Outrigging

Taking advantage of the long weekend, I went to Anilao, Batangas to have a couple of dives. My family and I travelled to our favorite dive resort in Anilao, the Outrigger. The high winds made even the ride to the dive site mildly exhilirating. You have to feel even a little excitement if the waves are almost as high as the boat. It wasn’t stormy though, and since the dive site was downwind of a hat-shaped island called Sombrero Is. (the site was named after it!), the wind didn’t really buffet the surface much. Having a slight cold prior to the dives, it was hard for me to equalize, or make the pressure inside my ear the same as the outside. I ended up having my very first nosebleed after surfacing. That afternoon, my cold worsened, and by nighttime I could hardly breathe through my nose. Thankfully the sound of waves collapsing sort-of helped me sleep with my mouth open. The next morning we had a delicious breakfast and headed home. I was asleep most of the way, till we stopped at KFC (their new Krushers drinks are really good). From there on I stayed awake.

Also, I synced my first ever 7k today, running in Ateneo =)

SwitchHard: From Cloth to Silicon

Recently, I acquired my very first running watch, a Nike+ Sportband 2.0! Needing a Nike+ Shoe to store my sensor, I looked for more than a week for a size 7. Almost everywhere we went, the only available shoe in that size, that was Nike+ enabled, was the Alaris. The problem with it, though, is that, when I tried it on, the allowance at the toe area was too great. Knowing, that different shoe styles have different proportions, I kept looking for a 7, with it being the smallest Nike adult size. At the Runnr store in Bonifacio, they had a size 7 Lunarglide, which was perfect for me. When I underwent a Gait Analysis at the store, I saw I noticeable improvement in my pronation, compared to my natural pronation.

NATURAL – 195 degress
WITH LUNARGLIDE – 183 degrees

Unfortunately, it was out of our budget. A trip to Galleria and I find myself buying a Gel 1130. That’s right, Asics! How, then, will we attach the sensor?

After calling a few Apple Stores, we find out that there are units of SwitchEasy, a contraption that connects the sensor to the laces, available in V-Mall. Upon checking them out, though, they turn out to be pink. That night, in order to hold my sensor for a run the next day, the SwitchHard was born.

SwitchHard version 1.0

SwitchHard 1.0
Made of: Cloth Pouch
Attached using: Ziptie
Used for: 8/16 – 8/18
Reason for disuse: Uncomfortable

SwitchHard version 2.0

SwitchHard 2.0
Made of: Black Foam Matting
Attached using: Ziptie
Used for: 8/19 – 8/20
Reason for disuse: Unsightly

SwitchHard version 3.0

SwitchHard 3.0
Made of: Styrofoam and Silicon Cover
Attached using: Clip
Used for: 8/21 – 8/23
Reason for disuse: Silicon cover, containing the sensor, slipped off the clip, and sensor went missing. We were able to find it. =)

SwitchHard version 4.0

SwitchHard 4.0
Made of: Stove-molded hard plastic
Attached using: Clear Ziptie
Used for: 8/24 – Present
Reason for disuse: None.

The Reset Button!

Inspired by I is runner’s comment, I have made the reset button for all to click as much as they want! It will really be fun to see how many times It will be clicked. =)

Remember:

You can click as much as you like.
The names of those who click will not be published, so no need to be shy!
The more clicks it gets, the more my morale will be boosted =)

Where’s the reset button…

I went on a trip, and man, it was fun!
Full of activities; regrets there were none.
Making the most of it ’till it was done.
It was a great summer; no clouds blocked the sun.

But wait, there’s something I seem to forget
Almost like forgetting to feed the pet
Might have left some people sad or upset
‘Cause I owe my readers; words are my debt

Everyday, too tired to try
Climbs into bed, closes each eye
Peers out the window unto the night sky,
But a post in my blog, I forget to supply.

Exhausted from fun, it always seems.
Pushing my body, sometimes to extremes
I fall asleep under many stars’ beams
If only I could post on my blog in my dreams.

Even after I have come back
Soon, my school bag, I begin to pack
But, hey, c’mon, cut me some slack.
Sometimes schoolwork’s enough to make you crack

After a quarter and a maybe a week
In a radio program, I’m asked to speak.
Near the middle, you might call it the peak,
The subject of my blog, into it it leaked.

Writing this poem, in the seventh part,
To explain why me and my blog, for a time were apart
I want to have another go, this time be more smart.
What I’m looking for is a clean, fresh start.

TLC USATrip Winner #1

We have our first winner! After 12 votes, one topic stands supreme, as the first topic to be posted on TLC about my grand trip. The first winner is…..

THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING!!!!

A view of the Empire State Building from the 86th floor Observation Deck

I’m back in Maryland as of now, yet because of a 1 hour delay in our Amtrak ride, I lost the time I needed to post. So once again, I move the official USAT post one day. Sorry! Although, I will release the TLC USATrip Voting Module #2 now, since the first one is officially closed. Don’t forget to vote!

                  As I promised, A Tidbit of My Trip                 

Do I want to go down, or...RIGHT?!?

¨We are currently experiencing technical difficulties…¨

No picture-filled, real post here. Just a notice that I will not be able to post the current top event in USATrip, since the portable laptop I have with me is not capable of adjusting the file size of the raw images, and therefore is not able to upload them. Due to this, The USATrip Voting Module #1 will remain open for another day.

Good morning for you, and good evening for me.

Busy (But Amazing!!) Days

Ok. I´m having a fantastic time right now in New York, New York! I haven´t been posting not because I have no time, but because when I do have the time, I´m so worn out from the day´s activities, I don´t have the energy to post! Supplied with more time on my hands, I´m going to resume posting right now.

There´s just one problem.

Over the weeks, hundreds, maybe thousands of pictures have piled up in my SD card, spread over dozens of topics. To in a way, stagger the posting a bit, I´m implementing a voting system wherein I´ll present the available photo topics in a poll, and you vote for which you want to be presented in the next post. Vote as much as you want (kinda like American Idol), but you can´t view the results until I reveal percentages when the next post comes out. Then, in the next post (which is about the most voted topic in the last post´s poll) there will be a new poll, with added choices for anything that happened between the last post and the current one. So, I present to you the first TLC USATrip Voting Module!

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Before I sign out, I´d like to share with you where future Tidbits Of My Trip, something I´ll add to the end of each USATrip post, will be. It´s just another reason to keep tuned in to TLC!

Where’s the Cat At?

Good morning, all! I’ve just returned from a blogging vacation, and I certainly have a big surprise for you. For more than a month, starting last Saturday, me, the Leaping Cat, will for the first time visit…the United States Of America!

After over a year of grueling preparation, many tiring and restless nights of packing humongous luggage, striving to keep it within a weight restriction, and wondering just what else have we missed, we finally made it to the U.S., staying with our relatives in Maryland. It’s only been two days of the great trip (3 if you count the 20 hours on a plane) and I am already having the time of my life. I’m keeping this short since now, it’s time to just let the pictures speak for themselves.

At the International Spy Museum

An American Breakfast at our Relatives' Home

Soaring Over Detroit, our Port of Entry

Over an Endless Desert of Clouds

Asleep on the Plane

A Chance to Act

We all share the same fresh air, the same blue oceans, the same bountiful land. We all marvel at the same humbling mountains, the same awe-inspiring canyons, the same breathtaking miracle of life. We all live among the same lush forests, the same infinite skies, and under the same life-giving sun.

We all are children of Mother Earth

And as children of Mother Earth, we all share in the responsibility to take care of our one and only home. Among all the 20 million species on our planet, we as humans are the sole species with the ability to actually save our planet, and ourselves. For the first time in history, a global election will take place between global warming and us, the ones capable of saving the Earth. It doesn’t matter what country you’re from, but what planet you’re from.

Many rock-headed people have just shrugged it off, with their “I Don’t Care” attitude, just dismissing the fact that they could lose their ONLY home, and not even give a (insert synonym of poop here). I just hope that these people would just open their eyes a little, and just jump out of their childish “Global Warming is a lie…” and wake up to the reality that we MUST do whatever we can to save our home, our fellow inhabitants, and OURSELVES.

I hope all of you take this chance to participate in this global movement to combat climate change. Take part in Earth Hour, an endeavor where we all switch off our lights during 8:30-9:30 on March 28, 2009. Support Earth. Support us.

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Also view my Earth Hour Page

And Yet Another Form of Michael Jackson

One question. Why does black and white keep on coming to my blog? And this time, my B&W feature is also on music. If anyone’s keeping score, 200 points to those who can get it by the end of this sentence. Yes, this is a video of my recent piano recital! The recital was held in the Abelardo Hall of the UP College of Music. For those interested in my pieces, here they are:

• Sonatina in C, Opus 49, No. 1 ————- Lichner
• Chitchiritchit (Toccatina) —————– Arr. Espino

So, without further ado, my 03/21/09 piano recital!

And lastly, a few notices:

• I changed the theme, again. Welcome to http://theleapingcat.wordpress.com Ver. 4.1!
• And with a new theme comes a new header! This header was actually produced with a little help from my dad (i is runner/dada)! He selected the photo and duplicated, while I shrunk it, made several layers for the gradual blur effect, added some filters and some text, and uploaded it!
  • Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait for me to change themes to change headers!
• A few more topics to cover in the next few days and be ready to read my official TLC Race Report on Conudra!
• Meow!