Gimmicks, Karate and Ultimate

This 2nd weekend of August is the most tiring weekend i've had all year. It is also the most enjoyable.

My weekend started on Friday the 10th. I met up with the .. more mature people of Ph-Cyberview and had fun at Serendra and High street at the fort. We were supposed to meet up for coffee but someone (cough coughyvonnecough ) changed venues at the last minute. We ended up starting at this hawaiian restaurant at serendra. Sorry peeps! I cant remember the name. Thats our picture on the right. Yep, thats Mari Caimo with his i-dont-have-to-shave beard.

After dinner, we checked out Marta's Cakes next door. It is a quaint little shop with little chairs. I was wondering about that when we saw that they served cookies that you painted with the different colored icing that were in the tubes on the tables. My next date will end up with a paint your own dessert ;) so sorry ka na lang whoever you are.

We ended the night at Seattle's best. Conversation was superb as you would expect from a bunch of people who thrive in information and discussion. Topics that night include motorcycle-riding tunnel-visioned people, interesting new stuff people are getting themselves into, love-lives and Mari's new look.

SATURDAY

Karate Development Arts and Sports (KDA) invited the 5th dan black belt Joji Mercado from San Francisco ISKF (International Shotokan Karate Federation) to hold a seminar for us. The morning session was for blue belts and below. The afternoon session was for more senior colored belts and the blackbelts. The morning session went well. I helped assist in instructing the little ones and i also took a lot of pictures. We learned quite a bit from Sir Joji.

The afternoon session was ... freaking hard! We got pushed to our limits but im glad that we were able to rise to the occasion. That session was so tough that all i did when i got home was to curl up into a ball and sleep. Of course, that did not mean that we could not take a few pictures after to celebrate. Filipinos are such cam whores :)

My day wasnt over yet. After a short nap and a few pieces of bread, i showered and dressed up for the Tanghalang Ateneo's Applicants Mob-themed Party called VE:NDETTA. As alumni, we deigned not to observe the dress code hehe. Despite the fact that the party is quite wholesome compared to the parties i got accustomed to while i was in TA as an undergrad, this one was quite enjoyable. Booze flowed like water and dancing wildly was the norm. I called it quits at 1am since i was wary of driving home asleep on the wheel. Kudos to the applicants for that rockin party, nice seeing the other alumni again and happy birthday Ricky Abad!

SUNDAY

Mass at 10am at my favorite church started my sunday. Maybe it was because of all the liquor the night before but i thought that the kids were incredibly noisy that morning. Apparently, i wasnt the only one who noticed because the priest made an announcement for the parents to take better care of their kids. A short nap came after and then it was time to go to Ateneo to play Ultimate (frisbee). Being 191 lbs, running is one of the hardest thing to do for me but playing this game made me forget about my knee or fatigue. To the Ultimate fanatics of Ateneo, thank you for letting me play with you and may your disk fly true.

My week ended thusly and thank God for all of it.

Ultimate and shorts

I went to mass early today so I can do a little shopping in Greenhills with a friend. I needed shorts for this afternoon’s Ultimate (Frisbee) game. My shorts were a little old and a little short. Anyway, the mission was accomplished. I got me some shorts, a camera bag for my antique slr (couldn’t pass it up since it was cheap at 79 bucks) and found where to buy bullets for my Super .38.

Right now, my right hand hurts and my left knee is a little scraped but I am sure that I really like Ultimate. I only started last Wednesday at the beginner’s night at Meralco. The guys let me play this afternoon and it was fun. My sides were all stitches but I didn’t care. It beat the heck out of jogging. I don’t know why my right hand hurts though. I don’t remember slipping or getting off balanced. I still have full range of movement and I can still make a fist so I don’t think I will miss karate tomorrow night. Even if I cant move the friggin hand, I have to be at the Dojo at Metro tomorrow because we have an imported 4^th dan blackbelt who will teach us techniques from his club in the states. He happens to be the Technical instructor of the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF). I really cant miss that.

I owe a lot to Cynts for introducing me to the sport of Ultimate. I hope I do her proud by doing well in it. Note to self, get some good knee support to protect your knees. It seems that a lot of the players bust up their knees. Don’t rely on the fact that you got to last 25 years in karate without any knee problems.

(Stupid pair of shorts ripped during the first 10 minutes of playing.I blame my thighs.)

I think i made my body work a little too much today. This morning, i was able to get off my butt, overcome intertia and laziness and worked out at home. I did my usual sets of stuff which was strenuous but even more so because i havent exercised in 2 weeks. I got a little busy and lethargic lately.

Anyway, after that, i went through with meeting Cynts at Meralco field for my first Ultimate (frizbee) session. That darned forehand was really difficult but i got the hang of it after a while. I feel some sore spots on my interphalangeal joints but its ok. I had a lot of fun. The people were very nice and accommodating. Im glad i went. Cynts teaching me the stuff ahead of time helped a lot. She is a very good teacher. At the end of the night, we had a scrimmage (i think thats what it is called if i remember correctly) and i got to intercept a pass from a non-newbie to another non-newbie. Beginnners luck? Maybe. Or perhaps im just too competitive for my own good. Im gonna try this again on sunday at Ateneo. It will be my second session. Hope it doesnt rain because my sneakers will probably cause me to fall on my ass if it does. Not sure yet if im willing to invest in soccer shoes at this point.

After i parked my car, i decided to run the 1.8km back to my place. Im getting better at it. Yes, i stop and speed walk because my sides hurt like someone stabbed me. I was never really a runner. I would rather kick down a wall than run. Maybe my legs werent built for running. Eventually i got home, panting.

Im currently feeling the strain on my shins and knees. Why do i do this? Same reason why a dog licks his ....s, because he can :)