Twilight Run: A Freaky/Fun 5K Run

My body from the small of my back to the toes of my feet are still aching from last night’s Freaky 5K Halloween Night Run or was tagged as Twilight Run.  It’s been more than a month since I’ve last joined a Fun Run event and basing from my last month’s record, I was a bit doubtful of my performance.  Basketball season for me is over (in the sense that our team lost in the prelim games) and I’m not getting any practice and exercise.  So getting back to running was an opportunity for me to stay (at the least!) in shape.

The Twilight Run was a fixed 5K Fun Run event and a special 5oom foot race for the kiddies which was Halloween-inspired wherein you dress-up (whether young or old).  It was also a night run (the 2nd night run I’ve been in).  In short, the givens were all to my advantage.  Well… except for the dressing up thing.  And the best part?  All finishers get to receive a medal.

The Event Flyer

After registering a week [or so] before the race, I was all set.  It was my bff Raisa who wasn’t able to register earlier on.  Luckily, they still accepted registrations on the race date.

Evidence!

Pre-Race Activities

Due to a slight drizzle, the event had a little delay.  After all, it wouldn’t be good for the kiddies to go running in the rain.  Parents would have a fit.  So what better way to spend the time to take wacky photos and fun shots.  Since bff brought her handy-dandy camera, off we went (along with a few of her officemates) to take a few snaps of ourselves while waiting.  Observe exhibits below:

bff and me (after getting HER OWN singlet)

Uhh... yeah.. LOL

bff's officemates aka running addicts

Afterwards, the EMCEE’s started announcing reminders, greets, and pre-race instructions.  There were a couple of things that bothered me though.  1. Raffles.  If they planned on stationing their drop box at the baggage counter, they should have placed signages and instructions to their personnel to collect the entries BEFORE or DURING the time that participants were depositing their stuff at the counter.  2. Glow Sticks.  If they planned on handing these out as the runner’s early warning device for safety, organizers could have included these items in the race kit, or while the runners were still loafing around they could’ve announced that participants claim their glow sticks at the BAGGAGE COUNTER in order to avoid congestion at while distributing them.  And 3. Start/Finish Line.  If possible, during their next organized Fun Run event, a Marshall should be stationed at the starting line to inform runners where to face.  Just imagine our preliminary confusion when we started lining up facing East when we should’ve been facing South.  Sheesh!

Well, that’s off my chest.

Before gun start, the EMCEE’s announced that runners will be categorized into 4 kinds of runners.  The Vampires, The Werewolves, The Ghosts, and The Zombies.  The Vampires are those that would finish the race in less than 2o minutes.  The Werewolves – 20 to 25 minutes.  The Ghosts – 25 to 30 minutes.  As for the Zombies – 30 minutes and up.  Well I guess I know where I belong!  LOL.   We also had a “unique” stretching exercise.  Dancing to the beat of Ghostbuster’s TV Theme (my birth theme song! refer to this post here), then to MJ’s Thriller.

Gun fire was at around 5:57pm on my iPod.  I kept on monitoring my pace though.  So after 10 minutes of nonstop running, I could feel the stress on my leg muscles so I slowed it down into a jog-walk for 20 minutes (that made me a Zombie runner by this race’s standards already).  Afterwards, the battery of my iPod died so I ended up using my phone as basis alternating between jogging-walking-running-brisk-walking.  I made a personal record though.  When I could view the finish line, the elapsed time flashing on the screen was 47 minutes and something seconds.  Yes!  A new record!  Pay-off for my sore leg muscles!

A New Record!

Zombies and Proud of it!

My 1st Fun Run Medal!

I LOOOOOVEEE the design of the medal!  Haha!  Ok, I know.  It’s just a medal and everybody got one.  But still!  I got to have one!  A satisfying award for something you’ve put great effort in!  The kid in me still yearns for gold stars too you know.  Haha!

The After Party

Did I mention that there was an after party?  Well if I didn’t you’d still get the FYI from the flyer I posted.

I’m not keen on joining parties.  But I just felt good about the whole event that I wanted to savor the aura.  The weather was getting better as the night kept on.  Just perfect in soothing my aching muscles.  I was looking forward as well to one particular band who was going to perform (the main reason why I wanted to stay because I saw the band as the runners were still gathering).  So rather than my initial plan in going on a mall-walk after the run, I was more eager to go on a music trip instead.  At least I got to sit down!

Items were being raffled off in between the 3 bands playing.  I didn’t get the name of the 1st band though.  The 2nd one was Utopia or Eutopia.  And the 3rd (the one I was eager to catch) – The Baby Boomers Band!

I’ve posted a few video clips at my YouTube Channel of the after party fun for you to catch a glimpse of.  And I’m also posting a few here for all of you.

I’ve always been fascinated with Poi Dancers and the more ostentatious ones – the Fire Dancers.  So just imagine how amazed I was when I saw THESE guys (yes, they’re from Davao) – The Apo Dujali Drum Beaters!  I hope I got their name right!

One word kept popping into my mind.  Hypnotic.  Their movements, the fire, and the chanting was powerful.  I’ve got a few more clips of their presentation here.

And to cap of the night’s festivities, here are the clips I recorded for your entertainment.

Ahh… to be young and have great talent…  I tell you, seeing these guys on stage and feel the raw energy of their music exuding from them, you can’t help not to twist ‘n shout wishing you were 17 again.  They feel their music and project it with their talents.

On a side note: I first saw these guys perform a few months ago in Matina Town Square (MTS) in Taboan.  It was only last night that I got to catch them live in action again.  And as before, they were simply AMAZING.  You couldn’t help but be in awe of their talent.  Really good music and great as performers too!  They remind me of my dad, his band-playing days, his favorite type of music, and the music we used to jam to during Sunday mornings (with Dad covering the tough parts though).

Sorry blog buddies if they’re only clips (and incomplete ones).  I only had a point and shoot camera and I was watching my things and at the same time recording.  Anyway, if you want to catch up on more information with Baby Boomers Band, here’s their Facebook page.  I’ll be looking forward to seeing  more of their gigs soon!

In my book, the Twilight Run was an overall success!  Congratulations to NextLevel Media, Inc. on a job well done.  Till next race!

Movies I Want to Watch IV

After receiving a notification on my Facebook about the current and upcoming movies in one of our malls here, I’m currently drooling over some films that I would LOVE to watch in the big screen.  Mentally counting the money in my wallet and marking off the days in the calendar before the next payday… I’d be über broke by the end of the week.  LOL.

Anyway, I googled a few movie posters for me to stare at and thought I could share it with you.

I.  REAL STEEL

II. PUSS IN BOOTS

III. THE THREE MUSKETEERS (2011)

I’m so excited!  Now, aside from the budget constraints issue, if only I had some company in watching THESE flicks.  Going dutch would be fine, as long as I had someone along.

Being single.  SIGH.

How about you guys?  Any movies you want to watch over the long weekend? 🙂

 

A Tangled Sky Lantern Inspiration

Last night was SUUUUCH a humid night!  While locking up our gate, I couldn’t feel any breeze or gust of wind after noticing that the leaves of the tree across our house didn’t even sway.  Hmm… would have been a perfect night to try sending out a sky lantern.

Say what?

Yup.  A sky lantern.  Ever since I got the chance to watch Disney‘s Tangled, I’ve been hooked with the movie.  I think I’m having a new Disney princess favorite!  Rapunzel’s story seems to grow on me.  So what’s the connection?  For those who saw Tangled, you would know that the sky lantern plays an integral part to the whole story.  Also a touching moment for me too.  For those who haven’t, well I won’t spoil it for you.  But I’m sharing a couple of photos which I googled for you to get the picture.

“I See The Light”

Sky Lantern Festival

Disney’s Tangled Boat Poster

Lanterns

More sky lanterns

Disney's Tangled Boat Poster

Lanterns

"I See The Light"

Sky Lantern Festival

More sky lanterns

Simply magical right?

I’ve spent half of this day looking for DIY guides and “how-to’s” in creating a sky lantern.  But it requires a couple of tools that are currently not within my reach.  And there are no shops here in my hometown that are currently selling any ready-made sky lanterns.  But then again, I’ve always preferred creating things on my own.  I’ll just set a date for making my own then.

At some point, I came across a couple of videos showing how to make your own sky lantern, and another particular video instruction mentioned that before you send off your sky lantern up in the sky, you write down your wish.  Inspiring.  Something I could do with and/for my friends.  Sky lanterns have been dated 2000 years ago in China.  (Correct me if I’m wrong)  Though they were used in sending out messages during the time of war.   And a festival is annually held in a Taiwan for sky lanterns too a few weeks after Chinese New Year.  Now I want to go there!  Even in some weddings, sky lanterns have become an option in celebrating that joyous day.  Check it out here.

Anyway, I’d like to share a couple more posts inspired by Tangled and sky lanterns.  Here’s one, and another, and one more here.

I think I’m tangled (pun intended!) enough for now.  LOL.

One of my NEW dreams?  Making the perfect sky lantern.  A toast to our dreams and having new ones! 🙂

A BFF-ful Weekend Adventure

One of my bff (Toffee) was in town during the last weekend of September.  This vacation was a spur-of-the-moment plan a few months back.  Good thing she was able to get a seat sale from Cebu Pacific.  So did one of her colleagues.

Anyway, a week before her arrival, I was already thinking what our plans would be for bff Rai’s birthday.  But since Rai “initially” planned celebrating her day with her family (since it was a Sunday), I didn’t press the issue anymore.  Instead, we decided to push through with our swimming adventure at Villa de Mercedes with her older sis MM, and first-time-in-Davao visitor Nina.

For a brief overview of my weekend, I’m marking it in days (sharing a few photos as well):

Friday (September 30, 2011)

Aya [Charles] and I was already set to go out with a couple of our workmates for a little RnR and get-together.  Since Toffee was around, I asked her to join us.  The videoke session with the guys was a FUN experience.  Getting to see their more “rowdy” side made it more fun to get to know them altogether.  I was even able to prod one of our officemates (Joy) to catch up with us.  And I made a new discovery!  Joy can sure carry out a tune!.  Note to self: Must volunteer her for the Christmas party program. LOL.

After the 3 or 4 hours of singing, we decided to call it a night (since Aya and I still had an inventory to attend to the next day.  So we said goodbye to our colleagues.  So that left the 3 (aya, achi, and me) of us.  Feeling a bit uppity, I asked them to eat Durian.  (Which I ended up eating all to myself!  Thank you aya for finishing of the LAST fruit for me).

Saturday (October 1, 2011)

Inventory day.  Imagine sleeping only for a couple of hours then waking up to get to the office early.  Lucky for aya, we just had to pick him up along the way to the farm.  Sheesh!  Talk about ZOMBIE-MODE.  LOL.  So off we went to our work.  Good thing we finished early.  I could catch a few Zzz’s before heading off to our basketball game that night.  UNFORTUNATELY, my brain had other plans.  I couldn’t even get a nap.  So instead of sleeping, I decided to meet up with achi instead at the mall.  Figured since she’d be watching my game, better go there together.  And what luck!  Raisa was also coming along.

After purchasing food to eat, we took a taxi to Woodridge so I could prep up.  Along the way, we were finally able to convince the birthday girl to come with us the next day.  Since her family celebration was for lunch, it left plenty of time to spare in the afternoon.  And as an added bonus?  Our godsons got to have permission to come along.  Perfect!

I love having my bffs there during my games.  I get to have a boost of confidence in playing.  Though at times I can’t concentrate.  Too much publicity.  LOL.  But I’m truly happy they’re there.

My AVID fans

Yup! My teammates are guys..

Although we lost.  I’m happy I was able to score a couple of 3 pointers.  (Show-off!)  My lack of sleep was slowly seeping in during the game.  And the lack of players wasn’t helping though.  Anyway, winning (or losing) didn’t matter.  I was just glad I could sweat off a couple of pounds from my system every once in a while.  Here’s to next year’s league! 🙂

Up next, dinner.  Since we all ate a heavy late afternoon snacks, we skipped the dinner plans at Lyndon’s and went off to Barrio Bistro to grab their buy 1 take 1 pizza instead.  If you remember, I posted about Barrio Bistro a few weeks ago.  Check it out here.  So off we went!  We ordered their All Cheese Pizza and another Pizza (I forgot what it was called) and waited for it to be served while catching up with each other’s life.  In addition, we had a small “exchange gift” moment too.

My bffs

Tangled (Our gifts)

Sunday (October 2, 2011):

BFF Raisa’s birthday!!! Villa de Mercedes Swimming day!!!

Being the “planner” of the group, I still had one main problem for our activity.  Transportation.

Just a little sidenote and background about Villa de Mercedes.  VDM is an exclusive subdivision located at Catigan, Toril 585 ft. above sea level.  When I say exclusive, I mean ELITE.  The homeowners don’t just allow walk-in guests and use their clubhouse… particularly their infinity pool.  That’s what discovered upon visiting VDM the first time.  I was looking for a venue for our Christmas party when I remember VDM (courtesy of my former classmate who posted a few of her photos here.  I didn’t get her words then when she said you needed an agent to get in).  So when I was at their coffee shop, the barista explained that you needed to be a homeowner, or invited by one, OR have an agent to “sponsor” your visit.  She then pointed me a brochure postcard indicating their “Agent For the Day” whom I could contact to be invited.

So flash forward. I already coordinated with the agent a few days ago but transportation was a last-minute problem.  So when I informed the agent just to confirm our invite, she called me up to ask for other details.  When we got to the point about the transportation (and lack thereof), she offered to drive my group instead.  Yes!  Problem solved!  After meeting up with my bffs, my godsons, and meeting achi’s officemate Nina, we waited for Ms. Agent to pick us up.

The ride was quite pleasant and Ms. Agent was very open in sharing about Villa de Mercedes.  Acting out as a tour guide, she happily gave information about each subdivision phase, from the main entrance… to the lots… the features… the amenities… and the overall briefing of its “ELITE-ness”.  Impressive!

Finally, we were dropped off at the coffee shop to take a breathtaking view of the pool.  After the final words, we went off to change and finally try out their ionized pool.

[For more information about Villa de Mercedes, I saw this site to share with you.]

Breathtaking. And the view wasn't bad too. LOL

The coffee shop up above..

Bffs and Godsons

Light snacks

Nice

After having our fill of swimming, we were ready to go and have dinner.  Ms. Malou toured as to their “Kubo” area wherein visitors could eat the foods we brought along (since bringing in of foods at the clubhouse and pool area was prohibited).  Good thing our godsons brought snacks for us to share with and munch on.

Happiness!

We did our perfunctory jumpshot (though I only posted mine. LOL)  So Ms. Malou dropped us of at SM.  Achi bought a couple of treats to bring back to Manila which we dropped off at their house then we went to…. LYNDON’S (remember by blog about them here?) with ate MM.

Ready to Order!

Our shared Dinner

Baked Scallops

Can I just say that the reaction of Nina was priceless when she took that first forkful of spareribs!  Utter bliss!

Next stop?  Eating durian! However, we got a BIT sidetracked when we passed by Margie’s Bakeshop and remembered we didn’t have a cake for the birthday girl.  So here it is!

Mini-cake shared by 5 ladies

To cap the day off (well… for me though since the four other girls were going to have a massage after), we went off to FINALLY have our Durian.  Durian is one of the fruit specialties in Davao.  With a smell like hell (so they say.  Personally, I find the smell appetizing) but tastes like heaven.  For Nina, it was a new experience and I was glad we were there to boost her into taking that first bite.

Durian! Arancillo variety

 Well, that’s all I can share for now!  Hope you enjoyed reading!  I’m looking forward to my next adventure. 🙂

Food Trip Saturday: Yallah!

Ok. It’s not really a food trip.  More like, showing my support to the newly-opened diner of my former classmate/running buddy Macks.  Finally, after all the plannings and setbacks, her (hers and her brothers’) diner was open to the public last September 10, 2011.  I got my invite through a personal call from Macks for the free dinner buffet and cash bar.  I promised I’d drop by since I still had basketball that night.

Yallah! Let's Eat

When I arrived, I wasn’t able to catch the dinner buffet, but the place was JAM-PACKED!!!  The music the live band was playing was still blaring from the speakers.  Since I didn’t get to have dinner yet, Macks offered me a piece of shawarma (on a stick) to fill me up.  Seeing my “tired” state, she offered me her “must-try” drink.  The BULLFROG.  After taking a sip did she only tell me what was in it.  Redbull, gin, vodka, and I forgot the last piece.

The Bullfrog

Sad to say though, it didn’t give me the right jolt of energy Macks was talking about when you drink this type of cocktail.  Sorry Sis!  Too tuckered out that time.  Plus, I was feeling a bit out of place since my other batchmates weren’t around to share Macks’ victory.  No one I knew well to talk too (except the host of course!).

Looking to the outside

Looking from the entrance

I haven’t been back there since their opening night.  But I’m looking forward to going back once Macks returns from her out of town trip.  And hopefully, some of our Psych friends would be able to get together there as well.

If you guys are interested in going to Yallah!, they’re located at:

Door 4, Quimpo, Juan Luna Street,Davao City, Philippines

For more photos and information, you can check out their Facebook page here.

 

 

 

Adventures in Mining

As a first project, [Aya] Charles and I went off to our first journey as HR colleagues to our mining areas.  After a few negotiations with our boss and setting up a gameplan (so to speak) for our project, our trip/visit was finally approved.

I scheduled our trip to coincide with the celebration at one mine site (so that food was bountiful… SNEAKY! LOL).  So early morning of September 7, we were on our way to Tagum City (our transfer point for our more “off-road” transportation).  So I’m going to share a few photos I took along the way.

A couple of hours away from the site

Mining Mountains

risky roads...

Our first stop (our host for our overnight stay) was at our processing plant.  We got there around 11:00AM.  So me and Aya started going through the motions of our workplan.  We started out with our orientation, then cascade, a few Q&A moments until we stopped to take our lunch.  Since we were celebrating as well, our host had their share of the lechon (roasted pig).

Lechon!! (Roasted Pig)

After lunch, we continued where we left off.  Then after all that needed to be discussed, we went into a grand tour of the area and it was great to be able to piece together each persons’ functions into the big picture.  It made our project more clear.  Since we were staying for the night at the plant, we took the liberty in heading out (accompanied by one of the big bosses) to one mine site which we passed on the way up.  We didn’t stray too long though since roads were very treacherous and the night was slowly creeping in.  Our designated driver would be having a challenging uphill drive if we stayed out too late.

Mountains by Night

So after returning to our host area, my partner and I went to go exploring around the plant and get the pulse of things as well as go to the departments we didn’t get to go to earlier.  Then dinner came, and Aya and I were gearing for a late night discussion and review preparation.  Aside from that, I also had to prepare a few contracts for new hires.   The mountain atmosphere blanketed us with a steady lull of inactivity.  And the cold mountain breeze was very soothing especially for me – a city slicker.  The cold water was a little too much for me to bear though.  Imagine ICE COLD.  And that was just from the TAP!  I dreading thinking how I’d be able to take a bath the next day since we had to leave early to go to our next site!  Sheesh!

I survived though.  Thankfully, they offered to heat up water for me to mix with the ICE COLD water.  I just had to speed up taking a bath to get it over with.  We left Wendy (since we traveled with one of our office mates who also had an “assignment” to work on at the plant) for the day and told her we’d have her picked up when we reach our last site.  It was quite refreshing not to have her tag along.  At least we’d get to focus on our agenda with the sites we visit.

Aya and I decided to divide and conquer our work activities to finish off early.  Glad we did since our second area had much to cover and a lot of them were raising their concerns too.  Lunchtime came and I got to have a taste of the extract from a sea urchin.  I forgot what it was called but if I remember right, the local term was “swaki“.  A protein-rich serving.

Uhm... What road?

Then finally, a few minutes after having lunch, we proceeded to our final area.  The baby of all mines.  So the same deal, divide and conquer to be able to finish in just a few hours.  We were looking forward to entering the tunnel too.  I’ve gone spelunking once a few years back, but this one was different.  And what’s cool is that (as per the Mining Operations Manager), I’m the first female who has ever been in the deepest mining tunnel (I forgot how many kilometers below level though).

Main line

The main line.  One of the foundations of the tunnel.

Stone's Sweat

Water droplets within the cave.  Too bad my camera couldn’t take great shots.  But if you were there, you’d be amazed by how these droplets are just hanging there.  And with just the right amount of light hitting them, they seem like precious stones peeking through the depths of the earth.

Odd Woman Out. 🙂

Yup! Odd person out!  And loving it! LOL!

Mine Buggy: Madmax

This baby buggy was just fabricated but it packs a wallop in traveling to and from the tunnel.  And it travels around the mountain roads as well!

Birds in Caves

This last photo is one of the amazing things I’ve seen inside a cave.  Birds.  Not just one, but a few couple scattered near the entrance of the cave.  The locals call it “Sayaw-sayaw“.  Sorry I couldn’t find it’s more familiar term though.  If you guys have any idea, It’ll be much appreciated.

It was raining when we finally emerged from the tunnel and since our hosts didn’t find it safe for us to travel still (in retrospect I think it had something to do with security measures as well… to mislead would-be “disturbances”).  So we had dinner at LV, and after our meal we were clear to go.

The return trip was quite long.  Good thing there were no more transfer of transportation but our travel using our “Beijing” was long and tiring.  Five to six hours sitting inside a bumpy revamped military jeep would make you sore in a few places in your body.  But thankfully, the trip back  was uneventful (sans the bumpy ride).  And the  travel to Tagum City then Davao was pretty boring (had to stay awake though to keep the driver company).

All in all, it was a one-of-a-kind work experience.  I would love to travel back there again.  We got to achieve our goal in gathering needed data to continue our review, at least now the names I list down each has a face that goes with it, orientations and cascades conducted were received well, and we’ve established good rapport with the people that I rarely see in the City.

The best part?  Hearing great comments and appreciation that our visit boosted employee morale.

Success!!!

Now on to the nitty-gritty part.  But decision’s not up to me on that part.  I just hope our proposal gets accepted!

Hope you guys enjoyed reading (and looking at the pictures).

Food Trip Saturday: Lyndon’s

It’s been almost a month (or already a month) that I haven’t been posting.  Work has been a primary factor in my “failure” to update, and for the most part, just being plain L-A-Z-Y.

Sad really.

Anyway, this one has been long overdue. 4 weeks to be exact.  Remember the good news I got?  This came along with it.  It was last September 3 that our boss treated us (his staff who were still at the office that Saturday) to dinner at Lyndon’s – World’s Worst Ribs and Awful Chicken.  We were around 14 pax (I think!  I lost count).  My group arrived last and food was already ordered for us.  I haven’t tried eating there so I was itching to get a taste of their food.  I’ve heard a lot of good comments about the place and I was eager to sample their menu.

Lyndon's Banner

Our food finally arrived after 10 – 15 minutes of chatting with each other.  Each one (even our driver) had a plate of their famous “World’s Worst Ribs” – the 55ogram option, a cup of steamed rice, and corn side dish.  A big serving indeed!  That wasn’t all.  Our boss ordered servings of their baked and sauteed scallops, sinigang, panga (tuna jaw.  I forgot it’s English term.  sorry…), and I think another soup which I don’t remember since I didn’t get to taste it anymore.

YUM was an understatement!  The meat was SO tender that it practically falls off from the ribs.  And the taste!  Wow!  Heavenly! Nothing close to their tagline.  You just can’t get over your first bite of it!  And it was when I finished my meal that I realized that the knife they gave us was for butter.  Not for steak.  But it didn’t make eating it any difficult.  Like I said, the meat was SO tender!

My 550 gram spare ribs dinner!

The Sauteed Scallops

Baked Scallops (what was left anyway...)

The "Panga"

It's the fish soup...

We got to meet the owner who was very nice.  But since I was at the far end of our long table, I ended up just getting a glimpse of him.

Lyndon’s have 2 branches in Davao.  One is their first branch located at Roxas St. along Ateneo de Davao University.  The 2nd one (closer to where I live, and where we dined) is at Wheels ‘n More Drive along J.P. Laurel Ave.

Ever since then, I’ve been craving for their ribs from time to time.  And yes, I give in to my cravings.  LOL.

If you guys want to check their Facebook page, click here.