ateneo aquathlon 2010

to those who are interested, visit this website.

http://www.ateneoswimming.com/aquathlon-201/

i'm thinking of joining the aquathlon relay with a friend instead of the aquathlon classic. i don't think i'm fit enough to swim 600 meters and run 5K afterward. it will be suicide.

avilon zoo

two weekends ago, we went to check out avilon zoo in san mateo, rizal. the highlight of the trip was not the zoo itself but my friend's e72. we didn't have any idea on how to get to there, but thanks to e72's gps, we got there without much hassle. now i'm tempted to get one myself. hehe.

the zoo was clean and okay, and the drive was not that bad. for more info, visit their website.

http://www.avilonzoo.com.ph/

on quitting

sometimes we hold on to something for the wrong reasons... it’s like a stock that you don’t wanna let go of, because you think it will pick up again in the market...
but instead it bottoms out.

we grew up in a society that frowns upon quitters. but as we grow old, we realize that quitting is not always bad... quitting is an important life lesson some of us should learn.

thanks to m for this sound advice.

big blue 150 run results

finally found it !!!

5K Run Results
Bib No: 0783
Gun start time: 0:30:50
Rank (Overall): 233 out of 764
Rank (Men Open) 201 out of 503

it's official. the big blue run is my best run.

i guess it's time to move on. 10K baby !!!

see you on feb 7 for the condura run. it seems that everyone i know signed up for this.

2010 spring film festival

mark your calendars. spring film festival is around the corner.

http://www.clickthecity.com/events/details.php?id=7002

Screening schedule per day:

February 3, 2010 (Wednesday)
In Love We Trust 11:35am-1:30pm
Cape No. 7 2:00-4:15
The World 4:45-6:30
Seventeen Years 8:00-9:25 (invitational screening)

February 4, 2010 (Thursday)
Seventeen Years 2:00-3:25
The World 3:55-5:40
Cape No. 7 6:10-8:25
In Love We Trust 8:55-10:50

February 5, 2010 (Friday)
The World 2:00-3:45
In Love We Trust 4:15-6:10
Cape No. 7 6:40-8:55
Seventeen Years 9:25-10:50

February 6, 2010 (Saturday)
Seventeen Years 2:00-3:25
The World 3:55-5:40
In Love We Trust 6:10-8:05
Cape No. 7 8:35-10:50

February 7, 2010 (Sunday)
Seventeen Years 2:00-3:25
Cape No. 7 3:55-6:10
The World 6:40-8:25
In Love We Trust 8:55-10:50

February 8, 2010 (Monday)
The World 2:00-3:45
Seventeen Years 4:15-5:40
In Love We Trust 6:10-8:05
Cape No. 7 8:35-10:50

February 9, 2010 (Tuesday)
Cape No. 7 2:00-4:15
In Love We Trust 4:45-6:40
Seventeen Years 7:10-8:35
The World 9:05-10:50


this would be my first time to attend this. i'm not really fond of chinese cinema but let's see...

big blue run playlist

i still can’t find the official results of the big blue run in the net. it has been two months. anyway, i logged 30 minutes and 30 seconds in my watch. it’s a new PB !!! maybe running with music helped me focus and keep my pace. it was the inaugural run of my new 5th gen nano. hehe.

my playlist

time to pretend – mgmt
young folks – peter bjorn and john
shut up and drive – rihanna
know your enemy – green day
food for the soul - sandwich
sweet disposition – the temper trap
there is light that never goes out – the smiths
you make my dreams – hall & oates
my paper heart – all american rejects

the big blue run was a very well-organized running event. also, a lot of freebies were given out.

kudos to the organizers.

hottest local celebrity of 2009

congrats to heart evangelista for winning gtwm’s chick republic hottest celebrity contest !!!

if i’m to create my own hottest celebrities ranking, it would be as follows.

1) heart evangelista
2) bianca king
3) anne curtis
4) rhian ramos
5) shaina magdayao

i’ve already seen heart, bianca, and anne up close in person. they are smokin’ hot. i’m sure they never fail to turn heads. you’re either bading or literally blind if you don’t instinctively risk breaking your neck when you chance upon them in a mall or bar. hehe.

best films of 2009

i'm planning to start a yearly list of top 5 best films. so for 2009, take note it's not in order, here's my top 5 best films.

1) avatar
this film is basically just fern gully meets pocahontas. but i included this in my list because it’s game-changing. we can’t deny the fact that avatar forever changed the industry. it dazzled the audience with it’s visual wizardly. 3d animation was never this seamless. let’s thank james cameron for giving us a glimpse of the future of cinema.

2) up
the first 10 minutes of the film where no words where uttered was actually enough to put this movie in my list. a fun-filled film with a lot of heart.

3) 500 days of summer
i’m tired of the usual romance bullshit. certainly, it’s time for change... 500 days of summer offers a fresh perspective on the complex dynamics of modern day relationships.

4) the hurt locker
this film is critically acclaimed but flopped in the box office. maybe because of it’s honestly. it’s brutally honest !!! (remember the scene where a young boy’s dead body had to be cut open for the bomb to be retrieved and deactivated) i know it’s downright disgusting... but sometimes we need to see things as they are.

5) inglourious basterds
best movie of quentin since pulp fiction. welcome back. It’s two and a half hours of pure cinematic bliss.


special mention:

coraline – dark tale creatively executed by director henry selick.

gran torino – I was tempted to include this in my list but decided not to because it’s technically a 2008 film. clint eastwood should not stop making movies. At age 80(I think), he still has a lot of juice left in him.

two lovers – joaquin phoenix never fails to impress me. he perfectly portrayed a lonely man desperately in love with the wrong woman.

star trek – the rebirth of the star trek franchise. live long and prosper. hehe.

the hangover - a witty wacky twisted tale of a bachelor's party gone wrong.


on my need to watch list:

a serious man – by the coen brothers. this should be interesting

bright star – jane campion’s latest work

fantastic mr. fox – fantastic reviews for this 2d stop motion animation film

up in the air – george clooney had a great year with two critically acclaimed films in his belt (the other one is fantastic mr. fox)


generally, 2009 is not a good year for movies. because of the economic crunch, major studios were afraid to be adventurous and take risks. oh well, let's see how things will go this year.

hope

there are some things that just happen. and there's nothing you can do about it. you are absolutely powerless, no matter how hard you try.

but they say that when your intention is noble, the universe will conspire to make things happen for you. and it is when you let God lead the way, every unexpected turn or bump on the road has a purpose, and everything that unfolds is either a gift or a miracle.

good night.

franco

watch out for this supergroup. the band is composed of franco reyes, main songwriter and vocalist, gabby alipe from udub on guitars, buwi meneses from parokya ni edgar on bass, 8 Toleran from queso on guitars, and jan jan mendoza from udub on drums!

what do we usually expect from a supergroup??? anything less than awesome is not acceptable right??? after taking their album a spin on my way home this afternoon... my verdict... franco delivers good vibe and awesome rock music. check them out.

my fav blogs of 2009

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goals

goals for 2010. it's easier to keep track of them if i make the list short and precise.

1) maintain my weight at 125 lbs
2) join a half-marathon
3) read at least 12 books
4) see the doctor for a general checkup
5) fish and veggies on weekdays
6) pray the rosary every night

wish me luck guys !!!

bacolod

quick notes from my recent trip to bacolod

- chicken house inasal is the best inasal out there !!!
- felicias is heaven for coffee lovers
- calea's choco ice cream cake turned me into a choco-lover (was never really into chocolates)
- pipeline and ice bar are great for weeknight parties. daming tao on a tuesday night (ilonggos have insatiable appetite for alcohol !!!)
- alboys beats dencios and gerrys
- if you're staying at l fisher, check out the roofdeck/poolside area
- manokan country is a must-try. bacolod is famous for this food strip

bacolod is a place where food is the main attraction. hmmm... maybe i should already book a flight for the mascara festival in october...

thanks walter and kathy !!!

happy new year !!!

my vacation was a blast. see notes below.

1) catch up on sleep
--> i slept close to 12 hours a day !!! beat that !!!

2) get a massage
--> was able to visit the spa twice. thanks mom for the biocare treat.

3) lunch at alavar or maybe zackys (used to be sunburst)
--> was able to have lunch at alavar and zackys. the fried chicken in zackys is not as good as it used to. tsk tsk. the potato salad was really appetizing though. again, thanks mom.

4) dinner at antonios
--> had dinner and drinks with jp and gerald. antonios remains to be our fav inuman destination.

5) start my aquathlon training
--> hmmmm. i tried doing a 600 meter swim at lantaka hotel pool. i was only able to do 200 meters. i don't think i'm ready for aquathlon. i'll definitely drown. haha.

6) join the rexona cup on the 26th and 27th
--> we finished 3rd !!! good enough !!!

7) finish a book
--> was able to finish anansi boys during the 12 day break. i'll never forget spider and fat charlie.

8) watch lots of tv (i rarely watch tv in manila)
--> shame on me... i watched a new cinderella story and step up 2.

9) buy pasalubong
--> was able to do a bit of shopping. apollo baby !!! haha.

10) blog blog blog
--> 5 blog entries ain't bad right?


happy new year everyone !!! looking forward to 2010. it should be a better year...