Seven Kilograms of Chocolate

Last week, the guys from Malagos Chocolates had a booth at our office again as part of the coop's retail expo. I always look forward to these times since it's the only time I get to replenish my stock of Malagos 65% dark chocolate.

Another thing I like about Malagos Chocolate, other than its taste, is that it's a (proudly) Filipino brand; the brainchild of the Puentespina family in Davao (famous for their orchid farms). According to their website, it "uses single-origin made from ethically grown and processed beans that have been carefully graded (according to international standards), fermented and solar-dried at our farms in Davao." This is a giant step forward for our chocolate industry, which has existed since the colonial Spanish times (think of the Tsokolate E episode in Rizal's Noli me Tangere). And for it to taste good is a sign of what the industry can offer the world apart from the tablea.

Super Mario

Four days of nothing. That's how I describe my long weekend (Friday to Monday). Well actually, it doesn't mean I didn't have anything; it was just different from what I expected.

It was a rainy Thursday night when I started packing for our trip to Kibungan for the UPM induction climb. I knew it would be a wet weekend since the forecasts said so very early in the week. But I didn't expect that the weather would turn for the worse. I was woken up by a call from my brother-in-law asking if I can lend them my pick-up truck, because their house was on the verge of getting flooded. It didn't sink in at first, but then we realized that the situation was bad; Mario's wrath was reminiscent of Ondoy five years ago. 

So much for the weekend plans. At least we have something to keep us warm. #MarioPartyPooper #Osprey #GP (Instagram)

And it's on!

Romi has officially posted the invitation for next year's expedition to Mt. Everest Base Camp, Lobuche East, and Ama Dablam. And thus, the gears are set in motion.

[Book Haul] No Impact Man, by Colin Beavan

To justify my nontstop book collection, I made an unofficial vow to finish books I've started reading, and to reduce the number of unread volumes in my shelves (i.e. read more). I'm happy with the progress I'm making, especially after turning the last page of Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard; the book that took me at least 3 years to read. It's a great book; worthy of the paper on which it was printed. 

The next unfinished tome to go down was No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process (whew! what a long title!). Written by journalist Colin Beavan, it chronicles his year-long experiment to make his household "carbon neutral" and reduce their overall ecological footprint to zero. 

Getting where you want to be

At best, I would describe my relationship with fitness as "casual". I know and like fitness, but committing full-time is much too hard. I envy all my friends who have embraced a lifestyle that lets them do all the physical things on a daily basis--sometimes complaining that it's hard, but more often, just happy to have done it. I have made countless excuses why I haven't found a way to commit to be consciously active--from spending too much time at work to basically saying my body wasn't built to run everyday. All these excuses fall short of acceptable because I see people around me who are no different than me and my situation, and they find ways to get out.

Yet I continue the struggle to be active. To fight the urge to just plop into bed, log on to the Internet, and live my zombie life. There's a big world waiting to be explored. Mountains to climb. Friends having fun outdoors without me. I need to be in shape. 

pool sessions

New Gear: DIY Alcohol Stoves

I've been a white gas stove user for my entire mountaineering life. It is where I'm most comfortable cooking. Despite generally agreeing to the virtues of alcohol stoves, I have not given up my love for those ornery heating contraptions in my pack.

But I wouldn't say no to these ingenious, and very affordable--and "green"--alcohol stoves that my fellow UP Mountaineer Boyet fabricates with passion.

Check it out! Visit Kusinilya Munting Kalan's Facebook Page and get your own stoves!

Shameless Plugging

"When opportunity knocks...."

If you are reading this, please indulge me in my bout of self-promotion, and vote for my entry in the North Face Philippines photo contest. You can check my entry (see photo below) by clicking http://www.thrillofthetrail.ph/gallery. 

Voting is linked through your Facebook account, so you will get a notification from the site, asking permission to access basic personal info (like age, gender, name). I hope you guys don't mind.

"I Am Waterproof"

The theme of the contest is I AM WATERPROOF; promoting their line of rain jackets, like what I'm wearing in the photo. Contest ends on October 27, where the entries will be judged, and the first prize winner will get P10,000-worth of TNF GCs.

If you also want to enter the contest, check out the mechanics at the website and start shamelessly plugging yourself!

Dreaming of AD

Quickie entry

I've been been obsessing lately about Ama Dablam since the subject was raised two weeks ago. It's such a beautiful mountain and a the view from the campsites (especially Camp 2) are really hair-raising.

There are basically two ways of climbing the mountain: DIY (do-it-yourself) or supported. I found two videos on Youtube illustrating the difference. 

supported climb

DIY (and solo)

DIY-ing it requires full commitment. You have to know your shit, because chances of getting rescued if you make a mistake is very difficult.

Reading and watching about other people's expeditions give you valuable knowledge on what to prepare. My experience in Island Peak--especially the chest pains I had for weeks after returning home--has taught me the need to be in better physical form before heading back out there.

Six months to go....