Scene At a Warehouse Supermarket

Spotted while going around S&R this morning:

What kinda kid is counting calories on a modified lollipop? They're not eating these things for their health value, yannow.

"Toasted Vanilla" w/ "Cocoa butter." Not sure whether to bathe in it or eat it.

"Calming Lavender," for the fussy baby that's sick of the original Furious Yellow.

"Less Intense." That's pretty much how I'd classify any liquid you put in your mouth that has zero alcohol.

Lessons in Kettlebelling

This week I finished a grueling 16-stage kettlebell workout program that’s supposed to help increase my strength and stamina. It differed from my regular k-bell workouts in that there was less variety but more repetitions. If you had told me years back I’d be swinging approximately 70-pound weights explosively over my chest then above my head as many as 60 times I’d have asked if you missed taking your medication, or looked for DeLorean time machine.

I came out of the program w/ calluses on my palms thick enough to file off, as well as a newfound appreciation for packaging tape, anti-perspirant sticks, petroleum jelly and paper napkins (in lieu of having actual protective gloves we wrappped our hands in so much packaging tape we looked like poorly financed Muay Thai fighters.)

But sometimes our improvised "gloves" weren’t enough. As the tape wore out the calluses graduated to to blisters that formed because of friction heat generated by our repetitive swinging movements. I came across a seemingly obvious solution: reduce the friction with petroleum jelly. Thanks to that my blisters didn’t break and/or bleed, unlike w/ some of my k-bell classmates. The gross downside is picking on calloused skin like scabs on a wound.

Psychology was also key in finishing the more insane workouts. For example: one of them had us do 3 sets of 40 reps, but I found it was easier to finish if I counted it as 5 mini-sets of 8 reps instead of a straightforward 1-40 rep count.

Workout buddies also help. I got my cousin John(son) to join me about a month after I did, and like Lyndon before him in my past gym days, it’s good to have someone to pace with and challenge you to see how much your body can take. John and I are the same age, but even though physically he’s bigger in size (and appetite) I’m relatively stronger than him. I believe he’s also the only relative I know who also lifts weights for exercise, but unlike him I don’t have a sport to fall back on (he’s an avid golfer.)

This is all I have for now in terms of weight training, or even as a pseudo-sport. (Bowling and swimming are done for fun and cardio, respectively.) While I’m sure to be getting a stronger (and better looking, at least w/ the right room lighting) physique out of this, I just hope the rewards exceed the damages (achy joints, slipped discs, etc.).

Where Geeks Dwell

Last Sunday National Bookstore at Powerplant Mall opened their Comics Zone, an expanded section dedicated to graphic novels. I accompanied Lola both as wingman and comics consultant. She even dressed for the occasion, wearing Flash-themed colors w/ a red top, a yellow belt and his lightning bolt insignia button. Actually her overall look more closely resembled Wonder Girl's current costume, but at least it's still comics-related.

When we arrived a small crowd was already gathering outside the store, their attention caught by a big sign that said FREE COMIC SUNDAY. Either that or they had just finished having their pictures taken with the partially mechanized life-sized white tigers and giant pandas displayed in front of the bookstore and were looking for something else to do.

Aside from giveaways in the from of Free Comic Book Day (actual trademarked term) leftovers (and 20% off all graphic novels), they set up autograph tables manned by renowned talent like Tony Zuniga, Edgar Tadeo and Leinil Yu, w/ the latter's sketch of The Hulk being given away a the grand prize on their raffle. And if you asked them nicely they'd even oblige you w/ a free sketch.

I can sum up the main difference between The Comics Zone and the graphic novel sections of other bookstores in 2 words: Open. Copies. Without fear of discreetly removing shrink-wrap or ignoring DO NOT OPEN PLEASE ASK FOR ASSISTANCE notices, I was finally able to peek at the interiors of the thin-but-humongous Wednesday Comics hardcover, while disparaging DC Comics' inconsistency w/ their production values of deluxe hardcovers. (Superman VS Muhammad Ali gets recolored and superior paper stock, but Alan Moore's Superman run gets printed on something that's just practically one ply above newsprint? Thank god Marvel Comics gives equal treatment to all its trades and hardcovers. Thick and glossy paper for all, even the $#!++y titles.)

While browsing for titles it was fun chatting w/ fellow fans of the medium (complete strangers, btw, save for Mike Smith, Product Manager of Nokia Philippines, who gave me his business card afterwards) and sharing insights on our favorite titles and writers. (Coulda used more chicks, though. Just saying. :p) I may have gone all prudish w/ my reaction to seeing Mark Millar's Kick-Ass on the bottom rung of their display wall, where kids can easily get to it, next to Flash: Rebirth, another book that, no offense to Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, is more PG than GP. (The former is choc-full of over-the-top blood and violence, while the latter has someone being violently murdered in the first 3 pages. Yes, I've read both books, and even in context I wouldn't lend it to kids.) I pointed this out to Lola and suggested we replaced Kick-Ass w/ X-Men: First Class (rhyming unintended), IMO a good "gateway" comic.

In support of the event (and to take advantage of the sale) I bought several volumes of Ex Machina* and Vol. 12 of 100 Bullets to fill holes in my collections. Before that I caught Lola chatting w/a famous newspaper writer (and well-known bibliophile). Although she didn't introduce me to her I noticed the writer's earrings, w/c were made from empty tubes of Mighty Bond. Eclectic or fashion accessory cheapskate? You decide.

We stayed all afternoon, and as her way of thanking me Lola had my Mighty Avengers hardcover autographed by Leinil Yu, and bought us dinner at Cafe Mediterranean.

*POSTSCRIPT: Later that evening I removed the shrink-wrap plastic on Vol. 7 and was shocked to discover that the plastic masked the shoddy condition the TPB was in. Not only was the back cover's usually glossy finish almost gone like it was cleaned w/ metal polish, but a laminated display table tag was stuck on the cover page! Two days later I went back to NBS to have it replaced and/or exchanged, but while they agreed to replace it the cash register girl had the gall to try and charge me w/ paying the balance of the book's pre-discounted price! I stood my ground and in the end they gave me Vol. 6 at no extra cost.

By coincidence, famous newspaper writer was also there, standing at the cashier next to me and purchasing a lifestyle mag. She was still wearing her Mighty Bond earrings.

Slipped My Mind... I Mean, Disc

The other week or so I was diagnosed with having a Grade II (prolapsed) herniated disc. The bewildered look on friends' faces when I informed them of my condition turned to one of surprise and concern when I used the layman's term --a slipped disc-- immediately after. Guess that pain in my lower back that I've been experiencing since Bora was more serious than I thought.

Ok but how serious is it, really?

After our family friend/spine surgeon saw my MRI films and expressed "Hmms" of concern, he immediately showed me a Powerpoint presentation (either he's been at this profession for a while or my condition is more common than I thought) discussing the problem and possible solutions, both involving surgery. Option A was involves a bigger incision and at least an overnight hospital stay. The latter uses a smaller incision and is an outpatient treatment. Both involve slicing away the "slipped" portion of the disc (w/c will not regenerate, mind you), but he says the former is more effective than the latter. So much for efficiency being the better way to go.

Suffice to say I had mixed feeling about the situation, but to give you a sense of my priorities my second thought was how will this affect my workout schedule? Doc said I'm gonna be limited to just doing bench presses, or any heavy lifting will have to be done lying down. I was almost resigned to that situation before the benefit of internet research and some phone calls/texts.

Huzzah! Seems it is still possible to continue kettlebell workouts in my condition. (No-no on the regular sit-ups or crunches, though.) Still, online information is sparse.

An online reply from Sadrina suggested I contact Dr. George Canlas, sports medicine doctor for our local Olympic team (start at the top, why don't we...) who supposedly charges a thousand bucks for a consult. A text from Lisabelle, a Bowen Technique practitioner, referred me to Sandro Toledo, a "Connective Tissue Mobilization Specialist or Acupuncturist." When I met w/ Dr. "Strix" at one his clinics (located, oddly enough, at a hair salon), he looked me over, gave me some pointers on proper sitting (admittedly that sounded less silly in my head) and told me surgery should really be a last resort. He also looked my at my MRI films and said my condition (and he's seen much worse), while not completely reversible, is definitely treatable.

Maybe it was the painkiller I took the other day, but I felt real relief from hearing that. The next day he sent me the number of Rheysonn Cornilla, PT for the Coca-Cola Tigers, now known as the Powerade Tigers. (NBA names teams by state, PBA does it by corporate sponsor.)

Two days ago Rheysonn came by the house for our appointed PT session. The cheapskate in me was grateful he didn't charge by the hour, coz he was around for almost 3 hours showing me butt, back and core-strengthening exercises I can do on my own, as well as answering my 101 questions on what past exercises I can still do (weighted obliques no, sumo deadlift and jump squats yes) and even what sleeping positions are good for the current state of my back. While checking my back he also delivered some well-placed pokes that would've brought me down if I was mugger and he was Spock from Star Trek. He also gave me some common-sense pointers when it came to dealing w/ the dull pain the slipped disc caused. (A dull pinch that starts from my right buttcheek that crawls down to just below the right knee.)

I am grateful to be out of my worrisome funk and back in the game. I'm reminded of Chris Rock's joke of how Man will not cure AIDS ("because the money's in the medicine") and instead will just find a way for people to live with it. I hope that my newfound knowledge I will learn to live w/ my Grade II (prolapsed) herniated disc and still do the things I wanna do with the physique I wanna have w/o having to undergo surgery.

Blast from the Printer Past

Found amongst a collection of papers from the office clear-binder. Ah, 1999, with all the enjoyment of youth matched w/ self-righteousness.

F.A.G. (For Ana G.)

'Rents are in China for the week, so BoiT & Family took over the Master Bedroom for the duration of their absence.

I was feeling the pangs of d-loaded media-viewing burnout. (Finished the last 34 episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's 64-episode run yesterday and today.) Today (Monday) was a holiday thanks to the Barangay-SK elections. I had nothing else going on and nothing keeping me home. So it was just good timing (around 9:30PM) that while chatting w/ Ana Gonzales (as she was hosting her radio program The Disenchanted Kingdom on 99.5RT) she asked if I was free to meet up for drinks and a chat after her show's over. In Makati. Past 10PM. Tonight.

Under normal circumstances those last 3 points would have me disappointingly decline the invite, but hoorah for me, this was not. Next thing I knew I showered, put on black T-shirt and left my comfort zone, driving to Makati. As serendipity would have it as I parked the car and got out I spotted Ana G walking down the street heading for her condo (bar we were supposed to meet in was already closed), so we just went to the roof/hot-tub deck (where she held her 30th bday party) to down her complimentary bottles of Kristov Vodka Cruiser (stuff's tamer than Barcardi Breezer) and shoot the breeze.

Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Asked As a Favor to Do So

Last Friday old Dopeyz member Claudette asked me and fellow Dopeyz Lynette (no relation, just rhymes) to act as judges for a couple of marketing presentations done by some of her students as part of their final grade. Being completely unqualified but opinionated, I said "Sure" (If Donald Trump can host --and own-- beauty contests...) and drove to Philippine Christian University, blithely parking by their basketball court and leaving the guard w/ a "Oh well, he already got in," look on his face while I lamented the lax campus security. Ah well, so long as parking is free. While waiting for the students Claudy treated us to a McDonald's breakfast.

Having started late and w/ some students more than ill-prepared, we watched only 2 groups present their case for the reinvigoration of Maggi Instant Noodles. Group 1 had a commercial jingle and even a new mascot in their plan. Group 2 presented "eco-friendly" packaging (in actuality was more buzzword than sincere, but at least they shaved off an entire minute off the fictional 3-minute cooking time). Oddly enough both groups, while deciding to give an encyclopedic written history of Maggi Noodles (kids, no-one cares it originated from 19th Century Switzerland, unless it tasted like cheese and kept accurate time), failed to mention the most recognizable symbol of their product: Tita Maggi herself. It was like ignoring the ginger-haired, freckle-faced girl of Wendy's, Aunt Jemima on her pancake syrup bottles or a Playmate of the Month's bunny tattoo by her... nevermind.

It was sadly possible (and indicative of my age) that these kids were born after the mid-80s and have never actually seen Tita Maggi in those noodle commercials. Or they tried a Google image search and came up w/ bupkis. (If it's the latter I can sympathize, as I tried the same thing to help accentuate the blog entry). So while I busy poking holes in their presentations (one girl in Group 2 was giving us the Evil Eye) Lynette disputed the figures in their budget plan. Group 1 was fine w/ spending about 7M pesos per month for an arbitrary 4 months, while group wanted 1M per month for 3 months, and really really wanted Vice Ganda to be their celebrity endorser.

I hope the final scores I gave them don't end up failing anyone, as some the students who presented today clearly have no interest in Advertising, but just took the class as a requirement. As for those who do want to learn about the biz, I may have inadvertently gave them a hint that people in this line of work will have other people telling you that you suck. A lot.

101010 (Not Binary Code)

Had Sunday lunch w/ Dee at Cafe Mediterranean in SM MoA to help pass the time as the 'Rents attended a birthday lunch party at Century Seafood. For the first time I didn't completely finish my moussaka.

Later that evening I ran into Dee's sister Marilyn at Jehan Sia (Li)'s wedding reception at Sofitel (went w/ BoiT and Dionne), seated at the table next to ours. Since Jehan's little brother married my cousin Eliza it was no surprise that the Hao Chins were present, as well.

The newlyweds seemed to have a allotted a significant portion of the wedding budget to photographers. Aside from having 2 shutter-guys (Jervy Santiago among them), the now-obligatory photo booth was replaced by an actual photographer standing by w/ her DSLR camera, while her partner worked on a laptop and portable photo-printer.

Tonight was also the largest gathering of Ad Extremians (aka SJCS Batch 1994) in formal wear since our Senior prom. Tim Yap emceed and did improv for the evening, while Jehan's dad performed w/ his Argentinian Tango dance group, same as last year. I was also surprised to see Joy Lua since I thought had already formally settled in Australia. Also on my list of "Hey, it's you!" sightings: Winston Co, Richard Uy, Jane Kingsu, Ritchie Ang, Peterson Tieng (actually that shouldn't come as a surprise since he officiated the church wedding) and 2 DLSU professors, including Julie Tanada. Unfortunately the other guy's name escape me, although we did recognize each other.

Déjà View

I need to come up w/ new poses...

Missed the Boat

This Saturday was the Galeón Andalucía's (a replica of a 17th century Spanish galleon used during the galleon trade between Manila and Acapulco -- thanks, InterNets) last day docked at Manila's South Harbor, where it arrived October 6 and was open to the public. For its last day visiting hours were only going to be from 8AM to 12 noon, so Lola and I woke up early and arrived at a quarter to eight.

Guess we should've arrived earlier, because the line outside South Harbor was already insanely long. Even as we were able to sneak past the gates (told the guard we had an appointment at the Manila Standard), we only ended up on the tail end of an even longer line, because like us they also decided to check out the boat last-minute like. On the other end of the line was a sign posted on the gate of the registration office that read Please be ready for long lines. Registration is from 9-10:30AM. I thought things were looking bleak, but Lola the optimist wanted to stay on.

(Incidentally that's where I also caught sight of a guy dressed as Abraham Lincoln on 3-wheeled motorized scooter. Boy, the things you find on street corners...)

Around 11AM the combined stifling heat and frustration that the lot of us may be lining up for naught were making some people in line antsy and very vocal about line-cutters. One guy, who wore a ring as a necklace while his curly white chest hair was poking out of his shirt (Lola couldn't stop laughing when I whispered that description of the guy has he walked past us) even grabbed a long piece of wood, presumably to look bad-ass and show line-cutter he means business. Right, like he'd risk assaulting someone and face possible jail time because someone wanted to get on a boat earlier than him.

By 11:45 we had to leave the line because I was due to meet Eileen at Robinson's Ermita in a couple of hours (to watch The Town), my feet were killing me and I wanted to eat lunch first since I only had one tall glass of Ovaltine before I left the house this morning. When we got the gate the crowd outside was even bigger than when we last saw it. Good luck, suckers.

Two meaty meals, Royce chocolate samplings and drinks of Cafe Mocha later Eileen found us at Starbucks. Unfortunately Lola didn't join us for the movie because she was determined to clean up her room today. I'd cross my fingers, but based on her past attempts to get her room-cleaning started I'll just end up w/ sore fingers.

After the movie it was "official:" I've been out of the house all day, but once I got home I showered and changed, preparing to join and drive the 'rents to a Chinese Sweet Sixteen (he's a dude) birthday dinner party in President Tea House in Binondo. And what better way to celebrate your 16-year-old Chinese son becoming a... late teenager than by giving guests boxed bottles of Johnny Walker. My head still hurts from being bombard all night by Chinese KTV.