The week that was (Last Part)

June 27-29 - It was party time once again! The UP Mountaineers was celebrating its 37th year. And I was celebrating my 10th year as a member. It's a milestone year for me. I can't believe I'm stuck to one thing this long (my longest relationship so far. hehe). I have a lot to be thankful for from the organization.

The Week that was (Part 2)

June 23-24 - After a weekend of running under the unforgiving sun and having too much beer in your system (I wisely turned down any drink offers after Saturday's party), it was time to recover.

Work was still work, nothing I could do about that. I still haven't won the lotto, so I can't quit my job. My only problem is that all that staring into the computer screen, checking endless spreadsheets, have put a strain in my eye. I've had this condition since late last year. There came a point that I was seeing images on the screen in 3D! The doctor said that the lens in my eye has a scratch that refracts the light, creating the 3D effect. I had to put artificial tears to lubricate my eyes, to avoid further scratching.

The week that was (Part 1)

I have been remiss in updating this blog; and it's just been two months since I started this (with some back-dated posts). It has been an action-packed nine days, starting from two Fridays back. This is a mega-post of what was my week:

UPM Invades Sabah - Part 3: from 3270m to 4059m, and back

Part 1
Part 2

Typical of a big climb or event, I couldn't sleep soundly the night before the big day. We slept relatively late at 10pm, while our wake-up call is at 2 in the morning. It wasn't that cold that morning, but it didn't make getting out of bed easier.

The Laban Rata kitchen was abuzz as we entered the dining hall. People were waiting for the buffet line to open. The breakfast spread had the usual stuff; we tried to get our fill even if we really didn't have an appetite that early in the morning. In case of emergency, Cece and I stashed a couple of slices of bread and sausage to be eaten that the summit.

We headed for the summit trail around 3 am, a bit later than I expected, but still enough time to reach the summit before sunrise. Ours was one of the last groups to leave Laban Rata, so we have a lot of over-taking to do if we're to make good time.

early morning start

After a short flat section, we got to the steep steps that immdediately got our heart rate up. I told the guys to take it easy at this early sections to avoid getting sick further up. Sticking to a comfortable pace is a key to success. However, it was also not ideal for us to wait up a long time for those in the back, or we'd cool down again lose more energy in the process. It's also best to keep moving, even just slowly.

Eventually our group got split up as the trail got more crowded. A lot of the people who left earlier have slowed down to rest along the trail, after feeling tired, or cold, or mountain sick. We tried to conservatively overtake if the trail allowed it; and we managed to pas quite a number of hikers along the wooden steps. Below us glowed the street lights of nearby towns. The sky was clear and the mountain air fresh crisp. It was a great place to be in.

UPM Invades Sabah, Part 2 - From 1500 to 3270 masl

(A lot of things got in the way of me continuing the tale of our trip to Sabah. This is the second part of that series. You can back-track and read the First Part here)

23 May, Kinabalu National Park - It was a chilly morning. As expected, Coach Noel's personal "generator" make sleeping a bit difficult at the start. I'm not sure how well-rested I am, actually. Also as predicted by Jake, breakfast was sausage, pork and beans, and egg. Not too much to their liking, but okay.

Photo-op before we head ou

Our group will split into two: Coach Noel and Casper will be riding to Mesilau on their mountain bikes, while the rest of us will hiking up to Laban Rata. The sky is clear and bright. It was a bit warm, actually, if you are in the sun (obviously).  

Mt. Kinabalu, as seen from the parking lot across the entrance

Lucky Pick

"Tanging pag-asa upang makapag-Nepal muli"

New Book Find - Quest for Adventure

A lot of people are off work today, taking advantage of the Independence Day holiday to head off for a 4-day weekend. But that's totally unrelated to this entry.

It's Friday the 13th! But I feel lucky with what I found: A first edition of Chris Bonnington's Quest for Adventure! (printed 1981)

Independence Day Climb - Plan B

It was an overcast and rainy Independence Day morning. Our plan to go to Wawa for a intro session to outdoor climbing was effectively cancelled on Wednesday afternoon, when it started to rain hard. 

To save our day from the disappointment of having wet crags, Jojo suggested we go indoor climbing instead. Power Up Centro was their gym of choice.

Comeback bike ride

Finally, my road bike has seen the light of day in after so many months!

Heard on Thursday

"Found myself in unfamiliar territory." That was my caption for this Instagram post (see photo), taken at the RX 93.1 studios. This was the first time I've been inside a radio recording booth.

(Photo courtesy of Rafael Reyes and Ina Ocampo)

Khoo Swee Chiow's 5th 8000-er

Congratulations to Swee Chiow on bagging his 5th 8,000-meter peak. He and his partner, Minma Sherpa reached the summit of Makalu (8,481 masl) a couple of weeks ago. From their photo, it looked like it was a great day to climb.

Swee Chiow and Mingma Sherpa (photo credit: Khoo Swee Chiow)

New book finds: Jamling Tenzing Norgay and Dougal Haston

At least 3 days a week, after lunch, I usually hang out in Booksale Megamall to check out if there are anything interesting and cheap in their collection. I also make sure to drop by any discount bookstores wherever I go (especially if I don't usually go to that mall or store). 

As to climbing-related books, I think I have scored at least 8 dozen from these visits in the past decade. 

Today was a good day for book-hunting.