..the Key ..?

So I haven't written anything for about a month now.  I have lost all passion of updating my blog; lost passion of running.  I mentioned about losing my passion of blogging to sir Wayne when I met him at the Kabahaginan FUNdraising run back in November... by the way, sir Wayne, it was nice meeting you.

So what have I been to since then?  Nothing.  I've gone to sleep.  The question is WHY? Well, that's a question I couldn't find the answer to.  Similar to me stopping from tricking.  I know a backflip is fairly simple-just a jump and a tuck-but somehow I just lost the feeling to even try one.  Well this is after my broken arm. It's past a year now since the insident and almost a year since the cast has been removed.  I haven't been back to tricking full blast since.  Again, the question is WHY?  And again, it's a question a couldn't find an answer to.  I just couldn't get what is so scary about a backflip (there isn't) specially when I got it on my own will.

I don't want to waste my time searching for the answer of why I lost my passion on things.  Not long ago, I was introduced to running and ran in an event almost every month.  I would hit the road with the Ibanrunner and High Altitude or alone.  What was it that drove me?

Recently, I've picked up on parkour training.  It's really hard work but freedom has it's price.  You gotta work hard to be able to move freely- not being bound by any obstacles.  What drove me to pick up on this?  Since I started, it's been hard training - strength training, technical training - sometimes going for a whole 8 hours ending with a sore body.  But was is it that made me go on despite the pain?

The question I wanted to answer was how to get it back?  How do I get back the desire for the things I once desired up to the point of breaking an arm?  How do I once again rekindle the fire that once burned bright?

The key is to have the desire to get back to it.  I know I want to get back to running so that's where it all starts again.  I remember trying to motivate others who lost their motivation to train parkour.  I remember mentioning that this is why parkour is a discipline - because you gotta keep pushing when you feel like giving up; that this was a mental part of parkour training. Now that I am faced by a similar situation from a different perspective, I ought to be able to get myself back on track.

What have I done about it?  When I feel like I need motivation, I go back to the things that started it all.  I watch videos, read testimonies, talk to passionate people, read articles and think.  I just read the blog of Ani de Leon, the first resident Filipino to qualify for and conquer Kona (the ultimate Ironman).  Reading this just sparked my dormant desire for the triathlon.  So long have I been eyeing the Ironman, maybe I won't get there, but the desire to train has returned.

So what now?  I'll get back to training! ...but after my ankle heals.  ^^ I haven't run in a month and two weeks ago, when I decided to run, I sprain my ankle...in a basketball game. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as it could've been it didn't even swell.  But feeling the tear when it happened, I've decided to rest it.  Then last night, I twisted it twice again!! Last in another basketball game! STUPID!!! Now I'm really going to wait for it to heal or it's going to become chronic.

So is there a universal key to RE-motivating? The answer is yes - The WANT to RE-motivate yourself. :)

Koko's Quest: Help Batman Save Gotham City!

Photos with the Dark Knight:
Both Photos taken by Alvin Teng
(Top: left to right) Shin, Ed, Jimmy, me.
(Bottom: left to right) Ed, Jimmy, me, Shin.

Last Sunday, the Cab Crew, as our group is more commonly known, took part in the Koko's Quest: Help Batman Save Gotham City! event. It was an event sponsored by Koko Crunch to promote the new Batman Movie -- The Dark Knight in the Mall of Asia.

Originally, four of us where going to perform. Edmund Solaiman, Shin Siapco, Francis dela Cruz and RJ Almocera. But since Francis and RJ had an exam Sunday, 2pm (2 hours before the performance) in AUP, we switched plans. Carlo Enriquez from Parkour Philippines (PKPH) and I joined in.

We were in Mall of Asia from 0830, met boss Alvin Teng of PKPH who was coordinating our part of the event, had a little briefing and dry runs, and played some Nintendo Wii. "Fly Time" was 4pm. Counting down the hours before then, we went around the mall, visited the Arcade, registered for the TNF100, and went around some more. At lunch, we ate lunch, and went around some more. At 3pm, we went back to the stage area and got ourselves ready for the jump.

Video: Below is a vid of the event. It shows me at the first part (right), followed by Ed on the track (left).

Well, it didn't turn out the way it should have. In short we messed up. The day before, PKPH did the same run successfully. Actually the video above was a false start. We entered when we shouldn't have. We had to exit again since the host, Iya Villania, was up on stage! you could see me exit in the vid. hehe. Was I embarrassed? Well, not as much as I should have been thanks to the organizers who let us wear balaclavas so my face was hidden!! Hey! I had to do the drop twice!!

It was quite an experience. A lot better than the event we did for IMAX for Spiderman 3 although it just took a few minutes. I would like to take this chance to thank Boss Alvin Teng for giving us a shot on this at the same time I would like to express my apologies to PKPH and to Alvin. I know we could have caused some damage to your name and the community in a way, but we would be willing to redeem for it someday.

Photos: Fun in the Mall of Asia

(left) Shin, boxing on the Wii
(right) Ed, watching Shin on a bike in the arcade

Alot of friends were actually in the vicinity at that time. RJ and Franz finished their exams in 15 minutes and tried to catch up but arrived minutes after the event. Red also came with his cam. Grace and John Ragui were also there. And Ayn was somewhere. They were all in the vicinity but weren't able to watch the event but still we were able to meet them after the event.

Oh.. Boss, thanks also for the shoes. I've written in a previous post that my shoes where getting wrecked. Boss Alvin donated me shoes. Thanks alot! :)

..PKPH Dry Run + Habagat 20th Anniversary = a gReaT daY..

May 4, 2008 was a day to remember. With the lots happening this summer, I really didn't expect this day to be what it was -- A GREAT DAY.. This weekend was, in my schedule (our group of friends' schedule), the day we were supposed to trek Mt. Maculot. But because of the PKPH scheduled dry run for their summer class starting on May 11, 2008, we decided to postponed the climb to a later date.

Parkour Philippines (PKPH) Dry Run

The Dry Run was supposed to start at 8am. Meaning we had to leave AIIAS at around 6am. Instead, Red, RJ, Ed & I left at around 0730, Sunday morning. Reaching Ateneo at around 0930, we were really late. We were still able to join Alvin, Tam, & Sandy for the rest of the morning trying out the plan for the summer class.

After that, we had a small jam. It's been a while since we jammed with Alvin & Tam and we had a great time.

After the jam, Alvin Teng offered us a ride to our next stop and lunch. He brought us to Shaw to pick up my Canon PS A620 which was under repair. And since they were on lunch break, boss Alvin took us to lunch. We had a great time together. Discussing plans and recalling experiences. He didn't just bring us to our next stop, though. He also took us to our next next stop. He took us an extra mile. Thanks boss.


Habagat 20th anniversary celebration at ROX

Boss Alvin took us to Recreational Outdoor eXchange (ROX) in Global City. This was the first time that we've ever visited this shop. We didn't know that Habagat, the Philippines' leader in outdoor equipment, was holding their 20th anniversary celebration. We were amazed to see a Venado pack - 17yrs old on display there. And it was still good for use. We got to meet the Habagat staff there. They invited us to a merienda and we got to chat with them about various topics such as the Carera Habagat and their packs themselves. It was quite an awesome experience. RJ was starstruck!!! But how I wish I had a functional camera then. But although I was able to get my cam that day, I forgot the batteries at home.



More pictures of the event could be viewed here: Habagat 20th anniversary celebration at ROX


Some points to share

Going to Manila on May 11, was not as we expected.

- The night before the set day, that was Saturday night, Shin kinda busted his shoulder again which put him out of the plan. It was very disappointing.

- Another thing is that RJ texted late that he didn't have money to spare. Ed & I discussed this case and decided to pitch in for RJ's fare.

- We were in a really tight budget when we went there, and not even planning to have lunch. But thanks to our friend Alvin Teng, it turned out fine.

- We weren't expecting to meet the Habagat staff in ROX that day. If we went any other day, we wouldn't have met them. It was really quite a coincidence.

..iNsiGhTs fR0m mY bRokeN aRm..

How it happened..

It was October 14, 2007 -- A nice Sunday morning. As I usually do on Sundays, I went to AIIAS to train Parkour. Me & my friend RJ got together and trained vaults and catleaps. It was around lunch time when Edmund showed up. We were about to go on a lunch break when I decided to try an acrobatic move I've successfully done 3 times the Friday before. We were on top of a 4' or 41/2' wall between the library and the seminary. I stood at the edge of the wall looking down on the grass below preparing myself. Swung my arms back and bent my knees. Then, I was airborne. The move was an 'exploder' a gainer is the more common term -- a backflip moving forward. It was the longest time in the air I could remember. Then my back hit the ground. Both RJ and Edmund came running. My back hurt from the impact and I didn't really feel anything else. Then Ed mentioned a broken arm. I rolled to my right to get up and saw my right forearm -- it was broken. With some 'basic' first aid, we went to the clinic to get my arm cleaned. And then, my parents drove me to the Manila Adventist Medical Center were they fixed my arm.










Insights from my broken arm
I've been living almost 3 months with a broken right arm. During that time, I've gained some insights & lessons from this incident.

1. Mental preparation is very important

Before I did the move, I was kinda nervous. I know I've done the move before but this time I wasn't sure. When you're not sure about something, better don't. Your everything MUST be united to guarantee success. This could apply to all things.

2. Disability isn't a valid enough reason
Even before the incident, I've committed myself to take responsibility for myself. I've never wanted myself to be a burden. I've accepted whatever happens. I do not blame anyone specially God. Since the incident, I didn't want anyone to pity me.

I have been able to do a lot with my left hand alone & have learned new skills I never thought of before. Here are some.
- Eat with only my left hand (since in the hospital)
- Take a bath
- One hand keyboarding (right after I got out of the hospital, I went back to work)
- Tie my shoe laces
- Play sports (badminton, table tennis, basketball)
- photography (i'm still able to continue my hobby with one hand)
- I've also done some tricks (tricking - this is dangerous)
- cook

In programming, we computer science students have been taught that there are hundreds of solutions to one problem. I'm still leaving my normal life. Except that I'm leaving it differently.

My ultimate goal is to be able to write properly with my left. I've been practicing but my penmanship is still bad. I guess more practice is needed. :P


3. There's a reason God gave two
Although I could live with my left alone. I could help but think, If only I had both hands.

One interesting thing I found out:

While I was taking my first bath, I thought I had everything planned out. Until the time came to soap my left arm and hand. No matter how hard I tried, my left hand just couldn't soap itself!

This could apply to other things too. No matter what you say, there are just things that you couldn't do alone. I've learned to ask for help. People just laugh at me when they see me struggle with something and don't ask for help.

When I drive, I need my sister beside me to shift the gears for me. :)

Thanks to those who've been my 'right hands.'

4. Others do care
This incident caused my parents and that of my friends to be worried. I've been training without even taking into serious notice the 'take care' messages of people. That day I broke my arm, Edmund & RJ were more worried than I was. Ed just kept rubbing my back & RJ was running around frantically trying to find a good splint. While I was in the hospital friends were contacting me and asking how I was.

In parkour, they say that when you jump, you jump alone. No one can help you in midair.. When I get back to training, that won't be my way of thinking anymore. There are others out there who do care & who will be affected by incidents like this. This is an important lesson learned.

To those others: I'm sorry.

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Still, I'm searching for that purpose why God allowed this to happen to me. Maybe it's to learn these important lessons, maybe there is something else. And because God protected me from worse damages, I am thankful.

Hope you've also learn a little something from my incident.