February 7, 2018
Hiking Mt. Masungki
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Jam-packed January

January caught me off guard. Once my brain went on vacation in December, it seemed reluctant to come back. Aside from waiting to transition into a new journal that I get as a traditional gift from my sister yearly, I took a breather from being my OC self and figured I’d have time to get my plans all sorted in the new year. I kept saying yes to meetings, parties, and gigs without taking down any dates. When the last holiday ham and rhum cake had been consumed, and the gifts had all been handed out, I knew I could […]
March 9, 2016
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Hello Summer, Goodbye Manila

The late sunrises and cool evenings have come to pass. I don’t know what the weather bureau has to say about it, but I think summer started on Monday. It’s not so much the sun — we have that all year round — but the humidity feels like a sweater I can’t remove. In this heat, all I do is daydream about being by the ocean. There, my body will match the brine, and I will float aimlessly…On Friday, I’m going to visit a friend in Hawai’i. We’ve been planning this trip together for months, listing down all we want […]
February 2, 2016
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Win of the Week: Rope Climb

Made it more than halfway! Photo from my friend Aly (who climbed all the way to the top!) Only on my second day back at CrossFit Greenhills (after a month-long hiatus,) and I conquered the rope! I tried this once late last year, and couldn’t understand the footwork; but took a mental note to pursue it as a new goal. Earlier today, with my Morning Crew, and with the help of “unusually-perky” Coach Stephen, I managed a few squat breaks (will double check this term) and almost made it to the top! I probably could’ve done it, but I belatedly […]
November 8, 2015
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Accepting the “Athlete”

When I think of the word “athlete,” images of Olympic contenders would come to mind: lean, muscular, strong, and determined. I used to love watching all kinds of sports on TV, especially gymnastics, ice skating, tennis, and the NBA. My parents never pushed us girls toward sports, which had always been odd to me, considering how many basketball and tennis trophies my dad brought home and added to his collections stored in cabinets and displayed on our piano. It’s a shame, because I was always full of energy, enjoying physical activities that not many girls in my school could relate […]
October 23, 2015
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Quit the “Versus:” Fitness is Personal

I just read something that left me feeling sore. The head of a particular gym compared his fitness program with CrossFit, in the guise of clarifying certain points on what makes the two different. He might have written this with good intentions; he even peppered his article with apologetic disclaimers, but unfortunately this came off slightly patronizing instead of sincere. While the author tried to be careful with his phrasing, he did not avoid making negative implications regarding the “competing brand.” I’m not against making comparisons, but before anyone does it and posts it on an official website, I think […]
September 10, 2015
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Bars and Bell Peppers

Manila Throwdown started today, as they posted the first team WOD (Workout of the Day) at 12:00 am this morning. I was a reluctant participant, and I’m still not that hot about competing, but I can see what they mean about this being a great opportunity to learn things about myself. Admittedly, it really was fun trying to achieve something with buddies. My team, Children of the Morn, finally got together today for the first time to record our video.  Shoulder to Overhead I managed a 105# squat clean, but failed at 110# In the afternoon, I did another food styling gig with […]
September 7, 2015
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Personal Best

I used to dread Mondays: from being the start of a school week, to the first day of the work week, it was the day that forced me to abruptly shake off the comforts of the weekend. This changed since I started doing CrossFit at CrossFit Greenhills last year, and I’ve actually been looking forward to Mondays, itching to get back in the box (what we call our gym) to workout. I’ve mandated Saturdays and Sundays for muscle recovery, so I’ve noticed that I generally perform better at the start of another week.  Today was one such Monday, and I beat several personal records […]