemback (elementary backstroke) in one move without stopping and then switching back again. It's really nice. The tread to elemback is easy and graceful coz I transition it with a sidestroke. It's the switching back from elem to tread that's still flaky in that sometimes my face sinks. But I'll find a way.

Anybody has ideas on how to backup a blog?

Tired and Sleepy

No swim: There was a brief drizzle this morning. I noticed these past weeks that the sun was a little lazy and late coming up. Kinda reflected my mood today as I'm all sleepy and tired. Maybe the shoulder dumbbell presses weren't too easy after all. Think I'll ease up on them a bit more and just do them every other night. Although I could do them in the morning, I'm hesitant doing weights prior to the morning swim. I just wanna feel fresh in the pool.

I was busy printing some ID photos of Karen late last night so that probly explains the sleepiness. Plus Renz's coughing was waking me up. Poor guy. I think I may need new glasses. I feel some strain around my left eye.

Oregano leaves are a Godsend !!! They're like a natural mucolytic! When swimming, I occasionally get pool water up my nose. If I'm not careful and clear it, I get allergies and the sniffles. To use oregano leaves as a natural expectorant, here's what I do:
  1. Pick 5 to 7 oregano leaves. The thick big "juicy" ones are good.
  2. Wash the leaves under running water.
  3. With a mortar-and-pestle, extract the juice. Soaking the leaves first in hot water will make them softer.
  4. Throw away the pulp and sip the greenish juice s-l-o-w-l-y.
It tastes terrible, but it works wonders. Had it not been for this herbal concoction, I'd have the sniffles that everyone's been getting at the office.

Time for 75's and Weights

3W, SEasy: Today I'm starting with 100 broken frees instead of the usual 50's. The 100 will be 75m straight, a breather, and then a 25m coming back to continue the routine. I hope to continue to increase the lengths I can swim in one go. I've yet to achieve what other swimmers claim as a dreamlike trance while swimming - where swimming becomes so effortless that they feel like going on on "forever". Some call it "getting in the zone" while others call it the "second wind". I'd say the release of endorphins has something to do with it. I've attained such trance a couple of times when I was still running in my younger days.

I did some several dumbbell shoulder presses last night in my home gym. Click here to see my weights setup. These pics were taken when I repainted the racks and stands. These racks and stands were all built by myself. I'll try to ease into a weights routine again to strengthen shoulders, chest and back. Who knows I'll get back to the whole weights enchilada someday.

My Home, the Pool

3W SEasy: It's great that I got the Car Pass. I could breeze right through the village's security gate everyday. If I didn't, I'd have to leave my driver's license with them and then claim it when I come back out.

The pool was very clear a few days ago and since I had my digicam, I decided to take a few pics. This resort where I go to is really old. But the pool is reasonably well-maintained and that's enough to keep me coming back.

Swimming Feelings

In an interview, the US swimmer Michael Phelps mentioned his feelings about swimming and it grabbed my attention. He said he feels right at home in swimming. Entering the pool is like entering your house and then doing something like sitting on a sofa. It's a place where it's comfortable and all swimmers share the same feeling. All that may sound silly, but I totally agree.

I've been swimming for quite sometime but it's only now that I learn that it has 5 lanes! The showers are in the structure at the left. That hut-like structure at the right is the reception office. Further to the right is the entrance. Straight ahead and hidden is the kiddie pool but this is available only during the summer. Isn't the water just so inviting?


The rightmost lane is the lane where I typically swim in. Why this lane? Well, the sun comes up at the left side of the pic and so it is this lane (or side of the pool) that gets the sunlight first. You see, I love swimming in bright clear water. Corz if there are other folks in the pool, I adjust. I've no problems coz it rarely happens. The water's so clear now you could even see the color imperfections of the lane line tiles below.


Another view of the pool with some huts and the showers. There's no locker in this place so I just put my swimbag in one of the huts. I don't need to pay for the hut coz I'm usually the only one there and don't stay for more than an hour. At least the swimbag doesn't get wet if it rains.


This is the view at the right side with some benches. That's my old beat-up car parked outside.


One thing I like about this pool is the "resort" feeling. It's an open pool so it's bright, airy and totally relaxing. Unlike indoor pools, there are no bleachers to see - only the huts, palms and other trees. Sounds of nature are another bonus... birds chirping, rustling of the leaves when it's breezy.

Car Pass

3W, SEasy: No need for a rashguard today. Hardly a breeze and the sun's out.

I came in late at the office coz I had to get a car pass for the village I get into where the pool is located. Like in many villages, one way to get funding is to leech motorists with a racket called the Car Sticker or Car Pass. They're even strict this year coz they asked photocopies of OR/CR.

My own pass was a little delayed since it was a Car Pass (uncommon) while all the rest were getting stickers (homeowners/residents), school service passes etc. I was tempted to get a sticker too but then, they were asking for receipts of monthly dues which I don't have coz I'm not a resident.

There were plenty of tricycle drivers and operators there queued up earlier. Even if I wasn't prepared for it, I was lucky coz they just took my CR photocopy and issued the car pass. And that laminated piece of paper called car pass is worth Php300. From what I've heard, the village is in dire need of funds to pay for unpaid/ overdue utilities. It's either that or someone's greedy and decides to get rich the easy way.

Air Pocket

3W, SEasy: Almost rained today. Pocket of air at the back/nape part of the rashguard. Is it too loose? I took some pics of the pool today.

A Pail and an Article

DEasy: Went to the pool today earlier than usual. I requested for one of those huge hypochlorite pails for chlorinating the pool. They practically throw them around so might as well ask one. This'll be a good container/ trash can for the apartment. Sandra's sick today (the usual colds and cough) and DH's taking her to the doctor.

I read an article today and it strikes me as odd or downright ridiculous. Entitled "Experts disagree with jury verdict against woman in boy's drowning", you can read it here or here. I just don't agree with the verdict and the reason I reacted to this article is because I see so many adults here who just don't look out for their small kids in the pool. Typically, here's the scenario:
  • Nanay and the amigas tend to cooking/ washing/ preparing the dishes. Yup, busy, busy, busy!
  • Tatay and barkada tend to the ihawan and the drinking. "O anoh phre, lashing kah nah baah?"
  • The kids, some small, some big dive into the pool, NONE of them know how to swim. They play, thrash around, dive for coins, do some dares, etc. In other words put themselves at risk.
  • The adults are totally unmindful of the kids so mayabang that their kids are good enough to swim. Yah, right.
When I see scenarios like this, I don't butt in into their business. I go my own merry way swimming and exercising. But then I wonder. What if a child drowns? See, some folks have a penchant for blaming EVERYBODY else BUT themselves in a situation like this. Will someone blame me for KNOWING how to swim, being in the pool and not saving little darling Junjun? What if I DO attempt to save the kid and still the kid drowns? Will I still take the flak - all the more? Like I was interfering? or I did the wrong thing?

Wow. When I get thoughts like that, sometimes I just want to get out of the pool. Let WHATEVER happen and just leave the parents to blame nobody but themselves.

Flowing and Natural Dolphin Kicks

3W DEasy: I noticed that dolphin kicks are easy to do if the hands, and then the arms, lead them. Pulsing with the chest is fine but it feels forced and tiring and a certain amount of drag (braking) is felt. If the hands lead especially when the body rises, the body undulation is more flowing and natural. Think I'll do this more often. I've been feeling some muscle soreness at the sides of my hips. I wonder where THAT is coming from. The visitor gave his presentation. Somehow, when someone speaks and I'm part of the audience, I get the temptation to evaluate the speaker like I was in a Toastmasters' session. Anyway, my unsolicited, brief "evaluation":

Strengths:
  1. Very good hand gestures in general.
  2. Great intro. Smiling, like he was actually excited to see us and talk about his presentation.
  3. Walking. For a talk of almost an hour, you need to move.
  4. There were a couple of anecdotes (stories) that were interesting.
Opportunities:
  1. Voice is flat. Although audible, there were no inflections (high and low points).
  2. Did not engage the audience by way of casual questions.
  3. Bigger gestures for bigger points. Some points weren't emphasized enough.
  4. Sometimes "talking" to the screen. This is the bane of most powerpoint presentations I've seen. He could've generally faced the audience and glanced at his laptop

Shin Splints and a Conflict

No Swim. This inspite of the nice bright sun beckoning me to the pool. 3 reasons:
  1. I've been having shin splints since yesterday. The last time I had these was when I was running. Normally, I'd get them if I didn't do adequate stretching for the ankles. I realized I stretched less this past few days so that may be it.
  2. Had to do lots a stuff today coz a couple of IT visitors are coming to play golf for an operations review.
  3. I heard over the radio that Quezon City registered a 19 degree Celsius last Sunday and it's a record! What is this, some kind of a cold spell??? Narnia !!!!!!

There is an upcoming reunion/ alumni homecoming for our old school on the 28th of this month. Actually it'll be the 50th (Golden) anniversary for Don Bosco Pampanga and will be attended by all batches. I was looking forward to attending this reunion until I realized that the homecoming is on the same date as the wedding of DH's niece. But that's not all. Sandra and Renz have special participation in this wedding. See their names highlighted on the invitation.

I was kinda hoping that the wedding date will be postponed or that the guy backs out altogther (he! he!). But nopes, none of those had happened. In othere words I won't be able to attend the reunion coz I need to be at that wedding. I'll be driving Sandra and Renz there. Corz I'll be a photographer of sorts too. So to the 79ers who may be reading this, I hope you guys enjoy yourselves at the reunion.

Epiphany

3W, TE:

Yesterday was the Feast of the Epiphany formerly known as as Feast of the Three Kings. Traditionally, it was celebrated Jan.6 to mark the 12 days (12 days of Christmas) that the Three Wise Men travelled to reach the Baby Jesus. Like I mentioned before, I had wanted to take a photo of the belen with the colored lights on. I went there in the morning and I was informed by a manang that they turn the lights on in the evening and that it's the security guard that turns on the lights. Okay, I went back later in the evening before 6pm. and my timing was just right, the mass was to start in 10 minutes. Nopes, the lights weren't turned on. And the guard, well, he was just too busy directing traffic at the church's parking lot and there was no way he'd turn them on right then. Ah well, might as well hear mass I said to myself.

<< RANT ON >>
The belen was at the back inside the church near the entrance. I was near the belen and I can't help notice the way some folks would continually touch the Baby Jesus statue, rub the image's foot and then direct their kids to do the same. (I somehow reflected back on my childhood and wonder whether my parents did this to us.) Now these folks, I can understand that it's their belief and custom but they downright ignore the sign at the belen that says DO NOT TOUCH THE IMAGES. The images are very beautiful and I remember several years ago when the church solicited donations in several occasion to fund the creation of these statues. They're all (including the animals) scaled 1/3 of actual life-size and I'm saddened that some of these folks take that for granted. Like rubbing the images is a given right and to hell if they break any of the statues. I just wished that the church put some kind of enclosure or railing that'll prevent people from getting too near the belen. I'd hate to see these beautifully sculpted objects destroyed due to stubborn churchgoers. Imagine the Baby Jesus with a broken leg or a donkey missing one ear or the cow with a broken horn. One idiot was even drumming on the hidden spotlights' box covers like they were a pair of bongos and unmindful of what damage it'll do to the wiring.
<< RANT OFF >>

Anyway, I heard the Gospel and the Homily (which was good by the way). At the end of the homily, the priest had a bottomline question that asks: Why do we say "Huwag mong gagawin yan, masama iyan, magagalit si Jesus" to kids when they do wrong things, but not to adults? And I ponder, do kids just "lose" Jesus when they grow up? That as adults, there is no longer a Jesus to get mad when adults do wrong? Hmmmm.....

I glanced back at the belen. Still, the belen's colored lights weren't lit. Grrrr. I'm losing my patience. By this time the security guard's done directing traffic so I went outside to request him to please turn on the belen lights telling him that it's the Three Kings anyway, it's the last day of the season, blah, blah, blah and I wanted to take a picture. Gosh, he was more understanding than I thought. I told him that I could wait till the mass is over for me to take pictures. But he said that he'll turn the colored lights on pronto lest he forgets! Bless you, Mr.Guard! He turned them on and I couldn't wait any longer. I mustered enough courage to take pictures of the belen - during the mass. Luckily there weren't people blocking my view. I didn't use flash and the camera was quiet so I hope I wasn't disrespectful to those who were there.

Here are the 3 of the pics that I've taken:

These are the images in the belen, in the order of appearance from left to right:
A cow, Balthasar (standing, offering myrrh), Gaspar (standing, offering frankincense), an ewe, Melchior (kneeling, offering gold), Joseph, a couple of lambs, the Baby Jesus, Mary, and a donkey. This shot was taken during the day when I went there in the morning. Since there are less shadows, some of the faces are discernible. Balthasar's face is very dark because the guy IS black!

Here is the evening shot I took with the colored (mostly blue) lights turned on. The blue lights come from above and gives the impression of bright moonlight/ starlight. Notice the bluish glow at top and back of the images

A closer shot taken in the evening. The "moonlight glow" on the images is more evident here. Notice the level of detail that went through the sculpturing of these statues. Now THAT is a tribute to fine Filipino craftsmanship!

My only regret is that I didn't set the camera setting to fine mode. All the pics above were taken in "1 Megapix" setting when I could've put them at "4 Megapix". Argghhh.. But still, they ARE nice, are they not? Now I don't wanna get into some argument that the Three Kings are fictitious or what. The bible DOES NOT mention their names. Some argue that there were 12 (eastern belief). Some say they were women. Some argue that there is no evidence that the visitors even rode camels. Yeah, they probably rode golf carts.

Why the preoccupation with the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men? Well, it WAS my Christmas piano piece!

Osteoporosis

3W, DEasy:

I've read in one swim board about the risk of osteoporosis for those who take up swimming as their regular activity. This article, Swimming and Osteoporosis, in particular got me a little worried. I never got into various regular sports like basketball in the past and the only real exercise that I did regularly in the past was running everyday around the office building. A sore left knee made me stop. I also did weight training but a sprained lower back due to heavy deadlifts made me stop. I'm now contemplating hard on how to get back into weight training. And this time, to supplement my diet with calcium as the article suggests. Funny, I looked at my old dusted little notebook where I logged in my weight exercises and poundages and I was dismayed to find my last entry was Friday, Sept 3, 2004. Holy Camote! And this was the attempt to get back into weights after I finished my back rehab in that same year. I believe my swimming distracted me and I sorta quit weight training altogether. Gotta start dusting the old barbell and dumbbell plates and bars again.

I've set aside the small Eye-mo plastic bottle for the Algar Ear drops. That bottle would only contain 7.5 ml. In its place, I'm now using an old Elica plastic bottle that can contain 30 ml. It's not a squirt bottle but it has a secure cap. Just tilt and the drops trickle. Now I don't have to replenish as often. Hmmmm, maybe one of these days, I'll post a pic of the stuff I have in my swimbag which I always lug around inside my car.

That's me, updating this blog at home.

Canned Tuna

3W, DEasy: I should do more neck stretching prior to warmups. This is the first double for the year. Gotta watch the clock though so I could leave at 8am. I picked up a brand of canned tuna at the supermart which was cheap. The brand is "Dolly" (some kind of cloned tuna?) It's surprisingly good, especially the Kaldereta style. It doesn't taste weird like the other brands I've tasted before. The tomato sauce and some veggies (bits of peas, potatoes, etc) taste good. Since the brand is relatively new, it's cheap. That's the upside. The downside is there is just little tuna in there. Maybe I'll just mix it up with some Hakone mackerel to take advantage of the flavor.

Clear Again

4W, SEasy, 1FD: It's the first day of school for the year so I'm now back to the earlier time. The gate was still closed when I got there. Water today was clear and not too cold. Still, I took 4 warmup rounds. FD means fist drill and I did it coz I thought I finished the SEasy earlier than usual. Tomorrow I'd cut the warmup to just 3 and then immediately do a DEasy. The technique to keep me from freezing while in the pool is working really well.

Warmups and Stretches

4WT, SEasy: First swim for the year and it was good. Now I know a couple of ways to combat the cold pool water, even without a rash guard:
  1. No stretching in the pool. In the past, I would do some arm, chest and leg stretches IN the pool. In the recent weeks though, I noticed that by the time I'm done stretching, I could really feel the cold and start to shiver. Stretching is stationary and doesn't pump the blood much. Stretching OUTSIDE the pool is okay but then wet after the shower, there is the cold air and breeze to contend with. Maybe brief stretches in the showers could be done instead. With limited stretching though, a proper warmup is still necessary.

  2. Immediate long warmups. A ritual I'd do is to dip my hand first in the water to feel the temp. I psyche myself and then jump. Yow! Brrr... Now, it appears that a quick launch into a vigourous warmup is needed to start the blood a-pumpin' immediately. Treading around the pool works for me. WT stands for Warmup Treading. Treading will not strain the joints and muscles too much but will quickly get the blood flowing and warm me up. A minimum of 3 rounds is needed. So as not to strain the neck, keep the mouth near the waterline and the eyes looking at the water surface rather than above the pool. This sets the head in a more neutral position. Corz, keep the mouth shut should it submerge. No sense swallowing all that chlorinated water.

Today, I had 4 warmup laps around the pool and by the time I started, I was in the zone. The trick to getting warm essentially is to keep moving. Limit the rests in between laps. It's hard to do but in the end the aerobic capacity is improved.

I recently read an article about Ian Thorpe's (the Aussie swimmer) use of moisturizers for flaking skin due to chlorine. I have the same problem especially on my face and I'm wondering if that might work for me. Any recommendations? Inexpensive would be nice!

Happy New Year !!!

Well, it's same old bang last night (New Year's Eve). Typically some small kids light a few firecrackers here and there during the day. It's watusi, thunder, rebentador and the likes. But it's mostly quiet and good. Then when it's about 12 midnight, the adults or what I call the "pasikats" or the "papansins" come out of their slumber to bring out what THEY think are big-ass firecrackers. These are the plaplas, superlolos, judas belt, sawa, etc. ad nauseam. Frankly, it's nothing new. It's all just these "ratatatatatat-pak-boom!" noise, fumes and garbage all over again.

We didn't buy trumpillos and roman candles this year and just basically stayed indoors to watch tv. The kids jumped at midnight. Before, I'd put up this frame for trumpillos and then when I light them at 12 midnight, I get blanketed by these fumes from the big crackers in the street which is suffocating. In the past we didn't buy a lot. It's really just to light a few sparklers coz really, in the end, you just "burn" money and left with nothing but trash from the burnt up crackers. I don't understand why some neighbors would want to buy that much at the risk of accidents. And I still wonder why they haven't lost their fingers yet. Hmmm, maybe next year.

I must admit that the old Casio camera was much much easier to learn to operate than this Sony. With the Casio, I've taken sharp, good pics quickly right out of the box. With the Sony, the first few pics and videos were bad. It's chock full of features - for me anyway. The manual's isn't too easy to understand either. There are a gazillion icons on the lcd screen and you can get lost with the maze of modes and menus. It's software, PicturePackage, is worse.

Here are some of the pics that I took later in the day:

Taken in "candle" mode are the kids left hands. I've long wanted to take pics like these while they were little. I pulled out my very old Silk tripod for this picture. The kids were bewildered as to where the tripod came from coz they've never seen it before. I've had the tripod since I was single and stored it away. Its great that this digicam can do macro-focus. The old Casio did not. Can you tell who's who?

That's a pic of the Nativity at our church. It would've turned out better had I used a tripod. But then, it would be difficult (and inappropriate?) to setup. We had to time our visit to the church in between masses to get a clear picture. There were too many people during the mass and more people were milling at the nativity stage after the mass. It's too bad that the colored spotlights weren't turned on. It would have been a real sight! Hopefully they will be turned-on on the Epiphany which is on the 8th. I had a funny argument with the kids coz I thought Epiphany or Three Kings was on the 1st Sunday of the year.

Finally, here's a shot of our church St. Peregrine with the tall Christmas tree at the side. This shot and the nativity were taken using the "Twilight" mode. Compared with the Casio, the Sony unit is a little more forgiving with slight movements when taking low light pictures. There's just no way you can take low-light or night pics with the old Casio without a tripod. Otherwise, there will be ghost images and streaking. I'm glad that I got this camera in time to take these Christmas pics.