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For many years, this blog has evolved in its content. It essentially started out as a personal journal to document my progress as a recreational swimmer. As is typical with many other blogs, the blog also saw blog entries that covered a wide variety of topics.

Other than swimming, some of the topics that have been covered in the blog entries include Toastmasters, fitness, physical therapy, gardening, home improvement and family life, among others. In the years that I've written those blog entries, I've mostly been satisfied with the Google ads that have appeared on the website.

How to Learn Ballroom Dancing

Do you really need a ballroom dance teacher?
Do you have to enroll in ballroom dance classes for lessons?
Can you learn ballroom dance on your own?
Are ballroom dance instructional or training tapes, video cd's and dvd's effective for learning ballroom dance?

These are some of the most common questions that bewilder a beginning ballroom dancer, especially for the guys.

Birthday 2010

My birthday celebration this year was a day late. This is because the actual date coincided with the Grand Reunion which DH and I attended. The reunion finished at 5pm. By that time, according to DH, there was limited selection of cakes to choose from in bakeshops like Red Ribbon.

The food from Leslie's restaurant was aplenty and we were just full. I was able to get a second serving (no more rice!) just before the buffet table closed at 3pm. Luckily, there were plenty of fruit juices to wash all the food down.

New Domain Name for this Blog

This blog has been in existence since 2006. Some entries, though, appear to have been posted in 2004. And that's a nifty thing about Blogger. Post entries can be ante-dated so they appear to have been posted earlier. The first entry on this blog was ante-dated to the year 2004. That's why some readers have the impression that I've started writing in this blog since 2004.

The name of this blog when it was created was isjaw.blogspot.com. This blog is still accessible by that name. That particular URL is simply redirected to my new domain name which is blackdovenest.com. Blackdovenest.com was created last September 30, 2010.

First AMD Philippines Grand Reunion

Yesterday, DH and I attended the Grand Reunion of former employees of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Philippines. This is the first company we worked for (and DH's last), and I believe that is true for most who attended.

The reunion party registration started at 11 am and the program proper and lunch started at 12 noon. It was held at a posh restaurant south of Metro Manila called Leslie's Restaurant in the Ayala, Alabang area. Close to 300 former AMD colleagues gathered in this first ever Grand Reunion.

Ballroom Dancing for Health and Enjoyment

How many times have you heard this? "The more you enjoy doing something, the more you'd want to do it."

For many who are looking to get fit, the dance floor offers an exhilarating alternative to the drudgery of the gym, and experts say sticking to an exercise regime is EASIER WHEN IT'S NOT A CHORE.

Contrary to local belief of many young ones today, ballroom dancing isn't (and shouldn't) be associated with aging couples just wanting to get a form of exercise. Depending on the step, ballroom dancing can burn anywhere from 250 calories to 400 calories an hour about the same as a brisk half-hour walk on a treadmill. That's good exercise without the risk of accidents on a treadmill, whether serious or hilarious.

Hip Pinning Surgery and a Cobra Fixator

In the first week of this month, my mother-in-law had an unfortunate accident at the market. She's 77 years old, though she's no ordinary old lady. At her age, she's still spritely in her activities and manages to do most household tasks without any problem. She doesn't seem to tire easily compared to most senior citizens. I would say she's the healthiest and strongest 77 year-old woman that I've seen.

The above thumbnail with an x-ray image doesn't belong to her, by the way. But that solid white shape on the right shows an implant that is very much similar to what she now has in her right hip and thigh bone. The implant is an 8-inch titanium piece with a ball (femoral head) on top roughly 4 centimeters in diameter.

The Law of the Garbage Truck

This particular "law" has been making the rounds on the internet for sometime now and it's interesting that I got to read it again yesterday after finding a seemingly nasty comment on my email inbox.

The nasty reaction was on a comment I made after viewing a Filipino folk dance on Youtube. This was about a month ago. My comment on Youtube was a little more of an observation.

Recovering from my Wrist Sprain

This week would be week 4 after my right wrist injury. So far, the wrist pain has subsided significantly. I'm able to twist my right wrist a bit more. The pain occurs only when I turn my right wrist clockwise (as if turning a door knob). Also, as long as I don't push or pull at an odd angle, I've no problems with pushing or pulling heavy weights.

The wrist also no longer gives me pain or discomfort when I sleep. It's been a bit annoying in the first 2 weeks because my sleep would always get interrupted. The ensuing pain wakes me up when my right wrist assumes a cumbersome position or if my body rests on it.

Lower Back Injury from the T-Bar Row Exercise

The T-Bar Row exercise is one of the biggest mass builders for the back. It recruits the big muscles of the lats, traps and the rhomboids. It is a pulling exercise that allows you to lift heavy weight.

Although T-Bar row machines do exist, most bodybuilders who train at home simply use a plain straight barbell. One end is loaded with the barbell plates and the other end is simply stuck or jammed to a corner on the floor.