Raise your kids with a car addiction...they won't have time or money for a drug addiction

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Driving in Manila for Foreigners - Tip #6: Manila drivers drive with the front of their car.

When the average driver anywhere else in the world decides to change lanes, he/she usually will check the sideview mirror or take a peek over their shoulder at the lane next to them to make sure the lane is clear enough for their whole car to fit before merging over to the next lane. Well, that is NOT how people drive in Manila. Drivers here drive with the front half or even front quarter of their car...pretty much from the driver forward. What do I mean by this? Well, when someone wants to change lanes here, they won't check to see if there's enough space for their whole car. They'll instead wedge the front quarter of their car into the other lane, forcing the car in that lane to slow or stop so they can then complete their lane change.

Remember what I said previously about making your own right of way? This is that concept at work. It pretty much works like this...once they get that front quarter of their car in, they've got it. They've MADE the right of way theirs, and it's expected that the other cars will heed this and let them in. Not doing so will likely result in a collision.

So, if you're driving around Manila, keep this in mind. When someone uses this tactic and bullies his way into your lane, don't get mad. Getting mad will just increase your blood pressure, give you gray hairs, and possibly shorten your life expectancy. Remember, that's just how people here drive. Yield and let them in. But revel in the fact that you can use this same tactic to your advantage as well. You can use this to MAKE your right of way just like everyone else does. If you employ it, and employ it well, it definitely will help in getting you around Manila "successfully".

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Driving in Manila for Foreigners - Tip # 5: Forget the concept of having "the right of way".

In most countries, there are existing rules of the road and driving etiquette. For the most part, drivers follow the rules and maintain some semblance of order. This includes the notion of having "the right of way" in certain driving situation when interacting with other drivers on the road. Now, the concept of having "the right of way" is a simple one. For example, at an intersection where there are cars trying to cross, generally the right of way belongs to the vehicle that arrived at the intersection first. Once that car traverses the intersection the right of way then transfers to the car that arrived at the intersection after the first car. Simple, fair and effective.

However, this is Manila; where nothing is simple, fair nor effective. To drive the streets of Manila successfully you'll need to completely throw out the notion of someone having the right of way. There is no right of way here. If you assume that you have the right of way in a given situation where you would have the right of way in a different country, you'll be quickly testing the strength of the bumpers, fenders, or other body panels of your car.

Here in Manila, you make your own right of way. I like to refer to it as imparting your will on other drivers through the calculated use of your vehicle. You don't wait for other people to let you in or allow you to go. You make it so they almost have no choice but to allow you to proceed. How do I mean that? Say you're on a smaller cross street that intersects a larger street and you need to make a left across traffic onto that larger street. If you wait for an opening, or for another driver to let you in you'll be waiting for a long, LONG time. No one here is just going to let you in on their own accord. So, what do you do? Basically, you'll inch your car forward little by little as cars pass until the point where the oncoming car has no choice but to stop and let you go or they risk a collision. Once they stop to let you in, you'll have to do the same to any other lanes of traffic that you need to cross or merge into.

Sounds crazy, right? Well, that's how other people will drive here and this is how you must drive here as well to survive. And despite the perceived chaos and insanity here there actually IS some semblance of order or a "way" that people drive here. Take this exact instance as a good example of this "order" as well. After you "make your right of way" in the above example, the other drivers that have been forced to stop will typically wait and let the cars that may be behind you to go for a bit as well as a kind of "courtesy" instead of bullying back in once you have gone. See, driver's in Manila aren't that cutthroat.

So like I said...do away with the notion of "right of way". Here you have to grab the bull by the horns and make it your right of way. Just remember that other drivers will be trying to do this as well. As long as you keep some balance between your aggressiveness and defensiveness like I mentioned in my previous post, you should be perfectly fine.

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Driving in Manila for Foreigners - Tip #4: Driving in Manila requires BALANCE.

The previous posts in this series have dealt mainly with some pre-requisite information needed to drive here. But now it's time to get down to the nitty gritty of info you'll need to successfully navigate an automobile around the streets of Manila. The first piece of nitty gritty advice I can give you is that successfully driving here requires a delicate balance of driving with extreme offense and extreme defense. The BALANCE is the important part here. Excessive defensiveness and it'll likely take you forever to get anywhere (remember from the first post in this series that my definition of a "successful" drive includes a "minimal amount of time" factor). Excessive offensiveness and you'll likely end up in a test of bumpers with a Passenger Jeepney, or worse...one of the excessive number of huge buses whose drivers wield their people-carrying behemoths as if they were whipping around the city in a small Toyota Vios. Trust me, that is one test that you will fail.

So balance is the key word. With time and experience in Manila you'll learn how to pick and choose your battles. You'll learn when to push and when to back down. You'll learn what you can and can't do. Much of my own personal "education" about driving in Manila came from the first few months after we moved here. During that time, we only had one car so our hired driver would have to drive me to and from work in Makati; about a 30 minute to 1 hour drive each way depending on traffic. Whenever he drove me around, I paid close attention to how he drove and how other people drove to get a feel for what was and wasn't "acceptable" here. To get a feel for what to expect from other drivers, and what other drivers would expect from me.  

In hindsight, our driver at the time was pretty skilled. Unfortunately, he didn't really grasp the idea of balance though. He leaned a little more on the offensive/aggressive side and that eventually resulted in a fender bender with a Mitsubishi Montero Sport. So the moral of the story here is that balance is definitely key. If you can find the happy balance between offensive and defensive driving you'll be well on your way to "successfully" driving in Manila.
 

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Driving in Manila for Foreigners - Tip #3: Know your car & it's capabilities.

In the last installment of this series, I talked about the use of horns and the headlight flash on the streets of Manila. That was pre-requisite knowledge to actually driving here. Well, in this post i'll point out what I think is another pre-requisite to driving successfully in Manila; Having intimate knowledge of your car's dimensions and capabilities. Let me explain.

In Tip #1 of this series, I talked about redefining your definition of "personal space". This is mainly due to the fact that other cars can be mere inches away from one another. This minimum amount of space requires you to have a VERY keen sense of the size of your car, it's turning radius, and what it is capable of. Daily, I witness people that don't have a good grasp of their car's size, etc and they are more timid with their turns and with their decision making when driving their car around Manila. Well, I hate to break it to you bud, but Manila is NOT the place to be timid. They're afraid to finish a turn or make a move because they think they're close to hitting another car when in fact they have plenty of room to do so safely. Instead, they stop and wait for things to clear up or even worse, they try to back up to make more room and further block traffic. What's the net result of this lack of knowledge of their car's size and capabilities? Increased travel time as well as increased traffic which affects everyone.

In addition to just the sheer dimensions of your car, I also mentioned it's capabilities. This includes things like it's turning radius. If you know the turning radius of you car well, you'll know if you can safely clear a turn or not...even with a very small margin for error. This allows you to make the snap judgements that are necessary while driving that will help you get through the horrendous Manila traffic quickly and safely.

Aside from just the front turning radius, a big thing to keep in mind is also the turning radius of the REAR tires of your car. This is a necessity in driving pretty much anywhere in the world, but it is even more important in places like Manila with less margin for error. So keep this in mind: that when you turn your car, the rear tires will naturally take a shallower arch than the front tires. Check out the image to the right. The red line is the path taken by the front tires and the green line is the path taken by the rear tires. It's just the physics of a car that steers from the front wheels. This is also more pronounced the bigger and longer the wheelbase of the car. So, while your front may clear the turn you're trying to make, the rear may not. This is the reason that a lot of people curb their rear wheels when navigating street turns. They are only paying attention to the arch of the front wheels and not the shallower arch that the rear wheels will take. So, this may require you to take a wider, but sharper turn with your front wheels so that the rear clears safely.

So what's the moral of the story here? Know your car and know it WELL. Knowing your car well will go a long way in helping you drive in Manila "successfully". And again, by "successfully" I mean safely, without incident, and in the minimum amount of time possible.

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Chickens certainly DO come home to roost... :)

I've always tried to live my life without regret by doing the things that I enjoyed or wanted to do...most of the time with complete disregard for the risk involved and possible consequences to life and limb, etc. If you ask my Mom, i'm sure she'd describe me as a daredevil from the day I was born. As far back as I can remember, I was an active kid that liked doing "dangerous" stuff. While other kids were content to just swing on a swing set the way it was intended, I was the kid that would swing on the swing set as high as possible and then jump off at the highest point of the swing for the rush I got from falling back to the ground. I was the kid that jumped off the high porch/deck of my parents house holding an umbrella to see if it would slow me down like a parachute (it didn't). I mean...it worked in the cartoons, right?! I was the kid that liked jumping out of our tree house for fun.

Naturally, as I got older that daredevil streak led me to adrenaline sports and activities like snowboarding, downhill mountain biking, bodyboarding, martial arts, paintball, sport bikes, etc. If there was a thrill to be had, I wanted to try it. I was curious about bungee jumping so I tried it (and COMPLETELY freaked out my Mom when I told her I did). I think the only thing that I never got a chance to try (but still totally would if the opportunity presented itself) was sky diving. 

Over the years though, I have definitely paid for that daredevil streak with my body. I've definitely broken my fair share of bones and injured myself many times over the years. In fact, I think i've broken a bone or 2 on every limb of my body at some point in my life. I've broken my right arm, my left shoulder, my left ankle, my right shin bone, and multiple knuckles on both hands (probably more than once)...and that doesn't include the multitude of sprains, strains, and other random injuries i've sustained over the years. Oh, and I even have had abdominal hernia surgery to repair a hernia that was likely the result of crashing my first motorcycle. Through it all though, I never once thought about changing the way I did things. I never once had second thoughts about the things I did....until now. 

At the time, my Mom always expressed her concern. She always told me, "Be Careful, Anak!" and I never gave it much thought. I just brushed it off as the typical "Mommy" worries. I never really thought about what I actually must have put my Mom though with all my daredevil-ing...all the heart-ache and worry that I must have put her through; worrying if i'm going to seriously injure (or even kill) myself while I was out doing the things I liked doing. It must have been torture for her. I'm pretty sure that I was probably the cause for a lot of black hairs on her head to turn grey with worry. Sadly, it's only now that I have kids of my own that I get it. It's only now that I really get the shit I  put my mom through.

Our first kid, our daughter Lucy is pretty "safe". She isn't much of a risk taker. Our son Ollie, on the other hand very much takes after daddy. He's only al little under 3 years old and he already likes jumping off of anything he can. He jumps off our bed, he jumps off our couch. He likes to hurl himself anywhere he can (most of the time leading with his head), and honestly it drives me NUTS. He's already had an incident at pre-school where he was excited to go play, pulled away from his teacher, and wiped out on the stairs smacking his face, causing a deep laceration on his forehead. For that he was awarded with 2 stitches and a scar. 

Adding to this is the fact that he doesn't listen. I can tell him not to jump off of stuff till i'm blue in the face, but it doesn't matter...he'll keep on doing it. But, why would I expect him not to? Did I listen to my Mom when she told me not to jump out of the treehouse? Nope. Did I listen to my Mom when she told me motorcycles were dangerous? Nope. Even after I crashed my first one and almost killed myself, I still bought another one...a bigger, badder, and faster one. So, why would I think my son, who's apparently as hard-headed as me, would be any different? I guess this really IS an example of the chickens coming home to roost. Payback really IS a Bitch. :)

So, in hindsight, I wanted to apologize to my Mom. I am so sorry for everything that I put you though. For the heartache, for the worry. It's only fair that I was destined to have the same happen to me with my own kids. That's the universe's way of teaching me a lesson....one that I won't soon forget. Mom, thank you for putting up with all my s**t all these years. I'm sorry for all the grey hairs and sleepless nights I must have caused you. 

To my wife, Polly...I apologize for dragging you into this with me. I foresee a long road ahead with the little boy, so I apologize now for passing on my stubbornness and pension for danger and adventure. I know in the years to come he'll probably cause us much worry and heartache...much like I did to my Mom, and for that I apologize in advance to you.  Please forgive me. :)

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Driving in Manila for Foreigners - Tip #2: Horns and Highbeams are your Friend.

In most other countries and cities (with the exception of places like New York City), it is generally considered rude to honk your horn excessively at other drivers. Usually the horn is reserved for aggravated drivers, to call your attention to something, or in more extreme driving instances. In Manila, the use of the horn is a regular necessity. I've probably used my horn more in the past year and a half that i've been driving here in Manila than I had in the whole 24+ years I had been driving in the US prior to that. It's worth noting though that the horn here is used in a couple of different ways. 



I mentioned in my previous post in this series that cars here drive mere inches from one another. This gives very little "cushion" around your car, so the horn is often used to tell would be lane interveners, "Hey, i'm here next to you...don't even THINK about coming into my lane." It can also be used to nicely draw the attention of other drivers to your presence in a myriad of other driving situations, like when you see that tricycle about to make a U-turn from the right shoulder, or even that taxi cab or SUV about the make a U-turn from the right shoulder across all lanes of traffic (yes, it happens ALL the time here). In these situations, a nice quick double or triple honk works well to inform them of your presence.



Other instances where the horn is completely acceptable is when taxi cabs and Passenger Jeepneys stop in the middle of the road to pick up or drop-off passengers (probably the cause for a LOT of the traffic problems in Manila). A heavier handed honk lets them know that there are people on the road OTHER than them. Of course, this doesn't mean that they will move any faster or learn anything from it (like pulling over to the side of the road when dropping passengers), but it sure does feel good sometimes. 



Now, let's discuss the use of highbeams here in Manila because it is VERY much different compared to other countries. Misconstruing the "meaning" of the highbeam flash could have catastrophic results, and in a minute you'll see why. 



In the US, we usually flash our highbeams in 2 main situations. The first is when someone else has their highbeams on and they forget to turn them off when you come into their line-of-sight. We'll usually give them a quick highbeam flash to remind them that their highs are on. Out of courtesy, they'll usually realize their mistake and turn off their highbeams. Normal, considerate-of-others kinda behavior. The other common use for the highbeam flash is to concede right of way. For example, you're on a road in traffic and there is an oncoming car with their turn signal on waiting to cross the street to turn. If you're not going anywhere anyway (because of the traffic), you'll signal to that turning car that you are letting them go by giving them a quick highbeam flash. This is usually followed by a "thank you" wave as they proceed with their turn. Basically, the highbeam flash used this way is a signal to other driver's that, "I'm letting you go". This is in stark contrast to how the highbeam flash is used in Manila.



In Manila, the highbeam flash is used mainly to signal the intent to go (or to keep on going). When you flash your highbeams at someone you're telling them, "Hey buddy, I'm here and I'm going!" (if you're waiting to cross the street), or "I'm here and I'm not stopping for you!" (if you're driving down the street and someone else wants to cross into your lane). It's also worth noting that usually both the horn and highbeam flash can be paired together as both an audible and visual warning of intent to go.



So, like I said...highbeams and horns are your friends. Familiarize yourself with their proper(at least for the streets of Manila) usage and meaning, and USE THEM. Just remember, If you're waiting to turn left onto a side street and the Jeepney driver barreling down the opposite lane flashes his highbeams at you, he is NOT letting you go out of courtesy. He's telling you that he IS NOT stopping. Obviously, misconstruing the two could be catastrophic and would result in you NOT getting to your destination without incident and within a reasonable amount of time...

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Driving in Manila for Foreigners - Tip # 1: Forget what you know about "Personal Space"

In the first post of this series I stated that I would be writing tips about driving in Manila "successfully" and gave my definition of what a successful drive in Manila meant to me. Now it's time to get to the nitty gritty. First up is kind of a prerequisite to driving in Manila, and that is your notion of "personal space". Take whatever preconceived notion you have about Personal Space (when it comes to driving at least) and throw it out the window. Your notion of personal space has no bearing on the lawless streets of Manila.

I know drivers in the US very much value their personal space when it comes to driving. We are used to keeping several feet between our car and the next and we expect other driver's to do the same. Good luck with that here because you're lucky if you get several inches. Other drivers will squeeze their cars next to yours within mere inches, and at first it made me a little uncomfortable. Now, I do the same and it allows me to take advantage of driving situations I wouldn't have been able to had I left several feet in between other cars. 

Also, driving closely to other cars also serves another, more important (IMHO) purpose...especially on the streets of Manila. Driving closely to other cars means not leaving space for someone else to "muscle" their way in front of you. Remember what I said about a "successful" drive meaning getting to your destination safely and in a REASONABLE amount of time? Well, if everyone is allowed space to muscle their way in, you'll never get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time. Oh, and it won't be just one person that muscles their way in...once you let one person in, the other cars will pounce on the opportunity like a Lion pouncing on the prey it just happened upon. Before you know it, you've been forced to let 5, 6, or even a whole parade of cars through. Never gonna get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time like that. :)  

So, like I said...take your notion of personal space and toss it out the window. Cars will drive mere inches from the side of your car. You'll be able to look over at the people in the other car and feel like you can practically touch them, or play a game of Patty Cake with them they're so close (unless of course you have ultra dark tint like me and most everyone in Manila). Get used to it. Embrace it. Utilize it. That is what allows you to fit 4 cars wide on a 2 lane road... :)

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Driving In Manila For Foreigners: The series

Manila is known to have some of the most traffic congested and hectic streets in the world. To the outsider looking in, the streets of Manila can definitely look like a lawless free-for-all where everyone does whatever they want, whenever they want with blatant disregard for anyone or anything else. Yes, this is true to an extent, but honestly there IS some order amongst the chaos. There is a "way" that people drive here, and once you get accustomed to how people drive here, and what to expect (and look out for!) it honestly isn't that bad. In fact, in some ways I actually enjoy (and almost prefer) driving here, but more on that later...

Driving a car here is definitely not for the squeamish or faint of heart. So, as a foreigner (I was born and raised in the US) now living and driving myself around Manila daily, I figured I would share some of my experiences and tips for foreigners that may want to brave the streets of Manila. I'll share my thoughts on what I think it takes to "successfully" drive the streets of Manila.

But first, let me define what I mean by "successfully". To some, a "successful" drive in Manila may just mean getting to the destination without incident. Yes, this is a successful drive, but to me a "successful" drive needs another qualifier. To me, a successful drive not only includes getting to the destination without incident, but also getting to that destination in a minimal or reasonable amount of time. It's easy to get to your destination without incident by driving super defensive, but driving super defensive may also mean that everyone and their Lola takes advantage of you and it might take you FOREVER to reach your destination...especially considering the horrendous Manila traffic. 

So, in this series of posts i'll discuss the nuances of driving in Manila. The mindset, the skills, and what to look out for in order to get you around Manila "successfully". Here's the links to the posts in the series:

Driving in Manila for Foreigners - Tip #1: Forget what you know about "personal space"

Driving in Manila for Foreigners - Tip #2: Horns and highbeams are your friend.

Driving In Manila for Foreigners - Tip #3: Know your car & it's capabilities.

Driving in manila for Foreigners - Tip #4: Driving in Manila requires BALANCE.

Driving in manila for Foreigners - Tip #5: Forget the concept of having "the right of way".

Driving in manila for Foreigners - Tip #6: Manila drivers drive with the front of their car.

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You did WHAT?!

When Polly (my wife) and I first announced our decision to uproot our family from SoCal in order to reverse-migrate to Manila, Philippines we were met with a wide range of comments, enthusiasm, and criticism. We got everything from, "Wow…that's AWESOME!" to, "Wow, you guys are so brave!", to "Sounds like an adventure!", to "Why the HELL would you do that?! Most people are trying to get OUT of the Philippines!". Well, for me the choice was rather simple…it really was about trying to offer a better life for our kids.

"What?! A better life for the kids by moving AWAY from the US?! How could that be?!" i'm sure many might be thinking. The ironic thing is, THAT was the exact reason that my parents originally migrated FROM the Philippines TO the United States (despite having NO friends and NO family there) back in the late 1960's…to provide a better life for their (then) unborn children (me and my brother). So, how is it that I could possibly think that I could be offering my kids a "better life" by moving them to a 3rd world country? Well, let me explain.

Most of it has to do with the sad state of the US Economy. Most Americans work day in and day out for someone else's successful company and make just enough to pay the bills...many living paycheck to paycheck. That's OK, when you're young and don't have anyone that depends on you, but when there's family and kids involved it just won't cut it, IMHO. Don't get me wrong though...I'm not saying that money buys happiness. I'm not saying I wanna be Donald Trump, or Bill Gates. I just want the financial freedom to be able to give my kids the life that they deserve.

So, why the Philippines? Well, I've always been Entrepreneurially motivated. I've always felt that the most viable way to build true wealth is to be the OWNER of that successful business...and not "just" an employee. Problem is, the small business world in the US is not necessarily a great place to be. The fact of the matter is that 8 out of 10 small businesses in the US will fail within the first 5 years. That's not very good odds. Even in our neighborhood of Hermosa Beach back in Southern California, I saw it all the time. Small businesses in the area were always popping up, and just as quickly as they popped up, POOF, they'd be gone. Not too promising.

Is the small business failure rate lower in the Philippines than the US? Well, honestly...statistically, I don't know. But the Philippine economy IS actually getting stronger (I dunno if "booming" would be an appropriate term) and I truly feel like there is more opportunity here...especially for small-business minded people like myself. It's definitely not fool-proof but it sure does feel like the small business success rate in the Philippines is higher from the people I have talked to. I sure intend to find out, hopefully to the benefit of our kids.

Are there things that I will and do miss from the US? HELL yes...every F'n day. Are there benefits to living here over living in the US? There are definitely some. Ultimately, will making the move to the Philippines be worth it? I guess only time will tell...

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It's time for a revival of sorts...

Since we moved to Manila about 2 weeks ago, I figured that maybe I should revive this Blog...at the very least to chronicle our move and progress here in the PI so our friends and family can see what's going on out here. I Have been posting short updates on FaceBook, but I really can't put my thoughts down well enough in the short snippets in FB to make it really worthwhile (to me at least). So, you can expect to see a few posts here and there when I can afford the time to write them. Stay tuned...:D

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The road back to the World Championships?

Those that know me usually think of me as a pretty laid-back guy. I'm pretty chill most of the time, but there has also always been a deep-rooted competitive side to me that most people usually don't get to see. Case in point: every "hobby" that I have undertaken, from snowboarding, to paintball, to martial arts has somehow ended up with me in some form of competition. And that's just how I like it.

For me, competition is part of the natural progression of anything you spend a large amount of time doing. Competition lets you know how you stack up against others; how worthwhile your time spent at that hobby has been since I think that you should always strive to be the best you can be in any endeavor. Unfortunately, when it comes to competition in said hobbies i've had varying degrees of success and failure. Out of the "failures", there's only ONE that I have never really been able to let go. There's only ONE that has burrowed itself deep into the back of my brain...that pokes me every once in a while to remind me that it's still there.

Back in the summer of 1998 I made the long, 24hr trip out to the Philippines to fight for Team USA in the WEKAF (World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation) World Championships. Teams from all over the world...Mexico, Australia, India, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and of course the Philippines (it is a Filipino Martial Art afterall), just to name a few, showed up to represent their countries and face each other in full-contact stickfighting...to fight for the title of World Champion. At the time, I had been training in Doce Pares Eskrima for about 4 years and had made that natural (for me at least) progression into competition. I wanted nothing more than to be the best...to be crowned "World Champion". But it just wasn't "in the cards" so to speak. After defeating a BIG guy from Australia, and a fast guy from Manila, I ended up running out of steam and losing in the finals to a fellow Pinoy from the US...landing me in second place. That sucked. I didn't train and then fly all the way to the Philippines for second place. Second place is the FIRST LOSER! Aargh!

That loss and second place finish has haunted me ever since. I went on and continued competing in Eskrima for a few years...even went on to fight in the 2000 World Championships in London, England but never really had the time and dedication needed to properly train in order to actually win that World Championship title. Eventually, life and responsibility took over, Eskrima took a back seat, and it was all just downhill from there. I went from training in Eskrima 5-7 days a week, and spending 3-4 hours a day at the gym to doing practically nothing. Regardless of my level of inactivity, there was always that inkling...that itch to get back into it that just begged to be scratched.

After several years away from Eskrima, and a move to Sunny SoCal, the stars aligned slightly after my long-time friend and fellow Eskrimador Mr. Gary UN-G Gabisan made the move out west as well. His move kinda was the catalyst to continued Eskrima training for me and I started training a little again in 2008 with him, Master Erwin Mosqueda, and the LA Doce Pares crew. I trained a little here and there then fought in a small local WEKAF style tournament here in LA in which I did horribly (in my opinion). The technique was still there...there was just no stamina behind it. I just ran out of gas WAY to quickly to be competitive. How sad...pathetic, really. After that blow to the ego, and a change in jobs, I took some time off from Eskrima again. Of course, the itch still remained and a few months ago when Gary told me there were 2 tournaments coming up...one in Long Beach in August and a bigger, more competitive one in Sacramento in September, I again had to scratch that itch. Funny thing is, apparently the guy that I lost to back in 1998 is going to be at the upcoming tournament in Sacramento. Unfortunately, he teaches now and no longer fights. WTF?! How am I supposed to avenge that loss if he no longer fights?! Call him out? Challenge him? In front of his students? LOL.

So anyway, I made the decision to start training again for these 2 local tournaments, but this time I promised myself i'd try to train with more focused intensity than I did for the last local tournament. I started sparring every Sunday morning at 8AM on the other side of LA. I even upped and joined a gym again, for the first time in almost 5 years so I could lift, swim, and have a controlled place to do my cardio, etc. so I could concentrate on building my stamina. Don't want to prematurely run out of steam this time around. Now, i'm not saying that i'm going to train with the intensity and dedication needed to fight in, and WIN a World Championship, but maybe this will be my one last Hurrah before having to dedicate myself to fatherhood. Maybe this will be my way to prove to myself that, "I still got it". Who knows where it will go from there? Not that i'll have the time or anything like that, but the next WEKAF World Championships ARE next year (2010) in Mexico. Maybe it's not too late for me to clinch that World Champion title afterall...

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RIP to my trusty iPhone...

Alas...my trusty 1st Gen iPhone has finally bit the bullet. It's not completely busted though...there's just about an inch wide section of the screen that no longer works. Well, correction...the display is fine...it's just the touch screen that no longer works in that area. The worst part is that the section of the screen that is now touch challenged just happens to be in a part of the screen that is pretty much needed for just about everything. For example, I can't update ANY of my current apps or download new apps from the App Store. I can select the stuff I want, but when it asks for my iTunes password, the "OK" button just happens to be in the now defunct section of the screen. So, can't complete the transaction. Aargh!!!
I also can't dial phone numbers...especially ones here in LA since 1, 2 and 3 are all in the defunct area of the screen as well. That rules out the ability to dial 310 for the area code. AARGH!!! It's been a good run Mr. 1st Gen...but it's almost time for us to part ways...

Despite the current state, I have to admit that this phone has been pretty damn resilient. I've dropped and banged it around fairly constantly since I first got it....especially since my days are spent in an auto shop with concrete floors. It's been covered in grease and oil and never really skipped a beat. Even had a time where I went to answer my phone, had oil on my hands and when I raised it up to my ear it slipped out, flew about ten feet and smashed onto the aforementioned concrete floor and slid another 10 feet before grinding to a screen-down halt. Went to go pick it up and I was sure it would be somehow unusable after, but to my amazement it got though that incident with nothing more than a good sized dent in the upper right corner (where the initial impact was). Impressive...most impressive.
I guess all the beating that this phone has taken at my hands has finally caught up with it. C'est La vie...

I guess this couldn't come at a better time though, with the new 3G (S) version of the iPhone being released on the 19th. I'm not saying I want it bad enough where I would wait in line for hours for one, but it's still reassuring to know that I can replace it with the latest and greatest. Speaking of latest and greatest, I must admit that the iPhone definitely has me NEEDING another one. I can't imagine replacing it with anything else. Funny thing is, before having the 1st Gen, I was pretty much through with having the "latest and greatest"....didn't really care about having a high-tech phone. If it weren't for the fact that my bro bought me one as a B-day gift (Thanks again, Kuya!), I honestly probably never would have gotten one. I just didn't feel the need. But now...having had the 1st Gen for 2 years, I don't think I could now live WITHOUT one.
So, farewell my trusty 1st Gen friend....i'll miss you, but hopefully will enjoy the company of your new and improved sibling...=D

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The Morning After...

The speeches made last night, both by President Elect Barak Obama and by Senator John McCain left me feeling hopeful for the country that we call home. However, the more that I think about it, the more that one part of McCain's speech bothers me.

McCain made a point to say that Obama's election as President is a great achievement for African-Americans. WTF? It's not just a great achievement for African-Americans. It's a great achievement for ALL Americans! While the robes and hoods may have been turned in for suits and ties, Obama getting elected proves that we, as a country have come a long way. The American people have come a long way.

Honestly, when this whole election began, as much as I thought it would be great to see Obama as president, I didn't think the country was ready. Racism is so deep rooted in many people's psyches that I didn't think that i'd see a black president in my lifetime. I thought that i'd see a white woman as president long before i'd see a black president. Wow. I'm glad that the American People have proved me wrong. And to that, I applaud you. I applaud us all. Again, I say, I have never felt prouder to be an American. Rock on!

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Ooh...Say...Can...you...SEEEE!!!

Wow. I've never felt so proud to be an American. The election of the first African-American president really is a historic, monumental occasion! While there is still a LOOONG way to go, this historic event fills me with such hope for the future of this great nation!

To top it off, McCain's concession speech IMHO has been his best speech yet. Had the man that made that speech been the one that ran his campaign, he might have pulled it off and won. However, he lost and lost very graciously...there can be no shame whatsoever in that. In fact, his concession speech has gained him a new-found respect from me. While the boos from his supporters in regard to President Obama and Vice-president Biden are a shameful refection of the American people, McCain's pleas to his supporters to now support, as he will, our new president gave me hope for a stronger, better America...one that we can all be proud of. Let's hope that tonight's historic events are the start of a new chapter in the history of this great nation that we call home.

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Happy 1st Birfday Ian!

Today is officially Ian's first Birthday. We, however, celebrated it yesterday with him for "convenience" sake. It was a day of fun in the sun, water fountains, food (of course!) and cake. Can't forget the (mini)Cake! He even got to do as he pleased with said mini-cake (which was REALLY good BTW, sherpa!) Unfortunately however, that mostly entailed a lot of mashing and smashing and not so much eating. Oh well, there's always next year Ian!

The day also gave me a little bit of time to play some more with the new camera and try to dig up the old photographer in me(trying to convince myself that I didn't take 4 years of photography in high school for nothing, dammit!). There's definitely much to re-learn and learn in the Digital Photography world! Anyway, here's some of my favorites of Ian from the day (some are also from the other weekend when Beefcake and The German were here). Happy 1st Birthday Ian!

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Europe '08. First stop...The Netherlands...

Or more specifically...Amsterdam.
Yes, Amsterdam...home of the imfamous Coffee Shops and the Red Light District. P has some old college friends that live in Amsterdam so we thought we'd make a stop there on the first leg of our "European Vacation". Spent a day and a half there and fit in as much as we could in the little bit of time we had. However, the whole time we were there, all I could hear in the bak of my head was, "I am from HOLLAND! Ishn't that veird?" or "Yesh, yesh...it's toight, Yesh." (alla Gold Member). Anyway, here's some random images from Amsterdam...

This looked to be a church kinda across the street from the central train station that we arrived in. Don't know it's name...just felt like taking a pic because I love how old things here in Europe look. Makes you realize how young the US is in relation to other parts of the world...








Had seen it in the movies, but never realized just how prominent the bicycle was as a mode of trasportation in Amsterdam. Can't really see it too well from the pic, but that's a 2 story parking garage...just for bicycles. And it was jam packed with bikes just crammed into every available inch. I should have taken a pic from the side as well though...so you could see the depth of the structure. That's a LOT of bikes...


We came across this cotton candy stand that had the LARGEST bags of cotton candy I Had ever seen. Of course, A and I just had to get some. This is a pic of P holding both A & I's cotton candy. Strangely enough, the cotton candy wasn't flavored like the blue and pink cotton candy here in the US. It just tasted like straight sugar with no flavoring. *shrug* It was still good though...


Here's one of the imfamous Coffee Shops of Amsterdam. It's funny to go into these places ad they always have pics of the celebrities that have visited their establishments. Of course, you'd see the people you'd expect to see...Snoop Dogg, various rappers, etc. But there were several faces on those boards that I was surprised to see...different actors, etc. What an interesting world...



Aaahhh...only in the Red Light District ca you find the "Porno Supermarket". Nice. It's interesting how touristy the area is though. Lots of families pushing their kids in strollers next to and through the sex shops, etc. So interesting to see how different cultures view porn and erotica...







We met up with P's friends at Odeon for a nice dinner. Afterwards, we took a really nice walking tour of Amsterdam. The weather was cool and beautiful...perfect for a nice walk. It's amazing how peaceful the neighborhoods are at night. This is a pic of the "Skinny" bridge. Not so aptly named because the bridge itself is pretty wide. "Ish zat Veird?" Anyway, Amsterdam was a great start to our "European Tour". Next stop...Barcelona...

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The Motorcycle Diaries...

A recent post from my friend Slowburn has stirred some of my deep-rooted thoughts regarding motorcycles. I've been a long time motorcycle enthusiast (bought my first motorcycle, a 1990 Yamaha FZR400, back in '94) that has, for one reason or another, been forced to put those motorcycle desires on the backburner for a long time (haven't owned one since '98)...possibly for good. Of course, this has mainly been due to the "responsibility" of getting older and having other people that rely on you or that might rely on you in the future (wives, kids, dogs, etc.). Life was different when I was only responsible for my own "existence"...not the life and livelyhood of others. But times change, people get older, and responsibility to others comes with the territory. That's just the progression of life.

If you've ever been a motorcycle enthusiast, you know that those desires to go out and ride, no matter how long you've been "away" for, will never completely leave you. While we may choose to "do the right thing" for our families and for our future, the itch to experience the open road in a way that only a motorcycle can provide is like a bad case of herpes...it sticks with you for life. It never wanes...never goes away. Of course, that is only exacerbated by seeing other people, on a daily basis scratching that same itch...riding their motorcycles of all shapes, styles and sizes around enjoying the weather and living life. Not to mention that here in LA, splitting lanes is legal and riding a motorcycle can usually quarter your commuting time through LA's insanely unpredictable traffic.

Of course, my parents have never supported my liking for motor vehicles of the 2-wheeled variety...obviously due to the danger involved. In fact, they think it's downright ludicrous...especially considering that I lost one of my best friends in '91 to a hit and run motorcycle accident and that I myself took a pretty bad spill on my first motorcycle back in '94. But that was when I was young, inexperienced, and stupid. It was a cold day in November (Thanksgiving morning actually) and I was riding more aggressively than my cold tires were realistically capable of handling. I went into the turn on a highway off-ramp too hot (fast) and made a crucial, newbie mistake. I had the bike at full lean when I realized I was going too fast and I decided to tap the brake mid turn. Big mistake. The second my finger touched the brake lever the front tire lost traction and I hit the pavement travelling in excess of 80+ MPH. I slid for a good 60 feet, skimmed off of a guardrail with my lower back, and slid probably another 50 feet or so before grinding to a halt. Luckily for me, I walked away from the incident with nothing more than a damaged bike, a bruised ego, and a bruise on my lower back the size of Texas. After this little setback, I gave myself some time to recover, licked my wounds, and later bought a new, bigger, motorcycle - A 1995 Kawasaki ZX-7. Of course, the second time around, I was smarter and more cautious. Pain is a good teacher.

I rode that ZX-7 uneventfully for a few years before selling it and haven't bought another bike since. But the desire to buy another one has never gone away. It's like a thorn in my side that gets poked at every time I see other people out riding. It's like that fly the buzzes around your head that you swat at, but never goes away. And it'll be there probably till i'm old and decrepit.

Both of my bikes were made by Japanese manufacturers but my deepest motorcycle desire was for an Italian made bike. One made by Ducati. My dream bike back then was a Yellow Ducati 996 like the one pictured. In my opinion, it's one of the sexiest looking bikes ever built and has been the object of my affection for years. However, these days my desires have shifted a bit. While I would still love to have a 996, i've also come to love the "naked" bikes like the Ducati Monster. It's a little simpler and more understated, yet can provide similar performance as the all-out sportbikes like the 996. Something like that would probably suit me better now, in my older years....not that i'm planning on buying one or anything.

I've also, over the years, grown an appreciation for motorcycle customization and "choppers". Some of the bikes built by people like Jesse James and the modern crop of custom bike builders never cease to amaze me. I've always thought it would be kinda cool to build a chopper of my own and a few years ago a crazy little idea popped into my head. Wouldn't it be cool to combine the two? To build a customized "chopper" out of an italian bike like the Ducati Monster. Now there's a crazy idea! I envisioned a lowered rear suspension so that the rear tire tucks close to the rear seat and fender area. Then increase the head tube angle to increase the rake of the front forks to match the height of the rear suspension. It would be low and mean looking, yet still have near-superbike performance. That's been on the "If ever I had the time and spare $$$" list of things to build for a long time. Anyway, I recently got a little curious and decided to do a little photo chop work in Photoshop...just to see what it'd actually look like. Took that photo from above of the Monster and altered it a little using my rudimentary photoshop skills. Here's the finished product...what I like to call, "The Ducati Monsrocity":



So what do you think? I think it turned out pretty cool looking. Yeah, many Ducati fans would probably think it's a bit of an abomination (hence the name I gave it), but I think it looks pretty badass. It's a Ducati with a little more attitude. I'd love to go and cruise the streets of LA on a beautiful Sunday afternoon on this thing. Or better yet, take a cruise up PCH by the beach. Aaahhhh...if only I had the time and $$$ to build toys like this. Oh well...I can dream, can't I?

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Whew...

Guess some hard work does pay off afterall. After this past weekend's overeating, I was determined to at least keep myself in the Fat War running. So, it was back to watching what and how much I ate and trying to make sure I run as much as possible at work. Between that, my bodyboarding session on Sunday, last nights late night running session and the fact that it was hot as balls here i've managed to get my weight back on track. Just weighed myself and i'm down to 184lbs. Not quite at 183 where I was before this past weekend's slip up, but close. So that puts my TFL at 1.13 for this week (this is week 5, right?). Whew...

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Damn you Fat War...I say DAMN YOU!

Ever since I decided to join Blue Ryder and our other friends in her Fat War, i've been encouraged to change my diet a little for the better. I haven't done any drastic changes, mind you, but small [IMHO] important ones. Changes that, through my many years of cyclical weight for competitive Eskrima (Filipino Martial Arts), have proven to me to make the most difference for "weight loss" and athletic performance purposes. What kinds of changes you may ask? Well, during the week, i've basically trimmed down my portion size and cut down my carb intake. I still eat foods that I like to eat, stuff that inspires me...I just try to have some self control and don't eat as much of it as I usually do (and those of you that know me, know I like to EAT). I do however save the weekends for more liberated eating...

I'm a strong believer in positive reinforcement through reward...especially when it comes to personal health and weight, etc. and especially for a foodie like myself. So, on the weekends I eat more liberally as a "reward" for a week well done. It gives my body (and that insatiable inner foodie) the motivation to trudge forward. It feeds my soul, keeps me going, and keeps me sane. Now, I don't usually go overboard on the weekends either. While I eat more liberally than I do during the week, I still try to maintain some modicum of self control. Unfortunately for me (and fortunately for my "competition"), that didn't apply this weekend. For reasons unbeknownst to me, on friday after I came home from work I had a moment of weakness (well, honestly it was more than just a moment). I just felt like being bad and having a "good" hearty meal. So, P and I trekked over to Gardena to Bruddah's.

Bruddah's is a Hawaiian Plate Lunch place that is reminiscent of the authentic plate lunch joints on Oahu. It's small, simple, and usually filled with "local people"...Hawaiians now residing in LA. And the food is GOOD. So good that Bruddah's has been touted by many as the Best Hawaiian Food in LA. I haven't eaten at all of the Plate Lunch places here in LA (Yet!) but I don't doubt it. I'd say it's just about as good as many of the joints i've eaten at over in Da Islands.

Of course, I ordered the Loco Moco. 2 hamburger patties over white rice slathered with brown mushroom gravy topped with 2 over easy eggs. Add some Tabasco sauce and Aloha Shoyu and it's Plate Lunch Perfection!. Oh, and these are no run-of-the-mill, bought in the frozen food section of the local supermarket, burger patties either. They look and taste like home made burger patties. Mmmm. Of course, in my "moment" of weakness I ate the whole damn plate...rice and all. So much for cutting down on carbs.

P ordered the Braised Short Ribs which is a special only offered on Tuesdays and Fridays. This damn dish is the devil. It's worth it to plan specific trips to Bruddah's on Tuesday's and Friday's just so you can have this dish. The meat is so tender that it's easily separated from the bone with a fork (in my case a ford & spoon) and the sauce/gravy is savory and full of tasty beef flavor. Of course, not only did I finish my Loco Moco, I also had several bites of P's Braised Short Ribs. Not to mention that I ate her leftovers later on that night. Yeah, it was a BAD eating night.

And it didn't stop there. Today, we attended a co-ed baby shower in Glendale with The Sherpa, The Mench, and Mini-Mench. I had a plate of Fried Rice, Lo Mein, and Pad Thai with a side of Tofu and Chicken Penang. I also finished what was left on the plate that P and The Sherp shared. Another carb-heavy meal. Damn. Afterwards, since we were already in Glendale we all decided to take a stop at this amazing and well-known Cuban Cafe up the street named Porto's Cafe. There, we gorged ourselves on some Sandwich Cubanos, Steak Sandwiches, Meat Pies, and a tray full of desserts...all of which were loaded with carbs and were Oh-So-Good! Good for the soul...not so good for my current standing in the Fat War.

And here's the worst part of this whole Fat War business...In my 30+ years of stuffing my face meal after meal, I have NEVER in my life felt guilty after eating. I've even eaten some of the "worst for you" meals known to mankind and have never even felt a glimmer of remorse or guilt for those said meals. Yes, i've regretted eating the food equivalent of a small child, aka the Champion Burrito, during a Las Vegas Tryst one year for Blue Ryder's Birthday but that was only due to the extreme un-comfort I felt from the sheer volume of food eaten. Not from guilt for eating "badly". Today was different. Today, on our drive back to Hermosa Beach from Glendale, I actually felt kinda guilty for my weekend extravagance. And I HATE feeling guilty for doing something I really enjoy. Damn this Fat War.

So what did this extravagance cost me? Well, the last time I weighed myself was on friday morning after a brutal 3-hour Eskrima sparring session on Thursday night. I was beat up and tired and weighed in at 183lbs...a 12lb loss from my starting weight of 195lbs before all this Fat War nonsense. When we got home tonight, I weighed myself and had to double and triple check it to make sure I wasn't seeing things. I'm back up to 191.5lbs! WTF?! I gained 8.5lbs in a sigle weekend of bad eating?! Guess I gotta eat well tomorrow and work my ass of this week if I even wanna have a shot at giving The Seed a run for his money. Gonna go to the beach tomorrow with the Menches and will definitely spend a few hours in the water Bodyboarding so that should be good for a few lbs...Damn setbacks. Damn you Fat War for making me feel guilty...I say, "DAMN YOU!!!!" =)

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