Last year’s Subic International Marathon was a memorable event. Well, for most of my friends who ran the full marathon, it was a nightmare. A pitch dark course and the absence of water welcomed them while running through SCTex. Indeed a memorable event.
Fast forward almost a year later, I chanced upon one of the executives of Subic International Marathon during a meeting. I took the chance to interview Lisa Manuncia, the Admin and Finance Head of SIM, on what awaits runners on the next SIM.
Here are some of the details I was able to squeeze out from here.
- The Subic International Marathon will not be done this year. They decided to move it to January 9, 2011.
- SCTex will not be part of the full marathon route. Details on the race route is still sketchy but it will definitely pass through Remy Fields to Ocean Adventure. Anvaya Cove was even mentioned. Interesting…
- Race organizer was changed to Ex-Tribe. This was a GREAT move!
- Distances: 3k Family run, 5k, 10k, 21k and 42k.
- Chris Sports will be one of their major partners.
- Of course, SMART will still be part of the event.
- Registration sites will be Chris Sports (confirmed) and ROX (not confirmed).
- Participants may opt to have their kits mailed to their homes for a fee.
I’m still waiting for the info on the race fees. I hope it’ll be affordable so that many will be able to join.
(Update on race fees: 10k P500; 21k P750 and 42k P850)
So, are you game on for the 3rd SIM?
The Men’s Health Urbanathlon is one race which hubby & I have been wanting to join every since we started running. Unfortunately, we never got to participate as race kits sell out faster than Go Nuts Donuts during its heydays. We promised ourselves that we will not miss this year’s event.
Then one morning as I was about to start a meeting, an email invite from Georgina delos Reyes of Summit Media arrived. She was inviting me to attend the media conference of the upcoming Men’s Health Urbanathlon. I hurriedly said yes, curious if I would be given a free race kit and just like Cinderella’s Godmother, Georgina asked for my preferred race distance and singlet size. NICE! A free kit! Destiny!
Post-Media Conference
I have to admit that I greatly enjoyed myself during the conference. Mainly due to the following reasons:
1. I was with the company of runner friends who I have not seen for months. It gave me the chance to catch up with them and get back the the motivation to join their training activities.
2. Food was delish. They had salad which is just perfect as I am on a strict 1,600 calories-a-day diet and I’ve already consumed more than 3/4ths.
Balanced meal. No dessert. Yay!
3. The host, Arlo Vicencio, was VERY entertaining. I was laughing my heart out. He started by asking us not to wonder why he sounds like a girl and explaining why he had to take over for his boss who was absent during the conference. Hilarious!
Arlo, the "irregular", female sounding, replacement host Associate Publisher
4. Prizes galore. I don’t expect all organizers to have prizes during each mediacon. I’m a simple gal. Food, company and a well-organized press briefing is good enough for me. I was just happy that everyone went home with a giveaway…and that I won the first raffle prize of the night…an original Avatar DVD! This was raffled by DTI of the night…Georgina 🙂
Who's your Mama?
5. And of course, the free Race Kit! Destiny, I’m telling ya!
About the Event
So the 2010 Men’s Health Urbanathlon will be held on November 7, Sunday at 5:00AM at the Bonifacio Global City (Fort). Start and finish lines will be located at the back of the NBC Tent.
There will be four (4) categories: MEN’S 5K, WOMEN’S 5K, MEN’S 10K, WOMEN’S 10K. As of 11:43am today, October 13, there are only 8 slots for 10k available. Interested? Head on to 360 fitness in Ortigas to grab a 10k kit. Only 10k finishers will have a medal. For 5k runners, head on to ROX to register. Rush, rush as there are limited slots and registration is only until October 26.
Race Fee whether 5k or 10k is P500. A bright yellow (loving it!) shirt, your race bib, drink stubs from Gatorade, food stubs courtesy of Century Tuna, a Men’s Health Magazine with Marc Nelson on the cover (didn’t really care to hear what month it was issued….sigh….he’s HOT) will be included in each kit.
MH Urbanathlon Tee
Back of MHU Tee
Unlike your usual races, you will have to traverse different obstacle courses to get to the finish line. Each obstacle is a challenge of its own. If you can’t finish the obstacle, you may opt to just add penalty time to your total run time.
- WALL – Climb up & go down an 8ft wall. If you opt not to finish it, you will be penalized 15mins on top of your time.
- HURDLES – Jump or go over 3ft hurdles. This is tough for me as the hurdles’ height is more than half my height! Penalty: 5mins
- LOW CRAWL – As the name implies, crawl low. Penalty: 10mins
- SCAFFOLDING MAZE – Go through a maze. Penalty: 10mins
- BALANCE BEAM – Balance your way from one end of a beam to the other end. Penalty: 5mins
- TIRE DUMP – Make your way across/over 200 tires. Penalty: None. No choice. You really have to pass through this obstacle.
After the race, there will be a festival area where you can eat, drink and be merry! Men’s Health will also be launching their Men’s Health Coach bookazine during the event so don’t miss it.
Remember…Rush, rush! ;p See you there!
(Warning: This is a seriously long post. Do not read if easily bored :))
This entry is a month old. Seriously, one month tomorrow 🙂 Fortunately, it was so much fun that I do not have a problem remembering everything that happened. I have planned to join the Disneyland Half Marathon as early as March.
On an impulse, I booked my ticket to take a much-needed break in the US first week of March. My plans were limited to flying from Manila to Vegas on the 2nd of Sept and flying back home from Hawaii on the 26th. I had almost the entire month of September to run any race in the US and Disney Half Marathon was the first race that popped out of my Google search. I alerted Hotlegs runner, Julie Reyes, about the race and she gamely and excitedly agreed to be my Disneyland running princess buddy 🙂
The Disneyland Half Marathon weekend happened on September 4-5 (Sat and Sun). Saturday would hold the kiddie fun run and the Health & Fitness Expo where runners would collect their race kits; check out & shop for new gears and listen to different speakers, which included, one of my idols, Jeff Galloway.
Registration & Packet Pick up
Registration was no-frills as it was made through an online site. Expected time to finish and proof of time were requested for proper corral placement. I realized to my dismay that my arrival in the US via Las Vegas would be on the evening of Sept 2. It means that by the time I get to LA on the 4th, I would still be jet-lagged. It takes me at least five days to adjust whenever I take trips to Europe or the US. I thought to myself, too late to panic now. I just hoped for the best.
Runners were required to attend the expo to pick up their race kits so as soon as I arrived in Orange County, my BFF Charlotte and I dumped by stuff in her apartment, grabbed a quick lunch and headed to Disneyland. The expo was held at the Disneyland Hotel near Downtown Disney.
We met up with Julie and Mike, her fiancé, who at that time was seriously listening to Jeff Galloway talk. After his talk, Julie and I followed him around wanting to get his autograph. We promised Carina and Marga to get them an autograph from Jeff (we’re first name basis after hounding him to get six autographs ;p)
w/ Jeff Galloway
After our Jeff G. encounter, we proceeded to collect our race kits. As expected, the queues weren’t long and the claim process was fast and efficient. The only documents that they required to see were the signed waiver, which stated which corral would you be placed in, and a copy of your ID. The kit contained the race bib, coupons, Disneyland HM handbook and the D-Tag, which will serve as the timing device. We were made to scan the D-Tag and check if the details programmed in it were correct. I was pleasantly surprised to notice that even if the event had twelve thousand over runners, the queues were minimal and the venue was not cramped.
About to get our race kits
The gang and I went back to the main expo to get our tech shirts and to check out the gears being sold. A note to all: when joining a race in the US, expect their sizes to be larger than expected. My medium shirt looked like it was large or XL. Since our Takbo.ph family was not there to create banners for us ( we miss you Mommy Marga!), Julie and I created our own banners. The race organizers provided the materials. Cool huh?!
Lot, Mike & Julie
Me & my self made banner 🙂
After taking some more photos, we hurried out of the expo. Charlotte and I didn’t want to pay for parking after 5pm :p As soon as we got home, we dressed up and left for dinner and a night out with some LA-based friends. We had Japanese fusion sushi rolls (lots of it) for dinner and some (more of a lot) of Yogurt from Yogurtland. Nice. Now I am jet-lagged, I lack sleep, I am unused to the cool weather & so stuffed from dinner. Wonder what happened to me on race day? Take a quick guess.
Race Day
Ready to race!
I had less than 2 hours of sleep. Even with the help of Benedryl, I snoozed soundly for only an hour, tossed and turned the next hour. Deciding that it was useless, I got up at 2am to take a shower, feel and adapt to the cold weather and get some breakfast.
Charlotte took me to Mike and Julie’s place at 4am. We were on our way to the event at 430am. Unfortunately, some roads were already closed when we got to Anaheim so Mike had to drop Julie and I a few blocks from the starting line. A few blocks turned out to be a long walk, maybe 2km worth.
By the time we arrived at our corral, we were all warmed up and raring to go. Starting times were based by corral (every 5mins). Since we were placed in Corral D, we will take off 15 minutes from gun time. When our corral was called, we thought that we would already start so we downed our energy gels to get ready to run. Gel’s kicking in, we were still far from the starting line. Talk about anti-climactic! Finally, it was our turn.
The difficult part when running a well-attended race is weaving through the crowd of runners. It was an added effort to avoid crashing into people who suddenly stop in the middle of the street. This happened to me more than once and at one time, I felt my left knee almost giving way due to my suddenly lateral movement. But once we were running alongside people who were running at the same pace, we were good.
The route took us inside Disney California Adventure where we saw famous Disney characters like Cruela De Vil & Maleficent. Julie was dead set in breaking her PR which would be her sign to join the Las Vegas Rock ‘n Roll Marathon that she didn’t want to stop and take pictures. I, on the other hand, just wanted to finish the race in decent time and if permitted break a sub-2:30. I knew that I didn’t train enough for this but if I can just push myself harder, I knew I would do a sub-2:30, right?
I felt good at the first 7 miles/11.2k. Based on our splits, we finished the initial 10k at 1:06. Not bad. Even better than my Takbo.ph runfest time. The cheering crowds, the different bands and performers kept our energy going which in turn kept us running.
Unfortunately, after the 8th mile, I began to feel uneasy. I was sweating and had chills at the same time. The weather was a windy, cool 17 degrees Celsius. But for me, it felt COLD. My chest felt like it was going to explode that I had to stop and rest. I bid Julie goodbye, told her to go ahead and fell back. I felt dizzy and disoriented. I decided to walk, rest and enjoy the sights. But my rest still didn’t do me good; by the time I reached the entrance of the Angel Stadium, I started to vomit. I vomited mostly water. It dawned on me that I might have drunk too much water having been used to the practice of drinking at each water station available. It sure did help me back home where the climate of course is tropical. Lesson learned.
As soon as we entered Angel Stadium, I felt so much better. Knowing that the finish line is only 6k away was a relief. The Angel Stadium was enormous! They placed a huge LED screen, which showed videos of the runners who passed by. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch myself on the big screen. I did get someone to take my photo. Yahoo!
The last 6k was uneventful. I ran at LSD pace, not wanting to induce any untoward feelings. I already felt guilty exposing my body to tremendous stress while thousands of miles away from home. At the final stretch, I picked up my pace a bit and finish with a Clock Time of 2:54. I was expecting a chip time of 2:39 following the 15mins time difference between Corral A gun time and D gun time. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my chip time was 2:31, only a minute shy from my 2:30 PR.
Post-Race
The after-race activities were, as expected, organized. As soon as I passed the finish line chute, a volunteer handed me a sealed cooling towel, two powerade drinks and a bottled water. There was a short queue before you reach a photo wall where they will take a post race photo of you. After the photo wall was a huge refreshment tent. Inside the tent were tons of bagels, bananas, Clif energy bars, oranges…TONS of it! I didn’t even have enough hands to carry my drinks so I just grabbed a pack of energy bar and left to look for Julie.
I found Julie at the family meet & greet area which was again, organized. It was arranged alphabetically. I felt sad that I had no family to meet me after the race. I was about to wallow in pity when my phone rang. It was my cousin Marie who came to the race to pick me up! I had family to meet after all 🙂
After indulging in the free massage the event offered (yes free massage and the queue was tolerable), Julie and I took numerous photos, ate some of the free food and left for an afternoon of shopping. Yes, I still had the energy to shop even after my ordeal. I guess I wasn’t too tired knowing that Labor day sale was ongoing ;p
Happy finishers! Love, love the huge (and heavy) Medal!
Thanks Mike for being our one and only present supporter 🙂
Photo opp by the stage 🙂
Every race is a learning experience and this is no exception. I learned that when you plan to race in an unfamiliar place with a different climate and time zone, it would be a good idea to do a test run to allow your body to adapt to the environment. Having enough sleep is a must. Allow at least 3-4 days for your body to adjust to a new time zone before race day. Do not go on a binge night before a race. Lastly, listen to your body.
I want to thank my running buddy Julie & her fiance (our lone cheerer) Mike for sharing this experience with me. Next race: NYC Marathon? Special thanks to my good friend Charlotte who picked me up from the airport & drove me to the expo, her hubby Rex who took care of my missing baggage (it went missing for 5 hours…stress!); to my cousin Marie who picked me up after the race; the Recinto family who waited for me by the finish line (even if I wasn’t able to see them, I was touched to know that they were there to cheer me on), my Team CB & Takbo.ph families for the prayers and cheers; Thank you to my hubby, Noy & to our kids, who were in my thoughts while experiencing this magical event (i dedicate this race to you) and to God for looking after me and letting me finish the race in one peace.
I ran in the happiest place on earth and I had an unforgettable experience. Disneyland is a magical place where it is free to dream, hope and live. I dreamed, hoped and lived.
Hubby has wanted to visit Corregidor for the longest time. We never found the time to do it. People take for granted to visit spots and sites closest to them and we are not exceptions. The first time I visited Luneta was six years ago but I made sure I watched Wicked on Broadway & went up the Empire State when I visited NYC a few weeks ago. Whereas my cousins who were born NewYorkers have not watched it a single time nor have they gone up to the Empire State. I can go on & on but i’ll stop lest I bore you.
Going back on topic: Then came the Conquer Corregidor, The 10-Mile Island Challenge last December 6, 2009. Once I heard about it, I immediately wanted to sign up. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. I heard great reviews about the 16k fun run that I vowed to face this challenge if it was to be repeated.
Fortunately, the race organizers heard our pleas and have organized another great Corregidor adventure. In fact, they even went a step further and created a Half-Marathon sequel. Sweet!
Alright!
The test run was done last September 11 (I couldn’t join as I went to the US to run the Disneyland Half Marathon) and from what I heard, it was one helluva course! Expect nothing less from race director, Edward Kho.
But what does one expect from a road race in this historical Island?
1. Endless uphill climbs (well it’s not really endless as there is a finishline waiting ;p)
I have heard that this Island’s hill route is to die for. It is not for the faint of heart and not for sissies.
2. Endless lunch
After burning all those calories conquering the Island’s challenging route, you won’t feel guilty pigging out during lunch. A reminder though, your stomach is not an endless pit.
3. Endless bragging rights
Mckinley Hill in Fort and St Martin Hill are my routes for uphill training. Friends who have joined the Conquer Corregidor 10-miler last year said that both hills are the kiddie version of what Corregidor offered during their run. Nice…
4. Of course, the goodies
- You get a medallion (yes, not a medal) that is worthy of the name INTERNATIONAL. If you do not finish the course but finished at least 10k within the specified cut off (1:45) you get an Achiever’s medal.
CIHM Medallion
- An athlete’s backpack, which is uber cool! You’re only allowed to check-in your stuff using this backpack. This is a common practice in International races wherein organizers will only accept items checked in using the provided bags.
Backpack, Backpack (I'd feel like Dora the Explorer donning this)
- A Race Bib & an RFID Timing Chip
- A personalized Finisher’s Certificate complete with finish time.
- A great quality race shirt
I like!
Roundtrip transport, access to Carbo-loading Bonfire Party (Dec 18, Saturday night) & the Victory Party (Dec 19, Sunday night)
Reminds me of Survivor, the reality show
Still interested? You better be! Check out the details below.
Registration Venue and Period:
all weekends (Saturday and Sunday only) of October and November, subject to slot availability
- RUNNR ( Boni High Street ) Saturday and Sunday, 2pm to 9pm
- Second Wind (Maginhawa) Saturday only, 1pm to 6pm
- Second Wind (Ortigas Home Depo) Saturday only, 1pm to 6pm
- on-line registration facility (for participants residing abroad and outside Metro Manila) will be up on October 9, 2010
Registration fee: P2,500.00 – until October (early registration); P3,000.00 – until November (late registration)
Runners’ Briefing (Dec 4 and 11) at ROX
Race Registration Procedures:
1) After completing registration for the race (manual or on-line), beginning the following Monday, contact Sun Cruises at 8346857/8346858/5275555 loc 4511 0r 4512.
2) Indicate the desired trip schedule:
a) Overnight – departure on Dec 18 @ 8:30am (return trip to Manila is on Dec 19 via 2:30pm trip from Corregidor*)
b) Day trip – departure on Dec 19 @ 5:30am (return trip to Manila is Dec 19 via 5:30pm trip from Corregidor*)
c) Participants with non-competing companions (non-competing companions will have to pay Php2,000.00/person; no race pack will be provided to them) will have to take the Dec 18, 11:30am trip to Corregidor (return trip to Manila is on Dec 20, Monday, via 10:00am trip from Corregidor.
* for “a)” and “b)” indicate if attending the Solidarity & Victory Party on the night of December 19 to amend departure schedule to Monday, Dec 20 via 10:00am trip from Corregidor.
3) If applicable, make accommodations reservation with Sun Cruises (only registered participants will be given reservations). Pay the appropriate accommodations booking amount through the payment mode advised by Sun Cruises.
4) On Dec 4 or 11 (as advised through email and text by the organizers) at ROX, attend the Runners’ Briefing, pick-up the race pack, and claim the Boarding Pass and/or Accommodations Booking ticket from Sun Cruises. Ensure to bring the Acknowledgement Receipt issued during registration. No Acknowledgement Receipt, No Race Pack.
Race Registration Requirements:
1) Properly filled out registration form (may be downloaded by Friday / available at the registration site)
2) Any valid ID (driver’s licence, SSS ID, voter’s ID, postal ID, passport, etc.) indicating date of birth
3) Proof of participation in a 10k race (during the last 2 months prior to registration) or 21k race (during the last 3 months prior to registration), or a full marathon (during the last 6 months prior to registration) or a doctor’s certification of fitness to participate in an athletic event. For proof of race participation, a printout of the particular race result is preferable. In lieu of that, race bib will be accepted but will be subject to verification through the race results available on-line.
4) Applicable registration fee.
So, shall we see each other in Corregidor? I sure hope so. Ciao!
For months I have been contemplating of what to write on my blog. For months, nothing right seems to be coming out. But now, ideas and thoughts just keep on pouring in. Now to organize them, put them into words and start blogging once again 🙂
Like the tides settling before the end of each day, my mind is silent. I have been long delayed in writing experiences in my life for the past few weeks. My mind is blocked from needing to express myself. I hope this is temporary.
One wants what one cannot get immediately. Therefore, I know I will be back on the bloggers path at the right time. When my fingers are quick to articulate my thoughts and place them into digital words, I shall be ready.
I never aimed to join a Milo Marathon event. I know it seems odd but I guess I didn’t imagine myself to be at par with the kind of performer Milo expects from their participants. I guess I still consider myself mediocre when it comes to running which for me, is not too bad. However, I found out the a bunch of my running friends signed up to join either the full or the half marathon and I wanted to be there for them.
Upon the invitation of Carina, I quickly signed up to be part of the Takbo.ph aid station. It will be the first time for me to man a non-moving aid station and I was excited to help my fellow runners. The cutoff for the Milo Pikermi was 2 hours and 30 mins, my personal best, and I felt that it was a challenging time to beat. For the full mary, it was 6 hours. Whew, tough but achievable.
D-Day
We're Ready!
Ice, Ice Baby!
Bananas anyone?
Ready, Engage!
Go Natz!
- Nice legs Prince! ;p
- Itlog ni McCoy ;p
Helping a happy runner 🙂
Bea and the bday girl, Noelle (Kikay Runner)
Rod rushing to look for a medic
We finished our supply just as the last 3 runners passed by our station. We were worried about Jet and a few of our runner friends as we heard from finishers that there was no water available anymore beyond 4kms. McCoy and Cindy then decided to get some supplies from the convenience store and take these to the Jet and Doc Roy while the rest of us drove off the the finish line to await the finishers.
As soon as I saw Jet safely having finished the race, I headed home.
As I write this blog, two weeks after the Milo Marathon, I am struck with sadness knowing that a runner in the person of Remus Fuentes, an IT Professional but more importantly, a father to 2 children, a husband and a son. Hubby, who studied in Lourdes School of Mandaluyong, told me that Remus was a batch lower than him. He ran the 21k Pikermi during the Milo Marathon Elims and he died of heatstroke and dehydration. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. This incident made me realize that one can never be too cautious, never be too prepared. Dehydration is something that can be prevented. Take steps towards protecting yourself from this probably fatal condition.
2. Make sure you train well.
Long distance running is no joke. You are exposing your body to a tremendous amount of stress. Make sure that you train yourself well before joining a competitive race.
3. Have yourself checked before engaging in any sport.
Thank goodness my sister is a doctor. I got this one covered almost immediately before I started running. As mentioned above, you are exposing your body to tremendous stress, your heart is exerting more effort than usual, your lungs have to sustain labored breathing and your brain is engaged almost 100% of the time. Is your body ready for this?
4. Ensure your body has proper nutrition.
Long distance running requires you to tap into emergency energy sources to avoid the pitfalls of dehydration and it provides an instant source of carbohydrates to fuel the energy needed for the event.
5. Listen to your body.
During the run, if you feel dizzy or faint, stop and immediately ask for help. Don’t let pride get in the way of your own safety.
I’m sure that the race organizers did not neglect their duties to keep runners safe. However, I have heard too many horror stories of water stations running out of water that I can’t brush this incident aside.
For other tips on running races safely, check out The Bull Runners blog http://thebullrunner.com/2010/07/07/tips-on-running-races-safely-from-the-experts/. You may want to read what Remus’ father wrote about his son http://www.pinoyfitness.com/2010/07/remus-story-as-told-by-his-father/.
I hope we all learn from this tragic event. Run well, run safe.
President NoyNoy Aquino
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III was inaugurated yesterday as the Philippines’ 15th President. In his speech, he mentioned what his administration will look like. It would be a transparent administration. A government that is for and by the people. He will address corruption, tackle problems on unemployment, poverty and hunger. He wants us to help him build a New Philippines (Bagong Pilipinas).
I agree that our current President needs the help of the Filipino people to raise our country’s quality of life. But what can we do to help our President to save our beloved country?
As an ordinary citizen, I thought of simple things we can do to help our country.
1. Love our country
How do we do this? We should respect the Philippine Flag. When our National Anthem is playing, we should stop everything we’re doing, face the flag (if no flag, imagine one) and sing along. Last night, hubby and I caught a movie on its Last Full Show schedule. It dismayed us to see people chatting, walking around, munching on their food, sitting down while our National Anthem was being played. It seemed that they have lost their respect for their country. Respecting the National Anthem is the most basic way to show our love for country. How can you hope for anything good for the Philippines if the respect isn’t there?
2. Respect other people
As Jesus said, the first commandment is to love God. Next is to love thy neighbor. I do believe in showing your love for other people by respecting them. Filipinos are known to be naturally hospitable. But I always see people being arrogant, obnoxious and plain rude to others.
It’s so sad that some of us feel the need to undermine others just because we feel more superior than them. A classic example, in the grocery while I was lined up at the cashier, my son (Chito) and his nanny were by the vegetable section. Chito loves to play the game, name the vegetables. There was a middle aged lady who was shopping in that area. Chito wanting to pass said excuse me to the lady and tried to pass through together with his nanny. This lady suddenly blurted out “Wag nyo nag ako distorbohin at aka malintikan kayo sa akin”. When my son’s nanny tried to reason out with her apologizing and saying that Chito just wanted to pass, this lady suddenly said “Ahhh…gago kang yaya ka ha! Yaya ka lang, baka gusto mong matamaan?”. Clearly, the lady felt that since she was only dealing with a helper, she could trample on the persona of my son’s nanny. We do not need this kind of negativity. We need to surround ourselves with positivity and to value people around us.
3. Follow traffic rules
Follow rules
Bribery no matter how small is bribery. If you want to cut corruption, you should start with yourself. If you do not want to be in the position of bribing a traffic officer or an MMDA enforcer, do not break traffic rules.
If you happen to find yourself in a situation wherein you broke a traffic rule accidentally, try to talk to the enforcer to explain your side. You would be surprised that most of them would actually give you a break. Promise not to do it again and accept whatever his judgement is.If he let’s you go with just a warning, good for you and commit to yourself not to do it again. If he gives you a ticket, accept it and be on your way, learning your lesson again. If they ask for money, tell them no and just ask for a ticket. Get their names and immediately report them. We do not need people like these in government.
4. Buy local Filipino goods
Buy Pinoy
I don’t understand why we continue to import fresh produce such as garlic, onions and even rice! They are sold in stores even cheaper than our own products. To think we are suppose to have a good agriculture sector! I have to admit that I used to buy garlic from Taiwan. I was ignorant on how buying imported goods can kill our agriculture economy. Ignorance is not an excuse. As soon as I found out, I immediately stopped buying imported fresh produce and proudly shifted to genuinely Filipino items. Even on non-food items such as lotion, bugs spray, lip gloss etc., I shifted to proudly Pinoy made items. An example would be items from Human Nature, a brand from a company called Gandang Kalikasan Inc., a Pro-Philippines, Pro-Poor and Pro-Environment company. They built a company employing Gawad Kalinga residents to grow organic raw materials for their cosmetic products. Their products as affordable, excellent quality, organic and best of all, Pinoy-made. Check them out at http://www.humanheartnature.com.
5. Teach your children to follow your footsteps by following the law and loving their country.
Our children’s the future of our country. We have to teach them the basic foundation to ensure that they too will have a great country to live in.
I can think of other things that I can do but for now, I will start with this simple list.
I’m sure a lot have read about the upcoming Rexona Run 2010 which is slated on August 1, 2010 at the SM Mall of Asia grounds. I missed the press con due to my day job. Missed out on the high-tech registration experience via Apple iPads. Tsk! I’m a sucker for gadgets 🙂
I’m excited about this race as it was organized by RunRio and a new timing “device” will be introduced, the D-Tag. Coach Rio organizes expensive but great races. You get what you pay for 🙂
D-Tag Instructions
Here are the registration details—
Registration Period
June 28 to July 19, 2010
Registration Centers
ROX, Bonifacio High Street and Timex Stores (SM MOA, SM North Edsa, SM Southmall, SM Megamall, Glorietta)
Reg Fees
- 3k – P400
- 5k – P600
- 10k – P600
- 21k – P750
Race kit includes the race bib, singlet, D-tag and a 150ml Rexona Men Sports Defence aerosol.
Rexona Run Flyer
Runners who register early will get the limited ed “Gold” singlet. Late registrants will have to opt for the Green version.
And another plus for registrants, you will get a Runrio membership card which will entitle you to discounts at retail stores and to earn points. How cool is that?
See you all there! Ciao! 🙂
I love beach outings! The sound of the waves, the smell of the sea, the touch of warm sand on your feet, the sight of beautiful sunsets…ahhhh…life.
We recently took a much needed break from the hustle of the city and headed to the beach. Our good friend, MM, invited us for a weekend at a borrowed home in Peninsula de Punta Fuego. A beach weekend was already a great treat, to be able to spend it with your family and close friends in a HUGE beach mansion is icing on the cake.
The house we stayed in had, I believe, 10 bedrooms and 13 toilet & bathrooms. It was a 3-storey house with its very own infinity pool and access to a private beach. The view on the 2nd flr balcony was amazing. Take out the camera!
I knew that every beach vacay was a photo opportunity as well so I brought along my tripod and extra batteries.
Some tips on how to take lovely beach pictures:
1. Bring your camera EVERYWHERE.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of bringing my DSLR everywhere I went for the fear of getting it wet. If you have the budget, invest on water-proof casing for your SLR. It will give you the opportunity to take great shots anywhere, anytime. For the budget-conscious, you may try to purchase an AQUAMATE Universal SLR Camera Waterproof Case http://preview.tinyurl.com/38bfjee. It’s very cost-effective at P399 only.
I missed out on getting a shot at a great sunset because I didn’t have my camera with me. But I was able to take pretty good photos in times when I had it.
2. Do post processing work.
Don’t own a wide angle camera or lens? No problem. I suggest you take side by side photo of a particular landscape, load the photos in your computer and let photoshop help you piece it together to look like it was taken with a wide angle lens.
3. Avoid shooting in AUTO.
In auto function, you are letting the camera decide everything for you, even what object it wants to add focus. I was able to take a vibrant photo of a really beautiful sunset because I avoided the auto function. It allowed me full control of the camera.
4. Take A LOT of pictures.
Try the continuous/multiple shutter option when taking pictures of moving objects eg waves, jump shots etc. You can choose which one is best when you’re doing your post processing work.
5. Children are great subjects. Take photos of them.
I love how kids playing in the beach touches the soul of every viewer. Children really bring out the smile in people.
When taking photos of children, literally go down to their level. Sit or kneel down on the ground.
Spontaneity is key. You want children to look natural.
6. Check the background.
This is my most common mistake. I take pictures without minding the background only to have a tree appear above my subject’s head after taking the picture.
Nice photo ruined by the candleholder cum horns ;p
7. Take a lot of candid shots.
My best shots were always candid ones. I keep an eye for opportunities to catch that candidness that I long for when taking photos of people.
“stolen” photo of M smiling for another camera
8. Look for a focal point.
Look for a point of interest or focal point when taking a photo. It will give the viewer of your picture a place to rest their eye on. Maybe it’s a child playing on the beach, the sun setting, crashing of waves on a rock, a sand castle.
9. B/W or Sepia?
Experiment during post processing turning your photo into sepia or black and white. You might be surprised by the results.
10. Have fun.
Have fun taking pictures (period) ;p
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