uGoGirlFriday

I recently noticed a group of teens running around and doing some stunts (sort of). Instead of the usual skaters jumping off their skateboard ramps, members jump, and even spin on and under railings and boxes while running towards their target place. One of them saw me staring at them and ran towards me. He gave me a pamphlet inviting me to their club. It’s a small organization doing running stunts – Parkour. I just laughed when the guy invited me to join; I told him that I wasn’t onto those kinds of sports, although I was fascinated with what they were doing.

Parkour, as explained by Nathan (one of the members) originated from the French. It is considered a form of martial arts which is focused on efficiently moving from one place to another. The methods consist of running through usual obstacles with speed and grace. Agility and balance is very important in this sport as well as dedication and discipline. It is similar to “free running” – an urban acrobatic sport.

Nathan said that we adults tend to forget that we started this running and jumping when we were still kids. This is supposed to be natural for us but since we stopped playing around, our bodies adjusted and got used to slow movement. What he said got me thinking, he has a point. However, because of my busy schedule (and my laziness), I just passed on the opportunity and just enjoyed watching.

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For football (a.k.a. soccer) fanatics, instead of admiring your football gods from one of those wholesale tvs, wouldn’t it be better if you get to see them from the stands and perhaps even get to shake hands with them in person?

I suggest planning a trip to Europe that includes these top three destinations in your itinerary: London, Manchester, and Liverpool. These are the three largest cities for soccer or football which also houses stadiums that are the home of a club or national team with a capacity of 40,000 or more (FYI, 40,000 is the minimum capacity required for a stadium to host FIFA World Cup finals matches). Some of which are Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London (90,000 capacity); Old Trafford (football) in Trafford, Greater Manchester (76,212 capacity); and Anfield Liverpool (45,362 capacity).

It doesn’t matter which hotel you’re staying in. Just make sure to avail of stadium tours from the popular big clubs so you can get a behind the scenes look at the players” changing rooms and the facilities.

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I’m the type of person who cannot handle being idle for a long time. I thrive on diversion - planned or not.

In my 24 years of existence, I have tried a lot of sports and enrolled in some of them. From Kung-fu, Aikido and Kendo, to swimming, basketball, table tennis, track and field, soft ball, and soccer. I”m also into music. I enrolled in two renowned guitar schools, and was taught how to play the drums and piano by my cousins and friends. In fact, I am a member of an all-girl band and my band mates are my sisters. We”re currently inactive as of the moment though.

Aside from those, I seize all opportunity to hop into a new resto, bar, town, or any other nook and cranny that I deem interesting.

Through this blog, I hope I”ll be able to share with you some of my experiences as I jump from one activity into another, in search for THE most appropriate and captivating RnR for me.

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Noted as the “Number One Ski Resort in North America” and the “Best Ski Resort in the World” by prominent ski magazines, Whistler, Canada offers everything that you could possibly want. From a charming alpine village, a fantastic scenery, to wonderful skiing on two magnificent side-by-side mountains (Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains), and great and reasonably-priced Whistler accommodation – that’s Whistler, British Columbia for you.

To cap it off, just this July, Vancouver-Whistler was selected as the host city for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Greatly enthused with all these, I checked some Whistler lodgings and settled with Hearthstone Lodge Penthouse. Based from reviews, with a prime location in the very middle of the Village and with a virtually postcard perfect view, this penthouse truly combines luxury and comfort. Why settle for less when you can have it all, and at a reasonable price at that?

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In 2005, I joined Manila Kendo Club with a mixture of curiosity, apprehension, and excitement. Kendo, a form of Japanese sword fighting, was recommended to me by one of my senseis in Aikido when I was in high school. And the fact that one of my favorite anime characters – Kenshin Himura- is skilled in the art of sword added more appeal to it. Well, there’s also the keiko scene in My Sassy Girl which made me want to have my own bogu (armor) set. I have always known that all forms of sport or activity, especially if it’s a martial art, will require a lot of dedication and patience to master it. But it was only when I joined Kendo that I learned how important patience is. One kendo-ka shared, “Kendo used to be based on actual killing techniques. It was based around the principle of trying to end the fight as quickly as possible. So if you sever the spine, cut off the head, or cut off the wrists, the fight’’s over.”

  To be able to achieve this type of skill, you need to concentrate on physical development, etiquette, mental development, and alertness. Nevertheless, Kendo’s ultimate goal is this: ki-ken-tai-ichi (spirit, sword and body as one). Cutting or slicing with your sword, no matter how efficient you perform it, is mediocre unless you slice and cut with your spirit, sword, and body in harmony with each other. It will take time to attain this level. In fact, even some Kendo practitioners in dan level admit to occasional lapses in achieving this. And this, my friend, is where patience comes in.

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Welcome back to my site! Today, I have decided to show you the wonderful world of the laboratory by showing or explaining one of its equipments. Let’s take the electric hot plate as an example.

If you don’t know what a hot plate is, it is a lab equipment used in heating glassware like the Erlenmeyer’s flask. The electric version is more economical and convenient since it’s pretty much made to be reliable and easy to use (also can reduce a LOT of heating time, if you’re really good at looking for hot plates!).

The laboratory reminds me of the sport, baseball. If you’re the pitcher, you got to throw it right and if you’re the hitter, you got to be able to hit the ball and run to first base without being tagged out to score! If you don’t follow instructions in using equipment or performing an experiment, you’ll end up being a complete disaster (and disaster means NO FUN!). So folks, always read and follow instructions before doing anything in the laboratory!

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Known as the “Magic City”, Miami is located in Southeast Florida. Ranked as U.S.’s #1 Healthiest City by Natural Health Magazine in 2002, Miami caters to action-oriented visitors from around the world with some of the world’’s top golf, tennis and sporting facilities.

Not only that, pristine waters and sun-kissed skies greet you at every turn as you enjoy Miami deep sea fishing or a luxurious dinner cruise on glass-bottom boats or a sailboat charter off the Florida coast. Sounds enticing? Imagine if you reside in one of the Miami luxury Condominiums that are located just minutes away from downtown, South Beach, arts & culture, the airport and so much more!

With a unique River of Grass and the city being the only place in the U.S. with two national parks – Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park* – who wouldn’t want to live in Miami, Florida?

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* Everglades National Park is an untamed ecosystem, while Biscayne National Park is the only living tropical reef within the continental U.S.

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I went to Bulacan last March 4 to get away from my usual house-office routine. I spent two nights and two days at my friend’s house – specifically, in a small, comfortable, modern hut in their garden – to experience a relaxing provincial life. We went swimming, hiking, trekking, biking, duck egg-gathering, and pond-fishing. It was my first time to go fishing. And I was really proud to have caught two Tilapia. I had an easy time catching the first one – I chalked it up as beginner’s luck. The second one was the tough one. It took me around 20 to 30 minutes (considering that it IS just a pond) just to catch it. The second fish I caught was what I deemed as my prized Tilapia because it was a painstaking effort for me to wait for it to bite off my poor, helpless worm-bait. My prized Tilapia was also the one that reminded me of the importance of patience and the priceless reward/s you get out of practicing it. During the 20 to 30-minute wait, I had several attacks of what-the-hell-am-I-stupidly-waiting-for-when-I-can-easily-buy-a-bigger-one-in-the-market. It was a tough battle I almost lost.

“The one great ingredient in successful fly-fishing is patience. The man whose fly is always on the water has the best chance. There is always a chance of a fish or two, no matter how hopeless it looks. You never know what may happen in fly-fishing.”

- Francis Francis

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